My modest proposals sparked a rash of comments on Facebook. Here is a response by an old friend, Ed Maxfield, which was too long for FB, so I'm posting it here. Ed is Senior Communications Officer for Universities UK but his comments here are made entirely in a personal capacity. The first thing to say is this is not an argument about whether politicians should stick to the promises they make/
Yes, Victorian Day is back, on Friday 3 December. This very popular event is supported by BBC Radio Bristol. There will be lots of attractions and music right through from 1.30 to 9.30 pm - see the Chipping Sodbury Lions Club website for full details.
I'm very fed up with watching videos of policemen assaulting peaceful protesters or keeping them penned in (surely false imprisonment?) for hours on end, together with bystanders who weren't even demonstrating. As someone who has been on many marches, and also organised peaceful demonstrations, I'm very concerned that British citizens can no longer exercise their lawful right to march safely, without risking police assault. Can anybody seriously think that the British police are dealing with protest marches appropriately or even legally? Their current methods are clearly inflaming and inciting violence and making things worse. I agree with David Cameron that ...
Dear resident,As you know, we have been unable to start work until now on the new Swan Centre, Tesco store, road network and car park due to various legal and contractual reasons.However, following final agreement with Birmingham City Council, we have now been able to resolve these issues and, I am pleased to say, we will be starting preliminary works on site from Monday 29 November to prepare
A whole plethora of education policies has been foisted upon us this week, and you might expect that at least one of the policies, even one small chunk would garner some support within education circles. Sadly not. In each and every sphere of education, tried and tested ideas, policy backed by evidential proof, has been axed or scrapped to be replaced by a succession of politically inspired dogmatic policies based on only the evidence of Michael Gove's eyes. When challenged on the radio about the comments that Ofsted made about the successes and achievements of university based teaching courses, something ...
I've signed the petition against increases in tuition fees, which has been set up by a local student on Kingston Council website. So has the Leader of the Council, Derek Osbourne, and a number of other Lib Dem councillors. Derek has promised to have a debate on the petiton at Full Council, if 500 people sign it. By the way, you do have to live, work or study in the Royal Borough if you want to sign it. So why are local Lib Dems signing this, apparently against the position taken by the Coalition Government? You've probably realised that this ...
It may be a small issue compared with the budget dilemmas facing the Council, but I share the view of one Acocks Green resident, who contacted me to complain about the way the Council is checking the accuracy of its list of those entitled to single person's discount on Council Tax. Its quite right that this list is checked; after all the 25% discount for single people is significant and its likely that some people, who are no longer single, keep claiming it through simply forgetting to tell the Council that another adult has moved into their home. So a ...
Following the super West End Christmas Week events last Saturday and on Wednesday, earlier this evening, along with Sheena Livingstone of the Westport Gallery and my ward colleague Cllr Richard McCready, I participated in the lights switch on for the West Port area. Although the area has had a Christmas Tree each year, this is the first occasion on which we have had an 'official lights switch on' at West Port. Sheena and her fellow traders have a superb mix of businesses in West Port and South Tay Street that are well worth a visit! Above : About to switch ...
I was meant to write a couple of posts on comics and a short story today, but I appear to have developed logorrhoea on totally unrelated matters, don't I? Oh well... One of the big things I hear a lot from people is that they don't actually know what the Liberal Democrats stand for, or ...
It is some time since I have quoted from the Assembly record on this blog but I thought that a little exchange between Conservative AM, Jonathan Morgan and former First Minister, Rhodri Morgan was worthy of wider circulation. It is not often that someone puts Rhodri down so effectively in the Chamber: Jonathan Morgan: Yet again, we have another report—the Nuffield Trust report—pointing out that, since devolution, the collection of data in Wales has worsened, and, when we compare Wales to the north-east of England, we see again that we are spending more per head of population on health, but ...
"Is it frustrating that Panorama's doing this programme a few days before? Of course it is," said Cameron. So, it is fine for the Sunday Times to expose the corruption in FIFA, but for the BBC to show an investigation into it, it is unpatriotic. Or could it be that the BBC are not on Cameron's Christmas card list and Murdoch is??? http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9099326.stm http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wfl8t
Well you can betcha she didn't find and insert all these links while cooking her Thanksgiving Turkey up there in little 'ol Wasilla: A Thanksgiving Message to All 57 States by Sarah Palin on Thursday, 25 November 2010 at 17:46 My fellow Americans in all 57 states, the time has changed for come. With our country founded more than 20 centuries ago, we have much to celebrate - from the FBI's 100 days to the reforms that bring greater inefficiencies to our health care system. We know that countries like Europe are willing to stand with us in our fight ...
Visitors to Andover town centre now have the benefit of two new taxi ranks, which have recently opened as part of the latest town centre enhancement work. They will provide much-needed additional taxi rank space. The first rank, accommodating three taxis, will be in operation 24 hours a day in Waterloo Court. This is conveniently placed for customers coming from the Waitrose end of the Chantry Centre, the Guildhall or Tesco Metro. The second rank, also for three taxis operating in the evenings only (8pm to 6am), is on Bridge Street at the junction with the High Street. This is ...
Way back in the Summer, we took our daughter and nephew to see a lovely aunt and uncle of mine who we hadn't seen for ages. Anna had been to see them as a baby but my nephew never had. Anyway, after a really enjoyable evening, we took the kids back to our holiday cottage and they literally didn't shut up, barely pausing to draw breath, about how much they'd enjoyed themselves, and how my aunt and uncle were the "nicest people ever." That's kind of how I felt whenever I visited their house when I was little. Anyway, today ...
Dine Romero with Richard Thomson, parents, pupils and teachers outside the Guildhall. At the Guildhall on Thursday night many people came along to support and speak for Culverhay staying open and converting to a secondary school. After an hour of representations from teachers, parents, Councillors, Governors, former pupils and other organisations from...
Absolutely key to the Coalition's economic strategy is the idea that a rapidly growing private sector will employ those made redundant by the public sector. If this doesn't happen we are in for soaring unemployment and for far more cuts than currently announced. So, one might suppose that well before the general election all the political ...
I was not at the protests in London this week, but having just watched a video on Oxford Spring I am very glad that I was not. It appears that the Mounted Section of the Metropolitan Police charged into the crowd. As Oxford Spring puts it: There is no excuse for this mounted police charge ...
I'm not sure what an independent observer would have made of our cabinet meeting this week. I know what Council Leader Tony Robertson made of it as he has blogged his observations. I thought there were a few very revealing little episodes. Tony has written about Labour's bizarre tactics and their failed filibuster. I thought that was just rather desperate and sad. We had a couple of incidents which made folks shake their heads. Firstly was the economics lecture we got from Cllr John Fairclough (Bootle, tribal, old Labour).He explained that the national debt was not very high and there ...
One of the items at North Area Committee last night was to award City Council grants to community groups. Every year the City Council gives just under £60,000 to the four area committees to allocate, and the North gets a share of just over £21,000. These grants are used by differnt groups in different ways to support community projects. Last night we agreed to fund two groups active in the Arbury and King's Hedges areas: Groverbury Ladies Club and the Abury Manor branch of the Royal British Legion. The total to them was just over £1000. These grants are for ...
I'm working on getting the paper version of PEP! 2 out this weekend, but while I'm doing that I thought I'd update everyone on PEP!3 . Nothing's set in stone yet – it won't be out for a couple of months – but the plan so far is for it to include: New fiction by ...
On the 28th October the coalition produced a White Paper "Local growth: realising every place's potential" My friend John Cole, like me a retired teacher of economics and also a lifelong Liberal/Liberal Democrat has written a detailed critique for his colleagues which begins with the following paragraphs: General Comments: I approached reading this white paper in the hope that it would give me confidence that the coalition had a sound and credible route map towards economic recovery and sustainable growth. Whilst there are many good ideas in the paper, I remain unconvinced that the coalition is going to have the ...
So goes the wisdom of bankers. On the day that Vince warns bankers about excess bonuses again, I bring you the political pronouncements of the bankers themselves. In a letter to clients of some of their services from investment managers Brewin Dolphin, they have this to say on the issues of the day: "Whilst one may dislike good companies disappearing, particularly to overseas predators, it is surprising how often they resurface at a future date in a somewhat different form after some imaginative financiers have had a bob or two. Apart from contributing to some banker's bonus, takeovers keep a ...
Earlier in the week as some light relief from what had been a tough day, my friend Andrew showed me some of his favourites from youtube. Therefore, one of my favourites from that selection is given below... Filed under: Friday Fun
I will do some comics posts this week, I *PROMISE*, but this was just too depressing not to rant about it. I shop at Amazon occasionally, and enjoy doing so if I know what I want in advance. A couple of clicks, and I'll have anything, no matter how obscure, delivered to my house within ...
A little late with this, but have had a major relapse over the past few weeks. If 'We're all in this together', as the bastard child of Tory and Lib Dems ( The Coalition) claim we all are; why is it that the hardest hit will be the most vulnerable and weakest in society who are taking the hit the most? Regressive taxation in VAT to rise to 20%, benefits cut, and student university fees increased and legal aid sliced away. From a personal perspective, I am worried. I am actually sick with worry. I shall clarify. I suffer from ...
I don't know what it is about Broadway - the streetlights seem to break more often than elsewhere. Just chance, probably. Coming back from Cheadle Village Partnership yesterday I spotted lights 19, 24 and 26 on Broadway aren't working. I also reported a pothole at the junction of Barcheston Road and Broadway, and one of the 20mph signs at the junction of High Grove Road and Broadway isn't lit up.
Just a quick note before I drag myself into work. Episode one of my new podcast is out now, so if you've got 46 minutes to spare at some point and you'd give it a listen I'll be grateful. Constructive crit gratefully recieved. I know there are some sound quality issues, and I have already had some advice on that from m'freind in Ealing. Content-wise, though... Do you think we're striking the right balance? Do you have a contribution for the audience participation topic? Do you want to enter the Exciting CompetitionTM? Do let me know. [IMG: Dreamwidth] [IMG: Livejournal] ...
Last night I chaired the Council Homelessness Strategy Working Group. The group has the same relationship to the Council's Scrutiny Committee as "The Green Green Grass" has to "Only Fools and Horses" i.e. it's a slightly less glamorous, low-budget spin-off. It is though of great importance, especially since whilst most of the strategy is perfectly fine, alarm bells have rung about the future of the Council's Southview hostel. Southview provides housing for people vulnerably housed, and these people range from families to single people, all with a range of need. The Savoy Hotel it certainly isn't, but it's valued by ...
We were due to be attend a dinner in Banchory tomorrow night but, due to the weather conditions in rural Aberdeenshire, the quite sensible decision has been taken to cancel it. I for one wouldn't want people to battle through the conditions just because Ros has, so we'll head south from Stirling in the morning. Just three more performances for the First Husband left...
Having taking an animated band mainstream, Gorrilaz frontman Damon Albarn has refused to be left behind in the tech stakes, and has recorded the next album on his iPad while on tour. He told the NME that using his new favourite toy had prompted him to record 'a completely different type of record', which could be out by Christmas. As far as VN knows, no tracks have escaped the precious portable device yet. iPad music seems to be the 21st Centuries version of lo-fi, with a growing scene emerging around making music with portable devices. VN doubts whether the iPad ...
As the Presidential engagements run out, Ros and I find ourselves saving some of the greatest mileage until last. And with an increasingly hostile weather forecast for the weekend, it was with a degree of nervousness that we set off for Penrith, en route to the Copeland and Workington Liberal Democrats AGM and Dinner, just outside Keswick. It was a pleasant enough journey from Euston, which was made all the better by a glass or two of merlot, a light meal and even a piece of cake. And, as darkness fell, we arrived at Penrith North Lakes Station to be ...
One concern I expressed in last week's newsletter was proven right: this week started on Sunday afternoon with Ireland asking for help because of liquidity problems, notably at its two biggest banks. The EU's finance ministers agreed to assist that afternoon and the European Central Bank's board agreed the following day: money will also come from the IMF and possibly from bilateral loans. In return, Ireland will slash public spending by 10 bn euros and increase tax receipts by 5 bn over four years. The euro slid a few cents against the dollar. Rupert Murdoch's newspapers started crowing about how ...
[IMG: Email inbox] I've decided to try a new little online venture: a monthly email newsletter with news about what's happening in the Liberal Democrats, with some direct commentary and lots of references to stories, posts and other information to be found online. There are two main reasons for giving this a try. First, I've now been round talking at 15 local parties in the last few months, and one common theme has been the number of members and supporters who are interested in hearing more about what is going on in the party, who often don't spot stories such ...
"We're going to have a system where the middle classes are discouraged from breeding because it's jolly expensive, but for those on benefit there is every incentive... well that's not very sensible." soon-to-be Conservative peer Howard Flight to the Evening Standard, 25th November The ironic context of Howard Flight's now infamous interview was to note he had been right in 2005, when sacked by Michael Howard, for claiming there was scope for deeper cuts than Howard was letting on. Within that interview are comments that those on the Liberal Democrat left and Ed Miliband would agree with: he opposes the ...
A report by the Care Quality Commission on how the Tory run County Council deals with Adult Social Services has flagged a number of issues in what many consider a vital service. Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Adult Care Services, Councillor Allan Siao Ming Witherick, said: "Over the last few years we've really seen the elderly and vulnerable suffer under this Tory run council. Many residents will recall the problems with the elderly care contracts. "Sadly this report makes clear that there are still areas of concern which we will be scrutinising with the coming changes being proposed. "The Commission specifically ...
So we have a change of strategy - one from not picking 'synthetic fights' with the Conservatives to one of pointing out Liberal Democrat victories. The narrative by which this is being seen in the party is toxic in itself and has been holding the party back. The fear that the coalition would be seen ...
For me - and I would say this wouldn't I - one of the most disturbing aspects of the current cuts is the impact on Youth Services. Even at the height of the Thatcher regime we never faced the Armageddon we now seem to be facing. Today I spoke to an old union colleague who said we are looking at melt down, the decimation of a service that so many of our most vulnerable young people rely on. If it were just about old pals of mine losing their jobs, that would be one thing, but it is the wider ...
An excellent TV ad from General Motors, thanking the American public for bailing them out. It's enough to make a grown man cry. Very clever and inspired. OK, it's no doubt got some cynical calculation behind it, but, for a major corporation, at least it shows some humility and sense of patriotism. And they put it out at Thanksgiving as well, which gives it extra Star Spangled blub factor. (As an antidote to this schmaltz read this from Robert Siegel).
The Joint Waste Core Strategy is a planning document that sets out where waste facilities should be provided in the West of England. It is currently going through its independent Examination by the Planning Inspectorate and the hearing sessions finished on Tuesday. Yate Town Council made representations about the plans for a waste facility on the trading estate to the edge of Yate. On Wednesday, the West of England authorities submitted their proposed changes. There is no further consultation. The Inspector will now consider all the information in preparing his factual report for the Partnership Authorities. It is anticipated this ...
Crispin Edwards from Stockport Council came to the Cheadle Village Partnership yesterday and gave us an update on various developments around Cheadle. The George and Dragon pub has been sold and the intention is to refurbish and open next Spring. More information on this soon. Two major chains are interested in opening a store on the site of the current Warwick Mall (which planning permission was granted for a year or two back). Once someone's signed on the dotted line, we'll find out who it is. The developers of the Barnes Hospital site are looking to vary the planning permission ...
For years I've been mildly obsessed with the Voynich Manuscript. An ancient book, written in a language no one can decipher, showing plants which don't exist, and measuring astronomical configurations which make no sense. The book is an enigma. Many think it to be an elaborate hoax – others have more.... esoteric explanations. Regardless of what the book means, it is a beautiful and mysterious work of art. And I want to read it on my Kindle! Archive.org has an ebook version of the Voynich Manuscript, but it has gone through a bizarre OCR process which, unsurprisingly, leaves it unreadable. ...
Oldham East has had no MP since Phil Woolas was disbarred and the result of last May's election was declared null and void, but we still don't have a date for the by-election. A writ could be moved at any time in the House of Commons but no-one plans to do so until High Court judges have given their ruling on whether the decision of the Election Court is open to judicial review. The Oldham Evening Chronicle reports that this is expected within the next few days, which probably means at the beginning of the week commencing 29 November. The ...
This morning's Western Mail reports that increasing numbers of children in Wales are growing up in poverty despite living in households where a parent is in employment. They say that despite the fact that the Welsh Government is committed to eradicating child poverty by 2020, the latest official figures reveal a falling-back in key areas: Of the 32 indicators used to measure the depth of child poverty in Wales, just 10 showed a "clear improvement" and there was evidence of a "clear deterioration" in three. In 2006-07, a quarter of children lived in homes where an adult worked, yet they ...
In the final analysis, why should citizens take the full burden of rescuing banks, while the bond holders take no punishment at all? That, in essence is why I now expect to see the next step in the Euro crisis being a debt default- or as it will probably be termed, "debt restructuring". The rescue of the Irish banks was really only supposed to be about the depositors- who are generally businesses and individuals in Ireland, not the bond holders who are generally governments and financial institutions from overseas. The sovereign guarantee to the banks that was so thoughtlessly extended ...
Yesterday morning, police set out early in West Stockport and drove around looking for cars left unattended but with the keys in the ignition and the engine running. They quickly found nineteen cars. Criminals know this too. A few lads jump in a car on a cold morning, drive around until they spot a car then one of them steals it while the owner's inside having a cuppa and breakfast. Couldn't be easier. Please be careful - don't leave your car running unless you're with it.
Margaret Beckett is now the President of the No to AV campaign. Joining her as 'patrons' in this honourable fight? From the Labour side we have David Blunkett, Lord Falconer, Lord Prescott, Lord Reid and Emily Thornberry and from the Conservative side Ken Clarke, Baroness Warsi and William Hague. While the current political narrative is filled with electric attacks about turncoats, traitors and breaking manifesto pledges, let us remind ourselves of the May 2010 Labour manifesto, A future fair for all on page 61: To ensure that every MP is supported by the majority of their constituents voting at each ...
My LibDem colleague on Haringey Council, Cllr Rachel Allison has done some excellent investigative work into the lives of children in care in Haringey. Lives of these children in care could be improved and £7million saved by action on Haringey's Fostering Service. The Liberal Democrats revealed this situation at the last Full Council meeting on the 22 November. Rachel, who is Liberal Democrat Children's Spokesperson, examined the cost of fostering in Haringey and the outcomes for local children. She highlighted that the cost of fostering Haringey's 600 plus Looked After Children was high due to the high proportion (70%) of ...
.......I heard that this "non-interferring", "small state", "localist" coalition government announced to the world that it intends to conduct a survey to guage the nations's level of "happiness". WTF? And not only does it want to probe stuff that is frankly NONE OF ITS BUSINESS... it wants to spend £2million of OUR money in order to tell us how happy we are.. To be fair, as far as I can tell, this is not actually a "government" idea. This seems to be another (non-focus-grouped) idea direct from "chocolate orange Dave". Just to remind you, the term "chocolate orange Dave" is ...
i) births and deaths 26 November 1929: birth of William Dysart, who played Alexander McLaren in The Highlanders (1966-67) and Reegan in The Ambassadors of Death (1970). ii) broadcast and webcast anniversaries 26 November 1966: broadcast of fourth episode of The Power of the Daleks. The rebels try to use the Daleks; but the Daleks are reproducing... 26 November 1977: broadcast of first episode of The Sun Makers. The Doctor, Leela and K9 land on the planet Pluto, where the sinister Gatherer oppresses the people with heavy taxes. 26 November 1993: broadcast of first episode of Dimensions in Time, but ...
This Labour politician never ceases to amaze with his fantastic ability to remember/forget what he has said in the Senedd, especially what he said about the £1 billion that is being misspent in the NHS. Alun Davies was the Assembly Member who got it out of Paul Davies, Chair of NHS Finance Directors, that £1 billion was not being spent properly during Finance Committee. A few months later he doesn't like the fact that the Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Labour-Plaid government to simply investigate this claim. Take a look at these next three videos. I'm not going ...
...but local campaigners are doing just that this Saturday The result in the General Election in Fermanagh & South Tyrone (FST) could hardly have been closer. Both Michelle Gildernew (Sinn Féin) and Rodney Connor (Independent) got 45.5% of the vote back in May. With 4 votes between them the result was taken to a costly ...
Jokes often have a target and David Cameron has been in the news for aiming his jokes at John Bercow. I think one of the jokes is quite funny but does John Bercow agree? Is he hurt by the joke? Does it matter? Well some readers may be saying "of course it matters" and others may disagree. If a joke is funny then let's tell it. The problem is that not all jokes are funny and some are just insults. A Lancaster city councillor has been suspended for calling a fellow councillor "a catty girl with a ponytail" and refusing ...
