Meet Twiggy, the waterskiing squirrelI was going to say that you don't get squirrels like this in my garden. But then I remembered I don't have a lake, a speedboat or a pair of waterskis. So perhaps I do and I've just cruelly been depriving them of the chance to be like this? (more) |
Jeremy Corbyn's views on Brexit: a long held stance on EuropeLabour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is both praised and criticised for one of his defining political features: sticking decade after decade to the same political views. Some people see that as an attribute – sticking with your principles – and others as a flaw – being stuck in the past. Either way, it's clearly a large part of his political personality. It's also the way to understanding his views on Brexit, as those too follow a long-run consistent approach: Jeremy Corbyn voted for Britain to leave the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1975 European referendum. Jeremy Corbyn opposed the ... (more) |
Poll: 73% say 'Brexit dividend' is a lieA poll conducted on Monday 18th June 2018 found that 73% of those asked said the claim of a 'Brexit dividend' was a lie. 11% of respondents said that there would be a Brexit dividend, with the remaining 16% undecided. The sample size was 1,003, with a margin of error +/-3% (*). If you've read this far, your initial ... The post Poll: 73% say 'Brexit dividend' is a lie appeared first on ten pence piece. (more) |
Tim Farron makes the trains run on timeGood news from the Guardian: A vintage train operator that normally runs journeys for enthusiasts has stepped in to provide rail services to the Lake District after the operator Northern cancelled all of its trains following a timetabling fiasco. West Coast Railways, which runs charter trains along some of the UK's most scenic routes, formally launched its first service on the Lakes line on Monday, two weeks after Northern suspended all journeys and introduced a replacement bus service.A 40-year-old diesel engine and carriages will carry passengers free of charge along the 10-mile route from Oxenholme to Windermere six times a ... (more) |
Nick Clegg's illiberalism should no longer be mistaken for pragmatismNick Clegg, former Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister, is at it again. Yesterday he published an opinion piece in the Financial Times on the secret burning desire of EU leaders to address the 'untouchable principle' of freedom of movement. He tweeted it out to the world in this way: The belief that freedom ... Continue reading Nick Clegg's illiberalism should no longer be mistaken for pragmatism (more) |
Monday readingCurrent City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Bennett Old Friends, by Jonathan Clements, Marc Platt and Pete Kempshall Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch Last books finished Ghana Must Go, by Taiye Selasie The Art of Starving, by Sam J. Miller Everybody Comes to Rick's, by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison Next books Virgins, Weeders and Queens, by Twigs Way Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, by James Finn Garner (more) |
Global (in)JusticeLast Saturday I attended in York the AGM of Global Justice Now (GJN), fancy new title of the World Development Movement (WDM) of which I've been a member and supporter since its inception in the 1960s. One of the speakers in the "workshop" sessions which followed the meeting was Jason Hickel, author of "The Divide". Thankfully he kept his "Powerpoint" presentation down to one slide, which made the information it gave all the more telling. Here's a summary: Annually the "Rich North" transfers around $130bn to the "Poor South" in Aid.(of which the UK's contribution is around $30bn). Annually the ... (more) |
How Theresa May is employing the "weak kid" dodgeball tacticI'm certain a lot of you reading this will not have ever played the game known as dodgeball; in fact, I would bet that if you have even heard of the game, it is only through the Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughan comedy motion picture of 2004, or through South Park. The game is thankfully easy to explain. You split a group of kids in half and place one in one half of a gymnasium, facing the other half. There are copious balls added to the fun (usually basketballs or volleyballs), between ten and a dozen, depending on how many kids are ... (more) |
The decline of local journalism may mean more than just a lack of transparency...Amidst the drama of Brexit, the Guardian covered a report from the US which may well have gone unnoticed by many. "Financing Dies in Darkness? The Impact of Local Newspaper Closures on Public Finance.", published by academics from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois at Chicago on 8 May, might not, on the face of it, seem of great import, but I would suggest that it gives those of us who care about local government some cause for concern. The authors summarise their report as follows; The loss of monitoring that results from newspaper closures is ... (more) |
World Cup, Day SixView Poll: World Cup, Day Six You should be able to vote using your Facebook or Twitter account, even if you aren't on Livejournal. Congrats to dave_gallaher for predicting both Mexico and Serbia to win yesterday. Nobody foresaw Brazil failing to beat Switzerland. (more) |