I'm working in Nottingham this week taking photos at the conference of the Royal Statistical Society. So there are presentations with thrilling titles such as: 'Asymptotic behaviour of blinking (stochastically switched) dynamical systems' and ' A spatiotemporal auto-regressive moving average model for solar radiation' But actually, I'm following much of what is being said in most of the sessions (I'm definitely no mathematician). I'm treating it like one of those Dostoyevsky novels with improbably long Russian names and just mentally bleeping over the bits I don't understand or can't pronounce. In most cases, what remains is actually quite interesting for ...
I do enjoy meeting visitors from abroad, and so enjoyed a visit from the Friendship Force with their guests from Los Angeles to the Town Hall. I had the opportunity of a good chat over the buffet and it was interesting to hear how their local government worked. Some of the issues that are common to us are the role of women, fitting in public work with families and jobs, and the ageing profile...
No, this is not a posting about Obama v McCain (or even Hockey Moms), but about the race to be President of the Liberal Democrats. As has been noted elsewhere Ros Scott has launched her campaign to be Lib Dem party President. Last night she was in Ed Davey's seat of Kingston & Surbiton - Lib Dem MP and Lib Dem council. Tonight she was in my constituency of Old Bexley & Sidcup - Independent (
I bet on both McCain and Huckabee at 6.6 to 1 and 6 to 1 respectively back in 2007 so knew a long time ago I would be up on this one but Ron Paul's defiant stand and the nature of the US presidential nomination system mean that I have had to wait until now for a payout. As I post it is still an 'Open' market. I'm obviously hoping for an Obama presidency but I am relieved that whatever happens it cannot be as bad as Bush.
"When she was awaken at 3am in the morning, it was because a moose got into the garbage can...." Palin: "What is it exactly that the VP does everyday?" Jon Stewart: "Oh mostly you just sit around being prepared to be the most powerful person earth." ....Insight from The Daily Show, interlaced with news talk clips:
Think i'll sit back and open the popcorn - i keep on placing the fingers over my eyes - seems like a Comedic Horror film! Be afraid! Be very afraid!
Hardly the most surprising news in the world, I know, given their similar views on things like abortion, but Nadine Dorries has expressed her support for Sarah Palin as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate. I wouldn't normally comment on our Nad's eccentric opinions, but a couple of things about this posting struck me. Firstly, she accuses people criticising Palin of indulging in 'misogynistic bile'. Now, I don't know what websites she's been looking at, but in the reaction I've seen, I haven't seen anyone commenting that Palin would be unsuitable as the Veep because she's a woman. The questions I've ...
With the government assigning 'Green taxes' on motorists one must be a little pleased that the price of a barrel of oil is slipping. Having paid road Road tax today which is a massive 13% more than it was six months ago one must think that the Labour Government is really cashing in on members of the public. People should use public transport more . Walk and cycle. But when there is no public transport in rural West Wales . Unless one bus per week counts. On the plus side the price of unleaded has become down from 117.9 ltr ...
As trailed by Lib Dem Voice last week (but missed by us yesterday: sorry) the I'm4Ros site has gone live today - you can find it here. We will, of course, cover the party president campaign launches of any other candidates as they occur. Or should that be if they occur. As yet, there's no [...]
Massed hordes: Woe! Recession, housing crisis, rising fuel prices: they pain us, Government: Right. Here is a fairly large sticking plaster to help with the hurt. Sorry, it's not quite big enough to cover the entire wound. Massed Hordes: Thanks, the pain is lessened a little, but we're still sore. Government: It's the least we could do - [...]
Two years ago I wrote about one of my favourite films: Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol from 1948. One of the remarkable things about it is the performance Reed drew from the eight-year-old Bobby Henrey. The whole film appears to be on Youtube if you look, but this clip gives a taste of it. As the article quoted in my earlier post said, when Henrey grew up spent his career as an accountant in America, before retiring to work as a hospital chaplain in Greenwich Village. If you visit the Film Forum Podcasts site you can listen to a recording ...
You know it, I know it, hell, even Norman Lamont knows it: introducing a stamp duty holiday will not help the housing market to recover. A stamp duty holiday was introduced by Lamont during the Tory recession of the early 1990s. He was quoted on Channel 4 News tonight as saying that it had precious little impact. Stumbling and Mumbling points out that if anything, it probably had a negative impact. And as Nick Clegg pointed out today, the package is designed as a bribe to get people to enter the market when prices are falling. Why should anyone be ...
Kiron Reid, my friend and fellow Liberator collective member, has an article on Comment is Free today. He talks about a report by the think tank Reform that suggests the "have a go hero" is rarer in Britain today than other European countries. He writes: The policy paper highlights a truth that many politicians do not want to admit - that the government and politicians cannot tackle crime; that it is local people, the police and local agencies working together that can.Initiatives like the Community Justice Centre presided over by Judge David Fletcher are showing the community that the system ...
In its only a bit of fun, as they say, but I did a quick tally on where Yorkshire would appear on the table of medals won per million population at the Beijing Olympics (www.swivel.com/graphs/show/29429895). That's eight medals and a population of around 4.96 million. Which places us an excellent 11th! I was very pleased [...]
Tue 2nd
19:28
****WARNING**** Contains an extreme expletive repeated over and over again!!!! Not for the feint hea...
This could be the next most powerful man in the world. First here's the Guardian report with the expletive asterisked to protect the innocent: (Cliff) Schecter unearthed another unpleasant incident from 1992 in which McCain, tired after a long day's campaign, reacted badly to his wife Cindy teasing him about his baldness. 'At least I don't plaster on the make-up like a trollop, you ****', (the
Off to Parliament for meetings. First one is with the Chair and the Policy Officer for the Policy Working Group on the new Liberal Democrat Youth Policy paper. First time of the three of us meeting - and just setting the tone and the ambition, discussing the collection of evidence and our consultation plans. So - that's kicked off and should come to Conference in Autumn '09. Then the Equalities and Human Rights Commission came to film an interview with me asking two questions: what does equality mean to you and what makes you unique? If you want to see ...
Update: Now it's FIVE! ARG Poll: Obama Leads By Six Points MSNBC's First Read says that the Palin episode has taken the focus off Obama: It seems like it's been a month -- though it's been just a few days -- that the RNC or McCain hasn't had a sustained attack on the Illinois Democrat. As we've learned this summer, when this campaign is about Obama, the race is a lot closer than when it's not
Yesterday, I asked you which mysterious world leader or politician it was who it was who had decided to return billions of dollars to the people to take it out of the hands of corrupt Government officials and allow parents to control their own children's education. The rather surprising answer is Muammar al-Gaddafi, dictatorial ruler of Libya since 1969. Who would have thought it!
The organisers of this year's Lib Dem Blog of the Year Awards have made a late addition to the line up of gongs. There will now be an additional prize in the category of 'taking yourself far too seriously except when someone criticises you when you claim to be trying to be funny'.
After three weeks on the road, and the excitement of the campaign launch yesterday, this morning it was time to knuckle down to some extreme admin, priority being given to finalising the diary for Party Conference. It has all become more problematic as the years go by. Organisations wanting you to speak at events are usually pretty good at getting their bids in early, so these form fixed points in the diary. Then you add in the "must-do" bits of the main agenda. From then on its like trying to do a rubik cube - literally dozens of invitations to ...
Olly Kendall is a former deputy of press and briefings for Lib Dem MP Charles Kennedy and writes for Comment is free. He is a man. Olly Grender is a former Director of Communications for the Liberal Democrats and appears regularly on Newsnight. She is a woman. I do hope that helps. ;-)
This afternoon, someone from Darlington Partnership, acting on behalf of Darlington Football Club, emailed me the poster above, asking me to display it in my business. Ok, it advertises three upcoming fixtures and they need all the support they can get, but what's at the top of the poster? Cut price, "Happy Hour" booze for a total of three hours before and after each match. Now, the drinks
Quick advert: I'll be doing an interview just after 10:30pm on Wednesday night as part of their party conference special.
{Lembit Opik} Exactly 24 hours since Ros Scott launched her campaign and still no sign of the Lembit bandwagon. There is, however, a domain name which appears on google.
My whimsical adventures in the world of advertising were unfortunately not my only observational distraction on my way to Essex. What I saw on the other side of London put me in mind of that classic Bartletism; "Is it possible to be utterly shocked and yet not surprised at all?" It all started at Chelmsford, where for some reason there was a delay after the train doors closed. A boy of about
So if house prices are related to the amount of money people can borrow, guess what will happen when First Time Buyers are given 30% of the value of a New Build Home to use as a deposit? Go on, guess. Here's my guess. The first is that relative to Second Hand homes, New Build Homes will be worth about.. hmm.. 30% more than their second hand equivilants. In effect, second hand homes - especially those in a range to appeal to First Time Buyers - are going to need to be on average 30% cheaper to compete with New ...
I've just completed the writing of my MA Dissertation, on developments in Lib Dem constitutional reform policy, and my research included reading Simon Hughes' chapter on the Constitution in "Britain After Blair". Hughes puts a number of proposals forward, including some that deviate from party policy, but the one on creating gender balance in parliament struck me as perhaps the most interesting. Under Hughes' proposals the Lib Dems would push for multi-member constituencies, and institute a statutory requirement to elect an equal number of men and women in each, either through STV, or by electing the best-supported woman and man ...
Muslim's in Kashmir are under attack from Hindu Soldiers that have come from India according to news reports that i have read and heard. Many people are being killed but it is still small numbers but it is growing. A large group of people are set to gather in Nelson Town Centre today outside the Town Hall, to hold a demonstration to send a message via the media to the Government, that we want them to speak out about this vicious attacks that are taking place. Mr £26K Karim has said that he is, allegedly doing all he can in ...
The Government has axed stamp duty for homes under £175,000 from the normal £125,000 for the next year. So any one who buys a home in the next year that is less then £175,000 they wont have to pay stamp duty on it phew what a relief i thought people would go into poverty and live in shed's before the Government realised, it just goes to show that Brown is desperate to come out with a Political Comeback. I just hope they can axe Electric and gas bills otherwise people are falling into poverty day by day!
The Conservatives are doing all they can to get the Liberal Democrats on their side by even writing web pages addressed to them. But the Liberal Democrats without any web pages asking the Tory's to join us, have recruited a Tory into our Party. The Post that has all the information can be seen HERE. Can we get any hardcore Conservatives in Pendle joining the Lib Dems... Probably not but we aren't bothered the Conservatives aren't all what they make out to be!
News from St. James' Park is that 'King' Kevin Keegan has left Newcastle United after just 8 months and 23 games in charge. After his words on Saturday, I can't say I'm disappointed. I assume the club's owner Mike Ashley won't be wearing his 'King Kev' shirt anymore, then?
Improving trust in local government is important, and can't be done just by focusing on improving services: that's the verdict of State of trust: How to build better relationships between councils and the public, a new publication from the think-tank Demos and IDeA (the local government Improvement & Development Agency). The report sees trust as underpinning [...]
According to Eurostat, the population of Britain is set to be the largest in the EU by 2060. The population is predicted to be 77m, Germany the current largest country will see their figures fall from 82m to 71m. Good news is also ahead for the UK, we are set to be the most youthful country in the EU. The population of Turkey, an applicant member of the EU since 1987, currently stands at 70m and is more likely to rise as well. Based on these predictions, by 2060 we can expect the UK and Turkey to dominate the EU's ...
I haven't seen anyone else comment on this article, 'The Lib Dems: trying to do too much?', by former Charles Kennedy staffer Olly Kendall from Comment is free on Sunday. So I will. Kendall argues that given current circumstances Nick Clegg and the Party have a difficult task ahead in balancing being seen as a radical voice on civil liberties with the need to appear serious and credible in terms
For God's sake, doesn't any journalist have a sense of humour? First a public rebuke on the BBC for being "pompous" now journalism.co.uk doesn't see the funny side. Any minute now, I'm expecting the National Union of Journalists to issue a press release calling for the government to take action against bloggers issuing death threats to their members. For the last time: it was a joke. It was certainly satirical, in that one of the problems of British journalism these days IS that - due to the pressures of rolling news environments - a lot of the time journalists can ...
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg his wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez are to become a parents for the third time. They said they were "thrilled to bits" to be expecting their third child in February.
The problem is is that they have bought into the whole Labour/Conservative market norms. Take for example the latest edition of `You and yours` on the housing market. There simply wasn't enough depth - no real deep thinking about any other SYSTEMS that could be used except for the trophy Tory Kirsty Allsopp (again) saying not [...]
The Next Twerton Pact will be held on 11th September 6pm at St Michaels Junior School and we hope to see as many local residents as possible there. There will be a report back on the priorities that residents identified at the last meeting and a chance to discuss new ones. Our New Beat Manager Pc 1609 Adrian Secker will be present and it will be a good opportunity...
This piece by brownsox on Daily Kos looks at the hard polling results regarding McCain's choice of Sarah Palin. Hilary supporters, independents, women and men (er..that's everybody then) all are less likely to vote for McCain with Palin on board, and his motives in choosing her are overwhelmingly seen as electoral and short-term. "It's a Hail Mary pass" (that phrase again - we can all be
Tonight there is a meeting of the Rainsough Tenants and Residents Association. There will be a representative of the Police there to talk about crime and anti-social behaviour, so if you are a resident or tenant of Rainsough please come down to the Scout Hut at 7pm and have your say. Rick
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Speaker Pelosi (Democrat) has become the highest ranking american politican to visit Hiroshima. No sittin President, or vice President have ever been to the site, although Jimmy Carter did vist after his term of office
Last night's meeting on congestion charging was very interesting. Once again I was very impressed with the public transport improvement suggested. But once again I was left thinking that it is just plain wrong for the people of Manchester to have to pay again for public transport that they have already paid for through taxation. Of course congestion charging will deter people from driving their cars, which is the type of behavioural change necessary for economic and environmental reasons. But the method proposed is very blunt and absolutely unfair. The "Transport Innovation Fund" of which the congestion charge is part ...
And it couldn't happen to a nicer man!
Add Your Name Below, Like. Surely the best means of channelling that post-Conference zeal, what? Oh yes, oh yes. On the night before polling day, the coolest kids in Laaaandan (and Julian H) will be transformed into lovely little helpers, hopping up the hill to Hampstead. There they will assist star Lib Dem candidate Linda Chung in her by-election fight against the fiendish Nu-Conservalites and the much more evil Damn Bastard British National Party (DBBNP). Now, Reader, you have the unique opportunity of being a cool kid / little helper yourself. Yes, you. Really. Never mind those green cordroys and ...
In the sunshine of the Croatian capital, my thoughts are drawn to the US Presidential race. As the dust begins to settle on John McCain's choice of running mate, it is beginning to look an even more high risk bet than it initially appeared. Mrs. Palin may be a full fledged member of the human race- teenage pregnancy and all- but her terrifying lack of experience and education makes Sen. McCain look frankly reckless. All of the old fears about his maverick personality seem set to be concentrated on this extraordinary choice of running mate. Frankly it simply looks like ...
Well - back from a few days in Southern Spain - bliss! And given the lack of sun on our shores - fantastic to feel the sun beating down on (obviously) sun-screened body! So - back to business. First thing I hear on news is 'leaked' memo from Jacqui Smith about the probably side affects of an economic downturn causing possible increases in crime, terrorism, etc. etc. And the hoo ha that the Tories (to whom it was leaked) were making and the media frenzy over it. Perhaps because normality has seeped back into my bones - all I could ...
ABC News says that about 10 Republican operatives including lawyers, are heading to Alaska for more background work on Gov. Palin. There is an absolutely fascinating article here from Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times on the "process" (or lack of one) of picking Palin: A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday
At a party just before I left for France on holiday I got talking to a group of articulate men in their early forties who all knew each other from their university days when they had been prominent in Tory student politics. You would have thought they would have been happy and upbeat about their party's [...]
I've been invited to a Big Bang Breakfast on Wednesday 10th September to witness via satellite the start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN near Geneva, the world's most powerful particle acce...
Seriously, guys (and it is mostly guys) "jokes" about Bristol's Bristols are not big, and they are not clever. And, you know, if Bristol is pregnant and there's going to be a shotgun wedding, that's not ideal for anyone involved, but it's Bristol's business. While on the one hand it's fitting that Sarah Palin is having to confront the consequences of abstinence-only "education" up close and personal, it's really not cool to pick on a seventeen year old girl. It's not her fault her mother is an arse, after all. And I bet that shitloads of you would not be ...
Despite promise after promise the foot Bridge over the river Avon at the bottom of Fielding's road is still not open. I will asking the Conservative cabinet member who is responsible for this project the following questions for tomorrow nights cabinet meeting. I will let you know his reply and what excuses that he gives. 1) What is the final cost of the repair to the...
A listed building planning application has been submitted by Lidl supermarkets for Internal and external alterations to include the refurbishment of Former Herman Miller Building on the Lower Bristol Road. The application was registered on 4th August and has a decision date of 29th September 2008. The application reference number for this application is 08/02903/LBA if you wish...
A small article in today's Western Mail catches my eye. It records that officials from the Land Registry will be guests of the Farmers' Union of Wales at this month's World Sheepdog Trials at Llandeilo from September 11th to 14th. As a former employee of the Land Registry I am naturally curious and look for the press release on their site. Alas, it is not yet posted but there are a whole series of similar press releases announcing the Land Registry's presence at a number of similar agricultural meetings around the country. The striking thing about all of these press ...
A new guide by travel writer Paul Gogarty has named the Corus steel works at Port Talbot as one of the best places in the UK to watch sunsets. It is on a list that also include the Great Orme at Llandudno, St Ives in Cornwall and Margate Harbour. Mr. Gogarty writes: "The shimmering effect the steel works has on the sunset is simply sensational. Margam Park is the perfect place to pull over and take it all in." I do pass this landmark every day I travel to and from Cardiff and can vouch for it as a spectacular ...
Congratulations to Nick Clegg and his wife, Miriam who are expecting their third child in February. The best possible answer to that GQ article.
Don't sign on the line. After weeks of speculation, causing their own slowdown in the housing market, the government has finally announced changes to the housing market. Houses bought costing less than £175,000 (are any of those left?) will have no stamp duty imposed. But hold the press! Free loans for five years for 'households' earning less than £60,000! (No doubt households translates to families and not individuals.) Nick Clegg's response: "This looks like a hotchpotch of measures thrown together to save Gordon Brown's political skin. "The social housing stock could be increased far more easily by allowing local authorities ...
All of us here at the Voice extend our warmest congratulations to Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, on the news that he and his wife Miriam are expecting their third child in February: Mr Clegg and his wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez said they were "thrilled to bits" to be expecting their third child in February. The [...]
Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam have announced that they are expecting their third child in February. Congratulations to the whole family. Let's hope that he doesn't do a press conference on Local Income Tax the day after the birth eh?
So Sarah Palin has a 17-year-old daughter who's pregnant and unmarried. I agree that this is a private matter and it's been good to see people from across the political spectrum emphasising that. But the difficulty with some Republicans (though not necessarily Ms Palin) is that their policies are dressed up in such conservative moralising rhetoric that intrusion into their family lives becomes easier to justify. Put simply, if a politician does not consider certain things to be "off limits" in terms of law and policy as far as ordinary citizens are concerned, one might wonder why it should be ...
After a short break from blogging over the Summer, with nothing but doom and gloom, depressing headlines on the economy, Gordon Brown, and bad weather, we have some sunshine at last- Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam are expecting a baby, their 3rd child in February. Congratulations.
The campaign team decided some time ago that with nominations for the Party Presidential election opening on September 1st, we would take that earliest opportunity to formally launch the campaign. We were keen not to have a conventional launch with a bunch of people in a room making speeches, so we decided to mark the event by going out to campaign in Kingston constituency with Edward Davey, whose mastery of community campaigning is evidenced by the size of his majority. Before going over the station, I was in Westminster meeting up with members of Liberal Youth and with party researchers ...
The above image is not, as you might think, US troops in Afghanistan or Iraq, it is the police in Richmond County SC. That is military hardware they are sporting, and they seem to like it. They've named it the 'peacemaker', although I suspect they don't get the irony. Elsewhere police are using SWAT teams in fairly [...]
Conference is coming up and people are starting to think about it. There is a poll up on Lib Dem Voice where you can tell the LDV team what you think the purpose of conference is: Poll What's the main point of the Lib Dem party conference? To allow members to play an active role in formulating party policy To socialise and network with like-minded souls To remind ourselves of the importance of the principles we all hold in common To attend numerous speaker/debate/training fringe events (especially those with the best food) None. It's pointless. The dog that doesn't bark ...
Dear Michael, Thanks for your prompt response. You may not be an avid reader of my blog (!) but I put on record my support for Lib Dem proposals to tackle fuel poverty on 1 August. I am glad to be able to point you to our briefing paper at: Liberal%20Democrat%20Proposals%20on%20Fuel%20Poverty.pdf The key ideas here are around the use of [...]
Congratulations to Nick and Miriam.
If you are a registered member of the Liberal Democrat Voice forum - and any paid-up party member is welcome to join - then you now have the opportunity to make your views known on a range of current issues in our September members' survey. It should take no longer than 5-10 minutes to [...]
Over the August bank Holiday weekend, I packed up my troubles in my old kit bad and headed to Thorrington, just outside Clacton, to camp with my aunt's Cub Scout Pack. My aunt usually holds her camp this time of the year and for 15 years (don't I sound old?) I have also gone to help. This year was special because the Scout Group was celebrating 90 years so the Scout Troop also went. On the
Sarah Palin: Have you met my daughter, Bristol? Frankie Howerd: She was well named.
Ok I'd admit it's a convoluted title but last night Lindsay Roy secured the Labour nomination to be their candidate at the Glenrothes by election. While Jeff may have speculated yesterday that fellow blogger Kezia Dugdale was in with a shout. However, personally like Scottish Politics pointed out to Jeff yesterday her place on the short list had nowt to do with gender balance and reeked of tokenism to me. No offence to Kez but I think that local councillor Kay Morrison from the long list would have been a far tougher test for Lindsay Roy. However, Kez did pick ...
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... here's a very silly video: (via theridiculant) Also, a link to some macros on padawanpooh's LJ, comparing McCain and Palin to Tigh and Roslin on BSG. Now McCain as Tigh I can see, because SPOILER! Tigh is an evil Cylon sleeper agent with a hard-on for the military, and hell bent on destroying all humanity, but Palin as Roslin? That's a hell of a compliment to pay Palin, isn't it? I mean, yes, at the beginning, Roslin is inexperienced in command and a little unsure of herself, but she knew damn fine what the job entailed, and she also ...
I posted a few days ago about depression. Linda Jack set up a Facebook group a while back on the issue of mental health for Lib Dems. Can conference reps on Facebook join the group and also contact Linda to sign an amendment (agreed by Norman Lamb!)
It would be wrong to make political capital out of tragedy. But surely if you are a world leader or statesman, or aspire to that role, it would also be wrong to be, as they say, fiddling while Rome burns. So while the RNC is postponed because as John McCain says it is "necessary throughout our convention... to act as Americans, not Republicans" can he answer the question as to why, when Katrina
Only at 24th but considering how new I feel to this particular aspect I'm quite pleased...
After years of campaigning for improved CCTV provision in the West End, I am pleased to report progress has now been achieved, with agreement to provide an additional CCTV unit covering the Sinderins area. At the moment CCTV provision only extends along Perth Road as far as the Roseangle junction and I have over a long period of time received requests from residents and local businesses for the CCTV provision to extend westwards. We have a busy and vibrant district shopping area along Perth Road right up to Sinderins with a significant night-time economy with restaurants, pubs, etc, and having ...
Saturday: It's possible that the strain has finally got to Chancellor Sooty... The first rule of politics is: treat EVERY journalist you meet as a dangerously-feral berserk cat-monster, and every microphone pointed at you as a bazooka loaded with live snakes. What you certainly DON'T do is invite a hack to your Highland Croft for forty-eight hours while you go into your best Victor Meldrew impression! And you don't get to be a Cabinet Minister for eleven years without knowing this. Though what's REALLY astonishing is the Editor of the Grauniad publishing something PLUTONIUM-level radioactive disguised as a LIFESTYLE puff-piece. ...
