Today the News of the World announced it would be backing the Tories at the next general election. In the meantime, Ofcom are probing Sky TV and their stranglehold monopoly of the pay TV market with recommendations to force Sky to be more open to competition. You know, the same competition that "free market" thinkers, the ones the Tories claim to represent, say is the cornerstone of this country's business model. The problem is, as the Robert Peston article makes clear, the Tories don't support Ofcom. Indeed, they may abolish Ofcom and allow Sky TV to maintain their monopoly position. ...
I have to be honest when I first started to see the MyDavidCameron Posters I thought, "great but the only people who are going to see these are going to be bloggers and people who are interested in politics on the internet not the swing voters in marginals that count." Which seams to be the
Sun 28th
22:33
"Does the government really want to pick a fight with Joanna Lumley six weeks before a general elect...
Joanna Lumley and Peter Carroll, founder of the Gurkha Justice campaign, are to hold a press conference tomorrow to respond to criticism of the campaign. From yesterday's Independent: Joanna Lumley today hit out at what she claimed was a Government smear campaign that saw her accused of "deathly silence" over Gurkhas' rights. Earlier this month, defence minister Kevan Jones expressed "irritation" with the actress amid claims that Nepalese veterans had been misled and exploited. "Her deathly silence, frankly, irritates me," he said. But in a letter circulated today, Ms Lumley denounced the allegations. Signed by the actress, campaigner Peter Carroll ...
An excellent post today from Paul at Liberal Burblings about the letter in today's Sunday Telegraph from a group of bishops. The letter addresses 'apparent discrimination against Christians'. I think that Paul's post deals graciously, frankly and clearly with the issues here.
At last, a part of the UK government has opened its eyes and read the spirit levels. According to a report on today's BBC news website, the Commons Foreign Affairs committee said the phrase "the special relationship" did not reflect the "modern" Anglo-American relationship and could raise unrealistic expectations about the benefits it can deliver to the UK. That the UK is too deferential to the US government was witnessed by it passing the SWIFT proposals through parliament recently, in effect giving EU citizens' data to the USA and not securing the same rights in return. Fortunately as we're a ...
Today is the first day of British Summer Time (BST) and campaigners are putting forward a campaign to 'extend' BST throughout the year. Personally, I would like us to remain on BST until this time next year, and THEN go forward one hour for the traditional summer period, reverting back to BST when daylight saving period ...
What a joyous, raucous, lovely film this is. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it very much at all. The first instalment of Emma Thompson's 15-year-old writing project certainly had its moments but it lacked heart, wit and the emotive depth redolent of the really classic family films. This sequel succeeds where its predecessor failed. For those unfamiliar with either film, Nanny McPhee (played by Thompson) is essentially a more austere Mary Poppins, whose initially gruesome visage gradually becomes more and more attractive as her young charges learn the benefits of good old-fashioned ethics. Like Poppins, she uses a mixture of ...
is from Howard Reed, explaining why he would not choose Vince to be the next Chancellor: I have immense respect for Vince Cable, and as a Lib Dem chancellor in a post-election coalition with Labour he would be an intriguing proposition. But he has the problem that his party leader is Nick Clegg, a rabid Thatcherite ...
Today a saw that I had the missfortune of picking up the local conservative "in Touch" magazine. Normally I wouldn't write a blog post on something like this but this one made me break that general rule due to one particular element of it, the section titled "Voting Lib Dem will help Gordon Brown stay
Which will mean nothing to anyone reading. But since I started writing about Quantitative Easing, I have had a Google alert feeding into my Google Reader, triggered by news containing the words "quantitative easing". This has fed about 50 items a week into my already stuffed inBox, and as some kind of punishment I have vowed ...
Following on from their success in recruiting Plaid Cymru Mohammed Ashgar, rumours are rife on the interweb that the Welsh Conservatives have secured another new member. It seems that all the leading lights in the Welsh Tories are camped out in Wrexham's Ramada Hotel tonight and that the Town's Tory Councillors have been invited to a press conference tomorrow but have not been told why. Twitter is hinting that the new recruit may well be John "Labour isn't left-wing or socialist enough for me" Marek, which many of us are finding hard to believe. Still it won't be long before ...
Some time back, I received a PCN from an officious City of Westminster parking person, who decided that they would ticket me for a supposed parking violation. Bad move – I not only know the regulations regarding Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 (TSRGD 2002) but I will willingly challenge a PCN issued incorrectly! Why was ...
[IMG: Vince Cable speaking in Parliament] Here's my latest column for the Ham & High: The betting is that Gordon Brown will go to the Palace shortly and call the general election - finally! - for May 6. This election will be different for me in two ways - the first time I'll be fighting it as an MP seeking re-election and the first time my party will be fighting it with such a high profile and popular Shadow Chancellor as Vince Cable. The national polls repeatedly say that he's the most popular choice for Chancellor - and that's what ...
Harry Potter endorses Lib Dems
You see a nice smiling picture of Gordon Brown saying "Vote for me". With the last posters you saw a picture of David Cameron and the words "cut the NHS" glaring out at you. No matter which agency the Tories pour money down the drain with use they still manage to cock it up don't they? Spoofs from Tom Freeman and Mr Hopkinson.
Last night I accompanied Dad to the Mayor of Havering's Civic Dinner in Romford. It was held at the Harefield Manor and the money raised (over £4000) is going towards the Mayor's Charity, Havering Crossroads.We both had an enjoyable evening flanked one side by Havering councillors' support team, who made us very welcome and the other side by the Mayor and Mayoress of Maidstone who were equally
On Friday lunchtime I squeezed in a quick visit to the Zoo for the re-launch of their Clore Rainforest Gallery. It's fantastic – an already good exhibit made even better now you can get closer still to the animals – I almost tripped over a monkey wandering around the steamy paths of the jungle-like atrium. But ...
Apologies for the lack of posting in the last few days. Work has been mad busy and is not likely to ease at all for another couple of days at least. In the meantime here are things that in my small amount of spare time have piqued my interest in the last few days: The Heresiarch thinks Cameron should sack George Osborne. I couldn't agree more.Blunt & Disorderly on Democracy and Power to the People. I don't think that's a reference to any 1970's Robert Lindsay sitcom either.An essay from Sunder Katwala from 2007 examining the practicalities of reforming the ...
Sun 28th
20:21"Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against a string of measures to protect women's rights"
So reports the Independent on Sunday: Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against a string of measures to protect women's rights. Analysis of the record of 25 Tory members of the European Parliament this year shows they voted against, or abstained, eight times on issues relating to sexual equality, family-friendly working hours, maternity leave and reproductive health - often in clear defiance of official Conservative Party policy. The MEPs also failed to back an EU resolution expressing concern about homophobic attacks in Croatia, which is seeking EU membership... On 25 February, 22 out of 25 Tory MEPs voted against a resolution ...
Stumbled across this little beauty and simply had to share it:
Why does this government want to take over my life and my business? If they aren't talking about making owners buy insurance for their dogs then they want to ban people from smoking in their own cars. So I have a suggestion to avoid faceless bureaucrat's taking over your life. Every new law should be associated with ...
Project Cameron would have us believe that the Tories have become detoxified... some hope. Analysis of the record of 25 Tory members of the European Parliament this year shows they voted against, or abstained, eight times on issues relating to sexual equality, family-friendly working hours, maternity leave, and reproductive health, often in clear defiance of official Tory Party policy. Some detoxification!
Conservative MEPs have consistently voted against measures to protect women's rights, figures compiled by the Liberal Democrats show: Analysis of the record of 25 Tory members of the European Parliament this year shows they voted against, or abstained, eight times on issues relating to sexual equality, family-friendly working hours, maternity leave and reproductive health - often in clear defiance of official Conservative Party policy. The MEPs also failed to back an EU resolution expressing concern about homophobic attacks in Croatia, which is seeking EU membership. For details of the votes, see the full article in the Independent on Sunday. Stephen ...
The Government has a Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), okay? One of its jobs is to combat climate change. Not an easy task, I am sure you'll agree. In fact, reversing climate change is one of the great challenges of our time. To help the Department however I'll offer it a really easy way to start the fight to cut carbon emissions: stop spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money on the Government Car Service - limos for ministers, basically. In answer to a question from Grant Shapps MP, the Government admitted that since the DECC was ...
From the Evening Standard: The whistleblower who warned that Haringey social services were failing to protect children just six months before the death of Baby P is to stand for election there as a Liberal Democrat councillor. Former social worker Nevres Kemal, above, who will contest the Noel Park ward, said she will try to rid the council of a culture of "lying, deception and cover-ups". Best of luck Nevres.
William Hague denies that he used to spend his evenings as a 12-year-old reading copies of Hansard, the transcript of goings-on in the Commons. Nonetheless, wearing my hat as a prospective parliamentary candidate I have taken at least to skimming through its pages a few times a week. And I have to confess that it's rather useful. Most recently I read this question & answer in Hansard: Damian Green (the MP, you'll remember, who was arrested for doing his job of challenging the Government) asked the Home Secretary, "what estimate he has made of the number of British citizens who ...
S's story: I have heard about the plans to close the Whittington A&E and am very concerned to say the least. As a mother with two young children the Whittington A&E has been an essential trip for middle of the night meningitis/high temperature scares where there really is no time to waste going through the frustrating motions of NHS direct and they usually tell you to go straight to A&E anyway. If there is no A&E where is everyone to go? As a baby, my son was severely dehydrated following an illness and the staff at A&E were fantastic - ...
The Mail on Sunday has a story today, based on unbroadcast claims that Luton South MP Margaret Moran made to the undercover operation by the Channel 4 "Dispatches" programme, that paints her in an even worse light. If that is possible. "A disgraced Labour MP has boasted she used a private company based at the Commons to change immigration policy to allow cheap workers to be brought in from India. Luton MP Margaret Moran said her chairmanship of the company helped her to 'influence' Cabinet Minister Liam Byrne - whom she described as 'one of those people that makes things ...
My good friend Mat Bowles recently took issue with Jonathan Calder, because Calder had said something disparaging about Liberal Conspiracy, and Mat wanted to know why more Lib Dems – and Liberals in general – don't engage with that site rather than being insulting about it. In my case, I stopped writing for the site ...
Don't forget, we have a new section on our blog entitled London Life, in which we are exploring as our first issue, potholes! Take a moment to visit and let us know about your plague of potholes! Chris
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 162nd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (21st-27th March, 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can now sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. The 7 retiring Lib Dem MPs ...
Another post based on what I was pointed to on Twitter this afternoon threw up the YouTube video you see at the bottom of this page. It focuses on the protest clashes in Bolton in March between the UAF and the EDL. If this is what this country is coming to then I fear for ...
Like many activists up and down the country, I am sitting here on a Sunday writing articles and preparing websites when most sane people up and down the country are enjoying the first taste of sunshine this year and the fact that the evenings are now a little lighter. But it got me to thinking ...
Matthew Taylor, Lib Dem MP for Truro and Falmouth, is one of seven Lib Dems standing down at the coming election. After more than two decades in Parliament, he's been considering what to do next – and now we know at least part of the answer, courtesy of The Western Morning News: A CORNISH MP and critic of unfair water charging has been made a non-executive director of South West Water. Matthew Taylor, who is standing down at the next election after 23 years as the Liberal Democrat MP for Truro and St Austell, has been a vocal critic of ...
It is a measure of how seriously the Liberal Democrats are taking Qurban Hussain's campaign for Luton South at a national level that the following banner link to his website was highlighted in the regular national general election email newsletter that the party is sending out: You can read the whole newsletter here and sign up to receive future ones here.
In June, the Times and its sister publication the Sunday Times will charge visitors to their website. I would normally hyperlink to the site but once we reach June there is little point in encouraging people to go to a website for which they will have to pay... This rather makes one wonder if this is the right strategy. Jeff Jervis looks at the issue in the Guardian. You can read his critique of the strategy here, for free.
In the last of a series, David Cameron faced questions from the undecided voters of Stourbridge on today's Politics Show. If you haven't seen the format, Jon Sopel leads and the voters ask the questions. Then there is a segment from the region you live in and a return to Sopel et al at the end. Each time they have done this, with Brown and Clegg, the debate is continuing. This time there was a slight difference. Cameron was standing up and had walked over to his questioners, engaging with them directly.
The Sunday Times reports that even on the eve of the General Election David Cameron continues to have troubles with his backwoodsmen, who seemed determined to prevent him modernising the Tories. Sam Gyimah, 33, an entrepreneur who was chosen to fight the safe seat of East Surrey, has faced smears over his business dealings. Last Monday Gyimah's enemies succeeded in forcing an emergency meeting of the local Conservative association to consider whether he should be removed as a candidate. Supporters of Gyimah, who was president of the Oxford Union and is a member of the party's "A-list" of preferred candidates, ...
Just four months ago, the Tories' non-dom candidate for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, promised that his party would "ring in era of integrity" – and insisted no new nuclear power stations would be built under a Tory government. Zac told The Guardian last December: ... that if the party sticks to its existing policy, it would never allow the building of a new nuclear power station. He said Tory policy "was to give a green light to nuclear power as long as there is no call on the taxpayer, not just in terms of building, but maintenance, security and disposal ...
Yesterday I joined campaigners from Power 2010 in the City Centre. We were collecting signatures in support of the Power Pledge five reforms and giving out leaflets about the campaign. Power 2010 has drawn up a list of five reforms that would help clean up politics, make the UK more democratic and protect civil liberties. The pledges come from a longer list and were chosen after a vote which people (including me) took part in on line. The campaign is hoping to organise events in different constituencies nearer the General Election. They seem keen to come back and do more ...
I noted with interest today the complete lack of information on either the Skipton & Ripon Conservative party website or the Tory PPC's website, about the latest and final instalment in the sorry David Curry expenses' affair. I suppose the silence is there in the spirit of "Let's keep quite and hope no-one notices". To say this stance is outrageous is an understatement. Do they not feel that some direct apology to the people of Skipton & Ripon is called for? Don't we deserve more than utter silence? Surely the first place to publish such an apology is on your ...
25 March 2010 Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Government of the Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office Tejgaon, Dhaka Subject: Unilateral declaration of land survey in the CHT as well as unilateral call for applications by the Land Commission The CHT Commission has consistently appreciated the desire of your government to implement the CHT Accord of 1997 and resolve the land disputes of the region in a fair and just manner, in accordance with the provisions of the peace treaty. Clause Gha-2 of the Accord states that: "After the signing the Agreement between the Government and the Jana Samhati ...
Sun 28th
14:55
Cycled up to Hylands House, beautifully restored thanks to Lib Dem action on #chelmsford council. Co...
Cycled up to Hylands House, beautifully restored thanks to Lib Dem action on #chelmsford council. Conservatives wanted to knock it down!
As I have started off today focussing on the quirky I thought it was worth highighting an article in the film section of today's Observer looking at what happens to film titles when they are translated into other languages. Translation is not an exact art of course especially when many of these film titles are idioms thus the latest Sandra Bullock film, The Blind Side, which refers to an obscure tactic in American football has become A Possible Dream in Portugal, The Awaking of a Champion in French Canada and Big Mike in Poland. It is a sad reflection on ...
The Royal British Legion is asking candidates from all parties to sign up to its manifesto ahead of the coming election campaign. Nick Clegg, along with the other two party leaders, has signed up to the Legion's pledge, meeting recently with its Director General; while defence spokesman Nick Harvey has spoken at Legion fringe events. The Legion has been keeping a tally of the proportion of MPs from each of the parties who have signed up to its manifesto – and as they comment, "Lib Dem MPs are setting the pace!" As of 22nd March, the Lib Dems were in ...
As it was my birthday last week I think I am allowed to choose another Spencer Davis Group track. This one comes their second album, imaginatively entitled Second Album, which was released in 1966. If you listen to the original version by Bobby Parker you will realise that the Spencer Davis Group was able to get closer to the American sounds that inspired them than any other British band. This explains at once why their versions of the songs still sound so good and why Steve Winwood quickly tired of this approach and left for the lusher pastures promised by ...
Fans of Formula One will have heaved a huge sigh of relief at the sport's return to form at this morning's Australian Grand Prix. After the crushing tedium of the season opener in Bahrain, Melbourne delivered an altogether different slice of entertainment. F1 isn't everyone's cup of tea, of course. Most will complain that it is ...
This weekend The Guardian have published a series of regional guides to the general election battlegrounds. While they are not bad at giving a broad overview for the non-politico, I found them superficial and with a rather negative take on the prospects for the Liberal Democrats. I also found the "Star of the future" element a little curious. Apparently achieving political "stardom" is to be equated with gaining ministerial office. This shows a very narrow view of what achievement in politics is about. But my real gripe is that in the guide to the Eastern region they pick out Luton ...
If Obama was going to make an address to the Iranian people, I think it should go something like this... 'I say this to the Iranian people: do not compare yourselves with others, for if you do, you will think yourselves equal to your neighbours, and this is not so. Do not look towards India and Pakistan, which already possess nuclear weapons but are not signatories of the NNPT; they are our allies and we do not hold them to the same standards as you. Do not compare yourselves with Israel, for even though they too have nuclear weapons. An ...
I have had an eventfull day on the campaign trail today. Early on (and it felt much earlier on due to BST starting today!) I was out with the team leafletting in Whickham. Then it was off to a Brush Factory (Cottam Brush in Hebburn - a very modern and impressive facility) to be interviewed by BBCs Politics show about the budget and manufacturing. I was with a candidate for the Conservatives and one for Labour. Curiously we were all 33! It's odd talking to perfectly nice people who, when the cameras come on want to argue with you. It ...
Joanna Lumley vs Kevan Jones
Following Total Politics's controversial decision to interview Nick Griffin, the magazine's website is also running responses to it, including one from Dominic Carman (Lib Dem candidate for the same Barking constituency as Nick Griffin): Take three of Griffin's answers from the Total Politics interview and contrast them with what he told me privately: On Afghanistan: "The only way you could win there is if you nuked it, which can't be done." He told me: "We should send (British) troops in to Afghanistan...and we should obliterate as many cities as it takes." On VAT: "We've never said we're increasing VAT." He ...
At last, a music-based protest worth getting behind; as you're all doubtless aware BBC 6 Music faces the chop in the name of bland corporatism and profit-led landfill indie, so along the lines of last year's quixotic but headline-making bid to deprive Slimy Simon of his Christmas number one, why not head over here and follow the instructions? A shame that Top Of The Pops is no more, thus depriving us of an Otwayesque situation, but ask yourselves what you'd rather see riding high in the charts; Nigel and the boys doing Joy Division Oven Gloves or the latest lame ...
According to the Observer Labour is targeting George Osborne as the weakest link in the Conservative team Party sources told the Observer that a decision had been taken to focus on Osborne as the prime target throughout the campaign, because the future stewardship of the economy is the issue that most concerns voters. They said there was "strong evidence" ...
The Community Carbon Exchange is a new project based in Dundee, aiming to radically reduce participants CO2 emissions. Find out how it works and how you can get involved in this carbon rationing experiment. Talk by Alistair Macleod hosted by Friends of the Earth and people & planet followed by discussion - this Wednesday 31st March at 7pm in the Dalhousie Building (LT1) For more information, please contact: alistair@solarcitiesscotland.org.uk or k.ellis@dundee.ac.uk And - the next Dundee West Transition Town meeting takes place this coming Friday - 2nd April - at 12.30pm at Dundee West Church.
It's lovely now! Go outside and do some leafleting! But there is a storm coming later this week – my RSS feed of severe weather warnings tells me there are warnings in place for Tuesday from 2am to midnight for very heavy rain and even snow on high ground. So, for Tuesday, it might make sense to plan some indoor activity – preparing your leaflets, researching your stories and making some phone calls. The warning appears to apply for from the Midlands and further north, Northern Ireland, but not Scotland, so key seats from Watford to Durham and Cardiff to ...
A fascinating photograph (below) looking west along Perth Road and with Roseangle to the south with what is now Dundee West Church prominent in the photo. The full Dundee City Council Photopolis collection is available at http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/photodb/main.htm.
The campaign for a pier at Redcar has enlisted the support of journalist Chris Foote-Wood who has written two books celebrating Britain's seaside piers. Chris, who is standing for the Liberal Democrats in Middlesbrough has joined up with Redcar's Lib Dem Candidate, Ian Swales, who launched the campaign for a traditional pier at Redcar in November and has received the support of hundreds of residents who have signed his petition. Say's Ian: "I am delighted that Chris has joined our campaign. He is a noted expert and his book has helped to revive interest in the seaside pier. "It is ...
In the present day, many people look back to the 1950s as the golden age: low crime, low divorce rates and a simpler life. In the 1950s, people tended to see Victorian times as the golden age, and it's easy to see why. After two world wars and faced with austerity Britain, the tail end rationing and an Empire in terminal decline, it must have been tempting to cast warm glances back to a time when Britain was top dog and the Empire was at its peak. So when did people in Victorian times see as the Golden Age? According ...
Yesterday, I suggested that perhaps the problem the Tories were having with their poll numbers was that they were running a brand campaign and not a political campaign. As I said, they realised they just couldn't go on like this and brought in M&C Saatchi to produce some new posters. Here is a link to one of them. The political campaign has been launched.
Stuart Wheeler, who in 2001 gave £5million to the Conservative Party, and was subsequently thrown out for giving £100,000 to UKIP last year, will announce tomorrow in Westminster that he has set up a new political party that will stand just three candidates at the general election. One in England, one in Scotland and one in Wales. Stuart Wheeler, who will stand himself, is going to stand against Conservative MP, Greg Barker in Bexhill. Greg Barker, the Conservative Shadow Climate Change Minister and close friend of David Cameron, was accused of pocketing £320,000 from buying and selling a flat he ...
Music, satire and the Daily Mail mixed together to make this great film: Now I'm off to bin all my pen tops.
I spent a good few hours yesterday enjoying the return of the Big Green Festival at St Clement's Church. This year's event seemed to be slightly bigger and better attended than the first year and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The festival aims to promote environmental issues in a fun and friendly environment. I spent the first hour or so collecting Village Green applications for Chorlton Meadows and trying to promote the Village Green application. It was great to get a chance to talk to people about the Meadows and keep them updated about the campaign. After ...
On Friday I attended the closing ceremony of the Manchester Young Apprentice Competition 2010, held at the University of Manchester. This week long competition, sponsored by Rolls Royce, is aimed at testing and improving its participants entrepreneurial and creative skills over an intensive week long programme, featuring a mixture of both university and secondary school students. It ...
Stuart Wheeler, the man who gave the Conservative Party £5 million, is forming his own political party and standing for Parliament. Prominent anti-EU campaigner Wheeler, who was expelled by the Tories last year after making a donation to UKIP, will announce tomorrow that he has set up the Trust Party and will fight Bexhill MP Greg Barker at the General Election. The Trust Party is aiming to stand just three candidates, one each in England, Scotland and Wales. It will have a manifesto based on cleaning up the 'corrupt' expenses system and proposes a new Parliamentary court, with the power ...
Yesterday I joined hundreds of people at St Clements for the Big Green Festival. The idea behind Chorlton's Big Green Festival is to promote the green issues and sustainability in a fun and friendly environment. The festival has a great range of live entertainment, activities and workshops with festival-goers encouraged to take part in swapshops, a bike ...
The Wales on Sunday's star columnist, Matt Withers demonstrated once more today his paper's maxim of 'never let the facts get in the way of a good story' when he took a bit of political knockabout from a Tory blog and turned it into an alleged news item. Mr. Withers swallowed hook, line and sinker the claim that Welsh Liberal Democrat AM, Mick Bates did not feature on a recent leaflet sent to all homes in the Montgomeryshire constituency. He then went on to compound the error by alleging that this means that Mick has stopped doing his job as ...
[IMG: Ed and me outside Chettle Court] One of our local newspapers has written an article saying that Chettle Court in Ridge Road will be the furthest point in Haringey from an A&E, if the Whittington closes. According to the Hornsey Journal the journey to an A&E from Ridge Road will double from 2 miles to 4 miles, and they have interviewed a range of Chettle Court residents to get their views. This news should strengthen Stroud Green residents resolve to fight these A&E cuts. At Monday's Full Council meeting we made the Whittington A&E the topic of our opposition ...
At 8pm on Monday 29th March, Channel 4 will stage a live debate between the would-be Chancellors, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, Labour's Alistair Darling and Conservative George Osborne. Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be asking the questions.
At 8pm on Monday 29th March, Channel 4 will stage a live debate between the would-be Chancellors, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, Labour's Alistair Darling and Conservative George Osborne. Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be asking the questions.
At 8pm on Monday 29th March, Channel 4 will stage a live debate between the would-be Chancellors, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, Labour's Alistair Darling and Conservative George Osborne. Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be asking the questions.
At 8pm on Monday 29th March, Channel 4 will stage a live debate between the would-be Chancellors, Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, Labour's Alistair Darling and Conservative George Osborne. Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be asking the questions.
As if not giving enough money from the defence budget to the armed forces for them to fight wars on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan wasn't bad enough. Gordon Brown and his dying Labour government have delivered yet another kick ono the teeth to her Majesty's armed forces by announcing that Generals now have ...
"If I could wish for one change in the world it would be that everybody could afford my shoes" Christian Louboutin, Observer Magazine 28 March 2010
Thanks to Lib Dem Voice's 2x2 this morning for this to cheer up the shortest night. Now to just work out how to get in unto literature and into people's letter boxes. Only joking James and Kez.
It's Sunday. It's 9am. It's time for some serious Lego action, but first the news. 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: No longer a hustings virgin – Keith Angus campaigning in Hackney North What a great way to spend my Birthday, even more campaigning! – Qurban Hussain in Luton South Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren't on the aggregator? Do post up a comment sharing them with us all. 2 Big Stories Landmarks ...
There's a letter from a group of bishops in the Sunday Telegraph It's interesting that it always seems to be the same lot: Ah! Nazir-Ali! Ah! Scott-Joynt! Ah! George Carey – bless him! I hesitate to call them "the usual suspects" – that would be unfair – but you know what I mean. When Bishop Mike Hill signs one of these letters I might sit up and take notice. The letter is about "apparent discrimination against Christians". I agree with one of their points, as does Shami Chakribati: Whether personal faith motivates the wearing of a cross, turban, head scarf ...
Champagne corks are popping in Tory circles as a couple of polls show them on 37% today (for one they're on 39%). According to UK Polling Report, calculating the latest average, that means the Conservatives will win 285 seats, just squeaking it ahead of Labour on 284 with the LibDems on 50. That's without taking into account factors such as the LibDem uptick when the ROPA kicks in, the LibDem incumbency factor and tactical voting. So don't glug that champers just yet oh Tory friends....
It was pleasing to see that the pavements in Bloomfield Drive near Bloomfield Rise North have been re-surfaced following a request earlier in February.
We all know that it is really important for children to be able to play in a clean, safe and secure environment. It is for this reason that I have taken positive steps towards ensuring that our local play areas are up to scratch: Residents on Standen Gate have complained that there is no specific dog-waste bin within the play area on Wentworth Drive. This means that residents are disposing of the mess in the regular bin at the entrance to the park. As the warmer weather approaches this can become very smelly and a potential health risk to children. ...
I have spoken with number of parents and local residents who have raised concerns over the 'rat run' along Derwent Road. Many parents have young children that go to Christ Church primary school and are concerned that the traffic calming measures that are in place may be encouraging quick acceleration, swerving and more dangerous driving. There are also concerns that the coaches that drive down Derwent Road to take pupils to Central Lancaster High School during the school rush come dangerously to the pavement edge where there are often young children about. Some parents have even seen these coaches mount ...
There was a book review in yesterday's Guardian that asked the above question. A passage that struck me was its assessment of the New Tory Party "above all a startling short-termism and lack of constructive planning... Cameron is the front man, ...
Especially judging by this little quick quiz at the end of an interview with in this weeks Sunday Times: Fish and chips or Sushi? Fish and chips Private jet or easyJet? EasyJet Julie Walters or Julia Roberts? Julia Roberts James Bond or Indiana Jones? Indiana Jones Prada or Primark? Primark He says "It's not that two posh people equal one fat ...
So, as advised by the optician, I had arranged to have my blood pressure checked. Let's be honest, I'm out of shape, eat badly and enjoy the occasional real ale. My job is a sedentary one, and if it wasn't for the Wii Fit, I probably wouldn't get much exercise apart from leaflet delivery. I was therefore, not unreasonably, expecting a bit of an alarm call, so you can imagine my surprise when the reading was 119 over 84 (normal being 120 over 80), with a resting pulse rate of 62. There is, it seems, no justice in the world... ...
New Saatchi poster aims to 'tear lumps out of Brown' reports the Daily Mail this morning. So we're going to have a clean, positive election campaign over the next six weeks, then? Great.
In what looks likedeliberate attempt to distance the UK from America, a Commons Select Committee of MPs has said that it is wrong of the UK to keep referring to the US-UK relationship as a 'special realtionship' I wonder what the rationale is behind this comment? There are intrinsic links between the US and UK going ...
If you are an MP then you are part of the legislature. MPs make decisions and others will want to influence those decisions. At the most basic level this amounts to constituents speaking to their MP. However it gets much more sophisticated than that. People form groups and lobby MPs. There are professionals who do this. Sometimes they work for pressure groups, but they may also work for unions or big business and there are thousands of organisations who wish to influence decision making at Westminster. So what can these groups do? It must be alright to speak with the ...
