Now that I am retired from the role of Leader of the Opposition in Gateshead, I thought I would invite Labour Council Leader Martin Gannon to join me on the backbenches. I am reliably informed that he had quite a torrid time at Labour group last week, which was accompanied by lots of shouting and defeat for the plans to close leisure centres. Martin became Leader in 2016 after a palace coup that
Sunniside History Society will be meeting at 7pm on Wednesday 1st February at Sunniside Club. Jo Bath will be talking about 17th Century Newcastle. Members £1, visitors £2. All welcome.
Just published tonight - edition 179 of eFocus for the Whickham area. Issues covered include the delayed decision on leisure centre closures, council budget, Metro service suspension and my retirement as Lib Dem group leader. You can read eFocus on this link.
Suspend Raab, say Lib Dems IMF forecast "damning verdict on Conservative Government" Conservative Record on Businesses 'in tatters' as dam bursts on insolvency rates Jane Dodds to Vote to Protect Welsh Farmers Welsh Liberal Democrats Call for Negotiated Solution on Teachers' Strikes Suspend Raab, say Lib Dems The Liberal Democrats have called on Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab to be suspended, following reports which have emerged alleging that at least 24 civil servants have complained about his conduct. In November 2022, Rishi Sunak opened a formal investigation into Dominic Raab after formal complaints were made by officials about his conduct ...
Writing for The Independent, Layla Moran says: It's been three years since we left the European Union - and three years since barriers to commerce with our largest trading partner were put in place. With Brexit, Britain entered into the first trade deal in history that increased friction, rather than reduced it. Small businesses are now entangled in red tape, making it harder for the NHS and care homes to get the staff they need, and preventing UK scientists from accessing vital funding for their research. Threats to break international law over the Northern Ireland Protocol have not been withdrawn ...
There has been screaming controversy in the media for days now about a Scottish transgender woman who has been convicted of rape. Many misleading media reports have suggested that she would have to be accommodated within a women's prison. There was outrage when she was initially taken to Cornton Vale women's prison where she was held away from other prisoners while initial risk assessments were carried out over a 72 hour period. Once that risk assessment was completed, unsurprisingly, she was moved away from Cornton Vale to HMP Edinburgh. There are few clearer statements of the obvious than that anyone ...
Way back in June 2016, Shropshire voted decisively to leave the EU. Would our county do that now? Probably not according to a new analysis of voter opinion. Tonight at 11pm will be the third anniversary of Britain leaving the EU. It proves our nation was ill prepared. In Ludlow constituency, an estimated 58% of voters voted leave. A recent survey and analysis suggests that 48% of Ludlow voters think it was wrong or leave the EU, with 37% thinking it was the right thing to do. The same pattern is repeated across the country, with only one vote leave ...
Everyone who is saying Brexit hasn't worked is wrong. It has worked. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It didn't do what they said it would do - of course it didn't. They were lying. The aim of Brexit, what they were working towards for forty years and more, was to turn the UK into a plutocrats' playground. The only reason that we haven't actually become that yet is that governments led by May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak have proved too incompetent, or possibly too pusillanimous, to follow through on the initial breakthrough which was to get ...
The celebration of a New Year to welcome spring is practised by many people in East and Southeast Asia. The celebration is usually referred as the Spring Festival in China. Chinese people and the Chinese diaspora generally greet each other with Happy New Year or Prosperous New Year (in Mandarin, Cantonese and the many other Chinese dialects). In some other East and Southeast Asian countries, for example Vietnam, the celebration is called 'Tet' and the Vietnamese would greet each other in their language with Happy New Year. Similarly, the Koreans celebrate 'Seollal' and greet each other in Korean with Happy ...
Mon, 18:10: God is No Thing: Coherent Christianity, by Rupert�Shortt https://t.co/TVbo47l58A Tue, 10:45: RT @BethRigby: IMF: UK only leading economy likely to fall into recession this year (behind Russia!). Forecasts UK ec will shrink 0.6% in '... </ul
New data based on a survey by Focaldata for UnHerd maps current opinions on leaving the EU by constituency. Published on the third anniversary of the UK leaving the EU, it shows that opinion has shifted since the Brexit referendum. The survey estimates that half of in England, Scotland and Wales think it was wrong to leave the EU (54%) while only a quarter Brexit was the right move (28%). Regretting leaving the EU is not the same as wanting to rejoin. But there is a growing swell of people who wish to rejoin as I discussed here on LDV ...
The Independent reports on a new poll from Pollster UnHerd Britain that highlights which areas of UK have the most and least regrets about Brexit. They say that the research suggests that the constituencies which most strongly voted for or against Brexit are still entrenched in their views almost seven years on despite the national mood shifting. Bristol West, which had one of the highest Remain vote shares of 79.3 per cent in 2016, is cited as the constituency where most voters have expressed regret at the UK leaving the European Union: Pollster UnHerd Britain found that 69 per cent ...
On Wednesday 8th February, Toma Pustelnikovaite will be speaking at the Abertay Historical Society's February meeting - "Connecting past, present and future: an exploration of how The Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee engages with its history." It takes place in Lecture Theatre 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee at 6.30pm (refreshments available from 6pm). It is free to members to attend. Donations will be requested from non-members. Read more about the talk at The Nine Incorporated Trades' website is at www.ninetradesofdundee.co.uk
Paul Whitewick follows the disused Old Stratford and Buckingham arms of the Grand Union Canal, finding plenty of interesting remains along the way. The Buckingham Canal Society is working to restore navigation from the Grand Union main line to Buckingham, a distance of 11 miles. And there's more from Paul and Rebecca Whitewick about their railway and canal explorations on their website.
