The people of Norway have twice voted — by a narrow margin — to stay out of the European Union, even though many of the so-called opinion formers in Oslo favour membership. So it was interesting to get the (relatively new) Norwegian Ambassador Kim Traavik's take on the matter when he spoke at an Association of European ...
Planning committee this afternoon had to consider two fairly large proposals, both of which claimed to be linked to job creation, regeneration and various other good sounding things for the future prosperity of the borough. First up was a new supermarket in Billingham Town Centre. I remember that Town Centre being new and fresh when I was studying at "the Tech". We lived in a flat above one of
Prime Minister's Question time is getting rather repetitive. But by hook and by crook, Ed Miliband is determinedly clawing his way forward. Today's was quite an impressive performance from the Opposition leader. He is obviously doing his homework. He certainly gets an "E" for effort. Cameron's snarling responses continue rather gratuitously, albeit leavened with some good points. Today's session was dominated by banking. Miliband attacked Cameron for breaking promises on bankers' pay, bank taxation and transparency. It is all Labour's fault that the government can't stop large RBS pay awards - they wrote the contract, riposted Cameron. There then followed ...
This essay appears in my forthcoming book Sci-Ence! Justice Leak! "You heard it direct from the mouth of science itself, nothing but nothing can escape the deadly gravitational pull of a black hole!" Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle 1, by Grant Morrison and Pasqual Ferry In 2008, DC Comics published a crossover series by Grant Morrison ...
With so much going on in Sefton it is easy to forget we operate in a much wider context. I see Richard Kemp has been at it again making some trenchant comment on the disaster area that is Eric Pickles.
Somehow, in the shadow of the increasingly dark clouds of western economic gloom, the LibDems are sticking to the plan of campaigning for the Alternatve Voting system. This, for those who neither know nor care, is the compromise to proportional representation that the Daleks have allowed the Ogrons to champion at a national referendum. Like so much about the coalition, it's almost unbelievable that such a half-cocked vision is allowed the time of day. The rest of us are watching the death of social politics, of any sort of pretence that society is more important than money. While the Ogrons ...
All organisations have a right to protect their reputation, but it seems to me that Kent Council have a particular aversion to media reporting. Kent council is of coarse funded by you and I the taxpayer and some of us feel uncomfortable about just how sensitive KCC are over bad publicity, I'm sure they didn't like me criticising the failed Kent TV, they didn't like being called negligent over the fifty million Icelandic banks (best not say **** up) er incident, Cllr Paul Carter leader of Kent council didn't like Kent Messenger reporting on the last KCC chief exec Peter ...
A few comments on the blog regarding the candidates in the Marl Ward election next Thursday 20th January. I refuse to be drawn into criticising the candidates. The only candidate I endorse is Susan Shotter, together I believe we would be an effective and hard working pair for the Residents of Marl and I believe the residents deserve this. I can say this because I know Sue and have worked with her for some time now, she is enthusiastic, keen, intelligent and like me wants to make a positive difference in the ward and the County, Sue is a peoples ...
Today saw the publication of a national report by the Care Quality Commission into the quality of stroke services. Stroke is the biggest single cause of adult disability with an estimated 50,000 people per year left with disabilities following a stroke. The report published today found that many stroke rehabilitation services across the country were lacking. I downloaded the local report assessing stroke care in Berkshire West PCT area (which covers Reading) and was shocked to find that services in our area have been rated among the worst in England. Berkshire West PCT was rated 127 out of 151 PCTs ...
It's the end of another very damp day on the campaign trail and it seems like the weeks have flown by since the Camborne North by election for Cornwall Council was called at the beginning of December, after the resignation of Conservative councillor Bill Jenkin. Thursday 13th will see voters go to the polls to decide who their new Cornwall Councillor will be. Myself and the team have been working hard, talking to local residents and delivering lots of leaflets to let people know where I stand on opposing cuts to community services such as libraries and adult social care. ...
Here's a new political narrative for 2011. In today's Sun, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, champions "alarm clock Britain". This is an "I'm on your side" political story. It's clear who the heroes are: People, like Sun readers, who have to get up every morning and work hard to get on in life. People who want their kids to get ahead. People who don't want to rely on state handouts. People who don't need politicians to tell them what to think or how to live their lives. People who are not poor but struggle to stay out of the ...
iPhone warranty voided by using outside in winter Delicious recommends the use of a WTF tag for this story. Seriously, using it outside in the winter is in breach of specifications? What planet are they on? Wouldn't get that with a Nokia. (tags: apple iphone) A 2nd work by The Eagles that I've known for years--who knew? I had no idea that the music to H2G2 was by The Eagles. That makes two of their tracks I recognise instinctively. Wonder if there're any more? (tags: music animation the-eagles) Fred Phelps is a Con Man - Looks right to me A ...
On his Wall Street Journal blog, Iain Martin sets out why it is likely the coalition will continue until 2015. You can read it by clicking this link.
The second book of the famous trilogy, in which the evil Steerpike's plans to dominate Gormenghast Castle are resolved in vicious single combat with Titus Groan, the 77th earl. When I first read this, at least a quarter of a century ago, the two scenes that really stuck in mymind were the grotesque deaths of Deadyawn the headmaster, killed in a bizarre incident where his wheelchair intersects with a dealy schoolboy game, and of the twin aunts of Titus and Fuchsia, locked away by Steerpike to dies in isolation. I was surprised on rereading by quite how early in the ...
Via a friend on Facebook comes the news that the Party is pulling out of Cowley Street. I have only been in the building once. I didn't think it was a good place to work then, still don't now! Lib Dems hunt for new office space near Houses of Parliament | Online | Property Week
It's rare for Paul Staines, the founder of the Guido Fawkes blog, to express warm and positive views — yet today's an exception, with the launch of the No2AV campaign's website winning his plaudits: Promising stuff from the No2AV campaign as their website goes live today, plenty more to come too apparently. Indeed, so excited was Paul that he completely omitted to declare his own interest in No2AV's website. Instead we have to turn to The Guardian to find out that it was designed by MessageSpace, whose majority shareholder — the company's website tells us — is "Global and General ...
I spotted that Mark Pack wrote an article on Lib Dem Voice regarding Conservative MP Nick Boles' book 'Which Way's Up?' Its worth a read (and not only because it is very thin and can easily be read in a day!) Its fascinating because its essentially a Conservative MP setting out his arguments about why he believes the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives should form an electoral pact. An electoral pact is not something I would want to see happen. I joined the Liberal Democrats because unlike the other main parties it has a strong democratic party structure, attracts ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 660 party members have responded, and we're currently publishing the full results. LDV asked: Which of the newly elected Lib Dem MPs has genuinely impressed you to date? Our sample of party members could tick as many (or few) of the 10 'newbie' MPs as they liked. Here are the top five: 45% – Julian Huppert, Cambridge 17% – Tessa Munt, Wells 17% – Duncan Hames, Chippenham 13% – Stephen Gilbert, ...
From Questions to the Department Of Work And Pensions, 10th January: Gregg McClymont (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East) (Lab): What assessment his Department has made of the effects of changes to prices in January 2011 on the incomes of pensioners. The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Steve Webb): In April this year, benefits and pensions will be increased by more than £4 billion, more than three quarters of which will go to pensioners. In addition, price rises in January 2011 will feed through into the September 2011 price indices, which will be used in future benefit uprating. ...
It shows how short sighted it is to close a surprise B&NES declined to comment
[IMG: Amazon Kindle] I recently bought an Amazon Kindle so I've been looking at the costs for e-books. In theory they should cost less than printed books because there's no printing or distribution costs but this is not always the case, for two reasons – Agency Pricing and VAT. Previously e-book retailers could set the prices but now publishers have started to use Agency Pricing. This is where the publisher sets the price and retailers cannot change them. This can be seen on amazon.co.uk where the phrase "This price was set by the publisher" is displayed below the price. Publishers ...
It seems BT, inventors of the Cleanfeed system that went spectacularly wrong in 2008 when they tried to filter Wikipedia, causing issues accessing the site for many, now want to go further. Claire "Won't someone think of the children!" Perry MP has apparently just had a meeting with Mike Galvin, Head of Innovation at BT about the MP's plans for a porn block and has tweeted to say it was a good meeting. For those not familiar with Mike Galvin, he was involved in BT's trials with Phorm, so he has a record with this sort of thing. Perhaps BT ...
There were Labour representatives in the Cornwall Council chamber yesterday - but their presence was very short-lived. As readers will know, no Labour councillors were elected in June 2009 (which came as news to Harriet Harman). But yesterday there was a small demonstration by students outside County Hall on the subject of the decision by the government to cut EMA - the educational maintenance allowance paid to 16-19 year olds from poorer families who stay in education. The demonstrators appeared to be a mixed bunch of Labour activists, Socialist Workers and anarchists and were joined by Labour candidate Jude Robinson. ...
Starting next week, I'm going to be posting a series of articles which will collectively form an essay entitled A Vision for a New Britain. This essay will essentially cover my personal vision (as a social liberal) as to what the United Kingdom of the future should look like. I hope to broadly cover every aspect of what I think our country should look like in the future so, if you don't mind reading my egotistical ramblings on policy, please feel free to tune in and share with your friends.
Tomorrow is polling day in Camborne North following the resignation of Conservative Councillor Bill Jenkin who was arrested on sexual assault charges. This afternoon I've been in the ward delivering leaflets for the excellent Lib Dem candidate Anna Pascoe. The by-election is only the second in Cornwall Council's short history and the first since the massive service cuts were announced by the Conservative led administration. It will therefore be seen by some as a judgment on the course of action that the administration has chosen to save money. Although there are six candidates in total, my bet is that it ...
At the beginning of the year I thought it would be useful for me to set out my thoughts of where my party, the Liberal Democrats, sit at the beginning of 2011. Reflecting on the state of the party I find that my views are very much the same as they have been throughout the latter part of 2010. If there has been any change it is that they have become more strongly held and, I think, confirmed by events. Firstly, I still strongly believe that it was right for the Liberal Democrats to enter and form this coalition government. ...
While I am off sick recovering from my op, and on SSP, I can't afford the rent. So I have applied for housing ben. The whole application process has been like wading through treacle, and is severely spoon-depleting, but yesterday I thought I had it all sorted. They've seen enough ID to know that I am who I am and Mat is who he is. They've had a letter from my landlord confirming all the tenancy details. They've seen my wage slips and Mat's wage slips. They've seen Proof of Holly and Child Benefit. They've seen my bank statement. The ...
More details of the bizarre suspension of three Councillors from the Sefton council group to today's Visiter. It appears that the have left Southport Conservative Party though not the national Party. I see that the chair of Southport Cons is now Terry Jones. I am sure that is wholly unrelated the the crisis that is engulfing Southport Tories (and lets have no Marks brothers style jokes please).I am further informed that the small Cabal that is the Southport Con Exec is even more unrepresentative of local Conservatives than even I imagined and a significant proportion of the group don't even ...
OHere are some links. Happy now? The 2010 "Editing Wikipedia From Inside Parliament" Awards – Just like any workplace, Parliament has people who use their internet access for things that might not be strictly work-related. Trends analyst predicts global youth uprising, 'progressive libertarians' in 2011 – Futurology is almost invariably wrong, but it's an interesting prediction 15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will – Later, in a cosmic twist he'd have enjoyed and/or decried, this becomes the last remaining internet page after the Great Crash, and the world converts to Vonnegutism The state's pedlars ...
Following today's story on Sky News alleging that Dr Vincent McKee has committed fraud, A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: With the support of the Federal party, the regional party launched an immediate investigation. Mr McKee has been suspended from the party, pending the outcome of further investigations. The party will work with all other authorities involved in this matter.
A written statement has been made to the House of Commons by David Gauke MP, the Exchequer Secretary at HM Treasury and the minister responsible for HM Revenue & Customs; I am now able to give the House a report on HMRC's progress in resolving the issues on which I made a statement on 8 September 2010. Lesley Strathie, chief executive of HMRC, will be writing to the Public Accounts Committee and Treasury Select Committee separately today. HMRC have been working hard to clear the long-standing backlogs of unreconciled tax cases. Since September they have made rapid progress on working ...
I have again highlighted to the City Engineer the continuing concerns of many constituents about extremely slippy pavements caused by ice. I have impressed upon the City Council the need to get icy pavements in residential streets tackled. I have already been advised by constituents of residents falling and injuries as a result - and the rain on Monday night and freeze thereafter has made the pavements situation worse. The City Engineer advised me late last night as follows : "Unfortunately the partial thaw with rain and then freeze has caused problems throughout the city. All available miniploughs 15No were ...
Can be read here
Last night's Evening Telegraph covered the issue of councillor salaries and the fact that Dundee's Liberal Democrat councillors have taken a voluntary cut in salary since April 2009. In rejecting also taking a cut in his own salary (as some Aberdeen councillors recently announced), Dundee's SNP council leader Ken Guild said, "Aberdeen is in a financial mess - a legacy of the Labour/LibDem administration." There has never been a Labour/LibDem administration in Aberdeen. Dundee's Liberal Democrat councillors will continue to take the voluntary reduction in salary to pre-2009 levels throughout the 2011/12 year.
Nick Clegg is worried about 'alarm clock Britain': those people who get up early, worry about their standard of living and are on low to middle incomes. He has asked David Laws to look at a range of policy options that will address the needs of this group. As Deputy Prime Minister, Clegg faces many challenges. He has to keep the coalition going, keep his party onside, implement government policy and find the time to carve out a policy space for the party that is attractive enough to gain electoral support come 2015. Needless to say, Liberal Vision has a ...
The proposal that we should have the possibility of bilingual traffic signs in Northern Ireland is seen as divisive. However, I think it could have a much more positive benefit to our country in general. Until many, mostly political unionists and cultural Protestants, stop seeing any language use other that of English as an attack on being British, we will have a hard job in using any such language. However, as I have said before, and has been said by many, if these self same people would look back in their heritage they would find that they are likely to ...
From the BBC: Eric Illsley is quitting as an MP after pleading guilty on Tuesday to dishonestly claiming parliamentary expenses. The MP for Barnsley Central had come under pressure to step down after admitting £14,000 of expenses fraud. Labour leader Ed Miliband was among those to urge Illsley, who has yet to be sentenced, to quit. Illsley has apologised to his constituents, saying he "deeply regretted" his actions. Illsley's office issued this statement from him: I would like to apologise to my constituents, family and friends, following my court appearance, for the distress and embarrassment caused by my actions that ...
The decline of Labour as a coherent intellectual force is one of the defining features of recent British politics. No doubt the next few years will see a healthy process within Labour to seek to heal the wounds and to re-focus. I suggest that under the banner of 'progressivism' this process has started. 2010 saw commentators for the first time in the UK judging political propositions on the basis of whether they are 'progressive' or not. Ed Miliband's own analysis is that in government Labour "...lost that sense of progressive mission." But what on earth does progressive mean? What kind ...
This is an annual award (rating) by Stonewall which includes private, public and third sector workplaces – and the Home Office came in this year at No 1! Receiving such a tremendous accolade is the result of really working to make the Home Office the best place to work for lesbian,gay and bisexual people. And now it's official – it is the best place! It's a real recognition of the Home Office's drive to create an environment in which people feel they can be open about their sexuality. The award means that the HO is the top place to work ...
History Today launches a new 'Contrarian' column with an article by Royal Holloway academic Tim Stanley arguing against 'romanticising the powerless' in history to the extent of excusing atrocities committed by perceived underdogs. He writes: whenever someone at the bottom of a power structure does or says something objectively evil, many historians legitimise it by calling it 'resistance'. No one denies that tyrants and conquerors are oppressive, or that those who seek liberation have just cause. But that doesn't mean inverse prejudice or terrorism should get a free pass. This struck a particular chord with me as I have been ...
You know, I tried not to comment on the whole 'Alarm Clock Britain' nonsense, I really did. But then, just when I thought I was out, Lib Dem Voice pulled me back in by printing some of the most vapid nonsense I've ever read. Indeed, I initially thought it was a new satirical column, but it turns out that Johnny LeVan-Gilroy is apparently a real person (or 'a cross-media brand consuming human unit' as he might refer to himself) and we are meant to take that article seriously. (Admittedly, there is still the possibility that it's a new version of ...
The arguments about which 5 GCSE or equivalents raging today are very important to the young people who have taken their exams (or are taking them) and are discovering that their qualifications might not mean what they thought. At Ward coordination over the years, I asked many times how many of the pupils were leaving local schools with English and Maths in their GCSE A*-C tallies (or equivalent), as I was worried that although some qualifications were counted as the equivalent of GCSEs (or several) most employers would be looking for Maths and English on CVs and wonder why they ...
At the weekend The Independent ran a piece very critical of the Liberal Democrats in government: The Royal Family is to be granted absolute protection from public scrutiny in a controversial legal reform designed to draw a veil of secrecy over the affairs of the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William. Letters, emails and documents relating to the monarch, her heir and the second in line to the throne will no longer be disclosed even if they are in the public interest... The decision to push through the changes also raises questions about the sincerity of the Liberal Democrats' commitment ...
Recommended reading for Lib Dem Councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days (nb published before the Oldham East by-election): Nick Clegg made a major speech on civil liberties towards the end of last week. You can read the speech here. Nick Clegg: "A liberal approach to freedom, a British approach to freedom" Here's the write up from The Independent: Control orders will be reformed, says Nick Clegg Lib Dem Voice have been asking what Party members think about a number of issues, most recently: Tuition fees: what Lib Dem members think now Lib Dem Voice have been running ...
Parliament is back in session after the Christmas break and that means PMQs is back as well. So what did the weekly cockpit punch up bring us this time? As expected, bank bonuses were at the top of the agenda. Miliband Junior tried to lay some punches by taking up this issue. He had mixed results. He scored a hit when he was able to quote Cameron's remarks in opposition about the need to clamp
Bury Council has arranged a public consultation meeting on the 2011/12 Council budget which will take place on Tuesday 1 February at 7pm in the Elizabethan Suite. Similar events have been held previously and I understand this will follow a similar format (for those who previosuly attended). There will be a presentation on the budget position and current proposals followed by an opportunity for people to ask questions and make comments. An innovation this year is that the on-line budget simulator will also be available as well as questionnaires etc. Clearly this years budget is the most challenging for the ...
Pete Hoskin writes on the Spectator's Coffee House blog: If you ever needed a PMQs to brush away the last morsels of festive cheer, then this was it. Every question and answer came laced with some sideswipe or other, and it made for a scrappy exchange between the two party leaders. Both struck blows against each other, but both were also guilty of errors and mis-steps.And that is about right. David Cameron's inner Flashman broke free and he never looks half as appealing when that happens. One dig at Alan Johnson's lack of grasp of economic details would have been ...
PMQs was a rather spiteful affair this week. David Cameron came up with two of the most damning lines to describe Ed: "He was the nothing man at the treasury, and now he is the nothing man trying to lead the Labour party", and VN's favourite on Alan Johnson advising on banker's bonuses: "There's no point Wallace asking Gromit on that one", but Ed didn't perform badly. It was though quite a hollow affair, partly due to the predictable questions from the Leader of the Opposition, and partly due to the lack of substance in the answers given in return. ...
Given my fairly robust views on the surveillance state I was a little surprised earlier when an e mail dropped into my inbox inviting me to the counter terror expo 2011. I really don't think I am their target market but saying that there are one or two organisations that have signed up to go that I wouldn't expect to be there. The event looks like every liberals nightmare and every Labour MPs, sorry, I mean authoritarians view of heaven! One workshop did catch my eye however. Surveillance Systems Knowledge is vital and surveillance is the backbone technique to delivering ...
Well it seems my vigour and determination for starting the New Year off in the right manner ran smack bang into the nasty cold which I have been suffering for the last week. Although I have been cruelly mocked by those who have called it "man flu". But I'm mostly recovered now and ready to write up those New Year posts that I had been planning. Although we are already on the 12th January I thought I would start by catching up with some of the new year messages I have been sent. The two videos below nicely reflect two ...
Don't forget that tonight is your chance to meet with local Police officers and have your concerns about crime addressed. You can come to the second St Mary's PACT (Police And Communities Together) meeting tonight at 6pm at the Community Centre on Church Lane. Councillors will also be there - well, I certainly will be! So if you have any crime, disorder or anti-social behaviour issues, or just want to meet your local police officers, come on down. Rick
The level of political discourse in the country has sunk since the election so that now it's like two competing vuvuzelas, each droning out a single, incessant note. On the coalition's side the note sounds something like "All these cuts are Labour's fault," and on Labour's side it sounds something like "All these cuts are horrible Tory ones backed by limp Lib Dems." Neither are true. Some of the cuts are Labour's fault, because they didn't deal with a structural deficit. But a lot are to do with international factors and a global banking crisis. But on the other hand, ...
Sadly someone has now died from TB in a Birmingham School. The school was one in Yardley, but the majority of children at that School are not from Yardley.Birmingham as a whole qualifies for having the option of a TB vaccination in school as do the HOB and BEN PCT areas although not the South Birmingham Area.Since 2005 I have been calling for an extension of TB vaccination as an option at school
You can, famously, prove anything with statistics. But the figures for General Election expenditure, released by the Electoral Commission in December, raise some interesting questions for Lib Dem campaign managers. It was an extraordinary election in many ways. The TV debates, Cleggmania,the economic crisis and the MPs expenses scandal. All of this perhaps made it a particularly difficult election for the party to manage. Marshalling scarce resources in an unpredictable environment is a tough challenge. The Lib Dems were always going to be out-gunned on the national stage but did we allow ourselves to be out-gunned and out-manoeuvred locally too? ...
I recently came across At Sword Point, by French poet Victor Segalen. Published in 1912, it was written with feuding warlords in China in mind but has many echoes for recent military interventions: We horseman astride our horses, what do we know about sowing? But any field that can be plowed by horse hooves, any meadow that can be galloped across, We have trampled. We do not stoop to build walls or temples, but any town that will burn, with its temples and walls, We have burnt down. We honor and cherish our women who are all of high rank; ...
The problem with reviewing a book with a name like Triumff is that you're tempted to skew your review one way or another, in order to end with a proclamation that 'yes it is!' or 'no, it most definitely isn't!' However, I shall try to avoid that temptation, which is made easier by the book finding itself between the two extremes. One could almost be tempted to rename it Curatesegg, in fact, because it is good in parts, but on finishing the whole you're merely left with the sensation 'is that it?' The novel's set in an alternate history where ...
The boss of Barclays appeared before MPs yesterday. The Financial Times described it as a dialogue of the deaf and contrasted the atttitude of the City of London with that of the City of Westminster. This misses the point. The City of London is responsible in theory to shareholders, in practice to the Boards of Directors which agree and indeed receive the billion pound bonuses which so offend the public. The people in Westminster, at the end of the day, represent us. MPs are often criticised, sometimes rightly, for being out of touch. But on this one MPs of all ...
It isn't ever quite clear, just from the newspapers, just where the delicate negotiations between the government and the banks have reached on bonuses. It looks as though there is some kind of deal emerging that would nod through outrageous bonuses in return for an agreement to lend more and better to small businesses. Nick Clegg hinted at a distinction between the private banks, which will qualify for this deal, and the failed banks in public ownership - where bonuses will be quashed, though even that seems to be in doubt at the moment. I agree that RBS and Lloyds ...
Wed 12th
10:47
Cornwall Council £1 million short on parking income and set to raise charges even higher
Cornwall Council is set to demand an additional £1 million from motorists after failing to meet its parking income this year. The charge will add an average 20p to the cost of every car park visit. This extra cost will come on top of the already substantial price rises being demanded by the Conservative led authority. Cornwall's motorists are facing a massive hike in the cost of parking in our towns and villages. The Conservative led council has made unreasonable demands about the amount of money that can be raised from car users. They view car parks as a massive ...
The events on Saturday in Tucson in the US state of Arizona have shocked and concerned many, especially in the political world. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a highly talented Congresswoman who was tipped for greater things - Governor, Senator, even President - was shot in the head and remains in intensive care. Six other people, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, have tragically died. When reading profiles of the victims yesterday, I was moved almost to tears. The response by the media classes in the United States has not been, by and large, a questioning and critique of the ...
Listen to Liberal Democrats make speeches and there are frequent references to historical figures, but drawn from a small cast. Just the quartet of John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, David Penhaligon corner almost all of the market, especially since Bob Maclennan stopped making speeches to party conference. Some of the forgotten figures deserve their obscurity but others do not. Charles James Fox's defence of civil liberties against a dominating government during wartime or Earl Grey's leading of the party back into power and major constitutional reform are good examples of mostly forgotten figures who could just as ...
Chris Huhne makes a very interesting point in his Chapter in 'Reinventing the State: Social Liberalism for the 21st Century' – 'The Case for Localism: The Liberal Narrative'. While talking about national policies and how they can actually provide negative consequences he says Contrast this system with the private sector, where it is natural to ...
I have been connected with the national side of local government for 16 years. I had my first Ministerial meeting on behalf of Liverpool in 1977 so I do have a bit of history. That historical perspective leads me to ... Continue reading →
Wed 12th
09:55
Opinion: Alarm Clock Britain - identifying the vote is right, but reforming capabilities is key
Yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister gave his pitch to a demographic which has played a pivotal part in many electoral successes. Underlining this, Nick Clegg sought to identify to the party's base where he envisages the party's best chance of strategically positioning itself for 2015 is. It appears that a key factor Nick Clegg must have taken in account in drawing up 'Alarm Clock Britain' is which demographic Lib Dem policies will affect best. As well as this, underneath appears to be a coded message to the growing concerns within all parts of the party as to 'where are the ...
Very glad to see that Nick Clegg has decided to take my advice. It's not clear why our strategic aims were not aided by airing differences from the beginning of the coalition, so one is forced to the conclusion that Clegg has finally realised that the pally-pally approach is not going to work. Welcome to ...
Wed 12th
09:30
Developer tries to save money at community expense, but Lib Dem councillors put their foot down
Builder tries to cut contribution to community facilities A national housing developer as been forced to wake up and think again about their contribution to a planning application for homes houses in Yate. Prior to the South Gloucestershire Council's Development Control East meeting Taylor Wimpey had tried to back out of its Section 106 agreement with the council, which included a contribution of £150,000 towards a community building. However, Lib Dem members were in no mood to accept the revised plans which were presented and convinced the committee to hold the builder to their original more sustainable proposals. Developer forced ...
Cornwall Council has slammed the proposal by the Government to move coastguard services from Falmouth to Southampton. The Falmouth centre - a recognised leader in the field - currently provides the regular coastguard cover for the Cornish coast from Looe round to Bude. The centre also provides co-ordination for international rescue efforts. The South East Cornwall section of coast is covered by coastguards based at Brixham - a centre which is also proposed for closure. In what is billed as a cost cutting measure, the Government is proposing to move services to Southampton. The Council backed a motion put forward ...
Michael J "Mick" Robertson the Chairman Pennsylvania Libertarian Party is guest blogging over at the UK Libertarian Party blog regarding the election processes in the US. This probably looks like a geek post but it is an interesting and easy to read post and really highlight the hurdles many have to go through just to get on the ballot paper in America. Given the clamour in some quarters for American style selections (Primaries) I feel this is a timely reminder, especially for small parties and independents, regarding what could happen if the state gets too involved in selection processes that ...
Of course Government has to be there for all of our nation's citizens but the difference between the people in this wage bracket and those who earn more is the lack of 'choice.'
The Liberal Democrats' chances of winning tomorrow's Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election were long ago written off by the media. Only thing is, somebody seems to have forgotten to tell local people. I've seen enough reports, most recently from Andrew and Paul's been there too. The polls show that there's everything to play for. Team Scotland has been out in force in Oldham over the last few days. My Facebook feed is filled with pictures of a buzzing HQ full of activists. I hear of us winning the poster war by some margin. I hear upbeat reports of a very ...
[IMG: Office Politics: A Rise to the Top] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: Alex E. Proimos Yes, it's a draft policy from Fenlands District Council: Any employee who embarks on a close personal relationship with a colleague working in the same team must declare the relationship to his/her manager in writing George Orwell anyone?
According to the BBC news website: "Reports that Stephen Hester, boss of the Royal Bank of Scotland which is 84% taxpayer-owned, is in line for a bonus of up to £2.5m have caused anger among many MPs and led to call for ministers to take action". In other words Hester is boss of a failed bank, which only exists because taxpayers have propped it up and he is being rewarded for this with a £2.5m bonus on top of his no doubt lavish salary. This is obscene. The coalition government must deal with the banks for "we're all in this ...
Wed 12th
08:55Party reviewing internal election rules: you have until 21 January to send in your views
In November I blogged my suggestions for how the party's internal election rules should be changed. In brief – fewer restrictions on candidates and voters being able to talk about the contests and who they support, more leeway for online campaigning and a series of steps to encourage more debate and discussion within the party about the elections and merits of candidates. The last point was fuelled by my experience of standing (successfully) for the Interim Peers Panel – and being asked almost no policy questions by voters in the process. Following the federal committee, interim peers panel and Presidential ...
This morning's Guardian has an interesting take on an interview with Nick Clegg in which the Liberal Democrat Leader says that it is time that people should know more about the disagreements between him and David Cameron. They say that the Liberal Democrats plan to air future disagreements with their Conservative partners in public in an attempt to assert a more distinctive identity for the party: In a shift of tactics for the coalition, which was launched by the two party leaders in the Downing Street garden last May, the deputy prime minister said: "David Cameron and I are leaders ...
From Nick Robinson's blog on Eric Illsley: If he is imprisoned for more than a year he will be automatically expelled from Parliament. If he is not, MPs can – and look certain to – move to have him thrown out anyway. The big question here, of course, is whether there's any other job that would take a similar view of a prison sentence. How many other positions would let you waltz back into them as if nothing had happened just because you were only imprisoned for ten months? While it does seem likely that Illsley is going to be ...
After Finlay Quaye last week - which was, I grant you, a bit leftfield - I'm returning to more familiar territory this week with "R". First though, a word about who it's not. It's not Razorlight, although I had been thinking that it would be when I commented on last week's post. It's also not the superb Eddi Reader who has featured on these pages before. It's not Diana Ross, who once reigned Supreme (did you see what I did there?). Finally it's not Runrig. No, worthy as all of those acts would have been, I couldn't see beyond R.E.M. ...
I watched with astonishment last night as, at five to eight on the clock, the relative trickle of people entering St Andrew's School hall became a steady stream, and then a flood that would match the Anfield Kop leaving in disgust five minutes before the final whistle of late. Fifteen minutes earlier I had had the pick of the seats in a half empty hall but by the time the "Save Headington Library" (they have a Facebook page and e-petition too) public meeting convened there was not even standing room. From near the front I couldn't really tell how many ...
broadcast anniversaries 12 January 1974: broadcast of first episode of Invasion of the Dinosaurs, billed simply as Invasion. The Doctor and Sarah land in a deserted London under martial law, and are attacked by first a pterodactyl and then a tyrannosaurus rex. 12 January 1980: broadcast of fourth episode of The Horns of Nimon, ending Season 17 prematurely. K9 rescues the hostages and the Doctor and Romana blow up the Nimons' complex. 12 January 1982: broadcast of fourth episode of Castrovalva. The Portreeve turns out to be the Master, and the whole of Castrovalva based on Adric's computations. The Doctor ...
There has been an awful lot of political cant offered up as argument concerning bankers bonuses. The high rates of pay in the City of London and on Wall Street are so far ahead of the average that politicians are more or less required to be critical, bearing in mind that the average voter earns so many times less than the average banker. Nevertheless, as a banker myself, I think that the compensation offered to bankers is no longer linked to performance- it is a simple lottery. Once upon a time, bankers were entrepreneurs. Partners in their firms, they were ...
On Monday, three cars, each full of Scottish Liberal Democrats set off from various parts of Edinburgh heading South to Oldham East & Saddleworth to assist Elwyn Watkins to become the next MP for the good people down there. This is the first Parliamentary by-election for a while where I haven't been part of the core team, ovbiously because of our key elections in May and it has felt odd. I don't feel guilty though, I've done my fair share including Glasgow East, Glenrothes and Glasgow North East in the last two and a half years since being in Scotland. ...
If you are out and about in the navigational waters around the island of Ireland in fog from today onwards, do not hope to hear the comforting sound of a fog horn from any of the lighthouses. That is right, all the fog horns have been switched off. The Commissioners of Irish Lights having ...
Just discovered that updating a plug-in deletes any spare files in its directory. As a result, my hack to the Wordtube plugin disappeared. This messed up my solution to the Wordtube streaming playlist problem. To avoid having to re-upload my solution every time the plug-in is uploaded, here it is again: <?php /* + wordtube-XSPF XML output for playlist + by Alex Rabe reviewed by Alakhnor + modified by Martin Tod to handle streamed playlists + required for wordTube */ // look up for the path if ( !defined('ABSPATH') ) require_once( dirname(__FILE__) . '/wordtube-config.php'); global $wpdb; // get ...
Just a brief thought for the day... Given that a few choice words and crosshair symbols can so obviously generate a climate in which a disturbed lone individual can kill those with whom they disagree with, will the National Union of Students be altering their "decapitation strategy" against Liberal Democrat MPs over tuition fees? I mean, we wouldn't want any students to take those words as an instruction now, would we? Indeed, some have already gone as far as to stage a mock execution of Nick Clegg. At the student protests in London last year, many acted on this leaflet. ...
St Albans City and District Council is appealing to residents to help reduce the amount of waste created during the festive season by recycling Christmas trees, cards and wrapping paper. An estimated 3 million tonnes of waste is produced in the UK over the Christmas period, with each one of us throwing away an average of 50kg of rubbish. By following the recycling tips below, you can help reduce this waste: - Take natural Christmas trees to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre for recycling. Alternatively, if the tree is small enough, it can be placed in your green ...
By way of light relief I thought I might return to one of the blogs occasional postings on food. This theme began with the demise a a so called political blog in Sefton that seemed to carry more comment on food than politics. I was prompted by Marl Valladares who along with me was shortlisted for a Blog of the Year Award in the Category for Lib Dems holding elected office. Mark blogs at Liberal Bureaucracy where last week he began a posting: Doesn't this look delicious? It's a brace of pot roasted pheasants, the sort of thing you see ...
I had an interesting conversation last week with someone who told me that they voted for a Liberal Democrat minister but would not do so again because they had changed their tune - mostly over tuition fees. I did say that you can't really criticise a minister because they have ministerial responsibility to support government policies. They can't say what they want to say and it is up to other Liberal Democrats to come up with party policies. I mentioned the scenario in which a prospective MP says one thing, becomes a member of a coalition government and says his ...
YouTube - Toowoomba Flash Flood Caught On Video 10th January 2011 the extraordinary rise (and fall) of Gowrie Creek, washing away cars which had appeared to be securely parked (tags: weather)
