(Or at least I think it's Free Software... I can't find the license, but the code is freely available, and it's based on and linked from Despotify, which is BSD licensed...) Someone has ported despotify (the BSD-licensed clone of Spotify) to Java, and added a rough GUI, which makes it usable for casual users. It's already [...]
A spot of late-night filing with BBC1's "MP Burning Night" leads to an funny little discovery.Among the many pieces of paper that regularly get shoved through my door as a councillor is the cunningly-entitled C'llr, a magazine of "Information and Inspiration for Councillors from the Local Government Information Unit". Amongst the inspiration is the back page feature, "In My Day", where
The Chamber was packed as usual with the Speaker's Chair replaced by a set of stocks in which the Great Man was sat looking like the man whose blind date turned out to be Sharon Osborne. Rotten tomatoes slid gently off his person and a cabbage sat on his head. The House was filled with the acrid smell of bank statements and receipts being burnt on makeshift bonfires. Doug Elghorn (Expenses-on-the-Moat South Central) asked the Prime Minister if he agreed that his luxury yacht could be considered a legitimate expense for visiting residents in his Midlands constituency. The Prime Minister ...
Just in from the count. Don't know how they did it, but Labour seem to have had a late surge in votes. I'm guessing that the perceived threat from the BNP and the campaigning from third party anti-fascist groups may have caused some of their voters to hold their noses and go out to vote [...]
The BBC's Brian Wheeler has a lengthy article here, arguing that a moment has arrived where wholesale reform of British politics is up for grabs: Anyone watching MPs debate emergency reforms to their expenses system will not have detected a whiff of revolution in the air. It felt like business as usual in the Commons chamber - the same exaggerated courtesy between "honourable members", the same self-congratulatory jokes. There was little sense that the ground was shifting beneath the MPs as they spoke. Yet that is what a growing body of opinion believes could be happening - that we are ...
{mark-on-question-time-extra-2} Vince Cable appeared on the earlier-than-usual Question Time (watch here) tonight and gave one of the best Lib Dem performances I have seen from any of them in some time. 10 out of 10. Following that (at 10.30pm), (and after a turn the previous night on Newsnight) Mark Littlewood popped up on Question Time Extra. Did anyone else spot his exceptionally natty ORANGE tie ? ......
Tory MP Anthony Steen reckons it's all the wretched government's fault for introducing the Freedom of Information Act, because otherwise he wouldn't have been caught. Listen here - it's priceless. When the election comes this deserves to be played over and over again.
"Widders sniffs the air" we are told on Iain Dale's Diary. To his credit, Iain dismisses the idea of Ann Widdecombe as an interim Speaker as a "mistake". The Press Association is reporting that Ann Widdecombe is seriously considering standing as an interim Speaker until the next election. While she has not yet made a formal declaration, she is clearly up for it, but says she will wait until she has ascertained whether she would have any support on the Labour benches. I first suggested her for the position of Speaker several years ago and if the situation were different ...
Alix wants us all to have a mass debate about reform. Oh, go on then. Here's my starter for ten. As the Guardian noted recently, Rahm Emmanuel's view that one shouldn't waste a good crisis is every bit as applicable to our current political crisis as it was to the credit crunch. But even for a crisis as big as the one in which we find ourselves, there is too much possible reform being touted to sensibly address it all. It is going to be necessary to pick and choose our immediate priorities. My thinking on this subject starts with ...
The first BNP councillor elected to Broxtowe has been thrown off the council for failing to attend meetings. In a six month period she did not attend one meeting. Is this how the BNP believe that democracy should work? Good riddance to the racists and lets hope we have no more of them.
The thing Labourhome always had going for it was its sheer crapness. Only the true down to earth grass roots, distant from the glamour and lavish PR (and lifestyles) of the parliamentary party could love the old Labourhome website. The question becomes why did they redesign? Clearly they've been under pressure from Labour list (thanks to the extreme publicity seeking shennanigans of their greasy former editor) and felt the need to keep up to date... but I ask you, what were they thinking? Labourhome claims to be a site for grassroots Labour supporters. It's meant to re-engage them. Here's the ...
Cricket is the only sport I have ever mentioned on my blog. Unusually for a girls' school, it was the main summer sport at my secondary school in Cardiff. I was hopeless at it, and at all sports in fact, but cricket wasn't as threatening as some, and I found the rules and tactics fascinating. I still think it is a good sport for girls - non-contact, team based, intelligent, set in...
"Jo Swinson, the youngest MP in the House of Commons, included receipts for eyeliner, a "tooth flosser" and 29p dusters with her parliamentary" claims a sub-headline in the Telegraph. "Included receipts". Yes, but we went through all this with Phil Woolas, didn't we? Receipts "included" don't necessarily mean that all the items on the receipt were claimed (although it got a bit surreal with Woolas). Struggling through the Telegraph story, the only thing which even the paper itself is claiming, and this is denied, is that Jo Swinson claimed for a hairdryer and an eletric toothbrush for which she was ...
The House rose this afternoon for the Whitsun recess. Monday I had a urodynamics test at King's, to measure the performance of my bladder, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urodynamics for the details. Then to the House to field a question on our immigration controls across the Channel in France and Belgium. Later, had a meeting with campaigners for Dr Binayak Sen, the human rights campaigner who has been held in custody for over two years by the authorities in Chhattisgarh state, India. He had been a vigorous defender of the rights of the adivasis, and made himself unpopular as a result. The Indian ...
Thu 21st
22:20
Ben Bradshaw uses "Mark Reckons" research on BBC Question Time to argue for electoral reform
Well that was a surreal feeling! During a question about electoral reform on BBC Question Time just now, Ben Bradshaw the Labour Health Minister seemingly speaking in favour of electoral reform used the argument that there is a correlation that shows the safer the seat, the more likely the MP has been involved in the scandal. I can't get the exact quote until it appears on iPlayer and I can transcribe it. What he said is almost verbatim what I have said on this blog from the work I did last week although in my case I have caveated it ...
I have a frustrating time trying to upload this video: http://www.peteglastonbury.plus.com/Silbury16May2009.gif Do have a look at Pete Glastonbury's remarkable photographs showing the sun setting along the slope of Silbury Hill on May 16. There is a theory that the builders of megalithic monuments designed them so that viewers would see this phenomenon from an observation point that was also part of the site design. But presumably, as the angle of the sun's trajectory as it approaches the horizon varies widely according to the seasons, it wouldn't have mattered what the gradient of the Hill was; there would be many pairs ...
Joanna Lumley in tears, celebrating the humane decision to allow the Gurkas who fight for our country to stay here, if they wish to do so. Mr. Speaker Martin resigning- the first Speaker in 300 years to be forced from office. Lord Rennard, under fire for his Lord's finances, deciding to leave his job as chief executive of the Liberal Democrats. What an amazing week for Nick Clegg!
Well, I've made my donation, making up for back years, so given the number of others who have given generously, Ryan should be funded for a while yet. It is typical of Liberal Democrats that the funding for such a useful medium should be dependent on the kindness and sacrifice of an individual, and it must be acknowledged that many of us take Ryan for granted. We moan when Lib Dem Blogs goes down, which does occasionally irritate him, and just assume that technology is a cost-free option. Clearly, it isn't. Perhaps, however, we need a more settled solution for ...
Over the past few days, I have complaints from the Roseangle area about the effect of the temporary closure on Riverside Drive on the amount of traffic in this fairly narrow street during the road closure. I had feedback from residents tonight that the street is quieter, although the closure is only from 9pm. I have had the following feedback from the City Council : "The closure on Riverside Drive is between 19:00 hrs and 06:00 hrs Sunday to Wednesday, Thursday and Bank Holiday Monday closure is 21:00 hrs to 06:00 hrs. There are 13 warning signs in total in ...
It's been nearly two weeks since my last weekly playlist, hasn't it? This needs to be rectified. Some of you may notice a slight theme throughout this week's playlist... Superman by R.E.M is a song that many, many people arriving at my blog through search engines are looking for. A cover of a 60s track by [...]
Painful though the last few weeks have been, the Telegraph's revelations about MPs' expenses have at least forced politicians to take the action to reform the system that's been so badly needed for so long. Unfortunately, the Telegraph has, in some instances, been a bit over zealous. There was Phil Woolas' shopping bills containing items which were not claimed for - I don't often have sympathy for him after his unconvincing performance on the Gurkha issue but in this case I think he has a point. Then came what I still think is a thoroughly unreasonable swipe at Alan Reid's ...
One of my CPAN distributions is CPAN-FindDependencies. It contains a module CPAN::FindDependencies, and a simple script that wraps around it so you can view dependencies easily from the command line. That script, naturally, has a man page. However, that manpage basically says "if you want to know what arguments this program takes, see the CPAN::FindDependencies docs". This is Bad from a usability point of view, good from a not-duplicating-stuff point of view, and good from a laziness point of view. Which means that it's Bad.So, the solution. =over#include shared/parameters=back and some Magic that does the cpp-stylee substitution at make dist ...
Early in 1993 I had a visitation by Chris Rennard to my home. I was the Chairman of the local LibDem party and our MP for Newbury, Judith Chaplin, had sadly died recently. Discussions were held in my lounge. Then, at one point, Chris, myself and the Vice-Chair crammed ourselves into my study to pore over a document on my computer. At the time, my very small study was dominated by a huge roll-top desk (which was my pride and joy). This left a small space of about 4 feet by 6 feet for three chairs and the three of ...
Early start for the BBCs Question Time Live Chat today. The programme starts at 9:00pm today instead of the usual 10:35pm. I guess the BBC are capitalising on the intense public interest in the expenses scandal. Should be a very interesting edition with William Hague who is always good to watch, Martin Bell the former anti-sleaze MP, Ben Bradshaw the government minister who yesterday called for electoral reform on The Daily Politics and Marta Andreasen who is treasurer and a candidate for UKIP. It is not yet clear who will be batting for the Lib Dems. The chat is now ...
Gordon Brown has done the decent and honourable thing by granting Gurkhas, who've served for at least four years, the right to live here if they choose.In a week when Parliament has not covered itself in glory this decision will go someway to restore that reputation.Nick Clegg has skilfully managed the campaign in Parliament with the outstanding support of Joanna Lumley and Councillor Peter Carroll outside Parliament.
BBC's Question Time is on tonight at the earlier time of 9pm. As I write this, the BBC's QT website says Question Time, the BBC's premier political debate programme chaired by David Dimbleby, will be in Salisbury on Thursday 21 May, for a special edition going out at 2100 BST on BBC One. The panel will include Health Minister Ben Bradshaw, Conservative shadow foreign secretary William Hague, treasurer of UKIP Marta Andreasen, former independent MP Martin Bell and one other guest to be confirmed. Here's hoping the "one other guest" will be a Lib Dem. If you're tuning in, you ...
I blogged about Cameron Direct in a previous blog post and the local papers even wrote about it coming to Pendle but I think its a farce. Since Monday the day it took place I haven't seen a news report about it and neither has anyone else heard anything. This has got me questioning Cameron Direct. People on the streets are saying they didn't get any tickets, I wasn't given a ticket and all in all no news has come out from the event. If you check the Cameron Direct website that hasn't been updated, could it be that Cameron ...
What does it take for a Lib Dem blogger to hit the mainstream media? You might think racy exclusives and sex scandals would be the way forward. But not Mark Thompson of the Mark Reckons blog - instead he's chosen to make his mark on the Lib Dem blogging world through the medium of statistical correlation analysis, examining the likelihood of MPs in safe seats being implicated in the expenses furore. His study, MPs Expenses and safe seats correlation - update, was picked up by (among others) The Guardian's Polly Toynbee. And now Mark is to be interviewed on BBC ...
There are some who are muttering in corners about the timing of Chris Rennard's announcement that he is stepping down as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats. I am surprised that, given his health issues, it hasn't happened before now. We'd all expected that the General Election would have happened by now and many of us knew that when it came, it would most likely mean that we'd lose Chris at least on a full time basis. I first met him in 1995 during the Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election (where the defeated Labour candidate was one Phil Woolas, the Home ...
The Economist it seems, will be summing this all up very well: If an election were called next week, Britain might well end up with a Parliament for the next five years that is defined entirely by its views on claiming for bath plugs, rather than on how to get the country out of the worst recession in 70 years. Take that, Cameron. And, in fairness, take that me. My immediate gut reaction was that a general election would be the best way of allowing individuals to 'pass judgement' on their own MPs and start again with a clean slate. ...
The official line from Cowley Street could not be clearer. Chris Rennard's resignation today has no connection to the allegations made against him in the News of the World. He has resigned for personal and health reasons. Having been subject to an awkward resignation from the party myself, I am very aware of the need to treat departing staff with dignity and decorum. I was very thankful to receive it in March 2007. Chris has been an incredible servant of the party and this should be recognised. But, British politics is presently in meltdown over the expenses claimed by Parliamentarians. ...
A few days ago I received a request from the Party to respond to an online questionnaire about the whole 'expenses' row, and thoughts on the replacement for Speaker Martin. They will be the subject of a post a little later, however I've just seen an announcement from Cowley Street. {Lord Rennard} Lord Chris Rennard is resigning as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats 'at the end of the Summer'. Whether it was coincidence or not that the questionnaire included one about the tenability of his position I am very sorry to see him leave. I recall attending his anniversary ...
On Tuesday evening, LDV emailed those Lib Dem party members signed-up to our private discussion forum inviting them to take part in a survey focusing on MPs' expenses. Many thanks to the 230+ of you who have so far completed it; we'll be publishing the results on LDV over the next few days. You can catch up on the results of all our past exclusive LDV members' surveys by clicking here. 1. LDV asked, Which of the following statements most closely matches your own view: And here's what you told us: >> 38% - The alleged abuses by MPs of ...
Vince Cable is on Question Time tonight and the programme has been moved to the earlier slot of 9pm. I'm hopeful that we'll put in a better performance than we did last week. Make us proud!
Blimey! Well at least Anthony Steen MP is being true to his Tory roots! Hattip: Iain Dale
Today is Polling Day in Irwell Riverside. The Polling Stations are open from 7am until 10pm. Our private polling shows it's neck and neck between The Lib Dems and Labour. All the other parties are out of the race. More than ever before, every vote will count - this could be incredibly close. Don't forget to VOTE today for STEVEN IAN MIDDLETON, LIBERAL DEMOCRATS. {Share/Save/Bookmark}
For my sins, I regularly watch (and read the sub-titles of) the London BBC TV news at very close quarters. That's while I am doing my stint on the treadmill at lunch time. Today I was treated to Boris Johnson being very dictatorial to the London Assembly in respect to MLA (Member of the London Assembly) Barmcake of the BNP. Barmcake (aka Richard Barnbrook) was invited to the regular Queen's Garden Party as an assembly member. He's entitled to one guest. Anyone in their right minds who has a partner as beautiful as his partner, ballerina Simone Clarke, would take ...
Consider this. Two Cabinet Ministers (A and B) didn't claim capital gains tax on their home sales. Gordon Brown says that's fine. "Not a problem" - were his exact words. And, indeed, Newsnight have obtained a guidance leaflet for ministers which says you can designate whichever home you feel like as your main homes - regardless of which one you designate under the MPs' ACA/Second homes allowance system. So far so good. But another Cabinet Minister (C) did exactly the same thing as A and B. C had to pay back the capital gains tax and apologise. Minister C's behaviour ...
This is a tale that is particularly relevant to Jonathan Calder and chess playing AM Peter Black but the lesson is a pertinent one for us all. Looking at the 2nd Chess table below it would appear that I came equal second. The winner clearly won all their games and me and the other mid table sitter shared the spoils of our own encounters and beat the player who came last in both games. However, this was a ranked tournament only for those with a ranking of 1500 or less. With the first round of online play now concluded I ...
I am fortunate to count Chris Rennard both as a good friend and as a colleague over many years. We are the same age, but I was not producing leaflets and being treasurer of my local Liberal Party branch when I was in short trousers, unlike Chris.But we grew to know each other through the 1980s, mainly at a distance up until I started working in the Campaigns Department, when Chris was Director of
I report some graffiti to Haringey Council. Haringey Council doesn't remove it. Ask why not. The answer? The graffiti cleaning person didn't scroll down on the email they were sent. (Also in the news: Haringey Council sends a letter to a bus shelter.) Related posts:Mainstream media catches up with concerns over Haringey Chief Exec Ita O'Donovan Evening Standard, 12 March 2009: The head of the council...Why do so many council websites get some basics wrong? A survey of local council websites I have carried out...If the leader of the free world only needs a small TV... Seeing this photo of ...
My dictionary defines opacity as the quality of being difficult to understand. I was delighted when Barack Obama decided to close down Guantanamo Bay, but I do NOT understand why he has reinstated military tribunals and now has defended the "enhanced interrogation" authorised by the Bush administration to extract information from terror suspects as "legal, essential, justified and successful".
What a week for British politics Nearly a week ago now, I suggested that one of the party's longer term aims on the way out of the expenses crisis should be to push the case for full electoral and constitutional reform. Would we ever, I asked, have a better chance than this? At the time it seemed a bit of a long shot, even by my terminally optimistic standards, but a week is a long time in the political media. The expenses relevations, coming so suddenly and in such a concentrated form, are unmistakeably betraying the shape of rotten underpinnings. ...
I have just been checking out the new Labour Home design that I think is ridiculous and I think Alex Hilton should just revert back to their previous forum style blogging platform and template. The new template doesn't scream Labour at you and neither is it layed out in a way that makes someone want to read the site. Personally I think Alex needs to reconsider the site and its design because at the moment it is hidious and really needs a face lift. Maybe its the Wordpress bug that Alex has caught which is that someone becomes so obsessed ...
I'm not saying we're blameless in this expenses fiasco and unfortunately we have in the past allowed ourselves to be trampled by Labour/the media and people who are lazily `anti-politics`. Let present circumstances be a lesson to us to ALWAYS STAND OUR GROUND. Thank goodness for Nick, Vince and the team for protecting us somewhat [...]
Before you ask why I'm invoking the line from the Proclaimers song Letter From America about the town I live in. It is not to do with the football team but the new Boundary Commission for Scotland and how they affect West Lothian. First off there will as be only two unlike mentioned earlier at the time of the initial review three constituencies representing the council area a reshaped Linlithgow, and Livingston largely reshaped and renamed as Almond Valley. Slightly more confusing is that after 12 years of being totally in the Lothian Region the Linlithgow seat will now be ...
In today's Guardian, Stephen Keeler pays tribute to former Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Alexander: My friend and former colleague Barbara Alexander, who has died after a long illness aged 70, was an inspirational teacher, a dedicated local councillor and a tireless worker on behalf of a number of charities. ... Both were elected to Richmond-upon-Thames council in 1990, and Barbara worked tirelessly as a Liberal Democrat councillor and school governor, increasing her workload after Gavin's death in 1993. She was deputy council leader, sat on education and social services committees, and chaired the governing bodies of Hampton community college and ...
The postal ballot paper came this morning (Thursday 21st) and is already (as of 12.30) back completed at Civic Offices. It is possible that the party is massively in the lead in the South-East Euro-Elections at this point. The long ballot paper looks quite tatty actually, black on yellow in this case, and the party symbols are rather similar looking blobs. The Tory Tree without the colour coding is frankly pathetic. Once you find it the Labour Rose looks like a rose if you really study it for a minute, but you have to find Labour first before you realise ...
There's an excellent article in The Independent today from Shirley Williams, arguing against an early election and putting forward a very good case for further constitutional reform. You can read it here.
I know from personal experience that Michael Connarty does indeed draft every letter that he writes to me as he insists elsewhere in today's Falkirk Herald. But obviously I'm not sure whether being one of his four opponents at the last General Election and one of his most public outspoken critics I come in for any special treatment. That is why I need you my fellow Linlithgow and Falkirk East consituents to take part in the poll. The option are: Yes, Michael is a good constituency MP and worth every penny. Michael is a good constituency MP but some of ...
I first met Chris Rennard in the run-up to the 1999 European elections, when I was the number two on the East of England list. Of course I knew who he was, a campaign legend, whilst I was just starting my career in politics. Then, as now, he was a source of wise advice, exceptional strategic judgement and personal support. Chris has worked for the party for 27 years. His political activism began in Liverpool where he delivered half of a focus round because his mother wouldn't let him cross the main road! The Liberal cause has motivated Chris ever ...
Responding to the announcement that the budget deficit hit £8.46bn in April and the CBI's call for the Government to focus its attention on core activities to bring down the budget deficit, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "The Government has continuously dodged the difficult decisions that need to be made to balance the country's books." "Unless we make tough...
Commenting on today's review into the quality of training for junior doctors in light of the European Working Time Directive, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "This is a belated recognition by ministers that they're heading for a crisis." "This timebomb has been ticking since November. It is scandalous that the Government has waited so long to address this...
Commenting on today's review into the quality of training for junior doctors in light of the European Working Time Directive, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "This is a belated recognition by ministers that they're heading for a crisis." "This timebomb has been ticking since November. It is scandalous that the Government has waited so long to address this...
After reading the appeal from Ryan Cullen about him needing financial help to keep Lib Dem Blogs running otherwise he would shut shop I was saddened as Lib Dem Blogs sends a lot of traffic my way but its good that he is getting donations from bloggers. I myself haven't chipped in yet but will be doing very shortly and personally I like the idea that Ryan floated with his message about how if every blogger listed on the site gave him £2 the site would have no financial problems. I believe that he should make that a policy of ...
First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area). I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics. If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck! My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand ...
Chris Rennard has given the Lib Dems a lot with his campaign knowledge that helped the Lib Dems alongside Charles Kennedy's leadership skills succeed in 2005. Now Lord Rennard has said that he is thinking of leaving the job as Chief Executive and personally I think its down to the scandal about the Lords declared home and actual home. Personally I think Chris has given the party a lot but now its time for him to go, Lembit Opik has given the party a huge amount and no one is thanking him for it so Lord Rennard's shouldn't expect any ...
Here's what the BBC has to say: All Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years' service will be allowed to settle in the UK, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said. Ms Smith told MPs she was "proud to offer this country's welcome to all who have served in the brigade of Gurkhas". It comes after a high-profile campaign by Joanna Lumley and other supporters of Gurkha rights - and an embarrassing Commons defeat for the government. Some 36,000 Gurkhas who left before 1997 had been denied UK residency. Ms Lumley, the actress who has been the ...
Following the huge success of the Directory of Services for Older People, a new edition has just been published In Bath & North East Somerset. This edition includes even more useful information for people approaching retirement, retired people and those who care for older and more vulnerable members of society. The aim of the Directory is to provide clear, concise information to help...
On the World at One I assume that a deal was done so that Martha Kearney couldn't ask him about his £2m expenses (above salary). I have thus complained asking why he wasn't asked this the same as every other party leader. Let's face it if Nick had spent £2m in ten years above salaries [...]
I first met Chris Rennard in the run-up to the 1999 European elections, when I was the number two on the East of England list. Of course I knew who he was, a campaign legend, whilst I was just starting my career in politics. Then, as now, he was a source of wise advice, exceptional strategic judgement and personal support. Chris has worked for the party for 27 years. His political activism began in Liverpool where he delivered half of a focus round because his mother wouldn't let him cross the main road! The Liberal cause has motivated Chris ever ...
"People may not like it but everything was above board." Well the MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East Michael Connarty has finally spoken and summed up his take on his own expenses claims with the above statement to the Falkirk Herald. He also had said: "The thief who stole the documents and the Daily Telegraph, which is clearly guilty of 'resetting' the documents, face prosecution if they breach the Data Protection Act. "They are criminal and using stolen information for their own financial ends." Problem is Michael to the people of Linlithgow and Falkirk East you little dealing with Jim ...
Chris Rennard has served our Party well but in the circumstances he had to go. There is a lot the Party has learnt from him since those early days of Penhaligon and Liverpool. Now it's time to transform that learning evolving into even better messages and campaigning ways. Thank you Chris for doing the right thing. [...]
To be honest the whole expenses thing is getting a bit overwhelming and it is difficult to keep up even if I had the time to do so but there were one or two that caught my eye this morning that I thought were worth repeating if only to illustrate the state that things have come to. The first one of course was the floating duck house. For goodness sake do these people have no commonsense? The Daily Telegraph has very helpfully provided a photograph of the structure and the view of it via Google Earth. Meanwhile I note that ...
The BBC story is here. Presumably the fulsome praise for the Prime Minister and Home Secretary was the price Joanna Lumley had to pay for making the announcement. Ms Lumley has been a splendid ambassador for the Gurkhas, but let us not forget the sterling work which was done by Peter Carroll of Shepway Liberal Democrats before Ms Lumley came on board. (See also our previous posts starting here.)
With no apparent sense of irony, Digital Engagement Minister Tom Watson told a Lords select committee that the Number 10 e-petitions were; an "excellent" example of online government communication. The top-rated petition is currently the infamous one calling on Gordon Brown to resign (over 60,000 signatures). Watson also defended Brown's lamentable YouTube performance; "Actually, I thought the prime minister [...]
Chris Rennard has changed the Liberal Democrats out of all recognition. From a party with only a few MPs he has turned us into an effective fighting force across the UK.I'm sad that he has decided to stand down as Chief Executive of the Party in the summer but am very grateful for all he has done for us.He'll still be around - helping us to win over and over again.
Commenting on the decision by Chris Rennard to stand down as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said: "It is impossible to exaggerate Chris' immense contribution to the Liberal Democrats over the years. Without Chris' unique skills as one of the country's most astute and effective political campaigners, I doubt that the party would now have the largest number of MPs in decades. "More recently, his work as Chief Executive of the party has been invaluable in steering the party through some turbulent times and significantly professionalising the organisational aspects of the party. "I am especially grateful to ...
No not the title of one of my focus leaflets relation to a pot hole. I've just opened my email to find the the man widely regarded as the Lib Dem Electionmeister Lord Chris Rennard is to step down from his role as Cheif Executive of the Party after the European Elections are under way. His wife has recently retied from teaching and Chris himself lists the battle to control his diabetes as two of the main contributing factors to him reaching this decision. When I joined the party plain Chris Rennard as he was then was already spoken of ...
As reported first on Freedom Central, the Liberal Democrat Chief Executive, Chris Rennard is to step down from that role in the summer. Despite the recent controversy that has emerged around Chris I think it is right that we concentrate on the enormous contribution he has made to the party. It is also right that he depart with the dignity that he has been afforded and with the grateful thanks of the many thousands of elected Liberal Democrats who owe their position to his work. Chris first came to my attention as David Alton's agent in the 1979 Edge Hill ...
Statement to members here: First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area). I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics. If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck! My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President ...
The Gurkhas campaign has been totally successful. Well done Joanna Lumley and all involved! The right thing has been done at last! As we reported last month, the House of Commons voted for a Lib Dem motion rejecting Labour's stance on the Gurkhas. Now the government appears to have agreed to everything the campaign asked for. They're willing to fight for this country. They're willing to die for this country. They've earned the right to live in this country.
Like many of you I was taken unawares by the following email that just popped into my inbox - more comment later - Dear Linda, First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area). I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics. If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck! My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my ...
This just emailed to members: My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand down as Chief Executive at the end of the Summer. I want to be able to work more flexibly in future whilst of course continuing to help our party advance. I believe that I will be better able to do so without the administrative burdens of being Chief Executive and running the party's day ...
The BNP have been forced to consider suspending their Salford organiser and EU candidate Eddy O'Sullivan for comments labelling black people as 'wogs' on his Facebook website, which were uncovered by a local journalist. Eddy also used his page to wage a campaign of hatred and intimidation against me, but that's by the by when compared [...]
Commenting on the Government's announcement on Gurkha veterans, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: "I am absolutely thrilled that the Gurkhas have finally been given justice. "This is a great victory for the Gurkhas and for everyone who has campaigned on their behalf. "Gordon Brown has finally woken up to the principle that people across Britain understand instinctively: if someone is prepared to die for this country, they must be allowed to live in it. "Tragically this decision will come too late for many of those brave Gurkhas who have been waiting so long to see justice done. "Gordon Brown's ...
I have just received an interesting e-mail from Chris Rennard; "My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand down as Chief Executive at [...]
I have just received an e-mail from Chris Rennard (which will have gone out to the whole party). He has announced that he is stepping down for family and health reasons. He has been a great asset to the party and this is very sad news but it is probably for the best in the circumstances.
Lord Rennard has announced that he will be stepping down as Chief Executive as of the end of August. This is the message that he has just sent to all Liberal Democrat Members: First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area).I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics.If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck! My reason for writing is that I have decided to ...
Many thanks to our reader who sent in a link to the Digital UK Planned Engineering Works web page. It's rather technical - it talks about "DTT Muxes", which isn't very user-friendly. However it shows that during May 2009 services from the Mendip transmitter will be affected as follows: Digital TV - all channels - weak reception and short service breaks Analogue TV - BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 - weak reception and short service breaks Radio - Kiss 101 FM - short service breaks
... at Cowley Street. Update: Ah yes, here it is - Rennard Quits. My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand down as Chief Executive at the end of the Summer.
Liberal Vision understands that Chris Rennard resigned his position as the Liberal Democrats' Chief Executive earlier this morning. +++ Further News +++ Chris Rennard has sent out an all-member email detailing the reasons for his resignation. He cites "family and health" reasons along with a desire to be out of the "Westminster bubble" - thank goodness it was nothing to do with those expenses allegations then, phew!
Thursday: Why shouldn't we hold a General Election? Mr Frown says it would cause "CHAOS"! Well, that shouldn't stop us; as a naughty elephant on a sugar rush I might say CHAOS is GOOD! Ms Harriet the Harminator appears on the The Today Programme and refuses to answer the question. But why NOT? Well, the answer that they are ducking is that IT WON'T SOLVE ANYTHING. As with all of Mr Balloon's ideas it SOUNDS simple... but Mr Clogg said it to the Prime Monster's face: "...all you get is a few new faces and the same old rotten rules." ...
Overturning the Government's proposals for house-building in the St Albans Green Belt is a mighty achievement for the Liberal Democrat administration at St Albans City and District Council. Local Liberal Democrats formed the Hands Off Herts campaign to fight these wholly inappropriate Labour Government plans under their so-called Regional Spatial Strategy to extend Hatfield westwards and Hemel Hempstead eastwards into our precious Green Belt. See a previous entry here. There were just too many houses going to be crammed into the wrong places. 5,000 west of Hatfield, 12,000 east of Hemel. It would have coalesced Hemel, Hatfield and St Albans ...
B&NES planning committee decided last night to defer the planning application for the Newbridge Park and Ride and Bath Bus Rapid Transit Route (BRT) in order to request more information. Reacting to the news, Councillor Caroline Roberts (Newbridge) said: "On the whole this is a good result. The committee's decision is a vindication of the campaign that Councillors and...
With talks that Nick Griffin is to go to the Queens garden party I among the majority in the UK are disgusted that someone first of all would take Griffin with them as a guest and secondly that the Palace is to allow these dirt bags onto the grounds of the Palace. Griffin is a criminal and he and his political party should not be allowed anywhere near the Palace and the symbol of being British, These men are clearly not people with morals and if this lot get to go to the Palace they would destroy the name of ...
Political Betting has a blog post about how getting troops motivated is becoming harder by the day and its a worry especially with only two weeks from today until the elections. Labour are finding it the hardest and personally I feel sorry for the Labour candidates who are having to contact activists to get rejected because activists fear the abuse/attacks that they will receive on the doorsteps. This is better for the BNP who don't do door to door canvassing as they just need to promote themselves with their billboards and their leaflets and they could win more votes then ...
In the tenth in a series of looking at each of the regions (and nations) for the European Elections I today examine the Wales
Frank Field has a piece in the Telegraph today where he sets out his stall for his imminent entry to the race for Speaker of the House. Other candidates are also positioning and manoevering as I writ this. I think Mr Field would make an excellent reforming Speaker although as I blogged about yesterday, I fear that Brown would do everything in his power to stop him. But because it is a secret ballot, Brown might actually be limited in what he can do. We are in unchartered territory now. Previously the candidates for Speaker have been unable to openly ...
Welcome news from Birmingham regarding postal votes (not a phrase I've often typed...): A former Liberal Democrat candidate has been cleared of forging 12 postal votes application forms. It had been alleged that Mohammed Khan, who stood for election in the Nechells area in the 2006 local elections, was involved in the fraud in order to further his own election prospects. (Birmingham Post)
That's the interesting claim from Labour minister Angela Eagle. The Government has done a deal with Microsoft covering the whole public sector, avoiding the need for every individual body to negotiate their own little agreements. Fair enough. The Government claims it "could save the taxpayer £75 million over five years". Some might point out, rather churlishly, that for a public sector that spends around £16 billion on IT every single year, a saving of £15 million a year (less that 0.1%) is just a drop in the ocean. Others might go even further and suggest that the saving is only ...
Ok, so anyone with internet access can have a blog - and that's part of the problem. How on earth do you get people to know you are there? It's all right if you're famous but what about the rest of us mere mortals? For Liberal Democrat bloggers, getting their blog listed on Lib Dem Blogs which has been ably run by Ryan Cullen for the last few years is the way to get your thoughts out there. The thing is, any member of the party can be listed there if they want. He doesn't exclude you if you write ...
With the current spate of sleaze being attached to our political classes in the last half hour when this item of news was pointed out to me I feel that in this interconectiveness age I need to make the following statement. I worked with and indeed sat next the convicted at the time of his separation from his partner and eviction. I was not aware of the full extent of that story as revealed in the press article nor fully of the depths to which he sank. Especially I had no knowledge of what he was planning to do and ...
Obama mulls preventative detention. Obama is increasingly looking shockingly bad on civil liberties and human rights. I had hoped he'd be a bit better at least, but all his 'change' is shallow and he's pursuing most of the things Bush wanted, this time with full compliance from the Democrats. There is only one party in Washington, it just [...]
It seems like every day now that we hear that a Conservative 'Knight of the Shires' MP has been required to retire by David Cameron following the revelation of an inappropriate expenses claim. This has the obvious merit of being a public demonstration of David Cameron's resolve to deal firmly with Conservative MPs whose conduct has so angered voters. The happy side-effect from his point-of-view is that this is leading to a clear-out of many 'bed-blockers' - those MPs who have been in Parliament so many years that their positions are unassailable but who are of little use to a ...
We have just had the following letter from William Powell of the Brecon & Radnor party: Hello Tomorrow evening at The Guardian Hay Festival, there will be a Euro Election Hustings, sponsored by the European Movement in Wales and attended by Wales' only MEP to recontest her seat~ Jill Evans of Plaid Cymru. There will also be the Conservative No 1 candidate Kate Swinburne, Labour's No 2 Lisa Stevens and John Bufton of UKIP. However, as Alan Butt Philip has spent a lifetime studying, learning and teaching about Europe and has the best chance ever of leading the Lib Dems ...
One other comparison that can be made is between my claims for personal expenses of £19,687 per year and those of Estelle Morris MP my predecessor who charged £5,040 more at £24,907 during the last year she was MP for Yardley.
Best of luck to the Irwell & Riverside (Salford) Lib Dems in their attempt to wrest the seat in the by-election today. Their online campaign has been spirited and tough and a joy to behold.
What's up in blogs and news. In the media The expenses row continues to rumble with the MP for my ancestral home of Leominster getting scalped by the Telegraph alongside Ruth Kelly and a duck, if the pictures are to be believed. Meanwhile over the Daily Mail has been working hard to bring you this extreme comparison with Cornish MP Andrew George - they've found one of his constituents who commutes to LB Barking & Dagenham, but whose weekday residence is a £30 tent. There's some grass left in Parliament Square, isn't there? We could have a tent city for ...
Cancer drug gran dies May 20, 2009 A GRANDMOTHER who won a landmark battle forcing health chiefs to pay for a life extending cancer drug has died. Jean Murphy, 62, took her fight to get a pioneering kidney cancer drug called Sutent on the NHS to the High Court, and her case helped force a change in the [...]
I'm pleased to announce that I am now the proud sponsor of Jennie Rigg's blog.. for a month, anyway.
On Tuesday evening, LDV emailed those Lib Dem party members signed-up to our private discussion forum inviting them to take part in a survey focusing on MPs' expenses. Many thanks to the 220 of you who have so far completed it; we'll be publishing the results on LDV over the next few days. You can catch up on the results of all our past exclusive LDV members' surveys by clicking here. First up, we're going to look at what you said about the expenses stories concerning Lord (Chris) Rennard, the party's chief executive. Here's what we asked: Though not an ...
Ryan Cullen's appeal last night on behalf of of Lib Dem Blogs has so far been a resounding sucess. He writes this morning: "In the last 12 hours I have already received 29 donation and three requests for my details to send a cheque (payable to Ryan Cullen, posted to 27 Gibbeson Street, Lincoln, LN5 8JP).I have now received enough money to pay the upfront costs to host LibDemBlogs for a year and am waiting for the new server to be configured. Once this is done I can start the process of transferring all the files from the old machine ...
Earlier this year, the West of England partnership carried out the Joint Waste Core Strategy Preferred Options Consultation (we blogged about it here). This was of particular interest to people living near the trading estates on the western edge of Yate as some of the options included a waste treatment plant there. The partnership are currently considering all the responses and from 5th June you will be able to view a summary of responses and other information on their website www.westofengland.org/waste. There will then be a further chance to have your say until 17th July.
Both Edward Davey and Susan Kramer, our two MPs, were named by the Telegraph as 'saints', because they do not claim second homes allowances or anything else remotely dodgy. Comments and the Contact Me form are not working properly at the moment. Until they are fixed, please email me on mary [at] maryreid.org.uk and I'll add comments manually.
On GMTV today David Cameron said Bill Wiggin had made an "honest mistake" in claiming £11,000 for mortgage payments for a house he owned. Cameron is stretching the English language to breaking point. Firstly, it should be "honest mistakes", as Wiggin signed 23 declarations which were wrong. Secondly, I don't know how you can credibly say you made a mistake when you have just bought a house. It really does beggar belief that you would actually fork out £480,000 cash to pay for a house, then, allegedly forgetting you had done so, start claiming for non-existent mortgage payments "soon afterwards": ...
LibDem blogs is the cental pillar of the Lib Dem blogosphere. Its communual nature is emblematic of the LibDems. Everybody gets a fair whack and new blogs get the prominence they wouldn't otherwise achieve. Yes, I suppose I could create a Google reader list to track the blogs I want to view, but I would miss the new ones and interesting posts which pop up unexpectedly from some quarters. Ryan Cullen has created an excellent, under-stated tool which sets the LibDem blogosphere apart from the other parties' efforts. Unfortunately, his platform has been struggling for a while so a new ...
Yesterday afternoon I had to make a big decision. Whether it was finally time to stop working on LibDemBlogs. Attempting to read over 200 blogs every 30 minutes, every day was causing a massive strain on my shared server. I had already received some polite but threatening emails from my hosting company and knew without moving packages to at least a VPS it would continue. The problem being my bank account currently has no cash and the £300 upgrade fee it's exactly small change. As my server also hosts a couple of local party sites, my blog, LibDig and some ...
The news that Sir Ranulph ("Ran") Fiennes has finally got to the top of Everest - or as he puts it, "the closest you can get to the moon by walking" does not surprise me at all. Our paths crossed quite frequently when I worked many years ago for Texaco and he rather bizarrely had been hired by Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum. Texaco and Occidental ("Oxy") were partners in the Flotta oil terminal at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys. I remember flying up to Kirkwall from St Albans to join him in a practice emergency exercise. After we had ...
Mr. Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam) (LD): I would like to add my own expressions of sympathy and condolence to the family and friends of Marine Jason Mackie, who, tragically, died in Helmand province last week serving us, our country and the people of Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, despite our differences in recent days, I would like to thank you for the immensely dignified way in which you made your...
Over on LabourList, Matt Strong has a decent and positive piece on electoral reform and STV. Of course, this brings out the folks rabidly opposed to reform, who think the current electoral system is far superior to a fair voting system. The objections are worth a look, not least because they have some truth to them. There's no such thing as the perfect electoral system: they all have pros and cons. STV isn't perfect, nor is First Past the Post, list systems, Alternative Vote, AV+, Condorcet or whatever else you pull out of the bag. The trick is not to ...
Liberator 333 (we are halfway there!) has reached subscribers, so we can spend another week with Rutland's most popular fictional peer. Monday Sad news arrives this morning as I learn of the death of my old friend Sir Clement Freud. I recall speaking for him at his by-election in the Isle of Ely, supported by his faithful companion Henry the bloodhound. Indeed, there were those in the constituency party who thought that Henry would make the better candidate, but he gave a ruff performance at the selection meeting and Cle carried the day. Be that as it may, I am ...
Interesting piece in The Independent this morning where the great and the good give their views on what needs to happen now to repair the political system. Several of them are calling for electoral reform and all of them accept that there needs to be constitutional change. It is also worthy of note that Paul Staines (Guido Fawkes) spends much of his contribution saying that he thinks that a strong link will be found between abuse of the expenses system and safe seats. He did link to my post on this yesterday in a post on his blog where he ...
We have not heard much from the Libertarian Party (LPUK) in the last few months. I had to suspend my 'Libertarian Party Credibility Index' on the Open Liberty Alliance at 5/100 after they were removed from Wikipedia having failed to stand even a single candidate in even a local election. I had wondered if the LPUK would simply wither on the vine however this may be premature since the announcement that Andrew Hunt will be standing as their (I understand sole) candidate in the upcoming national elections where he is standing in the ward of Wisbech South. It has to ...
This is a shot taken just around the corner from my house. It shows the River Jordan, where the young John Illsley fished for sticklebacks. From the Gospel of Matthew (3:13-17): Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, ...
You know, I don't understand why everyone is getting so upset about troughing MPs. Is it that we are appalled that people could be so blatant in taking our money for their own use? Or is it that we are disappointed that the real purpose of democratic politics has been revealed to us and having naively put our trust in it all our illusions are now shattered? After all what else is multi-party democracy other than an open competition amongst different groups of people who want to command for themselves the vast resources government takes from us. That the extent ...
To quote Winston Churchill "Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried". As we hear more about the abuse some of our MPs have undertaken in completing their expenses it is hard to imagine how worse the others are. My parents are exasperated with me. "Why on earth would I want to join this lot?" they say. "Give it up, concentrate on your business." They have recently pleaded. Is giving up the answer? I don't believe so. "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing" The catalogue of tax free claims are totally unacceptable ...
OMG - Radio Riel is playing 'The Good Ship Venus' (Loudon Wainwright III version)... Just Google the lyrics if you don't know it... # Am having a battle over whether the blind should come down because of glare on my PC. The more things change, the more they stay the same... # Pushing 10pm. Time to stop work. Burndown chart looks pretty good, though, and tasks put off for months are being tackled. #scrum # Had a splurge on late 70s / early 80s synth and prog rock instrumentals on iTunes today - Sky and Jean Michel Jarre. Brilliant! # ...
I have just been reading Stephen Glenn's blog and was inspired to join in the appeal. I remember when Lib Dem blogs started and know the hard work Ryan, and others have put in to make it what it is today. It's a site that not only is my blog advertised on it is also where people click through to my blog, I have finally realised that I have more than two readers, I may have ten now lol. Anyway, I have made my donation and would urge all my Lib Dem followers to do the same, even small donations ...
It's polling day today. Polls open at 7am and close at 10pm. Labour are already admitting that there's a strong chance they will loose this one. Our private polling puts us neck and neck with Labour: the other parties are out of the race. The Lib Dem candidate is Steve Middleton - you can read his [...]
There will be - and should be - widespread disgust at the suggestion that BNP leader Nick Griffin is going to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party, hosted by HM the Queen. For the overwhelming majority of Britons who support racial and cultural diversity, it is offensive to see the British National Party attending a function hosted by the Head of State in honour of public service. It would be embarrassing for the Queen herself, who has been rightly keen to emphasise she is constitutional monarch for Britons of all faiths and races. However, it would be mistaken to focus ...
This blog is proudly sponsored by The Lib Dem Blogs Aggregator is in my top ten referrers... Or was, up until today, when Ryan, the webmaster, had to take it down because he can no longer afford to keep it going. Lib Dem Blogs is not centrally funded by the party, because the party has fuck-all funds. Ryan does this out of the goodness of his heart, but the site has become so successful that he can't afford to keep upgrading the hosting. *I* can survive without Lib Dem Blogs. But all the new Lib Dem Bloggers? They need it. ...
Salford Lib Dem Councillor Joe O'Neill observes Hazel Blears on the BBC's six o'clock news. Lib Dem campaigner Neil Magill delivers the latest FOCUS newsletter in Irwell Riverside, as seen on the BBC North West Tonight. It seems the BBC love Salford Liberal Democrats, two of our local group were featured on BBC One this evening. On the BBC's Six O'Clock news, Lib Dem Councillor Joe O'Neill was caught on camera during Hazel Blears final attempt to cling on to her job. Joe took an excellent picture of the media frenzy, which you can see over on his blog. Later ...
Proudly sponsored by I hereby announce that tonight I have clinched an exclusive and lucrative* sponsorship deal with influential blogger Charlotte Gore, for an undisclosed sum. For a period of one calendar month from midnight tonight I must display on my blog a button proclaiming that Charlotte is not a Tory. I assume this is adequate, Your Fundingness? * For a Lib Dem definition of lucrative, obviously, not a Tory definition of lucrative.
Ryan Cullen needs money. Lib Dem Blogs got suspended again, and he's decided enough is enough - he can't afford to keep paying the costs of running the site and is soliciting donations. In the meantime, the best thing that you can do, if you want to support lib dem bloggers, is to link to other people's blog posts. I'm trying to get a feed aggregator going that might, assuming I can get it working, simulate some of the Lib Dem Blogs experience but the number of blogs are many and I've only had the patience to throw together about ...
If you have managed to tear yourself away from MPs expenses in the last few weeks, you may have read about British couple David and Linda Orams. In 2004, a Cypriot refugee expelled from northern Cyprus decades ago tried to come back only to find the Orams had built their dream villa over his family home. Last month, the European Court of Justice gave them an ultimatum: return the land or risk losing their home in the UK instead. Over the last five years they have spent almost £1m fighting to keep a villa that cost £170,000 to build and ...
This year's Lord Mayor's Family Show will take place from 12 noon to 6pm on Bank Holiday Monday (25 May) in the city centre. It is a free event and there will be live entertainment on Victoria Square and in the Town Hall, together with more activities on Chamberlain Square and Centenary SquareThe line up includes live performances by Birmingham-born Steve Gibbons. The crowd will also get to
