Utterly Fabulous click on the link for the Youtube Unfortunately, they only came 3rd in the national finals so won't be in Norway
I have a confession to make. When I left hom alone I channel surf. For some reason, I often end up watching "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" with Billie Piper on one of the cable channels. Naughty, naughty. I know, I'm very slow on the uptake, but I suddenly realised that Billie Piper's boyfriend in that series was Matt Smith. Indeed, they palyed fellow...ahem...professionals. Here they are on the show...A sort of Doctor Who pre-coupling type of thing.....
The World Forgetting, By the World Forgot looks at the resignation from the shadow cabinet of Lords Adonis and Mandelson and speculates that they may to leave Labour and join the government. Intriguing stuff. The new government has promised to end the detention of child asylum seekers, but The ARCH Blog says that taking months over it will not do. Meanwhile Random Blowe wants to abolish the Association of Chief Police Officers. Iain Dale's Diary has an extract from his Total Politics interview with Andrew Neil. Not on Safari in Harlesden meets Alexei Sayle, who later this year will be ...
Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't. Gregory's Girl meets Eternal SunshineAnyone know where I can get a recording of Zooey singing 'Sugar Town'? Favourite quotes: "There's plenty other fish in the sea." "Well they're wrong." "Why is it that pretty girls can treat everyone like crap and get away with it?" "Centuries of reinforcement." "Just because some bizzaro girl likes the same things that you do, doesn't make her your soul mate." "Loneliness is... er, underrated." "The Lady Dothn't" "I'm stalking. Er, I'm starving" "Dear, I don't know how to tell you this. But there is a ...
I've just updated Edward Davey's website with his views on the coalition. It has been, not surprisingly, rather difficult to get hold of him in the last couple of weeks. Although he was not a member of the negotiating team, he is a member of the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive Committee, so had to attend all their meetings, late into the night, as well as the ones with the MPs. He did make very quick contact with local members immediately after the election, in order to get our views on what the Liberal Democrat leadership should be doing next. (I'm ...
I got a bit carried away with the #lesserbooks hashtag on Twitter today. What a strange, innocent joy to be playing what is essentially an endless game of Wuthering Hillocks with a huge hive mind comprised of witty, literate people from all over the map. For what it's worth (not a lot), here are my efforts from this afternoon's merriment: The Wealth of Grecians #lesserbooks V for Viennetta #lesserbooks #lesserfilms about 3 hours ago Charles Dickens - David Blaine #lesserbooks about 4 hours ago The Obvious Dagger (Part of the "His Greyish Substances" trilogy) #lesserbooks about 4 hours ago Gordon ...
Awfully good ...
That's the headline from ZDNet, reporting the Mayor's promise of free wifi across London by the 2012 Olympics. As the article goes on to point out, it does not say how this will be acheived, nor how it will be funded. So far, so Boris. There is a happy precedent here in Islington. The 'technology ...
[IMG: Andy & Mandy] Striking news from the BBC as they report the resignations of Lords Mandelson & Adonis from the Shadow Cabinet. The reason given for the resignations is, of course, a total smokescreen: they've managed to do the real jobs of managing government departments in the Lords, so why should it be any more difficult to shadow them? Also striking is the fact that on any other day this would have been front-page stuff. Major resignations from two 'big beasts' of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition? That's surely big news, especially when one is the man probably most associated ...
The drama continues here at Bureaucrat Towers or, to be more precise, the 20:00 service from Liverpool Street to Norwich, calling at Colchester, Manningtree, Ipswich, Stowmarket (change here for Creeting St Peter), Diss and Norwich. Since you left us, 'Liberal Bureaucracy' has been dealing with one candidate whose e-mail says he is running for one post, and his manifesto another, a candidate with a Facebook page but no valid nomination (as far as I can tell) and the receipt of a lot of sympathy (no tea so far, but I have beer...). I'm also exchanging e-mails with a member who ...
Stagecoach has informed the County Council that on the 30th May 2010 it will be varying the X9 Service. This Service currently departs at 16:45, this will be changing to 16:35 with subsequent departure times being 10 minutes earlier up until Stretham - timings between Stretham and Ely will remain the same. The return journey from Ely to Cambridge will now be via The Gallery and Back Hill in Ely, not Lisle Lane and Broad Street.
I have just written a post for The Corridor which will send its rather bemused leaders off to a lecture by Mike Brearley the psychoanalyst and former England cricket captain. As I remark there: It is pretty heavy psychoanalytic stuff and I am not sure how much use it would be to a captain who was trying to defend a low target against Somerset on the fourth day at Weston.Still there is a good anecdote (though they are not named by Brearley) about Keith Fletcher and Colin Cowdrey. The parallels Brearley draws between the psyches of Cowdrey and Hitler are ...
Sorry must stop ogling. Oh yeah there is a reason why I have the pictures of two gorgeous men on my blog this evening. Matt Smith on the left is now easily recognisable to all Doctor Who fans but the young man on the left is Douglas Booth, who you may have seen earlier this week in Worried About the Boy playing the lead Boy George. Well they are currently shooting a drama in Belfast about the gay author Christopher Isherwood (played by Smith) who wrote A Single Man there is to be some tonsil tennis going on apparently. Based ...
My House Points from today's Liberal Democrat News. I decided upon a straightforward approach, but an awkward question remains: How do you write a mildly satirical column when your party is in power? In the Cabinet It was a sight I thought I would never see: Liberal Democrat cabinet ministers. But there they were on the government front bench when the new House met on Tuesday afternoon: Nick Clegg, Vince Cable and Danny Alexander. Even Ming Campbell had got into the act, occupying Dennis Skinner's old seat just below the gangway. And there are many other Liberal Democrat ministers who ...
A young David Butler on show in Election '74 re-run http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_parliament/ # @helenduffett I can offer you a big jacket to hide the creased shirt ...? in reply to helenduffett # Oooh, Jeremy Thorpe has just won Devon North with 11k majority on 87% turnout. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_parliament/ # Graham Tope in Sutton & Cheam has just lost by-election gain for the Libs in '74. Shame. # @stuartdj Missed that (am listening). Bowled over by how posh everyone sounds. in reply to stuartdj # David Owen wins seat, but Libs lose Cheadle. Double-whammy. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_parliament/ # @stuartdj We won more than 18 thankfully. ...
It's been an exciting week in politics and beyond with lots to discuss and speculate about. First off, Mr MacNumpty looks at Miss Goldie's rearranging of the blue team while Andrew takes a wry look at Peter Mandelson's departure from the Shadow Cabinet. Jennie posts an angry, moving and powerful reply to Janet Street Porter's ignorant comments about Depression. Paul Edie looks at progress in services for the homeless and older people he's managed to make in the 3 years he's been in charge at the City of Edinburgh Council. Mark reckons Thatcher would have tried to make a coalition ...
I am having a fraught time with my attempted house move. It is so strange that I thought I would blog about it. The strangeness may be only a product of the years since I last bought a house. I saw a lovely old home - a Grade 2 listed building, very dilapidated - earlier this week. It was advertised at 289,995, and I put in a bid of 275,000. The agent told me that a cash offer of 250,000 was already in, and that the seller was inclined to accept it for a quick sale. The house ad, he ...
Over the next few years we're going to hear more about the "unproductive" part of our economy. We will hear endlessly about how it is pain-free to eliminate jobs from the public sector because they're not "real" jobs anyway. Indeed, a tortured logic might even argue that rather than the government paying someone a certain ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week 1. Confusion reigns over 55% - the reality is rather different (243) by Iain Roberts. 2. Opinion: For those about to defect - we don't salute you (121) by James Staff. 3. Opinion: I've joined the Liberal Democrats (148) by Chris Jones. 4. Arise, Lord Paddick? 95 new Lib Dem peers set to be created (89) by Stephen Tall. 5. So. Farewell Then Labservative.com (7) by Stephen Tall. 5 active LDV Members' Forum threads Short money How ...
Well it is that time on a Friday and 5pm so we know what that means. Time for a little indulgence as the weekend kicks in. Earlier this year while researching something else I came up with the first one of today's clips, found it coincided with Friday and so here you have it, a rather eclectic mix. Earlier this year we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his release but 49 years ago Nelson Mandela gave his first interview to the outside world about the struggle in South Africa. ITN's Brian Widlake is doing the questioning. There have been close ...
Over in the US SALON online service, Glenn Greenwald likes what the Coalition is doing to restore civil liberies in Britain. "I don't want to idealize what's taking place in Britain: it still remains to be seen how serious these commitments are and how genuine of an investigation into the torture regime will be conducted. But clearly, what was once a fringe position there has now become the mainstream platform of their new Government: that it's imperative to ensure that their country is not "a place where our children grow up so used to their liberty being infringed that they ...
I have just left Gateshead Council's annual meeting at which the Mayor was chosen. Outgoing mayor was John Eagle. Party politics aside, Gateshead has been blessed with a good crop of Mayors over the years. I think John however comes in at a category above that. So well done John for a first class year in office. He has now flown the nest and his place has been taken by Lamesley Councillor Michael
Once again, the Dow Jones has tumbled back towards 10,000 having failed to escape this level. Here are some quiz questions: 1. Can you remember when it first hit 10,000 2. On how many separate days has it traded THROUGH 10,000 – that is, had a High above that level and a Low below that ...
An exhibition taking the wraps off £30m plans to regenerate the iconic Redcar seafront will be launched to the public this weekend. The exciting proposals are designed to create 60 new jobs, support businesses and attract fresh investment to the area. The ambitious project includes the creation of strengthened flood defences, a spectacular new promenade, 80ft viewing tower and 'The Hub' - a showpiece base designed to allow the area's creative industries sector to thrive. And Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council is hoping that residents, traders and visitors will take the chance to see the plans when the scheme goes ...
The transformation of Redcar seafront moved a step closer today as ambitious plans were unveiled for a landmark focal point for creative and digital industries in the area. The Hub, an innovative business centre, will provide an exciting new base for up-and-coming firms to flourish on the site of the former Palace Theatre. The new facilities will be closely linked to a unique 80ft viewing tower which was announced last year, to include 3,000 sq ft of business space, a digital café, and gallery space for digital and commercial arts. The Hub will provide 35,712 sq ft of business space, ...
Hey I'm returning to my usual routine and it is Firday, it is also Hot, Hot, Hot out there so, take it away Will Smith. On the same theme but a little bit older step forward Mungo Jerry. And finally while the air is certainly still I hope no babies were being born to the overkill. The more observant of you will also have noticed I've posted this a whole hour earlier than my usual it's Fridays. Well what are you still doing at your desk get out and enjoy the sun, I have. Although I had pre-written one months ...
Just ignore this particular posting, thought I'd test my new gizmo phone,still it is hot.
The Office for National Statistics has published new unemployment figures for the country. The statistics for April 2010 show an unofficial unemployment rate of 10% in Redcar constituency - the 41st worst in England and the 46th worst in Great Britain, according to the rating. The Job Seekers' Allowance claimant rate in Redcar constituency is 6.9%. This includes 1,180 under the age of 25 (a rise of 0.4% since April 2009), 1,955 between the ages of 25 and 49 (a rise of 12.7% since April 2009) and 545 over-50s (a rise of 32.9%). New Redcar MP Ian Swales said, "these ...
Strangely, when sung to the tune of "Guantanamera", that just doesn't quite scan. On the other hand, "Guantanamera" is apparently a Cuban patriotic song, one of the things that I have learned today. But I digress. It's been a long road to get here, as I've already noted. With a membership that appears to be quite hard to pin down, there are issues about whether or not people who think that they are members have received a calling notice. Of course, one needs to bear in mind that, without a birthdate on the membership record, Membership Services can't inform Liberal ...
Two polls have been published this week offering some early sense of public perceptions of the Lib Dem / Conservative coalition government, and how they rate the party leaders. Public views of the coalition government Angus Reid discovered that, overall, 58% of the public strongly/moderately approve of the coalition, while 31% strongly/moderately disapprove – that's a net +27% approval rating. Approval is, as you might expect, stronger in the south of England (+41%), weaker in the north of England (+14%) and marginally negative in Scotland (-2%). This breaks down in party support as follows: Conservative voters: 84% approve, 11% disapprove ...
As an Asian member of the party I feel a strong need to speak up. The Diversity Agenda discourse on the question of ethnicity is heartening because it recognises that people like me ought to be represented and about time too. However, do I feel either not represented or under represented because of the lack of a non-pale face at the top? No, I don't. Why? Racial integration is a marvellous bridge. If representation is about sending a message of inclusion to a part of society that has been marginalised before then I don't need a Brown face at the ...
So are we seeing a decisive shift towards a more bottom-up, evolutionary way of working out what we want to do in Britain? It is instructive to look back on how our over-centralised state put down its roots in the late 1940's and a great account of this is in David Kynaston's remarkable book about 'Austerity Britain'. There is a notorious quotation - not an urban legend but a real quote - that 'The Gentleman in Whitehall really does know better what is good for people than the people do themselves'. This rather sums up an attitude Liberals instinctively reject. ...
Now that the elections are over, this weekend is a great time to register for the 2010 Liberal Democrat Local Government Conference - Saturday 19 June 2010. This is the first time Councillors and local campaigners will be able to get together since the start of the Coalition Government - we have a lot to talk about! Registrations start at £45 (that's after a £5 discount for ALDC members). After 15th June this goes up to £50. Council Groups in Group Membership of ALDC can take advantage of our "buy two, get one free" offer - get in touch if ...
Fri 21st
14:30
Corporate Responsibility is the thread that runs through Coalition Agreement - but there's more work...
Whilst I am of course delighted at news this week that Brentford appears to be leading the way nationally in corporate community investment, the financial crisis has thrown up real uncertainties over the past few years as to how embedded responsible leadership is in the business community, particularly the financial sector. As a candidate I experienced first hand how the crisis provided the backdrop (and the recession) that was central to debates throughout the recent General Election campaign. Thus it should give cause for hope that the thread running through the Coalition Agreement published yesterday is "responsibility". In fact the ...
The voting fiasco that took place in Manchester Withington on polling day on Thursday May 6th should never happen again. There were problems at three polling stations in Manchester Withington constituency that resulted in voters being turned away and denied the right to vote. The three polling stations in question which have been reported to ...
One side effect of a coalition government full of reforming zeal is lots of opportunities for the good people of Britain to troop down to their local polling station and make the appropriate mark on a ballot paper. Here are the elections and referendums that look to me to coming our way in the next few years – I may have missed some. local elections as now (unitary, met, county, district, town, parish) European election in 2014 referendum on AV for Westminster elections elections for an alternative to the Infrastructure Planning Commission? Probably not, but the agreement says the new ...
Having spent several days now shuttling between a bit miserable and the depths of despair, which my medication is barely denting and a trip to the doctor hasn't really helped, something has happened today which has given me a spike of genuine happiness. I don't generally like the Sun. It makes my skin fall off and makes me all sweaty and dries my garden out and makes my doggies panty. But it does have one welcome effect. [IMG: [personal profile] ] matgb is wearing shorts. Phwooooooooor.
A great story this - a crowdsourced response to what looks like human trafficking in the US. Heartwarming and Posted via email from Rob's posterous
You know what I haven't told LiveJournal, or Facebook, or anything online that's not Twitter? I've been accepted to a masters course at Bank Street College of Education, NYC. So, yeah.
Earlier this week it was mentioned in the press that the Liberal Democrats would be getting nearly 100 new members of the House of Lords. You can argue if the Liberal Democrats should get 100, another number or if the House of Lords should be reformed straight way. What you cannot argue against is that if there are to be more Liberal Democrat Peers then the West Midlands really ought to get some.
The small overall net loss of seats in this month's general election understandably rather overshadowed the growth in the party's share of the popular vote, which was up for the third general election in a row. The seat total was hit by the party not getting the lucky breaks in very close contests. The party won five of these knife-edge results but lost eleventwelve. That gives a hint as to what was happening overall to the number of seats won or close to won. If you total up the number of seats the party has won or come within 10% ...
I was just listening to a clip of Eddie Mair's interview with Ed Balls from Wednesday's PM on John Pienaar podcast this week. Eddie asked Balls a simple enough question, which of Gordon Brown's policies did he disagree with. After much pausing, dithering and hesitating he finally tried to offer some nuance about the Iraq war but Mair pressed him on specific policy issues. Balls could not come up with any. This underlines the problem with candidates such as Ed Balls and David Miliband who are so closely associated with the government that was recently turfed out of office and ...
Realistically, the chances are that the next leader of the Labour Party is going to be called either 'Ed' or 'Miliband' or both, thus conforming to the current major party trend of electing a fresh-faced forty-something male leader, with a full head of hair and an easy television manner.
I am writing an important letter to William Hague on his proposed inquiry into torture (via my MP to make sure an FCO bureaucrat does not bury it). I am marshalling my evidence but trying to keep it short, plain and unemotional. So no energy or time for significant blogging today. Some thoughts to keep people going. I am staunchly against fox-hunting. In my youth I was in the Hunt Saboteurs Association and remember great fun laying aniseed trails to disrupt otter hunts somewhere near Kings Lynn. I would happily do that again. I supported the ban on fox-hunting. But ...
I'm sure I'm not the only Lib Dem struggling to come to terms with the realisation that there is life after going into coalition with the Conservatives. It may not be eternal life (even five years might be too much to hope for!), and it certainly isn't paradise (the nation's economic predicament has more of Armageddon about it than Nirvana) but life it most definitely is. Despite already being subjected to obsessive scrutiny and outrageous cynicism from a surprisingly hostile media, and regardless of some premature and unhelpful 'noises off' from disillusioned tribalists in both parties, there is an undeniable, ...
I went to hear my goddaughter play violin and then piano at a musical festival the other day. She's six years old but plays so well it must be a surprise to anyone who has not heard her before. Her violin is one-tenth size but she can really make it ring. Her violin teacher mother has taught her. She achieved distinctions and first places for violin and also distinction and second place for piano (but that was in a class for up to nine year olds where some of the fifteen or so other children were much older). I thought ...
Claims that holding a referendum in October should be a simple matter were thrown in doubt today by the insistence of the Electoral Commission that it will take ten weeks to test the question on the ballot paper properly. Although the previous Secretary of State had plenty of time since the February vote in the Assembly to put this matter in hand, it is only now that a question has emerged. This article in this morning's Western Mail shows why that is not such a simple process. Rachel Banner from True Wales believes that voters should be asked about things ...
Residents with mobility difficulties and, in particular, those who use motorised scooters, have welcomed the improved dropped kerbing recently provided for Perth Road, but I recently received this from one of the local sheltered housing wardens : "Tenant who uses a motorised scooter has reported difficulty going from Peddie Street to Alan Clark's Bakery. She says that due to the lack of dropped kerbs she has to go on the road in places to get along to the bakers." I have therefore asked the City Council if it can consider improvements for Peddie Street.
Having been awake until deep into the night, wading through a seemingly never-ending Liberal Youth e-inbox, and having cross-referenced the content of my private e-mail account... the one that you weren't really supposed to use, ladies and gentlemen... I think that I can announce the candidates for Chair of Liberal Youth. Of course, the usual caveats apply, subject to confirmation, excluding any nominations routed to the Returning Officer by yak, that sort of thing. However, as it currently stands, there are five declared and duly nominated candidates. Their names are as follows; Matthew Folker Richard Heinrich/Phil Jarvest (job share) Adam ...
So the Liberal Conservative coalition is going to start pilot programmes to look at how fuel prices in rural areas can be cut when the oil price is high. It's a step towards a workable scheme that was promised in the Liberal Democrat manifesto. As George Lyon MEP says: "This is an important first step in our fight for fairer fuel prices in rural Scotland. "Successive Labour and Conservative Governments have blocked Liberal Democrat attempts to secure a fuel duty reduction in areas where driving is a necessity, not a luxury. "Now with Liberal Democrats in Government we have a ...
I must confess that I laughed out loud when I read in this article in today's Daily Telegraph that Jeremy Hunt, the new Culture Minister, has been accused of attempting to rewrite history by deleting pre-election tweets critical of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. I mean it is nice of him to care, but really, there was no need. The paper says that messages mocking the Liberal Democrat's alleged "shameless" U-turns on the euro and an immigrant amnesty were among the dozens of posts now deleted by Mr Hunt, whose Cabinet role includes responsibility for the internet. They say ...
Follow this link to read the policies LibDems have shaped as part of our coalition agreement.
Watery sunlight creeps through the gap between the plush curtains as you groggily open your eyes. A cappuccino rests on the bedside table, next to the designer spectacles which have become your trademark. Wearily, you begin to sit up, turning on the DAB radio as you sip the smoking tide. But in the dulcet tones of Evan Davis you begin to discern a disturbing development. "In a shock move, the Football Association last night voted to open the selection of England's final World Cup squad to the public through an instant referendum. Votes are likely to divide sharply down club ...
Fri 21st
11:15
Too nice a day to sit in and write - so here are my 'twitter' length views on the last few days.
I'll be honest – I was going to write a blog yesterday, but was far too hungover, so delayed it until today. But now I look outside at the amazing blue skies and it feels like a day to spend out by the river with my Wife and baby. But what about the blog? Well, ...
........But I couldn't help it! This came through on one of the many news roundups I am signed into Youngsters recruited to catch pubs serving underage drinkers "ended up blotto" according to the Daily Star. A Doncaster Council spokesman is quoted: "Unfortunately on viewing our own camera footage taken on the evening, it can be seen that the volunteers took it upon themselves to drink some of the alcohol. This is not in accordance with the briefing given prior to their test purchase." Star p29 On a serious note, if the story is accurate, there is a clear failure here ...
Two small sentences caught my eye in the new Coalition Programme for Government which will be of interest in Darlington.In amongst all the grand plans we see this:"We will allow councils to return to the committee system, should they wish to."and this:"We will impose tougher rules to stop unfair competition by local authority newspapers."There is no doubt many local councillors, particularly
The Financial Times helps to resurrect an idea that CentreForum was cautiously plugging a year back. A common eurozone bond: would provide more accessibility to the markets, help stabilise the continent's economies and, most importantly, lower the cost of funding, which in turn would ease the burden on taxpayers.Such a bond would create the scope ...
Twenty largest Liberal Democrat majorities: Orkney and Shetland 51.3 Ross, Skye and Lochaber 37.5 Sheffield Hallam 29.9 Bath 25.2 Westmorland and Lonsdale 23.8 Norfolk North 23.4 Yeovil 22.8 Fife North East 22.6 Ceredigion 21.8 Leeds North West 20.9 Bristol West 20.5 Twickenham 20.3 Bermondsey and Old Southwark 19.1 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 18.6 Caithness, Sutherland and East Ross 16.8 Lewes 15.3 Hazel Grove 15.2 Colchester 15.1 Thornbury and Yate 14.8 Gordon 13.8 Southport 13.8 (Actually that's 21, but the bottom two are tied) Twenty smallest Liberal Democrat majorities: Solihull .3 Dorset Mid and Poole North .6 Norwich South .7 Bradford East .9 Wells 1.4 St Austell and Newquay 2.8 Brent Central 3.0 Somerton and Frome 3.0 Sutton and Cheam 3.3 St Ives 3.7 Manchester Withington 4.2 Burnley 4.3 Dunbartonshire East 4.6 Chippenham 4.7 Cheadle 6.2 ...
Nick Clegg wants our suggestions of liberty infringing laws we'd like to see reviewed. Here are my top 3, with bonus accompanying Facebook groups to show your support: 1. Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971. The Daddy of the UK's drug laws, which criminalises millions of people for engaging in activity that is only harmful to themselves. This criminalisation leads to a whole host of knock-on problems: profits for criminal gangs, dangerously inconsistent purity, addicts treated as criminals rather than patients, addicts turning to crime to fund their habit, billions spent on futile attempts to stop the trade, confused messages about ...
Today, local Tory blogger Giles McNeill has released the information that the newcomer Cllr Burt Keimach has been elected leader of the ruling Conservative group. Cllr Keimach is still only 2 years into his first term and is up for re-election in 2012. He beat the competition from Cllr Ian Fleetwood and Cllr Chris Underwood-Frost. It is expected that Cllr Keimach will become the council leader on Monday at the Annual Council. Cllr Irmgard Parrott becomes deputy leader. This is an interesting move with neither person a political big hitter or experienced in the top roles at council.
Yesterday as the world watched the new Liberal Democrat - Conservative coalition government announce the full details of the coalition agreement, Alex Salmond shouting at Iain Gray or even Annabel Goldie moving deck chairs around there were two quiet resignations. Lords Peter Mandelson and Andrew Adonis yesterday both quit the Labour shadow cabinet. On any other day these resignations would have been major news, I have to confess I didn't even notice them despite being on twitter and having my nose in the news websites all day. What is also surprising is the, quite honestly pathetic, reasons given for them ...
Have removed a lot of people from Facebook and Twitter friends lists today. Both are now back under 200 people, which is a level I feel comfortable with. If you've been removed, it's probably because we don't interact at all; if you still want to follow me then feel free to do so; my public facebook profile is here and of course, twitter is always public anyway. I will be cutting down my blog reading list too. This probably won't affect my list of trusted people who have access to locked posts on DW, but it may affect LJ because ...
British spies accused of secretly colluding with the CIA and foreign governments in a plot that sees people tortured in foreign countries. Not only does it sound like the storyline of many a political thriller, take that story and place it in almost any post-war decade and you'd expect it to be a Conservative government doing the colluding and Labour MPs decrying the international conspiracy, with a campaigning left-wing journalist thrown in for good measure publishing scoops and demanding an independent judicial inquiry. Except, of course, in the topsy turvey political days that we live it was a Labour government ...
The accused in rape cases is going to be given anonymity. We have anonymity for the victim - but until now - the accused has been named. Now - it will only be following conviction that the perpetrator will be named. It is clearly appalling for someone who is innocent to find their life and reputation ruined by false accusation and trial - but the issue is much wider than that. Yes - 60% of rape cases that come to court lead to conviction. But the cases that end up in court are the tip of the rape iceberg. Only ...
I wonder whether the Campaign for an Andover Town Council can be trusted with public money given their recent demands for poll cards to be issued for the town council elections. For the record, the decision not to issue poll cards was made by the interim parish council at a public meeting over a month ago. That decision endorsed a recommendation from senior council officers and was open to challenge at the time. No member of the Campaign bothered to attend that meeting. Nothing unusual there, they never bothered to attend Andover Forum meetings either. The decision has since been ...
Various members of the Tory old guard such as Norman Tebbit have been railing against the coalition recently. They can rail all they like but the glory days of the 1980s that they hark back to were very different from the 2010 situation that Cameron faced. Margaret Thatcher had decent working majorities in all three of her general election victories. Even then though she demonstrated the sort of pragmatism needed to win and retain power. The 1979 manifesto was not exactly explicit about what she would do when she became Prime Minister and some of the radical steps she intended ...
I think the Druid and the Guardian between them have persuaded me that banning naked short-selling may not be the solution. I'd like to know what is.
Angus Reid Public Opinion asked 2002 British adults the following question: All things considered, do you approve or disapprove of the coalition agreement reached by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats?The results were: Approve - 57%Disapprove - 31%Not sure - 12%The interviews were conducted from May 14 to May 16 and the margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
I wonder how many like me are beginning to detect a hint of desperation in the statements coming from the Campaign for an Andover Town Council in their attempts to justify their somewhat lacklustre election campaign. They have claimed to have support from across the political spectrum but refuse to identify which of them are members or supporters of political parties. Thats all right, because we can all identify the Labour party members hiding behind their supposed neutrality. Why will they not admit this allegience themselves? Of more concern is the unjustified attacks on Lib Dem members who walked away ...
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the recent case where so called known terrorist could not be returned to Pakistan. I fail to understand why we don't have an agreement with Pakistan. Pakistan is both an ally and a commonwealth country, how can we not have an agreement with them that people returned to Pakistan won't be tortured. If you remember how much hot water the last government got into when Britain was implicated in the torture of terror suspects because of the alleged use of CIA planes in British airspace and soil to take suspected terrorists for torture in ...
For the next week or so I would expect a reduction in the amount of blog posts that you see from me. This is largely down to two factors; Firstly I have an assignment due plus lesson plans and redoing part of an old assignment . Secondly I am currently facing a slight bout of writers block! This is ... Read more
@mcaino Sure [IMG: :)] But did Labour members object when it was Labour policy? I've only see people start objecting when another party doing it in reply to mcaino # @krishgm Fixed term Parliaments were in Labour's manifesto too. Can you recall interviewing any Labour MP who objected to that? in reply to krishgm # 8 Websites You Need to Stop Building - The Oatmeal - http://goo.gl/jVlQ via @morganuk # First election, then coalition talks and now round of post-election conferences. Perhaps will get sleep in August # @tom_watson Will your replies start "Unlike my colleagues I stand by the ...
The outcry from Conservative back benchers over Cameron gaining ministerial say in the 1922 committee shows that there is something that the bigger partner of the coalition could learn from the smaller partner. That lesson is let the party democracy have its say. The 1922 Committee has been sort of the conscious of the Conservative party just as the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive and conferences are to our own party. It was the place where the backbenchers could have their say without fear of ministerial interference. They could talk openly about their concerns without fear of recrimination. Of course the ...
Last night was Darlington's Mayor Making ceremony in the Town Hall. Definitely one of the high points of the year with abundant good will and civic pride.The outgoing Mayor, liberal-minded Conservative Jim Ruck, has been a popular and successful mayor, carrying out his civic duties, as was said by his sponsor, with a beam on his face. The incoming mayor is chosen strictly by seniority defined by
I'm spending a second night, opening e-mails, downloading attachments and acknowledging nominations. Never let it be said that being Liberal Youth's Returning Officer is easy... It must be said that this year's elections are rather better contested than last year's, something that augurs well for the future of the organisation. Oh well, back to the e-mails...
Fri 21st
00:45
A Helpful (sticky) Introductory Post. You want to scroll past if you're looking for new stuff...
Hello! Most of what I post here is public. Feel free to read away. There now follow some handy hints on how to make the most of your Reading My Blog experience:If you don't like my colour scheme (I am aware that many people don't) add ?style=light to the end of any url in the address bar and it will make it all better.If you want to know more about me, check the sidebar to your right --> or my profile, or both.If you prefer other platforms I am also active on both twitter and facebook (please note that the ...
On first reading there is much to be cheerful about in the new coalition agreement. The agreement is visionary, it's not just a New Labour set of tractor statistics with the language going one way and the policies in the other. There is purpose. It is possibly the first time in 13 years that a Government manifesto has shown any interest in freedom. In the overview there is a commitment to safeguard national security, tackle the deficit, and do so in a way that is both sensitive to and aspirational for those at the bottom of the pyramid. To do ...
It seems a good idea to support the right to life, the right to family, freedom from torture and the right to a fair trial, and this idea is found in the Human Rights Act. It is also a good idea to find people innocent until proven guilty. If the police suspect someone is a criminal then they carry out an investigation, the case may get to court and that person may be found guilty. I think what I have said is fairly obvious. What happens if the suspect is not British? It also seems fairly obvious that you should ...
At the Party's special conference in Birmingham last Sunday to debate the new governing coalition I was truly proud to be a Liberal Democrat. We had a first class debate about the challenges ahead; and of over 2000 members present only a dozen voted against the coalition agreement. We may have needed, as I suggested to delegates, 'the longest preparatory process in political history' (since David Steel told us in 1981 to go back to our constituencies and prepare for government); but we got there. The start to my week was again made a misery by volcanic ash, which closed ...
