It's snowed, as you may have noticed. And it's also been cold, which means ice on the roads and pavements. The Council have sent us Councillors an update about gritting, and this is it: "All gritters were called out last night at 8.45pm and they did a full grit of the borough. It was snowing fitfully throughout the night and a decision was taken to do another grit in the north of the borough, which was completed in the early hours of this morning. 5 gritters are out and about at the moment (Friday PM) across the borough, but they ...
I just read this post and it made me cry with frustration. Why is this sort of shit even necessary any more? And yes, before the (white) blokosphere jumps on me, I know it's a single post, I know it's anecdotal evidence, I know it's not scientific proof. But, for Cthulhu's sake, how many more anecdotes do we need before someone does the research? Oh yes, I forgot, they have. The Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation have. The British government have. They found that job applications with exactly the same text but with female (or ethnic) names were much ...
As a former horologist the latest sponsor to drop from the time being the imagery of Tiger Wood with their products is an interesting one. The Swiss Watch manufacturer Tag Heuer used to run this advert of Tiger with the slogan "What are you made of?". I guess recent events means that such a slogan attached to the golfer is not the best image. Gillette have already 'cut' back on their use of Tiger. Their slogans which featured him included "The Best a man can get" and "Go ahead. Make yourself more comfortable". Both while advertising the razor that is ...
No. It just looked like it. (I know a potential Golden Dozen headline when I see one). Seriously, it was good to see Charlie boy in good form on HIGNFY.
What with the snow and all, getting back to Mid Suffolk has proved to be a little trickier than usual. It isn't possible to book a taxi from the station, and I really don't want Ros out on the roads. So, I'm forced to wait here at Stowmarket station. Luckily, rather than having to wait in a drafty taxi office, next door is the rather more congenial 'Kings Arms', the newly reopened pub. It's a bit of a throwback, as it looks like a private home converted into a local. However, the real ale is good, and well kept, with ...
Uploaded only because it just came up in conversation tonight! "Watchin'" by the Freemasons is also great.
Welsh Liberal Democrats have given their backing to plans by the Health Minister to introduce an opt-out system of organ donation in Wales. It would mean that Welsh residents would be presumed to be organ donors unless they have joined an opt out register or immediate relatives object. Other exclusions include if a person's identity or place of residence cannot be confirmed. The 'soft opt-out' system is similar to that already used in Belgium and Portugal, where organ donation rates are far higher than in the UK. To introduce this measure the Welsh Assembly will need to bid for additional ...
As reported in tonight's 'Evening Telegraph', the City Council's Director of Education has responded to me about the department's proposals for use of Victoria Park by the schools on the proposed shared campus on the former Logie Secondary School site as follows : "You are correct that this project will need to come forward as a planning application which will allow for public comment and consultation. As you are aware, the new planning regulations now give easier opportunity for anyone who wishes to make comment. The planning application process for the new primary school in Whitfield was our first opportunity ...
We have had notice that the snow has been coming en route to the UK for the last couple of weeks ago so it was no surprise to get up this morning and see that the outside of the front of my house resembled a scene from the Chronicles of Narnia. What was more surprising to ...
What could be simpler: five categories, each with five links. And it's Friday. 5 most-read stories on LDV this week 1. A good reason for Gordon Brown not to have an early general election (14) by Mark Pack 2. By-election roundup for 10 December 2009 (9) by Helen Duffett 3. Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith accused of avoiding £5.8m tax as non-dom (74) by Mark Pack 4. Derby North: hung parliament territory? (11) by Peter Welch 5. Tory councillor in Cheltenham defects to Lib Dems (6) by The Voice 5 active LDV Members' Forum threads A Sustainable Population Policy Very cheap ...
It appears the Global Warming deniers may get want they want and the Copenhagen summit might produce a fudged agreement that will do nothing to save the planet. Strange that it should be the Chinese governmentment that is doing the global warming deniers a favour. Strange bed fellows. It must be thrilling for them to know that the Chinese and the extreme right wing in this country have so much in common.
On Sunday 20th December Bramall Hall is hosting its annual Christmas Cracker event from 11.00am to 5.00pm. Experience Bramall Hall decked out for Christmas in this year's Winter Wonderland theme. It will be a magical day with 'cracking' entertainment for people of all ages. Tickets for children (up to nine years old only) to see Father Christmas, including the festivities, are priced at £6.00 and £5.00 for Leisure Key. For further information about this event, call Bramall Hall on 0161 485 3708 or visit www.bramallhall.org.uk.
Fri 18th
19:53
West End Temporary Traffic Orders - Smellies Lane, Ash Street and West Hendersons Wynd; Perth Road
Temporary Traffic Order - Perth Road Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating gas main replacement works . The Order is expected to be in force for seven weeks from 4 January 2010. Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months. The effect of the Order is to temporarily suspend all parking in Perth Road from Airlie Place to Park Place. Temporary Traffic Order - Smellies Lane, Ash Street and West Hendersons Wynd Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order ...
Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire has long had a reputation for being something of a firebrand and controversial character among the bloggers and twitterati on the Internet. Tonight she posted a tweet using her own unique brand of spin to discredit the speaker of the house of commons, John Bercow. What on earth is ...
Those who misinterpreted Nick Cleggs remarks about the affordability of the Liberal Democrats' policy to abolish tuition fees as an abandonment of that commitment must be sorely disappointed. For the party has reaffirmed its policy today and has put forward costings so that it can be included in our General Election manifesto. In the briefing send out by Party headquarters the justification for the policy is made clear. They say that university is getting more and more expensive. To get a degree, young people are saddled with thousands of pounds of debt when it is tough enough to get a ...
To read Part I, please click here. Spirits are rather low here this evening. America and China produce over 50% of the world's carbon emissions: any deal here tonight will require them to play ball. Unfortunately, there appears to be stalemate. [IMG: Fiona Hall MEP and George Lyon MEP at the Copenhagen Climate Conference] Fiona Hall MEP and George Lyon MEP at the Copenhagen Climate Conference Prior to today the Americans had shown us a bit of ankle, suggesting that they might come forward with an offer of more money and concrete commitments. Unfortunately that looks like it was all ...
On February 4th 1964 Consett Urban District Council declared Belle Vue to be Open Space, dedicated for the recreation of the Public or for Public Walks Parks and Pleasure Grounds. Unsurprisingly Consett District Council had the interests of Consett at heart. Those were the days. You can see the deed itself here: Deed of Open Space I'd be particularly interested in the views of any lawyers or open space specialists who could advise on what protection such a deed gives to an area, or the methods that successor councils might use to wriggle out of their responsibilities. If you know ...
If you tune in to local radio almost anywhere at the moment you seem to be greeted by an imbecilic DJs spouting on about how wonderful the snow is. What joke. Snow is a miserable thing. It causes accidents, deaths, slow journeys, wasted fuel, events to be missed, plans to be canelled, and in general an enoprmous amount of disruption for anyone who has a life. Whilst I accept that childrens might like snow, for most of us it is the last thing we look forward to in the winter. So why do local DJs seem to think we like ...
Returning home from work in London (slightly earlier than usual today due to the weather - thanks Boss!) I found Reading enveloped in a blanket of snow. Great fun for kids and fans of snowmen... Not so much fun if you're a pedestrian, cyclist or driver who just needs to get from A to B. OK, I was wearing my (admittedly high-heeled) work shoes but even so I was worried how unsteady on my feet I felt even walking along the gritted roads leading from Reading Station. I quickly abandoned the idea of walking into Town to do some shopping and jumped into a cab. As we left ...
I posted the details for Christmas refuse collection last month, but as it's almost upon us, here it is again and in more detail. Stockport residents whose recycling and refuse collection day falls on a Friday need to be aware of various changes over the festive period. On Friday 25th December 2009 and Friday 1st January 2010 no refuse will be collection. These residents refuse will be collected on Saturday 2nd January 2010. Bank Holiday Monday 28th December 2009, recycling and refuse collections will take place as normal. For your recycling collections, please check your new recycling calendar. The household ...
Andy Kirkby beat 28 other hopefuls to design and create public art that will link the newly regenerated Boscombe seafront with the town's precinct. The £74,000 commission is part of the £455,000 Boscombe Sea Change project, which aims to revive the area. The council-led project is funded by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe). The works, commissioned by Bournemouth
[IMG: the moon over Widcombe] Continuing my occassional series of cheery photos, I present the moon, rising above Widcombe. This one is taken from my flat, as this week I have been at home with mumps.
waiting eagerly for the new bookcases this afternoon ... have found last 6 weeks of books packed away in cardboard boxes vv difficult. # can someone give me an easy weblink that talks me thru Wordpress back-up, pls – not the WP version cos it's incomprehensible to me! # @artesea – yeah, I'm a rule-follower [IMG: :)] Wanting to upgrade, as getting loads of error messages in current version. # writing work Xmas cards while catching up with Poirot on iPlayer audio ... the wealthy old aunt is a gonner, I reckon. # only 50 cards left to sign of ...
[IMG: Bears3] I spent a chunk of yesterday with the Access & Assessment and Protection & Planning teams in Childrens' Services. These are the social workers and managers responsible for child protection and for ensuring support is given to children in need. Reading faces a number of challenges related to poverty, deprivation and drug use, and these officers are tasked with looking after the most vulnerable people in families affected by these issues - the children. Of course, their work is confidential and so it is hard to go into details. Suffice to say, I left with a ...
Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Redcar is calling for more action on planning a positive future for Corus. He has published a new plan for Corus at Redcar which has been sent to the company, the Government and the Trade Unions. Ian Swales said "There can be a much more positive future for Corus if the Government and the company really want to see it happen. We need a site owner who really believes in the future and is prepared to invest. There has been a lack of investment for over ten years. We need a Government who ...
Note from Herts Highways We have been informed by Veolia water that the three way signals will remain in place over the weekend at the junction of Watford Rd/St Stephens Ave. They attempted a repair last night but were unable to locate the leak and due to the current weather situation all of their gangs have been pulled off the network until the snow clears.
[IMG: Footpath AQ78 from Claverton to Coombe Downs] A government inspector today announced an additional investigation into the Claverton Down to Combe Down footpath. Earlier this year a public enquiry was held to determine the legal width of footpath AQ78. The contested section is the fenced part by Quarry Farm at the Widcombe Hill end. Then the Inspector that the footpath was 5m, in some cases 7m wide. This was even more than the case made by the council; the difference was advertised for renewed consultation. In a letter, the Planning Inspectorate announced that objections have again been recieved, which ...
Hallejujah! Paul Clarke has escaped with a suspended sentence. There is justice after all!
I have my own Exciting news this week Click here to find out more! Renewal of Bridge over Railway The bridge will be open from midnight tonight!! Late Night Shopping in Boscombe Wednesdays up until Christmas Christmas Market! in Boscombe every day in the week leading up to Christmas Carols in the Precinct ( Boscombe) on Saturday 19th December 11 - 12. Goodbye to the lollipop people Sid and
Commenting on Hillary Clinton's announcement that the US might cooperate in a $100bn-a-year climate fund as talks in Copenhagen appeared close to deadlock, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said: "For all the diplomatic brinkmanship, it is alarming that ministers in Copenhagen are increasingly pessimistic about the chances of a comprehensive agreement. "World leaders should not be tempted to sign a watered-down declaration in order to save face. "Poor and developing nations have the right to insist on generous and guaranteed adaptation funds to help deal with the harms that they will suffer most from climate ...
There is now only a week until Christmas which means we are now on 2003 for our countdown of the Christmas number ones of the decade. In 2003 we had perhaps the most inventive video for a Christmas Number One for the decade to accompany Michael Andrews and Gary Jules version of Mad World. Me secquay's do get lame at times in this series, but from mad we get to Mud or more particularly the 1974 Christmas chart topper Lonely This Christmas. This is turning out to be a rather sad and lonely look at Christmas singles past so let's ...
Thursday: A million people will be glad to hear that the planned "Twelve Days of Christmas" strike by British Airways' cabin crews has been cancelled on a technicality. Agreeing to BA's injunction, Mrs Justice Cox added: "At Christmas too! What did you THINK you were doing?!" ...before jumping on a flight to Bermuda. The "Untie" Union, who are responsible (or IRresponsible) for the Christmas strike threat, called this "a disgrace to democracy", to which one might not unreasonably reply: if you didn't want to disgrace democracy, you shouldn't have messed up the ballots in the first place, should you! Yet ...
Twitter Background, originally uploaded by joerinaldijohnson.For anyone that is interested, you can now download a newly artworked Twitter background that I have created using Adobe Photoshop and my new graphics tablet. To set as your background, simply download from my Flickr account and save in a location you will remember. Then ib Twitter go to Settings > Design. Scroll down to the bottom and you will see 'Change background image'. Click this and upload. Hey presto! You are done! For additional instructions on how to change your theme to match the colour scheme, download the old Twitter background pack from ...
Recently reading my student friend's updates on Facebook or Twitter I've seen numerous of them stating that they were pulling "all-nighters" to get the end of term essays finished. The latest news from Copenhagen is that the Danes are telling the world leaders not to go anywhere just yet on what is meant to be the last day of the Climate Change Summit. Of course all nighters at the end of a period of discussion can get a result. The Northern Irish Agreement was meant to have been concluded on Maundy Thursday, it was only as a result of an ...
Well, it took a little longer than expected to get here. Being of a green disposition I opted for the overnight train from Strasbourg to Copenhagen, but heavy snow meant that it was more of a overnight-and-through-the-day train. Never mind – I'm here now, and we'll soon know if the trip was worth the effort. Today is – at least officially – the final day of COP 15. This evening we are due to find out whether the world's leaders are prepared to go the extra mile and put in place the measures needed to keep global warming below 2C. ...
I have done a guest post for Liberal Democrat Voice on Nick Clegg's second anniversary as leader. You can read it here.
It has been revealed today that the Lib Dems are to keep their pledge to scrap tuition fees, albeit in a (very sensible) phased plan to run over six years. As a student, I've naturally always had a dislike of tuition fees, but I've never felt as strongly as some that they are totally wrong; ...
Friday: File under news that ought not to be news but IS: the Liberal Democrats have re-stated their pledge to abolish tuition fees, the fees imposed on students when Hard Labour broke their promise not to! Captain Clegg has e-mailed me to say: I'm writing to let you know some good news about the Liberal Democrat manifesto - good news for students and for everyone who wants a fairer Britain. This week the Party's federal policy committee agreed a way to deliver one of our most important policies, the scrapping of unfair tuition fees. We've developed a plan to phase ...
[IMG: Warrington's winning team] We achieved an amazing 63% of the vote in a parish council by-election in Great Sankey. This parish is in the key parliamentary seat of Warrington South and this will be a boost to Jo Crotty's chance of becoming their next MP. The by-election was called by the Conservatives who were confident of taking the seat from us. However we ran an intensive campaign of regular leaflets, good mornings and blue letters. We also made special efforts with the postal vote and this proved crucial with roughly 50% of those voting doing so by post - ...
The writing is now on the wall for the combination of centralisation, process bureaucracy and inappropriate IT systems which have been such a disempowering feature of our public services for the past decade. Research published in the American Journal of Medicine shows that IT investment in health services doesn't cut costs: In fact, the hospitals which had invested most quickly in IT solutions had found that their administration costs had risen the most. Those on the 'Most Wired' list had not managed to cut their costs at all. This is important stuff because it confirms that one of the ...
Note from Chief Executive of the district council The one thing that is giving us concern is the opening of the market tomorrow. We are going to do our very best to get this open, especially given that it is the last weekend before Christmas, but we cannot guarantee a full service. The market is usually assembled at 3-5am and an overnight frost will make this hazardous and the snow may prevent the stall erectors, and indeed stall holders from attending. We are getting the market as clear as possible and gritting it today, in the hope that we will ...
From an email from Nick Clegg: This week the Party's federal policy committee agreed a way to deliver one of our most important policies, the scrapping of unfair tuition fees. We've developed a plan to phase out tuition fees over the course of the next six years, to ensure this vital policy is affordable even at this time of economic crisis. Labour and the Conservatives refuse to address the issue of fees and there is a real danger that both of them would lift the cap on fees which could mean even more debt for students when they leave university. ...
Writing this piece, I started by looking back at what was written on Nick's first anniversary a year ago. Over 2008 the party was averaging around 16% in the polls and whilst showing a great deal of promise, the consensus was that Clegg still had some way to go to fulfil his potential, with the Lisbon Treaty confusion and that Piers Morgan interview being two of the more memorable moments. 2009 has been a very different story. It's still been a struggle to get our voice heard in the national media – that's not going to change anytime soon outside ...
When your postman finally makes it through the snow, you will find that this week's House Points contains this column from me. Annual awards I have just returned from this year's House Points Awards. It was a great night for The Taxpayers' Alliance, which walked off with two prizes. It won Most Pompous Quotation in a Press Release following a rescue by Gloucestershire's fire service. "Whilst no one likes to see a duck suffering," said the release, "animal rescue is not the central job of the fire service. In this case there were no emergency calls pending, but calls can ...
The only day on which rubbish and recycling collections will not take place is Christmas Day itself (Friday 25 December 2009). All other collections will take place as normal.
Yet again the Labour Government and the Tory Council have let the good citizens of Westminster down. Last night, we were promised plenty of good quality snow, and when I look out the window this morning what do I see? Virtually no snow at all, and what snow there is, is dirty and slushy. It's ...
Residents in Camden Town and Primrose Hill will see a zero increase in council tax bills next year, as Liberal Democrats cut town hall waste. Council tax has been frozen for three years out of four since the Lib Dems took over Camden Council. Labour hiked the tax by £164 for an average home when ...
Last night after a very successful Wolverhampton South West Liberal Democrat Christmas Party, Lembit did his party trick and played his harmonica in the middle of one of Tettenhall's more sought after streets. Now when was the last time your saw a Conservative MP do that?
Back in June, the Liberal Democrats stood for election with a manifesto commitment to introduce 10p first hour car parking in all towns. We believed that it was the best way to support struggling town centre shops. It was a measure that was already working well in the former Caradon area. And the measure was certainly popular with local residents. I think that I only came across two people who didn't like it of the hundreds that I talked to. Since the election, we have pressed the case for this change and the Council is now considering it. At the ...
Defendants in Canada are facing an eye-watering $6 billion payout in a court case over repeated breaches of music copyright over several years. Claims for unpaid royalties total $50 million, but on top of that the defendants face having to pay $20,000 for each copyrighted song which has been used without payment. Records show that the total number of such songs is more than 300,000. Although the songs involved have easily identified copyright owners who would happily accept payment and who are paid by other law abiding users of their music, no such payments have been made in the case ...
Saturday: GOOD NEWS: "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" show that adding a Dr David to your mix adds a COOL MILLION to your viewing figures! BAD NEWS: this suggests the interest in Red Button cartoons SANS David Tennant is probably NIL! Daddy has a go at explaining "Dreamland": Hmmm. Ever so slightly it would've been nice if this "red button treat" had been on before "The Waters of Mars". It's not that it's bad as such... no, actually it is that it's bad... no, that's unfair, it looks dreadful, but actually... anyway, it breaks the mood. ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] [IMG: Daisy in Eldon square - fixed up thanks to her ;)] Well it looks like the Reading Chronicle (nice to see the negative Tory campaign is in full swing in the comments), followed the next day by the Post, has got wind of one of the best kept secrets Reading politics! Closely followed by Mr Oranjepan... Having worked with Daisy for a long time on the council, and I consider her one of my good friends, I really hope she gets selected. [IMG: 3795057798_aefbafd444_b.jpg] Her amount of energy to help residents and to push the agenda in ...
Fri 18th
12:15
Opinion on Nick's second anniversary: Neil Stockley - People are listening, now's the time for Nick ...
I came across an old Liberal Democrat Voice post the other day. In May 2007, Nick Clegg called for the party to develop a "narrative" to accompany its policies. Just over six months later, Nick was elected Lib Dem leader and was thus in the best possible position to make such a narrative happen. During the leadership campaign, his abilities as a communicator were the most frequently heard point of "the case for Nick". So, after two years as leader, how is he doing? Well . . . there were more misses than hits in 2009. Nick's early campaign broadcasts ...
[IMG: carol-serv.jpg] On Monday December 21st from 7pm, Join the Mayor of Bury, Local Councillors, Faith and Community leaders for the first ever Prestwich Community Carol Service at St.Mary's Church, Church lane, Prestwich. I will be there, vocal chords primed and ready. Ear plugs are, therefore, advised. Rick
A government survey was published today, which revealed that only one in 20 people take the recommended amount of exercise. I can safely assume that I am, shamefully, not that one in twenty. Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem Shadow Health Secretary, said: "This data shows there is a ticking time bomb with potentially disastrous consequences both for individuals and for the NHS. "Lack of exercise leads to increased risk from diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer which means misery for so many families. "If we fail to redirect resources into preventing ill-health, the NHS will face bankruptcy. It is imperative ...
[IMG: (C) http://www.flickr.com/photos/akbuthod/] ALDC's office is closed from lunchtime on Thursday 24 December 2009, and will re-open in the morning of Monday 4 January 2009. An answer-phone will take messages, but these will not be checked until the new year. If you have any urgent queries, please use the advice form on this website, which will be checked periodically. The MyCouncillor system is being maintained through the holiday period. If you experience any urgent issues please use the advice form above. Can we take the opportunity to wish all our members and friends a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND BEST WISHES ...
Writing on Comment is Free, Shaun Spiers from the Campaign to Protect Rural England is enthusiastic about the John Healey speech I attended last week: I remember going round fringe meetings at the 2008 party conferences, making the case for a more stable housing market. A year on, I had given up hope. The two main parties' aim for housing seemed to be a return to a new housing bubble as quickly as possible. Healey's speech invites the country to consider whether we really want to return to years of excessive house price inflation, followed by a crash, followed by ...
PZ of Welwyn Hatfield The road outside the Ryde school wasn't gritted at drop off this morning. The road (which is sloping) was an ice-rink given car wheel compaction E+JH, St Albans We were outraged at the chaotic scenes on the roads in central St Albans last night. We came home early from an evening out as my in-laws who had been babysitting were becoming increasingly concerned with the weather. Walking up Holywell Hill we noticed the roads (even the main ones) had not been gritted. Cars and buses could not get up and down the hill and there were ...
Yesterday I posed this puzzler: Which year was this observation made and, for double bragging rights, by who? The tit-for-tat arguments presented in 'balanced' television programmes may have helped to confuse the public's sense of the differences between the parties, and to add to their cynicism about any party's claims to have a monopoly of wisdom. The idea that one party represented the working class and the other the middle and upper class hardly fitted the predominantly middle class university graduate character of the two front benches. The answer? David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh in the book on the 1979 ...
Reigate and Banstead BC, Earlswood and WhitebushesCon 391 (37.9; -12.8)LD Steve Keith Oddy 313 (30.4; +6.6)Lab 161 (15.6; -0.7)UKIP 125 (12.1; +2.8)BNP 41 (4.0; +4.0)Majority 78Turnout 16.38%Con holdPercentage change is since May 2008.Party defending seat: Con. Cause: Resignation.Great Sankey PC, Whittle HallLD Matt Newton 573 (63.0)Con 336 (37.0)Majority 237Turnout 11.99%LD hold.Party defending
What an honour! You can listen to it on BBC iPlayer here. You have to move the slider until it's at 0:45:30. He read out it out between the Furies and a Christmas trailer. My email is from the pseudonym of "Mutton Jeff, Leader of the Mícheál Ó hEithir Tribute trio, Murray Walker Avenue, Yell, Yellshire" I have to say our Tel played a great selection of music this morning, even though I am not normally into the schmaltzy stuff myself. I can actually remember listening to him on the afternoon show when he first arrived permanently from Ireland. That ...
The snow has meant that today's waste collections had to be cancelled. There is also some impact on car parks Details of the Council's plans can be found on the City Council's website, or by calling 01223 458282. It looks like today's blue bin and black bin collections will be made on Monday. Don't forget the changes next week and the week after for Christmas and New Year.
As LDV reported yesterday, Lib Dem MP for ultra-marginal Taunton is appealing against Sir Thomas Legg's request for repayment of almost £18,000 in expenses which Sir Thomas says were against the rules. Today's Times carries a leader column backing Jeremy's appeal – here's an excerpt: Take Jeremy Browne, the Liberal Democrat and the first MP to confirm that he would appeal. Upon entering Parliament, Mr Browne removed equity from a London home that he owned before he was elected and used it to buy a property in his constituency. He then claimed against his allowance for the (now larger) mortgage ...
Readers who live in this county will realise that this is self-serving nonsense and that there is next to no clearance of minor roads. There is also little point in clearing round schools as many schools are closed (the county's own website says so). For Immediate Release PR 9161 A busy night for Hertfordshire Highways Gritting teams from Hertfordshire Highways worked through the night to make the roads as safe as possible for the morning rush hour. Gritters went out three times (at 8pm, 10.30pm and 2.30am) on the main gritting route (A and B roads, all major bus routes, ...
Nick Brown's choice of Christmas card is, I suspect, quite revealing about the mindset of the gang of people that Gordon Brown surrounds himself with. Earlier this year of course there was the whole Red Rag debacle and Labour has been at pains to insist that everything has now changed with the departure of ...
A quick notice: the A14 meeting that we reported was due to be held today in Orchard Park has been postponed due to the weather conditions. We'll let you know when it is rescheduled. Brrr...
This one is Abbot's Langley. Two emergency vehicles were unable to get through. We are trying but failing to get an answer out of the county council as to why this cahos was allowed to happen. [IMG: dsc05115.jpg]
Speaking in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council debate last Wednesday, Cllr Frank Little (Cadoxton), said: "I apologise on behalf of our group leader, Cllr Keith Davies, who cannot be with us today, but he has left me a bit of a history lesson. "We must not forget the changes that were made at the 1983 district elections, breaking up large multi-member wards, with the specified aim of an improvement in accountability. This was reinforced when the former West Glamorgan County Council was reorganised for the 1989 election. "We also draw attention to the letter to the Boundary Commission ...
The Hither Green Community Association invites everyone to join in for mince pies and Carol singing by the Clocktower at Meridian South. The appointment is for Saturday 19th December at 1pm. Tagged: community, Hither Green, Meridian South
Update sent to Councillors from Bury Council: "All gritters were called out last night at 8.45pm and they did a full grit of the borough. It was snowing fitfully throughout the night and a decision was taken to do another grit in the north of the borough, which was completed in the early hours of this morning. 5 gritters are out and about at the moment across the borough, but they are particularly focusing on the north where conditions are worst. All Street Cleaning teams are spreading grit by hand in town centres and other areas with a high footfall. ...
It's funny how we can walk around without noticing things which immediately become obvious if we are in wheelchairs. A friend took me for my check-up for my broken metatarsal this week. The very small car park by Accident & Emergency, where I'd been told we could park as long as we didn't use an ambulance place, was full. The places along the access road leading to A & E were full. The small car park near the main entrance was full, except for one designated space for disabled people. My friend wanted to park there, rightly pointing out that ...
Odd goings on at the seaside on this chilly day. Police in Great Yarmouth have been co-ordinating efforts to refloat a beached whale in the seaside resort. The whale fetched up in the town early this morning and concerned residents have already nicknamed it 'Pickles'. The whale sounds very distressed and its unearthly call apparently sounds something like 'vooooooooooooooooooooooote tooooooooooorrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy'. Work to refloat Pickles continues but onlookers say its prospects look dim. Meanwhile, in Penzance a popular singer from a cruise liner recently docked in Portsmouth has been busking on the streets to try to bring residents some Christmas cheer. ...
Here's a shot clip I filmed for Hornsey & Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone, highlighting the new Audit Commission findings that Haringey Council is the worst in London and one of the worst in all of England: (Also on YouTube here.)
[IMG: prstwich-grocers.jpg] As Prestwich Town Centre regeneration plans are firmed up over the coming year Bury Council must not lose sight of the fact that one of the strengths of the local economy is the small local independent traders, some of whom have operated from the Longfield Precinct for many years. I believe it is reasonable to expect Bury Council to place relocation and support packages high on the agenda in negotiations with the landlords/developers, Hollins Murray Group (HMG). Successful businesses know only too well the benefits of planning ahead, and at present many of the small businesses in the ...
... Dr Pack that is. Mark Pack has said some nice things about my new website. As Mark is a bit of an expert on these things, I am very touched. Big thanks go to my own www trio: Will Howells who helped me with the new design, WordPress for hosting, and Alison Wheeler who ...
Update: There's a report about the Paul Clarke case and an interview with him here, from the Today programme this morning – look down to 0750. The sentencing of Paul Clarke is scheduled for today at Reading Crown Court. Whether it will go ahead - after a thorough blanketing of
Tom Smithard, the Lib Dems' Parliamentary Campaigns & Intelligence Analyst, has been compiling an occasional polling report - collating interesting material from published polls and providing a bit of commentary - for internal use within Cowley Street since he started working for the party this summer. We're publishing his latest assessment in two parts: yesterday focused on the Lib Dems' poll ratings; today, the second anniversary of Nick Clegg's election as Lib Dem leader, Tom looks at Nick's personal ratings as leader. Firstly, some very good news: for the first time Nick Clegg has scored higher than David Cameron on ...
After 20 years of campaigning, it seems that parliament has finally been persuaded that the shame of having a shooting gallery but no childcare facility is its shame! 40 places in a parliamentary nursery doesn't seem alot to me, but it is a start and hopefully will make it easier for parents with young children, and particularly their mothers, to take a more proportionate part in our democracy and government. It's a small step but an important step in the change of culture that we so desperately need in the practice of our politics. Hooray for Speaker Bercow and all ...
We have advised staff to travel in if they can do so safely but are likely to let people go early this evening, especially if there are further heavy falls. This will be decided later at a review meeting at noon. The following summarises the current position: Service updates Refuse/Recycling Cancelled. May collect on 19/12 if weather allows. Contingency be worked out for if collection on 19/12 not possible. Week commencing 21/12 is a 'short' collection week. Updates will be put on website. Herts. Community Meals: Some drivers having difficulty getting in, Richard Shwe will be liaising with them and ...
Bury Council have received an application for a Premise Licence for - Tesco Stores Ltd, 456/462 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, M25 1NL They have applied for the following: Sale of alcohol off the premise Monday to Sunday from 6.30am until 23.00pm The objection period ends on 14th January 2010 Please don't hesitate to get in touch should you need to know more or have any comments.
The question of whether a VAT rise helps us out of our economic mess depends on your views of aggregate demand and supply
This week we voted the European Union's budget for next year. The talks between Parliament and Council (the national government representatives, in this case the finance ministers) have not been easy, but eventually we reached agreement. From the part of the budget which is non-compulsory expenditure Liberal Democrats are particularly pleased to have secured funding to help rape victims in the Congo, for cross-border investigative journalism and for a sustainable development programme for the Baltic. The promise of aid to developing countries to help mitigate the impact of climate change is currently a thorn in the flesh, since the figure ...
Personal injury lawyers are under fire today. The Tories have asked some well-aimed parliamentary questions, and discovered that the NHS is paying out a staggering amount of money to meet victims' legal fees in clinical negligence cases. In over 10% of successful claims against the NHS, the lawyers receive more money than the patient, with NHS legal costs adding up to £700m over the past five years. It's easy to blame this on the lawyers, a profession whose popularity ratings are only marginally higher than Labour MPs and City bankers. But the real cause of this scandal is the lack ...
Whether you're snowed in, or just snowed under, welcome to Friday. It's 12 years since Donald Dewar unveiled the bill for a Scottish Parliament. 2 Big Stories BBC apologises for asking: 'Should homosexuals face execution' From the Telegraph: People were asked by the corporation to share their views on anti-homosexual legislation in Uganda which would see some sexual activities punishable by death. The BBC website debate ran ahead of a feature on the World Service Africa Have Your Say programme. Peter Horrocks, director of the BBC World Service, wrote on the BBC Editor's Blog that the original forum headline on ...
Forgive me a moment, while I don my Victor Meldrew cap. If there's anything about modern society that fascinates me, it is the power of commerce, branding and identity-based values to sell the counter-culture. I was about to make some crass remark about it all starting with the punk movement in the 70s, but who knows ...
South Glos Council has announced the following changes to refuse and recycling collections over the Xmas and New Year period: If your collection should be: It will now be: Friday 25 December Tuesday 29 December Monday 28 December Wednesday 30 December Tuesday 29 December Thursday 31 December Wednesday 30 December Saturday 2 January Thursday 31 December Monday 4 January Friday 1 January Tuesday 5 January Monday 4 January Wednesday 6 January Tuesday 5 January Thursday 7 January Wednesday 6 January Friday 8 January Thursday 7 January Saturday 9 January Friday 8 January Monday 11 January Monday 11 January Tuesday 12 ...
Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats are very pleased their nagging earlier this year at the County Council to make their website informative and and responsive to extreme weather conditions has finally paid off. The new system introduced for the first time today is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately with nearly 500 schools if you have a child at Beechfield and another at Westfield, both in Watford, it is quite hard to tell if they are open or closed. Lib Dem leader Chris White said: 'Finally we have a system that works. It is a shame, however, that some schools have ...
In the days where I was reluctantly forced into interminable business meetings, myself and some co-conspirators would try to reduce the tedium by playing little games. One such game was called "bullsh*t bingo". We would compile a list of meaningless business phrases and tick them off as they came up. "no brainer", "low-hanging fruit", "proactive", "treeing"- all would find their place in our little game. Recently, however, I notice the spread of drivel a long way from the narrow world of business. It is not just the Dragon's Den TV show that has popularised corporate dull-speak, but across television a ...
We are getting mixed reports about gritting and snow clearance across the county. Clearly there was a serious incident in Hunton Bridge and roads in St Albans are pretty but in quite a state. We understand that the priority must be to salt main roads, but certainly these were not in a good way at midnight last night. Please send us any updates, including photos, so that we can form a clear picture and if necessary lobby the county council for more effort.
Just taken a look at the new Bridget Fox website (she's the Liberal Democrat prospective candidate for Islington South) and I like it. It's not trying to be flashy or trendy, but rather concentrates on doing the most important things and doing them well. Looking at the top of the first page, you immediately get the message about how close the election contest is between Bridget and Labour and how important the NHS is to Bridget. The blog functionality means a whole load of work, such the ability to comment and to subscribe to comments, is already sorted. Most importantly, ...
I haven't paid much attention to the music charts for well over a decade now (I'm in my mid-thirties). Nevertheless I have been following the viral internet campaign to get "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine to No 1 for Christmas instead of the latest X Factor winner's single with interest. I have read some comments pointing out that RATM's record label is also owned by Sony (which owns Syco, Cowell's label) and therefore it's ultimately just giving more money to the same massive company. There are also other comments that it would be better to give ...
[IMG: Matt Newton wins Whittle Hall by-election, Warrington South] Another victory against the Tories, this time in the constituency of Warrington South. Congratulations to new Councillor Matt Newton and the team at Warrington Liberal Democrats on winning the Whittle Hall by-election, Great Sankey Parish Council. The result: LD Matt Newton 573 Con 336 Turnout approx 11% For this week's full by-election results and analysis, keep an eye on the ALDC website.
Yes, you...if you own a dog and let it crap on Thompson Street West in Darlington. The main walking route to Harrowgate Hill Primary must be one of the worst stretches of road in town for dog muck and litter. Earlier this week I, along with my fellow North Road ward councillors, received an anguished email from a resident of Leyburn Road, sent on behalf of many of the parents, asking us to get
I have recently found myself with something of a (temporary) dilemma. As a Parish Councillor, I am responsible for considering any planning application that falls within the boundaries of Creeting St Peter - we are a statutory consultee. However, the latest application was from me, or to be more accurate us. Fine, you might think. Declare interest, withdraw from discussion, problem solved. Unfortunately, in Creeting St Peter, life is not that simple. We have never been at full strength - five - and at the moment are just three in number. So, by declaring an interest, I thus made the ...
A couple of years ago, writing about the long-vanish Broad Street station in London, I said: I played chess for Richmond & Twickenham in the London League, and the matches took place at the Bishopsgate Institute. I used to get the last train back around the North London line to Kew. Somehow I trusted the published timetable more than the Tube, even though the train took a circuitous route via Brondesbury and Willesden Junction.English Buildings has a photograph of the Institute's remarkable façade, which it was hard to appreciate to the full on those dark winter evenings. Philip Wilkinson, who ...
I've received an update from the team in charge of the M25 road widening project between Junction 27 (M11 Theydon Garnon) and Junction 30 (A13 Thurrock Lakeside). Apparently there have been exciting archaeological finds at Passingford Bridge! [IMG: M25 motorway badge] More prosaically it also provides an information on progress with earthworks, drainage and traffic management. I know the contraflow and speed limits are proving frustrating for many drivers. There is some relief ahead in that work will close down for Christmas between Wednesday 23rd December and Monday 4th January 2010. The roadworks around Theydon Garnon should be over by ...
RT @AndrexOnTheGo: Need to find a public toilet near you? Try out http://www.andrexonthego.com/ - where you can also rate toilets (client) # Islington Council turns pavement expanse in to garden (Hazelville Road) http://flic.kr/p/7mZwBa # RT @libdemvoice: Warning: do not read this photography post if you are prone to dizziness http://ldv.org.uk/17129 # @SamuelCoates Fancy a job share? in reply to SamuelCoates # Some good suggestions so far as to why YouTube comments are so poor. Any more ideas? http://bit.ly/7A8lHS #sbosm # @tonytheaker Very clever isn't it? # RT @tweetmeme Social Impact Camp http://bit.ly/7N8tWq # @dabr I like the two RT options; ...
I was alerted to this story by an astonishing piece on the BBC World Service programme website for African listeners asking "Should homosexuals face execution?". It refers to an Anti-Homosexuality Bill to be debated by the Ugandan Parliament later today. It is abhorrent that the Ugandan Government, or anyone else for that matter, wish to ban homosexuality. Not only that, they are proposing the death penalty for people whose only crime is to love someone of the same sex. If this repulsive measure is passed, then Britain should stand up for human rights and expel Uganda from the Commonwealth.
So - I table a series of written questions in Parliament on thefuture of the Whittington and the decisions around it: Lynne Featherstone: (Hornsey & Wood Green) 'To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether all of the proposals made to the North Central London Service and Organisation Review include the Whittington Hopsital, have a (a) 24 hour accident and emergency unit and (b) full intensive care unit,; and if he will make a statement. Phil Hope (Minster answering for the Government) This is a matter for the local National Health Service Lynne Featherstone: (Hornsey & Wood Green) To ...
George Lyon MEP is over in Copenhagen this week fighting Scotland's corner at the Climate Change talks. While George Lyon is there he is writing for The Steamie blog and Twittering constantly during his time there as well. It sounds like he is having a good time and keeping us all up to date as well - excellent.
Yesterday the application to develop Chorlton Meadows came up before the City Council Planning Committee. All the Chorlton Liberal Democrat team attended the meeting along with about 40 local supporters of the Save Chorlton Meadows group. Local Lib Dems are actively opposed to the development and had asked for the decision to be postponed until the committee had made a site visit. I wrote to all the members of the committee asking them to visit the site. Cllr Paul Ankers and John Leech MP were prepared to make representations to the committee against the development. I am very pleased that ...
Yesterday the application to develop Chorlton Meadows came up before the City Council Planning Committee. All the Chorlton Liberal Democrat team attended the meeting along with about 40 local supporters of the Save Chorlton Meadows group. Local Lib Dems are actively opposed to the development and had asked for the decision to be postponed until the committee had made a site visit. I wrote to all the members of the committee asking them to visit the site. Cllr Paul Ankers and John Leech MP were prepared to make representations to the committee against the development. I am very pleased that ...
Congratulations to Matt Newton who won the Whittle Hall by-election with a commanding lead. 573 braved the snow to vote for the Lib Dems compared to 336 Conservatives. Labour failed to stand a candidate. This is in the 3-way marginal seat of Warrington South.
The November unemployment figures were released yesterday. They show that the recent trend of a slowing of the rise has thankfully continued. Indeed while the national three monthly figure rose more slowly, the monthly adjusted levels actually fell. National adjusted unemployment was down 6,300, in the West Midlands it was down 1,600. The bad news is that in Birmingham it rose 219. This a continuation of the trend of the past year, which has seen unemployment in our City increase more than other parts of the UK, as manufacturing industry - of which we have proportionately more - has suffered ...
Yesterday, a group of 10 Canadian environmental groups gave Edmonton an award for "climate leadership". Why, oh why? When Edmonton's emissions have gone up from 13.2 million tonnes in 1990 to 18.3 million tonnes in 2008, an increase of 39 per cent, while the population only grew by 27 per cent. Why, when the city owned power company ignored protests and built a new coal fired power station? Canadians just love giving each other awards. The environmental groups also gave awards to Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. I don't suppose they'd actually achieved ...
Today Hertfordshire County Council has been named and shamed as one of only 6 of 353 councils to have qualified accounts. Account qualification is a status give to accounts that the Auditor will not sign off as they are not a true and fair record of what money was spent where. Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats have repeatidly raised this as an issue both privately and in public. Ron Tindall, Liberal Democrat Resources Spokesperson said: 'This is a disgrace. The Audit Commission have rightly written to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to out these councils. The tax payer ...
I was talking to an elderly gentleman this week. We both live in Morecambe and he has lived here for many years and he told me that he had seen Morecambe go downhill in the last twenty years. I asked why and his first thoughts were about the Arndale Centre. I like this shopping centre but I wondered what he meant so I asked. He explained that the quality of shops had worsened. I didn't get many details but I understand that we used to have a Marks and Spencer's and we don't have a bookshop. Even the Town Hall ...
