Category Archives: Uncategorized

How should we pay for local government? And could the revenue help fund some services that are under-funded by central government? I’ve been picking up a number of very old books about all things local democracy from times gone by because the last time we had a major overhaul of local government – boundaries, funding,Continue reading “A local income tax or a land value tax?”

Many of you will have seen the front pages on paper or online. For those of you not affected directly, What’s the one small action or one small one off behaviour change you could take in response to a crisis that will affect many people on low incomes who live outside of our city? ItContinue reading “What will *you* do in response to the Stagecoach Cambs Bus Crisis?”

That’s not to say “I want them to fail and have the proponents of them to fall flat on their faces covered in mud and have to make grovelling public apologies for being wrong before we all get to throw rotten tomatoes at them”(I’m part of CABU!), but rather to ask what contingency plans areContinue reading “What are the contingency plans if the busways fail and the proposed bus service improvements don’t materialise?”

I’ve written lots about adult education and lifelong learning – mainly because I think we could do so much better on it. TL:DR This arrived earlier in the week – by Derby WEA. I’ve picked up a number of books in recent times on the subject too. Note any new institution needs ministerial approval beforeContinue reading “An ideal adult education college – An example from Derby 1968”

Welsh actor Michael Sheen was trending today due to a couple of video clips. But it led me to a 90 minute speech he gave for the Raymond Williams Annual Lecture in 2017 which revealed someone with a far higher intellect than we might otherwise appreciate in the performing arts. Scroll to the bottom ofContinue reading “Michael Sheen’s masterclass to politicians”

As the Elizabethan Era comes to an end, what sort of country do we want to become? “The Queen is dead – long live The King!” …is the traditional cry. Though I’m not going to get into tone-policing. Life’s too short for something like this. Let the media studies researchers get to grips with itContinue reading “The Demise of the Crown”

With only two years to go before the next general election, the new Prime Minister’s Cabinet has little chance of setting the agenda in the face of multiple crises which their party colleagues that preceded them have more than a little responsibility for. And the satirists have started. …versus the real deal. “How many ofContinue reading “A successor government that will be engulfed by events rather than be shaping them?”

Are there enough people willing to step up and help? Have a read of Richard’s update here. <<– PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK TO ANYONE INTERESTED “The key issue is whether there are enough people – and who they may be – who would be willing to form the core of activists who would then runContinue reading “Re-launching campaigning for better buses and services for Gtr Cambridge”

There seemed to be more people at the Stourbridge Fair 2022 than at previous fairs. Above – Cllr Hilary Cox (Labour – Arbury Division) with the Mayor of Cambridge Cllr Mark Ashton (Labour – Cherry Hinton Ward) The opening of the Chisholm Trail (see the video here – and the snapshot below from the civilContinue reading “Stourbridge Fair, Cambridge shows a growing interest in local town history”

It will be interesting to see what the results are. (Above – detail from a British Railways Poster before the modern day South Cambs District Council was invented, and before Cambridgeshire County Council was extended to cover Fenland & Huntingdonshire) You can read their announcement here. See also the Cambridge Independent here, and The GuardianContinue reading “South Cambridgeshire District Council to trial a 4-day working week”