aka "When Trev Met Dave" Following on from the lucicrous Piers Morgan "interview" with Gordon Brown, Andy Coulson's badgering of ITV (pre and post interview) has paid off. This Sunday we get to see "ITV Fuck Up - Part II", as Sir Trevor McDonald does his ITV duty and provides the Tories with a reciprocal "soft touch" mockumentary about Tory leader David Cameron.Word has it, its all Samantha telling us why Dave's her man, and various lovies concurring that "Dave's the man"....with lots of "exclusive access" words all over it. Er yeah right. Hmm....You see what happens when the Light ...
I learn, via the Heresiarch, that feminist porn director Anna Span is a Lib Dem PPC in Kent. How awesome is that? Between her and Belinda Brooks-Gordon I'm feeling pretty good about the calibre of sex positive feminists we're recruiting into the party these days :D My March sponsor is Mark Reckons, and I hope he's not blushing too much at being attached to this post.
There's only one place to be at 8pm on Friday. It's in Hall 8b at the Birmingham ICC for the latest in the legendary series of Lib Dem Voice fringe meetings*: Many MPs have a record of repeatedly voting for authoritarian measures in Parliament. But will they suffer for that at the ballot box? Come and hear how we can make authoritarian votes in Parliament a vote loser for MPs on general election day – and see the new Liberal Democrat Voice website which will help do just that. Speakers: Paul Burstow MP (Chief Whip) Bridget Fox (PPC Islington South ...
As LDV reported early yesterday, former New Statesman editor John Kampfner – author of the fantastic Blair's Wars – has declared his intention to vote for the Lib Dems at the coming general election, and called on all fellow progressives who might once have voted Labour to join him. Later in the day, the party issued an email from John to all members and supporters explaining his decision: Today I launched my pamphlet, Lost labours, with Nick Clegg. As somebody who has a long involvement with the Labour party, including editing the New Statesman magazine, I have been able to ...
Given my two long-running struggles to get defunct utility cabinets removed from pavements (both finally successful but only after far more effort and time than any even half-baked system would require - see here and here), you can imagine my enthusiasm when I saw this: [IMG: Defunct utility cabinet, Holly Park, Islington] Tally ho and all that.
Wed 10th
20:25
So, why is HM Revenue & Customs so aggressive with football teams in financial trouble?
The recent high-profile clash between Portsmouth FC and HM Revenue & Customs has brought the taxman into the spotlight. On Monday, the Guardian published an interview with a senior recovery official.
guess where: sun, snow, Pike of Blisco, Bow Fell, beloved nephew to walk with. Fantastic. not arf
I used to love watching PMQ's on the BBC Parliament channel. It used to be great to watch the nations political heavy weights throwing political policy punhces at each other and trading words all in a friendly manner that did not descned into a comic book farce. Sadly these days it is more like watching to ...
You have to admire the chutzpah of Sarah Palin. For months she has railed against Obama's healthcare reform plan as "socialist" and "downright evil", warning of "death panels". She has also criticised Canada's NHS-style healthcare system, saying: Canada needs to reform its health care system and let the private sector take over some of what the government has absorbed. So it is absolutely fascinating that Palin has now nonchalantly dropped the bombshell that she has, in the past routinely, when she was growing up, skipped over the border to Canada to take advantage of their publicly funded healthcare system. This ...
Nick Clegg will be holding a question-and-answer session at our federal spring conference in Birmingham this weekend, but for those who cannot make it in person, there is an opportunity to take part over the Internet.
BBC Scotland, Pacific Quay, Glasgow I've been lucky enough to visit Glasgow again. This time I was staying opposite the highly impressive BBC Scotland building on the south bank of the Clyde. It would perhaps be unkind to ask why they feel the need to have their lights on at night (see my photo above) when there are hardly any people in the offices. ...And all that glass must increase the heating bill. But it is a wonderful looking building. It has the largest studio in the UK outside of London and "is the most modern broadcast centre in the ...
My day started early this morning with a breakfast briefing to Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates at The Mansion House, hosted by the Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman Nick Anstee. The old Liberal image of beards and sandals was laid to rest here; around the table were an impressive crew of ...
Bridget Fox (PPC Islington South & Finsbury), Julian Huppert (PPC Cambridge) and filmmaker Obhi Chatterjee write: Several of us have submitted an emergency motion on Freedom, creativity & the internet for the Spring Conference. It concerns an issue which affects the daily lives of almost everyone on which the party appears to have no defined or consistent policy: the internet. A BBC poll shows that 75% of UK adults think access to the internet should be a fundamental right of all people. Our Parliamentary DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) Team has been doing a great job tackling the ...
In the Guardian – I think only online – is an adaptation of that blog post about falling murder rates in LA. As a self-confessed amateur of this topic, I have taken the opportunity of buying Chris Williams' book on History and Crime. I have seen an earlier chapter on the difficulty of extrapolating from crime ...
On Comment is Free, James Graham asks: Have the Liberal Democrats been taken over by the Flat Earth Society? To find his answer read here.
A fortnight ago I wrote of my disappointment in the state of the Digital Economy Bill, notably the internet blocking provisions, since then a couple of Liberal Democrat peers in the House of Lords have aided an amendment which has resulted in a lot of angst from PPCs members and bloggers alike. Whilst Lord Clement Jones ...
I find myself in rare agreement with Jack Straw. It is staggering that the main constitutional reform that the Tories are proposing is a cut in the number of MPs, at the exclusion of voting and other reforms. They are basically interested in reducing the number of Labour leaning constituencies, full stop. Cameron frequently cites the examples of the Isle of Wight and Orkney and Shetland to support his argument, but they are the exceptions that prove the current rule. With O&S, to increase the size of the constituency you'd have to throw in a chunk of the mainland, which ...
There's been a lot of comment over the fact that Lib Dem PPC, Jeremy Hilton, has been 'caught' asking a fellow Lib Dem to send a letter to the local newspaper. Eric Pickles (no less) feels this is so important that he has written to Nick Clegg demanding (yes, demanding) that Clegg 'condemn' Jeremy Hilton. ...
Today's setting of the budget for 24 March means it's all but certain that the general election will be on 6 May, the date of the scheduled local elections. What that means in terms of deadlines for nominations, applying for postal votes and so on is detailed in this general and local elections 2010 timetable I've put together.
If you haven't already joined the Lib Dems Save the Net Facebook campaign, I recommend you do so. Meanwhile, an emergency motion has been submitted to Spring conference. Bridget Fox has the details. I've submitted the following questions to the Federal Policy Committee for the morning of conference: 1. What role has the FPC played in formulating the ...
Ceri Goddard is Chief Executive of The Fawcett Society, the UK's leading campaign for equality between women and men. Fawcett's aim during the coming general election is to get women and the impact on women considered as part of mainstream policy development by the parties. Ceri explains more here ... This week Fawcett, with more than 40 other organisations are launching our pre-election campaign. Instead of the usual "manifesto" of policies we're turning the tables on the parties and literally asking What About Women? All the leaders, Nick Clegg included, have been courting women voters – noted by the mainstream ...
Glyn Tansley, a guest blogger on the Guardian's Cardiff pages, looks at the political landscape of Cardiff in the run up to the next General Election. You will be pleased to learn that he thinks Cardiff Central is "a pretty safe seat for the Lib Dems".
One of the consequences of the new deal between Royal Mail and the unions is going to be the inevitable rise in direct/unsolicted or junk mail that we shall all receive. Until now, the amount of unsolicited mail delivered by posties has been limited to a MERE three items weekly. With the cap off heaven only knows what dross we'll get through our letterboxes. And according to Nielsen Media Research, which company topped the annual list of big spenders junk mail? None other than... Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB.
Well, if John Higgins of Capital Economics puts his money where his mouth is: In the bearish camp is John Higgins, senior markets economist at Capital Economics. He expects to see the S&P 500 back down around 1,000 by the end of 2010 and cited several points to warrant caution Here is a reminder of how far ...
Yesterday afternoon I was at the House of Commons campaigning for peace and greater support for our troops, today I was out canvassing and delivering in the south of the constituency and this afternoon I was hard at work with local supporters preparing another round of leaflets to inform fellow residents about our campaign. Those of you who think the campaign only starts when the election is called, think again! Soon I will be at the Town Hall to meet with constituents and then will be off to canvass and deliver in the west of the constituency. While some candidates ...
An eye-popping report from the OECD says that children from poor families in Britain have a greater chance of struggling on low incomes than their counterparts in the west's ...
To begin at the end, the Pine Woods are to be litter picked every six weeks and has been added to the schedule undertaken at weekends starting at 6am when traffic is much lighter, so the work will be done in future at weekends either Saturday or Sunday. I have been asked by a number of residents about the cleaning of Hillside Pine Woods. I don't usually write up casework on the blog but I'm happy to put on record the chain of events. One Saturday at the end of January I was emailed by a local resident asking if ...
Speaking to COSLA's annual conference last week Alex Salmond said: "This Government will not sit idly by and accept cuts imposed from Westminster." Looks to me like the no cuts message the SNP have been spouting for months. Yet on Saturday at his party's General Election launch he said: "Because at this election the message is simple. "MORE NATS MEANS LESS CUTS" It may be simple but it is not clear. He's been accusing the other parties and even in this speech of having the "axe sharpened and poised" yet for all his rhetoric he has just announced that even ...
When I covered the results of the Power2010 consultation on what political reforms it should promote, there was a brief discussion on this site and elsewhere about whether Power2010 would have the campaigning muscle to really make an impact. Today brings news of how Power2010 is trying to ensure that. Their news release says: MPs were put on notice today as democracy group Power2010 announced its plans to target those MPs who have consistently opposed cleaning up and reforming our political system. The Power2010 campaign, which has received almost £1 million from the Rowntree Trusts and now has paid organisers ...
In the opposition day debate yesterday on London Hospitals - the Minister Mike O'Brien said this: 'I do not see any justification for closure of the A and E at this time, and I would want to hear the case for closing it during the next Parliament. I have seen no such case.' Well neither have we! There is no case. There is no clinically led case. There is no evidence. However - not sure that stops the juggernaut of this travesty of a process. Lynne Featherstone: I welcome the Minister's remarks because, as he knows, the socio-demographic circumstances around ...
* Following residents' complaints about potholes at the junction of Riverside Place and Perth Road, I reported this to the City Council. I have now had feedback as follows : "An order has been raised by the area inspector for the filling of a number of potholes at the Riverside Place/Perth Road junction and this will be done within the next 28 days." * A resident pointed out to me that there is inadequate street signage for Hazel Avenue - signs are missing at the junction with Hazel Drive and there is only one, poor conditioned, one at the junction ...
I recently mentioned the excellent Photopolis on-line collection of historical Dundee photographs. With thanks to the City Council's Leisure & Communities Department, here's another fascinating West End one - the old Harris Academy in Park Place, that opened in 1885 but was replaced by the current Perth Road building in the 1930s :
£8 billion. That was the financial cost to the UK taxpayer of our involvement in the Iraq War - over & above what we were going to spend on defence anyway. It's £8 billion of additional spending. That's not my estimate. That is the figure that Gordon Brown himself gave to the Iraq Inquiry (to check that, click HERE and read the paragraph from line 10 to line 19 on page 84). £8,000,000,000. It is a colossal sum of money - enough, in fact, to employ over 20,000 nurses for an entire decade. Or almost 15,000 police officers, again for ...
There is a group trying to continue the event that Boris discontinued - to make UpRise: London United Against Racism happen. They are nearing a crucial stage of planning but their ambitions are currently being held back by funding - a factor they always knew would be our greatest challenge. They are waiting on the responses of funding bodies and seeking commercial sponsorship too, we are pushing to get those who have supported our campaign, understand what Rise stood for and have enjoyed Rise in the past to get involved. They have launched a fundraising drive in the style of ...
So David Cameron's latest claim is that the Tories won the cold war. That must have been the Tory MP for Berlin East in the by election night of 9 November 1989 in that case I'm sure you'll remember the night well. Peter Snow: Here are the new graphics for the Eastern reaches. Margaret Thatcher is looking to secure a big win here, with the help of Helmut Kohl and the late addition or Perestroika and Glasnost. Some opinion is that we shouldn't expect anything tonight. Some are saying that the Hungarian relaxation may take some time to whittle through ...
The Liberal Democrats have argued, and will continue to argue, for alternative means of funding higher learning institutions to meet costs without passing the bills on to our students. The amount of debt that a university student accumulates has spiralled and will continue to do so if firm opposition does not bring this trend to an end. The Liberal Democrats will scrap tuition fees for all students taking their first degree saving them over £10'000 each. This cannot happen overnight but must be introduced carefully. We have a financially responsible plan to phase out fees over six years so that ...
Hat Tip Stephanie Flanders, this is from the Bank of England. SF herself doffs her hat to Melissa of Lombard Street, who is another of those economists I read in order to appear more informed than I really am. The Bank has a whole paper on why our terms of trade – what we sell stuff ...
As I commute from a safe Conservative seat in mid Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds, majority 10,031), I am puzzled by how quiet it is in terms of campaigning. No leaflets from the Conservatives, none from Labour, and one from the Liberal Democrats (well, I did produce it myself, and I am the District Council candidate for next year). I suspect that I'm not alone in wondering, so where is this election one hears so much about? Of course, I am a political insider, so I have a pretty good idea what is actually happening. But what if I wasn't? How ...
Earlier this week I blogged about the NSPCC's 'I Stand for Children' campaign. Today the Luton and Dunstable express published a letter regarding my support for the campaign and why I firmly believe that everyone in our community supports the excellent work they continue to do for vulnerable children. I urge all residents to support their campaign and you can read my letter below: Dear Sir, There are many issues concerning our town and country today that lead to clear political differences, but at times there are issues which party politics should not play any part. One such issue is ...
Have a look at this cutting I found from the Wall Street Journal, 2nd March: Market has encountered resistance since hitting new highs Tuesday, natural in view of the sweeping rally up to then. Previous pauses in early Jan. and mid-Feb. were followed by renewed rallying; evidence this is a similar period of consolidation seen in pattern of declining volume on recessions, indicating line of least resistance remains upward. With the Dow today on 10,500 and the FTSE around 5,500, are we moving onwards and upwards towards a recovery? Nope! The date line on that cutting was 2nd March 1931. ...
(From the Gwent Gazette, Mar 11 2010. Original story is available here.) NAME: Matt Smith PARTY: Liberal Democrats AT 21 it's fair to say Matt Smith will be amongst the youngest of candidates standing at this year's election. He says that his party are campaigning for a fairer Britain. He talked about giving children a fairer start in schools and about creating a fairer economy that would promote local accountable politics. "I am very grateful to the Welsh Liberal Democrats for the opportunity to represent their values of liberty and fairness, and their policies of fairer taxes, a better start ...
A year ago I led a scrutiny review into the private rented housing sector in Reading jointly with my Lib Dem colleague Cllr Ricky Duveen (who chairs the Environment Scrutiny Panel). Private rented housing is a big issue in Redlands - in particular HMOs and student housing, so it's something I've always campaigned on, even before I was chair of scrutiny. Our review made a series of recommendations to the Labour adminstration of Reading Borough Council - 99% of which they accepted in June last year.I made clear at that time that it was vitally important that the scrutiny review should not be a ...
(From the Gwent Gazette, 11 Mar 2010 - original story can be found here.) THE candidates for this year's parliamentary elections have come head to head for the first time. Current Blaenau Gwent MP Dai Davies met the four politicians who will be fighting for his seat in the House of Commons. They were Liberal Democrat Matt Smith, Labour's Nick Smith, Liz Stevenson of the Conservatives and Rhodri Davies from Plaid Cymru. All five candidates met at an event that was organised in the Beaufort Theatre by Access For All, the Blaenau Gwent forum for the disabled. Members of the ...
IED's are back on the political menu again this week in the aftermath of Gordon Brown's appearance at the Chilcot enquiry and his remarks on military's equipment. Indeed as I write this a rather abstract debate about that very issue continues in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions. But, lets look at the ...
Sadly today I am Edinburgh for a roundtable at the Scottish Parliament, so not at the Salmon Youth Centre in Southwark with Lynne Feathestone to launch our Youth policy paper "Free to be Young". I had the great privilege to take over from Laura Willoughby as chair of the working group that produced what I think has turned out to be a brilliant paper! OK, we didn't get everything we wanted .........basically anything that cost anything (!) like 10,000 extra youth workers, but the principles that underpin our policy give us a sound foundation, and in my view the strongest ...
Interesting use of video on the front page of this candidate website. The content is very American ('I need your prayers') but the concept is an interesting one; it certainly got me to consume more information about his campaign than I otherwise would have. What do you think of it?
The former editor of The New Statesman, former Labour supporter, John Kampfner, has pledged to vote Liberal Democrat. His reasons are that in power Labour has, on the whole, not been on the side of ordinary people - but has sided with the rich; their judgement has been flawed (for instance on the Iraq War); and their main aim has simply been to get themselves re-elected. Kampfner says David Cameron's "political pitch is an unedifying pitch of the shallow and the alarming." However he sees the Lib Dems as being a party of principle: "Alongside a million other voters, I ...
That is NI as in Northern Ireland. Yesterday Alistair Carmichael the Liberal Democrat Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary said "It's time for David Cameron to come clean about the position of his new alliance on policing and justice. "With the UUP saying one thing, and the Tories saying the complete opposite, voters will struggle to understand what exactly joint Tory/UUP candidates stand for. "What we're seeing is the Tories in complete disarray. When it takes George Bush to step in as the voice of reason, it's clear that David Cameron has dug himself a very big hole. "This raises serious questions ...
At last years party conference I attended the politics and prohibition fringe meeting. I touched on this in a blogpost after I returned from conference. One of the issues debated at the fringe was the issue of classifying films with an adult (18) rating if it contains smoking. Liverpool City Council consulted on this policy before rejecting the proposal last year. I thought, and hoped, that this would be the end of the story. Unfortunately it is not. Freedom 2 choose have stated that a Manchester Councillor wants Manchester cinemas to put an '18' rating on any movie where a ...
This week's Times-Populus poll of Labour - Conservative marginal seats tells us a bit more about voters' views of the three main party leaders, including Nick Clegg. Nick is perceived as the most authentic of the party leaders. Asked whether each leader "generally says what he really thinks, not just what spin doctors tell him to say", they gave Nick a spread of plus 25 per cent. For David Cameron the figure was plus 18 per cent. Both opposition party leaders were well ahead of Gordon Brown (plus 6 per cent). The Populus result ties in with previous polls that ...
As the issue of faith schools has often been debated on this site, and it's been back in the news with the question of sex and relationship education, we've asked David Laws to explain the party's approach to these issues: The recent Government climbdown over sex and relationship education in state funded faith schools has prompted further debate amongst liberals about what role, if any, faith schools should have in English education. Some liberals argue that in a free society faith groups should be free to deliver a faith education, and that parents should be free to send their children ...
The BBC report that the UK government has decided against selecting bilingual juries in certain cases on the basis it would outweigh the principle of random selection. The decision follows a consultation looking at, for example, trials where large amounts of evidence are in Welsh. It has been met with dismay by politicians who believed it could play a part in an increase in bilingualism in Wales. Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Heritage Minister said: "This a clear set-back for the promotion of the Welsh language as one of the official languages of Wales. People should have the right ...
Put your question to local service providers? Continuing the commitment to consult with residents about local services, a forum event has been organised for Chorlton. The evening will allow you the opportunity to gather information from various services, including: Greater Manchester Police; and some Council services. This will be followed, at 7.30pm, with a panel made up from the service providers, where you can ask questions. The event will take place on Thursday, 11th March, 6.30 - 9pm at St Johns Parish Centre, Edge Lane. Refreshments will be available on the evening. For more information contact Katrina Keane, your Ward ...
I've had a hectic start to the week, somewhat more so that the usual week, but Monday marked a new stage for Bathgate. It was the laying of the first stretch of new track to link up Bathgate with Airdrie and to create another through route from Edinburgh to Glasgow. The platforms along the route are developing nicely. The new one at Bathgate will make my journey to the station change as the direct line down Mid Street will be more direct than my current journey down Hopetoun Street and St. David's Street. The BBC article mentions most of the ...
Ewan Hoyle has asked me to urgently cross-post this from his blog. He needs 10 Lib Dem voting reps to support the motion by NOON TODAY! Please help him if you can. I have already pledged my support as a voting rep. I have a very short amount of time to gather 10 supporting reps for this anthrax-contaminated heroin motion for conference:Once you have read it, approve of its content and wish to support it as an elected rep, please call me on 07817536149 to give me your backing. It needs to happen before noon I'm afraid. :(The last minute ...
In the latest in a series of Labour own goals, Brown's announcement this morning that the Budget will be in two weeks, meaning an almost certain May 6 election, is yet another missed opportunity. The polls have been narrowing. Labour have had almost wall to wall coverage. Economic figures have been revised in their favour. The ...
[IMG: A Barack Obama email. Photo credit: DavidErickson on Flickr] The 2010 general election campaign is already, in one respect, much like the previous two: it has plenty of pundits wondering if it will be the first internet general election. The reality is rather more subtle than the question implies. If you look at internal organisation and communications, the internet has long since become crucial to parties. Even back in 2001 turning off the internet would have caused campaigns to stagger near collapse. At the local level, the often unsung tool of email has also been putting in years of ...
I have a very short amount of time to gather 10 supporting reps for this anthrax-contaminated heroin motion for conference: Once you have read it, approve of its content and wish to support it as an elected rep, please call me on 07817536149 to give me your backing. It needs to happen before noon I'm afraid. :( The last minute nature of this is not my fault. Conference notes with concern: i) That at least 26 injecting heroin users have contracted anthrax infections from contaminated heroin in the UK since December last year, with 11 of these infections proving fatal. ...
Just read these excepts produced by Brad DeLong. Mill is debating whether gold-convertibility is enough to prevent damaging speculation. His insights into how speculation takes place are extremely advanced – no 'rational economic man' here: Speculation is almost always set in motion by something which affords apparent grounds for expecting either an extra demand or a ...
Interesting contribution to the debate from some of the major ISPs and other experts. "The Lords have been thoughtful in their consideration of the bill to date. It is therefore bitterly disappointing that the House has allowed an amendment with obvious shortcomings to proceed without challenging its proponents to consider and address the full consequences. Put ...
A message from John Kampfner : Dear Fraser, Yesterday, I launched my pamphlet, Lost labours, with Nick Clegg. As somebody who has a long involvement with the Labour Party, including editing the New Statesman magazine, I have been able to give a frank and honest appraisal of a decade and a half of New Labour. And in it I explain why I can no longer support them, and am instead turning to the Liberal Democrats. You can read a more condensed version in an article I wrote for the Guardian here. Alongside one million other voters, I deserted Labour in ...
Wed 10th
09:50
Official: records that would show full extent of Ashcroft donations have been destroyed
Hundreds of local records which would reveal the extent of Lord Ashcroft's donations to Conservative Party candidates during the crucial last few weeks of the 2005 general election campaign have been destroyed the Electoral Commission has confirmed. Although the Electoral Commission publishes records of donations made to political parties, donations made specifically to individual candidates during an election campaign are recorded separately. Those separate records are submitted with candidates' election expense return forms and stored locally after an election before subsequently being destroyed by the local council. The Electoral Commission also takes in copies of all these returns for its ...
I went to hear Slavoj Žižek speak at Cardiff University last week. He was certainly interesting, albeit at his most incoherent. I must admit I found the ideas he put forward contradictory and the lecture inconclusive. I blame Lacan. He gave us a critique of the racist imperialism underpinning Avatar, which was good fun, but I can't help thinking that his Marxism clouds his vision when the subject
The government plans to have all dog owners insure their dogs for third party. The new plans also give powers to the police and council to force dangerous dogs to be muzzled. Dogs will be micro chipped and dog control notices introduced (like a dog ASBO). Apparently more than 100 people a week go to hospital after a dog attack. I can well believe this as it happened to me. My bad dog experiences I was once attacked by two Alsatians dogs off the lead in Weybridge and had to have stitches in hospital. The owners were middle class and ...
Former New Statesman Editor John Kampfner has publicly backed the LibDems and sent me and others this note on why he and many more are choosing us. Dear Paul, Today I launched my pamphlet, Lost labours, with Nick Clegg.As somebody who has a long involvement with the Labour party, including editing the New Statesman magazine, I have been able to give a frank and honest appraisal of a decade and a half of New Labour. And in it I explain why I can no longer support them, and am instead turning to the Liberal Democrats. You can read a more ...
The former Labour minister Tony McNulty was one of the first MPs to get caught up in the expenses scandal when it emerged that he had been claiming expenses on a "second home" that was actually his parents house and which was only 8 miles away from his primary residence. As I blogged when this was first uncovered last year about his initial response to the revelations: (McNulty) has already launched a pre-emptive strike on the criticism he obviously knew he was going to get by firstly explaining that he has stopped claiming the allowance (as of January 2009) and ...
Notional 2005 Results:
With most polls showing the next election could result in a hung parliament, there has been various speculation about what the Lib Dem position would be. I think it's time for Nick Clegg to make an unambiguous statement that the party would not enter a coalition with either Labour or the Tories. Here are my five reasons why Nick should spell this out clearly and simply now ... 1. A coalition is a non-starter, so let's just rule it out now It's quite simple: the majority of party members will not for a single moment entertain the idea of a ...
We've all cracked jokes about the misguided bus and when it will open. Stagecoach themselves have an interesting new line in signs fixed to the side of their buses regarding the ever elusive opening date. Today however marked a new low point in the project with the release in to the public domain of the most up to date information. If you look at http://bit.ly/9MXEXC you'll find agenda Item 9 of the meeting papers for next Tuesday's Cabinet Meeting at the County Council. As a side issue you might like to know that all Cabinet meetings are open to the ...
Mentioning the Alderney Railway reminded that me that the island was at different times home to two of my heroes: John Arlott and T. H. "Tim" White. In his memoir of his father, Timothy Arlott recalls their first encounter, at a time when White lived on the island and the Arlott family was on holiday there: The first time they met, my father and Tim were so captivated by each other's company that they went out for a drink and did not return until late the following morning.That is a conversation I would liked to have eavesdropped on. If you ...
For the first time I can remember, I found myself in the back of a police car on Friday night. It's OK - I was on the side of the good guys. Beating crime and anti-social behaviour is very much a partnership activity these days. It isn't about just the Police or just the Council. It works best when the different organisations come together effectively. As part of that, councillors are invited to join the police and see what happens in these sorts of operations. (Police come to some our meetings too, though I can't help thinking they get a ...
Angela Wileman who is in Ireland has started a weblog. Her story is about how she and her children have been persecuted by the state because she was a victim of Domestic Violence.Sam Hallimond who is in Spain also has a weblog.The Cootes family who are also in spain have a facebook group
2 Must-Read Blog Posts What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Tories in Devon and Cornwall set themselves a target of raising £13,000 in an Obama-style online donate-now campaign, perhaps in an attempt to wean themselves off the Ashcroft millions. How much did they raise? Stephen Glenn picks up on the news that Lord Paul has said he will voluntarily end his non-dom status from April, whether required to or not, and asks what it means for the Tory "they do it too" defence. Spotted ...
[IMG: Katherine and I outside the empty home in January] Residents of Nelson Road are furious with Haringey Council after a family council home that has been left derelict for almost a year has now been taken over by squatters. The home was taken over last week after the Council failed to act on promises to start renovating the house, at least 11 months after evicting the last tenants. One of the neighbours is an elderly lady in her eighties and I'm told she is quite upset by the situation, which will now probably take months more to resolve. I've ...
OK, now this ridiculous farce about the timing of the general election in the UK has gone on long enough. Why on earth should the incumbent Prime Minister have the power to call a general election at any time, up to the date of the final expiry of the Parliament? It is just another piece of the Royal prerogative that has long outlived its usefulness. It is blatantly unfair that an incumbent government should be allowed to decide for itself when its mandate needs renewing, with all the advantage in planning and party expenditure that this allows. The first sign ...
Writing on his blog for Sky News, Adam Boulton discusses John Kampfner's decision to support the Liberal Democrats at the forthcoming general election. A couple of choice quotes: it is a wake-up call as to just how important the Lib Dems and their vote are going to be in a general election.And: When I was in the North East recently there was much speculation that the LibDems could take the City of Durham from Labour. It is 23rd on their target list.
This is what John Campfner says of his reasons for supporting the Liberal Democrats. Today I launched my pamphlet, Lost labours, with Nick Clegg. As somebody who has a long involvement with the Labour party, including editing the New Statesman magazine, I have been able to give a frank and honest appraisal of a decade and a half of New Labour. And in it I explain why I can no longer support them, and am instead turning to the Liberal Democrats. You can read a more condensed version in an article I wrote for the Guardian here. Alongside one million ...
....as if you hadn't noticed. I'm really struggling this week to do more than the day job. This is a great shame because my head is full of things to write about. I bit off a lot more than I could chew over the end of last week, beginning of this and am paying the price. I ended up collapsing in a heap on Monday night, going to bed at 6pm and, bar one phone call which woke me up, sleeping till morning. Yesterday I managed a few hours' work but spent most of the day on the couch - ...
A couple of days ago I wrote: I was first attracted to Evelyn Cheesman by the suggestion that she had started her career as a governess at Gumley Hall near Market Harborough. To discover the truth of that I shall have to get hold of one of her two volumes of more straightforward memoirs. It turns out that the entry from Gumley in the Victoria County History of Leicestershire cites Cheesman's book Things Worth While as its authority for the statement that the woods there "contained many foxes and badgers". So that is the book I need to read.
It appears I have managed to upset some of the management at ASDA by tweeting about their packaging that cannot be recycled and how annoying this is. Apparently I am to be sent a big report - woooo. Seriously, I look forward to it because it isn't often a corporate giant responds to the little lone voice. Anyway, now from the corporate spin back to reality. Last night I decided on cooking chicken in a tomato and onion sauc served on a bed of leeks with roasted vine tomatoes and olives. The packaging the baby leeks came in states: "Bag ...
Alicia's story: PERSONAL THANKS TO THE WHITTINGTON A AND E DEPARTMENT My elder son developed acute appendicitis and we had to rush him in a minicab to the Whittington. He was in agony and every second counted. We were terrified that his appendix would burst but the A and E were wonderful and, I think, probaby saved his life. When he was badly beaten up on the Archway Road and his face was "like a football" because of the kicking he had endured, they were enormously supportive and restored him. My family are so grateful to the dedication and professionalism ...
The battle for Swansea West at the next General Election ia really hotting up as the possible 6th May date approaches. The contest is very much between the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Labour with Plaid Cymru and the Tories as also-rans. A particular area of controversy is the record of Labour candidate Geraint Davies who lost his Croydon Central seat in 2005 and has now been parachuted into Swansea in an attempt at succeeding highly respected local MP, Alan Williams. Mr. Davies, was the most expensive MP in his last year in Parliament, claiming £176,026 in expenses and costs, and ...
The latest statistics on ambulance response times show that only 58.5% of emergency ambulance calls were responded to within the eight minute target. This is the second successive month that these figures have worsened. Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Minister Peter Black said: "It is disappointing to see yet another fall in performance on the part of the ambulance trust. Patients are continuing to be let down by the failure to respond to emergency calls within the target times and lives are being put at risk. "I asked the Minister for Health during Ministerial Questions to tackle this problem urgently. ...
Me and Cllr Andrew Milton have been pressing officers of the highways department about the lack of gritting at sensitive locations in Lewisham Central during the recent snowy and icy spells and one welcome but rather peculiar reply we received from highway officers tells us that: The main entrance for Hither Green is in Staplehurst Road ...
Commenting on the spat over crime figures between Chris Grayling and Alan Johnson, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: The Conservatives are wrong to say that crime is rising, and Labour is wrong to claim the credit as crime is falling in every western European country except Belgium. Technology and demographics are doing the work. On crime, Labour and the Tories try to make up the figures as they go along. Only the Liberal Democrats can be trusted to follow the evidence of what works to cut crime.
Serious concerns have been raised about Conservative plans for an £8,000 payment for residential care after figures released today by the Liberal Democrats have revealed that 3.5m pensioner households (66%) do not have assets of £8,000 excluding their homes. The figures undermine Conservative claims that their plans would enable older people to pass their homes on to their children as two-thirds of pensioner households would have to sell or release equity from their homes to pay for the private insurance scheme. 63% of pensioner couple households (1.4m) do not have non-housing assets of £16,000 (cost of insurance to cover both ...
I have added a word to my profile. It appears to be a nealogism. I'd like to see it adopted into the language. To me, a cad is someone a bit devil-may-care. The type of man who wears a cravat, and has a Beard of Evil TM; he drives a classic Jag, and never, EVER puts ice in his single malt whisky. He's not evil, exactly, but he doesn't have traditional morals. He's naughty. Oh yes, I'm definitely a Cadophile. My March sponsor is Mark Reckons, who isn't caddish at all, but I don't hold that against him.
Commenting on the news that UK exports took their biggest plunge in more than three years during January, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "These are deeply alarming figures which suggest that British exporters simply haven't been able to take advantage of the big devaluation which occurred in the last year. They suggest that the long term decline and neglect of British manufacturing has taken its toll and that an awful lot more needs to be done to rebalance the economy to make it more competitive. "It is wrong to suggest that the British economy can escape from this ...
All, Transition Shipston, with the help of Shipston Town Management Partnership, are holding an 'affordable enrgy for all' even at Shipston High School on April 17th from 10am to 4pm. It should be a good day - there will be lots of exhibitors showing their renewable energy and high efficiency products, such as solar panels and high efficiency boilers. On top of this, there will be stalls where you can learn about simple ways to reduce your energy bills and people who will tell you what grants are available for energy conservation. On top of this Transition Shipston will be ...
That was one of Dave Allen's sayings. The great Dave Allen who passed away five years back today. He was one of the most astute observers of human nature, given to point out the absurdities and hypocricies of everyday life especially in religion ...
How would you feel if you were told that you had to take out insurance for walking down the street, just in case you had an accident? I think it would be strange. Accidents happen and that's why we have an NHS. What if you were told that insurance was needed to play a violent sport? You may or may not think that was reasonable, but what if it was a non-contact, non-violent sport? Private insurance gives peace of mind to those who can afford it but it is also there to support private insurance companies. There has to be ...
Out a civilised hour to talk to residents in Prittlewell with Mike Grimwade and his team. At eleven, Mike and I took a break to meet up with Ted Lewin to talk about some of the issues that affect both wards. We are back on the doorstep half an hour later, and find a good response again - but it is later than intended when we finish. In the afternoon, out in Blenheim again. This is a really good session. Lots of people are in and lots of people are keen to talk. Some are keen enough to volunteer to ...
