Time for this dog to catch the WordPress bug. I'm now over here.
Last night on BBC2, Alan Yentob (the BBC's cultural 'Whicker Man') posed the question: has Barack Obama brought back the art of oratory to 21st-century politics for good? After all, if there were one factor (apart from his opposition to the Iraq war) which decisively swung the US election in President Obama's favour it was his soaring, inspirational rhetoric - which was as successful in defusing criticism as it was in enthusing supporters. For some time now, political oratory has been out of fashion in the UK. The packed public meetings of the early twentieth-century - which did so much ...
This evening, Liberal International British Group (LIBG) held the first in a planned series of four Forums on the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in the New World Order, being steered through the choppy waters of Russia, past, present and future, at Pushkin House in London by Stephen Dalziel, Executive Director of the Russo-British Chamber [...]
A report on fires in the ward shows what appears to be a worrying trend for fires to be started on grassland and hedges, and I want further information so we can work on some ways forward on this. Before we start condemning the younger generation the older one's are not doing too well in what I would class as anti social behaviour. Looking up on the web for information about...
Being a Lib Dem Trade Unionist is a bit like being a Trade Unionist Lib Dem......regarded with suspicion in all quarters! So today, having come from a union meeting at work (watch this space - we will be going for recognition at the FSA) I arrived home to an email from Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley asking me to sign a petition for jobs and pass it on to my pals - which I have done. BUT.............Last week I read an interesting article in my Unite Activist newsletter written by a Labour MEP candidate. Hmmmmmmmmmmm thought I. I am a ...
We are pleased that action taken by Don Foster MP has helped to save the The Number 20A/C bus service that is used by by local people in going about their daily lives and to be able to carry out their shopping. The Service is also part of an important link for some of our schools and the University of Bath. Many of our more elderly residents and those with health problems use the service to get to the RUH. A New service that covers the same route as the one that has been run by first bus and will ...
... And aside from walking the dogs, cooking food, and going to the opticians, I have spent the entire day snuggled up with small person watching Batman. My apologies if I have missed anything urgent, but spending the day with Small Person was lovely...
Another round-up of what I've been doing in the last few days - other than cursing the difficulty of typing whilst I've still got the cast! - Had a marvellous evening at the 130th Anniversary Concert of the Highgate Choral Society - of which I am a patron. Elgar's Apostles was absolutely superb and hugely enjoyable. Happy anniversary and well done. - Walked around the almost ready Hornsey Hospital. It looks like this is going to be the bees' knees as our new local community health centre - and after all the fears and doubts I suspect the community will ...
Continuing with the theme from yesterday, this week's Spotify playlist (which you can access from here ) is based around the themes of politics, police violence, the Depression, depression and poverty. We start with a little spoken section, by Laurel And Hardy, in which they are Victims Of The Depression. Following this is Bing Crosby with the [...]
We held a coffee morning and surgery on the Bolney Meadow Estate to hear the views of tenants and leaseholders on Saturday. Most people are saying that the estate is cleaner than it used to be before its transfer from Lambeth, but there are still plenty of other concerns that people have that we can help with as local councillors - for instance, crime and anti-social behaviour. We will pass the comments made onto the police, and we have also picked up one or two other bits of casework like getting a street sign on Kibworth St replaced. Thanks to ...
An interesting post on Mark Easton's BBC blog raises a number of questions about the state of the health service in both England and Wales. A freedom of information request by Mr. Easton has revealed an increase in prescribing pills like Prozac, despite national guidance advocating alternative treatments - up 3.15% in Wales and 3.64% in England during 2008.He writes: 'previously unpublished data,
Just got back from the Towns Annual Meeting for Parishioners. This must have been the shortest meeting I have ever attended at HRTC in the past 2 years! The key chair people whipped through the activities of the year, and after 30 minutes we were asking the public for comments. The only questioner asked what are HRTC's views on gypsy and traveller sites? Our group leader David Jones, gave a potted history of things as he knew them, pointing out that SBDC's consultants certainly did not consult the town council, and expressing concern of the impact on the town's infrastructure ...
That is what the Maldon and Burnham Standard asks, effortlessly winning Headline of the Day.
3,250 new jobs? Central Salford URC said 'At a local Salford level approximately 3,250 net additional jobs will be created as a result of MediaCity UK.' So where did they get the figure of 15,000 jobs? I WOULD LIKE THE TRUTH COME ON WHO'S GOING TO ANSWER....
Sainburys have renamed the delicious and sustainable fish, pollock, "colin". Customers were embarrassed to ask for pollock, apparently. So they're now using the French name for hake. Eh? Will they now rename cockaleekie soup "pete" after the latin word for stone? And presumably customers are not embarrassed to ask for the unsustainable and almost tasteless cod.
This time, instead of putting a porn subscription on the bill to be paid by tax-payers, the Home Office's site on counter-terrorism linked to a Japanese porn website! It just goes to show that you should always check the accuracy and currency of sites you link to — according to the home office the original site at that domain had gone offline and the domain bought by another company and, er, 're-purposed'. Oh dear...
If you are interested in helping develop Freedom Central as a blog come along to a meeting at 9am on the Sunday morning of conference, that is next weekend.People have made a great start on getting this blog going, regular pieces like Y Barcud Oren, comments in response to events and original pieces are getting the most traffic. No surprises there.We want to up the traffic and try and get this to
It's occured to me that this Government has already used Anti-Terror police to arrest and detain an Opposition MP in the pursuit of whistleblowers. Now they have the formal, legal means to discover exactly who's been sending emails to whom - assuming they can get a warrant. As an aside, this makes the BBC's top technology story (which [...]
A big tip of my hat to Michael White in today's Guardian for his feature, Greatest speeches in parliament of the past 100 years, 1909-2009, which links to a number of the Hansard transcripts of Parliamentary speeches nominated by '46 distinguished figures, mostly living peers and MPs, plus a few officials and observers'. It's well worth browsing lazily through - as, incidentally, is the Hansard website, which you can access here. You can, for instance, search on speeches by "Jo Grimond", and read 'Major Grimond's' (as he then was known) maiden speech from March 10, 1950 here. Which Parliamentary speech ...
Liberal Democrats on Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council have condemned former Independent Councillor Liz Beadle for joining the Labour group. Following the Liberal Democrat success at the Dormanstown by-election, Labour and their Independent colleagues lost their majority on the Council. But today it appears that Cllr Beadle, elected as an Independent in Eston in 2007, has now joined the Labour group. Lib Dem Group Leader Councillor Chris Abbott said: "I am disappointed that Cllr Beadle has joined Labour. "Another so-called 'true' Independent is now propping up a failing Labour administration which has dragged the Council down from 4-stars to 2-stars ...
The latest edition of Liberator magazine (issue no.332 - April 2009) has just been mailed to subscribers. Here's a summary of the contents: • The ever popular Commentary editorial considers the Tories' complicity in the financial crisis and the problem of neoliberal economic dogma. • The insider gossip column Radical Bulletin leads with an analysis of the continuing internal dispute in Aberdeenshire. • Our lead article 'Reconnecting with our radical heritage' is written by Matthew Sowemimo, Director of the Social Liberal Forum. He explains why the Social Liberal Forum has been created and why it has been launched now. • 'Save us from Fabianism' ...
We have a number of planning applications listed this week that I know that you will have an interest in. The first application is for the provision of two 3D illuminated signs at St John Ambulance Training Centre 1 Weirside Court Lower Bristol Road. The application was first registered on 2nd April 2009 and has a decision date of 28th May 2009. The application registration...
At 9am this morning Senator Stuart Syvret was arrested for an "information crime". He has told people about corrupt practises in Jersey. This is something for which the regime wishes to arrest him.No need to say more really.
According to the BBC News website, the Jersey senator and blogger Stuart Syvret was arrested this morning and spent six hours in custody helping police with their inquiries into alleged breaches of data protection laws. The Jersey blog A View from the West says the Lib Dem MP John Hemming has written to the justice secretary Jack Straw asking him to monitor the arrest: I am worried that this seems to be an arrest driven by political motivations. Senator Syvret has recently revealed detailed evidence relating to a nurse in Jersey who may have murdered a number of patients. He ...
{2007_06020032} Following the highly successful 'have your say' event that was held by RBC as part of the scrutiny review into private rented housing in Reading which I launched last year, a set of recommendations to Cabinet has recently been drafted and agreed by members of the Housing, Health and Community Care Panel (which I Chair) and the Environment Scrutiny Panel. You can download a PDF copy of the report to Cabinet here. It will be presented on 14 April at 6.30pm. Recommendations to Cabinet are as follows:- Developing the Sector: That Cabinet: Recognises through the Housing Strategy the particularly important role the private rented sector has ...
The dawning of the new financial year indicates that a much more important occasion is upon us: today, this blog is five years old. As has been the tradition over the last half-decade, this is the one day I do blog stats. So here they are. (Yikes - I see I used almost exactly the same introduction last year). Previous three years' figures are in brackets, last year's first. 3 (2, 2, 2, 2): number of servers this site has been hosted on 2 (2, 2, 2, 2): number of blogging applications used 1,123 (977, 873, 588, 226): total number ...
I am pleased that action taken by Don Foster MP has helped to save the The Number 20A/C bus service that is used by by local people in going about their daily lives and to be able to carry out their shopping. The Service is also part of an important link for some of our schools and the University of Bath. Many of our more Elderly residents and those with health problems use the...
Over the last week or so, Lib Dem Voice has invited the members of our private forum (open to all Lib Dem members) inviting them to take part in a survey, conducted via Liberty Research, asking a number of questions about the party and the current state of British politics. Many thanks to the almost 200 of you who completed it; we're publishing the results on LDV over the next few days. You can catch up on the results of our exclusive LDV members' surveys by clicking here. First up, LDV asked: Do you think, as a whole, the Liberal ...
In these harsh economic times, it's nice to see that some organisations are still hiring. Take the Conservatives, who are advertising for a research assistant for Cheryl Gillan and David Mundell.Yes, that's right, they want one member of staff to work jointly for the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland. Because obviously, those two nations are easy
I have posted before about how the full weight of the government is used to come down on suggestions that do not chime precisely with what the government want to do. This post on Coffee House yesterday from Fraser Nelson has me again wondering if politics has to be played out the way it is at the moment. From what I can see, Michael Gove has made some suggestions about how we might want to consider implementing some of the policies that Sweden have apparently successfully followed for the last few years regarding schools. Irrespective of the individual merits or ...
I've actually met the lovely Mr Quist in person, very briefly, and his blog is fast becoming essential reading. However his post about the Email part of the Great Internet Monitoring Folly is... disappointing. Sometimes it really is the principle of the thing.
I was quite amused this morning by this story in the Independent informing us that Sainsbury's has renamed Pollack as Colin because, it said, potential buyers were too embarrassed to ask for pollack, a cheap and plentiful cod substitute. Colin is to be pronounced "colan", after the French term for cooked pollack. I am glad they explained that. Interestingly, cod has the opposite problem, it is popular but supply is declining. Surely the solution is to rename cod as pollack and with a bit of luck demand will readjust itself accordingly.
I remember thinking "that's a bit harsh" to criticise someone's teeth on national TV in front of millions when I watched Clare Balding interviewing the winning jockey at the Grand National. Well, apparently, there were complaints and she has now apologised. Don't get me wrong though, I love Clare Balding as a presenter and now Fi Glover is back doing Saturday Live, I want Clare back!
You may have seen the news that Government now requires all ISPs to record details of their customers' web browsing and emailing habits so the police and security services to take a look, should they feel the urge. Oddly, reaction amongst liberal minded people has not been wholly positive. As luck would have it, I do some work for a small email provider (we don't provide Internet access, just email) and it fell to me to find out about this and implement it, so I thought I'd share the love and tell you all about it. The first I knew ...
Full Council The Conservative opposition were noticeably better behaved at tonight's meeting, almost falling over themselves to be more agreeable in the presence of the press and public. The meeting started off most interestingly as under 'Questions asked by members of the public' two of the five questions were asked by the wives of sitting Conservative councillors! [...]
Nick Clegg's wife, Miriam Gonzalez Durantes, has told how it was impossible for her to donate her newborn son's valuable cord blood, which could be used to treat people with such conditions as Leukaemia or for stem cell research to find longer term cures for serious conditions. I share her frustration that we see this needless waste of something nature has given us for free. All the UK's Governments should be looking at this - expanding cord blood banks can't be that expensive and would surely be ultimately a net gain for the NHS. LibDig This!
From Friday's Guardian, where we have Jury Team's millionaire founder Paul Judge saying, Judge said Jury Team was able to criticise [Home Secretary Jacqui] Smith in a way that mainstream opposition politicians could not because it was independent of party politics. "We know that the Conservatives and Lib Dems won't dare attack a fellow MP on the issue of sleaze." Yeah right; I've never heard a Conservative or Lib Dem MP criticise another MP on sleaze, have I? (Except, obviously, for all the numerous occassions when I have.)
Commenting on the increasing pressure on NATO allies to contribute more to the mission in Afghanistan, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said: "While an increase in the number of troops in Afghanistan is needed, greater civilian support is equally vital. "We will not get anywhere if we view the mission in Afghanistan as simply an issue of boots on the ground. "Our European allies have significant expertise in providing much-needed civilian support. NATO must ensure that it takes full advantage of this. "Without providing basic infrastructure and alternatives to opium production to help the Afghan people live better ...
Comedian Dave Cohen was on the case in The Guardian last week: Everybody knows we Brits work the longest hours in Europe. We've read it so many times it must be true, mustn't it? I am a comedy writer and performer, not an investigative journalist. I once read an article by John Pilger and I used to cover meetings of Llantrisant village council for the Pontypridd Observer, although announcing the construction of a roundabout on Coedcae Lane was as close as I ever got to a scoop. But in the course of making a documentary for the BBC about my ...
Salford Barbara Spicer Chief Executive £132,668 £135,951 2.5% FOI response19/01/2009Refused to releaseexact salarydetails; salarygiven in bandsAnne Williams Strategic Director ofCommunity, Health& Social Care£105,249 £107,854 2.5% FOI response19/01/2009Jill Baker Strategic Director ofChildren's Services£105,249 £107,854 2.5% FOI response19/01/2009Alan Westwood Strategic Director ofCustomer SupportServices- £100,000plusFOI response19/01/2009 How can this level of salary be exceptable? [...]
I might not be a vegetarian, but that doesn't put me in the clear as far as the Government is concerned. There are plenty things I do that could attract their attention. Helen Duffett has highlighted them all in a brilliant article for Lib Dem Voice. Back to my dodgy activities: I have a mobile phone. And, worse, my husband has one for work and a personal one. I reckon, too, if we look hard enough, we'll find an old pay as you go model gathering dust in the back of a drawer, too. We have a camera - terrorists ...
The Liberal History group have just published the latest edition of their journal focussing on Women in the Liberal party. One pioneer they missed was Birkdale's own Kate Riley Whilst sat in the Southport Reference Library on Saturday morning hastily trying to get a better copy of the cartoons that appear below my eye was caught by the following article. It appeared in the Southport Guardian on October 10th 1900(It seems that the Southport Guardian was no better at spelling than its namesake in Manchester according to them the 1oth was a 'Wednesdaay'. The Birkdale Liberal Ladies ---------- Support Sir ...
Thought I'd post this video I filmed on the London Eye to celebrate its becoming my second on YouTube to reach 100,000 viewings. My top video, "Inside a former secret Soviet submarine base", is on 109,000 but London Eye is closing fast.
Many people have asked me what the future of Social Networking is as some see me as being an ICT Geek so I thought I would write a blog post about it! First of all with Social Networking growing more and more sites are offering the same features to users making it seem like one feature that's when everything is going to change. The future of social networking according to the talks I have had with people on the topic is that one day social networking will have grown so much that it will just end up being one website ...
I've blogged a few times about the absurd lengths to which the government's "tough on crime" rhetoric takes it, but now Helen Duffett on Lib Dem Voice has done an excellent job rounding up some of the most recent stories: So far-fetched have been recent grounds for arrest, or for flagging yourself up as a terrorist suspect, that people keep asking me if Lib Dem Voice is running a series of hoax posts. (We've had lingering near street ironworks, ordering vegetarian airline meals, handing in lost property, scaring ducks, putting your bin out on the wrong day, looking at things ...
The Independent has the full story: The wife of the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has criticised the financial and bureaucratic barriers that prevent British mothers from donating discarded umbilical cords to a national tissue bank. Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, who married Mr Clegg in 2000, said she wanted to donate the cord blood cells of her third child, Miguel, to a national tissue bank but was told it was impossible. Cord blood contains stem cells that can be used in transplant operations to treat a range of disorders relating to the blood and immune system, such as leukaemia and anaemia. ...
... a few days away. Just spent five days in a cottage in a Yorkshire village (sort of betweel Halifax and Hebden bridge). Loads of fresh air. Loads of walking. And mobile free (as I soon discovered my phone wouldnt work in the cottage).
The next instalment of the Diary of Lord Bonkers has hit doormats on the back page of Liberator, and his diary secretary Jonathan Calder is posting them up day by day on Liberal England. Today's gripping instalment covers squirrels. As we have previously learned in these pages, Lib Dem peer Lord Redesdale is trying to eliminate grey squirrels - first from Northumberland, then the rest of the country. Lord Bonkers gives the compelling reason why this effort is so urgent: Whereas our native red likes cricket, morris dancing and good ale, and understands the principles of queuing, the brash American ...
I ought to acknowlege that the research for the postings below was done by Michael who sent a brown paper envelope through the post to me with photocopies of the cartoon. Michael is now a senior partner in Brighouses solicitors in Southport-and yes that is the same Brighouse who is lampooned in the cartoon. The Cockshott name is also preserved in as another local frm of solicitors. As far as I know neither firms are known today for their support of temperance although we still have two temperance halls-one in the town centre and one at Marshside. Mr Connard the ...
I gave the retirement of Steele's the Butcher's in Hampstead quite a lot of coverage and was pulled up sharp in sunday by a resident who said I hadn't givent he same coverage to her local butcher... So here putting the record straight is Barretts Traditional Butchers - they are in England's Lane, Belsize Park, and they do a roaring trade They do food to order and to season and so are able to cater for all tastes and needs. It's not unusual to see a long queue so get there early. It's quite interesting to note the extent to ...
Metro reports how, according to a whistleblower, the tax office is providing appalling customer service in the name of meeting Government targets on the number of calls handled each day. The claims include: hundreds of people who ring in are simply cut off to meet targets on answering calls.if staff spot a mistake on someone's tax record, they're instructed to ignore it unless the person specifically mentions it.letters sent to HMRC are being ignored or binnedWhat a shock - tough targets combined with staffing cuts lead to HMRC concentrating on meeting the letter of the targets, not providing a good ...
More rows about MPs allowances. Today's Metro picks up on the case of Geoff Hoon, who managed to claim an allowance for his (not-in-the-constituency) 'constituency' home, while living free in London as a Minister, and renting out his other London home. Proof that at least one member of the Government can manage public money... though [...]
There's always an extra pang of guilt about the Malaysian Grand Prix. The nice shiny modern circuit being "on the edge of the rainforest" does make you worry about all the acres of ecosystem that might have been done away with to create a rich man's playground for his masterpieces of engineering. That aside, the weekend was truly fabulous and full of drama. I'm loving the qualifying sessions which are going down to the wire this year and keeping us on the edge of our seats until the very last moment. Was it going be Toyota, Red Bull or Brawn ...
As of today, ISPs will have to keep details of all your internet activities for a year. All the better for furnishing the state with private information about you and for random private companies and public officials in the chain to leak. Charlotte Gore has a good post on this frightening situation. Some people in the comments are already talking about technical ways around this. I'm a bit techie but still am not particularly comfortable with all this clever interweb stuff. Technology has a way moving ahead of the laws to govern it. Is there a comprehensive and user-friendly system ...
From Archway Station - ooops, they've missed the "Jubilee Line" box off for London Bridge (where it does run), and have added a sliver of Jubilee Line colour to Elephant & Castle (where it doesn't) - not a successful bit of sign-making! {Northern Line sign at Archway Station with error over London Bridge} Perhaps this is becoming a new hobby for me - picking up on tube station signs that don't give the right information about which line a station is on - as readers may recall from the Finsbury Park sign in 2007!
I very much welcome the challenge laid down by David Boyle to the Social Liberal Forum. Indeed, there is very little in it with which I can disagree. In particular, I share the view held by David that the view that 'everything can be solved by tax and spending' is mistaken. I strongly believe that we need a revolution in the way that decisions are made in this country, and that we need to take a totally different approach, a sustainable approach, to our day to day lives. We need a more local, more democratic and greener way of approaching ...
Stay with me on this a while. It all relates to the 1900 'Khaki' election and a series of cartoons that appeared in the Liberal supporting Southport Guardian. The Boer War was raging and so was jingoist sentiment. Lord Salisbury wrapped himself in the flag and ran for the polls whilst the fighting was still going on. There was none of this 'we can't talk about it until the war is over and our boys have come home' nonsense we get from the present government. The Liberal Party was a tad divided. There were clearly some who quite favoured the ...
As I mentioned in the climactic ending to my posting last week, our village noticeboard contained some exciting information. Yes, there is public transport out of Creeting St Peter! I'm a Londoner, transplanted to mid-Suffolk on a part-time basis since I married Ros, and as a non-driver, I am occasionally twitchy about my reliance on Ros to get around. Needham Market and Stowmarket are both reachable in an hour on foot, but I'm an old(ish) man, and not as fit as I might be. I was aware that we have a bus every Thursday morning - route 453 from Stowmarket ...
Have you attempted to travel, taken a photo of a landmark, used a computer or mobile phone or tried to hire some form of transport? Then you could be a terrorist. Report to your nearest police station immediately The Metropolitan Police Service: The best form of defence is complete paranoia about absolutely everything. Hat-tip: Helen Duffett [...]
How hard is it to get my money back? Well after the three phone calls this morning very. Over £200 different companies hold of mine, but not one willing to part with it. Although direct debits reduce the work for me, I am not feeling I would be better to hold my money in my own account.
Don't get excited, it isn't the economy that has recovered, but a real feeling of spring as we walked with many others through Farndale to enjoy the beautiful daffodils growing in the wild, the blackthorn blossom beginning to come out and the buds bursting. We passed lots of cyclists and hikers on our drive over, everyone bursting to be out in the countryside whilst the sun shone. It...
The key foundation of Helioslough's resubmitted application to build the giant freight terminal at Park Street is their allegation that there is no alternative site for a so-called strategic freight terminal in this quadrant of London. We have to prove them wrong. That is why local LibDem peer Tom McNally and I went with STRiFE campaigners Cathy Bolshaw and Chris Brown today jon a specially arranged visit to Sundon, north of Luton. This is the site earmarked by giant logistics company ProLogis for a strategic railfreight terminal. The location, in an abandoned quarry and former landfill site, is adjacent to ...
On polling day we find Mr Brighouse being lampooned again-the Southport Guardian clearly didn't like him. This time he is depicted as an Auctioneer. Behind him on his left are the 'scalps' of the last two Tory parliamentary candidates that the Liberals had defeated-Balfour and Lord Skelmsesdale . In front of him is the head of the bewigged Mr Marshall Hall. The caption reads: Mr Bighouse. What! No bid gentlemen? Well, if it aint wanted, back it goes to Town. And so the Guardian anticipated that the Tory candidate would behave as Tories have before and since. I am struck ...
There's a good reason for optimism when the subject of prejudice and injustice rears its head. Human beings tend to be both practical and social to secure social progress. And the the much-maligned t'internet is the tool that's being used. A couple of weeks ago I overheard a conversation that went along these lines `Oh my Mum's [...]
I am now officially bored with blogging about scandals linked with MP expenses but a new blog post by Guido has set me off again to rant about how MP's are scamming us the tax payer with their second, third and even fourth homes! I have said it in the past and will say it again that the campaign run by a Tory Councillor to create a (Sort of) hall of residence for MP's in the Olympics Village after 2012 will be the best way to sort out this whole second home business. But until then I think MP's should ...
So far-fetched have been recent grounds for arrest, or for flagging yourself up as a terrorist suspect, that people keep asking me if Lib Dem Voice is running a series of hoax posts. (We've had lingering near street ironworks, ordering vegetarian airline meals, handing in lost property, scaring ducks, putting your bin out on the wrong day, looking at things and - easily the most heinous, in my opinion - going equipped with balloons.) I thought I was joking (albeit darkly) when I said on LibDig that people might one day be singled out for their taste in music, but ...
The Tax Payers Alliance has wrote a PDF file that shows the salaries of Local Council Bosses from across the UK and focuses on the Council employees who get paid more then £100,000. I have been reading up on the document and I have to say that it is very interesting. Pendle Council's Chief Executive is Stephen Barnes and you can see all his salaries below: Stephen Barnes Chief Executive (Pendle) £114,072 (2006-2007) £125,770 (2007-2008) Notes: Salary £99,912 Car Allowance £6,741.77 Retention Payment £15,366, Returning Officer Fees £3,750 Now thats a good earner if I say so myself, many MP's ...
"How do we get more young people involved in politics?" an A-level student asked at a Question Time session in Blackpool. I responded with comments about channelling the anger that many feel at injustice, unfairness, greed, prejudice, waste and short sighted lack of vision into the democratic process. But equally I could have said, "forget the emphasis on young people, how do you get ANYONE involved in politics." The numbers who join political parties continues to fall. If 1 in 100 people is even remotely political active in a constituency that would be a good thing. There were very few ...
A MAN with a heart condition spent 18 hours in a police cell after being arrested accused of dropping an apple core. Keith Hirst, who is a full-time carer for his wife, was going to the chemists when he was approached by a police community support officer. He was accused of dropping the apple – a charge [...]
Under the headline, 'Comment is free, but facts are scared', former First Secretary and the ex-Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Michael argues in the letters page of this morning's Western Mail that 'passing powers to the Welsh Assembly through Legislative Competence Orders is a Welsh success story'. Alun has long subscribed to the view that if you repeat a story often enough then people are more likely to believe it. Unfortunately, as with the 1999 Assembly Elections, which he spearheaded for Labour, he is often proved wrong. The problem with the assertions in Mr. Michael's letter is not the ...
Quite what possessed me to get the 7am train this morning to London is beyond me, but at least National Express has been kind enough to avoid cancelling the service. Whether or not they cancel the 7.40am, their favourite candidate for the chop, is something I don't know.Anyway, seeds was the theme for my weekend. We must have planted thousands on the allotment. Peas, beans, chard, parsnips,
I recently highlighted complaints from constituents in parts of the West End about reduced and poor television reception in recent weeks, and have since had been inundated over the past week with feedback from people in the West End and from across the city about the issue. Today's Courier covers the issue - see As indicated in the Courier article, it is very clear that there is an issue about the quality of TV signals for many people - particularly affecting ITV1 and Channel 4 reception and, for Freeview viewers who receive signals from the Angus transmitter near Tealing, ...
I haven't seen any polls over the weekend so I don't know if Brown has had a G20 bounce. My feeling is that, whilst it no doubt helps to restore some degree of success to Brown's image, the gathering itself was largely irrelevant to the day-to-day concerns of the majority of ordinary people. That is not to detract from what the conference achieved. Oiling the jammed up wheels of international
Of course this blog occasionally does statporn* but this month I've scaled a new height. If you look at the Wikio rankings on the left hand side of the screen you will see they are both in double figures. Yes I'm a new entry into Wikio top 100 blogs of all categories. I've managed to climb 51 spots on that chart and climbs 13 spots in the politics rankings to a new high of 67. Scarily after praising the other Lib Dems especially the ladies last month for their efforts I find I'm up there with Mr Quist for the ...
Liberator 332 will be with subscribers by now, so it is time to enjoy another week at Bonkers Hall. Monday To Northumberland for a day's squirrel shooting with my old friend Rupert Redesdale. Do you know him? He is some sort of nephew of the Mitford gels (I seem to recall that one of them married Hitler; they were an absolute scream) and very Sound on preventing the incursion of the grey squirrel into the county. Whereas our native red likes cricket, morris dancing and good ale, and understands the principles of queuing, the brash American Grey chews gum, flashes ...
It was quite a magnificent Sunday of British sport yesterday. It all started in Sepang Malaysia where Jenson Button after a poor start from pole battled up through the field from fourth and put in a couple of 'storming' laps after his nearest rivals had pitted for that first change of tires to come out well up the track. However, when the rain came down Timo Glock made the audacious and in the end correct decision to go out on intermediate tyres while the rest of the field put on full wets and start to gain 6 seconds a lap. ...
Back from campaign group meeting and letters to write before bed. Why did I volunteer for this? Must the warm fuzzy feeling. # Back from campaign group meeting and letters to write before bed. Why did I volunteer for this? Must be the warm fuzzy feeling. #
This evening, there was a highly successful and enjoyable fundraising buffet dinner at the home of Wimbledon Liberal Democrat PPC, Shas Sheehan, to ensure that Merton borough will be able to play its full part in the Euro-election campaign ahead — though as I said in my speech, the campaign is actually already upon us: [...]
Friday's Surrey Advertiser reports that the 78-year old Vice President of Guildford Conservatives, Claude Kauffman, has called his party "nasty" after being strippged of his honorary title for supporting pro-European policy. Mr Kauffman, a retired merchant banker, said, "It can be a nasty party and this is the nasty side of the Conservatives showing its face. I've not [...]
