Some photos from Conference: First : Brighton beach - it was dreadfully lovely weather. Second : Gala Performance Awards Dinner. Third : Sir Trevor MacDonald was host. All in all a great Conference; Belfast event later this week is next ...
I am amused by the news reports that "children's rights campaigners" are trying to prevent Madonna taking a child out of Malawi. Inter-country adoptions raise all sorts of issues, but it is a strange view of a child's rights that see them as being best secured by living in an institution. I am reminded of the Secretary-Superintendent of the Southern Railway Servants' Orphanage who, in 1944 wrote that large orphanages were just like public schools and asked why the orphan should be treated differently from the child of the rich man. Lord Bonkers writes: I hope we are ...
We had a dreadfully busy Sunday between constituent replies (serves me right for going to Brighton! - backlog now cleared) and finishing FOCUS newsletter delivery (accomplished!) so blog is a day late. I suppose it sums up the power of a blog that the fact you are a day late with the next entry is mentioned by a lady at your surgery tonight! OK then, chronological order:- * BRIGHTON - Very enjoyable Institute Conference. Its the day job and it was great to see old friends. Here's me (second left) with godd friends Colin, Bill & ...
This morning Russell Eagling was one of the signatories of a letter to The Times on the government's Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill. It began: We believe that the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill is a misguided response to a small number of tragic, but fortunately rare, incidents involving the abuse of children. The Bill will mean that up to a third of the adult working population — those who come into contact with children through their work or volunteering — will be subject to continuous criminal-records vetting. This could include babysitters and private tutors, as well as those who merely ...
I share the dismay of Peter McGrath about the proposed closure of the Physics Department at Reading University. It's this kind of issue that reminds me that market forces are good servants but umpleasant masters...
It seems that North Korea's nuclear test was the real McCoy after all. Woop! Woop! Woop! Rear-Admiral Acton here. It's time to get all our submarines into the great lakes ready to withstand that North Korean first strike......
A funny from a friend who is also a teacher. "We had our first visit from a high school this week to speak to our pupils about the transfer to High School next September. Next day, we had a parent come in, looking a little confused and wanting urgent clarification of what the High School had actually said. The mother says "My son is very worried about what he has been told. You see, he's very worried about one thing in particular" "What's that" "Its, well, its a bit awkward, but he is worried because he was ...
Met today with officers and other local Councillors to look at the proposals for Whitchurch Lane. Having led the campaign to remove the chicanes on Whitchurch Lane I hope local people will back...
17 year olds, according to science diary in today's Times. And they have caused the axe to fall on Reading University' Physics Department. As writer Anjana Ahuja points out: "this is Reading University, home to a world-class meteorology department that has been one of the single biggest contributors to our understanding of climate change. This is the Reading University that, just two years ago,
Neil Woollcoot is joking that he is out and about to stalk fellow Lib Dem Bloggers at least it would appear until he gets their picture taken. As a fellow Kingston University Alumni I joked that I would have to watch out at any Alumni events I might decide to drop down to then. Neil has taken this in the good spirit it was intended. But it leads me to think how many other bloggers have I met
The betting for this prestigious event has been thrown wide open. Jacob-Rees Mogg was such a short-priced favourite after his comment that people who had not been to Oxbridge were "potted plants" that bookies in Crewkerne and Midsomer Norton had already paid out. Now (according to the Daily Mail, so it must be true) David Heathcoat-Amery has made a late bid for the title: Black Labour MP Dawn Butler has made a formal complaint about former Tory Minister David Heathcoat-Amory, claiming he insulted her and a group of ethnic-minority visitors to Parliament, telling them: "The place is going ...
Redcar and Cleveland Council is today celebrating the go-ahead for creating a sixth form with two brand new centres to be built at Nunthorpe and Eston. The Office of the Schools Adjudicator has approved the proposal for post 16 education for Eston Park School, Gillbrook College and Nunthorpe, with a September 1, 2008 implementation date. The adjudicator, Dr Elizabeth Passmore organised a public meeting at the City Learning Centre last month to debate the issue with parents, school representatives, governors and representatives from further education providers. Now, in her judgement, Dr Passmore said: "The increased choice in provision, the convenience ...
I have had some interest in my last story about me stalking lib dem bloggers. Some like Tristan have suggested that I should go to Lib Dem Drinks meet up. This is one of my worse nightmares. Now we all have our funny ways. Some may argue that I have more than other people. But one of my biggest pet hates is waiting for people, especially in a pub. I often arrive late so that I know someone
It is always reassuring when Andrew Rawnsley adds his seal of approval to a political theory. This Sunday he confirmed many of the rumblings that predict something of a bloody nose for the Replublicans in the US mid-term elections next month. I have been a great fan of Rawnsley ever since he was still in short trousers and did the daily Guardian parliamentary sketch. He is the king of the
It is not often that I read "Face to Faith" in the Guardian but Saturday was an exception. I agree with where Trevor Dennis is coming from ('Lesbians and gays are the Bible's greatest lovers'). I am very much a supporter of Gene Robinson and Jeffrey John. There are thousands more important issues in life without getting het up, when we should be respecting and accepting.
Well here is the agenda for this Autumns Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference, held in the Lib Dem held Westminster seat of Dunfermline and West Fife. Many of the delegates ahd been in the city at some point earlier in the year so Willie Rennie opened hte conference by thanking those of us who had come to make this a Lib Dem held seat. Something that Menzies Campbell and Nicol Stephen amongst
Tomorrow is when the Primary Schools review of Manchester City Council is discussed at the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Committee - I hope that sense can be made of this enormous contradictory report and real concerns, of residents and parents of all children involved, addressed effectively. Schools with surplus paces which are not economical to run are a great concern but solving the need
The Times today highlights what many people have suspected for some time now, that hospital closures and cuts are disproportionately affecting non Labour seats as opposed to Labour seats. This leads me to ask, is that why Norfolk PCT (Primary Care Trust) is making so many cuts in the County ? Of course, the PCT is separate from government, but with nine PCT funded establishments facing severe cuts, and with four of those nine in Lib Dem held North Norfolk and only one in any of the three Labour seats in Norfolk, it might appear to some people, perhaps with ...
From the members there were some glorious quotes, the following are my subjective picksof the best. My favourite was from Rod Ackland who during the debate on the Pre-Manifesto referred to a leader of a certain party as: Wee Davie the lead singer of the Tony Blair tribute band Blue Labour Honourable mention goes to the final comments of Kevin Lang against the defeated motion to increase the
Despite my earlier post as to her muppetry, you have to love Ruth Kelly just for the entertainment value. After all, it is a rare minister who manages to make two separate statements in one day that have no appreciation of their own irony. Forgive me for failing to beat around the bush, but; 1) Ruth, you are a member of Opus Dei, an official branch of the Roman Catholic church whose aim is to
Welcome on board Cheadle & Gatley Liberal Drinks, whose first meeting will be taking place on Thursday 26 October at the White Hart in Cheadle.
To the cinema for the second time in a week. Before this week I hadn’t been to the cinema for two years. I do not ‘do’ the stench of popcorn and cheap soda very well. In January of this year I saw The History Boys on stage at the National Theatre, and it was brilliant. Truly [...]
The "exclusive" news in the Norwich Evening News today that Norwich City Council Lib Dem group have come out against the incinerator ignores some basic but very important facts. 1) The incinerator is outside the City and falls within Costessey, where the Lib Dems oppose the incinerator and have for some time. 2) Norfolk County Council Lib Dems have opposed the incinerator for a long time, voting against it at County Hall on numerous occasions. There are those, like Norwich City Conservatives who claim to campaign against the incinerator whilst at the same time Norfolk County Tories ...
More bad publicity for Somerset Tories; this time Conservative MP for Wells and dreary sod David Heathcoat-Amory, who has committed a bit of a faux-pas with some apparently tactless harraunging of an ethnic minority MP. Whether he was motivated by any racial prejudice or not, the incident does rather smack of sheer bloody rudeness. Someone should teach him some fucking manners. PS: I promise this is the last time I'll ever link to a story in the Daily Mail!
MPs who drive to Westminster miss out on one the pleasures of train travel which is meeting people. I got chatting to a BA long-haul stewardess on her way to Heathrow. Her husband is a sub...
I'm one of the three bloggers who will be guesting on Iain Dale's Vox Politix over at Internet telly channel 18 Doughty Street, live from 9pm tonight. Not too sure what's up for discussion... "We’ll be looking at the coming week in politics and what’s on the blogs," is what Iain's e-mail told me. Doubtless we'll dissect the entrails of Webcameron and Sian Simon a little bit more. There may even
What do you think? Vote in the poll on the right hand side. UPDATE: Somewhat predictably, there was some immediate poll rigging. The results for the first hour were very balanced, and then there was a pronounced search in favour of the third option. I’m not going to pull the poll, else the likes of Mr [...]
I got back last night from Bucharest and the ELDR Council and Congress but have left it until today to write about it - mainly due to being so tired! Firstly I would like to say Bucharest is a great place with such a huge potential and whilst I did not visit anyone outside the capital this time I will certainly be returning to do so.
At last someone at the Guardian has woken up to the fact that Gordon Brown is no friend to liberty: Essentially, Brown is promising the same policy as that pursued by Blair, except stronger, wider, tougher.
I've just watched the Conservative Way Forward group's tribute to Thatcher- it certainly makes me cringe with the nationalistic pomp and circumstance and the celebration of the Falklands War. It has reminded me though of one thing which fascinates me- the way people seem to love or hate Thatcher, its like marmite... Speaking as someone who was born in 1980 I see good and bad in her. She's
Redcar and Cleveland Council is bringing cool fun to Redcar High Street this half term with the Borough's first ice skating rink. The rink, an all-weather synthetic polished surface, opens Wednesday, October 25 till Sunday, October 29, open 10am-9pm daily with a £3.50 fee per session. The Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism Councillor Dave Fitzpatrick said: “We are pleased to welcome the ice rink to the Borough. "This will be a great temporary addition to the High Street which will hopefully draw visitors to the town. If the rink is a success this half term we ...
The Guardian reports that Lib Dem equalities spokesperson Lorely Burt has called on Ruth Kelly to resign. Kelly, a member of the ultra-conservative Catholic group Opus Dei is the cabinet secretary responsible for defending, among other things, gay rights. Lorely Burt said: “We had always feared Ruth Kelly’s personal beliefs would make her unsuitable to be a [...]
I was lucky enough to be chatting to Cicero last night, which is always a privilege. Decapitation seems to have done little to still his ability for insightful political thought! Naturally, our conversation turned to the current political climate - and all the strange rumblings emanating from the Labour Party on the subject of Muslims. [...]
Has General Sir Richard Dannatt crossed the line between reasonable military advice and political interference and if so what should be done. I have found this really difficult to get my head round so I will tackle the easier question first. If he has crossed the line then he should go. No doubt about that in my opinion. We live in a parliamentary democracy and at the end of the day our armed forces are at the disposal of the government of the day. This is particularly so where there has been a specific vote in the House of Commons. ...
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill hasn't recieved much attention yet - but is something of which liberals should be wary. The child protection industry has vetted over 10 million individual cases. Adult/child interactions are now subject to intense scrutiny and are changing the culture of how children view adults. A rather eclectic group of people (including myself) have written in the Times today: "...Such child protection procedures do little to protect children from the small number of individuals who would do them harm. Instead, they damage adult-child relations and undermine the capacity of adults to contribute to children’s welfare... ...
It was not just the spying. The four Russian officials who were arrested in Georgia were plotting to assassinate senior members of the Georgian government. To destabilize the country and close the only way for the West to get access to the Central Asian and Caspian oilfields that does not go through Russia, China or Iran. These are terrifyingly high stakes. As Edward Lucas says in his article- the fall of this "faraway country of which we know nothing" would allow the KGB-led government of Russia to have complete control over the European energy market. Given the practice of Russia ...
This is the new terminal at Madrid Airport that beat the Senedd to win the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize for the top British-designed building. I cannot say that I have ever been there. However, it was also designed by Richard Rogers. The difference is that this one does not look like Tescos in Swansea Marina. Better luck next time.
Strip number two: meanwhile, out in the desert somewhere...Built using Witty Comics
Monday 16th October 2006 - Due to last week's technical hitches I thought I would just post a summary of what was a very busy week for me last week. The week started with me fighting to save Bowland Dairy, a local firm in Nelson caught up in a row between the European Commission and the Food Standards Agency over the testing methods of the milk they use to make curd cheese for export. Despite my
If The Observer is to be believed -- and I accept that that is 'if' written in metre-high letters -- there is internecine conflict in the Cabinet. Not, in itself, much of a revelation, but the latest spat makes Northern Ireland look like an ecumenical bun-fight. Legislation for gay rights is, we're told the, casus belli with (in 'The Now Show's' inimitable phrase) the headboy, Ms Kelly, on the side of Banquo's not-yet-ghostly presence (aka the Prime Minister) fighting against such shocking novelty. We don't know much about the details, we don't know if it's all cooked up -- ...
The time has come to explain this blog's name. Some, I’m sure, have been waiting with bated breath. I should start by saying the my first idea was mores liberales. But that looks on screen like a case of Manuel’s Fawlty English. There are certainly mores liberales in heaven and earth than some would credit. But the Latin noun ‘mores’ is also an English noun which you’ll recognise – customs or habits. And so, with a slight change of case in order to avoid confusion (for that we would not want, would we?), we have: ‘about liberal habits.’ ... | < | October 2006 | > | ||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||
