Peter Mandelson has hit the news today, his deliberations over internet piracy coming down firmly in the headline-grabbing authoritarian camp, with which Labour is as familiar as ever. "Three strikes and you're out!" he cries. Curiously, one thing that seems to have disappeared down the memory hole (or at least been soft-pedalled somewhat) in today's reporting ...
Paul on Liberal Burblings has drawn my attention to a letter written by Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the members of the Californian State Assembly refusing to sign an assembly bill. The thing is there is an interesting message if you just read the first letters of the two paragraphs in the letter. They are in order F, u, c, k, Y, o and u. Is Mr Schwarzenegger a fan of acrostics I wonder. A rather crude calculation by Gary Langer from ABC news puts the odds of this happening by chance at one in 10 billion although he is ...
Bucks County Council is asking us to fill in a survey pertaining to the 2010-2011 budget. These consultations always make me stop in my tracks: I would like to believe that we choose our representatives to local and national government so they could look closely at the details of any issue and use their manifesto to guide the decisions they make on our behalf. Instead we have glorified social workers who fear to take any controversial decision that might anger someone. Generally it is our fault; we constantly bash them no matter what they do and assume they are guilty ...
Yesterday night's result at White Hart Lane was altogether more satisfactory than Saturday's - even if it was hardly a vintage performance. When the players came out, Everton's very purple kit made me wonder if we were actually playing Harchester United. Actually, some of the filming for Sky's Dream Team was done at White Hart Lane I believe, so wasn't beyond the realms of possibility. As it turns out, Everton's purple kit is a big effort for charity, so well done to them. There wasn't much else for them to be pleased about last nightthough, it was not a good ...
Wed 28th
22:33
BNP Leader Nick Griffin fails to show in Glasgow North East after being pelted with eggs
So, where the English failed at the Question Time event, the Scots stopped Nick Griffin appearing with his racist candidate, Charlie Baillie standing in the Glasgow North East by-election. Nick Griffin was due with Charlie at the Springburn Shopping Centre today to meet people in Glasgow North East, thankfully for them Nick Griffin was "held up" after being pelted with eggs by a crowd of around 40 demonstrators who were there to greet him at the HQ of L107 Radio in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Nick Griffin took part in the Lanarkshire station's Music and Talk Show, hosted by James Russell this ...
Sara Bedford has tagged me to come up with an idea for POWER2010 - a campaign billed as "the chance to have a say in how our democracy works for us all". I wanted to think of a brand new suggestion, away from the agreeable but well-rehearsed arguments for proportional representation, an English parliament, elected House of Lords etc. This is my attempt.(I say brand new. I've not heard anyone
Dear Fraser, Today at Prime Minister's Question Time I challenged Gordon Brown over Labour's record on the environment. Labour's time in office has seen rising carbon emissions, plans agreed for a third run way at Heathrow, more dirty coal-fired power stations and more nuclear energy plants. This is the shameful record which the Prime Minister will be taking to the major international climate change summit at Copenhagen at the beginning of December. This afternoon, I met with the heads of the leading climate change campaign groups in Britain to talk about what to expect from the Copenhagen summit. I told ...
The Craft Fairs at the Hook Centre have been very popular and I've been impressed by the excellent range of stalls. You will get a chance to buy Christmas presents, or just to treat yourself, at the Christmas Craft Fairs on the following dates: Saturday 31st October Saturday 7th November Saturday 14th November All will run from 9am to 4pm in the Hook Centre. The cafe will be open as usual, and they are now serving full roast lunches as well the usual sandwiches and light meals.
The Local Government Chronicle reports: Embattled Northampton BC leader Tony Woods (Lib Dem) has stepped down from the authority's helm following the so-called 'Astragate' affair. Cllr Woods was officially sanctioned by the authority for leaving his untaxed Vauxhall Astra in the authority's Guildhall car park for more than three months earlier this year. In a brief resignation speech, Cllr Woods said the incident was a "silly, trivial mistake" that had seen him subjected to a level of abuse not even serious criminals faced. Local paper the Northampton Chronicle & Echo quoted Cllr Woods as saying he was "truly saddened" to ...
I suppose you could say that it is a bit like that infinite number of monkeys and typewriters... But let's face it. With a Governor very much under siege against an antipathetic state assembly and his state in melt-down, how many rejections of bills would there need to be before, by sheer coincidence, the first letters of each line read "F*** YOU" ? Not many it seems. Is Arnie cracking up under the strain, one wonders? Ammiano Veto Message
Max Atkinson has an interesting blog post on the possible reasons why he doesn't find BBC1's Question Time as interesting as it used to be. Even bearing in mind the risk of rose-tinted nostalgia, I think he has a point. His two explanations - one guest too many and a chair who is too bland - have some weight. But for me at least there is a different key factor: with the huge increase in the number of media outlets over the last 20 years, it's just simply no longer as interesting to see politicians being questioned - because you ...
I blogged about this on Sunday, you can read that here, but now a week later Caroline Righton and the Conservatives still have not apologised to Lib Dem PPC for St. Austell & Newquay, Steve Gilbert for circulating emails with made up content. It is difficult to accept that someone who has worked in the media in the past didn't think to check whether the original Twitter message by Steve Gilbert did in fact contain the word D***h**d. I find it unacceptable that neither Caroline Righton nor the Conservatives have in fact apologised to Steve Gilbert and the good people ...
The silence from Caroline Righton, the Conservative PPC for St Austell & Newquay, over allegations that she smeared her Lib Dem opponent with a faked message has resulted in the local Lib Dems now raising the issue with David Cameron (letter here). Whilst I'm not expecting a personal response from him, it'll be interesting to see how the Tories nationally react. Failing to back your PPC when they are facing such accusations would be a pretty damning vote of no confidence in Caroline Righton, but on the other hand defending Caroline Righton looks to be pretty near impossible given the ...
From the New York Times:In an apparent attempt to infuse the dry work of government with a dash of manly brio, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California recently issued a veto statement that contained a message — and not a nice message — that some interpret as a put down of the bill's author. The message is hidden and can be seen only by reading the printed version of the veto statement. By taking the first letter of each line, beginning with the third line, two words emerge: The first is obscene, and the second is "you."
The Third Estate has an exclusive interview with the Liberal Democrat leader: "None of these choices are easy, at any time," he says. "But we've got to be straight with people about what can be afforded right now. I've set out a radical programme that would make our society fairer, and give every child - no matter their background - the best chances in life. We know that at the moment a poor, bright child will be overtaken by a better off, less intelligent child by the time they're seven years old. "So we have to get in there right ...
At Prime Minister's Question Time today Nick Clegg challenged Gordon Brown on Labour's poor record on the environment. He says, "Labour's time in office has seen rising carbon emissions, plans agreed for a third run way at Heathrow, more dirty coal-fired power stations and more nuclear energy plants." For many years Liberal Democrats have campaigned for more respect for the environment. Writing to Lib Dems Nick says, "In the run up to the Copenhagen Summit I will be asking the whole of our Party to spread the word about our radical green agenda. I want everybody who cares about our ...
You might have thought from my previous Vodafone customer services post and the three phone calls today, including two promises that the problem had been fixed, that the problem had indeed been fixed. But oh no. It's still there. And as an added twist, the fourth phone call of the day to Vodafone customer services gave him information flatly contradictory to what two other Vodafone staff had told me previously. Have my two accounts been merged in to one? Two Vodafone staff say yes; one says no. Place your bets as to what the next one will say...
Alastair Campbell increases the pressure on Osborne. Simon Jenkins makes more economic errors in one column than I thought possible.
The Leicester Mercury reports that the Pump and Tap, the popular pub next to Leicester's Bowstring Bridge, is to close next month ahead of likely demolition to make way for a new swimming pool for De Montfort University.
Has anyone noticed that the basketball off of Eastwood Farm (up from the park) is L shaped? Not quite sure what our Councillors are lobbying for locally but perhaps this one has slipped under their radar. Is this the best way to engage with young people? Better facilities would boost the sense of worth.
Oh dear, I missed it. Slap Nick Griffin has now been taken down. But you can still savour something of the experience below.
The speculation that Tony Blair might become the first President of the European Union – a post created by the soon-to-be-ratified Lisbon Treaty – continues to swirl around. The BBC reports today: Gordon Brown has said he would be "very happy" to support a bid by his predecessor Tony Blair to be the first president of the European Council. But the prime minister told MPs the post did not yet exist as the Lisbon Treaty creating it had not become law. The BBC understands Mr Brown will put Mr Blair's case to other EU leaders in Brussels later this week ...
When two tribes go to war...in this example, the two tribes being the Communication Workers Union and the management of Royal Mail then it becomes about more than money. It is rather a sad state of affairs when two sides to a negotiation can't even agree on the number of meetings they have had, something ...
Shop of the Week this week is WH Smith. Although not an independent shop, which as you know I prefer to showcase, with yet another shop closed down as I walked through Trelowarren Street today, I do think it's fair to recommend stalwart stores which add to our town. WH Smith is now the only shop in town that sells music following the sad closure of Woolies almost a year ago. If we don't get out of this mindset that CDs and DVDs are something that is just to be picked up cheap at the supermarket, our high street shops ...
...An excellent opportunity to wheel out the word "apocryphal" and the phrase "A lie can make it half way around the world before the truth has time to put its boots on" (attributed to Churchill and Twain - and in today's world of the interweb thinget that should be updated to "ten times round the world.."). Gordon Brown was never asked about his favourite biscuit. And, while we're at it, Samantha Cameron didn't nonchalantly walk into M&S and pick up a £65 dress. Quite the opposite.
Earlier this week, I received the following e-mail from a gentleman in Mississauga, Canada : "I'm an ex-pat from Dundee. I went to Fintry primary and Liff Road primary. My grandfather was janitor at Hawkhill and Butterburn schools. Can you tell me when and the circumstances around the fire at Hawkhill Primary School? I (am) asking on behalf of my Uncle Sandy, who now lives in Gibsons, B.C. He lived on Pennycook Lane as a boy and remembered looking out of his house to see the fire." I took up the question with Iain Flett, the City Council's ever-efficient and ...
Remember the escaped rheas that were terrorising south Shropshire? The Shropshire Star has the latest news: A trail of bread was used to lure a flock of 6ft birds, which had been running wild in the Shropshire countryside, back to their enclosure.If rheas weren't so gullible they could take over the world.
All this talk of Tony Blair becoming the first President of the European Union reminded me of one of my first forays into political journalism ... It was an article I wrote for the Oxford University student magazine, Isis, in Trinity (ie, Spring) 1999. I don't suppose I was the first to posit the suggestion, but here's what my concluding paragraph said: [IMG: Blair - PresEU - 1999] That paragraph is, sadly, the only part of the article which truly stands the test of time. The rest of it celebrates Tony Blair's constitutional revolution – yes, really: Devolution is, as ...
How not to do customer services, part 94 - fresh from the Vodafone team: (a) You provide someone with a free broadband internet trial; note the word "free". (b) You mess up in all sorts of way (see blogs passim). (c) You therefore extend the period of the free trial; note again the word "free". And then (drum roll please...) (d) You put a 6p charge on the account, you don't tell the customer, you therefore decide the account is unpaid and you terminate the broadband service before the expiry of the extended "free" trial. (e) You then take 30 ...
Ah, Mark, so reasonable, so fair-minded in his comments about women and blogging. He's so cute like that. Wrong, but cute nonetheless. Let's be honest, male bloggers are like dinosaurs - they claim to rule the world because they're big. And yet, they don't, and they aren't. Here in the paradise that is Amaranth, we have taken some meaningful steps to ensure that women bloggers gain their fair share of sunlight. After all, as the only liberal empire in the world, we have standards to maintain. For example, we introduced a television programme called "And who made you God then?" ...
The 'pointless' traffic lights in Blackness Road were finally removed today but well after the roadworks caused by work to repair a burst water main had been completed on the road. Following Scottish Water failing to remove them as promised by 5pm yesterday, I received complaints from residents last night about the situation - as the traffic lights remained there for no reason whatsoever. I contacted Scottish Water's Regional Community Manager first thing this morning and was promised the traffic lights removal was in hand and I made a visit to the road in the afternoon to check that the ...
Mark Reckons has tagged me in a meme after he in turn was tagged by Guy Aitchison from OpenDemocracy has tagged Mark in a meme asking for his big idea for POWER2010 (which Mark has blogged about). As taken from the OpenDemocracy blog I think explains the purpose of this post best 'Power2010's call for the public's idea for how we change politics has generated a fantastic response. In truth, when we started I expected around 500 ideas - 1000 at best. But just over a month in and we've already received over 2000, ranging from more traditional reformers' demands ...
[IMG: chamber-pmqs1] Sir Menzies Campbell MP has today welcomed the launch the Top Level Group, a cross party effort to promote multilateral nuclear disarmament which Sir Menzies co-founded. Other members include the former Defence Secretary Des Browne MP, Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP and Margaret Beckett MP. The Group share the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and have come together on a cross party basis to work towards that end. Commenting on the launch of the Group, Sir Menzies said: "The opportunity for multilateral nuclear disarmament has never been greater. A number of events have brought this about, ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] I've tackled this issue before, but it seems to keep wanting to come back! Interestingly, its always the Lefty Green Party or the authoritarian-rightwing Tories ("cuts across the board" - expect an easyBorough if they get in and cuts in frontline services!) that are absolutely obsessed with our bar charts. I've only ever had one resident mention it to me on the doorstep, he was a maths teacher, and I told him it was a cartoon representation and the numbers are there for all to see... and DTP packages don't always make it easy to be millimeter (or ...
Before I get into full flow, let me just say that I have just about come down from Cloud Nine after the Brazilian Grand Prix which saw my favourite F1 team, Brawn GP grab the Constructors' Championship in style with Jenson Button winning the World Championship. Considering that 8 months ago, this team did not exist, its achievements have been absolutely remarkable. The car they came up with went through the final stages of development while the designers didn't know if they'd have a job by the start of the season. During the first few races, they had to lose ...
This morning, The Times reports that the Kelly review on MP expenses is expected to recommend that those MPs whose nearest railway station is an hour or less from Westminster will no longer be able to claim a second home allowance. For example, from an East Anglian perspective, Eric Pickles (Brentwood and Ongar) will lose the right to claim, whilst Bob Russell (Colchester) will retain it. In principle, it seems fair that MPs should experience the same lifestyle that many of their constituents experience, the daily commute being part of it. In the current environment, where hostility to politicians and ...
Bloomberg news find almost the worst possible economic advice for the UK. John Kay'ss recipe for narrow banking is smacked down by Goodhart, and me a few weeks before
We've all become used to Tory politicians and commentators moaning about how left-wing the BBC is. Any sensible person knows it's nonsense, but still they persist. Nick Robinson, BBC political editor, and Andrew Neil are two of the key political pundits in the BBC and in the British media as a whole, and both are ...
[IMG: Ming Campbell] Sir Menzies Campbell has pledged his support to the environmental campaign 10:10. The campaign seeks to encourage individuals, business organisations and public sector bodies to cut their carbon pollution by 10% by the end of 2010. Commenting, Sir Menzies said: "I am proud to add my name to such an important campaign as this. "Climate change is a massive problem, affecting every part of the globe, and it's easy to feel powerless to do anything to stop it. What this campaign emphasises is that if we act together, with each individual making small changes to their lifestyles, ...
The Yorkshire Ridings Society held its first meeting in Beverley in November 1974 and may be one of the longest running campaign groups in the United Kingdom. At its Triennial General meeting held last night in the Black Swan at York Redcar Councillor Chris Abbott, who was re-elected Chairman of the Executive Committee, said: "We must be one of the longest running campaign groups in the United Kingdom. We were formed in response to the 1974 re-organisation of Local Government to campaign for the continued recognition of the three Ridings of Yorkshire in spite of the fact that some parts ...
I was telephoned by the Speaker's Office this afternoon with glad tidings. I have succeeded in getting an Adjournment debate on Fair Funding in Haringey Schools. It is scheduled for next Wednesday. Hurrah! For anyone who doesn't know - my campaign to get fair funding for Haringey schoolchildren came about because currently the funding is diabolically unfair. Even Gordon Brown, when I quizzed him a while back at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), agreed it was an 'anomoly'. This 'anomoly' arises out of the injustice of us (Haringey) having to pay inner London teacher salaries but only receiving outer London per ...
This morning I wake to news that MPs will be banned from paying mortgages under the new rules that will be suggested by Sir Christopher Kelly. My first reaction was 'great' – but how do poor people who do not live within commuting distance become MPs? As I read the further detail of the suggestions given to the press I realised that, yet again, we are facing a sticking plaster solution to cover up a rotten system. Sir Christopher Kelly is said to be recommending that no MP should be able to claim for a mortgage for their second home ...
I am responding to being tagged in a meme by Mark Thompson on his blog to come up with a 'big idea' for Power2010. I looked through the ideas already put forward on the Power 2010 site and found that many of my ideas had already been blogged. The idea that I would like to put ...
Not according to this superb email from Duane Redmond on the excellent ECF email list: Very very very few new technologies have 'killed' an old technology. What new technologies usually do is do part of what one or more old technologies did much better while making old technologies focus on their strengths. Examples:- Print Press vs Books vs Radio vs TV vs Internet vs Mobiles- Horse and Cart (now used just on some farms) vs Canals (now used for living and pleasure trips) vs Trains (still king for short-medium distances and large loads across land) vs Trucks (smaller loads across ...
There have been 2 new developments regarding the Vauxhall area's future from the Mayor of London and Lambeth Council.1. The first was at last week's meeting of Lambeth Council when Cllr Andrew Sawdon raised concerns over the council's future plans for the area (known as a Local Development Framework). In particular, Andrew raised concerns about the need for enough local services (eg schools and decent transport links) to be in place and planned for before permission is given for more development. His proposal was voted down by Labour. You can see the council's draft planning document here - and comments ...
Derek McIntyre programme director of Lanarkshire Radio Station L107 based in Hamilton has admitted to 'commercial suicide' by arranging to interview Nick Griffin this morning. Fifty people emailed the local community station withdrawing support and a few advertisers have also backed out from Poultry farmers may have had a little bit more success as a number were thrown at the BNP leader. The station must have known what they were facing as their website had advertised this morning's mid-morning James Russell show as: "This Wednesday on the mid-morning show...probably the most controversial interview ever on Scottish radio." Mr Russell also ...
Of course, delegations aren't all about meetings in air-conditioned offices. Occasionally, you get to do something unusual and on this trip, the most unexpected event was our visit to to Deccan Plateau Vineyards. This is the first vineyard in India to be owned and run by Indians, as other vineyards have either imported winemakers from overseas, or are owned by overseas purchasers. Now I've travelled pretty widely in pursuit of wine. Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina have been my favourites, but I've found good wine in less obvious places - Bolivia produces at least one good riesling, for example. ...
Yesterday I blogged about Nadine Dorries MP's over-inflated view of her own importance and abilities. I mentioned how she had not needed to campaign to win her seat, the assistance from CCHQ in getting the nomination in the first place and her apparent loss of short-term memory. Now whilst Nad seems able to dish the dirt on any ...
According to archives uncovered today, Admiral Horatio Nelson was back at work just 30 minutes after having his arm amputated. In today's Telepgraph, it is claimed that within 30 minutes of having his right arm cut off, Nelson was again issuing orders to his men. He had been hit in the right arm by a musket ball ...
The recently leaked Kelly proposals on 2nd mortgages and family members on the payroll is likely to be the latest cat amongst the MP expenses pigeons. Events have moved on since earlier this year when we all seemed to be putting forward proposals on how to tackle the crisis. My idea was to taper the support MPs get if they buy a 2nd home as the cost of mortgages in real terms goes down the
I have to say I'm appalled by the case of the vicar who sexually abused young boys. Peter Hedge was found guilty and has now begun a 14 year prison ...
I am angry. Angry enough to write an excessively egotistical headline implying I know more than an entire class of people, which is a very socialist thing to do. On the other hand, this post will be socialist in tone if not in content, so consider the headline a warning. The BNP's appearance on Question Time ...
As of Friday 23 October 2009 The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that he believes the second wave of swine flu is well underway. The rise in cases continues but is slow and steady, rather than the sharp peak seen in the first wave back in the summer. In Hertfordshire, numbers remain steady with approximately 100 people collecting antiviral medication each day. Around 100 schools in Hertfordshire have reported some pupils with swine flu symptoms but no Hertfordshire school has what is classified as an 'outbreak' ( i.e. 15% absenteeism or marked increase in absentee rates due to flu-like illness). ...
Remember "Biscuitgate" – which Stephen reported on last week – the apparent inability of the Prime Minister to decide which sort of biscuit he liked? Turns out there's not a crumb of truth in it. Private Eye's Adam MacQueen reports for First Post: "Being more decisive would spare the Prime Minister needless embarrassment" declared the leader column of the Times, and even David Cameron weighed in at Prime Minister's Questions: "Are we really going to spend another six months with a Prime Minister who cannot give a straight answer, who cannot pass his own legislation, and who sits in his ...
My attention was drawn to this by my friends at Brits on Pole on Twitter. I'm technically pretty stupid, but I think that what NewsNow are trying to say is that they provide a service to others by providing lists of links to newspaper's internet pages. Now, News International, publishers of the Times, Sunday Times News of the World and Sun are trying to stop them linking completely while other publishers of other papers like the Daily Fail, the Independent, the Mirror, the Telegraph and the Express are trying to impose either a charge or conditions on the links. Newsnow's ...
With news that George Osborne intends to cap bonuses, one has to wonder where Osborne has been for the last year and question his obvious political motives behind the cap. Whilst I agree there needs to be a cap, as it is unfair for banks who have been bailed out to charge people in their overdraft ...
I've just seen Gordon Brown's response to Nick Clegg's questioning in PMQs about the Copenhagen summit and raising the issue that Labour is doing too little (I'd add too late) on the Climate Change. Brown replied that ALL parties should campaign together for a deal at Copenhagen. Strangely that only last week all parties bar one, plus Sammy Wilson of the DUP, did vote positively for their own responsibility, agreeing to vote for Parliament signing up to 10:10. Of course we know the one that was largely against was Brown's own party. Ed Milliband tried to explain this anomaly in ...
He may be the most dangerous politician in the middle east, and arguably the world, but today is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's birthday, and I was wondering what one should buy, as a gift, for the man who has everything. Obviously he would really like a lovely set of nuclear missiles to allow him, and Iran, to join ...
[IMG: Idiosync at Oxjam] This Saturday saw the showpiece event of the Oxjam Brum festival as six venues, 40 bands and hundreds of gig-goers demanded action on climate change until they were blue in the face. We're still in process of counting all the money but early indications show we raised approximately £3,000 for Oxfam. AWESOME! I looked after the volunteers on the day and was bowled over by their commitment to the cause, most people turned up early and worked far later than they had been asked to. They also persuaded the majority of punters to back the Oxfam ...
Last night I attended the Sittingbourne Local Engagement Forum - a three-monthly meeting to allow the people of Swale to meet and ask questions of their councillors and other council representatives. The forum is a good idea - just a shame that it wasn't very well advertised as the room was full of councillors and representatives but hardly any members of the public. I only found out about it through a Lib Dem Members Newsletter. But they didn't miss much. The first half of the session was very much back patting, 'aren't we doing well' etc. Two senior policemen were ...
Most reasonable people would think that after planning permission for conversion into flats had been turned down more than once on the grounds that there are too many flats in the Abbey Hey area and that it represents overuse of a site plus two notices to demolish issued by the Courts that an owner might, just might take the hint. Instead, just two weeks after planning permission was turned down (again) to convert the ruin of the former Abbey Hey Hotel into flats and a week after the Courts agreed with the Council's application to have the building demolished, the ...
Wed 28th
12:20
Penalise cyclists on pavements yes but for goodness sake make it safer to cycle as well
I completely agree with Cllrs Freeman and Marshall (quoted in last week's Ham&High) that more needs to be done about cycling on pavements. I myself have tried to get the Belsize Police Safer Neighbourhoods Team to issue penalty notices to a man who persistently cycles on the pavement through our area with two large, unleashed, black dogs. He represents a menace to pedestrians and his dogs are terrifying for parents with young children. However, I do think that equivalent attention needs to be given to the safety and health of cyclists who brave our roads. Bike boxes (advanced stop boxes) ...
Sara Bedford has tweeted today about how she has been blocked from following an MP. She hasn't said which one (although I can take a wild guess). UPDATE: Sara has done a blogpost herself about this now and it is who I thought it would be - Nadine Dorries MP. After that I tweeted asking if anyone else has been blocked by MPs and had a few responses both publicly and privately. Sara's case is not an isolated incident. So there are multiple examples of MPs deciding to block members of the public on Twitter from following them. Obviously I ...
I bumped into a resident from Woodley on the 64 bus on my way to the station today and he reminded me Reading Buses are currently consulting on changes to bus routes and timetables which they plan to introduce in January 2010. It made me wonder how many Reading residents were aware of these changes as they do not appear to have been well advertised. Sometimes 'small' service changes can have a big impact on residents so it's important that concerns are raised with the bus company. Please contact Glenn, Kirsten or I if there are any changes that you would like to ...
Mark Steel's article in the Independent today about the post of European President is worth a read. Here's an article in the Guardian about Nick Clegg's views on the issue.
Chris Jordan is Economic Justice Campaigns Officer at at ActionAid and writes about their new campaign – and the opportunity you have to suggest a question to be put to Treasury Minister Stephen Timms. With the G20 newly anointed as the premier global economic forum, the final Finance Ministers meeting of the year of the in St Andrew's on 7 November will provide a useful insight into just what kind of 'G' the 20 intends to be. Will they take the path of the G8, making and breaking commitments on an annual basis, or take the opportunity to step up ...
However much David Cameron's Tories try to pretend that they've dragged themselves out of the Dark Ages and are now nice, fluffy, liberal minded tolerant folk, every so often the proof comes that they are still the same old nasty, judgemental neanderthals that they always have been. First we had the chair of Gosport Conservatives saying that he'd be fine with a woman candidate as long as she was pretty. Now we have the SW Norfolk Conservative Association in high dudgeon because their new female candidate, Elizabeth Truss, didn't tell them that she'd had sex with someone who wasn't her ...
The latest clever wheaze (so they think) from Bury Conservatives is to set up "Task and Finish " groups to deal with sensitive issues. These can be dealt with in the peace and quite of an office buried somewhere in the Town Hall out of the glare of prying public and for that matter local councillors. Recently they set one up to look at options for the Council Security service and prior to that the result of the initial stages of the Civic Suites review was to establish a Task and Finish group to investigate the matter futher. TASK & ...
The Government has finally abandoned its plan for a six-month halt to all TA training. I am really pleased that this has happened, and I hope that my Downing Street petition played some role into pressuring Gordon Brown into this climbdown. It was a completely mistaken cut from start to finish and I don't know what Labour was thinking of.
Pupils from Camdean Primary School in Rosyth visited Westminster on Tuesday as part of a week long visit to the city. They enjoyed an official tour of the Palace followed by a talk from the education department and finally from me. Afterward they went for a whistle stop tour of the central London.
From the Hither Green Community Association: HITHER GREEN STATION EMBANKMENT PROJECT Clearing, pruning and planting... Please come along and help us improve the embankment along Springbank Road and Hither Green station. Plans include clearing the litter, pruning the trees, cutting overgrown vegetation back and planting wildflowers. Network Rail has given us permission for the project and has put ...
Wed 28th
10:23
'Meat is murder!' no longer just refers to the animals, it refers to the planet too...
Lord Stern, former chief economist of the World Bank, and author of a major report a few years ago on climate change, has announced that he feels that more people should think about becoming vegetarians. He believes that, just as people have changed their damaging behaviour in terms of smoking and drink driving, they should in this ...
Cross-posted from Dave Press, where I did a guest slot last week: Why do so many councils have such a poor online presence? I've written before about some of the missed opportunities, such as here, but for me the puzzle is as much "what should a council do?" as "why don't more of them do it?" Part of the explanation, at least from the councillor side, is average age. Councillors are on average near retirement (58.3 in 2006), which means not many have either grown up with the modern internet age or worked in firms created by it. The challenge ...
[IMG: Fire Engine] Many Clitheroe and Ribble Valley residents will be aware of the fire that broke out in Clitheroe Health Centre on Tuesday 27th October. Although the fire was small and concentrated, the building's lighting, heating, IT, and telephone system were all knocked out and an immediate decision was made to close the centre. It is likely that the centre will be until Novemeber 2nd while repair work takes place - but already alternative arrangements have been made and both the two GP surgeries and the busy Treatment Room are up and running in temporary accommodation. The Castle GP ...
Sorry for being such a drama queen last night. I seem to have caused a bit of concern... I was just horrified that a post I had put so much work into still hadn't got the point across. Normally I don't put any work into it, I just spew out what comes into my brain. Maybe that's what I did wrong this time, maybe I worked too hard on it. Anyway, lots of stuff to do for work over the next few days, because we have a FESTIVAL OF BEER to sort out. So I'll have something else to concentrate ...
It's not hard to find the Taxpayers Alliance denouncing governmental waste and criticising elected officials who have wasted public money. So, it's quite easy to guess what they're going to say when an MP is ordered to repay £60,000 of his expenses, isn't it? Come on, have a guess – will it be to demand that ...
The last discussion on the Today Programme this morning was about Sir Christopher Kelly's upcoming announcement on expenses. The Guardian's Michael White (whose been accused if sexism before by a certain Iain Dale) was on with John Humphreys and they were discussing the probable ban on MPs employing their spouses that Sir Christopher will probably ...
The BBC are reporting that some recommendations of the Kelly report into MP expenses have been leaked. One particular proposal is welcomed inparticular, that MPs living close to London will be banned from claiming the second home allowance.I have long argued that the second homes allowance should be based upon whether public transport allows an MP to return home rather than the distance they live
Our usual practice at Federal Executive (FE) is to have a round up of current issues, presented by Nick Clegg, followed by a Q&A. In Nick's absence we heard from the Chief Whip, Paul Burstow, and the new Chair of the Campaigns and Communications Committee (CCC), Willie Rennie. Paul Burstow updated FE on the issue of Members' expenses, outlining progress on the Legg Report and the Kelly review (due to be published 4th November), neither of which had finished. He emphasised that work on a Lib Dem Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians would be finalised once these two pieces of ...
In the just over two years since Tony Blair stepped down from the office of British Prime Minister, the state of his reputation in the country has not improved. Reviled in office as the man who committed the UK to a war that was not endorsed by the United Nations, his activities since strike the majority in our country as little better than sordid money grubbing. As Prime Minister, Tony Blair had an unerring sense for the political, that is to say how things appeared rather than how they actually were. The obsession with appearances created a dangerous disconnect between ...
Liberal Democrat Councillors Robin Lawrence and Claire Darke have put a motion to the next meeting of Wolverhampton Council (4 November) calling for Wolverhampton Council to join the 10:10 campaign.
My friend Jennie is unhappy this morning, a fact which takes a little of the shine off of my day. Jennie is different. She appears to live her life in accordance to one of the key principles of liberalism, in that she refuses to be a slave to conformity, and I get a degree of vicarious pleasure out of that. She is volatile and direct, and for those of us who have allowed ourselves to be boxed in by convention, by what those around us think, by our upbringing and by our community, she represents a breath of fresh air. ...
[IMG: An old streetlight in Stapleton Hall Road] I've been keeping up the pressure on the Council to improve the streetlighting on Stapleton Hall Road, after a pledge to install new lamposts has been delayed. As I mentioned in my previous post in July the Council promised to replace the inadequate streetlights, as a result of residents raising safety concerns. I was originally told this would happen in September, then October - and I'm still assured it will be very soon. I've also been pressing the Council to recondition the old Victorian lampposts and to reuse them in suitable places. ...
Currently Stockport, like most local authorities, is run on a leader/executive model. The leader of the Council is a councillor (currently Dave Goddard for Stockport; the two previous leaders were Brian Millard and Mark Hunter). Each year all the councillors elect the leader (in practise, the leader of the Council is chosen by the Lib Dem councillors, who hold a majority of the seats). The Government has decided all councils have to choose between new systems, and we have to choose before the end of the year. Option 1 is the "strong leader" model. It's pretty simlar to what we ...
I have been drawn to the debate kicked off by Jennie about women bloggers and recognition/linking. And, whilst Jennie categorises me in a group all of its own (yay, I'm unique!), perhaps, as one of the small number of bloggers with an alter ego who occasionally blogs, I might make a small, rather humble, contribution. Firstly, I am puzzled by the concept that feminism, and blogging about it, is not political. For one thing, the idea of campaigning for anything is in itself a political act, to be agreed with or disagreed with, to support or reject, in the same ...
This week The Voice is running a four part series from the Centre for Cities, a think tank that works on analysis and policy to boost city economies. They launched their 'Cities Manifesto' at the Bournemouth Lib Dem Conference and this series looks in more detail at its main planks. You can also find out more at http://www.citiesmanifesto.org. In our cities, some of the most visible effects of the credit crunch are the housebuilding projects and plans that have ground to a halt. The regeneration of York Northwest that is struggling to be financed, and the East Pilgrim Street project ...
12 years if you are my local MP, Eleanor Laing. There have been some mutterings that Eleanor Laing is sending around a rather glossy brochure/ leaflet. I haven't received mine yet, but you can actually view it here. A few things sound out.First of all, it leads with a headline 'So what does your MP do?'. Surely after 12 as our local MP Eleanor should know what she does. Or is she beginning
Several weeks ago, Nick Clegg launched a major pamphlet outlining the key faultlines in British politics, between progressive and Conservative and within the progressive camp. Various reviews of the pamphlet can be found here, here and (sort of) here . Clegg's conclusions can be boiled down into a few simple points: There is a fundamental split between progressive political thought and conservative political thought and that the Liberal Democrats belong firmly to the first. This split is based on the way in which the thinkers view human nature. There is a fundamental split within the progressive strand between those (such ...
Guy Aitchison from OpenDemocracy has tagged me in a meme asking for my big idea for POWER2010 (which I blogged about here previously). There are obviously lots of things that I would like to see changed about our political system and Westminster. Most importantly for me would be electoral reform of the House of Commons to a roughly proportional system (I favour STV with multi-member constituencies). However I bang on about that all the time on this blog and I am sure there will be plenty of people submitting that idea already so I thought I would try something a ...
Much heat and little light has exploded in the Liberal Democrat Blogosphere over Sith Lord of Liberal Vision Mark Littlewood's becoming Director of the Institute for Evil Acquisitiveness. I quite like Mark, despite frequently thinking he gets it wrong, and the party's worse off for losing a talented individual (I'm with Mat on this) - just as it's a shrewd move for an often Tory-associated thinktank to pick a non-Tory, all the better to stand up to a potential new government. But outside of our own little enclave, two much less recently ex-Lib Dems have been in the 'proper' news ...
Matt Davies has the story about how Tory candidate Caroline Righton looks to have tried to smear her Lib Dem opponent in St Austell & Newquay, Stephen Gilbert, by faking a message. Although the story have been taken up by quite a few other bloggers (including Andrew Reeves, Nich Starling and Lib Dem Voice), I've yet to see anyone try to defend or excuse her behaviour - or indeed any Tory commenter post a comment on any of these stories at all even those some of the blogs running the story regularly attract comments from supporters or members of the ...
2 Big Stories Kelly committee: MPs should only rent As the BBC reports: It is understood the Kelly committee, which has been reviewing MPs' expenses, will recommend that MPs will only be able to rent second homes in future. It is also expected to recommend that MPs will not be able to employ family members in the future. Karadzic trial continues without Karadzic It looks like Radovan Karadzic's attempts to delay his trial aren't being too successful, with the judge warning that the trial may go on without him. The Telegraph reports: UN prosecutors have unveiled transcripts of intercepted telephone ...
This is one of two secondhand bookshops remaining in Uppingham. The other is Forest Books a few doors away. Elsewhere in the town, Goldmark in now purely a gallery - and well worth a visit if you like 20th century art. There was briefly another shop a few doors down from there (you can still see the books inside, which I suppose makes it a disused bookshop). And there was a fifth shop, which fronted the market place and had a rear entrance in a yard opening off another street. I had forgotten all about until I came across the ...
James Parkes, his partner and friends had been for a night out on Sunday and as they left a club in Stanley Street, in the heart of Liverpool's gay community, he was set upon by a group of between thirteen and twenty thugs, yes thugs and bloody cowards, aged only 14 to 17 who beat him so much he has a fractured skull and cheekbone and fighting for his life in hospital. What was James' crime last Sunday - nothing more than the fact he is gay! James is just 22, and a trainee police officer and just starting out ...
Commenting on Gordon Brown's U-turn over funding for the Territorial Army, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey, said: "The state of the TA is much too important to be used as a political football in this way. "It was a shocking error of judgement for the Government to have contemplated this cut in the first place. "It is a sad fact that Gordon Brown's moral compass has only managed to kick in in the face of opposition across the board."
While it may retain some high profile businessmen like Sir Tom Hunter and Sir George Mathewson the SNP are losing the overall support of Scottish Business says CBI Scotland leader Iain McMillan. Talking to the Scotsman he cites episodes such as Diageo being "bullied" over its restructuring plans, the cancellation of the Glasgow airport rail link (GARL) without consultation, the blocking of private sector involvement in running hospitals and prisons and the slashing of the enterprise budget by £74 million next year. He says the SNP are pushing a very public sector agenda at the expense of local private enterprise. ...
I see that David Cameron has announced that a new Tory policy group will look at how to bring down marginal tax rates. Interesting that thus far, the only policy the Tories have committed to is tax cuts for millionaires. Instead of vague promises to tinker with an already ludicrously complex benefit system, the Tories should recognise that people on low wages should NOT pay income tax at all. Only we Lib Dems have a fully-costed plan to get 4 million low-earners out of income tax by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, paid for by closing loopholes and clamping ...
I'm not generally a fan of podcasts, I'll say this right up front. They interrupt my mainlining of radio 4 and make me cranky. That said, I listened to the second edition of House of Comments tonight because my beloved [IMG: [info - personal] ] matgb told me I got a mention. Am now thoroughly depressed and considering giving up blogging completely. Way to waste the wonderful feeling of relaxation I gained from three days away from the computer. I mean, if even people who are broadly sympathetic and who have actually met me can fail to understand what I ...
The European Policy for Coastal Dunes states: "Management towards dynamic dunes should be promoted. A dynamic dune system is more resistant to erosion processes, is cheaper to maintain, has higher natural values and is more sustainable than fixated dunes."Later today however work begins to stabilise part of the fifth largest dune system in the UK (pictured) after a decision by the Formantine area committee to give the green light to work to go ahead to stabilise them. When Donald Trump first saw the Menie Estate he thought: "As soon as I saw it there was no question about it. I ...
It's been a rather long hard day, so I'm off to bed in a mo. Just before I do, I'm going to have a glass of Becherovka and drink to the Czechoslovak Independence Day. I got fond of this little digestif when I taught in Bratislava. My ...
[IMG: nick-clegg-tells-blair-to-go-west2] "Get in" as they say on the football terraces. The BBC reports today that Gordon Brown has finally admitted defeat - and - presumably through gritted teeth, let it be known that he will actively lobby for his predecessor Tony Blair to be named the first president of the European Council. In the same report it is said that later today (Wednesday) Nick Clegg will publicly declare his opposition to Blair's appointment. I hope so. Tony Blair, is, afterall, not yet cleared of war crimes. He orchestrated what most of us recognise as an illegal war against Iraq. ...
Two weeks ago, Nick Clegg wrote to Sir Thomas Legg – in the wake of Sir Thomas's decision to recommend MPs repay public money if they had been found to have overclaimed expenses for cleaning and gardening – asking that he examine the most serious allegations levelled against MPs: ... when your inquiry was first announced, I think most people expected the worst offences such as flipping to come under the toughest scrutiny. The letters sent this week, however, appear not to focus on these offences. If your review is to be seen as credible it must expose every single ...
Have you travelled through northern Spain? There is a new road that takes you across the country in a fraction of the time it took prior to this road. It is a feat of civil engineering spanning several estuaries. I understand that Ireland's infrastructure and economy have been transformed by new roads. People tell me that roads are transforming the whole of Europe and they also tell me that funding has come from Europe. There is a trend to improve transport to benefit individuals, companies and the economy. A couple of days ago I wrote about the opposition to the ...
