37) David Allen, Getting Things Done: How to Achieve Stress-Free Productivity (London: 2000, Piatkus, ISBN 0749922648.) I read this not long after it first came out and have been using the GTD method ever since, but over the years I'd tweaked it so much that it became nearly unrecognisable and wasn't working as well - so I re-read it and re-booted everything. This time round, I got a lot more out of the project management chapters than I had before - they're far more relevant to my current job than they were to my old one. I also appreciated more ...
Computer Weekly has announced the Coalition Government plans to bring the NPfIT to an end – article here. As most of the programme has been rolled out, it appears this move is primarily to limit over-spend in the remaining work to be completed. While the money Labour spent on the NHS over the past 13 ...
The deferred elections in Norwich yesterday were clearly a great success for the Labour Party, and an unmitigated disaster for the Lib Dems. It would be easy to put this down to poor campaigns, poor leaflets or a lack of organisation, but none of these things are true. I know that Norwich has a young, energetic, enthusiastic and well organised campaign team who know how to win (after all, they gained the parliamentary seat in May of this year), and these deferred elections saw in some wards our best campaigns for many years. Yet despite this, our share of the ...
As you will no doubt know by now, I occasionally perpetrate mathematics. But it sucks to have to say in something like this "take the product of p(i)int(n/p(i)) for i=1 to i=Φ(n)". It would be much better if I could embed a proper formula.There's a standard way of doing this, called MathML, and it's fucking horrible. And in any case, browser support for MathML is piss-poor. However, it's getting better - Firefox now supports it fairly well, and Webkit does too, although not quite as well as Firefox. There are also a few useful tools for making MathML suck less, ...
A while back Chris Bryant called me a numbskull for daring to question his record on marriage equality. So, despite sharing his feelings with regards to a certain Sky News presenter, I find myself feeling a little sympathy for Kay Burley after Mr. Bryant's comments. And there's still reason to be very skeptical over his support of marriage equality. This month's edition of GT (the Gay Times to the rest of us) contains a debate on whether the LGBT population of Britain should support the Coalition. Mr Bryant, unsurprisingly, adopts the negative position. He defends this by rolling out the ...
I can't be the only one who is bemused that, years after the September 11th attacks, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq America as a whole doesn't seem to have grasped even the fundamentals of Islam. Very few Americans would make the error of seeing Christianity as a monolithic faith. The fact that there are many variations is well understood and yet there is a prevailing view of Islam as a single entity. As a result, an attack by somebody who is Muslim is seen as an attack by the entire faith, whilst somebody like Timothy McVeigh (who murdered many, including ...
Following on from recent reports here on Bignews Margate, concerning access and egress to council offices, I've been asked to convey news that the council, have acted swiftly to ensure that public will not be inconvenienced in the future. Richard Samuel, Chief Executive of Thanet District, issued this statement "I would like to apologise to those members of the public who were unable to access the council chamber for the start of the Extraordinary Scrutiny meeting on Wednesday (8 September). This was totally unacceptable. Being able to access any public meeting is clearly an important part of ensuring that the ...
So with Ros Scott announcing today that she will not be seeking re-election, despite being eligible to stand for a second term. All right, I know it's a cliché, but time really does fly when you're having fun! My two year term as Party President is coming towards its close, and the hectic schedule of meetings, conferences, Party business and local Party visits has ensured that I've been kept pretty busy. With the European and local elections of 2009, the General Election of 2010, and the amazing aftermath which saw Liberal Democrats in national Government for the first time in ...
From the Avon and Somerset Police Website: Police are trying to trace a cyclist who helped a woman after she was punched by a man who tried to take her handbag. It happened as the 28-year-old woman was walking along Goose Green Way to catch the bus to work at about 6am on Wednesday September 08 2010. A man came out of bushes as she neared Lye Field Park at the junction with Station Road, Yate, He tried to grab her bag and as she struggled with him he punched her in the face before making off empty-handed. The would-be ...
For a while Ludlow Town Council kept us all entertained. There were tales of dogs attending meetings and of fights breaking out afterwards. Then it all went quiet. But a story on the Shropshire Star website today begins: An election for a new Ludlow town councillor was mired in last-minute controversy when one candidate accused the eventual winner of distributing illegal flyers.It turns out that there is nothing more shocking here than a missing imprint, but could it be the start of a return to form for what I used to call "Britain's most dysfunctional local authority"? Note, too, that ...
An 80+ year old friend of mine wrote this excellent and thought-provoking poem on reaching his 80th birthday. Please read it and pass it on to your Member of Parliament and to everyone else you know. Birthday OdeI've reached the age of eighty, and to celebrate the day,The generous hand of government will now increase my pay.Now that I'm old, and tired, and needy, they have come to my defence.And with fanfare from the trumpets give twenty five whole bright new pence.A munificent addition, which I'll wisely spend, and well,The main problem's where to start on it, it's really hard ...
This week's Harborough Mail has a page all about local bloggers and tweeters. There is a piece on Sian To, her Mummytips blog and recent trip to Bangladesh. There is a piece about me (hem, hem). And there is one about the newspaper's own use of Twitter. And there is a list of the top 10 tweeters in
Cross-posted at Stephen's Liberal Journal The last campaign to elect the Lib Dem President sticks with me for a number of things, firstly there was the number of 'I'm for Ros' badges that made their way to Scottish autumn conference and adorned the labels of many of the platform speakers. I didn't manage to make ...
Cross-posted at Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland The last campaign to elect the Lib Dem President sticks with me for a number of things, firstly there was the number of 'I'm for Ros' badges that made their way to Scottish autumn conference and adorned the labels of many of the platform speakers. I didn't manage to make it down to Federal conference where they had first appeared. The other thing was on the supporters site there was a region for Northern Ireland, which can't have pleased her opponent Lembit Öpik, especially as most of them at the start were the ...
... in Liberal Democrat News (see here for non-dead tree media version), the answers to the obvious questions are; a) No comment. b) Don't know. c) Dedicate myself to my District Council campaign.
Yesterday, as well as attending the latest meeting of the West End Schools' Project Board and my weekly surgery at Blackness Primary School, I had the pleasure of attending a civic reception at the City Chambers to highlight Dundee's support for the Perth 800 celebrations and for Perth's bid for city status. Both Dundee Lord Provost John Letford and Perth and Kinross Provost Dr John Hulbert gave entertaining speeches and it was good to see a good turnout of both Perth and Dundee representatives. Today, I had a very productive meeting with Chief Superintendent Gavin Robertson, Detective Chief Inspector Shaun ...
Fri 10th
19:37
Ros Scott not standing again for Lib Dem President: "The time has come to pass on the baton"
Liberal Democrat Party President Ros Scott has announced that she does not intend to stand again for the office, despite being eligible to stand for a second term. In an article today for Lib Dem News, Ros explains that she feels it is time "to pass on the baton", to "a strong media performer and tough campaigner" who will articulate the Liberal Democrats' distinctive values and identity. Here is Ros Scott's article in full: All right, I know it's a cliché, but time really does fly when you're having fun! My two year term as Party President is coming towards ...
[IMG: Agriciola Walk] Last Saturday another local residents meeting took place at Smannell Church centre. A number of issues were raised (more on this later). One of these was a very overgrown spikey bush on Agricola Walk. I reported it to Hampshire Highways on Monday and am pleased to report that today the offending bush was cut back to allow safe passage. My thanks to Hampshire Highways for their prompt response. If there are any other similar issues where you live let me know.
An alliance of local people, LibDems and the Chorlton Civic Society are celebrating the restoration of a plaque commemorating Chorlton's part in the 1984/5 Miners strike and the support Chorlton people gave to them. The plaque was removed and placed in a quiet corner at the back of the Library early this year, but campaigners wanted it to remain in a more prominent spot and it has been restored to the foyer of the Library. Chorlton has a fantastic local history which the Council should be proud of. I'm pleased they have finally seen sense and reinstated the plaque to ...
Fri 10th
19:28
Pastor Terry Jones and Rush Limbaugh went to school together - suddenly it all becomes clear
From the Washington Post
I don't remember this Pastor mentioning Ground Zero in his original statements. But suddenly he's linked his unbelievably unChristian threat to burn Qu'rans with the Ground Zero mosque (which, by the way, has been operating at it's site near Ground Zero for months). What the Sam Hill is going on? This is just unbelievable. A pastor of less than 50 people in the back woods of Florida thinks, suddenly, he is world figure, a sort of Henry Kissinger. Words fail me. We can only pray that, sometime in the next 24 hours, just a tiny, tiny chink of light of ...
Fri 10th
19:04Tip: If you swear on Twitter, don't delete it - that seems to be the lesson from Patrick Harvie MSP
...But it helps when the target of your swearing is everyone's bete noire – a certain software company based near Seattle. Here is Patrick Harvie MSP's tweet from yesterday – still intact (my asterisks): Oh joy. Windows 7 has been installed at Holyrood. Oh ****ing joy.
So this is it, the end of Big Brother in the UK. Or, more likely, the end of Big Brother on Channel 4. I've watched most of the series over the years and I even applied once (in 2002) and now my summers are to be bereft of the show which went from gameshow in the guise of social experiment to an out and out spectacle. By turns funny, outrageous and controversial, Big Brother changed the face of UK television reality shows, a subject I've blogged on previously. This year the producers pulled out all the stops to make Big ...
One of the points made at yesterday's meeting to discuss the Tourist Information Centre (see below) was about a potential move for the One Stop Shop to the library. I should stress from the outset that this was mentioned just as a possibility and that no decision or even firm proposal has yet been made. I know I blogged a while ago saying that libraries are about more than books, but I am firmly opposed to the concept for a number of reasons: I believe that the library is inconveniently sited. It is up a steep slope, making it difficult ...
I'm away this weekend so I thought I would leave my readers with two entertaining political YouTube videos. The first is Nigel Farage UKIP MEP who makes his feelings very clear. The second video has been all over the bloggersphere. Chris Bryant Labour MP puts Kay Burley on SkyNews right when she asks some silly questions.
Yesterday I organised a meeting to discuss the future of the Tourist Information Centre in town. I asked the head of the Council's Customer Services section, Clare Metcalf, to come as well as a representative from tourism and the town council. Also there were my council colleagues Sasha Gillard-Loft and Adam Paynter. The reason for the meeting was the apparent decision by Cornwall Council a month or so ago to close the TIC (see also here). At the meeting yesterday, Clare Metcalf made it clear that they had not made any decision to close the TIC and would not be ...
I love my daughter. I'm sure I've told you before that she is beautiful, funny, kind, sweet and loving. And so she is. She knew how disappointed I was that my nice shiny new iPhone is faulty and has to be sent back (and boo to T-Mobile for not sending the bag to send it back in within 1-2 days as promised.) so she searched on You Tube for something to cheer me. And here it is: And just to add to my merriment, she reminded me that I don't have an iPad: In my day, such insolence would have ...
So, this week I started working next to this little joint. You may have seen it before. [IMG: Parliament] For those of you who haven't, you're probably in the wrong place, and should retrace your steps back to whatever internet backwater you normally inhabit. The Palace of Westminster is just as weird and wonderful as everyone tells you it will be when you are considering working there. I work in an office in Portcullis House, a modern building that you could easily mistake for general corporate office surroundings, were it not for the many machine-gun toting police officers, the occasional ...
No not that Terry Jones, the pastor of the fifty members of the Dove World Outreach Center. No someone completely different yet who shares the same name as the man who had threatened that tomorrow he was going to have a bonfire of the Korans. Thankfully he changed his mind last night, maybe after hearing these sound words as others seemed to have no effect. But words can be a problem and they dodnt have to be bound in a religious text to be so. That is especially true of the four letter tweetplitive that Patrick Harvey MP types when ...
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. RIP Cyril Smith (10) by The Voice 2. Who will be the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor? (35) by Mark Pack 3. A letter to the Daily Mirror regarding MPs whose former partners now work as prostitutes (38) by Iain Roberts 4. Disaster for Labour as one in five desert the party (46) by Iain Roberts 5. Has Phil Woolas declared himself unfit to be an MP? (10) by Iain Roberts 5 active ...
Boris Johnson (in)famously declared that Wiff Waff (aka Ping Pong or table tennis) was coming home to the London 2012 Olympics, while in Beijing 2 years ago. Well as today he announced he was standing again for Mayor, in the hope of being on hand to welcome 'Ping Pong' home to the dinning tables of England [sic]. He may well have inadvertently announced a new sport. If we can get the IOC to ratify it even better. He said: "I have more chance of being decapitated by a Frisbee [than becoming Prime Minister." The frisbee flingers in Regents or Hyde ...
Here (and hereand here and here) you can see the full "Deirdre's casebook" photo story featuring the young Andy Coulson. It's quite a hoot. Says the Guardian's Media Monkey: Long ago, before Andy Coulson was a Tory spin doctor, before he was even a tabloid editor, and long, long before he was dogged by a phone-hacking scandal that refuses to go away, he was demanding sex five times a day. Or rather, a character expertly portrayed by a youthful Coulson in the Sun's "Deidre's Photo Casebook" and retrieved for posterity by celebrity gossip blogger Samuel Dean, was demanding sex five ...
[IMG: Fruit and vegetables image] This could be your chance... [IMG: Landshare logo] Landshare brings together people who have a passion for home-grown food.It's for people who: · Want to grow veg but don't have anywhere to do it · Have a spare bit of land they're prepared to share · Can help in some way - from sharing knowledge and lending tools to helping out on the plot itself · Support the idea of freeing up more land for growing · Are already growing and want to join in the community Landshare came out of TV's River Cottage. It ...
Over at the New Statesman there is an interesting blog regarding the potential rise a UK version of the American Tea Party movement. It is well worth a read As many people will no doubt know the tea partyers have based their name on the acts of the revolutionaries in Boston who were resisting the Tea Act. In a symbolic move some of the revolutionaries boarded ships in the harbour and dumped boxes of tea into the water. And this one act shows why this movement will never take off over here as everyone in this country knows you add ...
Keighley Town Hall is open to visitors tomorrow from 10 a.m. There's to be a talk by local historian Ian Dewhirst, always entertaining and informative, and some of Keighley's civic silver will be on display. Of course Ian Wilson, Keighley's mayor, will be there. A vintage bus will be taking people to the various other locations around the town. Oh, and the notice board with names of past mayors has been polished up and is all sparkly.
Another great event in the Calendar is the Honey Fair in Conwy, this will be held in Conwy High Street and Lancaster Square on Monday 13th September, between 9am and 4pm. Below is an extract from the fairs website and what they welcome: Honey and hive products. Plants and seeds. Local crafts appropriate to the theme of the Fair, eg. Bees and honey and plants. Home produce: jams, pickles, cakes, pies, fruit etc. Charities selling their own new merchandise or any of the above. High Street shopkeepers' own stalls outside their shops. This Fair dates back more than 700 years ...
I was elected as a councillor for Cheadle & Gatley ward on 10th September 2009 so today marks my first anniversary. Much as I might be tempted to wax lyrical about the last year, I just don't have the time. So I'll have to live with saying that I've thoroughly enjoyed my time as a councillor, with all its challenges. I was re-elected in May with the second highest vote of any councillor in Greater Manchester (note I pick my statistics carefully - my share of the vote, at 52%, wasn't anywhere near the top, but I represent a big ...
Labour were the party with most to be happy about after the 13 Norwich by-elections (or delayed elections) that took place yesterday. The Lib Dems lost one of their two seats to Labour, with the Conservatives losing both of theirs. The Greens, who had hoped for a breakthrough, held five seats but failed to make any gains. The Lib Dems held Eaton ward with an increased share of the vote. Compared to the last time the seats were fought in 2008: Labour finished up three on seven seats The Greens won five seats, the same as in 2008 The Lib ...
As Liberal Democrats we are unique in our commitment to personal freedom. Our battles for liberty have gone hand in hand with a dedication to social progress. We want freedom but not a society that walks on by. Getting this balance right is a central part of our party's policy consultation recently launched by Health Minister Paul Burstow. It asks whether tobacco should be one of the main areas of focus for public health. The answer to this was given very clearly in the inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Smoking and Health, which I chair. We heard ...
Just recieved this via Real Yorkshire's facebook site Hi to all you Freedom attendees, Just to make sure you are all aware there has been a slight error on the Freedom Programme in regards to one of the Park & Rides, Cottingham Road Park & Ride isn't open but the Humber Bridge and Walton Street Park & Rides are!!! Thanks
In 2009/10, we were lucky that, here in Winchester, we had a Mayor who cared passionately about homelessness and raised a large amount to support local homelessness charities. This is the film that was made to support Dominic's campaign. [IMG: media] [See post to watch Flash video] To support homeless people in Winchester, you can donate online to Trinity or to the Nightshelter – and both organisations are also always looking for volunteers. Two other organisations are also actively helping homeless people locally: Emmaus and the Winchester branch of the Salvation Army.
In my previous coverage about the plans for a new theatre on Clifton Terrace, to be called the Park Theatre, I've not touched on the height of the proposal. One of the reasons the plans involve a building taller than the current structure on the site is that Islington Council had previously granted planning permission for the neighbouring site on the road to go higher also. In fact, the whole area is due to get taller as over the road the plans for the John Jones site also call for the existing buildings to be replaced with much taller ones, ...
Sarah Teather, Minister for Children and Families, today reasserted the Coalition's commitment to end child detention. In an article for LibDemVoice she wrote: "Before the election the Liberal Democrats were the only party calling for this disgraceful practice to be stopped and that commitment was written into the coalition agreement. And Nick Clegg has already announced the closure of the family detention facilities at Yarl's Wood. The question now is how we bring this practice to an end. That is what the Government is looking at right now. We have to be careful not to rush into this as we ...
My favourite artist Annemarie Wright - http://www.annemarie-wright.com/ - has done a new piece.
There's much that's controversial about university finance, but one aspect most politicians agree on is that the higher education sector has to become more self-reliant, for example by establishing Ivy League-style professional fundraising here in the UK. In the 2007 Lib Dem leadership contest, for example, better fundraising was the chief answer Chris Huhne offered in answer to my question about whether if elected he would seek to drop the party's commitment to opposing tuition and top-up fees. But there's an explicit tension here. Part of the reason US higher education fundraising works so well is because everyone knows university ...
Vince Cable has announced today that the Government will be bringing forward legislation to allow privatisation or part privatisation of Royal Mail. Royal Mail is in a mess it's market has never been more competitive and is shrinking dramatically every year, yet costs are rising and they desperately need to invest in new sorting equipment etc. This should not be about ideology but about ensuring an important public service has the most appropriate environment in which to survive and thrive. And then there is the Royal Mail Pension fund deficit. Currently standing at £8 billion action is needed to plug ...
Today the Ed Balls brigade rolled into Cornwall, and took a play right of the Blair hand book by picking up a musical instrument. The former PM famously played his guitar in public, having been a member of student band Ugly Rumours while at Oxford. Mr Balls played the dubious choice of The Darkness' 'I believe in a thing called love' with his pen pal David Evans, who contacted the MP 3 years ago about the problems he encounters as a result of suffering from Aspergers Syndrome. David's guitar playing seems pretty good, but Ed Balls seems ever so slightly ...
[IMG: Rosemarie Hollinghurst at party in Aldbury] Last night's party in Aldbury's Memorial Hall gave victorious by-election candidate, Cllr Rosemarie Hollinghurst, the chance to say "Thank You!" to party workers and supporters whose work (and votes!) made this important Lib Dem advance possible. She mentioned how touched she was by the support she'd received but she had been elected to do a job of work and was feeling the weight of responsibility beginning to settle on her shoulders. Already casework from residents was coming in, she'd had a chance to talk to DBC officers at the Civic Centre and been ...
With Summer barely over I'm afraid the eyes of the County have already started to focus in on Winter as it completes it's review of gritting. Following on from last years heavy snowfall the County Council has decided to "trim" the Gritting Network as a way of conserving resources and lowering costs. For us in King's Hedges the only change of note is that St. Kilda Avenue (between Campkin Road and King's Hedges Road) has been removed from the gritting network. Despite the inconvience for local residents it does seem to make sense - both Campkin Road and King's Hedges ...
The Stockport Express is reporting a robbery last night from Tesco Cheadle A knife-wielding robber threatened staff at Tesco in Cheadle last night, stealing around £800. He is described as white, slim build, about 5ft 9in - 5ft 10in and wearing all black.with his face covered with a hood and the balaclava. Anyone with information can contact Stockport CID on 856 9740 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Storming out of a town hall or Assembly chamber in protest is not something I would generally recommend – although in extreme cases there is a case for doing so as I found out earlier this year. However walking out and knowing that you will stop all business is a very different matter, yet this is what is now taking place at City Hall on a very regular basis. In the last year there have been several occasions when the whole Conservative Group has just got up and left halfway through meetings of the London Assembly, when they don't agree ...
The views of residents and local organisations are being sought by St Albans City and District Council on a draft document which defines the character and appearance of St Albans Conservation Area. The document - the Conservation Area Character Statement for St Albans - is available on the homepage of the Council's website at: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk , listed under the 'Engage with us' section. For those without internet access, hard copies are also available to view at the Council Offices or at St Albans Central Library, The Maltings, Chequer Street, St Albans. Conservation Areas are areas that are considered by the ...
Fri 10th
12:00
YouGov/CASE poll shows huge potential for growth in university fundraising (the glass half-full view...
A report which begins, Only 2 per cent of the British population has ever thought of donating money to universities, might not, at first glance, be thought to be great news for university fundraising. Let me persuade you why I think it is. First, the context. The report, in the THES, is based on a YouGov poll commissioned by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Europe. More importantly, it was a poll of more than 2,000 people, half of whom had experience of university. Now this matters because the vast majority of folk who are likely ...
There can be little doubt that history will judge the Thatcher privatisations badly. On the one hand, there is the unavoidable conclusion that her dream of a shareholding society was an utter failure, twinned with the exquisite irony that someone whose foreign policy was so coloured by a war about stopping the Germans conquering Britain should have worked so hard to sell it to them instead. Equally, while history will reflect that most of the services involved could and probably should have been privatised (it's really only water and the railways in which competition was fundamentally impossible) even those that ...
There's just one week to go to the Liberal Democrat Federal Conference in Liverpool, and so here's a reminder of some of the great events that are happening in the world of local government through the week. You can download a PDF copy of the Local Government Directory from both ALDC and the LGA Liberal Democrats, however a paper copy will also be available in each delegate pack. Throughout the week we have a range of training sessions including essential campaign skills as well as other training for councillors and campaigners from Local Government Leadership and London Councils. The highlights ...
Nick Clegg gave the following speech to the Institute for Government yesterday: Successful governments require a number of ingredients: strong leadership, public support, dedicated ministers, and a good dose of luck, to name but a few. But above all they need a clear sense of purpose. When governments lose sight of their overriding purpose for being in power, the glue that holds them together dissolves. We saw this in the latter years of Labour's time in office. A directionless government, without the underpinning of a clear purpose, inevitably ended in factionalism, intrigue and bankruptcy. This is a mistake we will ...
This is an actual Ad from a few years back for the Ukrainian army. Enjoy
The other day, the Tory Bear blog ran a story about its Editor's experience having infiltrated David Miliband's Movement for Change. This was not just a good read from a blogger not normally so compatible with VN, there is a more serious point for David Miliband than a Conservative infiltrator. After retiring his Tony Blair impression, Miliband D's entire campaign seems to a very poorly concocted attempt to be Labour and Britain's Barack Obama. 'Movement for Change' is no 'Organising for America'. The point of OFA was that it engaged new people, all David Miliband has done is crammed the ...
What I am about to say may be controversial to some people but bare with me for what I am about to say comes from a desire to get better service for users of public services and not as a ... Continue reading →
Some good news from the Cato Institute today. Back issues of The Libertarian Review are now available online. Over on the Cato-at-Liberty blog, David Boaz explains the significance of the magazine and points to some highlights. Enjoy.
The Taxpayers Alliance have got their calculator out again, this time to spuriously calculate the 'cost to taxpayers' of public employees being allowed to take part in Union business. But, this got me thinking about what the cost to the public sector – and hence the taxpayer – of the Taxpayers Alliance might be. Let's ...
what you are seeing from me tonight is what everyone else outside thise doors is going to get over these next 8 weeks - OH NO! HT: pseudograph & tom Watson
This morning winter fired its first warning shots across my bows when I woke up and faced the early morning tram journey with the cold weather having it's first bite. It is incredible how quickly the weather has gone from being so hot that sleeping was an issue, to waking up and feeling that it is just a bit too cold to get out of bed, in only a few weeks. It certainly shows signs of what is to
The next meeting of the Liason Forum will be help in Orchard Park Community Centre on Thursday 16th September at 7pm. I've attached the previous meeting minutes and the agenda for the next meeting. If you have any "guided busway"-related issues you'd like either myself or any of the other local Councillors to raise please let me know. 20100520 The Busway Local Liaison Forum Meeting Minutes.pdf 28k Download 20100916 The Busway Local Liaison Forum Agenda.pdf 9k Download
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 a review of a book first published in 2008 which is still going strong. Should politicians blog? Does it matter if a local party has a website that allows comments or not? Is ...
This week has seen the Labour party sink to an all time low. They have voted against what a few months ago was their policy and voted against the historical principles that lead to their own creation. I appreciate that this is dangerous territory for a Liberal Democrat. As part of a coalition we have made compromises in government, but not in what we believe. This week Tory MPs have voted in favour of a referendum on electoral reform, something they opposed during the election. They haven't changed their view, simply accept it is part of an agreement. Liberal Democrats ...
As everyone knows, I am no fan of Labour or the Labour Party, however I do have time for Chris Bryant MP - yes, he is in my opinion the best looking MP in the Commons. To add balance, I have no time whatsoever for Kay Burley, she does not get the situations she is placed in by her employers. I have blogged before about Kay Burley's unprofessional attitude - Sky News Kay Burley - reporter, presenter, journalist or bully? - do go and have a read and then watch the video. Now you have done that you can watch ...
The Independent today has a most worrying article, it claims the discovery in Britain of a 'killer shrimp' that could wipe out the native brown shrimp and thus devastate the 'potted shrimp' industry in Southport. The paper reports:A particularly voracious and aggressive predator, Dikerogammarus villosus preys on a range of invertebrates, particularly native shrimps and young fish, sometimes causing their extinction. It tends to dominate its habitat, killing and maiming unselectively.Its aggression - it bites and shreds its prey to death but often leaves it uneaten - is matched by its versatility, and it can survive fluctuations in temperature, salinity ...
With a special election court due to begin sitting in Oldham East and Saddleworth on Monday to decide whether Phil Woolas broke election law in statements made about his opponent, it seems Labour are already preparing to lose the case. ... Continue reading →
Last week erstwhile Hispania Racing driver Karun Chandhok, one of the most pleasant people ever in F1, who has been temporarily ejected from his race seat in favour of Sakon Yamamoto, took advantage of the spare time to nip over to Korea and test drive a Red Bull round the new grand prix circuit. Those nice people at Autosport have put his onboard video up on You Tube so we can all get a look at the new track Judge for yourself, but it looks like there's a heck of a lot still to be done, bearing in mind that ...
Probably, like so many people who are outside this debate - looking in, so to speak, I struggle between the fundamentals and the practicalities. The laudable ideals of choice, diversity and local initiatives on the one hand and the practicalities of catchment areas, uniform standards and economies of scale on the other. Either way those that can will travel to get their children to the best rated school (at the time) whether by moving house or by liberal use of their proverbial 4x4's. The choice genie is out of the bottle and the neighbourhood comprehensive ideals undermined. What is and ...
So there's this pastor in America who, for weeks, has been talking loudly about holding a book-burning, specifically of the Qu'ran, on the anniversary of Sept 11. He's now apparently semi-backed down (it was off; now it's "postponed rather than cancelled"). Two things here. First is that this guy, who has a flock of maybe 50 nutjobs in his congregation, has had world leaders, four-star generals and even Sarah Palin personally appealling to him to pull the plug. He's been on 24 hour news non-stop for the last week or two, exploding his pulpit. Second is that, in this country, ...
This afternoon while I was visiting the capital, I had a cheque that needed to be trusted to the servants of Her Majesty's Posts. I visited the Post Office next to St James's Park Underground Station and came across another 'customer experience improvement scheme'. Gone are the days of the good old British queue. Now ...
Lots of Good work from my LibDem colleagues on Manchester Day. It is one of the clearest signs that Manchester is not facing up to its financial responsibilities, but providing vanity projects for Pat Karney & Mike Amesbury. A secret report from MORI has contradicted official Council figures regarding the economic benefits of "Manchester Day" The report from MORI has used an estimate that 40,000 people attended the event. The Council still estimate 75,000. The Council estimate that £5.7million was spent because of the the parade. MORI's figure is closer to £2million. The Council refused to ask MORI to asked ...
Personally, I rely on predictive text a lot when I am sending texts on my mobile phone but it can lead to some unintentional clangers. I am not so sure though about the latest innovations from Google. They have launched two services that aim to suggest what we might be about to think next. Google Scribe tries to complete sentences via a pop-up menu of likely options, while Google Instant transforms the process of searching the web, with pages of results changing automatically as we type: Scribe is one of many tools that has emerged from the research wing Google ...
Recess continues to be as busy as ever with a morning spent in the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff Bay yesterday so as to catch up on correspondence, followed by a visit to Tŷ Waunarlwydd, a residential home for dementia sufferers and one of the best in the United Kingdom. I was fascinated by the way that staff utilise the long term memories of residents to improve the quality of their life. It is a model that is still developing but has already had the seal of approval of some influential national organisations. The evening was spent at a very busy ...
Well, I think it's good!
Two vacancies on the soon to be abolished Audit Commission have just been advertised, seeking people willing to do 3 days a month work in return for an annual salary of £14,358. [IMG: Audit Commission] That generous salary for someone helping to head up a body aimed at ensuring value for money might raise eyebrows at any time, but given that the Audit Commission's audit practice is due to be moved into private hands in two years time it is particularly generous. Because who is going to be in a prime position to take up very well remunerated roles at ...
It seems that the advent of a new liberally-inclined government has failed to stem the growth of the Big Brother society after all. In Flintshire at least it is alive and well at every school crossing place. The Daily Post reports that cameras are being hidden in traffic lollipops to catch out dangerous and careless motorists who fail to stop at a crossing, by providing evidence on film: The scheme is being trialled for the first time in Wales in Flintshire, where the council says the aim is to make children's journeys to school safer. But last night the Automobile ...
This morning's Western Mail reports on a row around the Plaid Cymru Conference in Aberystwyth and their invitation to a senior politician from the controversial Flemish Nationalist party to speak at its get-together. Tomorrow MEP Frieda Brepoels will address Plaid delegates in Aberystwyth. Her party Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliante (New Flemish Alliance), which became the biggest party in Belgium after a general election earlier this year, has been accused of promoting discriminatory policies in favour of Flemish speakers. Ms Brepoels sits in the same European political grouping, the European Free Alliance, as Plaid's MEP Jill Evans, who is about to take over ...
I am spitting nails this morning at the travesty of justice that is the 2010 Carbuncle Award. I can't believe that John O'Groats has been awarded the title of the most dismal place in Scotland. I already expressed my horror at its inclusion on the shortlist, along with the beautiful highland capital of Inverness. Ok, it doesn't have a boutique hotel, or a Starbucks, or a whomping big theme park, but does it really matter that much? There is potential for improvement, but surely to goodness all you need there is a pair of binoculars to see the wildlife - ...
After what is being labelled "45%-gate", Stephen Curry and Evan Harris figure out how excellent British science is - or isn't On Wednesday morning on the Today Programme business secretary Vince Cable said: "Something like 45% of the research grants that were going through were to research that was not of excellent standard so we are going to have to set the bar higher." Some listeners might have been left with the impression that almost half of the money that the UK taxpayer spends on grants to support scientific research fails to provide value for money or is wasted on ...
I know it is being suggested by a female MP. I know it's aim is to get more women into Parliament. But is the idea from Caroline Lucas, the Green Party leader, to allow job sharing MPs not inherently sexist. She s suggesting that people should be allowed to stand as a pair of representatives. Her aim to lift the ability of women to represent the people in the commons. While her aims are noble, does not the suggestion that women are not able to work in Westminster because of the hours of commitment to do so full time a ...
Yesterday I got an email from Billy Bragg! He's very committed to electoral reform and concerend that the next Labour leader will be someone who is in favour of fair votes. Yesterday I reported the words of the judge who has sent three Bradford Tory ...
Can you come along to the wild flower meadow and Gatley Carrs This Thursday, 16th September, at 10.30am . The Gatley Carrs Conservation Group are looking for extra hands to help with clearing the cut grass etc. from the wild flower meadow Just come along and help for an hour or two. Pitchforks will be provided! The more people who can help, the easier it will be. See the map below View Cheadle and Gatley in a larger map
The constant invasions of the state into affairs that are purely personal is a matter of critical public debate worldwide in these early years of the millennium. The Chinese state, historically, gave its citizens few if any defences. At the benign extreme, this led to a rather bland social consensus dictated by state approved Neo-Confucianism; at the other, the murderous horrors of the "Great Leap Forward" and the Cultural Revolution. Even at the highest level of the Chinese Communist Party, there is a recognition that the rights of the individual should be given a lot more voice- indeed there is ...
@stephenpglenn Photos! We need photos! in reply to stephenpglenn # @willperrin Oooh, very useful - thanks for sharing that in reply to willperrin # So Google Priority Inbox basically does what I've always done anyway? Not sure to be pleased or worried... # @simoncollister I'd recommend http://amzn.to/csDnBj (see my review there as to why relevant for online comms) in reply to simoncollister # Everybody's talking about the frank words on p262: http://t.co/mpVUvct # Women's magazine drops celebs and models in favour of "real women" http://ldv.org.uk/20964 # Order in more pizza; the Indy's advertised tonight's meeting [IMG: :)] http://flic.kr/p/8xL1uC # The ...
Via my Feedjit link I noticed someone found this blog by searching for Carl Minns age. The answer is I am 35 in October and you can even buy yourself into my celebrations via my much longed after present A trip into space :-)
broadcast aniversaries 10th September 1966: broadcast of first episode of The Smugglers, starting the original Season 4. Polly and Ben are astonished to discover that the Tardis is more than a police box, and incredulous at being transported to the late eighteenth century. The local churchwarden gives them a cryptic message and is promptly murdered; Ben and Polly are arrested by the locals, and the Doctor captured by pirates. 10th September 1977: broadcast of episode 2 of Horror of Fang Rock. The shipwreck survivors reach the lighthouse, but an unseen presence is stalking them... 10th September 1993: radio broadcast of ...
For 3 nights only, the 11th Sandgrounder Beer Festival is in action at the Scarisbrick Hotel. Southport and District CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) have organised this wonderful event which includes over 50 different beers, fruit wines and ciders, and at only £3 entrance (or free for CAMRA members) it's an event not to be missed. CAMRA campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. Their overall aims include protecting and improving consumer rights, seeking improvements in all licensed premises and promoting quality, choice and value for money. This great event is open noon-11pm Friday and Saturday, and my ...
I can't believe how many meetings I've been to this week. I make it eleven! I'd like to be able to assure you that they were all for your benefit - and of course that was the aim, at least, of many of them - but the truth is that often what I am doing there is little more than keeping the machine running. Planning decisions have to be made, there has to be a taxi licensing policy, and often if progress is to be made a lot of people have to do a little talking and a lot of ...
The Visitor, the local Morecambe newspaper, has reported that the six Morecambe Bay Independent councillors who were accused by their former colleague Evelyn Archer of bullying the former town clerk have been cleared. "An independent standards investigator found that June Ashworth, David Kerr, Shirley Burns, Geoff Marsland, Tony Wade and Roger Dennison had not behaved improperly towards Vicky Errington, who was sacked from her role as the first ever Morecambe Town Council clerk in April. Evelyn Archer, ex-leader of the town council, had alleged that the six members had bullied Ms Errington and treated her without respect." So what actually ...
[IMG: Armand Edwards and Nicholas Coombes at Bathwick St. Mary's] This weekend the St. Mary's Bathwick Festival celebrates the 175th anniversary of the incorporation of the parish of Bathwick into the City of Bath. The parish magazine advertises a Sung Eucharist with 'Party' refreshments afterwards. A colourful Civic Occasion as we welcome dignitaries from 'over the river' and release 175 balloons. The Mayor will be there, as will the Charter Trustees (city councillors) including me - I suspect that we may be the dignitaries from 'over the river'. Living on Bathwick Hill I may disappoint on the location criteria, but ...
