Instead of watching the football this evening, I was at the cinema in Hebden Bridge watching Shed Your Tears and Walk Away, Jez Lewis's documentary film about people growing up in Hebden Bridge and being drawn into a vicious circle of drink, drugs, and the eventual spiral to overdose and death. There has been much ...
In the past few days Fabian Pattberg and then Mallen Baker reflected on the absence of a CSR/CR minister within the new Coalition administration. A few weeks ago I considered the extent to which Corporate Responsibility (CR) issues permeated through the Coalition Agreement. Failure of CR minister to be watchdog, visionary or even advocate I agree with Mallen's assessment of the limited impact of the ministerial post as we moved through some 7 ministers in 10 years. As Mallen says Stephen Timms MP was the exception when he held the post and it shouldn't be forgotten that the CR Academy ...
Very funny if you know the background.
Improving the life chances of children has always been central to Nick Clegg's beliefs. The new taskforce, which includes Liberal Democrat education minister Sarah Teather, will look at ways in which the Coalition Government can make a real difference to children's lives. Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today announced a Government taskforce to look at ways to support families and give every child a fair start in life. The full text of Nick Clegg's speech can be found here:
View Poll: #1580293 Current FIFA rankings: madam_raven and sophia also called the England-Algeria result but (like most of us) thought that Germany should win; and 10yroldwhizkid spotted the Serbia win but also expected it to be accompanied by victory for Algeria.
I suppose the bedrock of any coalition must be the readiness to compromise. It is for that reason that the Lib Dems have had to swallow (among other things) the Tories' aggressive cuts agenda and Michael Gove's potty 'Free School' nonsense in return for progress towards a £10,000 tax threshold, limited political reform and the ...
The Daily Mail and Eric Pickles share an obsession about dustbins. I noticed colleagues in Hull reckon-like I do- than Pickles little outburst this morning will have little impact on local authorities. Eric Pickles is the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Unfortunately no-one seems to have told him he is no longer in opposition. Earlier today his Department issued a press statement in which the Minister, in typical populist fashion, accuses the well-respected Audit Commission of "forcing" local councils to move from weekly to alternate weekly bin collections. His full statement is here. My Birkdale Ward ...
BP CEO Tony Hayward yesterday appeared before Congress to answer questions on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Watch some of the questioning here. Cant say I like some of the Republican grandstanding over this but what do you expect when there are elections coming... Filed under: Spidey Says Tagged: bp oil ...
The Liberal Democrats received some disappointing news this week that Cllr Andy Stamp had decided to leave the Lib Dems on Medway Council to join the Independent Group Andy had stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Gillingham and Rainham at the General Election in May. Andy's membership of the Independent group was formally announced to the council by its founder member, Cllr Ian Burt, at last night's full council meeting. Quoted in the Medway Messenger, Andy is reported as saying afterwards: "There's lots of sensitive issues involved. I don't want to put my position in jeopardy. I cannot say ...
On train + on time for @libdemvoice meet-up: two personal firsts. But at cost of forgetting iPod. #boredoverhearingothersconversations # "@stevebeasant: The Liberal Democrat voice will not disappear in the Coalition says Simon Hughes @ http://bit.ly/ayPpMk" — Too right! # Was sorry to leave #ldvmeetup early (meedja commitments dahlins). But glad to avoid cycling home in this rain. (And able to watch footie). # @helenduffett #radio4 westminster hour after 10pm sometime (unless they cut me out). Q. Can LDs keep identity in coalition? A: yes. in reply to helenduffett #
Roy Noble proved an excellent speaker at last night's Welsh Local Government Association Conference but all the talk was of the Welsh Government's redeployment pool. That is because delegates had spent most of the day listening to the Assembly's Local Government and the Finance Ministers lecturing them about fiscal responsibility. The reference to Wales' premier leisure pool underlined the fact that whilst local Councils are already taking hard decisions and reducing their workforce, the Labour-Plaid Cymru Government are abolishing Quangos and reorganising the health service without laying anybody off. Instead they continue to bear the cost of surplus staff whilst ...
Nick Clegg has repeatedly promised in recent weeks that the coalition government's deficit reduction plan will be fair. But it will not be easy to deliver on these words. 'Fairness' cannot be measured simple by considering the gap between the richest and the poorest: as the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown, during the last three recessions, it was low to moderate income households who were hit hardest. All the evidence so far suggests that it has been no different this time round. It is the working poor who are struggling most when it comes to the labour market, security ...
Yes, there have been no updates for a little while – promotion at work, taking some time to spend away from politics and with my partner and a very intensive course I completed with the Red Cross. However, now I am back and am drafting up some articles at the moment. Keep watching this space ...
Here are the five most popular posts on this blog from the last week in case you missed them: The Sheffield Forgemasters "cut" is no such thingVery impressed with Cameron's Bloody Sunday statementWhat's the difference between Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham, England?Should Clegg address the Tory conference?Sarah Palin visit would not be good for the Tories And you should have been watching this. A special that aired on the Fox network in the US from John Stossel who spends the whole show demolishing the idea that the "War on drugs" is working. On US network TV too. On a station owned ...
Obviously there is a lot of interest in Margate's Big Event, so for those who have googled themselves on to these pages I have compiled some photos of past events so you can get an idea of the flavour of the event Click Here. Also you can find full details from the official site if you click here. I have to say that this event has pretty much something for everyone, also a lot of credit has to go to those who help put the event together, I happened to nip down to the Palm Bay site this afternoon, where ...
There are other events apart from the World Cup this weekend! This weekend we have a number of great events happening across the constituency. Saturday – Love Burnage Fun Day – St Margaret's Church, Burnage Lane, Burnage This is a fantastic event for all the family and it is always well attended and brilliantly organised. ...
It's a long time since I reviewed a DVD that LoveFilm had sent me. This is partly indolence and partly because I can have an embarrassing taste in films (the recent remake of Lassie is not a patch on the original Lassie Come Home). So let's write about La Ronde. This is not a film I knew, but my mother wanted to see it because she thought she had seen it with my father in a Southsea cinema some 60 years ago. As it turned out, it was probably not La Ronde they saw. But this was a fortunate mistake ...
It may sound really superficial but I think it's hugely important that the manifesto of the person who is standing for Vice Chair Campaigns not only has some great ideas but also has a really good looking manifesto. It's important that they know what artwork looks good so come September we don't end up with some of the dreadful freshers fair packs that we've ended up with in the past. So here are the manifestos for VC Campaigns. For this reason I'm discounting the manifestos of Jack Cartwright and Haider Ali. Lizzie Gawen has some really interesting ideas on engaging ...
Congratulations to Geoffrey Hill on becoming Oxford's new professor of poetry. As Harry Mount says, he is "worthy to follow in the footsteps of Cecil Day-Lewis, W.H. Auden, Robert Graves and Edmund Blunden". Perhaps Hill can be obscurantist at times, but I am devoted to his Mercian Hymns. These verses blend Midland history and his own boyhood with wonderful facility: King of the perennial holly-groves, the riven sand- ....stone: overlord of the M5: architect of the his- ....toric rampart and ditch, the citadel at Tamworth, ....the summer hermitage in Holy Cross: guardian of ....the Welsh Bridge and the Iron Bridge: ...
This is a priceless clip at 00:41 from yesterday's US congressional enquiry into the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster : Rep Cliff Stearns: My question for you today. Is today Thursday – yes or no? Tony Hayward: It is Thursday Something gives me the feeling that one will end up on "Have I got news for you?". It's the way Hayward says it – all unblinking and emotionless. The passage of questioning, following that thunderous statement of the obvious, is instructive. Rep Stearns asks if there has been reckless behaviour from BP – "yes or no". – As if a "yes" ...
Out delivering leaflets recently, I was asked about charity bags and given 18 which had been delivered in the last few months to take away. Charity collectors need a licence from the local authority, though the biggest charities are licensed nationally by the Home Office. People wonder which are the best charities to give to. The answer seems to involve charities that have well known shops, like the Red Cross and the British Heart Foundation. Charities that aren't noticeably active locally might well have an arrangement with a clothing dealer who gives them, say, £ 30 a tonne to use ...
In my role as Presidential Consort, I had been invited to attend what had been billed as a party for Liberal Democrat staff and volunteers on Tuesday night. The venue, the Park Plaza London, across Westminster Bridge from Parliament, was interesting, as it only opened recently, but given the recent announcement of job losses in Cowley Street, I was expecting a slightly subdued event. I put on a suit and a happy smiling face, and turned up to find that something strange was happening, in that this was a much bigger event than I had expected, with a ballroom filled ...
After several weeks of no planning applications in Southdown Ward we have one this week. Any comments either you can submit on line or get back to either of us. Ward: Southdown App Ref: 10/02289/FUL Registered: 6th June 2010 Expiry Date: ...
That was a bit of an anticlimax. Yesterday, at 1pm was my scheduled appointment with the American Embassy for an interview about my visa application. The whle process was a little guilt up what with all the phonecalls and online application and the I-20 hassle and the fees I'd have to pay. Before the appointment. I'd been told that I'd need every single piece of original paperwork to prove I could pay for myself, some sort of proof that I have ties to my home country, and was therefore coming back, and absolutely not using a second postgraduate degree as ...
The impression that all is not sweetness and light within the ruling Tory group on Harborough District Council has been strengthened by the appearance of a leaked email in the Harborough Mail. The email was written by the Conservative leader of the council, Cllr Michael Rook, just before the controversy over Harborough's handling of its waste management service was featured on the East Midlands regional segment of the BBC's Politics Show (that report is no longer available via iPlayer). Ironically, the email was an attempt to keep the matter out of the press. Rook wrote to his fellow councillors: No ...
Would you like to nominate a young person for this award? There are several young people in our area of Bath who deserve consideration and if you would like to nominate a person from Southdown, Whiteway or Kingsway please read press release and information HERE Young_Citizen_press_release_2010.doc and nomination form HERE Young_Citizen_form_10.doc
From the Council: Stockport Council will be carrying out essential road maintenance work in a bid to enhance the highways for borough residents. Due to essential road maintenance work there will be road lane restrictions on the A34 in Cheadle & Gatley on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th June between Broadway and the Manchester boundary, from 6.00am to 6.00pm each day. The work on the A34 will involve restrictions to the nearside verge lane on Saturday 19th June, with the lane closures moving to the outside central reserve lanes on Sunday 20th June. For more information call the Council's Roadworks ...
Today saw the Inspector tour some of the locations relevant to the application for the waste plant on Garston Dock. My colleague Peter Millea helped show her round. We now know that it won't take as long as we had expected for the results of the Inquiry. In fact the Inspector, Elizabeth Ord, is now saying we may have a result in a few weeks. She also told us that this will be her decision. It doesn't need an extra decision from a Government Minister. People who were at the Inquiry and who gave their address should get a copy ...
First bus are cutting back services and the latest controversy is the no 6 and 7 reductions. The campaigners do not seem to be getting much sympathy from the B&NES Conservative administration - but then I do not think any of them use the bus. For those of us who travel regularly by bus we need a well connected regular reliable service. And more importantly an expanding provision not a shrinking one. There will be a protest in Larkhall Sq this Saturday. Press release as follows:- Press Release - For Immediate Release Save Our 6-7 Buses Campaign On Saturday the ...
Immediate action from the new coalition government will put an end to 'garden grabbing' - a process involving new homes being built on what was previously residential land. This was a change to planning policy introduced a few years ago By Mr Prescott and in our area has resulted in several applications being approved to squeeze extra housing into small plots of land or back gardens.
With WestFest week launching on Sunday, here's the opening Sunday afternoon events in and around Balgay : 2pm : Opening welcome - Sheena Wellington (Victoria Park) 2pm-5pm : Art Mart (Victoria Park)2pm-5pm : Dundee Travel Active Stand (Victoria Park) 2pm-4pm : "Sun-day at the Mills, Talk Planetarium show and Sun watch (Mills Observatory) 2.15pm-5pm : Sensation's science activities (Victoria Park) 2.15pm-5pm : Children's art workshops (Victoria Park) 2.15pm-5pm : Children's activities and quizzes (Victoria Park) 2.15pm-5pm : Dundee and District Wood Turners - exhibition and demonstration (Victoria Park)2.30pm-3.30pm : Yoga taster session - Salute the Sun (Top of Balgay Hill) ...
Friday: Must answer my TWITTER correspondence... @millenniumdome: "#HoTVote Returning the CGT rate to 40% is a sensible way of raising money from the better off to use to increase the personal allowance" @jazzifull: "Raising #CGT to raise money for any other purpose is simply a way to disincentivise personal responsibility for omes future." @millenniumdome: "no, it's a disincentive to pretending income is "capital gain"; if people keep more of their income how is that irresponsible?" @jazzifull: "Playing Robin Hood! How do you think capital gain comes about? Money tree in garden? Investment by individuals, it costs!" Arrgh! Need more characters! ...
There is a lot of concern and speculation that the Emergency Budget will include rises in VAT, often personified as the "most regressive form of taxation" by politicians across the political spectrum. Labour Party leadership contender Ed Balls concentrated on it, saying that "Raising VAT is hugely unfair. The VAT rise will hit the poorest households harder than the richest and will hit pensioner couples and ordinary families hardest of all. It is simply not right." I take slight issue with him saying this as he also said that Labour ruling out VAT rises cost them the election, but this ...
It is so easy to get sucked into our own coalition building process that we forgot that other people are having elections too. Coverage of the Dutch election result -in so far as it has had any coverage in the UK media-has dwelt on the increase vote of the extreme anti Islamic party of Geert Wilders. If you dig a little deeper there are encouraging signs for left/social liberal in the performance of the D66 party. Whilst on the canals with the disgruntled radical last month we got to discussing all the disputes of the 1970/80's involving the Giscardians. With ...
7.30 tonight is the time for England to show what they can do, to show their pride and their passion and that they not only deserve to be in South Africa but are capable of going all the way. It's time for a performance for the fans, the whole country to take pride in, a performance that will scare the opposition for once and not the supporters.Don't let us down. COME ON ENGLAND !
There has been some concern and criticism of the current pavement works in South Tay Street and I raised this issue with the City Council's Director of City Development, who has replied in the following terms : "The works currently being carried out in South Tay Street relate to an environmental improvement scheme linking west Nethergate/DCA Cultural Quarter with Dundee Rep and the Tay Square. This includes the replacement of the existing footway slabs many of which are broken and uneven. The new slabs are of high quality and are in keeping with those used with the earlier phases of ...
This week's House Points Liberal Democrat News was written in my hotel room in Church Stretton while I contemplated this view. Thanks to Lib Dem Voice for assembling the materials for me. The Maidens There are three rules for maiden speeches. You have to say something nice about your predecessor - even if you have devoted 20 years of your life to getting rid of him. You have to describe your constituency in glowing terms - which can be more difficult in some seats than others. And you must not be controversial - though these days most new MPs mention ...
The Council is finally about to start collecting cooked food waste separately from other waste. Whilst this is three years later than it should have started, at least it is now starting. Separate food waste collection will significantly reduce the mess caused by seagulls, foxes and others ripping black plastic sacks apart to get to food scraps. It will also reduce the amount of landfill and in...
Mark Pack has a wonderful post spelling out how to cut the structural deficit by £44bn without harming public services. Or in his own words.... Not only that, it can be done without hitting the least well off. Without cutting worthwhile public services. And if you're so minded, you can even drape a "progressive" label over it all. the post really is worth reading :-)
From the Council, though I certainly add my congratulations: Congratulations to John Schultz, former Council Chief Executive, who has received a CBE for Services to Local Government in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours list. John Schultz joined the Council as Chief Executive in May 1994 and retired in March this year. He was also President of SOLACE, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, in 2006-07. John Schultz has said: "It's a great honour but it's not just about me, it's a tribute to the work of everybody at the Council."
To access ALDC FREE Publications go to http://www.aldc.org/ click on "myALDC" On the page that appears, scroll down the right hand side to a box entitled "Publications Archive" and click on it. On the page that appears next, Log in. On the next page hold the cursor over "Documents" tab and a "Publications" link appears underneath, click on it. On the next page you can browse through many years of Archive ALDC books. The Archive is not complete yet, more stuff is being added every week. Current books are for sale in the shop, when they are no longer on ...
Some time ago the Licensing Committee turned down an application for the petrol station on Aigburth Road (called Grassendale Service Station) to sell alcohol. There was a hearing which went on virtually all day and the reasons for it being turned down included the worries about it becoming a magnet for anti social behaviour. A new application has come in and again there are objections from residents. This application will be decided on later this month (28th June). As it happens I won't be able to be there but I expect one of my ward colleagues will. The people who ...
Last night was the first meeting of the new "internal scrutiny" committee of the Council. This slightly ominously-named body (which conjures up images of rubber-glove wearing nurses and painful probes designed to "internally scrutinise") is the result of reforms to the Council's overview and scrutiny processes, and is now the only place where decisions of the Council's Executive can be debated, challenged and potentially changed by backbench members like me. It's a brave new world for scrutineers. Gone are the days when we received earnest and interesting, but usually fairly useless, reports on all and sundry. Instead now we have ...
My friend Ewan, the founder and head of Liberal Democrats for Drug Policy Reform has put together a motion for Autumn conference in which he calls for an impact assessment of current drug policy including all alternatives. Both parties in our coalition government are on record as saying they are always keen to assess the evidence relating to policy. An impact assessment is the best way to be able to impartially assess the evidence relating to drugs policy, therefore I hope that this move will be welcomed by the Lib Dem party leadership and at large. There is also a ...
The Labour council in Leeds is making a very big deal about the governments decision to suspend the funding for the Holt Park well-being centre. The truth is that the centre was doomed to failure before it was promised £30 million by the ailing Labour government. The NHS had already pulled out of the project and so it was unlikely to be anything more than a glorified Leisure centre anyway. The Guardian Leeds site has more details here.
I view with incredible suspicion the claims of some Labour chatterers about the cuts that the new coalition government is making. The way the government is attacking the deficit and therefore looking at any projects that have yet to be started and their worthiness and cutting them where necessary. What is coming out now, is ...
We're just back from Anna's school sports. It is the first time Bob's been able to get time off for them. His presence really seems to have spurred her on, because out of 4 races, running, egg and spoon, skipping and sack, she made the final 3 times, won the egg and spoon and came third in the skipping. By some margin her best performance ever. Her class also won the relay race, which was hotly contested with the other P6 class. She had a real glint of determination in her eye, too. I had said last night that she ...
There is a discussion going on about whether or not the limit for blood alcohol should be reduced from 80mg/dl to 50mg/dl.It is argued by some that this would reduce substantially the number of people who die in road accidents.The problem is, however, that this is not generally accepted to be true.There are two aspects to such a change. The first is whether there is a problem with people whose
[IMG: Where's the bus?] After months of worry over the uncertainty of the future of Surrey's bus services, there was some surprising good news recently for residents of Reigate following the first phase of the county wide bus review triggered by a decision last year to slash millions from the transport budget. Initial proposals put forward in late 2009 led to fears that many vital bus routes would be axed to save costs, but many of these services have now been reinstated after pressure from Surrey Liberal Democrats and residents. There were particular concerns over the withdrawal of the 324, ...
I have been debating whether to show this or not; in the end I decided as an atheist with a disregard for faith, that not to show it would be an hypocrisy I could not face. I would like to draw attention to the wonderful website http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/ for bringing it to my notice in the first place. Background (me) - I am religiously intolerant. For far too long the religious hijacked the political agenda to their own ends. Creating schisms and wars, trying to dictate how ones life should be led. I am a Social Liberal by philosophy, yet how ...
The Coalition Agreement stated under paragraph 15 on Foreign Affairs that, "We will work to establish a new 'special relationship' with India and seek closer engagement with China, while standing firm on human rights in all our bilateral relationships." Labour commentators have speculated that by making a distinction in UK's relationship with the two Asian giants, India and China, the Coalition may be seeking to pitch one against the other. I disagree and believe this careful choice of words was used to encapsulate the different historical links UK has had with these two countries and to point the way forwards. ...
We are being led, some blindly, into a right-wing cut in public services that will be so severe as to make the public sector almost an irrelevance. the myth that public sector workers have stacks of cash thrown at them is one propagated by moneterist and neo-liberal think tanks. Tell the street cleaners, the teaching assistants, the Nurses the Teachers, the Librarian, the front line workers they are highly paid. When I was teaching we were locked into a 1.5% pay deal for 3 years, by the Labour government. Many others in the civil service, the 'ordinary' workers were also ...
The Dutch Liberals - the VVD has won the Dutch parliamentary elections that took place last week, becoming the number one party in the Netherlands for the first time in its 62 year history, with 20.4% of the votes. The election night started with exit polls showing the Liberals and Labour running neck-and-neck, but when 90% of the votes were counted the VVD took the lead with 31 seats (an increase of 9 seats) against 30 for Labour, which lost three seats.
Just received the following tweet from DCLG End of fortnightly bin collections thanks to Eric Pickles telling the Audit Commission to repeal its guidance to local authorities This story has also been picked up by many national papers. My only thought is really? Granted, he has ended the Audit Commission guidance that has been used to bully some Councils into doing this. He will also change the national governmental mood music on this issue that influences many local and national civil servants. I predict we will not see the universal rolling back of fortnightly bin collections and it would not ...
Derek Simpson, joint leader of the UNITE Union has today urged Lib Dem members to rear up their membership cards and join the Labour party rather than be associated with public spending cuts. Now I realise Labour have long since cast off any pretensions of socialism, and barely adhere to any particular philosphy these days - in fact its more determined by their leader at the time ie Blairism, Brownism. What next Milibandism? Besides the void of political philosophy at the heart of Labour at the moment I do have great respect for a number of council colleagues representing Labour ...
My mother used to like to tell Aesop's fables. I think that's where this story that she told came from. One day the sun and the wind looked down from the sky and watched a man who was walking along wearing a very warm coat. "Ah," said Wind, "Just you watch me get that coat off!" The wind tried and tried, but the harder he blew at the man's coat the tighter the man clutched it around him. In the end Wind ran out of puff and Sun said, "Dear Wind, let me have a try." "You won't manage if ...
I thinks so and for those of you unaware, take a gander at the Daily Mail Story, yet another shocking example of a Kent Council officer, apparently being paid an outrageous bonus although this time its not for doing his job its worse than that. In a nutshell Adam Wilkinson was employed by KCC as director of environment and regeneration, on £70,000PA which for the important sounding job title is not unreasonable, now here is the controversial part after 12 months he decided the job was not for him, unlike you and I, Kent Council paid out a fat bonus ...
This is the second post on the Liberal Youth elections. The manifestos for these candidates can be found here. Although I think that both the candidates for this position have great things to bring to Liberal Youth I will be voting for Charlotte Henry. SHe seems to get across in her manifesto the need to modernise the way in which Liberal Youth communicates with it's members and with it's branch chairs. We need to appreciate that we are under far stronger scrutiny now and we need to present a more professional image. Good luck to both the candidates.
Putin's Russia continues to move smartly in the wrong direction. Interesting article in the Guardian here: Russia's ruling political party is gathering academics to draw up a uniform textbook presenting a party-approved version of Russian history and seeking to downplay the horrors of the Soviet era. "We understand that the school is a unique social institution that forms all citizens," Irina Yarovaya, the deputy head of the Duma's constitutional law committee, told a meeting of 20 party members and academics today. "We need a united society. We need a united textbook." The move comes amid a mass ideological project, promoted ...
Fri 18th
09:50
The easy, progressive way to cut £44 billion without harming worthwhile public services or the...
It may sound a challenge, cutting £44 billion from public spending. But actually, it's easy. Not only that, it can be done without hitting the least well off. Without cutting worthwhile public services. And if you're so minded, you can even drape a "progressive" label over it all. How to do it? Simple. You see, the last Labour Budget contained overall spending totals for the government that mean a cut in spending of £44 billion (using the calculations form the Office of Budget Responsibility). Now, because Labour didn't publish any departmental spending total plans beyond the current financial year, we ...
The proposal to convert Abney Hall into an independent school has been withdrawn by the applicants. As the site is privately owned by Bruntwood, and of course can continue to have offices there without any further permission required, it's up to Bruntwood what they seek to do next. Your local councillors - in Cheadle & Gatley and Cheadle Hulme North wards - will be seeking to get a positive outcome and to ensure that the house is preserved and the park remains open for public use as it is now.
Imagine spending a day alone in your home – not allowed to go out, not allowed visitors unless vetted by the state, unable to read what you want, say what you think, talk to those closest to you. What if that day was your birthday? What if that day was just another of over 7,000 ...
Anyone watching the tedium of the BP CEO attending the House Committee on Energy and Commerce session on the oil disaster could probably have only managed five minutes at best before turning off. And that's coming from a political junkie. I've seen US committees in operation in the past. They are powerful bodies, often conducting ...
There are rumblings afoot that indicate the government may reduce the alcohol drink-drive limit from 80mg to 50mg per 100ml of blood. A review by Peter North has just reported and has recommended the change. John Leech the Lib Dem MP (amongst various other politicians) has come out in favour of the move saying the following on his blog: In the last Parliament I seemed to be fighting a losing battle with Labour ministers and Select Committee members seemingly happy with the status quo. In the end the review by Peter North was set up and I am delighted that ...
(but locking up your daughters is strictly optional these days). A warning from Inspector Steve Gilbertson at today's meeting with councillors. Steve noted that there had been five burglaries in Gatley in the last two weeks of May (more than elsewhere in the area). All five involved cars being stolen from outside houses at night and, in at least three cases, burglars were able to gain entry to the house through unlocked doors and pinch the car keys. So please, please, please, especially on these warmer evenings, make sure your car keys aren't a soft touch for thieves. Don't leave ...
Parliament has been in Strasbourg this week for formal debates and votes. One year on from the EP elections and five months after we approved the new European Commission, things are beginning to move again. On Wednesday we voted to reject a proposal from the European Commission to exclude self-employed drivers from working time legislation. I did not, and nor did the majority of my colleagues; self employed drivers are already subject to health and safety regulations and to a maximum number of driving hours and we did not see the need to regulate them further. But the majority did. ...
I'm at Hot Gossip (18 Kingsway, London). http://4sq.com/d2qzpO # @martinbright Indeed is next Lab PM even an MP yet? in reply to martinbright # Just caught end of Jon Snow at #voj10 - v good on how many opportunities for great journalism # Ah, meta tweeting: people being distracted by tweet complaining about twitter wall being distracting #voj10 # BBC - Peston's Picks: Reckless banks and BP: What they have in common - http://bit.ly/a2hBAz # @DaveGorman Started listening again to first Radio 4 series of Genius. Fab - especially the water pistol/steel drums combo in reply to DaveGorman # Wow. ...
While I was in Shropshire, or at least preoccupied with packing to go there, Harborough District Council's planning committee approved plans for the conversion of Golden Wonder's old headquarters in the town. According to the Harborough Mail: The scheme involves a 60-bed Travelodge hotel plus shops and potentially two restaurants, a bar and offices in the building.This is good news as the building (where I used to work) has lain unused for too long. Two objectors are mentioned by the newspaper. A nearby hotel upheld the traditions of Market Harborough's business class by complaining about competition in the town. And, ...
Apologies for the hiatus in blogging- caused by total lack of time. To restart the thread I wanted to move away from UK politics- I have much to say, but I am still considering the best way to express my thoughts on the future direction of the Liberal Democrats. In any event the coalition is running smoothly for the time being, and there are more urgent issues to address overseas. Political upheaval in the newly independent states of Central Asia do seem to make much impact in the minds of Western newspaper readers, but occasionally, the five Republics of Kazakhstan, ...
Fri 18th
08:07
The Lords discusses short-term, high-interest credit... and so does the Office of Fair Trading...
Loan Companies: Interest Rates - 17 June 2010 Asked By Baroness Scott of Needham Market To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to regulate loan companies charging high rates of interest. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): My Lords, my noble friend's Question is timely as the Office of Fair Trading has just released the findings from its review of the high-cost credit sector. Many noble Lords will be aware that I am a long-standing campaigner for consumer rights in this area, and I see this review as an opportunity for Government ...
If you looked at the headlines this morning and didn't actually buy a paper, you would possibly feel sorry for the 2 million families who were going to lose their tax credits thanks to the evil Government. Let's just put this into perspective. At the moment your household can earn up to £58,000 and still qualify for £545 a year. The papers are suggesting that this threshold could now be cut to £25,000 r £30,000. We have to see the detail of George Osborne's budget next week, but I would hope that what would actually happen would be closer to ...
A good chap @Parlez_Me_nTory gave me a good idea last week. He is no longer doing #followfriday on Twitter so that timelines are not taken up with huge swathes of people and hashtags every week. I've decided to follow his lead but add a spiderplant twist. Each week I am going to do my own ...
It is gratifying that Nick Clegg's fluency in German gained him such kudos on his recent continental trip. Unfortunately his use of English is not producing such positive results. Last autumn Clegg referred to the need for "savage cuts." Presumably he soon regretted it and as far as I know has never used the phrase again, but the record cannot be altered. The left-wing press refer to it again and again to try to demonstrate that Liberal Democrats share the Tory penchant for cutting back the state. Earlier this week Clegg talked of "gold-plated public sector pensions" and I suspect ...
I think Barack Obama heard me the other day when I complained that no one was talking about fining Halliburton over the BP oil spill. Though I don't think he replied loud enough. See how long before you find said reference. Dear Lisa – When BP CEO Tony Hayward testified before Congress this morning, many ...
Some good news in the long-term work being done to tackle what has been described as our "throw away" society. The total amount of waste produced by households in Birmingham fell last year from 459,418 mt to 437,263 mt last year, while total municipal waste fell from 543,645 mt to 528,408 mt. This is significant news for while there has rightly been a huge effort in making a radical increase in recycling in recent years, the best outcome is to produce less waste in the first place and this is now happening. In terms of where this waste goes, the ...
Still slightly surprised by El Clegg's visit to Madrid, we were in need of sustenance. It was time to eat... Restaurant Botin is the world's oldest restaurant, first opening its doors to hungry Madrilenos in 1725, as vouched by the 'Guinness Book of Records'. It specialises in suckling pig and, given my enthusiasm for anything pork-related, it seemed like an obvious choice for a meal out. We were escorted by a waiter through the kitchen to a small room with just five tables in it, and served by an ageing but very efficient waiter. An excellent bottle of rioja was ...
Locally the NHS has to save £3 billion over the next three years and the news yesterday showed us how this could be done. The NHS didn't call it "cuts" but preferred "savings". We could spend less and get more. Isn't life wonderful! Whenever I hear news like this I think of George Orwell's 1984 and the Ministry of Truth. It strikes me that I have been hearing these sorts of comments for years but we continue to pay more and more for less and less frontline services. I was told last week that someone I know was retiring early ...
