Posts by Tamsin6

  • Speaker: The Government you Deserve,

    The Chilcot report is finally out – worth reading at least the summary. Labour party politics have been interesting enough in the past couple of weeks, much of it in anticipation of this report – there is bound to be even more division and recriminations now. Typically Blair is already (again) justifying his position.

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit,

    Things are getting even odder. Boris will not now stand as Tory leader.

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit, in reply to Ben Austin,

    Yes, I know what you mean. My problem is, not sure who to vote for instead...

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit,

    My local MP is John Cryer, chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party (so quite likely to be a bit busy just now) - he was also a Leave voter in a Remain electorate. He has a statement on his website explaining his position. It is fair to say he is taking some stick from his constituents at the moment. I've always found him a personable, approachable and principled representative, but I am perplexed at his stance on this.His statement is here

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Reading Murder Books,

    I love this thread - I have loads of guilty reading pleasures and slightly cosy early 20th century set crime fiction is among them. Recently I've been reading a few genuine early 20th century mysteries, thanks to some reissues by the British Library, as per the catalogue here and this morning when I was supposedly Christmas shopping I bought a couple more, thank you Foyles, for sticking them right by the door where I couldn't go past them... Very much looking forward to The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay and Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon.

    I also like the Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear, and the Dandy Gilver series by Catriona McPherson, both modern creations but set in the 1920's.

    I love mystery fiction, even when the writing is not always brilliant (I love Agatha Raisin, but this is one example along with M.C Beaton's Hamish MacBeth books where the tv adaptations are better than the books).

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: A Stand for Quaxing,

    In your first picture I first thought they were asking you to chain your bike to the pole with the sign on it. Then I saw the stands...

    In my London Borough, we are the proud recipients of mini-Holland funding for bike friendliness and have seen the installation of all kinds of bike stands and street lockers for bikes, with more still to come. Consultations for our area of the Borough are underway - nothing on the scale of the Utrecht picture (hence the mini in mini-Holland) - and the screams of outrage at the alleged difficulties for car drivers is doing my head in. Little bit of reading here - the free cycle training workshops are brilliant, and so are the Dr Bike sessions for maintenance.
    More about the scheme and possibly some ideas?

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Legal Beagle: Into the River/Interim Restrictions,

    I've been looking at the LIANZA website, but can't see any kind of announcement about this. I'm a librarian myself, qualified in NZ, but now working in the UK - is there going to be any LIANZA response to the restriction? I understand that this is just an interim ban, but I can't quite see how the original R14 was arrived at - I've read the excerpts above, but I can't see that this is a proportionate rating for the book anyway. All of this is just bizarre.

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Legal Beagle: Into the River/Interim Restrictions,

    I am finding all of this quite astounding. So many examples of books that very young children can read - I remember Robert Cormier books being on the curriculum at high school, and access was unrestricted. "After the first death" made a particularly strong impression on me. As far as I know, anyone can read the works of Iain Banks from any public library in New Zealand - I read The Wasp Factory when I was 16, but could have read it much younger - arguably much more disturbing content. "Lord of the Flies" - still taught in New Zealand schools I assume? Also freely available from libraries and bookshops.I cannot see any reasonable argument that could apply any kind of age restriction on these books or the book in question - are we asking librarians, teachers and booksellers to police this?

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Villainy and engagement,

    Pleased to see from the reaction of others that I am not the only non-resident kiwi frantically checking through various sources to find out whether I am utterly out of touch not to know who these judges are...

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Word of the Year 2014: #dirtypolitics,

    For the bird within a bird enthusiasts, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has some helpful boning tips...http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/dec/11/foodanddrink.recipes

    London • Since Dec 2007 • 133 posts Report Reply

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