This really is worth watching, if only as a lesson in health and safety at work. It looks like a normal, peaceful working day in a warehouse. And then utter mayhem breaks loose. Unbelievable. Some points: The two warehouse guys under those boxes (which are full of cognac and whisky) seemed to have been inside their strengthened forklift cockpits when all collapsed, so one suspects they were relatively unscathed (though no notes on the clip state what happened to the poor fellows).The forklifts are petrol or diesel-fuelled which probably adds to the power with which one of them hits the ...
A big hello to my friend John Braidwood and his Anglo-Hungarian family. Today is the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Hungary and the beginning of the end of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Eventually, more than 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviet troops were killed in the conflict, and 200,000 Magyars fled as refugees. Most of those who fled were yong men in their twenties including the great Ferenc Puskas, and Joe (József Kreul) Bugner the former heavyweight boxer, whose family fled and settled in England. Victor Sebestyen's book "Twelve Days" is a gripping, detailed reconstruction of the revolution, and ...
Is it already a year since Barack Obama was elected the first African-American to be elected President of the ...
Pizza Express branches tend to fall into two clear categories: the slightly different quirky ones and the very boxy, cram in as many tables as you can on to a noisy tile floor, ones. Euston Road is very much the latter. Bad for people who like elbow room. Good for people who like eavesdropping. And woe-betide any waiter who isn't thin but has to make their way round the tables. The thin staff did though, you'll be glad to hear, continue the Pizza Express tradition of suddenly getting slower with the service when it gets to the point of wanting ...
As part of the development of Birmingham City Council's new website, a new geographical information service has been rolled out. "My Local Information" allows you to find your nearest Council facilities such as libraries as schools, your rubbish collection day and even your councillors! The intention is that more information will be added over time and that residents will be able to use the
Newcastle and Gateshead, in partnership with One NorthEast created 1NG as the development company for NewcastleGateshead. It has a heavy weight chair - Lord Falconer, the former Lord Chancellor. In a nutshell, its remit is to produce the economic plan the the NewcastleGateshead "City" area. As the 1NG website explains, "The NewcastleGateshead economic masterplan - 1PLAN - will set out a blueprint
I listened to BBC reports of David Cameron's speech on Europe with increasing bafflement as it appeared that the Conservatives set out a complicated set of policies that to my mind addressed all the wrong problems. Granted, by many standards, and certainly by Tory standards, I'm a rabid pro-European. But here are two obvious flaws in the Conservative position. No more treaties without referendums So for each new treaty, the Tories will make sure there's a referendum. Awuga, wrong question alert. Ask people if they wanted the Lisbon treaty, and most often what you get in answer is why they ...
Welcome to the 141st of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (18th – 24th October 2009), together with a hand-picked quintet, partly courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget, by the way, you can now sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Ex-Liberal Democrats in the ...
Hannan writes on his Daily Telegraph blog: We need a broad movement within the Conservative Party that will push for referendums, citizens' initiatives and the rest of the paraphernalia of direct democracy. I don't just mean a referendum on Europe - though, naturally, that is the obvious place to start. I mean full-on Helvetic people power, as adumbrated in this best-selling publication. I have returned to the back benches in order to concentrate on building such a movement.Hannan was the Tories' legal affairs spokesman in the European Parliament. Thanks to Paul Waugh.
The main issue discussed at this evening's meeting of the Acocks Green Ward Committee was the proposed gating of the passageway from Langworth Avenue to the Stockfield Estate. The residents in Langworth Avenue are keen for the passageway to be gated during night time to help prevent ongoing anti-social behaviour there. Funds were made available to do this from the Acocks Green Ward Community Chest over a year ago. The difficulty has been finding a way to have the gates regularly locked in the evening and unlocked in the morning. This is important as the passageway is also a useful ...
I've never been a great fan of the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, who has none of the breadth of intellectual and human experience and understanding of his predecessor Vaclav Havel. But all true Europeans should feel nonetheless grateful to Mr Klaus for recognising that it would be quite wrong for him as an individual to ...
It's about 24 hours or so since the announcement that the government is, after all, going to break up the banks they own. The re-discovery of old banking creatures inside the belly of Lloyds and RBS - Williams & Glyn's, TSB and so on - is proof of what some of us have been saying all year. But having thought about it for a day or so, it seems to me that - heavens - it is so incredibly timid. Ten per cent of bank branches will change hands. There are only 170 branches per million people in the UK, ...
Paul Walter has some good comment on the recent round of American elections which were billed as a verdict on President Obama; mostly it seems by self-interested parties, ignoring the fact that while local elections do sometimes reflect national trends this can be to a greater or lesser degree. How else would those proponents of ...
The debate on whether to go ahead with the cull of badgers in North Pembrokeshire as part of the Labour Plaid Cymru Government's bovine TB control measures took place today. Lorraine Barrett and I had tabled a motion to annul the legislation but the vote was lost by 43 vote to 9 and as a result the cull will go ahead. Thanks to the wonders of BBC Democracy Live I am able to bring you the entire debate for your edification and delight.
School Road (between No 238 to Edenbridge Road and the roundabout) will be resurfaced next week. The work is scheduled to take three days, starting on Wednesday 11th November.
With the permission of Bob Ballantine, Service Team Leader, Dundee and Angus Community Mediation Services, here are details of this year's "Good Neighbour" Awards : NOMINATIONS INVITED FOR 2009 "GOOD NEIGHBOUR" AWARDS Following the success of last year's "Good Neighbour" Awards, Dundee and Angus Community Mediation Services have decided to run the scheme again during this year's Mediation Week in November. The neighbour dispute resolution services are inviting residents of Angus and Dundee to nominate someone who has been a particularly good neighbour over the past year. The winner in each area will receive a Christmas hamper. Mediation Team Leader ...
Today marked a big step forward for the Liberal Democrats as phase one of the party's new internet presence was launched. The new party website at www.libdems.org.uk is a big improvement over the old site. Whilst still quite busy, the front page is attractive and easy to navigate. For me, the big improvement is the left hand panel of policy areas - which take you to a summary view of each area, with links to further information. Finding out even quite basic information on policy was far too difficult on the old site. I think the site will really come ...
Tonight I attended, along with a large number of parents, an open meeting at Harris Academy held by the Parent Council to update parents of both the school and its feeder primaries about the proposals to upgrade the building. Jim Thewliss, Head Teacher, gave an excellent resume of the process thus far and how the upgrading is likely to proceed. There was then a question and answer session, covering issues like the decant arrangements during refurbishment, transport arrangements, etc. There will be a number of further consultation meetings with parents in the months ahead as the refurbishment process moves forward. ...
Ciara Leeming writes: I paid a visit to Derker the other day...an area of Oldham that is undergoing a controversial regeneration process funded by central government. I last visited the community over two years ago, not long after a public inquiry that was triggered by objections to the council's plans to bulldoze almost 500 homes. Inevitably, the locals lost and the compulsory purchase order (CPO) was granted - clearing the way for demolition. Actually, I can't actually think of any community that has won at public inquiry under this particular regeneration scheme, which will see the clearance of anything between ...
Went to the doctor today for various reasons, one of which was that the mole on my back has been getting bigger and itchy recently. The doctor says it's probably harmless but it's better to be safe than sorry and he's going to book me in for having it removed. I have been trying to not panic about it all day (and many thanks are due to the Duracell Bunny for his cheering text messages and to Mat for being comforting) but not really succeeding. Hopefully my appointment will come through soon...
ft.com/westminster has an intriguing theory about who might fight South Shields for Labour at the next election should David Miliband become the European Union's foreign policy chief: Some killjoys will have spotted at least a dozen fatal flaws in this fantastic theory. But it is never wise to think about these scenarios too carefully. Why spoil the fun? Some stories are just too good to be fiction.
Lib Dem environment spokesman Simon Hughes made a surprise visit to King's Cross at the weekend, to highlight the local MP's failure to back action on climate change. The veteran London MP Hughes joined local campaigners and a dozen student activists on the campaign trail in the week after Labour MPs voted to let Gordon Brown ...
Chief Superintendant Chris McKeogh will head the Birmingham West and Central policing unit from April 2010. This is the unit which will cover all of the Ladywood constituency including the city centre. The shake-up of West Midlands Police will see the 21 units drop to 10.
The Watford Observer reports: The Liberal Democrats have selected their candidate to stand for election to Westminster in the South-West Herts constituency. Councillor Christopher Townsend, who represents Tring West and Rural for Dacorum Borough Council, has been chosen to stand against incumbent Conservative MP David Gauke at the next General Election. Wikipedia describes the constituency: This seat forms a thin strip along the south-west border of Hertfordshire from South Oxhey (near Watford) in the south, through the countryside areas of Bovingdon and Berkhamsted to Tring in the north. Other towns in the constituency include Chipperfield, Chorleywood, Croxley Green, Moor Park, ...
There has been a revamp of a website. No not the one all Lib Dems have been talking about, although LibDems.Org.uk does look impressive in its new clothes. No as I had been saying for some time Tam Smith the SNP PPC for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, well at the start of the month it finally came to life. Not a lot there just now, though Tam appears to be taking me on as a local poitical Tweeter. However, how obvious is the photo shopping on this picture. The light is coming from opposite directions, the Palace behind Tam's shoulder ...
After the shock of putting localism on hold, it looks like the cabinet will finally be allowing devolved decision making in the county. Localism - allowing local members to work with town and parish councils and others to take local decisions - was a key plank of the move to unitary status. Without localism we would have all decisions being taken in Truro. There would also be a huge gulf between decision makers and people. It was a massive mistake, in my view, for the new Tory led administration to stop localism in its tracks. It sent the message that ...
The Liberal Democrats have launched a new party website. The site contains all the information you need to find out what we stand for, the campaigns we're involved in, and what we'd do if we were elected to government. And, if the website and everything on it impresses you that much, you can join us! Just put in your postcode to find your local party contact details. Check out the site at www.libdems.org.uk I am very impressed with the new site, having been frustrated with the old one for some time. Now there's a handy single place to find out ...
Cornwall Council had its first call-in meeting today and this resulted in the first reference back to Cabinet. Under council rules, most decisions are taken by the Cabinet rather than the full council. Ordinary members have no say in the decision itself but can object if they feel that the process for taking a decision was faulty in some way. It's a bit like a judicial review. In this instance, members of the Corporate Resources Scrutiny Committee objected to the decision on introducing a new severance policy for staff at the council. The Cabinet chose to harmonise the seven old ...
This really doesn't need any comment from me. It's the response to my signing a 10 Downing St petition: "You signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "resign". The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can view it here: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page21213 Prime Minister's Office"Click on the link and you get this: "The Prime Minister is completely focussed on restoring the economy, getting people back to work and improving standards in public services. As the Prime Minister has consistently said, he is determined to build a stronger, fairer, better Britain for all."So that's alright then.
Last night's US election results were billed as a verdict on one year of Obama. And the verdict was? Um.....er.....a mixed bag. The Republicans picked up the Virginia governorship, which was predictable. But a more knife-edge race in New Jersey, which the Democrats should have won, also swung to the Republicans. However, any celebrations for the Republicans were somewhat dampened by the result in the 23rd New York congressional district, which was a truly stupendous result for the Democrats. It's the first time the Democrats have won that seat since the Civil War. And the reason they did it is ...
NUS President Wes Streeting commenting on social democracy earlier today. *I may or may not have taken Wes' tweet out of context. I'm mysterious like that.*
As a keen real ale drinker I have been following the story to save the Reading canal side pub 'The Jolly Angler' closely. A deal has been struck with the new owners and West Berkshire brewery. However it appears Reading East Conservative MP, Rob Wilson is facing criticism after he issued a press release prematurely to claim credit for saving the pub. Please see the Reading List report here
Much ado about David Cameron's speech outlining the new Conservative position on Europe. Of course, the abandonment of a commitment to a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty had been well-trailed. His justification; that the Treaty is now European Law sits uneasily with the rest of his speech which is focused on grand-standing around 'sovereignty' and 'renegotiation'. Apparently, there was ...
[sigh]
Before any more self-righteous busybodies waste newsprint at the Financial Times calling for the Moralizing of Markets, can they please take an entry-level course in Analytical philosophy to teach them how to give their terms meaning? Because as far as I can see the
So Cameron's zwischenzug on the Lisbon Treaty finally ran out of time, now that the Czechs have finally ratified. It was always a hopeless ploy, promising a referendum when every other country in the EU had already ratified. I'm fed up of the ...
October was a month which began for me in India and ended in Cairo. I had been invited to India by the Indian High Commission along with a small delegation of Parliamentarians who are "Liberal Democrat Friends of India". We were led by Lord John Alderdice through a week's visit which was split between Delhi and Pune and included a number of meeting and visits to reflect India today, politically, socially and economically. I was in Cairo for three days to attend the Congress of Liberal International, which is held every 18 months. The Lib Dem delegation is led by ...
A "British Sovereignty" law, proposed by David Cameron today to replace his collapsed referendum policy, would mean that the UK is in effect leaving the EU. It would be the only way British laws in all areas are supreme over European laws. By signing up to various European treaties in the past, the UK has agreed to share sovereignty on some issues. Therefore the European institutions in those
Inspector Dave Turner spoke about Guy Fawkes Night at the Cheadle Area Committee meeting. He noted that last year not a single person in the whole of Stockport Borough had ended up in casualty as a result of fireworks or bonfire injuries, something we're hoping to repeat this year. If you're concerned about something on or around 5th November: Call 999 if there's an immediate threat to property or life (for example, if someone were repeatedly throwing fireworks at your door). Calling 0161 872 5050 for other issues. Both in the call centre and on the ground, policing numbers will ...
Gorton's Liberal Democrat Councillors can today exclusively reveal that, for the first time ever, Christmas lights are coming to Hyde Rd and Gorton District Centre. The lights will be installed and turned on by the start of December. Funding has come from several sources, including Councillor's Cash Grants, Manchester Highways, Manchester Markets and the Gorton 100 Steering Group. Local business's are also being approached to contribute. Gorton North Councillor Wendy Helsby said today, "This is great news for Gorton, and a fitting way to round off Gorton's 100th anniversary of coming into Manchester." Gorton South Councillor John Bridges added, "The ...
Anything interesting happen in UK politics today?
Interesting piece on this on the Compass website written by John Pugh. It forms part of what will no doubt (as soon as Labour shuffle out of office) by wider soul-searching on the left; something that will usher in a very starkly right-wing Conservative government (perhaps more right-wing than its own leadership would like). Pugh survey's thirty ...
Yet again Herts Highways has managed to mess up what should have been a good news story - the fixing of the pavements in Bedford Road. They did leaflet Bedford Road (I reproduced their letter) but FAILED to leaflet the neighbouring streets - even though everyone knows that in close terraces like these people will always be forced to park in a neighbouring street. They also FAILED to tell the District Council even though it is the district council which runs parking. Result? One perfectly innocent driver did not know what was being planned - and there were no notices ...
Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Willott has been living on the basic State Pension of £95.25 this week, a huge change from her normal salary of her current gross weekly income as an MP of £1245.50. She's doing it to highlight how difficult it is to manage to live on such a low income. She's recounting her experiences here on Twitter. It's well worth having a look at some of the basic choices she's having to make. She talked about buying a cheap tin of soup for lunch but then realising there was no tin opener in the office and having ...
The UK Liberal Democrat website (http://www.libdems.org.uk/) has been rather dramatically changed over the past 24 hours and I really like the new look and functionality. The new version is much more focused on setting out what the Liberal Democrats stand for, who we are and what visitors to the site can do to help. Chris Fox, LibDem Chief Executive, adds : "In two weeks, we will be launching Act, a new social action network for the Liberal Democrats. Act will be a place where anyone who supports our party can meet like-minded people and get involved with our campaigns. People ...
How about looking at the supposed 'obesity crisis' within the context of debates surrounding the objectification and sexualisation of our culture? There are obvious concerns around the validity of the so-called 'obesity crisis', for example, how do we actually measure obesity? Weighing people is not always the most reliable way, as how do we account ...
Wed 4th
15:45
LDV USA: No surprises in Nov 3rd US state and city elections - Obama gets a bloody nose
In a followup piece to his preview of US Elections '09, Paul Elgood updates us on the results of yesterdays voter ballots across America. Somewhat predictably President Obama got a wake-up call last night in the 3rd November elections. Attention focused on a handful of contests, most notably for the Virginia and New Jersey Governor's Mansions. Both unsurprisingly went to the Republicans – in Virginia by a wide margin, closer in New Jersey. However, it wasn't all bad news for the Democrats. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg got an unexpected tougher ride, with a far closer than anticipated win. The ...
Something I discovered while browsing through They Work For You – which current MP's first recorded speech in Parliament consisted solely of the words 'the Liberal Democrats'? You can guess below, and for the answer click here. Should you wish to see the said MP's actual maiden speech, you can click here.
This article first appeared on November 4th, 2009, on Liberal Democrat Voice. I've written on this excellent site a few times, you can read my previous contributions here.Firstly, a disclaimer: I am a scientist, who is also interested in governance and politics, so the following post may come across as somewhat heated. Apologies, but I do feel that the recent furore over Prof. David Nutt's
Reproduced from http://andrewsteele.co.uk/ with permission. Andrew Steele, Christ Church (Not a Liberal Democrat) Why did the libertarian cross the road? 'Because I bloody well wanted to, and it's not your job to go and interfere in what I do, so long as it doesn't cause anyone any trouble!' This sentiment, beloved of the political right and free marketeers, is known as the 'harm principle': that we do not have the right to stop people doing something if doing it does not harm anyone else. It was expressed rather better in John Stuart Mill's seminal political philosophy text On Liberty, which ...
Over in the US, it's been a pretty remarkable off-year election season. The three races that became nationally significant were gubernatorial battles in Virginia and New Jersey, and a Congressional seat in the House of Representatives in the 23rd district of New York. The first two slots were previously held by Democrats, and the final one ...
Commenting on the first £1,000 train fare in Britain being revealed in a survey by the Evening Standard, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: "This is a very unwelcome landmark and will do nothing to encourage people to travel by train. "When you can fly half way across Europe for £30, the idea that you can end up paying £1,000 for a train journey in Britain is absolutely scandalous. "Not only are passengers being encouraged off the trains and into their cars, some considering this journey may decide they'd rather fly to Australia and back for half the ...
My colleague Cllr Chris Maines has put together a petition against changes to passenger tax which will have a dramatic effect on those travelling to the Caribbean. If you too are concerned about this please sign the petition here: The text of the petition reads: "We, the undersigned call on Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer not to proceed with his proposed taxes increases on flights to the Caribbean. Tax on flights should be based on distance and carbon dioxide emissions, not on arbitrary and unfair boundaries drawn up by a government minister. Labour's plans don't protect the environment, they ...
At the beginning of October Tory-run Hertfordshire County Council had a suprise OFSTED inspection. These inspections were started in the light of the horrific death of Baby Peter. The report lists areas which the Council is good at, those it needs to improve and those that require urgent action. In total there are 5 areas that were meeting minimum standards, 7 that required improvements and 2 which require urgent action - both in the most serious areas. OFSTED found that the call centre was handling calls and having assistants signing off reported cases of abuse rather than trained social work ...
Firstly, a disclaimer: I am a scientist, who is also interested in governance and politics, so the following post may come across as somewhat heated. Apologies, but I do feel that the recent furore over Prof. David Nutt's sacking as Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) goes right to the heart of why I took up both science and politics as profession and interest respectively. We begin with Prof. Nutt's most recent criticism of the government's drugs policy, which attracted headlines for claiming that alcohol, despite being legal and freely available, was more harmful than ...
Those that have being following the saga over the selection of Liz Truss, for the seat of South West Norfolk will know that she has been given 2 weeks to save her position before a meeting on the 16th November. As Deputy Director of the 'Think tank' Reform she is in David Cameron's 'A' List of ...
I've not yet seen the feedback from the consultation around the Portland Street proposal. I have had some very interesting suggested put to me by residents from all sides of the debate. I was heartened to read John Siddle's report in the Visiter which suggests that as a result of the response new proposals are beginning worked on. With goodwill I'm sure that a scheme can be worked up which will benefit the town
This Guardian blog is promoting an issue that I think many of you will be concerned about. Creating a simple rule that make a 'three feet rule' for cars overtaking cyclists will have a big impact on Chorlton and its cycling commuters. Two cyclists have died journeying home to Chorlton in the last year, so some protection is needed. There are suggestions floating around that it should be a bigger margin, but quite frankly that wont work. The roads are only so wide. Thoughts appreciated. EDIT: I have changed my mind about the need for a wider margin between the ...
Today's Times reports that local authorities are to have their powers to snoop on the public curbed in another Government u-turn designed to address alarm at the expansion of the surveillance state. Local authorities have used legislation intended to tackle terrorism and serious crime to deal with minor offences such as dog fouling. However, under the Minister's plans relatively junior council officials will lose their power to authorise surveillance operations on behalf of local authorities. Only council chief executives and officials at director level will now have the right to order investigations involving techniques such as eavesdropping, tracking vehicles and ...
A few issues Pam King and I have reported: two of the lighted bollards on Broadway, near the junction with Wilmslow Road, need repairing. there's graffiti on the green telecoms box on Mornington Road, near Broadway, which I've asked to be cleared off. I've reported a couple of potholes in the tarmac section right at the bottom of Cherington Road. Pam's reported graffiti on the NTL box on Daylesford Crescent at the junction with Daylesford road and the North West Water Board gate next to 49 Daylesford Road.
If you've visited the Liberal Democrat party website in the last 24 hours, you'll have noticed quite a dramatic change. Here, David Loxton, the party's director of marketing, fundraising and members' services explains the thinking behind the new site, and previews some of the other exciting new changes emerging within the party's web strategy. The new Liberal Democrat web strategy has been launched with a redesigned libdems.org.uk as its first stage. The new version is much more focused on setting out what the Liberal Democrats stand for, who we are and what visitors to the site can do to help. ...
Great PMQs today with the Tories clearly out of sorts and Gordon actually sounding like he was enjoying himself for once. I listened on the radio rather than watching on TV and it seems to convey far more of the atmosphere that way. The braying oafery of the Tory benches comes across far more clearly and the barracking Nickers has to put up with would shame the chimps' enclosure at the zoo. Gordon and the Labour benches missed no opportunity to use the phrase 'cast iron guarantee', although Brown couldn't even get this right all the way through, referring at ...
Two newly designed websites to admire, dissect and test to destruction.... Edward Davey MP - yes, you can blame me for this. Liberal Democrats - nice new colour scheme, but I claim no responsibility for it.
Last night I attended a meeting of the Area Chairs Group - a meeting of the 6 chairs of local area partnerships along with the deputy leader of the Council and 3 council officers. The meeting came just weeks after Area Partnership Managers were told that in future they will be moved around every 2 years and the Whitefield/Unsworth and Prestwich managers were to be swapped shortly. This news angered Partnership Chairs because we rely heavily on the contacts and relationships our managers develop over a period of time. Many councillors feel that to move them every two years will ...
Yesterday a story broke about the first UK train fare of over £1000. The lib dem candidate for my local parliamentary constituency, Nader Fekri has already commented on this. I find myself agreeing with Nader on many things, but I disagree on one point. He says: It is obvious that ridiculously high fares are encouraging people to abandon the trains in favour of their cars. I disagree. I think people are abandoning the train and their cars in favour of staying at home and not spending money. The recession has made many people worse off, and many more aware of ...
It was election day in the US yesterday and the Republicans won the Governor elections in both New Jersey and Virginia. In New Jersey the Republican Chris Christie won the Governorship by 49% to 45%. In Virginia Bob McDonnell beat his Democrat opponent by 59% to 41%. It may be useful to note the last six Governor elections, in both states, have been won by opposite party to that of the President.
Sometimes the combination of good TV advert and poor TV program means it's the advert I want to watch more of and it's the program during which I leave the room to make a cup of hot chocolate. Only a very good TV show stops that being true about this advert: Note: a sister company of my employer was involved with the advert.
It was good to see work being done tidying the plants and trees on Gatley's old cemetary, next to the medical centre on Old Hall Road. I was glad the foliage growing across the pavement at the corner was cleared back, as I asked a little while ago. The signpost in the cemetary, which is leaning badly, still needs to be repaired and made safe - I'll be chasing that up. Meanwhile, having reported foliage growing onto the pavement space from the railway land over the road from the station, I was pleased a couple of days ago to get ...
I suspect that I wasn't the only one this morning who found all BBC channels missing on my Freeview box. After the usual panic and rebooting the box, the cure was to retune my channels. A bit of a surprise, as I rather thought that retuning my channels last month was supposed to have taken care of that. No doubt these things are sent to panic us.
A classic interchange paraphrased: Nick Clegg: "Here's this bad thing that's happening. What are you going to do about it?" Brown: "There's a bad thing happening. I think it's bad." Nick Clegg: "Er, no, what *exactly* are you going to do?" Brown: "Here's something not quite related to what you're talking about that I once said" Brown gets paid money for this. Actual hard cash.
Congratulations to Kim Howells who has used a piece in The Guardian to argue; It would be better to bring home the great majority of our fighting men and women and concentrate, instead, on using the money saved to secure our own borders, gather intelligence on terrorist activities inside Britain. Eric Joyce has quickly followed suit, supporting ...
I must congratulate whoever mocked up this spoof of a loony anti-EU front page response to the Lisbon treaty being signed. Brilliant send up! Um... hang on... I can see todays Express on someone's desk across the way. It's... real? Someone thinks this is a reasonable response? Oh dear.
[IMG: Discussing teh survey with Granville Road residents] Over the summer Ed, Laura and I launched a survey of parking issues in the roads just outside the new Crouch End Controlled Parking Zone – as we were being inundated with complaints from residents. We felt we had to do our own survey as the Council had broken their pledge to hold a consultation after the new CPZ was implemented. We've now had several hundred responses from the roads bordering the Crouch End and Finsbury Park CPZs. The results so far show: Three quarters of respondents say parking has got worse ...
Finally, it is released - here is the SPOTIFY press release Streaming Spotify mobile can stream over WiFi or 2.5G/3G to play music through your mobile phone. Make sure you have a fixed price plan for accessing the internet from your phone, otherwise you may be charged extra. Be sure to check with your mobile operator. Offline playlists With ...
So, after all this fuss, what is the Treaty of Lisbon all about? Read on... More democratic accountability With a few exceptions, it would place the European Parliament (EP) on an equal footing as lawmaker with the Council, representing EU Member States, in areas where this has not been the case so far, notably in setting the ...
On 26th September 2007 David Cameron gave what he called a cast-iron guarantee. The guarantee appeared in a piece published under his name in Mr Murdoch's Sun. Liberal Democrats, who set some store by their own political education and haven't read the piece, really should take the opportunity to read it in its entirety. The aspiring party leader explains that it is an article of faith for him that: "No treaty should be ratified without consulting the British people in a referendum." And, because of that, he promises, any Conservative government led by him will "hold a referendum on any ...
Oh dear – it's been alleged on OUTeverywhere (LGBT social networking site) that a BBC radio correspondent (and one of the experts in his field), at an industry do, joked and I'll quote the OUTer: `The joke came as part of an anecdote about David Coleman where he affected a camp voice several times as ...
Czech President Vaclav Klaus has signed the Treaty. Thus the final hurdle in the way of the Treaty of Lisbon has been cleared. Photo: AP Photo/Petr David Josek Vaclav Klaus 'I am very pleased that president Klaus today has signed the Lisbon Treaty. His signature ends a far too long period of institutional focus within the EU. It ...
Christopher Kelly, I could kiss you. He's recommended the end of the Communications Allowance - a £10k a year grant allowing MPs to have glossy leaflets delivered to their constituents explaining just how completely awesome they are. Needless to say, I was not amused. Ending this travesty - MPs helping themselves to our money to send us spam to promote themselves - is very welcome. One less bit of Junk Mail, too. Today might actually be a good day.
This is an example of the absurd press coverage of this in Uganda. We need to register our disgust at this, campaign for the rights of lesbian, gay, bi and transgen people in Uganda, ask our MP to table questions in the House, right to the Ugandan High Commission, register our support with ILGA and much ...
What a time to lose my phone charger! Klaus signs the Lisbon Treaty. The appointment of a President of the European Council leaps to the top of the agenda. The phone lines will be busy, and every Prime Minister in Europe knows that I am available for interview. But my phone has run out of power. It is inoperable for many hours. When I am able to charge it once again a missed call is indicated, but no number has been left. I keep the phone close to me now, but have I missed the vital call? Has the boat ...
Waiting for Godot is probably more productive than waiting for an early morning bus in Caldecote or Hardwick at the moment! It used to be that you waited for a bus and two came along at once. If only that were still true. My current Councillor workload is almost entirely built around infrastructure - or lack of it. We are continuing to build more and more houses locally for families - but the infrastructure required for our existing inhabitants and the ever-increasing number coming to live in our villages is just not keeping pace. The Citi 4 regularly leaves 6th ...
After a lot of leaks, the independent report into the rules for MP expenses by Sir Christopher Kelly has finally been published. The BBC write-up is here, together with a link to the full report. Before the report was published I said that I thought the report should be implemented in full and I stand by that position. After all that has gone on, I really don't think that MPs can now be seen to be quibbling about this report. One of the more positive suggestions is that there should be some central provision of rented accommodation. This makes a ...
"This bill will widen the definition of homosexuality to include touching with intent, introduce the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, criminalise individuals and organisations that aid or abet homosexuality or fail to report homosexual acts and declare null and void any international legal instrument that runs counter to the spirit or letter of the bill" ...
Dave has been forced onto the back foot over Europe - that beautiful curse of Tory leaders since Tory Ted Heath took us in in 1972 and Margaret Thatcher signed the Single European Act, despite not having read it. He has denied that he has done a u-turn or betrayed his supporters over this issue. Well, I reckon that makes Dave either a fool or a liar. I'm sure he's no fool...but I would never accuse him of lying. I leave it to you, dear reader, to make up your mind. He parroted the view that the government has 'given ...
For those that know me the thought of James May on BBC2 building his plasticine garden, waging war on the Royal Horticultural Society in the process, followed by Round the World in 80 Days on BBC1, you know this is my idea of TV heaven. Being a fan of cars, knowing James a bit, having been ...
Today sees the launch of the new look Liberal Democrat website - a fresh new look to the site which is refreshing, innovative and informative! Well done to the designers!!
What is it with Europe and the Tories? Like it or not, David Cameron appears to have succeeded in his project to 'detoxify' the Conservative brand and, if the polls are right, looks set to sweep into Downing Street next year. Granted this is as much to do with Gordon Brown's seemingly natural aversion to ...
Have just had a very quick read of the Kelly recommendations on MP expenses. Most of the biggies have already been in the public domain via leaks: renting flats in future, no relatives and so on. Even in a quick read - it looks like Kelly has nailed it in terms of ensuring that MPs act with probity and that never again can public money be used inappropriately, criminally or flagrantly. There's a statement at 12.30pm by Harriet Harman - and I hope that all MPs take the medicine because it is the very stringency of the recommendations and us ...
Ever since I heard these two singers/bands on Later...with Jools Holland, I've not been able to get either of their songs out of my mind. Yet, they are also completely different styles of music. Wild Beasts are an indie band from Kendal. They've been around for a while, but I hadn't heard any of their songs ...
The hopeless hysteria about blame for the deficits gets it badly wrong. But talking about spending cuts is a very wise plan
Darlington Council's Cabinet last night signalled a climbdown on the Haughton Road Throughabout, that ridiculous mess of a road junction at the end of the Eastern Transport Corridor which has caused endless delays and frustration for drivers and local residents.Both myself and Heather Scott, the Conservative Group Leader, had trenchant questions ready for the Leader, but before we could get our
Responding to Alistair Darling's statement on banking reform yesterday, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the Chancellor for the early warning of this statement. Can he confirm that the taxpayer will be putting an extra £40bn into the banks? £7bn for Lloyds; £8bn for Northern Rock and £26bn for RBS, not including tax credits for bank losses; and is also taking on 90% of £270bn in toxic debt exposure via the Asset Protection Scheme for RBS? In addition to this can he confirm that by changing the agreement over whether RBS can ...
Well the last week has been rather busy for me, it was my Birthday last Thursday and as well as celebrating before it, a group of eight of us went to Blackpool at the weekend to continue the celebrations.
The days of National Express running trains on the East Coast are very very numbered. Excellent news. On 12th December, the National Excess Fat Controller will be redundant. A new publicly-owned operator, called East Coast Main Line, (very original!) will operate the trains. The arrangement will last for at least 18 months. The franchise may or may not then return to the private sector. I am
This week there has been an announcement of a crackdown on school places cheats. I have recently finished serving a four year term as a governor at Fortismere - an excellent school in my Fortis Green ward, which a huge number of parents put as their first choice for their children when applying for secondary school places. Due to its success and popularity, many parents are disappointed - the catchment area for Fortismere is very small. To avoid fraudulent applications, the school has increased checks to try and stop parents using cheats like short-term lets of properties in the catchment ...
So says Dharmash Mistry of private equity firm Balderton Capital: National newspapers need to convince less than five per cent of their current online readers to pay for access to content to make a move away from an advertising revenue model successful, a private equity financier told the Guardian. (The Press Gazette) That estimate fits in very nicely with one of the possible business models for newspapers wanting to charge for online content that I wrote about last year: The Flickr model Access is free for everyone to this photo-sharing website, but a small group of heavy users pay for ...
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is coming up on 9th November. I recently heard something on the radio about it. Why didn't the Soviet troops go in and crush the uprising as they had in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968? The answer was simply: Gorbachev. He didn't allow it. A truly great man. Has he been forgotten on the world stage so soon?
"Alan [Johnson] did this without letting me know and giving me a chance to persuade him it is a big mistake. "Is Gordon [Brown] able to get Alan to undo this? As 'science champion in government', I can't just stand aside on this one." So wrote Lord Drayson, the Government's Science Minister about the sacking of Professor David Nutt as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs by the Home Secretary. He is responsible with the Department of Business for science policy and the interaction between science and society. What is important to note here is that ...
David McNamee had a piece on "the most iconic and greatest of all organs" in the Guardian on Monday: What's the best ever Hammond organ song? There are just too many. But let's just say that if you don't get Winwood's work on Gimme Some Loving by the Spencer Davis Group, then you'll never get the Hammond.Take it away, Steve.
2 Big Stories Tory trouble as Lisbon Treaty passes As the Czech President Vaclav Klaus ratified the EU's Lisbon Treaty – now set to become law within a few weeks – the Conservative Party once again finds itself risking deep divisions over Europe rising to the surface. As the Daily Express reports: [William Hague] denied that the party had broken any promises by dropping the referendum pledge. "A British referendum until this very day would have meant that the Lisbon Treaty wouldn't enter into force if people voted no. The position of president of the European Council, the foreign minister ...
Not a good day for the SNP. As the Liberal Democrats launch their brand new federal party website, the SNP have gone offline. The Scottish Liberal Democrats website is also fine and accepting visitors todays. Feel free to visit.
We have had the trio of Glasgow North East by-election gaffes from Labour, then Karen Whitefield MSP in her email gaffe and now after the SNPs third choice candidate has been selected and got going it is his turn today. Unfortunately for David Kerr - because I suspect he may not have had a choice in this - because the SNP have a central diktat on everything from personal opinion to what you can and cannot cannot say - someone has reproduced a leaflet from his Falkirk campaign in 2000 when he said the words; "..born and educated in Cumbernauld." ...
Later today, 4pm in Westminster Hall, I finally get to put Haringey's case for fair funding to the Minister on the record. This is about the fact that our Haringey children get £1183 less per head than neighbouring boroughs. I have tackled Gordon in PMQs before (he agreed it was an 'anomaly'), met with now former School's Minister Jim Knight, raised it in on the floor of the House - but today I have actually secured a debate and the Minister has to respond directly - in public. The key questions for the Minister to respond to are: - why ...
All the ladies in the house, have you sported a lot of the menfolk around you spouting hair on their upper lip? Men are you starting to get to that irritating scratchiness stage? Yes it is day 4 of Movember a month, formerly known as November, when men all around are growing a moustache to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer. Well today to mark the occasion The Times has listed the top 25 Moustaches in pop music, check out the full list here. However, here are the top three in action. At 3 the King or should that ...
A scandalously poor value first has been reached in rail travel in this country. Cross Country Trains ha sintroduced a first-class return walk-up fare from Cornwall to the Highlands. It is obvious that ridiculously high fares are encouraging ...
It's hardly surprising the share price of Lloyds benefited from the announcement today on cash injection and branch sales and closures. The company is almost certainly of the view that it has vastly more branches than it needs, now that HBOS has been absorbed into it. There must be hundred of Lloyds branches sitting near a Halifax. This duplication would not have continued, even if it had not
A couple of weeks ago I allowed someone to hijack my blog with many comments that were nothing to do with my blog entry. They wrote a comment which related to their agenda and had nothing to do with my blog. It was definitely spam. The same thing happened a couple of days ago but this time I didn't publish it. I know this is not liberal of me so I will tell you about it. A propos of nothing the subject of the comment was the American Democratic Party. The comment criticised the Democrats and tried to persuade party ...
The Liberal Democrats spring conference will be taking place in Birmingham from 12th March to 14th March 2010 at The International Convention Centre (The ICC).
