The nationalist myopia of Left and RightOn Facebook Simon McGrath has drawn attention to a letter to the Guardian from Labour MPs, already circulated by the Open Europe blog. The Labour MPs concerned include Gisela Stuart who has a long history of euroscepticism and Dennis Skinner who proudly proclaims the fact that he has never been abroad. How delighted these soi-disant left wingers must be that their ideas are shared by the (more) |
The weekend debate: When should an MP rebel against their party?Here's your starter for ten in our weekend slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate... In the Australian system even a single rebellion against your party can mean the whip is withdrawn but in the UK we're much more used to MPs 'crossing the floor' and voting against their party. In fact there's been a fair amount of coverage on Lib Dem Voice of Mark Pack's research on the number of backbench Lib Dem MPs who have rebelled against the government since the last election. One could argue that MPs have a duty to vote with ... (more) |
Boundary Commission for England publishes details of stage two consultationBoundary Commission for England Newsletter 2012 #1 (more) |
New energy from a fresh broomThe loss of Chris Huhne from Government was inevitable once he was charged, however it is difficult not to draw the conclusion that the constant exercising of 'sharp elbows' was bound to end badly in some shape or another, whilst leaving few political friends to pick up the pieces. Having said this, the Liberal Democrats will miss Chris Huhne's presence in the cabinet, where he was a big hitter and consequently was able to press forward with the party's green agenda with impunity. We now have Ed Davey in his place, a Minister who has already achieved success in reforming ... (more) |
The Blood is The Life 04-02-2012The Almighty Johnsons episode 1 review - Den of Geek This review is possibly a little harsh, but it makes some good points, and I love the desc ription of Olaf as "God of Exposition". Probably still going to give it a couple more episode; I'm glad I did with American Horror Story, which Jessica Lange has been utterly fabulous in. (tags: telly ) The first page of H.G. Wells's version of Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds | Retronaut Am singing this now (tags: music ) Taxpayers' Alliance admits director doesn't pay British tax | Politics | The Guardian ... (more) |
Usage and abusage in parliamentApparently David Cameron called Ed Miliband a hypocrite in parliament this week, but had to withdraw because you're not allowed to be so rude. This incident brought forth in the press the usual list of archaic insults ( eg stool-pigeon, guttersnipe, cad)which are still on the taboo list. In my view the most amusing incident with arose out of this convention occurred when Jeremy Thorpe was leader of the Liberals and was overheard to mutter "Stupid bastard" whilst the then Prime Minister, Edward Heath, was speaking. The interjection was loud enough to generate immediate demands that Thorpe withdraw , but ... (more) |
Verulamium Park Management Plan consultation: have your sayThe following link will take you directly to the Council's consultation webpage: The public consultation period will end on Sunday the 11th March 2012. (more) |
Council Digs Deep To Invest £15,000 In New AllotmentsCambridge City Council has dug deep into its finances to provide £15,000 for new allotments in the city. Seventeen allotments will be created off Kendal Way in East Chesterton and up to 50 plots will be provided by potentially extending Empty Common in Trumpington. The plots will be allocated to people who have registered on the council's 290 strong waiting list for allotments. Cambridge City Executive Councillor for Art, Sport and Public Places, Rod Cantrill said: "We are committed to helping people who want to grow their own produce. This helps them maintain a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and I ... (more) |
The KitschiesI han't heard of The Kitschies - "the annual awards for those books which best elevate the tone of genre literature" - until very recently, despite my old friend Bex Levene being one of the judges, but I love the concept. In case anyone like me is struggling through Twitter to find the results, whkch are not yet up on the official site, they were: Red Tentacle (to the novel containing speculative or fantastic elements that best fulfills the criteria of intelligent, progressive and entertaining) - A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd Golden Tentacle (to the debut ... (more) |
9:29 paceI know exactly what makes me a slow runner - it's the belief that I'm a slow runner. I find the idea of pushing myself to go faster than is comfortable so much more difficult than the idea of plodding on for more and more miles. You know - slow & steady, etc. I just never thought I could be faster, so I wasn't. That seems to be changing. Part of my marathon training involves tempo runs, which are supposed to be between 9:47 and 10:04 pace (my easy runs are supposed to be paced between 10:47 and 11:16). I ... (more) |