Hardly surprisingly, I am disgusted with the Conservative Party over their dirty tricks of creating a website purporting to be the Labour Manifesto (published by the Conservative Party). If you really want to see the Labour Party’s manifesto for the … Continue reading Conservative dirty tricks continue in UK General Election
This afternoon we have seen the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill pass its third reading in the House of Commons. Many people start claiming that Equal Marriage is home and dry. This is quite far from the case. The Bill … Continue reading We’re being left behind in Northern Ireland: why I am a proud Liberal Democrat
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will see the funeral of one of the greatest Prime Ministers of our history unfold from the first movements at the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster along the streets of Whitehall in the city of Westminster into the City of London, pausing at St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force where her coffin will be transferred to the gun carriage for the final procession to the Cathedral Church of St Paul, where the Funeral Service will take place. Birth date: … Continue reading A lion’s heart of gold: Baroness Thatcher LG OM FRS 1925 – 2013
With the number of local government district set to be cut from the current twenty-six to just eleven in the next couple of years there will be a drop in the number of councillors of about 120. The environment minister … Continue reading up to £35k as severance for NI councillors – DoE consults
On Monday 1 October there is a motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Equal Marriage: That this Assembly believes that all couples, including those of the same sex, should have the right to marry in the eyes of the … Continue reading A message to all the MLAs in Stormont #equalmarriage #religiousfreedom
When I applied to university the first time around, back when I was a pupil at Ballymena Academy, I couldn’t understand why we had to apply based on the results of our predicted grades. It seemed to me, and still does, that it would be fairer to have the university admissions process after real grades had been awarded. The recent action [inaction?] by UCAS to put off a decision on having post-results admissions has been rightly condemned by the President of NUS-USI, Adrianne Peltz, who said that basing offers on predicted grades is an unreliable system and that going by predicted grades … Continue reading NUS-USI President calls for university admissions to be after results are published
So HM’s Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department has decided to ban all marches in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and four neighbouring London Boroughs for a period of 30 days. Why is this felt necessary? Because the Metropolitan Police applied for this ban as they consider that it would result in serious public disorder and that placing restrictions or conditions on such a march – for example its duration, location and size – would not be enough to prevent the disorder Will this really make a difference? And with it all marches are banned because the … Continue reading Is banning all marches really justified? Why not learn from N.Ireland?
Michael suggests that with just under 3 months to go until the centenary of 1 and 2 Geo. 5, c.13, HM Government should get on with the reform of the Upper House of Parliament as it really is about time we got round to it. Continue reading it really is about time we got round to it
For many gay men in the United Kingdom, there was light at the end of a tunnel in the Government’s Protection of Freedoms Bill.
The Rt Hon David Cameron, wrote in an exclusive for Pink News:
We will change the law so that any past convictions for consensual homosexual sexual activities, which have since become lawful, will be treated as spent, and will not be disclosed on a criminal record check when applying for a job. This is a question of justice – and it’s right that we should change the law and wipe the slate clean.
Unfortunately, it seems that once again HMG is being economical with the truth. Continue reading “did Sir Humphrey give the advice on Chapter 3 of Part 5 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill?”
freedom, fairness and responsibility The three words that we are told by the Liberal Democrat Federal Party website sum up the Coalition Government’s Programme. However, I don’t see how it is promoting any of those when you consider what has just happened to the devolved countries’ finances. HM Treasury changed the rules Formerly, departments were allowed to carry over money from one year to another. In this way, Northern Ireland’s Department for Education had built up a reserve of £87m (2008 figures). Usually, making savings, is considered a good financial practice: building up reserves in case of need in the … Continue reading freedom, fairness, and responsibility: but not to NI!
Gyronny Herald 