Although Lord Falconer has not yet replied to my letter to him over his attempt to claim that the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill is 'hybrid', it's good to see from Hansard that both Lord Rennard and Lord Tyler raised the issue: Lord Rennard: My Lords, can the noble and learned Lord help the House by explaining the difference between the Bill that we are due to consider today and, say, the Scotland Bill that was introduced in 1998? That Bill, which was brought in by the previous Government and provided for the creation of the Scottish Parliament, also ...
Baroness Scott of Needham Market: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Desai, who has almost made my speech for me, but as a member of the working group, I wanted to add a few words about how I have approached this matter. I start by saying that it has been a pleasure to serve on the group. We are very ably chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Wirral, and have very good support from the staff here. The group is working well together. We are committed to this House, to its work ...
Further to the concerns I raised recently about the proposal by Royal Mail to close the 'undelivered mail collection centre' in Crichton Street and transfer the service to the Edward Street depot, I today met with three Royal Mail representatives regarding their proposals. My major area of concern is that although the Edward Street depot is handy for some West End residents in the Blackness/Milnbank area, for many West End residents it is not a convenient location. It is not an easy walk for an elderly person travelling by bus (from both the 17 and 22 services' routes, the walk ...
I wrote to Mr Hinds to explain my concerns about Murdoch's plans to take full control of BSkyB. I have no wish for its news content to be anything but impartial and feel that would be compromised should the plans go ahead. Dear Mr Hinds It was thrilled to learn that Vince Cable has decided ...
"Ineffective in the fight on terror - but a devastating blow to freedom" – that's the pithy and accurate summary of control orders by Mary Riddell over in the Daily Telegraph. And the newspaper in which the piece appeared is are reminder of how civil liberty issues cut across the political spectrum in not always expected or neat ways. Riddell points out, Within the next few days, Mr Cameron and his deputy must reach agreement on the future of security in Britain and, in particular, on control orders and how long to hold terror suspects without charge. The "car crash" ...
20th November, 2010 : 6pm (event lasts for one hour), Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill. Perfect place to buy your Christmas gifts -get a signed copy of Conn Iggulden's book! SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTSREADING FROM HIS SUCCESSFUL BOOKS, THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS AND THE EMPIRE SERIES £3 / £2 Genghis Khan was the greatest warlord the world has ever seen and yet until now, his story has rarely been told. In three superb best-selling historical novels, all page-turners, with huge energy Conn Iggulden has brought this extraordinary man to life. With the publication of Empire of Silver, he turns ...
'Yes to Fairer Votes – Birmingham' has launched a new blog to keep everyone up-to-date with the latest news on the Referendum and the campaign for change. With only 6 months to go and momentum building, the team are busy preparing events, organsing teams and preparing for a full campaign in the New Year. The ...
The results of the biennial homelessness count were published today. Unexpectedly, the figure is down 21% from the last count to 2,400 (Edmonton's total population is 730,000). That includes people sleeping in the streets and in hostels, but not the wider definition of homelessness we'd use in the UK. Whereas the majority of the homeless are singles there are about 70 families. About half of these are absolutely homeless - that is sleeping on the streets, and they include sixty-two children. No you didn't read that wrong. There are sixty-two children sleeping on the streets, in a stairwell or in ...
Congratulations to Prince William and Kate Middleton. Conventional wisdom has it that the Middleton family fortune comes from a mail order providing fancy goods for children's party bags. I thus see them as complicit in the collapse of our civilisation. What is wrong with a balloon and a piece of cake? The truth is a little more complicated than that. According to an article by Claudia Joseph (sometimes the Daily Mail is indispensable), the Middleton's fortunes owe much to the family's background as Yorkshire cloth merchants. And, promisingly, Kate is a direct descendant of Cromwell's general Thomas Fairfax.
...to get me steaming mad this evening when I had promised myself it would be a light blogging evening and I would have an early night and go to bed. Hidden in the politics section of the Guardian website at ... Continue reading →
Here are some brief comments on events while I was busy biographing: Prince William to wed Kate Middleton I really don't give a fuck. Have you noticed he is strangely getting less bald? They'll both be middle aged and ugly before they come to the throne. Or hopefully not. Coalition launch "Starve the feckless" scheme Multiple orgasms at the Mail, Express and Telegraph at launch of amusingly impossible policy guaranteed to increase crime rate. Demonstrators trash Tory Party HQ I don't really approve of riot as people get hurt. But the only thing that makes me angrier than the tuition ...
Good wishes for the latest royal marriage Hurrah! I just hope our popular press keep off the case of this couple, I cannot help think that previous royal marriages might have lasted longer, had it not been for intrusive press coverage. PS I'm not in favour of the Royal Family but hope this couple don't get buried by salacious coverage by that media group owned by Australia's first family who are also unelected less appealing but more influential. A boring post I know but I'm all blogged out tonight!
I have a really heavy cold and have been pretty much out of it for most of the day. There is so much I want to blog about but I will stick to the thing which has made me smile most: that The Almighty Vince is going to be appearing in the Strictly Christmas Special, dancing alongside Erin Boag who has been a ballroom world champion with Anton Du Beke. She & Vince will be dancing the American Smooth. This is the ultimate in Fred & Ginger style Hollywood glamour. Vince is already an accomplished ballroom dancer so we should ...
David Cameron claimed it as "a great victory" and a done deal when the European Council (the prime ministers of Europe) agreed an inflation-only increase of 2.9% in the size of the 2011 EU Budget. But he ignored the fact that the Lisbon Treaty gives equal budget-making powers to the European Parliament. Negotiations opened, and MEPs quickly dropped their call for the 5.9% increase needed to meet all commitments. An increase of 2.9% could be supported they said, but only in return for concessions. The Lisbon Treaty doesn't spell out how the Parliament will be involved in future budget making, ...
"Sarah Palin's Alaska" premiered on Discovery TLC in the US on Sunday night. It was seen by 5 million viewers - the largest audience in the channel's history. You can see video clips from the show here. The series is an absolute gold-plated dream for a Presidential candidate – the chance for viewers to see you and your family being "normal" and honing your outdoorsy image, while getting paid. Unbelievable really. GOP strategist, Terry Sullivan comments: When Governor Romney was talking about running for president, he had sent out a DVD where he was sledding in Utah with the family, ...
It is disturbing to read that Walid Hussein, a Palestinian from the West Bank town of Qalqilya, risks being jailed for life for "insulting the divine essence." The so-called 'atheist blogger' has no doubt been intemperate in his words, but freedom of belief is a principle that must apply to those who do not believe in a God just as much as to those who hold the superstitious notion that there exists a divine entity of some kind. Of course, the arrest of Walid Hussein is a boon to every Israeli who professes to liberal values and who claims moral ...
Baroness Newlove launched her 'call to action' for community safety today. She is working with ministers to encourage local people, businesses and frontline workers (like the police) on what more they can do to make their communities safer. The Baroness is keen to find what initiatives are being effective in various communities up and down the country in terms of community safety – so other areas can take them up if they think they would work for them. She is going to go around the country visiting projects and meeting people who have helped make a difference in their area, ...
Kate Middleton and Prince William are getting married next year so the tellybox tells me this evening. Spidey is somewhat perplexed by the whole thing. I am not a republican. Most people who know me, know that. I strongly reject ... Continue reading →
Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, is to appear in a Christmas edition of Strictly Come Dancing, reports BBC News.
I had the great fortune of studying English at A-level over 10 years ago. I didn't feel compelled to study it at University level, but all the same it opened me up to a series of wonderful novels that I may not otherwise have read. Indeed, I've always loved reading and whilst I prefer a non-fiction to a fiction, I am often drawn back to a famous fictional novel that I read not during my A-levels, but in fact, during my GCSEs. To Kill a Mockingbird is undoubtedly one of the most wide-read of novels in the history of literature. ...
This is something that Liberal Democrats have campaigned long and hard for reforms such as these and I glad that there is something finally proposed by this coalition that I can really get behind and be happy about. Dear Lisa, ... Continue reading →
I wrote to my MP Jonathan Lord, expressing my support for the investigation into Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB plan: I do not want to see the full take over of Sky by Rupert Murdoch and have reservations about the impartiality of ... Continue reading →
Conservative blogger Iain Dale has made the case that Phil Woolas, the disgraced and hopefully soon to be ex-MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has been unreasonably treated by the law. He's even sent £100 towards Mr Woolas' legal costs to mount a Judicial Review.
[IMG: BFI logo] Tucked away behind an unassuming sliding glass door in the British Film Institute's building on London's Southbank is a little marvel of free education and entertainment: BFI Mediatheque. Free for anyone to use (though booking a two hour slot in advance is recommended at busy times), it lets you sit in front of a large screen computer and watch various gems from the BFI's collection. You don't just get short clips - you get the full piece, even if it is a film. I popped in last Friday to sample part of their election related collection: Highlights ...
So argues, very persuasively, the National Journal: Much of the GOP's continuing shift away from fiscal responsibility — and the simmering anger of conservatives — was papered over by the war on terrorism. Just as many conservatives forgave Reagan his spending excesses because of his magnificent stand against the Soviets, Bush was given a pass after 9/11, even though he enlarged the role of government to new dimensions. The conservative disaffection with Bush culminated, of course, in the final months of his term, as the financial system crashed and Treasury Secretary Paulson orchestrated his $700 billion bank bailout... That intervention ...
Have the Liberal Democrats betrayed students? The NUS certainly say so, and plenty of people agree. They're wrong. The Liberal Democrats have made a u-turn on tuition fees – they haven't denied it. As I argued a few days ago, the Lib Dems have no claim to be morally superior to any other party. We didn't want to go back on commitments and promises but, like Labour and the Conservatives, we have done. But is that u-turn a betrayal of students? Or, to put it another way, is the result of that u-turn that students get a worse deal than ...
Later today I will be in the Commons chamber for the detailed consideration of the Fixed Term Parliaments Bill. This is another of the key constitutional reforms long argued for by the Liberal Democrats and now being implemented by the Coalition Government. It will introduce 5 year fixed term Parliaments. This essentially fixes the ...
It looks like over the next four financial years Southwark Council has to save a total of £80M from an annual budget of £1.5Bn. Attached is what the money is spent on currently: Please do take 5 minutes to email me your thoughts of where any cuts should be made - james.barber@southwark.gov.uk Some big decisions are required. Southwark Labour party made manifesto pledges of around £20M of extra revenue spend a year - the biggest being free universal school meals costing an extra £5M a year. So the cuts will have to be more severe if they stick to ...
Earlier today the government announced its social care plans. Paul Burstow explains the thinking behind them and what they will achieve: Social care is essential for most people at some time in their life. It embraces the most intimate care for people, often at times of great distress. At its core, social care is about helping people to live their lives. It should enable people, and their carers, to live the independent life most of us take for granted. But this isn't happening. Instead of a system that protects and enables the most vulnerable, we have an unsustainable and iniquitous ...
A day before the Welsh Government's budget is announced, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Labour-Plaid Government to ensure they root out waste and inefficiency in order to prioritise improving educational life chances for the poorest children. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams said: "Tackling waste must be a priority for this budget. Only one in five people think that public bodies in Wales used their resources in the most effective way. This reflects the concern of the Welsh Liberal Democrats that currently the Labour-Plaid government has not done enough to root out inefficiency in our public services. ...
The bare bones of the internal party election results were set out here on Saturday showing who had been elected by conference reps to the various committees. The detailed results for the Federal Executive and the Federal Policy Committee, hosted by Colin Rosenstiel, show some revealing trends when compared with previous years' election results. This year, in the Federal Executive elections, Evan Harris came top on first preference by a long stretch with 263 votes. Following him was David Rendel (107) and Ramesh Dewan (77) with others on 55. Evan is clearly identified with the progressive, Social Liberal wing of ...
Yesterday's Guardian contains an excellent article by George Monbiot on the proposed badger culls in Wales and England. As it has been driving traffic to this blog all day I felt it was worth reciprocating. The governments of both countries believe they can help arrest TB by killing badgers. The Welsh government will do it by sending in its own contractors; the Westminster government will do it by licensing farmers to kill badgers on their own land and at their own expense. Both governments' consultations on the killing end next month. There is only one rigorous scientific trial of badger ...
Then take a look at an interactive map from The Economist . Most countries in the world have lower debt per head of the population than the UK, according to this. If you don't believe we need to cut spending then compare countries such as Zambia, Botswana and Pakistan in the drop down lists. They have LESS debt for each person than we have. And the clock counter shows how the debt is going up every second! When I was at school we learnt a little about compound interest. Everyone should be aware of it - and then politicians might ...
As the smallest party in the Welsh Assembly it can sometimes be difficult to make a mark, especially in the weekly press conferences. Despite that the Welsh Liberal Democrats do tend to hit above their weight. Judging by the coverage of today's event, we do not always get the media's full attention. As the Welsh Government's budget is to be published tomorrow, we decided to press for the equivalent of the pupil premium for the poorest pupils to be introduced in Wales. ITV Wales however, took a different view on what was newsworthy. Their report of the Press Conference focused ...
Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders (represents Torbay) has a Private Members Bill which if passed would make landlords of privately rented accommodation responsible for making sure there are functioning smoke alarms. The title of the bill is Fire Safety (Protection of Tenants) Bill. It has its second reading in the Commons this coming Friday (19th). This sounds like a sensible measure that could save lives. I do hope Liverpool MPs will be on hand to help this Bill get through. Full details are on Adrian's website or on the facebook page for the Bill.
I have been buying the 'i'paper from The Independent most days sice it's release. I was an increasingly occasional reader of all papers but mostly a reader of none. This is because I get annoyed with biased opinions not in columns but in the articles themselves. Of course the Independent is supposed to be just that. But of course it is not unbiased. Granted its not overly influenced by it's proprietor (Alexander Lebedev) like other papers are. But the paper does have a feel of a left wing biased. I find The Independent isn't quite as bad as the other ...
God willing I will be up in Oldham East & Saddleworth delivering the tabloid tomorrow. Details of how to help Elwyn Watkins win are here. Here's Party President-elect Tim Farron at the Campaign HQ:
Councillors have been written to by the Post Office to inform us that the main post office on St Andrew's Street is moving across the street. The current office (9-11) will close at 5.30 on 5th January 2011, and the new one will open just across the road at 57-58 at 9.00 am the next day. We are assured that the new branch will good access: it will have level access with an automatic door, a low level writing desk and serving counter. The range of services and facilities available will be unchanged. It remains to be seen if the ...
On the day before the Welsh Government's budget is announced, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Labour-Plaid Government to ensure they root out waste and inefficiency in order to prioritise improving educational life chances for the poorest children. We are calling on the government to introduce a Welsh Pupil Premium. The Pupil Premium would target money directly to children from the poorest backgrounds. Tackling waste must be a priority for this budget. Only one in five people think that public bodies in Wales used their resources in the most effective way. This reflects the concern of the Welsh ...
Council cuts must be fair and sensible Bury Council have announced plans to cut up to 420 jobs across the borough. The cuts are part of the government's package of measures to bring down the county's £800bn national debt, but no detail has been given about what services will be affected by the Council job cuts, or how many staff will be forced out of their jobs. Our initial thoughts and concerns must be with the staff at Bury Council, all of whom must feel worried sick despite providing the services that so many local people depend on. The Coalition ...
A very quick post to say that a Police Community Support Officer will be out in Beechwood Road and Beechwood Gardens (L19) today to give advice and provide some SmartWater marking. He'll be with a member of staff from LMH. If you live in the Beechwood Estate area do look out for them.
Last week the three Lib Dem Councillors representing Cressington ward (one of which is me) and the three representing Mossley Hill wrote to HSBC as part of the campaign against the cash desert in South Liverpool. We are calling for HSBC to take some action itself to replace the cash machine that has gone as a result of the bank pulling out of the site at Mersey Road and Aigburth Road. I'll update when we get a reply.
In case you haven't already heard, Prince William and Kate Middleton are going to be getting married in the Spring or Summer of next year. I'd like to start this post by wishing them both the very best and I hope they are very happy together - just as I would for any other couple. Right, that's it. That's my contribution to the media frenzy which will engulf everything for the next 6 or 9 months. Believe me, this will be unlike anything you've ever seen before (unless you're old enough to remember Charles' and Dianna's marriage). The Olympics? Michael ...
My Birkdale Ward fellow councillor Simon Shaw, Chartered Accountant that he is, has been doing some financial ferreting. You may well have thought that Sefton Council was cash-strapped. But not, so Simon has highlighted, too cash-strapped to propose spending over £26,000 on 3 granite seats! This mad-cap plan comes to you courtesy of the Conservative and Labour councillors on Sefton Council. This week's meeting of the Southport Area Committee is being asked to consider a package of "Public Art" proposals as part of the Southport Market redevelopment. Regular readers of the Birkdale Blog will be aware of the enormous concerns ...
Attached are the papers for the next forum meeting, which will take place on Wednesday 24 November from 7 pm at Orchard Park Community Centre. The contractors update will be available at the meeting. If there are any local issues that need to be raised please let one of your local Councillors know. Agenda/ Notes
The next North Area Committee is next Thursday, and the agenda is due out later this week. The meeting will be at the usual venue, The Manor (School) on Arbury Road. We will start at 6.30pm with planning, and the main agenda at 7.30pm including the Open Forum: your chance to ask councillors about local issues. I'll try to post more details when the agenda is published, but you will be able to get it from this page on the City Council website.
It has been a while since we had a planning application in the ward but one is in the list this week. It is for a dropped kerb outside 63 King's Hedges Road, and has application number 10/1036/FUL. As usual you can get details from the City Council development control web site or contact the team in case of difficulty.
Wales is set to become the first country in the UK to introduce statutory targets for recycling for local authorities. Welsh Assembly Government recently passed legislation which introduces legally binding targets for the amount of municipal waste that councils recycle or compost. Conwy currently recycles and composts around 43% of its waste. The next target is to recycle and compost 52% by 2012/13 with an overall target of 72% by 2024/25, failure to meet the statutory target will incorporate a fine of £200 per tonne over this limit. Conwy is looking to introduce improvements to its recycling collections and in ...
[IMG: Wolverhampton sign] Following the revelations that the Wolverhampton South West result showed more ballot papers being counted than had been issued and that the official marked register for part of the constituency had gone missing both Wolverhampton Council and the Electoral Commission have been investigating. The investigations have not only failed to locate the missing electoral register but also found that part of the marked register also went missing in a second Parliamentary constituency, Wolverhampton North East. Meanwhile, the investigation into the ballot paper number discrepancy has revealed a bizarre decision taken during the verification stage of the general ...
Bury Council has announced plans to cut up to 420 jobs across the borough in response to government funding cuts. Bury Council will face £28m of cuts, part of the government's package of measures to bring down the county's £800bn national debt and the £160bn annual deficit. Unfortunately though, no detail has yet been given about what services will be affected by the Council job cuts, or how many staff will be forced out of their jobs. My thoughts today are with the staff at Bury Council, all of whom must feel worried despite providing the services that so many ...
The dismay felt by campaigners trying to save Camelford Leisure Centre has come to the fore today. Campaigner Chris Ingram was on BBC Radio Cornwall's Laurence Reed programme this lunchtime explaining what happened at last night's meeting with Cabinet Member Joan Symons. Chris used the metaphor of being promised four wheels for your car but then the mechanic only turning up with two. It's simply not possible to drive a car with only two wheels. In the same way, the leisure centre needs funding for a full year in order to allow a new management structure to be put in ...
In recent months, some republican prisoners being transferred to court from gaol in Northern Ireland have been complaining about the way in which they have been searched on leaving and reentering HMP Maghaberry. Whilst this is perhaps not the best way of searching them, and I understand that a new method of searching is being ...
Cheriton Councillor and School Governor Tim Prater has welcomed an announcement by education secretary Michael Gove to scrap the complex Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) scheme.
[IMG: Computer monitors. Photo credit: Jenny Rollo] Across a huge range of internet activity there is one dominant firm: Facebook for social networking, Google for search, Twitter for micro-blogging, Amazon for books and so on. The contrast between the presence of these dominating firms and the apparent ease of entry for new challengers is the subject of a piece by Tim Wu in the Wall Street Journal: The Internet has long been held up as a model for what the free market is supposed to look like—competition in its purest form. So why does it look increasingly like a Monopoly ...
Paul Scriven, the Leader of Sheffield City Council, has won a Europe-wide award for the work he and his Liberal Democrat colleagues have done to put power into the hands of Sheffield people. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe held their Leader Awards last night, "recognising the work of outstanding local and regional liberal and democrat politicians." Cllr Scriven received the Achievement in Local Government Award. Others up for award included local politicians from France, Croatia and Holland. Since Paul became the Liberal Democrat Leader of the Council in 2008 Sheffield has seen a raft of new ideas ...
The chart below presents the findings of the UN Child Well-Being in rich countries report. Countries are listed in order of their average rank for the six dimensions of child well-being that have been assessed. The UK's best ranking is for Health and safety. However, the UK ranks worst out of all assessed for Family ...
Picture from insidefights.com The clash of two British Heavyweight boxers was always going to pull in the punters. However, the extent and ease with which Haye and Harrison were allowed to generate the millions they did do for this inevitable mismatch was astonishing. Haye has developed a reputation as a man of having the gift of the gab, he is a marketer's dream. He can put down any opponent in a war of words due to his extreme confidence that crosses the line into arrogance, and he can make the most mundane of things seem interesting. Nevertheless, Haye has done ...
Many Liberal Democrats may be wondering what to make of last week's announcement by Iain Duncan Smith to replace a whole raft of working-age welfare benefits with a Universal Credit. As a Lib Dem Minister at the DWP, I thought it would be helpful to offer my perspective. As a party we have long talked about integrating the tax and benefits system. As a first step, we surely need to integrate the benefits system with itself. The Universal Credit approach sits comfortably with our own policy to introduce a single working-age benefit, and will provide a basic allowance topped up ...
Tue 16th
10:25
Former Tory MP on Conservative Home: 'The Conservative party is dying on its feet' - 'Liberal Democr...
There's a fascinating article by former MP for Wycombe, Paul Goodman on Conservative Home entitled "The Conservative party is dying on its feet": It's not impossible to imagine a future with a few blooming Associations – concentrated in the parts of London to which the young and ambitious tend to gravitate – but a membership desert elsewhere throughout most of the rest of the country. Indeed, that point's probably been reached already. Goodman then goes on to concentrate on "the lack of rights and benefits for Party members": The Party's constitution is extremely difficult to find on the internet: indeed, ...
Channel 4s Dispatches ran a fascinating documentary on EU expenses, which focussed on MEPs. I think many MEPs actually do a great job and it could have done with a bit of balance. But it exposed a number of MEPs who continue to pay their partners as assistants. These included parties across the parties (including North East Labour MEP Stephen Hughes, who paid his wife the highest wage of all the British MEPs). Now I can see how employing a partner could be a good idea, after all the family that works together, stays together. It is some times a ...
The BBC recently produced this excellent and useful advice: Cold weather has put the issue of energy bills back in the spotlight - and a boiler scrappage scheme in England has brought more assistance for some households. But with average household energy bills now totalling more than £1,000 a year, many people might be worried about paying their fuel bills this winter. This guide outlines what help is available. As well as the general help listed here, suppliers often offer grants, special tariffs and other measures on a case-by-case basis. If you are having trouble paying your bill you should ...
It's good to see that Shepway have now started monthly reporting of payments made by the Council to external bodies and suppliers that are £500 and over at http://tinyurl.com/2e2er3f
It's been difficult to find a direction for my blog since I stood down from the Council in May. I've tried to comment on national issues, but, like many other bloggers, have been overwhelmed with the almost daily announcements of new strategies. No sooner have I digested a new policy than another one grabs the headlines. I've looked at local issues, but am no longer on the inside track so don't always know the background. But, as of yesterday, I now have a clear purpose for this blog. At the AGM of the Kingston Borough Liberal Democrats I was elected ...
Last month I blogged about an experiment in Sweden where a speed camera records all the cars keeping to the speed limit with all the legal drivers going into a prize draw for cash prizes. The trial has now been carried out and here's the result (quick version – the average speed of traffic fell from 32 km/hour before the trail to 25 km/hour during the trial): Also on YouTube here. Hat-tip: the Nudge Blog
Anyone who uses Twitter at the moment has probably heard of the #twitterjoketrial, where Paul Chambers was found guilty of posting something to Twitter about blowing up Robin Hood Airport that some judges didn't think was funny. Similarly, Councillor Gareth Compton was arrested by the police for having a suspicious sense of humour when reacting to a Radio 5 Live interview with Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, again as a result of a Twitter message. The offence of having a bad sense of humour whilst in possession of a Twitter account is part of the Communications Act 2003, specifically section 127, which makes ...
We have yet to feel the full force of the Coalition's welfare cuts. But we are perhaps now starting to get an inkling of the reaction they will elicit when they finally arrive. One of the puzzling characteristics of much of the discussion of the agenda so far has been the relative absence of effective ...
David Cameron's proposal to try to measure what the media are pleased to call our Gross National Happiness would have been received with derision by earlier generations of Conservatives, but his recognition that: "It's not just the economy, stupid." is to be welcomed. It has long been recognised that crude GDP per capita figures are not a reliable guide to wellbeing in developing countries, and the UN has for a long time produced a Human Development Index (HDI) which, along with per capita GDP includes infant mortality rates, percentage of children in schools, adult literacy and longevity. Although developed countries ...
Designer Ming Ling has created the most wonderful QR code constructed out of Tetris pieces. [IMG: qrtetris] The full size version is a work of beauty. As I've explained before, this works because the QR scanner sees the image in black and white – so light colours disappear. Anything else is covered by the fairly generous error correction. I'm nowhere nearly as talented as the above artist, but she has inspired me to continue with my Space Invaders QR Code. [IMG: Space Invader QR] It could do with a more game like layout – maybe some high scores and other ...
Just to let those of you in Colchester know, the next meeting of the Castle Neighbourhood Action Panel will be on Tuesday 23rd November, starting at 9.30am in the Town Hall. Any residents can come along and raise issues that they want the NAP to deal with, or if you can't make it to the ...
i) births and deaths 16 November 1931: birth of Kenneth Watson who played Craddock in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966) and Duggan in The Wheel in Space (1968). ii) broadcast anniversaries 16 November 1965: broadcast of third episode of The Invasion. Vaughn takes the Doctor and Jamie to meet Professor Watkins; they escape, and Jamie has an encounter with a sinister cocoon. 16 November 1987: broadcast of third episode of Delta and the Bannermen. The Chimeron child is growing and Billy opts to become one too; the Americans and the Doctor defeat the Bannermen. 16 November 1988: broadcast of ...
Climate Progress has a summary of the really important climate science stories that were missed while the media (including The Guardian) concentrated on the non-story of "climate-gate". It makes for worrying reading.
Man shot in legs in north Belfast The news that a man has been shot in the legs in Ardoyne, in north Belfast in what police say is a 'paramilitary style' shooting is shocking. The man said to be in his late 20s has been treated for gunshot wounds in hospital. I totally condemn the ...
You may recognise the property in this photograph. It lies on the corner of Kendrick Road and Christchurch Road and it was empty for many years - a blight on the neighbourhood (a Conservation area) and a cause of frustration for residents. Thanks to the hard work of Reading Borough Council officers working with the landlord this property is now back in use. However, this house could still be empty if the Council did not have an empty homes strategy (and you could argue) a motivated ward councillor. Some councils do not have either of these things so shamefully thousands ...
I saw Kenneth Clarke on the news last night. He was announcing cuts to the legal aid service. He didn't mention the legal aid that went to the three former Labour MPs who are facing criminal charges because of their claims for expenses. I wrote about this at the time and I still can't see why the taxpayer should foot the bill. The official answer is that they may face prison so they should get the aid. I think they could afford to pay for their own lawyers. I am in broad agreement with Mr Clarke but I decided to ...
George W Bush Virgin Books, £25
