The Government are right to abolish Elected Police Commissioners, but what should they do next?No one knows what Police Commissioners do. In fact, I can add that hardly anyone knows that they even exist! In the one election that has been just for the position of Police Commissioner which did not take place alongside other local government elections the turnout was a massive 7% on Merseyside. It is a nonjob which causes confusion when mentioned, costs money for elections that no-one wants and creates a level of bureaucracy which can slow down effective decision making on key issues. So, these ludicrous positions should go but what comes next? The following thoughts are contained in ... (more) |
Wizzard: Rock 'N' Roll Winter (Loony's Tune)The year 1973 was good to Wizzard. They released a succession of great singles - Ball Park Incident, See My Baby Jive, Angel Fingers (the latter two both topped the UK charts) - and took part in an epic battle to be the Christmas number 1 with Slade. This, their next single, should have been been out just after that battle had been lost, so that I listened to it while doing my homework by candlelight during the three-day week. But their new label, Warner Bros, didn't release it until 19 April 1974. Despite this lack of seasonality, it reached ... (more) |
All aboard the Mattapan Trolley!Those of you who know me modestly well will know that I am an aficionado of public transport, or transit as I guess I should call it when across the pond. I am particularly fond of old trams and, having discovered that Boston's MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) still runs a few, I decided to go take a look whilst I still had the chance to do so. The Boston subway system is a bit of a hybrid. The Blue, Orange and Red Lines are familiar in that they look like "proper" underground trains. The Green Line runs underground in ... (more) |
Huge opportunity for the Liberal Democrats in the 2026 Birmingham City Council ElectionsIn what is likely to be a dramatic set of local elections this May, Birmingham is poised to be one of the most notable, with huge opportunities for the Liberal Democrats. Think of Birmingham City Council and it's likely the words 'bankruptcy' or 'bin strike' will come to mind. While these have done huge damage to the city, they are just a couple of the worst examples of Birmingham Labour's failures. For example, the council has suffered badly from the botched implementation of a new IT system, now 4 years late with cost overruns of more than £100m. These failures ... (more) |
When the world's policeman goes rogueI was delivering care early one morning when the radio cut through the routine. The BBC was reporting that Donald Trump had authorised direct military action in Venezuela, framing it as a decisive move to remove the tyrant Nicolás Maduro from power. I won't pretend to shed tears for Maduro. He has spent years hollowing out democracy, crushing opposition, and driving millions of Venezuelans into poverty and exile. But geopolitics isn't a boxing ring where the loudest punch wins. It's more like a line of dominoes: once the first falls, you don't get to choose how the rest collapse. When ... (more) |
Poorest get poorer under LabourThe Independent reports on new figures that show the poorest households in Britain have become poorer while the rich have seen their disposable income rise under Labour. The paper says that data from Retail Economics shows that the amount the poorest households have left over after bills and essential spending has fallen by 2.1 per cent since Labour came to power in July 2024, but the most affluent households have seen their discretionary incomes rise by 10.3 per cent: The new figures from Retail Economics, an independent economic consultancy, look at discretionary income, which is how much money families have ... (more) |
Campaigning in the snowGateshead Lib Dems' first action day of the year in Gateshead was held this morning in Chowdene ward. On my way to pick up a bundle to deliver, it started snowing. It got heavier and heavier. It did not however put us off delivering the latest Focus leaflet. The whole of the ward was either delivered by lunchtime or people had taken bundles to deliver through the week. The next action day (more) |
Asparagus used to predict 2026 political "carnage"I'm afraid the judges have some bad news for you. This story from BBC News has won our Headline of the Day Award. They also have a new word for you - "asparamancer" - and a nice second mention: "the sought after vegetable": Jemima Packington, a practising asparamancer, said she is able to make her predictions by grabbing "a handful of asparagus" which she then casts onto a flat surface. Ms Packington grew up in Evesham, Worcestershire, known as a growing hotspot for the sought after vegetable. (more) |
Attend the tale of Sweeney ToddI posted a video of the South Bank Show film on the staging of Sweeney Todd a few days ago and have been obsessed with Stephen Sondheim's musical ever since. I didn't see Sweeney in 1980, but I have strong memories of watching that film about that production, with the result that I cannot quite accept anyone but Denis Quilley and Sheila Hancock in the lead roles. Someone has made the video above by pulling out some of the scenes of the finished show from the film, and if you are as obsessed as me you will want to listen ... (more) |
The unsafe bridge over the Staffs & Worcs Canal at PenkridgePhoto: Canal & Rivers Trust Having been guilty of posting a fake AI image of the scene of Bluesky, I thought I'd better see what is really happening at the closed bridge over the Staffs & Worcs Canal at Penkridge. So here is the notice on the Canal & Rivers Trust site: On New Year's Eve, debris was reported in the canal below the bottom gates at Lock 38. An investigation found that the debris came from the bywash culvert next to the lock. The culvert, which also runs under a road bridge and beside a house, appears to have ... (more) |