With little time to write a post this weekend: office move, catching up with work, relaxing, reading a new book et cetera, here are two interesting posts on the McBride saga. Both Stephen Tall on Lib Dem Voice and Mick Fealty at Brassneck look at the wider issue of how we do politics.
I've been directed to this spoof of Facebook by the Open Rights Group. It is a powerful way to get the message across of just what the Government is trying to do. Watch out if Big Ben starts to strike 13 o'clock before the month is out. "Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ...
(Also on YouTube here.) Related posts:Playground action movie This online YouTube movie stuff is the future you know....Do not watch this movie This is not funny. It's nearly offensive. Especially that snigger...
You may remember from my previous post Displacement fears over new resident parking zone that the Council said it would hold consultations on extending the new Crouch End Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) to nearby roads if there was clear demand. This pledge gave some hope to residents of roads like Mount View Road, Granville Road and Ferme Park Road, who are now finding it very difficult to park. However, the Council have now said that they will not be funding any consultations to extend the CPZ during the 2009/10 financial year. This means that roads that now have severe parking ...
After a rewarding day meeting Irwell Riverside residents ahead of next month's by-election, it was rather hilarious to happen upon this gem of a leaflet from a London-based Conservative party. My thanks to The Croydonian, for reporting the formation of this new party. Whoever the Consevatives are, they face an uphill battle for recognition - I only wish The Croydonian had revealed their identities instead of obscuring details "to protect the guilty". Made my day {:-)} {Share/Save/Bookmark}
This is spot on: If the typical beneficiary of the 1945 Labour government was the common man, who returned from war to be rewarded with the welfare state, and the typical beneficiary of the 1979 Conservative government was the aspiring man, who was freed to buy his home and start his business, the classic beneficiary of the 1997 Labour government must be the form-filling man, who was rewarded with a lavish salary for monitoring and chivvying others.
This blog has recently been turning more and more into a political-ranting blog for me, which is not something I'm particularly pleased by. However, it's mostly because comics at the moment are stupefyingly dull. Oh, that's not to say there's not good stuff out there - I'm still reading five or six new comics a [...]
I am back home after a very busy weekend at the Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference. I have tried to capture the mood of the event on a series of videos I have posted here and on the Freedom Central blog. Needless to say the party was in good heart. In fact the place was buzzing. There were so many young people there and a mood of optimism that is bound to hold us in good stead in the forthcoming European Election campaign, which I am chairing for the party in Wales. The Nick Clegg and Kirsty question and answer session ...
Two weekends back, I took part in the Sci-Fi-London 48 Hour Film Challenge 2009. The name gives a pretty good summary of the objective: make a science fiction film from scratch in 48 hours. There now follows a very laborious discussion of how we made our film. If you just want to watch it, I'd skip to the end... On the Saturday morning, Simon and I joined the hoards at the Apollo cinema in Lower Regent Street for a briefing and to be assigned the three elements we would be required to feature in the film (mainly to prove that ...
Kirsty gives her verdict on the Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference on 17th to 19th April 2009
The Mail on Sunday has an interview with the former Jersey policeman: After Harper retired last August, a new team of detectives denounced their predecessors' concerns, skills and findings. Even the 65 children's teeth unearthed from the home's cellars were, the new men suggested, left for the tooth fairy.Controversy still rages over the provenance and date of materials discovered at the site and police now say there were no murders. None of the three men - two of them former care workers - charged with abuse has yet been tried, and the Jersey authorities have portrayed the alleged victims as ...
Lembit gives his verdict on the Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference on 17th to 19th April 2009
As Labour have steadily eroded our liberties over the last decade, it's fallen to the Liberal Demcrats to take on the role of protector. From steadfast opposition to ID cards to Chris Huhne's Freedom Bill and the Lib Dem MPs acting as observers on the ground at t G20 protests, the party has shown itself to be committed to the task. Looking back at past election manifestos, I see the hard evidence that it's nothing new. Here's what the Liberal Party's 1945 manifesto says It is always the task of Liberals to exercise that eternal vigilance which is the price ...
Spring Conference has drawn to an end - the feeling on the ground was incredibly positive and it seems other people and our friends in the fourth estate agree. Heres a quick round up of what they had to say.On Kirsty's speachStressing Lib Dem opposition to tuition fees - BBC NewsRaptuously recieved and slamming the opposition - Wales on SundayHitting out at Labour and Plaid - Wales on
Salford answer to cut speeding motorist?hope not...
Today's song is taken from Eric Burdon and the Animals 1968 album Love Is. It is a cover of the Traffic song Coloured Rain from their album of the previous year, Mr Fantasy. It was the song that Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi wanted to release as the band's second single rather than "Hole in My Shoe", which they hated.For my money Burdon is overacting here and I miss Winwood's Hammond organ from the original. But what is chiefly of interest here is the extraordinary guitar solo.Its player later wrote that it was:"one of the longest guitar solos ever recorded ...
An update about the campaign in Brierfield and Nelson North, the Liberal Democrats have put out a leaflet in the area and the Conservatives have put one out alongside a nation newsletter. Let me assure them a nation newsletter will not further their cause in Pendle. The Labour party have had a nationally sent leaflet by Labour HQ but with one side local on the leaflet, it was delivered by the Royal Mail allegedly yet I didn't receive one. Labour have also send out another leaflet to selected homes as my eyes and ears on the streets have brought to ...
A tantalising story that needs more research: My aunt Victoria Woods has a necklace which was left to her by Aunt Vivian, the daughter of Nellie Grant and Algernon Sartoris, who died in 1933 . The necklace was kept until her 18th birthday, May 29, 1935, so she never had the chance to ask Aunt Vivian about its provenance, but the history related by her mother, my grandmother, Margaret Lady Stanley of Alderley (grand daughter of Adelaide Sartoris and daughter of Mary Theodosia Evans Gordon nee Sartoris) was that the necklace was given to Julia Dent Grant by emissaries of ...
Nick Clegg and Kirsty Williams answer questions on young people at the question and answer session at Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference on Friday 17th April 2009.
Jenny Randerson launches a consultation on student finance at the Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference on Saturday 18th April 2009.
Shropshire's only American Football team have got their season off to a cracking start in their season opener against Lincolnshire Bombers with an impressive 95-0 victory. I expected a big win but not that big as both sides would have improved from last year. I guess Shropshire improved a lot more! According to reports on [...]
Tomorrow Parliament resumes, and its a busy week ahead. In the morning I'm chairing a seminar in Committee Room 3 on the current political situation in Bangladesh, followed by lunch with an academic who is hoping to start a Kurdish Studies Programme at SOAS. JW has beaten me 2-0 twice in a row, bringing the score up to 101-100. After two years of keeping the records, I suspect that my eyesight and agility may not be improving, whereas his may be. Fifty eight years difference between us may possibly make a slight difference. We had tea today with Rhoda Torres ...
So the SNP new slogan is apparently "We've got what it takes" - apparently that doesn't stretch to our local SNP MSP remembering that Hugh Henry MSP is a Labour MSP rather than a nationalist Euro candidate! But do they have what it takes? To Dump Student Debt - err ... no To Abolish the Council Tax - no To establish class sizes of less than 18 in the early primary years - again, no To match the LibDem/Labour Executive's school building programme 'brick for brick' - no - actually not a single brick - Scottish Futures Trust is a ...
The revelations in the Sunday Times this weekend about Ed Balls being the secret puppetmaster behind "smeargate" seem a little thin to me, but they do remind me of an incident a few years ago. Long time readers may recall my ill-fated campaign to get Ed Balls a sex change operation so that he could stand in an all-women-shortlist having had his seat abolished by the Boundary Commission. In the event, he didn't need one after Colin Challen decided to stand down and leave the newly created constituency of Morley and Outwood open for Balls to take (conveniently enough, no ...
The Sunday Times lists some of Jacqui Smith's expenses for housing her husband. We all know about the cost of the Smith family porn viewing habits (what they do in their own home is their own business - except when the taxpayer has to pick up the tab). What is included in the list however is a patio heater. So at a time of rising fuel poverty when hundreds of thousands of people, especially the
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So the BNP have no policies,and there is only so much you can say over a mans colour so lets use Jes...
The advert features a picture of Jesus Christ on the cross and quotes a part of a verse from John's Gospel (John 15:20) in which Jesus says: "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you".
It is rare these days to receive acknowledgement for ones actions, but I'm somewhat vexed that Wallasey Conservatives have given me the credit for their new website, Lib Dems for Leah Fraser? this nondescript and vapid site is typical of the poverty of Conservative argument. Their latest post is entitled Only the Conservatives Can End the [...]
Despite the Observer's best efforts, it is hard to see what the Lib Dems have actually done wrong here. Indeed, given how high minded the "serious" press are being about smears at the moment, it is surprising to see an article so riddled with innuendo. So let's clear a few points up. Firstly, there is no issue here of a donor buying policy; quite the opposite. There is an argument that the party should not accept further donations from Sudhir Choudhrie unless he is cleared of any wrong doing, but that is another matter. Secondly £95,000 is not, in party ...
Today the weather was gorgeous. A lovely clear morning. I went on a wildlife tour of Arnos Vale Cemetery. I have been there before but hadn't fully realised the extent of the site. With a guide you see so much more. One of the trustees, Mary, took us on a good 2 hr walk pointing out features of interest. The bottom is more formally planted with notable trees and architectural features. The top section has aspects left as scrub and grass areas cut back to allow the wildflowers to come through. Saw some good bird life including a buzzard high ...
Mark Alcock from the ALDC and a Councillor himself has been down to Pendle today to give training on how to write Focus leaflets and personally I have enjoyed the training. Mark has given some vital information to Lib Dems so they can win the coming elections as they will have the knowledge to put out more information to the general public via Focus leaflets. Mark mentioned how websites are a must for Councillors and they should use them to give information to constituents, and I agree with him. I am someone who has always said that Lib Dems are ...
Before the Labour selection for Erith and Thamesmead was abandoned yesterday, I did look at the allegations against Georgia Gould and thought they were a bit thin. Basically, it looked like the whinging of people who thought their favoured local son should be given a nice cushie job which is about to be whisked away from underneath them by a better organised individual who has a well run campaign
It's all very well politicians and commentators talking about how our politics is broken, and there has even been some talk about things that might be done about it. However, unless someone actually does something, it's just that - talk. So my colleague, Paul Tyler has done something. Three weeks ago, he introduced his Constitutional Renewal Bill, intended to address a whole array of the issues that have concerned him over a period of more than a decade, including; strengthening of the right to peaceful protest in the area around the Palace of Westminster;reformation of the role of the Attorney ...
On Friday, The Philadelphia Eagles acquired Jason Peters in a trade with Buffalo reported to be worth $60 million, with $24 million guaranteed. The Eagles signed him to a 6 year extension in the process that should see him remain an Eagle through 2014. It might sound a lot but I actually think this deal is [...]
Let me start by first praising the work Nick Clegg has done on the expenses issue. He has put forward reasonable policies for reform and to a large extent captured the public mood of frustration and anger. He has rightly talked about 'broken politics' and how it needs to be fixed. However, it is things like that which make this mornings story in the Guardian all the more disappointing and frustrating. It concerns a party donor, Sudir Choudhrie, who is accused in India of receiving 'kickbacks' from arms deals with the Israeli government. Obviously, this is embarrassing for a party ...
The only snag with having a lovely restful holiday is cranking yourself back up into work mode. Luckily, I had a couple of days at home in Suffolk last week to decompress slowly, catch up with post and e mails and so on, before starting work again. On Friday I headed across to Cardiff for the launch of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Spring Conference in Cardiff, where I chaired a question and answer session with Nick Clegg and Kirsty Williams and attended a fund raising dinner. Both Leaders were in fine form, as you can judge for yourself by watching ...
Just heard an interview with Peter Mandelson on Radio 4's "The World this Weekend" where he was attempting to draw a line under the Smeargate affair. His main point seemed to be that it is ridiculous to blame Gordon Brown for the actions of his underlings and he is such a busy man that he cannot be expected to have made sure this sort of thing was not going on. Neil Kinnock made a similar point on Andy Marr this morning so this is clearly the line we are being asked to swallow. Mandelson also tried to big up Gordon ...
The sun is shining, the barbecue is cranked up, there's a bottle of badly labelled beer, and here I am in the area declared to be the rural authority to be the highest quality of life in England. There's pork loin, sausage and bread from our very own bread maker, prepared with care by Ros. We even have Ruby, our visiting cat, who is curled up on a chair in the conservatory. Does it get better than this?
Spotted in church this morning, a poster created by the children with the prompt: "A good shepherd is someone who is ...." First reponse: "vegetarian".
A Poll by Labour Home that was later posted by Conservative Home on their website shows that members of the Labour party think Gordon Brown is the least best Labour party leader of the last thirty years. The results are as followed: I don't know how Labour made the mistake of making Brown its leader because the man is clearly not liked by members of the party. Gordon Brown forced himself into leadership of the Labour party and personally I think Labour would have been better getting a dog and sticking a red badge on it and making him lead ...
You there. Yes, you! Don't think I'm not talking directly to you. Liberal Democrat Voice is your site - run by Lib Dem supporters for Lib Dem supporters (though all-comers are welcome, natch). It is read by approaching some 30,000 'absolute unique' readers each month, including senior figures within the Lib Dems. So, if you've got something to say - or a story you think our readers might be interested in - please get in touch. We publish some writers' guidance here, and you can contact us at voice - voice.hat.libdemvoice.org.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. ...
This Wednesday (22 April) the all-party Camden Council Sustainability Task Force will meet to revisit the thorny issue of air quality. When we last looked at this subject - as part of our work for the Task Force Report on Transport - we concluded that, although Camden breaks various EU pollution rules, there wasn't much we could do at the borough level. But is that true? This time round we'll hear from one of the country's leading experts on air quality, Professor Frank Kelly of Kings College London, who will explain the damage that airborne pollution is doing to us. ...
As reported in yesterday's 'Courier', I have welcomed the agreement by the Dundee City Council leader that he will invite all parties to participate in talks with Scottish Government Ministers over education funding in the city. The financial challenges facing our education service, particularly in relation to attempting to deliver costly government policies is of concern to all parties on the City Council and it makes sense that all parties are invited to participate in talks with the schools minister, Keith Brown. I would hope that the Education Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop would also take the time to listen to ...
I do not usually write on topics that have bearing on my ethnic background, quite simply because I do not think that in this day and age it really matters anymore. However, I am beginning to sense (and I have been sensing for quite a while) a certain backlash against foreigners (read: non-Europeans). More specifically (and adding Darce-like tones and italics for effect) "benefit-scrounging, job-taking, NHS-using, council house hogging, swan-eating, non-English speaking" migrants which the tabloids and right-wing newspapers do very much like to bash. The rise of this particular form of bashing should be and hopefully is a serious ...
Affordable housing speech, Nick Clegg and Kirsty Williams videos are all on Peter Black's blog.
At the time of writing, Guido's site has been down since first thing this morning. This is an unfortunate day for him to be having site problems as he had tantalised yesterday evening us by posting that he would have more Smeargate revelations today. Hopefully he will be back up and running soon. As an aside, I wonder if this problem could be linked with his recent switch from Blogger to Wordpress?
The Guardian has this story about alledgely murking dealings by a donor to the LibDems. Purely from my own cynicism, I do wonder if the "timing" (or planting?) of this story has anything to do with wanting to distract from the continuing scandal of Labour's smear tactics, and opinion polls giving them a 17% gap over the Tories. Of course, this highlights the urgent need to have a greater level of state-funding for political parties rather than them having to rely on private donors. This occurs in most other democracies in Europe, as well as in Australia and Canada. In ...
Yes, I know the monthly poll round-up here is sacred. But before we all chow down to our weekend Smeargate extravaganza, let's briefly consider the latest exploits of BPIX. As regular poll-watchers will know, we don't incorporate BPIX's figures into our monthly round-up at LDV because, uniquely among pollsters, their figures and filters are not published for scrutiny. It should be noted that BPIX commission Yougov to carry out the actual polling, but then apply their own undisclosed filters and methods to interpret the findings. BPIX only works for the Mail. Last time they polled, in November, the Lib Dems ...
I have been into politics since I was a child and would consider myself a political junkie. However, I am struggling with the whole Damian McBride smear story. The media is reporting this as if its the death knell for Gordon Brown and as if the fact that one political party smears another is somehow an earth shattering revelation. It isn't. Even the usually excellent Andrew Grice in the Independent is wading into the fray, predicting doom for Brown next year. The trouble is that none of these commentators recognises that this story is fundamentally parochial. It is a Westminster ...
Well i went with her in doors around B&M bargains and i thought i would pick up my coffee. To my surprise they now stock a new brand. MOD? well it was cheap at 19p a small bag so i gave it a go,little did i know it was ministry of defence, so the question is [...]
Tim Worstall has an excellent post today about a government advice line that actually seems to be giving out sensible advice about drugs. He references a Telegraph story which has the usual SHOCK HORROR approach to the idea that a measured approach could be taken to advising youngsters about drugs. The thing is, this is exactly the sort of approach that should be taken. If officialdom just trumpets the line to young people that all drugs are very dangerous and the risks are very high then eventually youngsters will see for themselves that their friends have taken things like cannabis ...
Last month I claimed in House Points: If you watched Red Riding you will believe that life in the 1970s consisted of policemen beating people up in semi-darkness. But I decided to give the novels a try yesterday and bought the first of the four, which is 1974. And I think I am going to like it. Because on page 16 David Peace writes:I grabbed the reels, took a seat at a screen, and threaded through the microfilm.July 1969.I let the film fly by:B Specials, Bernadette Devlin, Wallace Lawler, and In Place of Strife.Wallace Lawler? He may be an obscure ...
Last night so two polls one from ICM and one from BPIX (who is unknown in polling) putting the Tory lead over labour at 17% and 19%. An average of that being a Conservative lead of 18% now in the polls showing that the Labour government is struggling and is losing the trust of the general public. How much of this is down to the smeargate that took place last week, I don't think all of it is and yesterdays polls have just been exaggerated. The BPIX last polled about six months ago so their poll results are not valid ...
Most people who know me would, if asked, not have me marked down as the sort of person who would go out and hunt my own dinner, or forage the countryside for nutritious plants. They probably wouldn't mark me down as someone of a particularly practical bent, either. However, yesterday saw something of an achievement, as Ros and I went to Bury St Edmunds to buy something we've been talking about getting for some time. Yes, we became the proud owners of a gas-fired barbecue. At least, we were the owners of a box of parts purporting to be a ...
The link is to the Mail on Sunday's report of Lenny's affidavit for the court hearing in the RCJ.The Court's reasoning for rejecting the application was that proceedings needed to be initiated in Jersey. There is no system of private prosecution in Jersey and the AG has said that he does not think he is subject to judicial review. What is needed, however, is an attempt to do this.
Asked some questions last night and thought why am i with the Liberal Democrats In Salford. Free Speech it's never a question alltough i upset nearly everyone, i have never been forced to hold back on a view. The members, honest, open. Real people who care about what they do, they have all come from the [...]
Is participation in politics really declining? Membership of political parties certainly is - much to the regret of all of us activists. Turnout in General Elections is down too, though that's less clear-cut. The last election where there was serious doubt over the result was in 1992, which had a pretty respectable turnout. (Political statistics geeks will know that Major's Conservatives secured substantially more votes in 1992 than Blair managed in any of his three "landslide" victories). But does any of that prove people are less interested in politics than the olden days. I'm talking about party politics here - ...
Answer in the best terms i can think possible. Yes Ken nearly did it for us but the following year we flopped why god knows we had a great candidate and someone willing to work for the area. Politics is a funny old game but this year we have a new guy young understands the needs of the people [...]
Me moving the debate on affordable housing at the Welsh Liberal Democrat Conference on Saturday 18 April 2009. Note the handheld camera technique first made famous with Hill Street Blues. Perhaps we will use a tripod next time or a cameraman who has not been to the social the night before :-)
The environment agency has announced that they have fast tracked the process for a waste management license for Lincolnshire County Council. This means that the Gainsborough Waste Recycling facility should be open again in the very near future. Mike Reed, Project Development Team Leader, said: "The Environment Agency's process for issuing a waste management licence is normally a three to
Happy Easter # Sickened that any party is prepared to smear the mental health of the wife of a politician. Would they smear a cancer sufferer? # Unable to get out of the house due to my son's midmorning chocolate overdose wearing off. # To bed I must go - a long overdue haircut awaits tomorrow # Finished a [...]
