Julian Ware-Lane, Labour's candidate in Castle Point (next door) and a Southend West resident, has been staring at the tea leaves. You would expect a Labour candidate to talk up his party's chances. And Julian does. Leaving that aside, he may just be on to something. I spent most of the daylight hours on the doorstep today. I had a very warm reception - and we picked up a lot of anger at the Cameron U-turn on Lisbon. But there was no warmth for Labour. The revival of Blair as a potential President of the Council of ministers seems to ...
The Government will soon decide whether Britain's old nuclear submarines are broken up at Devonport or somewhere else. They will also decide where to put all of the contaminated material that comes out of them. Britain currently has a total of 27 nuclear submarines, so it's a lot of work and a lot of hazardous waste. Questions are already being raised about whether or not a decision has already been taken, with Devonport already selected for the work; take a look at THIS BBC report, for example. Well, Plymouth Lib Dems certainly want to hear your views. We've set up ...
like the glee of watching [IMG: [info - personal] ] amazing_holly and fireworks and Hywel the Health and Safety Officer and lots of other stuuf. But I'm knackered, so I'm going to sleep. Night night.
[IMG: fireworks] A Firework was thrown into a postbox in Clitheroe, destroying the contents. Mindless vandals targeted the postbox in the Littlemoor Road area of town. The incident happened between 1-30 and 2-30 p.m. on Wednesday.
We had a busy ward surgery this evening for a change. Two related problems came to light and probably neither of them has an easy solution. Clifton Avenue and Ashville Ave both owe a great deal of their character to the mature trees which line the roads. However, over the years of their growing they've had a deleterious effect on the pavements and sometimes on the walls of gardens and even
All, Many of you will already know of the plans by Warwickshire County Council's Fire and Rescue Service to close seven stations and lose 100 retained fire fighters' jobs. I have long argued that the proposals will lead to a worse service for the residents of Warwickshire, with potentially slower response times for some areas of the County. Fortunately Shipston on Stour's station is not under threat, but a reduced service across the county could affect us all. As part of the public consultation process there is a public meeting, and I urge local people to come along. Here are ...
Brief inconsequential comment (and a link to a match report) at The Corridor.
The sacking of David Nutt as the Government's scientific advisor took a new turn today with the admission by Science minister Lord Drayson that the scientific community is right to be upset by the decision. According to the Guardian, Lord Drayson has committed the government to producing guidelines by Christmas to ensure the independence of its scientific advisers. Although he defends the right of the Government to ignore David Nutt's advice, the promise of new guidelines amounts to an admission that the sacking was wrong: He said the events of the past few days had brought the concerns of scientists ...
....David Kerr candidate for Glgasow North East, John Mason MP for Glasgow East and Stewart Hosie SNP Tresury Spokesman. Yeah, Tam Smith SNP PPC for Linlithgow and Falkirk East is back at his Rory Bremner act, this time taking on all three without crediting any. Today he is saying: "Scotland's banking workers deserves more than a direct line to the breadline. These reforms must not jeapordise jobs in this industry. [Kerr see here] "As an SNP MP for this area, jobs in Linlithgow & East Falkirk, and in the city of Edinburgh [said about Glasgow North East here*], which have ...
Introducing the Britblog Roundup a couple of weeks ago I suggested that "sometimes being against the Daily Mail takes the place of constructive thought on the left". There is an example of this on Lib Dem Voice today, though it involves the Daily Express rather than the mail. Ian Roberts begins today's Daily View 2x2 feature by talking about "daft health and safety scare stories": A nice example appears in the Daily Express, which rails against "health and safety killjoys" who "have forced a rugby club's Guy Fawkes revellers to watch a film of a bonfire on television rather than ...
This Saturday I will be at the seating area of Gorton Market from 12 to 1 (usually with police in attendance, for anybody who want to chat with them too). All welcome to drop in and chat. Sunday of course is Remembrance Day. There are a lot of services around the area to remember those who fell in service of our Country. I intend (as usual) to be at the Cenotaph in St. Peter's Square. It's particularly poignant this year as the last of the First World War Veterans have passed away. In particular, I will be thinking of my ...
I have linked to a story on the Channel Islands TV station which in part says:A Jersey accountant jailed in 2007 for six years for money laundering has had his conviction quashed. His defence council took his case to the Jersey Court Of Appeal but it was rejected. They then took it to the Privy Council - the highest court islanders can appeal to - where it was finally quashed.The judge,
Today's House Points from Liberal Democrat News. True to form When Labour popularised the idea of "antisocial behaviour" in the years before 1997, Liberals worried that we would see the police concerning themselves low-level nuisance behaviour by children and teenagers. Because whenever the concept was invoked by Labour politicians they bundled these nuisances together with elements of obvious criminality like vandalism and aggressive begging. It hasn't turned out like that. When a senior Leicestershire police officer addressed the inquest into the deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter in September he said: "I'm not sure if people know but low-level ...
At 9 p.m. on Sunday the HISTORY Channel is showing Soldiers' Stories. This documentary tells the story of The Troubles from the perspective of the British soldiers who served there. Stretching from 1969 to 2007, this was the longest continuous deployment in the history of the British Army. According to the press release I have been sent: This documentary for HISTORY, presented by former soldier Ken Hames and based on the in-depth interviews conducted by Northern Ireland veteran Ken Wharton for his books on The Troubles, provides a new and unique insight into the conflict in Northern Ireland. Soldiers have ...
What could be simpler: five categories, each with five links. And it's Friday. 5 most-read stories on LDV this week 1. David Nutt: why was he sacked? (49) by Mark Pack 2. Introducing the all-new LibDems.org.uk website (37) by David Loxton 3. Watford's liberal Lib Dem Mayor - what Iain Dale didn't report (36) by Stephen Tall 4. "No one in Norfolk knows how to use Google" (13) by Mark Pack 5. Your Caroline Righton reader (1) by Mark Pack 5 recent Lib Dem tweets >> JonBall @nickjbarlow Local party AGMs are *always* fun. Enjoy! >> aligoldsworthy Sometimes i think ...
I'm quite sure that Scott Rennie the minister of Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen wouldn't consider himself a hero, he is far too humble a man to do that. In fact I have very little doubt that he would merely consider this year merely one of trying to do the job he wants to do and fulfil the calling that he has. However, at the Stonewall awards last night Scott won the hero of the year award. You may well recall how early this year his calling to his present charge caused some controversy at the General Assembly, Westboro Baptist ...
The vote was looking as though it was going to be shoved into next year. But now Nancy Pelosi has gone for gold and is force-marching her troops to a vote this weekend. It should be interesting. This week's elections have forced the agenda, it seems. The tipping point has arrived.
The Sir Christopher Kelly proposals on MPs' expenses are very welcome and bring MPs broadly into line with normal business practices. I am astonished that there is a clamour to protect the ability of MPs to employ their spouses. This is just staggering. In business, as soon as two people get engaged they have to move into different departments. The idea that someone would be the employer or manager of their spouse is just outrageous. And I see calls for MPs to have their salaries increased because their expenses have been reduced. (Indeed there seemed to be such a consensus ...
Politicians are notorious for answering their own questions and not the ones they have been asked to answer. Life is complicated and often there is no easy answer. That's why I like to start blogs by stating the obvious. This time the obvious is that the Conservatives are split over Europe. Why should this be? Ted Heath took us into the European Economic Community in 1971 but complaints about loss of sovereignty (otherwise known as working in Europe) have led many Tories to become Eurosceptics. We need to work with the rest of Europe. Nobody would argue with trade agreements. ...
I attended my first Pride of Reading Awards this week, sponsored by among others the Evening Post and hosted by Chris Tarrant. I had never been to any kind of awards ceremony quite like this before and it made a nice change from being in the office or in a council meeting. I was on a table with some really nice, interesting people including London Irish rugby player Topsy Ojo and Katie Dale, who came second in this year's Has Reading Got Talent ? competition. It made me laugh that Martin Salter and Rob Wilson were both put on the same table (although not ...
[IMG: Ming Campbell] Commenting on the Prime Minister's speech today about Afghanistan, Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Sir Menzies Campbell MP said: "The weakness in the Prime Minister's case is that it depends not only on President Karzai's good faith but also his competence, neither of which have been much in evidence in recent times. "To succeed with Karzai, the allies will have to be willing to "hold his feet to the fire". The position is most certainly not helped by President Obama's long deliberations on a new strategy. He has ...
This report from NHS West Midlands shows that the number of people with flu-like illness has slightly increased across the region.Key MessagesAcross the West Midlands there has been a mixed picture in patients presenting at primary care centres with influenza-like symptoms - some PCT areas show an increase, other areas show a decrease, in rates. Overall, the West Midlands rate has slightly
Four candidates are standing in the Ormesby Ward By-Election for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, which takes plave on Thursday 3rd December 2009. Martin Bulmer (UKIP), Steven Goldswain (Labour), Colin Jones (Conservative), Ann Wilson (Liberal Democrat). The vacancy has been created by the retirement of Lib Dem Councillor Eric Empson due to ill health.
On a protracted journey this week through Cheshire and Staffordshire, I saw Nikolay Valuev for the first time on the big screen of the Antelope pub in Stafford. I blinked a bit. Just seeing his face, he is not the sort of bloke you'd want to encounter in a dark alley. But since then, I've seen him standing up at his full height against his forthcoming opponent David Haye. Haye is 6ft 3in. A big lad. Valuev is 7ft 2in and, as they used to say, built like a brick out-house. My goodness me. Here's a photo of the two ...
Back in March of this year I wrote the first of five blog posts about The Christie Hospital and my involvement with this brilliant research and treatment centre in Withington, South Manchester. I have been a patient for many years (mostly on an outpatient-only basis) and visit the hospital once a year for a check-up. I am fortunate in that (1) I do not have cancer and (2) I have a car so do not have to rely on public transport to travel from my home in Langworthy, Salford to Withington for my appointments. That said, it's still a fair ...
[IMG: gok small] Well - as predicted - I failed to win Politician of the Year at the Stonewall Awards last night. Ben Bradshaw (Labour Minister) won the accolade as the first openly gay Minister. I think, judging from the blurb in the program - that I was nominated because of my work both on the Equality Bill and my campaign to end the blanket ban on gay men giving blood donations. (It should be about behaviour - not discriminating against one group. A monogomous gay man is a lot safer than a rampant heterosexual). Anyway - I don't do ...
I hadn't fully appreciated it until this week, but some people still rent their TVs. Yes, rent them! It came to my attention when a relative announced he was buying a television for the first time in 50 years! He first rented a TV when Churchill was Prime Minister and has been doing so ever since. He has recently been paying £38 a month for his telly. Another couple I have come across have rented the same telly since the 1990s and have paid for it fifty times over! Are people who still rent their TV insane? Well, I suppose ...
It's that time on a Friday where I let you all let you hair down a little it is 5pm GMT. On Wednesday it was the 20th Anniversary of Wallace and Gromit marked by this Google ident. So for a little bit of fun here is their appearance in last Christmas's BBC One ident. But just as Nick Park was inspired by other stop-motion animators so he has inspired others. I found this student's assignment piece and very good example of imitation.
[IMG: IMG_0031] One of the campaigns I have been championing recently has been a community campaign against the redevelopment of 22 Alexandra Road. The plan that has been put forward is to turn it into four flats. The outcome of this application was due to be decided at Planning Applications Committee on Wednesday Things this week did not turn out quite as we expected! Following a dramatic site visit where members were met with residents waving banners (see above),officers had been continuing to recommend that this application be approved. This however, was much to the horror of many local residents who feared the application would ...
As of Friday 6 November 2009 The Council continues to assess the position on a regular basis. For the first time in the second wave, the East of England region has seen a significant increase in flu activity and now is the region with the second highest rate for antiviral collection in the country. There are now two hotspot areas in the region (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) where numbers of people showing flu-like symptoms has risen above the regional and national average. Hertfordshire figures are still relatively low in comparison. The number of antivirals collected last week ranged between 100 and ...
apparently my photo is better than the pro's and will be used in the campaign brochure. Boring, I know, but had to tell someone ... #vanity # RT @lordbonkers More on the Watford playground row http://bit.ly/3Yp7TJ Informed comment <– sadly lacking in most media this week # just visited Lib Dem HQ for first time to meet party CX, Chris Fox # @willhowells assumed you'be working to hard. (Sorry!) # enjoyed the very lax and leisured fire evacuation from Parliament this afternoon. # just been to Ming Campbell's London gaff, Dolphin Sq. (But not to see Ming). 1200 apartments there ...
Fri 6th
15:54
'It's very nice of you to arrange a fly past, but it really wasn't necessary!' - The Press Officer's...
The 2001 General Election was a success for the Liberal Democrats as it made the most significant gains of any of the parties, and it was the first of Charles Kennedy's outings as leader. Leaders' tours are a masterpiece of organisation and planning, and none more so that the event that was to be held in ...
My bundle of papers today includes a proposal for extending mobile phone coverage from a mast on the Brookfield Business Park, off Brookfield and Demmings Roads in Cheadle. Vodafone currently have a mast situation on the business park with 2G and 3G antennas. The proposal is to replace these with dual user tri-band 2G/3G Vodafone and Telefonica O2 antennas mounted on the existing headframe, and for an additional control cabinet at ground level. If you'd like more information about this, just let me know.
I had a great time with the pupils from North Queensferry Primary School who visited London this week. They were bright, enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoying their visit to Parliament.
I was simultaneously depressed and then immensely heartened by an article I read on Comment Is Free earlier. The Labour MP John Robertson has written an article full of prejudice and nonsensical arguments regarding drugs policy. He also unbelievably even tries to smear Professor Nutt as a bad parent. However I then started reading through the comments below. I have gone through over 50 of them and apart from one person, the rest are all completely against Mr Richardson's argument. His article is basically ripped apart and exposed for the nonsense it is. I wonder if the government really realised ...
A few weeks ago I visited London for the first time in my life. The other Americans and I took a trip to the British Museum and spent two hours wondering around the galleries filled with artefacts, taxidermy animals, and paintings. I was awed by the size of the Rosetta Stone and, admittedly, a bit frightened by the petrified mummies but the display that remains the most salient in my mind was called "Cradle to Grave." When I first looked at this work of art, I thought it was just long line of netting with little coloured dots entangled in ...
One of the key things that we Liberal Democrats have been hanging on to is that Vince Cable is the most competent, and knowledgeable, of the Shadow Chancellors. I had always assumed that the ties of The Bullingdon Club had prevented David Cameron considering getting rid of his friend George Osborne. But, according to today's Evening Standard ...
Divided opinions on QE: and no-one as far as I can see looking at the distorting, political effects of the policy.
....And I promise this is the final move. It's been a bit like Mao Tse-Tung's Long March; going from a naff blogspot address to a nice .com address but then realising I couldn't shift to WordPress on it, so then buying another domain through GoDaddy and then realising that WordPress.com is relatively pants, so then starting a test domain with a hosted WordPress.org package and then realising it would be easier to redirect to that test domain rather than trying to shift it. Bottom line: I am now on http://www.liberalburblings.co.uk/ and using a wonderful shiny new WordPress template from Artisteer ...
Gordon Brown has made a big speech this morning telling Afghanistan's President Karzai to take the issue of corruption seriously. It is widely accepted that the Afghan Government is a by-word for corruption and little progress can be made in the country until the issue is taken seriously by those who have the power to change it. According to the BBC: Gordon Brown has told Afghan President Hamid Karzai he will not put UK troops "in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption". There was considerable disquiet in the UK and elsewhere at the time ...
Well done to Cowley Street. From what I can see they knock the two other main parties into a cocked hat. 10/10.
[IMG: Market Street] Residents and businesses in Clitheroe are being asked for their views on proposals for the future economic prosperity of Clitheroe. Ribble Valley Borough Council, the Ribble Valley Strategic Partnership and Lancashire County Council have commissioned the Clitheroe Town Centre Masterplan, which is now open to a two-week consultation and will be the subject of an exhibition in the Ribble Valley Civic Suite this Friday and Saturday (November 6 and 7) Members of the public are being invited to have their say on the plan, which sets out an economic strategy for the town, together with development proposals ...
[IMG: mohne-dam] Over at the ASI Tom Papworth has been taking on economist Paul Krugman. Below is the opening para, to whet your appetites and lure you in. Click here or at the bottom for the whole article. Take it away, Tom... Here is Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman on how to bring a major recession to an end: It took the giant public works project known as World War II — a project that finally silenced the penny pinchers — to bring the Depression to an end. The lesson from FDR's limited success on the employment front, then, is that ...
This is the text of a letter from Donna Manson to parents, carers and other interested parties regarding the catchment review for Duloch and Carnegie Primary Schools: "Public Consultation on the rezoning of the catchment area for Carnegie Primary School and Duloch Primary School The result of the public consultation regarding the three options for rezoning the catchment area for Carnegie Primary School and Duloch Primary School will be discussed by the Education & Children's Services Committee on Thursday 12th November at 10.00am. A copy of the full committee paper and appendices can be found at www.fifedirect.org.uk/committtees Once you have ...
The news yesterday that the Postal strike has been postponed was indeed good news, I do hope this can be properly resolved, though I find it extraordinary that Adam Crozier will not go to arbitration - if he thought his case was that sound I would have expected him to jump at the chance. But it is important to remember this dispute is not just about the terms and conditions of postal workers it is about the whole future of Royal Mail and our postal services. Some of you may remember my outburst at conference a few years ago during ...
Today is six months to the most likely polling day for a UK General Election, and for crucial local elections in London and much of England. We do not need to tell you that these are vital elections for both the Liberal Democrats and the people that we represent and campaign for. Support for our General Election work will obviously be coming from the Party at many levels. In addition to helping with the General Election effort, ALDC will be ensuring that there is help and support in place to ensure we succeed in the local elections as well. [IMG: ...
A number of the residents at Pinegrove Gardens, the housing in part of Osborne Place, have complained to me about the lack of adequate signage to their properties - 10-20 evens ; 19-33 odds. As a result, there are problems with some deliveries to households. Following my request, the City Council has agreed to improve the signage here and this will be installed in the near future.
Well over 200 local residents packed into the Longfield Suite in Prestwich last night and sent a clear message to Bury Council that they want to keep the Longfield Suite. At a previous meeting residents had demanded that the Leader of the Council, Cllr Bob Bibby attend to face concerned residents, and he attended for an hour with Mike Kelly, Bury Council's Deputy Chief Executive. Following introductions from meeting organiser, Cllr Vic D'Albert and a statement from Cllr Bibby questions were taken from the floor. Vic D'Albert commented, "I think it's fair to say Cllr Bibby received a real grilling ...
Max Atkinson on Twitter has drawn my attention to this piece that he wrote about Gordon Brown and what a disaster he is as PM. He absolutely nails the major flaws that have led to his downfall and how the Labour Party were crazy to just allow Brown to become PM by default. Oh, and he wrote the piece in 2004, 3 years before the handover even happened! No newspaper would publish it at the time though apparently. Here's a snippet: For at least two decades, viewers and listeners have had put up with the sight and sound of politicians ...
I'm deeply wounded to hear that a website referred to me as an analogue MP after I attacked the over-use of BlackBerries and iPhones during the House of Commons proceedings. Wounded – because I could be thought a techno-geek. I build my own PCs, maintain and set up my office networks, buy books on Linux, and hold endless, sad conversations about interoperability. I am not a technophobe. I just notice that (1) sometimes people pay more attention to the virtual world in their hand than the real world around them; (2) sometimes it's rude to do so (say, when talking ...
I'd always thought this was nonsense text, simply used as an example to fill out space when demonstrating layouts etc. But in fact the Lorem Ipsum text is derived from Cicero no less: Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered ...
Earlier this week, I co-presented a training session on 'Making the Ask' (most professions, and fundraising is no exception, enjoy their jargon, the more so if they can transform a verb into a noun). Essentially this is the way in which you go about asking people for money in face-to-face situations - and when you're asking folk to part with large sums of cash this is nearly always done personally, rather than by letter or phone. As with most things, there is no right way to ask people for money (though there are, most definitely, wrong ways). The emphasis of ...
I noted that although we weren' t given a space on QT last night we still had Nick Herbert attacking us without anyone giving a reply. Fine you might think it happens – there'll be some balance by a non- Lib Dem person putting the Lib Dem case on something else. NO! Imagine my lack of ...
An interesting survey reported in The Telegraph suggests that one in six 9-15 year olds think that Auschwitz is a WWII theme park and that Adolf Hitler was a German football coach. Now on first sight, and to anyone of my generation who will have studied WWII in school history lessons, this looks dreadful. But hang on a minute - dig a little deeper and it becomes clear that our children's views have been at best badly reported and at worst misrepresented. The full results of the survey are here - and what is obvious is that children were offered ...
[IMG: longfield-suite-1.jpg] Well over 200 local residents packed into the Longfield Suite in Prestwich last night and sent a clear message to Bury Council that they want to keep the Longfield Suite. At a previous meeting residents had demanded that the Leader of the Council, Cllr Bob Bibby attend to face concerned residents, and he attended for an hour with Mike Kelly, Bury Council's Deputy Chief Executive. Following introductions from meeting organiser, Cllr Vic D'Albert and a statement from Cllr Bibby questions were taken from the floor. Vic D'Albert commented, "I think it's fair to say Cllr Bibby received a ...
News today shows that schools may not to be teaching children sufficiently about the Second World War and the events that surround it. A poll of 2000 children, aged nine to fifteen, was conducted by a Scottish charity, Erskine, which provides nursing and medical care for veterans, and says it will now take part in a nationwide ...
Epping Forest DC, Lower Sheering Con 302 (76.5; +0.7)LD Ingrid Black 93 (23.5; -0.7)Majority 209Turnout 21.35%Con holdPercentage change is since May 2007
Sorting out a public meeting for residents to discuss the options for improving the Schools Hill/Wilmslow Road junction in Cheadle has proven to be a little trickier than I'd thought - but all part of being a new councillor, I guess. On Tuesday at the Cheadle Area Committee, I asked for the public meeting and it was approved. I've now got to chase it up and get the thing organised. I've pretty much got all the information to bring along to it, so should be soon.
he question I'm beginning to wonder is simple. How much longer can the political class go on supporting the deaths of British troops in the face of public opposition? The answer is nuanced and requires a combination of all the following factors: While opposition is merely "opposition" and not being demonstrated extremely and forcefully, they could conceivably ...
In fifteen years I have rarely known Parliament so quiet. Though the Czech President has now signed the Lisbon Treaty, bringing to an end an eight year battle to reform the EU, MEPs returned from the half-term recess on Monday to find a very thin agenda for Parliament and its committees. Last weekend's European Council (summit) meeting did not reach final agreement on a candidate for its presidency, though Belgian prime minister Herman van Rompuy appears to be the front runner; nor did it agree on the next High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy (EU Foreign Minister), though an ...
One of the more eclectic entries in my blogroll is that of Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip. His analysis is always original and thought-provoking, but even I was surprised to find a piece from him that was relevant to the Question Time British National Party Controversy (or as Alice might have put it, "until Wikipedia has a name for it, like the Question Time British National Party Controversy, it isn't really happening...") Scott's point is about privacy and how a world where the proliferation of electronic data makes it increasingly impossible to conceal things might actually lead ...
Last Saturday was spent at the Delphi Truck Superprix at Brands Hatch watching 1000bhp turbocharged five-tonne monsters thundering round Paddock Hill Bend, charging up to Druids and, occaisionally careering off at Graham Hill Bend. Despite the chill and misty start to the day the sight and sound of these trucks is truly spectacular and it was great to see Brands Hatch looking immaculate and well-cared for. Among those racing was Andy Akinwolere from BBC's Blue Peter who, having passed his driving test 2007 was set the challenge of gaining his HGV licence, racing licence and then competing in competition. You ...
In common with nearly every other Assembly Member I have received a torrent of e-mails this week from my constituents. A lot of these have been on the subject of a badger cull, which the Assembly voted by 43 to 9 to allow to proceed on Wednesday. However, there have also been a significant number of e-mails asking AMs to act in our capacity as MSPs to seek amendments to the Marine (Scotland) Bill, currently going through the Scottish Parliament. The e-mails say that a Scottish Marine Bill that supports real recovery must include: 1. Recovery - A duty on ...
If reports prove to be true then today could well see one of those significant events in the history of the process known as devolution. The BBC are reporting that on his visit to North Wales, the Conservative Leader, David Cameron will indicate that he would not block a request for a referendum on further law making powers for the assembly if he was prime minister. There is no indication of course as to which side the Conservatives will take in a referendum campaign but I suspect that speculation that the AMs will line up behind a 'yes' campaign and ...
Wolverhampton City Council has tonight passed the Liberal Democrat motion and joined the 10:10 campaign. The motion was submitted by Councillors Robin Lawrence and Claire Darke.
That's the question PR Week has asked this week, printing answers to what advice people in PR would have given over the situation Neal's Yard Remedies found itself in: The Guardian invited Neal's Yard Remedies to be the focus of one of its regular 'You Ask They Answer' slots in May. It agreed and sat back to wait for the comments to flow in. But when many bloggers became highly critical of the company's homeopathic remedies and demanded proof of their efficacy, the company froze and ultimately refused to make any response. Here's the response from myself which PR Week ...
OK - today I am experimenting with taking my surgery out into where the people are. So between 2 and 4pm I will be in Budgens in Crouch End holding an advice surgery. It's not a gimmick - just before the naysayers say nay - it's really because I am convinced that there are lots of people who would like to bring a problem or issue to my attention - but who would never think of actually coming to one of my normal weekly advice surgeries which are held in rooms in either Hornsey or Wood Green Library. So - ...
Next week (9-13 November) is apparently School Dinners week. Local pupils have been voting alongside children from the rest of the country for their favorite school meal. According to the Council's press release the Mayor of Bury, Councillor Sheila Magnall will be joining children at Mersey Drive primary for a meal of cheese and onion pie or pork sausage served with a choice of either chipped or new potatoes, baked beans and farmhouse vegetables followed by chocolate sponge and peppermint sauce. .... Councillor Beverly Sullivan, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing said "School meals have changed so much for the ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] [IMG: cameron-fingers.gif] Those pesky CONservatives are at it again, not even in gov't yet but already failing on the international stage! I suspect Cameron, described as "Lightweight" by Obama,will not lead the Tories into an 18 year stint in office - I give them one terms max before it all goes wrong. A lot of comparisons are being made to 1997 NuLieBore - Of cause Cameron has failed to realise that he will probably be the next PM because Labour are sht*te, not because the Tories have great new ideas! Any way... Turns out that France believe that ...
Thanks to the Wartime Housewife I learn that the upper Welland Valley has its very own opera company: Opera Minima offers a variety of opera-based events, including workshops, masterclasses and a range of style of performance from themed programmes to semi-staged double or triple bills, semi-staged with piano accompaniment. Performances take place in The Old Corset Factory in Great Easton in Leicestershire (between Corby and Market Harborough) and in a variety of other venues and often include supper as well!Harborough District Council meets in a converted corset factory too. There's a lot you can do with them if you show ...
Yet again I awoke to the unreasonable expectation that my Freeview box might have the same channels on it as it had the previous evening. No niche channels offered this time, just blackness. So for the third time in three days I had to rescan. I'm one of the lucky ones in that at least it seems to be putting BBC North West (once located) as my main channels. The official press releases have been mentioning that people "living close to the border" might pick up other regions. That explains why a work colleague in Rochdale can only get BBC ...
Can you names these kilburnites? Do they deserve a blue plaque or equivalent? On which building would it go? When and for how long was their residence in Kilburn? Are there other parts of London for which there are so few recognitions of the people who lived there? Ed
Wow, what an absolutely gorgeous sunrise today, also an anniversary for me, it is one year ago today that we were starting polling day in the Glenrothes by-election. This is the view from my flat and I wanted to share it with you this morning. That is Leith Harbour the former Royal Yacht Britannia and the Ocean Terminal shopping centre.
2 Big Stories Guy Fawkes Killjoys The Guy Fawkes celebrations started yesterday and, as we look forward to the next round of bonfire and firework celebrations tonight and tomorrow, it wouldn't really be the bonfire season without some daft health and safety stories in the press. A nice example appears in the Daily Express, which rails against "health and safety killjoys" who have forced a rugby club's Guy Fawkes revellers to watch a film of a bonfire on television rather than enjoy the real thing. Frustratingly for the Express, it turns out that nothing of the sort has happened. Faced ...
RT @demsoc: Mass resignations from town council at centre of blogger attacks (BBC) http://bit.ly/3Szmme # Heading as far east, east, east as I can go without crossing the sea # RT @AdamBienkov: RT @therealsim_o Council resigns because of blogger criticism. Fair or not? @ThePickards investigates http://trunc.it/2zi88 # If the Royal Mail is privatised, will my post get delayed due to leaves on the pavement? # Continuing my pattern of staying in hotel rooms with unusual toilets, this one has got a sofa in it http://flic.kr/p/7bBoJm # Beach defence ruins, Lowestoft http://flic.kr/p/7bxT1k # I think the other tourists must be hiding ...
53 Threshers shops out of the 219 across Scotland are now to close down. There will be 373 closures across the UK out of a total of 1,300 shops which will affect all of First Quench's brands including Threshers, Wine Rack, Haddows, Bottoms Up and Victoria Wine. As most people know the parent company, First Quench went into administration just last month and have appointed KPMG as their administrator, they have announced they hope to sell the company as a growing concern and will make an announcement on Friday of this week. How many of the company's 6,500 employees are ...
One common thread links the shooting of 5 British servicemen in Afghanistan and 13* Americans at Fort Hood in Texans all seventeen were killed by an enemy within. However, there the similarity ends. In Afghanistan Guardsman Jimmy Major, Warrant Officer Darren Chant, Sgt Matthew Telford, Cpl Steven Boote and Cpl Nicholas Webster-Smith were shot by a rogue policeman they were training. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the incident in what was clearly an act of terrorism against the occupying forces. The American incident was carried out by US Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan who had been fighting his ...
One third of all MPs are in safe seats .... and they are more likely to have cheated on their expenses than those who are not in safe seats. I've written about this before, but this short video makes the point very succinctly.
There is good news to report on the efforts of local groups to preserve the best of Acocks Green's heritage. Spurred on by the planning application for 42 & 44 Flint Green Road (recently withdrawn but sure to return before long), local Residents Groups, members of the Acocks Green Focus Group and I went to see Councillor Neville Summerfield on Thursday. Cllr Summerfield is the Cabinet Member for Regeneration. His portfolio includes the Conservation Team. The presentations we made, ably led by Julia Lardon from the Focus Group, persuaded him to make setting up a Conservation Area in the Arden ...
I believe that the lack of control councils have over public money spent in their area has been laid bare by Government research. The Total Place programme has found that while public bodies spend an average £7,000 per person on local services such as health, education, and care for the elderly, only £350 of that is controlled by councillors. These startling figures show the lack of control local people have over how money is spent in their area. Surely it is absurd that people do not have a bigger and more democratic say over how their taxes are spent in ...
