Gordon's premiership is unravelling. We now hear that the Prime Minister has made a U-turn on his hastily drafted MP expenses proposals. MPs voted on these issues in Westminster today. The Prime Minister, earlier in the week, sensing that he would lose the free vote, changed tack, and asked Sir Christopher Kelly (of the anti-sleaze watchdog) to outline [...]
{Oakfield Upper Tollington Junction} One of my very first posts was to announce that the Council had agreed to replant the very overgrown plant beds on the corner of Upper Tollington Park and Oakfield Road. This neglected corner of Stroud Green Ward was looking a mess - so I asked for some leftover 'neighbourhood' money to be used for a clean up. A couple of weeks ago I got a call from an officer from the Parks Department saying that the work was going to start soon. At the weekend I checked out what was happening, and as you can ...
From the BBC website: Reunion concert by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2008. The rock legends took the stage together for just three concerts in a highly anticipated collaboration, performing a string of hits that included Blind Faith's Presence of the Lord and Can't Find My Way Home, in addition to Clapton's classic After Midnight and Winwood's Dear Mr Fantasy.Both Winwood and Clapton have long and prestigious musical careers, with countless honours and awards to their names. Their musical paths connected in 1969 with the formation of Blind Faith, a supergroup that pioneered ...
Seemingly so out of touch with political reality and so in touch with the status quo and stale old-fashioned axioms that when the train hits the buffers he'll be in paralysis. I quote from his website: LabourHome are again fomenting febrile doom and gloom. OK, so Gordon's had an April with a few little niggles here and there. [...]
I'm not completely convinced about this (and I certainly wish I hadn't started this) but as one of my emailers says the Liberals certainly did bring down the Tory government in 1886. Gladstone ceased on an amendment moved by Jesse Collins over small holdings for rural agricultural workers, the 'three acres and a cow amendment'. Personally I doubt if that was the last time.
So quite a busy few days in Parliament then. First the plight of the Gurkhas came to the chamber with the government thoughtfully telling us about the apparent cost of 100 of thousands of pounds as the Gurkhas are set to swarm the country. The fact that only about 1000 or so Gurkhas actually want to come to our country, seem to have missed them. But hey....... let's not let the truth spoil the governments scaremongering! Now to be fair I don't know too much about the Gurkhas , except that they had formed one of the most revered regiment ...
The very last mayoral function today as we had the happy occasion of handing over the £17,000 raised by John in his Mayoral year to his charities, Daisy Chain and Justice First. Not only will the money be more than useful to both organisations, but I hope it has helped to raise the profile and awareness of both charities. It is not often anyone would use their blog to praise their husband - but...
On my blog yesterday I praised the Labour MPs who rebelled against the government on the Gurkhas. A number of Labour MPs also openly abstained. Those abstaining were still standing out against the government. They did it knowing they could contribute to the defeat of the government, though it doesn't quite have the pulling power of a vote against Brown and his festering government. That brings
Lib Dem motion wins Commons vote {nick-clegg-gurkhas-win} In a historic defeat for Gordon Brown, a Lib Dem motion condemning the government's treatment of Ghurkas was passed by 267 votes to 246. The vote is the culmination of a long campaign by the Liberal Democrats and Gurkha pressure groups, which has seen the Prime Minister challenged repeatedly on the issue by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg, and thousands of Gurkhas handing their medals to Mr Clegg to pass to Gordon Brown in protest at their treatment. In a statement, Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat Leader) said: This is an historic victory for ...
I had a very useful meeting with John MacNeil, Digital UK's Assistant National Manager for Scotland to discuss the recent TV reception problems locally and the forthcoming 'digital switchover' - if you click on the headline above, you can read the report on this in tonight's "Evening Telegraph." John & I are holding "Digital TV Surgeries" during June at various sheltered housing lounges in the West End, to explain to residents the digital switchover issues and the help scheme for elderly and disabled people.
Stormin' Norman Baker, the party's shadow transport secretary and tenacious campaigner par excellence, is the Lib Dem representative on tonight's Question Time (BBC1 and online, 10.35 pm). He'll be joined on the panel by Labour's environment secretary Hilary ("I'm a Benn not a Bennite") Benn, Tory shadow health secretary since 2003 Andrew Lansley, comedian, columnist and disaffected Labour supporter Frank Skinner, and Plaid Cymru Welsh Assembly member Leanne Wood (who was once thrown out of the chamber for referring to HM The Queen as Mrs Windsor). Remember, if you're tuning in, you can join the general debate on Twitter here ...
I am not sure I should thank Irfan Ahmed for tagging me for a meme on 19 firsts, but here is my attempt at answering most of the questions. First Job Abbey National (YTS) aged 16. Soon left for full time properly paid job at Norwich Union. First Real Job As above, First Role in Politics Canvasser in local elections (1991) First Car 1.0 litre Austin Metro - A375 LVF (still know the plate number). First Record I have Wombles records and Bay City Roller's records from 1973/74. But the first I bought was "Shut Up" by Madness. First Football ...
As the controversial finance for Life in Salford was being approved by Salford Council late last year, Salford Star editor, Stephen Kingston, spent an hour with Salford Council Leader, John Merry, debating the merits of the Council magazine and Salford Star. Here's the, er, highlights?... It was late November last year when Salford Council's own Scrutiny [...]
It is interesting to note that David Davis, the Tory MP, is effectively echoing the Lib Dem line on Trident, although you won't be surprised to read that Iain Dale has failed to mention this fact on his blog. It will be a cold day in hell before Iain gives any credit to the Lib Dems.
Thought I'd continue with my mini-experiment with YouTube films - especially as plaster cast has not yet come off! - so here are my views on the staff sackings over Baby P: You can also watch the film on the YouTube website here.
I'm not, friends are.
The government are telling people that they believe that face masks would have little effect in stopping the spread of swine flu. Is this a line that the public are going to swallow when in the very next sentences of the government statement they say that the government are urgently seeking new stocks of face masks for NHS staff ? So do mask work or not ? If they are effective for NHS staff, why are they ineffective for the general public ? Or is it that the government are actually worried that if the general public but masks the ...
I note with some annoyance that the government are not going to tell people to not fly to Mexico, and for me personally I find this VERY annoying. Why ? Because I was due, in a few weeks to go on holiday to Mexico but now want to cancel. However my travel agent advise me that I cannot have a full refund unless the government explicitly says that travelling to Mexico should be banned. So instead I have had to cancel and will lose my deposit (which is not an inconsiderable sum). It makes you wonder if the government are ...
Next Monday (May 4th) sees the annual Chorlton Fun Run departing from St Clements Church on High Lane. There are two courses, 5k as standard and the 1.5k course for buggies and those that like a gentler pace. Entry is £7 and the proceeds go to St Clements church funds. The church is a real community church with a role in the Green Festival, the Arts Festival, Beer fest plus meetings for Councillors like myself. They would really benefit from your support.
As the BBC reports, the government has won a series of votes on the surviving parts of Gordon Brown's proposed expenses reforms - but only after Gordon Brown's main proposal, for a daily parliamentary attendance allowance to replace second homes expenses for all MPs, was ditched. Not because, as Nick Clegg pithily put it, "Bringing the Brussels gravy train to Westminster is not the way to fix our expenses system" - but simply because Labour whips fearing that it could trigger a second Parliamentary defeat for the Prime Minister in as many days. To look like John Major one day ...
John Leech MP will hand over the M.E.N.'s Cash Back for Christie petition to Gordon Brown next week, calling for the £6.5 million lost in the Icelandic bank crisis to be refunded. The MP for Manchester Withington will join hospital campaigners at Downing Street on Thursday with a petition with currently over 90,000 signatures. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which is part of the Financial Services Authority, has so far refused to refund the money lost when the Icelandic banking crisis started. The FSCS has stuck by its claim that FSA rules only make is possible to refund individual investors ...
If anybody can hear a thumping noise in Derek Conway's Old Bexley & Sidcup constituency it is my head hitting the table at the bare faced cheek of Derek Conway standing up to speak in the debate on MP expenses.Of course Dezza won't hear the sound from his Victoria home.The fact that he is able to stand up and speak on the subject is outrageous enough. In any other job he would have been sacked.
I'm back from an obscure council body called the Constitution Working Group, on which I've been sitting for a couple of years (along with colleagues Monica and Ron). The meetings of this body are often rather tetchy, and they certainly were tonight. At stake this time is the fundamental structure of the Council as the (Labour) government tries to push councils (like Labour Haringey) towards a Mayoral system. Essentially, the Council is being forced to consult on the issue in the coming months, in time for the local elections in 2010, so that (at least in theory) we could have ...
Last night the House of Commons voted for a Lib Dem motion rejecting Labour's stance on the Gurkhas. More on the victory in Steve Webb's blog. They're willing to fight for this country. They're willing to die for this country. They should have the right to live in this country.
Thu 30th
19:51
The Economist on the Ghurkas: "a deserved victory for the Lib Dems and their leader Nick Clegg"
My LDV colleague Richard Huzzey has already rounded-up the media's praise for Nick Clegg's campaigning role on behalf of the Ghurkas HERE - while Alex Foster highlighted bloggers' encomia HERE - but it's worth also noting The Economist's pseudonymous columnist Bagehot's only slightly back-handed praise for the party and its leader: ... it was a deserved victory for the Lib Dems and their leader Nick Clegg (as well as for the Gurkhas themselves, of course). Yes, Mr Clegg can seem a bit Rumpelstiltskinean at prime minister's questions—though it is understandable that he sometimes strains too hard when it is so ...
{warm-homes.jpg} Labour has failed on warm homes. Many people still struggle to pay their fuel bills, and Britain has some of the least well insulated housing in the whole of Europe. We will insulate all of Britain's homes to a decent standard within 10 years. We would raise the requirements of Building Regulations to ensure that all new homes are energy efficient from 2010. We will require energy companies to charge families less for a basic amount of energy used, to encourage responsible use.We waste money from an environmental point of view, but also in terms of fuel poverty. We ...
Apologies for jumping into the world of student politics with this post but I think the following issue will be of news to many and of amusement to most. The Conservatives Future crew had a campaign back when Thatcher was part of the Tory youth and to see one of their campaign posters see below: Sorry to act a little sarcastic here but what did this generation of Tory hippies succeed in, well the blogger that tipped me with the poster and story has quotations from the likes of Thatcher, Teddy Taylor, John Carlisle and Terry Dicks who were all ...
Thu 30th
18:53Opinion: We need a proper public debate on the future of protest policing in our country
Force is a physical power, and I fail to see what moral effect it can have. To yield to force is an act of necessity, not of will — at the most, an act of prudence. In what sense can it be a duty?' J Jacques Rousseau I don't think I am the only one to have quoted the social contract over the G20 protests earlier this month. 350 years on from its writing, Rousseau's work is still strikingly relevant. It is clear from the outcry following G20 that many are now questioning the role of state security forces (in ...
BNP 1 MEP's (nc) Conservatives 2 MEP's (nc) Labour 3 MEP's (+1) Liberal Democrats 2 MEP's (nc) UKIP 0 MEP's (-1)
Ros and I are in Vancouver, the main city, although not the capital, of British Columbia, where Ros is leading our delegation to Liberal International - I think that that makes me the delegation... It isn't a long trip in terms of time, although the 8 hours and 35 minutes spent on the plane made it feel like a lifetime. After a long day's travel, we're safely ensconced in our roomy hotel room here at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Vancouver Downtown, and I can see the nearby mountains, still with some snow on them, from the window. My ...
As a general rule, I don't like to post things on here that can be read on any of the other political blogs. Today I'll make an exception - yesterday was a great day to be a member of the party that successfully tabled a motion in the House of Commons, in support of the right of former members of the Gurkha regiment to live in Britain without restriction. As has been reported all over the news, the motion was supported by the Conservatives and enough Labour backbenchers (27) to carry - Gordon Brown's first defeat as Prime Minister. I'm ...
Adam Price has responded on his blog to Kirsty Williams' offer to meet so as to set up a cross-party campaign against the abolition of the tuition fee grant in Wales.He reports that 'I am keen to work with anyone - in the short and long term - to defeat or, if that proves impossible, to reverse this damaging policy. My party has given its members a free vote on this issue - I hope Labour will do
Yesterday's Commons vote was a well-deserved victory for the Gurkhas. There was another winner: the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg. In his sixteen months as leader, the media has largely ignored Nick. He has struggled, for various reasons, to project a clear narrative explaining why people should vote Lib Dem. Consequently, if the polls are to be believed, most voters have remained either unaware or ambivalent about him. The world may not have exactly shifted on its axis today but it sure looks a little kinder to Nick. Peter Riddell of The Times said that: "Even the Major administration was ...
Just a quick reminder that there are elections to the European Parliament on June 4th this year. This isn't to be confused with that other great symbol of European democracy, Eurovision, which takes place on May 16th. If you haven't already registered to vote, or if you're not sure whether you're registered, you can find out more here. June 4th 's about a month later than we usually have elections in the UK, and I guess more people might be on holiday then. If for any reason you're not going to be in Lee Green on the 4th of June, ...
Little piece on the front page of the Hebden Bridge Times this week on a campaign I'm pursuing - Getting Mytholmroyd and Cragg Vale recognised in the Royal Mail postcode database. This is not a call for the unilateral declaration of independence of the Royd and Cragg, just making sure our post goes to the right [...]
One of the many jobs that the Party President performs is that of delegation leader to foreign events, such as Liberal International and ELDR/ALDE, and it's in that capacity that I find myself in the lovely city of Vancouver, on Canada's Pacific coast. The Executive Committee of LI is meeting here on Saturday - the meeting scheduled to coincide with th e Convention of the highly successful Liberal Party of Canada. The key event of their convention is to formally adopt their new Leader, Michael Ignatieff, currently the Interim Leader and Leader of the Official Opposition in the Federal Parliament ...
After a month where the Oaklands College plans for a new Smallford campus have been put in great peril and when local secondary head teachers were suddenly threatened with last minute sixth form budget cuts, we now learn that the funding body responsible - the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) - is about to incur a £12.5 million charge for cancelling its lease on its lavish St Albans offices in Grosvenor Road. The lease has nine more years to run and was costing an eye-watering £17,200 for each of the 32 LSC staff employed there. The information was contained in ...
Thu 30th
16:02
The Gurkhas - "The Liberal Democrats have won a vote in the House of Commons. This is not supposed t...
Nick Clegg raised the question of the Labour government's shameful treatment of the Gurkhas in parliament over a year ago. Thank goodness for the victory in parliament for the Gurkhas and all who have campaigned for them. The historic victory for our motion in the House of Commons was a victory for justice. Nick Clegg said, "This is an historic victory for the Gurkhas who have served our country so bravely. "This Government has now lost its moral authority. From the first moment I challenged Gordon Brown on this over a year ago, he didn't understand that there was a ...
David Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, has said that the Government should abandon plans for ID cards and make biometric passports mandatory instead.
Following the fascinating We Are Names Not Numbers conference organised by Editorial Intelligence at Port Meirion, participants were invited to contribute to a publication to be launched in July. Nothing fancy, just a few words. So here is what I have submitted - with thanks to my friend Abdul-Hakim Kadodia for checking out my understanding of Islamic teaching on being a good neighbour: For a six month period my wife's catholic church was blessed with a visiting Ghanaian priest who was plucked out of a sabbatical to fill a gap. Father Augustine had never been to England before, he did ...
The mortgage rescue scheme that this Government announced with such a fanfare last September but didn't actually introduce until January has so far only helped one household. Yes, that's right one. I am getting so sick of them announcing some measure or other that they claim will help all sorts of people, only to find a while later that either they have not been implemented or have hardly helped anybody. Ministers constantly use the announcements of these schemes to beat the opposition parties over the head with. It is as if the announcement is all that is needed and is ...
Gordon Brown might face a leadership challenge from a Labour MP in the next couple of hours or days as reported by the Monkey of Political gossip himself Recess Monkey Alex Hilton on his other blog Labour Home. In the comment section of the post by Alex Hilton many Labour activists (most of the commenter's on Labour Home are Labour supporters) are supporting the idea and they think a leadership election is exactly what Labour needs leading to a general election. Personally I am a little optimistic about having yet another Prime Minister appointed upon us by the Labour party. ...
At the House of Commons dinner I was chatting to our Sutton & Cheam MP Paul Burstow about the current debate around MP's Expenses. I was very pleased to learn that although both he and Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton & Wallington, would qualify for the second homes allowance as MPs representing outer London boroughs [...]
I don't often read Mrs Parry's favourite paper the Daily Mail, but Vince Cable has been doing admirable missionary work amongst its readers. His Column this week looks at the budget. The paragraph I think is most important focuses on getting folk to face up to the scale of public sector spending implications of Labour's massive debt. 'We have escalating defence commitments - in Afghanistan and in future for Trident missiles, aircraft carriers and much else; big cutbacks are unavoidable following a defence review. We cannot afford to send one in two young people to university, especially when graduate jobs ...
As Freedom Central is expanded and improved, we hope to reach out to more and more Welsh Lib Dem activists and members as a source of debate, ideas and information.From now on, we hope to feature more news for party members such as candidate selection and internal party election results, by-election news from around the country and important changes in the Assembly, Westminster and Local
My newly discovered daily read Mr Speaker (that's when he updates his blog) has written a blog post about Nurul the apprentice candidate that got sacked by Sir Allan yesterday. Personally I thought Nurul had potential and could have won but clearly Sir Allan didn't see that. Mr Speaker hints that Nurul could jump into politics and become an MP or an MEP and personally I am curious to why he thinks this? Nurul is not a normal Asian with an education he has an accent and a style that makes him stand out compared to normal Asians if that's ...
Well as the Daily Post put is: 'George Howarth, the Maghull MP, had tabled an amendment condemning the new rules as "morally wrong and offensive". But he, Eddie O'Hara, Peter Kilfoyle, Ben Chapman and Frank Field, backed down when ministers hinted a further review would allow many more Gurkhas to stay' Joe Benton (Bootle) and Rosie Cooper (West Lancs) nether of whom -it is rumoured-expect to be in the next parliament vote with the government.....................why? So who was the ONLY local MP to vote for the motion? -well the photo is a clue.
The Met Office is predicting "a barbecue summer'. Their Chief Meteorologist, Ewen McCallum, says: "After two disappointingly-wet summers, the signs are much more promising this year. We can expect times when temperatures will be above 30 °C, something we hardly saw at all last year." Let's hope its for real and not scare-mongering, climate change spin.
What a day! I was stood in central lobby yesterday afternoon, waiting for Andrew to get back from a vote that we thought would be close, feared we'd lose, and certainly weren't convinced would be won. Then the news came through that the government had been defeated, and by a majority of 21. The Lib Dems had achieved the impossible and defeated the government in an opposition day debate, something not done, by any opposition party, including the Tories, since 1978. I was overjoyed, on so many counts. The Gurkhas have fought for our country for generations, laying their lives ...
I was shocked and surprised to see that Bury North's Labour MP David Chaytor yesterday voted against Lib Dem plans to give Gurkhas a permanent home in the UK. The Gurkhas risked their lives fighting for this country, and yet when they need our help, the government has shamefully turned their backs on them. David Chaytor MP has done the same by putting party loyalty above doing the right thing. He and Labour have treated the Gurkhas appallingly despite the great contribution they have made to protect the freedoms and safety of this country. I am sure that a large ...
{gurkha_justice_campaigner_with_banner.jpg} The historic victory for the Lib Dem motion in the House of Commons yesterday was a victory for justice. Whilst it was a good day for the Lib Dems it was an even better one for the Gurkhas and justice for people that have been prepared to lay down their lives for this country and its freedom across the generations. It was also a great day for Nick Clegg who said that, "This is an historic victory for the Gurkhas who have served our country so bravely. "This Government has now lost its moral authority. From the first moment ...
Photo by Sabine J Hutchinson http://www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk The Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser looks forward to the Bank Holiday weekend: Once again, Clun will host The Green Man Festival, its traditional May Bank Holiday event celebrating the arrival of spring, with outstanding music, family entertainment and a marvellous craft fair in the shadow of Clun Castle.Following its successful music programme of last year, Clun Memorial Hall is hosting two major bands: The Popes, supported by Luke Day, on Saturday and the evergreen Wurzels on Sunday, with local band the Whisky River Boys ...On Sunday, from noon, there will be free entertainment ...
The Liberal Democrat have launched a campaign to persuade the London Mayor to introduce one hour bus tickets. Cllr Pete Pattisson said: "You can already switch from tube to tube on the same ticket, so it makes real sense to allow people to do the same with buses. It really is unfair that people who use Oyster pay-as-you-go have to pay a new fare every time they change buses. "One hour bus tickets already operate successfully in Paris, Rome and Brussels. It is now time London caught up and gave bus users a fair deal." To support the campaign, sign ...
It has been revealed that the tories will not back the governments plans on the MPs expenses issue. David Cameron criticised the Prime Minister's plans to force MPs to publish how much they earn from outside work. Cameron labelled this as a "purely political play"which was "going a bit far" Full Story available here.
You begin to get a handle on big Nick Clegg's achievement was last night when you realise he inveigled the Tories into our lobby to vote for more immigration-and what is more for immigrants not from the old white commonwealth. I remember when things were really dire, just after Paddy took over the leadership, the Greens had pushed us into 4th place in the Euro elections and there were real strains within the merged party. Paddy led a campaign to give people from Hong Kong the right to settle in the UK after the hand over to China. I frequently ...
Don't stop reading because this is about malaria. Good. I know, I really do, that it's not as exciting as "the FE" or a new set of bollards in Haywards Heath, but indulge me, just this once, please. Right, to start: Previously I've commented on the foolish obsession with bed-nets that (Western) "world leaders" and grinning shellebriddies seem to harbour. "We're dedicating $397 TRILLION so that every poor little African kid can sleep under a net!" they bombastically bellow, promoting themselves to Global Saint status through this allocation of the money they took from us in the first place. Never ...
The charity Computers4Africa will again be collecting unwanted computers in the Chessington area soon. They wipe the hard disks and then donate the computers to schools in Africa - details here. You can take your old equipment to Unit 4, Silverglade Business Park, Malden Rushett on 8th or 9th May, from 9am-5pm. They do ask that all the equipment should be in good working...
Good news from King's Lynn. Emma Whitford has used the government's mortgage rescue scheme to change to a shared-equity arrangement after she lost her job and started struggling to meet mortgage repayments. The bad news is that research by Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat shadow housing minister, suggests that Emma's is the only household to have benefited under the scheme so far. It was announced back in September of last year and given huge publicity when it was launched in January. As Sarah says: "Tens of thousands of families will face the misery of repossession and homelessness this year but ...
Driving to pick up young Gabriel Quist from his music lesson yesterday, I found myself behind a pumber's van with a big photo of a rather attractive naked woman going into a shower. I could see her (pert) bottom and everything. I was so horrified, I had to follow the van for the next eight miles to recover. Reading the list of the most-complained-about ads from 2008 was a surprisingly pleasant experience (not quite up with the van, but getting there). The number one most complained about advert (the domestic violence one for Bernado's) had 840 complaints - I'd guess ...
According to The Times today's vote on MP's accomodation allowances could be more difficult for the Prime Minister than he envisaged, even with the flat rate allowances taken out. David Cameron has withdrawn his support over plans to force MPs to declare how much they earn from jobs outside Parliament and intends to order his frontbenchers to abstain during today's vote. The paper says that this measure is the biggest remaining element of Gordon Brown's expenses reform package. What is interesting about this of course is what it says about the Tories. Cameron has already had to back down on ...
Nick Clegg made the biggest mistake of yesterdays victory by sharing a stage with Dave. David Cameron wants to become the next prime minister he doesn't give a damn about moral at this moment in time because he has a general election to win and Clegg made a mistake sharing a stage with him. Nick should have asked Cameron's party to help him in the campaign and asked them to vote with the Lib Dems but he shouldn't have shared a stage with Cameron. Cameron will take a lot of publicity from this campaign and probably will get a boost ...
The wider significance of the Liberal Democrat victory in the Gurkha debate yesterday is twofold. Well, threefold. To get the bleeding obvious out of the way first, it's another strangled warble in the painfully operatic death of Gordon Brown's political career (y'know, the ones that never ... quite ... diiiiiiii-iiiiiiii-iiieeeeee!) Secondly, it may come to be seen [...]
David Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, called for the scheme to be scrapped and a senior Cabinet minister told a newspaper that it's unlikely to go ahead. Meanwhile, the Home Office continued to insist that the ID card scheme will go ahead. Tory Shadow Home Secretary, accused Labour of being "all over the place" on the issue: "They have been [...]
Dominic Hannigan's point on this blog that Helen Mary Jones' comments on her likely Labour opponent at the next Assembly elections were ageist has received some support in this morning's Western Mail's letters page:SIR - So Labour has selected a 67-year-old candidate to fight Llanelli (An age-old problem for Labour man, April 28).What of it? If he is fit and healthy that is all that matters.He
Bozza published an attack on the Government's "soak the rich" budget on Monday. His policy director Anthony Browne, who is formerly head of influential rightist think tank Policy Exchange, (or 'PX' to those in the know, darling) was in tow adding: "the government's class-war assault on high earners is really an assault on London."Seems a bit shrill, but then he has evidently improved his rhetorical skills since December when he said "All those on more than £100,000 a year will be at least £1,000 a year worse off because of the halving of their personal allowances. All those on more ...
Gordon Prentice MP voted in support of the government yesterday on the Gurkha's issue and personally I am saddened that the Pendle MP would vote the government on their horrible idea which was overturned by the Lib Dems. I wrote a blog post on Tuesday calling for him to vote against the proposal and I said I would phone his office and promote voting against the government to them but I forgot to make the call. But me not making the call isn't the reason I believe, I think Mr Prentice doesn't understand the difficult position of the Gurkha's. Mr ...
Thu 30th
10:20
A YOUNG mum has complained to police after they took more than six hours to attend a 999 call despit...
Emma Parry-Thorpe was the victim of a break-in last month, and was appalled by the police response. The mum, who has a two-year-old daughter, was out at the time of the burglary, but says her neighbour saw the break-in and called police immediately, not knowing if anyone was in the house at the time. When Emma and [...]
The Government suffered a symbolic defeat when MPs voted by 267 to 246 on a Liberal Democrat motion to give all Gurkha soldiers equal right of residence in Britain.
{Gareth Epps and Reading Gurkhas} Yesterday was a fantastic day for retired Gurkhas and their families living in the UK, when a Liberal Democrat motion which demanded equal right of residence for Gurkhas passed (with Tory support) - despite 241 Labours MP's voting against! The motion stated: That this House condemns the Government's recent statement outlining the eligibility criteria for Gurkhas to reside in the United Kingdom; recognises the contribution the Gurkhas have made to the safety and freedom of the United Kingdom for the past 200 years; notes that more Gurkhas have laid down their lives for the United ...
I have spoken to Birmingham Airport about the flight in from Mexico on Tuesday next. They are guided by the Health Protection Agency about how to handle this flight and ensure that if there is anyone infected that they don't infect other people.I am also concerned that the best possible efforts are made on the flight to ensure that no cross infection occurs on the flight. Those points will be
Thu 30th
10:06Old labour cut out Tony Blairs Face so not to upset Voters, do you think this year it will be Brown?
Labour's leaflets are a Tony-free zone Labour candidates across Britain have been campaigning without Tony Blair's photograph on their leaflets to avoid upsetting voters. Any Comments perhaps Brown will get the same treatment ,perhaps Labour in Salford will do the same for there leader?
For the last 15 months or so my frustration has been that the nation has really not grasped the essence of Nick Clegg. He has been characterised as "Cameron Lite" - a bit like mistaking Handel for the Spice Girls. One speaks from a depth of conviction, a preparedness to stand by those convictions regardless of the consequences .........the other from the shallowness of expediency, popularism and the need to secure as many votes as possible, for the least amount of effort in the shortest amount of time. Clegg is prepared to nail his colours to the mast, however unpopular ...
Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb has warned that diseases such as whooping cough and scarlet fever are making a "dramatic comeback". The Health Service Journal reports: Cases of whooping cough have almost trebled since 2003, from 386 to 1,071 a year in 2008. The number of cases of scarlet fever has risen from 2,121 in 2003 to 2,845 in 2008. Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "It is shocking that diseases which should belong to a bygone era are making a dramatic comeback. Ministers have 'failed in their duty' "Many of these illnesses can be prevented with ...
Iain Dale has blogged about how US and UK Banks are closing down accounts held by people who are linked with Iran however your link with the country might be. Iain writes about how a Iranian nationals account was closed down by the Bank of Scotland and no explanation was provided to the person. This has reminded me of an issue that I haven't blogged about before because I haven't found the right moment and I think that moment has came. Barclays in the UK closed an account of a Muslim charity which has lead to a campaign being started ...
If you're a council tenant in Salford and in need of housing adaptations then things are pretty bad for you. In October of last year I was contacted by one constituent for whom housing adaptations had been recommended by her GP. It took until late December just to get a survey done to assess the feasibility [...]
This Sunday, instead of delivering some of my chunk of the 25,000 Fiona Hall tabloids we are shoving through the doors in Darlington, I shall be getting up at 4.30am to begin the long trek to the Madejski Stadium to watch the mighty Royals attempt to bounce back to the Premiership by beating Birmingham (as long as Sheffield United fail to win at Crystal Palace).Such is our rail system, I can't
Irfan Ahmed's Blog has been added to the UK feed of Global Post a new online portal for news from across the world. I would like to thank Global Post for adding this Rag that I call a blog to the feed and for giving a loner like me a voice so I can express my voice and opinion to a wider audience. This will get me blogging more seriously as I will know a World Wide audience is at my hands, so stay tuned readers for what could become an interesting relationship between me the blogger and you the ...
I did one of these quizzes on Facebook recently which "told" me that the city I should be living in is Dublin. To be sure, I would have preferred somewhere a bit more temperate, maybe like Barcelona or Palma de Mallorca, but Dublin is gorgeous, the people are lovely and the Guinness divine. However, I'm not sure I could afford to go there now, given that the Irish Government is planning on re-introducing a pretty draconian blasphemy law which I'd no doubt fall foul of at some point, being an atheist who's spent her life campaigning on equal rights issues. ...
No, not right here, obviously, because I don't know any more than you do, but here on the dedicated pages on the Health Protection Agency website. It's updated all the time and will give you the information without the hysteria. How do I know? I guess it's one of the "advantages" of living with a health and safety adviser. Other such advantages include having to stop at every set of scaffolding on holidays so flaws in the way it's been put up, or people working without harnesses and helmets can be pointed out to you, and loitering by fire extinguishers ...
School children in Bury will soon be competing for the coveted "Golden Shoe Trophy". The prize awaits youngsters who join their classmates and travel by foot during Walk to School Week, held from May 18 to 22. Walking to school reduces pollution, helps children arrive at school wide awake and ready to learn, and teaches them how to cope with everyday traffic. Children in more than 30 schools are aiming to win the Golden Shoe, currently held by Greenhill Primary School. Shortly after this, bells will ring out to celebrate Bike Week from June 13 to 21. Pupils will take ...
Thu 30th
08:45CommentIsLinked@LDV: Vince Cable - I like optimists, but I don't buy Mr Darling's miracle
Over at the Daily Mail, Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable delivers his robust verdict on Alistair Darling's 2009 budget. Here's an excerpt: I argued the main requirement was an honest statement, without spin, of the country's problems. Darling was candid enough about the scale of the budget deficit - which will be a staggering 12 per cent of GDP this year and next, forcing the Government to borrow unprecedented sums to cover the collapse of revenue from financial services and the falling housing market. ... Darling was less honest about the prospects for recovery. He cheerfully assumed growth will ...
I've made a few posts in recent days suggesting, in my own very subtle way, that perhaps the media and the Government are over-reacting just very slightly to the news of Swine Flu. In the normal course of events around half a million people die from flu every year, and a million die from malaria. Given that confirmed deaths from swine flu are in the tens and people seem to be annoyingly recovering, the level of panic in the media is out of all proportion to any immediate or likely risk. But I'm not saying there's no risk at all. ...
Thu 30th
08:17
Making a pig's ear over swine flu - the Jenkins/Goldacre debate over media coverage of H1N1
OMG teh Pig Feva iz cumming to get u!!Or, to put it in rather more prosaic language, the outbreak of porcine influenza virus that has claimed dozens of lives in Mexico is spreading, and with each day comes news of confirmed cases in North America, Europe and Israel. With each day too we see more and more alarming headlines, such as that in the first link above - The whole of humanity is under
From yesterday's Evening Standard: There's an intriguing rumour in European circles. It's that Downing Street has been considering whether Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs supremo, could be the UK's next European Commissioner.It sounds implausible, but I am told it has been seriously discussed in Lib-Dem circles. Huhne, once a financial journalist, is also a former Euro MP.There is no suggestion Huhne, 54, wants to quit the Commons, and his office tells me it knows nothing about the rumours. But observers point out he might not be entirely averse, having twice failed to win the party leadership — the ...
Lord Bonkers wrote in 2004: For many, I know, the highlight of the Bournemouth Conference was the arrival of the Gurkhas and their bagpipes. How proud I was, as Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Own Rutland Highlanders, to march at their head!Besides, it is high time these doughty fighters were restored to their place at the centre of British politics. I can recall the days when I could not make a speech without some fellow from the back of the hall shouting "What about the Gurkhas?"Mind you, I never went quite as far as the more advanced Young Liberals of the ...
Blimey, you go to work for a day and it all kicks off. It seems Adam didn't take too kindly to my analysis of Plaid (and his) actions on top up fees.He wonders if Peter Black posted an apology of sorts. He can get this from me - I'm sorry. Sorry he couldn't convince his party to stick to the promises it was elected on, I'm sorry that the good work he, Bethan, Leanne and others did couldn't
Oh well, that'll learn me. A fortnight ago, I reported in highly sceptical terms a story in the Carlisle News & Star about the involvement of Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Carlisle, Steven Tweedie, in an anonymous website "calling for Eric Martlew to be ousted as Carlisle's MP". As I remarked at the time, the now-defunct www.byebyeeric.com (still available to view via Google's cache here) was innocuous stuff, for example suggesting visitors "wish him good luck in his retirement or ask him what he intends to do about some of the key issues facing Carlisle". It was ill-advised I guess ...
Wife wrongly told husband dead Neal Keeling April 30, 2009 source the MEN AN elderly woman was wrongly told by town hall bosses her husband had died in a care home. Barbara Flinton, 73, burst into tears as she read the Salford council letter expressing condolences. Her husband John, 77, had moved into the home weeks earlier after suffering [...]
Thu 30th
07:24Gas Main Replacements in your area, i wonder does any one from the council talk to the people laying...
Just spent some Time walking around the ward and on Barton Road we had a new road surface put down about twelve months ago. This week it's being ripped up to put Gas mains down. My question what would happen if they leased with each other saving us time in traffic and Money. [...]
The entire Liberal Democrat blogsphere has been celebrating the important and just victory of our motion on the Gurkhas. Rightly, Clegg was also praised for his performance at PMQ's yesterday where he displayed clear passion speaking on an issue he obviously truly believes in and rightly so; in-short, though I am known to take issue with Clegg when I think he is wrong, he deserved the praise heaped on him today. So, reading Tom Harris's blog rather annoyed me to say the least. Harris, who obviously supported the government today describes Clegg as a 'mug' for allegedly being 'elbowed-aside' by ...
After First's decision to axe the number 20 route, a new operator is to start up in town. However, Wessex Connect will not just run the 20A/C, but also intends to compete on the 18 route. Maps and prices are at http://uni-connect.co.uk/default.aspx, showing the new U18 service running up and down Bathwick Hill, but crossing the river at North Parade. There are stops in the city centre and then in Oldfield Park. The 20 will also be kept in its current route, both anti- (A) and clockwise (C) around the city. Bigger buses will be used than present, but ticket ...
Events in Mexico elsewhere in the world and news reports have naturally led to concerns about the possibility of a flu pandemic. Preparations for a possible pandemic are being made by local and national NHS organisations and you can view the latest information about swine flu by visiting the Health Protection Agency's website at www.hpa.org.ukLocally, the South Birmingham Primary Care Trust has
The Gurkha vote today should send shock waves through the Government and across the country. It's the first time that a Government has lost to an opposition day motion in 30 years. It shows that the prime minister is fatally weakened and it can only be a matter of time before Labour ditch him. However far more importantly, it shows that Parliament can do the right thing. A cynical and jaded public can rightly take great encouragement from this. I'm delighted and immensely proud that the Lib-Dems forced the issue on this, and I will give credit to local labour ...
{Grafitti on the Pulteney Road rail bridge} {The bollard on George Street has been hit again} Disappointingly I've been revisiting some old issues this week, fixed once, which need fixing again. The railway bridge over Pulteney Road has been tagged again, this time with "MY TEAM". This doesn't make much more sense than the previous tag, "THICK", but could take as long to clean off. See previous entries here and here; it took the best part of a year to have the bridge re-painted last time. Again, Network Rail have confirmed to me that Pulteney Road will have to be ...
