I realise with some trepidation that of the 70 years coming of up the CAB, I've been there for half of that! 35 years as a volunteer. We had a "talent show" tonight, and not being able to sing, play and instrument or dance I'd written a poem about life in the CAB over the 35 years. I won't reprint here as some very "in jokes", and it as amazing how much has changed in how we work. However 2...
This blog has been predicting a Tory landslide at the next election now for a very long time. I say this not because Cameron's Tories are particularly popular - they are not - but because Gordon Brown is universally despised. The result in Norwich North confirms this. If Brown remains Labour Leader, we are looking at a Tory majority at the next election of at least 100 and possibly up to 200. For the last few months, polls have shown Labour's vote in the 23-27% region. The last time Labour polled this poorly at a General Election was in 1983, ...
The C99Shell a.k.a. "C99 Shell" is a PHP backdoor script designed to further compromise insecure web-servers. Once installed onto an insufficiently secure server it is able to automatically install a number of wordpress spesific hacks. In addition it can take advantage of the lack of sandboxing in the PHP platform to execute arbitrary OS commands under the user ID of the webserver process. C99Shell appears as an extra file which is dropped in a random or disguised location somewhere in your web-server. The PHP file contains a ziped, base64 encoded stream which is decoded and then eval'd on the fly. ...
Today, I have been mostly working with Liz. I LIKE working with Liz. Liz is technically my boss, but we have so much in common geekery-wise that we can just make each other crack out laughing and all the customers go "wuh?" We made red dwarf and transformers in-jokes today and it was cool. Althopough it might have been going too far when somebody orded a Becks, a Stella and a Spitfire, and Liz asked me what the order was and I said "One Becks, One Stella, One Spitfire" and she said "One Becks one Stella one Spitfire?" and then ...
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed that he will "almost certainly" vote for the Liberal Democrats at the next election. The actor, who plays the title character in the fantasy franchise, told Attitude that he "rather liked" party leader Nick Clegg.? Can't wait to use this in Swinton South Harry Potter Votes Lib Dem! got [...]
Irrelevant but superb update!
The BBC report that Val Lloyd will be standing down as the Labour Assembly Member for Swansea East at the 2011 Assembly election. Mrs Lloyd is a former nurse, teacher and Swansea councillor who was elected in the first by-election of the assembly in 2001, which was brought about by the death of Labour's Val Feld. She currently currently chairs the All Party Group on Waterways and the All Party Group on Nursing as well as the Assembly Petitions Committee and one of the permanent legislation Committees. She made her mark though as chair of the ad hoc sub committee ...
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed that he will "almost certainly" vote for the Liberal Democrats at the next election. The actor, who plays the title character in the fantasy franchise, told Attitude that he "rather liked" party leader Nick Clegg. "If all the people who liked them voted for them you could change politics overnight and we could have a proper three-party system," he explained. Discussing current Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, he said: "Paul Merton said, and I agree with him, 'It's a tragedy that this man has waited all his life to do this job - ...
Can I thank those of you who have looked in on this blog for the last few weeks to follow the Norwich North by-election. It has been a busy and quite exciting time for all those of us in this area who care about politics. Now I appreciate that many of you read this blog just for the election coverage, but I would stress that this blog has been going for nearly three years, I post on all issues local, national and international, so I am not a one trick pony. So if you like to rant, want to put ...
Many congratulations to Nich Starling, the Norfolk Blogger, for his excellent coverage of the Norfolk North by-election. The by-election seemed to come as a remarkable piece of serendipity for the NB. You only have to go back to 16th April and he was thinking of knocking blogging on the head: Oh I just can't be bothered I am wondering if it really is time to knock this whole blogging business on the head. After 30 months, thousands of postings, lots of ranting, and lots of time wasted, I really am finding it very difficult to summon up the energy to ...
So Shiny Media the company that are known for leading the way with new media in the UK has recently been struggling to keep going, with editors getting sacked, new editors taking their places, so on and so fourth. I ask the question does this mean the end of large new media organisations. MessyMedia started and everyone got excited due to them owning the WestMonster blog, which by the way had a great name but that soon died. So I ask the question is that the end of large new media organisations? I think the answer to that might just ...
First of all, the result suggests that the scandal over MPs' expenses is already fading into memory. The Conservatives, despite being as deeply mired as anyone else, had no difficulty winning the seat. More than that, Ian Gibson (who was deselected over his own claims) emerged as a popular hero amid widespread claims that he would have won if he had stood as an independent. And the most plausible anti-party candidate, Craig Murray, failed to make much of an impact. The result was a triumph for the Conservatives, but it is hard to be too enthusiastic about their candidate. Chloe ...
I note the sad passing of the highly talented John Ryan, who created the charming Captain Pugwash series. It is perhaps a good opportunity to repeat that the stories about smutty names in the series were completely untrue. As the BBC states today: Contrary to popular myth there was no Master Bates or Seaman Staines and the cabin boy was called Tom, not Roger. Wikipedia adds: There is a persistent urban legend, repeated by the now-defunct UK newspaper the Sunday Correspondent, which ascribes sexually suggestive names - such as Master Bates, Seaman Staines, and Roger the Cabin Boy (meaning to ...
Izmir is Turkey's Manchester, only much more attractıve in parts. I can admit that happily, as a born-and-bred Mancunian who moved away to live in Brussels and then London. The common factors are that İzmir and Manchester are both their country's third city in size, with a considerable industrial component. But İzmir has the advantage of a [...]
I grew up in the north eastern and largely working class town of Redcar. (Known by racing enthusiasts for the Racecourse and by Geography students of the 70s and 80s for its steel industry). I did my first campaigning there during the 1987 General Election - canvassing in Chris Abbott's ward and was signed up to the Liberal Party by his then ward colleague Stan Wilson. In those days Redcar was not a hotbed of Liberalism although both the Liberals and the SDP had a few seats locally. More recently however the Lib Dems have really been gaining ground. The ...
It's a long story but I alighted upon the following intro to "Soap" on YouTube today. It made me go all gooey, so here it is in case it causes some small pleasure somewhere in the world. The intros to "Soap" were utterly hilarious. Like this one - narrated by the late Rod Roddy (who was a very famous voice-over man in the States - he did "The Price is Right" for many years) it weaves a maddeningly complex web of plot intricacies and then ends with the familiar line: "Confused? You won't be after this week's episode of Soap". ...
News reaches me from a good source of some turmoil in the ranks of Bromley Labour. Firstly Councillor Karen Roberts gets deselected in Penge and Cator. Then infamous Cray Valley West Councillor Colin Willetts, who has been under investigation by the Standards Board for 8 months, fails to fill in his application or cough up his Labour membership subs and has been replaced by ... Councillor Karen
Despite the comments from the haters I have managed to get myself work experience at a local newspaper and my quest to see if Journalism is for me will start very shortly. I shall experience Journalism whilst at the placement and if it's something that I like I might go into it in the future... You never know I might one day replace Nick Robinson at the BBC!
Ten years ago I was down in Rye - no doubt it was something to do with Malcolm Saville - and went into a bookshop there. I saw a display of Captain Pugwash books and told the owner how much I admired John Ryan's work. "He was in here five minutes ago," he replied, "you could have met him." John Ryan died today aged 88. I am too young to recall Captain Pugwash's heyday: I discovered him as an adult through Ryan's picture books. But I do have fond memories of Sir Prancelot from the early 1970s. Pugwash war revived ...
The government's announcement that the Great Western Main Line is to be electrified leaves me with something of a quandary; how do I react to the government actually doing something I want them to do? At one level I suppose I'd have to admit that even a government that was trying its hardest couldn't get every single decision wrong and that statistically the odd correct decision is inevitable (
Today's House Points arguable finds me a little demob happy. This is my last column of the parliamentary season. Incidentally, when I was at primary school in Hemel Hempstead we sang for no one more eminent than Potten End Women's Institute. We got a good tea, though. Bercow's big tent Bad news from Olympic questions on Monday: Tessa Jowell is talking about "investment" again. And we all know what that means under Labour. This time the government is making good the shortfall in private sector contributions to the media centre and athletes' village. It all comes out of the contingency ...
So, the votes have been counted and Norwich North has a new Conservative MP. I can't pretend I was surprised we came in third; not least since I predicted as much yesterday but I was surprised by the poor showing from the Green's who have to be disappointed with their 5th position. The 16% swing [...]
The link is to a telegraph story about a form of riot in the South Korean Parliament. It is interesting to compare the situation in South Korea to that in the UK where we don't have formal seats, but I cannot think of anyone tolerating that form of behaviour.It is true that parliament is as described by the irish party in about 1881 as being "lawless" and there is a big problem with Standing
"I say Hermione, it's polling day!! Are you going to vote?" "Of course I am, Harry! Who are you going to vote for?!" "It's a secret ballot, Hermione!!" "Not for long, Harry - ballotius revealiarmus!!" "Wait, Hermione ... no!!" "Oh my fuck?! Why Harry, you're a LibDem?!" "So I am, Hermione - what of it?!" "I'm not going to lie Harry - Hogwarts is a bit Tory, at least in the early movies. In the later movies they've made more of an effort to look a bit more 'comprehensive'. JK's a friend of Gordo's you know..." What's that?! The dialogues ...
Sorry wrong Picture, but god it would be funny if he turned up by mistake.
Six months ago i drank and today i am tea total. Hard to give up yes but for health reason i called it a day. I call in most nights and pick up four bottles of non alcoholic beer taste the same only difference i can drive and i have lost 2 stone in weight. What [...]
Today, prime minister Gordon Brown demonstrated one of my favourite rules about politics: if you're a politician, never comment on by-election figures or opinion polls because anything you say will come back and bite you on the bum. Commenting on the result of the Norwich North by-election, Brown said: "I don't think any party can take a great deal of cheer from this, the Conservative vote went down, the Liberal [sic] vote when down - only the fringe parties saw their votes going up." Mr Brown's comment on the figures was quite correct, as far as it went. The Tory ...
The Sussex Express printed my article today. They've managed to describe me as "a Liberal Democrat county councillor for Priory ward, and a Lewes District Councillor".In fact, I'm a Liberal Democrat district councillor for Priory ward. I'm not a county councillor at all. Never mind. Interesting to see that Jason Sugarman chose to use the article to undermine trust, by repeating lies about Norman
It's been heartening to see the rally in the stock market over the last week or so. Even the BBC have been giving it a bit of fanfare, as they did on BBC1's Breakfast this morning. Hurrah! If you go to the heart of the recovery in the States, however, there is a bit of a conundrum at the centre of it. As CNN's The Buzz explains, by enlarge, the shares are rising in response to good profit statements from companies such as AT&T and 3M. However, those profits are being obtained by companies reducing costs rather than increasing revenues. ...
Figures published by the Treasury have revealed cuts in education spending by more than £100m in the next year. The Daily Telegraph reports today that 14 of 23 departments will see budgets fall next year, including the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills which will be subject to spending cuts of 24.6 per cent. Shadow [...]
Matt Wardman has very kindly published a guest blog post I have done today on The Wardman Wire about Portugal's 8 year long (and counting) experiment with decriminalisation of all previously illegal drugs. The results are striking in my opinion and deserve much debate.
Ohh dear Mr Brown! You and your party have done it again - following up on the London bye-election loss to the LibDems, you have now managed to loose a Westminster seat! Loose it by over 7000 votes! Cameron was reported on LBC 97.3 news today that Brown was '...allowing a campaign of lies and [...]
Norwich North wasn't a good result for the Lib Dems. We made no progress. Indeed, we fell back a bit both in terms of numbers of votes and percentage share, and now have UKIP and Greens breathing down our necks.However, there is some cause for hope. Here are a few of thoughts that provide some optimism on how the Lib Dem vote is holding up:1. The vote for all 3 big parties dropped: Labour by a
This particular example of a car torched in October 2007 is still relevant to Birmingham Politics. The car belonged to Lib Dem Activists.It was torched prior to the Aston Election court which started in November 2007. In the judgment of that trial the commissioner criticised Ayoub Khan - who is our candidate for Ladywood in the General Election and is Cabinet Member for Local Services on
Liberal Democrats and freedom campaigners celebrate as government finally comes round to their way of thinking. The Liberal Democrats welcomed last week's government announcement that the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is to be considered for inclusion under the Freedom of Information Act. The government's stated aim is to bring the body within the regime early in the next parliamentary session. Liberal Democrat Justice Secretary David Howarth said, "This is a welcome development which Liberal Democrats have been advocating for some time." Strengthening the Act in a number of ways is one of the calls of our original Freedom ...
Today was the last day of operation articulated (bendy) buses on route 507. Johnson (Mayor of London) was reported on LBC 97.3 wishing the buses '...good luck in Coventry...', in reference to the buses moving up to the West Midlands. The removal of these buses from the 507 (and ultimately ALL routes on which they are currently allocated) is the [...]
A firm of Manchester consultants who produced a facelift plan are expected to be shelved by the Bracknell Council. The council are still considering the proposals which will involve public consultation. Cllr Anne Shillcock leader of Bracknell Forest Labour Group, who represents Great Holland's North, said in a quote to the Bracknell Standard: "I think it was a waste of money, and unlikely, given the difficulty of getting hold of any extra money, that there would be any redevelopment in the near future. and added "It was a pretty unwise decision." , "It looked very pie in the sky and ...
What? You expected me to do a normal countdown to the Total Politics poll of Blogs? How often do you read me? Yeah it you haven't already it is time to really start to think about your top ten political blogs of the year, as I post there there really are just 7 days, 7 hours and 7 minutes to midnight on 31 July when the inbox will be shut to any new votes, and we don't want that to happen. And as you have now read this there is less time than that remaining. As you are here and ...
The Conservatives may have taken Norwich North from Labour at a parliamentary by election on July 23rd but they were certainly brought down to earth with a bang in Council by elections held on the same night. In Fact they lost the four seats they were defending to the Liberal Democrats,Labour,Green, & UKIP The Liberal Democrats however held on to the Brent council seat...
I thought people might be interested to see this. Download Microsoft Word - EastReading_Summer_2009There is quite a bit happening over the school holidays, everything from archery clubs to making iron age jewelry to parent pampering sessions (rather needed I suspect).I was especially pleased to see the things going on the Museum of English Rural Life, which is a unique resource, and based here in Redlands.If you would like more information, please contact the organisers or any one of us.
One of the area committees on Norfolk County Council threw up an interesting insight in to Green politics in Norwich. After discussion with the two Labour County councillors and the two Lib Dem county councillors in the Norwich area, it was agreed that the Green Party group leader (Boswell) would chair the committee and that Lib Dem and Labour would rotate vice chairmanship. So what happened at the meeting ? Lib Dems and Labour support their Green Group Leader but the rest of the Green group vote against their leader and put someone else in as chairman. Questions about arses ...
The final issue of Paul Cornell's Captain Britain and MI13 hit the shelves this week. I came to this series late – just in time for the final storyline in fact – but I've bought the first two published collections, as well as Cornell's "prequel" Wisdom. I really liked this series and appreciated Cornell's agenda [...]
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but in a time of recession you might think that our elected Councillors would be striving and devoting their energies to ensuring that hundreds of small businesses within Wirral are given help to enable them to survive. The case of Liscard is typical. A diabolical road system, blighted by resident [...]
Well done to the people of Norwich North on electing a young turkey rather than processing it into Twizzlers. Enjoy the Commons while you can, Clone Smith, because if Gibbo returns at the GE as an independent he will roast you at the polls as surely as you did your former party colleague Ostrowski. I'm not sure what is the more depressing; another Crewe-and-Nantwich-style result for the LibDems despite a far stronger candidate this time, or the 11% for UKIP, or even the 900-odd votes for crackpot BNP candidate the "Reverend" Robert West. On the other hand, seeing the much-vaunted ...
As I don't feel like blogging here is a canvassing story for you to lighten the mood. Following my controversial blog post about Women and voting I have a story for you about something opposing what I said. I and a colleague once knocked on the door and a woman opened it. The first thing she said was that she wasn't voting! After trying to make her change her mind she said "I am not voting and neither is my husband!" The man heard this and came to the door, he claimed he was going to vote but the women ...
As promised I said I'd get around to saying more about for me one of the two big football stories of the day. In February 2004 Livingston Football were preparing for the CIS Cup Semi Final when they went into administration. This week having had a 0-0 draw against SPL side Falkirk and a 2-1 win against Plymouth Argyle in pre-season friendlies we have been thrust there again. This morning the court of session in Edinburgh appointed an interim administrator to bring 'some stability'. David Thomson, counsel for the local authority, told the court that the company was in "a ...
Chloe has fought a model, positive campaign and deserves such a positive result. It's gratifying that the smears of the Labour campaign and the outright lies of the Liberal Democrats have been punished by the electorate. A swing of 16.5%, of course, if replicated at the next General Election would see a Conservative victory in Worsley [...]
Captain Pugwash cartoonist John Ryan dies 24/07/2009 Celebrated cartoonist John Ryan, whose most famous creation was Captain Pugwash, has died aged 88. Edinburgh-born Mr Ryan drew Pugwash as a comic strip for The Eagle in 1950 while an art teacher at Harrow. The BBC commissioned a series of animated shorts featuring the bumbling pirate using cut-out [...]
Fri 24th
14:38
'Gordon Brown needs more sleep to be better Prime Minister' - plus average kip of leaders including ...
Yes i agree about Five years worth after the next election!! Exclusive: By James Lyons 24/07/2009 Gordon Brown is making mistakes because he doesn't get enough sleep, a former No 10 aide has claimed. Cabinet colleagues have long complained that the gruelling hours Mr Brown works affect his judgement. They say the PM is worn out [...]
Fri 24th
14:34Well i have not been on Cllr Lindleys page today but i bet he his packing is bags allready.
Brown suffers Norwich by-election blow as young Tory strolls home Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Central Government Friday 24th July 2009 – 1:39pm 'Shock' figures dash end of recession hopes Labour concedes defeat in Norwich North by-election Labour candidate in Norwich by-election 'being treated for swine flu' Job clubs in schools 'to tackle child poverty [...]
Here in the Democratic People's Republic of Creeting St Peter, we have tended to the view that, whilst the outside world is very nice, it is best left to its own devices. Unfortunately, the outside world feels differently. As part of the strategy of creating Community Boards, Creeting St Peter has been grouped together with Stowmarket (population 20,000) and Stowupland (population 2,500). Our still, small voice is, by comparison, rather lost in the crowd. However, our now former Chair of the Parish Council did attend and, following his resignation, a replacement was needed. That would be me then. So, the ...
The Latvian mess continues to rumble on, with lessons perhaps even for stronger economies, such as our own. Something to ponder as our party looks at our spending commitments and decides what we can afford to promise... A central point is the political will to carry through policies, and the way the EU is being 'played off' against the IMF by countries in severe difficulties. See the latest (23 July) AFOE story by Edward Hugh what the IMF are evidently worried about is the possibility that some (Latvian government) coalition members may support the agreed measures just long enough to ...
Here is the result but what does it mean for politics, parties, policies and people? At the By Election in Norwich North on 23rd July 2009, 34379 votes were cast (approximately 45% of the total number of eligible voters) with the following result: 39.5% Chloe Smith (Conservative): 13591 votes (+6.3%). 18.2% Chris Ostrowski (Labour): 6243 votes (-26.7%). 14% April Pond (Liberal Democrat): 4803 votes (-2.2%). 11.8% Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party): 4068 votes (+9.4%). 9.7% Rupert Read (Green Party): 3350 votes (+7%). 2.8% Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament): 953 votes. 2.7% Robert West (British National Party): 941 ...
"If all the people who liked the Lib Dems voted for them we could change politics overnight and we could have a proper three party system." So says Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe in the Sun, declaring his intention to vote Liberal Democrat at the next General Election. (Credit for the story should go to Attitude [...]
Well I am home. Sorry to those tweeting me at the count who I did not reply to. I am new to the whole Twitter thing and it was actually a rather hot place to be and I was scrutinising votes. The count itself was amusing. The Tories were extremely pleasant, polite, and most unlike those who I used to have to deal with in North Norfolk. One of their national agents doubled up on verifying votes from polling district by watching two counters, I watched another two, and then we pooled our data, which was helpful whilst Labour seemed ...
So, today, imagine my surprise when I get an email update to my Gmail account saying someone had commented on two of my blog pieces! Its what we all love, getting a bit of blog-time. But, alas and alack, t'was not to be. For t'was but a shadow named anonymous, speaking poorly of Nick Clegg. Okay, enough of the flowery crap. I oppose top-up fees. I led the chants with my fellow IR Cymru members that went something along the lines of: "Labour Plaid! They both lied!" Or as one of my friends more bluntly put to me a few ...
Good news from Section 10 of the minutes of a recent meeting of the Commons Administration Committee: slowly, cautiously the House of Commons is moving towards allowing Parliamentary footage to be put up on YouTube. Credit to Jo Swinson, who has been campaigning steadily on the issue and kept it going through the slow wheels of Parliamentary decision-making. Here's the relevant part of the minutes: The Committee considered a paper from the Director of Broadcasting (Tim Jeffes), about the use of parliamentary footage on searchable websites. As agreed by the Committee at a previous meeting, he had agreed with PARBUL ...
The 4th Party In The Park sees a huge top draw line up on Salford's biggest stage, as the city's king of hiphop, The Unexpectable, heads a bill which also includes street dancing sensation, Elliott Campion and his New Era crew, indie-rock resounders, Sugarwood, Salford's top singer/songwriter, John Herring and riproaring rapper, Briggzy... Party In The [...]
Redcar and Cleveland BC, Dormanstown Brighton and Hove City Council, Goldsmid Stockport MBC, Reddish North Wellingborough BC, Swanspool Brent LBC, Wembley Central Huntingdonshire DC, Ramsey Cambridgeshire CC, Ramsey Huntingdon TC, North Derbyshire Dales DC, Winster & South Darley Hyndburn DC, Immanuel
It is generally a mistake to question the electorate's decision after a by-election or general election. The voters have spoken and congratulations to Chloe Smith who becomes the youngest MP at 27 years old (I wonder if Jo Swinson feel just that little bit older this afternoon ;)). However I do think that the message from this election is decidedly odd. This is the first by-election triggered as a result of the expenses scandal. Ian Gibson, the former Labour MP had his future political career destroyed by his own party after his expenses came to light and he decided to ...
I don't think the Rennard guide to winning elections is working due to the fact that the Lib Dems could have come second in Norwich North but clearly didn't and I think this is down to the belief that Lib Dems have which is more leaflets equal more votes. I call on the party to see Norwich North as a wake up call and start socialising with voters, more soap box politics and Q&A's and we need to start doing this now. I am banging on about this but no one is listening not even PPC's because they are stuck ...
Redcar and Cleveland BC, Dormanstown Eric Howden LD 805 (52.3; +27.2)Lab 515 (33.5; -18.6)BNP 145 (9.4; +9.4)Con 73 (4.7; -18.0)Majority 290Turnout 29.88%LD gain from LabPercentage change from 2007Brighton and Hove City Council, GoldsmidGreen 1,456 (38.5; +17.2)Con 1,104 (29.2; +1.1)Lab 816 (21.6; -4.4)Howard Spencer LD 280 (7.4; -7.8)UKIP 129 (3.4; +3.4)[Ind (0.0; -9.5)Majority 352Turnout 32.85%
So my prediction to the outcome in Norwich North was wrong. It's not the first time I was wrong but it doesn't matter life goes on! The results courtesy of Iain Dale are: Peter Baggs (Ind) 23 Thomas Burridge (LPUK) 36 Anne Fryatt (NOTA) 59 Bill Holden (Ind) 166 Howling Laud Hope (Loony) 144 Craig Murray (Ind) 953 Chris Ostrowski (Lab) 6,243 April Pond (Lib) 4,803 Rupert Read (Green) 3,350 Chloe Smith (Con) 13,591 Glen Tingle (UKIP) 4,068 Robert West (BNP) 941 Clearly as I pointed out last night the Lib Dems need to change their strategy for by elections ...
Chloe Smith will take over from Jo Swinson as youngest MP. The full result is: Chloe Smith (Conservative): 13591 Chris Ostrowski (Labour): 6243 April Pond (Liberal Democrat): 4803 Glenn Tingle (UK Independence Party): 4068 Rupert Read (Green): 3350 Craig Murray (Put An Honest Man into Parliament): 953 Robert West (British National Party): 941 Bill Holden (Independent): 566 Laud Howling (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party): 144 Anne Fryatt (None of The Above Party): 59 Thomas Burridge (Libertarian Party): 36 Peter Baggs (Independent): 23 Turnout: 45.8% The Green Party and UKIP also polled well, which must be worrying for the Conservatives. ...
Disappointing, perhaps. This fits in with the current narrative on the Tories - a decent result, but still under 40%. Minor parties continue enjoying post-expenses boom. Numbers: Conservatives 13,591 Labour 6,243 LDs 4,803 UKIP 4,068 Greens 3,350 Murray (Ind) 953 Percentages: Conservatives - 39.5% Labour - 18.2% LDs - 14.0% Greens - 9.7% UKIP - 11.8% And the swings: Labour to Conservatives: 16.49% LD to Conservatives: 4.25% Labour to LDs: 12.24% Conservative majority: 7,348 In other news - both Stevie Gerrard and Amy Winehouse have been found not guilty.
Here's the result of the Norwich North by-election. In spectacularly uncoordinated fashion, all the LDV team are otherwise occupied this afternoon – so use this thread to pass your comment on the result... The tension is clearly mounting over on Nich Starling's twitter account, with the news expected "within five minutes" over half an hour ago. Meanwhile over on the BBC, the Lib Dems have been squeezed out of the report entirely, with the reporter on the spot still thinking Labour could come second: At the count in Norwich BBC correspondent Carole Walker said it looked as though Labour would ...
****BREAKING NEWS**** Livingston Football Club enter administration for the second time in just over 5 years. More to follow*. ****BREAKING NEWS**** *Just as soon as I get the Norwich North result
If you are still wondering where to get the latest news/gossip from the Norwich North count I suggest you follow the link to the Norfolk Blogger's twitter feed. The Norfolk Blogger is tweeting live from the event and that's how I am following the count!
Nice one on the BBC page at the moment with the caption under what ought to be a picture of the winning Tory candidate Chloe Smith saying that she will become the "youngest Labour MP": <!-- google_ad_client = "pub-8502734622986536"; /* 468x15 */ google_ad_slot = "9254756953"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 15; //-->
Redcar Liberal Democrats completed a hat trick of sensational victories from Labour in less than twelve months when Eric Howden won the Dormanstown By Election held on Thursday 23rd July. The result was as follows: Eric Howden LD 805 (52.3; +27.2) Lab 515 (33.5; -18.6) BNP 145 (9.4; +9.4) Con 73 (4.7; -18.0) Majority 290 Turnout 29.88% LD gain from Lab For the third time Labour has lost its overall majority on the Council. After each of the previous two by-elections Labour managed to persuade one of the Council's seven independents to help them cling onto power. Candidate Eric Howden ...
There's a swine flu centre in Keighley. It's supposedly secret - but I already know where it is and I haven't even been trying to find out.
The Dormanstown byelection in Redcar was held yesterday and the count was this morning. Another gain from Labour. Well done to all our people there. The ward, previously safely Labour, had a byelection in April which resulted in our first gain from Labour. All we had to do was repeat the result. We did just that but the other parties saw their votes fall. By the way, another North East result
Mark Pack's post here has reminded of something. I am going to be 35 next Thursday and this means that on a lot of measures I will shift into a new demographic. You often see groupings of 25 - 34 year olds. So I will be moving into 35 -44 year old territory! What's it like up there?
2 Big Stories Norwich North by-election: result by lunchtime Yes, it may not have been a late night for the candidates contesting Norwich North, but it was almost certainly a fairly sleepless one. Every party is spinning desperately to manage expectations. Sky News is reporting a likely Tory victory, with a scrap between the Lib Dems and Labour for the runners-up spot: A party insider said: "The Conservatives are trying to play down what is happening but I think the reality is that Labour is in a fight with the Lib Dems for second place. The turnout has been poor ...
Two men from Keighley and one from Skipton who groomed and sexually abused a teenaged girl have received prison sentences, two of five years and one of eight years. Best place for them. Now the police are asking for help to smash grooming rings. ...
I know this is a little old but I read a blog post over at Nick Robinson's blog the other day and liked the post. It was about how Cameron had started doing a lot more soap box politics and I like that sort of politics so I have to applaud Cameron for it. I have said on this blog time and time again that politics now needs to be about soap box politics, socialising with the voters and communicating with them face to face not sending out as many leaflets as you possibly can. I don't think anyone in ...
The Sun reports an interview with Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who portrays Harry Potter in the film franchise, in which he gives his support to the Lib Dems – and dismisses Labour and the Tories: The actor – who battles soul-sucking Dementors as the boy wizard and is currently starring in Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince – said he supports Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg because the other parties offer nothing to young people. He said: "I rather like Nick Clegg. At the next election I will almost certainly vote Lib Dem. If all the people who liked ...
You wonder how Gordon Brown does it. There is a yawning chasm of an open goal yet still he manages to miss. Yesterday, as anyone in the capital may have noticed due to the enhanced police presence, the Cabinet met in Cardiff. One of their many unelected members, Lord Drayson noted to his twitter followers this was the first ever meeting of the Cabinet in Wales. Ministers also met local groups and people and the PM a group of young people to whom he talked about votes at 16. I joined the Lib Dem's when I was 16 and have ...
Regular readers of www.dundeewestend.com will know that I have raised with the City Council's Head of Transportation and the bus companies the lack of services in Ninewells Avenue. I am pleased to advise that the 42 service is being re-routed from 17th August (as part of a number of bus changes involving Stagecoach Fife services) to include Ninewells Avenue. Service 42 will henceforth operate hourly using Ninewells Avenue. To quote the bus company : 42 Ninewells Hospital - Cupar This service will operate to a revised timetable maintaining the current hourly frequency, but there will no longer be any school ...
Fri 24th
09:38More From the Star Type it in and have a read it's great to see another view of Salford . Not sure w...
CHILD POVERTY IN SALFORD A NOD AND A WINK TO CHILD POVERTY IN SALFORD Star date 22July 2009 The Child Poverty Bill, which enshrines in law the commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020, has just been formally approved by the House of Commons. In Salford, over a third of our kids live in poverty and the Council [...]
On July 6, disgruntled United Airlines customer Dave Carroll posted his YouTube song about how United had broken his guitar. Within 48 hours it was in the mainstream American media (such as here on CNN) and was a hit on YouTube. Coverage and YouTube views grew rapidly on the following few days and was picked up by blogs (such as, err..., myself here, here and here). In the world of cut-throat media competition to be first with the news, the internet making it easy for stories to travel round the world quickly, the US being a frequent (if anything, too ...
Click here and read the story. Then guess if the person who "expressed satisfaction" with the court case (a) won or (b) lost.
This morning's Western Mail reports that Welsh Government officials are considering whether to grant a licence to release a non-native tiny sap-sucking insect into Wales to tackle Japanese Knotweed, which has caused millions of pounds of damage to buildings, roads and railways. A formal consultation was launched yesterday on plans to introduce foreign "jumping plant lice" to tackle the rampant vegetation. The paper says that the highly invasive weed (Reynoutria japonica) was brought to Britain from the Far East by Victorian explorers and introduced as an ornamental plant in the early 19th century, though the alternative story is that it ...
The result of the Norwich North by-election is still not in as yet but already there are signs that the Liberal Democrats are gaining momentum. As if by magic the Sun reports that the party has gained a convert with the highest possible profile. They report on an interview between Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe with the magazine Attitude in which he tells readers that he is a Liberal Democrat: The actor – who battles soul-sucking Dementors as the boy wizard and is currently starring in Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince – said he supports Lib Dem leader ...
There has been a row this week over the decision of a school in Norwich to install CCTV cameras to monitor the sink area in the lavatories. The Times reported that: Shami Chakrabarti, the director of the human rights organisation Liberty, said that the measure would serve only to prepare children for a lifetime of intrusive surveillance.I reported similar concerns in 2007 over a school that was taking children's fingerprints. The headmaster defended the practice on the grounds that it was "preparing pupils for a world in which terrorism was rife, and their privacy would be further invaded". The defence ...
@LukePollard Consider it a compliment that you look youthful and smart? in reply to LukePollard # RT @chrisgarrett: You should retweet this now, because it's very cool http://post.ly/1LZm in reply to chrisgarrett # RT @DigitalPublic: Houston, We're Fixing a Problem: Interplanetary internet to Link Worlds by 2011?: http://bit.ly/JXpE6 in reply to DigitalPublic # @caronmlindsay Why, thank you in reply to caronmlindsay # Learning yet more new acronyms. For professions that are about communicating clearly with public, PR and marketing do love their TLAs {:)} # New York police spent $1m on typewriters (!) in 2007 http://bit.ly/2UhZYo # @marshallmanson It's great ...
Writing on the New Statesman website last year I declared: Rural England has been laid waste by the rich. Just look at the names of their houses: The Old Rectory. The Old Bakehouse. The Old Red Lion.Last week I had dinner with a company director who had just moved from The Old Stables to The Old Watermill.Somewhere behind this façade - Marie Antoinette's play dairy brought to the market by Kirsty Allsopp - is a smokier, more productive landscape. And I am determined to see it peopled again.Since then the process has only got worse. At the start of the ...
Although I am not at all a fan of what the government have done in respect of swine flu I am blogging the current report.What it talks about is a "decrease in trend". I am trying to find out what they mean by that.IntroductionThis week's report provides information on the spread of swine flu and its impact on the local servicesKey MessagesPCT is meeting the requirements of current demandActivity
Nick Clegg was on particularly good form in Luton last night. He did what he does best, connected with the audience, demonstrated his great listening skills and came across as the great leader he is. The fact is that when people get a chance to meet him "up close and personal" he does the business. Most of the time he reminded me of why I supported him to be leader and why I have confidence in the fact that on so many issues we are completely on the same page. I resisted the huge temptation to ask a question publicly ...
But I ended up doing lots of stuff for the pub instead. So, in lieu of actual content, have a big pile of bare links. I promise you they are interesting, but I would like to sleep before dawn, so I'm not going to type up a lot about each one. Enjoy! - Cut NHS spending,not tuition fees, Nick! - Sexism Inquiry committee only has one female member irony - Bye-bye Law Lords. *sniffle* :( - Mark reckons FPTP is a crock of shit. With graphs! - Jock is wondering how Gordon manages to live with himself. - Cath Eliot ...
Thursday was polling day for Wembley Central. Called in difficult circumstances this was a great personal triumph for a truly impressive candidate - well done Cllr Afifa Pervez - well deserved and best of luck. Lib Dem 1195 Labour 934 Conservative 423 Independent 240 Green 100 Lib Dem Hold. Well done to Group and Council Leader Paul Lorber and the Brent team - a great result following Colville...
