Picking up the mantle is aim of the parties' fresh talent

THE election race is hotting up as many candidates busy themselves delivering leaflets and speaking to residents in a final push for votes.

While people can have their say at the ballot box from the age of 18, many prospective politicians wait until much later on in life to stand for election.

However, James Spencer, a 20-year-old University of Nottingham student, is relishing the chance of being elected on May 5.

Mr Spencer, who is standing for the Conservatives in Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey, said: "People on the doorstep have said that I look quite young, but I always tell them they should vote for what I stand for and not base it on my age.

"I have always been a Tory, owing to my parents, and I started getting properly involved within the party at the last General Election.

"I think students are underrepresented in politics. There are around 60,000 in Nottingham and their voices aren't heard on the councils and I want to change that."

Mr Spencer, who is in his final year of a degree in history and politics, said he planned to stay in Nottingham whether he was elected or not.

He said: "I think it's important for people to have their say at the polls. People I have spoken to want enthusiasm and change, and I can give them that."

But whereas Mr Spencer is currently finishing his degree, two other candidates in Notts have not yet left college.

Both Tom Hollis and Tommy Anderton, classmates studying A-level politics at Bilborough College, are both standing for election on Thursday.

Liberal Democrat Hollis is hoping to become the councillor for Sutton North on Ashfield District Council, while Labour's Anderton is fighting for the Attenborough ward in Broxtowe.

Mr Hollis only turned 18 on February 9, but his passion for politics has been present for years.

He said: "I've always been interested in politics and started getting properly involved after studying it at college.

"I come from a very political household and joined the Liberal Democrats three weeks before the 2010 General Election.

"It's been a lot of hard work in the run-up to the local elections. I study in the morning and spend my afternoons leafleting and canvassing, but it's all enjoyable."

Mr Hollis said he would like to see more young people standing for election.

He said: "It's very important young people get involved in politics."

Mr Hollis is hoping to study law next year at either Nottingham Trent University or the University of Sheffield. He said: "I'm sure combining my studies with council duties won't be a problem."

Mr Anderton, 13 days younger than Mr Hollis, said his election campaign as a Labour candidate had been going well and that feedback was positive.

He added: "I have always been quite political but I think the real reason I'm standing is because I really care about Attenborough.

"I don't think young people are disinterested in politics, but sometimes there seems to be a distance between the top and the youth.

"Each generation has to pass on the mantle at some point and we have to see fresh ideas coming through."

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HULL CITY: Only a point for the Tigers

HULL City said farewell to their fans at the KC Stadium this season with just a point from a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

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If only speculation explained gas prices

After I wrote my last piece on gas prices, a number of you e-mailed to urge me to place more of the blame on speculators. So I spent a couple of days looking into the speculation explanation, and am walking away with two main conclusions: First, speculators probably aren?t the problem here. Second, the things that are the problem here are really, really scary.

Speculators are an easy bad guy, says Michael Greenstone, an energy economist at MIT. ?They?re a malevolent other. They?re thought to produce nothing of value, and so blaming them has a long and rich history.? But it?s worth understanding what exactly you?re saying is happening when you place the blame on speculators. ?Speculators make money by pulling oil off the market, putting it in inventory, and selling it later,? Greenstone continues. So if you?re seeing speculation, you should be seeing a massive run-up in inventory. And we are seeing a bit of an inventory bump, particularly in recent weeks. But not enough of one.

James Hamilton, an energy economist at UC San Diego, has studied not only the current oil prices, but the 2007-2008 run-up, in great detail. ?Speculation is a convenient scapegoat for people who can?t be bothered to look seriously at the numbers,? he says.

The last time speculators got this much attention was in the price run-up of 2007-2008. If you read Hamilton?s detailed paper (pdf) on that period ? no one can accuse him on not looking seriously at the numbers ? you?ll hear about two major forces in the oil market, both of which are scarier, in the long-run, than speculators. On the supply side, Saudi Arabia. On the demand side, China. And caught between them, the global economy, and our wallets.

Traditionally, Hamilton says, Saudi Arabia, the world?s largest producer of oil, would smooth out spikes in demand. But around 2007, Saudi Arabia stopped. They left oil in the ground, assuming they could sell it for more later. Hamilton calls this ?the beginning of a new era for oil pricing dynamics: without the Saudis? willingness or ability to adjust production to smooth out price changes, any disturbance to supply or demand will have a much larger effect on prices than in earlier periods.? Greenstone agrees with Hamilton, and says that this can hardly be overstated. Saudi Arabia is the one player with the power to really do what people think speculators do: take enormous amounts of potential oil off the market because they think they can get a better deal later.

But that was 2007-2008. Is Saudi Arabia part of the story now? It appears so. Not only did they slash production in March, but they?re freaking everybody out by offering accounts of their production volume that don?t make any sense.

On the demand side, China ? and other developing nations, but mostly China ? is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. ?China was a net exporter of petroleum up through 1992, and its imports were still only 800,000 barrels a day in 1998,? writes Hamilton. ?By 2007, however, China?s net petroleum imports were estimated to be 3.7 mbd, making it the world?s third-largest importer and a dominant factor in world markets.?

Here?s what Hamilton argues happened in 2007-2008: Everyone knew that the world was demanding more oil, but they had made two assumptions that turned out to be mistakes. First, they thought that higher prices would lead to a lot less oil use in rich countries, which would allow what oil we did have to stretch further. Economists call this ?elasticity,? and oil turns out to have a lot less of it than we thought. Second, they thought we ? or, more specifically, Saudi Arabia ? would be able/willing to increase production much more dramatically than proved to be the case. But they weren?t. So supply held relatively steady even as demand shot up and demand held relatively steady even as prices shot up.

So what ended the 2007-2008 oil crisis? A global recession more sever than anything we?d experienced since the early 20th century. But now the same factors are reasserting themselves. Demand from both developed and developing countries has returned. Saudi Arabia is tapping the brakes. Now add in turmoil in the Middle East. Now look at the price of gasoline and note that demand isn?t falling.

?The key question you should be asking is the following,? says Hamilton. ?Is the current price too high in the sense that the physical quantity being produced is greater than the physical quantity being consumed? If yes, then where is the difference going, and what mechanism accounts for that?? Left unsaid is the ?if no.? But if no, then who is supposed to start using less oil in the coming years, and if the answer is no one, then how, absent recurrent recessions, are we supposed to make what oil we have go around at a price the global economy can handle?

On some level, speculation is an easy problem to handle. It?s a problem you can crack down on. The same can?t be said for China, Saudi Arabia or the world?s dependence on oil.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=a7a4775d411cf9f897969b898196bbfb

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What we have here is a failure to coordinate

Joseph Gagnon, "Future of the Fed" from Roosevelt Institute on Vimeo.

Joe Gagnon, who helped the Federal Reserve implement the successful first round of quantitative easing, argues that the policy would?ve been better still if the administration had done more to bolster the housing market. That seems plausible, but I don?t know enough about the possible policies to really judge. The larger point Gagnon is making, however, is very important: The interactions between various policies, and various government agencies, is extremely important.

A partial list of government actors involved in the economic recovery would include the Federal Reserve, of course, but also Congress, the White House, and each and every state and local government. Unfortunately, they?ve frequently been working against one another. At the same time that the federal government was pumping stimulus into the economy, state and local governments were pulling money out of the economy, creating what was, in effect, a massive anti-stimulus that the feds had to overcome before they could make any improvements. At the same time the Federal Reserve was unleashing QE2, which was essentially hundreds of billions of dollars meant to make it cheaper to borrow money and thus more attractive to invest in the real economy, the Defense Department was unexpectedly pulling back on spending, shaving more than half a percentage point off gross domestic product growth in the first quarter.

This has had the effect of discrediting everybody involved. The federal government?s stimulus looks worse because contraction at the state and local level undercut it. The Federal Reserve looks worse because the federal government often refused to take it up on its offer of cheap money that could be pumped into the economy. And so everyone is more constrained going forward because the public doesn?t trust that their interventions actually work.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=e0ce822c4911b54f22b07b83e7c820d7

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Royal Wedding: What's on and weather – Hull and East Riding

THE bunting is up and the Buck's Fizz is flowing as dozens of parties kick off across East Yorkshire to celebrate the Royal Wedding.

And the good news is, the Met Office is forecasting sunny weather throughout the day, with just a chance of a shower this morning. If you're heading for a street party or the beach, you might want to put on a pullover though – temperatures will struggle to get above 13C.

Hull has of course been labelled Britain's most republican city by the national press, which reported it had had no applications for street parties.

In fact, there's plenty going on today, from a chance to be a princess at Hull's Prospect Centre (10am-4pm), to street parties and other events in Bransholme, Stoneferry, Greatfield, Newland Avenue, Orchard Park, Cottingham Road and north Hull.

For a list of what's on, visit our Royal Wedding Hull and East Riding events guide

Across the border in Anlaby, the Red Lion Hotel is hosting a fancy dress party with a Spirit Of The Blitz theme, including 1940s fancy dress and full English breakfasts served from 10am.

There are dozens of events throughout the East Riding. Highlights include a traditional garden party at the Station Hotel, Hedon, from 1.30pm, featuring a bouncy castle, face painting and stalls selling homemade jewellery, cakes and bric-a-brac, with fundraising for charities including the Red Cross. Visit our events guide for more parties.

Not everybody's joining in the celebrations – the results of a poll on this site suggest a majority of people in our area want to escape for the day. We asked, "will you be celebrating, escaping or working?": 62 per cent said escaping, 23 per cent celebrating and 15 per cent working. Thanks to more than 600 people who voted.

Tell that to traders in Beverley, who have decked out their stores with bunting and Union Flags. We particularly like the displays at the Oxfam shop, where Prince William and Kate appear to have dropped in (pictured below), and the red, white and blue vacuum cleaners in the window of Briggs and Powell.

Town roads Scaife Close, Molescroft Drive and Warwick Drive are all set to be closed for street parties, and Beverley Rugby Club is inviting everyone to bring picnics and food, games, toys, party hats and flags to the ground on Norwood.

The club BBQ will also be out (weather permitting) for anyone wanting to cook their own bangers or burgers and the bar will be open for the adults to toast the happy couple with something alcoholic. The club will be open from 10.30am to watch the big event unfold. For more information, visit our sister site Beverley People.

If you'd like to continue the party this evening, Fruit, Humber Street, Hull, is hosting 'A Right Royal Romp' tonight, featuring Groove Armada lead vocalist Saint Saviour, former Ministry of Sound DJ Paul Dakeyne and IceHouse Project. Plus, several guest DJs will be playing impromptu street sets. Doors 7pm, for tickets (�5) visit the Fruitspace website

● Whatever you're doing, we'd love to see your party pictures – we'll feature them here and print the best in the Mail. Email me: paul.johnson@northcliffemedia.co.uk or post on our Facebook page.

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MORE ON THE ROYAL WEDDING

● 10 alternative ways to celebrate ... or escape

● Royal Wedding Hull and East Riding events guide

● The Royal Wedding live chat

● Pictures, comment and video from The Royal Wedding ceremony

● Former Malet Lambert teacher first to greet Kate at Abbey

● Ian Midgley: Let it be a toast to looking great in paper hats ...

● Fascinator from Beverley market stall to be worn at Royal Wedding

● Picture gallery: Schools' Royal Wedding celebrations

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Dancing in the streets as locals celebrate a right royal occasion

REVELLERS across Notts danced with joy as Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot.

And despite forecasts of rain, the sun shone for the numerous street parties.

Notts had about 80 street parties planned, which was the fourth- highest number of all the counties in the UK.

And people really made the most of the opportunity to get into the royal wedding spirit.

A vintage 1960s Routemaster red bus transported people between the Lady Bay and Test Match pubs in West Bridgford and the Meadow Covert pub in Edwalton.

"The atmosphere has been brilliant," said Paul Buxton, landlord of the Lady Bay. "By 10am, we had 100 people in."

The pub's entertainment included go-karts, a bouncy castle and a buffet spread in the car park, while attractions at the Test Match included free children's pony rides.

Meanwhile, about 800 people gathered in the Park estate in the city centre for a street party organised by the Park Residents' Association.

Annie Jenkins, of Cavendish Crescent, in the Park, dressed for the occasion in a customised Union Flag dress.

"It cost �9.99 from a hospice shop but I thought it was very appropriate for the royal occasion," said the 61-year-old beautician.

"We've had a lovely day – there were a few tears as we watched the ceremony but we've been drinking champagne and it's been wonderful."

Villagers in Brinsley came together for a re-enactment of the royal wedding, followed by a street party.

The party started at the White Lion pub, in Hall Lane, where Lucy Bradley, 10, and George Newing, 11, both of Brinsley, played the bride and groom.

The couple were taken to the party in Church Walk in a cart pulled by 15-year-old Shetland pony Tyson.

His owner, Anne Hallam, 63, of Eastwood, also baked the wedding cake.

"We couldn't have a street party without a wedding cake," she said. "It took me about an afternoon to bake it but there was no question I would make it."

Laura Simpson, 17, of Brinsley, sang for the 200-strong crowd and said she had had "a lovely day".

She added: "It's a really nice atmosphere and everybody is enjoying themselves."

In West Bridgford, a street party on Carnarvon Road gave residents the chance to get together and celebrate the big day.

West Bridgford Comprehensive pupil Georgina Elliott, 13, who lives on the street, said the party had brought neighbours closer together.

She added: "It's going to be so different now, going out in the morning and chatting to people.

"I think we should have a street party on each anniversary of Kate and William's wedding."

Notts Royal Wedding picture gallery

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Murdered Jia will live on through me, says bereaved husband

THE husband of murdered Jia Ashton plans to make her memory live on.

Matthew Ashton, 26, said he would try to achieve the things he planned, in memory of his wife.

The teacher intends to complete a piano-playing diploma, do an Open University course, and become a head teacher within eight years.

He said: "Jia did a lot for me – she was totally selfless and got a real kick out of helping people. She helped me develop as a person. I'll try and do right by her, by meeting the goals she set me."

Economics worker Jia, 25, of Somercotes, disappeared on March 10 and was found dead in nearby Sleetmoor Woods three days later.

Police are still hunting the person who murdered her, releasing repeated appeals for information and a Facebook advert in a bid to catch her killer.

Mr Ashton said the last few weeks had been "life-changing", adding: "What's hard is that every single bit of pain, every single bit of heartache for the family, is the fault of that one person. It can't be blamed on anyone else."

He said the couple met at Warwick University, then tied the knot in Mrs Ashton's native China in 2006.

Anyone who has any information about the murder should contact Derbyshire police's murder incident room on 0345 123 33 33 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Beaches reopened after washed-up 'white pills' declared non-toxic

A three-mile stretch of beach at Hunmanby Gap has been reopened to the public following a clean-up of material washed ashore.

The beach was closed from Wednesday afternoon after a dog walker found what he thought were white pills.

Tests have indicated the material is non-toxic and posed no risk to the public.

Scarborough Borough Council will continue to monitor the situation.

Andy Skelton, the head of environmental services, said: "Cleansing staff have worked hard to remove as much of the product as possible."

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Flags fly as neighbour spirit ignited

UNION flags and red, white and blue bunting were everywhere in West Bridgford and Lady Bay as residents celebrated Kate and William's big day.

A vintage 1960s Routemaster red bus transported revellers and performers between the Lady Bay pub, the Test Match pub in West Bridgford and the Meadow Covert pub in Edwalton.

"The atmosphere has been brilliant. By 10am we had 100 people in," said Paul Buxton, landlord of the Lady Bay.

Enjoying some of the pub's events, including go-karting, a bouncy castle, and a bumper buffet spread in the car park, were local residents Darren and Sallie Kennington.

"I can't believe how many people are here. The bus ride is a fantastic idea," said Sallie, 43, a trading law consultant at Asda, West Bridgford.

Of the ceremony, she added: "Kate was beautiful and elegant."

Darren, also 43, an electrician, said: "It's been better than New Year. People have put a lot of effort in."

Attractions at the Test Match included free children's pony rides.

Two-year-old Bryleigh Green was enjoying her third ride of the day by 1.30pm as mum Amy Green, 21, of West Bridgford, and grandma Anita Green, 48, of Gamston, looked on.

"It's a wonderful day. I couldn't stop crying watching the wedding," said Anita.

"Everyone has dressed up. It's nice," said Amy.

In Carnarvon Road, West Bridgford, a street party was well under way by 2pm.

Lead organiser Jane Harrington said: "It's been an excuse to get lots of neighbours together."

West Bridgford Comprehensive pupil Georgina Elliott, 13,said: "It's going to be so different going out in the morning and chatting to people, as you know them."

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Reconciliation

Recap: The three most important graphs in health-care policy; 1.8 percent GDP growth isn?t good enough; and how much our wars cost.

Elsewhere:

1) I haven?t read Ryan Grim and Zach Carter?s piece detailing the political war over your credit card fees yet, but word on the street is that it?s very good.

2) Another scary look at what will happen if we don?t raise the debt ceiling in time.

3) Greg Sargent is right about the ?deficit feedback loop.?

4) Lara Logan speaks about her assault.

5) Great piece on infrastructure.

Recipe of the day: homemade Parmesan potato chips.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=5e9942f5b91de62f1b47988b5f03caa2

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The GDP drop in one graph

GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2010 was, if not amazing, at least reasonable. GDP growth in the first quarter of 2011 was not. Chad Stone graphs what changed:

And note that the reduction in government spending was, too some degree, accidental. That?s mostly the Defense Department delaying some investments. If we decide to start cutting spending in a more determined fashion, we?ll learn that that line can dip a lot lower.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=47d177d09088cfb069035944aba014d8

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Colic in snowy ballad

?The first winter without is passing,? sang Zdravko Colic on Wednesday in the mountainous Montenegrin town of Zabljak, surrounded by persistent snow. The popular singer was shooting a video for his song ?Pamuk? in winter conditions under heavy rain and strong winds. Colic is still content with the job done and is not complaining of the cold.

Source: http://english.blic.rs/Culture-Showbiz//7603/Colic-in-snowy-ballad

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Roadworks

City

Sneinton: Traffic lights in Greenwood Road until Wednesday, May 11.

Radford: Part of Triumph Road closed near Wollaton Road until Sunday, June 26.

City centre: Upper Parliament Street closed at the South Sherwood Street junction until Tuesday.

St Ann's: Ransom Road closed until Monday, near Elliot Durham School. Blyth Street will close from Monday until Monday, May 16.

City centre: Lane restrictions in Huntingdon Street, at the Union Road junction, from Tuesday for up to three weeks.

Newark and Sherwood

Ollerton: No entry on to Newark Road from the Ollerton roundabout until October 4.

Newark: Temporary 40mph speed limit in Beacon Hill Road and Sleaford Road, near the Newbury Road junction, until 6pm on Saturday, May 7.

Carlton-on-Trent: Ossington Road level crossing closed from 8.15pm on Wednesday until 10.15am on Thursday.

Southwell: The Ropewalk closed from the Co-op to the Queen Street junction between Tuesday, and Saturday, May 7.

Ashfield

Huthwaite: Footpath between Main Street and Back Lane closed until March 31, 2012.

Kirkby-in-Ashfield: Mill Lane closed, and Laburnum Avenue closed from Church Hill to Mill Lane, between 6am on Monday, May 16, to 6pm on Monday, May 30.

Mansfield

Mansfield: The Crown Walk subway closed to pedestrians and cyclists until midnight on Sunday, May 29.

Mansfield: Jubilee Way North closed from its junction with Eakring Road to Edale Road, until 6pm on Friday, April 29.

Mansfield: Footpath in Bodmin Court closed at the Girton Court junction until 5pm on Friday, July 1.

Mansfield Woodhouse: One-way order in Portland Street, between the A6075 Warsop Road and Albert Street junctions, until Saturday, April 30.

Mansfield: Derby Street closed from the Fisher Lane junction on Monday, May 9.

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