LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Tuesday 9th January 2007

Sounds like an unbelievable match at Anfield tonig...

Sounds like an unbelievable match at Anfield tonight. Didn't see any of it, as had a governors meeting at Fortismere School. But it means we have two matches against the team formerly from Woolwich in the coming weeks. Hopefully they won't score six over both legs, let alone in one... Anyway, got home just in time to see the goals on Sky Sports News and then the start of the new series of Shameless. One of the few programmes I bother tuning in for, a good way to finish a busy day. Oh, and while I ...

An e-mail from George Bush

Following my e-mail to Dubya about Guantanamo Bay (through the Amnesty website), I got a very speedy response direct from the keyboard of the man himself. Well, I got the automated response below anyway. Do still e-mail the Whitehouse with your concerns anyway. ---Original Message----- From: "comments@whitehouse.gov" Sent: 09/01/07 18:12:21 On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence. We appreciate hearing your views and welcome your suggestions. The President is committed to continuing our economic progress, defending our freedom, and upholding our Nation's deepest values. Due to the large volume of e-mail received, the ...

Dumped Rubbish Sorted, 72 bus service

Productive Community Council meeting in the West End tonight with useful presentations from Tayside Fire & Safety and Tayside Police. And good to see that the Community Council proposal for an "Ultimate" field has been agreed by the Leisure & Communities Department, subject to approval at next Monday's Leisure & Arts Services Committee. Pleased to learn today that the rubbish dumped at the back of a Perth Road tenement (see story from 27th December by clicking headline above) has been removed. Concerned that, due to changes to the Number 72 bus service (linking it to the service ...

LibDem Voice goes phoot!

Worrying news from Rob Fenwick. No doubt this valuable site will be up again soon.

"Shrewd, Smart and Getting Richer"

Our local paper the Echo is publishing a series of articles about the activities of a large group of travellers who are occupying land at Crays Hill in Basildon. They've had a big impact on their area- by last summer, of the 50 pupils at the local primary school, all but one were from traveller families. The Echo's report makes interesting reading, and here's a sample: Travellers fighting to

What will Gordon do?

Steve Richards writes in today’s Indy: It is a myth that no one knows what a Brown premiership would be like. Much more is known about him compared with John Major at the point when Major moved into Downing Street. Which is true. But Mr Richards neglects to mention two points: 1) Mr Major had been in the Cabinet for just 16 months when he found himself ‘risen without trace’ as Prime Minister. By

Conserving the Boundary Estate

Very productive and constructive meeting about the Boundary Estate with the conservation team. We managed to raise all the issues which have been bugging me and local residents for years: The fabric of the buildings is deteriorating Heavy goods vehicles cut through the estate, some working on the East London Line TfL protect the width of the streets for buses The No.78 continues...

Outrage at Road Safety Measures Removed

Road safety measures which were introduced to a busy rat run in 2003 have been removed and branded as "grossly over the top" by the Conservative Councillor in Charge of Highways Cllr Elgar Jenkins (Con, Bathwick). Concerns were raised over the gradual disappearance of the speed reduction measures along Camden Road by the Mr Nigel Sherwen, Chairman of the Camden Road Residents Association, who in a letter to Cllr Jenkins says, "You will know that the Camden Road Residents Association has campaigned long and hard to get the 20MPH zone and traffic calming measures consisting mainly of speed tables and ...

David Ervine 1953 - 2007

The PUP Spokesman was a powerful advert for the civilising and liberalising effects of education. We mourn his passing.

Climate Change - New Tory Labour Broadcast

How it should have ended

Apologies to anyone who has seen this already, but I found THIS on kiwiblog, and found it funny. In short, this website contains some two minute animated shorts of how films could have ended and other spoofs and parodies of films. As a fan of Star Wars, this particular movie is fab. Worth a look. Click HERE.

You'll thank me for this one day, Tompkins

The excellent ARCH blog points us (sort of) to a worrying story from York. Schools there are taking children's fingerprints and using them to issue books from their libraries. Depressing but not new, you say. But what is new is one of the arguments used to defend the procedure: Chris Bridge, head teacher at Huntington Secondary, said the system was preparing pupils for a world in which terrorism was rife, and their privacy would be further invaded. He said: "These children, frankly, are growing up in a world where identity and being certain about your own identity is increasingly ...

LibDem Voice is no more…

…for the moment! All the database tables have disappeared, and not at my request. Also I am unable to recreate the tables - some sort of permissions fault. This is the latest in a long string of weird stuff I’ve got used to happening to sites hosted with Dataflame. The time before this, the homepage of [...]

Do as Tory bloggers say, not as they do

In the space of a fortnight, we see just how hypocritical the Tories are. When three non-entity (well I'd never heard of them) former Lib Dem parliamentary candidates join the Tories, oh, what a fuss from the Tories. This was supposed to be significant and definitely cause for celebration and discussion. Iain Dale revelled in it and wondered why the Lib Dems were not talking about it. A Tory councillor got very silly on my own blog making party political points, such was his excitement at this turning point and decline in Lib Dem fortunes. So what ...

Magnus Magnusson and Waking the Dead

I was sorry to hear of the death of Magnus Magnusson. He was one of the dwindling band of public figures who have been there throughout my life. Among sports commentators, for instance, Bill McLaren, John Arlott and David Coleman are all dead or retired. There is only Peter Alliss left, though John Motson runs him close. Magnusson was most famous, of course, for presenting Mastermind and it is hard for people today to appreciate just what a phenomenon that programme was in its early years. But I can remember his presenting the BBC2 archaeology series Chronicle even before that. ...

Morrissey to sing Eurovision

This has to be the story of the day: Former Smiths singer Morrissey could represent the UK at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, the BBC has confirmed.As a Liberal England exclusive, we are able to bring you the first draft of his song. Early indications are that he is adapting his style well to the demands of the contest: The rain falls hard on a humdrum town,this town has dragged you down.I'm gonna bounce up and down on my spring!Do you really thinkShe'll pull through?Do you really thinkShe'll pull through?Boom, bang-a-bang, I love you!

Freedom of conscience

The group ‘Christian concern for our nation’ is campaigning against the Sexual Orientation Regulations 2006 and petitioning the Queen today. The regulations will make it illegal for anyone who provides goods, services, facilities, premises, education or public functions to someone else, to discriminate against that person on the grounds of their sexual orientation. Christian concern for our

Morrissey in Eurovision talks - Now that would make Eurovision worth watching !

Brilliant ! Can you just imagine Morrissey representing the UK at the next Eurovision song contest ? According to the BBC, it might just happen. Read about it HERE. I haven't watched Eurovision in years as I get tired of the Baltic nations swapping votes, Greece voting for Cyprus, and all the other laughable voting patterns repeated year after year, but this might just get me watching again.

Not in my name

As a Christian serving as an Anglican priest, I find myself ashamed of the actions and rhetoric of many of those protesting against Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs) legislation outside parliament tonight (9 January 2007). By misrepresenting what these regulations are actually about and then using them as an excuse for homophobic abuse, these unrepresentative and unaccountable protesters are bringing all people of faith into disrepute. Please let other voices be heard. Like the Faithworks Movement, a highly regarded mainstream evangelical organisation have issued a statement backing SORs, claiming that they have been widely misrepresented, and emphasising the Christian Gospel ...

Bacton Security - Update

Following my post on Sunday about Bacton gas terminal and the poor security it had been noted for in the past, the EDP reports that Norfolk Police are now paying for armed police to guard the site whilst the MOD is proposing to use MOD police to guard the site in future. Good news and the right thing to do. Read the EDP story HERE.

Well done to The Sun and the News Of The World

I guess it is not a headline to be seen very often, but well done to The Sun and the News of The World, who have said they will no longer use paparazzi photos of Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton. The upset already caused to Miss Middleton through the constant "doorstepping" of her outside her house should be reason enough. However, when you think about the suffering that Prince William has already had to suffer, with the death of his mother whilst the drunk driver of her care tried to get away from the paparazzi in Paris, ...

Why should religion be used as an excuse to be a bigot ?

I am constantly at a loss to understand the motivation of extremists in a range of religions who feel that their "deeply held views" give them the right to ignore laws or basic human rights. Whether it be those extremist muslims who mis-interpret, often deliberately, the writings of the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) in order to preach hatred, or extremist Jews who claim that they have the right to persecute muslims in Israel. So when I read that extremist Christians want to amend Sexual Orientation regulations in the UK, I get annoyed. Read about it HERE. ...

Are the Lib Dems libertarian enough?

Having scored a miserable 67 points on the libertarian purity test, perhaps I am not the best man to fight the redoubtable Brian Micklethwait over whether the Liberal Democrats have it in them to be a libertarian party or not. However, Tristan has been highlighting Brian Micklethwait's constant attacks on the Liberal Democrats for some time, and I felt the need to reply to Mr. Micklethwait's most recent criticism; I couldn't resist! My reply is reproduced below (now, with hotlinks!): In we all pile, fists flailing! I think your suggestion that the Liberal Democrats are ...

Guantánamo Bay: Five years of injustice

Thursday (11th January) is the 5th anniversary of the first incarcerations at Guantánamo Bay. Amnesty are holding a series of protests to push for some sort of justice for the detainees. You can find the details HERE - unfortunately for people with work, the London one at least is being held during the day, but there is other action you can take if you can't make the protest itself. Five years on, not a single detainee has been put on trial. If they ever do get a trial, it is planned to be a military tribunal - weighted ...

BBC "dramadoc" on the London Nail Bomber

The BBC ran a chilling combination of documentary and drama last night to explain the story of the London Nail Bomber. I am always rather nervous of mixtures of drama and documentary, but I think the balance for this one was about right, if a little sensationalist. The programme highlighted some amazing facts concerning the case. It is unbelievable, but I suppose understandable, that such an

Unedifying press scrum round Kate Middleton

Here we go again. The press scrum round birthday girl Kate Middleton today was almost precisely identical to that around Diana Spencer (as she then was) 25 odd years ago. Even the camera shot on the BBC was the same, with Kate Middleton walking in the same direction to her car. Thankfully, Kate Middleton was wearing a slight smile in contrast to the hunted look which Diana Spencer wore all those

Best Peacetime PM?

BBC2's Daily Politics is running a poll to name the best Prime Minister since the war. On today's programme, Tony Benn voted for Atlee and William Hague..........now let's guess......who would he have voted for................that's a toughie. Someone from Grantham perhaps?

climate change kills

By midnight last night (jan 8), the average UK citizen will have emitted as much CO2 as the average person in the world's poorest countries will during the whole of 2007 (according to figures released by the World Development Movement). The excessive carbon emissions of rich countries are driving climate change but it is poor countries will bear the brunt of the impact. Billions of people face drought, floods, starvation and disease. For example: One sixth of the world's population rely on water from glaciers that are disappearing. 80,000 people die every year from malnutrition due to climate ...

This sounds more like a yodelling cow being fed through a wood chipper.

Just one of those random titles of spam e-mail - one that I received to my inbox today and which amused me. Don't know what was in the actual e-mail, probably altogether less amusing.

The Diana Express

As the media has concentrated on Kate Middleton today, one paper has lived up to normal form - and Diana is on the front page. The BBC website has a story of Diana: a year in headlines covering the 46 times Diana appeared on the front cover of the Daily Express in 2006. OK, it sells newspapers, but there has to be a limit surely!

The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data: Wise words.

One of those things which irritates me is the way anecdotes are often used as if they prove points (something I’m sure I’ve been guilty of unfortunately). They do not. Anecdotes are useful, but they are not data. This is a point Don Boudreaux has recently made, and its one which needs to be made often.

The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data: Wise words.

One of those things which irritates me is the way anecdotes are often used as if they prove points (something I’m sure I’ve been guilty of unfortunately). They do not. Anecdotes are useful, but they are not data. This is a point Don Boudreaux has recently made, and its one which needs to be made often.

And United Utilities said "Let there be light!" And there was light... But I was still at work...

Well, Tamsin just rang to say that the power is back on at Casa Baum. I hope that all the other houses affected by the outage this morning are back up and running too. I think one morning of stumbling about in the dark is enough. The last 24 hours have been busy. At the Executive last night, we outlined plans for revisions to meetings – more opportunity for policy debate to arouse more interest

Defending secularism

Three years ago, I attended a friends’ pointedly humanist wedding; two weeks ago I learned that this couple was now attending church with a view to getting their daughter into the local CofE Primary School (alongside their devoutly Jewish neighbours!). A shocking ten years ago, I was writing my undergraduate dissertation on Richard Dawkins’ [...]

How libertarian are you?

The libertarian purity test. Its written for the US, but you can translate much of it. You can also leave questions blank if you don’t understand or are uncertain. For the record, I scored 96/160 which apparently means: You have entered the heady realm of hard-core libertarianism. Now doesn’t that make you feel worse that you didn’t get [...]

Criticism of the LibDems - lessons about Community Politics

There is a tendency to shrug off criticism of the LibDems from outside, but sometimes we should look at them carefully before dismissing them. Brian Micklethwait, veteran UK Libertarian has criticised the LibDems on various occasions, he came close to being convinced that we are a party worth taking seriously by Cicero, but has since recanted [...]

Save Their Skins

For years, black bears in Canada have been shot and slaughtered or have suffered for days in traps, slowly bleeding to death for no other purpose than to entertain tourists in London. Despite humane ...

Morrissey in Eurovision talks

A correction to Matt Davies post - the BBC says that it is in talks with [Morrissey] to write and possibly perform a track for this year's contest in May. They go on to say:. Last year, the video for his You Have Killed Me single featured a pastiche of the kitsch Eurovision competitions of the 1970s. However, to make it through to the real Eurovision, Morrissey would have to win the public's

Vigil for British Residents in Guantanamo Bay

Last night, Ed Davey used a Parliamentary debate to highlight the case of a constituent of his who is being detained in Guantanamo Bay. Ed believes that as a result of his detention, his constituent may be losing his sanity. You can read the full debate here. As mentioned in the debate, Sarah Teather also [...]

How It Works

Presenter (solemnly): Prince William's girlfriend, Kate Middleton, has been pursued relentlessly by photographers and the tabloid media in renewed speculation that the couple will soon announce their engagement. [Cut to footage of Ms Middleton walking down the street] Presenter (V/O): The site of the heir to the throne's partner being followed by the paparazzi recalls image of the late Princess

South Yardley Library - progress on roof

The good news is that progress is being made on plans to repair the roof of South Yardley Library. It has been shut since November, but funds have been identified and there is now a plan to redo the roof and reopen later this year. Things always slip in terms of timing, but we should hopefully see work start by the end of February. With a bit of luck some work on ways to improve the library

Morrissey to follow in footsteps of Abba, Bucks Fizz and, er, Jemini

Morrissey to do Eurovision? I thought it was an early April Fool's Day story when I read THIS. When you get to the end of the story, you do see that he is in talks to *write* the next Eurovision entry, rather than perform it. But if we're lucky, maybe he'll be persuaded to sing it as well.

"That's quite enough Dyslexogate, thank you"

David Aaronovitch has written an excellent op ed. on "The Ruth Kelly Affair". As well as exposing the real hypocrisy - journalists who tut-tut about her decision when over half of them privately educate their own children - he takes a swipe at Labour back-benchers who put ideology over the interests of the child (the point I made yesterday). I know a comment piece is good if it is both informative and humorous. Enjoy.A site for political analysis and opinion of an avowedly liberal view. It's all about freedom.

Nipping out for an UKI Pee

What is happening to United Kingdom Impotence Party? Interesting times actually, as James Graham and Peter Black neatly note. What is going on back at the battered Tory Coalface though? Well to explore that murk one needs to go to the Daily Telegraph (6th January) where we learn that Cameron must ‘heed the threat of UKIP’. “Traditional Tory supporters – indeed, many Tory activists – are toying with voting UKIP. When they see two respected Conservative parliamentarians making the journey, their personal odysseys become that little bit easier.” Parallel to this, (TG 8 January) UKIP is promising ...

Photos from Cardiff v Spurs 07.01.07

Couple of photos from the Cardiff game on Sunday. One shows the Spurs boys warming up before the game - it looks like a nice sunny day, but that is actually just the floodlights... The other was taken towards the end of the match when a couple of flares were lit in the Cardiff section to the right of where the photo was taken and there also seemed to be some confrontation with the Cardiff fans to the left of our stand too. It doesn't quite show how many police there were at the match, but gives ...

Irish Blood, UK entry?

One of the disappointing things about the United Kingdom’s entries in the Eurovision Song Contest - apart from, well, their quality - has been the reluctance of mainstream artists to put themselves forward; or perhaps of the BBC to ask them. Given the kitsch and potentially career-ending nature of the competition, it’s not surprising if [...]

Thai stockmarket gets jitters again.

The Thai government has approved plans to tighten rules regulating foreign businesses. The Cabinet has agreed in principle to changes in the Foreign Business Act. The market is concerned that the new rules will force foreign firms to reduce their Thai holdings. The market is still very nervous following last month's stock market crash sparked by the governments decision to limit the amount of money that could be withdrawn by investors and the bombs in Bangkok at New Year. Rumours of a further coup will not have helped either. According to The Nation ...

Two Members of the House of Lords defect from Conservatives to UKIP

It feels like a bit of a UKIP day on www.colin-ross.org.uk today this being the third story!

Categorising links

I find it difficult to categorise links, indeed categorising anything is difficult, its bound to upset someone (try asking a group of jazz lovers ‘What is Jazz?’ and you’ll start an argument which will go on forever… nobody can quite agree what is and isn’t jazz). So, I have currently gone with a large category covering [...]

For Tory read UKIP

Iain Dale rather reluctantly reports on his blog that two Tory peers have defected to UKIP. Lord Pearson and Lord Willoughby de Broke will formally announce that they are joining UKIP this morning, declaring they have "given up hope" on the Tories. Clearly, David Cameron is just too cuddly for some of his members. I have to agree with Iain that these peers are particularly obscure but nevertheless the significance of this event is two fold. Firstly, it shows that for all the fanfares from the Tories about obscure Liberal Democrats joining them, the movement of individuals on the ...

James Bond on your computer

Never has TV and film drama seemed so out of touch with the real world. Somehow, one could not imagine the characters of Spooks or a James Bond film e-mailing the great British public to warn them of an imminent threat, or to watch out for a dodgy bald guy with a white cat. Nevertheless, it is very serious and Mi5 are to be commended for trying to raise our level of awareness. Their site is actually stuffed with good advice and useful information on averting terrorist threats. It seems that our spies have embraced modern technology and a ...

AOL just doesn't do it for me

I am dreading moving. Well in some respects anyway. I am looking forward to having a bigger place, an office at last, a spare bedroom for guests (no longer sleeping on the sofa when a friend comes to visit) and a garden to enjoy the summer. In other respects I am not, especially having to tell everyone my change of address etc etc. So today I took the bold move and decided to cancel my AOL

I Take It All Back

Chimps have not taken over Nintendo and their new console, Wii*, is awesome, pure and simple. Hyperbole? Maybe, but my friend has bought one and right now, we're enjoying it far too much. Being able to actively take part in the action on-screen by waving the Wii remote just feels so good - this is what console gaming has been missing. It's not better graphics or surround sound, but physical

Second Life Opens Up - Snow Crash or Neuromancer?

I signed up to Second Life just over a year ago when I had some time around Christmas. Since then I have dipped in and out of it at the same time as watching its stock rise as a ‘talked about technology’. It is often discussed alongside so-called Web 2.0 sites as evidence of [...]

UKIP no longer Peerless

Two Tory Peers defect to UKIP. Will Iain Dale predict "turmoil, crisis and meltdown" for the Conservatives?

West Dorset UKIP resigns

After posting about UKIP in Plymouth I have been emailed to tell me that in November the entire nine-person committee of the West Dorset Constituency Association resigned from the party for the same reasons as Plymouth's.

Up and Downs on the Fringes

UKIP seem to have got stuck in a one-step-forward, one-step-back grind. No sooner than it has been announced that their Plymouth branch have split asunder and formed their own breakaway faction (who, hilariously, call themselves the New Battle for Britain - you can hear their eyeballs squelching in their sockets as they swivel from [...]

Power Cut in Prestwich

71 homes in Prestwich were affected by a power-cut this morning, and mine was one of them. As of 9am there was still no power to the homes in the Warwick Street and Clifton Road areas, supplies having been lost at around 4 o’clock this morning. I have been in contact with United Utilities on several occasions to find out how long the outage is likely to last. They tell me that the problem is

CCTV and Labour propaganda

At Full Council last night, I raised the issue of substandard CCTV with the Executive Member for Crime and Community Safety - and she essentially agreed with me that the systems in Crouch End and Muswell Hill are not fit for purpose. My CCTV scrutiny review will be reporting soon, so hopefully the Executive will take our recommendations on board. There was a question on the council's magazine 'Haringey People', with the Executive Member telling us that 90% of respondents to their survey thought it was great. I was going to ask if they had been told in the ...

Labour Councillor joins the Lib Dems

A Labour Councillor in Braintree has crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrat group.

Travelling the open road

My experience of the rule of law is that for people to respect it it needs to be enforced. I have had conversations with travellers who believe that British Law does not apply to them. That is whey they feel they have a right to pack their caravans on parks such as Oaklands and dump tarmac on them. My view is simply this. The rule of law applies to everyone in the UK and should be enforced. There is an interesting post on one of the police blogs about this issue. I tend to be sympathetic ...

UKIP implodes in Plymouth

According to the BBC the Plymouth's branch of the UK Independence Party is close to collapse amid internal wranglings. The chairman and committee of the local group, which has about 120 members, is preparing to stand down on Monday.

Yesterday ... and Community Council update

Busy day yesterday with meetings including with the Council Leader and Finance Officers. Council committees back last night although a very uncontroversial evening! A few meetings today on local issues including West End Community Council tonight (click the headline above to read my latest update to the Community Council).

Is our local hospital bust?

Shortly before Christmas our local North Bristol NHS Trust had its application to become a semi-independent "Foundation Trust" turned down. This was a bit of a surprise as the Government plan is for every hospital trust to be a Foundation Trust by the end of next year. I tabled a Parliamentary Question (PQ) to ask for a copy of the letter that the Trust was sent to explain why they had been turned down, and today I got the answer - which was dynamite! The letter reveals that: North Bristol Trust has run up a £100m debt ...

Day 2197: The Return of the Two Davids

Saturday: No, it's not who you think. This is about the NEW two Davids: Mr Millipede and Mr Balloon! The Oxford Farming Conference saw an AMAZING NEW DOUBLE-ACT this week with speeches from the man who will lose the next election and the man who will lose the election after that! Ms Sarah Mukherjee for the BBC was along to play SPOT THE DIFFERENCE! According to her, they were both a bit DULL on the Conference Floor, but made up for it by both coming TRAGICALLY UNDONE when actually asked to answer questions on their specialised subject. Mr Balloon ...

Tuesday 9th January 2007

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