Chris Nicholson, LibDem candidate for Streatham in South London in the forthcoming general election rallied the troops at his launch at the Bocca restaurant in Streatham High Road this evening, aided and abetted by (Lord) Chris Rennard (and other attendant locally resident peers), who shared recollections of the 1986 West Derbyshire by-election, when my earstwhile BBC ...
Chris Foote Wood launched his election campaign tonight to become the next MP for Middlesbrough. He promises to be active, full time and avaialble - now that is something the people of Middlesbrough will be wanting, I am sure. The Lib Dems came second in the last election so are the best placed to get rid of Labour, Stuart Bell if he stands, there. You can see Chris's website and all about his...
I had the privilege of being asked to see one of the workshops at Rivendell Mental Health Clinic this week. It was a computer workshop run twice a week for 3 hours where old Council computers are wiped clean, refurbished then sold onto the public. It enables those who have done computing courses at the centre ...
This morning we printed Wednesday's entry on Lord Bonkers' Future Fair. I should like to thank T.H. White for the legal terms here - they come from Mistress Masham's Repose. Thursday The Manchester Guardian arrives, and what does its front page tell me that Labour's policy will be at the general election? "A Future Fair for all," that's what! I spend the day at my solicitor's arranging to sue Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and any other socialist I can lay my hands on. I shall go for Habeas Corpus, Non Compos Mentis and quite possibly a touch of De Heretico ...
Westminster City Council likes to make out it's tough on crime and uses local residents' (often disproportionate) fear of crime as an excuse for measures like putting up "security cameras" whch seem to me to be more about generating parking revenue (see previous blogs). Which makes its poor performance in an assessment by the Crown Prosecution ...
Shame about Alex Chilton. One of the greats gone... Via Tez Burke, here's a five-CD set of 'toytown music', that style of English baroque pop which combined piccolo trumpets and lyrics about toy soldiers and childhood. Follow the rapidshare links but also have a look at their notes. This contains all the usual suspects (The Move, ...
My sincere thanks to Julian Walker-Palin who heads up Corporate Policy on Sustainability for ASDA for responding to my twitter message advertising my blog post; Anyway, now I want to respond, because some of Julian's comments are nothing short of ridiculous. Julian said; "Without packaging we would have food rotting in the fields or in supply networks, as can be seen every day in countries like India." My response; As I worked for a fruit and veg shop chain in West Yorkshire for some years, I really do disagree with this. Fruit and vegetables do not need packaging, it assists ...
So I thought i would try a poll here on the blog for a change. If it takes off, I'll do it on a regular basis. The question this time – Do you think that BBC Question Time should do a special edition show with the leaders of the main parties taking questions from the ...
A lovely colleague at work sent me a link to an article on the Guardian website showing the Governments new unemployment figures. It wasnt the drop in unemployment figures that made me laugh, it was the new wording that struck me. Gordon Brown was given a helping hand in the run-up to the general election today ...
Following complaints from residents about vandalism to fencing at the west end of Pentland Avenue, I have had the following feedback from the City Council's Housing Department: "Dear Councillor Macpherson The metal railings at this location are to be inspected for the necessary repair as they are on the Housing Department account."
The BBC are reporting that the Ministry of Justice have confirmed that Launceston Magistrates court is to remain closed. This is a big blow to the town, but not entirely unexpected. All cases will now be heard at Liskeard, Bodmin or Exeter and all those expected to attend the court will have to make their own way there.
Cornwall Council has recently entered a new advertising contract for council and housing association vacancies. That contract is with the Western Morning News who will run the notices in their Saturday property section. To my mind, this is far from ideal. Although the WMN is sold across Cornwall, it's not the best read paper and Saturday papers have less circulation than much of the rest of the week. I am told that the basis for this decision was cost. (There was another suggestion which would have seen the list published only in the West Briton and copies of this sold ...
The LibDem team was again campaigning in the West End today. Here's John Barnett, parliamentary candidate, in Rockfield Crescent. Liberal Democrats - working all year round for the West End.
It's that day again and the #bbcqt Live Chat starts here at 10:30pm. And if you're very lucky we might even extend it afterwards for This Week and what has become known as #brillochat The panel on Question Time this week from Wythenshaw includes former foreign secretary (and former Labour Leader) Margaret Beckett, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley, former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy, Green Party leader Caroline Lucas and the historian and broadcaster David Starkey (or Kevin Sharkey as our regular chat attendee Shanine's mum calls him). Join us from 10:30pm below: BBC Question Time - 18th March 2010 ...
Having spotted our parliamentary candidate Nader Fekri's reference to this little film about Lib Dem chances in the election I couldn't resist putting a link in my blog too: Lib Dem video link Particularly fun because I spotted one or two people I know. Well, five or six. Little bit local to here, wasn't it? To read Nader's blog click on the link on the right hand side of my blog.
Just four days ago, Nick Clegg condemned the deplorable scare-mongering of senior Conservatives over the prospect of a hung Parliament: Cynical, desperate, the Tories think they're entitled to victory – the moment they feel it slipping from their grasp, they start lashing out. It's a political version of the protection racket – do what we want, or ...
So I was sat listening to the news on radio 4, and suddenly, there was music. The Archers should have been starting, and there was music instead! This saved me from my usual ritual of turning the radio off for quarter of an hour because I detest the Archers. So please, people, I know I'm late to the party, but Save 6Music (38 degrees have a webform for it here), so they can continue to save me from The Archers! My March sponsor is Mark Reckons, and I wish his google ads wouldn't keep exhorting me to vote Tory.
[IMG: Northbrook Road] We've been busy reporting pot holes since the big freeze, but the biggest one we've found is in Northbrook Road, where the whole carriageway seems to have given way outside number 23. The Council tell us their contractors went out to repair it last Thursday, but as they started to dig, even more of the road collapsed. A detailed investigation is now promised, and repairs will be undertaken once this is complete. If anyone has any ideas what's caused this, or knows of a bigger pothole in Lee Green, do let us know!
David Nutt writing on CiF suggests there should be a Class D for drugs like mephedrone.Caron Lindsay also thinks that banning mephedrone is not the right way forward.Tom Harris asks if Twitter is making life more difficult for politicians.Paul Walter thinks that following the latest Ashcroft revelations Willian Hague is a dead man walking. Politically.Thursday bonus is courtesy of Journalism.co.uk via Stephen Tall. Is print dead? Stick with this until half way through for a very clever surprise:
I think that's a better slogan than our general election one launched last week, but hey what do I know. Actually there's a rather funky little filmette that was broadcast before the leader's speech last Sunday that's now available on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0-UQdowJ1w) you might want to have a look at, showing ornery folk, young and old, black and white, male and female ALL wanting us to win. Good on yer!
The Morning Star (in their 80th year!) sums up the latest Cashcroft revelations very crisply: In short, the whole issue has become a Tory exercise in rewriting history to cover Ashcroft's arse. and then: The whole business reeks of privilege and the abuse of democracy by those who believe that they can buy their way into power. It carries the stench of rotten and pocket boroughs, a poison which one might have wished consigned to history's dustbin many generations ago.
The Full Fact website reports: For two weeks now Full Fact has been trying to find out the basis of Gordon Brown's claim that 300,000 businesses in the UK have been provided with direct cash-flow help from the Government. In a piece published on 4 March, Full Fact examined the claim made by the Prime Minister in a speech to the Welsh Labour party. Despite numerous requests, emails and phone calls neither BIS, HMRC, Downing Street, The Treasury nor the Labour party were able to say where the figures came from. But with Mr Brown again using the claim during ...
Just now on Radio 4, we've had "6Music from the North" broadcast instead across half the news and some of The Archers! It thought it may have been a local pirate station before they announced themselves. It's gone back to normal now. Considering that 6Music is a digital only station that's quite a cock-up! Unless it was the deliberate act of 6Music staff raging against the dying of their station. (although more likely it's yet another result of the BBC's disastrous technical outsourcing to Siemens!)
Noone has got yesterday's trivia quiz answers so here's a clue: Born Jones – goody! Here are the photos and the question again: All three of these fellows have prominent careers in the entertainment industry. Their fathers are, or were, very famous. Can you name the three famous fathers using the comments facility below? If noone gets all the answers by this time tomorrow, I'll post the answers then.
Welcome to the (conference-belated) Golden Dozen, and our 160th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (7th – 13th Mar 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, usually courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget, by the way, you can now sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. ...
[IMG: Lynne and me at a W3 Bus Stop] I'd like to thank all the local residents who completed our W3 Bus survey, which has enabled us to tell Transport for London (TfL) what passengers think about the route. TfL are holding a review of the route, and we have sent the results into their consultation so Stroud Green residents views are considered. We had over 50 responses, and the results were: 66% think that a lack of bus countdown displays at some stops is a problem. 54% say that buses are too full at rush hour 54% want better ...
It is no secret that I am interested in liberalism and liberal ideas. I write about these topics a lot and have asked the question, how does one shift the debate towards liberalism? I try and avoid being party political on this blog and point out that there are liberals in all three parties. But I have frequently linked to bloggers who are pushing liberal arguments or exploring ways to make society more liberal. I hope I am contributing to creating a space where people can think about these things without entering into partisan warfare. Jock Coats is one those ...
I observed just before Christmas that, though ultimately it is right that the Nationalist parties should be excluded from the leaders' debates in the forthcoming general election, some Liberal Democrat bloggers did not show much generosity of spirit when discussing the point. The same phenomenon could be seen in the Commons yesterday, where Nick Clegg was mercilessly barracked by both sides. So what did Liberal Democrat MPs do when an SNP member got up to ask a question? Did they listen to him in respectful silence to demonstrate our support for a plural, less partisan style of politics? Did they ...
Our financial system needs a radical overhaul according to Lord Turner and Jock Coats. Jock's solution is rather different to Lord Turner's.
Can it really be Spring? Wonderful bulbs coming up everywhere and spring blossom at last creeping out. West End Green had a lovely patch of purple crocuses and these on Fortune Green are a forerunner to the trenches of daffoldils that were planted last year by the Friends of Fortune Green, have poked up from underground and are just about to flower again this year! Meanwhile today Cllr Keith Moffitt and I went to inspect the newly refurbished Broomsleigh St Community Hall. It looks amazing - so light and airy and clean!! Lots of white paint, new windows and the ...
Thu 18th
18:05
Nick's privacy pledge: only the Lib Dems will "bring an end to the endless snooping on innocent peop...
Nick Clegg will be speaking tonight at the 20th annivesary celebrations of human rights group, Privacy International, and will stress the importance of this coming general election as an opportunity to win back privacy. Here are some extracts from his speech: Labour has spent 13 years trampling over people's privacy. From allowing children's fingerprints to be taken at school without their parents' consent; to making us a world leader in CCTV; to wasting vast sums of taxpayers' money on giant databases that hoard our personal details. And now we hear that ministers want pensioners to swap their bus passes for ...
These minutes have fallen into my hands from the Bromley Council Conservative Group Meeting on 11 January. The interesting bit is 3(b). Group Discipline Group whip reported - 2 members not following group policy in Full Council on 15th December contrary to rule 9.1. He proposed the following actions: Cllr Fawthrop - A suspension from group for a month - suspended until the end of the civic year
I fear that crime is not unknown even in the demi-paradise that is South Shropshire. The following story comes from the county council's own website: The Court heard that Mr Lucas purchased cheese manufactured and vacuum-packed by a North Wales creamery for general distribution. He then stored it in its packaging for a short time in a cellar in his shop before re-branding it as Bridgnorth Cave-Aged Cheddar. The cheese was sold with a range of misleading descriptions, such as "18 months old vintage cheddar matured in the ancient caves of Bridgnorth", and "made exclusively for us in North Shropshire", ...
Well done to Jack Scott, Labour PPC for Sheffield Hallam. He wins Cockeyed Optimist of the Week after telling Total Politics: I think I can win against Nick Clegg. Obviously it is going to be a tough fight. But it is one I am sure that if I work hard at, then I am fairly sure I can win.Note to my Southern readers with their caviar sandwiches: Sheffield Hallam is not some Northern waste of whippets and unmarried mothers. It was until 1997 a safe Tory seat and is often reported as having more graduates among its voters than any ...
Gordon Brown admitted yesterday that he had misled the Chilcot enquiry. He had said that defence spending had risen in real terms year on year since Labour came to power in 1997. However it turns out that there were 4 years in which spending actually fell in real terms in 1997/1998, 1999/2000, 2004/2005 (at the height of the Iraq war) and 2006/2007. I think this sort of thing matters. It matters because Brown is the statistics man. He tries to bludgeon his opponents into submission by firing out stats that supposedly show his government in a positive light all the ...
The UK Libertarian Party have a very useful test too see how Liberal you are here are my results; Well done! You scored 80% (well its 70% see why below) You are a liberal 1. We should raise taxes on the rich so we can redistribute wealth to the poor? Answer No Your answer was liberal It is illiberal for people to be taxed at a different rate based on their income. Also rich people are the most mobile members of society. If they are over-taxed they will simply move themselves, their assets and capital offshore. Which will in turn ...
So now Skipton Properties has demolished Grove Mills altogether! I understand they were supposed to keep the facade to fit in with the planning permission they were granted. I wonder just how and why things have changed. Local people are ...
This morning I had question 9 for Transport Questions. I wanted to have another attempt at persuading the Minister, Paul Clark, to guarantee that there will be a compulsory driving ban for motorists found guilty of driving with a blood alcohol limit between the proposed new limit of 50mg and the existing limit of 80mg. I blogged ...
Labour's Liverpool Wavertree candidate Luciana Berger is in trouble again: Wavertree's Labour candidate, Luciana Berger fell to pieces in the first debate of the Election campaign, which saw Colin Eldrigde for the Liberal Democrats and Conservative, Andrew Garnett attack the Londoner from both sides. In a filming for ITV1s 'Party People', the three candidates were grilled by presenter Rob McLoughlin over their policies on crime and the economy. When given 30 seconds to sell themselves in the debate at Riley's Snooker Hall near Picton Clock, Berger froze, clasping her hands over her head repeatedly saying: "Sorry, can we start again?" ...
Well, Nick might have thought the discussion about hung parliament and the value of the £ had been put to bed with his comments last week. Not so. Here is a short extract from Tuesday night's Newsnight - an interview with Lord Steel and Terry Smith (from brokerage Tullet Prebon). Rarely have I seen anyone praise Vince Cable as highly as Mr Smith. But note the recurring theme we are hearing from many on the business side of UK plc - that the cuts being proposed by ALL three main parties are simply insufficient for the scale of the problem. ...
Hat tip: If you have not read it, I urge you to read Simon Heffer's piece in yesterday's Daily Telegraph. I dont agree with everything that Simon says on a regular basis, but he has it bang on right with his piece on how this Labour Government have taken the piss with our civil liberties.... He says.. "A danger of the Government's having made such a mess of the economy is that one risks forgetting all the other horrors for which it is responsible. Between now and the election I shall make a point of discussing some of these other ...
The government is not giving up. They are now looking at super ID cards.
Liberal Democrat blogger Mark Thompson has launched a new site, Lib Dem TV: On it I intend to put up any interviews or other sorts of footage involving Lib Dem members and candidates that I can generate. I am also happy to post any relevant footage from other Lib Dem activists that might be of interest more widely. You can see Lib Dem TV here.
With all the uproars about Mephedrone, should we also be thinking about another totally legal product with definite dangers - grapefruit juice? Well, dangers if you are taking certain medicines to control high blood pressure. Grapefruit juice contains furanocoumarins, chemicals that inhibit certain enzmes in the gut. These enzymes partially destroy the active ingredients in statins (chloresterol-reduction drugs) and in 'calcium channel blockers' (drugs that directly reduce blood pressure). The dosage for each patient is prescribed on the assumption that these enzymes are working normally. Inhibition means that the patient actually takes in a higher dose of the drug than ...
I have just seen the Just Vote 2010 interview recorded for the Warwick Uni Just Vote 2010 campaign which was launched last Friday. Its important for students to vote as it will force Politicians to listen to the issues that students care about. You can see the interview on U-Tube.
I know that Hulme isn't in my Constituency, but I wanted to plug their "Pot Rescue" scheme to encourage people to donate their unwanted plastic plant pots. The scheme has been such a success that they are now "potless". I received the following email from Jamie Dickinson, their project Manager. So, if you would like to ...
It has been a busy few days, and I have made progress... For some time now I have been lobbying and cajoling - writing emails; making phone calls. Arguing the case with Government; and arguing inside my own party, that we Liberal Democrats need a cast iron policy to guarantee the voice, the rights and the ...
A few days ago Dizzy Thinks spotted an oddity in the expense claims of Hull North Labour MP Diana Johnson: At the end of the detailed, albeit censored claims, provided on the Parliamentary website, is an invoice to the tune of £1,654 for "delivery of a leaflet in Hull North Constituency during September and October 2007". Looks legit doesn't it? However there's is an oddity about it. You see, there appears to be no such company as J W Shipley Distribution, either solvent or dissolved, listed on Companies House. An advanced search for all companies with "Shipley" also throws up ...
The Daily Fail's latest poll is as ridiculous as we've come to expect from them. They are asking "Should under-16s be prosecuted for having sex?" It's illustrated with a photograph of a young girl wearing a tracksuit looking detached from her miserable looking baby. That's because, obviously in the Fail's blinkered and misogynist world view, girls are to blame for pretty much all the evils of the world, and getting pregnant specifically. What exactly is giving youngsters a criminal record for having sex going to achieve? There's evidence, with the falling numbers of teenage pregnancies, that investment in education to ...
Update: I have learnt something new this week. What a favicon is. But now I have got one! It's that little icon at the top tab of the browser (hopefully). Hallejujah! Here's the original post, which turned out to be based on my total ignorance of faviconery: Dear (IP address witheld) at the House of Commons Why do you keep on looking at www.liberalburblings.co.uk/favicon.ico which comes up: "Error 404 – not found" because I haven't got a favicon and never have had one? I'd be fascinated to know via the comments or the contact page above. UPDATE2: Dr Cullen has ...
This is a European Case where another child with a genetic problem was thought to have been a victim of child abuse.This is an important point that is normally ignored by the system.At the hearing, Dr R., the consultant paediatrician who had overseen O.D.'s care at Bristol stated her opposition to the care plan; she considered that O.D. had a close relationship with his family and removal would
So, we know what happened to the original 1999 list. i.e. nine of them got peerages. That doesn't sound very impressive, until you look at the number of Liberal Democrat peerages created in the five years. In fact, 22 Liberal Democrats were ennobled, nine in 2000, five in 2001 (the Dissolution Honours List) and eight more in 2004. The 2000 list included seven from the list, Jamie, Earl of Mar and Kellie ( a recycled hereditary who returned as Baron Erskine of Alloa Tower) and John Roper (who now sits as a non-aligned peer due to his current role as ...
My colleagues over at Meols Ward have a very interesting review of the U turns of our local Tories on wheelie bins. I have minor quibble with David Tattersall who wrote the posting; namely that the Tories started the local elections after the wheeling decision by supporting it in their leaflets and change tack mid election! Birkdale Tories are slightly obsessed with this matter and ranted on about it in the last leaflet-and if they want help getting it delivered they should get in touch- but I get the impression that they are getting annoyed with the electors who are ...
I'm not one of those who think that the electorate always get it right-as Dr Owen asserted last week. I can think of quite a few governments that Britain could have done without! But when they rejected William Hague I think that broadly the electors had summed him up quite well. Therefore I am not surprised by his subsequent behavior. I guess like many Tories he starts with the premise that if you can avoid paying tax then that is perfectly ok. He sees no issue with the growing inequality in our society. We are not all in this together ...
Enjoy:
A big tip of the hat to Journalism.co.uk for pointing me in the direction of this fantastic video from the UK branch of Dorling Kindersley Books. You might think the first minute is a little clunky – stick with it, it's worth it: (Also available on YouTube here.) (Though I think it's perfectly fair dinkum to care just a little bit about what Lady Gaga wears).
Thu 18th
13:10
What's the difference between 'legitimately revealed information' and 'a corrosive effect'?
Only the political party it appears. The Shadow Leader of the House, Sir George Young has written to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, requesting that the Cabinet Office investigate the leaking of documents regarding the granting of Lord Ashcroft's peerage. Here is the full text of the letter: Sensitive papers prepared by the Cabinet Office for ...
A few weeks ago I lost my wallet (in fact I am convinced I have my own special Bermuda Triangle in my house at the moment). So I had to go through he process of getting all my cards replaced.
Just had a mosey at the Burnley Labour website – seems they think that one of the overriding factors is what football team their candidate supports. Could it be they think their appeal is so down to its core this is all they have to say? They also seem to be getting desperate (and this is NOT ...
Sorry to not have been around for a while. A busy week was followed by conference without a laptop. Then on Monday I went to my GP, only to find myself in Watford General Hospital within the hour. Now I'm out. Dosed up on antibiotics and painkillers, unable to walk more than a few yards and ...
As Richard argues in typically forthright manner, it is not clear that liquidity to the n-th degree is always a good thing – something that Krugman has pointed out, and Lord Turner – the inspiration for Richard's post – as well. However, this does not prove that you can attack liquidity to any amount and have no ...
I've had an admirably quick response from David Cameron's office in response to my inquiry about their plans to create a 'Minister for Cornwall' (see earlier post). In it, they confirm that 'no decision has been made on this'. So that seems to confirm that it really is just an election gimmick.
Good news from Kevin Lavery. In his role as Returning Officer for Cornwall, Mr Lavery has decided that five of the six General Election counts will take place on the Thursday night. The exception will be St Ives where the logistics of getting ballot boxes from the off islands of the Scillies mean that the count will take place on Friday. There has been a lot of discussion on blogs about when counts will take place with a big movement in favour of overnight counts. The Electoral Commission stepped in and warned returning officers that they faced prosecution for breach ...
I remember that William Hague showed abysmal judgment over Jeffrey Archer when he was Tory leader. After an extended ten year smoke and mirrors exhibition, we now discover he has shown abysmal judgment over Lord Ashcroft, who has been paying for his foreign flights and accompanying him on foreign trips. So, Cameron is telling us that he aspires to form the next government with a Chancellor of the Exchequer who is as thick as two short planks, and a foreign secretary who can charitably be described as "shop soiled". It does not augur well.
One of the most important debates at spring conference was on the first day, and we regret not mentioning it here before. There is a full report by Suzanne Fletcher, who has been one of the leaders of the campaign to stop children being transported to Yarlswood and to remedy the degrading treatment of those already there. Suzanne has some of the most distressing cases occurring in her home town of Stockton.
At the Lib Dem federal conference last September I attended the "Moats, Mortgages and Mayhem" fringe event run by Liberal Vision. One of the panelists was former Director General of the BBC Greg Dyke who is now an enthusiast for the Lib Dems and he had some very interesting things to say about reform of parliament. He suggested that there should be some sort of citizen's convention or jury which could take the reform decisions out of the hands of the political classes. However he did describe some of the reforms he would like to see. Amongst them he suggested ...
Mark Pack has an interesting post on the Election Law Channel on Lib Dem Voice. In it he discusses the law surrounding what must and what need not be declared in election expenses. But one thing jumped out at me: Unions such as Unite can spend potentially millions of pounds promoting the Labour Party and Labour candidates to their members without having to declare a penny. The official Electoral Commission guidance states: There are rules on how much can be spent by people who are not candidates, but who spend money at an election. These people are called 'third parties'. ...
If you ever use the website, TheyWorkForYou, then you will be familiar with the short voting summary they provide for each MP. The headline votes are things like the smoking ban, ID cards and the replacing of Trident – things which have been big news in the mainstream press. I've taken a further look and found some other interesting issues on which you may be interested to see how your MP voted, and I intend to start a small series of posts highlighting some of these. Today's post shows all those MPs who voted AGAINST allowing Gurkhas the right to ...
The FT has been broadly supportive of the government's wait-till-the-conditions-are-right attitude to fiscal tightening – what with Chris Giles and Martin Wolf setting directions there. So you might be surprised to read its leader supporting the EC's criticisms of the government, and its lack of clarity as to future deficit tightening. But in Britain Lacks a ...
As dawn broke over Bronte House, South Kilburn, I realised. I realised that with this beautiful sight (the dawn, not Bronte House!), change was coming. My local MP will soon cease to be Sarah Teather (Lib Dem, Brent) and soon will be Ed Fordham (Lib Dem PPC, Hampstead & Kilburn). Boundary changes mean that the tiny triangle of estate that I call home is being cut and pasted into the new Hampstead & Kilburn constituency. So, it feels a little like moving home. But looking at the wider picture – change is coming. Let me tell you what I believe. ...
[IMG: weber] Max Weber was one of the greatest social scientists there has been, in a group which includes Weber, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, and very few others. He is normally regarded as one the three 'Classical' sociologists who instituted the discipline. Weber was born in Erfurt, Germany and pursued an academic career in Germany, with a period in the United States, and a longer period in Austria. He also had periods as an indepedent scholar and in public service. Weber early on leaned towards nationalist conservatism, though he was certainly never an extreme nationalist by the standards of the time. ...
in your election quest today
Last week I blogged about ASDA and their recycling claims - just how green is ASDA? I offered ASDA the right of reply and Julian Walker-Palin, took up the challenge and here is what he said... Hi Andy, I read your blog with interest as I Head up Corporate Policy on Sustainability for Asda. I would like to address your points and thank you for making the comments in the first place. Firstly it's worth us remembering that packaging has a fundamental purpose. Not only does it protect products from being damaged but for food items it also helps to ...
Fortune Green & West Hampstead Give & Take event Saturday March 20th Emmanuel Church of England School 101 Mill Lane West Hampstead NW6 1NA 10:30am -11:30pm Bring items12:00pm - 2:00pm Take away Items for free Have you any household clutter gathering dust? Bring items along to ournext event and make a pledge to recycle or reuse an electrical appliance. Re-use is great for the environment because it uses less energy and resources and less waste is sent to landfill. We usually redistribute at least 2-3 tonnes of household items at each event and our events are growing in popularity. And ...
"Do we have to invite the extremist candidate?" "Can I veto the hustings by refusing to attend?" "Is the hustings meeting an election expense?" These are all common questions during general election campaigns, so here is your whistle-stop guide to what the various rules says. Political impartiality Some organisations wish to be impartial, some are forced to be impartial. So does that mean if you are organising a local hustings you need to invite every candidate standing in that constituency? For a regional or national hustings does it mean you have to invite every party who is putting up a ...
Bede 6th Form College held a "Question Time" tonight. Well organised (as last time when I was on the panel) with Philip Latham, our candidate for Stockton North, along with labour, tory, a union rep and collge student on the panel. The warm up for the real thing had volunteers from the students with some good questions and excellent answers. A good sign for future ! The debate itslelf was...
In an online poll yesterday 58% of people said that, of all the smaller parties, they would most like to see the BNP win its first MP at the next election. Over 1000 people took part in the poll at gaugeopinion.co.uk, a website set up to recruit a national text polling panel. The question asked "Which of the smaller parties would you like to see gain its first MP at the next election" and gave people the choice of BNP, UKIP and the Greens. Ads promoting the poll were run on facebook and google, targeted at over 18 year olds ...
Amidst the clamour yesterday amongst Tories and the right-wing in general that Cameron made mincemeat of Brown at PMQs with his questions regarding the forthcoming BA cabin crew strike, I couldn't help but wonder whether Cameron was doing the wrong thing... Yes, Brown dithered. So what's new? And it is most unfortunate that Labour has such ...
LDV reported earlier this morning on the BBC story that leaked Cabinet Office documents suggest Tory shdaow foreign secretary William Hague was aware of, and approved, the terms of the deal under which Lord Ashcroft gained his place in the upper house. In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme this morning, Mr Hague was forced to concede he had made a "mistake" when he said that Lord Ashcroft's promises upon becoming a peer would have cost him "tens of millions of pounds" with its clear implication that Lord Ashcroft would end his non-dom status when he became a ...
Following the success of the Christmas Market, GatleyNet are putting on an Easter Market that promises to be a well worth a visit. Come along to BossCo on Gatley Road from 3:30pm-8pm on Thursday 25th March and see what local goodies are on offer.
No, not the Genesis album silly, but independent councillors in Bromley. News comes that a third councillor has joined the ranks of the independents there, only this one is different. Lets face it, there were good reasons neither Labour or the Conservatives wanted to keep the other two who have gone independent, but the following email has been forwarded to me this morning: Dear Councillors,
The BBC has received leaked documents showing William Hague lied a few weeks ago when he stated that he had only found out about Lord Ashcroft's tax status a few weeks ago. But in a shock twist today, this blogger reveals that he simply doesn't care. That's right. I don't care. I don't care about Lord Ashcroft. I don't care about Charlie Whelan. That's not to say that their behaviour doesn't cause me any concern. But I don't care about them in political terms, because ultimately the to-and-fro shouting matches that occur every time one of their names gets mentioned ...
Today's Independent reports that the BBC has shelved a Panorama documentary about the business affairs of the Tory billionaire Lord Ashcroft, due to a threat of legal action. They say that the BBC has received "several very heavy letters" from Lord Ashcroft's lawyers and that there is now little or no prospect of the investigation being broadcast before the general election, if it goes out at all. No doubt the Tories will be delighted but they cannot believe that this is the end to the controversy over Lord Ashcroft. The Baron of Belize continues to generate huge numbers of questions ...
Lib Dem Voice launched our new website – How Liberal / Authoritarian is your MP? – at the party's spring conference last weekend. LDV has identified 10 key votes from the 2005-10 Parliament – ranging from ID cards and freedom of speech to freedom of information and trial without jury – in order to rank all MPs according to how liberal or authoritarian their record is. All MPs are marked out of 100: the higher their score the more authoritarian they are. The lower their score the more liberal is their voting record. Yesterday we noted the 24 Lib Dem ...
Plaid Cymru cannot be used to being criticised over their stance on the Welsh language but I guess that is the downside of being in government. They have spent decades siding with Welsh language campaigners in complaining that government is not doing enough only to find the same criticism directed at them the moment they try to legislate. A letter in this morning's Western Mail written by senior legal people sets out the case as to why the new Welsh Language Measure does not do what the Minister claims for it. The authors include His Honour Judge Dewi Watkin Powe ...
Its rant time folks. One of my pet hates - Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Over the years I can come to dread the words "a report from the Chief Medical Officer says". I know it will say we are all fat, lazy, stupid (or words to that effect); say how "disappointed" the CMO is that some recommendation or other has had little or no effect; how much our collective action (or lack of it) is costing the NHS... I don't know what irritates me more - the meddling, or the tone. Its well, so authoritarian. When ...
Wednesday Sprits run high at today's Future Fair - an event I have organised for many years now to interest the young people of Rutland in science and technology. This time I have arranged a varied programme: Alan Beith gives a talk on Bakelite; the principles of robotics are demonstrated by Sandra Gidley (wrapped from head to foot in silver baking foil for the purpose); and there is a display of chemical reactions by a fellow with wild hair and a white coat from the University of Rutland at Belvoir. (I should like to thank the men of Uppingham Fire ...
It's always horrible to read of young people suddenly dying for any reason. As the mother of a girl who no doubt will at some point in the next decade go out clubbing with her friends, I read with horror accounts of how perfectly fit and well young people have gone out, taken some substance and died. I can only imagine what their parents are going through and feel so much for them. The substance under the spotlight at the moment is Mephedrone, something I'd never heard of until yesterday. A "legal high", you don't have to look very far ...
The BBC has received a leaked Cabinet Office document suggesting William Hague was aware of, and approved, the terms of the deal under which Lord Ashcroft gained his place in the upper house. Here's what the BBC is reporting today: Former Conservative leader William Hague was kept informed about the negotiations of Lord Ashcroft's tax status, leaked papers have suggested. He was said to be "satisfied" with the final outcome in July 2000, Cabinet Office papers seen by the BBC showed. But that seems a little odd as,Hague claimed last November (and we reported), that he didn't know the details ...
Through the magic of YouTube below you can see an entire episode of the 1964 Robinson Crusoe TV series, complete with its wonderful theme music. Ah! Memories! It's the second episode in three parts. On Paralettic's Channel you can see four episodes. Wikipedia notes: The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (French: Les Aventures De Robinson Crusoë) was a French children's television drama series made by Franco London Films (a.k.a. FLF Television Paris). The show was first aired in Germany in October 1964 under the title Robinson Crusoe as four 90 minute episodes by co-producers ZDF television, and syndicated in the USA ...
[IMG: How to sign "Thank you" in BSL] Of all the days in history I've had to write about so far, March 18th seems about the dullest. Nothing particularly interesting has ever happened today, so that's a bit of a challenge for the day just leaving the starters blocks. About the best the wikipedia page for today can offer up is that John Updike was born today and the Tolpuddle Martyrswere sentenced to transportation. Terry Schiavo's feeding tube was disconnected and BSL was first recognised as an official British language. 2 Big Stories Ashcroft's lawyers silence 'Panorama' The Independent reports: ...
There are a lot of disappointed parents in Gorton and Abbey Hey who applied to the new East Manchester Academy. The Academy has been extensively marketing itself right across East Manchester, encouraging applications and yet very few seemed to get in. I am trying to get a breakdown of allocations, but it seems that the Academy was so oversubscribed that except for people with special reasons to get in (category 1, usually involving special needs which can only be met by that school, of looked-after children, category 2, siblings already at the school didn't apply this year for obvious reasons), ...
My mind was drawn to the question of the Interim Peers Panel last night, whilst doing some research for a Liberal Youth count. So, as a service to historians, I thought that I'd look back at the 1999 election, and see what happened to some of the fifty eminent Liberal Democrats who were successful. In order of election, with the stage at which they were successful (those who got a peerage are highlighted in Lords colours); David Bellotti - stage 1 Ramesh Dewan - stage 1 Tony Greaves - stage 1 (31 March 2000) Rupert Redesdale -stage 1 (31 March ...
Polling day in the Taverham North and Thorpe Marriott by-election is today ! If you want a truly local candidate who actually lives within the ward, then vote for me today. The polling station is Hinks Meadow Community Centre, Kingswood Avenue, Thorpe Marriott, Taverham. Polls open from 7am to 10pm.
The cult muso's cult muso has left the building; Alex Chilton's gift to the world was a whole set of perfect pop songs that nobody bought at the time, but which have proved strangely enduring and influential today[1] - think, in cultural if not musical terms, of such as Nick Drake or Jeff Buckley, only better than either of those overrated artists, if nowhere near as consistent. But when he was on top of his game, as in those first two Big Star albums, he was unstoppable. RIP Alex; remember him this way... I suspect most of you who know ...
New research by the Welsh Liberal Democrats has shown that the party's four MPs are amongst the hardest working and most conscientious in Wales. Lembit Öpik, Mark Williams, Roger Williams and Jenny Willott spoke in more debates in the House of Commons and tabled more written questions than MPs of any other party. They also attended more votes than all Plaid Cymru and Conservative MPs. Lembit has spoken in 73 debates since the 2005 General Election, tabled 127 written questions and attended 68% of all votes. That compares more than favourably with the highest ranking Conservative, Stephen Crabb who spoke ...
I am not really sure what to make about this latest development in the Luton South election. The Telegraph today is running with a story about the connection between the newly declared independent candidate, radio presenter Stephen Rhodes, and the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, Nadine Dorries. Apparently, neither of them have much time for Esther. Read more in "Tory MP embroiled in the expenses scandal in plot to stop Esther Rantzen".
As the phony election campaign drags on -and on- a huge number of new pollsters from around the world are descending like flies onto the carcass of the 54th Parliament of the United Kingdom. Polls are being published on a daily interval. Like many things these days it seems to be a case of a lot of data but very little information. We still don't feel that we have a very strong sense of what the result of the vote is going to be. Mostly, this is a function of the way the current electoral system warps the result, so ...
Thu 18th
01:40
One in four residents unhappy with council - is this what the tories call satisfaction?
Conservatives at county hall have been criticised by the Liberal Democrats for attempting to claim that local residents are happy with the county council. Liberal Democrat Leader Chris White said: 'One in four people by the council's own admission are not satisfied with the way the council performs. Improvements in satisfaction have been made mainly in relatively minor services like household waste recycling centres, public transport information and the registration service or with essentially private sector services like buses. Those politicians who actually meet the public know how furious they are with the county council over roads, school places and ...
Two teenagers have died after taking MEPHEDRONE!!1! (oh and alcohol and methadone.) The toxicology results won't be back for weeks. Until then, we don't know how these young men came to their sad end. But the press have decided: they died because of mephedrone. What has alarmed me about today's moral panic is the prevalance of the attitude that 'legal' must mean 'safe'. I find this a terrifying attitude for individuals to take towards their own well-being. This is yet another conseqeunce of prohibition. When the government's remit becomes to protect people from themselves, some people - perhaps inadverently - ...
In general I like trade unions. I like the idea that we should improve working conditions. I like the idea of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. A pivotal role for the unions is to ensure good communications between the workers and the management. In an ideal world we don't need unions. We would have perfect communication, fair wages and excellent working conditions without asking for them. Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world. If there is a dispute then the management will blame the unions for excessive demands. Unions will blame management for unjustified impositions. ...
Seems that one MP has been pressing the wrong buttons Don't give up Carol – win through with a winning team.
