Little blue men
In May 1997 a flying saucer was seen over Michael Howard's house in Kent. I think that explains a lot. Thursday 26th October 2006
11:51 pm
In May 1997 a flying saucer was seen over Michael Howard's house in Kent. I think that explains a lot. 11:49 pm
Dave Hill on the BBC
Quite: The BBC makes heroes out of big babies like Jeremy Clarkson, bigheads like Jonathan Ross and big bullies like Chris Moyles - Grown Men Behaving Badly at our expense. 11:44 pm
Defender of the defender of faiths
It may look like I've been asleep for a few days, but I've taken to watching Question Time a little. Until I see it I can be oblivious of what rot people out there are thinking and the need to put them straight. So Prince Charles wants to be "Defender of Faith" rather than defender of the faith. Some people hate this, some love it. Paddy Ashdown on Question Time was emphatic that it is the right 11:17 pm
Old student
Back in the days when I worked at Kingston College I must have taught hundreds of young people. But some groups have remained in my memory because they were a delight to teach - not because they were docile, in fact, quite the reverse. These were the groups that sparked each other off through friendly competitiveness, whilst sharing discoveries and skills. Groups like that just had to... 11:02 pm
A double Rotarian
I have now been made an honorary member of two Rotary clubs - last month it was New Malden, and today Kingston. It is a real privilege, as I have a huge amount of admiration for Rotarians, who between them do so much for local charities and to support community initiatives. We ate lunch at Hotel Antoinette, then I was asked to speak about my career, interests and work as Mayor - try... 9:58 pm
Nick Robinson Ate My Hamster
Liberal Democrat News cartoonist Howard Woodall has his own blog. Lord Bonkers adds: Woodall's portrait of me is regarded by many art historians as being his finest work. 9:55 pm
Is Sudoku the new Iain Dale's Blog ?
Two weeks ago, I couldn't stand sudoku, to be fair, I loathed it. Why, after all, it's an odd thing to loathe ? In truth, I didn't know why. All I knew was that I didn't understand it, I didn't want to be shown how to understand it, I couldn't understand why anyone would be interested in it in the slightest and I didn't want to hear people talking about it. However, now I am addicted. So for me there are parallels between sudoku and Iain Dale's blog as my feelings towards his blog were the very same ... 9:53 pm
Will Howells is an *genius*
See here. In the comments. No Tags 9:52 pm
Do the Israeli's give Arab prisoners the same righ...
The Independent reports on how the killer of Yitzhak Rabin (Israeli Prime Minister at the time) has been allowed a "conjugal visit" with his wife who he recently married behind bars. I wonder, do the Israeli's offer this service to all prisoners ? It is widely reported that there are arabs in jail in Israel who have never even been before a judge, let alone been offered such "priviledges". 9:17 pm
IRA 'old boys group' - Is Dave having a laugh ?
Did I really read that correctly ? Is he having a laugh ? Apparently David Cameron has suggested that the IRA should become "an old boys group" ! Can you here the conversation at the regular club meetings in 30 years time ... "Do you remember that time we were selling drugs to that young lad ?" "It was funny that time we blew them soldiers up" "The young of today don't know what it is like to have to blow up a fish and chip shop !" What ever will Dave suggest next, a boy scouts badge for bombmaking ... 9:15 pm
A (not really) Olympian amount of stuff on...
It’s been a very very busy week, so apologies for no entry yesterday in the blog – I enjoy keeping in touch and don’t like it when I can’t! Apart from working long days, I have been visiting my Grandpa, who’s roller-coaster health appears to have taken another turn for the worse today. And I’m too tired of thinking about it to write about it too… I also paid a visit to Hospital Radio tonight 9:12 pm
Milton's paradise where there's no such thing as s...
Being new to this game – actually, I see that I’m not yet twenty days old in blogworld – I’m not yet clear about the rules. What counts as success? I wonder whether it’s about how many comments get posted. If so, after the initial kind words, my postings have bombed. Though, in defence, I could say look at the quality not the quantity. That’s particularly the case for the intelligent responses to my explanation. Tristan took exception to my side-swipe at Milton Friedman, and then he had heavy-weight backing from Oxford's own liberal socialist. They ... 9:04 pm
Is Fakenham the right place for a Tornado to be do...
Given the fact that a Tornado jet flying from RAF Marham in Norfolk crashed yesterday off the Lincolnshire coast, I wondered today in Fakenham why a Tornado jet was doing a victory roll over the town. 7:24 pm
And people wonder why rape convictions are hard wo...
This is scarcely believable. I thought attitudes like that went out with the ark. I'm pleased to see so many Muslims sticking their necks out to disagree with this idiot - and I hope to hear that he will be forced to resign over this. 7:13 pm
OK, so this is dance not politics
Parasite are a local hip hop crew who my daughter assures me are the best in the country for their age. So enjoy! 
6:07 pm
Foxwit
You’ve got to be pretty bloody barking to be able to make Jack Straw look like a liberal by comparison. Fortunately however, we have Tory MPs Julian Lewis and Liam Fox. This pair of halfwits are calling for the BBC to be bitchslapped over their decision to broadcast an interview with a Taliban [...] 4:01 pm
More on GMC Meadow
All three appeal judges concluded that the GMC Fitness to Practise Panel had the right to apply professional sanctions to someone on the basis of expert witness evidence provided. Two of the three thought it was "professional misconduct" and one of the three thought it was "serious professional misconduct". On that basis, however, Roy Meadow returns to the GMC lists and is open now to further 3:54 pm
Numpty of the day #2: Bingo Bob Russell's gone mad moment
Despite my generally politically correct leanings, this story indicates that Liberal Democrat MP Bob Russell has, as they say in Balmain, a few kangaroos loose in his top paddock, at least when it comes to the term "black economy". 3:49 pm
Idiot of the day #1: John Denham
I could write a lengthy post explaining why a policy of differential justice is morally and juridically flawed, and why punishing somebody more severely for a crime commited merely because they are also unemployed goes against natural justice and a basic sense of equality - but I don't think I'll bother. Read about John Denham's assault on equality before the law here instead. He digs his own hole. But while we are at it, shouldn't courts decide sentencing anyway? 3:33 pm
Arrests possible in electoral fraud debacle
Surprisingly, it was Council Leader Denise Jones who directed me to this article on the BBC website and suggested there might be arrests in the next few days. However, she thought it likely that Independent candidates would be implicated as their methods were traceable. I was wandering around Brick Lane following an Eid Lunch with Brick Lane restauranteurs, once I'd sent off the... 3:25 pm
Week thus far and Wighton Update
No posts last couple of days as I have been away a fair bit with the day job; however, useful meetings Tuesday about a number of local issues - eg flooding near Magdalen Green and about the Western Cemetery. Also, here's an update via Sheena Wellington about fine fiddling at the Wighton! "Well-known Fife fiddle player Karen Hannah is the featured artist in the Friends of Wighton lunchtime recital on Wednesday 1st November. "Held in the lovely setting of the Wighton Heritage Centre in Dundee's Central Library, the recital is from 1.15 - ... 3:19 pm
It's a Family Affair
The election for Edinburgh South in next May's Holyrood election has taken another interesting twist. Already the former council leader Donald Anderson had been selected by Labour to take on Liberal Democrat MSP and former city councillor Mike Pringle again in the contest. Now in as a replacement for Graham Sutherland, who stood down earlier in the year for personal reasons, is one of Mike 2:56 pm
Lib Dem, tough on yob
The Southwark criminal fraternity seem to be having some bad luck on my Estate. Making my lunch today I saw a young man looking very much like he was attempting to steal a motorbike parked outside and was able to get a clear photograph and call the Police. They happened to be in the area so were able to arrest him legging it off the Estate, get a statement and a nice big print-out of the photo from the digital camera. I will resist the urge to 'frame and shame' him, let the professionals handle it from here. With ... 2:49 pm
The Pensioners' Lobby
On Wednesday several pensioners from Hornsey & Wood Green came to see me and lobby me as part of the Pensioners' Lobby. Their very passionate argument is that the Government's promise to link pensions with earnings which is promised for 2012 will see many of them dead – i.e. it doesn't help those who are in poverty right now. So I will be tabling some questions to Gordon Brown. Moreover - the 2:10 pm
Two great new services from Lib Dem Voice: PPC list, and calendar of events
Today we’re launching our list of PPCs selected to fight the next election. The welcome recent news that Alison Smith has been selected to stand in Oldham East, a potential top target seat in the next election brings our initial list to 25. Who’s missing? E-mail me with details of candidates who have been selectedrobWHOISATlibdemvoice.org (replace [...] 2:02 pm
Questions for Google
We questioned the top bods from Google this morning. They gave evidence to our Select Committee's inquiry into the new media and creative industries. Most of my questions were about Y... 1:37 pm
A Questionnaire About Breasts
No really: http://bbimages.brinkster.net/ It's for my girlfriend's dissertation, so if you could fill it in I'd be most grateful. 1:35 pm
Response to Josh Hunt’s “A Gay Life” in the London Paper
I wrote a response last week to a specific column by Josh Hunt in the London Paper (link is a PDF, the article is down at the bottom), but really it’s a response to whole of his column since it started, which has thus far been horribly stereotypical. This week’s column broke new non-stereotypical ground, which [...] 1:31 pm
Labour MP declares class war on the unemployed
When I first spotted this article in the Guardian online, I was convinced that it had come from some mad person. Then I read the article and discovered that John Denham really believes in differential sentencing on the basis of employment. The idea of sentencing is to punish, and I'm perfectly content with the idea that the guilty should be punished in a manner appropriate to the level and 1:27 pm
Liberal Review in the UK Top 100
Someone else has done a league table - based on links this time. Liberal Review comes in at no 91. 1:06 pm
Wishing you all a safe Halloween!
Halloween is fast approaching and while many people and their kids will enjoy some harmless fun, West Midlands Police is encouraging people to be safety conscious and to be mindful of the many elederly and vulnerable people who find "trick or treat" intimidating. Here are a few points to consider at Halloween: 1. Always supervise children! - Young children can be vulnerable if unaccompanied on 12:57 pm
Gospel Concert in support of WaterAid
WaterAid Charity Gospel Concert at Birmingham University's Great Hall - Saturday 2 December 2006 The evening will feature a range of vocalists from across the UK, including The Syder Sisters, Willing Spirit, Blessed Voices, The Upsons and Brian Allen. The evening will also feature the world famous saxophonist, Mark Bunney. Doors will open at 6.30pm for the concert which will begin at 7pm. 12:37 pm
PILDAT Launches Youth Parliament
PILDAT have emailed me to say they are launching a Youth Parliament in Pakistan. Hopefully this development is a result of the project I was involved in earlier in the year when I visited Pakistan and met with and debated with Pakistani youth. 12:13 pm
Rent-a-gob
I have already had at least one phone call asking why I have not yet posted on the latest offering from rent-a-gob MP, Peter Hain. The answer is that I have been busy, but also that I don't know whether I can really be bothered. However, here I am so I might as well join in the discussion. Peter Hain really has no idea what a Regional Assembly Member does. The question that has to be asked therefore is why does he parade his ignorance at every opportunity. If he actually believes that we are merely add-ons then why ... 12:11 pm
Tackle Climate Change Take a Plane - Labour
Apparently the best way government guidelines tell us to tackle underused railways is to take a plane. Are these planes going to stop at request stops along the line of the rail route? How are they going to tackle the stations in the Highlands or rural Wales which surely must be amongst those targeted? I mean it will be difficult to built airports next to every conceiveable station. That is 
11:07 am
Prime Minister’s Questions ruined by Andrew Lloyd-Webber
Britain’s Parliament was thrown in to chaos yesterday when three opposition MPs, taking the opportunity of being caught on television, launched in to an impromptu application to join the next series of hit BBC 1 series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? Conservative spokespersons Alan Duncan, George Osbourne and Oliver Letwin brought Prime Ministers [...] 10:36 am
Stop Press: GMC can keep powers to act
I have picked this up from the TV so don't know where any links are yet, but the Court of Appeal has found that the GMC has the right to strike off someone for the invalidity of their expert opinion in court. I do need to see, however, what the detailed judgement has said about Roy Meadow's evidence itself. There is a question as to how many people should be locked up on the basis of "honest 10:35 am
American elections
I was reminded yesterday about how fascinatingly dense American politics is. European eyes may swivel at the amount of money spent in US elections, and the extent of the political campaigning industry it supports, but with so many public servants subject to direct elections this is hardly surprising. www.electoral-vote.com is a fantastic site that concentrates on the senate and major house races by doing a daily summation of that days independent opinion polls.At the moment Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia all perilously close - but just in the Republicans camp. With an overall prediction at the moment of 49Dem 51Rep such ... 10:18 am
Legal "perfect storm" building for medical profession and social workers - Hemming writes to Attorney General; refers North Staffs hospital to informa
In the context of a "perfect storm" of a number of court and GMC cases campaigning MP John Hemming has written to the Attorney General raising the question of medical expert witnesses who have a conflict of interest providing evidence. He is also referring the University Hospital of North Staffordshire to the Information Commissioner. John Hemming said, "there are some very important issues going 10:04 am
Local Government reform
The Government’s new proposals for local government (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6084998.stm) sound like decentralisation. Councils will get the power to create their own by-laws, and public services will get more scrutiny from the public. But on closer inspection, it’s the sort of decentralisation one would expect from Labour. Without a reform of local government finance, Westminster still plays the [...] 10:00 am
Breakfast Vidcast
I decided after seeing the advert for the Breakfast Takeaway Vidcast to give it a go on my P990i. I was expecting the quality to be pretty poor, and wasn’t expecting may stories. However it’s 10 minutes of the mornings news in quality which is better than that off an analogue TV. If you are one [...] 9:46 am
"Queen Elizabeth h has 10 times the lifespan of workers and lays up to 2,000 eggs a day"
According to Reuters Queen Elizabeth h has 10 times the lifespan of workers and lays up to 2,000 eggs a day. There's something the tabloids havn't picked up on yet... (archived here incase reuters fix the problem) Tags:reuters funny+errors 9:39 am
"UK army tested 'stay awake' pills" - BBC
After reading the BBC Headline "UK army tested 'stay awake' pills", it begs the question, who was visiting the Army that day to ensure they needed these pills ? I am assuming it was Tony Blair or David Cameron, they have both been to visit the army recently in Afghanistan of Iraq. On a more serious level, are our troops being used as guinea pigs again ? I thought that after the first gulf war when cocktails of tablets were tested on British troops that the MOD would have learnt an important lesson. I guess we ... 9:30 am
Barack Obama
I first heard of Barack Obama from my fiancée who coming from Northern Indiana comes into contact with Illinois politics. His family history is inspiring, the grandson of a Kenyan servant, son of a Kenyan goatherd who came to the US to study and met his mother, an American daughter from a hard working, Kentucky family. He is the embodiment of the American Dream, people coming from nowhere, and 9:23 am
Speech Therapy - The Latest Norfolk PCT Cuts
It is a sad state of affairs at the moment that Norfolk's PCT is going around cutting and closing virtually everything it is involved with. The latest cuts to be announced is to speech therapy. As a school teacher I know the work that speech therapists do is absolutely invaluable. The number of children I have taught who have undergone or who were still undergoing speech therapy is incredible. The fact is that although not being able to speak clearly is not a medicl need, it affects people's lives in an enormous way. This decision by the ... 9:15 am
All you need to know about the science of opinion ...
According to Mori in the Financial Times (22nd Oct), the Tories trail Labour by 2% - 35% to 37%.According to Communicate Research in The Independent (24th Oct), the Tories lead Labour by 6% - 38% to 32% - with the Lib Dems plummeting to 14%.According to ICM in thegrauniad (25th Oct), the Tories lead Labour by 10% - 39% to 29% - with the Lib Dems increasing to 22%.From this we can conclude, within 8:09 am
Day 2118: ROBIN HOOD: Who Shot the Sheriff?
Saturday: I have been practicing with my BOW and ARROW! So far I have broken FIVE violins! I have no idea how Mr Holmes does it. Daddy Richard and Daddy Alex enjoyed Robbin' Hoodie much more this week, probably because it was written by someone from the Doctor Who writers club. This week's War on Terror reference: "War on Terror".Also: "we're going to win some hearts and minds". Well, thankfully, Paul Cornell did not let me down and produced an episode far superior to either of the opening two. It was obvious just watching it that it had ... 8:09 am
North Shropshire Liberal Democrats go online
North Shropshire Liberal Democrats have a new website at www.oswestrylibdems.org.uk please visit it and see what they have to say! 7:33 am
Depressing but true
The problems with the Leeds team at present according to a couple of posters on WACCOE On the Pitch:- Can't defend Can't track players Poor Concentration Can't Pass Always go backwards Don't pass and run Don't look for space Too Slow Poor positioning Don't like shooting Too Old Lack of passion Simply not good enough Off the Pitch:- Dressing room split? Constant change in coaching staff No/Little money Authority not being stampedCrowd booing our own players Crowd taking the piss out of our players Crowd more obsessed with Chelsea ... 4:35 am
Who's taking their medication?
Rush Limbaugh really ought to stay away from stories about other peoples' legitimate drug consumption. 4:15 am
Greg Barker and "Tory Wives"
"Your typical loyal Conservative wife" has long been a synonym in some circles for what the rest of us shirt-lifters affectionately call "fag-hags". Actually - it's a bit more than that - she is a byword for heterosexual "cover" for gay men wanting to make their way in supposedly homophobic conservative politics. Ffion Jenkins got the same when she married Willie Hague. If truth be told, the same was said of Sarah Gurling, now Mrs Charles Kennedy, and of Sarah Macaulay, now Mrs Gordon Brown. So, it's terribly tragic for everyone concerned when you hear of a ... 4:15 am
Stern warning: it's the economic system stupid!
The Guardian reports that Sir David King, Chief Scientific Advisor to HMG, previewed the report due any time now from Sir Nicholas Stern on the economic costs of climate change: Tackle climate change or face deep recession, world's leaders warned Sir David King, the government's chief scientific adviser, yesterday gave the Guardian a preview of its main findings. Speaking at a climate change conference in Birmingham, he said: "All of [Stern's] detailed modelling out to the year 2100 is going to indicate first of all that if we don't take global action we are going ... 4:15 am
Whose street?
Mr Angry Mkinskey writes the the Telegraph: Town hall tyrants waging class war So, in the twisted mindset of Richmond's rulers, a local resident wanting to park his own car outside his own house in his own street has been transformed into a nasty polluter who should be heavily penalised for his selfish irresponsibility. I'm sorry. Whose street? In my opinion streets are for the occasional Fortnum's delivery van and young lads in shorts and blazers kicking a football around after the bus drops them off from school (probably St Paul's). Who the ... 2:08 am
John Major...squaddies mate?
See, it's still one rule for them and another for the rest of us... In order to try to get extra work out of our squaddies we send to fight and die on our behalf, defense contractor Quinetiq has been testing "zombies" for use in combat situations... UK army tested 'stay awake' pills: A controversial drug which can keep people awake for days has been tested by the UK military, MPs have been told. Modafinil pills - known on the drugs scene as "zombies" - are used to treat the rare sleeping disorder narcolepsy. The Ministry of ... 2:04 am
Intrusive taxmen
The Tories seem up in arms about the prospect of new valuations for council tax... Tories warn over home inspections: MPs are discussing new powers for inspectors in Northern Ireland, as part of the revaluation of its rates system. It could pave the way for English tax payers to be forced to admit inspectors who want to check features which could increase house values, the Tories say. Of course, if they simply changed over to taxing land values nobody would ever have to even open the garden gate. 1:08 am
The CIA and Rochford District
The former head of the CIA, George Tenet as been appointed as a non-executive director of the British defense technology company Qinetiq. What's the connection with our district? Qinetiq operates the spooky military research establishment on Foulness Island. It controls a lot else on Foulness as well. According to the Washington Post , Mr Tenet told President Bush it was a "slam dunk" that the 12:59 am
Well done Richmond
Excellent move by Richmond to move to differential charging for parking permits for different cars - a few BBC Vox Pops here . Positive action by a Lib Dem council to tackle climate change. I am sure some of the most rancid pro car Tories will yell and squeal, but if David Cameron is willing to put his party where his mouth is he will ensure that Tories across the country support it. And I will 12:25 am
Irony in Arundel
The BBC reports: A West Sussex fire station which did not have a fire alarm fitted has been badly damaged in a blaze. 
