I've been interested in this station ever since I read an account of its decay - netting and all - in its last years of operation in one of the Forgotten Railways books. Jago Hazzard takes us through the history of this "magnificent missing station", and shows us what remains of it today. (A surprising amount.) There's just time for a reminder that my man Richard Jefferies was not quite the child of nature that critics often assume. He spent a portion of his boyhood living happily with relations at Crystal Palace, just after Paxton's great glass building had been ...
I've just been sorting out some old papers, including a folder of press cuttings that I obviously thought might come in useful one day for something I was writing. Today they would be Chrome bookmarks. One cutting is what looks like a Guardian Diary item inspired by Paddy Ashdown and Tony Blair's grand strategy. It includes this comment on the errors of Fox and Lord North from one of Lord Macaulay's essays on the younger Pitt: They ought to have known that coalitions between parties which have long been hostile can succeed only when the wish for coalition pervades the ...
"Liberal democracy depends upon a sense of shared citizenship, a relatively stable society and an inclusive economy without too great a gap between rich and poor."William Wallace puts his finger on an important truth: economic inequality is a barrier to liberal politics. Robert Saunderson on what the Conservatives must do if they are to recover from July's rout: "The party must resist three fantasies that have loomed too large since the election: that defeat was less severe than at first believed; that its failures in office were the fault of traitors or non-believers; and that there are easy solutions to ...
Nine principal authority council by-elections this week, six with Lib Dem candidates – the same as last time around. Let's start with a result that is a bit of an outlier – a now rare Labour gain from Conservative – but may be a harbinger of things to come, as the gain came off Reform intervening, not doing quite well enough to win and so Labour taking the seat despite a large vote share fall: Bispham (Blackpool) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 31.5% (-16.5) [IMG: âž¡] RFM: 30.7% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 22.7% (-29.2) [IMG: 🙋] IND: 10.7% (New) ...
The Guardian reports that a key part of the UK's post-Brexit border strategy has been put on pause for more than a year amid government concerns over the cost of implementing the scheme. The paper says that the introduction of the Single Trade Window (STW), which is designed to reduce friction for traders moving goods in and out of Britain, had already been delayed from late October to January next year, but will now be halted until at least 2026: The government hoped the STW would simplify border processes after Brexit by creating a single digital platform in which importers ...
As we have raised concerns about the deteriorating road surfaces in Marchfield Road, Marchfield Crescent and Hyndford Street, we are pleased to see these two temporary traffic orders for repairs being issued : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) FIRST : THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of carriageway patching works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Marchfield Road and Marchfield Crescent (between Blackness Road and Rockfield Street), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 11th November 2024 ...
