Actually not the Conservative bit. Or the golfing.But I would love Tam to be Prime Minister.And the first step towards that is getting Tam elected as an MP.I'm very proud to say that last night Tam got selected as the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford. Tam is determined not to just win more votes for the Liberal Democrats in Lewisham - but to also make Lewisham a fairer, freer and safer, place while doing it.The good news is that we were in second place at the last General Election in 2005, the local Labour party are complacent, and ...
This is a true story about the family of a friend of mine. I've re-written it as fiction, changing all the names and dates, to avoid identifying them and to make it more readable, but all the significant parts of the story are completely accurate. ----- On Monday, our Carol came down with something - a bit of a fever and feeling sick. In a family with 5 kids, that does happen - and it didn't sound like any kind of flu, so we weren't worried. By the next day, she was feeling better again, so that was all OK. ...
Any comment on the performance of a Liberal Democrat leader at prime minister's questions has to be prefaced with a recognition of just how hard the job is. Faced with a noisy, hostile house, and without a dispatch box to lean nonchalantly upon or much protection from the Speaker, it is close to impossible to shine. Vince Cable scores with his lugubrious humour, but then he is not treated with the same lack of respect. All that said, I wonder whether Nick Clegg's weekly display of synthetic anger has not reached its sell-by date. You may say that there is ...
Last Saturday I wrote about Market Harborough's home-grown Moseleyite candidate Noel Symington. But it seems that Mosley himself also visited the town. I recently bought Mike Hutton's book Around Market Harborough Between the Wars. It is largely nostalgia porn - to which I am hugely susceptible - but there is also some interesting text. Hutton writes: There is no doubt that many among the upper class had a certain sympathy with Nazi Germany. A meeting held by Sir Oswald Moseley (sic), at the Assembly Rooms, suggests that the far-right policies also appealed to a far wider audience.Some five hundred attended ...
Inspired by Alex Foster's blog post about his new uke and the upcoming Prom by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, I've restrung my uke and got down to some serious training. Ladies and gentlemen, our soloist tonight, etc, etc... Anyway: snippets from Stairway to Heaven and (for balance) Highway to Hell. Who else is in? Download now or listen on posterous Stairway to Heaven.mp3 (406 KB) Download now or listen on posterous Highway to Hell.mp3 (289 KB) Posted via email from Helen Duffett's posterous
Comment on YouTube - "This song has been stuck in my head" - absolutely!
I left work at about 5:30 to head to Dean Bowling Club to play bowls in the Edinburgh Activity Mix Decathalon. We managed to get into the third/fourth playoff and we narrowly beaten 5-4. The net result of being in a zone of concentration playing sport is that iI wasn't refreshing the news feeds every five minutes for News of Livingston FC. I opened my laptop once I got unto the platform at Haymarket and did refresh the BBC page for Scottish Division one to be greeted with the headline Livingston Saved from Liquidation and whooped with joy. I may ...
In a deservedly-hagiographical article about the Blessèd Joanna of Lumley, BBC News Online's related-links-ometer made just a teensy boo-boo, linking to this obviously silly site. Here's the proof, in case they fix it.It's not a very good spoof site though.
The Labour Party's continuing atrocious polling numbers and Nick Clegg's increasingly impressive performance as LibDem leader raises the enticing possibility of us pushing Labour into third place in vote share at the next General Election. Now, a few notes of caution are needed. Most polls still put Labour about 5% or 6% ahead of the Liberal Democrats. An awful lot could change - in Labour's favour - between now and polling day. But, surely, the shot is on the board. If the governing party staggers into the General Election with Brown still at the helm, their campaign could be a ...
Now what would you do to improve Tolworth Broadway? It's actually a rather pleasant street with wide pavements and lots of street trees. Strictly speaking it begins outside Our Lady Immaculate, but it feels as though it starts further back, by the green triangle opposite the old Red Lion. It then runs right down to the roundabout. At that point the A3 becomes a major...
Numerous reports have suggested t in this regard the tide is defiantly turning with money flowing to the Conservatives as the expected incoming government however Politics Home reports that Labour topped the earnings chart for political parties in 2008. Labour raised £34 million compared to the Conservatives £32 million however they spent £26 million compared [...]
I have just posted a blog entry on swine flu. Within minutes of the post, I received a response from Sean Rushforth with a link taking me to the NHS swine flu web page. So who is Sean Rushforth? Well click on his name and you are taken to the NHS swine flu web page. Spooky. The NHS Swine Flu campaign is clearly monitoring political blogs. But why post the comments from Sean Rushforth? Who the hell is he?
So one of the big news stories is Cameron said the word 'twat' on radio in a conversation about Twitter.
It strikes me as surprising that there is still such discontent towards women in politics, when our country strives itself on being as inclusive as possible. Even the attitude of some Liberal Democrat members is strikingly sexist and derogatory towards women, and conflicts so strongly with our central aims of fairness and equality for all groups in society. The recent Guardian article points to how the Equality and Human Rights Commission is a good example of how politics needs to separate the needs and issues regarding disadvantaged groups in society more. Ethnicity, sexism and homophobia are separate and equally important ...
I have been in very regular contact with the Leisure & Communities Department of Dundee City Council over past months regarding the need for more (and larger) litter bins on Magdalen Green to assist tackle the litter problem. If you click on the headline above, you can read a previous blog entry about the litter problem. I am pleased to say that the Director of Leisure & Communities today advised me that 10 new "topsy" litter bins are to be purchased for the Green. I am very pleased at the department's proactive response to the litter concerns - not just ...
Being a devolved matter, a forthcoming report by the Commons innovation, universities, science and skills committee has no direct effect in Wales. However, the last report from the committee tracking the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is expected to be highly critical of universities. That in turn is going to have implications for higher education in this country. Phil Willis, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and a former headteacher, is the chairman of the committee. In an interview with The Independent's Lucy Hodges, he said he would like a royal commission to investigate higher education. "The whole ...
I caught the tail end of an interview on the Radio 4 Today Programme on Wednesday with a London Doctor on the Health Service response to swine flu. He made three very pertinent points: 1. For the vast majority of people, swine flu is a mild version of ordinary winter flu. Far more people will die from general flu than from swine flu. 2. Tamiflu, the drug given to those that have illness, has little impact - it may cut the duration of the illness from five days to four. The Doc said he wouldn't take it. 3. Most of ...
It's little over a fortnight since the last set of bad headlines about Reading which highlighted high levels of anti-social behaviour we are facing locally, today the town is at the top of another dubious chart: burglary. getreading has the story, reporting that Reading is third in the country for burglary behind Manchester and Nottingham. Of course this is not really news, it's sad to say. Back in April I highlighted the big increase in burglary that the Police were reporting to us. Although today's article is the result of a national Conservative party press release there is no comment made in the piece by any of ...
There has been lots of comment prompted by Baron Mandelson of Foy in the county of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the county of Durham's comments about him being "open" to the idea of a televised debate between the party leaders. Since becoming PM, Brown himself has consistently poured cold water on the idea (although he was pretty keen that Thatcher should do one during the 1980s so not that consistent!) and apparently his spokesman has done so again about these latest rumours. Rather than all this round the houses nonsense which will probably lead to no debate yet again, one ...
I've received a postcard which looks too good to be true. It says, "Hurry! Call now to claim your FREE gift from PoundSaver. As a special thank you for ordering with us, we have a special FREE gift reserved in your name at a value over £100.* ... This incredible limited offer is only available to our loyal customers." Ah, but what about that * indicating a footnote? All the footnote says is "All you pay is postage & packing". The phone number to call is 0800 479 0073, which looks a genuinely free number without any premium rate malarkey. ...
I am about to leave London and head to North Wales for a few days. I have just had to spectacle of being stuck in a queue in Victoria for half an hour trying to cancel my London travel card. When eventually I did get served the cashier walked off with my pass and then eventually returned to tell me that because of some obscure "warranty" ithey were not going to refund it and I had to go instead
There's a slightly plaintive piece in today's Independent's Pandora column under the self-explanatory heading, 'Opik's plea to Clegg: use me'. The paper quotes the Lib Dem MP for Montgomeryshire saying: I'm certainly available to the party in any way they want me, and that's a matter for them. This all follows Lembit's latest appearance in the spotlight since he joined forces with model Katie Green to front the 'Give a big zero to size zero' campaign. The trouble is, as so often with Lembit, that the celebrity gossip prompted by his friendship/relationship/whatever with Katie has overshadowed the worthy cause he ...
From the new Economist:Mr Clegg influences politics in two ways that depend little on his party's electoral showing, however. If the next election yields a hung parliament, the Lib Dems may enter government in coalition with either of the big parties. Even if they lose MPs (and many of their southern ones are vulnerable to the Tories), they need only hang on to third place for Mr Clegg to remain kingmaker-in-waiting.This consideration doubtless plays a part in the government's hints that it is pondering a referendum on a "fairer" voting system. The Lib Dems crave full-blown proportional representation but may ...
The following is the weekly WM report. It shows both a big jump in consultations, but also the WM being now below average.IntroductionThis week's report from NHS West Midlands shows that cases of swine flu continue to spread across the region. It provides information on the spread of swine flu and its impact on the local services as of 29 July 2009.Key MessagesPatients presenting at primary care
Today in Tehran tens of thousands of mourners including Mr Mousavi have courageously gathered to remember Neda, who was shot dead by a sniper from a pro-Ahmadinajad faction militia - should I call it the Praetorian Guard? The world is watching.
PARTS of the United Kingdom have become so heavily dependent on government spending that the private sector is generating less than a third of the regional economy, a new analysis has found. The study of "Soviet Britain" has found the government's share of output and expenditure has now surged to more than 60% in some [...]
The National Flu Pandemic Service was launched last week. The service is designed to take some of the pressure off GP's surgeries by allowing assessment of symptoms through online and telephone services.If you think that you have swine flu you should contact the service on 0800 1 513 100 or visit www.pandemicflu.direct.gov.uk. This service is only for people with high temperature and other
This is the first year for a long time that we haven't spent at least a fortnight in Mallorca. We have loved the island since we first went there together some 16 years ago and have made friends there that we look forward to seeing every year. We learn something new about the island every single year and I have missed our holiday there very much. We hope to go back as soon as we can. So, you can imagine that I'm quite shocked to see that a car bomb has exploded yards from a hotel where we have stayed ...
The man charged with heading the inquiry into the UK's decision to go to war with Iraq, Sir John Chilcot, has today held a press conferenece to explain the timescales and the process under which it will operate: The "huge job" of going through vast amounts of material and evidence means the Iraq inquiry could continue into 2011 says chairman Sir John Chilcot. Launching the inquiry he said it would be "as open as possible" with hearings televised and streamed online. But he said some hearings would be held in private for national security reasons or to allow "more candour". ...
The likelihood of a US-style televised debate at the next British general election has moved a step closer, with the Conservative leader David Cameron declaring that he would be happy for it to be a threesome, with Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg. Previously, the prevailing notion was to exclude the leader of the Liberal Democrats, [...]
For those of you who aren't familiar with how our policy process works (you're lucky, believe me), for a motion to proceed to conference for discussion, one of the routes that it can take is to be signed by twenty voting members of conference. And that's why I'm writing this. While we are confident that this motion already has the twenty signatures required, extra support always helps, so if you are a member who is a voting member of conference and reading this and decide that you'd like to support this motion, please drop Karen Roberts an email on Karen.roberts ...
The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, today unveiled the final design for the national identity card. From what I have seen of it, this £30 card, looks pretty standard in design. I for one will be one of those who, on a point of principle, will refuse to purchase one of these cards. The government's claim that it will help tackle crime and terrorism is completely erroneous. I mean, the Spanish have ID cards and look what happened in Madrid a few years back! This card is purely a symptom of this increasingly authoritarian state that we now find ourselves in. ...
I have received the following from '38 degrees' campaigning group and thought that readers would want to sign the petition that they have organised. "Last week, we heard about plans to close the only wind turbine factory in the UK. This means that 600 'green jobs' will be lost on the Isle of Wight. The government has helped other industries to survive in...
The Spectator's Coffee House blog has figures which show the poor pay more in taxation than the rich after 12 years of Labour government. So much for 'Things can only get better' then; they base their figures on research by Allister Heath which shows: "Allister reports that "the bottom fifth of earners pay 38.7 of their gross income [...]
Over at The Guardian's Comment Is Free's 'A New Politics' strand, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Newcastle East Greg Stone argues that we need to restore the health of our democracy by delivering fair voting to those dispossessed by a rotten system. You can read an excerpt here: ... while there may not be fevered discussion about AV+, STV, or d'Hondt, there is an almost universal cry for political change from the voters I speak to. The view that two-party politics and a winner-takes-all electoral system are a fundamental part of the problem is at last becoming widespread. ... Electoral ...
With the news that Labour actually tax more on the poor than the rich, there is no surprise that they are intending to attack asylum seekers with cuts aimed at sorting out their big budget deficit. Not only does this show that Labour are liars as they are clearly cutting public services, it also shows the immorality that now surrounds the Labour party. The cuts to the asylum seekers living allowance will put them in absolute poverty, or near it. They will definitely become below the level of subsistence, and just shows the lack of concern Labour have for the ...
So people are calling for the re-establishment of the Welsh Development Agency – after it was brought within the remit of the Welsh government during the bonfire of the quangos a few years ago. Considering that dismantling the quangos was one of the most widely supported policies of the Welsh government, something must have gone drastically wrong for people to want to reveerse that decision. I wonder if it has anything to do with Ieuan Wyn Jones being in charge of the economy department? Is he really doing that bad a job that people would prefer to see economic development ...
There's just over a month left to submit your entry for the ALDC Campaigner Awards. We've had lots of entries so far, but would like many more so that we know we are seeing the full range of Liberal Democrat campaigning. The awards are designed to find the best ideas from around the country and to promote them as best practice to other Liberal Democrats. But apart from the recognition you can also win a cash prize for your local party. The awards are open to both paid staff and party volunteers, and are being run in association and the ...
Bournemouth is the venue for this year's Liberal Democrat Federal Party Conference (19-23 September 2009). (Book online here.) For local campaigners and councillors this is a hugely important conference. It is the last time we will all be together for such a big event before the London and English "thirds" local elections on 6 May 2010, and, of course, the General Election. Come a Day Early! Although conference "proper" doesn't start until later on Saturday, our training programme kicks off first thing Saturday making it well worth coming to Bournemouth on Friday evening or very first thing Saturday if you ...
This from today. Somehow, I don't think ICM, YouGov et. al. have too much to worry about.
In no clever order. House prices may rise in 2009. I am feeling smug on this one: a later post will reveal why*.A bunch of economists explain the Crunch to the Queen, who rather sweetly wondered why things can't be predicted. The world of economics is not like a kingdom, ma'am. It is a chaotic system, dynamically responding to its own views of itself. If you meet an economist who will promise that some combination of improved theory, academic incentives or moral character can ensure that such events never happen again, have him beheaded - you are still allowed to. ...
Thu 30th
14:45
Lib Dems' £550k deficit, 8.5% membership drop, and other facts from the party's annual account...
The Electoral Commission has just published online the latest sets of financial accounts for the main parties, including the Liberal Democrats, for the year end 31 December 2008. You can read the party's statement of accounts HERE. For those who don't want to wade through its 28 pages, though, here are a few of the sexier snippets: The Liberal Democrats had, by some way, the largest pre-tax deficit of any of the 11 political parties whose income and expenditure figures are published – the party's income was £5.47 million against expenditure of £6.01m, a pre-tax deficit of £540,700. The report ...
Each month we try to highlight the work of one of the many Liberal Democrat Councillors who have a "myCouncillor" website - free from ALDC. This month we feature Cllr Howard Henshaw, Lancashire County Council and Fylde District councillor. www.howardhenshaw.mycouncillor.org.uk We particularly like how Howard has just "kept it simple", but has kept the site regularly updated with local news. If you're interested in a myCouncillor site, ALDC members can register free online here.
They say that when your parents die, you realise with shocking clarity that the roof is finally off the house of your life and it is up to you provide all the security for what you love. The funeral today of Henry Allingham, and the upcoming funeral of Harry Patch, mark the point where we have no more witnesses to the obscene slaughters of the first part of the Great European Civil War of 1914-1990 That was my grandparents generation. My dad (already dead) a veteran of the 1939-1945 period of hot combat, could at the end of his life ...
After pressure from Lib Dem councillors, Rita Road's pavement has finally been resurfaced - it had become a mess with patches as a result of utility companies work. And we're working with residents to reduce the number of bins left out on the pavement by the bin men.
Stones laid down for paths on the Black Harry Project,that the kids are using for-throwing at the cars. Request have been put in to put a whacker plate on them,what ever that is.sounds a bit public school but hope it works, 2. We have put in a request the grass is cut on a regular basis. 3, And [...]
The Western Mail has highlighted an important omission in the publication of Assembly Members' expenses, namely some openness on what Ministers are spending as they go about their buisiness. It is all taxpayers' money after all. The paper tells us that more than £100,000 has been spent by Assembly Government ministers on overseas visits since May 2007: Highlights of ministerial expenditure include: £19,425 spent on a visit by Deputy First Minister and Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones to New York and Boston; The £10,107 cost of First Minister Rhodri Morgan's visit to Washington DC for the launch of a festival ...
One of the few policy areas where the Tory Party has issued quite a lot of detail is the idea of localism. Under the Tory plans, local councils will be empowered to make decisions on planning and all the national levers which put pressure on councils to support development will be abolished. The development industry is understandably terrified. The recession may have brought construction to a halt, but there is little chance of it getting going again if it's reliant on local councillors giving planning approval. Anyone who has been to a Council Planning Committee will know that Councillors refuse ...
That looks to be the view of many people according to the findings of the latest PoliticsHome Impact Tracker. The tracker asks: "Below is a list of news stories that the media have focused on this week. Looking back over the week, please say which stories, if any, have most interested you. You may choose up to three." The overall figures show some interesting trends - the top story getting interest was ID cards (with 31%) just beating the story about two police dogs dying in a hot patrol car (29%). Yes, that's right - a hard political story beat ...
On the Institute of Welsh Affairs blog John Osmond reports on a speech given by Rhodri Morgan to a Cardiff seminar: First Minister Rhodri Morgan signalled today that bringing Wales's economic output per head up to the UK average, a major objective at the start of devolution a decade ago, is permanently off the radar. He declared that measuring Wales prosperity on the basis of comparative average GVA (gross value added) across the UK was a meaningless exercise, because it did not compare like with like. It did not take into account difference in population structures, such as numbers of ...
It's not unusual for scientists to be researching things that are completely pointless, but with the recent research on organic food they are completely missing the point. Today's press is reporting that organic food brings no health benefits. Not only is that no surprise, but it misses the point of why organic food is important. Organic [...]
Was I shocked to hear that David Cameron swore on national radio ? No. It takes a lot to offend me. To be honest, for once he sounded like an ordinary bloke rather than the pompous toff I usually see him as. Was it a silly thing to do ? I think so. It showed a lack of judgement. Will it affect poll ratings ? No. I think David Cameron could kick walking sticks away from old people and he would still have a healthy poll lead. This won't affect him one bit. I guess this is one of those ...
The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a FAIR, free and open society, in which we seek to BALANCE the FUNDAMENTAL VALUES [N.B. plural] of liberty, EQUALITY and COMMUNITY. By joining the party we all sign up to these words, which commence the preamble to the party's federal constitution. Rather good aren't they? I like them. I like striving for balance between the three values. I have put in capitals the bits that don't get enough emphasis sometimes, yet I have not noticed anyone putting a constitutional amendment to the party conference to take them out. The preamble has ...
Things have been a bit quiet on the blogging front for me lately - however, in between drawing trees with pastels and stroking horses in a perhaps misguided attempt to feel better, I have been just about managing to engage in various political activism. I managed to do a session of phone canvassing for April Pond a couple of weeks ago - I was planning to do more but came down with swine flu. I don't think I've ever seen the green vote squeezed so much...highly pleasurable... Next week I'm going back into the world of tense group meetings, writing ...
Thursday, July 30 2009 it was revealed that over £200 million has been spent on the ID card scheme already. Information released in a Parliamentary Question shows that the Government has so far spent £215m on the scheme, which includes the delivery of biometric passports.
To remind you, dear reader, of some excellent policy adopted recently I am posting the following text which was passed unanimously by the Liberal International Congress in May 2008. "The 55th Liberal International Congress, Noting that (1) The human population of the world, currently about 6.7 billion, is more than double what it was in 1960, and is continuing to increase at a rate of an extra 1.5 million people per week; (2) This rate of increase threatens the sustainability of the world's resources; (3) Population increases can enslave people in poverty; (4) Reproductive health conditions are the leading cause ...
A few weeks ago I blogged about the "re-vamp" of the Kings Tavern on Kings Road following it's enforced closure in June by Reading Borough Council following months of problems. The pub is due to re-open this Friday. My colleagues and I shared residents' serious concerns that problems identified previously at the venue could recur. Our concerns were heightened further when we learned that the operators of this venue had applied for temporary event licences for late night events later this month. Our fears are based on the fact that we received a very large number of complaints from local residents about this ...
No, I am not going to become personally abusive. Except to ask what did the Tory leader think he was doing when he swore on radio yesterday? Speculation is rife as to whether Mr. Cameron knew that 'twat' was in fact a swear word or if he was just trying to sound unconventional and in tune with the hoodies he has previously urged us to embrace. As is pointed out by the radio presenter it is unlikely that this sort of language would have been condoned at the swanky public schools that Cameron attended. The Independent has an account from ...
Great news in my area where the Tory County Council has installed road warning signs on the A40 to advise motorists on issues up ahead. Good idea, you might assume. Unfortunately the facts do not quite meet the ambitions of the officer with a pot of my Council Tax money to spend... Oxfordshire is rural, it has rural roads and very little potential for rat-running. The A40 is always busy and has the same bottlenecks every day. The sign is about 2 miles from the Cassington traffic lights and anyone using the A40 of a morning to get to Oxford ...
Scientists - that nebulous group stuck in a 1950s world expounding on our lives - tell us that organic food has no additional nutritional value compared to non-organic food. Well 'whooooo'. Except the point of organic food is not that it is somehow more nutrititional, just that it is not chock full of all the crap farmers still feel the need to spray across the countryside to stop our apples having blemishes. Well done scientists, once again.
The ever-excellent Ben Goldacre has an article in the Guardian on the response from the internet (and scientific bloggers in particular) to the on-going case in which the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) is suing the writer Simon Singh for suggested that some of the treatments of serious illnesses such as colic are "bogus". The word "bogus" is the key here as the infamous Mr Justice Eady (he of libel-tourism and many other dubious rulings fame) has ruled that the use of the word bogus implies deliberate dishonesty by the BCA and not, as Simon Singh claims, just that treatments are ...
At a meeting in the Canoldre Youth Centre today I was told that a number of young people from the area are replicating the big brother experience. A different group will be locked in the Gorseinon youth centre for a week each over the next five weeks where they will carry out tasks and learn to live together and in a more independent manner. Most of them do not know each other before going into the house. You can follow their exploits here.
Having been caught in a hail storm this morning I thought of this ...
Conservative Home has this rather damming indictment of the Conservatives claim that their jaunt in Totnes represents a radical shift in how politics is done. It is a lengthy article detailing an 'unprecedented' shift of power over selection shortlists into the clammy hands of CCHQ and Eric Pickles. Pickles along with association officers will 'sift' all [...]
I went to the shop earlier to buy some cola (I'm not bother which brand). But I was astonished at the price we are being asked to pay for small amounts of drink. I went to but a 500ml bottle and the price was 90 pence (or 2 for £1.60). But a 1 litre bottle of the same brand was 65 pence. So I was being asked to pay 25 pence more for half the amount or if I bought two bottles of the 1/2 litre bottles I could pay 95 pence more than it costs to buy a one ...
The government is thinking of changing the rules on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses) - and they are asking us what we think! Now we have a chance to tip the balance in favour of residents. Parts of Bath have a problem with HMOs. Of course, there's nothing wrong with sharing a house, as such. But there's something seriously wrong with a neighbourhood...
The cost of evening parking in the city centre will go up from £1 to £1.50 from September as part of a shake-up by Conservative-run Bath and North East Somerset Council. But Bath MP Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster said he had found plenty of businesses in the city which had not been consulted. To read the Full story follow the link HERE
A few weeks ago LDV had a mini-break in Bristol to go and see the Banksy exhibition. While we were in town we met up with Bristol West MP Stephen Williams and Cllrs Jon Rogers, Anthony Negus and Mark Wright as they held a street stall to gather signatures against the expansion of the local airport. We taped a couple of interviews – the first was with Stephen Williams, sitting over enormous slices of cake in the Lovely Tart café on the Gloucester Road. Look out for the councillor interview here on the Voice at the same time tomorrow. You ...
Just in case anyone else out there wants to text or e-mail in with a comment that isn't calling them skanks.
Can some one tell me did it rain on 15th July st Swithens Day for it hardly seems to have stopped since. I have been sat in the office looking out of the window at the poor old Sun Flower pictured below that was planted by our grandchildren.
A poll in the Independent has the Lib Dems on a healthy 18%, which is a good launchpad for the forthcoming general election. Labour, are utterly exhausted and demoralised and riven by infighting, while there is still evidence of a continuing lack of enthusiasm for the Tories despite the deep hostility to the Government. What we must do as a party is to come up with much more imaginative and radical proposals to put before the British public to win them over to us. Here's one for starters, we've long argued for fixed-term parliaments, well why not go one further ...
Rob Greenland has an interesting post on The Social Business asking whether Sainsbury's should be allowed to call some of its stores "Local" when they are sourcing their produce from all over the world. He contrasts this with the Farmer's market he goes to which is genuinely local. To be fair to Sainsbury's I suspect that the naming convention originated from the fact that these sorts of stores are smaller than their superstores and more "locally" based. However in a environmentally conscious age I am sure they are quite happy to allow the slightly ambiguous name to remain! It is ...
The last year certainly hasn't been a quiet one when it comes to controversies over how parties raise and spend money. Whilst the massive and long-running story of MPs' expenses has rather overshadowed the previous stories, Royal Assent has just been given to the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009, which is intended to deal with the issues thrown up by those previous events. New rules on political donations The changes are intended both to reduce the administrative burden on volunteers such as local party treasurers but also to ensure that more information is revealed as to the actual sources ...
In an attempt to arrest my rapid decline down the Total Politics list of best of Liberal Democrat blogs, I thought I would give this a push. Don't forget you have just 48 hours to vote for your favourite political blogs – of which I am sure this is one! I managed 37th last year, [...]
It's not that I am popular, just that there are a great many young graduates looking to climb the first rung of the Brussels ladder. The unexpected departure of my (Portuguese) parliamentary assistant - lured away by the offer of more money to work for a Portuguese MEP - forced me to look for a replacement at short notice. An e-mail notice did the rounds of the Brussels' networks and the applications came pouring in. And poured. And poured. Seven days later 755 had arrived. At one point close to the deadline the monitor screen was showing them arrive at ...
The BBC's business guru Robert Peston poses the question over at his blog, If markets don't work, what will? He identifies three recent examples of public authorities - the treasury, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and Ofcom – alleging that the markets they are being paid to regulate just aren't working, and that consumers are being overcharged. Market failure is not a new phenomenon by any means. Even in my A-level Economics I was taught that the 'perfect market' quite simply didn't exist: consumers do not have omniscient knowledge and don't always behave rationally, barriers to entry for companies do ...
UK house prices 'up 1.3% in July' – Nationwide Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing Thursday 30th July 2009 – 8:44am UK house prices 'up 1.3% in July' – Nationwide House prices are now higher than at the beginning of the year after rising for the third month in a row during July, figures showed today. The [...]
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has today announced that City West Housing Trust has been awarded £900,000 to provide 1,500 of its homes in West Salford with new insulation – reducing fuel bills for tenants and cutting carbon emissions. Colette McKune, Director of Asset Management at City West comments: We are delighted to [...]
Well very soon the site will have to have a few hard hitting political statements. Well not really a few, i would say a hell of a lot, over the coming months i hope to air some topics that may be a little politicly incorrect. Any one like to ask my views on any topic drop [...]
Seven years ago, Sam Brittan wrote about the 'religion of equality' in a beautifully destructive book review for Prospect. The review starts with anecdotes about the perennial difficulty of advocating any measure that might - inadvertently or otherwise - increase income inequality, regardless of its other merits. Brittan's basic charge against the book he is reviewing is that it doesn't defend egalitarianism, but simply assumes it. Towards the end he produces a beautiful summary of why, in my view, a pragmatic redistributive liberalism, which attacks the extremes on either side, is the best guide to economic policy.(John Kay thinks it ...
Yesterday the Food Standards Agency released a report which stated that there were no nutritional benefits found from eating organic food. Listen to the cries of glee from the tabloids, the supermarkets, the multinational food manufacturers. "You fools," they shout at those of us that prefer organic food, "It's a total waste of money! ". Well I have news for [...]
A quite remarkable account over at Tory-Politico of the Conservative Party Press Office's unwillingness to provide basic information - a copy of a public letter to Gordon Brown from David Cameron - to a blogger: Bloggers don't count as media so I can't send it to you. And in answer to the blogger's request to be added to the distribution list for future news releases: No. It's well worth reading the whole exchange as a lesson in how not to handle bloggers (or indeed anyone asking for information - would it really have killed them to email a copy of ...
I am in darkest deepest France, where, unlike darkest deepest Estonia, there is no internet access, not even mobile phone coverage. Normal service will be resumed after I return to Tallinn and civilisation on August 8th.
I'm 35 years old you know? That's right, look impressed.
Thu 30th
08:20
I found this today on the net, Sad when a young person can discribe in so few words how bad this sit...
salford (the precinct) Chavtowns The nemesis of Estate Agents & Local Councilors i know salford is already on here but i need to stress just how scummy and chav-infested it really is. i live right on the border of this sh*thole and a (marginally) nicer area and it's amazing to see the difference between the two. every *self-respecting* [...]
In the last week's House Points I wrote that Samuel Danks Waddy was "MP for Barnstaple 1874-9, for Sheffield 1879-80 and for Edinburgh 1882-5". I am afraid I short-changed him. If I had read my earlier posting on him properly I would have known that he was also MP for Brigg from 1886-94. Sorry, Sam.
By Sue ReidLast updated at 1:24 AM on 10th January 2009 The official at the housing office was typically blunt. His third customer of the day, a blonde with a northern accent, the pinched face of poverty and a baby in a buggy, looked crestfallen when she heard the news. 'You'll have to wait between one [...]
Not so much time for blogging at the moment as still feeling rubbish. At least doctor has found a reason for it so let's hope the new drugs do the trick. Won't be around much today as we are looking after my sister's four lovely children while she's on a work course. Can you all please keep your fingers crossed for: a) no fighting b) no accidents c) me not to catch Tonsilitis from Laura. I promise I didn't give her the Glandular Fever she also has, poor thing. I remember 14 years ago looking after her when she had ...
The cheese that was unsuccessfully launched into space yesterday has fallen in Buckinghamshire. The BBC reports: The "interstellar cheddar" landed in Cressex - some 74 miles away - and was taken to High Wycombe police station on Wednesday night, the launch team said.The wedge was still in one piece but the flight-recording camera had failed.
Thu 30th
07:47What do you think about Langworthy have we forced out real Salford People? how did it all go so wron...
Salford's 'middle class makeover' Yakub Qureshi June 05, 2009 A PROFESSOR has branded the demolition of homes in Salford a 'middle-class makeover'. Regeneration expert Chris Allen says bulldozing terraced houses in favour of trendy new homes in Langworthy and areas in Oldham and Rochdale is 'gentrification'. But his comments have sparked a bitter row with other top professors, who [...]
Well, it's open for visitors and splendid it looks in it's full restoration - so come on down to Keat's House (Wentworth Place). But I thought that these picture of the house under scaffolding were more unusual and less likely to survive the gaze of history and memory. The House is of course in Keat's Grove off Downshire Hill and South End Road and is immediately next to Heath Library and has stunning garden and grounds. There is a really good website set up by the City of London which you should take time to look at http://www.keatshouse.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ The refurbishment ...
Exclusive: By Jason Beattie 29/07/2009 David Cameron and George Osborne Holy tax increases! Here's a right pair of caped raiders. Led by greedy Vatman David Cameron and his Robbin' sidekick George Osborne, the Tories are secretly plotting to raise VAT to 20%. The move is revealed in a leaked letter sent to business bosses that sets out [...]
The man who sold the controlling interest in Livingston to Angelo Massone for £1 last summer, former owner and Chairman Pearse Flynn, has urged the Italian to 'do the right thing before it is too late'; ie 2pm this afternoon. Speaking in today's West Lothian Courier he says when he sold the club there was £278,000 of debt. Massone has been saying in recent weeks that the club had been left crippling debts, but nowhere near the £1.8 that the administrator is reportedly saying exist. Chairman of the Livi for Life Supporters Trust and shareholder under both Flynn and Massone ...
I was flicking through the sport's pages this morning to see what the papers say about the imminent liquidation of Livingston. The Grauniad fail when they say: 'Presumably the number of people reading this column who care, or even know about, the probable demise of Livingston FC can be counted on the fingers of an oven glove.' Personally I find such presumptions about Scots first and Livingston fans secondly a disgrace. An oven glove has one finger. Other than myself I can think of several other readers of that paper in the support. I may have to confine them to ...
{mark-at-area-51-july-29th-2009} On a day's break from the poker tables of the Las Vegas strip, we took the $200 tour to the infamous secret American military base commonly known as Area 51 (alas, my modest performance at Hold 'Em has precluded us from going for the $1,000 option where you actually get to see the recovered alien spacecrafts and share a few beers with the greys!) Even admitting the existence of Area 51 seems too much for the US authorities to concede, it is only referred to eliptically in a few scant legal documents. The base therefore lacks an official name ...
The Lib Dems are in a bind. We seem to realise that many of our voters are `policy heavier` ie thinkers. The problem is that we require wider appeal. Many Lib Dems baulk at short snappy phrases. I don't! Norwich North proved that if Rennardism isn't dead – Rennardism without strong narrative is dead. Sure, we [...]
To celebrate the close of voting for Iain Dale's 'Oo's got the best blog then?' competition (in which, if you recall, I'm aiming to beat last year's 46th 'Best' Lib Dem blog) I thought I'd post my own highly suspect guide to writing a political blog in the form of another Top 10 list. Follow this and you can't possibly go wrong. Trust me.. would I lie to you? #10. Join a Party Seems obvious really, but you're not allowed to blog about politics unless you're a party member, and importantly if you're not writing about general party politics or ...
The National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition is at the NEC, Birmingham from Friday 30th October 2009 to Saturday 31st October 2009.
