(Photo: Equaliteach) The preamble to the Liberal Democrats constitution reads: "The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity." It shouldn't really be too contentious that a party with such beliefs and values would be opposed to racism, sexism, or other forms of discrimination. And yet today it has been confirmed that a Lib Dem councillor - previously leader of the Lib Dem group on the local council and ...
The later careers of child stars can be an interesting, even tragic, study. Outcomes can vary from being a distinguished art historian (Jon Whiteley) to drug addiction and anonymous burial in a pauper's grave at 30 (Bobby Driscoll). I've found a new disappointing outcome for a former child star: being sanctioned by the UK and US governments. Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood would be a good nomination for the best first film by any director. It tells the story of a young orphan who acts a scout for the Soviet army on the Eastern Front in the second world war. He ...
For some time, the government has often fallen short of its target of 300,000 new homes per year and we are now in a housing crisis where there are not enough homes to go around, thus driving prices up. So what can be done differently? One of the advantages of being a university student is that I get to hear about some of the latest innovations being tossed around in different sectors. One such sector is architecture and some are asking what the future of housing may, or perhaps should, look like. An example of an innovation is the idea ...
"The rule of law is being eroded because parliament is weak. The Executive is able to ride roughshod over political processes because legislators obediently follow the party-line. This majority needs to be diluted by replacing the First-Past-The-Post voting system with proportional representation, which holds out the possibility of creating an effective opposition in parliament. A written constitution must rebalance the powers of the government with those of the people and the judiciary." Prem Sikka argues that the rule of law has been captured by class interests and proposes a very Liberal Democrat solution. Katharine Swindells reports on the legal loophole ...
The King of the Badgers pops up here from time to time. As I've explained before, the name comes from the Revd J.P. Martin's Uncle books, while his character comes most from the badger who appears in T.H. White's The Book of Merlyn. He, in turn, must owe a debt to Kenneth Grahame. Lord Bonkers' old friend, however, surprised me here by contributing some bitter political comment that is all his own. Sunday You find me in the state sett of the King of the Badgers. Time was, I would have brought a bottle of Auld Johnston, that most prized ...
The fortieth anniversary of the start of the Miners' Strike that began on 5th March 1984 is almost upon us but Channel 4 and BBC2 have already offered their acts of remembrance. I remember the start and had the television permanently on during the Battle of Orgreave, but some of my sharpest personal memories are about the ending and the aftermath. Throughout the strike I was living and working opposite the Yorkshire National Union of Mineworkers(NUM) Headquarters in Barnsley. Arthur Scargill and his colleagues regularly appeared on the other side of Victoria Road. Our Communist next door neighbour was high ...
It seems that it is not just the Welsh Government that is in trouble with farmers. The Guardian reports that government officials have buried an analysis of the financial prospects for some of the most vulnerable farmers in the UK after realising it was almost entirely bad news: The analysis was to have been part of an optimistic look at the financial situation for upland farmers, some of the poorest in the country, but minutes from meetings about the plans obtained through a freedom of information request have revealed concerns were raised about the negative findings. Farming groups said it ...
Fraser's weekly ward surgery at Blackness Library takes place later today and every Tuesday during school term time at 5pm sharp. All residents welcome - no appointment necessary. As it is the schools' mid-term holiday, Ancrum Road Primary School is not open today so Fraser's surgery there does not take place today.
