Embed from Getty ImagesGeoffrey Wheatcroft writes in today's Guardian: For a century and a half the Tories had a plausible claim to be "the natural party of government". Today, they barely look capable of governing at all. Forty years ago Thatcher brimmed with ideas, some of them right and some of them demonstrably wrong, but the Tories now have no idea at all. They have run out of time, run out of excuses - and maybe run out of purpose. Well, that's encouraging. Wheatcroft locates the reason for this malaise in the party's recent history: If the fall of Thatcher, ...
Beamish, only a few km from my house, opened the police houses in the 1950s area of the museum in June. During our honeymoon week, David and I visited the new attractions at Beamish. The police houses are built in a very familiar. There are thousands of council houses in Gateshead built to a similar architectural appearance. Police houses have largely disappeared over the past few years though I
Yesterday I reported comments made by Daisy Cooper and Ed Davey about Nadine Dorries' reluctance to carry out her promise to stand down from Parliament "with immediate effect" (Nadine Dorries should do something). It seems that our MPs are now planning to table a Bill as soon as Parliament returns on 4th September to suspend Nadine Dorries for 10 days if she doesn't appear in Parliament by 14th September. If the motion is passed, and a suspension results, then this would trigger a recall petition in the Constituency and allow her constituents to force a by-election. Daisy Copper tells us: ...
Fri 25th
10:54
Isle of Wight Lib Dems continue their fightback with another local by-election victory
Redrup on the up - Lib Dems secure controversial Wootton Bridge seat ran the headline on the Isle of Wight Radio website. I welcomed news of another Liberal Democrat local by-election gain, but wondered why Wootton Bridge is 'controversial'. It turns out that that problem lies not with the ward but with its former councillor. Daryll Pitcher, who had represented it for the Vectis Party, resigned from Isle of Wight Council three months into a sentence for child sex offences. You can read more about Pitcher and the Vectis Party, which he led, in the archives of the On the ...
The Harris Academy Former Pupils' Association is holding a lunch on Monday 4th September at noon. All FPs welcome - please contact Freida Soutar on Dundee 562788 or e-mail freida.s67@gmail.com by 5pm on Wednesday 30th August if you wish to attend.
Here's the latest tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held since the last May round of local elections.
