Don't be me wrong, I'd take Obama over McCain any day and hope he wins (despite his many flaws), but he will disappoint many of those who idolise him.
Today I was at the Battle of Ideas - on a panel debating 'From the classroom to the voting booth: will youth engagement save democracy?' With me on the panel were Tony Breslin (CEO of the Citizenship Foundation) and Kevin Rooney (Head of Social Science at Queens' School, Bushey). Well - it seemed to be a row between purist subject teaching versus citizenship lessons. Those in favour of the purist approach argued that citizenship lessons were propaganda for the Labour Party - whilst the case for them is that we can't expect people to pick up an understanding of citizenship ...
Catching up on a couple of things from earlier in the week - to Wapping on Thursday to be interviewed for a film. No - sadly not becoming a movie start! Carol Morley, a film-maker, interviewed me about the tragic death of Joyce Vincent who was found dead in her flat in Sky City (above Wood Green shopping city) and who had been dead for about two years. There were half-wrapped Christmas presents on the floor, the TV was on and the window was open with a billowing curtain. We all said 'how tragic', how could it happen, where were ...
We had a really successful Membership Drive in Ilford South today: Six members signed up, with more leads to follow in the coming days. Thanks to the team for all their hard work - especially as it was raining pretty hard today. Funnily enough, that was good weather for recruiting as it meant we found a lot of people at home. If you'd like to give your local party numbers a boost, why not set a day to do it? It's a great motivation to have a bunch of people all going for it. It was also fun to gather ...
We tend not to be too poll-obsessed here at LDV - of course we look at them, as do all other politico-geeks, but viewed in isolation no one poll will tell you very much beyond what you want to read into it. Looked at over a reasonable time-span and, if there are enough polls, you [...]
Today, I went to Sheffield to attend a conference, knowing that I'd get to interview Nick Clegg while there. Unfortunately, despite arriving at the outskirts of Sheffield approximately an hour before I needed to, I was half an hour late for the actual meeting. Why? Because Sheffield doesn't know what signposts are for Here's an example. The conference is at Sheffield Cathedral. Lovely venue BTW, just about the right size, theoretically easy to find, etc. So while driving the outskirts of the city, I get to the ring road and there's a sign that says "for the Cathedral and [other ...
Have you started using LibDig yet? Either to highlight an article, blog-post or video for other Lib Dems; or simply to enjoy reading what other Lib Dems have found online. (The tech-wizard behind Lib Dem Blogs and LibDig, Ryan Cullen, explained all for Lib Dem Voice here last month). Here at LDV we've started using LibDig [...]
I have been up in Sheffield today interviewing Nick Clegg with a number of fellow Lib Dem bloggers. I shall be writing it up in the party newspaper next week, but one important fact cannot wait. I have written in the past about Nick's great great aunt Moura Budberg, and once observed in House Points that she had lived long enough (until 1974) to have dandled him on her knee. Today I was able to ask Mich if he had met Moura. Not only did he meet her: he remembers her very well.
As an enthusiast for local TV, its great to see a local TV spin-off from the Glenrothes by-election. Fife has a new on line Web TV channel with the launch of CHANNEL FIFE. The new station is being launched as a pilot during the Glenrothes By Election and will see four dedicated TV news teams reporting stories from across the Kingdom. Webcasting from yesterday, the other programming will include a daily 'breakfast style' show and documentaries and drama. The Channel is being launched by MiMAC-Rushes who are already involved in media and access services across the region. It's a co-production ...
Today saw another milestone in the race for the Presidency, the last Regional Conferences before close of poll, and Ros and I were in Sheffield for the last of the four informal hustings, hosted by the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Party. I've become increasingly convinced that these events fail to allow anything other than superficial treatment of the serious issues that fall within the
Thank you to the wonderful people of Barton that the team and I met this morning. It's not the best of times to knock on people's doors (as the heat escapes and a keen candidate wants to know your inner most thoughts on life in the village), but residents were forth coming with their views and I was able to share my gardening secret with someone raking up leaves. For those of you in the same boat at this time of year, the average 10 - 13 year old (age, size and weight are important variables here) will be very ...
It's been bitterly cold out there on the doorstep over the last few days, and thermals have come in very handy this week. But, the very varying issues raised by local inhabitants have been really illuminating. I know of the problems faced in getting to and from local Dr's Surgeries and the fantastic work done by local volunteer drivers, but was truly shocked to hear of elderly inhabitants having to spend up to £25 for a taxi to be able to do a weekly shop. With the No. 2 service under threat we really need to address the issue of ...
Here's some photos I took last week in Widemouth Bay and Bude, Cornwall. This first one (below) shows a telecommunicatons cable inspection ship offshore at Widemouth Bay with surfers in the foreground. This was on last Sunday, 26th October. The ship just stayed offshore in the same place all afternoon, buffetted by the roughish sea. I pity the people who were inside it. Here's a rather grainy
How often do you actually get to try a politician out before you sign on the dotted line for the next 4 years? It's been a thought provoking exercise as I've been canvassing locally this week. And people really seem to be signing up for it. Having a by-election at a cost of approximately £15,000 which could have been much better used elsewhere, approximately 6 months before you have to have another County Council Election, gives the local electorate six months to try me out and see if I turn up to represent their views and needs effectively at Shire ...
A bit of a damp squib today as the residents of Hardwick saw three very wet Lib Dem campaigners park up in a lay-by and get into one car to wait for the hail stones to stop falling. The prospect of campaigning in summer months definitely appeals for next time! Once we'd thawed out and dried off a bit we got to meet the people who live on and use Cambridge Road in Hardwick. It would be fair to say that a significant percentage of people we spoke to are thoroughly cheesed off with the traffic situation and believe it ...
A quiet (and wet) day to get some paperwork sorted and envelopes labelled whilst things are a bit quieter, and a chance to watch a movie with the family. Despite much teasing, having watched "Run, fat boy run" I shall not be attempting the London Marathon next year. I've learned never to say never to anything but my marathon days are someway off - if ever!
The morning saw another trip to St Neots to collect leaflets and labels (you'd be amazed how quick you can get at labelling with a bit of practice, and I'm getting lots), and the afternoon brought a trip to Teversham to help deliver leaflets for Frances Amrani who is standing in the by-election on November 20th. It also saw the purchase of a "wider ranging" map than my city centre one as I'm fast becoming acquainted with all our local streets. The plus side is I'm feeling the benefit of all the fresh air and exercise and there is no ...
The short answer to "do people know what the Lib Dems do in Europe?" is no. Lots of work has been done on the Constitution which to be fair is neither riveting nor short bed time reading, and in relation to Human Rights Issues and Waste Management. People are well aware of some of the more extreme issues that have been highlighted in the press over the years but sadly the achievements don't seem to attract the same column inches. Today was my first official solo flight as a canvasser in Comberton, and as I officially removed my L Plates ...
There is a village in Blaydon constituency called Chopwell which is nicknamed "Little Moscow" because of its previous socialist inclinations. It has streets such as Marx Terrace and Lenin Terrace. Chopwell is still something of a Labour stronghold, though we are not deterred by that and are looking to make in roads there. So 7 of us, including myself and Peter Maughan, our PPC for Blaydon,
The agenda for the City Council meeting on Tuesday 4 November 2008 has now been published and can be found on "Democracy in Birmingham". Items on the agenda include: the annual report of the Cabinet Member for Transportation and Street Services;the report of the Lead Member on the West Midlands Police Authority - Councillor Zaker Choudhry (Lib Dem, Bordesley Green);a joint report of the Cabinet
Finally back home after a fun halloween party. The quistlets, having been farmed out for the occasion, are now returned to the bosom of their doting, if slightly knackered, parents. Mrs Quist looked stunning in her favourite corset (since you're obviously dying to know, steel boned, black fabric with red daisies and built-in modesty panel, purchased from the very nice people at Fairy Gothmother at Spitalfields Market - and no, that isn't Mrs Quist in the picture). Not to mention stockings (hold-ups on this occasion). Why don't more girls wear stockings? Practical and incredibly sexy - what's not to like? ...
My weeks seem to be swinging violently from being very busy to having nothing else in my diary outside of work. This week I have an Equality and Diversity course on Monday through work which is rumoured to be thoroughly dull but has a free lunch so I thought I'd go. Tuesday evening sees me on a child protection training course for school governors. This is vital as I have recently been given the title of 'Gifted and Talented/SEN governor'. I am also shadowing the current child protection governor this year before she leaves the role after becoming deputy chair. ...
The winter before last I attended a Colchester Lib Dems' annual dinner at which Lembit was the guest speaker. His energy and infectious enthusiasm were obvious but what impressed me most was the speed and accuracy with which he astutely sized up the political situation locally. Last winter Ros was the guest speaker at the same event and she came across in a quieter way but with similar warmth and ability to communicate. Both have that vital quality, a good sense of humour. In their different ways they each have a very serious claim to be elected as President of ...
You can download one from Vermont, together with nearly 40 pages of candidates statements, here 8 pairs of candidates for President and Vice-President 6 for Congressman 7 for Governor 4 for Lieutenant Governor 3 for State Treasurer 4 for Secretary of State 3 for Auditor of Accounts 4 for Attorney General Only 3 candidates for Auditor of Accounts. Not so glamorous as the other positions, maybe
If you like wrestling then the match will be held at Bath's Central Library in November may be just up your street. The Ultimate Challenge Wrestling (UCW) event will take place at 7.30pm on Saturday, 29 November, and all proceeds will be donated to the charity, Dorothy House Hospice at winsley. So if you are a wrestling fan then why not go out and enjoy yourself and help a...
Remember those words? The main story of the past couple of months (amongst many) is that the reduction in equality is crucial. When the history books have been rewritten the only way to do that will be adopting policies in the range of economic models from German Christian Democracy and Swedish Social Democracy. There are three things [...]
Was delighted to attend an event organised by the Western Cemetery Association (WCA) yesterday - Primary Six pupils from Blackness Primary School helped the Association's work in encouraging biodiversity by helping to plant bulbs in the cemetery - see photo of the pupils busy with the bulb planting effort (right). Western Cemetery is part of the Tayside Green Kirk and Graveyard Initiative. Already the WCA has planted a long lavender hedge and beds of fuchsias at the entrance, which have been attracting bees and butterflies all summer. The children added crocuses in front of the hedge to brighten the area ...
The story, carried by the Independent today, that the SNP is attempting to 'rig the odds' for the upcoming by-election in Glenrothes by encouraging it's supporters to place a £10 spread bet on their party to win caused a slight twinge of amusement for me; it put me in mind of a similar suggestion made by our own supporters which is actually a Facebook group. The basic idea is that we encourage everybody to place a spread bet on the Liberal Democrats to win the next election thus capturing their vote by virtue of their fiscal self-interest....however, with only 26 ...
An interesting development in the last week of this by-election was the Conservatives calling on people not to vote Labour because, "Gordon Brown and Dover's Labour MP "Three Home Prosser" don't know what it's live to live on a law income when the cost of living is rising... The give us a lot of chat, but [...]
Tuesday sees the culmination of the latest US presidential election. With three days until polling day, Something for the Weekend returns for a one-off video - yes, I did say a video. The sound you can hear at the beginning is hail - much better to be inside spouting a load of old nonsense for you [...]
This is just utterly and completely pathetic. Just when I thought nothing more could come out about Sarah Palin which would further insult the intelligence of the American people..... In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by "attacks" from
UKIP MEP Jeffrey Titford seems a bit confused about the role of different federal European institutions. In this article, he writes of, "officials at the European Commission, with no democratic legitimacy whatsoever, would be laying down the law on what chemicals we may spray on fields in Britain, while our own elected Government can do nothing but stand meekly by [...]
Liberal Democrats in Bath have called for a cut in income tax for people on low and middle incomes to help them beat the recession. "Inflation is at its highest for years," said Bath MP Don Foster. "Residents across the city are struggling with rising fuel and housing costs. They need money in their pockets now. "Liberal Democrats are calling for a cut in income tax of 4p in...
The video clip below is fascinating. It is Sarah Palin in 1988 when she was 24 years old and starting as a sportscaster on a local television channel called KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska. It includes news of "Dillingham's Beaver round-up". Don't laugh. Another sportscaster went on to become US President. His name was Ronald Reagan. Geoffrey Nunberg discusses accents here, and includes a reference
The way has been cleared for millions of out-of-print books to appear on the internet with the news during the week that Google has come to a $125 million settlement in two copyright lawsuits brought against it over its plans to scan books and make them available. Google has already scanned around 7 million books, of [...]
A couple of weeks ago on this blog I highlighted the issue of taxpayers money being used to fund what most would say are rather undeserved bonuses. Vince Cables comments about the Royal Bank of Scotland's plans to set aside £1.79bn to cover staff costs are thus very welcome indeed. It is worth quoting this passage from The Guardian at length, just in case anybody should have any doubts about the justification for these 'staff costs; "The bank has set aside £1.79bn to cover "staff costs" - including discretionary bonuses - at its investment banking division for the first six ...
The American Stop Genocide blog has three excellent recent posts about the tragic events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): The death of a peacekeeper A round-up of the latest news, and A reminder of how beautiful the area can be. You can donate to UNICEF's appeal here.
Over at the Home Office Watch blog they have some very interesting points that they raise and it is a post worth reading by following the link. After reading that very interesting post a question has risen that I think needs an answer. Will the PM carry around an ID card or the home Secretary? Probably not, as they have the security services to scratch their back as they are always protected all paid for by the tax payer. PM when you, your family, your government and even the people who support your wacky idea of ID cards carry them ...
The recent news that Rwanda is seeking membership of the Commonwealth means that, if successful, we would therefore be seeing Rwandan citizens resident in the UK also voting in elections here. One of the quirks of Britain's imperial past is that Commonwealth citizens living here are able to vote, including in Parliamentary elections. This includes Mozambique [...]
That video notwithstanding, as the latest issue of Liberator is now with subscribers, it is time for another week of visits to Bonkers Hall. Monday A gentleman learns not to interfere in the management of his own household; in particular, if I try to tell Cook how to run my kitchens I risk not being allowed to lick out her wooden spoon and mixing bowl. Yet I shall have to pluck up my courage and mention to her the good value that J. Sainsbury offers these days. A couple of weeks ago Clegg was telling me that he and his ...
I don't know what has happened to the Egyptian blogger Karim who got arrested for speaking out against the Al-Azher University. According to the BBC report from 2006 he was sent to jail. I think he is still serving a prison sentence but this story does bring up questions. What if the UK Government like the Egyptian, started locking up bloggers who spoke up against them? What if Brown got people like Guido locked up for posting against him using the tag "twat watch"? What would the UK Government really do?
Real pleasure last week to visit Camden with my colleague Cllr Ed Butcher to meet their green champion - Alexis Rowell - and see the eco-house they've put together. It is a five bedroom council property refurbished to the highest energy saving specification, including wall insulation on exposed walls, double-glazed sash windows and solar heated water and electricity. The Camden refurbishment was wholly funded by grants and sponsorship. It is envisaged that Haringey's eco-house would follow the same model and act as a demonstration home on the possibility of the high standard energy saving in older properties. The measures have ...
I wanted to put this up to show the first part of his speech, before he gets into his full oratorical stride - generously thanking all those who helped him and name checking fellow Democrats running for election. It's no mean feat to remember all those names given that he's making loads of these speeches across the country every day. I thought it was also touching that he thanked people for their good wishes to his ill grandmother, done matter of factly and not over the top. My friend Elspeth would have been there in the 100,000 throng, along with ...
They say that copying is a sincere form of flattery. Well the local Tory party are obviously rattled by the Liberal Democrats. Coming only a few weeks after Lembit Opik helped launched our cost of living survey with our PPC Ann Haigh, the local Conservatives have now 'created' their own survey. Looking at the Conservatives' policies. Yes the Conservatives do seem to have some. None of them would
Well, this time next week, I will have the first full weekend off I've had since mid August, and three hotly contested elections will be over. The first is obviously the US Presidential - and don't for one minute think I've forgiven Labour for interfering with my saturation tv watching and plans to sit up all night on Tuesday. It feels good at the moment - let's hope Obama pulls off the historic victory he thoroughly deserves. The second is, equally obviously, Glenrothes. Everyone involved in all of the campaigns has put their heart and soul into this long by-election ...
More on the Council's missing money that is still somewhere in Iceland. Haringey still doesn't seem to grasp that there are no carpets under which you can attempt to brush 37 million quid. The Council had a meeting of its Audit Committee last week, but didn't even see fit to have the issue on its agenda. Liberal Democrat committee members ensured that the issue was discussed, and details of an inquiry into the missing millions was revealed. And it doesn't look as if we are going to get an independent inquiry. .Says Robert: ."The Council's reluctance to be public about ...
Via the BBC: Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has warned of an "epidemic of mental distress" if Britain is plunged into a recession. It could "dramatically increase" the numbers of people suffering stress and depression, he said in a speech. Mr Clegg said mentally ill people should be allowed to limit their own access to bank loans to [...]
It wasn't going going to take long but no sooner had I mentioned College Crescent when I'm emailed by a resident about the traffic flow. :-) But of course the other connection is that one of the most dominant buildings on the surviving College Crescent is number 36, The Phoenix School. The Phoenix is a described on it's own website but in short it is nursery, pre-prep school for girls and boys that is part of the UCS (University College School) Foundation. From the early 1880's this building was in fact the Hampstead Conservative Association and only ceased ...
OMG, Next Gen! This girl's boyfriend just killed himself by jumping into the Warp core manifoldy thing, and she's talking to Troi, and she says It's not like Dan to take his own life... with the kind of tone of regret one would use for Fred doesn't usually eat the last biscuit in the pack... I'm going to go to bed soon and stop spamming you guys, honest...
The dear little thing woke up again today. It's becoming a death scene almost as cheesy and protracted as Captain Kirk's (and yes, I cried at that too). Wired have a competition for Mars Phoenix's epitaph. Vote "Do Not Disassemble"!
... who just bought himself a BMW, despite my best entreaties over the phone*: Mitch Benn on BMWs... * Jon has rung me for purchase advice a couple of times now. It seems that if he really wants to buy something expensive, he has to ring me and get me to try and dissuade him from making the purchase before he can actually take the plunge and buy it. This is, obviously, a perfectly reasonable attitude for a Liberal. The din of truth colliding with error and all that.
Just a quick update from Florida. We arrived a little later than planned on Thursday evening and came out to Fort Lauderdale the first of our two stops (the other being Daytona).
Friday: A SINISTER organisation making DEALS for squillions of dollars and euros and pounds with foreign DICTATORS to manipulate the British Government... and it's NOT Barclays Bank! This sounds like a job for my BESTEST HERO, Mr James Bond! Yes, my Daddies have taken me to the cinema to see the latest DOUBLE BRILLIANT James Bond movie: "Quantum of Solace". I LOVED it, even if it is less of a story of its own and more like an extra hour-and-a-half of "Casino Re-al". Or a REALLY extended pre-title sequence for the next one! This IS the second one, isn't it? ...
