The political news of this week for Eaglescliffe is that John Fletcher, ward councillor for 24 years, is retiring. John has been a superb councillor, caring for Egglescliffe and then the extended ward of Eaglescliffe, like a master gardener tends his patch - nurturing good things, doing his best to weed out the bad. When I was elected almost 8 years ago it was John who showed me the important
Last night, I was really worried. I had been out shopping with Andy and our friend John, during the afternoon. We had been to Tesco, followed by Ikea. By the end of it, I could hardly walk, and I was very worried. I came home, and started to run a bath, and as I undressed ...
It has finally gone public - the news of my retirement. I decided I did not want to stand again for another 4 year term just 4 years ago, but did not feel I could reture till I had a good team to take my place. My ward colleague Julia Cherrett is standing again, and Elliot Kennedy has been selected to take my place, standing for election with Julia for the Lib Dems in Bishopsgarth and Elm Tree Ward. With 2 good people ready, willing and able to had the reigns over to, I can retire after nearly 30 years ...
Having received residents' complaints about the state of the roadway in West Grove Avenue, I raised this with the City Council and have been advised as follows : "An order has been raised to fill a number of potholes in West Grove Avenue with a timescale for completion of 28 days."
One could reasonably gripe about this anthology because the cover names Peter S. Beagle, Neil Gaiman and Gene Wolfe, implying that stories by all three are to be found within, when in fact only Beagle makes an appearance, Gaiman and Wolfe being missing in action. I would be on firmer ground to criticise if I had actually rushed to read the book soon after buying it three and a half years ago, rather than letting it sit on the shelf until now. Anyway, it's a good collection of good stories, none of which I could remember having read before, the ...
Had a long but thoroughly enjoyable day in Glasgow today, running a conference with the 'day job'. And a lovely day too ... photo below of Buchanan Street in the City Centre ...
I really enjoyed The Diamond Age when I first read it, which must have been shortly after it was first published in 1995; I thought that Stephenson's exploration of the ideas of education, conformity versus originality, and culture was original and fascinating. I loved the richly imagined (if slightly idealistic) future, with firmly laid down channels of justice and culture which an individual might still be able to jump between. The ending is a bit weak, but I felt that it probably deserved its Hugo partly also in compensation for the fact that the earlier Snow Crash, which is a ...
It's obvious really. Traditional voting in person paper systems are hard to corrupt; too many people would have to be involved. And because it's difficult to do and certain to be detected there is litttle incentive even to try which is ultimately the best protection of all. With voting machines a reasonably capable hacker can steal ...
One of our top MSPs, Margaret Smith (Edinburgh Western) popped into the HQ today and donned a comic relief nose once again, she has been active today supporting comic relief but still found time to come and see the election team and say hello. A school visit and a cake sale. Margaret Smith MSP gives me a hug
A fairly predictable take on the Liberal Democrats Yes to AV launch today from the UK media. Instead of focusing on what what Tim Farron said about the momentous decision we will make for the future on 5th May, changing ... Continue reading →
I know that the source of all Shropshire news for Liberal Democrats (and many others besides) is Jonathan Calder at 'Liberal England', but I really couldn't resist... HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) public enquiry centre (EC) in Ludlow has moved to a new location. The EC is now located with Shropshire Council Offices, Corve Street, Ludlow. Bob Gaiger, HMRC spokesman said: "We have moved to nearby premises and are pleased to be sharing facilities with Shropshire Council. We look forward to welcoming people to our new location. Our opening hours are 9am to 3.30pm on Monday's and Wednesday's." The enquiry ...
Fri 18th
19:19
When you have to keep talking for ten minutes on a national platform....but have nothing to say. Al ...
This is a complete classic. An example of cringe-making embarrassment as a US Representative holds the floor for a very late friend, but has very little to say. We almost got an Al Jolson impersonation at one point. The Daily Caller has the full story: To hear Dan Burton tell it, Louie Gohmert owes him big time. Burton, Republican of Indiana, was left floundering on the House floor for more than 10 minutes Thursday afternoon when there was some confusion about floor time between him and Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert, forcing Burton to stall to keep the floor open ...
I very strongly support the UN resolution authorising the use of all necessary force to protect Libyan civilians, and British involvement in the actions that will follow. My desire for us not to stand by while Gaddafi's hired killers slaughter ... Continue reading →
- That sums up the rather unfortunate denouement of a sincere but ill-fated attempt by Nick Clegg to "bond" with the Tories. The Evening Standard has the full story: A planned charm offensive by Nick Clegg to build ties with new Tory MPs has backfired spectacularly. A getting-to-know-you meeting was a "disaster from beginning to end", said one Conservative, after the Deputy Prime Minister failed to turn up and guests had to dash off down Whitehall – twice – for Commons votes. Angry MPs eventually abandoned the event at Mr Clegg's office overlooking Horse Guards Parade.
From the BBC: Nick Clegg has voiced his support for possible military intervention in Libya, saying that any action would be carried out in order to "uphold international law". The deputy prime minister, whose Liberal Democrat Party opposed the war in Iraq, said: "This is not Iraq. We are not going to war". His comments came after Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that UK forces would join an international operation to enforce a UN resolution which demands an end to attacks on Libyan civilians. For the full story, and a video of the BBC's interview with Nick Clegg, see the ...
RBS yesterday reported that 323 of its staff are to share a bonus pot of £375 million which in another universe would be enough to employ 12,500 teachers at £30k each. And yet it turns out that this is just the tip of the iceberg. According to the BBC this is just the figure for its "code" ...
[IMG: The Moses Room] One of my fellow bloggers – or even more likely, one of our regular contributors/commentators – may be able to prove me wrong, but I don't recall much, if any, discussion of the work we do in the "Moses Room". This is where the "Grand Committee" meets, under a huge picture of Moses handing over the 10 Commandments (hence the name), and where very useful and interesting scrutiny takes place, sometimes during the Committee stage of a less controversial bill, but more often when we need to look carefully at Secondary Legislation. At relatively short notice ...
Consider the following two sentences: "First, the tax that is avoided through loopholes in tax law, could be collected. This, quite extraordinarily, is the easiest solution to the problem we face." "The corporation tax burden is borne by workers and owners. We should tax those owners in a consistent way and not in an arbitrary ...
A public meeting is being held next week in St Albans to discuss the future shape of local community health services. Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust is holding the meeting as part of its consultation on plans to become one of a new generation of Community Foundation Trusts. Interim Chief Executive Karen Taylor said: "We believe becoming a Foundation Trust will ensure that we are well placed to provide a range of high quality health services closer to people's homes. "We are facing many challenges and opportunities in the next few years and would like to gain local people's comments and ...
The Conservative ranks in the House of Commons are stuffed with europhobes. Mention to them the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and froth will spew from their mouths even before they have formed words of outrage and denunciation. ... Continue reading →
Left to right: The Rev Paul Hunt, Chairman of the Orpington Circle, Chris Fox, Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrat Party organisation, Lindsay, me, Simon Hughes MP and Nick Perry, Parliamentary spokesman for Hastings and Rye [IMG: Posted by Picasa]
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Nick Clegg's conference speech (130 comments) by Mark Pack Tony Greaves writes... The health and social care bill. The party has spoken. What happens now? (57 comments) by Tony Greaves Tim Farron's speech at the Liberal Democrat conference rally (19 comments) by The Voice Evan Harris writes... The Draft Libel Bill - A good start, but much still to play for (2 comments) by Evan Harris Paul Burstow writes... Labour shouldn't play party politics with the NHS ...
Visitors from the Open Society Institute of Southern Africa:Ital Zimunya, programme manager; Takawira Musavengana,Human Rights and Democracy Building Manager and Richard Lee, Programme Manager for Communications and Campaigns. [IMG: Posted by Picasa]
Campaigner Brian Haw is going to be evicted from the Democracy Village in Parliament square, months before its 10th anniversary. The ruling obtained by London Mayor Boris Johnson only prevents Mr. Haw sleeping on the grass, and will be followed by an case brought by Westminster Council to move him from the surrounding area. The ...
Those of you who have looked at your Census forms will have noted the warning that "your census response is required by law". Further study indicates that "you could face a fine if you don't participate". Scary, eh? Lucky that I'm not responsible then, isn't it? Or am I? And here's the twist. The householder is responsible for ensuring that it is completed. And who, pray tell, is that? Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market To ask Her Majesty's Government which persons within a household have the legal responsibility to complete the 2011 Census.[HL7491] To ask Her Majesty's Government, ...
Prestwich Local Area Partnership is making the following grants to local community projects – the grants total £1603: Albert Avenue Allotments Clean up Days £180 - this will enable some clean up days working with Groundwork which will create some new allotment plots for people on the waiting list. Polefield Fun4All Saturday Night Project – £415 (towards £1500 total cost which is funded from various contributions) will will allow for a previously successful 10 week project to be run every Saturday up to the start of the summer school holidays at Heaton Park Primary Prestwich Festival Steering group – £317 ...
Last night in Full Council, Conservative councillor Mick Jones, claimed that I'd put out a leaflet in my election campaign which "promised" the people of Gatley that a land swap deal for the old Tatton Cinema site was imminent. (The land-swap idea was for the Council to take on the land behind the Tatton and convert it into a public car park, with the developers getting an equivalent piece of land elsewhere in the Borough in return. We put a lot of work into it and kept residents informed of progress, but much to our frustration it wasn't possible to ...
There's been some promising chatter in the run up to next week's Budget about two major changes to our tax system, both of which have often been talked about across the political spectrum and both of which politicians have previously ended up shying away from because of the political hurdles involved. First is integrating income tax and national insurance. As The Independent reported, The move is expected to be signalled by George Osborne in his Budget next Wednesday. Although such a huge change would take years to implement, the Chancellor is determined to be seen as a reformer and not ...
Of all the things that I have taken away from the Commonwealth Local Government Conference one sticks in my mind most readily. That is the sight last night of the Minister for Local Government; his Permanent Secretary; the Secretary General ... Continue reading →
It's probably me but sometimes you just get the hump, with all the busy bodies that interfere and pry for reasons best known to themselves into your daily comings and goings. Anyhow I pulled up on a garage forecourt, this morning to fill up on scotch eggs and get a paper "The I" ( not bad just gives the news straight, unlike the Mail & Express only 20P) anyhow as I walked to shop I spotted a van as per the above illustration "Mobile Surveillance Unit" splattered on the side . Naturally I thought who are these people, snooping and ...
Council Tax in Reading is not rising for the first time in many years as a result of the decisions taken by Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors. We have delivered on our pledge to the public which we agreed via our Coalition Agreement last May. At a time when household budgets are under huge pressure this is one bill that will not be going up over the next year giving some respite to families and elderly people in particular. And despite the need to find over £18 million pounds worth of savings from the Council's budget, unlike some other councils ...
A colleague on the City Council has asked me to plug an event at Cambridge Regional College, just across the King's Hedges Road. The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) are holding a sale of nearly new "high quality clothes, toys and equipment for children (0 - 10) at bargain prices" at The Sports Centre of CRC on King's Hedges Road, from 2.30pm to 4pm on Saturday 26 March. Entry is a pound, going to the NCT who also take a share of the sale proceeds (with some going to the donor). They are also looking for volunteers to help out, you ...
Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Candidate Elizabeth Evans has welcomed her party president's call for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to axe a planned fuel duty rise in his budget this month. Liberal Democrat President, Tim Farron MP has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling on him to axe the planned fuel duty rise in his budget next week. Labour announced the fuel duty increase in its final budget in power and it will come into force soon. The average price per litre has now reached 130.03p for unleaded petrol and 135.44p for diesel, a record high. Tax ...
It cannot give my colleague Peter Hough any pleasure to know that he was right to welcome Sainsbury' development plans for Crosby. This weeks Champion reveals that there is now a very real danger that Crosby will missed out on the crucial investment altogether Sainsbury's have admitted they are looking into selling their properties in Crosby Village. The Champion can exclusively reveal that handing over their retail outlets is one of the options being discussed by senior management. The retail giant announced this week that they would not be appealing the decision to refuse a planning application for a £50million ...
As some will know, it's been reported today that RSA SecurID have been compromised in undisclosed ways. I don't use them as I prefer the open-standard Feitian tokens via Gooze, but even then if Feitian or Gooze were compromised, the Bad Guys would know which tokens I had. (Even if they did not know what systems they were each for – I believe that to avoid this, Gooze at least destroy the keys after sending them to you) I think Cryptocard provide the ability to reprogram tokens, but I do not have any myself and I believe it's a commercial ...
South Glos Council's planning blueprint ("Core Strategy") aims to regenerate the industrial estates to the west of Yate, to create a wider range of jobs and a more attractive approach to the town. The planners are looking at the transport problems in the area. They are already aware of a whole host of issues including: The need for improvements at Yate stationHeavy traffic on Badminton Road and Station Road at peak timesThe difficulty getting into and out of South Avenue and houses on Badminton RoadThe narrowness of the bridge on Stover RoadThe problems caused by lorries wrongly going down North ...
This afternoon I was fortunate enough to speak at the opening of an event marking the work of EHAP, the Edinburgh Housing Advice Partnership. Over the last three years one of the most successful policy initiatives I have been involved with is our radical Homelessness Strategy. Aimed at meeting our legal requirement to eradicate unintentional Homelessness by 2012 the strategy has delivered year on year reductions in homelessness. This is quite an achievement considering the economic backdrop over the last couple of years. One of the ways we have managed that is by strong preventative work, helping people keep their ...
First, our fantastic new Party President, Tim Farron MP - who has long been a conference favourite. I voted for Tim to be our Party President because no-one in the party campaigns or does fighting talk better. And secondly Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg MP. I have heard all Nick Clegg's conference speeches live and I think this was his strongest speech yet.
Last night the Prestwich LAP approved a number of community grants which hopefully will make a big difference to the local community. They aren't large amounts, but they're enough to kick-start certain things and keep others ticking along. Sedgley allotments benefited to the tune of £180, and £691 went to the Sedgley ball zone to ...
From the Leicester Mercury: Jonathan Ashworth, a former adviser to Gordon Brown, is regarded as a front-runner among the hopefuls, who were quizzed by party bosses in London yesterday. Three Leicester city councillors - Patrick Kitterick, Mian Mayat and Neil Clayton - are also on the list. The fifth shortlisted candidate is Jennifer Channer, a councillor in Barking and Dagenham.That shortlist will do little to change the minds of those in Leicester Labour circles who think the whole process is a stitch up for Jonathan Ashworth, who is Ed Miliband's PR adviser. Later. A reader tells me that the fifth ...
THIS IS CHORLTON CALLING! Calling all Actors ~ existing or aspiring! Would you like to be part of our exciting new community play to launch The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre? We are looking for cast members of all ages and levels of experience to take part in This is Chorlton Calling! We've been meeting with some of Chorlton's finest, to gather stories, anecdotes, memories and imaginings of the past 80 years in Chorlton. Our oldest contributor is 102! From this we are creating a new show which will be performed at our launch on the 19th, 20th & 21st ...
I'll return to my woolly friend later... Apparently, a new survey has revealed that there are some amazingly ill-informed people out there. According to the Travelodge hotel chain, of 3,000 people surveyed, 22% could not identify a picture of a hare. One in 10 adults thought it was a deer. Alright, it does depend on the picture they're shown as to whether you'd think it was a rabbit or a hare, although if it's a still life, the legs and ears are a pretty good clue. But a deer?... Talking of deer, 12% per cent of the survey group identified ...
The Liberal Democrats have gained a seat from the Conservatives on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in yesterday's Pembridge by-election, with a swing of more than 13%. The result in full: LD Claire Brown 578 (43.3; +2.7) Con 460 (34.5; -24.9) UKIP 296 (22.2; +22.2) Majority 118 Turnout 35.41% LD gain from Con Percentage change is since May 2010. New Liberal Democrat councillor Claire Brown said, I am delighted and honoured to win this seat in Pembury and serve the village. I am a local mother of three young children who runs my own business. We fought an excellent campaign against ...
Trading Standards have already reported that they have received a complaint about a bogus Census collector – the incident occurred outside the Greater Manchester area but it does highlight the threat of this guise being used by offenders throughout the early part of this year. Census collectors will not be knocking on doors until April 6th at the earliest, and even then, only if the form has not been completed on line or returned by post by the householder.
The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's Tohoku eastern coastal region has caused 3,676 confirmed deaths and so far 7,845 people are reported as missing. Absolutely tragic. The final number of deaths is predicted to be more than 10,000. In the Fukushima area with the huge problems at nuclear power stations thousands have left their homes in the area, and in the wider Tohoku region, especially in the coastal towns and villages hit by the tsunami tens of thousands are homeless without reliable access to food, water and fuel. Up to half a million may have lost their homes in ...
This morning's Daily Telegraph contains the disturbing news that super-injunctions will not be scrapped despite being described as the worst example of "secret justice" for almost 400 years: Lord Neuberger, the country's second most senior judge, said the highly restrictive injunctions, dubbed gagging orders, have developed in to an "entirely secret form of procedure" which "questions the boundaries of open justice". But the Master of Rolls said that at times "publicity must yield" if the administration of fair justice is at risk. He said it would be "literally absurd" if open justice meant that the press could report that a ...
[IMG: Clifton Suspension Bridge at Night 3] Liberal Democrat Local Government Conference 2011 Saturday 18 June 2011, Clifton, Bristol Satelite events, and dinner on Friday 17 June 2011. ALDC and the LG Liberal Democrat Group invite you to the main Liberal Democrat event of the summer, the Local Government Conference. This is going to be the first major Party event after the important elections on 5th May, so a must for councillors and campaigners, old and new. This year we're in Bristol, with a packed programme of training, speakers, discussion and an opportunity to meet other Lib Dem councillors, local ...
Last night the Liberal Democrats gained the Pembury ward of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council from the Conservatives. That result in full... Claire Brown (Lib Dem) 578 Robert Rutherford (Con) 450 Victor Webb (UKIP) 297 This is not such a surprise as the ward has been Liberal Democrat in the past. And, as the recent Shrewsbury result showed, it is still possible for us to make gains from the Conservatives in areas where we have a history of campaigning. What is notable here is that is may have been the intervention of UKIP that cost the Conservatives the seat. At least ...
After all the fuss about Ed Miliband refusing to share a platform with Nick Clegg as part of the Yes to AV campaign launch I was bemused to see this diary piece which reports that it should actually be the Liberal Democrat leader who is shunning his Labour counterpart. The Westminster blog says that Ipsos-Mori research has turned conventional wisdom on its head. It shows that CNick legg is actually more liked than Ed Miliband, scoring 40 per cent against the Labour leader's 36: And — amazing as it seems given all the riots of late — Miliband is neck ...
Extraordinary. My colleague Carne Ross will be on Radio 4 about it shortly.
All, Tim Porter has produced a flyer for the launch event on June 4th for Shipston Community Arts. If you are interested in going or taking part in some way have a look! You can find the flyer here. Regards, Philip
The Government has today announced its review of the feed-in tariff for renewable energy - and it's bad news for Cornwall. The limit is to be cut 100-fold from 5Mw to 50Kw and this will rule out any large scale schemes in Cornwall - of which there are large numbers in the pipeline. Any scheme not already plugged in by August 1st would lose out - including all but perhaps one or two in Cornwall. The review seems to have been sparked by what is perceived to be too many developers trying to take advantage of the generous feed-in tariff ...
The draws for the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals of the Champions League have been made this morning in Lyon. The most eye catching ties are the all English clash between Chelsea and Manchester United, and a rather tasty match up between Real Madrid and Spurs. The full draw is as follows: Quarter-final draw: Real ...
Great news today as it has been confirmed that Liberal Democrat-Conservative controlled Reading Borough Council is set to benefit from £3.7 million pounds to held build more affordable homes in Dee Park. From the official Homes and Communities Agency press release: "The funding from the Homes and Communities Agency will support the creation of 76 new affordable homes in later stages of the regeneration scheme, bolstering the £10.4 million the HCA put towards the project in March 2009. The original investment supported the first phase of the regeneration, which includes 111 homes for homes for social rent, including 60 brand ...
Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave from the BBC Radio1 Breakfast Show have broken the world record for the 'longest team music radio show'. The were on air for a total of 52 hours, and raised over £2 million for Comic Relief. Here is the moment where they broke the world record of 50 hours: An ...
[IMG: Tim Farron launches the Lib Dem YES! campaign] This morning I launched the Liberal Democrats' Yes! To Fairer Votes campaign in Manchester. Over 100 local members and supporters came along to hear speeches from Simon Hughes, John Leech, Gordon Birtwistle and Floella Benjamin about how monumentally essential it is that we win this Fairer Votes referendum. As Nick Clegg has already argued, this is "a battle between reformers and conservatives" and this is our chance, our one opportunity for genuine electoral reform. By winning this referendum we can end the nonsense of safe seats for life and ensure that ...
Until now, the United Nations has failed to uphold the promises it has made to vulnerable people around the world by adopting the principle of the "responsibility to protect". By passing Resolution 1973 last night, it is finally putting the ... Continue reading →
We will come house by house, room by room .. We will find you in your closets. We will have no mercy and no pity. Last Friday, the Libyan rebels were being interviewed on the Radio 4. Today, we have this chilling message from Colonel Qaddafi. I can't begin to imagine what a week like that is like. The news that we're going to help the people of Libya is therefore very welcome. Libya is a terrifying place to be right now; thousands of deaths are guaranteed. From my safe, remote desk, I looked over the resolution from the UN ...
(One of a series of regular posts on the run up to the AV referendum on May 5th. As the post makes clear, I'm in favour of voting Yes. For those whom it concerns, I believe the question is either a choice between FPTP and AV, or between standing still and electoral reform, and not what I think is the best voting system.) Outside of matters clearly related to the creation and consumption of energy, I'm not really a great fan of efficiency. I'm a bit of a Luddite in that sense; the modern day preference is highly optimising everything ...
Party President Tim Farron has this morning launched the Liberal Democrats' YES! to Fairer Votes campaign in Manchester. Along with Floella Benjamin, Simon Hughes MP, John Leech MP, Gordon Birtwistle MP and Liberal Youth's Sarah Harding, Tim spoke of the importance of winning the referendum, calling it "a momentous opportunity" and welcoming Labour leader Ed Miliband to the Yes campaign. Here's Tim's speech in full: We have a medieval voting system that has failed. It's failed to give most people the MP they voted for, its failed to hold MPs to account, its failed even to do the one thing ...
Police are warning householders in Yate and Chipping Sodbury to be on the alert after a man was charged in connection with a burglary in the Woodchester area on Monday March 14. A man was arrested later the same day. Neighbourhood PC Mike Hart said: "We have had 11 'walk-in' burglaries like this since the beginning of the year. It's really important for householders to make sure doors are locked even when they are at home. Now that we're beginning to get some warmer weather I would also remind people to keep windows closed unless they are in the room. ...
ALDC had a busy weekend at in Sheffield at the Federal Party Conference. Although a lot of members will have spent time campainging in their wards in advance of May's local (and Scottish and Welsh) elections, others took the opportunity to attend training, debate and catch up with colleagues. ALDC's stand focused on our election templates, our training programme included sessions on: getting out the vote, Focus writing, winning against Conservatives, localism and the recent myCouncillor website changes. On Friday of conference we were pleased to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister to to a special brefing for Group Leaders from ...
BBC Wales reports that there will be up to 25% fewer places at some Welsh universities this summer. The cap is to be enforced by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) to control the cost of financing student loans and bursaries. Jenny Randerson, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Minister commented: "We understand the need to cap student numbers. However, this is very stringent and it is bad news for students who wish to study in North Wales, mature students and those from poorer backgrounds, as they would rather study closer to where they live to reduce costs." North ...
(Source: Ipsos MORI and politicalbetting.com)
Recent events in the Middle East have demonstrated how the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) is cutting the British military back to the barest of bare bones. In doing so, we risk losing our position as a leading world player, as befits a nation with a veto on the UN Security Council. Instead we are becoming a two-bit regional player, all diplomatic swagger but militarily impotent. Amidst the criticism of the Government's evacuation of British citizens from Egypt and Libya, one success story was the deployment of HMS Cumberland, a Royal Navy frigate, to Benghazi in February. Whilst other countries were ...
All, I'm not going to comment on this, but would welcome your views. These two lists are firstly the job titles of the possible redundancies this year and secondly the posts that have not been filled and will no longer exist. The one thing I will say is that I think for some of these posts the ruling Conservatives on the District Council have a different set of priorities to me. The last group is the posts that went last year. Posts At Risk of Redundancy as part of Budget Decision – February 2011 Business Development Analyst, Customer Access Customer ...
As with most councillors in Southwark I've seen relly tricky anti social problems resolved by Southwark mediation service – the award-winning charity. Sadly its funding from Southwark is ending. Amazingly the Labour cabinet member in charge of relations with charities Cllr Abdul Mohamed didn't know this. He also denied that the charity had found it impossible to speak to any Labour councillors about this closure. Perhaps the cllr PA's and secretaries have fended this charity away without checking with cllrs. The council is proposing to train its own staff, who are quite often the subject of the mediation, to provide ...
Parliament has now discussed for the first time the Government's new health reforms; the wide ranging proposals that many fear will signal the creeping privatisation of the NHS. It is difficult to envisage a majority Liberal Democrat government would go down this route and it's clear that these reforms are the logical conclusion to the market oriented approach of the last Gover nment. It's also clear these reforms are being pushed through so that they cannot be halted should there be a change of Government in 2015. The real problem is working out how these reforms will affect services on ...
I was really sad to get a tweet yesterday telling me that Brian Haw had lost his high court case and was to be evicted from his protest in Parliament Green. Regardless of whether you agree with him or not, it's impossible to imagine a more genuine, heartfelt and dedicated protestor, and I would hope under a government in which we play a role, people like Brian Haw would have better protection against this action (which is led by the Mayor and the GLA). If we don't defend the right to protest - who will? Many of you reading this ...
'Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition' is the full title for the largest non-government party in Parliament and has been around long enough for the oddity of its phrasing to be easily overlooked. But "Her Majesty's"? And "Loyal"? They come from the idea that, however much those in power may wish the opposition to firmly stay out of power, there is a recognition that an effective Parliamentary democracy requires an effective opposition. "Loyal" too reflects the willingness of those who have lost an election to accept the result. Calmly leaving office, or accepting another period in opposition, may be a long established ...
Many people now say they don't know what the Lib Dems stand for (again) (see comments in this post). So it is our job to let people know. So how would you describe it today on the doorstep? What would you describe was the purpose of the Coalition? of Nick Clegg or of David Cameron? ...
I am hard working LibDem. I deliver all year round, I am on our local executive and core campaign team and I look after the local constituency website. I believe firmly in what we are trying to do, though not ... Continue reading →
The council is aware of the fault. The problem is with western power. The council has passed the details to them last Wednesday. They have their own time scales to fix faults and are obliged to fix faults like this within 25 days.
I've seen a few people around the place wonder why the census does not ask about sexuality or transgender status. I, for one, am glad it does not. You're probably all aware of the Census Campaign, encouraging people to tick the "No religion" in response to the optional question on religion. Religion is, compared to sexuality or transgender status, usually (But not always) a less controversial topic. Some may recall the ONS study, "revealing" that only 1.5% of people are gay/bisexual. That was with some careful work done to ensure that others could not overhear the answers being given. Despite ...
With money from Sainsbury's it was all the council asked for to solve the problems.There have been some upgrades to the 20A/20C - we have uploaded them let us know if you have any comments
The link is to Yesterday's bill of rights debates.There is no sense me copying the whole of the debate here. You can simply click on the linkThe issues looked at are:1. Freedom of speech2. Super and hyper-injunctions3. People's right to talk to MPs4. The lack of accountability of the official solicitor5. Problems with secret courtsThis will give the video.
The UN Security Council's decision to agree not just a 'no-fly zone', but "all necessary measures", against expectations of a Russian veto, is remarkable and welcome. The UK will be involved, and on this occasion in a dispute that is legal. Many lives will be lost, but many more will be saved from murder and torture at the hands of the incumbent Government. It is hoped the pressure will break the loyalty of government forces quickly and encourage the Gaddafis to flee. We cannot know that. We cannot predict how many casulties will be suffered in the process of destroying ...
All, the Shipston Safer Neighbourhood Team have released their latest newsletter. You can find it here. Yep – just a quick one today! Regards, Philip
So, David Cameron is supposed to be coming up north to address the Scottish Tory Conference in Perth - presumably in the same place that Nick Clegg addressed the Scottish Liberal Democrats a fortnight ago. I wonder if he'll still make it, given the fact that he may be about to send troops into action to protect civilians in Libya. Is this the right time for the Prime Minister to be out of London? Yes, I know that technology can keep a PM in touch, but is it not best for him to be closeted with the people who know ...
Claire Young at Nibley Lane Under the proposed road safety scheme for the B4465, Westerleigh Road and Nibley Lane, the current national speed limit on Nibley Lane between Badminton Road and Westerleigh Road would be reduced to 40mph. If you would like to look at the detailed plans or make comments, you can do so on the South Glos website. But hurry - the deadline for comments is Monday 21st March. Residents who completed our surveys in the autumn were also worried about speeding in Nibley Lane between Nibley and Iron Acton. Officers are now investigating whether a 30mph limit ...
In Stockport we're moving from the old public toilets to new community toilets: where the Council pays a pub, restaurant or shop to open its toilets to everyone, whether or not they're customers. That move means we're getting lots more toilets. We used to have 15 public toilets across Stockport Borough, many of which were often closed, cold and not too clean. We now have over 30 toilet facilities, and this will increase to more than 50 over the next few months. In Cheadle the community toilets are: the Star Inn, Cheadle High Street Jackson's Supper Bar, Ashfield Road Cheadle ...
At present Clifton Road at the junction with Bridge Road is closed. The road has collapsed at a sewer. The council have been called out and will be on site soon. In the meantime the police have closed the one-way part of Clifton Road and have a squad car sat at the junction to stop people driving into the hole. UPDATEDespite looking quite small on the surface the hole turned out to be 1.5m by 1;5m and 600mm deep on closer inspection. Council contractors went straight to site after the hole was reported at 7:57 this morning and dug the ...
p { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; } The council has published this NoticeFROME ROAD, ODD DOWN, BATH) (PROHIBITION OF WAITING) ORDER 201- NOTICE is hereby given that the Bath and North East Somerset Council proposes to make an order under provisions contained in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as amended the effect of which will extend the prohibition of waiting in a length of Frome Road, Odd Down
I've just noticed a link to a consultation about Library Services in Liverpool. Given how important these are and the fact that there are highly likely to be changes, its well worth taking part. The link is here.
The Department of Education have now released the new process and application forms. The Group will be working on our submission over the next few weeks to ensure we have a detailed and attraction offer ready for sumitting by mid May. Visit our website where we will be posting regular updates on our progress. Please can you continue to spread the word amongst your friends about Sirius
Just to let those of you in Colchester know, the next meeting of the Castle Neighbourhood Action Panel will be on Thursday 24th March, starting at 9.30am in the Town Hall. Any residents can come along and raise issues that they want the NAP to deal with, or if you can't make it to the meeting, then please leave a comment or email me with your problem and I'll raise it for you. For more information see the Colchester Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership website.
Not being religious, I'm under no obligation to "give things up for Lent". However, it seems to have become a cultural event in which everyone participates. My Mum always says that you should "take something up" rather than "give something up", which is a positive way of looking at it. So I decided to take up being vegan for the next 40 days. For quite a long time, I've been verging on being vegetarian. For me, if I eat meat then I feel I should be prepared to kill the animal. Most of us simply pick up our meat in ...
It's been a common political refrain: Labour planned massive cuts in public spending, Labour lost the election and but then Labour campaign repeatedly against cuts without ever saying what it would have cut. We've never been told how Labour would have cut that £44 billion it was planning on. Nor have we heard why Labour think the government is an extreme right-wing baby-eating one even though after all the cuts the level of public spending will still be higher than it was for seven years under Labour. But with the Budget round the corner, Labour has broken its silence this ...
@10anta Lol, I am honoured. We've never been seen in the same room, after all... in reply to 10anta # Am trying to delete Twitter for Blackberry from my Blackberry (cos it sucks) – how do I do so? # @10anta Alas, following Sheffield from afar cos of work stuff. in reply to 10anta # Sorry to have missed #ldconf in Sheffield. (Tho happy/relieved to have spent sunny day in conservatory catching up on email backlog.) # RT @helenduffet @stephentall Your fans were enquiring after you. << How is s/he? # RT @rad4d Blog: Why I'm no longer interested in ...
In the wonderful world of Parish Councils, we're not huge on elections. Indeed, last time there was a scheduled election in Creeting St Peter, there were only two volunteers for the five available places. Things change though, and as nominations open for this year's exercise in micro-local democracy, I don't know whether or not we'll have enough candidates to force a contest. However, I can confirm that I am intending to be one of them. I've got the nomination form, courtesy of our Parish Clerk, and now all I need to get the requisite signatures. This task is made rather ...
Ah, now this is the kind of thing that makes me a Lib Dem. The hot topic of prisoners' right to vote is an interesting one. I think it is fair that some people don't think prisoners should get to vote; arguably losing the vote is part of the sentence. I don't think it stands up to scrutiny, though. There's the pragmatic aspect, whereby as long as prisoners stay registered on the electoral rolls at whatever address they had prior to their crime, their vote is going to have bugger all effect on the electoral outcome. More importantly, there are ...
Winston Churchill's view on first past the post wasn't exactly complimentary when he spoke in 1909: [IMG: Winston Churchill] The present system has clearly broken down. The results produced are not fair to any party, nor to any section of the community. In many cases they do not secure majority representation, nor do they secure an intelligent representation of minorities. All they secure is fluke representation, freak representation, capricious representation. Though do remember that by contemporary tabloid newspaper standards Churchill was an army-insulting, anti-Christian foreigner. And that's without mentioning the drinking or depression... Hat-tip: John Strafford via Left Foot Forward ...
One of these is obviously a day late. Can you guess which? One genre to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them – There's been some interesting discussion recently about the claims of literary fiction, and how this one genre dominates media coverage of books and reading. Here's an interesting take on it all. (via) Meat Lover! The Scariest (True) NYC Sublet Story You've Ever Heard – Does exactly what it says on the headline. Probably not to be read if you're squeamish, easily offended or are about to eat Chinese food. One cold may morning in June ...
broadcast anniversaries 18 March 1967: broadcast of second episode of The Macra Terror. Ben is brainwashed by the secret rulers of the camp; he and Polly encounter a Macra, but he denied it has happened. 18 March 1972: broadcast of fourth episode of The Sea Devils. The Doctor and the Master arrive separately at the Sea Devils' lair and try to negotiate with them.
It's always a temptation on Red Nose Day to focus on the Comic rather than the Relief but doing so does an injustice to those whose vision was to use comedy to raise funds to help those who need it both here and in Africa. To that end, I've decided to post this video of Michael Buerk reporting on the Ethiopian famine of 1984. This is the news report that inspired first Band Aid, then Live Aid and, ultimately, Comic Relief. While the challenges have changed, the need is still there. Please consider giving to Comic Relief - you can ...
There has been a new facebook page set up calling for action on the Corringham Road \ Thorndike way junction. Over the years there has been plenty of attempts by the County Council to fix this junction, but they have made it WORSE. The group has been set up to campaign to correct the junction, the way drivers need it correcting, not the way some planner who doesn't know the area does. The group can be found here.
YouTube - Cheap Flights with subtitles Ryanair is not named here. But anyone considering flying Ryanair should watch this. (tags: funny video) The Doctor Who News Page: Michael Gough, The Celestial Toymaker, has died The longest-lived actor to have appeared in Who - he was about 94. (tags: doctorwho) France to take legal action over decision to cut Strasbourg trips | European Voice Unfortunately the ludicrous article by France's Minister for Europe defending current arrangements is behind the European Voice paywall, but this sums up the arguments. (tags: eu)
My brain is often visited by thoughts of a random nature. Whether sparked by something I've read, a conversation I've had, or just from idle day dreaming. Quite often these thoughts are generated from something found on the Internet. Occasionally these thoughts are interesting enough, at least in my opinion, to be shared. I want to update this blog more regularly than I do but often find it difficult to find the time to write full articles. So I am going to try out putting some of these random thoughts, and the links that have triggered them, into a regular ...
Last night was the regular meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership. This is the body which brings together the nine councillors in Prestwich, together with representatives of partner organisations (police, NHS etc) and community groups. Last night because of a family bereavement I got to stand in as Chair of the Local Area Partnership, not something I want to be repeating on a regular basis... The main issues included: Meet the Partners - each meeting we have a short presentation from one of the partners in the LAP. This time is was the turn of the Jewish Representative Council who ...
Some great comments coming in on the 'Save Prestwich Tip' petition site (see the previous post here also). Sign online at www.loveprestwich.com. P. T. from M25 wrote: The tip is an essential resource adn helps to increase the amount of waste that is recycled rather than going on landfill. If it is closed there will be an increase in fly tipping C. T. from M25 wrote: The tip is useful for taking all sorts of large items e.g. old appliances, gas canisters, garden waste, furniture and many other items. i use it many times in a year. It is well ...
Greater Manchester Police has issued a warning to smartphone and iPhone users to keep their expensive gadgets and mobile phones safe after a theft earlier this month at the Langworthy metrolink stop. A thief snatched an iPhone at about 2.30pm on Friday 4 March 2011 from a 27-year-old woman who was travelling towards Eccles on the Metrolink. She was flicking through applications on the phone when the tram stopped at the Langworthy Road stop on Eccles New Road and a stranger snatched the phone from her and ran out of the tram. The victim and another passenger chased the offender. ...
Following Salford Council's budget and their announcement that school crossing patrol numbers are at risk I note that Liberal Democrat-controlled Sefton Council (just down the East Lancs Road) has voted in it's own budget to reduce Councillor allowances by 5%. This measure (suggested by both opposition parties on Salford Council and rejected by Labour) has saved all of Sefton's "lollipop services". Sefton Councillors now receive £8,520 which also includes a fixed amount for travelling expenses. Compare that to Salford Council's £10,080 standard allowance plus travel expenses can be claimed on top of that. All councils throughout the country are getting ...
The Liberal Democrats have gained a local council seat from the Conservatives in a by-election in Kent. In the Pembury ward of true-blue Tunbridge Wells the votes cast were: Lib Dem 578, Con 450, UKIP 297. Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative.
At PMQs yesterday, and according to Lib Dem Voice: Jo Swinson (LibDem) asked an excellent question about Libya: "Can the Prime Minister tell me what message he thinks it will send to every tyrannical dictator if, against the urgent desire of the Libyan people, against the wishes of the Arab League and against the UN principle of the responsibility to protect, the international community fails to stop Gaddafi crushing the spirit, the hopes and the lives of the Libyan people?" I think that's [one] of the best questions I have ever heard at PMQs. Cameron, more or less, agreed with ...
Liberal Democrat Councillors in Salford were today welcoming the news that due to changes in the national tax system, implemented by Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government, 3,290 of Salford's poorest residents have been lifted out of the personal income tax band altogether. A further 91,000 residents will also find themselves better off when the changes are implemented in April this year - paying up to £200 less per year in income tax. When the coalition was formed the two parties agreed to implement a key Liberal Democrat policy that the personal allowance for income tax should be increased in ...
I'm not a member of Stockton Council's cabinet - that's reserved for Labour & Tory members at the moment. I do attend most meetings, partly to keep an eye on what's going on and partly because that means that sometimes I can make comments or suggestions that make a difference, albeit quite a small one. Tonight's agenda was a long one but a couple of things are worthy of note. First of all the
We can have nothing but admiration for the way that the Japanese are dealing with their terrible situation. It was quite touching to see the calmness when a small ball of rice was being doled out to be shared between two. You don't see that attitude when the images are shown of the cars and buildings as they sail down roads. Human tragedy is much more significant than the loss of any property. The latest heroes are those who are working to save the Fukushima nuclear plant. Their story is a little like those of the fire officers who ran ...
The United Nations have voted to enforce a No Fly Zone above Libya. Pardon the language, but about bloody time too. I blogged here, 19 days ago of my pride in the UN for agreeing significant sanctions on the Libyan government. As I stated then, in the world of international diplomacy, progress if made at all, is usually slow and protracted. Yet, despite this acceptance of the real-politik of the situation, I have become increasingly frustrated in recent days at the UN's hesitance to go a step further whilst in the meantime, Gadaffi's regime has systematically, aggressively and bloodily set ...
