It has been, to say the least, a turbulent week on the financial markets. There has been much discussion in the national media of trillions of dollars, worried bankers and a cooling of our national friendship with Iceland. Sometimes it is difficult to get a handle on what it all means for us at the local level. Well, [...]
Well this tory newspaper article is not fooling anyone what its trying to achieve. Lets all look at the negative . Subtely make him look a fool because he has a disability. Wrong time of the month is it journo? Mr. Brown may be surrounded by non-performers and novices but he is not one of them.
I was very pleased to have been able to attend some of the events in the 'Taste of Rye' festival. My family and I particularly enjoyed the Farmers' Market behind the Cinque Ports and the white chocolate and yoghurt cheesecake that was on offer from one of the stallholders - you know who you are! These events [...]
On Thursday evening I attended the networking meeting of the local branch of the Federation of Small Businesses. The week had seen enormous turbulence in the financial markets and it is important for me to hear how local businesses are coping. Whilst I work in the public sector, my parents ran a small family business in St Helens, [...]
This seems to be the time of year for AGMs. Last week I was pleased to be invited to the Sydney Buildings Householders' Association (punctuation derrived from www.sydneybuildings.org.uk) meeting at which accounts werre approved and a new committee elected. We also had quite a discussion about the proposed student accomodation and use of the tow path, both of which were very useful for me and hopefully the householders too. At one point I suggested a community clearup session along the canal; I am still working on that one but hope to be organised before it gets too cold. The Bathwick ...
Commenting on the announcement that cannabis users will face new penalties when the drug is upgraded to Class B in January, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "Today's announcement is more about titillating tabloid newspaper editors than tackling drug abuse. "Increasing penalties for possession will criminalise thousands of people, particularly young people, at a time when cannabis use is falling. "Ministers should heed the advice of their own expert advisory council on drug misuse. Public education works better than flagellation."
I realise that I've written very little recently, but it's not because nothing's been happening. On the contrary, too much has been happening and not all of it political or council business. Amongst other things I've been involved in organising the Fairtrade wine tasting event happening on Friday evening this week at St John's Living Well. It promises to be a fun night and there are still a few
As my Lib Dem colleague Cllr Neil Williams has already blogged, Haringey Council has (or had) £37 million invested in failed Icelandic banks - a fact they managed to keep out of the media fairly successfully, leaving most residents to believe that Haringey hadn't been affected. We found out today that there is one good thing to come of the financial crisis. I have already blogged here, here and here about Haringey Labour's £12 million plans to move the civic centre - well, here's the Labour Leader of the Council in a statement this afternoon: Council Leader Cllr George Meehan ...
The results of this evening's selection meeting to choose a candidate to fight the North Road Ward by-election have been announced on the Darlington and Sedgefield Lib Dems website here.
An eventful weekend: Friday, I celebrated my birthday with my children and close friends; Saturday, my 17 year old son was out with a few friends, as most teenagers do. At Midnight, I opened the door to 2 police officers who informed me that my son was in an ambulance on his way to hospital. In that split second, the shock of what may have happened hits you with great force. The officers quickly reassured me that he was alright - that he'd dislocated his knee, but he and his friends had been attacked by a gang of 12 and ...
Mon 13th
21:57
First it was Gordon Brown, Now It's the Tory Frontbench Who Are Psychologically Flawed
The Daily Mirror writes here about David Cameron's attempts to suss out who is in his Shadow Cabinet would be suitable to run a department should the Tories win power. With "Dave", according to the article, concerned that some of his frontbench might not be up to it, he has allegedly now turned to a psychologist to assess his minions and see which of their number are truly suitable to run department. I'd say, if its true, that this is a bit daft really. Psychologists can play a role to be sure in assessing people's mental states, but I'm sceptical ...
About bloody time: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said that plans to extend terror detention to 42 days will be dropped from the Counter-Terrorism Bill. This is of course great news. But the truth is Parliament should never had capitulated over 28 days in the first place. And it shouldn't have moved up to 14 days. Frankly, if 48 hours was good enough to combat the IRA in the 80s, it is good enough now. There are plenty of other safeguards. A reduction in detention without charge could be a one line private members' bill and one which, if MPs ...
So, 42-days has been thrown out by the Lords, as most of us expected. Its a sad day when you've got to rely on a group of unelected, unaccountable figures to do what the accountable, democratically legitimate representatives should have done anyway. Much credit, however, should go to the Lib Dem peers who have opposed this ridiculous measure consistently and resolutely since it was first mooted, as well as to the array of cross-bench opposition. I should also at this point give some credit to the Tories, who, contrary to my expectations have held the line and continued to oppose ...
Nick described the financial crisis as a "economic 9/11" today in a speech to the IPPR. Considering the events which followed that day in 2001 that's a very bleak thought. Using terror legislation to seize Icelandic investments in the UK in return for Iceland holding our money strikes me as financial warfare. It was for these reasons of abuse that I opposed the extension of detention without charge from 28 to 42 days. The emphasis is now on defending our country at all costs even at the expense of attacking and being pro-active (perhaps not investing in a bank offering ...
Gordon Brown would be totally mad to push ahead with 42 days now that it is has been killed in the Lords. Well we can all hope for some government sanity can't we!?
As the west struggles with the Credit Crunch, there is one country that could be in the position to bail us out. China. The USA has already been taking loans out from them, and they will need more. So the west could be left dependent on China, and China will ask us to keep of the pressure on Human Rights, Tibet, Taiwan, etc. It will be a tragedy to see us once again put money above Freedom. Gordon Brown and his Government are looking strong. Taking over the banks, by buying shares so the banks are held accountable, saying "no" ...
If there is any one thing which symbolises the Union between England and Wales it is the River Severn. It starts as a trickle high up in the Cambrian Mountains in Ceredigion. Through Powys and then into the cities of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester. The Severn is the UK's longest river at 220 miles long and quite a young river at that. (in geological terms). The last great ice sheet (10,000 years ago) blocked its way Northwards from Mid Wales so it spread in a South-Easternly manner to its eventual destination of what is now the Severn Estuary. The Government ...
At the very beginning of "Human Traces," a novel by Sebastian Faulks, is a passage about a boy who causes a dead frog to leap about the room by applying electrodes to its brain. I didn't think that I'd ever be able to apply that tale to my life, but recent efforts by the Council's Environmental Services Department have shown me that I can make use of the dead-frog parable after all. It's remarkable that after many months of utter stasis on any number of local issues, the Department has, in the last few days, had some form of electrode ...
By one of those odd coincidences, yesterday a comment on this blog and a posting on the Traffic newsgroup both pointed me to the Marmalde Skies website: Marmalade Skies is primarily dedicated to British psychedelia of the 1960s, featuring some of the groups and films that appeared during this wonderful period of time. However, on occasion MS will also feature Prog Rock, Folk-Rock, Glam-Rock and any other type of Rock that I fancy (Seaside Rock...Mmmm!) In addition, expect the odd geographical deviation, e.g Australasian Psych. All contributions are welcome. Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy the trip.Hours of fun ...
The Liberal Democrats prove again they are the party for the Environment. Mike German A.M. and Bristol Lib Dem M.P. Steve Webb will meet at the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff. The inquiry group which involves members from both sides of Offa's dyke will look at evidence received, the possibilities of a one day conference on the subject and maybe a trip to see the La Rance barrage and power plant in Brittany Mike German said "The work of the Severn Power inquiry is ready to begin. We have already started to receive written evidence, and a number of groups have ...
Sometimes you have a sudden realisation of a fact. I had one today whilst watching - shamedly - The One Show (I don't mean to watch it. It's the only thing on at 7PM on a monday.)detailing how a Tory Parlimentary Candidate who dabbled in hard right mudslinging waged his own War on Terror on his Labour and Liberal Democrat foes in the election. Funnily enough, my realisation had nothing to do with this. I tend to just ramble on on these blog posts, without really doing anything other than rehash common opinion. So I'm going to do something a ...
People think that running for County Council is hard work and a huge responsibility. Whilst not under estimating the amount of time and responsibility it will be, I have just smiled through very gritted teeth at the person who has managed to loose a school fleece, a school jumper, football socks, almost the entire contents of his pencil case, his lunch box, his mobile phone recharger (at least it's not the phone this time),his wallet, house keys, school pass bus and now insists that the body warmer he brought home after 2 years in his locker is too small to ...
Readers of Lib Dem Voice will well recall the story of Ian Oakely, the Conservative candidate for Watford and Hillingdon councillor*, who appeared in court and pleaded guilty in August to five charges of criminal damage and two of harrasment - LDV covered it here, and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Watford Sal Brinton wrote [...]
Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today called for tax cuts to help hard-pressed families through the financial crisis. The collapse in the banking system is already having an impact on people's everyday lives, with job losses, increased borrowing costs and rising repossessions. As well as providing relief to families, a tax cut would act as a stimulant to consumer...
Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg has warned that the financial crisis could become an "economic 9/11". During a speech to the IPPR think-tank at Canary Wharf, Mr Clegg said that the consequences of the banking crisis could breed conflict and instability and push democracies into narrow nationalism. He said: "In our world, economic strength is power. We...
Yesterday I looked at the impact of the current financial crisis on the Lib Dems, the one party which correctly anticipated the credit crunch and its impact. Inevitably (if frustratingly) much of this will depend on the extent to which the public blames Labour for the mess the UK currently finds itself in, or the [...]
http://www.geminitorbay.co.uk/Article.asp?id=926540 Vote Paignton Sea Scouts, or Mat will sulk. If you actually want an actual reason, go and look at his journal, but seriously? Just go vote. I don't want to have to live with him in a boo if they don't win.
This report from Sky News: Peers voted 309 to 118 to reject a controversial proposal to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge. It only narrowly passed through the House of Commons in June - and was not expected to clear the upper house of Parliament. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will make an emergency statement [...]
My old friend Gareth sent me a link this morning, the Torbay commercial radio station is running a competion in which my old Sea Scout group the 6th Torbay could win a Sea Swift boat. All you have to do is go to their crappy website and vote for them which, y'know, would be really cool. I transferred to the 6th after I met Gareth in my first year at secondary school—I left my coat at their bring and buy and Mum used that as leverage to get me in to them. Given they're one of the best Scout groups ...
Banning things is illiberal, yes? I don't understand why some people find this difficult to grasp. Sometimes you have to decide between liberalism and safety, or liberalism and religion, or the liberty of two different and conflicting groups in order to decide what is MORALLY RIGHT, but morally right and Liberal are NOT synonyms (sadly) and using them as such confuses people into thinking it's possible to ban a book, or a foodstuff, or whatever (because books and foodstuffs are bad and wrong and people must be saved from themselves by having them banned!) and still be completely liberal. It's ...
Another carnival can be found at Observations from Missy's Window, with one of my postings included.
Simon Wright has surveyed pubs across Norwich, and come up with some worrying findings. According to a report in the Norwich Evening News only four in 10 publicans think they'll be running a boozer in five years' time. The piece goes on make clear who carried out the survey, and what Simon thinks about the issue: The survey involving 25 pubs was conducted over the summer by Simon Wright, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman for Norwich South. The report has sparked demands for minimum pricing of alcohol in supermarkets and Mr Wright is also calling for a meeting with licensing minister ...
Another of my columns is up on the New Statesman website: I shall never understand the Labour view on education. You think they would be proud to have a minister who is the son of an immigrant and who spent the first 11 years of his life in care. But Andrew Adonis (born Andreas - his father was a Greek Cypriot) is a hate figure for many in the party.
At Redemption Blues.
The Dundee Forum (www.dundeeforum.co.uk) has e-mailed me today as follows: "Please help ban the internet site littlehooliganz.com which promotes the carrying of knives, mugging old people and carrying baseball bats and fighting. Go to www.littlehooliganz.co.uk - which has been set-up today to counter this vile site." From there you can sign the petition against littlehooliganz.com; you can also read more about concerns about the site in the Daily Telegraph by clicking on the headline above.
This is cool. Noted Science Fiction fan and blogger Paul Krugman has won the Nobel Memorial Prize for economics for studying:the effects of free trade and globalization & the driving forces behind worldwide urbanizationor, in other words, making it fairly clear that imports make us rich, and exports are the boring shite we do to pay for them, something that's fairly well known to anyone that understands Ricardo. Shame that most journalists and politicians don't.
Here's me with our new family puppy, Bunty, and another couple of photos of her!
As Sara reports, more evidence that David Cameron is a hypocrite. Several of my good friends in Watford, and many others besides, have been subjected to a nasty campaign of hate and intimidation for the past three and a half years. Their crime? Showing their support for or standing for the Lib Dems. This campaign was not just a bit of argy-bargy, it was serious, planned and sustained criminal damage, defamation and intimidation. It was a deliberate attempt on the part of a Conservative Parliamentary Candidate to win election by means of intimidation and hate rather than by democratic means. ...
Since Chandila Fernando declared his presidency, debate over the party's ever-declining membership has raged in the Lib Dem blogosphere even more than normal. Mark Littlewood, expanding on Chandila's ideas, wants to replace members with "registered supporters" to reach more people. James Graham doesn't dismiss the value of building up supporters but rejects the idea that we can do without members. And Martin Land suggests separating out local and national members, so you could be a member of your more-autonomous local Lib Dem party without joining the national party. The idea would be to bring in deliverers under a Lib Dem ...
I have received an email from Lembit, as I am backing his Campaign for Party President, telling me that the Ballot has gone out today. With that in mind I would like to just identify his Manifesto in this Post so that members of the Lib Dems Nationwide and especially in Pendle will know what Lembit stands for. Lembit's 5 point Vision: Make Party structures robust enough for government Support the Leader and NEVER compete with his role Ensure our decision-making processes work faster Develop positive membership growth Be a strong voice with Party HQ and the Leadership Liberal Democrats ...
Following Harlequins this year is proving painful. Up to the weekend we had seen brilliant first half displays, to watch it all thrown away in the second half. Press reports said that locker room and training chats were trying to answer this. The game against the Scarlets at the weekend reversed the situation, a poor first half, and a blinding second half. All I can say is, come on boys turn it
On Saturday afternoon, 4 intrepid Scottish Bloggers, myself, Stephen, his blogging partner, Lionel de Livi (a very cute little Livingston FC supporting lion, and Bernard met over coffee (actually Earl Grey for some) with Tavish Scott, newly elected Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader. My first thought was to wonder what on earth it is about lurid pink ties that makes our leaders want to wear them - Nick wore a horrendous one on the leadership Question Time last year and Tavish chose a taking-no-prisoners shade of bubblegum pink on Saturday. It wasn't unpleasant - maybe it's symbolic that subtlety won't be ...
Something of an update from my last post - Labour councillor Alan Stanton has this afternoon called on Labour colleague Charles Adje to resign as the borough's Cabinet member for Finance, over the Ally Pally licence fiasco. He has alerted me to this in a comment on the my last post. Alan's full views are here, but he says: "As anyone who has met Cllr Adje knows, he can be both charming and graceful. In his own and the Borough's interest he should now go gracefully." I don't remember such open dissent within Labour in my time on the Council. ...
In my time working for the party one thing I tried to do was to extend support for smaller parties. The Federal Party does not have the money to throw at every seat across the country without seriously damaging the target seats operation. But so much can be done to help the "black holes" and small parties. One move I made was when Adobe announced that Pagemaker would no longer be developed as a
Last weekend's Any Questions was extraordinarily pleased with itself for having hit the show's sixtieth anniversary. It wasn't a spectacular edition - I'd rather they'd repeated the famous 1955 edition where, due to the 'Fourteen-Day Rule' then preventing discussion of anything too topical, audience and panel revolted when no questions were allowed on Suez and it was taken off the air - but one question intrigued me. Shirley Williams, Harriet Harman and Oliver Letwin each came up with persuasive candidates for the best thing that's changed in the last sixty years, and each was clearly stamped with their philosophical base. ...
Left Picture: The victorious Bristol Speedway team at Swindon: Standing: Semen Vlasov, Jordan Tyrer, Glen Cunningham (team manager), Linus Sundstrom. Kneeling: Mark Simmons, Mark Burrows Right picture: Steve Comer with former Bristol Bulldogs riders, Phil Crump, Brian Woodward, and Bruce Cribb. On Sunday I watched a team bearing the famous Bristol Bulldogs colours get a deserved victory in a four team tournament at Swindon Speedway. The result was Bristol 37 points, Leicester 27, Oxford 22, and Swindon 22. The meeting was held as part of the campaign to bring speedway back to both Bristol and Leicester. Like thousands of others, ...
Disgraced Conservative Parliamentary candidate Ian Oakley was today sentenced to 18 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months at St. Albans Magistrates Court. He was also ordered to pay compensation to those whose property had been damaged. His solicitor had asked for the fact that he had had episodes of mental illness dating back to [...]
Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg will meet retired Gurkhas shortly to pledge to support the Immigration (Discharged Gurkhas) Bill through the House of Commons. The Bill was due to receive its Third Reading in the House of Lords earlier today. In a meeting room in Portcullis House, Nick will join Bahadur Pun and Lachhiman Gurung, retired Victoria Cross holders, Joanna Lumley, campaigner for Gurkha Justice and Lord Lee of Trafford, author of the Bill. He will then sign a pledge to support the Immigration (Discharged Gurkhas) Bill Joanna Lumley and the Gurkha Justice Team will also be writing to all ...
Alex Deane on Conservative Home thinks we are. Let's examine his two pieces of evidence; "1) Nick Clegg defending the principle of tax cuts in the face of an economic downturn 2) Vince Cable telling it like it is vis a vis bad investments from local councils." It is true that tax cuts come with a pledge to 'trim' public spending and it is true that I would reserve judgement on these measures until the details of that 'trim' are in the public domain. However, Keynesian policies tend to be the preserve of the Fabianish left and they do come ...
Howard Taylor's blog caught my eye today. He writes about that dilemma at the heart of ethical trading - we want to buy goods that support developing countries, and yet transporting them to the UK uses many food miles Howard is better placed than most to talk about this - he works in Ethiopia where the economy partly depends on the coffee and roses that find their way onto affluent...
Now he's no longer a credible shadow chancellor, he could be the voice of a child dalek in a new Dr Who story. Dalek E-ton is growing up in a sheltered settlement on Skaro, little understanding the nasty world outside the compound. Dalek E-ton meets Dalek Cam-Rom who pledges allegiance to the little squirt of a metal-clad vengeful abomination. Cam-Ron says he and E-ton will one day rule the universe but E-ton must first learn to count. E-ton finds the new task given to him by Cam-Rom to be very tough and he is delighted one day to discover that ...
On Saturday the Lady Caron, Mister Pinkfish, Mister Stephen and myself sat down in Beanscene across the road from the Scottish Lib Dem conference venue with the new party leader Mister Viking Leader. The other three bloggers were so talkative I couldn't get an word in edgeways although I was dying to ask why he chose to wear an tie honouring the colour of that Westminster based dog. Today however, is a Monday and Mister Stephen is having a stress filled day. So stressed filled indeed that he is unable to decipher his writing for long enough for me to ...
There are various debates going on about Party Membership. James Graham, as astute as ever, has made some telling comments on his blog and has opened up a debate and Mark Littlewood, as usual, has a lot to say on this subject (or any other you care to mention). I'm afraid their discussion rapidly got too academic for poor little ordinary activist me. But I have my own view on this. You see, for a party based, at least in theory, on community activism, we give far too little independence to local parties. My suggestion would be to have two ...
Barack Obama!
On my way back from Derby this weekend, I saw an advertisment board from the train window which read: "Murder, Incest and Cross Dressing" Not something you would normally see on a board. But guess what it was advertising - the Heart of England. Unfortunately by the time all the had been processed in my head and wanted to read further, the train had passed. Suppose it will remain a mystery
Imagine my delight when I saw Vince having an article in the Daily Mail. This is great news and we need to expand this out to Express/Mirror/Sun/Womens magazines etc We need to set out what the new capitalist economic model means. It mustn't be one that hides the REAL value of the economy - we can't live [...]
These are the tabs I have had open for several hours intending to write blog posts referring to them: 1, Quacks on the telleh. Shame on you, Andrew. Three links on this: http://www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/2008/10/11/analyse-thi/ http://endless-psych.livejournal.com/290648.html 2, Healthy cigarettes are apparently not a contradiction in terms. As those of you who know my ongoing battle with the evils of tobacco will know, this is of interest to me (currently off the wagon, having managed a good month on it up till conference) https://e-cig.com/shopping/shopcontent.asp?type=Home As Charlotte Gore speculates, I'm willing to lay money down that they will be banned or taxed/regulated to ...
At the start of last week, Lib Dem Voice emailed the members of our private forum (open to all Lib Dem members) inviting them to take part in a survey, conducted via Liberty Research, asking a number of questions about the current state of British politics, especially as they affect the Lib Dems. Many thanks [...]
My local party - Wolverhampton South West is inviting applications for the selection as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the General Election.
I am just back from listening to Nick Clegg deliver a keynote speech for the IPPR at Clifford Chance, conveniently situated a couple of minutes walk from my office. It was one of those occasions when I came away with a warm glow - YES this is why I am a Liberal Democrat and not a watered down Socialist or Tory. I couldn't fault a word he said, even on tax - the emphasis having changed, even with this morning's audience - to raising taxes for the richest and cutting them for the poorest. Progressive taxation was one of his ...
Singing the Blues - West side Tory
Lets privatise the banks. Hand them over to the workers and savers, remove the protection that they get from the state. In other words mutualise them and set them free. This nationalisation is not a move from private to public ownership, its a move from a state backed cartel to the state. The state is just claiming what [...]
I have almost certainly failed in my quest to read all of the Booker Shortlist by the time they announce the winner tomorrow night. Or at least, I might be able to finish them, if I decided to stop work at my clients and take the rest of the afternoon off..and tomorrow. If I don't go to a PCA Briefing and the PCA Reception at the National Liberal Club with Nick Clegg this evening. If in addition, I didn't undertake the short listing of applications for a Deputy Headship that I need to do as a Governor of a primary ...
When you're in the thick of an election campaign you have to stay focussed if you want to win. This past weekend, like many before, has been spent talking to Party members, writing leaflets and e mails and drafting articles and strangely, despite the frenetic activity, it feels like an oasis of calm and familiarity when I compare it to what's happening out there in what politicians like to call "the real world". The scale of financial crisis is such that people can't really get their heads round it either in terms of the sums of money involved or any ...
What is one to make of Politics and the City, founded by Gavin Whenman's secret girlfriend June Sarpong? I'm tempted to dismiss it as vacuous fluff, but it isn't aimed at me and it has kept going. Is this a quietly succesful tool for engaging women in politics? Will academics be praising it in the year 2050? Glancing at it today, I notice they have launched a new "comedy" series about a ditzy female reporter called Sally Dunn (not relation to Jody we can presume) who "accidentally" becomes an MP after the incumbant has a heart attack and dies when ...
The BBC reports: A Norwegian politician has said she will not seek re-election after running up a large phone bill ringing fortune-tellers at parliament's expense. Saera Khan [not to be confused with Saira Khan, the Apprentice finalist], an MP for the ruling Labour Party, admits calling pay-per-minute fortune-tellers 793 times in one nine-month period, for a total of 133 hours.
The House of Lords is due to vote today on whether to retain the government's 42 day detention without charge provision, contained in the Counter-Terrorism bill. Thankfully, the government will likely lose, as they can't offer peerages to peers. To mark the occasion, Amnesty UK have released this video:
From a purist perspective the free market experiment can be judged to be a success, as we are now seeing the financial system in the process of self regulation; or perhaps self-correction is a more appropriate term. Financial institutions have extended extreme levels of credit with insufficient security; house prices have inflated unsustainably, and there [...]
I have been accused by Julian Harris for being 'illiberal' on a post that was written when a group of Liberal Democrats thought a post that I had written was inappropriate. I accept that the post was a little out of hand and I shouldn't have posted insults like that. But they is a book that is available to buy in the UK called "The Jewel of Medina" which is insulting in every sense to a Muslim as it is a book about the holy Prophet and it is insulting the Holy Prophet. I don't think wanting this book to ...
Nick Clegg has today given a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Reseach at Canary Wharf. The big quote: "Financial crisis may be Economic 9/11" Oh, I agree with this a lot. Nick's argument is that that power and economic strength are related, and there's a danger that might arise from unilateral action that serves petty nationalistic interests which, as we experienced in 9/11, have devastating knock-on consequences. So, is this an 'Economic 9/11'. Well, it is in that it is a catastrophe that's empowering the people guaranteed to make the situation worse a special license to do whatever ...
Mrs Quist senses my bemusement as I stare agog at the party committee elections material that hit my doormat on Friday morning. Along with several thousand other conference delegates I have the onerous duty of picking the right people to sit on the party's key committees and perhaps even enter the House of Lords. But what a choice. Six elections. 85 places to be filled. 161 candidates. 212 pages of manifestos to read. And these are important. With an electorate substantially smaller than a typical local government ward, and a proportional system that minimises wasted votes, my vote could quite ...
Watford's former Conservative parliamentary candidate Ian Oakley is to be sentenced for his campaign of harassment and criminal damage at St. Albans Magistrates Court later today.
Duncan Brack and Ed Randall, authors of the Dictionary of Liberal Thought, have kindly agreed to let us publish extracts on Lib Dem Voice. Before the summer, Conrad Russell; this month Henry George. The entire book is available on Amazon here and can also be bought at the Westminster Bookshop. Henry George 1839-97 Nineteenth-century America's most [...]
Lembit Öpik MP is supporting calls for a curb on super cheap alcohol sales in supermarkets after visiting Wednesfield during a tour as part of his campaign to be the next president of the Liberal Democrats.
The Lib Dem deputy leader and shadow chancellor Vince Cable has penned an article for the Mail looking on the bright side of the current economic crisis. It's worth reading in full if you want to cheer yourselves up on a gloomy Monday morning, but here are some extracts: Today, with the collapse of the vast [...]
Something I've heard a lot today: "Well if we're giving them all this money than it's right that we have a say in how it's spent." *Sigh* Why couldn't I have become an evangelical Socialist? I'd be so happy today. This would be the best day ever. The only problem I'd have is how to spin it to people who might get a little suspicious, but seeing as how everyone's pretty much resigned to mass bank nationalisation I don't think I'd have anything to worry about. My mum used to be like this. If I had to ask her for ...
No...no John. You're supposed to lower expectations, then everyone says you've done a fantastic job afterwards. If you raise expectations.....oh dear...what's the point?
Hooray! The Echo has reverted to carrying two pages of Darlington news in the front half of the paper. I teased them some time ago in this blog here and here about their new, convoluted layout and it's pleasing to report that they appear to agree with me that it just wasn't working. And while I'm on the subject, as my friend Nick Wallis has already pointed out, there's a new kid on the blogging
Cecil Parkinson was the father of the "Big Bang". I remember this point being put to him in an interview once and he agreed, without any obvious concern for a potential paternity suit. So that was...deregulation of the city...let the devil take the hindmost...big bonuses....trebles all round...London rules the world. And how has it ended? I have noticed a lot of ordinary people being worried
Blackburn MP Jack Straw has said that he didn't have a break over the 11 weeks that politicians were on recess on his column for the Lancashire Telegraph. How can he not have had break, when he went on a family holiday, and he also went on official visits to Pakistan, India and many other Countries. If travelling the world isn't a break from parliament for Jack then I don't think they is anything to keep him happy! Maybe we the tax payer should pay for Jack to stay at home every day of the year, without doing any work ...
Although I have a lot of sympathy for local Councils who invested millions of pounds of public money in Icelandic banks in accordance with Government guidelines and then got their fingers burnt, today's Times points out that it is not so black and white in some cases. That is why I believe that each Council needs to be considered on its own merits and government aid given if it is required and only if no fault can be found on the part of the Council concerned. Talking to a friend at the weekend, he pointed out that the credit ratings ...
Like Banquo's ghost the embarrassments and scandals of the Blair government keep coming back to haunt Gordon Brown. This time it is the infamous Ecclestone affair in which, within five months of coming to power, the government announced proposals to exempt formula one from the ban on tobacco advertising. Three weeks earlier Tony Blair had met formula one boss Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), in Downing Street. Ecclestone had donated £1m to Labour in January of that year. Today's Guardian reports that Blair's account of events, that it was a collective decision ...
Amidst all the news that the government has stepped in to save the banks and guarantee saving (at least if you are not a local authority) the poor savers of bankrupt Farepak must be feeling completely left behind. The financial crisis has been caused by irresponsible lending and too many people living beyond their means. The Farepak savers were the responsible people who lived within their means
So, take a bank that's got itself into problems and 'waive' the monopoly rules to allow it to merge with a stronger bank creating a banking giant with dominant market share in savings and mortgages, with a bottomless pit of taxpayer's money available to keep it running no matter what. Next, buy enough shares in those two banks to rig the shareholder vote to make sure it goes through. Finally, sit back and enjoy your 40% share in this new banking monster.
Guest speaker yesterday at Daphna Wizo - a branch of the hugely important Wizo - the modern Jewish women's organisation that supports Israel. Hosted by Stephanie and Simon Kester in Highpoint (a block of flats in Highgate) - where I grew up! It was hugely well attended - I suspect more for the lovely buffet luncheon than coming to hear me - but it was a real pleasure and honour to be invited. After greetings and luncheon I was there to speak about the Liberal Democrat policy on Israel and Palestine. For those who know me of old - they ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference, like Bournemouth, was awash with those bright I'm 4 Ros badges. Conference Reps, from Parliamentarians, to Councillors to activists, wore their badges with pride. While Ros has support in Scotland, Lembit had to send Stephen Kearney, the Henley by-election candidate all the way up north to hand out leaflets for him. LibDig This!
I was out delivering in Cowley Street yesterday. No not the Westminster one, this one is in Buckhaven, Fife and part of the Glenrothes constituency. But yes Lib Dem friends it did have number 4 and they did get the Lib Dem message of Harry Wills posted through their letter box. However, I just loved the timing of the SNP postcard and its message that was going out over the weekend. What the SNP tell you: We have frozen Council Tax. What they failed to mention: At the same time we are asking you local council to do more and ...
My Process Guy blog has been going for just over two years now. For most of that time it has had roughly the same design. So I thought it was about time that I gave it a new look. I've kept the same basic template but refreshed it with some new graphics. I've also adjusted some of the widgets in the right hand column and added the new LibDig widget to the bottom of my posts. I've also refreshed
"Right, we've decided to use Government money..." said the politician. "You mean tax payer's money?" said the economist. "Don't be so reactionary! As I was saying, The Treasury has released funding for us to bail out the banks." "Oh. What for?" "Well to stop them going bankrupt, of course!" "You're such an idiot," said the second politician. "Yes, an idiot," said the first politician. "In fact, today we've decided we're going to buy a controlling interest in RBS and HBOS." "With tax payer's money?" said the economist. "Well of course, idiot. It's the national interest," said the second politician. "What ...
It is unclear what the specifics of the deal will be to recapitalise RBS, HBOS, Barclays and Lloyds TSB. It does look almost certain that more money will be involved than was initially thought and that at least in the case of RBS and HBOS the majority of shares will be ordinary shares, not preference shares. Obviously from the point of view of this blog this will be a good thing but only if the government exercises its power as it should and does appoint board members. This will obviously dismay some but to me it is a matter of ...
