I will no longer be linking to any site that contains advertising from MessageSpace. MessageSpace is an advertising company that targets large political blogs, most of which I don't read, but a few of which I do. MessageSpace regularly runs advertisements organisations like an arms industry lobby group, the "Taxpayers' Alliance", and an "English Democrat" ...
Yesterday was dominated by the birth of our first grandson, so politics took second place alongside the ward and many other things. The joy of a long awaited birth is enormous for all the family and this particular family is spread far and wide so the joy circled the world, quite literally. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology he was scarcely half a day old when we had our first photos
OK, so now I feel bad. There is an ace blogger that i follow on Twitter called Michael Grieve. He has been an ace chap to talk to, writes an excellent blog and has been lovely and supportive during my time in the Twitness Protection Programme. I feel crappy because I left him out of ...
The problem is very simple and rather stark. The kind of public spending cuts coming down the line are unprecedented, with many government departments reducing their spending by a quarter. Many of the services that we have come to assume are necessary to civilised life will disappear. The rhetoric of the Big Society assumes, correctly in many ways, that there may be other, community-driven alternatives. But we also know that, in many of the places that need it most, these will probably not emerge. Why? Because people assume that the existing way of providing services - heavily over-stretched and over-professional, ...
Mike German's departure for the House of Lords has seen his replacement by Veronica German and as a result the Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet has had a re-shuffle: Kirsty Williams: Group Leader and Spokesperson for Environment and Rural Affairs, Chair of the Sustainability Committee Peter Black: Spokesperson for Housing and Finance Eleanor Burnham: Spokesperson for Communities, Culture and Social Justice and European Affairs Veronica German: Spokesperson for Health & Local Government and Equal Opportunities. Jenny Randerson: Spokesperson for the Economy and Education, Chair of Legislation Committee No.4
Former Tory Leadership contender David Davis has been overheard describing the government as 'the brokeback coalition'. After Wednesday, which was described by some journalists as being the worst day yet for the coalition, comes a couple of tirades from the different wings of the coalition. I'm sure that this is the start of a silly season which will sorely test Clegg and Cameron. On Wednesday, David Cameron forgot when America entered World War 2, Nick Clegg was rebuked for describing the invasion of Iraq as illegal, caused a spat over the date of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and had to ...
Here we go again! Time for this weeks Spidey's web! Top 10 Tweeters blue_espresso – Needs some sympathy and *hugs* today to ease a sore knee Noeticat – A political brain the size of Switzerland and all round font of all LibDem knowledge cjmillsnun - Helping me move house later this month in return for ...
If it's not hot air balloons it's traction engines
I have just posted a roundup of recent posts on The Corridor.
The debate about elected Mayor for Basingstoke and Deane has begun with the Gazette has run an on-line poll on the issue. Supporters of the idea have said that a Mayor elected by the people is surely better than a leader elected by the Councillors, phrased that way it does sound appealing. The reality is different. All the district Councils are facing the same decision after the last Labour Government forced the choices above on Councils. So far just 11 of the 468 councils have chosen the elected Mayor route. In 37 referendums held, 25 Councils areas have said no. ...
A public meeting took place in the Town Hall on Thursday 22nd July about the loss of Playing Fields on Lenny Barn and proposals to swap land in three different locations in compensation. I called the meeting following concerns from local residents who were not satisfied that the proposals were in the best interest of ...
You wouldn't know it from the mainstream media, but yesterday was a good day for the Liberal Democrats in local by-elections - a gain in Torbay and several holds elsewhere. Helen Duffett has the details. Conservatives are more open minded about electoral reform than you might think, says our new friend Edward McMillan-Scott on politics.co.uk. Big Think has some essential summer reading on environmental politics. The Lord Chief Justice has allowed appeals in two criminal cases where Crown Court judges made orders that they should be heard without juries, reports Solicitors Journal. Good news for all who believe in trial ...
I opened our local paper today to discover that I have managed to enrage a large section of the Endmonton public, not by supporting the Rethink Alberta Campaign, but by writing a letter about pussy-cats!. The replies are here. They take up nearly a whole page in the print edition. What larks! Beam me up Scottie!
We probably won't get the delightful Victoria Pendleton this year, but come and enjoy Skyride. See you there.
Further to my update yesterday on the impending works in Thomson Street, tonight's "Evening Telegraph" covers the matter, including comments from local residents. I have spoken with a number of Thomson Street residents today about the matter and am pleased to raise any issues and concerns - contact me at home on Dundee 459378 or by e-mail at thomsonstreet@frasermacpherson.org.uk.
@caronmlindsay Don't worry, you can watch Zac Goldsmith here http://ldv.org.uk/20326 [IMG: :)] Again and again and again ... in reply to caronmlindsay # Yay, just been sent my review copy of Nicholas Jones's Campaign 2010 http://amzn.to/clJUuI That's this weekend's reading material sorted. # @miss_s_b Eh? Maybe to you, not to me. in reply to miss_s_b # Clocking in at Bleinheim, gorgeous day showing the Spanish in-laws round Oxford. http://twitpic.com/265jeo # Thought I cd spot an innuendo at 100 yards. Totally missed apparently rude sub-text of LDV caption comp tho. #carryonfail # Mmm, fragrant – surrounded by a sea of roses ...
You can find more videos on the Scottish Liberal Democrats website.
Last week, I highlighted the campaign by Community Spirit, local residents' group for Ancrum, Pentland, Tullideph and the Cleghorn area, to seek improvements to the 11/12 bus service. I have since spoken with many local residents who rightly believe that a bus service that doesn't run after 3pm on weekdays and has no service at all at the weekend is a really poor service and not fit for purpose. At lunchtime today, at Ninewells Hospital, I joined with Community Spirit representatives and my ward colleague Cllr Richard McCready at a photocall to highlight the excellent response to the petition - ...
26) Yotam Ottolenghi, Plenty (Ebury Press, 2010, ISBN 9780091933685). This is based on Ottolenghi's New Vegetarian column in the Guardian, with tweaks to some of the recipes and quite a lot of new additions. I don't read the Guardian, but I stole the odd recipe from [IMG: [profile] ] booklectic's copy and found them quite variable. Despite that, I bought the book on a whim because it was on offer, and I'm very glad I did. I'm particularly looking forward to cooking two-potato vindaloo (which I suspect from the ingredients will not be quite as fearsomely hot as the name ...
My House Points column from today's Liberal Democrat News. Ban banning Philip Hollobone is the Sharon Hodgson of the Conservative Party. We have heard from him before, calling for Kettering to become to volleyball what Wimbledon is to tennis. And we have seen him interrupting a fraught prime minister's questions on the death of Baby P (Peter Connelly, as we can now call him) to ask Gordon Brown to encourage more children to take up the ocarina. Now Hollobone is in the headlines for real. He has announced he will not talk to women constituents who wear full Islamic dress. ...
A Lib Dem MP has said many Tory MPs are "toxic" and claimed David Cameron is using his coalition partners as "cover" for unpopular decisions. Tim Farron told the BBC the Tory leader gave the Lib Dems such a "good deal" partly to help his own party's image...[read full article here!]
I think i saw a 'Big Society' concept at work on a Dublin bus the other day. I was on holiday and a passenger shouted some very rude words, which my mummy says i am not allowed to use, at the lady next to him. The bus driver immediately stopped the bus and told the passenger to get off. The passenger, without a fuss, did what the driver said and apologised! I was very impressed, firstly, because of the bus driver's reaction and how brave he was and, secondly, of the passenger who showed respect to the bus driver and ...
I will be attending the Open Question & Answer Session with the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. I will report back on any points of interest. I will be wearing a a green top with Living Colour written on the front and tour dates on hte back and blue jeans if you wish to chat. It's being held on Saturday 24 July, at 14.00hrs. at the Abingdon Guildhall, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE Seats will be allocated on a first come first served basis and a photo ID is required. See you there
[IMG: Channel 4 interview screenshot] That's the headline Channel 4 have put on an interview I did with them as part of their investigation into election expenses: As a further five MPs face questions over election spending, Liberal Democrat funding adviser Mark Pack tells Channel 4 News about the complex rules which may need tightening up to ensure campaigns are fair. You can read and watch what I said over on the Channel 4 site, though please don't look at the freeze-frame at the foot of the page...
I don't know how many readers remember Alice Cooper's song of this title (or Mary Whitehouse's successful campaign to have the video banned by the BBC), but you won't have missed the fact that by tonight all of our local schools will have started their six-week summer holiday. Throughout the period the county council puts on a programme of coached sports, tasters and pay and play sessions. There are family activities which include guided cycle rides and walks. Local communities and clubs are arranging activities. You can find out more about them by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/schoolsout , phoning 0191 372 8165 ...
Cause for celebration this week with a good set of by-election results: Liberal Democrat Andrew Baldrey won St Mary's with Summercombe (Torbay UA) from the Conservatives with a huge swing: LD Andrew Baldrey 801 (52.7%;+16.4) Con 365 (24.0%;-23.9) Lab 195 (12.8%;+12.8) UKIP 159 (10.5%;+10.5) Turnout 26.2% Percentage change is since May 2007 Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats held all the seats that we were defending: the principal elections were Kidlington North on Cherwell District Council; Nethermayne on Basildon District Council (the seat previously held by Ben Williams who stood down to become a special advisor to the Government's deputy chief whip) ...
An 'open source manifesto' by Miles Berry to counter the ICT cuts in schools.
Anyone who has spent any time in Hull will have come across the Hull Overground pub map. This is a map of Hull pubs laid out like the lines on the London underground map, unfortunately I can't find a picture online! Anyhoo, the famous map has inspired some wag to map the obsessions of the Daily Mail on a tube style map. Whatever your thoughts on this rag this map is genuinely inspired. Enjoy here :-)
Cause for celebration this week with a good set of by-election results: Liberal Democrat Andrew Baldrey won St Mary's with Summercombe (Torbay UA) from the Conservatives with a huge swing: LD Andrew Baldrey 801 (52.7%;+16.4) Con 365 (24.0%;-23.9) Lab 195 (12.8%;+12.8) UKIP 159 (10.5%;+10.5) Turnout 26.2% Percentage change is since May 2007 Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrats held all the seats that we were defending: the principal elections were Kidlington North on Cherwell District Council; Nethermayne on Basildon District Council (the seat previously held by Ben Williams who stood down to become a special advisor to the Government's deputy chief whip) ...
Cllrs Eagling and Rea on the old covered reservoir backing Gondar gardens, Hillfield and Agamemnon Roads. The site, which has a protectedwildlife designation has been bought by a development company calld Linden Homes. Most local people largely want it left alone and to remain as "private open space" but it is pretty clear that Linden Homes has not bought it out of a philanthropic desire to save the local sloworms. They obviously want to build! They held a local consultation day actually on the reservoir - (first time many people had even been on it) at which they asked what ...
Here are the five most popular posts on this blog from the last week in case you missed them: The Ian Tomlinson decision is a travesty of justiceBBC News iPad app not available in the UK - unjustifiableZac Goldsmith needs to handle the media better than thisEveryone is a liar apart from Ed Balls apparentlyCoalition survival sweepstake And you should have been reading this: Police wrongly seize photographer's camera after crash. Despite the many times politicians and senior police officers have publicly stated this must stop it is still happening. This one was just up the road from where I ...
From the Council: Water mains improvements affecting roads in Bramhall village centre will be carried out during the school summer holiday. Stockport Council has worked closely with United Utilities (UU) to schedule the work during the holiday period when there is less traffic, and to minimise the impact on local businesses and motorists. Warning signs will alert motorists to the work and houses and businesses have received leaflets. The work starts on Monday 26th July. The work will be carried out in three phases: · Phase 1, from July 26th for 2 weeks: Temporary two way traffic lights on Ack ...
West Hampstead Spotlight blog - West Hampstead ward Lib Dem councillors - Gillian Risso-Gill, Keith Moffitt and John Bryant - have launched their blog on West Hampstead issues - They say they will every now and then pop in some other "big picture" posts as well as well as occasionally cross-post to this blog stories of interest to the whole West Hampstead area.Of course we'll all still be sending out our "E-Spotlight" and the regular printed version - we really do try to keep in touch all year round - not just at election times!!
Good to see that The Straight Choice website has been picked up in Australia and is being used in the federal election coming up there: The idea was spawned following the Lindsay pamphlet scandal, in which Liberal Party volunteers distributed bogus election pamphlets claiming to be from "The Islamic Australia Federation", which was later found not to exist. The pamphlets claimed the Labor Party candidate would support clemency for convicted terrorists and the construction of a mosque in the area. The husband of then Liberal candidate for Lindsay Karen Chijoff and the husband of outgoing Liberal MP Jackie Kelly were ...
Thanks to Lindsay for keeping the blog going while I was away, and thanks to all who sent me 'Get Well' cards. I had a rocky start, with nausea and constipation immediately after I woke up, probably the effects of the anaesthetic, and a high white bloodcell count, low magnesium and potassium, and fairly high blood pressure. This has come down a bit since I started taking beta-blockers yesterday morning; the magnesium has been topped up bu a 12-hour drip, and the potassium by pills. So I felt strong enough to get up at lunch time and potter into the ...
One of the most surprising things about Peter Mandelson's account of the rise and fall of New Labour — and his relationships with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown — is that it has appeared so soon after New Labour's demise (The Third Man, HarperPress, 25 pounds). Obviously, most of it must have been written before ...
In all the furore over the increases in allowances paid to Conservative councillors in Barnet and Croydon, the media seems to have glossed over the doubling of the pay of the new Labour leader of Liverpool, Joe Anderson. Cllr Anderson decided to celebrate taking control of the city in May by charging council taxpayers twice ...
I am being turfed out of house and home this weekend by a flock of hens. My marriage looms, and as has become traditional my bride-to-be needs to tie an "L" plate to herself and parade through the streets of town surrounded by shrieking female accomplices dressed in things pink and frilly. Thankfully I am not involved, although the whole sorry spectacle does mean me having to leave town and take shelter in one of the many empty premises vacated for the weekend by the hens temporarily living at my house. There are rumours that I have to endure a ...
Labour Tweeter Lawrence Mills has asked myself and Caron if we had seen this Caledonian Mercury article and also what we thought of it. Well first off I'm taking exception at the quote from strategists and plotters who apparently say: "They couldn't possibly do that. 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." Well seeing as I'm currently reading Micheal McManus's brilliant biography of Jo Grimond I know it is not a new argument. But I also know it is misconstrued. For ...
The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has published a report, Beyond 2010: the future of electoral administration in the UK, reviewing the workings of the electoral system in this year's May elections and calling for major changes to be introduced. The report repeats previous calls for the laws governing elections to be made simpler and codified into one act, rather than as at present scattered across numerous different acts. The AEA is also calling for a review of the way that the running of elections is funded and structured. More controversially, the AEA also calls for a new system for ...
As a long-term believer in the need for a more progressive politics, I take no great joy in the spate of polls showing the Liberal Democrats in free fall. The latest projections from UK Polling Report show that a Lib Dem collapse to 15% in the polls would deliver a Conservative majority of 18 and the balance of power being held by the Tory right rather than the Lib Dem right. The Lib Dem concessions on inheritance tax, capital gains tax, and Europe – for which they should be praised – would go in a flash. But the Lib Dems ...
Just a brief note to say that Eric returned home from hospital last night, and is delighted to be home. No doubt he will add to this later. Lindsay
In between a sofa delivery and a nice cafe breakfast I've spent the morning reading the Civil Partnership Bill debates from 2004. This was a major mistake, leading me only to see the deceitful nature of Labour's claims to be a force fighting for LGBT equality. I shan't discuss it further as I am truly angry, but suggest you do take a look at the debates if you so wish. So let's focus on the positive, what have I personally done this month to advance the cause for equality. Sure, there's only so much one person can do but I ...
The BBC will today launch a brand new app for its iPad. The BBC Trust ruled that it did not need to come under any further scrutiny, as it did not "represent a significant change to the BBC's existing public services". This goes against the fears of other content producers who fear that the BBC will gain even greater dominance in the market. Excitingly, iplayer and BBC sports apps are said to be ready for release soon. VN would love to give you a detailed review of this new app, but sadly a complimentary iPad (uhum) has not arrived in ...
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Recent reports that S4C is facing cuts to its future government grant of as much as 24% over a four year period are worrying but as yet unconfirmed. While this is just speculation at the moment, if these cut have to be made, S4C must ensure that the quality and standard of Welsh language programming are not affected. S4C need to make efficiencies in backroom functions to limit cuts in what we, the viewers, see on the channel. S4C must look at cuts in management and senior staff salaries as some of the pay in the higher echelons are out ...
This morning I was out on Ridgegrove Estate with three council officers looking at rubbish collection issues. Local residents have rightly complained in the past about the communal bins and frequency of collections. So there are now three collections per week and the collection crews and street rangers are doing a lot more to make sure that the bin areas are kept as clean as possible. The prompt for this visit was the recycling initiative being undertaken in Launceston at the moment. Despite pretty good recycling rates in much of the town, the Ridgegrove Estate is still lagging behind. We ...
The Labour Cabinet this morning agreed to spend nearly £400,000 on a "Liverpool Day" at the Shanghai Expo. The decision is being "called in" by the Lib Dems and (I understand) also by the Liberal Party. The "call in" is a sort of request to the Cabinet to think again. It'll be discussed at the Regeneration and Transport Committee next week. The reason we're challenging this is that we don't think this is the right time for extra spending (and this is extra spending) on events in Shanghai. Significantly the money allocated to this could instead save the free swimming ...
So the figures are now out for growth in Q2 2010 and it is looking like it is almost double what was predicted by economists. They thought it would be 0.6% and it is actually 1.1% Predictably both Labour and the government are trying to claim that the better than expected figures vindicate their policies. Alistair Darling claims that they prove the previous government's "measured and balanced" approach is working. Meanwhile George Osborne claims that they show the current government's plan to cut the public sector is the right approach (only 0.1% of the growth came from the public sector, ...
It turns out that my washing machine is incompatible with my BlueTooth headset. What was once my favourite little gizmo – resplendent with blinking lights – is now little more than scrap metal. Arse. [IMG: Dead BT3030] Dead BT3030 The Jabra BT3030 was, without a doubt, the best BlueTooth headset I ever had. There were regular firmware updates for it. Sound and call quality were excellent. It could pair with two devices simultaneously – and automagically pause the music on one if you received a call on the other. Best of all, it had standard sockets. A 3.5mm jack so ...
Fri 23rd
13:05
July Books 13) The Stuff of thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, by Steven Pinker
I was rather unimpressed by the Pinker book I read last year, but this seemed to be a more coherent assembly of facts and theories relating to linguistics, psychology and philosophy. I'm afraid I still wasn't gripped by it, but that is more to do with my own preferences for intellectual exercise than any fault of the book; I can't get very excited by deep philosophical questions, and psychology has never been an attractive field for me. There were some points of interest. I was startled to read of an old family friend making her reputation by observing and writing ...
Three of my PR students who graduated this week are already in jobs in the PR industry. It's great news for them and I'm really pleased they've been able to do well despite scary stories about lack of jobs for graduates. The University Press team have interviewed the successful trio. This is a link to a story about their fantastic achievements.
The ONS today released their second-quarter preliminary estimate for GDP growth in 2010... Wait, where are you going? Come back, this stuff is important! The electoral fortunes of the Lib Dems are currently at a low ebb, as the combination of unpopular budget decisions and a media squeeze push our poll ratings back towards pre-election ...
Mmm, well this is one approach to take to the internet: TERMS & CONDITIONS ... Do you want to add a link from your website to the Shropshire Council website? Do you want us to add a link to your website through our Community Directory? Please email the Community Directory Officer (community.info - community.info.hat.shropshire.gov.uk.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real one)) with ALL the following details: link TO www.shropshire.gov.uk or a link FROM www.shropshire.gov.uk? organisation job title or position name address (including postcode) telephone (including area code) email domain ...
It's nice to see that the art of ventriloquism isn't dead. Even if you can see George Osborne's lips move. No, really: you can actually see him mouthing along with Nick Clegg's controversial 'illegal war' jibe at Prime Minister's Questions this week. Here's a link to the place in the tape where Nick Clegg accuses Labour of the illegal invasion of Iraq, just before Claire Perry pops up in her orange jumpsuit, presumably to make a protest about Guantanamo Bay. But catch it while you can – these iPlayer links only stay fresh for a few days. While Callmedave was ...
Margate doesn't have as much going for it, as it should, due to various factors, Kent council choosing to build an art gallery out to sea, owners of Dreamland bulldozing the site, still that's nothing to do with local people. Events that have been organised, by local people and organisations have proved successful, Thanet Pride being a good example, in terms of all round benefit this is probably one of the best, since its held on the front and grows in popularity each year. Thanet needs events like this every weekend, and not just in Margate, an awful lot of ...
G8 is a grants programme to support local parties campaign in local elections. G8 is administered by ALDC, with kind support from the Federal, English, Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats. If you have local elections in 2011, then we may be able to provide financial support for your campaign in wards where you will be fighting particularly hard campaigns, either to gain the seat or where there is a tricky defence. The 2011 round of elections is the biggest in the four-year cycle. This means a lot of demand for funding through the "G8" grants process. We want to maximise ...
For a decade or so now governments have been firmly fixed on the idea that students should pay for their own education. So firmly fixed, in fact, that it's easy to forget that until 1998 Higher Education was funded from general taxation and was, to the student, completely free. It's true that most taxpayers are in no further need of Higher Education. But that doesn't mean they don't benefit from its existence. Since most tax payers will one day be dependent on a pension (public or private) it's in their interests that the next generation of wealth creators is educated ...
David Miliband makes the point in the FT that the Lib Dems should be making. Where indeed is our fiscal escape hatch? Is Nick Clegg ready to come out fighting against Osborne if the rather optimistic tactic of heavy cuts doesn't pan out? Here's David's core argument: I am an economic realist. The public finances need addressing. Labour's plans would halve the budget deficit and remove the bulk of the structural deficit in four years. It is the sensible, credible middle-ground between extreme cuts and unchecked spending. But the government's proposals, designed without an escape hatch in the event of ...
Fri 23rd
11:34
Coalition has done more for Equitable Life victims in 10 weeks than Labour did in 10 years - William...
Commenting on the Coalition Government's announcement that it has introduced a Bill to compensate Equitable Life policyholders, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Treasury Policy Committee, Stephen Williams said: "The Labour Government had 10 years to help the those who had their lives ruined by the collapse of Equitable Life and did nothing. "In just 10 weeks the Coalition Government has taken real action to ensure that those who saw their pensions and life savings hit hard get the compensation they deserve. "Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for proper compensation for Equitable Life policyholders and committed to it in our election ...
At 7.15 this morning I was on the John Foster morning programme on BBC Radio Tees talking about the Special Cabinet meeting to be held next week. Cabinet will be considering proposed cuts of £2.6million: the first tranche towards the eventual expected target of £22million of cuts. Should you be so moved, you can listen again here. Go forward to 1 hour 11m 30s.
Another day, another disappointing article about us tanking in the polls. Apparently now, if there was a General Election tomorrow, the Liberal Democrats would be reduced from having 59 MPs to having a single man with a long beard standing atop a mountain howling forlornly at the moon. This isn't good news, especially for those of us closer to the polling booth firing line than others. It's fine to say that this is the third month of a five year project, and that we won't have to go to the country until George Osborne starts shaving, but there are Council ...
Welcome to a series where old posts are revived for a second outing for reasons such as their subject has become topical again, they have aged well but were first posted when the site's readership was only a tenth or less of what it is currently or they got published and the site crashed, hiding the finest words of wisdom behind an incomprehensible error message. Today's is about Google. I've updated the social network usage figures. Google dominates the search engine market, both in the UK and internationally. Although there are some countries where a local search service has the ...
A quick reminder that voting in the Total Politics blog poll closes on 31 July. Votes for this blog and for Lib Dem Voice would be much appreciated: It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. This is the fifth year of the poll. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2010-11, which will be published in September. For the second year running, the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as this blog, and that ...
This blog now comes to you from Ramsgate. Sorry about the hiatus. I flew back from Ghana overnight and that day picked up the keys and entered our new home. Since then I have been ankle deep in plaster dust. There is a lot to do. I share the outrage over the lack of a prosecution for the manslaughter (at least) of Ian Tomlinson. On torture and extraordinary rendition, and on policy in Afghanistan, I feel events have completely vindicated me and my efforts. But there are times in life when you need to step back for a brief while ...
A lone piece of good news today comes from an unlikely source. Cambridge University... Cambridge University has criticised the government's plan to scrap the current system of A-levels in a letter to Michael Gove, the education secretary. As I pointed out recently, Michael Gove is a liability. This latest bad PR day comes from the ...
Whether the sun shines or the rain pours children and grown-ups can be active at a Bury Leisure sports centre this summer. The school holidays are the perfect time for children to learn to swim, learn to dive, take up a new sport or simply take part in fun and active activities. Bury Leisure promises plenty to keep your kids busy and working off their energy! Don't forget! Children and young people need at least 60 active minutes a day to benefit their health. What activities are taking place? Activities are taking place in the pool, in the gym and ...
I have no idea whether the proposed electrification of the Swansea to London railway line will go ahead anymore than the next person, least of all the Western Mail's journalists. What I do know is that the Westminster Coalition Government is commited to electrification as a way forward, that public finances are in a bad way, having been trashed by Labour before they left office and that despite that the UK Government have determined to protect capital spending if they can. In this context although the Transport Secretary appears to be laying out the ground for a disappointing announcement on ...
Many congratulations to Bob Morgan and Janette Miranda for their clear – nay, substantial – victories in the Thatcham by-elections yesterday. Figures from West Berkshire Council: For the Thatcham South and Crookham ward seat on West Berkshire Council:- Dominic Kevin Boeck (Conservative) 787 Robert Victor Morgan (Liberal Democrat) 936 For the South and Crookham ward on Thatcham Town Council:- Dominic Kevin Boeck (Conservative) 781 Janette Buckley Miranda (Liberal Democrat) 932 The electorate for both is 5,133. The turnout for both was 33.9%.
It's Friday, so here's a fistful of lists that sum up the past week on LDV: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week 1. Have you seen Zac Goldsmith's Channel 4 News car-crash interview yet? (73) by Stephen Tall 2. John Pugh MP asks for Lib Dem members' feedback on health issues (159) by John Pugh 3. How the Westminster Village media is still struggling with concept of coalition (45) by Stephen Tall 4. Opinion: Genuine progressives should suggest cuts (121) by George Kendall 5. Official: 4,500 new Lib Dem members have joined party since election and coalition agreement (79) ...
Earlier this week I switched mobile phone service providers. I still have an Iphone but needed to change as O2 have put on a limit on their data usage.
I noticed on a couple of blogposts yesterday (Lib Con and Hadleigh Roberts) that they were drawing attention to the fact that when Nick Clegg made his now infamous statement about how Jack Straw had supported "the illegal invasion of Iraq", George Osborne appeared to know what he was saying before he said it as he was lip-syncing along with him. Here is the relevant clip so you can judge for yourself: Having watched it several times now I have come to a different conclusion. I think Osborne is engaging in a form of unconscious mimicry. I have noticed this ...
An Assembly Legislation Committee has concluded that there is a need for wide-ranging changes to be made to the Welsh government's proposed Welsh language measure. They called for a clear statement in the measure that English and Welsh are the official languages of Wales. They also want the budget for regulating and promoting the Welsh language to be scrutinised annually by an assembly committee. Another of the report's recommendations is that the assembly should be given final approval of the appointment of a new Welsh language commissioner. The Finance Committee's report on the cost of the new regime is due ...
Channel 4′s investigation with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism into MPs' election expenses has raised questions about another five MPs in addition to Zac Goldsmith. Having already looked at some of the legal questions around Zac Goldsmith, how do the other five stack up? Two raise important points of how the law should be interpreted, one has unclear evidence so far and two appear to involve administrative errors without any actual overspending. First, the legal issues. Phil Woolas (Labour), who is already facing a court hearing in the autumn over his election campaign, is accused of not declaring leaflets that ...
OK, so it's not Swansea but still.......
Before the end of the last parliament - I handed in a petition from local people who had been caught up in the Equitable Life mess. Instead of putting the petition in the sack that hangs on the back of the Speaker's Chair - the petitioners had asked specifically that I present the petition in Parliament. To do this - you have to pre-arrange with the petitions office so to do in advance - and then after debate finishes (at 10pm) and before the adjournment debate commences - you get to read out the prayer in the chamber and then ...
Richard Wilson » Have your say on new Stationers Park play fort - http://bit.ly/cH0LJE #stroudgreen # Hmm.... Google is recommending to me I run search ads for "Fox News" to promote my blog # Conservative Lord Taylor Of Warwick Prosecuted For False Accounting Over Parliamentary Expenses - http://bit.ly/cX7Nsm # @jangles Responding sooner? Risk is looks as if good customer service only kicks in when PR turns sour, rather than because believe in it in reply to jangles # Clear your diaries. I have an @libdemvoice post on 13 August which is 5,437 words long # @PatJHennessy Winter in much of ...
The Westboro Baptist Church have a misleading name. Far from being a bunch of Christians, who behave in a nice, loving way, they seem (in my entirely personal and subjective opinion) to simply use the bible as a hook on which to hang their prejudices and bigotry. This time they set about picketing the San Diego Comic Con, not sure why, I think they thought all the superhero costumes were evidence of homosexual activity or... something.
This is an Estonian Euro coin. It does not exist yet, but on January 1st 2011, when Estonia will enter the Euro zone, it will join the designs of the other 16 members that circulate across the Euro area. Many- especially in the UK- are astonished that any country would want to join the Euro zone- so successful have right-wing Euro sceptics have been in persuading British public opinion that the single currency is a catastrophe that will either lead to an undemocratic European super state or- more likely- will break apart as the contradictions inherent in such a large ...
I learned today of a new county council service in the area, the Landlords Initiatives Team. As I understand it the team is primarily in place to provide an advisory service to private landlords, with the intention of enabling them to provide better management of their properties and relationships with tenants. At the same time I understand that they will also respond to queries from tenants of private landlords. It's easy to forget how many people are living as tenants of private landlords and how important this sector of housing provision is. In some areas it is the main source ...
Apart from all the stuff recently detailed on here, there has been drama aplenty at work and in personal life, and I have been poorly (again) and I am involved in TWO (count 'em) Top Sekrit Speshul Projects - one of which won't see fruition for a few weeks, and one of which should be up on Monday or so (or at least, the first installment of it should be). Oh and various blog redisgns, including a minor one on here, which isn't live yet... So, you know, still here, just about. Just mega mega busy. Am going to answer ...
A big thanks goes from all at The Voice to Mark Valladares for commissioning and writing all of today's content on the theme of the House of Lords. For posterity, here is a list of the posts that featured today as a result: Today's guest editor, in his own words... Pay attention – there's more than one parliament, you know! Floella Benjamin - through the round window and into the Lords Alright, assuming we get an elected second chamber, what can we do before the election that follows? Musings from the Front Bench... The House of Lords does social media ...
I was going to write about speed cameras today but you will see it tomorrow. Instead I was moved by the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service who found no grounds to prosecute for the death of Ian Tomlinson. He died shortly after he was hit by a baton and pushed to the ground during the G2o protests in April last year. There are reports that Mr Tomlinson was also bitten by a police dog. There was conflicting medical evidence. It may well be that being bitten, hit and pushed over was not related to his death. It may well ...
