Massive Changes to Print Media in Birmingham
Trinity Mirror has today announced sweeping changes to their Birmingham newspaper empire.
As had already been discussed, the Birmingham Post is to become a weekly publication from next month. But in addition to this, the Birmingham Mail will become an overnight/morning title. The editors of both papers are leaving and there will be at least 40 redundancies across the group.
It comes as a massive blow to journalists across the city but was surely inevitable with the changes to the way people consume news nowadays?
I enjoy the Birmingham Post with its business and political coverage, but I nearly always browse it online. Ironically I bought a printed copy today for the first time in months.
UPDATE: The Editor of the Bimingham Post Marc Reeves has blogged about the changes, saying an electronic version of the Post will still be produced daily:
"Alongside the relaunch of the print title, a brand new version of the Post will be delivered by email directly to your inbox every morning for you to scan at your screen, on your phone, your PDA - or even to print off and read in the old-fashioned way.
Together, the print and digital formats will deliver an unrivalled service. The stresses of the current economic downturn may well have hastened our move to become a genuinely multi-media title, but the result will be a paper that's better placed than almost any other to meet the challenges of the digital age by fusing innovation with its traditional values."
Reclaim The Night A Success
The first Reclaim The Night march held in Birmingham for over 20 years was a great success, organisers have said. Around 100 women marched through the streets of Ladywood this weekend to protest against rape, male violence and perceived no-go areas of the city. The march began at Five Ways and ended with a rally at the Ladywood Community Centre.
Ladywood was chosen deliberately because it's perceived as a "no-go" area for women after dark. I have written to the local police team to ask what they are doing to tackle the problem.
West Midlands Conference
On Saturday I attended the West Midlands Regional Conference in Solihull. I ran two training sessions for local party officers and also heard speeches from Baroness Ros Scott and Simon Hughes.
Ros spoke on her recent travels, Dave Hodgson's stunning win in the Bedford Mayoral by-election and our chances in the upcoming general election, particularly where we are up against the Conservatives. Not everyone in the room agreed with Simon's rather utopian view of energy policy but his speech in general was well received.
I'd like to see a wider variety of training and policy discussions at future regional conferences in order to attract more people.
Queer Question Time Announced
Peter Tatchell and controversial UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclaire are two of the panellists invited to participate in an LGBT discussion event as part of the SHOUT festival in Birmingham.
Queer Question Time takes place on Wednesday 11 November at the Patrick Centre, part of the Hippodrome Theatre complex in Birmingham.
All eyes will be on Nikki Sinclaire who was arrested the last time this event took place, prior to the 2005 general election. Her outburst during her election at this May’s Euro count, accusing all members of the “Lib-Lab-Con” of being fascists (and then cheered off by the BNP), angered many activists in the LGBT community, so many are expecting another fiery evening.
Other invited guests include Birmingham city councillors Iain Bowen (Lib Dem), Gareth Compton (Con), with the Labour candidate yet to be announced.
200 tickets are available and these are expected to sell out fast. You can buy yours now for just £5 by clicking here.
Bloc Party Play New Academy
Last night I paid my first visit to the relocated Birmingham 02 Academy and thoroughly enjoyed the gig and the venue.
The old Dome makes a wonderful new home. The main room is very similar to the old Academy venue with a large floor and upstairs balcony, but there are improvements including numerous bars placed around the room, rather than in one area.
As for Bloc Party - a huge improvement over the last time I saw them. Whether it was the music or the venue I don’t know, but they created one heck of an atmosphere, one you’d expect to find at a rave rather than a gig! Hopefully the two photos snapped on the iPhone capture some of the atmosphere…
I’m looking forward to enjoying many more gigs at the new venue.
Thousands Complete Birmingham Half Marathon
Congratulations to the thousands of people who completed last weekend’s Birmingham Half Marathon. Several of my good friends managed to complete the 13-mile course from the city centre out to Bournville and back. I went along to cheer them on and also check out the IAAF World Championships, which took place beforehand. There was a great atmosphere as the winner of the men’s race, Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese received his medal.
Special congratulations to Liberal Democrat Councillors Karen Hamilton and Ray Hassall who both completed the distance – especially to Karen who only decided to take part a few days before the race!
Some local media focused on complaints from local residents. My view is one day of inconvenience should be acceptable for the benefits of hosting an event like this. Firstly it increases Birmingham’s growing reputation for hosting major sporting events. Secondly it inspires and motivates all sorts of people from the city to get fit enough to run the 13-mile distance, encouraging long-term positive lifestyle changes.
There are undoubtedly things that could be done better next time, so hopefully the organisers will take note. If anyone city centre based has any concerns about how the race was handled, including communications of road closures and alternative arrangements, please do contact me and I will pass on your concerns.
Spring Hill Library
Earlier this week I attended a meeting for the Cardinal Newman Heritage Project at Spring Hill Library, one of the stakeholders. Although I have passed it many times, I had never been inside.
Just a few minutes walk from the Jewellery Quarter, Central Ladywood and Summerfield, the impressive building housing Spring Hill Library is well worth a visit. Inside you'll currently find a series of displays celebrating Black History Month, such as one on Barack Obama (pictured). The library also offers books in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Gujerati and Bengali as well as free internet access. You can book a free one-hour internet taster session.
Although early on a Monday morning, it was good to see the library busy. Spring Hill Library is a great resource for the people of Ladywood and Hockley and long may it continue!
I will be running an exhibition on the Cardinal Newman Heritage Project at Spring Hill Library on the afternoon of Thursday 28th October, so please do stop by to find out more about the project and to take a look around the library.
Reclaim the Night in Ladywood
Birmingham Feminists are holding their first Reclaim The Night march on Saturday 17th October 2009 on the streets of Ladywood.
From their website:
"The march will take us from the top of the city to an area that we feel needs to be ‘reclaimed’ from its reputation as a ‘no go’ area for the women of Birmingham. This event will unite women across the Midlands with women from out of area, to march and take a stand against violence against women, and particularly against the myth that a victim of sexual violence is somehow responsible for their victimisation if they walked home alone at night, or wore revealing clothing, or talked to a man at a bar."
"This is a women only march. We define this as any person who self-defines as a woman. We do feel that men are an extremely important part of the movement. However, there is a symbolism to a women only march for Reclaim The Night that separates it from marches for other causes. This is a HUMAN problem, but it is the collective voice of WOMEN that needs to be heard."
"The march will be followed by a rally with speakers from the Anawim Project, the Women of Allen’s Croft and Sandwell Rape Crisis among others. This rally is free to enter and is a gender mixed event. We will then be holding a fund-raising after party in the city centre with proximity to travel options (also mixed)."
Launch of Cardinal Newman Project
Last week I attended the launch of the Cardinal Newman Project at the Norman Power Centre in Ladywood. The project seeks to investigate the impact of Cardinal Newman and his work on the Ladywood area of Birmingham. It also aims to promote intergenerational learning. As well as obtaining information from elderly residents of Ladywood using techniques such as reminiscence, the children from the Oratory Primary School will be filming the various events and visits to produce a DVD of the project.
I was honoured to meet Father Sebastian and Father Anton from the Birmingham Oratory. Despite being openly secular in my beliefs, both were keen to hear about my involvement in the project and in particular my views on the area. I also met several parishioners of the Oratory and residents and management of the Norman Power Centre.
As part of the project steering group I have set up a simple website for the project to promote the work and events that are taking place. The site should make it easy for members of the steering group to give updates and for residents to contribute.
There was a lot of excitement about the potential visit to Birmingham of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. If confirmed, the visit will bring a whole new meaning to the project and hopefully result in many more people benefiting from the project's work.
The Electric in October
If you've never been to the Electric Cinema before you are missing a real gem, right in the heart of Birmingham city centre. The Electric is the UK's oldest working cinema (opened in 1909) and now boasts two screens, one of which has sofa seating and waiter service!
I enjoyed the latest Harry Potter film there a few months ago from one of the comfy sofas - accompanied by a gorgeous tub of Just Rachel's Butterscotch and Orange Liqueur ice cream - and I can heartily recommend it!
The October/November programme contains the usual mix of hits such as District 9 and quirkier smaller films. There's also a strong line-up of stand-up as part of the Birmingham Comedy Festival. Some interesting looking films include:
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which tells the tale of a travelling show where audience members are asked to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom
Morris: A Life with Bells On, a comedy about an avant-garde Morris Dancer, Derecq Twist, and his fight to modernise Morris Dancing. Watch the trailer!
Enjoy!
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