Category Archives: Culture

The Tory MPs Who Defied David Cameron.

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A number of Tory MPs defied David Cameron’s three-line-whip and voted for a referendum on
Britain’s membership of the EU. Here they are:

Steven Baker (Wycombe)
John Baron (Basildon and Billericay)
Andrew Bingham (High Peak)
Brian Binley (Northampton South)
Bob Blackman (Harrow East)
Peter Bone (Wellingborough)
Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale West)
Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire)
Steve Brine (Winchester)
Fiona Bruce (Congleton)
Dan Byles (North Warwickshire)
Douglas Carswell (Clacton)
Bill Cash (Stone)
Christopher Chope (Christchurch)
James Clappison (Hertsmere)
Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford)
David TC Davies (Monmouth)
Philip Davies (Shipley)
David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden)
Nick de Bois (Enfield North)
Caroline Dinenage (Gosport)
Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire)
Richard Drax (South Dorset)
Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster)
Lorraine Fullbrook (South Ribble)
Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park)
James Gray (North Wiltshire)
Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry)
Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
George Hollingberry (Meon Valley)
Philip Hollobone (Kettering)
Adam Holloway (Gravesham)
Stewart Jackson (Peterborough)
Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex)
Marcus Jones (Nuneaton)
Chris Kelly (Dudley South)
Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire)
Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford)
Edward Leigh (Gainsborough)
Julian Lewis (New Forest East)
Dr Sarah Wollaston (Totnes)
Jason McCartney (Colne Valley)
Karl McCartney (Lincoln)
Stephen McPartland (Stevenage)
Anne Main (St Albans)
Patrick Mercer (Newark)
Nigel Mills (Amber Valley)
Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot)
James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
Stephen Mosley (City of Chester)
Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall)
David Nuttall (Bury North)
Matthew Offord (Hendon)
Neil Parish (Tiverton and Honiton)
Priti Patel (Witham)
Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole)
Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin)
Mark Reckless (Rochester and Strood)
John Redwood (Wokingham)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset)
Simon Reevell (Dewsbury)
Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury)
Andrew Rossindell (Romford)
Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills)
Henry Smith (Crawley)
John Stevenson (Carlisle)
Bob Stewart (Beckenham)
Gary Streeter (South West Devon)
Julian Sturdy (York Outer)
Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle)
Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon)
Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight)
Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes)
Charles Walker (Broxbourne)
Robin Walker (Worcester)
Heather Wheeler (South Derbyshire)
Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley)
John Whittingdale (Maldon)
Karen Lumley (Redditch)
Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North)

MPs who voted for a referendum
Nineteen Labour MPs defied the party leadership to support the motion:
Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley)
Rosie Cooper (Lancashire West)
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North)
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham & Rainham)
John Cryer (Leyton & Wanstead)
Ian Davidson (Glasgow South West)
Natascha Engel (Derbyshire North East)
Frank Field (Birkenhead)
Roger Godsiff (Birmingham Hall Green)
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall)
Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North)
Steve McCabe (Birmingham Selly Oak)
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington)
Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby)
Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)
Andrew Smith (Oxford East)
Graham Stringer (Blackley & Broughton)
Gisela Stuart (Birmingham Edgbaston)
Mike Wood (Batley & Spen).

One Lib Dem, Adrian Sanders (Torbay) voted for the motion.

Green leader Caroline Lucas (Brighton Pavilion) voted for the motion.
Eight Democratic Unionist Party MPs voted for the motion:
Gregory Campbell (Londonderry East)
Nigel Dodds (Belfast North)
Jeffrey Donaldson (Lagan Valley)
Rev William McCrea (Antrim South)
Ian Paisley Junior (Antrim North)
Jim Shannon (Strangford)
David Simpson (Upper Bann)
Sammy Wilson (Antrim East)
Independent MP Lady Sylvia Hermon (Down North) voted for the motion.

Pane in The Neck.

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PANE IN THE NECK

Talk about being saddled with a difficult job…Housewife Emma Massingale has found a novel way of window washing without a ladder.

The 29-year-old balances on the back of her two horses to reach the upstairs panes of her farm in Bradworthy, Devon.

Married Emma, an equine behaviourist, said: “In my line of work, even house work is never dull.”

A Failing Education System – A Recent Student's Perspective

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The education system in the UK is failing, despite what the politicians may tell us. Recently a Labour party MP illustrated what a wonderful job they had done in power. It was the usual infuriating Labour spin and refusal to accept any responsibility. She set out an array of meaningless statistics, stating how much grades and standards had improved.

Frankly grade statistics mean absolutely nothing. Grade inflation benefits everyone. It benefits the, politicians the teachers, the parents and the students. Is it any wonder grades keep increasing? Only one statistic really matters, youth unemployment. Youth unemployment will soon hit a million. It is a damning indictment of Labours 10 years in power. For all the great grades people may have it means nothing when it comes to getting a job and ultimately that’s all that matters.

What’s the problem? The problem is teaching culture. It is an obsession with exams and teaching the test. Teachers have become very good at teaching tests and students have become very good at doing them. Everything in the exams can be learnt. There is no opportunity for the students to show their own ideas. All the answers have to fit into a mark scheme (which we studied extensively) even the so called evaluation questions (where a student is supposed to be expressing their own ideas). All this stems from uncreative rigid syllabuses all again designed to fit into a nice and easy marking scheme. This is not how learning should be.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not blaming the teachers it’s certainly not their fault. Most teachers would love to spend more of their time doing real teaching but what choice do they have when their jobs are on the line. The problem is excessive central control and a system which treats everybody as a statistic rather than an individual and is obsessed with targets.

How many practice papers do you think I undertook for each A level module. 5? 10? The true number was closer to 25 per module. By the time I got into the exam I’d already seen and answered all the questions before. Was it any wonder I got great grades? But was it really a test of my intelligence and skill? What did I really learn? I’ve now been doing exams every term since the age of 8. If the education has left me with one thing it’s the ability to pass an exam.

When I came out of the education system I naively thought that with my great grades I would walk into a job. As it was I was completely unprepared.

In my next article I will show what we need to do to fix the system and prevent the country becoming engulfed in crisis in the future, because believe me, if we don’t fix this, it will. In the meantime please add your own ideas and thoughts below.

HALLOWEEN DAYTIME BRUNCH PARTY FOR LONDON'S ELITE

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The Bacanal daytime brunch parties have become a staple in the capital for the elite, young and eligible party crowd. Bacanal would not let such a celebration as Halloween go past without organising a fabulously freaky brunch. On 29th October for one day only, Bacanal are turning the Grand Ill Bottaccio, Belgravia into a terrifying haunted mansion for party revellers. This Halloween will be truly memorable!

The distinguished Bacanal crowd will be brunching and sipping bubbles whilst dressed in their full Halloween attire and celebrating all afternoon. The Belgravia haunted mansion is ready to welcome a glamorous group of vampires, witches and devilish demons from 1pm when the party begins. In true Bacanal style there will be Burlesque and percussionist performances and more than enough surprises to keep the angels away from this wickedly wonderful afternoon.

Bacanal attracts a range of guests from hip hop artist Sway, Made In Chelsea socialites, Britain’s next top models right through to hard working city boys who only have Saturday to party. Boris Becker has also been known to stop down for a Saturday party. Bacanal is for those who like to make the most of their Saturday afternoons!

Blake New YA ebook by Sarahjane Funnell

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Children’s Author Sarahjane Funnell has published her
first YA fantasy story entitled Blake, launching as an
ebook with Amazon and myebook.com on Monday 10th
October 2011, published by Gibson Publishing.

Blake, downloadable for £2.99, is the latest literary addition
to her published repertoire, which includes the short story
Princess Rose and the Royal Tea Castle published within
the middle grade Children’s Anthology A Pocketful of Moondust.
Blake is an aloof and mysterious guy. He possesses a sharp glint in his eye and
harbours a hidden secret. Ebony, a schoolgirl, becomes completely mesmerised
by him and his strange character. Longing to unveil just what it is that makes
Blake so different, Ebony desperately searches for him to find the answer. When
Ebony finally has an opportune moment to discover the secret that surrounds
Blake, she learns that it is not only he who hides an unknown identity but that she
too has an inner secret that stretches far beyond her own existence. An unknown
secret that changes not only her thoughts and the ways of the world but also her
physical human form.

Blake is a captivating short story that will spark the imagination of Young Adult
readers, taking them on an emotive journey of self-discovery within two
contrasting worlds. Featuring rich language and powerful emotion, Blake is
perfect for readers looking for an introduction to fantasy fiction or shorter reading.

Frieze Art Fair 2011

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I have a theory on art which is this: If something makes you ask if it’s art, it’s art. Because it made you ask the question and think. There are a few exceptions to this rule, for example, putting a fire extinguisher on a wall and saying it’s art, isn’t. It is just lazy.

My first thought on the Frieze was how awful the queues were – luckily being press I bypassed them. The second was irritation at having my bag searched going in and out.

When you are inside, the main thing that strikes you is the sheer size of it.

There are over 1,000 artists and 177 exhibitors from 33 countries. With the right online school your art work could be showcased in art fairs like this one.

It’s an art lovers dream. I walked around the vastness thinking: “Recession? What recession?”

Artists that really stuck out for me where Rashid Rana, Nathalie Djurberg, Elmgreen and Dragset -them of the morgue art – and Karl Holmqvist.

Neon letter art is popular. One even bears the words ‘Who runs this mother?’ taking inspiration from a song by Beyonce.  I also loved ‘The Neme Sims’, an extraordinary project by Muntean and Rosenblum for Georg Kargl. The  Austrian duo made a grey house with a garden, furniture, and art.

I love art fairs, and the Frieze is one of the biggest there is. Definitely worth going to.

The Frieze was sponsored by Deutsche Bank for the eighth consecutive year. Proves that banks have at least some purpose.

The Frieze runs from 13th to 16th of October every year.

Frieze.com</

St Giles Trust SOS Gang Project's Fifth Anniversary

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In the wake of the London riots, the spotlight has turned towards gangs and criminality. It seemed that an entire generation was lost after the riots that spread across England and ruined lives.

But there’s another side that doesn’t get the publicity it deserves. I attended the St Giles Trust SOS Gang Project’s fifth anniversary.

The St Giles Trust rehabilitates young offenders and Frost has always given them our full support. With so much negativity regarding gangs and criminality in the press, it is easy to forget that they are many people out there doing positive things.

Read more about them here.

The St Giles Trust is an amazing charity, doing amazing things. They have a lot of support, including some in very high places. Chief Executive Rob Owen read aloud an email from the Duke of Cambridge who is a supporter, alongside his wife, Catherine.

Junior Smart, a talented and genuine young man who deserves his own inspirational award, had this to say: “The whole idea of the awards for me personally is to give something back to the people who have achieved, to promote positive practice and to show others that ex-offenders can make that whole 360 degree change.

“Our award-winners this year included a young girl who had given up her children rather than have them go through the trauma of the court process (I don’t know many people who would do that) and a young person who had been stabbed in the face – and rather than seek reprisals – had gone back to education and completed a multitude of courses. The last award-winner was a teacher who was responsible for training and teaching the majority of the team and our clients in the community.

“Finally. it is worth mentioning how much it costs to keep someone in custody – £75,000 a year per person – and that does not include the costs in catching them, bringing them before a court or the costs to their victims and communities.”

For more information, and to support the St Giles Trust go to www.stgilestrust.org.uk

Liam Fox Hounded Out

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Liam Fox resigned as Defence Secretary today over his links with his friend, Adam Werritty.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Fox said that he’d “mistakenly” allowed the distinction between his personal interest and government business to become “blurred”.

“I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard,”

“I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as Secretary of State for Defence – a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held.”

Mr Cameron responded by paying tribute to the “superb job” which Dr Fox had done at the Ministry of Defence.

“I understand your reasons for deciding to resign as Defence Secretary, although I am very sorry to see you go,”

“We have worked closely for these last six years, and you have been a key member of my team throughout that time.”

The announcement comes after days of speculation.

Mr Werritty was questioned again today by a senior official from the Cabinet Office as part of a Whitehall investigation which is headed by Sir Gus O’Donnell.

In full: Liam Fox’s resignation letter to Prime Minister David Cameron

Dear David,
As you know, I have always placed a great deal of importance on accountability and responsibility. As I said in the House of Commons on Monday, I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my Government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this.

I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as Secretary of State for Defence – a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held.

I am particularly proud to have overseen the long overdue reforms to the Ministry of Defence and to our Armed Forces, which will shape them to meet the challenges of the future and keep this country safe.

I am proud also to have played a part in helping to liberate the people of Libya, and I regret that I will not see through to its conclusion Britain’s role in Afghanistan, where so much progress has been made.

Above all, I am honoured and humbled to have worked with the superb men and women in our Armed Forces. Their bravery, dedication and professionalism are second to none.

I appreciate all the support you have given me – and will continue to support the vital work of this Government, above all in controlling the enormous budget deficit we inherited, which is a threat not just to this country’s economic prosperity but also to its national security.

I look forward to continuing to represent my constituents in North Somerset.

Yours ever,

Liam