It was wonderful to see the Members of the Youth Parliament in the House of Commons the other day. For a start they are far more representative of the communities they represent than the present House of Commons, and for another they are far better behaved as a rule than the current crop of MPs. Whenever, you hear people moan and groan about the "yoof" of today bear in mind that the overwhelming majority are kind, caring, and constructive. Most are passionate about their communities and the world at large and want to better their own lives and that of ...
...or rather yesteryear in "Mother of Parliaments". Apparently MP for North East Bedfordshire, Alistair Burt, has had his, digits rapped, for reading from a constituent's letter on his Blackberry during a speech in the House of Commons. Now, after a decade of the sort of rumours of MPs being ordered around by whips and so on to be "on message" via electronic devices, I suppose they may be paranoid that someone is getting their entire speech, live, from some backroom researcher or coach (and it mightn't not be a bad thing I suppose for MPs actually to be informed when ...
So say, umm, a Conservative from Norfolk talking about the controversy over Lizz Truss's selection as a candidate: John Mortimer, 62, a member of the Swaffham Conservative club in the constituency for 20 years, said ... "They make out we're stupid, saying details of her affair were on Google, but no one in Norfolk knows how to use Google". No comment needed really. Hat tip: Tory Bear
[IMG: Cllr Armand Edwards wants better play equipment in Sydney Gardens] Armand and I are working to improve the children's play equipment in Sydney Gardens. The park is due major work to improve its layout and facilities which is to be funded by a lottery bid. This plan was drawn up in 1992 though, 17 years ago, so progress has been slow. Until this happens, the children's play area in particular needs a re-fresh. A few residents have suggested that the redundant equipment at the old Lime Grove School be used. Cllr Armand Edwards has pursued this idea as the ...
My favourite You-Tube treasure-trove at the moment is a collection of recordings of the American TV programme "What's My Line " from the 1950s. Some feature people who are simply celebrities, others feature 'ordinary' people in unusual occupations. This edition of "What;s My Line" was made 50 years ago last week and is reviewed here. (yes, nowadays 50-year-old TV gets in-depth reviews on the net!
Here's how the BBC describes its new Democracy Live website, which covers the Westminster Parliament, the European Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly: It brings together for the first time in the BBC, live and on demand video coverage of proceedings in our national political institutions and the European Parliament. Democracy Live builds on previously available content in the form of video streams, guides and biographies. But the real magic lies in the site's search function, which is unlike anything the BBC has done before. By its very nature, the business of politics can ...
Two exhibitions are being held to enable residents to view and discuss proposals for new safety schemes in the Stanley Park Road and STEPS Zones 20 & 21 areas. The dates are: Wednesday 4th November 2009 - Wallington United Reformed Church (4pm - 8pm) Monday 9th November 2009 - Good Shepherd Church (4pm - 8pm) The proposals were drafted ...
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Every time I hear Mr Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, mentioned, I think of Kenneth Williams as the Khasi of Kalabar in Carry On... Up the Khyber. I am not proud of it, but it is a fact.
Mon 2nd
21:58
The drunk scientist injects some quantum physics into his chat-up lines: Flash Forward Episode 6
Oh dear me. Has there ever been a more cringe-inducing naff chat up scene opening a TV episode? Drunk scientist on train uses crude quantum physics puns to chat up blonde with long hair and short skirt. Oh, and interleave the chat-up lines using Schrodinger's cat with scenes from a hospital of a major character struggling for life on the operating table. Yup, it's Flash Forward Episode 6, once again turning clichés that should be awful into surprisingly enjoyable middle of the road entertainment. One with a mysterious kangaroo hoping down the middle of an urban street in the US. ...
Nick Perry, the Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, has urged the Chair of the East Sussex Hospitals Trust, Irene Dibben, not to waste a golden opportunity to usher in an hospital parking regime that will have the full backing of local people. On 28 October, the ESHT Board met to discuss a report ...
Applications for "grants for groups" need to be in with Derwentside CVS by November 6th. These grants can range up to a maximum of £2,000 and are available to any community group, organisation or partnership in the district to apply for. There's still a chance to email for details to dcvs@derwentside.org.uk or ring 01207 218855.
Checking back through the Electoral Commission on line accounts I see that one of the recently arrested treasurers has been involved as a 'registered' treasurer of the political arm of Southport Tories for some years. In 2006 he was deputy to one Phil King and in the accounts they warn that the Association was heading towards being financially unstable (hence the resigination of the President et al ?) Anyway look for yourself Interestingly looking at seats that the Tories have targeted I see that the central party (Ashcroft ?) has provided tens of thousands of pounds to them. As the ...
[IMG: fs4.jpg] A big thank you from Gatley Cubs to the Cheadle Hulme Firefighters. We took the cubs to take a look at the firestation on Turves Road. They got to see all the equipment t firefighters wear, have a look around a fire engine, get a ride in the engine and have a go at spraying water from a fire hose. In a couple of weeks we're going back for some first aid training. One of our helpers might even be considering a change of career.
This Blog doesn't often do requests though Subrosa did raise this point with me earlier today. She herself has blogged 0n the subject of the Scottish Parliament's Corporate Board (SPCB) allowing MSPs to claim the cost of Poppy Wreaths that they lay. I suspect from the history of Subrosa's posts I assume that she like me comes from some line of military involvement. The last occasion I laid a wreath personally was on behalf our our Boy's Brigade Company on the same morning as the Enniskillen bombing. There are two points of view to take on this, on the one ...
The following comes from the Met Police. Do contact them if you have any information. Police are appealing for witnesses or information to a collision in which a 42 year old man died. It happened on Monday 2 November, around 05.30 hrs, on Lee High Road at the junction with Brightfield Road, Lee. A motorcycle rider was in collision with bollards at the side of the road. At this stage it is not known if there were any other vehicles involved. The 42 year old rider was taken to University Hospital Lewisham but sadly died at 6.40 hrs. We believe ...
For months RBS, owners of NatWest, have been selling NatWest to the public as the bank that has more staff, more branches open, the most helpful staff and cares most about customers. Today we read that NatWest are to shed up to one third of their staff. It's investment banking that made the losses at RBS/NatWest, but it is the staff in wholesale banking who lost their jobs. What's more is it is customers, ordinary people like you and me who suffer and get worse service and less branches. Isn't that an odd sort of logic ?
With acknowledgement to Private Eye
With Slugger O'Toole.
On Left Foot Forward. It's in response to her article today in The Daily Mail entitled "Fatuous, dangerous, utterly irresponsible - the Nutty professor who's distorting the truth about drugs". I'm not linking to it again, the LFF post has a link to it. After all the nonsense she's written about MMR over the years, you think she'd be a bit more circumspect about blundering into scientific areas like this....
Surprise, surprise - the problems which we predicted with parking at Timothy Hackworth Court have materialised. When the plans for this sheltered housing scheme were submitted those of us with some local knowledge said that there was insufficient parking included. Ah, said McCarthy & Stone, you won't need that much parking because residents will give up their cars when they move in. You'll see
Mon 2nd
19:40
Hold the front page - Cameron will rename the Department of Health, and cost the country a fortune i...
According to an article on today's Guardian website, David Cameron has announced plans to rename the Department of Health. As part of a strategy to improve Britain's health he will rename it 'The Department of Public Health. One can only assume that this is to distinguish it from Conservative frontbenchers healthcare, which will be supplied privately. It's difficult ...
I was listening last night to BBC's Five live which had a heated discussion on the Stephen Nolan phone in about the sacking of Professor David Nutt (UK's chief drugs adviser) by Alan Johnson. On the show was Lib Dem MP Evan Harris trying his best to explain why this is wrong. This has been well covered on the Blog's and news media. However I think there is confusion within the public because as with most things in politics its not always easy to follow the minor points as they get lost in the headlines and anger. Many were calling ...
By now I'm sure everyone has formed their opinion on the Professor Nutt vs. Alan Johnson drugs debacle. On the one side you've got the screaming hordes of Daily Mail believers (I hesitate to call them readers; that might imply they could use that skill to read other media that might occasionally dabble in actual ...
This Sunday people across the country will stop to remember those who lives were lost in battles across the world. With so many young men still dying in Afghanistan, thoughts will be with families of those who have lost love ones and whose love ones are still in danger. A list of services in Waltham Forest can be found here (I believe Dad as Deputy Mayor will be at Coronation Gardens in Leyton)
Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Chris Huhne has uncovered the figures through a Parliamentary Question: In 2007, the last year for which figures are available, the average fine for criminals convicted of possessing crack cocaine was £38.33 - less than a standard £60 parking fine or speeding ticket, and less than a quarter of the average fine in 1997, which was £180. Over the same ten year period, fines for possession of heroin have more than halved, to just £65.83. Fines for cocaine possession also fell, from £624.50 to £326.05, although those for offenders caught with ecstasy increased, from £209.33 ...
Ever since we started collecting plastic bottles residents have been asking what about yoghurt pots and food trays. Ever since we started the garden waste collection residents have been asking for cardboard to be made weekly. Well the good news is that from Monday 30th November the weekly collection is being expanded to include cardboard and household plastic packaging for recycling. This will
'Only leaders travel in helicopters,' is a maxim that makes helicopters and leaders special. The phrase, coined by Jim Hancock, former political editor of BBC North West, sums up three tales of when I joined the leader in his campaign helicopter. Charles Kennedy is not a big fan of helicopters, which is a shame, because personally I ...
... unpaid, sadly. I have been and sorted out some stuff on my mum's computer, and I have been and sorted out some stuff on my auntie Susan's computer. This means that I am behind with the stuff I was going to do on MY computer... Ah well. It's all good karma points, right?
Fathom consulting are too bearish, and their panelists too keen to engage in fiscal cutting.
The Daily Mail can be measured by the people who write bilious hatred on its immigrant stories.
I watched the debate in the Commons earlier today where Alan Johnson attempted to defend his decision to sack Professor David Nutt from his position as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs last week. One thing that particularly caught my attention was Chris Huhne's description of Chris Grayling, the shadow Home Secretary as Alan Johnson's "mini-me", the exact description I used in a post about him on Saturday. It made me wonder if Chris Huhne reads this blog....
Two members of Southport Conservative Club have been arrested on suspicion of theft after an audit revealed around £21,000 of discrepancies in the club's finances. From the Southport Visiter: The private 130-year club last night refused to comment though the Visiter understands that executive members noticed anomalies with the accounts over the course of the year, and finally raised the alarm in August. A member of the club, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "This has come as a shock to everyone. There is no question about it, £21,000 is an awful lot of money for any kind of social ...
Often on this blog the need for a distinctive Liberal Democrat narrative has been argued/discussed. However, if you thought we have problems (and I think we do have) then spare a thought for the Labour left which is conducting it's post-mortem on the upcoming election seemingly already; Adaptation to the political mainstream over the last one and ...
[IMG: Sarah Ludford] The European Union could take the UK to court over its failure to protect the privacy of British citizens, it was announced on Friday. The European Commission is unhappy because the Government is not meeting its EU commitments regarding online privacy. The EU's 2002 'e-privacy' directive guarantees confidentiality of electronic communications such as emails and internet surfing. The Commission received complaints that UK telecoms firms were unlawfully monitoring and profiling users' internet use in order to target advertising, and that it was impossible to get action from UK authorities. The Commission's charges are that the EU law's ...
I'm delighted to be able to report that, following the safety audit of the play facilities on the Ridgegrove Estate, the remaining equipment has been given the all clear and will remain in place. I'm delighted for this, but wary that it is only a small success in an on-going battle. Whilst the swings etc are safe for the timebeing, I'm still going to be pressing the Council to replace the equipment that has been removed recently and to guarantee to replace equipment when it goes beyond its safe life in the future. The safety audit was carried out by ...
Proposals by Cardiff Central AM and Liberal Democrat economy spokeswoman Jenny Randerson for a Welsh stock exchange have started to gain momentum with experts telling the Western Mail that the idea deserves to be looked at. Simon Brickles, the former head of the London-based Alternative Investment Market and chief executive of Plus Markets, a specialist stock exchange also based in the UK capital has backed the idea. Insisting that small businesses such as restaurants and nightclubs could use the stock exchange model, Mr Brickles said: "It's not something terribly mystical. "It doesn't matter what it is, if it's a well-run ...
My local market town has just seen a shiny new shopping precinct opened on the site of a former car park. Dave himself did the honours last week and I joined a stream of inquisitive people this morning to see what it was all about. Well, er, it's just another precinct. It has the usual fashion chains, the usual eating and drinking chains and a cinema. Oh, and lots of empty units: we are, after all, in the midst of a recession. It goes up from the existing road to the cinema, a distance of around 100 yards, then it, ...
Allergys to dairy products is a serious political and social issue that fails to be addressed comprehensively. I am fed up of everything I ever order automatically coming with cheese, so I actually have to tell them to take it off as I can't eat it. I mean when has it become standard practice for ...
So now we understand the purpose of Government advisors. Whilst it would have been reasonable to assume that they existed to provide advice on important issues from acknowledged experts in their field, we now know better. From the fall-out of the sacking of David Nutt the Governments chief drugs advisory on the Drugs Advisory Panel, we can now see that it would seem that the real purpose is to give credibility to Government policy. The sacking of David Nutt was an incredible over reaction from a Labour Government clearly now extra sensitive about every tiny aspect of public policy so ...
An important role in any election campaign is that of candidate's aide. This person shadows the candidate making sure that they keep to their timetable, meet voters and avoid any pitfalls that might befall the campaign. The team that travels with the candidate generally includes three people, as a minimum, in which 'the driver' joins the ...
I'm a sucker for American drama series but tend to have a low threshhold for trash TV. Because I'm a UK political hack I have to love the West Wing (and do). I also love the Sopranos and am waiting to start seriously watching the Wire. I'm also a big fan of Studio 60 - even if it got humiliated and then dumped by the US networks. And so I started watching Defying Gravity - the story of a five year mission to explore new galaxies, search out new life, boldly go... etc. You see there's absolutely nothing original in ...
News reaches the Voice of a debate about crises around water planned for later this month. If you're able to attend, why not write it up for a post on Lib Dem Voice? See our notes for contributors for details. Earthwatch Debate: From Tsunami to Drought Thursday 19th November, 7.00pm - 9.00pm at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR Chaired by award winning broadcaster Andrea Catherwood. Our speakers: Prof. Paul Leonard, environmental consultant Dr Tom Le Quesne, WWF Prof. Howard Wheater, Imperial College A member of the public. Our panel: John Burton, CEO, the World Land ...
The site was previously used as a service station, but now offers car washes. It's an odd triangular plot, and you wouldn't think much could be fitted on it. However, Richmond Churches Housing Association wanted to build 10 flats on the site - and not just small flats, but family sized ones, each with 3 or 4 bedrooms. I wrote about it on my old blog, after we refused the application in April, under the heading One of the worst designs I have ever seen. The Housing Association appealed, but I'm pleased to say that they have just lost their ...
Fresh Squeezings From the veins of the InternetMy fellow Yorkshireman Judith Brooksbank has a very good post on the meaning of the word "man" Gaby Hinsliff quits work to spend more time with her son. And, you know, good for her. I'm glad she's made a decision she's happy with. But I really, REALLY wish she wouldn't try and extrapolate HER experience to ALL women. We are all individuals, and in assuming that all women would really like to do this too she is guilty of this: [IMG: [info - personal] ] amazing_holly, Ian really wanted to stay home and ...
I recently received concerns about Harris Academy pupils who live in the area around the western end of Perth Road (west of the school) finding difficulty being able to get on a bus to/from school as they are so busy. I have received the following feedback from the Director of Travel Dundee (National Express Dundee) : "Fraser, All of the buses which we schedule as School services are general registered services and available to all members of the public. We do not have the school bus contracts for any of the public authority schools in Dundee. There are a number ...
Kalvis Jansons, the man who brought you the Gordon Brown "resign" petition has contacted me to inform he that he has tried to submit another petition calling on the PM to "sack the Home Secretary" in the wake of his deeply unpopular decision to himself sack Professor David Nutt from the ACMD. The Downing Street petition site has rejected it. Its reasoning for this is that it is "similar to or overlaps with an existing petition" and cites this as the one it overlaps with. However all that one calls on the PM to do is to reinstate Professor Nutt. ...
Afghanistan's election has collapsed into a complete and utter shambles. Hamid Karzai has been declared the 'winner' of a non-contest following the withdrawal of Abdullah Abdullah; Karzai's only challenger. Abdullah withdrew because; almost all his demands for changes to the IEC and the suspension of government ministers - which he said would have reduced the risk ...
Two thoughts on Conservative MP David Wilshire's absurd and insulting comparison of the media and public's behaviour this year in response to news about MPs' expenses to the behaviour of the Nazis. First, I'd really have expected an experienced MP to stop and think, "If I'm about to compare something with the Nazis, I really should have second thoughts". Second, David Wilshire specifically complained that, "Branding a whole group of people as undesirables led to Hitler's gas chambers". So you'd have thought he himself would be against branding a whole group of people as undesirable. But wait. What does his ...
Perhaps not ELO's best remembered - Fire On High - but absolutely superb!
It now seems likely that the vote on whether to annul the enabling legislation for a badger cull in North Pembrokeshire will take place on Wednesday afternoon after a short debate. I have been astounded not by the number of e-mails and letters I have received opposing this cull, but by the large number that have come from North Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion itself, most from landowners and some from people with livestock of their own or significant experience of managing cattle. The claimed overwhelming support for this cull in the North Pembrokeshire area is clearly as substantial as a sea ...
Following their victory in the Mayoral by-election on 15 October North Bedfordshire Liberal Democrats are seeking a Campaign Organiser for Bedford Borough. £16,000-£18,000, based in Bedford.
George W Bush made much of the fact that he preferred to base decisions on belief rather than fact. He seemed to take pride in it, whilst the rest of the World is now trying to pick up the pieces of his faith-based decisions in climate change. It seems that the Home Secretary has decided that facts should be malleable when it comes to drugs policy. Sacking somebody for refusing to go along with false facts is harsh and wrong. It is also unnecessary, as there was plenty of room for him to decide what to do about inconvenient advice. ...
Orange has now released its price plans for the iPhone for when it starts selling it this month. I don't think I was alone in expecting the introduction of competition to the market to bring down prices, after O2's monopolistic stronghold. But it seems the iPhone is going the way of petrol, with every retailer ...
One of the office jokes is to replace a word in a song with Garf. For example instead of Parklife we have Garflife. Last week David started singing We buy any Garf (dot com) to the annoying but catchy tune from WeBuyAnyCar.com adverts. A few hours later and the domain www.buyanygarf.com was part of my collection, and a few hours after that the DNS was pointing at my VPS. That night I sat down and created our first song, Total Eclipse of the Garf. We now have three videos on our Youtube Channel, a cut out Halloween Mask, a SMS ...
I have just become a supplier of illegal drugs. Given the mindset of our government I suppose this means that I might expect to feel the heavy hand of the law on my shoulder at any moment. After all, I have form. In 2002 I was convicted of possession of cannabis, an offence under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. My crime had been to stand outside Stockport police station and to make a speech about the need for a policy that separated 'soft' and 'hard' drugs. I held up a postage stamp with a gramme of cannabis stuck to ...
Yesterday I caught a front page headline "EU to ban all shop refunds" It sounds like the usual swivel-eyed anti-EU rubbish that the tabloid press like to use to wind up their readership. But is it? Anyone any idea what this was about?
Those concerned that the drive to lower the deficit by cutting government spending in the near term will stall recovery and lead to the so-called double dip recession have had their views strengthened by the publication of Slash and Grow? Spending cuts and economic recovery by liberal think-tank Centre Forum. The big hint is in the little question mark of the title. After twenty-eight pages of detailed analysis, Centre Forum summarises i its news release: Osborne's plan for cuts imperils Britain's recovery. George Osborne's determination to cut the deficit at all costs risks leaving the economy sluggish and the government ...
Alan Johnson became redder and redder as his anger mounted and righteous indignation welled over in his TV defence of his sacking of Professor Nutt (you couldn't get a better name for a science professor if you tried). I thought he might explode. I think his anger is really directed at himself. He has made a mistake - and seems to believe that if he huffs and puffs and goes out on the offensive - he will back up his position that advisers should not open their mouths in public if they disagree with the government - even if it ...
On Saturday I made a plea for more funds to be provided for the construction of more rented homes in Fife. At the Scottish Federation of Housing Association's Meeting at the Lib Dem Conference I cited my regular advice surgeries and office calls as evidence that there is a great need. The housing waiting list in Fife is long and it's not getting shorter. Big families in small overcrowded homes combined is a common feature. In particular there is considerable demand for suitable accommodation for elderly people with special needs. The council are unable to keep up with the demand ...
Mon 2nd
11:55
Slash and grow? CentreForum examine whether we really can cut the deficit and grow the economy
I've produced a very quick piece of research putting the Conservatives' recent espousal of growth-through-exports-and-investment into historical context - and asking whether their reliance on this model is realistic, or very risky. The answer: very risky. It's all very fine raging against the debt being loaded on our grandchildren. But they don't want to inherit a ****ed economy either.
After quite a few months of work through the Task and Finish Group that I chair, I'm pleased to say that our waste and recyling consultation is now live on Colchester Council's website. It will also be in the next edition of the Courier, which should be landing on doorsteps throughout the Borough in the ...
[IMG: Access Connections screenshot] My travails with Vodafone Customer Services over my mobile broadband service have been exacerbated by the very slow performance of the Access Connections software that shipped with my (otherwise lovely) Lenovo ThinkPad X301 laptop. The software was taking an age to start up, a long time to try connecting to Vodafone and so on. It didn't just feel slow; whenever I put a clock on it, the time taken to do things like start up was measured in minutes. And this on a brand new laptop with fast processor and lots of memory. (In fact, the ...
There is a story that you'll be hard pressed to find in the UK Press. It is the story of Nemat Safavi, who is only 21. At the age of 16 he was arrested and charged with the crime of Lavat (sex with another man). On the 31 October he was finally sentanced for his crimes, the penalty is death. Iran has signed two treaties on the treatment of juveniles and has promised not to execute any minor for a crime. However, Nemat though his 'crime' was committed while he was a minor is now of age, Iran are twisting ...
As you may be able to tell, I'm going stir crazy as I can't drive at the moment! The pleasure of living off the beaten track is being tarnished slightly - isn't it odd how much one misses something when you know you can't have it? Even the bus doesn't stop anywhere within the kind of distance I can manage on sticks. Enough whinging Jacky - at least your condition is temporary!! This has set me thinking about public transport within Norfolk. At one time, people who didn't/couldn't drive used the bus to go shopping or visiting family and friends. ...
Birkdale's Councillor Simon Shaw is among the councillors claiming the highest in travel expenses from Sefton Council. This is because Simon is one of very few Sefton councillors who is a member of one of the Local Government Association's Boards or Panels, which meet in London. Simon has been a member of the LGA's Human Resources Panel and associated bodies since 2005 (including substitute member mid-2007 to mid-2009). The key LGA bodies of which Simon is a member include: LGA's HR Panel Local Government Pensions Committee National Joint Council for Local Government Services Joint National Council for Chief Executives (also ...
Mon 2nd
11:25
The Liberal Democrats need to position themselves as the party that will listen to scientific advice
Professor David Nutt was a frustrated man whose recommendations (backed up by scientific evidence) were being ignored by a series of non-scientific Labour politicians. He was making statements that undermined government policy and it is understandable that he has irritated Alan Johnson to the point where he has fired him. Professor Nutt was not some loose cannon though. He was the chair of an indepedent advisory council that was almost entirely supportive of his views. They voted 20 to 3 to keep cannabis as class C and now appear to be ready to resign en masse in protest at his ...
... We'd say a big thank you to the 31,331 'absolute unique visitors'* who read Liberal Democrat Voice in October. That's a 10% uplift on last month's readership, and a 38% increase on the same period a year ago, when just over 22,000 readers visited LDV. This brings our absolute unique visitor readership for the last year to date (1 Nov 2008 - 31 Oct 2009) to 312,829, almost double the equivalent figure for 2007-08 of 169,320. The 5 top-read stories during the month were: 1. Mark Littlewood resigns Lib Dem membership for IEA Director job (176) by Richard Huzzey ...
This is cross posted from Freethinking Economist. Apologies to those of you subscribed to both . . . Everyone is talking about exit strategies, but what should be exited and when? No consensus from economic wiseguys, just a recognition that this issue is utterly critical. Fathom Consulting have a direct go at Conservative economic policy. "While we agree that the UK's fiscal position is dreadful, Opposition plans to begin fiscal tightening next year could spell disaster. We are calling for an overhaul of the Bank's QE programme to make it start delivering for the real economy: for all firms, not ...
Mon 2nd
10:54If C.B. Fry can be offered the Kingship of Albania, surely we can offer President of Europe to the l...
There are many people who have been mentioned as potential new Presidents of the European Union, but none sparked my interest more than Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He has an impressive CV, which I challenge anyone to match. Starting at the age of 6 he was the last Tsar if Bulgaria, supported by the Germans, then invaded by ...
I want to inform you of a major change to the Housing and Council Tax Benefit rules. From today child benefit payments will not be included as income for Housing and Council Tax Benefit purposes. As well as increasing the entitlement of those who already receive HB and CTB, there will be a substantial increase in the number of people who may become eligible as a result of the change. Families who have claimed Housing and Council Tax Benefit and were not entitled in the past may now be able to receive financial help towards their rent and Council Tax ...
Everyone is talking about exit strategies, but what should be exited, and when? And a big thankyou to David Heigham for pointing out the Levy Centre, though this adds another hour or so to an already overstuffed week of reading.
Commenting on Government plans to break up state-owned banks, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "It is obviously right that British retail banking becomes more competitive in order to stop the continual ripping off of customers. "But there's no justification for a rapid sell off of state assets in the current depressed environment when the taxpayer will get a very poor deal. "This is a long-term project and the most important priorities are to make sure banks lend to good customers, especially businesses, in order to stave off deepening recession and growing unemployment and that the taxpayer gets value ...
On Saturday, LDV reported the news that the Scottish Lib Dems were uniting behind leader Tavish Scott's opposition to the SNP referendum on independence, ahead of a special private conference for party members. And so it came to pass, as the BBC reports: Tavish Scott has consistently opposed a referendum, but some divisions within the party have emerged and the issue was debated in a closed session at the party's autumn conference in Dunfermline, Fife, on Saturday. Senior Lib Dem MSP Ross Finnie, who has been asked to lead a consultation with members about the party's stance, said the session ...
Commenting on the further resignations of Government drug advisers following the sacking of Professor David Nutt, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "These are high profile and damaging resignations. If Alan Johnson does not backtrack quickly, he runs the risk not only of destroying his own Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs but also of undermining the integrity of scientific advice across Government. "It is absurdly thin-skinned to suggest that a critical editorial in a peer-reviewed learned journal involves campaigning against Government policy. If ministers behave like this, no self-respecting academic will want to advise them. "The ...
With just 59 days til the end of the third millennium's first decade, we can celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the birth of BBC1, and that it's 49 years to the day since Penguin Books was found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case. 2 Big Stories Johnson faces backlash over decision to sack drugs advisor The fall-out continues from Home Secretary Alan Johnson's decision to sack Professor David Nutt as chair of his scientific advisory body on drugs policy – The Times reports: The Government is facing mass resignations from the official advisory body on drugs ...
Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, is under pressure after sacking a top drugs adviser. The advisor, Professor David Nutt, accused Mr Johnson of playing politics with cannabis classification because he chose to go against expert advice that the drug should be classified as a Class C drug, not the more serious Class B. Mr Johnson sacked Professor Nutt, and now some of Nutt's colleagues advising the government on drugs policy have resigned or are threatening to do so. A lot of people are criticising the Home Secretary, and obviously I don't normally pass up the opportunity where I think it's ...
The controversy in recent days over Home Secretary Alan Johnson's sacking of his chief drugs adviser has been a joy to watch. It seems the biggest problem was caused when Professor David Nutt asserted that riding a horse was more dangerous than taking ecstasy. Yes, it's quite a surprising soundbite. No one would ever expected something ...
George Monbiot is quite right that burning virgin vegetable oil in cars or power stations is crazy, but he's wrong when he says that used cooking oil is the only sustainable biofuel - at least not for councils who are collecting food waste. Over the last 18 months Camden Council has been running two of its vehicles on biogas made from rotting food waste. According to research that we commissioned, so long as it's all burnt (which means keeping engines well-tuned), biomethane from food waste comes top of any list of sustainable fuels. In terms of carbon emissions it's 80% ...
As if Alan Duncan's complaint that MPs were having to live off rations wasn't bad enough, disgraced Conservative MP David Wilshire has taken matters one step further by comparing the way MPs have been treated over their expenses to that of Jews being sent to the Nazi gas chambers. In an email to a constituent, the Spelthorne ...
He always claimed that he didn't want it and wasn't up to it. Maybe we should have listened to him more keenly as the debacle of the last few days has shown Alan Johnson in a very poor light. He sacked the head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Professor David Nutt on Friday which then garnered a lot of negative coverage. Professor Nutt did not go quietly and has appeared on the media numerous times and is also using the opportunity to get his message across with articles like this in The Times today about drugs ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP, Jenny Willott dominates this morning's Western Mail with her discovery that more than 4,300 innocent people have been added to the DNA database by Welsh police forces since a European court ruling that the practice was illegal. The figures that she has obtained show that almost one in 10 Welsh residents - 274,272 - have their profile on the DNA database. But 57,069 have not been convicted of any offence, with 4,343 innocent people added since the court ruling. Only 17 profiles have been removed from the database since last December when the European Court of ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] Oh, I want to go and see some bands! - Glastonbury was, once again, almost imposible to get tickets for. Seriously 'Seetickets' get a new couple of servers and a decent amount of bandwidth next year... oh and a few more people on the phones would be nice (me? bitter?). Me and my mates were sat about, and saw this happening - wondered who is was... opps, Florence and the Machine were awesome!
It's February 1940. The country is at war. The question of the moment: inter-species enmity. Sir Arthur Heneage: Is it not a fact that foxes are the greatest enemy of rats and mice? John Morgan: Cats. Liked this story? Find other gems from Hansard on my archive page for this series of posts.
We live in exciting times here in Market Harborough. From the Harborough Mail: The embattled former Harborough Council leader who resigned yesterday has criticised opponents for "questioning his personal integrity". Shockwaves reverberated through Harborough District Council yesterday(Thursday, Oct 29) as councillors heard of the unexpected resignation of its leader Alistair Swatridge. Councillors received an email from chief executive Sue Smith saying Cllr Swatridge would be stepping down as both leader and as a ward councillor for Great Bowden. In fact, Swatridge's ward is Great Bowden and Arden, which means it covers a large part of the old Market Harborough North ...
Chris Huhne MP is the Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesperson. He was on the infamous 'Question Time' panel last Thursday with Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP (who someone said to me this week reminded them of Quasimodo. Harsh but fair). Chris' view remains that it is better to drag the BNP into the sunlight of ...
The recent heavy rain, especially yesterday where in Aberdeen 39mm and in Edinburgh 32mm fell in the 12 hours from 6am to 6pm yesterday has caused havoc in the North East of Scotland with the main rail line between Edinburgh and Aberdeen has now closed. The centre of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire (where the Edinburgh to Aberdeen rail line goes through) is underwater after the rivers Cowie and Carron both burst their banks, in the village of Huntly also in Aberdeenshire around 100 people have been evacuated as the local river burst it's banks and Arbroath in Angus is virtually cut ...
Remember when Parliament ran into the expenses crisis there was a hope, Sir Christopher Kelly's report. All the party leaders have spoken in favour of accepting the recommendations Nick Clegg, David Cameron even Gordon Brown made a Commons statement stressing that all party's had agreed accept the further Kelly recommendations providing they 'meet the tests of increased transparency, accountability and reduced costs for the taxpayer'. However, now it appears that Harriet Harman is preparing to water the proposals down. The areas they are looking to water down are some of the most abused and some of those where tough changes ...
Since I'm about to start a new poll I close this one (link to the original post). The result is that 10 people voted and 8 voted yes, dog owners should have a licence, 2 voted against.
As of Friday 30 October 2009 The Director of Public Health has advised that swine flu numbers in Hertfordshire remain steady, with no sharp increase in cases such as those in the North of England. The steep rises in other parts of the country have contributed to a near doubling of cases nationally over the past week. The Chief Medical Officer, Liam Donaldson issued revised planning assumptions for the next six weeks. These assumptions are based on epidemiological information about how the swine flu virus is behaving and in general, show a more optimistic worst case scenario. Of course, in ...
According to Harriet Harman MPs should not be forced to sack relatives. Although we haven't heard it yet, there is an expectation that Sir Christopher Kelly's advice will be that MPs don't employ relatives. Joe Public thinks that all MPs are in it for their own good. They are all the same. It is no use saying that I have not claimed any expenses or that I have paid out a lot of money to take part in politics. It is no use saying that money for my political activity is nothing to do with money from the unions or ...
