In addition to holding two surgeries today : * I had a positive meeting with the Chair, Chief Executive and Head of Pharmacy at NHS Tayside about the transportation of drugs issue I have highlighted recently. The NHS representatives agreed to put the policy before the Board's Improvement & Quality Committee for discussion and have also agreed to my request to retain records for longer. * I met the Director of Housing and the Housing Strategy Manager about ensuring that the Logie area is given every support to ensure there's a residents/tenants group into the future, following the recent decision ...
[IMG: Enhanced by Zemanta] It will be my birthday on 25 August. I am blogging today because I will be hyper from here on from overdosing on sugar. Those who have children or are children will know what I am talking about -being unable to concentrate and feeling sick afterwards. My best birthday present so far came about when I installed 'Blogger Stats'. I have hundreds of readers in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, China, Russia and most parts of Europe. Imagine my excitement - and at the age of 10 only. I want you to tell me who ...
Well I'm finally sat down in Northern Ireland and think that really need to know the end of the story started to be told by myself and my travelling companion, Northern Irish Lib Dem Chair Mícheál Carchrie Campbell. So to keep everyone, especially my spy handler Chris Wilson*, in the loop here is the remainder of the tale. Saturday was spent mainly packing and cleaning. Although there was a brief little bit of relief as Caron and her daughter Anna came over to deliver her Dyson for the use of Operation Evacuate. Mícheál as they were leaving asked Anna is ...
The always excellent and thoughtful David Chiverton has responded to my question about anarchism and libertarianism with a post on the differences between classical liberals, minarchists and anarcho-capitalists. This follows on from Jock Coats (also always excellent and thoughtful) posting his reading of the book What is Mutualism? These different philosophies share a lot of ideas and have emerged out of the liberal political tradition. But as David points out there are some key differences between them as well.
In the bar the talk is all of Ruttie, the Rutland Water Monster - everyone claims to have seen her recently. I would put this down to an excess of Smithson & Greaves Northern Bitter if it were not for the fact that I saw her myself the other day when I fled Meadowcrof and the Chief's first "jam session". She was close to the shore - rather closer than usual - and I remember idly wondering if she might scare the lions off. Eventually conversation turns to other subjects - England's failure in the World Cup, the fortunes of ...
...But you'd have to be a very good thrower. And yes, this is just an excuse to wheel out some of my photies from New York. This is the 18th century James Watson House, dwarfed by neighbouring sky scrapers at the end of the Lower Manhattan financial area, and part of a Roman Catholic Shrine. As I went through my photos again, I discovered I had, after all, taken a half-decent photo of the Statue of Liberty, via zoom from Battery Park. I thought I'd messed them all up. Also in Battery park I admired this superb monument to the ...
Birse Civils, the Council's contractors for the Selly Oak New Road, have announced that they expect to be working outside of normal working hours this week because of essential work on the canal aqueduct.The concrete pour to the aqueduct is scheduled for Thursday 26 August 2010, starting at approximately 5.00am and going on until 9.00pm. Birse Civils have apologised for any disturbance to
Thanks to the investigative powers of my colleague Simon Shaw, I am able to bring you the full graphic details of the decline in Southport Tory membership all drawn from published sources. We believe that this is the lowest membership since the Constituency was formed in 1884 to go along with the smallest share of the vote achieved by Mrs Porter in the 2010 election. The big drop was in 2007 and there are no prizes for guessing what happened in that year! Modesty prevents us show the Lib Dem graph for the same period, suffice to say that 'cross ...
The William Ward case was an exceptional case in a number of ways. However, Panorama have really missed the key points.Most mothers facing a case like this one would not only have lost their son to adoption, but also lost subsequent children.Firstly, they were allowed to have the grandparents supervising. That is rare.Secondly, they were allowed a second medical opinion. That also is rare.What
The journal Perspectives on Politics has published a special issue on the Obama Presidency: According to Editor in Chief Jeffrey C. Isaac: "The November 2010 midterm elections will be widely considered a gauge of President Obama's political standing, and it seems appropriate for a flagship journal of the American Political Science Association to focus attention on the controversies surrounding the Obama Presidency, which occupy the attention of the US, as well as a world whose fate is bound up with that of the US." Jennifer Hochschild's and Vesla Weaver's "There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama: The Policy and ...
So Charles Kennedy is a 'true' Liberal Democrat and will be one until he is buried six foot under. Hurray some us may cheer... oh god other may utter under their breath, but me I simply ask 'what is Charles up to?'If he feels strongly so strongly that he is in the right party, why did he take so long to dismiss the rumours and allow the Liberal Democrats to suffer another cycle or two of bad
All, The District Council has released figures on the use of the subsidised evening bus service: 18/18A Leamington - Warwick - Wellesbourne - Tiddington - Stratford 1229 X20 Birmingham - Shirley - Henley In Arden - Wootton Wawen - Stratford 368 23 Shipston On Stour - Ilmington - Quinton - Stratford 292 29 Evesham - Bidford On avon - Alcester - Stratford 634 64 Stockton - Southam - Bishops Itchington - Harbury - Leamington 655 It's a shame that the service is the least used of the Market Towns in the District. The timetable can be found here. Remember - ...
The Financial Times Westminster blog reports that the Lib Dems have received a gift of £250,000 from Brompton Capital, a firm owned by the entrepreneur Rumi Verjee: Verjee owns Thomas Goode, the Mayfair store, and is apparently friends with the likes of Elton John and Lord Snowdon. He qualified as a barrister before launching the first UK franchise of Domino's Pizza in the 1980s. He has a CBE for charitable work and is the son of Jimmy Verjee, well-known as a philanthropist in Uganda. Verjee has also been a shareholder in Watford football club although it is not clear whether ...
The silly season is upon us and Labour politicians, desperate to breathe some life in to possibly the dullest leadership campaign in history are trying to make a story out of the possibility of Charles Kennedy defecting to Labour. There are many reasons why CK would be unlikely to defect to Labour. These reasons have been discussed at length elsewhere in great detail, but for me, the main reason why Charles would find it hard to join the Labour Party is Iraq. Iraq was the defining issue during Charles Kennedy's leadership of the Lib Dems, and whilst Kennedy was putting ...
By any measurement Southport Flower Show was a great success this year. Broadly speaking the weather was fine, the trains ran -even Northern Rail seems to have got its act together. Hotels and resturants did good trade and the 'glamping' offer was well patronised. The show itself was excellent with record numbers of entries in the competition sections. Personally I still think more could have been done for the younger gardener. The food village has expanded and the increased number of trade exhibitors were very well recieved-with my personal favourite The Port of Lancaster Smokehouse almost selling out of kippers!(we'll ...
The news that some of the performers on The X Factor have had their voices enhanced (i.e. made in tune) reinforces my long-held belief that nothing on television is what it seems. Another example is the show Undercover Boss, where a highly paid manager is shown in a good light. Because the programme can be less beneficial for the less well-paid workers involved, as the Watford Observer shows: When hotel handyman Michael Doherty was asked if he wanted to star in a TV documentary he jumped at the chance, believing it would be "a bit of a laugh" - a ...
I really think that the Republicans are going down an enormous blind alley with their campaign against the Lower Manhattan mosque and, now, their feeding of the rumour/myth that Obama is a Muslim. How's this for brain dead? Republican National Commitee member Kim Lehman tweeted: BTW he personally told the muslims that he IS a muslim. Read his lips. When asked for further comment she alluded to a speech that Obama made in Cairo: ...going back to his speech... he would have said I'm a Christian and I'm from the Christian religion and we can work together. It didn't appear ...
The Childrens Commissioner has published a good report looking at the experiences of the safeguarding system from a family perspective.There are some strong quotations in the report and it is surprising that it has not had any press.egOne parent described how a male social worker had been allocated toher daughter who had been sexually abused by her ex-partner andwas terrified of men. This mother
Writing on Liberal Democrat Voice, Norman Lamb tells us about Facing the Future. This is the party's new policy review that will "build on our existing and widely respected statement of Liberal Democrat philosophy, It's About Freedom, and like the similar exercise that we carried out at the start of the 2005-10 Parliament, Meeting the Challenge ... set out the areas where the FPC will commission further work through this Parliament, and the approach it will take to developing policy in those areas". One point about the article: I do hope Norman will stop talking about the "balance" between liberty ...
One of the July crop of New Who books, by altariel of this parish. Starts by hinting that it may be a Doctor Who version of Beowulf (main setting is the small city of Geath, ruled by Beol) but goes in quite a different direction - ending up with a nod or two towards Star Trek with a running subtext of sardonic political commentary. This will all be above the heads of the age group who are the main audience for this series of books, but their parents will enjoy it all the same.
Mon 23rd
19:54
Following the hung parliament down under, is the "Westminster model" now effectively dead?
On the LSE blog, Patrick Dunleavy has an fascinating post entitled "Every key 'Westminster model' country now has a hung Parliament, following Australia's 'dead heat' election" Dunleavy defines the "Westminster model" as follows: For the first time in history, the Australian outcome means that every key 'Westminster model' country in the world now has a hung Parliament. These are the former British empire countries that according to decades of political science orthodoxy are supposed to produce strong, single party government. Following Duverger's Law their allegedly 'majoritarian' electoral systems (first past the post and AV) will typically produce reinforced majorities for ...
So, a week ago I made a real concerted effort to concentrate and motivate myself to not only lose weight but lose it having fun and concentrate on two dates. The first is the 17th October 2010, which is when I am doing the Hopetoun House 10k run to raise money for the Bobby Moore cancer fund to ensure money goes into cancer research and in memory of my Mum who lost her fight to cancer just last year. If you are able to sponsor me, you can do so here. The second is 28th January 2011, not only is ...
The Electoral Commission has today published the latest donation and borrowing figures for the political parties, showing that the Lib Dems raised just over £2.05 million in the second three months of this year, and almost £4 million in total in the frst half of the year. (At the foot of this post is the full breakdown of cash and non-cash donations received by quarter since 2005, and annually between 2001 and 2004.) By comparison, the party raised £4.4m in the first half of 2005 (leading up to that year's general election) – but that did of course include that ...
The Labour leadership contest has not exactly taken the country by storm its fair to say. The leadership candidates are lack lustre to say the least and there is a sneaking suspicion amongst many votes, Labour ones included, that none ... Continue reading →
True to form silly season has brought forth a catalogue of daft stories with absolutely no substance or truth to them whatsoever! The rumours of Charles Kennedy's imminent defection to Labour was a real hoot, quickly slapped down by both CK and Nick Clegg as the "silliest of silly season stories".......but hey even when denied the media ran and ran the story milking it for all they could. Pretty soon speculation was rife of other potential Labour targets including Tim Farron who the Mail said reported as being a ".....candidate worth 'cultivating'", how laughable is that!! Meanwhile others keen to ...
Today, Australia's Labor prime minister, Julia Gillard, faces two possible futures. One is awful beyond belief. If the final counts in a couple of seats don't go Labor's way, and if Gillard fails to gather the assured support of enough Green and Independent MPs, her political career ends in disaster. The other is a prolonged nightmare. Gillard stays on as prime minister but with her government unstable and unsure, its legitimacy called into doubt. In June, just after she rolled Kevin Rudd and became prime minister, I wrote that Gillard would need to tell and embody a story that enabled ...
This week is the start of a new chapter and was supposed to be a good one for me. I was looking forward to my house move (as much as you can be) and was ready to go to work ... Continue reading →
The more I hear and read about Afghanistan, the more I realise I don't know. I recently attended a conference of experts where a full day was taken up with discussions of how quickly, and with how much dignity, Western troops can realistically be withdrawn; this not being one of my areas of expertise, I mostly sat and listened. Seierstad's book rather adds to my confusion. The book purports to be her interpretation of the lives of the Afghan family she lived with in Kabul for three months, anonymised and told through their viewpoint rather than hers. She vividly depicts ...
A blog post from Prof Patrick Dunleavy at the LSE on the Australian election results points out that, for the first time in history, every key Westminster Model country – the UK, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – has a hung parliament. For the first time in history, the Australian outcome means that every key 'Westminster model' country in the world now has a hung Parliament. These are the former British empire countries that according to decades of political science orthodoxy are supposed to produce strong, single party government. Following Duverger's Law their allegedly 'majoritarian' electoral systems (first past ...
The campaign starts http://twitpic.com/2hhy8c
10am Carers Coffee Morning As interim Carers Champion I attended this special coffee morning to celebrate Carers Week. I met and spoke with a number of carers I had not seen before, as well as seeing a number of familiar faces. As always it was a convivial event. 12.30pm Tour of Durand Regeneration project I met ...
Google has rightly received praise for its reworked "Contacts" functionality. But there is still a rather glaring error. One of the things I love to do is add images to my contacts. It gives me a visual cue when I'm scrolling through looking for a person, it prompts my memory when I see the face of a friend calling me, and it helps me remember what people look like. [IMG: Contact List With Images] As you can see, I'm pretty good at keeping everyone's photo on my phone up to date. Which Conditions Are Appropriate?Google's interface for uploading images has ...
The BBC reports: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has told Fifa inspectors England's bid for the 2018 World Cup is "unbeatable". The Fifa delegation, which will write a report on England's bid to host the World Cup, began their four-day visit with a reception at Downing Street. Mr Clegg said: "I believe this is an exceptionally strong, unbeatable bid. We in this government believe in it, we hope that you will believe in it." You can see Nick welcome the Fifa delegation here:
I've given up on this "unofficial and unauthorised guide to Doctor Who 2005", after ploughing through a first half composed entirely of secondary reports gleaned from the media and checking out the write-ups of the first two episodes, and I won't buy any of the rest in the series. I picked it off the shelf at the Doctor Who shop hoping for something at least as insightful and interesting as the ol' Discontinuity Guide and if possible approaching the standards of the About Time series, but this isn't it. The reviews of each story were written almost immediately after broadcast, ...
Crossposted from my work blog at EmbraceMyPlanet, this is lengthy examination of the bizarre world of the anti-wind industry. This article is written in my professional capacity. There are plenty of myths around wind power - variability, noise, costs and so on. But where do they come from? We're going to analyse one particular myth ...
Just when we thought that plans were all falling into place to improve access to West Hampstead Thameslink and to make it safer for pedestrians around Iverson Road it seems that the plans, if not derailed, are most certainly being downgraded! West Hampstead Thameslink Station Upgrade Network Rail's planned improvements included platform lengthening to fit 12-carriage trains, a new pedestrian bridge with step free access linking to a new station building on Iverson Road and a new "public space" between West End Lane and the station building. In December 2009,the Council gave Prior Approval (a form of planning permission) toNetwork ...
according to American author Tess Gerritsen speaking at the Bloomin Book Festival at Southport Flower show on Sunday these are the components that her readers want! Apparently most US readers of detection fiction are women and they want to identify with the victim-she had no explanation for twisted sex or the fascination with serial killing. Ms Gerritsen is on a UK Tour including a visit to the Edinburgh Festival. The Sunday Independent featured her last week and published her schedule but managed to exclude details of her trip to Southport. Not withstanding the Indy's indifference to the event it was ...
West Hampstead Spotlight Blog: John Ceconi: "Many West Hampstead residents will have been helped by John Ceconi, an extremely likeable and helpful Camden street environment officer. I'm..."
Durham County Council will be holding advice sessions throughout September for people applying for money through its Arts Development Small Grants Scheme. The grants scheme offers funding of up to £500 for projects that contribute to the creative and cultural development of the county and which support the council's arts development priorities. The 20-minute consultations will give people the chance to find out whether their project is eligible and pick up tips on how to complete and submit an application form. Advice sessions will take place on the following days: Wed, 1 Sept 4.30pm to 7pm Lamplight Arts Centre, Stanley ...
Are we in for a couple of weeks of random Labour people trying to get media coverage merely by suggesting that Lib Dems might like to join the party of the Iraq war, ID cards, state-authorised torture and enormous deficits? If the inciteful journalism down Gloucester way is anything to go by, it seems we may. Former Labour MP Parmjit Dhanda has managed to wangle the headline "Could Gloucester Lib Dems defect to Labour?" merely by telling a journalist he's planning to write to Lib Dem councillors inviting them to join the Labour Party. No talks, no defectors in the ...
Mon 23rd
15:45
Cycle routes - new proposal for Chedworth section of link to Railway Path via Westerleigh
Some months ago South Glos produced proposals for a much-needed cycle route from Yate to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path. Most of the public comments were in favour, but residents of Chedworth objected to a section of the path that would have run between their homes and the railway. South Glos has now produced a new plan which shows the path entering the south end of Chedworth (nearest to the mini-roundabout). Cyclists would then go up the full length of Chedworth and join a new and upgraded path close to the railway side of the Common, leading to the ...
Lembit Opik's plans to run for London Mayor have been widely trailed for some time and the man himself has taken steps such as a lengthy interview on London's LBC radio station with Conservative blogger Iain Dale. His campaign for the Liberal Democrat selection has provoked many negative responses from Liberal Democrat members (such as in previous coverage on this site). The most vocal are not always the most representative, however, so a relevant extra piece of evidence is how the Lembit Opik for London Mayor Facebook page does. Lembit's own campaign describes the page as "he main point of ...
The picture to the right is my favourite picture of this trip. The concentration, the wisdom and the sheer humaity. There is something curiously attractive, fascinating and civilised about street games between adults - in this instance street chess. This one appeals for me as a chess player of course, but nonetheless I do find it interesting how quickly a crowd gathers around street games like this. Somehow the slightly lame layout of a small hopscotch in my own local Kilburn doesn't quite match up and yet it feels like the best we can attempt... The other factor, when I ...
The Daily Telegraph today has an article entitled 'The Liberals have a History of Splitting'. It says that: "Most Lib Dems chose Charles Kennedy as leader. Most chose Sir Menzies Campbell. Most chose Paddy Ashdown. And most have just chosen Simon Hughes to be the party's deputy leader."Of course the last part in inaccurate as only the majority of Lib Dem MPs chose Simon as Deputy Leader. But the whole tenant of the argument is that over the last century only the Liberal had a tendency to split or splinter. It ignores the fact that at the time that the ...
[IMG: Photo: Mark Pack's article in printed edition of The Independent] That's the headline on an op-ed I have in today's Independent: "Just heard a rumour that Charles Kennedy will defect to Labour as soon as they find the WMDs in Iraq". So tweeted Liberal Democrat councillor Nick Barlow over the weekend, summarising one of the reasons why the story of Charles Kennedy's defection to Labour never seemed credible. But while the story itself is, as Kennedy himself put it, "the silliest of silly season stories", there is no doubt the Liberal Democrats are in unchartered waters. Nick Clegg has ...
OK, so I know it's not the fashionable thing at the moment to be talking too highly of Barack Obama- I'm supposed to be criticising him in some way about his implementation of policy, or gaffes in the media, or something- but I've just finished reading his autobiography, Dreams from my Father, and I have to say that it's left me feeling inspired. What's inspired me is not the fact that he's the first black US president, although I did find his honest reflections on coming to terms with his identity refreshing. What I liked most is that his background ...
First we had Cornwall Council unanimously agreeing that a Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership was the best way forward. Then Alec Robertson co-operated with a press release which seemed to indicate that a Devonwall LEP was still being considered - certainly this was the message picked up by the local press. Then Jim Currie stepped in to clarify that the Council only had one policy - but failed to rule out being part of two bids. Finally, Alec Robertson has confirmed that there will be no other LEP bid. (But apparently nobody thought to tell Devon) Phew! ...
On Friday, the Daily Mail splashed with a story headined "England Star's Gagging Order". The story concerned an unnamed member of the England football team who had used the courts to stop a story about him from being published. It was the second such injunction granted in a week, the Mail reported. The injunctions were granted by a High Court judge on the grounds that the stories would breach the players' right to a private life. For Liberal Democrats, such injunctions will be seen as a worrying development. Our party's constitution emphasises that we must "defend the right to speak, ...
I went along to the Prestwich Farmers market on sunday and it was good to see the weather hold out for this popular local attraction. Once again hundreds of local people went along as well and were treated to a great selection of stall selling quality produce. Despite it being such a great success, it was sadly spoiled for many by ill-timed roadworks nearby. The Council often schedule road works for sundays as they tend to be quiter BUT why did they pick the same day as a busy farmers market? Since the Farmer's Market was a Council-run event, I'd ...
To be perfectly honest I couldn't have cared less who won the Australian election. Both parties have a deep strain of homophobia, are climate-change deniers and anti-immigrant. But being the political geek that I am I was fascinated by the electoral system they have over there and also interested in how compulsary voting works. The best explanation I have found of the system so far has been on the Green Party website. In this close election the Green Party faced being squeezed out by the two major parties and needed to explain to people that under a preference system you ...
It was great to see hundreds of local people at the Farmers' Market in Prestwich on Sunday. It was another great success, but sadly it was spoiled for many by ill-timed roadworks nearby. It makes me wonder why the Council scheduled noisy roadworks which caused traffic problems right next to the market on what was a very busy day? On a normal Sunday the area would have been quiet, but obviously not on a Farmers' Market day. Since the Farmer's Market was a Council-run event, I'd have thought the Council would have used some brains and not decided to close ...
Last week I promised you a few suggestions for the Lib Dem Blog of the Year awards, to be presented at a glittering, every expense spared ceremony at Party Conference in Liverpool next month. They will publish their shortlists before Conference, and will make them up from nominations received before the deadline this Friday. You need to e-mail your choices to helen@libdemvoice.org. The first category I want to feature is that for next new Liberal Democrat blog. I thought I had my nominations for this one all sorted, but Edinburgh Lib Dem Councillor Paul Edie may be wondering why his ...
"In my country we should call it real mean to laugh, at people who had been our guests and performed in our houses." "In your country, my dear," said Myra Ingleby, "you have no duchesses." "Well, we supply you with quite a good few," replied the American girl calmly, and went on with her ice. The Rosary, by Florence Barclay
[IMG: Visiting the site of the proposed new house] Yesterday, I submitted an objection to the new 'backlands' development proposed for land in-between Elyne Road, Stapleton Hall Road and Quernmore Road in support of local residents. The plans, which are on the Council's website, are for a large 5 bedroom house that will completely change the feel of this garden area . Afte meeting with local residents and visiting the site, I've urged the Council to reject the application for a number of reasons: Poor access: Access to the site is extremely poor with the path down the side of ...
For a brief few weeks during the election campaign, the Indy became quite a readable newspaper, offering some balanced coverage which was at least some relief from the right-wing papers' slavish Cameron obeisance. The paper didn't back the Lib Dems, but it did give the party a fair hearing. Well, normal service is now resumed, with the Indy today devoting its front page to some idle, cliched speculation ("growing pressure", "jittery atmosphere", "braced for a backlash"). Compare and contrast these two assessments of Nick Clegg's demeanour, by the way. In the Indy: 'One MP said last night: "Nick just does ...
When politicians say things like 'government would hand people direct control over how they are governed nationally and locally' (Conservative) or that they are making 'government more accountable to the people and strengthen the hand of citizens against the state' (Labour). Or even 'creating a new level of transparency, accountability and participation for America's citizens' ...
This junction is due to be resurfaced this year: the signals will also be revamped (there have been some issues about seemingly unnecessary waiting times which need to be addressed). Meanwhile the Victoria Street 'trench', clearly visible along stretches of the road and painfully apparent to cyclists, will be repaired. The trench was caused by a utility's poorly conducted digging works. Despite this, the repairs will have to be done at the county council's expense. This is an example of a private utility being subsidised from the public purse.
One of my earlier campaigns was to reduce the use of plastic bags in Chorlton, but reports over the weekend suggest that we have not won this battle. This isn't necessarily Chorlton, where there has been some culture shift, but I will be investigating further. Supermarkets lose heart in green war on plastic carrier bags Britain's biggest supermarkets will come under fire this week for handing out tens of millions more plastic bags than last year, derailing attempts to reduce the environmental impact from billions of disposable bags. New figures will show that the industry missed its target of halving ...
The second volume of Chris Mullin's diary's are out soon and are currently being serialised in the Mail. If this volume is half as good as the first it will well worth buying. Not being a Mail reader I actually stumbled across the publication of this volume and some choice quotations from the book over at the independent blogs page. John Rentoul includes this quote Nick Brown's Booby Trap 21 May 2009. I ran into Chief Whip Nick Brown. 'Between you and me,' I said, 'given that we are going to lose the Election, we ought to be planting a ...
It seems a long time ago now, but on the day that the coalition was announced, Mark Easton reported on the views of activists from Winchester on News at Ten. Here's the report: [IMG: media] [See post to watch Flash video]
It seems a while since Winchester City Council had its troubles with Icelandic banks. I realised to my surprise that I never uploaded the video of the original BBC News report on it, so here it is: [IMG: media] [See post to watch Flash video] I particularly like Steve Humphrey's line about the Conservatives in Winchester feeling the blues and the Lib Dems in Eastleigh basking in a golden glow!
Now is an exciting time for Liberal Democrats. We have the chance to implement ideas in Government - an opportunity denied our predecessors for many decades. For the next five years, instead of contributing ideas from the national sidelines with no real prospect of them ever being adopted, we have a real chance to realise key elements of our agenda. We have all come into politics to make a difference, to be effective. Liberal Democrat Ministers know that they carry the weight of the party's principles and expectations as they work in coalition with Conservatives. But even as we put ...
Inspired by the retro reflections of the inimitable Paul Walter and this excellent article by Gaby Hinsliff - I decided to trawl through some of my numerous blogs supporting Nick Clegg's candidacy three years ago. Longsuffering readers will remember that I was unstinting in my support for Nick, despite much criticism from those who thought it was misplaced. The past few months have caused me to consider this question in a way I didn't feel I needed to back in 2007. When it became clear that there would be an election for a new leader I remember having a conversation ...
Union Books, the bookshop in Leeds University Union, is set to close soon. This is a bit of a shame. Union Books is the only bookshop in any student union in the country. However to put things in perspective it's not making any money, there's a bookshop in front of the Parkinson that's often far cheaper and most of the books could be bought for a fraction of the price on Amazon and eBay. The student union have a choice between subsidising a loss making shop like Union Books or spending the money on services for students. I would rather ...
From just one edition of my local paper the sentencing policy of the Magistrates suggests that all that seems to really matter to make our roads totally safe is that you don't exceed some arbitrary speed limit, often bearing little relevance to the true safe speed for the road. Female without insurance: Fine £100 & six points Female without insurance: Fine £65 & six points Man without insurance: Fine £525 plus £85 costs and eight points Man without insurance: Fine £250+£50costs+£15victim surcharge Female twice over drink limit: Fine £100 & 18month ban Man 50% over drink limit: Fine £305 & ...
On fairly regular occasions, I watch The Daily Show. Now, it can hardly be described as an unbiased source of "news", but satire always has a stinging level of truth behind it. More than mere truthiness. Whenever I watch, there is invariably a segment where host Jon Stewart plays clips of US politicians, either delivering ...
We have been debating over breakfast whether or not the new museum in the next village to ours is the Brabant Museum of Radios or the Museum of Brabant Radios. (Report in Dutch here, video in Dutch here.) Mr Janssens, the proprietor, has 6000 radios stashed about the house, and has now put 1900 of them on display. (It is not clear if there are any other human occupants of the house.) In an inexplicable display of shortsightedness, none of the various state funding bodies offered funding for this enterprise, which has cost Mr Janssens €380000 of his own money. ...
The message from Labour-sympathising Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley in this morning's paper is a stark one: "Labour is playing bad politics." The reason? The leadership campaign is turning into a tin-ear, foot-in-mouth competition about who can be nastiest to the Liberal Democrats. As candidates desperately try to prove themselves more true Labour, more tribal than the next guy, they are in danger of missing the big picture about our changing politics. They could end up wrecking their party's position for the next generation, which is their own. All political parties sometimes reach for their tribal comfort blanket, especially after a ...
Yesterday's Scotland on Sunday reported that Glasgow solicitor Paul McConville is being investigated over claims that his firm, McConville O'Neill, failed to pass on compensation payments it received to clients. The firm specialised in compensation claims for miners for such conditions such as Vibration White Finger. The Labour Government set up a system whereby claims from miners were dealt with through a series of schemes. Usually claim handlers from Capita processed them and made offers of compensation. This saved miners from having to take action in separate court cases. I know a little bit about this because former Dunfermline and ...
The link is to a Panorama programme tonight about a family court case.This case was unusual because the Ward's were allowed to get a second opinion. Normally the parents are refused a second opinion and lose the case.It should also be noted that quite large expert fees are paid to those people who diagnose child abuse in children. Those fees are generally not available if people don't think
This morning's Western Mail reports that one of the three schools in Wales due to stay open despite having no pupils, will now be shutting earlier than planned. Ceredigion Council has announced that Mydroilyn Primary School near Llanarth will officially close on September 1 this year after the Assembly Government agreed to a modification of the original statutory proposal for the school's closure on January 1, 2011. However, two other schools in Wales are due to remain open without pupils: Ysgol Abergynolwyn near Tywyn in Gwynedd and Capel Iwan Primary, near Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, which is staying open even though ...
Excellent news in Inside Housing with the story that Homes for Islington is pushing housing contractor United Housing to drop gagging clauses in agreements with tenants. The gagging clauses are part of compensation agreements struck between United House and residents who have suffered from the actions of United House. In return for receiving a payment, residents are required to promise not to mention their case to anyone else. The individual residents at least receives money as part of the deal, but the rest of us suffer from the enforced secrecy which protects those who took the actions and those who ...
Iain Dale yesterday posted a piece attacking the Alternative Vote system which doesn't bode well for a well informed campaign. That's a shame because there's a sensible debate to be had – with Lib Dems being the first to admit that the Alternative Vote system isn't the best of all possible options, though most would rate it as a great improvement on what we have now. Dale writes There's a reason only one other country in the world uses AV. It's a half way house. It tries to be a PR equivalent of the First Past the Post system, but ...
In yesterday's Observer, Jackie Ashley points out the downside of Labour's continued onslaught on the Liberal Democrats: Labour is playing bad politics. The leadership campaign is turning into a tin-ear, foot-in-mouth competition about who can be nastiest to the Liberal Democrats. As candidates desperately try to prove themselves more true Labour, more tribal than the next guy, they are in danger of missing the big picture about our changing politics. They could end up wrecking their party's position for the next generation, which is their own. Part of this is about an underestimated and under-discussed quality in politics: tone. It ...
You either like slapstick or you don't. For those who do, enjoy.
The Sea Devils starts strongly, with the first episode containing one of the funniest scenes ever in the whole of Doctor Who, when the Master encounters the Clangers. (Am I right in thinking that this is the only reference to any other sf show in Old Who anywhere? New Who of course has referred to Star Trek, the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Harry Potter) It's a politically complex story, as one often gets from Malcolm Hulke, with easily the most evil character being the Permanent Under-Secretary from London, come to wipe out the non-humans because they are different. ...
On virtually every street corner here there is a mosque - many of them open and live... And so the tourists mill around in the courtyard - most tourists are either from the former Yugoslavian states or as far as I can tell from Italy. But my observational rule of thumb is that the Europeans/Italians (presumably mainly Catholic) don't go in... (they like the courtyard 'cause they can top up their water bottle in the cleansing fountain. :-) So I'm going into these mosques - where it is much cooler :-) but also totally empty. I'm left with a desire ...
One of the things that has surprised me most in the past year or so was how much I enjoyed True Blood, which is coming up to the finale of its third series in the States. My love of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter aside, I've never really been interested in books or films in the Fantasy genre. I've still not read Dracula or seen any adaptations of it and, aside from a screening of Nosferatu, the only other vampire related thing I'd seen, until a couple of years ago, was Ultraviolet. This was a Channel 4 ...
Yesterday whilst I was busy moving back to Northern Ireland I did sit down with the Observer while on the ferry. However, this one from Tracy McVeigh did stand out in light of a conversation me and Mícheál had had the previous evening. It is looking at the issue of mental health in the LGBT community that will appear in this month's Attitude. The article suggests that rather than homosexuality being a result of mental health as was an officially held stance until the 90s, it is a result of societies failure to provide for homosexuals. One killing quote is: ...
i) births and deaths 23rd August 1991: death of Innes Lloyd, producer of Doctor Who from The Celestial Toymaker to The Enemy of the World, who overhauled the show by getting rid of all the regular cast including the star, thus ensuring its long-term survival. ii) broadcast anniversaries 23rd August 1975: Tom Baker presents Disney Time as the Fourth Doctor. (If you don't know what this means, you really haven't missed anything worth explaining.) 23rd August 2002: Webcast of episode 4 of Real Time. Evelyn is faced with becoming a Cyberman; the Doctor confronts the bloke played by Yee Jee ...
I think I neglected my planned annual New Year's post about my solar panel performance. 1 For much of the last year, I've not been able to get screenshots off the computer gizmo that duplicates the controller in the airing cupboard. Turns out, once the room was tidied up a bit and I could track the cables back, that the Cat 5 cable that comes out of the airing cupboard to the nerve centre had just dropped out of the back of the router. [IMG: solar-100823] But from the graph I can pull now, it looks like we got the ...
More catching up. Here's a BBC South Today report on ambulance response times from April 16, 2009 using the results of an FOI request I did on ambulance response times. [IMG: media] [See post to watch Flash video] The response to this FOI request and subsequent meetings with the trust, led to the discovery that Hampshire had too few ambulances per capita, persuading the trust to admit this at their AGM, and an increase in ambulance numbers towards the end of last financial year.
