Here is an interesting slant on the referendum on electoral reform. AV Animal KIngdom Explained I am all for the change in voting system. In 1992, the last time I lost a council election I was well beaten by a Tory but I got more votes than 19 Councillors elected that night.
This is a crosspost from my Exhibitfiles account – an attempt to get me blogging more, because blogging makes me feel more connected to people, and I miss comments! ———- Fire in my Heart opened at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York on October 13, 2010, and is running to August 7, 2011. With a mission statement to "educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries—before, during, and after the Holocaust" the museum endeavours to portray a very human face to Jewish culture and to history, ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of Broxtowe Borough Council. A special welcome to all new readers that we have this week. I did mention last week that the amount to report will slow down between now and the election as the council is prohibited from dealing with controversial items during the campaign period. Nevertheless there are still a number of things to report. 1. Election Candidates The nominations have now closed for the borough council elections on 5th May. The Lib-Dems will be fielding 39 candidates across ...
This is a preview of my next book, The Beach Boys On CD vol 1: The 1960s, which I finished draft one of five minutes ago. Now that that's out of the way I'll have more time for non-Beach-Boys blogging (finishing up a draft takes far more time than you'd think). Smiley Smile/Wild Honey 1967 ...
Many years ago shortly after I was selected as the Lib Dems to be their candidate in the Wirral Council election, a woman living near Birkenhead Park station emailed me in response to one of our leaflets. She was the foster carer for a teenager in a wheelchair and had great difficulty with the stepped ...
Crichton-Potter shuddered. Larry Boot-Heath had once talked to him for three and a half hours about land taxation. Admittedly the party was in favour of land taxation, but Crichton-Potter had never had the faintest idea what it was or where he stood on the issue He knew exactly where he stood, however, on the question of people who talked to him for three and a half hours about any aspect of
The AV referendum has made me think over what kind of democracy I want. The FPTPers seem to want a presidential democracy. After all if they didn't why would they consider government mandates the most important aspect of an election in a parliamentary democracy. A parliamentary democracy after all is about electing members of parliament
A reader asks "How do you use a disabled Mersey Tunnel fast tag?" . This is very simple. You go through the tunnel as normal to the toll booth or if going to Liverpool reach the toll booth first. Disabled Fast Tags can only be used at manned toll booths so make sure you go ...
Well it has taken a long time for the admission to come from News of The World. What is clear is that any wrong doing needs to be faced upto in the court and not simply by trying to buy out of responsibility. However it clearly must cast doubt on Sky taking over the rest of BSkyB. In my view this takeover should not be allowed.
I popped over to TV Centre this evening to do a short interview about the NHS reforms and Norman Lamb's comments for the BBC News Channel:
Norman Lamb's comments on today's Politics Show have got a lot of attention. That is just what they were designed to do. If you were out enjoying the sun and missed it, Lamb threatened to resign his role as advisor to Nick Clegg should substantial changes not be made to the proposed NHS reforms. Who ...
The current blood transfusion service tag line is give blood no excuses. Well it appears that I might just be able to avoid all the excuses at some point over 3,590 days from now, only if I resist the urge to have sex with someone with whom I have same sex attraction for 10 years. Even if I were to only have sex and only safe sex with one man who only has sex with me for that period it won't be good enough for Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO). That is not what ...
I may have mentioned one of the more recent features of village life in Paradise-sur-Gipping, the now monthly coffee morning and cake sale at the Church Hall. Having missed last month's, due to the small matter of a Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Sheffield, it was back to small talk and a slice of orange polenta cake (at least, that's what I think I was told it was) on a sunny day in mid-Suffolk. Ros and I wandered down The Lane in anticipation, only to discover that there were two horses and a pony outside the Church Hall. Given that ...
Elinor O'Neill writes for the Harborough Mail and is the author of the blog Lost in Notation. Last year she wore a different dress every day to raise money for the mental health charity Mind. Those dresses will soon be on sale at a charity auction at The Oat Hill pub, Market Harborough. More details here on Liberal England when I have them. One of the golden rules of surviving self-harm is to be open and honest about when you get the urge to harm yourself. In this way it is hoped that just by voicing the thought you release ...
Elections, especially local ones,should be about what a candidate has done over the past 4 years and a bit about what they will try to achieve if re-elected. I can understand that sometimes you may also point out your rivals mistakes to show them in a bad light. It's a game we all play. But why make stuff up. Why lie? It gives politics a bad name. In the picture is a caption from a Labour
So there I was having coffee in Desborough yesterday morning when this song came on the radio. It has its limitations - it is telling us about a fantastic day more than giving us one - but it sounded pretty good in the sunshine with the cafe door open. Perhaps you had to be there?
[IMG: Rowan D. Williams - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2010] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: World Economic Forum Good old Frank Skinner, in This much I know – from today's Observer: Meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury made a big impact. When someone has an expansive, exciting intellect, it often comes with arrogance. When you find someone humble and sweet they're often working as a dinner lady in a primary school. To find someone with the combination of the two is remarkable.
Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the Stone of Scone being recovered by the authorities following its daring theft/ liberation from Westminster Abbey depending on your level of Scottish Nationalism. The stone was traditionally used during the coronation of Scottish Monarchs at Scone until stolen by Edward I of England (aka Long shanks) in 1296. It was then used in the Coronation of English and then British Monarchs. On Christmas Day 1950 it was filched back by a group of Nationalist Students from Glasgow University. It was eventually left in Arbroath Abbey and returned to Westminster Abbey. In 1996 the ...
Today I paid a visit to Christchurch ward - the place where I'm standing as a council candidate. Unfortunately, I'm going to be living on the other side of Guildford until July when the tenancy agreement runs out, hence it's a bit of a trek to get to Christchurch. However, today I managed to make the trip and I got to spend about three hours delivering leaflets. Now, this was a very exciting experience as this was the first time I've delivered leaflets with my name on them. There's something very exciting about seeing a piece of literature being sent ...
On May 5th a referendum will be held on the Alternative Voting system. If passed, this new system would allow you to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than just selecting one person - in a process very similar to that used for the London Mayoral Election. It would mean: MPs working harder to earn - and keep - our support MPs would need to earn 50% of the vote to be sure of winning - whereas under the current system, MPs can be elected with just 1/3 of the vote in some areas. A bigger say on who ...
I was intrigued by a section from Nick Clegg's Spring Conference speech last month. Specifically this: Life chances should not be determined by background. Prospects should never be narrowed by the postcode of the home you are born into. Birth should never be destiny. As liberals, we believe in an open society Where the power to shape your own future is in your hands Where all roads are open, to all of our children I couldn't agree more with this. The problem is, on the 29th of this month I suspect Nick Clegg along with lots of his political contemporaries ...
Lots of people on the Green today, on such a lovely day ...
Sky Atlantic TV advert :Scottish version. Superb! :
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 216th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (3-9 April, 2011), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Electoral Services: I ...
Some of you will know that the photo on this blog is from the Isles of Scilly – a view of the Western Rocks from the island of St Agnes, in fact. Since the 1980s I have had a timeshare cottage on the island of Tresco, and go there every other year. So when we heard about this film, Archipelago set as a timeshare holiday on Tresco, in the neighbouring, though larger, property to ours, we had to see it. It's a beautiful but intensely uncomfortable film. The film is directed by Joanna Hogg, and is an acute observation of ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Tavish Scott was on Tay AM this morning, taking part in an election phone-in. Here's the programme in full :
These are Band D Council Tax figures for 2010-11: Central Bedfordshire (Tory) £1615 Bedford (Lib Dem) £1538* Aylesbury Vale (Tory) £1492 South Northants (Tory) £1448 Northampton (Lib Dem Borough Council) £1445 Most Councils will be levying a zero percent increase for 2011-12, since they get 2.5% more from the government if they do. *Lib Dem Bedford are reducing their Council Tax this year. Both Bedford and Central Bedfordshire took over from the expensive Tory-run County Council. Message for Tory-run Central Bedfordshire Council: it needs to try harder to cut costs.
Northern Ireland's finest, Rory McIlroy, is on the threshold as I write this, of joining an unique group of golfing champions to have won their sports' biggest prize at the youngest age. The boy from Hollywood, Northern Ireland is in a few hours time, going to step out on the hallowed first tee at the Augusta National, leading the US Masters golfing championship going into the final round. The boy is only 21 years and 341 days old. He has clearly been for some years, a rising star in the golfing world. He is currently placed at No.9 in the ...
I love the idea of this project and just had to respond positively and share it with you. I've signed up as Janet.Nunn with post code here in Barton-le-Clay and hope to get a group going. I plan on doing the energy audit over one of the upcoming bank holiday weekends. "Please could you help us let people in your area know about the energyshare grant fund which has just launched with up to £500,000 for community renewable energy projects? We're calling for communities across the UK to register their interest . It would be great if you could you ...
Councillor Ginnie Waddingham and candidate for Herontye ward, Tony Joannou-Coetzee at the Spring Trader's Day - 10-04-11 Candidates Julie Mockford, Catrin Ingham, Tony Joannou-Coetzee supporting the East Grinstead Traders Catrin Ingham at the Traders' Day - Lib Dems supporting the local economy What a glorious day! Sunday in East Grinstead with traders operating street stalls, the sun shining and Lib Dem councillors out and about sharing the experience with their fellow town residents. These events, put on with the support of the Town Council, are a fantastic way of supporting community engagement whilst, at the same time, giving a boast ...
Under successive Labour and Conservative governments people have become more and more disillusioned with politics, this is the very reason I got involved, I was frustrated by the Iraq War, astounded by the expenses crisis and annoyed by my MP who is rarely seen in my constituency and contuies with his second job in London. ...
During the week Paul Goodman wrote over on ConHome about how the coalition looks from the Conservative perspective. In particular, he wrote: Downing Street mustn't present the Liberal Democrats as the caring face of the Coalition... As it happens, Conservative backbenchers aren't sold on Lansley's plan. But although voters aren't likely to remember the precise details when the slowdown's formally announced, a vague impression will lodge – that the Liberal Democrats got the changes they wanted, even though only one of their party's backbenchers opposed the bill at second reading. The [Conservative] Party "can't afford to sub-contract compassion to the ...
It isn't generally known just how deeply embedded the principles of equality and democracy are within the organisation of the Liberal Democrats. We do try to practice what we preach. The recent issues around the Health and Social Care Bill have highlighted the fact that we are the only main party in which policy is decided by the party members at Conference, not by the Leader. Last month at our Spring Conference, members overwhelmingly supported an amended policy motion that called on the Government to rethink the reorganisation of the NHS. Nick Clegg had no choice but to take our ...
Last week I heard an excellent presentation from the Chief Executive of Swindon Council where he outlined the innovative ways in which the council and its partners were dealing with the problems of 'difficult families'. This is not the first ... Continue reading →
Wallington South SNT Ward Panel Meeting It was agreed to keep the same ward priorities for the next three months as: Burglary - covering Woodcote Avenue: Woodcote Road; Park Hill Road; Boundary Road; Brambledown Road, Ross Road. Road Safety - concentrating on Woodcote Road (south of Sainsbury/BHF junction); also Onslow Gardens and Blenheim Gardens. Litter and Fly Tipping - in the ...
Recently, we heard the news that the government was cutting Arts Council funding by 30%, and naturally we got the same outrage that we get with every single spending cut: "With this level of cuts, and the pressure on local authority budgets, museums, galleries and community projects across the country will fear for their future." - Ivan Lewis MP So, with this kind of response, we'd imagine that the left would be happy to support any funding which the arts can find to shore up the gap, as it protects jobs, preserves the quality of the arts and supports artists' ...
Tagged: mememememe, my books
On Monday 4th April, in the run-up to the AV referendum, the Gladstone Club hosted a debate in the National Liberal Club on electoral reform which featured Lib Dem Voice's co-editor Mark Pack and the Chairman of the Edmund Burke society, Ian Alston. Both took a look at the lessons which can be learnt from history by those deciding how to vote in the referendum.
So...what were the Deputy PM and his Business Secretary discussing yesterday at London Lib Dem Conference? To be fair they were chatting in a public space at the conference, hardly the scene for plotting, and Clegg chatted to a conference attendee who was nearby. What do you all think they were saying?
The national government of 1931 – 35 stood as single unit in the 1935 general election; decided against returning to normal party lines. Hopefully this current coalition does not stand as a 'national government.' But, for a nostalgic reasons, here ... Continue reading →
Sun 10th
14:27
Andrew Stunell writes... We will have a greener, freer and fairer country than when we started
It's less than a month to go until Election Day in England, and for the Parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales. Many of you have been out on the doorstep, talking to people and showing them what we are achieving both nationally and locally. You should already have your big messages in place, and number one has got to be your local record of service - all year round, not just at election time. But what about the coalition? I've been making visits to Lib Dem council groups up and down the country (Stoke, Warrington, Newcastle and Redcar in just ...
Come on down for a meal! Find us on facebook Bangkok Bay SW11 Promote your Page too www.bangkokbay.co.uk Group bookings welcome! For that special event or meeting/get toghether, you can book our restaurant for the evening and we can provide a set menu or buffet meal from £12.00 per head, or if you prefer, you ...
We are looking for a website designer who can come in and re-design the website for our restaurant (ideally using flash). In exchange, you will get full featured credit on the site for your work and free meals – going back to the old barter/trade and exchange ideal! Interested? Contact me! Thanks
Yesterday Nick Clegg gave an excellent speech at the London Region Liberal Democrats conference, putting the case for a Yes vote in May's AV referendum. I tried out filming it on my iPad, an experience that mostly worked pretty smoothly*, and you can watch the resulting footage here: A transcript of Nick Clegg's electoral reform speech is in the post from yesterday. * The three main lessons are (a) use software to minimise camera shake, (b) film in landscape and (c) films less than 10 minutes long can be uploaded direct to YouTube from the iPad2 very conveniently and quickly ...
Stockport Council has a policy to de-clutter our roads of signs we don't need, but we need your help to spot them all. A typical example is a sign to something that no longer exists – an old club or building, or those "new junction ahead" type signs still there two years after the junction changes have been put in. If you can let us know about any you spot around the area, Pam and I will ask the Council to remove them.
New Soakaways The temporary traffic light controlled one-way system in Woodcote Road will be finished this week and work on the last of the new soakaways to prevent flooding will begin on 12 April. The last of the new soakaways will be excavated in Ross Parade and the road will need to be closed where it joins Woodcote Road until the work is completed. It will still be possible to park in Ross Parade but access will only be possible from Clarenden Road and Ross Road.
So now that we are into the throws of spring, the evenings are getting longer and the sun has finally decided to show itself, what are people thinking about adding the one hour on all year – in other words, bringing us into the same time zone as Central Europe? I am certain that there ...
As part of the government's launch of its social mobility strategy this week, Nick Clegg and Iain Duncan Smith co-authored a piece for the Daily Telegraph: Labour couldn't make up its mind on what goal it was chasing. Social exclusion? Income poverty? Inequality? Social mobility? Lacking a clear agenda, it fixated on just one measure of fairness - the poverty line, defined as 60 per cent of median income. This is a necessary part of the equation, but it is very far from sufficient. Billions of pounds were spent by Labour moving people just above that line, without significantly changing ...
On a bright, sunny, Saturday in Canary Warf London's Lib Dems came together for their regional conference. Keynote speakers included Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Business Secretary Vince Cable, and Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone. A relaxed looking Lib Dem Leader outlined once again the case for a 'Yes' vote on May 5th, before taking questions ...
My heart skipped a beat as I clicked on to the latest story on my Google News feed... UK ban on gay male blood donors lifted Could it be? Could the Coalition finally be pushing back the last of the homophobic rules that govern our lives here in the United Kingdom? Thoughts of a gender neutral, sexuality neutral filtering process to replace discrimination with a sensible protection of the quality of the donated blood supply filled my head. The day when those who practice safe sex need not fear rejection when offering to donate blood. What bliss! Alas... Gay blood ...
Residents and frequent users of Manor Road in Barton-le-Clay will send a cheer up at the news that the road is due for re-surfacing this next year. Two years ago, I was told by an elderly neighbour that it hadn't been done in 20 years (I can corroborate the 17 years I've lived here), so run up the flag! STREATLEY ROAD (RURAL) STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE Non-Principal Roads Surface Dressing Barton Sundon 7 X £13,700 2011-12 COMMON LANE STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE Non-Principal Roads Resurfacing Barton Sundon 7 X £23,166 2011-12 HARLINGTON ROAD & CHURCH ROAD (URBAN AREA) STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE B & C Roads ...
While I agree with Olly Grender when she writes in the New Statesman that "Clegg could walk on water right now and the Daily Mail would see it as a failure or a blunder" I am hardly surprised to see it confirmed by one of their journalists. The Mail backed Oswald Mosley. With judgement like that and the values of prejudice they espouse why would we want their praise? I would feel dirty!
Good if somewhat gloomy selection of short SF first published in 2006; the only one I had read before was Michael Flynn's "Dawn, and Sunset, and the Colours of the Earth", which was also the only one of the 26 stories here to make it to either Hugo or Nebula shortlist (though the Locus Best Novelette winner, Cory Doctorow's "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth", is also here). Other stories here that I liked included Gardner Dozois' "Counterfactual" and Carol Emshwiller's "Quill". 2007 was the year when I wasn't able to write up the various Hugo nominees in my usual detail, ...
I'm a football fan and I pride myself on having a good, in-depth knowledge of Britain's national sport. But I was taken aback last night when I happened to be looking through footballing clips and came across raw footage on youtube of the Bradford City fire at Valley Parade in May 1985. It is, in terms of fatalities, the 3rd worst football stadium disaster in British history. The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 claimed 96 lives whilst the Ibrox disaster in Scotland claimed 66 lives in 1971. Both of these were caused from a crush of supporters. But Bradford in 1985 ...
With one hand, Central Beds Council (CBC) is giving: it has made a traffic order to cover the whole district, which means charges for road closures that would usually be paid by organisers will instead be "covered by the council" (meaning foregone, as to charge would have been seen as freeloading on the back of the royal wedding). But with the other hand, it takes away: while all 'agreed' road closures will be free of charge, applications for road closures have to be made by Tuesday 12 April (this deadline was announced only on 1 April by CBC) and Public ...
The NotoAv campaign seem to be obsessed with fourth preferences. Labour MP, Tom Harris tweets this morning: It's absurd to say that an MP elected under AV has the "support" of voters who placed a "4" against his name on the ballot paper. Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski, a man who, curiously, looks about 25 years old but sounds about 70, made a similar point on Today this week. Are the NotoAv folk brain dead? Or are they very intelligent but regard the electorate as brain dead? It's one of the two. 1. They are, once again, ignoring the fact that,under ...
Two minutes, twenty-one seconds of humorous campaigning for electoral reform courtesy of David Schneider. Enjoy: (Also available on the BBC website here.)
With both local elections and a UK-wide referendum taking place on Thursday 5 May, you need to make sure you are registered in time to vote. With several bank holidays coming up, residents who are going to be away on 5 May can also apply to vote by post or by proxy. New voters and postal voters must be registered by Thursday 14 April. 197,000 poll cards have already been issued.To apply for a postal or proxy vote, either register online via www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk website or for more information, phone the Electoral Service Team on 0300 300 8008. The elections will ...
Wow! What a day! I headed over to Derby Museum for the Wikipedia "Backstage Pass" event. [IMG: Presenting in Derby] I was invited there to talk about QRpedia and how it can improve visitor engagement in GLAM – Galleries Libraries Archives Museums. After the introductions, I had a quick wander around the museum – where I found the first set of QRpedia codes! I was, as this video will attest, very excited! I'll place the slides and video of the talk on the web once they're ready. In the meantime, here's what I learned from the day. Lessons LearnedNot everything ...
[IMG: National Liberal Club] Earlier this year I spoke in the National Liberal Club alongside the History of Parliament Trust's Philip Salmon (and author of a very good book) about the historical context for the Coalition Government's political reform program. Soon after becoming Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg promised "the most significant programmes of reform by a British government since the 19th century.... the biggest shake-up of our democracy since 1832." But do the Coalition government's constitutional changes deserve comparison to the changes brought in by the Great Reform Act of 1832? My answer is very much a Yes, and ...
Whilst I'm not the most devout of people, I do have an abiding love of the expressive works of Henry Purcell (1659-95), and this is one of my favourites...
I was on BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement this morning to discuss social mobility, which is where I first heard of plans by six North Wales Councils to hold their Assembly counts at 9am on the Friday morning. Wales on Sunday reports that this has particularly irked the Presiding Officer, who quite rightly points to the fact that there is all-party support for counting being over as soon as possible so we can start to consider the result. Although I personally dislike counts I believe that he has a valid point. There are statutory processes involved in forming the new ...
[IMG: http://www.wikio.co.uk] Click here to find out... All right, but apart from fairer taxation, AV referendum, prioritised dementia research, mapped out the Government's path to renewable energy, £2.5bn pupil premium, took action on homophobic bullying, take 880,000 low earners out of income tax, judicial inquiry into Britain's role in torture and rendition (Labour – complicit in murder and torture! Their shameful secret that they don't want you to know), Scrapped the ID card scheme (that 'progressive' Labour loved so much), more accountable government, debt reduction, civil liberties, and increased freedom... What have the Lib Dems ever done for us?
I still feel that I'm neglecting SD226 in favour of trying to get a proper grip on DD307, but with TMA02 not due in until 25th May and with the rather exciting project proposal (TMA03) for DD307 having to be in the week before, perhaps I can be forgiven for this a little. However, I have done my counting of c-Fos cells as part of the preparation required for TMA02 and reported the counts back to my tutor. This involved viewing a video showing how the slides of rat brain sections were prepared and learning how to use the digital ...
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 Britain needing to borrow an extra £400million, every single day, just to get by. Labour also left us paying £120million in interest on our debt each and every day – for that we could build a new primary school every hour. Salford's share of the country's debt now stands at a monstrous £7.98billion and in order to sort that out the government is making ...
Over the last seven days in South Gloucestershire, thanks to the Liberal Democrats being in Government:122,000 people are getting a £200 income tax cut - benefiting 23 million people across the country4,100 people have been lifted out of paying income tax altogether, with more to come53,100 pensioners have been given an extra £4.50 a week - and those retiring from today will be on average £15,000 better off over their retirement.This week also saw Steve Webb, as Pensions Minister, announcing that the Government will be introducing a simple, flat-rate state pension of £140 to replace the current complicated, unfair and ...
If, like me, you're an admirer of Nick Clegg — his grit, honesty and openness — there will have been plenty to admire this week. If, like me, you occasionally despair of Nick Clegg — the frankness can turn into a gaffe — there will have been plenty to make you despair this week. First of all, the Best of Clegg... As Nicholas Watt notes in the Guardian, Nick has been 'finding his feet', and 'starting to show in public what he has always claimed in private - that he stands up to Cameron'. This has been clear from the ...
During my recent campaigning I have spoken to a lot of people who bemoan the state of the economy in East Grinstead. Statisically speaking, things are actually quite good, but empty shops make a big impression. The arrival of the Bluebell Railway in East Grinstead is eagerly anticipated. This will be a major tourist magnet that will bring people into town, and hopefully, local businesses. Currently the line runs north from Sheffield Park to Imberhorne Lane and south from East Grinstead station to Hill Place Farm. In the middle is a very big obstruction. This film explains what it is ...
Andrew France's Story has been told in the Sunday Telegraph. There is a also a comment piece by Alasdair Palmer in support of the campaign to sustain article 5, 9 and 13 (and particularly I suppose 5) of the Bill of Rights.
The Observer highlights some strengths they see in the Lib Dems in government and in Nick Clegg as the man who has been making decisions, which seems rare for the paper, but important in charting what the press consider to be strengths for the party: The Lib Dems are a serious force in government. That ...
This is a blog post from Friday, 9 January 2009 that I published on my old Process Guy blog. It expressed my frustration at the rules around campaigning for internal party elections. Something that I have also recently written about. I spent a lot of last year banging on about issues of internal party organisation within the Liberal Democrats on this blog and elsewhere. So much so that I decided that I ought to put my money where my mouth was and stand for election to the Federal Executive. So I did. In the ballot of conference representatives I managed ...
In the Observer today is an editorial entitled "How should we judge Clegg's eventful year?" which basically describes the pitfalls and triumphs the Lib Dems have had this past twelve months. With a subtitle: Though he's easy to vilify, the ... Continue reading →
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have put education at the heart of the Welsh election campaign. While Labour and Plaid Cymru have presided over a rising funding gap, and the Conservatives are committed to cutting education funding, only the Welsh Liberal Democrats have costed plans to put more money into schools, targeted at the pupils who need it most. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are firmly established as a driving force of educational excellence in local government. In councils up and down Wales, we we deliver services for half the population of Wales. Welsh Liberal Democrats in Swansea put £1.2 million more ...
When talking about the party's plans to move to a new election database package I made reference to the advantages the Labour and Conservative packages bring their parties. However if instead of dealing generally with the electorate you look at marshalling and motivating supporters and members, in some ways it is the SNP which is now setting the yardstick by which the Liberal Democrat packages should be judged. The SNP has just bought in to a new service from the US called NationBuilder. As one informed commentator (Mick Fealty) has said: I like it because, 1 it didn't cost a ...
Robert Gorrie, LibDem Council Group Leader on Haringey has told us that he will be stepping down as Leader at the AGM next Month. A new leader will be elected at that point. Robert has been such a great leader for our LibDem group – I am very sorry to see him go – but totally understand that there are other demands in life that dictate what happens. And Robert wanted to step down now so as to leave plenty of time for the new leader to prepare for the next local elections in 2014, when the Lib Dems will ...
I've simply got to much on my plate to blog. I started blogging a few months after stepping down as a councillor in 2007 as a way to keep my hand in politically. But since being elected in March of last year as a councillor on Broadland District Council, I simply do not have the time or inclination. I certainly won't be deleting this blog, but updates will be very rare from now on. Thanks for all the comments and interaction with so many people.
broadcast anniversaries 10 April 1965: broadcast of "The Wheel of Fortune", third episode of the story we now call The Crusade. Barbara remains a captive; the Doctor is forced to reveal Vicki's true gender. 10 April 1971: broadcast of first episode of Colony in Space. The Time Lords send the Doctor and Jo to a colony planet where the Doctor is attacked by a robot.
David Cameron measuring 'wrong type of happiness' | Politics | guardian.co.uk. Apparently the guy who influenced David Cameron to measure the nations happiness now thinks we should measure 'flourishing' instead. This is a no brainer. Way, way back Aristotle had it right when he said that people need to flourish, to live the good life. Happiness is just a mood, an emotion and as such, passes. Flourishing is a state of life and may contain many different moods. Maybe the shift to flourishing represents a welcome evolution from short term thinking to longer term thinking.
How We Have Changed Life in modern Ireland (tags: ireland)
The Guarduian reports that Sion Owens, who is standing for the BNP on their South Wales West regional list, has been arrested after he was filmed burning a copy of the Qur'an in his garden: Footage of the burning shows Sion Owens, 40, from south Wales and a candidate for the forthcoming Welsh Assembly elections, soaking the Qur'an in kerosene and setting fire to it. A video clip of the act, leaked to the Observer and passed immediately to South Wales police, provoked fierce criticism from the government. A statement from the Home Office said: "The government absolutely condemns the ...
Wednesday (surprisingly enough) The new Tax Year has begun (eleven days after the quarter day, thank you the Gregorian Compact and the Eleven Day Empire) and no sooner has everyone's personal tax allowance gone UP than Portugal - our OLDEST ALLY; who we SHOULD bail out - kindly provides us with another example of WHY we are going to spend the rest of the year doing all of these spending cuts. It's pretty cut and dried, isn't it? If your austerity package FAILS to convince, the market LOOSES CONFIDENCE in your economy and your interest rates go THROUGH THE ROOF. ...
On the 27th March I wrote about Ed Ball's response to the budget and he gave an apology somewhere for something. My interpretation was that he was apologising for the economy failing in the whole of the world. I knew Labour's handling of the economy was bad but I hadn't thought it was that bad. Yesterday I met an old friend who told me that he had always been a Labour supporter. However he couldn't forgive them for two things and he mentioned one. It was their handling of the economy. He remembered the time when every other letter through ...
