Dundee Libraries' At Home Library ServiceDundee Libraries' At Home Library Service is designed for people living in Dundee in their own home, sheltered housing or care home. If you or someone you care for is convalescing, have difficulty getting out independently, or would simply benefit from getting library resources delivered to your door please contact the service - find contact details using the link at www.leisureandculturedundee.com/library/athome Resources include ordinary and large print books, talking books and large piece jigsaws. Library staff will call you initially to discuss your interests and let you know when your first delivery will be. (more) |
Too risque for the House of Lords?Swansea's Brangwyn Hall is a major venue in the city, but it is mostly known for the artwork that adorns its walls. The Brangwyn Panels (also known as the British Empire Panels), comprising 16 monumental paintings, are popularly considered Sir Frank Brnagwyn's most significant achievement. They were initially commissioned for the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords and were hotly pursued by both Cardiff and Swansea. As the Glyn Vivian website records the ensuing battle ended with Swansea winning the bid: The building of the new Guildhall was underway and the city council proposed raising the Assembly Hall ceiling ... (more) |
RIP AndyIt was a sad day today for Gateshead Liberal Democrats. Our former chair and treasurer, Andy Coleman, passed away suddenly in November, aged only 48. His funeral was today. Andy had been a key activist over the past few years. He did not want to be a councillor but the focus of his activities was within the party itself. Rather than be a candidate, he did the job of election agent. He was (more) |
By-election analysis: gain, loss, holdsYesterday's council by-elections were a mixed crop. Lib Dems had a gain, a loss and 2 holds. The overall picture is unchanged from last week - Labour and the Conservatives are doing appallingly badly, the momentum is still behind Reform, the Greens barely registered (but they inadvertently helped Reform win in one contest) and the Lib Dems, as previously, had a mixed night. So here are the (more) |
In search of the Lost Gunthorpe Toll Bridge over the River TrentGunthorpe Bridge on the A6097 is the only road crossing of the River Trent between Nottingham and Newark. Built in 1927, it replaced an earlier toll bridge that opened to traffic in 1875. In this video, Trekking Exploration- subscribe and like, my pretties - goes in search of the toll house and of the bridge's abutments on either side of the river. (more) |
so now we're pretending we don't know what causes inflation??The mark of a stupid person is not their inability to understand things. It is their thinking they understand something that much smarter people do not. Which means I myself must be extremely stupid, because I think I understand, roughly, what causes inflation and yet Lord Mervyn King implies he does not, or at least the central bankers of the world don't. King is so much brighter and more accomplished than I am in this field of study that there is not a metric to capture it. Moreover, Gillian Tett, a quite terrifyingly accomplished FT writer who has been on ... (more) |
ALDC By-Election Report, 4th DecemberThis week, there were six local by-elections, of which three were Liberal Democrat defences. In Watford, we secured a decisive win and defended this borough council seat. Congratulations are due to Councillor Callum Robinson and the local team for winning in Watford. Watford Borough Council, Tudor Liberal Democrats (Callum Robertson): 821 (52.6%, +4.3) Reform UK: 433 (27.2%, +17.8 ) Conservative: 148 (9.3%, -10.5) Labour: 111 (7.0%, -16.4) Green Party: 77 (4.8%, new) Liberal Democrats HOLD In East Devon, we were able to ensure this seat remained Liberal Democrat, with a solid win over Reform UK. Congratulations are also due to ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1445"Whether it is the private contractors paid enormous sums of public money to bring prisoners to court failing to bring prisoners to court, or technology procured at vast public expense simply not working, or entire court buildings being shut down because the roof is falling in, the Crown Courts every single day endure absurd, entirely-fixable inefficiencies which contribute significantly to the backlog of work."The Secret Barrister explains that abolishing most jury trials will not touch the main causes of delay in the legal system. Paul Bernal argues that banning children from social media is a very bad idea: "For the ... (more) |
The "right" to a jury trial - a Scottish perspectiveAll the debate in the press on the "right" to a jury trial in England (and Wales?) has been interesting from a Scottish perspective. In Scotland, the vast majority of criminal cases are tried in the local Sheriff Court and an accused has no right to a jury trial in the Sheriff Court. Rather, it is the prosecutor and not the accused who decides whether there will be trial before a jury. To explain.... In Scotland, the there are three levels of first instance criminal courts: The Justice of the Peace Courts (minor matters with very limited sentencing powers). The ... (more) |
Lib Dems gain another councillor seat in Geoffrey Cox's constituencyThe principal authority council by-elections this week started off with a rare Tuesday contest: Long Eaton North (Derbyshire) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: ➡] RFM: 28.1% (-7.7) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 27.2% (+4.2) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 21.8% (-2.7) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 11.8% (+4.5) [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 5.8% (-3.6) [IMG: 🏘] DCP: 5.3% (New)Reform HOLD.Changes w/ 2025. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-12-02T23:57:31.335Z Congratulations to new councillor Fran McElhone. For what all this means for the running total of council by-election results since the last May elections, see my council by-elections scorecard here. These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections as it's ... (more) |