The last day of a conference has always felt like a wake for me. After days of enjoyment in great company and contributing to the future well-being of my party, it really is a sad feeling to have to tear myself away from what I see as my extended family. Vince Cable The day began with the obligatory packing which automatically puts you into 'Goodbye' mode. After leaving my bags in the hotel storage, I made my way to the conference auditorium in the Echo Arena for the final time to hear Vince Cable's key note speech as Secretary of ...
Random coincidences can be cool. I recently reread Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama for the first time since I was a kid, and read Niven's Ringworld for the first time ever. Today, I started to read Eric Brown's Helix. Then I twigged the common theme. I don't normally go for BDO/megastructure themed stories, but have really enjoyed the first two; both are flawed and dated in some social attitudes, although Rama was surprisingly progressive in some areas. But apart from Orbitsville, which I reread a decade ago and decided not to do so again (always a risk when you re-encounter something ...
... my understanding of Keynesian economics is that you run a budget surplus in the good times, so that you have a stack of money to spend in any downturn - to keep the economy going. I am sure there's more to it than that, but that's the basic argument, isn't it? Those opposed to the drive to cut the budget deficit argue that we need to keep spending to prop up the economy. The accusation they throw at the Coalition is that it isn't continuing with this Keynesian approach and the cuts will gut the recovery. Leaving aside the ...
The veteranm foreign correspondent James Cameron died 25 yeara ago and the world of journalism has changed unrecognisably in the interim. That fact was marked in a lecture by the Vice-President at Large of the Washington Post newspaper, Leonard Downie Jr, at City University, London, this evening. It is not just the speed of news transmission ...
WSCC are proposing some new safety measures for the A264 Moat Rd / Holtye Rd. There is an exhibition on 14th October at East Court, East Grinstead to get public reaction. Full details
I want to write more about the Robin Hood Tax, but my full social programme calls. So please watch this video for the time being...
Conference was different this year from the moment I arrived. For starters, we couldn't take the road to the hotel because it was blocked off by a police car, and there were masses of police and cars by the multi-storey car park. "That's being in government," I said to my wife. It took a little time for her to recognise what I meant . There was no doubt about the new significance of a Lib Dem conference next morning as a phalanx of police crossed the dock to take up position round the Convention Centre. Getting in oneself was like ...
When the question is asked that way, one is tempted to reply in the spirit of Wendy Cope: When they ask me, "Who's your favourite poet?", I'd better not mention you. Though you certainly are my favourite poet And I like your poems too.Rest assured that if you are a writer, and you know me well enough to be reading this, you probably fall into that category, if not quite in the biblical sense that Wendy Cope probably had in mind. Anyway, I have a lot of favourite writers, in the sense of people whose works I like rather than ...
This lunchtime I went to a panel discussion at the UN Church Center. As, for once, I managed to take a reasonable photograph indoors, I am posting it here. The panel, from left to right, consisted of Adelaide Sosseh, Co-Chair, Global Call to Action Against Poverty; Colm O Cuanachain, Senior Director, Amnesty International; Gemma Adaba, UN Representative, International Trade Union Confederation; Lucy Mulenkei, African Indigenous Women's Organisation; Joanna Kerr, Chief Executive, Action Aid; Ray Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America. They had come together to give an NGO response to the progress of the Millennium Development Goals Summit. They generally called for ...
This Saturday we will know who has been elected the leader of the Labour party. Whoever wins faces the challenge that all opposition parties face after having lost an election. Should the party return to its heartlands and secure the core vote or do you fight on the ground set down by the government? The danger of going after the core vote is that you ignore everyone else. The challenge of fighting on the ground chosen by your opponent is that you are immediately at a disadvantage. How do you articulate a distinctive narrative when the voters quite like what ...
Sometimes, gentle readers, you disappoint me. Yesterday, for instance, the most popular story on this blog was the one about the Water Aid giant poo being banned from various locations around the New York summit. Well, if that's what you want...
There has been far more media interest and coverage of the Liberal Democrat conference than ever before. From now on the party will be under far more press scrutiny. In time this could work to its advantage as the more that is written about the party, the more people will feel it is part of the body politic and not a repository for a protest vote. It may have the opposite effect of course. Making sure the party goes up in the polls is the challenge for all the ministers, backbench MPs and communicators who work for the party.
[IMG: what democracy1] [IMG: democracy ruled out2] [IMG: democracy ruled out3]
We had some good news on child road accidents in Stockport: not a single child was killed or seriously injured in a road accident in the first four months of this year, and the full year figures show road deaths have halved over the last decade in the borough. As always with statistics, the good news story is slightly complex under the covers, but there's a lot of work going into teaching children road safety - and especially the all-important year seven (11 year olds just starting at secondary school) - which seems to be paying off.
And so, it is farewell from me, the outgoing First Husband, and El Presidente, at least as far as Federal Conference is concerned. On the other hand, if you're in Devon & Cornwall, Western Counties, the East Midlands, the East of England, Plymouth, Bury St Edmonds, Huntingdon, Harwich & North Essex, Copeland & Workington, Cardiff, Stirling or West Aberdeenshire, or attending the ELDR Congress in Helsinki, we'll see you there. The last day of Federal Conference did not go entirely as I had hoped. My plan to have Ros accompanied on stage by two Imperial stormtroopers to the tune of ...
Part One : Part Two :
Wed 22nd
19:46
A land value tax is all very well, but it must be coupled with planning reform to be fair
I don't normally defend property speculators, but there's an important concern that Vince's endorsement of a land value tax in his speech fails to address. It's the corollary of the little old lady argument; that LVT is unfair because it could potentially force out a little old lady who lives in a house that's been ...
The thousands of Lib Dem members who made it to Liverpool this week for the party conference will be arriving home now, probably tired, in need of a healthy square meal, and perhaps a tad hungover. Here's your opportunity to tell Voice readers what you made of it all: the highlights (and any lowpoints), the surprises (and disappointments)... in fact, anything you like. The Guardian's Andrew Sparrow, who's been live-blogging the conference all week, has set out his '10 things I've learned from the Lib Dem conference' here (you'll need to scroll a bit down the page). They're well worth ...
Spare a thought for poor Edwina Hart, Health Minister in the Welsh Assembly. Not only are her coalition partners unhappy with her performance - Wrecsam Plaid noting that:There is increasing concern across Wales about the inefficiencies and waste within NHS Wales, it's seven Health Boards and their multi billion pound budgets. The concern also extends to a perceived lack of accountability of a dictatorial Minister of Health and an inability to scrutinise and challenge decisions of Health Boards on a local level because there are no elected members on the Health Boards. but it seems that she has a bit ...
It really isn't my attempt to get at Stonewall again it is just a coincidence. When David Laws came out Ben Summerskill took to the air waves and print media saying that gay men who stayed in the closet didn't deserve the same degree of support and sympathy of an organisation such a Stonewall. Reading the news today, while I was sitting waiting for Mícheál coming out of an appointment at the Royal Victoria Hospital, of David Law's latest statement I think it needs revisiting. He says he has 'lost the hunger' and is 'unwilling to return to the Government' ...
It is always disappointing to learn of a defection from the Lib Dems just as it is pleasing to learn of defections to us. Alas, I have to give you the disappointing news. Yvonne McNicol, councillor for the neighbouring ward to mine, has jumped ship to sit as a Labour councillor. It's a pity she never at any point raised concerns with us. I had counted her as a friend and as someone who worked
The Government is starting a green revolution with the most ambitious energy-saving plan ever put forward, Environment Secretary Chris Huhne said at Lib Dem Conference yesterday. "We are pioneering new ways of turning this government into the greenest ever" Chris said. "Our homes are responsible for a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions, because they leak heat like a sieve. We use more energy to heat our homes than Sweden, where it's seven degrees colder in January. We might as well be standing outside burning 50 pound notes." "By stopping this waste, we can make big savings on bills, and ...
"We have punched above our weight in government because we have a democratic party which has clear principles and policies" said Vince Cable in his keynote conference speech today. "In a few short months we have showed how we can advance our party's policies and principles while serving the wider national interest. But we need to sell this message. The Tories will not do that for us. We have to do it ourselves. That means focus leaflets and doorsteps. That means you. We need you. All of you." Vince also attacked Labour's record on the economy, saying: "We know that ...
According to page 16 of the One Wales agreement:"Working together, we will create new tools to ensure that housing is affordable in the areas of most severe housing pressure. We will also ensure that the supply of affordable housing increases by at least 6,500 over the next four years."4,235 houses have been built. According to Plaid this shows that they are on course to meet the commitment. Over the same period 1,900 houses have been sold or demolished. This gives a net increase of 2,335. This is the figure the Welsh Lib Dems are using. Who is right? While I ...
It's worth having a look at the excellent St Ives Liberal Democrats blog. The lay-out is excellent, on WordPress, and it provides an excellent coverage of St Ives local events. It's good to see such a WordPress blog lay-out being used by a local party to supplement the usual local party site and local MP site. Well done St Ives LibDems!
One of the fridge meetings I attended at the Liberal Democrat conference was a debate asking if the coalition was the correct thing to do. During this discussion I learnt that Nick Clegg had changed his email because he was not receiving some important emails from the filter of White Hall officials. I also learnt that some believed Lib Dems had not been provided with the same resources as others. This demostrates that our civil service is not setup for a coalition (not a shock I know). Nor is the Lib Dem party organised for a coalition, a party that ...
If you've found yourself stuck in long queues at the Stove Road/Badminton Road junction lights, there is hope that the problems may be fixed soon. When Claire Young passed on complaints from residents, they informed her that all the vehicle detecting loops for the traffic signals are damaged. Although Siemens have made some temporary alterations to alleviate the situation, they have only been partially successful and the traffic signals are not functioning at their optimum. The loops will be repaired in October when Badminton Road is resurfaced.
Chris Moyles this morning on the BBC Radio One Breakfast show revealed that he hadn't been paid for two months. As much as I don't like the guy (I think he's talentless and a waste of space) I can completely understand his anger and frustration. However it turned into a 25 minute rant about something ...
Having been falling asleep on the number 4a bus on the way home from the appointments of the day, I was very much awake when the bus driver let one person off at our stop, but then proceeded to drive on without letting myself, and my two escorts off as well – indeed we were ...
Nick Clegg was not around for the whole of the Lib Dem conference this year. After giving his keynote address he got on a plane and flew to New York, as the UK's most senior representative to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Review Summit. The MDGs were agreed in 2000, and signed by world leaders from 189 nations, pledging to halve extreme poverty by 2015. However, a decade later the MDGs are badly off-track. The MDGs Review Summit is a chance to accelerate progress and keep the promise to the world's poor. Nick Clegg made his first UK public ...
Our final podcast from the conference floor was the penultimate session, a Q&A with cabinet ministers Danny Alexander, Chris Huhne, Michael Moore and Vince Cable. The last session at Lib Dem conference is usually reserved for the Leader's Speech – but that was not possible this time as Nick Clegg had to fly out to the UN. It's quite a shock for Liberal Democrats to get to quizz cabinet ministers, but it's something they took in their stride with relative ease. This was taped from the reserved press section – and it's interesting that over a dozen journalists had stayed ...
The general low-key nature of Liverpool Conference has been mirrored somewhat here; in past years, the Conference season would have led to reams of polemic on this blog, whereas this time around it has been hard, and much of the time impossible, to muster up any kind of enthusiasm for anything our Dear Leader has been coming out with as he cosies up closer to his new-found chums (just be careful if they offer you a biscuit, Nick). Indeed his pre-conference speech regarding so-called "benefits culture" wouldn't have been out of place coming from a Tory; Clegg's "engine of mobility" ...
At last, a lib dem on the panel this week. And its Uncle Vince. Hurrah! Its quite a good panel, so I am actually looking forward to it. As long as Mehdi Hasan can control himself. He was very vocal last time. Other panellists are John Redwood, Caroline Flint (labour bingo #forgemasters pre-warning) and Ian Hislop. If I remember I will join in the live chat on Matt Ravens blog If not, I'll be tweeting. Check out the #bbcqt hashtag. Probably both! And bets are on that Mr Dimbleby will be wearing Spider Tie. I hope that Question Time continues ...
Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has written to the First Minister demanding that he investigates the accusation that his Health Minister knowingly misled the Assembly over the work commissioned by McKinsey and Company. The letter is reproduced below: Dear Carwyn, My concerns about the Health Minister knowingly misleading the Assembly Yesterday, during First Minister's questions, you confirmed that you expect all your ministers to conform to the Ministerial Code of conduct, which states that: It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to the Assembly, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. ...
Before I came over here I quoted from the new Liberal Democrat document Accountability to the Poor (which was subsequently approved as party policy at our Conference in Liverpool), applauding its emphasis on the importance of political reform in furthering development. I have just been to a session here at the UN Week Digital Media Lounge at the 92Y which suggests that another central liberal belief - the importance of a free press - is relevant to development too. The session was entitled "Media Development" and looked in particular at the Media Map Project and various attempts to measure how ...
Another week of mystery (will the media report anything like what's actually going on?) and suspense (will Millennium finally win the Blogger of the Year Award?) has drawn to a close with outgoing President Ros Scott's final set-piece speech to Liberal Democrat Conference. Yet one of the biggest questions remains unanswered. Why is Ros not standing for another term of office? Conspiracy theories abound as she returns to her village (no, not that Village, as she hasn't technically resigned). Well, I saw her just now at Jury's Inn Hotel before she left, and I can exclusively reveal her new vocation, ...
Following requests I made on behalf of local residents and businesses, Cornwall Council has acted to take out the parking bays outside the old Newport Post Office. These have been replaced with double yellow lines. Hopefully this will stop people from parking here and blocking the very busy traffic on St Thomas Road. Many thanks to Oliver Jones and his team at the Highways Department for their work on this.
I have read this on the KambingBujang blog 'Why Introducing Baby Hatch Is A Really Bad Idea'.'The Baby Hatch has been introduced in Malaysia. Yes. Another step, I shall say giant step, toward higher society; to make our country a better place. The statistic showed that dumping the babies cases are surprisingly increasing every year, where 407 babies were abandoned throughout 2005 to 2008.'It's not that I think a baby hatch is a bad idea. It's just that it's a shame that one is required. What is also a shame is that this blogger is more worried about Islamic image. ...
Recent years have seen a consistent stream of conference reports on 'splits' within the party. With Coalition, and more interest in the party than ever before, has the media finally learned how to read our public disagreements? Do the media now 'get' conference? Whilst Labour and Tory conferences are stage-managed affairs, with policy arguments taking place behind closed doors, the liberal approach is to discuss and debate in the open. The way Liberal Democrats make policy - and the power we members have to shape our movement - is reflective our commitment both to transparency and to democracy. But public ...
I mentioned last month that I was returning officer in the selection of the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for the new North Angus and Mearns seat for the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary Election. Nearly 40% of the new seat comes from the current Liberal Democrat West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine seat with its very active LibDem membership and councillor base, so is promising territory for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. From a Liberal Democrat perspective, the new seat is also helped by the fact that in the "non Mearns part" that is not in the current West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, there is also ...
Ever since the mid-point of the general election, Vince Cable seems to have been on a downward political spiral. Impossible to keep out of the Cabinet, but nonetheless losing influence. If anyone seriously believed that was the case then today's speech to party conference will have put them right. Paul Waugh described the speech as 'political viagra' and it certainly put delegates in the mood. This was a tour de force that sent Lib Dem activists away wondering why they ever harboured any doubts about 'The Sage'. It had the jokes and the ritualistic abuse, but was also a very ...
This is the first opportunity I have had to get a post written since I was on my way to conference on Saturday. I am now back on the train, waiting to leave Liverpool and head home.I predicted previously that the media would report on a different conference to our own despite journalists attending in record numbers. What news coverage I saw suggests the party was in uproar over the coalition. My
It's almost that time of the week when otherwise sane people actually choose to watch politicians and low ranking celebrities argue. This week it's being recorded in Liverpool, scene of the recent Lib Dem conference.. On the panel this week are: Vince Cable @vincecable MP for Twickenham, Business Secretary, ballroom dancer extraordinaire, sage of Yoda-like renown and national treasure Caroline Flint MP for Don Valley John Redwood@johnredwood MP for Wokingham, Vulcan Ian Hislop Editor of Private Eye Mehdi Hasan (@ns_mehdihasan) Senior Editor (Politics) at the New Statesman magazine Having Ian Hislop and Mehdi Hasan together on the panel should be ...
The public inquiry relative to the proposed stopping up order at the west end of Hillside Terrace (next to Wimberley Houses) started at the Invercarse Hotel this morning. I attended the first part of the inquiry this morning. Details of the case can be read on the Scottish Government Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals website by following this link - http://tinyurl.com/hillsidestoppingup - where the Reporter's decision will appear in due course.
[IMG: macmillan support] I get a fair few requests to mention this and that and if I have the time sometimes I will, however usually these are things that are of interest or importance to my myself, I've probably left this a little late to mention and nobody's asked me, but its important to me, every year Macmillan cancer support hold their "Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning" it's this Friday the 24th September. It was a Macmillan nurse who had the time and skill to explain the severity of my eldest sister's illness, herself a nurse/midwife, simple enough I suppose but ...
News of two motions passed by Lib Dem conference today... Diversity: Hughes to propose "radical changes" to promote candidate diversity Simon Hughes, the party's deputy leader, commented: "I am glad that Conference agreed today that there will be a full set of proposals for candidate diversity and that we will have the chance to take decisions to change the face and mix of the Liberal Democrats. "I will be presenting a paper to the Party's Federal Executive next month which will propose radical changes in the way we select our candidates. "This proposal will include the aim that half our ...
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Bob Ross, Technical Director of the Scottish Ju Jitsu Association, to see round their premises in Douglas Street that were formerly part of the Park Mill complex (see the colourful entrance gates - right). Bob and colleagues have put a lot of effort into getting the premises into shape and they hope to have them fully operational for participants of Ju Jitsu and other martial arts early in 2011. Bob is also keen to progress positive diversionary activities around the graffiti issue in the area. It is good to see positive ...
(Disclaimer – I used to work for Vodafone. I don't any more.) A rather nasty flaw with Vodafone's "My Account" service was recently pointed out by Denny de la Haye. Vodafone will quite happily tell you the email address of any customer who has set up the "My Account" facility. [IMG: denny] denny (Denny) Ugh. @VodafoneUK's website exposes my email address to anyone who knows (or randomly enters) my phone number on the 'forgot password' page. On 22-9-2010 13:14:38 from Dabr Vodafone offer a "My Account" facility – http://vodafone.co.uk/myaccount – you can use it to check your bills, manage your ...
Some recommended reading for Lib Dem councillors and local campaigners over the last week. Obviously it's been our conference week, which has no doubt been the most interesting news coverage for most Lib Dems. Others will no doubt do a more comprehensive list of conference news coverage, but three we noticed were: Nick's start of conference interview with the Observer. A podcast of the Nick Clegg Q&A session (a recording to listen to). Nick's speech (to read). The Independent's write up of Nick's speech. And finally The Guardian's Andrew Sparrow's list of 10 things that he has learnt at Lib ...
B is not, I'm afraid, for Blondie, as Made in Scotland suggested it should be on my entry for "A". Instead, I have chosen The Beautiful South, who I used to be a big fan of. I have all their studio albums from "Welcome to..." through to 2000's Painting It Red (with the sole exception of Choke which I used to have on cassette), although since then my interest in them has diminished and, recently, they announced they had split. While their music may not have set pulses racing, I think they were under-rated as a band. Lyrically, their songs ...
The appeal against the Council's decision to refuse a taxi office on High Bank has been dismissed. This is good news because it is hard to think of a less suitable site for 24hr operation involving cars coming and going than the High Bank / Cross Lane junction.
Another diversity motion, another failure, would be my pithy summation of today's debate. I have never been happy about quotas, preferred status or all-anything shortlists, and I had already made my concerns known. The late withdrawal of the paragraph requiring two all-BAME shortlists in winnable seats went some way to addressing those concerns, and what was left, while it had serious flaws, was a genuine response to perceived failings. Unfortunately, the golden rule of achieving radical change was overlooked - you need to build a coalition. Getting Simon Hughes to speak for you and implying that opposition is a vote ...
On Tuesday evening, 'my team' attended a fascinating interview by The Observer with Lord Ashdown ( Paddy) at a fringe event. The interview lasted over an hour, but Paddy is such an entertaining speaker that the event could have gone on for hours and the audience would have been happy. We had decided to arrive an hour early to ...
[IMG: QEPS logo] Good news for local children: Cambridgeshire County Council education officers are recommending the Council's Cabinet to vote for the Queen Edith's Federation to run the new school on Gunhild Way. The councillors in the Cabinet get the final say when they meet next Tuesday - so Queen Edith's nearly home!
Nick Clegg (may he live forever) will be in New York today to make a speech to the United Nations. Speaking to reporters, he has defended the principle of overseas aid in trenchant terms: "It is not an act of naive altruism. There is enlightened self-interest at stake here. "We can't cut ourselves off from the rest of the world. If the rest of the world is susceptible to extremism, conflict, the volatile effects of runaway environmental degradation, it affects us. "It affects us directly. It affects the safety of British families on British streets. It affects the people who ...
It was the speech which revived the Lib Dem conference, oddly listless after Nick Clegg's speech on Monday: Vince Cable's rallying final day speech gave members and activists a real lift, and provided plenty of red meat for the media to chew on. Here's my first impression... Perhaps what was most impressive about Vince's conference speech was how unchanged it was from his usual fare: uncompromising, wise-cracking, punchy, intelligent. The right-wing media has focused on Vince's attacks on capitalism, with the Daily Mail in typically shrill mood, and ConservativeHome giving it the silly billing of 'Red Vince Day'. That's the ...
Bury Council has launched a consultation on the future of Sheltered Housing options for Bury's Council owned sheltered housing. A key problem is that people generally are (understandably) expecting higher and higher standards of housing and facilities provided at sheltered accomodation. Yet by the same score the council has less funds available and an ageing stock of premises. Some may know that when previously Bury planned closures of elderly persons homes I campaigned vigorously against and even accompanied campaigners to the Court of Justice in London. Then and now I firmly believe residents should be treated with the greatest respect, ...
"We have punched above our weight in government because we have a democratic party which has clear principles and policies. In a few short months we have showed how we can advance our party's policies and principles while serving the wider national interest."
Well, you weren't really expecting me to slag off the Almighty Vince, were you? Although I would have done if he'd tried to justify cuts in benefits planned by the Government. Anyway, our favourite economics guru reinforced his position as Official Hero of the Liberal Democrats a few minutes ago with a funny, thoughtful, inclusive speech. Those lovely people at Lib Dem Voice have put the whole thing up here for you to read at your leisure but I thought I'd give you my thoughts on his best bits: He played up to his casting as Karl Marx mark 2 ...
What an absurd comment from the Director General of the CBI, who said of Vince's criticism of corporate behaviour that he looked forward to hearing Vince's proposals for an alternative to capitalism. Well, listen up, Mr Lambert, (he always reads my blog, natch...) because capitalism has always been moderated by a healthy dose of common sense ever since companies started riding roughshod over the interests of individuals and communities. Indeed, that is the mark of a civilised society developed over centuries and while few of us would question the value of free markets, equally few of us outside a Mercedes ...
From Stockport Council: The Mayor of Stockport made a special visit to Stockport Islamic Centre as part of the Council's Pakistan Floods Appeal. Stockport Islamic Centre recently collected around 1,500 Food Boxes to be sent to help the victims of the floods in Pakistan. Local companies have been involved in donating the food and the boxes contain a mixture of dried, tinned and high calorific food as well as fresh water. The Council's Pakistan Flood Appeal is taking place throughout September and aims to raise the profile of the flooding disaster in Pakistan to give borough residents the opportunity to ...
Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference today, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable said: I have come to account to you, Conference, for the work I have been carrying out in the Coalition Government. I have managed to infuriate the bank bosses; acquire a fatwa from the revolutionary guards of the trades union movement; frighten the Daily Telegraph with a progressive graduate payment; and upset very rich people who are trying to dodge British taxes. I must be doing something right. But I am told that I look miserable. I'm sorry, conference, this is my happy face. 'Aren't you ...
Cross posted on Stephen's Liberal Journal A friend of mine following up on my comments about Ben Summerskill's comments at the Diversity fringe meeting at Liberal Democrat conference on Monday sent an email to Stonewall. He received a response which linked to this press statement. He forwarded it to me and I think it requires ...
Liberal Democrats. I look around and I see the faces of so many friends, colleagues, Cabinet Members. Yes – I did just say that – Liberal Democrat members of the Cabinet. Now conference, I was pretty clear at the time as to just what I thought of having an all male all pale team sent to negotiate on our behalves in May. Often for some of us women we get frustrated when we see mediocrity promoted above us. But in this case, they weren't mediocre – our negotiating team did one hell of a job and I thank them all ...
Shirley Williams is my political hero. I had real goosebumps when during the Conference debate on the emergency motion on Trident when the chair asked our 79 year old peer to stand by. When she took to the platform, she started by reminiscing on her own 1981 by-election win for the SDP in Crosby, paying tribute to all those who helped in her campaign. She then went on to basically annihilate the position of the Tories on insisting that Trident is not subject to the scrutiny of the Strategic Defence Review. She made the point that Trident is essentially a ...
I agree with Nick, to repeat a now well-worn phrase, that after our five years in Coalition Government-when we reach the next election in 2015-that Brtain will be back on a firmer economic footing and ensuring that we are fairer/greener/more liberal.
I am not in the hall for this debate. It's too emotive, too difficult, and too painful. Any of you who were watching this, in the hall or elsewhere: Chris Ward said what I would have said, had I been there. It's still the case that a woman has to be twice as good as a man to be thought of as half as good. Within the party and without. It's still the case that possible candidates are told that such and such a constituency isn't ready for a black or a gay or a woman candidate. Gerrymandering candidate lists ...
For me, one of the most interesting moments of the general election campaign came towards the end. It was during a Nick Clegg visit in South London and he was ending in his usual style by conducting interviews with regional journalists. Not being particularly interested in yet more pics of Nick talking to a TV camera, I got back on the bus to edit my pictures. A minute later, a Guardian journalist also got on the bus. I don't think she realised anyone else was there and she started a call on her mobile. The call concerned the Labour leadership ...
Cross posted at Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland A friend of mine following up on my comments about Ben Summerskill's comments at the Diversity fringe meeting on Monday sent an email to Stonewall. He received a response which linked to this press statement. He forwarded it to me and I think it requires Fisking. Press Statement from Stonewall Fisking by Stephen Glenn The story published by PinkNews today is, sadly, a largely dishonest account of what took place at last night's fringe meeting in Liverpool. I took my lead from friends' comments and blogs who were actually there. Multiple sources. ...
It's usual for the conference to end with the leaders speech but because Nick Clegg had to fly to the UN to represent Britain, we had that conference highlight 2 days earlier than normal. So yesterday had a slightly odd feeling to it as the conference continued towards a different to normal conclusion. I had planned to attend the Equal Marriage debate and listen to Simon Hughes' speech. Unfortunately I missed them but I gather the debate went through successfully to give the Liberal Democrats yet another distinctive policy position from that of our coalition colleagues. Exhibitionists I've barely had ...
When is a report not a report? When it is merely a document which was part of a much wider five year framework for the NHS as a whole or just an example of "numerous inputs and analysis" or even when it is a process not a publication. Confused? So are we. Yesterday Kirsty Williams stood up in the chamber and produced a 71 page report on the NHS that has cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds and which the Health Minister has twice denied existed. As the BBC report says: The McKinsey document made public by the Welsh ...
After a brief hiatus during which our podcast host migrated us to an account we hadn't asked for during our busiest week, we can now bring you, in full, the debate on LGBT marriage from Tuesday's conference floor. This debate may not necessarily be of interest to the wider public, but certainly anyone who loves Lib Dem conference will recognise many of the aspects of the debate. Highlights for me include Dr Evan Harris's explanation, in the opening minutes of the debate of his stint as the only openly gay Lib Dem MP despite not actually being gay; the Voice's ...
The Liberal Democrats have been on show this week and we have acquitted ourselves well, with thoughtful, genuine, high quality debates on a range of important issues of the day. So far the highlight for me was the Equal Marriage motion, a subject I feel passionate about. If I'm allowed to marry the person I love, why can't my lesbian and gay friends? I have to say that the few people speaking against to me hadn't understood the motion. There was never any prospect of any religious organisation being compelled to hold same sex marriage ceremonies, merely giving the right ...
I have just been watching Dinti Batstone speak at the Lib Dem conference on flexible working for MPs. Dinti has been promoting this issue for a while and recently she outlined what she has done on Lib Dem voice. I liked her point about how Westminster has double standards on flexible working, bearing in mind that they brought in legislation on flexible working, yet, MPs do not have this option. I have thought about going down the route of standing for Parliament, but my life and that of my family is in Sheffield, and I couldn't spend all that time ...
One of the most thought-provoking fringe events I attended at Lib Dem conference was on asylum policy. Hosted by my new favourite MP Julian Huppert, it featured passionate experts from the UNHCR and Refugee Council, along with Tom Brake, a prominent backbench Lib Dem MP on justice and equality issues. A real problem arose from the discussion about the culture of mistrust at the UK Border Agency regarding asylum applications. At the moment, the UKBA staff assessing asylum claims have a habit of using any minor doubts over the validity of a claim to reject it and let the courts ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the early race for the party presidency, the London mayoral selection, Trident, and the Labour leadership. Over 400 party members have responded, and we're currently publishing the full results. LDV asked: The following names have been suggested as possible contenders to take on Boris Johnson for the elected position of Mayor of London. Who would you like to see stand as the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London? 12% – Lembit Opik 11% – Brian Paddick 15% – Susan Kramer 14% – Caroline ...
Yesterday, before Nick Clegg's speech, Susan Kramer kindly agreed to let a few of us interview her, as part of a series of bloggers' interviews of the three declared presidential candidates (Susan did in fact give us the highly exciting news that Jason Zadrozny was dropping from the race to support her, embargoed until 4pm ...
South Gloucestershire Engage Festival is an event for the whole family. A chance for all cultures to come together and have fun! More than 250 performers participate in a variety of live performances, youth and environmental activities, interactive information stalls, and an impressive feast of Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese and British food. Come along and join in with the dynamic and colourful celebration of music, dance, drama, food, cookery, crafts and workshops. Witness the exciting live performances, showcasing many talented musicians, singers and dancers in South Gloucestershire. More details on the Engage Community Festival of Culture online here, or you can ...
Going around the internet is a "trailer" of a live action pokemon movie. As it turns out it isn't a real hollywood project however the quality of the footage is very impressive considering. I'm sure many pokemon fan's will want to catch all of it...
As Stephen mentioned earlier in conference, we've done a little experiment with the latest Lib Dem Voice survey of party members by asking exactly the same questions as were very recently asked of party members in a YouGov survey. It turns out that the answers from our two different approaches are very similar: As you may know, there is currently debate about whether or not the UK should replace its Trident nuclear weapons system. Current policy is to replace the Trident submarines with a new fleet of boats, and to replace the ballistic nuclear missiles they carry at a later ...
Former Conservative West Lindsey District Council Leader, Bernard Theobald, has been cleared of most allegations reported to Standards for England as the Lincolnshire Echo reports. This follows a long and drawn out seven month investigation. Councillors, officers and the public still await the publication of the Audit Commission report into the whole affair. Question is, will it be published before they are abolished? Timescales have slipped from January 2010 already!
As I drove back from LIverpool yesterday morning I heard an interview with Energy Minister, Chris Huhne in which he was asked about the Severn Barrage project and made it clear that no decision has been taken. He said that he could not at this stage give a timetable as to when that decision would be made, because it is a complex and difficult project and he needs to work through all the submissions before coming to a conclusion. That is the reality of being in government, you cannot work to media timescales, no matter how much pressure is applied. ...
LibDemVoice are hosting four events at conference – fuller details are available here. Our final event falls this lunchtime as Mark Pack takes the chair to explore the party's general election campaign. With Hilary Stephenson, Duncan Hames MP and Paul Holmes. If you'd like to come along, why not click here to let your twitter friends know.
There has been much speculation that if Sinn Féin were to 'win' next year's elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly next year, Martin McGuinness wil therefore automatically end up as First Minister; and in the course of the general election campaign this spring, and the UUP leadership election (which concludes this evening) since then, much has been made of the idea that if the Unionist parties are not united, McGuinness' assent to the top spot is all but inevitable. Now, it is not improbable (though I think unlikely) that Sinn Féin will be the largest party in terms of votes ...
11.15 – 11.45 Keynote Speech / Equalities / main auditorium 11.50 – 13.00 Daily Politics 13.00 – 14.00 Diversity Unit and Electoral Reform Society / fringe / Political Reform in Dragon's Den / speaking 14.00 – close Closing speeches main auditorium including Party President
One of the many things that annoy me about present-day society is the way the media devote so much time in the so called "news" programmes on speculating on what is going to happen or be said rather than what has actually happened or been said. So Vince Cable hasn't actually said it yet, but is allegedly going to say:"capitalism kills competition when it can." Why this statement, familiar to any student of "A" level economics (it's an aspect of what is now called "market failure") should cause consternation is baffling. Adam Smith was possibly not the first person to ...
Wed 22nd
06:44
Whoniversaries 22 September: Fraser Hines, Billie Piper, Destiny of the Daleks #4, Tegan Jovanka
i) births and deaths 22nd September 1944: birth of Fraser Hines, who played Jamie from 1966 to 1969, and has appeared in more Doctor Who episodes than anyone except the first four Doctors. 22nd September 1982: birth of Billie Piper, who played Rose in the first two series of New Who (2005-06) and reappeared in 2008 and 2010; has appeared in more New Who episodes than anyone except David Tennant. ii) broadcast anniversaries 22nd September 1979: broadcast of fourth episode of Destiny of the Daleks. The Doctor defeats first the Movellans and then the Daleks, and Davros is captured and ...
Kirsty Williams has criticised the Welsh Government after exposing a leaked report that the Health Minister has spent months denying exists. Last year, the Health Minister commissioned McKinsey and Company to carry out a review of the NHS and formulate a five year framework for health services in Wales. She has since twice denied the existence of the report that highly criticises the leadership of the Welsh NHS. In answers to written questions, the Health Minister said: "The McKinsey Commission has resulted in a process not a publication and therefore there is no formal document for scrutiny" and "As I ...
The discerning reader - and I like to think that all my readers fall into that category - will have noticed that, of late, I have eschewed my customary format as a diarist. These days, rather than label the entries Monday, Tuesday and so forth, I simply (as we used to say at Rutstock) "let it all hang out". My thinking is this: some days are simply not terribly interesting. Today is a good example: after fielding a phone call from Clegg in Afghanistan ("Say we are turning the corner," I told him. "Of course we are not, but that ...
the .doc file of J. Alfred Prufrock (tags: poetry funny) The new Unicode symbols Includes 1F63B, 'smiling cat face with heart-shaped eyes' (tags: alphabets) Elliott & McCrea - odds are that one of them will be elected « Slugger O'Toole Yet more UUP leadership commentary (tags: northernireland uup) A Pint of Unionist Lite: Paddy's still betting on Tom... More UUP leadership commentary (tags: northernireland uup) Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness: Is the UUP really set to become the Stumbling and Mumbling Party? UUP leadership election commentary (it's tomorrow) (tags: northernireland uup) The smart Dutch take on teen sex sane and ...
Today was the deadline for my football fanzine, and despite giving myself an impossible schedule and the resultant stress, I rediscovered how much fun I have writing gags. I have been toying with the idea of bringing back MuckspReading in a slightly different form for a while but to avoid trouble aimed at national politics or maybe a Lib Dem version. Obviously the spReading bit won't work, but the increasingly unfunny and irrelevant Liberator and the nauseating Glee leaves a gap in the market. If you've not heard of it, it was a satirical and parody website loosely based on ...
I may be in New York, but I have to read the website of the dear old Guardian to know what is going on: Britain will lead the fight against malaria, one of the world's biggest killers of children, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, will tell the UN summit in New York tomorrow. He will pledge to halve deaths from the disease in 10 African countries. Clegg will announce an increase in UK funds for malaria from £150m a year to £500m by 2014 in his closing speech to world leaders discussing progress towards the millennium development goals. The ...
I like Simon Hughes. I voted for him when he stood for leadership of the Liberal Democrats and as usual he gave a great speech at the conference. He welcomed two political editors from national newspapers and told them how you can tell the difference between the three main conferences. The Labour conference has delegates with lots of votes, The Tory conference has delegates with no votes, and the Liberal Democrats have lots of representatives with one vote each. If you have been following the conference you will have heard dissenting voices. You would have heard debate. Some see this ...
