Film tip for liberals: The Illusionist
It features beards. Lots of them. Lots and lots infact. Plus a few moustaches. Though I don't think any sandals. Wednesday 7th March 2007
11:37 pm
It features beards. Lots of them. Lots and lots infact. Plus a few moustaches. Though I don't think any sandals. 11:34 pm
Ming Campbell welcomes vote for elected House of Lords
Following the House of Commons votes in favour of an elected House of Lords, Ming Campbell said: “After nearly 100 years the House of Commons has at last taken the momentous step to reform the upper house and make it fit for a modern democracy. This is a famous victory for progressive opinion both in Parliament [...] 11:13 pm
They'll be dancing in the streets of Crystal Palace tonight.
I am sure the residents of Crystal Palace Ward will be dancing in the streets tonight. Certainly Jonathan Wallace - who lives there when he is in London will be. And I am pretty certain local Lib Dem councillor Chris Gaster will be (by the way, I believe Chris is the last surviving original SDP councillor in the country). But it looks like over the border in Norwood they are less than happy with 11:06 pm
Conference in a nutshell
OK, so now the fog has cleared a little how was Harrogate for me? Here we go with a few highlights and observations: Pleased to get a lot of good 'geek-work' done on the train on the way up and enjoyed the wide-ranging philosophical discussions I had on the train on the way back. Delighted with the launch of the Home Office Watch website, which I have had some techy involvement with, at the 11:04 pm
The lesser spotted arguments
I’ve had to give up watching Newsnight as I was threatening to disturb my neighbours with all my shouting at the TV. There’s some absolute rubbish being spouted by various people, and ironically a lot of it is coming from people with ‘Lord’ before their name, who think that magically gives them the power to [...] 11:04 pm
Sexual Orientation Regulations Welcomed
Today Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary and Minister for Equality, has published the government proposals for the Sexual Orientation Regulations, which we welcome. The regulations will protect Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals from discrimination in receiving goods and services throughout the UK, and we will be contacting our members in the forthcoming weeks to continue pressurising their MP's into passing these regulations without any concessions, especially to religious groups, including Catholic adoption agencies. We shall be reviewing the regulations in detail, and informing all our members with regard to what these contain. 10:48 pm
Ralph Miliband will be turning in his grave
Just watched a wriggling David Milliband on the news saying how the Government are committed to cutting Carbon emissions, even though emissions from Whitehall departments are rocketing. I read four of his father's books: Class Power and State Power, Capitalist Democracy in Britain, Marxism and Politics and The State in Capitalist Society. Why do I think his father will be turning in his grave? I 10:19 pm
Bullingdon Matching Pairs
Bloggerheads has turned the photo they tried to ban into a card game: Bullingdon Matching Pairs. Beware: it's addictive. 9:46 pm
God is dead...
... in the Lords at least. The thought occurs that now we seem to be on track for a fully elected Lords that there won't be seats reserved for the Bishops and other assorted 'faith groups' in our legislature purely on the basis that they have imaginary friends. Hurrah! All we need now is to disestablish the Church of England and finally the UK will be (constitutionally at least) free of 9:45 pm
Opinion: There will be no dancing in the streets of Crystal Palace over Lords reform
I don’t believe in a 100% elected House of Lords. There you go, I’ve said it - there’s no point reading any further, the comment boxes are below and you can start calling me an undemocratic monster…. now. I won’t be joining Paul Walter who is, as you read, dancing through the streets of Newbury. As I [...] 
9:29 pm
Democracy on the march
Just a quick note to say thankyou to the 337 MPs who voted for the House Of Lords to be fully elected and, of course, to all those people who campaigned so hard for it. This democracy thing might just catch on, you know. 9:17 pm
Cultural Relativism
This is the kind of information I mentally bear in the back of my mind when listening to the standard 'Western Society, The USA, The Republicans and George W Bush' rant. 9:12 pm
Is this what History feels like?
So the House of Commons has voted for a fully elected second chamber; potentially marking the beginning of the final chapter, of the long march to democratic government in the UK begun with the Great Reform Act of 1832 (or even the glorious revolution of 1688 depending on your taste). I can remember spending weeks learning about the intricacies of the run-up to the Great Reform Act of 1832 as 9:06 pm
MP's back 100% elected chamber
Great news from parliament, and even Lembit couldn't use his vote to scupper this one (as he did in 1999). A 100% elected Lords/Second chamber looks very likely now and we await the full government recommendation and final act. Well done to all MP's who supported this. Read th BBC about it HERE. 9:01 pm
Is is 80 or 100?
I left the office this evening just after the Commons had taken the votes to approve both 80 percent and 100 percent elected upper house. So which is it, 4 out of 5 members to be elected or all of them? I have heard, and it is so far unconfirmed, that the highest share approved is the one the government will accept. It that's the case, it means no appointments whatsoever. Now that could be very 8:59 pm
The English
I found this article quite interesting, but I'm not sure if I agree with it. For a start, given the diversity of the country, you'd be very hard pressed to find a 'typical' English postcode and I certainly don't think that it resides in Rotherham anymore than it does in Surrey. Certainly there is still a very large working class 'mentality' left in this country, though it is studiously ignored by newspapers like The Guardian because it is frequently racist, misogynist and doesn't live in London. Britain is such a patchwork of social, ethnic, economic and geographic groups that I ... 8:47 pm
Regina Spektor
A rather unfair review of Regina Spektor here I thought. I've always found the small amount of her music that I've heard entrancing and thought provoking. I shall have to buy some. 8:19 pm
Unbelievable - we've finally done it!
The news from the Commons today is still sinking in. 94 years after the 17th Amendment in the USA created a directly elected US Senate, we have followed our colonial off-spring. An elected Second Chamber. I can hardly believe I can type the words. It is unbelievable! 7th March 2007 has got to go down as a major day in British history. Cue: Dancing in the streets! 7:55 pm
My own NHS experience, thanks to Harrogate
This posting is not going to be so easy as typing is pretty uncomfortable at the moment. As I left Lib Dem Conference on Sunday I slipped on the kerb and fell on to the road, which has left me with a fractured elbow. It was only when I got back to Sheffield [...] 7:15 pm
It's two jobs Alex!
It feels like the Bromley by-election all over again. But, instead of "Three Jobs Bob" - where Bob Neill thinks it is OK to be MP for Bromley & Chislehurst at the same time as being the London Assembly member for Bexley & Bromley, King Alex I of Scotland thinks it is OK to stay as the MP for Banff and Buchan until at least 2010, while also trying to become the MSP for Gordon. So he reckons he can 7:15 pm
House of History
Wow! I’ve actually been astounded by a Parliamentary vote – and in a good way. When MPs voted by a margin of 38 for the ‘House of Lords’ to be 80% elected, I cheered, expecting no better and prepared to tolerate the compromise (welcoming the annihilation of options from ‘just 60% elected’ down). But then, only ninety-five-and-a-half years late, the House of Commons has just voted to have the ‘House of Lords’ wholly elected, and by a stonking majority of 113. This has to call into question Jack Straw’s decision to leave it with the name ‘House of Lords’. ... 7:12 pm
MP's Vote to Elect the Lords.
It is a historic day today. MP's voted by a majority of 113 to elect 100% of the house of Lords. Long awaited as we have only been looking at this since 1911. I am in favour of this reform because Democracy requires the involvement of the people, it will make the second chamber more accountable and more effective. The second chamber will provide a direct regional influence in Parliament, to scrutinise legislation and executive action and to take a backstop role in preventing abusive amendment of the constitution without popular consent. Of course, there ... 7:00 pm
Sexual Orientation Regulations Welcomed
Today Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary and Minister for Equality, has published the government proposals for the Sexual Orientation Regulations, which we welcome. The regulations will protect Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals from discrimination in receiving goods and services throughout the UK, and we will be contacting our members in the forthcoming weeks to continue pressurising their MP's into passing these regulations without any concessions, especially to religious groups, including Catholic adoption agencies. We shall be reviewing the regulations in detail, and informing all our members with regard to what these contain. 6:50 pm
House of Lords to be fully elected!
Dramatic scenes in the House of Commons this evening. We've had six votes on House of Lords reform so far. There was a majority for 80% of the House of Lords to be elected, but an even bigger majority for 100% elected ! The results were: - do you want two houses (ie Commons+Lords)? YES 416 NO 163 - do you want 100% appointed in the Lords YES 196 NO 376 - do you want 50% elected in the Lords YES 155 NO 418 - do you want 60% elected in the Lords YES 178 NO 392 - ... 6:11 pm
Area Board frustrations
I went to the Area Board last night - as ever a great place to meet local people and hear about the issues affecting the people of Prestwich. It was doubly interesting last night because it took place at Butterstile Primary School, where I am a Governor. It was great to see all the displays in the school hall and see once again that the school is being used as a focal point for other community 5:55 pm
Hanky Panky Jersey
The little island of Jersey is trying to re-position itself as a short stay, high impact holiday destination. It wants young professionals, honeymoon couples, business men … basically people that spend a lot of money in a short time. One of the hotels doing this is the newly refurbished 4* Royal Yacht Hotel in St Helier. [...] 5:48 pm
Liveblogging the Lords
Over at Unlock Democracy. Share This 4:58 pm
The political pendulum
If I was happy with the state of British politics I would not want to change it. There has been a long history of two party politics in Britain. whether it was the "King's Party" versus the Puritans or the Whigs and the Tories, Liberals and Conservatives, and later Labour and Conservative, the tradition, indeed the very structure of the British Parliament is based on a division into two groups: Aye versus No. The result was that British political parties have had to be large coalitions. Blairites and Communists coexist in Labour and Social Conservatives and Libertarians coexist ... 4:38 pm
Planning Application
Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 07/00659/FUL Parish: N/A Registered: 28th February 2007 Expiry Date: 25th April 2007 Location: 2B Combe Road Combe Down Bath BA2 5HX Grid Ref: (E)375520 - (N)162286 LB Grade: N/A Proposal: Creation of new access Officer: Alice Barnes Applicant: Alan Garrett Agent: No Agent 2B Combe Road Combe Down Bath BA2 5HX 4:14 pm
Vote Blue, get Grey
Cameron's dreams turned to ashes yesterday. 
4:13 pm
New Beginnings: The Keeper of Traken
The centrepiece of this recently-released Doctor Who DVD set is Tom Baker’s doom-laden final story as the Doctor, in which he sees chanting scientific wizards holding the Universe together, is haunted by his own future and overcomes death to become Peter Davison in an emotional transformation. Peter Davison’s first tale is much smaller in scale, a very personal threat to the Doctor from a reborn Master in an Escher-inspired city. Before both, there’s a lush, theatrical story with a walking statue. A fairy-tale love story turned Faustian pact, it’s like a film noir Shakespeare… And the best of the trilogy. ... 3:06 pm
Frenchay debt - a glimmer of hope?
Not that I'm always going on about the local NHS... Yesterday morning I led a 90 minute debate on NHS debts, prompted in particular by the saga of the £100m owed by North Bristol Trust. I don't think that anyone believes that all this money will be paid off, but no-one knows how much will be, or over what time scale. This uncertainty was the main reason the Trust was turned down for Foundation Trust status. In responding to the debate, Health minister Andy Burnham used the usual Government line - Trusts must live ... 2:54 pm
Lords Reform
I’m sitting at home waiting for surveyors to turn up so I’m watching the Lords Reform debate. Its interesting, there’s some very good arguments, none of which have managed to pursuade me away from my view (which has been developed over several years of listening to argument such as this) It does seem to be attack the [...] 2:29 pm
Blasted American Internet!
I have been doing too much web coding of late - so much so that I now instinctively write ‘color’ rather than ‘colour’, as that’s how it’s written in HTML & CSS. Grrrrrrrrrr. 2:28 pm
Mill, liberty and ID cards
On Monday night those of us not worn smooth by constant fringes over the weekend trudged our way to the National Liberal Club for an event organised by the John Stewart Mill Institute. The lecture was entitled John Stewart Mill and Actual Liberty, and was presented by the fantastically bemaned Professor A C Grayling, professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, London. Grayling sought to set our understanding of liberty and that of Mill in the context of what he saw as the emerging concept of liberty through the ages. At the end he sought to link this to “actual ... 2:22 pm
Free trade tea anyone??!! AKA amendment overload!!
Wednesday 7th March 2007 - Amendment overload! Crikey, if I thought last week was bad for amendments, this morning's efforts certainly put me straight. Rachel was going cross-eyed with the sheer number of faxes and emails that were flying around as the ALDE Members of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights worked out our line on the EP's 2006 Annual Report on Human Rights! The report -- and in this 2:10 pm
Sign the 112 petition!!!
Wednesday 7th March 2007 - I am pleased to have added my support for the citizens’ initiative launched one month ago for an efficient 112 all aver the European Union. So far there are about 100 MEPs supporting the initiative, including 6 Vice-Presidents and 4 Presidents of political groups. However, much more remains to be done in order to finally put the 112 into the agenda of the European 1:14 pm
Home Office Watch - or why it may be illegal to wear a Red Nose in Parliament Square on Red Nose Day.
There has been a lot of news over recent months about the failures of the 'Home Office'. Now this is the office that looks after things like our Police, Passports and Immigration and our Courts and Prison Service. It is so easy to let endless headlines wash over us, as just another set of failed institutions such as the Rural Payments Agency and the Child Support Agency. Yet the Home Office is too critical to the safety and security of this country to be ignored. Nick Clegg the Lib-Dem Shadow Home Secretary has ... 1:02 pm
After the BBC injunction row
Now that the fuss has died down about the BBC and that injunction, there are a couple of good articles giving a considered view of the issues involved. On Comment is Free Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger explains why the Attorney General's attempt to prevent the paper reporting the story fell apart. And on the BBC site Torin Douglas looks at some of the wider questions the affair raises. 12:55 pm
A Hundred Years On (almost)
Well it looks like me might get Stage II reform of the House of Lords a mere century after Stage I... Hereditaries to go and a very clear expression not only that a fully-elected Lords is the Commons' favourite option, but also that 40% or more un-elected members is unacceptable to the vast majority of MPs regardless of party. Since I don't have any more insight than anyone else about what happens next, I'll divert into trivia. Not sure which way Pepys would have voted had the proposal been on the table during the time he was an M.P. ... 12:53 pm
Stalking Norman Baker badly
Our attention has been drawn to Norman Baker Watch, a site which seems to have been set up to damage the exemplary Lib Dem MP for Lewes. Given that its chief complaint against him is that he is too active on his constituents' behalf, I cannot see it working. Liberal Democrat Voice suggests that the site's obsession with Parliamentary questions means it is being run from the office of another MP. That may well be the case. Whoever is writing it does not know much political history. The site tries to embarrass Norman by noting David Icke's support ... 12:38 pm
Do we really want a wealth tax?
My, the Telegraph is really sticking the knife in these days. Sir Menzies is the first target (Ming's problem isn't age: it's Ming himself): "Sir Menzies Campbell does not lie about his age, but I suspect that he would if he could. At a reluctant 65, he comes across like a headmaster at the school disco, ever ready to jackknife his knees and start doing the twist, just to show everyone how square he ain't."But, we are assured, Ming is still the best man ... 12:10 pm
Duggleby Bins
You don’t often come across a Duggleby Bin these days, more’s the pity. In its time it was a revolutionary new type of waste paper basket, the fad for which led to scenes reminiscent of the South Sea Bubble or tulipomania. Duggleby Bins would exchange hands for outrageous sums of money, or be bartered for [...] 12:07 pm
Spoons: they're out of control
From a recent Parliamentary Question asked by Norman Baker: Q. How much was spent by the House authorities on (a) additional cutlery and (b) replacing missing cutlery in 2006? A. We don’t monitor the whereabouts of individual spoons. Typical neglect of spoons and the crimes that come with them. 12:01 pm
Liberal Democrats back greener and warmer housing
Liberal Democrats from West Midlands were in Harrogate for the Liberal Democrats' conference last weekend to back a move to make housing in West Midlands warmer, greener and more affordable. 12:00 pm
fighting fraud
The BBC is reporting figures published ACPO on the cost of fraud in the UK. They have come up with the eye-watering figure of £20bn a year, equiv to £330 per person. The per person figure resonates with me, as 12 months ago my credit card details were swiped, and I lost about £300. Fortunately Egg had spotted the unusual payments and stopped the card before anymore was lost. They were also v.quick in refunding me. But they were the eventual victims of the fraud. Fraud is something that the Council's audit team have to take seriously. But they are ... 11:40 am
Private schools and charity status
One of the things the left is always threatening to do is to take away the charitable status of private schools. This apparently has to do with the ‘unfairness’ that such schools exist and we aren’t a wonderful egalitarian society, or some such nonsense. I heard the ‘coming up’ section of the Today program and they [...] 11:13 am
Survey: 60% support local income tax to replace council tax
A BBC poll reports that 59% of respondents think the council tax is unfair and 60% want it replaced with a local income tax. 10:28 am
"Scotland - the best small country in the world"
As an enthusiastic and frequent(ish) visitor to Scotland, I am always bemused by the large poster which greets me at Glasgow ariport declaring: "Welcome to Scotland, the world's best small country". Until I first saw this, I always thought of Scotland as a really, really big country. I mean, it's hardly Monaco, is it? To walk across Vatican City, which is a country, it takes you about a minute. 9:31 am
Norman Baker has a fan
Extend a welcome to the Blogosphere to Norman Baker Watch, everyone. Quick tip - if you focus too much on Parliamentary questions it becomes clear quite quickly that you’re running the blog from an MP’s office when you should be looking after your own MP, not one of ours. 9:30 am
Welsh Liberal Democrats gearing up for conference
The Welsh Liberal Democrat conference begins in Swansea this Friday. There’s a news release on Mark Young’s blog, and as if to prove that you can never have too much policy, the Welsh Lib Dems have released a “Policy of the day” every week day since… a long time ago. The most recent is number [...] 9:24 am
Cat and mouse
Last week's Times Education Supplement had an interesting article on how pupil hackers are breaching computer firewalls to access forbidden material. It seems that many youngsters are finding ever more ingenious ways to look at websites they have been locked out from and to wreak havoc on school computer systems. The paper says that networks are becoming more vulnerable as pupils increasingly have access via their laptops. In one school a teacher found that a pupil had hacked into her e-mail account and sent a message to her boyfriend dumping him. In another a Year 10 ... 9:13 am
An Independent by any other name
Forward Wales' rather independent Assembly Member, John Marek, continues to get up the nose of his Labour opponents with his admittedly eccentric approach to the Assembly electoral system. In today's Western Mail, his Labour opponent, Lesley Griffiths, accused the Assembly's Deputy Presiding Officer of deceiving his constituents by posing in a photograph as a party leader while standing for election as an Independent. As the paper explains, Mr. Marek appeared as the leader of Forward Wales in a picture with other party leaders aimed at encouraging voter registration. Yet in May's election he will be seeking to retain ... 8:32 am
Message Received "Thank you for coming to Britain. Please would you leave now ?"
The Home Office's new "hard hitting" plans to deal with migrant workers whose visas have run out includes sending them a text message. Ooh, scary ! They'll be little unable to control their bowel movements when they get a text message. Perhaps, if text messages are SO effective, SO hard hitting and SO persuasive, we should send one to Iran asking them to stop their nuclear programme ? 8:07 am
Day 2254: Total Eclipse of the Ming
Sunday: Well, at LEAST it wasn't the Trident Atomic Missiles that EXPLODED in our faces! It has been a bit of an up and down few days for Sir Mr the Merciless, hasn't it? First, he did jolly well on Questionable Time, then he walked into a drubbing from the Newsnight Show, but then he turned the Trident debate around leading from the front, only to have his leader's speech overshadowed by confusion over doing a deal with Mr Frown. (In this context "confusion over policy" can be translated as "we journalists aren't going ... 8:05 am
Day 2253: Harrogate Fudge
Saturday: Toffee, actually. {Posted by Picasa} 7:30 am
Sunday Mercury article - I'M NO MINGER - Girls flock to the Lib Dem's page on web
I saw this and thought I would share it! I have joined facebook, if you are on it get in touch, if you are not have a look at it and see if you want to join at www.facebook.com 7:00 am
Young blonde "Prospective Tory MP" on TV's Castaway
Clare Hilley is described by the BBC as a "Wannabe Tory MP" and "Prospective Tory MP" and is one of the contestants on the new TV reality show "Castaway". As the alleged "youngest candidate in the country" she received 1489 votes at the election in Upper Norwood ward of Croydon Borough Council last year, coming fifth in a three member contest. Here is her blog. Her profile reads: I joined 12:23 am
Labour want to use Nuclear threat
The BBC reports that government ministers have been warned not to lower the criteria for when Nuclear weapons could be used. Read about it HERE. What the government seem to want is to be able to use the threat of nuclear attack to make the rest of the world do as we would want them to do. Shocking, worrying, against international law, and another sign why we should never support Labour in any coalition. 12:00 am
Voting by STV today
Voters go to the polls to place their 1,2,3 preference today in Northern Ireland. I see the BBC are explaining how many preferences voters can use (as many as they like, of course) and how the surpluses are allocated. All this reinforces an aspect of Northern Ireland which has been observed before and which always stands out in my mind. The people of Northern Ireland are one of the most 
