19) Kate Chopin, The Awakening & Other Stories (Ware: Wordsworth, 1995, ISBN 185326556X). The Awakening is apparently an early classic of American feminist literature and caused a scandal in its day by showing a white woman both marrying and committing adultery with Creole men. I liked the portrayal of the Creole community in the early chapters, but started to lose interest as it went on and the action moved from a seaside resort to the city. The language didn't particularly appeal to me. Both it and the social setting reminded me of Jane Austen if she had written about this ...
This morning I joined Council Leader Jenny Dawe in visiting the new Inchview Care Home. This is one of four new Care Homes completed since we came to power. Inchview is surrounded by parkland's and mature trees. To the North East you have a stunning view of Arthur's Seat, to the South West the Pentland Hills. Mature trees are everywhere. It will look particularly nice in the autumn. The building is terrific with good sized rooms and wide corridors allowing for easy access of equipment. Wider space means that it is easier to get equipment in and out and to ...
As an Estonian drummer?
"The first thing to understand about the NUS is that it does not meaningfully represent students," says Free Radical, discussing Aaron Porter's announcement today that he will not be seeking re-election as the union's president. Blunt and Disorderly is back with a post accusing politicians of treating the public as a rabid, xenophobic and vengeful mob: "We are not. We believe that human beings have inalienable rights that are not the gentle concession of Parliament, but inherent part of being human. We have duties towards each other and the community at large, and if we breach them, we should make ...
As usual Cicero sums up perfectly. And contrition is clearly not in Labour's lexicon. Having seen Douglas Alexander on Newsnight, his argument consisted of 'George W told us to do it', 'war on terror' and 'balistic missiles'. Robin Cook will be birling in his grave.
It's been a strange couple of days. On the one hand I've had an absolutely lovely time with family here from Australia. On the other hand every time I hear a bit of news I hear that someone else, or some dozens or even hundreds, have been injured or killed in the Middle East, not in a fresh outbreak of the gulf wars nor in Israeli -Palestinian clashes nor any of the other ongoing hostilities,
Lord Bonkers offers us his further recollections of the early days of commercial television. Not every moving television programme meets with the success it deserves. In the early days of the Rutland ITV franchise we screened an hilarious comedy series ("On the Throne") based upon the Abdication crisis. Sid James made a fine George V, with lovely Peggy Mount playing Queen Mary; there were also roles for such sterling actors as Julian Orchard and Hugh Lloyd. The outstanding figure, however, was a newcomer by the name of Ronnie Barker, who captured the stutter of the Duke of York (who became ...
At the City Council's Development Management Committee tonight, I moved refusal of yet another mobile phone mast planning application in the West End - this time at Ninewells Avenue and close to Glamis Gardens (formerly Wimberley Court) and the Hillside area. I made the point that there is too little co-operation in mast sharing between mobile phone companies. This application was by O2 and Vodafone, but there are already three Orange/T-Mobile masts off Riverside Drive and another on the water tower in Yarrow Terrace. My motion to refuse read : 1. The proposed development is contrary to Policy 1 - ...
The BBC are reporting tonight absolute chaos and carnage in Libya. The violence has spread to the capital Tripoli and there are murmours that Colonel Gadaffi has fled to Venezuela. Senior diplomats are defecting whilst two army aircraft pilots have done so too by landing in Malta and asking for political asylum. Suddenly, this country that has been ruled by Gadaffi since 1969 seems set to go the way of Tunisia and Egypt. However, the significant difference is that the regime is fighting back with what some high ranking diplomats are calling 'genocide'. There's bloodshed and there's violence and when ...
The BBC is reporting that NUS President Aaron Porter is to step down instead of standing for re-election. It quotes his claim that he was confident of re-election but had decided that the NUS needed new leadership. I do not share his optimism, and I believe that the NUS needs far more than new leadership. The first thing to understand about the NUS is that it does not meaningfully represent students. The NUS leadership is elected by the NUS Conference, which is attended by representatives of students' unions. However, let's take the example of Warwick SU. While I am sure ...
I'm extremely exhausted, and can't write anything coherent today, but I have got to the point where I'm feeling a bit maudlin, and it just hit me what a great bunch of people visit and comment on and link to this site, and how lucky I am to know them. So I'd just like to ...
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Yes! To Fairer Votes have produced a new video, The People Say Yes, in which a number of voters explain why they are backing AV. The video contains arguments, cases and slogans in favour of AV. But most of the people taking part do not tell stories, meaning that the overall impact is not as great as it might be. The difference is that a story tells or recounts at least one event or incident. An effective story is clear, surprising, emotional and, most importantly, it's credible. If you don't believe me, compare most ...
Having being away from my desk for a few weeks coping with real life, it's good to be able to come back and talk about a death. Daniel Bell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Bell has finally given up on the post industrial society he predicted and gone to reside elsewhere. Those not familiar with his work will have heard the phrases and perhaps read the work of his disciple, Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. Or perhaps not. Bell was a bit of a worrier and probably not great at parties but he got quite a lot of predictions about the future spot on. His ...
Being no stranger to obsessive or repetitious blogging and all that entails, last Friday I emailed Mick Rawsthorne (Regional Manager BBC SE) further following on from comments I made about BBC TV local coverage. Tony flaig to mick.rawsthorne 18 Feb (3 days ago) Hi Mick As a regional manager for the BBC can you tell me, why BBC coverage of local democracy is so poor across the county of Kent. This morning listening to BBC Radio Kent, between six and seven, only a very minimal reference was made concerning KCC's budget meeting, since the programme in question is news based ...
Whilst the Rural Affairs Minster considers responses to her consultation on whether to instigate a cull of badgers in North Pembrokeshire, the rationale behind her proposal continues to be undermined by the success of the other measures she has put in place. According to Pembrokeshire Against the Cull, cattle controls and biosecurity measures are having a significant impact in reducing the numbers of cattle being slaughtered and the associated taxpayer compensation being paid in West Wales due to bovine tb. The latest bovine TB statistics published on 18th February 2011 by DEFRA show a significant reduction in the number of ...
Niall Sullivan is the editor of Market Harborough People. For many years I have wanted to be a journalist one way or the other. I imagined working on a top newspaper or magazine reporting on world events or, as I had planned for many years, reporting on football matches. However, after three years of university my eyes were opened to the changing world of the media industry. Stories of newspapers cutting staff numbers were starting to become a regular occurrence. Sub-editors were some of the first to go, leaving journalists less time to leave the office and find stories, as ...
The quote in the title of this post comes from Tim Farron in the excellent video below. It sets out how the Liberal Democrats are making Britain greener, freer, and more liberal, delivering on the key elements of our election ... Continue reading →
Bill Aitken has tonight decided to step down as Holyrood's Justice Convener over comments he made to the Sunday Herald about a series of rapes in Glasgow. I've written at length on this in recent days so I won't go over that ground. I'm glad he's done the decent thing as I've said he should go all along. However, there's a bit of me that would rather he'd got what he'd done wrong. His resignation statement implies that he doesn't really feel that he's transgressed in any way: "In politics, you have to have a thick skin. But this issue ...
We get horror stories all the time. Those of us with a passing interest in US Justice shudder whenever we hear the name Mike Nifong, the man who single-handedly tried to put three men inside on rape charges he knew full well weren't true to ensure he kept his job as a District Attorney as ...
Bill Atiken, the Conservative Convener of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee, has tonight resigned over comments he made to the Sunday Herald regarding a series of particularly horrific rapes in Glasgow. He implied that the victim of a gang rape in a City Centre lane could have been a prostitute, and that "the police say that there's a lot of drunken carry ons that lead to rape allegations which are subsequently dropped, put it that way." His comments were first reported eight days ago, and although Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie sought to distance herself from them, she took no ...
The Guardian has a new poll, which puts the Lib Dems at 18%, there highest since September. Not quite the heady days of 30% polls at the height of Cleggmania back in April, but it should go someway to soothing the jangling nerves of both the Lib Dem faithful, and the party leadership. The same poll ...
The Aberdeen Press and Journal has the sad news: A veteran Aberdeen councillor, described as a "giant" of the community by colleagues, has died. Ron Clark, Liberal Democrat member for Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone, died last night after being admitted to hospital earlier in the week. Mr Clark, who was in his mid-70s, marked 30 years of public service last year. His council colleagues paid tribute to a hard-working character who had dedicated himself to serving his local community. Last night Liberal Democrat council leader John Stewart said: "Ron has been a great servant for the people of Dyce for ...
Tom Lehrer famously said that he could no longer be a satirist in a world in which Henry Kissinger could be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; such a world was already too satirical to be further satirised. The same is surely true of a world in which Libya has a Justice Minister in the regime of Colonel Gadaffi, and now he resigns - now, not during the many years of torture and repression that went before, but now, when his boss is reportedly on a plane to join his friend and fellow tyrant Hugo Chavez in Venezeula (and I wonder ...
In a slight change from what I said in a previous post, the next public meeting about the Carnival will be taking place this Wednesday (the 23rd) at 7.30pm at Slack Space on Queen Street. Sorry for the short notice!
So Lord Patten appears set fair to be the next Chairman of the BBC Trust. As a supporter of the BBC, I think that this is great news, as he is a strong political animal who understands how things are done in government. My only wish is that we could go back to having the good old-fashioned Board of Governors of the BBC, but this sadly appears to be on nobody's agenda. I voted for Lord Patten to be Chancellor of the University of Oxford, it being a wonderful guilty pleasure to put a cross next to the name of ...
I saw this excellent video whizz passed on twitter, about the difference we are making, and will continue to make over the next four years, in government. Since twitter is so temporary, I wanted to make a more permanent note of it, and share it with a few more people. Enjoy.
The news has emerged today that Aaron Porter will not seek re-election as NUS President. Porter's tenure has, latterly, been a controversial one because of the high-stakes of the tuition fees debate. It was a debate that was utterly rancourous and dogmatic. There was little room for nuance, consensus, or co-operation. The choice was either between ...
I was pleased to receive this reminiscence from from a Liberal activist who helped in the 1961 local elections when the defeat of 'Barberism' was a hot topic. It recalls a Liberal 'dynasty' the Smith Hughes late of Birkdale and now in Essex. The resignation of Lady Watson and the withdrawal of the Tory Whip from Sir Ron, Tom Glover and David Pearson has left Dukes Ward without a Tory representative. When Lady Watson's father left the Council it heralded a long period when the Tories were out of power in Southport. 'I used to have a photocopy of Jack ...
Yes! To Fairer Votes have produced a new video, The People Say Yes, in which a number of voters explain why they are backing AV. The video contains arguments, cases and slogans in favour of AV. But most of the people taking part do not tell stories, meaning that the overall impact is not as great as it might be. The difference is that a story tells or recounts at least one event or incident. An effective story is clear, surprising, emotional and, most importantly, it's credible. If you don't believe me, compare most of the contributions to this video ...
This is a piece I've written for the Stag which should be published shortly. I'm proud because the Liberal Democrats are in government doing things which no other party would have done. We've got 64% of our manifesto implemented which means things like taking a million of the lowest paid out of tax altogether by increasing the tax threshold to £10,000 and creating a new Green Investment Bank to help create new jobs and new industry. Things like the pupil premium, which means £430 extra funding for the poorest pupils in the country- funding which will help them get the ...
How come I'm not surprised by the story carried on Lib Dem Voice-a part from being tipped off last week by a source co-named Donna. Anyway congratulations to Erin formerly a member of staff to Southport Lib Dem MP John Pugh for winning 3 awards including Parliamentary Researcher of the Year. Last year Erin spoke to the Birkdale Blog about her first conference speach
A spark of pro-democracy protest – almost unnoticed in parts of 'The West' – appeared in Tunisia last month which has now turned into a fire of potentially historic proportions reaching across North Africa into the Middle East. The great Arab democratic revolt overthrew the governments of Tunisia and Egypt and now threatens the established ...
It has been announced today that the F1 season opening Grand Prix in Bahrain has been postponed to an undetermined future date. It was due to run on March 13th but the season will now begin in the country that since the mid-90s has become used to staging the showcase first race of the year - Australia, on March 27th. Correct Decision After the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt were forced from power, demonstrators in Bahrain have been demanding that the ruling monarchy gives up its near-absolute control over key policies and positions. But the unrest and deaths that have ...
[IMG: Erin Harvey Parliamentary Researcher of the Year 2011] Photo credit: Paul Heartfield, Federation of Small Businesses. Erin Harvey, researcher to Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle, scooped three prizes at last week's Dods Parliamentary Researcher of the Year Awards. From ePolitix.com: Erin Harvey, the Liberal Democrat researcher who previously worked for Susan Kramer before joining the Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle in May, stole the show where she won three of the seven awards; Liberal Democrat Researcher of the Year, the Federation of Small Businesses Award and the Overall Researcher of the Year Award. Awarding her the Liberal Democrat Researcher of ...
The European Court of Human Rights is often in the press and getting itself a bad name among the public. This is because it does appear to on the face of it come up with rights for those who we deem to have little rights because of what these people have done. Human Rights apply to all of us, be them good or bad people. If you start being selective on human rights then there are no human rights in effect, because you are choosing how they should apply and who to, rather than all. These rights would wear away ...
The second in Lovegrove's Pantheon series, The Age of Zeus takes the same basic idea as The Age Of Ra (which I reviewed here) – ancient Gods return to control the Earth – but takes it in a different direction. I didn't find this as good as its predecessor, but to explain why will involve spoilers, so don't click on the read more link if you want to avoid them. The book takes place in a world very similar to our own, where history changed ten years ago when the Olympians – Zeus and the rest of the Greek gods, ...
Having long campaigned for the public opening of the proposed Riverside Nature Park, I was delighted to get a tour round the project with council officers this morning. There's been a huge amount of work undertaken in past months to allow the site to be finally opened to the public later this spring. The pathways, fencing and planting are all taking shape - and here's a couple of photos I took this morning :
I have written a piece here on the Guardian Leeds blog about Nick's visit to Leeds on Friday. What strikes as interesting is how the media now cover the Lib Dems with an overheard joke amongst friends hitting national news websites. Before the election we had to fight tooth and nail to get the coverage we deserved and now every minute detail gets covered by the press. What was also interesting was the narrative the media wanted of the day. It was pitched as a 'Clegg vs. Cameron' battle on the voting referendum the day before and in all the ...
The census is nearly upon us, On March 27th you will (by law) have to fill in the census form. This year for the first time, you will be able to do it online. The above question will appear on that form. This is an attempt to gather information about your religiosity. The question is flawed. This was noticed last time (in 2001) but they have decided not to change it this time. Instead of measuring religiosity it measures some kind of loose cultural affiliation. It doesn't even do that very well. The data obtained by the census is used ...
At least not during the rush hour which is supposed to be the time when bikes are not allowed anyway. I got to Woking station for the 7.11am this morning only to find that I could not get on the ... Continue reading →
The campaign to get Muhammad Al Bouazizi named as Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year' for 2011 is gathering pace - people from all over the world including the US, Canada, Australia, Russia, Egypt, Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, France... and of course Tunisia have accessed the site, and the petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/bouazizi4time/ is gathering names and 'likes' regularly. Therefore I have built a blog specifically for the campaign at www.bouazizi4time.blogspot.com where I will update news, developments and general progress. You can access one click means of reaching Richard Stengal, the Managing Editor of Time Magazine from this site and I ...
On Wednesday Andrew Neil used his Twitter account to tell the world of a scandal involving a "senior Lib Dem" that was due to break at the weekend. Then Guido Fawkes then joined in, adding some juicy details. I rushed out to by all the Sunday papers, leafed through them eagerly, but found nothing. You can imagine how disappointed I was. False rumours are what you read Guido for, but it was Neil who forecast the downfall of Charles Kennedy when no one else saw it coming. I expected better of him than this. How did this nonsense come about? ...
Richard Willis is a Conservative Councillor on Reading Borough Councillor, and over on his blog he has a thorough post looking at the pros and cons of both first past the post and the alternative vote. He is particularly unimpressed with the misleading nature of the debate so far, and helpfully shoots down quite a few of the canards propounded by the No campaign: I have long thought that AV was a good system for use at Parliamentary elections and I have heard nothing from the "No" campaign to persuade me otherwise. Indeed I have been annoyed by the misleading ...
One thing that this Country proudly offers its citizens is a free National Health Service and this has been the case since 1948. In recent decades there has been facility for the wealthy, or through employment benefit packages, to circumvent the NHS and go to a private provider. Measures announced by Coalition (Conservative) Health secretary Andrew Lansley will give doctors and other front-line health professionals the opportunity to buy in services from a whole host of private suppliers rather than relying on their NHS colleagues as a natural default position. Some have argued that this is the start of the ...
Prime Minister David Cameron has arrived for a short visit in Egypt as part of a middle east tour originally meant to boost arms sales according to Conservative Home. Being the first foreign leader to visit since the fall of Mubarak is clearly an advantage, but Mr Cameron risks sending the wrong messages both at home and abroad. With the future direction of the country uncertain and the army in power, too much celebration or friendliness from the PM could be interpreted by the countries interim leaders as an endorsement of their regime. It would also horrify the protestors of ...
I am a great believer in spending decisions revealing what people actually think. For example, as a proportion of my income, I spend significantly more on alcohol than I do on giving to charities. This allows one to draw the conclusion that I care more about getting drunk than I do about charitable endeavours. Whatever ...
I'm sure by now we have all seen the No2AV adverts, the ones claiming switching to the alternative vote will cost £250 million. I won't dwell on the numbers as others have made points I would have (as a starter the FT's westminsterblog). There is a competition floating around Facebook and other sources to spoof the No2AV adverts, here is my contribution knocked up in Paint. Have a go.
I do find myself wondering whether Scandinavian thriller writers find themselves getting up every morning and offering thanks to the memory of Stieg Larsson. In the wake of the success of the Millennium trilogy, it seems that every other thriller on the shelves has a Nordic origin, usually with some comparison to Larsson appearing on either the cover or the poster. So, having finished the trilogy with The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest, what are my thoughts? Full of spoilers, for one, so don't click on the read more link if you wish to remain unspoiled. As with the ...
Foaming at the mouth - photo by Pat Cotterell The stream on Yate Common has been contaminated, it's become brown and frothy. This is quite sudden, as it was fine the previous day. The stream runs down to the River Frome. Friends of Yate Common have informed Yate Town Council and South Glos, and asked them to investigate.
I have returned from a long weekend in Dublin, home of James Joyce, a lot of tourists drinking Guinness, and a giant spike which has been constructed in the centre of town. It wasn't there last time I went, and rises hundreds of feet into the sky for no apparent reason other than aesthetics. In this ...
A quick reminder - early in March I'm off to Merton Liberal Democrats for an afternoon talk about electoral reform and how to win May's referendum, hosted by GLA candidate Shas Sheehan. Here's the blurb: [IMG: Tea and biscuits] Mark Pack will give a talk entitled "The AV referendum: why we've got it and how to win it", followed by a Q&A session. Mark is well known and respected by many in the party for his deep knowledge of the political scene past and present, both from a theoretical and hands on perspective. You can read more about him in ...
This is the third attempt by the Labour Council in Manchester to close Levenshulme Baths since I've been on the Council. Each time, they've claimed either that the condition of the building makes in uneconomic or that they simply cannot afford to run it (or both). Except of course, when they claimed that Levenshulme Baths was such a good facility that people living in Gorton would be able to do all of their swimming there when they closed Gorton Tub. Two years ago, capital investment was said to "guarantee" Levenshulme Baths' long-term future. Now the Council is trying again to ...
This time last week I was a bit worried that I seemed to be the only voice in the Scottish blogosphere writing about Bill Aitken's appalling comments about a series of horrific rapes in Glasgow. Thankfully that's not the case as Jeff at Better Nation, the Burd, Bella Caledonia and Lallands Peat Worrier have also called for him to go. There is even a Facebook group calling for his resignation. Aitken's comments were truly repulsive and certainly not appropriate for the convener of a respected parliamentary Justice Committee. The only person responsible for rape is the rapist, and comments from ...
David Cameron's assault on public services- his declaration that he wants to open them up to the private sector - is something that should bring us all out onto the streets. We have saved our forests - but this is a far greater and more critical battle. He is attempting to sell us the idea that the cuts in public services that the coalition government is forcing upon us gives us the 'opportunity' to revolutionise the provision of those services by bringing in the private sector. It does nothing of the sort. While the private sector is best at creating ...
Who knew that Matthew Elliott, Director of the 'Taxpayers Alliance', the campaign group who wish to see public spending cuts vastly further and faster than today, would be in Birmingham leafletting for 'No2AV' at the weekend? Matthew is also a Director of 'No2AV', the campaign group to keep the current voting system, First-Past-The-Post. It is ...
Cornwall Council has announced the new opening hours for libraries across Cornwall - as promised last week. The new hours for Launceston Library as from April 18th will be Monday 9.30-5.00 Tuesday 9.30-6.30 Wednesday 9.30-5.00 Thursday Closed Friday 9.30-5.00 Saturday 10.00-1.00 Overall this is a loss of 2.5 hours of opening each week. That is very regrettable and the loss of after work opening three days each week is bad news. But it is good that no libraries have been closed at this stage and that the Council has listened to local concerns over the original proposals to switch the ...
A recent eCops update has reminded me of the periodic ASB meetings that are organised by local residents to raise issues of concern with the Council and Police. The next such meeting is on Thursday 24th February (this week) at the Community House at 37 Lawrence Way. It is worth stating that any criminal or anti-social behaviour doesn't have to be tolerated so do please report it. The Police can only act when they know about problems. You can also use us to relay information if you'd like.
We at v believe that the idea of a Big Society is a good one. However it needs to be properly resourced. Not just financially with the Big Society Bank, but with input and ideas from the people on the ground who will make it a reality. What is really important to all charities and to the vision of the Big Society is having an active and growing base of volunteers. We support the Big Society in principal but agree that it's the implementation that needs to be developed. At v, we are experts at inspiring and mobilising young people ...
Welcome to my weekly round-up of two blogging highlights from the past week: the post that I found most interesting or enjoyable to write and the post from someone else that I found most interesting or entertaining. A post from me...Community politics: is it set to disappear as a core Lib Dem belief? A search on Nick Clegg's Deputy Prime Minister website at the time of writing turns up no results for "Community Politics". Looking through the speeches from Nick Clegg on the party's own website, which has the more party-political speeches, there is just the one mention in a ...
Britain is being criticised, by the United States, for allege arms deal with Libya in the past few years. American diplomats are appalled at the prospect of British arms being used on protesters, with American politicians joining in with calls ... Continue reading →
With the increasing numbers of empty houses in the town, police are warning landlords to put in place basic security as there has been increase in copper theft. "This type of offence is on the increase with copper prices reaching an all time high. Landlords are being urged to invest in better security and check their properties on a more regular basis. Very often a relatively small investment can prevent thousands of pounds worth of damage caused by thieves." Full story This type of crime is indicative of the state of the economy and region. Building developments are stalled as ...
The BBC is reporting that NUS Aaron Porter will not stand for re-election. Mr Porter is quoted as saying that the NUS needs a 'fresh start' after its high profile, but controversial, campaign against the Government's changes to the tuition fees system. Porter has faced increasing hostility from his own movement, which resulted in him having to be ...
Just saying...
After the fall of the regimes of Tunisia and Egypt and the protests across the Arab world, the Jasmine revolution now seems set to claim the scalp of the brutal and absurd Libyan leader, Gaddafi. What a joy it might have been to know that British hostility to this evil and tyrannical figure had been unrelenting. After all, we have suffered much at his hands: support for terrorist attacks against us, including vigorous funding of the IRA. Whatever the actual truth of the Lockerbie bomb, the fact remains that a Scottish court convicted a Libyan state official of the crime. ...
This story isn't hugely local - but if you see me looking apprehensive over the next couple of weeks - you might like to know why!Next Thursday I'm taking part in Shelter's Vertical Rush challenge - running up 42 stories (920 steps) of the City of London's Tower 42.At the time of writing I've raised just over £500 - but I hope to grow that further before the day itself. If you want to join in - I think Shelter are still accepting registrations for individuals or teams.Otherwise, why not show your support by sponsoring me!So if you see me ...
I'm going to post a link to something that will upset you. There is no way you can read it and not be really distressed. It's over three weeks since I read it and it's the sort of thing that can give you nightmares. Why? Simply because it's one of those things that you, or someone you love, might need some day, to shock them from a dramatic course of action that may have unintended and far-reaching consequences. I hope you don't need it, but you will never forget that you read it. There may come a time when your ...
In the run up to the Scottish election campaign, some high profile debates will be taking place to explore the main issues. I'll post details of as many as I hear about so that you can get tickets if you want. Scotland on Sunday, in conjunction with Weber Shandwick and Scotland Votes have set up a series of 4 debates on successive Mondays beginning on 7th March with the relevant spokespeople from the four main parties. In the interests of fairness, I really have to wonder why the Greens aren't going to be there, though. Anyway, all events take place ...
Andrew Neil got tongues wagging and keyboards being tapped in a flurry on Friday when he tweeted: "Westminster rumour mill grinding about senior Lib Dem scandal. Watch this space." The names of Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore, and party President Tim Farron, even got banded about. Rather predictably Guido was salivating in excitement. Except it ...
This is not the first time we have posted our irritation at the failure of the county council to do a simple task. We have rung. We have emailed. We have spoken face to face. The police have complained. And it is always going to be done 'in a fortnight'. This crossing is dangerous – as this picture shows. A van parked too close to the crossing - when will the county council do something about this?
Following on from my recent blog posts here and here about the return of the comic leg-end that is Alan Partridge to our airwaves, we continue with the series. He's back hosting Mid Morning Matters on North Norfolk Digital Radio (with sidekick Simon). Here are the next 3 installments that will bring us bang up to date. Episode 7 sees Alan playing 'on-line Battleships', 'what is Alan firing his friend's air rifle into?' and an Alan Partridge interview with....Alan Partridge. Who was his toughest interview? Desmond Tutu! His favourite TV show? Deal or No Deal! Episode 8 sees Alan stand-in ...
Delaying the decision, on whether or not to replace Trident, until 2016, has been the best bit of news to come out of the coalition government. This was announced, to the delight and relief of many, in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) last October.Of crucial importance, it makes Trident a general election issue - a fact, as Nick Harvey has stated, 'of huge political significance'. Indeed, it holds out the possibility of defeat for a new generation of nuclear weapons. Given that the majority of the population has for some time backed scrapping Trident, this is not a ...
Here is the agenda for next Tuesday's Cheadle Area Committee. Some of the items on the agenda: An update from the Police and our Area Conditions Officer, plus your opportunity to ask questions and raise issues. Planning application for a free-standing cash machine at the Red Lion BP Garage, Stockport Road, Cheadle Consideration of new yellow lines or traffic or parking arrangements for Ashfield Road, Ashfield Crescent, Oakwood Avenue and Councillor Lane service road. Consideration of an updated report on permit parking in the Hall Street/Ernest Street area of Cheadle Distribution of £5000 to local good causes through the Brookfield ...
Economic Development Advisory Group The meeting started with a presentation from Toby Fox of 3FoxInternational and White Label Consultants. Mr Fox explained the work they had done for other local authorities assisting them in promoting the development and business opportunities in their areas. The offer was good and the timing was perfect for us so ...
I had fully intended to go to bed early last night. Listening to the brutal ramblings of a deluded despot's son. Yet at 11pm, which would have been 1am in Tripoli, I found myself transfixed by the 40 minute speech, containing some not very veiled threats, by Saif Gadaffi, son of the Libyan dictator. I found it quite chilling. He dismissed the brutality of the Police and Army firing live ammunition at protesters as mistakes by untrained officers. Yeah, sure, it's an easy mistake to make. He said that the evil foreign media was exaggerating what was going on and ...
The plan to build a number of carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects across Europe is getting underway at last. I claim a share of the credit; it was my initiative in the European Parliament that introduced the idea ... Continue reading →
Parents, staff and Governors have been coming together to give overwhelmingly positive feedback to a potential joining for Woodlands Primary, with the Ridings Federation, specifically Yate International Academy. This will create an all through education for 4-19 year olds in the area. Councillors Ruth Davis and Dafydd Holbrook, also governors at Woodlands Primary, have engaged with the Ridings Federation to gain assurances that any funding awarded to Woodlands Primary stays there. Councillor Dafydd Holbrook said "This is a very exciting opportunity for the children and parents of south Yate, a welcome injection of extra money for the pupils of Woodlands ...
[IMG: Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice] Our report on the ructions in Southport Tories was the second most visited LibDem blog last on the measure used to calculate these matters over at Lib Dem Voice. There was a time when Southport Liberals used to go around the town mattering darkly that the time had come when Sandgrounders should be saved from Barberism. Well it has taken several generation but the antics of Mrs Porter et al have certainly fulfilled that ambition with the resignation of Lady Lesley Watson from Southport Conservatives. As our original report said: .She comes from arguably ...
Mon 21st
09:18
A model for understanding the population and party membership: What we can do to increase membership
0.1% of the electorate are members of the Lib Dems and Liberal England points out the bleak facts when it comes to membership of the Lib Dems. Between 2006 and 2007, the loss was 10.2%. Between 2007 and 2008, the loss was 6.7%. And between the membership peak in 1992 and 2008, the loss has ...
Along with my colleagues, Peter Millea and Richard Oglethorpe, I go on regular ward "walkabouts" to look at very specific issues that we have identified or that constituents have asked us to look at. I am about to start organising the next couple. If you live in Cressington and there is something you feel we need to make sure is included, please let us know. You can e mail me at paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk. The picture (rather badly taken) was taken when we were outside the vacant land on Booker Avenue talking about the need to get the litter shifted again and ...
Mon 21st
08:55
Nearly a fifth of homelessness funds to go to voluntary sector as new figures reveal true extent of ...
The Government has overhauled the way in which the number of rough sleepers is counted in order to more accurately show the reality of what is happening around the country. The new figures show that on average 1,768 people sleep rough each night, compared to 440 under the old system. The big increase is due to every council taking part in the new counting measure. Previously figures were only gathered from areas considered hotspots for rough sleeping. In addition, the figures are now verified by the umbrella group Homeless Link rather than relying on government officials. Further details have also ...
Tomorrow is Southwark councils budget setting council assembly. If anyone has a particular issue they'd like me to raise please do let me know. The Labour proposals see huge squirelling away of money into contigency and unallocated reserves. The reserves were already standing at nearly £90M but under Labour proposals will soar to well over £100M. The proposed Labour cuts would see a dirtier meaner borough – not good going into the Olympic year 2012. The proposed budget can be seen here: The Lib Dem proposed amendments which will fail are attached....but always a chance Labour councillors, as per ...
This morning's Western Mail carries a damning report of Labour's hypocrisy and cant on reform of the Barnett formula, the mechanism by which it is determined how much money comes to the Welsh Assembly. Labour AMs and MPs have been very vocal since the General Election in condemning the Coalition Government for not immediately reforming this formula so that it is based on need rather than the current population-based method. This is despite the fact that in the 13 years they were in power Labour showed no inclination whatsoever to reform the formula themselves, even in the last two years ...
As I singed-up member of the "Yes to fairer votes " campaign I've received the following Email from one of the organisers: Your story could be used to help the campaign. It might be placed on our website, used in your local press or used on a leaflet. If you'd like to get involved then tell us in 100 words why you're supporting Yes. If you need some help you can tell us: · What makes you most angry about MPs? · How do you feel about MPs who have jobs for life? · How did the expenses scandal make ...
The UK Government has spent approximately £30 million to help some of the most vulnerable in Wales to cope with the recent cold snap, Kirsty Williams AM, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats revealed today. At the Spending Review in October, the Coalition Government turned the temporary increase in the Cold Weather Payments by the last Labour government into a permanent increase. The payments of £25 per week are triggered when temperatures at local weather stations dip below an average of zero degrees over a week. Around 300,000 people in Wales have received at least one payment during winter 2010-2011, ...
Residents who have been concerned at the loss of their footpath across the Blue Heaps to Blackfyne will be pleased to hear that work is to proceed on re-building the path. The work, originally commissioned by the Consett North Partnership, was discontinued whilst the landowner and the county council reached agreement on access rights for the staff and equipment used in carrying out the work. Durham County Council have just signed and exchanged license agreements with the landowner's agents, which will enable county council staff to return to site from 28th March to reinstate the steps. Consett North Partnership is ...
i) births and deaths 21 February 1981: death of Ron Grainer, who composed the Doctor Who theme tune. According to the lore, he was so gobsmacked by Delia Derbyshire's electronic arrangement of the music that he asked her, "Did I really write this?" "Most of it," she replied. Of course he got the on-screen credit and she didn't. ii) broadcast anniversaries 21 February 1970: broadcast of fourth episode of Doctor Who and the Silurians. The Doctor tries to reason with the Silurians but is captured and attacked. 21 February 1976: broadcast of fourth episode of The Seeds of Doom. Keeler ...
You may remember I attended last July's African Union summit in Uganda as part of the Southern Sudanese delegation. One incident was sufficiently odd that I really could not quite bring myself to blog about it at the time, but the time has now come. It was on the Sunday, and we were milling around the buffet tables beside Lake Victoria finding our lunch, when we became aware of a biggish crowd, focussed on a single individual, approaching us from the main meeting tent. It was not difficult to see who was at the centre of this group, and I ...
YouTube - Peter Davison Video - Opening Ceremonies Gallifrey 22 I'm sure that if you're interested you've already seen this story of how Peter Davison got from London to this week's Gallifrey convention in California. But it is rather glorious. (tags: doctorwho)
I am getting sick of predictions like this about the outcome of past elections under AV. My point here is one which both the Yes and No campaigns should be able to accept: nobody knows what would have happened. At best, these predictions are based on very limited surveys about political feeling beyond simple voting intention. The incentives to do this sort of research have never been particularly great so there is relatively little of it. Not only that, but there are no hard data points from elections to use to interpret it. Given that it's rare for opinion polls ...
I was watching Top Gear yesterday and Jeremy Clarkson was having a rant about our ability to clear snow from airport runways. He was driving a vehicle that looked like it could move any amount of snow - and then his rant stopped when the vehicle did the same. However they did manage to clear the runway and the rant continued. Yes Jeremy you can do anything with political will. The big question is not whether you can do something but whether you want to with the costs involved. I received a reply to a blog yesterday about turning Lancaster ...
