I am pretty much a Lib Dem loyalist these days, even if my membership of the Liberator collective still alarms some of the party's great and good. But I was pleased to see the leadership defeated in the health debate in Sheffield today. Nick Clegg's statement after the vote - "Yes to reform of the NHS. But no to privatisation of the NHS" - is fine with me. And if the movers of the amendment were simply defending professional interests or the status quo, I would not support them. For me the key point against the government plan for the ...
There was an article on H.G. Wells by David Lodge in the Guardian this morning, which mentioned Moura Budberg, but this is even more interesting. Joseph Wells, the father of the writer, played cricket for Kent. He made only eight appearances for the county - according to the Wikipedia entry for H.G. Wells, his career was cut short by a broken thigh - but in that time he became the first man to take four wickets in four consecutive balls in first-class cricket. And according to the British Listed Buildings entry for the former cricket ball factory in the grounds ...
I don't usually go to the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference: too much travel, not enough conference. True, this year it is only up the line in Sheffield, but I am at busy at work and, as a pre-merger Liberal, I still regard it as an unsound SDP innovation. So this morning I rose early and pushed my way through the crowd of urchins gathered to cheer famous Liberal Democrats as their trains passed through Market Harborough railway station. But I travelled south and went to the exhibition Churchill and the Anarchists at the London Docklands Museum. It turned out to ...
Today's vote, along with previous ones, such as that opposing 'free' schools, shows that social liberalism still beats strong in the heart of the overwhelming majority of Liberal Democrats.
The strap line for the Liberal Democrat's in conference in Sheffield and how accurately that sums up the Party..... Nick was totally engaging this weekend - comments like "I genuinely think what you do in local government is remarkable" went down well with the Party faithful including first time campaigners including me. Despite running the gauntlet of several hundred protesters, who misguidedly ranted "sham on you for turning blue" (my goodness how little they know me!), as delegates entered Sheffield City Hall, the mood was up beat and in typical Liberal fashion, open debate was positively encouraged. Issues raised were ...
The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Nick Clegg MP, made himself available for a question and answer session with party members this afternoon, and a packed Oval Hall at Sheffield's City Hall called in to hear his answers. Hear him as he talks about Lords reform and tuition fees and takes questions within topic from speakers on the floor. And did he really forget he was in charge of the country? Find out by clicking the "play in another window" link below.
My book, Too Close For Comfort, has been out for some time now so I thought I'd update you all on the progress so far. Sales have been really encouraging - particularly for a self-published book; the eBook version alone is selling at the rate of a copy or two every hour. Paperback publishing has been taken up by Amazon who will be offering it direct through their warehouses in the coming days with a new ISBN and distribution to libraries around the UK. Reviews have been very encouraging, too: "This book makes for a truly great read. The characters ...
Perhaps he can go back to his colleagues and tell them there are other ways to oppose. This morning I walked into the conference hall for the health debate and wondered if I might be in the wrong town - though the 2,000 protestors gave a bit of a clue. John Healey, Labour's shadow health spokesman, walked past and plonked himself down in the centre of the hall. It was a curious to see him there. He sat there throughout the hour long debate on health he then got up and wondered around the back in what I like to ...
I spent some of my time today talking to residents of the Hargrave Estate, Stansted. Most people I spoke to were interested in talking about local issues. In between being offered and accepting a glass of white wine from one couple and tea and biscuits from another resident I was able to give feedback on some of the main issues affecting Stansted. Residents told me about the potholes on Croasdaile Road(pictured)and the missing fence panel in Queens Close(pictured). In the latter case this had been reported to County Highways back in October but nothing had been done. I promised local ...
Earlier today, Simon Hughes, Lorely Burt, Vince Cable and Ed Davey joined chair Sal Brinton to answer questions from the audience about post offices, tuition fees, the education maintenance allowance and cutting red tape for small businesses. You can hear the session in full by clicking the "play in a new window" link below. Coming up later today: our podcasts of the Nick Clegg Q&A and a recording of our own fringe meeting, which is happening right now.
C. G. P. Grey has produced an enjoyable video about the problems of First Past the Post (FPTP) voting systems. With the referendum on the voting system in the United Kingdom coming up on 5th May, it would be useful if people watched this to see why our current voting system is so bad. If ...
1. Being introduced at a meeting or in a debate as a "Minister" is still a plus point, often triggering a round of applause. People at conference like the fact that the party is in government. 2. The Social Liberal Forum (SLF) is growing quickly in influence in the party, partly thanks to a smartly organised set of fringe meetings, amendments and motions. However, the SLF is very keen to repeatedly stress that it is not anti-coalition. 3. The NHS debate was a decision delayed. All sides are happy with the idea that a conference debate is used to set ...
Sat 12th
18:37
Look out! The Universe will end in 10,000 trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion...
[IMG: Everything Following] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: Stylesrambling Physics and history can be two of the driest subjects. Imagine a lecture on the history of ancient Britain. Or a lecture on basic physics. Yawn. But the BBC, beless them, have recently taken these two subjects, and, thanks to two talented presenters, brought them to life in two wonderful series. First, take Wonders of the Universe with Dr Brian Cox. It's basically a glorified physics lecture. Entrophy. The Second law of Thermodynamics. The arrow of time. These were the concepts "Coxy" (as he's known in our household) was explaining ...
Welcome news from the conference floor this afternoon as the party finally votes for a diversity motion without referring it back or dithering further. There were only a handful of people opposing the motion, led by Sophie Bridger, a candidate in the general election for Glasgow. She said what was proposed was against key Lib Dem values. It would entrench unfair advantage and tokenism. It would undermine the status quo where everyone gets a fair shot. It would even, she said, make a mockery of the selection process. It sounded familiar to me – and Alistair Carmichael put his finger ...
I tend not to write about policy on higher education, for a range of reasons. But the more I hear about the proposals surrounding the new regime for tuition fees the more problematic I feel they could be. Actually, it isn't so much the proposals themselves, but it is some of the policy narrative that ...
I knew that things were quite challenging for our party at the moment, but I didn't really think we needed to channel the spirit of Neil Kinnock. Irrepressible party president Tim Farron did just that last night in his speech at the Conference rally: So this is the Sheffield Rally. And you know what normally happens when a party holds a Sheffield rally? Well, traditionally, some ginger bloke gets on stage, makes an absolute prat of himself, and completely wrecks his party's election chances. And I'm a great believer in tradition, so here goes... Mind you, I'm sure he tried ...
Will Howells's and Director Mark Pack show us just whats in the bag at the Liberal Democrat Conference. A colleague of mine also told me about his so I had something of a heads up before seeing this for myself. ... Continue reading →
LibDem Voice have published a podcast of the NHS debate today at the Liberal Democrat Conference. Speakers included Minister Paul Burstow, Baroness Shirley Williams and Dr Evan Harris. You can listen to the full podcast here, as well as find ... Continue reading →
Today I picked up my Tata Vista EV (which I'll have for a year as part of the Government's CABLED trial of electric cars) from the Technical Centre at Warwick University and, after a final briefing session, drove it home. It now is sitting on my drive, happily recharging its battery, as the picture below shows. It was all very simple and certainly no more complex than getting used to any other new car. In fact the thing that was hardest to get used to was the indicator being on the other side of the steering column! The Tata Vista ...
My Bookmooch account seems to have been deleted. Anyone else having trouble with it?
It turns out the Alternative Vote referendum debate in Reading I advertised on this site wasn't as balances as billed see Mark Reckons blog No2A Balanced Debate. Is this not false advertising?
The pictures from Japan these last 36 hours have been almost apocalyptic. The sheer force of nature has wreaked its tragic magic on the poor residents of the port city of Sendai in north eastern Japan and early indications indicate that over 1,000 people are likely to have been killed by the tsunami that enfulfed their lives after the mamouth 8.9 magnitude tremor struck off the coast. This initial earthquake has been confirmed as the fifth strongest to occur anywhere in the world in the past 100 years. It is arguably a blessing in disguise that the death toll is ...
Sat 12th
16:49
Liberal Democrats stand up and are counted with Shirley Williams and Evan Harris on NHS #ldconf
I've written many times about how Shirley Williams is my political hero. In fact, we probably don't need the political in there. I have so much respect for the contribution she's made not just in this country, but internationally. I still have going round in my head a speech she made nearly 30 years ago, where she talked about how, sometimes, in order to advance your beliefs, you have to scale unscaleable heights. That was in the context of putting herself forward as Alliance candidate for the Crosby by-election. It's so true, and although I'm not anywhere near as good ...
A final reminder about our conference event here in Sheffield, tonight at 8pm – and with the podcast recording brought to a wider, internet audience as soon after that as possible. With attempts to control the internet ranging from drastic actions of dictators in the Middle East to democratic debates in the US Congress over an internet 'kill switch', and not forgetting the continuing debate over the Digital Economy Act in Britain, The Voice's fringe meeting tonight at the Liberal Democrat spring conference is looking at who has control over what on the internet: Who runs the internet? Wikileaks, piracy ...
Sat 12th
16:34
Nick Clegg must now deliver the changes in NHS policy that the Lib Dems have demanded - Harris
Responding to the overwhelming vote which called for amendments to be made to the Health Bill going through Parliament to get rid of the marketization and enhance accountability, Dr Evan Harris, who drafted the amendment, said: "It is now incumbent ... Continue reading →
Good news from Lib Dem conference. The Winchester Lib Dem-backed motion on the coalition's NHS plans was carried overwhelmingly. Attached is the press release, I've just printed/sent out on behalf of the Social Liberal Forum. MEDIA RELEASE EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE Nick Clegg must now deliver the changes in NHS policy that the Lib Dems have demanded - Harris Responding to the overwhelming vote which called for amendments to be made to the Health Bill going through Parliament to get rid of the marketization and enhance accountability, Dr Evan Harris, who drafted the amendment, said: "It is now incumbent on Nick and ...
Robert Peston's analysis of the proposed public sector pension reforms from John Hutton contains this key calculation: The estimate – made by the analyst John Ralfe – that the switch would save just £2bn a year, out of the estimated total annual cost of state pensions (much of which is hidden) of £30bn. That £30bn is Ralfe's estimate of the annual cost. It is double the official estimate, with the disparity due to a disagreement on the appropriate discount rate for valuing future liabilities. A reduction in the value of retirement benefits of 1/15th [7%] would of course be unpleasant. ...
Hats off to Lisa Harding (who blogs at www.spiderplantland.co.uk, twitter @wokingspidey ) and Chris Mills (twitter @cjmillsnun ) for getting hold of Shirley Williams' handwritten speech notes on NHS reform at Lib Dem spring conference (Chris) and then blogging them (Lisa). It's a great insight into how a really experienced politician doesn't need all the paraphanelia that seems to come with the territory nowadays.
Frank Little writes: The big debate today as far as the media are concerned was F5, "Updating the NHS: Personal and Local". Although the GP-based reorganisation affects only England, perhaps some comments are in order. The feeling in the hall was of opposition to privatisation,by the front or back door, resistance to reorganisation of the NHS for the sake of it (that's familiar to us in Wales!), reservations about the use of dodgy statistics by the Minister of Health in promoting his policy, objection that this policy was neither in the coalition agreement nor explicitly in the parties' manifestos and ...
An update on my earlier post about fly tipping on Dunstall Walk. The council has had no response from landowner as yet following the letter to clear the site Next step is to serve a 'Litter Clearance Notice' to clear following another inspection and photographs to be taken today (friday 11th march) The issue with rats needs to have a survey undertaken to confirm they are in evidence. This will be dealt with ASAP Hopefully this should all be sorted in the next 7 days.
Over on the Guardian's Comment Is Free site, chair of the Social Liberal Forum, David Hall-Matthews, has a piece urging Liberal Democrats – both members and the party's leadership – to be a little more vocal in our trumpeting of Lib Dem successes in government; not just those things we are doing, such as raising income tax threshold, but also those things we are stopping the Tories doing. The whole piece is well worth a read, but I thought this line was particularly good: "Losing protest votes - or those who thought the Lib Dems were to the left of ...
Earlier today we brought you Mark Pack's live coverage of the two key debates happening this morning in Sheffield, followed by his view of the aftermath. To amplify that, we can now bring you an almost full recording of the debate. Thrill at procedural niceties! Coo at the applause for Baroness Williams! And bask in the self-righteous glow from delegates that no other party still has debates like this. Apologies that the recording starts halfway through Paul Burstow's introductory speech. It took longer than expected for me to wake up and eat breakfast clear security at City Hall. The file ...
As reported in today's Courier, I have slammed the proposals of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC) that has suggested councillors in Scotland should get a 24% pay rise. The proposals are ridiculous and pathetically out of touch. The suggestion of a pay increase for councillors at a time of staff pay freezes and cuts in services by the SNP-controlled Dundee City Council is totally ridiculous and if it went ahead, I would certainly not accept a single penny of it. My colleague Cllr Helen Dick and I refused to take the previous increase and we view the pay ...
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Always the legend, Baroness Shirley Williams made her speech to the Liberal Democrat Conference in Sheffield this morning. What made it all the more amazing was that she did this without a pre prepared speech and instead used just the ... Continue reading →
There's a common theme to the party's official reactions to both the Disability Living Allowance (Mobility Component) and health reform motions being passed at conference today. That is to welcome the party staking out its own views on the issues, even where they clearly contradict those of Conservative ministers, and for two reasons. First, it more clearly sets out where the coalition partners disagree on policy. As having a relaxed, adult approach to admitting in public that people in government don't always agree on everything is something I've talked about in the past, this is certainly good to see – ...
Meeting with Andrew Stunell MP I attended this meeting with the council leader Sean Brennan and deputy leader Ruth Dombey to discuss Sutton's progress with its Big Society projects. Cllr Brennan talked about barrier busting whilst I was able to talk about how community involvement is at the heart of everything we do in Sutton, ...
You have to pity Arsenal fans. They have had a tough couple of weeks. In the running in four major competitions just a couple of weeks ago they lost their best chance of ending their silverware drought by handing Birmingham City their first trophy in my lifetime. Earlier this week they were out played and suffered appallingly from a duff refs decision resulting in Barcelona bundling them out of the Champions League. As if fate wanted to rub salt into the wound bitter local rivals Spurs saw off AC Milan to progress to the Quarter Finals for the first time ...
My Dundee Liberal Democrat colleagues - parliamentary candidates Alison Burns (Dundee City West) and Allan Petrie (Dundee City East) have met up with Alison McInnes, Liberal Democrat MSP for North East Scotland, in the West End to show their support for the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign. They are pictured below in Taylor's Lane. Alison Burns said, "At the moment, MPs can be elected with fewer than one vote in three. With fairer votes, MPs would have to aim to get more than 50% of the vote to be sure of winning. This is good for democracy." Allan Petrie added, ...
Libraries are more important than ID cards. The ownership of forests is more important that 90 days detention without charge. The funding of higher education is more important than the national ID database. There were never riots on the street when Labour gave the nanny state a gun and a windowless cell to hold people who've misbehaved. Why on Earth not? I genuinely don't understand it. Clearly I spend too much time around liberals. When libraries, fucking libraries, are more worrisome to the general population than a police state I just don't know what to do. My best guess is ...
Without religion Where governments were truly by the people That praised freedom of expression Without war, poverty or disease Without a domination, order or control As I politically mature and learn about the functioning of the world, the more I ... Continue reading →
On Thursday evening I attended what was billed as a "Fair, Impartial AV Referendum Debate" in Reading. I had been anticipating a balanced debate where well informed and experienced campaigners from both sides locked horns and I hoped to hear some thought provoking arguments. Although I am already decided as a "Yes" I am still interested to hear principled arguments from both sides and to try myself to engage in this sort of thing. However the event turned out to be anything but balanced. It seems that the debate was actually organised by the "No" side. I unfortunately arrived just ...
The day started early in the morning from Clapham Junction to Sheffield. Travelling first class for the first time ever. Not that I would normally choose first class, but when it is cheaper for two first class tickets than a standard return it seemed like it would be rude not to. I ended up sitting ...Read the Rest
I'm Welsh and mightily proud of it. But I'm also a Celt - I feel it in my bones. I have a particular pull towards Ireland which goes back to before I can remember. Listening to my father's Daniel O'Donnell tapes in the car as a child imparted in me that balladic Irish sound and the names of the geographic landmarks of the Emerald Isle. I find its history and politics fascinating and for followers of my blog that will have been clear by my regular posts on the recent general election there. I've been to Belfast twice and fell ...
As being at Lib Dem spring conference will prevent me from having the time to blog about anything else, I've decided to write a general account of my experience of it instead. Don't worry; I'll try not to bore you with too much political minutiae. Internet access will be limited so I'll post when I can. Friday 11th March I'm writing this on the train to Sheffield where the conference is taking place. Today's been a rather long one as I woke up at 7.30 and won't be arriving in Sheffield till 9.20pm. However, today started very well as my ...
Here is the record of questions to the Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones on Wednesday, shortly after she announced her intention to resume the cull of badgers in North Pembrokeshire and parts of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire: Peter Black: I wish to focus on the welfare of protected species and, in particular, the Order that you have announced today for the control of bovine tuberculosis in the north Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire area. You will know that, between January and November 2010, there was a 34 per cent reduction on the previous year in the number of cattle slaughtered as a ...
The law courts are becoming the main arena where morality is discussed. It is regrettable because the law is a blunt instrument, which creates precedents and, therefore generalises a principle on the basis of single cases. It is also regrettable because morality is always in development and cannot be decided once and for all. The latest is a Christian couple who were turned down by the Council
Richard Kemp summates on motion, asking people also to back both amendments; i.e. cooperation rather confrontation to improve bill. Some MPs vote for amendment 1, some abstain. Amendment overwhelmingly carried. As is amendment 2. Lines 6-15 deleted from motion, amended motion carried. All MPs can spot voted for. Evan Harris summates on amendment 1. "It is unusual for me to summate on a debate where there have been no speeches against my amendment". Says government ministers must work hard to change the bill radically. Amendment 1 lays out how it should be improved – and Liberal Democrats in government "should ...
It is all kicking off over at the Murdoch press phone bugging scandal with what is described by the Independent as an an incendiary speech by Rhondda Labour MP, Chris Bryant, in which he accused the Metropolitan Police Force of misleading a Commons committee, and News International of engaging in the "dark arts" of tapping, hacking and blagging: Damning the behaviour of the Metropolitan Police and Rupert Murdoch's News International, Chris Bryant claimed his friends had been told by an ally of Mr Murdoch that their raising the issue "would not be forgotten". Suggesting there was a "full-blown, copper-bottomed scandal", ...
I welcome the £10 million, announced by the Scottish Government, to help support the 50, 000 or so people in Scotland who have an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. This cash is part of the Scottish Governments Autism Strategy and neither cash nor strategy would be there without Lib Dem MSP Hugh O'Donnell's Members Bill on the subject. This has been portrayed as an unsuccessful Bill by some but it has achieved its desired outcome in spite of not being enshrined in legislation. Hugh has much to be proud of.
This TV ad has been running in New South Wales ahead of the state elections there:
At one minute to midday on Tuesday 15 March, applications for tickets for the 2012 London Olympics will open. Over the past twenty years, ticketing arrangements for every Games have created bad headlines. Controversy has ranged from empty seats to excessive prices, ticket touting and counterfeit tickets. It's a tough challenge to get the right balance between maximising income to cover the costs and ensuring that each event is accessible - especially as the actual running of the Games by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic & Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is paid for entirely by non-public money. As ticketing ...
Bosworth Conservative MP David Tredinnick, the man who claimed for astrology software and training on expenses, has been asking in Parliament about switching funds from cancer drugs to alternative medicine: David Tredinnick: The cancer drugs fund is available only for pharmaceutical drugs, but can it be used for wider support services, such as healers, aromatherapists, those using therapeutic touch and other such practitioners? Andrew Lansley: We are finalising the design of the future cancer drugs fund from April, and we will publish shortly. The interim cancer drugs fund is designed to support new effective medicines, based on clinical panels' assessments ...
After watching the illuminating lectures by Stephen Davies, I never knew the origin of the word Tory, I have been thinking of what one can learn from the successes of classical liberals. There are quite a lot of people who want to see a more liberal society. And by more liberal I mean a society where people have as much control over their lives as possible. Some stay in a mainstream party to make their case. One person I know supports a think tank and argues for liberty on his blog and on Twitter. Others have joined a party that ...
This is a collection of essays, mainly by international lawyers, published by the International Platform of Jurists for East Timor (IPJET) and edited by Karin Arts and Pedro Pinto Leite. Most are about the subject of the book's title, though there are two comparative pieces about East Timor (not surprising given who published it) and one on the scandalous 1969 process in West Papua. (It would also have been interesting to see something on Namibia in the 1971-90 period, as another case where a neighbouring state occupied a territory that should have been decolonised, also in defiance of a ruling ...
It's actually only about five years since I last read this collections of Holmes stories. I was struck then by the several incidents of freaks of nature, and also the succession of fiery Latin American ladies, and by the way in which Holmes offers absolution rather than justice; this last point struck me even more forcibly on this reading, as Holmes has moved from being the problem-solver who mocks the establishment of the earliest stories to being a powerful moral force on his own merits. The other important difference is that while the early stories had him as a cutting-edge ...
The City Council is consulting on its tree strategy: a matter that is close to many peoples hearts. As a way of getting public opinion at an early stage the City is holding three workshops. Probably the most useful one for King's Hedges residents is on 21st March from 12 to 7pm in the Meadows Centre. However there are two others, one in Cherry Hinton Village at 12-7pm on March 15, and one at the Guildhall from 12 until 8pm on the 23rd March. To quote from the information we've been sent: The workshops will be interactive drop in events ...
broadcast anniversaries 12 March 1966: broadcast of "The Plague", second episode of the story we now call The Ark. The Doctor, Steven and Dodo are on trial; but the Doctor is able to find a cure for the plague, and all watch as the Earth is destroyed. 12 March 1977: broadcast of third episode of The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Leela watches as Weng Chiang kidnaps a girl and drains her of her vital essence, and flees to the sewers. 12 March 1999: broadcast of The Curse of Fatal Death, Steven Moffat's first Doctor Who script, starring Jonathan Price as the ...
Kirstie Allsopp reckons she is quite clever, which I suppose is good considering that she was a panellist on Friday's Any Questions. However she qualified this statement by saying that she hasn't a clue about the Alternative Vote. It takes a certain amount of bravery to admit that you are this ignorant. So I congratulate Kirstie for this. We have an election for the Lancaster City Council in May. All council seats are up for election and there are three councillors in my ward. How many votes do you think I have Kirstie? One? Well that's alright. You can actually ...
