I took an "ideal career" test once, and it told me motorcycle mechanic, followed by race car mechanic, followed by lots of other vehicle-mending-type jobs. Of the top ten jobs it said were ideal for me, nine of them were some kind of mechanic - the other was motoring journalist. Last time I took a Star Trek personality test, it gave me Chief O'Brien. This time? Your results: You are Mr. Scott Mr. Scott 90% Will Riker 90% Deanna Troi 65% Spock 60% Chekov 60% Jean-Luc Picard 60% Beverly Crusher 60% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 60% James T. Kirk (Captain) ...
We launched the North East Liberal Democrats' survey of small businesses yesterday in Gateshead. The aim is to survey 5,000 businesses. As usual, I was on hand to do the photos and interview the participants for the regional video newsletter I do. You can see the photos on my Flickr site: You can also see the video: http://
There are so many things going on in Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3D 2 that I don't know where to start talking about it. Even more than the main Final Crisis this is a thematic sequel to Seven Soldiers, and may be the ultimate 'prismatic age' comic, as well as being essentially an extra issue [...]
He's a big fan of libraries! Thanks to Stephen Abrams for the link.
Campaigning in Wales continued today, as we moved eastwards to Newport, where we met Ed Townsend, deputy Leader of Newport Council, to take a look at some of the campaign priorities in the area. Like many other places, transport is a major concern, and Ed told us about the need to improve road links from the Severn crossings to Cardiff. The proposal to build a relief road for the heavily congested M4 has been put on the back burner, and the tollbooth is a major pinch point for traffic, especially as it doesn't credit cards, leading to drivers being turned ...
Dundee's Liberal Democrat councillors have long campaigne d to get graffiti and other vandalism stamped out. Chris Hall has been tackling residents' complaints in our own area. The picture (top right) shows graffiti on a utility box in Pitkerro Road, opposite the junction with Dalkeith Road. The FOCUS Team has reported this to the City Council's Waste Management Department. Chris says, "I have also had complaints about graffiti on some street signs - for example, I have reported damage to a sign in Watson Street to the Council and asked for it to be cleaned." See below right. Chris added, ...
I've just taken two minutes to sign the petition on the No 10 website against the proposed 3rd runway at Heathrow. You might also want to take note of the e-mail I got the other day asking you to write to your MP, an particularly the 57 Labour MPs who have already expressed opposition to get them to vote against the planned, completely unnecesssary, expansion in a Commons Vote on Wednesday. "My fellow plot owners, On Wednesday there will be a vote in parliament on a third runway at Heathrow. Ahead of this vote we urgently need your help to ...
Mat and I were walking with the doggies to pick the small person up from her dad's when we heard SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECRUMP. There was one of those moments of synchronicity that we have: we turned to each other and each tried to pass the other the lead we were holding, then we shrugged and took the doggies, and ran to help. We were first on the scene, so I got my phone out and dialled 999. There was a very nice scottish gentleman who asked me which service, and then I got passed to a lady at Wakefield. I was still ...
The day started with the news that four Labour Peers appear to have been prepared to accept cash in exchange for tabling amendments and generally 'smoothing' the legislative process for potential clients. If these allegations are found to be proven, and that any Peer is accepting payment for influencing the passage of legislation, then it is almost certainly a criminal offence. Whatever the outcome, like the 'cash for peerages' question of a few years ago, this sort of thing brings us all into disrepute and makes it harder to do the job we're put there to do - scrutinising the ...
Challenged by The Yorksher Gob, I took a quiz on Biblical morals and found that Your morality is 0% in line with that of the bible. Damn you heathen! Your book learnin' has done warped your mind. You shall not be invited next time I sacrifice a goat. Do You Have Biblical Morals? Take More Quizzes Now, to be fair, it was one of these quizzes based on obscure religious laws from the Old Testament, and if you keep away from smiting and execution in your answers, you are probably going to get the same outcome as I did. This ...
This is the time of the year that we get the individual committee budgets at Forest Heath. In each budget report there is a summary of the budget containing info on how much the budget has cost last year, is expected to cost this year and next year etc. A great way to compare you would think? Unfortunately to mask their deficit in Council finances they have bumped in money taken from reserves for this year, so unless you look at the appendix you can't see how the overall spend is and how it compares year on year. If you ...
If you were watching The Politics Show you would have seen the launch of John Prescott's website and blog, Go Fourth which is now linked to on the sidebar. If you missed the video in which Tim gives Prescott advice then follow the link to watch it!
Yesterday Progressive London held a day-long conference in, appropriately enough, London. The organisation was created by Ken Livingstone following his defeat in the last London Mayor election with the stated aim of building a broad coalition of people who share progressive views and oppose Boris Johnson and his policies. (Alix wrote an excellent post earlier today on the thorny question of quite what progressive means.) Why did Ken Livingstone found Progressive London? Ken Livingstone himself has been keen to present the organisation as being neither a Labour front nor a front for a future bid from himself to become Mayor ...
According to the latest ComRes poll (due to be published tomorrow in the Independent) the main parties are as follows: Conservatives 43% (+2) Labour 28% (-4) LibDem 16% (-1) I have got this information from Political Betting and Iain Dale's Diary. I am inclined to agree with Iain when he says that this is likely a reaction against Gordon Brown. I was struck at the weekend when I discussed the current state of the economy with a number of relatives, many of whom do not follow politics very closely just how badly Brown is perceived. Especially after this last week ...
Political Betting has the report of results from a poll by ComRes and the results are bad for Labour and very good for Cameron's Conservatives. The results are: CONSERVATIVES 43% LABOUR 28% LIB DEMS 16% The Labour drop to below 30% will worry a lot of Labour members and MP's because they face losing their seats at the next general election. The Liberal Democrats are still a little behind to what I hope they will achieve by the six weeks of campaigns leading to the general election which is 22%. The Tories are sky high with these results, the Brown ...
To be found at Liberal Conspiracy.
I always tell people to switch off phones when I interview them on video. Trust me to forget on Saturday when we were shooting the video for the launch of the small business survey in the North East. Here's the offending clip.
I was, secretly, pleased that Gordon Brown's recapitalisation of the banks three months ago earned him such kudos - being, as I am, a closet leftie with strong emotional ties to the Labour Party. Countries around the world followed suit and Labour enjoyed a surprising - and welcome - bounce. But this second effort, precipitated by the sudden collapse in key banks after the ban on short selling was lifted, leaves a lot to be desired and Brown has been suitably bruised by a similar collapse in his poll rating. It is also unlikely to work. {EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM - ...
Well I took some time out today to watch the politics show, as ever Mr Prescott was on form trying to convince the viewers that he is "hip" cause he has 2300 facebook friends and his party has now launched a blog page...... best bit of the interview was when he was asked if he would be blogging about the report in today's Sunday times newspaper report on labour peers accepting "fees" for "helping "clients push through favourable amendments to new legislation. It was hard to make sense of Mr "lets use ten words when one will do", but I ...
Thanks to Charlotte Gore for linking to my piece on Clause 152 of the Coroners and Justice Bill. This part of the Bill is due for debate tomorrow. If you've not already contacted your MP, it's not too late!
{Lynne Featherstone with residents of Westpoint, Clarendon Road, celebrating their parking permit success} One - during the week my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Haringey Council got a motion through for Haringey Council to opt-in to the Sustainable Communities Act. The act in itself is really only a tool to open up future possibilities - but now we're well on the way to being able to do that. Two - parking permit problems for residents in Clarendon Road sorted out. Three - Transport for London (TfL) have now promised that we will be able to use Oyster Pay As You Go ...
Alamein Ward Lib Dems hard on the heels of their successful campaign in Enham to introduce a 30 mph speed limit we kicked off our "20 is plenty campaign" in Smannell in 2008. Lib Dems phone lines were red hot from residents in Smannell saying can we have a permanent sticker saying "20 is plenty " So Lib Dems in the Alamein Ward have been busy distributing free A4 all weather stickers advising motorists that "20 is plenty" Alamein Lib Dems believe that the current "20 is plenty" discretionary scheme should be scrapped, schools repaid the £200 plus they paid ...
John Prescott has launched Go Fourth online the website and blog that he is going to run to get young people involved with politics and voting Labour. Personally I think its a great idea and I support the campaign to have a Labour Fourth term. I unlike many think that a Labour government is better then a Tory government and I support any campaign to have a fourth term with Labour. The website is great so far and I hope it continues like it is and becomes a well known website and wins Labour its fourth term! Prescott good luck! ...
The Labour Parties candidate Councillor Mohammed Iqbal for Brierfield and Nelson North's County Council seat has launched his campaign with an introduction leaflet that is very identical to the leaflet used by Tariq Mahmood the Labour candidate for Whitefield who did not get elected in May 2008. Anyway despite how his leaflet looks it is an interesting read and he does like always in Labour leaflets lift his and the balls of colleagues. With this in mind I am starting a category called Brierfield and Nelson North. This category will watch all the campaigns by the two main contenders the ...
Stand up to hatred - that is the theme this year for Holocaust Memorial Day. I must admit that I find hatred difficult to understand. Not the kind of hatred that arises out of rage and anger in a relationship - that is something we can all empathise with. No, the hatred I just don't get, is hatred for people because of their group identity. Most of us can imagine...
Doing nearly a full day at Marsden and then an eight hour shift at work too yesterday may have taken it out of me a bit. Especially given that I had to work today as well. So I'm going to have a nap in a minute. But before then, there's a couple of things I'd like to share with you.The not-very-active but still lovely LJ comm fountainpens has a really cool post today - a picture of not only the pen, but what it writes like. Fellow Pen Porn devotees might wish to have a look, and, maybe join in? ...
Hastings & Rye Lib Dems celebrated the New Year in style at well-loved Hastings restaurant, The Italian Way, on Friday night. Guest speaker for the evening was the Group Editor of the Observer newspapers locally, Peter Lindsey. The event, organised by Honorary Freeman Pam Brown, was attended by approximately 50 guests. Speaking after the event Pam said, "I [...]
Nick Perry, Lib Dem Parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, attended the Annual Public Meeting of the Rye Partnership on Thursday evening. Speaking after the meeting, chaired by Cllr Keith Glazier and attended by only a handful of people, Nick said, "Given the current economic climate and the importance of securing the future prosperity of Rye, it [...]
My definition of 'week' is getting quite elastic, isn't it? Oh well, this is a series about a time traveller, after all... One of the things Big Finish have always done well that the TV series never did much of after William Hartnell is the pure 'historical' story. Stories like The Marian Conspiracy or Son Of [...]
After a rough week, I've had a cold riddled weekend. So my master plan to get the first edition of the Carnival on Modern Liberty done on Friday fell flat on its sorry arse. However, between sneezing fits, I did manage to get it done yesterday and now Sunny has published it on Liberal Conspiracy. Have a look, don't forget to submit your articles for next week's edition (which will be at Our Kingdom) and enjoy!
A couple of years ago, I mentioned on the blog that Glenda (aka Flaming Nora) editor of Corrieblog had sent me a nice e-mail following a blog entry I had made about Coronation Street, my favourite TV programme. Click on headline to see this. Anyway, I heard from Glenda again today : From: Glenda Young Sent: 25 January 2009 14:38To: blogcomments@frasermacpherson.org.ukSubject: Coronation Street Dear Cllr Macpherson Just to let you know I've moved from Corrieblog and am now blogging about Coronation Street at http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/. If you can link your work with Corrie at all, do let me know and I'll ...
Wednesday was the first day of 'business as usual' for the United States' 44th President: Barack Obama. Despite (as my granddad would have called it) the razamatazz of the Inauguration being done with, the sparkle of hope will remain. What a phenomenal achievement it has been for the American people. Not only finally to get rid of [...]
The 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth provides me with an excuse to revive this blog, but sadly it has been neglected elsewhere - at least if the publications I read are anything to go by. History Today, the New Statesman, Guardian and Observer have all arrived with little or no comment on the anniversary, a poor recognition of someone who is not only only Scotland's national poet, but also one with a worldwide reputation and who speaks powerfully of the human condition. How to explain such neglect. Perhaps it is that with Burns celebrations on 25 January every year, ...
A few months ago Wells-Next-The-Sea in North Norfolk woke up one cold spring morning to find a sheep had been kicked to death by a number of teenagers. The police got involved, arrest were made, and the people of Wells felt sickened that such people exist in our society. After reading THIS, it makes you wonder whether these youths might be labelled as talented in some countries ?
Just got back from the Holocaust Memorial Day. This year's theme is 'stand up to hatred'. As ever - there were a number of readings, poems and recollections from dignitaries, those who had firsthand experience and others. Today was very poignant as Jewish people in this country are not having an easy time at the moment. However badly people think Israel has behaved - what was palpable in the air today was how vulnerable they still feel in this country. I don't know what the recent stats are on anti-Semitic attacks, but that feeling of vulnerability was very much there. ...
David Smith's column in today's Sunday Times caught my eye in part because of my recent experiences with suppliers the party uses. He wrote: Something odd is happening. Recessions are grim but you expect compensations such as quiet roads, empty trains and helpful shop assistants. This may be a London thing, but to me roads are busier and on train and Tube journeys I get closer to fellow passengers than is comfortable. As for shops, maybe the retail trade is too miserable, though it is common to find that, when you are ready to buy, the item is not in ...
Wyboston is a small village in Bedfordshire in eastern England. For most people, it's probably never even registered on the radar. But for a number of years now, for Lib Dems at least, it's become synonomous with training and socialising. I've just returned from a packed weekend at Wyboston and looking at it, it's really a rather amusing get together. The 'Wyboston' weekends are the large get togethers that the party has to bring together MPs, candidates and campaigners to train them and bring them up to speed on modern innovations in preparation for forthcoming elections. They used to be ...
The new DPPO (designated public places order) is now in effect on Hannover and Woodhouse Square. This is great news as the residents of these areas have been waiting so long for this legislation to come into force. The police are already making good use of the powers. This DPPO was supported from the start by all the Lib Dem Headingley councillors and Councillor Penny Ewens in Hyde Park and Woodhouse. It's a shame that it was delayed for so long by certain Labour Councillors who decided to play politics with local residents groups which reslulted in months of arguments ...
Over the last few months, I have been consuming books that have looked at how technology is changing how we live and work and books about the Enlightenment and its effects. I have also watched two HBO series: John Adams and The Wire. The former is about the birth of a nation. The latter, according to its creator David Simon, is about the death of that nation. The books and shows reflect interests that have spanned three decades. They began around the time that I was doing my O levels (what became GSCEs) and developed while studying history and politics ...
Having now returned to the UK it is time to reflect on some of the political woes of Iceland. Iceland was hit hardest back in October when it was effectively bankrupt.
I know I am currently not linking to BBC related stuff, but for this I make an exception. Hat tip to Caron
{Steve Guy Backs Pool Campaigners} Steve Guy Backs Pool Campaigners Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Steve Guy braved the wet and cold weather to join local residents protesting about Wycombe District Councils plan to close our local swimming pool. 'Save our Pool' stickers were given out by campaigners to those attending the Civic Service for High Wycombe's Mayor. Steve Guy said "I'm grateful to everybody who turned up on a cold and wet Sunday morning. I'm pleased a lot of the church goers stopped and spoke with us, and even took stickers to show their support." So far Conservative Councillors have ...
A cheerful email from Amnesty International: "'As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.' President Barack Obama, 20 January 2009. "A refreshing statement from the new president, and it would seem, one that is backed up by action. We're only days into his presidency and the human rights [...]
The story today about Labour peers allegedly being paid for influencing legislation which I have posted about separately here has reminded me of something else I have been meaning to post for a while. MPs are allowed to have interests outside the house and are allowed to hold down other jobs, consultancies, directorships etc. as long as they declare everything. To many "ordinary" people this seems quite odd as they already have what would appear to be at least a full time job in representing tens of thousands of constituents and also holding the government to account and debating and ...
The news reported in today's Times that 4 Labour Peers have been allegedly taking money in order to influence legislation is just the latest in a long line spanning many years of similar stories. I bet that the vast majority of people hearing this story are unsurprised and that includes me. I would also be very unsurprised is it turns out to be true. I very much regret the fact that many people today think that politicians are just in it for what they can get for themselves. Friends and associates of mine have expressed this view to me on ...
Jammy dodger Evan Harris has come up seventh in the ballot for Private Members' Bills. As for what the ballot is about - names get put in a hat, and then pulled out at random - and the lucky ones are giving some time in Parliament to introduce a Bill. You have to come near the top to have any chance of getting your Bill through. I enter each time - but have never been lucky enough - as yet. Anyway - Evan is taking forward the accession issue (one I had some success with last year) that females are ...
After a great deal of reluctance, Germany is starting to spend money on a fiscal stimulus. It is actually spending more in direct stimulus than the UK, €50 billion on top of the initial €12 billion nearly double the UK's stimulus package. (Although the UK also has the eye-watering bank bailouts on top of that.) At the end of the last year, Germany was noted for its grumpy line towards the reckless Anglo-Saxon who were exhorting her to spend money to get them out of a pickle. On the face of it, you can sort of see Germany's point. Over ...
Iain Dale has warned other Tories on his blog about a Journalist who is using a fake name and Facebook account to become friends with Tories so they can be humiliated with Scandals. First of all what have the Tories got to hide, everyone knows they are a dirty party and something or another will always come out in the news about the Tories or New (Tory) Labour. Iain Dale needs to bare in mind that even the toughest of stains do come out some way or another and their is no point hiding it away!
Watching the Politics Show, there's an item on the EU with Nigel Farage of UKIP. The BBC persist in taunting him by pronouncing his name continental-style as Faraarge instead of the robustly British Farridge, but he takes it in good part. I disagree totally with UKIP on the Euro: leaving politics aside, I know my firm [...]
Dr Evan Harris has been hilariously lambasted by the editor of the Catholic Herald, Damian Thompson. His crime was to take time off from murdering unborn babies and encouraging the terminally ill to have the option of ending their own lives to propose that, amongst other things, a British monarch should be allowed to both be and marry a Catholic. Damian Thompson, who seems to see little distinction between Evan Harris and Stalin in the murderousness stakes, doesn't want help from that sort of person. I imagine the Catholic Church might even put Dr Harris somewhere below Hitler, given the ...
A campaign has been set up CC all your mail to Jacqui Smith on one day to protest against the Governments plans to have a private company keep a log of all our emails and web logs. If you would like to join this campaign then follow the link! The government with these proposals are taking away our civil liberties and I think everyone needs to take part in the CC of emails so that Jacqui can feel a little intimidated with all them emails falling into her inbox. I certainly don't want my emails read and monitored by a ...
I have still not had time to see Frost/Nixon but I intend to do so soon. However, I heard an amusing anecdote on the radio this morning that came from an interview with Michael Sheen. It is reproduced here in a Times diary item last October: "I had a very peculiar experience the other night," Michael Sheen revealed during a Tiscali Screen Talk at The Times BFI London Film Festival. "David Frost introduced me to Gordon Brown - but he introduced me as Tony Blair." The actor memorably dramatised TB's "Granita triumph" over his rival in The Deal . "I ...
I remember years ago meeting a councillor from one of the leafier bits of Sheffield. We compared notes on our patches, including advice surgeries and casework. Most of mine was housing or planning; she agreed about the planning, but said she had hardly any housing casework. It turned out that was because she had hardly [...]
I am just off to see Bath Play Toulouse and I hope that we can achieve a good win this afternoon. To keep up to date with how the game is going then log on to the Bath Rugby Web site at http://www.bathrugby.com/
When I got tagged by Tom Griffin to take part in the Carnival on Modern Liberty I wondered just which of the areas I have an interest in on the subject I should take up the challenge to write about. I couldn't really select just one so throughout the week I will attempt to look at one per day. What I'm going to do is take you to the edge of the envelope to the point where liberty comes up against the point where people start to edge away. People claim to be liberal and uphold Liberty but we all ...
The Sunday Times has named four Labour members, two of them ex-government ministers, of the House of Lords as being ready to amend Bills for cash. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are overdue for reform. Only Liberal Democrats are prepared to grasp that nettle, as Nick Clegg has made plain.
I love the whole argument that so many people have (and I share) that ID cards, CCTV cameras and many other things the government want to use to track us are infringing our rights, yet then so many of these people then get Twitter, which seems to be a system to allow people to snoop in to your life and let everyone know where you are, what you are doing, what you had for tea, and is the very antithesis of the privacy argument. I know that people can volunteer what information they put on to Twitter and I know ...
There's more excitement from The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood (Joe Lidster writes interesting stories for both), and more surprises from Big Finish: The Haunting of Thomas Brewster; Brave New Town; The Bride of Peladon; old stage plays reimagined; and Home Truths just kills us. TV Doctor Who offers sheer entertainment in Partners In Crime and The Unicorn and the Wasp, a giant 'robot' and countless "Who" gags in The Next Doctor, and two simply outstanding dramas - Midnight's claustrophobic, terrifying inventiveness, and... The Fires of Pompeii "You fought her off - with a water pistol! I bloody love you." ...
So, the BBC has released a statement to defend the latest Ross joke. To be honest, I understand perfectly. I mean, they didn't get a single complaint at the time the show went on air. In the face of such unprecedented lack of offence, the BBC obviously has to release a statement, does it? I may be slightly sarcastic. Can the whole Ross affair be put to rest? a) By an overwhelming majority, those who listen to Ross are used to his humour, and don't find it offensive b) He's a bloody comedian, which means pushing the boundaries. Obviously there's ...
On Sunday AM Nick Clegg has blasted the BBC decision not to broadcast the DEC Gaza appeal, saying: My own view is that I think it is an insult to the viewing public to suggest they can't distinguish between the humanitarian needs of thousands of children and families in Gaza and the political sensitivities of the Middle East. It's a distinction which anyone can make and to suggest that the BBC
Cameron brought Ken Clarke back to challenge Lord Mandelson as Business Secretary but was it the right decision. The Mail Online has revealed that Ken Clarke has been on trips to Formula 1, rugby and Opera courtesy of Tobacco companies. Ken Clarke, well known for his smoking with cigars seen in his mouth on many occasions is taking trips courtesy of Tobacco companies, which could turn around and kick team Cameron in the balls. The general public are not as cynical as me but if they were they would have stayed away from the Tories at the next general election ...
An independent report has concluded that poor management practices at the DVLA in Swansea left it open to criticism when former employees were given highly paid roles as consultants. PricewaterhouseCoopers were called in last August after it was revealed that some employees had taken redundancy packages and then returned as consultants on rates of between £600 and £800 a day. They have concluded
Here's another blasting for the BBC. Archbishop John Sentamu has joined the cries for the BBC to broadcast the appeal for Gaza: This situation is akin to that of British military hospitals who treat prisoners of war as a result of their duty under the Geneva convention. They do so because they identify need rather than cause. This is not an appeal by Hamas asking for arms but by the Disasters
"Progressive" is a word with many suitors. Labour activists use it wherever possible, apparently as a synonym for "things we like and approve of" (interestingly, they use "liberal" in precisely the same way). Friday's Progressive London conference, for all that it was supposedly a cross-party effort, may be a case in point. Dr Pack of this parish attended, and could be heard to tweet: Dawn Butler starts session at supposed cross-party event: "I want to talk about how we get Labour re-elected". Hmm And the Tories would love to get in on the act, as Stephen Tall notes. The day ...
My memories of the day are necessarily hazy, but back in the 1990s I attended the Phoenix Festival at at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon. Thanks to the wonders of the net, I can tell you that it was on 19 July 1996. Around that time a lot of people took Alanis Morissette very seriously. It wasn't until later that it became widely known that she used to be a child star - Canada's answer to Bonnie Langford - but when she opened her set that day by marching on to the stage blowing a mouth organ, she was obviously ...
Henry Porter blogs over at Comment is Free on the continuing threat posed to our civil liberties by the Government's attitude to data collection and sharing: The problem is that the government is pressing ahead with the vast project of merging all government databases (under the deliberately dull title of Transformational Government) without the slightest concern for individual privacy, or the mistakes contained in those databases. This week the data protection agency Garlik revealed that although millions of pieces of information were wrong, most departments had no policy or budget to correct them. This tells you something about the government's ...
The BBC's outrageous decision to bar the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)* from broadcasting an Appeal for the people of Gaza is another nail in the coffin of the organisation's credibiity and international standing. Moreover, it breaches the corporation's own guidelines about emergency appeals, namely: 1) the disaster must be on such a scale and of such emergency [...]
If I was asked that question I would have said you need to know at least some high profile MP's and Lords and if they like your ideas that you are lobbying for they might take them forward and raise the issues in the Lords or the Commons, but am I mistaken. The Times did an investigation in which they asked 10 Lords if they would do business with lobbyists and four Peer's responded by saying they would for fees up to £120,000 a year! Out of the 10 Peers, the four were Labour peers and an example of the ...
In the Observer today, former BBC Middle East correspondent, Tim Llewellyn, has blasted his former employers, the BBC, about their decision not to broadcast the DEC appeal about Gaza. You could hardly find a more powerful criticism of the BBC's decision. Llewellyn compares it unfavourably with the BBC's "posturing" at Charles Wheeler's memorial service earlier this week: On Tuesday, speaking
Today's "Sunday Herald" covers the concerns about former SNP Dundee councillor and now MSP for North East Scotland (apparently this should now read "part of North East Scotland") Nigel Don over financial subsidy through the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance. Click on the headline above to read the Sunday Herald's story. I paste my news release on the matter below. Perhaps Dundee SNP should, in light of this, consider reimbursing the City Council with the cost of administering the Lochee Ward by-election just over a year ago, as clearly, given the following quote from Mr Don : "There are nine constituencies in ...
This morning's Wales on Sunday reports that North Wales Chief Constable, Richard Brunstrom has urged his officers to join Facebook. He says he wants to take "community engagement into cyberspace" in a bid to engage with young people. The article quotes a survey that suggests that children would find it less intimidating to contact an officer via the internet rather than face to face. This of course depends on how good the community police officer is but nevertheless it is a valid way forward. As it happens my local community constable is already on Facebook and is one of my ...
In Abergavenny, we attended an open house at the home of Alan Butt Philip, the number 1 candidate on the Welsh Liberal Democrats list for the European Parliament elections in June. The comparatively low number of seats in Wales, the dominance of Labour and the existence of four credible alternatives have all combined to make winning a seat difficult for Liberal Democrats here. However, the drop
Anyone old than 30 years of age will remember how in the period from 1993-1997 the word "sleaze" became almost permanently attached to the word "Tory" as the Tory party lurched from one self inflicted wound to another. When I read some young Conservative blogs I just wonder how keen they would be to be Conservative if they could actually remember what a Tory government was like. However, Labour seem to be in some sort of competition with the Tories to "out-sleaze" them before they are, hopefully, kicked out of office some time next year. The latest from Mr Brown's ...
I just stumbled across this in my photo file and it reminded me of ther brief period when local residents and traders were worried about the shops laying empty and the nervousness of what was coming. We are looking here at the shops opposite Hampstead Post Office on the High Street just near the zebra crossing (which I think I'm standing on when I took this picture). Empty shops can be so devastating and the effect on perception, moral and actual trade so demoralising... So it's good when the refurb happens and they re-open...
If you've got a few hundred thousand smackers and want something done, like a little change in the law or a question asked in the upper house, it seems there's only one party whose peers can help you out - Labour. The Times, posing as would-be lobbyists seeking a change in the law for a wealthy client, contacted five Labour peers, three Conservatives, one Liberal Democrat and one Ulster Unionist. The results reflect badly not only on the House of Lords but also on the Labour party. Of the 10, four were prepared to do business with our "lobbyists" for ...
Today is the 250th aniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, but in response to this tosh from Simon Heffer, I prefer to use the style of Hugh McDairmid: Nae fie in times a war an' financial exigency tae hear yon scunner roar oot his ain bile. Ilka the fear marks oot the cauf forby The mistakes a' his ain fowk he seeks to force upon anither. By fit richt hae he to talk? For aye his quine, the blessed Margeret, Presumed tae lecture Scots? An' that impiety took place wi'in a Kirk! In fit miekle mind can aye hatred ...
Guido has a wonderful description of Polly Toynbee as a: Tuscan redistributionist friend of the down-trodden, the three-house-owning, multi-millionairess toff I disagree with him, though, where he writes: With the colourful prose that earns her £117,000 basic It's not her prose that's making her the money. It's that her columns 'provoke'. One reason is she is unselfconsciously hypocritical
Headline from the Guardian: Measure smiles, not just GDP: British 'among least happy in Europe' Headline from the BBC: Britains 'bored but happy' ("Britons were said to be among the sixth happiest in Europe") Two supposedly quality media outlets, one study, two stories saying the opposite thing about how happy we are. As it happens, it doesn't matter too much which reporter is right. Happiness is just one of fifty questions in the study, asking people to rank themselves on a scale of 0 to 10. Is what I would call a five the same as what you would call ...
Three examples of the zaniness of anti-abortion campaigners: First of all, there was the curious case of the abortion doughnuts. I have to admit that when I first heard about "abortion doughnuts" my first thought was that Krispy Kreme had started putting marshmallow foetuses in the jam. However, the reality turns out to be much more prosaic. What happened was that Krispy Kreme issued the following press statement in advance of Barack Obama's inauguration (emphasis mine): "Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American's sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut ...
From today's Sunday Times: Labour peers are prepared to accept fees of up to £120,000 a year to amend laws in the House of Lords on behalf of business clients, a Sunday Times investigation has found.Four peers — including two former ministers — offered to help undercover reporters posing as lobbyists obtain an amendment in return for cash.Two of the peers were secretly recorded telling the reporters they had previously secured changes to bills going through parliament to help their clients.Lord Truscott, the former energy minister, said he had helped to ensure the Energy Bill was favourable to a client ...
I'd just like to congratulate Andrea Stephenson the Conservative PPC for Linlithgow and Falkirk on not adding any news item to her own website since this day last year. Boy it must have been a really slow news year. Maybe all the credit crunch stuff is not important to the people she is seeking to represent. The whole situation over HBOS and the RBS are irrelevant. But what about local issues and things that are affecting their everyday lives, don't they warrant any comment whatsoever. What about the fuel crisis and the effect it may have on Grangemouth or the ...
