Matthew Pennell still says no to ID cards (and so do I): "I've always noticed that those who advocate for ID cards are exclusively white British males living in Britain who in pretty much every respect are in the cultural mainstream, nothing would mark them out as being part of any social group on the fringe of society. Such people would not feel threatened being approached by a police officer or would never have to talk to other arms of the state, such as a housing officer, to avail themselves of certain public services." Many of us have the mistaken ...
The latest edition of my weekly political polling round-up, The Week in Polls, is out. As it says: We've recently had new results out from probably the two most prominent MRP models around: YouGov, famous for their 2017 MRP debut, and Survation, prominent for now being the MRP model of choice for the high profile campaign group and tactical voting supporters, Best for Britain. With nearly identical fieldwork dates, this makes for a great opportunity to compare the models. Find out more by reading this edition of The Week in Polls here, and you can sign up below to receive ...
After the controversy over a proposed dog control order last year, Shropshire Council has now come up with sensible proposals. Nearly 600 people replied to the council's consultation last year. The new rules make sense. Dogs on a lead on the highway, Dog walkers must clean up their dogs poo, unless the walker is exempt due to disability or the dog is exempt because it is a working dog. The council has dropped its proposal to fine dog owners if their dog poops in public. Those that don't obey the rules will get a £100 fixed penalty notice with the ...
We can be pretty certain that later this year there will be a change of government and that the Labour Party will regain power at the General Election. Quite apart from drawing parallels between the electoral outcomes of 1997 and now, we also need to be mindful of Labour's policy DNA and what might happen ... Continue reading I still say No to ID cards
Sun 14th
12:33
Ruby Turner, Steve Winwood and the Jools Holland Big Band: Something's Wrong With My Baby
This is from a hootenanny long ago. The Ronnie Scott's site tells us about Ruby Turner: Ruby Turner began a successful run as a solo artist in the late 1980s, landing a chart-topping hit with "It's Gonna Be Alright," and releasing numerous respected albums and singles over the coming years that traversed soul, gospel, and pop. She became a frequent collaborator with Jools Holland and performed with an array of high-profile stars from Mick Jagger to Steve Winwood. Her debut album, Woman Hold Up Half the Sky (1986), was a critical and commercial success, and she went on to release ...
There were just 2 principal council by-elections last week. Both were Liberal Democrat defences fought in difficult or unusual circumstances. However in both elections the Lib Dem candidates and campaign teams did themselves proud and achieved superb results. We start in North Yorkshire Council where we successfully held Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone ward following the resignation of an Independent councillor elected as a Lib Dem. Congratulations to Councillor Andrew Timothy and the local Lib Dem team on winning and retaining the ward so decisively with a majority of over 400 and 43% of the vote. An impressive feat to uphold ...
As is well-known it is not just the Tory Party who give special treatment to their donors, all the parties are at it. As if to remind us of that fact, the Guardian reports that senior members of the shadow cabinet have held a private meeting with a group of financial services companies to discuss the party's banking policies just weeks after one of the companies donated £150,000 to the party. The paper says that six senior Labour figures - including the leader, Keir Starmer, the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the shadow business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds - attended the ...
Middle East A quick round-up on Gaza, Israel, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, America and everywhere else that is affected by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. President Biden's "outrage" following the killings of World Central Kitchen aid workers resulted in an apology and two new aid routes: The Erez Crossing and the port of Ashdod in southern Israel. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that as a result 400 aid trucks went through to Gaza immediately after the presidential fury. UN officials said the figure was actually 223. Disenchanted State Department officials – of which there are a growing number ...
Sun 14th
07:00
Leisure and Culture Dundee - Cultural Strategy discussion at Blackness Library #dundeewestend
There's an upcoming event in Blackness Library that will be a round table discussion about Leisure and Culture Dundee's new Culture Strategy for Dundee. It takes place in Blackness Library next Thursday - 18th April - from 10am to 11.30am. It is an opportunity for community leaders, organisers of events and participants locally to discuss what is important in the local area. For further information, please contact Claire Dow (Cultural Strategy Lead Officer) by e-mail claire.dow01@leisureandculturedundee.com or phone 307464.
