Nick Clegg has been visiting Redcar, welcoming the deal to save its steelworks: Last week Redcar owners, Tata and Thai buyers, SSI announced a deal which will safeguard 700 existing jobs at the huge site in Teesside. Nick Clegg said that the deal will also employ a further 800 new people and may see another 1,000 jobs created in the wider local economy. He said: "It's a great thumbs up for Teesside and the North East, for the steel industry and the UK. It's a breath of fresh air at a time of difficult news about the British economy. I ...
Today I was walking around Warwick campus minding my own business after a lecture. I think I was heading to the bus stop. Then I saw this: And, a few paces further on, I saw another one. And another. And another. Warwick Labour had plastered the things all over campus. I have to say, I was astonished. Firstly, I was outraged. I mean, what sort of organisation puts up a poster like that? It has no political content: it's simply abuse. Somehow, I made it to the bus stop without getting myself run over. On the way home I contacted ...
I'd like to direct you to an excellent post I read recently, from the Solution Focused Politics blog, called Increasing social relationships in your local party. It's a little bit mercenary in that it's talking about how to improve your campaigning effectiveness, but its advice is also a good way to counteract the Negative Narrative ...
This morning, I had the pleasure of meeting parents of children at Law Nursery; they are very concerned at SNP plans to close the nursery on its long standing and highly successful site and relocate it within Rosebank Primary School. I accepted a petition with 1161 signatures on it - an indication of real concern about SNP plans. I delivered this to the Director of Education later today. Tonight, we unfortunately saw the high handed arrogance of the Dundee City Council SNP administration at its worst. Bowing to public pressure, they withdrew their paper to close Law Nursery from the ...
Libyan dictator Col Muammar Gaddafi has told the BBC that all his people love him and there are no demonstrations in Tripoli. Well I've searched the interweb high and low for evidence of his claims and all I can find is a picture of a single western middle aged man showing him the love he clearly craves:
I've only posted twice in the past eighteen days, probably the most barren patch since I started blogging more than five years ago. So perhaps I had better explain... Simple, really. Ros and I have been away on something called a holiday, as part of the process of returning to a normal life after the Presidency. In past years, we've only easily been able to get away during the summer, but now that young Mr Farron has taken over, we are less in demand, and can escape for some late winter sun. And, since you ask, Jamaica was very nice. ...
All, This evening Stratford District Council set its budget for next year. This blog is not a newspaper, so I'll except that this article doesn't cover everything discussed, but her are a few of the most important things to note: Cuts are to be made to the public toilet budget, which could mean Shipston loses the toilet in the Telegraph Street Car Park. Transport subsidies, affecting community transport (much used in Shipston and the surrounding area) are to be completely removed in 2012. Voluntary sector grants are to be reduced in both 2012 and 2013. 3 jobs are to go ...
If I thought that somehow I would have a few quiet weeks after my hip replacement operation on January 25th this year, I must have been dreaming. While I was still in Addenbrookes, having mentioned that I was a Suffolk County Councillor, I was harangued by nursing staff about the Chief Executive's salary and did I have anything to do with the closure of Bury Road Park and Ride? I explained that I had voted against the former and campaigned against the latter! As soon as I returned home preparations began again for the county council budget meeting on Feb ...
Further to my recent update on LibDem concerns about the effect of centralising fire and police services, today's Courier highlights the negative impact on Balmossie Fire Station. It is important that the centralisation of police and fire services is stopped, but unfortunately the SNP, Labour Party and Conservatives support it. My colleagues Allan Petrie, Craig Duncan and Alison McInnes MSP are pictured at the fire station (see right). We will continue to campaign against emergency services centralisation and for fire stations like Balmossie.
Prior to Christmas, at the City Council, I requested of the council's Chief Executive that a proper debriefing on winter maintenance arrangements takes place at which councillors could raise residents' concerns and issues about the way the bad weather conditions were tackled. This was agreed to and the debrief took place today. It was an extremely useful and constructive meeting at which council officers agreed to ensure that points raised today will be taken into account when winter maintenance policy is reviewed for 2011/12. Amongst issues I raised today : * There is a need to ensure that priority is ...
Another sad event. Those Dr Who fans, like me, careering towards their 50th birthday, will have noticed with regret the passing of Nicholas Courtney http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12549622. As The Brigadier he hung around longer than any Dr and pulled off the trick of being the loveable face of the Establishment without losing believability. Those of you not in the slightest touched by this, normal service will be resumed shortly.
This morning instead of my normal Monday routine, I made a big mistake and rather than listen to Desert Island Discs podcast (Dame Anne Owers, who?) as I travelled to London, I thought I'd risk BBC Radio Kent which at six, piped up with the usual depressing sort of news, KCC can't fix roads but they can pay out huge sums to departing staff. As is the way with BBC Radio Kent, its seems to be policy that BBC reporters are not required to adopt a quizzical approach on Kent council business, least not from a balanced political type way ...
The new play area in Scholes Field (at the Foxland Road corner) is now completed and, my son tells me, looks cool. It does look good, and there were already about 15 kids playing there when I passed this afternoon, so drop by and take a look.
Keith Barrow, leader of Conservative-run Shropshire, has spoken: "There will be no council tax increases in Shropshire over the next two years and, in 2013, council tax will go down to the lowest level in Shropshire."I'm not sure I understand the second half of that sentence, but then Mr Barrow seems to have problems with expressing himself. "I cannot understate the size of the journey we have in front of us, nor the hurdles that we will encounter along the way," he says later in the same press release. What is clear is that Shropshire Tories' macho determination to freeze ...
Non-fiction 5 (YTD 10) Peeling the Onion, by Günter Grass How to Suppress Women's Writing, by Joanna Russ Life of Frederick Douglass Elizabeth I, by Christopher Haigh Chicks Dig Time Lords, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O'Shea Fiction (non-sf) 6 (YTD 7) Red Plenty, by Francis Spufford Resurrection Men, by Ian Rankin A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle The Sign of Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle SF (non-Who) 7 (YTD 10) The Mahābhārata Irish Tales of Terror, ed. Peter ...
With twenty old Doctor Who stories due out on DVD this year and my long having lost the habit of writing teaser reviews, I know the one or even two of you who come wondering which to buy have been confounded. So don't worry: in single-paragraph reviews below, I reveal which are the most exciting (and which the... slightly less exciting) releases of 2011. Cheer as the late, great Nicholas Courtney stars in a record number of DVD releases; goggle at the bizarre ways different tales are combined; marvel as I reveal which letter of the alphabet inspired the schedule. ...
"Labour leader Ed Miliband has warned of an impending "crisis" as the cost of living outstrips wage rises for people on low and middle incomes." Yelps the BBC news website today as Ed Miliband opportunitically trumpets on again about how ... Continue reading →
I'm not an expert on Irish politics, but this week's election provides some useful lessons for Liberal Democrats. Firstly, the obvious one: the need to retain a distinctive philosophy and not be perceived as easily surrendering on key policy issues. The Green Party, the minor party in the coalition with Fianna Fail, were completely routed, losing all their TDs and gaining a mere 1.8% of the vote. The problem for the Greens was that (unlike Nick Clegg) they initially appeared to rule out working with certain parties in a coalition and then did the opposite. More crucially perhaps is that ...
Ishbel Brown, Lib Dem Councillor for Oval, was due to speak last Wednesday in the debate on Lambeth Council's budget; however, following the occupation of the Council Chamber by protesters, Ishbel was unable to speak. Ishbel's planned speech outlined options that the Council could have followed in order to lessen the severity of cuts to Lambeth's front-line services, and is reprinted below: I am impressed that Lambeth Council has managed to accumulate so many reserves (almost £120 million) in the last four years. One may be fooled into thinking that they were terribly prudent, and had full control of the ...
It's been awful to see Christchurch hit by another earthquake. We went to New Zealand back in October 2009, landing in Christchurch before picking up our fantastic camper van from the lovely people at Wilderness. Lovely people was a bit of a recurring theme in Christchurch. To catch up on our jet lag, we'd booked to stay a night at Eliza's on Bealey Avenue. The owner, Ann Zwimpfer, gave us such a warm welcome, with a plate of ANZAC cookies in our room, and lots of hints and tips about what to explore in town. Eliza's itself is a beautiful ...
Labour MP Ben Bradshaw has written to Labour supporters of electoral reform criticising the tactics of the No2AV campaign. Like myself, Mr Bradshaw has branded No2AV campaign as "desperate", "based on fake figures" and guilty of "scaremongering". He also urges an open and informed debate while slamming what he considers the "bogus debate" currently being offered by No2AV. Given that the votes of Labour supporters will be crucial, it is heartening that Mr Bradshaw has taken the trouble to openly challenge the negativity and lies of the official "no" campaign. Hopefully his actions will make a huge difference to attitudes ...
In no particular order: 1. I have roles within the national party which it is important to do properly, at a time when the risks of divergence of Liberal Democrat policy and Government action are significant. The role of the Federal Policy Committee within the Party has never been more important. 2. Unlike, it seems, most of my colleagues, I have a full-time job and a relationship. I have things I need to achieve with both. They are important to me – and being a councillor does not pay the mortgage. In fact, nothing could be more important. 3. I ...
Lib Dem peer Baroness Shirley Williams has today come out publicly against the Government's plans to reform the NHS. She had hinted at her position in Thursday's Question Time, but in today's Times(£) Baroness Williams says "Why we should dismember this remarkably successful public service for an untried and disruptive reorganisation amazes me. I remain unconvinced." ...
Conservative activist Ed Hall wrote a piece on Conservative Home over the weekend where he sets out why he thinks First Past the Post is a simple, comprehensible and fair electoral system. Fair enough. He is entitled to his opinion and it is clearly genuinely held. However I do wonder why so many people within the No camp seem to make so many factual mistakes when making their case. I am not going to perform a full fisking here. There are however three arguments he uses that are just plain wrong: 1) "If you have a 'normal' constituency election with ...
Prime minister, I could hug you. I could grab you, pull you close and lay a big fat rubbery one on your enormous forehead, dabbing at my misted eyes as I whisper "thank-you, thank-you" in your ear. You've said what I've been waiting to hear you say; and for that, I shall be eternally grateful. ...
Doing some Computer Housework and came across these two pics of a charity Skydive I completed in aid of ClicSargent. What a great experience this was and one I would recommend to anyone who is looking for fundraising ideas. The plane landed before we did!
When I was at Save the Children's blogging conference on Saturday there were two campaigns the charity was keen to promote. One was its campaign on child poverty in Britain, which I wrote about on the day, and the other was its vaccination campaign. The Save the Children website explains: Pneumonia and diarrhoea are the biggest killers of under-fives globally, accounting for three times more deaths than malaria and AIDS combined. This year, for the first time, babies and children in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Yemen and Guyana will be immunised against pneumonia through their public health service. Tens of thousands ...
Oh my, His Esteemed Noble Lord Bonkersness is turning his next Liberator diary into an advice column. This is going to be hilarious. I haven't looked forward to anything quite so much since Cathy and Claire's advice column in Jackie in the 1970s. And it promises to be much more useful, and probably more controversial, than the one Jordan did for OK! magazine up until she fell out of favour with Mr Desmond. Whether you're a party leader balancing needs of family, party and coalition partner, or a rookie candidate on your first campaign, Lord Bonkers, who has more than ...
I am the subject of the latest Meet the Bloggers profile on Liberal Democrat Voice: I realised that I was not a Socialist ... when Boxmoor County Primary School demanded a letter from your parents before you were allowed not to have custard with your pudding.
After last week's budget and a couple of days to reflect on some notable victories for Prestwich, it was back to the grindstone at the weekend. As I reported on Saturday, leafleting didn't go exactly to plan as I was collared for accidentally parking in the residents-only parking zone on Highfield Road and fined £35! But ...
There are eleven stories in the second of the Sherlock Holmes connections, where we see Doyle expanding the fictional universe: we have a couple of accounts of Holmes' adventures before he met Watson, we have Mycroft and the relationship with the French painter Vernet, we have the recovery of a treaty lost by the Foreign Secretary's nephew, and most of all we have Moriarty. The best of these is the first, "Silver Blaze", which is the one about the missing race-horse with the original curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Several of the others, unfortunately, have almost the ...
Seventh Doctor adventure (from Virgin New Adventures series) about alien insects invading London in 1909 - a Doctor-lite story mainly about Benny, featuring also Ace and Victoria Waterfield's elderly aunt Margaret. I realised a few pages into this that I had already heard an audio version - one of the first Bernice Summerfield plays from Big Finish, which had had some surgery to remove the Doctor (who isn't in it much anyway) and Ace (who I think is mainly replaced in the play by Benny's husband Jason), and co-starred Colin Baker as the mysterious Russian character. I remember enjoying the ...
Just to let you know that you Colchester Carnival – happening this year on Saturday 16th July – is now open for people to enter, and it's free to take part in it if you're not a business! You can now download an entry form (pdf file) and a hints and tips guide (also pdf) from the carnival website to help you on your way. There'll also be regular Carnival meetings in the months leading up to it where the organisers will be answering any questions you might have. They should be in Slack Space (on Queen Street) on the ...
The community is rallying round the campaign to preserve Rock Road Library. Children at Morley, just round the corner from the Library, have been designing Save Our Library posters and local groups are passing on news of a campaign meeting to be held this Wednesday. The Friends of Rock Road Library are organizing a meeting on Wednesday 2nd March to discuss the County Council's planned cuts to the Cambridgeshire library services and possible changes. They aim to come up with a strategy to preserve our local library and keep it open. The meeting will be 7.30 – 9.00 at the ...
What has pleasantly surprised me in Barnsley is the number of voters who are genuinely open-minded about who they will support. They know that Barnsley needs new jobs and new investment. Barnsley needs an ambitious ambassador, someone who can sell what the town and its people have to offer: a low cost base, a skilled work force, and an excellent geographic location. I have more than 10 years' experience of managing international businesses and raising finance for new business ideas from banks in London and New York, creating jobs and investment. As Barnsley's new MP, I will fight hard to ...
Let's put things into perspective: Enough said.
Mon 28th
16:54
Red chair guest from the Wirral tells comedian John Bishop to "man up" on Graham Norton Show
A television classic! Niall from the Wirral is a hero in my book.
Liberal Democrats policies have made their mark on the Coalition. The most significant being the AV referendum, raising the income tax threshold, introducing the pupil premium, and "green investment". However, these items seem thin by comparison with Conservative reforms such as academies, NHS decentralisation, and the universal welfare credit. Nick Clegg needs similar major achievements to his name in 2015 if he wishes to maximise Liberal Democrat chances of success in the election. 'Alarm-Clock Britain' has not caught on. Cameron's vision of the "Big Society", appears to drive Coalition strategy for now. It's time for Clegg to initiate his own ...
Every so often a story comes along which blows my mind. This is a case in point. Giving out soup to the homeless in front of a cathedral. One would think that this is the very epitome of the sort of tolerance on which the UK prides itself. And in front of a place of God, too. That seems appropriate doesn't it? After all, I recall a few words such as "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "When you give a feast, invite the poor". But oh no. Along comes Westminster Council to sweep them all under the carpet: ...
This video needs no introduction and speaks for itself. Wow! H/T UK libertarian
Nibley Lane will be closed from the A432 Badminton Road to Westerleigh Road, Westerleigh for a day to allow cleansing - there has recently been some fly tipping on this popular short cut.
Greg Mulholland MP (Leeds North West) is the first convenor of the new Liberal Democrat Backbench Group. On being appointed he said, The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party has to work in a completely different environment than before and it is important that the voice of the Lib Dem backbenchers is heard. We look forward to working constructively with Ministers and the Liberal Democrat leadership to make the government programme as positive as possible in these difficult times, as well as bringing a distinctively Liberal Democrat perspective to some debates. Given the role of various Conservative backbench MP groupings in exerting ...
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Scotland are holding an election hustings to discuss issues around breast cancer, and women's health in time of recession on 9th March, that's a week on Wednesday, between 7 and 8 pm at the Storytelling Centre on the Royal Mile. Speakers are: Nicola Sturgeon, SNP Jackie Baillie, Labour Ross Finnie, Liberal Democrat Nanette Milne, Conservatives Alison Johnstone, Green Party Members of the audience will get the chance to ask questions and can register to attend by contacting the Breakthrough Scotland Campaigns Officer, Janis McCulloch, via e-mail janism@breakthrough.org.uk or by phone 0131 226 0769. I'm intending to be ...
My maternal grandparents were German Jewish refugees who came to this country as asylum seekers. To mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, the UK's Refugee Council (which is also celebrating its 60th anniversary this year) is seeking 10,000 signatures for its 60th anniversary pledge. I have signed and I hope that many other people will do so. Anyone who disagrees with the pledge should think carefully not only about how their own ancestors came to enter this country, but also about what they would do if they or their children themselves had to flee this country seeking ...
Today's blog has been echoed by the Leader of the Labour party, which is particularly astute of Ed Miliband as I'd only written the first line before he gave his speech this morning about the growing inequality in British Society over the last 30 years, under successive Tory and Labour governments. My thoughts were inspired by this article in The Guardian by Gary Younge, where he expertly analyses the current State standoff in Wisconsin as symptomatic of a hidden class war in US society. I urge you to read it for yourself, but they key point he makes is "Inequality ...
South Glos Council has now designed a scheme to deal with hazards to pedestrians crossing Rodford Way near Abbotswood, the site where a child was killed in November 2008. They are proposing a railing along the middle of the dual carriageway to stop people crossing. It would run from the junction with Chargrove, past the pub to the crossing point next to the Kelston Close junction, and would be erected "in early 2011". South Glos is convinced that encouraging pedestrians to use the underpass, in road safety terms, is the safest way of getting from one side of Rodford Way ...
Today I had a sinking realisation whilst out shopping at tesco. The shop took me 1hr 45mins door to door. Now usually I have paid for my shopping to get delivered and it costs me 3.50 for the privelege. I realise now that I will not be going back to the store again too soon. For one thing, I spent more, approx 12 quid more on the weekly shop. I found that as it was going through the til, you start to realise how much you have spent. Whereas online shopping you know automatically how much the total is - ...
Boris Johnson's latest farcical rant in the Telegraph states that AV is tolerable for election of the Mayor of London, but not for electing your MP. So it is perfectly ok to elect the person with the biggest personal mandate in the country, but not for your representative in Parliament. This makes absolutely no sense. ...Read the Rest
What I really need at the moment is something that's going to dissolve all the cotton wool in my head and help me concentrate. I have a stinking cold which has laid me low for the last few days, and I have loads to do this week - and at the moment, no energy and motivation to do it. I didn't sleep very well last night so am walking round like a zombie today. I have sent Anna to school despite the very obvious signs that she's coming down with it too. I stuffed her bag full of tissues and ...
Levenshulme Baths to stay open Following a huge local campaign. I am delighted that hard work by local people has paid off. I was equally delighted that we protected Chorlton Leisure Centre, but we did not have to march side by side with local people to achieve our goals, but work quietly behind the scenes. Town Hall bosses have backed down on their plans to close Levenshulme Baths. They have commissioned a report from the Chief Executive to replace the baths with a modern facility, and to keep open the pool until the replacement is availible. Gorton South Councillor Simon ...
So far Lib Dem voice has seen two opposing points of view on the census, one from Merlene Emerson who explains why she believes the census is important, and another from Simon Beard who explains why as a Quaker he will be objecting to it on the moral grounds of Lockheed Martin's involvement. NO2ID appreciates why some people have concerns regarding the involvement of an arms company in the census. However as a single issue campaign our concern is with the immediate privacy threat the census poses to everyone. We have therefore taken it upon ourselves to expose 10 lies ...
"Liberal Democrats are appalled that Labour's town hall bosses have closed the much valued 'Manchester Advice' without any consultation and before this proposal in the budget has been debated in the council", says Manchester's Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Adult Services, Councillor John Grant. Liberal Democrats were shocked when they saw in the budget, that Labour's town hall bosses propose Manchester Advice would be closed and all the services it presently offers would be commissioned from the Citizens Advice Bureau and partners after a tender process with the Legal Service Commission. Manchester Advice is a council service which has helped vast ...
In recent years, the British have been quite successful at the Oscars and the film industry in general. The King's speech is another perfect success of the British ability to tell a good, captivating and well articulated story – which ... Continue reading →
Now that isn't a title of a blog post I ever thought I'd be writing nor is it the punchline to a horrific gag. A small story only picked up my one of the nationals (depressingly it was the Daily Mail) says that a man who had sex with someone who didn't consent has been ...
This week we will be back on the doorsteps for the May 2011 council elections. A rather later start than last year, but then I've only got one ward to work on instead of the whole constituency. I have been looking forward to knocking on those doors again and seeing if we are as unpopular as we keep being told we are. There are stories around the country that some Lib Dem activists are refusing to canvass for fear of the reception they may get from previously loyal supporters. Well, I'll guess I'll find out - but two years ago, ...
Well done to everybody involved in the Save Levenshulme Baths Campaign. The Council have backed down and agreed that the baths will stay open until they have been replaced by more modern facilities. This proves what we were saying on the Liberal Democrat benches that the tiny savings from closing the baths could not be justified by the cuts. The fact that the Labour Council have tried three times to close these baths in the last decade also suggested that the cuts were a convenient excuse. Also they have admitted that the Sure Start Centres were never up for closure ...
The Living Wage is a term which has gained ground in mainstream politics over the past year or so. Ed Miliband has used it in attempts to forge his political identity. Boris Johnson has spokenof his support for the concept and would like to see it introduced in London and David Cameron has said it is an idea whose time has come. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a salary of £14,400 is the minimum a single person needs [PDF] for an acceptable standard of living. This figure includes not only the basics in life, but covers what is needed ...
Scotland's The Journal has (again!) quoted me in a piece, this time about the problems with turnout thresholds in referendums - such as the 40% threshold some peers wanted to introduce for the AV referendum. You can read the article here.
I suppose that instinctively we all knew this to be the case but it is reassuring to have it confirmed anyway, today's Daily Telegraph reports that the number of traffic lights on Britain's roads jumped by around 30 per cent between 2000 and 2008, with lights in London rising 23 per cent to more than 6,000. According to the RAC Foundation, which conducted the study, said there are now more than 25,000 sets of traffic lights in the UK: Produced by former Whitehall transport and planning chief Irving Yass, the report also revealed the number of traffic signals equipped to ...
One of the truths of traveling, is that you realise how much there is to see in your own country (and how much of it you haven't seen). This is certainly true for me - I've seen more of Africa and some other parts of the world than I've actually seen of the UK. So to try and rectify this I have made a resolution to get out and see more of the UK in 2011. As a starting point, I thought that it
This was on a door in Swansea Civic Centre. It shouldn't really need saying.
Vodafone has taken huge numbers of people offline, but this time, it wasn't deliberate. According to a post on their forums, (Intermittently available, I guess due to load) they experienced a break in at a data centre which caused some damage and has knocked out large numbers of users – twitter and blogs are suggesting it's mostly west of London. I had always assumed with the Egypt troubles that you'd need to shut down a few locations to cause real damage as everything would be run at least in pairs hosted in diverse locations. No matter how careful you are ...
The King's Speech, the film that depicts George VI's battle to overcome a stutter and lead the country in war, has won four Academy Awards at the Oscars last night, including the coveted Best Picture award. It also won in two other major categories, with Colin Firth crowned Best Actor , and Tom Hopper awarded ...
Welcome to the latest in our series giving the human face behind some of the blogs you can find on the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator. Today it is Jonathan Calder, who blogs at Liberal England. 1. What's your formative political memory? I can remember JFK being assassinated and being taught to say that Alec Douglas Home was Prime Minister, but really my Liberalism dates from the early 1970s when my father left us (an experience that taught me I was not a Tory) and the Liberals were winning by-elections. I realised that I was not a Socialist a couple of ...
There has been much talk recently of how long Nick Clegg will last as leader of the Lib Dems with many predictions of an imminent end to lasting a long time. But what if we could actually predict this using an equation? An equation was developed to know if a relationship would break down which ...
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The annual meeting to agree Luton Borough Council's budget was held this month on Wednesday 16th February. I was there sitting on the Liberal Democrat benches in my role as a local councillor. As usual the meeting generated a lot of heat and only some occasional flashes of light, and as seems to be becoming a habit I probably ended up speaking too much. Local government and the services that it provides face some significant challenges as a result of our current economic circumstances. You would think that this provides an awkward political problem for a Liberal Democrat who supports ...
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...according to Labour! That's right, whilst we're all giving a hearty two cheers to the Freedom Bill and we're all being told that with that nice Ed M in charge, Labour is eschewing it's authoritarian ways and reaching out to us liberal types, Mrs Ed B writes "Relaxing DNA rules could reduce rape convictions". Whilst it would be easy to pull her tawdry argument apart we know these are intelligent people (aren't they?) so we must assume this is just mendacious rather than meant. However can you spot the slight (!) disconnect between these two conjoined statements: "Cooper is alarmed ...
There is an excellent piece by FactCheck on the Channel 4 website here. FactCheck investigated the claims by the No2AV campaign that the cost of a Yes result in May will run well over £100m due to need to introduce electronic voting machines, as counting ballots manually under AV would be too difficult. FactCheck find that: They find the NO2AV's claims are 'fiction' There's never been any suggestion that electronic voting machines will be necessary under AV. Australia has used AV for 90 years has never had electronic voting, all counting is done manually. As such there's no estimate of ...
[IMG: Shame on You] With thanks to Andrew Eddy. Build your own here.
Not sure if it's the birthday adrenaline coursing through my veins, but I've decided the time has come to be true to myself and to be true to others.
Times are tough in the world. The banking collapse has brought serious problems in the global flows of money, while the huge growth in Asia has put serious pressure on the price of commodities and energy, especially oil. Global food prices have been rising sharply as the result of several extreme weather events. Indeed this spike in food prices has clearly been a factor in the North African Arab revolt. Even still it is a bit disappointing seeing the English Language press being so down-beat about the events in Libya. Instead of being inspired by the determination of the Libyan ...
After I let my first assignment for DD307 stagger into the online TMA submission system on Saturday morning, my thoughts turned towards the first TMA for SD226. Amazingly, I was far enough on in the reading to make a start (and some of it has been particularly sleep-inducing) and I now have a half-finished assignment. That's good, as there are still four weeks to go before its deadline, but with TMA02 for DD307 being due the week after and work being particularly manic at the moment, I can't afford to bask in the glory(?) of sending in my first assignment ...
In response to a question from a resident of the road, the LibDem team have turned sleuths to discover the truth behind the "loose stones" on Marshside Road. Focus Editor Lauren Keith and Councillor Sue McGuire inspect Marshside Road following reports that the recently resurfaced road is not up to scratch. The road, which was resurfaced last year, now has signs warning drivers of lose stones. It appears that the recent severe weather may have caused the newly laid surface to disintegrate creating a significant amount of loose chippings on the highway and a visually scarred surface. Officers from the ...
Robert Pelletreau, a former American Ambassador in three of the countries very much in the news, Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia, has highlighted how difficult it is to predict where protests will strike: Tunisia had not seemed particularly shaky. It was a country that seemed to be doing many things right: universal education for men and women, low military spending, and positive economic growth. A large middle class was developing, and the country had become a popular tourist destination for Europeans. The government was authoritarian but also determinedly secular and pro-Western. The role of social media has, with some justification, been ...
The idiotic RMT Union leader, who earns more than the Governor of the Bank of England, has constructed a policy to help the deficit – 1p tax on e-mails. This is not me being facetious. Bob really did advocate this ... Continue reading →
Lord Bonkers writes exclusively for Liberal England. In shall me devoting my next Diary in Liberator to answering my readers problems. You will be aware that I have unparalleled political experience, so whether you want to know the best way to write a Focus, to know what our policy should be on the Levant or to know what the dickens T.H.Green was on about, then I am your man. Remember too that I have many friends and employees upon whom I may call. Meadowcroft can advise you on gardening, Nanny on health problems, the Reverend Hughes on spiritual matters and ...
i) births and deaths 28 February 1912: birth of Mervyn Pinfield, who was Associate Producer for Doctor Who from An Unearthly Child (1963) to The Romans (1965) and also directed The Sensorites (1964), Planet of Giants (1964) and The Space Museum (1965). ii) broadcast anniversaries 28 February 1970: broadcast of fifth episode of Doctor Who and the Silurians. The Silurians release a deadly virus to wipe out humanity. 28 February 1986: broadcast of fifth episode of The Seeds of Doom. The Krynoid gets larger and larger, and the surrounding vegetation is under its control. 28 February 1981: broadcast of first ...
The Holy Face of Jesus I firmly wish that my face reflecting the intimate pains of my soul, the suffering and love of my heart, be more honoured! Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me. (Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Pierina) Daily Preparatory Prayer O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, whose ...
The Holy Face of Jesus I firmly wish that my face reflecting the intimate pains of my soul, the suffering and love of my heart, be more honoured! Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me. (Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Pierina) Daily Preparatory Prayer O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, ...
The sentiments expressed in the final three verses of a hymn we sang at church yesterday must surely resonate around North Africa at this crucial time. And lo, already on the hills The flags of dawn appear; Gird up your loins, ye prophet souls, Proclaim the day is near: The day in whose clear shining light All wrong shall stand revealed, When justice shall be throned in might, And every hurt be healed; When knowledge, hand in hand with peace, Shall walk the earth abroad: The day of perfect righteousness, The promised day of God. F.L. Hosmer, (1840 - 1929) ...
[IMG: Council protest picture] As I previewed in my last post, at Thursday night's Council budget meeting, I seconded the Lib Dem amendments to try to stop the closure of older people's luncheon clubs, cuts to the voluntary sector and a 75% reduction in youth services (details here). Sadly our opportunity to debate these important issues was shortened by a small minority of protesters breaking into the Council chamber and delaying the meeting for several hours. However, even more depressing was the actions of the ruling Labour Group who voted down our proposals to reduce back office IT, communications and ...
Mon 28th
06:45
Colin Firth Crowned King at the Oscars (and The King's Speech wins Best Picture Award!)
Well, who would believe it! That low budget film that I blogged about looking forward to watching here before Christmas has only gone and won the Best Film Oscar in Hollywood! Best Actor Colin Firth and Best Director Tom Hooper In in spirited contest with its supposed main rival 'The Social Network', 'The King's Speech' won the big 4 Oscars ovenight. It won for Best Orginial Screenplay, Hooper won the coveted Best Director Award whilst Colin Firth as was widely expected walked off with the award for Best Actor. To crown a fantastic evening, it then won the biggest accoloade ...
On Saturday I briefly managed to watch a bit of the Irish election count courtesy of RTE and BBC Parliament. And what a joy it was too. For a start it had none of the ridiculous computer graphic metaphors or useless celebrity comment so beloved of the BBC in recent elections (unfortunately occuring under the watch of Craig Oliver - now No10's chief spin doctor). And secondly the reports from the counts had a supercharged intensity that UK counts just don't have (even in the marginals). Because in Ireland ultimately every seat is marginal and every preference counts all the ...
On the 19th February I wrote about scams and how we should deal with them. I didn't like the idea of emails flying here there and everywhere to prevent scams from spreading, but I can't complain too much about a scam making the news as it did yesterday. It seems that some people in Lancashire have been asked for £100 in order to process their council tax rebate of up to £7000. Now replace Lancashire with any other county. Replace council tax rebate with any other bill that goes out of a household and I have just saved you reading ...
