The Electoral Commission's report into the November 2009 Parliamentary by-election in Glasgow North East has condemned the Labour Party for breaking the Code of Conduct on postal voting, saying the party repeatedly failed to process postal vote forms promptly. The Code allows parties to distribute to the public forms for signing up to postal votes and to have them returned to a party address. This makes sense in circumstances such as the forms being in with a mailing which also asks for donations to the campaign where giving two different return addresses could result in items going to the wrong ...
During March and April, the Seedley and Langworthy Trust in partnership with Take Part Salford are hosting four 'Salford Question Time' events featuring the key political leaders in local politics. The Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives have all agreed to sit on the panel, alongside others with specialist knowledge. Elected members will be addressing potential voters and confronting Salford issues in public. The format will be very similar to the BBC's own Question Time TV programme and the events will also provide a training experience for members of Salford Community Media Partnership who would be involved in set design; ...
The Labour MP for Liverpool Walton Peter Kilfoyle is standing down at the General Election. I always thought he was lucky to win the by election back in 1991. The media was obsessed with the Militant candidate and set it up as a battle between Militant and Labour. The truth was that Militant were never in with a serious shout and it was always a battle between Paul Clarke and Kilfoyle. Paul polled very well but could not overcome the media's simplistic portrayal of the campaign.The toll of Labour candidates standing down around Liverpool is reaching epidemic proportions. Bootle's Joe ...
A significant proportion of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party turned out at the National Liberal Club this evening for a celebration of the life of Anna Werrin (1959-2009). For 23 years, Anna worked for Charles Kennedy at Westminster (having originally said she would stay for six months). Fairly left-wing in her own views, she nonetheless ...
As the year turned, Jonny Oates the Lib Dems Comms guru penned a piece for Lib Dem Voice, asking members of the Lib Dems to help challenge media bias. How very pertinent. The BBC have just announced their panel for this week's question time. For the third time in four weeks it doesn't include a Liberal Democrat. A number of Lib Dems have complained, with gathering pace, about this lack of representation. The response from Gavin Allen was: "The Liberal Democrats like all parties get representation based on their level of electoral support, which means they are on most - ...
Honestly, it really is becoming a joke, Peter Kilfoyle is the 89th Labour MP to announce he is standing down just 72 days before the expected general election. Will the last Labour MP turn out the lights? Peter Kilfoyle is the MP for Liverpool Walton, he won the seat in a by-election back in 1991 and is apparently standing down for health reasons. Former government Minister, Peter Kilfoyle was also Tony Blair's campaign manager when he ran to become party leader in 1994. He is one of the critics of the Labour Party for bringing in "outsiders" to fight westminster ...
There is hardly a week that passes without politicians and peers standing up in Parliament and proclaiming their admiration for our armed forces and the courageous work that they do, all the more so since the UK has been involved in such conflicts as Iraq and Afghanistan. There seems, at the present time, no shortage ...
regular readers of my blog will know I occasionally "big up" local businesses. I have recently been contacted by a local Chopwell Couple (Fiona and Dean Teasdale) who have set up an online shop, http://www.begin-again.co.uk/, which sells a range of gifts in recycled packaging. All very ecologically sound so have a look. They are also organising a craft fair in Blackhall Mill Community Association on Sunday 11th April. It's for people who mainly make or produce their own goods for sale, which sounds like a farmers market for people who make things and is a really good idea. The Fair ...
Here is the barchart on the latest bit of "literature" going out from the Tory candidate in Luton South. Now, it shows you are getting desperate when you use a barchart of an opinion poll of 1,004 adults taken across 97 constituencies and somehow try to claim it applies locally. 1,004/97 = 10.35. So on average 10.35 people will have been spoken to in Luton South. This is deception of the
A few years back I caught Jason Wood at the Pleasance during the Edinburgh festival. It was a very enjoyable night but sadly one that none of us will ever live through again as the 38 Comedian, who was also the first person to ever be voted off Strictly Come Dancing, died in his sleep on Saturday. For those who did see him or those who didn't here he is at what he did best; making us laugh. And this his 2007 showreel. Jason Wood 1972-2010
Last week the Labour controlled Luton Borough Council announced cuts that will hit some of the most vulnerable in our community at a time when we should be supporting them. Read more about what are planning to cut by clicking here.
Finally have some time (campaigns truly take up all of your time!) to update you on Vince Cable's visit to Luton. Vince and I first visited EcoSheet, a revolutionary new product which will have a major impact on creating a green future for our town, country and without exageration maybe even have a lasting, positive impact internationally. Read more about this visit by clicking here. Afterwards we went to visit businesses in Bury Park to learn from them what impact the recession has had on them, what they want to see our banks doing to support them and ask Dr. ...
I have, at last, created a Facebook election campaign page: Mike Barker 4 Darlington. Now I need lots of fans...
Well, the ICM poll in the Guardian today puts Conservative support at its lowest for nearly two years, with a lead of just seven points, and canvassing in Bayswater this evening, the word on the doorstep seems to support this. Granted, there are still plenty of Tory die-hards who will vote for them however much of ...
The big news for students of the unfolding economic story is surely Mervyn King's appearance before the Treasury Committee. As anyone reading the last Inflation Report* will gather, the Bank's estimates for the economy has turned down. Today, specifically, he is worried that Europe's weakness will impact on us. Other signs are weak, like lower ...
One of the aspects of Liverpool Walton is that it contains both Goodison Park and Anfield. That makes it unique in the country as the only constituency with two Premiership grounds within its boundaries (also making it the constituency with the most League titles and European trophies). What doesn't make it unique is that its Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle has joined the long list of late members to step aside at the General Election expected in May. As yet I do not have any more details, this news is just breaking. But he isn't walking alone. Kilfoyle has been the ...
Cornwall Council has confirmed that the decision on the major waste transfer station at Bangors Lane will be taken 48 miles away from Launceston. There are no other applications on the agenda for the meeting and so there seems to me no good reason for the meeting to be anywhere other than in Launceston. Yesterday when I found out that the meeting was set for Truro, I asked the Council to urgently reconsider the decision. Today they have replied to say that, because the agenda has gone out saying Truro, people may become confused if it is switched. Not that ...
Because it's, like, a victimless crime, sure...
I was wandering around Finedon on Saturday taking photographs. I had reached what used to be the Tudor Gate Hotel. A group of youths approached. "Do you know what is going to happen to it?" they asked. "No offence, but you look the sort of person who might be a historian." I took that as a compliment. I think it is my flat cap.
Over at The Guardian's Comment Is Free blog, Lib Dem leader in the Greater London Assembly Mike Tuffrey argues that, though the mayor of London made many promises about changing the way the city is governed, nothing has materialised. Here's an excerpt: Alas, Johnson's bold claims to change how London is governed have proved to be largely fanciful. The specific promise to introduce a cabinet system at city hall - an idea introduced by Livingstone, but afterwards abandoned by him - was quickly dropped, despite my constant probing. ... The mayor has also stopped holding regular press conferences at city ...
Yesterday was our "validation event" for our PR degree at Edge Hill University. Any academics reading this will realise how important this is. We had been working on plans for improvements to the degree, but obviously everything has to be checked out and go through quality screening, and that includes bringing in external experts to challenge the plans. It was a long and tiring day but I am glad to say we got approval for the new and improved version and will be rolling it out from September this year. It'll give students at Edge Hill who are studying PR ...
After reading this report here in the Bracknell Standard that a survey by the Local Data Company claiming that Bracknell has some of the highest levels of empty shops in the country. I decided to have a look around town at the impression given by the empty units. The survey claimed that more than 20 per cent, around 38, of 191 shops in Bracknell town centre were empty. They showed the worst figures in the Southern area. Whereas the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP) that 8.8 per cent or 17 units are empty. I suspect that both reports are correct as ...
The Planning Inspector began her Inquiry into Loromah's proposed development of the land between the Christian Fellowship Centre on Honor Oak Road and the derelict buildings on Tyson Road today. This follows yet another refusal of an application by a Lewisham planning committee. One developer or another has been trying to build on the site ...
From the BBC here and , in more lurid terms, from the Daily Mirror here.
Or there's the alternative headline the Voice decided not to use: The six Lib Dem MPs who were in favour of devolution before they were aginst it .... The BBC reports: Liberal Democrats say an "error" led to several of their MPs supporting an attempt to block new powers for the Welsh assembly. Six signed an amendment to a new law that would have stopped the assembly acquiring powers over home education. The Lib Dems are in favour of more devolution, and their Welsh education spokeswoman Jenny Randerson said her colleagues had signed in error. They will now remove their ...
Over at Cancer Research UK's science update blog, Nick Clegg asnwers questions about the Liberal Democrats plan to do to help beat cancer. Here's an excerpt: Britain's cancer survival rates are worse than many of our European neighbours - what are the Liberal Democrats planning to do to tackle this? Nick Clegg - Early detection is key. It simply doesn't make sense for people to be turned away from screening programmes because they're thought to be too old or too young, so we'd scrap age limits on screening for a start. And we need to get more people to go ...
BBC3's endless but cheery rotation of Doctor Who hits a particular highlight with Utopia tonight at 7 - the episode that closes with, for me, the most thrilling 16 minutes of 21st Century Who so far (while last night's featured BAFTA-winning Carey Mulligan). The two tiny clips from much older Who in tonight's episode, though, made me wonder how I might devise a repeat schedule for the rest of the Doctors. Which would you pick? The lot, or a run of just one or two? Surely it's not too much to ask for in the run-up to the new series... ...
On Friday 19 February 2010 from 9am until midnight, the BBC Parliament channel gave us the chance to relive the February 1974 election by broadcasting the whole of Election Night 74, hosted by Alistair Burnett. When I stumbled on the coverage at 6 pm, the programme was reaching 1.00 pm on Friday 1 March, the day after polling day. By that stage, 600 results were in and the Conservatives were a dozen seats and a few thousand votes behind Labour. The swingometer, operated by Robert McKenzie, showed a 2% swing to Labour from the Conservatives but this failed to register ...
After weeks of reporting on the January 1910 election Radio 4 followed our lead this morning on the Today programme. Their website gives a flavour of the historical comparisons: 2010 is not a bad year to be a political junkie - there is to be an election whose outcome seems both uncertain and important, with a new House of Commons which will contain a large new batch of new members. Some have been looking back to the early seventies for historical comparisons but the real date we should have fixed in our minds is perhaps 1910. Author John Antcliffe and ...
It was interesting listening to Ed Balls on the radio this morning, trying to defend his government's stance on sex and relationship education proposals for schools, and the opt-out he's proposing for faith schools not to have to teach it in a fair and unbiased way. Good quality education on sex and relationships is long overdue ...
On the Today programme, Phil Woolas described right-wing opposition to Labour's oppressive immigration controls as "banonkers". It most certainly is both bananas and bonkers to want to impose even harsher controls on immigrants, but the portmanteau did make me smile. This latest attack on Labour is ridiculous. The charge is that immigration policy was chosen to deliberately encourage an influx of immigration to manipulate Britain into a multicultural society. An open-borders encourages nothing. People are free to choose whether they are coming or going. If an immigrant wants to come here then that's up to them, not the government. Perhaps ...
I was among the guests on The Long View, which debated the past and present of the national debt. Here, I think, is the recording. If that link doesn't work, then this is the homepage of the programme. You can guess my views: calm down about the deficit hysteria, dears. I think Will Hutton and I ...
Bangladesh has, since its independence, struggled with the difficulties of a rapidly growing population, and one of the side effects of this is relatively high levels of malnutrition amongst children. Whilst rice is filling, and as agricultural improvements have increased supply, proteins and vitamins are more of a problem. And so, in 2005, the founder of Grameen Bank, Professor Yunus, met with the head of Groupe Danone in France and, between them, the idea of producing something to address the issue. The answer was a small, low cost yogurt called Shakti Doi, made from pure full cream milk, that contains ...
Vince Cable has today set out the Lib Dems' plan for the banking sector. We're publishing his speech in full below, but for those who just want the skinny, Vince: Confirmed that the Liberal Democrats are not anti bank or anti banker. Stated that his day one, hour one objective as Chancellor would be to devise a fresh and consistent mandate for the nationalised and semi nationalised banks. Argued that RBS and Lloyds are key to supporting the British economy and are currently falling well short of their lending agreements. Challenged Alistair Darling to give a full public account of ...
Vince Cable MP, Shadow Chancellor and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats today set out the Liberal Democrat plans for the banking sector.
A report has just been published by the Electoral Commission discussing the administration of the Glasgow North East by-election last year. The report is critical in a number of areas and as Caron Lindsay points out today, the fact that it took almost 5 months to hold the by-election (I made it 143 days) left the constituency without parliamentary representation for far too long. There is a real risk that this sort of situation could be being allowed to happen with North West Leicestershire too which has been without an MP since the sad and unexpected death of Labour MP ...
Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Redcar, has written an open letter to Lord Mandelson urging temporary nationalisation of Teesside Cast Products assets and the unused land on the Corus site. He said: "We have to make sure that Corus can't get in the way of a sale to a credible buyer. They should also be made to give up spare land that is needed for other new business opportunities. Leaving a huge site unused and increasingly derelict will do nothing to help the Teesside jobs crisis."
Ian Swales, Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Redcar, was a guest speaker at the North East Economic Forum annual meeting at Ramside Hall, Durham. The theme was North East England and the Low Carbon Economy. Other speakers included Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling and Environment Minister Ed Miliband. Ian took the opportunity to talk about the economic crisis on Teesside and the great opportunities that the area presents. Building on the existing businesses, assets and skills of the area, there's every chance to make Teesside a powerhouse of new low carbon technology and manufacturing. We're open for business!
Last night's Panorama, presented by Raphael Rowe, was about the massive destruction of the forests of Borneo. I have blogged about this before, as it is a topic dear to my family: David Attenborough on damage to rain forest in Borneo, 23 May 2009 Front page headline about orang-utan: "Victims of the Oil Rush", 1 May 2009 Borneo's rain forest destroyed for palm oil, 14 April 2009 Want to find out more about Borneo's forest,6 March 2009 My sister-in-law belongs to the Dayak peoples of Borneo. It is heart breaking for her to see more and more destruction every time ...
Thanks to Lib Dem Voice for this take on the new Labour slogan in the present economic climate. ...
Four blogs have recently joined Ryan's Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Alasdair Murray - http://www.alasdairmurray.net/blog Andy Strange - http://www.strangethoughts.org.uk/ Jesse Boucher - http://jesseboucher.blogspot.com/ Matt Smith - http://mattsmithforblaenaugwent.blogspot.com/ Good luck to all the new bloggers, and why not take a moment to pop over to their blogs, take a read and post a comment? Whether you are a new or experience blogger yourself, you may also find our compilation of "how to blog" posts useful:
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone and Cllr Bob Hare recycling batteries in Hornsey] Last night was the Council meeting which set the budget for the 2010/11 financial year. Stroud Green Councillor Ed Butcher is our finance spokesperson so presented our alternative budget, with a detailed and costed amendment calling for extra police, more recycling, and a freeze in Council charges (paid for by cutting Labour's waste and spin). Labour rejected our budget amendment, and bizarrely attacked our plans to boost late night policing. However, Ed won the argument on improving battery recycling and at the very last minute Labour changed their budget ...
The Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable today set out the Liberal Democrat plan for the banking sector. In his speech, Vince Cable: Confirmed that the Liberal Democrats are not anti bank or anti banker. Stated that his day one, hour one objective as Chancellor would be to devise a fresh and consistent mandate for the nationalised and ...
Interesting article in today's Guardian regarding an Electoral Commission report into the Glasgow North East by-election that highlights just how competitive elections are getting at the moment. The Commission expressed some concern about the high number of last minute postal vote applications that came in just before the deadline and in particular say that Labour "did not comply" with a code of conduct that requires political parties to hand in every postal vote application within two days of receiving them: The commission said an unusually high number of last minute postal vote applications were made in Glasgow North East, with ...
Yesterday the three North Road ward councillors met with officers in the Town Hall to be briefed on the latest plans to deal with the chaos in the back lane serving Harrowgate Hill Primary School. At the moment there is total confusion there at drop-off and pick-up times as cars attempt to drive in both directions along the lane, park in restricted areas and block residents' rear gates.
This is one of those issues that we never seem to get sorted. A Housing Association-Servite-bought a site in Upper Aughton Rd Birkdale a decade ago. (I should make clear that altho the site is in Birkdale it is in Kew Ward-in fact the boundary runs down the middle of the road. The real boundary between Southport and Birkdale is a few yards further north at the appropriately named Boundary Street) Anyway Servite sat on this land and did nothing. A clear argument for Land Tax if ever I heard one. Last year Servite disposed of the site and sold ...
I've just sent in the following complaint to the BBC: I have just been listening to a commendable, if a bit two-main-parties obsessed, piece about young people engaging in the political process. However, I was intrigued to hear Jane Garvey somewhat snottily tell us that, although young people seem to have got the idea that the ...
On my last post 'Gordon, Temper Temper' a comment came in which I publish below. Having vaguely defended Gordon Brown to the extent of asking in that last post whether the passion of caring makes you a good boss or a bully - this comment continues the dichotomy - as to where truth lies. I remind readers this is a comment posted on a previous blog post. Jon says: 22 February 2010 at 2:46 pm (Edit) About 15 years ago, Mr Brown when he was Shadow Chancellor, used to be one on my regular clients, I worked as a telesales ...
A report by the Assembly's Public Account's Committee into the Welsh Government's flagship anti-poverty programme has warned that the £214m Communities First initiative is not delivering value for money. The Committee condemned a "chronic and long-lasting failure" by the Welsh Government to provide leadership: The report follows findings by the Wales Audit Office last year that of the £214m spent between 2001 and 2009, £140m had gone to partnerships, mainly to employ staff and run projects. The committee stated: "Our conclusions are that, overall, the Communities First programme has not delivered good value for the significant amount of public money ...
At the height of Make Poverty History back in 2005, in the Cabinet Room at No 10, Richard "Four Weddings and a Funeral" Curtis asked then PM Tony Blair, "would you mind if I showed you a video I've made?" It's not the same as some bloke at work offering to show you his holiday snaps. So when Richard Curtis showed his new Robin Hood Tax video to some of the 85 national organisations supporting the latest big campaign in the TUC General Council Chamber earlier this month, we knew we were in for a treat. There's already a German ...
Tuesday: Special Guest Diary from Sister Apocalypstic of the Convent of the Little Sisters of Reductio ad Absurdum. Thanks to the forthcoming General Election, the Government is hoping to BRIBE Catholic voters with another SPECIAL PRIVILEGE, and therefore Sister A is allowed to write in a way that reflects the character of her religion... Children, Today, the Secretary of State for Schools - who is a WICKED sinner - has decreed that I have to talk to you about the TERRIBLE things that so called HO-MO-SEXUAL MEN do with each other. Well, children: they BURN IN HELL TOGETHER, that's what!The ...
The second inspection of Haringey's Children's Service has now reported. Last time they found that Haringey was not improving fast enough. This time - the report finds that they have done better. Given the staff are working very hard to improve things and there is a new Director - I would hope that this is the case. The only question mark is really over how much confidence we can have in Ofsted. This is the inspectorate that gave Haringey 3 stars during the period that Baby Peter was falling through the Haringey net - and when it went public - ...
Two videos to round off the examination of the first 1910 election. In the first Michael Braham discusses the character of the colourful Liberal candidate-rumoured by some to be the illegitimate son of Edward VII !
The final part of the story of the 1910 General Election, Michael Braham and I discuss the part that Land Tax played in the campaign
On Wave 102 news about civil service jobs for Dundee ...
How the Robin Hood Tax campaign is wrong; how inflation might make a fool of me; how it could not make me as wrong as Brad DeLong makes John Cochrane.
A reminder from those good folk at EuroDM arrived in my email inbox this week stressing the importance of the post script (P.S.) message in any direct mail communication: When writing a fundraising letter, the P.S. is the most read portion of any letter. Personalising the P.S. while making a strong call to action will increase response. The inclusion of a P.S. in direct marketing/appeal mailings is one of those small but crucial battles on which fundraisers have to stand their ground. This is especially the case in the education sector, where Vice-Chancellors / Principals / Rectors are often allergic ...
Woking Council yesterday announced that it had bought Wolsey Place shopping centre and the office block above it that we all know as the BAT tower. As mentioned in the blogs of my colleagues County Councillor Will Forster and Candidate for Horsell West Ann-Marie Barker, I think there will be two main concerns for local residents, There has been loads of news about the fact that Woking has one of the highest debts in the country, which led to the resignation of a senior local Tory councillor. At the moment it is almost impossible to turn on the news without ...
Today the people of Guyana celebrate the country becoming a Republic in 1970. Mashramani, often abbreviated to 'Mash', is an annual festival that celebrates the nation and people of Guyana with a carnival parade, music, games and food. On this day in 1945, the Stars and Stripes was raised over the Japanese-held volcanic island of Iwo Jima, rather than the flag of a trade union. This morning the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable is in Canary Wharf, delivering a keynote speech, which will outline the Liberal Democrats plan for the banking and financial services industries. 2 blog posts on ...
I don't know about you, but this story makes me pretty mad... Western diplomats have expressed deep concern at a decree from Afghan President Hamid Karzai giving him total control over a key election body. The move gives him the power to appoint all five members of Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). The body helped expose massive fraud ...
As residents have noted, the work by Scottish Water at the west end of Magdalen Green - to hopefully resolve flooding concerns in the Richmond Terrace area - was completed at the end of last week. Scottish Water has now updated me as follows : "Work finished on site on Friday, 2 weeks ahead of schedule. We have met with the council to discuss reinstatement works to the park area and they will provide a quotation to carry out these works when the weather permits. The contractor has now removed everything from site apart from the fencing around the area ...
The Electoral Commission has criticised the Labour Government for leaving it almost 5 months to hold the by-election to replace former Speaker Michael Martin, who was forced to resign over the MPs' expenses scandal. Labour's excuse, that the parliamentary Summer recess got in the way is not even half way to being plausible. For a start, they had several weeks' notice that Michael Martin was going to resign. They could have moved the writ on 22 June and had the by-election in mid July. It's not as if the recess itself is a barrier to holding a by-election - the ...
Last year, I mentioned the "Hannah's Highway" proposal - to provide proper dropped kerbing right along the north pavement of Perth Road - from the university area right up to Sinderins. This would make the Perth Road shopping area more accessible for thos with mobility difficulties. I recently asked the City Council for an update on progress and have been advised as follows : "There is an order issued to Tayside Contracts to install dropped kerbs in Perth Road this financial year. The extent of works is between the Sinderins and University Buildings at Small's Wynd."
Sunday newspapers are really big. I remember being a newspaper boy in Plymouth... many years ago. I hated delivered newspapers on a Sunday because I'd have to take them apart and post each section through the letterbox. It meant the whole round took ages. Anyway, the reason I am mentioning this is to explain why I am about to blog about something I read in the 14th February edition of the Sunday Times. I have only just got around to reading it, and I am pleased I did rather than just bunging it straight into the recycling bin. The article ...
As general election polling day nears, we're likely to see more reviews of party political websites. So now seems a good time to remind you about the short guide I wrote last year to the six most common mistakes people make when writing such reviews. One extra thought to bear in mind when reading it is that official national party website does not equal party's web presence, let alone internet presence. For all the main parties, their national website is part of a wider network of sites and other internet presences and if, for example, the site appears weak in ...
Have Cameron and Osborne blown the 2010 General Election? The fact is that the list of their mistakes grows long indeed. The latest is an almost Sarah Palin moment from David Cameron, where he could not identify what £72 billion of his proposed budget was earmarked for. As I have noted before, the Conservative leadership is long on personal charm but very short of either executive experience or understanding of economics. The result has been a series of policies that are both inappropriate and constructed on little intellectual foundation. These flimsy policies- especially on tax- have broken apart at the ...
Local Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone has arranged a public meeting as part of our campaign to save the Accident & Emergency department at the Whittington Hospital. Local residents will be able to put questions directly to some of the people involved in making the decisions about the Whittington's future. Lynne's recorded a short film about the meeting, which you can view by clicking here. The meeting is on Thursday 4 March and will start at 8pm. It is being held at Greig City Academy in Hornsey (map here - use the entrance from Hillfield Avenue and follow the signs). ...
The police campaign against amateur photographers is still in full swing. Yesterday's Guardian reported that: Police questioned an amateur photographer under anti-terrorist legislation and later arrested him, claiming pictures he was taking in a Lancashire town were "suspicious" and constituted "antisocial behaviour".This is despite promises last year from senior officers last year that the police would scale down their use of anti-terrorist legislation, such as Section 44 of the act, after a series of high-profile cases in which photographers said they had been harassed by police for taking innocuous images in the street. As Random Blowe says of this case: ...
Tue 23rd
07:39
Sorry, I'll say that again... National Express East Anglia's latest contribution to the gaiety of na...
Spotted at Liverpool Street station yesterday, as the 11.00 service from Norwich was emptying, a group of people wearing tabards emblazoned with the legend 'Train Presentation Crew'. That would be the cleaners then... * holds head in hands in total despair... *
Thirty years ago today, I was glued to the TV watching the Nine O'clock News on the Beeb reporting the attempted coup in Spain. Later, on Newsnight Peter Snow described the events of earlier when a group of armed Guardia Civil stormed the Cortes, their leader on Antonio Tejero waving a pistol about and telling 350 MPs to sit down. One of three MPs to openly defy the gun-wielding goons, Santiago Carrillo (leader of the Communists) just sat in his chair smoking a cigarette. The whole event was over by dawn the following morning when the plotters realised they had ...
The first car bomb to go off in Northern Ireland in over a decade was detonated outside Newry Court House last night. The timing just after the agreement to devolve policing and justice to the Assembly speaks volumes as local Sinn Fein councillor Conor Murphy said: "The fact that we're in the process of devolving policing and justice powers and there's an attack on a courthouse will not be lost on people. "These people are trying to drag us backwards and ensure we have the British army back on the streets." There was also only a 5 minute warning given ...
Is a battle over the Falklands about to start all over again? This time however it appears it isn't the actual islands that are the key aspect of the ongoing and escalating Diplomatic row, it is the sovereign waters of the islands where exploration drilling (for oil) has begun just this week. Oil always starts arguments and definitely inspires greed, and this is what the war of words is really about. It appears that Argentina's leaders have met behind closed doors at a summit in Cancun with other Latin American and Caribbean leaders and a document has been drawn up ...
An important community appointment for this Wednesday 24th February, it's the Lewisham Central Ward Assembly and takes place from 7 pm to 9 pm, at the Methodist Church in Albion Way SE13 6BT. I've been involved with the Assemblies as a member of the coordinating group for 2 consecutive years, since the local assemblies were set ...
You may remember I introduced the Danish entry as my tip for the top ten. Tonight Spain chose their entry – and I have to say they've played a blinder. It's a balearic waltz-like ballad (with a subtle Parisian undercurrent) by a wonderful singer called Daniel Diges. To call it a ballad though is understating the ...
Today's blog is not about national or international headlines. It isn't about bullying in number 10. about BA cabin crew staffing levels or even Nick Clegg's guarantee of respite for carers but it is about something that is close to my heart and it is also close to the hearts of many people who live in Morecambe. It is about the traffic. On the 11th February I wrote that it took me 43 minutes to travel 4.2 miles through Lancaster to the motorway. Yesterday I attended a study day at Lancaster University. I took the back roads through Lancaster and ...
