After long deliberation, I have resigned from the Liberal Democrats. Sadly, I came to the conclusion that that was the only course left open to me after finding out what has been going on behind the scenes at national party level. Now I know how mushrooms feel... left in the dark and fed on manure. Perhaps I should have acted earlier once I discovered what was going on. It was tricky keeping quiet, but intelligence has to be carefully considered before it is used. One foolish person handed me back a laptop which had been used to log into emails ...
Okay I'm lacking imagination, I probably shouldn't write when this tired, but I feel like I haven't been writing enough lately! I was disappointed watching tonight's 10'O'Clock Live with their discussion on the cuts. This should be something that can be debated well, yet their choice of guests left a lot to be desired. Firstly someone from the Times who was there to defend the speed of government cuts backs, an activist who (although had perfectly good intentions) didn't fully grasp the economics of her argument and as a result said perfectly plausible statements that were just plain wrong and ...
When the Rainbow Warrior was sunk by the French secret service there was a backlash against the French and their nuclear testing. It turned out that the French had to pay Greenpeace over $8 million and it caused testing to be halted. Sometimes subterfuge doesn't pay. Prior to the sinking New Zealand wasn't too bothered about French testing. After the sinking it sent a flotilla of yachts to Moruroa in order to protest. On Wednesday I saw footage of cruelty against an elephant and protests were taking place in Knutsford against the Bobby Roberts Super Circus who owned the elephant. ...
Earlier this evening I attended the first public meeting of the Selly Oak St Marys Neighbourhood Forum. There was a good turnout from local residents and it was encouraging to see so much support for the new Forum, which will build on the good work of existing residents groups such as the Friends of Selly Oak Park and the Friends of Westhill Playing Fields.Neighbourhood Forums are independent
The Evening Post's Linda Fort interviewed Andrew Stunell MP when he visited Reading earlier this week - worth a watch:
Here are the five posts published on this blog between January and March which have proved the most popular, in terms of hits: Monbiot's tax take and the embedding of plutocracy: an urgent concern for Liberal Democrats (8 February) The mundane malfunctioning of markets – a tale of life and death (3 March) Economists, implicated ...
Labour leader Ed Miliband launched his party's local election campaign today saying he was 'proud' of the way Labour councils' had reacted to the cuts and promoting 'good' Labour councillors who were making difficult decisions. This can only be described as an unusual take on the reality, but sadly very much in line with their view that spending cuts are actually avoidable. So how does this view shape up to the reality? In Labour's flagship Southwark - snatched by a whisker on general election day from the Lib Dems - they recently passed their budget, cutting (among others) - five ...
A consultation has been launched at virtually the 12th hour seeking views on the future provision of music in Central Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire Music is currently managed for the whole of Bedfordshire by Central Bedfordshire Council. From July 2011, Central Bedfordshire Council will be delivering a new music service. The consultation, which ran until 9am on Monday 28 March, and provided an opportunity for parents, pupils, schools and other interested parties to contribute to the planning for the future provision of music services in Central Bedfordshire. Through the recently announced Henley Review, the Government has given its commitment to support music ...
Private Fostering Awareness Week ran from 21 to 27 March. This year named "Somebody Else's Child', the campaign aimed to raise awareness of the issues around private fostering and change people's response. Private fostering is when a young person under the age of 16, or under 18 if disabled, lives with somebody who is not their immediate family for a period of longer than 28 days. Examples of private fostering arrangements might include an older teenager who is living with their friend's parents due to a family breakdown or a child living with a family friend whilst a parent is ...
The photo shows Melvin Caton and myself on land which Bloor Homes one of the largest private housebuilders in the country has options over. The site which runs to 100 acres is outside village development limits and stretches from Walpole Farm, Cambridge Road, Stansted to Pennington Lane. This forms the parish boundary between Ugley and Stansted. It is currently agricultural land. At their request Bloor Homes have asked to address the Parish Council about their plans for the site. Again at their request together with the Parish Clerk and Cllr Peter Jones I met them last August. At this meeting ...
Central Bedfordshire Council has approved a new policy on the provision of free or subsidised transport for students in further education. The new Post 16 Transport Policy is being introduced following a public consultation with students, parents, carers and other interested parties that was completed in December 2010. While Central Bedfordshire is not legally obliged to provide free or subsidised transport for students aged 16 to 19, it must consider how it will help learners access further education. A key element of this in what is a very rural area is the provision of transport. The new policy replaces existing ...
On Tuesday I posted a video showing the final days of the Great Central. Of particular interest to me was the footage of Nottingham Arkwright Street. This station was memorably described by P. Howard Anderson in his Forgotten Railways: The East Midlands: Passengers aboard a train approaching Nottingham from the south enjoyed a superb panorama of the city rising away beyond the rooftops of Broadmarsh, and this sight could be quite breathtaking when familiar landmarks were silhouetted against an evening sky. But the occupants of the miserable dwellings overshadowed by Arkwright Street station were hardly appreciative of this spectacle, for ...
Cross-posted from Liberal Democrat Voice It's funny how a simple statement of congratulations on a planned wedding can't be accepted in the Commons without a "handbag moment" (see Reeves/Mortimer) dredging up twenty year-old events. Ed Miliband thanked David Cameron for his congratulations adding "I might have to come to him in the next couple of months for advice, because I know that he knows how to organise memorable stag nights." Ooooh! Handbags having been safely stowed, Ed Miliband raised the matter of the stampede of British universities to join the "£9,000 club". Cameron replied that the Office for Fair Access ...
The Deputy PM is holding a "town hall" style question and answer session at the Showcase Cinema de Lux in High Cross, Leicester, tomorrow evening (Friday 1 April). If you want to attend, book a place via the Capital FM website.
I blogged about this report earlier today. It is now online. In fact the FCO's Human Rights and Democracy 2010 site is a model of its kind. Take it away, William...
Non-fiction 5 (YTD 15) International Law and the Question of Western Sahara, edited by Karin Arts and Pedro Pinto Leite The History of the Peloponnesian War, by Thucydides The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vols III & IV, by Edward Gibbon The Essential Rumi Contested Will, by James Shapiro Fiction (non-sf) 8 (YTD 15) The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle The Valley of Fear, by Arthur Conan Doyle His Last Bow, by Arthur Conan Doyle The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle The Boy ...
I've just started re-watching the Fifth Doctor's stories, so it was interesting timing to read a Fifth Doctor novel featuring Tegan and Turlough, but also bringing in UNIT in the interval between The Green Death and Invasion of the Dinosaurs, giving pride of place to Tegan and Mike Yates - not the most obvious of pairings, but in the context where both have recently survived mind control, they are well placed to comprehend an Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario in an English seaside resort in the early 1970s where Turlough, the Brigadier and Benton don't cope quite so well. ...
Dear Baroness Warsi, I read with interest your piece in the Sun today, claiming that a 'Yes' vote in the AV Referendum would help the BNP. I am Jewish and, like you, detest everything that the BNP stand for. For that reason, if I genuinely believed a 'Yes' vote would help such a vile group ...
That's the slightly bizarre claim being made in the Daily Express and Daily Mail today. Residents of Stockport need only pop into their local chippy to confirm that the story isn't true, but where's it come from? Here's the slightly less exciting truth behind the fiction: ASK CAMPAIGN - ENCOURAGING A REDUCED SALT USE Dr Peter Elton, Lead Greater Manchester Director of Public Health for cardiovascular disease, said: "The purpose of the Greater Manchester ASK campaign is not to deprive customers of their desired salt intake but to encourage people to taste their food first rather than adding salt to ...
Over sixties bus-pass users will be charged 50p from bus trips taken before 9.30 a.m. with effect from tomorrow (April 1st 2011). This is one of a number of changes made to make savings in the county council budget. Trips made after 9.30 a.m. will continue to be FREE.
American multinational GE, usually ranked as the world's largest company, has been deservedly duffed up in a tweet war over its tax affairs. The story began just a week ago with the publication by the New York Times of this article on the company's results for 2010 (h/t Tax Justice Network). GE reported global profits of $14.2 ...
Wow! It's tantalising, menacing, and with a whole stash of sinister. From where I'm sitting three weeks seems too long to wait for this year's Doctor Who series to begin. This time, there's going to be a mega cliffhanger half way through and we're going to have to wait several months to see how it all works out. There are some very scary looking clowns and River Song looking gorgeous as we get to find out, presumably, her full story. She's such a good character, though, that I reckon there's a good chance they'll preserve some of the air of ...
Those of us who have spoken on behalf of the Liberals from time to time may have some sympathy with Richard Hannay on the run in John Buchan's 39 Steps, when he finds himself unexpectedly addressing a Liberal meeting in the Highlands. The book makes it clear that it's a Liberal meeting but Hitchcock's film (1m 25s in) does not whereas the BBC's recent version does. Whilst one can see that the
The agenda for the City Council meeting to be held at 2pm on Tuesday 5 April 2011 has now been published.Items on the agenda include:the annual report of the Independent Remuneration Panel (pdf, 95KB) (which has recommended another freeze in the level of councillors' allowances);oral reports from the Lead Members on Constituency Committees;the Vulnerable Children Overview & Scrutiny Committee's
Just finished is the episode of the BBC One Show The Weakest Link featuring, er, me. And yes, I was the weakest of the weakest links and was voted out first, despite not actually getting a question wrong. For anyone interested in being on a TV quiz show, I'd say go for it - and hopefully you'll have better luck than I did. The process started with an audition held in Truro in the summer last year. After passing that, I was placed on a list of possible contestants and finally got the call in December to film in January. ...
Come with me if you will to the Council Offices in Badger's Drift where the planning committee is assembling: 'Right gentlemen can we come to order. Have we any apologies? No' 'Let the minutes show that Major Smythe (Chairman), Mr Algernon Moncrief, Mr Ernest Bunbury, Rev. Dr Canon Chasuable, Mr Jack Worthing JP, Mr John Rimmer, Mr Oscar Ball ' 'Our first item is consider a petition from Mr True-May. He urges us to maintain the unique character of our English village and to put the interests of those who have lived here for generations in front of incommers' . ...
Last night saw the continuation of the Lib Dems surveying in Shaftesbury Ward in Battersea. We are now fully into the Shaftesbury Estate along Sabine Road. [IMG: Richard Davis campaigning on the Shaftesbury Estate] Richard Davis campaigning on the Shaftesbury Estate The mood is generally positive as people greet us at the door, maybe a little surprised to see us there, but open to telling us how they feel about the council, the area and how they feel about the wider political atmosphere. There are the same problems along Sabine Road that seem to plague the whole of Shaftesbury, namely ...
Answers to questions from the LIberal Democrat group at last night's meeting of Bury Council: Cllr Steve Wright – School Crossing Patrols Q Can the Leader confirm that the Council is finding ways to secure the school crossing patrol on Bury New Road crossing in Prestwich Village and other crossings that might warrant extra attention? A. The proposed budget saving was approved at Council on 23rd February 2011 as part of the budget setting process. This includes a reduction in the number of school crossing patrols where other controlled crossing facilities are available. However, on reflection the Leader of the Council wants ...
Spring is in the air, so I know you're thinking of only one thing. No, not elections - Doctor Who! It's marvellous to have again a reliable time of year when the series returns, even if Easter means "reliable" is also "moveable". Dalek Easter Eggs in the shops and traditionally messed-up trailers on BBC1 signify just three weeks to go until the new season, with today the fourth anniversary of one of the best season openers, Smith and Jones. So watch that to stave off the pangs, and consider just what it has in common with a memorable 1980 tale... ...
Probably far too many AV links for some people, but never mind... This Movie Made Me Feel Bad To Be Alive: A Review Of Sucker Punch – This looked atrocious from the trailers, but the reality of the film appears to be even worse. (via) AV myths – A handy collation of answers to all the disinformation being put out by the No campaign. Warsi makes hypocritical claim on BNP pandering – And I bet the next time she trots out some lies about AV on TV, no journalist will confront her with this. How complicated is the Alternative Vote? ...
Good news for campaigners agianst the proposed mobile phone mast near Lowther Road today – the application for planning permission has been refused. The mast, which would have been 15m (nearly 50ft) heigh, was found to be too detrimental to the visual amenity of the area to proceed, and so the Council has said no. ...
It's not actually too difficult to tell these apart, but the new rash of parking signs in Consett has certainly caught out some visitors to our town; three of them have contacted me in the last fortnight. So this is just a reminder. Park in the Victoria Centre Car park for more that 2 hours during shopping hours and you will suffer a fime. Apparently a stay in excess of 1.5 hours in the Aldi car park at any time will have a similar result. Watch out. There's a camera about.
Bury's Police Chief Superintendent, Jon Rush, gave a presentation to local councillors last night. Its great to see that: 12 extra police officers are being allocated to Bury from a realocation of resources from Greater Manchester centrally Government funding for PCSOs is guaranteed until 2012-13.
As I know LoudTwitter is not exactly popular with everyone, rather than feeding all my tweets to this journal, or fuss about with filtering it to people who don't want to see auto-generated posts on their reading page for whatever reason, I've created a new journal, [IMG: [personal profile] ] tajaseltweets, which you can subscribe to1 in addition to this, if you want to. (Or if you prefer, you can just follow me on Twitter: [IMG: [twitter.com profile] ] tajasel) [IMG: [personal profile] ] tajaseltweets will post a digest every 24hrs, not including RTs or @replies. There are no comments, ...
I've been volunteering for the Yes campaign for a while now, and I've heard surprisingly few arguments put to me against AV and for First Past The Post. I'll try, in this post, to answer all of the ones I've either seen online or come across while campaigning. Some of these arguments appear strong at ...
Last Saturday, a young woman lawyer named Iman al-Obeidi burst into a Tripoli hotel and pleaded with foreign journalists for help, showing bruises and crying that she had just been gang-raped by 15 of Qaddafi's men. She screamed as she was dragged away by Libyan agents and has not been seen since.Whether or not you agree with the UK's military involvement in Libya, please sign this petition which
Following residents' requests for better disabled parking facilities in the Union Place car park, I took up the matter with the City Council's Head of Transportation. He has responded positively as follows : "As per your earlier request we have looked at the Union Place vicinity and are proposing to proceed with four marked Disabled Parking places / spaces within the two DCC managed off street car parks on Union Place (two in each car park). No on street spaces can be provided, however the off street provision should assist local residents' requirements. I will arrange for the Car Park ...
RFID is like cold fusion. It will revolutionise everything – and it's only five years away! Terence Eden And, much like cold fusion, NFC will permantently be just around the corner. It's been "The Year of NFC" since 2008. Just like it was
Recommended reading for Lib Dem councillors and campaigners from the last week: Conservative home have this interesting article on how: The Liberal Democrats tug hard at the Concession-O-Meter Simon Hughes writes... Educational Maintenance Allowance: a grown-up replacement (Lib Dem Voice) Miliband joins Lib Dems on AV drive (Press Association) Anti-cuts march draws hundreds of thousands as police battle rioters (Guardian) In local government (both from the MJ): Local transport projects approved after savings found Business rate devolution supported by nearly all councils Campaigners will hopefully have seen the news from the Federal Party that we're moving to a new database ...
Dear 'people who don't know what they are talking about decide to jump on the bandwagon of political hate mongering in order to try and make a point. ' I get that not everyone understands or cares how local politics works, but ... Continue reading →
With Anglo Irish bank posting an eye-watering record €17.65 billion losses; bank stress tests results due at 17:30pm GMT and a depressed housing market, the economic depression of Ireland is getting far worse. Voices within the European Central Bank are ... Continue reading →
It was full Council yesterday. There was a lot for debate, but the interesting debates were about the budget. Specifically the motion which Labour submitted with a blanket condemnation of the budget, before the budget had even been announced. Now no budget is entirely good news and certainly not when the economy is in its current mess, but there were several things in the budget which will be particularly good for Manchester. Firstly, the new Enterprise Zone at the Airport (estimated to bring up to 10,000 new jobs to the area) and the construction of various rail links, such as ...
Thu 31st
12:21
Last week praising Mandelson, today's it's David Willetts. Has my political antennae gone bonkers?
David Willets has upset the Daily Mail. Hooray. He has apparently announced that he believes children from schools that perform less well should be given preference over pupils from more privileged backgrounds who may have better grades - but perhaps have done better thanks to the advantages they have received rather than basic talent. I remember a similar scheme being mooted a few year back by the medical school at St. George's in Tooting - and I have to say it has a lot of merit. In an era when straight A's across the board are increasingly commonplace, it seems ...
RBC Refuse Truck 2008 I've been looking through my old archives and came across this astonishing story from when Jo Lovelock was in charge. I'd forgotten Reading Labour's track record when it came to race relations! This is one to the Borough's refuse trucks under a Labour administration taken in August 2008. Even the black shirt supporting Daily Mail thought it was beyond the pale. Perhaps Cllr Lovelock should have resigned over this quite disgraceful episode. Yeah, I know, fat chance of that.
Thu 31st
12:05
East Lothian SNP candidate David Berry tells carers' hustings he doesn't know about respite care
Word has reached my ears that East Lothian SNP candidate David Berry told an incredulous audience at a hustings meeting in Haddington that he didn't know about the respite care situation in East Lothian. It was all the more remarkable because: the event was run by carershe was until last May the Leader of East Lothian Council until he stood down to "hand over the reins to someone whose more emollient style may be more effective in continuing the teamwork"he is still an administration councillor in the areaYou would think, wouldn't you, that he would have properly researched what the ...
Answers to questions to Bury's representatives on Joint Authorities, asked by Lib Dem Councillors last night: Cllr Mary D'Albert – PCSO Funding Can the Council's Police Authority representative confirm that the PCSO's that cover the Bury District have been given assurances that they will remain funded for a minimum of 2 years, as was stated at the St Mary's PACT meeting earlier this month. A. Greater Manchester Police responds that one point in the Home Office announcement was to ringfence the funding of PCSOs until April 2013. This does not mean we are given any more money, merely that this ...
A short observation that's nonetheless to long for a simple tweet. Think the current coalition is a bad idea? Have a read of this post on Conservative Home about the "concession-o-meter" and don't forget to also look at the comments. In fact, have a flick through all of Conservative Home. Then consider this: No coalition would have meant several months of direction-less government, followed by a fairly inevitable second General Election. Which the Conservatives might have won. Yes, we could well have been five months into a Tory-only government by now. What do we think they would have done, left ...
My good friend Peter Hough has beaten me to blogging about the letter in today's Liverpool Post from Joe Anderson the Labour Leader of Liverpool City Council. In it Joe is responding to the Militants who urged him not to set a budget and to take on the government he writes: There is no such thing as not implementing the government cuts. Government gives the city 80% of its funding through different types of grant. They have chosen to give Liverpool a 22% or £91m reduction. They simply have not given us the money. If someone's household income is reduced ...
Reacting to Viv Thomas's scathing report issued earlier this week, Mathew McCarthy, prospective Assembly candidate for Neath, commented: "Under the Assembly Education minister, Leighton Andrews, the funding gap between England and Wales has grown to an unacceptable, and almost unbelievable, £604 per pupil. As we have seen, Mr. Andrews has no answers for any of the important issues, instead preferring to rant about Coco Pops and dodge questions. This time he is blaming anybody but himself for his failings. I feel it is important to bear in mind that during his term in office, basic literacy and numeracy levels among ...
News that should receive a cautious welcome from LibDems, following our conference resolution. George Eaton in the Staggers says that the reforms are slowing, while Alastair Campbell says Lanlsey should watch his back: ... the Prime Minister's political instincts finally appear to be kicking in, and he is seeking to avert the car crash Lansley has inadvertently caused. A succession of ministers has already learned that the Prime Minister tends to let them get on with it, pays scant attention to detail during policy planning, but then finds he has to step in. It is becoming harder and harder to ...
Up The Arse Issue 70 Out Saturday 2nd April - Arsenal vs Blackburn Guest editor: Colonel Gaddafi Featuring: Manuel Almunia Clown SchoolDenilson's Crab CollectionSpurs 50th anniversary ProgrammeProfessor Brian Cox's Wonders of the Premier LeaguePremier League NewsAnd all the usual crap!
This is going to sound like a Dyson marketing department press release but I'll go with it anyway. I've been using Dyson airblades increasingly to dry my hands in...er....facilities. They are popping up everywhere. They sort of blow your socks off while drying your hands in about half a nano second. They are the most effective, if not the only really effective, hand driers I have come across. Putting your hands in one is like putting your hands in the jet stream of a Boeing 747. So I joked, at first, that each one should have a live screen above ...
Disgraced former Livingston Labour MP Jim Devine has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for defrauding his election expenses, the BBC reports. At most, he'll actually serve 8 months inside, so he'll be home for Christmas. According to his lawyer, if he behaves well, he could be out in 4 months just in time for my birthday. For the avoidance of doubt, though, he's not invited. His crime, described by the judge as a "calculated and deliberate" defrauding of public money, was deemed not to be as serious as David Chaytor's, who is serving 18 months, but more serious ...
If only one crucial detail in history had turned out differently... such is the premise of many a work of fiction, especially counter-factual histories and time travelling science fiction tales. Yet for all the popularity of the well known piece of verse, "For the want of a nail the shoe was lost..." which culminates in a kingdom being lost, serious counter-factuals by experts in a field are rather rare. Those who see themselves as proper academics have often looked down on counter-factuals as light entertainment for the not-so-serious, missing that, as The Guardian's review of this book put it, "It's ...
A very busy day yesterday, including : * A meeting with Dundee Museum of Transport representatives at the building in Roseangle (see right) that they hope to soon open as the temporary premises for the museum. Although their long term aim is to locate at a larger site in Maryfield, they are keen to get the museum open meantime in Roseangle and residents will welcome the news that the long-empty building and site in Roseangle will come back into use, particularly for such a worthwhile project. * Along with my ward colleague Cllr Richard McCready, I took part in a ...
Thu 31st
10:03Eman Al-Obeidi: international community must take action on rape and other violence against women
We still don't know what has become of Eman Al-Obeidi, the woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel last weekend to tell journalists that she had been gang raped by 15 Gadaffi soldiers at a checkpoint. Ms Al-Obeidi, who comes from Benghazi, was then bundled into a car by various Government thugs and hasn't been seen since. The Gadaffi regime has sought to dismiss her as a mentally ill drunk and prostitute when in fact she is a lawyer. It was reminiscent of Saif Gadaffi's dismissal of the protesters in Benghazi as drug addicts. They said she was safe back ...
You may remember that when I was reporting on a Grand Committee debate in the Moses Room, I asked the Minister whether or not his waste regulations, chasing us all to be more responsible recyclers, was printed on recycled paper. Lord Henley, a self-confessed "waste nerd", admitted he didn't know but has now been kind enough to reply with a detailed letter. You learn something everyday. In his letter he writes, I am advised that, in line with TSO's policy on the printing of all primary and secondary legislation, the text of the Regulations (i.e. excluding the covers) was printed ...
Ed Milliband was again emoting if not explaining his alternative economic strategy on radio 4 this morning. If only we were to borrow and spend more money, that would be good for growth, and therefore good for debt in the long run. It has enough plausibility for people who want to believe it to give Labour cover to proclaim themselves anti cuts, to go on ukuncut demos where by rights they ought to be lynched. The reality is that Labour's plans are to cut the deficit more slowly: in 8 years rather than 5. That is reaching the midpoint in ...
Good content produced at the right time is at the heart of any successful blog. Good content often needs a helping hand courtesy of sensible promotion too. All of which is to say that fiddling with the technical details can be a tempting distraction from main business at hand, but it can make a difference even if it isn't the main factor in success or failure. One of the reasons I'm sure a fan of WordPress (as used by Lib Dem Voice, on my own blog and also on Lynne Featherstone's blog, which I helped look after for many years) ...
The Liberal Democrat campaign to save Prestwich Tip received a boost last night after Bury Council voted unanimously in support of a Lib Dem motion calling for closure plans to be halted. The Liberal Democrats have been leading the fight to keep the Tip open since closure plans were announced in the new year. The ...
It's quite amazing just how many ways the Conservatives can find to waste taxpayers' money. Today's West Briton carries the story of 'Hot Water-gate'. A taxi was hired three times to transport tea and coffee between two council buildings in Truro. Apparently this arose because the canteen facilities at Carrick House in the centre of Truro were out of action for a while and so the tea and coffee were sent by taxi from County Hall, just under a mile away. It may not exactly be on the same scale as Labour Liverpool hiring taxis to run around the city ...
This week sees the publication of Ivan Lewis MP's "Maximum Independence" report on the future of Prestwich. The report is handily timed, coming as it does only a few days after the Lib Dems launched our "Local Area Forum" consultation, asking for the public's views on how to improve Local Area Working. The report does say some good things ...
It may be hard to believe, especially so soon after The Sunday Times has exposed a number of MEPs of different nationalities as being prepared to take cash for tabling legislative amendments, but there's a lot of good work that ... Continue reading →
Last night's meeting of the Council led to the approval of the controversial "Transformation Strategy" which has got quite a bit of media coverage and which I know has alarmed a lot of people. The Conservatives running the Council voted for it. Labour voted against. Lib Dems abstained. We did this because whilst we agree that ...
Hammer of the oil companies, George Osborne, is a greater environmentalist than economist. Or is he? The impact of the his 12% hike in the North Sea supplementary charge; on top of two 10% rises by Gordon Brown last decade, has been a roll call of firms suspending or scrapping major investment deals in British waters. City AM has been following the stories over the last week, the most significant of which was a £10bn investment in Mariner and Bressay by Statoil. The short term impacts on the UK tax take are unclear. Existing fields facing marginal tax rates of ...
Dear Ed Milliband (I'm sure you all guessed who it was!), I have noted with interest that you today had one of your aspiring PMs in the basement of Labour HQ do some swift sums and concluded that the nefarious ... Continue reading →
Please check the expiry date on your South Glos Diamond Travelcard, as we understand that reminders are not sent when they run out. If your card has expired you will not be able to get free travel on buses or community transport, because they wouldn't be able to claim the money back from South Glos.
Chris comments: I am very sorry to hear that the Arts Council has not seen fit to continue funding to the Trestle Theatre Company. The quality of work of this local theatre company is outstanding and it is difficult to understand how such a decision could have been reached. Press release from Trestle On a morning of extreme highs and lows for Arts Organisations across England, we have received the unfortunate news that Trestle Theatre Company will no longer receive funding from the Arts Council; without this funding it will now be almost impossible for Trestle to tour its own ...
The Problems with First Past the Post Voting Explained
Has this whole AV debate just gone mad!! I realise that its a bit of a different concept. Technically, first past the post is the easiest to deal with. PR is a little bit different. But lets face it, the use of AV is not just in England. This is a once in a generational matter. Crucial. It is fairer because the view of minorities are held a little more. Not as much as true PR but this is a good compromise. Today I read on the internet that Baroness Warsi thinks AV will play into the hands of the ...
Thu 31st
07:55
Nick Clegg lays down five principles of intervention - but doesn't explain the Ivory Coast
In a major foreign policy speech in Mexico this week, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg laid out five reasons why intervention in Libya was the right course to take and different from Iraq. However, applying those five reasons to the Ivory Coast raises the question why it is being treated so differently from Libya. In his speech, Clegg said that Libya different from Iraq because: First, the Libyan action is unambiguously legal. Iraq was not. Second, there is a clear humanitarian case for intervention in Libya. In Iraq the case rested solely on the danger posed by weapons of mass ...
Since the General Election Liberal Democrats at every level, have been united in a belief that despite the dire national financial position, people in genuine need of help should not be prevented by financial barriers from attending school, college or training. This weeks announcement about Educational Maintenance Allowances is a big positive step in the right direction. 1. The government has recognised the need to continue to support people currently on EMA as they finish their studies. Therefore everybody who started their course this academic year and is on the £30 per week rate will continue to receive payments of ...
Last night we saw an excellent school production of a scaled-down Macbeth. (I'm not a luvvie so there'll be no "Scottish play" nonsense from me). It was an excellent production – flawlessly presented with some inspiring performances. It's a challenging play but these Year 9 students flawlessly presented their lines. It was a delight to see a boy playing one of three witches. All of the witches were just dressed in black T shirts and trousers. So, it was a bit weird hearing the boy being referred to as "sister". But it worked beautifully – trust me. What was even ...
Earlier this month, I blogged here and here about my Comic Relief favourite moments from the past 26 years from the release of the first charity single between Cliff Richard and the Young Ones, the first Red Nose Day in 1988 and the present day. Well, I felt it only right to bring that up-to-date with my favourite moments from this year's festivities which culminated in the record breaking £74m raised for charity on the night alone. A World Record For the days running up to Red Nose Day, March 18th itself, Radio One stalwarts Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave ...
The Independent asks if the Lib Dems are irrelevant and finds many positive aspects for the party being in Government which can be seen as strengths for the party. If anything the influence of the Liberal Democrats on the Coalition is growing, and exceeds what they might have expected on the basis of their relatively ...
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Fascinating article by Steve Richards in this morning's Independent in which he argues that the progressive alliance that is gathering around a yes vote in the forthcoming AV referendum underlines why Nick Clegg was right to go into coalition with the Conservatives last year: In the immediate aftermath of the election Gordon Brown urged Clegg to form a coalition with Labour on the basis that the two of them could deliver electoral reform. The campaign shows that neither Brown, nor any Labour leader, could have united his party around support for a change in the voting system. He could have ...
Michael Gove's amendments to the original EMA proposals were greeted by shrieks of "U turn" from the Labour Party. I find this regrettable. It would indeed be nice if governments always got things right at the first go, but when they do not and are prepared to listen and be flexible, in a grown up democracy that should be welcomed rather than mocked. The arguments for and against paying some students to continue their education beyond 16 are complex. My initial reaction to the EMA was the "grumpy old man" one that no-one paid me to stay on into the ...
The Cambridge Liberal Democrats have launched our manifesto for the 2011 City Council elections. The manifesto can be downloaded as a PDF from our main website. In the manifesto, the Lib Dems reaffirm their commitment to work for the benefit of the city and its residents. The manifesto identifies three guiding principles: •basic services - promising to keep the city clean and cared for by collecting waste, sweeping streets and caring for parks and open spaces; •vulnerable people's services - continuing play provision, keeping advice centres open and continuing with grants to those working with the homeless. the elderly and ...
31 March 1973: broadcast of sixth episode of Frontier in Space; last appearance of Roger Delgado as the Master. It turns out that the Daleks are behind it all; the Doctor is injured but he and Jo go to track down the Dalek army. 31 March 2007: broadcast of Smith and Jones, starting Season Three of New Who; first appearance of Freeman Agyeman as Martha Jones. Martha's hospital is abruptly transported to the Moon, where the Judoon are tracking down a criminal. Three quarters of the way through the year now, and past the January-March hump; April-June will be less ...
I had hoped to be in London this morning for the launch of this document, but I am just too busy with the day job this week. So instead here is an extract from the official press release: The report is a comprehensive look at the human rights work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) around the world in 2010. It highlights the UK's human rights concerns in key countries and is a further concrete demonstration of the Foreign Secretary's commitment to strengthening the FCO's work on human rights at home and overseas. The report is more comprehensive than ...
