I challenge all of you to read this while listening to this: And, if like me, you're a fast reader and need something to look out while the song ends, try this: It's a humbling experience.
Yesterday morning, I had a very useful meeting with the City Council's Head of Transportation about parking issues. Last night, I took the minutes at the latest committee meeting of Friends of Magdalen Green, at which we had a very productive discussion on local matters, including consultation with local residents on new BBQ tables on the green and on our forthcoming Annual General Meeting. This afternoon, I met with another committee member of the group on the Green to look at damage to the grass west of the old bowling green area - see right. I have reported this matter ...
This newsreel on the British Pathe website (click on the picture to go there and view it) shows the Bruderhof commune at Bromdon in Shropshire (the nearest village of any size is Stoke St Milborough) in 1959. The Bruderhof are a Christian group with Anabaptist and Hutterite roots that was founded in Germany in 1920. The group was dissolved by the Nazis and many of its members fled to Britain or Paraguay. Their first British commune was in the Cotswolds, but they seem to have abandoned it in favour of Bromdon before long. It is hard to discover very much ...
As chair of Stockton Council's Environment committee I attend meetings of Environmental Protection UK, and today's meeting was held at Northumbrian Water's Bran Sands site. A presentation on how the site operates and then a tour were both very interesting. It's a site which takes re-use and recycle to the extreme! Being built on top of a capped landfill site it doesn't have waste water
For anyone who hasn't seen it here is Tim Farron's excellent speech from last weekend's Lib Dem Spring Conference: In my opinion he is doing an excellent job, he is the voice we need at the moment. I am supporting the coalition, however everything isn't perfect and Tim is doing a good job of speaking out when there's something that we shouldn't be agreeing with. My particular favourite quote was: "If you listen to some, then apparently because I am in coalition with the conservatives, or 'in bed with the Tories' then I must be a Tory. Are they mad? ...
At tonights meeting of Stansted Parish Council we welcomed Bill Bampton and Tom Sims from Pelham Structures. They are the developers of the Castle Lotus site(pictured) in Lower Street which is the preferred site for the new health centre. The development will include retail on the ground floor, health centre on the first floor, two NHS dentists on the second floor. There will also be a number of flats. The developers explained that a lot of work has been done by themselves on highway matters. The railway sidings car park has been reconfigured to increase car parking spaces from the ...
On Saturday I gave a guarantee to every party member that I, along with other Liberal Democrat members of the Government would listen to every word that you had to say. I completely stand by that. If there are ways in which we can amend the Health and Social Care Bill then we will work to do it. But what we won't do is to allow our Spring Conference to be hijacked and used as a political tool by Labour. And that's exactly what they tried to do today. Today was one of Labour's designated days in Parliament when they ...
My fancy "smart" phone is on the fritz, and doesn't want to be restored from backup. A good friend has lent me an old Nokia til I get it fixed or replaced. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have a decent battery life.
Every so often a leader from the left takes a view of the sands of time and decides that if he gains leadership that reform is better than the risk of revolution or decline into perpetual irrelevance. And so today, Ed Miliband stands up in favour of Alternative Vote whilst some 200 of Labour's old guard stand against him and Labour's hung-parliament expectant manifesto of 2010. Can Ed Miliband assert his leadership above the scare stories of the No to AV campaign and its mendacious attacks on Nick Clegg? Perhaps not! His use of the same anti-Clegg narrative plays into ...
All councils in London subscribe to an air pollution warning system. Anyone can ask to subscribe to receive texts or emails warning them about imminent bad air pollution events that if they or a family member have a pre existing medical condition can change their plans to minimise any risk – such as avoid strenuous exercise. To register either text AIRTEXT to 78070 or visit the www.airtext.info website. It is a sad reflection on our society that this is necessary but insufficient political will by the Mayor of London means this service can be a life saver for some.
One notable feature of the controversy over the proposed development of Aylestone Meadows in Leicester has been the way that Robert Wann, the City Council's cabinet member for culture and leisure, Robert Wann, appears to have gone out of his way to antagonise those who are opposed to his plans. He has accused them of being "selfish" and talked of "the alleged ecological issue at the proposed site". Overall, he has given the impression of caring only about football and having no sympathy for the natural enviroment. This is puzzling, because in 1990 Leicester was proud to be designated Britain's ...
Only a few weeks ago AOL made headlines by purchasing US blog The Huffington Post for $315. At the time, the site's founder, Arriana Huffington described it as "a merger of visions" that was like like stepping off a fast-moving train and onto a supersonic jet. The purchase was undoubtedly exciting, as it showed the true value ...
The announcement of a £1.34Billion national investment package for the Post Office network when LibDem Post Offices Minister Ed Davey ensured Post Offices like Chorlton Post Office, Upper Chorlton Rd & Hardy Lane were safe after years of decline. Local Councillor Paul Ankers has fought for Post Offices over the last few years said, "Post Offices are community hubs and I am glad our LibDEm minister has ensured we will keep what we have got and hopefully gain new Post Offices one day." Cllr Chamberlain bemoaned the effect one closure had had on Chorlton, "Beech Rd Post Office is still ...
I am always a bit wary when folk who aren't our friends start giving us advice. Jackie Ashley was at it in yesterday's Guardian. The Lib Dems are not a centre party. Their centre of gravity is a bit to the left. They are less statist, less pro-union and more civil libertarian than Labour, but their instincts fall on the same side of the divide. They want to change the world; and you can't do that by sitting in the centre. Like all Liberals of my generation I have always considered our party to be of the Left. Many of ...
Yesterday the Government published its draft Defamation Bill. This consisted not only of draft clauses but also a formal consultation on some key issues not included (yet). The Liberal Democrats have been at the forefront of the campaign to reform our libel laws as Nick Clegg points out in his Guardian piece yesterday. I convened the parliamentary wing of the Libel Reform Campaign in 2008/9, working with Sense About Science, Index on Censorship and English PEN. We achieved our aims of getting manifesto commitments from all three main parties before the 2010 Election. This campaign was founded on cases like ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has urged the Minister for Heritage to review the decision not to list a historic building in Port Talbot. The Royal Buildings and Custom House in Port Talbot is going to be demolished by a Housing Association to make way for affordable flats. A previous decision not to list the historic buildings can be revisited by the Minister as new evidence has come to light. "These buildings are a part of Port Talbot's heritage as an industrial town" said Mr. Black, "It is essential that we retain this ...
Steven Fleming has a post on Ballots & Bullets looking at television comedies dealing with poltics that were screened before the advent of Yes Minister. Some of the examples he gives are single episodes of well-remembered comedies like Steptoe and Son and Rising Damp. And everyone has heard of Dennis Potter's play Vote Vote Vote for Nigel Barton even if they have not seen it. But he does produce some long forgotten series that dealt with politics: Swizzlewick, The Whitehall Worrier and Best of Enemies. As Steven says, his list is not exhaustive. One obvious omission is the situation comedy ...
The High Society post is taking a phenomenal amount of time to do, but should be up tomorrow, and many thousand words long.
It was announced in Cardigan's local paper, the Tivy Side this week, that Cllr Ian Stoker has been chosen to be Cardigan's next Deputy Mayor. This decision was actually taken 2 weeks ago at our last full Council meeting and I was absolutely delighted to propose Ian to be the next Deputy Mayor. My proposal was seconded by Cllr Linda Grace and he was elected in a secret ballot by 6-5 against Cllr John Adams-Lewis who was proposed for the role by Cllr Gwynfi Jenkins and seconded by Cllr Catrin Miles. Cllr Ian Stoker Ian is an Independent Councillor on ...
From the ever readable Biometrics in school blog comes the following...... Even I thought I'd never biometrics in schools used for toilet access... "In one secondary school in West Lothian there is a hand pad system in place for primary school pupils housed there temporarily to gain access to toilets." Quite!!! Keep em' coming Pippa. Away from the civil liberty issues with all of this stuff I will pose the following question. How many books, teaching assistants, teachers, PE kit etc did this nonsense cost?
I've been holding up the example of Lib Dem run Sheffield council vs Labour run Manchester council recently as an example of how councils aren't forced to cut public services - they choose to. I've been challenged on this comparison so this is an article where I'm going to compare as much as possible between the two councils to try and settle the issue once and for all. I'm going to try and create a fair and balanced comparison of the state of the two councils, their funding, the cuts to their funding and the cuts to services they are ...
I've come up against an annoying brick wall with disability issue and I'm posting here partly in the hope that it'll prick someones conscience. It's not an overly common problem but it's clearly one that has ramifications for some disabled people. Some people with some types of disability need to be able to go to the loo in a bit of a hurry (I'm told that Crohns disease is an example of this but there are other conditions). If this affects you you tend to be aware, when you are out, of where the toilets are. You would however expect ...
This morning I boarded the train to join Sefton's Coastal Challenge. The Active Sefton Walks Coordinator planned an 8.6 mile walk from Waterloo Station to Formby Station. I wasn't sure how many people would turn up and sat down to read the free paper left on my seat. At each station several people carrying sticks and rucksacks joined the train. by the time we reached Waterloo there was standing room only! I followed the crowd and met Stephanie, our leader, at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre. Here we were given our pedometers after signing in. We were then told that over ...
This evening Labour leader Ed Miliband will urge his party and the public to say yes to fairer votes in this coming May's referendum. All of us in favour of electoral reform, and a voting system that puts more power back in the hands of the people, should welcome his personal backing for the alternative vote. Ed, at least, is staying true to what Labour's 2010 general election manifesto pledged, specifically: To ensure that every MP is supported by the majority of their constituents voting at each election, we will hold a referendum on introducing the Alternative Vote for elections ...
Comic Relief has always captured my musical imagination. Since the Comic Relief charity was launched on Christmas Day 1985, it has raised over £650m for good causes around the world. Along the way, it has made us laugh...and laugh loudly... The first Red Nose Day was held in February 1988 and the second was in 1989. Since then, they have fallen one every other year - usually in the 2nd or 3rd week of March. The next is this Friday, 18th March 2011. So, I'm dedicating two blog posts to celebrate this truly British tradition of supporting charity through comedy. ...
I like micro-history. I'm a family historian, but I also like to study the history of my locality, and trace the history of any house I'm living in. It's an interest that has, over the years, led me to many of our County archives and other local archives. I very much value the service offered ...
"It was very black and had a brown sheen and it ran off very quickly towards Northfield Farm,"Nicola Squires of Whissendine told the Rutland and Stamford Mercury. And the newpaper has a photograph of the beast's pawprint.
"Thursday night is LAP night" scream billboards Prestwich-wide. The Local Area Partnership meets on Thursday 17th, at 6.30pm at the Longfield Suite in the centre of town. Turn up a bit early and you can meet your local Councillors and the other members of the LAP for a private word or just to say hello. ...
One of the most heartening results of the May 2010 General Election was the Liberal Democrats' capture of Eastbourne, after long years of trying. The new MP, Stephen Lloyd, had fortunately had enough experience of he world not to be fazed by the grandeur of the House of Commons and once the Coalition Agreement had been signed, ...
In the interests of being an honest commentator, I'll admit there's a part of me that doesn't mind the modern tendency to almost pornographic imagery in advertising. It's not a part of me that I tend to reveal in public, mind. Of course, there's a certain aesthetic appeal to having pictures of beautiful, lingerie clad brunettes in the high street. Sorry, that should read "voyeuristic appeal". When the pose in question reminds me though, in my limited experience, of the slightly uncomfortable sort a woman might take to masturbate not for her own pleasure as much as her partner's, maybe ...
Today's World at One on Radio 4 included a telling little insight into government thinking. They reported that "Youth unemployment has risen to just over 20%, the highest level since records began in 1992". Their business reporter went on to observe that, "While there are a record number of 16-24 year olds out of work, that ...
Can anyone give a good reason why ministers should bother reading commentary in newspapers? "What did you think of the cuttings?" a senior staffer in the Lib Dems asked on Monday, after the Sheffield conference. Ashamed that I only delve into whatever I fancy reading online, I started trying to justify myself by asking whether there was any point. Then it dawned on me. Often commentators are the most tangible form of feedback that we in politics get. But why should we bother? Why do we care about the opinion of Ann Treneman from the Times, Quentin Letts in the ...
From our "sister" blog West Hampstead Spotlight posted by Keith Moffitt on March 9 Flick Rea and I did a walkabout with Camden council officers this morning to get an update on the progress of the various roadworks in Camden.Before getting into the detail, quite a few people have asked us how Camden can afford to be doing this work when we're hearing so much about cuts. The answer is that this work is being funded from this year's budget, which is relatively speaking unaffected by the cuts, which really begin to bite in the next financial year, which starts ...
While the rows of daffodils are gloriously blooming on the lower half of the Green, work is well under way on the northern side. The "mound" has almost gone, the railings are being repositioned and several disconsolate footballers are looking for somewhere to kickabout while the "dog-free area" is fenced off. However, after all the work on the plans and the funding applications, it is good to see something happening. The Friends of Fortune Green are to be congratulated on their tenacity in getting to this point. The largest amount of the funding comes from a programme called "Changing Spaces" ...
Yes to Fairer Votes is a cross-party effort and, indeed, also has people involved who are of no party.
I've just been informed that Monsignor Schmitz and Canon Lebocq of the Institute of Christ the King will be at St Paul's Church, Falls Road, Belfast on the evening of 24 March 2011. 24 March is the feast day of St Gabriel the Archangel, celebrated on the day before the Feast of the Annunciation. It ...
Wed 16th
15:24
Five stories you shouldn't miss: email on steroids, cheaper holiday money, new ways of seeing movies...
[IMG: Top 5 picture] Cross-posted from the MHP Communications blog, my monthly round-up of five stories to read: Welcome to the latest monthly collection of 5 weblinks that you shouldn't miss, put together by the Digital Leadership Group at Engine. Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions this month. Rapportive: integrating social media with email http://bit.ly/h7n3RJ Integrating information from different social networks both with each other and with your email is one of the hot topics at the moment -and this free Gmail add-on is one of the hottest start-ups of the moment. Now when you are reading an email from ...
The London branch of the European Movement decamped to my home district of Mile End last night, for a seminar on the Lisbon Treaty 16 Months On. Valsamis Mitsilegas, Professor of European Criminal Law at Queen Mary University of London (which hosted the event) emphasized how the Treaty stresses core European values, notably a respect for ...
On Friday afternoon I met with residents from St Joseph's Avenue and Peverill Close on St Joseph's playing fields to look at the plans for a play area for older children on the site. We met with the officer from Children's Services at Bury Council who has been working on the scheme. This is a Government Funded "Play Builder" site. Bury's Planning Committee gave planning permission to the scheme a few weeks ago, but there have still been significant concerns from residents so I felt it best to talk these issues through. Residents Concerns Whilst people welcomed the idea of ...
As Ali-Gate continues I thought it would help the debate if I put in the public domain the communications I've received from the party. Nothing. Not a sausage (apologies for any casual racism towards any German readers). Of course, that may be because I don't have friends in high places willing to pull strings for me. Some people in this party are more equal than others!
I have just bumped into ex Lord Provost Eric Milligan sporting a fabulous green and blue striped tie. Eric, a life long fan of Hearts, is not switching his allegiances to the Mighty Hibernian (Hearts are the other, less cultured a football team in Edinburgh). No Eric was wearing it in honour of St Patrick's Day which falls tomorrow. Eric explained how he had been contacted by the Irish Consul to see if he could persuade Historic Scotland to light up Edinburgh Castle in green in honour of their Patrons Saints day. Sadly it was a no go this year ...
Wed 16th
14:33
Protesters in Libya and Bahrain are being slaughtered and we still do nothing. I'm sickened to the c...
I know the political world is still scarred from the Iraq invasion and how it didn't have full UN backing but now we have another glaring situation where fellow human beings are being slaughtered to quell any free speech and nothing is happening. It makes my blood boil and if I were an MP I ...
South Gloucestershire trading standards is urging local residents to be very careful signing home improvement contracts when dealing with doorstep salespeople. Legally you are entitled to a seven-day cooling off period after signing a contract with a door-step trader. During that time you can back out of the agreement with no consequences. However, several block paving businesses which operate in the region are suspected to be routinely back-dating contracts when they are signed by customers, preventing them from exercising their right to back out. The workmen then turn up at the customer's property, usually when they are not at home, ...
The Independent on Sunday carried an interview with former leader of the Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown. Among topics covered are his upcoming book on the Special Boat Service (in which he served), his 7oth birthday, the coalition, the MOD and the situation in Libya. Here's an extract from the piece: "Being a party in government requires a completely different approach but I am astonished at the maturity that, by and large, the party has taken to that. There are some who still want to live in the cloud cuckoo, never-neverland of opposition. I have always said there is no point ...
All, Firstly, a quick disclaimer – this petition has nothing to do with the Liberal Democrats, me or my employers. Having got that out of the way – please go and have a look and see if it is something you would be happy to sign. You can sign the petition here. The Liberal Democrats at their conference last weekend, supported calls for the proposed changes to the NHS to be radically changed, particularly to prevent privatisation and a breakup of the NHS. The conference asked Nick Clegg to go back to the Conservative-led Government and insist on these changes. ...
Thanks for the feedback on my post about where do we go if we want to make Andrew Lansley listen to our voices. Two great suggestions so far have been Sign the 38 degrees petition at : Thanks to Paul Wray for that one Sign the Save our NHS petition Which I was originally pointed to by Martin Tod (twitter @mpntod). But what else is going on in the party? Come on, I'm all ears!
What a great sounding idea from Denmark. If you need a normal regular stamp in Denmark just send a text message and receive back a code. You write the code where a stamp would normally go, presumably your mobile phone gets charged for the stamp equivalent, and no trip to buy a physical stamp is required. How ingenious. Apparently letter up to 50g in weight cost the equivalent of 92p each. So the charge will be that plus the costs of texting. So compared to the UK not cheap but certainly clever.
Work to install the new puffin crossing outside HSBC should finish tomorrow. Once complete it will be possible to switch the traffic lights on. But there is some concern about how these lights will affect traffic flow through the temporary lights (see Update 9) under the railway bridge so they may not be switched on yet. This will be discussed at the Stakeholder Group tomorrow evening. If you have a view about whether the lights should be switched on now, or if you have an experience to share, please leave a comment below.
Drainage works under the railway bridge Work started today (Wednesday 16 March) to refurbish two existing soakaways and to construct a new 6.5 metre deep soakaway under the railway bridge in Woodcote Road. To allow this work to be carried out the northbound side of Woodcote Road has been closed to traffic. There are temporary traffic signals in place and one-way working will be necessary for the next few weeks. This is being reported regularly on Radio Jackie's traffic news to alert drivers to possible delays. The traffic light controlled crossing near the Melbourne pub and Canon Court (the old ...
I am delighted to report that the Council's Licensing Committee has today agreed that the Westhill Playing Fields should be granted Village Green status, which will help protect them from development. This success is largely due to the hard work and commitment of local residents who formed the Friends of Westhill Playing Fields and have been campaigning for Village Green status.Today's decision
More than 100 governments across the world have given official recognition to a Palestinian state based upon the 1967 borders with Israel. This sounds like a very positive development, but does it amount to anything in practice? I went to ... Continue reading →
Last month Students for Liberty, an organisation that seeks to support student groups that hold a wide-range of philosophical beliefs that all share an underlying dedication to liberty, hosted the 4th Annual International Students For Liberty Conference at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2008, it's not hard to see why this organisation has grown. The excellent attendance (500+ delegates increased from around 300 in 2009) shows that the liberty movement in the United States is thriving in the face of widespread dissatisfaction with the jaded left-right dichotomy. But it's not just that. This organisation is incredibly high ...
Not a lot of notice I'm afraid but this meeting is happening *tonight* at 7pm in the Orchard Park Community Centre. Is it just me or is it staggering that this many months/years after the busway was supposed to open there are *still* issues that need to be resolved by the Contractors being raised at local meetings like this?! Unfortunately I am not able to make the meeting but if there are any local issues you'd like to see raised please don't hesitate to let me know and I will pass them on. Needless to say the question "when will ...
Immigration Minister Damian Green will announce plans to ease the rules on high value investors and entrepreneurs entering the country. The Guardian reports that if an investor is willing to keep £5 million in a UK bank they can stay after three years, while £10 million will mean you can stay after just two years. ...
It's been quite some time since the last Liberal Drinks social get-together in the city of Belfast. Still, we've not forgotten about it - so the next one is set for Wednesday 23 March in The Parlour Bar, Belfast from 7pm. Anyone is welcome. We're sure we'll hear all about the Spring Conferences that members ...
After several months of public consultation the final recommendations of the Dulwich Community Council, based on lots of input from market traders, shop keepers and residents, were heard at last nights Licensing Committee about changes to North Cross Road market. Stunningly the Licensing Committee, a semi judicial committee which is not legally allowed to be whipped along party lines, made its decisions exactly along party lines. Pure fluk? The committees Labour members apparently threw out all the proposals including any expansion. The Labour members then APPEAR to have realised they'd thrown everything out. They then APPEAR to have met as ...
The Electoral Commission has just published copies of the booklets it will be distributing to every household in the UK as part of its public information campaign for May's AV referendum. In addition to the England, Scotland and Wales booklets below, there are also versions for Northern Ireland and in Welsh. Both of these, along with details of the research the Electoral Commission carried out in putting the booklets together, are on the Electoral Commission website. Referendum Booklet From Electoral Commission – England Electoral Commission AV Referendum Guide – Scotland Electoral Commission AV Referendum Guide – Wales
The recent events in Japan just show how dangerous nuclear energy can be when it goes wrong. Personally I am a supporter of using Nuclear if it is not funded by the tax payer to a great extent, but I want this energy to be as safe as possible. Britain does not suffer from tsunami or earth quakes but we could suffer from other forms of danger such as a terrorist attached or a simple accident. Nuclear energy accidents always seem much worse then other forms of energy accidents, therefore we need to take a step back and make sure ...
Tim is being talked about as a future leader...could he be the man to lead us into a Lib Dem/Labour Coalition?
A full business plan for the Stadium for Cornwall is to be produced following today's Cabinet discussion on the subject. The cost will be up to £120,000 and will come from Council funds. Before today's meeting, a group of Cornish Pirates supporters came to County Hall and delivered a petition with more than 11,600 signatures in favour of an all-singing all-dancing stadium. It should be noted that much of what they want is not included in the current plans. The debate itself raised a large number of concerns. Several Cabinet members expressed reservations about the value for money and feasibility ...
I took the opportunity of the February Recess to pay a fascinating first visit to India. So many impressions, but only room for one here: quite apart from our success in tracking down some family connections, I was struck by the resilience of the English language - often in a delightfully dated form. My daily reading of The Times of India produced some gems. I particularly enjoyed "Sources said Sonia expressed her peeve...", under the headline "Cong Chief Ticks Off Ally", when the Congress chair met some coalition colleagues threatening to leave the national government. The same report referred to ...
How to make your home more energy efficient (Part of Chorlton Big Green Festival) Organised by Chorlton Refurb Date: Thursday April 14th Time: 7.15pm - 9.30pm An evening of talks and discussion about making your houme greener. Approximately 25% of all the energy used in the UK is used in domestic housing so being green means starting at home. Chorlton has large numbers of old, big and draughty houses but many of us have not even taken basic steps to make our homes warmer, even given the bitter winters in the last 2 years, and instead end up living cold. ...
This is the launch of the Labour No to AV campaign, and it demonstrates perfectly why I could never join such a reactionary, conservative party. To paraphrase the deputy PM, political reform is one the reasons I am involved in ... Continue reading →
Wed 16th
10:58
I want to wave a placard to support the NHS. Where does a Lib Dem go to do that nowadays?
The Sheffield conference sent about as strong a message as you can imagine about the memberships view of the NHS reforms - the party said 'stop them please'. But when asked the direct question on BBC Breakfast yesterday, Andrew Lansley refused to say he would make changes to the bill - saying he had already made numerous changes and all that was needed now was clarification. He presumably thinks no one voting on Saturday understood the bill. Ha. Ha ha ha. So all the signs are that Paul Burstow et al have a mountain to climb if we are to ...
The Lib Dems approved a motion at Spring Conference (11th – 13th March) about encouraging and helping the voluntary sector and volunteering. You can read the full text of the motion here: I spoke in the debate. What I said was directed at the lines in the motion that say Encourage volunteering as a welcome addition to, rather than a substitute for, statutory service provision and the gist of what I said was this: "Volunteers do things because they want to, not because they have to. Councils in particular have been annexing voluntary bodies as just another arm of ...
[IMG: The Rescue and The Romans - Doctor Who] In the earliest days of Doctor Who, the historical story lines took great care over their accuracy because they were meant to provide an education to the viewers. The Romans was the first to leave such worthy causes behind in the search for light entertainment style comedy. It was done far better than the Sylvester McCoy years lapse into light entertainment stories, but it does make The Romans a rather unusual sibling to the other stories of the time. The Romans also features what is probably the greatest climb down from ...
Congratulations to Rob Tremaine, nominated by Launceston Town Council last night to be Mayor for the forthcoming year, and to Dave Gordon, nominated to be Deputy Mayor. I know that both have been great ambassadors for our town over recent years and will do a great job taking over from current Mayor Paul O'Brien. The only question is about Rob's current role as towncrier. In this role, he has often accompanied the Mayor to events and it might be difficult to combine the two!
The Barnsley by-election result has given the Lib Dems much to think about and it gives some interesting lessons for local parties where there are limited resources. Local politicians campaigning have the unenviable task of trying to get other people to adopt particular goals. Without activists supporting the campaign plan, the campaign will not succeed. ...
Over the last few months, I've read (and mostly reviewed on this site) all the books I've found published so far about the 2010 general election and the subsequent coalition negotiations, not to mention a fair number about the political events leading up to the general election over the preceding years. I've yet to read a book that is really bad, although many do have very similar content to each other. A few gems either have original content or present that common ground in particularly strong ways. So based on that here are my top four recommended books about the ...
When we decided to have the cottage rewired, Ros made the point that, given the age of the core of the house, there might well be some unpleasant surprises. Naturally, as the household optimist, I glossed over this sensible piece of advice. It was day 3 of our holiday when the word came from Richard, our builder. You name it, he found it under the floorboards upstairs, dry rot, damp, do-it-yourself botch jobs. Indeed, the floorboards themselves were part of the problem, as the original floorboards had been partly eaten by rats and, instead of replacing them, new ones had ...
One of the more ridiculous arguments propounded by those opposed to the Alternative Vote – and there's a long list of ridiculous arguments to choose from – is that under AV people suddenly get more than one vote. How one ... Continue reading →
Feisty pensioner Cllr Ann Smith has revealed a lot of what went on regarding the background to the two defections in Stockport and it deserves a wider airing than just for the readers of the Stockport Express: Notes: Cllr Roy Driver is the other defector to Labour. Cllr Ann Smith is a strong community activist ...
Another victory for the Lib Dems in UK Government. Yesterdays Guardian reports that Conservative hopes of pulling out of the European convention on human rights in response to its perceived interference in issues have been dashed by Liberal Democrat objections. They say that Nick Clegg has won a battle to prevent the inclusion of total withdrawal from the convention in the terms of reference of the planned seven-strong commission of inquiry in UK human rights law. This decision will infuriate Tory rightwingers angered by what they perceive through their right wing blinkers that Strasbourg judges have interfered with UK rights. ...
Courtesy of Jonathan Wallace comes a video of Nick Clegg's conference speech in Sheffield: If you prefer reading to watching, there is also a full transcript of Nick Clegg's conference speech in the post I did for Lib Dem Voice about it at the weekend. Further thoughts on the speech and more analysis of what happened at conference are in the latest edition of my email newsletter about the Liberal Democrats (which you can sign up to get by email every month here).
View Larger Map Beech Hill Farm - blue line shows tipping boundary, pointer shows access from Westerleigh Road Back in 2007 Beech Hill Farm, "the place that sells the fireworks" just under the railway bridge from the Shire Way roundabout, was refused planning permission for significant tipping. They've now submitted another application.The site is just across the railway from Rodborough and Chedworth. Westerleigh Parish Council and Dodington Parish Council have objected - comments include that the application should be refused on the ground of traffic problems and disturbance to nearby properties. As the alternative approach routes - Westerleigh village and ...
I am deeply disappointed in the refusal by Ed Miliband to share a platform with Nick Clegg. My observation from years in politics is that the most successful politicians are those who know when to rise above partisan politics and build consensus. "No Platform" was the slogan used to debate in the 80's when debating whether we should allow the the far right National Front involvement in organised debates etc with mainstream politicians. It was never intended to be applied to members of mainstream parties. The Scotsman editorial of the 20th February makes the case for change very well AV ...
Local residents have applied to have the area of Heaton Park adjacent to the Bowling Greens at the St Margarets Road entrance registered as a village green. This area of the park can be considered for village green status as long as it can be demonstrated by way of witness statements from local residents that it has been used for general activities for 20 years or more. If the application is approved it will restrict what can be done with this area of the park. We are urging as many people as possible who have used this area of the ...
The present uproar at Fukushima is not the first time a Japanese nuclear power station has suffered earthquake damage. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant was damaged by an earthquake on 6 July 2007 which at 6.6 on the Mw scale was at the time the second largest ever to impact a nuclear generating station. Of the seven KK reactors three at this date are apparently still not returned to operations, one came back on line in May 2009 and the others at various dates after that in 2010. The quake was reported to have imposed stresses greater than the designed ...
Authors for Japan Authors for Japan auction is now live (tags: japan) Jobless to carry out work experience or face benefits cut - Telegraph isn't enforced slavery illegal? Just sayin' (tags: government) Lib Dems thwart Tory hopes of human rights convention withdrawal | Law | The Guardian So, we're not being the brakes on the Tory juggernaut at all, aren't we? ;) (tags: libdemmery huzzah!) One Genre to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them Hilariously well-written, and should be battered over the head of everyone in the MSM. (tags: books) A Plan to Power 100 Percent of ...
An article written for and published in Pink News following the launch of the Government Charter for Action on Monday: As a Liberal Democrat in Government, fighting for a more equal society is my driving force and I am lucky to be in a position as Minister for Equalities to be able to do so much. But sometimes you are reminded that simple Government diktat doesn't change everything. We can declare equality but unless people understand what that really means, there's only so much you can do. Societal change doesn't happen because a Minister says it must it happens because ...
Over on the Guardian's Comment Is Free site, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has penned a piece to coincide with the government's publication of a draft Defamation Bill, which proposes significant changes to Britain's libel laws. Here's some of what he has to say: London is the number one destination for libel tourism, where foreign claimants bring cases against foreign defendants to our courts - even when the connection with England is tenuous at best. It is a farce that has prompted Barack Obama to legislate to protect his citizens from rulings in our courts. These laws make a mockery ...
The highlight of today's Commons sitting will not be PMQs. Instead, it will be the Opposition Day motion tabled by Labour on the Coalition's NHS reforms. Or, more rightly, on the Government's NHS reforms. Lib Dem Spring conference last week saw an angry backlash from party members and backbench MPs alike, who, while welcoming some ...
Last November, Pam and I reported that Sainsburys at Cheadle Royal is planning to expand their store. The planning application is now in, so please take a look and, if you wish, submit your comments for or against the scheme. The planning application number is 46541.
Further to my blog post a few days ago in which I questioned whether Peter Hain's continuing support for the Severn Barrage was rooted in reality I was gratified to read this letter from Anne Meikle from WWF Cymru in which she argues that the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales is exaggerating the benefits that the project could bring whilst overlooking some significant disbenefits: WWF Cymru are dismayed to see the prominence given to the opinions of Peter Hain on the benefits of the proposed Cardiff-Weston barrage, even though he is ignoring the results of the feasibility study, commissioned ...
Wed 16th
08:09
Libel Reform Coalition welcomes Government's draft Defamation bill as 'good step in the right direct...
Yesterday saw the long-awaited publication of the Government's draft Defamation Bill, with the Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke MP recognising thatthe increased threat of costly libel actions has begun to have a chilling effect on scientific and academic debate, and investigative journalism.The Bill, which includes many of the substantial provisions called for by the Libel Reform Coalition last week, was welcomed by free speech campaigners as 'a great starting point' to ensure the first overhaul of our archaic libel laws.' Amongst the provisions successfully campaigned for are: · Easier 'strike out' of trivial or inappropriate claims by raising the threshold of ...
This map is a map produced by Big Think.com It is worth looking at the original post which explains in more detail.What the Map does is to demonstrate the different groupings in Europe. This includes the Vatican that mints Euros, but is not part of either the EU or Council of Europe.
Quite a few blog posts have now appeared offering a perspective on the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference. Some significant positive developments occurred. The amendments to the conference motion on NHS reform have attracted most attention. The support for the emergency motion on banking reform was equally emphatic. They both represent important interventions by the Social ...
Today is the seventh and last date of the year on which six episodes of the first run of Doctor Who were broadcast in different years. The reason for this pile-up of dates is that Whoniversaries are not evenly distributed through the year or through the week. In an earlier post I noted that they are concentrated in the months of December to March (for Old Who) and April to June (for New Who) with the Sarah Jane Adventures and the first series of Torchwood giving a boost to October and November. That all should be clear enough. The distribution ...
The weekly list of applications gives two applications this week, one each in Milton Road and King's Hedges Road. At 146 King's Hedges Road is an application for a "First floor extension and ground floor", reference number 11/0187/FUL. The other is for a "Single storey conservatory to rear" of 287 Milton Road, reference 11/0213/FUL. As always more details available from development control, and contact the team in case of difficulty.
It used to be argued that death duties were a "voluntary tax" since those liable to them were rich enough to employ clever accountants who worked out ways of avoiding paying them. A report published this week indicates that much the same is true of Corporation Tax. The report suggests that something like half a million companies disappear from the register each year, and the total tax unpaid is probably in the region of £16billion. HMRC apparently lacks the resources to chase them up. Bizarrely, HMRC has shed some 30 000 staff in recent years and a further 15 000 ...
i) births and deaths 16 March 1935: birth of Tristan de Vere Cole, director of The Wheel in Space (1968). ii) broadcast anniversaries 16 March 1968: broadcast of first episode of Fury from the Deep. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive at an oil refinery where the chief refuses to do anything about the mysterious noises and pressure fluctuations in the pipelines. 16 March 1974: broadcast of fourth episode of Death to the Daleks. The Doctor destroys the City, freeing both Earth astronauts and Daleks; but Galloway has hidden on the Dalek ship, and destroys it as it takes off. ...
Interesting snippet from our colleagues on the London Assembly that might apply to many people in Fortune Green... Millions of Londoners missing out on compensation from Transport for London - Caroline Pidgeon More than 10.5 million Londoners missed out on compensation last year after facing excessive delays on the London Underground. Extensive questioning of the Mayor by Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has revealed that more than 14 millon tube passengers suffered delays of 15 minutes or more for the 12-month period ending in January. Despite more than 11 million qualifying for compensation under the ...
Prestwich Fetival and Grand Parade, Sunday 19 June, St Mary's Park, Prestwich. If you have 1 or 3 hours to spare to help out with collecting donations on gates, walking the carnival parade, car park wardens, working with the police as marshals. All volunteer help is greatly received! email: David Curtis at d-curtis2@sky.com
Tom Baker joins Big Finish Hooray! (tags: doctorwho) shadesong: What they don't tell you. On being a parent. (tags: life children) How to tell your supervisor you want a divorce Great advice for doctoral students. (tags: life) No, really, pi is wrong: The Tau Manifesto by Michael Hartl | Tau Day, 2010 Why τ beats π. (tags: mathematics)
As I write this blog I am watching Manchester United play Marseille. Hernandez goes down in the box because he ran into the Marseille defender who stood still with his back to the united player. I mention this incident because the commentator tells us this is the first time that he has seen the (additional) assistant referee get involved and tell the referee that it wasn't a penalty. Then it is half-time and there is an advert about respect for referees because they have greater vision because there are more of them. Do you believe the commentator who is saying ...
In March 1979 the Scots voted narrowly 'Yes' in a referendum to set up a Scottish legislature - but not by enough to overcome the requirement that a total of 40% of the electorate should approve. It was a time when the Conservative party were a significant force in Scotland - particularly in rural areas and the North East and their strident opposition was clearly important in delivering large 'no' votes in these areas. But their opposition took the form of 'vote NO and we'll bring in something better'. In an eve of vote message to the Chairman of the ...
