The No campaign looks like it is going on the negative. Focusing on cost which is inaccurate (they base the figure on electronic vote counting machines which they say are necessary (really what's wrong with counting votes using a pen ... Continue reading →
A Labour MEP has written to Nick Clegg trying to implicate Miriam González Durántez in lobbying on behalf of the Gadaffi government. It's pure Labour smear - straight from their playbook. I have a copy of the official advice from Labour called 'Beating the Liberals - lessons from Lambeth'. In it it gives Labour campaigners the following advice: "Find one flaw and smear them all. Go negative until swamped by complaints. Then do it again." Labour know that if the revolution in Libya is successful then the likelihood is that official documents over the roles of Blair and Brown in ...
Following problems with the bin collection at Thomson Street yesterday that I raised with the Waste Management Department on behalf of residents, the City Council has advised : "... there was no access to part of Thomson Street on Monday 21/2/11 due to further road works. We made arrangements to uplift all bags presented at collection time and we will return again later in the week. For information we have the same problem at part of Shepherds Loan and we will revisit later in the week."
On 15th January I wrote two letters to the Open University. One was to the Vice Chancellor, the other was to the Dean of Social Sciences. Both were almost identical in their content. I asked the VC what the plan was for postgraduate courses in general at the OU post-Browne and I asked the Dean specifically about social sciences postgraduate course provision. I also asked them both for advice on where, as a distance learner, I could study over a 3 to 4 year period for an MSc in psychological research methods. (Hint: there isn't anywhere else to the best ...
Lord Bonkers moves on. One cannot spend all one's time reminiscing about the golden years of television: every day there are affairs of state and on the Estate that demand my attention. This afternoon I ride over to Uppingham where last year three children gathering kindling in King's Wood had a vision of Nancy Seear. They maintained their story stoutly even under close questioning from Cardinals sent from Hebden Bridge, and when news came of Nancy's face being seen in the seeds of an aubergine sold on Leicester Market it was clear they were telling the truth. The purpose of ...
The BBC reports from Southampton Magistrates Court: A Liberal Democrat MP has described allegations he was a paedophile as "absolutely untrue and offensive". Mike Hancock told Southampton Magistrates' Court he was "horrified" by a leaflet published during last year's general election. The court heard Les Cummings, who was standing against the MP, had written: "Mike Hancock is a paedophile". He denies making a false statement with the purpose of affecting the result of the election in Portsmouth South. Mr Cummings, 66, from Portsmouth, is accused of publishing the leaflet last April, while he was standing against Mr Hancock as an ...
Aristotle believed that it was a good in itself to engage in civic life. The highest form of virtue was to involve oneself in politics. These days many people would raise an eyebrow at that idea. Politics was done differently in the philosophers days: it was on a small scale and the issues that the men (because it was men then) voted on that affected all the participants making the decision. The Greek demos was very different from the Westminster village. In his BBC television series, Michael Sandel explores the ethics of Aristotle: that taking part is itself ethical and ...
Sorry for the lack of new content for a couple of days – had a busy couple of days and a few crappy things have happened. I'll have a Cerebus post up tomorrow – just a week late. Meanwhile, some links: Good news – The Monkees (of course unfortunately not Mike Nesmith) reforming for a ...
The report to Cabinet on capital funding proposals for the Consett Academy went online tonight. You can read it here . I, for one, am delighted that the county intends to fund the project because, like most people, I want our children to have the best possible facilities. That, of course, does not mean that I, or you, are delighted that this deaf county council is still ignoring local people about where the Academy should be built and that argument will go on. But for the moment, let's rejoice that the money will be made available – and continue to ...
I had been very much looking forward to this audiobook, featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond, after Goss's brilliant Tenth Doctor story, Dead Air. In the event I was very slightly disappointed, in that rather than the promised Matt Smith / Karen Gillan double bill of readers, Smith is joined instead by Clare Corbett (who had two minor but still memorable parts in the Tom Baker Hornet's Nest audios). But that was really the only problem; it's a great tale of archaeological investigations in 1929 uncovering an ancient horror, a story which has of course been done many times ...
[IMG: 'Now women are getting jobs and getting more respect from men. Women have seen me become a successful farmer and a voice in the co-op and many women farmers are interested in joining our co-op. They have seen foreigners come to my farm with their cameras and they admire what I do. Now they also want to earn their own money, to be independent and support their families financially. And now some of the men are realising that it is better for their home if they treat women more equally.' 01/01/2007 'But Fairtrade came in to solve our problems. ...
This is one of the shortest of the various books I have read about Elizabeth I, and also one of the best. Haigh eschews the usual chronology of her life and reign and instead concentrates on her relations with the various centres of power: the church, the nobility, the Council, her own court, parliament, the military, and the people, dealing with each separately over the 44 years from late 1558 to early 1603. I learned a lot from this revisionist account. The standard picture of Elizabeth as heroine of Protestantism doesn't sit well with her recorded restraint of the puritans, ...
Former Leader of the Liberal Democrat's Lord Ashdown has very publicly attacked Liam Fox over his handling of the Strategic Defence Spending Review. The ex Marine, Special Boat Service member and SIS operative, writing in the Times today, described the outcomes of the proces as "broadly right,but only thanks to the last-minute intervention of the ...
As at the time of blogging this, there are only 32 days to Census Day on 27 March 2011. On that day every household will be required to complete and return a census survey (on pain of a fine of up to £1000 and a criminal record) with information on every member living at that address including any overnight visitors! The first census conducted in March 1801 revealed a total population for England and Wales of just under 9 million. By 2001, the population in England and Wales had grown to over 52 million (58 million in the UK). Every ...
Just dropping in quickly to let you know (courtesy of student James Harrison on Twitter) that our Charles Kennedy has become the first person since Benjamin Disraeli in the 1870s to be re-elected as rector of Glasgow University. He won the contest with writer and comedian A L Kennedy by 2601 votes to 565. I don't know if there's an equivalent position in English universities, but the Rector is there to represent the students on the University Court. As leader, he championed the cause of free university tuition in 2 elections and famously rebelled on the night of that vote. ...
Voters in Chicago go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new mayor. Current Mayor Richard Daley is retiring. Daley was one of Al Gores team parachuted in to sort out the Florida situation during the dimpled chad election. He is also the son of the infamous Mayor Richard J Daley (pictured right) who ran the city for 21 years from the 50's until his death in 1976. The field includes a former State Senator, a former US Senator and former Ambassador, a former Chief of Staff for Mayor Daley and Rahm Emanuel, Obama's former Chief of Staff and a ...
The first Durham County Council e-petition has appeared on the county website. The text of the petition you are invited to sign reads as follows: We the undersigned petition the Council toReverse the proposed cuts to CAB funding by Durham County Council for the next financial year Durham County Council is proposing to cut their grant to all Citizens Advice Bureau in the county by 14% this year and then 5% in the next two years after that. We are 7 locally based independent charities and the cuts will mean that clients in need do not get the right help. ...
I blogged here, back in january 2009 when I first dabbled with this blog of my sadness at the loss of quality Children's TV from the years of my childhood. There is as Gareth Price commented on my piece there at the time, many excellent programmes now of course but looking back, I really feel that I was fortunate to have lived through a golden period of TV childhood. These are the kind of programmes that I recall well... We begin with a classic - Thomas the Tank Engine! This is a slightly more obscure one but I love my ...
The hunters lay in wait for their prey. The more experienced pick their spot carefully. They know where the beasts will appear – and at the same time, most days. Mercifully, today will be no exception, for the hunters disappointment can quickly turn to anger. Crowded together they are silent, necks craning to catch a glimse of any signs that will reveal the location of their target. The occasional head turns to look around to check for any other indication that might give them that slight edge over their competition. Suddenly, a sign. Even before there is any noise, they ...
I'm just back from a few days break in the Isle of Wight. It so happens that the Economist's Bagehot has just blogged on the subject of the island, which was the lasting point of his print column last week. The island has a bit of a charming, time-warp feel about it. But Bagehot points out that its people are ahead of the game in one aspect – realising the implications of the coming parliamentary boundary changes. Interesting to reflect that it has half the population of the borough of Wandsworth – and yet the latter can't even support a ...
So Stagecoach has taken its cue from Cambridgeshire County Council's Great Bus Cull and started to pack up its bags already. A mere week after the Cambridgeshire Conservatives took an axe to bus travel in the county, Stagecoach is de-registering a range of bus routes across Cambridgeshire. The X9 between Cambridge and March will be halved in off-peak frequency (every two hours instead of every hour) and will stop earlier in the evenings; the one X9 bus on Sundays will be withdrawn. There will be reduced services to Milton (Citi 2 and Citi 4); Duxford and Whittlesford will no longer ...
Nick Clegg's visit to Sheffield yesterday included the first in a new series of town hall meetings – this one in partnership with local newspaper the Sheffield Star: THEY say the best form of defence is attack, which is exactly what Sheffield Hallam MP and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg decided to do by launching a new wave of meet the people sessions, here in his home city. Mr Clegg is the first to admit he is under fire at the moment. He faces a barrage of criticism about his decision to renege on his promise not to vote ...
It now seems a lifetime ago since we were in New Zealand on holiday. Unfortunately due to time restraints we didn't visit South Island and consequently neither did we visit Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city. I can only begin to imagine how helpless the residents of these 2 beautiful islands must feel after another devastating earthquake hit the city. My prayers and best wishes go to all the inhabitants of New Zealand, the residents of the Christchurch area and the various organisations that have been called upon to help. I trust that our government will offer any assistance that ...
Pam and I have been contacted by several people concerned that, in the last couple of weeks, a lot of motorists are parking on St Ann's Road North by the rear of Cheadle Royal. The suspicion is that it's people who work on Cheadle Royal choosing to park there and walk in. The problem is that the roads quite narrow and it's making passing that section tricky. Pam and I, with our colleagues in Heald Green, will look at improving the situation.
[Originally posted on Liberal Democrat Voice, 22/02/11] Are the Liberal Democrats a party of untrammelled ideology - sorry,"principles" - or do ethics and evidence also play a role in thinking? This question struck me forcefully when reading David Cameron's article on public service reform in the Telegraph. It appears that the imminent Open Public Services ...
We're only weeks away from the Scottish Parliamentary elections and today I'm catching up on emails after a weekend of campaigning in the East of Scotland. On Saturday I was out and about in lovely Fife with Iain Smith MSP and the team from North East Fife Lib Dems. The response on the door steps ...
Are the Liberal Democrats a party of untrammelled ideology - sorry,"principles" - or do ethics and evidence also play a role in thinking? This question struck me forcefully when reading David Cameron's article on public service reform in the Telegraph. It appears that the imminent Open Public Services White Paper has been formulated with collaboration from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Nick Clegg is fully 'on side'. We await the details, but if Cameron's article gives us an accurate sense of what is to come then I think there is - or should be - a significant battle ...
As I've been watching what has happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya alongside the UKs anti-tax avoidance movement, I can't help but wonder if we are witnessing a moral revolution. In the Middle East it's plain to see the causes. These regimes have been run by dictators for years, squashing freedom of expression and collective action, siphoning money into Swiss bank accounts while the price of food rises. What initially seemed to be valid power structures have failed to meet the needs of the people, have been shown to produce terribly unequal outcomes for the inhabitants of the nation. That ...
We are now seen by the public as Con/Dems, Clegg's the lacky of Cameron etc. etc. If the LibDems want to have any hope of keeping their seats in the next general election they have to do a lot of work to seperate themselves from the Conservatives. I long held the opinion that the coalition was the wrong choice for the LibDems. The alternative I was hoping for never materialised, opposition politics stopped that dead in it's tracks. This video is doing a lot of good, I don't know if it's doing enough. Tim Farron, Floella Benjamin, Chris Huhne, Paddy ...
There can be no doubt that securing a referendum on voting reform was a significant, and essential, negotiation victory for the Liberal Democrats last May. However, the consequences of implementing the Alternative Vote system go far beyond that, and could significantly shift British politics for the better. So often when talking to people during the General Election ...
Suddenly there is a lot of activity from Conservative Ministers regarding the European Convention on Human Rights, not least this latest vow by the Justice Secretary to 'kickstart reform' of the ECHR and the European Court on Human Rights when Britain takes up a key role in Europe later this year. Anybody would think that they were trying to appease Tory right wingers. The Prime Minister has announced a commission to examine the creation of a British Bill of Rights and the country's relationship with the European court. What he seems to have missed is that we already have a ...
In today's Times (£) Paddy Ashdown argues that the Ministry of Defence is "no longer fit for purpose." Ashdown says that the current government are not making enough progress with addressing the Ministry's problems: the large annual deficit, bureaucratic blunders and project overruns and puts them down to a lack of political direction. Here's an excerpt: The dust is now settling on the Strategic Defence and Security Review, published last October. And what it reveals is that the deeply painful cuts already announced are not going to be enough to balance the books. There will have to be more — ...
I have been invited to visit a modern dairy farming unit in Devon on March 24. I am looking forward to the visit to see how the farming is done and learn more about the commercial pressures that farmers are facing. What is clear is that we need farmers and farming and what is not clear is how we farm to produce the food we need at the price we want to pay. So on the farm visit will be myself, Scott Morrison an FoE activist and Cate Mack a retired organic farmer.
The Frome Vale Area Forum meets on Thursday at 7pm in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. Among other things, the Forum will be allocating money to highways schemes in the area and giving out grants to local groups.
Tuesday: Mr Aaron Porter is, depending on interpretation, "resigning", "standing down" or "choosing not to stand for re-election" as President of the National Union of Students. Mr Porter is famous for shouting BETRAYAL at the Liberal Democrats because, when we were not given enough votes to put an end to TUITION FEES, we COMPROMISED to make the system more PROGRESSIVE and get the best deal for students. IRONICALLY, Mr Porter appears to have been ousted following the revelation that he thought the Coalition's system was, er, PROGRESSIVE and that the NUS should try to get the best deal for students. ...
via youtube.com In this short film from Channel 4′s "Political Slot" Tim Farron, Floella Benjamin, Chris Huhne, Paddy Ashdown and Steve Webb talk about what Liberal Democrats are doing to make Britain a fairer, more democratic, greener, liberal country. You may like to look at my comment, on Liberal Democrat Voice. [click here] Posted via email from Neil Stockley's posterous
The Financial Times has been reporting this week again about the ongoing vigorous debate within government over the forthcoming Green Investment Bank and how much power it will have: Nick Clegg is now the main driving force of the government's "green investment bank" amid a Whitehall struggle over how precisely the new entity will function... The Treasury is determined to hold back financing until the deficit is under control, towards the end of the current parliament. Officials have also argued for the bank to be a fund with little or no leverage. As I mentioned previously, the debating lines over ...
Building works started this week on several improvements that have been planned. Our apologies to local residents for the building equipment coming through their road on Monday but with the Sainsbury induced road closure at the front we had no other options.
Earlier this month, Alain de Botton expressed his point of view in defence of the nanny state, which (it will come as no surprise to regular readers to learn that) the BBC was happy to host. Liberal Vision blogger Simon Goldie immediately and repeatedly took up the cause of freedom against de Botton on this site. Now, over at the Adam Smith Institute, I have published my own response to Mr. de Botton. Thanks to the ASI's stimulating Think Piece series, I have been able to respond in equal length and depth to de Botton's original (something which Simon, constrained ...
A few people recently arrived on this blog after googling (or is that "Googling"?) "John Nettles moves to Bude". In fact, John Nettles has not moved to Bude (Cornwall). He has, apparently, moved to just outside a place called Pyworthy which is nine miles from Bude, over the border in Devon. Subject to schedule, the man himself will be appearing as a narrator in a Rotary Musical Charity Extravangaza in Holsworthy on 25th and 26th March. As well as kindly donating his time to this local charitable endeavour, he has also donated a couple of star prizes.
The shape of 'Big Society' activism is beginning to take shape with job adverts starting to appear for the 5,000 volunteer organisers. £20,000 a year - presumably plus on costs – is a lot of money or three tenths of ... Continue reading →
Our Focus Team has been campaigning for an end to the cardboard chaos that has reigned since the new recycling collections were introduced. With cardboard banned from the green bins, residents have been complaining to us about cardboard being blown around the streets on windy days. Now the Council has announced that they will be providing free recycling bags to store and present cardboard. They will be available to collect from collection points throughout South Gloucestershire, hopefully in the early summer.
Tue 22nd
12:55
Senior police regular met privately with News of the World staff whilst paper was under investigatio...
Diary details released by the Metropolitan Police show that senior police officers met personally with senior editorial staff from the News of the World eight times in the last two years alone and a further five times in the previous three years. The tally excludes any general crime briefings or encounters at social events put on by third parties. Dee Doocey, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Policing Spokesperson, has reacted to this revelation saying, I find it quite extraordinary that when allegations about illegal phone hacking relating to the News of the World were still unresolved that the Met Commissioner thought ...
the latest ICM Polling data (lots of detail if you click here)has us at 18%, our best polling since ..well it seems like forever. Thanks to @robblackie for pointing this out via Twitter
I was reading this article on Armed Services Editions of books distributed during World War 2, when I came across this extraordinary propaganda poster. [IMG: Books are weapons in the war of ideas] Original image is from The Boston Public Library on Flickr under CC BY NC. What strikes me is how detailed the poster is. The power of the quote. The sheer neutrality of the sentiment. Books – any book is a weapon. Whether it is The Communist Manifesto or Atlas Shrugged. Imagine a Kindle full of books placed into the hands of a child. If all those books ...
Paul Waugh has written about the social contacts between the Metropolitan Police and the News of the World at the time when the Met were meant to be investigating the phone hacking scandal. As Lib Dem Assembly Member Dee Doocey has said: "I find it quite extraordinary that when allegations about illegal phone hacking relating to the News of the World were still unresolved that the Met Commissioner thought it was appropriate to be regularly dining with the News of the World and News Corporation. Imagine the outcry there would be if the Commissioner was seen dining with a member ...
For all those who attend the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland - here's a new bag that will help promote your ideals.
Yes, we still have links, even if we don't have much other content: The Battle for the No Campaign and a Prime Minister in Peril – Interesting WSJ piece on the AV referendum. I'd question some of the assumptions in it, but worth reading nonetheless. Tuition Fees: Did The Coalition Get Its Sums Wrong? – Just in case you thought the whole tuition fees issue wasn't a big enough debacle, here's another complication. The Beasts in the Arena – A free short story in the Romanitas universe from Sophia McDougall. Works as a good introduction to the series if you've ...
Three of my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Cornwall Council have asked for a 'call-in' of the Conservative led Cabinet's decision to raise parking charges. If approved, the decision will be reviewed by the Council's Environment and Economy scrutiny committee. The three councillors involved are Edwina Hannaford, Jackie Bull and Ruth Lewarne representing wards in East, Mid and West Cornwall. Edwina told me: We believe that the decision made by Cabinet was wrong on a number of grounds. They failed to take account of the needs of older people, failed to assess the impact on all of Cornwall or on town ...
Sunday's Scotland On Sunday newspaper featured an interesting interview with Liberal Democrat MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk and Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore. The interview begins with a discussion of the pre-Christmas 'sting' on Liberal Democrat MPs by journalists from the Daily Telegraph, of which Michael was one of the (albeit less publicised) 'victims'. Also touched on is the Scotland Bill, which is one of the main focuses of Michael's attention. Here's an excerpt from the interview, in which the upcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections are discussed: The other big issue on the agenda is May's election. While ...
Any member of the public who wants to see the Council budget meeting live at the Town Hall tomorrow will need a ticket to do so. There may well be a bumper crowd at the Town Hall tomorrow, and given that the capacity of the viewing gallery in the Council chamber is only around 70, ...
As The Independent reported: With India seeking to extend its global influence and secure a permanent place at the UN Security Council, it was perhaps only natural that the country's foreign minister would try and ensure his address to international delegates was as memorable as possible. But when SM Krishna announced, "on a personal note", his satisfaction at seeing representatives from two Portuguese-speaking nations in his audience, an Indian official sitting alongside him realised something was wrong. Quickly, he stopped the minister and told him he should start again, only this time reading from his own speech, and not that ...
After a long wait, you can now have your say on proposed safety improvements on some of our most dangerous local roads. Local residents and your Focus Team have fought a long-running campaign for action to improve safety on the B4465 and Westerleigh Road. In 2008, Claire Young (pictured left with fellow councillor Sue Hope) presented a petition to South Gloucestershire Council signed by over 100 people. Claire has also been pushing for improvements on Nibley Lane. Now the Council is proposing to lower the speed limit to 40mph from the Folly pub right through to the other side of ...
Muammar Gaddafi went on Libyan state television during the night to prove that he is still in Tripoli, though as Al Jazeera (a channel that has really proved its worth tracking the democracy wave sweeping North Africa and the Midde East) said, he could have been on a filmset, given the weird décor in which he sat, ...
Chris has reported the fact that Burnham Road is starting to disintegrate. See picture below. Just one of the stretches of road in this part of the division which is breaking up.
The Welfare Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament on the 17th February. It involves the biggest changes to the welfare system in at least 20 years, probably a lot longer. It includes the Universal Credit, intended to significantly reduce the poverty trap, by making it clearer to those on benefits that they would be better off in work. A month ago, the IFS published "Universal Credit: much to welcome, but impact on incentives mixed". Well worth reading. Here is a brief overview of what they say: benefits will remain the same as under the present system for those who do ...
I have been challenged on my recent blog post on whether the newly set up Suffolk Circle is duplicating services already offered free of charge in Suffolk. In March Suffolk Circle are offering a range of interesting activities, including a guided walk, a visit to a film in Sudbury, a visit to West Stow Anglo Saxon village, going for a meal. All very commendable. Also members can purchase tokens which then allow them to get help with a range of activites. According to their website : "Members can buy tokens at any time. These can be used to book a ...
Channel 4 let a bunch of Lib Dem parliamentarians take over their political slot recently. This is their effort, which I'll let you watch before I nitpick. The good things: I liked the broad brush stuff - it was the heart and values stuff rather than a list of achievements. I liked Farron making the point that if you liked Lib Dem ideas in the past, you never really got to see them put into practice, but we're making a difference now. I also liked him saying that we didn't bottle out of power when we had the chance. There ...
This video appeared on Channel 4's political slot last night and I rather like it. It shows us to be human, warm, caring and it talks about both our values and how we are applying those values to the real world. And some of the things we are doing are extraordinary. Like taking a million people out of income tax altogether, restoring the earnings link to the state pension and introducing the Pupil Premium. In fact, it's rather as I hoped being in government would be. Its also exactly the tactic I hoped would be adopted - wrapping ourselves and ...
Video also available on YouTube here. In this short film from Channel 4′s "Political Slot" Tim Farron, Floella Benjamin, Chris Huhne, Paddy Ashdown and Steve Webb talk about what Liberal Democrats are doing to make Britain a fairer, more democratic, greener, liberal country. Tim says, Normally, if you like Liberal Democrat ideas, ideas is all they remain. But for the first time in 65 years, the Liberal Democrats are in power, making a huge difference. ...and with the help of his colleagues, sets out the changes the party wants to make over the next four years. Paddy acknowledges that "things ...
South Glos have said that their contractor will now start in the week commencing Monday 7th March, and work will last for 2 to 3 weeks. The southern part of Scott Way, Yate will be closed for much of this time 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.
After a quiet couple of weeks there are two planning applications to report this week. The first is for a conservatory to the rear of 102 Crowland Way. Application number 11/0093/FUL. The second is for "Part single storey, part two storey side and rear extension, single storey front" to 76 King's Hedges Road. The reference number is 11/0131/FUL. More details can be found on the development control pages of the City Council website, particularly through online Public Access.
I thoroughly enjoyed Radio 4's Analysis programme about The Orange Book, a 2004 book of essays by some leading Liberal Democrats. The programme contends that the Orange Book's ideas are now at the heart of the Coalition Government's agenda and will define centre-ground politics for many years to come. When did the BBC last have cause to report that any strand of Lib Dem thinking was at the heart of government thinking? Hooray! Had this course of events been revealed to the audience at one of the fringe meetings to launch the Orange Book at the 2004 Liberal Democrat Conference, ...
Here's the question I'm submitting to the Report of the Federal Executive at the party's spring conference in Sheffield: The report makes only very brief mention of several important topics (e.g. the party's KPIs and review into the general election, for neither of which are details provided). Overall it is far shorter than previous FE reports, with for example less than a third of the words of that from the first spring conference after the 2001 general election. Will the FE consider providing more substantive reports in future? The Federal Executive's report is being debated at 5:30pm on the Saturday ...
Tue 22nd
08:45
Cabinet meeting (Wirral Council) 22/02/2011 Part 1 - the Conservative/Lib Dem budget cometh and Labo...
Well yesterday the Conservative & Lib Dem Cabinet "unveiled" their Wirral Council budget for 2011/2012. Labour's (opposition) budget will arrive by noon on Friday the 25th February. Next Monday (1st March) the full Council will vote on the budget, although with 41 (yes I know it's 42 including the Lib Dem Mayor but generally he ...
We are to PC in this country. A good example was the adoption priorities. Race is not the most thing for a child when they have no home. A loving home is the most important thing. Children in care do have their problems on average, so let's help them out and get them out if we can. Let's not forget to that in today's Britain there is also a large number of mixed race children. I hope these new rules will make it simpler for these children to find homes to.
I thought this little map from my local history collection would be of interest to local officianado's. (To get a large image just click on it and it should open as a new window.) It's essentially a travel map, a sort of gazeteer, of the route from London to Tring in the form of a hand drawn AA or RAC site - this is the section from London to Bushey Heath - the rest would have been on the next page as columns 21 and 22. For local drinkers and supporters of ye olde public house you will see on ...
For criticisms of the "Yes" campaign's arguments for AV please see the previous post. Here are eight arguments which in my view put a more positive and rational case for voting "Yes." 1. AV will put an end to the need for negative voting. This is sometimes called tactical voting but "negative" is a more accurate term. It means voting not to put someone in but to keep someone out: for example in the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election urging Conservatives to vote Liberal Democrat in order to "keep Labour out." Negative voting is a regular feature of FPTP. Even ...
broadcast anniversaries 22 February 1964: broadcast of "The Roof of the World", first episode of the story we now call Marco Polo. Trapped in the snow, the time travellers are rescued by Marco Polo, who however impounds the Tardis. 22 February 1969: broadcast of fifth episode of The Seeds of Death. the Doctor and friends get back to Earth and discover that the Ice Warrior' pods are disabled by water. 22 February 1975: broadcast of first episode of The Sontaran Experiment The Doctor, Sarah and Harry discover that a bunch of astronauts are battling a mysterious alien foe who turns ...
The answer is "Yes". And a kick in my shins for such a terrible joke. Let's digress for a minute. In truth, I am a supporter of the Single Transferrable Vote. My ideal voting system is one that is proportional (i.e., a party with 20% of the vote should get 20% of the seats) and representative (each legislator is answerable to a distinct group of people, hopefully a local community). But more on that in a few posts time; this is about AV. AV is not my desired system, but it's a good one nonetheless. It's representative, and does mean ...
Yesterday the application to grant Village Green status to the Hardy Farm Playing Fields was rejected by Labour Councillors. The Application which would have preserved the Meadows for future generations; and which was supported by hundreds of local residents, was thrown out by just 5 Labour Councillors. Earlier this year I supported local residents who submitted the application to grant Village Green status to the Hardy Farm playing fields because I recognise how valued this land is by local people and its importance to the environment. I'm proud to have fought to preserve these Meadows for the future alongside hundreds ...
One of the biggest myths about Scouting is that Groups are closing down due to a lack of young people wanting to become Members. Nothing could be further from the truth; Scouting in the UK is a growing Movement and we currently have 30,000 young people on our waiting lists simply because we do not have enough adults to help out. Why not join us and help more young people join the adventure.
An interesting if somewhat lighthearted story was covered by the beeb this morning. It involves a 10 year old boy's campaign for a playground in his village of Barton on the Sea. He seems to have upset the mainly elderly villagers who not unnaturally point out the village has a meadow repleat with stream and trees. Now I'm fully aware of the attraction of the swings for small boys, being the proud owner of three such scamps, but they are equally (if not more) happy running around, getting wet and climbing trees. As a convinced urban dweller I find it ...
As a physiotherapist I used to give advice on keeping active. "Low-impact aerobic exercise" was a phrase that I used to use. What this means is do enough to get the breathing going and then it is a cardiovascular exercise, but not with the impact that you get on the joints by jogging. In general I think those people who wish to take part in high=impact exercise are healthier than those who don't, but what we should definitely be doing is walking, briskly if possible. In practice what this means is to park the car at a distance and walk ...
