The candidates for Langworthy ward in the 2011 Salford City Council local elections were published yesterday, revealing six candidates have been validly nominated in Langworthy. They are as follows:- Andy Behan, Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts George Darlington, Conservative Party Keith Fairhurst, British National Party Graeme Hulse, UK Independence Party Gina Loveday, Labour Party Steve Middleton, Liberal Democrats A few interesting names in that list. Yours truly is at the bottom of the ballot paper and current incumbant Gina Loveday (who lives in Blackfriars, Irwell Riverside ward) is 5th on the ballot. Andy Behan stood for TUSK/TUSC/Hazel Must Go ...
I have been musing on the doldrums the Lib Dems are in at the moment. Reading much of the interweb (and the Guardian) you may be forgiven for believing the party is responsible for every sort of calumny to hit the nation in the last 11 months since it went into government with Cameron's Conservatives. I'm sure it will become apparent that the coalition government will over the next few years deliver a significant number of Lib Dem manifesto pledges. But I'm not sure that will do - and it will mean significant numbers of Lib Dem councillors will be ...
Cerebus post tomorrow, Beach Boys and How We Know What We Know on the weekend. Links now. The Onion AV Club has a rather wonderful beginner's guide to sunshine pop, including a youtube playlist. Nothing that those of you who like the genre won't know, but for those who want to know what I'm blithering ...
Quiz No.2: Which play has the following exchange and who wrote it ?DOTTY:Archie says it was a coup d'etat not a general election.GEORGE: Glib nonsense. It is unthinkable that the Radical Liberal Party could manipulate the democratic process...Furthermore I had a vote.DOTTY:It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting.
There was good news for Acocks Green at Wednesday evening's Police Tasking Meeting. The 2010/11 crime statistics are now available and compared with 2009/10, Yardley had the best crime performance (total recorded crime unchanged) of the Birmingham constituencies, and within Yardley, Acocks Green did better than average with a fall of 1.4% Looking in more details at different types of crime in Acocks Green, burglary was down 7.9% (from 216 to 199), robbery was down 10% (from 70 to 63) and vehicle crime was down 0.8% (from 265 to 263). This is a very good performance in difficult times and ...
You can no longer get into St Peter's, Belgrave, to see its green men, but it seems they are still to be found in the streets around the church. The Green Man in the City reminds us that "over a hundred years the Green Man has looked down at us from the lintels above the doors and windows of the terraced houses of Leicester". And, intriguingly: Having covered almost all of the city's Victorian small terraced housing I have now found around 150 examples of these faces, just over half of which are Green Men. Almost all are on houses ...
Today saw me take an afternoon off to attend a meeting of the Liberal Democrat team in Mid Suffolk, where our campaign was launched. Whilst in some places there is glitz and razzamatazz, we're not really like that here, and it was more of a chance to find out what the plans for the campaign were, what our key issues are, and how we're going to approach the challenges presented by our political opponents. Luckily, we've got some really good people, well attuned to the needs of their communities, and we're optimistic for the four weeks ahead until polling day. ...
This evening the volunteers of the Barefoot Games project held an art auction in aid of Shelterbox and their work in Japan at the White Hart in Launceston. In total, the event raised a fantastic £4410. There were around 60 pieces of art donated by a range of artists and creators ranging from some amateur works to several pieces of museum quality. Regrettably, some of the higher end lots didn't reach their reserve and so will be kept to be sold another day, but there were some very high prices paid for some of the other works including more than ...
All, The Conservative-run District Council's offices in Telegraph Street were closed in November 2009. Since then, £938 has been spent on them and from the beginning of this month the Council has to pay rates on the building at £2511 a year! At the same time the Council is cutting services and raising charges. What is worse is that Shipston Town Management Partnership, a local organisation asked to take over the building to provide a one stop shop and were turned down because the Council didn't think they had a good enough business case! The Council also said that the ...
The Coalition's "natural pause" over its Health and Social Care Bill is to be welcomed. Those who would decry it as weakness are probably wedded to a faulty model of what governing should be like. Either they are Bennites, who see a government coming to power with a popular mandate for its programme and then implementing every detail of that programme come what may. Or they are Thatcherites, who believe that programme should spring fully formed from the head of the leader and be implemented with just the same thoroughness. In the latter case at least, the more the programme ...
Over at the Telegraph today Benedict Brogan posted an interesting piece under the title David Cameron isn't a winner – and that's where his problems begin. The thrust of his argument is clear from the title: Cameron's failure to secure any sort of majority last May fundamentally weakens his position. Cameron is aware of this, ...
At last nights meeting of the Parish Council Simon Butler-Finbow of Bloor Homes and John Holden of Pegasus Planning Consultants gave a presentation. Mr. Butler-Finbow stated that in association with Martin Grant Homes they have an interest in land owned by the Braeckman family adjacent to Walpole Farm. To me he was clearly thinking long term. It was not about development on this site next year or perhaps even in the next few years. However, Uttlesford District Council has not yet adopted a local development framework. It has stated that unallocated housing growth up to 2027 will be 2500 properties. ...
Rochford District Council is very blue. We have 32 Tories, 5 Lib Dems, 1 Green and 1 Rochford Residents Party councillor. So we don't win many votes.... But it was a slightly bizarre evening tonight. Our Standards Committee consists of 4 Tory District Councillors, 1 Lib Dem District Councillor (myself), plus a number of parish councillors and independent members. Tonight none of the Tories
I've been busy lately. As well as this blog (and the books I'm hoping will come out of the essays from it – the first of three Beach Boys books will be out some time this month), I've also been working full time, trying to pull together PEP! 3 (I've got great material from Plok, ...
I have welcomed news that the City Council has, after an options appraisal, finally decided to renovate a badly damaged council house in Polepark Road and bring it back into the tenancy pool. The property has sat empty since it was abandoned in August 2008 and I have been in contact with the Housing Department to query why it had been left empty so long. The City Housing Manager has now updated me as follows :"As promised here is the outcome of the Options Appraisal exercise. We explored two options and determined that the optimal approach was to refurbish the ...
Cupcake Decorating (1 day course) at Park Springs Learning Centre on Tue 19th April (£3 material charge) Interested? Ring Danielle on 01427 677377 or E-mail Danielle@cgpartnership.com for details or enrolment.
And so we reach the end of my day at Lib Dem Voice Towers. If you've come away impressed at the good things that Liberal Democrats are doing and planning around the country, if you're feeling enthused and want to do more to help your local campaign, if you've enjoyed reading the varied selection of articles we've done today, then this day has done what I wanted it to do. The polls are not great. The media are giving us a bit of a kicking but we can't let that become a self fulfilling prophecy. We need to be out ...
De Montfort University is to host The Big Debate for the 11 candidates in the city's Mayoral election. The debate will take place in the university's Hugh Aston building at 6.30 p.m. on Monday 18 April. City residents who want to attend the event should register their interest by emailing De Montfort's Events Office or by telephoning 0116 257 7452.
Hans Rosling's presents a truly fascinating presentation of trends in global income and life expectancy statistics over the last 200 years for all the world's countries.
I have come across a new website dedicated to this blog's hero Richard Jefferies. It is a the results of a collaboration between the Richard Jefferies Society, Swindon Borough Council and something called Forward Swindon. If this means that the council has given up its plans to allow housing to encroach upon the landscape around Coate Water, I for one will be delighted. The Old House at Coate says that Jefferies was a prolific writer and naturalist who, as well as working for the Swindon Advertiser, published works on a variety of subjects, from detailed accounts of his beloved countryside, ...
Campaigning in Ceredigion is rather unique. The big beasts of 20th century British politics, the Conservative and Labour parties, hold no sway here. It's a battle instead between liberals and nationalists and the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate Elizabeth Evans is proving to be a formidable opponent to Plaid's Elin Jones. The 'poster' war, which is always a central feature to this unique constituency's electoral battleground, was in full swing early on. Over the years, it's always been opportune to show that momentum is on your side by getting those road-side stakeboards up before your opponent. Well, this year it was ...
In view of Portugal's impending bailout, I thought this video seemed quite appropriate. H/T to Kata_basis on Twitter.
So, where was Nick? Where's Nick gone? The Welsh Conservatives Party Political Broadcast for the Welsh Assembly elections has just been screened but there was no sign of their leader. How come? This after all is the current out-going Leader of the Opposition in the 2007-2011 Welsh Assembly. Indeed, he may hold aspirations of seeing his party overtake Plaid Cymru on May 5th in Assembly seats and strike a deal with them and the Welsh Liberal Democrats that would put him in place as the next First Minister. A little far-fecthed? Well ok yes, but not wholly inconceivable. So ...
Welcome to the third and final part of my interview with Alistair Carmichael MP, the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip. When I spoke to him on Monday night, Alistair was just about to go into the last Parliamentary Party meeting before the Recess. NHS Reform and potential changes to the Government's plans had been in the news all day, so I asked him, given our Conference's very clear view on the matter, how it was all going to pan out. Well I mean I think we are already seeing from announcements today that this is an ongoing process I'm not sure ...
Last Friday I called on a truly remarkable house in Easton. The new tenant is a very lucky lady. She will be living in what might be the cheapest to manage house in Bristol. She will have low energy bills and a very small carbon footprint. We know we need to change the way we ...
Forget "I love you" and "It's a boy", the three words in the English language certain to get the pulse racing like no other are unquestionably "cavity wall insulation." With that in mind I today took advantage of the Council's very generous offer of providing massively discounted insulation for my house, as the people with ...
Thu 7th
19:25
Opinion: An American Student in an Edinburgh Election - inside Alex Cole-Hamilton's campaign
It is fairly common in American Universities for 3rd year students to go abroad for a semester. Although I had many options, I eventually decided to come to Edinburgh, Scotland to intern with the Scottish Parliament. The way my program is structured is that there was class for five weeks, an internship in parliament for 4, then once parliament dissolved we began working on a campaign up until polling day. So that's how, on March 22nd I came to be working with Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh Central. When I first met Alex I was sitting in ...
Welcome to the second part of my interview with Liberal Democrat Chief Whip and Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael. Most of us who are interested in politics have either read House of Cards or watched it on DVD and think we know how a Chief Whip operates from watching the dastardly Francis Urquhart at work. I said to Alistair that I really didn't think pushing people off buildings or lacing their heroin with rat poison was quite his style – so what was a typical day in the life of a Chief Whip like? Caron, that's one of the ...
Today I received an election leaflet for an Independent candidate for Sleaford Town Council. While I welcome the competition for the seat, I am concerned with the candidates "independent credentials". The independent candidate claims that he is free from party pressures and party influence on one page and then on the second states what the ...
Despite @fourinten tweeting "Succinctly put" about last night's post on why Vince Cable's hope that students would be able to drive better value for money by shopping around for universities and comparing offers is a rather forlorn one, I thought of a far simpler way to make the same point on the train home in the form of a "Lib Dem Bar Chart". Here it is: [IMG: Supply and Demand Bar Chart] Supply and Demand Bar Chart
I was in Dartmoor a few weeks ago, and the Black Mountains today. I have noticed upon reflection that welsh sheep seem a little more attentive, nosey and curious. They will let you a lot closer. Or is it like their human counterparts, that the Welsh are a little more friendly than the English. Hmmh!
In Reading, with council elections taking place most years we are used to campaigning all year round. But this year is different. For the first time we are defending our record in power at local (and national) level. We are no longer in our comfort zone but it is exciting to be able to deliver for residents on the really key issues such as housing and social mobility where Labour failed. And as Andrew Stunell MP, Minister for Local Government observed when he came to visit us last week it is a record of action about which Lib Dems everywhere ...
Every year I deal with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs I realise that half the frustration is caused by internal problems within HMR&C. The excuse given usually is that different departments can't talk or share information with each other. Getting money out of HMR&C is like getting blood out of the proverbial stone and can ...
Thu 7th
17:37
Root out NHS waste to provide a better service for patients - Kirsty Williams Kirsty Williams, Leade...
Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, today visited a community pharmacy to highlight the Welsh Liberal Democrat commitment to reducing waste in the NHS to improve health provision for the people of Wales. (Last year, it was revealed that £50 million worth of medicine was being wasted in the Welsh NHS every year. Over 250 tons of out of date, surplus and redundant drugs are returned each year to pharmacies and GP surgeries.) The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader also reaffirmed her party's commitment to free prescriptions in Wales on the visit to the community pharmacy in Swansea with ...
You may have heard the argument - AV lets someone who didn't finish first on first preferences win an election and that's like taking the Gold medal for Olympic sprinting away from Usain Bolt and giving it to someone who finished second or third. But you know what the No 2 AV campaigners forget to tell you (or, let's be charitable - have forgotten and didn't remember to check)? Yup, take a look at the Olympics 200 metres. Round 1, heat 5. Who is that coming in second place? That'd be Usain Bolt. Of course, he went to come on ...
Commenting on the launch of the Labour election campaign, Nigel Howells , the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate for Cardiff Central, said: "After the referendum vote in favour of law making powers, it is essential that this election campaign focuses on Wales and the priorities for a future Welsh government. "Labour are desperate to avoid talking about their record in Wales. Together with Plaid they have left us with a weak economy, underfunded schools, and an NHS that costs more but delivers less. It is a truly dismal record of failure in the most important areas for the people of Wales. ...
Way back last May, when Government posts were being handed out, I had this to say about the appointment of Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael's appointment as Chief Whip: In this new uncharted boldly going where no-one has gone before type arrangement, having someone with excellent people skills enticing people into voting lobbies they may not be entirely comfortable with is essential. The downside of Alistair being Chief Whip is that we don't get to hear as much of him as we used to. In fact, if you look at his They Work For You page, the words he ...
Certain tweeters today have disgusted me. They have used today to pick on Nick Clegg for the most disgusting of reasons. The affectionate name his children call him. Clegg's 3 children are bilingual, they speak Spanish fluently as well as ... Continue reading →
I caught up with Scottish Liberal Democrat Finance Spokesman Jeremy Purvis at the manifesto launch on Tuesday and asked him what a Liberal Democrat Scotland looked like. Posted as part of Caron Lindsay's Elections, Referendums and Lib Dem Achievements Guest Editor day
I spent this afternoon speaking to a group of Danish Mayors about Social Care and Health Politics. They were at the end of a study tour looking at demographics issues and how to keep people in their own homes for longer. I was struck by how much we had in common not least the issues we all face. We were joined by Norman Work, my Vice Convenor and by this council's sole Danish councillor, Jo Coleman, who nonchalantly gabbled away in Danish while Norm and I looked quizzically on!. Jo had been a councillor on Cambridgeshire before moving up to ...
Today's Scottish Sun reports on the typo to end all typos in which the Labour Party north of the border promised to abolish themselves. A misprint in their glossy manifesto meant that Labour Leader Iain Gray promised: "Scottish Labour will abolish the failed Scottish Labour." They add that the blunder comes just days after the party's candidates sent out leaflets full of spelling mistakes which promised more literacy teachers. It makes the Welsh Labour manifesto launch almost worth waiting for.
One of the key things that David Cameron has failed to articulate about his "Big Society" is that it is primarily about strengthening communities. Instead, he has stressed volunteerism. My own view is that most people who would volunteer already do so and he is flogging a dead horse. There are other ways that communities can (and should) be strengthened. In modern society, we often drive to work, drive the children to school, drive to the shops, drive everywhere. This has led to a diminution in the day-to-day social interactions that are the foundation of community spirit and this loss ...
Being a first time candidate is a daunting experience, but a hugely rewarding and humbling one. I was one of the youngest people to ever go through the candidate approval process, at just 17. Many people were surprised that I bothered, given I couldn't stand for election yet anywhere, but in all honesty, I wanted to get it done and out of the way, so that when opportunities (such as the one I'm about to describe) occurred, I would be able to take full advantage. My advice to others is don't wait for that ideal seat to come up before ...
As of yesterday, Wednesday 6 April 2011, every pensioner will get a guaranteed rise in their state pension matching the highest of inflation, increase in average earning or 2.5%. This means that this year 10,927 pensioners in Ceredigion will get a rise of £4.50 a week, totalling £2.6m of extra money for pensioners in Ceredigion. This is the start of pension reform under this Government. On Monday 4 April 2011, Liberal Democrat Pension Minister, Steve Webb announced that the Government will be introducing a flat-rate pension of £140. Commenting, Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly candidate Elizabeth Evans said: "During these ...
Latest provisional figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of 15-17 year old conceptions in South Gloucestershire has fallen from 141 conceptions in 2008 to 130 conceptions in 2009. This figure is against the background of a long-term fall in the rate of teenage pregnancies in the district, down 18.9 per cent over the past 11 years, better than the national rate of 18.1 per cent. The good progress reducing teenage pregnancies in South Gloucestershire reflects the strong partnership effort across a wide range of local agencies to provide better education and information to young people ...
Sophie Bridger is the President Elect of Liberal Youth Scotland. LYS brought a motion on Equal Marriage to Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference in 2010. It was passed and our manifesto launched on Tuesday has a commitment to open up marriage to same sex couples and civil partnerships to heterosexual couples. Sophie looks at the future for civil partnerships. When the subject of gay marriage is approached, you're hard pushed to find a Liberal who disagrees. The right to marriage, complete with religious ceremony, should be available to all. But when it comes to civil partnerships, I often find people are ...
Austerity measures started in Britain yesterday. Under no circumstance should we be providing financial aid, via the IMF or EU, to a nation that cannot manage its own finances correctly. Why should we, and the rest of Europe, be punished ... Continue reading →
I'm in Wales taking the role of an expert on windpower for a consultation by National Grid on grid extensions for new windfarms. You'll probably be thinking, "Wow, thrilling stuff!", and you'd be right to think that – especially if you live here. This development will have a significant impact on the lives of people ...
Over here in Northern Ireland we have a different set of parties, with a different set of policies and a different set of priorities to a lot of the rest of the UK. In the run up to the Assembly Election on May 5th they are going to be prodicing a series of election broadcasts. I intend to, if they are easily available (i.e. on YouTube), embed them here so that people outside of Northern Ireland can see what the parties here are saying. I personally won't be passing comment, but feel free to add you own in the comments ...
Our local Tories have put out a Leaflet. Here I present a photograph of a section of it: [IMG: Dreamwidth] [IMG: Livejournal] [IMG: Blogger] [IMG: Facebook] [IMG: Tweet this] [IMG: Delicious] [IMG: Flattr this] [IMG: LibDig] [IMG: Bit/ly] [IMG: StumbleUpon]
As those who know me fully appreciate, I care a great deal about improving social mobility. So, clearly, does Nick Clegg. Unfortunately, I am one of those people to whom Clegg refers whenever he talks about those whose life chances are negatively affected by their underprivileged background. I also know many others for whom "social mobility" is a myth manufactured by politicians. I care passionately because, having grown up in a family in which no-one worked and spent many years of my life in an admittedly deprived Glasgow council estate, I want to see opportunities opened up to myself and ...
For those of you who read the Thanet Extra, you will find in this weeks edition a quality piece of waffle as Roger Gale MP gives his opinion on AV. I think his view is that should we change our electoral system, we'll suddenly find a host of nazi, socialists, cranks and nutcases take hold of levers of power, instead of the current mix of MPs' which vary from the principled, honest, to the ambitious, self serving, opinionated, uncaring, hypocrites we know so well. Any how just what do I know about Roger Gale MP, firstly he replies promptly to ...
The Lib Dem leader could perform miracles and still not get a fair hearing from the press. He should ignore them. There used to be a joke about Neil Kinnock when he was leader of the Labour Party. He couldn't get decent headlines. Everything he did was reported as a blunder. His advisers thought long and hard about how to turn it around. In the end, they concluded he would have to walk on water. Kinnock obliged and walked from one side of the Thames to the other. The next day the Sun headline screamed: "Kinnock fails to swim river". ...
There are four choices you face in Bidston & St. James on May 5th. Your choices are Lib Dem, Labour, Conservative or UKIP. I will be voting for the Liberal Democrats. UKIP came 5th last year with just over 3% of the vote. They are on course for coming last this time. The Tories didn't ...
Cllr Abi Bell is Deputy Leader of Hull City Council. She writes about how the Council has gone from the worst in the country to the best under Liberal Democrat administration. Another year and another election in Hull. It seems like only yesterday we were fighting the General Election. Last year we missed out on winning the Hull North constituency from Labour by just 600 votes – securing the 4th best swing from Labour to the Lib Dems in the country and turning what was once an unassailable Labour stronghold into one of the country's most marginal constituencies. I think ...
I came across this article the other day. It's a brilliant analysis of just how much outreach work Oxford University does amongst the top public schools - in contrast to everywhere else. It's quite an eye opener. Here's just a sample... 'You only need to look at what constitutes 'outreach' at these institutions to see the disdain they have for the idea they should be more open and inclusive. In 2008 and 2009, Oxford targeted 770 of its 'outreach' events at private schools, including 12 events for Marlborough College, 11 for St. Paul's and 9 for Eton. Even Westminster School, ...
Following yesterday's story about HMRC's website for completing your tax return not working I emailed a government minister and my MP. This morning it is working and I got to complete the sections on my self-employment income. However government owned banks want a week before they can tell me how much interest I've earned (and ...
[IMG: Laptop With Stickers] Recently, I've upgraded the hard disk to a pure solid state drive. The speed increase is incredible. Coupled with adding an extra GB of RAM, the machine is now faster than ever. It's just a pity that Dell limited the machine to 2GB of RAM. But, there's no denying it's getting a little long in the tooth. Video playback is only possible at fairly low resolutions, editing is a nightmare, there's no built in camera, and I think the headphone port is on the way out. I Hate Tablets Tablets are great if all you want ...
Scottish Liberal Democrats wear their heart on their manifesto wordle On Tuesday I was lucky enough to be invited along to the launch of the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto which took place in the beautiful town of Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders. The venue, Caerlee Mill, had been chosen to highlight key pledges to boost business and economic growth, but, as the BBC's Brian Taylor said, "The venue had been chosen to symbolise economic renewal – but, on the day, it also spotlighted the concept of triumph over adversity." There are three main themes to the manifesto. When leader Tavish ...
Birmingham City Council's Selly Oak Constituency is holding its second Arts Trail Exhibition and Competition this spring.It is open to everyone and includes the following categories: Photographs, paintings and drawings - Adults 17+Poetry - Adults 17+Photographs, paintings, drawings and poetry - Young people, 12-16 yrsPaintings and drawings with a 'Birmingham' theme - Children, 0-11 yrsThe
I have some sympathy for Nick Clegg as a fellow human being. Less for his persistent errors of judgement with the media. In his latest interview, exposing his human frailty, and pressures of office on his family, he has invited the reaction he is now getting. Headlines such as: "Why do people hate you daddy" – Daily Mail "Nick Clegg: I cry to music" – Daily Telegraph "I'm not a punchbag, I have feelings" – New Statesman "Nick Clegg reveals he is a softy who blubs over music" – Mirror "EU agrees rescue package for Nick Clegg's feelings" – ...
The US Masters starts today. I am no fan of golf one of many inventions we Scots have given the world. Harry S Truman called it "a good walk spoiled". I agree. That being said I often watch the last few holes of the Masters or the Open and I have a reverence for the high standard of sportsmanship pro golfers in particular display. In these days of betting scandals and ball tampering Golf is far more "cricket" in terms of standards of behaviour than cricket! I hope that English golfer Lee Westwood manages to put behind him his recent ...
Anyone interested in the heritage and conservation of our area? If so, this might be just the thing for you! The West Hampstead Conservation area needs a Secretary(unpaid alas) see below. If interested, let Flick know (7794 8454) JOB SPEC The West End Green Conservation Area was established by the London Borough of Camden in 1993.It has been updated and reappraised in 2010. The new Conservation Area Statement was adopted by the Council in March 2011. The aim is to provide a clear indication of Camden Council's approach to the preservation and enhancement of the area. WANTED A volunteer Secretary ...
This is 500th post since I founded a blog. In that time it has morphed from a personal hobby, to a probably underserved personal soapbox, to something people actually read! It is now at the stage where between 100 and 200 unique visitors come to the site every day. Pittance in comparison to Guido/Lib Dem Voice/Left ...
So Reading Labour have published an "apology" for using a copyrighted picture without permissions... except their apology is a lie. "thought we had permission" - complete bullshit and they know it (as too I suspect do the Post). All political campaigners from any party know that you have to pay a fee to use pictures from the local paper. I love they way they also admit that they have been breaking the law for several years. They really can't help it can they. Also after 23 years in power they don't seem to understand how local government finance works. After ...
Oh dear, the Speaker of the House of Commons has apparently been upsetting MPs again, this time over the budget for his personal office. The Financial Times reports that the annual budget for his office is increasing this year by 6 per cent to £700,000 for the year to March 2012 in spite of a 17 per cent cut across the Commons' administration, catering and resources budgets over the next four years. The FT quote a senior Tory backbencher as saying: "It is such hypocrisy for Mr Speaker to be cutting every other budget in the Commons apart from his ...
The only thing I love more than giving out my business cards, is taking business cards from others. Unfortunately, my current "to do" pile of cards is getting a little... unwieldy... [IMG: Pile o' Cards] Enter WorldCard Mobile – the app for Android which claims to be able to recognise the text on business cards and add them directly to your address book. At only US$5.99 it's a good deal cheaper than some of its competitors – but does it work? Walk ThroughSnapping a card is simplicity itself. The camera focuses, then churns away, You get the chance to rotate ...
On Tuesday I welcomed Kirsty Williams to Newport East as we launched the Welsh Liberal Democrats campaign for the Assembly elections. It is clear that this election is the most important one that Wales has seen since devolution. After the devolution referendum, this election is about the kind of government that Wales needs. At least that it is what is should be about. It is clear that Labour and Plaid will run a mile before having to defend their record in government in Wales. The truth is that Labour have had their paws all over the Assembly Government for a ...
This week, a number of Liberal Democrat policies are coming into action that will make a huge difference to people lives. Over the next seven days, Liberal Democrat policy will: · give £625m extra to our schools, aimed at the most disadvantaged pupils · lift more than 800 thousand low earners out of paying income tax altogether · give 23 million people a £200 tax cut (on basic rate taxation) · ensure pensioners retiring now will be £15,000 better off over their retirement Funding for the pupil premium, a longstanding and key Liberal Democrat policy, began on Friday April 1. ...
Some of you may have wondered where the prolific blogging from me has gone. However, in the words of Mark Twain, "The reports of my (blogging) death have been greatly exaggerated." I've had an awful lot to say these last few months but I've been saying it to a diverse political and non-political audience, all to get as many of them as possible to say the same thing at the ballot boxes on 5th May. That one word is sometimes thought to be alien to many in Northern Ireland and that word is "Yes!" Yes, that's right folks since the ...
There has been a rapid reaction to yesterday's cat rescue story, it is reported. In future, a duty officer will be sent to evaluate the situation before calling in specialist teams. It's probably bad news for cats that are attracted by the sight of men in uniforms, but for council taxpayers in Suffolk, it can only be good news.
Welcome to my second day as guest editor on Liberal Democrat Voice. I am delighted to be back and hope you enjoy what I have in store for you today. For those of you who don't know me, I usually can be found inflicting my random thoughts on the world at Caron's Musings. The first thing I'm going to do, though, is slightly take advantage of the situation to wish my lovely niece, Emma Steele, who was born at the start of the 1997 election campaign, a very happy birthday. I want today to be a an optimistic and informative ...
I came across this article the other day. It's a brilliant analysis of just how much outreach work Oxford University does amongst the top public schools - in contrast to everywhere else. It's quite an eye opener. Here's just a sample... 'You only need to look at what constitutes 'outreach' at these institutions to see the disdain they have for the idea they should be more open and inclusive. In 2008 and 2009, Oxford targeted 770 of its 'outreach' events at private schools, including 12 events for Marlborough College, 11 for St. Paul's and 9 for Eton. Even Westminster School, ...
The Licensing Committee meets next week to decide whether or not to let Liverpool Cricket Club have what amounts to a year round license for events using a marquee. Local people are worried about a string of noisy night time events. Peter Millea and I have sent in objections as has Mossley Hill Cllr Ron Gould. There is a bit of coverage of the issue on the Post and Echo website today. You can link across to it here Information about the committee, including the agenda for this particular meeting, is available here
Daily MailLord Pannick article in The Times (paywall)Reference to The Speaker in The Times (paywall)
[IMG: Yes to Fairer Votes] What do the BNP and the No2AV campaign have in common? They'll both say anything to win. They'll both be defeated by passionate volunteers, campaigners who can tell the truth. Last week saw the No campaign yet again try to hide the facts from the voting public. On one hand, they told us that the BNP would benefit from AV; on the other, they ignore BNP leader Nick Griffin's support for a No vote. They're using every deception in the book to try to knock us off stride - throwing insult after smear in our ...
And a majority that aren't election-related. Electoral Services: I know they're only doing their job, but... – Jennie Rigg on the last-minute rush to get nomination papers in, which many people who've been candidate and/or agents will read with a few knowing nods. How to write a generic SF novel - Paul McAuley provides some useful advice: "No matter how technologically advanced your future society might be, its sociology and economics are basically those of the seventeenth century. Also its battle tactics." BNP Candidates 2011 – Lancaster Unity has discovered there's a dramatic fall in the number of candidates the ...
There have been discussions about whether there is a domestic precedent whereby the right to talk to MPs about issues of public interest is protected by parliament. This already happens in Australia.The following case from the parliamentary journals in 1699 is exactly that. John Kelly provided information about malpractise to a number of MPs. That was not provided as part of a petition, but
Don't forget that Liberal England is now accepting guest posts. So far 11 have appeared: In praise of slow government - Simon BeardChildren and the surveillance state: Will the Coalition keep its word? - Terri DowtyStandards matter in higher education, not just participation rates - AnonymousA Woking class hero is something to be - Lisa HardingThe campaign for a Robin Hood Tax - Ian SullivanThe limits of the Big Society - Martin VeartCan hyperlocal news sites be the future of journalism? - Niall SullivanHow Edward Stourton misunderstood The Orange Book - Simon TitleyWhy I caged my son: The Love Outdoor ...
As I was coming through Heathrow yesterday, it was hard to avoid the blizzard of ink yet again being focussed on Nick Clegg. This time, apparently, he was being put in the stocks because he has spoken out against the idea that so many middle class kids get ahead because their parents can sponsor them through an unpaid internship in one of the professions. What's so shocking? Well, apparently- get this- Nick Clegg too benefited from taking an unpaid internship. Cue a football crowd level of abuse for Clegg's so-called hypocrisy. Of course you would never find nepotism, favouritism and ...
I have now completed one of my reading projects - to have a write-up on-line, be it ever so humble, of every winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Some of them are mere one-para stubs awaiting expansion if I ever get back to my project of writing up all of the joint Hugo/Nebula winners in detail, but at least they are all there now. The Mule by Isaac Asimov (Retro, 1946) Farmer in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein (Retro, 1951) The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (1953) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Retro, 1954) They'd Rather Be ...
Yesterday Stephen featured a video on his blog which he had made using xtranormal.com. Intrigued, I visited the site and this is my effort. While the camera angles are not quite what I intended, I'm quite pleased for a first attempt! Enjoy! Andrew
I actually rather like To Say Nothing of the Dog. I have found Willis' recent work cloying, tedious, and not as funny as many readers seem to think it is, and the reviews I've seen of Blackout/All Clear make me feel that, when it inevitably makes this year's Hugo shortlist, it may well be the first shortlisted work I skip in over a decade. But rereading To Say Nothing of the Dog has reminded me that there was a time when her writing did not seem so laboured and her humour much more successful. The story of To Say Nothing ...
broadcast anniversaries 7 April 1973: broadcast of first episode of Planet of the Daleks. Jo and the Doctor land on Spiridon and separately encounter a Thal expedition. 7 April 2007: broadcast of The Shakespeare Code. The Doctor and Martha, visiting 1599 London, foil a plot by the Carrionites to invade the Earth via Shakespeare's plays.
I read A Softer World. Or at least, I look at the comics. I rarely notice the discussions on the site as a lot of the time I look at it on a screen wide enough to show me the whole comic. Sometimes, I have to click out of Google Reader and look at the ASW site in order to read the final panel, and today was one of those days. After reading the comic - which is a great one, by the way: After reading the comic, I caught a glimpse of the first line of text on the ...
Two applications in the weekly list for last week. The first is for a planning application to fit "an additional Velux window" to 9 Garry Drive. This is application number 11/0310/FUL. The second is for some tree works on the park adjacent to 301 Milton Road. I am checking the details of this application for a local resident and will update when I have more, but the application is reference 11/0430/TTPO is to improve visibility into the park by thinning the yew row, and lifting the crowns of the others. As always more information is available online, and via the ...
Dafydd Holbrook and Alan Lawrance try out the newly-repaired phone box This phone box was vandalised in early October. We reported it to BT. The police reported it to BT as well. But for months all they did was remove the damaged equipment. BT said it wasn't a priority because it's not used very much. Not surprising, if they didn't repair it! It's only just been fixed after six months, maybe because they wanted to put a new advert on it.
Yes to Fairer Votes have created a poster that draws attention to the fact that Nick Griffin and the BNP will be a supporting a NO vote in the upcoming referendum. The BNP know they can only get elected when their opposition is split. Under an AV system a candidate has to gain majority support in an area. This means the BNP would find it even harder to get their first MP. This now leaves the Conservatives and the BNP as the only two parties to be backing our outdated first past the post voting system. Share this: [IMG: Share ...
Around two years ago we had protests at the G20 conference - see yesterday's blog. At roughly the same time we had the BNP standing in front of a Polish spitfire thinking it was British. We were also discovering that some MPs were milking the system and Michael Martin was struggling in his role of speaker. How do I know? Well I have just looked back at my blog entries and we were having elections for the first time ever for a Morecambe Town Council. So roughly two years ago the Morecambe Bay Independents were asking about the use of ...
