From tomorrow's issue of The Times: A businessman offered to sell the details of every expense claim made by MPs over the past five years to The Times for £300,000. Similar approaches have also been made to other national newspapers.He said that scans of a million receipts claimed as part of MPs' £24,000 second-home allowance had been "inadvertently" duplicated by the parliamentary authorities.The businessman, whose company is based in the City, said that he was offering the politically sensitive information because he believed that it was in the public interest. When he made clear that he was expecting money, The ...
Tomorrow I am off to speak to the Social Work task force set up in the wake of the untimely death of Baby P and the subsequent Lord Laming report. They meeting has been set up to answer the core Question "What now for Social work?" It will be a difficult question to answer. For a long time social work has been heading in a certain direction set by the Government and legislation, driven by the likes of you and me. We have rightly raised her hands in horror at the many human tragedies which have been splashed across the ...
Finally you can 'Listen Again' to the breakfast bust-up between BBC 5 Live's Nicky Campbell and blogger Guido Fawkes, aka Paul Staines (starts at 01:07:50). This morning's show failed to appear as expected on the web site and has only recently been uploaded. The interview starts with Campbell introducing Guido/Paul as 'the right-wing political blogger', Guido: Nice to [...]
The Electoral Commission is investigating tens of thousands of pounds the Conservative Party has received from the Said family, according to the Daily Telegraph. Wafic Said was a key figure in the highly controversial Al-Yamamah arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the UK. Allegations of corruption surrounding the deal were being investigated by staff at Britain's Serious Fraud Office - until they were ordered to drop the investigation because it was supposedly against the national interest. Tough on crime? Only when it suits. Although the Liberal Democrats - and Norman Lamb in particular - have been vocal in their criticisms ...
For those who aren't aware, there has been a bit of a battle over a golf course/leisure complex that Donald Trump (born New York 1946) is building across a chunk of Aberdeenshire. Destroying the local environment.Earlier this week local councillor Debra Storr found her car blocked in by The Trump Organization's security guards when inspecting blocked rights of access, until the police told them
Eccles Ian Stewert. Expenses £149.774 Travel £14.934 Salford Hazel Blears Expenses £148.335 Travel £16.562 Worsley Barbera Keeley Expenses £ 133.814 Travel £ 17.502. And to rub salt in the wounds they are getting a pay rise. Are they worth all this money. Well i am a little biased NO
The last day of duties as Mayoress. Bitter sweet in 2 ways. The engagements include celebrating what is good (opening a new store in Thornaby Town Centre I know local people will want, a Wilkinsons) and supporting a project helping people recovering from drug addiction, more later. I am tired after 4 years "mayoring" (deputy mayor, then mayor, then deputy mayoress, then mayoress!) with hats...
Apparently France are threatening a walk out from the G20 summit in London. It wouldn't be the first time the French have made an untimely and unwanted exit from a major world event. I seem to recall they did it in 1940 too !
Tonight I received constituent complaint about SORN. SORN leaflet SAYS: A SORN will automatically end if the vehicle is taxed, or there is a change of keeper, before the 12 months are up. A SORN is valid for up to 12 months and must then be renewed if the vehicle is still kept off the road. Constituent wants to know: why should he need to renew? Why can't they just assume it is still off the road, and if he later takes it on the road and gets caught by police for not having road tax, then fair enough. He ...
Out canvassing. People want to know what the Liberal Democrarts are doing in Parliament. So here's a useful page. http://www.libdems.org.uk/parliament/bills Marine and Coastal Access Bill Thu, 12 Mar 2009 Liberal Democrats who have long called for action fear this Bill will not commit the Secretarty of State to make things change Vince Cable MP Banking Bill Thu, 12 Mar 2009 Lib Dems support the Bill but fear that more must be done Lord Avebury Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill Thu, 12 Mar 2009 Lib Dems criticise Bill that typifies Government's failures on immigration Chris Huhne Policing and Crime Bill Wed, ...
I'm delighted that the Government have at last made a decision on phase two of the tram, and delighted taht they have made the right decision. I've personally been to London to lobby the Department for Transport twice about the scheme, and this is something that they should have agreed years ago. It's a shame that all the dragging of feet by them has put the project several years behind wher eit could have been, and the increased costs as a result will be considerable. Still, they have eventually got to the right decision.
Forget MPs' expenses and the brouhaha in the Commons. The story everyone wants to read about (judging by Statcounter) is Christian the lion from Harrods. So here are some more memories of his adventures in the Swinging Sixties, as recounted in the Evening Standard: Christian proved boisterous, affectionate and playful and became a local celebrity. "A pregnant Mia Farrow came in and played with Christian," says Rendall. "She wasn't at all scared. Nor was Diana Rigg, but, hey, she's an Avenger!" Unfortunately, their fellow Australian, 007 star George Lazenby, was too scared to come into the shop when he spotted ...
What do i think? they may of learned how to tone down there Leaflets but i still see Racist.What saddens me is the increased level of their vote. Funny over the years how groups have been targeted if not for their religion then for the colour of there skin. Day by day i see so many [...]
Before I start, let me just make clear that I have no problem with an MP employing a spouse in his or her office, provided they are on the same terms and conditions as anyone else who would otherwise be considered for the post.Okay, so, now that that is done, let's take a look at the high flying partnership of David Clelland, Labour MP for Tyne Bridge, and his wife, Brenda, also his secretary.
Politics is all about ideas and debates. It's also about people and about issues. But the information is pared down or magnified into frames. Most people like simple storylines. Just have a look at the covers of many of today's papers. The Daily Telegraph: "Public anger rises over perks for MPs" Or the Daily Express: "CREDIT CRUNCH? NOT FOR MPs ON £208,000 A YEAR". Then there's the Daily Mail: "As ordinary Britons battle recession, MPs get an inflation busting pay rise AND their annual expenses sour to £94m WHAT PLANET ARE THEY ON?" The frame is all about public resentment ...
Liberal Youth Election results: Muhammed Elias Ali - 4 Elaine Bagshaw - 148 Sara Scarlett - 92 R.O.N - 44 Interesting result and in my view the right decision has been made. Just hope everyone can move on now.
All human life is here - from Paul Waugh's Evening Standard blog. The Mail has a longer but less juicier article with a photo of the alleged individual.When I first heard the news item about CS gas, I thought perhaps PC Plod had gone over the top (what's wrong with the good old fashioned truncheon?). On reading this I am not surprised the officer discharged said gas. The altercation was within
Question where the hell do you get old police uniforms from? you only have to think how serious this is. Taking it to the extreme i have just spent three hours discussing terrorism with Councilors and police from Manchester.I hope the police get a result on this one Officers have recovered a huge stash of police uniforms [...]
Well, that was that. A rather fun but often worrying election is now all over bar the (inevitable) shouting. Elaine's victory in the first round was rather faster than I thought it'd be - I thought we'd at least see RON's votes redistributed. But it was not to be: an absolute majority of voters thought [...]
Comedian and keen swimmer David Walliams has applauded the free swimming scheme for those under 16 or over 60. Sadly, no-one in Wycombe District will benefit. This is because Wycombe District Council decided not to take advantage of the funding for the scheme to operate here. Wycombe Tories fail to see the huge benefits of encouraging swimming. At a time when we learn that one in four of our young people are overweight, local Conservatives have closed our beloved open air pool and refused to take part in this laudable scheme to encourage more people to swim.
In order to save the countryside we must destroy it.
Its depressing to see so-called anarchists lauding violence. The attacks on Fred Goodwin's home are being celebrated and tomorrow we have the spectre of violent protests for the G20. I simply do not undertand how this can further the ends of any freedom loving person. Violence is the method of the state. The so-called legitimate use of [...]
Something strange is happening in Liberal Democracy. If truth be told the Liberal and Liberal Democrat party has always in its highest echelons consisted of two tribes: Asquithians and Provincials. The creative and social tension that existed when Lloyd George and Asquith vied for power has never altogether disappeared. * Asquithians are well connected (city, army, bar, media), internationalist and economically liberal and at times libertarian; * Provincials have strong community roots, favour social liberalism,regional autonomy and at times a degree of moral conservatism. Jeremy Thorpe was the very archetype of the former. Cyril Smith the latter. However there is ...
This was probably, from a technical perspective, the most complex. The first preferences were as follows; Michael Atkins - 16 votes Alan Belmore - 25 votes Victor Chamberlain - 31 votes Cara Drury - 48 votes Patrick Elsdon - 22 votes James Harrison - 20 votes Richard Morgan-Ash - 13 votes Alexandra Royden - 37 votes Martin Shapland - 23 votes Jennifer Warren - 21 votes Richard Wilson - 6 votes The quota was 29.01 and Chamberlain, Drury and Royden were elected on first preferences. Transferring the Drury and Royden surpluses failed to elect anyone else, and as the Chamberlain ...
I did say in a previous blog post that I would quit the Liberal Youth if Elaine Bagshaw got elected but this comment from Alasdair Wood got me thinking and I have decided to stay in the Liberal Youth and just focus on the organisation in the North West. Elaine has had no contact with me since I become Convenor and I hope I don't have any contact with her so I shall continue to be the convenor in the North West and run the Liberal Youth and we shall hopefully make an impact come June!
You'll hear a lot of British people bitch about the NHS. Not me. I know how lucky I am. I read the blogs of my USian friends, and I thank Cthulhu that I live in the UK, and even though I am completely brassic, I can still get medical treatment. This is, of course, a general state of affairs, but what has brought it to mind today is that Small Person is due for her eyes testing. So, we went around town and visited each optician to see if they had frames she liked. See, because of the NHS, she ...
There are media reports today that Gordon Brown has prepared some goodie bags for the world leaders attending the G20 summit. Apparently this is an attempt to "showcase British creativity".Hang on a minute? Why on earth are world leaders getting goodie bags?Surely it can't be some kind of inducement to ensure a high turn out? Do the presidents and prime ministers of the world make decisions on
A big Returning Officer hello to Liberal Youth and innocent bystanders. Oh yes, and Tory Bear, who clearly didn't believe me... The Vice Chair election results are as follows: VC Campaigns Ben Mathis - 202 votes RON - 78 votes VC Communications James Shaddock - 233 votes RON - 46 votes VC Finance Daniel Snowdon - 232 votes RON - 46 votes VC Membership Development Mohammed Ali - 8 votes Neal Brown - 132 votes Chris Jenkinson - 123 votes RON - 11 votes After the elimination of Ali and RON, the final score was; Neal Brown - 137 votes ...
Liberal Democrat Lords call for a step up in nuclear non-proliferation action in a House of Lords debate Baroness Williams of Crosby, Liberal Democrat peer, opened the debate by drawing to the House's attention the fact that no agreement has yet been reached to renew the nuclear proliferation that expires in the spring of 2010. She laid the blame at the feet of...
Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today written to Gordon Brown and David Cameron seeking an urgent meeting to reform the system of MPs' expenses. Dear Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, I am writing to you to propose that our parties work together to agree an urgent overhaul of MPs' expenses. The recent scandals make it clear we cannot...
The guys who kicked off at yesterdays Picklers Party in the Commons that was organised by Eric Pickles were three men from the publishing company Sugarmedia according to a blog post by the lobby snoop Paul Waugh. The Tories had invited these three to the party to try and make them pro conservative so they could promote the Tory party in their Student News what ever that is be it a newspaper, magazine, website or what ever. So the Conservatives wanted to get magazines to become pro Tory so they invite them for drinks, if only every thing in life ...
The clocks went forward this weekend and the I felt the need to obey the traditional annual call to go canvassing. A team set off in Birkdale last night. There are no local elections this May but our body clocks are so conditioned to go out that uncomplainingly we went. We started in an area of mixed housing; some former council houses, some small owner occupiers of terraced houses and some RSL stock. I had an very well informed chat about global warming with one young Mum and she told me how pleased she was with our kerbside recycling collection. ...
The BBC TV licence adverts have taken on a rather Orwellian quality in recent times. Here's one of their latest offerings. The message is "We have this big database. You're in it. Pay up or you'll be caught." So far, so scary, but is it true? I listened to an interesting discussion on PM this evening. The main thrust was about the BBC harassing people who don't have TVs to pay the licence fee, with threats of court appearances; not to mention a reversal of the burden of proof: you have to proove you don't have a TV if you ...
In the past few months, Haringey has become a by-word for failure in local government. Yet last night, Labour councillors voted themselves a pay rise. The Labour Lead member responsible said that they all worked terribly hard. As nearly all Labour councillors also receive extra 'special' allowances which boost their payments by two or three times, as a collective they must wilting with exhaustion. Haringey's ratings have sunk through the floor in the past few months. It is now scored as one of the worst councils in Britain by the Audit Commission. Council tax is also one of the highest ...
I'm sure it has been said a thousand times but I've never heard it before. Within 40seconds of the start of Southport's match against Stafford Rangers on Saturday the visitors had scored. It was one of those occasions when everyone was open mouth as it appeared to be massively offside. The players are quite close to the crowd at Haig Ave and when someone called to the Stafford No 10 he looked up. 'Harry Potter wants his invisibility cloak back!' He had the good grace to smile and run away with his back to the crowd. Apart for the 3minutes ...
Well, University term has finished, so it is off to spend time with the family in Newport. My parents have both been Liberal Democrat councillors for some time now. But I had never seen them in the Council Chamber before, so, with many tissues packed for my streaming cold and lozenges for my tearing throat, I headed with them to full Council. Just a quick recap for those unfamiliar with Newport's electoral issues. The Liberal Democrats are in a coalition with the Conservatives, currently leading the Council. Their successes have (I admit I'm biased!) been considerable: 1. Within the first ...
<blows dust and cobwebs away> Is this thing on? So, at the weekend I went to BarCamp London 6. If you're not familiar with the concept if a barcamp, it's a type of unconference. Perhaps more helpfully, Wikipedia sayeth: BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants. The first BarCamps focused on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats. The format has also been used for a variety of other topics, including public transit, health care, and political organizing. The key element ...
Pendle MP Gordon Prentice claimed £129,292 in expenses last year according to the MP expenses list that was released and can be seen by following the link. The amount claimed personally I think is too much and Gordon Prentice needs to cut down on the amount he claims as an MP and use some of his salary. His salary is at £63,000 roughly with the £129,292 added to it Gordon costs the tax payer roughly £190,000 a year. I personally think that is disgusting, my take on the whole MP expenses business is that MP's should be paid roughly £150,000 ...
They're confirmed. I'll put them here to show them in percentage: Elaine Bagshaw-148 Votes- 51% Sara Scarlett- 92 Votes- 32% RON- 44 Votes- 15% Mohammad Ali- 4 Votes- 1% Total- 288 Votes The thing that got my attentions immediately was how few Liberal Youth members/voters there are. This tells us we've got a lot of work to do and need to leave petty arguing behind and get on with the job. I myself voted RON, I felt both candidates were as bad- I mean as good as each other. I did criticise Sara for the way I felt she had ...
After the media in Scotland did not cover the sentence of a terrorist who wanted to blow up a Mosque and behead Muslims, My Blogging friend Yousuf Hamid set up a facebook group to get the media to cover the whole story. To join the facebook group follow the link! He has now created a template letter that you can see below, which you can send to the email addresses below to try and get the media covering this whole issue! I am writing to complain at the lack of reporting that you have given to the attempted terrorist attack ...
The BBC is letting down Bristol, a city where I have a lot of friends and extended family connections, even though it's a long way from the South East. Casualty, which has been filmed in the city for well over 20 years, is being moved to Cardiff from 2011. This is a weird decision. Bristol streets have [...]
An e-mail wings its way to my in-box inviting me to a meeting tomorrow to discuss setting up an All Party Group on Latin America. The meeting is also to consider hosting a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution, and the 10th anniversary of the election of Hugo Chavez as President of Venezuela. Putting aside the fact that Wales does not yet have a seat in the United Nations next to Cuba I do have some very real problems with this concept. Cuba is hardly an example of an effective democracy, in fact it is a ...
I'm now a part of the plot to stop airport expansion at Heathrow! A motion has been put forwards for tonight's full Council meeting... {Airplot - i am an owner}
Residents in Bath and North East Somerset can now sign up to receive 'tweets' from Liberal Democrat websites across the area. By visiting http://twitter.com/bathnesld residents can follow the news feeds from councillor blogs plus news from Don Foster, MP for Bath. "With so many blogs and websites all offering news and information from the Liberal Democrats across Bath...
Last Night Guido posted this histrionic headline and blog post. While he is accurate this figure accounts for all expenses. It take into account things like travel and manning ones office, which all come out of expenses. Not note the election map from 2005. I've highlighted a few areas of Lib Dem dominance. The Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the toe of England and mid Wales. Notice three things these places have in common. There are dominated by Lib Dems, they are at the extremities. In the Highlands and Mid Wales the constituencies cover a vast amount of territory. Alistair ...
These are the other presentations.Video 1Video 3 Video 4
Gordon Brown is being pressed today to support Tourism in Bath. Bath MP Don Foster has asked the Prime Minister to do more to promote local Tourism, perhaps even holiday in Bath this year. Don said, "The tourism industry is vitally important to Bath, we have a number of attractions, including the world famous Roman Baths which I visited last week. ...
Mohammed Elias Ali - 4 votes Elaine Bagshaw - 148 votes Sara Scarlett - 92 votes RON - 44 votes I hereby declare that Elaine Bagshaw has been elected Chair at count 1.
{heaton-park.jpg} Creation of a new Sports Zone, St Margaret's Gate Entrance Local Lib Dems are growing increasingly concerned at Plans for a Sports Zone in Heaton Park. Plans are likely to come to Manchester Council's Planning Committee before the summer for a "Sports Zone" near to the St Margaret's Entrance of the Park. This would build on the existing Bowling Greens (created for the Commonwealth Games). The proposed Sports Zone would include: · 5-a-side pitches · 7-a-side pitch - Tennis Courts · Spectator area · Climbing wall · Single storey pavilion comprising changing rooms, meeting rooms and bar · Car ...
Following the shocking news that essential business support in Mid Wales will be inaccessible until further notice; Kirsty Williams, Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, has tabled an urgent question to the First Minister.The Welsh Assembly Government offers support to businesses through the Flexible Support for Business service (FS4B), however the service will shortly be unavailable in
Well today was the last day to tax the car, so yesterday I grabbed the MOT documents. Only to find I had made a complete screw up and they were out of date. So the car was booked in and then driven this morning for the test, all fine. Only when I get home I discover that my insurance company have decided I now live in Bristol and stopped my policy 3 weeks ago. They did write to me apparently, but
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams told a press conference today that neonatal care in Wales remains in desperate need of extra Assembly Government support, or vulnerable babies will continue to be put at risk.Kirsty recently met with special baby care charity Bliss who are leading the call for increased specialist nursing provision so that the minimum standards for intensive care are
As residents will be aware, the city council Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition administration was defeated last night at the hands of the SNP and the 'former Labour' Lord Provost voting together, resulting in a new administration led by the nationalists. I congratulated Cllr Guild, the new SNP administration leader immediately after meeting, on his party's success. As I indicated to the press last night and on Radio Tay today : Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Cllr Fraser Macpherson, said, "Throughout our service on Dundee City Council, the Liberal Democrat councillors have sought to co-operate with other parties for the good of the ...
I shall start with the MOST IMPORTANT news: People of Britain, friends, you can relax: despite an alleged "explosion of obesity" (why do the words "It's wafer thin!" come to mind?) GPs have decided NOT to call for a tax on CHOCOLATE. In the next few days Great Britain will be hosting the G20 Summit when lots of IMPORTANT world leaders - and Mr Frown, the Prime Monster - will be gathered together to decide what is THE SOLUTION. So on the one fluffy foot, this diary could be OBSOLETE within 72 hours. But on the OTHER fluffy foot, when ...
Tenant turns to courts to halt near-£5 rent rises March 19, 2009 A TENANT has taken out a court order in a bid to prevent his rent rising by almost £5 a week. Neil Hill has obtained an injunction against City West Housing and also Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Salford MP Hazel Blears. He [...]
This Sunday I was at the 70th anniversary celebrations at Belsize Square synagogue. It was moving, fun, beautiful and spiritiual. I wanted to share with readers some of the pictures that I took after the celebration. Including the small plaque that celebrated the 60th anniversary. It's probably easiest if the history of the synagogue is told in their own words: http://www.synagogue.org.uk/ Belsize Square Synagogue was founded in 1939 by refugees from Central Europe who came from the continental Liberal Jewish Movement. While those of Orthodox or Reform background could integrate into already well established English congregations, there existed nothing in ...
Tue 31st
14:51
How our MP takes more for her second home than most of her constituents earn in a year
In 2007-08, Watford's Labour MP claimed the maximum £23,083 for her second home, despite living well under an hour's journey from Westminster, a commute carried out by many local residents every day. This amount is paid free of tax and National Insurance, meaning that it is equal to a gross salary of £39,124. According to the [...]
David Cameron has told us many times about "Broken Britain" with disrespect, bad manners and downright thuggery rife. Yesterday we saw a terrible example of just what Mr Cameron has been talking about, the Independent (amongst many others) reported: Police used CS spray to break up a scuffle in the Houses of Parliament last night, arresting a man who was a guest at a drinks reception hosted by Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles.The men involved were, we're told, journalists (though surely not the reptiles who live by making a profit from the misery of others, exposing people's private lives for ...
With reports that the Iraqi government is going to be executing people for the "crime" of being homosexual (via LDV), and news that Afghan women are about to have less rights than they did under the Taliban, could someone remind me why all those people had to die to bring this about?
As one of Liberal Youth's Deputy Returning Officers, I'm in Cowley Street, preparing for the count. Surprisingly, having done a lot of research on student politics, I have discovered that most of my preparations won't actually be helpful on this occasion. Whilst I firmly support the concept of a participatory and scruplously run election, I do also believe in reflecting cultural diversity. Accordingly, I had arranged for the creation of election count software that contained code designed to distort the result - so popular in Ohio, tI'm told, a suitcase filled with completed ballot papers and, if all else failed, ...
Tue 31st
13:49
Liberal Youth : count delayed (slightly) due to congestion - Returning Officer en route
You know how it is, everything set and ready to go, and I'm on the Northern Line. But relax, all those of you awaiting the results, work will commence shortly...
Tue 31st
13:49Liberal Youth : count delayed (slightly) due to congestion - Returning Officer en route
You know how it is, everything set and ready to go, and I'm on the Northern Line. But relax, all those of you awaiting the results, work will commence shortly...
Labour MP Kerry McCarthy has written a blog post honouring this blog and its worth a read and you can read it below. Personally I am honoured to have such a compliment about this blog and its one of the reasons that keeps me blogging! Apologies to Gordon Prentice, but if there has to be one new Lib Dem MP in Parliament after the next election (and there doesn't), please let it be this guy. I particularly like 'Blogging will be light' and 'Is Sadiq Khan MP a terrorist?' And this one 'Why not to become a journalist?' Why not, ...
Yesterday whilst watching Sky News after watching Eastenders at 10:30 a new story came up that I found interesting and a little strange. Three guests at Eric Pickles drinks party had been arrested for domestic related offenses in Parliament. The first issue that got me wound up was the fact that Eric Pickles at a time of financial difficulties for the rest of the Country was holding such events, shouldn't MP's not tighten their belts whilst the rest of the Country is in economic trouble? Secondly why were the guests allowed to sneak around Parliament and cause the trouble, is ...
The local Express and Star newspaper reports Conservative Tettenhall Regis Councillor Jonathan Yardley has been questioned by the Police after a complaint of homophobia. I am not commenting on his views of the use of Police time but here is the article:
Guido blogged yesterday about the average expenses claimed and which party claimed the most you can see the statistics below. Personally I am shocked that the Lib Dems on average claim more expenses than the other two main political parties and I think the Lib Dems need to tighten their belts and start claiming less. LibDems claim £140,217 Labour MPs claim £136,116 Tory MPs claim £131,275 Now the Lib Dems are neither the government neither the main opposition so claiming that much on average is a little too much personally and I think come next year the average should be ...
... after yesterday's very serious post. From here
Iraqi-LGBT reports that the administration in Iraq is about to begin executing gay Iraqis. Urgent action is needed to halt the execution of 128 prisoners on death row in Iraq. Many of those awaiting execution were convicted for the 'crime' of homosexuality, according to IRAQI-LGBT, a UK based organisation of Iraqis supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Iraq. According to Ali Hili of IRAQI-LGBT, the Iraqi authorities plan to start executing them in batches of 20 from this week. IRAQI-LGBT urgently requests that the UK Government, Human Rights Groups and the United Nations Human Rights Commission intervene with ...
Polly Toynbee has written a comment piece for the Guardian today which tries to argue that we should keep things regarding our MPs in perspective. I have tried to address some of her points below: This isn't even the beginning of the end. After Jacqui Smith, expect a stream of MP expense scandals drip-fed into papers week by week. Rumours abound: is there a mole in the Commons fees office? Is it a Tory? Is someone selling these scoops? One thing is certain: deep-pocketed tabloids are chasing ministers, hiring Benji the Bin Man-type rummagers, bribing officials or just calculating MPs' ...
I don't know if anyone else just watched the article on MPs' expenses on `The Daily Politics` or should that be `The Daily dump on all politicians`. I don't think I've ever seen such a sensationalist, ignorant and dumbed-down article. When is this Party going to realise that the BBC is not giving us a fair crack [...]
It's that time of year again. When the leaflets start getting printed. I was out this morning delivering leaflets in easton to help our prospective candidate there. The morning was bright with a slight chill in the air. It was recycling day round there so there was the usual body swerve of bins and recycling boxes. What encouraged me was that there was so much recycling put out. In the early days tehre was a lot of scepticism. Now here we are 3 yrs on and its going great guns. After watching Age of Stupid at the Watershed on Sunday ...
Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg yesterday written to Gordon Brown and David Cameron seeking an urgent meeting to reform the system of MPs' expenses. The full text of the letter is below: I am writing to you to propose that our parties work together to agree an urgent overhaul of MPs' expenses. The recent scandals make it clear we cannot continue with the current system any longer. The upcoming inquiry by the Committee on Standards in Public Life will not report this side of a general election. This is far too long to wait. We owe it to the citizens ...
Nick Clegg seeks urgent meeting with Brown and Cameron to overhaul MPs' expenses
An email arrived yesterday reminding me that today, 31st March, is the last opportunity to register for early bird rates for ALDC's Local Solutions conference in June. Last year, LDV made recordings of the plenary sessions - still available here, here and here - if you want a flavour of the day. We intend to be there in June - and our aim will be to ask councillors across the UK to write more for LDV on how Lib Dems are making a difference on the ground.
Elin Jones, the Minister for Rural Affairs, has issued a written Statement launching the Woodland Strategy. There is no word yet as to whether any small animals will be harmed in the process.
Whilst people are at it we really should consider what other payments are made to members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. In the lords there is no "salary" only "expenses".Ministers' and other Office‐holders' salaries: 1 April 2008Salaries of Ministers and other office‐holders detailed in this table are the maximum available; post holders may accept a lesser salary. Where it has been
Polls have closed, the ballots await the tender mercies of the count, and a Returning Officer's thoughts turn to transfers and quotas. Watch this space, as results will emerge throughout the afternoon. Oh yes, and for the benefit of Tory Bear, we don't hide our election results - publish and be damned, I say...
Am I the only one who thinks that whats happening to Jacqui smith is really unfair? Yes she shouldn't have let her husband pay for porn from her expense account but does anyone think that she actually knew?! The anger that is being displayed by the public over this affair is wholly justifiable, especially when you have idiots like Eric Pickles saying something like this: This is just embarrasing and doesn't represent the majority of MPs who are hard working and are careful in the way they spend their money. Working in an MPs office you see how every penny ...
So, the figures are out and how much did our MP cost us, here in Brent North? £93,888 Staffing costs £15,079 Cost of staying away from own home £11,946 Office running costs £10,587 Communications Allowance £4,549 Stationery associated postage costs £1,799 Centrally purchased stationery £1,333 Central IT provision Total cost... £139,181. Compare and contrast with his fellow Brent MPs... Dawn Butler first... £88,783 Staffing costs £23,083 Cost of staying away from own home £15,137 Office running costs £11,396 Communications Allowance £4,972 Staff cover and other costs £4,887 Stationery associated postage costs £2,029 Centrally purchased stationery £1,039 Central IT provision My ...
Wikipedia's dominance of search results (and the increasing degree to which people equate research to putting something into Google) means it often takes some effort to avoid ending up relying directly or indirectly on the accuracy of information contained in it. There are though some basic points to bear in mind when wondering whether to trust what you've found. Here's the checklist that I use: The more surprising the information, the less likely it is to be accurate: whether it is a typo, a mistake or a piece of misdirection in the name of humour, the really surprising information is ...
"Hegel remarks somewhere that all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He has forgotten to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce" Karl Marx Russia scares people. It is big and aggressive. It has a history of the blackest tyranny. It is the largest state on the planet, stretching across eleven time zones from the Baltic Sea to the Bering straits. It has a massive army which is armed to the teeth, including the largest nuclear arsenal of any country. It has repeatedly invaded its neighbours. It possesses the largest mineral reserves including ...
I stopped reading Labourlist seriously a few weeks ago once it had become clear to me that it was largely a conduit for Labour party propaganda. If I wanted to read Labour party press releases and centrally coordinated attacks on opponents I would subscribe to them. In Labourlist's first few days I posted this on one of their initial threads: Hello. I wish you luck in this endeavour (I am a Lib Dem activist and blogger) however I do have a couple of concerns. Firstly the list of contributors seems to largely consist of very mainstream party figures. If a ...
Off to Berkhamsted yesterday evening to speak to the Local Party in South West Hertfordshire, as they gear up for the County and European election campaigns. I was met at the station by a posse of Lib Dems with leaflets and the obligatory diamond boards, all ready to promote their long-running campaign for an improved rail service. A journey of about thirty miles to central London costs commuters over £4,000 per annum, and many of them told us that the service has noticeably deteriorated. There's a strong belief that the improved service from the Midlands has been achieved at the ...
As the latest 'scandal' about what MPs claim as expenses unfolds, I for one would be happy in future not to know what they spend their money on. That is to say that I hope they will institute a system which does not require item-by-item claims, but uses a simple daily allowance system to ensure they do receive some recompense for the additional costs they undoubtedly incur as a result of their jobs being split between two or more places of work. As long as they are on an item-by-item claim system then these documents should not be exempt from ...
Beddington & Wallington Local Committee The main topics for decision at this meeting were some proposals for public realm funding, the Redford Avenue Cycling Scheme, the Beddington Lane Regeneration Scheme and the Wallington Station Access Scheme. Under Public Realm the committee agreed to match fund 5% of monies provided by Viridor Waste Management Ltd to make environmental & [...]
Even I was surprised at the speed at which Claire Ward went to the local paper in an attempt to justify her second home allowance.You can see that her constituents don't agree with her from the long list of comments (I'm the one using my real name, BTW). The paper reports Ms Ward as saying: "The [...]
Given the confidence with which he gave Gordon Brown a dressing down in the European Parliament, you might think that Daniel Hannan MEP has a very sure footed judgment when it comes to economic matters, would you not?Well here's a very interesting article he wrote in the Spectator in October 2004 singing the praises of those well known economic wizards.....er......the Icelanders:In the ten years
He watched Ocean's Thirteen twice. Surely once is enough for anyone?
On Saturday night I was invited down to Horsham constituency (which bizarrely now includes my home village of Copthorne within its boundaries) to talk on my favourite topic of diversity. I went down there, a little nervous, as I know that my thoughts on this topic are sometimes a little radical for many Lib Dems (although not Shirley Williams); however, I was incredibly heartened by the response that I got and in particular the views of women who had actually been councillors, PPCs or were potential candiates etc. I wonder sometimes that this debate is often prematurely stifled by our ...
Last night, I joined Steve Hitchins and Laura Willoughby at Birmingham Council House for a training event all about encouraging local parties and council groups to recruit a new generation of councillors. Steve Hitchins recruits 184 new people to be a councillor on 12seconds.tv The session was called "Be a councillor" - and I hope each and every one of you reading these words has heard of it, not least because for the last month and the next one, they have been advertising on Lib Dem Voice in a beautiful Flash advert on our sidebar. The programme continues around the ...
Having 2 weeks off with the family over Easter will be fantastic - but it's proving interesting trying to fit everything in before I go. So far this morning I've bundled up 300 leaflets to drop off to a kind soul for delivering, replied to some emails from relatives concerned at the impending closure at Home Meadow Day Care Facility in Toft, drawn up a recap of my meeting with Social Services last Friday, chased up a Road safety Survey for a street layout in Hardwick - oh and got 2 boys off to school (on time and without argument!), ...
There is a fuss about expenses going on at the moment. This comes from the fact that historically allowances have been used to boost MP pay. This was obviously a mistake, but has been hidden until the current decade. Gradually it has become clearer and clearer that what is going on is indefensible.My own view is that the rules of MP expenses should be determined by an independent body. The
For goodness sake! The BBC were reporting this morning that Labour MP, Sir Stuart Bell believes a mole is flogging off details of MPs expense claims for hundreds of thousands of pounds: Sir Stuart told BBC's Newsnight programme: "All of the receipts of 650-odd MPs, redacted and un-redacted, are for sale at a price of £300,000, so I am told. "The price is going up because of the interest in the subject." It may be a theft, but we will get to the bottom of it. In the public interest Asked who was trying to sell the information, Sir Stuart ...
Even more children missing out on their chosen primary schools (see news release) but welcome news for our campaign to expand school places in Alexandra ward.
A major incident was avoided this morning, when 5Live broadcaster Nicky Campbell withdrew his jokey comment that Guido Fawkes was a fascist. Nicky intrioduced Guido as 'a right-wing blogger', Guido responding by saying how nice it was to be on the 'left-wing BBC' Nicky's response that it was good to have a 'fascist' on the show irked [...]
Following the last meeting of the Council's Executive, a new strategy to tackle domestic violence has been launched in Bury. The first of its kind, it outlines the extent of the problem at local and national level, and sums up what is being done both in Bury and through government initiatives. Domestic violence affects one in four women and one in six men. Last year, police in Bury attended 4,100 incidents of domestic violence: and more than half of those were repeat incidents. The last three murders in Bury have been related to domestic violence. The financial cost in Bury ...
Three years ago I wrote this: Why am I a white, middle-class male supporting the latest initiative by the Liberal Democrats to encourage more female and ethnic minority candidates? The answer is simple, the supporters and people who vote for our party are diverse, in fact they are as diverse as the people who make up our country; even in West Lothian with a small ethnic population this is true. We need, as a party, to truly represent that community and multi-cultural. A quick scan down the list of names supporting the three leadership candidates shows anyone just how diverse ...
With the recent stories coming to light about MPs and their expenses allowance, it is probably time to reuse the #MPexpenses hashtag. This basically means that if you are tweeting on the subject, to tag the tweet with #MPexpenses (or even #mpexpenses). This will allow everyone to follow everyone's views on the subject far more easily.
'Ulster Says No!' was the slogan used by the Unionist groups across Northern Ireland at the start of the Anglo-Irish talks. Banners with that slogan or variations on the theme were displayed from the offices of Unionist controlled councils including Belfast City Hall. Well the escalation of troubles and threats in Northern Ireland last night make this the opportune time to dust off that slogan. But this time instead of belonging to one community attempting to stand in the way of integration and steps towards harmony and reconciliation, it should be a united front. To have the leaders of both ...
Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I do love the irony, Conservative Councillor for Moreton and Saughall Massie Chris Blakeley has been forced to apologise, and pay substantial damages and costs for calling the Lib Dem Councillor for Bromborough, Alan Taylor, Mugabe-esque on his blog. You can read the full story [...]
...but I think her take on the MPs expenses row is spot on.
I spent the weekend in Diyarbakir, in south-eastern Anatolia, monitoring the local elections. Turkey's ruling AKP had hoped to make inroads into the Kurdish homelands, but in this they were largely disappointed. In Diyarbakir, a historic walled city that has seen more than its fair share of civil unrest and repression over the years, everyone assumed that [...]
Whoa!! Did I really wake up at 5:45am gmt this morning? #
Over on Lib Dem Voice yesterday, Alix Mortimer demonstrated how hollow the mantra of 'if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear' actually is in the wake of Jacqui Smith's unfortunate expenses claim. Although the claim has certainly given us all a good laugh, it does have some political significance. Alix highlighted part of it and I want to look at another aspect of it. Over the past few months, Jacqui Smith has been busy telling us all that government plans to increase data storage and surveillance and to extend anti-terror laws even further were all perfectly ...
