For a day that started so dismally, it seems to be picking up as it goes along. # http://twitpic.com/8r2kb – The Spitfire goes in for repair next week – will be so good to have it running again! # Andy Murray getting murdered out there... #thecuckooclock #
Before last week, had you heard of Sorana Cirstea? Or Gisela Dulko? How about Caroline Wozniacki or Maria Kirilenko? Would you be surprised to hear that these women were considered the best players to be placed on Centre and Number One courts at Wimbledon? So were many avid followers of tennis. Last week, former Wimbledon champion Michael [...]
With Planet of the Dead released today on DVD and - the first Doctor Who made for High-Definition TV - shiny blu-ray, naturally I'm celebrating it with a preview of next week's DVD... A three-disc special release of the final Doctor Who story made in black and white. I'm looking forward to the multitude of extras, and to a great story looking better than ever before. And in an epic spanning humanity's most terrible wars, Pop-Art aliens and the sinister Time Lords' first appearance, its most captivating scene has the villain chatting up the Doctor. "We were both Time Lords..." ...
If the poll commissioned by BBC Scotland is accurate, most people in Scotland back more powers for the Scottish Parliament, most people want to see a referendum on the issue, and most people oppose outright independence. The detail of the poll is quite interesting, with a majority seemingly wanting to go beyond what the Calman Commission proposed, with about two-thirds wanting control of pensions devolved to Scotland. There is reason for caution about that figure, as it's not clear whether people would support that idea if it meant greater running costs with Scotland and the rest of the UK operating ...
This morning I met with the Council's highways officers for a tour of Launceston Central. I pointed out various problems that need sorting (most of which have been detailed on this blog recently): - Hoardings on Western Road. The officers agreed to check who owns the boards and what planning conditions were established before they were built. The hope is that we can persuade the owners to use them properly or take them down. - Traffic on Moorland Road. The officers will look at the sort of traffic calming measures that could work. Actually seeing them put into operation will ...
I am as shocked as anyone to read that Launceston Castle has been vandalised. The Castle has stood since the 11th century and was first built by William the Conqueror's brother. Part of one of the remaining fragments of the original wall was damaged at about 3.30am on Sunday morning. Police are currently viewing CCTV footage. Launceston Castle is the historic landmark of the town. Residents from miles around can see it sitting proudly on top of the hill in the centre of town. Why anyone would want to vandalise it is beyond me. Experts have already said that this ...
More from the BBC.
One blog is predicting the writ for the Norwich North by-election will be moved as soon as tomorrow. Update : Now confirmed by the BBC.
After a long day including a meeting in Dalkeith (day job), followed by surgeries and the City Council's Development Quality Committee tonight, I have been going through my mail and, having received a copy of the St Joseph's Primary School Follow-Through Inspection Report from the Director of Education, it is very heartening indeed to read such a positive report. All at the school deserve congratulations for such an excellent report and I have sent mine to Marion, the Head Teacher. Well done to all at St Joseph's!
The UKIP leaflet arrived today. Apparently a Green leaflet has been going out for nearly a week, but seems not to have gone much further than two Norwich wards as yet. The score ? Tory 3, Lib Dem 2, Labour 1, UKIP 1.
William Gladstone - Prime Minister Winston Churchill - First Lord of the Admiralty and Deputy Prime Minister John Maynard Keynes - Chancellor of the Exchequer Now, who else is there?.......... Ah, yes Vince Cable, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Nancy Seear, Work and Pensions Jenny Tonge, International Development Roy Jenkins, Home Sceretary Shirley Williams, Leader of Commons, Lord Privy Seal Ray Michie, Sceretary of State for Scotland Jo Swinson, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Herbert Asquith, Constitutional Affairs Susan Kramer, Transport Baroness Barker, Chancellor, Duchy of Lancaster Lynne Featherstone, Children, Schools and Families Baroness Nicholson, Leader of the House of ...
Mon 29th
21:44
First Time Users of Pain Relievers Continue to Surpass All Other Drugs; Number of New Ecstasy and St...
September 20, 2007 — picnewswire Source: CESARFax, 9/17/2007 More than 2.1 million persons ages 12 or older used prescription-type pain relievers for the first time in 2006,according to recently released data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). While the number of new users of pain relievers has been decreasing since 2003, it [...]
It was obvious that costs would rise when the Labour Government delayed the carriers contract. The Government were warned. Yet, the scale of the rise, if Robert Peston is right is staggering. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8125449.stm However, if Britain wants to project force in far flung parts of the world it will need these carriers. Likewise if we want to provide humanitarian aide to similarly remote nations the carriers will be required.I will be quizzing Ministers about these reports. We deserve answers - as do the workforce.
I haven't managed to catch this evening's 'I'm Sorry...' just yet but I heard a few moments at the end. I have listened to Stephen Fry's attempts at chairing over the past two weeks. It's all good and entertaining and the usual things are there - plus the glittering Victoria Wood - but somehow its not quite right. Strangely enough, listening to a snippet of Jack Dee this evening nailed it for me. Now I like Jack Dee and it is of course the law that Stephen Fry must be regarded as a 'national treasure' but the problem is that ...
I write a blog from a point of view that many will find strange and others will find abnormal but I still carry on blogging and entertaining my readers because of this I ask the question, should I get listed on Politics Home? Should PH add me as a contributor to their website because clearly I am a niche blogger or is it the mere fact that I don't have a large readership that is stopping me from getting listed? So Politics Home will you add me to your listings?
A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. A consultant usually works for a consultancy firm or is self-employed, and engages with multiple and changing clients. Thus, clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them [...]
Video via Conservative Home. Who cares if the worst women politician ever has come out of Hospital or is still in Hospital? Clearly she has done more damage to the UK than any one else except maybe Brown!
We know that state provision of services is generally inefficient and unresponsive to customers' needs compared to the private sector. So if a service can reasonably be provided by the private sector, then it should be. This is why buses were deregulated in the 1980s and it was a disaster. Unlike, say, water or rail, there was no regulation of fares and these went through the roof, and are still rising year on year above inflation. Instead of profitable routes cross-subsidising unprofitable routes, extra public money had to be found to subsidise these routes. A very few routes enjoy competition, ...
Mon 29th
20:43One more Directorate at Salford Council struggles with it's budget What does it do?. Answer?
GET IN CONSULTANTS!!! What do these people get those high salaries for?
While I consider a posting on the parallels between Michael Jackson and Benjamin Britten, The Prague Post brings news that Alan Bennett has written a play on the relationship between Britten and the poet W. H. Auden. Called "The Habit of Art", it will star Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour and open at the National Theatre. It will also be broadcast to selected cinemas as part of the theatre's NT Live programme. Concierge Desk explains a little more about the play: The play tells the story of an imagined meeting as Auden and Britten meet in ...
Am listening to Nick Robinson's Moats, Mortgages, and Mayhem programme on radio 4. Why is it so hard for him to grasp that people don't really mind an MP claiming expenses for a necessary second home, but the stuff like tellies and cushions are things that most people have to buy out of their own wages and therefore they resent MPs getting them for nothing? Nick Robinson is supposed to be the foremost political commentator in the country. WHY IS HE SO DUMB??? This blog is proudly sponsored by
My wife was earlier asking me to help her with a music quiz one of her friends had posted where you had to name the song from the lyric. Since I'm too hot to post coherently today, I thought I'd do one of those, but with a slight twist. All the lyrics below are the [...]
Perhaps the most novel and hard hitting protest against the MPs expenses scandal I've seen so far appears the on the BBC website today. While thousands and thousands wait for a council home, homelessness rises, the recession plunges more and more people into negative equity and houses are repossessed in increasing numbers two Labour MPs [...]
I first reported some rubbish on Mount View Road to Haringey Council on 25 April: "Abandoned estate agent board and other rubbish at foot of yellow brick building - between building and fence at edge of Mount View Road". Although it is on Thames Water's land, Haringey Council can (and says it does) tackle such rubbish, often by issuing a formal order requiring the rubbish to be removed. Despite the passage of over two months, the rubbish is still there and no order has been issued. As a result of me asking about these delays, Haringey has twice sent someone ...
Today's Leicester Mercury says: Vineyard owners are keeping their fingers crossed for a bumper crop in the county this year following forecasts of a hot summer.Wet summers in the past two years have seen some vineyards producing only a quarter of their best crop - or less.Now, owners say the recent hot spells mixed with wet weather have produced excellent growing conditions.It goes on to report: David Bates, who has run Welland Valley Vineyard, at Marston Trussell, near Market Harborough, for 20 years, said: "The portents are there for a good crop, but you never count your chickens."Welland Valley Vineyard ...
Cross your fingers that the good weather keeps up*, because on Saturday 4th July we're holding the next Lee Green Local Assembly in the park! From 11am until 2pm in Manor House Gardens, we'll be there to update you on the assembly priorities (youth provision, parking, the environment and the state of the Leegate Centre). There'll also be entertainment from Northbrook School - who have promised us a choir and cheerleaders. In addition, local groups have also been invited to have stalls at the event. This isn't a formal assembly meeting, so do feel free to drop by anytime between ...
I haven't studied History neither have I studied politics to such a level that I can throw out names of Liberals past, present or future but I shall use the fantasy cabinet of Stephen Tall from LDV and juggle it round to make my dream cabinet. Charles Kennedy - Prime Minister Vincent Cable - Chancellor of the Exchequer Afzal Anwar (Currently a PPC) - Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Roy Jenkins - Home Secretary Lembit Opik- Justice William Beveridge - Work & Pensions David Lloyd George - Health Nick Clegg - Education Chris Huhne - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs David ...
Mon 29th
18:20Who said pictures are worth a 1,000 words and this one make me feel sick.We can't afford to let this...
Demi Leigh Mahon's murder: a catalogue of errors <!–Last Updated – 27th June 2009 at 05:31 PM –> Salford online The two year old girl who was murdered by her babysitter could not have been saved by better communication by Salford's chilcare professionals, say the council. Demi Leigh Mahon was beaten and bitten by Karl McCluney in a [...]
Mon 29th
18:11Labour have let down Salford and taken residents for granted - this Labour Council simply do not lis...
Two-thirds 'unsatisfied with council' <!–Last Updated – 29th June 2009 at 01:39 PM –> Source Salford Online by Tom Rodgers A new report which surveyed over 500,000 people across the country about their local area shows that only a third are satisfied with the performance of Salford City Council.This read right Tom?got me confused!! In a wide-ranging survey [...]
Mon 29th
18:00
CommentIsLinked@LDV: Vince Cable - Our next test of courage: to cut public sector pensions
Over at the Daily Mail, Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable argues that the vast scale of government debt means we must tackle public sector pensions. Here's an excerpt: Gordon Brown's continual squirming and denials can't conceal the truth: public finances are in a truly terrible mess. People know that nasty spending cuts and tax increases are on the way. They want political leaders to be frank and spell it out. What, when and how? They will not be convinced by George Osborne's alternative: to win an Election and then get Ministers round a table behind closed doors to decide ...
Those nice people at Lib Dem Voice have given us the task of forming a Fantasy Liberal Cabinet, which can include politicians past and present. The Hon Lady Mark has taken this a step further and allocated me the job of Secretary of State for Scotland in a Lib Dem bloggers' cabinet. I am of course honoured to accept and look forward to working with First Minister Bernard to introduce STV for Holyrood elections. Inverness will get its bypass, we'll have a new Forth crossing in no time, we'll get working on getting more powers for the Parliament based on ...
For lovers of political intrigue, there's a fascinating article here in the New York Times about the swirl of plotting and counter-plotting around the future of Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. He's the governor who was supposedly nude hiking on the Appalachians and then turned out to be allegedly ending an affair with an Argentinian lady. The varied responses of state political leaders to the affair serve as clues to their alliances and complex interests. Some have called outright for the governor's resignation, while others have suggested that the gentlemanly thing to do is give Mr. Sanford enough rope ...
Due to a miscommunication between Council officers I was up at an ungodly hour this morning so that I could attend the 8.30am Childrens Services Lead Member Briefing. Nobody seemed sure if the meeting was scheduled for 8.30am, 8.30pm or 11am - in the end, 8.30am was accepted (purely because that time had been used on the public notices). The meeting was primarily concerned with the decision that Councillor Warmisham had arrived at, in regard to the move of the Youth Offender Service (YOS) into the former Blackfriars Housing Office, located in a residential cul-de-sac . Regular readers of my ...
The 27th June 2009 marked an important date as Armed Forces Day, serving to honour our servicemen and women and veterans who have made and continue to make huge sacrifices for their country. The first of its kind in the UK, the Armed Forces Day main event was staged at the historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent, where there were military and veterans parades, and military bands and displays; hundreds of other events were held in towns and cities throughout the UK. Events like the Armed Forces Day are incredibly important and serve to remind the British people of the dedication and ...
Given the importance of protecting our troops and ensuring they are given the right equipment for their welfare and safety, the Government needs to move more swiftly to address concerns regarding the amount of protection Snatch Land Rovers provide servicemen. Snatch Land Rovers have come under criticism for being lightly armed and insufficient in protecting soldiers from mines or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) relative to their US counterparts who have been using vehicles such as the RG-31. Sadly it is our servicemen and women who are paying the price of the Government's slow response to this problem. It came as ...
This week the news has begun to sink in about the reality of public sector cuts and debt for the UK and Wales. The Local Government conference in Swansea was dominated by news of impending cuts, messages we have seen reinforced elsewhere, and across the political spectrum. As Dylan reports, the OECD has revised downwards its forecast for 2009 - predicting our economy will shrink by a further 4.3% with no growth from there in 2010. *gulp* That's a drop that is worse that the global economy as a whole. The suggestion from Labour that we were well placed to ...
Ian Clement may have resigned last week as Boris Johnson's deputy mayor, but his troubles are far from over. From the Bexleyheath and Crayford Conservatives' website: At a meeting held on 25th June of the Bexleyheath and Crayford Conservative Association Executive Council, a unanimous decision was taken to immediately suspend the Association Membership of Ian Clement in light of recent reports in the press about his conduct. The process of formally terminating his membership has begun. By the terms of our constitution, this will require a special meeting of the Executive Council, whereby fourteen days notice must be given to ...
People think Politics is about defection and lies but personally I think they have been served by those types of politicians for them to think that because clearly that isn't the case. Politics is about representation of the people and the more people know that is politics than maybe they will start electing people who are politicians and not disloyal liers who get elected for themselves and nothing else matters to them. This rant comes after a defection from the Lib Dems to Labour and personally I think its disgusting that someone will just defect because they can't get their ...
Two interesting articles in this morning's Western Mail have put the debate on Welsh devolution into perspective. On the one hand we have Conservative Assembly Member, David Melding arguing not just that the Tories should accept the Welsh Assembly and campaign for greater powers but that they should do so as part of a vision that includes a Federal Britain. This is very much mainstream Liberal Democrat policy and judging by the reaction of David 'Top Cat' Davies, there is still some way to go before such ideas become accepted within the Conservative Party. However, if we are to make ...
{22951-1-menzies-campbell-mp} Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell intervened during the Prime Minister's statement to the House of Commons today about "Britain's Future" to call for a full-scale defence review. Speaking after the intervention Sir Menzies said: "The case for a defence review is now overwhelming. It has been 12 years since this Government put forward its defence proposals and since then there has been serious overstretch of our Armed Forces and a continuing failure with regard to procurement. There is a serious imbalance between resources and commitments. "Only with a defence review will we establish a proper relationship between the ...
Oval Ward Lib Dems held a special advice surgery at this month's Vauxhall Park Summer Fair. We were joined by Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon and we held a consulation session on the proposed new 42 storey development at Bondway to hear what people think. Most residents were opposed to the plans, a few were supportive - but everyone was very clear that if permission does get given, the planners must make a sizeable contribution to local facilities such as Vauxhall Park and nearby streets - known as Section 106 contributions. Thank you to everyone who commented.
When you have stories like this. Personally I'm bored after 5 minutes of morris dancing though the idea that there's a story behind it would keep my interest. Sadly, this level of imagination wasn't employed by the headteacher of Chantry school who has provided a gift to the far-right. Has it really come to the point that [...]
A simple idea. Create a social networking site for LGBT people by LGBT people that allows them to not only message each other and create threads but also has the added facility of members setting up their own `posses` and events. In addition to the posses in Liverpool and Warrington there's also the one in Manchester [...]
A few months ago I was effectively warned off making a fuss about the future of the Crombie munitions depot in West Fife. The warning came from a senior DSDA (Defence Storage and Distribution Agency) official who tried to reassure me that the depot potentially had a bright future.I've not heard from the man since despite subsequent announcements that staff levels were to be cut to 26 then 15 from 43. Now I'm not arguing that efficiencies should not be made but I am seeking a plan, leadership and fair treatment for the staff. Yet this munitions depot (bombs and ...
Little did I realise that working for ALDC would see us at the centre of the filming of a new TV series. This week, a film crew have moved in to some of the empty office space in the converted chapel that ALDC share with other organisations such as Pennine Heritage, the White Ribbon Campaign [...]
The top six most requested things on my poll were (in descending order) Book geekery; Sci-fi/trek/who geekery; Stories about Holly; Beer Geekery; Film Geekery; and National Politics. Here, therefore, is a special entry combining some of the above. Never let it be said that I don't respond to my readership! I promise to find space for some of the others in the next couple of days. And if you think my blog should skew in a different direction, go and fill in the poll ;)Fresh Squeezings from the veins of the internet!Book Geekery - The Atheist's Guide to Christmas is ...
Friday afternoon (shortly before the downpour thankfully)was a site visit to the troublesome footpaths near Cressington Station. Network Rail is actually reponsible for much of these (and we even found some old signs to prove it) so as a result of wht we (councillors and neighbourhood officers) saw we are going to follow up with NR and others to see what can be done to make the paths cleaner and more pleasant to use.
Over the last few months I have been spending quite a lot of time on the doorstep. My colleagues and I have been distributing resident's surveys in order to find out what the priorities are for the people in our wards. In High Barnet we have now distributed around 1000 survey forms. On Saturday we were out again. I like doing surveys as they help ground what we do in the reality of what people are really concerned about. People generally like to be asked their opinions and are happy to complete the survey. The results of the surveys are ...
An inquiry by MPs into the 1 April G20 protests has concluded that untrained police officers must never again be placed in the frontline of public protest. From the Guardian: The conclusion from the Commons home affairs select committee inquiry into the G20 protests of April 1 follows admissions from senior Metropolitan police officers that some inexperienced officers, who were clearly quite scared, used "inappropriate force". The report by the cross-party group of MPs says they "cannot condone the use of untrained, inexperienced officers on the frontline of a public protest under any circumstances". The inquiry also calls for the ...
This piece on Labour List interested me a little; it is written by one of the Constituency Representatives for the NEC; Ann Black. She writes; "I've received several requests for an extra NEC meeting to analyse the results, and to ensure that all members are involved in future policy-making and that the manifesto reflects Labour values." Perhaps [...]
Just a quick note to anyone who remembers the end of Perplex City and my role in it. A while back I was contacted by some researchers in Finland and Sweden who were working on a book about what they dubbed 'pervasive games' – ARGs and suchlike. I agreed to let them use some of my photos from the climax of PXC, and I've just had an email from them to say the book's now out. With photos, apparently. You can read about it here – sounds interesting. Here's one of the supporting quotes they've gathered for the marketing blurb: ...
As could be predicted the scrobblers went overboard and made Michael Jackson the top artist with 13 tracks in this week's last.fm top twenty. I suppose you listen to whatever you recently buy from itunes notwithstanding the huge cultural nudge to re-listen and re-evaluate Michael's music. I've certainly re-loved `Beat it` and `Dirty Diana` [...]
{Jury-trials are the foundation of our British justice system} The 'hallowed' practice of trial by jury could be under threat following a ruling by Lord Chief Justice Judge requiring the trial of four men accused of armed robbery to be heard solely by a judge. The judgement of the 17th June relied on a section from the Criminal Justice Act (2003) which introduced legal scenarios where juries were unsuitable. Lord Judge based his decision, concerning the future trial of the 2004 Heathrow robbers, on Section 44 of this Act, stipulating that 'tampering' of jurors was 'substantial' enough to 'threaten the ...
So, my life as a social pariah is now confirmed. It's been coming for a while, with little digs here and there in the Daily Mail about the obesity crisis and how much of a healthcare time bomb we larger people are. Today the Metro has finally gone out there and basically said that fat people, and specifically celebrities who are overweight, are bad role models. And who, exactly, is saying this? Someone called Professor Michael McMahon. A Professsor. So, he must be important then. He must know what he's talking about. Mustn't he? Especially when he's talking about all ...
For my birthday last month, Helen Duffett kindly bought me a ukulele. Well, it was kind to me; maybe less so to teh internets {:)} I have been teaching myself little bits here and there, subjecting YouTube to my progress. I've putg rather more effort into the chords than the strumming, as will probably be evident. Anyhoo, I quite enjoyed Sunday's effort, so here it is for your viewing pleasure. Not the first take – my neighbours must've been sick of the noise... If you really want to subject yourself to more, there's a playlist (currently four songs) on my ...
Alright, now for a little fun... Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service - Millennium ElephantLeader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal - me (someone will get the joke)Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, First Secretary and Lord President of the Council - Mark ThompsonChancellor of the Exchequer - Alex FosterSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - Cicero Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor - Judge James GrahamSecretary of State for the Home Department - Lynne FeatherstoneSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ...
I like Michael Gove and unlike many, have no problem with him or any other politician having paid interests outside Parliament. But it did interest me that whereas Gove bills The Times £1,250 an hour for his insightful copy, the Scotland on Sunday pays him just £250 an hour. The publication of outside interests has come a bit too late though for the Editor of the Times to re-negotiate the contract - all Shadow Cabinet members have been told to wind up their outside interests by the end of the year. A full copy of Shadow Cabinet members outside interests ...
... but let me tell you, internets, it might have taken me a while to be persuaded to join the Lib Dems, but since I took the plunge I have never for one second regretted it. This sentiment brought to you by the lively and amusing discussion going on on one of the Lib Dem email Lists, with a special hug going out to Daddy Richard and the Honourable Lady Mark, who are making me giggle hugely. Today is a lazy day. I am still in bed. Quote Unquote is on the radio. Mat is lying next to me, reading ...
I had never heard of the Stonewall riots until recently, but it seems they were a very important turning point. Fed up with harassment from the police and the state, some homosexuals took action in the only way open to them. I'm afraid that things although may have improved a large amount, at least in major [...]
Unless you have been on Mars since Thursday you cannot have escaped the fact Michael Jackson died. Don't worry this isn't going to be a tribute post - I have been a fan, have his albums but went off him when all the allegations came out. It is a post about the follow-up especially on the Internet.
This is just a short reminder that our discussion evening with Lynne Featherstone MP will be taking place this Wednesday. Title: After the recession, a different future Date: Wednesday 1 July 2009 Time: 7.30pm-8.30pm Location: Room Q, Portcullis House, Westminster, SW1A 2JR Full details are available on the Flock Together website. Please confirm if you are likely to be attending on that website so we can keep an eye on numbers. Our meeting the other week with Danny Alexander MP was very constructive (and well attended!). One of the recurrent themes at that discussion was the need to tackle equality ...
There has been quite a bit of discussion concerning the Liberal Vision video published here last week. I have responded to some of the comments on the Lib Dem Voice website, (scroll to the bottom of that page for comments) if you are interested.
I have been reading a blog post from Politico's which is a US politics blog the post is about Barack Obama and how he likes Pakistani foods and Urdu poetry. The blog post quotes Dawn (a pakistani newspaper) and you can see the quote below: 'Any plan to visit Pakistan in the near future?' 'I would love to visit. As you know, I had Pakistani roommates in college who were very close friends of mine. I went to visit them when I was still in college; was in Karachi and went to Hyderabad. Their mothers taught me to cook,' said ...
Gordon Brown's position of being in denial about future public spending cuts was reinforced today with news that the next Comprehensive Spending Review will be delayed until after the General Election. This enables the Government to try and maintain the fiction that expenditure will continue to rise throughout the post-recession years, even though their own forecasts suggest differently. It will also enable them to avoid any questions on detail. Instead they will say that this will be dealt with as part of the CSR. On the other side of the equation the opposition will be able to do the same. ...
Email received: Foreign Office (FCO) (foreignoffice) is now following your updates on Twitter. Not sure if I should be worried or flattered or both. However if I start updating my Twitter status with advice on international relations, you'll know why. More seriously, the use of Twitter to get messages out of Iran, for example, is something [...]
Pirate Bay is known for being a torrent site that really does bend the rules when it comes to giving people free stuff especially movies and software but now they are fighting back against Copyright by launching VideoBay which will be a video site to share videos on. VideoBay will one day allow users to watch full movies online that you would normally have to download of the Internet and personally I have to say I like the idea. I hope VideoBay does succeed and the project is up and running very soon. This will give Youtube a massive kick ...
This morning's sourdough bread was everything I'd hoped for - well-risen, cooked through, came out of the tin easily, sliced well - so next time, I'll be experimenting with swapping part of the white flour for either wholemeal or rye. Do any of my readers have an opinion as to which is easier for a beginner to work with?
Occasionally I get fed up of 'Today' or Five Live and resort to Terry Wogan during my morning journey. Today I took an even larger leap and listened to RTE Radio 1's 'Good Morning Ireland' on 252khz long wave. Now that was an experience! The Irish economy is in a worst state than ours, with the IMF saying it will contract by 13.5% over 2008 to 2010. The government is having to look for a further 5 Billion Euros' worth of spending cuts (which may well involve cutting social benefits - including child benefits!) on top of 13 billion of ...
The searchable database of Assembly Member allowances has now gone on-line here. Without doubt journalists and campaigners are scouring it to get themselves a good story so we thought we might start them off with a quickie. It has been noted that the Conservative Leader Nick Bourne paid Haecceitas Ltd £2,438.79 in twoinstallments on 8 May 2008 and 7 April 2009 respectively for a website. Does anybody know where this website is? The only site that we are aware of is this free blogspot account whilst Google does not throw up any new sites either. Presumably there is a big ...
Is the British government evil? Yes, according to Khamenei. No, venal actually, especially some of our MPs, but not evil. The Iranian government's bullying and name-calling is the resort of those who feel their power is slipping away. I very much hope the British government is not going to go any further down that road, for instance with police not wearing their ID numbers, surely not the idea of the individual officers concerned. The Iranian government arresting embassy workers is an attempt to control the situation through bullying tactics. Thank goodness our nation is a long way behind the Iranian ...
Anyone under the impression that promoting dodgy medical treatments by scaring people with even dodgier "evidence" was the preserve of the alternative medicine injury is in for a nasty shock. The private Nuffield Health Hospitals make a good chunk of their money from weight loss surgery, and they're obviously concerned that some overweight people aren't yet considering suicide in despair. As the Telegraph (along with others) reports: ... a fifth of obese people say they are not planning to lose weight and one in eight claim that they are "not bothered" about their body shape. Researchers say that the increasing ...
That's right - one silk scarf sent from the suppliers in a stout box measuring 36cm x 30cm x 14cm.
2 Big Stories Gordon Brown plans to spend his way back into Number 10 From the Telegraph: Mr Brown's determination to boost spending on frontline services will be underlined with the launch of his much vaunted national plan for public services on Monday. His Building Britain's Future document includes a number of proposals which will require significant Government spending. Peter Mandelson, however, has emphasised that the money will come from a "reprioritising of expenditure both within and between departments": He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It may be a disappointment to you that we are not going to hold ...
Having been tagged by Stephen Tall, and unaccustomed to opining in public as I am, this has proved somewhat difficult. However, here goes; Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service - William Ewart GladstoneLeader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal - Lord Steel of AikwoodSecretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, First Secretary and Lord President of the Council - David Lloyd GeorgeChancellor of the Exchequer - Vince CableSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - Lord Russell JohnstonSecretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor - Lord Thomas ...
There's a nice little report in the Courier today on the coal race. My main opponent in the race, Labour Councillor Willie Sullivan, needs more sponsors. Please give if you can.
Our campaign to transform the Birkdale Library grounds has met with some success. Iain Brodie Browne has promoted a scheme that will completely clear and replant all the beds surrounding the building. Phase two of the scheme will seen a children's out door reading area created. Included in the splans are extra security. iain told FOCUS :' we have stuck wwith this project for a liong time and now we have got in place enough money to start. Lib Dem Councillors have been working hard to improve Birkdale Library. In recent years we have seen a new roof and the ...
As usual Andrew Rawnsley's piece in the Observer yesterday is good reading. It asks how public services can be made more accountable. What I want to focus on though is something that is covered almost as an aside in Rawnsley's piece as he discusses the history of Labour's attempts at public service reform. It is this: Another problem was that his (Blair's) idea of devolution was limited to handing down power to head teachers or hospital managers. Choice remains an empty word for many parents, pupils and patients. Then there was the huge obstacle of his chancellor. Gordon Brown constantly ...
The Manchester Evening News has the story: A Liberal Democrat candidate for the next General Election has defected to Labour. Paul Moss had already been selected as candidate for Denton and Reddish but has now quit the party. Mr Moss said: "Nationally the Liberal Democrats are a complete joke. And I have seen how the Lib Dems in Stockport have completely ignored local people and have helped to seriously damage communities like Reddish through their uncaring policies." A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: "It's a shame he feels this way. He certainly didn't express these views when he was trying to ...
The eastbound carriageway of the A4174 Ring Road will be closed to all traffic between the Hambrook traffic signal junction and the Bromley Heath Roundabout from Friday 3rd July 2009 at 8pm until Monday 6th July 2009 at 5am. If bad weather stops the work being carried out then, it will be done the following weekend (10th to 13th July). This section of road is being closed so that a defective bridge movement joint in the carriageway can be replaced. At the same time, the road across the viaduct will be resurfaced and other maintenance work carried out. A contraflow ...
Political Betting has a blog post about how John Rentoul thinks like me that Alan Johnson will give Labour a better chance of winning the fourth term than anyone else who is currently a senior MP in the Labour party. Rentoul writes the following quote "I assume that the Labour Party will recover from its current trough of unpopularity, by which I mean that it replaces Brown with Alan Johnson.." and I can't agree with him anymore than I have argued myself in the past. If Johnson was to become the leader Labour might win the fourth term destroying the ...
Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, believes his party can overtake Labour at the next election, as "big things can happen" when a government is defeated in the battle of ideas and loses touch with the public. Read the full Story HERE
Although the headline in today's Echo is, "MP 'not quitting over jobs scrutiny'", the subsequent articles, based largely around my letter published in the paper on Friday, various blog postings of my own, and an interview with Alan himself, should leave no-one in any doubt that the Echo clearly believes the second (and third, fourth, fifth and sixth jobs) scandal is at the heart of Alan's
The phenomenal blogger and campaign guru Mark Pack has blogged about how people should rate political blogs and I shall use some of judgment rules set out by Mark Pack and review my own blog below and I hope you enjoy it. 1. More features = better site The only feature this blog has is that I write and people use the comment section if they want to to comment on what I have wrote be it a compliment or a rant. Its a simple site running for free and I wouldn't expect any more from the site in terms ...
The new searchable database of Assembly Members claims under their allowances system can be found here. The media have been salivating over this for days now so we will see what emerges. However, if Westminster had been as open and as transparent as this from the start then they would have taken much of the sting out of their own problems. The Sir Roger Jones report on reforming AM's allowances is due out a week today, at around 2.30pm I believe.
"It's too early to comment", says fellow blogger Nick Wallis when asked by the Echo if he'll be entering the race to succeed Alan Milburn as Darlington's Labour candidate at the next General Election. Only too early, Nick, if you think Labour might lose. After all, who wants to be the candidate at the wheel when the local Labour machine and its bankrupt Government finally hits the buffers?Only
Whether it is outsiders commenting on how parties and politicians use the internet, or people comparing their own party with others, or an individual looking to assess different website suppliers, reviews of political websites are a frequent occurrence. Across these reviews there are several very commonly made mistakes. Watch out for those explained below and you're much more likely to make a fair evaluation of websites and suppliers. 1. More features = better site It sounds obvious: the more features it has, the better a site is. But is a Swiss Army penknife a better eating implement than knife and ...
Peter Hain has just been on Radio Wales and has described Gordon Brown as a 'serious politician for serious times'. You cannot keep a good slogan down.
The other parents at the Quistlets' school will more than likely soon be picturing the Quist household as a cross between Orwell's 1984 and Fritzl's dungeon. I wouldn't mind, but it's not completely true. We don't live at house number 101, for example. How did this sorry state of affairs come about? It all started a while back when, like most parents of a daughter, we were pondering how to refer to her lady-parts and failing to come up with a satisfactory answer. It wasn't something we could ignore and referring to it as down there, front bottom, rose, fifi, ...
Highgate resident Hetty Bower (101), who lives at the Mary Fielding Guild on North Hill, is due to star, along with other residents, in a Film about their lives on BBC4, 13th July At 9pm. I mentioned Hetty in an earlier post, but more on the film can be found here.
There has been much debate this week following Charlotte Gore's posting about why she couldn't be a PPC. I was, as someone who has been involved in such things for a fair time now, intrigued. The Party does have a fairly diverse cast of potential candidates. Adherence to the totality of Liberal Democrat policy has never been a requirement, indeed, most assessors will tell you that the candidate who blithely claims to support all of our policies either wrote them or hasn't read them. Generally speaking, if they oppose an area of policy for reasons supporting by a sufficiently liberal ...
Another gem from the British Pathe website is this film of Stokesay Castle from 1936, complete with a commentary from Mr Cholmondeley-Warner. Except that, apart from the tasteful conversion of part of the gatehouse to include a teashop, Stokesay looks exactly the same today as it did 60 years ago. As the English Heritage page for Stokesay says: Stokesay Castle is quite simply the finest and best preserved fortified medieval manor house in England. Set in peaceful countryside near the Welsh border, the castle, timber-framed gatehouse and parish church form an unforgettably picturesque group.You can find Stokesay Castle on the ...
Believe it or not on the "balance of probabilities" I am guilty of calling all the Conservatives corrupt. I turned up at an appeal Tribunel hearing with my friendly solicitor Charles and tried to defend not just myself but the good name of Hillingdon. We failed at both. Hillingdon turned up with a well paid QC and trotted out the untruths that had been told before. They won on the evidence of an temporary officer. I had a permanent officer saying I didn't say the alleged words but unfortunately he refused to give evidence for fear of his job. That ...
Oh dear one of the chores of being in the preceeding week's Lib Dem Voice Golden Dozen is actually being singled out and named to partake in the LDV Weekend Meme*. But it is an intersting one set by Stephen Tall a fantasy Lib Dem-Liberal-SDP Cabinet. A cabinet of all our talents alive or dead. Roy Jenkins - Prime Minister Vincent Cable - Chancellor of the Exchequer William Gladstone - Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Nick Clegg - Home Secretary Menzie Campbell - Justice William Beveridge - Work & Pensions Jo Grimmond - Health Shirley Williams - Education Chris Huhne - ...
Fresh Squeezings from the veins of the internet!Everything you ever wanted to know about electoral systems but were afraid to ask... People keep asking me to explain electoral systems. The Electoral reform society have done it for me. Click here, and in the left sidebar are links to articles explaining all the different systems. Then, when you've realised how fab STV is, lobby your MP for it! I do :D Mark Reckons that both Charlotte Gore and James Graham would make fabulous MPs. Having met them both (and having enjoyed the experience) I wish to humbly disagree (at the risk ...
I'm changing the format of this a bit, and doing stats for the week, rather than the month; this means less continuity (and less C&P) but hopefully makes it a bit more dynamic too. This week's headline figures:499 absolute unique visitors1453 visitsBusiest day: MondayReaders' favourite browser: Firefox, 52.40% ( more Google Analytics statporn under here ) Exciting stats not from Google Analytics:# of unread emails: 10# of websites requiring work: 4# of blog posts I am committed to write that I haven't written yet: 10# of logos/headers to design: 2 (still one for Sarah at Same Difference, and one for ...
