This column is always published on a Wednesday. And the main trouble with that, is this: over the weekend I start to have a think about my column; I have a notion about what I am going to write, and then I read my Conservative counterpart's contribution on a Tuesday, and all the best-laid plans go ...
The Government has backed a move to amend election law to ensure that general election counts are started on the evening of polling day, exception in exceptional circumstances. This exception will mean that counts for constituencies where there are severe logistical problems in getting ballot boxes in from polling stations, such as from Scottish islands, are likely to continue to commence on Fridays. However, for other constituencies counts will commence on Thursday evening. The new clause in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill will require the counting of votes at a UK Parliamentary general elections to commence within four hours ...
More Labour crap this time in Liverpool Wavertree. It's clear that this will be the prevailing narrative for many Red/Blue campaigns – despite the Lib Dems having the Council and many of the Cllrs in Wavertree. In fact it's debatable who has the most power and influence in the area – us or Labour. They are just ...
Today has been a bizarre day, first John Prescott the former Deputy Prime Minister read my blog post about the hypocritical Tories and lobbyists, and then twittered the message around his followers. Then Councillor Daisy Benson and I enjoyed a little fun banter about singers called Taylor, and lo and behold Taylor Dayne contacted us both on Twitter. I am 42 (phew, said it out loud) on Saturday and Taylor Dayne was a huge part of my life in the 1980's, when I was coming out and clubbing near enough every night, yes, seriously, practically every single night so her ...
Feeling quite emotional tonight, having had a contact from someone we lost touch with over 30 years ago but were really close to before that. Who would have thought that the School on the Park issue would reunite, even just in cyber space, friends from so long ago? Being an ex-pat living in France has meant having a satellite TV dish in order to watch BBC news from the North East. Happening to
Following the resignation of Tony Howe, there is a vacancy on Launceston Town Council. This will be filled either by a by-election or by co-option. The Town Council meets roughly once per month and runs a number of services in the Town including some open spaces, allotments and the Town Hall. The council is also consulted and has its say on any other issues affecting Launceston. In the interests of democracy, I would hope that there will be a number of people who are interested in the post and therefore that there will be a by-election. In order for this ...
I've just come in from work, and would warn anyone about to go out that Thanet's roads have not been salted despite snow from mid-day. I just contacted KCC (20:300 and been informed that Kent Police have contacted them requesting they salt the roads. The road surface right now on the main roads in Margate are potentially Lethal. No doubt KCC Highways will if challenged tomorrow come up with some BS that they couldn't have predicted road conditions which is clearly a nonsense. I was going to post on Kent's Health Watch which is very similar in character to Kent ...
House of Comments Podcast Number 13 addresses the question, "What difference can political blogging make?" and in the discussion with Mark and Stuart we christen "the Mark Pack toilet test". What is the test? Take a listen to find out.
Last week we reported that, following the concessions forced on the government, Don Foster MP is broadly happy with the Digital Economy Bill's proposals on illicit downloads. Jim Killock of the The Open Rights Group has a different take on the situation: The Digital Economy Bill should be opposed by Liberal Democrats. Mandelson's Bill seeks to reduce illicit downloads by punishing innocent people, removing any chance of a reasonable defence, and by disconnecting people. Let's start with this first idea, of disconnecting 'infringers'. Let's say you pay BT, for broadband and somebody else downloads a number of copyright music tracks. ...
This empty shop in London Road was the headquarters of the successful Liberal Democrat by-election campaign in Leicester South in 2004.
An old friend of mine, based in the Dominican Republic, has just come back from a week-long assessment to design post-emergency recovery/development projects in Haiti. I thought you might find his insights of interest. He says: "...[we] spent a few days in Port-au-Prince ...We saw the damage and talked to the Haitian people and I must say it was one of the loveliest experiences of my life. It was amazing to see so many people doing so much great work and with such energy and spirit, always with a smile, respect and hospitality; it really made me feel good to ...
This evening Parliament has risen for a 10-day recess, with a crowded timetable in the next few weeks before the general election, which everybody assumes will be on May 6. The Equality Bill finished Committee stage yesterday and we're still hoping that by Report stage on March 2, the Government will have considered the powerful representations on adding caste to the characteristics for which there is protection against discrimination. Yesterday the Eritrean Ambassador came to lunch, and we had a wide-ranging discussion about the situation in the Horn of Africa, and in particular the impasse on Ethiopia's refusal to accept ...
Planning committee B met last Thursday night to consider the application to vary the planning permission awarded in September 2008 for the new Northbrook School building on Taunton Road. As you'll remember, the applicants wanted to add louvres around the windows and also change the agreed colour of the render. This also brought to light the fact that a design had been agreed for the feature stained glass window behind closed doors. The committee APPROVED the revised render and louvres – the render having being toned down from the initial variation proposals. Given the huge controversy the Northbrook application has ...
I recently visited the Angus Volunteer Centre in Arbroath to discuss their work with Gary Malone and Fiona Walsh. Gary and Fiona showed me around the Centre and discussed their future plans and the issues facing the centre and volunteers. I had the pleasure of meeting Gary and Fiona at a Voluntary Sector Conference last year in Perth. So it was great to meet them again to find out more about what the Volunteers Centre is doing to help involve Angus residents through volunteering, who might otherwise feel isolated from the community. Gary and the Volunteer Centre have a refreshingly ...
According to the Council, Cambridge Drive is being resurfaced this week – work's expected to take about 5 days. Hopefully this won't cause too many problems, but if it does, or if you'd like more info, contacts at the Council are Brian Humphris on 8314 2261 or Samantha McKerell on 8314 2181.
Wednesday: Today the top men-in-frocks of the Church of England voted to express their "deep concern" that the national broadcaster isn't carrying enough ADVERTS. ...What? Oh all right: their worry that the BBC isn't pushing THEIR AGENDA hard enough. ...No, seriously, what? OK: as a body with a symbiotic relationship with the nation, it is TRUE that there ought to be representation for all and a variety of views presented to satisfy all the deeply spiritual people of this great country. But enough about women bishops. The BBC absolutely should not have to broadcast any more FRIGHTENINGLY DULL FAIRY STORIES! ...
Last summer Stewart Hosie MP the SNP's Treasury spokesman said: "Hauliers, and motorists in rural areas, have been struggling with forecourt prices for some time, but the recession, and now Alistair Darling's plans to increase fuel duty even further are the final straw."A road fuel regulator would see any extra cash raised from VAT on higher pump prices go straight back into an equivalent cut in fuel duty.It would give a real lifeline to Scotland's hauliers who are unable to plan effectively for the future because they do not know what the price of fuel will be." In the European ...
Back in 1952, India held its first general elections thus instantly transforming herself into the world's largest democracy. More than 175m were eligible to vote, although only 15% could read or write. Symbols were used on ballot papers for each of the parties (as they are today), so that those who could not read knew whom to vote for. Fears that extremist groups would use the opportunity to whip up inter-ethnic tensions, proved to be unfounded. The lessons of Indian experience showed that parliamentary democracy can work anywhere in the world. And that although we have the privilege of being ...
The House of Commons yesterday voted by 365 votes to 187 to hold a UK-wide referendum on changing the voting system next year from first-past-the-post to the alternative vote. The Lib Dems reluctantly voted for the alternative vote, as the most modest of improvements on the current, broken system. But the party, in the person of Cambridge MP David Howarth, also moved an amendment to leave out 'an alternative-vote' and insert 'a single transferable vote' – in other words, to ask Parliament to approve an electoral system which would at last reflect the votes cast for parties across the country, ...
Peter Hain believes that compensates for having the worst child poverty in Britain.
Courtesy of Kathy Pollard, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Suffolk County Council... Liberal Democrats have reacted to the news that the government have delayed the decision to reorganise local government in Suffolk. Commenting on the proposal to set up a constitutional convention Lib Dem Group Leader Kathy Pollard said "I would welcome the opportunity to sit on a cross party convention to discuss the future of local government in Suffolk. However, I must say that the process so far has been very unsatisfactory and a complete waste of council taxpayers' money." "It is clear that the Boundary Committee ...
Following a meeting at the Foreign Office on Monday, the Parliamentary Human Rights Group mission to Pakistan to investigate the treatment of minority religious communities is going ahead. Although the government has undertaken to address these problems, it provides them with no protection against incitement to religious hatred, and the laws that discriminate against particular minorities encourage a societal attitude of intolerance. Among the many submissions to the UN's Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan on the parlous condition of the minorities, it was stated that "Violence and discrimination by Islamic extremists and rival religious and ethnic groups regularly plague the ...
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After a leak last week giving away the government's position on the proposals for unitary councils in Norfolk, the government today officially announced that Norwich City Council is to be turned in to a unitary authority, with no change for the rest of Norfolk. Whilst this is in many ways a good thing, particularly as we retain our local councils and will not be swallowed up by some "super council" as was first proposed, there are some consequenes for all of us, even those living outside of Norwich. In giving Norwich Unitary status, and its schools becoming separate from Norfolk ...
This morning we had an excellent seminar given by Joe Stork and Joshua Colangelo-Bryan of Human Rights Watch on their just-published report Torture Redux: The Revival of Physican Coercion during Interrogations in Bahrain. By a combination of interviews with people who had been tortured in custody, and documentary evidence including medical reports, HRW demonstrates beyond doubt that torture as a means of extorting confessions from detainees, has become common again, after a period following the accession of Sheikh Hamad when it was in abeyance. Joshua said that it wasn't just a case of misconduct by individual interrogators; the sheer extent ...
I am away on holiday but I have just picked up on this story, On Andrew Reeves Running Blog Cameron declares war on lobbyists then top Tory Andrew Mackay MP accepts new job as a lobbyistPlease do read the link above It appears MP Andrew Mackay, has admitted he will be joining Burson-Marsteller after considering a number of agencies when he stands down at the forthcoming general election.
Democracy has been saved "at the eleventh hour" – that's right, the cross-party "Save general election night" campaign has successfully lobbied the government to stop councils from delaying counting votes until a day after the election. It seems many Liberal Democrats are welcoming the right outcome for the wrong reason. There are two main possible justifications for this: (1) Counting the votes as soon as possible, to minimise the risk of someone tampering with ballot boxes. (2) Feeding the frenzy of wanting instant results broadcast as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the campaign has been geared towards the latter, and most ...
The Spar shop at the garage at the top of Somerset Avenue applied some months ago for an off-licence. I'm pleased to say that councillors in Kingston turned it down. Then Spar appealed against the decision. Unlike planning decisions, the appeal is heard in the local magistrates' court. One of the people who lives in Somerset Avenue went along as a witness on behalf of the local residents, who don't want an off-licence nearby. He was very disappointed when the appeal was allowed; in other words, the garage will be selling alcohol in the future. Apart from the madness of ...
This morning in the House of Commons MP's were debating "Fuel duty on petrol prices in remote and peripheral areas" in a 90 minute Westminster Hall debate called for by Alistair Carmichael MP. However, none of the SNP MP's bothered to show to participate. I would like to add in here that Angus MacNeil MP wasn't in Westminster following the death of his Father. I would like to pass on my sincere condolences, it is hard losing a parent as I know myself only too well. The remaining six MP's from the SNP could however have made the effort to ...
We now have more information about the appeal over the plans by private company Jack Allen for the waste site down on Garston docks (and right by the Cressington heath housing development and other properties) The planning application was turned down by the City Council last year. This followed a huge protest by local people who wrote objections in their thousands. There were several reasons but key among these was the effect that putting something like this plant here in Garston would have on regeneration. It is I believe no exaggeration to say it would stop it in its tracks. ...
Spotted this morning! The signs are now up including - on the window - opening hours of 6am- 11pm. And already there is parking outside!! Tomorrow I am talking to a journalist who is doing a story about our intrusive Tesco - anyone else want to join in? Call me on 7431 6753
The Council has just sent out this press release: Plans to expand Emmanuel Church of England Primary School, in West Hampstead, which would enable the oversubscribed school to expand from just over 100 pupils to 210 and to open a new nursery, have this week been submitted for planning approval. The proposed new building in Mill Lane would mean Emmanuel can admit 30 pupils a year instead of just 15 - so the scheme would boost Camden Council_s drive to provide more local primary school places. Ten of the 15 new places would be based on the admissions criteria used ...
Keynes was both a serious Liberal and a serious man. His work in two world wars and their aftermath is the stuff of legend. His contribution to economic thinking, recently somewhat vindicated, makes him a giant. Bertrand Russell found him intellectually formidable. But he also built the Cambridge Arts Theatre and was the first Chairman of the Arts Council, created by the postwar Labour Government. It would be too easy to say merely that a great man needs a hobby like anyone else. The Classical world and civilisation since have shunned the suggestion that somehow culture was an add-on, like ...
Question on Today's Order Paper: Lord Avebury to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose that the European Union makes representations to the government of Cambodia about the convictions and prison sentences passed on the leader of the opposition, Sam Rainsy, and two Members of Parliament belonging to his party. Monday evening Sam Rainsy came to see us in the Lords, to give us a summary of the latest developments in Hun Sen's longrunning persecution of him and his party. He was convicted in absentia on trumped-up charges and sentenced to two years in prison, and two MPs of ...
On Monday the Church of England's General Synod effectively rejected an appeal for tolerance on issues of sexual orientation by the Archbishop of Canterbury, when the Archbishop of Uganda, the Very Rev Henry Orombi, made a 'pugnacious speech' according to The Guardian, placing his church firmly behind the homophobic legislation now going through the Ugandan Parliament. As it happens, the House of Lords was debating legislation to add two countries to the 'white list' of states which are supposedly safe for asylum-seekers to return to. I started my speech with a reference to the treatment of gays in certain countries, ...
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Earlier this week I got a call out of the blue from a local businessman called Paul Wayman. Paul is based in Kentwood Hill in West Reading and he had seen an article in last week's GetReading about my support for Reading Borough Council's call for owners of empty properties in Reading to consider letting them out to local charities. What had caught Paul's eye in particular was this paragraph: 'The council's learning disabilities team meanwhile, is looking for a number of homes for people with a learning disability to live in. Ideally, the properties should be family sized so ...
Following my recent comments about the planned switchover to digital radio, I have received a letter today from Digital Radio UK that I reproduce below. Digital Radio UK is an organisation which represents the interests of the digital radio industry including the BBC, commercial radio companies and transmission network operator, Arqiva : "Dear Councillor Macpherson I read your blog post on 31 January and yesterday's Evening Telegraph regarding the proposals in the Digital Economy Bill for digital radio upgrade with interest, and wanted to provide some information that I hope will alleviate your concerns. I am writing on behalf of ...
Well today is my Birthday and I am spending the evening with my family. My girls have baked a cake and we are going to have a "Fish Supper".Question: Where is the best Fish & Chip Shop in our area?My favourites: Enochs Llandudno JunctionHarbour View DeganwyFish Tram Chips Llandudno
Cornwall Council's Cabinet has today confirmed that parking charges in Launceston and the rest of Cornwall will be frozen for the first hour, but prices for beyond that time would rise by an average of 5%. I took the chance to point out that the 5% figure is misleading as prices in many areas - including Launceston - will rise by far more than this - the minimum rise is 10p. I said that many shops and businesses in town are really suffering and a second rise in the space of a year would simply drive more shoppers to the ...
After the Cleggster interview (went very well, thank you! He was on good form and publication – this being a monthly glossy – will be mid-March) I tried looking at the youth/politics problem from the other end, so to speak, and wondering if the reason for disengagement lay with those carefree cats in their twenties ...
The luck of the Irish appears in somewhat short supply for the quadrennial events that are happening in 2010. First we had the hand of Gaul which lead to the late goal that denied Ireland from going to Johannesburg for FIFA's World Cup. While the Swedish Referee Martin Hannson who failed to see Thierry Henry palming the ball twice to get it to his team mate William Gallas from that winning 'goal' will be on a South African bound flight. Now the Irish women's Bobsleigh team who are in Vancouver waiting and expecting to compete in the 2 woman event ...
Congratulations to my council colleague Adam Paynter and to Katy his wife and welcome to Tilly Jade Paynter who was born at Treliske in the early hours of this morning.
I've just had an email from Jonny Oates, the Party's Director of Election Communications, with the new Lib Dem logo and slogan for the election campaign which I've shown above. I like it - clean and clear and good message.
This article from yesterday's Money Week about why the next phase of the fall in house prices will probably be starting soon is interesting. And it poses the question of whether Labour's phenomenal borrowing spree will come back to bite them in the bum. from Money Week
Just after Christmas a Nigerian family who live on the Valley Estate in Swinton were forced out of their homes by racist thugs. A mother and her young children were subjected to a sustained period of abuse and vandalism. Windows were smashed, BNP graffiti appeared, and abuse was hurled. It got so bad that the ...
Wed 10th
15:01
Cameron declares war on lobbyists then top Tory Andrew Mackay MP accepts new job as a lobbyist
PR Week have a great story which again shows not only the sheer hypocricy of David Cameron and the Conservatives but the fact that actually they haven't really changed since they were thrown out of government in 1997. This is what David Cameron said on Monday this week in a speech where he launched a scathing attack on lobbyists; He said: 'It's an issue that crosses party lines and has tainted our politics for too long...an issue that exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money. I'm talking about lobbying - and we all know how it works. ...
Social Workers often get a bad press not least in some newspapers who see them as the thin end of the nanny state whilst at the same time blaming them for avoidable tragedies. It is only right therefore that we redress the balance whenever possible. That is why I am happy to highlight this article in Community Care magazine. They report that a report from Bournemouth Universit has identified that improved practice by social workers has contributed to a near-halving of the number of child abuse-related deaths in England and Wales since 1974: The research, due to be published in ...
For some time now I've been querying my own liberalism; attempting to reconcile it with climate change and my own suspicions of the limits of the market within various avenues of life. This questioning has crystallised around the notion of property rights. I find phrases like "...you want a society in which people are forced—under ...
During today's Welsh Questions in the House of Commons, the Government revealed that they would be bringing forward legislation to allow Severn Bridge users to pay the toll by card for the first time. The news was revealed following a probing question into the issue from Jenny Willott, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, in which she labelled a system which allows payments in Euros but not credit or debit cards as bonkers. Jenny has led the campaign in Parliament to reform the outdated system of payments at the Severn Bridge toll. She was naturally very pleased: "This is ...
That's the headline on a BBC report today, which also features myself: Former Liberal Democrat web chief Mark Pack believes the internet will spell the end of indentikit candidates, all repeating the same election message crafted for them by party HQ. "It will encourage individuality and creativity," he says. He even argues that round-the-clock scrutiny by camera-phone wielding voters is a good thing for aspiring politicians: "In a less politically divided age, the personal attributes of a candidate are increasingly important." But Mr Pack, who co-edits the Liberal Democrat Voice blog and is an associate director of PR firm Mandate, ...
Today's Plenary is dominated by health matters but first we have to suspend standing orders. We have to suspend standing orders to change committee membership, to appoint auditors for the accounts of the Auditor General for Wales, to appoint a new Auditor General on a temporary basis and to allow the early consideration of Legislative Competence Orders coming back from Parliament on Sustainable Housing, School Governors and Culture. These LCOs need to be passed as soon as possible to give us a chance of getting them through before a General Election is called. However, the Government now do not propose ...
The Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that's fine, we're grateful for people taking the time to read the site. You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are three simple ways: 1. Let us have your tips for stories. Perhaps there's something outrageous going on in your local council? Or you're an expert in a particular area and have spotted a story other people have missed? Or ...
The BOE report is dovish. Unsurprisingly, given how things are.
[IMG: big-ben.jpg] Watching the debate on the Constitutional Reform Bill last night (I know, it doesn't get sadder than that), what became ever more obvious as I listened to the speeches was that electoral reform was caught like an innocent bystander on the streets of Pamplona just after the bulls are released. By the end of the debate it lay trampled beyond recognition under the hoofs of party politics stampeding towards the next election. With the Tories determined not to relinquish any clutches on future power, Labour seemingly desperate to shore up their prospects of holding on and the Lib ...
Cycling England are hoping the project will be extended for another 3 years in 2011 and local councils are starting to consider future potential projects. Initial "strategic routes" being suggested are:Yate/Sodbury to the north fringe and linking to the cycling network at Winterbourne;Yate/Sodbury to Pucklechurch; Yate/Sodbury to Wickwar;Another ambition is to identify a route from Chipping Sodbury to Yate, to be accessible to cyclists and users of mobility scooters. Can you suggest any other strategic routes or links that need to be provided in the area? Please let ush ave your ideas.
The planning application for Cycle Path / Footpath from Yate to the Railway Path via Westerleigh will be submitted very shortly. This is the route consulted on recently at Shire Way. Some residents of Chedworth have objected to the route, so some changes may be needed in that area. Cycling City is aiming for the first phase (Railway Path to Westerleigh) to begin as soon as possible and completed by October 2010.
Ronnie Campbell is the Labour MP for Blyth Valley. He never got off the backbenchers. Somehow, neither Blair nor Brown saw fit to bring him into government. With Campbell's most recent pronouncements, it is not difficult to see why his "abilities" have not been put to any use by Labour Prime Ministers (if indeed any use can be put to his "abilities.)Mr Campbell loves to fight the class war.
I suspect that the words "Work and Pensions Select Committee report" won't set many people's pulses racing, but an important report came from them today, describing how £1bn has been squandered and lost through a benefits system that is too complex. Steve Webb is the Lib Dem shadow Work and pensions Secretary, and he said: "The Government's failure to get to grips with the over-complex benefits system is appalling, especially when so much is down to official error. "It is staggeringly unfair that the taxpayer is forced to stump up almost £1bn just because officials are unable to administer a ...
Last night I spoke at a debate in the House of Lords to argue for greater international cooperation to pursue peace throughout the world. I argued that by pursuing peace through dialogue we can help to secure a lasting peace throughout the world and avoid putting our troops in danger. Focusing on the ongoing dispute over Kashmir, I spoke of the desire for peace in the region shared by all in Luton's diverse community. Since we Luton South residents have not seen our MP since the expenses scandal the Liberal Democrats have been working hard to make sure our voice ...
Last Friday, I went with some friends to Purnells restaurant in Birmingham. Purnell's is Michelin starred and certainly worth a visit - it is not cheap but is certainly good value.
Due to unforeseen circumstances the resurfacing of Westerleigh Road, Yate has had to be rescheduled. It will now start on Friday 12th and hopefully be completed on Saturday 13th February.
Keynes was both a serious Liberal and a serious man. His work in two world wars and their aftermath is the stuff of legend. His contribution to economic thinking, recently somewhat vindicated, makes him a giant. Bertrand Russell found him intellectually formidable. But he also built the Cambridge Arts Theatre and was the first Chairman of the Arts Council, created by the postwar Labour Government. It would be too easy to say merely that a great man needs a hobby like anyone else. The Classical world and civilisation since have shunned the suggestion that somehow culture was an add-on, like ...
[IMG: William Gladstone] William Gladstone's legacy for modern political parties was the subject for discussion at the January meeting of the Liberal Democrat History Group. The meeting was addressed by both Eugenio Biagini, of Cambridge University, and Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary and keen collector of Gladstone memorabilia. Biagini highlighted the contradiction at the heart of Gladstone's reputation: both being seen as a quintessential Victorian, more Victorian than Queen Victoria, but also someone who has continued to be sufficiently revered by the National Liberal Club for its premises, where he was speaking, to be decorated with paintings ...
Dazmando is on holiday for a few days to visit his mum in Spain. I will be back Wednesday next week. I do have some cover for the blog for any major events. Feel free to discuss any local or national issues in the Comment box and I will reply back to the comments when I return. Thank you all and I will soon return.
[IMG: Rights_of_Man] Power 2010, a campaign to reform the UK constitution, is inviting people to vote on five reforms to which they will ask parliamentary candidates to sign up before the coming General Election. There are some excellent ideas, some not so good and some deeply flawed. Among them is a suggestion that on face value should be welcomed. Over at the Adam Smith Institute's blog I examine the call for a UK Bill of Rights. As I note, "a Bill of Rights that set out the freedoms that people should enjoy as citizens (not subjects!) of the United Kingdom ...
Written Answers - 8 February 2010 Railways: Passenger Compensation Baroness Scott of Needham Market To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the operation of delay/repay compensation to rail passengers with a view to facilitating the use of vouchers issued with internet and machine payments. The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The operation of delay/repay compensation is a matter for the train operators that use this system. When train operators introduce the new compensation system they are expected to do so in a way that enables passengers to utilise the vouchers issued using technology where appropriate. ...
PFI has created a very modern problem - how should councils manage relationships with contractors when they stretch over decades and involve multi-million pound sums but also remain responsive to political change, advances in technology and moving priorities? It's a problem that has come to the fore in Cornwall. In 1998 consultants outlined a vision for Cornwall's waste management that included incineration. In 2002 a waste plan was adopted by the council. In 2006 the council appointed a contractor, Sita, to run the contract in a £400 million 30-year deal. In 2008 Sita submitted a planning application to build an ...
I enjoyed the Robin Hood Tax video. Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy take credit, but who plays the "interviewer"? It sounds to me like the gorgeous voice of Anton Lesser.
Cross-posted from the Mandate blog: Google has just launched a new social networking service and unsurprisingly the blogs are, ahem, buzzing with discussion. If you've not yet seen it yourself, this video is an excellent quick introduction: Based on what has been seen so far, it looks like Google Buzz's biggest strength will also be its biggest weakness - namely the use of your network of email contacts to create your social network. For someone starting from scratch, providing a ready-made social network based on who you have exchanged emails with is a good concept. It gets over a common ...
Last night MPs backed an amendment to the Constitutional Reform Bill requiring all general election counts to start within 4 hours of the close of polls. This means that Cornwall Council will have to think again about plans to hold our counts the next day. Along with colleagues on the Electoral Review Panel, I had expressed concerns that the Council is proposing to hold all our counts on the Friday - the final decision lies with the Returning Officer Kevin Lavery. Whilst the St Ives count might be a special case because of the need to get ballot boxes from ...
Don't be fooled by the spending-GDP ratio into thinking the government went all mad and Keynesian
In which I start talking about psephology, so if such things bore you then go and mash the tea or look at pictures of cute little bunnies or something. But first let me get all Dave Doubledecks on you and dig out some classic rock lyrics. I'll tip my hat to the new constitution Take a bow for the new revolution Smile and grin at the change all around me Pick up my guitar and play Just like yesterday And I'll get on my knees and pray We don't get fooled again That, of course, was "Won't Get Fooled Again", ...
Today's Cabinet meeting is a biggie. Later on we will have discussions on the controversial waste contract, but first up is the proposal to sell off the Higher Trenant offices in Wadebridge - the former offices of NCDC. Higher Trenant is one of the most modern buildings in the council's property portfolio and it seemed bonkers to me that the Cabinet should be selling it off in advance of undertaking the holistic review of all council property. All sorts of arguments have been advanced for why selling off Highr Trenant is a bad idea. These include the likely net loss ...
At some point I need to write a comprehensive blog post about where I stand on AV. Today it not the time. But what I will say in response to last night's vote in Parliament is that I find it appalling that MPs can be so complacent about how we actually count our ...
Stroud District Council are starting a consultation on the broad management of where roughly 2000 homes should be built after 2016. The aim is to create sustainable communities, with homes and jobs not too far away from each other. This is the beginning of the new Core Strategy process, which will eventually culminate in a Local Development Framework replacing the current Stroud Local Plan. There are eight options, ranging from all 2000 dwellings at Cam or in the Eastington area, to between ten and fifty homes built in each of forty parishes. There will be drop-in exhibitions for the 'Stroud ...
"Whatever happens in the election this week it is not going to make all that much difference" – Peregrine Worsthone, just before the 1979 general election in which Margaret Thatcher defeated Jim Callaghan. Hey ho. Mind you, even in the first few months after the 1979 general election he was far from alone in the view that the choice in 1979 between Labour and Conservative was an incremental one rather than one of major choice. In large part that is because – with one notable exception – the 1979 Conservative manifesto avoid radical specifics and the campaign itself saw both ...
Government figures show that spending on overtime for police officers went up by nearly 50% in just five years. Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "Spurious and unnecessary overtime must end but not at the expense of front-line policing. "Three quarters of forces have made it clear that large overtime expenditure is due to a lack of police. "That is why the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street."
Commenting on the resignation of Hector Sants, Chief Executive of the Financial Services Authority, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "We are still in the middle of a crisis and the FSA has an important part to play in effecting far reaching and lasting change. "There were failures in the past but the resignation of Hector Sants will plunge the FSA into a great deal of uncertainty. "We don't know if this decision is a direct result of the Tories' stance on the FSA's future but what we can say is that their proposals are creating uncertainty for an ...
The BBC has disclosed that it paid £229m to performers. Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster reacted: "These are eye-watering figures. Licence fee payers have a right to know if they represent good value for money. "We need a public body to look at the BBC's full accounts to see if the public interest is being best served. Scrutiny of this kind is a job for the National Audit Office, not commercial accountants. "While we all want to know how much stars are being paid, public disclosure is likely to be ruled illegal. It could also ...
First to the gun, Hopi Sen has the best reinterpretation of what looks like a dreadful piece of melodrama by the Conservatives. And this stout organ of political impartiality finds real fault with the Conservative campaign: So what's the problem? Well, only the fact that Andy Burnham this morning denied the death tax claim with the words, ...
Commenting on Liam Fox's call for the UK to fight alone, without allies, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said: "These are desperately undiplomatic comments on the eve of a major allied operation in Afghanistan. "Liam Fox's brand of neo-con, anti-European thinking puts ideology above the national interest. "His views on defence look hopelessly unrealistic when he refuses to say where the money will come from. Just like Labour, the Tories' refusal to consider the renewal of Trident in a future defence review makes a mockery of the whole process."
For all the talk of the economy, of MP expenses, of defence cuts and Europe, there are other things happening in the world. It is, for example, the International Year of Diversity, and a new measure has come into effect, whereby the Environment Agency can require eel passes and screens to be installed on all rivers and streams where barriers such as weirs or sluice gates prevent eels from moving upstream to grow or downstream to spawn. Apparently, these measures are cheap, costing as little as £200, effective, and have already proved their value on the River Parrett in Somerset ...
Last night a story sneaked out about how a senior member of the Labour party might actually want some real reform to the British system. The Guardian claimed that David Miliband is in favour of a "reset referendum", allowing the electorate to cast a verdict on the nature of our political institutions. The worrying nature of this ...
Yesterday's significant vote in which all 53 Assembly Members present in the Chamber agreed to proceed with a referendum on utilising the full powers in the 2006 Government of Wales Act, has been put into context today with reports of evidence from the Head of the Civil Service to the Welsh Affairs Committee. Sir Gus O'Donnell told MPs that he was concerned London officials suffered from "forgetfulness" about Welsh devolution: "I think it's very patchy. At its best it's very good [but] I worry there is this group of people who were around when the first settlement was sorted out, ...
A new report from Imperial College London and the Zoological Society of London has concluded that badger culls are unlikely to be a cost- effective way of controlling bovine tuberculosis in cattle. The report, which studied the aftermath of cull trials in England, claims the benefits "disappear" after four years. Speaking on Radio Wales this morning, one of the authors of that report said that the evidence indicated that the churn created by killing badgers effectively doubles the prevalence of bovine TB in the cull area and causes the disease to spread to adjoining areas. She was adamant that the ...
The switch of Councillor Alex Dingwall from the SNP to the Liberal Democrats is a great boost for Katy Gordon's campaign in Glasgow North (Labour majority: 3,338). Explaining his reasons for leaving the SNP after 31 years as a member, Cllr Dingwall said: I believe that Glasgow needs a change in how our city is run and a party that sets out a clear, credible alternative to the current Labour Administration. Regrettably over the last year it has become clear to me that the Glasgow SNP Council Group lacks both the leadership and the authority to set out an alternative ...
Just a quick one - as Lynne is reporting on her blog, there is going to be a protest march against the proposed closure of the Whittington A&E. Details to be confirmed (no doubt Lynne will have them first, but I will post too) - but the basic details are that it is taking place on Saturday 27 February, starting at 12 noon. The more people who turn out for it, the louder the voice that the decision makers will hear.
I said this new feature might appear twice a week. So far it is every two days: NW6: the blog interviews Ed Fordham, Lib Dem PPC for Hampstead and Kilburn.Andrew Reeves reports the defection to the Lib Dems of a senior SNP councillor in Glasgow.At And another thing... Labour MP Tom Harris reports how election night was saved - probably.Alexis Rowell, The Eco Councillor, has good news from Islington: 30 new allotments.Dr Huw looks at an Australian attempt to curb anonymous blogging.And, across the road, Go Litel Blog, Go... pays tribute to Ian Carmichael.
"Jo [Cash A-lististo and PPC] seems to be coasting along and has not been pulling her weight. She wanted to get pregnant but this has happened at an unfortunate time. It should not be used as an excuse." Wow! Yeah it is an unfortunate time to become pregnant, doesn't Jo Cash know there is no crèche in the Houses of Parliament? But seriously this sort of comment and the attitude of Westminster North Conservative Association shows the problem that David Cameron has in steering his party. He may be at the helm but I don't think his rudder is breaking ...
Pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio and TV this morning and there's only one story filling up the front pages and the airwaves... Helen Duffett selected to fight for Romford at the General Election On re-checking the news feeds surrounding me at the Media Centre at the heart of LDV Towers, I see this critical story has been missed by the mainstream media. We shall not make the same mistake. Lib Dem Voice's very own Helen Duffett has indeed achieved what has so far eluded Iain Dale (albeit in a slightly more challenging seat). Helen's been selected ...
Or America's Hysterical Homophobic Far Right I signed up a while back to the American Family Association (AFA) mailing list, I had to sign up to comment negatively on one of their forums a while back. Well this morning I received their latest hysterical mailing, it includes the phrase. "If President Obama, congressional Democrats, and homosexual activists get their wish, your son or daughter may be forced to share military showers and barracks with active and open homosexuals who may very well view them with sexual interest." Oh dear, better go the whole hog AFA. Best not let them fight ...
Having worked and lived in the London area for 15 years I thought I had seen the end of rail companies removing the guards from trains and the subsequent strikes and misery these short sighted decisions brought. Now, I do not want anyone thinking that I sympathise with Bob Crow the leader of the RMT, because I do not, that man has brought so much misery to the commuters of London over the years that I cannot say his name without spitting and getting extremely angry. However, this is one issue where I fully agree with the unions, although I ...
This is Nightingale Grove SE13, that besides being the place where in October 1917 a bomb dropped by a German Zeppelin fell killing many, is also the scene of recurrent accidents when the road freezes. If you look at the picture you'll notice that the railing on the left is visibly dented, that's exactly the spot ...
So here it begins. The time of year when we sort the wheat from the chaff via the National finals. I'm going to do that so you don't have to! First tip for the top ten is a girl/boy duo from Denmark. The Eurovision do a few good things well one of which is to take ...
I am meeting the Worcestershire PCT on Friday 5th March, so any questions you have on the health service I will put to them, especially the review they have been asked to undertake by the government, which threatens how the Princess of Wales Community Hospital is run. From Bromsgrove Standard "SHOCK proposals to merge the running of Bromsgrove's Princess of ...
Last week I visited the Basement Project, an award winning Bromsgrove charity based in Bromsgrove Baptist Church, which offers support and advice to 16-25 year olds who are homeless or facing homelessness. It may surprise people in Bromsgrove to think that there is a homeless problem in the area but there are many people affected of ...
I've been over a few times recently in Glasgow North campaigning, indeed early last year I thought a sight of Partick Thistle's Firhill would be the nearest I'd get to a football ground before the election. Therefore it is great news that one of the Councillors for Kelvin and Maryhill Alex Dingwall has after 31 years as a member of the SNP decided to join the Liberal Democrats, his new ward colleague Mary Paris and the race to elect Katy Gordon as the next MP for Glasgow North. He had been the SNP finance spokesman on the council. Speaking of ...
Teacher training was in the news last week as it appears that nearly half of newly qualified teachers do not feel properly equipped to deal with violence in the classroom. Well the biggest weapon in the armoury against indiscipline is a lesson plan. If you keep the class interested in what you are saying then good discipline follows. I know that life is not as simple as that and a lot of children don't know how to behave properly but I have seen a lot of good work in schools. A couple of years ago I heard a story from ...
At a meeting of the District Council's Cabinet on 2nd February, members agreed to propose that St Albans City and District Council's council tax for 2010/11 be decreased by 0.4% to ensure nobody has to pay more than last year. Because of the way Council Tax is calculated across the District, overall this would mean that those residents living in Parish areas will see a reduction in their rate of council tax and for those residents in the unparished City wards, council tax will, in effect, be frozen - a 0% increase. The figures will be proposed to the meeting ...
The sun has set on a golden age of regional broadcasting. I doubt we shall see the like of Granada again. One adornment of that past age was the political reporting of Jim Hancock. Like so many other things in life none of us was aware of the importance of his and his colleagues work until we woke up to a world without the range of quality regional political journalists we once had. Jim -who worked on Radio Merseyside with Richard Clein-spoke about regional broadcasting and the blackhole in Manchester(Salford) into which it is all disappearing. He also went to ...
I was saying how I have had reason to be grateful for two of nieces lately. I also have another very special niece who looks after my sister, her mother. My sister has a serious disability and her daughter has looked after her for many years. Thank ...
Respected Glasgow City Councillor Alex Dingwall has decided to join the Liberal Democrats. He was until yesterday an SNP Councillor for Maryhill and Kelvin. However, recent threats by the Holyrood Government to take away care of the elderly and schools from Councils prompted him to leave the party he'd been a member of for 31 years. He said: "the decision to leave has not been an easy one but the move away from a local to a centrally set income tax and the recent threats to take away control of schools and care for the elderly from local authorities show ...
