10cc: I'm Mandy Fly MePeople rave about I'm not in Love, but it's a bit of a dirge and was played to death on the radio at the time. It's the cleverness of the production that people admire about it. But I still love I'm Mandy Fly Me and want to listen to it again if I hear it. The song exemplifies what made 10cc so interesting: the combination of, even tension between, two very different types of musician. Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman were Tin Pan Alley songwriters: Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were art-school experimentalists. I'm Mandy Fly Me began as a ... (more) |
Labour has lost its moral and political compassI have been a Liberal Democrat for many years, and I never imagined a time when a major party on the centre-left would be celebrating its immigration policy alongside the very architects of anti-immigrant sentiment. Yet here we are. As Shabana Mahmood unveils her new asylum and immigration plans, the loudest endorsements are not coming from progressive voices, the NHS, or the communities dependent on migration, but from figures like Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage—men who have built careers on demonising and scapegoating newcomers. This applause is a siren call that should terrify the Labour movement, but for the Liberal ... (more) |
Labour's inhumanity must be opposed!Immigration and asylum have been dominant political issues since the general election last year. These issues have been amplified by Reform UK, the Conservatives and right-wing media outlets. However, Labour is in power, not the traditional right, not that you can recognise anything progressive about many of this Labour government's policies, especially towards immigrants and asylum seekers. Labour's current political approach is completely contradictory. You cannot be in favour of economic growth and strong public services on the one hand and anti-immigration on the other hand. Where would our National Health Service, our social care sector, our education system or ... (more) |
Getting things done - Perth Road #dundeewestendThe pavement 20-40 Perth Road (south side) is in really poor condition and we received complaints from residents about this. We therefore asked for it to be included in a future footpath capital improvements programme. We had a helpful response from the Roads Maintenance Partnership as follows : "This is with a colleague to see if it can be included in a future patching scheme." (more) |
Labour are seeking "to use children as a weapon"The Guardian reports on claims by veteran Labour peer, Alf Dubbs, who came to Britain as a child refugee, that the home secretary is seeking "to use children as a weapon" in her changes to the asylum system. The paper says that Dubbs, who arrived in the UK aged six in 1939 fleeing the persecution of Jews in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, described Shabana Mahmood's proposals as "a shabby thing": Mahmood faced a backlash from Labour MPs and refugee charities on Monday as she set out plans for the biggest shake-up of asylum laws in 40 years. The Home Office said it ... (more) |
18 November 2025 - today's press releasesHighest number of 8 hour waits at A&E in 2025 Scot Lib Dems call for action on Alzheimer's and dementia Rennie: Scottish education deserves better than third decade of SNP Government must set out support for workers at Mossmorran McArthur: Prison crisis shows every sign of getting worse Rennie: Housing Secretary has some nerve as heating bill dropped Highest number of 8 hour waits at A&E in 2025 Responding to new figures showing only 61.5% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in the week ending 9th November 2025 (11,020 waited more than 4 hours, the ... (more) |
The long history of Chinese food in BritainThe view that the British subsisted on overcooked vegetables until the Eighties is a tenet of faith for many, but the reality is more nuanced and interesting. Here's an extract from an article on the Newham Chinese Association website:The history of Chinese food in Britain is best understood in relation to the history of Chinese immigrants. Historically, the first Chinese eating houses in Britain catered not for local customers, but for Chinese sailors who had settled around the docks in London's Limehouse and wanted a taste of home. Until the 1940s, the majority of customers in the restaurants were not ... (more) |
Economic growth - simple but not easy, part 3This article concludes a three-part series on what the UK needs to do to manage 'beneficial growth' policy across government. This article briefly considers examples in banking, trade, commercial law and infrastructure. De Jure Monopoly Banking - 'Never a lender or borrower be' A purposefully restrictive banking sector, dogged by regulatory capture, has done much to inhibit the UK economy. The monopolistic sector structure was designed to create high profitability and crisis resilience in the UK banking sector; but the 2008 crash did not change this justification! In effect the sector's self-governed, cartelised approach, with multiple regulators, failed. Instead of ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1437Sienna Rodgers takes us inside the power struggle at the top of Your Party: "There is talk that the leadership race could feature at least one other candidate; a non-MP perhaps with a 'plague on all your houses' campaign aimed at highlighting the chaos that has emerged under those running the show so far." "The whole estate shares the same creaking water, electric, sewage and gas systems, most of which are interconnected across the buildings - meaning shutdowns for repair affect the whole estate. According to the official Restoration and Renewal unit, there are 'also hundreds of miles of rusting ... (more) |
The Supreme Court decision - End the Trappist-like silence nowThe Supreme Court (SC) was asked to interpret what 'man' and 'woman' meant is respect of the Equality Act. Their decision was that 'with respect to the Equality Act and that Act only' man and woman were to mean the biological gender recorded at birth and not that recorded on gender recognition certificates. This was a very unwelcome judgement and it has been seized upon by all manner of anti-trans people to mean that the judgement applies in all circumstances and in every possible situation. Most notably, this interpretation was jumped on by Kishwer Faulkner, Chair of the Equality and ... (more) |