Channel 4 tonight broadcast excerpts from a quite extraordinary filmed interview with David Cameron in which the Tory leader appears utterly confused and clueless about his party's position on the issue of gay equality. After stumbling over his own words, contradicting himself, and admitting he hasn't got the answer, a visibly flustered Mr Cameron eventually pleads for the cameras to be turned off so that he can compose himself. Here's the six-minute report in full: (Also available on the Channel 4 website here). That Mr Cameron has run into trouble on the issue of gay equality is wholly predictable. (That ...
I was back out on the #LibDemdoorstep (as I call it on Twitter) in Barwell, delivering our Lib Dem leaflets in Washington Close and Charleston Crescent.
A couple of weeks ago "incensed mum" Vanessa Kimbell won our coveted Imaginative Simile of the Day award for saying the floor of the changing rooms at Market Harborough's swimming pool looked as if a "Yeti had been attacked". (Read Go Litel Blog, Go... on this too.) This category proved so popular that it led us to instigate a new award. As a result, Yeti-related Simile of the Day goes to Anne Treneman of the Times. Because, writing on his new blog, the Liberal Democrat MP David Heath reveals that Anne Treneman of The Times recently likened him to "a ...
Tomorrow is the third day of strike action to be taken by members of the PCS union, of which I am a member. Accordingly, I'll be at home so, if I can be bothered, there will be news and commentary on Alastair Darling's Budget speech... For the record, I certainly didn't vote for this strike, but one should respect a democratic vote, a lesson that some of my union-hating Conservative fellow bloggers might like to note. I always find it intriguing that their view of democracy is supportive right up to the point where it produces a result that they ...
Yikes. Not quite sure what's the most surprising from the interview I've just watched. The good joke from Gordon Brown about Peter Mandelson or the collapse of David Cameron, who asks for the interview to stop, turns to his minder off camera and asks for a different style of questioning. Watch the interview here. And no sniggering at the back when the Prime Minister pauses during his first answer. (More also on this interview in a Channel 4 News report.)
With that unconventional question, Liberal Democrat MP David Heath has joined the ranks of blogging MPs (having previously tried out a few posts that were simply his newspaper column reproduced): I'm not sure the resemblance is that obvious, but that's what Ann Treneman called me in the Times this morning. I guess it's better than "like a Tajik with toothache", which is what her predecessor Matthew Parris once came up with. You can enjoy the rest of David's blog at http://davidwsjheath.wordpress.com/
I was pleased today to be able to sign up to the NSPCCs pledge for candidates at the general election. This signs me up to: A better resourced child protection system and ensuring it is protected from cuts.Better protection for children living with domestic violence.More therapeutic services for children who have experienced abuse.Continued government funding of helplines for children and for adults concerned about a child.I am passionate that we need to do more for child protection, especially for those who have suffered from abuse. I think there are a lot of innovative approaches being developed by the NSPCC and ...
With the permission of the Rotary Club of Abertay, here's details of the appeal for their forthcoming charity shop : Brook Street, Broughty Ferry (former Victoria Wine shop) Monday 29th March to Saturday 3rd April (Shop stacking Mon-Wed; open for sale Thurs - Sat) Acceptable items for sale include bric-a-brac, books, music, pictures, toys, sports equipment, garden accessories, soft furnishings and linens, small items of furniture, bikes, CDs, videos, computer games, DVDs, fashion accessories, jewellery, but - from previous experience - no clothes, please. Telephone Dundee 668355 or email aams@talk21.com to request collection of donated items.
Last night saw the final stage in the Lords of the Orders which bring into being new Unitary authorities for Norwich and Exeter, an issue which has been raised here at 'Liberal Bureaucracy' before. There was to be one last attempt to stop the Government from continuing with its proposals in the face of near unanimous condemnation, as the Liberal Democrat Peers were rallied to support a fatal motion from Lord Tope to 'decline to approve the draft Order'. The chamber was full, as Liberal Democrat and Conservative Peers attacked the arbitrary nature of the Order, the failure of the ...
Residents of Carnoustie Drive can be forgiven for being a little confused over the proposals for traffic calming and parking restrictions in the area. First Stockton Council consulted on installing speed bumps along Muirfield Rd, Carnoustie Drive & Sunningdale Drive along with parking restrictions on several roads near The Links School. When responses indicated little support for the speed
Just back from a fantastic FREE concert at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax, it was brilliant. The acts were magnificent, ranging from some littlies to some older citizens, and all ages in between, all-singing all-dancing giving their all. From the Irving Berlin numbers to Michael Jackson's Thriller, via Oklahoma and Lennon & McCartney. A big thankyou to all who took part, front of house, performers, the MC, and the backroom boys and girls. When certain people tell you that we are living in a "Broken Britain" tell them that they are talking rot. The overwhelming majority of people, are good ...
This evening, I took the minutes at the first meeting of an informal group interested in ensuring that there is a proper and lasting memorial to the victims of the 1879 Tay Rail Bridge Disaster. Apart from myself and other councillors, there were representatives from a number of organisations including the Tay Valley Family History Society, Newport, Wormit and Forgan, Community Council and West End Community Council. The meeting was chaired by Stuart Morris of Balgonie. It was an excellent and productive meeting - we have formed a Memorial Fund committee that I have agreed to serve on and we ...
I've just got round to watching the 'Mary Nightingale follows round Nick Clegg' programme – here on ITV Player. It's great, with some excellent contributions from the Padster, Charlieboy, Nick's mum and Miriam.
Some of the issues challenging Barton-le-Clay and surrounding villages are replicated across the country. Here are some I discussed with colleagues at the Lib Dem spring conference earlier this month, with proposed solutions for us to try: 1. Speeding through villages - campaigning with police Many local police forces now have vans equipped with speeding and automatic number plate recognition, which they could deploy in rural areas. They are bound to take action if there is public concern, therefore a useful way to raise a village's concerns is to raise the issue at a Parish Council, who then notify the ...
A possible semi-regular feature I might start doing if people like these, here's just a simple list of the most interesting terms for which people have searched and found my blog in the last seven days: tarzan sex most annoyng thing ever how often does forbidden planet restock do it yourself acid-casualty doo-wop tijdschrift pep what's the a cappella music in ...
My wife and I have recently been watching through both series of the marvellous Spaced, the 1999-2001 sitcom written by Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson). I've seen most of it before, but it's nice to sit down and watch things properly from start to finish, and this is one of those shows that rewards dedication. Thick with pop culture allusions and lightning-fast jokes, it is simply joyous. It's available on Channel 4's 'On Demand' website here. Anyway the real reason I wanted to write this was because in the last episode of the second series - the show's ...
I am backing the Arbroath Abbey World Heritage Campaign. I have signed the petition online in order to demonstrate his support to secure World Heritage Status for Arbroath Abbey from the UN. Given the Abbey's connection to the Declaration of Arbroath, it is fitting that the Abbey be granted World Heritage Status. I believe that this will encourage even more visitors to come to visit Arbroath Abbey and share in the exceptional site and its history. As well as recognising the Abbey's importance to Scotland, it would also provide a boost to our tourism industry both in Arbroath and Angus ...
I have had confirmation from the Council that they are not able to introduce any traffic calming measures in Dutson Road. It had been suggested recently that some works to slow the traffic might be possible, but this is, sadly, not the case. As residents will know, Dutson Road is a very busy highway with a large number of heavy lorries. For part of its length there is no pavement and, with cars parked there, pedestrians often have to walk in the middle of the road. I asked back in June if anything could be done but was told that, ...
Cornwall Council are considering introducing new parking restrictions in Moorland Road outside the Police Station and St Catherine's Primary School. The problem is that it is a narrow road and cars parking (quite legally) on the road mean that it can be difficult for other vehicles to get past. This is particularly a problem for the town bus service. I am told that the bus, and cars, have been damaged. So the Council will shortly be trying to work out the best solution - probably in the form of yellow lines. I have talked to both the Headteacher at the ...
Alix Mortimer has a wonderful post today where she outlines her ideal parliament. Consisting of 646 astronauts. She makes it make sense, honestly!Helen Duffett on why the obsession with the leader's wives is missing the point.Byrne Tofferings explains why he is a part of the Conservative party.Andrew Hickey has a review of the latest show from one of my favourite comedians, Richard Herring, "Hitler Moustache". I really must book tickets for that. Tuesday bonus: Richard Herring's erstwhile partner, the sublime Stewart Lee on Joe Pasquale and plagarism:
Following the Channel 4 expose (Liberal England: Liveblogging Dispatches: Politicians for Hire) of former Government ministers, among others, offering to influence policy for cash, Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House, David Heath said: "MPs should not be using their positions to further their own interests over those of the people they should be representing. "Liberal Democrats brought forward measures to restrict the influence of lobbyists in Parliament. Sadly, Labour voted them down while the Tories failed to show up. "Labour and the Tories claim they want to clean up politics but the reality proves different. "Once again it seems ...
Commenting on the Governments announcement to increase access of superfast broadband, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, Don Foster said: "It is absolutely vital that we invest in our digital infrastructure. "Britain is already lagging behind other countries with faster internet speeds so intervention is needed. "Investment in rural areas must start early to avoid an expanding digital divide. "The Government must provide exemptions from the tax for pensioners and the least well off and ensure everyone is equipped with the skills to use superfast broadband." [NB - Conservative proposals for universal fast broadband would take money ...
Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today called for a cross-party Council of Financial Stability to agree the timetable and scale of deficit reduction. The sheer size of the deficit will require politicians to take a different approach to the challenges in public spending to avoid Greek-style social unrest, Nick Clegg said in his speech at the London Stock Exchange which was co-hosted by the WWF and CentreForum. Nick Clegg said: "Government-as-usual will not, cannot, command the legitimacy to make the big decisions before us. The scale of the changes required is so great it will require a different way of ...
I am speaking to you as the Liberal Democrat candidate for your votes in the council elections. Vote me! Also, if any of you can afford to donate some time, money or effort to campaigning, that would be lovely because I'm skint. But mostly vote me. My agent tells me this means I'm not allowed to call Craig Whittaker a prize arse any more. Oh well. I did that before I was approved, so that's OK.
We've had a busy few weeks campaigning in Chorlton - and it's only going to get more intense between now and the election! Tonight I went out campaigning with some local members on the streets off Egerton Road North in the pouring rain! The reception on the doorstep was very good. People are telling us that they appreciate the work we've been doing locally and they really want a change from Labour. I really enjoy getting a chance to talk to people about what they think and pick up any issues they have. I've also been trying very hard to ...
The Grand ol' party has viciously opposed every last comma of the Health Care Bill which Barack Obama signed into law today. Fine. But where do they go from here? Already, with the ink from Barry's 5,000 pens hardly dry, the Bill is leaping up in terms of popularity with the US populace. One can only hope the poor dears in the Republican party campaign to repeal the Bill – that would really be a one-way suicide mission, as Tom Jensen notes: If the Republicans now keep health care in the spotlight by trying to repeal it, they will be ...
On the 28th May 2010 Manchester will once again join with people across Europe to celebrate European Neighbours' Day. Mancunians are being called upon to make this Neighbours' Day celebration even more successful than last year when Manchester City Council approved a record 159 applications from residents who wanted to get to know their neighbours better by holding street parties, barbecues, gardening events and other activities across the city. Last years' Neighbours Day was a great opportunity for local residents in Chorlton to get to know their neighbours. In Chorltonville where I live we held a street party at the ...
This morning I headed out to campaign in the constituency. The reaction was clear from local residents; Labour do not understand our anger over Margaret Moran's behaviour and are concerned more about themselves than local residents. Labour never stood up for local people and always supported Ms. Moran and I agree with fellow residents whole heartedly. Afterwards I attended a meeting at the Houses of Parliament that local residents had asked for me to speak at. The issue was about pursuing peace throughout the world, something I have been campaigning on for decades. The meeting was related to work done ...
Interesting diary piece in this morning's Western Mail farming supplement in which a North Pembrokeshire farmer caught in the middle of the badger cull writes about how it has divided his community: A short while ago a friend of mine, buying a Daioni milkshake in a Newport health-food shop, was confronted by another shopper who asked how she could buy something produced by a farmer who supported the cull. "By supporting them, you support the cull," she was told. I don't know the rights and wrongs of it. How can I? I'm a farmer not a scientist or a politician. ...
Doesn't he write funny? Is that one pen for every letter or one pen for every sort up-stroke, cross-stroke or down-stroke?
Over the last few weeks I've begun to receive campaign literature from Penri James and Plaid Cymru and to be honest, it's annoyed me a little bit. Not so much the fact that I'm getting the literature, that's not an issue, it's more what Plaid are saying and implying in them. Of course all Political parties ...
From Channel 4 Dispatches – available to view here. It would be unjust to jump to conclusions and I hesitate to further pillory someone who has been pilloried to hell and back. Perhaps it is unfortunate, but this screenshot, for me, epitomises the whole Dispatches programme last night, and therefore the whole malaise at Westminster. It's where Margaret Moran, recorded by a covert camera, enthusiastically described her reaction to subjects on which she is keen. The Sunday Times reported: MARGARET MORAN was so keen to take up a role with the undercover reporter's fictitious company that she suggested she might ...
Good news: Craig Murray has joined the Liberal Democrats. You will probably have heard that the Tories had a social media catastrophe yesterday in the shape of the collapse of their #cashgordon campaign. Andrew Hickey has the juicy details. RandomPottins introduces us to a strange episode in the career of Donald McIntosh Johnson, who was a wartime Independent by-election candidate, stood as a Liberal in the 1945 general election and later became a Conservative MP, until he fell out with them too. There was a stunning programme on sudden blindness on Radio 4 this morning. Niles's Blog heard it too ...
These are my absolute downfall. I can leave cakes and bread (not surprisingly as I'm wheat intolerant) but you can tell when it's been a really stressful day - I reach for them. Two packs today - 2 teenagers (well one is and the other thinks he ought to be) + one TV remote control = fireworks. I feel a banning of set watching coming on. Whoever writes the definitive guide to surviving teenagers will make a fortune - but sadly it's not going to be me! Elsewhere there's a definite feeling of calm before the storm. People of all ...
can be found here. He mentions yours truly, but expands on the pros and cons to a degree I have not yet managed: [Wilkes] suggests, among other things, that the Bank start targeting nominal economic growth (in other words GDP as we know it plus inflation). It is an intriguing idea: the Bank's CPI target is narrow ...
Spent all afternoon with all patners (police, health, probation, Fire etc) working on strategies and tactics for really driving the first 2 down and thus the third one up with. Very good scene as we recently won four awards (out of just nine for the whole of the country!)
The column was damaged so badly that the council is having the replace the whole thing. The column is also being repositioned to the back of the footpath. Southern Electric and Western Power have to carry out these works and have 28 days to do so. They are expected to complete everything by 14/15th April.
So I wrote to my MP, and got a reply on House of Commons headed paper, saying that lots of her constituents were expressing concern at this, and that she had already requested a meeting with Dark Lord Mandy to talk it over, and that she'd write again to let me know the outcome of that. She might be Labour, but damn, she's a good constituency MP. This is not the first time I have had correspondence with her, and each time she's been unfailingly polite and useful. I'll be sad to see her stand down at the next election. ...
I have just been driving home listening to BBC Five Live. I caught the end of an interview with an Israeli politician who is the leader of one of the Israeli political parties. This interview was about Britains decision to expel an Israeli diplomat. This was after British passports were copied and used in an Israeli hit squad to kill Mr Mabhouh who was the founder of Hamas's military wing. This happened in his hotel room in Dubai on 19 January 2010. What he said was unreal, he said that Israel would accept it if Britain used Israeli passports for ...
It's my first "Full Council" meeting tonight at Broadland and I am rather looking forward to it. The agenda is not very full and it does not appear to be anything particularly controversial to be discussed, but should anything remotely interesting be said or anything that affects Taverham and Thorpe Marriott be put forward, you can be assured I will write about it and let local residents know.
Lib Dems have traditionally put great faith in 'fairness'. They believe in it and, by extension, that an appeal to fairness will motivate voters; the "Four steps to a fairer Britain" campaign theme is merely the latest in a long line of such documents. I have long harboured heretical thoughts about all this emphasis on fairness. It's not that I ...
This blog is on hold. I would blame the election campaigns but my blogging has been so erratic over the last year that I can't really do that. But simply a lack of time overall and the next few weeks when it will inevitably get worse means I have to make it "official" that ...
At the recent Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham, I made a video diary of the weekend. Here it is.
Alix Mortimer rightly bemoans the quantity of idiots in parliament, but it should be obvious why there are so many of them: the political skills required to get selected then elected are nothing like the skills required to be a top-class legislator. Ideally, legislators should have a sharp eye for detail, excellent reading comprehension skills, an excellent grasp of statistics, an understanding of history and political philosophy and a set of novel personal background experiences to bring to the table. In contrast, parliamentary electees must convince 35,000 skeptics to give them a job, through awareness-raising campaigning, doorstepping, local problem solving, ...
For every 1 hour of TV I watch, I use the internet for approximately 9 hours. For every 1 hour of TV the average online person watches, they use the internet for approximately 9 minutes. Hello other world. (UK statistics.)
Great news on the potholes story and video posted yesterday. Although the Oscar committee have not been in touch, the Council has. I have been contacted by residents in Moorland Road and Priory Park Road who told me about pothole problems there and I passed these on to the council along with the Cross Lanes ones. The Council has promised to fill the worst of the potholes with temporary fillings as soon as possible and the entire list is now being added to the works order for permanent filling. This will hopefully be done in the next three to four ...
Tue 23rd
17:00
Council tax income spent in Norfolk in order to fight something the Tories could have killed off in ...
Local councils across Norfolk are still up in arms, quite justifiably so, over the government's decision to grant unitary status to Norwich. During the whole process a small fortune has been spent on legal fees and propaganda by councils in Norfolk on both sides of the debate. However, it is the actions of the Tories this week that has come in for much criticism, particularly form the local press in Norfolk in the form of the Eastern Daily Press (EDP) who in a complete about turn for them seem suddenly to hav woken up to the fact that Cameron's Tories ...
Hoon, Byers, Hewitt and Moran have been suspended from the parliamentary Labour party. But Sir John Butterfill remains within the cosy Tory clan, despite (from my viewing) similar apparent indiscretions on Channel Four's Dispatches programme. David Cameron says 'but it's too close to an election to suspend Butterfill', and that it would be an "empty gesture" because Butterfill is standing down anyway. This just won't wash. Camshaft says that Butterkins will not get a peerage, but I cannot believe that someone as low down the food chain as Butterkiss would have got a peerage anyway – so that really is ...
Royal Mail should correct claim by developer Developers look worryingly close to persuading Kensington and Chelsea Council that the post office building on Kensington High Street should be turned into luxury flats (of course, with no affordable housing). Royal Mail, who are not - let's face it - feeling exactly flush at the moment can see the £ signs. It is a prime site in the heart of Kensington. The only problem is that they are committed to maintaining a Post Office in this area but haven't said where or when a replacement one will open. When I say they ...
March 18th saw two notable anniversaries in the annals of democracy. Firstly, the world celebrated eighteen years since the watershed referendum that voted to end the system of apartheid across South Africa. In a longer lens, it was also the anniversary of the declaration of the Paris Commune in 1871, an event that gave the Western world a working model of delegative democracy, and a parliamentary recall function similar to our own proposals for errant M.P.'s - let us hope 1980s synth-pop band The Communards ('Don't Leave Me This Way') cease to remain its most recognised cultural echo! Back in ...
People in my area (Hither Green Lane) might be bemused to get leaflets from the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, each claiming that only they can beat Labour here. Surely they can't both be right? Or can they? Strictly speaking, of course, they're both wrong. Even The Monster Raving Loony Party could win 'here' if enough people voted for them. However, it is somewhat unlikely, as would be a Conservative victory 'here'. But it all depends on what 'here' means, and what election we're talking about. In General Elections, the Deptford constituency has been almost continuously Labour, with hefty ...
The Leadership Centre for local government has launched a new website: The councillors' guide to social media. The site has a variety of information for councillors, and is particularly accessible for those who haven't yet tried this way of communicating. Here's a flavour: Top ten reasons to use social media Banished! Ten social media myths Getting started Top ten councillors on Twitter which features four Liberal Democrats (including Lib Dem Voice editors Sara Bedford and Alex Foster). Opportunities not taken is particularly interesting, as it highlights areas for improvement. It says that councillors and officers tend to face cultural, rather ...
Julian Huppert, Lib Dem PPC for Cambridge, has written on the CaSE blog about the need for more qualified scientists and engineers in parliament. The material they consider is increasingly technical and important, goes his argument, and cannot be left entirely to the layperson. Yet more MPs from "media, marketing and PR" are the antithesis ...
I attended the Kew Ward quiz on Friday night at the premises of the Gladstone Liberal Club. It was a great night with an excellent turn out. There was very keen competition especially between a team including quiz champion Brian Rimmer and John Pugh and Fred Weavers. I must admit our team 'Lime Tree' (named after Rachel's wine bottle) were languishing in last place for most of the contest. The last round to be marked was the one on children's TV 1950-1990. I shall not name the egg heads but we jumped from being favourites for the wooden spoon to ...
I attended a WWF Earth Hour event a while ago to learn more about the campaign which highlights efforts to tackle climate change. Here is a description of the event from the Earth Hour website . "In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour. Earth ...
Olivia's story: I feel very strongly about the threatened closure of A & E at Whittington. This is partly for all the reasons put forward by others - the ridiculousness of the Royal Free being able to cope with increased numbers, the journey time from places like Crouch End or Hornsey (even Highgate) and the nightmare of Pond Street and parking (not good even at Whittington but nothing like as bad as Pond Street). My other reason is that my father was a consultant at Whittington many years ago and the coronary care unit there is named after him (Montuschi ...
With due deference to our non-London readers, here's an ultra condensed version of London Mayor Boris Johnson and the roadworks: Two years ago Boris Johnson promises to do something about the number of times London streets get dug up with a "holy war on holey streets". Two years on, the holy war has yet to start and instead it's been reconfigured. Now he's promising one meeting a year. But not just any meeting. It'll be A SUMMIT. A rather peaceful and slow moving kind of war really.
Liberal Democrat PPC for Luton South, Qurban Hussain, has commented on Margaret Moran's suspension from the Parliamentary Labour Party following last night's Channel 4 'Dispatches' programme; "The Labour party think that banning her from standing again is 'tough action'. This 'tough' action has allowed for her to claim another year's salary while not doing the job we pay her to do. The programme revealed she has not voted once since May meaning that the voice of local residents has not been heard since then. Margaret Moran will collect a £54,000 bonus on election day on top of her £64,000 salary ...
Marvellous interview on The World at One just now, with John Knight, the Labour (minority) leader of Ashfield Council in Notts. He's not sounding like a happy bunny at the moment, what with his talk of "career politicians" and "betrayal of working-class voters" and tales from the doorstep of "I'm voting for you but I'm not voting for Geoff (Hoon)". One gets the feeling that Mr Knight won't be mustering up much enthusiasm for new candidate Gloria de Piero who has been parachuted into the constituency, who makes the much-bruited Luciana Berger both look and sound like Bessie Braddock in ...
Pat Sumner has appeared on these pages before and was one of the first to be recognised in our 'unsung heroine' award. Having achieved such acclaim you may wonder what further honour Pat could recieve? Nevertheless we are delighted to report that the NW Regional Party has bestowed on her their President's award. Congratulation Pat. I understand that a Mrs Blackburn from Maghull was similarly honoured at the conference in Rochdale last weekend. I know our Sefton East Parishes colleagues think highly of her so congratulation Mrs Blackburn I hope that both ladies will accept my apologies for being unable ...
So, Anne Moffat MP will not be joining her colleagues back on the green benches after May 6. Anne Moffat MP appealed to Labour's NEC following Friday's Constituency Labour Party vote to de-select her, Anne lost the vote by 130 votes to 59. You can read more about this here or here. We now learn that Anne Moffat's appeal has failed. Labour will now start seeking a new candidate just weeks away from the expected General Election. Over on the BBC website; Ms Moffat lodged an appeal and said the process had been unfair because many of her supporters wanted ...
It has been reported to me by fellow residents that some candidates have claimed they only they have been campaigning the constituency since last May. Earlier this week I blogged about my passion for local politics. As Liberal Democrats we firmly believe in campaigning for local people on the issues that matter to them and doing so all year round, regardless of whether there is an election or not. For those who have only recently become involved with Luton I enclose below from our archives example of our literature from 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Rights and freedoms are not always straight forward, but the abuse of rights' language really works me up. The latest example comes from Susanne Wilkinson who turned a gay couple away from her B&B on account of her religious beliefs. Here, freedom of religion is often appealed to with total disregard for what it actually stands for.Freedom of religionMrs Wilkinson has the sacrosanct right to
Thanks to everyone who took part in our Twitter mini-poll last week on the question: Do you agree with the members of the House of Lords who are demanding the right to vote in general elections? The result is: Yes 70% (49 votes) No 30% (21 votes) ... and not one person picked "Don't know". Give yourselves a pat on the back for decisiveness.
. . . then you might want to follow the aftermath of Saturday's election in the Australian state of Tasmania. Final results won't be known until 1 April, but it seems that Labor -- the incumbent government -- will win 10 seats in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, the same number as the (centre-right) Liberals. The Greens appear to have taken five seats, giving them the "balance of power". Labor previously had an overall majority but a 12 percent crash in their share of the vote has put an end to that. So far, the Liberals have won more votes ...
[IMG: sir-menzies-campbell-001] North East Fife's MP Sir Menzies Campbell is showing his support for WWF's Earth Hour. WWF's Earth Hour is a global initiative taking place on Saturday 27 March 2010 between 8.30pm-9.30pm. WWF is calling on individuals, businesses, iconic landmarks and local authorities to sign up to switch off their lights for one hour to show they care about people and wildlife threatened by climate change. This year's event is set to surpass those from previous years', with over 1,100 cities and towns across the globe switching off their lights in support of Earth Hour. This year more than ...
I was having a look at data from previous elections recently with a particular focus on the number of seats and percentage of votes gained by the third party in the last few decades. The first thing that is clear and which I already knew is that in the last three general elections, the Lib Dems have consistently increased their number of seats. The figures are: 1997: 46 (+26)2001: 52 (+6)2005: 62 (+10) The huge leap in 1997 is often put down to our improved targeting campaign techniques championed by Chris Rennard. There is something else interesting in the figures ...
Few Boroughs can match the political turbulence of Lambeth - the last four elections have seen the administration change hands! This May could make it five, with the added bonus of securing the borough's first-ever Liberal Democrat MP. Lambeth packs some 270,000 residents into just a few square miles from the London Eye on the South Bank to Streatham and West Norwood. There are some very wealthy districts of fine Georgian houses or Victorian villas. But northern parts of the borough are still dominated by large estates of modern social housing, too much of it in dismal condition. Further south ...
The Selly Oak Constituency Committee will meet at 7pm on Tuesday 23 March 2010 at The Hub Hazelwell, 318 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath.Items on the agenda include:an update on local leisure services (double click to find all papers);an update on neighbourhood management (double click); andthe constituency budget for 2010/11 (double click).To see all the meeting papers please double click here.
I am not a great fan of GMTV. Too often it is a programme that sucks up to the Labour Party in the most nauseating manner. Today we learn that Gloria De Piero has been parachuted in by Labour in Ashfield constituency following the early retirement of Geoff Hoon who attempted to suicide bomb Gordon Brown into resignation.Ms De Piero is the ex-political editor of GMTV but has no apparent links with
The "revelations" that certain MPs tout themselves for business off special interests was hardly earth-shattering for those of us who have been paying attention to what MPs are doing for a long time. The only thing that was new was that the silly MPs in question were all caught talking openly about it to a sting ...
Around about this time in the run up to a general election the phrase 'voter apathy' starts to appear in headlines and news articles. This mysterious condition is a malaise so serious, if you listen to some reports, that most of the UK population is struck down by it just before voting. Various causes are attributed to it from political scandal, sleaze and expenses rows to the weather and what's on telly that night. And there seems to be no cure for it, this year will as bad or even worse as the last general election with millions not bothering ...
As David Smith argues, the latest inflation figures may be a game changer, and we should look to the figures excluding the effect of indirect taxes (for the rest of 2010) as an idea of what 'core' inflation is. Here is a handy chart, with appropriate labelling. I am curious to see how Guido covers this. UPDATE: If ...
In a written statement yesterday the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning attempted to plot a way forward for funding post-16 learners in special schools and further education. He stated that: The final allocation for post-16 learners in special schools and out of county placements for 2009-10 is £20.2m. This represents funding in full the final estimates of local authorities for this year. For 2010-11, initial allocations will total £20.49m. This equates to 85% of local authorities' initial estimates, an increase of 16% over the 69% originally announced. These allocations mean that funding for special schools post-16 and out ...
I like to write something here when I am positively surprised by an online transaction, to reward the seller beyond just the purchase price. So: I ordered a replacement battery for my Asus laptop on Sunday night on eBay and it arrived this morning, despite it being listed as 3-4 days shipping time. It was also pretty much the cheapest option going. So if you're looking for a laptop battery, give Battery Pro a look on eBay.
Tue 23rd
10:54
Tories, 'hacking', Twitter and #cashgordon - Look, I Just 'Hacked' Mark Reckons' Site Lib Dem Voice!
ETA: Actually Mark doesn't use the Lib Dem Blogs RSS feed – just features the RSS feeds of various Lib Dems, under a 'lib dem blogs' header, so I thought he did. Feel free to substitute in the name of $prominentlibdemblogger below Yesterday, a website run by the Conservative party, cash-gordon.com , got redirected to various ...
As part of the fall out from last night's Channel 4 'Dispatches' programme, Luton South MP Margaret Moran has been chucked out of the Labour Party in Parliament. The BBC reports; "Ms Moran, already deselected by Labour as an election candidate following revelations over her expenses, has been suspended by the Parliamentary Labour Party." Should have happened ages ago.
It is the news we have all been waiting for: the £219 million pounds required to fund the refurbishment of St Helier hospital has been granted by the government. The full press release from the Epsom & St Helier Trust can be read here. This is a real victory for all those people who have stood ...
An interesting piece no ITV London about yet another story that questions the judgement of Barnet and Camden's representative on the London Assembly, the Conservative Brian Coleman. http://www.itv.com/london/fire-planning-authority47151/
What I get in my inBox from them: How nice of them to help out the good folk at Octopus Investments. Sounds a bit like squid ... I reiterate a point I will tirelessly make: the absolutely best way of guranteeing a sub 35% result for the Conservatives on polling day will be to carpetbomb the UK ...
You may remember that about a month ago TfL closed the inbound lane of the Finchley Road and put all the trafic down Fortune Green Road/West End Lane. This was done at the same time that there were two sets of extra traffic lights on West End Lane as people were digging up various parts of it - and on a weekend of heavy tube and overground closures - with lots of extra rail replacement services. The result was horrible! I complained to them at the time - asking why they put all that traffic down into West Hampstead when ...
Yesterday The Voice ran an op-ed from the Resolution Foundation's Sophia Parker about the, "9.4 million working-age 'low earners' - those people living on an average household income of £15,800 while remaining broadly independent of state support." It's a group of people that is not that often explicitly addressed in Liberal Democrat policy debates or campaigning and messaging discussions, expect in as much as they are part of the millions who would benefit from the party's policy of raising the income tax threshold to £10,000. Yet these low earner households have been the bedrock of many of the party's biggest ...
Click here or ont he image below to watch last night's edition of Dispatches.
At his news conference this morning, Conservative Leader David Cameron railed against the influence of lobbyists saying that the political system is 'looking more broken than ever'. So where does that leave George Eustice, the man who wants to be the Tory MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, is a former senior Tory advisor and now lobbies for Coca Cola and Vodaphone among others. Setting aside the claim by Mr Eustice that lobbying is a 'real job in the real world', the question that strikes me is how will he accommodate his business interests if he were to be elected. ...
I had a semiWebFree day yesterday. Some would hope this would be liberating, but of course we know it is not so; the stuff just accumulates unseen and unsorted. I tend to feel very like Andrew in this excellent post here: simultaneously energised and stressed by having so much to want to read. Were our forefathers ...
For once I agree with Peter Mandleson in his assessment of the behaviour of ex Labour ministers touting for business with Channel 4s journalists who posed as lobbyists looking for influence in Government. Although the irony of Lord Mandelson criticising others for using their political positions for personal enrichment is somewhat thick! I watched Channel 4s Dispatches programme last night with some trpidation, because politics needs some more political sleaze like a hole in the head as we try to get people to vote in the forthcoming general election. North East Stephen Byers came off worst in my opinion as ...
The new Tory website cash-gordon.com was meant to signal a new direction in the use of the internet by political parties. As the Guardian explains the site, which was launched at the weekend on Facebook and Twitter, and was claimed to have cost $15,000, was intended to engage voters who could earn "points" for reading a speech by Michael Gove, the shadow education minister, or bombarding Charlie Whelan, the ex-Labour spin doctor now working for Unite, with hectoring tweets. However, the internet is not so easily tamed. It is anarchic at best and despises attempts to control and manipulate it. ...
It's always nice to be able to cite scholarly articles I may have encountered in my past life as a neuroscience student in calling for voters to abandon the conservatives in droves. http://bit.ly/a2kEcb If the Camerons want a healthy, happy, well-adjusted child then they should be hoping for a crushing defeat in the coming election. No need to move house (one of the most stressful life events we go through as humans apparently), and no insane media circus following your every move. Samantha Cameron could just relax, eat well and look forward to a happy life with a laid-back, chilled-out, ...
I came down to London yesterday and found a Conservative leaflet waiting for me when I got to my flat. Having now read through it, I am amazed at the claims they make for paying for their spending commitments. And in some cases I am amazed at the spending commitments which have no explanation as to how they will be financed. Take for example this so-called policy: "Conservatives will "protect
I welcome the Liberal Democrats' call for action to deliver by 2020 a 40% reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions and to have at least 33 gigawatts of offshore wind energy. The UK has about 1 GW of offshore wind capacity. So we need to explain in our manifesto how we'd get to 33 GW. Nick Clegg's pledge to invest in upgrading disused shipyards, so that off-shore wind turbines are made here is much needed. There are three other steps we should take. To sustain investor confidence, we should be ready to continue the temporary support to offshore wind under ...
A few years ago, there was one of those questions at the end of Any Questions? that asked the panel what they would miss most if they went blind. And most of the panellists said things like seeing the faces of their children or grandchildren. A programme has just started on Radio 4 with two people who actually did lose their sight suddenly and unexpectedly – viral meningitis in one case, diabetes the other – and they actually said it was no longer seeing faces that did bother them most. In particular, it was people ageing they didn't see. "What ...
Just one application in the ward this week: 18 Arden Road has applied for a "Single storey front extension", application number 10/0196/FUL. As usual contact the City Council for more details, and in case of difficulty get in touch with the team.
Are you up to speed with the mess the Tories made out of trying to use social media yesterday? They launched a website trying to criticise Gordon Brown for something or other. Part of the site included a twitter feed so that any twitter user using the hashtag #cashgordon could get their words on the site. Users quickly found out that these were not screened before going live, which meant you could get anti-Tory sentiment onto the Tory website. And then the more technically minded twitterati discovered that if you included some code in your tweet, you could make the ...
I previously wrote about about Tories in Redbridge not being able to get over the stigma of being in Ilford South, and I noticed just the other day, true to form, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for ILFORD SOUTH (the clue is in the name) has placed his campaign office in......(big drum roll)........'er well Gants Hill.', 'Which is where?' , ' Erm Ilford North actually'...Nice one (Tory Boy) Toby Boutle (that's his name by the way) glad you're as aware of your geography as you are the needs of ordinary people in Ilford South. I mean it's one thing being ...
Like many other people I have been horrified by the revelations in the Channel Four's Dispatches programme last night. The idea of politicians being for hire is repugnant but it got worse when Newsnight later revealed that many MPs of all parties had also failed to follow the rules on declaring overseas trips. How difficult can following the rules be? It seems to me that a culture has grown up in the House of Commons of MPs thinking that they are not accountable for their actions. The fact that many of them have second jobs or enjoy extensive overseas 'fact-finding' ...
Yesterday morning I was interviewed by the Daily Politics Show, who were doing a piece on the Manchester Withington seat and which will be broadcast today at 12 noon. I was interviewed outside The Ewing School that is to be closed by the Labour-run Council and has been a real dividing line between the Lib Dems ...
George Monbiot recently laid into the concept of Feed-In Tariffs, which are designed to encourage micro-renewables, saying this had been a complete disaster in Germany, that it was a middle and upper class tax perk and that it was anyway the wrong end of the telescope because energy efficiency had to come first. See here for his vitriolic outburst. He's right on the last point - that we need to get on with the energy efficiency work, but I think he's wrong on the others. Germany's Feed-In Tariff has been a great success and as a result the industry is ...
I interviewed Chris Wiggin, Lib Dem PPC for Barnsley Central recently. We discussed his campaign, young people in politics and his use of blogging and Twitter: >
In a recent visit to Castle Road, Place and Court we were pleased to let residents know that their home will be part of the Decent Homes programme over the coming weeks. This programme will modernise thousands of kitchens and bathrooms in council homes across Camden. Your local Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Naylor, who is responsible ...
The private sector unions have been fantastically responsible during this recession. -Digby-Jones on today's Guardian podcast. He's probably right – look at wage growth. There is no winter of discontent here. He goes in to say how the BA dispute is not about unions generally, but a public sector union preventing the B A management possessing ...
The Sefton Lib Dem Group held their regular pre Council get together at Maghull Town Hall. It was appropriate that we should meet on the home patch of Roy Connell as this was his last such meeting. Roy has decided to step down at the election this year after having served his community on both the Borough and Town Council. I know our Maghull colleagues have found a good replacement and I will do a post about him after May but for now let us concentrate on Roy. Roy-and his dog Rosie- have appeared in this blog several times before. ...
[IMG: Diagram of wings of early plane] In history, March 23rd was the day in 1903 the Wright Brothers applied for a patent on one of the earliest aeroplanes – and the day in 1933 Adolf Hitler became dictator of Germany. It's birthday to Joan Crawford, Wernher von Braun, José Manuel Barroso, Marti Pellow and Russell Howard. Today in history, two people who underwent pioneering surgical procedures died: Britain's youngest ever liver transplant patient died, aged three, and in 1982, the recipient of the first ever artificial heart died, aged 61. 2 Big Stories All yesterday, two huge political stories ...
The whole lobbygate issue that has seen Stephen Byers, Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt see out their last days in the commons suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party is another case where the Lib Dems called for more transparency. Just as in the summer of 2008 my Lib Dem colleagues placed an amendment to make the expenses more transparent and in line with most employees, in October 2006 they also looked to tackle the lobbying situation. Unlike the expenses where some from each of the other parties almost made the amendment pass, with lobbying Labour voted against and the Tories ...
ALL the consultants at the Whittington have come out publicly against the proposed closure of the A&E. Hopefully this will be the nail in the Labour Government's coffin of their Health Care for London plan! The Minister in the debate I secured last Wednesday banged on about how this was all clinically led. This is the clinical fightback - clearly the plans have no support whatsoever from the Whittington consultants. Public statement by the consultants of The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust March 2010 The North Central London Strategy Plan (25 January 2010) has made proposals for the development of health ...
The government is asking the EU to relax the anti-pollution requirements it imposes on coal power stations. From the end of 2015 it is said that a number will close because it won't be economic to install the anti-NOx equipment. "We need to keep the lights on," says the Government. "We need to allow these polluting plants to operate for up to 8 years longer at peak times, especially when the wind isn't blowing." It has persuaded the EU Council of Ministers to back a UK opt-out. I've gone along with this argument. Maybe it's better, I have said, to ...
So, Anne Moffat MP has put in her appeal against the decision taken last Frdiay by her Constituency Labour Party to de-select her as the candidate for the forthcoming General Election - yes, the one in a few weeks! Anne Moffat lost the vote by 130 votes to 59, that to me is a real kicking and let's assume that Labour's National Executive Committee overturn the decision and reinstate Anne, doesn't that mean that (a) there will be a lot of dissatisfied and very unhappy Labour Members, and voters and (b) the next five years will just be a recurring ...
My colleague Cllr Andrew Garner raised the important issue of safety at Metrolink stations in Prestwich following some particular incidents, most recently at Bowker Vale station. Here's the response from the Council's representative to Greater Manchester Inegrated Transport Authority. Regrettably they don't seem to know which stations are in Prestwich - the answer includes Besses (clearly in Whitefield), but forgets Bowker Vale (on the edge of Prestwich off Meade Hill Road! 1. Councillor Andrew Garner to the representative on Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (Councillor Creswell) "After repeated incidents of anti-social behaviour near to Metrolink stations in the Prestwich area, ...
The last full Council meeting of Bury Council saw its usual share of questions to the Council leadership. As we're getting fairly close to local and general elections - everything is getting fairly political... Here are some of the questions asked by myself and members of the Liberal Democrat Group. Read the rest of this entry.
Gareth Jones, the former Chair of the Welsh Lib Dem's Policy Committee died recently. He worked closely with Mike German who wrote his own tribute previously. Yesterday, Director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs, John Osmond's obituary was published in the Guardian yesterday. Again highlighting the massive impact of his work in Wales. I know it will be of interest to many readers of Freedom Central.
The news that four members of the parliamentary Labour party have been suspended pending an investigation into claims that they offered lobbying influence for cash, should seem like a good thing were it not for the resounding stink that is up my nose about the whole affair. It is not lost on me that at least ...
I was delighted on Friday night to be at a most enjoyable charity dinner to celebrate Norouz, Iranian New Year. I had been invited to buy a ticket by Nahid Boethe, who many of you will remember as having been Hendon's Lib Dem candidate last time around. Nahid is herself a British Iranian, and she thought correctly that I would enjoy this event and find it interesting. However much I detest Iran's current government, I have huge respect for the Iranian people and their culture. The music, food and company at this dinner were all most enjoyable and it was ...
I was watching Michael Portillo's Power to the People , which was on over the weekend and he was advocating giving more power to local people and also for increased accountability. Not sure if Michael's become a Liberal Democrat but that's what we've been saying for years. I almost fell off my sofa when he even ...
Many of you will remember the silly parish council meetings in The Vicar of Dibley. That was a sitcom, but there was nothing funny about last week's Barnet Council Hendon Residents' Forum, which resembled nothing so much as one of those parish council meetings. As the Hendon Times has reported, I was at the meeting, and said precisely what I thought about how it was run. The forty local people who had attended were there to raise issues that matter to them - credit to them for turning out. But the format of the meeting meant that precious little was ...
So, after not working for her constituents for ten months the Labour Party has suspended Margaret Moran. Far too little and far too late. This will not stop her getting her payout in six weeks time and this certainly does not make up for for their total lack of concern for Luton South residents for the last ten months. Once again she has caused national outrage and the Labour Party should apologise to every single resident in Luton South. We have been neglected while the Labour Party protected their own. If she had done the last honourable thing she could ...
So now that you can put your words into the mouth of Danielle from Brighton what will they be? The Tories support big business. Is Danielle a big business woman? Why has she never voted Tory before? Is it that she has voted for other parties before, as the Tories would like us to believe? Is it more likely that she has not voted for anyone? Why should she think that the Tories would support society. I thought they wanted individuals to stand on their own two feet - you know, the opposite of society. Margaret Thatcher is famous for ...
