A couple of days ago, I came across this post from user @CapelLofft on Twitter: My first reaction was to pooh-pooh this. There are many historical examples of mandarins and politicians being appointed heads of house at Oxford and Cambridge ... Continue reading →
I post John Rogers' videos here regularly. In an attempt to be fair, I limit myself to one a month, never choose his most recent and always include a link to his Patreon account. John was interviewed recently for The Tap Into Podcast about his walks and videos. As the podcast puts it: January 31st 2024 and author, flaneur, youtube sensation and friend of the Tap John Rogers chatted to a sold out crowd about his life, his influences and to discuss just "What on Earth is psychogeography?'. A fascinating evening talking about our relationship with the built environment, bad ...
Welcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention poll from each pollster currently operating in Britain. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRUKCon leadFieldwork WeThink 26% (+3) 42% (-3) 10% (+1) 6% (+1) 10% (-1) -16% 8-9/2 YouGov 21% (-2) 46% (+2) 9% (nc) 7% (+1) 12% (nc) -25% 7-8/2 Techne ...
I promise this is the last of it. If you have the time, listen to Osborne and Balls on their podcast discussing the £28bn U-turn. I missed it, but Ed Balls apparently said that for U-turns to work, they have to be big and ugly, and that way the voters really notice, and that isContinue reading "Final thoughts on the £28bn"
As I sit down to pen my thoughts on Pakistan's 2024 elections, I find myself grappling with a mix of emotions – hope, concern, and an overarching sense of urgency. The events that unfolded on February 8th of that year marked a pivotal moment in Pakistan's democratic journey, leaving an indelible imprint on the nation's political landscape. Picture this: former Prime Minister Imran Khan, a charismatic yet controversial figure, confined behind bars, facing a staggering 150 charges. As the country geared up for the polls, an air of optimism lingered, only to be quashed by the de facto ban imposed ...
"They don't make them like that anymore" – and this time, I really believe it to be true. The certainly would never be two Alan Gloak's, and given his witness and contribution to the gay rights, the struggle for liberation and equality and inclusion for all LGBT+ communities we really won't see his like again. Born in 1942, Alan died on 29th December aged 81, an active party member and former councillor in the Wells Local Party in Somerset. Alan's life is a rich tapestry indeed, but his political contribution for the Liberal Democrats was in Somerset, or more specifically ...
Peter Geoghegan reminds us that, easy though it is to laugh at Liz Truss's PopCons, small groups backed by shady money have already reshaped our world. Medical Xpress reports research that suggests the effects of being in the care system as a child last more than one generation: "This pioneering research paints a complicated picture of the vulnerability, disadvantage and resilience of care leavers. It highlights the persistence and inter-generational nature of the adversity they experience and demonstrates how disadvantage can be moderated through the provision of long-term care and support." "The most worrying question is whether some apps could ...
One of the really nice things about being Deputy Lord Mayor and then Lord Mayor is the ability to meet wonderful people doing wonderful things in Liverpool. At the top of that list is a recent visit I made to ... Continue reading →
No one is looking forward to this but there will be a road closure on Foldgate Lane from 26 February and three way lights on the Foldgate Lane Sheet Road junction from the end of March. The Foldgate Lane works are essential to connect the latest phases of the Ludlow Green development (Crest Nicholson) to the sewerage network. The traffic lights were due to be in place over the Easter holiday but after I said that was unacceptable, Shropshire Council's highways team negotiated for the lights to be lifted from 28 March to 2 April. Even so, these works will ...
Polls suggest that the coming general election will return a majority Labour government. While support for Constitutional Reform among the party rank-and-file has burgeoned (83% vote in favour at the 2022 Labour conference), and the major trades unions have come on board, the leadership is resolutely non-committal. Tony Blair's New Labour took heed and included Constitutional Reform in its 1997 manifesto – only to 'forget' about it once the election result turned out to be a landslide. Thirty years on, and still the Labour leadership remains silent. 2024 presents arguably the best opportunity to introduce Constitutional Reform in decades. If ...
One of the consequences of Labour's u-turn on spending £28bn a year to tackle climate change is that its plans to insulate millions of homes have been drastically scaled back. As the Independent reports, plans to cut energy bills by giving 19 million people warmer homes in a decade could now take up to 14 years to achieve, with Labour now promising only to kit out 5 million properties by 2030. The party is now set to spend £23.7bn over the course of the next five-year parliament, on top of the £10bn a year it says the government has already ...
Four principal authority council by-elections this week. Only two of them with Liberal Democrat candidates but that is one up on the last time these wards were up. And there's more good news to add... East Hunsbury & Shelfleys (West Northamptonshire) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 38.8% (+15.8) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 35.3% (-16.9) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 25.9% (+1.1) Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative. Changes w/ 2021. — Election Maps UK (@ElectionMapsUK) February 8, 2024
Here's the latest tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held since the last May round of local elections.
Many thanks to residents who recently highlighted to us that a pole at the bottom of the lane of Seymour Street's south end near Perth Road has been leaning badly and looked likely to fall over. We raised this with the roads maintenance partnership who advise that it has now raised an Order for this to be replaced.
