The Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesman, Vince Cable, has become such a widely-acknowledged economic guru that political pundits and Jeremy Paxman cite him on 'Newsnight' even when he is not appearing. He predicted the current financial crisis years ago and has usually been ahead of the game in outlining what would happen next. But as the [...]
Just a quick one, because I forgot to update the blog for Saturday. Now, according to the New Statesman, David Cameron is a lightweight. Not from the Lib Dems this time folks, but good old El Presidente Elect Obama! I wish I could have seen the expression on David Camera's (excuse the pun) face when he heard this news.
I'm taking part in an energy efficiency event on Friday, 12th December from 11.30am-2.30pm, Salvation Army Hall, 24 Lymington Avenue, Wood Green, N22 6JA (map here). I've paired up with government-backed energy efficiency provider Eaga (which administers the Warm Front programme) for this event, and The Energy Saving Trust along with pension, public health and housing advisers will also be present - in other words, the full range of people to give advice on how to save energy and the help available. Between 11:30am-1:30pm I'll be holding an extra surgery for constituents, so people can directly raise any specific issue. ...
Welcome to weekly catchup. This week, the Voice saw the start of two of the big debates widely expected at spring conference next year, starting with the Lib Dem stance on student tuition fees. On the pro side, Julian Astle and Tim Leunig. Batting for the antis, Paul Holmes MP. The posts attracted a huge number of comments, suggesting the debate is only just beginning. And at the end of last week, Susan Kramer MP used our pages to launch a policy paper that would provide seamless childcare support for families from the day a child is born to their ...
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg MP speaks at the Climate Change March in Westminster on 6th December 2008. This video was taken on my mobile phone, hence the quality. I missed the first minute or so of the speech.
The Politics blog at NOTW has revealed that Civil Servants that are posted to Afghanistan and Iraq are paid twenty times more then soldiers. Now this is I think a disgrace to people like me who are proud to be British citizens. The Armed forces risk their lives for the people of the UK and the only thing this government can do is to pay them less then their own cronies!
The NOTW have revealed that Damian Green will not be charged with the raid's and allegations that were brought against him last week. Personally I think, its a little late to put him in the clear but at least it shows that the police did make a mistake and they will go onto regret this whole event in times to come.
The BBC has been running a Daily Mail style consumer scare story today about how Child Trust Funds (CTF's) are losing millions of pounds and that good people who were persuaded by the Government to invest in these vehicles will have lost significant amounts. The basis of the story is that most CTF's are linked to the stock exchange and as the stock exchange has gone down, so has the value of CTF's. Yes and what is the BBC's point? Given that the first CTF's will not mature for another 11 years, I don't think parents (or even their off-spring) ...
Do you remember the G8 summit in Genoa 2001? There were huge clashes between anti-globalisation groups and the police. 400 protesters and 100 police officers were injured, and one protester died. It's thought that there may have been a strategy of tension. The Prime Minister of Italy at the time was Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi is of course back again leading a right-winged Government that is guiding Italy towards a dangerous right agenda. Gypsies have been used as a scapegoat by the Government, Ministers are being granted immunity from the courts, armed soldiers have been used to protect tourist areas and ...
This morning's newspapers brought the news that the head of Ofsted is accusing Haringey Council of misleading her inspectors: Ofsted's assessment of local authorities' children's services last year consisted of a checklist of the information managers had to provide to demonstrate, among other things, that they had adequate social workers and were assessing children promptly. Managers in Haringey misled Ofsted by providing inaccurate data, the chief inspector said. Tactics used by the council included claims that managers had assessed children promptly when the files revealed that those assessments were in fact incomplete. The same files showed that such assessments of ...
I was delighted to see our leader, Nick Clegg, at today's climate change rally in Parliament Square. I feel as though the Lib Dems have lost their edge on climate change and sustainability issues over the last year, partly because we seem to have become less pro-active about trying to get the media to pay attention to our environmental policies. The one exception I can think of was in August when Nick launched our excellent "UK to be energy independent by 2050" policy. I hope Nick's strong speech today signals the start of a concerted effort by him and the ...
Conservative Home have done a post to mark the third year of David Cameron as party leader of the Conservatives.Personally what I have seen of Cameron is that he is a typical silver spoon Tory but for some reason likes to call himself a "Liberal Conservative". Since becoming Leader of the Conservatives he has influenced a lot of people to defect or to join the Tories by using the gimmick "Liberal Conservative".What ever I think of him is a totally different matter but you need to give Cameron praise for being charming. He has been charming his way in the ...
A day after the Post Office closed its host for several years, Martins Newsagent, also closed. It's fallen victim to the inexorable rise of the supermarket as stockist of newspapers, magazines, chocolate bars and birthday cards. But they don't stock the variety of magazines, nor do they take special orders, nor deliver them to the door in all weathers. Unfortunately our paper this morning was
I spent most of today in London for the National Climate March. A pleasant wander through central London with few thousand other people. This was followed by a rally in Parliament Square which included a good speech from Nick Clegg. It was a good atmosphere. I enjoyed listening to the drumming of the various bands. Although several of the Lib Dems I was with spent a lot of their time checking
{Lynne Featherstone and team having tea} Yesterday we had a tea party in the office - taking part with people all over the UK in Wallace and Gromit's Great British Tea Party. It was to help raise funds for sick children in hospitals and hospices. We had a range of yummy treats on offer, from Welsh teacakes, to Swedish Christmas cakes and of course Wensleydale cheese. It's a shame though that Wallace and Gromit couldn't make it. Maybe better luck next year.
I just blog about the things which take my fancy. After months droning on about Alaska and the US elections, my interested has now oscillated the other way - sublime to the ridiculous and all that - and I am now back whittering on about Newbury I am afraid. Well at least for two posts, that is. This morning I was moved to great activity with my handy little camera. This photo above is of a
It's a while since I hung up my councillor's bicorn hat but I emerge from retirement today for a micro-second to show this photo of a remarkably large and deep hole in the road in Newbury's main street, Northbrook Street, just outside MacDonald's. The reason I discovered it is that, this morning, I put my foot in it (yes, I'm always doing that, I know) and descended six inches into sand, my
As the House of Commons debates the Queen's Speech, Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne highlighted some of the more ludicrous examples of Labour's legislative incontinence - here's an excerpt from his speech as recorded by Hansard: We are to have the 26th Criminal Justice Bill and the seventh Immigration Bill from this Government since 1997. Various of those Bills have been shovelled through this House so hastily that whole sections and clauses have not been considered at all and have had to be reviewed in the other place. We now know from parliamentary answers to questions tabled by ...
On what issue will the next general election be won on? This is an interesting question and the answer to that comes from a prediction by Ipsos Mori who have predicted it more to be fought on the issues: 1. Economy 2. Crime and Law 3. Race and Immigration 4. NHS 5. Education. Now these are Interesting predictions and I have to say they are not arguable from my point of view and I agree with them. These are key aspects that need to be looked at properly by candidates who want to get elected and then campaign using these ...
I was pleased to see the Scottish Parliament last Thursday pass the following motion - after considerable debate - on Ofcom's Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) Review : "That the Parliament notes that 4 December 2008 is the final date for submissions to Ofcom's Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) Review, Preparing for the Digital Future; recognises that, while broadcasting is reserved, there is a need for a healthy, competitive Scottish-based television programme-making sector outwith the BBC, notwithstanding that organisation's historic, respected and pivotal role in Scottish broadcasting; recognises the role of STV as the only remaining Scottish-based commercial PSB provider; prefers Ofcom's ...
Friday: Sorry for the delay: the Government has changed a tax called VAT and gave Daddy Richard just seven days to change all the sales and purchases systems at his work. Believe it or not, this was slightly time-consuming. THEN Daddy Richard and Daddy Alex went and got SURVIVORS flu and were very poorly. However, when we emerged, we were pleasantly surprised to find that 99.9% of the world WEREN'T already dead. Phew! We hope that, one day, normal service will be resumed. In the meantime, here are some Teddy Bears in space... Another triumph for the British Rocket Group ...
Full marks, a "Way to go, girl" and trebles all round for Selina Scott. She's won a pay out believed to be in the region of £250,000 after claiming that Channel Five discriminated against her on the grounds of age. It's ridiculous isn't? Scott was lined as pregnancy cover for Natasha Kaplinsky but allegedly dropped in favour of younger presenters. The ridiculous thing is that John Suchet, aged
Ming Campbell, the former Lib Dem leader and a possible candidate to be the next Speaker, is in no doubt that Michael Martin will survive in post, despite the controversy surrounding Damian Green's arrest. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme this morning, Ming observed: If the Speaker steps down, by convention he or she leaves the House of Commons and goes to the House of Lords. I can't imagine Gordon Brown looks forward with any enthusiasm to fighting another difficult byelection in Glasgow. I think Mr Martin will remain in the Speaker's chair until the end of this parliament." ...
According to the Guardian the Conservatives are closing Coleshill and the constituency campaigning services due to the recession.
Well, choosing juicy Boris quotes is like shooting fish in a barrel isn't it? He is interviewed in the Times today.
The Conservatives tried to create a UK Joe the Plumber to try and match the lobbyist who lobbied Obama but they made a mistake! The Conservatives used a Plumber who has shut shop and have been caught out! The Conservatives with their party broadcast wanted to show that Brown hasn't helped people like that Plumber only later to find out that the Plumber's company had closed down in 2006 and he was no longer a plumber! This just is one prime example of how desperate Cameron is to be like Obama, he even got a Plumber to act as Joe! ...
This beats the Bill Ayers story into a cocked hat in many respects. Until this week Maria Gatland was Conservative Councillor for Croham ward on Croydon Borough Council (see her council web site profile above) and, furthermore, the Council's Cabinet member for Children's Services. Then, to the bemusement of council colleagues, last Monday evening Councillor Gatland was referred to by an
Do you have any problems that you'd like to discuss in confidence with the local police? The Safer Neighbourhood teams for the two Chessington wards are holding a drop-in surgery at the Hook Centre on 18th December from 4-5pm. If it can't wait until then, call them on 8721 2001 at any time. You may have to leave a message but they will get back to you. Of course, for emergencies you...
With the pomp and ceremony of the Queen's Speech in the House of Lords, and the State Opening of Parliament, the Welsh Electorate would be forgiven for missing the events that were going on in The Sennedd on the same day. Opposition AM David Melding tried to introduce a Legislative Competence Order (LCO) to give the Welsh Assembly the power to appoint a Welsh Language Commissioner. Many supporters of the Welsh Language would see this as a good thing, unfortunately, the motion was defeated. The record of the voting shows Labour either voted against this motion or abstained. The record ...
The mating dance of the greater spotted Cameron with the Ulster Unionist Party raises some interesting issues. One of the eternal verities of The Situation in 'Ulster' or the 'Six Counties' or 'Northern Ireland' is that some words have a terrible charge of hidden meanings. For example the phrase 'Britain has no selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland' was part of the so-called Downing Street Declaration of 15 December 1993 endorsed by the last Tory Prime Minister, John Major. This implied recognition by the UK of dynamic semi-detachment was vital for the evolution towards the Good Friday Agreement ...
I wasn't a fan of writers that allow you to write offline before posting but I thought I would start using Live Writer and I have to say I am quite enjoying it. They make writing more interesting offline and unlike MS Word or Notepad you don't have to copy and paste the text into the browser! These writers are great as you can publish straight to the Internet. I would recommend Windows Live Writer to every blogger.
Don't forget, if you're a party member you can register for the Lib Dem Voice members' forum. You'll be in good company: there are 854 registered members, all of whom have the opportunity to read and post on a rich variety of topics which don't always make it into the public blog, as well as having the chance to vote in LDV's monthly tracking surveys. Here's a selection of the currently active threads to whet your appetites: >> Parliament and the police >> Locked doors and delivery >> Menezes jury told it cannot give unlawful killing verdict. >> Brain Paddick ...
David Cameron was today speaking at the Ulster Unionist Conference and both parties the Conservatives and Ulster Unionist's have agreed to unite and select candidates together for Westminster and European Parliament. David Cameron and the Ulster Unionist's are merging and Cameron thinks he can win more seats this way but he might just be wrong. When the government wanted to pass 42 days they used the Ulster Unionist party, Cameron might use them at the next general election or they might turn around and help Labour if the number of seats between Labour and the Tories are tight! To read ...
Date, venue, time confirmed. Scroll to earlier entry for details.
Congratulations to everyone who organised the very moving memorial celebration at Manchester Town Hall yesterday. The amount of care that had gone into this, and the range of people speaking or taking part in readings, showed just how loved Neil was and how much he will be missed. There were a large number of Lib Dems there - and not just from the North West either - which shows how many people wanted to come and pay tribute. We all knew Neil in different ways for different reasons. I knew him as a regional campaigner and staff member who helped ...
Fellow Lib Dems? We have been infiltrated. James Graham just confessed on twitter that he and Helen Duffett are one and the same, and he's actually a Slitheen in human clothing. He's also claiming to be Will Howells, Tom Watson and Stephen Fry. Follow the unfolding insanity of what happens when you let Lib Dems loose on a protest march with mobile phones and twitter accounts at #climatemarch or Lib Dem Tweets. In related news, did you know that if you google for James Graham, the third result is "Graham's Celestial Bed"? LMAO!
Last night I went to the annual Bury Mayor's Ball, which sees the great and the good of the Borough, and the likes of me, descend on Prestwich's Longfield Suite for a pre-Christmas knees-up. It's also the time that our own Mayor welcomes the other Greater Manchester Mayors to Bury, which is the cue for a dozen Mayoral limousines to turn up en masse, making the car park look as if it's been temporarily taken over by an outdoor used Jaguar hypermarket. I have to say that, car-wise, our Mayor comes out looking pretty shoddy. All the other Mayors have ...
Via nhw: here are the first lines of my first entries for each month of this year, in a rather randomised retrospective.January the First: my first post of the year is the traditional SB's drunken New Year Message.February the First: a rant about customs charges levied on my beloved BPAL, with bonus comedy song by my lovely Daddy. Happily, this sort of thing will be an issue no longer.March the First: I link to something which amused me, which might be of offence to those who believe in creationism.April the First: a rant about the misogyny of a high-up in ...
The low levels of light to the entrance ways and underground car parking continues to be a very considerable concern to all residents in the vicinity of the Chalcots. The situation has been currently under review for some time. Irrespective of whether the properties are responsibility of the PFIC group of companies or ultimately the Local Authority. It must be remembered that the Local Authority is the primary "Social Landlord" and the "Landlord" for all properties. Under Health and Safety Protocols and Security provision Protocols have a direct "Duty of Care" not only to all residents but also all residents ...
Then the magic of hashtags brings you interesting news from those who are. There's a collection of updates from marchers, including the Voice's own Kate Adie Helen Duffett, over at twemes or Twitter Search. She's also uploading pictures as she goes, including ones of Liberal Youth and Susan Kramer.
"Sometimes the most important meetings occur in the most inauspicious places." Not my words but those of the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband (below), when we bumped into each other in the toilet in his department. In the few minutes available to me I reminded him that I was waiting for a response from him to my plan for insulating solid wall buildings which make up two thirds of Camden's housing stock; I gave him the one minute elevator (or should I say WC?) pitch on the Carbon Disclosure Project, the organisation I'm currently ...
Before the hiatus for NaNoWriMo I intimated that I was in two minds about the virtues of protectionism. Now that I've had some time to think about it I think I've unpacked the dilemma a bit. Euro-sceptics be warned, this post assumes a rather European perspective. This choice is due to the facts on the ground. The removal of trade barriers across Europe means that it would difficult to implement any sort of protectionist policy on a smaller scale. The problem is that here (at present) in Europe there are tough standards around labour conditions. These standards do not apply ...
Assertiveness is about being adult. Applying consideration. It's about being able and willing to act in your own self interest and importantly recognising that other people are entitled to do the same. If you believe that only other people have the right to act in their own self interest then you become 'passive'. If you then lash out at people who act against your self interest, then you become the iconic 'passive aggressive' type. Likewise if you believe that you have a right to act in your own self interest but believe other people do not, then you become the ...
This week's Conservative Party Political Broadcast (PPB) featured a builder talking about how his firm is struggling due to the recession. However, it turns out he went bankrupt in 2006, at the height of the building boom: Shane Prescott starred in the Conservative party broadcast on Thursday, claiming his business had struggled because of the recession. But Companies House records show the 51-year-old father-of-four's loft conversion firm actually went into liquidation at the height of the boom in 2006. It is believed when his business went into liquidation he owed £240,000 to creditors and £174,000 to Revenue and Customs. He ...
Flicking through the blogsphere I came across this post by Jim Jepps which says that Nick Clegg is taking the Liberal Democrats into 'pro-war waters'. Frankly, it makes depressing reading. Below I highlight the latest comments by Clegg on Zimbabwe and say that if military intervention was restricted to the distribution and maintenance of aid supply routes then I would support that; this is not interventionism in the service of regime change but in the service of assisting with the saving of lives. However, Clegg appears has a different direction in mind. In his speech on 'Terms of Intervention' Clegg ...
A friend of mine sent me the letter below from friends in Zimbabwe and asked that I send it on to anyone with clout, which I am doing - but also posting it here in the hope that the message is carried far and wide: I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn. We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything ...
Listening to the Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs' Spokesperson, Chris Huhne speak at a dinner last night reminded me that I have not blogged on the landmark ruling by the European court of human rights in Strasbourg, which condemned the "blanket and indiscriminate" nature of the powers given to the police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to retain the DNA samples and fingerprints of suspects who have been released or cleared. The decision means that fingerprints and DNA samples of more than 857,000 innocent citizens who have been arrested or charged but never convicted of a criminal offence now face ...
I am not a fan of Top Gear, but those who are may be interested in this snippet from the Guardian earlier this week: It is widely known that Top Gear parted company with Perry McCarthy, a former minor formula one driver, after he exposed himself, although not in the John Barrowman sense.Ben Collins, a former NASCAR driver, was later revealed by the Health and Safety Executive as Top Gear's "high-performance driver" in a report into the Richard Hammond crash of 2006.Now Digger has been reliably informed by F1 sources that Heikki Kovalainen, left, took up the role during a ...
Naomi House in Hampshire is a special place. It is a hospice for children. They give loving care to children in their last days. It is in financial trouble because of the Icelandic bank collapse. It is very difficult to think of a more deserving charity. Oh no it isn't. Treasury Minister Angela Eagle has thought of one, and said so during a debate on the matter yesterday: MP for Basingstoke,
The Conservatives have claimed that Government agencies are wasting £2 million a year on hiring lobbyists. I have to say that as someone who works in the Public Affairs industry, I agree with the Tories and the idea of a Government agency needing advice on how it talks to Government is absurd. The Association that represents the industry claim that Public Affairs consultancies provide value for money because Government agencies can use these services as and when they require them - it would cost even more to employ these services in-house. But that's not really the point and if I ...
What with jet lag, Council meetings and other projects I'm only just catching up on the week's news. I haven't yet commented on Haringey and the Baby P case. At the time I found it very distressing. I also couldn't believe the behaviour of the senior management at Haringey Council and wondered if there were any extenuating circumstances. The media were on a witch-hunt and...
It would be rather undignified to do a "Whoop" at the news that OJ will be 70 years old before he can be paroled out of jail, wouldn't it? Oh, what the hell.... WHOOP!
Speaker Martin may be going with the current situation. A Labour MP has called upon him to resign and this is the third MP who has done this. Bob Marshall-Andrews the Labour back bench MP has said to the Speaker to resign and this is only going to bring trouble for Martin. Will Speaker Martin resign or will he continue with his job, personally I think he is in a difficult position but like Ming Campbell said he thought that he would not step down! I have to agree with Ming as Speaker Martin might have made some mistakes but ...
Via Muslim News we have the text of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's greeting ahead of next week's Eid festival: I offer my warmest greetings and best wishes for all Muslims on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. I know this is a very special time for family and friends coming together as you join in spirit with the millions gathered in Mecca to uphold the traditions of one of your most sacred feasts. As Muslims in the UK celebrate Eid al-Adha, we are reminded of the contributions that Muslim communities have made to our religious and cultural heritage.
This week, my union, the Public and Commercial Service union (PCS), issued a press release claiming that 3,500 jobs would be lost in local offices around the country. What they say is true, for a given value of true. What they have omitted to say is that these cuts are part of an already announced programme to axe 25,000 jobs, i.e. more than one in four of our staffing numbers as in 2005. In an
"Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the train, not a restaurant car was stirring, not even near Diss..." I have written in the past of the joy of breakfast on the train from Stowmarket to London Liverpool Street, a joy which makes bearable having to catch a train at the uncivilised time of 8.10 in the morning to get to work, especially on a Monday. And now, just when I have settled
Only four of us turned up to Liberal Drinks last night, but I don't think the pub were too upset, because we stayed till closing and mostly behaved ourselves. And Mat and Hywel had very indepth and geeky conversations about stuff which I mostly followed, I think - it got a bit hazy when I started on the brandy because after christmas pud and beer I was too full for more beer... ANYWAY! I am being bad blogger and not blogging enough recently. It's been over 24 hours since I last posted, which is just WRONG for me. Still, I ...
Steve Webb will take part in a live question and answer session on the Lib Dem Voice website from 6.30pm on Monday evening. This is a national event - Steve is of course the Liberal Democrat Climate Change and Energy spokesman, as well as being our local MP. You can submit a question if you want to - Lib Dem Voice has details here.
