Nibley Lane, from Badminton Road A432 to Westerleigh Road, will be closed for the day for deep cleaning and drainage maintenance. Previously we've tried to get them to sign it before the Shire Way mini-roundabout, but most times drivers only find out when they get to the Nibley Lane junction. By then it's too late, and people have to take a long detour. We wish they would think these things out...
There was a moving ceremony in Oslo today as the Nobel Peace Prize was delivered to an empty chair — symbolising the imprisoned Chinese writer and human rights activist (and President of independent Chinese PEN) Liu Xiaobo. This is not the first time that a Nobel laureate has not been able to collect the prize in ...
Just a quick reminder that I'll be at Arbury Community Centre tomorrow (saturday) from 10am until noon. Do drop by and have a chat if you have any problems, or just to say hello!
You have until 9 January to let Central Bedfordshire Council know your views on their new draft licensing policy for street traders, which proposes to designate all streets within the authority as 'consent streets' for which a licence must be obtained for trading. The proposed fee is £280 one-off or £750 for an annual fee. Barton-le-Clay's friendly local fruit and vet man Roland, whose stall and van can be found neatly parked to the side of the 20m deep footpath in front of the shops at Windsor Parade in Barton-le-Clay each Saturday morning, was horrified to learn of the scale ...
It was great fun to enter and the result has given me renewed confidence to, hopefully, enter future internal party elections.
Barton-le-Clay is due to lose Bushmead, Sharpenhoe, Streatley and Sundon as it shrinks to become a one Member ward with effect from May 2011, serving the residents of Barton-le-Clay alone. This is not what the Liberal Democrats had proposed; we'd suggested adding Pulloxhill, most of whose children attend the Barton-le-Clay schools, in order to make the small adjustment needed to keep the ward a two-member one. But the Boundary Commission ruled otherwise, ignoring our views and those of Streatley Parish Council that had also written to the Boundary Commission asking to remain within the Barton-le-Clay ward owing to shared services ...
Residents in Central Bedfordshire are being asked for their comments on a Draft Submission version of the Gypsy and Traveller Development Plan Document by 5pm on Wednesday 2nd February. The document sets out Central Bedfordshire Council's chosen sites for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation (23 pitches plus 4 pitches for Travelling Showpeople) for the former Mid Bedfordshire area. It also contains policies against which the determination of future planning applications for Gypsy and Traveller related proposals will be made. The sites selected are: eight pitches at Old Acres, Barton Road, Pulloxhill; two pitches on land off Westoning Road, Greenfield; ten pitches ...
britishrailways.tv A 20-minute film showing a day in the life of York's station master. It's deeply nostalgic for me: the city did not change so very much between 1953 and 1978, when I went there as a student. It has certainly changed a great deal since I left in 1981. Note the lyrical treatment of the lifting of rural branch lines. I don't suppose that parcel van lasted very long, but at least it is a reminder that closures began long before Lord Beeching.
Evening all. Its that time again so sit down, put your feet up and see who has been caught in Spidey's web this week. Top ten tweeters: viewsacrosspond – author of a stunning blog of the same name, taking on ... Continue reading →
If you do this in an email, I hate you - Yup, really, I do I know I'm awful at replying to stuff generally. Some 'features' of email really do make that even less likely (tags: funny email internet) Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four They've given Hans Rosling a series on t'tellybox. This is very cool. Why did no one tell me? (tags: statistics video Hans+Rosling) My god, it's full of stars! Best waste of money ever? I want it. I like utterly pointless things (tags: 2001 toys) FT.com ...
Fri 10th
21:10
NUS plays politics rather than stands up for students? Surely not! Not when it is led by a Labour MP...
NUS plays politics rather than stands up for students? Surely not! Not when it is led by a Labour MP wannabe. Telegraph turns on NUS over fees Today's Telegraph reports that the NUS would prefer to remove almost all of the hardship grants than charge higher fees. The Daily Telegraph has seen emails from Mr Porter and his team in which the NUS leadership urged ministers to cut grants and loans as an alternative to raising tuition fees. ...
I thought I would summarise the top ten most read blog posts on the site this month, now that my stats have been running long enough to do it. Its been quite a week! The stats don't include the hits on the ... Continue reading →
The son of a multi-millionaire rock star who wants the taxpayer to fund him to study history at Cambridge but does not recognise the Cenotaph. He has managed to confirm every single prejudice I expressed in my post on tuition fees two days ago. Thank you, Charlie.
The complete abolition of university tuition fees remains Liberal Democrat policy. In a powerful post, Contrasting Sounds looks at the daunting road that will have to be travelled if we are to get there. Meanwhile, "As it stands, the party policy just doesn't reflect the democratic reality that the larger parties have no plan to increase taxes, because they (or at least Labour) don't think people are willing to vote for it. This means the manifesto promises are more about keeping the party's base happy than letting the electorate know what the party genuinely thinks they can get through Parliament." ...
Over the past few days I have become increasingly concerned at the number of residential streets in the West End that are still awaiting any form of ploughing or gritting and am particularly concerned for the elderly people in these streets. I have over 10 days raised the situation in literally dozens of streets in the West End with winter maintenance and although I applaud all efforts being made, I am becoming increasingly concerned about the number of residential streets still untreated. Coming up for two weeks into this weather situation, I do think we absolutely need to see all ...
In addition to free parking in all our District Centres, there will also be free parking on Saturdays at Stockport's Merseyway shopping centre from now until Christmas. Stockport Council, in partnership with Merseyway Shopping Centre, will be providing free Christmas parking to shoppers in December. From Saturday 11 until Friday 24 December free parking will be available within Merseyway car park during its opening times. More information can be found here.
City Councillors late this afternoon were sent an update from the Director of National Express Dundee about bus services in the city during the current weather situation. I thought it useful to advise residents of this : To all Councillors ROAD CONDITIONS AFFECTING ALL NATIONAL EXPRESS SERVICES As you may be aware, all our staff have been battling for the last fortnight to provide a service across the city. We have been issuing at times hourly updates on our website to keep everyone aware of what is running and what is not. Over the last couple of days we have ...
The Premier League fixture compiler has thrown up what should be an excellent weekend of football, as with three local derbies, and two clashes that give four of the top five clubs to take the points off each other this weekend. Aston Villa v West Brom Saturday's traditional three o'clock kick offs see Aston Villa welcome neighbours West Brom to Villa Park. Not much has been said about Villa's abysmal performance on Monday against Liverpool, with the focuse more on the way old-time Anfield favourite, and current Villa manager, Gerrard Houlier reacted to the defeat. The Frenchman appeared to ignore ...
The national party has produced a much-needed and interesting video interview in which former Oxford MP Evan Harris talks to Nick Clegg about university funding. I say the video is much-needed because Evan and Nick discuss the issue in some ... Continue reading →
Yesterday was Coronation Street's 50th anniversary. An incredible 1 hour long episode last night will be concluded this evening.. We're sen death, a marriage and a birth and there's more to come this evening.To pay tribute to the world's longest current runnning soap, I'm blogging a quote a day from Corrie's past up until the big day. Today, Vera Duckworth paints Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes as a hard-faced old so-and-so. Natalie of course sparked controversy when she split up the Cobbles' happiest couple - Kevin and Sally Webster in 1997. Vera, as one half of the comic husband-and-wife double ...
Former MP Evan Harris is now Vice - Chair of the Liberal Democrats Federal Policy Committee. He lost his university seat in Oxford, despite the Liberal Democrats manifesto policy to abolish fees, and is generally considered to be in left, social - liberal wing of the party. Here he interviews Deputy PM and Party Leader Nick Clegg on Higher Education funding. It is clear that the party were desperately trying to make a graduate tax work, and perhaps the fact they couldn't says a lot. There is also an interesting discussion about how to deal with such explicit pledges in ...
Tomorrow sees another in our series of Saturday Surgeries, which have been a great success so far. Some of your Lib Dem Councillors will be at the Longfield Centre from about 10.30 until about 11.45 tomorrow morning to talk to you about any issue of concern, and to collect signatures on our "Scrap Parking Charges" petition. We got about 100 new signatories last weekend, so maybe we can beat that tomorrow. You can also take part in our "Prestwich Priorities" survey, selecting which of the local services matter most to you and need protecting in these tricky financial times. Unfortunately ...
Today I want to pay tribute to a friend of mine, without whom, much of the voluntary work that I do within the LGBT sector in Northern Ireland would have been well nigh impossible. In fact, it is possible, unlikely though it may seem nowadays, that all of us who are gay could still be ...
I was lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the Cultural Centre this week to see how the scheme is progressing. I was given the tour along with Sefton's officers and my colleague Councillor Tony Robertson. Tony joined me in his role as the cabinet member given the task of overseeing this project. We were given a presentation to highlight the progress made and then we donned our protective wellingtons, glasses and hard hats before entering the site. I last visited the site a few months ago and the progress made since is quite dramatic. Many of the ...
And you can get it here. Absolutely mammoth editing job this time, and it's still over an hour. We've taken into account some of your comments about the music. The sound quality is still not quite as good as I would like it, but it's getting better. And of course, there's the audience participation discussion.... Thanks to all those of you who sent something in; we're not necessarily totally polite about you all, but... ;) Do have a listen, please, and leave your comments on the episode post and such. Thankee! [IMG: Dreamwidth] [IMG: Livejournal] [IMG: Blogger] [IMG: Facebook] [IMG: ...
Yes, I'm on my way to my last gig as Presidential Consort, a dinner at the head of the Valleys. It's a particularly appropriate way to end two years in the role, as our campaign team in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney represents, in microcosm, much of what is good about being a Liberal Democrat. We first met Amy, Kevin and Bob during the Presidential campaign, spending an afternoon meeting local businesses (Ros, Amy and Bob) and delivering leaflets to the side of a hill (Kevin and me). We were impressed that they were so determined to bring our message to ...
Deep breaths and a bit of passage of time all round are needed I think. "Self-flaggelation" about sums it up. This isn't our Iraq or our poll tax. If it really had been a "betrayal by lying bastards" then it wouldn't have rumbled on for so long, or involved such tortured agonising. Norman Lamb, Norman Baker, Lynne Featherstone are not people who take decisions like this lightly. To characterise this as a "shameful betrayal" is just childish. Totally childish, and completely out of proportion. Let's all grow up and develop rather more supple intellects. Yes, Nick Clegg thought he would ...
It's probably fair to say that the news from the national political scene was not exactly the most helpful for those fighting by-election campaigns on 9th December. But despite this we still managed to pull off an amazing victory in Fareham in Hampshire - a council dominated by Conservatives and with just 9 Lib Dem councillors. The secret of their success is very simple - lots of hard work by a team campaigning on local issues. This meant that when voters went to the polls, electing a hardworking councillor who was addressing local political concerns was far more important than ...
A bit of a lazy post for last-thing on a Friday. The following are the emailed and tweeted comments highlighted by the BBC yesterday during their online coverage of the debate and protest. I think they provide an interesting demonstration of the breadth of opinion, which is all-too-often portrayed (mainly by the anti-reform camp) as though it is a one-sided debate, with most of public opinion leaning against reforms that are being foisted on an angry nation by an isolated and unrepresentative government. One caveat needs to be stated up front: the BBC will have chosen these views explicitly to ...
Pretty obvious when you think about it. Maybe she's one of the lizard people. In fact the evidence is there for all to see. Still. Gives some good fodder for the friday caption competition. Here's my stab. Have a go ... Continue reading →
Before the election, I combined my long experience in retail and my short experience in politics by making a submission to the London Assembly Planning and Housing Committee review on the future of independent shops. As a result, I received a copy of the report recently and these are my thoughts on it, which I've submitted to the committee as ...
After a tough week of political trench warfare, here's George Carlin with a cynical but bang-on-the-nail take on politicians and their slippery abuse of language. Almost ten minutes, but funny throughout. It's probably a requirement in politics to see the truth in what he says, and yet still continue to function. It's certainly taken me a decade or two for my level of cynicism to be balanced out by an appreciation of our slow but genuine progress as a species...
Like all good Liberal Democrat campaigners, we want to know what you think! Campaigner magazine is nearly four years old in its current format and so it's time for a revamp. For that reason we're asking all ALDC members to let us know what they think about the magazine - what is interesting, what's not interesting, how we can improve it and make it even more useful as a resource to Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners. You can take the survey via this link. Please tell us your views. We will be revamping Campaigner early in the New Year ...
I am enjoying the complete seven series of Rumpole on DVD (Guardian offer) and cannot help noticing the extraordinary resemblance between Claude Erskine-Brown and Sandy Walkington. I wonder if perhaps they are related. Perhaps we should be told.
It has been a crazy week for the Lib Dems. Starting with Mike Hancock MP (Portsmouth South) trying to defend his Russian parliamentary aide who is being threatened with deportation as an alleged spy and culminating in the tuition fees vote last night. You there was once a time when the Lib Dems used to crave publicity, complain to the media that they didn't give us enough coverage. Well if it wasn't for the World cup vote and Coronation streets 50th it would virtually have been blanket coverage. In fact I half expected a appearance by Nick Clegg at the ...
The votes on student funding have been taken. The Liberal Democrat Party has clearly allowed all its MPs to vote according to their consciences, some voting for, some against - and a few abstaining. Nobody voted for students to have to pay fees, incidentally. Only graduates, not students will pay. Only graduates earning at least £21,000 a year will pay. The votes were about two separate but related things: * Whether the government should allow universities to put up fees * Who should pay the costs and how the bill should be paid I am glad the method of paying ...
Commenting on the conviction yesterday of Mick Bates AM for public order offences, Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: "Mick Bates has been a dedicated and effective voice for Montgomeryshire over many years. This judgement is a personal tragedy for him and his family but it is one we must respect. "The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear that this conviction for a public order offence is incompatible with the high standards we expect of our elected representatives. Proceedings have begun to terminate his membership of the party."
The BBC report that the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire, Mick Bates has been convicted of assaulting medical staff who were treating him after a fall. Mr. Bates, 63, had denied three common assault and public order offences on 20 January. But a judge at Cardiff magistrates court rejected his defence he had a medical condition which left him unaware or responsible for his actions. He was ordered to pay a total of £5,490 in fines, costs and compensation. Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: "Mick Bates has been a dedicated and effective voice for ...
Following the result in the House of Commons today, where the increases in tuition fees were passed with a majority of 21 votes, I, as a Lib Dem feel betrayed. I accept that the proposals are marginally better than the current system and that compromise is necessary in a coalition. Indeed, I continue, in general, to actively support the coalition. But our MPs signed pledges that they would vote against any increase in fees - this wasn't a negotiable manifesto promise but a cast iron guarantee to the electorate. I campaigned on this basis and believed our MPs would keep ...
There has been a fair amount of comment recently about the rights and wrongs of people trying to clear ice and snow from roads and pavements. Lots of councils and other responsible bodies have tried to play safe by saying that someone who clears snow or ice might be liable of there is an accident. More recently, we have had more sensible advice suggesting that, so long as a person is sensible and careful in clearing a road or pathway then they probably won't be liable. But, of course, there's still that all important word 'probably'. Surely it's time for ...
As it is Friday and the week has been full of arguments...
Fri 10th
14:01
"A difficult decision made for all the right reasons" - inside Westminster on Tuition Fees day
Yesterday was certainly a landmark day in British politics. Not particularly because of what got passed, the way universities are funded will doubtless change many more times, but because of what it signified. VN Editor Charlotte Henry was in the Westminster cauldron as it all reached boiling point. Yesterday was utterly surreal. Central Lobby was swarming with jean and hoody clad students, all seeking one last chance to make their MP vote 'no' in the impending vote on raising the cap on tuition fees. Democracy in action. I had the pleasure of meeting Annette Brooke (no), Lorely Burt (abstain), Stephen ...
[IMG: Electoral reform letter in Total Politics] This letter taking issue with Conservative MP Robin Walker's claims about electoral reform appears in the latest edition of Total Politics: Conservative MP Robin Walker is mistaken to think that voting systems other than first-past-the-post all give a leg-up to extremist parties. In fact, it is the lower threshold for winning under first past the post compared with many other systems that often lets extremists parties slip through and win at local election level in the UK. That is because an extremist can win under first past the post with a third or ...
Every now and again, I mention moving towards a more liberal society. Liberal can mean many things so I thought it might be worth outlining what the characteristics of a liberal society are, in my view. This isn't a definitive list and I am sure some will disagree. But for me, some of the characteristics are: People control their livesThe rule of law is embedded in societyPower is decentralised as much as possibleVoluntary relationships flourish Property rights are a bedrock to ensure those voluntary relationshipsMarkets operate freely and openlyDiversity in products and services in all areas flourish Civil liberties are ...
[IMG: Michael Gove & the Big Society] Only the helicopter hovering overhead would have given you any clue that Michael Gove, Minister of Education, was holding court in Consett today. Like anyone else who found out, I found out by the back door. This is the man to whom I wrote with three other general election candidates (the letter included the candidates from both the coalition partners, the independent and UKIP) asking for a meeting. We got the brush-off. I'd happily have travelled to London to see him, so I can't tell you how angry and frustrated it makes me ...
TLG, the public relations and thought leadership agency, have produced a short report on what the most influential UK is according to opinion formers. You can read it by clicking this link. The primary source of news is particularly interesting as it gives online media the edge.
The last Plenary of term on Wednesday gave the Welsh Liberal Democrats the opportunity to raise the fact that Wales is falling behind the rest of the UK in terms of life expectancey. As I pointed out in my summing up there are a whole range of factors behind this, including poorer health outcomes, child poverty, poor economic performance and the failure of the One Wales Government to deliver good educational outcomes. Here is the video of my summing up, complete with Christmas tie: Earlier I challenged the Deputy Housing Minister on her claim to have met her targets on ...
Shakespeare wasn't a card carrying member of the Liberal party, it didn't exist, and whether he would be isn't the point. He is a liberal hero because of his generosity of spirit, his ability to see all points of view, his ability to articulate all points of view and his sense of fun.
Friday: To Paraphrase an old joke... He delivers a Green Investment Bank, New Green Deal and cancels the third runway at Heathrow but is he known as Clegg the Green? He delivers two-and-a-half BILLION quid for deprived school children but is he known as Clegg the Educator? He delivers a tax cut to every basic rate taxpayer in the country but is he known as Clegg the Generous? He delivers the AV referendum, an elected House of Lords and a fixed term Parliament but is he known as Clegg the Reformer? But he screws-up over ONE pledge to the NUS... ...
The following is a personal statement I have issued as the former Liberal Democrat candidate for Linlithgow and East Falkirk in the 2010 General Election: Last night in the House of Commons MPs voted 323 for and 302 against the proposal to increase the cap on tuition fees in England to £9000. If I had been elected on 6th May as the Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk I would have been joining the 21 Liberal Democrats who upheld the Liberal Democrat party policy not to increase tuition fees but instead to look at abolishing them. This had been stated ...
Want to get a summary of new posts on this blog by email rather than having to check the RSS feed or come back to this site? Or fancy getting my new monthly email newsletter about Liberal Democrat news? Or even want both? Then my email list sign up form awaits. Usual points apply about how you can leave the email lists at any time and how I won't be selling your email address to a Chicago chemical supplies for plumbers firm (still by far my favourite follower on Twitter).
The last round of Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding East Dulwich councillors decided to allocate £12,300 towards more street trees. [IMG: bloom562.jpg] The previous year we funded lots of Cherry Blossom trees on Melbourne Grove near East Dulwich station. They looked wonderful in March for about three weeks when they all blossomed together. I'm hopeful we'll be able to extend this across other parts of East Dulwich. The proposal is for 30 new streets at the following locations - if you have any locations in East Dulwich that needs a street tree please do let me know:
I've just finished reading the latest Ofsted report on Salford's Childrens Services and it doesn't make pleasant reading. Regular viewers of my blog (or even those willing to try a casual search here for either ofsted or childrens services), will know that I've written often about this subject, none of it flattering to Salford Council. As the last few years have gone by, Salfords Childrens Services has fallen from good, to adequate, inadequate and now poor (the lowest possible rating). We are at rock-bottom. Whilst it's not all doom and gloom in the Ofsted report (for example it points out ...
For the second day running a confluence of events got me thinking. At lunchtime yesterday I had an interesting discussion triggered by a recent paper (here for those who can access it) that uses Hirschman's famous Exit, Voice, Loyalty framework to examine recent developments in education policy in the UK. Hirschman's framework has been applied ...
In Ireland as in London For all that we have been reading about the vote in the House of Commons last night which has produced many column inches in the print media, and many many images and verbal pictures on websites around the world, we must remember that it is not just in the United ...
Hertfordshire County Council is negotiating to buy a site for a new primary school in St Albans city centre. The Local Authority is in discussions with the University of Hertfordshire to acquire the School of Law building in Hatfield Road.
Now that we've reached the balmy heights of 5 degrees, I finally got brave and ventured out to drive Anna to school this morning. Regular readers will know how utterly rubbish I am as far as snow and ice are concerned and this morning's outing was the first time I'd been out in 2 weeks, apart from a brief trip out on Sunday when I pathetically teetered to the car, making more fuss than Gillian McKeith on I'm a Celebrity and then never got out of it until we were home again. I still hold by my criticism of West ...
Do we go 2000-2009, 2010-2019 or 2001-2010, 2011-2020? Probably the first, which means this post is a year late. Anyway, all things considered, Lord Turner's quote as Chairman of the Financial Service Authority continues to stand out as a rare and welcome example of the truth being told to power. I do not apologise for being correctly quoted as saying that while the financial services industry performs many economically vital functions, and will continue to play a large and important role in London's economy, some financial activities which proliferated over the last ten years were 'socially useless' - Lord Turner, ...
On Monday, I had the chance to attend an all-day workshop hosted by the Government Equalities Office with the aim of working on ideas/concepts for the forthcoming government Transgender Action Plan. I'm going to do this as a two part post, because firstly I need to explain that the workshop was held under the Chatham House Rule. Discussion of politics, how it all works and so on is quite a seperate topic from the actual detail To save everyone now franticly scrabbling around in Google, here's the rule in question: When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the ...
I'm incensed with this dinosaur bonehead who thinks that Liberalism is about leaving the welfare state as some shibboleth. I don't understand what he wants. I suggest he leaves the liberal bubble and gets out more.
After the floods that hit Cornwall, one of the questions that a few people are asking is whether budget cuts will make the situation worse next time? In short - it is highly likely that they will. Our regional flood defence levy has been kept lower than anywhere else in the country thanks to the votes of councillors from Devon. The full answer comes in three parts: First, Cornwall Council's own emergency budget. Our Conservative led cabinet have certainly considered the idea of cutting back on street sweeping and road maintenance*. An accumulation of leaves and road debris is a ...
It wasn't a country high on my priorities of ones I would like to visit, but with the news that its Parliament is voting next week on legislation to impose fines on those who "promote homosexuality", Lithuania has definitely gone down the list. Last month, an amendement to the Lithuanian Administrative Code which states that ...
I am resigning from the Liberal Democrats. This photo is my now cut-up membership card and below is a copy of the email I have sent to Membership Services: In pieces, like my faith in the Liberal Democrats To whom it may concern, It is with great sadness that I resign my membership of the party. The actions and policies pursued by the party leadership in government demonstrate that it is not the party I have supported for years and that I joined. I wish all the best to the real Liberal Democrats and hope that they manage to hold ...
Cornwall Council has decided to close a large number of recycling banks across Cornwall. The reason being given is that there is now kerbside collection of recyclable materials for every household and so the use of the collection points has decreased massively. However, a number of facilities will remain. These will include the recycling facilities at the new Waste Transfer Station at Pennygillam (which replaces the old site on the road to Daw's House). The waste transfer station will have facilities for all sorts of recyclables and materials that are not collected at the kerbside including oil and asbestos. The ...
I have written to a number of Lib Dem MPs who voted for the rise in tuition fees, along these lines:"I am disappointed that you didn't feel able to vote against the rise in tuition fees. Surely the whips must have told the front bench the strength of opinion in the parliamentary party ? I'm guessing - and Vince's comments on the Today Programme this morning confirm it - that the government
I am in Malaysia attending a family wedding and am appalled at the coverage of what looks to be the worst ever damage caused by some demonstrators among the students who took part. This is the picture on the front page of the national newspaper here. It speaks of violence, rampant hooliganism and disrespect for property and people. People in Asia love shopping and Oxford Street is their number one choice when they visit England; the British monarchy is loved here too and people can't understand why a royal car was attacked. I am fed up with explaining the politics ...
whilst I do not agree with the trebling of fees for full-time undergraduates, as has been made clear in recent posts. As one who has been a part-time undergraduate the provisions on the inclusion of part-time students within the student loan system for the first time is one part of the Bill with which I can agree.
Fri 10th
10:28
Extrapolation in extremis, or, How the Daily Mail went all Homer Simpson and claimed that 'purple is...
A big thank you to @Evidencematters on Twitter for pointing out this story... 'Remember to eat your purples: Fruit can 'ward off Alzheimer's, heart problems and cancer,' or so the People's Medical Journal (aka the Daily Mail) tells us. So, I won't bother writing the rest of this post - instead I'll just head off to buy shares in growers of purple fruits... Oh, wait... The Mail story is an object lesson in how to take seemingly sound science and extrapolate its findings to the logical (or illogical) extreme; a picture-perfect example of the art of insinuation, conjecture and wishful ...
Last night 21 Liberal Democrat MPs stuck to their Pledge and voted against the increase in Tuition Fees. These are the good Liberal Democrat MPs and they are:
Finding the positives and building on them is an important part of the solution focused approach, even when things seem very negative. There is always something to build on and today the Guardian reflects on what the Lib Dems have brought to the Coalition and why they supported them in the General Election. the Lib ...
The following three posts - from a minister explaining why she voted in favour last night, from an ex-MP explaining why he would have voted against and from a member explaining why he's resigned - are three of the best I've seen on the subject. They all explain their own positions showing how they've given the issue careful thought, and that the three contrasting pieces are from three people who have often agreed with each other in the past and who I like and respect shows how much hard work there is still to do even after yesterday's vote: Higher ...
Although last night's vote on the level of tuition fees for English students was the focus of many stories all of the attention is now switching to how police handled student protests and the tactics of the protesters themselves. Given the near-riots that happened the first time students protested, I am astonished at how inadequate the police response was this time. I am also surprised that the Police resorted to the sort of tactics that were so severely criticised after the climate change protests in London. And what were the security services thinking in taking the Prince of Wales through ...
Tough rules to protect energy conscious consumers when they insulate their homes are to be brought in as part of legislation to implement the Green Deal. The Green Deal, due to start in 2012, is the Government's new and radical way of enabling private companies to make energy efficiency available to all at no upfront cost. The work to upgrade the property will be paid back from the saving on energy bills. Millions of Britain's properties - whether owned or rented - will be made warmer, cosier and cheaper to run. The Energy Bill, published in Parliament on 9 December, ...
On another Lib Dem blog we read that Today's tuition fee vote is a milestone for the Liberal Democrat party. It is the first time the party has had to seriously consider the wisdom of a policy designed for permanent opposition from the perspective of government. Twenty-seven [twenty-eight if you include Mark Hunter MP one ...
[IMG: street-safe.jpg] Last month the following issues and reports were dealt with by the Consett Beat Team for the Town Centre: Rowdy Nuisance 39 Street Drinking 1 Vehicle Nuisance 1 Theft 10 Burglary 2 Vehicle crime 1 Criminal Damage 1 vehicle damage 5 other Street Drinking: This incident relates to a report from a local off-licence that they had sold alcohol to a male who had then passed it on to minors. The footage was viewed and the male was identified. Vehicle Nuisance: This incident relates to a vehicle blocking a garage. The obstruction was removed. Theft: Eight of these ...
I am concerned that figures show that life expectancy in Wales continues to grow at a slower rate than in England with the gap between England and Wales growing. The figures also reveal that that life expectancy still varies greatly from area to area. This week, I raised the issue in the Senedd arguing that Wales was becoming increasingly unequal. Despite 13 years of a so-called 'progressive' Labour government, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. There is a clear correlation in these statistics between those areas that are poorer and those with lower life expectancy. ...
Re-experiencing pleasure of laundrettes after 13 years (thx to cat urinating on duvet). On plus-side, as entertaining as watching Wagner. # On minus side, as entertaining as watching Wagner #laundrettejoy # Share this on Facebook Email this via Gmail Email this via Hotmail Email this to a friend? Send this page to Print Friendly Tweet This! Email this via Yahoo! Mail
It would take ten to fifteen years at a minimum to get rid of tuition fees. Neither Tory and Labour have plans to get rid of them, so it'll be a couple of parliaments at least before the Lib Dems can hope to even start the ball rolling. As someone not opposed to tuition fees but willing to be persuaded, I'd say the following three steps are politically important: First, get people without degrees to explain why it is ok for a public good only to be available to those deemed of sufficient merit. Lib Dems tend to be an ...
I supported the Government on Higher Education funding last night. For someone like me - who has always believed that education should be free - it has been a difficult decision. Sadly, my view of education (free through raising taxation) isn't on the table - or anywhere near it. That vision was ended when Labour introduced tuition fees and the principle of free education for all fell. So last night I chose to vote for the proposals because they are fairer than either the NUS or Labour proposals. I also could not justify students being the only group in society ...
The scenes on London last night were a parody of a carnival. The Lords of Misrule who hijacked the student protest and turned it into a riot have totally destroyed the student cause. Attacking the Cenotaph- a particularly low thing to do- setting Parliament Square, and the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, ablaze, and then attacking the heir to the Throne and his wife in their car. Oops. We all know that there are a few hundred anarchists and leftists in the UK who would turn the country into a Pol Pot style murder state if they could, and sure enough ...
If you comment on an entry here with a direct question for me about a completely different topic to that of the post you are commenting on, I am afraid you may not always receive a charitable response. My response is even less likely to be charitable if you are asking about a web page which contains i) a link to my email address, ii) an invitation to contact me by email (ie not via drive-by commenting) for further discussion, and iii) the actual answer, fairly clearly labelled, to the question you ask. My email address is not a secret. ...
i) births and deaths 10 December 1921: birth of Anthony Coburn, writer of the very first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child (and also of the unbroadcast The Masters of Luxor). ii) broadcast anniversaries 10 December 1966: broadcast of sixth episode of The Power of the Daleks. The Daleks start to take over but the Doctor manages to overload their circuits and destroy them. 10 December 1977: broadcast of third episode of The Sun Makers. Leela is captured and is to be executed by steaming (a particularly gruesome fate). 10 December 2006: broadcast of Random Shoes (Torchwood), the one with ...
Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now. Day Two: Nine things about yourself. Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart. Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot. Day Five: Six things you wish you'd never done. Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever) Day Seven: Four turn offs. Day Eight: Three turn ons. Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now. Day Ten: One confession. Day Ten: One confession. [IMG: I often miss the little girl whose dreams had no barriers... who ...
In one of the more surreal parliamentary questions asked in recent times, Labour MP Kerry McCarthy quizzed the Prime Minister: "As someone who claims to be an avid fan of The Smiths, the Prime Minister will no doubt be rather upset this week to hear that both Morrissey and Johnny Marr have banned him from liking them. The Smiths, of course, are the archetypal student band. If he wins tomorrow night's vote, what songs does he think students will be listening to: "Miserable Lie", "I Don't Owe You Anything" or "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"?" Whilst the Prime Minister was ...
It's not been a great day in the political history of our nation. Obviously, the public agonies of the Liberal Democrats over tuition fees have provided an all too inviting target for the media, for the National Union of Students and for our political enemies. But it hasn't been a great day for the student cause either. Scenes of violence against the police, of masked individuals clearly tooled up for trouble, of damage to Winston Churchill's statue and, most unfortunate of all, the attack on a vehicle carrying the heir to the throne and his wife, have probably done more ...
Hat-tip and thanks to Liberal Democrat Voice 21 Lib Dem MPs voted against: Annette Brooke (Dorset Mid & Poole North) Sir Menzies Campbell (Fife North East) Michael Crockart (Edinburgh West) Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale) Andrew George (St Ives) Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South) Julian Huppert (Cambridge) Charles Kennedy (Ross, Skye & Lochaber) John Leech (Manchester Withington), Stephen Lloyd (Eastbourne) Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) John Pugh (Southport) Alan Reid (Argyll & Bute) Dan Rogerson (Cornwall North) Bob Russell (Colchester) Adrian Sanders (Torbay) Ian Swales (Redcar) Mark Williams (Ceredigion) Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire) Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central) Simon Wright (Norwich ...
OK, here's the thing about today, and why there won't be a proper post from me for a few days, and I'm slow at responding to comments/emails... Firstly, today is the birthday of my wife's dead younger brother. This always makes her a little bit mournful, as you can understand. Also, today is (in Britain, ...
The House divided: Ayes 323, Noes 302. Division No. 150 ] [ 5.24 pm AYES Adams, Nigel Afriyie, Adam Aldous, Peter Alexander, rh Danny Amess, Mr David Andrew, Stuart Arbuthnot, rh Mr James Bacon, Mr Richard Bagshawe, Ms Louise Baker, Norman Baker, Steve Baldry, Tony Baldwin, Harriett Barclay, Stephen Barker, Gregory Baron, Mr John Barwell, Gavin Bebb, Guto Beith, rh Sir Alan Bellingham, Mr Henry Benyon, Richard Beresford, Sir Paul Berry, Jake Bingham, Andrew Binley, Mr Brian Birtwistle, Gordon Blackman, Bob Blackwood, Nicola Blunt, Mr Crispin Boles, Nick Bone, Mr Peter Bottomley, Peter Bradley, Karen Brady, Mr Graham Brake, Tom ...
Why would you abstain if you held a definite view? In yesterday's vote on tuition fees Liberal Democrats voted every way you can think of but I think that all these MPs hold strong views on the subject, so strong that they may have signed a pledge. I also read yesterday that splits weaken parties, and sometimes destroy them. There is a problem here if division weakens the party but the answer lies in the reason why I am a member of the Liberal Democrats. I am a member because I can participate in forming policy. I am a member ...
