PAC NHS report: Targets simply aren't worth the paper they're written on Lockdown files: Rees-Mogg got Covid test couriered to own home St. David's Day - Welsh Liberal Democrats Call on Other Parties to Back Bill to Make St. David's Day a public holiday Hancock messages "lay bare the chaos at the heart of the Govt" PMQs: Sunak refuses to cut energy bills Hancock messages: How many more ministers received priority tests? Williamson's text solidifies his place as one of the worst Ministers to grace Government PAC NHS report: Targets simply aren't worth the paper they're written on Responding to ...
A.A. Milne, not for the last time walking the narrow path between humour and tweeness, did not trust February: February comes just when we are sick of winter, and therefore she may not be wintry. Wishing to do her best, she ventures her spring costume, crocus and primrose and daffodil days; days when the first faint perfume of mint is blown down the breezes, and one begins to wonder how the lambs are shaping. Is that the ideal February? Ah no! For we cannot be deceived. We know that spring is not here; that March is to come with its ...
The judges grumbled about Gloucestershire Live not being able to make its mind up about what to call the meal in question, but that didn't stop them awarding the site our Headline of the Day Award. This story - it has a happy ending - reminds me of an old Liberal Revue joke: First Carp: I survived 'Nam. Second Carp; Vietnam? First Carp: Nope, Chelten 'Nam.
I must admit that I hadn't been following the process of raising the age of marriage or civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales, so it rather took me by surprise when it was announced that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 was being implemented on 27th February. It was introduced as a Private Members Bill by a Conservative MP, supported by the Girls Not Brides Coalition, but quickly gained cross-party support. We may wonder why such an Act was necessary. After all very few people marry these days in their teens, let alone at 16 ...
Yesterday Michael Gove suggested that parents whose children are persistently absent from school should have their child benefit stopped. That was the headline that emerged from an event organised yesterday by the Conservative think tank Onward. Which suggests that the Tories are in real trouble. Yes, the cruelty of it will appeal to the Tory membership, but they badly need to reach out to people who have become disenchanted with the party and intend to vote for someone else next time. This doesn't look like a way of doing it. Gove was at least helpful to the Liberal Democrats, twice ...
I am far from the first to notice that menopause is having its moment. The tragic death of Nicola Bulley recently brought out the cultural taboos in this area. Was it, for example, misogynistic or open and empathetic for the police to mention her struggle with the menopause? The Labour Party launched a menopause action plan yesterday, particularly aimed at businesses with over 250 employees. The Local Government Association has an excellent menopause policy. Even the hapless Tory government had an HRT taskforce; though it disbanded it after a mere four months! Businesses are catching up with the menopausal pound: ...
In reality the Sunak and Von Leyden discussions have led to a Windsor accord which is little more than warm words. But warm words are better than cold ones! This morning I read Sunak's statement about what he had achieved ... Continue reading →
On 27th February 2023 Rishi Sunak announced a decisive breakthrough in negotiations with the EU on trade with Northern Ireland, but is this a successful deal for NI, or does this deal signal the final knife through the heart of the United Kingdom? Thanks to Sunak's deal we now have a United Kingdom of two halves. In Great Britain our businesses continue to suffer the indignities of Brexit, with their access to the European markets at best restricted and at worse blocked, whilst in Northern Ireland businesses now have far fewer restrictions on their access to that market. Sunak, in ...
Prime Minister Sunak's new "deal" with the EU on our trading relationships with Northern Ireland, artfully called the "Windsor Framework," is receiving plaudits all round (well, almost). The "adults" are back in control, is the general opinion. It remains to be seen whether the hard line Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland , and the hard-right so called European Research Group of Tories in the Westminster parliament, will be won over, and whether ex Prime Minister Johnson will feel he has enough support to lead opposition to it. This will take about a fortnight. If they all cave in Sunak's ...
Happy St David's Day! When I was in school in Cardiff we used to hold an eisteddfod on the morning of March 1st (if it fell during the week) which would involve a lot of singing. Then the Governors would graciously grant us an afternoon off. St David was born and spent his whole life in Wales, unlike the non-native saints of England and Scotland. There is plenty of historical evidence for his existence and his service as archbishop in the sixth century. He appears to have been a modest man living an ascetic life, but a charismatic speaker. His ...
Tue, 12:04: First of likely many photos of my bald patch at this conference, just visible to left of @APranckevicius's tie. #CepsLab23 https://t.co/pHrVRHW2DV Tue, 12:56: RT @DougalMacGuire: Remembering Dermot Morgan who passed away 25 years ago today and Frank Kelly who passed away 7 years ago today. Never f... Tue, 16:05: My tweet about my bald patch has led to the Permanent Representative of Lithuania discussion the merits of Qualified Majority Voting as applied to sensitive foreign policy issues. https://t.co/BAnv20U17D Tue, 17:11: RT @broderick: I put together a hypothesis about Twitter's For You algorithm and have used it twice now ...
The Northern Echo reports: A businesman born and raised in Darlington has been selected as the town's Parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats. Simon Thorley, 37, says a radical, long-term plan to rejuvenate the town centre - prioritising better public transport, the creation of well-paid jobs, and improved cycling infrastructure - will be at the heart of his campaign to become Darlington's next MP... Mr Thorley, who is also standing for the Lib Dems in Park West in May's council elections, was born at Greenbank Maternity Hospital, and went to Abbey Junior School, Hummersknott Academy and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form ...
I had a meeting with my local housing office on Monday during which it was driven home to me how bad the cost of living crisis is in Swansea. Rent arears have shot up in the last few months as families choose to make food and heat their spending priorities, while it is now almost impossible to get a council house or flat unless you are homeless, simply because the number of people presenting as such is off the scale, and growing daily. This is a crisis worse than anything I have seen in my 39 years serving as a ...
Wed 1st
07:00
Getting things done - Perth Road/Ryehill Lane corner site - further update #dundeewestend
Over a long period, the Perth Road/Ryehill Lane corner site and seating area has looked very unkempt. This was in the ownership of JC Decaux who owned the original advertising hoardings at the rear of the site - but they sold it during 2022. We asked JC Decaux for details of the new site owner which it has kindly provided and we have asked this new owner to have the site properly tidied.
