I will, thoughout the general election campaign be trying to link daily to one story about the election from a blog you may have missed. So for Day 1, can I recommend local Norwich based UKIPer Michael Heaver who tells us five seats we need to watch out for UKIP in.
The FT beat me to the punch with a review of the different election websites, so I'll give my review a slightly different focus: which are best for local information about candidates? And if you are a candidate (or helping a candidate) what online information should you worry about making sure is correct? BBC: More extensive constituency descriptions that others listed below, but otherwise the constituency pages are surprisingly skimpy by comparison with only very limited election results and candidate information. Some links to BBC news stories where there has been one relevant to the constituency. Uses Thrasher & Rallings ...
London's (Turkish) Kurdish community hosted a fundraising dinner for Southwark and North Bermondsey's Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes at the Troia Restaurant opposite County Hall on the South Bank this evening. (Lord) William and (Lady) Helen Wallace — both experts in international and European affairs respectively — were also guests. Simon, who was a lawyer before ...
I have just returned from a fantastic public meeting to launch my election campaign at Dallow Community Centre. Over 400 people from all walks of life in our community attended the open meeting to show their support for the Liberal Democrats and my campaign to proudly represent our home in Westminster. During the meeting local residents themselves made speeches about the change our town and country needs and why they are supporting the Liberal Democrats. I was honoured to be joined by Baroness Northover who spoke passionately about how we need to end the cycle of Labour and Conservative governments ...
Well that's it then! The election is on May 6th - Official! It's funny but I recognise the feeling I'm getting, it's a little like starting a race on the Isle of Man TT course. Picture shows my classic 350cc Ducati just about to set of on a 4 lap race (about 150 miles) I think I averaged about 84mph on this one. Your heart is beating at a high rate and you're aware that not everyone finishes the race. Some break down and some unfortunately crash. You think of all the things that you meant to do before the ...
I had made a pretty good start on the delivery of my second Focus in Stowupland and Creeting St Peter, but the most labour intensive bit was still left undone. I can walk most of my patch, but there are a significant number of outlying houses, detached from the two village centres, and they vote too. So, despite a degree of tiredness after an arduous weekend, Ros and I got into the car yesterday afternoon, and I was driven to the north-east corner of the ward. Actually, it's my favourite part of Stowupland, as there are a number of houses ...
new`video same song same freedom
So the election has finally begun for real. I've been watching the news channels for most of today. Catching all the traditional election kick off activities. From Brown heading off to see her Maj, to the Downing Street statement, shots of the party leaders amazing ability to catch trains, and handshakes and small talk with nervous and bemused voters. My impression was, before I headed out to the launch meeting for Liberal Democrat candidate Qurban Hussain's campaign for Luton South, was that the first day belonged, by a whisker, to Gordon Brown. He has the advantage as PM of calling ...
So, with the Queen having decided that her May diary is clear enough to allow us to decide who can rule the country, it's time for The Most Important Election Since The Last One That Was As Or More Important (But It's Definitely More Important Than 2001 Which Might As Well Have Been Scripted By ...
OurKingdom is running the chapter in Why Vote Liberal Democrat by Ken Macdonalrd (former Director of Public Prosecutions) on liberty and terrorism: Britain is a country with a long and proud history of promoting civil liberties. This is a tradition we should be determined to defend. But in recent years the state's regard for these long-held values has diminished. Tony Blair once memorably described them as 'belonging to another age'. They do not. They belong to each and every one of us, right now. You can read the full piece over on the OurKingdom site and read a review of ...
Just one slip of the tongue and this headline would have been perfect. Is it yet another example of Vince Cable's dry humour ? Note : Definition of "Spoonerism"
At last the election has been called and pretty much everyone welcomes the chance to finally deliver a verdict on the tired Labour government. Perhaps the only group nervous about the coming campaign is the Conservative Party, which has slipped badly in recent months and which has found itself on the back foot as the lack of anything to say has been exposed under media scrutiny. David Cameron wants people to vote Tory because they aren't Labour but that's just not enough. So, in the spirit I intend to hold to during this campaign I want to set out simply ...
This comes from my sister-in-law and is the considered thoughts of my nephews - bless 'em 1. Top Manifesto pledge: Everyone to have a wii and to play lego wii. There is to be a special day (every Tuesday) for children to play Lego wii. 2. On Education: Much much more time to play at school, this will teach children to share. 3. On Hospitals: Servants to bring you food whenever you want it in hospital. 4. On transport: Motorways to only be allowed two cars at a time. We will provide more buses. Wherever you are, whenever you put ...
Well as Gordon Brown said it was the worst kept secret in history. The general election has been called for Thursday 6th May. Between now and then Reading Liberal Youth will be campaigning to elect Lib Dem MPs. You can help in so many ways – Putting a poster in your window, delivering a few leaflets, coming out canvassing, persuading a friend to vote Lib Dem, every little really does help. Please send us an email at rulibdem@hotmail.com if you want to lend a hand. Now is the time to get involved!
A second 'Battle of Bosworth' has begun today. This new battle is between a Tory MP who many believe has become a joke, a Labour candidate who lives in Leicester, and Michael Mullaney, the Lib Dems PPC for Bosworth, who has a proud record of defending local services, who grew up and still lives in Hinckley, ...
You've been let down by Labour for the last 13 years. You've had 65 years of Labour and Conservative Governments taking it in turns to make the same old mistakes over and over again. In North Durham we've enjoyed 104 years of paternal neglect by first Labour, then New Labour and now post-labour Labour. The choice in this election is between more of the same with Labour and the Conservatives or real change with the Liberal Democrats. We will clean up politics. We will deliver fairness. We will change Britain. Au revoir Punch and Judy
An activist's eye view from Walk This World With Me.
I see from the Everything Epping Forest website that the Green Party in Epping Forest has launched a petition against the amount of potholes. They are only two years late.The Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for over two years on the poor state of the roads, since the Conservative-run county council decided to change its policy, making potholes deeper for longer.So will the green party
From today's Daily Telegraph: Ron Harris is exactly as you might hope him to be. While other sportsmen have a persona that is mere construct, Harris remains Chopper still: unwavering, tougher than teak, no more likely to shirk a question than he would a challenge. Plus, as he proves while taking The Daily Telegraph round his old haunts at Stamford Bridge, immensely good value. He is giving us a sampler of a special, sold-out Legends Tour he is conducting to celebrate the 40th anniversary of when he became the first Chelsea captain to lift the FA Cup in 1970. "I ...
Members of the Southwark Pensioners' Action Group (SPAG) invited me to join residents of Camberwell this week in an effort to prevent an alcohol and drug support centre being closed. Members of the Southwark Pensioners' Action Group (SPAG) claim a consultation to shut Marina House breached government guidelines. Southwark News have rightly picked up on the outrage that is the closing down of Marina House referral center withouth proper consultation. Marina House is a center where people with drug and alcohol problems can self refer. It provides invaluable support for people who wish to try to help themselves out of ...
I reported a couple of posts ago that the Labour Party are now on their third general election candidate in over a year. But it now seems no-one seems to have told the media.The BBC are reporting that the Labour candidate was in fact the one the local party hastily got when Gordon was going to the country in the Autumn of 2007. Whilst Sky are reporting Labour's candidate is the one that lasted
Cornish Zetetics has published a league table of the performance of the 123 Cornwall councillors. I have come sixth. There are numerous health warnings attached to this - and I'm not taking it too seriously - but it's nice to see nonetheless. Those identified by the blog author are that the table only measures attendance at council meetings and that it does not measure what contributions a councillor makes to meetings they do attend. Of course, councillors do a lot more outside County Hall and measuring this work objectively is next to impossible. But hats off to Cornish Zetetics for ...
So, we're off. At last. With the clock having almost run down to zero, and with little room for manoeuvre remaining, earlier today Gordon Brown finally bit the bullet and called the election. We now know for sure that voting will take place on Thursday 6th May. Polling stations nationwide will be open from 7am until 10pm. If you want to register for a postal vote, arrange a proxy vote, or indeed if you have any query about your vote - and you live in Plymouth - then you can call the right people in the council on 304866 or ...
It's a new tax year - and this month we'll all feel the pain as our tax allowances stay the same and prices go up. I am studiously avoiding too much politics in this particular round up though - we'll get enough of that over the next month. Well maybe just a little bit of politics, but all in a good cause - Lady Mark talks about his trip to help Willie Rennie retain Dunfermline and West Fife. Sarah discusses how F1 could maybe take a leaf out of BTCC's book. I could call Daddy Alex's and Millennium's pieces on ...
Am watching the debate. How bad is it that I am agreeing with John Redwood (Tory) and Tom Watson (Labour) and there's not a ONE of our MPs yet spoken against this abortion of a bill, despite the emergency motion that so many people worked so hard to push through conference? In order to prevent my incandescent fury from making me explode, I present something that the government is trying to take away from us: a copyright infringing fandom collision. Ladies and gentlemen, here is Vincent Price on the basics of cricket: ((hat-tip [IMG: [livejournal.com profile] ] burkesworks))
It's amazing just how popular Vince Cable is. At a time when so many politicians are held in such low regard, Vince really does seem to have rapport and respect among the public. As we were getting ready for the photo before the strategy meeting (see previous post), a family walked past, stopped and turned round and asked Vince if they could have a photo with him. The father told his kids - this is a politician you can trust. Later, on College Green, there was an incredible scrum as all the news networks broadcast long special editions. The public ...
First there was Sky: [IMG: Mark Pack on Sky News] And now there's finishing off authorising various local election candidates. Good excuses. Honest guv.
Liberal England has noticed a posting on Andrew Whitehead's blog including a recording of the Liberal Land song dating from 1910. Whitehead has also traced the recording of Michael Foot talking about the land song which I recalled in a previous posting. Whitehead is a journalist and he interviewed Foot about the song following a book review that the Labour leader had written in the Guardian: 'I interviewed Michael Foot back in November 1990 about 'The Land Song' after he had made reference to it in a 'Guardian' book review. This is the full account of what he told me:'I ...
There are some fascinating details coming out of the trial of Loloahi Tapui (former cleaner of the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland) at Southwark Crown Court. Try this for size (my bolding): (Baroness Scotland) told the court she had only told Ms Tapui she was a lawyer, and had wanted to make sure she "understood how important honesty was to me and my family". "I told her that it was very important that whoever worked for me, as I was a lawyer, should be entitled to work in this country," she said. Baroness Scotland also told the jury when Ms Tapui ...
I've finally managed to take my shoes off after a hectic day. The first day of an election campaign (known as Palace Day because it's the day that the PM goes to ask the Monarch to call the election) is always centred on London. The schedule today involved Nick Clegg giving a speech to party workers at Cowley Street, followed by a strategy meeting with Vince Cable and some of the key advisors. I got a sneak preview at the press conference venue (the first presser is tomorrow). It's at the Work Foundation near St James' Park and the venue ...
I am just back from delivering 200 Focuses with 200 flying start leaflets added on for Neil Bradbury in Blaydon constituency. I can forsee lots more of these. Indeed, I woke up at 5am today thinking about leaflet deliveries. I can imagine I will have lots of sleep sessions interrupted by such thoughts in the coming weeks!I have seen no sign at all of Labour literature being delivered in my ward.
a) Gordon Brown wants to be seen as a team player (hence massed ranks of Cabinet behind him for election announcement) b) David Cameron wants to be seen as Barack Obama (hence shirt, rolled up sleeves and people behind him when he speaks!) c) Nick Clegg wants to be seen with Vince Cable (hence Vince becomes the first non-leader to ever have his picture emblazoned on a party leader's battlebus)
Survey re Oliver's Battery Recreation GroundReport to Oliver's Battery Parish Council, 6th April 2010Following the last Parish Council meeting and the subsequent special meeting called at the request of six residents, I was asked to conduct a survey of opinion within the Parish on future options for the Recreation Ground.1,318 survey forms were printed and distributed to every individual on the
Whistle virtuoso Helen Forbes is performing in the Wighton Centre, upstairs in Dundee Central Library, tomorrow (Wednesday 7th April) at 1.15pm! Helen is a regular at the Wighton Centre, teaching the Saturday morning whistle class. Helen Forbes from Dundee is regarded as one of Scotland's finest tin whistle players. Her father, Peter, a well known Highland piper who later took up uillean pipes, was a major influence on her playing but she was also lucky enough to be taught by Mary Bergin in Spiddal and also by her at the Willie Clancy School in Miltown Malbay. She is a much ...
As reported in tonight's Evening Telegraph, I am hopeful that, with community support, a historic bridge over the railway in the West End could be restored back to its 1903 splendour. The bridge in question is the one on Riverside Drive, just south of the Botanic Garden. Over a period of time, many West End residents had contacted m e about the bridge's condition - not so much its structural condition, which is sound - but its aesthetic condition. As one resident pointed out: "The railings are the old, now rusty but once lovely, iron railings adjoining the ironwork of ...
Day 1 in the of the election proper. I must admit that I have caught non of the press coverage since I listened to the today programme at 7 this morning so I can't really comment on much regarding national politics today. Today was spent partly doing my day job at the Guildhall. I met with the unions regarding the closure of a local coco plant and agreed a way forward, talked to the press regarding developments around the KC stadium and tied up the council agenda for next week ( plus some confidential stuff from a 3rd party) On ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 163rd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (28th March – 3rd April, 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. Vince's Gift: A ...
I have deliberately taken my time before posting my thoughts about Chris Grayling's comments for a variety of reasons. Firstly I didn't really know what he said, All I had heard was from Labour/Lib Dem (often LGBT campaigners) who quiet frankly there was a significant risk that they would be overstating of exaggerating what was said. Secondly The reaction ...
Andrew Whitehead has a recording of the great Liberal campaign song made a century ago by George Hardy. Just the thing for your iPod as you go out delivering in the election campaign.
Having spent the afternoon at Haig Ave watching Southport's victory over Northwich Victoria and so return to the top of the league (and automatic promotion) we adjourned to Birkdale for a little light canvassing. We were concentrating on the area around Birkdale Primary School. In a previous life I was the councillor for neighbouring Kew Ward and this area was declared a Housing Action Area. That gives you the idea of the type of property in the neighbourhood-so any of you with preconceived notions about what sort of place Birkdale is need to adjust your prejudices. This is not the ...
Every election campaign us Lib Dems have had the same question/accusation pointed at us "But you have no chance of winning/isn't voting for the Lib Dems a wasted vote/won't this help party X get in?" these questions are age old and I've looked at them myself to some degree however this election we have a slightly different ...
At last a general election has been called for the 6th May. I will cover events of the election here in Bracknell as well as national issues. I believe Bracknell's battle to come second is much more interesting than the expected Conservative win as 2nd place has been getting closer every year. The Conservatives have a massive majority of 12,000 votes. I will bring you a number of Q A with local Independent candidates as the main parties will receive plenty of exposure and I feel I need to offer my local blog readers an extra service by providing some ...
BRACE - Bristol Research into Alzheimer's and Care of the Elderly - will have a collection at Morrison's in Yate on Friday 23rd April. They need helpers for a couple of two hour slots in the afternoon, or you can help for a one hour stint if you can't manage two. Please help this very important local charity that focuses on financing research into dementia and conditions of the elderly. If you can spare an hour or two, please ring Lynda at the BRACE Office on 0117 340 4831 or email her on lynda@alzheimers-brace.org You can find out more about ...
As blogged before here when Bracknell blog reported before the local papers on the dismissal of Borough Councillor Denise Whitbread from Holyport Cof E Primary School in 2008 after receiving social security benefits and after being found guilty of professional misconduct by the General Teaching Council of England (GTC) following an investigation by the Work and Pensions department and the Bracknell Borough Council. A meeting of the referrals Sub-Committee of Bracknell Forest Council's Standards Committee have examined a complaint by the Bracknell Liberal Democrats about the conduct of Borough Councillor Denise Whitbread. I can report that the Sub-Committee have rejected ...
Whenever Nick Clegg has taken on Gordon Brown about how the gap between rich and poor has widened, Gordon Brown praises the tax credits system he introduced as Chancellor. This system is so fantastic that it gets a third of its payments wrong, causing real misery for the poorest families. Parliamentary answers have revealed that in the first 5 years of the system, almost 2 million families have been repeatedly overpaid. The system is incredibly complicated - even people who are used to dealing with complex official forms find the tax credit forms confusing and difficult to understand. They have ...
Hallaton 2 Medbourne 1, says the Leicester Mercury. And Wartime Housewife gives you all the local colour.
...to vote for a government led by this man it is this little snippet in the Guardian today: Brown first went to Kirkcaldy West primary school at the age of four, a year ahead of his contemporaries. He could already recite the tales of Thomas the Tank Engine by heart, his biographers note, and he excelled at maths and reading. Aged eight, he stayed up until 1.30am listening to the 1959 general election results. I'm sorry, the man has clearly been some kind of power-mad maniac for more than half a century. If he had been hatching some kind of ...
As the official election campaign starts, I find myself, in a healthy way, less emotionally attached to the outcome than in the last four elections. That's good. I think I have got stupidly worked up about the last four elections, leading to disappointment at some level – except in the case of 1997, which was like all my birthdays coming at once. All being well, I will be campaigning in four constituencies across the country during the next month: In Liverpool, Cornwall and Oxford - But my main effort will be for David Rendel in Newbury. So I won't be ...
So the starting gun has been fired and the race for the House of Commons has begun. Pollsters and pundits are going into overdrive, as this election promises to be the most hotly contested, and the least certain in outcome, for decades. Here in North East Cambridgeshire, I and my team will be campaigning hard to challenge the successor to Malcolm Moss as Conservative candidate for the seat. This area has a proud Liberal tradition going back to Clement Freud and further. We're clear about our policy priorities, for a fair tax system; a fair start in life for every ...
Well the waiting is over, and the election is finally upon us. We've been in election mode ever since the summer of 2007 when Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister and famously "bottled out" of an snap election. The Lib Dems start the campaign from about 20% in the polls – pretty similar to ...
I have just intervened on the Digital Economy Bill to point out that Freedom of Information Requests are copyrighted by local authorities amongst other public authorities.This means that the enforcement methods in the Bill could be used against websites that report the information from FOI.It is important that those people who work in the creative industries can earn money for their work.
Today marked the official start of the general election campaign. And today's the day you could help ensure the Lib Dems get the best possible result – by making a donation to support the Lib Dem Voice election appeal. Thanks to the support of LDV readers, we have just crossed the £1,000 threshold – a terrific response. But the candidates in our five battleground seats will need more than that to help get their campaigns off to a flying start. So please: make a donation to help the Lib Dems today. Here are some examples of what your gift could ...
Facebook users vote for hung parliament in ground-breaking 'snap election' -Social media election kicks off by revealing that a third of women voters are still undecided- The UK is heading for a period of political gridlock according to a ground-breaking 'snap election' on Facebook, held within hours of Gordon Brown's election announcement. Voters on Facebook put the Tories marginally ahead with 33.0% of the vote. But due to the quirks of the electoral system, Labour's vote of 28.6% could still be enough to make it the largest party, potentially leading to the first hung parliament since 1974 and weeks of ...
And here is an interview I conducted for the excellent Westbourne magazine, where I muse on the challenges faced by local businesses, city-centre speed limits and Masterchef. Share |
The next thirty days are going, I believe, to be really exciting as we build up to polling day.
I took part today in a telephone interview conducted by the Improvement Service. They are currently working on a brief blogging guide for councillors in Scotland. They wanted to (to quote them!) "ask a few questions about your own blogging story and the benefits of using this form of social media". It is good to see the Improvement Service encouraging more councillors across Scotland to add blogging to the way they update and inform constituents about their activities and I was pleased to assist. I have always said that blogging isn't a substitute for all the other councillor activities such ...
So Gordon has been to the Palace and the phoney war is finally over. Now there is just a month to persuade people it is worth getting out there to vote. To kick things off, here is a short election message I have recorded via the Winkball video site. Share |
Dear Fraser, I'm sure you've seen the news by now. Gordon Brown has finally announced the General Election will be held on May 6th. This election is a really exciting opportunity. The choice in this election is between more of the same with Labour and the Conservatives or real change with the Liberal Democrats. People have a real choice. That's why this election is wide open. I hope that you will join me in putting the case for real change up and down the country. We will clean up politics. We will deliver fairness. We will change Britain for good. ...
As previously stated here, the Conservative administration have failed with their scheme to pay for the new council offices. The original plans to turn the former Council headquarters into a hotel, multi-screen cinema, ten- pin bowling alley or a combination of all these elements have been shelved. The Tories have scratched their heads and couldn't come up with anything to bail them out of
I've been forwarded this letter that Joan Ruddock MP has sent to a selection of Lewisham Central residents. I read it and gulped, again, the claim that Joan Ruddock voted "against" the war, only in a much clearer and unequivocal phrasing. "I have always acted with integrity and stuck to my principles – voting against the ...
Probably the worst-kept secret in recent months is finally out of the bag - Gordon Brown has been to the Palace and there really will be a General Election on 6th May! Like most people, I will be glad to get on with it. It has been more-or-less impossible to have any sensible discussion about anything in Parliament in recent months because everyone has had one eye on the Election. In my experience, the few months leading up to an election are always the worst time for any hope of parties working together in a mature way for the good ...
Now the General Election campaign has started it is worth looking at the basis of the Lib Dem Campaign.Some of the issues we are proposing we have already put forward in parliament (like the right of recall), but other parties voted them down.The key four steps to a fairer britain are:Fair taxes. A new, fair start for all children at school. A rebalanced, green economy. And clean, open politics.
Maybe you've been inspired by Nick Clegg's positive message today, when he said: "It is a very exciting opportunity for everyone in Britain who wants fairness and real change, who wants something different. "This isn't the old politics of a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservative Party. The real choice is between the old politics of Labour and Conservatives and something different, something new and that is what we offer." . Maybe you were impressed by Vince Cable's knockout performance in the Chancellors' Debate last week. Maybe you have been helped by a local Liberal Democrat Councillor like Daisy ...
I like Katy Gordon. I like Katy because she always seems to be enjoying herself. I like Katy because she has a strong work ethic and a sense of fun. I like Katy Gordon enough to turn up on a cold, damp Easter Sunday morning and stick stamps on envelopes, 350 of them. Yes, the roadshow had rolled on, and we were in Kelvinside to meet local members as they went out to deliver leaflets for Katy's campaign to win in Glasgow North. Of course, it would be churlish to simply sit there and drink tea, so I got on ...
The History The Eastern region, along with the South East is the very bedrock of Conservative Strength in the UK. Going back to the 1987 General Election, Labour held just two seats in the whole region (Cambridge and Norwich South) , and despite much hyped expectations of gains in 1992, Basildon stayed Tory, Norwich North too, whilst only Ipswich was gained by Labour. In the same period, the Liberal presence in the region was invisible on parliamentary maps. Sloppiness and an overconfidence in Clement Freud's old Isle of Ely seat, saw the Liberals wiped out in the Eastern Region, and ...
Liberal Vision would like to wish all Liberal Democrat candidates and campaigners the best of luck in the General Election!! And to get us started a few words from Nick and Vinnie:
Why is it, when you've got loads of stuff to do, there's loads of interest in the news and on t'telly, that your body throws a stinking headcold at you that doesn't affect your physical abilities at all but completely messes up your brain's ability to think? I'm trying to put the finishing touches to a blog redesign for a friend who's actually going to pay me good, solid money. Can I concentrate on it for long enough to actually, y'know, type a line of code? Can I buggery. The Prime Minister has finally gone and called the General Election, ...
BBC East just showed the eletion map of East Anglia, and guess what ? It's wrong. Apparently Colchester is now a Tory seat. This will come as a surprise to Lib Dem MP Bob Russell who has held the seat since 1997. Yet again, after previous numerous mistakes in their political coverage. BBC East show themselves not to be fit for purpose.
As my first act now that the election campaign is officially under way, may I commend Tim Montgomerie of ConservativeHome for consideration for the much sought-after Order of the Brown Nose after this fawning piece?
Well, I'm so glad Gordon Brown has taken my advice about saving the country a million quid by holding the General Election on the same day as the Local Elections - 6th May. Here's what Nick Clegg had to say about the Lib Dem campaign: "It is a very exciting opportunity for everyone in Britain who wants fairness and real change, who wants something different. "This isn't the old politics of a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservative Party. The real choice is between the old politics of Labour and Conservatives and something different, something new and that is ...
photo - NASA/Ben Cooper Discovery launched at 11.21am our time on Easter Banks Holiday Monday. It was the last night-time launch of a Space Shuttle and means there are just 3 flights left before the Shuttles are retired. There are 3 women astronauts aboard Discovery. This means that there will be a record of 4 women in space at the same time. The 3 on discovery will join their collageu of the International Space Station (ISS) when Discovery docks with the ISS on Wednesday. If you are up in the early hours you can see Discovery and the ISS as ...
Here at Millbank Tower in Westminster (where I work) there has been much excitement amongst the Tories downstairs in their headquarters at the sound of the starting pistol. Extra security (and extra heavies) are present and in the lift we overhear people talk about what they will say to 'Dave' when he visits today. The Tory press conferences are going to be taking place six floors underneath me. But at last we've got lift off - and I've been checking the BBC and SKY election pages to check they have spelt my name right. We're away - exciting stuff. The ...
The concept of "wash up" has become subject of greater attention just before the last few general elections, but it's not nearly as special as descriptions make it sound. What happens is that just before Parliament is dissolved for a general election various pieces of legislation are rushed through rather than be lost and have to start again from scratch after the election. There are no special Parliamentary rules to allow this speedy legislation. Instead, Parliament just has to vote for speedy processes as it can at any other time in the Parliamentary cycle. If you have the votes, you ...
In addition to being both April Fools' Day and Maundy Thursday this year, the first of April has, for the last ten years, been 'Edible Book Day'. Anyone who fancies whipping up a gastronomic masterpiece for next year should check out www.books2eat.com for inspiration. Unfortunately, our electoral tasting menu is again rather sparse this week, with one principal by-election and one single Town Council result reported to ALDC. The principal by-election contest took place in the John O Gaunt ward of Lancaster City District Council. It is all change in the parliamentary constituency, the thirteen-year-old constituency of Lancaster & Wyre ...
The BBC has got a really easy to follow guide of the basics of how to vote. If in any doubt visit your local council website for further advise that may be specific for you.
It's one of the most famous party election broadcasts of all time – John Cleese's classic 1987 appeal to the British public to reject the extremism of left and right as represented by 'Loony Labour' councils and Mrs Thatcher's Tories, and opt for the reasonable party of the centre, the SDP/Liberal Alliance. For those who've never had the chance to enjoy it, please scroll to the bottom of this post, and re-live it in all its glory. (And wonder at the fact that party election broadcasts used to be 10 minutes long – yes, that's right, 20 years ago political ...
And here in Bosworth there really is only one choice: Michael Mullaney, the Lib Dem PPC.
The election has been officially called for May 6th and we now face several weeks of campaigning to decide who our local MPs will be for the next few years and in Norfolk we have a real chance to make a difference. In North Norfolk we have a fine example of everything a good MP should be with Lib Dem MP being an MP that people of all parties admire. For me personally he has been an inspiration and we desperately need more MPs like him, untainted and free of any involvement in the expenses scandals and standing up for ...
Almost a third of tax credit payments have been for the wrong amount, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. More than 2m families have been repeatedly overpaid in the 5 years since tax credits were introduced, answers to Parliamentary Questions show. The number of families repeatedly underpaid was up 42% to almost 1m over the same period. A staggering 50,000 families have been taken to court in pursuit of overpayments in the last three years. Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb commented: "These figures should shame ministers into making changes to the tax credit system. ...
Almost a third of tax credit payments have been for the wrong amount, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. More than 2m families have been repeatedly overpaid in the 5 years since tax credits were introduced, answers to Parliamentary Questions show. The number of families repeatedly underpaid was up 42% to almost 1m over the same period. A staggering 50,000 families have been taken to court in pursuit of overpayments in the last three years. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said: "These figures should shame ministers into making changes to the tax credit ...
For all those commenters who were shocked by my failure to be very sorry about the murder of Eugene Terre Blanche, here is a photo of him [IMG: dead%20nazi.jpg] And here's a massacre by those nice cuddly white South Africans - less than 1% of whom engaged in any form of protest against this massacre. [IMG: sharpeville.jpg] I don't think any more words are needed.
Gordon Brown has now been to the palace to visit the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament. There will now be an election on 6 May and election where the voters really can have a bigger say than ever before. If you truly want to vote for change look not at what either Labour or the Conservatives are saying they would like to do, look at what the Liberal Democrats have been trying to do over recent only to come up against the roadblock that is the Labservatives. We've tried to make things more open, we've tried to ...
Firstly, I should make it clear that I am SO not a morning person. So when it was suggested I get out and about for 7am to distribute campaign literature, I knew it wasn't my ideal time of day. I rarely see 7am in a conscious state. But today was different – today is the day ...
It's a surprisingly long way from Redcar to Dunfermline, but for Willie Rennie, no journey is too long. And with daylight saving time, there was still plenty of time to get some photographs and deliver some leaflets. I have to admit that I didn't know Willie before he won his 2006 by-election, but everyone who knew him told me what a great guy he was, especially in North Cornwall (and they're a tough crowd down there, let me tell you!). Since then, whenever I've run into him, he's demonstrated exactly why he inspires such loyalty. Willie led a group of ...
This morning I made a return visit to London Luton Airport in our constituency. Our airport is a fantastic resource and, along with our other excellent travel links, is a prime reason why we should be attracting more jobs to Luton. Under a Labour Government and our disgraced MP this has sadly failed to happen. The Liberal Democrats and I are putting job creation at the centre of our campaign in Luton South. Both our Leader, Nick Clegg, and Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable, have visited recently to talk about the support and change our economy and financial services need to ...
So it looks like we are off, with New Labour buoyed by an obviously rogue telephone poll in the Guardian, taken by ICM over the Easter weekend, when only New Labour supporters are sad enough to be answering their telephones in the hope that somebody likes them. I shall be supporting the Lib Dems as the most progressive mainstream party, but with great concern about their lack of enlightenment over the diasatrous Afghan War, which claimed yet another British soldier yesterday, and doubtless several unreported Afghans. The great scandal of this election will be the conspiracy by the main parties ...
The prolonged agony of the non-election in the UK finally seems set to reach its culmination: Mr. Brown is going to the Palace to start the election campaign. I think that the feeling across the country will be relief. This coy game of "guess the election date" at times has tipped into farce, and sets pretty low standards in the banality of much of our political life. Sadly I fear the campaign is already set to be an exchange of simplistic half-truths, rather than the informed discussion about the future of the country that it ought to be. Politics has ...
The entire nation's tv news teams are huddled in Downing St waiting for the unsurprising news that Brown is going to go to the Palace to fire the election starting pistol. So for ages, all we have had are wall to wall views of closed doors and the Queen's helicopter landing at Buckingham Palace.And as I write this, Brown emerges from the Downing St bunker and we are getting a detailed explanation
That's all there is left of this wretched Labour administration. Not that I have much enthusiasm for what follows. Today Gordon Brown will "get permission" to dissolve Parliament off the Queen. A ridiculous notion, but one that the media loves. Nicholas Witchell gets his four/five yearly chance to stand with Buck House in the background, uttering in ...
Alamein Community Association are holding a Fun Day on Saturday 17th April. The event takes place in King Arthur's hall, ther Askalot shop and the adjacent car park. This is your community association and all local residents are invited. Bring the whole family along and join in the fun. For full details see the attached flyer. Alamein Fun Day
Before Gordon Brown had made it to the Palace, Nick Clegg was up and running leading the Lib Dem election campaign. This morning he gave a quick briefing to Party workers at Cowley Street - video below. Later this morning he will be doing an interview in the back of a London cab for The Sun (as well as lots of other interviews, no doubt) and then he is off for his first constituency visit of the campaign proper in Watford. Housekeeping note: During the campaign, I'll be spending a lot of my time on the road taking photos and ...
So, Gordon Brown is today due to go to the Palace and see the Queen, kickstarting the election campaign. That's one meeting I'm not invited to, but I am due today to see a senior manager from First Capital Connect (FCC), to chase progress on Thameslink. Thameslink has improved after the awful problems of recent months, and FCC's compensation offer has got better, but I am still holding the company to account. It's great that they're investing £10m in improving Thameslink, but is this really new money? Are Thameslink's recent problems with the unions truly a thing of the past? ...
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone with residents surveys] So - bets are on that today's the day when the date will be set for the general election! And that means people in Hornsey & Wood Green get their chance to cast their verdict not just on my promises for the future but also (for the first time!) my record as an MP. So it seems appropriate to put up my latest column for the Muswell Hill Flyer and the Highgate Handbook - on what a privilege it's been to be the MP for the last five years for the area where I ...
After three years of ifs, buts and maybes since the "election that never was" debacle in 2007, we're going to be put out of our misery this week. The phoney war that has been fought out by the political class, to the bemusement of the electorate, is one of the least appealing aspects of our elitist political culture. With this in mind, I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by responses from candidates to the general election policy comparison web initiative DEMREF 2010, which, for my sins, I have hurriedly got together in recent months. To date, the majority of ...
I recently interviewed Julian Huppert, Lib Dem PPC for Cambridge. We discussed his campaign, his predecessor as Lib Dem candidate and current MP David Howarth, drugs policy and the Digital Economy Bill on which he spoke in an Emergency Motion at the recent Lib Dem spring conference:
As we move into the General Election period proper it is going to become more and more difficult to maintain daily posts on this blog. Nevertheless I will try and in doing so seek to reflect some of the flavour of the campaign from my viewpoint. Yesterday's Independent was instructive in setting the context for the forthcoming contest. They point out that despite the closely fought contest between Labour and the Conservatives, Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats are so far resisting the squeeze and look like they will be starting this election on the sort of opinion poll ratings we saw ...
A letter writer to the Craven Herald asked last week about my opinion on climate change science. For those of you not lucky enough to receive that august organ of news, I thought it might be worth using this space to jot down some possibly contentious thoughts..... First, though, let me say I am no scientist, though I have read the books of James Lovelock with great interest and do dip into my son's copy of "Scientific American", if there are items that grab my attention and are basic enough for a non-scientist to understand! I also, and this may ...
As the General Election campaign gets underway it was instructive to see Plaid Cymru yesterday arguing that they were the only party to be untouched by the Parliamentary sleaze scandals. This reinvention will no doubt be a feature of the contest in front of us. However, we would not want Plaid Cymru to forget that their three MPs in fact had to repay £9,000 to public funds, wrongly claimed as part of their expenses. They are no better than any other politicians so they should stop pretending that they are.
The impression, formed by their handling of the waste collection service, that the Tory group running Harborough District Council does not have the faintest idea what it is doing has just been strengthened. The Leicester Mercury reported yesterday that their is confusion over the council tax rise that local residents are facing this year: In February councillors in Harborough agreed an average 2.5% increase, but demands received by more than 30,000 households have shown many are actually facing an increase of 3.7%. However, tax payers living in Market Harborough, more than a quarter of the population of the borough, are ...
Don't know how many people have noticed this lovely house tucked away on Arkwright Road - in the middle of NW3 but it's a building called West Brow and is in fact the HQ of Tribune. In the context of the passing of the great Michael Foot - it seemed only right that I report the existence of this building/office: http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/ Happy to be corrected but I have a memory that it was/is also the location of the office of Glenda Jackson MP - but haven't sensed that for a while so it's poss that she has changed her arrangements ...
In the biggest shock since Ricky Martin decided to share with us that he's gay, Gordon Brown will head to Buckingham Palace today to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament so that a General Election can take place on 6th May. You have to love the quaint traditions we observe in this country. Presumably the Queen will politely pretend that she had no idea that this was going to happen, rather like a wife who's found out her husband's cackhanded plans for her surprise birthday party and chooses not to hurt his feelings by telling him. I just can't help ...
In spite of recession, seemingly endless divisions within the Labour Party and a government whose default mode appears to be "under siege", the Tories haven't yet managed to close the deal. Of course, Cameron is still the bookies' favourite to win but, all things considered, a lead opposition party with any degree of trust among the electorate should have been out of sight by now.
Good morning and welcome to Daily View on this, the first day of the General Election. As if we hadn't all been at war footing for weeks anyway. In history on April 6th, in 1869 celluloid was first patented, paving the way for commercial photography and cinematography. Every Youtube video you watch during the campaign will be thanks to the technology and techniques first pioneered on celluloid over 100 years ago. On this day in 1895, Oscar Wilde was arrested for attempting to book into Chris Grayling's B&B; in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games is held. It's the day ...
Iain Martin, who has a blog on the Wall Street Journal site has written a very funny sketch regarding what may happen in number 10 this morning. As with all good satire you can see some truth in the goings on......... GB: "I think this is the right time, isn't it? I mean, this is absolutely the right time, isn't it? It's not the wrong time, is it?" Sue Nye (very quietly, under her breath): "Oh for God's sake, here we go again." Ed Balls: "Gordon, we've talked about this, haven't we? Remember? About how everything is ready to go ...
Well the worst kept secret is out! Gordon Brown is off to the Palace today before an announcement of a General Election on 6th May (the same day as the local Election). I'll be blogging about my campaign and the national campaign from now on as well as about my normal Council work. Election literature is supposed to carry a "p and p". This is so that people can see who is responsible for it. Given the title of this blog I think its pretty obvious who is responsible but to be absolutely legally correct I'll repeat this "p and ...
I'm doing a bit of a work at the moment looking into worries about an organisation fingerprinting its staff. Can't say a lot right now as I am looking into it, but I hope to post again shortly.
So it's almost certainly definite that Gordon will, if he doesn't bottle it, go and ask Liz for permission to hold an election tomorrow. And if he does, and she says yes, we shall have a general election at the same time as the local ones in which I am standing. Which will be fun... National ElectionThe main issue facing my party is persuading people that we actually have a chance. Many of those who would vote for us end up voting Labservative instead because they believe we can't win. This kind of thinking is so ingrained that it even ...
When I was a teenager, I used to love travelling in the old Yugoslavia. You had mountains, beaches, lakes, plains, and forests and great cities like Mostar. The food, schnitzel and kebabs; sweet baklava and Turkish coffee; rakia and ...
Euro MP Catherine Bearder has invited the Fisheries Commissioner to visit Hastings to see firsthand the damage caused to fishing communities by the UK's disproportionate quota system. At a meeting in the European Parliament, Catherine told the new Commissioner about the problems faced by the South East's fishing fleet and the communities that support them. About ...
On the eve of the dissolution of the British parliament, the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg descended in his yellow and aqua battlebus on the marginal London seat of Hampstead and Kilburn, where dozens of helpers (including me) were busy stuffing election literature for local candidate Ed Fordham, who has high hopes of seizing the ...
I have just finished writing Parliamentary Campaigner for publication on Tuesday so I thought I would catch the news headlines before sliding into bed. And the shock news from Sky is? "Labour sources: Brown will call the election today (Tuesday) for 6th May." Sky must have some incredible sources! This news will come as a shock to the entire nation! What a well kept secret!---Sent via BlackBerry
Yesterday Ed Balls threw down the gauntlet to the Conservatives by saying that Labour would protect school budgets and he challenged them to say the same thing. Ed was on Newsnight recently along with David Laws and Michael Gove and he complimented the Liberal Democrats on the way that they had funded their education policies. He could not say the same for the Tories. It is good to receive compliments from Labour, and some would say it is even better for Michael Gove to respond by criticising the Liberal Democrats as he did on the news yesterday evening. Usually when ...
