I attended the AGM of the Fox Hollies Green Neighbourhood Forum on Monday evening. There was a presentation of the work of the Yardley Constituency team by Fiona Hughes the Constituency Director and Melinda Brown gave an update on her work as the Town Centre Manager. Her empire has recently grown to take in the shops in the Fox Hollies shopping area as well and has recently helped them organise Christmas lights for this year, which will be a good addition to the lights in the Village. There was a discussion about a number of local concerns and I picked ...
I am extremely unhappy tonight, so much so that my emotions took over and I stormed out from a Parish Council meeting before I bust a gasket ! In my area, Taverham North, around 85% of the houses fall in to the area known far and wide as Thorpe Marriott. This area, which features on road signs, is not a separate Parish, but is known by taxi companies, local radio, and delivery firms far and wide as Thorpe Marriott, even if it falls within the Parish of Taverham. The Thorpe Marriott sign, which was placed by a consortium of developers ...
RIP Sir Norman Wisdom, Hero of Albania, celebrity Brighton & Hove Albion fan, and all-round top bloke. And not even Tony Curtis managed a nude scene opposite Sally Geeson in his long and sometimes illustrious career, unlike our Norm. They don't make them like Mr Pitkin any more. Bet you didn't know he could drum too;
Today the first targeted cut aimed solely and squarely at the richest people in our society was announced. Sir George of Osborne declared that households where one or both parents were paying the highest rate of tax would no longer receive child benefit payments. I'd like to say I'm astonished by the reaction of the right-wing press, the Labour party, the unions and others. I'd like to say I am, but I'm not. Of course there are some problems with this cut. There are problems with every cut. If anyone can name a totally fair cut, I invite them to ...
As reported in tonight's Evening Telegraph, I have condemned the idiot who set fire to a mattress in the stairwell of a tenement in Cleghorn Street earlier today. This could have resulted in disastrous consequences and again highlights the dangers of dumping items such as furniture in stairwells and in the back greens of tenements. It is reassuring that Tayside Fire and Rescue will risk assess any items dumped near housing to ensure these are removed and I would ask that residents contact them at Blackness Fire Station on Dundee 322222 should they have any concerns about dumped items near ...
Before the end of the school term, the school crossing patroller at the Kelso Steps on Blackness Road disappeared. I immediately raised this with the City Council and have today been updated as follows : "Five prospective employees were interviewed on Friday 1st October 2010. The standard was good and would expect to offer employment to all subject to disclosure and medical clearance being obtained. The Kelso Steps crossing is a priority and will be manned asap providing the clearance is forthcoming."
We did it! As I write this, I'm watching highlights of today's singles matches. Having only been able to follow play via occasional glimpses of the BBC's live text feed, I'm looking forward to seeing the winning putt (or missed putt, to be precise) and celebrating a tremendous achievement by Europe's golfers. The Ryder Cup is one of the world's greatest sporting events. It is also unique in that the nations of Europe come together to compete with the might of the US. Golf is an individual game and, many would argue, also in some regards elitist. While Matchplay is, ...
Further to my item on Saturday about the proposed roadworks in Logie Street, I have updated the article today following information from the City Council this morning that the temporary road closure on 17th October will be northbound, not southbound. See http://tinyurl.com/logiestreet.
Earlier this evening Channel 4 screened an edition of Dispatches looking at allegations that Andy Coulson was aware that News of the World journalists regularly hacked into the mobile phones of public figures while he was its editor. The programme does not show the Conservative Party, the police or the Press Complaints Commission in a good light, and raises questions about how far the powerful are above the law in modern Britain. You can watch Tabloids, Tories and Telephone Hacking on the Channel 4 website.
I came home from school, turned on the TV and was shocked at the announcement by George O about the removal of child benefit payments. A whopping amount of 1.2 million households will be affected. Child benefit is a universal benefit- every child qualifies at birth. George O is messing with this ideology and this bothers me because: 1. Every child benefits regardless of whether they're rich, poor or in the middle at present. 2. Children are being targeted with this removal. 3. The benefit is a way of recognising that children are essential because they're the next generation. People ...
This morning's news was dominated by talk of cuts in child benefit for those earning enough to pay the higher rate of income tax, saving enough money (the government hope) to be able to invest in sorting out the benefits system into something that's fit for the 21st century without causing hardship to those who inevitably end up slipping through the various safety nets around. If it can be done
[IMG: The Great Room, RSA, John Adam Street, London] Over the weekend I blogged about the debate brewing at the RSA over proposals to abolish the elected trustees and instead have a fully co-opted body. Tessy Brinton (outgoing chair of the RSA Fellowship Council) has kindly been in touch to point me at her detailed and lengthy post explaining the background to the proposals and also going through the counter-proposals now being made. It's well worth a read if you are also a Fellow of the RSA and wondering what view to take - or indeed whether to be worried ...
What do North West Labour and Conservative controlled councils have in common? They think it's OK to charge their constituents to shop locally. Salford Council has charged for it's car parks for a good few years now. So even if you just want to pop to Salford Shopping City for a few minutes, perhaps to post a letter, it'll cost you a couple of quid. My Bury Lib Dem colleague Vic D'Albert has blogged today that the Conservative-controlled Bury Council are now introducing car parking charges at the Prestwich Town Centre Fairfax Road car park. I know this car park ...
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Welsh firms are missing out on multi million pound Olympic contracts as the Scottish and Northern Irish governments leave Wales trailing. Wales won just £570,000 worth of Tier One Olympic Contracts, compared to £17 million for Northern Ireland and £22 million for Scotland. New Freedom of Information requests placed by the Welsh Liberal Democrats have revealed that there has been no written correspondence between the Welsh Ministers and the Olympic Delivery Authority in the last three years. The Minister for Economy and Transport, Plaid's Ieuan Wyn Jones, has replied to his Northern Ireland counterpart bemoaning Wales' lack of success, stating ...
It is hard to underestimate how popular "The Forsyte Saga" was on BBC in the late sixties. 18 million people watched the final episode in the UK and over 100 million people are estimated to have watched the series worldwide. This is the beginning of the very first episode which is notable for a beautiful introductory narration from the great Kenneth More.
As Helen reported earlier today, there is now a third person publicaly in the running to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor – Jeremy Ambache. With his Facebook page having only just gone up, it unsurprisingly only has 4 fans so far at the time of writing. Lembit Opik's page is continuing to edge up – now at 225 fans – but, on Facebook at least, he's been quickly and clearly overtaken by Duwayne Brooks who has 381 fans for his Mayoral bid.
The hit Channel 4 series Skins will thankfully return for a 5th series. The official Skins Facebook group confirmed that it was currently being made, and that a US version is in progress too. It had also been previously announced there is going be a Skins film. The US version is under the command of Bryan Elsley who ran the first three series of the UK version, while Company Pictures, Stormdog Films, Film4 AND Cinemax are behind the film. Character's in Skins only last two series, so there will be no more Cook, Naomi, Effy or Emily this time around. ...
Eric Pickles spoke at Tory Party conference today about the fact that council chief executives should take a pay cut in the current financial climate, to ensure that they can look their workers straight in the face and share their pain. This would be a good message were it not for the fact the the Tories seem more willing than any other party to lavish large pay rises on to chief executives of Tory councils. The leaders of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex County Councils, all Tory run, each earn more than £200,000 a year. The leader of Suffolk County Council, ...
Here's a little gem from historian David Starkey in last Saturday's Times Magazine which I've only just discovered: Gays are a bit like Jews. We're an extraordinarily odd minority that's had a totally disproportionate effect intellectually and culturally. But now homosexuality has been normalised, and in some ways that's a tremendous loss. That's not very ...
I have been thrown into political turmoil over the means testing of Child Benefit. Here was, as far as I could see this morning, something actually half sensible coming from a Conservative chancellor (something I rarely thought I'd say). Concentrating cuts on a Victorian style charity benefit for all, rich or poor, but only actually cutting it for the rich, seemed very redistributionist and egalitarian of the most economically right wing cabinet member since Thatcher. But then I read this post by Cath Elliot. My inner feminist got insanely angry as I read. There are vulnerable people out there with ...
Saw GP this morning. Referred for full blood count, ESR and X-ray. Asked for diclofenac, got prescription. Asked for help walking, told to go to hospital. Went to pharmacy, NHS computer system down (heard the word BSOD uttered, oh dear), decided to come back later. Went to Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich, waited 2hrs for an x-ray, lasted 90 mins before I began shaking and snuffling in pain. Had x-ray, begged for help with walking, told to go to GP. Resolved to return tomorrow for blood tests. Speak to GP on the phone, told to go back to A&E for ...
i just want to point out that david marsh in today's guardian, setting out the case against using capitals, nevertheless capitalises Estate Agents.
Two of my friends have written some quite thought provoking post on the church, people in the church and [as much as it pains me to use the term] post modernism Christianity. [it should be noted that we were all involved with the well Christian community in Sutton over the last few year and hence our connection to each other.] The first is from Andrew Brims, he is a Christian who currently lives
Mon 4th
17:50
And when you pass security for what feels like the 100th time; it finally hits you. You're at the Li...
Conference... Conference... Conference... "Initially daunting, then it becomes interesting... ...and surprisingly right wing." Art Malik (Actor and supporter of the Liberal Democrats) on his first experience of conference. Daunting? Yes. Interesting? Definitely. Right wing? Not so sure. This blog will differ from the usual style. Unlike usual, I'd like to talk about my own experience; my experience as a first-timer at the Lib Dem Conference last weekend. Saturday morning; I wasn't really sure what to expect. Having registered in my trade mark style (on the last minute), I was only sent a brief letter and my conference pass by post. ...
[IMG: Testament of Youth - Entire Series - 2-DVD Set [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]] photos by Dave Hylands
I was tagged in a meme about Twitter the other day by my fellow blogger Caron Lindsay in a post about Twitter and what it means to her in which she tagged me as being the "the feisty Spiderplant who commentates on many things but is particularly prolific during Question Time on Thursdays." Caron is ...
Europe's climate action Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, has been dealt a poor hand. She has the thankless task of leading the EU's efforts to secure an international agreement on measures to fight global warming, and to encourage our own Member States to sign up to initiatives that will demonstrate Europe's continuing leadership on the issue while meeting other goals, such as strengthening energy sufficiency and reducing our use of scarce resources. But despite the scientific evidence of climate change having been wholly vindicated, continuing scepticism about the need for action prevails and saps political will, both here and elsewhere. The world ...
It is one of the strange things about politics in these parts that some folk seeking to present themselves as politicians started filling their online publications with recipes and reports of their meals. Now I have nothing against such people trying to display that they are rounded human beings with some 'hinterland'. Activists can behave sometimes as if the world does not exist outside of their small political sphere . With the demise of some of those blogs I have been asked to fill the vacuum by including a few recipes of my own. Regular readers with know that I ...
Boris received "rapturous applause" this morning when he held up 50% of the electorate as an important democratic threshold, in the case of union ballot turnouts. It's nice of him to soften up the Tory faithful to the 50% idea. It's only another tiny Boris-assisted step along the way to endorse the 50% support threshold for electing MPs. AV. Indeed, I note that Boris is "agnostic" on AV, but is more inclined towards it following the 'success' of the coalition. Boris is (just about) turning into being a key advocate of AV, in a sort of back-handed way. If the ...
Ken Clarke is coming under pressure from the Red Tops about his plans for sentence reform. According to Conservative Home, even David Cameron is getting cold feet. But Liberal Democrats, it is assumed, are bound to be backing Ken. This might be thought a given as Liberals are, from the point of view of the media, supposed to have a benign, Panglossian view of human nature which unkind souls might call unrealistic or wet. Wrong on both counts! I have long thought the only good moral reason for punishing someone is that they deserve it and that the state is ...
A third person has come forward in the contest to be selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London in the 2012 London elections. Jeremy Ambache, who was fourth on the top-up list for the London Assembly elections in 2008, has launched his campaign website: Jeremy Ambache for London. Jeremy joins the two other candidates who have so far declared: Duwayne Brooks and Lembit Opik. Crossposted from Liberal Democrat Voice, an independent, collaborative website run by Liberal Democrat activists. Helen is a contributing editor at the site.
If you're a liberal who's hacked off with the Coalition here, then spare a thought for the Netherlands where it appears that the larger of the two liberal parties, the market-oriented VVD, along with the conservative CDA party are on the brink of forming a coalition with Geert Wilders' PVV. Wilders, you'll remember, is the sordid little man with the silly bleached-blond bouffant haircut who made the anti-Islamic Fitna film, and who was for a time barred from entering Britain as an undesirable alien under Wacky Jacqui's tenure at the Home Office (he later visited as a guest of UKIP's ...
Making cuts is a difficult and often unwelcome activity, but when you are running out of money and spending vastly more than you are earning, cuts are necessary. When making cuts, the chief targets should be to stop spending on things that are not necessary. Targetting benefits of the wealthy is therefore necessary in times of austerity. When cash is short, giving child benefit to those earning
A third person has come forward in the contest to be selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London in the 2012 London elections. Jeremy Ambache, who was fourth on the top-up list for the London Assembly elections in 2008, has launched his campaign website: Jeremy Ambache for London. Jeremy joins the two other candidates who have so far declared: Duwayne Brooks and Lembit Opik.
Europe 14 1/2 - USA 13 1/2 EUROPE WIN RYDER CUP Picture from Sky Sports Graeme McDowell was the hero as he held his nerve in the last singles game to win the point that took Europe to the closest of Ryder Cup victories. At one point today each team had 13 1/2 points, meaning the USA required only half a point to retain the prestigious trophy. It was clearly an emotional moment for captain Colin Montgomerie, who had said how determined he was to win as captain after his highly successful Ryder Cup playing career. The victorious captain disappeared ...
It was a surprise when Ros Scott announced that she was not going to stand for another term as LibDem Party President. She has done a fantastic job – up and down the country – exhorting, helping, challenging and supporting local parties. Thank you Ros! So – there's a vacancy. I am thrilled that Susan Kramer has put her hat in the ring for this – and I am supporting her 100%. She will take on the mantle of caring and loving party members and local parties themselves the length of this land. In this brave new world of coalition ...
In these straitened times it is very tempting to look at trying to reduce the benefits bill. A lot of attention is focussed on benefits paid to people who – for whatever reason – are out of work. However, I think we should also look at the benefits paid to people in work and whether it is right that they should be claiming benefits at all. Fear not, this is not a proposal likely to be supported by the Daily Telegraph. It is more about attacking the principle of low pay. The coalition government – thanks to the Liberal Democrat ...
Vast reams of paper and oceans of ink have already been spilled over the interplay of personalities during the New Labour years, and the conflicts and mutual loathings within the government of the period have already been well-chronicled. However, there's another interesting story to tell, and that's the intellectual journey Labour took over the period. ...
The political process begins to break down in a democracy when a major political institution becomes moribund and is captured by folk who want to use it to promote their own bizarre and/or often dangerous views. The Militant tendency had little trouble taking over small constituency Labour Parties and didn't much care if they alienated those who opposed them. These folk are often energetic and carry with them an absolute conviction about the correctness of their own ideas. By capturing the 'shell' of an institution that has long held the loyalty of a section of the electorate they can soon ...
I wont try and go into too much detail here on the proposals for Child Benefit cuts as announced by George Osborne today as others have done it far more eloquently than me and with much more understanding but I do think the proposals are a good idea, sort of. The thing I dont understand ...
One for the bureaucratic irony files this. The Information Commissioner has announced that 33 public sector bodies have so regularly broken the rules on responding to Freedom of Information requests that they have been put in special measures. The 33 bodies are all being required to fully document how they handle future requests and report monthly to the Information Commissioner on how they are doing are complying with the rules. Their record will be reviewed in three months time. [IMG: Home Office frontage. Photo credit: charmingman on Flickr] And who is included in the list? The Met Police. You know, ...
Liberal Democrat campaigner Ingrid Chetram has been selected as the party's candidate in the Ladywell by-election, Lewisham on 4 November. Find out more about this inspiring woman: check out her Facebook page here. Also, visit her website, Ingrid for Ladywell. Ingrid has lived in Ladywell for over 20 years. She was born in what was once British Guyana in South America. After a childhood defined by poverty, where her richest asset was her loving family, she started work as a teacher. Ingrid arrived in the UK initially to further her education and settled in Ladywell, which she now regards very ...
There are some things in life that I just don't care about, despite lots of journalists intoning their importance regularly. The Ryder Cup is one example. Sadly, it has been assaulting my senses from every angle over the past few days, and whilst I might voice a grunt of approval if I hear that Europe has won at golf, I can't really summon up much more enthusiasm than that, even though BBC radio has given it wall-to-wall coverage for four solid days of breathless green-side whispering which makes me feel a bit queasy. Strictly Come Dancing is another, and queasy-wise, ...
As expected, the Chancellor George Osborne announced the end of universal child benefit in his speech to Conservative Party conference today. Those earning over £44K a year will no longer receive the payments from 2013. If you consider monitoring the Twitterspehre as a good way of measuring opinion, the Labour trolls seem to be out in force. Clearly cutting any kind of benefit is deeply unpleasant, but how can a left-wing party make a genuine argument against the benefits for the better-off being reduced in order to protect those of the less well off? There is the issue of combined ...
Bury Council has decided to forge ahead with plans to introduce parking charges at the Prestwich Town Centre Fairfax Road car park. In effect they have decided to ignore the 1500 plus objectors, the plight of local businesses struggling to survive in difficult times and local residents in neighbouring streets that will face increased parking outside their properties. When you also consider that this is being introduced despite the two neighbouring car parks not charging at all, and the fact that Prestwich alone amongst Bury Townships is being singled out for this new policy, then it amounts to a blatant ...
Barratt Homes is holding a second exhibition on their plans to build 250 homes at Peg Hill, Yate. there wil be more detailed plans than were available at their exhibition back in the summer. The exhibition will take place on Saturday, October 16 (11am-5pm) at Yate Parish Hall.
How many nationalities can vote in the UK (and no the Scottish aren't a nationality in this context!)? • 2? British and Irish? No. • 27? European Union? Closer, although most can't vote in parliamentary elections. • 54? The Commonwealth? They can't vote in European elections... So actually adding them together gives a total of 80 nationalities who can vote in at least one UK election*. In the UK it's a great example of our tolerance and inclusion by giving people a say in their adopted communities and the politicians who affect the area where they live. Even my own council Liberal Democrat ...
I had a great day campaigning in London on Saturday: in the afternoon I was back in Tower Hamlets with John Griffiths, the Lib Dem candidate to be the Borough's elected Mayor. (I was thrilled when a number of people there told me they had come to help after reading my blog post on Friday.) Before that, there was just time for a trip to Camden and a delivery round in Kelly Street, one of Kentish Town's prettiest streets. I also caught up with Nick Russell, the Lib Dem candidate for the by-election, who also showed me some of the ...
Here is a little video of me telling you what i've been up to/what is coming up in the Ukraine.
Mon 4th
12:28
New Strategic Direction: four reasons why the Suffolk Conservatives are unlikely to find their arse ...
No business case exists to justify the claims that they can make 30% savings and it is feared that it could cost more to run services. Courtesy of the East Anglian Daily Times, Colin Noble, the portfolio holder for adult and community services, admitted the new direction was a "concept" and that the council was stepping into the unknown. "I do not think that any of us know precisely what is going to happen in the future," he said. "But we are confident that we are prepared and whatever the government announce with the spending review then we have thought ...
Listen to Liberal Democrats make speeches and there are frequent references to historical figures, but drawn from a small cast. Just the quartet of John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, David Penhaligon corner almost all of the market, especially since Bob Maclennan stopped making speeches to party conference. Some of the forgotten figures deserve their obscurity but others do not. Charles Fox and Earl Grey are two I would put in the latter category. The former spent years leading a small opposition against a government that disliked civil liberties, before finally winning office again after a mammoth stretch ...
Full details about forthcoming works on Victoria Street and Lattimore Road, St Albans, can now be viewed on the county council's new roadwork pages. Pedestrian crossing improvements are due to start on October 4 and resurfacing work will start on October 11. Please follow this link for all the information:
I have to confess I laughed out loud when I read what my erstwhile opponent Nadine "I'm 5ft 3 and need every inch of my Louboutin heels to look my male colleagues in the eye. If high heels were banned in Westminster, no one would be able to find me" Dorries, had said about me, apparently I am "behaving like a Japanese prisoner of war who doesn't realise the conflict is over" - well thanks first to Caron Lindsay for springing to my defence and secondly to Gareth Epps who sent me a nice message suggesting I should wear the ...
PR Week has a story about the Chancellor's announcement on child benefit, including a quote from myself: Conservative spin doctor Andy Coulson should get 'top marks' for timing announcements about child benefit cuts with the start of the Tory party conference - that was the message from former Sun political editor George Pascoe-Watson as Chancellor George Osborne announced child benefit was to be axed for higher rate taxpayers... He said: 'Full marks to the Andy Coulson media operation. 'The Tory conference carries one message; the nation must pull together to get us out of the trouble Labour put us in.' ...
Today's Independent reports on one of those bizarre surveys that ConHome conducts every now again amongst the on-line Tory membership and supporters. The headline is that Tory activists prefer Clegg to most of their own Cabinet ministers but in actual fact the real story is Conservative unease at how the Liberal Democrats have grabbed the government agenda and made it their own in so many areas. The paper says that although Tory activists believe the Coalition is a good thing for Britain, they warned of trouble ahead on Europe, human rights, sentencing, university funding and taxation, all areas where Tory ...
[IMG: Brick (Image courtesy Art by Steve Johnson http://www.flickr.com/photos/artbystevejohnson/)] Imagine, if you will, the common or garden house brick. Wikipedia tells me that they have been around for over ten thousand years and they have many useful features, including strength and a convenient size for a bricklayer to handle. And then we have Stonewall, who have about as much political ability as a brick as well as being used similarly constructing barriers to progress. But what has spawned this new found interest in politically active house bricks? The events of last week: If you announce something in a meeting and ...
[IMG: Mayfield Road in the snow last winter] The big freeze last winter left many of our roads and pavements treacherous. The Council say they don't have the resources to grit residential roads, and there is only a handful of grit bins – so local residents can't make them safe either. Therefore, I started a campaign to get more grit bins installed (see previous post) – and residents on six roads got in contact to say they wanted a grit bin. Indeed – some pointed out that they used to have a bin – but the Council took it away. ...
Ten o'clock and time to take the dogs for their morning walk - in the rain, again, so on with coats for the three of us and wellies for me. Monday is rubbish collection day in Sutton and, as I shut the back gate and trudge to the road, I notice that the bin men have already, er, bin. My complimentary black bin liner (for residual waste), carefully fashioned into the shape of a hand grenade by the East Cambs Council Origami Team, has been lobbed onto our drive where it's getting rained on, and when I get back I'll ...
I am gradually editing the videos filmed at Lib Dem conference last month. This is the speech of the Deputy Leader Simon Hughes MP.
Look for examples of sensible government attitude towards copyright and the Pentagon may not strike you as an obvious starting point. But for years the US military has had a very enlightened attitude towards its official photographs: the photos are paid for by the public so the public should be able to use them for free. The British military has also moved towards much more sensible policies on such copyright matters in recent years. Aside from such piecemeal advances, there has been a debate going on about the general application of "Crown Copyright" and what, or shouldn't, be allowed to ...
The Daily Mail – a newspaper that seems to be obsessed with immigration, Princess Diana and Health & Safety regulations. I've tried for years to get my mother-in-law to replace her trusted Daily Mail with another paper but have always ... Continue reading →
BT is asking the public to vote for their area to be at the front of the queue for upgrades to the exchanges, to get faster Broadband access. OK, it's a bit of a marketing gimmick, but perhaps worth voting for our area, as I've done (casting the first vote for Gatley). To vote, visit the BT race to infinity site. You'll need to give them your address, BT landline number and email address (but if you're a BT customer, they've already got at least two of those).
I was watching BBC Breakfast this morning when the Chancellor did something politicians never do. Osborne was asked a question by Shan Lloyd about universal benefits and he answered it by announcing a new policy that is within his speech (scrapping child benefit for higher rate tax payers). This is not the normal way of doing things in politics. Normally you don't answer the question and you certainly don't announce a policy before giving a speech to party conference and not without leaking bits of your speech to the press first. I found this quite refreshing. Anyway others will cover ...
Rumours that Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was not actually speaking himself when holding meetings with Welsh Government Ministers at the Ryder Cup, but that a ventriloquist was performing a voice-over, are sadly not true. And perhaps that is the problem. Because, far from smoothing things over on the planned cuts to the S4C budget, Mr. Hunt poured petrol on the flames instead. According to the Western Mail he told open-mouthed officials that future Welsh-language TV content could consist of voiceovers in Welsh dubbed on to programmes made in English and accessed via the red button on remote controls. I was ...
One of my first posts was about the Castle Market building in Sheffield being considered for listing by English Heritage, you'll find it here. I just thought that I would link to the Sheffield Lib Dem website who are campaigning against the listing and the Council have written to English Heritage. You can see the article here. We still need to keep up the momentum so I urge you, if you haven't already, to write to English Heritage at: yorkshire@english-heritage.org.uk . Please note that I was told by English Heritage that: "when assessing buildings for listing we can only consider ...
So, one of this country's historical universal benefits was ended by the Chancellor at 7.20am on Breakfast TV. The sofa was surprised. Never mind that the Chancellor has umpteen opportunities to announce such a large change in the principle of universality in the House of Commons. Do it to Sian and Bill, why don't you George? If you analyse the Chancellor's announcement about taking away child benefit from households containing a higher band tax payer, you can only conclude that it was made to ensure the first five minutes of his interviews this morning were taken up with discussion of ...
Monday mornings are bad enough without waking up to the news that this Government is continuing on its quest to screw our financial planning up. First of all, they raise retirement age to 66 in the year my husband reaches 65, secondly they are going to take our child benefit off us at a time when for the first time ever we are likely to stray in to the higher rate of tax for pension type reasons. I have 3 issues with the plans to take Child Benefit from higher rate taxpayers George Osborne told the nation over its cornflakes ...
It's Monday morning. It's 9.05am. Weather permitting, the Ryder Cup singles should be teeing off. Can Europe turn their 9.5 to 6.5 lead into a victory? I do hope so! I could go on, and may well do so later, but for now I've just one message: C'Mon Europe! Andrew
Fork handles.....
According to the Guardian, Eric Pickles is set to announce increased powers for elected mayors and a push to encourage our big cities like Manchester to hold a referendum and elect a London-style powerful mayor. It's not clear whether we would be offered a mayor for Greater Manchester, but as we're establishing a "City Region" covering Greater Manchester (essentially a way for the ten local authorities to work more closely on transport, waste, policing, the fire service, education, training and inward investment) it might seem logical. Whether it's a good idea is another matter entirely, and would depend entirely on ...
Well, now he knows he's really arrived... the Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister is to be the subject of a biography published by Biteback next summer, 2011: The book, which so far has only a working title 'Nick Clegg: The Biography', is being written by the writer and broadcaster Chris Bowers, and will be published by Biteback in time for next year's party conference season. "We've been looking to appoint a biographer of this year's breakthrough figure in British politics," says Biteback's managing director Iain Dale, "and in Chris Bowers we believe we've found an experienced biography writer ...
i) births and deaths 4 October 1987: birth of Daniel Anthony, who plays Clyde Langer in the Sarah Jane Adventures (since 2007) ii) broadcast anniversaries 4 October 1975: broadcast of second episode of Planet of Evil. The Doctor finds the pool which is the interface between the universes of matter and anti-matter; and falls into it. 4 October 1976: broadcast of a Doctor Who segment of the children's radio programme Exploration Earth, starring Tom Baker as the Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith exploring the geological history of Earth and defeating the Megron. 4 October 1980: broadcast of ...
As a dutiful member of the World Development Movement I filled in and sent to my MP their postcard to protest against the speculation which was forcing up world food prices beyond the reach of many in the Third World. The following is in response to Mark Oban's reply. Quotations are from his letter. 3rd October 2010 Mark Oban MP., HM Treasury, House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA. cc Mike Wood MP, cc WDM Speculation in Food My MP Mike Wood has very kindly forwarded to me a copy of your response to him (ref JMA720, dated 4th October, 2010) ...
Sometimes you have people in your feed reader – and their feed changes. Their posts stop showing up, and because you have so many feeds, you don't immediately notice. Then months pass and years pass, and suddenly you find yourself thinking, "What happened to X?" So it is for me with Dan Savage. I used to read his advice column, then one day it stopped showing up in Google Reader, and I didn't immediately notice. I have sort of been able to work with Dan's content because it shows up in other places, mostly JoeMyGod. But in the last few ...
There are now yellow lines down between the junctions with Grosvenor Road and Alma Road and traffic now flows smoothly again. Thanks to local residents, motorists cyclists, buses and emergency services for their patience in getting this sorted. No thanks at all to First Capital Connect whose rack rent parking charges have driven people to park away from the station.
Last week I wrote to the South Manchester Reporter's letter page about how I had invited Eric Pickles to come and visit Chorlton, so that he could assess the impact the Mega TESCO in Stretford would have on our shops. Unfortunately his Department have since written to inform me that there was " insufficient grounds for his intervention" and as a result Mr Pickles would not 'call in' the application. I am deeply disappointed by this decision and do not agree with it. This development will have huge implications for district Centres and independent shops in areas like Chorlton and ...
Rather like buses, special elections have the unfortunate habit of arriving in pairs. That situation is occuring again in London this month, with the (first ever) Tower Hamlets Mayoral election on 21 October and a Kentish Town, Camden, council by-election one week later. There was an action weekend in Bethnal Green this weekend, with a ...
I have written before about the 40mph speed limit on Broadway in Morecambe. We surveyed all the houses and came to the conclusion that it should be 30mph. This was years ago and the limit changed to 30mph this week. In this blog I don't want to discuss the reasons behind the lowering of the limit but the communication that goes with it as we don't know the Labour or the Conservative view because they haven't told us. The County Councillor has stayed out of the discussion as far as we know, and I live on Broadway. The limit changed ...
Sunday: While we were out in Tower Hamlets yesterday, we met up with Helen Duffett. Of course we did. She's everywhere in London, these days, from Romford in the General Election to Westminster and Kentish Town by-elections, to Pizza and Politics in Islington to caseworking in Hornsey and Wood Green, everyone knows Helen and knows she is a popular and tireless campaigner. So why's she not standing for the London Assembly list, we ask? Well, if the first two places on the list are DEAD CERTS to be women then the RULES mean that a MAN has to come THIRD. ...
I am being lambasted in anti-EU newspaper columns for having piloted through the European Parliament in 2001 the European Arrest Warrant measure. To read the full story, click here for my column in next week's edition of Liberal Democrat News. Parliamentary committees met this week. In the foreign affairs committee we received South Africa's President Jacob Zuma. I asked him about the freedom of the press in his country, since the President of the European Council had failed to raise the matter at the bilateral EU-SA summit. He gave me an answer about individual privacy and dignity which left me ...
