Your guide to London's culture and transport news and events taking place across the city.
Your guide to London's culture and transport news and events taking place across the city.
Fines for delays to roadworks – or is there?
Being primarily a pedestrian, I am less bothered by road works than many people, but they do leach over into pavements or block much used routes across roads, so I read with interest a press release this morning about fines…
How to get your own fake passport
With the news media largely dominated by a recent assassination in my old stomping grounds of Dubai, there has been much talk of the use of fake passports. Politicians have been outraged at the insult to the British Passport and…
Will policy, or technology win the next election
Sorry for the flood of political posts recently, I’m sure they’ll dry up shortly! — Last night I wandered over to a debate hosted by Delib and the Henry Jackson Society on the issue of if “technology, not policy, will…
Port of London Authority “leaks” General Election Date?
I happen to be on the mailing list for maritime notices from the Port of London Authority. Most are about regulations about using the river. However, some are useful as a “this area is to be closed off” type alert…
Train fares to rise – Train fares to fall
Two separate organisations put out two different press releases this morning. They appeared one after the other in my RSS reader – and it was the coincidental juxtaposition of the two headlines that raised a wry smile. I am not…
Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance
Let me tell you a story – was how a talk this lunchtime by Prof. Steven Levitt started as he gave a talk about economics and some of the weird but true facts he has come across in his research.…
V for Vendetta – Live in Westminster
If you had been in Westminster today, you might have seen a group of distinctive looking people striding purposefully down Whitehall to Downing Street. Today, on the 5th November, is the day that political blogger, the Old Holborn takes a…
Have I Got News for You – ticket procedure change
Update: The procedure has changed since the below was written. Click on the link for the latest details of how to request tickets to see rush to get tickets to watch it being recorded live. As the tickets are made…
The Internet: Saviour or Corruptor of Democracy?
Wandered over to a debate in Parliament yesterday evening entitled “The Internet: Saviour or Corruptor of Democracy?” with a panel of various new and old media types. The panel was made up of Nick Robinson (BBC Political Editor); Peter Kellner…
The RMT – Comic by nature, Comic Sans by letter?
A copy of an (allegedly) genuine letter from the RMT union to its more sensible counterpart at Aslef made me do a double-take. Not for the weird polemic written which I read later, but for the instant question as to…
Have I Got News for You – tickets available today
Update: The procedure has changed since the below was written. Click on the link for the latest details of how to request tickets to see earlier blog post. The next batch of tickets will be released around August/Sept. Update: It…
London Murders: Stats Theory Shows Numbers Are Predictable
Found an interesting report on my science RSS feeds this morning, which ties in with something which tends to irritate me slightly about how the media runs with “scare stories”. We all tend to focus on big one-off events, but…
How to get tickets to watch Have I Got News for You
Update: The procedure has changed since the below was written. Click on the link for the latest details of how to request tickets to see
It’s illegal to use a slide on the snow
I was reading the LordsoftheBlog and posted a comment from there onto another chat site – commenting on the rather polite way the Lords reacted when part of the ceiling collapsed in the 1980s. Another chap over there then asked…
How to win friends and influence people
As one of my hobbies is reading the Early Day Motions in the House of Commons (yes, I am that sad), some of which are serious and some can be quite amusing – I came across this one which was…
Scottish Bank Notes in England
A Scottish MP has launched a private members bill in the UK Parliament to force English retailers to take Scottish bank notes. He claims that too many English shops question the Scottish notes when they are presented, and that annoys…
A gallery of Political Cartoons
I wandered along to the Political Cartoon Gallery – which is just off Tottenham Court Road – on Saturday for a look at an exhibition which was due to finish that day. I was actually planning to go there the…
President Elect Obama at Madame Tussauds
A firm which is never shy of blatent publicity stunts, Madame Tussauds has decided that Americans can get free entry into its waxworks on the day the new US President is inaugurated into the Presidency. They have already got a…
Am off to the RSA this evening to listen to Lord Mandy of Dodgy Mortgage give a talk about boosting the British economy and it seems that the talk is proving popular as I had an email earlier this week…
You may very well think that; I couldn’t possibly comment
Over the past few weeks, I have been re-watching the House of Cards Trilogy on DVD again. It’s one of those great political drams, but my views of the series changed over time as the programs themselves changed. In part…
Been a busy few days – went to talks this evening and yesterday evening. Considering that I normally work in the evenings, these nights out result in coming home and having to put in an extra hour or two before…
Democratic Citizens or Cogs in the Machine
I wandered along to the RSA this evening for a talk on an issue which interests me – and in essence it is how the internet is changing how people interact with politics. The talk was lead by Stephen Coleman,…
In Conversation with Cherie Blair
Something to put in your diary – as free tickets to a conversation with Cherie Blair will be made available on Monday morning on the LSE website. One ticket per person can be requested from 10.00am on Monday 24 November…
Changing the sales message for Green Products
Interesting report from McKinsey this morning about how to persuade customers to be more proactive in shopping in an environmentally friendly manner. They noted that while the majority of shoppers are willing to "shop green", the practical reality is that…
