Dear Lembit, I wrote an article on Comment is Free last month asking four pointed questions regarding your bid to be Lib Dem President. Today I read you are claiming your opponents are running a "negative campaign" and a "conspiracy of mediocrity." I have to say that speaking personally, although I've been highly critical of your campaign, I've not been involved in any conspiracy. I've been quite open about my concerns about your putative Presidency and at each stage you have had every chance to rebut them. You haven't. Moreover, you are the one who appears to have gone negative ...
I have just been watching Question Time. I thought Geoff Hoon had been performing reasonably even though I didn't necessarily agree with all that he said. But he has just accused Julia Goldsworthy of supporting a "license to murder" because she did not support the appalling plan of the government to keep a record of every email and mobile message every person has made or website visited.Whatever
Voters in Watford's Tudor ward have today made it very clear what they think of Watford Conseravtives' 'it was nothing to do with us guv' stance on the Ian Oakley affair. Excellent Lib Dem candidate Darren Walford held the seat with 50% of the votes cast while the Tory share plummeted by more than 12%. The icing on the cake was that the BNP trailed in fifth place. Given that the Lib Dems hold the vast majority of seats on the council, along with the Mayoralty, an increase in their share of the vote in a by-election held in difficult ...
How to use the Government's proposed Internet Monitoring Tool to make yourself both personally wealthy and powerful. Step Zero: Vote for Labour to get both ID cards and the National Internet Usage Database. Step One: Join the police force. Not only will you have access to people's email records, internet logs and online associations, you'll have a scary uniform, the power to flash blue lights at people and the power of arrest. You can fuck people up. Step Two: Some idiot's speeding in their flash motor. You punch in their car registration number and get their ID and you're in ...
Preparations for "Stand up against Poverty Day" tomorrow. Are you doing anything ? Then a visit to the hospital. Only for a routine screening, but still the problems of getting there. A great search for a parking spot (couldn't fit in with going on the bus as so much else to do before and after), scrabbling around for change - and not loose change either, £2.80 is quite...
I was going to blog a week or so ago about what the next general election could resemble in terms of past elections. I had in mind a rerun of the 1992 and 1997 contests. Both were very different types of election which produced very different results. But I didn't get round to writing it and since then, we have had Gordon Brown striding the world like a modern day Churchill, leading the fight
Mayor's Question Time yesterday at London's City Hall was interrupted twice, by protesters in five different parts of the public gallery. They were calling on the Mayor to ensure a living wage for workers on the London Underground, particularly those employed as cleaners. I'd noticed the young woman sitting next to me, fiddling nervously with [...]
Dear Sir Tel read out an email from me this morning. You can hear it here on iPlayer at 11:28. Over the last couple of years I have sent in a few emails to Our Tel but used my real name. Now I have finally succombed and used a "funny name", like everyone else on the programme. But he read out my real name anyway and I was extremely honoured that he did a genuine "Radio Two link" to a mention for
Hmmmmm. I celebrate the big Five-Oh next Tuesday ,so I'm going to be a bit self-indulgent over the next few days and post stuff about a few personal favourites. To accentuate the alliteration of "Five Days Before Fifty Years" , I'll begin with a Favourite Film - "Frequency" It's underated, perhaps because it's a Science Fiction / Thriller crossover that is really a film about family bonds. It
One of the benefits of the recent Government intervention into the banking system is the reassurance that the practice of irresponsible lending will end. Yet, Government Minister Yvette Cooper tells us that she wants a return to 2007 lending rates as soon as possible. How does she square this circle? Well, banks were irresponsible to lend the money last year because they didn't have the money to lend. Now that they've been handed a £37 billion bailout by the taxpayer, they do have the cash; so hey, let's party again. It's examples like this that illustrate why Government was never ...
The lead story on Sky News earlier: Ed Miliband, the new minister for Climate Change, commits Britain to cutting carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Its second story: PM orders petrol retailers to slash petrol prices. Talk about a lack of joined up Government. Totally dysfunctional would be a more appropriate description.
So much for Gordon Brown's banking intervention. 48 hours after he was hailed a superhero for saving capitalism through the biggest Keynesian intervention in history, the markets are in turmoil again. It's probably unwise to provide a daily commentary with such a volatile market - indeed, as I type I see that shares are rallying in New York - but I sense today, the free marketeers are fighting back. First, the Government are rethinking their idea of banning dividends in the partly nationalised banks. Why they ever thought that private investors would buy into companies that won't pay out dividends ...
Charlotte Gore has kindly offered to destroy socialism for us, explaining that it is wrong for the state to force us to do things that it think are good for us. Who could disagree with that? The question becomes a little muddier when it is not force but taxation, and not what is good for us, but what is good for other people. When libertarians equate taxation with force, it seems to be because
Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader, Tavish Scott MSP, met University of Abertay students at the university this evening. Tavish gave a very interesting talk and there was then an wide-ranging question and answer session. Here's Tavish pictured with LibDem activist and Abertay student Chris Hall.
Nearly three weeks after my Campaign for Gender Balance Inspiration Day and the action points I wrote on the train home are now busily being crossed through with a very satisfying tick next to them. Every conversation I have with anyone of significance is noted and more bullet points are made. Ideas are quickly jotted and the enthusiasm I have held back previously is being unleashed. As I am a council officer I cannot also be a councillor on the same local authority. Therefore I have had to cast my net wider, perhaps giving me a fresh perspective. My ideas ...
The news tonight that a 21 year old soldier has died in Afghanistan sends a shiver down the spine of all of us with sons fighting in that country. Will is the same age, just a couple of weeks into his first tour with the Royal Marines. Yesterday I got his first letter home, full of the sort of stories any father wants to hear (not!), Apparently, while on guard duty, an rpg whizzed over his head,
In a week that's witnessed two seemingly impossible events - a perfect start to the England football team's World Cup campaign; and the partial political rehabilitation of Gordon Brown - today's BBC1 Question Time (10.35 pm) will once again attempt to make sense of the last few weeks' economic turmoil. In the gold corner will be [...]
I've often pondered one of the great universal questions of our time: Who does suffer fools gladly? If I'm a fool, how do I find out who'll be glad to suffer me? If I'm a willing fool sufferer, how do I find them so I can turn my sadness into gladness? Well fear no more. I've decided to go into business with my fool/sufferer dating agency. Visit www.imafool.org.uk if you're a fool, and www.ilovefools.org.uk if you're a fool sufferer and I'll bring you both together. The service is entirely free for fool sufferers, and very reasonably priced at a mere ...
My reasons for supporting Ros Scott are very simple. I've only met her once, when she came to a small party event in Basildon back in 2006. She was warm, witty, intelligent and downright inspirational. I can't think of anyone I'd rather see representing and galvanising our party. If only we could get her on TV every day....
Here's a bit of fun from You Tube, based on the various McCain facial contortions from last nighht's final Presidential debate. As one commentator said, it's "Grumpy Old Man" versus "Cool Hand Luke":
I spent my morning wandering around the streets of one of my local council wards with a local councillor. The aim was to introduce me to the local political scene which he did admirably. On the one hand we are facing a bitter defensive battle against the Conservatives in Leeds North East while on the other there is the tempting prospect of trying to knock over Hilary Benn in Leeds Central. It all seemed rather allegorical to me for the situation we find ourselves in nationally; caught on the one hand by wanting to defend ourselves against the Conservatives resurgence ...
Last night saw the third and final presidential debate between Senators Obama and McCain. The polls suggest the Democratic hopeful emerged the winner with the public (though perhaps not with the now-immortal Joe the Plumber); the pundits are calling it pretty much a draw, which isn't good enough for Senator McCain, who is trailing nationally, [...]
I found an article here by Al Giordano on how the Democrats are organising themselves at the grassroots level. It's interesting stuff for political campaigners anywhere. Here's a sample: Now that Debrah has settled into her role as one of Obama's Toledo Community Directors, she's amazed at the sophistication of the Obama structure. As a Community Director, she oversees three Neighborhood
Thanks to the brilliant lady of Gaian Economics Molly Caito for this cartoon by Polyp on the Friends of the Earth site. The rats are going around and around and around....
Former North Road Independent Councillor Steve Jones, thrown off the Council recently for not bothering to attend any Council meetings for six months, is to stand again in the by-election he caused!! Steve, expelled from the Lib Dems in May 2007 for supporting a BNP candidate in the local elections, must have the hide of a rhino. The cost of this election to the Council is estimated to be
I haven't written much about the ongoing peace talks in Cyprus between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders, simply because I've seen too many false dawns in my lifetime. I was therefore struck how much effort and quiet diplomacy is going into these talks . The two leaders, Christofias and Talat met last Friday, and have agreed to discuss power sharing, and carry on meeting on a weekly basis. Archbishop Desmond Tutu warned: " ..that truth does not automatically heal. It can exacerbate and make worse the anguish. You want a process based on restorative, not retributive justice not seeking ...
The first ever Turkish woman to appear on the Turkish Lira has caused a row. Fatma Aliye, a now obscure Ottoman novelist, has been selected to appear on the 50 Turkish Lira note. Many have criticised the choice saying instead the more famous feminist icon Halide Edip Aduvar who fought alongside Kemal Ataturk, should have been chosen and claiming this is a 'slap in the face to secularists' There are claims that the Islamic-leaning AK party put pressure on the appointed committee of the central bank, to include Fatma Aliye. Aliye is thought to be the first woman in the ...
A sleepless night. I came home from work yesterday to find my cat was missing. Jack is always waiting for me diligently when I arrive home. He still hadn't returned when I came back from my council surgery at eight o'clock. I had some electrical safety work done at home yesterday as part of a new kitchen installation (I'm lucky to be alive, allegedly) and when the kitchen fitter returned this morning, he said he had not seen Jack since yesterday lunchtime. I leafleted the surrounding houses late last night and two neighbours came to tell me this morning they ...
Iain Dale, I mean Total Politics says that Guido's blog is the most read Political blog in the the UK but I don't think he is true. Iain Dale did a post in which he criticizes Political betting and I think he has made a big mistake with that. I read Political betting on a daily basis and clearly can tell that Mike gets more comments on his blog compared to Guido. Comments are just a small percentage of the visitors to a blog, which then is clearly showing Guido and Iain who are all cosy in their right-wing circle ...
Monday afternoon and I was at Portcullis House to take photos of the launch of the petition supporting Lord Lee's bill (read the same day in the Lords) which aims to give Gurkhas who have fought for Britain the right to remain here and become UK citizens. Actress Joanna Lumley is one of the most high profile supporters of the campaign. She was there fort eh launch with Nick Clegg, and I was there
Linda Jack asked the three candidates for president of the Liberal Democrats twenty questions, about their plans and their political views. As someone who hasn't decided how to vote, I found this really useful. [Click here for the answers: Ros Scott, Lembit Opik, Chandila Fernando] Anyway, one of her questions was on what the party's narrative should be. This morning, Linda was kind enough to ask me for my take on their answers. I thought that none of the candidates really provided a Lib Dem narrative. Here is Linda's assessment of their answers to all the questions. My response to ...
I recently asked Mike German a few questions in the run up to the Welsh liberal Democrat leadership contest between kirsty Williams and Jenny Randerson. What is leadership to the Welsh Liberal Democrats and to Mike? Heres mikes answer; Well done Bob. The leadership of the Welsh Liberal Democrats is crucial to the direction of our party and of the country. With a semi proportional voting system our role in the inevitable coalitions which that brings is of enormous significance. The leader sets the tone and direction of our party and plays a crucial role in post election negotiations. We ...
I'm loving this. Protesting in the street is funky enough to overcome my general wedding loathing. Regardless of how unconventional the person, once they meet that special someone, they end up jammed into a fancy frock in a stately home/club someplace. I blame the parents. But perhaps the anti-wedding planners don't go far enough. Why invite anyone at all? Given how much I hate weddings, the
It appears I may have made a monumental error in voting for Ros. In a comment on Duncan Borrowman's blog, the terrible truth is revealed. Both her and her husband LIKE TEA and enjoy making it! Can anyone inform me of the beverage-making proficiencies of the other two candidates? As a caffeine-allergic person, I want someone who can supply me with a nice glass of fruit juice! (oh yes, Mr Graham, I think I have your Golden Dozen grabbing ploys beaten with THIS headline! And with nary a mention of the syntax-deprived one!) Seriously, though, the number of bloggers posting ...
A victory for common sense: A US judge has thrown out a case against God, ruling that because the defendant has no address, legal papers cannot be served. So, after thousands of years of theology, it comes down to a judge in Nebraska. If he isn't omnipresent, that rules out pantheism and panentheism and leaves us with deism and of course atheism, which I can live with.
This is the big week - the week when ballot papers arrive on the doormats of Party members and voting gets underway. Sadly, I've spent the whole week battling a nasty lurgy which appeared on Monday and has lingered on. This morning, I hear of a new report about the bugs lurking invisibly on peoples' hands, and reflect that given the amount of time that I spend on public transport each week, it's a miracle I'm not sick more often. As luck would have it, I had cleared Wednesday and Thursday in my diary, as I had a feeling that ...
Picture from Reuters.
The devil is always in the detail, bank bailouts not excepted. Now there is a row about the terms that illuminates some murky corners of government thinking. BEWARE! NEW STEALTH TAX COMING. Under the current version of the plan most of the taxpayers' money will be in the form of ordinary shares but some (£9bn out of £37bn) will be in the form of redeemable preference shares - effectively a loan with conditions. Conditions include (a) interest set at a penal 12% and, (b) no dividends to be paid on ordinary shares until the preference shares are redeemed (i.e. until ...
Originally uploaded by duncanborrowman Are you backing the winner? Couldn't resist this when I saw it in Great Yarmouth at the weekend. Ros in the lead, with Lembit in hot pursuit, and Chandila just coming into view...
My council colleague and Lib Dem Deputy Leader Richard Wilson has been campaigning to improve safety at a sub-station in his ward. I know, as I took a picture of him there a couple of weeks ago (top right). Quite rightly, the Hornsey Journal today has the story on their website, with a caption, see below. I haven't seen Richard since the Full Council meeting on Monday, but if this really is him, he's clearly been having a very worrying week! ...
The rumour that Brown was going to call a snap election for the 6th of November is seeming to be a white lie, as they is nothing coming from Westminster suggesting this! I think Brown has read these websites that have wrote about the rumour and thought, if the right-wing loonies (Guido and Iain) haven't picked up on it I might as well throw my plan in the bin.
From yesterday: "On service delivery in general, are you able to ensure that public safety will be at the forefront of local authorities' minds, given that some of them, unfortunately, are deciding to turn off the lights? [Laughter.] I mean turning off the lights at night—as is happening in Powys." "Throughout history, there have been a great many people of note whom you might not normally think of as having dyslexia: Albert Einstein, General George Patton, Winston Churchill, Michael Heseltine—and me." No names. Both I believe were tongue in cheek.
Like, it seems, most other Liberal Democrat bloggers, I have voted for Ros Scott in the election for the new party president. Good luck, Ros.
I am pleased to see that our local Children are achieving significantly higher than the national average and South West average for GCSE results including Mathematics and English. Now that the Labour Government have removed the Sat tests for 14 year olds from next year we can look forward to even brighter prospects in the future. The results for 2008 also show an increase...
Commenting on the Annual School Sports Survey figures released today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: "The improvement in the number of pupils doing enough sport a week is welcome, but we can't ignore the fact that nearly three quarters of a million children are still missing out." Don Foster continued, saying: ...
Not a lot of people know this. The price of oil has more than halved in the last three months. Yes, Brent Crude was $145 a barrel at the beginning of July. It is now $71 a barrel. Isn't funny how when the price goes up, the pump rpice goes up quickly, but when the oil price goes down, the prices at the pumps can be rather stubborn in not heading south very quickly.....although fair play to BP
Thanks to LibCync for finding this wee gem - you just wave your mouse around and click. I liked the names and the bridge best. LibDig This!
I was asked to appear on the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 today to talk about the DVLA's general ineptitude and ludicrous heavy-handedness in doling out fines to all and sundry. The radio folks had apparently seen my earlier rants on here about the £40 fine the DVLA mistakenly sent me. Somehow they had not managed to find anyone else equally apoplectic with rage at the DVLA's idiocy, so settled on me. Unfortunately I followed a guest whose dead son had been pursued by them, and who had had to resort to taking a jar of ashes to court ...
I haven't yet had a chance to see it, but the instant polls conducted after last night's final presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain indicate a pretty decisive victory for Obama. Coming on top of victories in the previous two debates and also a win for Joe Biden in the vice-presidential debate against Sarah Palin, that makes it a clean sweep for the Obama ticket in the debates. This was probably John McCain's last chance to swing the terms of the election his way. Having failed to do so, it's difficult to see what he can do to ...
There is no greater sacrifice that a politician can make than to speak at a lunch, yet not have time to eat even a mouthful herself. OK, I exaggerate. But that is exactly what Susan Kramer, LibDem MP for Richmond Park, had to do today when she came to talk to the Kettner Lunch at the National [...]
Conclusions The fourth meeting of BetterBath on 13 October discussed Transforming the Public Spaces in Bath. John Betty and Rhodri Samuel from B&NES introduced the Council's proposed Public Realm and Movement Strategy (PRMS). The discussion demonstrated widespread agreement on the urgent need to reverse the decline in Bath's public realm. Managing movements in the city centre...
An interesting thought from Prof David Byrne writing in yesterday's (Newcastle upon Tyne) Journal. He points out that hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs have been lost over the last few decades in the Greater Tyneside area. Many of these are not just skilled manual jobs but the, "technical expertise of real engineers, which [means] that this was far more a knowledge based place 40 years ago than it is today for all the guff about Science City". He's right about this. He's also right when he goes on to say, "... all the great and the good ... have ...
I have noticed that, beyond the Returning Officer fraternity, there seems to be little sense of how a hustings meeting should work. So here's a handy little guide which might help you... 1. Decide upon your preferred format. 2. Find a neutral chair - if you don't, you'll draw a complaint from anyone who feels that they have been unfairly treated and, guess what, it's your fault. 3. Invite the
Having avidly read my PMQs blogs over the past few weeks I am honoured that the Members of the House of Commons have taken on board my suggestion that they decamp from Parliament, though possibly not to Southwold Pier or a lifeboat off the coast of Iceland. However, this is a golden opportunity to look at whether it makes practical sense to have the seat of government in the centre of congested, expensive London any more. There are numerous reasons to think about this. Parliament is out of date and has never had enough seats for all the MPs. This ...
My friend and Islington councillor Laura Willoughby is swimming the channel this autumn. Or more accurately she is swimming the distance of the Channel by visiting every council swimming pool in London. She's doing this in aid of the spinal injury charity Aspire. She is, impressively, already about half way through having swum in more than 50 of London's pools. She also has a rather nice website
Went to Nightingale School to talk to them about the wonderful project they have taken up - Schools for Africa. This is a charity set up by Sally Keeble (the Labour MP I went to South Africa with last year), who has done lots of work on AIDS. The charity basically gets children here to fill boxes to send to Africa for children there who have nothing. It's not clothes or shoes or money - it's boxes for Christmas that will have things like colouring books, crayon, pencils, some toiletries and make up and some toys. I wrote to all ...
Earlier this morning my grandmother passed away, may she rest in peace.
A rumour swept the political blogosphere last night that former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke is interested in becoming the next Speaker of the House of Commons (a position currently occupied by Michael Martin, and from which he is widely expected to stand down at the next election or sooner). Here's Sky News's Jon Craig: My [...]
Oh dear, it appears that Jeff may be learning an important lesson about political intrigue. When he posted this earlier. Somebody called Kate has pulled him up over the accuracy of some of the comments he posted about Malcolm Chisholm. He has offered to magnanimously post the other side of the tale if it is emailed to him, so no doubt I'll be back there later. Jeff has said in his comments that he highly trusted the person who provided him with such tidbits. However, it is always worth either being able to verify the details from first hand experience ...
As the Liberal Democrats are about to hopefully elect our second woman President (both baronesses), and certainly a woman leader in Wales, all I can say is I hope they know how to make a good cup of tea for the men after a hard night of discussions! This picture from an exhibition of 100 years of Guardian photography shows that in 1973 the Liberal Party knew how to treat women!
Thu 16th
13:03
Day 2846: Government Drops Dead Donkey: You May Resume Flirting By E-Mail (whatever THAT means).
Thursday: Hooray! A small step forwards for our Civil Liberties as the Government offers "consultation" on its scheme to keep a record of every e-mail ever (presumably just in case Osama Bin Liner is either a Nigerian prince with cashflow difficulties, offering to donate one cent towards the treatment of a little baby with heart disease for every forward, or purveyor of the best herbal high on the Internet). PS: Does anyone see a PATTERN developing here?
Wednesday: Hooray! A small step forward for our Civil Liberties er, I mean, kids who would rather learn STUFF than just how to parrot test answers as Mr Frown's Balls cancels the unmitigated failure of tests at fourteen.
Tuesday: Hooray! A small step forwards for our Civil Liberties as the Government shelves plans to hold inquests in secret so that no one can criticise the Minister for (Not) Providing Flack Jackets. Daddy is chuffed!
Monday: Hooray! A small step forwards for our Civil Liberties as the House of Lords Club massively defeats Mr Frown's "Look how butch I am" internment-without-trial plans, and the Government publicly humiliatingly er I mean quietly drop it from their latest Mad Terrorism Bill.
Big thumbs up to the Yorsher Gob for her fisking of the Presidential manifestos (although she refuses to call them that). Read he effort here
At about 5:50 this Thursday morning (yes some of us are up early) I dropped my envelope containing my vote for the Party President into a red, cylindrical box. I don't know it this particular icon of British street furniture is the closest to a Labour MPs office from which such a voting slip is being dispatched but it can't have very many competitors. On this particular Thursday this Earthman got the hang of the voting system, unlike the bottom of Lembit's letter enclosed with the ballot, after all I'm Northern Irish so have to remember when placing a cross ...
... they seem to get cuter.
We had all better learn this simple definition of a Ponzi Scheme. A Ponzi scheme offers a high return to investors using the funds of newcomers to make payments to earlier subscribers, and collapses when the supply of suckers runs out. It is a succinct definition of how a large part of the UK (and indeed world) economy has worked over the last few years.
People should have the right to 'security freeze' their credit records to stop bank accounts and new credit cards being fraudulently opened in their name, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg says. On a visit to Cambridge University where he will meet credit card fraud expert Professor Ross Anderson, Nick Clegg will set out how giving individuals control over who can access their financial history would vastly reduce identity fraud. The system, which is working successfully across the United States, would be a much more effective way of tackling identity theft than the hugely expensive and unworkable ID cards project. Commenting, ...
Ballot paper received and sent off and I plumped for Ros Scott with Lembit in second place. This was a toughie to call as I think, for all his daft antics, Lembit gets a hard time and he is an experienced and committed campaigner. And hey, who wouldn't seek to get personal with a Cheeky Girl, after all... However, I have met Ros and she is extremely personable and supportive of local government in particular - which is my area of interest since its how the mortgage gets paid...Local government is also the wellspring from which all Lib Dem success ...
I have had previous posts (click on headline to view) about the impending celebrations of Blackness Library's Centenary, which takes place next week. We had a very useful update on the arrangements at Tuesday's West End Community Council meeting, and it was stressed that all are welcome to attend the events taking place. Here's an overview of the centenary events : Monday 20th October : Author visit by Frank Rodgers, with P3 & P4 from Blackness Primary School (1.45pm to 2.45pm). Tuesday 21st October : Old Dundee Slide Show with Ian Cranmer (2pm to 3.15pm), and a special viewing of ...
This site is great. Move you mouse around and click...
Dear Glenda Jackson MP, As my Member of Parliament please will you call urgently on the UK Government to lead a review of the economics of biofuels based on the latest evidence before any decision is taken to ratify the EU biofuel targets? Either next month or in December, the Council of Europe is due to ratify EU legislation of its March 2007 resolution to ensure mandatory 10% 'renewable' vehicle fuel penetration by 2020, most of which is expected to come from biofuels (part of the Renewable Energy Directive). I am concerned that since March 2007, several studies have concluded ...
I haz them. With apologies for all those to whom this is old hat, this is the first time I have done this, so I thought I would blog quite comprehensively about it as an exercise in transparency. Before the envelope popped through my door, I was fairly sure I was going to vote Ros 1, Lembit 2, Chandila 3, RON 4. The envelope contains a ballot paper (RON is not an option), a begging letter (this election is costing us money and we know you're skint, but we're skint too, so please please please give us some money! - ...
I've blogged before about our strange attitude to water. We have safe, clean, piped water - a luxury in global terms - but choose to import bottled water from all over the world. And then have to dispose of the bottles. Now Islington Friends of the Earth are launching a bottled water campaign, starting on [...]
We are once again staring into the abyss globally. Why? Because the CEO of Rio Tinto, a mining company, has said he is a little concerned that China's growth rate will slow down. As a result markets are looking nervously at the Chinese economy for signs of a downturn and if there is one they will collectively throw all their paper in the air and run around screaming. Honestly, if your kids said they were playing a game in which you all had to be confident or not confident about the amount of chocolate in the house and the level ...
Liberal Democrats have had an interesting relationship with the government's policy of turning NHS hospitals into 'Foundation Trusts'. When the government first proposed them in 2002, we opposed the legislation in Parliament - so you might expect us to be straightforwardly against them. But in fact the picture is a little more complicated than that - because at the time what we were in fact saying was that the freedoms which the government proposed to give only to Foundation Trust hospitals, in fact ought to be available to all NHS hospitals. And the government's policy is indeed now that pretty ...
Ever since Make it Happen was passed by the Liberal Democrat Conference last month, Nick Clegg has been calling for tax cuts. But that document was drawn up in a very different economic climate, and we have to ask today whether calling for tax cuts is wise or credible. The collapse of the banking system and increasing unemployment are going to put growing pressure on public finances. How are we going to be able to cut taxes in such circumstances? It is likely that, whichever party is in power, the government will have to increase taxes to balance the books. ...
According to the Daily Telegraph the Audit Commission has refused to deny that it has £10 million caught up in Icelandic banks. Just how wide-ranging is this problem?
The new leader of the Scottish Lib Dems, Tavish Scott, is supporting Ros Scott (no relation) as the new party president. Caron's Musings reported yesterday: I thought today, as the ballot papers landed, would be a good time to give you another snippet from the Bloggers' Interview with Tavish.When asked who he was backing for the Party Presidency, he smiled and said "I hope Ros wins."
Following on from my post last night, I can now report that we won the pub quiz last night! As a result we were £37 better off (between 4 of us). It paid for the pizzas and pints last night with some left over. Pity it only covered a tiny bit of yesterday's fall in share values. --- Sent via BlackBerry
Thanks to all the candidates for answering my 20 questions. For me their answers seemed to get under their skins a little more than their manifestos do - a view supported by our own Laurence Boyce, who commented "Thanks Linda. This exercise has been more useful than all the other stuff I have read. And I really like these answers. I'm voting Chandila!" Now, I have to confess that having read Chandila's answers I put him more in Laurence's camp than mine! There is no doubt Simon Hughes is a hard act to follow. He has not only had a ...
It seems that, rather hilariously, Peter Mandleson's has had the responsibility for fighting corruption taken from his ministry and given to Jack Straw. If Brown doesn't trust Mandleson to be 'international anti-corruption champion' then why did he make him a minister? No doubt he's frightened of the laughing stock he'd become if he left Mandleson [...]
This is the stated aim of Charlotte Gore; one might feel that a better place to start would be to destroy the jumble of fears shes assembled and tried to meld together into a haphazard, sometimes MacCarthyite, attack on what she perceives is socialism. One might feel that but of course, to borrow a phrase, I couldn't possibly comment. Let's start with a first assertion; "In the real world, full lassez faire has never been achieved, and nor do I ever imagine it will be. Getting a Government to stop doing anything is practically impossible. Getting a politician to admit ...
I've posted at length before about the Kilburn High Road graffiti mural http://www.signalproject.com/kilburn/ Well, here is another on Kilburn Road - by the Lillie Langtry Pub just next to the Community Centre. The really amazing thing about it is the cultural influence on the design. I can't make my mind up on african, south american - does anyone out there have any tips or leads? The mural is signed off by "Solo One ILC Crew 1999" And it has the best tag line I have seen for a while: "As long as we strive to succeed We will ...
Thanks to Sara for drawing attention to these questions going round the blogosphere about the presidential candidates. I am fairly sure that if these things had been true of Obama, we'd have seen them in numerous Republican attack ads by now - indeed, would he even have made it to being the Democratic nominee? It has a point - now, particularly in terms of marriage, some of these questions would be irrelevant here, but you have to remember that the US is generally much more socially conservative. What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, following the ...
"It's political correctness gone mad": surely one of the overused and meaningless phrases in modern life. Even the BBC have jumped on the "is there too much PC?" bandwagon. My question is different - why is there so little Political Correctness? In many ways PC is just another word for politeness; for treating people as they wish to be treated. In this sense, not calling black people "niggers" or "picaninnies" is politically correct, as is not meeting the Queen with "Yo, bitch!" and not calling an elderly lady "Ethel" when she'd prefer you to address her as "Mrs Dickinson". Where ...
I must admit that I am bored of all the Prescott-Blair stuff. I could not bring myself to read the respective autobiographies of either the former Deputy Prime Minister or the wife of the former PM earlier this year, still less go and see them in Hay-on-Wye. Nevertheless, if this account of a forthcoming BBC programme is anything to go by, it may be worth setting the video recorder for future viewing. BBC2 are to air a programme called Prescott: The Class System And Me to be broadcast on 27 October. In it a fairly frank John Prescott is placed ...
Apologies for the missed Day 4 Blog - work led on to a School Governor's meeting which led on to a campaign strategy meeting and by the time I knew where I was it was the whole day over. Things are really starting to move now and I can't wait for the weekend to be out and feel like I'm really doing something useful and that the faith everyone is placing in me is justified. Tonight we have a Lib Dem Question Time with Nick Clegg and hopefully a chance for another photograph. Hence leaping out of bed earlier than ...
Last May the ballot papers for Scotland listed one party as Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party. Well now that Ego has challenged the politician formerly known as the Tim'rous Beastie to a debate in the Glenrothes constituency. Now I know as well as the next person that by elections are often seen as a snap shot of opinion on the government of the day, even more so when the government is defending the seat. But our system of democracy does not elect a Prime or First Minister directly and a by election is about the people selecting their representative in ...
There's something disturbingly onanistic about enjoying blogging an event while not actually enjoying the event. Still, as it appears to be the only way I can haul myself through a presidential debate, here I am again in the company of the Channel Formerly Known As News 24. Or rather I would be, except my digibox for some reason can't pick up one of the BBC multiplexes so I can only get
It's clear that there are still problems with discrimination (particularly in the Deep South) in America regarding race. I always remember in 2000 when i visited the States and saw the marvellous works of art by Edward Hopper at a special exhibition of African-American art. This was in Cincinnatti, Ohio. Travelling around the mid-west i loved [...]
If you're up for the debate tonight, join me below.
Yes, mine is on its way back too. I came home, filled it in, and delivered it to the postbox by 9 p.m. Now all I've got to do is wait... and attend a whole bunch more events... but apart from that...
Wednesday 15th October (later on!) I've only just found out it is Blog Action Day with the theme of Poverty, so I am allowing myself (well, who is in charge round here!) a second blog of the day - even though you will read this first. I wrote last week about STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY, and since then have arranged to do a session at our Church on Sunday morning, e-mailed...
Ballot paper in the post tonight. I have already set out my position too many times - but in case of confusion, Andy Strange says it for me.
Sara Bedford indulges in a brief moment of very true black humour. Her point is so true. Any Tory crosses the line, such as Ian Oakley or Derek Conway, they kick them out and then exclaim "but he is not one of us!". But the truth is on each occasion, he was when he committed his sins. If you keep washing your hands with strong disinfectant you will get a rash.
