Sir John Bourn resigns
Two weeks ago I wrote: Sir John Bourn should resign. Today it was announced that he is to retire in January. That will do, I suppose. Thursday 25th October 2007
11:49 pm
Two weeks ago I wrote: Sir John Bourn should resign. Today it was announced that he is to retire in January. That will do, I suppose. 
11:41 pm
Euro-ballot bonkers - lift the gag!
I've just received another electronic communication from one of our South East European candidate hopefuls. It repeats Linda Jack's recent gripe about not being able to say who they are supporting for the leadership. Apparently this is because such an endorsement by a Euro-hopeful might be interpreted as an implicit endorsement by the relevant leadership candidate for that Euro-hopeful and thereby possibly increase their chances of selection. If it hadn't been made up by the powers that be it would not have been a conclusion I would have leaped to, I have to say. However, given that I do support ... 11:28 pm
"So, where do you go to, my lovely?"
The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, MP for for Pepsico, Lloyds Pharmacy and, occasionally, Darlington, is revealed today to have attained his rightful place at the top of at least one league table. No, obviously not for making the most speeches in the House of Commons (he's only made two in the past year!). And no, obviously not for voting in the House of Commons (he's only voted in 63% of the votes in the 10:59 pm
Question Time
Imagine that you are convening a panel for a political discussion programme, broadcast on publically funded TV, from a particular city. The host city has two constituencies; one has a Lib Dem MP, the other is a Labour/Lib Dem marginal. The same city has 15 Liberal Democrat councillors on the City Council to 19 Labour [...] 10:59 pm
Ivydene
A couple of months ago our very good friends, Ros and Colin Ball, left Hook and bought the Ivydene Hotel in Eastbourne. It was a tremendous change for them, and, in my mind, an incredibly brave thing to do. Their son Michael is a chef, so they are now jointly running a family business. We've just been down to stay overnight with them for the first time since they moved - and I can't... 10:49 pm
New opinion polls has Lib Dems down to 11%
Perhaps not surprisingly given the month's events, a new Telegraph opinion poll has the Lib Dems down to 11% and the Tories on 41%, 3% ahead of Labour. My guess is once a new Lib Dem leader is in place our poll rating will soon improve, but that is just a guess. 10:28 pm
Spurs lose, Jol gone
The 2-1 defeat to Getafe is almost incidental, with the news of Martin Jol's resignation which started trickling around the ground just before half time. If reports are to be believed, Juande Ramos is set to take over - but not until the summer. Clive Allen to fill the gap? Reminds me of a joke I heard on a Spurs podcast when the Board started undermining Jol back in August: Why is Ramos' first name 'Juande'? Because 'one day' is how long the Board will give him to turn things round. Ok, that doesn't work so well written down. I'm ... 10:26 pm
Empty shops
Walking through the Queen Street arcade yesterday for the first time in a while, I was shocked at the number of empty shop units: 8 out of 24. I have a job vacancy in my shop at the moment, and among the usual mix of east European and Asian immigrant applicants were the manageress and an assistant from Adams, one of the main stores in the Cornmill Centre. It seems Adams is to close in a couple 10:25 pm
Moving forward from 100 years of women councillors
At last, this hectic week, something to celebrate! Just imagine, 100 years ago today there were no women Councillors at all ! what a sorry state for us to be in. The Women's Local Government Society was having a meeting in Darlington for local women interested in the subject to go along, find out more about the history of women councillors, and share some of their stories. We had a fascinating... 9:54 pm
Cheering up
This blog has been rather quiet lately. Odd really given the rather significant events occurring for the Lib Dems. It's not that I haven't wanted to post. Or indeed that I haven't got anything to say. It's just that I have been very busy, stressed, feeling quite tired a lot of the time, and somewhat annoyed and frustrated by said significant events. But my mood has been considerably lifted this 9:44 pm
Adventures In Trade Unionism
Had a regional general meeting of “The Union” to attend today where I found myself being frustrated with the lack of organisation and direction of the regional exec. That’s very typical of me, by the way - I’m very organisationally focused: What do we want to achieve? What’s the best way to go about that? How do we make sure everything we do helps us achieve our goals? Nothing I hate more than fuzzy objectives! The first questions put to the exec were about the lack of training and support for new and existing reps. I then asked my question: ... 9:17 pm
Lloyd George welcomed back to Parliament
85 years since he became the last Liberal Prime Minister, David Lloyd George today took his place in Parliament Square as Prince Charles unveiled an eight-foot statue, declaring: “In the course of a decade, beginning approximately a century ago, he established himself as one of the greatest social reformers and war leaders of the 20th [...] 9:11 pm
Reinventing the State Chapter 7: Rights and Responsibilities
As I read through Reinventing the State, I use a pencil to highlight points I disagree with and want to write about here. With Elspeth Attwooll's chapter on rights and responsibilities I had no use for the pencil, until about halfway through, when I decided to highlight a few good points as well, or I might have nothing to say. Attwooll brings a refreshing clarity to what is generally a muddled 9:03 pm
Huhne officially a candidate
Well, there will be at least one name on the leadership ballot paper that will be dropping through Lib Dem members letterboxes in a few weeks’ time: Chris Huhne has formally submitted his nomination papers. LDV has already published the list of the 10 MPs who will be backing Chris. He also has endorsements from [...] 8:56 pm
What do you mean "Having a can of XXXX is not proper foreplay" ?
This will come as a shock to all those Australians who think that having a "tinny" is foreplay. 8:28 pm
A LibDem Blogosphere Divided
The Lib Dem blogosphere is divided, will it be the Huhney monster or the Clegg... um... thingy, that gets your vote? Here's a summary of the different views: Chris Huhne's supporters: 'Chris' [and it's always "Chris", never "Chris Huhne] is wonderful, he's just great, and you know that Nick Clegg likes to eat raw puppies for breakfast and he's really a Tory. Look at the eyes, it's all in the 7:39 pm
Is Mr Prudent pulling a fast one?
I noticed that the MPs expenses have been published today. Now normally this causes a fuss in the press . But the figures, normally about £130,000 a year per MP, is not their expenses at all. It also ... 7:31 pm
No more Podcasts of a floating voter, sorry!
A couple of people have said very nice things about the two Podcasts I did, thanks very much, it’s very much appreciated. But they can’t continue, as short of some major upheaval between now and the issuing of ballot papers, I’ve made up my mind. Ballot Paper 1 Nick Clegg 1.000000001 Chris Huhne Well, I won’t be able to put that on the ballot paper, technically I will have to put a ‘2′ against Chris Huhne, but that will be with great reluctance. What has tipped it is his team’s aspirational choice of language, and his ability to convey passion. His ... 7:13 pm
A five year plan for fun and happiness
I’m organising a soiree, and it has unfortunately clashed with a rival event organised by one of my friends. He has asked that I check with him in future to ensure that his diary is free before I go casually booking events without a care in the world. This has made me realise that there is something terribly lacking in our society. A huge amount of potential fun and merriment is being lost through the random, inefficient manner in which we enjoy ourselves. And, in the process, all sorts of unintended and harmful side-effects are resulting, that have negative effects ... 7:00 pm
The first campaign jokes?
Wit and Wisdom gives us what I think are the first jokes of the leadership campaign: How many Chris Huhne supporters does it take to change a lightbulb? Two: one to change the lightbulb and one to set up the ‘Lightbulbs for Chris Huhne’ Facebook group. And before you ask, no, that group doesn’t exist. Not yet, anyway. 
6:37 pm
Those leadership hustings in full
Chris Huhne's campaign website has a full list of the hustings that will take place during the leadership election: Rugby 27/10 11.45am, Saturday 27th October 2007 The Benn Hall, Newbold Road, Rubgy CV21 2LN Leeds 3/11 3pm, Saturday 3rd November 2007 Civic Hall, Calverly Street, Leeds LS1 1UR Cardiff 7/11 7.30pm, Wednesday 7th November 2007 Marriott Hotel, Cardiff CF10 1EZ Edinburgh 10/11 11am, Saturday 10th November 2007 The General Assembly Hall, The Mound, Edinburgh Bristol 13/11 7.30pm, Tuesday 13th November 2007 Novotel, Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6HY Plymouth 17/11 2pm, Saturday 17th November 2007 Novotel Plymouth, PL6 8NH Worthing 19/11 ... 6:30 pm
Electing independents isn’t the same as electing Lib Dems
Liberal Democrats have a tendency to sympathise with independent election candidates. I think it’s a mixture of the rebellious streak and the community campaigning instincts of Liberal Democrats. But I worry when Liberal Democrats actively support independent candidates either by encouraging them to stand or by standing aside to give them a free run at an election. That is why I am concerned by a posting made by Stewart Arnold on his blog. The argument that Stewart makes is that the only way to make the issue of Humber Bridge tolls and the bridge’s debt a major national issue is ... 6:19 pm
RE: Nuclear Policy
London Liberal, In terms of the prisoners dilemma and the development of nuclear weapons there are two arguments that I would use to say that the argument still does not hold. Firstly, although revealed to the public by a whistle blower in 1986 the Israeli nuclear program was known to the French, (who built the reactor) since the early 50’s and by the CIA since 1960, both log before any weapons were produced. The fact that these programs were kept secret by these governments was a product of the strategic situation of the time, but in a nuclear free world ... 6:07 pm
Indoctrination by Public Schools
Via the Guardian: British forces are "ludicrously" overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan because politicians have clung for years to the imperial delusion that the UK is a world power, the historian Correlli Barnett said this afternoon. Speaking at a seminar at Churchill College, Cambridge, on his 80th birthday, the distinguished historian said that after the first world war the British Empire 5:53 pm
Government right not to outlaw smacking
The BBC reports: A complete ban on smacking has been rejected by ministers, after a review suggested most parents opposed one. Laws were tightened in England and Wales in 2004, but minister Kevin Brennan said they appeared to be working and would not change further.This seems to me the right decision. How could a complete ban on smacking possibly be policed? If this power were given to the authorities it would inevitably be exercised in an uneven and arbitrary fashion. And please do not say that you want a law to "send a message". Laws do not send messages: they ... 
5:50 pm
Hurrah for Nintendo (the Lib Dems of Video Games)
Today's BBC tech page features the news that the Wii has brought Nintendo a doubling of its profits. Which makes me happy. Even better, the Wii has sold twice as many units as the over-priced glorified Blu-ray player that is the PS3. "Ah-hah", any of you inclined to defend Sony cry, "surely that's because the PS3 hasn't been out for as long, and Christmas '06 will have put a lot on the Wii's 5:48 pm
Parliamentary Intervention of the Week
Last week, that is. And the winner is Lembit Opik: I feel duty bound to ask whether the amendment, if passed, would make it more difficult for a financial mutual in the United Kingdom to enter into a merger agreement with a kipper-making co-operative on the Isle of Man.I am sure that it makes perfect sense if you read the whole debate in Hansard. Thanks to Kerran Cross. 5:14 pm
Chris is a candidate: official
The official site reports that Chris has now submitted his nomination forms and is now an official candidate for leader of the party. However, if you’ve downloaded a nomination form and not sent it in yet (like me - oops!), don’t despair as there’s still an opportunity for you to be one of Chris’ nominators. The campaign team have pledged to hand in every nomination form they receive from party members before the deadline - next Wednesday, the 31st October - so you’ve still got time to sign people up and send it back. 4:53 pm
Nick or Chris?
I still haven't finally decided who to vote for in the leadership contest, although it does seem that Nick wants my vote much more than Chris does. Maybe it's because so many of my friends have endorsed him and are trying to suck me in that I feel that way. My big dilemma is that I like Nick and I know he could do the job. However, I'm not sure I would want to go down all the policy routes he might want me to. There are just some things that market forces can't fix and I want to be ... 4:19 pm
To smack or not to smack
I am appalled, but not surprised, at the decision by minister Kevin Brennan not to outlaw physical punishment of children in England and Wales. The Scottish Executive took the same view a few years ago. I think it's an absolute scandal that politicans view it as acceptable for a grown adult to hit a child. If I were to hit Kevin Brennan, even with just a small tap on his backside, I'd be dragged off to prison, or worse. I'm probably fairly equal in size to him and he would have a fair chance of fighting me off or running ... 3:59 pm
Haunted Bearwood
One of the newest visitors to my blog is Lynette of Birmingham Ghosts. Lynette lives in Bearwood and is interested to hear from any other Bearwood bloggers or residents about any sightings or spooky goings on. There’s an interesting piece on the history and ghosts of Warley Woods on the Birmingham Ghosts website (click Haunted History 3). Lynette also tells me of a haunted flat on Bearwood Road (not mine, thankfully!), sightings of spirits in flats on Thimblemill Road, horses on St Marys Road and a lady in a long black dress seen walking down Bearwood Road. I might keep ... 3:44 pm
Re: Nuclear Policy
George, Thank you for your response. It is a pleasure having this debate with you and I shall now submit my reply. First, my rebuttal. 1) In your last post you said: “Indeed even though India and Pakistan are not signatories of the NPT, does this not demonstrate even more that for 180 signatories, in fact the rest of the world, that the NPT does work?” Surely just one state ignoring the NPT is enough to undermine the entire agreement and start a chain of proliferation? Indeed you yourself mention that Iran would be less likely to pursue the development of ... 3:19 pm
Lewisham Homes Open Day: Saturday 10 November
Lewisham Homes are having an Open Day from 10.30am-3pm at the Broadway Theatre. Catford. I'll be there, and I'd strongly advise any tenants and leaseholders who've had issues with Lewisham Homes on matters such as repairs, estate services and antisocial behaviour to come along too.There is free transport available to and from the event for Lewisham Homes residents. They will need to know 1) how many people and 2) time for pick up and drop off. If you are interested in the free transport, please contact Nicola Clarke, 020 8314 6075, nicola.clarke@lewisham.gov.uk 3:16 pm
But is it funny?
While I genuinely wish the two declared leadership candidates well, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the several weeks we have to run in this contest are going to become a little repetitive very quickly. It kind of makes you nostalgic for Oaten - but only for a nanosecond. I still have my fingers crossed that John Hemming has sufficient dirt on seven of his colleagues to coerce them into supporting him in his bid for glory. My best attempts at very mild ridicule of Clegg/Huhne so far go thus: How Many Nick Clegg supporters does it take to change ... 3:14 pm
Five years late ...
Labour are to allow MP's to have the final say on whether we should go to war in future, or so said Jack Straw when announcing a set of procedural reforms today. With the Iraq war still in mind it just strikes me we needed this five years ago. Yes, I am sure that with Tory support (remember the Tories were even more in favour of invading Iraq than Labour was). However, this change might prevent this government from following George Bush on his farewell invasion of Iran. 3:12 pm
Not a herd animal
I have every sympathy with Cllr Peter Tyzack whose letter to last week's Lib Dem News pleaded: "This time can we not have a procession of party grandees telling us who we should be supporting". But some grandees are falling over themselves to do just that, as if trying to start a stampede. Judging from their track record in late 2005-early 2006, they do not have the monopoly on wisdom on this subject. The febrile atmosphere of the Palace of Westminster doesn't help. And who knows what deals have been done to secure their support? No, I am not a ... 2:57 pm
How the MPs are lining up (UPDATED)
I’m grateful to Jonathan Isaby of The Daily Telegraph, who has compiled (and allowed me to reproduce here) his up-to-date list of which Lib Dem MPs have declared for which leadership candidate so far. Jonathan comments: “Below are my most up-to-date lists, which suggest that Huhne now cannot possibly overtake Clegg in terms of MPs [...] 2:52 pm
10 people I would like to hit in the mouth with a brick
I've been tagged by Jackart to give a list of people who need a good, honest potentially fatal hiding. I don't usually take up the meme challenge, but I willing to make an exception for this particular form of unnecessary violence. 10. Michael Gove: He's got one of those smug little faces that you just want to hit. See what I mean? 9. Andrew Lloyd Webber: For the crime of Cats, and because it 2:35 pm
Forgetful Nads?
Having thoroughly Fisked arch-"pro-lifer" Nadine Dorries MP, the Ministry of Truth blog notes her involvement in what she perpetually decries as “the abortion industry”. For shame Nads, for shame. 2:00 pm
Labour Liberalising?
It's good to see that the government are at least setting the bureaucratic wheels in motion on a range of civil liberties reforms. But I think I'll reserve judgement until I hear Jack Straw set out plans for a "Bill of Rights And Responsibilities for the United Kingdom" in Cambridge this evening. 12:59 pm
Which Danish Political Party are you?
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the man Gordon Brown never was. After months of speculation, everyone thought Rasmussen had done a Gordon Brown-style chicken run and pulled out of calling an early election in Denmark. However, Rasmussen, being a Liberal, changed his mind and decided to go for the early election after all. What do you think about borgerlig? Scrap the Skattestoppet? Pillage Lindisfarne, or not? Which of Denmark's seven social democrat parties should you vote for? There is a test here. It doesn't work with Firefox, and it's in Danish. However, here is a translation of both questions and answeres ... 12:52 pm
Turned off politics?
And this woman's behaviour is perhaps one of the reasons people get turned off politics. Iain Dale's Diary: Labour Blogger in Denial Over Gay 'Paedo' Smear 12:27 pm
My choice
I'm a little late blogging this, but at the beginning of the month the Mental Capacity Act came into force. So what? Well, yes, I don't usually provide a service listing all the millions of new laws that are being foisted on us. But this Act gives living wills full statutory force for the first time. I have been a member of Dignity in Dying (and the Voluntary Euthanasia Society before it) for years and they have campaigned on this issue for even longer than that. The act calls living wills "advance decisions" - basically, these are how you can ... 12:19 pm
The fruits of labour
One of the things that I don’t think we get a grip on is the unequal nature of political idea `banking` in this country. We are constantly owed credit by other parties. It couldn’t be any clearer than the IHT and non-dom policy statements first being pilfered by the Conservatives then crying Thief when stolen by Labour. It’s not the theft that is so important - the currency of ideas is pretty fluid - just the way that the democratic system itself doesn’t allow a corrective element by way of a non-corrupt free press (by that i mean one that hasn’t financial or political interests ... 12:05 pm
Why don't all essential services get offered the flu jab ?
There is a TV ad campaign on at the moment encouraging those high risk groups who are entitled to get a flu jab to have one. However, what about those of us in the public sector who through the very nature of our work are "high risk", who are not offered a jab ? I have, since becoming a teacher, caught the annual flu on average every three years. That is three times in nine years. On each occasion I have been off work for three days. This means, at an average cost for a supply teacher of £130 a ... 12:01 pm
No total smacking ban
Ministers have ruled out a total ban on smacking after research indicated that 70% of parents didn't want such a ban. This remains a controversial issues, since it is one of the most visible clashes between the rights of children as autonomous human beings and the rights of parents to bring up their children as they see fit. It is also relevant to the debate over whether the law should impose minimum standards of protection or respect people's cultural sensitivities to a greater extent. My own view is that even if smacking is increasingly seen as undesirable, it could be ... 11:56 am
Ken and Norm
Nick Cohen in the Evening Standard last night speculated on the Mayor of London’s still unpublished and purportedly “daft” report on Islamophobia. This is a pity, because if it is as silly as Cohen’s sources hint, surely the Left would have as much fun panning it as they did last year when the Parliamentary Committee Against Anti-Semitism’s report was released last year, and so many of them enthusiastically pinned their colours to Norman Finkelstein’s critique. I could swear that Finkelstein’s piece is now considerably shorter than it used to be and that some of his original criticisms have mysteriously vanished, ... 11:51 am
National Audit Office chief to step down
A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Lib Dem MP Norman Baker had called for the resignation of Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, after Sir John ran up significant expenses bills on public money and accepted hospitality from companies including BAE Systems. It’s now been announced that Sir John will stand down, retiring in January. His decision has been welcomed by Norman Baker: “Sir John Bourn has made the correct decision and he should be thanked for the work he has done. But the next incumbent cannot end up in a position where he ... 11:24 am
Conforming to Liberal Democrat Stereotypes
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we cannot shake of the shackles of our stereotyped image in the Liberal Democrats. No matter how many times I deny it, I can guarantee whenever I go to a regional conference I will always find some Lib Dems who do indeed have big bushy beards and some of them do indeed wear sandals. Yes, they do make up a tiny minority, but they do exist (much like the "Blue Rinses" and "flag waving xenophobes" in the Tories and the "Trots" in Labour. I have also noticed though a tendency in the leadership ... 11:23 am
San Diego fires, 3
Just one of the San Diego fires (the Harris fire) has burned an area equal in size to Lewes District. The Harris fire isn't even the largest fire: the Witch Creek fire is two and half times larger - almost the size of Wealden District. 10:46 am
Getting younger people interested
I've been thinking a lot recently about why young people switch off when you talk about politics. I'm working with some students on article proposals for a PR magazine. The editor particularly wants pieces on politics/political PR/lobbying/public affairs etc - so we had a bit of a brainstorm for ideas. We ended up with some great ones which, if they come about, will make fantastic articles. But the first response from the students was that they had nothing to do with politics, didn't vote, didn't see the point etc. Now we are talking here about intelligent young people who have ... 10:41 am
Surely hard shoulders were built for a reason ?
The government's cheap solution to motorway congestion seems so obvious and simple, were it not for one obvious fact. Hard shoulders were built for a reason. That reason was for emergency purposes, be it a car breaking down or as a means of access for emergency services in the event of a road accident. If the hard shoulder was a fourth lane, surely it would be called a "fourth lane" and not a hard shoulder ? Whatever will be next on the government's list of ways of using existing things for other tasks, I mean, its not as if these ... 10:32 am
Dawkins: start growing a beard
According to the BBC, Jack Straw today is to announce plans “allowing MPs to scrutinise public appointments and choose bishops.” Sounds good to me. I think it should be Lib Dem policy to make Richard Dawkins the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Share This 10:22 am
Team Clegg: in full scale meltdown?
What is going on with Team Clegg? As Mark Littlewood wrote earlier this week, Clegg has surrounded himself with a team of people who, in 2006, very nearly let a 200-1 longshot defeat him. It has taken them a geological age, in political terms, for them to get their website up and running. Then, yesterday, I got an email message informing me that I had joined the teamclegg email list. All very interesting, but no-one asked me. Then, abruptly and with no explaination, I got an email this morning informing me that I had been removed. I’m not sure whether ... 9:53 am
Lorely becomes Chair of the Parliamentary Party
Congratulations to Solihull MP Lorely Burt who last night was elected as the Chair of the House of Commons Parliamentary Party. 9:50 am
When will they learn?
Journalists love to make things simple. They have usually have not got much time to get a point across to their viewers or readers, so nice straightforward ideas appeal. Which is probably why they like to talk about the leadership election in terms of left and right. The problem with useing this as a way to describe the race is that it is not just a simplification but a complete misrepresentation. Take these comments from the supposedly 'left' wing candidate, Chris Huhne: “I have always been in the private sector and I started a business and built it up. I ... 9:42 am
Serious Money
Senior Officials from the Fed are now saying that the losses in the US sub-prime market are already over $ 200 billion. There is the expectation that the losses will grow to the half a trillion dollar mark. The write-offs at individual Wall St firms are gigantic: Merrill Lynch announced losses of $7.9 billion yesterday. Bank of America saw a 93% fall in Investment Banking earnings, as they were forced to take over $2 billion in charges. What should really scare people is that as far as the US policymakers are concerned, the biggest losses are probably not in the ... 9:19 am
Laws leads attack on Brown’s schools cash raid
Gold star for David Laws, Lib Dem shadow secretary of state for children and schools, for first spotting and highlighting Labour’s plans to confiscate 5% of school cash balances. Here’s what The Guardian says this morning in its article, Lib Dems attack plans to reclaim schools’ cash: … the Lib Dem schools spokesman, David [...] 8:47 am
Re-opening the debate
It is difficult to know what precisely the British Medical Association are seeking to achieve by re-opening the debate on the running costs of the Assembly. On the one hand you can see their point that the money received by the Welsh Assembly is directly derived from expenditure on devolved services in England and that to siphon off even a penny of it to fund the 'overhead costs of devolution' is depriving our own services of much needed cash. However, on the other hand we already had this discussion in 1997 and nothing that the BMA says is new. In ... 8:00 am
Another new Facebook group for Chris
Scottish Liberal Democrats for Chris Huhne is the latest Facebook group for Chris’s supporters - and if you missed it the other day, there’s also a group for those of you in Wales. 7:45 am
What was the biggest misjudgement made by a Liberal Democrat* politician in the last century?
Leading political blogger Paul Linford has published an interesting list of what he considers to be the top 10 political misjudgements made by British politicians, defining ‘misjudgements’ as events which “arguably changed the course of history, and certainly adversely affected the careers of those who made them.” Top of Paul’s list was: 1. Jim Callaghan not calling [...] 6:59 am
San Diego fires, 2
A photo of the San Diego fires. Evidence of global warming? No, no single event is. However, climate models do predict an increasing frequency of such fires (remember the Greek fires, recently). As temperatures increase, the ground is more frequently dry, winds are higher, vegetation is drier. 12:46 am
Paella with Porter
{henry-porter-1.jpg} Over the past decade, the Labour government has encroached upon individual liberties in this country, while parliament and much of the public have seemingly been asleep. That was the stark message from the ‘Observer’ columnist and novelist Henry Porter, who was the guest speaker at the Westminster LibDems’ Paella and Politics in Bayswater last night. For month after month, Henry has quite rightly been banging on about issues such as the surveillance society and the government’s attempts to curb our rights to peaceful protest and to extend the period for which people can be held without trial. As anyone in a ... 12:15 am
Clegg v Huhne: time for some proper in-depth analysis
They (the wizards) say that frivolous humour is a smokescreen to mask the absence of anything more meaningful to say. They are of course quite correct as you will now discover in perusing my pictorial reflections on the leadership contest thus far. {Clegg - foreign} “Look, that’s Afghanistan over there.” {Huhne} Prove: E° + S°² = E°(S° - P°) Where E is angle of eyebrow, S is angle of shoulderpad and P is angle of parapet of Westminster Bridge {Chris and Nick} “Ah, the old electric shock hand buzzer trick, eh?” I love you guys. Keep being in genius pictures or I’ll have to invent an actual position to blog ... 12:06 am
Virtual Shropshire
Photo by Sabine J. Hutchinson. I have found a website with galleries full of beautiful photographs that capture the charm of Shropshire. Visit Virtual Shropshire for yourself. 12:02 am
Do not crush beer cans between your breasts
From The West Australian: A Pinjarra barmaid who crushed beer cans between her breasts and hung spoons from her nipples has been fined, along with a second barmaid and the bar manager, with breaching the terms of their liquor licence ...A Peel Police District spokesman said the result sent a clear message to all licensees in Peel that this type of behaviour would not be tolerated in licensed premises.I hope you have all received that message loud and clear. 12:02 am
Day 2487: Mr Balloon's Appeal – More Appalling than Appealing
Tuesday: So, after his CORE-VOTE CONFERENCE, Mr Balloon is trying on his OTHER FACE again, and sniffing around Liberal voters. "I think that the Conservatory Party under my leadership is a liberal Conservatory Party, will remain one and will campaign as one." That would be the Conservatory Party that wants to cut taxes for DEAD MILLIONAIRES; increase global warming by building MORE AIRPORTS; SLASH BENEFITS for sick people; and declare war on EUROPE. I think if I WANT Liberal Policies, Mr Balloon, I will vote for a party that has GOT Liberal Policies – the Liberal Democrats! Mr Balloon's DOUBLE ... 12:02 am
Congratulations Lorely Burt
The Liberal Democrats parliamentary party in the House of Commons have elected Lorely Burt, MP for Solihull as chair of the parliamentary party. 12:01 am
Day 2486: DOCTOR WHO: Wooden Heart
Monday: What with Daddy Alex being off to his local party AGM for sandwiches and gossip and, er, sneezing (and coming back with conference rep status), Daddy Richard and I have been left at home to read more Doctor Who. After the excitement and energy of the excellent eco-fable that was "The Last Dodo", I'm afraid that this was disappointingly plodding and, well, wooden. Martha and the Doctor discover a spaceship/station "The Castor" floating seemingly derelict in deep dark space. Investigating, they discover that not only was this a prison ship, but that everyone aboard appears to have died in ... 
