I found it very peculiar when Margaret Hodge was chastised for giving the BNP the "oxygen of publicity" when she suggested that in her seat of Barking 8 in 10 people were considering voting BNP at the 2006 local elections. This "OoP" argument is very common, and it belies a certain level of disdain for those who will be converted, or a certain insecurity in the strength of either the consensus or one's own argument. If you want to not only defeat the BNP as an organisation (and lets face it they may well do that themselves) but the ideas ...
Woes first: - Having bought myself a little Ka, and fallen in love with its distinctive shape and quirky little bumpers, imagine my horror to discover that this year they are launching a new, redesigned version that looks like a cross between a Fiesta and a Yaris, and is no longer distinctive at all. Poor Ka-Ligula's younger siblings are not going to be anywhere near as cool as him. - having discussed Pinky and the Brain on my previous post, I thought about upgrading my old World Domination Workout Video to shiny disc... and they're only on Region 1! Curse ...
Whilst down in Folkestone, I have taken the opportunity to have a meeting with one of the Liberal Democrat National Campaigns Officers to discuss how as a party we should discuss immigration.
Kevin Pieterson and Paul Collingwood both tried to go reach their hundreds at Edgebaston with a six. Pieterson charged too early at got caught at deap(ish) mid on and Collingwood's shot paid off. One got to a much needed century and was almost universally applauded for a career saving innings whilst the other found himself on the receiving end of much abuse. Now, their results were different but the shots and the intent were very similar. A couple of inches difference and Pieterson would have been hailed as a hero or Collingwood would have been decried as a reckless fool, ...
BBC radio news is reporting the death in Moscow at the ago of 89 of the Russian novelist. Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970 and was an icon of resistance to the Soviet regime. There is a self-penned profile of him on the Nobel Prize site. Later. Monsters and Critics quotes the Russian news agency Interfax: The world famous writer and historian had not been seen in public for months. He died from the aftermath of a stroke, according to unconfirmed information.Solzhenitsyn's main work was the Gulag Archipelago in 1973, which described the years of Stalinist terror ...
Westminster Lib Dems meet for drinks and political chat every other month at St.Stephen's Tavern, Bridge Street, SW1 from 7pm. The next one is coming up on Wednesday 6th August. If you are a Lib Dem and fancy joining us for some topical chat over a cool drink please join us. Full details on Flock Together.
There has been an advertising campaign running for the past few weeks, though I didn't see it until tonight. It centres on a girl discussing with her mother that she is pregnant by Cactus Boy. The slogan is "Oasis - for people who don't like water" The makers of Oasis are Coca Cola. I have news for them, I drink Oasis, because I hate that fizzy crap you sell. Though I do find it far too sweet...
According to Wikipedia flash mobbing is when a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. It was a fairly shortlived trend about five years ago but nevertheless is a term than can be used to describe a supposed event that nearly happened in my Council ward this weekend. For those who do not know I represent the Cwmbwrla Ward on the City and County of Swansea. The western boundary of this ward is skirted by the A483 dual carriageway, which is interrupted by one of ...
Friday In Westminster to settle some business before I leave for France, I come across Clegg in expansive mood. "All those party committees. What is the point of them? When I decide it is a good idea to tell everyone how many sexual partners I have had, I don't want a load of people in anoraks questioning my judgement. "And what about David Heath? When I made up my mind to sack him for not abstaining on a referendum on the Nice Treaty because we wanted one on Britain's membership of the European Union - albeit that we voted against ...
In the 1960s and 1970s it must have seemed clear that the two most important figures in the cast of Beyond the Fringe were Jonathan Miller and Peter Cook. Miller was in demand all over the world as a director of plays and operas, and Cook was an acknowledged comic genius. The picture is not so clear now. Miller is not much heard of now, and when he was interviewed by Radio 4 at the Millennium as a Great Man, he had no wisdom to impart. He seemed to be the eternal student, still picking holes in the question to ...
It is estimated that 4.5 million households are now in fuel poverty, according to Ofgem. As wholesale prices of both oil and gas continue to soar, it is almost inevitable that more price hikes for consumers are on the way. In 2001, the Labour Government pledged to eradicate fuel poverty by 2010, yet it has in fact increased, leaving the Government's target in tatters and millions facing a fuel price crisis. The Liberal Democrats have launched a fuel poverty package to tackle this crisis. The key points are : * Making energy companies invest £500m a year into a rolling ...
I turned over the television expecting to see one of the many repeats of the parliamentary year and the women's golf open was on. After a brief moment of confusion a message appeared saying that BBC Parliament was giving way for enhanced coverage of the Olympic Games. What is the world coming to!
One of George Osborne's policies, which I'm sure will be very popular at the focus groups, is putting up taxes on alcopops to discourage youth and binge drinking. If this where an aesthetic policy then one could understand it (not support it, mind). Fewer alcopops purchased will mean that I will have to view fewer WKD ads and will see people drinking more "proper drinks". But its not. Osborne seriously thinks that putting up taxes on Reef, Smirnoff Ice and so on will really stop youth drinking then he's more removed from reality than I thought. Take Australia, whose mindless ...
Don't forget that there is a meeting of the Bury Liberal Democrats on Moday night (4th August) at Prestwich Liberal Club on Bury New Road, at 7pm. All members and supporters are welcome at what is sure to be an entertaining evening. There will be a debate on congestion charging, local party news, and the chance to meet like-minded people (and me). It's all very friendly, and if you are a supporter who wants to get more involved, do please pop down and say hello. We'd be delighted to say hello back, and probably take it from there! I hope ...
If you've left Lee Green up Dermody Road and over the railway bridge to Hither Green Lane in recent weeks, you've probably seen (or smelled!) the leak that's been running down the hill from the junction at Courthill Road lately. The good news is that following pressure from my Lib Dem colleague who represents that side of the railway line, Cllr Andrew Milton, the leak is to be fixed. The bad news is, it's going to mean closing Hither Green lane between Courthill Road and Ryecroft Road from Tuesday. Andrew has the details of the closure here. Of course, it's ...
Whilst I was away, it was confirmed that the issue of congestion charging in Greater Manchester will be put to a public vote at the end of the year. Local people across all ten Greater Manchester Authorities will be asked whether they agree with the introduction of a congestion charge in return for investment in public transport. Votes will be counted in the 10 Authorities, and if 7 or more of them vote "Yes" then there will be a charge. I will be campaigning for a "No" vote, and hope to be at the forefront of this campaign. There are ...
I was very saddened to learn of the passing of Reverend Leslie Olsberg last weekend, whilst I was away on holiday. Rev Olsberg was a pillar not only of the Manchester Jewish community, but of Manchester as a whole, and a true giant of a man who's positive contribution to the life of the local community can barely be over-stated. Well known across all faiths and parts of Bury and Manchester, throughout his long life he worked hard for the good of local people. He was Minister of Heaton Park Synagogue for 35 years, and touched the lives of virtually ...
I have returned, bronzed and refreshed, from my holidays in Cornwall. And now it's Sunday evening, and having stood on hilltops gazing out at the ocean for a week of bliss, now I stand on the edge of a cliff with only the abyss of a working week to leap into, and I would gladly trade everything I own and everyone I know for another week off. Last year we went to Mull for our hols, and this year we stayed in the real-life King Arthur-themed funfair that is Tintagel, complete with mock battles and people wandering around in robes ...
...Whose interest meme post I commented on, and thus she gave me seven of my interests to explain:Car porn; Apathy; World Domination; Pun wars; Edward Gorey; The cool wall; The meaning of life.Well, car porn is easy. This is a good example: But it's also the sort of stuff they do on TG and fifth gear where Jeremy or VBH is in a car, squealing it round a track, making lots of unnecessary noise... Car shows really are just porn. And I like it, because I'm dirty that way. Also, unlike the other kind of porn, I don't get guilty ...
"I do not want a good General, I want a lucky one". So spake Napoleon. Why is this quote of the day? Because it goes to the heart of how we view achievement which then has huge knock on effects for ideas of fairness, just rewards, and how we should order ourselves. Napoleon here has spotted the oft forgotten difference between success and skill. We see this in all walks of life. A bowler may get clubbed for four and be told that it was a good ball. Or a gambler may take solace in a loss (as I so ...
I left the blog (being written late for Saturday) part finished as it was time to leave to go to our former Church in Harrogate (St John's Bilton) as it was where we had our marriage blessed 36 years ago. A celebration of seeds of hope then. We met our family after that and spending time with our grandchildren might be a bit exhausting, but it does give me hope for the future.
"We must look to the future" were the words of the Chairman of the Billingham International Folklore Festival at the closing ceremony. Not only was Maureen Taylor right, but it reflected the day so well. We can look back on the past and remember our mistakes, we can enjoy reminiscing on good times, and we need to preserve good traditions and folklore that remind us of where we come from, but...
I have to decided to give this blog a more campaigning edge especially after the Davis fiasco...(am I allowed to say TOLD YOU SO twice??) ...and so petitions and gradually other features will be worked in....in that spirit this months is aimed at stopping the farce of a state funeral for Margaret Thatcher; something that, as I pointed out yesterday, is not only deeply offensive to those people and communities that she wrecked but a total abuse of the state funeral system....so without further ado PLEASE SIGN.... We the undersigned note the recent proposals that Lady Thatcher be given a ...
Todays rather schizophrenic day of sunlight, bits of wind and showers in West Wales brought me out in maintenance mode. My strimmer I could not get to work. Its an expensive model. Whatever I try. I think the spark plug has had it. All the effort to get the damn thing to work I could have used the hand shears. Today we are so reliant on electricity or mechanized devices. Yep, I got my hand shears, bit of slate and gave them a sharpen. Its takes longer with the hand shears but one can be more accurate. The amount of ...
{New speed limit signs in Colden Common} After all the work getting Church Lane's speed limit in place and approved, and putting up the signs, you'd think the trees could have been cut back so that people could actually see them! Peter Mason is on the case. I've also reported it at FixMyStreet and the County Council website. Peter has also requested a flashing sign to help clearly establish the new speed limit in the mind of regular users of Church Lane.
Brown took another low blow thanks to his Predecessor Tony Blair who's secret Memo was leaked. On the memo Tony Blair puts the Prime Minister Down despite many people and me believing that Brown was the success to Tony Blair and his 10 year Government. I don't believe Blair would have got to the level he achieved without Brown yet in secret Memo's to other Labour Party member's Tony Blair is putting the Chancellor at the time down. Well Blair is someone who cant make his mind up I have heard Blair in a interview on the TV saying "Brown ...
About a year ago I blogged about the misuse of blue badges. Since then a working group of Kingston councillors has been set up to review the allocation and use of blue badges, and also the availability of disabled parking bays. These are its terms of reference: The review has been commissioned to: Address concerns that the current scheme is not...
{Lynne Featherstone delivering a survey} I've just launched my annual Residents' Survey in Hornsey & Wood Green to find out (as I do every year) what are the issues at the forefront of people's minds in every street - from the big issues to the small piece of casework that no-one has got round to raising in-between times. The survey is delivered by local volunteers (and me) - and it takes an army. The survey started with the Muswell Hill team back in 1997, when we only covered one ward. It rapidly spread over the next few years to cover ...
One striking feature in Istanbul these days is the number of Greek tourists, some of whom are actually wedding parties. Apparently it is the chic thing now for grand couples from Thessaloniki to get married by the Orthodox Patriarch in Istanbul, rekindling memories of times when the two communities, Greek and Turkish, were much more intermingled. [...]
There is no surer way to put people of caring for the environment that to feel that a scam is going on to rob consumers of money so that big business and make bigger profits. That. sadly, is what I feel is happening at a local shop near to me, at least from my experience today. Budgens have a franchised shop in Drayton (near Norwich) which told me, when I had done rather a lot of shopping today, at the till, that they no longer have normal plastic bags. They told me that I could pay 10 pence for a ...
Today was a really good day. A group of young people and supporters walked 10 miles. Raising money for an exchange visit in August. We went from Brassmills, Bath to Staple Hill, Bristol. After 10 miles walking along the cycle path I am ready for my bath. It was good to chat with the young people and organisers. Sounds like there's a lot to do on the trip. The young people did really well today. Not sure who looked most tired them or the supporters. Anyway, I'm glad I did it. They'll be off to Japan in 2 weeks. I ...
Sir Alan Sugar has told Brown to Fire the Plotters against the Prime Minister out of the Cabinet. Well if Mr Brown was to start sacking people for being traitor's to him then i believe he should sack Pendle Based MP Gordon Prentice First as he was the first to go Public and to ask the Prime Minister to step Down. Well Sugar says that him and Brown have known each other for a long time could Sugar be a member of the Labour Party. In the Past Sugar has said that he is considering running for Mayor of London? ...
The issue of Post Office closures and my discussions with City Council officials about the issue featured on both the Radio Tay news and the "Tay Talk In" today. Click below to hear further ...
At the risk of making it sound like he has Voldemort-esque levels of power, which he most assuredly does not: I'm not going to mention That Tory Blogger's name in case, á la Candyman, he escapes his mirror world and goes on a killing spree. I figure most of you will know who I am talking about. I don't begrudge anyone the right to read his blog: it's a (mostly) free internet, after all. If you want to read heavily-slanted Tory propaganda from a man who thinks Nadine Dorries is competent, you fill your boots. But I fail to understand ...
I've been away since the 26th July, I spent a week with young people in the Salvation Army from across the west midlands. My only contact with what was happening outside in the World was a television that had been childlocked onto BBC1 and onto a low volume. So all I have heard is some information from BBC Breakfast and a couple of 6 o'clock news. So please leave comments summing up what has been happening over the week. What's happened internationally, nationally and in the Liberal Democrats? What's been happening on libdem blogs? Anyone said anything interesting or rediculious? ...
The Guardian's article on Friday, highlighting the fact that 1 in 5 DNA tests carried out by the CSA show that the man tested is not actually the biological father is a perfect example of how to promote the Conservative agenda. The headline alone seems designed to raise the blood pressure, and it's only when you look at the numbers that you realise that we're talking about 20% of 3,500 DNA tests
Three ministers have today followed Sir Alan Sugar in coming out and supporting Gordon Brown. Their consistent line is that Gordon Brown is a good man, facing difficult problems which are not of his making, but he is the man best placed and with the best knowledge to help put things right. The problem for these Brown supporters is that they may well be right in their assessment but it is not them that will decide the result of the next general election and those that will decide the result, the electorate, have lost all trust in Gordon Brown. The ...
When Ross Finnie announced his candidacy for the Scottish Liberal Democrats' leadership, a quote from the former environment minister caught my eye. "Our message has become blurred and lacking a distinctive Liberal Democrat edge. We lack a political narrative that brings clarity and cohesion." That sounds like a good idea. But my concern - and let's all hope this is misplaced -- is that our Scottish colleagues won't be given a narrative. I do not know very much about Ross Finnie or the other two leadership candidates. I have nothing against any of them. Nor do I claim any knowledge ...
From today's Indepdendent: In a letter sent to the Prime Minister today, Nick Clegg calls the decision to award the Olympics to China a "mistake" and appeals to Mr Brown not to give the Games further political endorsement. "China's recent behaviour is a humiliation for the International Olympic Committee," Mr Clegg writes. "Given their [...]
Dear Gordon Brown, You have two ways of escape: (1a. Call leadership election. Stand. Squash opponents. (1b. Sack all detractors in cabinet. (1c. Solve 10p rate mess by jacking up personal allowance by £2k. (1d. Start proposing more actually sensible laws that benefit lots of people instead of obsessing over terrorism and knife crime. OR (2. Run away. kthxbye
Following on from my last post where I asked, "is it wrong to be enjoying" the downfall of the New Labour project, it seems that in fact yes, it is. Because, really, it's allowing the miserable cycle of Labour and the Conservatives to take turns in power. Natural supporters of one party become depressed and mysteriously lethargic, the natural supporters of the other become full of swivel-eyed fervour and the swing voters, bless their little cotton socks, inevitably pick whoever seems the most sensible and authoritative at the time. Hmm my sentences are getting too long. I might have written ...
Three high flying Labour Minister's have supported Brown today and have said he is the best man. Some have said "better than anybody else in British politics". Well these Labour's actually believe in Brown and they still believe he can change the country and take it forward. But they say that he is better than any one else which i disagree to. With the current status of the Country and the PM being from a financial background we should not have this problem but the problem is we are having these troubles and if a man who was doing the ...
Am I the only one who is getting bored of the torrent of stories about Gordon Brown and his under-threat-premiership? It is supposed to be the silly season for goodness sake. The newspapers need to lighten up and yet despite strenuous efforts by past masters of the art nobody seems to be able to come up with a story. Even Matt Withers is struggling in his Wales on Sunday column. He concludes today's piece with the disturbing sentence: FINALLY, Montgomeryshire MP and Wales' most eligible bachelor Lembit Öpik has done nothing this week. That's how dull it's been. A quick ...
I was recently appointed to serve on the Planning Committee as a substitute for another member who was unable to attend the meeting. One of the applications received was from local businessman Steve Ives who wants to open an indoor football facility inside a disused factory on the South Humberside Industrial Site. Against the advice of NELC planning officers and the Health and the Safety Executive, the Planning Committee, which included Liberal Democrat Councillors Bonner, Pickett, Little and James, approved the plans. Also supporting the application was Liberal Democrat Councillor Dave Boylen who spoke at the meeting to support the ...
News yesterday in the press that the long-awaited decision on the Post Office Card Account (click on headline above to view story in yesterday's 'Press and Journal') has been put off until later in the year fuels the uncertainty over the future of the Post Office network. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had been due to reveal last month which organisation would get the contract for what is now the Post Office Card Account but has now put off the decision until later in the year. DWP has given no reason as to why it is delaying the ...
It seems likely that Labour will either have a Blairite leader come the end of September or a post-2010 Labour party will have a Blairite leader (unless it takes a sharp left turn in the face of an electoral meltdown). This post examines the coherence of the neo-Blairites who have been publishing papers through the vehicle of the think tank Progress. In this post I try to play forensics on a green paper published by the think tank, Progress, concerning public services. You can read the paper here. It is full of phrases such as "the empowerment of the individual ...
The link is to a story in the Mail on Sunday about how children have been illegally placed in Jersey and then lost. The existance of paeodophile networks in Child Protection is not a new story. What needs to be recognised is that the secrecy of the system allowed them and their actions to be kept secret. There is, as can be seen from Liz Davies' comments, considerably more to be revealed about
"Lamentable...hubris and vacuity" are just some of the words Blairused to describe Brown's performance. Www.mailonsunday.co.uk
