The current government is engaged in substantial reorganisations in many parts of the public sector. Frequently these changes are not following up on commitments made at the General Election. Some embody changes that were, indeed, explicitly ruled out. But I think we've now learnt the value of such commitments emanating from the mouths of politicians. ...
Just encase you didn't already know, the Business Secretary Vince Cable has reservations about some aspects of Coalition policy. There's no need to sit down with a glass of water to take in this truly shocking news but that was the crux of the Torygraph's recent scoop. Posing as constituents, two hacks went undercover to find out what Vince the Cable really thought of his government partners and government policy (however, they omit the precise questions asked of Vince from the recording and the transcript available on the website). Well quelle surprise! There are elements Vince disagrees with, from banking ...
The Annual Carolcade of Consett Churches takes place on Tuesday December 21st. It's been a growing occasion over recent years, and the churches are hoping that people will brave our current bitter cold snap to keep the tradition going. The merry band of carolcaders will start from The Salvation Army at 7.00 p.m., moving on to the Methodist Church, then St Patrick's and finally ending up at Christchurch Consett. All are welcome.
[IMG: Internet] The UK Government wants ISPs to block legal pornographic sites. The job of an ISP is to give us access to the internet, nothing less and nothing more. It's up to them if they want to provide us with more packages, e.g. email and site hosting, but they shouldn't be able to decide what we can and can't see. It's the parents' job to decide what their children should be able to access and any system to block any sites should be opt-in and not opt-out. Jim Killock, chair of the Open Rights Group, said: This is not ...
Chorlton looks fantastic with all the snow and it's looking like we may have our first White Christmas in many years. However with the snow comes a lot of disruption and I know a lot of people have been finding it difficult driving and walking around Chorlton. This is a map of all the gritted roads in Chorlton ward: That's Barlow Moor Road, Manchester Road, Wilbraham Road, High Lane, Edge Lane, Egerton Road North, Buckingham Road, Brantingham Road, Oswald Road, Kensington Road, Longford Road, Beech Road, St Clements Road, Chorlton Green, Ivygreen Road, Kingshill Road, Brookburn Road and Claude Road. ...
The Daily Telegraph is presenting its report of what Vince Cable told two of its reporters who were posing as constituents at a surgery as some sort of scandal. Their report is headed: Vince Cable: I have the nuclear option, it's like fighting a war. I read it as an honest account of what any government is like on the inside. As Vince himself says: "You know I have never been in government, never been a minister, so I have no idea what it was like under the Labour government. My general impression was that it was more, they were ...
Ah, at least - in addition to more legal myth-busting, some expectation that businesses should act on keeping snow clear from outside their premises in addition to people clearing snow from outside their own homes: VOLUNTEERS who clear ice and snow from the streets are not at risk of legal action, Henley Town Council has been told. If a person clears a pavement and does not leave it in a more dangerous state than before, they should not be concerned about being sued by someone who then slips on it... Councillor Allan Follett, a member of Henley's snow taskforce, which ...
I have been advised by the council that : "Thomson Street - now to remain closed until end of February 2011" Given that the residents have now seen their road closed since 23rd August, firstly by Scottish Water work then works by Scotland Gas Networks, I queried the matter with Scotland Gas Networks (the work was originally to have been completed last month). The response from SGN is : "Progress on site has been slower than we estimated due to the presence of rock below the ground surface, other utility apparatus and the difficulties in laying a large diameter gas ...
This is no ordinary Christmas event; this is a Waste Management Department "Green Santa event". Come along to the Wellgate shopping centre on Thursday 16th December between 10.30am and 4pm for lots of hints, tips and information on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle your waste this Christmas. Green Santa and his helpers will be at their grotto outside the library to answer your questions and there are activities to keep the little ones happy too. Members of the Dundee Real Nappy Network will be there to show off their "green" nappies to Santa and there will be some exciting ...
From chapter 15 of The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White:It was Christmas night in the Castle of the Forest Sauvage, and all around the castle the snow lay as it ought to lie. It hung heavily on the battlements, like extremely thick icing on a very good cake, and in a few convenient places it modestly turned itself into the clearest icicles of the greatest possible length. It hung on the boughs of the forest trees in rounded lumps, even better than apple blossom, and occasionally slid off the roofs of the village when it saw a chance ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of Broxtowe Borough council. May I start by offering a special welcome to the new readers that we have this week. We are new very close to a significant milestone for subscribers, and I'm hoping we may make it before the new year. If neighbours would find this newsletter useful why not mention it to them. We're at an all time high for the number of readers but 5 more and we tip over that milestone. Council Funding Next years financial settlement ...
The following schools have been confirmed as closed on Tuesday 21st December 2010: Meadowbank Primary in Cheadle St Joseph's Catholic Primary in St Petersgate Stockport School Correct as of 8.40pm on the 20th, see the Stockport website for latest information.
Earlier today the Government laid out in detail how it plans to abide by a court ruling against the current ban on prisoners voting in elections. The plans, due to be put to the vote in Parliament next year, separate prisoners into two categories – those sentenced to four years or longer (who will be banned from registering to vote) and those on shorter sentences, who will normally be entitled to register to vote but on sentencing a judge will have discretion to remove their right to vote also. [IMG: Prison fence] Prisoners will vote on the basis of their ...
Sad news today of the passing of two fine journalists. Brian Hanrahan was a rare BBC beast these days. Unostentatious, he concentrated on the story yet presented it with flair, as his famous "counted them out..." quote showed. He represented the very best of the BBC. Impartial and thoughtful, reporting the story in an interesting way. There's an excellent tribute to Brian Hanrahan here from John Simpson. Anthony Howard was an extraordinarily wise commentator who could call on a huge memory of politics over decades. In this age of unabated comment, just a few minutes of the sage Howard could ...
Ceredigion County Council has announced that domestic waste collections across most of Ceredigion have been suspended for the remainder of this week. However, the County Council will attempt to collect domestic waste from: · Aberystwyth town tomorrow, Tuesday 21 December 2010, and · Cardigan town on Friday 24 December 2010. Residents of other areas have been asked to keep their waste on their property and present it for collection on the next appropriate collection date as shown on their collection calendar. A spokesperson for Ceredigion County Council explained: "Despite our priority highway network being open, many of our minor roads ...
Cornwall Council has recently announced that it is no longer willing to fund the provision of CCTV in Camborne Town Centre. At the last Town Council meeting, councillors received figures suggesting that Camborne could pay more than double other local towns, such as Helston and Hayle, to continue receiving a reduced-hours CCTV service in the future. The proposed charge to Camborne town taxpayers is £9,300 a year - a huge amount when you consider that popular large-scale events such as Trevithick Day usually receive a grant of around £5-6,000 from the town council. I'd be interested to receive residents' views ...
South Glos have a severe weather page where you can find out the latest on Council services during the current snowy weather. Tonight, we've been told that: Roads All roads are currently open and South Glos Council will continue to work around the clock to keep main roads open and routes into all communities. Waste CollectionsMost collections have been completed despite the slippery conditions and there will be an extra vehicle out tomorrow to help catch up with the properties that haven't had their food waste collected today. Providing the situation doesn't detoriorate further, they hope to be back on ...
Brian Hanrahan, one of the most insightful of BBC journalists, has sadly passed away at the age of 61. He covered, with his carefully crafted words, some of the major world events of the past 30 years. He was well respected by his peers and will be missed by those of us who have much respect for journalists of substance. It is ironic that just a week after Britain's Harrier Jets were de-commissioned, the man who famously 'counted them out and counted them back in' during the Falklands War, has passed away. To get around Ministry of Defence restrictions, he ...
Low as my opinion of the X Factor is, good on Matt Cardle for running the gauntlet and coming out a winner. I hope it gives him a chance at the artistic career that past bands and songwriting didn't manage to deliver for him. It's interesting that Cage Against The Machine came in 21, while The Trashmen's Surfin' Bird hit no. 3. The latter didn't get old media that I noticed, so the Facebook campaign was very successful. There's may be some lessons to be learnt about campaigning here. Because Surfin' Bird is a Family Guy reference to me ("have ...
[IMG: Cover of "The Orange Book: Reclaiming Lib...] Cover of The Orange Book: Reclaiming Liberalism "22 Days in May" though does show that, in fact, David Laws is indispensable to both Nick Clegg and David Cameron. He was a key architect of this coalition as far back as 1994 and the publishing of the 'Orange Book'. That book changed how people thought about the Liberal Democrat Party.This book is an essential read for anyone with an interest in current affairs and politics.
Cllr Claire Young (right) with Cllr Linda Boon and her dog Cocoa Dog owners could soon be helping to tackle dog fouling in a scheme that would see responsible owners wearing armbands and carrying extra bags to hand out to other dog walkers. At a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council last week, the Liberal Democrats won backing for a proposal to investigate a Green Dog Walkers scheme for South Gloucestershire. One such scheme, which originated in Scotland, has spread across the UK and even won an award from the Kennel Club. Local Councillor Claire Young, who proposed the idea, said ...
What Barack Obama and Nick Clegg are both having to learn the hard way is the difference between campaigning dream-making and the harsh political realities of Government.
Ho Ho Ho! The season of good will is with us though the weather has come with it. Cardigan town has escaped the worst of the snow this last week. We've had a fair deal over the weekend but certainly nothing compared to other areas of the county and indeed the rest of the country. I've been out xmas shopping in town and delivering my annual Councillor Xmas greetings leaflet around my ward during the past few days and now only have about a quarter left to deliver. But it's been pretty slippy out there - particularly off the main ...
via listener.co.nz Recently, I reviewed, for the NZ Listener, a new biography of Geoffrey Palmer, who was variously deputy prime minister, justice minister, environment minister and prime minister in the fourth Labour government (1984-90). The review appeared in the Listener of 27 November 2010 and is now available on line. Just click on the link above. Posted via email from Neil Stockley's posterous
Mr. Reading New-Labour was once the boss of a small company in Berkshire but he wasn't very good and was sacked by the shareholders over two years ago. He pretended to his family that he was going to work each day but the truth was that his 'salary' was being paid by a loan from Ocean Finance. In an attempt to get out of his financial calamity before anyone noticed, he bet all the family's Christmas money on a dead cert given to him the day before by a man he met walking a dog on a bit of string. ...
Woking Borough Council has updated its website with an announcement on local services in the continuing bad weather conditions. Waste collection vehicles have been attempting to collect general waste as per the normal Monday collection schedule. Inevitably, though, there are some areas ... Continue reading →
....without major investment. And yes I am talking about the snow. The quantity of snow that fell on Heathrow and Gatwick this week was not your normal amount of snow. It was of a level that this country has not ... Continue reading →
In a rare example of Ed Miliband doing something vaguely newsworthy, the Labour leader has banned the use of the word 'Coalition', ostensibly because it sounds too moderate and reasonable. As a pluralist, and a Lib Dem, I'd agree that coalition government should produce moderate, reasonable, rational, centrist government. Perhaps this case was best put by John Cleese in the 1987 PPB he did for the Liberal-SDP Alliance. Elsewhere, though, 'Coalition' doesn't have the moderate connotations Miliband attaches to it. In Canada, 'coalition' is used by the Conservative government as a term of abuse. They seek to scare Canadians into ...
If there were ever two people that should never have gotten married and been allowed to procreate its the two people in Bethnal Green who have been married 41 years today. Commiserations to two of the stupidest people I have ... Continue reading →
As a British Liberal Democrat, I'm never certain which party I'd be a member of if I was an Israeli. Anyway, I was pleased to read this piece from one of Israel's best-selling newspapers about a bunch of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists meeting in Ramallah. These Israelis strike me as being Israel's answer to the Lib Dems. Sure, they are not about to achieve their goals overnight, but at least they are trying - which has to be better than the alternative.
Get into the Christmas spirit by gingerly making your way through the sludge tomorrow night and attending the Prestwich Christmas Carol service. The Prestwich Local Area Partnership in partnership with Prestwich Churches Together has organised a community carol concert for tomorrow evening - from 7pm , St.Mary's Church , Church Lane, Prestwich. It's open to all. The church is a very festive environment for giving your lungs a workout. Don't hold back, as doing so runs the risk that my voice might be heard, thus ruining Christmas for all. The service will be followed by refreshments in the community centre, ...
[IMG: Lynne, Katherine and Dave visit the foodcycle cafe] I keep hearing excellent reports of the new community café that is open every Friday lunchtime in the Old Station House (the MIND building) on the corner of Stapleton Hall Road and Ferme Park Road. Local MP Lynne Featherstone and councillors Katherine Reece and Dave Winskill visited on Friday and said the food and atmosphere was fantastic. They've sent me this picture of them enjoying a meal with local residents. As I posted back in October the café has opened by innovative charity 'FoodCycle' who aim to bring together volunteers, surplus ...
When something isn't as we think it should be, there's an almost irresistable temptation to grab what looks like an easy solution and complain bitterly that those responsible are too stupid to do it. Generally speaking (and there are exceptions) people aren't stupid, and especially when a problem crops up time and again in different organisations, it's worth asking the question of whether it's perhaps a little more complicated than that. Let's take a look at one of today's big stories – the plight of travellers trapped at Heathrow Airport, sleeping on the floor like, we're told, some sort of ...
Berni Turner and I have a motion going to this week's Environment Select Committee about grit bins. Like many councillors we have been innundated with calls about the need for more bins, the need for more publicity about where they are and so on. This week's weather has clearly shown that we need to have more tools in place to help communities deal with snow and ice. The text of the motion is below. "Committee notes that while "grit bins" are provided in parts of the City there are areas which are under supplied and areas in which there is ...
So, the potential upset at the top of the christmas charts didn't materialise. Matt Cardle was the Christmas no 1. Did anyone truly believe it would have been any different? Last year when the insipid Joe McElderry and his tedious cover version of `the climb` Cowell got everything he deserved. That song was criminally lazy music ...
The #ukuncut phenomena presents an interesting growth in political activism in 2010. The recent blog post on Disabled Demonstrations highlights the negativity of those who are disabled in the UK and the negative views from society. I am a disabled person, but I still work full time. I have an "invisible" disability, which is arthritis in my fingers. In my late 20s, people do not see this or even
Today is a low day. Spent the morning on the phone to various benefit agencies and now feel like a dirty rotten scrounger and detest myself for not being able to stand on my own two feet. What's happening in Belarus is disgusting, but our media are more bothered by the snow. This makes me sad. Holly has pierced my heart - we were having a snuggle and a chat and she said I cry sometimes when I want you and you're not here - and I just felt so guilty and inadequte. And the pain is bad today too. ...
Yes, it's nice to have celebrity endorsements – though too often they live rarified lives away from the gaze of budgeting to pay bills and trying to find the best comprehensive for their own kids. This is yet another indication of what I was talking about in another post. So, farewell, fair weathered friend – ...
Two years ago I was severely annoyed at Labour's Andy Burnham for his plans to censor the net. Today, I am equally annoyed at the Conservative's Ed Vaizey for a similarly corruptible scheme. I don't have the money to lobby bribe donate to the Conservative party. I'm too scared of the police attempting to kill protesters to go and stand up for my beliefs. What can I do that will make me feel smug and self-righteous yet won't involve me having to go outside in the snow? It is, I understand, illegal to blockade Parliament. But there's nothing to stop ...
A major planning application this week. At the triangle on King's Hedges Road is a proposed "Future Business Centre" (offices?) and "associated works including the provision of car and cycle parking facilities, access and circulated areas". The triangle is the piece of land between the new EDF substation and CRC fairly near (and on the opposite side from) the Northfield Avenue junction. The reference is 10/1009/FUL, and more details are available from the online planning tracker.
Edinburgh is still in the midst of a very cold snap. We had a bit of a thaw last week but not enough to completely melt the residual ice and snow or to allow the clearing of all of the snow bound streets and pavements. We had a heavy fall yesterday and the rest of the week is going to be just one big freeze! The problem is that with the heavy falls followed by very cold nights the ice becomes difficult to shift. One street in my ward too a digger and 4 men to clear it and after ...
A great many people are asking me why I am not leaving the Lib Dems. Well, I am a party member because of John Bright and John Stuart Mill. I am not leaving it because of a nonentity like Nick Clegg. I am hugely angry over tuition fees. The policy itself, with the effective withdrawal of the state from university teaching and the reinforcement of social division, is a terrible disaster. The blatant display of political opportunism and bad faith by Cless and his ilk will poison politics for a generation. But not only am I staying in the Lib ...
Mehdi Hasan has a provocative article in the Guardian So what, Nick Clegg, made you forget liberty? It is standard Guardian fare these days: you can't trust the Lib Dems. The "delay" in completing the abolition child detention in deportation cases is the focus of his attack. To be fair, he acknowledges that Labour hardly look good on the issue: child detention in this country is one of the most obscene and unforgivable legacies of the ultra-authoritarian New Labour years. In 2001 the Blair government made the populist decision to detain children and families who were subject to immigration controls ...
The two big issues with residents are about gritting and refuse collections during this severe weather. The council has put information on its website about both issues Gritting Sefton's gritting fleet was out several times before, during and after the heavy snowfall on Friday evening. With snow forecast, an increased 'double spread' of grit was applied three times on Friday and the gritters were also out on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. A council spokesman explained: "We are doing our very best to keep the roads moving but grit has only a limited effect after such heavy snowfall - particularly followed ...
It seems that Ed Vaizey has picked up on Claire Perry's idea to "protect" children on the internet and has announced he'll be asking ISPs to block porn voluntarily. This is clearly very problematic, as I've mentioned previously. There are far too many questions here: Who decides, as a matter of policy, what should be blocked? Under the "voluntary" system, it sounds like it will be ISPs themselves. Who then implements this policy and creates the actual list of sites? What right of appeal do sites have if they believe they have been inaccurately blocked? What level of granularity will ...
The Christmas tree recycling scheme will be running again at the start of January. There are several ways that residents can recycle their trees this year - depending on the services they have - including collections at parks, kerbside collections with green bins or kerbside collections with the food only caddy. All the information for residents about this scheme is available on the Manchester City Council website at: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/christmasrecycling This year Christmas tree collections are even easier. Just like last year, residents on the kerbit green bin service can leave their Christmas tree out next to their green bin on ...
At the moment, snow, ice and generally dreadful weather are causing havoc across the country. For many people there is a feeling of "What are we paying our council tax for when our roads are not even gritted ?" Of course, local councils cannot be expected to keep our roads open in the very worst of weather conditions, but the straight jacket the government are forcing on to council from next year, with deep cuts in budgets will only make thing worse. Philip Hammond MP, the Transport Minister, was suggesting this morning that government, industry and councils might need to ...
Simple: progress from headline to paragraph nine, and the claimed loss from illegal downloading shrinks to a mere fifth of the original figure. If only all such numbers were so easy to slash hey? Hat-tip: @nevali
The Local Area Partnership in partnership with Prestwich Churches Together has organised a community carol concert for tomorrow evening - from 7pm , St.Mary's Church , Church Lane, Prestwich. So give the shopping a break and get in the spirit of Christmas by belting out your favourite carols in the lovely and very festive setting of St.Mary's Parish Church (as seen on corrie) The service will be followed by refreshments in the community centre and possibly the pub!
It may be that the riots of last week are encouraging the British Trade Unions into making a major miscalculation. Len McCluskey, the leader of the largest Union, Unite, writes in the Guardian today suggesting that the Unions should be getting ready to "do battle" with the Coalition government. He praises the "magnificent Students"- in short he falls into just about every elephant trap that the Coalition would wish him to. Since 1979, Unions have been a declining and often unpopular force in Britain. Anyone who can remember the 1970s, remembers the endless industrial strife, largely led, we have since ...
From the District Council Refuse and recycling services are severely affected by snow today, Monday. Crews are out assessing the situation. They will make collections where they can. Main road addresses are more likely to get collections than the side roads. We apologise for any inconvenience this may mean for residents. We will do everything we can to keep waste and recycling services going. Refuse and recycling crews, if they are unable to make collections, will be out clearing snow and gritting pavements. From tomorrow (Tuesday 21st December) the Council will move to a partial Collect All service (see Refuse ...
Gloucestershire County Council proposes to cut all its mobile libraries. In the Rodborough county division, Amberley receives one visit a fortnight (a quarter of an hour at the War Memorial), in North Woodchester it stops in two places for twenty minutes each, and Kings Stanley is on two rounds, so receives weekly visits adding up to an hour a fortnight. Half the stops are by sheltered housing and/or pensioners' bungalows, so are tailormade for the least mobile, who can ask someone to nip out for a book if they can't get out themselves.
The good news is that I am at Schiphol airport with a passable internet connection for the first time in three weeks. The bad news is that I am at Schiphol airport a great deal longer than I anticipated. Schiphol is colder than Heathrow and has mpre snow than Heathrow. It is operating normally - except for flights to the UK, of course. A combination of crazed right wing thinking and crazed left wind thinking, so typical of the UK, is why our airports are rubbish. The crazed right wing thinking is that our privatised infrastructure operates on the basis ...
This is the first in a series of posts on the main Liberal Democrat challenges for 2011 we're running over the festive season. You can find all the posts as they appear here. The state of the economy is central to the fate of the Liberal Democrats, both because it is so important in shaping people's perceptions of the government and also because the better the economy does the more scope there is to get public interest in Liberal Democrat achievements in other areas. No matter how wonderful the government's green achievements, for example, they would get very little attention ...
There was a time when papers like the Guardian and the Independent wrote articles in support of Mr Clegg. Things seem to have changed. Today the Daily Mail tells us how difficult Clegg is finding things right now but comes to his defense in another article here. This seems to a pattern as the right ...
I disagree with someone on a point in an email or message therefore I must belittle them and swear at them when they argue their corner? Right? Online conversations are all too often taking the place of actual person to person conversations. This means that the tools that we all use when talking in person ...
The way that Council houses and housing association properties are allocated to people on the waiting list - Choice Based Lettings system - was updated to reflect people's needs and to make the best use of available properties, at a meeting of the District Council's Cabinet 7 December. The changes follow a review of the system which was introduced in May 2009. The main changes, which will make it easier for people to change their property for one which better suits their needs are: Up to 50% of properties advertised in St Albans district through Herts Choice Homes, will now ...
Water is an industry in need of reform, the last monopoly. Uniquely, water is the one utility essential to life itself. Our water supplier depends solely upon where we happen to live. Regional water boards became Public Limited Companies in 1989 and these were privatised the same year. There was no fundamental restructuring such as with gas and electricity. We have no National Grid for water; we can have drought in the south-east and floods in the north-west with no means of transferring excess water to those with shortage of supply. We have periodic hosepipe bans, restrictions on usage, and ...
So says the Mail: David Laws is being lined up for a return to government in a clearout of Kenneth Clarke's Justice Ministry. Government sources expect Mr Clarke, whose attempts to liberalise the criminal justice system have triggered controversy, to lose almost his entire ministerial team in a New Year reshuffle. It all depends on Laws getting cleared by the Parliamentary inquiry into his expenses. And it would mean dear old Lord Tom McNally getting cleared out. That would be a great shame. I can't think of a more agreeable team than Ken Clarke and Tom McNally.
This blog has been somewhat serious of late, so I thought I'd cheer things up with some music for a Monday morning. For a while now I've been thinking wouldn't it be cool if Jamie Cullum did a cover of Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer'. It is such a beautiful song and would fit so well with Cullum's style. Well by pure accident on Saturday I caught the end of his performance of that very song at the Royal Variety Show. At the same time I thought wow they've done it and damn I've missed it. But through the wonders of ...
Mon 20th
10:10
Cameron is right to keep lid on Tory Oldham campaign, and Clegg should do the same in Con/Lab margin...
There have been lots of mutterings in recent days from Conservatives about their party not putting up a proper fight in Oldham East & Saddleworth. While David Cameron is doing a vague impression of being interested, it is obvious that he would prefer Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins to win if Conservative Kashif Ali cannot. More interestingly, he seems to be prepared to limit the campaigning Conservatives supporters do in order not to take votes away from the Lib Dems. Despite what the rabid right wingers are snarling, there is nothing wrong with this at all. As well as having a ...
The British delight in snow having been proved to possess a very short shelf life, the inquests have started into why we are so rubbish in dealing with snow. And whilst there is no doubt that our basic infrastructure weaknesses are highlighted in such extreme conditions, the stupidity of some of our fellow citizens has also become apparent. As Ros drove me to the station this morning, across the skating rink that is the Creeting St Peter highway network, we were somewhat surprised to encounter fellow road users with a mobile phone clamped to their ear. It isn't a complex ...
The new instruction from Ed Miliband to call the coalition a 'Tory led government' is a work of genius. If you want to really get peoples back up (of those that hate the Tories atleast) while at the same time dismissing the Lib Dem influence, then this is probably the best line of attack. Could this be Ed's cleverest move?
Dress code call over MPs in jeans While the country is going to hell in a handbasket, Labour practise whataboutery regarding dress codes. I wonder what they'd make of me? Must get more tattoos & piercings and run for parliament... (tags: government youcouldntmakeitup) Cicero's Songs: ...in other news I love you, Cicero. (tags: media) Men Can Stop Rape - Mobilizing male youth to prevent men's violence against women I really like the posters on this site (tags: rape feminism education) Trolls defend Assange against rape accusations by threatening rape | The Hathor Legacy This is wh I have mostly staed ...
This is my last blog entry of 2010 - and what a year it has been. My own highlight was running for parliament - from selection in January, through the campaign, to standing on the stage for the result. This was very hard work but also great fun - and I am already looking forward to my next campaign - whenever and wherever that might be. The general election was of course the main political highlight of 2010 - an airbrushed Cameron poster, Bigot-gate, Cleggmania, the usual twists and turns of any election, but resulting in some firsts. The first ...
This graph from Google shows how frequently "proportional representation" was mentioned in the vast Google Books archive. As you can see, the proportion of books which mentioned PR grew sharply in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, reaching a peak in the inter-war years (when a minority Labour Government got an alternative vote bill through the Commons but it then stalled in the Lords and was abandoned when the government fell): [IMG: PR graph] An excellent book on the early history of proportional representation in the UK is Jenifer Hart's Proportional Representation.
I often wonder what thought processes lie behind a Freedom of Information request. I don't mean the reason for lodging one, that at least should be obvious: People need to know; there is a need for effective scrutiny; and this sort of transparency in Government is vital to the democratic process. No, I mean how do people decide what information they want? A lot of it is fairly obvious. Questions about administrative costs, capital works or perceived job perks are the meat and drink of the FOI industry. Others though, may tell us more about the questioner than the organisation ...
Martin Wolf had an interesting article in the Business Spectator last month in which three points in particular stand out: 1. Although politicians are arguing that it would be wrong to burden our children and grandchildren with debts run up by this generation (itself a dubious concept) we also have a responsibility to hand on to them a fully-functioning public infrastructure (eg health, education, transport, water, energy, judicial, market, financial and political systems). 2. The UK government can currently borrow at a real annual rate of interest of 1%. "Never can there have been a better time to build up ...
The Christmas season is now well and truly upon us. It's a time for celebration, a time to perhaps eat (and drink) a little too much and a time to spend with your loved ones. Most of all it is a time to forget work and relax. For some though Christmas is another day at work. Whilst Christmas brings with it many reasons for celebration it also poses its fair share of problems. Among other things, it marks the beginning of flu season, the usual over indulgence and not forgetting the cold weather. We are currently in the grips of ...
It was inevitable that the dictator would overstep the mark. He might- maybe- have even won the election without cheating, but that is not the Lukashenka way. Instead, just to make sure, he stuffed ballot boxes, and faked the election result. Yesterday, in the the frozen December temperature of the longest night, tens of thousands came to the centre of M'iensk to protest. They received the customary response: heavily armed riot police. Probably Lukashenka will get away with it, after all when Korea looks on the brink of real conflict, what is yet another stolen election in "the last dictatorship ...
It's a chapter in two halves, the first being Gibbon's account of the history of monasticism up to the fifth century, and the second about the conversion to Catholicism / Orthodoxy of the various Barbarian peoples who had previously practised Arianism, of which the most dramatic incidents take place in the Vandal kingdom of north Africa. This has been so far the least exciting of the three volumes I've read, Gibbon somehow trudging through various inept rulers and barbarians, even the chapters describing the fall of Rome not exactly fizzing with energy. But now with the end in sight and ...
i) births and deaths 20 December 1943: birth of Jacqueline Pearce, who played Chessene in The Two Doctors (1985), Prime Miniister Sherilyn Harper in Big Finish audio The Fearmonger (2000), Admiral Mettna in the webcast Death Comes to Time (2001-02) and of course Servalan in Blake's 7. 20 December 1978: birth of Eddie Robson, author of many Big Finish audios and various short stories. ii) broadcast anniversaries This is the first day since 24 October with no broadcast anniversaries, and the last such day in the calendar year. iii) date specified in canon 20 December 1992: St Christopher's Church in ...
For those of you who wanted to hear it, mine and James' very sweary "commentary" on Tomb Raider is up on my Jennie Reads Stuff tumblr. It basically consists of him trying in vain to teach me how to play the bloody game, and me making lots of noises of frustration. There's also been some buggering about with my sidebar and profile on this blog of late, so they might be worth a second look if you feel like it. [IMG: Dreamwidth] [IMG: Livejournal] [IMG: Blogger] [IMG: Facebook] [IMG: Tweet this] [IMG: Delicious] [IMG: Flattr this] [IMG: LibDig] [IMG: Bit/ly] ...
In May Ian and I went from London to Prague, by the Eurostar to Brussels, the high-speed Thalys to Cologne and then after an excellent dinner in a Cologne beer-house we got the sleeper to Prague. Early in the morning the Cologne-- Prague train goes through the very beautiful Elbe and Vltava valleys. Here's a taste of the scenery: Later in the month, I returned to London from Vienna, taking the sleeper from Vienna to Cologne. That train travels through the even more scenic and romantic Rhine valley. I arrived in Cologne with time for breakfast at the station cafe ...
Reading Labour have been quite gung-ho about their "decapitation" campaign in Redlands. That might have had some momentum if their 2010 candidate had continued with her candidacy, but for some unfathomable reason she has handed over the reigns to complete unknown Jan Gavin. Of course, Kelly Edwards decision to stand in Whitley rather than Redlands has absolutely nothing to do with her working for Green Issues, who are currently enagaged in "community consultation" over the redevelopment of the former Courage brewery site in Whitley ward. No doubt she has been allocated work outside the Borough of Reading and has nothing ...
life and opinions of andrew rilstone: Homosexual Frogs (1) Andrew Rilstone forensically dissents and demolishes the attacks on 'Political Correctness' (UK version at least). It always baffled me why conservatives were so keen on attacking politeness. (tags: sexandsexualityandgender) life and opinions of andrew rilstone: Homosexual Frogs (2) (tags: sexandsexualityandgender) life and opinions of andrew rilstone: Homosexual Frogs (3) (tags: sexandsexualityandgender) life and opinions of andrew rilstone: Homosexual Frogs (4) (tags: sexandsexualityandgender) Meet the DICKHEADS, and pity them | afoe | A Fistful of Euros | European Opinion Alex reckons that today's terrorists are Desperate, Incompetent, Converts, Kids, Harmless, Economically insignificant, ...
I am back in Morecambe after three days in London. My trips there and back were uneventful because I left London at 10am on Saturday. If I had left thirty minutes later I may have seen much more snow as when I got home I was hearing reports of our terrible British weather. One BBC reporter was "really scared" as she had to endure a trip from the north to the south of Wales. The weather was bad in parts and I know Wales was affected badly and so too was London and if London is affected then that made ...
