Which is the most unworkable policy?It seems the Conservatives have entered a competition with Reform to see which party can come up with the most unworkable policy. Over the past week, Reform announced that if they were in government, they would use the Royal Navy to forcibly return asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats to France. That would mean Royal Navy vessels entering French territorial waters without permission (more) |
Neo-Nazi and net zeroThe Conservatives have really lost the plot. In a desperate bid to outdo Reform, Kemi Badenoch has announced that no one supporting net zero will be allowed to stand as a Conservative candidate in the general election. This led to one former cabinet member (Grant Shapps) being refused permission to stand. Yet at the same time she was standing by a Conservative local election candidate with (more) |
A blue plaque for Traffic's Jim Capaldi in MarlowJim Capaldi, singer, Traffic's drummer and Steve Winwood's longtime writing partner, is now remembered by a heritage plaque on his former home in Marlow. It was unveiled on Sunday 2 August, which would have been Capaldi's 82nd birthday. Among the people who gathered to see the plaque unveiled were Capaldi's wife Aninha and their daughters Tabitha and Tallulah, and figures from the world of music including Steve and Muff Winwood and Bob Harris. The plaque, which was installed by The Marlow Society, commemorates the home where Jim lived from 1971 until his death in 2005. Photo from the Jim Capaldi ... (more) |
Conference Agenda is out![IMG: Front cover of Autumn 2026 Conference agenda with photos of Ed Davey and other MPs and Brighton seafront] It's just six weeks until Lib Dems gather in Brighton for our Autumn Conference. Yesterday afternoon, the Conference agenda came out. Over the four days we will see debates on such subjects as: Ending Violence against women and girls Mortality of children in temporary accommodation Maternity care Party strategy Defending Democracy Food security Water companies AI Making music matter Rural and coastal education There will be keynote speeches from: Jane Dodds Alex Cole-Hamilton Max Wilkinson Munira Wilson] Daisy Cooper Cllr Lisa ... (more) |
For International Cat Day: This is Sylvia by Sandy WilsonOne of the books I saved from my mother's house was This is Sylvia by Sandy Wilson. This review from the Brechin Advertiser (25 January 1955) explains all. A nonsense book that is something quite new is the autobiography of that successful musical comedy star, Sylvia. Sylvia hesitated when her friends urged her to write her memoirs. She had lived her nine lives to the full, they said, so why not give her story to the public? Hester Briggs finally persuaded this great-great-granddaughter of a Sultan to take the plunge and tell her story up to now. As for the ... (more) |
Observations of an Expat An Iranian Who's WhoAmerica's Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, recently told American television that the problem with negotiating with Iran is that the Iranians are hopelessly divided. He was right. Nobody is certain that the Iranian sitting across the negotiating table can make the rest of Iran obey any agreement. The diplomats and politicians who meet with J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, et al, are generally pragmatists who want an end to war and sanctions. But back home they are being undermined by revolutionary ideologues prepared to embrace martyrdom. The pragmatists are led by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas ... (more) |
From copperworks to distilleryThe Hafod-Morfa copperworks are one of the few remaining relics of Swansea's industrial past. They are subject to a multi-million pound scheme to restore and repurpose the buildings sitting on the side of the River Tawe in Hafod, near to the Swansea.com football stadium. The remains of this complex, originally developed by Vivian and Sons, consists of a core Grade II listed building and additional Grade II listed structures on a 12 acres (4.9 ha) site. As Wikipedia relates the history of this site is over 200 years old: The Hafod works was founded in 1810 by the Cornishman himself ... (more) |