You all know this, right? I present, for your very great pleasure, the uncut, very sweary, awesomeness that is Brian presenting HIGNFY: Part one: Part Two (which involves much discussion of Richard Barnbrook's knackers): Part Three: Part Four (which involves Brian flirting with Alan Duncan): Part Four-and-a-half: You can't beat a posh shouty Yorkshireman with an ENORMOUS beard swearing and calling everyone love and darling, that's what I say :D
As already reported - I have had a bit of a week. It started on Sunday when I met with a fellow blogger (guess who) who advised me that my blog had to die. On Monday I went to a Polish reception at the LGA................except that no one at the LGA knew what I was talking about! I called Fiyaz and Meral, no reply, Nick and Simon, no reply. Now what? A flash of inspiration - Nick's office must know where he is speaking. Yes, they did. It was City Hall......GLA not LGA............. I jumped in a cab with no ...
I heard this the other day. I really like it. 1949 - Only socialism can save China 1979 - Only capitalism can save China 1989 - Only China can save socialism 2009 - Only China can save capitalism History repeats itself: first as tragedy, second as farce.
Well, having had a week and a half (more later) I have scoured Lib Dem Blogs for any reporting of Tuesday's FPC.........the most exciting night of the year and it goes uncommented on??! Bring back Alex Wilcock - that's wot I say! A couple of weeks ago I was en route to the member's dining room with a pal when I bumped into Steve Webb - he congratulated me on my re election to FPC and commented about how many "lefties" had been elected..........hmmmmmm. So, little miss big mouth is no longer in a minority in shouting the odds about ...
Yesterday Ed Balls told the Commons that he could not release the full, confidential, serious case review of the case of Baby Peter because of professional advice and an earlier ruling of the Information Commissioner. As I reported, the Commissioner then issued a press statement issuing himself from Balls's decision. Today Balls relented and announced that the report will be shown, on privy council terms, to five MPs, including Lynne Featherstone and David Laws. It would be interesting to know if the original decision came from Balls or his civil servants and how enthusiastic he was to overturn it.
As it becomes increasingly apparent that the changes announced earlier this year are having no impact what so ever on the housing market is it now time to consider more radical measures? Given the increasing number of repossessions announced today and assuming the trend continues are we confident there will be enough capacity in the local authority sector to rehouse these individuals? If you
I spent most of today in the Strauss Room of the Arcotel in Linz, Austria, at the Annual Assembly of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ). Picture windows looked out over the Danube, which was never blue, despite Strauss's wishful thinking and indeed today was a particularly threatening shade of grey, matched by the [...]
Today I went to a public meeting with Gordon Prentice MP about Whitefield the ward that I live in. First of all I as a resident of Whitefield did not get a letter inviting me to the meeting and the only reason how I found out was because a friend informed me. Anyway I took the time out of my schedule and went to this meeting only to be shocked! I arrived at the meeting a little early to be greeted by a large number of labour party members including an employee of Mr Prentice's. I signed in and then ...
As part of the punishment for my many sins, I go and watch Manchester City, and last weekend they played Tottenham. Tottenham are a club supported by a large contingent of Jewish fans, and as a result there was some pretty outrageous anti-semitic abuse directed towards the away fans. I won't type what was said, but it was very offensive, and I was pleased to see that the fan nearest to me who was spewing out the nasty stuff was removed straight away. I was sad though to see him back for the second half, and not frog marched to ...
So the latest data leak has nothing to do with the Government's lamentably lax data management polices. It has however generated some responses which should, but worryingly don't always appear to, concern liberals. It's now relatively easy for anyone to find out if their neighbour is a BNP member. It took me about 10 minutes to find a credible link to the list last night and if it has made its way onto the peer-to-peer networks then the cat cannot now be put back into the bag. The leaked list seems reasonably accurate. The most the BNP are suggesting (in ...
My House Points column from today's Liberal Democrat News. I had intended to write the definitive column on Baby Peter and Haringey, but Philip Hollobone and his ocarinas broke in. His bizarre contribution has also been noted by Kerry McCarthy, Labour MP for Bristol East, but no one else. He is lucky. House of fools Who to blame for the scenes at prime minister's questions last week? Least at fault was David Cameron. Though his later questions amounted to "What did you just call me?" he was entitled to raise the death of Baby P. Cameron asked if it was ...
Following his visit to Dundee earlier this week during which he visited a housing association project, Tavish Scott has criticised the Scottish Government's record on housing, urging Ministers to take real action rather than relying on spin. Tavish said, "Affordable housing is in short supply in Scotland. But this SNP Government has slashed Housing Association Grant (HAG). Ministers brag about a multi-million pound funding boost for affordable housing, but have only allocated a tiny fraction of what they promised. They will not meet housing targets or the needs of people in Dundee and across Scotland. "20,000 jobs are at stake ...
Last night visited Wightman Road Mosque as part of Islam Awareness Week. Spoke to the Community Safety Forum set up so that we all in Haringey can work across our differences. There was a really large turnout and lots and lots of questions. I want to pay tribute to Wightman Road Mosque and all who work there and in the Forum for the work they do in reaching out to the community, the integration work that goes on, the work with young Muslims and the genuine warmth that exists there. I was particularly struck by the anger over the issue ...
Fri 21st
18:48
CommentIsLinked@LDV: Bridget Fox - 'It's Brown, not Islington's workers, who deserves a P45′
The latest blog of Bridget Fox, Lib Dem PPC for Islington South and Finsbury, is now live over at The Guardian's website, with thoughts on on recession, RBS and responsibility. Read it in full here, but here's her thoughts on the Lib Dems being "constantly ahead of the curve" (to coin a phrase): And the party's now setting out fresh thinking on the banking crisis. As I argued last month, there is no point oiling the wheels with public money if the banks have their brakes on. Huge levels of consumer and institutional debt on the one hand, combined with ...
Children's education is a key priority for the City and I am conscious of budgetary and logistical pressures in delivering a modern curriculum. Residents are keen to see the school thrive yet there is a strength of feeling to keep Purdown green and accessible to all those who enjoy it as open space. In 2004 the Cabinet decided that South Purdown and Boiling Wells sites would be used for playing fields for the new Fairfield school. In 2006 full planning permission was given. There were valid alternatives such as Muller Road recreation ground. This space for example would have opened ...
I've been sadly remiss in keeping up to date with my blog recently as the days of knocking on doors and attending Parish Council Meetings have been long. However I had a sharp reminder of why I am standing for County Council today. Someone in unbelievable pain, off on long term sick leave, messed about by the benefits agency and without central heating for two months - despite it being the middle of winter and their main problem being lack of mobility. A slap on the wrist for me for playing hookey for 5 hours when my election agent thought ...
Ed Balls made a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday about the Baby P case and the actions he was taking. Mr Balls was able to say to most questions essentially - I will wait until I get the report from the urgent investigation I have commissioned and then I will decide and act. Understandable - except none of us have had access to the Serious Case Review full document. In response to requests by myself, David Laws (Lib Dem spokesperson on Children and Schools) and Michael Gove (Conservative spokesperson) Ed Balls has said that the Information Commissioner ...
In the wake of the leaking of the BNP's membership list, it is sobering to note that in the 2007 local elections they won a total of 300,000 votes for 754 candidates. They now have 55 councillors on 22 different councils. Writing in Our Kingdom blog, Stuart Weir of Democratic Audit comments that while their overall share of the vote is only 1 - 2% nationally they have been successful at exploiting geographical concentrations and using electoral strategies modelled in part on the Lib Dem's pavement politics to achieve unparalleled levels of representation. Stuart Wilks-Heeg, who has recently updated earlier ...
The Identity and Passport Service launches today its consultation on the ID card scheme, which, strangely, is going to cost us more than they told us to start with... Best reaction soundbite so far: Chris Huhne's "laminated poll tax".
Can I beg Matt Michaels, a 'normal' Lib Dem member, who's written this piece on Lib Dem Voice, to start writing a blog?
Yes it could be very blue for married women with regard to the latest lunacy to emerge about Labour's ID card scheme. Apparently failure to tell the authorities that they have changed their name after marriage will land them with a £1000 fine. However, there is a major problem with this. There are a number of women I know, and some of them are elected representatives even, who continue to use their maiden name for professional reasons, but for other things use their married name. Let's take one famous example: There is a top whizz international lawyer and speaker who ...
The Credit Cruch is certainly a big event but how apt are the frequent comparisons with the Great Depression of 1929? In a fascinating piece, historian Scott Reynolds Nelson suggests that the Panic of 1873 is a much closer model. He recalls that his 96 year old grandmother says her grandparents had a much harder time in what she calls the "Real Great Depression". As he puts it: The problems had emerged around 1870, starting in Europe. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, formed in 1867, in the states unified by Prussia into the German empire, and in France, the emperors supported ...
Former Telegraph owner Conrad Black is pinning his hopes on clemency from U.S. President George W. Bush as a last-ditch effort to get out of jail early, and he wants his former publishing company to foot the legal bill.
This is a bit of a personal story, but one that reflects on the wonderful work of some people who work for the Borough. My mother has Alzheimer's, and she moved into Amy Woodgate House about six months ago. Amy Woodgate is a specialist home for people with dementia. I have known for many years that it has a good reputation, but I have only realised just how special it is since I have...
I didn't think I would be blogging about Sarah Palain for a loooooong time. But, my goodness me, this video is so utterly bizarre that I just had to put it up. As part of her Thanksgiving Day preparation duties, Palin went along to a turkey farm to pardon, yes pardon, a turkey (it's a yank thing). So far, so Alaskan humdrum. But then she is button-holed for a three minute interview by a local
Our cuddly government today launched its latest consultation on ID cards. It runs for three months, closing on Friday 13th February 2009 (lucky I'm not superstitious). This consultation is on the draft secondary legislation. According to the BBC story, it considers things like what fines will be levelled for people who don't ensure their information is updated, and what happens for transexuals (the proposal is that they get two cards). I'm not going to comment on media reports (especially as today they'll be from journalists who haven't done more than skim the document). What I will do is read the ...
Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin. In 1945, perhaps in a desire to continue the communal spirit of the war, Britain elected its only Socialist government. Swathes of privately-owned businesses were nationalised, capitalism was abandoned in favour of state ownership, and Liberalism, which had taken Great Britain from a dreary archipelago at the corner of Europe to a global powerhouse of industry and enterprise, was abandoned. And while the Attlee government did some great good in the creation of the NHS, after six years the British electorate had come to hate the drab, rationed austerity of the 1940s. Perhaps ...
Benedict Brogan has this story. Jeremy Vine asked Brown about the mounting speculation that an election will be called early next year and he replied; "My undivided attention is on the economy. I am not thinking about anything else. It is 100% of my attention, and you can just discount all of these stories" Which may well be very true but there is a head-of-steam building up around this issue. Coffee House presents the 'Labour arguments' for a June 4th poll today and we all know that barely a day goes by without speculation appearing somewhere. Of course, it is ...
South Cambridgeshire DC, Teversham LD Frances Amrani 269 (38.6; +2.9) Con 237 (34.0; -30.3) Ind 191 (27.4; +27.4) Majority 32 Turnout 36.1% LD gain from Con Percentage change is since May 2007 Tower Hamlets LBC, Mile End East Lab 1208 (47.3; +15.0) Con 630 (24.7; +13.7) Respect 604 (23.7; -0.3) LD Jainal Choudhury 110 (4.3; -15.7) Majority 578 Turnout 31.4% Lab hold Percentage change is since
On TV over the next few days there's a feast of wonderful things with one feature in common: a '70s revival. Tonight's highlight may hail from 1966 - one of The Avengers' greatest episodes, The House That Jack Built, at 1am on BBC4 - but it's preceded by House of Cards, a striking episode of 1976 Avengers revival The New Avengers. Appropriately for Doctor Who's anniversary weekend, there's also a new sequel to a 1975 Doctor Who, fine storytelling from The Sarah Jane Adventures (she debuted in 1973) and a remake of Dalek author Terry Nation's 1975 apocalyptic drama Survivors. ...
I've only just noticed this courtesy of the excellent Steve Cooke. Jacquie Smith has dreamed up a unique approach to law enforcement. Penalise people who may be doing wrong but don't know it and stop pursuing people who are doing wrong and know they're doing wrong. The daftness of her ideas on preventing people trafficking by criminalising paying for sex with controlled women - whether or not the payer is aware of the situation - has been exposed in many places. But is it not egregiously daft to do that while effectively closing down the only police unit in the ...
The Labour MP Khalid Mahmood from Birmingham is seriously ill according to a BBC report. His brother died of the same serious illness a couple of years ago. I hope this MP gets better and can represent his constituency once again in the Commons!
Great Greenpeace video, here.
I must be recovering because I'm back trying to complete my Drum Villain Challenge. Regular readers will know that I have the Rock Bank game and a set of the drums that comes with it, and my mission is to complete the game on the 'expert' (or 'I have no life') difficulty, then see if I can go into a music shop and convince someone I've been playing real drums for years. I always loved that Channel 4 programme Faking It that took people from unlikely backgrounds, say a sheep farmer, and gave them intensive training in another, say hairdressing, ...
Andy Sloan, one of the three Tory Councillors in Liberal Democrat-controlled Hull, has been forced to resign after being caught out still claiming his councillor's allowance even though he has lived and worked in Guernsey since August and hasn't attended a Council meeting since June. Andy, of course, was elected as a Liberal Democrat originally but [...]
Liberal Democrat Councillors have welcomed the adoption of their motion on the Sustainable Communities Act. By adopting the motion B&NES Council has resolved to "use, to the full, its powers under the Act by preparing and submitting proposals to central government". The Act became law in 2007 and gives Councils the opportunity to make proposals to make proposals...
Liberal Democrats are campaigning for the rights of Gurkhas who are being denied citizenship and full pensions. It's an ongoing disgrace: Gurkhas who retired from the British Army after 1997 can automatically stay in the UK, but those who retired earlier must apply, and many have been refused and face deportation. Pension rights for years served by Gurkhas before...
Over the summer I blogged about the Treasury's curious admission that it doesn't know how much money it spends on, in the words of the question, "branding and marketing". This week Dizzy Thinks spotted another example; the Treasury doesn't know how much it spends on heating, electricity or water either. Perhaps it would be easier for someone to just ask what it does know?
Yesterday I went to lend a hand to colleagues in South East Cambridgeshire in a local by-election. Lib Dem Frances Amrani gained a seat off the Tories in Teversham, a ward which abuts Cambridge. It seems that in South Cambridgeshire, the Tories are doing their best at emulating their colleagues in Forest Heath in the complacency stakes. Poor financial management and a rush to get rid of their housing stock against local residents' wishes have not gone down well. Once again residents have shown that they value their vote and will not just vote for anyone with a blue rosette ...
Tonight's Evening Standard carries a report that Gordon Brown may go the country on June 4, 2009. The issue would be, of course, which party is best placed to see the economy through troubled times. Brown has developed something close to a narrative: that he is the steady, experienced, internationally economic manager and this is no time to take a risk. David Cameron and the Conservatives are nowhere close to having an economic narrative - even though they remain in front. But the UK Polling Report polling average puts the Liberal Democrats on between 12 and 14 per cent. Electoral ...
This is my local library. Inspiring huh? I've always been a member of Somerset Library Services. I clearly remember sitting on the tiny plastic chair in the small market town 3 miles from the village where I grew up at a little table complaining that I couldn't get all the books I wanted out at the same time. I think you could only take a few out in the early eighties. As time progressed I graduated to the older section where I remember getting a book about science experiments out and starting to use my mum's library ticket for overspill. ...
There was a report on Today that said that Charles Moore, former editor of the Daily Telegraph, was threatening to not pay his license fee if the BBC didn't sack Jonathan Ross. Well, I think there's a simple 2-stage answer to all of this. 1. Don't sack Jonathan Ross 2. Arrest Charles Moore for non-payment
My latest Guardian blog - on recession, RBS and responsibility - is now online.
Another result for Labour's strategy of subtly shelving costly bureaucratic and invasive measures. The Independent report's that plans for the 'Big Brother' database will not be in the Queens Speech scheduled for 3rd December. Its 'Whitehall sources' insist that; "a consultation paper early next year would set out options for collecting the information" but; "there is no firm indication when the new Communications Data Bill will be published".
A tale of two casting votes this week. On Monday night, at City Council, we discussed the choice of sculpture to go on Lemon Quay. This has gone on for 9 years and finally we arrived at a point where the choice was narrowed down to two sculptures, a drummer boy on a ball, in bronze, or a more moder shape, inspired by a rudder, in granite. But instead of choosing, the usual suspects wanted to stop everything, choose none of the above, start the whole process again! I had intended to sit quietly, but this was ridiculous, how much ...
My objection to the planning application went in. I'll post extract from it (rather a long letter) in another post. The objection/comment deadline was 17 November. My Cressington Lib Dem Colleagues - Peter and Richard - have sent their objections in too. The planners tell me that the issue is unlikely to go to the planning committee this side of the New Year. I know that there is an awful lot of material - much of it written objections covering a lot of arguments. When I get a date I'll publish the details. Meanwhile we (the Cressington Councillors) are attempting ...
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, has a bit of a bee in her bonnet about the sex 'industry'. She's been busy making attacks on lap-dancing clubs and the people who frequent them, and she's been unveiling plans to make it a criminal offence to pay to have sex with someone who is "controlled for another [...]
Polling consultancy ComRes has been tracking business leaders' perceptions of party leaders and their Treasury spokesmen since October 2007. Recent figures for business leaders' confidence in the abilities of Darling, Osborne and Cable make for an interesting comparison: In September, confidence in Alistair Darling was 11%, George Osborne 40% and Vince Cable was 31%. In October, it was: Darling 25%, Osborne 36% and our Vince 45%. At a time when business experience among MPs is lacking, and when Liberal Democrat ideas are being filched from all sides, Vince Cable stands out. ComRes' Chief Exec Andrew Hawkins has even gone so ...
In Strasbourg this week for our formal debates and votes, the European Parliament turned its attention to immigration. The Commission has proposed the first two planks in what will eventually be a common immigration policy. They must be agreed unanimously by the member states before they become law and Parliament is only asked for its opinion. We backed with large majorities a measure to open the door to legal migration for highly skilled migrants (the so called blue card scheme): and a proposal to give them the same rights as our own workforce. My Group abstained on the Blue Card ...
A couple of days ago I heard about this new LOLGRIFFIN thing and thought I'd have a go. First I came up with this: {funny pictures} But apparently it had to be related to this Nick Griffin feller. So I did this: {funny pictures} moar funny pictures ... but it didn't make the grade either. Pfff...
Hat-tip to Luke Akehurst; Teversham Ward, South Cambs DC. LD gain from Con. LD 269 (38.6%, +2.9), Con 237 (34.0%, - 30.3), Ind (former Lab County Cllr for the area) 191 (27.4%, +27.4). Mile End East Ward, LB Tower Hamlets. Lab hold. Lab 1208 (47.3%, +15.1), Con 630 (24.7%, +13.7), Respect 604 (23.7%, -0.3), LD 110 (4.3%, -15.7).
So, John and Kristina bow out of Strictly and, whether for personal reasons, prior engagements, embarrasment or just plain can't be doing with all the negative vibes from the judges, it somehow feels unfair...it seems yet another nail in 'Aunty's' coffin, I can't imagine how the BBC has managed to make itself quite so unpopular or so out of touch with public opinion in the last few years! If the judges want a dance competition, go back to the original 'Come Dancing' format, use only professional or amateur dancers from dance schools around the country and stop taking all that ...
As Twitter slowly ekes its way into the public consciousness - and it has a considerable way still to go - various... people you've heard of... or might have heard of... famous people... OK, celebrities... various celebrities have signed up and started twittering. So who are these slebs, and where be they? Here are an assortment of folk you may have come across by rough category. Politicians and government Chris Reed has already discovered that there are only four MPs currently on Twitter - and that's if you count Number 10. 10 Downing Street (official tweets from the PM's house) ...
My mention of the current Chess Olympiad in Dresden reminds me of one of my proudest boasts in the game. I once beat an Olympiad top board player while playing for Richmond & Twickenham in the London League in 1983 or 1984. In fact, I beat someone who has played top board for two different countries at Olympiads. His name is Simon Le Blancq and he played top board for Zimbabwe in 1984 and for Guernsey-Jersey in 1986, 1988 and 1990. I admit that neither country is a chess superpower, but it is a claim to fame of sorts.
Last night I went to the Solihull Liberal Democrats Annual Dinner where Nick Clegg was the speaker.
There has been much talk about the new proposals that make paying for sex with someone who has been trafficked or are otherwise exploited. They are, without doubt, entirely laudable in terms of intent, and any reasonable person would want to see such people protected. However, as Evan Davis put it so well on the Today programme on Wednesday morning, the new proposals put the emphasis on those
Today's Guardian reports that the leaked British National party membership list contains the names of individuals who are former members of all the mainstream political parties in England: A former constituency chairman for the Conservatives, a former Labour prospective parliamentary candidate, and a church minister who had been at various times a Green, a Conservative and a Liberal Democrat, all went public on why they had switched parties in the wake of the leaking of a BNP members' list. Lionel Buck said he was chairman of Ashfield Conservative association in Nottinghamshire for about four years, joining the BNP two years ...
Today I read the sad news that my friend and former Lib Dem campaigner and colleague Debra Storr has quit the party group on Aberdeenshire Council due the illiberal attitude of colleagues (???can I still call them that). Her crime was too look at the local issues affecting the Trump application and base her judgement on that, along with three other colleagues including * Martin Ford the former chair of the planning committee who voted against it. I did meet up with Debra at conference and had a conversation with her about how things were going. Then she told me ...
Paul Linford, after some consideration, thinks they should be; "After initially taking the view that political bloggers had little to gain, and much to lose in terms of their independence by joining the parliamentary lobby, my thinking has changed on this point over the past couple of years. The gradual convergence of the blogosphere and the mainstream media which I wrote about in the Guide to Political Blogging earlier this year has rendered the old dividing lines obsolete." However, lobby passes would be restricted to the 'Big Five'; Iain Dales Diary, Guido Fawkes, Conservative Home, Political Betting and Liberal Conspiracy. ...
This morning's Western Mail publishes another letter critical of my decision to invite Patrick Jones to read his poetry in the National Assembly building, this time by a Brian Churchill of Abergele. Mr. Churchill thinks that he knows my writings and publications inside out, hence his assertion that he does not 'remember these brave outraged defenders of free speech saying anything in support of Tom Wellingham when, in 2006 he was suspended after the student newspaper he edited, Gair Rhydd published the infamous Danish images of Mohammed.' Alas, he has not carried out much research. As anybody who uses the ...
Scottish Secretary didn't have that good a night on question time last night. Whilst he attacked monetary stimuli as not saving people's jobs he failed to take any blame for the the banking sector failings despite Labour, and more crucially Gordon Brown being heavily involved in that line since 2007. Then to cap it all he want 4 more people to lose their jobs speaking on the John Sergeant scenario he said "I think we need to get rid of the judges rather than John". I mean there's off message then going off you own message. But how long are ...
The knife-edge Minnesota Senate race is being recounted, and you can browse some of the ballot papers under scrutiny here. I particularly liked the attempt to disqualify one ballot paper because it had a fingerprint ... and as for the Lizard People Party, there were clearly robbed of a vote.
Your result for Which Star Trek Ship Should You Command? Test... Nova Class!10% Flight_Control, 20% Tactical, 80% Science and 20% Command!Congratulations! You have been assigned a Nova Class vessel! Designed to replace the aging Oberth Class, the Nova is a state of the art science ship, equipped with the latest top of the line sensor packages. She is the perfect choice for planetary or spatial survey missions! Take Which Star Trek Ship Should You Command? Test at HelloQuizzy
Earlier today Lib Dem Voice reported that leaflets claiming the Liberal Democrats want to legalise paedophilia being pushed through voters' doors in Waltham Forest. They are being distributed in the Hale End & Highams Park ward where there is currently a council by-election campaign taking place. Now Lancaster Unity says: Images identical to those on sick leaflets claiming the Liberal Democrats condone paedophilia are available on the British National Party (BNP) website ...This has fuelled speculation that BNP members or sympathisers are behind the smear campaign.
Over the next few months the Electoral Reform Society, Make Votes Count and Unlock Democracy will be distributing one million postcards across the country calling for the Prime Minister to give voters real choice and real fairness in UK elections.
