The Bath Literature Festival is in full swing at the moment with lots of good authors again this year. For me this year the highlight is the full reading of the King James Bible at St Michaels Without. There are over 350 volunteer readers reading the whole of the King James Bible non stop. It is interesting to sit and listen to the poetry of this version. My volunteering spell was this morning at 8-9am and even at that time there were about 6 people in listening. My readings were Numbers 31, 33 and 35 and Deutoronomy 1. I have ...
I recently joined the ALDC and so I was fortunate enough to get a nice, shiny new newspaper from them (well, nice, matt finish, new newspaper at any rate). I won't divulge all the contents because they're top secret tips for members only - however, I will reproduce a table showing the net results of the 143 local by-elections between July 1st and December 31st. As you can see, Labour are doing rather well, having made significant gains from the Conservatives (though this isn't that surprising given that they did exceptionally well in 2009 and are to be expected to ...
Further to my earlier reports on concerns about the future of the Crichton Street Collection Office, Royal Mail updated me this afternoon : "I can confirm that Royal Mail are extending the lease on Crichton St collection office for a further 6 months so as to allow us to investigate the best options to provide collection services to the people in the DD1, 2, 3 and 6 areas. We still believe that the building in Crichton St is not fit for purpose for a modern postal service and will be looking at all options available." I welcome the decision to ...
Library sign Like many others, I attended a meeting at Rock Road Library this evening put on by the Friends of RRL to discuss ways of keeping it open. I didn't count the people present, but estimate there must have been over 100, with standing room only even before the meeting kicked off. This fantastic show of public support goes some way towards explaining why so many hits on my site this week have been using keywords like 'library' and 'cuts'! A big thank you to the Friends for arranging the meeting, as well as to all the groups that ...
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I am old enough to remember a time when Chelsea left backs did not shoot people: they just kicked them in the throat. This, er, robust tackle by Eddie McCreadie on Billy Bremner was made in the FA Cup final replay at Old Trafford in 1970. Note that the referee waves play on and Peter Osgood and Ian Hutchinson (who both died some years ago) almost score at the other end. Chelsea won the game 2-1. You may be surprised to learn that most neutrals were pleased because, next to Don Revie's Leeds, they were seen as the good guys. ...
Following on from earlier announcements by Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial that they intend to charge the maximum possible tuition fees from 2013 for undergraduate courses of £9,000 per year, Exeter university has entered the fray today by indicating it will follow suit. The Exeter announcement is important, as they are the first university outside of the "Russell Group" of self-proclaimed elite establishments to decide to do this. I'm hoping that BIS are looking on with a degree of alarm and concern about this development as it suggests that many universities will now do the same. By dint of the way ...
Buddy Elias Frank standing by Anne and Margot Frank's grave. Sometimes in life you meet somebody who leaves you speechless. I met Buddy Elias Frank, Anne Frank's last living relative, at the Jewish Book Festival on 27 February. It was amazing to even be in the same room as Buddy and his wife, Gerti Elias. I recently blogged about the children of the Holocaust and I believe it is a very important subject. It is because of people like Anne Frank that we can put a face to the human suffering otherwise the Holocaust would only be a historical event ...
One of the organisations I came across in New York was WaterAid. Its US website makes it clear that the problem is not just providing wells in developing countries - you also have to ensure that they are maintained. On that site Becky Straw writes: Regardless of who is to blame, if one out of three wells are failing - it's time for a revolution. The international non-profit, WaterAid has an enterprising solution; the non-profit started a business. Two years ago, WaterAid opened a mechanic training program in the District of Mahoba, where 4,000 wells are broken. They set up ...
A great few days for Irish sport. Last weekend they put Scotland's rugby players to the sword. Today in Bangalore their cricketers pulled off a shock win against England! The upset included the fastest century in World Cup history by Kevin O'Brien. On the political front Rupert Murdoch seems likely to off load Sky News in order to circumvent calls for his take over of BSkyB to be referred to the Competition Commission. The move is expected to be approved by Jeremy Hunt the Culture Minister. I personally feel that Rupe owns too much of the UK media and I ...
Tomorrow Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is visiting Reading in search of 'Fresh Ideas' to take back to the Labour Party.Ed Miliband is apparently on the hunt for 'Fresh Ideas' as he is currently staring at a blank sheet of paper. The website set up for this purpose has attracted less than 500 ideas so far. News has reached me Ms Cooper will be visiting Coley Park in marginal Minster ward which Labour is fighting to hold at the local elections"where local neighbourhood wardens have just been cut and to discuss Thames Valley policing cuts". This is total spin and ...
All, As you know I've been involved with setting up Shipston Community Arts. The group is aiming to put on all kinds of arts events in Shipston, and one day to set up our own arts centre. The launch event is planned to take place on June 4th at the Townsend Hall. Click here to download the flier. If you'd like to help us organise the event, exhibit on the day, or just find out more about Shipston Community Arts then download the flier and contact Tim, the Chairman. The day will be filled with different types of arts, from ...
So, this other blog had an awesome idea – find a way to explain AV so that it's so simple even children understand. Now, my entry is not that good...but I've posting it up here nice and early to raise people's attention to the competition – Design your own! Surely you can do better than stick figures and overused internet memes! Anyway, here it is (click on it to enlarge...), shamelessly plagiarised from a video I can no longer find that was called "first past the post ice cream," and recast in a different format. (If anyone can find the ...
This is my sixth monthly round of blog figures for anyone who is remotely interested in who reads my little blog. These stats for the month of February come courtesy of google analytics. Yet Another Record Breaking Month After yet another record breaking month in January, I expected things to cool down somewhat in February. But to the contrary, my blog continues to go from strength to strength. I kept to the same level of output in February with 40 blog posts, only marginally down on the 42 in January. So, here come the stats... But despite a slight drop ...
It's a hat trick for the Shropshire Star! Flatulent Shropshire dentist found guilty of misconduct See here and here for the first two Awards.
I'm a member of the "Lib Dems against control orders" cause on Facebook and follow @_JoShaw on twitter. This is her proposed motion for Spring Conference on Control Orders. If you support it, please contact her. Details are in the ... Continue reading →
Liberal Youth have sent the Voice news of Spring Conference's most intriguing fund-raiser: a Murder Mystery evening. All actors are Liberal Youth volunteers and funds raised will be invested in on-the-ground youth campaigns: No one knows it yet, but murder is afoot. Donald Trevithick, MP for Crapstone-under-Tamar, is holding a birthday party for his wife, Mary at their home in Drake's End, Devon. John Maldon, the MP for Scruffton and Lairy North, however, is late... Inspector Timothy Farron, of the Devon and Cornwall constabulary, has been notified and is on the case, but can you get the bottom of the ...
There is a change to the 173Service withdrawn on Sunday evenings and Public Holidays due to withdraw of subsidyfrom Somerset County Council.The public transport team have put out to tender a replacement for the withdrawn serviceand are currently awaiting the results of this tender.
The 41 (P&R bus) will operate additionally on 6th March (Bath Half Marathon) and on 22nd April (Good Friday).
Simon Titley is a member of the Liberator Collective. When is an analysis not an analysis? When it's the latest edition of Radio 4's 'Analysis' programme, titled 'The Orange Book: Clegg's Political Lemon?' and presented by Edward Stourton. It was a disappointing attempt to analyse the influence the The Orange Book has had over the Liberal Democrats. (If you haven't heard it yet, listen online here). The programme demonstrated a fault common to most media reports of the inner workings of political parties; London-based journalists just don't get it. The 'Westminster Village' is their comfort zone. It is where political ...
Wed 2nd
17:53
Coalition drops plans to allow Ministers to scrap quangos without consulting Parliament
The Government has abandoned plans to give ministers sweeping powers to scrap quangos without consulting MPs. From the Telegraph: The Public Bodies Bill has been proposed by the Coalition to allow ministers to abolish almost 200 public bodies including the Audit Commission and the Film Council. It would also give ministers extensive new legal powers to order changes to another 150 public bodies using secondary legislation, meaning they could be abolished without further parliamentary approval. Such powers are often called "Henry VIII" powers in reference to the Tudor monarch's autocratic rule. After a report by the Lords Constitution Committee, which ...
The recent shenanigans over the government deal with the banks (project Merlin) now make more sense, following Anthony Hilton's revelation in the Evening Standard (reported here in Lib Dem Voice). The deal was weak on the banks because the banks did not get what they really wanted - which was to emasculate the Independent Commission on Banking Reform. George Osborne was quite happy to oblige, it is reported, but the members of the Commission threatened to resign en masse. This means that if the Commission does propose anything radical, an important part of the government will be against it. This ...
One week more of campaigning for the Brunswick Park by-election in Camberwell. We have a great candidate in Kate Heywood. Campaign literature and canvassing have been going well. It has been a real shock at how crummy the Brunswick Park area feels. Really quite an unpleasant surprise how much graffiti, dog poo, and other eco crime around. I've reported over a dozen problems and gradually getting them fixed. One good thing about by-elections is an area gets a lot of committed Lib Dems along to report all the problems they find. The fixes lag behind but the area will feel ...
Make sure you complete your Census questionnaire as the information you provide on your household will be used to help plan services for your community. The Census, which is taking place on Sunday 27 March, will count everybody in the country, recording their age, sex, marital status and ethnicity, in order to give a snapshot picture of the population on that day. It is carried out by the Office for National Statistics every ten years. The information provided will be used by the Government to distribute money to local communities and by St Albans City District Council and Hertfordshire County ...
Over on her New Statesman blog, Olly Grender, former Lib Dem Communications Director, tackles the tricky topic of mandates. It has become a familiar refrain that the current government has no mandate to implement this or that reform, despite the fact that it is one of the few in recent history which is made up of parties which received more than 50% of the (combined) vote at the last election. Here's Olly's take on the subject: When I hear the regular accusation about lack of a mandate, I have some sympathy. No, really — I do. But that begs several ...
The work orders have been put in to paint new yellow lines on Coniston Road, Gatley (and remove a section of line opposite the synagogue). Hopefully the changes will be made soon, but there is a bit of a backlog due to a line painting machine breaking down late last year and then the bad weather – it's taking longer than we'd like to get the paint down on the road (and the signs amended). Here's a Google map of the location.
We are now in the third week of the Wallington Integrated Transport Project and good progress is being made to widen the pavements, move services and install new drainage. I am aware that it is tricky for people to cross Woodcote Road at present. With just one traffic light controlled crossing point outside Wallington Square lots of people are taking a chance and still crossing near HSBC. A new crossing with pedestrian control will be in place between HSBC and NatWest by 14 March. The new pavements outside HSBC will not have been completed by this date, so there will ...
Correlation is not causation. The plural of anecdote is not data. Your job does not define your intellect. Life continues to be a bowl of cherries (all stones and prussic acid). I may be able to post about the horrendous perfect storm of stress I have been going through the last couple of months at some point in the future, but for right now, my fuse is very very short indeed, and if life throws me another curveball I might have to go postal. This explains my total loack of activity online of late, for those who have been wondering ...
A derelict BT phone box will be removed from Beddington Gardens in the next few days. The phone box does not work and BT have agreed that it can be scrapped ahead of works to improve pavements, lighting and stopping arrangements in Beddington Gardens. The council will also relocate two BT phone boxes that are near Boots to a new spot further south in Woodcote Road. Two more derelict and broken phone boxes close to Barclays Bank are proving to be more tricky to remove. Despite being an eyesore and not working the owners, Spectrum are digging in their heels ...
You have probably noticed the large lavender covered air quality monitoring station outside Iceland (middle of photo). This has been in situ for some years now and provides important information about pollution in the air in Wallington. The box needs to be moved to allow the pavements to be widened and this has given us an opportunity. As with many things the technology for air quality monitoring has improved over time and it is now possible to do the same work with a much smaller unit. So the old box will be removed and a smaller box will be installed ...
The kind folks at BBC Radio Kent contacted me this morning to discuss immigration and the South East. Thank you to Julia George and her team, especially producer Claire for arranging the interview. It was the first time I've appeared ... Continue reading →
A number of people have contacted me to raise concerns about the traffic lights in Woodcote Road adjacent to Wallington Square. These lights have not been working properly and people have had to wait a long time for a pedestrian 'green man' to allow them to cross the road. Transport for London fixed the problem yesterday and the lights are now working as they should. The lights were previously connected to the set that have been removed from the junction with Beddington Gardens, but they had not been reprogrammed to take account of the changes. They seem to be working ...
Lib Dems deliver a budget to protect the most vulnerable in Reading (whilst keeping local libraries open and freezing Council Tax) A lot has been written about decisions taken by local councils in recent weeks. Here in Reading I am proud to say that the Liberal Democrats have played a key role in delivering a budget that seeks to be fair to all and to protect the most vulnerable in our community. This has not been easy. Although often characterised by the Centre for Cities as an economic powerhouse, the shocking truth is that after decades of Labour rule in ...
First of all my grateful thanks to James Hargrave and Andrew Grant Adamson, who both attended the meeting last week at Endeavour House on the future of libraries and posted their notes on their blogs. A much confused picture now emerges about the future of Suffolk's library service. Of the original 15 "County" libraries it seems that there could now be only 3. This was hotly denied in yesterday's East Anglian Daily Times by Judy Terry, the councillor responsible for the service, who is in talks with a US company about a takeover of libraries in the County. From what ...
I hope it's not too disloyal of me to say that I don't expect a Lib Dem triumph in tomorrow's Barnsley Central by-election. Despite the circumstances that triggered the election, I suspect the Labour candidate will win comfortably, indeed well. But what would have happened if the Lib Dems had followed the advice of bien pensant Guardianistas and so forth, by opting for coalition with Labour? The government would still have been planning cuts 'deeper and tougher' than under Margaret Thatcher [copyright A. Darling]. It would also have been planning or have already implemented significant tax rises, perhaps including the ...
There were more than 1000 parking fines handed out in Launceston in the last 12 months according to figures obtained from Cornwall Council by the Cornish Guardian. The 1039 fines were handed out for on- and off-street parking offences, ranking the town 5th in East Cornwall. Across Cornwall, Truro saw the most fines (7312) with Falmouth second at 4424. Newquay had almost 4000 fines and St Austell over 2000. If the decision to massively increase parking charges is upheld following the call-in, then we can expect to see this number rising further as drivers abandon car parks and take their ...
Following requests from residents, Pam and I have for some time been looking at a residents' parking scheme for Oakfield Avenue, off Oak Road in Cheadle. It's a small road, but the big issue is how narrow it is at the entrances. When cars are parked up at the ends, bin lorries and emergency vehicles can't get through and it causes real problems. However, the residents at the moment aren't sufficiently in favour of residents' parking. We need 51% of households to agree to it (because they're going to be asked to pay for parking permits). So far 45% are ...
Police in Prestwich and Sedgley are warning residents to pay extra attention to their home security after a series of burglaries in the area. Between 24th and 27th February there were 4 burglaries where a man broke into homes via ground floor kitchen windows and searched the houses for car keys in an attempt to take the homeowner's vehicle. One car was stolen along with laptops and purses. The criminal fled when residents realised there was someone in the house and went to investigate - in one case the victim found the offender in their bedroom. The incidents have taken ...
The news that Eric Pickles is planning to intervene in cases where it is perceived that Councils are "unfairly" cutting grants to charities worries me. Mr Pickles seems to be back-tracking on his previously asserted desire to give Councils much greater autonomy. How can he be best-placed to decide what is and isn't a good ...
Today Exeter University (predictably) became the latest Uni to announce that it would charge the maximum £9,000 fees for tuition. I think the government need to let us know now, clearly, what it is doing to keep its promise that only in exceptional circumstances would universities apply the top rate. We need to know what ...
It is very seldom that something controversial happens in Kilmacolm. Very seldom. Yet last week our small town hit the national headlines as the case of pensioner Andrew McConn was picked up by, amongst others, the Daily Record and the Scottish Sun. For those not familiar with the story, here are the basic facts. Mr McConn, aged 66, attempted to stop a vandal damaging his car. Using nothing more sinister than a bread tray to hit the young man over the head, he found himself being arrested and spent eight hours behind bars after being charged with assault. It is ...
Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days: The Independent reports on the No to AV campaign in: Campaign for voting reform turns nasty Anthony Green, writing on the Australian ABC Election Blog gives some serious comment on why AV would be good for us in: Does the Alternative Vote Bring Tyranny to Australia? Meanwhile from the BBC: Green leader Lucas says vote system change 'liberating' We can see STV in action in the Irish General Election in this RTE report. In Wales, Ceredigion Councillor Mark Cole reports on Lib Dem Voice: Continuing the ...
ALDC has a busy programme for councillors and local campaigners at Federal Spring Conference 11-13 March 2011 in Sheffield. All our training and fringe events are FREE to all party members, so even if you can only come to Sheffield for the day it's a great chance to catch up on skills and learn new ideas. Our stand is open for advice, inspiration and information from Friday lunchtime - until Sunday lunchtime. Come and meet the team, and if you're not a member already - join up! All our training and fringe takes place on Saturday 12 March 2011. Here's ...
Have you tried the new templates ALDC has produced in the last couple of months? We've commissioned a series of FOCUS and campaign material templates, these are exclusively available to members of ALDC. Packs 1 and 2 have included: A3, A4, and A3 booklet style FOCUS Direct Mail Squeeze Materials Posters Letterheads Flying Start leaflets Councillor's Annual Reports Pack 3, which is out this week, includes everything you need for your election campaign: - election time FOCUS - squeeze materials - blue letters - eve of poll & good mornings - knock up leaflets - "thank you" FOCUS All the ...
This weekend is Scottish Party Conference in Perth which will see some events organised by ALDC and ASLDC all of which take place in the Norrie Miller studio on Saturday 5th March: 10.00am: Finding and Recruiting Council Candidates - a must in preparation for 2012! Steve Hitchins, former leader of Islington Leader Borough, has been leading the Liberal Democrat programme for the Leadership Centre for Local Government in England. 11.00am: Campaigning in Coalition - how our successes in UK Government can help your Council campaign Steve Hitchins, former leader of Islington London Borough 3.30 pm: Building a successful Council campaign ...
MyCouncillor, the websitge platform for Lib Dem councillors and local campaigners provided by ALDC has been getting an upgrade in the last few weeks. Since launching the system in 2006 MyCouncillor has grown to become the biggest network of Lib Dem sites in the country. Highlights from the changes include: New Themes for your websites: [IMG: Screen shot 2011-02-18 at 07.02.38] [IMG: Screen shot 2011-02-18 at 06.56.51] [IMG: Screen shot 2011-02-18 at 06.52.48] [IMG: Screen shot 2011-02-18 at 06.51.46] New features include: [IMG: helper] "Get Involved" buttons, (shown here) which make it easier for people to contact you and interact ...
In the West Stockport area (which covers Gatley, Cheadle, Heald Green, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, Adswood, Davenport and Cale Green) we've now got a few extra front-line coppers. Local neighbourhood Inspector Steve Gilbertson confirmed that the extra officers were already in post and, as a result, regular patrol times had been extended. In Gatley, extra money has been found for "target hardening" – additional security for properties on Lorna Grove and Dingle Grove where there's been recent burglary problems. This is one that Pam's been working hard on getting sorted, and the Council's been positive in working on a piece of ...
[IMG: The Kit-Cat Club by Ophelia Field - book cover] Founded in the late 1690s by London bookseller Jacob Tonson, utilising the premises and consuming the food of pie-maker Christopher Cat, the Kit-Cat Club evolved into a club with a cast of prominent members of the cultural, political and social circles of the time. In origin the Club had a literary role, with Tonson regularly feeding aspirant authors at Cat's pub in return for the promise of having first publication option on their works. Over time this evolved into the Kit-Cat Club, a pioneer in mixing politics, culture and professional ...
Tonight I will be attending the budget meeting of Liverpool City Council. I have great sympathy with all the councillors present tonight and indeed across the country - especially those that control councils. We have all been stuck in an ... Continue reading →
It is rare for this blog to praise Left Foot Forward, a thinking-person's alternative to Labour Party commentary, given a regular Spirit-Level-like disposition to draw erroneous conclusions from dodgy data analysis. But in this article, their guest writer Symon Hill reveals the facts behind yesterday's misreported Christians versus anti-discrimination law case. "In reality, the judges had refused to rule even on the suitability of the Johnses to be foster carers; their comment on the suitability of Christians to be foster parents was almost exactly opposite to the view the CLC attributed to them." The 'anti-Christian' meme has become an important ...
When it's reported by the BBC. At no point is Teresa May directly quoted as saying she wants police officers to be paid less. She calls for them to be part of the public sector pay freeze and for the various bonuses and overtime payents to be reviewed. Despite being one of the most respected media and news organisations in the world, there really are times when their institutional biases get in the way. And I think sadly the coming public spending cuts will be one area where self interest, unionisation and metropolitan elite attitudes will get in the way ...
Despite voluminous reports spreads the lie about a Portsmouth swimming pool being two inches too short for Olympics activity, Portsmouth City Council's website says: The Mountbatten Centre pool was developed in partnership with national sporting bodies and was designed as (a) Olympic training venue capable of holding up to national competitions. It is an Olympic length, 50 metre, eight lane swimming pool. The pool is certified by the Federation International de Natation and the Amateur Swimming Association as being 50.03 metres in length. This extra 3cm allows for touch sensitive time pads. Presumably the Conservative councillor at the bottom of ...
[IMG: Clegg Speech 16] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: Liberal Democrats Cross-posted from Liberal Democrat Voice We are told that Nick Clegg acts as "Flashman's fag". The system also means that the Deputy Prime Minister has his own gofer. His name is Mark Harper. So when the speaker calls "Questions for the Deputy Prime Minister" we have the surreal spectacle of Mr. Harper answering the first two questions. Being a good liberal though, Nick Clegg doesn't seem to have got the hang of the fagging system and Mr. Harper ends up taking the easy questions, at least in the ...
Close partnership working and information sharing between agencies at a local level has contributed strongly to reductions in crime and anti social behaviour in Lib Dem led Edinburgh. Scotland Capital, with its strong night time economy and festivals, has enjoyed reduced crime and antisocial behaviour in recent years. New shift patterns, leading to more officers being deployed where they are needed and when they are needed, have contributed to the reduction in crime. Co-located police officers, joint patrols with environmental wardens and information sharing between statutory agencies have also helped. Much of the improvement is also down to an innovative ...
When Olly Grender blogged the other day about what does having a mandate to do something in government actually mean, it got me thinking. After all neither ourselves or the Tories actually won the general election in the sense of getting a working majority under FPTP, let alone a 50.1% share of the votes cast, so in that sense do we have a mandate to do anything, other than co-incidental policies which our two manifestos happen to share. Which would make for a pretty limited amount of governing to do... That's why I think two things that happened in the ...
Well, so much for everything I had planned to do this week. I had an idea on Monday that something was not right, but then woke yesterday to more definite pain which got worse and worse. I went to the GP (after the usual pantomime of dialling their 0844 number and being kept on hold forever before, luckily, getting an appointment) who gave me antibiotics for a kidney infection. One of the things about the human body is that it doesn't do subtle when it wants to tell you that there's something wrong. It bloody hurts! I spent yesterday doped ...
Only time will tell if or when they'll return to being a national political force.
I've just sent a message opposing Rupert Murdoch's takeover of our media. Murdoch's networks spread poison in our society, dividing left from right, citizens from foreigners, muslim from christian, immigrants from non-immigrants. This week the government is about to grant Murdoch legal ownership of half of our broadcast media and newspapers! I have also left a personal voice message with a Mr James Butler at the Dept of CM&S and a message at David Gauke's (my MP's) office in Westminister. We can't let this happen, sign the petition to stop Murdoch now: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_rupert_murdoch_uk/96.phpÂ
A great response from well-known Christian bookshop to complaint of homophobia and hate-filled literature. Well done Mandy.
I have just sent this message to Nick Clegg and other ministers. Please send one yourself here directly or using the Avaaz website. Dear Prime Minister Cameron,Dear Deputy Prime Minister Clegg,Dear Ministers,It is astonishing to me that the United States has stronger laws to prevent concentration of media ownership than we do in Britain. Tony Blair failed to stand up to Murdoch when he had a
Listen to Liberal Democrats make speeches and there are frequent references to historical figures, but drawn from a small cast. Just the quartet of John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, David Penhaligon corner almost all of the market, especially since Bob Maclennan stopped making speeches to party conference. Some of the forgotten figures deserve their obscurity but others do not. Charles James Fox's defence of civil liberties against a dominating government during wartime or Earl Grey's leading of the party back into power and major constitutional reform are good examples of mostly forgotten figures who could just as ...
Exeter University has announced that it plans to join the group of universities charging the maximum £9,000 per year for undergraduates students. It joins the likes of Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College in seeking the top whack. One of the biggest impacts in likely to be felt by students in Cornwall. Not only do many local young people study at Exeter, but the university is one of the partners in the Combined Universities in Cornwall, offering a range of degrees based at Tremough. Exeter Uni is often parodied as the choice of the rich and already a number of journalists ...
The Independent gives some air time to a new book offering advice to the party in opposition: How to Be in Opposition by Nigel Fletcher. However, it also offers the Lib Dems some advice of how to be successful in government. For opposition politicians it believes there are 5 top tips to the strategy to ...
Ever heard of the Northern Irish FA? I think not. Why is it Team GB for the Olympics but not Team UK?
We are told that Nick Clegg acts as "Flashman's fag". The system also means that the Deputy Prime Minister has his own gofer. His name is Mark Harper. So when the speaker calls "Questions for the Deputy Prime Minister" we have the surreal spectacle of Mr. Harper answering the first two questions. Being a good liberal though, Nick Clegg doesn't seem to have got the hang of the fagging system and Mr. Harper ends up taking the easy questions, at least in the case of the first one today. It was from a Tory, Gavin Barwell pointing out the discrepancies ...
A quick plug. This week and next its Fair Trade Fortnight. Buying Fair Trade produce can really make a difference in developing countries. Liverpool has Fair Trade City status and Edge Hill University, where I work, is aiming to get Fair Trade University status ( the catering outlets already sell Fair Trade chocolate and we've got all sorts of activities this week) Information about Fair Trade is available at http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
At Cheadle Area Committee on Tuesday we voted for an additional section of double yellow lines on Oakwood Avenue, Gatley. The new lines run from The Hollies up to the junction with Beech Avenue, on the north side and, we hope, will stop cars parking on the bend. The cost of painting the lines is £115, but the legal costs are £400 – with small areas of line painting the legal costs (principally advertising across Stockport) normally exceed the cost of actually doing the job. Here's a Google map of the location (note that Google maps wrongly labels the station ...
Well done BBC4 for an excellent drama last night (OK it was a repeat – I missed it the first time) based on the relationship between Frankie Howerd and his partner and manager Dennis Hymer, called "Rather you than me". There were superb performances by David Walliams as Howerd and Rafe Spall as Hymer. You can watch it on iPlayer here. David Walliams ws born to play Howerd. He just fit the role perfectly, both physically and temperamentally. It reminded me of Stephen Fry playing Oscar Wilde – another "born to play" moment. Rafe Spall, as you may have guessed, ...
Sue Walker and Ruth Davis try out the new information help point Yate rail campaigners have welcomed the news that CCTV cameras are to be installed at the town's station. The Friends of Yate Station were told at a meeting on Monday that eight cameras will be installed to increase security at the site, which has suffered repeated vandalism. Lib Dem councillor Sue Walker, who chairs the group said, "I'd like to thank everyone who has worked to make this happen. Yate rail users were left out in the wet and cold this winter because the shelters were damaged, which ...
Last night, I had the pleasure of speaking with the young people who attend the East 2 West youth group at the Bharatiya Ashram Dudhope Centre and also discuss funding issues with the group organisers. Thereafter, I attended the latest River Crescent Residents' Association meeting, at which I updated the group on a number of West End issues, including schools rebuilding projects, the Riverside Nature Park and on winter maintenance.
Last summer Langworthy Lib Dem campaigner Steve Middleton and local Councillor Lynn Drake submitted a 250 name petition to Salford Council in protest over the alarming rise of speeding cars and heavy goods vehicles cutting through side streets across the ward. Residents of Seedley Park Road, Lower Seedley Road & Seedley Terrace in particular have had to put up with their streets being used as rat runs and short cuts by motorists trying to avoid traffic jams on Langworthy Road and HGVs delivering to the new Willow Tree Primary School and the surrounding house clearance demolition. Local residents have had ...
The Electoral Commission has published its review of expenditure at the 2010 general election, finding that national spending by parties dropped sharply from its 2005 peak, though it was still above 2001 levels. Total reported national campaign expenditure by all political parties (i.e. excluding expenditure recorded on candidate expense returns and excluding expenditure that does not count towards any limits*) across the United Kingdom was £31.5 million, just under £11 million lower than in 2005 but nearly £5 million higher than 2001. Nearly all of the fall is accounted for by a £9.9 million drop in the amount spent by ...
Police in Prestwich and Sedgley are warning residents to pay extra attention to their home security after a series of burglaries in the area. Between 24th and 27th February there were 4 burglaries where a man broke into homes via ground floor kitchen windows and searched the houses for car keys in an attempt to take the homeowner's vehicle. One car was stolen along with laptops and purses. The criminal fled when residents realised there was someone in the house and went to investigate - in one case the victim found the offender in their bedroom. The incidents have taken ...
The dead tree press seems to devote a remarkably large amount of space to the opinions of the conceited. Some proclaim their conceit with wit: Julie Birchill for example; some with noxious venom: Jan Moir; yet others are not only conceited but also ignorant and just plain dull: step forward Simon Heffer of the Daily Telegraph. Today's hurricane of bombastic ignorance covers a detailed and complicated subject that Mr. Heffer knows nothing about, namely high speed rail. In Mr. Heffer's world ignorance of a subject does not preclude having the most forthright and determined opinions. So, despite having no understanding ...
Disappointing as yesterday's decision was, to stop electrification on the South Wales to London line at Cardiff, there are nevertheless a number of positives for stops west of the capital City. Firstly, the introduction of new hybrid rolling stock is more than the Labour Government was offering and means that there will still be a seamless journey from London to Swansea. It also means that in terms of travel time the 20 minutes gained is almost exactly the same as would have been knocked off the journey if the electrification had continued the extra 40 miles. In those terms Swnsea, ...
This is the second article that I was asked to contribute for Liberal Democrat Voice on the issue of the Welsh powers referendum this coming Thursday and which was published on the site here yesterday. I'm pleased to do so to highlight the Welsh liberal context on LDV to my fellow liberal cousins across the UK and beyond! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ...
i) Births and deaths 2 March 1939: birth of Hugh Walters, who played William Shakespeare in The Chase (1965), Runcible in The Deadly Assassin (1976), and Vogel in Revelation of the Daleks (1985). ii) broadcast anniversaries 2 March 1968: broadcast of fifth episode of The Web of Fear. The Great Intelligence reveals that it wants to drain the Doctor's brain of his knowledge. The Doctor and friends escape the Yeti, but the sinister fog starts to infiltrate their base. 2 March 1974: broadcast of second episode of Death to the Daleks. The Daleks cannot fire their weapons; the Exxilons capture ...
Never let it be said that style is more important than substance. Citizen Lem from Mancha Productions on Vimeo. Hat tip to Liberal England.
It's been three years since my dad died. Well, technically it was yesterday, and I wasn't going to write anything because I was determined that I was going to be okay this time. But instead, I'm awake at 2.45am again. When I started university, he gave me his camera and all his lenses, and I thanked him over and over, and told him I'd make him proud. I've not used them since he went. When I was little, I imagined all these things he'd get to see, my graduation, my wedding day, his grandchildren. I imagined he'd give me away, ...
I was present at the Liberal Democrats' North West Conference on Saturday. I'm not bragging as I really am quite an ordinary member but it did give me some photo opportunities. For more on the photographic side take a look at my photography blog at http://photographyfornovices.blogspot.com/ where you will also find more photos from conference. Isn't it nice to be able to take photos! There are signs everywhere forbidding cameras in public places. Even in the open air you often read about complaints when photos are taken but there were no such restrictions to taking photos of members of the ...
Denying genocide should not be called freedom of speech The problem, however, is that Dr. Trifkovic and his supporters do not want to have a dialogue. As any nationalist would do, they see their version of the past as true and valid, and demand that others believe it, too. While calling for a dialogue they shout at their critics, rather than talk to them and then have the audacity to call such shouting the expression of the freedom of speech. (tags: balkans) Peeking past Rhea | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine (tags: astronomy) watervole: Dancing with Daleks The Daleks' Morris ...
