LibDem Blogs - Archived!

What is the Conservative party coming to when a leadership candidate dares to base drugs policy on facts, reasoning and scientific evidence? What right has this man to break with decades of tradition; I understood that Conservative party policy should be based only on the faith-based opinions of Daily Mail readers. In a televised debate, David [...]

I'm sorry I am of an age that associates Goldie with Simon Groom's dog on Blue Peter. Not the next leader of the Scottish Tories looks set to share the name. Annabel Goldie appears to be having a Michael Howard style coronation as the leader to replace David McLetchie, with Murdo Fraser completing the 'dream' ticket. However, we all know how sucessful Howard proved to be, especially in

Today's House Points column from Liberal Democrat News. It was written before David Blunkett resigned and before everyone started comparing Tony Blair's current predicament to the last years of John Major. Remember, remember It feels as though we did not put the clocks back an hour last weekend. It feels like ten years. A tired government about to be faced with a squeaky clean new leader who is

This is an Australian Political Compass test - I think it is the most accurate of its kind in terms of the breakdown of results, though still locked into a right-left diagnostic, which can be limiting. My results in full can be viewed here, if you are interested. Summary:Political Outlook:Your broad political orientation score is -11.7%, which equates to a ‘Centre’ positionEconomic Policy:Your economic policy score score is 44.9%. This equates to a ‘Right’ positionSocial Policy:Your social policy score is -50.6%. This equates to a ‘Left’ positionTraditional Values:Your traditional values score is -48.8%. This equates to a ‘Left’ positionThis sounds ...

Tory Monmouthshire MP, David Davies, has found an entirely different environment in the House of Commons to that he is used to in the Assembly. In particular, his outspoken views on equality of opportunity do not seem to have gone down well with the Tory Parliamentary frontbench. The difference is that whereas David's Assembly colleagues kept their heads down and dealt with it in private his fellow Conservative MPs are not adverse to rebuking him in public:Tory front-bencher Eleanor Laing appeared to rebuke her colleague, saying, "We on this side do believe in equality of opportunity - even for people ...

Continuing on my earlier point… spent this morning jogging down Milbank with the sun beaming down on me and a warm sirocco blowing behind me. It’s November! The new vogue seems to be towards tackling climate change by bigging up nuclear energy; despite the fact that we have yet to come up with an acceptable method of waste disposal and the economically pitiful performance of the British nuclear energy industry. The first thing I ever did in the employ of an MP was to research the dangers which Hinckley Point could pose to the surrounding area. In the course ...

Cataract Operations Q: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cataract operations have been performed by the independent sector on behalf of the NHS in each year since 1997; how many of these operations in each of these years have required the national health service to provide a follow-up service to patients with needs relating directly to their operation; and what the mean cost has

Seems there is one good thing in the Education White Paper - purely private companies will no longer be able just to buy up schools, as currently happens for City Academies. Educational Trusts would need to be set up for the schools. According to the Guardian this annoys the chair of one such company which already runs a number of schools as Academies.Whether you agree with him may depend on your assesment of the sorry tale outlined in my earlier posting, for the company in question is the one now running Bury Lawn School, Milton Keynes. It is ...

Energy Campaigner John Hemming MP has written to Malcolm Wicks MP to ask him to reveal more details of the planned "peak oil" study that was flagged up by the head of the Department of Trade and Industry's energy markets, Claire Durkin Ms Durkin said on Wednesday "We can expect that an investigation will be announced within the next few weeks aimed at allowing a more open discussion on the

It appears that the voters are watching carefully and seeing that Jim Devine’s claim to be following in Robin Cook’s footsteps is falling short. This appeared in the online West Lothian News: SIR, I am pleased to report that the new MP for the area has at least lived up to his own words. During the election he said he was no Robin Cook. How true, because Robin Cook wouldn't have voted for the

Another desk clearing.On a long drive Kat (my DD) and I précised Dicken's A Christmas Carol.The idea came from A Book in a Minute. Very old mean man3 Ghosts make him happy. Past, Present, Future ghosts. Christmas. Humbug ?3 spirits.Oh, no, it isn't. Christmas. Humbug ?It isn't. We then did some haiku A Christmas CarolGhosts and Ghoulies haunting ScroogeTurned Bad into Good A Christmas CarolGhosts and Ghoulies haunting ScroogeHe turns the corner A Christmas CarolGhosts and Ghoulies haunting ScroogeTurns to a new page I'm dead proud of her.PS/ I've got a job :-)

Seems the world and his dog were watching BBC 1's Question Time last night. David Cameron and David Davis's light-hearted "head-to-head" confrontation was riveting. It certainly highlighted their differences in strategy and style of leadership.Some of the senior members in the audience were on the ball and really packed punches.From a man in the audience to David Cameron - seemed planted - as has been said before. " I have listened to you. You are good on your feet. You are good at waffle and you tell us what you would do, but you don't tell us how."Wonder how anybody ...

Busy leaving.Speak later.Good news.:-)

That's funny. My Blackberry has been unable to pick up my emails since.... well, to be precise, since I walked into the Home Office on Wednesday evening.

Wednesday's Plenary debate on Affordable Housing was an absorbing but patchy affair containing some notable contributions from members. Some of those contributions were more florid than enlightening whilst others genuinely advanced the debate. By far the liveliest contribution came from Tory Social Justice Spokesperson, Mark Isherwood. His debate reached new levels of rhetoric even for him and at times appeared to have been penned by Lewis Carroll with just a touch of George Orwell thrown in for good measure: In the topsy-turvy, smoke-and-mirrors world of this discredited Labour administration, less is described as more and more as less. To ...

Ward: Walcot App.Ref: 05/03479/FULRegistered: 20 October 2005 Expiry Date: 15 December 2005Location: 29 Chilton Road Fairfield Park Bath BA1 6DRGrid Reference: 375671 - 166249Proposal: ...