The government is gripped by "political paralysis" over Iraq, according to Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell. Speaking on the Today programme, Menzies said "I can't remember the last time I heard a senior... minister on your programme defending the policy in Iraq." He went on to point out that senior figures like Cabinet minister Hilary Benn had distanced themselves from the phrase 'war on terror'.
The killers of Alexander Litvinenko (who lived in my constituency) have not been brought to justice - and pursuit of that end continues. Meanwhile - back at the homestead - the house in which he lived remains empty with the protective plastic sheeting around the entrance and the neighbours wondering what is happening. Are they in any danger? When will the house be put right? This hit the press
Great Yarmouth councillors have given the go ahead to build a £10million new council building and offices. All I can say is i hope they have better architects than other Norfolk councils had. County Hall - Ugly building, has leaked ever since it was built. Big and airy, but nobody who works their likes the building. North Norfolk - Big "Norfolk barn" style, open beams, open plan, far too hot in summer, freezing cold in winter. Some of it built on multiple levels (up and down steps), making it a nightmare for anyone who is disabled. Built ...
PMQs and you can tell that Tony B is becoming demob happy. Wiped the floor with Cameron and was snappy and sharp in all responses. Big grin on his face and a class act. Shame that Brown boy is going to seem oh so dulllllll by comparison. And I don't even approve of PMQs as a grown up pastime! Over to the mass lobby by Help the Aged for their Just Equal Treatment campaign. And three cheers for
As a local government candidate in two weeks time, I have been astonished at the tiny amount of literature I have been sent by the council. I received a letter saying I am a candidate, but nothing else. It was my experience four years ago when standing in another District to get a confirmation letter followed by a letter detailing who my opponents were, who their nominees were and also to receive a pack of information to be completed by me and/or my agent. Have the rules been changed on what a council could and should send ...
First it was asking the Liberal Democrats if, pretty please, he could stand a joint candidate with us in the London Mayor elections and now it’s the selections for the European Parliament elections. Ah, what bliss it must be to be a Conservative member this week. Perhaps things would be happier if Cameron just stuck to [...]
With just a few days to go before the French presidential election’s first round, time for a couple of new polls, I think. The first tests your political philosophy: who do you want to win? Free polls from Pollhost.comWho would you vote for in the French presidential election?François Bayrou Ségolène Royal Nicolas Sarkozy
The Tories are calling for Ming to sack a local council candidate in Darlington who signed a BNP nomination paper. What they don't seem to have noticed is that the local party have already done it.
I saw an interesting Labour leaflet today that is going out in Norwich (Mile Cross Ward). It took credit for various things (as you would expect) some which Labour can genuinely take credit for, and one which stood out as being nothing to do with the Labour Party in Norwich. The most brazen was Labour taking credit for the building of new school buildings in Norfolk. They actually tried to claim that it was thanks to the government because the government had allowed the PFI to go ahead. Perhaps someone should point out to Labour that Norfolk ...
I'm often despairing or melancholy about Local Government on this blog. Well tonight saw some genuine Local Democracy in action and some good Governing as well. As the last meeting was inquorate a few weeks ago we had a second session of Area Committee tonight. We spent £75000 on good localist stuff. We have set up a fund for Neighbourhood Design Statements. This means they will be residents led documents rather than the tortuous process of using the planning department. We are taking a tougher approach with the police setting aside about £15000 for Community Safety. We intend to issue ... 
The recent rise in inflation and consequent interest rate rises will cause more damage to Brown's chances of winning another election than any amount of chicanery or re-branding by the Conservatives. If rates have to go to 6% then the long and (since 2003) above historical trend growth in property prices will come to an abrupt stop - and with it much of the remaining economic feel good factor. Anything much above 6% and Mr Brown can kiss goodbye to a lengthy tenure at No. 10.
I took this picture the other day of my living room in my house in Gateshead. I am pleased to say that all the bundles of leaflets have now gone to the leafletters. The room will be filled again soon with more bundles of papers!
At Charles Dickens Primary School at Cathedrals ward today, where I'm one of the governors, for the raising of the Green Eco Flag with Simon Hughes MP and Cllrs Lisa Rajan, Executive Member for the Environment and Adele Morris, Ward Councillor. CD is one of only 7 inner city schools in London to get the prestigous award, which is a real tribute to the teachers and children. To achieve the award requires real dedication to introducing and maintaining sustainable behaviours like recycling, conserving energy and healthy eating. CD even grow our own vegetables The ...
I picked up this quote from Francis Maude on Iain Dale's blog. "It’s also alarming that, of the three main political parties, the Liberal Democrats have the worst record in local elections of fielding candidates against the BNP. It is time that they woke up to the danger posed by this extremist party." Of course, what he does not list is that the Lib Dems are the most successful party at winning seats off the BNP. He also fails to mention how many seats the Tories have gained from the BNP. From my memory, it is zero. Oh, ...
so... a friend of mine from uni went out to celebrate his birthday round lincoln, returedn home late one night, and called and ordered food from a local kebab house. it arrived cold and 2 hours late. after a discussion or 2 a brick was thrown through his front rooms window. im not going to explain the incident in full but u can see a 'transcript' either here on facebook or here on some bulliten page My question is, how do they know it was this kebab shop???? theres no real evidence to show it was them, ...
I have had some disturbing news today. Early this week, one of my godchildren, Kati, her mother and I released about 20 'new' frogs into the wilds of my parents' garden - while they are on holiday - as they have a pond, lots of bugs/flies etc and clearly need a surprise when they get home. Kati absolutely loves her frogs and takes her responsibilities as a parent, having 'reared them', very seriously. Bluntly, the great frog release was a big deal. So what is the big drama? Well, having spent most of the day with ...
Iain Dale brings to our attention (belatedly in my case) that a Lib Dem in the North East has signed a nomination paper for a BNP candidate. Let me make my opinion crystal clear on this. I have members of my family who would, under a BNP government, be forced from these shores to live in countries that they have never lived in or even visited. My sister in law is of Indian descent (although she would describe herself as a scouser and her accent certainly verifies this), and although never supporting the aims of views of the BNP ...
Iain Dale today warns us of a new 45 minute threat. Apparently, in the time he posted to his blog (45 minutes ago) tumbleweed will grow and Lib Dems can be accused of hypocrisy, all because we fail to respond in 45 minutes. Beware one and all, unless you can respond in 45 minutes, you too might be accused !
Karren Brady has written a form of manifesto as a "candidate" (see link) for directly elected Mayor of Birmingham. It is difficult to be a candidate for a position that does not exist, but it does add to the debate. If people decide to concentrate Birmingham's political power in one person then of course she is qualified to stand. I don't think that the Birmingham Conservatives will like the
The Simpsons are 20 years old and the BBC have a quick quiz to test your knowledge. I scored seven out of ten. I'm sure someone can beat that ? Take the Simpsons test here. 
A Friends of the Earth survey shows the Scottish Conservatives to be bottom of the league when it comes to their environmental policies, according to The Scotsman. The findings shouldn't really surprise anyone as everyone knows their Tories "caring for the environment" campaign is nothing more than a thin veneer, extolled by a leader who cycles to work, but has his official car follow him and whose party on the ground does everything it can to oppose environmentally friendly ideas. This was clear to me through my own experiences of the Tories. When it came to introducing a recycling ...
Ming Campbell will next week be taking part in a discussion following the press performance of the new play Called to Account at the Tricycle Theatre. The play reviews the run-up to the invasion of Iraq and considers whether there are grounds for an indictment of the Prime Minister.
The team behind Home Office Watch went away for the Easter break leaving us a teasing hint of revelations to come. So I have been checking back, from time to time - but no news. Today there is a new story:"Remember the foreign offences scandal? 27,500 files, detailing serious offences committed by British citizens abroad, were “lost” in the Home Office. Tackling that backlog and getting the offences noted on the Police National Computer was clearly the top priority." I imagine they know what has happened but - you've guessed it.
In 1986, in his book The Drowned and the Saved, Primo Levi wrote about the difficulties in explaining Auschwitz to new generations: I remember with a smile the adventure I had several years ago in a fifth grade classroom, where I had been invited to comment on my book and answer the pupils’ questions. An alert-looking little boy, apparently at the head of the class, asked me the obligatory question: “But how come you didn’t escape?” I briefly explained to him [about the malnutrition and starvation, the watchtowers and electrified fencing, the fanaticism of the guards, and ...
Ming Campbell today visited the Gostwick Road Cop Shop in Bedford, with mayoral candidate Christine McHugh. The cop shop serves as a local base for officers on the beat and is open to all local residents who wish to have access to their local police as they can drop in to report anything they feel [...]
Like a broken clock that shows the right time at least once every 12 hours, climate change has a silver lining. We held our quarterly staff meeting in the garden this afternoon - the weather was so ni...
Yesterdays meeting lasted a mammoth 8 hours 10 minutes. Thankfully at that point (2210) everyone lost the will to live and we nodded through the last 3 pieces of business without discussion. The question I have asked before is whether these meetings serve any purpose? sadly I think we would have to invent them if they didn't exist. Despite all the shouting and name calling they are an opportunity to hold powerful people to account and the City would be worse off without it. But it certainly isn't how it felt at 2210 last night. Having been rude about ...
Yesterday I had to take my eldest son to the doctors for an ear infection - much laughter from my son when the doctor announced he could see me through the other ear, although Milo mis-understood and now thinks Mummy lives in his head (I do hope that won't damage him for life!) Anyway, whilst down there, I picked up a booklet on the side called "Choosing your Hospital". It is a 38 page A5 foll colour printed booklet that looks like a catalogue with it's entries all sunny pictures of staff and hospitals. I can tell you (because ...
Although I do spend a lot of my time meeting with the local voluntary and public service organisations, we are all aware of the significance of the commercial sector. In the run-up to Christmas half a million people come shopping in Kingston every week - this is hugely important for the economic health of the borough. So I was very pleased to be invited to meet the South West London...
The Evening Standard is getting all excited about some of the poses struck by Cho Seung-Hui and their similarities to some of the characters’ in Korean Film Oldboy. Not very difficult subtext to work out there: Korean = mad killer obsessed society = accident waiting to happen. Twas ever thus from the Northcliffe Press. Having watched [...]
At his inaugural lecture, Professor G.L.S. Shackle gave a brief outline of what was required to be a “complete economist”: “To be a complete economist, a man need only be a mathematician, a philosopher, a psychologist, an anthropologist, a historian, a geographer, and a student of politics; a master of prose exposition; a man of the world with the experience of practical business and finance, an understanding of the problems of administration, and a good knowledge of four or five languages. All this in addition, of course, to familiarity with the economics literature itself.” Few, understandably, live up to ...
It’s been a peaceful fortnight for the Home Office. Barely a whisper of a scandal has crossed the threshold of Marsham Street - though parliament being in recess and not having to answer questions from MPs probably helped. But perhaps it’s been a little too quiet. Remember the foreign offences scandal? 27,500 files, detailing serious offences committed [...]
The Scotsman today has excellent analysis of what is likely to happen in the local elections in Scotland ("Labour's 'Council Monopoly' about to crumble"). Spice is added to these elections as they are the first local elections in Scotland to be held under the STV form of proportional representation. The Scotsman quotes extensively from an Electoral Reform Society report about the likely impact of the new system on the 32 Scottish boroughs."According to calculations for the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) based on The Scotsman's March ICM poll, Labour would, under the single transferable vote (STV) system, control only Glasgow and ...
Last night I made another one of what seem to be becoming regular appearances on 18DoughtySt.com. The audience for these political shows is doubtless vanishingly small, but they are grateful to a Liberal Democrat for providing a little leavening to their otherwise Conservative bias- several people in row all nodding agreement does not make for riveting telly, even for those few actually watching. The atmosphere in the building reminds me vaguely of a Senior Common Room- slightly divorced from reality (not to mention extremely untidy!)- and some of the ancillary groups that also function from the headquarters of "Tory ...
Some of you may have been wondering where the eighth of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere - featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator, together with a hand-picked quintet you might otherwise have missed - had got to. Well, here’s your answer. I’ve been away - hence the late [...]
I don't normally like to intrude on private grief but as it is the Tories I will make an exception. Rod Richards in this week's Golwg demonstrates just how deep the animosity is between him and his successor as Tory Assembly Leader, Nick Bourne. Sanddef has a translation of the full article on his blog but the highlight is here: In 1995, Paul Flynn MP (Newport West) said that the Midwich Cuckoos had possessed the Labour Party. He was refering to "New Labour" and its army of political footsoldiers who were creating a world that he neither understood nor ...
I have to say I am suffering from the same kind of feeling I had when I moved to Disley (in Cheshire) from the great metropolis that is Luton........life with one's PC still lying on its back in its box..........what's the point of getting it out with no internet access?.........Feeling detached, what is going on out there in the big bad blogging world that I don't know about? I have to confess, I have always been far too nosy to be content with a reclusive life. I've even taken to watching the odd bit of telly???! Anyway, a few lunchtime ...
I’m intrigued that the latest 2000AD Extreme Edition features a number of old Max Normal reprints, given that this somewhat obscure supporting character got his own little (acknowledged) homage in Saturday’s Doctor Who. Has the editor (and former DWM honcho) Alan Barnes been on the blower to Russell T? It’s all a conspiracy. UPDATE: As well [...]
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about Labour, but well, the Conservatives will just keep on doing silly things. To make up for it, here’s a story about a road in Newcastle. It goes between two wards. Councillors in one ward want the road closed to stop rat-running. Councillors in the other ward are up [...]
Thursday 19th April 2007 - This week, I have mostly been concentrating on the death penalty. During the Mirza Tahir campaign, we built up a strong network of campaigners who oppose the death penalty and are working towards a moratorium on the death penalty, with a view to abolition. As you know, we have used several campaigning tools to this end. We've had petitions, European Parliament
Notwithstanding a certain caution about taking Friends of the Earth’s assessment at face value, this diagram (click to enlarge) is a pretty bad indictment on the Conservatives’ claims to be an environmentally friendly party. More info on the Friends of the Earth Scotland website and The Herald. The Lib Dems fare better than the SNP [...]
Welcome to those from Lib Dem blogs – yes I’m finally here!! I’m so tired at the moment – went delivering last night and finished the whole south end of the High Street that’s in Carholme and got round the students residents too – it was a great night’s work from Ryan, Stephen, my mum and Heather! And I’m not sleeping to well. I’m just waiting for an exam this afternoon now. It’s my German translation summary. We get a text in English and we summarise it into German – and this likely to be on some point ...
It’s not every day I find myself agreeing with Labour Councillor Bob Piper. But on the issue of an elected mayor for Birmingham, I’m with him 100%.The Birmingham Mail are trying to stir up support for their referendum petition by throwing names into the ring. But KAREN BRADY!?I fear an election for Mayor of Birmingham [...]
Following on from my post about Brown’s new book, Catherine Bennett echoes a lot of my own sentiments - and adds a few of her own - in the Guardian today. Share This
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade has taken legal action against BAE to find out how BAE got hold of confidential internal legal documents from the organisation. It now turns out that BAE employed a former Conservative councillor to gather information on CAAT and it was he who passed on the confidential legal documents. The full [...]
Dr Lambertus Nieuwhof, the BNP candidate is Hereford, has been outed as a former South African white supremacist terrorist.
Spoke last night at a Hansard Society meeting about the role of the Internet in generating political engagement. The main focus of the meeting was some academic research by Professor John Curtice which said that although people who used the Internet tended to be more politically engaged to begin with, there was no evidence that ongoing Internet use made that difference more pronounced. My angle was somewhat different - over the years I've put a lot of time and effort into using e-mail, and more recently social network sites like Facebook - to open up ...
There is an intriguing piece in Guardian this morning.
The Express and Star features contrasting stories on hospitals this morning. One on Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, where a return to the traditional “mop and bleach” method of cleaning has seen instances of the C-diff infection halve. Then a story on Sandwell and Rowley Regis Hospitals (both in Sandwell), where wards have been closed after an outbreak of the [...]
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Yup, it is David Cameron and the Conservatives again. Not Greg Dyke this time, but instead the elections in Tendring. As the local paper says: YOU couldn’t make it up if you tried. Just as the Conservative Party have the local elctions in the palm of their hand, a bright spark in Essex decides to clamp down [...]
On the plane back from Paphos yesterday afternoon, I read Brodrick Haldane’s memoir Time Exposure (Arcadia, 1999) — a book that has been sitting unread in a pile of review copies at home for several years. The Haldanes are an extensive and remarkable clan, who produced several notable Liberals, including Richard Burdon Haldane, who visited Oscar Wilde in [...]
I wonder what Iain Dale and others would have been saying if THIS story about a tax exile Lord was a Lib Dem or Labour Lord. According to the BBC "When Lord Laidlaw was proposed for a working peerage in 2004 he agreed to a Lords' Appointments Commission request to renounce his tax exile status. " According to the same report, he has not done so. P.S. As Iain Dale has linked to this story and because at least one dim Tory has posted a comment saying I have failed to respond (even though I had more ...
Sorry I haven't been around for some time - I have barely had time to eat and sleep , in common with many political activists over the last 3 weeks, let alone find witty and interesting things to write here. My day goes something like this. The alarm goes off somewhere between 6 and 7. I think "Noooooooooo. Not already. Please." I fight my way to semi consciousness, throw on some clothes, have some caffeine and get in the car and head over to Sunny Dunfermline. There I drown in a sea of casework until late evening when I ...
I have not blogged much on the literature being sent out during this election, largely because a post from me will inevitably provoke a meaningless tit-for-tat from another blogger. However, I have noted the claims on some other blogs about Liberal Democrat bar charts and other knock-about stuff regarding our literature. These sorts of differences are inevitable in a fiercely fought election in which all sides are fighting for an advantage, no matter how small. They also underline how much some of the other parties feel threatened by our successes. I was interested therefore in seeing a leaflet ...
Opposite our stall at the RCN exhibition was a company called Ward Walkers. Although all the stalls were getting plenty of visitors from the massive crowds swarming through, they were getting more than most - and seemed to be doing brisk business. Essentially they sell shoes, mostly over the internet. The particularly eyecatching thing about their stall was a range of shoes called Crocs, which I hadn't heard of but which apparently sold 50 million pairs in the U.S. last year. They are eyecatching because they come in a range of fairly striking colours. The two guys ...
Got back tonight from a couple of days working at RCN Congress in Harrogate. I'd never been to Harrogate before last month, now twice in six weeks - I feel I know my way around already. It was a good couple of days and Harrogate is a very nice place to sit and have lunch in the sunshine. I didn't manage to take any useful or picturesque photos - just these two, of something that amused me. The first is a foundation stone on a building not too far from the train station. It dedicates the building to "the ...
There is some gallows humour to be had from Monday's questions about the HMS Cornwall incident in the Lords: Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: My Lords, can the Minister confirm that the value of the boats now illegally held by the Iranians is upwards of £1 million? Can he be more specific about exactly what pressures are being put on that vile regime to return that property to us? Lord Drayson: My Lords, I can confirm that the total amount involved in the 2004 incident and the incident that took place recently is approximately that quoted by my noble ...
I first became aware of the Make Roads Safe campaign last November when I went to see the Dirty Pretty Things in Birmingham. Well, I have to admit that by aware I mean that I saw the campaign logo on the flyers/tickets and assumed it was a good cause but didn't look into it at the time. With another DPTs gig happening this Sunday, also in support of Make Roads Safe, it was worth taking a look at the campaign website. The gig on Sunday helps kick off United Nations Global Road Safety week (23 -29 April) and ...
Fierce fighting has forced two million people to flee for their lives into makeshift camps across Darfur (Sudan) and eastern Chad. With more people arriving every day. Living conditions in the camps are desperate and dangerous - lack of security, food, and clean drinking water are all major issues. Thousands of people have already died in the bloody conflict. | < | April 2007 | > | ||||
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