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It’s been Abu Hamza night on the news this evening and I’ve just torn myself away from Newsnight’s special report on the subject which was compelling viewing. The legitimate question hanging over it all was why the policy were so slow to act. The response was that the CPS weren’t satisfied they could secure a [...]

That's it. I want to move to Bozeman, Montana. It just seems so much more peaceful...

Deputy Chair of the Lib Dem Federal Policy Committee Jeremy Hargreaves has made this contribution to the Meeting the Challenge website. Here, he outlines his proposed “narrative”: It’s About You: putting you in control of your own life (and actively equipping you to be so), and making our shared institutions accountable to you. I think he’s [...]

Reading lost 2-1 in the FA cup tonight to Premiership Birmingham. Having watched the game on Sky I felt that Reading, with eight changes from the first choice team, pretty much held their own. I guess Reading will not be too disappointed given that the result now leaves them free to concentrate on getting to the Premiership. Meanwhile last night Watford beat Sheffield United 4-1 leaving Leed 11

So, my ballot paper for the leadership election arrived in the post this morning. I haven’t filled it in yet as, even though I know where my first preference is going, I’m still not 100% on what to do with my second preference. Of course, if the super-top-secret polls are to be believed, my second [...]

by Peter There is a lot of fuss being made about "leaked" poll figures at the moment that suggest that Ming will win the contest but that Huhne is in a relatively close second place. No one leaks anything interesting to me, so I don't know if this is true or not. But one poster on politicalbetting smells a ramp. I don't know who Bobby is - but this is what he says. 103. Does this mean that YouGov need to publish the relevant details of the survey now that its main finding has entered the public domain? ...

This blog-post brings together comments that I have made on blogs elsewhere and here, and in private correspondence, over the last few days. An extreme minority of Muslims have reacted disproportionately, and in some cases illegally, to the publication of images offensive to their sensibilities. That this took place in two distinct phases confuses matters. In the first instance, the decision by Jyllands-Posten to publish some fairly crass cartoons was a poor editorial decision. But a free society does not come for free – there is a price to pay for the freedom to choose, and this is ...

Localism is going to be an important campaigning issue for the party.

You know how bad the weather is — what with all those wheelie bins — and yet, even now at 8pm, and despite the “dreach”, the HQ is practically empty. Everyone’s still pounding the streets with the last of today’s leaflets. There’s a real buzz here, and it’s a buzz I recognise from previous winning [...]

On a trivial note, why is Menzies shortened to ‘Ming’ and not ‘Menz’? I’m sure it’s something to do with yoghs, but why does the shortening affect the spelling?

Nick Clegg’s piece today is a calculated attack on Chris Huhne: Hughes is damned with faint praise, while Nick has almost nothing to say about his own candidate except accept make excuses for the poor campaign and more willy waving about the number of MPs. Thank goodness for the sub-editor who opted for a [...]

So the ballot paper is with me, together with the official Candidates Manifesto booklet. I do already have a firm choice for first preference, undecided on second, so had a good look. Thinking how I would vote if I only had the information in the booklet raised some interesting reflections. Each presentation has strengths and weaknesses, and for a seasoned LibDem some hidden messages. Comments in the order as on the ballot paper: Ming Campbell. An interesting prospectus. We are taught in writing literature for electors out there to pass the ‘three second test’ – the amount of time we ...

To quote from Mike Smithson today at Political Betting: "Information has been leaked to me this afternoon about the YouGov Lib Dem members poll which has been the subject of much speculation. My informant tells me that the survey was commissioned by a wealthy backer of Ming Campbell who is also a big donor and he told me his name. I was given the figures of Campbell 40%: Huhne 34% and Hughes

Guido Fawkes is claiming that YouGuv was commissioned to conduct a poll of Liberal Democrat members and the results came up: Campbell 40, Huhne 34, Hughes 24. He also claims that these results have not been in the media because they were not to the taste of whoever paid for the poll. As Quaequam! says, "if true this is nothing but good news for Our Chris". Later. politicalbetting.com has the story too: My informant tells me that the survey was commissioned by a wealthy backer of Ming Campbell who is also a big donor and he told me ...

Blown-over wheelie bins Originally uploaded by nilexuk. The weather’s *that* good!

by Peter The Guardian website is running this story. With both the Guardian and the Independent declaring their support for Sir Menzies this morning, Andrew George, MP for St Ives and the Isles of Scilly, added his name to the long list of parliamentarians backing the frontrunner. This brings the total number of Liberal Democrat MPs backing Sir Menzies' campaign to 31 - half the parliamentary party and more than Mr Huhne and party president Simon Hughes combined. The Huhne camp - as ever - is claiming to be past Hughes and into second place. This might be ...

Chris Huhne, Leadership Candidate for the Liberal Democrats, is today calling for a massive shift towards local accountability in all aspects of public services delivery to improve, schools, hospitals and housing.

From the Press Association: Ms Kelly was hit over the head with an egg as she left Salford Magistrates’ Court yesterday. […] [Downes] will appear again at Trafford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, February 14, charged with one charge of common assault with beating. Tags: ruth+kelly, eggs

This has been a very difficult decision for me, but I will be giving Ming my first preference. Simon and Chris, I feel are both activists' candidates. Simon appeals to the left of the party, and Chris to radical liberals. (The right, if it exists, must keep quiet, as usual, for shame). So Chris appeals to me, very much. He could be the son I never had, had I no son already, and were I 40 years older. But I see in Chris some of the things that would make me a less than ideal leader of the party - ...

First floor cat Originally uploaded by nilexuk. Second day and my leaflet-carrying muscles and my stair-climbing muscles are still aching from yesterday. My feet are blistered. All a sign I don’t work hard enough at home, I fear. Billetted with a lovely couple in a village called Strathmiglo about 20 miles away from HQ, through what was probably [...]

Liberal Democrat Leadership contender Chris Huhne paid the second of his scheduled visits to his Eastleigh constituency today. After visiting the Olympic gymnasium at Hamble Sports College, he met local councillor Louise Bloom, at a wind turbine at Itchen Valley Country Park.

My trailled “killer post” on Huhne failed to emerge. Sorry, had problems with another project last night. Not sure I have that much to add to what I’ve already said in any case. The lack of YouGov poll is proving irritating. Guido and Mike Smithson speculate that this is because the commissioner didn’t [...]

An alert to anyone who was planning to attend the Scottish LibDem leadership hustings next Monday: they’re postponed until Sunday 19th. This is because of an ID cards vote in the Commons on Monday and, quite reasonably, the candidates need to be there. Tags: liberal+democrats, lib+dem+leadership, id+cards

For those who think the flag-burning, rioting, etc. over the Danish cartoons is purely an over-reaction by militant Islam... might be interested to note the highly reasonable and calm behaviour displayed by relatives waiting for news about the Egyptian ferry disaster: Angry Egyptians seeking news of relatives lost aboard the ferry that sank in the Red Sea last week ransacked its owners' offices

Marcus Wood, Tory candidate for Torbay at the 2005 general election enthusiastically endorsed the harsh and illiberal Cameron-penned manifesto last May. Now, he rushes into the local media lauding the supposedly 'one nation' conservatism of the self same David Cameron. In doing that alone, he displays an astonishing degree of political gymnastics. So which specific policies that you stood on just last May do you now repudiate Marcus ? A straight answer please Marcus ! When policy is decided only in the leaders office and is influenced by focus groups, rather ...

Something which has been playing on my mind for a long time, especially since the Any Questions leadership special, in which a young member attacked Ming Campbell for being 'right wing' and saying we should 'Move to the left, but not becoming socialists or something', is what on earth does this mean? As far as I can see, 'right wing' means 'bad' and 'left wing' means 'good' in many people's

"In fact, safety has no place anywhere. Everything that's fun in life is dangerous. Horse races, for instance, are very dangerous. But attempt to design a safe horse and the result is a cow (an appalling animal to watch at the trotters.) And everything that isn't fun is dangerous too. It is impossible to be alive and safe." P J O'Rourke The amalgamation of the English and Welsh police forces is a classic case of the "Something must be Done" mentality. The idea is that the smaller police forces- never mind that most of them are doing a very good ...

Today is the day that we move into the new Chamber. I have just been over there with the Committee Secretariat to look at the layouts for Education Committee meetings from 2 March. I have to say that the huge amount of slate is as unremittingly grey and cold as I remember it from last time. I have suggested carpets and tapestries but have branded a philistine for my troubles. I think that I will therefore just shut up for the time being. There is one interesting rumour doing the rounds however. Apparently, when the security forces went into the ...

The Independent also today comes out in favour of Sir Menzies and says 'Sir Menzies is the best candidate'. Below is an extract, I cannot get the full version as I have not subscribed to their website:

Predictive Diallers (DoH) Q: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls were made from call centres in her Department in 2004–05 using predictive diallers; how many such calls resulted in contact being made with the recipient without a Government agent available to talk to them; and what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Ofcom's policy on silent calls on the use of

Today's Guardian has a comment piece backing Sir. Menzies Campbell for Leader of the Liberal Democrats. The piece is below, it certainly highlights some of my own feelings.

Simon Hughes has now set out his themes for the Liberal Democrat Leadership. This follows on from Sir Menzies Campbell and Chris Huhne outline theirs last week. On his website he has a section entitled "Being true to our core values". Below is what he says and also a link to the page.

This post is not 100% serious but was something I was thinking about yesterday and even more when I got home last night. Firstly yesterday Chris Huhne announced his campaign was going to be Carbon Neutral which is surely a good thing but he was in the paper at the weekend for using planes in his campaign (I I have no doubt the others are too). Then I remembered the discussion about cars early in the campaign and then last night I received more post from the candidates - which led me to think who is the greenest.

Interview with Sir Monkfish Campbell, from thespoof.com: [He] disclosed that he has also been responsible for gun-running, prostitution, running up massive gambling debts and spray-painting lepers

Interest in the Leadership election has generated so much fervor that the venue of London Region's main Hustings has had to be changed. Thursday, February 23rd, starting at 8.00 p.m. Venue: Friends Meeting House (Grand Hall), (opposite Euston Station), 173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 The brilliant news is that the Independent newspaper is now sponsoring the event. This means that tickets will be now be issued to members and members of the public (readers of the Indie). It will be chaired by the Political Editor of the Independent, Steve Richards and questions will be ...

Speaking at a Liberal Democrat leadership hustings tonight at Cardiff University Chris Huhne MP said that the party could no longer be content with resisting the Labour Government's erosion of civil liberties, but had to roll back the tide of authoritarianism.

To give credit where it is due David Cameron's stated intention, but not of course policy, is that use of the royal perogative should be trimmed and any PM's 'war powers' should be curbed are both first class ideas. But, why are we allowing Cameron to get there first ? Good politics DC ! On the other hand it'll have the Torygraph readers foaming at the mouth - not a pretty prospect ! Alienating your core support doesn't seem a clever tactic, but they've got nowhere else to go politically, as Cameron tries to construct a 'new' Tories big ...

A century ago today, on February 7th 1906, a landslide election victory swept a new liberalism into power: a radical Liberal Government that thought old age pensions more important than nicking bits of Africa. Now, celebrating the election of one of the greatest Governments (perhaps, the greatest) in our nation’s history is important. Of even greater significance though, must be the election of Bonkers. His time in Commons was mercifully brief (1906-10), but to this day he can be seen drifting the corridors of the Lords, or pottering in his Cowley Street Rooms. http://www.bonkers.hall.btinternet.co.uk Edit: Am ...

This is great given that the result of the election will not be known until March. Sadly this highlights one of my major concerns about Ming. If he is 65 this year then he will be 68 or 69 by the time the next election is called and therefore assuming he was to be re-elected as Leader in 2009/10 he would be 73/74 by the time of the following election. Even assuming he is fit and healthy I think

The Guardian has backed Ming Campbell’s campaign for leadership: The acting leader is a deep-dyed liberal too, much more so than many people realise. But he combines it with a palpable good sense and judgment that is currently in short supply in the party. Sir Menzies is also articulate and gets most things right. He will [...]

Danish newspaper prints cartoons implying violence/suicide bombing is intrinsic to Islam, arguing a right to do so under freedom of expression. A group of Muslims test their freedom of expression by dressing as suicide bombers and holding placards threatening to kill those responsible for the cartoons. Hypocritical? No. Stupid? No. Enemies of the Muslim community? Yes. Here's why. To be

The Independent has backed Ming Campbell’s campaign for leadership: The party needs a leader with authority, a leader who will command respect both among MPs and in the country. It needs a leader who will be capable of unifying the party after this period of disintegration, and a leader far-sighted enough to forge the sort of [...]

Our Membership Secretary here in Dulwich & West Norwood advised me a day or so ago that she had received 100 leaflets from the Campbell campaign team, with a request that we get them out to our members. Nice effort, ladies and gentlemen! If we had the funds to issue a campaign leaflet that would give one candidate an unfair advantage over the others, I'd rather spend the money on winning a council

After some thought and initial resistance I have decided to support the 'Reflecting Britain' campaign. Initially I had expressed my view that I would not support this as I feel that we should be free to choose the most suitable candidate for a seat regardless of any grouping we may wish to place them. I also feel that ideally we should be able to have a fair proportion of representatives at all levels of government from all groupings with the fair system we have. I fear that a system of positive action may be inflexible and not always practical. I ...

Sharp-eyed readers of the Western Morning News may have noticed that one more MP announced today that they are backing Ming Campbell’s leadership campaign, bringing the total to thirty-one - more than the other two candidates combined. Ming also leads in support from Lords, MEPs and Council Group Leaders. Andrew George, MP for St Ives [...]