Even though I have now moved into politics full time I am still consider myself a scientist, a designation I am very proud of. I may not have been a Nobel contender but I feel a strong sense of fellowship with those who are. Science can be such a force for change. For example the new vaccine for Human papillomavirus (HPV) is currently preventing many millions of young women from contracting cervical cancer. Imagine the families which won't be devastated by the loss of a mother, sister or daughter. This year the annual Edinburgh Medal has been awarded to Stanford ...
This week it's a cover version of one of my favourite punk songs. Here to cheer you up are the Ukelele Orchestra of GB singing Anarchy in the UK. It just shouldn't work, but somehow it does. I particularly like the harmonies on the verse where various terrorist organisations are named...
I was originally going to post this as a response on James's blog about the Rally Against Debt, but unfortunately his blog doesn't accept comments over 4,096 characters. I'll post the link on the blog as a comment and invite James to reply to me here or upon his own blog. Ahh, the infamous vitriol of the left comes piling onto those who happen to have a differing opinion to the union machine. The propaganda covered here is incredibly shrill, and really does make you look like a bit of a laughing stock. [IMG: Stop the EU Rip Off] "The ...
There is a great review of Selly Oak Park and the new nature trail and play equipment in today's Birmingham Mail:"Recent developments at this expansive, open park are bringing a whole new meaning to the term 'going for a carvery'. "Here, nature and history are combining on the Selly Oak Park Nature Trail to provide rare added value."You can read the full story online at: Walk In The Park: Selly
The first week of the Election campaign proper draws towards the weekend and what has it brought? Rather more people than I might have expected telling us they hope to see Lib Dems elected again in Eaglescliffe as we do a good job. Quite a lot of people commenting on John Fletcher's forthcoming retirement and wishing him well for it. Quite a lot also expressing pleasure that Lesley Lewis is
Nominations in Chells 2011 Candidate's Surname Other Names in full Home Address in full Description (if any) Name of Proposer BURRELL Howard John 39 Hastings Close, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2JG The Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate Jeannette A Thomas NEALE Tim 33 The Towers, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 1HE Liberal Democrat Charlotte Sanders SAINSBURY Rachalle 69 Telford Avenue Stevenage Herts. SG2 0AG UK Independence Party Tim Sainsbury WYATT Matthew Paul 7 Bronte Paths Stevenage SG2 0PQ The Conservative Party Candidate Julie C Hudson
Another thing I missed blogging about at the end of March was the maiden speech of the new Luton based Liberal Democrat peer Lord Qurban Hussain. I blogged about Qurban's introduction into the Lords back in January so it is only fitting that I follow up by recording his first contribution to their Lordship's proceedings. In what I thought was an excellent first speech, Qurban contributed to a debate on the Government's economic policies on Thursday 24th March. The speech is available in the online Hansard but I've reproduced the full text below: "My Lords, it gives me great pleasure ...
Mark Cole is excited that Nick Clegg came to Ceredigion today: "quite possibly the first time that that has been said of a top ranking Government Minister in 90 years since Lloyd George came to Ceredigion in 1921." "The future for Nick Clegg and the party is deeply uncertain but one thing they need not worry about is what the mainstream media is saying today because today their opinion doesn't count for much and come the next General Election their opinion will count for even less." The Rambles of Neil Monnery is not concerned by current press hostility towards the ...
Today I finished reading The Prime Ministers Who Never Were... a collection of counterfactual history essays imagining what the Governments of people who never became Prime Minister might have been like. Full disclosure: I love alternative history. Some might ask what's the point, but I find it is often quite an illuminating intellectual exercise which helps you see the effects of what actually happened in a different way. Also they can be extremely fun. The book is actually very interesting, with examples from the early 20th century right up to date. Whilst it's obviously very much influenced by the current ...
More importantly, the new store will be sited on my walk home from the railway station. From the Harborough Mail: A public exhibition is being planned next month to give residents a look at the plans, with the supermarket aiming to submit a planning application in the summer. The new store would include fresh food service counters and a small coffee shop.
It isn't just St Peter's, Belgrave, that is up for sale. The same Parish of the Ressurection has closed another church and put it.on the market another. So naturally I had to go to look for St Garbriel's, Kerrysdale Avenue, too. What I found was a building I rather liked. St Gabriel's dates, very clearly, from the early 1960s - an era before popular modernism had coarsened into the concrete brutalism of the 1970s. It is a style I grew up with, having lived in the new town of Hemel Hempstead as a small boy. I am not the only ...
Yes, the Deputy Prime Minister came to Ceredigion today. That is quite possibly the first time that that has been said of a top ranking Government Minister in 90 years since Lloyd George came to Ceredigion in 1921. Certainly, there has been no visit from a Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister in the last 30 years. There was an occasion I'm told when a senior Labour Party leader was heckled whilst driving down Cardigan's High St - was it Harold Wilson or Michael Foot I'm not sure. But anyway, the point is that the heart of the UK's decision-making ...
We had a great day today with Nick Clegg coming to support my Welsh Assembly Campaign. Nick told everyone that: These are difficult times for people across Britain, but this week has shown that this can also be an opportunity to reshape Britain into a fairer, more equal and greener country. Labour's financial legacy has left our country needing to borrow an extra £400million, every single day, just to get by. Labour also left us paying £120 million in interest on our debt each and every day - for that we could build a new primary school every hour. Conwy's ...
You've probably never heard of Jack Drum Arts, based in Crook, but you may remember that scores of Consett's children were involved in a Kids for Kids film project in conjunction with the Derwent Valley Partnership. So many wanted to take part, I understand, that some had to be turned away. A few weeks ago I went to their Film Premiere at the Empire Theatre, along with my fellow Consett North councillor Clive Robson, and we were well impressed with the enthusiasm and creativity of the children – and the support of their families. It was a genuinely heart-warming experience. ...
Hat tip Guy Herbert "Until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state, beyond the post office and the policeman. He could live where he liked and as he liked. He had no official number or identity card. He could travel abroad or leave his country for ever without a passport or any sort of official permission. He could exchange his money for any other currency without restriction or limit. He could buy goods from any country in the world on the same terms as he bought goods at home. ...
The link is to a good article about the problems with the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The problem is that the system is so expensive to operate that the people processed by it have little chance of getting sensible responses (although the court of appeal on this occasion almost uniquely has allowed a second opinion).
This is a brilliant, hilarious trailer produced by BBC America to introduce the UK version of Law and Order to Yankside folks.
My column from today's Liberal Democrat News. Home truths In the 1970s, when there were just three channels, television producers did not worry too much about losing their audience. A Marxist Play for Today could attract million of viewers and Panorama and World in Action would confidently offer demanding documentaries. Today you may have ambitions to screen a searing expose of the suffering of refugees in Sierra Leone, but unless you get Stacey Solomon to front it you can forget the idea. Care Home Kid (BBC2), Neil Morrissey's two-part documentary on the public care system for children, sounded like another ...
We are now in at our new restaurant! Visit www.bangkokbay.co.uk for details – the website will be redesigned in due course (it came with the business) We are also on facebook at Bangkok Bay SW11 Promote your Page too If you're at the London Conference this weekend, come down on Saturday night for probably one ...
VN posted earlier on whether News International's apology for the phone hacking scandal would be enough to bring the saga to end. The company have realised a statement on regard to voicemail interception at the News of the World during 2004-06, which has been published on the Guardian (who are enjoying this rather too much, it must ...
Syria saw its biggest pro-democracy demonstrations yet today, with the most bloody clashes with security forces happening in the southern town of Deraa, where unrest first broke out. According to Al Jazeera, up to 27 people were shot dead there today and many of the injured are too afraid to go to hospitals for treatment ...
There has been a debate in the public as to whether the current Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition has a mandate from the electorate. If you look at how the system works then the answer is of course not. It would also be correct to say that no government has a mandate from the electorate
See what I did there............ Well, let's have the case for the prosecution..... Here is the policy announced yesterday by the SNP, promising a Scottish Future Fund to provide, among other things, a new digital economy, early intervention for kids and warmer homes. Page 88 of the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto gives details of a Scottish Futures Fund to invest in creating 100,000 jobs, a new digital economy, an early intervention revolution and more home insulation. You know what, though - ours is five times bigger than theirs thanks to Jeremy Purvis' innovative idea which involves turning Scottish Water into ...
I was campaigning in the West End today as part of Alison Burns' campaign. Here's me pictured in Perth Road :
Curiosity led me to look at the nominations for Woodley Town Council – currently run by the Liberal Democrats, with 15 of the 25 Councillors. Both the Lib Dems and Tories have 25 candidates, as might be expected. One Green has put themselves forward. The number of Labour candidates is a big fat ZERO. I look forward to helping the excellent Lib Dem team in Woodley and pointing out to Labour sympathisers that Labour has no interest in running the considerable number of services provided by the Town Council, which in this case includes a leisure centre. socialise this: [IMG: ...
Fri 8th
18:11
Telegraph writes utterly inaccurate headline to story in its desperation to attack Government...
My attention has been drawn, courtesy of Global Post, to a gloriously misleading piece of journalism, written under the byline of the Telegraph's Consumer Affairs Editor, Harry Wallop. Here's the headline... Government Twitter Tsar to be on £142,000 salary The Government is to hire a "Twitter Tsar" on an annual salary of £142,000, making the successful candidate one of the best paid civil servants in Whitehall. Sounds awful, doesn't it? You can hear the rumblings from the Taxpayers' Alliance already. Except, the real story is somewhat different, as the article itself goes on to explain... The Government made clear that ...
This pretty much does what it says on the tin. It's good - a proper old fashioned campaign on a vitally important issue. If you haven't signed up to the Facebook group, please do so now and also sign our petition Well done to everyone involved in making this - one of the best PEBs since the one I was in in the 2005 election:-).
Discussion with Australian Shadow Environment minister to discuss EU and international Climate Agreements and policy; Meeting Channel 4 producers involved in the Fish Fight Campaign to raise awareness of the Fish For the Future Campaign at the European Parliament; Meeting Shark trust ... Continue reading →
Liberal Democrat candidate for the Lothians list and Edinburgh Central Alex Cole-Hamilton took part in Brian Taylor's Big Debate on Radio Scotland this lunchtime, along with Angela Constance from the SNP, Lawrence Fitzpatrick from Labour and Edinburgh Central Tory candidate Iain McGill. It was held in West Lothian College in Livingston so I went down to be part of the audience. Ok, I know I'm biased, but Alex put in an awesome performance. He was confident and assured and had a good, people centred answer for every single question he was asked. There was much discussion about cuts in the ...
I've been keeping up to date with all the releases about the AV referendum in May especially from people who may not get as much press as more well known people. David Cameron is often quoting Winston Churchill, the great war leader on AV as "the most worthless votes from the most worthless candidates." I'm
News International will issue an apology for the phone hacking scandal, and has instructed lawyers to investigate a compensation scheme for some of those effected. Earlier this week former senior News of the World journalists Ian Edmonson and Neville Thurlbeck were arrested. It is quite amazing that it has taken this long to get Thurlbeck, a ...
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 Major changes at Lib Dem Voice (30 comments) by "Lord Ashcroft" Opinion: What the hell have the Lib Dems done? (59 comments) by William Summers Tebbit admits 'I admire Clegg more than Cameron' (16 comments) by Stephen Tall Grassroots pressure stepped up over NHS plans (56 comments) by Mark Pack Eight words from Ed Balls on the structural deficit (15 comments) by Mark Pack 5 sample LDV Members' Forum threads Question Time Internships Facebook Page LibDem Vice ...
An application seeking planning permission to erect a mobile phone mast within the grounds of the Fleetwood Hesekth Sports & Social Club has been submitted to Sefton Council. The application is to install a 12.5m high slim line monopole supporting 6 antennas would be sited behind the current conifer hedge along Fylde Road. Click here to view the application in full and enter S/2011/0362. We have demanded, and made sure, that this planning application is properly considered by the full Sefton Council planning committee of councillors because of concerns expressed by some local residents. The meeting takes place on 4th ...
Having spent literally months wrestling with lulu's frankly insane ebook publishing system to no avail, I've given up on them. As of tonight (once I finish work), I shall be uploading my existing books to Smashwords. This means that if you want my books in various formats, you need to do the following: Hardback, paperback ...
We have 4 weeks to go until the most important ballot of our lives and the Yes! To Fairer Votes campaign is in full swing now, but we still need our activists to get stuck and help the campaign in the final push to the finish line. This week in the Yes! To Fairer Votes campaign the tempo has been stepped up! On Wednesday night we saw Vince Cable and Ken Livingstone battle it out for the Yes! team against the No team's Michael Howard and the interesting choice of a former Olympic rower (who was apparently in the boat ...
The most annoying thing about birtherism (which was, until you resurrected it in your doomed-to-failure vanity campaign, almost dead as a political entity) is not that it's painfully, absurdly, provably incorrect, intellectually malicious and borderline racist – although heaven knows, that's annoying too. The worst thing about birtherism is that it means that the left has to spend so much time defending Obama from the really crazy stuff that we can't find the time to hold him to account for the really destructive ways in which he is failing to meet his campaign commitments. The ironic thing is that it ...
Why would one want or use a tumblr account?
A reader asks "Who are the people in the Liberal Cabinet?" If you mean Wirral Council then the Liberal Democrat members are:- Cllr Simon Holbrook (Prenton) (Cabinet Member for Corporate Services) Cllr Gill Gardiner (Greasby, Frankby and Irby) (who resigned recently) and was replaced by Cllr Stuart Kelly (Oxton) (Cabinet Member for the Environment) Cllr ...
Fri 8th
15:05
150 minutes is not enough time to prove a university is doing all it can to widen access. I think th...
The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is charged with ensuring that Further Education establishments charging more than £6000 are doing everything they can to ensure people from a wide range of backgrounds have access to higher education. So far, this is pretty much every FE organisation - with most charging the maximum. So how rigorous can the good people of the Office of Fair Access be in ensuring this is the case? Well, last year they agreed access agreements with 230 institutions. This year, applications for enhanced fees and the access programmes to justify the extra money were due in ...
Liberal: "I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honour"So said Matt Santos in the final series of the West Wing. It turns out that Martin Sheen who played Josiah Bartlett is a real-life liberal too. Listen to him on Desert Island Discs.
The NHS is our most treasured institution; designed by a Liberal it is based on a great British idea – that we will care together, collectively for one another in our time of need. Treatment free, when you need it, not when you can afford it. That's an idea that must never be undermined. People want to see Liberal Democrats in government protecting and improving the NHS, and this week we have shown that's exactly what we are doing. The government is pausing – stopping the clock on its NHS reforms to listen, reflect and improve the legislation – in ...
You do not need to be a psephological geek like me to realise that a referendum is taking place on May 5th concerning the adoption of the Alternative Vote system for elections to the House of Commons. It asks a crucial question about how our democratic political system operates and how we interact with it, because how we vote will affect the sort of parliament and government we get out of it. It is important that churches are aware that the referendum is happening and are equipted to help people think through the issues involved. For some Christians, this may ...
This morning's Western Mail carries a report Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, argues that there are "frightening similarities" between Welsh Education Minister, Leighton Andrews and his Tory counterpart in Westminister, Education Secretary Michael Gove. She said the Welsh Labour Education Minister, uses the same rhetoric and convergence of policies as his Conservative equivalent in the UK Government and accused him of "alienating" and "demoralising" teachers in the wake of a disappointing report into educational standards. Oh dear! Now that is one comparison that will not go down well in Leighton's household. Or will it?
I don't always agree with unions when they declare a strike. However I believe Jobcentre call centre staff are quite right to kick up a fuss about being monitored so closely. It's wrong to monitor staff in the way done by job centre management. For example recording how long and often you go to the toilet and how long your call takes when not all calls are simple to deal with. Staff are dealing with people that may have complicated queries and require emotional assistance for there stressful situation of being out of work and needing a job. So the ...
Alright, so I'm a local political activist, and I want to know what's going on in my area. Keeping up to date with local affairs can mean waiting for the local 'dead tree' media to publish a story and then commenting on it. And whilst that's good as far as it goes, one likes to be ahead of the news, rather than one step behind. So I decided to explore the Mid Suffolk District Council website, to see how 'social media friendly' it is. The website itself is pretty basic, although all of the things you would expect to find ...
I'm catching up with a few things that I missed while being very busy in the last few weeks of March. One of which is that I have only just noticed that this blog was included in the "Best of the blogs" column in Liberal Democrat News. They featured my post: Why Nick Clegg is right on multiculturalism (or how the Deputy Prime Minister came to Luton to agree with me) Thanks guys!
There's a long and interesting article in today's Independent, highlighting the remarkable finding that US soldiers are much more likely than British ones to suffer post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – by a massive 30% to 4%. The article's American author, Ethan Watters, suggests that the difference is cultural. His analysis turns out to be more of a critique of US ways in ignorance of British ones – but the core idea, that mental illness can be driven by society's attitudes is an interesting and disturbing one. Disturbing because it suggests that the modern fashion for exploring victimhood is making ...
How strange. Ed Balls, the most opportunists politician in the United Kingdom, has warned against Britain's potential bailout for Portugal. He is quite right but is it not strange that Ed did not voice concern last May – when Darling ... Continue reading →
Earlier this week, David Cameron made a speech against AV in which he invoked Winston Churchill's views on electoral systems – and saying, "If in doubt, trust Winston". Now it's true Winston Churchill didn't like AV. But can you guess what electoral system this quote from Churchill was about? 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. ...
I was asked today by a resident about why Wirral Council had proposed to close Maplehome, Pensall House, Poulton House, Meadowcroft and Fernleigh. Unfortunately the public were barred because of a few noisy members of the public from part of the last full Council meeting at which this was discussed so there is a little ...
I had another sunny day in Bidston talking to voters on the doorstep. There were many issues raised and some were very supportive of the Lib Dem/Tory government and Wirral Council (which is run by a Lib Dem/Tory partnership). A number of issues I will be raising with the relevant spokesperson (or be taking up ...
The real strength of Alternative Vote over first past the post is in individual constituencies, especially in contests where the leading candidate falls well short of a majority. AV won't change the face of national politics. But in some constituencies it will ensure the election of representatives who can lay greater claim to representing the majority view within the local electorate. via blogs.lse.ac.uk I am appalled at the amount of misleading material coming out of the NO2AV campaign. But some "yes" campaigners are guilty of over-simplifying the issues. One example: the promise that there would no safe seats under AV. ...
National Grid invests £578,000 to renew St Albans gas mains 30/03/2011 National Grid is investing £578,000 in a scheme to replace more than two kilometres of old metal gas mains in St Albans with new hard-wearing plastic pipes. This vital project begins in April and will help ensure the people of St Albans continue to enjoy safe, secure and reliable gas supplies in future years. Work will start in Hemel Hempstead Road. Subsequent work will take place in Batchwood Drive and Beech Road. We anticipate that our work in Beech Road will require phased lane closures and a partial road ...
There's nothing like being ill (manflu in my case) to make you think about health-related matters. This week's announcement of delays to the Health & Social Care Bill, though, look all a little too, er, convenient for comfort. This should be simple. The Liberal Democrats' position is – and it's very public. Those excellent people at the Social Liberal Forum have done a good job of getting Lib Dem members to press the point home at http://socialliberal.net/sign-the-statement/. Now there should be a bit of hardheaded Cabinet negotiation going on. I can't put things any clearer than Prateek Buch and Evan ...
Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there's new stories of interest. Some people like subscribing to its news feed (RSS) and checking that way. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day's posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want to take a read. [IMG: Hello inbox zero] Just go to our email sign up page to ...
Just had this information from the Council's waste and recycling team about how collections will be different during the weeks of the 18th April, 25th April and 2nd May because of the bank holidays. Recycling and rubbish collections over upcoming Bank Holidays period Recycling and rubbish collections will take place one day later than usual over the Easter and early May Bank Holiday period, as in previous years. From Good Friday 22 April until Saturday 8 May all recycling and rubbish will be collected the day after your usual collection day. This also means that if your usual collection day ...
Pronounce Alpine - al-peen (pretend you're French) and you'll get the Rhyme. So why getting lean? Well, as previously mentioned, fat and fifty (Jan 2012) in no place to be for a middle-aged bloke. Beyond it looking shabby, being overweight is a leading indicator for diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis etc etc. And I would really like to to see my boys grow up into men. Also, having taken the challenge of 31 cols in the Alps, everyone knows that excess baggage would add to what already is a brutal challenge. Having already lost almost 14kg, I have been asked repeatedly ...
I see the Independent reports on an attack by artist Dinos Chapman ( who he?) of Margate's well known and much respected artist Tracy Emin for donating one of her creations to the nation. I known about as much about art as, I suspect Dinos, knows about good manners and the concept of giving something back the community, in a selfless manner. Not surprisingly Emin is upset that her gift has (in my opinion) been twisted into a crass and cheap publicity stunt by Dinos Chapman, who until today had not registered on my own radar. Apparently Dino is suggesting ...
As many residents will know, we have a particular problem with vandalism and anti-social behaviour in Gatley village at the moment, particularly around Oakwood, Beech, Elm, Cedar, Burnside and Gatley Road near the village centre. The Police are working hard to sort it out, with measures including CCTV, increased patrols and others. Pam and I are making sure the police know of any issues that are raised with us so everyone has the fullest picture of what's happening. Please let Pam or myself know if you've any concerns or suffer any problems – in addition of course to reporting any ...
Anyone who reads this blog going to be helping out at the Leicester South by-election? I'm thinking of going down for a day towards the back end of the month, and am wondering when anyone I know will be there. I'm off work from the 22nd of April through to the 9th of May to ...
Hey all, I'm not sure how many of you have heard of the Rally Against Debt, but it's going to be a small peaceful gathering for the silent majority to air their concerns about the delusions which are being spread in the mainstream that our level of borrowing is reasonable. [IMG: Pile of Cash] The national debt is not a partisan issue -- whether you prefer great public services or business-friendly taxes, everybody should understand that running sustained deficits is an issue; so people of all political persuasions are welcome to come to the rally and show their support. The ...
The upcoming English Local, Scottish, and Welsh Elections means we are all subjected to a new round of Party Election Broadcasts. VN took a look at the English ones, not because the Scottish and Welsh elections aren't important, but because the English ones feature the three party leaders. Labour's PEB is utterly, and genuinely atrocious. It seems to ...
Channel 4 have an interesting report based on a YouGov poll showing that AV would benefit Liberal Democrats and Conservatives at the expense of Labour. The analysis is that Liberal Democrat second preferences have shifted (since the last Parliament) from favouring Labour to favouring Conservatives. This would benefit the Conservatives in the Labour/Conservative marginals, perhaps to the tune of 30 seats. This should not surprise. The Liberal Democrat first preference vote is now down to around 10-12%. The major losses will be from voters who treat the party as an alternative to Labour. The fiction of a progressive majority has ...
In Cambridge next Monday evening there is a major YES versus NO debate on the issue of the Introduction of the Alternative Vote for Westminster elections. The scheduled start time is at 7.30pm, the location is St Luke's Church, Victoria Road, Cambridge, CB4 3DZ. Meeting details and sign up PS If you have not yet donated towards the campaign, there are a couple of days left to do so. Please help us beat the negative campaigning of the No campaign. Donate here: https://secure.yestofairervotes.org/Donate-East
I am absolutely furious at an e-mail I've had this morning from Nick Clegg. Not for a minute do I actually think he wrote it himself - but I take the view that when you write something in someone's name, you really have to think about how it's going to be received. I'm betting that members in Scotland are generally going to be spitting mad about it. The thing is, it was obviously differentiated because the very useful part of it was that it had very specific figures for your own area about how many people had been taken out ...
Regurgitation of alarmist medical press releases without a single question by journalists appear to be a stock in trade for many papers. Indeed the Daily Mail seems to have an ongoing mission to classify everything into things that give you cancer and things that cure cancer. There is a useful Facebook page that helps direct you to them if you so wish. Today it's back to alcohol which is all over the print press and airwaves. Take this sober reaction from the Yorkshire post whose headline screams: One in 10 male cancers 'caused by drinking' Before going on to say ...
Walking, joking, sponging, whitewashing and precedent-setting: A whitewashed Earthsea – Ursula K LeGuin on how her characters changed from non-white to white once they appeared on TV The 'only known joke about collective nouns' – From local copywriter Ben Locker New Kosovo president Jahjaga sets a precedent – You know how a sign of getting old is that the police look younger than you? Well, Kosovo's new president is a police officer, and she's younger than me, which makes me feel doubly old. EXCLUSIVE: TPA sponging off the taxpayer – Tim Fenton finds the Taxpayers Alliance aren't averse to taking ...
It's now less than a month until the local elections on 5th May, and I am proud to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for St Mary's ward. I am standing to be your local Councillor for another four years. I hope that I have been able to help lots of people since I was ...
Google, the great innovator, have given us a great insight into how to use solution focused thinking. They saw that their best managers have teams that perform better, are retained better, and are happier. Essentially, these managers do everything better. The question Google asked was: what makes them that good? And how do you do ...
The Boundary Commissions: Redrawing the UK's map of Parliamentary constituencies first came out in 1999 but got a much newer paperback edition as boundary reviews have come back into the news in recent years. It easily wins the title of best book on the topic by being pretty much the only one, but even against competition it would be a worthy tome. The speed with which technology has developed is shown by the book's acknowledgements, which thank JANET for having made collaboration between the authors easier - JANET having been one of the early computer networks which let people at ...
Reading Labour Party's latest work of fiction sneers at the Tories for not fielding local candidates. So how does Labour's record stack up? They have 15 candidates and a piss-poor 4 of them actually live in the ward where they are standing. The Tories in fact have 6 candidates who live in their ward. Greens 7, Lib Dems 8. The Common Sense party are only fielding 6 candidates, but only one of them lives in the ward they want to represent. But back to the 'do what I say, not as I do' brigade of brigands: Chris Maskell (Battle) lives ...
It is now less than a month to go until I will be in a covenant of commitment* with my partner Andrew. We cannot say that we are married, for in the United Kingdom, there is still no equal marriage for lesbians and gay men. Yes we have Civil Partnership, but we cannot have a [...]
On the local Facebook group, I was asked about my stance on Tesco moving to the village. When I first heard about the possibility of them taking over the Black Bull, I was opposed but assumed they wouldn't get planning permission for the change of use – which shows I knew little about planning law. Once I realised no permission was required, I felt it inevitable it would go ahead and all that could be done was to minimise the impact on the village. But when I was asked "so what if it was Waitrose?" my gut reaction was somewhat ...
The picture shows a guide to voting on the basis not of what you like or value but of whom you hate. Historians maintain that nobody really felt English until the Hundred Years' War against France. I have seen a set of football scarves and hats which proclaim "Love Team A, Hate Team B". You can fill in A or B yourselves - I hate all soccer and would rather listen to Colin Rosenstiel
Superhero Alphabet I especially like (feminist) Hulk and Zatanna (tags: comics) Context and variation: If I objectify you, will it make you feel bad enough to objectify yourself? On shopping, sexiness and hormones. delicious takedown of evpsychbollocks (tags: evpsychbollocks) National minimum wage to rise 2.5% to £6.08 that'll be a pay rise for me in October, then... (tags: work) Doctor Who: T-Shirt: 6th Doctor Costume (Forbidden Planet Exclusive) @ Forbidden Planet OMG WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT!!! (via Colin Baker's twitter account) (tags: doctorwho) Redesign feminine care in Ban the Bland Design Challenge - U by Kotex* Have you ever wanted to have your ...
One part of the social mobility strategy announced this week is about removing barriers to employment. And I was very pleased to see a very simple idea that I floated during the passage of the Equality Bill (rejected by Labour – surprise) finally find its way into being. This is a very simply idea for job applications where applicants don't put their name or school on the application form – using something like their National Insurance number instead – to ensure that judgement is on experience, skills and qualifications in the first sift. The Deputy Prime Minister's Office introduced the ...
Whilst reviewing a response to Monton residents and business owners from Salford Council's Lead Member for Planning Labour Councillor Derek Antrobus on the excellent Salford Online, I notice a startling sentence in his official statement: "It is important to bear in mind that...users at Monton have had nearly a decade of free parking when charges should have been imposed" It's an astonishing fact that almost 10 years ago, Salford Council's Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel passed a resolution to introduce car parking charges in Monton, but then forgot to do so. And while I have every sympathy for Monton residents ...
Cllrs Alan Lawrance and Dafydd Holbrook checking out the part-demolished site Local people were concerned when work stopped recently at Rodford School and the site was left in a part-demolished state. Apparently the demolition contractors have had problems - in particular they've been waiting for British Gas to do the final gas disconnection. In the meantime South Glos has asked the contractors to tidy up the site, and to dampen it to reduce the amount of dust being produced. Update 08/04/2011 - The gas has now been disconnected and demolition work has restarted. The last part of the building will ...
Useful pointers on the power of storytelling fundraising communications http://bit.ly/dWtsXW # RT @NiklasSmith Coventry as UK's market-leading university (on fees policy) http://is.gd/w6nBl5 via @timleunig << fascinating stuff # Zapatero to stand down at 2012 Spanish GE: "No seré candidato" http://bit.ly/eD8k2d # Shades of NY Times Select debacle RT > @mediaguardian Will Armstrong's flight from Times's paywall start a fashion? http://gu.com/p/2z766/tf # RT @libdig 'How LibDemHome was created' by @artesea http://libdig.co.uk/2647 # RT @libdig Why I joined the Liberal Democrats | Nic Prigg explains why she joined the party & why she's staying http://libdig.co.uk/2648 # @MirrorJames so are Islington Council now ...
The time has now come for the UK population to come together, make a momentous decision and take part in a national referendum. "But the 'X-Factor' has finished and 'Britain's got Talent' has yet to begin", I hear you all cry. No, this national vote isn't as interesting as dancing dogs and emotionally unbalanced singers; but it will decide whether we change the way we elect our political masters in the future. So on balance, it is probably worth taking a look at the debate. The current voting system is called First Past the Post (FPTP) and is pretty simple ...
Eliot Morley, an ex-Labour minister claimed for a mortgage that didn't exist. When questioned about this claim he initially said "I do not believe any offence has been commited". For 2 years he claimed £800 a month in mortgage interest for a mortgage that didn't exist. He overclaimed by £15,800 when he did have a ...
The DUP's guy to form and lead policy on international aid, Jim Wells, told CADA's hustings in Belfast that he has no position on giving aid to countries with poor records on LGBT rights. Are we really that surprised?
(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.) We are now living, some say, in the Information Age. If this is an exaggeration, it is only a small one. As companies like Google demonstrate, raw data and processed information is an incredibly valuable ...
Fri 8th
08:54
In other news: court case starts over Kenyan violence, an intern pledge and a closed tax loophole
The trial of six Kenyans at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the deaths of 1,200 people following the country's 2007 elections has started this week. Ed Miliband has been notably silent over Nick Clegg's proposals to open up internships to a wider social mix of people. Perhaps that's because, as LabourList reports, he signed a pre-leadership election pledge that he's now pretty much ignoring? The Financial Times reports, "A loophole in the schemes used by wealthy earners to transfer pensions overseas was blocked on Wednesday in a move the Treasury said showed its determination to crack down on avoidance. ...
We have listened to local people and campaigned on their behalf to solve local problems. As a result of numerous campaigns over years in the Bidston area over road safety a traffic island was put in in Worcester Road. After numerous fatalities on Boundary Road, white lines were painted down the middle between Worcester Road ...
From Wednesday 6 April 2011, every pensioner received a guaranteed rise in their state pension matching the highest of inflation, increase in average earning or 2.5%. This means that this year 27,700 in Knowsley will get a rise of £4.50 a week, totalling £6.5 million of extra money for pensioners in Knowsley. 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 Halewood Lib Dem campaigner Dave Smithson said: "During these difficult times, Liberal Democrats in ...
It is unusual for the management of a county council to be splashed all over the national newspapers, but for the past few weeks, the Chief Executive, Andrea Hill, has been the subject of much coverage, most of it entirely unflattering. Personal coaching, 'glamourous photoshoots', stays in supposedly expensive hotels and, above all, her salary (£218,000 per annum) have become matters for heated debate in the local media. In truth, she is a divisive figure, seemingly lacking in empathy for Suffolk residents, and in danger of becoming the 'point man' for the cuts that are being made. But, whilst her ...
I know many Liberal Democrats are busy with their own local elections - I was pounding the pavements of Market Harborough myself yesterday evening - but if you can spare some time to come to the Leicester South by-election and help Zuffar Haq it will be well used. Because this is no Barnsley Central: we are not going to finish sixth. This time we are running a proper campaign and Nick Clegg, Simon Hughes, Danny Alexander and Lorely Burt have all been to Leicester in the past week. Leicester South is a seat that was held by the Liberal Democrats ...
The Russian School at Harris Academy I was speaking with someone this week who is involved with the Russian School that is running on Saturdays at Harris Academy. It was interesting to hear about the detail of this initiative. The Russian School was established in September of last year by a group of enthusiasts and with the support of Russian Edinburgh, a Scottish-based charity. Although teaching students Russian is the main priority of the school, it also acts as a cultural hub for all interested in the Russian language and culture. You can read more about this at http://dundee.russianedinburgh.org.uk/.
This morning's Daily Telegraph reports that the long-awaited measures to deal with the banks are about to surface, suggesting that Nick Clegg and Vince Cable will demand major reforms as the Liberal Democrats flex their muscles and adopt a more "arms length" policy from the Conservatives. They say that the two Liberal Democrat Ministers will press David Cameron to implement in full proposals to restructure the banks to be published on Monday in the interim report of the Independent Commission on Banking chaired by Sir John Vickers, former head of the Office of Fair Trading: Although the commission may stop ...
Keynesianliberal is one today. In the year since the first post on 8th April, 2010, in the early stages of the general election campaign, there have been 176 posts, just under one every two days. I haven't re-read them all in detail but I can't think of anything that I've writen that I'd like to retract and very little that I'd like to amend. In partiular, I stand by the very first post, which has been the theme of much of the rest of the blog: that there is no economic crisis and the wild exageration of the seriousness of ...
Last night I was on a question time panel at an ACCA/IoD event. Most of the topics were what I expected LEPs, regulation, infrastructure spending etc but then out of the blue came a question about the AV referendum. I put the case forcefully but I then a very intelligent businessman whom I have a lot of respect for asked "won't AV help the BNP" After a 90 second explanation ( BNP campaigning for a no vote,they will never get enough transfers to win & they have a better chance under FPTP) the whole room seemed to get how ludicrous ...
broadcast anniversaries 8 April 1967: broadcast of first episode of The Faceless Ones. The Doctor, Ben, Polly, and Jamie land at Gatwick Airport to get mixed up in an affair of vanishing corpses; Polly is apparently brainwashed. 8 April 1972: broadcast of first episode of The Mutants. Geoffrey Palmer is the best thing in this story and he gets killed before the end of this episode; five more to go, folks...
Medvedev criticizes illegal attack on his blog | Reuters Russian President hits out at hackers who mounted DDoS attack on Livejournal. (tags: livejournal russia) America: The Grim Truth: Information Clearing House - ICH "Americans, I have some bad news for you: You have the worst quality of life in the developed world - by a wide margin. If you had any idea of how people really lived in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many parts of Asia, you'd be rioting in the streets calling for a better life. In fact, the average Australian or Singaporean taxi driver has ...
It seems as if there is something afoot about saving Newmarket Dump from Closure. Today we have been promised a report under urgent business. This means that the Lib Dems don't get to see it before the meeting and the Tories will probably look all smug about saving Newmarket Dump with money from Forest Heath's coffers. This is a service that Suffolk should provide but is now going to deny to the residents of Newmarket and the surrounding area. I don't mind who provides the service but if Forest Heath is paying for it, it means that the residents of ...
Wayne Rooney has been banned for two matches for swearing directly in front of a television camera. He apologised fairly quickly and now feels his punishment has been harsh because "I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won't be the last". He goes on to say "whatever, I have to accept that what's happened has happened and move on from here. That is what I intend to do." Well that's not quite the case. He has complained about the punishment and many Manchester United fans and others will also say the punishment has been ...
