Trial by Jeory has the story from the contest to be Mayor of Tower Hamlets: [Expelled Labour member turned independent] Lutfur Rahman's campaign does seem to have galvanised a section of the Tower Hamlets community and many, if not most, are certainly very angry young people who are fuelled by a fair degree of hatred. That bitterness has been targeted in almost equal measure at the Labour NEC and the party's official candidate, Helal Abbas ... There are many in the Labour party who believe the level of vitriol is similar to that experienced by Oona King in 2005 when ...
Norman was a teacher in Billingham when I started my teaching career. He cared about the young people he taught, tried to encourage them in self discipline but wasn't afraid to impose it when needed. I got the impression that most of the young people respected him and felt he dealt with them fairly. I came across him again at the count for the the Stockton Council election in (I think) 1999
Dissident Tory Councillors often joke to us about being on the 'naughty step' Their leaderships displeasure seems to be directed at those who are prepared to co-operate constructively with us. David Pearson gone into no end of hot water for being seen to have cordial relations with us. It is an irony that his party now has joined a coalition with us and you wonder if he'll get an apology? Cllr Ibbs recently deselected to allow failed Tory PPC fight a 'safe' council seat in Formby (she stood down from her own in May-was she so certain she was going ...
Like nearly everybody, I don't have much idea what to expect from the Comprehensive Spending Review tomorrow - but it doesn't stop me worrying about it. Of course I'm not alone either. There haven't been many Lib Dems who have clung courageously to the Liberal concept of thrift through thick, and even through thin. I have but I don't have any illusions about what, in practice, the coalition is going to do tomorrow. The basic thinking about how to structure Lib Dem services was never finished (it wasn't really started). We had little or no theory by which our ministers ...
A meeting tonight at Whitehouse Farm School involving staff, children, a resident, police and Julia and myself. The subject - what to do about the parking by parents around the school that is on yellow lines, causes obstruction, creates congestion ? why do so many take children to school in the car ? why cannot children walk ? Although the more cars there are, the more of a danger...
For reasons best known to them the Telecoms company responsible for providing Internet access to Stockton Council's buildings disconnected it yesterday morning. For 24 hours no emails could get in or out, no website was available and communications became a little difficult to put it mildly. If you sent emails to the council yesterday it's best to resend them as they're probably lost in
Grill some pork. Mix with a spoonful of mustard, some fruit vinegar, lemon juice, black pepper, and kimchi. Leave to marinate. Cook some noodles. Put the pork and kimchi mixture into a saucepan with some hot oil, heat through, stir in the noodles and cook for about a minute. Remove from the heat and stir in two chopped spring onions.
The BBC reports that the predicted policy has won the day: The government says £750m ($1.2bn) will be saved over four years on the Trident nuclear deterrent missile system by cutting the number of warheads on each boat from 48 to 40 and reducing the number of missile tubes from 12 to eight. The UK's nuclear warhead stockpile will be cut from 160 to less than 120. The final "main gate" spending decision on Trident will also be delayed until 2016 – after the next general election. Party President Ros Scott has emailed party members, saying Trident will not be ...
I love my job. Its got the best bunch of people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. Every one of them is working for a cause that is close to my heart and I love them all dearly and value the way they make the working day go quicker and more enjoyable. ...
A lot of people are bandying aorund the phrase "Browne report" without perhaps realising who "Browne" is. Step forward John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley, Chief Executive of BP from 1995 until 1st May 2007. Yes, BP. That, BP.
The Liberal Democrat History Group has published a revised edition of its Liberal Leaders: Leaders of the Liberal Party from 1828 to 1899. Mark Pack presents his revised biography of Viscount Melbourne. Neil Stockley find that public understanding of the Alternative Vote is very low but suggests there is evidence that the referendum can still be won. "The gracelessness and naked greed which Rooney and Moyles have displayed may make their fall a very satisfying morality tale. Fortune is not all a one-way street, and it is as well for all of us to remember that. In the face of ...
A busy day at Farnborough Rd Schools today. This morning the Mayor opened the new Canteen and Children's Centre and this afternoon Liverpool footballer Steve Gerrard opened the new all weather sports pitch. As you can guess the afternoon generated far more excitement especially amongst the staff. After the opening ceremony Gerrard met hundreds of the children packed into the new building to answer questions. He revealed he wanted to be a manager and intended to take all his training qualifications when he stopped playing in five or six years time. He identified Wayne Rooney as the best player from ...
I was chuffed to hear that the Trident nuclear missiles and submarine system decision about whether to replace it or not will not be decided in the lifetime of this parliament. Further, 25% of the current warheads will be decommissioned. A great whopping tick for global nuclear disarmament. This whole system is so 1970's during the height of the cold war. It's based on the premise we've lost a global war and we'll wipe out the enemy who has already wiped the UK out. The machismo of all this is quite surreal in the 21st century. I suspect the conservatives ...
Today, together with Housing Minister Alex Neil, I dug the first sod for the Gracemount part of the 21st Century Houses project. This development involves building the first council housing in a generation in Edinburgh. Since I announced that we were going down the route of building our own homes we have had to negotiate various hurdles including planning, appointment of contractors and sorting out what is a very strong business case. I am so pleased to see the work commencing. We are looking to hand over keys to the first residents late next year. Today was very much the ...
Excuse me for posting this, but not everyone who reads this blog reads John Rentoul. My domestic experience suggests that the humour of Questions to which the answer is No doesn't survive the Canadian irony deficit. Anyway this is my patriotic fix for the day:
When the Labour Leader of Liverpool City Council, called for the "Liverpool City Region" - which includes Sefton - to have an elected mayor I knew we had to prepare for a campaign to defeat this daft notion. A glance at the map clearly shows why this is not in Southport's best interests. 90% of our land boundary is NOT with Merseyside. Ever since the last (disastrous) local government reorganisation back in the early 70's we have been cut off from most of our natural hinterland. The communications through the narrow corridor to the south -both road and rail-have been ...
I was interested in an article in the Guardian today in which Joanna Moorhead compares her experiences as a student at the University of York's Goodricke College 30 years ago with those of her daughter, who has just begun studying there. I was interested not least because I was at Goodricke 30 years ago too. (It has magically changed location since then, by the way.) But what really struck me was a passage towards the end where Moorhead describes meeting her former supervisor Adrian Leftwich, who still lectures at York: one of Leftwich's colleagues, electronics lecturer Ken Todd, monitored the ...
These are the mobile Library stops in Odd DownOdd Down Chelwood Drive Friday 16:25-17:00Odd Down Upper Bloomfield Road Wednesday 14:30-17:30body, div, table, thead, tbody, tfoot, tr, th, td, p { font-family: "Verdana"; font-size: x-small; }
A lot of rubbish has accumulated along the length of the alleyway and on the grassed area in Rush Hill, we have asked the council to clean it up
The Mayor's Parlour will be open to the public from 11 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday 25 - 29 October, you just need to turn up at the Guildhall if you would like to look around
The Tories have got their way and emasculated the BBC by forcing through what will be a 16% fall in funding over the next six years whilst ensuring that the cost of minority channels like S4C are now paid for by License fee payers across the country, not just Wales. So where will the BBC gets it money from in order not to become a second class broadcaster ? There is a simple answer to this. BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial make a very good profit each year, helping subsidise the BBC. But whilst the BBC makes money from BBC ...
My Calder on Air column from last week's Liberal Democrat News. Appalling apprentices and fearful football There is, of course, nothing real about television - and that is doubly true when it comes to 'reality' television. Take The Apprentice (BBC1), which has just started a new season. The premise is that what we are watching is the country's brightest and best young business people striving to win the glittering prize that is a position with Sir Alan Lord Sugar's company. But is that a job to get so excited about these days? Sugar's greatest achievement in business is the part ...
The news that Wayne Rooney is considering his future at Manchester United Football Club has certainly attracted a fair deal of attention. The rules of sport reporting demand that transfer speculation is reported in a slightly breathless air, as though the well paid mercenaries of the footballing world had finer feelings invested in their choice of club- well pardon my cynicism, but the Corinthian spirit left sport well before I was born. The levels of money offered to the young men who attempt to entertain us twice a week are beyond the dreams of avarice. Literally millions of pounds are ...
The past few months have been pretty hectic. Students' Unions across the country have hit the ground running, all preparing for the massive NUS/UCU demonstration in London on 10th November (www.demo2010.org). Beforehand, however, we find ourselves getting packed for Zone Conferences – an opportunity for Students' Unions across the country to debate NUS' policy and ...
Text from Vodafone: This is to confirm your Vodafone order has been placed for delivery on Wednesday 20/10 between 8:00 and 18:00 to Vodafone Store SE18 6LF. Please ensure someone is available to sign for receipt. You will receive a shipment confirmation message in due course. Thank you. Well, there's not much I can do about whether the Vodafone staff are there to receive my order, but I will be dropping by at about lunchtime to see if I can pick up my shiny new HTC Desire yet. Won't actually be able to use it until Saturday, as O2 will ...
An update for anyone who doesn't follow me on Twitter (And if you're a Twitter user, why not? I'm @zoeimogen) or didn't see it earlier – Stonewall have removed Bill Leckie from their list of nominees for Journalist of the Year 2010. According to the Pink Paper, Stonewall said simply it has been "withdrawn" and they're "sorry for any offence this has caused." I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by this turn of events. I'm hoping Stonewall will have an epiphany on other issues soon, such as Marriage Equality.
Party President Ros Scott writes: The Liberal Democrats have long argued that Trident is an out of date, unnecessary and hugely expensive weapons system that the UK has no need of in modern times. In this period of fiscal constraint it is also a luxury we can ill afford. Nick Clegg was right to argue powerfully against Trident renewal during the Leader's Debates. Our party was right to stand in contrast to both the Conservatives and Labour on this issue. Today, within the Strategic Defence Review, the Coalition Government announced that there will be no final decision on the like-for-like ...
At conference I spoke about the importance of retaining our character in coalition and the importance of having distinctive policies to ensure that, come the next election, people remain clear about the Liberal Democrats and what we stand for. The Browne review on university funding and tuition fees gives us the perfect opportunity to differentiate ourselves from the other parties. We have campaigned against tuition fees for years, while Labour introduced them and raised them and the Conservatives seek to create a free market model for our universities. Part of the coalition agreement included allowing the Liberal Democrat MPs to ...
I have consistently and publically set out the importance that I attach to going ahead with a military academy at St Athan, both in terms of the defence needs of the UK and the benefits that it would bring to Wales. I have continually lobbied at all levels of Government to get the best deal we can for Wales and for our Armed Forces. It has been clear for some time that in the dreadful economic circumstances which we inherited that every part of government needs to look at how it can save costs and deliver a more efficient service ...
Giddy as I am with quivering excitement about the possibility of being taken to see England play Scotland in the Six Nations, it raises that often awful prospect that a true Monarch-loving nationalist as myself faces whenever England face another ... Continue reading →
Defence. It is more important than some would have you believe. I have to admit that in these times I don't think Britain can afford and even pretend anymore to be a world power. Nor should it. However scrapping the Ark Royal earlier than the planned 2014 date could be a strategic mistake. I am no expert other than the usual boy hood interest in military power and a family tradition (from my mums side) of being involved in the Royal Navy. I also agree with the concerns of Sharkey with regards to his thinking on axing the Harrier and ...
It's all just depressingly predictable really. Here is the article.
This may come as a shock if you're a dedicated school governor. You see, I have a confession. I was in a governors' conference last year and my attention wandered. During the keynote speech, no less. In fact, it didn't just wander; I found the speaker so baffling that I resorted to doing maths. I've been fascinated - obsessed even - with how you help children from disadvantaged, sometimes chaotic, homes make the progress they should at primary school (I'm Chair of Governors at a Hackney primary school with a culturally rich, but, on the whole, economically challenged intake). Now, ...
Every December, EU Fisheries Ministers gather around the table to set quotas for the catch that each country's vessels can take from Europe's waters. They are presented with the latest scientific evidence about stocks, often accompanied by warnings that current levels of fishing are not sustainable. They disregard this advice, and dig in for a 24-hour who-gets-what session of bargaining. The result is that the majority of Europe's fisheries are in a very fragile position indeed, well below their potential and often at risk of complete collapse. Plans to reform the Common Fisheries Policy have been promised by Fisheries Commissioner ...
I read in today's Independent of a sculpture of former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, lying in a coma, which has been unveiled in Israel. I can't quite believe that it has now almost been 5 years since he had the stroke that brought on this coma in January 2006. Time flies but in the middle east, sadly, some things never change. For a fierce old right-winger, he had really raised eyebrows during his time as Prime Minister when he withdrew the Israeli military and some 8,000 Israeli settlers from Gaza. He even left his right-wing Likud Party, and boldly ...
All, Stratford Distrct Council is currently consulting the public on its budget for next year. The exercise (costing £18,000) is designed to allow us to let the Council know our priorities. There will be 250 face to face interviews across the District, but everyone has the chance to fill in the (slightly complicated) questionnaire on the Council's website here. I'm pleased that the Council is starting to listen to the public - but it's ironic when they have refused opportunities to reduce waste - such as by merging senior officer posts with Warwick District Council, which would've saved £500,000 that ...
LGiU and CCLA have launched this year's Cll'r Achievement Awards. Do you know a councillor who works tirelessly for their community and deserves to be recognised? These awards recognise and reward the contributions of individual councillors across the country. Make your nominations now: The categories: Leader of the year CCLA award for outstanding contribution to financial performance Community champion of the year Young councillor of the year Scrutineer of the year Online councillor of the year Sustainability champion of the year Partnership achievement of the year New councillor of the year The deadline for entries is 5pm, Friday 31 December ...
Imagine the conversation later this year, somewhere in Whitehall: Civil servant Good news Minister. Our new arrangements for buying furniture are coming up to the end of their first year and everything is looking really good. Minister Excellent news. Do you mind letting me have some figures on how the arrangements have performed compared to the previous contracts? Civil servant I'm terribly sorry Minister, but we haven't kept all the records of the previous contract. [IMG: Office chair] Minister What about the records just from 2009 then? Civil servant Sorry, but we haven't got all of them. Minister You mean ...
Tonight's Evening Telegraph covers the concerns about violent crime in the Tayside Police Beat 26 area - this includes parts of the West End Ward and extends down to 'night-time economy' areas adjacent to the City Centre. Any extent of violent crime in the area is of great concern and I am reassured that our local police officers put in very significant effort into the prevention and detection of this sort of crime. It is extremely important that residents live in a safe environment and are given reassurance that the police act swiftly and effectively to tackle each and every ...
A timely reminder of this photo via the New Statesman of Nick Clegg holding up the pledge he signed. The NUS pledge, that is, as follows: I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative At the same time, he said: Labour and the Conservatives have been trying to keep tuition fees out of this election campaign. Despite the huge financial strain fees already place on Britain's young people, it is clear both Labour and the Conservatives want to lift the cap on fees . . ...
Back in August, I was pleased to report that the Housing Department had promised me that improvements to the car park and roadway at the Ancrum Place side of the Morven Terrace/Ancum Place sheltered housing would take place. These have now been carried out - and what an improvement! BEFORE :AFTER :
Tue 19th
14:36
Concerned about Lord Browne's reforms to Higher Education tuition fees? Write to your MP
The Social Liberal Forum has expressed its concerns regarding Lord Browne's review of Higher Education funding, and called for a fairer system to be implemented. In responding to the Browne review, both Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP and Business Secretary Vince Cable MP made it clear that although they 'supported the thrust of the review,' the government will take into account alternative views before presenting their actual policy. This gives all of us, in particular Social Liberals within the Liberal Democrat party, to lobby hard to ensure that the reforms to tuition fees are fair, progressive and equitable. The ...
David and myself spent most of Sunday morning out and about taking photographs to be used in our next Focus newspaper. While we were out we bumped into Derek, who runs the Town Lane Allotments.He showed us round the site and we were pleased to hear some good news. For some time the allotment group have been trying to acquire more land to expand into. As Cabinet Member for Leisure & Tourism I have been able to make enquiries on their behalf. The delay had been due to the need to have the land surveyed and soil samples tested, due ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams has written to the First Minister seeking his agreement to setting up a cross-party campaign to fight for a 'yes' vote in Wales' second referendum next year, on fair voting. She wrote: Dear Carwyn, Later this year, the leaders of the political parties will put aside their political differences and join together to campaign for 'Yes' vote in the Wales powers referendum. History shows us that it is essential that we should do so. In the 1970s, the failure to build such a consensus resulted in a 'no' vote that put the cause of ...
The Commonwealth Games ended last week. This probably means that the Commonwealth will not be mentioned in the media for another 4 years. But surely there should be more to the vestiges of the British empire than mere staging of the Commonwealth Games? What does the Commonwealth actually do in this day and age and is it still relevant? Representing a quarter of the world's governments, a third of its population and a fifth of global trade, this network of 54 countries is a diverse community. Yet we share many common traits, not least the use of the English language ...
So what is going on with Camelford Leisure Centre? A senior council officer last week told the staff at the leisure centre that they should be looking for other jobs because the centre will be closing. That was directly contradicted by Cabinet member Joan Symons at today's Full Council meeting. She was absolutely firm in saying that no decision has yet been made. I am sure that the formal redundancy notices have not yet been served on staff, but nonetheless the decision has been made to abandon Camelford Leisure Centre. This decision is known across the leisure services sector in ...
Frank Little writes: There is an interesting contribution to the debate on the Browne report at Liberal Democrat Voice by Lord Willis of Knaresborough, who, as MP for Harrogate was the chairman of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. He writes: "As they stand Vince Cable and the Liberal Democrats, rather than hide their heads in embarrassment should be congratulated in fighting for elements in the package that meet Liberal Democrat aspirations. As the IFS (not noted for their pro-liberal stance) concluded - the Browne proposals 'are highly progressive and ensure that the poorest 30% of graduates ...
Prestwich Farmers Market will be attracting large crowds when it returns to the Longfield Centre on Sunday 24th October, 9.30am to 2.30pm. The market offers a range of locally sourced foods and speciality products to suit every taste. There will be over 30 stalls offering everything speciality meats, fresh home made pasta, pies and cheeses and home-made cakes and chocolates to pastas, chutneys, jams and drinks. Try some exotic purple carrots potatoes and cauliflowers to add a splash of colour to your Sunday lunch. Be adventurous and try some venison, duck, pheasant, wild boar, buffalo and ostrich. Traders will be ...
At the height of wartime austerity Farnborough Rd School had a temporary canteen built . It was a single brick building-no cavity or any form of insulation and had a 'tin roof'. In the time I have been a governor there -which goes back-which is getting on for 20years- we have been striving to get it replaced. It was too small, in the wrong place(i.e. a detached building a good distance from the main building) and so far from ideal it is hard to explain. At last we had progress and this morning the Mayor Maureen Fearn opened the new ...
That Lord Browne's conveniently delayed report 'SECURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION' recommends a significant shift for the funding of university teaching from the state to the student or graduate is hardly surprising. Indeed in January 2004 when the introduction of 'variable fees' was pushed through the House by Alan Johnson I stated 'the reality is that by 2009 it will not be possible to go back to a system of state funding our universities with flat-rate fees'. I genuinely believed that to be the case then and despite the most noble of efforts by the Liberal Democrats to ...
We may not have managed to axe Trident in the Defence review, but the five year delay certainly puts the onus back onto Labour. There record is pretty shabby in regard to Trident having already voted to go ahead with the programme, but now they have a second chance. Ming Campbell comments on his website If these press reports are true then it is clear that Liberal Democrat views have prevailed."Extending the life of the existing Trident fleet will not only save money in the short term; it will allow the opportunity to keep nuclear policy under review, to explore ...
There was another hiatus in updating the sermons on the parish website but I think it should be consistently updated now. Anyway, here are my sermons in the meantime – all available as MP3 or Ogg Vorbis: Acts 28.17-31: Now it's our turn (27 June 2010) Psalm 145: God's Greatness (1 August 2010) Psalm 121: God's Protection (8 August 2010) James 4.1-12: Humility and Wisdom (10 October 2010)
London Region Liberal Democrats have announced the candidates for the Greater London Assembly top-up list for the 2012 election. The shortlist is now final and London members will now be issued with a ballot to place the candidates in order of preference. The candidates, in alphabetical order, are: Jeremy Ambache (M) Steve Bradley (M) Emily Davey (F) Merlene Emerson (F)* Bridget Fox (F) Stephen Knight (M) Ajmal Masroor (M)* Caroline Pidgeon (F) Marisha Ray (F)* Nick Russell (M) Shas Sheehan (F)* Those marked with an asterisk are Black and Minority Ethnic for the purpose of the ethnic preference rule. There ...
Mitch Benn has posted a video to YouTube that is proving popular in the twitterverse at the moment. It's a song about the BBC and how proud he is/ we all should be of it. The song will be released on iTunes and Amazon on November 1st. I have embedded the video below. Now; I'm a proud supporter of the BBC, I blogged about the perils it faces a few months ago during the run up to the general election. I listen to BBC local radio every day and have even been on air a couple of times recently; once ...
I have long thought that Party policy making has tended to be elitist and untransparent. In my own little universe - FPC's Localism working group - I am keen to change this. So the papers of the group are now being shared with anyone who put a card in for the Localism debate in Liverpool. And I will update party members and activists in places like Lib Dem Voice. We met on 6 October and looked at a new draft of the paper. Our previous thinking is now deeply influenced by the change in the political landscape, not least the ...
I recently updated my earlier biography of Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne for a new edition of Liberal Leaders: Leaders of the Liberal Party from 1828 to 1899, and here it is. [IMG: Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister] Right from his London birth on 15 March 1779, at Melbourne House in Piccadilly, William Lamb, second Viscount Melbourne, was at the centre of Whig social circles. The second son of Peniston Lamb, first Viscount Melbourne, he followed a normal early life for sons of Whig magnates - Eton, Cambridge University, and education for a legal profession. Politics came naturally into his life, but ...
..... Well on the way back from it actually. I was Chairing a meeting if the Recycle for London Steering Group in City Hall this morning. At the end of the morning it being such a nice day I decided to walk to my next appointment near Charing Cross. I was wandering past HMS Belfast when I noticed quite a crowd had gathered. Unpeturbed I walked through the crowd and past the small group if police officers on my way to Hays Galleria ..... and almost bumped in HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as he got out of his Ranger ...
During statement over the additional £7bn for education of children from less well off backgrounds, Norwich South MP Simon Wright asked the Education Secretary Michael Gove:
Tue 19th
11:55
Alex Cole-Hamilton reaaffirms Scottish Liberal Democrat commitment to free higher education
Alex Cole-Hamilton is the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh Central for next year's elections. I first met him 9.5 years ago during the 2001 election campaign when he was working in Edinburgh West. Before that, he'd been the President of Aberdeen University Students Representative Council.. As a former student leader he understands both the financial pressures students face and why we all need a flourishing higher education sector. As this video shows, Alex joined the Liberal Democrats in the first place because of our success in abolishing tuition fees in the first Holyrood coalition and he remains committed to ...
Last night was a meeting of the Council's Internal Scrutiny committee, which analyses the decisions made by the Council's cabinet, and which I chair. There are many things in life which I would like to internally scrutinise, and none of them are related to the business of the Council. Sadly the committee's remit is limited to that type of thing. I console myself though with the fact that there were some meaty things to discuss last night, and I think we did a useful job overseeing what the Council's cabinet is doing. Perhaps the most controversial issue last night was ...
My comments were again in this weeks Bracknell Standard. I was asked the question; It has been revealed that speed cameras cost the council around £97,000 per year and that they could be scrapped. If they are scrapped, what would you like to see them money spent on, or do you think speed cameras are worth spending money on? Details can be found on the Get Bracknell website here And my answer; I have had some bad experiences with speed cameras. On one road the speed was changed (not in Bracknell Forest) and me, my brother and my brothers girl ...
Video also available on YouTube here. I spotted this recently in Kentish Town: someone (possibly motorist rather than pedestrian) has added their editorial on some pelican crossing lights on Kentish Town Road, London NW5. There's a similarly-adorned set of lights on the A406 North Circular Road. A smiley face for the green traffic light, and progressively sadder ones for amber and red. From the pedestrians' point of view, the red and green man remain as enigmatic as ever...
Commenting on reports that the decision on replacement of Britain's Trident nuclear missile system is to be delayed by five years, former leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Menzies Campbell said: "If these press reports are true then it is clear that Liberal Democrat views have prevailed. "Extending the life of the existing Trident fleet will not only save money in the short term; it will allow the opportunity to keep nuclear policy under review, to explore the possibilities of co-operation with the French, and even to consider other alternatives to like for like replacement of Trident. "Liberal Democrats would ...
This is me with my fellow Lib Dem ward councillor, Malcolm Armstrong, standing in Arbor Lane, at the entrance to the lane down which a developer wishes to put 59 more houses. In a paddock. Next to public open space and a school field. Outside the area of the settlement (sorry: planning term, meaning, "the envelope inside which development is likely to be allowed to take place"). [IMG: arbor-lane-entrance.jpg] No thanks. We're fighting this one.
London Region Liberal Democrats have announced the candidates for the London Assembly top-up list for the 2012 election. The shortlist is now final and London members will now be issued with a ballot to place the candidates in order of preference. The candidates, in alphabetical order, are: Jeremy Ambache (M) Steve Bradley (M) Emily Davey (F) Merlene Emerson (F)* Bridget Fox (F) Stephen Knight (M) Ajmal Masroor (M)* Caroline Pidgeon (F) Marisha Ray (F)* Nick Russell (M) Shas Sheehan (F)* Those marked with an asterisk are Black and Minority Ethnic for the purpose of the ethnic preference rule. There will ...
I've recently been grappling with making some life changes having found myself at somewhat of a crossroads. It's so easy to get caught up with the practice of just doing, doing, doing and not take some time to stop and re-evaluate where you are heading. Two events have recently made me want to take another ...
From Stockport Council: Stockport Council is encouraging schools in the borough to take part in International Walk to School Month which is being held this month. The Council has joined the month as part of its CarbON-CarbOFF initiative and has celebrated the month by re-launching the successful Green Miles initiative which, as well as encouraging children to walk and cycle to school, educates children about geography and history. As part of the CarbON-CarbOFF information programme, the Council is committed to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% and has partnered with the Energy Saving Trust to encourage businesses and residents to ...
Presumably, Ed Miliband and his advisers are developing a narrative that they hope will engage voters enough to secure the Labour party electoral success. There weren't many hints of what that narrative might be in Miliband's speech to the Labour party conference. From what he said, we can safely say that he doesn't want to be called 'Red Ed', that he rejects new, and old, Labour and that he speaks for a different generation. On reflection, it seemed as though he wanted to start from where John Smith left off and before Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson established ...
Thinking about using the internet, which of the following have you used in the last 6 months? Read blogs / weblog: March 2008 50.7% March 2009 41.3% July 2010 40.8% 16-54 year old active internet users in the UK, Wave 5 Social Media Tracker The small decline between 2009 and 2010 is (probably, as different sources vary in their measures and dates) counter-balanced by the increase in the absolute number of people using the internet in the UK. Even so, if the decline continues it will at some point eat into absolute numbers as well.
Wondering what to get people for Christmas presents? Here's a selection of what various Liberal Democrat bloggers suggest: Jonathan Calder recommends Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music by Rob Young: "Anyone with an interest in folk music will find this book engrossing. Young traces the rise of the genre from Cecil Sharp and other Edwardian song collectors like Ralph Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth, through the post-war radialism of Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker, to its electronic heyday in the hands of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. He finds the visionary spirit living on in unlikely artists such as Kate ...
Yate Town Councillor Chris Willmore shows the extent of the damage First Great Western are still refusing to replace the broken shelter glazing at Yate Station despite protests by passengers, even though winter is on its way. They say it's too expensive to keep replacing panes broken by vandals. But on the same logic they wouldn't replace broken office windows or train windows. We wouldn't tolerate bus shelters or phone boxes being left smashed up. But just because the station is tucked out of the way, First think they can get away with penny-pinching at the expense of their customers ...
This Wednesday the two candidates for Liberal Democrat President will take part in the official Federal online hustings at party headquarters in Cowley Street, London. Susan Kramer and Tim Farron will answer questions which have been submitted online, and a video of the event will be posted afterwards on YouTube for all party members to refer to. I'll be chairing the hustings, so please submit your questions via email to helen@libdemvoice.org by 5pm Wednesday. If you'd like to attend in person, a limited number of places are available. It's on Wednesday 20 October at 7pm. Please contact Johnny LeVan-Gilroy at ...
Edinburgh Central's Liberal Democrat candidate Alex Cole-Hamilton has produced this video to speak about students and tuition fees. You can subscribe to his Alex4Central for more updates during his campaign for the election to Holyrood next May.
Tomorrow's Comprehensive Spending Review announcement will inevitably impact on the Welsh Government's budget. It is pointless speculating here as to how much we will lose or even how we will accomodate that until the announcement is made. It is though worth noting that even under Labour's plans the Welsh Government would have lost £2.8 billion over the next four years from the block grant. So far Welsh Minister's response has been to call for a Barnett floor to be established so as to protect Wales' share of the UK budget. This measure is designed to prevent convergence in expenditure per ...
Tue 19th
10:04
In Chicago, appearing on voting machines (wrongly) as "Rich Whitey" is not an electoral asset
Spare a thought for Green Gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney in Chicago. A simple typo by an over-worked clerk meant that one part of the voting machine programme showed him as "Rich Whitey". Now, electoral staff have worked overtime to reprogramme the system and he appears, happily, as, Rich Whitney.
Please come and help the volunteers of the Friends of Yate Common doing some wildflower planting this Saturday (23 Oct) and help make this popular area ever better. Meet at 10.30 am at the Reed Pond.
Come along to the Fairtrade Fair at Stockport College. 10.30-4pm, Saturday 20th November Over 30 Fair Trade stalls with original gifts and foods from around the developing world. [IMG: Fairtrade Fair]
I discovered on Sheffield blog today that development work is starting on Sheaf Park, with an interesting project for an outdoor amphitheatre. The thought that immediately struck me was that it adds (to the long list!) of reasons why the bridge at the Sheffield Station needs to stay open. There is cross-party support for this issue. A summary of the issue can be found in this Sheffield Star article. There is a pressure group, Residents against Station closure and a Facebook group. The pressure on Midland Mainline needs to be maintained, too many parts of Sheffield rely on this bridge ...
Only in the House of Lords can you have the chance to return from the dead, so to speak, but very few have returned from the administrative grave that is 'leave of absence'. Suffolk is the home of one of those very few, Lord Phillips of Sudbury. Before he took leave of absence, he led for the Liberal Democrats on the Identity Cards Bill, forensically taking apart the arguments given by the then Labour Government. And now he's back, in time to participate in another Identity Cards Bill... Lord Phillips of Sudbury: My Lords, I admire the noble Lord, Lord ...
A very interesting post over at the Britain Votes Blog "Discussions on electoral reform always centre on Westminster, but it is my view that after the referendum on AV is over with electoral reformers should concentrate on electing councils by STV. Why?" You can read more here. Electoral Reformers should shift their focus from Westminster to Local Councils.
The defence review is admitting the bleeding obvious - that there is no real danger of armed invasion of the UK, and that terrorism does not pose an "existential threat" to the UK and our way of life. That is a real advance, because Blair, Reid and Blunkett were determined to convince us that it was an existential threat, "on the scale of the Second World War" as Reid once ludicrously opined of a menace that killed under 70 people inthe UK. What did become a threat to our way of life was New Labour's hyping of that threat to ...
YouGov recently put up the results from a large poll on the AV referendum for the Constitution Society, conducted on 31 August - 1 September. As described by UK Polling Report, this contained a similar exercise to the YouGov poll in the summer that asked people how they would vote in an AV referendum. The result this time was 32% for AV, 33% for first past the post (FPTP), 26% don't know and 9% wouldn't vote. The survey then exposed to people to various pro- and anti- arguments on AV, along with questions about what they wanted from an electoral ...
Four comments came through last night about the connaught story. I deleted two because in my opinion there were open and shut Libelous. Unfortunately I deleted all four by accident. I will therefore publish the non libelous ones here. As regular readers will note I am not afraid of derogatory comments on this site if Baz hadn't removed his own I would reference a whole book full that are against my positions! At the end of the day. My blog. My rules. I have also published my response below. Anyhoo, the comments..... Carl So exactly how many people had "interests" ...
Tue 19th
07:23
Whoniversaries 19 October: Paradise Towers #3, Remembrance of the Daleks #3, Vault of Secrets #2
19 October 1987: broadcast of third episode of Paradise Towers. Mel is rather implausibly rescued by Pex; the Caretaker is munched by Kroagnon; and the Doctor taken by the Cleaners. 19 October 1988: broadcast of third episode of Remembrance of the Daleks. The Hand of Omega is dug up and the rivals Dalek factions start to slug it out in the school. 19 October 2010: broadcast of second episode of The Vault of Secrets (SJA).
If you want to know about social engineering then take a look at Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. In this "ideal" world everyone is happy and well and everyone dies at the age of 60. This futuristic world is extreme in which there are five castes and nobody looks for social mobility because everyone is happy just where they are. There is significant irony in this book. It was written in the 1930s when someone called Adolf was talking about an Aryan race but people like Jesse Owens were putting holes in his argument. The problem is that some people ...
The sharp-eyed, hard-working folk at the Chiltern Countryside Group have spotted some really good news on the NATS web-site. "Air traffic levels are now not expected to reach the 2007 peak levels again till at least 2013/14." Or ever, perhaps? The consequence of this is that the review area has been broadened out, with controllers now expected to be able to keep aircraft higher for longer and on more direct (i.e. shorter) routes. All this means less fuel burn, less CO2 and less noise for people on the ground. Thanks from us all to campaigners like our local Chiltern Countryside ...
