My daughter is no great fan of immunisations. At the moment, she is troubling herself with the number of injections she will need before we go on a safari holiday. Then at the weekend she heard that at 12 years old she will be one of the first to receive the new cervical cancer jab. If [...]
Further to this entry, Shrubby's latest favourite TV show is Mona the Vampire. I am really really glad about this. Unlike the previous favourite (Ben 10), which features a strong, smart, resourceful female character being overshadowed by her boy cousin because he found the Magic Device (and having to rescue him from his own shortcomings all the time), Mona the Vampire doesn't wind me up at all. It reminds me a lot of Rugrats in it's whimsy, and has similarly well-realised characters who actually ARE characters. It has the usual kids' show messages of loyalty and consideration and such, but ...
Even before breakfast I had submitted an amendment to Party Conference. This is to the motion on Housing on Tuesday next week, making the points I referred to in my speech to Council on Wednesday last week and printed on the blog then. I hope that it is taken, not all amendments are, and as I cannot be there, Jacquie Bell, our Parliamentary Candidate for Stockton South will be moving...
I managed to get quite a bit of work done today for the photo ops for conference. Since posting about them last week I've had a few queries about them from people not receiving our bulletins from Cowley St. I'll post up tomorrow the times and date etc on the blog. I can't do it now - not whilst sitting on the train with my station approaching.Some candidates today were invited to photo ops with
I was with the mighty All Blacks on Saturday for their first league game of the season away to Southend - the land of the personalised numberplate. We stayed the night before in the Holiday Inn at Basildon which is in the Festival Leaisure Park - an area known locally as 'Bas Vegas'. It certainly lived down to all my expectations and definitely fulfilled the words of the Glee Club song mentioned in the title of this post. My favourite quote came from the receptionist talking to a customer: Customer: "We're off on holiday next week to the West Country." ...
Hey I'm not worried. It's only a one in 50,000 chance that they will destroy the world. And the machine operator says it's crazy science. So, see you all tomorrow... or not
The short list is out for the Man Booker Prize 2008 and it's rather a surprising one. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Atlantic) The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (Faber & Faber) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (John Murray) The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant (Virago) The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher (Fourth Estate) A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (Hamish Hamilton)I'm a bit surprised that Rushdie's the Enchantress of Florence wasn't in there; it's turned out to be my favourite Rushdie.But I'm not too bothered though as I'd already decided that 'Sea of ...
A groundbreaking study by The Centre For Social Justice reveals the social problems caused by mothers working when there child is aged 0-3 years. The Independent article gives a brief description but the real study is here. The central tenet of this study 'The Next Generation' is to show how Parental deprivation creates problems for the childs Psychological development. Leading to social problems such as alcohol and drug abuse. It also highlights how 30,000 children are waiting for mental health treatment in the UK. The study has the standpoint of asserting that 'Economic Goals Crowd Out the Importance of Nurture'. ...
I celebrated Brazilian National Day today by finishing a long feature article on the country for Diplomat magazine, before repairing to the Ambassador's residence for what is always one of the great lunchtime diplomatic parties of the year. At a time when much of thw world is sullen because of the economic downturn, Brazil is [...]
This is worth watching (below). It is quite a mind-blowing thing to say: No one knows what war is like other than my family. Period. -Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, on the Today Show.
Bloomberg makes an interesting view these days. There was a lot of red on the bottom of the screen tonight. Lots of talk about "bears" and "bottoms". Lehman Brothers was described as a "basket case". Lehman Brothers! But the people ringing the closing bell still smiled.
... from my earlier post about Doctor Who. innerbrat explains that: Dr.Who fandom is in many ways the British equivalent of Star Trek- fans are universally portrayed with in a certain stereotype in the popular media, and that stereotype is always male and never flattering. If you're writing a script in the UK and had a need for a sad, lifeless, mockable geek, you go for the Whovian. Because people are never happy unless they're mocking the Others. Even the News Quiz, bless its little heart, has been known to mock them. Not the Now Show, though. If anyone dared ...
I've got an article in the latest issue of Parliamentary Monitor. Annoyingly you can't read it online without a subscription but if you are going to any of the party conferences you should be able to pick up an issue there. I'm always a little wary of what sub-editors will do to my stuff but I think they got it right here: Think before you speak James Graham calls on Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg to keep things simple and avoid the temptation to think out loud That's how I was feeling last month. After last weekend, it almost sounds ...
Thanks to the hideous incompetence of Haringey council, this former public space on the heavily built-up Archway Road was lost forever last night. The Council's planning committee voted to grant permission for terraced housing here. Decades of incompetence have meant that for years, Haringey Council failed to take action to safeguard this green space in this heavily built-up area. It's hard to believe it could happen. It's a shameful end to a tale of mismanagement going back over twenty years. ...
Now I must hasten to add I've got nothing against Ros Scott. But following an email from her, I took the trouble to look at her website. Wow! Look at all those people supporting her! But you see I have a problem with this. As far as I know the nominations haven't closed. None of these enthusiastic supporters know who the other candidates might be. There are rumours that Lembit O'Pik the Northern Irish / Welsh MP from Newcastle might be standing and who knows who else. Lib Dems are the first to bleat (quite rightly) in elections about people ...
We have a love-hate relationship with bugs. In the same commercial break, you'll see ads for yoghurt full of friendly bacteria, followed by another for a cleaner that promises to kill all known bacteria dead. The growth in anti-bacterial products and the growing use of anti-biotics may make us cleaner and safer today; but there [...]
http://www.hasthelhcdestroyedtheearth.com I am, for the record, willing to bet anyone that wants to take the bet any amount of money that the LHC will not destroy the earth tomorrow. I'm assure by all the scientists I know that it's got no chance of doing so, hence my confidence in offering the bet. ETA: Look at the source code for extra giggles ETA2: lhc_kills_earth set up by karohemd
The story about Telford & Wrekin Council questioning people without children in the town's main park has begun to reach the national press - try the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail. And this video from the Shropshire Star shows the policy in action...
In a speech delivered to the Reform Think-tank today, Nick Clegg called for a radical reform of the NHS, which would see the introduction of co-payments. As I said on the LDV thread on this topic, these proposals seem straightforward, and sensible, and I struggle to understand why there's the opposition to them in some quarters. Currently, we have a system whereby you forfeit NHS treatment if you buy drugs that aren't NICE-approved. Clegg's plan allows for you to buy non-NICE-approved drugs (so long as they have been recommended by a clinician) without forfeiting your NHS care in the areas ...
The Independent reports a speech given by Simon Lebus, chief executive of Cambridge Assessment, to an international conference in the city: Mr Lebus said that, as a result of politicians becoming involved in the design of qualifications, "we have seen the Government ordering the use of calculators in and out of the exams system seven times in the last decade, the introduction and removal of coursework and political engagement at the level of the Secretary of State in the highly technical question of how to set the grade boundary for the new A* at A-level being introduced this month".As he ...
Todays Independent shows an article about a launch of Mens makeup at Selfridges this friday. Each to there own I suppose! I wonder what sort of things will be marketed to us in 2050? A mens lipstick!, a bra for men with big pectorals! or mens high heel shows! You never know what funny things could appear. Fines for working men with a spat of dirt on them in public or the Clean police or Beauty Police (I've just re-read 1984 by George Orwell, thoughtpolice, facecrime and all that carry on) . Just as certain public houses in London don't ...
If Labour and those reknowned Authorities on "Terror" the Tabloids are to be believed, we've all had a very lucky escape: Cunning terrorists have figured out a way to smuggle chemicals onto planes that, once mixed together, form a powerful explosive capable of blowing the plane up. Of course, it's a load of bollocks. It's like some terrible, contrived plot of some B disaster movie. Yet, here we are, 2008, and there are very real, very inescapable and very unsubtle restrictions on people travelling by plane as a result of this particular 'threat'. Anyone that's been on a plane recently ...
There's little argument now that the situation of Gordon Brown looks at best precarious - no reader of this article will need reminding of the Tories' enormous poll lead, the infighting within the Labour party, or the perilous economic situation in which we find the nation. If Mr. Brown and his party are to avoid [...]
Every so often, for instance in the pub after Federal Policy Committee meetings, in restaurants, or at train stations, Liberal Democrats (some of whom I know personally) come up to me and say something like, "hey Neil, are we any closer to finding our narrative?" I've made a few suggestions (click here). But there may be a better way to find out. It doesn't involve asking me or any other member of the party. That's right. Like all politicians and parties, we Liberal Democrats don't control our own brand. All parties can try to shape their brand and sometimes, they ...
ALDC has produced a "beginners guide" to its Online Goldmine - the campaign resource for its Gold members. The guide gives a step-by-step guide to logging into the Goldmine, and takes members through the various resources that are available. ALDC's Online Goldmine is an extensive "one-stop-shop" for campaign resources, with materials produced by ALDC, the Campaigns Department, Innovations and more. Click here to download the guide (LOG IN as an ALDC member FIRST!).
A headline on the Watford Observer web site proclaims 'Lloyd Webber to look for Dorothy'. A facinating thought! It turns out that the Lord is not seeking Watford's elected Mayor, Dorothy Thornhill, but is contemplating casting the lead figure in The Wizard of Oz in a similar manner as his search for Maria, Joseph and Nancy. [...]
ALDC has launched its Autumn 2008 "training roadshow" which will provide campaign training at a wide range of Regional Conferences and "Kickstart" events during Autumn 2008. The programme features events in Yorkshire, Eastern Region, West Midlands, South Central, London, North West, South East, Devon/Cornwall and East Midlands regions this Autumn - including special "kickstart" events in Yorkshire, London and the flagship weekend in Birmingham. All regional conferences with ALDC will include: - training sessions on planning your campaing and diract mail - advice on campaign plans - information, publications and membership stand. ALDC training at regional conferences is FREE to ...
I know what you're thinking. When I first saw this on Chicken Yoghurt I was convinced it was a hoax, too. It's worthy of Newsbiscuit. Sadly, it turns out to be true. From the Guardian: The government is in talks with ITV about spending almost half a million pounds on a television series aimed at getting people off benefits and back to work, fronted by Jeremy Kyle, the controversial talk show host. A decision to approve a series presented by Kyle, Britain's chief practitioner of so-called 'car crash television', would raise questions about the government's judgment coming after several recent ...
Brown is putting everything he has got in him which isn't much to try and win the party over at the Conference. He knows that if Labour Party members aren't up for keeping him on after the Conference, he might as well wave bye bye to Number 10. Will Brown touch the heart's of Labour members Nationwide or will they shoes touch his Ass as they kick him out of Number 10?
I welcome Nick Clegg's appointment of Meral Ece and Fiyaz Mughal as advisers on race issues. But, we need to remember that engagement is more than having black faces on green or red benches. Politicians who have successfully engaged with ethnic minorities , like Bobby Kennedy and Bill Clinton, did not try to bridge division simply by [...]
Last week, LDV published an article by Christopher Bones, chair of the Lib Dems party reform commission, explaining how he and his colleagues had set about their work, and highlighting the report's key recommendations. Chris also volunteered to answer any questions submitted by members in LDV's forum. A number of you did so, and Chris [...]
Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is never good, and it's worst when the sufferer has young children. You can understand why the mother of a 2 year old might want to do anything it takes to find the money to provide herself with the drugs to extend her life, even for a few months. Those few months might make the difference between her child having memories of her or not. If she is stuck somewhere the NHS does not provide that life extending drug, then she has an awful and cruel choice - she either sells everything she owns ...
Nick Clegg is right to push Tax Cuts. It's simple: 1) It's unexpected, it makes people take notice and reconsider the Lib Dems, not simply writing them off as 'heard it all before, not interested', which brings me to point 2 2) Both Labour and the Tories will never make a loud noise about this policy because they're afraid of drawing attention to it (see point 1), which brings me to point 3 3) They can't really attack it without drawing attention to things they'd rather not have attention drawn to. Make no mistake: It'll be the General Election when ...
Liberal Democrats on Bath and North East Somerset Council have tabled a motion to this week's Council meeting backing the campaign by The Royal British Legion: "Honour the Covenant". The term "military covenant" describes the mutual obligation between the nation, the Armed Forces and each individual service people: an expectation of personal sacrifice and the...
I am, in those odd moments I have to spare, London's Regional Conference Chair. It isn't the most onerous job in the world, especially as I have Flick Rea to do all the tricky administrative jobs. My role is to make decisions for the most part and take a strategic view. I even have a committee to support me, although I'm fairly unused to dealing with such things. The problem is that there is a
I'd heard that there had been a horrific crash on Holloway Road, with a cyclist killed. Now I've just heard that the cyclist was Lisa Pontecorvo. This is sad and shocking news. Lisa is a unique and irreplaceable person. She has always taken a lively interest in the area, and in the process, become something [...]
Today is the day of the great Segway protest. Risking his personal freedom to take a stand on this vital issue of civil liberties, Lembit and a couple of Tories drove a couple of hundred yards on a two wheeled scooter, which a typically understated Lembit described as "the biggest step forward in transportation since the Wright brothers." He forgot to mention that none of the Wright brothers' inventions have ever been allowed on Britain's roads either. The stunt has generated Lembit, and thus the party, a massive amount of publicity. Londonist states "We salute Mr. Opik for bringing this ...
So, what should be made of the news that Osbourne is being liberated from Labour's spending plans? Apart from the obvious gag, "Liberate me from Labour's Spending Plans!!" it does make me wonder just what's going on. Over on Sara Bedford's blog I mentioned that Cameron has no need to placate or otherwise entertain any voices within his party that want the Tories pushed off to the Right. The Tories must maintain the mythical centre ground if they want to keep their opinion poll lead. Cameron, I thought, understood this implicitly (following, as he is, the New Labour rule book) ...
But for once a rather welcome one. Scottish Tory Boy is back and on form!
Joachim - who is the Minister at the Moravian Church has been so kind. When I got back from Spain, I learned that my best friend's father had died and the funeral was yesterday - and I had a long-standing commitment to unveil the new solar panels at the Moravian Church at the same time as the funeral. I managed to move all my other engagements but was really worried about letting people down at the Moravian. However, when my office rang Joachim to explain that I had to go to a funeral and offered a stand-in - Joachim simply ...
I hope by this posting to encourage interest in a subject I believe to be of enormous importance, which I have today proposed for selection as an Urgent Issue for debate at the Lib Dems' Federal Conference in Bournemouth. Satellite images taken in the last couple of weeks show that melting Arctic ice has opened the North-west and North-east passages, evidencing that polar ice may have entered what one eminent environmental scientist has called a "death spiral". Furthermore, a few weeks ago, the University of Alberta reported that not only had the ice shrunk in area but also its thickness ...
Somewhere out there, allegedly, is the sea. This is about the third time I've been to Southport, and I've yet to see the briny stuff across the miles of mud and sand, but there's a sea wall so it must appear sometime. I arrived in Southport yesterday, and with a rather complex journey across the country from Suffolk, was surprised to arrive spot on time. Sometimes our rail companies astound you by working absolutely smoothly and this was one of them. Southport is a seat we've held for years, with a brief glitch, with Ronnie (now Lord) Fearn and John ...
An interesting take from Frank Shaeffer. Following the death of President John McCain from cancer (March 13, 2010) Vice President Sarah Palin was sworn in as President. The following is a partial record of her first cabinet meeting that has been reconstructed from files that survived World War III. Secretary of State Dr. James Dobson: Madame President could you outline your priorities and approach to our Middle Eastern and Israel policy? President Palin: Sure Jim, here's a few points that all us ordinary Americans from small towns know in our hearts are important. Please open your Bibles and follow along. ...
Sarah Palin, it was suggested, was chosen in part to boost the women's vote for the republican ticket. CNN reports, however, that it is actually men who favour Palin more than women.
I feel that the position of our party, and Nick Clegg, is very similar to that of Barack Obama. In the US the Republicans have held the meme for so long that anybody that challenges it audaciously gets called a `socialist` etc. Trying to alter the average voters' mindset is very difficult as it means `changing [...]
Charles Franklin on Pollster.com has an excellent analysis of the post-convention polls. Summary: it's too early to say anything other than there might be a shift downwards in the Obama lead. The much heralded Gallup/USA Today poll showing McCain 10 points ahead is a genuine outlier. It polled likely voters, for one thing, a constiuency which is usually favourable towards the Republicans. A
The Tories appear to be utterly confused over the issue, or at least don't seem to know what their pseudo-left and far-right hands are doing. According to the Guardian at least, the Conservatives have decided not to cut tax, save for their tinkering with inheritance tax and the ridiculous tax breaks for married couples, and their candidates are backing this stance. This article is interesting to me, because, considering previous surveys, and even this one, have reflected the traditional socially conservative and Thatcherite beliefs of the majority of Tory candidates, it seems this does not stretch to tax. I'm amazed ...
Lib Dem Conference: On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | LDV Events | Contribute On the official party website: Conference home | Vote-by-vote coverage Hello Fluffy Friends! Conference is coming and with it lots more opportunities for BLOGGING! Do not think that it is all standing around at the Blogger of the Year awards, sipping champagne and throwing sticky buns [...]
The Liberal Party of Canada (know as 'The Grits' hence the title) have come up with a rather clever idea to help voters keep up to date with the scandals of the Conservative minority government during the Federal Election over there through a wiki called Scandalpedia. From Liberal.ca September 9, 2008 Liberals Launch On-Line Conservative "Scandalpedia" OTTAWA - Today [...]
It is amazing what you hear around the Senedd during recess. I am in today to catch up on work and to hold some meetings around my role as a Commissioner. The latest rumour is that the Welsh Assembly Government's zeal to be as green as possible is going to cost us some money. Apparently, government chauffeurs have been told that they cannot wash the official cars themselves as there is no way to dispose of the soapy water in an environmentally acceptable way. Instead they have to take the cars to a proper car wash, at the additional cost ...
Good to see that Transport for London have now finished their resufacing of the cycle lanes and surrounding area in front of St George's Wharf, Vauxhall. The old surface was very uneven and was breaking up in places.
Bath MP Don Foster will be chairing a summit on alcohol in Bath on Wednesday 24th September. The summit will be looking both at health issues relating to binge drinking, as well as anti-social behaviour issues, and how we can tackle these problems in Bath. Commenting, Don said, "Following a number of meetings I had earlier this year about the situation in Bath, I felt that...
Thought I'd let anyone who was a fan of the imaginary band know, it's back up and running at it's new internet home: http://rumplesongs.blogspot.com/
The Telegraph reports that Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman have been sidelined in MSNBC's overage of the US elections. Both will continue to host their own shows, but have been removed from positions as Anchors, amid fears there are showing too much of a bias towards Obama. Whilst I like news to be as unbiased as possible, in America, this is rarely the case. FOX news spouts its opinionated conservative bile morning, noon and night, and MSNBC was beginning to offer a "liberal" (though really it should be "democratic" because they aren't liberal in the true sense of the word) ...
The White House race is certainly throwing up lots of fascinating aspects, multiplied by the entrance of Sarah Palin into the fray. One of the most interesting and arcane elements of the campaign is that of the "Bridge to Nowhere". CQ Politics has an excellent article on the issue which is worth reading. In essence, the timeline seems to be: -Congress changed the funding arrangement so that
The Cabinet came to Birmingham yesterday, although it is good to get out of the capital it caused chaos in central Birmingham with a fair bit of the area they were meeting sealed off.
Reading yesterday's BBC article reporting that Ed Balls is hinting at the end of the Sats tests, as someone who had to sit them, I think it is long overdue. They are pointless, and put too many kids under too much additional pressure. Already secondary school kids have to go through four straight years of exams, starting with end—of-year exams in summer of Year 10 and the start of much GCSE coursework, Mock GCSE's in November of Year 11, followed by (in some cases) GCSe exams in up to 11 subjects, then A/S levels the next year, then the A2 ...
I meant to blog about Jon Henley's essay in the Guardian the other day about the housing market but didn't get round to it. However, watching the second half of the first part of his TV series on Channel 4 last night has spurred me into action. Generally, I was disappointed with the article and disappointed with the programme. The latter was a very cosy fit with Channel 4's usual output of Housing Porn, only with a guilty edge. The entire programme was spliced together with gorgeous aerial views of housing estates and London skylines. When Henley visited a £40m ...
Liberal Democrat Councillors on Redcar and Cleveland Council have expressed dismay at the loss of the Council's Four Star Excellent Status following the latest Audit Commission Comprehensive Performance Assessment. The previous Lib Dem led Coalition worked its heart out for four long years to progress the Council from Two Star ordinary to Four Star Excellent and in 16 short months the new administration has dragged us back down again. "I am dismayed at this performance. It is like being relegated from the Local Government Premier League. With the huge amount of Council Tax that local people have to pay the ...
As local councillors, we supported residents of Hanover House, St Georges Wharf, over their concerns that advertising hoardings on the side of Brunswick House did not have valid planning permission and was blocking the views for some residents. The council took enforcement action and the scaffolding which held the signs up are now coming down.
After a sombre start to the week at Priory Meadow, there was fabulous news and much celebration last Thursday. The independent experts charged with reviewing the decision of the Primary Care Trusts about local maternity care backed the Save the DGH and Hands Off the Conquest campaigners, and have put the kibosh on a one site [...]
Yeah last Wesdnesday he told us he was taking a break but now he's back looks like a long, lost weekend to me. Here is my ode (the radio version) to STB, apologies to Lloyd Cole and his excellent Lost Weekend. It took a long weekend in a flat in Edinburgh Staring in space in a single room And the sickest joke was the price of the laptop Are you blogging at me now may I please blog along with you This morning I woke up from a deep unquiet sleep With ashtray clothes and missed my laptops screen With ...
The ability of the leadership of my party to shoot itself in - or, probably, near - the foot is extraordinary, and that arch-transgressor Lembit Opik is at it again today. In an interview reported on the BBC website he makes some rather innocuous points about the Segway personal transporter, a motorised scooter for grown-ups, in a rather silly 'protest' outside the House of Commons. Lembit, who holds a responsible position in the party usually reserved for grown-ups, believes the Segway is " flexible, convenient in rural areas as well as large cities - and environmentally friendly". As it may ...
Watch the video below. Seems normal. Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary, talks straight to the camera in a red suit about a terror related trial which just finished. Totally normal. Until you get to about 34 seconds in. Smith says that she is "indebted to the Crown Prosecution Service for their tireless work in bringing these individuals to just". Again, normal as Norman. Good stuff. Then, correct me if I'm wrong (and I might well be) but the next bit is a little sinister. "And I know that they (CPS) will be considering carefully what to do in cases where verdicts ...
Lib Dem Conference: On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | LDV Events | Contribute On the official party website: Conference home | Vote-by-vote coverage It may sound like a strange assertion but our British model of democracy is in danger of becoming, if it is not already, less democratic and accessible than the much-criticised European Union; indeed this [...]
Last night I was leafleting in the ward, catching a few brief and glorious moments of only partially-black skies before the inevitable return of the ever-present rain. We are on the rounds with the new St Mary's Focus this week, so look out for that. Alongside your Focus is a survey, from the Bury South Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Vic D'Albert, on a host of local and national issues which you might want to complete. It asks questions on all sorts, from the congestion charge to criminal justice. And if you fill it in and return it (it's Freepost so ...
According to the Daily Torygraph Telegraph, the Conservatives are planning to quietly drop their pledge to match Labour's spending commitments. David Cameron had originally made the pledge so as to head off attacks about the Conservatives wanting to cut spending and therefore close hospitals and schools. However now the Tories enjoying huge leads in the polls, the Tories [...]
Its been a while since I last blogged. And not much has changed. "Milliband should run - but won't" from April 2007.... now looks like he's ducked his chance for a second time in a row. Begins to look like a habit. Meanwhile, the Evening Standard picked up on my comments on Party Treasurers "Unsung soldiers of democracy" and asked me to write this up for them. Letters page of the Evening Standard - its not yet Guido Fawkes on Newsnight but... Politics is getting interesting again. The US election has been a shot of pure political adrenalin; the fall ...
stephashley_fd posted a link recently to an article on Comedy Central which jokily linked each incarnation of The Doctor with a presidential candidate. It is clear from Steph's post that she thought I would find it amusing, and I suspect that there are many Doctor Who fans who WOULD find it very amusing. I suspect that they fall overwhelmingly into the 2005 and beyond intake, though. Those of us who are fans from the old days spent 16 years getting the piss taken, and (in the case of female fans) being told that we didn't, actually, exist. When the new ...
Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee Agenda Planning Meeting I met with Stuart Gordon-Bullock the chair and Neil Talbot the new policy officer for this committee to discuss items for future meetings and management of the workplan. It was agreed that in the light of residents' concerns about the regeneration of Elizabeth House in Cheam that the [...]
That's what i'm thinking as i'm reading the Ros4President website. I just don't know, it all seems a bit of a beauty contest to me. Why should I vote for Ros above anyone else? In short to quote someone who is a thousand times worse than Ros `As for that President of the Lib Dems talk what [...]
49) David Attenborough, Life in Cold Blood (St Helier: BBC Books, ISBN 9780563539223). This has been my bedside reading since I finished the Thurber a while back. It's the book that accompanies the TV series. The photos are so lovely that they tended to distract me from the text, but that's also quite good and informative. Could have used a better proof-reader in places, though.
In her speech last week, Sarah Palin said of her time as Alaska's governor: While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. I wonder if Alaskan citizens think that they should pay for Sarah Palin to sleep in her own home for more than half of the year?: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights
I am only sorry that I will not be able to join Don Foster MP and some of my fellow Bath Liberal Democrats who are making their final preparations to attend the party's conference in Bournemouth in September. The local party has 10 voting reps who will be heading for the conference which will be held from Saturday 13th to Wednesday 17th September. All Liberal Democrat policies...
You've got to the meeting. Time to find a seat. Some suggest that you sit next to the Chair, but not me. I tend to prefer a seat at the opposite end of the table, so that I have a view of everyone else, the Chair can see me frantically signalling that we need to move on and, if all else fails, I can leave in despair (not really...). Minuting is an art. What you're trying to do is the bureaucratic
I issued a press release yesterday pointing out that the French-owned energy giant EDF Energy has raised prices to its UK customers by 22% so far this year, whilst in France the intervention of the French Government has forced them to keep the rise to a mere 5%. This disparity of treatment raises the question as to what exactly the Government is doing to deal with fuel poverty. As a result of that press release one of my regular contributors reminded me of this blog post from Victoria Winckler of the Bevan Foundation. In it she points out that almost ...
Yesterday saw the launch of a paper by Labour MP Frank Field and Conservative MP Nicholas Soames called Balanced Migration: a new approach to immigration. The duo worked with the anti-immigration campaign group Migrationwatch, so no prizes for guessing that they urged much lower levels of immigration; or 'balanced migration' as they have re-branded it. [...]
I see that the Rugby League Writers Association have decided upon their Player of the Year. Step forward, James Graham, and congratulations, although how he finds the time to hone his prop forward skills between working for Unlock Democracy and writing his acclaimed blog, I don't know.
Many congratulations indeed to all those nominated for this year's "Lib Dem Blog awards". Obviously these awards, being sponsored by the party, focus, quite rightly, on very high quality blogging. But I have noticed a gap in the blogging awards market and, rather than continuing to moan about it, I have decided to do something positive about it. So, I am launching the Liberal Burblings Awards.
Here's how The Times is reporting the story: Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, will set out today why he believes patients should be allowed to pay privately for drugs to "top up" NHS care. The Liberal Democrats will seek to outflank both Labour and the Tories after patients who bought life-extending cancer drugs privately were [...]
A new, free photographic exhibition is running at St Pancras station for the next couple of weeks. Called 'Best of British', it shows iconic press photos from Queen Victoria to our Beijing medal winners. I suppose it's a subtler form of national oneupmanship than having French visitors arrive at Waterloo.... [...]
If you are childless (and haven't borrowed someone else's children for the day), it's best to stay clear of Telford because as the local paper reports: Council staff on the lookout for paedophiles have been ordered to stop and quiz any adults found walking in Telford Town Park without a child, it was revealed today. Anyone who [...]
Further to my earlier blog entry about flooding at the bottom end of Roseangle (click on headline to view), I have now had the following further feedback from the City Council: "The Roads Maintenance inspector for the Roseangle area has confirmed that the gullies in Greenfield Place and outside the shop on Roseangle were all checked (and cleaned if required) by Tayside Contracts last week. The gully outside 22 Roseangle was finally cleaned out at 6am on Friday 5th September following a couple of unsuccessful attempts due to parked cars."
Well - the nominations are in, and the shortlisting done for the 2008 Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year awards. I'm one of the judges again this year - and as ever, pleased to be faced with so many high quality entries to have to choose between (though it would be much quicker if the choices weren't so hard to make!). This year the category up for popular vote is Best Non-Liberal Democrat Blog - so head on over to Liberal Democrat Voice to see the shortlists and vote yourself.
All this week, Lib Dem Voice is publishing the results of our September survey of party members conducted through Liberty Research via our private members' forum. This is the second of our monthly surveys - if you have ideas for future survey questions, please email me at stephen - stephen.hat.libdemvoice.org.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden [...]
The story about single people being stopped and asked why they are in Telford Central Park has not made the national press yet. Perhaps now you see why I prefer to get my news from the Shropshire Star. But several bloggers have picked it up: Borrow a Child to go to Telford Town Park (telford-live.com)Telford tries its hand at facism (Wonko's World)Guilty Until Proven Innocent In Telford... (Why England Needs a Parliament)
This morning's issue of The Times says Nick Clegg is to set out why he believes patients should be allowed to pay privately for drugs to top up their NHS care. Note the way that newspapers now report news before it has happened. Anyway, Nick is quoted as follows: "We cannot continue to deny people the right to top up their care, particularly where they are following their clinician's advice. An extra week of life may not count for much on a bureaucrat's chart. But if you're saying goodbye for ever to your children, it couldn't matter more."A bit melodramatic, ...
Little over a year ago George Osbourne promised that the Conservatives wouldn't make cuts in public expenditure. It was seen as a similar pledge to the one Labour made back in the lead up to 1997 not to increase the level of tax set by the Tories and therefore as a major plank to lure disheartened voters from the other side. Well unlike the political convictions so loved by Gordon Brown or an Iron Lady these Tories are for turning and haven't even had the removal vans turn up to turf Gordon et al out of Downing Street yet, at ...
The PICS team from Cowley Street are once again organising photo opportunities for candidates and campaigners at Bournemouth Conference. Sunday 14th September: 11.30am - 12.30pm Tregonwell Hall, BIC What would the UK look like if the polar ice caps melted? Have your photo taken with Steve Webb MP and a map of what's left of the UK after the floods. Sunday 14th September: 3.30pm-4.30pm Tregonwell Hall, BIC With the cost of basics such as food and fuel rising sharply, inflation is now a big political issue. Have your photo taken with Vince Cable MP and two baskets of groceries, one ...
I am back to bother you with my thoughts on the report of the Bones Commission. I now want to tackle what has proven to be the most controversial aspect of the report. The creation of the Chief Officers Group or COG. The difference between management and governance In looking at the COG and assessing whether it will work as a useful reform to the organisation of the Liberal Democrats and be of
I have to confess that I have not been best pleased with Nick's public musings on tax. I knew this was something we were unlikely to ever agree on, although I hadn't expected it to be elevated to such a defining issue for those of us who regard tax as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. So credit IN SPADES where it is due. Today Nick has announced the appointment of two new advisers, Fiyaz Mughal and Meral Ece. Both are well known in the party, both London councillors, Meral was a candidate in the ...
