The writer of Life Must Be Filled Up set herself the task of re-reading all 20 of Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine stories, from Mystery at Witchend (1943) to Home to Witchend (1978). She reports that she enjoyed the experience more than she had expected to, and sets out her conclusions in three posts - on character, the strange behaviour of parents and Character Her conclusions on David Morton, the captain of the Lone Pine Club are brutal but only a little unfair. She finds him:thick and very dull indeed with no sense of humour (there's very little humour in the ...
Truss Honours: Rishi Sunak must block immediately Responding to the leaked names on Liz Truss' Honours List, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said: Handing out more expensive gongs to Conservative allies is a truly remarkable way to reward the shortest tenure as Prime Minister in British political history. Truss and her Conservative colleagues trashed our economy and left millions in misery. Those selected for honours are the very people who helped plunge the country into chaos and crisis. Rishi Sunak must block these Honours immediately as allowing Truss to dish out positions of influence shows a stunning lack ...
I watched most of ex-PM Johnson's "appearance" before the Commons Privileges Committee, mostly because it was an historic occasion (as far as I know it has never happened to any other ex-PM), and a little bit because I wanted to see this former Eton Schoolboy whose report said of him that "he thinks the ordinary rules don't apply to him" finally get his comeuppance. One thing is clear: if he honestly, really , truly, "on my heart" didn't realise that the parties did not observe the rules his government was laying down for everyone les, than he isn't fit to ...
I came to the Spring Conference for free and was dropped off at a bus stop outside my hotel, returning home three days later from a stop across the road. The travelling was on two routes operated by Transdev, one of the most forward looking bus companies in the country. Changing in Leeds Bus Station from one stand to another was my longest distance pulling a case, with no need to cross Leeds or York City Centres. Since gaining my all-England concessionary bus pass a decade and a half ago (thank you Gordon Brown) and as a rail card user, ...
Sorry to have two Market Harborough stories today, but I suppose it proves that the judges are autonomous. Because they have given Harborough FM our coveted Headline of the Day Award. For myself, I can only see this as a positive moo-ve. If British tennis is to prosper, it will have to shake off its image as a middle-class preserve and appeal to a wider population. Cows' money is as good as anyone else's, so I say let them join.
I love conference. My first Federal Conference was at Harrogate in Spring 2009 (a lovely venue that we've not been back to since) and the buzz I got from being around my fellow Lib Dems from around the country was great and inspired me to go to many more. In fact, it probably inspired me to be involved in the party in other ways as well. I've been to a number of conferences since from Bournemouth to Sheffield and each one is different and interesting in its own way. When I started work as a school teacher in 2014 though, ...
Britain is one of the richest countries on Earth. And yet, millions of people live in food and fuel poverty. For the poorest families in our country, the cost of living crisis is nothing new. It has been a consistent reality for decades as they have struggled to afford the basic essentials in life. In recent years, the poorest and most vulnerable members of society have been impacted by crisis after crisis. From the financial crisis of 2008, to the years of austerity, to the current cost of living crisis, not to mention the consequences of Brexit, the poorest and ...
Only the one normal principal authority council by-election this week, plus two more for the City of London Corporation, and so dominated by independents. Look out for independent replaces independent results from those. Rushden South (North Northamptonshire) Council By-Election Result: CON: 54.6% (+5.1) LAB: 28.8% (+6.6) LDM: 7.1% (-6.3) BRK: 5.4% (New) GRN: 4.2% (-10.8) Conservative HOLD. Changes w/ 2021. — Election Maps UK (@ElectionMapsUK) March 24, 2023
In an interview reported by East Anglia Bylines, former Liberal Democrat leadership candidate Norman Lamb talked of the government's failures on Europe: The UK Government's flouting of international law, Brexit and the behaviour of Boris Johnson as prime minister, says Sir Norman, have diminished the nation's standing on the international stage. When USA President George Bush was seeking European support for the Iraq War, he approached the UK and PM Tony Blair in the first instance. Lamb believes the UK no longer has its former credibility and influence: the USA would bypass Britain and go directly to France, Germany or ...
Not content with recently being voted the second coolest place in Leicestershire, Market Harborough has now been included on the Sunday Times's list of the best places to live in Britain. The Leicester Mercury quotes the Sunday Times pen portrait of the town: 'With so many beautiful old buildings, it's hard to avoid history in Market Harborough, but it's a town with plenty of modern, practical attractions, too. 'Rail connections to London and elsewhere are impeccable, schools are good and the town centre is a good mix of useful chains and interesting independents - none more inspiring than the Eco ...
It's been three years since we've met up in person, so Spring Conference was a joyous event. It was also a chance to get fired up about the future: something the party's leadership was keen to make the most of. And so for the closing speech, Ed Davey's team pulled out all the stops. There were not one but two emails from top brass in the hours before, one from CEO Mike Dixon offering an "exclusive preview" of the text and another from national campaign chief Dave McCobb telling us how much a draft of the speech had inspired him. ...
I rarely pay much attention to the adverts on television, but one from the Ford Motor Company recently caught my attention, simply because it was using historical footage of a female motorist and explorer whose name seemed to be made-up to create a form of nominative determinism. A little bit of googling soon dispelled that notion. For yes, Aloha Wanderwell really existed, and she did a fair bit of wandering. As Wikipedia relates, Idris Galcia Welsh was born on October 13, 1906, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Margaret Jane Hedley and Robert Welsh. When her mother married Herbert Hall in 1909, ...
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of NEOS cable maintenance works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Seafield Road (at number 28), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Tuesday 28 March 2023 for 3 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Perth Road / Thomson Street / Magdalen Yard Road / Bellefield Avenue / Seafield Road. For further information contact ...
