The last time I voted in a referendum was in 1975 when the UK voted on whether to stay in the Common Market, ie European Community. Two thirds voted in favour. Referenda are pretty rare. They can only really be used when a simple yes/no question can be put to the electorate, and most issues are more complex than that. But we can now expect another referendum on May 5th next year, and the choice will be very straightforward - whether to elect the House of Commons using the current first-past-the-post system or to switch to the Alternative Vote (AV) ...
A news release from the Home Office brings the news: Home Office Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone today set out the Government's ambitious plans to tackle homophobia and transphobia and promote equal rights for all. Speaking to the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) LGB and T conference ahead of Pride London 2010, the Lynne Featherstone stressed that the battle for equality is far from over and promised that the Government would do everything in its power to protect LGB and T people from discrimination. The Minister highlighted the Government's plan of action for the LGB and T community – the first of ...
Cornwall Council will be asking the Government to clarify the law on the rights of second home owners to register and vote in elections in Cornwall. That was a decision made at today's meeting of the Electoral Review panel and followed a long debate on the extent of the problem in the Duchy. With around 5% of houses in Cornwall registered as 'second homes', we wanted to know how many people who are not permanent residents in Cornwall are on the electoral register and what action the Council is taking to ensure that no laws are being broken. The trouble ...
A day of upsets in the sporting world. Less of an upset was Rafa Nadals demolition of Andy Murray. Murray wasn't bad but Nadal was outstanding. Result a straight sets win. The up set - the Dutch beat hot favourites Brazil in the World Cup Quarter Finals. The tussles between these two have been amazing over the years - often better than the finals themselves. I predicted that Argentina and Uruguay would make the semis - beyond that I wasn't prepared to stick my head above the parapet. At the time of writing Ghana and Uruguay have just played out ...
Here, for the benefit of the reader I met at Lowdham last week, is the new Kingdom Hall in Market Harborough. The old one looked like this.
Goose Green primary (and nursery school) host an open day on the first Monday of every month for parents to have a good look around. This school has been rapidly transforming itself with a newly envigorated Parent Teachers Association, head over the last year. The next open day is on Monday 5th July and is the last one of the school year. No need to book, just go along to the school entrance on Tintagel Crescent close to Elsie Road (behind Goose Green rounabout) at about 9.15 and the office will buzz you through. The headteacher Sharron Marland, will then ...
Liberal Burblings is far from impressed by the arguments of those intending to campaign against the Alternative Vote. The coalition's new penal policy wins support from Richard Baum: "It is simply silly to keep sending people to prison, if all that happens to them there is that they bide their time before being released to re-offend and head straight back! If people are detained, we should educate, rehabilitate, and make very sure that when they leave they are as unlikely as possible to re-offend again." Anna Raccoon defends anonymty on the net. "Some people have a genuine need for anonymity, ...
Here are the five most popular posts on this blog from the last week in case you missed them: Why Cameron would be smart to follow Fink's advice on AVJohn Redwood's comments are being taken totally out of contextKen Clarke shows how Labour's Lib Dem "betrayal" narrative is nonsenseLabour is increasingly resembling the Tories in the late 1990sLib Dem polls - keep calm and carry on And you should have been reading this: Anton Vowl explains how "Closer" magazine has psychic powers.
The Liberal Democrats in government have already scrapped ID cards. Now Nick Clegg is asking the British public - which other laws do you want to scrap? Your Freedom The Liberal Democrats have always stood up for civil liberties, scrapping unnecessary laws and reducing the burden of regulation on businesses and charities. In our manifesto, we proposed a Freedom Bill to roll back Labour's attacks on British civil liberties. In government, we are doing just that. Yesterday Nick Clegg launched Your Freedom, a national dialogue on how to create a more open, inclusive society. Anyone can make suggestions about which ...
Holiday now officially over: photos posted to Facebook – http://bit.ly/dvSz8P – and blogging re-commenced – http://ldv.org.uk/20118 # @CllrDaisyBenson TY [IMG: :)] I would say it's great to be back, but was getting happily used to sun, sea and books ... in reply to CllrDaisyBenson # Over £1bn reclaimed in Gift Aid by charities last year >> see Third Sector article http://bit.ly/9yWOQG # Bodleian Libraries pay price for academic shift from print to digital, says THE http://bit.ly/94epu2 # Ahhh, bless @Popbitch's old jokes home >> Q: What do you call a man with no shins? A: Tony # RT @bodleianlibs John ...
Fish-related humour makes a comeback in my House Points column from this week's Liberal Democrat News. Danny's Day House Points has long taken an interest in the Minister for Fish. Who could forget the years Ben Bradshaw spent in the post? His plan for a Europe-wide database that would trace fish "from the moment they are caught to when they are served on a customer's plate" serves as a damp and salty metaphor for the Labour years. Later there was Hugh Irranca-Davies, whose efforts in the role won him the sobriquet "The Haddock's Friend". At environment questions last Thursday we ...
This weekends Crowthorne Carnival will include stalls from both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Do pop down and check out the stalls. A procession is at 1.30pm with music on stage at the Morgan Rec. there is also a fairground, ski slope and beer tent. Details can be found at www.crowthornecarnival.co.uk
I've had a fascinating couple of days. Part of that probably lies in the fact that I've had no council meetings as such, but the main reason is that I've spent a lot of time talking to people about their experiences of Belle Vue, often people I haven't spoken to for a long time, if ever. I've been told about "boodies" which were apparently a prize find for children when Belle Vue was still a tip, about the emergency arrival of the air ambulance, and regaled with stories of the Consett Show which have ranged from rose-tinted tales of endless ...
So the coalition government is now asking for which laws should be repealed. If anything has characterised the last Labour government it's been a flood of badly worded legislation which has defined thousands of new crimes (most of which were in many ways already illegal), which was rushed through Parliament and often had entirely unintended effects. What we could do with is a lot of that stuff rewording and pruning. Specifically though I think it's time to finally revisit some of the older stuff. It may be legal but I'm not sure that we should be obliged to shoot Scotsmen ...
I was delighted to be asked to speak at the opening of the Lives after Strokes Exhibition. This exhibition of paintings by people who have had strokes is running in the cafe/bar of the Edinburgh Filmhouse. Two of my grand parents suffered strokes later in their lives. They both lived with us towards the end of their lives so I have a good idea of what it is like to look after some one who has had a stroke. The idea of the Lives after Strokes project, based in a council run Firhill Day Centre, was to assist the person ...
Welcome to my second non #ff so in no particular order. ArnieEtc Cardiff_Blogger The above do the #benandarnie podcast TechSupportRich Mr Simply Syndicated (Richard Smith) misswallison co-presenter of Hooked, Movies You Should See and Richard and Allison's Super Happy Funtime (SHaFT) tom_watson Labour MP for West Bromwich East and shares my view about the Digital Economy Act Honourable mentions to Spidey and Mindy who are both having a tough time of it right now.
A seed some 12 months ago. Then I got talking to the Health Walks people. They did some scurrying around for funding and a bit of PR. Now today on a glorious July morning the first walk. 19 walkers. Yeah! Nightingale Valley and St Annes Wood. Bonza. And guess who slipped over onto her backside on a mangey green step?
Offered without further comment; You can never have too much Python at times like these, and all the better when there are bits of Bratfud in it. Fabbo LibDrinks last night, and unsurprisingly there wasn't much politics discussed; we don't talk about it much any more. Great conversation about "films you need to see before you die" though, and I'll be expounding further upon it later.
Council is introducing a bus lane the official order is:On that length of the Wellsway at Bear Flat, Bath, northbound carriageway nearside lane which extends from a point 40 metres due south of the northern kerb line of Bloomfield Avenue, in a generally northerly direction along its length for a distance of approximately 49 metres; and on that length of Bloomfield Road northbound carriageway
30 Days of DC: 2. Your Favourite Villain I don't get it. I really don't. I didn't think I had a thing for villains. I always, obediently, disliked the bad guy and rooted for the hero and until the last couple of years I'd never say "I love this character because he's so fucked in the head." Until Deadshot. I just don't get it. But then, he doesn't either. He just doesn't get it. Floyd Lawton is so broken that he not only doesn't know which way is up, morally, he doesn't even care. Unlike many other villains, his actions ...
News that a £40million grant for hospices will be reinstated by the new coalition Government has been welcomed by Redcar MP Ian Swales as providing "much needed financial support" to local hospices Zoe's Place and Teesside Hospice. The £40m capital scheme for hospices was announced as part of the End of Life Care Strategy but was later recalled by the previous Labour Government as part of its review of spending commitments made since 1 January. Liberal Democrat Health Minister, Paul Burstow confirmed the grant on 17 June and has written to all hospices affected, including Zoe's Place and Teesside Hospice ...
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. Should Lembit Opik be the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor? (70) by Mark Pack 2. Government moves right, political agenda moves elsewhere (71) by Mark Pack 3. Two Lib Dem MPs rebel over VAT (82) by Mark Pack 4. Lines of attack against the Lib Dems becoming clearer (145) by Iain Roberts. 5. Opinion: Observer's dishonesty doesn't disguise party challenges (24) by Chris White. 5 active LDV Members' Forum threads Hancock and Russell? Election 2015 ...
Yes tomorrow is le Grand Depart in the 2010 Tour de France from Rotterdam. There will be cobbles, mountains and the thrills to come over the next three weeks. So let's start with the classic* Kraftwerk song. This year marks the hundredth year of the mountains as a part of the tour, yeah the Pyrenees were first included in the 1910 edition of the race. The Col du Tormalet is being climbed twice in this years tour. So here is one of the approaches to and descents from the summit quicker than the peleton will manage. If your not convinced ...
Fri 2nd
16:53
New LDV members survey now live: what you think of the Budget and the Coalition Government so far
The new LDV members' survey is now live. So if you are one of the 1,000+ registered members of the Liberal Democrat Voice forum - and any paid-up party member is welcome to join - then you now have the opportunity to make your views known. Questions we are asking your opinion on include: which measures in the Budget you support or oppose; what you think of the VAT increase; whether you'd have preferred to see fewer spending cuts and more tax rises; your overall view of the Budget's effectiveness and fairness; whether you think the Lib Dems and Nick ...
I recently had a conversation over twitter as to what we could expect the Labour response to an AV referendum would be and weather any of the Labour leadership candidates would try to block it and if they could (politically) considering they are all in support of it (except Mr Burnham). Well today Ed Balls revealed ...
Today Nick Clegg announced the Referendum on Voting Reform for parliamentary elections - probably on May 5th next year, the same day as the local [IMG: Nick Clegg] authority elections. Of course outside England those elections are already held under a PR system - so a bit of irony there! This is to be balanced by greater equality in the size of the constituencies - so there might be quite a change to the political landscape. But why not?
Some interesting reactions to the forthcoming announcement of the Voting reform referendum date: The Milibands both say they will campaign for AV. But, to pour Labour's tribal cold water on them, Denis McShane tweets: Not sure Labour – party, MPs, councillors – is ready to be Lib-Dem little helpers on AV referendum. Leadership candidates should take care Blimey. So, McShane reckons, Labour supporters can't see the national interest here, but instead will indulge in small-minded tribalism. ...Seems hard to believe. Conservative MP Douglas Carswell says other systems should be on the referendum ballot. Hurrah! More of this please! Bernard Jenkin ...
Did anyone see or hear about Ken Clarke's prison speech yesterday? Much as it as odds with my default response to old Tories, I actually agreed with a lot of what he had to say. There's a lot of Lib Dem in this policy, and it's a shame we aren't making more of that fact! Stopping vast numbers of people being locked up for non-violent crimes on short sentences was a key Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment, and now the government are announcing that that's what it intends to do. It is simply silly to keep sending people to prison, if ...
The commitment to a referendum on AV was the price the Tories allegedly paid for securing our support in the coalition. It wasn't quite what we were after - and the irony is, that if the prophets of doom are right and the Tory boa constrictor squeezes the life out of our party, it may be an irrelevance anyway. What would be the point of having a second choice when there were only two real choices anyway? Much has been made of this apparent "climb down" by the Tories - but they, with their stranglehold in the press, and unimaginable ...
Latest animation is Yellow Sticky Notes. Which seems to be a documentary drawn on ... yellow sticky notes. Or PostIt(TM) notes. The creator has posted a little film about it as well... This was the first film of the evening, and the one I was most ambivalent about. It was interesting but I'm not sure that there is much beyond the initial idea that he was being limited by his todo lists. I am open to argument though.
There seems to have been a bit of special pleading recently by Labour over the reduction in the number of parliamentary constituencies. Jack Straw, in the first Deputy Prime Minister's Questions recently presented a case for special treatment for urban areas where, he claimed, too many people were not registered to vote. Whilst I appreciate there is a problem in voter registration being too low,
"Be demanding about your liberty. Be insistent about your rights. This is your chance to have your say." So says Nick Clegg in the video launching the Government's Your Freedom website in which citizens are asked for their ideas to increase their freedom and reduce state intervention. Ahead of the Freedom Bill (or Great Repeal Bill if you're a Tory), they are looking for laws to get rid of. Here's what Nick said. Just to be contrary, my suggestion was actually a law to retain. I suspect that tobacco companies and smokers' organisations will be getting as many of their ...
Today we've had some great Posts about the AV referendum after it was leaked that it will coincide with the elections next year n the 5th of May. I think that my new favourite has arrived in the form of this C onservative Home peice. Jonathan Isby follows the realpolitik logic that "why should we trust ...
Arsenals new kit is to be made as part of the Nike 'considered Design' programme, which means it is made out of recycled bottles! A very unique move amongst football shirt manufactures which has previously only been done for international teams! It's an interesting step to see a football club possibly making its first steps towards the ...
An interesting post from a new blog British Elections after 2010 recording all of the by elections through June 2010. ( if this continues this site will be an election geeks dream) Anyhoo the Lib Dems are second in the popular vote and the party does not have a net loss of seats. Although trying to extrapolate a nationwide picture from these results ( i.e not many elections and seat demographics) is not that simple this will be encouraging news for many Lib Dem Councillors who are preparing to defend their seats next year. On these results the supposed meltdown ...
I don't know if you have happend to see it yet but Tom Harris MP has created a little image on his Blog for a campaign against AV. I 'm a little bit perplexed by it to be honest, the coming referendum will be on AV rather than a proportional system and so it will by ...
The Wimbledon mens' semi-final between Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal will be starting any time around now. This is a match I'd rather see on Sunday than today. I really like both of these players. Andy Murray is the best Scottish tennis player ever, and one of the most successful British men. Rafa Nadal is just so cool. He comes from Mallorca which is my second favourite place on the planet so I've followed his career from the early days. I really want Andy Murray to win through - and the way he's been playing this tournament, I believe he ...
A host of activities for children and young people that are taking place across St Albans City and District this summer are now listed on St Albans City and District Council's website. It is the first time that details of the majority of the District's summer activities for children and young people has been brought together in one place on the internet. The move is part of an initiative by the St Albans District Children's Trust Partnership to provide easy access to information on activities for children and young people. Residents now have three simple ways to find out what ...
I did an interview with a Kosovar journalist earlier in the week, and was alarmed when a friend in Pristina emailed to commiserate on how heavily the years are hanging on me: http://www.koha.net/index.php?cid=1,22,26831 (screen shot) I think they have confused me with this gentleman.
This morning, David Miliband – leading contender for the Labour Leadership – said that he's in favour of Alternative Vote reform. Now the BBC reports: David Cameron will campaign against changing the voting system, his spokesman said, in a referendum expected next May. His spokesman said the PM would be asked his view and "clearly his view is that he's not in favour of it". There's been some ambiguity about whether Cameron being against AV constitutes him campaigning against the reform – the Prime Minister's own spokesman doesn't yet seem sure: He will be campaigning against AV. I can't predict ...
Dear Fraser We've already scrapped ID cards. Now I'd like to ask you - which other laws do you want to scrap? Your Freedom The Liberal Democrats have always stood up for civil liberties, scrapping unnecessary laws and reducing the burden of regulation on businesses and charities. In our manifesto, we proposed a Freedom Bill to roll back Labour's attacks on British civil liberties. In government, we are doing just that. Yesterday I launched Your Freedom, a national dialogue on how to create a more open, inclusive society. Anyone can make suggestions about which laws we need to scrap and ...
This morning, along with two of my councillor ward colleagues and the Depute Convener of Education, I had the great pleasure of attending Harris Academy's Annual Prize Giving. It is always enjoyable to attend Harris Academy's Prize Giving, when the school gives due recognition to the many pupils who have achieved academically, in sport, and in other ways, over the past academic year. This year's guest of honour was Tony Finn, Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, and he gave an interesting and entertaining address. Head Teacher, Jim Thewliss, as always, gave a thought-provoking speech and commented ...
Two different messages from two different Labour leadership contenders today on voting reform. Having previously said something vaguely positive about Andy Burnham a couple of weeks ago, now I need to rebalance my judgement of him. He was very dismissive of electoral reform in The Guardian this morning. It seems that, for him, reforming the decrepit way our country has been run is not a priority.
A song I can't get out of my mind at the moment is The Lost Estate by Delays. I've been a fan of Delays since their first album, and I'm still astonished they haven't reached proper commercial success even though their songs are not unknown and have often been played on television. Delays have just ...
I was making a serious point, albeit in a not so serious way... But the mods disapproved. Keep drugs illegal, don't regulate them by duncanstott on July 01, 2010 at 05:44PM Speaking as a criminal drug dealer who makes millions from the insatiable desire for my produce, it would be a personal disaster if I were to lose my ability to operate in the illegal drug market. That's why I support the government's current stance on drugs. Ending prohibition and applying mountains of red tape around the supply drugs would put dealers like me out of business. Why the contribution ...
A MESSAGE FROM NICK CLEGG We've already scrapped ID cards. Now I'd like to ask you - which other laws do you want to scrap? Your Freedom The Liberal Democrats have always stood up for civil liberties, scrapping unnecessary laws and reducing the burden of regulation on businesses and charities. In our manifesto, we proposed a Freedom Bill to roll back Labour's attacks on British civil liberties. In government, we are doing just that. Yesterday I launched Your Freedom, a national dialogue on how to create a more open, inclusive society. Anyone can make suggestions about which laws we need ...
Back in May I wrote a Council motion to get the City Council Schools' Parliament to include Home Educated Children. The motion wasn't selected for debate but the system here is that when that happens it gets considered by either the Cabinet Member or a committee and so it doesn't just go away. Anyway, today I had the response to the motion which says that Home Educated Children will be offered the chance to take part. I am posting both the motion and the reply below. ************************ Motion Text: "Council recognises the excellent work done by the Liverpool Schools Parliament. ...
[IMG: Shropshire Lib Dem team celebrates] Local farmer Richard Huffer, last night won Clee Division of Shropshire County Council from the Conservatives taking over 60% of the vote. Speaking after the count, Richard said "I'm extremely grateful for the confidence that local electors have shown in me. The scale of the victory is quite humbling. Now the work really starts – our area has suffered from neglect and poor representation for too long!" Parliamentary Candidate Heather Kidd, who was agent in the by-election said, Richard will make an excellent councillor. He has a reputation for hard work and commitment to ...
So Business Link is to be axed, as part of the wider restructuring of how government provides business start-up advice and support to growing businesses. I have mixed feelings about this, but really need to see what's going to happen during transition to new arrangements, and once they're in place. My own experience of using the ...
One of the biggest surprises about this month was that the high I'd reached in May was almost maintained, with only 114 fewer absolute unique visitors despite 13 fewer posts and the election being over. In June, 5154 people visited my blog so thanks to all of you. That doesn't count the people who read it on RSS feeds and the increasing number who read it via Facebook. Part of that was due to one particular post - my review of the Doctor Who episode the Pandorica Opens which by some margin was the top story of the last month. ...
A small state is smaller than a big state, right? But now bear with me. Take a glance at the heated rhetoric coming from Labour ranks about how the coalition government is hell bent on a right wing crusade to slash the size of the state. Then consider this. The coalition's spending plans will see public spending in 2015-16 at a fraction under 40% of GDP. And you know what? That's higher than it was under Labour in 1997-98 and in all the intervening years through to, and including, 2003-04. (See the graph here from Peter Hoskin.) So the horrible ...
I have come across two politically related Youtube clips that have made me chuckle today. The first one is this parody of "I kissed a girl (and I liked it)" by two blokes explaining how they read some Marx (and they liked it): Hattip to Lib Con for drawing my attention to it. The second one (below) is frankly genius. Tom Harris has footage of the chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority explaining the new expenses system. The last two seconds, bearing in mind how IPSA appear to have responded badly to criticism recently nearly had me falling of ...
Volunteers wanted for Skyride Manchester! We are currently seeking volunteers to take on a range of roles during Manchester's Skyride on Sunday 1st August. Please see the attachment for further details. If you would like to be part of this exciting day in a volunteer role please contact Dan Scott - 0161 953 2797, Events @manchester.gov.uk
Today Daniel Kawczynski MP sounded the rallying cry behind conservative opposition to AV and called on David Cameron to do the same. His reasoning? Well it would be unfair for voters of minority parties to have a second vote that counted as much as their first vote. it's an interesting point and does hold some gravitas ...
From Deputy PM Nick Clegg: We've already scrapped ID cards. Now I'd like to ask you - which other laws do you want to scrap? Your Freedom The Liberal Democrats have always stood up for civil liberties, scrapping unnecessary laws and reducing the burden of regulation on businesses and charities. In our manifesto, we proposed a Freedom Bill to roll back Labour's attacks on British civil liberties. In government, we are doing just that. Nick Clegg writes: Yesterday I launched Your Freedom, a national dialogue on how to create a more open, inclusive society. Anyone can make suggestions about which ...
I saw an interesting tweet today from @inspireleaders that got me thinking today. It said "who inspires you the most on twitter and why?". my instant reaction was that no one on twitter really inspires me. Don't get me wrong I really like the people on twitter and I find peoples comments and analysis very ...
A "Forces and 40s" weekend to raise cash for Help for Heroes takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18. The ticket-only event is at Castle Armoury in Bury town centre and opens at 6pm. Performances start at 7pm with compere Steve Garner, BBC Radio 4 presenter and producer. Artists providing the entertainment include Forces' sweetheart Katie Spitfire, the Swing Commanders, the Tommy Lowe Big Band and singer Don Graham. Tickets are £12 and include a meat and potato pie supper. For information and tickets contact Tony on 0161 761 7800 or 07761 737405.
This week has been one of the stranger weeks in the lifetime of this blog. I had to temporarily deactivate it due to stalkers hacking it, protect my tweets on Twitter which stifles the debate I enjoy so thoroughly and even deactivate my Facebook page to protect myself from the relentless harassment. This harassment has ...
The programme about the twins who were attacked by foxes in their own home in Hackney has left a bad taste in my mouth. I watched the programme this evening and was left decidedly miffed at the end of it when I discovered that the father of the twins is also the Financial Director of ...
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government has just published its full list of ministers - complete with details of portfolios etc. The full document is at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/416777/lmr100701.pdf The LibDem ministers' (apart from whips) details follow: DANNY ALEXANDER Chief Secretary to the Treasury Leads on: - Responsibility for public expenditure including: o Spending reviews and strategic planning; o In-year spending control; o Public sector pay and pensions; o Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) and welfare reform; o Efficiency and value for money in public service; o Procurement; and o Capital investment. Treasury interest in devolution. NORMAN BAKER Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Dept of ...
In 2008 – when the general assumption was that the Tories would win an overall majority – the Hansard Society published a collection of essays on the impact of a balanced parliament on British politics, titled No Overall Control. One of its contributors was Simon Hughes, then the Lib Dems' shadow leader of the House, now our deputy leader. So how does what Simon said over two years ago about a hypothetical future measure up to what's happening in the current reality? Pretty well in most respects is the answer. While arguing that a balanced parliament was a less-than-likely eventuality, ...
Well done to Lib Dem candidate Terence Curtis in the Tulse Hill by election in Lambeth that took place yesterday. He increased the share of the Lib Dem vote from 26% in the May elections to 31% yesterday. Well done. Sadly he didn't win but even sadder a by election was necessary due to the unavoidable resignation of the Labour councillor just re elected in May.
Anybody who's anybody in Scottish politics or with an interest in it will remember the last time Scotland went to vote for its own Parliament. Many recall it like a nightmare only we were in an upright position and awake all night living through horrendous images with no net result. One thing that was clear was that people did seem to want to give preferential votes to candidates however they wanted to do it on the wrong ballot papers, or indeed on only one side or the duel purpose Parliamentary ballot paper. However, there is news that a referendum on ...
It has to be said that the Liberal Youth count took place under rather trying circumstances. High humidity, combined with the notoriously airless quality of the boardroom at Cowley Street, made the task of counting ballot papers somewhat less than entirely attractive. But needs must, and with a new Executive Committee due to take up their posts just thirty-five hours after the scheduled start of the count, delay wasn't really an option. The Chair election was closely fought, with three of the five candidates capturing most of the first preferences as follows; Matthew Folker - 48 votes Richard Heinrich/Phil Jarvest ...
Below is one of the many images from the June 1 scan. But I realize, looking at the sequences, that I don't even have the basic knowledge to identify the aorta, let alone to select the particular image that shows the widest part of the bulge... Also received today a copy of the report by Mr N in the Haematology Department following hi recent review: I reviewed Mr Avebury in the clinic today. He had no complaints regarding his haematological condition, which was stage I MALT lymphoma, treated about 4 years ago, and he has been in remission since. He ...
I'm currently working with Shaun Roberts on updating the old 'how to win your ward' ALDC publication. The publication has in fact a long heritage going back through the Liberal Party and there is an interesting indication of how the party has developed as you follow the literary thread from the old Community Politics pamphlet by John Smithson via Chris Rennard's Winning Local Elections manual and other publications and ending up with the three volume Winning Local Elections series by various people including myself. As the publications have got longer there has been a steadily increasing emphasis on the technicalities ...
The EP's Liberal group met in Bilbao this week, at the invitation of our colleagues in the Basque National Party. In addition to our normal business they were able to show us the achievements of the Basque country in economic and social development, which are impressive. To me, it showed all the arguments for effective regional government with democratic oversight and control, which added poignancy to the meeting I had with representatives of Gloucestershire First (in Brussels, on Thursday) at which we discussed the likely impact of the abolition of the RDAs and the establishment of LEPs on the south ...
With Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg set to announce 5th May, 2011, as the date of the referendum on electoral reform, David Miliband – currently the leading contender to become the next Labour leader – was this morning asked the direct question whether he would back the move to the Alternative Vote. His answer was unequivocal: yes, and he would be infavour of Labour members campaigning for it during the referendum campaign: I think that it's important that we move to a system where every Member of Parliament has at least 50 per cent of the vote of their constituents." ...
Accroding to a report produced by Dr Brian Miller for IOM 136 Southwark residents die prematurely every year. Six of those every year in East Dulwich ward. This means on average we're ALL dieing 3 weeks earlier than necessary but equally importantly suffer problems and complications due to poorer health from air pollution. To combat this the London Mayor is closing down the Western extension of the Congestion Charging Zone, and has delayed other planned measures. We all have a part to play - walking and cycling more and reducing cars less. Insulating our homes more so we use ...
Now you are probably here because the headline got your attention. Good. I'll say it again - prison can work! It can certainly work for communities where burglary and other parasitism on local communities can be rife. In my local area committee we have a monthly discussion (normally with our local inspector) about the local crime statistics. (Our area committee is made up of two deprived wards and one of the richest wards in the city.) It is fair to say that over the last few years the trend in all crimes is downwards. There are, however, some interesting blips ...
This morning's Western Mail yet again conjures up a storm about not-very-much with a headline proclaiming that there are doubts over the £1bn electrification of the Swansea-London railway line. To be frank there has been ever since the previous Labour government announced the project without any identifiable funding. The paper says that because it was omitted from a list of capital budgets announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his budget and because the Department of Transport is reviewing its spending committments then the scheme may not go ahead. This is just speculation. Given the financial situation we are ...
So if the unofficial comments from the government are correct, the referendum on changing the electoral system to the Alternative Vote will be held on May 5th next year to coincide with the local, Scottish and Welsh elections. If this is true then it is good news for a number of reasons: 1) It will demonstrate that the referendum has not been kicked into the long grass and hence that the Lib Dem section of the government has real clout when it comes to the issues that it got into the government's programme. This is especially true of the AV ...
I can't have been the only one – and I don't think I was judging at the Twitter stream – to have watched Question Time last night pretty surprised at some of the things I was hearing. First of all, there was the disgrace of Alan Johnson telling the world that "Michael Howard was right". ...
Full Council last night (Thursday 1st July) was the first proper one since the General Election and so the first opportunity for our 13 Labour councillors to vent their spleens about how hypocritical, unprincipled, etc. etc. they feel the Lib Dems to be, how terribly they think the Coalition government is doing and all that sort of thing. Not unreasonable - that's one of the joys of being in opposition, as Labour are now at both Council and National levels, and I'm sure we'll see a lot more of it. Even so, apart from getting things off their chests, I ...
Well, now we know. 5th May is the date for the fair votes referendum. That avoids two different polling days next year. Holding the referendum on the day of the local and devolved elections will help boost turnout. That however is not a guarantee of success. Campaign now and campaign hard if you want the Yes vote to win. This will be a hard slog and those opposed to change will throw all they can
Many, many years ago John Gilbert, then a Labour MP, gained widespread respect across the political spectrum for his penetrating questioning of the government over the Westland helicopter crisis. But that was then and now he's a politician of a rather different type as shown by his contribution to the debate on Lords reform held earlier in the week: We come to the question of who will be elected to come here [if a wholly or mostly elected Lords comes about]. You would get the sort of oik – for Hansard's benefit, oik is spelt OIK – that could not ...
On Saturday I will be marching with Pride at Pride. I will be spending half of the march as Government together with Nick Herbert, the openly gay Conservative Minister for Policing - and half with DELGA the Liberal Democrat's LGBT group. While I am with them - Nick Herbert will be with the LGBTory group. I am looking forward to it tremendously. And to herald Pride tomorrow, today I am going to speak at the TUC's annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans conference in London. The TUC has done phenomenal work in changing the landscape for LGB&T people in the ...
I had a small hissy fit while watching the news last night when I heard BBC political correspondent James Landale describe how the proposed referendum on changing the voting system for Westminster elections to the Alternative Vote was a key test for the Coalition and how it was the one reason we'd joined forces with the Tories. Well, I have news for James Landale. AV is not any sort of glittering prize. All it does is make sure that the MP in each seat is elected by a majority of the people. It does not make the system proportional across ...
The Council has received a planning application for a new pizza takeaway on the parade of shops (well - parade of shop now, since the others are closed) at the southern end of Silverdale Road in Gatley. You can read the details, and comment, here. I've been contacted by both a concerned resident and by the applicant. As usual, I need to stay open-minded at this stage to comply with planning law, if I want to end up being allowed to take part in the decision. Issues the planning officers are likely to be considering include whether there's an impact ...
Ludlow Liberal Democrats have gained Clee Division from Conservatives in the heart of rural Shropshire with huge swing.
"At no point in the last X years has anyone approached me and said: 'We must have electoral reform'". This was a near verbatim quote on BBC Radio 4 this morning. Unfortunately, while it is a good way of suggesting that those of us who are in favour of electoral reform (replacement of our current voting system with one that reflects the people's choices) are out of touch, it is a little dishonest. For in that same period, he must have had people approach him and ask "Why did Labour get such a large majority of seats in government if ...
i) births and deaths 2 July 1973: birth of Peter Kay, guest star on Love and Monsters (2006). 2 July 1991: death of Don Houghton, who wrote Inferno (1970) and The Mind of Evil (1971). ii) broadcast anniversaries 2 July 1966: broadcast of the second episode of The War Machines, in which poor Dodo Chaplet is unceremoniously written out of the programme. Starts with WOTAN demanding the presence of "Doctor Who". Ends with Ben being trapped by a newly activated War Machine. 2 July 2009: broadcast of Torchwood: The Golden Age, a somewhat bonkers radio play which brings Jack, Gwen ...
Murdoch UK papers attacked LibDems for immigrant earned citizenship plans. Murdoch now promoting similar plans in US http://bit.ly/codM4Q [IMG: :)] # @IanDouglas Ironic contrast with what his papers have said in UK! in reply to IanDouglas # Government reconsidering plans to impose immigration cap | Politics | guardian.co.uk - http://bit.ly/aHYi5I # Re Apple iPhone 4 reception problems: what does it say about tech reviews that so many of the initial round missed this problem? # BBC News - Council 'league tables' to be scrapped to save money - http://bit.ly/cd4FNH # @probablygeorge [IMG: :)] in reply to probablygeorge # @nextleft As ...
Photo by Sabine J Hutchinson http://www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk Yesterday there was a by-election in the Clee ward of the new unitary Shropshire council. The result was Richard Huffer (Liberal Democrat) 946 Conservative 506 Independent 116 Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative The previous Conservative councillor Paul Andrews resigned after being found guilty of misconduct and suspended for six months. A.E. Housman adds: From Clee to heaven the beacon burns, The shires have seen it plain, From north and south the sign returns And beacons burn again.
Good to see the BBC filming last night at the West End Boys' Amateur Boxing Club last night - some pictures below :
So David Cameron lowered the flag of St. George over Downing Street on Monday as the English football team headed home after failing to end 44 years of hurt. But now the tabloids are trying to persuade the English football faithful that Dunblane born Andy is actually English. Why? Because his maternal grandmother was both to a Berwick-Upon-Tweed solicitor and his York born wife. So taking into consideration the dispute that the town to the north of the Tweed is actually Scottish and that it's designation has changed so often through history. That would leave Andy's mum Judy's mother, Eileen ...
I've been contacted by a resident concerned that a new road being built immediately north of North Cheshire Jewish Primary on St Ann's Road North would be connecting up with Cheadle Royal - our local, and not-too-small business park. He was quite rightly worried about traffic from Cheadle Royal coming onto St Ann's Road North and then Silverdale Road etc. and clogging up our residential streets rather than sticking to the main roads. I've asked around and I'm glad to say that doesn't appear to the case. When Cheadle Royal was being built, there was a clear undertaking that traffic ...
Pembrokeshire against the cull have circulated a report of Wednesday's appeal hearing in which the Badger Trust are seeking to have the action ruled unlawful. I have reproduced it below but two points stand out for me. Firstly, that the judges identified that the consultation on the order may be flawed as the Welsh Government only sought views on culling badgers in North Pembrokeshire for a trial period whereas the order is for the whole of Wales and enables them to clear the country of badgers indefinitely. There is now an application to make this the third reason for overturning ...
Polly Toynbee has an excellent analogy to describe that aspect of our society which really is broken - the fact that some 20% of our fellow citizens are getting left further and further behind. Toynbee compares this to a caravan in the desert. First the rear 20% lag behind but are still part of the same caravan. If they get too far behind they become a separate caravan. This is what is happening to our "underclass" today. Until I read the Guardian's leader last Monday, ("Bending the yardstick" (28th June, 2010) I had supposed that Toynbee's excellent image was of ...
EU puts self-interest before peace in Western Sahara Each year, the EU pays Morocco millions of Euros for fishing licences offshore Western Saharan waters - an area not falling under Moroccan sovereignty... a direct support to the illegal and brutal Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. (tags: westernsahara) Goodbye Brussels David Rennie of the Economist is leaving - we will miss him, but look forward to his acerbic insights on British politics in the future. (tags: eu)
I was listening to a phone conversation yesterday. The person on my end of the line was asking about someone we both know who is in hospital. The first question was is she on the ward. I was only half-listening but it seemed to take a long time and there was still no answer. I think the person on the other end of the line was using a computer, because I know there are boards on the wall that tell you the names of the people on the ward and it also tells you which bed they occupy. The delay ...
