Most literary scholars now accept that Nevill Holt is the model for Lord Bonkers' ancestral home. Look closely at this video and you may see Meadowcroft in the background or a Well-Behaved Orphan making a run for it.
I was hoping to get back to proper blogging today, but after three hours' writing have only produced 400 words. I'm still burned out by the election, but will finish the Seven Soldiers stuff, as well as doing a "What next for the Lib Dems?" post, as soon as possible. I've NOT left the 7S ...
The advanced leaking of a supposedly highly confidential Parliamentary report is just the sort of tip that political journalists love and we all often enjoy reading or hearing about. But there are leaks and there are leaks, as the widespread leaking of the Parliamentary Commissioner's report into David Laws demonstrates with the three questions it raises. First, it's not news that the Parliamentary Commission has found David Laws broke rules – he himself previously said he had and reported himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner. What will be new news, when it comes out, is what the Commissioner has found as ...
LV Interview and Comment (at 4:25pm) on the Guardian's live blog debate today between Mark Littlewood of the IEA and Evan Harris, former MP. Where we back Norman Lamb's caution on the health reform timetable and consider Iain Dale's proposal that Nick Clegg should taken on a proper ministerial portfolio as well as the title of DPM.
Last week the Guardian printed a short piece by Max Benato about a new report from Save the Children: The UK came a woeful 23rd out of 43 countries for child wellbeing according to three main factors: pre-primary enrolment (81% in the UK compared to 100% in France, Germany, Netherlands and some others); secondary school enrolment (99%); and under-five mortality rate (six per 1,000 live births, the joint 23rd lowest score out of the 43 countries - the lowest rates were three per 1,000)."Read the report and weep," says Benato. Well, you can download the report from this Guardian page ...
It has not been an easy week being a Liberal Democrat. For someone like myself who has spent the majority of the last decade working on getting our message across the voters and our record in Government in Scotland, for part of that time, there will always be a special pull. Thus it was that ...
Just stumbled across this tune on Youtube. It has some very catchy lyrics: "There's nothing wrong with capitalism, There's nothing wrong with capitalism, There's nothing wrong with capitalism, There's nothing wrong with capitalism". Can't see it gaining the popularity of the 'Land Song' in Liberal circles though...
As Chair of Governors at the Manor I have to say that being a school governor is one of the most rewarding things I've done since I was elected as a County Council almost two years ago and I'd certainly encourage anyone else who has the time and the enthusiasm for education to apply to be an LA Governor. You don't have to live in the area (but some link with either the area or education in general would seem useful!).I've attached a list of all the longstanding vacancies across Cambridgeshire.Please feel free to contact either me or Governor Services ...
I've just finished putting the final touches to my project proposal for DD307. The last section I completed was my proposed timetable. The advice on the project from the course team is that it is a very busy time – and having put the timetable together, they're not joking! I'm hoping that having submitted my TMA03 documentation a week early it might mean that I get it back well within the normal 2 week turnaround time to buy me a little more breathing space. My (new) tutor has certainly been very responsive and helpful to my questions so far and ...
A new planning application has been received which is within Holyrood Ward (Prestwich) as detailed below:- Application number: 53963 Type of application: Outline Planning Permission Date Registered: 06/05/2011 Applicant: Mr & Mrs Hall Location: Land off Poppythorn Lane, Prestwich Proposal: Demolition of existing buildings and erection of 9 no. dwellings and associated access and car parking Plans will be available to view on the Council's website within 2 working days from today. Should you require further details please contact the case officer: Helen Longworth on: 0161 253 5322 or reply by email. For further advice on how to comment on ...
[IMG: Vince Cable] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: say_cheddar The Press Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against the Telegraph about a series of articles gathered using subterfuge at LibDem MPs' surgeries. The PPC ruled: Secretly recording a public servant pursuing legitimate public business was without question a serious matter. On this occasion, the Commission was not convinced that the public interest was such as to justify proportionately this level of subterfuge. On the specific story about Vince Cable saying he had 'declared war on Rupert Murdoch', the PCC said: The test for the Commission was whether there were ...
ren•ais•sance (r n -säns , -zäns , r n -säns , -zäns , r -n s ns) n. 1. A rebirth or revival. 2. A revival of intellectual achievement and vigour I have been reading the views of a number of Scottish Liberal Democrat bloggers and activists over the last few days. It's been interesting to see how each of us is dealing with the reality of defeat in our own way. Some of us talk about the pain and the heartbreak, while others speak in vague terms of a fightback. Some, like the outstanding Alex Cole-Hamilton, revert to humour ...
Today's Leicester Mercury carries the less than startling news that an alternative to siting football pitches and their accompanying development on the city's most important nature reserve has been identified: Leicester City Council is planning to split the development between two areas either side of the meadows - Riverside College, in Braunstone Lane East, and Aylestone Playing Fields, off Narborough Road South, where there are already a number of disused pitches.The paper also quotes Herbert Eppel (Hello, Herbert) from the Aylestone Meadows Appreciation Society: "As a group we had suggested this site probably about a year ago."In last week's elections ...
The end of last week brought depressing news for all Liberal Democrats, whatever we think of the Westminster coalition. Here in Bury we lost three excellent local representatives, Councillors Richard Baum, Steve Wright and Wilf Davison. Whether on Bury council, ... Continue reading →
This is my photo, taken today, of the Olympic stadium. I was on a tour of the park which was very exciting and inspiring. There doesn't seem to be much they haven't thought of. Even 2,000 newts have been hand-carried to a new home. The most attractive building, to my taste, is the Velodrome. It is quite beautiful. Here it is:
Over on ConservativeHome Andrew Lilico is busy gloating over the AV referendum results. However, I think that what he says is very astute and insightful and actually cuts right to the heart of the matter. This is what he has to say: I disagree with the Labour Party about many points of detailed policy. Labour wants to spend too much, to regulate too much, it undermines elitism (and hence opportunity), it is captured by destructive equality doctrines, and it is occasionally even incompetent. But Labour is my honourable foe. If Labour wins, that's a pity, but I shake my opponent's ...
After Thursday's local elections, the Liberal Democrats now hold 21 of the 70 seats on South Gloucestershire Council. Commenting on the results, Lib Dem Group Leader Ruth Davis said, "I am obviously very disappointed that good colleagues lost their seats due to national issues, despite focusing on local matters. They will be sorely missed both by us and for the hard work they did in their communities. I would like to thank them and those councillors who stood down for all their years of public service" "In other seats, the public had faith in our record of working locally for ...
Charlie, a much-loved family pet Our three-year-old Bichon Frise, Charlie, is quite an energetic chap. Once or twice a month I take him jogging with me for half an hour. My slow run is the same speed as his fast walk, although he sometimes breaks into a canter beside me. It seems many people take Bichon Frise dogs for short jogs with them. This canine advice website says: Exercise needs, daily A short walk twice a day and some ball chasing in the living room will suffice. HOWEVER — if you want to go jogging with your Bichon, do it! ...
David Willetts' scheme to allow universities to create extra places unsupported by state finance, for which could charge the full international student fee, was an interesting idea but almost certainly a very bad one. So Free Radical argued earlier today, before the plan was disowned by David Cameron. Stephen Glenn, on Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland, pays tribute to David Cairns, the Labour MP for Inverclyde, who died earlier today. Political Valley is pleased that all Birmingham's travel-tracking spy cameras are to be taken down. "The SNP today faces the same problem as the PQ did - running a government ...
If I knew that a system had been deliberately designed to confine me in some way, I seriously would not be able to stop myself. I'd be trying to confound the designers, prove them wrong. I wonder if that's how it was for the SNP's campaigns department. It was openly acknowledged that the Holyrood voting system was specifically designed so that nobody (and, given that it was drawn up by Labour architects, by nobody, they meant the SNP) would be able to get an overall majority. The Scottish Parliament is made up of 129 seats, 73 first past the post ...
Candidates often use technology to enhance their campaigns. After all, it's so easy. Anyone, for example, can make a video these days. You just get yourself a camera, stand in front of it, and the words just flow, as Alex Cole-Hamilton, our man in Edinburgh Central shows........ .......or something like that.
Fascinating though it has been to read the conversation which went on under comments on my last post I think the time has come to call a halt. I don't generally block comments from people because I believe that as a politician I need to hear what's being said around the ward. However, I do get tired of people who don't give a name. If there's a genuine complaint about somewhere or something
And so it began. Not just my OU studies but married life as well. While I was starting to skim read the first chapter of Personal Finance I found that I might need a little more help with how to read more effectively. I know that I can often remember bits and pieces from articles ...
So, Super Alex Salmond has not only won an incredible landslide victory in the elections to the Scottish parliament. He's also seen off three leaders, with Tavish Scott, Iain Gray and Annabel Goldie tendering their resignations during the last few days. Quite an achievement. Who says Scottish politics isn't interesting? Ms Goldie, my Conservative opponent in Renfrewshire North and West, has decided to step down after what she described as a "disappointing" election for the Scottish Conservatives. "For the opposition parties, we will all have to adjust to the new realities," she said. "It will be a test of our ...
The Liberal Democrats have had their complaint against undercover stings on their ministers by the Daily Telegraph upheld by Press Complaints Commission. The complaint was brought by Party President Tim Farron, on behalf of ministers Vince Cable, Ed Davey, Michael Moore and Steve Webb. It was brought under Clause 10 (Clandestine devices and subterfuge) of the Editors' ...
Bus Shelters and Street Furniture arriving soon The new bus shelters - one on each side of Woodcote Road - should arrive within the next week. Once they have been installed new Countdown displays will be fitted to show when buses are due. The new shelters were chosen by the Stakeholders Group and the choice of model has saved £10,000 - money that can now be spent elsewhere in Wallington. New street furniture - also selected by the Stakeholder Group - will begin to arrive in the next few days as well. This will be positioned in a way that ...
The political kerfuffle de jour is the news that — apparently, under Coalition plans — Wealthy parents 'could buy their children places at elite universities'. Not surprisingly, the insta-reaction to such a headline, especially among Lib Dems still sore at the party's U-turn on tuition fees, is horror. Look behind the headline, however, and the idea underpinning it is well worth a look. Let me state right from the outset: I do not believe that rich parents should be able to buy a university education for their kids that a poorer child cannot afford, and especially so if that poorer ...
Shared surfaces completed at SCOLA and Orchard Hill College The new paving has now been completed at the entrance and exit to SCOLA and Orchard Hill College. This work was delayed until the two colleges were on their easter break to avoid disruption to their students many of those attending Orchad Hill College arriving by taxi. Before the works were complete After the new shared surface has gone in
It's now less than a month 'til I turn 30 (eek...!) Aside from the usual angst that creates, it means I'm also nearing my self-imposed deadline to visit all 27 EU Capitals. But fear not, we're booked to fly to Sofia on June 4th, and my aim is to be in Bucharest on my actual birthday, June 9th. Anyone got any tips for other interesting things to do in either country? We're going to fly out of Bourgas, so I'm after interesting things to do on a rough Sofia-Bucharest-Bourgas route. So far, we're thinking Plovdiv (slightly out of the way, ...
The Labour MP for Inverclyde, David Cairns, has sadly died after a short illness. Mr Cairns was admitted to hospital two months ago suffering from acute pancreatitis. Like many of his constituents I naturally believed that he would be back to his duties within a few weeks. I liked David Cairns, although we had our differences - most obviously on electoral reform. No-one can deny he was a hard-working local MP, and on a number of occasions I have been impressed by the lengths he has gone to on my behalf. I also appreciated his liberal stance on many social ...
There has been lots of concern today about the apparent plan by Universities Minister David Willetts to allow universities to create extra places and allow companies, charities and the rich to buy their way in. Such a scheme would inevitably come at a cost to places for poorer, but no less bright students. I'm very glad that it appears that the Prime Minister has quashed the plan. I was going to write a long post on the subject, but will simply point you instead to my friend Mark Valladares who sums up my views perfectly. You can read his post ...
The last of the new soakaways has now been completed in Ross Parade and the road was reopened on schedule - just in time for the downpour at the end of April. Work has now moved across the road to the last major phase of the project in Beddington Gardens. Due to the mount of space available in Beddington Gardens there will be some disruption for businesses and shoppers as a result but this will be kept to an absolute minimum.
There have been several celebrations recently - including the street parties in West Hampstead & Fortune Green on the day of the Royal Wedding. Lymington Road had a big "do" with a bouncy castle and a fire engine which was attended by Cllr Keith Moffitt, there was another in Glenbrook Road and, in Fortune Green Road, one in the "MARA area" in Menelik Road. Nancy Jirira and Flick Rea were there to see the fun and enjoy the sunshine. Many congratulations and thanks to all those who organised these community events!
Quietly quietly, tucked in a side column in the i paper, is a note to the beginnings of action on Syria.'An EU statement said it was banning the shipment to Syria of "arms and equiptment that could be used for internal oppression"'. This is a significant step towards sanctions being taken against another country in the Arab League.Along with this, the EU is applying minerva injunctions and
Tue 10th
17:26
Alex Cole-Hamilton is one of those people who you wish the electorate would just hurry up and elect
Alex Cole-Hamilton is one of those people who you wish the electorate would just hurry up and elect. Good luck next time.
Well - the consultation ended and we have now had the results - guess what ? All those thousands of pounds to consultants and we learn - wait for it - people love libraries! Reluctantly obviously people have stated they would prefer cuts in opening hours to library closures. However, there would have to be an approximate 50% reduction plus a lot of other cuts to make up the shortfall. The Labour Council are between a rock and a hard place here - how they will decide, we shall have to wait till June to see! Meanwhile Labour Councillors refused ...
At lunchtime I was pointed to this article in the Daily Telegraph about a 12 year-old boy who wore a skirt to school because his school has a ban on shorts. The kid says that it is discrimination that girls can wear skirts but boys cannot wear shorts in the summer and lets be frank – he has a point. According to the story the school outlawed shorts in 2009 after a consultation with parents. Apparently most schools in Cambridgeshire have the same rules. I must admit I can't remember if at either of the secondary schools I went to ...
The Labour MP for Inverclyde David Cairns sadly died today at the young age of 44. He had been admitted to hospital in March with acute pancreatitis. He had a varied life starting out as a Catholic Priest in London and Scotland having trained at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and then the Franciscan ...
Tue 10th
16:00
Day 3782: Liberal Democrats, we must earn back the trust of students; we must oppose flogging degree...
Tuesday: The universities minister, Mr David Witless, is proposing that Universities in England may be allowed to make extra places available for wealthy UK students.** Let's just say that again: if you're RICH, you'll be able to BUY a place at a British University. Quite simply, RICH people will have MORE CHANCES of getting a university place than POOR people. And Mr Witless thinks this is going to make the tuition fees debacle BETTER??? Perhaps he'd like to sell them a LADDER to PULL UP after them too! It's not FAIR and we should be AGAINST that sort of thing! ...
I think nearly all Liberal Democrats will take this as good news rather than bad: The highly-critical assessment of the coalition's first year in power was delivered by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) – which was founded by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. And it comes just months after the former Tory leader himself risked stoking tensions with Liberal Democrat colleagues by renewing calls for the state to reward marriage financially. In a report to mark the anniversary of the power-sharing deal, the CSJ complained that the tax break plan had "moved off radar" because of opposition ...
Responding to the announcement that Carwyn Jones will seek to form a minority Labour government, Kirsty Williams, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: "Labour are the largest party and with half the seats in the Assembly, I expected Carwyn Jones to form an administration. I have already spoken to Carwyn and offered my congratulations. "The stability in government that Carwyn Jones seeks will only be possible if parties work together, put aside their differences and seek to find consensus, and that means give and take from all parties. "The priority of the Welsh Liberal Democrats now will be ...
I have to laugh at the sheer naked bravardo on display here in this comment on getReading: getReading: Beer and Cider Festival Extended 13th April 2011 However, I don't like cowards who hide behind pseudonyms to abuse forums like this by knocking anything positive or just hurling abuse at people. As someone pointed out, it's the curse of the Internet. Daniel Bowen I'm indebted to another commenter on getReading for raising my suspicions and his obvious personal attacks on me. As it happens I did know a "Daniel" or at least a likely suspect with it as a middle name. ...
Earlier today I was heading back to Bangor with my printer from the Yes! to Fairer Votes Northern Ireland office when Twitter came alive with the news that Inverclyde MP David Cairns had died. I quickly scanned the news sites I have on my iPhone and flicked unto the radio stations, but there was nothing official until the last half hour. However, there were Tweets from fellow MPs of all parties marking their respects for the 44 year old former Catholic Priest and openly gay Labour member of the House of Commons. He had been rushed to hospital in late ...
There's been lots of talk recently about these "super-injunctions" and, in a related issue, about "libel reform" legislation. Both are fraught cases, for whatever you do, you trample on someone's rights - either the right of "free speech" on the part of the disseminator of information, true or false, malicious or otherwise, it shouldn't matter - or on the part of the subject of such information, whether harmed or not, whether responsible for that information being sufficiently interesting to attract salacious gossip or not. Of course in a libertarian private law society such cases would be decided on the open ...
Just about everyone in the Westminster Village will shortly be talking about the latest book that tries to explain why people vote the way they do. [IMG: Book Cover for The Social Animal] The Social Animal, by US journalist David Brooks, has just been released in the UK and it suggests that people are driven more by gut instincts than rational thought when it comes to voting choices. That rather obvious point has been haunting the Liberal Democrats from the moment they produced a joint programme for Government with the Conservatives on the weekend after the last General Election. On ...
This Thursday to Sunday there are series of evening events at Stockport museums – part of the "Museums at Night" national campaign, organised by Culture24. See the attached leaflet for details of what's on.
Here's a piece that will lighten the mood of every Lib Dem. If only to have a giggle at the 'one-eyed ness' of some on the Left... You might think we had it bad last Thursday. You might also agree that Ed Miliband didn't have a great time of it either. But apparently. the leader who should be really worried about last Thursday is... David Cameron. Yes, the AV referendum was lost, yes the Tories took the highest share of the popular vote, yes their share of vote vs. the general election largely stood up, and yes, they achieved a ...
I'll say this, I don't know what David Willetts is smoking at the moment, but it's certainly hallucinogenic. Even hinting at the possibility that the wealthy could buy their way into the university of their choice for their children is, at best, ill-advised. And yet, he is considered to be one of the greatest brains amongst Conservatives, which only goes to demonstrate that intelligence and common sense are not always mutually inclusive. His comments on feminism and social mobility were interesting, even if they proved to be a hostage to fortune, especially in his assertion that feminism had had a ...
Days have now passed since the last result for the Scottish Parliament was declared. At least that provided a bit of happy news; my local colleague and former Dunfermline MP Willie Rennie was elected as the last MSP from the Mid Scotland and Fife regional list. But frankly, what went on in the 18 hours prior to that was not much short of a horror show - I never thought that "Losing Deposits" would ring true again. Normally, after a drubbing like that, attention turns to the campaign itself and where it all went wrong. This time, though, there's no ...
There has been much discussion in recent days about our identity. I think this is actually quite simple: we are Liberal Democrats. Liberal because we believe in the principles of personal, economic, political and social liberalism. Democrats because we believe that in a plural society with multiple viewpoints, these viewpoints should be represented proportionately in parliament. The difficulty comes in understanding why this identity is not more widely understood. I think much of this is to do with the language we employ when describing policy. Often, we use the language of the left and talk of "social justice" and about ...
Following his marriage to Michael last Saturday, Andrew considers why he has been unfriended on Facebook by a number of people and takes a look at the reasons why this may be the case.
TweetIn the days leading up to the election I threw myself into the Liberal Democrat campaign for Winchester, particularly my ward, St Lukes. Doing a 2-3 delivery routes a day, I literally walked holes in my campaign shoes, and nigh on killed myself to try and get an excellent local campaigner elected in David Sumsion. Unfortunately he wasn't elected. Losing out to a somewhat mysterious Tory. Known as "jamie" in all of his literature. I wish him the best of luck for his tenure and hope he improves St Lukes for the best. But aside from not getting a Liberal ...
I was really sad to read a while ago that David Cairns, the MP for Inverclyde, died last night. For a while, I hoped Twitter must have got it wrong because there was nothing on the BBC- and things aren't true until you read them on the BBC, are they? Unfortunately, though, it is true. It wasn't the BBC that convinced me, it was a tweet from Tom Harris, linking to a heartfelt and very moving tribute he'd written to his friend. In it he paints a picture of a compassionate, honest, very funny man. I only knew David from ...
So the Nos won the UK AV referendum comprehensively, with 68% of the vote, on a higher turnout than expected. Their campaign only seemed to gather momentum as time went by. This is a bitter blow to me, as I actually liked AV – while having reservations about proportional representation (PR). Now it will be considered politically toxic, probably forever. It doesn't help that most people that voted No did not understand what they were voting against. In fact very few voters seem to have understood the system or its implications. It is highly frustrating that so many nonsense arguments ...
Is Nick Clegg's time as Lib Dem leader coming to an end? Over on his Telegraph blog, Julian Astle poses a question which undoubtedly deserves a place on John Rentoul's list of Questions To Which The Answer Is No – while also answering another QTWTAIN which others have posed. And here's why Julian think Clegg is here to stay: First, the coalition is supported by the political equivalent of the "automatic stabilisers" which ensure that the weaker the coalition partners become, the stronger the coalition gets. Why? Because just as turkeys don't vote for Christmas, so politicians don't trigger general ...
Keen readers of my blog will know I've dissed a few of the lines we've been spinning over recent days. But now a more interesting point of view is emerging - and it's the one I truly believe is the right thing to do as well. It goes something like this... (Probably worth saying that while I've been sent the preview of Nick's speech tomorrow, I deliberately haven't opened it yet, as I wanted to blog my view before I read it. So don't read anything into this in terms of a preview for that 'cos it isn't. And if ...
The public have spoken. They aren't exactly enamoured with Nick Clegg and his party and they told them resoundingly so at the ballot box on Thursday. Well that is what I've read everywhere anyway. The Lib Dems took a bit of a mullering at the polling stations on Thursday but the facts are they only lost 4% of their national vote but lost around half their council seats that were up for election. You've got to love the First Past The Post system. What the Lib Dems did lose was the north where they are fighting the Labour Party and ...
Southport John Pugh was appointed chair of the Lib Dem backbench committee on Health back in June 2010. He immediately set out to find the views of party members about Lansley's views writing on the 14th July he asked Lib Dem Voice readers for feedback observing : Is the NHS ready for another structural upheaval/reform? How will GPs cope with their new role? And are we going to get a local NHS which is more accountable to the citizen and tax payer? Will the NHS work better for the patient without PCTs and Regional Health Authorities? Can we make progress ...
... but almost certainly a very bad one. The Guardian is reporting on proposals to create off-quota university places for Home/EU applicants. The basic idea seems to be to allow universities to create a number of places in addition to their quotas which would be unsupported by state finance initiatives such as tuition fee and maintenance loans, and which could charge the full international student fee. The 2011/12 fee for international students at the University of Warwick, for example, is either £12,325 or £16,000 depending on the subject. The problem as I see it is that it is not immediately ...
Word is reaching me that the Southport Brewery is poised to become the smallest brewery every to supply the House of Commons Strangers Bar. I understand the the Award Winning Brew Golden Sands will be available on draught in Westminster before the summer recess. Well done to John Pugh MP for promoting local businesses and sharing with visitors to the Palace of Westminster the delights of an excellent golden ale. More news as I get it.
Last weeks elections across the UK weren't great if you were a Liberal Democrat. I've already written about my thoughts on the election so I'm not going to add anything to it at the moment. However my wife Alison (who stood as a Lib Dem candidate in Dundee) has filmed a special video message to all the Lib Dem activists out there. Hope you enjoy it.
As you may have heard if you follow the news, the Press Complaints Commission today ruled that the Telegraph's fishing expedition against Vince Cable broke the rules. Oddly, there is no mention of any penalties in the ruling. They're not being asked to pay a fine and they don't even appear to be being asked to print an apology. Instead, the PCC has "undertaken to issue further guidance" to the industry. And yet this guidance-issuing commission is so draconian in it's guidance issuing that the Daily Express and it's sister papers withdraw from the self-regulatory regime earlier this year. There ...
I'm not so sure that the Ugandans will take a whole load of notice of me, but I can't just sit by and watch while their Parliament debates a bill that would bring in the death penalty for being gay. And, actually,commuting it to 7 years in jail isn't acceptable either. How can any state consider murdering people or locking them up just for being who they are? It's something that should concern us all. Like Andrew, I've signed the All Out petition on the basis that international pressure worked the last time this measure was debated. Let's show Uganda, ...
[IMG: Floella Benjamin] Some forgotten figures of Liberal history may deserve their obscurity, but most remain an unmined source of reference, quotation and inspiration for the contemporary Liberal Democrat - especially now, when the party is participating in national government for the first time in more than a generation. At this year's Liberal Democrat History Group summer meeting, two senior party figures and the biographer of Richard Wainwright will join myself in presenting our own forgotten heroes from the twilight of history and talk about how our champions' public lives can influence today's Liberal Democrats. The three other speakers are ...
Despite our best efforts, we Liberal Democrats failed last Thursday to make electoral reform sexy. Quelle surprise. The economy is faltering, public services have a shaky future and, frankly, how people vote for their MP's is not of major concern to the British people. Using my trusty retrospectoscope, I can tell you that the Yes campaign got the message wrong, and it did not resonate with people. The campaign went for the anti-politics, anti-politician approach of saying they were offering the people a way to make their MP's work harder and suffer more. Britons shrugged. The fundamental nature in which ...
I just wanted to take a bit of time to lay out what I think some of the priorities are for White Lee as I assume my new role of representing the ward on the Town Council. If any residents have their own suggestions then please do get in touch. Transport We need to ensure that the C & D bus routes that service White Lee along Banksfield, Midley Road and Hullet Drive continue. These are an essential life-line for many people who live in the area and require them for access to the train station. Mytholmroyd train station is ...
Judges hold, allegedly, connotations that the tabloid press behave similar to feral wolves and must be tamed. 'Celebrities', who claim to represent some moral authority and superiority over the rest of society, silence the press – whenever their public image ... Continue reading →
One of the big stories from Thursday's Welsh Assembly election was the Welsh Conservative Party's loss of its leader Nick Bourne AM. Because of the vagaries of the AMS electoral system used here in Wales, the Conservatives' success in winning Montgomeryshire and holding onto Preseli Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituencies meant that their Mid & West Wales regional Assembly Member and leader lost his seat. Their very success, meant that their leader was ejected from his seat in Cardiff Bay having led his party there for a decade. As he himself admitted, it was a 'bittersweet moment' ...
The Oldham Chronicle reports: A WOMAN who reported a politician to a benefits hotline has had her own benefits fraud case adjourned. Rebecca McGladdery (44), of Galland Street, Greenacres, faces three charges in a Department of Work and Pensions prosecution. ... Continue reading →
I was saddened to read the BBC's report of UNRWA being unable to reach suffering Palestinians living in the southern Syrian city of Deraa, including people who urgently need medical supplies including insulin. Although, sadly, none of this is a surprise for anyone who knows much about Syria. Why, after living in Syria for so many decades (including being born there in many cases) are half a million Palestinian refugees still living in camps, instead of being allowed to become Syrian citizens if they want to? My grandparents came to Britain as refugees and were allowed to become naturalised British ...
But one day I met a man With money to spare He said he would tell me how it is The State he began Has been propping up people to long For far to long We all got lazy and couldn't be bothered To make our way through the world But we are all bourgeois now Once there was class war But not any longer Because baby we are all bourgeois now So go out and make your way in the world We're free to choose We're all free to choose We're all free to choose We're free to choose ...
"A stroll along the Market Mile" is a free exhibition at the excellent Stockport Story Museum running until 30th October 2011. Take a closer look at some of the most distinguished addresses on Stockport Market's Mile and discover how the area was transformed from a medieval place of trade to a shopping haven for high society Georgian ladies and gentlemen of the 1800s. Learn how the businesses surrounding the Market Place used high quality products and fabulous customer service to cater to the more discerning ladies and gentlemen. The exhibition is FREE to enter. Stockport Story Museum is open Tuesday ...
Over the last few days, I've been turning to a variety of things to give me comfort. Chocolate, wine, Zumba and music have featured highly. Funnily enough, I haven't yet tried either Doctor Who or Formula One - there just hasn't been the space to watch either Saturday's episode or Sunday's race - although that's about to change once I've written another couple of posts for your delectation. In terms of music, I'd actually already turned to the music of Alison Burns. I know a lot of busy people who have lots of roles, but surely lawyer, Lib Dem candidate ...
Liberals, I put it to you that we are neither wannabe conservatives nor right wing Labourites. We are distinct as Liberal Democrats and need to start making this clear. The small 'c', conservatives who fought for a no vote in the referendum show, at heart, narrow party interest drives activists in both Labour and Conservative parties. As long as they remain tribal, with every motivation checked against what is best for party, it will prove fatal if we continue to seek pluralism in a world where pluralism is derided and to ignore the self preservation of our own party and ...
My political stalkers will know that I have had issues with the recent decision to lower the affordable housing levels on the development at part of the Prudhoe Hospital site (see my letter to the Courant here). I am principally concerned not with the councils handling of the decision, which was correct, but of the fact that developers who buy land at high prices and who then see that land drop in value can just recover their losses by reducing the affordable level of housing. The "economic viability" test is perfectly normal elsewhere but has never been seen (to my ...
The link is to the judgment. The conclusion of the judgment is:However, the Court has consistently emphasised the need to look beyond the facts of the present case and to consider the broader impact of a pre-notification requirement. The limited scope under Article 10 for restrictions on the freedom of the press to publish material which contributes to debate on matters of general public
Just got my proof copies of my Beach Boys book. Unfortunately there've been a couple of very minor errors in the conversion process – some single quotes are rendering as apostrophes, and one non-printing character has been printed. I'll be uploading a revised version tonight, and if anyone who's bought this wants a replacement, let ...
Sex Education, Churnalism and 10 Yetis - A Cornucopia of Crap Unity digs into the Dorries sex education farago a bit further and finds some interesting stuff
Cornwall Council will be asked to address the unfair treatment of parts of Cornwall in a motion submitted to the Annual Council Meeting next week. My colleague Ann Kerridge, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bodmin West will be proposing the motion. She has said: "The Council already has to collect data to measure whether or not women, the disabled and other minority groups are receiving fair treatment in terms of employment and services. I think it is just as important that we have the data so we can assess whether all parts of Cornwall are getting a fair deal." "Kevin Lavery ...
Prestwich Festival starts this weekend, with the Prestwich Clough Day on Sunday 12-5pm. This has turned into a great day for young and old and well worth popping down if you can. More details of this and all the events at Prestwich Festival at their website which is here. The Clough Day has its own website which is here! Two more diary dates from the people at Prestwich "Incredible Edible" – a great local group set up to promote the growing and eating of heathy locally produced food. - Incredible Edible Picnic. Sunday 22 May 12-2, Phillips Park. - Incredible ...
If you didn't know already Cllr Stuart Parker was re-elected to serve Eastrop for a further 4 years. Obviously I am delighted. Here's the result. Stuart Parker Liberal Democrat 791Conservative 421Labour 251 I want to thank all those who helped and supported Stuart. I also want to mention the unsung heros
[IMG: Top 5 picture] Cross-posted from the Engine Group blog, my monthly round-up of five digital stories to read: Pink Ponies: A Case Study I'm sure this short YouTube satire will fall completely flat, because none of us in Engine have ever used any of the phrases in the film, have we? (And frankly, if we had we would also at least have had the professionalism to paint the pony pink. I mean, the clue's in the title isn't it?) GetGlue One of the hot new social networks, this one is aimed at sharing and finding entertainment: tell people what ...
In addition to the launch of Barney's Fund that I mentioned last night, yesterday : * The Courier covered the background to the motion I intend to bring to the City Council's Policy and Resources Committee on 13th June. This surrounds the plight of the people of Palestine, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the issue of the boycott of Israeli goods. I am hoping that cross-party discussions prior to 13th June will achieve a cross-party consensus on this matter. * The Courier also highlighted my view on the forthcoming Scottish Liberal Democrat leadership election. After my two Monday surgeries ...
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority's (GMWDA) 2011 Community Waste Fund has re-launched today offering over £50,000 to community groups and organisations, for the chance to kick start waste prevention and recycling projects in Greater Manchester. The fund supports Recycle for Greater Manchester's aim of encouraging residents and community groups to reduce, re-use and recycle more Greater Manchester's waste. Our aim is to get local groups such as tenants and residents groups and community groups to think of innovative ways to help residents to recycle right and to recycle more in Greater Manchester. (Please note that applications for other projects that ...
Interesting and worrying reports are emerging, which on the face of it depict a Lib Dem Cabinet split but which in fact are about far more important things than that – the power games of Whitehall and the vested interests of the mandarins at BIS and the Treasury. On the face of it, Vince Cable is pushing against the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) proposals on the grounds that they are too radical and would put the UK at a competitive disadvantage. Are they really? Or is this more a case of the tired old attitudes of unaccountable civil servants ...
Numerous and often ill-advised blog posts are popping up – shedding a light on the horsetrading going on within the Civic. Labour is resorting to the only sort of democracy it knows – the gunboat sort. Having presumably given up on talking to anyone else, Labour tanks have been firmly planted on the Greens' lawn. The chief threat seems to be that the two Greens should tear up protocol and snub current Deputy Mayor Jenny Rynn (Con) – electing a Labour Mayor, or else. I'm not a great one for protocol, but the series of obviously choreographed blog pieces are ...
OK, perhaps this is disloyal to my fellow Lib Dems, but as a Scot I'm really quite pleased to see the leader of the SNP get the full hat trick. How often do political leaders in a PR democracy do so well in an election that every single opposition party leader resigns? Go for it, my son! I'm glad that in 1997, I was in the Anniesland constituency. Despite all my frustrations with FPTP and safe seats, on this one occasion I was happy to vote for the incumbent, to not only have my vote count but to elect Donald ...
Alison Burns, Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Dundee City West at last week's election, and her husband James Taylor, who was part of the LibDem team for Mid Scotland and Fife, have put together a short but rather good video!
Tomorrow afternoon, the new MSPs gather in the Chamber for the first time in the new session. The very first thing they have to do is to elect a new Presiding Officer, by secret ballot. This is the first time that an overall majority has been held by one party, so there is a thought, expressed by Tavish Scott, that the SNP will simply put one of their own in place. It looks, though, that at least two of their own are putting themselves forward, which will split their vote. The Presiding Officer is there to ensure order, to rule ...
Although it is true that anything published on the internet is subject to the usual rules relating to libel and contempt of court, the reality of an international medium with difficult to trace perpetrators, combined with the willingness of large numbers of people to thumb their noses at authority by repeating tweets and posts, makes the law almost impossible to enforce. Twitter quite rightly destroyed the superinjunction taken out by Trafigura to prevent scrutiny of their activities, however its obsession with trivia and in particular, the private lives of celebrities and other individuals is a different kettle of fish. Even ...
Via the BBC: A newspaper's decision to secretly tape Liberal Democrat MPs breached press rules on "subterfuge", a watchdog says. The Press Complaints Commission said the Daily Telegraph had produced material "in the public interest". But it said the paper had not had enough evidence to justify what it called "a fishing expedition". Among those taped by reporters posing as constituents was Business Secretary Vince Cable, who was recorded saying he had "declared war" on Rupert Murdoch... The PCC ruled the newspaper launched the "disproportionately intrusive attention" without sufficient reasons and said it would issue fresh guidance over the acceptable ...
i) births and deaths 10 May 1935: birth of Terrance Dicks, author of Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, State of Decay and The Five Doctors, co-author of The War Games and The Brain of Morbius, script editor of Old Who from 1968 to 1974, author of over sicty novelisations of Old Who stories, fifteen spinoff novels, two stage plays and four non-fiction books (including The Making of Doctor Who, co-written with Malcolm Hulke). 10 May 1998: death of Dalek operator Robert Jewell. ii) broadcast anniversaries 10 May 1969: broadcast of fourth episode of The War Games. The Doctor and Zoe ...
ST PETERS John Robert George Baker Labour Party 634 Alec Campbell Conservative Party 795 Elected Paul Davies Conservative Party 718 Simon Jonathan Grover Green Party 751 Elected Daniel Jordan Green Party 376 John Timothy Metcalf Labour Party 533 Liz Needham Liberal Democrat 684 Jack Pia Liberal Democrat 652 Electorate 5782 Turnout 47% CLARENCE Sheila Burton Liberal Democrat 1021 Elected Andrew James Dixon Labour Party 551 Jack Easton Green Party 267 Michael David Rock Conservative Party 899 Electorate 4924 Turnout 64%
The super-injunction, tool of the rich and famous, so special you can't even mention it exists.I prefer law that is tangiable and definable. Recent debacles over peoples' sex lives don't interest me beyond Fleet Street bar gossip, but I do take the freedom of the press seriously.As Maxwell Mosely goes to the ECHR, we are presented with a conundrum. If press have to notify before publication, then
There has been a lot of talk about how (apart from Alex Salmond of course) the biggest winner from last Thursday's election and referendum results was David Cameron. Indeed Cameron is certainly in a strengthened position now having incredibly increased his share of council seats despite being a year into a government that has made big public spending cuts and increased taxation. And the fact that the AV referendum failed by such a large margin shows that Cameron can be a winner when he puts his mind to it (albeit slightly late in the day in this case). But I ...
Max Mosley doesn't seem to me to be the kind of person I'd choose to spend time with. His time at the FIA led to continuous battles with Bernie Ecclestone and the F1 teams, mainly around his own attempts to build a fiefdom. Does that mean, though, that he doesn't have the right to a private life? We've seen recently a spate of 'superinjunctions' taken by celebrities, and also other actions to prevent publication of potentially damaging stories, including one preventing publication of details of an industial tribunal. Now, I don't have a problem with publishing stories where there is ...
NHS reforms are tipping the press headline scales again, as more and more proposals and rejections are outlined.In this morning's i paper, Health Secretary Lansley is referred to as saying that he understood the conflicts of interest with GP Consortia and Doctors from hospital both commissioning and providing.What he, and the press, seem to have missed is that GP Consortia will always be in a
Now why did Councillor Maskell remove this from his website? It's quite tame by Labour's usual standards of bile. I love the idea of him claiming a "reliable source". It was tweeted to the whole world within minutes of it happening. This is an interesting oneMay 9, 2011From a reliable source, kind of. "Tonight both the Reading Lib Dems and Labour parties elected their Group leadership team. My sources tell me that the Lib Dems elected an all-woman team with Cllr Daisy Benson as their new leader and Cllr Rebecca Rye as deputy leader. Both Daisy and Rebecca are decent ...
One could suggest this is capitalism gone mad. The Pugin architectural marvel that is Westminster is to be hired out by the evening.Perhaps they could hold stag and hen do's, children's birthday parties and waxing fundraisers in the chambers?Certainly with proposals to retail Commons souveneirs (Speaker's costume anyone?) and eateries, the House of Commons looks to be exploited by marketing and
One of the main features of this blog is to capture the local area today, draw out the local area of yesterday through surviving history - I soon found however that the pace of change was such that quite often I captured it today and within a matter of weeks and months it had already changed... Some of the features of the blog in the early days have already gone. So it seemed only right that I caughts the demolition in my own street of Quex Road of the back of the Older people's hostel. I can't deny I'm a ...
Tue 10th
06:54
Learning the lessons from last week #2: Lib Dem voters don't want out of the coalition
Even after last Thursday, I've come across very few Liberal Democrats saying, "we should have made a deal with Labour last May". That's not a surprise, given the Parliamentary arithmetic and also all that has come out since about just how split Labour's negotiating team was, not to mention the almost farcical lack of preparation from Labour for talks. Peter Mandelson grabbing a quick cup of tea with Ed Balls to sort out Labour's negotiating line before walking into the first meeting may be very English, but competent or prepared it wasn't. That does, of course, leave the question of ...
The story of the AV campaign How the referendum was won by the No campaign. (tags: avreferendum) xkcd: Marie Curie Careers advice from zombie Marie Curie! (tags: sexandsexualityandgender history) In memoriam: George Ross 1935-2011 « Francesca Elston The Ten Commandments of the late George Ross (I summarise): 1.- Sapere aude - Dare to know. 2.- Know thyself. 3.- Universalize your actions. 4.- Be kind and compassionate, and be involved. 5.- Take very seriously your duty towards others, but do not take yourself too seriously. 6.- Remember that all human opinions, values, tenets and beliefs are of necessity subjective and relative. ...
Nick Clegg said on July 5th 2010, in response the appointment of John Sharkey as chairman of the Liberal Democrats' Fairer Votes Campaign "I am delighted that John Sharkey has accepted this role." "This is a vital campaign for the country and I can't think of a better person than John to run it for the Liberal Democrats." Ten months later, the website promoting fairer votes now looks like this http://www.yestofairervotes.org/ How did that one work out for us, Nick?
Craig Whittaker has blogged about the local election results. I agree with him that it wasn't an excellent result for Ed Miliband, whose Labour party failed to make any in-roads against the Conservatives. It is remarkable that the Conservatives gained extra councillors whilst in power in Westminster. As this briefing shows local elections results tend to mirror who is in power nationally, with opposition parties doing well. I put Ed's failure to gain more seats down to a long-term strategy failing of the Labour party. Rather than trying to win back voters that have gone to the Conservatives they seem ...
I'm not entirely sure what the Liberal Democrat health plan is at the moment. Party Conference appears to want an NHS run by Gaddafiesque committees of the people. Private providers will be permitted, but only if they make a loss and public sector staff are allowed to spit on them. Baroness Williams feels they are being unduly kind in the concession of spit. Norman Lamb is sympathetic to some market-based reform, but pegged to the movement of glaciers in Nepal, and then only if the party's poll ratings recover. Nick Clegg is very cross. It appears he was fooled into ...
Durham County Council officers will hold a "drop in" for people to look at and comment on proposed changes to parking, waiting and loading restrictions in the Consett Town Centre Area. It will be on the 26th and 27th May, 2011 between 10am and 4pm in St. Patrick's Church Hall. Anyone who lives in, or near, the town knows that this has been a long running concern of local people. The proposals have already been discussed by a working group of the Derwent Valley Partnership and by local traders. The drop in will be an opportunity for the wider public ...
Speaking on Monday, the Reverend Paul Hunt, Chair of Hastings and Rye Lib Dems said: "Obviously we are deeply disappointed that Britain will not be using a fairer voting system at the next General Election, but "no" is the result and we must respect that. "Even with First Past the Post, the trend of the ...
I hope the irony did not pass the author by but I made four or five comments on a Libertarian blog yesterday and managed to get banned! There were insults directed towards the Liberal Democrats but I wasn't too bothered about this as I know we are not flavour of the month. My main concern was that the insults were gratuitous and, more importantly, coming from someone who shares my faith. I found this hard to reconcile and asked him to show more consideration in his writing. It was quite amusing to see an anonymous comment asking me to name ...
Saturday: Becalmed in the polls and beset by an evil blue Siren (who turns out to be a faulty health policy), is it time for the notorious pirate Captain Clegg to abandon ship? No, of course it isn't! By the way, my Daddy Richard is a PIRATE too! After all, Richard starts with an "Arrr"... Oh please yourselves: here's his latest review... I must be getting old, because I thought this was better. Good lord, a Doctor Who story with a beginning, a middle, and an end; a mystery, an investigation, and an explanation. Whatever will they think of next? ...
