I turned 60 recently. As birthday presents from the nation, I was allowed free prescriptions, reduced rail fares and a poo kit!The free prescriptions are no use to me, at least for the time being. I don't take any. The reduced rail fares are a bit more useful. Though the amount of travel I do is only a small fraction of what I did before 2017, I do have 3 short trips coming up. So a saving
I was in Birtley on Monday helping to deliver our latest Lib Dem Focus. Somehow Birtley had avoided the snow. Not so in Sunniside though we had only about 1 cm. I will be back in Birtley later this week as I have one more patch to deliver. Hopefully Birtley will continue to be a snow free zone!
"Animal factories are amongst the worst atrocities ever perpetrated by humanity. Animal factories are inherently cruel and create massive suffering for billions of animals, destroy the environment and even undermine our health." Jane Goodall and Koen Margodt make the case for adopting a plant-based diet. Iain Sharpe (Mr Dorothy Thornhill) reflects on how elected politicians can hold experts to account in the light of the Post Office Horizon scandal: "Among the reasons for my dear wife's longevity as Elected Mayor of Watford was a willingness to keep asking questions until she got an answer she understood and a sixth sense ...
As Edwin Hayward observed on Twitter earlier today: The Tories have reached the "invade France" stage of the immigration debacle, and it's only Wednesday. He was talking about a statement that Giles Watling, the Conservative MP for Clacton, places on his website today: Giles Watling MP is backing stronger borders and an end to illegal migration. Giles is set to back the Government on the Rwanda Bill again this week to deport illegal entrants but warns that the legislation does not go far enough - and will not ultimately succeed in full. He believes that we must stay focussed on ...
Daisy Cooper is interviewed by Care Home Professional about Lib Dem policy on social care. As she says: "So many people don't realise just how broken the system is until they, or a loved one, has to use it. ... "Only with wider reform - like the Liberal Democrat pledge to increase care workers' minimum pay, and creating a Royal College of Care Workers to create a real career path in the sector - will we achieve a vision where the most vulnerable in our society are cared for properly and those doing that caring are fairly compensated and appreciated."Asked ...
Our Chief Whip, Wendy Chamberlain, has been talking with Iain Dale. Wendy talks about her role as Chief Whip and how she tried to keep the Parliamentary team in line, especially during Covid. Iain Dale also asked her about her childhood in Greenock and her career in the police – and her love of shinty. She then discusses her entry into politics, with the added complication that her husband is a member of the SNP. Fortunately, their differences on Scottish Independence don't seem to have undermined their marriage. Wendy became an MP within four years of joining the Liberal Democrats. ...
Image available with for reuse under the OGL (Open Government License). At a time when the world is at its least stable, possibly since the end of the Cold War more than 30 years ago, the mothballing of two of the Royal Navy's most critical assets is under open consideration by the Tories. The Government are once again considering mothballing - ie. indefinitely laying up - both HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, two amphibious assault, command and supply ships operated by the Royal Navy. These are the only two ships of this type which are still in operation in the ...
The Guardian tells us about a report by the House of Commons public accounts committee that has found that deteriorating flood defences mean more than 200,000 homes in England are at risk of flooding due to Environment Agency budget shortfalls. They say that MPs have concluded that the Agency failed to meet a target of maintaining 98% of "high consequence" flood defences and has had to downgrade the number of properties it aims to protect by 2027 from 336,000 to 200,000: New houses were being built on floodplains without checks being carried out to make sure suitable flood defences had ...
The City Council has advised of two temporary traffic orders as follows : 1 - Ryehill Lane 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 carriageway resurfacing works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Ryehill Lane (from its junction with St Peter Street for approx. 30 metres in a easterly direction), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 22 January 2024 for 5 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Resident access will be ...
