Did a building society murder Bob Woolmer?
The Daily Express seems to think so. The Press Gazette's Axegrinder has the evidence. Tuesday 8th May 2007
11:51 pm
The Daily Express seems to think so. The Press Gazette's Axegrinder has the evidence. 11:34 pm
Islington LDYS Pub Night
Tonight saw me at the Islington LDYS Pub Night. The first words on my arrival were "You're not young!" by fellow Lib Dem blogger and Cowley Street staff colleague Chris Keating. Now Chris is beginning to push it himself in the age stakes (he said he had been asked as to whether he was young or a hack - I refused to comment...) At least I have been a student in Islington - attending the old 11:26 pm
LibDems lack ambition -- shock
I love my party, I really do, but when I see a poll on an esteemed website, to which my ward colleague is a contributor, of such parochial pusillanimity, I weep... I refer, of course, to the 'favourite federal conference venue' vote. Lugubrious settings from Blackpool to Torquay are in the running - but why should we, a European party, tie ourselves to such tired conventions and convention-centres? Why don't we storm the Parisian barricades, or roam in Rome? If we must avoid air travel, why, Paris is still on the map, or we could amuse ourselves in Bruges ... 11:12 pm
Are investors safe under Labour ?
Anyone under the misapprehension that Labour have been good custodians of the economy and have done a good job for investors need look no further than the EU report in to the Equitable Life collapse in 2000. The EU highlights that the UK's own regulatory systems failed investors whilst the failure of the government to implement the EU's Third Life Law in to UK law meant that investors were let down again and were not offered proper protection. Perhaps the most shocking thing was the failure of the UK government to co-operate with the EU investigation. The EU ... 11:11 pm
Day 2317: Broken Reid
Sunday: And so Lord Blairimort's Home Secretary has decided to JUMP before he is PUSHED. He says that Mr Frown should be able to bring FRESH FACES into his cabinet, and by going he will make room for TWO of them. The REAL reason he's quitting is, of course, last week's elections. He thinks that Mr Frown is a lost cause and, like all the other rats, he is deserting the sinking ship. Better for him to ride to the rescue later once Gordo has lost the next election. Do you expect he will be discovered with ... 10:59 pm
Wiping Cameron's smile off his face
So, we’re told the Tories are back on the map. Last Thursday was their good-news day, we hear. Well done to them – but should they really look so smug? The Conservatives in the past have had this problem: premature concentration. They – and their voters – have focussed too early on areas where they do well, rather than working to spread support efficiently across the constituencies they want to win. Have they learnt to master their unfortunate condition? The evidence from one patch doesn’t bode so well ... 10:30 pm
The letter from Her Majesty: Part 4
A dramatic turn today as The Author of The Letter is revealed! It isn’t Her Majesty herself! Booooo! But it is The Information Officer from The Press Office. Hurrrrrah! But what does The Letter from The Information Officer say? Tune in again soon to find out! Exclusive to this blog! Answers not available in any High Street stores! I’m off to buy some more exclamation marks! 10:15 pm
Mostly irrelevant (Called to Account - Tricycle Theatre)
With the Girl being a wannabe international lawyer it was only a matter of time before we pitched up at the Tricycle to see Called to Account. This is the latest in the line of the Tricycle's tribunal plays, which have seen the edited transcripts of the Saville (Bloody Sunday) MacPherson (Stephen Lawrence) and Scott (arms to Iraq) inquiries cast as stage plays. The twist here being that given 9:57 pm
Parkland Walk update
I've now written to Peter Hendy at Transport for London about the plans for Parkland Walk. You can read my letter here. 9:31 pm
Good news on pensions
Makes a change! But the Government has accepted an amendment to the Pensions Bill going through Parliament which means that 40,000 more carers will get the basic state pension in future. More detail on my website. 
8:52 pm
Well the sky hasn't fallen yet...
One of the things I missed whilst out campaigning last week was the coming into force of the Sexual Orientation regulations (which out law discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the grounds). I was shocked. I had been reliably informed by the Christian right (and their fellow travellers) that the regulations coming to pass would herald the ending of western civilisation. I 7:50 pm
New Labour Year Zero
One of the most characteristic things about New Labour from its inception was the denial of history. As far as it was concerned, nothing of importance happened before Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party. Perhaps the odd favourable mention of Neil Kinnock as a sort of John the Baptist figure might be allowed, but John Smith was written out of the picture altogether. So it is not a surprise to find Peter Hain claiming that "Tony Blair started off the Northern Ireland peace process with Mo Mowlam". Thanks to Iain Dale for this. Iain is ... 7:38 pm
E minus 4 days
With the local elections out of the way and my sleep patterns returned to something approaching normal, it’s time to move on to something infinitely more important than politics: the annual festival of pop and patriotism, key changes and campery, that is the Eurovision Song Contest. We have two evenings of nonsense to look forward to: [...] 7:25 pm
Iain Dale's Rules - Number 94 : Never criticise a Banana Republic when it is your own Banana Republic
Interesting to see today that Iain Dale is hailing the results in Breckland for the Tories on the same day as the Conservatives are asking for an enquiry in to the counting debacle in Scotland. What utter hypocrisy ? In Breckland they have, according to the Eastern Daily Press, sonly just finished the count (18:05 hrs) . The Returning Officer has refused to use the e-counting machines, but was also refusing to recount votes declared last week which were done using the e-counting machines which Breckland no longer wished to use for the remainder of the count. There ... 7:11 pm
More winners
Two of the outright winners in the Youth Achievement Awards could not make it to the ceremony last month. So today I welcomed them to the Parlour and gave them their cups, certificates and prizes. Jennifer Withnall (on the left) was the winner in the Educational Achievement category, out of over 50 nominations. Emily Bowles won the trophy in the Caring category.... 6:54 pm
Lib-Dem's make net gains in District & Town Council Elections.
At the third attempt at conducting a count of the votes from last Thursdays election we have held each of our previously held wards in Leamington. In one of their target wards, Clarendon where I was standing, we managed to elect 2 new Lib-Dem town councillors and narrowly missed electing a Lib-Dem district councillor by just 6 votes. This puts the Lib-Dem's in control of Leamington Town Council. This has been a good result for us here. We have held onto our current seats because we have a track record of working hard and getting things done, people ... 6:43 pm
Polly Toynbee - where do I start?
Polly Toynbee is waging her war against local democracy once again, insisting that only centralised super-states can be socially progressive and blithely ignoring the fact that all the Scandinavian countries she worships so much are far more decentralised that we can even dream. This week, she has come up with the bizarre hypothesis that ‘localism’ and [...] 6:27 pm
What Kind Of Day Has It Been?
So what have we learnt of the state of Welsh politics over the last month or so?AMS is neat enough as an academic exercise, but as a practical electoral system it doesn’t hold water. It’s bad enough that the results themselves are a ridiculous reflection of the national vote, but in an era where democratic participation is patchy, election night itself needs to be 6:27 pm
A Pointless Exercise
I thought it was odd that yellow jacketed stewards were positioning themselves towards the end of Torquay's last match of the season as if to prevent the traditional end of season pitch invasion. ... 6:13 pm
Massimo Bellardinelli: 10-10 and never again
According to 2000AD this week, Massimo Bellardinelli has died. I’m sure this must be about the third time in the past decade that I’ve heard this, but this time it would appear to be official. A tribute from Pat Mills can be found on Down the Tubes. Bellardinelli had a real spark of creative [...] 6:03 pm
I salute your indefatigability..
The news in Tallinn is that "British MPs" have supported the Russian Stance. I checked- it was only George Galloway. George Galloway- a reliable friend of tyrants and murderers. Julie Burchill in drag, without the wit. I am looking for sponsorship for my "punch-a-c*nt" campaign. Any takers? 5:25 pm
Jaw-jaw works
When I was about ten, my I found myself standing outside in a car park on a cold day soaking wet and wearing nothing but swimming trunks. The location was Wyndley Leisure Centre, and we were outside because of a ‘bomb scare’. My first job was in Birmingham city centre, and bomb scares were a [...] 4:58 pm
Boundless Festival
Last Thursday, Southwark's Culture, Leisure and Sports boss - Cllr Lorraine Zuleta - and Communities boss Cllr Columba Blango launched the Boundless Festival at the Tate Modern. The festival will last for all of May and June and has a great line up of exciting theatre, music, dance, movies, puppets and visual arts produced by and made fully accessible to artists and public with disabilities together with the able bodied. This is a groundbreaking project and Thursday night’s event include a play and dance which were incredibly well received. We hope that as many people as possible will go to ... 4:55 pm
African Arts in Therapy
African Arts in Therapy are a small organisation who do art classes and interactive music sessions in all of Southwark's Day Centres. Today Southwark Irish Pensioners hosted an event lead by African Arts in Therapy and was attended by Older People from other Day Centres across Southwark including Holmhurst and Evelyn Coyle. There was great African music and the Older People were encouraged to join in making music and dancing. It was a great interactive session which premoted some exercise, listening to music and enjoyment of good Irish food. A good time was had by all. 4:54 pm
It must be official now
Look, that’s me on the Council website! (No picture yet, but then they haven’t taken it yet) 
4:50 pm
"Home" Exhibition opened by Cllr Lorraine Zuleta
On Wednesday, Lorraine Zuleta opened the “Home” photography exhibition at the Cuming Museum in Walworth. She writes: The exhibition includes fantastic photographs by professionals and students from the London College of Communications to document life at the Elephant and Castle during the last 2-3 years. There are pictures of the state of disrepair and family life inside flats on the Heygate, Aylesbury and Harper Road. This is of course significant because in the near future all of these places will be demolished. Walworth Community Council Members will more than likely see people they know in the photos as ... 4:36 pm
Kofi Annan at Westminster
It's not often you get to hear a Nobel Peace Prize winner in the flesh, but today I had the privilege to hear Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN, address both houses of Parliament. The occasion was a further event to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the passing of legislation to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade. A few things struck me about what he said. First, he pointed out that whilst we should celebrate the fact that the slave trade was abolished, we should also ask why it was tolerated for so long? ... 4:15 pm
The Harold Godwinson Memorial Parliament
Anders has written an interesting post on an English Parliament, which has generated a followup from Tom, so I thought I’d throw in my 2p’s worth while it was the hottish topic of the Lib Dem blogosphere. In an effort to square the circle, my suggestion is to have an English Parliament that’s made up of [...] 4:05 pm
Attention Cohabitants!
If I make one contribution to legal scholarship, I really don't mind if it's this very post. The Guardian have published a list of Q&As for people who live together outside of marriage. The first one is as follows: "What's this about? I thought if I lived with my partner the law treated it like a common-law marriage. "No, it doesn't. When it comes to property the law treats unmarried couples more like flatmates [my emphasis]. Although the UK has gone through a big social change since the 1950s - four million people in the UK ... 4:00 pm
Bridgnorth results
Despite a very good campaign we lost five Councillors overall, Labour also lost one, The Conservatives and Independents picked up three each. 3:49 pm
Fuelling Kuwait’s Development
This morning, I called round at one of my publishers’, Stacey International, to collect an advance copy of my latest book: Fuelling Kuwait’s Development, which is a history of Kuwait and its oil company, with over 300 illustrations. The project had me commuting back and forth to the Gulf for two years and wading through mountainous [...] 3:43 pm
Cable calls for transparency from Government
Following confirmation that the US Department of Justice has been discussing BAE Systems plc with the Serious Fraud Office, Vince Cable MP, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, has called for transparency in the Government’s dealing with the company. “It is highly significant that the Americans are sniffing around this inquiry, particularly as we know the US [...] 3:10 pm
20 years ago today I was first elected
Today is the 20th anniversary of my election to Gateshead Council. By most accounts that means I must be one of the fixtures or fittings of the council. The more bizarre point is that whilst I am now one of the longest serving councillors in Gateshead, at 43 I am still amongst the youngest! 3:01 pm
Fair Trade event
A quick plug for this one.... Celebebrate World Fair Trade Day and Liverpool as a fair trade city ! Event: Gig Venue: Magnet Date: Sat 12 May Time: 7.30 till 10.30pm Local singer/song writers playing include: Michelle Strahan and Chris Elliot Local bands Antbear and The Sporting Life confirmed Price £2 on door to cover cost of sound technician - all bands playing for free to support the event. Anyone with tickets to see Goldie Looking Chain (on at Magnet from 11pm onwards) will be given free entry into the event. Anyone who'd ... 2:48 pm
The Case for an English Parliament
Anders Hanson has written a thoughtful and apposite call for an English Parliament. As is often the way with the most interesting discussions, I began writing a response and ended up rivalling him for length. I have therefore decided to take my views back home and post them directly. Anders starts, as many do when debating this issue, with the West Lothian Question, and indeed received a little flack for suggesting that we must now address it because the grumbling is coming to a head. I think this is an unfair accusation. I have heard it said (notably at ... 2:06 pm
The Eagle and the Small Birds
As the Second World War drew to a close, the representatives of the big three Allied Powers, the UK, USA and USSR, met to discuss the form of world that they wished to see in the aftermath of the conflict. Churchill spoke: "The eagle should permit the small birds to sing and care not whereof they sing." This vision of respect for small powers was quickly dismissed by Stalin, who intended nothing but a relationship based on force. Putin has the same realpolitik view of the foreign relations of the Post Communist Russian Federation. He has bullied Georgia ... 2:01 pm
Unreconstructed
According to the BBC Sir Patrick Moore has said British TV standards are deteriorating because the BBC is "run by women". The Sky at Night host also described female newsreaders as "jokey" and called for separate channels to cater for the needs of the different sexes: "I think it may eventually happen", the 84-year-old told the Radio Times. A BBC spokesman described Sir Patrick as being one of TV's best-loved figures and said his "forthright" views were "what we all love about him". The presenter said: "The trouble is the BBC now is run by ... 1:23 pm
Back to Work
The sky's angry grey and heavy rain indicated that, mood-wise, it was with me this morning as I dragged my unwilling self out of bed and towards work. There's something unutterably depressing about the combination of returning to work and drizzle. When I was younger I used to dread the first day of term. On the last night of the holidays there were frequently tears, well into my teens (I should 12:59 pm
Standing up for principle
In this morning's Western Mail, Jenny Randerson suggests that we might backtrack on demands for proportional representation in local government in any coalition deal. The paper records that when asked whether the Welsh Liberal Democrats are likely to insist on proportional representation in local government, she said, “PR is in our manifesto and it’s important to us, although the public are not that concerned about it.” This is very similar to the line taken by Kirsty Williams over the weekend and it is deeply worrying. There is no doubt that the public care much more about the health service, ... 12:13 pm
I’m Back
I had a couple of e-mails from people asking what happened to my blog yesterday - I accidentally deleted the index file and didn’t get a chance to fix it until this morning. Anyway I’m back now, well sort of - I’m about to head off on a course for work for the next few days [...] 12:03 pm
So what do the Liberal Democrats do now?
There is no hiding from the fact that Liberal Democrat hopes were not fulfilled in these local elections. Although the vote overall held up, in the places where it mattered, we were comprehensively outplayed- and not just by the Conservatives. For every gain like Eastbourne, Northampton and Hull, there were painful losses like Bournemouth, Waverley, North Devon, Torbay, South Norfolk, Windsor or Woking. We ended the evening four councils less than we began, and lost 246 councillors. So, disappointing... and we should give this pause for thought. This is the second year in a row where the Liberal ... 11:22 am
Free cycle
I've just signed up for a great scheme - called Freecycle. I have vaguely known about this for a while but just, this weekend, got around to signing up. Basically its a scheme for people with unwanted things to give them away - or swap them I guess. The idea is that these are all things that otherwise would be destined for the tip (they have to be useable though - if unwanted) So its cutting down on rubbish while potentially helping other people out. It's about re using things rather than re cycling them. ... 11:18 am
Just stepped out...
I have spent the last week away, and inevitably it was a critical week in various affairs that are themes of this blog. I have already blogged a little about the attacks that Russia has been making against Estonia, and I will return to this shortly. Suffice it to say here, that the actions of the Russian Federation are totally unacceptable, but the weakness of the NATO and especially the European Union response opens up the real possibility that both these organisations are now simply a dead letter, with no strength to oppose the burgeoning power of a neo-fascist Russia- ... 10:48 am
Merrie May
So it was my last major function as Mayor, we'd had wonderful weather for two months, and what did it do? - rain, of course. The May Merrie is always a terrific day out in Kingston, and most of the events did happen, even if they were rescheduled several times. We enjoyed ... ... Morris dancing ... bands playing ...... 10:48 am
Patrick Moore: Women to blame for bad TV
Patrick Moore's status as a national treasure was being given an extra polish after the anniversary of "Sky at Night" and then he goes and ruins it by blaming women for bad TV. What a numpty! The fact that he goes on about having "two wavelengths" shows that he is past his sell-by date. 9:48 am
Tendrás fuego mañana
Hello you. I didn’t post a video on Friday, and have had literally millions of complaints. This is a version of No Cars Go, a track from the Arcade Fire’s recent album Neon Album (a different version first appeared on their 2003 album, The Arcade Fire), performed two years ago at the Festival Rock en Seine outside Paris. I hope you like it! Also, I would like to make a complaint. Despite, as far as I can recall, never having been asked to prove my age in order to buy alcohol when I was 23, since turning 24, less than ... 8:49 am
Back to the grind
After 10 days at home running election campaigns and then doing things that have no political connections whatsoever, I am heading down to London, no doubt waiting to be met by an inbox bursting with emails that will take me most of the week to sort. Our office also has a meeting this afternoon with the big boss.One thing I forgot to mention in previous blog entries is that we outpolled Labour in 8:24 am
New Beginnings!
Well - the whole cycle begins again. We have had a relaxing weekend - catching up on case work and discussing who had better do what and who wants which portfolios and responsibilities for the coming Council year. What I do like is the changes it brings, nothing stands still. We met up with an old friend in Manchester yesterday; he used to work for Bury Council but parted on not so good a 8:18 am
Bridge Tolls to stay?
Reading the article "Greens set to back SNP minority government" in the Courier this morning (click on headline above to view story), I was reminded of the letter I received from a Green Party supporter some months ago, criticising the Liberal Democrats on the City Council for backing a Council motion (supported by Labour, Conservative & SNP as well as ourselves) calling for removal of tolls on the Tay Bridge. The Greens, he made clear, strongly support retention of the tolls on the Tay Bridge (despite the clear unfairness of the fact that tolls on the ... 8:00 am
Birmingham results
You can normally rely on Birmingham to have some interesting results, and indeed interesting campaigns! 1:02 am
Why we now have to back an English Parliament
Regardless of what administration is formed in Scotland, the one thing that I believe will never be the same again following last week’s Scottish Elections is the attitude of the English towards Scots in the Westminster Parliament. The West Lothian Question has been brushed under the carpet ever since the Scottish Parliament was created. [...] 12:22 am
Broadland District Council's Website out of action for 3 days
I've been trying to use Broadland District Council's website for three days to try and check the bin collection dates for this week. However, Tory controlled Broadland appear to have nobody employed to ensure that their website is fixed when it goes wrong over a weekend or bank holiday. Remember, Broadland are also the same council who did not employ an environmental health person responsible for noise problems at night and also wouldn't send someone out at weekends to deal with noise problems at events held in the district. Surely the people of Broadland deserve a 24-7 council, ... 
