Ada Lovelace day is "an international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science." by blogging about a woman in technology. Unfortunately, it's also a day when I'm getting over a bad case of the 'flu, and not really coherent enough to write well, and I was seriously considering not doing ...
I blogged earlier today about how the Mirror bigged up a poll showing Tory support unchanged (within the margin of error) into a story of how their support was plunging. But looking again at the story, I realise just how badly wrong their graph is. The two key pieces of information about Labour's rating in the poll are that: (a) It was 30% (b) It was 32% in the previous poll Now look at the graph: [IMG: Mirror poll graph] See what's happened? What should be a downward Labour line has become a flat line and the end which should ...
I have blogged about the old Bracknell by-election I am standing in a by election for Old Bracknell and My leaflet for Old Bracknell and review. I am currently suffering from man flu which as you know is proven to not be a myth and is very macho. But its also not helpful to be ill during a campaign. I will be standing outside both the polling stations telling, feel free to say hello; I'm at The Rectory Lane, Community Centre from 7am to 11am and again from 6pm to 10pm I will be at the Baptist Church, South Hill ...
It appears that the Conservatives own election campaign, including Oliver Letwin's policy pyramid has left many of their MPs and candidates confused. Poor loves. Over at The Times Online; MPs and candidates were left baffled after being told at a private meeting to campaign on a combination of one slogan, three promises and six pledges.To be perfectly honest I am astounded they managed to get this far, so Cameron's Conservatives are campaigning on one slogan, three promises and six pledges - but no policies? Isn't that what Nick Clegg has been saying about the Conservatives for some time now? In ...
Yesterday's comments by Nick Griffin and David Cameron in regards to gay equality: Nick Griffin: "It's unfamiliar, it's odd and I'm afraid it is creepy. Grown men kissing in public is creepy to most people. You don't often see it but if you do see it, it's not a matter of homophobia, it's odd and you have to explain ...
As Alistair Darling sat down after delivering his budget statement today, the mobile phone text alerts of the Gauge Opinion text polling panel started ringing. Our first text poll was up and running and we were keen to see how quickly we could gauge the political reaction to the big story of the day. We asked whether Alistair Darling's budget had made people more or less likely to vote Labour in the coming election and the news for Labour is not great. For 54% of those responding all the economic statistics, tax changes and spending cuts had made no difference ...
For a dozen years or more, the Friends of the Heath Library, in Keat's Grove, Hampstead Heath, have been trying to get actor and biographer Simon Callow along to talk to their members, as part of their regular series of encounters with writers. This evening they finally pulled it off and we were rewarded with ...
It took the Tories until about 5.30pm to issue a reaction to the freeze on tax thresholds, meaning an actual tax hike – something which Clegg spotted in a few minutes and condemned in his immediate House of Commons budget response. Cameron really is falling apart isn't he? Just to kick him when he's down, the Tory lead over Labour is now down to 2 points in the latest YouGov/Sun poll.
Just a quick note, or comment on my lack of blogging, its simple I don't have the time. Things your missing are comments, I would like to make about the artificial world of Labour politicians, like Nottingham who recently I believe appeared upset that he could not pick a wifi signal at St Pancras, perhaps as he sipped beverages at the Champagne bar (the longest in the world assuming there happens to be another) I was going to contrast it with the state of the Rail industry and might still do so, if I get time, not that any self ...
Today, Britain needed a Budget that gave us honesty in spending and fairness in tax. Alistair Darling has given us neither. Labour is in denial, while the Conservatives are talking tough to cover up the fact that they only offer more of the same. You can watch Vince Cable's video response to the Budget below: Today's budget wasn't honest. The Chancellor is incapable of coming clean about where spending cuts will have to fall. Rather than being honest with people about what the Government can and cannot afford, the Chancellor would rather let others indiscriminately shave departmental budgets. And the ...
In March you don't really expect to hear about trouble with Student Finance. 6 months into the academic year you'd hope that everyone had got their money. Horrifically this isn't the case. My housemate Vicki has been without her student loans for the entirety of this academic year and is yet to receive them. After ...
Reviewing the late Patrick Hannan's book A Useful Fiction: Adventures in British Democracy for Liberal Democrat News last summer, I wrote: What to do about England in the new devolved United Kingdom is a question that will not go away. A Useful Fiction quotes Anthony King's description of the country under the current settlement as "a huge whale in a small bathtub", and without the counterbalance that the new parliaments offer in Scotland and Wales, it is England that has suffered most from the demise of local democracy. The traditional Liberal answer is to call for assemblies to be set ...
You can see the Early Day Motion I was helping John Leech MP with at: http://bit.ly/as3PmX . The motion reads: TESCO IN STRETFORD AND THE IMPACT ON INDEPENDENT RETAILERS That this House notes with concern the decision by Trafford Council Planning Committee to approve plans for a giant Tesco store in Stretford; recognises the potential impact that this decision will have on the viability of local centres and in particular the viability of independent retailers in the surrounding areas of Chorlton district centre and Stretford Mall; and therefore urges the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to call ...
Is anyone surprised at this report in the Evening Standard? A Heathrow security guard faces the sack after a woman colleague reported him for using a body scanner to take "naked" pictures of her. Airport bosses have launched an investigation after John Laker, 25, was alleged to have used the device meant to detect bombs and explosives to look at a fellow employee's breasts. Jo Margetson, 29, reported the guard as saying "I love those gigantic tits" when she walked through the X-ray machine, and then said he pressed a button to take a revealing photo. I suspect this will ...
Earlier I blogged about how the SNP had made an epic fail with their "Jim Murphy on Facebook? #EPICFAIL" headline. Well they have just been trumped by my SNP opponent in the General Election Tam Smith. Who has just tweeted: Being intrigued I followed the link but got this: Yeah, that's right I get a locked area of his website. Who knows what he was wanting to say about the Labour Secretary of State for Scotland. I was wondering what his other 11 followers were making of it until I realised how many were backing me. There is something about ...
And they are: David Osler – Dave's Part (www.davidosler.com) David Smith – Letter from Africa Gideon Rachman – rachmanblog (http://blogs.ft.com/rachmanblog/) Hopi Sen – Hopi Sen (http://hopisen.wordpress.com) Iain Dale – Iain Dale's Diary (http://iaindale.blogspot.com) Jack of Kent – Jack of Kent (http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/) Laurie Penny – Penny Red and others (http://pennyred.blogspot.com) Madam Miaow – Madam Miaow Says (http://madammiaow.blogspot.com/) Mary Beard – A Don's Life (http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/) Morus ...
His Vinceness was not impressed.
When the Conservatives announced plans to increase tax on "problem drinks" in March 2008 I thought of the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act and its strictures against "sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats". Such attempts to single out a particular areas of society for harsher treatment are inherently unattractive. And they don't work either. I fear that, however much we disapprove of it, young people will always contrive to find ways of enjoying themselves. Still, when the Tories come up with a foolish, populist idea there is a better than ...
Wed 24th
19:15
Opinion: quangos, centralisation and less democracy - who'd have predicted that from Labour?
The mountain laboured and brought forth a mouse. But not a very nice or useful mouse. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has at last produced a 'policy statement' entitled 'The Modernisation review of public libraries'. There is little radical and little of benefit to the public, indeed precious little modernisation. The library establishment and quangoland by contrast have much to be pleased about. The paper contains a long list of instructions for local authorities and even specifically for local authority chief executives: no role for councillors here. Local authorities must set flexible opening hours to suit the needs ...
I think the operator of the Official SNP Twitter account has been quaffing too much cider before the tax increase at midnight. First all seemed normal and a policy I actually agree with. I mean the differential in fuel pricing between those with good public transport provision and those that don't, and therefore need to use their own vehicle, most notably in rural Scotland is grotesque. But then soon after the SNP seemed to want to have their cake and eat it too. So it appears that Darling can raise the 3p extra on fuel if he wants to as ...
Today's live coverage of the budget on Sky News came from... Hebden Bridge! It was well worth watching, and not just to hear the Labour candidate Steph Booth describe herself as Cherie's "wicked stepmother". The coverage centred on the fact that Calder Valley is a swing constituency. The reporter interviewed local business owners, residents, financial ...
Dear Ian, Today, Britain needed a Budget that gave us honesty in spending and fairness in tax. Alistair Darling has given us neither. Labour is in denial, while the Conservatives are talking tough to cover up the fact that they only offer more of the same. You can watch vince's response on the main Lib Dem website Today's budget wasn't honest. The Chancellor is incapable of coming clean about where spending cuts will have to fall. Rather than being honest with people about what the Government can and cannot afford, the Chancellor would rather let others indiscriminately shave departmental budgets. ...
VenueWednesday 12th May7pmSt Mark's SchoolBaytree RoadBath BA1 6NDWednesday 19th May7pmOldfield SchoolKelston RoadBath BA1 9ABThursday 20th May7pmCulverhay SchoolRush HillBath BA2 2QLTuesday 25th May7pmBrunswick RoomGuildhall, High StreetBath BA1 5AW
Missed the Budget? Well, you didn't miss much. But if you're wondering what the Lib Dems have to say about it, then look no further. First up, here's Vince's instant vdieo response: (Also on YouTube here). And now for the detail, as provided by Nick Clegg's instant response to the Commons after Alasdair Darling's budget statement: Mr Speaker, this Budget has been billed as the preface to the Labour manifesto. Based on what we have seen today. It won't be a manifesto but an obituary. The Prime Minister may have wanted a "giveaway budget". What we got was a "given ...
I have long been arguing for Labour to stop using the regressive taxes such as national insurance and VAT to get their pound of flesh especially from the poor and deal with progressive taxes. Well today Alistair Darling did that but what has he done. It is another example of Dooh Nibor* taxation like the doubling of the 10% tax rate. It may not be as bad but it is another move in that direction. The personal allowance has not gone up from £6,475, this at a time when the Chancellor capped all public sector pay to a 1% increase, ...
As part of the process of impending death, there is an increased risk that various parts of me start to fail, pack up or drop off. Given that I'm not particularly focussed on seeking all things medical, I'm quite likely not to notice until it's too late to do anything much about it. However, my local Health & Safety pixie had been nagging me to have an eye test on HM Revenue & Customs's tab, so I finally arranged one. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I turned up at the branch of Specsavers in Brunswick Square, mentally prepared to be told that, ...
Nick Clegg's full budget speech can be read here.
Cleggy went on to say that Labour is in denial, while the Tories are talking tough to cover up that they only offer more of the same. We need a budget that gives us honesty in spending and fairness in tax, we got neither. It says something when the most substantive announcement was a tax agreement with Belize, however welcome that may be.
I have had it up to here with the Budget (you cannot see, but I'm holding my hand up to my forehead), having tweeted my fingers raw on the subject, and written 385 words in 19 minutes for a magazine. My brief reaction is: I heard loads of micro-things from Darling, all of them adding up ...
They may say that they want a "future fair for all", which is bizarre anyway given that they've failed to deliver that in the 13 years they've been in power, but again the Labour actions fail to live up to their rhetoric. Labour are going around the country delivering a card that basically tells people to vote Labour or the Tories will be back. That's it. That's all they have to go on after 13 years. Alistair Darling showed today that for all his words about fairness, he hasn't got a clue about how to actually make it happen. For ...
Ageism and control freakery We reported last week on the roll call of Sefton Tory Councillors who had received the black spot from the Porter-Parry leadership: Wendy Jones, David Pearson, Ron Roberts, Les Byrom, Tom Glover and now Eric Storey. It would appear that the most dangerous thing to be in Sefton is a former leader of the Tory group. Everyone single one of them has been targeted by Ms Parry. Let us be clear Eric was unanimously selected by Formby Tories to fight the seat. It seems that they have been over-ruled. So much for local control of the ...
The Labour Party, aware that in the South West the General Election is a battle between the Liberal Democrats and the Tories, have decided to write off that part of the country in the coming campaign. Well, how else do you explain the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, singling out cider for a 10% rise in duty? There are reports that, in doing so he as upset The Wurzels, who have issued a statement; "We are all very upset that scrumpy cider, being one of the few pleasures that we cherish down here on the farm in the West Country, is being ...
Parliament's budget is getting its annual consideration, so this is the time to consider reforms. A range of proposals have been put to the vote at the Budgetary Control Committee. REJECTED - attempts to ensure that our procurement policies are transparent, competitive and free from the taint of corruption. REJECTED - attempts to prevent the will of the parliament not to use taxpayers' money to top up the deficit in the MEPs' pension fund being frustrated by our own governing body. REJECTED - a bid (from me) to ensure that any MEP has the right to view reports by our ...
Wednesday: It's been described as "the Phoney Budget" or "the Pointless Budget" or most mundanely merely "the FIRST Budget of 2010". But in all fairness it wasn't MUCH of a Budget at all, was it? So Chancellor Sooty pulled a sickly-looking rabbit from the Stamp Duty hat; SLAPPED cider-drinkers with a hike in Sin Tax; TINKERED with a scheme here and a relief there; and then CLAIMED he had nothing to say on VAT, National Insurance, Income, Capital Gains or Inheritance Taxes. Except SNEAKILY, all allowances and threasholds are frozen, effectively using inflation to snaffle taxes from everyone in work, ...
With permission of Dundee WestFest, here's an interesting update on Oral History in the West End : Are you from the West End? Are you interested in the history of your local area? Would you like to learn how to become a researcher yourself and help record the history of the West End for future generations? Dundee University in partnership with Dundee WestFest are offering a free 8 week course which aims to equip West End residents with the skills required to create an Oral History archive for their local area. Times: Mondays 2pm-4pm Dates 26th April to 14th June ...
Local Lib Dem MP Dan Rogerson has told me of a statistic (originally unearthed by Richard Whitehouse of the Cornish Guardian) that is genuinely shocking. Millionaires in Mayfair mansions pay less in council tax than average homeowners in Launceston. Thats goes to show just how unfair the council tax system introduced by the Conservatives is. It urgently needs replacing with a system based on ability to pay. The figures behind the statistic are these: In Mayfair, which is part of Westminster Council, where some mansions sell for tens of millions of pounds, the top rate of council tax (Band H) ...
I have to thank the SNP for making me laugh this afternoon. This official tweet from them shows how they just don't get it. If you follow the link, it takes you to this barely literate press release which includes the phrase "This is an embarrassing blunder for Jim Murphy an epic fail". As my friend Graeme commented "Perhaps the SNP should learn how to construct sentences before they criticise." The point of their press release was to claim the Facebook Generation which Jim Murphy had said were represented by Labour, for themselves, which totally misses the point of social ...
* I have, at the request of residents, raised street sweeping issues at Clovis Duveau Drive and Blackness Road and have received assurances from the Waste Management Department that these will be tackled. * Following residents' complaints about graffiti at various locations, I have raised these with the City Council. The Waste Management Department assures me that mess like this in Marchfield Road (above) and graffiti in Scott Street will be cleaned off and I have also raised graffiti issues at Seafield Road. I have also been assured by the Leisure & Communities Department that the mess of graffiti on ...
As spotted by the Lib Dems, but completely missed by David Cameron, Alistair Darling today announced that income tax thresholds will be frozen for the coming year. Because of the rate of inflation, that means that we will actually be worse off in coming months. In contrast, the Lib Dems will raise the income tax threshold to £10,000 a year - meaning that you pay no income tax at all on the first £10k of earnings. That leaves more money in the pockets of pensioners and very low earners and makes everyone who earns more than £10k better off by ...
Responding to Alistair Darling's Budget, Nick Clegg said: "This Budget was a political dodge not an economic plan. "Britain needed a Budget that gave us honesty in spending and fairness in tax, we have got neither. "Labour is in denial, while the Conservatives are talking tough to cover up that they only offer more of the same. "The Chancellor is incapable of coming clean about where spending cuts will have to fall. "Rather than being honest with people about what the Government can and cannot afford, the Chancellor would rather let others indiscriminately shave departmental budgets. "By confirming the freeze ...
This morning I attended a meeting with the staff and users of the Launceston Day Care Centre. The centre provides activities and support for adults with learning disabilities in the town and the surrounding area. The problem is that the centre is located on the Newport Industrial Estate and really needs to move into the town. The industrial estate is a busy place. There are businesses all around the centre with cars and lorries loading and unloading at all times of the day. It's also pretty noisy. None of that is unusual for a thriving industrial estate and I wouldn't ...
See the latest Ilford Recorder article re the closure of A&E at King George Hospital Ilford Recorder - Health minister steps in to stop Accident and Emergency axe This doesn't mean the fight is over yet but it is at least some encouragement for campaigners. Please still come along to the march planned for April 17th to make as much noise as possible and to show that this issue isn't going away quietly.
One of the major successes of the past 13 years, depending on your point of view, has been devolution. The establishment of Parliaments and Assemblies has transformed the governance and the culture of three of the four nations within the Union. However, this has left a big question at the heart of government, which ash also had a knock-on effect culturally: How should England be governed? This is often referred to in the media as "The English Question". It is a question that the major political parties have, so far, avoided answering in a satisfactory manner. In fact, the major ...
[IMG: 22951-3-menzies-campbell-mp] Commenting on the Chancellor's Budget, North East Fife MP and former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell said: "This was a Budget which should have been about honesty and fairness but sadly had neither. "Honesty was needed about the impact that the cuts in Government expenditure are going to have on the lives of all of us and fairness was needed in the tax changes which the Chancellor proposed. "How can it be right that those with the lowest incomes in Britain pay a higher proportion of tax than those who earn the most? "This was ...
I like Simon Clark from Forest. He is calm, bright, thoughtful and very polite man who writes entertaining and informative blogs. When he pops up on TV and radio I listen to his reassuring words and think "yes. That's the right thing to say" .."oh good point".." how does this man know so much?" etc etc. I am a big fan. I rarely, however, cry out in sheer delight at the passion. Well today I did. Moans of delight could be heard as I listened to Mr Clark show more va va voom than a hot french car with Thierry ...
I spent the morning in my flat in London editing more videos for candidates and now I'm heading in to Westminster to film a few more. These ones will be about the budget. I watched the Chancellor present the budget and decided that the rabbit out of the hat moment was the agreement with Belize to crackdown on tax evasion! A nice bit of political drama and comedy combined but not greatly
Well, that was an hour of my life that I'll never get back. So, what are my thoughts, and, of equal interest, what impact will they have on my village and my community? It was a very 'political' budget, with little economic content and much posturing about where we are relative to our competitors and how much worse it would have been if the Calamity Kids, Cameron and Osborne, had been at the controls. Now, whilst that may be true (how's that 'Economics for Dummies' book going, George?), borrowing £167 billion (that's €184 billion, or $259 billion, or ¥22.5 trillion) ...
Alison's story: Two personal experiences in the last year of Whittington A&E 1 Last January I had a severe asthma attack at night - just made it to the A&E where they whisked me through oon arival and put me on oxygen, then treated me. I might well not have got as far as the Royal Free as I couldn't breathe. Cannot fault the treatment I received (PS must confess I had not thought of Camidoc, just wanted treatment!) 2 Our son, in great pain and bleeding from the penis went to A&E and although he had to wait, was ...
Michael Foster and I don't agree about lots of things, but we do agree about the iconic nature of Hastings Pier, and the worthiness and effectiveness of the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust. That is why, on reflection, I do not begrudge Michael bigging up the Government in his Observer column last week, and trying ...
The big uncertainty in the budget is how accurate the predictions in Table B4 turn out to be. The growth from 2000 - 2007 averated 2 3/4. The government is predicting 1-1.5% for this year, 3-3.5% for 2011 and 3 1/4-3 3/4 for 2012.If those figures are too high then that has a negative feedback on the rest of the budget. They rely on 1% of business investment in 2012 (and 3/4 in 2011), for
Sitting in a half empty chamber this afternoon, it is not difficult to see why we are having problems getting universal acceptance of the Assembly by the Welsh electorate. The refusal of Labour and Plaid Cymru Assembly Members to cross the PCS picket lines may well be principled but it does nothing to enhance this institution in the eyes of the public. One also has to question what those principles are when both Plaid Cymru and Labour MPs have been content to cross picket lines in Westminster to take part in the budget debate. The contrast is stark. It implies ...
Welcome to Creeting St Peter, where 'Liberal Bureaucracy' is warming up with a nice cup of tea and a small handful of fruit sherbets for the speech to come. 12:33 - Alistair rises to his feet. It's an interesting tie, purple with blue blotches, and a nice piece of colour coordination with Harriet to his right (purple jacket) and Gordon to his left (purple tie). 12:35 - First announcement - £2.5 billion package for small businesses. Details to come but will shore up support in the service and light industrial sectors. 12:37 - Time to talk about how well we're ...
Welcome to 30th tweeting Lib Dem MP: @charles_kennedy You can follow them all via the Twitter list I maintain at http://twitter.com/#list/markpack/libdem-mps
Alistair Darling has delivered his last budget as Chancellor, and what may prove to be the last Labour budget for many years. It was deeply, deeply dull, not aided by Mr Darling's sonorous delivery. The Guardian has a summary of the key points – here are my subjective top 5: • No further announcements on VAT, national insurance and income tax. By freezing personal allowance, this is a real terms increase in income tax – as Mark Pack was quick to tweet, and as Nick Clegg was on-the-ball to note in his budget reponse. David Cameron, by contrast, seemed to ...
Excellent questions from Nick Clegg at PMQs today, showing very clearly how Labour and the Conservatives have ganged up to ensure that any serious attempts to reform our political system have failed. He made a repetitive gesture with his hand that helped to emphasise the similarities between the 'two old parties' and their desire to maintain the status quo, from lobbying to party funding to a recall law. Reading the live blogs and reports on various sites, the consensus was that he was the most impressive performer, with Cameron limply flitting between subjects with little passion and less substance. Brown ...
Following on from my blog posting this morning Nick Clegg this afternoon choose to ask Gordon Brown at Prime Minister's questions about why he has not supported Lib Dem plans to give people the right to sack their MP and reform the lobbying system - which we have long been campaigning for, as seen by my previous blog!
...There's no sign of them stopping. This one about Cash Gordon is just an absolute hoot – scroll down to the bottom. But then again, if you are of a nervous disposition – don't.
Oh dear oh dear. Nothing more sharply illustrates the complete sham of Cameron's "Modern Conservative" party than this interview below with Martin Popplewell (who incidentally, I seem to recall carrying a microphone and Uher recorder for BBC Radio Berkshire at the 1993 Newbury by-election declaration). Despite his smooth media skills, Cameron simply cannot square the circle between his ludicrous claims to have created a "gay friendly" party and the behaviour of his members, especially those in the European Parliament. What I find completely pathetic is the way at the end, before the camera is switched off at his request, he ...
Sometimes good intentions don't quite result in the good outcomes you'd wish. In this case, the issue is a recommendation from the Committee on Standards in Public Life that general election candidates should have to publish their financial interests just as MPs do. The logic is a good one: if you're a voter wanting to chose between candidates, it's a bit odd if you only know about the financial interests of an MP standing for re-election but not of the people they're up against. You want to know the interests before you cast your vote, not find out afterwards whether ...
Wed 24th
11:45
Government-funded anti-smoking quangos funded by other government-funded quangos - agree with the Go...
Here we are knee deep in debt and all I see is a lot of government money - money we cant afford - being spent to shore up Government plans for more interference. Well this is just too rich for me.. And its not as though the money was spent on research, attributed to the Government. Oh no that would be too straightforward. No this bit of political manoeuvring is just about as devious as any I have seen in a while. Widely credited as "a report from the Royal College of Physicians", a document was released today concluding that ...
So here we are again. Another non-eventful Budget Day. After all, with comprehensive spending rounds, ordinary spending reviews, pre-Budget Reports and endless briefing and leaking, hardly any of what we hear today will be a surprise. To fill the void, the networks have to do something. Invariably, this is endless speculation, combined with the classic "let's ...
Over the past few months, there has been story, after story, after story about University funding and how it will be cut. The ironic thing is, this all comes at a time of hyper-inflated demand for university places thanks to the recession and calls from universities (mostly just the poncy ones) to allow them to set their own tuition fees and charge us students whatever the hell they like.
Yesterday lunchtime I took part in a debate in Brussels (hosted by LutherPendragon) on what the next UK government will mean for the EU and the various interest groups who lobby there. My fellow panelists were Jessica Asato, Director of the Labour magazine Progress, and Jonathan Isaby, formerly of the Daily Telegraph and now co-editor ...
It is always worth having a look at Conservative Home. Their editor has a piece today when he correctly asserts that all the Westminster gossip items will have little impact on the election result. He identifies 4 things that he things will move the polls. You've gust it, he identifies party unity as one :The unity of the parties. Voters always hate divided parties. Thanks to our Cornish friends for noticing the story. You can read the full story of the nasty Southport Tory splits and squabbles here (I know the story needs updating)
This is about the time in a general election campaign when I begin to have some sympathy with the French and their policy of banning publication of polls. Marl Park unpicks the spin on this one, nevertheless as we always say it is the trends that matter not 'one-off' polls and in this regard step forward Vince Cable. Once again our Vince is streets ahead of his rivals. The challenge now is to link people's recognition of Vince as the best Chancellor with the need to vote Lib Dem in order that he can rescue the UK's finances. Answers on ...
The Hull Daily Mail is reporting that cardboard cut-outs of police officers at a cost of £100 each are to be used to tackle shoplifting in Hull city centre. The Mail quotes Detective Inspector Mark Shreeves saying: "The cardboard officers act as a psychological reminder to potential offenders that police are clamping down on shop theft and working with businesses to make them less susceptible to shoplifting." Earlier this morning I was told that at a meeting held yesterday the Police Authority backed the Chief Constables plan to scrap the bounty for special constables. This payment of £1500 has helped ...
One of the many thought provoking ideas put out in Policy Exchange's latest report is that VAT is really no better than income tax; both simply reduce the value of your income, either by raising the prices of the things you want to buy (VAT), or taking income directly. To quote directly: "Suppose a worker earns £100 ...
In talking about the low earner Liberal Democrats this week, I have emphasised the urban aspect: 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 electoral successes in the last decade. The party's control of a string of large cities – Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Bristol and ...
Following the innovative flooding citizens jury held be the Lib Dems after the flooding in recent years, West Lindsey District Council have managed to secure funding for flood prevention schemes. The successful bids are: Waddingham - £53,000 Nutts Lane, Whaplode St Catherine - £43,000 Welbourn - £60,000 Sykes Lane, Saxilby - £85,000 Fiskerton - £96,000
Sometimes, just sometimes, you find yourself at an event which makes you proud in a quirky sort of way. Traditionally, Justice services initiated by the High Sheriff were held on the first day of each Assize to pray that God give his blessing and guidance to the visiting High Court Judges in their work. Given that the office of 'High Shire-reeve' was initiated towards the end of the tenth century, this is something that is part of the very foundations of our country. Admittedly, the job is mostly ceremonial these days, with the original powers having been superseded by Parliament ...
A large amount of coverage on Lib Dem Voice and elsewhere of David Cameron's thoroughly inept interview with Gay Times, in which he floundered and flustered over the Conservatives' position on gay equality. Quite apart from the implications for Cameron's carefully crafted personal image of the consummate salesman, the PR specialist who airbrushes out the bumps and bruises of life, it raises serious questions about the supposed 'detoxification' of the Conservative Party. The Conservatives under Cameron are supposed to have gone through a similar process to the Labour party in the early 1990s, making themselves electable by moving away from ...
A double triumph in the Mirror today: for Vince Cable and for British journalism. For Vince Cable – congratulations on another poll putting you the most popular choice for Chancellor (32% versus 23% for Darling and 21% for Osborne). For British journalism – take a bow at a story that uses phrases such as "plunges" and "it's all the fault of George Osborne" when in fact the poll results are, er..., not statistically significantly different from the previous poll by that pollster. (The changes are all within the margin of error.) Perhaps next time we'll have a footnote, "Hey, the ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] The election campaign has moved to google... just have a look in the Bedford Garden. [IMG: :D]
There is astonishing news in this morning's Western Mail that following a shake-up of senior civil servants within the Assembly Government seven "director general" posts have been created in an allegedly streamlining move aimed at cutting overall costs. All seven of these 'director generals' will be earning more than £120,000. Professor Brian Morgan, of the Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre at Uwic's Cardiff School of Management sums up the problem: "It used to be the case that government departments had a permanent secretary with two deputy secretaries beneath them. that is obviously no longer enough for the Welsh Assembly Government. ...
I thought I'd share with you this film by Jonathan Wallace giving a taste of what attending a Lib Dem conference is like. I thought it was a very good reflection of all the different aspects of our conferences and very useful for someone thinking of going to get a falvour of what it is all about. It is presented by Chris Huhne MP.
For those of you who buried in the spending-tax-cuts and what-caused-the-deficit debate. Policy Exchange have released a very stimulating document about tax options. It takes a number of striking positions, in particular a surprise attack on VAT as an income-tax equivalent that I hope to address later today, and an analysis of the idea of taxing ...
If Tim Montgomerie is right then the Lib Dems are well placed to do very well in the General Election. On Conservative Home, Mr Montgomerie notes that the Westminster village stories of the last few weeks - bullygate, Ashcroft, union links, lobbying and SamCamMam - have not had a significant effect on the polls. He suggests that there are really only four factors that move opinion polls in the long run: The underlying state of the economy and voters' sense of which parties will best protect their household income. The voters' sense of the party leaders. The unity of the ...
Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats say Neath Port Talbot council secrecy not conducive to good decision-making Ahead of today's council meeting, which will confirm the budgets for 2010/11 and the forward financial plan, councillor Keith Davies, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, protested that not enough time had been given to council members to scrutinise papers. "Major cuts in spending and administration are proposed," he said, "and members had between six days notice at most before examining them in scrutiny. Some had as little as three. Scrutiny committees typically had only up to ...
Fellow air quality campaigner Cllr Paul Paul Braithwaite writes: "On Monday 22 March the powerful all-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published its findings on Britain's poisonous air quality. I had sat through the hearings so I knew it would be hard hitting. It confirms that in London alone between 3,500 and 8,000 premature deaths are attributable to particulate matter, largely caused by diesel vehicles. "Those living alongside our most polluted streets like Euston and Finchley Roads, Southampton Row, Kentish Town and Kilburm High Streets may be having their lives reduced by as much as nine years. The committee's chairman, Stephen ...
First we brought you a smudge. But now there's no mistaking this Liberal Democrat superboard on Google Streetview. Well, I say spring, but this image from Bedford looks as though it was taken in autumn – during the campaign to elect Dave Hodgson as mayor? Anyway, now that the stakes have been raised (ahem), has anyone spotted a more impressive political campaign poster on Google Street View?
Clearly our Tory PPC is not the only persons confused about the Conservative Party's stance on gay rights. One would have thought that Cameron, this close to an election, would have ensured his party had worked out a response- especially as this is one of the policy areas that the Tories have clearly decided that the were at odds with their target voters. There is of course an alternative explanation over on LibDemVoice who first drew my attention to the channel 4 clip
After a long absence, I thought I'd revive my pick of the best of the blogosphere: Kayleigh outline how you can get a placement working for the Renault F1 team. Pity they are only looking for engineers, not campaigners. Why Clair is walking the West Highland Way to raise money for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Deaths Society - who, by the way, are brilliant. Yay! Jennie is selected to stand for Council. And if she says Craig Whittaker is a prize arse, then he is. Maybe not the conventional acceptance speech, but we wouldn't expect or want that from her! ...
Last week Pandora, the Independent's diary column, revealed that Rory Stewart (aka Lawrence of Belgravia), the Tory PPC for Penrith and the Border, had likened the Lib Dems to the Taliban during a Westminster lecture: Stewart, who apparently quipped that while "neither go away" they would also "never form a government", failed to see the funny side following my call. The event, he grandly assured me, was subject to Chatham House Rules - normally in fairness reserved for rather weightier political matters. It was also made clear that bridges would be well and truly burnt should I dare relay this ...
It's budget day, and with the General Election just six weeks away, the big question is whether Darling will pull something out of the hat to make us all feel happier (in the short term, at least) or whether – as he's suggested so far – it'll be steady as she goes. 2 Must-Read Blog Posts What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Jennie Rigg launches her election campaign – we wish her every success Conservatives – arrogant and wasting our time and money, says ...
Being leader of the Liberal Democrats was not his finest hour. Ming Campbell had been a superb shadow foreign secretary, so often demonstrating a degree of radicalism and commitment to the best principles of liberalism that belied his establishment appearance. Now his appearances on Newsnight suggest that he has regained his former status. And he is still as true as ever to radical liberalism. Speaking good sense. Just great. It must be tough on Ed Davey, our current shadow foreign secretary, and unfair, but Ming is back as a great asset to the party.
Much of the comment on David Cameron's car crash of an interview with Gay Times on Channel Four last night has focused on his confusion over gay equality. The Conservative record on gay rights in the 80s and 90s was indeed truly abysmal. I don't doubt David Cameron's genuineness in trying to move his party into at least the twentieth century on this issue, and in repudiating his party's actions over Section 28, but equally I'm sure it's an uphill struggle in many cases. But what stood out from the interview for me was his confusion, not over gay issues, ...
Today is probably going to be different from any of the other pre-election budgets I've heard since the 1980s. There isn't the leeway that is normally allowed to make it a give-away budget to all and sundry. However, the effects of this budget may also be short lived, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are promising an emergency budget in the event of them winning the General Election and it is not even clear if what the Chancellor sets out now would be what a Labour Government wants to stick to if it is returned to power. So what ...
At last Hornsey Town Hall - and the redevelopment thereof - is on the move after five years of expectation. The Hornsey Town Hall Creative Trust (HTHCT) who have been taking forward the vision of this lovely art deco council building forward to community arts centre and so much more have announced that the planning application has now been submitted! In fact it is Haringey Council who has submitted a planning application to restore and convert the magnificent Grade 2* listed building into a centre for arts and enterprise. The HTHCT has sent out information to say that the planning ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Minister, Jenny Randerson has condemned the contents of HEFCW's Recurrent Grant Letter, which sets out a 1.9% cash cut in Welsh Universities' recurrent grant in the coming financial year. She commented: When you consider that Welsh Universities already face a big funding gap with England, these further cuts are deeply worrying. When the Labour-Plaid Government introduced top-up fees for Welsh students, they promised better resourced courses as a result. This shows how misleading that was. "Through all the differing views on how to deal with the economy, one thing is almost unanimous: the need to ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams, is calling on all Labour and Plaid Cymru Assembly Members who have been on strike and refused to cross a picket line to disclose whether they have instructed the fees office to deduct the appropriate amount of time not working from their salaries. Two weeks ago, Labour and Plaid Cymru AMs refused to work in support of striking union PCS which resulted in Assembly business being cancelled. The PCS is also planning to strike tomorrow. The Welsh Liberal Democrats argue that Assembly Members and Government Ministers who have missed days off work to participate ...
Over on Pink News, they are covering Iain Dale's interview with Nick Griffin for Total Politics (no it isn't an Iain Dale and Pink News love fest). So, the new gay friendly BNP want to ban civil partnerships, only allow gay couples to adopt if the childrens homes are full and wants to ban the promotion of homosexuality in schools. So, the BNP want to follow the Conservative lead and introduce it's own Section 28? Nick Griffin said this of homosexuality itself; "It's unfamiliar, it's odd and I'm afraid it is creepy. Grown men kissing in public is creepy to ...
A fascinating pamphlet arrives in the office promoting the virtues of pet ownership. It is produced by an organisation called ProPets who say that they were formed by key pet membership organisations to provide a strong, united voice to promote responsible pet ownership. The geek in me though is intriqued by the many facts that are available. It seems that a wide variety of pets are owned in the UK, at least 10.5 million dogs, 10.3 million cats, 100 million fish, 7 million reptiles and amphibians, 2.3 million small mammals including rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, 1.6 million birds incluidng ...
As we near the General Election it is not only the political parties setting out their stalls to the voters of the UK, but also the Party Leaders as well setting out their pitch to be the next Prime Minister. Let's face it for months many journalists and pundits all over the land thought David Cameron and the Conservatives had it all sown up, those of us within the political bubble perhaps thought differently, especially dependent on which party you happen to be a member of. Well, as we know if Gordon Brown or Nick Clegg trip up or have ...
[IMG: bob-white.jpg] For personal reasons Lib Dem District Councillor Bob White has decided to step down a year before he was due to leave the council. Bob has been a dedicated councillor on both the District and Town Councils for many years now, and his dedication to the people and town of Shipston has been valued by local residents of whatever political persuasion and none. His fellow Shipston Councillor, Richard Cheney said, "I join many others in thanking Bob for the hard work he has put in during all these years of service." I first met Bob almost 5 years ...
Millions of Americans will go to sleep tonight, perhaps for the first time in years, in the knowledge that, come what may, their health coverage will be secured.
I have returned to Suffolk to be greeted by a piece of post, indeed a glossy A3 leaflet wrapped in polythene, extolling the virtues of Dr Daniel Poulter. Dr Poulter does give 'good leaflet' and there are pictures of him with various Suffolk folk, fighting to defend Ipswich Hospital, campaigning for proper labelling of bacon, attending a fish and chip supper, all of that sort of stuff. He tells me, as does the Chair of the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Conservative Association, that he will be proud to represent us in Parliament. There has to be a catch of ...
And finally... I had one suggestion for words on this poster from Sea on Sunday, so here it is. If Lord Ashcroft is willing to pay millions of pounds to boost Tory prospects in marginal constituencies then I am willing to do my little bit to stand up for substance over image. In the last few blogs I have set out why we should not take these posters at face value. In fact I believe the reality is actually the opposite of that portrayed. I know this poster is highly debatable, needs defining and is definitely putting words into Danielle's ...
Wed 24th
00:01
Why did Labour and the Tories not back Lib Dem plans to allow people to sack their MP.
The Liberal Democrats have campaigning since before the expenses scandal broke for radical reform to fix our broken, rotten system at Parliament. Nick Clegg reiterated these points when he visited Luton in November last year and fully backed Luton South residents to have the right to sack our MP. Gordon Brown and David Cameron did nothing. If they had done the right thing we could have passed a law giving people the right to sack their MP and we in Luton South could have sacked Margaret Moran. Instead the choose not to allowing for Ms. Moran to keep getting paid ...
