The governments tuition fees policy seems to be in a right mess. Considering that the Browne report was in line with the big party consensus (any idea that Labour wouldn't be doing this now if in government is laughable They commissioned the report), the whole thing seems to be unravelling very quickly. I have no problem with the concept that students should bear more of the cost of their education. It is awkward though because before all this we must ensure it doesn't put a single person who should go to university from a poorer background going. As a friend ...
In 2015 it is extremely likely that the Liberal Democrats will not reap electoral dividends for the good work they have done in Government. Some have predicted that when this electoral cataclysm comes, it will leave a social democratic rump which will either slide into self-important irrelevance or merge with the Labour Party. With the crushing AV defeat this may very well be the case if the Liberal Democrats continue to present 'being distinctive' only in terms of 'appealing to the left'. For too long the Liberal Democrats have proclaimed left wing policies in the Labour heartlands and right wing ...
Wed 11th
23:02
Muscular Liberalism: "Five years ago I was a four-stone apology - today I am two separate gorillas"
I've been bothered by new style "HID" headlights ever since they were introduced. I've always thought they were brighter than necessary, and I find being on the other end of them a real trial. It's worse being in front of them than behind them. They wobble about like anything and they have a way of flashing up and down that delivers a laser like burst to all three mirrors at once, blinding you to anything ahead of you. They are horrible. I didn't realise how many other people felt the same way until reading "Campaign launched over 'dazzling' HID car ...
For me 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is perhaps the single most influential book on my thinking and so I was delighted when the academic Frank McLynn published his biography of the Roman philosopher-emperor called 'Marcus Aurelius - A Life'
The art of leadership is not just knowing that you are right, but also knowing when you are wrong. On Monday the Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliot certainly didn't realise the second was the case, as I blogged, and tried to maintain strangely that he still was the former. All of this despite the furore over the weekend since he let the word scum slip from his mouth about political opponents. It has taken him another 2 days and another round of disgust for his to finally say sorry. Although it sorry only to those he offendede not for being ...
So, after the abysmal local election results last Thursday, Nick Clegg today used the first anniversary of the forming of the coalition government in Westminster to announce that there would be a more "muscular liberalism" on show to demonstrate "the real Lib Dem input" at the heart of the of the Coalition Government in London. Most supporters and members will no doubt welcome this more forthright announcement and expression of intent, but it does beg the question...where has Nick been for the past 365 days?
Life is not easy if you are the smallest child in the playground of a rough school. That is Lebanon's situation: a small and poorly armed country between Israel and Syria, and with fraught relations with both. As someone who ... Continue reading →
A couple of days ago I questioned the claim of a Guardian writer that Eeyore had just celebrated his 140th birthday. Looking through the comments on the Guardian article, though the writer makes an attempt to defend his position, the discussion confirms that the original Eeyore toy was given to Christopher Robin Milne as a Christmas present in 1921. So he is certainly not 140 years old. And another comments alerts us to this Soviet version of Winnie-the-Pooh. I don't know if this was intended as a Marxist allegory - Christopher Robin as the forces of capital, Piglet as the ...
This is a video of our MP John Pugh arguing the case for investment in small rail schemes like the Burscough Curves. The Southport Visiter has a version of the story too As John's website says: In a debate at Westminster today (27th April), John Pugh urged the "Government to be bold...and to put down a piece of rail that had not previously been there - as happens in other countries...At the moment, we have no such practice or history to look at. We know about bypasses and what happens as a result of them, but we have no idea ...
Cornwall Council has found yet another way to rip off motorists. New parking charges have come into force and many drivers are paying when they don't have to thanks to poor signage. As I have blogged ad nauseum in the past, parking charges for all except the first hour have risen and season tickets have more than doubled in price. The only two little bits of good news are that the first hour charge in Launceston and many other smaller towns has fallen from 70p to 50p and the hours of charging have been cut by one so that parking ...
The question that I have been asked most often this week is not why on earth have the Tories declared that they are going to let Labour run the council but: Will Rushden and Diamonds FC go into administration . Southport FC were relegated from the Conference Premier League this year on goal difference. But it now seems possible that R&D may go into administration and thus be kicked out of the League. Last night a 'rescue' meeting was held and it is reported on the Blue Sq Premier League website: Diamonds need to raise £250,000 by the end of ...
Yesterday I wrote about the way the left does not parents. I am not sure they trust teenagers that much either. Take this Polly Toynbee article from last November, defending the Educational Maintenance Allowance: EMA ought to sit comfortably with Conservative thinking. Pupils who miss a class, are late or don't do homework lose EMA for the whole week.This might sit comfortably with Conservative thinking, but it ought to worry anyone who is not a Conservative. It seems extraordinary to boast that the policy you are defending imposes severe sanctions on teenagers from less affluent homes and those teenagers alone. ...
One of the things which Ed Miliband does right at Prime Minister's Questions, is to start with short, straight-forward questions. He's obviously realized this is a good ploy, as he does it invariably. Today's shorty was: "A year into his Government, how would the Prime Minister rate his handling of the NHS?" It's taken a while for David Cameron to work out how best to answer these shorties. He started by waffling like billy-o, tying himself up in knots. Then he tried a short reply and came a cropper there as well. So now he goes middle for diddle with ...
Yesterday I opened a Health promotion day in Drum Brae. The event was organised by the Western and Almond Neighbourhood Partnerships Health Working Group which I chair. The event was aimed at families and was about raising awareness of existing services and activities and was great fun. We had stalls from Edinburgh Leisure, Health and Social Care, The Centre for Health and Well Being, our telecare team among others. We also had salsa and tango demos which both went down very well especially the tango! A good time was had by all and lots of useful information was passed on. ...
[IMG: UUP Logo] David McClarty MLA (East Londonderry) has decided to remain as an Independent and not to rejoin the UUP which he left in January. Mr McClarty was a UUP MLA from 1998 when the first Assembly was created after the Good Friday Agreement but he was deselected by his constituency association in September 2010. He then decided to stand in the 2011 Assembly election as an independent and left the party. I'm not surprised at this decision as the relationship between Mr McClarty and the UUP members in East Londonderry would be very strained so I couldn't see ...
Tim Llewellyn, Spirit of the Phoenix: Beirut and the Story of Lebanon, I.B. Tauris (2010). From £12.59 at Amazon.co.uk, also available at The Book Depository, Waterstone's and Blackwell's. Michael Young, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's ... Continue reading →
Nottinghamshire poet Dave Wood describes his plans to walk and celebrate Sherwood Forest's ancient boundaries. The Creative Perambulations have become a whirlwind of hopes for the best, fears for the worst and a long awaited dream that I should be paid appropriately for a large and exciting project leading to an intense body of imaginative and professional work. It brings together my being-ness of writing, my career in community arts and my love of dandering through the woods and the cityscape. As with all billowing ideas, it started with a passing reference or utterance; let me explain. I'd been to ...
Clegg is trying to show a stern hand - by using a Tory Line.Cameron recently used the term "muscular liberal" in his much aggravating speech on Multiculturalism. It was his way of reconciling the Right and Left opinions on immigration, terrorism and the EU. It was also a one dimensional, patronising and insulting comment to make as he bordered on racism, failed to address any issues and paid lip
Nick Clegg's speech to the National Liberal Club today was supposed to be the start of the new "muscular liberalism" in the Coalition. In itself, the speech isn't too controversial. There were, though, two blindingly obvious things which I think were missing. Nick clearly still doesn't get the problem about tuition fees. The reason people have attacked the party isn't just because of the policy itself. It's because we promised one thing, then did another. It was the hypocrisy, the broken promises, which we were supposed to be above. Never mind the fact that the change itself may or may ...
Wed 11th
19:30
My run in with Rosemary Butler AM, the new Presiding Officer for The National Assembly For Wales.
About 10 years ago Iworked in the Cabinet Secretariat at the Welsh Assembly Government, as an administrator in Edwina Hart's office when she was Minister of Local Government and Finance. One morning, Rosemary Butler dropped by to say hello to ... Continue reading →
I have just read Nick Clegg's speech today regarding the one year anniversary of the Coalition. There is a lot in there I like, I like a lot of the things he emphasises and in places he really captures where I am on the political spectrum. I also think he is still a great public speaker. However I'm not left feeling particularly enthusiastic, mainly for one section: "Let me be clear. It will not be possible to deliver the entire Liberal Democrat manifesto in this Government. This is because we didn't win the election. So we have had to compromise. ...
After potential Lib Dem Mayoral candidate Lembit Opik's no show at the party's London Regional Conference, as well as some other large London Lib Dem Events, VN has been wondering what had happened to the former MP. VN is sure that readers will be pleased to know that Lembit successfully made it to Nick Clegg's high ...
On the spot fines will be targeted at "Boy Racers" says Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond.The great middle class myth of Boy Racers, a stereotype guaranteed to win votes via urban myth, where, one would believe, that this plague upon us is likely to end in some "Tell Laura I love Her" hyperreal disaster.I'm not saying there are not large groups of people who meet up in vastly decorated vehicles
Couldn't resist commenting on this story in yesterday's FT. This behind the paywall, but this summary from City AM is a good start: PACE OF UK GROWTH UNDER THREAT Britain's economy is unlikely to grow as fast as before the financial crisis because its most productive sectors have been hardest hit, jeopardising government plans to cut the deficit. A Financial Times analysis of the sectorial performance of the economy before and after the crash highlights how much banks and insurance companies boosted economic growth between 2000 and 2008. What it says is that the finance industry contributed a lot to ...
Richard Kemp has some very useful advice for any taking on the new councillor role, regardless of party. Particularly this: You have three priorities address them in this order: To be a good ward representative for your constituents To be a good member of your council To be a good member of your Party And this: The Council Chamber is the most pointless place for anyone to spend time in. Particularly under the Cabinet system there is little power in the council chamber. Up to 120 people get together every 5 or 6 weeks to ritually abuse each other. Few ...
I've linked to it below Do read it. Even if you don't read anything else today, have a gander. I think it's spot on. Hats off to Jennie.
Dear UKUncut, I'd like to speak to you about your message, your method and your aims. So, I'm going to take your mission statement (or, what I perceive to be a summary of it -- you don't have a mission statement) from your website and put it here: We are told that the only way to reduce the deficit is to cut public services. This is certainly not the case. There are alternatives, but the government chooses to ignore them, highlighting the fact that the cuts are based on ideology, not necessity. One alternative is to clamp down on tax ...
Skimming over the text of Nick Clegg's speech today, he's making a fair bash at defining his own party's identity. The party of pluralism. The radical centre, aiming for both economic competence and social justice, refusing to get trapped in terms of left and right. A party that looks to the future, but has deep roots in the past. All good stuff, and after a bit of contemplation I'll likely agree with most of it. But. Not much in the way of short, punchy, "here we are in a nutshell" comments. Perhaps a bit too abstract, a bit too unlikely ...
Labour took overall control of Bury Council last week when they achieved the final seat they needed by drawing straws after a dead heat. Now that the cheers have subsided, they need to come up with a plan to fill Bury's budget hole, and they need to do it quickly. Since Labour's victory, their Leader ...
Jennie says everything I wanted to say about the tuition fees issue, except ten times better. You really should read her full post here but here's the key paragraph: Let me spell this out in very small words: the problem is, as I said before it even happened, that, with twenty-one honourable exceptions*, our MPs broke their word. We ran our whole damn general election campaign on no more broken
The coalition is one today. In the wake of last week's cataclysmic election results, and if one listened to the doom-mongers in the media who are predicting that by 2015 I'll be the only Lib Dem left alive, celebrating its birthday would feel a bit like celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of the flu strain ...
When the dust settled and the counting completed we came in third in Chells. Candidate's Surname Other Names in full Description Votes BURRELL Howard John The Labour and Co-operative Party Candidate 986 NEALE Tim Liberal Democrat 299 SAINSBURY Rachalle UK Independence Party 254 WYATT Matthew Paul The Conservative Party Candidate 517 This result was on a day which saw big swings against the party across the country. It was always going to be difficult to come into Chells as a new candidate against an incumbent councillor. The national tide flowing strongly against us made it an impossible task. I would ...
Wed 11th
17:35
Apparently the Tories are going to blame us when they can't get their own way. Please let it be true...
Over at Gary Gibbons blog, he has written an analysis of the David Laws situation and added on some more general analysis of how the coaltion will work going forward. One bit stands out: "The truth is that Tory high command is ready to do a bit more "differentiation" of its own in the new coalition dispensation and last week's results have made it confident it can bring dividends. It wants the badge of fairness still, but expect more on crime, immigration and the rest. When the Tories can't get their way in the Coalition expect them to blame the ...
I've just read Nick Clegg's speech on the first anniversary of the formation of the Coalition Government. It's available in full on the Liberal Democrat website here. It's not that it says anything bad. It's what's missing that's upset me quite a lot. Firstly, there's no specific mention of Scotland. We lost almost 750 council seats. And of course the AV referendum delivered a clear 'no' voteIt doesn't help that this was being delivered at the same time as I was watching Roderick Campbell be sworn in as SNP MSP for our long time stronghold of North East Fife, thinking ...
Next Monday (16th May 2011) there's the latest Bird Walk on Gatley Carrs. Led by Peter, our local bird expert, you'll walk around the Carrs and be introduced to the local wildlife, including birds and maybe even the odd bat. Meet on the car park at 6.30pm. View Cheadle and Gatley in a larger map
Stupid drivers - part one I accept that it is difficult to park safely in the highstreet at present and we are working as quickly as possible to get the work on the pavements finished,but some drivers beggar belief! These photos shows a Kingsmill bread lorry driver backing his vehicle on to the pavement in Woodcote Road at 9:45 this morning. The pavement was full of pedestrians at the time. When I asked him to get off the pavement he told me the law was changing and he could do it! I wonder what his boss thinks?
I see David Davis has forwarded a motion for a debate on super injunction and a privacy law. It seems the government has welcomed the move, albeit rather timid. The Prime Minister feels it would be an appropriate arena for ... Continue reading →
I haven't blogged for a while. I have had plenty to say but virtually no time to say it. The last few days have been eventful, sad, challenging. On Monday night I was elected as the new Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the City Council. There is certainly lots to do! I'll be blogging a bit about this as well as my local ward stuff from now on. Thanks to the people who have kindly sent me congratulatory messages.
This morning Nick Clegg gave a very strong speech that detailed what the Liberal Democrats are doing, and what they are going to do, on the 1st birthday of the coalition government. A substantial crowd gathered at the National Liberal Club in Westminster, as the Lib Dem leadership try to re-energise the party's activists after horrible ...
Wed 11th
16:05
'Capped immigration' I [redacted] hate the fact that Cameron thinks this is a good thing. [redacted]...
David Cameron keeps banging on and on and on about this immigration cap like this is a good thing. Whilst the public don't seem to care too much about this (and in general they are for this) it is the most anti-liberal policy that this coalition government has forced through. It sickens me to my soul far more than the embarrassing and very public U-turn on tuition fees for students but again the public seem to think that is far more important than freedom of movement of people into the UK. The United Kingdom has long been a home for ...
Those who know colour theory know that when you mix red and green light you get a nice yellow. When you mix red and green paint you get a mucky brown colour. Well, it would seem that Labour are opting for the second option if reports from their group meeting is anything to go by. What we got was the same old Labour up front in Jo Lovelock and Tony Page and the same old Labour behind the scenes thanks to John Howarth doing the maths (heaven help Reading!) with his election presentation to the assorted masses from the Reading ...
I agree with the Lib Dem MP Bob Russell on many things (and not just because he signed my Downing Street petition against Territorial Army cuts), but I am not sure about his question at Prime Minister's Questions today. Mr Russell asked: "If we're all in this together what is (David Cameron) going to do about the obscenity of a thousand multi-millionaires boosting their personal wealth by 18 per cent in the last year?" This is presumably a reference to the Sunday Times Rich List. There is nothing 'obscene' about some multi-millionaires increasing their wealth at a time of economic ...
Nominations are now sought for the 2011 ALDC Campaigner Awards. These awards celebrate Liberal Democrat campaigning - it's the third year the awards have been sponsored again by Midshires and RISO, this enables us to award cash prizes to local Liberal Democrat parties. You can enter anything that you think was an effective piece of campaigning since 1st October 2010. It does not necessarily have to be from a winning campaign, just something you think was done well and that your proud of. This year nominations are sought for: - 1st Prize (Overall winner) £500 FIVE Runners Up Prizes (£100 ...
Ever since the NHS was formed over 60 years ago, politicians have struggled to manage it. Assorted ministers and policy wonks have dreamed up elegant reform plans, while the NHS's insiders have undermined them in a bid to carry on much as before. The NHS does change, but never quite along the path that the politicians have in mind. That is as true now as ever. The difference is that NHS management is promoting reform rather than resisting it; but they are going about it in their own way. The fire and fury of the current political debate is mostly ...
I can't really remember what it was like to be a new councillor back in 1975 when I first got onto Liverpool City Council by knocking off a Tory (there were a few around then) by 56 votes. In fact ... Continue reading →
Rounding off our trio of post-election views from the other parties (see here and here), we have Compass's Neal Lawson. So what now for any progressive alliance? Let's start with an honest assessment of the hole we are in. Labour is now as divided between pluralist and tribalists as it is between those who think the markets needs come before those of society and those who turned social democracy on it head under New Labour. Labour did OK in the North but badly in the South, it did OK in Wales and atrociously in Scotland. The Greens have extended their ...
A couple of months ago, Pam and I were approached by residents of Braystan Gardens on the South Park Road estate about the Give Way lines. The problem is that cars often can't get out of Braystan Gardens for several minutes because of traffic on the Kingsway service road queueing up. We asked the Council to take a look and they came up with two options which we detailed here. The Council has now carried out a proper consultation, which shows residents in favour of option B – to give Braystan residents right of way and put a yellow hashed ...
It is worth pointing out that one bit of the Liberal family did well in May-The Alliance Party. Interstingly their one Westminster MP has not taken the Lib Dem whip although in the Lords they do. Full detail here
Assad is still in charge, but the dictator is slowly crumbling away from power. Nearly 800 dead and 8,000 imprisoned (as of 5th May) All the crimes of the aforementioned dictator will not go unpunished. The international community must act. ... Continue reading →
I often wonder if the LGBT community isn't it's own worst enemy. We allow all sorts of morons to speak on our behalf on a national level, who really don't hold our interests at heart. Stonewall is, of course, one such example but I think they've pulled their head in a little sheepishly after last years stupidity and are keeping a lower profile politically. Sadly some individuals and organisations are still working against the community at large's interests in pursuit of their own rather narrow agendas. Step forward Iain Dale. Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows I try to ...
It's that time of the year where I can now upgrade my mobile, and I'm stuck with the dilemma between picking the HTC Sensation or the Samsung Galaxy S II. Both appear to be great phones and spec wise not much between them. Similarities 1.2GHz Dual Core Processor Screen 4.3" Gorilla Glass Gingerbread (with the promise of 18 months worth of firmware upgrades) 8mp Camera with 1080p video capture TV Out via MHL cable DLNA Play the TV shows I've "recorded" Both available for the same price on the same contract HTC Senstation [IMG: HTC Sensation] Pro's Larger Screen Res ...
No getting away from it but the results for the LibDems last week were an unmitigated disaster! In England and Wales it takes them back to the early 90s but in Scotland it takes the Scottish Liberal Democrats back to where they were in 1979 - if not before.That is over 30 years of incremental steps flushed down the toilet - disappeared like snow off a dyke, destroying all the advances under Ashdown, Charles Kennedy and Chris Rennard!Someone in the blogosphere said to me before the results, that In Scotland it looks like we are finished - no-one is listening! ...
Following the final recount, LibDems now hold 13 seats on Thatcham Town Council, compared to five Conservatives. The 2007 result was 11 LibDems and seven Conservatives. Given what happened in the rest of the country last Thursday, this is extraordinary. Full results are here.
For decades Peter Riddell has been one of the best British political commentators, regularly providing his readers with insight rather than, as is the way with second-rate commentators, simply leaving the reader little more enlightened at the end of a piece that knowing that, yes, that commentator's own political views are the same as they were last time. So his book, In Defence of Politicians Inspite of Themselves, has many years of experience and analysis behind it. It originated in a lecture he gave on the same theme in February 2010 and reads like an extended version of the lecture. ...
I was very interested to see Lord Soley's blog headed "Historic Wrecks", which could surely be an apposite description of several of us in the House of Lords. I was, however, relieved to see that he was not making any specific personal references. When I bumped into him in the Division lobby last night, I congratulated him both on his regular blog contributions and more specifically on his wonderful contribution to the Parliamentary Photographic exhibition currently visible in the Upper Waiting Hall of the House of Commons. For any of you who can visit the Palace of Westminster in person, ...
The new Cornwall Local Enterprise Partnership seems set to fail its first big test of openness, transparency and involvement. It appears that a decision to bid for an Enterprise Zone based on Newquay Airport is likely to go ahead without other potential bidders getting a hearing. The Cornwall LEP was something that all parties across Cornwall agreed to in concept, but the implementation of the new body has been fraught with difficulties. First of all the initial Chair, Sir John Banham, "chose not to apply for the permanent job" (some might say he was sacked) after producing a manifesto for ...
Most commentators agree that Libya is in stalemate. But when you examine the situation in detail, it feels to me as if it may be nearing a critical tipping point where things swing decisively in favour of the pro-democracy movement. There are four areas which give hope that this might be true: Near Ajdabiya, there is talk of a renewed offensive. The front appears stable between Ajdabiya and Brega and there appear to have been no significant moves against Ajdabiya by pro-Gadaffi forces for some time now; some who fled are even returning to the town. Watch for: a renewed ...
Don't take my word for it the Southport Visiter has the story The third party on the Council, the Conservatives , have decided to put Labour in control even though they do not have a majority, as the Visiter report: 'Conservative deputy leader Cllr Brenda Porter said there was "no chance" of the Tories linking up with the Lib Dems. She said Labour would be given an opportunity to take leadership of the council. Some Conservative members have urged well-respected Cllr Robertson (Lib Dem) to stay as leader. Sir Ron Watson said: "The question is do you have a new ...
Manchester's Labour Administration are proposing to change the black bin collection service to once every two weeks from the current weekly. Whilst many local residents are finding that if they recycle they are not having to leave their bins out every week, many residents do not recycle and the possibility in terraced areas (such as Gorton and Abbey Hey) of bins being left out for two weeks or more at a stretch by the more anti-social families means that this is likely to lead to an increase in litter and other problems. So is this switch worth the savings? I've ...
Whilst many Southport FC fans are busily searching the web for information about the fate of Rushden and Diamonds and how their many creditors are acting some Southport people whose football allegiance is to Liverpool have other concerns. John Pugh who is a big Liverpool FC fan has signed the Early Day motion in Parliament urging that Birkdale resident Kenny Dalglish should be give a knighthood. Knighthood For Kenny Dalglish EDM number 1733 in 2010-11, proposed by Steve Rotheram on 26/04/2011. That this House notes the outstanding contribution to British football by Kenny Dalglish as both a player and manager; ...
You would expect that the electoral disaster faced by the Lib Dems last Thursday, with hundreds of councillors losing their seats and the referendum on fairer Votes comprehensively lost, would have overshadowed the weekend's political activity. Not so in Hackney, where the local party and friends gathered in the sunshine to discuss the apposite question, "what is happening to our NHS?" First to address the issues around the government's proposed reforms was health Minister Paul Burstow, and in fairness he did begin by paying tribute to the hard-working activists who had to deal with exacting national political circumstances – he ...
The on-going saga surrounding the controversial commercial development in the Bath-House area of Cardigan is coming to a conclusion. As I mentioned in my blog here back in February, the tit-for-tat supermarket war between Sainsbury's, who are seeking to move into the Bath-House development, and the current Tesco's store at the top of town has prolonged the issue. Indeed, a late letter sent in by Tesco tried to thwart today's discussion once more as they requested a further deferral so that this Sainsbury's application could be dealt with in tandem with one of their own. Thankfully, the committee saw sense ...
It is hard not to laugh at the notion of an entirely unelected body telling a wholly elected body that they do not have the mandate to effect constitutional change. Yet that is exactly what we have heard from the ... Continue reading →
As you may have heard, Colchester will be hosting a leg of the Tour Series cycling competition on Thursday June 2nd. As in 2009, the riders will be racing for around an hour that evening around the Town Centre, with the race starting at 7pm. If you want to watch it in style, there's a competition on the Council's website to win tickets to the hospitality area. Or, if you want to be a part of the day, the organisers are looking for volunteers to be a part of the event. Whatever you do, come along on the 2nd June ...
Wed 11th
12:10
Have Your Say - Waste and Rubbish - Proposed New Sites for rubbish in Bidston & St. James
Following on from the earlier consultation on the Waste Plan for Merseyside and Halton, there's now going to be a public consultation on "Preferred Options 2: New Sites Report". Thanks to a strong Lib Dem campaign ruling out Prenton Quarry and you'll be pleased to know there are proposed sites in Bidston & St. James ...
QR codes are an awesome free resource for charities. Sadly, they are often misused. Charities can use them to drive SMS donations – here's a quick example of how this works. Sightsavers Sightsavers is an incredible charity, working hard to combat blindness in developing countries. I'm picking on them only because their poster caught my eye this morning. [IMG: Sightsavers Poster] It's an effective poster with a strong call-to-action; "Text now". They've even included a QR code with it. Due to the proximity of the code to the text, I thought scanning the code would allow me to donate to ...
The link is to the debate in parliament about Clause 13 of the Human Rights Bill on 2nd July 1998.It does show how far the courts have gone from parliament's intention.
Southport MP has backed an Early day Motion in parliament about allotments-and I promise you I haven't lobbied him, although I am his Councillor and if he reads the blog he will have seen this artcle which pre-dates his signature. Lib Dem colleague John Leech MP from Manchester proposed the motion: Provision Of Allotments EDM number 1763 in 2010-11, proposed by John Leech on 27/04/2011. That this House notes that under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, a local authority has a statutory duty to provide a sufficient number of allotment plots to meet demand; further notes that under ...
There's a great piece over at The New Statesman blog by Laurie Penny about how the rich have an inbuilt advantage over others into getting their children into Oxbridge. Prompted bt the Willetts debacle yesterday, it's very thought provoking. However, Laurie - as she freely acknowledges - went to private school - and then Oxford. And so the comments section is full of people shouting hypocrite at her. As I've blogged before, what is a person meant to do if they want to make the world a better place- but have got to where they can do something about life's ...
According to the Guardian and Private Eye (two impeccable sources), one of the two MPs in the Borough obtained a superinjunction - the sort of gagging order where no-one is even allowed to mention that it exists. The reason that I can comment on it now without fear of legal retribution is that the injunction was lifted in March. Zac Goldsmith MP, his former wife Sheherezade and his sister Jemima Khan were granted a superinjunction in December 2008. This was to prevent the Daily Mirror and other papers from reporting that their email accounts had been hacked. When the injunction ...
As many of you will know, I have spent the past few months volunteering for the Yes to Fair Vote campaign. I thought it would be useful if I gave a brief overview of resources and the activity over the past 6 months – and my view of why we lost so convincingly for any ...
The BBC handed out more negative adjectives, including "collapsed", "destroyed" and "drubbing", to our losses (ignoring the gains and holds) on May 5th than Simon Cowell does on the X-Factor, so really we can leave other people to castigate the party and Nick Clegg, and we should get on with being honest about what happened and being focused on where to go next. Whilst I'm going to present this piece in a positive manner, it in no way diminishes my understanding of how badly we were flushed on May 5th, just I feel there is no point wallowing in it ...
Wed 11th
11:20
The Lib Dems need a heroic effort to improve where we are now (and how to make it happen)
Is it that people no longer care about the Lib Dems? that the Lib Dem brand has become toxic? that there is apathy in the Lib Dem vote? The Lib Dems need a heroic effort to bring themselves back from a disastrous result last week but many believe Nick Clegg is not the man to ...
Here on the LibDem website.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Nick Clegg is to use the anniversary of the formation of the UK Coalition to outline all of the Tory policies he has blocked as he pledges to make the Liberal Democrats more influential within the Coalition. He says that David Cameron has been forced to abandon pledges to cut inheritance tax, replace Trident in this Parliament, build more prisons and reform the Human Rights Act. He also claims that being in coalition has been tougher on the Conservatives with the Lib Dems "punching well above our weight". This is good of course but it ...
There's a very useful post over on Google's Webmaster blog about what Google looks for in deciding whether or not a site, and the content it provides, is high quality. This is becoming an increasingly important issue for Google, and for those who want their content to perform well in Google search results. Links to a site, both high in quality and number, are still an important basic component of search engine optimisation, but quality of content should now be top of SEO 'to do' lists in the way it didn't have to be in Google's early days. Here's what ...
The Independent has a good piece today about Britain's first SlutWalk which will be taking place next month. Thousands of provocatively-dressed women are expected to march through London next month when the growing "SlutWalk" phenomenon reaches these shores. Thousands have taken part in such marches in Canada and the US, after a protest movement was sparked by the comments of a Canadian police officer suggested women should "avoid dressing like sluts" if they wanted to avoid being raped. On SlutWalk London's Facebook page, 3,500 people have already said they will take part in the march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar ...
[IMG: Belfast City Hall] Belfast City Hall Replicating the wins in the Assembly election the Alliance share of the vote in the local elections increased by 2.5% to 7.4% and number of councillors from 30 to 44. Alliance became the fourth biggest party in Belfast City Council by increasing the number of councillors from 4 to 6 and the UUP decreased from 9 to 3. Alliance lost its seat in the Laganbank DEA in 2001 but Cathy Curran won it back by topping the poll with 1518 votes and getting elected in the first count. Tom Ekin (Balmoral) and Máire ...
Marking the first anniversary of the coalition Nick Clegg speaking today says that the Liberal Democrats will be more "muscular" in government and our influence more "visible". Speaking this morning at the National Liberal Club he says: "The coalition has shown itself to be a durable, stable government. But it is clear, not least from what we heard on the doorsteps in recent weeks, that people want the Liberal Democrats to be a louder voice in government."Actually Nick it wasn't just in recent weeks, it is what activists have been telling you since late last year, it is what conference ...
Looking back over the last half-year or so since it started, what are the stories and pages on this blog that have captured the public's attention and brought them to this blog? There was the story about the 2011 Census, which many people had questions about ranging from why is there no question 17 (it ...
Wed 11th
10:22
Marriage tax breaks - sign of a fascist heterosexual orthodoxy, or just something nice to have?
Below is a reply I posted to an article discussing married-couples tax breaks: The problem I have is that a marriage-tax break is inherently unfair. Why give a tax break to someone who is married, and not anyone else whether single, or living at home in an unmarried yet stable family? Unfortunately, this tax break idea does point to the hetero-orthodoxy that somehow marriage fixes all ills and creates the only environment a child can flourish in (a general thought, neither of you have suggested that). Many marriages, of course, DO have these positive points - but marriage alone does ...
This morning, Nick Clegg gave a speech to party members to mark the first anniversary of the Coalition Government. In the light of the past year, and of last week's election results, Nick set out to answer what these mean for the Liberal Democrats – both as a party and in government. Nick described the Liberal Democrat economic agenda in government as one of "short-term repair and long-term reform," while promising "a strong liberal identity in a strong coalition government", "muscular liberalism", and "a louder Liberal Democrat Voice" [we at LDV like that one especially, and are limbering up already]. ...
48 hours on from the news that the police will be getting increased powers of prosecution, we've learnt there are plans to also give them more power when it comes to dealing with traffic offences. Specifically, they will be able to hand out fixed penaty notices for tailgating and similar offences, rather than having to take you to court. It is unusual for me to approve of additional police power, but I like the sound of these ones. Tailgating is a serious problem and one that can't be addressed by speed cameras and does contribute to accidents. I also believe ...
Many people yesterday phoned the Lib Dem Action Team hotline saying that they'd voted for us and thanking us for our help. Certainly we will be around for a good time to come as we work hard all year round not just at election time. I appreciate people taking the time to call and let ...
Away from the arguments of who lied, who had the most money, should it have been full PR rather than AV as the alternative or whether the timing could have been better (imagine if we'd had the referendum at the height of the expenses scandal!) or how a non political fun referendum got nasty. On May 5th people had the chance to change the voting system. They chose not to. As a Liberal Democrat I
In just a few minutes, MSPs will start to be sworn in at Holyrood. It's going to be quite an occasion for the 129, particularly as so many of them are new. I'm thinking particularly of Willie Rennie who is the only new member of our depleted contingent, but also of Alison Johnstone, the new Green MSP for Lothians, who impressed me at several health hustings during the campaign. I expect I'll be in touch with her a lot over the next five years. Each MSP will have less than 2 minutes in the spotlight as they are individually sworn ...
Stephen Tall has written a piece in defence of David Willetts. I think he's confusing political opportunism with genuine outrage. He says no-one is providing alternatives on how to increase supply, so here's three: Pay out of general taxation, as per Lib Dem policy. In Sweden, this produces extremely high participation rates. It's incorrect to say that "as long as the UK has a state-subsidised higher education system, there will be limited capacity". Have tuition fees for all who get a place, but cap them. You might recall Nick Clegg putting his reputation through the ringer to pass such a ...
Wed 11th
08:50Who are these businesses and charities who could fund places at the top universities? Here's a list ...
After David Willett's various U turns today following his suggestion that the children of rich parents could buy their places at the top universities,(to 'aid social mobility' - ha ha ha ha ha) it seems that this issue has been firmly knocked on the head - not least by David Cameron, who said "There's no question of people being able to buy their way into university. University access is about ability to learn, not ability to pay." So that's alright then, panic over Except I'm not convinced it is all over. Because we are still left with the notion that ...
What's the real story of the past year in a nutshell? The country had had enough of Labour. Tired, bereft of ideas and saddled with an unpopular leader who had been in charge as the country blundered into the debt crisis, Labour was out of the picture. So the Tories and Lib Dems did the responsible thing - did a deal on what they could agree on, to get a workable stable government and avoid financial meltdown for this debt-laden country. If the country does not have good governance, all politicking over this or that policy is futile. But our ...
The dilemma over Twitter, famous people and privacy is becoming a tangled mess. Cameron is quoted yesterday as saying it is down to Parliament to make law on privacy, not judges. Uh, I'm sorry sir, but judges form a third of British executive and unless you wish to stamp out centuries of stare decisis (the term defining the precedent rule layed down in the court) then you will be rocking the very
I believe in the principle of the NHS that healthcare should be free at the point of use and based on clinical need; not on the ability to pay. Thats why I believe that patients should not be restricted in how they gain access to the NHS. The NHS should not be centralised through one
John Hemming (Birmingham, Yardley): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, if he will instruct legal representatives to intervene on one or more cases in respect of recent judgments in terms of the balance between Articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights to take the case to the Supreme Court for a ruling on the interpretation of section 12 of the
I watched the 'Alan Sugar Tackles Football' programme on the BBC last night with great interest. He is of course a phenomenom because of his 'The Apprentice' series. He also knows his stuff from his period as Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur between 1991-2001. As a football fan first of all, I found his programme fascinating. My Alyson, having watched the first installment of 'The Apprentice' earlier in the evening in my absence and who is not one who is usually interested in football, watched the majority of it with me. She got rightly increasingly annoyed as I continuously nodded my ...
On Sunday we had an interesting juxtaposition. The Observer declared that Ed Miliband 'opens the door to future co-operation with the Liberal Democrats', contrasting Tory policies with 'progressive ones' and inviting Liberal Democrats to join him on the side of progress. This resonates with his previous attempt to appeal to the putative 'progressive majority' as ...
i) births and deaths 11 May 2001: death of Douglas Adams, writer of The Pirate Planet (1978) and Shada (unbroadcast but would have been 1980), co-author of City of Death (1979) and script editor for Season 17 (1979-80); best known, of course, for other things. ii) broadcast anniversaries 11 May 1968: broadcast of third episode of The Wheel in Space. Cybermats have infiltrated the Wheel, and the Cybermen have laid a trap in their spaceship. 11 May 1974: broadcast of second episode of Planet of the Spiders, the one with the interminable chase sequence.
Wed 11th
07:53
Learning the lessons from last week #3: Grassroots campaigns don't win national elections
Liberal Democrats have long known that grassroots campaigns can win a ward, a council or a constituency – but they don't win national election campaigns. It's the knowledge that you need both the grassroots campaign and an effective national media and/or advertising campaign that explains why when Chris Rennard was the party's Chief Executive not only did the Campaigns Department grow hugely in size – but so too did the national press team. Yet at the heart of the Yes campaign in last week's AV referendum seems to have been a big mistake: trying to run a grassroots campaign to ...
It's an interesting definition of "serious", but hey, who am I to judge? And here's an another interesting nugget, yesterday I had two visits from the Crossrail internet pipe run by my former employer Fujitsu Services. I wonder if Crossrail has any HR policies about reasonable use of the internet during the working day to send threatening emails? Might be worth checking with their personnel department. I don't often link to the The Gruaniad, but this article and this one from a leading Lib Dem says pretty much all that needs to said about the real Lib Dem attitude to ...
Last night, I attended a very interesting meeting of West End Community Council, at which there was a presentation by Matt Lock, Service Manager with Shelter, who discussed homelessness issues. I had my regular update to the Community Council on West End issues available at the meeting. You can download it at http://tinyurl.com/weccmay2011. Next month's meeting will cover Neighbourhood Watch, a matter of interest to many West End residents.
This week I feature a band whose music takes me back to the latter years of my schooldays.... James. And while they had a number of anthems, it's hard not to regard Sit Down as their most iconic song (although if you want to argue in favour of Laid, that's allowed.) So here, for your aural pleasure, it is: Andrew
513 - Then We Take Berlin: When East Ate West | Strange Maps | Big Think The public transport map of East Berlin. (tags: germany history)
Wed 11th
00:42
The Lib Dem Leadership Don't Get It - But I Do (a post that has been brewing a long time)
So the Lib Dems took a battering last week. A lot of postmorteming is going on, and the consensus seems to be that what happened with tuition fees is the issue, and that we cocked up. Well, when I say "we", I mean those of us who had votes in parliament and toed the government line. I still think that the leadership don't get what the problem is. People know that we are the junior partner in the coalition. They know that we couldn't be expected to enact Lib Dem policy on tuition fees because the Tories would never have ...
I have been giving a lot of thought to yesterday's Libertarian ban. I also let one of my brothers know about my comments and the fairly aggressive replies from a fellow Roman Catholic. The main difference between me and the Libertarian, apart from the aggression, is that I don't wear my religion on my sleeve alongside my politics. My brother sent a fairly extensive reply to the string of comments. I won't share it all with you as it is around twice the length of my usual blogs, but I will repeat one paragraph which was a reference to Liberal ...
