[IMG: Cropped Stuart with 1010 logo] This Wednesday MPs will get to vote on whether Parliament, the Government and the entire public sector signs up to the 10:10 campaign - pledging to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 2010. It's a Lib Dem motion on which they'll vote, I'm pleased to report, but MPs from all parties should support it. My fellow Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate in Plymouth and I have emailed the city's two Labour MPs asking them to join Lib Dems in the division lobbies on Wednesday. Both Gordon Brown and David Cameron have voiced ...
Only one in a hundred reported crimes in London actually gets solved, which means that those criminals who do get caught feel very hard done by. That was the gruesome message delivered by former senior Metropolitan police officer (and LibDem London Mayoral candidate) Brian Paddick at the Blackheath Supper Club this evening. He was very much on ...
How very sad to hear of the death of Ludovic Kennedy yesterday. A journo, a man of ideas, an activist for justice, and a campaigner for the truth. A true Liberal. As well as campaigning against miscarriages of justice, Ludo was a lifelong atheist, a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society, as well as a co-founder of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. I loved the many stories about him, like playing Jazz with Humph (Lyttleton). I loved watching him on Panorama and Newsnight in the 1970s, he was urbane, erudite, and elegant. ...
Dear Glenda Jackson MP, I do hope you'll feel able to vote for the 10:10 motion in Parliament this Wednesday. The motion calls on Parliament, government departments and the public sector to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 10% in 2010, compared to 2009 levels. As you will know Gordon Brown, the Cabinet and the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinets have already signed up, as have many hospitals, schools and councils. It would be fantastic if you, an MP in the borough where the 10:10 Campaign was born, could send out a clear message of support on Wednesday. 10:10 ...
There follows a list of female bloggers who may or may not fall into the definition of political that you use, but who are all very much worth reading. Lots of them are sciencey. This is not an exhaustive list. I just went through my userifo and grabbed out those who caught my eye. I have undoubtedly missed some people; this is because I am only human. Apologies if you are one of those I missed. The People's Republic of Mortimer - if you're not already reading Alix, there's no hope. [IMG: [info - personal] ] innerbrat - despite her ...
£135,000 is what Durham County Council paid for the "Insight" reports into Derwentside's plan for a Sports Centre at Berry Edge. You will remember that these reports were supposed to enable the Cabinet at County Hall to decide whether the new sports centre should go ahead. So why have they been collecting dust since April, never presented to cabinet or reported to councillors? And denied to me for three months? Could it be that cabinet didn't want to hear that "the relocation of facilities to Berry Edge retains the possibility that they can be expanded at some time in the ...
Last week I was invited to two climate change events, one entitled 'Operation Noah' at Southwark Cathedral with Rowen Williams the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and one in Bristol with OXFAM, Stop the Climate Chaos Coalition and Climate 350.org. The later a campaign to get CO2 down to 350 parts per million in the atmosphere, Currently we are just below 400ppm and rising fast (up from around 280 ppm in 1800) The implications of Climate change are potentially terrifying if we don't get on and do something soon to reduce our own and global levels of CO2 production. While I ...
After consultation with councillors and likely candidates the decision has been taken to count the votes immediately after the polls close on whichever Thursday is chosen by Gordon Brown. There had been a suggestion to count on Friday morning with some good arguments on both sides.The huge number of postal votes now used and the fact that people can still take their postal vote to the ballot box
Back in 2000, before I was elected to the City Council, a planning application was approved to create a nursery school on the site of the derelict building at 33 Seafield Road. The applicaton was not progressed at the time but remained valid due to some works within the five year validity period and now Taylor Brothers Limited is taking forward the planning consent. Seafield Road is a narrow but busy road and many residents have expressed their concerns about traffic management arrangements, loss of trees and other issues. Having discussed these concerns with residents, I met Graham Giblen from ...
So, nobody will be that surprised that Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, has been stripped-of his electoral victory. The Electoral Complaints Commission slashed his majority from the required 55% to 48.3%. With Karzai's electoral legitimacy any notion that the exercise in Afghanistan is anything other than one in futility should vanish. Nick Clegg was right to ...
Cue the slow mo. Cue the loud background music. Send directorial subtlety out the door. Bring in the naff humour ("Your name is Ned Ned?" "Yes yes"). It's a new episode of Flash Forward. Complete with endearingly silly pre-titles sequence cliff hanger of white person who sees 6 months in the future ... when he's black. The scene of father playing with an egg to impress cute kid, complete with cuddly toy, really sums up the show. It's silly, it's naff, but it's also enjoyably low-key rather than getting all Bruce Willis action movie style self-important. Real parents drop eggs ...
There is now less than eight months to save a new generation of young people from huge increases in university tuition fees, according to Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for the Redcar Constituency, Ian Swales. He was speaking after the Conservatives suggested they will increase tuition fees to £7,000 if they take power at the next general election, which has to be held by next June. That will see tuition fees for undergraduates more than double. Currently there is a cap of £3,300 in England and Wales. Peter Mandelson has already suggested that Labour will allow universities to charge more than ...
Whilst I am not wanting to slander Gordon Brown's personality, it has come to my attention more of late that his attempted use of new technology and means of communication are working against him. To me, Brown does not suit the type of methods that suit Cameron. Brown suits more bold and plain methods of ...
If the government have done all they can to ensure our swine flu immunisation programme is as effective and quick as possible, can we ask them why they started immunising people in Australia three weeks ago and we have yet to start in the UK ?
Nearly a month ago, now, pillock asked me to write a post about Darkseid. This has been more difficult than I at first thought it would. Duncan, in the comments there, mentioned my earlier piece, Darkseid Is (and we could also add my post from last month on the Fourth World characters) but that doesn't ...
It appears Nick Robinson, the former Tory and BBC political reporter, has links to Bedford Tories and perhaps lacks the principled backbone to report the Tory failure to gain the Bedford Mayoralty. And the Tories claim the BBC is biased against them.
It has been a very busy week, not helped by losing a day on Thursday due to travelling to London for a very sad funeral. I had intended to blog more on Conference but was taken ill on Saturday night and as a result lost Sunday as well, so I was limited as to what I could do. Today was equally as busy, with meetings all day and most of the evening. As it is I am now engaging in displacement activity to avoid getting on with re-writing a speech I need to deliver tomorrow night. So this is just ...
The finishing post is in site as we get to the penultimate chapter. Nick has called it "The environmental crisis", but it avoids the worst of the "we're all doomed" rhetoric of the green movement. It turns out to be an essay on how we bridge the lightly gap between future energy supply and demand without increasing CO2 emissions. Nick puts his money on a dispersed economy of renewable energy sources and micro generation, which is very appealing to Liberals, but raises two questions. The first is whether these in themselves these measures will bridge the gap. Can we really ...
I went to the annual Schumacher lectures in Bristol on Saturday, and fascinating it was. In fact, so fascinating, that it has led me to try to put into words a bit better why I feel so frustrated with political parties at the moment - even my own. It wasn't that I heard anything especially new - though there were some fascinating insights - it was the sheer energy in the room that made me realise how much the world outside politics is shifting. The Schumacher Lectures have toddled along for decades on the fringes of the mainstream, but something ...
All, This Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats have secured a debate in the House of Commons on climate change. We will call for Parliament and Government to sign up to the 10:10 campaign and commit to achieving a 10% reduction in emissions by the end of 2010. Please ask John Maples MP to vote in favour of our motion on Wednesday. If enough MPs join us then we can make a huge change to Britain's future. You can quickly email him through writetothem.com. Ask him to support the Liberal Democrat motion on 10:10 on Wednesday. We endorsed the 10:10 campaign at ...
I'm actually in the middle of writing my Kirby & Darkseid piece, but a few things which I thought deserved linking: Jennie writes more about where all the female bloggers are... good discussion in the comments, too. Millennium writes about the Dalek War box set. How to get a Windows refund if you're buying a new (not second-hand) ...
All, As you can see from their poster, the District Council is planning a consultation about next year's budget. I'm probably a little too cynical about how meaningful consultation from the Conservative run District Council is, particularly after their decision to close the Telegraph Street area office - but if we all turn up, they might just listen. See you there! Regards, Philip
Good news all in all for both the Electoral Commission and for the laws regulating donations to political parties with the decision today by an Appeal Court to overturn a previous strange ruling by a magistrate in the case of a series of donations to UKIP that the Electoral Commission had investigated and decided broke the law. The donations, from an Alan Bown, totalled £367,697 and were given by him personally, despite not being on the electoral register at the time. This made them impermissible. Until this case, everyone's interpretation of the law had been that, for better or worse, ...
Today I joined the City Car Club, so I can drive without owning a car. Since passing my test years ago I have never owned a car; I've never really needed one, they are very expensive to run and there's a huge environmental cost. However, I accept that there are a few occassions when it is very hard to get by without. I've been tempted by the car club idea for a while. Members of the club are able to book one of a fleet for a few hours or days and pay a standard rental charge (about £5/hr or ...
I would like to thank my family, friends, dog, the staff of the Financial Times and the Guardian, everyone at CentreForum, everyone not at CentreForum who voted for it, the people at the SMF for taking me on as an intern, and everyone else. 'A balancing act: fair solutions to a modern debt crisis' wins Publication of the year. Thank god the reference to pubic spending was removed.
All, Here's the details of the next Shipston & Stour Community Forum. If you have any questions about it, feel free to give me a ring. Regards, Philip Thursday 19th November 2009Newbold-on-Stour Village Hall Local surgery 6.30pm, Community Forum starts at 7.00pm Community Forums give YOU the opportunity to raise issues of local concern and keep up to date with what is happening in YOUR community. Local surgery If you have a specific concern or problem then come along to the local surgery from 6.30pm - 7.00pm where you will be able to speak to officers from your local Safer ...
Interesting news from The Herald: Internet piracy is merely demand where appropriate supply does not exist, people will never go back to buying music legally, and protecting information online will only destroy businesses, according to a provocative essay set to appear on a Scottish Government-funded website tomorrow. Written by Alice Taylor, commissioning editor for education at Channel 4, the essay flies in the face of Westminster's Digital Britain report, which recommended that persistent file-sharers should have their internet access restricted or even barred. Taylor argues that enforcing out-dated attitudes on how information is shared - ie, paying for it - ...
The BBC reports: The author, broadcaster and campaigner Sir Ludovic Kennedy has died aged 89. A former BBC Panorama journalist, Sir Ludovic spent decades investigating miscarriages of justice, including the case of the Birmingham Six. He contributed to the abolition of the death penalty and was also president of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. Nick Clegg has joined in the tributes to Sir Ludovic, a member of the Liberal party and later the Lib Dems, for most of his life: Ludovic Kennedy was one of the great thinkers of his generation. His pursuit of justice and his championing of sometimes unpopular ...
Cantelowes Lib Dems have called on MP Frank Dobson to support a Liberal Democrat climate change motion. The motion, which would pledge Government and Parliament to cut emissions by 10% in 2010, will be debated in Parliament on Wednesday. In a move supported by democratic action group 38 Degrees and the UK Youth Delegation to the Copenhagen climate change summit, the Liberal Democrats are trying to get Government and Parliament to join one of the biggest public movements to stop climate change. The Liberal Democrats became the first political party to sign up to the campaign at the party conference ...
Interesting that our local councillor Lindsay Hall seems to have changed her mind so quickly about the proposed development of St John's Wood Barracks. In last week's Wood & Vale, it states how she was previously opposed to the plan, but now she apparently believes that the Eyre Estate have gone away and taken on ...
Earlier today, I read a post on Jennie Rigg's Dreamwidth blog about women bloggers. That post itself comes about because of a discussion that began in LDV's fringe meeting about e-engagement at the Bournemouth conference – and LDV still have an audio recording of that meeting if you'd like to listen. I'm responding to Jennie's post because she calls out LDV editors on our unconscious (?) misogyny – but I'm responding in a personal capacity, hence these words being here and not over on't Voice. I like to think I'm a feminist, and in the Lib Dems, I strongly support ...
It's all in the name - and so it seems... Camden Council has along standing commitment to the replacement of the single letter black plaques and there is some hearsay that says that they are much appreciated by all and sundry... However, I was mulling this over and forgive me if I've mentioned this before, but was wondering about where there is a plaque sign and above or near it one of the older painted street name sighs. They are being allowed to fade away - now I don't doubt that the work needed to restore the painted sign is ...
over the voting system used in the Bedford Mayoral Election. By the way, WELL DONE DAVE :-) Was it AV with two rounds? Or SV?
Getting on for a year ago, Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik began writing a regular political column in the Daily Sport. Thanks to Lib Dem blogger James Graham – who set up the Prawn Free Lembit blog, so that those of us who don't touch the Sport's casually misogynistic pages can follow his writings – I've become a regular reader. It's a weird, dire mixture of straight news and forced comedy-innuendo. Commentary on Barack Obama's Nobel Peace prize and the plight of British troops in Afghanistan jostle for space alongside groaning references to "Sport stunna Marlena Lewis from Cornwall" and ...
A break away from the fray. Mary and I have just got back from a holiday at the French town of Bayeux in Normandy. This was a chance for me to follow my interest in military history and tour the D-Day beaches. We went on two one-day tours, one for the American sector and the other covering the British, and we saw a lot and heard a lot of stories. While we were there we saw the Bayeux tapestry, the cathedral and various museums as well as speaking some basic French and eating too much food. The most moving part ...
I tweeted thus this afternoon: 'Got in lift at City Hall to find Boris, Tessa Jowell and John Denham. I thought an Olympics cabal. But what else might they have been up to?' And here followeth samples of the wit that flowed forth from your responses: 1) Fight Club? 2) Expenses alibis? 3) If you get Seb Coe and David Beckham you get to shout house! 4) Looking for a brain cell? 5) Grey's Anatomy at City Hall? 6) Jowell and Denham realising that New Labour project has bankrupted country are throwing their hands in with Tories? 7) Dissing LDs? ...
Mon 19th
17:55
LibLink ... Vince Cable: Loaded, yet STILL bankers are not doing their job lending to help businesse...
Writing in the Mail yesterday (yes, the Mail: the newspaper which last week published the most complained-about article in British history) Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable contrasts two of the big stories of the last week: the investment bankers, announcing record bonuses, alongside the news of another big rise in unemployment. Here's an excerpt: A year after the collapse and rescue of the banking system by the taxpayer, the number of British workers without full-time jobs is still rising: 120,000 more in the three months to August. But the big international banks - mainly US-owned but major players in ...
For some years now, each ward has had its own Safer Neighbourhood Police teams. The Chessington South and Chessington North & Hook teams work together to everyone's benefit, and they have been looking for a joint base within the area. At the moment they work out of Surbiton Police Station which is a frustrating distance from the two wards. The Metropolitan Police have now submitted a planning application to convert one of the shops in Hook Parade for this purpose. It is the shop to the right of the Debra charity shop - in fact, the one where they used ...
Mon 19th
17:39
Does the Bracknell Primary Show the Conservatives as Inconsistent on Electoral reform?
There is an interesting take on the Bracknell Primary posted on Left Foot Forward by Mark Thompson on the link below. It's about how the electoral system at the primary, strongly resembled the Alternative Vote type of proportional representation. I guess the local party believed that this was a fair system when there are a limited number of voters even though the conservatives support first past the post for general elections. Everything you may want to know about Proportional Representation Voting systems can be found here at the Electoral Reform Society
I have been a bit knackered from helping in Bedford, the Bedford Count and then the West Midlands Liberal Democrat Conference - I have only just got round to posting the Bedford Mayoral result - by now of course you will have almost certainly seen it but...
This post is dedicated to Jo Swinson MP and Count Packula. According to the office of National Statistics NB, this is a .pdf download, of the internet-accessing population in the UK as a whole (51% female), 6% of men write a blog, and 8% of women. More women are blogging than men. This is a fact. Of those who state their gender on Dreamwidth, the majority are female, and the same goes for Livejournal. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo... All these are female-dominated, to a greater or lesser extent. It's harder to find stats for blogger or wordpress, but I suspect ...
Regular readers will know that I have about as much confidence in the Tories in charge of Bury Council as I do in an aeroplane held together with blu-tack and spit. It takes quite something for them to leave me speechless, but they manage to achieve this with alarming regularity, and have this week excelled themselves with a piece of policy so idiotic I can only assume it's part of a drunken forfeit. Unfortunately, it has real life consequences for everyone in Bury which are really quite serious. The Conservatives are, quite literally, breaking Bury piece by piece. This time ...
1. ofgem hit the headlines last Friday with predictions that energy prices could rise by as much as 60% in the next few years. According to their analysis, £200bn will have to be spent in the next few years to secure energy supplies and meet carbon targets. Today, the Guardian has usefully printed the graph showing the UK running out of electricity in 2015, something that is well known in the industry. The graph was part of an article about nuclear power stations, which even on the best estimates will not be operational until 2017. The way things are going ...
I know from bitter experience trying to date girls that people find things that are mysterious and unknown extremely attractive. I also know, from hearing various tearful phone-calls and drunken confessions, that once the mystique is stripped away what often remains is a disappointing let-down. None of that ever meant that the fit girls ever ended up going out with me, but it's a moral with a wider application than simply my desparate social life. Because with any luck, exactly the same thing will happen this week when the British National Party, the unknown but unavoidable presence in British politics, ...
Much schadenfreude about the fact that UKIP have suddenly found themselves in big financial trouble after a court ruling by which the party have been ordered to repay £367,697 of donations. While it's rather amusing to watch the BNP-in-blazers floundering, what is a worrying prospect is what could happen to the party membership and its MEPs if the party collapses. It would be bad enough to see some of them joining the unrepentant knuckle-draggers on the right; it would be more dangerous if they were to come back to the Tory fold and further bury the illusion of nice green ...
Liverpool was never going to get a tram without a grant from central government. Today the Labour Government has made clear what has been obvious for a while-namely that they are not going to back the Tram. Let us be clear this is the Labour Government which has done this-to date the Lab and Tory coalition has spent what is estimated to be £70m on this project without the comfort of firm government backing for the project. I think the Tories rather hoped we wouldn't notice, or maybe plan B was to blame us but it is now clear the ...
The CBI's call to cut £120bn off government spending by 2015-16 (even cumulatively) is the worst piece of economic advice to be offered all year, against some pretty strong competition from The Right hon. G Osborne.
In the light of a report by Alcohol Concern published today, which shows that 90,800 people will die avoidable deaths from alcohol-related causes by 2019, Cardiff Central Lib Dem MP, Jenny Willott has thrown her weight behind moves to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. Jenny argues that the figures will translate to mean over 7,000 deaths from alcohol-related causes over the next decade in Wales. She said: "These disturbing figures underline just how costly alcohol priced at pocket-money rates really is for Wales. "Wales already has a higher level of alcohol related deaths than the UK average. This report ...
Thousands of people have signed my petition to the Prime Minister opposing the six-month halt to Territorial Army training. I've had an email to say that Bob Russell MP, Lib Dem Shadow Defence Minister, is among them - for which thanks! Why not add your name? The more people sign the petition, the more likely it is to generate such publicity as to force the Government to think again.
Following sustained pressure from the Liberal Democrats success was achieved today, with the posting on the Warwickshire web site of the Cabinet report and two background reports. At the Warwick consultation we were told our response must be based on fact rather than emotion and yet the Conservative cabinet were withholding this very information. Too much of the information has had to dragged out by requests from the Lib Dems. You can find a link to these documents on the Local Lib Dem website.
Today in Rhos-On-Sea we launched an outdoor gym for our more mature residents, it was also good to see a couple using the equipment as we arrived for the Photo Shoot. In this picture left to right, Rhos-On-Sea Councillors Phil Edwards and Roger Parry, Lyn Davies Head of Street scene and his assistant Mr Peter Barton-Price and Myself. Check out the link to find out more on this equipment http://www.wicksteed.co.uk/xerscape-c56.html
[IMG: childrensactivities2] Details of Children's Activities in Prestwich next Half Term (next week!) Read the rest of this entry.
The Government 2.0 Taskforce in Australia has launched a competition for mashups using government data. I have been asked to help judge this based on my previous experience with the ShowUsABetterWay competition in the UK. Please circulate the details of the competition to anyone you think may be interested in submitting an entry - closing date is November 13th 2009. There are cash prizes on offer for Australian citizens or residents submitting individual entries or for team entries which include Australian citizens or residents. And even without a cash prize a successful entry will get some good publicity for its ...
OK, so, in response to this survey, I have lost the page summary and reduced the tag cloud a bit. The free text sidebar box has changed quite a bit. I have added in a bit about why I am a Lib Dem, made a page to link to with a list of endorsements and quotes, because they were getting out of control, and now only have my current sponsor and one quote in the sidebar, and have added some more links in the networking section, which might possibly need to be renamed at some point. The bottom one is ...
Received today from Dundee City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of carriageway repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in West Wynd (north of the hammerhead at No 6), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 26 October 2009 for 5 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. As West Wynd is a cul-de-sac an alternative route is not available. For further information contact (01382) 433168.
An issue Pam and I have been working on for a while looks near to being sorted - the tree stumps near the entrance to Brogden Drive on the South Park Road Estate are scheduled for removal in a couple of weeks.
... and nowhere is this better illustrated than in Jan Moir's accusation that the big mean gay who runs the internet, Stephen Fry, has orchestrated a campaign against her on twitter. This view makes two basic, erroneous assumptions: firstly, that people who follow Stephen on twitter will unthinkingly retweet what he tweets. Twitter is, for want of a better word, a meritocracy. Something will get retweeted by people if they have read it, and come to a conclusion that it is interesting or important. Secondly: that twitter is the be-all and end-all of things going viral. I saw reference to ...
There is now less than eight months to save a new generation of young people from huge increases in university tuition fees, according to Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Redcar, Ian Swales. He was speaking after the Conservatives suggested they will increase tuition fees to £7,000 if they take power at the next general election, which has to be held by next June. That will see tuition fees for undergraduates more than double. Currently there is a cap of £3,300 in England and Wales. Peter Mandelson has already suggested that Labour will allow universities to charge more than at present ...
And so, back in t' north, and thankfully while I was away the earth was last seen spinning on its axis. One strange and slightly worrying moment on the way down to the big smoke was the transfer from coach to train at the new East Midlands Parkway station, which like all stations with "Parkway" in their names is in the middle of nowhere, to wit bang opposite Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station; there were COPS. Lots of 'em, and looking like they meant business, and they boarded our coach and surrounded the station in great numbers. Twenty-five years ago it would ...
The fabulous Urban Gypsies and two different kinds of morris dancers wowed the crowds at Keighley's popular Farmers' Market yesterday. A bit of a tradition has arisen for all of them to join forces for the last dance of the event, really letting their hair down. [IMG: Multi-cultural dancing with bells on] I surveyed customers at the Farmers' Market, and at the Oktoberfest on the two previous days, about where they had travelled from, what they thought of the events and so forth. Having colated the results I don't think I'm letting you in on a state secret if I ...
eats on the Prime Minister's battle bus must still be unfilled if he feels the necessity to attend high profile events like that on Friday for the new 'National Cinema' to be based on the South Bank. One of the key aspects of Labour's rise to power in 1997 was the way in which they attracted ...
Almost 10,000 people could die every year because of their drinking. Research from the University of the West of England shows that 90,800 people could die avoidable deaths from alcohol-related causes in the next decade if we continue to drink at ...
Here's a snippet from the story: I want to discuss this at the station, I say. I'm not happy with this situation. I don't like being stopped in the street and told in a threatening tone, to delete my photos. They look at me blankly, not expecting this burst of ire. Come on I say, I want to make an official complaint. They look somewhat taken aback at that. I walk ahead and look over my shoulder, beckoning for them to follow. Come on, I say, lets go. Now they look a a bit mortified. I daresay this is the ...
Yes, the Lords are back, and whilst there isn't much voting going on at the moment, one long-running argument appears to be bubbling away. On two occasions already, the Government has been told to go away and do something about the retrospective revaluation of non-domestic rates for port-side operators. So far, they've done nothing. And so, it was time for a Motion of Regret... Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2009 Lord Bates moved to resolve that this House regrets that the Non-Domestic Rating (Deferred Payments) (England) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/1597) do not remove the retrospective ...
Sunday: If the answer is "Planet of the Daleks" there's something wrong with the QUESTION! Let us look at what has been going on: Space... the final frontier... these are the voyages of Dr Woo in a space-going prison flown by Mr the Master. "Frontier in Space" is Mr Mac "the incredible" Hulke's contribution to the all-singing, all-dancing (well occasionally, during "Carnival of Monsters") Tenth Anniversary of Doctor Who, and is also the first half of an EPIC twelve episode cross-over adventure that sees the Master and the Daleks team up to actually not meet the Cybermen for contractual reasons. ...
It is good to see Ricky Ross-well that's how I remember him- promoting a good 'green' cause. As Devon Councillor David Cox reports over at LDV: Liberal Democrat MP Richard Younger-Ross has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) to support the Reheat Britain campaign for a boiler scrappage scheme. An unlikely coalition of plumbers and builders' merchants have teamed up with environmentalists to form the Reheat Britain campaign - just about the most brilliant piece of joined up thinking this side of the last Liberal government. Now wouldn't it been good if parliament had got round to allowing mere citizens ...
The Afghanistan War does not have public support. It is hard to know what you would say about why we are there if you met the bereaved family of a soldier killed in Helmand. Nick Clegg has made his strongest statement yet on the topic. Talking on the Politics Show he said: ".....he wanted the mission to succeed but the present course was "almost certainly condemned to failure". Mr Clegg also said his party's backing for the war was not "unconditional". I am convinced that he is right to focus on this issue. History is littered with examples of failed ...
I have just boarded the train at Newcastle to London. I am heading down to do the photos at the Parliamentary Candidates Association reception tomorrow. It's also the chance to do a few other small tasks. It was touch and go this morning as to whether or not I would get everything done I needed to do. It was one of those days when if it could go wrong it did go wrong. I phoned council officers
Well done to everybody who helped organise (and who worked so hard on the day) the Fun Day at Aspinal School. It was great fun seeing everybody in their period dress. A great time was had by all and it was certainly historic. Here's a picture of the Gorton North Focus Team in our kits: [IMG: Fun Day]
Liberal Democrat MP Richard Younger-Ross has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) to support the Reheat Britain campaign for a boiler scrappage scheme. An unlikely coalition of plumbers and builders' merchants have teamed up with environmentalists to form the Reheat Britain campaign – just about the most brilliant piece of joined up thinking this side of the last Liberal government. The campaign was started by Mick Williams, who runs a chain of plumbers' merchants in the South of England. Inspired by the government's car scrappage scheme, Mick saw that the building and plumbing industries also needed help from a similar ...
Mon 19th
13:13
Why Did You Hit That Person Round The Head With A Baseball Bat Dave? Gordon Did It As Well. Oh, That...
Anybody spot a hole in this defence? Yes, Ignoratio elenchi, well done. Frankly a chimpanzee could see through it. How unfortunate, then, that the Tories, on the defensive over their new questionable allies in Europe, are deploying such a tactic. Remember, the Tories recently removed themselves from the main centre-right grouping in the European Parliament, where they ...
I signed a petition recently about the funding for KGV. The Prime Minister has now graciously replied see below This is just a fob-off. Yet again a Labour Governement has concerntrated their funding into a marginal Labour seat. (Mind you the spectacular collapse of Labour in W Lancs it must suggest it is a lost cause. But Gordon never gives up even when the evidence is against him) Ever since VIth Form education was nationalised and the funding administered by a government quango, disasters like this have become inevitable. Instead of seeking to control every decision from Whitehall central government ...
I got the follow note from the police this morning. I explains what has been going on in Heathfield Rd: 19th October 2009 Dear Councillor I write to keep you informed of an incident which occurred on the evening of Friday 16th October 2009. As a result of information received Merseyside Police Firework Incident Research Team and Merseyside Fire and Rescue officers attended the premises in Heathfield Rd, Ainsdale. The premises was a shop opened for the specific purpose of selling fireworks. Officers found that the premises and sale of fireworks were not properly licensed and three quarters of a ...
Development Control Committee Country Skips, 79-83 Beddington Lane, Beddington: The planning department had been working with the developers of this site for a number of years to achieve the right facilities and minimise the potential impact on the area. The application planned to enable the facility to expand its operations to deal with more waste, but ...
Mon 19th
11:53
"message from government is clear: money before morale" - campbell throws support behind parliamenta...
[IMG: mc-nef] Sir Menzies Campbell MP has today added his support to a parliamentary motion calling on the Government to reverse its decision to freeze funding for the Territorial Army. It emerged last week that Territorial Army units such as the 71 Engineer Regiment at RAF Leuchars and the C Squadron Yeomanry based in Cupar will be forced to stop training as a result of cuts to this years Army budget. Commenting, Sir Menzies said: "Pressure must be maintained on the Government to reverse its short-sighted decision to freeze TA funding if long-term damage to Britain's military capabilities is to ...
The Liberal Democrats in Parliament are to table a motion this Wednesday which would commit the whole of the public sector to sign up to 10:10. The Darlington Labour Group's portfolio holder for Climate Change has already rejected my call on him at the last Council Meeting to sign Darlington up, despite Ed Miliband urging all Labour Councils to join, and despite the fact that 50 Councils have
CentreForum take a hard look at Michael Gove's plans for education, and queries whether he has either the radicalism or financial clout to win real resourcees for his liberal approach. David Laws is still the better option.
At the Tory conference, a few acres of of newsprint were dedicated to what the Tory leader's wife wore. Apparently, it was a £65 dress from M&S, which she paired with some £29 shoes from Zara. Goodness me. Who cares? I mean, you expect people in the public eye in receipt of a pretty decent wage to be turned out nicely. And on occasions such as this where you know people will be taking pictures and you can be pretty certain your photo will show up in prominent places in national newspapers, it's entirely acceptable to make sure you're wearing ...
I'm chasing the Council to get two streetlights on Gatley Hill repaired - the one outside Park Mount and the one by the car park. Some other lights at the top, along the path past the Scout Hut, don't belong to the Council. There's one owned by the Scouts (the base is physically in the Scout Hut grounds), then two owned by the Brethren chapel - both on the grass behind Gatley Hill House. The Brethren lightd work fine and they turn them on when they need them, which seems fair enough. The Scout's light is not working but should ...
Redcar and Cleveland Council is hosting an afternoon of celebration to officially unveil a memorial mosaic to honour the life of the late former Redcar MP Mo Mowlam at Redcar's newly-refurbished boating lake on Friday, October 23. Mo's brother and sister Jim Mowlam and Jean Jacques, together with Mo's close friend, former councillor and Mayor, Vilma Collins, will reveal the mosaic, an intricate circular pattern of 800 ceramic tiles, set in a three-metre raised circle near the water's edge. The mosaic, created by artist John Todd, illustrates Mo's life and interests, with her portrait as the centrepiece surrounded by images ...
David Cameron's decision to leave the European People's Party in the European Parliament is, despite the opprobrium poured upon them, a very sensible decision if the Conservatives want to change public perception of their political direction. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Polish Law and Justice Party, believes, "homosexuals should not be isolated, however they should not ...
Andrzej Szustak is a Polish student, who interned with the Welsh Liberal Democrats during the summer before going on to study in Strasbourg. Here Andre continues his series of 'Letters from Strasbourg' expressing personal views of the UK and the EU from the European mainland. On 2nd October the City of Strasbourg and the Council of Europe invited Mikhail Gorbachev to deliver a lecture to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was not only an opportunity to think about the past and the changes that took place in Europe but it was also a ...
Mon 19th
10:20CommentIsLinked@LDV ... Chris Huhne: The implicit media prejudice against the Lib Dems
Over at the Independent, Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne argues that the real bias at broadcasters is not against the Conservatives, but the Liberal Democrats. Here's an excerpt: The evidence of such bias is compelling and persistent. Broadcasters repeatedly ignore a third view on matters of the day. Even where Labour and Conservative views are nearly identical - such as on crime, Afghanistan or Iraq - news organisations evidently feel they can eliminate the Liberal Democrat viewpoint in the interests of simple, adversarial debate. The idea that there might be more than two points of view in an ...
I HATE THE BNP AND ALL THEY STAND FOR! There, I've said it. Having been brought into political activity at the age of 14 by the rise of the National Front in my multi-racial area of north London, I now have to face a lone BNP councillor across the council chamber. Nothing will change the ...
Latest news from First Bus: who have been unable to resolve the industrial action by our drivers at Bolton, Bury and Wigan depots. [IMG: 800pxfirstmanchestervolvob10lawrigh] Schools bus services will run as normal in all areas but other services operated from our Bolton, Bury and Wigan depots will not operate with the exception of a limited service, every 30 minutes between approximately 0730 - 1830 on the following routes: Read the rest of this entry.
Busy this weekend? Didn't get chance to read Lib Dem Voice? Here's your easily clickable digest of the 19 articles we published ... The LDV Friday Five (ish): 16/10/09 (3) by Stephen Tall Members of the public who believe Lib Dem MPs behaved worst over expenses? ZERO PER CENT (11) by Stephen Tall What's the best blogging platform for new bloggers? (10) by Mat Bowles Chris Huhne writes ... Geert Wilders is best ignored (12) by Chris Huhne MP MPs expenses: some MPs still don't get it (3) by Mark Pack The Legg letters: the 24 Lib Dem MPs staying ...
[IMG: The Lib Dems fought to keep Camden's Mobile Library service] But as money gets ever tighter, we need to make sure our libraries are modern, effective and efficient to protect them against future threats and closure. This means preserving all the vital and positive qualities of the service, at the same time as bringing it up-to-date to serve the needs of an ever-changing society. A staff-led review of how libraries are run has produced recommendations to update the complex and incoherent staff structure that has developed haphazardly over many years. The new technology being introduced isn't a threat to ...
Thanks for Stephen Glenn who blogged Chris Huhne's thoughts on political representation in the media during election times. I would go further – there is institutional discrimination against the Liberal Democrats. Let's look at the evidence. Bedford Mayoral win raised hardly a mention except perhaps on local BBC news bulletins – yes, there was a lot else going ...
[IMG: Fighting cold homes] For a number of months I've been trying to help an elderly resident who lives near Stapleton Hall Road get his home heated properly. He is in his 70s and is a widower living alone. His central heating broke down years ago, but he has no money to pay for new heating. The Government provide Warm Front grants for older people in his situation. I thought everything would be sorted when the Council arranged for a Warm Front engineer to visit. However, it turns out there is a £3,500 cap on support, which is £800 less ...
2 Big Stories Labour's Hain threatens BBC with legal action over BNP invitation Labour's Welsh secretary Peter Hain makes a bid for the media spotlight today by arguing that the BBC could face legal action over this Thursday's edition of Question Time, due to feature an appearance by BNP leader Nick Griffin MEP: ... in his letter [to the BBC], Mr Hain ... said the decision should be reconsidered in light of a legal case about ethnic restrictions on the BNP's membership rules. The party has agreed to amend its constitution after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission sought an ...
Peter Tatchell and controversial UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclaire are two of the panellists invited to participate in an LGBT discussion event as part of the SHOUT festival in Birmingham. Queer Question Time takes place on Wednesday 11 November at the Patrick Centre, part of the Hippodrome Theatre complex in Birmingham. All eyes will be on Nikki Sinclaire who was arrested the last time this event took place, prior to the 2005 general election. Her outburst during her election at this May's Euro count, accusing all members of the "Lib-Lab-Con" of being fascists (and then cheered off by the BNP), angered ...
This sign has been moved all of one meter at a cost of £300. Allegedly this is because the engineers weren't clear whether the original posts would support the sign.....................
[IMG: peter-hain] It takes a particularly ridiculous politician to say anything - anything at all - that is likely to make me remotely sympathetic to the plight of either the BBC or the British National Party. But Peter Hain has managed it. Idiotically, he has written to the Beeb insisting that Nick Griffin is dropped from this week's Question Time panel. His grounds appear to be that the BNP is now outwith the law, as it has yet to comply with the recent court ruling obliging them to admit non-whites into the party (although they have said they will do ...
I've pretty much decided what I'm going to do with my sidebar (indeed, have already done quite a bit of it), but if there's anything you like/don't like you still have time to make your case; I'm going back to bed till at least lunchtime. Of course, if you don't give a toss, feel free to carry on with your morning :D
John Gummer has been around a long time. One of the survivors of the last Conservative government, he continues to represent Suffolk Coastal in Parliament and, despite his problems with expenses, is unlikely to struggle to be re-elected. However, he will be 70 next month, and clearly can't go on forever. So, some succession planning is called for. Luckily, his son Ben is of the right age and is judged to be fit and able to be a Parliamentary candidate. You shouldn't presume anything in politics, however, and a seat like Suffolk Coastal is an attractive opportunity for an ambitious ...
Alex 'Mahatma' Salmond has defended the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber as being in tune with the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, the celebrated champion of non-violence. According to the Guardian he told the SNP Conference at the weekend that Arun Gandhi, the Indian leader's grandson, recently visited Scotland with the aim of establishing a reconciliation centre at a Scottish university. "One of the things he told me is that his grandfather's philosophy is much misunderstood," said Salmond. "His resistance was not passive but active, his dedication to non-violence a strength not a weakness. Sometimes someone has to break the ...
The summer season now well behind us, the Monster's Poll is finally getting updated. And, my, have there been a lot of polls, largely due to Sky News and their daily opinion poll tracker that they had running during the whole of the conference period. The expense was largely unjustified. Anyone who followed the polls during ...
Peter Hain's opposition to the BNP Leader's appearance on Question Time is principled and informed by his own experiences fighting apartheid. Many of us share his outrage at the position taken by this racist party. However, there comes a time when we must bow to the inevitable and work with others to use this event as an opportunity to show the BNP up for the obnoxious, intolerant and out-of-touch party that they are. My only doubt is that we are putting too much store in the ability of Griffin's fellow panellists to deliver the comprehensive thrashing we are all hoping ...
Today (19th October) there will be temporary traffic lights outside The Cottage, Westerleigh, to enable work on the water supply. Tomorrow (20th October) there will be traffic lights outside The Folly on Westerleigh Road for "sign face work" to be carried out.
Another posting on The Corridor.
A small footnote to my previous problems. I rang Technical Support with a problem (missing web browser after phone had been repaired and wiped). In amongst the poor customer service along the way at one point the technician said I could find the solution on the Vodafone website. He told me what page to go to and what to enter in the search box on that page in order to get the fix coming up top of the search results. One problem. The top two results on the search he told me to do were (a) Vodafone's expansion in Ghana, ...
The Daily Mail reports: Airport security chiefs have been banned from subjecting children to a controversial new X-ray scanner that produces 'naked' pictures of passengers because of legal warnings the images may break child pornography laws.Told you.
The bias of the media towards two party politics has been highlighted and condemned by Chris Huhne writing in the Independent today. It comes after Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative Party's media spokesperson accused the BBC of Labour bias and demanded they employ more Conservative-inclined reporters. Chris point out: "A hiring policy that sought out particular views in people who are meant to be professionally impartial would be a dangerous step towards a Berlusconi-style system. It would probably be illegal under anti-discrimination law." What is needed is not a biased load of journalists for one of the big two parties but ...
I am happy that Willie Bain and the Labour Party treat my blog with such high regard. I have published on my blog now the first edition of his contract for the voters of Glasgow North East which he forgot to sign, read the story here. Then I wrote about the fact he had removed a key paragraph on the second edition of his contract, read that story here. Now, on day three of the election campaign and on the day of the launch of the Labour campaign (yes, I know, we launched last week, bless them for finally catching ...
The new Yate Library opens today, a month ahead of schedule. The £1.5 million building has been financed by the Big Lottery Fund and South Gloucestershire Council. The original library was built in 1971, but since then the local population has more than doubled. New technology will be prominent - self issue terminals will let library users issue and return their own books, there will be more PCs, and there will be plasma screens to let local people know about events at the Library and elsewhere in the area. It won't just be a library, either. There will be an ...
Great thanks to all those who yesterday came to the Hither Green cinema day. For those that weren't there here's a run down of what happened: - 250 people paid to be there providing living demonstration that the area needs cultural activity; - in the morning the two drama workshops for children were great, lots of happy faces ...
I heard tonight that the Consett Green Spaces Group have put in an application for Village Green status for the Belle Vue Field. Apparently they had over 70 testimonials from local people about the long term open access use that the Belle Vue fields have been put to. Because I didn't grow up here I've been fascinated to hear the huge range of activities that have taken place on these fields. I wonder who can recall Mrs Muir's Barn Dances in the 1950s, or the Consett International Folf Festival in the 1970s. I look forward to the return of Show ...
He really hasn't. And I cannot wait to hear Clarkson's verdict on the dear leader "leading the celebrations"! The pre-eminence of Britain in motor sport technology has absolutely nothing to do with him and his party who have conspired variously over the decades to destroy our motor industry completely. Whether it's our Olympians, our Ashes winning cricketers or now Jenson Button and the Brawn team, I have this almost overpowering urge to vomit when I hear that "Gordon Brown has led the UK's celebrations of..." I can only hope that Jenson and Ross have the good sense to refuse any ...
The people of Macclesfield now have a Tory candidate for the next election. The problem for the Conservatives is that according to the BBC's Politics Show, their system did not allow for a local candidate and the blame lies firmly with Conservative Central Office. They interviewed Andy Lea, the ex-treasurer of the local party who had been involved in the selection process. According to Andy Eric Pickles told him that a local candidate would not be allowed because it would "disadvantage the other candidates"! Central Office claims that the Macclesfield members organised their own short-list. I know who I believe. ...
