Today, a couple of site visits - the first with residents of Thomson Street together with Scottish Water and City Council representatives to investigate a bad smell from drains on the roadway - the second with the Police, City Council representatives and fellow councillors to look at vehicle access problems in the Pentland Crescent/Avenue/Saggar Street area (see photo right). In the latter case, the significant problem is access along Pentland Crescent for fire engines in emergency situations and we discussed possible solutions. I have now had an update from the City Council on the pothole complaint I raised about the ...
Well it appears that isn't just humans but also animals as well as police manage to snap a picture of "the fox that attacked two babies as they slept" or "that fox" for short. I'm sure we'll soon see a crimewatch report with a reinactment sometime soon asking people to come forward if they have ...
During the campaign, Trident was, during the hustings at least one of the big issues in Ceredigion. On the doorstep it was a little bit different, I only remember fielding a handful of questions about it. But those questions raised ... Continue reading →
Today's UN Security Council vote on new sanctions against Iran sends a strong message that the international community is serious about containing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Encouragingly for those who support multilateralism, it is great to see the UN restored to its rightful forum as the place to resolve disputes...not as the place to stitch up a pre-planned invasion while complaining of its impotence. It is also encouraging to see a degree of unity, with Russia and China (albeit accepting a watered down version of the text) voting for tighter finance curbs and an expanded arms embargo. I hope ...
We have started sending out e bulletins from the three Lib Dem Councillors in Cressington. I plan to do these once a month. They'll have news about what we are doing, plus bits of news about the area. I sent the first one out earlier today. If you want to be added to the mailing list for future e bulletins, please let me have your e mail address. The easiest way to let me have this is by e mailing paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk. The system I am using means you can unsubscribe if you decide these bulletins are not for you.
The former Labour government decreed that all local councils needed to have a set procedure in place to deal with petitions that are presented to them. Rather than letting councils get on with deciding for themselves what they should do, they set all sorts of criteria - how many signatures were needed to force a full council debate and how many to force a senior officer to appear at a meeting are just two examples. I very much hope that this sort of micro-management of local affairs won't be continuing under the new coalition regime. But the Labour diktat has ...
Tonight was the first Environment and Climate Change commitee this (municipal) year. I am one of two Lib Dem opposition members on this. On the plus side I managed to get tree maintenance added to the work programme this year. Trees and their pruning, or lack of it, is a big issue in Cressington and I am sure there are similar issues in other parts of the City. I am quite frankly fed up of being fobbed off on issues around trees, and it will be good to do a piece of work about what the Council does and doesn't ...
It's the first day of the Royal Cornwall Show tomorrow and the weather forecast is for cloudy but dry weather with sunnier, warmer weather arriving for Friday and Saturday. See you there.
Over the last few weeks I have attended both a Labour (Next left conference) and a Conservative (the Conservative Home election report) post election analysis conference and at both of these conferences, both sides argued that they would have performed much better if they had stressed immigration more and in some cases had a more hard ...
We had a ministerial visit to the North East Reablement Team this morning. Shona Robison who is one of the Scottish Governments Health Minsters kindly accepted my invitation to see this extraordinary project in action. The staff were in great fettle. They know they are at the cutting edge of social care services in Scotland and that they are running a cracker of a project. Reablement is about empowering people who for have found themselves to be infirm. Rather than giving them a Home Help in perpetuity, as happened in the past, they now receive 6 weeks of intensive support ...
I am not a keen gardener, I'm a terrible one! This year I have decided to make some effort. This included the trip to a DIY store to purchase hand tools to replace the ones I can't find from last time I made an effort. I was baffled by the latest on age related sales checks. The store I went to had little left in the way of hand tools, but for a few pots and hanging baskets the plastic 3 set (above) was perfect (yes plastic). When I got to the till the cashier looked at me to check ...
If the deputy leadership contest ends up between Tim Farron and Simon Hughes, my head says Tim, who has huge amounts of dynamism and energy and my heart says Simon, who is where I'm at politically. I kind of feel that my heart is owed. Or so I wrote 2 weeks ago. Thank you, MPs, for electing Simon as Deputy Leader tonight. His main strength is his ability to inspire. His main weakness is his abiity to organise. The Deputy Leader role has all of the former and none of the latter. He will be utterly brilliant at it. I'm ...
Local Focus Team councillors involved in the project check out initial work at the Youth Cafe site. The JCB has just finished laying the underground services, including sewage for the Youth Cafe. Construction work for the building itself will start on the green area behind in July, but the services have been put in early, while Station Road was being dug up. This will avoid this bit of road being dug up twice - an amazing outbreak of common sense! The £1.3 million complex is being jointly funded by Yate Town Council and South Glos.
For some time, Launceston College has been seeking to get their old boarding house on Dunheved Road redeveloped and tomorrow evening there will be a presentation to showcase the plans for the building. The idea is that it will be used as a base for a variety of children's and family services as well as being a place where local students can study for higher education qualifications and a top class training venue for people in the hospitality industry. If you want to know more, come along to the venue between 5 and 7pm tomorrow evening.
Congratulations to Simon Hughes, who was elected as the deputy leader of the party by Liberal Democrat MPs this evening. I cannot find the voting figures online anywhere. Will they be declared? (Later. I am told that Hughes won by 38 votes to 18, with one MP not voting.) Simon is full of plans for his new role but, as I suggested the other day, he may find that Nick Clegg has no wish to cede that sort of power to him.
Simon Hughes was elected as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats this evening following a ballot of MPs. Speaking after the vote, Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: I am delighted Simon has been elected as Deputy Leader. Simon has been a huge figure in the Liberal Democrats for decades. He's a tireless campaigner, a relentless fighter for the vulnerable and marginalised in our society, and one of the hardest working MPs Parliament has ever seen. There are huge challenges and opportunities ahead for our country and our party, but with Simon by my side I ...
Take the Challenge! Follow the River Frome for 20miles from its source at the edge of the Cotswolds to the River Avon in Bristol. A lovely walk along the river valley that winds its way through a variety of attractive landscapes, filled with wildlife and local heritage. A coach to the start point leaves Bristol at 8am. Additional pick ups at Frenchay, Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell, Yate and Chipping Sodbury. Finish at your coach pick up point for a shorter walk Walk starts at 9am. Approximate finish time (Bristol): 7pm For more information and to book your place, contact: Paula Spiers, ...
Many people from across a wide spectrum of political allegiance have been swept away by the charisma, charm, and wisdom shown by Jim Garner since he burst on the scene with the announcement that he was standing for Labour Leader. Of course some of 'them' (and by that I mean the generic none specific them that they ...
So, Simon Hughes MP has won the election to become the new Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats following Vince Cable's resignation just last month. It's hard to get overly excited about this announcement given it has come on the same day that 20 redundancies of the Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats has been announced but I wish Simon all the very best. I was Simon's Agent and campaign manager when he became Party President back in 2004 and I know Simon will be a great Deputy Leader.
Simon Hughes, 8 term MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, has won the contest to be deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats beating Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron. Mr Hughes replaces Vince Cable, who stood down from the deputy leadership role last month to concentrate on the job of business secretary in the new Liberal Democrat-Conservative Coalition Government. He said he would ensure the Lib Dems "seize the moment" provided by the coalition government.
At last, a political story for which I can muster some positive enthusiasm. It matters not that Diane's presence on the ticket is almost certainly down to tokenism and "diversity" rather than any change of conscience in the PLP, but at least her name's on the ballot, and under the vagaries of the AV system used by Labour in their leadership elections, who's to say she's not without a chance? If, by some miracle, she does succeed, I may even consider rejoining Labour if she gets the chance to rebuild it in her own image. However, Ladbrokes have her at ...
Well, well, well, Diane Abbott makes it onto the Labour leadership ballot paper against the odds. It was an act of charity by MPs who don't support her and want her defeated. It does mean however that the leftwing has at least a standard bearer, even if it is one who is not credible as a party leader. It will be interesting to see how she performs. She may not necessarily come last in the first
Today's Cabinet meeting considered the consultation scheme for the new Local Transport Plan. I've blogged before about how the draft document seems to be promising motherhood and apple pie. In fact, reading it reminded me of 'Tomorrow's World' - the programme in which the future was all rosy, everything was possible and money was never mentioned. At today's meeting, I raised the issue of consultation, explaining that I didn't think the current consultation document was as good as it should be - although the consultation methods including lots of face to face interviews are really good. I queried whether consulting ...
With the village idiot persona of Boris Johnson and the ego of George Galloway, Diane Abbott may just win it. Let's face it, 3 months out from the General Election how many people would have said with some conviction "Nick Clegg will be the next Deputy Prime Minster". Not many. But here we are in the age of new politics with a Lib Dem - Conservative coalition governing our country. A week certainly proved to be a long time in politics. Today's shuffling of papers around PMQ's to get nominations for Diane Abbott may be a shocking display of tokenism ...
And after that heaviness, a few links: I'm through to the FINAL!!! in the Pop World Cup, but unfortunately from the comments it looks like I'm getting thrashed by Nigeria. Please go there and vote for Germany. Obverse Books, who publish the Iris Wildthyme Doctor Who spinoff books, have announced they will be working with ...
Richard Grayson writes on the Guardian website today: Fundamental to the Conservative approach is the view that prison should be primarily about punishment. For Liberal Democrats, prison is primarily about preventing re-offendingIs this right? I always thought there was a strong element of redemption in the liberal justification of punishment, but perhaps that concept no longer makes sense in our secular society. My impression is that this emphasis on preventing reoffending is a recent development. When I did a philosophy degree some 30 years ago deterrence was certainly among them, but I cannot recall any mention of the idea, popular ...
The new blog for Southport Liberal Youth can be found at: www.southportliberalyouth.blogspot.com. Good luck to them
I've noticed a rather worrying trend at the moment for Liberal Democrats to treat the Tories as our friends, since we went into coalition with them. People praising Cameron's performance at Prime Minister's Questions and so on. Some are even talking about how at the next election we should campaign on the basis of a ...
After accusing Harriet Harman of wearing someone's curtains and Theresa May of serial Thunderbirds jacket crimes it is only right that I spend time on the issue of Nick Clegg's tie worn at Prime Minister's Questions today. I thought it was gold, which was probably influenced by cognitive dissonance (but then again probably not) – you know I expect a gold tie from him and it was vaguely gold if you just look at it for a nano second. But Andrea Gill on Liberal Democrat Voice pointed out that it was in fact green. And, you know, golly by gosh, ...
Well this certainly holes below the water line a major piece of "received wisdom", much repeated in the press over recent years.
Soon we get to find out who the Liberal Democrat MPs have chosen as deputy leader. Who they choose matters, but not a huge amount. There is a famous quote about how the role of Vice President of the USA is "not worth a pitcher of warm piss". How much then is the Deputy Leadership of the Liberal Democrats worth? Especially as it comes without a role in government. There has been some exaggerated talk about the importance of this role. Not least from the two candidates themselves. The demands that the holder of the post should be elected by ...
The government say that want to take on ideas from ordinary voters on how they could save money, make cuts, and avoid duplication and pointless exercises which produce no benefits but use up lots of cash. So I have an idea. Why not scrap plans announced just this week that every council will be required to publish (presumably on the internet), every piece of expenditure which exceeds £500. Your typical council must spend amounts in excess of £500 several times a day, and this will have to be logged, reported, passed on, duplicated, scanned and accounted for by a member ...
There will be a French market in the town square in Launceston on Friday from 9am until 4pm selling a wide variety of produce from breads and cheeses to soaps and tablecloths.
Having had a few weeks to recover after the elections, time for normal service to be resumed. Except that I am no longer exactly sure what "normal service" is in the current political situation. And I am going to apologise in advance for a post which is almost unremittingly gloomy. The Lib Dems and Tories being in coalition nationally is quite uncomfortable for both parties in Wokingham. We are most definitely not in coalition. The Tories are still running the council, and we are still holding them to account. As before, we will work with them where we think they ...
Andrew Wallis has blogged an interesting snippet from today's Cabinet meeting where the Leader Alec Robertson gave figures for the cost of different types of transaction that the Council has with residents. Alec said that the average cost of an internet transaction was 70p, of a postal transaction £2 and of a face to face transaction at a One Stop Shop £20. These figures alarmed me and I have found out more. It seems that to arrive at these numbers, officers took the total cost of a means of providing a service and divided that by the number of people ...
Lib Dem Voice has learned the sad news from Cowley Street: The Liberal Democrats are having to begin a redundancy process to reduce the number of POLD [Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats] staff by over 20 positions. This is following the confirmation that the party will not be receiving Short Money. The losses will take place in the Policy Resource Unit, Media Office, and the Leader's Office. The party will retain a Media Office and a scaled-down Policy department. POLD staff have been told that they will be consulted, as the party seeks to arrive at a effective and ...
At PMQs today Harriet Harman asked about the government's plans for redrawing the constituency boundaries to even up the sizes. She particularly focused on the fact that there are lots of people (3.5 million according to her figures) who are not registered and implied that the redrawing of the boundaries would not be valid unless this was resolved. The crux of her point is here taken from Hansard: The danger is that if the Prime Minister presses on in the way he has indicated, he will be making the system less fair, not more fair. As he said, the Deputy ...
Word has reached me that, following the elections held earlier today, white smoke has emerged from the Whips' Office in the Lords as follows; In the contest for the newly created position of Convenor of the Parliamentary Party, John Alderdice defeated Joan Walmsley by fifty-nine votes to ten. The new Deputy Convenor will be Jane Bonham-Carter, who triumphed over Kishwer Falkner by forty-three votes to twenty-four. Congratulations to John and Jane, commiserations to Joan and Kishwer...
From last week, an excellent piece on the people who don't know they've been betrayed.
Well, of course I don't have a vote, but if I did it would be emphatically cast for Diane Abbott. Not because I agree with everything she says. Far from it. But because she has earned my respect over many years for not conforming in a party that demands conformity and sheep like behaviour when in vicinity of voting lobbies. Let's look at what she had to say on the issue of 42 days' detention - a speech that tugs at the heart strings of any Liberal Democrat, a speech so good that Liberty put it on their website. This ...
I would like to apologise to all readers of c'llr. magazine who may have been startled when they opened this month's edition to find my features dominating the front page. But it's nice to see Launceston mentioned lot!
On Sunday, I attended Soccer Aid at Old Trafford as a guest of ITV, an event organised by Robbie Williams, to raise money for the charity UNICEF, the World's leading children's organisation, which saw an England of legends and celebrities lose on penalties to a Rest of the World team which contained three times World ...
Wed 9th
16:41
Ordering the courts not to interfere in a matter that is in the competence of the courts
On the face of it this is a disgraceful action by the law officers of this coalition government tamely continuing a degrading New Labour procedure.. I trust that Liberal ministers will not be inhibited from reporting back what can be reported on this and that our backbenchers are not inhibited from telling the Liberal front bench in particular and the government in general front bench exactly what a crock of shit this approach is. In fact I hope there is a massive row behind the scenes in government and that Immigration minster Damian Green is suitably chastised. As the Guardian ...
Cross-posted from Liberal Democrat Voice. Prime Minister's Questions is definitely becoming more subdued these days. The bellowing and ya-boo atmosphere has reduced by about 80% since the election. The Cumbrian shootings have dominated both sessions so far, which has added to the quietish feeling. Harriett Harman has suddenly developed an interest in the electoral roll and the fact that "3.5 million people" who could be on it, aren't. Fascinating. She seems to have suddenly come up with this as a reason to throw a sort of police "stinger" in front of voting reform - or at least constituency boundary re-drawing. ...
Prime Minister's Questions is definitely becoming more subdued these days. The bellowing and ya-boo atmosphere has reduced by about 80% since the election. The Cumbrian shootings have dominated both sessions so far, which has added to the quietish feeling. Harriet Harman has suddenly developed an interest in the electoral roll and the fact that "3.5 million people" who could be on it, aren't. Fascinating. She seems to have suddenly come up with this as a reason to throw a sort of police "stinger" in front of voting reform - or at least constituency boundary re-drawing. She seems to have forgotten ...
I have a confession to make. Today I voted for both Labour and Conservative MPs – something I can honestly say I have never done before! For the first time MPs have been voting for MPs to Chair the Select Committees. A few Select Committees were uncontested, including the 2 Select Committees Chaired by Lib Dems and my previous Select ...
As reported earlier in the year, Cambridge City Council has allocated funds to improve the Wulfstan Way shops - £101,000 to be exact. There will be a follow-up workshop on 22nd June to discuss proposals in more detail. For more information, contact Penelope Hird — penelope.hird@cambridge.gov.uk.
Wed 9th
15:33
Party in the park — to celebrate new facilities at Nightingale Avenue Recreation Ground
[IMG: MUGA] Have you visited the Nightingale Avenue rec' lately? The City Council has put lots of extra kit in over the last few years — new climbing frames and spinners in the children's playground, a second tennis court, a wheel-friendly path round the park, and most recently, a multi-use games area that can be used for basketball, volleyball, netball or football if, like today, it's raining and the grass is not suitable to play on. The games area is constructed from wood specially chosen to mimimise noise and as the non-wood parts are dark leaf-green, it blends in well ...
Arriving from in Fermanagh from England in July 2008, five weeks after having had a stroke, I was understandably more concerned with my recuperation than with politics. However fate has a sense of humour and I found my new constituency plunged into the center of a political battleground that allowed me the opportunity to look at Northern Ireland politics. It allowed me to compare and contrast politics here with my 20 odd years of political activism in the Labour Party in England. Enniskillen is my home now and nestling on the Island between Upper and Lower Lough Erne is the ...
Africans have yet to see much economic benefit from the policies espoused by the apostles of globalisation. Not exactly many black faces among the delegates either. Scroll through all the Guardian's pictures here.
There was a briefing this afternoon for councillors to learn more about the proposed eco-town for the clay area of mid Cornwall. My concerns about the project are less to do with the redevelopment of derelict clay pits or about the new housing, but about how to make sure that the new communities can function properly and that people at the other end of the Duchy - including those of us here in Launceston - neither have to pay for the development nor will lose out on badly needed regeneration money because it is sucked into the eco-town project. I ...
The shennanigans in the Labour party today, followed by the smug sense of relief that they got a woman (and a black one too!) on the ballot paper for the leadership is nauseating in the extreme. It feels like there is an unspoken We've got a token diversity candidate now, so now we can all relax and vote for the nice white middle class boy we want to in the Labour blogosphere. Is it just me that finds this utterly infuriating? I hope she wins. That'll piss the buggers off. And yet... I really hope she doesn't. Because any one ...
Congratulations to David T. C. Davies on his unopposed election to the position of Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee. What is particularly significant about this appointment is the pledge by David that he will not join a 'No' campaign in the referendum on further legislative powers for the Assembly. That commitment will remove a significant voice from that campaign and weaken it significantly. As to David Davies' tenure we will have to see how that pans out. Obviously he will have to improve on his attendance but without the distraction of the Home Affairs Committee that should be ...
With the news that there are 5 Labour MPs on the ballot for the leadership contest (nominations for which closed at 12:30 today) attention will now doubtless turn to which of them can actually win. Having had a helping hand from people like Harriet Harman, Jack Straw and even David Miliband himself to get on the ballot, Diane Abbott will be pleased but even she would probably accept that she is very much an outsider and unlikely to win. Ed Balls as I have discussed on here previously would be a disaster for the party in my opinion and from ...
Yes, it's World Cup time, and this year, rather than endure the agony of following England (who will they lose to on penalties this time?), here at 'Liberal Bureaucracy', we've looked around for a team that suits our temperament. Our decision? A team with a bit of Latin American flair, aren't very well known, and who aren't drawn to meet England until at least the semi-final. Oh yes, and a goalkeeper called Valladares... Noel Valladares. Drawn in a group with Chile, Spain and Switzerland, their prospects aren't great, and if they do get through, they're likely to meet either Brazil ...
This is a very important documentary from the ever excellent Michael Andersen. It requires some patience and concentration, but it is essential to get away from the banalities of the mainstream media and understand the sheer scale of the disaster to which a purblind concentration on the disastrous Afghan war is leading. Please watch.
Watching the bird feeders this morning, a family of great tits arrived with much cheeping and rustling of leaves through the trees. The fledglings were being shown how to search through the leafy boughs for insects before visiting the fat ball feeder under the strict supervision of their parents. They were closely followed by a fleeting visitor to the garden, a female great spotted woodpecker enticed out of the local wood by the fat balls, presumably with a brood somewhere to feed. These quick snapshots of their lives are such a pleasure to watch and this year has seen not ...
The difficult issue of funding long term care is one which the coalition must address. The danger is that it will be kicked into the 'long grass' with another commission. The King's Fund, Joseph Rowntree , David Wanlass, White Papers and a wide scale public consultation-Caring Choices (a coalition of 15 groups)- have all considered the issue. Politicians have put forward suggestions -and now is the time for decisions. Living in Southport-which has one of the highest concentrations of older people in the country-I am increasingly aware of the distress and anger that this issue is generating -and it is ...
I am horrified to learn that yet another application has been submitted to Bury Council for a change of use from a retail premises to a hot food take-away. Local residents will recognise the premises when I say it is on Bury Old Road, Whitefield at the junction with Cuckoo Lane. I am rapidly reaching the conclusion that we are becoming saturated with take-aways. Prestwich now has dozens of them. Fans of take-aways will be delighted to learn that within the boundaries of Prestwich it is possible to sample the cuisine of numerous Indian, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Italian, Kosher, English, Kebabs ...
You might have gathered over the past few days that I am a big fan of the FFW. It's something I look forward to every year. Next year is the festival's tenth birthday, and as such it ought to be a doozy. The thing is, the FFW is not guaranteed to happen; if there isn't enough public demand then there's no point in the museum spending all that money to put the event on. So we need to make sure that the museum know the demand is there... Now, I know that lots of readers of this blog are fans ...
This is from yesterday's questions to the Business Minister in the Assembly Plenary. I have just asked a question of the Rural Affairs Minister as to how her officials are conducting themselves in North Pembrokeshire and will post that and the response tomorrow. Peter Black: Minister, I asked you two weeks ago whether you would ask the Minister for Rural Affairs to make a statement on the activities of Government officials in Pembrokeshire in relation to the culling of badgers. You will recall that Government officials are going around with a large police presence and covered faces, and are effectively ...
Local residents on Chapman Street, Elsdon Drive, Goring Avenue, Hurford Avenue, Meadfoot Drive, Kirkham Avenue, Wellesley Avenue, Reynolds Drive, Reed Street, Sandford Avenue, Winfield Drive, Seddon Avenue and Seymour Street will shortly be receiving food caddies and liners, which will enable any food waste to be stored and disposed of in the green bins starting June 22nd. Any residents who do not wish to take part may contact Environment On Call to have their food caddy removed.
They're everywhere. They're all around us. Unnoticed by most, they hang their heads, working in dingy back rooms all over the country. We all know the system couldn't operate without them, but we can't see a way around the problem. They are... the unpaid interns. Unpaid internships are a fact of modern political life, and ...
The coalition's latest policy announcement to give councils more powers to stop developers from using gardens as 'brownfield' sites to build housing is a good one. The idea that gardens are somehow 'brownfield' was a Labour initiative to encourage more house building - a Good Thing - but once again New Labour had the right principles but the wrong ideas. LD policy was all for giving more control over planning decisions to local councils so this is yet another victory for LD principles. However, the acid test of the move to remove imposed housing targets will be whether in five ...
All the talk is about what cuts the Government will introduce, well maybe we should take the opportunity to reform the whole Tax and Benefits system (not automatically cut) - we don't often get a chance to do this - a global credit crunch/recession is the best opportunity we have had in a while.
These kebabs can be barbecued if the weather is good, but equally easily cooked under the grill or in a griddle pan. 4 skinless, boneless checken breasts 150ml Greek yogurt 2 tbsp curry paste of your choice juice and zest of a lime small handful or coriander leaves, chopped Soak eight wooden skewers in warm water, then allow to drain. This ...
I have now been a political activist for quite a long time! Starting with campaigning for a Palestinian state and against apartheid in my teens, joining the party as a Liberal student, and then elected to Parliament in 1983 when Mrs Thatcher was at the height of her powers. Twenty seven years later, I have never forgotten what I came into politics to do. Fight for social justice, civil liberties, internationalism and a fair and responsible Britain where power is handed back to and not taken from the people. For many people in our country these are not characteristics which ...
From the maiden speech of Jonathan Edwards, the Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr: "After less than a decade in front line politics, he has already established himself as one of the greatest figures in the history of the national movement, and one of the most significant political figures of our time in Wales. When he returns form his studies in the USA, his destiny is clear - and that is to serve our people in our own Parliament in Cardiff - and to lead our people to our political freedom." Is Adam Price working as a speechwriter ...
A bumper thirteen blogs have recently joined Ryan's Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Amanda Taylor - http://amandataylor.mycouncillor.org Callum Morton - http://mortsterpolitics.wordpress.com Cambridge Ward Liberal Democrats - http://cambridgefocus.blogspot.com Elliot Reed- http://elliotjreed.wordpress.com Gary Allanach - http://garyallanach.blogspot.com James Fearnley - http://liberalforeignaffairs.blogspot.com John Latham - http://landofcleggeron.wordpress.com John Minard - Julia Goldsworthy - http://thinkpolitics.co.uk/tpblogs/juliagoldsworthy/ Nicholas Whyte - http://nwhyte.livejournal.com Phil Jarvest & Richard Heinrich - http://www.dreamticket2010.blogspot.com Simon Sharp - http://simonamsharp.wordpress.com Thomas Hemsley - http://hectoredmumblings.blogspot.com Good luck to all the new bloggers, and why not take a moment to pop over to their blogs, take a read and post a comment? Whether you are a new or ...
This? Is a bog-standard form letter which UKBA used under Labour for ages with virtually identical wording - only a few of the country specifics change. I've seen loads. They're always copied to the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association, who then circulate them to their members and to the main asylum law mailing lists so that lawyers know what they need to respond to when they make applications. I have no idea why the Guardian has suddenly latched onto these things now. There are even decent arguments for their use: For fairly obvious reasons, emergency applications are usually made without advance ...
One of the things that has always puzzled me about endorsements is the way in which people claim to endorse on behalf of organisations or groups. Yes, if member X decides that they would like to announce their undying support for candidate Y, that's fine, but when members A, B and C announce the support of branch D for candidate E, I find myself wondering what say other members of branch D had in deciding upon such an endorsement. Last year, I had to caution members of London Liberal Youth for issuing an endorsement in the name of the Regional ...
We come onto the Stockport local elections for 1979, in my run through all the results from 1973 up to 2004. 1979 was the last time Stockport local elections fell on the same day as the general election, prior to 2010. It was the year Margaret Thatcher came to power and, with no serious Liberal challenge in any of the parliamentary seats, the party suffered. This year had turnout never seen before or since, with one ward (Ladybrook) having a turnout of over 85% - simply staggering for a local election. Somem familiar names cropped up, too. Colin Macalister - ...
1. James Naughtie on Radio 4's Today – when he doesn't like an answer he exhales very loudly indeed. He did it this morning when he was interviewing John Prescott. 2. Carol Kirkwood, weather forecaster on BBC1's Breakfast. What a star she is! So cheerful. But she gulps the air between sentences as if she is about to expire...
John McDonnell has withdrawn from the Labour leadership battle with a matter of hours before nominations close. John McDonnell had just 16 nominations at the time of his withdrawl, less than half the number required to go through to be included on the ballot paper. John McDonnell is hoping that by adding his 16 nominations to the 11 that Diane Abbott already has that she can then get the final 6 needed to go through onto the ballot paper. Ed Balls, David Miliband and Ed Miliband all have at least the 33 nominations required and Andy Burnham is now claiming ...
Look I know it's not politics and I know that on the day that the final Big Brother* starts I am in the midst of a serious selection process for Edinburgh Central, but I would be true myself, my blog or you my readers if I didn't say: BRIAN'S QUITTING STRICTLY Yeah Brian Fortuna is quitting the show after the producers wanted to bring in changes meaning that some of the pros would only be there as professional-only show dancers and not in the mentoring role that they have had since the show was brought back to our screens. What ...
Now, before you say anything, don't say I can't handle change. As a leftie peace loving Lib Dem hippy, I am coping better than I ever thought I would with coalition with the Great Blue Devil. That doesn't mean to say that all change is good change. The BBC seem to be hell bent on ruining one of my favourite tv programmes, Strictly Come Dancing. After dumping the excellent Arlene Phillips as a judge last year and replacing her with someone half her age whose entire dance experience had been as a contestant on the show two years previously, they ...
[IMG: canopykakum.jpg] I know Diane Abbott slightly. I once had the pleasure of accompanying her across the Canopy Walkway at Kakum in Ghana. The photo of the walkway may come in handy as a metaphor. Last time I met her we chatted in Westminster tube station about Tony Blair - our views on him are similar. A question for my Labour supporting commenters. I do not know if, now John has stepped down, if Diane will now get enough MP nominations to stand. But why is hr candidature treated as a joke, or at best a half-hearted bit of tokenism? ...
[IMG: Wikipedia logo] Having been using Wikipedia more than usual in the last few days, and even made a couple of minor edits (there's now one less surplus space in the world, yay!), I've been struck by how old school it now feels. There's no 'login with your Facebook or Twitter account' option - instead it's got a free-standing registration system, just like everyone used to have. There are no social sharing links on the pages. Nor even is there an easy way to tell your friends that you've just made some changes to a piece. Depending on who the ...
I woke this morning to the ranting of John Prescott and listened to his instant rewriting of history in which he put the blame for everything that had gone wrong under Labour on the "greedy Tory bankers in the City." So let us put aside the years of Labour's sucking up to rich greedy Labour bankers in the City, and concentrate on the issue at hand: garden grabbing.This is the process by which
Overseas places come and go as the fashionable one to talk about in Westminster political circles. After 1992 it was Japan, with the fourth Conservative general election victory in a row spawning comparisons with Japan and the long period of Liberal Democrat rule there. In the run up to 2005 it was the Australian state of Queensland, where an incumbent state government had seemed set for re-election but suffered a shock defeat, put down largely to complacency amongst its supporters. And of course, as a third example, when in doubt there's always the 1960 US Presidential election, Barack Obama or ...
I heard this on BBC 5 Live competition yesterday to choose a peoples world cup song. Here is Bracknells very own song from Trevor Watts and Leon Wright from Bracknell and Sam Kompfner from Reading who are the Bogus MC's. I think its a great world cup song and a clever version of reggae song Rudy. 'A Message to You Rooney' is on general release Friday the 11th of June. Enjoy
Blogging will be light over the next month as my two favorite sporting events are being played in the same week. Yep the World Cup and Wimbledon Tennis Grand Slam. I will still be posting at least twice a week however but not as much as I have been in recent months. I love to discuss politics but during this period I may find it hard to be as into it when theres a world cup on. Having a world cup to me is a very special this years as it is in South Africa. Africa has alot of passion ...
Yesterday's Deputy Speaker Election produced a rather interesting result. But then again, it was always likely to, as all of the candidates had never been a Deputy before – a rather unusual occurrence. The election has brought Tory Nigel Evans, and Labour's Dawn Primarolo and Lindsay Hoyle into the lofty Speaker's chair. Lindsay Hoyle, in ...
The link is to a web page on Channel 4's website about their "undercover Social Worker" programme.This is now available on 4 on demand.Surrey is not one of the worse childrens services units. Nothing in the programme is particularly surprising to anyone who knows much about how the system works.In part it is also a reflection of the nature of society.One lesson that needs to be learnt is that
Somebody will have to explain to me why this is not an utter disgrace and why we shouldn't be ashamed to have our party associated with this. From the newly Gatling-gun protected Times website: Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, said that he was scrapping plans by Ed Balls, his predecessor, to extend free school meals from next term to 500,000 of the very lowest paid. The decision will cost families earning less than £307 a week about £600 a year, equivalent to a penny rise in their income tax for each child. ...Mr Gove said that he had to make ...
With her interest in all things Doctor Who, and her general quirky sense of humour, I suspected that Anna might like Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, but it's so long since I read it, and I was an adult when I did, that I wondered whether she was still a bit young at 11. So, I did what we all do these days to solve our dilemmas, I asked Twitter. The almost unanimous verdict was that I should get her started on it - the one dissenter was my friend Kelvin who said that the best way to be introduced ...
Lord Myners spoke in the House of Lords Yesterday.Amongst other things he said:There is nothing progressive about a Government who consistently spend more than they can raise in taxation, and certainly nothing progressive that endows generations to come with the liabilities incurred by the current generation. There will need to be significant cuts in public expenditure, but there is considerable
There are a few questions being asked regarding Conwys policy on refuse and recycling collections. I will give a quick response to some here. Q:Are you going to introduce a charge to empty our bins (Pay as you throw)? A:There are no plans to charge to empty your wheelie bin. Q:Can I leave out extra bin bags on our collection day? A: No, we have a no side waste policy and I have argued that overflowing bins with side waste will probably contain recycling. Q:I have a large family and can't manage with one bin can I have another? A: ...
The following information is from Manchester City Council regarding the GOALS Soccer Centre regrettably agreed for the St Margaret's corner of Heaton Park: "Since Planning Approval for the proposal was granted in February we have been working on the the legal and administrative process relating to development in the Park and it is expected that this will be concluded around the end of August. If all goes to plan it is anticipated that Goals Soccer Centres Plc could start work on site shortly after this. I understand from Goals Soccer Centres Plc that developments of this type take approximately 22 ...
Wed 9th
08:44
Nick Clegg's message to Lib Dem members: Reforming politics & restoring civil liberties
On Tuesday, Nick Clegg sent the following message by email to party members: Yesterday I was proud to be at the Government Dispatch Box in the House of Commons moving a motion in support of a Queen's Speech that committed to delivering long cherished Liberal Democrat policies. Over the coming months we will bring forward legislation for much needed political reform and the restoration of our civil liberties. We will bring in a proportionally elected second chamber, strengthen the role of parliament, increase devolution to Scotland and Wales, regulate party funding and lobbysists, introduce the power of recall for corrupt ...
They are going at it hammer and tongs in Bury St Edmunds. From the Chelmsford Weekly News: Colchester MP Bob Russell has been hauled before an employment tribunal accused of wrongly firing an alleged "whistleblower". However, the complainant's evidence has been slammed as "a smear campaign" while he says the MP has carried out a "character assassination". A nation holds its breath.
Dear All, Please be advised that no ballots for the elections have yet been issued. After a week and a bit with some turmoil in the Cowley St office, we are back on track with somewhat reduced deadlines. An external mailing company will be dealing with the posting of ballot papers and manifesto booklets, arriving Friday 11th at the earliest, and Monday 14th or later more likely. I have thus set a new deadline for votes to be returned, being June 28th, with the count scheduled for the following day. A new opportunity for an online hustings event has arisen. ...
Luton South would be Liberal Democrat target seat number 56 at the next General Election. Paul Walter has pulled together the list of the new target seats for the Liberal Democrats ranked by the percentage point difference between the party's percentage of the vote, and that of the winner. According to this list the constituencies in Bedfordshire come in the following order: Luton South is 56 Bedford is 135 Bedfordshire Mid 300 Bedfordshire South West 435 Bedfordshire North East 463 Luton North 512
With the only reference to the House of Lords thus far being the proposals to reform it outlined by the Deputy Prime Minister earlier in the week, it was inevitable that members of the second chamber would find a way to get a little attention. Yesterday, the Local Government Bill, intended to revoke the legislation creating unitary authorities for Norwich and Exeter, fell victim to an Opposition ambush, as it was referred to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills to clarify whether or not the bill is hybrid, by a vote of 154 to 150. Whilst the Coalition does ...
I make no apologies for twisting Sonewall's 'Some People are Gay Get Over It' slogan especially in light of reading Ed Fordham's opinion piece on Lib Dem Voice the other day. Like Ed said: "I was appalled by the decision of Stonewall's Chief Executive Ben Summerskill to take the airwaves and print media to launch his own mini-campaign against David [Laws]." Not everyone finds it easy to be out and proud as Summerskill seems to make it. It they did where are the gay footballers and apart from Gareth Thomas the gay rugby players at the top end of our ...
List of links: Today's list of news, stories, blog articles and so on that I have tagged as particularly interesting or excellent in my news reader. As ever, clicking on the titles should take you to the full version of the story on its home site... Roundup on BP by/at: Austro-Athenian Empire My once-in-a-generation cut? The armed forces. All of them by/at: Comment is free | guardian.co.uk Any (Good) Thing the State Can Do, We Can Do Better by/at: LiberaLaw Cory Doctorow: For the Win by/at: FORA.tv - Program Feed Britain to See Inflation Risk? by/at: The Daily Bell - ...
The BBC are reporting that the Badger Trust has won leave to appeal against the legal judgement that backed the Welsh Government's proposed badger cull in Nortn Pembrokeshire. The appeal is against the outcome of a judicial review held in April, which upheld the government's right to mount the cull. The Badger Trust argued that Welsh Government and Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones had not shown that a cull would "eliminate or substantially reduce" the rate of TB infection, as the law meant it had to; and that ministers had a duty to weigh the harm to the badger population ...
On Monday Nick Clegg said in parliament that the coalition was prepared to re-examine its proposal to grant anonymity to defendants in rape cases, a measure voted for by the Liberal Democrat Conference in 2006 but not included in our manifesto. There have been serious objections to the proposal, and Nick's response was: "...we do want to listen to everybody who has a stake and expertise and insight into this. and if the idea we have put forward does not withstand sincere scrutiny, we will of course be prepared to alter and change the proposals we have made." This reasoned ...
The decision by the UK culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt to scrap the independently funded news consortia for Wales was the wrong call. Mr. Hunt believes that these consortia are not a good use of public money and wants to use the money to fund the roll-out of superfast broadband instead. He also wants to reform local cross-media ownership rules and look at the potential for commercially viable local TV stations in the UK nations and regions. I have no problem with any of that but I do think that Wales and Scotland were a special case and that there should ...
So, apparently we are to have another "big conversation" as a "once in a generation" opportunity to re-evaluate what role the state should play. Allow me to submit my suggestions: Yup, that's right. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The state should not be doing anything at all. Because, as Gary Chartier writes, "Any (Good) Thing the State Can Do, We Can Do Better"
Last week was an incredibly slow week for comics, and I was away for the Fantastic Films Weekend in Bradford over the weekend (about which I may write tomorrow). On top of that, none of the very small number of comics I bought on Thursday allow for very much analysis, so I'm going to pinch ...
I was listening to Jeremy Vine yesterday and one of the discussions was about where we could make cuts in public expenditure. I didn't hear anyone asking for their benefit to be cut but it is not unknown for wealthy people to say they don't want universal benefits like child benefit. If you don't go to a library then protecting the library service may not be your priority. I don't use libraries very often however I used to be a regular and I appreciate what they do. Their service is closely related to education. Universal benefits are easy to apply ...
