The Thomson Reuters headquarters in Canary Wharf hosted this year's World Press Freedom Day event this evening (co-sponsored by UNESCO UK) to mark the dangers and threats to media worldwide, but this time with a difference, as the focus was on events around the Arab Spring, notably in Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Syria. It was ...
Tue 3rd
23:21
dishy historian explains why #yes2av is the simple solution to finding the candidate the majority is...
Dan Snow explains the reasons why voting #yes2av on May 5th really is the best option available to us. It's as simple as deciding on going to the pub or coffee or which pub to go to.
I urge all readers of this website to complete the county council's consultation on Home to School Transport which can be found here . The consultation ends on May 10th and the county council cabinet will make its decision on May 25th. The county's proposals have certainly been the cause of the biggest post-bag I have ever received as a local councillor and the question has also caused me a whole lot of heart-searching, though exactly why I'm not sure as the decision will be made by cabinet which means that I and around 115 other councillors will never get ...
Tue 3rd
22:19
Salmond's Independence Shocker - we won't get a say on final separation deal #sp11 #spdebate
Well the final leaders' debate of the 2011 election has just ended. I will write more about the detail tomorrow, but I want to concentrate on something that Alex Salmond said that shocked me to the core. I have always been reasonably relaxed about the idea of a referendum on independence. After tonight, I'm not so sure. I had always assumed that if Scotland voted for independence negotiations to begin, then we'd get another chance, once they were concluded, we'd have another say on whether we'd back the deal. It gave me the absolute creeps to hear that we wouldn't. ...
Take a look at this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J31QkzWmmUc because it's worth it:-)
I can't exactly mourn Osama bin Laden, or even really regret his passing. It may be that this was one of those occasions where extra-judicial killing can be justified. I only know that, if so, it is one of few occasions. What disturbs me is the reaction to his death. The ghoulish crowds on the streets of Manhattan reminded me of the crowds that Charles Dickens described, with revulsion, who struggled to get closer in a public hanging. That doesn't mean you have sympathy with the criminal. This is an issue of taste not justice. But the idea of Barack ...
The film above shows the demolition of the Severn Railway Bridge, which took place between 1967 and 1970. There is much more about the disaster which led to the loss of the bridge, including an hour-long documentary, on the BBC Gloucestershire site.
Your local team has been working hard delivering our election leaflet across Bar Hill and the surrounding villages. The leaflet itself is available online here (via Real-time election leaflet project) or by clicking on the two images below; If you'd like to join the local team or help deliver to your street or village please get in touch with Peter on 07802 256 861, or via email at peter.fane@eurinco.eu Two days to go!
I've offered four largely positive reasons to vote YES! to the Alternative Vote on Thursday... But sometimes I'm a grumpy sod, so now I've got down to number 5 I'll admit there are also some very negative reasons to vote YES! Is there a party you hate the most? Or has one politician in your area really pissed you off? Then imagine the satisfaction in putting them all the way at the bottom of your ballot. If the "No" campaign is right that Lib Dems are unpopular, then AV is the system that lets you give us the biggest kicking. ...
A very sad side to the Election was seen this week with a leaflet being distributed by Labour supporters with a section regarding myself which is totally untrue. I have sought legal advice and believe that they have committed an offence under Section 106 of the representation of the people act 1983. A letter stating this was handed to the Labour Candidate today at 11:50am stating that the article was untrue and asked that they immediately cease their distribution of this leaflet. They were still delivering this leaflet today at 3pm. I have great difficulty with this Labour candidate now ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have today set out the steps they would take to cut down waste in the Welsh Government. Throughout the election, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have run a waste watchers campaign, exposing a different example of the waste and inefficiency of Labour and Plaid Cymru in government on each day of the campaign. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the only party to have published a costed manifesto which sets out clear spending priorities. In addition the Welsh Liberal Democrats will take the following action to root out Government waste so that the money we do spend makes ...
Tired of lazy lack lustre MP's, you know the Tory or Labour MP's who don't have to try to get elected. Well this video will explain AV. This video is Promoted by Willie Sullivan on behalf of Yes in May 2011 Ltd, both of Carmelite, 50 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y 0LS YES WEBSITE
There are some very astute points made by Armando Iannucci in today's Evening Standard. 'AV is only as complicated as making toast' was my particular favourite. He, quite rightly, denounces exaggerations made by each side, saying politics has dissolved into 'flinging custard pies at each other'. In spite of his witty criticism, he still believes people should vote Yes on Thursday. Social
Polling day(Thursday 5 May) is fast approaching. The polling stations for Stansted North & Ugley are at the Peter Kirk Centre, St John's Road and Ugley Village Hall. They will be open from 7 am till 10 pm. There are no Parish Council elections either in Stansted or Ugley. You will therefore be given two ballot papers, one of which is for the District Council. You have two votes. Please use both of them for Melvin Caton and myself. Additionally a ballot paper will be given to you for the referendum on the Alternative Vote. We suggest you vote YES. ...
So the polls are showing the Yes campaign massively behind the No campaign. I'm already seeing people all over the place criticising aspects of the way the campaign's been run, like they've decided we've lost. We haven't. There are two very, very important points to be made here. The first is that polls are usually ...
Sheltered Housing UK Secretary Anne Ludlow will be undertaking a tremendous fundraising challenge next week in the name of residents in Sheltered Housing.On 12 May, I am setting out on a sponsored walk from the Valley of the Rocks in Devon to the Golden Cap in Dorset, the highest point on the south coast of Britain. (Terrain gradient ranging from 'moderate' to 'severe/strenuous'.) I am
I was confused about the difference between the two independent parties in Morecambe but with this week's leaflets I have found one difference in their claims. Independence 4 Morecambe say, and I quote, "WE GAVE YOU 2 YEARS OF FESTIVALS THE MBI PARTY TRIED TO STOP THEM". Meanwhile Morecambe Bay Independents say "Morecambe Town Council Achievements - £2500 for the kite festival, £39,500 for festivals in 2010". So there you have it - there is no difference after all. Meanwhile the people who actually put effort into organising and staging the festivals as opposed to merely fumding them don't deserve ...
After my 1st, 2nd and 3rd reasons to vote YES! to the Alternative Vote on Thursday, here's number 4. You know that, thanks to the current system, in over two thirds of all seats the current MP "won" last year despite over half of their voters voting against them. Well, it's worse than that in a lot of seats: though most people rejected them, some of these 'biggest losers' remain so safe they get jobs for life. But AV means those two thirds of MPs have to work harder, and the 'safe' ones suddenly get shocked out of their smugness. ...
David Cameron told MPs that Osama bin Laden's assassination was "a strike at the heart" of international terrorism. The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg has tweeted about British government sources expressing the hope that his death may speed up our withdrawal from Afghanistan. But is either of these true? Think about it: bin Laden has been living in a house with no telephone and no internet connection for anything up to six years. He can hardly have had any leadership role in Al Qaeda or that period. When you add in his move to a garrison town, he sounds more like a ...
This excellent speech from Obama at the White House Correspondents Dinner really socks it to Donald Trump. On the more serious side he also makes some very good points about the importance of journalists and the risks they are facing reporting from the various trouble spots throughout the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9mzJhvC-8E
Tue 3rd
19:27
If this government has no mandate then the Blair years were a an absolute dictatorship: The worst of...
TweetLabour today introduced the following document into the public domain. Governing without a mandate. And my goodness it reads like the dribble that it sounds. Their main charge is a change of priorities and a few semantics mean that the current coalition government Finally recognising that the Labour party lost the election is a good start for a party mired in opposition, enjoying it like a pig in muck. But the document is full of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy we have so come to expect from the completely irresponsible party in opposition. So let me highlight a few of the biggest bits: ...
Because the Lib Dem I'm voting for is me of course! But I'll pretend I'm not going to be putting a cross by my name on a ballot paper for a moment. I left Folkestone in 2005 for five years of city living up in London. When I returned things had certainly changed: the high street was decimated, there were plans afoot to revitalise the harbour area with lots of posh houses and a marina but very little of much use to local people, and there was no genuine sense of purpose anywhere. That's the difference a few years of ...
I was awake when the news of Osama Bin Laden's death came through. It was about 3.30am in the early hours of Sunday. The reason I was awake was because my mobile phone was beeping (low battery). My mother was wakened too and turned on the TV. We were stunned. My first thought was for the women and children who lived in fear of being harmed by Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda have been using women and children with learning difficulties or disabilities as suicide bombers. In January 2005 in Iraq Al Qaeda used a child with Downs Syndrome to carry ...
We have seen how Abhijit Pandya, UKIP's candidate in this week's Leicester South by-election, wrote about the city's Muslim community on his blog earlier in this campaign: A removal of multi-culturalism and assimilation of these people needs to done to save them from the abyss of exclusion and welfare. Above all, one should not shy away of contemplating forced repatriation, or threatening it to further assimilation, as a result of their lack of economic contribution to the UK."And then issued a statement apologising for the use of the phrase "forced repatriation": This does not accurately convey the point I was ...
I have been sitting on this story for nearly two weeks now. I'd meant to blog it the day I heard it but I didn't have access to wifi. Then I didn't want it go get missed in the holiday weekend. Then I came home from holiday and became ill. Then there was another holiday weekend. I think it's worth the wait, though. I spent a lovely day sticking labels on election addresses for Christine Jardine,our candidate for Inverness and Nairn. She told me about a hustings she'd attended where the SNP's Fergus Ewing had said that whatever happened to ...
Local election week and there's a default assumption playing in the media that the Liberal Democrats will take a battering in the local, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections on Thursday. In the right-wing press the Lib Dems are loathed ... Continue reading →
It seems sensible to consider these manifestos together as sections of the media are convinced that the battle between these two parties is all that matters in Scottish politics. It is almost improbable that either Alex Salmond or Iain Gray will not be the next first Minister, so it's not only useful to examine the contents of the respective manifesto - it's absolutely vital for anyone who has an interest in the likely policy direction of the incoming government. In the case of Scottish Labour, it's curious that their manifesto contains commitments which, only weeks ago, were completely alien to ...
An inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 summit in 2009 has given the verdict that he was unlawfully killed. The jury was not permitted to name the police officer who killed him but it is public knowledge that he was PC Simon Harwood - who escaped prosecution and is still a member of the police force. Here's what the jury said about Tomlinson's death: Mr Tomlinson was on his way home from work on the 1st of April 2009 during the G20 demonstration. He was fatally injured at around 19.20pm on Royal Exchange Buildings ... This ...
Please see link here H/T to markandfran
Truly my last blog on the arguments for and against AV for Thursday's UK referendum on AV. It's been quite a campaign, but the arguments made by either side are weak or worse. This may get a little better in this last week. In its broadcast tonight the Yes campaign is at long last explaining what the system is and why it is a good idea, and even toning down some of its exaggerated claims. The Yes campaign had left too much of the explaining to its opponents, while spending too much time twittering to to the converted. By contrast ...
[IMG: Watch Dan Snow show how simple AV really is] I'm proud to live in a country where we are free to make our own choices; but under the current system, that freedom of choice doesn't extend to the voting booth. Under FPTP, two-thirds of our MPs that are sent to Westminster, even though the majority of their constituents voted against them. The referendum on Thursday is our chance to change all that - the winner under AV is the candidate that the majority are happy with. What could be fairer? Watch my video about how simple AV really is, ...
[IMG: Watch Dan Snow show how simple AV really is] I'm proud to live in a country where we are free to make our own choices; but under the current system, that freedom of choice doesn't extend to the voting booth. Under FPTP, two-thirds of our MPs that are sent to Westminster, even though the majority of their constituents voted against them. The referendum on Thursday is our chance to change all that - the winner under AV is the candidate that the majority are happy with. What could be fairer? Watch my video about how simple AV really is, ...
During his election campaign, Obama made the point that Osama was in Pakistan and he, as commander-in-chief and President, would not hesitate to apprehend him. Unlike the Republicans.
There are numerous articles on the campaign. So instead of me repeating the mantra. Here are some links that will help you make an informed decision. How does AV work? AV-Its easy as 1 2 3 ! Dan Snow giving ... Continue reading →
I'm off to cheer on Eddie Izzard at the final YES to AV campaign rally tonight. I shall be tweeting live if you want to follow me, @richard_morris_ (don't forget both the underscores..) Meantime, this video is funny... ...but in many ways does the fact that we have to make entertaining films about how easy it is to understand AV sum up the problem? Are we protesting too much? Anyway: it's a cracking film.
I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that - Martin Luther King Jr. (whose sermon on loving your enemies is also worth a gander)(via Steph Ashley, among many others) The triumphalism and jubilation surrounding the death of this man which is coming from certain quarters makes me feel queasy. ...
On election day it is customary for me to get up ridiculously early and spend the dawn hours waking up the district by banging garden gates loudly whilst distributing "good morning" leaflets reminding people to vote. The loud banging isn't intentional, obviously, but it really is astonishing how much noise metal makes on brickwork when ...
I was very proud to be able to welcome Deputy Prime Minster and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg to Woking today along with my local Liberal Democrat team. Visiting Broadmere Community Primary School in Maybury and Sheerwater Nick took ... Continue reading →
The BBC is reporting that Chris Huhne challenged Cameron and Osbourne over the No to AV campaign's tactics this morning; not in the media, not on the web, but over the cabinet table. This was foolishness and madness – and he would know this if he knew his Mill. ...it is not on the impassioned ...
Do you remember what David Cameron said about his coalition partners back on 18 March just after we knew we were having the referendum we are having on Thursday? No! I guess not and neither I feel had he. Let me remind us all. "Nick Clegg and I have discovered we agree on key elements on programmes for national renewal. "....And we have tried to deliver this agenda in a different way. "Rational debate, not tribal dividing lines. "Reasoned announcements, not headline grabbing statements. "And where there are differences of opinion between us - not rancour but respect." Then why ...
The 46/47 Bus route is set to go soon. This is a real shame from a personal point of view. If I was time rich, I would take the long way home and I used to get it to Xaverian. I am not sure of its uses, but I am not convinced its replacement will be good enough. Please let me know if it affects you adversely
[IMG: Find out more on ebuzzing.co.uk] I've been pleasantly surprised by ebuzzing. They're part of the Wikio Group, who are focussed on getting bloggers to post about about brands that they like – and get paid for it. Despite running a backwater blog on obscure mobile phone related nonsense, I often get emailed by companies wanting to promote themselves here. Sometimes they offer review goods to keep, sometimes cash, sometime they don't want anyone to know they're paying for the post. As a blogger, I've no real way of assessing my market worth – nor how to deal with the ...
It is now May so it is time to post a reminder of our next drop in session on Saturday 14 May. This will be at the Arbury Community Centre on Campkin Road from 10am until noon as usual. Hope to see some of you there!
I'm afraid I am now quite pissed off with the No campaign for its constant lying and with the media for not pulling them up on it. So here's a list of lies from the No campaign which have been repeated by the Prime Minister. AV will cost £250million - LIE. This figure is based on including both the cost of the referendum (which would be spent no matter the result) and vote counting machines which both the Electoral Commission and the Government have confirmed will not be introduced.AV is not "One person, one vote" - LIE. The US Supreme ...
Focus Team members Jane Lund, Adrian Rush and Linda Boon check out the new path behind Chipping Sodbury School Cllr Linda Boon has found some local funding to surface a path at the back of Chipping Sodbury School, linking Gaunts Road to Dodington Road and Culverhill Road. This provides a safe walkway for residents of roads like Greenhayes and Smarts Green to places like Chipping Sodbury and Lilliput Park, where Linda's money has also financed path improvements. This shows how local initiatives can deliver small but well-focused much-needed improvements - we need more locally decided schemes like this.
VN has been watching with increasing despair the poor level of political broadcasts this election season, both from the political parties and the official Yes and No campaigns in the AV referendum. However, the Yes campaign have finally put together some that is not only worth watching in itself, but will actually inform the public. Presented ...
I am proud to present a sneak preview of tonight's AV referendum broadcast: The video really speaks for itself and I'm pleased to see that the campaign has finally got the message spot on. Broadcast times are as follows: 17.55 - BBC 218.25 - ITV 118.55 - BBC 119.25 - Five19.50 - Channel 4
I enjoyed reading this honest, fair-minded piece by Andrew Rawnsley, in which Nick Clegg makes a good case for the Coalition Government. This piece pretty much sums up what I think re:- where the Lib Dems are now: providing a government that is much better than Brown's Labour administration was, delivering many of the policies in our manifesto and producing results that will continue to become more apparent as the years go by. I'm constantly amazed to meet people who already seem to know the outcome of the 2015 General Election, despite its being four years away - it's all ...
North West Euro-MP Chris Davies has warned of a threat to world peace unless European Union governments insist on the creation of a Palestinian state. The Liberal Democrat wants British ministers to encourage EU colleagues to seize the opportunity of ... Continue reading →
TweetEarlier this week I wrote a piece calling for Chris Huhne to keep his mouth shut in regards to progressive alliances and posturing for leadership of the Lib Dems here. My anger was at even suggesting calling the Labour party progressive and trying to reattach ourselves to them like the Charles Kennedy years. However, since then the argument and statements have become even angrier and more tempered. Earlier in the week Tim Montgomerie posted the following picture on twitter containing the text of a Chris Huhne Speech I must admit upon reading this, I actually whooped a little, applauded outloud ...
This short video is a quick summary by Paddy Ashdown of the arguments for voting Yes to AV. It's a simple re-statement of the Yes Campaign's chosen arguments, for anyone who is still making up their minds.
With the death of Osama Bin Laden I am reminded of a post I made back in November 2006 when America sentenced one of it's other high profile targets to death: So Saddam has been found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. So I have to ask, is this "justice"? Will it help all those Kurds who lost loved ones at his hands? Can it really be justice if it ends in a man losing his life? By sentencing him to death does that not make the judge as bad as him, chosing who lives and who dies? Why ...
David Cameron's decision to tell The Sun that he wants to see a change to broadcasting rules to ban the screening of same sex kisses before the 9pm watershed is yet another test of Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems. It's a dog whistle issue for Conservatives and harks back to the Section 28 agenda of the 1980s. And it is no coincidence that he should choose to have made these remarks to The Sun - a paper not exactly known for its tolerance. It's a test for Clegg because Cameron has designed it as such. The Lib Dems exist ...
Time for my third-best reason to vote YES! to the Alternative Vote on Thursday: 1st to get MPs supported instead of opposed by the majority; 2nd to boost your power to throw out crooks; and 3rd, to give everyone more choice with a small but powerful change. So if you want a big change eventually, this is a significant step in that direction; if you're not entirely sure about change, it's evolutionary, not revolutionary. AV's the system used by countless organisations across the UK, including Labour and the Conservative Party (David Cameron wouldn't be Leader under "first past the post"). ...
I've have just had the pleasure of being able to appear on BBC Berkshire to dismiss allegations by desperate Tories accusing the Lib Dems in Henley of distributing 'Conservative Yes to AV' leaflets. The claim has no foundation in truth and ignores the fact that there is indeed a Conservative 'Yes' campaign which is probably responsible - check Google for more about this. Unfortunately, the Conservatives can brook no internal dissent so they accuse their opponents instead. Weak. The claim was based on the fact that a LD leaflet was delivered on the same day as a Conservative 'yes' leaflet. ...
Most left wing commentaries consider firstly the demonstrations of joy in America distasteful, and the killing of Obama not a delight but one form of resolution.As Geoffrey Robinson comments in the i paper, Bin Laden should have been put on trial.Even I, in my cynicism, listened to Obama's speech and wondered if the American version of mission accomplished was intended to be death. When he
The latest video from the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign features Stephen Fry:
If you asked any Liberal activist of the Edwardian era to list the great successes of the Liberal Government of 1906 s/he would have included the allotment legislation. The Liberal Party had long campaigned for access to the land and this legislation forced reluctant councils -like Birkdale - to make proper provision. News yesterday in the Sunday Independent that Pickles was actively considering dismantling this great Liberal achievement is I trust just twaddle. In truth we could do with planning guidance as to the proper provision of allotment sites in new developments. So many apartments are being built with no ...
There was a time when if I began a paragraph by writing that there was an interesting article in the 'Financial Times' I would have hesitated. But last week there was another interesting article that is well woth reading (it is free to read if you register) It charts the transition of a Fife paper mill, Tullis Russell, from a family business to a wholly worker owned enterprise. As the article explains: David Russell had thought about an employee trust in the 1970s and had some conversations with John Lewis, but had decided not to pursue it. But Mr Erdal, ...
Some of last night's Ainsdale Team We are 2 days away from the elections and we are still busy canvassing. Our team in Kew have spoken to over 2,000 residents over the last few weeks, many others were not at home when we called. There are over 5,000 doors to knock on and we never manage to meet all of our residents. However, we do continue with our canvassing until the dark nights draw in. Some residents find this hard to believe as they are told by the Conservative candidate that we are only visible before elections. This is completely ...
[IMG: Violin] A Beethoven string quartet may not seem the an obvious starting point for considering the future of modern public services, but it was such quartets that William Baumol and William Bowen picked on in the 1960s to highlight the problems with cost and productivity in the service sector. Baumol's cost disease (or Baumol's coat as I always know it after misreading a hand-written note about it) argued that the problem with string quartets is that by their very nature you cannot significantly improve their productivity. A quartet is not much of a quartet if does not have four ...
Both David Cameron and Nick Clegg will still be in the same jobs next week. A vote for or against AV won't change that. If you have ever been at an election count you will know that there are many imaginative ways to waste your vote: obscenities on the ballot paper, several crosses, or writing "none of the above". But in this referendum there is a new way to waste your vote: "I am voting no, to destroy Nick Clegg", or "I am voting yes, to destroy David Cameron". If ever there were completely fatuous reasons to vote either for ...
I happen to like the idea of independence. I think that we should all aspire to free-thinking but we have an Independent Party in Morecambe in which all its members think in the same way on every issue. It doesn't matter what the issue is. It could be the price of any commodity. Then take the choice between that and a better quality alternative but it costs more. As with almost every aspect of the social sciences, you weigh up the evidence and make your choice. The problem I have with the Independent Party is that they all tend to ...
The BBC once again has led in the coverage of the AV debate with a great page outlining 5 reasons for and against AV. The page can be found here. The best comment is the most obvious: if you're happy with business as usual at Westminster, vote No. If you want to change politics for the better, vote Yes.
Out of the depths of the world's most notorious terrorist site, the construction of World Trade Center One is gaining strength and reaching out for the sky. The great American machine of engineering, intuition and labour remains strong and defiant. ... Continue reading →
The question of Scottish independence casts a shadow over Thursday's election. As in 2007, a disproportionate amount of time - and press coverage - is devoted to an issue that looms much smaller in the minds of ordinary Scots than it does in those of Scottish politicians. At Sunday's leaders' debate in Perth, I was more than disappointed at the predictable nature of the line of questioning from the audience. There were no probing, technical questions; nothing to seriously test the leaders or scrutinise policy differences. My question on the future of mental health provision obviously wasn't perceived by the ...
It seems to me that the Conservatives and particularly Labour are mired in the class-warfare of the last century. Labour still think of "entitlements" and the Conservatives still preserve the interests of the rich and powerful. Worse, both parties seek wedge issues and nakedly grub for votes, running lowest common denominator campaigns seeking to bribe the voters. With the rise of home ownership, consumerism and the increased aspirations of everyone, this class-based politics feels increasingly dated. In particular, voters are sick of the grubby bickering, and want politicians to work together to provide good government. So I think they want ...
On May 5th you have a choice. You can choose to keep using the First Past the Post system to elect our politicians, or you can choose a new and fairer system – Alternative Vote (AV) AV is a small change that makes a big difference MPs working harder to earn – and keep – our support Your next MP would have to aim to get more than 50% of the vote to be sure of winning. At present they can be handed power with just one vote in three. They'll need to work harder to win – and keep ...
The local Labour Party are clearly getting desperate. I've heard stories about them dog-whistling during this election campaign but yesterday I found out first hand it was no rumour and that they really are that despicable. I managed to get the identity of the group responsible and they are clearly linked to the local Labour party, indeed two of their councillors (including one of their candidates) are former leading members. I am continuing my investigation but no matter how low you think they've sunk in the past, this is up there with the worst in a national context. Time and ...
Want to know my second-best reason to say YES! to the Alternative Vote on Thursday? My first's to stop two thirds of MPs being elected - as they were last year - even though they were losers for most of their voters, with most people voting against them. My second choice reason's pretty strong, too. Remember all those MPs caught milking our money a couple of years ago? Voting YES! makes it much easier to gang up on a crook and throw them out! And by an amazing coincidence, those MPs most against change were on average the biggest crooks. ...
The death of Osama bin Laden in the early hours of May 2nd has been greeted world wide with a mixture of relief and fear. The extraordinary picture above shows President Obama, Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton, and other key national security figures watching the mission taking place in the White House Situation ...
It's been all-go for me on the Welsh Liberal Democrat front over recent days, weeks and months and there's just days to go before polling day. But whilst I'll be doing my best to elect Elizabeth Evans to the Welsh Assembly here in Ceredigion, there'll also be elections around the country in England, Scotland and not forgetting, Northern Ireland. There, I'll be keeping a particularly keen eye out on developments as one who has a deep interest in Irish politics. I'm particularly hoping for a good night for the non-sectarian Alliance Party. They are the Liberal Democrats' sister party in ...
While I've been out and about in Langworthy knocking on people's doors and delivering leaflets, I've been asked a few times why local residents should vote for me. Beyond the obvious "I'm your neighbour, I live on your street", here are a few of the other reasons and local Salford Lib Dem policies and promises I've mentioned on the doorstep: Change full council sessions and as many public council meetings as possible to "family friendly" times, which would allow greater transparency by allowing more local people to attend council to see their councillors working for Salford. Seek to move from ...
The Guardian today finds some praise of the Lib Dems in government, a qualified one but an honest one too for the Guardian. To what extent can Miliband forge a kind of politics beyond the embrace of bankers, the assault on civil liberties and the viciousness of tribalism that were the worst aspects of the ...
Over the past 10 years the Council (under leaders from all parties) have looked at opportunities to build homes on brownfield sites, old offices and surplus allotments etc. It made sense then. Now however, not only are we running out of these sites, we are finding the town getting more crammed. Not enough open spaces for our children to play in, too few parks for people to relax in. We can't
The Monster Engine: Children's Drawings Painted Realistically | Amusing Planet Would love to get this guy to do some of Holly's monsters... (tags: art) Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Who is the Most Deserving? Which of these people would you choose to give benefit to? (tags: disability)
The Anatomy of a Moment, Javier Cercas Despite or because I have a degree in the subject, I rarely read propah History books these days. I'll happily browse, riffle, dip-in-and-out, or skate over reviews in the Sundays: but read cover-to-cover? No. But Cercas's account of the events of Spain on the evening of 23 February, 1981, when extremist Francoists attempted a coup d'etat, is a genuinely absorbing page-turner; probably the best historical account I've ever read. Cercas is an author, not an historian; and the book was originally conceived as a novel. But, with reality more riveting than invention, this ...
... by saying Yes To AV
It's R – 2 days, CP – 3 and CC – 4! And today's my birthday, I was due to go and get my hair cut and get into town for birthday coffee and then on to a funeral of the mother of a friend – and back into the city centre for an appointment. ...
I'm going to suggest to my guitarist buddy Dave that we try to do this at a gig: But only if he grows the beard.
Here it is.. And in 100 seconds in could hardly make the case more fairly and more coherently. The problem I have at the moment is my friend Nick. He thinks AV is too complicated. He doesn't have any problem gtting his head around it himself. He understands the argument perfectly. He isn't one of those people who get it themselves but think its too complicated for others to understand. He thinks pretty much anyone can get their head around the notion of 1,2,3... He just thinks we're overcomplicating a problem that doesn't need overcomplicating.(And to be fair I think ...
I previously blogged about the key names behind the No2AV campaign (may have changed since then) and how despite claims of being a 'cross-party' campaign group, the key players are all Conservatives. The Guardian has a new story on their website which highlights even more how the No2AV campaign is a Tory party front. The story states that: 42 of the 53 named donors to the No2AV campaign are also Conservative party donors Donors also include corporate finance groups and stockbroking firms (which raises the question, what do they stand to gain from maintaining the status quo? What does your ...
There cannot be a more bizarre story during this election campaign than a Labour MP admitting to a national newspaper that he has been removing Plaid Cymru stakeboards from residents' gardens. The Western Mail says that Plaid Cymnru has made a formal complaint to Gwent Police about the actions of Caerphilly MP Wayne David, the Shadow Minister for Europe: Yesterday, a resident of Bargoed claimed Mr David had knocked on her door on Saturday and told her that neighbours found the Plaid placard in her garden "offensive". He also suggested, she said, that it was "illegal". "I didn't want any ...
i) births and deaths 3 May 1988: death of David Garth, who played Grey in The Highlanders (1966-67) and a Time Lord in Terror of the Autons (1971). 3 May 2004: death of Anthony Ainley, who played the Master from 1981 to 1989. ii) broadcast anniversaries 3 May 1969: broadcast of third episode of The War Games. The travellers take refuge in a barn in the American Civil War zone, and the Doctor and Zoe vanish in a transport container. 3 May 1975: broadcast of third episode of Revenge of the Cybermen. The Doctor is sent on a suicide mission ...
Halewood needs a strong local voice to make sure our local community is not ignored by Labour's town hall bosses in Huyton. This election is about choosing that strong voice – the result will NOT change anything that is happening in London. Labour want to make this an election about national issues. Now is not the time to be fooled by their rhetoric – now is the time to ask what they have planned for our area. Now is the time to ask why are they planning fortnightly bin collections! Now is the time to ask why they have cut ...
A lot of people are predicting the end of Ed Milliband if the referendum on the alternative vote falls on Thursday.It should be noted that out of the three main political parties, only Cameron has got his house in order.Clegg is regarded by the discontented in the yellow camp of being a poor leader, due to his and his whips' inabiity to get a solid line from his party, on AV or anything else. The
The planned protest in London for a Living Wage was somewhat hidden in the shadows of the death of Bin Laden.This is a great shame.The issues surrounding wages continue to perpetuate as the decline in the pound continues.Now I'm not an economist, but I recognise that my jasmine tea has gone from 80p to £1.20 in the last year. What is the price rise for Londoners?The official definition of poverty
I'm currently halfway through The Conservative Party and Social Policy, edited by Hugh Bochel. The contributors chart recent developments in the policy agenda of the dominant Coalition partner. The book does a good job of conveying the protean nature of Conservative thought. Of course, one of the dangers of such an enterprise is that when ...
In 1969 two Americans were landed on the moon and there are still people, the head of science at the last school at which I taught is one of them, who believe it was all faked. How long will it be before the capture and death of Bin Laden attracts similar conspiracy theories? By "burying" the body at sea on the pretext of avoiding the creation of a shrine the Americans have destroyed their best evidence. They may soon find this last error to be worse than the first.
The BBC report on yet another Welsh Assembly candidate who has fallen victim to the curse of Twitter. John Broughton is ranked ninth on the Conservative list in North Wales and has little chance of becoming a member of the assembly. However, that has not stopped him from using the social media site to criticise Prime Minister David Cameron and Welsh party leader Nick Bourne. He also tweeted on Plaid Cymru candidates, calling Heledd Fychan odd and Helen Mary Jones a "fruitcake". Several of Mr Broughton's tweets over the past 12 months were critical of many prominent Welsh Conservatives' support ...
nwhyte: March Books 27) Contested Will, by James Shapiro Yet more bizarre and somewhat pointless discussion. How do these guys find my blog entries? (tags: shakespeare) Nick Denton: What I Read - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire Dealing with the information overload. (tags: internet) Tweeting Fishy Minister makes it a Twitter election after all? « Slugger O'Toole The First Minister and the fishpond. (tags: northernireland) 25 Abandoned Yugoslavia Monuments that look like they're from the Future | Crack Two Extraordinary images; takes me back... (tags: bosnia croatia serbia kosovo)
The scene is London Hackspace. It is 2:30am and samthetechie enters the space to a fanfare of music. Several people look up and see him carrying a large white container which he hadn't been carrying when he left. [IMG: [personal profile] ] tajasel: what is that? samthetechie: (in a tone that indicates the answer should be obvious) a plant pot? [IMG: [personal profile] ] tajasel: but... why? samthetechie: just... because? Well, of course. Every Hackspace needs a plantpot...
TweetFor a little while in my blog and on twitter I've skirted around the belief that The Labour Party aren't progressive. This typically angers many Labour party members who throw up policy after decision after legislation to prove their progressiveness and measure themselves on a yardstick of the coalitions actions. None of which i'm buying. I'm not going to make any excuse for the coalition, or the Conservative party neither in my opinion are throwing up their progressive credentials as an overall movement. Now the problem with trying to define anyone as progressive or not is the recent move towards ...
The news that Osama Bin Laden has met a deserved untimely end at the hands of US special forces leaves me with bizarrely mixed feelings. The spontaneous celebrations outside the Whitehouse at 3am local time appeared to me unseemly and vulgar. And the idea that the US and the west face some sort of closure as a result bizarre. However, the world is (or will be) a better place without Bin Laden. But as others have blogged elsewhere the assassination is likely to lead to an upturn in Al Quaeda inspired terrorism as a result. I can't help thinking that ...
Our existing voting system is often referred to as "first-past-the-post", but is that a fair description? A candidate can win with just 26% of the votes cast, if there are three other candidates who each get 24 or 25 percent. Should 26% be referred to as the "finishing post"? Wouldn't "the first hurdle" be a better description? In contests where there happen to be just two candidates, the "finishing post" is, quite rightly, set at just over 50% of the votes. Why should it be any less in other cases? If we could have a voting system which ensured that ...
