Comment away... and whilst we await the result there is new of a likely third Parliamentary by-election in 2011 in addition to the one expected in Barnsley Central. This one is Leicester South.
News reaches us exiles about the latest ludicrous SNP plans to destroy local policing while increasing the costs to the taxpayers north of the border. The Beeb has it here - Alex Salmond morfs into Jack Straw. So from what I can gather the whackjobs running Scotland think they can save money by merging the eight police forces into one giant police force for the whole country. If the Scots are so stupid to agree to this then here is my prediction for what will happen: 1. A new job of super commissioner would be created with a new super ...
I'll be live-blogging and tweeting the Oldham East and Saddleworth count. You can follow what I'm saying on twitter on @NickThornsby as well. 23.35: So, apparently Tim Farron has conceded on FiveLive that the Lib Dems have come second in ... Continue reading →
The Environment Agency has issued a Flood Warning for the River Frome and tributaries between Chipping Sodbury and Bristol Floating Harbour. There is already localised flooding on minor roads in our areas - the Ruffet Road/Coalsack Lane junction, for example - so be prepared for your journey to work to take longer on some routes. For further updates, keep an eye on the Environment Agency website. You can find lots of other useful information there too about preparing for flooding and can sign up to the Flood Warnings Direct service.
The AAP is back into the full cycle of meetings - I've had one for the Car Parking sub-group and one for the Environment working group this week - and the bi-annual forum event which was postponed due to snow will take place shortly. The Forum, which is open to all, is next Thursday January 20th at Bishop Ian Ramsey Primary School, Medomsley, from 5.30 to 8.00 p.m. Numbers are limited, however, so please register with Janie Pollard on 01207 218271 if you want to attend. The agenda contains three main elements all of which should be of great interest ...
'Shy Tories' — the term applied to those planning to vote Conservative, but too embarrassed to admit it publicly — was a phrase used to help explain the pollsters' failure to predict John Major's 1992 election victory. An anecdote told by Nick Clegg in his interview in today's Sun suggests the Lib Dems might also have our own share of abashed admirers: Mr Clegg said: "Of course some people come up to me and say, 'Oh we don't like the Government doing this and doing that'. But more people come up to me and say, 'I think you are doing ...
Thu 13th
21:44
Nearly half of NHS repairs backlog put staff and patients at high and significant risk - German
New analysis of NHS estates in Wales has revealed that the cost of maintenance and repairs to reduce high and significant risks in NHS buildings to staff and patients is nearly half of the total backlog cost. The Welsh Health Estates report reveals that the total cost of the NHS repairs backlog is £460 million and that the sum of high and significant risk repairs totals £209 million. While the total backlog of maintenance cost has decreased, there were 51 sites across Wales showing increases totalling over £20 million. The Estate and Performance Report 2009/2010 also exposes how none of ...
One of the fun bits of my feedjit bar is that it lets me know what people googled to find my blog. I must admit this does get my civil liberty knee jerking ever so slightly but don't worry I can't see who you are :-) Anyhoo, for the person who searched for "is Carl Minns married?" The answer is no. Furthermore, if you have a bizarre sense of humour, an odd view of the world, cute and can manage me being stopped all the time by strangers who wish to talk to me I am available. :-0
PR Week reports: The Cabinet Office has appointed a senior Whitehall communicator to a newly-created role as Nick Clegg's head of comms. James Sorene, currently the Department of Health's head of news, will also act as the embattled Deputy Prime Minister's spokesman. The role will involve working with Clegg's political spokesman James McGrory and chief of staff Lena Pietsch. ... The appointment follows a review of the support being provided to Clegg, conducted by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, which found his office is underpowered in strategic comms. Those worried about such a move at a time of austerity are ...
The BBC reports: The press watchdog is investigating the Daily Telegraph's use of undercover reporters to record Lib Dem ministers' thoughts on the coalition government. It reported comments made by Business Secretary Vince Cable in a meeting with people he thought were constituents. Lib Dem President Tim Farron asked the Press Complaints Commission to investigate. The PCC said 200 people contacted them over the story. The Telegraph said it was satisfied it acted within the PCC's rules. ... A PCC spokesman said: "We have now received a letter from the Liberal Democrats asking us formally to investigate. We will do ...
Let's start with some updates on stories we've previously covered here on The Voice. Conservative London Assembly member Brian Coleman has backed down from his attempt to ban questions to him at London Fire Authority meetings. The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is to investigate the Daily Telegraph, following complaints from Tim Farron and others that the newspaper had gone on a fishing expedition rather than having the sort of public interest case which justifies journalistic subterfuge. On the substantive policy issue at stake, Ofcom look set to recommend that the Sky bid should be referred to the Competition Commission. We've ...
A friend of mine commented to me last week that whilst I've been writing a good amount around my love of various sports, I haven't yet touched upon rugby. He was quite right and that is certainly an oversight on my part. So on reading today's Western Mail, I found myself compelled to give my thoughts on the enigma that is Gavin Henson. 'That Kick' He shot to prominence of course with that incredible penalty winning kick that gave Wales our first victory over the English in 6 years and propelled us towards our first Grand Slam in a generation ...
Enrique Penalosa, the former Mayor of Bogata, talked about Urban policy at the LSE this week. He spoke about the need for governments to create socially inclusive cities and articulated a vision of the good city. Before we know what city we want, he said, we need to know how we want to live. Urban ...
Virgin Media uses VAT rise to retrospectively hike phone prices Overcharging gits. Check your bills if you're with them, they'll give the money back if you ask, which is doubly shitty. (tags: virgin-media corporate-bastards) Billion-Dollar Yacht with go-kart grand-prix track Can someone give me a $billion? Seriously. They haven't built it,it's just a design they could build, but still, I wants one, my precious. (tags: extravagance yachts cool)
Pevsner goes into raptures over All Saints, Rothwell, discussing it for three pages. It is a large church that used to be even larger, though no one seems sure quite how, and has a bone crypt that I shall have to visit it one day. But the building I really wanted to see is not in the first edition of Pevsner at all. I had glimpsed it many times, as it faces side-on to a drive that leads off one of the main roads out of town. Perhaps that explains why Pevsner missed it. Stella & Rose's Books describes his ...
This come under the category of : 'you couldn't make it up' My old mate Jack Colbert sometime soldier, clown and Lib Dem Councillor, seen photographed here with Sir Ron Watson (recently suspended from the Tory group on Sefton Council and more recently resigned from Southport Conservative Association ) was invited to become chair of a local Conservative Club. The Crosby Herald and my colleague Tony Robertson have the story. The Herald report Jack's comments: "Last year a large number of the Conservative Club members asked me to become chairman because they were in dire straights and on the verge ...
When I was a young Liberal, my friends and I regularly used to do sketches at post-election parties to entertain the troops. Most of these are (mercifully) lost to history, but for some reason I can remember all the lyrics that I wrote to this parody in around 1984. It is sung to the tune of First and Second Law by Flanders and Swann, and is very much of its time, with references to the 'Alliance' and the perceived threat of nuclear war. It came at the end of a longer sketch set in a Conservative committee room for an ...
The new accountability for local councillors is to local people. No more grovelling in the face of demand from the government's tally counters to measure the height of curb stones or weigh small children. Instead we are to be answerable to our residents. Well the first chance to test the effectiveness of this new accountability came with the snow. The response of the Council was unacceptably poor. The public were up in arms. Birkdale resident Kenny Dalglish vented his spleen in statements to the local press. The Chief Executive apologised. Officers appeared in public to get 'feed back' from local ...
Here I go on a familiar hobby horse. Ed Long has a very good article on Liberal Democrat Voice, much of his analysis being persuasive, even if I don't really agree with his conclusions. He rightly takes Simon Hughes to task for suggesting that universities should operate quotas for the number of students from private schools that they admit. Ed correctly points out that universities have to select the students who appear most likely to succeed at their courses, that the problems start further back in the education process and that university admissions departments aren't to blame if a disproportionate ...
At this week's West End Community Council meeting, concern was expressed that the real time bus information in Commercial Street was not working. I reported this to the City Council and have now been advised : "One of the real time display screens at the bus shelters outside Waterstones was temporarily out of order (for about 3 days or so) but it has now been repaired and both displays are working." I have also reiterated the need to get all real time information at shelters across the city where they are still not working repaired as soon as possible.
Last night, along with some of the other members of the West End Local Community Planning Partnership, I met with one of the inspectors from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) as part of the current inspection of Harris Academy - the inspection also covering community learning and development in the Harris cluster area, largely across the West End. This was a good opportunity for community group representatives and myself to discuss the strengths of community groups' work across the West End, and it was a very positive discussion. Today, I participated in the City Council's cross-party Job Creation Working ...
PR Week reports: The Cabinet Office has appointed a senior Whitehall communicator to a newly-created role as Nick Clegg's head of comms. James Sorene, currently the Department of Health's head of news, will also act as the embattled Deputy Prime Minister's spokesman. The role will involve working with Clegg's political spokesman James McGrory and chief of staff Lena Pietsch.In September of last year I blogged about an Institute for Government report that suggested Nick needed more civil service support in his role as deputy prime minister.
With the news that police are investigating claims of abuse at Downside Abbey, HibernoCatholic has a look at footage of Downside in happier times.
There have been rumours for a long time that the old flour mill silos in town were going to be turned into a climbing wall. Dad and I thought it would be very nice, but it was all a bit pie in the sky... Well, it seems not. It seems that planning permission has been granted, work starts on Monday, and they're hoping to have it open in MARCH! How cool is that? I am literally bouncing with excitement about this. It's apparently going to be one of the best walls IN EUROPE and it will be within walking distance ...
I'm currently reading Back from the Brink (good read though I'm still recovering from the mental images of Michael Howard in a white dressing gown) and its account of the Conservative Party since 1997 has made me realise there's a pattern to David Cameron's political career which I had not noticed before. In brief it is this - he frequently gets off to a bad start. His campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party started poorly over the summer of 2005 before the breakthroughs of his two speeches (his campaign launch and at party conference) without notes and the ...
From Stockport council: STOCKPORT'S BEST EVER GCSE AND KEY STAGE 5 RESULTS It was another record breaking year in Stockport following the Government's official publication today (12th January) of the 2010 GCSE and A Level results. The percentage of 16 year olds gaining five or more passes at A*- C grades including English and Maths is 61.9 % - the highest percentage ever recorded in Stockport since this new category of results became the national standard four years ago. This represents a 6.7 % point increase when directly compared with 2009 and the biggest year-on-year increase since the introduction of ...
A little of Lord Bonkers' table talk from luncheon today... I met that fellow Cameron the other day. He was out with a possee of Conservative party workers delivering leaflets on behalf of one Kashif Ali. "I see you're not taking this Saddleworth by-election too seriously," I ventured. "Why do you say that?" he replied, indicating his armful of leaflets and all the helpers behind him. "Because you are in Melton Mowbray, man."
Dear David Gauke MP, The Ofcom report about Murdoch's BSkyB bid still has not been passed on to the Competition Commission. Jeremy Hunt has still not allowed it to be published. I believe very strongly that the takeover bid should be properly investigated and the effects on media plurality should be fully considered. Therefore I am very concerned about these delays and the more so now there are suggestions that Mr Hunt is in discussions with Rupert Murdoch's representatives. Should he be talking to News Corp's people at all? Should he not be taking decisions for the good of the ...
For those who've been asking, the status of the next book is: It's called Sci-Ence, Justice Leak!, and is a collection of essays on various subjects, but it has two strange attractors – the comics work of Grant Morrison and Doctor Who/Faction Paradox continuity. But other themes that crop up time and again are dying ...
I'm in the process of adapting and updating the Delicious Glue script for use on Dreamwidth. It's what powers my daily linkdumps, and I find it very useful. The current version is http://notzen.com/mat/Delicious-Glue.zip and contains the script itself, a required XMLRPC bit of code, and some CSS that can be adapted for your journal to make the posts look good (also useful for anyone to put in for their Reading page if several friends are using it). I plan to write a how-to on the whole thing when I've finished everything, but I'm having a few technical problems fixing some ...
Hackney Council's licensing committee voted this week to approve a new 'nil' policy on sex establishments in the borough. Sex shops, strip clubs, and porn cinemas will not be able to open in Hackney if and when the Committee's decision is endorsed by full council. This fight between a broad coalition of libertarian citizens on ...
When former Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy was chosen as President of the European Council, there was much derision in the puerile British Press: crude jokes about 'Rumpy-Pumpy' and fatuous remarks about how he wouldn't even make the list of 10 Famous Belgians. But in fact, he was in many ways the ideal choice, ...
[Originally posted on Liberal Democrat Voice, 13/01/11] Quangos - Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations - occupy a strange place in the British political landscape. They tend to proliferate because governments can't resist seeing new commissions for this or advisory panels for that as essential, while rarely deciding that existing bodies have outlived their usefulness. Yet, the term ...
I should open by saying I'm in the Yes camp when it comes to AV because I don't think FPTP has delivered particularly well over the last few decades. It certainly hasn't helped with marginalised groups in parliament. However, one "bonus" of AV is that a potential MP needs to maintain at least some level of support amongst 50% of their constituents. It occurs to me that if a candidate is a member of a minority group (I myself am Trans and a bi-curious lesbian for example, I would imagine the situation could be as bad or worse in certain ...
Here I sit on a day off. Considering whether mindfulness is something I can work on or should let naturally evolve. Being is not doing. And mindfulness is about the focus on being in this moment. Yet unless we think about being mindful how can I be mindful. Or are these thoughts not really mindful at all. Attention back to the breath.....
Here is President Obama's speech to the memorial service held to commemorate those killed and wounded in the Tuscon Arizona shooting at the weekend.
Via Anthony Vickers ( who tweets under @untypicalboro) comes some very interesting information regarding the treatment of football fans. The tweet read.. More on the Orwellian 'section 14b' that gives police the power to convict fans of thought crimes without evidence.You can read more on this issue over at the football supporters federation. Here is a flavour You see, the police are tracking football fans in ever increasing numbers. Countless numbers of fans are assessed by police forces as risk supporters. But what does that mean? It might sound ludicrous, but if the Police assess you as a risk supporter, ...
Labour abstained as a whole on the recent parliamentary vote on the EU which allows for a referendum on any future transfer of powers from London to Brussels but only if judges decide that this should be the case. The story of course was the Tory revolt of 27 MP's on this sensitive subject for the Tories who promised a law that could trigger a referendum on EU treaty changes. However this political move by Labour designed to split the Tories while letting the legislation through could back fire. Surely abstaining while being a political tool is not viewed well ...
Mark Pritchard MP attended Business Questions, wanted to ask a question and was penalised for nipping to the loo and accused of not being present. Paul Waugh has the full story in The Waugh Room on Politics Home, it really is an excellent read and will cheer you up no end.
Quangos - Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations - occupy a strange place in the British political landscape. They tend to proliferate because governments can't resist seeing new commissions for this or advisory panels for that as essential, while rarely deciding that existing bodies have outlived their usefulness. Yet, the term "quango" inhabits the same discursive space as "bureaucracy". There is an engrained association with waste, inefficiency, red tape and pointless interfering. In many people's minds, and frequently in political rhetoric, "quango = bad" by definition. (For a discussion of a similar equation regarding bureaucracy, see here on my blog.) So, the story ...
In reorganising bookshelves at home I have been reunited with one or two comfort books that I occasionally turn to over the years. Among these is The Complete Naff Guide, published as a Christmas stocking filler type thing in 1983. Credited to Dr Kit Bryson, Jean-Luc Legris and Selina Fitzherbert, it was actually written by Willie Donaldson of Henry Root Letters fame. It became a particular favourite because a friend of mine at the time used it as a basis for a (rather unsuccessful) parlour game which seemed to involve people memorising and then reciting whole chunks of the book. ...
All, Just a quick bit of news I received in the post yesterday – The Shipston Triathlon which was going to be held this month has been moved back to June because of the recent poor weather. I understand that the automated defibrillator planned to be donated to Shipston Leisure Centre will still be given. As I've started going to Shipston's gym this may give me a chance to get fit enough by the new date! Regards, Philip
A debate with Jeremy Hunt at the London School of Economics was interrupted last night by student protestors heckling the Culture Secretary with the chants "Minister of Culture, Tory vulture," and (the one that always get's on VN's nerves,) "Tory scum, here we come". Hunt didn't appear too deterred by the disturbance, and it just goes to highlight further that the current wave of protests are more anti-Tory than anti any particular policy.
Today it suddenly hit me that the year's 2011. I know it sounds stupid but at some point each year it suddenly hits me that, you know, it's actually a new year with a new date and everything. It's kind of like having a birthday, for a few weeks (or months in my case) you keep having to pinch yourself and remind yourself that you're not the same age any more and that you'd better get over that feeling of strangeness when someone asks you your age and you have to say something different to what you've been saying for ...
The degree to which ministers should let differences within the coalition shown in public was much debated in the second-half of the year, and I've blogged several times about the advantages of doing just that. So the latest news from Nick Clegg on this is very welcome: The Liberal Democrats plan to air future disagreements with their Conservative partners in public as Nick Clegg attempts to assert a more distinctive identity for his party in a new phase for the coalition... In a shift of tactics for the coalition, which was launched by the two party leaders in the Downing ...
I have absolutely no doubt that if Scotland's police forces, and other public services for that matter, combined some of their administrative functions, like payroll for example, and it might save money. That would be a good thing. However, merging Scotland's 8 police forces into one single force, as suggested by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, is a very scary idea. Such a force would be run by a chief constable, who would be report to the Justice Secretary. Concentrating the power for law enforcement in the whole country in the hands of these two people is just plain wrong, and ...
Tax returns. "Yes,", I hear you say, "and what of them?" Well, for those of you due to file a personal self assessment tax return for the year ended 5 April 2010, the deadline is fast approaching. If you haven't filed, you'll need to do so online and, if you haven't registered to use the service, you should do so now, as you cannot file online with your authorisation code, which is posted to you on application. So, hurry, hurry, hurry, and avoid the risk of a penalty. Alternatively, if you're going to fail to get your return in on ...
As a former constituent and activist in Bermondsey and Old Southwark I greatly enjoyed campaigning on behalf of Simon Hughes and have a lot of respect for his approach to policy and the hard work he puts in, especially meeting face to face with local voters and community groups. I was shocked, however, to read quotes from Simon on the front page of Saturday's Guardian calling on universities to 'cut intake' from independent schools in order to match nationally 'representative' proportions: 7.2% was his quoted figure for the proportion of students we ought to aim at coming from an independent ...
My dictionary's had an update. It now says that 'localism' is defined as 'giving people things they do not want; forcing them into changes they do not need'. Yes, 'executive mayors' are back, even though just about no one outside of the DCLG has shown any desire for them. As I wrote back in 2009, this is a spectacularly bad idea. One of the strengths – yes, there are some – of the British system is that there's a separation between the political and administrative sides of government, both nationally and locally. This smashes down that wall and opens the ...
All, Most of you will know the bend just before the Norgren Site on Campden Road. One local resident pointed out that on the other side of the bend (as you come into town) there's a large sign warning you to slow down – but a 50mph sign on the bend as you drive out (see photo). This was raised (again) at the Town Council meeting on Monday – and I've given a picture to Chris Saint (the County Councillor) – but also reported it directly to the Highways Department at the County Council. I'll let you know what happens. ...
It is polling day today in Oldham East and Saddleworth. The election is having to be re-run after former Labour incumbent Phil Woolas' election was declared void by a special election court. Labour have been trying to play up the by-election as some kind of referendum on the coalition, and in particular Liberal Democrat involvement in the coalition. As well as showing once again that a supposedly 'progressive' party still can't get their head around pluralist politics, this is yet another grave tactical error from Ed Miliband and company. With a strong, and clearly popular, local candidate in Elwyn Watkins, ...
[IMG: Liberal Democrats HQ, Cowley Street] Photo credit: Loz Flowers on Flickr. The Liberal Democrats are looking for new headquarters in Westminster, and plan to vacate their current offices at 4 Cowley Street. From Property Week: 4 Cowley Street is a Grade II listed building which was originally constructed in 1905 as the London headquarters of the North Eastern Railway Company and provides just over 7,000 sq ft of offices. A similar amount of space is being sought on a single floor and several properties have already been inspected with a final decision likely to be made soon. By the ...
The Guardian reports what many Labour activists do not want to hear, that their Leader is to fess up to the fact that the previous Government were partly to blame for the economic crisis. They say that Ed Miliband is to admit Labour made itself vulnerable to the charge of racking up excessive debt in government by being too slow to talk openly and clearly about the need for spending cuts in the wake of the recession. They add that he is also to concede that the last Labour government must take some responsibility for the deficit to the extent ...
Cornwall Council is refusing to make public the gifts and hospitality given to its officers and is only releasing limited details of those given to councillors. Both officers and elected councillors take important decisions which affect the lives and businesses of the people of Cornwall as well as companies up and down the land. It is vital that such decisions are taken without undue influence, bribery and corruption. I have no reason to suspect that any officer or councillor has been bribed, but the Council's current policy appears to make it easier for this to happen if the will was ...
Yate's new Youth Cafe building finally has a name. It's going to be called Armadillo, because of its unusual shape. The £1.3 million project will open in April. And it will have a small CINEMA too - Yate's first for many years! The 60-seater cinema will be funded by £35,000 that was left over when Merlin Housing Society took over South Gloucestershire's council houses in 2007. Each South Glos councillor had a share of the fund, and the Yate councillors decided to pool theirs and pay for the cinema. Yate Town councillor Chris Willmore, who has been leading the campaign ...
To be frank I am astonished at the way that the row about the Welsh Government's bid to secure legislative competence over organ donation has blown-up. Campaigners are right that if we had the law-making powers that will come after a 'yes' vote in March, then a bid of this nature would not be necessary. However, it seems to me that the problem does not lie in the reluctance of the UK Government to pass on the powers, but in the legal advice that suggests that the the scope of the Government of Wales Act 2006 is being stretched too ...
When doing my series of posts at Christmas about the party's challenges for 2011 one issue I picked up on was using members and supporters as a campaigning resource: The party is not exactly short of opponents to overcome when it comes to implementing Liberal Democrat beliefs in government, yet we are not using the party's grassroots strengths to help win those struggles. The Conservative Party is, to take one example, split on civil liberties. Many key figures take a similar view to the Liberal Democrats, yet there are also many opponents of what a Liberal Democrat majority government would ...
Thu 13th
08:55
Bryant Oden's tribute to Christina Taylor Green and the other victims of the Arizona shootings
Bryant Oden is an American songwriter. He is most famous for writing appallingly annoying but compulsive songs for children, such as The Duck Song which was a huge hit on You Tube. I swear to you that having listened to it this morning, to get the link, I will not be able to get it out of my head for the rest of the day. He has released another song today, called Now You're Gone, available here on You Tube, dedicated particularly to the loved ones of victims of last Saturday's horrific events in Tucson, especially 9 year old Christina ...
Cross-posted from Liberal Democrat Voice 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 gets 10/10 for preparation and sheer persistence. 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 ...
At the moment the only reading matter I'm getting on the Consett Academy is what I can read between the lines - I have received no response from either the county council or Lord Jonathan Hill to my request to be supplied with the full text of his letter to the County Council setting out the £20.7 million offer of capital for the New Academy. So I'm trying to make what I can of the announcement I received today about what I used to refer to as Stanley Academy. It read as follows: It has been agreed that the new ...
i) births and deaths 13 January 1923:birth of Jack Watling, who played Professor Travers in The Abominable Snowmen (1967), The Web of Fear (1968) and Downtime (1995). ii) broadcast anniversaries 13 January 1968: broadcast of fourth episode of The Enemy of the World. The Doctor and friends escape Salamander's base, at the cost of Fariah's life. Salamander visits the underground base where he has imprisoned his scientists. 13 January 1973: broadcast of third episode of The Three Doctors.The Second and Third Doctors confront Omega, and discover that his physical body has been destroyed. 13 January 1979: broadcast of third episode ...
Earlier this week, on Tuesday Eric Illsley, MP for Barnsley Central pleaded guilty to dishonestly claiming £14,000 of parliamentary expenses. There were three charges of false accounting, where Illsley admitted to dishonestly claiming payments for insurance, repairs, utility bills and council tax at his second home between 2005 and 2008! In a statement issued by his office, Eric Illsley said: "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 I deeply, deeply regret. "I have begun to wind down my parliamentary office, following which ...
Kudos to Michael Greenfield for uploading a bunch of Oldham East and Saddleworth by election leaflets. I want to highlight UKIP's effort. As a Lib Dem member I'm obviously opposed to what UKIP stand for, but even leaving that aside, there are three things in particular I have an issue with: 1) Using the result of the national European Election result as indicative of what may happen in a local by election is misleading. The issues are different, the electoral system is different, and the electorate is different. But at least they have labelled the bar chart, so this is ...
Liberal Democrats on Hertfordshire County Council were astounded to learn that during the icy period the County Council had to borrow grit from neighbouring authorities. All the time while doing this they insisted that they had enough supply and there was no issue. Chris White, Leader of the opposition at Herts County Council, said: 'With ice on the roads and only the main routes being gritted drivers were naturally wary of the condition of our roads. When we highlighted that there may be an issue they denied it. Yet now we discover from other councillors on other authorities that we ...
My namesake, former Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell has come out in support of Jack Straw's controversial remarks about the problem with some members of the Pakistani community. The problem I have with Jack's remarks is that they are racist. Let me try to put this into context. I don't know where Mick Gradwell lives but let's say that you can work out a square mile that includes his house which may also include the highest numbers of rapists or any other criminals you care to mention. Try to think of a crime that you would find particularly distasteful. Then publish ...
Making Stuff Up for a Living: The Blog "So if you were inclined to illegally download anyone's book, if you're one of the people trying to find an illegal download of my brand new book that's not even in stores yet: please buy it. Or check it out. Or ask for a review copy. "Or please read another book that's instantly, and legally, available to you so that books continue to be instantly, and legally, available to you. "Thank you." (tags: copyright) 15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will | Music | Inventory | ...
Saturday: We're all the heroes of our own story; that's how it goes isn't it? Very few people, I should think, in spite of the very bad things that they do, think of themselves as "the baddies". Hearing about the HORRIBLE shootings in Tucson, Arizona, it was very, very easy to get all scared and angry and say that the right-wing media and commentators and politicians whipping up a culture of HATE are to BLAME. But I've thought long and hard about this and come to the conclusion that actually... the right-wing media and commentators and politicians ARE to blame! ...
