It's late on Friday, you've forgotten to send your loved one a valentine card and you know after all these years your partner still wants to be cherished despite the bluster (and kids). Well if it can put a smile on the face of uber-grumpy Robert Smith this is for them ... Friday night for rotten lovers Enjoy F.
The next meeting of the Selly Oak Ward Committee is at 7pm on Tuesday 16 February 2011 in the Elim Church Centre, Exeter Road, Selly Oak, B29 6EU. The agenda is now online.Agenda items include:a proposal for a Cumulative Impact Policy for the Bournbrook area to restrict the growth and operating conditions of new and existing licensed premises (a representive of West Midlands Police will attend
Yesterday was budget day at the Council. I have copied the Council press release below and will try to blog over the weekend about it especially the items relating to my portfolio. Tough choices budget protects frontline services and vulnerable people Published Thursday 10 February 2011It is expected that protection of front line services and investment in children and the most vulnerable will be the priorities of the City of Edinburgh Council's budget announced today.Supporting Edinburgh's economic competitiveness to build prosperity and quality of life for all residents is also prominent. The unprecedented fourth successive freeze in Council Tax maintains ...
Martin Veart is a Liberal Democrat from Edinburgh North and Leith and creator of the Say No to Trident pages on Lib Dem Act. There has been a lot of ink spilt on The Big Society and I hesitate to add to the debate. It has been often pointed out that the idea lacks focus. During an interview with PM, Minister for Pensions and Welfare Chris Grayling admitted that The Big Society is messy because central government cannot and should not control local initiates. Is this true however? I'm going to take a sideways jump and refer to David Cameron's ...
So reckons Politifact at the St Petersburg Times, a fact checking website which won a 2009 Pulitzer Prize. Since January 2010 they have rated as "false" or "pants on fire" 74 statements by Republican office-holders or former office-holders. In comparison they gave the same ratings to only 22 statements by Democrat office-holders or former office-holders. Smart Politics has the full story here. Oh, and Sarah Palin leads the way for porky pies: During the last 13 months, the Republicans that have led the way with the largest number of Barely True, False, and Pants On Fire grades are Sarah Palin ...
I'm going to *try* to get my look at The Beach Boys Today!/Summer Days... And Summer Nights! up tonight, but it'll probably not be up til tomorrow. I have several other posts planned for this weekend – a review of a self-published Doctor Who novel, the second part of How We Know What We Know ...
Earlier today, the Protection of Freedoms Bill was published which, in the words of Lib Dem MP Tom Brake, "brings to fruition proposals which were first drawn up by Nick Clegg four years ago, and demonstrates our commitment to rolling back unnecessary and intrusive laws introduced by Labour". Key provisions of the Bill include the enactment of some previously announced decisions alongside some new, additional proposals: an end to the routine monitoring of 9.3 million people under the radically reformed vetting and barring scheme millions of householders protected from town hall snoopers checking their bins or school catchment area the ...
After a lengthy (4 hour) council budget meeting yesterday, I attended the first West End Local Community Planning Partnership of 2011. There was a good discussion of local issues including concerns over the state of listed buildings, vandalism and parking. There were also useful updates from LCPP members including local police, fire and rescue, the City Council Housing Department's Private Sector Team, the Social Work Department and NHS Tayside.
A week or so ago I dedicated a musical tribute here in my blog to the Egyptian people's cause in their attempt to get the change that they were demanding. They wanted their autocratic President Hosni Mubarak to resign after 30 years in power. No small request then but after 18 days of protesting, as Sam Cooke sang, a change has come to Egypt. So, whilst we can't foretell what will happen next, for today at least, it's a day to celebrate a day of national re-awakening for Egypt. So, it feels quite apt to move from Sam Cooke's melancholic ...
At yesterday's City Council Policy & Resources Committee at which the City Council's budget was set, on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I seconded a motion from Cllr George Regan on behalf of the Labour Group, that would have seen the SNP cuts-hit education budget increased by £376 000 over SNP proposals. This proposal would have seen a funding increase in schools' absence cover, SQA presentations funding, study support and continuing professional development for teaching staff compared to the SNP cuts agenda. I have real concerns about the "devolution" of absence cover budgets (cut by the SNP) - there is ...
For the past fortnight I have been glued to my iplayer, watching Al Jazeera hour after hour, as events in Egypt have unfolded. Like the crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square, I have experienced a roller-coaster of emotions, from euphoria to despair. Last night was a low point, to put it mildly, as the widely anticpated ...
I contacted the ward police sergeant, David Boyle, about my experiences with Crime Prevention UK. This is his reply: "We are advising residents not to have dealings with them nor Central Intelligence Security Solutions ( CISS) and Group 1 Security. They all appear to be telemarketing/cold caller type companies." In case you missed it, I wrote about their activities on Tuesday.
Next week, in Iceland, there is a high court in session to determine the status of The Council's claim to their money back from the failed bank Landisbanki. Currently the Local Government Association (LGA) are fighting to keep the priority claim for the councils, otherwise the tax payers of west lindsey will see hardly anything returned to them. The other load of tax payers cash is still held in Glitnir, who's court case is on 11th March. With this bank also not a lot is going to be coming back unless the priority claim is allowed.
What a wonderful moment in Egypt and what a strange situation, with people celebrating a military takeover. Its a supremely optimistic moment which ranks alongside Europe in 1989. Let's hope the promise of the last 18 days can be sustained. This is a famous victory for people power in the most important country in the Middle East. There are a few moments when all the cards are thrown up in the air and this is one of them. As a student of international relations, I'm utterly enthralled. For dictators in Libya, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and across the region this ...
A three-year-old boy has been seriously injured in a collision with a lorry near Morrisons, Yate this afternoon. The Gazette has more details here For other local road safety stories, please click here
Two years ago, the Liberal Democrats launched a draft Freedom Bill. Today, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister announced a real-life Freedom Bill. Let's go through the 2009 list of measures to see how progress is going: • Scrap ID cards for everyone, including foreign nationals - Already scrapped by the Coalition, but for British nationals only. • Ensure that there are no restrictions in the right to trial by jury for serious offences including fraud - In the Bill. • Restore the right to protest in Parliament Square, at the heart of our democracy - Fail. • Abolish the ...
My article on the branding of the Labour Party has made the top 5 most read on Lib Dem Voice http://www.libdemvoice.org thanks to everyone who read it (even those who disagreed with it!)
Once again I find myself saying I agree with Nick. Today Nick Clegg said: "Of course we need checks on those people who are working regularly with children and vulnerable adults but not everybody who is volunteering, often on an ... Continue reading →
A couple of weeks ago Caron selected her ten favourite MSPs. It seemed like an interesting way to stimulate a discussion, but oddly her typically excellent post received no replies. Perhaps, like me, other readers found it difficult to argue with Caron's choices (the only difference I would make is to replace Patrick Harvie with my own MSP Trish Godman). Or maybe they just couldn't name ten MSPs... John Swinney's Budget has quite rightly stimulated a fair amount of conversation (at least here in Scotland) about the merits of the various party leaders. Understandably, the focus in generally on Iain ...
County Cllr Allan Knox has praised the efforts of Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service's efforts in tackling the release of a cloud of Nitric Acid at the Johnson Matthey plant in the town. The incident occurred at 11.32am and was reported by on the Fire Service website as follow: At 11.32 am this morning, Friday 11th February, firefighters were mobilised to reports of a leak of liquid nitric acid at the premises of Johnson Matthey Catalysts, Pimlico Industrial Estate, West Bradford Road, Clitheroe. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and chemical protection suits stopped the leak but not before a cloud of ...
I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Here's looking at you kid.
Fri 11th
18:17
District council proposes to deliver £2.2m savings with no increase to Council Tax in 2011/12
St Albans City and District Council's Cabinet agreed, at its meeting on 1 February, proposals for a budget for 2011/12 that ensures that nobody in the District will have to pay more District Council related Council Tax than last year, and delivers £2.2m of savings whilst protecting residents' essential services and support for organisations helping vulnerable people locally. The Cabinet has recommended the budget to full Council who will consider the details at its meeting on 23 February. The main features of the proposed budget are: - No increase in the District Council's element of Council Tax, or, in some ...
Following the record breaking weekend that graced the Premier League only days ago, Saturday's action has a lot to live up to. However, with a Manchester derby and a game at The Hawthorns that could have a vital say in deciding who will get relegated, there is much to look forward to. The action kicks ...
Events have moved quickly in Cairo: President Hosni Mubarak has at last resigned, along with Vice President (and former chief of the thuggish security services) Omar Suleiman. Any comment from me feels superfluous, so instead here is a selection of ... Continue reading →
Over on the Guardian's Comment Is Free site, Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Foreign Office Minister, Jeremy Browne, makes a valuable contribution to what will be an increasingly important conversation for Liberal Democrats to engage in in the coming years: how we can make our participation in government an electoral asset, and make it more likely that 2010-2015 will not go down in history as simply a one-off period of Liberal Democrats exercising national power. Jeremy's main thesis is that, to ensure future success, the Liberal Democrats need to replace those voters who supported the party as a protest, ...
My column from today's Liberal Democrat News. TV Torment Our relationship with television has changed. When I first attended Liberal Assemblies in the 1980s, most delegates, when approached by a camera crew, would feel intimidated and back away. At modern Liberal Democrat Conferences everyone is able to give a polished sound bite on demand. It has changed more than that. Embarrassing Bodies invites us to believe there are numerous people, too bashful to visit their doctor, who are nevertheless prepared to display their naughty bits on evening television. A different ordeal is suffered by contestants on Come Dine With Me ...
Our political opponents will be preaching that the resignation of Liberal Democrat Lord Oakshott as coalition economic spokesman in the Lords, and the letter to The Times signed by 90+ Liberal Democrat councillors arguing that the cuts are too fast and too deep are the first cracks in the unity of the party. They will be proclaiming that history is about to repeat itself, and as has happened twice before, most of those in government will merge with the Tories and the rest of us will resume our post 1920s role as a party of protest and bright ideas with ...
New venue for my Councillor's surgery at Norden Old Library this Saturday I am now holding my surgery at the Norden Old Library every month on the second Saturday at 10.30 am. In November the new community rooms on the ground floor of the Norden Old Library opened to the public. Since then a number of ...
Most MPs should hang their heads in shame for yesterday's display of scorn for human rights, ignorance of their meaning and sheer zenophobia. Let them all from Jack Straw downwards (Can one go lower than Jack Straw ?) go and work for Murdoch and the gutter press. I honour the 26 who voted against the resolution including Alan Beith, Tom Brake, Lorely Burt, Don Foster, Duncan Hames, Simon
I'm an increasing fan of The Economist's new Bagehot columnist. His approach to blog posts is self-confessedly long and unpolished. But worth bearing with. His post on the Prisoners' voting rights and the European Court must be his longest yet. But wonderful. Quite apart from the rights and wrongs of giving prisoners the vote, thumbing our noses at the court is the wrong kind of signal to send countries with lest robust judicial systems, like Russia. Just as the shortcuts we used on the War on Terror have been used by as excuse by countless bad regimes, like Robert Mugabe's, ...
Further to my post about the Whitley Neighbourhood Action Group a couple of weeks ago a public meeting has been organised by the Whitley North Neighbourhood Police Team.The meeting is to discuss ongoing crime and anti-social behaviour problems on Northumberland Avenue. The meeting will be held on Wednesday 16 March at 7pm at South Reading Youth And Community Centre on Northumberland Avenue. The Whitley North Neighbourhood includes the Southern section of the ward including the top of Northumberland Avenue and Hexham Road and I would like to encourage any residents living in this area to attend the meeting. There have been problems ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Lord Oakeshott departs as a Lib Dem Treasury spokesman (44 comments) by Mark Pack What Labour's manifesto actually said about electoral reform (64 comments) by Mark Pack Lib Dem council leaders attack Pickles over speed and scale of cuts (31 comments) by Sara Bedford Opinion: there are better adjectives for the Labour Party than 'progressive' (55 comments) by Richard Morris What the think tanks are saying: The IPPR on "How much is Labour to blame?" (25 comments) ...
I have a new piece on Lib Dem Voice called 'Coalition needs a new approach to collective responsibility'. Do have a look
Hosni Mubarak has gone! I'm now thankful that a trapped nerve in my back has laid me low today because I've happened to have been watching BBC News 24 as Vice President Suleiman announced that President Hosni Mubarak has resigned. Deposed Egyptian President - Mr Hosni Mubarak Incredible scenes of jubilation from Tahir Square have followed on what is day 18 of the uprising. It seemed that Mubarak would stubbornly keep going after his announcement last night that he would not stand down. Indeed as the days turned into weeks, Mubarak continued to shield himself by sacking his cabinet ...
Someone in GMP has a sense of humour: Drunk and Disorderly Inn
A terrific victory for the home side as after 18 long days the people of Egypt have forced out their dictator and whilst the future remains clouded in mystery hope has been restored. If you cut the head off then the body will fall. When the figure-head of a political regime is tole it is ...
Just a reminder that the southern part of Scott Way, Yate will be closed for up to ten days from Monday for construction of the pedestrian crossing. Traffic heading for Hudson Close, Shackleton Avenue and Cabot Close will have to come into Shire Way from the Shopping Centre side. Following that, from 7 March there will be two way temporary traffic signals for a period while the work is completed. Officially they may be in place until 2 April, but we're guessing that work will be finished before then.
This afternoon I was invited by my colleague Glenton Brown to come to a meeting with residents and businesses in Boscastle to discuss the impact of the proposed parking changes on their village. Boscastle is predominantly a tourist venue, but the car park there is also used by locals and by people who work in the dozen or so businesses in the harbour area. As anyone who has been there know, it is also incredible hilly and has just a single car park. The main message to come out of the meeting was the anger at the lack of involvement ...
I am fascinated by the Coercive techniques we are seeing used by the Tory-led coalition government. Initially, I have been aggravated by kneejerk political reactions by David Cameron. His "Knife crime" policy reversal in light of tabloid pressure is a typical example. Pre election predications on Knife Crime had the Tories arguing for custodial sentences. Yet these were abandoned under the
Last Thursday, generations of Chinese in Soho welcomed the Year of the Rabbit in time-honoured traditional ways. Yet we didn't hear David Cameron demonise Chinatown as a 'segregated community' living 'apart from the mainstream'. On the contrary, the annual lion dance spectacle has become an essential fixture in London's calendar, enjoyed by people from many different cultures. The Oxford dictionary defines multicultural(ism) as "of or relating to or constituting several cultural or ethnic groups within a society". Note the word "within". Yet there's a growing tendency to rubbish multiculturalism, treating it as synonymous with the failed Labour policies referred to ...
The Localism Bill gives more power to "local communities", letting "communities" run their own affairs. There's a Community Right to Challenge. Communities will keep the proceeds of the Community Infrastructure Levy. Community, community, community. Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities, won't stop talking about communities. The problem is that in practice it doesn't ...
The No2AV campaign are circulating the findings from an Australian opinion poll commissioned by the right-wing Insitute of Public Affairs. On the face of it, the findings are devastating for the Yes campaign: More than half of Australians would support FPTP, according to a Newspoll. Only 37% favoured the current preferential system. #no2av Bad news? Not exactly. If you've been following the AV referendum polling done in the UK, you'll be aware that the wording used in the question can significantly alter the outcome. This is the question [pdf] as asked by Newspoll. The emphasis in bold is theirs, not ...
The Government seem to have changed, or at least suspended, their ill thought out decision on the selling-off of public forests. A well organised campaign has highlighted the public dislike of the sale, and praise is due to Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment and Rural affairs, on changing a bad policy. Her written ...
The world's journalists have been sifting the tea leaves of the cryptic pronouncements of the Egyptian army command. Certainly the army is likely to play a crucial role in the next few days. So in true liberal spirit it is ... Continue reading →
I have just signed theJonathan Bartley letter to Mark Thompson concerning the BBC language on the electoral reform debate. The BBC have decided that word reform is too positive and hence unfair. How out of touch with reality is the senior managment of this organisation? Dear Mark Thompson, We are writing to urge you to reverse your Orwellian guidance against the use of the word "reform" in reference to May's national referendum. Switch on BBC1 or tune in to Radio 4 any morning and you will hear the government's plan of the day being described as "reform," from the NHS ...
Two coalition Liberal Democrat Cabinet members are in Devon & Cornwall today visiting constituencies held by Conservative MPs. There have been numerous visits from Coalition Conservative Ministers, but I'm not aware of any to a constituency held by a Liberal Democrat MP in the region. These things may be trivial to the powers that be but they matter to the activists who win the elections that allow MPs to become Ministers. Of more importance is the fact that Nick Clegg still visited Teignbridge despite rumblings among party advisers that he should pull out because the local Lib Dem Council group ...
STOCKWOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM THURSDAY 17TH FEBRUARY The next Stockwood Neighbourhood Forum is on Thursday 17th February 7pm at Christ the Servant Church, Stockwood. The Forum is an informal meeting that gives residents a chance to bring up issues that affect where they live, such a policing, council issues, local problems & ideas for a better neighbourhood. The Police & Council officers are present to assist and to report back on previous issues. If you unable to attend but would like me to bring any matter to the attention of the Forum, please contact me and I will be most happy ...
Fri 11th
15:12
did Sir Humphrey give the advice on Chapter 3 of Part 5 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill?
Disregarded is not the same as not being disclosed except in Whitehall. The Government's Protection of Freedoms Bill needs to extend to Northern Ireland and Scotland but also be amended to do what the Prime Minister said it would.
In my recent piece on LDV, a fairly gentle poke at the rebranding of the opposition, two themes emerged from those with opposing views. They can be summed up as 'Why don't you lot ever disagree with the Tories' and 'get your own house in order first'. Well you know, I think they have a point. Even as a strong supporter of the coalition, I'd long disagreed with the 'not a cigarette paper between us' approach to government. We get tarred with policy we don't agree with, get no credit for Lib Dem inspired legislation, and fail to build up ...
In common with all other "mycouncillor" websites, mine may be disrupted during this weekend as they are having something of an overhaul. I realise that I'm taking a big risk letting you know this lest the county council decide it's the ideal time to release some major bad news, but I hope all will be back to normal quite quickly.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company have chosen West Ham United to inherit the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games. The news has been greeted positively by West Ham, and also Spurs fans who had opposed the move. The decision seems to make sense, in that West Ham are an East London club who will move ...
I suspect many of you will have read the widely reported article this morning that Forest Green Rovers have banned red meat from the ground in an attempt to promote healthy living amongst their fans. The ban on players eating red meat has been running for a few weeks but now it is being spread ...
Today the Liberal Democrat group at Suffolk County Council have put forward an amendment which aims to save vital services like libraries, youth services, subsidised buses and school crossing patrols. We have actually LISTENED to the people of Suffolk, unlike the Conservative administration, who are clearly driven by an ideological desire to close and privatise. Here is the list of services we want to save: Keep all libraries open Retain school crossing patrols Retain funding for youth clubs Maintain subsidised bus service to rural communities Keep the eXplore student discount travel card Reopen Bury Road Park and Ride service Keep ...
Wikileaks has a theory, that "if acting in a just manner is easier than acting in an unjust manner, most actions will be just." Their argument has been strengthened by what has been hailed the "first Wikileaks revolution" in Tunisia. For those who want the corrupt autocracies in the middle East replaced with democracies, this may be seen as a ringing endorsement of Wikileaks. But is it as simple as that? Wikileaks talks about the "unintended consequences of failing to publish", but, of course, there can also be unintended consequences to publishing. When diplomats of a democratic country send frank ...
At the Regeneration and Transport Select committee last night (10th February) I raised (in a joint motion with Mossley Hill Lib Dem Cllr Ron Gould) the problems some of my constituents have when there is a big event at Liverpool Cricket Club. The major events, like the County Cricket matches, give local people the chance to see good cricket. They also however can cause parking problems and safety problems in the streets nearby. Anyway, it was agreed that the first step is a site visit to the location during one of the major events, and we've picked the one that ...
From ShropshireLive.com: Shropshire residents warned not to leave valuable items in front of their homesThis advice may well have wider application
No doubt much will be written about this measly piece of legislation that was so heavily touted as the answer to years of Labour law making. For the moment I simply refer you to the words of one far wiser than I, over 150 years ago now: "To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, ...
Don't foregt the latest in our weekly Saturday Surgeries tomorrow. As we've been doing for a few months now, fellow local Councillors and I will be at the Longfield Centre between 10.45 and 11.45 tomorrow for you to join our campaign to save some of Prestwich's key civic functions which are threatened in the upcoming ...
The Protection of Freedoms Bill was published today, revealing an array of sweeping reforms which will put an end to unwarranted local authority snooping and unnecessary scrutiny of individuals. The Bill steps up the coalition government's commitment to restore hard-won British liberties. It will see: • an end to the routine monitoring of 9.3 million people ...
The intrusive National ID Card register was laid to rest today as the hard drives containing a mass of personal data were fed into an industrial shredder. The ID card system was officially stopped a few months ago, but the government ordered the equipment holding the data to be physically destroyed. The remains of the hard drives will now be incinerated. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "I have always called in the strongest terms for the national identity register to be scrapped, and it was one of the first things the coalition pledged to do" More details on the ...
I'm a big fan of London Underground. I don't know why, but I am. On the occasional yearly visits that I make to our nation's capital, I always travel around on the Undeground. The bus system seems too complicated to me and there's just something engineeringly fantastic about the underground that fascinates me. I'm also a big fan of our Welsh capital, Cardiff. It's a lovely city and I have many good friends there so I often find myself there trying to mix a business visit with a general socialising catch-up with friends. So imagine my amusement to find that ...
The letter to the Times is still causing ripples and today the Southport Visiter carries the story: SEFTON Council's leader has launched a stinging attack on Communities Secretary Eric Pickles over the £68m cuts facing the borough. Cllr Tony Robertson was among 88 local Lib Dem heads, including 17 town hall leaders, to sign an open letter warning of the pace of the Government's spending cuts. They accused Mr Pickles of "letting down" users of council services and refusing to work with councillors. In the letter, which lays bare the depth of frustration felt by a highly influential section of ...
After a busy week I want to try and catch up on blogging related things this evening. Although I feel I've probably written too much about the unfortunate rally by the English Defence League in Luton last weekend, I thought ought to do a post to follow up. If you haven't seen it, I wrote about my experience on the day here. Luton rapidly got back to normal after the events on Saturday as the barriers were removed, the police left town, and the square was swept. I have heard there have been a few incidents of graffiti related to ...
Facebook _and_ Twitter are both reporting problems with users updating their status. Recently, many Tiscali broadband users were abandoned by Talk Talk, who cut off their internet connection without warning and then did not provide a MAC to enable re-provision of service by another supplier. A back-hoe digger rips up the main telephone fibre-optic cable, taking thousands off the air at a stroke. A road accident pulls down telephone lines, leaving subscribers disconnected until BT are able to repair it, which could be many days. We're all so dependent on internet connectivity these days. It _is_ the coffee shop and ...
Egypt's government says State of Emergency to be lifted when protests end. Is there a lot of difference in these two statements? One was intended as a joke, the other is being taken as a joke. Come on (Egyptian) folks. You can do better than that. Eat some humble pie. Bring the election forward. You know you can if you want to.
Image via www.london2012.com I'm looking forward to the London Olympic Cycling Road Race, the route of which was announced yesterday. As regular readers of my blog will know I follow the cycling races and not just the Grand Tours (although these are somewhat easiest especially the Tour de France). So this circuit is particularly exciting for me. The reason being that as a Kingston University graduate who used to cycle everywhere as a student there are large parts of the circuit that I can feel in my legs as I've cycled them. There are other parts I can visualise because ...
We need to identify potential members to the party if we are to start attracting them to increase membership. Those already involved in politics but not members are the most likely to join a party if they see the benefit of doing so. Those already involved in their communities are potential members so what could ...
I have already had a little flak on Twitter following the Guardian article this morning. Being unable to explain myself in less than 140 characters..........(why use 1 character when 100 will do??!) I decided to resort to my blog. I have made no secret of my despair about the coalition, despair that has only deepened and widened as each day it seems another Liberal Democrat value is demolished and replaced with a realignment of our values to be more Toryesque. Yesterday being a case in point, the suggestion that the wonderful Matthew Oakeshott had to go because he had spoken ...
The link is to a story in Oldham about a case of a mother who was brought up in care who has had her baby taken for adoption on the basis that her mother was in care.This case, although it was deemed without merit by the Court of Appeal has managed to get accelerated proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights.This is one reason why I don't want to lose the safetynet of the ECtHR.
Two years ago I attended a day long event in London called "The Convention on Modern Liberty". It was bustling with activists and politicians from various parties and had a number of interesting debates in the main hall and in fringe meetings. The theme was civil and other liberties and one of the leading lights of the event was Conservative MP David Davis. He had become something of a darling of the liberty movement following his resignation from the Shadow Cabinet and forcing of a by-election on the issue of detention without trial and liberty more generally. Indeed such was ...
The rise of online political coverage has done no harm to the mini-publishing boom brought about by a general election. In addition to the one-off books and the relatively new series there are some long running series that churn out a new edition for every general election. The Nuffield series is the most famous and longest-running but the Britain at the Polls series is a worthy and complimentary series. Its latest offering, Britain at the Polls 2010 (edited by Nicholas Allen and John Bartle), provides something extra even in the face of the latest Nuffield offering, The British General Election ...
I spend a lot of time thinking about and commenting on national issues. About what goes on in macro economics. About Westminster policy and how it fits with Lib Dem philosophy. About opinion polls and how they'll affect the national party. But that's not what it's all about, is it? Last night was the Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside Liberal Democrat's monthly ward meeting. And as ever, I sit there and admire the huge amount of work and the passion which our councillors and the other officers of the ward apply to what they do. They devote huge amounts of ...
Last night, whilst most of Northern Ireland's political bloggers were finding out about the bright shining stars of the Northern Ireland policial world, some 50 or 60 people were observing UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects), aliens, planets, and stars in the Queen's Quarter.
The 'Project Merlin' agreement reached yesterday between the government and the UK's leading banks is to be cautiously welcomed as a necessary but insufficient step towards wholesale reform of the financial services sector. In particular, the SLF welcomes the 15% increase in funds available to small businesses and the small move towards greater transparency on executive remuneration - but the deal as a whole fails to tackle the fundamental failure of our financial system to serve the wider economy. Although the government will point to an increase in overall lending targets, monitored by the Bank of England for delivery, once ...
The issue of which prisoners should be allowed to vote was discussed in the House of Commons yesterday.There are some points that have been missed from the debate:Firstly, the European Court Judgment that said that there should be some consideration of a change in the law did not pay any compensation to the person complaining.Secondly, the judgment also said that one reason why they felt that
The government is starting to set out proposels for the Freedom Bill – and it's a good start. Restriction of DNA storing, police stop-and-search, CCTV and countless databases are to be abolished. ID cards have been abandoned, too. However, the ... Continue reading →
These are troubling times, for many reasons. If you're interested in the politics of the Liberal Democrats then you're driven to ask precisely what's going on. For those who considered they were joining a tolerant and federal party of the centre-left, the omens seem to get worse by the day. Yesterday we had a letter ...
A nice Friday surprise this morning - the announcement of the long awaited Freedom Bill, the much vaunted bonfire of those state invasions into our everyday lives that really aren't necessary. You would think, wouldn't you, that I'd have been delighted to see the last bit of the ID database being destroyed on BBC Breakfast this morning. I wasn't. Obviously I'm pleased that another Liberal Democrat promise has been kept, but my overwhelming feeling was one of being cheated. Labour wasted billions on something that was never going to be effective, was always a waste of time, in the face ...
South Gloucestershire Lib Dems have welcomed government funding for a council tax freeze. The funding, equivalent to a 2.5% rise in Council Tax, is being provided to Councils who freeze Council Tax, to help them meet demand for services without having to pass the burden on to local people. Cllr Ruth Davis, Leader of the Lib Dems on South Gloucestershire Council, said, "The Lib Dems will not support any increase in South Gloucestershire's Council Tax for residents in the coming year. In these tough economic times it would be daft to turn down the extra government funding and instead place ...
The Coalition Government have moved quickly to ensure that Universities who are seeking to charge the full £9,000 fees for students will have to put in real help for those from poorer families wishing to study at their institutions. According to the Independent universities in England that want to charge more than £6,000 in fees from next year will have to fund a national scholarship programme in return: The scheme will be worth £150m annually by 2014-15, when 48,000 students from families with an income of less than £25,000 a year will be helped. At present, about one-third of the ...
There are various groups in society that I wish couldn't vote (pretty much everyone apart from me), but luckily, I am not allowed to withdraw that right from other people. None of us are, and that principle is central to our democracy. So news that MPs have decided it is their right to pick and ...
Want to outgeek friends who have IPv4 T-Shirts from inferior, foreign geeky web sites? Want to annoy your local Virgin Media engineer? Look no further! "There's no place like ::1/128" T-Shirts are now available. For the ladies, size-wise an "L" fits me and I'm a 14. Text reads: "There's no place like ::1/128" and "This T-Shirt is IPv6 ready. Are you?" (For those requiring explanation of ::1/128, see here. Yes, it's geeky. Don't say I didn't warn you.)
Parliament is discussing whether prisoners should be given the right to vote. This would bring the UK into line with a ruling made by the European Court of Human Rights about 10 years ago which said that member countries had to allow their prisoners voting rights. Now, I'm fairly confident that the average "man on the street" would probably support the status quo in the UK, where prisoners are
Chapter 4 of Britain at the Polls 2010 brings this tax perspective: From the early 1990s the City had sought to justify light-touch regulation and tax concessions by listing the many socio-economic benefits of finance ... The most persistent of the City's claims was that tax revenues from finance were a key source of funding for New Labour's social programmes. But ... over the 5 years from 2002 to 2007, tax receipts from finance totalled £153 billion and averaged just 6.7 per cent of government receipts. In the same period, manufacturing employed many more workers, who all paid taxes under ...
Yesterday's little spat about senior Labour figures briefing on the Plaid Cymru Leader's competence in Government has turned into open warfare with a member of the Welsh Cabinet going on the record to attack a senior former Labour Minister. According to the Western Mail, Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones told journalists that Ieuan Wyn Jones' predecessor as Minister in charge of the economy, Andrew Davies had made a complete mess of the job. Echoing my allusion yesterday about Mr. Davies seeking to blame civil servants for his troubles, she said: "The attempt over the past few months to re-invent Andrew ...
In all my years following politics, I can't say the House of Lords has ever grabbed my interest. It's a bit like Morris dancing - a national embarrassment that we would rather do without, but is somehow comforting to know it is there. It is the bumbling old uncle you only ever see at Christmas soundly asleep. It is quaint, historical and very British. After all, how many democratic countries have a non-elected legislative chamber consisting of bishops, failed and has-been politicians, and descendants of men (and women!) who did favours for various Kings? There have been attempts to reform ...
RT @rfenwick I dreamed Tim Montgomerie wrote to all papers implicating me in a crime, to get my attentn & declare his love 4 me < no dream. # @rfenwick I'm just very happy for you both. Coalition at its sweetest [IMG: :)] in reply to rfenwick # "Forgiveness is how we can forget the past and be liberated to live." (Or something like that.) Great 6th episode of #TheKilling # RT @mssusieday: #TheKilling So brilliant: best thing I've seen since The Wire. Sarah 'Jumpers' Lund = my new fave TV 'tec. « THIS # Trying to work out if ...
It's relatively easy to track down early postcards and images of high streets or in this instance, High Roads, - more on this to follow. But I have often wondered who the shop keepers were, the customers and the products. So this little gem gives us one small insight - dated on the back 1897 it looks like an engagement or aniversary picture... but crucially for this blog is taken on the Kilburn High Road. It's a studio piece on a card mount, nothing on the back - the sort of thing you would go in have the picture taken ...
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas met on Tuesday and had some interesting and varied presentations on Shale Gas. It does appear that Shale Gas will have some effect on the consequences of peak oil. It won't delay the oil peak itself - and in fact may make it earlier through price effects, but it will provide an alternative if not entirely substitutable supply.Hence although
broadcast anniversaries 11 February 1967: broadcast of first episode of The Moonbase. The Tardis lands on the Moon, near the base which controls Earth's weather. Crew members are falling ill; but it is the Cybermen behind it all. 11 February 1978: broadcast of second episode of The Invasion of Time. The Doctor expels Leela from the Capitol, and laughs as three alien beings materialise in the Panopticon.
The Coalition's Localism Bill aims to give communities more control of their own physical habitat, letting us write Neighbourhood Plans and expedite popular developments. It aims to create a world where neighbours come together to play a part in the planning system. It will transfer decisions from the professionals at the Municipal Office to the ...
I know for a fact that Mark Littlewood (formerly of this parish) and Sir Ming Campbell respect one another. Mark was the head of media for the Lib Dems when Ming was leader of the party. They got on. Ming listened to Mark's media advice . Mark recognised Ming's political and international experience and knowledge. They were as one, I think, on civil liberties. In recent times it would be fair to say, however, that their views have not always chimed on economic issues. But in the last 24 hours there seems to have been a meeting of Ming/Mark minds. ...
There seems to be a considerable amount of rage about the idea of letting some prisoners vote. The European Court of Human Rights ruled years ago that Britain was breaking the European Convention on Human Rights, to which we are a party. Years later, we haven't done anything about it. It's now decision time: do we, as a nation, respect the rule of law? Apparently not. The House of Commons voted by 234 to 22 to defy the law. Apparently it is so disgraceful that lawbreakers should be allowed to vote that the House of Commons had no choice but ...
The headline in today's Lancaster Guardian is about the possible move of Lancaster's market to the City Museum. The reason why there is a search for a new site is because a previous administration allowed a private firm to build the market and lease it back to the council on a 99-year lease. What this means is that the council pays the owners £564 000 per year. There are other expenses associated with the market amounting to a further £347 000. The good news (if there is any good news) is that the market raises £332 000. You don't have ...
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokes Person for North Somerset leaves the UK for East Timor. Brian Mathew who stood against Liam Fox for the Liberal Democrats in last years general election gaining 20,687 votes, 6,000 up on the previous general election, is to go to work in East Timor with World Vision on their water, sanitation and health education campaign. Brian who is standing down as the Lib Dem Spokesperson for North Somerset said "It has been really good to do this for three years, but I can't really continue from the other side of the planet. Campaigns still need to ...
