The Joy of Six 1327Emma Burnell reviews Get In by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund, and ponders the limitations of the Morgan McSweeney approach to politics: "All too often the project behind Starmer - and McSweeney in particular - seem not to see this. That poor culture and poor behaviour are poor in and of themselves - not excusable when it's 'one of us' exhibiting it." "Johnson and Truss at least had the grubby excuse that sucking up to MAGA Americans might be in their own financial interest - for the US market for disgraced former British PMs can be a lucrative one, there ... (more) |
Mark Cole returns to Cardigan Town CouncilWhen I first got involved in blogging, I came across the force of nature that is Mark Cole. At the time, back in 2009, he was Mayor of Cardigan at the age of just 26. He left the Council in search of some work life balance back in 2017 – but he is now back, as the Tivyside Advertiser reports: Speaking to the Tivyside moments after his comeback was confirmed, Mr Cole explained he felt he still had 'unfinished business'. "I'm a little older and hopefully a little wiser than the young one that was first elected in 2004 and ... (more) |
Samuel Collingwood Smith releases TALIS LinuxSoftware Developer and Artifical Intelligence Expert Samuel Collingwood Smith has been working with me on a number of projects for a last few years, mostly in the Artificial Intelligence / AI / bio-hacking space. We entered a number of competitions, some of which were against billion dollar organisations and in one case came in the top-ten with software that runs on a desktop PC, on an nVidia (more) |
How do we deal with this epidemic of Nazi salutes?Steve Bannon has become the latest high profile political figure to give a fascist salute, with this one coming during the increasingly extreme CPAC convention. I suspect that if a decade ago, you told someone that we would be having a debate on whether or not this is acceptable, you would have been met with incredulity, yet here we are. Of course, it all originated from Elon Musk. And if this had been an isolated incident, followed by a swift apology, then I could probably accept it. Perhaps I am being generous, but I honestly don't believe Musk deliberately gave ... (more) |
Observations of an Expat: Zelensky's OptionsVolodomyr Zelensky has had a tough job since February 2022. And since the election of Donald Trump it has become a whole lot tougher. In just the past ten days the American president and his acolytes have gone over his head and behind his back to negotiate directly with Russia's Vladimir Putin; accused Zelensky of being a dictator; demanded virtual total control of the Ukrainian economy; ruled out Ukrainian membership of NATO and the return of territory; accused Ukraine of starting the war and undermined negotiations by announcing that Russia "holds the cards." Trump has also damaged relations with NATO ... (more) |
Tayside Mental Health and Wellbeing websiteThe Tayside Mental Health and Wellbeing website aims to provide high-quality mental health and wellbeing services advice within GP Practices across Dundee. The key objectives include: + Accessible Support: Ensuring individuals can access the right support for their mental health and wellbeing when needed. + Multi-Disciplinary Approach: Offering a team-based approach that includes general practitioners, link workers, mental health nurses, support workers, welfare advisors, and volunteers. + Community Collaboration: Working alongside community partners, third sector, and specialist services to provide comprehensive care. + Guidance and Resources: Providing referral guidance and digital options for those seeking support for themselves or loved ... (more) |
Labour Minister under investigationThe Guardian reports that the solicitors' regulator has reopened an investigation into the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, over accusations he misrepresented his legal career. The paper says that the Solicitors Regulation Authority said on Friday it would look into allegations that Reynolds had incorrectly claimed to have worked as a solicitor even though he did not finish his legal training: The confirmation comes after the website Guido Fawkes revealed Reynolds had not qualified, despite his LinkedIn profile listing one of his previous jobs as "solicitor". The SRA wrote to Reynolds in January after becoming aware of the error on his ... (more) |
The Making of Gone to Earth 3With the world becoming a scarier place, it's time to return to the Shropshire hills and some more behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Gone to Earth. This is the Powell and Pressburger film adapted from the novel by Mary Webb. This video starts with Cyril Cusack baptising Jennifer Jones at Lords Hill Chapel, which stands above the lead-mining village of Snailbeach on the Stiperstones. Later there are shots of David Farrar on his horse, Jones chatting to local children who are extras in the film, and of a horse race. When this appears in the film, Ludlow Castle is ... (more) |
ALDC By-election Report, 20th FebruaryThere are 6 principal councils by-elections this week held across England and Scotland. Labour suffered big losses vote share wise but managed to hold 3 out of 4 of their seats, losing one to the SNP. Meanwhile, the Conservatives and Lib Dems also comfortably held their seats in their respective wards. In Brent LBC, Cllr Charlie Clinton comfortably held the seat in the Alperton ward while second place Labour's vote collapsed. Congratulations to Cllr Charlie and the team for the win and securing our place on the council! Brent LBC, Alperton Liberal Democrat (Charlie Clinton): 1743 (48.5%, +2.0%) Labour: 827 ... (more) |
Why did Labour lose two of the three seats in Leicester in the middle of a landslide?Leicester was an exception at last year's general election. Labour lost two of the city's three seats - one to the Conservatives and one to an Independent. Alistair Jones. associate professor in politics at De Montfort University, looks at those results and at Leicester politics in general in the current issue of Liberator: All three Leicester parliamentary constituencies have been treated akin to personal fiefdoms by previous Labour MPs, going back to the 1980s and 1990s. Consequently, the central and regional party had held little sway. In 2023 and 2024, the central Labour Party decided to reassert its authority, regardless ... (more) |