Or so tomorrow's Daily Mail (I know, I know) reckons: Tory sources suggest Mr Hague will give a 'witty' address, rather than focusing heavily on policy. A source said: "It is potentially a rather tense occasion that could be difficult to handle. But William is brilliant at piercing that sort of tension with humour." Yes, the Mail has more sources than [fill in the name of your favourite celebrity chef here, though it doesn't quite work.] Oh, and: LibDem Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander and education minister Sarah Teather are expected to attend the Tory conference in October, but will ...
Why has political radicalism become synonymous with wanting to see a permanent and massive public debt? As I have argued before, radicals cannot cite John Maynard Keynes in their support. It is hardly a proletarian virtue: the working class always used to be wary of debt. It was the middle class that mortgaged itself up to the ears. And large a public debt means that government, however radical or progressive or socialist, has to have one eye permanently on the institutions it despises the most: the finance markets. Someone (I think he or she was behind the Times paywall) said ...
The Badger Trust have issued a press release today in which they point out that only half as many cattle were slaughtered in Dyfed because of bovine TB in the first four months of this year than in the same period last year with no badgers killed. Defra report that the number is 1,752, down from 3,313, a drop of 47%. This is the county of course where up to 1,500 badgers were under threat of extermination until the Appeal Court quashed the plan in June. The number of herds infected in Dyfed also fell by a healthy 14 percent ...
First there was the venture into stand-up comedy. Then there was the throwing of his hat into the London mayoralty ring. And now he has a new job: as a presenter on Press TV, a 24-hour English language global news network owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. The Telegraph reports: The 45-year-old former member for Montgomeryshire is presenting a show called A Simple Question. ... "It is necessary for me to work. I don't see that Press TV is 'controversial': that is to pass judgment and it is not for one media organisation to pass judgment on another." ...
This is part of the colossal former Co-operative Wholesale Society boot and shoe factory in Knighton Fields Road East. According to the Heritage Gateway website the factory is Grade II listed, It was built in 1891 and extended in 1900, making it the largest footwear factory in the world when it was completed. There is also a small theatre, dated 1920, on the site. It appears to be the only part of the complex still in use.
I understand that capital is now to be released to rebuild Sheldon Heath as the KE VI Sheldon Heath Academy.I hope that this is not as part of BSF. If it isn't then we should be able to get the school rebuilt a lot faster.BSF is dreadfully slow and inefficient as a process.
Watch this video: Is there anything in there you can really, fundamentally, say is worthy of note? Two conservatives who believe in equality, but by different means. They don't support one man/one woman only marriage. But Queerty felt the need to talk about them with such derision I felt I needed to make a blog post to point out, some of us lefty-liberals agree with the Tea Partiers on this!
The BBC reports: Lawyers for Nigel Waterson, who was Eastbourne MP until 2010, confirmed he was to sue Stephen Lloyd for libel. The action is to centre on a leaflet produced by his Liberal Democrat successor during the 2010 general election campaign. The Corporation notes that "Mr Waterson was cleared of any wrong-doing over his expenses claims", so let's remind ourselves of his expenses record: Nigel Waterson claimed mortgage interest/rent payments and food bills at his second home in Beckenham, Kent. Also billed taxpayer £1,055 to paint house and garage And Mr Waterson also had problems retaining the support even ...
As hundreds and thousands of us face tightening our belts and watching the household spending the SNP ministers carry on living a life of luxury at taxpayers expense. A total of £929,899 has been spent on ferrying around ministers and senior government officials, and a further £65,759 on private hire vehicles. The cost of running and maintaining a 25-car fleet, plus staff costs, had increased compared to previous years. The SNP finance minister John Swinney was criticised earlier this year for making a 200-yard journey to a television studio in a chauffeur-driven limousine. Perhaps he like other ministers should learn ...
Yesterday I met a constituent about the crossing on Perth Road west of the Riverside Drive junction. He made a very sensible point about the crossing and I have written to the council in the following terms : "A constituent called me about the crossing point here (between two bollards & clearly marked as such for cyclists crossing as well) - the problem being that although there are SLOW markings on the Perth Road coming east, there is nothing to alter drivers coming up Riverside Drive (past the Botanic Garden) then swinging west into Perth Road that 2-3 seconds after ...
Our Bunty (left) recently had her second birthday. Today, she was out visiting cousin Millie (right), owned by my sister in law and council colleague Helen. Photogenic doggies, or what?!
RT @libdemvoice New post: The Saturday Debate: What do we mean by middle-class? http://ldv.org.uk/20525 << join in the comments thread ... # @mssusieday Did they exhaust creative juices in episode 1 [IMG: :(] #sherlock in reply to mssusieday # @mssusieday They forgot to bring the funny. Or the character devpt. Or the C21st. #sherlock in reply to mssusieday # @rfenwick Tbf, think CH meant not worried now (esp as YouGov). If were ICM a month before gen electn wd be v diff story. For me anyway. in reply to rfenwick # Busily downloading apps for iPad. Trying to sync my ...
The Meeting to consider the closure will take place 10th of August at the Guildhall at 17.30 it is a public meeting anyone can attend.
We have asked that the Conservative view be reconsidered, for the following reasons: Ø The consultation was based on the scenario of closing three schools and reopening two - one in the north and one in the south of the city. This scenario was approved by the majority of respondents (66%). By abandoning this scenario and recommending the closure of one school in the
Three sets of visitors today. For the first, from the Somalilanders, I'm going to rely on the photographs they took, because our camera had a flat battery. The members were Mrs Lulu Todd, Khader Ali, Dr Ahmed Moh'd and Ahmed Kadleye (who took the photograph). We talked about what could be done to support the newly elected democratic government in Somaliland in meeting some of its development needs, and there was agreement on the need to set up a UK charitable trust for the purpose. Development of agriculture and fisheries would enable Somaliland to generate export earnings, and there would ...
If you come across a slightly manic looking, crazily chewing person in Launceston over the next few weeks, that'll be me. I've given up smoking (again). I think it's the eighth or ninth time that I've given up. Ironically, I've always been pretty successful at the task. Although not, of course, successful enough to quit for good. One of my early attempts involved giving up at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. It wasn't the greatest party anyway, but I managed to make it infinitely worse for the person I had gone with. What should have been a ...
You've got to give Ian "Big Daddy" Greenwood marks for initiative in his quest to cut Bradford Council expenditure while we're in the grip of this recession that isn't. There's just one little fly in the ointment here though; and that is that nobody's buying. Flogging office space in Bradford is about as lucrative as hawking Patagonian Rats' Cheese. Who in their right mind would want to stump up for some shop-front information centres (we have more empty shops than any other major English city bar Wolverhampton), the registry office (now next door to the mill converted into a slum ...
One you may have missed from December 29th 2006 I am always a bit late reading books. I have just got round to John Peel and Sheila Ravenscroft's "Margrave of the marshes". It is a wonderful book and underlines what a wonderful chap Peel was. It is a shame that John Peel only got round to writing about a third of the book. The third that he did write is absolutely fascinatingly and beautifully written. The tales of his time in the USA are priceless. His tale of his meeting with John F Kennedy would be unbelievable had it not ...
Yesterday, I wrote to Dundee City Council's Chief Executive following a discussion with the Evening Telegraph about the council's unwillingness to supply details of councillor expense claims - an article thereafter appearing in yesterday's edition. "David I understand from the Evening Telegraph that under Freedom of Information legislation they requested copies of councillor expenses claims and have been denied this on the grounds it is "personal information." I have real concern that this will be perceived by the public as the council flying in the face of the spirit of Freedom of Information legislation. It should be remembered that the ...
This week I have been working on a redesign of my personal website at www.andystrange.org.uk. This was a project that for a long time had badly needed doing and I am pleased to have finally sorted it. It will need a few tweaks here and there but I am happy with the result. The idea of the site is an attempt to bring all my online activities together in one place. The place where I will continue to blog will be here at 'Strange Thoughts' but I have a number of roles and responsibilities in my life and the people ...
So Eric Pickles has popped up and denounced Councils use of political lobbyists. I will get onto that in a moment but there was general confusion at the Guildhall at Hull being named as a Council who uses them. After a couple of hours worth of investigation the following facts became clear 1. No one at the Guildhall remembers using political lobbyists 2. There is no record of paying for political lobbying on the Counci'ls payment system (which go back 8-10 years) 3. No one at the company Mr Pickles claims lobbied for the Council remembers lobbying on the Councils ...
Ian Swales MP has received numerous complaints about the proposed 80' viewing tower on Redcar seafront. He is calling for the Council to have a clear and transparent consultation process with local people so that the real balance of views is known. Ian said, "I have had adverse comments about the viewing tower by phone, email, letter, on my pier campaign website and from residents in the street. I know that some residents are mounting successful petitions and there are regular letters in the newspapers. I recently received a sheaf of letters from the Coastal View newspaper and the Council ...
Education Secretary Michael Gove has announced that Yate International Academy is among the building projects that will go ahead after all, despite a delay while government cuts were being decided. Steve Webb MP said "I am delighted that the building project at Yate International Academy has been given the go-ahead today" Meanwhile the Winterbourne International Academy building scheme will have to wait a while for a decision - the government list describes the situation as "capital allocation for notification after spending review", presumably the the Comprehensive Spending Review in October. Click here for full official list of projects.
Hoorah ! Jack Straw is quitting front bench politics. What a pity he didn't quit public life at birth ! He says, "But now I want the freedom to range more widely over foreign and economic policy." No, no, no ! Go and waste years writing the memoirs no-one wants to read.Perhaps we could amend the Reform Bill to add ex-Presidents of the NUS to the list of people ineligible to stand for
I have just read an excellent article in 'Vanity Fair' called Topic of Cancer written by Christopher Hitchens. He has recently been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. His article strikes a chord with me, but he puts it across much better than I ever would!
So, Emma "Hermione" Watson has had a rather drastic haircut. So far, so "girl gets haircut", and while she does look rather pretty with it, who cares? Quoth [IMG: [livejournal.com profile] ] bart_calender: [IMG: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest cover] The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest cover [IMG: Emma Watson's hair] Emma Watson's hair1. In London they are currently trying to cast the role of Lizbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. 2. Emma Watson suddenly releases this picture of her "new look" to the media. 3. All of the stories about it somehow work ...
....a quote from 2007, I hasten to add. In order to prepare a series of "Ones you may have missed", I have been trawling through my archives recently – as you do. I came across this post from November 2007 where a few bloggers and myself interviewed Nick Clegg in Portcullis House, as part of the Liberal Democrat leadership contest. It contains a reflection on David Cameron's skills regarding foreign affairs which turns out to be remarkably relevant now. Nick Clegg observed that David Cameron is 'amazingly flaky on foreign affairs', citing his ridiculous promise to leave the EPP during ...
I see that the German Marshall Fund is offering a prize for a 2500 word essay on the future of the transatlantic relationship. Essays must ostensibly be by a joint team of one North American and one European, however defined, both under 30. Registration of entrants by 15 August (ie end of next week), essay deadline is in November. Prize is €2500 each. Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, as we used to say back home.
It has been a while since I did one of these, but as it is 5 pm and Friday you know what that means, time for the weekend to begin. I'm going to take a look first off at some things related to some of this weeks news and blog posts. First I posted about the Ayotollah's decision that music was not to be promoted or taught in Iran. As One Ex-Widow said in the comments no doubt this Blurred Vision track will definitely not been on his list of revolutionary hymns and anthems. One thing we learnt in Belfast ...
The result of the election recount for High Street ward in Waltham Forest is now expected to be announced early in September. The recount took place in private last Friday before a judge at the High Court after a member of the public spotted a potential error at the original count on May 6. It was thought that 1,000 votes may have been mistakenly added to each of the Labour candidates' tallies. If this was the case, it would have led to Labour's Steve Terry being elected instead of Liberal Democrat Mahmood Hussain. From the Waltham Forest Guardian: The judge ...
I've been told today that the Planning & Highways Committee approved the application for a new pizza takeaway on the parade of shops by the High Grove pub, Silverdale Road, Gatley. As I understand it, concerns about odours and litter have been addressed by the applicant and in the conditions applied, so there were no valid grounds to reject it. Locally I think it's fair to say opinion is divided. Some people have told me they're concerned about another take-away. Others note that there's nothing similar nearby and welcome a take-away in that local parade. View Proposed take-away on Silverdale ...
While it may once have been strange to think of Sinn Féin as the arbitrators with terrorists in Northern Ireland, it is not something that after the last three years I'm apprehensive about. Since they took over co-leadership of the power-sharing executive with the DUP they have proven over and over that there has been a sea change in their outlook and way to working and co-operating for the betterment of Northern Ireland. Therefore it seems natural that after a week of bombs that went off, bombs that failed to go off and bomb scares that Gerry Kelly will lead ...
Just one by-election this week, in Sitwell ward on Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, following the death of Conservative Councillor Michael Clarke. The Conservatives held the marginal seat, although the council remains under Labour control. The Liberal Democrat candidate Abdul Razaq came fifth (possibly as a consequence of the Liberal Democrats not putting up a candidate in May, so the party's support may have ebbed away to Labour?) The result was as follows: Con 1213 Lab 864 Independent 252 UKIP 241 LD Abdul Razaq 98 The turnout was 28.22%.
These are the 5 most read posts on this blog from the last 7 days: To win the AV referendum we may need to accommodate Labour concernsJeff Randall and meaningless percentagesTom Harris hearts AV (but only for the political classes)Aspiring politicians and controversial viewsReviewing council tenancies - why not? Have a good weekend...
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy The "findings of fact" seem to be the most compelling part of Judge Walker's ruling in Perry vs Schwarzenegger, and are worth reading. Here are the best: 1. Marriage is and has been a civil matter, subject to religious intervention only when requested by the intervenors. 2. California, like every other state, doesn't require that couples wanting to marry be able to procreate. 3. Marriage as an institution has changed overtime; women were given equal status; interracial marriage was formally legalized; no-fault divorce made it easier to dissolve ...
It was really easy this week to do Spidey's web and I have done so on the phenomenon that is the Twitter Cabinet. When I started it at the end of last week, I had no idea that it would ... Continue reading →
In the weeks following the election the Coalition had very little to say about housing. The budget announced restrictions on the local housing allowance on the back of a narrative about needing to rein in the vast amounts being spent on multi-bedroom properties. We are yet to see what the consequences of this will be. But there is cause for concern. In recent days housing has suddenly emerged as a new battleground, both inside and outside the Coalition. On Tuesday we had David Milliband invading LibDem territory with his advocacy of a Mansion Tax. On Wednesday we had pronouncements from ...
David Cameron is a long way from George W. Bush's league in terms of mis-speaking, but the past couple of weeks have been rather interesting and perhaps slightly concerning. It's hard to believe that someone so polished, with so much media experience, and with a term of handlers who know exactly how the media will ...
Tomorrow I will be attending the 25 year anniversary of Menzies Court, on Ransfield Road in Chorlton. It has just occurred to me that this weekend is also 25 years since I moved to Chorlton, when my Dad became the Methodist Minister at Chorlton Methodist Church!
I need to do some catch up as I haven't blogged for a week. I've been involved with lots of mainly non-political activity recently which has taken up quite some time. Anyway, I did notice over the weekend that the GMB union is to bankroll the campaign of reaction against the yes vote in next year's voting reform referendum. I have to say I am not surprised. The GMB has always struck me as
Our regular monthly advice surgery will be held at Birkdale Library this Saturday 7th August at 2.00pm. All three Birkdale Councillors will be present.
Today's 'Courier' highlights the latest travellers' encampment - this time on the former Aviva site at the Technology Park. I also spoke on Radio Tay about the matter this morning - click the 'play' button below to hear :
The recent announcement by a Conservative Housing minister that he was looking at limiting the period of tenancy agreements on Council Housing is worrying and showed a remarkable lack of empathy and understanding. Perhaps the minister concerned has never lived in social housing, but I am happy to inform him that they are more than temporary shelters and are actually peoples homes, much as his home is. Homes with memories, homes where people feel safe and comforted from the outside world and can protect their families and relax. Any tinkering with tenancies has to be seen against this backdrop AND ...
Hiroshima Day. Do we really want to spend billions on a Trident replacement so that we can do this again ? I couldn't bear to post most of the images I found.
New Law Would Ban Marriages Between People Who Don't Love Each Other If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist
There was an interesting result in Rotherham council By-election in Sitwell last night. Sitwell Ward, Rotherham MBC. Con hold. Con 1213 (45.5%, +4), Lab 864 (32.4%, -2.2), Ind 252 (9.4%, -2.2), UKIP 241 (9.0%, -3.2), LD 98 (3.7%, +3.7)(Via Luke Hurst a Labour activist) Interestingly Conservative Home has reported the changes rather differently than Luke with Sitwell ward, Rotherham Con - 45%
There is an important extract from John Waters' storyThrough the evolution of media custom and practice, however, a situation has developed whereby the very mention of "childcare proceedings" or "family law" is enough to have media lawyers and editors running for cover. Even though it is very often abundantly clear that the only purpose being served by a blanket suppression of information is the
From Stockport Council: Playschemes take place in 20 Stockport primary schools and parks over the next five weeks, having started on Monday August 2nd. The Stockport Council-run playschemes are all FREE and are for children aged 5-11 years on a 'first come first served' basis. Parents/carers leave their children with qualified staff. The playschemes offer arts and crafts, outdoor activities, organised games, free play and many more. All playschemes (apart from Reddish Vale Country Park) operate from 10.00am - 12noon and 1.00 - 3.00pm. Parks are in bold. · Week August 2nd-6th (except August 4th): Warren Wood Primary in Offerton; ...
ContactPoint, the Government database holding information on every single child in the country, was turned off at noon today. Critics argued that the huge national database was disproportionate and the money spent on holding that information on children could better be spent on something else. Supporters saw it meeting a need and if just one child was saved, who could say that was wrong. Whether you think it's the right or the wrong decision (and I'm in the "right" camp, on balance) there's no denying it shows political bravery. As an incoming government, it would have been easy to fudge ...
Jeff Randall has a piece in the Telegraph today entitled "Hypocrites, lightweights and clones - can't Labour do better?" where he rips into the Labour leadership contenders. I am not going to comment on the entire piece and indeed he does make some interesting points. However the details in the fifth paragraph are not among them: At the last election, David Miliband's share of his constituency vote fell by 8.8 per cent, Andy Burnham's was down by 6.5 per cent, and Ed Miliband's by 3.8 per cent. Even in seats where Labour could put up mannequins with red rosettes and ...
Sorry but I'm going to be a little pedantic this morning. In the print version of this story in the Grauniad there is a picture similar to the above but from a different angle. However, it is labelled. Apple's 300th store in Covent Garden will be a blend of modern and the traditional, says Ron Johnson, senior vice-president for retail. Now there are a couple of missing commas in the above, which makes the reading of the above say that Apple have just open another store to add to 299 others in the Covent Garden area of London. Now I ...
There are now fears that if the Russian wildfires reach the Bryansk region then it could trigger the release of radioactive particles into the atmosphere! The Bryansk region was affected by the Chernobly disaster of 1986 and as such there is the posibility that any fires in this region would release radioactive particles into the atmosphere and affect thousands more than have already been
Some of the most vociferous critics of current welfare policies, in my experience, live in social housing, or have bought their former council house. They often don't want more welfare – quite the opposite. They work hard, keep their properties in good order and generally behave as good citizens and they're fed up with neighbours they see as sponging off the State and causing problems in the area. The issue of welfare is a genuinely tough one. Clever people from across the political spectrum (and across the world) have wrestled with it for decades. At heart, the problem is simple ...
Okay its only small beer alongside the VAT rises and changes to the NHS but the announcement today by Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, that local authorities will from the end of this month be able to sell green electricity to the National Grid is sensible and should act as an incentive to councils to start investing in local energy. The Independent mentions coastal councils investing in wind power (where is the long-promised wave power...?) as one example but simply given the number of publicly owned roofs across the country it is clear that the potential for ...
While Southwark Council was led by Liberal Democrats we found that ASBO's were not an effective way of solving anti social problems. It takes meticulous hard work to fundamental root our the causes of anti social behaviour. Acceptable Behaviour Contracts work much better by getting to those root causes. Southwark also had a dedicated unit to get results. Also, the creation of Safer Neighbourhood Teams have helped and having so many Community Wardens. As indeed the Cleaner Greener Safer funds able to support local projects and upgrading so many green spaces and leisure centres. So I don't mourn the end ...
I'm absolutely agog at the stupidity of a few so called 'farmers' having anything to do with cloned animals but especially cattle. Reports of over 100 cloned cows on British farms. The beef and milk industries suffered immensely with BSE and consumer boycotts of their products. It cost taxpayers huge amounts to fix this problem and has taken years to get these industries back to relative normality. And then some cowboys decide that thy want to try cloned animals! We know that cloned animals have significantly more birth defects and shorter lives. On basic animal care it's plainly wrong to ...
In theory, the impact of the global credit crunch of 2008 is supposed to be dissipating. The global economy is growing and the banks are back making money. Political and business leaders are speaking about a return to normality. Yet conditions are still very far from "normal". Bank of England interest rates are nominally 0.5%. Yet the historic average interest rate since the Bank of England was founded in 1694 is 5%. Monetary authorities around the world are not only setting negative real interest rates, but also seeking to fill the economic hole left by the credit collapse with new ...
Fri 6th
09:00
Reminder - just a week left to comment on the Chipping Sodbury Waitrose and housing proposal
The plans are online here and you can make your comments on the proposal until 13 August. On the same webpage you can check out the comments other people have already made.
South Australia by train http://flic.kr/p/8nZnqh # Looking out to the Pacific, Balmoral NSW http://flic.kr/p/8opVAC # The new sculpture at George's Heights, Sydney http://flic.kr/p/8oomX4 # I just unlocked the "I'm on a boat!" badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/dwarQr # Hello, Pacific http://flic.kr/p/8oMnbY # Lake Illawarra from the tree top walk, NSW http://flic.kr/p/8ptgdq # The Big Potato, Robertson, NSW http://flic.kr/p/8ptgof # Sublime Point lookout, NSW http://flic.kr/p/8pqc6Z # Bradman Oval, Bowral NSW http://flic.kr/p/8pUbcb # Blue Mountains, NSW http://flic.kr/p/8pR1kc # Ah, bliss http://flic.kr/p/8pSEE4 #
The issue of prayers being said before council meetings appears to be moving towards the courts, after Bideford Town Council sought legal advice. Earlier this year, the National Secular Society (NSS) applied to the High Court for a judicial review of the council's decision to continue holding prayers as the first item of every council meeting. The NSS believes that religion should be separates from government sated that holding prayers before council meetings was an 'archaic practice' which was 'not appropriate in modern-day Britain'. It claims prayers breach Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom ...
David Cameron made a mistake yesterday when he claimed that Iran has a nuclear weapon. This comes after a period in which he has done other things that some think are questionable, notably some remarks he made about Pakistan "exporting terror to India" whilst in Pakistan. Indeed he is holding talks with Pakistan's President Zadari today to try and patch up relations with him later today. I think Cameron is just exhausted. If he was not, I expect he would not have "misspoken" as he did yesterday and that he would have found a more diplomatic way to make his ...
Apparently, the Office for National Statistics has released figures which indicate that Suffolk is going to be knee deep in old people by 2031. Being a relatively rural county, that perhaps comes as no great surprise, but the extent to which the county is expected to age is quite astonishing. There is, naturally, a health warning to be given with this data, in that the projection is based on a premise that the current population will remain unchanged between now and then - a very rash assumption, to my mind - but the numbers are nonetheless interesting. At the current ...
There are two types of foreigners in the UK system economic migrants and asylum seekers. Let's make that clear. The latter of those types are the most vulnerable. Therefore it is with outrage that I see that there is a leaked document that is looking at the voluntary right to leave or deportation at some point in the following 2 months of families seeking asylum. The no time being given element brings to mind the harrowing images from France earlier this week. When I was campaigning in the general election I was campaigning for treating asylum seekers as human beings. ...
Everyone's favourite London blogger visits Shropshire in this post on Much Wenlock and its place in Olympic history. It is customary for me to mention my New Statesman article on the subject at this point.
It's Friday, so here's a fistful of lists that sum up the past week on Liberal Democrat Voice: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week 1. Tim Farron MP writes ... Labour's staggering hypocrisy on the Alternative Vote (60 comments) by Tim Farron 2. Labour party 'gerrymandering': recalling the only occasion in a century when a party has interfered with electoral boundaries (49 comments) by Simon McGrath 3. Julian Huppert says all MPs should brush up on their science (16 comments) by Helen Duffett 4. Huhne on Lib Dem poll ratings: "Frankly, it doesn't worry me" (75 comments) by Stephen ...
births and deaths 6th August 1945: birth of Ron Jones, who directed Black Orchid (1982), Time-Flight (1982), Arc of Infinity (1983), Frontios (1984), Vengeance on Varos (1985) and Mindwarp (1986).
A number of Liberal Democrats have commented on the recent off-the-cuff remarks by David Cameron in which he suggested that council houses should no longer be allocated "for life". Those I have spotted are Sara Bedford, Alex Foster, Tom Stubbs and Steph Ashley. Many of them have acknowledged that the Prime Minster has raised a valid point, some have posed questions as to how it will work in practice but not all are on board. Like Simon Hughes I have concerns, not least because I believe that having identified a problem, David Cameron has failed to think through the consequences ...
The decision by Adam Price not to stand for the Welsh Assembly next year appears to have fostered a sense of crisis within the party with his former constituency colleague, Rhodri Glyn Thomas running to the Western Mail with tails of woe. Rhodri Glyn tells the paper that Plaid Cymru urgently needs to develop a coherent message in advance of next year's National Assembly election, because many people have no idea what the party stands for. This new concern is in addition to the decision two weeks ago of the party's national chair, John Dixon to resign, saying: "There are ...
The second meeting of the new Acocks Green ward Police Tasking meetings took place this thursday, ably chaired by Sgt Dave Mirams who deployed his amusing dry wit several times during the meeting. The lastest crime data from the ward - for the month of July - was relatively encouraging as Acocks Green has not seen the usual spike in burglaries from opportunistic criminals taking advantage of windows left open in the warmer summer days. There were 20 burglaries (2 on the Yarnfield, 2 on the Stockfield and 7 on the Gospel). There were 18 vehicle crimes, mostly in Douglas, ...
Does Naomi Campbell's testimony irritate you as much as it irritates me? She says that she gets gifts at all hours of the day and doesn't know who gives them. This is the same person who is so protective of her privacy that she doesn't want to be photographed as she enters and leaves court. I simply can't believe that if I send her a token gift to be delivered at 4am that she would accept it (don't worry I won't be sending anything). Can you believe that she thought that she was accepting "dirty stones"? She also said that ...
