Earlier today, I had intended to join a demonstration outside our local Boots in Leeds to protest at their sale of homeopathic products. Recently, Boots gave evidence to Parliament that they did not believe that homeopathy actually works, but were selling it because their customers "believe" it works. This is unethical at best and exploitative at worst, all for the sake of profits that even old John Boot would baulk at, shame on you Boots. [IMG: 1023 ]
I have rarely seen a better or more balanced BBC news item on Israel/Palestine than this film by Major Tim Collins. I have myself been to the Israeli town of Sderot and seen the same missiles that Major Collins sees in this film. As Vice-Chairman of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel, I campaign for a two-state solution that would give peace, justice and security to Israelis and Palestinians alike. This film fairly depicts the suffering not only of Palestinians in Gaza, but also of Israelis coming under missile fire. I strongly urge everyone to watch this ten-minute BBC film.
"Neon shorts are never a good look" Obvious, once you think about it. Not to the contestants on the UK version of Total Wipeout, you would think. I'm happy to see you make a fool of yourself by falling over in a comedy fashion. That should be the extent of your comedy, not your clothes. However, we all know Total Wipeout USA is better ...
The Lib Dems have proposed a 2.6% cut in the Council Tax paid to the Greater London Authority for 2010/11, saving the average Band D household 58p a week. Despite cutting overall spending, the Lib Dems would give £16.4 million more to the police - in line with Council Tax payers' priorities. This would be done by cutting waste and borrowing. I'd like to see Labour and the Tories vote this budget through with the Lib Dems, but I'm not holding my breath! See for yourself by reading the London Assembly Lib Dems' Alternative Budget.
In September of last year Alistair Swatridge, the leader of the controlling Conservative group on Harborough District Council, suddenly resigned his seat - "amid speculation about his health", as the Leicester Mercury put it. Friends of Mr Swatridge will be pleased to know that he has obviously enjoyed a rapid recovery. His website has suffered a sea change, or at least a canal change, and no longer deals with local politics. Instead, it declares: Join us on its basin and canal trials and subsequently onto the adventure of a lifetime, with our continuous cruising of the canals and rivers within ...
A government scheme to promote 'zero carbon' house design and construction has resulted in only 24 approvals since its launch in 2007. The proposal was to scrap all stamp duty on homes up to £500k if they were designed and constructed for 'zero carbon' emissions. This is yet another example of the Labout Government putting spin before substance. The scheme was launched as usual to a fanfare and has produced a very small result. Presumably the aim was to encourage innovative design and construction of homes and enable developers to try a number of different schemes to evaluate them for ...
"I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me." Fred Perry (1909-1995) There are now less than 12 hours before Andy Murray faces Roger Federer in the final of the Australian Open. The Scot goes into the final knowing one thing. Win or loss he will still have a better win-loss record against the worlds number one and not a lot of people can say that. But of course as Andy himself has said he wants to chalk up another in that win column. Here are the 10 previous encounters. Bangkok Final, 2005, hard court: ...
Some jobs that Councillors are asked to do are a joy. Before Christmas, Gorton Market had a contest for local children where they had to hunt for well-concealed Santas on the stalls and in the communal area. It wasn't easy - I had a go (but not as a contestant, obviously) and couldn't find half of them! Today, the two winners Kyle and Chloe were presented with their prizes - a new mountain bike each. It was clear that both were delighted to have won, as were their families, and Gorton Market put on a nice little presentation event. I ...
With thanks to Sheena Wellington, here's the latest update from Friends of Wighton : Wednesday 3rd February 2010, 1.15-1.45pm : Gordon Penman, fiddle, with Isobel Luke, harpsichord - Wighton Centre, Dundee Central Library, Wellgate, Dundee, DD1 1DB. Admission free. Gordon Penman, chair of the Friends of Wighton, will be giving an intriguing performance of old Scottish chamber music on Wednesday at lunchtime. Gordon will perform a sonata by the 18th century composer William McGibbon sonata, a selection of strathspeys and other tunes from the book published by Montrose musician Archibald Duff, and some compositions of the well-known Fife musician and ...
From the Market Harborough Lib Dems website: "We were successful in this campaign because we were supported, not just by Liberal Democrat members, but also by many local residents who backed us and gave generously of their time to deliver Focus - often in awful weather. "I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their efforts. This was a victory for the whole community, not just one for me and the Liberal Democrats. It was community politics in action." Well said. Photograph by Andrew Carpenter
Saturday My diaries, as I am aware, enjoy a wide readership everywhere from the clerk's desk to what that fine fast bowler John Snow termed "the corridors of power". I must therefore ask all my readers to keep what follows under their hats lest in fall into the wrong hands. We are informed by the government that our troops must continue to occupy and be killed in Afghanistan because if we were to withdraw then al-Qaida would return to that country and reopen their terrorist training camps. However, a terrible thought hit me whilst I was in the bath this ...
My enjoyment of Popstar to Opera Star was rudely interrupted by an advertisement I hadn't seen before for a brand of Follow-on formula which had me seething. Follow-on milk is to my mind an invention of the Prince of Darkness himself. Babies simply don't need their systems assaulted by loads of iron that they can't deal with efficently. The main point of the advert was to make us think that our babies desperately need iron. How in the name of the wee man we manaaged to survive successfully as a species for thousands of years without artificial baby milk containing ...
The above words were spoken by Jawaharlal Nehru on the occasion of the assassination of the Mahatma, Gandhi on this day back in 1948. I am a follower of Gandhi's principle of ahimsa or non-violence which is a belief in, and strategy for social ...
The Liberal Democrats have four seats in Wales. Everyone's heard of Lembit Opik, MP for Montgomeryshire. Then you have Jenny Willott, MP for Cardiff Central. Roger Williams is the MP for Brecon & Radnorshire and Mark Williams is the MP for Ceredigion. Most people in Britain wouldn't be able to find these places on a map, but that doesn't really matter. I'm only going to talk about one – Ceredigion. Mark Williams won a victory in 2005 that, quite frankly, was a complete surprise. You might have caught Kirsty Williams AM (Who is totally unrelated, I hasten to clarify) bursting ...
I have to say I always knew I had the best readers in the whole world. I would like to give each and every one of you a big cuddle, but that would probably scare you so I'll just leave it at a polite thank you to everyone who voted for this blog in the Scotblogs Awards. Anyway, the Scotblogs Top 5 Liberal Democrat blogs were posted this morning and I was very pleasantly surprised to be in there. The top 5 include the witty, irreverent and occasionally slightly smutty tales of Lib Dem campaigns past found over at John ...
David Clelland, Labour MP for Tyne Bridge, whose profile was raised significantly by the MP expenses issue (buying an "oriental rug" at taxpayers' expense, financing an "equity release scheme" for his wife at taxpayers' expense and clocking up massive travel expenses for his wife) has announced he is quitting at the election. He also clocked up a large bill for flying between London and Newcastle
Heavy.com has illustrated the uncanny similarities between 2000AD strip Firekind (1993) and Jim Cameron's Avatar (apparently in development since 1995). I have to admit that when I first saw the trailer for Avatar I did notice the similarities, but dismissed them on the basis that a few superficial resemblances could easily be down to ...
With all the LGBT rights legislation that the government have passed over the last few years (and credit where it's due, it has done a lot) you would have thought that there would have been a far more drastic change in attitudes to homosexuality than this. It's disappointing that a third of the UK population still that homosexuality is 'wrong'. Just goes to show that it is hard to change people's feelings through legislation. I would imagine it's a generational difference and it would be interesting to see the figures on this.
Well, that was unexpected... I never realised Norfolk Blogger was such a popular blog, but thanks almost exclusively to his link to my iPad post I got a thousand more visitors than usual on Thursday... I'll be doing one of the book club posts later tonight, and another tomorrow, (and replacing the comics post I *was* ...
Last weekend I wrote about the new bookshop in Kibworth. It's website is now live.
As a Crystal Palace fan and a Cardiff resident, football's not been very good to me this week. And with Gloucester RFC not setting the world on fire and Gloucestershire CCC a long way from being back in action, America's been providing my sporting fix of late. Which would be fine if they could manage to hold something as simple as a Super Bowl without dragging politics into it. It all started with a player who isn't playing in the Super Bowl and may well never do so. Tim Tebow has just finished his final season as quarterback at the ...
A few days ago I blogged about the infighting in Liverpool Labour over the selection of Luciana Berger to be their Liverpool Wavertree candidate (majority: 2,911 over the Lib Dems) with Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle attacking her. As the Liverpool Daily Post pointed out, some in Labour have complained that Luciana Berger is a "young southerner". In fact, until selection in Liverpool she was one of the candidates for the Camden council elections in London. So perhaps no surprise that another Liverpool paper, the Liverpool Echo, decided to put her to the test by asking four questions on matters dear ...
This shop has recently opened around the corner from me. As Ross Clark wrote in the Daily Telegraph last year: In hard-up Britain, selling the family silver is an act to which more and more of us are being driven. Far from using our homes as cashpoints, as we were little more than a year ago, increasing numbers are being forced to make ends meet by auctioning off the contents. According to a recent survey by the charity Shelter, one in nine British households have had to sell possessions this year to make ends meet.He also quoted the words of ...
A little while ago, Mark Valladares speculated that Suffolk Coastal might be a good chance for Iain Dale to become a Tory candidate at the next election. Sadly, Iain was not selected for the shortlist. Commiserations to Iain. He writes: Yesterday, Suffolk Coastal Conservatives met at CCHQ to draw up their shortlist to succeed John Gummer. The hoped for phone call telling me I had made it never came, so when I saw the actual shortlist on ConHome today it didn't come as a surprise. That may well be curtains for me. It was the last seat operating by the ...
Howard's cartoon from this week's Liberal Democrat News.
Charlie Brooker unveils the mystery on BBC Four's Newswipe.
When you come second in a national list of any type it is an honour, when that second also make you second in your own county it can be upsetting. Although when the winner is my good friend Caron in the Scot Blogs list of the Top Liberal Democrat bloggers I can't complain.
This is the latest FCC position. Please let us know what you think. Customer information - updated: Saturday 30 January 2010, 11:09 Thameslink customer Discount offer and refund scheme Following the disruption to services on the Thameslink route affected season ticket holders are being offered discounted tickets and refunds. This is in addition to the delay-repay compensation scheme which can be used when a service has been delayed by 30 minutes or more. Summary of offer Annual season ticket holders: Will be entitled to claim either a 5% discount off their next purchase (equivalent to over 2 weeks free travel) ...
A moment of sympathy, please, for Tory leader David Cameron as he tries to steer a middle ground as the UK falteringly exits recession. On the one hand, he needs to keep happy his shadow chancellor George Osborne and the die-hard right-wingers at ConservativeHome who are desperate to start cutting public spending now: Spending cuts need to be extensive and immediate. ... We also need to get the pain out of the way as quickly as possible. Waiting until Years 2 or 3 of any Conservative government to cut spending will harm the chances of re-election. And on the other ...
Continuing my series on what the Liberal Democrats stand for, today's instalment is perhaps the most problematic part of Love and Liberty, a 1999 booklet exploring my own Liberalism - struggling to set out a Liberal approach to international problems, not getting as far as I'd have liked... And before Iraq. Still, if you're searching for my answer, there's another one I prepared later. In the meantime, I paraphrase David Lloyd George (not usually my favourite Leader), suggest the biggest difference between Liberals and nationalists, and come up with a good line knocking the Tories. That's always fun, isn't it? ...
I'm doing today's blog early so that it catches people to take part in the RSPB "Big Bird Watch Weekend".
I missed much of the coverage of the Blair appearance at the Iraq inquiry yesterday because I was travelling to London. What bits I did pick up were not complimentary. It seems his performance however was just what I expected. No regrets, the world is a better place as a result of the war, he did no wrong. No contrition. No apology. He's do it all again.Perhaps he has been living in a parallel
Up with the lark and hopped over to Greig Academy to join them in the RSPBs Big Schools Garden Watch. Armed with pictures of different birds and a check sheet to tick off which ones we spotted - I went out into the cold morning air with a group of enthusiastic pupils, teacher and binoculars. And I finally got it! I mean - I have long known that bird-watching is hugely popular - but have never really understood the joys of staying out in the cold, keeping still and silent, and staring endlessly at mostly nothing. How wrong I was. ...
Margaret Thatcher's files from her early days in power, have been released. They are very absorbing. I have already learnt that MT (as they refer to her) received, on her appointment as Prime Minister, congratulatory telegrams from Lulu, Peter Sellers and Eric Morecambe (previously assumed to be a Labour supporter). And Denis Thatcher was most distraught because he had to attend a state banquet and miss the Middlesex RFU centenary dinner. Early notes also show that Margaret Thatcher already had strained relations with Oxford University: MT already had troubled relations with Oxford. Her old college, Somerville, was holding a reunion ...
Well what exactly did we learn from Tony Blair's appearance before the Chilcot inquiry yesterday. Pretty much nothing, as Jackie Ashley writes in today's Guardian: "the inquiry members had failed to nail him on the central issue of their quest - why had he taken the country to war when the Attorney General's advice had been lukewarm at least, on the legality of such action?" So what was the point? Blair even tried to turn on to the offensive asking where Saddam would be in 2010 if he hadn't taken action. Well a decade on from the first Gulf War ...
All of us who spend time running local campaigns face a common constraint. We don't have enough supporters who deliver leaflets for us. Well I'm pleased to say that I have a quick, simple, free solution that will get you one or two new deliverers today. 1. Gather together any email address that you have for people in the relevant ward, assuming that you think they'll be happy to hear from you. Even the odd email from surveys, casework, members, supporters and indeed supporters of other parties will do. Spend 15 minutes doing this and you should have at least ...
Just read this load of self-indulgent rubbish from Tory Bear. It's disgraceful that some still believe that in the twentieth century it is the job of a wife to support her husband in his job and that a wife cannot have different political views from her husband. Oh well, suppose it's what has come to be expected from the Tories.
... stands for President Obama's Questions, of course. Apologies for yet another American politics post, but I can't let this one go by uncommented. The liberal blog networks are alight at the moment because yesterday President Obama walked right into the lion's den and held a "question time" at the House Republican Retreat. Better still, the whole ...
I note that in this week's Andover Advertiser the debate on Twinings job losses continues with comments from Sir George Young, Cllr Peter Giddings and Stanley Oram UKIP parliamentary candidate. Mr Oram's comments are welcome as was his attendance at the public meeting on Twinings last week. It is a great pity no-one from the local conservative party found time to attend the same meeting. Sir George at least sent his apologies and argues we should pull together to save jobs. What a pity his conservative colleagues couldn't do the same and support calls for Twinings to reconsider their proposals. ...
After the resignation of Cllr Brian Haley from his cabinet post (and the Labour Party) a new Cabinet Member for the Environment was needed. So, what have Labour decided to do? As reported by the Hornsey Journal, Cllr Haley's responsibilities (which were huge) have been added to Cllr John Bevan's to-do list, which already includes trying to run Haringey's housing service. While most residents will be rightly pleased at the idea of reducing the number of Labour councillors receiving a top-up allowance for various jobs (almost every member of the Labour group gets a top-up allowance for something or other), ...
Earlier this month I asked how truly gay friendly were the Tories. Tim Trent a blogger from Devon wrote to his local representatives about the Ugandan 'Anti-Homosexuality Bill' and got this response from Giles Chichester Conservative MEP for England South West and Gibraltar, I've highlighted a key phrase. Dear Mr Trent, Thank you for your round robin email to South West MEPs of 8th January with regard to Ugandan proposed legislation. I am replying on behalf of my Conservative colleagues because under the arrangement we have for constituency cover on a geographical county by county basis I am the initial ...
Here's your starter for ten as we experiment with a Saturday slot posing a view for debate: For the last hundred years the big organizational question has been whether any given task was best taken on by the state, directing the effort in a planned way, or by businesses competing in a market. This debate was based on the universal and unspoken supposition that people couldn't simply self-assemble; the choice between markets and managed effort assumed there was no third alternative. Now there is. Our electronic networks are enabling novel forms of collective action, enabling the creation of collaborative groups ...
Recently I've been approached from both Conservative and Labour directions to the effect of, "Wouldn't you Liberal Democrats in Keighley rather do the sensible thing and give us a free run?" Absolutely not!! If I actually believed either of them were better I could have had a much easier life, been a district councillor without making any real effort and not have had to put up with snide comments from other parties. I don't. It may make my life harder but I simply don't believe that the country would be better off without the Liberal Democrats. It was from Liberal ...
As reported in today's Courier, following the Scottish Liberal Democrats publishing figures on Thursday showing that many colleges are turning away four times as many applicants as last year and long waiting lists at many colleges, through a Freedom of Information Request made by the Liberal Democrats, it had been revealed that Dundee College has a waiting list of 765. It also revealed that there were over 11 000 applications for less than 4 500 places at the college in its 2009/10 intake. Again, locally, it was revealed that Angus College has had to turn away 75 full time students. ...
Kevin Melling, from Stockport Council, and Cllr Dave White have been visiting every Local Area Committee meeting to get feedback from councillors on how Stockport can improve its response to freezing weather conditions as we saw for nearly a month from around 18th December. The Tories have been attacking the Council for not gritting more pavements. Odd when you consider that Stockport did better than most and that you can't just scatter grit on pavements like you can on roads. It's the action of cars grinding the grit into the ice on busy roads that actually does the job. That ...
From Andrew Reeves I learn that John McFall has just announced his intention to step down from his West Dunbartonshire seat in 96 days time. From 1998-9 he was at the Northern Ireland Office and one of the Departments he was responsible for was the Department of Economic Development before it was devolved into the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment. Therefore my first time seeing the man was at the Department's offices at Netherleigh. As Andrew points out this isn't just another MP stepping down he is the Chairman of the Tresury Select Committee. He is also one of ...
After 23 years serving his constituents, John McFall the MP for West Dunbartonshire has announced he is to stand down at the General Election, in reality he is retiring, as he says, he is 65. You can read his full statement here. The Labour MP for West Dunbartonshire has been awarded with the unofficial title of consumer champion by Which? magazine in recognition of his efforts to improve financial services for consumers earlier this month. John McFall was elected as the chairman of the Commons Treasury Select Committee back in 2001, and then re-elected to the same position again in ...
Astonishing article in yesterday's Daily Telegraph concerning new research conclusions that grumpiness could be a sign of being higher up the evolutionary ladder than people who are easy-going. They say that researchers have provided scientific weight to the writer George Bernhard Shaw's famous saying that "all progress depends on the unreasonable man". They looked at two different kinds of monkey - the familiar chimpanzee and the less evolved but much more easy going bonobo, two of the closest living relatives to human beings. Chimpanzees are accepted as more evolved than bonobos in terms of physical appearance, behaviour and social structure. ...
Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has branded plans to force new businesses and businesses with an annual turnover of £100,000 to submit and pay their VAT online as 'bonkers'. The new rules will apply from April 2010, and could cause considerable difficulty to businesses without access to a reliable broadband connection or computer expertise. Mark has written to Stephen Timms, the Minister with responsibility for HMRC to ask him to reconsider the decision. Commenting, Mark Williams said: "This decision really is astonishingly poorly thought out and ignores the many who do not have a reliable broadband connection, or ...
It has been encouraging to see RUSU taking the matter of getting students to vote seriously. Reading Lib Dems have long campaigned to improve student turnout in local, national and european elections. If you were not aware, we have - - Continously lobbied the Students Union to run more effective student voter registration campaigns. - Gone door to door in student areas. Giving out registration forms to those who are not on the electoral roll. - Ran a campaign to get a polling station on campus. Unfortunately, it was voted down by opposition parties on the council. - Delivered student ...
Extracts from Hansard: 28 January 2010 Simon Hughes (North Southwark and Bermondsey) (LD): What assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of London of recent disruptions in First Capital Connect's Thameslink service. [313713] The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Mr. Sadiq Khan): There have been severe problems with First Capital Connect's service. The service continues to be unacceptable in terms of cancellations, punctuality and passenger service and information. The poor service has caused disruption for passengers and will inevitably have had some impact on London's economy. My noble Friend the Secretary of State and I are ...
There was a rowdy Question Time-style meeting (compered by DJ Stewart Who?) at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in Lambeth this evening, at which the main sport for some was clearly Bindel-baiting. Columnist and radical feminist political activist Julie Bindel has upset some in the transgender community with several of her comments about gender dysphasia and ...
Many years ago I read the autobiography of David Sutch, otherwise known as Screaming Lord Sutch. The main thing that I remember from it is his politeness. You don't need to have read the book to realise that he was polite as he would warmly applaud each candidate as their number of votes were read out. Unfortunately not all politicians are as polite. In fact some are quite rude, but this is nothing compared to holding views that are disagreeable. A rudeness of manner is much more preferable to an extreme point of view but if you can persuade enough ...
The cabinet announced today that it will raise council tax by 1.9%. I went straight from County Hall to the office where I work and reported the fact to my colleagues , some of whom live in Darlington. They said "hard luck" as their council was proposing a nil-rate rise. I tried to explain why we must be better off in Durham because we've got all those savings from scrapping district councils but they didn't seem convinced. I can't think why not.
