I have a huge amount of time for Duncan Hames, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham. The energy he put into his campaign was matched only by the passion and intensity with which his fiancee Jo Swinson fights her seat. He's a great MP. I have already been amazed by the number of times he's been called at Prime Minister's Questions, always asking something thoughtful and meaningful. Today, apparently, he stopped to help a woman whose handbag had been snatched and then pursued the guy who snatched the handbag on foot. Someone else on a bike caught up with the ...
The Grange on Urlay Nook Rd was a wonderful family house, much loved by the family which grew up there while my own children were growing up here. The house itself is quite a landmark on the road out to the Airport though sadly for the wrong reasons now. The new owner has let it go to wrack and ruin while applying for, and winning approval for, planning permission to knock it down and build
The BBC report that Welsh Assembly members have agreed to a pay freeze for four years after the assembly election on 5 May next year: It was already known they would face a two-year freeze in line with all public servants earning over £21,000 per year. The assembly's remuneration board welcomed the decision, saying it would save the equivalent of £1m over the next four years allowing for inflation. AMs currently have an annual salary of £53,852, while the first minister earns an additional £80,871. Remuneration board chairman George Reid said: "I welcome this determination by AMs to play their ...
I'm writing this now to make sure our children have a chance of growing up in a world worth living in. Today there's still time to save nature. If we act now, our children may yet be able to share their world with sparrows and polar bears, eagles and tigers. There's still a chance that ...
The Lib Dem MP for Chippenham chased a man who snatched a bag from a woman in the town, reports BBC News: Duncan Hames said he had been sitting in his car at traffic lights on Friday when he saw the theft. He pulled over, spoke to the woman to make sure she was unhurt and chased after the thief through Monkton Park. He said a cyclist who also saw what happened managed to retrieve the bag. Mr Hames said he had reported the incident to Wiltshire Police.We Liberal Democrats have a talent for this sort of thing. Three years ...
The Council has changed the Neighbourhood Manager, Roland Russell, with responsibility for Southdown, Whiteway and Kingsway. On Wednesday Dine and I took him around the whole ward pointing out problem areas and litter hotspots. These ranged from the playarea in Parry Close upto the footpath from Englishcombe to Marsden. We spent a long time at Mount Road shops and the new manager...
[IMG: Duncan Hames' hero tweet] Duncan Hames, the new Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham, has spoken of chasing after a man who snatched a woman's bag in his constituency. From the BBC: Liberal Democrat Duncan Hames said he had been sitting in his car at traffic lights on Friday when he saw the theft. He pulled over, spoke to the woman to make sure she was unhurt and chased after the thief through Monkton Park. He said a cyclist who also saw what happened managed to retrieve the bag. Mr Hames said he had reported the incident to Wiltshire Police. ...
Changes put on a good fund raising day in Rosewarn Field last Saturday. The challenge to climb the vertical Extreme Wall. Lots of people had a go and Changes raised a lot to put towards community events and action. Well done to Will, Elaine and the team. I had a go and managed to get to the top and can vouch for the fact that it is not an easy challenge.
I am reading a book by David Smith - On the margins of social inclusion. This is an academic text which is rich in ideas about social exclusion and the economic realities of our time. It is a bit turgid in the introductory chapters. And really this is a little offputting. He tries too hard trying to cram in as much technical speak and jargon as is feasibly possible. Yet the main thrust of his ideas are interesting. What I learn the more I read about social exclusion is that I do not like the term exclusion and inclusion. This ...
Working people have increasingly taken the brunt of funding Britain's work shy free loaders, when Labour came into power in 1997 they were going to bring in welfare reforms. As with Tuition fees they (Labour) adopted a right wing agenda and took the easy way out. Instead of getting dole cheats off the sofa, and out of the bookies, Labour decided to expand the economy which is why mass migration has been a key part of Labours recent rule, most new jobs going to foreign nationals. Its a real tragedy that reform has been left to the coalition, at this ...
One of the most exciting links in the Sustrans British cycleroute project is the Two Tunnels in Bath. This is making use of an old railway that goes under Combe Down so it connects Bath to the South with an easy cycle route. It will be a long tunnel through Combe Down but on the Bath side there is a need to build two new bridges so that the cycle route is uninterupted. The two planning applications are now in. There is more information on the Two Tunnels web site and an easy link to both applications to submit comments ...
The momentum is still there for my petition, against any rise in tuition fees. It has now reached a new milestone so it will now be sent to the forth Lib Dem MPs. By now you will probably have worked out the next most vulnerable MP is Annette Brooke and I will post the letter on here next week, once the Annette has had an opportunity to receive the it.Many of members who have signed the petition
As has been tweeted by Aaron Porter and reported by the Guardian and announced through a new website (in a remarkably unified manner) the NUS has launched it's campaign to "decapitate" the Liberal Democrats, by ousting leading Liberal Democrat MPs ... Continue reading →
The council has carried out speed traffic counts in Rush Hill"Traffic data attached. It was collected outside 100 Rush Hill. The figures we work to are the 85th%ile speeds for each day shown alongside 12H to 24 H. The overall figures are about 31 mph which are within acceptable tolerance for a 30 mph. Police usually will enforce only at over 34 mph."
The first leaflet that Labour is putting out in Oldham East and Saddleworth since Phil Woolas was ousted as MP is noticeable not because of what it contains, but rather because of what it doesn't. The content is as we ... Continue reading →
Earlier this week, a resident contacted me to highlight his concern about the lack of adequate lighting on the cycle path through the former goods yard area from Roseangle through Seabraes to Greenmarket : "I have just had cause to walk the pedestrian/cycle path at the bottom of Seabraes along the side of the railway line on my way home from the railway station to Patons Lane. Between the two chicane barriers at either end of the pathway I counted no fewer than ten street lights out of action. The lighting on this pathway is not the brightest at the ...
Last month, I updated residents about my request that the school crossing patroller on Blackness Road at the Kelso Steps be replaced as soon as possible. The Education Department has now updated me as follows : "I am awaiting the disclosure check for the prospective employee who will be appointed once this is confirmed. He will be trained and appointed once this is received." I am anxious to see this matter resolved quickly as the crossing is a busy one for both Blackness Primary School and Harris Academy pupils, so it was good to hear of progress towards this.
It was nothing short of uplifting to hear earlier today that Aung San Suu Kyi, who has campaigned for democratic change in Burma through dialogue and not violence, has finally been released from house detention. She was granted the Freedom of the City of Dundee in 2008, a small part of a huge international campaign to see Aung San Suu Kyi released and to recognise her courageous stance in defence of freedom. Great challenges, however, still lie ahead for Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma. As Nick Clegg said at PMQs earlier this week : "I strongly ...
Thursday's borough council meeting was presented with a report on councillors alowances from an independent review committee. The committee has looked over the last month at the level of payments made to councillors and also considered comments from those councillors. The result of these investigations was a recommendation to increase councillors basic allowances, to reduce some senior councillors special responsibility allowances and to give more money to the leader of the council and two new committee chairmen. Overall the council's budget for allowances was recommended to increase by about 1%. My view is that the majority of councillors give good ...
I was delighted to learn earlier today that Tim Farron MP has become the new President of the Liberal Democrats as I was strongly supportive of Tim's campaign. He'll make a superb President who speaks up for the grassroots of the party. Baroness Ros Scott, our current President wrote to party members today : Dear Fraser, I'm writing to let you know the exciting news that Tim Farron has been elected as the next President of our party. You can find the full result here. We were incredibly fortunate in this election to have two outstanding candidates for President either ...
I was very disappointed to read this article in the Guardian: Revealed: Lib Dems planned before election to abandon tuition fees pledge. Now, I am not in the mood to go out of my way to defend Nick Clegg at the moment, but this article is a clear example of the embarrassing level our journalists have stooped to. The headline alone is misleading and sensationalist the article is designed to make the reader believe that the Liberal Democrats planned to go back on their manifesto pledge on opposition to tuition fees. We have to ask, what evidence does the article ...
46) Margaret Wetherell et al (eds), Identity, Ethnic Diversity and Community Cohesion (London: Sage, 2007, ISBN 9781412946179). Collection of essays exploring the relationships between identity, community and ethnic relations, using the concept of community cohesion as a lens. The first section effectively consists of position statements by representatives of various organisations (Home Office, CRE, Islamic Foundation and Runnymede Trust), while the second presents four case studies; in the third and final section, academics reflect on the light the case studies shed on the organisational positions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I thought the first section was the weakest, the second the most interesting ...
Sat 13th
18:56
Let's ban these referees who want to be the star of the game - Yes Michael Oliver, I'm talking about...
Having watched Norwich City be robbed this evening by a 25 year old "fast tracked" referee, who isn't fit to ref a Sunday league pub game, you have to ask what is wrong with the way referees are trained that this man is refereeing a Championship football match. What was a competitive, but one sided match, was turned on its head by an abysmal decision by Michael Oliver, England's youngest top flight referee, to send of Norwich striker Grant Holt, and in turn see a 3-1 Norwich lead quickly turn in to a 3-3 game, with a dubious penalty given ...
It's been quite a day, all told. The Action Day went pretty well, with support from my Liberal Democrat colleagues in Stowmarket, Needham Market and Great Bricett, and a polite response on the doorstep. For the most part, people were quite happy to complete the survey, and I'll be looking at the responses over the coming week. Meanwhile, in London, the Party's internal elections took place, and I am really pleased to have been elected to be a member of the ELDR Council delegation. Yes, Ros's transfers made a big difference (it isn't often that you see anyone get a ...
Over on LibDemVoice they regularly do a survey of Lib Dem members. This month's results are here. Basically, like me, the majority of members think the Lib Dems are on the right track, they support the Coalition, approve of it's record and think it will last for four years or more. However, also like me, the majority of members also think the Coalition will be bad for our prospects at the next general election. But, unlike me, they approve of Nick Clegg's performance of leader to date, net +40% approval, though this does contrast with his approval rating of +62% ...
[IMG: Team Talk] Thousands of bulbs were planted in the "carriageway" area between Durham Road and Park Road today. And most of them were planted by teenagers as the Consett Under 16 Rugby squad volunteered in force. It was fantastic to see them all there, and a great adverisement for the teamwork that exists between coaches and players as they worked side by side on behalf of the community. The project was organised by the Blackhill, Bridgehill, Benfieldside and Shotley Bridge Partnership and funded by the Derwent Valley Partnership (Area Action Partnership) through its Schools and Communities in Bloom Project. ...
[IMG: Liffey, Dublin] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: Rev Stan If any illustration is necessary of why it is important to plan to reduce our deficit robustly, we need only look across the water at dear old Ireland. I am a keen listener of RTÉ Radio 1. It's their equivalent of our Radio 4 with a bit of Radio 2 mixed in. It provides light relief on 252 kHz Long Wave. A succession of very pained government ministers have appeared on their airwaves over the last few years. About a year ago they had an almightly swingeing series of ...
At times like this Colin Rosenstiel is simply indispensable. Hurry over to his website for stage-by-stage coverage of today's internal Liberal Democrat elections. Aung An Suu Kyi's release this morning has prompted Mark Cole to recall his own flirtation with Burma. Conservative MP Douglas Carswell (I am not sure how to describe his politics, but he is no one's idea of a traditional Tory) has doubts about Michael Gove's announcement on school funding: "It puts in place the architecture of even greater central state control. Can you imagine ministers starting to attach various conditions in return for the funding schools ...
I have just had a request from BBC West about the rise of supermarkets as they are doing a programme on the subject. To me it is far more than the supermarket it is about the food we eat and the way we relate to food. I think the turning point came in the 1970's when shools stopped teaching cooking as an art form and turned it into a technology style lesson and approach. My response to the journalist Hi Rachel I am more than happy to talk to you about supermarkets. However in my view the issue is wider ...
It is a great day today with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. One of the most insprational leaders in the world. It is clear who the people of Burma respect and trust. It is a shame that the world has tolerated the Military Junta there rather than putting pressure on as it did in South Africa.
Sat 13th
16:57
What Lib Dem members think of the Coalition, the Lib Dems' direction, and Nick Clegg's leadership
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we're currently publishing the full results. What Lib Dem members think about the party and its leadership Do you think, as a whole, the Liberal Democrats are on the right course or on the wrong track? (Comparison with August's figures.) 65% (69%) – The right course 23% (17%) – The wrong track 11% (15%) – Don't know / ...
I blogged during the week about how Lib Dem peer Chris Rennard had asked a question in the Lords about Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo (and see his own post on the subject on Liberal Democrat Voice). Now London Euro-MP Sarah Ludford is calling for action at the European level: [IMG: Sarah Ludford MEP] Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford has tabled an urgent question to the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, asking her to confirm that all 27 EU ambassadors to Norway will be attending the award of the ...
I've been nursing my poorly Alyson these last few days. She's been getting better but today she's been struggling with dizziness. As a result, she's currently sleeping on the sofa in the living room. This means I've been watching BBC News 24 and have been able, completely through luck, to watch the joyous scenes of Aung An Suu Kyi's release this morning in Burma. She has spent some 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest after her 1990 democratic election win was quashed by the military junta who have kept a secure grip over the country ever since. ...
British Gas has announced its latest price rise to near universal dismay. So it seams a little odd that they're running a campaign based around how much you could save if you switch to them. [IMG: British Gas Advert] Still, what concerns me in this Mobile Badvertising series is not the content, but the execution and usability. Let's see what happens when we click on it. Clicking the advert takes you to your phone's dial screen with British Gas's phone number ready to dial. (This goes via an ad network so they can count hits.) [IMG: Click To Call] This ...
One of the joys of writing a blog is occassionally you get people you don't know dropping you a line and introducing you to something, weird, wacky or just plain wonderful. Today I got just one of those and it sits well and truly in the "wonderful" category. [IMG: findasmoker] A dating site for smokers. Yep that's right. A dating site where you can find your perfect partner and be assured of your mutual love of tobacco. No more dates when you are sitting there thinking things could not be more perfect..then you light up and suddenly it all goes ...
It's another week, and I've not had anything put up on this blog for ages, but it's not because nothing has been happening - quite the opposite in fact. Life has been moving on. I have been working away and getting on with various things. However, last weekend I felt a bump on the back ...
Following my post last weekend about the outbreak of fly tipping in Redlands, I am pleased to report that in response to my request officers from Streetcare will be actively monitoring the area around Christchurch Green shops and Cintra Park to ensure shopkeepers and others are living up to their responsibilities when it comes to the management of trade waste. Shop keepers and other businesses have responsibilities under the Environmental Protection Act (1990). If they fail to adhere to these they can be prosecuted. Officers have reported that the edge of Cintra Park (Whitley Park entrance - where we discovered a pile of ...
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader... (Image courtesy the Lib Dems Flickr photostream.) Here's newly elected Lib Dem president Tim Farron preparing to launch a paper aeroplane into the debate at the party conference, as an unimpressed-looking Ed Davey, minister for employment relations, consumer and postal affairs, looks on. What do you think they might be saying to, or thinking about, each other? The winner of our most recent caption competition, the "Downing Street CSR special edition" - according to The Voice's judging panel of one - was ...
[IMG: LibDem HQ, 4 Cowley Street] Alongside the more important news of the election for Liberal Democrat Party President (congratulations Tim), today saw the count in elections for various party committees and bodies including the interim peers panel, in which I was standing. Having set the bar at being elected equalling a good result, getting 100 first preferences a strong result and 200 first preferences a stupendous result, I'm therefore very grateful for all the votes which gave me 189 first preferences. Only one other candidate broke the 100 bar, and that was Sal Brinton with some style - at ...
I am delighted to hear that Tim Farron has been elected President of the Liberal Democrats. I've known Tim since our student days when we both used to argue the Liberal case at NUS conferences against the kind of left wing numpties who were doing so much damage to the student cause on Wednesday. Tim is a fine liberal, comes from an ordinary background and is an activist through and through.
Today's Guardian has the most alarming headline..."Revealed: Secret documents show Liberal Democrats drew up plans to drop flagship student pledge before election". Hmmm. Whatever happened to standards over at the Guardian? The fact that the Liberals did a U-turn on tuition fees is not news. Welcome to the world of coalition politics...you stand firm on some stuff and have to give way on other stuff. And if we are being accurate, the Liberals drew up some contingency plans in the unlikely event of a hung parliament..but lets not let the facts stand in the way of a sexy headline. Just ...
A lot of people recently have been asking me why I'm still a Lib Dem and it seems it is now de rigeur for any Labour or Green party supporters to ask that of any Lib Dem they meet. So, partly for the sake of convenience, I am writing this so that all my reasons are in one convenient place which I can direct people to. So, let's start with the Coalition. Did I support the Coalition and do I still support it? Absolutely.The reason for this is quite simple. On the 6th of May the electoral arithmetic meant that ...
Flick has asked me to cross-post this item: With support from Camden Council, we can now confirm that a Christmas Community Market will be held on Saturday 11th December from 11am - 3.30pm on West End Green, West Hampstead. The aim of the event is to provide a festive focus in the West Hampstead community as well as providing support for local shops and crafts people to sell their wares. . Local shops on West End Lane and Mill Lane will also be encouraged to support the Market, either by having a stall or by providing special festive promotions on ...
So in only ONE of the committee elections did my first preference even get in (That would be lady Mark on ELDR, since I figured, correctly, that Ros probably wouldn't need my first pref). In most of them even my second pref didn't get a sniff. And I have looked with horror upon some of the people who DID get in, just because their names are well known. There are three people on the peers panel that just... gah. Anyway. We really, really, REALLY need to get the campaign system changed so that the rules are the same for every ...
On 8th November Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority published its draft plans for the future in a document called Towards 2020, which is now available at www.kent.fire-uk.org.
Nine blogs have recently joined my Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Kathy Pollard – http://kathypollard.mycouncillor.org.uk/ Alex Marsh – http://alexsarchives.wordpress.com/ Gareth Epps – http://www.garethepps.org.uk/ Paul Childs – http://www.pchilds80.com/ Tony Robertson – http://tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/ Tim Prater – http://prater.org.uk/ Keith McGrellis – http://www.mcgrellis.net/ Tim Starkey – http://www.timstarkeylibdems.co.uk/ George Potter – http://thepotterblogger.blogspot.com/ Good luck to all the new bloggers, and why not take a moment to pop over to their blogs, take a read and post a comment? Do you know of a blog by a LibDem which isn't listed? Why not get them to add it as well? Whether you are one of these new ...
First, the good. Aung San Suu Kyi released. This must outweigh all the other news today. Tim Farron elected Lib Dem President: OK, not on the same scale, but good news nevertheless as we may now hear some Liberal Democrat policies being promoted for a change.Now the bad. Chiefly and so depressingly the Guardian reports "Revealed: Lib Dems planned before election to abandon tuition fees
[IMG: Hardings Wood, Wigginton] When Hardings Wood came up for sale a number of years ago a group of local Wigginton People formed a Charitable Trust to run it - and made a successful Lottery Bid to get the money to buy it. Now it's there for everyone to enjoy and saved for the community for generations to come. Today we caught up with a small Working Party and joined them for a tour round the wood under the guidance of one of the trustees, John Kilpatrick. The wood looked beautiful in the sunlight in its autumn colours.
Below is a list of all those elected in the Lib Dem Federal party elections via Colin Rosenstiel (h/t James Graham). Terms of office commencing January 2011 for two years. Presidential results Tim Farron elected with 14,593 votes to Susan Kramer's 12,950 a closer result than some were expecting. Turnout was 41.9% Federal Executive Qassim Afzal Elaine Bagshaw Ramesh Dewan Sue Doughty James Graham James Gurling Evan Harris Susan Juned Gordon Lishman Candy Piercy David Rendel Joanna Shaw Gerald Vernon-Jackson Chris White David Williams Federal Policy Committee Dinti Batstone Phil Bennion David Boyle Duncan Brack Sal Brinton Lucy Care Gareth ...
Liberal Democrat Federal Conference representatives have voted for members of party committees for 2011-2012 and members of the panel from which future Liberal Democrat nominees for the House of Lords will be drawn. The results are as follows: Federal Executive Summary election result for The Federal Executive: Places: 15 Total valid vote: 1681 Quota: 105.07 Spoiled: 53 Elected: Qassim AFZAL Elaine BAGSHAW Ramesh DEWAN Sue DOUGHTY James GRAHAM James GURLING Evan HARRIS Susan JUNED Gordon LISHMAN Candy PIERCY David RENDEL Joanna SHAW Gerald VERNON-JACKSON Chris WHITE David WILLIAMS Federal Policy Committee Summary election result for The Federal Policy Committee Places: ...
Here is a video of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's excellent speech to a lunch organised by Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel on Wednesday. For more on this speech, here is the Jewish Chronicle's report on it.
Many congrats to Tim Farron on becoming Lib Dem President. It was a close result Tim Farron: 14,593 votes , Susan Kramer: 12,950 votes. (40% of party voted). Tim takes up the post on January 1st.
We now know who will succeed Ros Scott as President of the Liberal Democrats. Tim Farron This is great news for the party, we now have someone who is a proven campaigner and will speak to the press, giving real Liberal Democrat views instead of pure coalition policy. I'm absolutely delighted with the result. Congratulations. ...
Today keeps getting better and better in my mind. The news has just been announced that Tim Farron has been duly elected as the new President of the Liberal Democrats. News from Cowley Street where the count has just taken ... Continue reading →
Tim Farron has been elected as President of the Liberal Democrats. He beat Susan Kramer by 14,593 votes to 12,950
I wrote a post about the CAB the other day airing my concerns that the building was being sold out from underneath them by Woking Conservatives on the council at a local level as reported on the GetSurrey website. After ... Continue reading →
Video also available on YouTube here. I'm at Cowley Street, at the election count for the next President of the Liberal Democrats. The count has just been completed and the result is as follows: Tim Farron: 14,593 votes Susan Kramer: 12,950 votes Tim Farron will take up office on 1st January 2011, succeeding Ros Scott. A total of 65,861 ballot papers were issued and the turnout was 41.9%. 64 ballots were spoiled. Total ballots returned 27,607. The outgoing President, Ros Scott, has just emailed party members with this message: I'm writing to let you know the exciting news that Tim ...
I woke to the news this morning that The Burmese Pro Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has finally been released from house arrest in Burma. Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for the last ... Continue reading →
Whilst out canvassing the other day a number of residents pointed out to me that the condition of the road at the junction of Lynton Rd and Waterloo Rd was particularly poor and drew my attention to the state of the zebra crossing When I got home I duly wrote off to the engineers asking them to inspect the site. This is the reply I received: An inspection of the carriageway has been carried out by the area technician however he failed to identify any defects within our criteria for repair, however the situation will continue to be monitored during ...
A 1968 anthology of stories (and one factual piece about meteor strikes) from Analog magazine. Some of these were irritating one-nifty-idea tales, but most were at least decent. The standout piece is Bob Shaw's "Light of Other Days", also the only one I was already familiar with. The best known of the other stories is Gordon Dickson's "Call Him Lord" which is actually a story about a society with a rather brutal honour code, more fantasy than sf though the setting is Earth in a future Space Empire. But really, considering what else was going on in sf at the ...
Sat 13th
11:15LDV survey: The qualities members want from the Lib Dem party president (and whose campaign reached ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we're currently publishing the full results. As today is the day the result of the contest to become party president is declared, here's a Wordle illustrating what party members feel are the most important qualities whoever is successful should bring to the role (click on the image to enlarge)... 'Party members' are the two biggest words, but after ...
The forecast was for high winds and driving rain in the north last night. That was the night that the biggest detachment of by election volunteers in living memory left Sefton to help Elwyn Watkins. Southport MP John Pugh, Council Leader Tony Robertson, two cabinet members, four councillors a handful of activists arrived as darkness fell. We were met at the mill that was serving as the HQ by Elwyn, he was in an optimistic mood having spent time in Oldham town centre where he had clearly received a very positive response. We were dispatched out into the Saddleworth villages ...
Last night whilst eat fish and chips at the Dukes Ward social news came through that Pontins Holiday firm had gone into administration. Pontins made a major investment in Southport-for which Cllr Simms Mitchell always claimed credit. Last year they announced major £100m investment plans for their Ainsdale site . A significant number of part time and casual jobs are offered there some of which have been filled in recent years by EU workers. Since the announcement of large scale investment Ainsdale ward money has been spent to compliment the proposed redevelopment. We wait to see if the administrator can ...
Cllr Andy Pellew and myself are currently at the councillor drop-in session at Arbury Community Centre. It is a lovely day, so do come along if you wish to talk about any local issues. We are here until noon. As you can see from the picture we do need a new sign! We should have one for the next session on 11 December 2010, and the second saturday of each month.
Despite appearances to the contrary (the sad looking photo and the link to the full court judgement), this is in fact now ex-MP Phil Woolas's genuine website: http://www.philwoolas.org.uk/ It looks like he didn't receive his own memo though, going by the arguments made on the site.
Krakow. A May morning, before the dawn of a Golden day of clear sunshine. It is the early 1990s. I have walked from the Krakow Glowny station to the Main Square in the dark. The Square- Rynek- is empty and I am alone. It will be many hours before I can go and find a place to stay. I sit on a stone bench, resting my rucksack by my side. The Rynek then was uncluttered, so the full sweep of the magnificent cloth hall was unhidden. To my left the Kosciol Mariacki loomed, smoky, with a single gleam of bright ...
Today the Liberal Democrats are launching a campaign to save Launceston Library. The facility is under threat from the current round of budget cuts being proposed by Cornwall Council. Yesterday we received the final budget proposals which will be rubber stamped by the Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday. Despite pleas from scrutiny for more information on the plans to cut almost a million pounds from the library budget, no more detail has been given. When the budget proposals were originally circulated, it was clear that a cut of this magnitude would mean the closure of a huge number of ...
Translink, Northern Ireland's publicly owned transport company has been quite good at introducing new tickets which are in the form of 'Smartcards' for some years now. Unfortunately, unlike in London, it is not possible to top them up online. It is possible to go online and buy a 'whole new card'. Recently I asked Translink ...
The results of the election for president of the Lib Dems will be announced today, soon after 12pm, and Lib Dem Voice's Helen Duffett will be reporting back live from the count. A reminder, as if you needed one, of the two candidates standing for the post: Tim Farron Susan Kramer If you're interested in looking back at the coverage of the race that's appeared here on LDV, then click here. The results for the party committee elections and Peers panel are also expected early this afternoon, so watch this space.
Lets face it. Lib Dems members knew one thing about coalitions. The minor party generally does badly in the next general election. So we knew this was going to be hard. But damn it, this is very difficult indeed. The headline should really read 'A small group of Lib Dems planned to abandon the fees pledge'. This is because the same Lib Dems who were part of the negotiation team are the same Lib Dems who knew what was in the negociation document. So it's really they who planned to abandon the pledge. The rest of us had no idea. ...
Keighley was deprived of its borough status under a Tory government in 1974. Then the West Yorkshire County Council was abolished (also by the Conservatives). Keighley is, I believe, the second largest town in the UK without its own district council. The biggest argument against re-instating Keighley as a principal authority has been, "Well, how would the schools be run now there is no county council?" If control of schools were no longer with the local authority then this hurdle would disappear. Keighley Town Council has a population of around 54,000 people, quite big enough to be a borough council ...
At a time when Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK not to have a budget in place, it is clear that spending will have to be curtailed as the money coming into the Province from Westminster is being reduced. Perhaps we will be able to bring more money in from tourists. read ...
I find it odd that the papers are as angry as they are this morning in revealing that the Lib Dems considered dropping the tuition fee pledge as part of coalition negotiations prior to the elections. The media coverage suggests that this was some kind of conspiracy to wilfully mislead voters, but this is evidently not true, and anyone thinking for a second about how coalition politics works should be able to see that. The allegations centre on internal party documents compiled in the spring talking about post-election tactics in the event of a hung parliament. Some of these documents ...
The first Conservative party political broadcast after William Hague's election as party leader in late 1997 has all the right basic elements but, much like his leadership, didn't quite work: Also available on YouTube here. (For my other posts on party political broadcasts, including move clips, see my Party Political Broadcasts page.)
It has been confirmed that Gamu Nengu is releasing a Christmas single, pitting herself directly in competition with this year's X Factor winner.
Here's your starter for ten in our Saturday slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate... The Ministry of Defence's business plan lays down seven priorities for 2010-15, of which the fourth is: To promote defence exports consistent with export control criteria; as part of a defence diplomacy programme to strengthen British influence and help support British industry and jobs. Should the MoD have that as a goal? And if it does, should it fourth of the seven? Over to you...
To get to Portmeirion I caught the Ffestiniog Railway across The Cob and got off at Minfford, the first station up the line.. On the way I chatted to a retired man. He said that he could join the railway society for a few pounds a year. This meant that if the fancy took him after he had come into Porthmadog for a coffee, he could take the train to Blaenau Ffestiniog and back for no extra fare. He had grown up in Porthmadog and he and his friends used to play in the extensive woods around Portmeirion as a ...
When Liberal International was established, over 60 years ago (in Oxford), it was a very European affair. Apart from a few exceptions, such as the Canadian Liberal Party and some of the predecessor parties of what is now the Democratic Alliance (DA) in South Africa, Liberalism held little sway or even appeal in the Americas and ...
A few weeks ago, in the course of helping a constituent with an issue, I discovered that a particular call to Liverpool Direct Limited (LDL) had been replayed to check someone's tone of voice. The suggestion was that my constituent was not particularly upset by an incident and this was shown by her tone of voice on the phone. The incident I was looking into included allegations of abuse by a bailiff and sounded very shocking indeed. The incident is being followed up and hopefully we can get it resolved in a way which helps my constituent and stops bailiffs ...
The Twitter Joke Trial took a new dimension yesterday after Paul J Chambers lost his appeal last Thursday The original tweet "Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week to get your shit together otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!" that started of the whole trial was copied and tweeted by thousands ...
broadcast and webcast anniversaries 13 November 1966: broadcast of "The Nightmare Begins", first episode of the story we now know as The Daleks' Master Plan. First appearance of Nicholas Courtney, as Bret Vyon who captures the Tardis after Brian Cant's character is killed on the planet Kembel. Meanwhile Mavic Chen, the Guardian of the Solar System, announces that he is going on holiday. In fact, he is in alliance with the Daleks. 13 November 1977: broadcast of third episode of The Deadly Assassin. The Doctor and Chancellor Goth battle through the nightmarish world of the Matrix, one of the most ...
What is going on with Plaid Cymru? Have they really lost the plot or are they just trying to lull us all into a false sense of security? First, of all we have the former MP and 'future leader', Adam Price popping back from his intellectual sojourn in America to address us from the mountain top. He told the CF99 programme on S4C that voters are not being offered a strong enough choice of candidates in next year's assembly election. Well Adam, you had your chance to stand and you blew it. Mr. Price told the programme that a "lack ...
Looks like Bollywood has joined the modern world YUMMMM!
There are a large number of web pages stating that the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551, which makes church attendance on Christmas Day compulsory, is still in force. James Paice MP is one of the authors. I'm sorry to spoil the fun, but the Act was actually repealed by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969.
I was looking back at a survey that was carried out in 2006. It related to the speed limit on Broadway, Morecambe which stood at 40mph for as long as anyone can remember but was recently lowered to 30mph. It was an anomaly in Morecambe but it is a wide road and many drivers will feel that they are safe driving at 40mph. There was a definite split in whether the limit should be lowered. Of those who expressed an opinion, 58% felt that the limit should be lowered. This reflected another question in the survey which was whether the ...
Sat 13th
00:01We all know the Lib Dems U-turned on tuition fees, so why's The Guardian indulging in half-truths?
The Guardian carries a sensationalist headline tonight: Revealed: Lib Dems planned before election to abandon tuition fees pledge. The truth is somewhat different from the newspaper's anti-Lib Dem spin, however. The story is clearly designed to make the reader believe that, even as Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems spoke out against tuition fees, it was secretly their plan to renege on the party's manifesto pledge. Yet, if you read more carefully it becomes clear that the party was simply anticipating the likely hung parliament scenario — that faced with two parties, Labour and the Tories, committed to tuition fees ...
