Full Council meeting tonight, and we were greeted with a lively bunch of people from Protect Preston Park. They were there to demonstrate their very strong feeling to Councillors going into the Council meeting - and getting support from other passers by too. Nice to see people demonstrating their interest in democracy ! I know it sounds lazy but I am going to give the link to...
It was announced at this evening's meeting of the Dacorum Borough Council that Mike Edwards, the former Conservative councillor for Aldbury & Wigginton had been disqualified for non-attendance, having not attended any meeting in a 6 month period, and consequently a casual vacancy had arisen. An election had been called by the Conservative Party and a by-election will take place on Thursday, 26th August.
I've never been a massive fan of increased taxation it has to be said, but there are certain selfish qualities in that and the amount that comes out of my pay packet every month. I also still feel miffed that we have not had enough progress (yet) on the £10,000 tax threshold. The VAT rise ...
Mehdi Foundation International adherents detained in Tihar Jail, New Delhi The Mehdi Foundation International (MFI) was formed under the guidance of H H Ra Gohar Shahi, who revealed his Sufi teachings in 1980 The set of beliefs he taught are considered to be heretical, and blasphemous under the blasphemy laws of Pakistan, where conviction for this 'offence' is punishable by a maximum sentence of death. Many believers have served long prison sentences, and charges were made against HH Ra Gohar Shahi himself in 1998 and 1999. These were dropped after the courts were told that he had died, though his ...
All the bluster and brouhaha about Andrew Rawnlsey's book 'The end of the party' lead many people interested in politics to believe that the book was nothing more than a few small anecdotes written up in a tabloid style at an inopportune moment to destabilise the Labour government in the run up to the general ...
Because if you were and you were a democrat, you might find yourself compared to this famous figure from political history. Yup thats right. The Tea Party in the state of Iowa has deemed it acceptable to compare the President of the United States of America to Adolf Hitler. The sign has now been removed ...
A great success was noted at today's Leisure Services Scrutiny meeting, as the figures for visitor numbers to the City's museum's were reported. The total number of visits increased from 866,904 in 2008/9 to 1,095,683 in 2009/10 - an increase of 26.4%. The Staffordshire Hoard was clearly responsible for part of the increase, with 40,000 visits when it was first shown last year and another 16,000 visits in the last two weeks of March when the second exhibition started. However even allowing for this the results are very impressive. They are a result of a whole series of interesting exhibitions, ...
Wed 14th
22:10
Nick Robinson notes Lib Dems' "important injection of democracy" into Coalition's NHS plans
Mark Pack yesterday noted Lib Dem health minister Paul Burstow's hand at work in the NHS White Paper – it's a theme also picked up today by the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson, who comments on his blog: The proposals for a re-organisation of the NHS included a fundamental and little-noticed change from those contained in either the Conservative manifesto or the coalition agreement. The government now plan to give councils a major new strategic health role, examining the purchasing decisions of GPs and fitting them together with their plans for public health and social care. For the Lib Dems, ...
...and because I am in that kind of playful mood. I'll bite for once and give you all something to talk about for a few days. Perhaps it will take your mind off of the problems you all seem to have with the Level 42 30th anniversary box set Here at Spiderplant Land we aim ...
"They couldn't possibly do that," say the strategists and plotters, "Not even the Liberal Democrats could be in power in two places at once, in two different coalitions, with two different partners pursuing radically different policies." Ah, but they can and, given half a chance, they almost certainly will and here is why. Read Hamish Macdonell in the Caledonian Mercury to find out why, when the bookies start taking bets on next year's Holyrood election: it might be worth thinking about the following: Iain Gray as First Minister, Tavish Scott as his Deputy, Nicola Sturgeon as Leader of the Opposition ...
Liberal Democrat MPs across the country are probably getting a fair bit of stick from their constituents right now. This could be for any number of reasons, [IMG: Cleggeron] but most obviously the emergency budget and the increase in VAT, cuts in education (particularly the Building Schools for the Future debacle) and Andrew Lansley's radical proposals in health spring to mind. The argument seems to develop along these lines: Constituent: "Alright blud. Why aren't you doing more to push Lib Dem policies and stop Conservative ones getting through?" MP: "Well, my dear local chappy, we didn't win the election you ...
The party website reports the news: A review of how the Government responds to disasters such as the Haiti earthquake will be led by former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown, it was announced today. Lord Ashdown will lead a taskforce of humanitarian experts from inside and outside Government to review all aspects of how the UK Government responds to disasters and work with the international community to speed up the delivery of aid. The review will also look at how the UK can best work with international bodies and UN agencies in emergency situations and to ensure that the global ...
Earlier this week I was in one of those meetings I would really rather not have to do. At Full Council next week we are being asked to approve the recommendation for an effective doubling of the Council Leaders' pay. I'm not going into the pros and cons here as they've been well rehearsed. As a result of the earlier debate however, Warren Bradley, Steve Radford and I met the panel of individuals who make the recommendations to ask some questions. I was very concerned that what we are being asked to support is based on a report with virtually ...
There's lots of things in life which we do, but if we stopped and thought about it, we wouldn't really be able to think of a valid reason why we do, other than 'it's always been like that'. Whilst helping someone fill in a passport application, I had such a thought. Why does British officialdom insist on black ink? It may sound an odd question, but just think how much time and money is wasted in the UK every year because forms are rejected simply because an applicant has used blue and not black ink. A quick look online reveals ...
Inspired by bugshaw 's experiment, I have tried: Input Output P.G. Wodehouse, "When Papa Swore in Hindustani" I write like Jack LondonI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! Neil Gaiman, "How To Talk To Girls At Parties" I write like Douglas AdamsI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! Connie Willis, "Fire Watch" I write like Dan BrownI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu" I write like H. P. LovecraftI Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing! Well, that last ...
The City Council is doing a survey about housing in Liverpool. They'll be making some phone calls to selected people but anyone can take part in the survey on line, so if you have views to give it's a good way to make sure you can give them. The survey is here.
As part of a review of car park charges across Birmingham, a three week period of consultation is starting on some increases being proposed to the charges at the Warwick Road Car Park in Acocks Green. If agreed, the increases will take effect this October. Charges for up to three hours will be unchanged (up to 1 hour - 40p, up to 2 hours 90p, up to 3 hours £1.20). The charge for up to 4 hours of parking is proposed to increase from £1.40 to £1.50. The charge for up to 6 hours is proposed to increase from £2.20 ...
The following order is being made by CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCIL ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) (SHARPENHOE ROAD, SHARPENHOE) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) ORDER 2010 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Central Bedfordshire Council have made an Order the effect of which will be to prohibit any vehicle, except a vehicle being used for fire, police or ambulance purposes in an emergency, from proceeding along that length of Sharpenhoe Road, Sharpenhoe which extends for 400 metres south from Barton Road. This temporary closure is required to enable patching works to take place and shall apply to such extent ...
Last Friday my old friend Nasim Bajwa and two visitors from Pakistan came to lunch at the House.Then I returned home in time to receive the High Commissioner for Bangladesh for a discussion over a cup of tea. Among other matters we discussed the war crimes trials, and the International Bar Association's report to the Parliamentary Human Rights Group calling for changes in the legislation to bring it into conformity with modern practice. We agreed that the best approach would be for the IBA lawyers to be in touch with the Bangladesh government's legal advisers, and since then I hope ...
The BBC reports: A graduate tax is to be proposed by the Business Secretary Vince Cable, in a keynote speech on the future funding of higher education. This would mean students in England would repay the costs of going to university through taxation once t hey began working. A review of tuition fees and student finance is due to report in the autumn. Mr Cable, who has pledged to oppose raising fees, will suggest a graduate tax as an alternative system. This would mean students' fees being paid by the government to universities – and graduates would then pay a ...
I recently received a letter from a voter who was worried about whether they were right to support the Lib Dems in the last election. They felt uncomfortable about whether supporting us again now we were working with the Tories. I am sure he is not alone, so think this a good time to clarify the situation. The Lib Dems have not changed any policies since the election. Our policies are driven by the party membership at conference. If you thought the Liberal Democrats had the right ideas in May, then you can feel confident that we still do. At ...
The headline in tonight's 'Evening Telegraph' highlights the irresponsible actions of an individual who, according to Tayside Police, maliciously dumped clothing by the river's edge last night - on Riverside Drive near to the Riverview Station Restaurant. As the Tele rightly points out : "It's believed the full set of clothing may have been left as a hoax at a time when Dundee is still reeling from four young men having taken their own lives within the space of a couple of weeks. The costs of the search could run into thousands of pounds." I commented in the Tele that ...
Over at the Liberal Conspiracy website, LDV Co-Editor Mark Pack takes a look at the proposed new electoral system, the alternative vote, and points out some of the welcome behavioural changes it might exert on British political culture. Here's an excerpt: What really interests me about AV is the change in political culture it can bring about. ... Under preferential voting most candidates hoping to win most of the time have to have an eye on appealing to the second preferences of those who cast a first preference for another party. That imposes a significant burden on the style of ...
Today was probably my worst day so far since I became primary carer of our two children, Calderdale councillor and general community busy body. Everything that could have wrong, went wrong. From the relatively minor (sent Ferdi to school in school uniform when he was supposed to be in tricolor colours for Bastille Day) to the majorly annoying (three-year-old washing machine will cost a minimum of £175 to repair). In between these two points there were numerous phonecalls relating to minor and major problems, and general scatty brained forgetfulness. Running parallel to this Jo is away at a conference all ...
I am saddened to report that at its latest meeting last night, because of limited active membership, Logie Residents' Association decided to propose, at a special general meeting in early August, possible dissolution of the Association. I am anxious to ensure that the people of the Logie Estate continue to have an active residents' voice and the loss of the association would be really deterimental to this. On her return from annual leave, I will be speaking with the Director of Housing about ways to ensure Logie residents have an active voice in the future.
Langton's in Church Gate is a good furniture shop, but the building has seen better days. In fact it now resembles Reginald Perrin's employer Sunshine Desserts. The Church Gate conservation area character appraisal (PDF dowloadable from here) says: Finally on the east side of Church Gate, the premises occupied by Langton's (81 Church Gate) at the corner of Gravel Street are of interest. They were built as a garage (Castle's Motors) in the 1930s, probably at the time when Gravel Street was extended. It is in Art deco style - popular for such uses at that time - and features ...
No, not more revelations from the memoirs of New Labour's svengali, Lord (Peter) Mandelson – rather a diary piece by Hugh Muir in the Guardian. LDV readers may recall Nick Clegg's conflicted loyalties in deciding whether to support Holland or Spain in Sunday's World Cup final. It appears he found out a way to resolve them: ... at a cross-party reception for the Lib Dem thinktank Centre Forum, the deputy prime minister admitted that while he began watching the World Cup final supporting Holland, as the Diary said he would, he switched sides halfway through and began rooting for the ...
Tavish Scott discusses NHS bureaucrats after raising the issue at First Minister's Questions last week.
One of the debates at today's Cabinet meeting was on the discretionary grants review that has been taking place behind closed doors over the last few months. The review has been looking at the grants given by Cornwall Council to a wide range of different organisations. The last budget showed that almost every service gives out grants in one form or another. Despite asking, I still haven't managed to find out what all of this public money was spent on, but it included money spent by the HR and properties departments - not normally council offices which you would expect ...
A terrific smorgasbord of super blogging today! Sarah realises her 16 year dream to meet Michael Schumacher - I cried just reading her account! And there's a picture! Daddy Richard has done his review of the Vampires of Venice episode. An amusing and well written story about how St David's Street in Edinburgh got its name by Shootin' Fae the Shin. Mr MacNumpty thinks there's hope for the Scottish blogosphere yet. Andrew thinks Mike Russell has a darned cheek trying to be Argyll and Bute's candidate when he tried to sell off its forests only last year before being stopped ...
There was one question from the public at today's Cabinet meeting. The Leader was asked if the Chief Executive and his fellow Cornwall Council corporate directors would be following the example set by the Prime Minister in taking a voluntary reduction in salary. The single word answer was... No. I'm very disappointed that this course of action is not even being considered by the top echelon of Cornwall Council officers. It is something I called for a couple of weeks ago. Regardless of your views of the individual salaries, I think that Cornwall's top officers should have considered a voluntary ...
I have enjoyed using PoliticsHome several times a day for the last year or so. It's an excellent aggregator for political news. But do I like or value it enough to now pay £19 a month for it now it's gone behind a paywall? On your bike. Don't be silly. What idiots run the business models on these things? They really must think they're God's gift at PoliticsHome. No thank you. I'll rely on epolitix, BBC politics, Google news, or Twitter or, quite frankly, baked bean cans connected by string or sticking a wet finger in the air in future. ...
As part of a small intimate tour, Bombay Bicycle Club are performing an acoustic gig at St. Paul's Church in the Jewellery Quarter tomorrow night. Doubtless much if not all of the set will feature tracks from their new album "Flaws", released on Monday. Unfortunately the gig is sold out!
I got my shiny new iPad a few weeks ago and one of the applications on it that I thought I would try and use properly in the next few weeks is iBooks. It allows you to purchase copies of books that you can then read in a fairly stylish interface in either portrait or landscape mode. It certainly seemed like something that could be very useful when I go away on holiday. After all I will be taking the iPad anyway so if I could take my holiday reading away with me in digital form then it would take ...
The County Council have announced a review of the Library Service throughout Cambridgeshire. It isn't clear yet what result or impact this will have on the Libraries in Cambridge, but they County have not ruled out changes to the service at either Arbury Court or Milton Road Libraries as drastic as closure. Last Saturday the Friends of Milton Road library held a discusson and there a similar meeting has been called on Saturday 17th July at 3pm in Arbury Community Centre to see what can be done by the community to defend the Arbury Court Library.
Three applications on the weekly list, two last week and one this week. Last week there was an application for a two storey side and rear extension to 41 Lovell Road (reference 10/0507/FUL), and an application to vary "condition 28" of a planning application for the erection of industrial units in Kings Court (off King's Hedges Road) (reference 10/0552/S73). This week is another extension in Lovell Road, this time two storeys to the rear of 36 Lovell Road (reference 10/0581/FUL). More details can be found on the City Council web site.
Cross posted from Liberal Democrat Voice Once again, Harriet Harman eluded the predictions of such luminaries as the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue and alighted on the unexpected subject of cancer waiting times. This strikes me as an excellent subject for Harman to choose. Labour introduced a "guarantee" for cancer patients to see a specialist within two weeks of seeing their GP. Most of us know someone who has had cancer and know that the first few weeks of doubt and fear are appallingly traumatic. The two week guarantee is a very "real" target which means a great deal to worried patients ...
Once again, Harriet Harman eluded the predictions of such luminaries as the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue and alighted on the unexpected subject of cancer waiting times. This strikes me as an excellent subject for Harman to choose. Labour introduced a "guarantee" for cancer patients to see a specialist within two weeks of seeing their GP. Most of us know someone who has had cancer and know that the first few weeks of doubt and fear are appallingly traumatic. The two week guarantee is a very "real" target which means a great deal to worried patients and their relatives. David Cameron didn't ...
This is a bit late to warn people but it is North Area Committee tomorrow. As usual the meeting is at Manor Community School on Arbury Road. It is on Thursday 15th July, with planning at 6.30pm, and the main agenda starting after that or at 7.30pm. Planning looks like it will include an application relating to Citygate on Woodhead Drive, as well as other applications from the other wards. The main meeting agenda has the Open Forum, a chance to ask the local councillors questions on any topic, the public consultation on licensing policy (see the city council website ...
In questions today the Rural Affairs Minister revealed that government surveys had identifed between 1500-1700 badgers in North Pembrokeshire, which would have been culled if the court had not squashed her legislation.
As much as I hate Lord Mandelson's methodology and politics, you have to admire his skill at mastering the dark arts. His memoirs, the Third Man, have alluded to a number of secrets within the Labour Party. Today I read a Sun article related to the book. I'm never one to trust the Sun implicitly but when it makes interesting claims my ears do prick up. Basically, as the article spells out, it is alleged that ex-Chancellor Alistair Darling was planning to put VAT up twice whilst still in office, but the move was held down by Brown's iron fist. ...
Yesterday Gerald said he'd seen several police cars heading in the Highfield, Keighley, direction at around 5:30 pm and we wondered what had happened. Later in the evening the local TV news announced the tragic death of a man and injury of a woman in a house fire at Argyle Street, Highfield. Apparently police believe the fire may have been deliberate and are investigating. This is shocking, and on top of the dreadful murders in Cumbria, Northumberland and Bradford this month it shows how fragile life really can be.
A footnote to my piece earlier this week about Richard Grayson's pamphlet. In it I commented: What I think Richard under-plays is the way the party's attitude towards the state has changed not in response to different internal ideological views gaining ascendancy but rather in response to changing external circumstances. Given the huge expansion in public spending in the middle years of the Labour government, and the big expansion of central control in the early, middle and late years of Labour government, it is hardly a surprise that many who previously instinctively reached for more public spending and new regulations ...
I try to be an optimist myself, but what a fantastic comment from Christina Patterson in The Independent: "David Cameron is an optimist. He thinks that the economic equivalent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an excellent way to let the sunshine in." Wisely she doesn't comment on the detail of the cuts (anyone feel we really haven't got beyond "something must be done!"?). She acknowledges some of the ideas sound good. The fundamental problem she identifies in Parliament right is that Labour's plan seems to be to provide no input and let the whole thing fail for political purposes. ...
It seems that the one member of the Labour Party who is not in denial about the deficit and the economy is Pat McFadden, shadow industry secretary. McFadden speaks today to the Fabian Society and will warn that Labour risks credibility with voters if they head into the "comfort zone of wishing away the need to cut spending."He will go on to say, "Fight the cuts is a tempting slogan in opposition,
Two Door Cinema Club were the band that kicked off the music at Glastonbury for me, on the Thursday afternoon. I was dragged along to see Boy George of all artists the night before, which was actually quite a fun flashback to the 80s, but not exactly what I'm hoping for at a rock festival. I did see the band on before them at the Queens Head, who were good enough but nothing special. Alex, Kevin and Sam brought waay more energy to the stage, and indeed a fair crowd. Since the gig, I've been hearing their Come Back Homeconstantly ...
The way the Labour Party tells it, they are simply preparing to return to office. In the Labour Playbook, the Coalition is a minor aberration, and the compromises that it contains will eventually lead to the British electorate to abandon it and gratefully return to the embrace of New Labour. Or Newest Labour. Or Post-New Labour. The self indulgent scribbles of Peter Mandelson that have been published (in great haste) over the past few days not only spike the guns of Tony Blair- whose own confessions of a justified sinner are due out in the next few weeks- they also ...
I am notoriously bad at saying no to people and at delegating and, as a result, tend to get into a bit of an organisational tangle. And so, prompted by the most organised person I know, I've decided to concentrate on three tasks over the next year; being Regional Secretary - I'm beginning to discover just how much work could be done... fulfilling my commitments as a Parish Councillor - I'm now comfortable in my 'representative skin' so to speak, but it's time to learn to fly. my campaign for next year's District and Parish Council elections - with less ...
The Liberal Democrats have been counting the volume of press propaganda put out by the Tory controlled county council and said: 'Enough!' Lib Dem Leader Chris White said today: 'The week before last there was a day on which the county council issued 13 press releases. Last week saw a day when it issued 11 press releases plus three bulletins. 'At a time when the Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles is calling for councils to stop advertising "useless jobs" it is staggering that the county council continues to deploy its staff on producing this unending stream of comment. 'Last week ...
Following in the footsteps of this. [IMG: authoritarians]
Great story in the Edinburgh Evening News today about the Buckfast ripple ice cream available at the Englishman Scotsman and Irishman restaurant in Queen Charlotte Street. IT'S been blamed for boozy violence and derided as the drunkard's favourite. Now Buckfast is top of the menu for diners in Leith, where a restaurant is using the fortified tonic wine in its new range of summer ice creams. Englishman, Scotsman and an Irishman, or E:S:I, is serving up Buckfast ripple ice cream to its lunchtime customers - and despite the drink's reputation, it's going down a storm with discerning diners.You can even ...
Commentators on Lib Dem Voice are starting to get used to being in agreement with government ministers – sometimes even the Conservative ones. Such an event occured yesterday, when Ken Clarke spoke to judges at the annual Mansion House Dinner, making the same argument made here a couple of weeks ago. Crime has fallen in Britain throughout a period of both rising prison populations and throughout the same period of economic growth, with strong employment levels and rising living standards. "No-one can prove cause and effect. The crime rate fell but was this the consequence of the policies of my ...
[IMG: Network cables] Although I wrote and appeared in the media aplenty talking about the internet and its impact during the 2010 general election and in its immediate aftermath, there are thirteen posts from others that I've never quite got round to writing about or using in my work. So rather than have them linger forever in the bookmarked section of my feed reader, here's the list of thirteen for my future reference and your possible interest: Online voter registration The digital election: 10 things we've learned so far Political blogs in the run up to the election Leadership debate ...
It is increasingly hard for the man/woman in the street to believe that we will leave - whenever that will be - with some semblance of a result - whatever that would be! 9 years after 9/11 and the Afghan invasion and you feel that it could easily be another 9 years, or another 19 years. Now don't get me wrong, I am not advocating pulling out just yet, but I do think there is a growing crisis of confidence as to whether we can succeed. And the recent murdering of 3 British soldiers by an Afghan soldier just adds ...
Some time ago I discussed, with a local resident, the problems of the two footpaths that run to Cressington Station (either side of the railway line). We spent a bit of money on improving the surface, and Merseyrail have said they'll keep an eye out for litter. However the potentially bigger problem is the lack of light. Ok there is light at the end but the paths themselves are pretty dark which at night,especially in winter, is a problem. Residents said they wanted to campaign for improvements, so as part of that Peter, Richard and I have kicked off a ...
Another PMQ's, another exercise in pointless evasion from David Cameron. Harriet Harman asks about the two week cancer guarantee, which provides a very speedy level of care but which hasn't actually lifted Britain out of being a relatively poor-performing country when it comes to cancer survival. David Cameron didn't say whether he's going to scrap it. By not saying he's keeping it, it's obvious he's thinking about scrapping it, which presented him with the ideal opportunity to say so and explain why. Sadly, once again the predictable headlines about scrapping a nice-sounding target made him too scared to enter into ...
The Friends of Garston Park are organising a litter pick this Saturday (17th) meeting at 10 30 at the Leisure Centre. Litter picks, bags etc all provided. Anyone who wants to help out is welcome. There's also a meeting of the Friends of Garston Park at 6 30 on Friday 16th at Long Lane Church. Again anyone interested is very welcome to come along. As part of their work, the Friends are carrying out a survey about the park. I have mentioned this before but if you haven't already taken the survey, do please do so. It takes a few ...
I am not a fan of the coalition. Somehow I think I have written that line before; call it a sense of deja vu. I have found recently the vitriolic bile and hatred from The Labour Party not only staggering but in the main intellectually bankrupt. We also find out that the Labour Party are morally and politically bankrupt. From Peter Mandelson's diaries and according to the lead editorial in today's The Guardian 'The sorrow and the pity': That Gordon Brown's cabinet saw and knew of his deficiencies, but instead of confronting him or trying to change the leadership, they ...
I have to confess a shameful secret. A few days ago, I paid my pound and now have 30 days' access to the Times website. Yes, I have put an extra pound into Rupert Murdoch's media empire. What can I say? I guess I just like the site. Anyway, there's something I want to throw over the paywall... One paragraph in Daniel Finkelstein's Times column today very neatly encapsulates why our economy is where it is: "Anxious to avoid being seen as returning to tax-and-spend social democracy, Brown hit on a new idea. He would spend, without remotely taxing enough ...
At the weekend I popped over to Camden, to film Cllr Matt Sanders talking about campaigning in Talacre Gardens. It's a great example of what local campaigning can achieve – working with residents to protect a green space – and how leaflets are a means to that end rather than an end in themselves. That's a theme I'll be returning to quite often over the summer as I co-write a new edition of the 'how to win your ward' book for ALDC, but in the meantime here's the film: Also available on YouTube here.
For as long as I have been interested and following politics there has been a general whine of background noise with regards to the demise of Cabinet government. These noises have not been without good cause with many examples over the last 25 years of 'Presidential' behaviour from Prime Ministers. Whilst the Prime Minister should be the primus inter pares in government there should be healthy discussion and debate and they should be big enough to know when they are doing (or about to do) something wrong. For me, a subset of this culture has been a reluctance to change ...
Today is Bastille Day when French celebrate the storming of the Bastille and the freeing of.... well.. seven prisoners! Hardly the jail break of the century, even the 18th century, but there you go. Any excuse for a party. July 14th is also the date in1698 that five ships sailed out of Leith headed for the Isthmus of Panama and the Darien Bay. The twelve hundred people on board were aiming to set up a Scottish Colony. The exercise, independent Scotland's only imperial adventure, was a disaster. King William (he of Orange), King of Britain at the time, ordered English ...
So, BAA now want to charge people £1 when you drop people off for their flights at both Belfast and Edinburgh Airports. This really is a move too far but you can see as airlines and airports alike aren't making as much money as before so they are investigating new ways of taxing their customers. Whether it is increasing the luggage trolley fee from £1 to £2 as they have at Luton, or increased charges for putting baggage on a plane or now charging for dropping passengers off they are keen to tax, tax, tax. There does come a point ...
Note by posting this picture I am in no way implying or speculating anything about the sexuality of any who appear in it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. A question; which style of football would you rather have seen win the World Cup, the stylish play of say Spain, Argentina or Germany or the rather stiff and in the case of the Netherlands violent approach of Brazil and England amongst others? I'm sure like me you are glad that the former won. Therefore the most bizarre excuse for World Cup failure from Michael Ballack's agent Michael Becker that ...
I am sure, like many of you, I got involved in politics in order to do my best to be a voice for those who had no voice, to challenge injustice, discrimination and oppression. I guess I can trace it back to speaking up on behalf a black friend when I was 5 and I didn't understand much about racism then, but understood a little about bullying. Since then that trait in me, among other things, has lead me to being threatened with a charge of mutiny in the army, become President of my SU, Unison Branch Secretary and chair ...
My other big passion, apart from politics is the band Level 42. I have been a fan now for over 27 years and have massed quite a collection including some rather rare gems that I know certain other fans would love to get their hands on. (even to the point where they claim to others ...
As part of the empowerment (sorry about the cliche!) of ordinary members it might be useful if you let us in the Westminster village know how you react to unfolding coalition policy. I'm tasked as Co-Chair for the Backbench Health Committee to ensure that distinctive Lib Dem policy on health goes into the Coalition Government equation. So I have decided to seek party members' views on the much-reported Health White Paper – especially from those who have a bit of hands on experience of the NHS. Please post here or alterantively e-mail me at pughj - pughj.hat.parliament.uk.spam.com (this is spam ...
That's Shahram Amiri. Mr. Amiri is an Iranian who vanished while on hajj in 2009. What happened to him is a mystery. A video released by the Iranian government in June suggested that he was an Iranian nuclear scientist, that he had been kidnapped by the CIA and tortured, and that he was being held within the US against his will. In a concurrent video, a person who appears to be the same man explains that he wasn't kidnapped – he moved to the US of his own volition, to complete his PhD. Further muddying the waters was this ABC ...
It takes a fair bit for me to scream at the television (yes really, I gather some people do it constantly), but I found myself yelling at Ed Miliband on Question Time the other week. He was commenting on the coalition's spending cuts, which is all fine and good - that's his constitutional job, after all. But what got me yelling 'That's disgraceful!' at the set was his comment 'and the British people will show what they think of these cuts at next year's council elections'. If ever there was a case of bringing democracy into disrepute, this is it. ...
I spotted this morning that Labour AM, Ann Jones had had a go at the Liberal Democrats for supporting the increase in VAT to 20% from next year. She is quoted in the Western Mail as saying: "The decision to increase VAT completely blows out of the water any pretence that this is a progressive government acting in the interests of Welsh people. "VAT hits low-income groups the hardest and will end up having a huge impact on thousands of vulnerable families and communities right across Wales. The Government needs to understand the depth of feeling there is against an ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Minister, Veronica German has expressed alarm at a Welsh Assembly Government report that admits that increases in health funding in Wales have fallen significantly compared to the NHS in England over the past six years. 'Delivering a Five-Year Service, Workforce and Financial Strategic Framework for NHS Wales' exposes how annual cash growth in NHS Wales funding has lagged behind growth in England over the last 6 years by a third and will continue to do so in 2010-11, leaving the Welsh NHS on a less financially secure platform to face tighter spending in years to ...
[IMG: stones fall] Stone's Fall, Iain Pears Iain Pears is an author who likes slicing up his books, and dicing up his narrative. Four narrators in his most famous book, An Instance of the Fingerpost; three in his follow-up, the more dense The Dream of Scipio, spanning fifteen centuries. And now Stone's Fall, relating the mysterious death of a tycoon, John Stone, explained backwards, and refracted through three very different first-person narrative prisms: a simple journalist (Broddick), a complex spy (Court), a romantic magnate (Stone himself). It's a gripping, enlightening romp through Victorian and Edwardian England and Venice. But forget ...
Here's a different perspective on homosexuality (one we are hearing more and more from). Give it a read. What's it like to be both a practicing Muslim and a homosexual? It sounds like it's deeply conflicted: Khalid says that as a British Muslim, he feels gay men have yet to find answers to some very difficult questions: "If it is wrong to be gay, should we force ourselves into heterosexual marriages? "And in doing so, should we lie to the women we get married to? Or should we go for marriages of convenience with lesbians? Or, should we just remain ...
First published in 2008, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers is a rebuttal of the traditional American emphasis on people's success coming from the individual merit and triumph of exceptional humans as epitomised in the quote from Robert Winthorp who urged people at the unveiling of a statute of Benjamin Franklin to, "look at the image of a man who rose from nothing, who owned nothing to parentage or patronage, who enjoyed no advantages of early education which are not open – a hundredfold open – to yourselves". Instead, Gladwell argues that although individual ability matters, it also requires three other crucial elements ...
The Stockport Express has published two letters about councillor expenses this week. One, from Robert Whalley, makes (again) the completely false claim that councillors have awarded ourselves a 5% increase in our allowances. The increase this year was zero, last year was one percent. The 5% claim is simply untrue. Then we have a letter from Eric Kime suggesting (I think - it's not entirely clear) that no councillor should have any allowance at all. It's a lovely idea, but many of us - myself included - simply couldn't afford to do the job without some form of financial compensation. ...
This morning I was doing my usual political blog reading when I came across a rather depressing post on Daily Kos about unemployment entitled Laid Off – One Year Later. The post itself is good enough, talking about how unemployment spirals into further unemployment as your long-term identity is eroded. But what made it worse ...
Apologies for the lengthy silence. I'm currently in the process of winding up my current job and looking for a new one; I finish here in central Government on Friday and, at present, am facing unemployment. Activity on the blog may spike next week if, as seems likely, I find myself with a lot more free time.
In a major three page story on Sunday 11th July 2010 about Haiti the Observer noted that only a fraction of the more than $5bn aid promised by the international community since the devastating earthquake on 12th January 2010 had so far been delivered. Millions are still living in tents & shacks made from essentially debris. If they are lucky they might get as much as $2 a day to live on. On the 21st January 2010 Goldman Sachs announced a bonus pot of $16.2bn. Something is surely very very sick in our homo sapiens world.
The Lib Dems are holding an awayday tomorrow on the coalition, which I can't go to because of my day job. As possibly the Federal Policy Committee's longest-serving member, I call on them to come up with a solution on how to handle our coalition partners (at Westminster level but certainly not at mine!) when they try to depart from the coalition agreement. A solution means stopping them from doing it. For me, it is hard enough to accept that we helped the Tories into Downing Street and are helping keep them there. I can accept it on the basis ...
[IMG: Birds of a feather cartoon] The June/July edition of Parliamentary Brief ran this piece looking at the state of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party: With the party's unity under the spotlight of the media and in the gunsights of the Labour party, now is a good time to look at the underlying unity of the Liberal Democrats. Over the last five years it has had a leader ousted, another resigning without fighting a general election, contests for both party president and deputy leader, opinion poll ratings sinking as low as 11 per cent, a formal coalition arrangement with another ...
A Home Office news release tells us: The Home Secretary has announced today that a rapid review of key counter-terrorism and security powers is underway. The review will look at what counter-terrorism powers and measures could be rolled back in order to restore the balance of civil liberties and counter-terrorism powers... The review will look at six areas: • the use of control orders; • stop and search powers in section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the use of terrorism legislation in relation to photography; • the detention of terrorist suspects before charge; • extending the use of ...
Throws a bit of a spanner in the works of the Labour rhetoric about how awful anyone who contemplates raising VAT is: Amid reported wrangling between No 10 and the Treasury, Lord Mandelson suggested in his memoir that Mr Brown rejected a proposal from the chancellor to raise VAT while Mr Darling quashed calls for any future VAT rises to be ruled out. (BBC) Mandelson writes that Brown and Darling rowed over economic strategy. He "vetoed point-blank" a proposal from Darling to raise VAT up to 18% or 19%. The then chancellor then blocked a proposal from Brown to rule ...
"DEMANDS to ban football tops in Britain were growing last night. The Government was urged to stand up against body coverings which have been condemned for creating a divided Britain. The new law means people who wear them will be fined or jailed. And women who force their husbands to wear a football top will face tougher fines and up to a year behind bars. The Tory MP who has launched a Private Member's Bill to ban football tops said he was thinking of widening its scope to include banning high heels for women: "It is unnatural for someone to ...
I enjoyed very much both the other Torchwood book by Abnett I have read, and the Torchwood audiobook I listened to last week, so had high expectations for Everyone Says Hello. They were not quite met. The neatest bit is the title - all over Cardiff, people start to greet each other and to confess all kinds of mostly boring yet intimate details about their lives. Of course, it turns into an alien invasion of the week story, competently enough done, and decently read by Burn Gorman whose Owen gets a fair amount of viewpoint character time. But not quite ...
It's Full Council today and Labour are in full moral outrage mode about swimming. Which is interesting as for many years, proposals to fund free swimming for the over 60s and under 16s was in the Liberal Democrat budget for Manchester. Year after year, Labour dismissed it as a gimmick which would not help health level in the City. Now of course it's the best idea ever which we wicked Liberal Democrats are trying to abolish. The irony is, it's not particularly expensive. Considerably less than the amount spent on the Manchester Day Parade would fund swimming in Manchester, it ...
Open Culture brings the welcome news that all of Andrei Tarkovsky's films can now be watched online: Shot between 1962 and 1986, Tarkovsky's seven feature films often grapple with metaphysical and spiritual themes, using a distinctive cinematic style. Long takes, slow pacing and metaphorical imagery - they all figure into the archetypical Tarkovsky film.Whatever that last phrase means. You can find a short analysis of each film at Strictly Film School, so get the buckets of popcorn in and have yourself a treat.
Conservatives at County Hall have announced plans to massively increase care charges for the elderly. Hourly charges for home helps will rise from £9.66 to £16.45, day care from £5.55 to £25 and the charge for transport to day care from £1.33 to £9! Liberal Democrats are concerned that people who manage their own budgets will be frightened off from paying for the care they need. Lib Dem Adult Care spokesman on the Council said, "It's immoral." Philip [Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]
i) births and deaths 14 July 1943: birth of Christopher Priest, apart from Douglas Adams the only famous science fiction writer to write stories for Old Who. Both of his scripts were in the end rejected, in famously acrimonious circumstances. 14 July 2008: death of Margot van der Burgh, who plays the First Doctor's fiancee in The Aztecs (1964) and Nyssa's stepmother in The Keeper of Traken (1981). ii) broadcast anniversaries None. iii) dates specified in spinoff literature 14 July 1993: The Seventh Doctor meets up with Ace, now aged 37, in Sydney Australia. (In Kate Orman's novel Set Piece, ...
I don't know how many people in the UK currently or have ever used prepayment electricity meters. It's not like it's something people will readily admit as it carries a certain amount of shame. It's a dirty secret, being poor. I have one. I have it because it's the default state of things in social housing. I'm in a housing association place, it was fitted when I moved in. I was informed, when I enquired, that there would be a significant charge if I wanted to change the way I paid for my electricity supply, so I have had to ...
I heard on the news a couple of days ago that a family of a woman from Stockport are taking legal action after she died just weeks after breaking her toe. Her death was caused by a blood clot. It was certainly a tragic death as she died at a very young age and in front of her husband and children. My motivation for writing today's blog is because of the legal action. Lawyers have obviously advised the husband that he can sue and the legal basis for the action must be that the signs and symptoms of a blood ...
