Why oh why do some MPs think their expenses should not be subject to public scrutiny? So, party politics aside (I am a Liberal Democrat) - top marks to Jo Swinson MP for Tabling a Parliamentary Motion on this, it is EDM 492. I am encouraging all my readers to write to their MP urging them to sign this EDM and you can do this so easily by using this website - write to their MP is a great free to use and easy service. I have today written to my MP, who has yet to sign it, as he ...
There's a new TMobile ad, filmed in a crowded Liverpool Street station, where people suddenly start dancing. If you've missed it, Wardman's Wire has a clip. As the music changes, more and more 'commuters' suddenly join in, and the onlookers start using their mobiles to film it, tell their mates, etc. Dancing in the street [...]
Well, apart from the initial fluffed lines (how long before someone claims he is not really President because he said the words in a different order to those said to him?) I thought the ceremony went very well today. I agree with Iain Dale that it was not his best speech by any stretch but perhaps that was deliberate as there needs to be some serious expectation management after all the hype. It is so good that as of 17:05 UTC that bumbling right-wing idiot is no longer the President of the USA and we can hopefully finally get some ...
I said earlier on today that the Lib Dems have a tale to tell about combatting the current plan to exempt members of Parliament from freedom of information legislation in force across most of the rest of the public sector. The party has been fighting this particular battle since David Maclean's 2006 bill won support from both Conservative and Labour members, and had tacit support from the Government in its unusually trouble-free passage through the parliamentary process. Now the bill is back in the form of an Order, proposed by the Leader of the House, there can be no doubt ...
"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met"
Conservative controlled Hertfordshire County Council may have lost over £27 million of residents' money by breaking their own rules to invest in Iceland's banks. An independent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers has revealed a number of errors that led to the county council investing millions in Icelandic banks. The council did not follow its own investment rules, which were updated [...]
From the wonderfully-named LordOfMisrule*:Cancelling Labour party membership (re: #MPexpenses). Screw you guys, I'm joining the Lib Dems.Tee hee hee. Come to the Lib Dem side! We have cookies! * Possibly the reason I like the name such much is because of this.
Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye has called on Labour MP Michael Foster to vote against the Government's Freedom of Information (Parliament) Order on Thursday of this week. Nick said, "I have only just become aware of this Order which, I gather, was published in draft by the Government on Thursday last [...]
Liberal Democrats in Hastings & Rye have expressed their delight that Liberal Democrat MP David Heath is bringing forward a parliamentary bill aimed at ending fuel poverty. The Fuel Poverty Bill will bring in two measures: • A major energy efficiency programme to bring existing homes up to the current energy efficiency levels enjoyed by modern homes. • [...]
I didn't watch Obama's inauguration this evening. Instead, I sat on the bus reading the coverage on Twitter. For some reason, reading all these excited 140-character messages about Obama bigging up the atheists and getting down with the gays (or possibly not) - interspersed with irrelevancies - reminded me quite a lot of this:
My oh my what a contrast, while Barack Obama tells the American people "And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government." Our clear and transparent government have introduced "Freedom of Information (
In view of current proposals at Heathrow, there is an irony to the later fortunes of London's first international airport. The London Borough of Sutton website says: Before the First World, the site was known as Beddington Aerodrome and has been described as the "cradle of British civil aviation". The use of a site as an aerodrome generally prohibits any large obstacles and the Mere Bank was flattened as a result.In 1915 the Royal Flying Corps took over the newly created Waddon Aerodrome and sent off fighter planes to combat the German Zeppelins. The first National Aircraft Factory was built ...
The excellent Sheldon Richman has an insightful take on the inauguration. Government is built upon violence, the peaceful transfer of that power to another is not that much to celebrate (then end of Dubya's reign is something to be very glad of however).
The Lib Dems on the London Assembly have published their response to the Mayor's transport policy consultation. There's lots of good stuff in there, not least the way the Lib Dem approach links transport needs into Londoners lives, and the challenges of making our city greener, healthier and a nicer place to live, rather than some [...]
The ability of the House of Commons to shoot itself in the foot seems to know no bounds. You would imagine that, after all the fuss about MP expenses, it would now be taken as read that there would now be total transparency about such matters - but apparently not. So on Thursday we are being asked to vote on the proposition that when it comes to expenses MPs should be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act - an Act that we ourselves passed! I have cancelled my other plans so that I can be at Westminster on Thursday ...
For anyone who's interested Ashfield Lib Dems are organising a protest outside Geoff Hoon's constituency office this Saturday. Meet outside Ashfield District Council Offices at 2 to walk down to Geoff Hoon's office for 2.30. Give me a call if you need help getting there or want any more info. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Liberal Democrats have taken control of Portsmouth City Council by virtue of defections from other parties, one Conservative and two formerly-Labour Independents.
Adam Boulton has a Obama's first 100 day watch blog which he will update from America for the first 100 days, I shall add him a URL to the sidebar and if I find anything interesting I shall share and comment on it!
I watched the Obama Inauguration Speech not expecting too much. Not that I am not a fan. But such a moment needs to send too many messages to too many people to really allow the oratory to soar. Back in the days of JFK, a new President could really let rip. But with today's global media (more than a billion people watched the speech live) there really does need to be a message for every audience and so today couldn't be the time to truly let rip. That moment (hopefully those moments) will come when he is free to concentrate ...
"In the year 8510, God's gonna shake his mighty head, He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been, Or tear it down and start again" (Zager and Evans) Because I won't have time tomorrow, here is tomorrow's blog post, today. I was thinking yesterday, about our country's national culture, our political system and the inherent inequality and corruption in both. Don't worry, I'm not always this depressing. It was a distracting thought from my forthcoming exam. If you ignore the reference to "God", which some readers may find offensive, the (famous?) song from 1969 by Zager and Evans (above ...
Blogging's going to be a lot ligher for the next few weeks. I start work again on Monday, and until then I'm concentrating on my new blog. I'm close to finalising the design side of things - how it looks and what it does. I showed the work in progress to my housemate and she said, "it looks like a newspaper" which means I'm on exactly the right track. The tone is very different to this blog, deliberately so. It's going to be horrible starting again from scratch with a new URL, although subscribers won't be affected. Every time I ...
Over at The Times, Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable explains that the second bailout shows that the Labour Government has acted as imprudently as the banks themselves. You can read it in full here - and I recommend that you do - but here's an excerpt in case you need any further tantalising: It is clear that the conditions set by the Government over the original capitalisation was a sham. No effective monitoring and controls were put in place to ensure that the money went where it was intended. The banks do not even seem to have been required ...
Just linkblogs tonight, as I've got back home from work and found the lightbulb's blown in the living room, where my computer is. I can read the screen, but typing's a pain... Is he finally gone, by the way? Is that sociopathic cretin finally out of the job for which he was the least-suited person in [...]
Barack Obama campaigned on the theme of change. UK Conservatives have never been afraid of borrowing other people's ideas. They think some of the Obama magic might rub off on them. So they now use the mantra "Change" in their own campaigning with some spookily similar typefaces. I'm not sure many voters will be convinced that Dave is the UK Barack. Eton, the Bullingdon Club at Oxford, and then marrying into inherited wealth doesn't seem to equate somehow.
I was in Alexander Road in London Colney and saw gully cleansing being carried out. Younger readers may not have seen such a thing so I attach a photo.
The restaurant critic of the Shropshire Star has entered the maze of lanes west of the Shrewsbury to Bishop's Castle road and happened upon The Stables. When I first knew this pub it was a little eccentric in its opening hours and if you intended to eat there it was a good idea to ring up to make sure they were doing food that evening. It is now in new hands and, judging by the Star's review, does very good food. I was last there in July 2008. It was unseasonably cold and I was glad of the open fire. ...
He campaigned as the idealist promising change we can believe in and now Barack Obama is officially able to deliver that change. The Inauguration Ceremony was lovely, although somebody had better check that he actually is legal given that neither he nor the Chief Justice seemed to manage to get the words of the oath out in the correct order - it should have been faithfully execute, not execute the office of President of the United States faithfully. The Obama girls looked gorgeous - Malia (10) in royal blue, Sasha (7) in poppy red. Well done to whoever decided not ...
Well, I've just read Obama's speech and I have to say I was impressed because it was mostly outward looking, focused on the world. He dealt with Islam positively and he also signalled his clear intention to get out of Iraq. He also addressed the issue of climate change. Well, dip me in honey and throw me to the proverbials...The tenor seemed overwhelmingly global in scope, even in his historical analogies. Mind you, it feels kind of awkward that, when he talks about the founding fathers facing 'the enemy' when Washington was founded, he means us...Still, best let bygones be ...
Commenting on the European Commission's warning of rising government debt as well as the economy shrinking by 2.8% this year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "The EU's projections for both growth and public debt show that the Government's estimates for the UK's recovery are hopelessly optimistic." "Alistair Darling's fictional forecasts smack of...
After a prolonged planning period, the City Council Administration was today able to announce further new schools projects - including new schools for Park Place and St Joseph's Primaries in the West End. I have given my views in tonight's "Evening Telegraph" - here is the news release I issued : NEWS RELEASE : COUNCILLOR WELCOMES NEW WEST END SCHOOLS PROPOSAL Dundee City Councillor for the West End, Cllr Fraser Macpherson, who is also the City's Planning & Transport Convener, has welcomed news of the proposal to build two new primary schools in the West End, saying that new schools ...
Bath MP Don Foster is calling on local families to claim over £500 in tax breaks under a little publicised government scheme before a 31st January deadline. Before the current system of 'child tax credits' was introduced in 2003, the Government made payments in 2001/02 and 2002/03 under a totally separate scheme known as the 'children's tax credit'. Many...
Part of Barack Obama's political narrative is based on his work as a community organiser in Chicago. The day before his inaguration - Martin Luther King Day - Obama called on Americans to dedicate themselves to a day of service. Then he visited the Sasha Bruce House, a Northeast Washington shelter for at-risk adolescents from troubled families and helped renovate the temporary shelter in the upstairs part of the home. The project is designed to install curtains, lockers and energy-efficient light fixtures. No politician and no person will ever be a paragon of virtue. But they all have to embody ...
Why did it take the government so long to understand that their failure to act promptly a few months ago has actually made the recession worse. Last April I predicted that the failure to cut interest rates was tying people in to long term fixed rate mortgages (and 80% of people are on fixed rate mortgages) so the government's sudden recent drops in interest rates are only benefiting 20% of mortgage holders, and is therefore having very little impact in providing a fiscal stimulus. I repeated the point again in July, but still the government were oblivious. Now we are ...
Joe.My.God, my own personal window on all things American, with a particular slant towards gay rights in the US, was thrilled to note that within minutes of Obama's inauguration, the Whitehouse website was amended to give Obama's priorities for LGBT Americans. The words are not new - they are taken from the change.gov site that filled the gap between election and inauguration. But it is a good sign to all those worried see them so prominently displayed on the new Whitehouse. Particularly since so many commentators had been reading worrying signs ahead from the invitation of a notorious anti-gay pastor ...
For those of you who missed seeing a slice of history served up live, President Obama's inauguration speech is now available to read here. For me, Obama's very best speeches - to the 2004 Democratic convention, his Jeremiah Wright 'race speech', and his election victory acceptance - are intensely personal; with a life story as extraordinary as Obama's, as emblematic of the idealised American dream, it would be surprising if it were otherwise. The inauguration speech is a rather different matter: it's not about the person, it's about the Office of the President, and how he will use it. Was ...
Please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought it funny when Aretha Franklin paused during a line in the song 'my Country Tis of Thee' halfway through the word 'country' ? I have to admit I never expected Aretha Frankling to call Barack Obama "my Count................ry" (and it rhymed with runt).
Fair play to Cllr Peter Redstone, the Conservative Executive Member for Resources, who responded to me about the Council Tax letter bungle within a couple of hours. It is very refreshing to receive such a full and frank response from the Executive so quickly. His Leader could learn a lot from him in this regard. I thank him for getting back to me so quickly. Cllr Redstone and I are of one mind that Abbey should be blamed for cocking up the direct debits. They cancelled them in error, and frankly deserve a kicking because it's cost the Council lots ...
Awful, awful people.
On a similar theme to the last posting, it could be argued that Barack Obama has not yet become the President. The form of words in the presidential oath of office is specified in the Constitution, but Chief Justice Roberts made a mistake in his recitation of it - switching the word 'faithfully' to after 'the office of President of the United States'. After a hesitation, Obama repeated this incorrect version. As he has not therefore taken the oath of office as specified in the Constitution, is he legally the US President?
Local people may have noticed that Butterstile Lane is closed at the junction with Hilton lane. I certainly did when I tried to turn into it yesterday. So I asked the Council what was going on. Apparently, a company called Enterprise, working on behalf of BT, have asked for a closure to enable them to lay a BT duct across the junction with Hilton Lane. United Utilities will also take advantage of the closure to undertake a series of chamber surveys. Consequently, a temporary closure order has been processed which came into operation on Monday 19th January 2009. Although the ...
My latest column for the New Statesman website is now in place: A friend installed the new bulbs last year. Within days, he reports, Izal lavatory paper had appeared in his bathroom and corned beef in his fridge. He now lives in terror of meeting the landlord on the stairs and being asked to pay the rent he owes.He wouldn't mind, but he owns the house.
That may seem an odd question to ask given that many of us have just watched Barack Obama being sworn into office as the 44th President of the USA. However, the 20th amendment to the US constitution specifically says that the term of office of a President ends at noon on January 20. Obama didn't actually take the oath of office until 12.03. I would therefore contend that the person who succeeded George W Bush as President was in fact Acting President Joe Biden - for a whole three minutes!
The disintegration of the Conservative group on Bedford Council has continued over the last week, with another two councillors deciding to quit. Of their 20 councillors, 10 have now either been deselected or decided to quit. As the local paper reports: One Tory insider said: "We hoped that following the new year things would settle down and we could regain some momentum, but unfortunately they have only got worse. "There's a real lack of focus locally and there are major concerns that we won't be able to find enough candidates, to fight all the seats we need to. "If things ...
With the number of people going abroad to escape the family courts it strikes me it is useful to talk about which courts have jurisdiction. There are two important phrases which apply to determine which court has the power to make a decision. One is "ordinarily resident" and the other is "habitually resident". When someone is "habitually resident" in England then the local authority in which
The Liberal Democrats have been running Portsmouth as a minority administration, but now - following the switch of three councillors to the party - there is an overall majority, making it the first time since 2000 that one party has had a majority. Of the three councillors to switch, one is Lee Hunt (who had previously left the Conservatives) and the other two are independents Jason Fazackarley (former Labour Lord Mayor) and Leo Madden (former Labour Leader of Portsmouth Council). The BBC has more.
A while back, at the height of the Baby P postings on my blog, a blogger called Old Holborn posted this: Shhhh. Don't tell ANYONE 22 Nov 2008 by Old Holborn Lynne Featherstone is doing sterling work digging deeper and deeper. Should Old Holborn give her the memo showing that Haringey were TOLD not to take children into care because it was too expensive? Proving that Baby P died because the ...Since then, another source told me of the same memo / email. I issued a Freedom of Information request to Haringey Council but they have responded saying that it ...
Another story.
A big thank you to Liz Williams for pointing me towards the most interesting article of the day, over at Junkfoodscience. The suggestion is that study after study has shown clearly that getting people to drink less, eat more healthily, smoke less and exercise more does not extend their lives or reduce their risk of getting heart diseases or cancer. Further, the article argues, negative findings in these studies are consistently ignored and positive findings over-interpreted, apparently because everyone just knows that getting people to lead healthier lives is a good thing. Having read the article, I'm not clear if ...
The United Nations has estimated that it will cost billions of dollars to repair the damage done to Gaza's infrastructure as a consequence of the three-week Israeli onslaught. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is currently visiting the north of the battered Strip to get a personal idea of the challenges of reconstruction. Meanwhile, John [...]
And so the big day has arrived, and all of the news coverage is of the inauguration of that nice Senator Obama as President. The British have always felt more at home with a Democrat in the White House, regardless of the affability or competence of the man himself, and I suspect that this is due to the chasm in ideology between Europe and the US. Even the British, with our so-called special
There's a time and place for the tiredest platitudes, as we feel the hand of history on Obama's shoulder. Human beings have a soft spot for symbolism. Modern societies make much of round-numbered anniversaries, as opportunities to focus on the past and look to the future. It helps us make sense of our world, and to create narratives that render infinitely complex human histories comprehensible. Today, we are doing something slightly different. All around the world, people are stopping to note the inauguration of Barack H. Obama as America's next President. Already, everyone is keen to proclaim Obama's presidency as ...
After an anonymous comment gave me the tip off that the market for Pendle at the next general election was now open, so I headed towards it and have found it. The market can be viewed at the Landbrokes website the Odds are as followed: Conservatives 1.25 Labour 3.75 Liberal Democrats 34.00 Now looking at the odds they bring up some interesting questions, The Tories are in a safe position with their odds but its not a big win with them? If you put your money on Labour you will get a good return back if Prentice wins, but is ...
Residents living in and around Sirinham Point on the Ashmole Estate were left fuming after the heating and hot water failed on several days between November and January. The boiler should have been replaced last year but this has not yet happened due to Labour run Lambeth and its housing management arm, Lambeth Living, failing to take decisive action. Local Lib Dem councillors have voiced their anger at this, and called on the council to provide emergency heaters so that residents could at least get some warmth into their homes while the boiler was fixed. And we want to see ...
Interesting article in this morning's Western Mail about the problems facing those interested in getting projects off the ground with the help of European Convergence funding. They say that ambitious projects aimed at boosting the economy in Wales' poorest communities are being held back by Assembly Government bureaucracy. Some project ideas first mooted more than 18 months ago have still not been approved by the Welsh European Funding Office causing immense frustration to those involved: Wefo's website, www.wefo.wales.gov.uk, contains a list of project ideas submitted by a variety of organisations. In some cases, ideas dating back to the first half ...
This week's catchup comes to you in the week the Government decided there would, after all, be another runway at Heathrow. We covered that with news that Kramer and Baker are i/c for the Lib Dems, but that at least 15 others feel strongly enough about the issue to put money where their mouths are. And we ended the week with a rallying cry from Benjamin Mathis telling us to think further than opposition. {catchup2} It was also the week in which self-serving ministers moved to ban the public from knowing how MPs spend public money. We wrote about that ...
This week looks to one of my busiest in terms of meetings I go to in my exec member role. Tonight I have Overview and Scutiny. Tomorrow I have the special meeting of Corporate Services. Thursday I have the Liverpool Commission. Friday I have exec board. Balancing these with the first week back at University for the students, with all the timetable issues that causes, is not easy. Still I did volunteer for the job!!
One must assume that any IMF bailout of the UK would be postponed until after the next General Election, whenever that might be. Gordon's legacy will be a country in a profound recession, buried in debt with a tax burden that will make the last 10 years seem like a Golden Age. In the pursuit of a fairer Britain better NHS and better schools - and we can debate whether or not we've got what we wanted - and a magic utopia of ever rising house prices that provided the 70% of people on the housing ladder with a bounty ...
Amusing article on Junkfoodscience summarising a paper that compares the justifications used for Government lifestyle recommendations to those used for alternative medicine.
Bury Liberal Democrats are helping small businesses get through the credit crunch, according to the Civil Engineering Contractors Association. The Association told Lib Dem MP for Hazel grove, Andrew Stunnell, that Bury Council are leading the way in providing help to small businesses by paying invoices from local firms within 10 days. This measure, introduced by the Council in late 2008, was part of a policy motion put forward by the Liberal Democrat opposition. The motion also called on the Council to produce a guide for local people and businesses explaining where they could get help in troubled times. It ...
More information on those Angel road works in an update from Islington Council: "We have taken up members' and residents' concerns with Transport for London (TfL). These essential works are under continual observation by the London Traffic Control Centre. The traffic camera can be viewed here. Regular updates of observed delays and congestion can also [...]
There's a scene in "The Godfather III" where mafia kingpin Michael Corleone, desperate to escape a life of crime and become a legitimate businessman to protect his family, is forced back into the criminal world to sort out a dispute amongst his colleagues. Michael cries "Just when I thought I was out, they haul me back in," before suffering a diabetic stroke and collapsing into a coma. I feel much like Michael Corleone today, and have the hospitals on stand by just in case. Although I don't run a gigantic criminal empire or live in a sprawling estate on Lake ...
I, like Peter Black mentioned yesterday, was also invited to the "cc all your emails to Jacqui Smith" day on Facebook. At first I thought, "Hmm, good idea?" But then, I started getting major ideas. There's a lot of websites where you can sign people up for offers, regular updates, websites that tell you, "Got any friends we can email about this incredible offer?". I think we should start signing the Home Secretary up for as many emails as we can... Or at least that's where I was yesterday. Although I'll still do the day, part of me feels something ...
Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Roger Williams MP has criticised Government plans that would effectively slash police budgets in Wales. Speaking in yesterday's debate on the Policing and Crime Bill, Roger warned of the effect that the Government's proposals would have on policing. Dyfed-Powys have said that they would lose £6 million from the loss of the funding floor and a
The Independent calls today 'a day for hope' as Barack Obama prepares to assume the role of US President. Hmm. The residents of Gaza probably don't have too much hope, having once again been abandoned by the USA in the face of the savage Israeli onslaught. The troops in Afghanistan may not be infused with hope as they face the rabid, illiterate madmen of the Taliban daily. The residents of Baghdad may struggle with hope as they face the daily risk of bombings, which haven't stopped, even if they have fallen off the news radar. The orange-clad residents of Guantanamo ...
While I suppose I should be writing ponderous sentences about the importance of inauguration day, the fact is that it will be many hours before we can judge Barack Obama's speech and on a perfect day to bury bad news there is a great deal of bad news. The latest inflation numbers, although above expectations still show a sharp fall and the trend is now firmly downwards. the problem is that the trend is so firmly downwards that it looks pretty likely that there will be several months of deflation later in the year. Such deflation is a measure of ...
Today is the last day you can contact your MP to urge them to vote against emergency legislation preventing the publication of parliamentarian's expenses. News of the planned exemption hit the headlines only last Friday giving this campaign scant time to get started. Many MPs are unaware a vote a scheduled, since it has been timetabled to a slot when many may already have left for their constituencies. It's times like these when fast communication tools like Twitter and Facebook come into their own. A hashtag - #MPexpenses - soon evolved. I watched in awe over the weekend as a ...
Good coverage in today's newspapers of Kirsty Williams' trip to Westminster yesterday to discuss manifesto priorities with Nick Clegg. The Western Mail reports that the Liberal Democrats Federal Leader believes that it would be "arrogant" for the Liberal Democrats to assume the party could take UK Cabinet seats in a post-election coalition government: Mr Clegg told the Western Mail: "We're
Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones told the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee yesterday that the staging of the 2012 London Olympics could cost Wales up to £100 million in lost grants and associated funding opportunities: Some projects may never get off the ground without the initial injection of Lottery cash, Mr Jones said. "I think it's felt across the arts and sports as well, and in
When a child starts school age 4 you would normally expect that they would attend the closest school. In my daughters case she could not get a school place in any of the local schools at the start of term. I phoned every school in Watford and found only two reception places. I read the OFSTED reports of both schools, as they were both very similar, I chose the school closest to me....
A note from Councillor Len Gates pictured left at East Anton. Several residents have contacted me angry about the insensitive way Test Valley has announced possible job cuts. Last Tuesday leader of the council Ian Carr went on Andover Sound to announce the council was looking at redundancies and service cuts saying that there "was no hiding place in the borough council - for anybody." The comments were repeated in Friday's Andover Advertiser where he added "Every service and every person is being looked at because that's how bad it is. People and services are at risk." We applaud his ...
All change at the White House
Well, what a day! Congratulations Mr. Obama on becoming the 44th President of the USA. I was sad to hear that Tony Hart had died, I was a huge fan of Vision On when I was a kid (only have to say 'the Burbles' and it makes me smile)and I was definitely one of the kids inspired by his art on tv. Recently finished that picture of Stonebarrow and so will post it here. Andy Murray is through to next round of Australian Open.
Five towers on the Chalcots were lucky to be selected for the £150M PFI retrofit 4 year makeover works, or at least the residents had hoped would be the case. A different story is now slowly emerging that sets the tone of building problems to come over the 15 year PFI contract period. Click photo left and you will just about be able to see the panels peeling off ! Question: What does a contractor do when faced with an output driven specification to deliver to a quasi "Decent Homes Standard". You have probably guessed the answer already; build to ...
I've done a brief interview with Matt Wardman (of the Wardman Wire blog) about the Lib Dem approach to the internet and technology in our campaigning. You can read it here.
Our daughter doesn't normally dash into our bedroom these days, but that's what happened at four o'clock in the morning one day last week. She'd had a nightmare and did the natural thing kids do - seek the protection and comfort of mum and dad, the big grown-ups who look after her and keep her safe from harm. As parents, we want to be there for our kids when they're scared, whether it's comforting them after a nightmare or getting the school to stop a playground bully. Parents don't want their children to live in fear. Fear is debilitating. It ...
If you'd like to see the declaration of the Seven Sisters by-election result, the Council has posted a video on the council website here. It's the first by election win by Labour in six years. If footage of the recent Highgate and Alexandra results (both won easily by the Liberal Democrats) takes your fancy, I wouldn't waste too much time looking for them......
The most significant part of the job of the Party President is to chair the Federal Executive and last evening was the first of my term. Around half of FE is directly elected, whilst the other half are chosen in various ways from arms of the Party, such as local government, the Commons and the Lords as well as representatives from the State Parties. Chris Rennard invited the newly elected members of FE to tea in the Lords prior to the meeting, and I was struck by the fact that whilst they might be new to this FE, people like ...
The day so many of us have waited for is here. President George W. Bush will today leave the Whitehouse and Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next President of the United States.
{No cold calling sign} At last night's Andover Forum we were told about the new initiative to introduce No Cold Calling Zones into Andover. The first trial was in Hepworth Close and has proved successful. The aim of the scheme is to deter bogus callers (distraction burglars and rogue traders) from approaching people living in the zones and give residents the confidence to say "No" to cold callers who seek business at their doorstep. Potential zones are pinpointed by police and trading standards and then set up once residents have been consulted and are known to be in support. Other ...
Well here we go again! At the moment I'm sitting on the bus heading to Wolverhampton for the second NUS conference in as many months. The issue up for debate is the new NUS constitution and all its rules and schedules. Probably more interesting though is the electioneering that's going on for positions in the NUS next year. It brings up the internal debate that the Tories and the Lib Dems have every year on whether we should become more involved in NUS and try to take it back from the control of Labour Students. My opinion has always been ...
James Graham has the exciting news that Liberal Conspiracy - in association with Our Kingdom and Unlock Democracy - is launching a weekly Carnival on Modern Liberty. Blog carnivals are collections of links to postings, on different blogs, that have a theme in common. Contributing to them is a good way of raising the profile of an issue or subject that interests you, meeting like-minded bloggers and bringing new visitors to your own blog. I have hosted the mainly American Carnival of the Liberals here a couple of times and also contribute occasionally to carnivals on films and children's literature. ...
I will not be able to blog all day till about five so I thought I would do my inauguration post before going to college, personally I would like to wish Barack Obama a happy Inauguration and secondly today is another special day for everyone, Bush will be out of office! The worst presidency in the history of the USA will come to an end today and the more active, painting and young approaching Barack Obama will become President of the USA. Millions will gather in Washington today to see the Inauguration and they will be part of history. The ...
Last May the Leicester Mercury won an award from me for its headline: Pork pie library may be closingNow Unmitigated England has visited that library too. He shares my view that the library - Southfields Library in Leicester -resembles a 1930s London Underground station and gives his memories of working there: Here I not only rubber-stamped books, but also discovered playwright Joe Orton's old library ticket (with 'default' stamped on it), Len Deighton books and an old man coughing his lungs up in the reading room because he'd been gassed in the First World War.I also got to work the ...
Cross-posted from Liberal Conspiracy. Much as I support the Convention on Modern Liberty, I am very conscious of the fact that there are two dangers inherent to an initiative such as this. The first is that all it leads to is talk and a thousand people sitting in a hall munching on sandwiches. Linked to that is the danger that all it leads to is despair; that the problem seems so big and so intractable that people simply end up withdrawing altogether. It is crucial that the Convention leads to positive action by as many people as possible (I came ...
Everything about this crime is vile. The victim was a young woman with learning difficulties. The ordeal lasted 2 hours and involved 10 men. They horrifically burned half her body with caustic soda, to try and destroy DNA evidence, which has left her scarred for life- and her body is so damaged it still cannot control it's own temperature. The defendants were smirking in the dock, they feel no
It's the beginning of the end for the BBC books, as Sabbath blows the universe to smithereens and the Doctor, Fitz and Anji go galumphing through the alternatives, while the Past Doctor range takes to crossing over Doctors and slaughtering companions, though none of it will count after "Someplot Never" timewipes the lot. Fortunately the DVD range gets into its stride, with ace releases for "Fenric", "Talons" and, best of all, the stunning CGI Dalek saucers in "The Dalek Invasion of Earth". But the one Daddy's NEVER going to pick is... Doctor Who - Zagreus "Ugh! It looks like Wales!" ...
Alternative Doctors appear in novella The Cabinet of Light and Big Finish's Unbound: Michael Jayston; David Warner's Sympathy For the Devil (with Nick Courtney and David Tennant); Derek Jacobi first someone who's seemingly the Doctor but isn't, then the Master in an animated adventure. There's Peter's Creatures of Beauty, Colin and Sylv's Project: Lazarus, villains like Davros, and fantastic DVD extras. The year ends with the brilliant news that Russell T Davies will bring Doctor Who back to telly. It starts with a Dalek... Jubilee "History isn't the past, Evelyn. It's a version of the past we choose to remember." ...
Well, it was always going to happen at some point - but it's so soon? I have written before about how the musings, observations and features of this blog would change, alter and in some cases disappear. I didn't for a minute think that some would be so immediate, dramatic or indeed as visible as Woolies! But these pics I took deliberately for this very purpose of capturing what was going on over the course of an amazingly fast 2 weeks of the world economy 'melting down' and Woolworths being one of the victims. The pictures are not ...
Today the 43rd man*, but 44th President will be sworn in as President of the USA. If you have been asleep it is the first non-Caucasion to be sworn in on a bible in front to the Capitol. So have a good day Barack Obama. However, Peter Brookes is probably hoping that the 43rd President George W. Bush may well have learnt from history when he drew this: {Peter Brookes in the Times 20 Jan 2009} *Grover Cleveland counts as 22 and 24.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams was in Westminster yesterday where she held a press conference with Nick Clegg and took the opportunity to present a united front of all the elected Liberal Democrat Williams Parliamentarians in front of the great Welshman himself. Seen posing in front of the statue of David Lloyd George are Brecon and Radnorshire MP, Roger Williams, Ceredigion MP,
***Spoiler Alert Do Not Press on the Click if you want to remain innocent*** Some say he was born on another planet? Some say his nerves are made or tungsten wire? But some say that is actually just an ordinary Joe. Yes a previous Stig identified himself as Perry McCarthy in an autobiography. Before being fired of an aircraft carrier never to be seen again. But the current incarnation of the Top Gear stunt driver has been outed by the press. The BBC are not happy. One show insider said: "It's bloody annoying. You wouldn't write a piece saying that ...
Barak Obama asked us "to believe not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington, but to believe in" the ability of the American people to do so. So what exactly will the election of President Obama change? Not the face of administration, clearly!
It's CARNIVAL TIME! YAY! Husky-Voiced Lust Object James Graham is ringmastering (no sniggering at the back there, you filthy perverts!) The Carnival on Modern Liberty. He has many suggestions for things you can do to encourage people to think about Liberty, but one of them is to encourage five bloggers who normally don't go on about such things to do a post on what Liberty means to them. He suggests:* Girl With A One Track Mind * London Underground * Neil Gaiman * Bad Science * New HumanistI reckon GNeil is a bit of a cheat, given how much he's ...
All day, in fact all week, I have had a nag at the back of my mind, it's something I can't put my finger on it, an itch if you will, that I can't reach. I've tried sleeping on it, talking it through to myself (now, how sad is that?!!!) Systematically eliminating reason s for this unease. But , as yet, nothing. Not even close. Certainly there is a lot going on in my life, and this time of year for reasons you don't need to know, has always been tough for me. So it would be reasonable to assume ...
