For ten years we all complained that Tony Blair thought he was President of the United Kingdom. But today's second-hand story from the new Secretary of State for Jockshire that Scunner Broon himself is "very keen" to join the campaign in Glenrothes is something else entirely; evidence, perhaps, that the Supreme Leader thinks he's running for President. Despite the headlines, what Jim "I'm
I dislike murky waters. I will say no more. No reference to the nice event where I met a lady from Arthritis Care. The local branch meets in St John's Church just off Durham Road on the third Tuesday of the month in the evening, and new people are welcome. My full admiration goes to people who are suffering from problems themselves but put themselves out to organise events for...
Thanks to everyone who voted to advise me of what film I should watch. The results were as follows: Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. I already own copies of Apocalypse Now and Chinatown so I will ensure they both get viewed very soon. There is a seperate issue about whether I should watch the Redux version of the former (has come highly recommended but I'm still sore about the fact that it was released a month after I bought the original version on DVD). Joe Otten ...
So here I am trying to find a page on the internet that includes Vince's plans for the Economy - something that came through by email a couple of days ago. Why? I simply want to put it as reference to a few of my nemesis people on OUTeverywhere. Is there anyone other than me that [...]
There have been a series of articles in the Guardian over the past week that have made it clear that class is still a very real issue and demands a Liberal Democrat response. First, John Harris wrote about the impact of right to buy on Tuesday. Then, Felicity Lawrence wrote about the politics behind Jamie Oliver's new Ministry of Food. Finally, today Jon Henley wrote about smoking, and how people on low incomes remain resistant to attempts to persuade people to kick the habit. It strikes me all these issues are linked. Taking John Harris first, I don't share this ...
RMT members across Scotland are holding 2 24 hour strikes this week, which effectively mucks up the entire week's services for the loss of only a third of the week's pay. I'm normally a fairly fierce critic of unions because I think that in general they do a fairly rubbish job of representing their members, particularly when these members are low paid women - during the nursery nurses' strike of 2004, I felt that the union had let their members down by engaging in a protracted dispute that was always on a hiding to nothing. And don't get me started ...
A song that sums up my awkward teenage years is turned into something simply delightful... I don't know who these people are , but this is just lovely.
Another issue cropped up on my shopping trip yesterday. I was made to feel like a freak when I asked for a size 14 in Topshop. I haven't calmed down since. I was also told they don't stock size 16s in the store. I don't know if this is just Taunton or if it's a national policy but I have just fired off the following email to Topshop. Made me feel better, anyway: "Dear Sir/Madam I am a huge fan of Topshop. I love the vast array of styles and colours at reasonable prices. So fashionable, yet so accessible and ...
Although a member of a Least Concern Species (widespread and abundant), I am plunged in gloom by the news that the latest Red List of Threatened Species (published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature) says at least 25% of the world's mammal species are at risk of extinction. Which is for ever. It is due to loss of habitat, including deforestation, which is the result of our own species' actions. The current financial crisis is as nothing compared with the biodiversity crisis. It is really, really urgent. Time for us to stop breeding like rabbits and give ...
It's been hard work preparing for the visit of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to Chelmsford this Thursday. Preparations have been going on for some weeks, as ideas for places to visit have bounced back and forth. I'm taking him to Tanglewood nursery school, as a great example of the difference that quality pre-school education can make. I am deeply proud of the fantastic work they do there -
There is a problem. It is a serious one. It is the number of PPCs that are walking away, sometimes from key constituencies, often leaving bitterness and anger behind. Mark Valladares has posted on his blog about it today, but from my experience the real underlying problems aren't mentioned in his posting. Now, dear reader, if you are an officer or senior councillor in a constituency where this
It's been an eventful week for me. Last Sunday I was still officially a lucky escaper of the credit crunch. The lucky co-owner of an unwanted, brand spanking new flat (notice how I have reverted to "flat" - as opposed to apartment - as the credit crunch has set in), we were all set to sell the thing to some bloke. We weren't likely to make any money (oh how naive I was back in April), but we weren't likely to lose anything (well, very much) either and wanted to sell up as quickly as possible so we could afford ...
The BBC reports: An "express lane" for pedestrians who want to travel along Edinburgh's Princes Street quickly without being held back by shoppers is being mooted. Tory councillor Jason Rust, said he planned to launch a motion to councillors next month with the idea to help combat "pavement rage".If a Labour or Lib Dem councillor did that, right-wing bloggers would be banging on about the "nanny state".
Superb music, from the eighties!
There aren't so many of us women political bloggers up here in Scotland so I feel a bit of a sense of loss tonight at the news that Kezia Dugdale has decided to stop blogging. She explains her reasons here. I liked her style, I agreed with her on a few things and I found that she always had something orginal and relevant to say. The Scottish blogosphere is dominated by men and nationalists, neither of which are mecessarily bad concepts in themselves, but we need more balance. She showed that it didn't need to be that way and built ...
Although a fairly modest reshuffle, I'm mostly pleased with Nick Clegg's new Shadow Cabinet, announced today. It's good to see Tim Farron back, and now actually in the Shadow Cabinet, in a role that will suit him to a tee. Its also good to see David Heath being asked to lead the privacy consultation. I can't think of too many better people to lead an investigation into civil liberties-related issues. Also, Clegg moving swiftly to fill the Housing portfolio is a good move, as Julia Goldsworthy would have struggled combining two portfolios at the same time. The only disappointment really ...
For once, this isn't about Obama v McCain, but instead the contest to become the next President of the Liberal Democrats. This is not something I've talked about publicly before, mainly because it seemed quite a long way off. But now it's getting towards decision time. I'm going to look at the three candidates in turn. First up, Chandila Fernando. Chandila is not someone I know much about and I suspect most people in the same party are in the same boat. All I know about him is that apparently he's the director of Liberal Vision, a group which seeks ...
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that everyone's favourite grumpy singer (or mine at least) has become one of the (admittedly few) celebrity Millwall fans, joining the likes of Des O'Connor, Danny Baker and... well... er... that's it. Mozza has reportedly been spotted in LA in a Millwall shirt with "Mobster" printed on the back. Not the most successful of teams to support, it is an odd decision, considering he appears to have no link to the area, hailing from Manchester. Though, he did state in my favourite of his solo efforts, Everyday is Like Sunday, that "everyday is silent and ...
Great to see the updated and revamped Dundee Waterfront website being launched - click on headline above to view it.
I met Orlando Jopling in his role as a promoter of a plastic-bag-free Newington Green. And I knew he was a distinguished musician. But I've only just come across another Orlando project - playing Bach cello suites in churches to raise money for their restoration and upkeep. Bach's music was written in and for churches; [...]
Order of the brown nose to be sent in a plain brown envelope to Paul Walter, 9 Acacia Avenue...... Well done to Nick Clegg for bringing back the members of the shadow cabinet who voted for the referendum on the EU Treaty. This is an excellent act of leadership....letting bygones be bygones. All the MPs involved are excellent liberals and I am glad they are back in the shadow cabinet. At the
Just a quick reminder that Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott has agreed to take part in a bloggers' interview this Saturday. It will take place at the Scottish Lib Dem conference in Edinburgh at 3.25pm. The interview is open to any Lib Dem blogger, so if you're planning on being in or near Edinburgh (perhaps on your way to Glenrothes?) this Saturday, why not come along. The only requirement is that you write up the interview on your blog. If you don't have a blog of your own, you could write it up for a site such as Lib ...
The Guardian reports that Nick Clegg has reappointed Alistair Carmichael, Tim Farron and David Heath to the Lib Dem front bench: Carmichael returns to his former Scotland and Northern Ireland brief, while Farron, the former countryside spokesman, will now become environment spokesman David Heath, the former justice spokesman and another EU rebel, returns to lead a commission on privacy in the UK.They are the shadow ministers whom he forced out over their support for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Nick had a difficult hand to play - Lib Dem policy on Europe has been confused ever since Paddy Ashdown ...
Mush Bush? What's that supposed to mean? Hope you can make it out from the above picture. It's a fault on this article, it's now fixed if you visit it. The only definition of mush that could be relevant would be: "A directive given (usually to dogs or a horse) to start moving, or to move faster." George Bush is usually slow to answer a question, especially correctly, although as we've learnt he has made quick, irrational decisions. To say something relevant about the article of course we need to work together. It is sad to see Iceland turning to ...
From TaxProf Blog (oh, the rarefied reaches of the web I explore to feed my Palin-habit!): Jack Bogdanski (Lewis & Clark) & Bryan Camp (Texas Tech) have independently reviewed the tax issues raised by the release of Gov. Palin's 2006 and 2007 tax returns and financial disclosure form, as well as the remarkable opinion letter issued from Washington D.C. tax lawyer Roger M. Olsen. Jack and Bryan
I have been avoiding this blog assiduously for some weeks. I've had a storming head cold and a mental and financial hangover from conference but that really wouldn't normally be any excuse for me to stop writing, quite the opposite. I'd like to say I don't know why I've not been around, exactly, but the truth is, I do. Over the course of Lib Dem Conference, I got to know someone who described me as 'the most utterly sorted person' he had ever met. I was disbelieving, stunned. I may project an aura of confidence and savoir-faire, but underneath I've ...
This is required viewing for all students of the US Elections (below). It's an online documentary on John McCain's role in the Keating scandal. CNN's FactCheck comments: The Verdict: True. McCain did push to delay regulations that would have cracked down on savings-and-loans practices and intervened on Keating's behalf, although he was cleared of wrongdoing in the "Keating Five" case. Cost of
Here he is speaking on 16 August 2007: "Of course we want a very dynamic and successful City of London. But Britain cannot just be the City of London and then 50-odd million people living off the back of those who work in financial services."No wonder Iain Dale thinks he is not up to being Chancellor.
The BurySafe Partnership, in particular the Police and Trading Standards, would like your help generally in preventing doorstep crime (bogus officials and/or rogue traders). Across the borough in the last few days, we have had several doorstep crime incidents; the tactic or modus operandi has been as follows; Water Board Officials - Elderly people have been targeted by individuals posing as bogus officials from the Water Board (actually United Utilities) and in some cases they have displayed fake identification cards. House holders are often distracted when asked to check water pressure or taps and other accomplices enter the property and ...
{kfc-rubbish-0841004.jpg} Working locally I am able to keep an eye on flytipping and litter in and around Alamein ward. The above picture shows some of the problems I regularly encounter. In this case the end of Greenwich Way is being used as an unofficial lorry park and takeway litter, discarded meals ands drink cans are left here afterwards. I have contacted council officers to request the area be cleaned up as soon as possible. I am also supporting my fellow councillor Mike McGarry's campaign to get a proper lorry pasrk in Andover with adequate facilities for drivers. Once such a ...
...Bankers' fright Taken at 18:20 tonight
"You got a lifetime. No more. No less. You got a lifetime." The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. The sadness when people die before their time is far greater than for those who die in old age. Dying in old age is a good thing. The last thing youngsters need is to be supporting millions of cadaverous old people hanging on long after their moment to shuffle of this mortal coil should rightly have arrived. Most people have no great desire to outstay their welcome at the slightly-embarrasing tea-with-the-neighbours that is life, especially as their decendants start yawning and looking meaningfully ...
According to Paul Waugh the County Council and European Election's are going to be held together in June 2008. This would help Brown as he wont have to face a larger humiliation, well that's what the Conservatives think anyway. Lancashire a council controlled by Labour is a Prime Spot for the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives as we this time round have a better chance then ever to take Control of Lancashire County Council. You Can read the Post by Paul Waugh HERE.
Two sad news stories today which will attract very little media coverage but which speak volumes about the declining integrity of democracy in the UK. 1. The entirely expected merging of the 2009 Euro elections and English local elections on a single date. The BBC reports: The government is to press ahead with plans to hold the 2009 [...]
I have to admit, it's been ten years or so since I did criminal law, but I seem to recall that appeals to the Court of Appeal can result in increased sentences, as well as decreased ones. Anyone more up to date than me care to confirm or deny? Because these bastards deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law. They killed someone, and they gave someone else physical and mental scars that will NEVER HEAL, and they still thought it was funny right up until the guilty verdict came back. Their MOTHERS were laughing about it. ...
Tue 7th
17:46
Women parliamentary candidates voting with their feet - is the Party fiddling while Rome burns?
A worrying trend in recent months is the number of good women candidates who have decided to give up the seats they fought so hard to be selected for. A variety of reasons have been given, but one of the hidden reasons is, I believe, the inability of the Party to address the problems which place pressure on candidates, regardless of gender. A number of Local Parties assume that, having selected
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I have today received answers to a number of questions I have recently put to the Council regarding Job Evaluation and Equal Pay. I feel that it is important for staff and everyone involved to be as informed as possible, so here are the questions and answers received from the Council's Director of Personnel today: Question 1: Is it true that appeals are taking place without Union representation, because Union officers are busy advising would-be appellants and do not have capacity to attend appeals that have been scheduled early in the process whilst still dealing with the preliminary stages of ...
Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has re-iterated his support for a hospital in Cardigan after meeting with officers from Eatonfields in Aberaeron last Friday. The meeting, which was also attended by Cardigan County Councillors, Ceredigion's Assembly Member, and the Leader and Chief Executive of Ceredigion County Council, looked at preliminary plans that Eatonfield had put together for the use of their Show Ground site at the top of Cardigan by-pass. After the meeting, local MP Mark Williams said: "No-one can disagree with the fundamental importance and the core principle of sighting a new hospital that this is fit ...
The link is to bailli for the Oldham case where the judge in the Court of first instance and the Court of Appeal (initially) refused a second opinion for innocent parents.
Welsh liberal Democrat leader to be Jenny Randerson and Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne have both criticised the Assemblys draft budget which was publicised this afternoon. Mrs. Randerson said "This draft budget presents a raw deal for local authorities once again. When keeping council tax low is the one way that the WAG can help families during the credit crunch, it's disappointing to see local authorities getting a settlement which is 2% below inflation. "The danger is that local authorities will once again face the impossible choice between cutting services or raising council tax - as a direct result of ...
I'm about as short as Martin Sheen but have an elder brother taller than Abraham Lincoln. It didn't make much difference to who won most of our boyhood wrestling matches, so I'm generally oblivious to height. But the New York Times suggests that voters notice. It seems that taller or fatter candidates beat shorter or leaner candidates on just over a 2:1 ratio. On that trend, Obama will win in November. UPDATE: [...]
I have previously said that I expect Gordon Brown to soldier on until 2010 but that was then Labour was pretty down and out in the polls. The BBC reports that next years local elections will be moved to June 4th to coincide with the European elections. This move has precedent but something about it made me think that maybe all is not as it seems. Labour's 'bounce' is starting to look pretty solid although it appears to be in 'heartland areas'. Incidentally this is bad news for us as if Labour can hold-up it's support in the heartlands then ...
Apparently our democracy means theft is okay when its sanctioned by voters. So I am informed at least. That is utter rubbish. I've never been asked if I am willing to pay taxes, I've been told I must or I will go to gaol. That's not voluntary, that's forced. I have no option to. I cannot [...]
I am truly fed up with the US election. We have no say in who is elected, its frankly insulting to Americans when we shove our oar in and say who they should be voting for. The two candidates are almost equally disturbing. John McCain is an aggressive war mongerer who frankly seems to be bonkers whilst [...]
Earlier this year, at a Liberal International British Group Forum on Pakistan, David Hall-Matthews (from Leeds University) and I gave a fairly pessimistic prognosis about how the country would evolve following Benazir Bhutto's assassination. Some people at the meeting thought we were being unjustifiably gloomy, but recent events have only heightened my concern. Not all [...]
Local Government Minister John Healey has just told the Commons that there will be no local elections in May, they will be in June to coincide with the Euro vote instead. Apparently it is to avoid voter fatigue and to cut costs. I have a real problem with this decision for a number of reasons: - I think democracy is worth paying for. The Government's view that all money must be scrimped and saved is wrong-headed. Sure, let's cut back on un-necessary spending, but it is worth spending a few extra quid on ballot safety, for example. It is also ...
Here are my favourite links for keeping up to date with the US election: Taegan Goodard's Political Wire is superb, for its main page and its breaking news aggregator. This is the first place I go when I do a check on what's happening in the US. In fact, I probably visit this site a bit too often for the good of my health. The Politics Home USA page is also an excellent way to keep abreast of
The Wordle.net bug is catching. Here's Chruchill's "Fight them on the beaches" speech, Shakespeare's "The Seven ages of man", The Beatitudes (Hi Laurence!) and the Gettysburg address. It really is spooky how they come out. The Churchill one even looks warlike!
As Labour have called the Glenrothes by-election for 6 November, the Electoral Commission is recommending that the timetable for all UK Parliamentary elections, including by-elections, be extended to 25 working days. This would bring it in line with the timetable for local government elections. At present, the timetable for Parliamentary by-elections can be as short as 15 working days. The
A recent Lib Dem Voice article which attracted a great deal of comment from LDV readers posed the question, Lib Dems to drop Tuition Fees pledge? Stephen Williams, Lib Dem MP for Bristol West, and the party's shadow secretary of state for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has just posted this comment to the thread, setting [...]
No! First one of Scottish Labour's bloggers has to hand back his red boxes and now another has packed her blog off to the the great server in the sky. Yes Jeff has rather sadly broken the news to the Scottish Blogosphere and beyond that Kezia Dugdale has hung up her blog. Indeed sadly she has also turned her blog readership off from open to readers only which means I'll apologise in advance for all the broken links that has created in my own writing, as I'm not about to go and disable them or look them up in Google's ...
Betsan Powys blogs about the budget this morning and in particular Finance Minister Andrew Davies' description of the pot of money the Assembly receives from the Treasury as the "quantum of resource to deliver public services". That phrase is curiously close to the name of the new James Bond film. Then again, given all the briefings about cuts in funding, maybe 'a quantum of solace' might be a good way to describe the cash available to the Welsh Assembly Government this year.
This is an advertisement recently published by Liverpool PCT. They are keen that as many people as possible are aware of it ******************************************* £20,587 for 3 - 3.5 days per week Liverpool PCT is seeking a Chair of their Liverpool Provider Services Board. Provider Services has a budget of over £84 million p.a. and employs over 2000 staff. They are looking for a professional who has experince of leading a large, complex organisation. You need commitment to the NHS, to live in Liverpool and to be able to demonstrate board room skills such as leadership, governance and a proven record ...
One of the key roles of Chancellor of the Exchequer is to maintain the confidence of those who drive forward the economy. Failure to do that could see extraordinary pressure being placed on the pound and on our financial systems. It is possible that Alistair Darling failed that test yesterday.
Today I've been thinking about Big Brother, the Endemol show that on many channels in many countries. I have not watched it for many years, and with a bit of luck I never will again. But it struck me today that I have never read any philosophical analysis of the nature of life within 'the house' for the hopelessly doomed contestants. Consider: Each contestent, once in the house, is forced into compulsory idleness and a state of absolute dependance on the show's producers, Big Brother and each other. They are occasionally set 'challenges' that dictate what their allowance of food ...
At Parish Council last night, our excellent Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator reported an alarming rise in car thefts in Burbage - 8 in the last month. These are not cars that have been broken into, but where the keys to the vehicle have been snatched from inside the house. People do need to make sure that their keys are kept somewhere well out of sight of any marauding thieves. At the moment high performance and new cars are being targeted. Burbage's proximity to the motorway network does make us a target unfortunately. It only takes five seconds for someone to swipe ...
There are now just four weeks left to the US Presidential Election. Polls are showing it will be close, and Florida is looking to be one of the closest states.
And the headlines are: 1. The Lisbon Treaty rebels are back in favour Back in March, three Lib Dem front-benchers resigned in order to vote against the party whip and in favour of a referendum on Lisbon - but now: > Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) returns to the Northern Ireland and Scotland brief from which he resigned. > [...]
A major survey has concluded that Liberal Democrat education policies are the most popular with teachers, as local Lib Dems prepare for a public meeting on Academies in Hastings. The highly-regarded Times Educational Supplement polled 5,832 teachers asking them about the parties' policies, without telling them which policy belonged to which party. The Lib Dems topped the [...]
I recommend this article by Noam Scheiber from The New Republic on Sarah Palin. It is a very absorbing and beautifully researched story about Sarah Palin's rise in Wasilla. The overall impression is of someone who resents those she sees as of a "higher class" and of "higher intellect", hold grudges, pursues vendettas and is unlikely to change: Kilkenny (a local activist whose email about Palin
Liberal Democrat Voice has offered each of the three candidates for the post of Party President three platforms pieces on LDV during the contest to make their case to party members. How they choose to use these platforms is entirely up to them. Today it's Lembit Öpik's turn. It's intriguing to stand in an all member [...]
Iceland has secured a four thousand million Euro loan from Russia to prop up its foundering economy. Talk of turn-ups for the books. Way back in 1991 when Lithuania unilaterally declared independence from the USSR Iceland was the only nation on earth to offer Lithuania recognition. It got very hostile economic attention from the Soviet authorities, and those of us working for Baltics freedom ran a 'buy Icelandic' campaign to show our support and help cushion Iceland's economy. What kind of political leverage will the Russian heirs to the USSR global position have for this 2008 financial initiative? I still ...
Some success this morning in the struggle with Six Town Housing over the condition of the flat at Sherbourne Court. It is home to a baby (and will soon be home to another), but is riddled with damp which is obviously doing nobody any good. After some increasingly fraught lobbying yesterday, we have managed to get the maintenance visit which was compassionately scheduled for three weeks from now brought forward to tomorrow. That will allow for repairs to be scheduled, which I have asked to be actually carried out urgently. Unfortunately the morning has not been entirely successful. I am ...
Sunday: Who leaked the details of THIS conversation? Well, like Mr Former-Lady-Deputy-Mayor Stephen on the Lib Dem Voice, I hardly think it's a THREE PIPE PROBLEM, Holmes. So it's lovely to know that Master Gideon can, on the one fluffy foot, be SHOCKED and APPALLED that anyone might reveal a private conversation when it's the one where HE makes himself look a total NANA by telling Mr David "Liberal" Laws to defect to the Conservatories, and yet PERFECTLY HAPPY, on the other fluffy foot, to leak the all the gory details when he's doing the dirty on Mr Mandy Mandelbrot. ...
A couple of extracts from an interesting piece on the Time website: staffers are paid to build a web of "neighborhood organizing teams." Each team begins with a volunteer who vows to work 15 to 20 hours per week leading an additional five volunteers, who each promise to manage 8 to 10 precincts. The campaign claims to have some 2,000 "team leaders" covering every neighborhood of the state. They have been busy for weeks already, knocking on doors and dialing phones in search of those 15 additional voters. On the first weekend of September, according to the Obama campaign, this ...
They're at it again! Remember how the Council claimed there were "over 300 stalls" in the Market Spectacular earlier this year, when in fact there were less than 60? Then they said there were "around 100 stalls" at last weekend's first Darlington Food Festival. Well, if 25 is around 100, they were right: but it isn't. Now they say "25000 people visited the Food Festival". If so, there would
Iain Dale admits to being a 'inconsistent libertarian' when it comes to the smoking ban. However, I think in all fairness to Iain he is not the only one who has a problem regarding the specific issue of smoking and liberty. As I have said before I just about came out in favour of the ban because I think there was enough evidence that the public health concerns are genuine and ultimately I was prepared to trade a little of my individual liberty in this instance. Ultimately smokers are usually aware of the risks and it is there decision whether ...
Having abandoned my Barclaycard long ago, I am unfortunately now back in the fold as they have taken over my Morgan Stanley/Goldfish cashback card. So they've cancelled my old card before its expiry and sent me a new one, meaning I'll have to be vigilante for invalidated card details left around the interweb when I want to buy something. I have also had to register for their online serivce in order to easily pay the bill. Now on all previous cards (including the last Barclaycard) the online pay options were as follows: - Pay previous bill in ful - say ...
So , the BBC website wants to illustrate a story about a Qantas airliner which has made an emergency landing. They have a picture on file of a Qantas jet, but how to make it more dramatic? Easy. Crop the picture so you just have the tail section with the distinctive kangaroo and then tilt it so it looks like the jet has crash landed. The only giveaway is the building in the background which also appears to be on a dramatic slope. Get your act together Auntie. (As readers will know, I only use photos here which I have ...
A constituent has created a handy website for people wanting to campaign against the plans for the waste plant at Stalbridge Dock in Garston. Here is the link to the front page. Lots of people have written objection letters already, but hopefully this will help those who haven't time to do lots of their own research, or who feel not quite so confident about creating an objection letter, to produce something. Jonny, the gentleman who created the site, is keen for as many people as possible to know about it so please do pass on the details to anyone you ...
The Post that was causing a lot of trouble on the LibDemBlogs has now been removed. I hope no one has been insulted by it and if they have I would like to apologise.
According to the BBC, the three Lib Dem MPs who voted against Nick Clegg's line on the EU referendum have won back front bench posts. Tim Farron, Alistair Carmichael and David Heath all fell out with the Party line when they were told to abstain on the EU referendum vote but voted in favour of a referendum - alongside 12 of their colleagues. They were forced to resign from the shadow cabinet as a result. With the recent cabinet changes announced by Gordon Brown, this gave Nick Clegg the chance to reshuffle his team. Steve Webb has moved to cover ...
From back in 2002. Of course, its not just money which is given out, but subsidy in the form of infrastructure, regulation, licensing, IP laws, economic intervention, trade restrictions and a whole host of other intervention.
On a depressing news day, the funniest story in today's Grauniad by a long way tells the story of Church of England vicar, 66 year old Rev Peter Mullen and his now-hastily-removed blog. Mullen wrote on his blog: "Let us make it obligatory for homosexuals to have their backsides tattooed with the slogan sodomy can seriously damage your health and their chins with fellatio kills." Apparently, it was a light-hearted joke and some of his best friends are homosexuals. He didn't mean the stuff he wrote about the "agreeable carnage" at the start of the annual Muslim Hajj either. Here's ...
Yesterday saw the FTSE 100 sustain its biggest percentage fall in a single day since 'Black Monday' in 1987. Although the banking crisis is having global repercussions, it has raised questions in our own country about blind faith in markets. Just as in the Thatcher era, the Conservatives won't solve the problems of another Labour [...]
I seem to have set off something of a storm in the blogosphere. Curious, really, as it increasingly seems that my words are being tortured for subtext that doesn't exist. So let's start at the beginning... Originally, I 'called out' Irfan for possible homophobic comments. I wasn't absolutely certain, more the possessor of a sense that his language was, at best, clumsy, and, at worst, offensive.
What do you do when you are the Labour Party and you have no councillors in a London Borough, and are a poor third in both parliamentary constiuencies? Cheat? Deceive? Both of the above! Now you would think that www.suttonlibdems.org.uk would lead you to Sutton Liberal Democrats wouldn't you? But since 6 April 2002 this site has been registered to Carshalton and Wallington Constituency Labour
Yesterday I had a meeting with road engineers from Transport for London and Kingston Council, about improvements to the Hook Road/Elm Road junction. We have been trying to get TfL to do something about this dangerous spot for years, but I'm afraid it has taken a fatal accident to get any action. TfL have now carried out a feasibility study and have come up with some very...
Monday was first day back at Parliament - and outside of the Chancellor's statement on the economic mess - not much else happening. Darling's 'statement' did nothing to calm nerves as far as I could see. He didn't move to secure all savings. He didn't move to encourage interest rates to drop and he didn't move to re-capitalise the banks. So - no wonder the next morning the stock market plummeted. All he could muster was - we will do whatever it takes. Well Alistair - better to be pro-active than re-active. Has he not seen what damage dither causes? ...
Some shocking quotes have come out of the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest as police chiefs attempted to pass the blame for his shooting from themselves to the victim. There were two particularly worrying comments mentioned in the BBC's coverage. Firstly: Last week Det Ch Supt Jon Boutcher told the inquest jury: "I cannot see anything we could have done that would have changed the course of the tragedy of Mr de Menezes." He also admitted he could not rule out someone being killed in a similar situation again. If one of the web applications I support at work went ...
Slate's Sudhir Venkatesh shows it's not all bad news: One thing I've learned is that economic downturns can be boom times for high-end sex workers. Sex workers of the past waited on street corners, outside bars, and around parks, and their transactions were fleeting and usually for a few dollars. Today's high-end sex workers see themselves [...]
Am doing the netcast this morning, in lieu of Douglas, poor baby. So you get an extra dose of ME this week, you lucky, lucky people! Therefore this morning's entry is somewhat rushed... Terrible news: the Tories are using nefarious measures to obtain our bogs! I support Lord Bonkers in his crusade to liberate the commode from the forces of conservatism! Best comment on yesterday's SJA comes from lizbee:Anyway, I am pro-Rani, and pro-Rani's family. Even though we know from Secret Diary of a Call Girl that Rani's dad regularly visits prostitutes. Ahahahahahahahahahahahaaa Am I the only one who thinks ...
It was revealed yesterday by The Sun that Starbucks was wasting 1.6 million litres of water a year in the UK by leaving taps running. Apparently they are now going to turn off the taps which is a relief as it is exactly this kind of big, corporate waste that we all end up having to pay for with higher water rates. I hope that this water was metered and charged for, if not there should be a mechanism for the water companies to reclaim the cost of that wasted water rather than passing it on to the domestic user ...
I'm glad it's not just me, Meral's Musings thinks there is something amiss here too. Please tell me I'm missing a subtlety here but the Black Police Association (BPA) is to not just boycott recruitment of BME officers but to actually use members' money to take out adverts in papers telling potential BME recruits not to apply to the force! Isn't this completely wrong-heading, counter-productive and idiotic? Am I missing something? I heard this first on the Today programme yesterday morning and whilst they were a useful and needed debate about racism in the force, everybody was pussyfooting around the ...
Does having a night off count as achieving work/life balance? Much to my surprise, yesterday evening was clear in the diary and there were no votes expected in the Lords so the evening was mine. A musician friend has a studio in Notting Hill where a group of us meet regularly to sing a Capella; gospel mostly, sixties stuff and other songs which people bring along and we like. I haven't been free to go along for the last 3 months, so when the e mail arrived I was really pleased. We're an eclectic bunch, mostly musicians, the editor of ...
In his first meeting as Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority yesterday, Boris Johnson faced criticism for causing Sir Ian Blair's resignation. Johnson maintained that he had sought the opinion of "a great many" of the MPA's members. However, the majority of MPA members said that they had not been consulted about the Mayor's decision [...]
Saturday evening found us in North Devon, where Nick Harvey had invited Ros to meet some of the members in the Liberal Club in the heart of Barnstaple. Despite the fairly unwelcoming weather, a small but friendly group turned out to talk about the Party and what it is doing. The Club has, on display, a collection of scrapbooks containing press cuttings going back to the time of Jeremy Thorpe,
Sara Bedford raised an interesting point yesterday regarding can consensual sex with an eighteen year old land you on the Sex offenders register. It ties in a little with my post on Friday regarding the SNP's policy proposal to equalise criminalisation for underage consenting teens. We've often heard that our police are overstretched man powerwise. They have to deal with the terrorist threat, knife crime, plus all manner of other eventualities. They are getting tied down with more and more paper work. Now as Sara pointed out it is highly possible for someone in their early to mid 20s to ...
From Atticus in the Sunday Times: William Gladstone's portable lavatory has been bought at auction by antique dealer David Harvey, an Oxfordshire Conservative councillor. He now plans to display the mahogany WC on which the great Victorian leader rested his bottom.Lord Bonkers is already organising a punitive expedition to reclaim it for the forces of Liberalism.
Back in July we reported how Channel 4 attacked Stefan Schumacher after his stage win in this years Tour de France over anomalies and a police intoxication test. Well in retesting of samples by the French Anti-Doping Agency the German along with Italy's Leonardo Piepoli have tested positive for Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator (CERA) and 3rd generation version of erythropoietin (EPO). Italy's Riccardo Ricco had already confessed to using CERA which makes winners of 5 of the 21 stages of this years race now proven drug cheats. While endurance events like the Tour de France are a target for the ...
Mark Valladares' posts about Irfan on the Lib Dem aggregator scared me somewhat. Is he seriously suggesting someone be barred from the aggregator based JUST on this post? Or thrown out out of the Liberal Democrats? I don't know Irfan. From reading his posts, I suspect he is a teenager (correct me if I'm wrong). Certainly, he isn't that practiced at getting his thoughts down on paper? Was he
Saturday: With my Daddies driving off to attend the hetero-life-partnering-event of their friends Mr Peter and Ms Lynsey (hooray!) , I was left being baby-elephant sat by Cuddly Cthulhu (which is fine, 'cos he's normally asleep) and listening to Mr Andrew Yawnsley's "Beyond Belief Westminster". This week's episode: how the Conservatories finally have a UNITED policy about the European Parliament: they want to SPLIT from EVERYBODY ELSE. Now, Conservatory Shadow Secretary of State for Places they Hate, Mr William Vague says they'll resurrect the Lisbon Treaty just to hold a referendum so that people can vote it down all over ...
