I was in Leamington at the weekend catching up on some Christmas shopping, looking on as shoppers picked over the bleached carcass of Woolworths who were now offering 60% off, no bailout for Woolworths. Yet we have seen massive support for the banks while we see little relief for people who face loosing their homes, the same tax payers who funded the bailout before their jobs fell victim to the economy. At the same time the government is considering propping up the car industry so they can make cars no one can afford to buy. I wonder whether we have ...
Tue 23rd
21:56
Putting private interests before national interest: the three Tory shadow cabinet members who faced ...
Tory leader David Cameron has been forced to abandon plans to make all members of his shadow cabinet drop their lucrative outside retainers after three of his team vowed to quit if he did so. The FT broke the story this morning, noting: Conservative strategists remain concerned about the potential political damage the "part-time" nature of the shadow cabinet could cause. The onset of recession will add weight to Labour jibes that Mr Cameron's "two-jobs team" is not devoting its full attention to mitigating the impact of the downturn. The party leader's efforts to portray his party as in touch ...
A primary school teacher in Edinburgh has caused controversy by agreeing that Santa Claus does not exist. When you discuss these matters, I feel it's always important to respect both believing and questioning children. All will come to their own conclusions in good time and surely it's best to let that process happen naturally. For me, the truth of these matters is simple. Santa Claus comes to those children who believe in him. If any child stops believing in him, then of course their parents have to step in so that they don't find an empty stocking on Christmas mornning. ...
Just to wish a very happy christmas to all my readers. I haven't been 100% lately so haven't been blogging as much as I would have liked to. I'm sure my blog will look a lot healthier in the new year. It's been a productive year in terms of getting more involved with the party again - I went to my first ever spring conference and my first party training session and have even come close to filling in a candidate form. There is an enormous amount of unofficial voluntary support from people that I have very much valued over ...
The Davies Christmas letter to friends and relatives has been despatched. Of course it contains a few paragraphs devoted to the carbon capture and storage campaign but I realise now that there is one glaring omission. How can I have forgotten to make mention of the second most important event of the year? On 15 May the first passenger train in 40 years pulled out of Alloa station and headed up the line towards Stirling. A steam special, pulled by 61994 'The Great Marquess' (LNER K4), it passed under the town bridges and the site of the branch line that ...
As the Pope speaks of the need for Humanity to be saved from the blurring of sexuality, libdem blogs is full of bloggers justifiably criticising the Pope. Particularly from atheists, who seem to thrive at opportunity to criticise the Pope. I'm at the Liberal end of the Christian Church, and perhaps ultra-Liberal in context of the Church. Most Christians believe homophobia is wrong, but believe gay people should just deal with their 'God given burden' and live alone for ever! I don't believe homosexuality is wrong. And there's a very good case in Christianity for why homosexuality isn't wrong: God ...
This morning BBC Radio 4 broadcast the fourth and final programme in its I Was... series: I Was... David Lean's Boy Star. In it John Howard Davies gave his memories of starring as Oliver Twist in Lean's 1948 film of the novel. You can listen to it on the BBC iPlayer for the next week. Years before I had a blog I wrote an article on Oliver Twist I wrote that, while the workhouse boys on Oliver! are obviously stage school brats, those in Lean's film look as though they would eat you given half a chance. Davies confirmed this ...
For months the residents of South Hampstead and Swiss Cottage have been plagued by an ongoing battle with Tesco over the threatened planning application at the Loudoun Road roundabout for a new store. That battle is now drawing to close as there is a planning application aprroved and they have a licence - but there are conditions attached and they need to be respected. For some people this is a real and immediate issue as they quite literally live above it, but now the building works are in full steam. I noticed yesterday as I went past the sign up ...
The headline story in the Daily Fail was Homosexuality is as great a threat as rainforest destruction, says Pope wow you've seen the horror all day. Iain Dale (dare I speak his name two evenings in a row) suggested that the Pope should just join the BNP and be done with it. Paul Walter took more considered look at just what he said in depth rather than trying to simply fill a headline. However, I was talking (or rather typing this over this morning) and came to the conclusion that you know maybe old Papa Ben has a point. Not ...
The latest edition of Liberator magazine is landing on subscribers' doormats this week. The consequences of the economic crisis for Liberal Democrat policy feature heavily in this issue. Here's a preview of the contents: * The 'Commentary' - editorial criticises Lib Dem policing policy as an example of the party lumbering itself with "a policy that is wrong, incomprehensible except to specialists, indistinct from the other parties and likely to be neutral in its electoral impact since voters will be unaware of it." * The insider gossip column 'Radical Bulletin'. * Our lead article - 'Please ignore us' is written ...
First the Germans said, it now the IMF have followed suit Far from being the saving of the British economy the VAT cut is looking more and more like the Emperors new clothes. But should we be surprised, while the big retailers are happy to pass the savings on what about the rest of the economy. The publican running a microbrewery "I cant afford to change all my menus and beer prices are
I has a mystery package! It came from amazon, and is from "David M". I assume that this is the lovely Mr Matthewman, I can't think of any other David Ms of the top of my head, but if I am wrong do let me know. Anyway, I am going to be good and save it for two days' time. James Graham posted something that made me giggle, too: Tee hee hee.
I'm on holiday from tomorrow, and bracing myself for a visit to the Post Office to apply for a new passport. It must be done. (I know this can be done without a trip to the Post Office, but it's still quicker and more secure). I'm not encouraged by this picture of local MP Lynne Featherstone (centre) queueing in the steet outside what is now my nearest branch, in Crouch End. It's a big branch - with a big queue no doubt inside as well. I bought Christmas stamps at the Hornsey High Street branch last week, and also waited ...
Alwyn Ap Huw has started the debate off here.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the holy water... along comes the Pope to remind you why it's great to be an atheist at Christmas. Could there be a message more loaded with hypocritical intolerance and bigotry masquerading as academic speculation, than the Pontiff's pontificating on gender theory this Yule? This after all is a man who has spent his life in the company of other men, wears a frock, and presides over an organisation that for decades has turned a blind eye to predatory sex abuse by employees. Ah yes the social conservatives will ...
Alex Wilcock has a characteristically thorough review of The Tangerine Book on his site. Not sure if you agree with his review? Buy the book here and find out.
I have had a poll running for about a week now and have decided to close the poll and do an analysis on the results. The results are very interesting and you can see them below: The Poll was "Who shall be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom" Gordon Brown 52.94% Nick Clegg 29.41% David Cameron 17.65% I think blog readers are living in a fantasy world because for some strange reason they voted for Nick Clegg over David Cameron. I myself voted for Gordon Brown as I think he will scrape the next general election!
Talking of heresies, today's Western Mail reveals that the threat posed by a single GB Olympic football team is still a live possibility. Many people would like to see such a team play at the 2012 London Olympics, however that could jeopardise the independence of football associations representing the celtic nations and put the continuing existence of their national football teams at risk. The reassurances of FIFA do not cut much ice with the Welsh and Scottish FAs and why should they when Lord Coe and the British Olympic Association continue to trample over people's sensibilities? The FIFA press release ...
Table from PoliticalBetting.com Gordon Brown has been given the odds of 2/5 for being the Prime Minister in December 2009. Either the gamblers think Brown will call a 2009 general election and win it or they think he will not call the election? I personally think that he will call the election and he will just scrape a victory! David Cameron is given the odds of 7/2 so if an election is called, beware Tories not to bet on Cameron as you might lose a lot of money if you do!
Are you supporting a charity this Christmas? If you'd like to promote their work, why not phone our Podcast Hotline on 020 7617 7221 and tell us all about it? Phoning the Hotline is exactly like leaving a message on an answerphone, except your message will be shared with the Lib Dem Voice readership. So think for a few moments about what you want to say, maybe even jot a few notes down, shut yourself in a quiet room with a phone and give the service a call. The messages will be posted between Christmas and New Year.
I wrote a letter into the Nelson Leader a few weeks ago about the Motorway light switch off, I even posted about it on this blog. The post that I did got a comment from someone anonymous and an identical Letter was sent to the Leader two weeks later. I only shared with readers that it was my 17th Birthday on November the 20th so the person who wrote the letter must be a blog reader. I personally think that "T. MARCROFT Barrowford" is just a cover up name and I have my suspicions on who it really is. As ...
Well that is a good start to the Christmas holidays, not. The season of goodwill has fallen by the wayside following the objectionable pronouncement by Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is as important as protecting the environment. It is an invitation to further discrimination and hatred against specific groups in our society, the triumph of narrow-minded doctrine over Christian tolerance and goodwill. In my view this Pope wants to take us back to the dark ages.
Tue 23rd
15:54
Four Christmas Books: Doctor Who Annual and Storybook, Beedle and a Tangerine In Your Stocking
It's two days 'til Christmas and you're in a panic over those presents you've not yet bought. So, in a last-minute attempt to help, I've been reading four thrilling books for this festive season: The Doctor Who Storybook 2009; Doctor Who - The Official Annual 2009; J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard; and The Tangerine Book, The Lib Dem Voice 2008 Annual (some mistake, surely). All of them are worth a read, though the least impressive is "The Official Doctor Who Annual", which will neither take long nor be very satisfying. And all the others lack puzzle pages. ...
That's what used to be said before we ate at school (with "Benedicto Benedicarto" said afterwards). We used to translate it as "They're under starters orders and they're off". I mention this only because I was pushed for an interesting title for a post about Pope Benedict. I thoroughly reconmmend and endorse the spirit and much of the letter of Iain Dale's post about this. The BBC have a handy
When opposition councillors criticised Labour for running a loss-making ice rink over Christmas cabinet members made sure to say that because Manchester was having a rink and market we should to (other wise it just wouldn't be fair). When we slammed them for wasting money they retorted by complaining that Manchester spent a fortune on [...]
{Snowman} The Ham & High newspaper runs a monthly column from myself and each year I have the slot just before Christmas - for which, after all the serious pieces, I have my annual little bit of fun: the Christmas Fairy Tale. Of course some people think this is terribly out of order and MPs should be terribly dour and serious all the time (hello diary columnists!), to which I say - as every year - bah humbug!
Now let's get this `straight`. The Pope has said that anything that is not the heterosexual `norm` is as bad as the destruction of the rainforests. Just think about that for one minute. The Catholic church the one that doesn't like abortion or birth control and thus encourages huge families that use up the Earth's resources [...]
Oxford City Council is set, it would appear, to cut its funding for the City Centre Management Company, OX1 and "repatriate" many of its functions to the bureaucracy of the City Council. In another U-turn from its former support of the idea of a city centre management company the Labour administration thinks that it will be more "transparent" if things are run from the Town Hall again. New manager 'set to run Oxford' OX1 is to continue as an independent representative body for businesses Oxford city centre is to have a new manager to oversee improvements designed to benefit residents, ...
Questions to the Council's Executive that don't get answered on the night, get answered in writing. Here are some of the responses to question from members of the Liberal Democrat Group: Cllr Tim Pickstone on Gritting Policy Could the Leader outline how the Winter weather gritting policy aligns with our policies to reduce car usage in the Authority? Answer Yes. The Council has a Highways Winter Service Policy which defines a list of Priority Routes for gritting, consisting of the main traffic network and quality bus corridors etc. The Council takes a decision to grit according to weather forecasts received ...
Richard Branson today outlined things he'd like seen done to tackle MRSA, including coming down hard on hospital managers in 'failing wards'. There are two truths which the public debate seems to be missing. It is a horrible reality, but one we have to face up to, that untreatable MRSA is rife through UK hospitals and it cannot be removed. If you enter the average hospital and stay there for five weeks you will almost certainly contract MRSA. If you are in a number of typical vulnerable states MRSA is threatening. Moreover if you are elderly or already in a ...
It's tricky being Prime Minister, I guess. It certainly seems to be tricky if your name is Gordon Brown. Some 15 months ago - finding himself momentarily up in the polls as the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief that His Manicness, Mr Tony Blair, was no more - he dithered about whether to call an election. The result: he plunged in the polls to the point where it seemed inevitable he would be imminently evicted from Number 10. One financial tsunami later, and Gordon's off life-support, and is being allowed to convalesce at Number 10 while the nation ...
Mark Pack over at LDV has started an interesting debate about "what should political bloggers be trying to achieve?". I myself did not comment over at LDV but will share what I want to achieve with readers in this post. When I started blogging I assumed I would get hits in the double figures and that's about it, this has since changed and my hits are in the hundreds on a daily basis. I at the time started of giving my ten pence worth on politics and I will continue to do punditry on what ever tickles my fancy, whether ...
...will be light for the next few days while I spend some time with my partner (who really is the best Christmas present I have ever had or could ever hope for :) ). I will most likely be back before the day itself but just in case I am not I would just like to wish a very Merry Christmas to all my readers :)
Some collection dates changes over the holiday season. Full details are on the Haringey Council website - including information on where you can recycle your Christmas tree.
A ComRes opinion poll in today's Independent tells us little of interest (the moves since last time: Con +2%, Lab -2%, LD -1%, others +1% are all well within the margin of error). It could well mean that nothing's changed; though it's being pitched as the end of the Brown bounce. More interesting is the supplementary questions asked. But asked how they would vote if the Tories committed themselves to a lower level of public spending than Labour and to try not to raise taxes - Mr Cameron's current policy - 49 per cent said Tory, 32 per cent Labour ...
This is the time of year when people look back at the year, compile lists and make awards. So I've got an award of my own: which politician from any party, political persuasion or country, was the best story-teller of 2008? It's lean pickings from the Liberal Democrats, I'm afraid. New leader Nick Clegg worked all year to tell a story: that Labour have had their day and can't create a fairer Britain; the Conservatives won't but the Liberal Democrats will make it happen. It was old third party wine in twenty first century bottles, but showed promise all the ...
There seems to be a consensus that we say the right things and that the technical/sophisticated aspects of our policy making have never been stronger. There are also strong signs that we are pushing forward in the methods of campaigning - and new people are joining us because of our ideas/policies. The main problem we have (as [...]
Christmas is, more than any time of year, the season when Christianity gets a good press. Huge numbers of people who have no time for churches for eleven months simply like the Victorian traditions and warm, fuzzy bits of the Christmas story. I'm no longer a believer (sorry, Mum and Dad), but last night I was typing to a CD of A Carol Symphony (or 'that music from The Box of Delights'). So what could possibly go wrong for Christianity at this festive time? Turning on the radio this morning and hearing the Pope and the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool ...
For many years at Christmas Mum's side of the family would get together and in the evening we would play Nana's Picture Quiz of the Year. It would take hours as we only had one copy of each page and it had to be shared around. By the end of the night if any of the teams had achieved 80% they did well. This year, I've decided to do the quiz and have made a nice PDF version which you can either print out or just view on your PC. There are 50 "celebrities" to be named and unless asked ...
Very sad news from Scotland, as Caron reports: I was very sad to hear last week of the death of Vicki Harris, former Lib Dem candidate in Aberdeen South. I had worked closely with her since moving back to Scotland in 2000 and particularly in the run up to the 2005 election where she so nearly unseated Anne Begg. She worked hard, campaigning ceaselessly for local people. I admired the fact that she let nothing faze her, and just got on with the job, bringing new people in to extend the delivery network and take on roles within her campaign. ...
My latest post on the Total Politics blog.
Interesting discussion over at Liberal Conspiracy, started off by an account of a recent Labour meeting but also spawning a thoughtful discussion in the comments. It's a topic Lynne Featherstone covered earlier this year in a piece on this site, where she said: Liberal Democrat bloggers tend to be either fairly inward or local looking. There are many blogs that really talk just about what is happening in the party, along with a smaller number of - often excellent - blogs which are clearly aimed at a particular local audience (including some particularly good councillor blogs aimed as residents in ...
Tue 23rd
09:30
Councillor Robin Lawrence chosen to stand as next Liberal Democrat MP for Wolverhampton South West
Wolverhampton South West Liberal Democrats have selected popular local Councillor Robin Lawrence to stand for them at the next General Election.
As in past years, the blog takes a short break over the festive period, so can I wish everyone in the West End, a very Happy Christmas and New Year. The photo above is of the West End Christmas Tree at Seabraes and the photo below is from the fireworks display during West End Christmas Week.
Ok, I never was going to agree with anything the Pope had to say about homosexuality, but his latest rant has made me splutter with indignation over my morning Earl Grey. I am not a fan of any organised religion to be honest, but I have studied many of them in my time. To me, the New Testament is all about tolerance, diversity and compassion replacing corrupt legalism. It's hardly surprising that church attendance is dwindling these days when they get their priorities so, so wrong. Sure, the destruction of the rainforests is a huge problem facing humanity. Every day ...
Yesterday, in my capacity as the City Council's Planning & Transport Convener, I met with Lawrence Davie, Director of Travel Dundee - together with the company's Operations Manager and the City Council's Acting Head of Transportation - to discuss the numerous complaints about Travel Dundee's bus service changes introduced last month. The meeting was productive and that it had afforded the opportunity to discuss the complaints people from right across the City had raised about many of the service changes. I am pleased to say that Travel Dundee accepts that a number of the bus changes have not been popular ...
We had a lovely photocall at Magdalen House yesterday. As part of the West End Christmas Week, Greggs the Bakers very kindly donated 100 Christmas Pies, and the Christmas Week Committee decided to donate them to the folk at Magdalen House in Roseangle. See photo above! Many thanks to the Courier, who covered the story in this morning's edition. The Evening Telegraph is to be publishing a photo of the "Christmas Pies Photocall!" - and - later - will also feature the home-made Raspberry and Strawberry Jam sales initiative to raise funds for the residents' social events fund.
Do James Purnell and Kitty Ussher read consultation documents before they get sent out? I ask because of Labour's proposals to start charging interest rates of up to 27% on loans from the Social Fund, which currently makes interest-free loans to individuals on benefits who urgently need money to buy large items such as cookers and beds. It may possibly be the most bonkers plan yet to come from this Government. Leaving aside the complete unfairness of such a policy, in practical terms it would raise a minimal amount. The cost of providing the £770 million of interest free social ...
I don't think I've ever known a festive season when so many people I know and care about have been grieving the loss of a loved one, among them the family and friends of Lib Dem legend Neil Trafford and the 3 children in my daughter's school having to face life without their mum, who died of cancer recently. On top of that, I was very sad to hear last week of the death of Vicki Harris, former Lib Dem candidate in Aberdeen South. I had worked closely with her since moving back to Scotland in 2000 and particularly in ...
The website of England's least-known cathedral says: A year of Celebrations for the 900th anniversary of Southwell Minster has helped boost visitor numbers, with some 90,000 people visiting the cathedral over the past 10 months - which is 20,000 up on last year.Southwell? Another page on the site explains: Southwell is a small Nottinghamshire market town. It has many attractive Georgian houses and is dwarfed by the Minster. It also has strong Civil War connections: Charles I spent his last night of freedom at the Saracen's Head Hotel. Other distinguished figures such as Edward Cludd, who saved the Minster during ...
I have a sinking feeling that my friends list is going to be full of this story today, so I'm going to say what I want to say up front and then try to ignore it for the rest of the day, because I don't really need the stress. So here goes:- 1) For anyone wanting to check the full speech rather than the fragments of it that are being quoted in the media, the full Italian text is here. At the time of writing, the official English text has not yet been released, as far as I can tell. ...
The London Paper, 22 December: "about 1.5 million shoppers" in Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street over the weekend, spending "£150 million". London Lite, 22 December: "up to one million shoppers" in Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street over the weekend, spending "£120 million". P.S. Over at the Daily Mail, 22 December it was a mere "140,ooo shoppers" in Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street over the weekend.
Andrew Grice writing for The Independent thinks so; 'the second Brown bounce' is over he declares; "Ministers will not be surprised by the results. They were shaken by the sharp rise in unemployment announced last week and know there is worse to come in January and February, since many firms have delayed job cuts until after Christmas. They know, too, that Brown could not defy the normal laws of political gravity for much longer. The ComRes poll will dampen the rather silly speculation about a general election early next year." Looking at the headline figures you could be forgiven for ...
Anthony Jacobs, who recently left the Liberal Democrats over out taxation policy, has revealed that he was taken in by the America fraudster. According to the website thisismoney, Jacobs: declined to put a figure on the amount but said: 'It's not peanuts," reflecting the fact that Madoff demanded at least $1m from his wealthy clients and encouraged them to invest $10m or more.He also said Madoff: "was obviously very wealthy but he didn't live high on the hog. I used to see him and we'd chat. he seemed like a very nice guy."This article gives an insight into Madoff's modus ...
When I first came to Doha — capital of the Arabian Gulf state of Qatar — about 15 years ago, the city was, quite frankly, a dump. It had just two things going for it: the Corniche that sweeps round the bay, and the iconic pyramid-style Sheraton Hotel located at one end. Those two [...]
From yesterday's Evening Standard: The man charged with turning around Haringey's failing social services faced a string of critical reports in his previous job after two children died in cases of suspected abuse... Schools Secretary Ed Balls appointed Mr Lewis 10 days ago praising his "excellent" reputation as director of children's services in neighbouring Enfield. But an investigation by the Standard has found social workers and health staff in Enfield were criticised over cases in which children died or were seriously harmed under his watch... Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said the cases raised concerns. ...
Pope Benedict XVI has said that saving humanity from homosexual and transexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rain forests. Benny, it would appear, sees a time when gayness has infected us all and humanity is so busy drinking from the furry cup and having naughty bottom sex that we completely forget about having children and all die out. He worries his little head about the blurring of gender roles. Here's a tip, your holiness. Stop being such a complete idiot. And if you're really worried about a group of people blurring gender roles and not propogating the ...
Vicki Harris who had been, before illness forced her to step aside, reselected to challenge for the Lib Dems for the key marginal of Aberdeen South has died as a result of skin cancer at the age of 41. Days earlier she by her bedside she had married long term partner Mark Law. It was the second time she had faced this condition the first time two years ago she hadn't told her colleagues about, but on its return the cancer had spread to other parts of the body within a matter of weeks. Originally from London she had worked ...
I leave hibernation for this. You are ALL acting a bit gay. Gay is a term now bandied about even between gays. No one has copyright over the word and as far as I am concerned the word gay is in a lesser category of evil than say f**k etc. (so much so that I dont even write it as g*y nor have any of you). Should Iain Dale have called a bunch of kids harassing him gay? Probably not, but himself being gay, does that preclude him from using the phrase? No. If a bunch of kids are harassing ...
This shouldn't be dressed and cared for, it should be killed. In the extremely unlikely event that it survives, its life will be utter shit. Shoot it in the head. For its own good.Errm, in the heads.
So, after a convivial evening in Orpington, lending a hand to the campaign to bring Grace to the people of East Wickham, I made my belated way to Orpington Station, only to miss the final train to London by seconds. What is a bureaucrat to do? Luckily, I didn't need to get to Creeting St Peter, where Ros and the cats are sleeping soundly, because the next bus is due on 8 January. However, I was
sovietkiki posted this earlier. It's my favourite Two Ronnies sketch, and thus I am passing it on to you. It's entirely possible to deconstruct it in a political way, but I'm not going to do that. I think Ronnie Barker's writing is clever enough to forgive the sexism and the objectification. YMMV, of course.
The ultimate in Who 'concept albums' reaches its climax in themes of decay and change; K9 leaves for the show's first spin-off; BBC2 showcases The Five Faces of Doctor Who; and the comic strip brings urban decay without happy endings in End of the Line. On screen we see the extraordinary vistas of Warriors' Gate, and Tom Baker handing over to Peter Davison in three stories across two years that all form one three-act tragedy, inexplicably not titled The Master's Doctor Plan: The Keeper of Traken / Logopolis / Castrovalva "It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for." ...
Tuesday WORLD CAPITALISM, it can do only one of two things: it can spiral UP or it can spiral DOWN. People buy more stuff; so, companies have more cash; so, companies hire more workers; so, more people have money; so, people buy more stuff... OR! People buy LESS stuff; so, companies have LESS cash; so, companies lay off workers; so, FEWER people have money; so, people buy LESS stuff... It's like a Law of Physics. So, anyone saying (for example) that they have abolished "boom and bust" is as wrong as a sub-orbital hippopotamus saying it's abolished "plummeting and splatting" ...
