My blog is 1 today. 27,929 hits in a year is a clear indication that far too many people have too much time on their hands! But thanks to all of you that looked at my posts, even if you were deeply disappointed when you read them. But I suppose a Best New Blogger posting means it can't be THAT bad. 
Like any other council officers at Cheshire County Council are required to be politically neutral. It is a shame nobody told the authors of this press release.
There seems to be a spate of group self-abuse going on with excitement at the prospects of a general election. I do not share this excitement. Indeed I look upon the prospect with dread and depression. I'm a democrat, right? So I should welcome the chance for the people to have their say, right? Wrong. I'm with Winston when he said: No! Originally uploaded by Mig_R "Look at all the power [Mr Attlee] is enjoying today. No Government in time of peace has ever had such arbitrary power over the lives and actions of the British people, and no Government ...
From today it is now Birmingham City University. It also spells the end of the joke told by many Aston and Birmingham students over the years - Why did they call it UCE? Because they’re the grades you need to get in - boom boom. BCU music lecturer Andrew Dubber hints at a possible replacement joke: “The argument is that Birmingham City University is snappier than The University of Central England in Birmingham, which, I suppose, it is. But it’s not snappier than UCE, which is what everyone calls it. When you abbreviate Birmingham City University, you tend to end ...
Seven EU states including the UK are establishing what is effectively a federal EU naval operation to intercept ships and boats bringing drugs into Europe. This is excellent news. It is a perfect example of where a shared problem is worth a joint solution. Crucial to fighting organised crime is intelligence. The value of any piece of intelligence increases the more you can combine it with other intelligence- a perfect reason to co-operate. Britain still has the second most powerful blue water fleet in the world (after the US Navy) and combined with other EU fleets should be able to ...
Yes, Labour are to announce that 2,000 troops will be coming home from Basra. Queue excited handclapping and tributes to Gordon Brown's leadership and perhaps a further poll boost. Of course it was Gordon who sorted out the funds for the war and supported in the first place. I guess Labour will be hoping the electorate don't know this.
Cameron says "Bring it it on - We're ready for an election". Indeed, as soon as Gordon Brown became leader David Cameron demanded an immediate election. So why is Malcolm Rifkind saying today that a snap election "would be an outrage". So is Rifkind really calling his leader outrageous or is this the clearest sign yet that the Tories are scared to death of an election at the moment ?
It's true. A study of the Wikipedia article on the line of succession to the British throne reveals that it would take the deaths of only 314 people to make Ian Liddell-Grainger, the Tory MP for Bridgwater, our King. It is not so surprising: he is a great great great grandson of Queen Victoria. Another interesting point from the list is that the Duke of Edinburgh ranks at no. 476 in his own right. Given the interbreeding among Europe's royal families, I am surprised he is not higher. What is really striking, though, is the number of minor German princelings ...
If only we’d had American journalist Howard Owens reporting on the Brighton conference. Check out his excellent media blog, where he lists twelve things journalists can do to save journalism.
The Liberal Democrat Conference has been held in Brighton regularly in recent years, which has given regular attenders the chance to observe the sad and progressive decline of the West Pier. Even the enormous flocks of starlings which used to inhabit the ruins seems to have left now. It wasn't always like this, as this West Pier website tells. It was the second leisure pier to be built in Britain and one of only two to be Grade I listed. It was originally built as a simple promenade, but eventually acquired a bandstand, a theatre a 1400-seat concert hall. The ...
So, George Osborne wants to change the tax arrangements of non-domiciled residents. Bit of a problem really that CCHQ staff think the following then: A change in the tax status of non-domiciled resident individuals will devastate the London shipping business centred on the Baltic Exchange, cost thousands of City jobs, destroy London’s position as the international centre [...]
Apparently King David Schools have decided to re-build on their present site and not re-locate to Heaton Park's parkland space. Many parents and residents will be delighted. A prospect of a split-site school with primary and nursery children being away from the main school in Cheetham Hill and tucked into Heaton Park, placed by busy Sheepfoot Lane concerned many families, who have contacted me
The BBC reports: The veteran broadcaster Ned Sherrin, who brought satire to British television screens with That Was The Week That Was, has died.The 76-year-old, who had been battling throat cancer since last year, died peacefully at his home in Chelsea at 3.30pm.Because of TW3, as the in crowd used to call it, all lovers of satire owe Sherrin a huge debt. I also recommend his memoirs.
I love watching Spurs. You’re guaranteed goals, excitement, and more often that not, hilarity. Tonight was no exception - Spurs 4 Villa 4. It wasn’t just any night either, this being Tottenham’s 125th birthday. A big celebration preceded kick-off, with all sorts of former players paraded around White Hart Lane, creating what looked to be a real carnival atmosphere. But whenever you celebrate like that in football, you run the risk of falling flat on your face. And for the first hour, Spurs duly obliged. Their defensive performance, in particular Paul “England’s number 1″ Robinson, was shocking. But then good ...
I’ve been hedging my bets over the likelihood of a general election this year - up until now I wasn’t sure if it really would happen - I mean it’s a brave Prime Minister that calls an election three years before he has to - but to be honest I think it’s inevitable now. It looks like I’m not the only one either - there have been so many people betting ON an Autumn election that odds have been reduced, by William Hill, from 16/1 to just 1/2 - odds-on favourite. Other odds put Labour as the favourites to win ...
From Sky News’s Boulton & Co blog: Under the heading “Third party experts back our position”, one [Tory party press] release quoted Richard Lambert, head of the CBI saying “the sums mentioned by Mr Osborne may be small for these people.” When I contacted the CBI, they were rather surprised to find Lambert had been enlisted as [...]
To help celebrate national Meals on Wheels Week, Steve Webb MP visited King Edmund School and helped to dish up the dinners. Meals on wheels is 60 years old and here in South Gloucestershire the service is changing to a new and innovative scheme where school kitchens are used to provide fresher and more nutritional meals to older and disabled people. Six schools are already signed up to the new look service, St Chad's Patchway Primary School, Bradley Stoke Community School, Hanham High School, Kingsfield Secondary School, King Edmund Community School and Mangotsfield Secondary School. By the end of the ...
Via Peter Black, I’ve discovered that Peter Mannion MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Citizenship, has started a blog. Should make for an interesting read, given his rather unique perspective on politics. Those of you who don’t know much about Mannion and his style might find out more by watching this informative video that follows up his experience after working for a week at an Immigration and Asylum Centre.
David Willetts is supposedly the genius in the Tory ranks. Called two brain by the Tories because of his enormous intellect, he made an announcement today which showed that he is more likely to be known as "thick as two short planks" in future. In a blatantly populist statement he announced that under the Tories "Snowballs and conkers would not be banned in school". What a lovely thing to announce, no doubt rejoicing can be heard in the streets of Tunbridge Wells as I type. The problem is, will David Willetts and his party colleagues announce a change in the ...
Now this is a blog by a Tory MP that is well worth reading.
In their desperate attempt to keep the disappearance of their child in the media, the parents of Madeleine McCann are turning to psychics. It goes without saying that I have the deepest sympathy with the parents - assuming of course they had no involvement. But please, I know I’m not the only one growing sick and tired of this media assault. Can anyone seriously believe that involving “celebrity” psychics in this case is anything but a media stunt? This is going to put people off the case, not inspire them to help. Learn the lessons from Cameron’s empty PR machine! ...
it may be an indication of how debased our political culture has become that my first thought when I saw the headline "Drug Dealers are Victims too says Letwin", wasn't "interesting point" or even "the man's talking bollocks " but "the Labour attack monkeys are going to have fun with that quote!".
Say what you like about ITV1’s updated Marple - and many have - the cast list is OTT-ly stellar. I’m especially intrigued by their decision to work their way through the entire cast list of Green Wing. Last week it was Stephen Mangan (Dr Guillaume 'Guy' Valerie Secretan in GW; Inspector Bird in Marple), and Mark Heap (Dr Alan Statham; Mr Humfries). Last night it was the turn of Julian Rhind-Tutt
The 2005 general election and 2007 local elections in Eastbourne were Conservative-Liberal Democrat fights (score so far: 1 Conservative MP, 1 Lib Dem run council). So anyone care to speculate where this barchart, which graces the latest Conservative leaflet comes from? I await with eager anticipation the usual cries of outrage from the Conservative / Labour (delete [...]
Last week’s publication of Iain Dale’s list of the top 500 UK political blogs has sparked some criticism - the funniest is here at mediocracy (hat-tip: Tim Worstall), the most acute is here at Stumbling and Mumbling: … there's something nasty about the very notion that blogs can be ranked on a simple single ordering. The overwhelming virtue of the blogosphere is its diversity. And the many 
A quick plug for Progresswear.com, who have just despatched my latest item of clothing - a T-shirt with this legend... That’s one to wear on 18 Doughty Street next time I appear.
Redcar and Cleveland Council's Sports Development Team is offering plenty of sporting chances for the schools' October half term holiday. There will be multi sports camps at Rye Hills School, Redcar on Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and 30, St Peter's College of Maths and Computing at South Bank on Wednesday and Thursday, October 31 and November 1, both running from 10am-3pm, priced £3 a day. All sessions will involve coaching by qualified coaches followed by games. Laurence Jackson School, Guisborough will host an athletics camp on Thursday, November 1 and Friday, November 2, also from 10am-3pm, priced at £3 ...
Lib Dem shadow chancellor Vince Cable has criticised the tax plans of his Tory counterpart, George Osborne: “Any expectation that the Conservatives had a radical and meaningful plan for fairer taxes has been blown out of the water with this utterly feeble set of half promises and unfunded commitments. “The Tories have apparently made a large open-ended [...]
The sketch writers love it when a political party feels really brave and decides to head for Blackpool. Today its Matthew Engel's turn to rubbish the ailing resort ('Star turns fail to dispel general air of tat and decline'). There will no doubt be others in the week ahead. However, If you read the Telegraph today things are going gloriously.The leader column is full of positive statements - "There is ammunition a-plenty to campaign with here, whenever the election is called" it says. "[David Cameron] is emerging as a strong leader under pressure." Followed up by the understatement of the ...
Browsing through the latest planning applications, I've noticed that the application has finally been submitted for a change of use for the old register office in Wood St. Local residents will remember being told by the tories that the building would be saved for a community use. Sounds good doesn't it? Well the community use they had in mind was a coroners court. A really valuable asset to the local community! 
As well as being my blog's birthday today, it is also three months on since my previous three month round up of the most popular postings on my blog. So here once again is a list of the postings that proved the most popular with you, the reader, in the last three months: 10. Flooding in Muswell Hill: title says it all really. 9. Haringey Conservative turns UKIP: William McDougall switches parties. 8. More on Wood Green's Waterstone's: the sad loss of a local bookshop. Not quite sure why this posting did better than my previous / longer one, but ...
There are two ways you can indulge in a bit of fantasy at Blackpool this week. One is to see Hot Ice, the iceskating spectacular. The other is to listen to Gideon Osborne for an hour. If you are under 50, the former would probably be more worth your while. To be fair, his idea of a flat rate charge on all non-doms (I thought someone who is not dom was called a submissive, but clearly I frequent with the wrong sort of people) is worth considering. It is very easy to threaten to crack down on people who live ...
Over here, rather than over here, after its recent turmoil.
Vladimir Putin suggests that he will stay in power as Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Perhaps it is true. Indeed he has escaped the legacy of the Soviets and is looking back further to another era of Russian History. However, I am reminded that one description of the Czarist system was: "Autocracy, mitigated by Assassination". An interesting form of Russian roulette from the out-going President.
Have you been scammed by goodyear03? If so, you might want to know revenge has been had. For the rest of us it's just a damn funny tale about a scammer who got a taste of his own medicine.
The BBC Political correspondent said on Radio Five this morning that a rich Tory donor spoke to him at a party in Blackpool last night and said the Tories plans for a £25k tax on non domiciled residents would not work because it would simply drive them overseas. It seems to me that the plans is neither costed nor workable, but works for the Tories in so much as it allows them to make promises that they know they will not have to keep. It's is in sharp contrast to the Lib Dems fully costed proposals. They always used to ...
The fight to get a barrage built across the Severn estuary took off in earnest today with a report from the Sustainable Development Commission backing the idea, but warning about the excessive costs. In my view the case for this barrage is very finely balanced, but whatever one's view the issue needs to be resolved quickly so that we can move on with the agenda on sustainable energy. Against the barrage are a range of environmental groups who are concerned at its impact on the ecological infrastructure of the estuary. They are arguing in favour of tidal lagoons, which they ...
I can’t believe my ears. I just heard on the news that those socialists have just said they would scrap the Inheritance Tax. Hang on, let me check it out in detail. Hmm... , Mr Osborne is just talking about raising the cut-off point. So there is no real principle behind this. They are just trying to pamper to the masses’ wishes. Clutching at straws and mumbling a prayer to the all mighty brown “Please hold on the elections – we are not ready”. All the arguments I have heard until now in favour of the Death Duties are lame. ...
Britain’s the most watched country in the world, with more CCTV cameras per person than anyone else. That CCTV is hopelessly inadequately regulated - you don’t even have to have any qualifications or background checks to be an operator, and there are few restrictions on who gets access to images and what they can do with them. So it’s rather alarming, to say the least, to read that 19 out of 20 CCTV systems don’t even comply with the piffling rules there are in place. Personally, I can’t wait until the ID cards programme gives the government a high-resolution photograph ...
Dear Sayeeda, Firstly let me congratulate you on your elevation and I am sure that you will meet many challenges ahead in the rapidly changing portfolio around communities. You have clearly worked hard in the Conservatives and are seen as a mentor to some. Well done! On a separate note, it seems that your statements that supporters of the British National Party have ‘very legitimate views’ is I am sure a slip up since people who support the British National Party may have fears around immigration, employment and possibly community safety. Yet, many of the concerns arise from resources and ...
{Birthday cake} Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday dear Lynne's blog! Happy birthday to me! Four years old today! (And still the proud owner of the dullest ever first post probably!)
Liberal Democrat Voice reported previously on the little local photoshopping trouble Labour minister James Purnell has run into (and which is the cause of this outbreak of photos around the internet). In brief: he turned up late for a visit with three other MPs to the Tameside General Hospital. However, when the photo of the visit [...]
In a blizzard of new and rehashed policies, the Tories' key weapon for improving our schools may have been lost, so it is worth restating. Tory Shadow Education Secretary, Michael Gove, believes that requiring children to wear blazers will contribute 'to having an ethos where people when they go to school are there to work, not to bunk off, not to play around, but to study, learn and to acquire opportunities'. A truly splendid idea and one which could perhaps be extended to other areas of life. Perhaps if football supporters were required to wear striped blazers and boaters there ...
I have been trying to make sense of the voter registration situation, and other worries, and come up with some troubling conclusions. If I have got it wrong, I think I am not alone in these conclusions so some public information needs to come out sharpish. Voter registration. Forget the rolling registration. A LOT of people will be disenfranchised if we hold an election now. As I understand it, you needed to be on the register by September 1st to qualify for an election up to November 30th. So, for example, all those students going up to campus for the ...
Posted by Chris: People who claim that the Police fail to respond when they report minor crimes will be interested to learn about this bizarre Police initiative. Cleveland Police and Redcar & Cleveland Council work together to help reduce crime and there are Government induced Public Service Agreements in place that set targets for crime reduction. On criminal damage the annual target for reduction in Redcar & Cleveland is, I think, 17.5% and I understand that we are missing the target by about 50%. A report to today's meeting of Main Scrutiny from R & C's Safer, Stronger Communities Partnership ...
Labour, it appears, have started doing automated phone calls. This, where a computer phones people, is of dubious legality. It shows they are preparing for a November Election. At the same time we have the complications that people may not actually be registered to vote even though they have recently filled in the electoral registration form. Then again the situation is better than it used to
Well done to everyone at the Daily Telegraph: Marginal seats will be key in the next election
I didn’t make it to Watford in the end. The engagement party had to go on without me. But don’t worry, as far as I’m aware the wedding is still going ahead. My car decided that 5 years and 89,000 miles under my ownership was just about all it could take, and made Watford Gap services (which, for the uninitiated, is a surprisingly large distance north of Watford) its final resting place. A dashboard light came on, all the power went off, and the AA man did a kind of tutting / head shaking manoeuvre which is nature’s quickest way ...
And back at the usual address too. Now for Craig Murray.
These new ads from Nokia are a not to subtle dig at their new Rival’s tendency to lock up their own products to the point of uselessness. Naturally Nokia are resorting to the old-standard of guerrilla-media, the fly-post: {nokia.jpg} I guess this is an attempt to make-known on the streets what has long been known amongst geeks and apple-fans, that Apple have seriously failed on what should have been the product-launch of the year. There’s a fact behind this ad: At the moment Nokia have the most open mobile platform with the best support for open-source languages and freely-available development ...
Labour today are proposing increasing the from 16 to 18 the minimum age to legally buy tobacco. I heard one Labour MP declaring, “We must do all we can to discourage young people from smoking.” But this proposal is a case of prohibition not discouragement. Discouragement is to reason with people and try to persuade them not to do something so bad for their health. But discouragement should accept that people are, in the end, naturally free to make their own choice. Labour talk about equality but don’t believe people should have an equal freedom in their personal choices. President Kennedy ...
Although Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is an avowed Europhobe, and will tag on to almost anything he writes a message of doom for the Euro, I found his article in today's Telegraph very interesting. I am not an economist that argues that the only real store of value is in precious metal, indeed I don't believe it and have often found those who advocate a return to the gold standard to be rather swivel eyed and fanatical. The root of the disagreement depends on a view on inflation. "Hard fiat money" advocates believe that inflation is always and everywhere a destroyer of ...
So the future 18th Baronet Osbourne (George to his friends) decides he wants to connect with the hoi polloi more as the Tories slide towards the election in an ill-disguised panic. How does the 'Shadow Chancellor' decide to make this dramatic change to his persona? In a brilliant move he started dropping more 't's on the Today Programme this morning than a drunk vicar at a garden party. They must have more nous than this somewhere within the Tory party, surely... A Tory acquaintance has suggested that Little Billy Hague might seek to step into the void created when Dave ...
You'd think that local councillors would know their areas best and would be able to make decisions about planning applications without outside interference. I suppose there should always be some kind of appeals process to guard against maladministration, but I'm not talking about that. In the two cases that have got me agitated the decisions were made in line with our local planning...
I have finally succumbed to the 18 Doughty Street call. I feel like the country mouse going to the city, as I have had to pack up a bag to stay overnight at a very reasonably priced hotel round the corner from Doughty Street. Well, I have been asked to be on from 9pm until 11pm, so I am darned if I am going to venture back to the depths of Berkshire at that time of night. I have my ProPlus pills
James made a comment on my earlier post to this effect. It has been mentioned in passing several times in the last few weeks. Could that old fox Brown stun us all and call an election for a weekend? Say, Saturday 27th October? Or Saturday 3rd November? It would perhaps square the circle of potential low turnout on a Thursday in late October/early November. But then again, am I getting far too
I blogged before about Conservative GLA member Brian Coleman's foolish and insulting comments about Haringey. Although Brian gamely tried to defend his words in a comment on my earlier blog piece, the real sign of what happened is that even Boris Johnson - not exactly a stranger to the blundering insult of an area himself! - thinks our Brian went too far, as one of our local papers reports: Boris Johnson MP (Conservative), who was campaigning in Wood Green last week as part of his bid to become the Mayor of London, distanced himself from Mr Coleman's comments. He said: ...
I was going to blog about the grip of election fever down here in Cornwall - yes I too accept it is really very likely to be called next Monday - but I felt compelled to post a stark reminder of how lucky we are to have a democratic process in this country .... I have just found this post on a Burmese Blog and in the light of little coming out of the country through the media felt I had to copy it onto here. "We just got phone call with our sister living in Yangon about a few ...
Over the last few weeks there have been lots of preparations for a possible election going on, including the manifesto, in conditions of great secrecy - so much so that I wasn’t even sure I should reveal the existence of Saturday’s meeting of the Federal Policy Committee to finalise it. But since I see a mass email referring to it has now come out from Chris Rennard, I guess I can do so (and I see that Alex Wilcock has reached the same conclusion, in an excellent and full analysis of the current situation). Clearly I can’t say much about ...
If you click on the headline above, you can read the item from a couple of months back about Fiona Coull, a fourth year Jewellery and Metalwork student at Duncan of Jordanstone and the jewellery recycling project.Anyway, Fiona's been back in touch to say that an exhibition of the project work is now open at DCA (until 16th October) and it is well worth a visit!Pictured (above right) is Fiona's own contribution - a brooch with a pierced out farthing (wren) - and you can also see more on-line at http://tweethree.blogspot.com/
The Local Party Executive of Staffordshire Moorlands Liberal Democrats invites applications for selection as Prospective Westminster Parliamentary Candidate for Staffordshire Moorlands. Staffordshire Moorlands constituency is located in a most beautiful area in the Peak District National Park. Staffordshire Moorlands is participating in the regional Liberal Democrats Moving Forward Programme.
A cold morning and my breathe condensing when I stepped out of the house shortly after 7am. The sun had only just risen and the car was covered with condensation. The leaves on the trees were turning brown. Yup! Autumn is now with us. What an ideal time to have a general election! Just think what it will be like in a month's time.---Sent via BlackBerry
From Thomas Friedman's column in the New York Times: I will not vote for any candidate running on 9/11. We don’t need another president of 9/11. We need a president for 9/12. I will only vote for the 9/12 candidate. What does that mean? This: 9/11 has made us stupid. I honor, and weep for, all those murdered on that day. But our reaction to 9/11 — mine included — has knocked America completely
The last 2 days may have been the last weekend before the election starts. This did not affect things campaignwise in my own area as we were already in the middle of producing and delivering focuses - frankly a job that never ceases. Still, it did give an added sense of urgency to matters.So Sunday morning saw me down in our Whickham office printing focus leaflets I had written on Saturday
After long being convinced there’d be no snap Autumn election, I have to admit that I’ve changed my mind this weekend: perhaps it’s simply that the momentum seems to have picked up to such an extent that Gordon Brown would look dithery if he didn’t go for it; perhaps it’s that the opinion polls are just what I’d want in Mr Brown’s place; perhaps it’s that I finally caught the bug at Saturday’s emergency Federal Policy Committee meeting to decide the Manifesto. Maybe only a successful and united Tory Conference could derail an election now – and how likely’s that? ...
I have been an early election sceptic until recently but have shifted rapidly over the last week or so. All the noises coming from people inside the parties suggest that an election on November 1st or 8th is being considered very seriously. As I understand it the younger Labour Ministers are generally for calling the election now while the older ones are counselling against. This is a very human dimension to such political decision-making that can sometimes be missed in studying the numbers. Defeat for the younger MPs means a few years in opposition before coming back as the new ...
As listeners to BBC Radio Five Live may know on Friday Jane Garvey who has been part of BBC Radio Five Live from the very beginning of the station left BBC Radio Five Live. | < | October 2007 | > | ||||
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