Whickham North Focus deliveryAnother Saturday and another Focus delivery for Lib Dems in Gateshead. I was given a patch to deliver which I know well. It is now a part of Whickham North and Swalwell ward but until May this year it had been part of my ward. Lunch back at the home of Councillors Peter and Susan Craig.Timing of this action day was spot on. It was dry this morning although it start to drizzle at midday. Had (more) |
There's no good news on the restoration of Ludlow's town wallsThere's no sign of restoration beginning on the stretch of Ludlow's remaining medieval town walls that collapsed more than 13 years ago. The latest new comes from the Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser: Seven firms have declined to help the town council replace scaffolding at a partially collapsed section of Ludlow's historic town wall. ... Last December, Longmynd Consultants produced a report examining whether the scaffolding provided structural support. The firm concluded it "did not appear to offer any buttressing or structural support" and said it could potentially be removed if loose stonework was taken down or an alternative method ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1596Chris Grey detects "an upsurge of discussion about whether and how the UK could join (or 'rejoin') the EU, whether that would be welcomed by the EU, and, if so, on what terms and in what timescale." "In place of declared 'diplomats' well known to local counterintelligence officers, operations have been outsourced to disposable proxies recruited for a pittance. These people are often unaware of who their handlers are or their mission's real goals." Russian sabotage efforts now draw upon the gig economy, explains Elena Grossfeld. "At GCSE level, when science is compulsory for all students, Franklin is the only ... (more) |
Southwell Minster faces building repair bill of £20mSouthwell Minster is in financial crisis, with more than £20m of building repairs needed and concern over its long-term future, reports West Bridgford Wire: The Reverend Canon Dr Stephen Evans, who became Dean in April, revealed the scale of the difficulties following a six-week review of the Minster's accounts. An emergency meeting was held and a report submitted to the Charity Commission. In a letter to the congregation, the Dean said the repair deficit for the Minster's buildings exceeded £20 million. Water reportedly poured through the cathedral roof during the Southwell Music Festival, while lighting on the north side of ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Opinium 20% (nc) 30% (+1) 9% (nc) 10% (+1) 22% (-1) 8% (vs Ref) 21-23/10 GB Find Out Now ... (more) |
London's football pitch crisis is freezing out disabled children. We must stop treating inclusion as a charity luxuryThere is a cruel irony at play on London's public sports pitches. While national governing bodies proudly launch multi-million-pound strategies to make football "the people's game," the cold reality of urban economics is quietly locking the most vulnerable children out of the sport entirely. For young Londoners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), the barrier to entry is no longer just a lack of willing coaches; it is a hyper-financialised property market that has turned the simple act of kicking a football into a luxury. On paper, the vision is exactly what the sport has desperately needed. The FA's ... (more) |
United Nations Day, 24th OctoberEach year I try to write something on what in my view should be one of the most important anniversaries: the founding of the United Nations. Sadly it now passes almost without notice. Rather than a group akin to "Raise the Flag" draping our lampposts with Union Jacks and St George's Crosses, and leaving them there to become tatty, it would be nice if our town halls and other civic buildings flew the UN's blue and white standard each year for a few days. This would be a useful reminder of the hopes o the survivors of the tragic wars ... (more) |
The church and the lifeboat memorialAll Saints Church in Mumbles is not the only one in the area with a lifeboat memorial. As this site records, there is also a monument in a church at the far end of the Gower peninsula. The Gower Holidays website says of St Cattwg's church in Port Eynon that it was founded during the 6th century by St. Cattwg's missionary to Gower, St. Cennydd: The present building dates from the 12th century and was given to the Knights of St. John by Robert de la Mare around 1165. The doorway is probably sixteenth century, and the holy water stoup ... (more) |