I am a very cautious man when it comes to elections - on the surface I'm calm and unruffled but that may not reflect the excitement inside. Things do look portentous for Obama and it looks like, at present, gearing up to being a very strong result for the Democrats: 1. A Republican senator in a swing [...]
Neil has just written this about Nixonland. This rang a bell with me, but I haven't read the book, so I set out to find out where I'd heard of it from. My search wound up on Sam Seder's (now ex-) show blog on Air America's website, specifically this post, which corresponded to an interview with Perlstein about Nixonland that I had heard. The reason for the post, however, is that I came across
Lord Robert Baden-Powell is probably spinning in his grave, but the UK Scout Association has decided to issue advice to troop leaders to hand out condoms to the lads — and quite right too. This should, the advice goes, be accompanied by appropriate information relating to sex, if they think the youngsters concerned are engaging in or [...]
Oh dear, Sarah Silverman just blew her debut gig in the UK according to this Guardian review and the many comments from her audience attached to it. I wasn't there but some good friends were and report the accuracy of the review's criticisms. Time to cross her off my Christmas card list in solidarity with the disappointed. And I also realise that I failed to show political balance as my earlier references all appear to be Democrat-leaning. All my terrestrial TV options seem to be of the same bent. And I don't have this new-fangled satellite television marvel that is ...
I've just got back in from seeing the first performance of Love's Labour's Lost at the Rose. Do go and see it! This play has a reputation for being difficult to stage, which is why most people, including me, aren't familiar with it. It is full of witty dialogue - the kind of competitive word duals that Shakespeare revelled in. In fact, it was one of his earliest plays, and you can see...
The other day I wrote a posting asking whether the Liberal Democrats can still credibly promise tax cuts given the gravity of the global economic situation. There was a flurry of comments, but I was not near a computer while it happened and so could not take part in the debate. That debate concerned the desirability or otherwise of Keynesian reflation. In fact, the proposed Lib Dem tax cuts would be paid for by spending cuts so they would be fiscally neutral. They would not affect the total level of spending in the economy. This was news to Dianne Abbott ...
There is a good Financial Times article by Kevin Allison and Stephanie Kirchgaessner on the failure of biofuels to live up to what was their promoters claimed for them: It may have helped keep gasoline prices lower in the world's wealthiest nation, but a growing band of influential critics say it has also contributed to higher food prices in the world's poorest countries. So far, the only sure beneficiaries from the ethanol promise have been the investors clever enough to get into the industry early and the corn farmers who have enjoyed a lucrative new market for their grain. In ...
Notwithstanding the celebrations of Hastings Week, which was topped off by a fantastic procession and bonfire, I am starting to hear stories of how the financial crisis is affecting people's lives. I spoke to a recently-retired man who is very concerned about his private pension fund which had, it turns out, been managed by an Icelandic [...]
As an antidote to some of the recent nonsense about this line - see in particular the comments on this posting - here is its genuine history. All the links can be found on the relevant page of the Shropshire Mines Trust website. I present:an article from The Railway Magazine (November & December 1944) by H. F. G. Dalston;a short history of the line from the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum;a survey of the line's locomotives from the Trust itself;proof that the line has a chequered history.
Dear Observer Editor, I am hearing daily about the problems that the Credit Crunch is causing our older residents. In particular, I wanted to make the point, via the Letters Page, that the disintegration of the housing market makes this entirely the wrong time for older people to sell their homes to pay care home fees, and [...]
Mat and I are watching Generations tonight. We watched the Spearch for Sock earlier - the thirty second version: Second Best Star Trek fanvid EVAR! (the best is obviously this one - NSFW!)
Forgive the slight self-promotion but if you are interested in green taxes you may find this of interest. It is a Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) documentary about green taxes. My declaration of interest is that I was heavily involved in its production. For the record, I am Head of Communications at the CIOT. The video looks at some of the key issues around green taxes and discusses the things that policy-makers should be thinking about when they approach the subject. Green Taxes Documentary from CIOT Tax News on Vimeo.
{Lembit Opik} Alex Folkes has taken exception to me calling Lembit out on this: First - the questions aren't exactly neutrally phrased. And Lembit could probably expect that the answers would be brutally fisked. Solution - don't offer up ammunition. Second - you have shown you're not entirely pro Lembit. You don't have to be, of course, but I can think of far better things for Team Lembit to do with their time than spend it answering your questions. Team Lembit has far better things to do than to answer hostile questions from people who are highly unlikely to ever ...
If Barack Obama wins the presidency, he may put an end to one of the most significant and malevolent political phenomena of our lifetime. In his brilliant book, Nixonland, Rick Perlstein explains how Richard Nixon came "to power by using the anger, anxieties, and resentments produced by the cultural chaos of the 1960s." He defines Nixonland as the state of total political warfare over class and cultural conflicts. A disgraced Richard Nixon left the White House in 1974. But Nixonland, pitting the "silent majority" vs. the "liberal elites", ramming racial and cultural wedges through the electorate, remained a staple of ...
Former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard has dismissed John Redwood, chair of the party's official Economic Competitiveness Policy Group, as not reflecting the mainstream views of the party in a radio appearance. The criticism came on the BBC Radio 4's Week in Westminster at the weekend when former Labour minister Patricia Hewitt raised the question of [...]
Tue 21st
21:30
For the record, the Liberal Democrats did not solicit nor accept a donation from Michael Brown
I feel the need to point this out because George Osborne is being very precise here. So no, the Lib Dems did not receive a penny from Michael Brown (it all came from 5th Avenue Partners Ltd). Nor did they make the first move. So that's all right then, we must be in the clear. Not convinced my Tory friends? No, neither am I. Neither am I.
With the Atheist Bus Campaign now at £38,000 and climbing, Peter Black asks: Wouldn't all this money committed on both sides of the argument have been better spent on actually helping people have a good Christmas, the homeless for example? Allow me to quote Matthew 26:6-13 (lolcats version): 6 So Jebuz was outside in Bethany, inside the house of Simon the lepr,7 Woman popped up wif can of tuna, and poured oilz on his head, as he sitted at cheezburger.8 But when his bfz sees it, thays angry, saying, Y to waste?9 Dis oilz might have been sold for much, ...
Willie Rennie MP today launched a Ten Minute Rule Bill in Parliament which aims to end the scandal whereby a driving instructor who has been convicted of sexually assaulting a client can continue to work while the process takes place to remove them as an approved instructor. He had been made aware of this loophole by a brave constituent who had endured an assault by her driving instructor. She assumed that when he was found guilty, that he would never have the chance to prey on anyone else. Imagine her horror when she found out that he was back working ...
Given the loud protestations of slightly contorted innocence spilling forth from George Pip Squeak Osborne about his dealings with super rich Russians, I was reminded of the posturing by the Tories this summer when Russia invaded Georgia. What was it Cameron said should be taken as sanctions against the Russians? Oh yes, I remember. 'Russian armies can't march into other countries while Russian
When the story of Peter Mandelson and George Osborne's meeting was leaked to the press by the Tory shadow chancellor three weeks ago, I argued on Lib Dem Voice that Mr Osborne had behaved pretty shabbily: There's a principle at stake here, even if it's one increasingly regarded as old-fashioned: that private conversations held in good [...]
He won game 6 and now leads 4.5 - 1.5 in the 12-game match. Though to me it seems that Kramnik had the advantage in the early middle game today. See the moves at Chess Vibes. Incidentally, when I studied chess openings everyone played 4. e3 against the Nimzo-Indian. Now everyone plays 4. Qc2. Is it just fashion?
From Notebook in today's Guardian Education section: The week that Comprehensive Future - which campaigns against the 11-plus - held its annual conference was the week that the Liberal MP for Colchester, Bob Russell, told the Education Journalist of the Year reception: "The best thing I ever did was to fail the 11-plus. I had four years at secondary modern school and had a fantastic time."I can't help thinking Bob is a bit confused here. Surely the case against the 11-plus is that secondary moderns were awful? If they were as good as he implies, it is hard to feel ...
...although I think, tomorrow morning, it will be boasting, "we're going to win" that will be considered my biggest mistake. I am a right wing populist now, apparently. You heard it here first: An anti-death penalty, atheist, anti-monarchy, anti-aristocracy, anti-prohibtion right wing populist. Okay so, I am an economic liberal because I am, first and formost, a believer in the individual and the right of an individual to do whatever he or she wants so long as their actions do not interfere with other people's ability to enjoy the same right. I fought long and hard with serious cognitative dissonance ...
Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne is coming under further fire in the Oleg Deripaska affair. It turns out that he failed to declare the free family holiday he was on at the time he met the controversial Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Oops.
Harriet Harmon has shelved the amendment to the abortion and embryology bill that would have extended abortion laws to Northern Ireland. It's quite odd considering Harmon is pro-Choice and labour usually believe in centralisation and equality, so surely they'd want to extend abortion laws to Northern Ireland. It's clear Harriet Harmon wouldn't have liked to have shelved the amendment. Shows what an independent politician she is. Anyway Gordon Brown said he hadn't made a deal with the DUP, when they voted for 42 days, so why are they so desperate to stop a debate on this issue? Can't really think ...
As the credit crunch starts to hit the real economy, Gordon Brown must turn his attention to the many families being hit hardest by the crisis, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said today. Publishing his Family Assistance Package, set out last week with his Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable, Nick Clegg today called for an immediate cut in interest rates and also other...
UNESCO has announced that a Commission to consider the conservation of the Bath World Heritage Site and particularly the possible impact of the Bath Western Riverside development and the Dyson Academy will visit the city on 5th November - 7th November 2008. During the 32nd Annual UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in July, the World Heritage Committee requested a monitoring mission to the...
At the hight of the 'Celebrating Britishness' craze a few months (political milennia?) ago the idea was floated that today should be the occasion of a Bank Holiday. Yes it is Trafalgar Day. The alternative coming up is to make Armstice day a Bank Holiday. Betetr weather now ( (in 2008) than the late summer anyway!
TheyWorkForYou is a website that I wasn't a big fan of until the Lord Greaves (Pendle) pointed it out as a site, that would just show how active he is in Parliament. With this in mind and me being the political animal that I am, I thought lets keep tabs on both Lord Greaves and Pendle's MP Gordon Prentice. Today I received an email bulletin giving me the daily participation for the 20th of October Lord Greaves is more active then Gordon Prentice, maybe Tony should get paid the £60,000 that Prentice gets paid! Lord Greaves spoke 4 times Gordon ...
Nick was in attendance at the Federal Executive Committee last night, and gave a brief update and his take on the current economic downturn. We had a good discussion about how Brown had gone from a gonna to a demi-god in a few short weeks, but the growing scepticism of the great British public will not necessarily reward him at the next general election. Meanwhile the Tories' only contribution to the whole debate and issue, is to get back down and dirty with yah-boo personal attacks - but, surprise surprise, no ideas and new economic policies. Leaving the Liberal Democrats, ...
There still isn't anything good to write about Spurs at the moment - I can't even raise a smile from the almost comedic nature of the last defeat. With the UEFA Cup match away at Udinese tomorrow - which will be very tough - the next chance to get some Premiership points will be Sunday, at home to Bolton. And the next two matches, within four days of each other, are away at the Emirates and at home to Liverpool. So the turnaround will have to be immense, if we are not still to be rooted to the bottom of ...
Following my wave of posts yesterday on the Liberal Youth Conference my visits went through the roof. According to mybloglog I received 175 visits and 73 readers. That is a new record for my blog! It's good to see that people are interested in what Liberal Youth are doing. That's a great thing about the LibDems, young people don't get patrionised but they're taken seriously. So thank you for taking an interest in the Conference.
The City Council has just issued the following news release about the proposed Riverside Nature Park, following discussions I recently had with the Environmental Services Convener about the matter. I am anxious to see progress on this as very many constituents rightly want to see the area opened to the public as soon as possible : RIVERSIDE NATURE PARK Work is continuing to transform Dundee's former landfill site into a nature park that the public can enjoy. Dundee City Council will shortly be submitting proposals for the final landscaping of a large part of the Riverside site to the Scottish ...
Over 9,000 MoD properties which could have been used to house service personnel and their families were left vacant last year, according to new figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats. In response to a Parliamentary Question by Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson, Willie Rennie, Defence Minister Kevan Jones revealed that: · A total of 9,046 units of Service Family Accomodation (SFA) are currently vacant (October 2008) · Of these properties, 2,270 have been vacant for between one and five years · The majority of these properties are currently being leased from Annington Homes by the MoD Commenting, Willie Rennie said: "It ...
... or not. But they didn't hit it of well as Iain describes it in a post. This post is just one example of a clash of religion that is going to lead to a dispute, probably. If you ask why I say its a "disaster waiting to happened", this is because Yvonne is a strict conservative Muslim and a follower of the Saudi Arabian clan of Muslims, which will mean having a handshake with Iain Dale isn't something that is going to happened! Iain probably has messed up the relationship from the start with that, as these conservative Muslims ...
Quote of the Day today is with regard to the Atheist Bus Campaign, which I think will make a pleasant change from all those bloody Alpha Course adverts (how the frig much are they spending on THOSE anyway? Wouldn't it be better for the CHRISTIANS to spend all that money giving homeless people a nice Christmas, Mr Black? After all, it's their bloody festival. Well, mostly it's not really, mostly it's Saturnalia and Yule and various other Pagan midwinter festivals with a bit of Christian wallpaper on, but you get my drift). Stephen Green, of Christian Voice, disagrees with me. ...
Tue 21st
18:12
The Importance of Being Alan - Labour councillor's verdict on 'incompetence' of cabinet member (a di...
Independent-minded Alan Stanton has rightly rounded on his fellow Labour councillor and cabinet member, Brian Haley. Brian is in charge of (among other things) parking. Alan is righty angry about the continued failure of Haringey Labour to ensure that their road markings (and therefore any parking tickets issued under them) comply with the rules. Says Alan: "Plainly, Cllr Haley hasn't grasped that - to misquote Lady Bracknell - having a couple of wrongly painted traffic lines may be regarded as a misfortune; to have hundreds and hundreds of wrong signs and lines looks like incompetence. Worse still, having the wrong ...
There is still an annoying confusion doing the rounds that any statement less strong than "I am absolutely certain there is no God" is not atheism but agnosticism. We can see it today in the faux surprise (expressed by religious sites like Ekklesia) at the wording of the Atheist Bus Campaign: The slogan on the buses will read: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Over the past couple of weeks we have taken up residents' concerns about people attending the new Redcar & Cleveland College and parking in Mersey Road (pictured), Locke Road and Corporation Road, close to the junction. Below is the latest information on the efforts to resolve the problem quickly: The works to the college entrance and the junction will be complete by 20th November. Demolition of the existing building, which prevents the old car park from being used, commences on 14th November. This will enable construction of the second half of the car park to be complete by the end ...
As Obama heads towards the election in a fortnight's time, some commentators are turning to discussion of what his cabinet would look like. The Spectator's Daniel Korski has posted his predictions/suggestions, including... Bill Richardson (Secretary of State) Chuck Hagel (Secretary of Defence) Paul Krugman (Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers) Richard Holbrooke (Director of National Intelligence) General Colin Powell (Secretary of [...]
One vital criteria that I believe is important for the postholder of Lib Dem President is ideally that someone should be respected across the party, politically and geographically, and have the ability to be the bridge that brings together the voluntary party and it's senior elected parliamentarians. Chandila Fernando says many things including the downgrading of party membership in favour of creating party 'supporters'. The US parties already have such 'fan clubs'. Their role is limited to being hired hands at conventions, leaving decision making and policy to the 'great and the good'. This is not a model I can ...
The Daily Post this morning carries news of the latest controversy from Flintshire Council. It seems that they are going to spend £100,000 to provide councillors with laptop computers so as to save up to £13,000 every year in printing and postage costs of agendas and reports. This has attracted the ire of Alyn and Deeside Labour Assembly Member, Carl Sargeant who says that he hopes that the executive sees sense and kicks these computers into touch. Now it is not for me to comment on the way that a local council runs its affairs but this sort of criticism ...
It's a direct guessing game - it's just for fun - there are no prizes - but which of these is 1908 and which is a current day snap...? :-) For those that don't know Whitestone Pond is at the top of Hampstead High Street / Heath Street. It's claimed to be the highest point of London - it's certainly high - but there is some argument over the claim... But the Whitestone Pond site is a really pretty, very significant local feature. It has bags of historical significance - it was the site of one of the 1588 ...
The High Court's judgment from the Gurkha's case is available in full here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2008/2261.html Posted in Campaigning, Law
James Graham draws attention to the fact that that the British Humanist Association has raised over £23,000 on Justgiving to fund 30 buses running across the capital for four weeks in the run-up to Christmas with the slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." In fact they only needed £5,500 as Professor Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The God Delusion, had agreed to match all donations up to a maximum of £5,500, giving them a total of £11,000 if they reached the full amount. Writing on the justgiving page they say: 'With your help, we ...
Thursday's Question Time featured an interesting discussion of a particularly potent local issue: why, it was asked, were so many BNP councillors getting elected in Stoke On Trent, and what was to be done about it. The usual arguments on the BNP arose, but, it was suggested, the difference in Stoke On Trent was that the council is run by a coalition of all three main parties, because the council
Can the Lib Dems put forward radical, exciting, truly liberal policies and still attract substantial and growing levels of electoral support? According to Liberal Vision, which I helped set up last month, the answer is a definitive "yes". In fact, adopting the former could well be the best way of achieving the latter. Liberal Vision wants [...]
I mean that in the card playing sense. (McCain is a keen craps player after all.) He is "betting the farm" on winning Pennsylvania. Just look at the state polling graph below (from Electoral-Vote.com) - you can drive a bus through Obama's lead there. John Kerry won it by two points. Votemaster explains: McCain Concedes Colorado, Iowa, and New Mexico CNN is reporting that McCain is making those
I donated my tenner this morning, but I've been keeping an eye on the Atheist Bus' Just Giving page all the same. When I donated, the £5,500 target had already been met. At the time of writing, the target had hit £20,300 and counting. My only concern is that with this coming in the run up to Christmas, it will almost certainly be used as a hook to pin the "atheists want to ban Christmas" annual story on the media donkey once again. Can I suggest that a small footnote is made at the bottom to the effect of "* ...
My pledge to buy the Jewel of Medina is just one signatory away from being fulfilled, so if you haven't already signed up, please do. Since I launched the pledge, the publishers Gibson Square have postponed the publication of the book indefinitely, which means that the firebombers may have won. Shelina Zahra Janmohamed has also written a review of the book on the BBC Magazine. In Shelina's view, the book is a bodice-ripping yawn. Having read the book, I will defer to her judgement. But trash deserves the right to be published as much as quality literature. Get the trash ...
How much longer can George Osborne hold on as Shadow Chancellor? Now is not the time for a flyweight to be in charge of the Tory's economic policy, not least one who thinks that the best way to stop a "house burning down" is to "fix the roof." Today's revelation by Nathaniel Rothschild that Osborne not only attended the legendary dinner with Peter Mandelson and Oleg Deripaska but that he solicited a donation from the man, could just be the final nail in the coffin. At the same time it smacks of poetic justice - it was Osborne who began ...
Meeting with Support Group for Parent/Carers of Children with Aspergers I attended this support group meeting to get the parents' views on the new Special Educational Needs (SEN) Transport proposals so that I can represent them in my role as Carers' Champion. The group were kind enough to welcome me to their meeting at short notice and [...]
Not content with just closing the Post Offices, new Business Secretary has said he would be happy to privatise them!
There is something almost desperate about Richard Dawkins sponsoring ads by the British Humanist Association on London buses declaring that 'there is probably no god'. It's fair enough for the BHA to do this and good luck to them, although the religious nutters will start having a go at buses, so to my mind its not good business sense for the bus operators. But that's another argument. But what never ceases to surprise me is Dawkins' obsession with religion. He comes across rather as the man who just can't face something he is secretly drawn to so he seeks to ...
Well, just one year, three months and a week after being flooded our new suite has arrived. This was the last big thing we were waiting for to get our house back in order. There is only a bit of 'snagging' left to sort out now. Anyway to celebrate we're off to Cornwall at the weekend for half term. We are staying near Bodmin (which I think must be in my former colleague Dan Rogerson's constituency?) and we're hoping that the weather won't be too bad. Anyone got any ideas for good family things to do - our youngsters are ...
12. front page headline on the BBC news website for having the crass stupidity to have accused a Labour minister of doing something which he himself had done at the same time. That takes some doing... 13. whipping boy 14. scapegoat 15. delicious illustration that the Tories have not changed one jot, despite the blandishments of Dave 16. Brilliant illustration of how not to attack the opposition It's getting to the stage with the 13th Baronet Osborne when it seems almost cruel to laugh at him.
I see the BBC Scotland's political editor Brian Taylor is blethering away on his blog about the Glenrothes By election as nominations close today. He's saying it doesn't look to rosy for the Nats as he points out some crucial differences between Glenrothes and Glasgow East. He highlights three issues that the SNP have to overcome: 1. The outlying districts which historically are stronger Labour, or even Communist, leaning than the new town itself where Nats report some warming to there message (even if they can't always raise a hello). 2. The Lib Dem vote and presence in Fife which ...
Alix Mortimer wrote a piece for Liberal Democrat Voice a couple of weeks ago openly wondering if the Tories would be better-off ditching George Osborne. Now, Osborne is engulfed in a little 'local difficulty' over alleged solicitation of money from Oleg Deripaska. Significantly this week Osborne has been virtually silent while David Cameron has been letting loose his inner attack dog on the governments banking bail-out. Conservative Home has mounted a vigorous defence of the 'indispensable' Osborne but it is quite clear not all people feel that way; Jim McConalogue wants John Redwood brought 'up front' to work alongside Osborne. ...
I don't know about you, but Ginger does seem about as qualified as the other candidates... Also 'An Engineer's Guide To Cats' (in case you missed it the first time round):
If this is true, it's virtually an admission of defeat by the McCain campaign. With Iowa and New Mexico looking like virtually certain gains for Obama, Colorado would be enough to put him over the top at 273 electoral votes, regardless of what happens in Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Florida and North Carolina. If McCain really does think he could turn Pennsylvania around, I think he's out of touch with reality. Electoral Vote has Obama 52-40 ahead there, so I don't see McCain having a hope there. The only Kerry state which could potentially turn (but almost certainly won't) is New ...
Three emails for the Liberal Democrat presidential campaign have just fallen into my inbox. I am not going to dissect them in full. But three things leap out at me. 1. Lembit Lembit uses the line: I'm one of three politicians from any Party who's on "first name terms" with the nation! I would love to see some justification for that line! If he is saying he is one of three that the public
Went to the Trafalgar Studios last night to see Sh*t-M*x. By far and away the best thing I have seen at the theatre for ages - which is good, after the disappointments of Fat Pig (so awful we left at the interval) and Under The Blue Sky (which not even Catherine Tate could save from mediocrity). Just checked and Sh*t-M*x is only on until this Saturday - so book some tickets now. It was hilarious but also took an unexpectedly dark twist and just brilliantly put together and acted.I really can't recommend it highly enough. If you haven't been before, ...
I do think it is somewhat important that kids get internet access at home, so I'm all supportive of the government plan to give computers to children. But as a self confessed computer nerd, I have to express concern at the validity of the scheme. Firstly, the quality of the computers is certainly going to be a paramount issue. The government has £300m in the scheme, and is going to be put towards 150,000 kids, so at a broad estimate that's £4000 per household (if you assume that there are 2 children per household). Let's subtract the cost of a ...
As I mentioned, I was off work yesterday waiting for a delivery. It never came. That is because the company given the responsibility of delivering it was Home Delivery Network. For a company whose sole business is delivering parcels, Home Delivery Network really aren't very good at it. This isn't the first time I've had problems with them (at different addresses over the years - all where I have had no problems with parcels from any other delivery company). They repeatedly say they have attempted deliveries without putting cards through the door. In this case, I telephoned on Friday and ...
Not making any friends here, but, hello: you're the problem. No-one, presented with the information about the dangers of smoking and taking a rational decision would say "uh, yeah, give me some of that emphysema, I really want a mild buzz and a desperate craving for an expensive habit that doesn't only kill me in a variety of creatively painful ways, it at best makes me smell awful and at worst kills the people around me too. Yes, let me sign right on that dotted line". No-one. If you're a smoker, it's probably because you started as a kid because ...
I'm amused and rather chuffed to see that the idea of atheist bus ads, first suggested in the Guardian's Comment is Free back in June, is going ahead. (Hat-tip to tree_and_leaf.) The wording actually suggests agnosticism or what is sometimes known as "weak" atheism (in the philosophical sense of having more or less absolute versions of a position rather than in a moral or political sense), which I think adds to the entertainment value, since the ads are designed as a response to fundie Christian hellfire ads that take a rather more belligerent stance. It's the "let's all have a ...
Just sometimes I am almost brought to it. I will not actually swear, but if you wish just imagine it../ To all those who think that the smoking ban is good because its helping people stop smoking - JUST **** OFF ITS NONE OF YOUR ***ING BUSINESS. That is the worst sort of authoritarian drivel - its [...]
Obama is fighting a fantastic campaign. Liberal Democrats will want to learn lessons from it. Key to this camapign has been the use of volunteers. This was crucial to winning the nomination: Obama steamed home in the states that run a caucus system. To do this he had to motivate and organise volunteers. And he did so in a manner that left the Clintons - the masters of the game - gasping in his wake. This wasn't an accident. The whole campaign has been structured around recruiting and using volunteers. It started with a message Obama's message was criticised by ...
One of them clearly is their own party funding. Much documented in the netroots/msm is the extraordinary Rothschilds story not only revitalising images of dodgy donations but also rich tories on yachts. Although it's been denied one has to ask why a friend of Osborne should turn on him like this if it wasn't true. The main point [...]
I have become a pessimist about US elections. There is much argument about whether the "Bradley Effect" really exists, and indeed whether it has been reversed in this election. But after hanging chads and John Kerry's loss, I am not counting any chickens! Though the one thing that is making me confident this time is the Democrats on the ground campaigning. But this graph from
In this time of great financial uncertainty, Nick Clegg's endorsement of 'credit freezes' for all - the ability for individuals to lock and unlock their own credit records - last week in Cambridge may not have received much media coverage. It should have. NO2ID believes that giving people meaningful control over their own personal information [...]
Lord Mandelson's decision to delay the introduction of flexible working by means of a review has incensed women MPs. Liberal Democrat Small Business Spokesperson, Lorely Burt said: "At a time when many families are struggling to make ends meet, the last thing they need is the Government making it harder for them to go out and earn money. "During a recession we need as many people as possible taking an active role in the economy. "Women, young people and ethnic minorities are often the first to suffer when a recession hits. "In its panic, the Government is in danger of ...
My endorsement for Ros filmed at Bournemouth conference:
I am actually quiet surprised to have received an email from Stat Counter today with my weekly brief and it shows I have received 20 000 Hits since May 2008. Thank you to everyone who have read the blog and promoted it to others and have come back time, and time again! I do ask you to comment more often, otherwise all readership is valued very much!
Plaid Cymru Assembly Member, Dai Lloyd has a letter in this morning's Western Mail attacking me and Swansea Councillor Stuart Rice for daring to criticise the One Wales Government budget. He calls for a rational and mature response to the One Wales' Government's budget from myself and other opposition politicians. I agree. Perhaps we could start with Dai and his colleagues ceasing to blame Westminster for all their failings, whilst taking credit for anything that goes right. They cannot have it both ways. Dai Lloyd once more draws attention to the fixed budget available to the Assembly Government and yet ...
Via draxar, when you see this quote Shakespeare:Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this son of York; And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. (trans: I am so awesome, because I am from Yorkshire, that I can change the weather!) All my antics didn't get me in the Golden Dozen. I am unsurprised, but I am surprised that James Graham's posting about The Syntax-challenged one got to number one - not because it didn't deserve to, or because I am jealous, but because I figured ...
Dear Smokers, You're a bunch of fucking idiots. By banning smoking we're trying to help you break your addiction to a drug that kills 30-50% of people who use it. Stop whining. ------ Or, in a longer form: OMG SMOKERS NOW STAY AT HOME AND DON'T CREATE JOBS IN PUBS - well, jobs aren't intrinsically valuable, are they? I mean, no-one actually wants a job, right? That's why it's called "work". If people wanted to do it, it would be called "fun" and they wouldn't pay you to do it. No-one complains now about how we're not all subsistence farmers ...
I work at an engineering consultancy where the above question would get people agitated. My environmental colleagues would harrumph,"sustainability is sustainable by definition - you nincompoop!" But is that true? I'm not so sure... a Back to basics "Its not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self interest." Adam Smith 1776 Now, I happen to think that Adam Smith had a point. Unless 'sustainability' activity is embedded in the very core of a business so that it becomes indistinguishable from 'business as usual' ...
Health Secretary Alan Johnson announces today at the Chief Health Professions Officer Conference that he is giving a "green light" to self-referral and the bypassing of the GP system. What better way to ensure that every hypochondriac in Britain clogs up the precious time of specialists. Oh for a minister who would just oil the wheels. I don't suppose this move has anything to do with removing power from GPs in a shameless political war at the expense of the welfare of patients, dressed up as 'choice'. Surely not.
Tuesday: If you are going to go after that arch-manipulator Mr Mandy Mandelbrot you should almost certainly start by NOT being Gideon Oboe. Already we have seen his laughably poor effort to get away with leaking a private conversation in which he was the only other person present. Hmmm, who could it be, Scooby? Apparently in retaliation* for Master Oboe getting caught by his own stupidity (again!) the Conservatories had the dogs set on Mr Mandelbrot's meeting with Russian billionaire Mr Oleg Deeplysuspect. All very PETTY, really. Until it turns out that the CONSERVATORIES are in the same boat. Literally. ...
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley, Liberal Democrat) Link to this Hansard source The recent high prices and volatility in the price of oil is symptomatic of geological constraints on supply—also known as peak oil and gas. Do the Government have a view as to when peak production will occur globally, and does the Prime Minister believe that it is worth doing that research? Gordon Brown (Prime
McCain campaign manager, Rick Davis, has been thinking aloud about "using" Rev Jeremiah Wright. It's bound to happen. The McCain campaign used 10 different messages yesterday alone, so this one's got to come. Standby to hear the clip below multiple times in the next few days. I can hardly wait.
The FT Alphaville blog quotes a letter to the Times from Nathaniel Rothschild, shedding new light on the Mandelson boat trip: Sir, Since your paper - along with your sister publication The Sunday Times - has made much out of what may or may not have happened at a private gathering of my friends this summer in Corfu, I thought I should make the following observations. I am surprised that you focus on the fact that one of my guests, Peter Mandelson, is a friend of another, Oleg Deripaska. Not once in the acres of coverage did you mention that ...
On Saturday evening I booked a ferry trip to Amsterdam for the two of us. A return journey with inside cabin with shower and WC cost (with insurance) less than £90 each. Immediately afterwards, I booked a return train ticket to London. Cost was over £100. I know that there are some cheap tickets on the trains to London though they are harder and harder to book. But it has turned out to be cheaper
Jonathan Fryer has a good summary of last night's Leyton & Wanstead Lib Dem AGM. djm4 and I will be continuing as conference reps to both Federal and Regional Conference (with others, of course), but resisted amicable arm-twisting attempts to get us to agree to stand as Councillor (me) or Secretary ( djm4). We do want to get more involved in campaigning, but anything more formal will have to wait until I have a better feel for what I can realistically commit to now that my Master's has finished - I still feel I'm carrying around a lot of stress ...
James Graham's anti-Lembit crusade is becoming a bit silly. So you don't think he is the best person to become Lib Dem President. Ok - your opinion. So you want to write (occasionally) amusing stories on the ineptness of the start of his campaign. Once again, fair enough. But it is perhaps a little over the top to castigate the man for failing to answer your questions. First - the questions aren't exactly neutrally phrased. And Lembit could probably expect that the answers would be brutally fisked. Solution - don't offer up ammunition. Second - you have shown you're not ...
I mostly watch UK comedy but have been really enjoying a lot of the output from the US Presidential election. The Daily Show at 8-30pm on More4 is now a regular fixture. I find myself having to watch the Palin/Clinton clip from Saturday Night Live on a daily basis. And for those with a tolerance of expletives (distinct parental advisory here) Sarah Silverman's Great Schlep is a good watch.
When I was about 16, Rayleigh Liberals invited Clement Freud to our town to speak and I wandered along to listen. Only about 15 people turned up, but Clement spoke at ease and with aplomb, and I asked a question (though I can't remember what it was). He shook my hand after the meeting and I took his photo. I was still a young Heathite Conservative back then.... it took a while for me to realise
Given the current fashionable notion of government 'priming the pump' and spending money to 'kickstart the economy' I feel its only a matter of time until we get another attempt to justify ID cards and other moves towards the totalitarian state. The first person who spots someone suggesting that ID cards and spying upon us is [...]
We trekked up to the West Hill on Saturday evening to catch some of the atmosphere of Hastings Bonfire - the finale of a very successful Hastings Week. We thought that we'd get a good view of the procession and fireworks without the ash storm that we endured last year! It was a good choice with [...]
I went to speak with residents of Markwick Terrace in St Leonards on Saturday to discuss the bin situation. The Council have agreed to consult again and are offering Twin Bins or communal bins. Many residents that I spoke to are happy with the way things are at the moment. We will lobby the Council [...]
There are nearly 500 signatures to save the Wolverhampton to Walsall train service, the deadline is October 24 so there is still time to sign the petition at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/walsallrail/
Two fun filled art workshops will take place at Prestwich Library and Adult Learning Centre during October half term. Both parents and children can take part in the Creative Ceramics Workshops which will see participants design 3D objects and tiles. The inspiration for what goes on these tiles will come from the Prestwich area. The project is linked to Prestwich Heritage Museum, which is located in the Library, and the event has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The workshops will be led by local professional artist, Brad Bradshaw, who has worked on numerous local projects and events. The ...
Welcome to the 87th of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (12th-18th October), together with a hand-picked quintet you might otherwise have missed. How about starting with the most popular blog-posting, and we work our way down? Here goes... 1. [...]
Chess history is being made in Germany, as the world title appears to be on its way to India. Viswanathan Anand leads the Russian Vladimir Kramnik by 3.5-1.5 in the 12-game match after winning the fifth game. Both Anand's victories have come with Black. Full details and live coverage of the match can be found at Chess Vibes.
Remember Oleg Deripaska? The Russian oligarch who Peter Mandelson met? With the result that many leading Conservatives went on record criticising Mandelson for meeting him, painting him as a rather unsavoury character? For example, this is what Conservative MP Hugo Swire said: You will be aware of the continuing press reports surrounding the relationship [...]
Labour were accused of trying to limit spending by rival parties in marginal seats when it moved forward its plans for reforms to funding for Westminster elections. Currently there is a limit set on when the election is called, but now they are looking to set a cap of £11,000 per constituency from when campaigning is deemed to have started. Sitting MPs will retain their £40,000 p.a. allowance to "communicate" with constituents, and there is also to be no restriction on union donations to Labour. The Labour regulations reek of competitive disadvantage to those challenging. It will adversely affect both ...
After years of calling for Britain to leave the European Union, the leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party seems to have admitited that the EU's role in trade is "vital". See here for more. As the 21st century advances, with new problems, including this crisis in the globalised monetary system, it is clear that petty [...]
This blog somehow got into the wikio top 100 for the UK in september without me even releasing until a fellow Lib Dem alerted to me on her twitter. The highlights of this blog are the four interviews with -Mike German -Angela Burns -Jenny Randerson -Kirsty Wiliams Also Mike German gave his exclusive views on leadership to this blog. There is also interesting press releases. I have also done the first blog in the blogosphere on the Psychology of a Blogger. Which took me a few hours to do rather than the usual 15 minutes. Writing in the evening is ...
