Earlier this year I solicited feedback on this website via various online means. It took a while for me to then seriously work through the feedback and my own ideas, but you may have noticed some changes appearing on the site over the last couple of weeks (such as the much nicer category archive pages, the changes to Twitter on the front page and the improved sharing links at the foot of blog posts). There are more changes to come, but for the moment - many thanks if you took the time to let me have your views earlier in ...
The Traidcraft Shop is open for Christmas, in a superb location, just next to Debenhams on Newport Road in Middlesbrough, so no excuse for not finding it. It is open from 10 till 5 from Monday to Saturday, till December 21st. As always a lovely welcome and a shop full of bright and interesting goods. It is good to know that whatever you buy the people that...
I can't help but thinking that Claire "as a mother of three" Perry is rapidly descending into Helen Lovejoy from The Simpsons. The Conservative MP for Devizes has recently called for internet providers to establish an opt-in system for pornography in order to curb children gaining access to it. Whilst she is rightly concerned about youngsters accessing explicit film and images online, the solution is relatively simple: parental responsibility. Indeed, rather than expecting ISPs or the government for that matter to step in 'for the sake of the children', Mrs Perry should follow her leaders' 'Big Society' mantra by encouraging ...
England's World Cup bid will be decided by a form of AV vote - the system that British people will consider in a referendum on changing the voting system next May. The 22 voting FIFA delegates will cast their votes next week and, if none of the four candidate bids reaches 50% then the lowest will be eliminated and so on until a winner emerges. The BBC reckons that second and third preferences will be crucial as there is no clear favourite to win. Could the decision of the people in the referendum be affected by the fate of the ...
I'm a politics fangirl. I make no apology for it whatsoever. I am never happier than when I have my nose in a political tome of some sort or am sat watching politics in action or at a political event or seminar. ... Continue reading →
Tue 23rd
23:13
The Short, Short List: Kent down to three for Kent Highway Services' core maintenance contract
Kent County Council Cabinet member for Highways, Nick Chard, has announced the 3 companies to make the final shortlist for the Kent highway Services "Term Maintenance Contract". The final three are:
Warwickshire have named Jim Troughton as their new captain following the resignation of Ian Westwood. The 31-year-old, who has played six one-day internationals for England, first appeared for the Bears in 1999 and made his first-class bow in 2001.What this BBC News report does not mention is that Jim Troughton is the grandson of the actor Patrick Troughton - the second Dr Who and also Abner Brown from The Box of Delights. Readers intereted by this trivial fact may also be interested in the theatrical forebears of Toby Flood.
The President of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Turk, was the guest lecturer at an LSE event this evening, taking as his subject the EU as a Global Player: Reality or Illusion? I'll be writing the event up at much greater length for Diplomat magazine, but a few coments are perhaps warranted earlier. Slovenia is definitely among ...
I was going to re-start my Doctor Who From The Beginning posts today, but I've got a migraine, so you can expect my thoughts on The Aztecs tomorrow, along with possibly more Mozbats. For now, some links: Lance Parkin is starting a series of posts on what he calls "The Gray Tradition" in literature – ...
I went in a sceptic, and came out converted. That was how I would describe the presentation I attended at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable on Monday night. Central Bedfordshire put on the evening to allow parish and town councillors the opportunity to learn about shared space. So what is shared space? Well, take the most unfriendly road junction you can think of in your locality, take away the sign posts, the traffic lights, the roundabouts, the yellow lines, the railings, and let the users of that space decide how they would like to use it. The result, we were ...
In 1941 British Pathe visited Conwy, where I finished my holiday last summer. Click on the picture above to see the newsreel. Of particular interest is the Tudor house Plas Mawr, which I shall show you another day. It has been restored and the outside walls have been rendered, as they would have been when it was first built, making it look very different from how it appeared in 1941. The mock Tudor front (brick rather than black and white) the town's Castle Hotel was given in the 19th century to match Plas Mawr now looks quite out of place. ...
This afternoon, I attended the Balgay Stakeholders' Group meeting at the Balgay Cemetery Office. The group is a very useful meeting of Leisure and Communities' staff, West End councillors and Friends of Balgay and allows us to discuss issues affecting Balgay Park and Hill and Victoria Park. There was a productive discussion today about numerous issues, including lighting, tree survey work and pathways.
Just after I watched the CNN interview with Bishop Andrew Burnham who is leaving the department of state called the 'Church of England' to be received into full communion with the Holy See, I noticed an advertisement for The Portal Magazine. I thought... read the rest at Hiberno Catholic. Filed under: Blogging, catholic, Northern Ireland, ...
The town centre of Launceston has been lit with its new Christmas lights and it looks fabulous. The lights were organised by the Chamber of Commerce with contributions from a number of different organisations including the three Cornwall Councillors - Sasha Gillard-Loft, Adam Paynter and myself. Together with the Christmas tree, the square looks really great at the moment. I hope that late night shopping - on Friday 10th December - will be even better than usual thanks to the new decorations.
Doubtless the electronic ether-laden air is about to be saturated with missives claiming that Clegg has just announced the end of control orders as a consequence of the strength of his language on civil liberties in tonight's lecture. I'd like to discuss a slightly different point. As the lecture ended, I heard a young (20~) ...
Nick Clegg has an article in today's Guardian contrasting the "new progressivism" of the Coalition with the "old progressivism" of the last Labour government. I have a lot of sympathy for the view of Contrasting Sounds: the word "progressive" should be taken outside of UK politics and shot. Or rather, restricted to its technical meaning in tax discussions. I'm a reasonably well read chap and had never heard of "progressive" politics in the UK until the whole hung parliament circus this past May. I thought it was simply the word used by American liberals who had given up the fight ...
At each Cornwall Council full council meeting, councillors receive reports from each of the Cabinet members. The aim of this exercise is (as the council report states): "It is important for members of the Council to have an opportunity to understand the priorities and activities of the Leader and each member of the Cabinet... (reports) set out the activities that each one has undertaken, meetings they have attended and upcoming meetings and events that are taking place relevant to their portfolio area." Typically, reports are meant to take up a page of A4 but Cabinet members frequently go over that ...
If you still think that following Canada's example is a good idea, take a look at the graph on the right hand side of this BBC page.
Wise words from the IPPR, there is a basic disjunct between paying schools by results for one signifier and giving them shitloads of money for another without proper checks on how it is being used. Put yourself in the position of Headmaster X in question and it's quite easy to see the obvious problem with ...
It's been ages since I've done a roundup of good things to read - and there's plenty of it around at the moment. The first thing I read when I woke up on Sunday morning was a tweet from Evan Harris, former Lib Dem MP and all round hero, linking to this Observer debate on whether religion is a force for good in the world. I felt that Evan and AC Grayling made a good case for the no side. Evan made the point that "a liberal, secular democracy is the best protector of religious freedom, because it says that ...
The Leicester Mercury has an interview with Lembit's mother, Liivi Opik, who lives in the city: "There is nothing he will not do," she says, swelling with pride. "He is like Action Man." But he always was, she says. He didn't even like to sleep when he was a boy, because he feared he was missing out on the fun.She will be pleased that the TV critic of the Shropshire Star thinks "he is proving to be one of the nice guys".
Durham County Council reminds you that the garden waste collection services are ending this month, to be resumed again in the spring. The council's garden waste recycling scheme is very popular across the county amongst those people to whom it is available. Regular collections are made from around 156,000 properties between spring and autumn. People are asked to store their "brown bins" safely over the winter until the collections resume next spring. Throughout the winter the "tip" remains available to take any garden waste you aren't able to compost.
The Grauniad's In Praise of column often has an Eeyore quality, a clutching at straws by hacks forcing themselves to view the glass as half full, even though they really think the world is a damp and boggy place, leading to pathetic pleasure in a burst balloon and an empty jamjar. Today it's "Arctic Weather". Nothing to praise from where I'm standing Sunshine! The temperature outside at midday is a balmy -9°C, up from -24° first thing this morning. Yesterday it got down to below -25° and never got above -17°.
"Every little bit helps," was the message from Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Secretary, when he gave his support to Saddleworth residents who want financial backing for a mini-hydro scheme they hope to see built at Dovestones reservoir in the Peak District. Using overflow water it could put enough electricity into the national grid to supply the needs of 100 homes, (assuming that they are very well insulated homes that is). It's a good scheme, not least because it will promote the technology for mini-renewable projects and raise levels of public awareness. But with the planet's population growing by ...
Some MPs are like newspapers. You have this vague impression that things they say might actually have some research behind them, but end up screaming "No! It doesn't work like that!" when they talk about a topic you know about. It seems the Conservative MP Claire Perry (who surprisingly does have a Twitter account, which I didn't expect to find) has fallen into this trap today, with her calls to create some sort of magic "opt-in" system for pornography. Here's what she said: Ms Perry, who represents Devizes, in Wiltshire, said: "As a mother with three children I know how ...
Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh Central, Alex Cole-Hamilton, has spoken out against the proposed £5 entry fee for visitors to Edinburgh's beautiful Botanic Gardens. I used to take Anna there a lot when she was little and it's there she first learned to appreciate different plants and flowers, not to mention develop a fascination for squirrels. It's a favourite meeting spot for mums and children. There's no way we'd be able to go if we had to pay £15 for the three of us to get in. It seems such an excessive charge and it would be a real shame ...
The NHS is facing up to radical change and there have been a slew of very important white papers coming out at the moment. The news that the government is consulting on setting up a Cancer Drugs Fund, putting in £200m a year for three years to increase access to cancer treatment, will to many be welcome but represent a small step in the right direction. But tucked away on page 8 of the report, is an interesting section: The Cancer Drugs Fund is an interim measure until we can introduce a new value-based approach to medicines pricing What this ...
If you haven't seen this, I thoroughly recommend watching it on BBC iPlayer. It's "JFK: The making of modern politics" presented by Andrew Marr. It is Andrew Marr's finest hour, IMHO. Virtually every conception you might have about JFK gets debunked. The memory of JFK is very different from the reality.
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill 2010-11: Commons Stages
2 minutes 45 seconds to neatly sum up the financial mess we are all in. (And although the consequences are not a laughing matter this is done on a fairly humorous way.)
George Osborne is quite right to offer £7 billion to help bail out the Irish economy, though one is disposed to wonder how a country of only 4 million people can build up such a massive crisis and, indeed, buy more British exports than India, China , Brazil and a fourth country the name of which escapes me, combined. However, what most people will be wondering is how it is that a month ago it was absolutely essential to slice £7 billion from public expenditure since we couldn't possibly afford to maintain public services at the present level, and now, ...
Some time back in the summer, I was taking a gander at KCC accounts, just to see if the extravagant claims made for the now defunct KCC project Kent TV, saving vast amounts of wonger could be quantified or justified in any black and white way. Not being an accountant, to be honest, despite my interest, I felt the life forces draining away, after a quick gander at the Statement of accounts, even though, it shed some light on the extraordinary, profligate spending by Kent Tories, I was drained. At the time I could find no sign of Kent TV ...
So, the Royal Wedding is going to take place on Friday 29th April, just six days before local council elections in England and elections to the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales. David Cameron has already announced that this will be a public holiday south of the border. The Scottish Government has yet to announce whether they will grant a public holiday up here but if you were the SNP, would you really want to upset workers by refusing to give them the day off the week before you are up for re-election? I really don't think they are that ...
When I got back from leafleting today I was pleased to hear Andrew Percy, Conservative MP, introducing a Grandparents' Access Rights Bill. The bill is designed to give grandparents access rights to children and children access rights to their grandparents (subject to proper safety checks.) I was also very pleased to hear that one of the bill's backers is Greg Mulholland, Leeds Lib Dem MP. I hope the bill is passed when it comes before the House of Commons next June.
Theresa May just confirmed at the despatch box that the Coalition's policy was to reduce net migration to tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands. This was not in the Coalition Agreement. The agreement accepts that the government will "reduce the number of non-EU immigrants". But it was never agreed that the reduction would need to be as drastic as the Tories campaigned for during the election. This matters because this target will shape multiple pieces of forthcoming legislation. The immigration cap today would not need to be so economically damaging, the cuts to student numbers would not need ...
Ed Balls describes the Government as being in "wholesale retreat" on setting an immigration cap. He even praises Vince Cable for his work in watering down the policy of having a cap. It is not clear whether or not having Ed Balls patting Vince on the back should be regarded as something to shout about or a kiss of death. Nevertheless, the comment by Balls was interesting. Labour are constantly
Dacorum Borough Council has not allocated funds to a Section 13A (Hardship Allowance) budget. Should you care? Well, it means that persons who owe council tax or rent either as individuals or as part of "joint and several" responsibilities will be pursued without regard to how the debt might have arisen and regardless of circumstance. Fair enough, you might say. But consider a predicament of a wife and children where the husband has left and cannot be traced - or where the husband has died - and then it is discovered that months of money that should have been paid ...
Last week, the UK Coalition Government published detailed spending of all expenditure over £25,000 allowing the public to see for the first time how money is spent and hold politicians to account. However, during First Minister's Questions today, Carwyn Jones refused to commit to publishing all detailed spending for the people of Wales to easily access on the government's webpages, raising question over the Labour-Plaid government's commitment to openness and transparency. We have a right to see what the government is spending our money on, especially during times when the Welsh pound has to have the biggest impact possible. The ...
Naturally, to adhere to the new English Party rules, I need to be approved as a candidate by a panel of my peers, and I've now received the paperwork from the Chair of the Mid Suffolk Panel. I've filled in the application form, including the question I dreaded - "Please give details of any offices held within the party, at all levels, past and present." Let's just say that I kept it to one side of A4... But I need two referees, which makes life a little awkward. Most of my fellow Liberal Democrats here in Bury St Edmunds don't ...
Monday: It sounds like a JOKE, doesn't it, giving all of the seven billion pounds that we have cut from our spending away to save Ireland's banks. But it's NOT. If we can BORROW money at 2% then cutting seven billion pounds from OUR SPENDING cuts the amount we spend on interest by 2% of seven billion pounds. BUT if we borrow money at 2% and then loan it to Ireland at 4%, we make a PROFIT on the deal and the extra interest that we earn cuts the amount we spend on interest by... 2% of seven billion pounds. ...
So the Royal wedding has been set for Friday 29th April. We are told that the date was the couples choice - so we should not be too suprised that they have opted for a date just six days before the vote on AV. Afterall what need have they to concern themselves with commoners issues such as.... oh I don't know.... the single most important vote on democracy in decades. We can hardly accuse them of being "out of touch" or "just a little bit remote" just because the 29th April was the only day they could get Wesminster Abbey. ...
There's an ancient Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. It's been an interesting few days for the Bishop of Willesden, Pete Broadbent. (Disclaimer: I know Bishop Pete through working with Soul Survivor and his role as a member of St John's Nottingham College Council) After last week's announcement of the royal wedding, Pete had a lengthy discussion in comments on his Facebook status about the monarchy generally and the wedding specifically. It would appear that one (or more) of Pete's facebook friends reported some of the content of his comments out of context to the Mail on Sunday ...
William Cullerne Bown, journalist, has revealed a briefing by Universities UK to Vice-Chancellors which suggests a sizeable rebellion of Lib Dem MPs and even ministers over tuition fees. Of course, any chance of a rebellion stopping a rise in fees depends upon the hypocrisy of the Labour Party, who introduced fees and would put them up if in power. Given that there is no lack of hypocrisy in
I'm quite excited about this. I was reading a fantastic book called Live on a pound a day for a year. The story of a Bristol woman called Kathy who did just that. In her book she mentions about bookcrossing. What it is is a scheme whereby people release books into the 'wilds' by putting little stickers on the inside label, letting other publi rad them and it all gets tracked on the internet. Theya rent books that I would get het up over losing, some are classics though so a good read. Titles like Kim or To kill a ...
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Annual General Meeting of the Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats due to be held tomorrow evening has been postponed to 8 December 2010. The time and venue will remain the same but on the new date. All members that have email contacts registered with the Party will have received notice by ...
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Annual General Meeting of the Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats due to be held tomorrow evening has been postponed to 8 December 2010. The time and venue will remain the same but on the new date. All members that have email contacts registered with the Party will have received notice by ...
The Tory administration has been forced to make public the poor state of their finances with an annual governance report to match. In the damning words of the auditor the report include statements such as: "However, I consider the Council's financial reporting to be inadequate..." and "I therefore intend to issue a qualified value for money conclusion." Liberal Democrat Councillor Allan Siao Ming Witherick said: "We are continually told Tory run Hertfordshire is a well performing, value for money council. Instead we have a Section 11 report, and ironically, 11 recommendations. What will concern residents more, though, is that of ...
Having fully looked at the list of Peers I was disappointed to see Robert Edmiston on the list for the Conservatives.
Although I am very annoyed that the Liberal Democrats yet again didn't have any West Midlanders on the latest Peers list, I was pleased to see Wolverhampton's Rachael Heyhoe Flint on the list.
Many people are working away for the Yes for Fairer Votes campaign up and down the country. Indeed I'm off to Enniskillen on Saturday with the NI campaign team. Some lucky few even get paid for it. Others of us are just working away getting the message out. One thing I can recommend is Paul ...
It shows you're a political anorak when you hear that Will and Kate's wedding is going to be on 29 April, and your first thought is "What will that do to the timetable for the council elections?"!
In September the Liberal Democrat Conference voted "...to shut UK Trade and Investment's Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO), without transferring its functions elsewhere, and to end export credit support for military goods." Our noble friends in the Lords are currently debating the Public Bodies Bill which empowers ministers to abolish quangos. What better body for quangocide than the
The Cambridge Community Safety Partnership is asking for your help in deciding the three priorities that it will focus its resources on over the next financial year. Representatives from the Community Safety Partnership will be present at this Thursday's (25th November) North Area Committee Meeting being held in the Main Hall at the Manor Community College. The representatives will present five options from which three will be chosen when city-wide consultation is completed. The main part of the meeting where this item will be considered starts at 7.30pm. If you are unable to attend the Area Committee Meeting you can ...
With winter approaching again please see link for the details of the gritting routes
Tomorrow will see student protests happening in Edinburgh culminating in a demonstration at Scottish Liberal Democrat HQ in Edinburgh. I truly hope that the demonstration will pass off without violence or damage to property but reading the Facebook page created for the event leaves me a little worried. The organisers of the event say ...
I was at Overview and Scutiny last night where there was an interesting report about LDL. It covered some of the operational issues like nunbers of calls, increases in answering rates etc. It also touched on calls being recorded (something I am part way through researching). So I took the opportunity to ask a few questions ( an earlier blog on this explains that I have come across the issue of recorded calls and judgements being made about tone of voice through doing a piece of casework for a constituent). I was told that calls are kept for 3 months ...
[IMG: Rest assured, you were not overcharged. Your Billing Manager shows the correct total for your campaigns. As for your display issue, please note that our engineers are currently working on resolving this issue as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding. ] I recently noticed a discrepancy between how much Facebook was telling me some adverts had cost and how much it said it had taken via credit card. Look in two different places in the Facebook online advertising management screens - for total cost on the Campaigns ...
I was walking from Liverpool South Parkway Station down towards Garston village the other day and I saw what looked like someone flashing a light at me. On closer inspection it turned out to be a reflection from the wall of the new hospital building (the sun was very bright and the outside wall stuff seems very shiny) In all the discussions about the new build (and some may remember there was quite a row about why the building couldn't preserve some of the older exterior) I don't remember anything about this outside being reflective. But if it is reflective, ...
St Albans has been given its very own taste of London 2012 with the installation of an adiZone - a giant multi-sport outdoor gym which aims to inspire the local community to get involved with sports and physical activities that feature in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The adiZone, which has been designed and developed by adidas, Official Sportswear Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and co-funded by St Albans City and District Council, has been erected in Verulamium Park and is now open for business. It is a permanent installation measuring 625sq metres and boasts sporting ...
Yesterday we heard that Liberal Democrats are to start highlighting their 'victories' talking in terms of 'wins'. The Independent believe this is a deviation from the initial strategy of not doing this for fear of creating a 'synthetic fight' as Nick Clegg put it. The Solution Focused approach taught us that people do not always ...
Another attack in north Belfast The news that another man has been attacked in the Brompton Park area of the city is news that we should not be reading about. Not because it should go unreported, but because it ought not to be happening... read rest of story at Michael Campbell.
Ten days ago, Launceston saw a huge turnout for the Remembrance Sunday parade in the town square. But many attendees found it difficult to park in the town because the Cattle Market car parks were closed off. I have now secured a promise from Cornwall Council to leave these open in future years. The turnout was so good that the short stay car parks at The Walk and Tower Street were full and on-street car parking was severely restricted because of the parade. Many people went to the Cattle Market only to find that their access was barred. After I ...
Another attack in north Belfast The news that another man has been attacked in the Brompton Park area of the city is news that we should not be reading about. Not because it should go unreported, but because it ought not to be happening... read rest of story at Michael Campbell. Filed under: Belfast, Blogging, ...
A large pot hole is opening up in the uphill carriageway of St Thomas' Road in Launceston. I've asked the Council's Highways team to fill it in as soon as possible because this is such a busy road. In the meantime, drivers should be careful as it could cause damage to their car.
I have raised on a number of occasions the way that the code of conduct for Councillors in Wales is being used to settle old scores or to make a political point, most recently at the last Public Accounts Committee. This morning's Western Mail contains another example of a political disagreement being turned into a pseudo-disciplinary matter. They say that a Plaid Cymru Councillor in Caerphilly has threatened to report a Labour opponent to the Ombudsman for criticising the council's decision to invest millions in an Icelandic bank that failed: Councillor Nigel Dix has received a letter from Caerphilly Council's ...
Glancing through yesterday's Western Mail last night I finally got around to reading their piece on the 20th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's demise as Prime Minister. A number of politicians were asked where they were when they heard the news and what their reaction was. The responses were fairly predictable. Some though are more memorable than others such as Kirsty Williams' recollection that she was at University in Manchester and that the union put up a banner saying: 'Rejoice, Thatcher's gone' and put on free drinks. The most bizarre though is that of Tory Assembly leader Nick Bourne, who remembers ...
Of all the responses to the Comprehensive Spending Review, perhaps the most intriguing has been Labour's use of the phrase, "ideological reasons". The way they spit it out, the venom they attach to it evokes the broadest Valleys accent (though whether the invocation is of Kinnock, Bevan or just my granny from Trebanog's cries of "uch a fi" at my four-year-old self's attitude to chocolate is unclear...) Sonorous qualities notwithstanding, it's an unusual phrase to use, as after all it is essentially the point; you have an election, it's contested between various parties each of which expounds a particular ideology, ...
I have just received notification of a scam being operated, and It is particularly wporrying as we move into the festive season. I understand this scam has been confirmed by Royal Mail and The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the scam. A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize . If you call ...
As a good Lib Dem, I've been spending some time in Oldham East & Saddleworth. Their former Labour MP, Phil Woolas, was found guilty of lying about his opponent in the election. It was the first time it had happened in almost a century, and as a result Woolas is no longer an MP and not even allowed to vote for three years. Back in May, Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins was just 103 votes behind Woolas so the Lib Dems are hoping to capture the seat when there's a by-election. It's one of the most rural parts of Greater ...
More than 600 users of Launceston Library have signed up to the Liberal Democrat led petition to save the facility from closure in the five days since the campaign was launched. The service is under threat as part of Cornwall Council's emergency budget. The Conservative led administration at County Hall is seeking to save more then £1 million from the library and one stop shops budget over the next two years. Lib Dem councillors have repeatedly asked for details of how the savings will be achieved but have been told that no plans are yet worked out. The only scheme ...
Nick Clegg has finally realised that the strategy in government needed to change. He now needs to realise that his strategy towards Labour needs to change as the current one will only make them stronger and their supporters more supportive. This is digging a hole for the Lib Dems who share a proportion of voters ...
Nick Burcher has done a great job detailing Lacoste's new QR code campaign. Being the curmudgeon that I am, I want to point out a couple of rather glaring flaws in its execution. ContrastSee if you can scan in the code on this image. The image links to Nick's site if you want the full resolution version. [IMG: Lacoste store QR code window] I tried several different phones and scanners and wasn't able to get the code to scan. This is because QR codes are designed to be black and white. As I've explained before, most QR readers will assume ...
This morning brings the news that the Gambia has severed all relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The two pariah states have a decent history of mutual declarations of support – developing nuclear power Iran once said that Gambia deserved support as it was under pressure from "bullying" powers, while human-rights-abusing Gambia has supported Iran's right to atomic weapons – but the affair seems to be well and truly over: ... all government of the Gambia projects and programmes, which were implemented in co-operation with the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been cancelled. ... The Gambia ...
There's been a lot of talk about broken promises on tuition fees. However this is a subject on which Labour has particular form. In 1997, their manifesto explicitly ruled out tuition fees, yet they were brought in during that Parliament. I don't recall the NUS demonstrating then. Interestingly, the 2010 Labour manifesto committed to implementing Lord Browne's proposals. So whilst many Liberal Democrat MPs have committed to either oppose Browne's proposals or to abstain, it looks like most Labour MPs will be breaking their manifesto pledge to support them. I don't recall seeing NUS people attacking Labour MPs for deciding ...
Nick Clegg's article on the Guardian is going down a very dodgy path. New versus old progressives? Twaddle. For starters, the word "progressive" should be taken outside of UK politics and shot. Or rather, restricted to its technical meaning in tax discussions. I'm a reasonably well read chap and had never heard of "progressive" politics in the UK until the whole hung parliament circus this past May. I thought it was simply the word used by American liberals who had given up the fight against the Republican smear machine. Secondly, "new progressive" is awfully similar to "New Labour". At a ...
This is a crunch time for an important campaign in Bath. It's about supporting residents in the front line defending public transport here. If the abysmal 40 minute frequency is allowed to stand in densely populated Larkhall/Fairfield Park/Camden, no bus route is safe. Without an adequate bus service, local economy will suffer, as well as elderly, young and disabled people, and others who do not drive, but are unable to walk or cycle. So it is also about people power, democracy, in the face of commercial and political intransigence. Residents in north east Bath in the Save Our 6-7 Buses ...
The West End Christmas Lights get switched on at Seabraes tomorrow (Wednesday 24th November) at 7pm by Lord Provost John Letford, Ally Bally of Tay AM and Terry the Terror from Dundee United. There will be a Christmas children's concert beforehand from 6pm in nearby Dundee West Church, plus a carnival from Horne's on the Duncan of Jordanstone Car Park and a spectacular fireworks display. This is the largest West End Christmas Week yet in our tenth anniversary year and we are inviting all local residents to come along to the Christmas Concert, Christmas Lights Switch On, Fireworks and Carnival. ...
The fundamental problem of Europe is not the Euro. The fundamental problem is the economic structure of most of the European economies. The standard model of these economies has been to pay for today's bills with cheques drawn against the future. Instead of saving up for things today and acquiring them later, we have chosen to acquire them today and pay for them in the future. To a degree, it has worked: the levels of average prosperity in the present day would stagger most of our forefathers. Yet, there has always been a critical piece of small print: growth needed ...
Firstly apologies as this post is out of time sequence as Social Enterprise Day was last Thursday – but social enterprise is such an important component of the power shift that will come about in the next few years that I wanted to note it here. Nick Hurd – Minister for Civil Society – who is leading on Social Enterprise and the Voluntary Sector's transformation into the Big Society asked ministers to go out on Thursday to visit a local Social Enterprise. So – naturally – I visited the Selby Centre. This is an amazing model of how this new ...
In a speech to the Institute of Welsh Affairs last week, Kirsty Williams said that Wales will only have the democracy we deserve when we build a devolution that is more mature, reform our Assembly and to improve decision making, and to hold the government to account: 'How do we build a participatory and deliberative democracy? Or, put another way, 'How do we involve more people in politics that ensures political change? It is critical subject and I would like to thank the Institute of Welsh Affairs and Cymru Yfory for organising this evening's event. Liberalism is about power. Who ...
Nothing very significant today, is there? Oh, hang on... i) broadcast anniversaries 23 November 1963: broadcast of "An Unearthly Child", first episode of the story we now cal An Unearthly Child, and the first ever episode of Doctor Who. Teachers Ian and Barbara follow their mysterious pupil home to a police box, which contains the time and space ship - the TARDIS - of the enigmatic Doctor. It transports them - but to where? 23 November 1968: broadcast of fourth episode of The Invasion. The Doctor and UNIT rescue Isobel and Zoe; and Jamie and the Dioctor witness a Cyberman ...
I know that it is only three days ago that I wrote about the traffic congestion in Morecambe but I took these photos at 1pm on Sunday and I had to write about them. Both photos were taken from the same point on Lancaster Road, Morecambe. On the left I am looking towards our new supermarket along with new traffic lights. This traffic is stationary whereas up till now traffic has moved freely. This was not a traffic hot spot. On the right I am half a dozen cars away from the Shrimp roundabout. And this is 1pm on Sunday ...
