The Peace Light has arrived in Stockton, and was brought by Arthur Wooff to the Mayor's Civic Carol Service this afternoon. I find it a very moving ceremony and mayors from other local areas stepped forward to light a candle for peace along with our own mayor and a number of us in the congregation and the Salvation Army band. I started the Peace Light coming to Stockton for people to share and...
Very good news - debates between all three party leaders will take place at the general election on tv. This immediately removes one of the disadvantages under which the Liberal Democrats operate. The three leaders appearing together should help alter that perception. We will be on an equal footing with the other two.The agreement on the leaders' debates is also a last throw of the dice for Brown
Christmas is racing terrifyingly towards you, you've not finished your Christmas shopping and there's a blizzard outside. The pavements are slippery to walk on, the trains are knackered and your car's stuck in a snow drift. You're wet and cold and miserable as you stagger about trying to fight your way through the queues of fewer shops than you'd thought you'd make in the time, so what could be more seasonal than stuffing your face to make up for it? But there's another problem: which Christmas sarnies taste of Christmas dinner, and which of cheap cash-in? I've tried 'em all. ...
News that for the first time ever the leaders of Britain's main political parties shall lock horns in front of a TV audience in the run-up to an election. Now, while I have absolutely no doubt that Our Nick will make mincemeat of the other two, especially that Cameron chap, I am concerned. Concerned about the greater "presidentialisation" of our politics, by which I mean that our political culture and history in this country is based on parties rather than personalities. We vote for the policies put forward by the different parties based on their philosophies, not vote for party ...
The Cornish Nationalists Mebwyon Kernow are set to mount a legal challenge to the plans by SKY, UTV and the BBC to hold leadership debates in the general election. Despite the fact that they are not fielding candidates across the country and whilst it is clear they could never form a government, a spokesman for MK said "I cannot accept that we have been excluded. I know we could never form a government and I know that we get plenty of coverage in elections in Cornwall, but we want to get well known in other parts of the country too ...
Police in South Gloucestershire are appealing for information following a fatal road traffic collision in Old Sodbury on Friday. At around 6.45pm on Friday, December 18, a Peugeot 107 was in collision with a wall on the A432 Badminton Road, between Chipping Sodbury and Old Sodbury. An 86 year-old woman was taken to Frenchay Hospital by ambulance but later died in hospital. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 0845 456 7000
As a Liberal Democrat I can only celebrate that the fact that an agreement has finally been reached with the leaders of the three main parties appearing on lived televised debates in the run up to the General Election. I know that if I was David Cameron right now, I would be worried but even ...
Start of my Christmas Week theme!
A very busy Monday! Apart from my final two surgeries of 2009 at Harris Academy and the Mitchell Street Centre and numerous constituent visits, this morning, I took part in an informal group leaders' meeting on the Council Budget at the City Chambers. The Chief Executive and Director of Finance gave elected members an overview of where the officers are in relation to finding the necessary savings and accommodate significant cost pressures - particularly in Social Work. There is no doubt that the task is significant and I - along with other opposition members - asked for further detail about ...
[IMG: Snowy pics 004] When I wrote this post earlier today I had no idea that weather conditions in Reading were set to get so much worse. I was on my way to Cllr Bob Green's funeral this afternoon but had to turn back after 2 hours stuck in traffic on Caversham Road. I abandoned the cab I was in and had make the rest of my journey on foot. I was very sorry to miss this important event. Bob was someone who I held in very great esteem and his passing was a real blow. Arriving home and logging into Twitter I ...
Slippage. That's the word that councils use when spending doesn't happen in the year it was budgeted for. It "slips" into the next year. Or does it? In the papers for the Health Committee at County Hall today I found that £5.66 million planned to be spent on the county's Old People's Homes is set to "slip" into next year. If newspaper reports are right it seems more likely to "slip" back into the county's coffers as plans to close a number of homes look likely to be proposed at the first county council cabinet in January. You can read ...
If Mr. Murdoch gets his way here, could we soon see a UK equivalent of this?
I have just posted a little cricket trivia on The Corridor.
Mon 21st
20:18
Bullshit, disregard human rights/civil liberties and snuggle up to Fox News: How to be US Conservati...
The Bush White House puppet master, former VP Dick Cheney, has been named 'Conservative of the Year' by the Human Events magazine in the States. The mag is usually a good measure of direction for the Conservative underground. Just goes to show that one year into the new Democratic administration, the GOP have failed to settle on a leadership individual capable of countering President Obama's popularity and re-election potential.
... can be seen in this guest article I have written for Lib Dem Voice published today.
It's time to catch up with what the nice people at LoveFilm have been sending me. The Offence, a 1972 film starring Sean Connery, is often included in lists of British films that deserved to be better known, but I found it disappointing. Its origins in a stage play were too apparent in the long scenes with lots of dialogue and little cinematic imagination. It came close to refuting my belief that no British film can be without interest, if only for the street scenes. More than that, the central idea that a police officer can be so corrupted by ...
I agree with the balanced assessment regarding Nick Clegg by Mark Thompson. Yet I think the untold story is one of development both in terms of Nick's performance and the seriousness in which the media take our Party. Cast your mind back twelve months – since then we have been the biggest gainers at local by-elections, engineered ...
The first proposals for a TV debate between party leaders were made for the 1964 general election. For all the talk of the power of the media, it will have taken 46 years for them to get their wish. It's a credit to Sky that after so many years they finally were the broadcaster willing to call the bluff of party leaders and be willing to empty chair any who didn't turn up – hence forcing the current agreement. The media certainly do have wider responsibilities than their own immediate self-interest, but it's quite remarkable that for 46 years they've ...
What the hell happened today Bracknell Forest Borough Council. Im sure the council will claim that the roads were gritted. However the roads in Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst have been covered in ice for a few days now and many roads do not appear to of been gritted. So why does it appear that they have not been gritted. I have asked a number of local people and nobody appears to of seen any gritting other than the town centre. Today I did see a gritting vehicle stuck in the same traffic I was in. Now I understand that this did ...
Back in September I posted some reasons why I was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of televised debates between the party leaders at the next general election. News has come today that those debates are indeed to take place: I see no reason to change what I wrote then, though "We should not assume that televised debates will be good for the Liberal Democrats" would be a more accurate, but less arresting, headline. Considering the question in less partisan terms than I did in September, it strikes me that these debates will accelerate the trend towards a more presidential ...
[IMG: Ferme Park Road jammed by crashed and broken down W3 buses] I feel very sorry for anyone trying to drive or get a bus home in Haringey this evening as there appears to be complete gridlock. All the main roads near me appear not to have been gritted and are now at a standstill. This picture shows Ferme Park Road which is stationary and full of broken down W3 buses. At the junction of Weston Park a people carrier has bashed into the back of of a W3 adding to the gridlock. Having spoken to colleagues in other areas ...
[IMG: Ashfield Motors - Jewellery Quarter] A planning application has been submitted for a new hotel on the former Ashfield Motors site (above) in the Jewellery Quarter. A four-storey office block was approved for the land, on the corner of Caroline Street and Northwood Street, in 2008 and these plans are broadly similar. The hotel would also be four-storeys with the same overall height as the originally planned office block. You can view the detailed plans on the City Council's Planning Online tool (2009/05947/PA) and you have until 7th January to submit comments.
I greatly welcome the news today that there will be three televised Leaders debates come the general election. I am sure it will provide a tremendous boost to political debate in our country and will provide an excellent opportunity for the Liberal Democrats to communicate our message of fairness, justice and democracy. On one of his recent visits to Luton Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat Leader, met with the public to answer their questions on any topic they wished and his honesty and straight talking approach was greatly respected by those present. It is an essential part of our democracy that ...
Mon 21st
18:30
Opinion on Nick's second anniversary: Mark Thompson - The next few months the biggest test of Clegg'...
Last week saw the second anniversary of Nick Clegg's leadership of the Liberal Democrats. LDV marked the occasion by inviting three Lib Dem bloggers to assess Nick's contribution to date, and to look ahead to what the future might hold. You can read Neil Stockley's post here, and Iain Roberts' here. Today is Mark Thomspon's turn ... The first thing I would say is that had I have been a member in 2007 I would have voted for Chris Huhne. I think his politics are closer to my own personally and I felt he had the higher profile. However in ...
Political Tweeters lit up the Twitterverse with jubilation following the news that the next General Election will make history as there will be three television debates between the three main party leaders hosted on the BBC, ITV and Sky. I have some reservations which mainly consist with sympathy for the position of minority parties. I also worry ...
Here is my review of the last week for Total Politics online.
So says the Telegraph: A deal has been done between news broadcasters and the main political parties, the Telegraph has learned. It will be the first time that British party leaders have gone head-to-head in a live television battle similar to those in American presidential elections. ... It comes after fierce negotiating between Number 10, David Cameron's office and the BBC, ITV News and Sky News. For both Gordon Brown and David Cameron it represents a gamble. ... Final details on when the debates will be held and the precise format are still to be thrashed out. Nick Clegg, the ...
Ribble Valley residents are advised that the inclement weather has affected the borough's recycling and refuse collection service. Because of the heavy snow, many properties due for collection on Friday, December 18, and Saturday, December 19, have not had their bins emptied, while no collections were possible on Monday, December 21. Where possible, missed collections will be collected in accordance with Christmas refuse collection arrangements detailed below. If the inclement weather continues and refuse collection services are further disrupted, arrangements will be made to collect refuse as quickly as possible. Further details will be available from www.ribblevalley.gov.uk or 01200 425111. ...
[IMG: snoplough] Lancashire's roads will continue to be gritted over the next 24 hours as staff continue to battle to keep main routes open. The list of 'priority routes' which are salted first include all main A and B roads, part of the M65 and a number of other busy main roads vital to keeping traffic moving. These roads are tackled as a matter of urgency before other less busy routes are considered. The county council's highway team has now received the latest weather forecast from the Met Office which means that the gritting crews will continue to work round ...
All over the weekend there were complaints about the standard of gritting in and around the borough, and certainly the roads weren't particularly easy to drive on. Council officers have assured us that the gritters and snow ploughs were out and were covering our primary gritting routes - roads such as Yarm Rd, Durham Lane, the A67 were all gritted several times over the weekend. This is the
I've already blogged about Christmas recycling collections. As far as the refuse collections go, it's pretty much business as usual unless your normal collection day is a Friday. As the Council website explains, with Christmas Day and New Year's Day falling on Fridays, residents who normally have collections on a Friday (as we do ...
Rage Against the Machine's `killing in the name of` has risen 127 places to no 7 in the songs `scrobbled`in the past week. A Scrobbler is a piece of software that links to your own last.fm page recording by a list every track you've listened to on itunes, WMP or Spotify. Little by little Muse's dominant ...
Moving onwards with our X-Factor Christmas countdown in is now just four sleeps off the big day. So we carry on with the Christmas countdown. 2006 saw the start of Britain's next big female vocalist when Leona Lewis had A Moment Like This. Buy Syco seem to have stopped all the video embeds. In 1983 rather more of a surprise the Flying Pickets took a Capella to the top of the Christmas Charts for the only time in UK chart history with their cover of Yazoo's Only You. It sounds quite Christmassy without having a Christmas theme. So I guess ...
Back in May I blogged about the problems some constituents on Hexham Road were facing...with pigeons. Residents in one of the blocks of flats on the estate contacted me to complain about the noise and mess pidgeons have been causing. I have been campaigning to get the Council to take this problem seriously and to sort out this nuisance which is taking place on RBC property. Quite rightly, RBC Tenants would like to see this sorted before the Council even thinks about charging them for RBC cleaning services! Well, the nagging seems to have paid off as the Council issued a press ...
A message from the organisers: The Orwell Prize, Britain's most prestigious prize for political writing, is inviting entries for a Blog Prize for a second year. If you'd like to enter, you need to submit 10 URLs you've written in 2009. They do not have to be from the same blog, but they should all be written by you - the prize is self-nominating. The entry form can be found at http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/blogprize2010.aspx, with full rules and regulations at http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/how-to-enter.aspx. The entry deadline is 20th January 2010. The winner of the prize receives £3,000 and an Orwell Prize plaque. Richard Horton ...
Well done to everyone that made it in Friday and today and a special thank you to the markets team for getting set up in awful conditions over the weekend. We anticipate today being a normal working day unless there is a bad turn in the weather later. There is a weather warning for this afternoon for a band covering Hertfordshire and we are watching carefully. Chief Exec's board plus other relevant people met this morning to review our position. We will also be meeting tomorrow and Wednesday to review things and to make sure we are as prepared as ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] [IMG: bob2.jpg] It was Bob Green's funeral today, an impressive secular ceremony. I only knew Bob for a short while, but I'm glad I did... Rest well!
This morning's Guardian reveals the mildly amusing news that the Taxpayers' Alliance, which claims to represent the interests of ordinary taxpayers is using a charitable arm which gives it access to tax relief on donations from wealthy backers: The Conservative-linked Taxpayers' Alliance, which campaigns against the misuse of public funds, has set up a charity under a different name which can secure subsidies from the taxman worth up to 40% on individuals' donations. In one example, Midlands businessmen said they channelled funds through the Politics and Economics Research Trust at the request of the Taxpayers' Alliance after they asked the ...
Today's Guardian is full of righteous indignation about the allegation that the Taxpayers' Alliance has set up a charitable arm to claim Gift Aid on donations from wealthy backers, Tory tax allies 'subsidised' by the taxpayer: A campaign group which claims to represent the interests of ordinary taxpayers is using a charitable arm which gives it access to tax relief on donations from wealthy backers, the Guardian has learned. The Conservative-linked Taxpayers' Alliance, which campaigns against the misuse of public funds, has set up a charity under a different name which can secure subsidies from the taxman worth up to ...
National Express West Midlands have given notice that they plan the following changes to bus routes in Acocks Green from the end of January 2010. The following wording comes from Mark Kipling, their Area Manager for Acocks Green: "41: Service 41 will operate as current from Solihull station to the Swan at Yardley. Following that it will take the existing 32 route to Acocks Green village, where this new service, numbered 42, will terminate. The section of the old 41 along Stockfield Road will be served by a diversion of the 36/C, which will continue along Wharfedale Road until the ...
I have just returned from happily linking "s-turns" on the slops of the French Alps. Whilst I was there I had the opportunity to speak to a couple of French girls my own age, who were, to my surprise, as politics mad as I am. After discussing everyone from Obama to Sarkozy and letting them know my disdain for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, it was time for lunch. Now, since French women famously "don't get fat' I couldn't help mentioning that my political party had decided to pass a motion aiming at making advertisers show to what degree they ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk]
E-mail I have just received from Power 2010: Dear Liz, Go on a diet. Visit the gym. Don't shop quite so often. Call your mum. New Year's resolutions often seem like they're made to be broken. But thanks to the crisis in our politics we can't afford to allow the politicians to let us down again. This New Year, we need them to commit to a new politics - and we want the Party leaders to lead from the front. Send a message to Brown, Cameron and Clegg. Let them know what you think should be their New Year's resolution ...
Last week, Guido recently uploaded a video apparently showing Gordon Brown being snubbed when stretching his hand. But he cut it before the handshaking. I have no love for Brown, and would love to see the back of him as PM. The reason I upload this is because I want blogging to have some integrity. Cheap spin by the likes of Guido undermine us all.
Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, is abolishing an exemption for charities from music licensing rules - hitting them with huge bills for holding events with recorded music. Community groups say they will be forced to abandon hundreds of services for the elderly and children because of the new rules. Abolition of the exemption will affect old people's homes, charity discos, tea dances, youth clubs, salsa groups, sports clubs, coffee mornings and even charity shops which have a radio in their staff room. Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Redcar said "this is a typical New Labour move. A hasty ...
The Government is planning to stop the British Forces post Office (BFPO) which helps families and friends keep in contact with people serving abroad. You can post a letter to wherever they are serving with just a normal UK stamp. The decision also means that all free post (under 2kgs) to Afghanistan will be stopped. Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Redcar, said: "When our servicemen and women are fighting and dying for our country, the Government is once again treating them with contempt. "The BFPO has for decades provided a lifeline that is utterly vital in maintaining morale ...
[IMG: snoplough] Lancashire County Council's gritting teams have been working round the clock over the weekend to tackle snow and ice on the roads. In East Lancashire (Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Ribble Valley) crews have been working since Thursday on the priority and secondary routes in Pendle. The number of crews working on the priority routes have been doubled and small "quad" type vehicles have been deployed to clear priority footways. Read the rest of this entry. Read the rest of this entry.
In the last year, I've brought you the best headline in a Labour leaflet, ever and one of the very best Conservative leaflets, ever. Now as a special pre-Christmas treat, it's time for probably the best election address, ever. I've only got the first four lines though, as you'll see, that is probably enough. Step forward Dennis Skinner and his 1979 effort, written entirely in verse: The election is here again, nine years since my first try, How strange that the issues haven't changed by and by, The Tory leader then was Ted Heath, who promised you less tax Lower ...
County councillors were reeling today when a leading Tory County Councillor called a £300k overspend 'petty cash' and said it was 'nit-picking' to raise it'. Malcolm Cowan, Liberal Democrat Opposition Resources Spokesperson asked the Cllr Keith Emsall why there had been a £300,000 overspend on the new Watford Fire Station. Cllr Emsall's reply to the meeting was that Malcolm was 'nit-picking' and £300,000 was 'petty cash'. Malcolm commenting on his answer said: "I was astonished: clearly the Tories live in a different world to the rest of us. £300,000 is the equivalent to ten trained social workers, more than the ...
Finally the Lib Dems have confirmed that scrapping tuition fees will be our policy come the general election. Here's the full text of the email sent by Nick Clegg to all party members: Dear Chris, 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 out tuition fees over the course of the ...
I hope everyone made it to work / school (if you haven't broken up yet) and anywhere else you needed to go this morning. It's icy and cold out in the snow, so take care. I have received a further update from the Council regarding gritting. Gritters were out all weekend and 535 tonnes of salt were spread on Saturday and Sunday alone. Today all Street Cleaning staff are employed on gritting duties including in town centres and refilling of grit bins. All 5 gritting vehicles are also out at the moment. Refuse/recycling collections were severely disrupted on Friday in ...
Oh John, you are comedy value! You conduct a class war as if your behaviour in office was any different from, well... any "tory toff". Well, you behave like an individual who hasn't completely let down the ordinary working man you so desperately claim to be the defender of. So now you've called out the TPA on their apparent hypocrisy regarding their taxpayer funding. Having an organisation that behaves as a watchdog ensuring money isn't blatantly squandered is actually not such a bad idea. Take for instance situations like this one. Where taxpayer's money, bench-marked as "aid" to Africa and ...
The Liberal Democrats have re-iterated their committment to scrap tuition fees for students. The party's federal policy committee has 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 ...
[IMG: gritting.jpg] Local Councillors have received an update on the Gritting and Refuse collection service as they continue to battle against the snow and ice etc. The Councils Head of Waste Management has confirmed that Gritters were out all weekend and 535 tonnes of salt were spread on Sat and Sun alone. Today all Street Cleaning staff are employed on gritting duties including in town centres and refilling of grit bins. All 5 gritting vehicles are also out at the moment (as of 9.30am). Refuse/recycling collections were severely disrupted on Friday in the Ramsbottom/Tottington area due to snow and ice. ...
After weeks with no applications this week we have three! 12 Campkin Road has applied for a "single storey front extension" (application 09/1084/FUL)18 Arden Road has applied for a "two storey front extension and dormer" (application 09/1137/FUL), and finally36 King's Hedges Road has applied for a "single storey front extension" (application 09/1151/FUL)The application on Arden Road is already down to come to a planning committee. As always you can find out more information from Development Control at the City Council including details of how to inspect plans in person and online, and how to comment. As always in case of ...
Following my post a few days ago about the icy roads and pavements around Redlands and the rest of Reading I have been contacted by residents in their droves through a range of mediums(including Twitter and Facebook) to complain about the state of streets in their area. From the complaints I've had South Reading appears particularly badly hit - Bede Walk, Hexham estate, Buckland/Brixham Road have been mentioned as "no go" areas for drives and pedestrians. However, I've also had complaints from residents from as far afield as Oxford Road and Caversham. Everywhere the complaint is the same: treacherous pavements and icy roads ...
Cross-posted from the Mandate blog: There are some useful lessons to learn from Twitter's round-up of the top trending terms in people's tweets during 2009: [IMG: (Click on image for larger version)] (Click on image for larger version) What are the lessons to learn from these trends? First, although Twitter is an international social network, the top trends are dominated by the English language and by American issues and stories in particular. The UK gets a look in here and there, helped by the UK being one of the hotspots for Twitter usage, a common language, many shared interested between ...
The Neighbourhood Watch email newsletter from the Police contains a warning about a recent spate of distraction thefts at cash machines in the city centre. The emails says: Victims have pushed their card into the cash point slot and entered in their pin, at which point they have been approached from either side and their attention has been distracted by one of the offenders waving a newspaper in front of the screen. Whilst distracting the victim, one of the offenders has entered a request for at least a £200 withdrawal. They then leave after taking the money and the victim ...
I was back doing my regular slot on Sky News last week - first time in ages but then doing a Masters at Law, in the evening, whilst working full time does rather get in the way of everything, including blogging!
Mon 21st
12:30Now even the Telegraph calls on Tories to make Lord Ashcroft "come clean" over tax status
The decision of the Tory party to turn a blind eye to the mysterious tax status of their deputy chairman – and the man who funds their marginal seats campaign – has come under close media scrutiny in the last few weeks, with Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable last week raising the issue at (Deputy) Prime Minister's Questions, and labelling Lord (Michael) Ashcroft a "non-dom". A week ago, Lib Dem treasury spokesman Lord (Matthew) Oakeshott wrote to his fellow peer to put the the simple question – "Are you a non-dom or not?" – to him directly: no answer ...
I don't much care for Christmas really. Like most of us I suppose, I enjoyed it when I was a kid, but as soon as the whole festival started to become a net loss to the bank account the magic quickly started to wane. Obviously I make an effort for the benefit of my children ...
I haven't checked out Iain Dale's CV, but I suspect it does not include a period studying statistics. Because he seems to believe in a recent post that taking one month every ten years from one location in the UK is a sufficient reason to justify statements about the effect of carbon dioxide throughout the ...
The Liberal Democrat Group in the Local Government Association is organising another residential conference for Children's and Young People's services. It is being held at the National College for School Leadership's Learning and Conference Centre in Nottingham on 5th-6th February 2010. This event is recommended for all Liberal Democrats with an interest in education, children and young people's services, but especially for portfolio holders or opposition spokespeople in these areas. It will be attended by leading Liberal Democrat councillors from across the country, as well as the party's parliamentary spokespeople on education. More details, including the price and a booking ...
Nearly a thousand children have been held in detention centres for longer than 28 days in the last five and a half years, research by the Liberal Democrats has found. The information, revealed in a Parliamentary answer, shows: 889 children from 488 families were referred to a Minister for authorisation to be detained beyond 28 days between 2004/05 and 2009/10 A record number - 212 children from 122 families - were detained last year (2008/09) Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne has also written to Alan Johnson to raise the plight of children in detention centres. Commenting, Chris Huhne ...
I know I pretty much stand alone when it comes CRB checks for adults. The most traffic I have received on this blog was when I have advocated checks for all adults who work with children. But I was disappointed recently when the Secretary of State for Children watered down proposals for criminal record checks for adults, especially authors, who work with children.No-one disagrees that we need
Lib Dem Voice are running a caption competition over the week which features our very own John Leech and Nick Clegg, on a visit to Unicorn in Chorlton in March. Remember the comments are mostly from LibDems. Not exclusively, but mostly. Feel free to join in. On the blogging front, many more posts to come now my blogging holiday is over.
Richard Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham and Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, University of York are co-directors of The Equality Trust and authors of The Spirit Level: why more equal societies almost always do better. There is a long list of health and social problems which tend to be more common in the most deprived areas of Britain. The further down the social ladder you look, the more common they are. The pattern is the same whether you look at heart disease, homicides, teenage birth rates, mental illness, imprisonment, drug abuse, obesity, poor maths and literacy ...
Review of the new blockbuster by James Cameron here.
I've just been reminded of a song that I've not heard for ages (thanks to Duncan Stott) and had forgotten about until spotting the video for it on his blog. It's 'Since I Left You' by 'The Avalanches' which was released in the UK in 2001 and comes from an album of the same name. ...
The Guardian this morning has a breathtaking story which continues the series which now maybe thought of the continuing saga of the Conservative Party and the dodgy tax dealings of its allies. It says that the Taxpayers Alliance which campaigns against the 'misuse of public funds' has its hands in the public till through a ...
Disclaimer: it is entirely possible that this post will be a swear-filled rant. Well, isn't that just dandy. Rage Against The Machine are number 1, beating the latest sonic abortion to spring from Cowell's loins into second place. All across the internet, bourgeois fuckwits are slapping themselves on the back, congratulating their cleverness in outwitting the ...
Never let it be said that the Lib Dems' deputy leader is a one-trick pony, capable only of talking sound common sense on the economy – he is also, as we all know, a ballroom dancing prince, a man who knows his paso from his tango. So he's on sure-footed ground in the Mail, when he questions whether the Beeb has runined the show that, in previous series, has entranced millions: Britain is divided into two nations: those who watch Strictly Come Dancing on a Saturday evening and those who watch The X Factor. There are a few neutrals, but ...
There is something about every aspect of life these days that makes me wanna tell the world what I think about it. It's hard to escape it. I wouldn't be a blogger otherwise. It is the very motivation for thinking people want to hear my tedious opinions. All around us are constant requests for our feedback and ...
The New Statesman has this interesting article about the right wing bloggers relationship with CCHQ, although Sam Coates seems to suggest it's a lot of nonsense which is quite possible given the New Statesmans record. As does Shane Greer in his post here. Without meaning to join in with the Labour 'bash the toffs' campaign, the menu does say a lot about the Tories! Sounds lovely though!
I never thought I would wind up giving a Tory Shadow Home Secretary wholehearted support but there is always a first time. There used to be a 'self defence' protection if you attacked a burglar or other intruder. Somehow over time it has gone into reverse & it is the victim of crime who, if they defend themselves, is now the criminal in the eyes of the law. This has got so insane that a female pensioner who poked a teenage yob in the chest was hauled up before the local magistrates. If someone is threatening you with a weapon ...
The art of letter-writing is dying, indeed in most parts of society it is moribund. Modern technolgy has its advantages of course; I couldn't manage my freelance writing and lecturing life in so many parts of the world without the Internet and emails. But I lament the increasing superficiality of human communication and dread to ...
A friend, doing her bit to ratchet up pressure on the world's hapless politicians in Copenhagen, asked all her friends to sign the "Save Copenhagen" online petition that was doing the rounds last week. One wrote back to her to say: "Claire - I am not convinced by the evidence on climate change. Even if global temperature changes are increasing, I am not convinced that there is enough evidence that it is due to human activity or even that carbon dioxide levels are a CAUSATIVE factor. Temperatures have risen and fallen by 7 degrees at least 10 times in the ...
Morning, all, and welcome to the 355th day of the year, a date which marks the 21st anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing, and the 47th anniversary of the British decision to buy nuclear missiles from the US. Today is also, you may like to know, the birthday of Thomas Becket, Jane Fonda and Tina Brown. 2 Must-Read Blog-Posts What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here's are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: And a very Merry Christmas to you too Eurostar & BA ... (Lisa Harding) So, to the people that run ...
Here in the warmth of my first class carriage, somewhere just outside Colchester, it is tempting to be grateful for small mercies. Yes, it's crowded, and we're not moving very quickly - reports of overrunning engineering works between Manningtree and Colchester, of points failures at Witham and the fact that it is really quite chilly have contributed to that - but I will get to London eventually. Meanwhile, chaos reigns at our stations and airports, with snow and ice causing cancellations and delays - and an awful lot of whinging. Curiously, in unusual weather conditions, things tend not to run ...
Not everyone likes to talk about politics, but it is very British to talk about the weather. Last Friday the snow fell down in Kent and at my usual time of 5.40am I was standing at a coach stop waiting for my commuter coach during the snow storm. My dark coat was gradually turning white and if I had a hat and a pipe I would have made a very good snowman. Eventually a coach turned up to tell me that the roads were closed and hence all the coaches were cancelled. There were also problems with the trains and ...
A group almost certainly controlled by the Iranian government hacked Twitter a few days ago (which I missed at the time), according to reports. Their text read like this THIS SITE HAS BEEN HACKED BY IRANIAN CYBER ARMYiRANiAN.CYBER.ARMY@GMAIL.COMU.S.A. Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access, But THey Don't, We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power, So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To....NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN? USA?WE PUSH THEM IN EMBARGO LISTTake Care. Which begs one question. If you have the know how and intellect to be able to hack Twitter, why can't ...
Here's the announcement. Can't say I know what it means - I've no idea precisely which powers are being devolved from central government to Greater Manchester, but I'll be interested to find out. The ten local authorities in Greater Manchester have signed a groundbreaking deal, giving the area more powers and responsibilities devolved from central government. The agreement will unite the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities behind a formal arrangement. It was signed by Lord Peter Smith, the chair of AGMA, and Phil Woolas the Minister for the North West, at a ceremony in Bury. There have been extensive discussions ...
[IMG: Google Adwords voucher. Photo credit: Follow*Sound on Flickr] PoliticsOnline published this piece from me earlier in the month: The phrase "Google Surge" (aka a "network blast" for those less keen on using a militaristic vocabulary for all things political) has been coined to describe the practice of blanketing websites viewed by inhabitants of a particular area with geo-targeted online adverts in the last few days of an election campaign. The increasing sophistication of online advertising options , with the ability to serve up different adverts to different visitors, means the advertising blanket covers not just local sites, such as ...
It's not just the postmen who are negotiating the snow and ice to get out their deliveries. Lib Dems have traditionally placed a great emphasis on our letters and leaflets, ever since the late, great, and much-loved David Penhaligon told us that if you have something to say, put it on a bit of paper ...
Whilst Haringey Council has an understandable policy of main roads and hills being the number 1 priority for gritting in weather like this - and then secondary roads - what about the rest of us? On their website, you can see the lists of roads in their number 1 and number 2 priority - then a notice saying something to the effect that the bad weather doesn't usually last long enough to get any further than that. Well - like lots of local people - my road is sheet ice and Haringey doesn't come my way. It's a cul-de-sac so ...
3 months ago I floated the idea (not entirely seriously, I might add) that in the even of a hung parliament the only other party the LibDems should consider going into coalition with is the Cooperative Party. My main aim was to spark a discussion about how mutual solutions should be used to make welfare and services more efficient. A couple of things have happened. In one corner we have Devils' Kitchen giving speeches on friendly societies and in another we have Tessa Jowell talking about Cooperative Schools. Furthermore, Philip Blonds think tank ResPublica launched in November and aside from ...
[IMG: Graduation at the US Air Force Academy] A Liberal Democrat Government would scrap university tuition fees. Abolishing these fees, brought in by Labour, then expanded and increased by Labour, is something Liberal Democrats have always wanted to do. They are deeply unfair (average families aren't poor enough to get help with the fees and they aren't rich enough to pay them without struggling) and a poll tax on learning. Young people face an unfriendly jobs market, they may not get much of a state pension, they will face the burden of defeating climate change, they see house prices that ...
A 15-year-old relative of karnythia is missing. If you have any information, please contact the Chicago police on (312)747-8274. If you're not in the area, but have friends who are, signal-boosting would be welcome. This entry was cross-posted from Dreamwidth, where there are currently [IMG: comment count unavailable] comment(s). View DW comment(s).
Here's the message councillors have received about Stockport's gritting from Solutions SK (the company wholly owned by Stockport Council which does these sorts of things): "Over the weekend we have been doing non stop gritting operations, using 440 tonnes of salt. Due to the road surface temperatures constantly remaining below freezing and frequent heavy snow showers the laying snow and ice will be slow to melt. From Friday we have been in constant communication with the Met Office throughout the weekend monitoring the situation. This morning we will be carrying on gritting operations on the tertiary routes along with hand ...
[IMG: Picture 3] A surprisingly quiet M62 looking back towards Simister at 7.15 this morning. Please take extreme care travelling this morning - last night there was still snow on minor roads, and also many 'distributary' roads (e.g. Heywood Road, Whittaker Lane) - this looks to have frozen solid, so TAKE CARE. Many people have contacted me over the weekend about gritting with the situation being bad everywhere, but particularly acute in the north of the Borough (north of Bury town centre). We did receive an informal update yesterday explaining that the teams had been out almost permanently gritting around ...
Thanks to Willie Rennie MP for finding this nugget via a Parliamentary Question. The Ministry of Defence has once again been found out trying to slash budgets and spending on projects that it perhaps should actually be investing in. The Army Cadet Force is one of the largest youth organisations in the country with more than 8,500 instructors and 45,000 members aged 12 to 18, with the MoD's own research showing that between 15 and 20 per cent of youngsters who train with the cadets then go on to join the forces. However, this is just one of the youth ...
When I first moved to Britain in the late-1960s I remember being sent to the corner-shop to do the family groceries. I remember it being the co-op and being reminded to make sure that I told them our 'divi' number and getting our tokens showing how ...
Over on Wales Home they have details of the Welsh Political Blog Post Awards 2009. My understanding is that these awards do exactly as it says on the tin and are for blog posts as opposed to entire blogs themselves. To my mind, that means they don't have to come from a blog that is political all the time, indeed that fresh perspective may be what marks them out. Alternatively, it may be a post that offers real in depth analysis based on someone being right at the heart of the political world. The stated objective of the awards is ...
Good news from Poland that the horrendously iconic "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign over the gates of the Auschwitz death camp, stolen on Friday, has now been recovered. I cannot begin to understand what kind of perverted mind would even think of stealing the ...
This is Platform 2 of Elverson Road DLR station on Sunday 20th December, as you can see the whole platform is covered by a thin yet very hard, very even and very slippery layer of ice and this is of course extremely dangerous. I took this photo at 12:19 pm and this means that this ice ...
I am all for freedom for individuals. If you want a fancy car that can accelerate really quickly then that is up to you. However there should be some restraints on freedom. John Stuart Mill wrote a book about this subject called 'On Liberty'. If an action only affects the individual then they should be free to carry out that action but if others are affected then regulation is needed. In the case of any motor vehicle then we have plenty of regulations, one of which is the speed limit. There are so many factors about one person's car that ...
