Call for the Rutland Water Monster to be displayed in OakhamMore than 2000 people have signed a petition calling on Rutland County Council to acquire the fossil ichthyosaur found at Rutland Water in 2021 for display in the county museum at Oakham. Writing on Oakham Nub News, Lawrence Fenelon, chair of the Friends of Rutland County Museum and Oakham Castle, says: At March last year RCC's accounts showed over £39m of usable capital reserve. Why can't a small bit of it be used to get the Sea Dragon back in Rutland? If it is not spent by March 2028 it will go to the new combined authority and be lost ... (more) |
The Jenkinsite Policy Network present a new vision for British liberalismIn March this year we announced the Jenkinsite Policy Network after a members vote, and though it has taken longer than any of us expected, we have finally gotten to the stage where we can announce our statement of intent! The statement was drafted by myself, Andy Chandler and Mathew Hulbert (of Matthew on Monday fame) and is intended to set out the principles of Liberal Social Democracy that will inform the policies we intend to push going forward. We have done this with the aim of broadening debate within our party. We recognise that despite election successes of the ... (more) |
Yi-Pei Chou Turvey MSP first UK "rising star"[IMG: Hi-Pei Chou Turvey speaks after receiving ALDE's Rising Star Award] I had a tear or too yesterday when I saw Yi-Pei Chou Turvey MSP become the first British politician to receive the European Liberal Forum's "Rising star" award. It is fantastic to see her recognised for her work on Aberdeenshire Council at the start of her term as the North East's Lib Dem MSP. Sal Brinton was there and sent me this video of the event and Yi-Pei's speech. Yi-Pei said: I am humbled and honoured to receive this award on the 50th anniversary of ALDE. More than ever ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1543"In many cases, lack of coordination and administrative errors in the Home Office cause failed removals. Complications around booking flights, arranging escorts and other practicalities have all been found to prevent deportations, as well as procedural issues such as lack of travel documents. But continued misrepresentation in the media and political rhetoric means the ECHR has continued to be a scapegoat."Sarah Singer argues that the government's new immigration and asylum bill won't work. "'I'm Northern Irish', I would say with indignation, every time an English person referred to me as Irish. Growing up in Newtownards in the 1990s there was ... (more) |
Penguin Cafe Orchestra: Perpetuum MobileI can remember studying Penguin Cafe Orchestra CDs, intrigued by their artwork, but I never bought one. I wish I had. Borderless explains what inspired the band's formation by the classically trained guitarist and composer Simon Jeffes: In 1972, food poisoning confined Jeffes to bed where he dreamed of a Kafkaesque residential block full of people with empty lives. The following day a voice in his head said distinctly, "I am the proprietor of the Penguin Cafe. I will tell you things at random." Jeffes tried to imagine what the house band of that cafe might sound like. When he ... (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewJuly 4th America is so divided that it cannot even decide how best to celebrate the country's 250th birthday. Ten years ago Congress set up a bipartisan committee to organise America's 250th birthday celebrations. The committee- which was called America 250—would have a budget of $100 million. But almost as soon as he started his second term, Trump, decided to set up a rival organisation which he called Freedom 250. It was part of his anti-woke, anti-DEI and white nationalist campaign. Trump did not like the way America 250 told the American story. The bipartisan committee focused on the story ... (more) |
Tackling a loophole in lobbying regulation, and a small win on WhatsAppThe latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords, this time a longer speech of mine digging into why we need to improve the regulation of lobbying and also a welcome update on 'government by WhatsApp'. The regulation of lobbying needs improving The current transparency regime for lobbying in the ... (more) |
Not in our nameThe Guardian reports on yet another failure from a Reform-run council in which their £75,000 scheme to hang union flags at sites across the county, which the party said would "not cost the taxpayer a single penny" as it would be sponsored by local businesses, has failed to attract a single sponsor, it has emerged. The paper says that the plan to attach the flags to brackets on about 180 lamp-posts and other places was agreed in the autumn by Nottinghamshire's council, won by Nigel Farage's party in last year's May elections. They add that a report by the authority ... (more) |
Another World Cup and new beginningsI've just finished watching France beat Paraguay at the World Cup and Paraguay trying to kick their way to a stalemate under the nose of the referee. It reminded me of Uruguay v Scotland in 1986. Another disgraceful performance - that time by Uruguay. Nothing is new. Despite the passage of time I feel I have been here before. On that note, despite the passage of time, I thought it was time I should revise my occasional writing about the world around me after a 10 year gap. It is a new beginning for me because I will shortly be ... (more) |
Are there really people who do not think that climate change is real?!As I sat stewing in my back downstairs room, the coolest in the house, a few days ago I wondered, "does anyone really not believe in climate change now?" In the United Kingdom we have had the hottest weather on record in the early Summer and the wettest Spring on record. This is not a coincidence and must mean something. If it was just one year perhaps it could be classed as an unfortunate set of circumstances, but it is now year after year. It is affecting the way that we behave and in extremis is leading to earlier deaths ... (more) |