The Independent and the Telegraph have major stories today on the crisis at Great Ormond Street hospital. They both report a letter in The Lancet from senior consultants at the hospital, calling for an external inquiry. As the Independent puts it: In an extraordinary letter today in the medical journal The Lancet, an undisclosed number of Great Ormond Street consultants express "alarm" at the way senior managers have treated clinicians who raise patient safety concerns. The consultants demand "strong ministerial intervention to order an investigations into these matters, including the treatment of whistleblowers". Pressure has been mounting on the Government ...
When they reported this on Radio 4 this morning, I was sceptical. Prosecutors in the US must need direct evidence of lying about the assault to drop the case against Strauss-Khaun, surely? Reviewing it in The Standard tonight, it is clear that there is no such direct evidence. Apparently, lies about anything are enough to prove you are lying about a sexual assault. That is not, of course, to insinuate whether Strauss-Khaun is guilty or not. But the overwhelming assertion is that the alleged victim must have invented the attack as she has been discredited in other areas. If the ...
Oh dear. It seems that Tory ministers are in drivel overdrive. One minute it's Michael Gove, then its Francis Maude, now it's Iain Duncan-Smith. No wonder we're at 8% in the polls and scoring 2% at by-elections. Being in coalition with the Tories is a bit like being tied to a two ton weight and dumped into the middle of the Atlantic. With all these illiberal statements and dog whistles going off all over the place, no wonder we're being deserted in droves by people with some idea what liberalism. But back to Iain Duncan-Smith. He rather strangely chose Madrid ...
Edinburgh City council last night backed the partial completion of the city's tram project. This is good news and good leadership by the city's Lib Dem led administration. The tram project has rightly been held up to ridicule for interminable delays, overspends and continued resignations of project leaders. But much of the project's problems have stemmed from the way the project was devised by the previous Labour administration. The sad thing for the current administration is that the trams won't be running before the city goes to the polls, while voters will have had to put up with the disruption ...
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One does have to wonder why the Daily Mail manages to get away with such utter rubbish. Today's Twitterati dispair is that an accidental death has been blamed on teachers striking yesterday. The facts of the case are; A teenage girl was crushed to death by a falling tree branch as she sat on a park bench yesterday. Pretty much everything else is conjecture designed to enrage and vexate the readers into despising the strikers. 'The fact is if the teachers were not on strike Sophie would have been at school and this would not have happened. I'm sorry? The ...
Co-operation is an idea whose time has come round again, argues Peter Arnold from the Association of Liberal Democrat Co-operators. The concept of co-operation in modern Britain includes the traditional co-operative movement founded in Rochdale in 1844 (now known as The Co-operative), but it also includes social enterprises, mutual organisations, credit unions, co-operative housing schemes, and community and voluntary organisations all over the country that operate along co-operative lines, and provide local goods and services to people in the areas where they live. The idea behind co-operation is simple - people working co-operatively together can achieve far more than people ...
Beth Ditto and the Gossip show how live music should be done:
We should not be tolerating pillocks like Maude talking this sort of tosh on our behalf
From the Third Sector website: The Minister for the Cabinet Office says former public sector workers could take on unpaid roles at charities. Public sector workers who have been made redundant should work unpaid as volunteer managers for charities, according to Francis Maude, the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Speaking at a session hosted by Christian charity Oasis in London on Wednesday evening, Maude said many charities had plenty of potential volunteers but were unable to involve all of them because there was a shortage of volunteer managers. "There will be a diminishing public sector workforce," he said. "I want ...
Have a look at this cutting of the Private Eye (issue 1291). Double Click the above picture to view. Are these the kind of surgeries you would expect from your MP? Should MP's be earning on parliamentary time? Perhaps it's time to cut the other job. After all it's not as if he's in a safe seat and is worried about staying your MP.
Cambridge's battle to safeguard city streets like Mill Road has reached the House of Lords. Baroness Ros Scott of Needham Market said she was particularly struck by the city's fight to protect the special character of Mill Road. And she warned that if the Localism Bill "did not allow councils to protect cherished local neighbourhoods and facilities, it will have failed." Cambridge City Council Leader, Liberal Democrat Sian Reid has asked the Lords to support the city council's call for amendments to clauses in the Bill regarding neighbourhood planning. The council wants local authorities to have legal powers to promote ...
Cambridge's battle to safeguard city streets like Mill Road has reached the House of Lords. Baroness Ros Scott of Needham Market said she was particularly struck by the city's fight to protect the special character of Mill Road. And she warned that if the Localism Bill "did not allow councils to protect cherished local neighbourhoods and facilities, it will have failed." Cambridge City Council Leader, Sian Reid has asked the Lords to support the city council's call for amendments to clauses in the Bill regarding neighbourhood planning. The council wants local authorities to have legal powers to promote the shops ...
Well apparently it was a relatively well known fact but not until today did I realise that Prime Minister David Cameron is, like me, an Aston Villa fan. I must admit, it doesn't really fill me with pride! This Birmingham Mail article shows this photo of the PM jogging through Hyde Park wearing an Aston Villa shirt. I was not aware, but his Villa credentials are actually quite pukka. His Uncle was a former Chairman of the club and he first attended a match aged 13. My first Villa Park appearance in the autumn of 1995 was also at age ...
What a game... New Zealand got the first goal in, and for a nail-biting 40 minutes it looked like England were on their way home. But at 63 minutes Scott equalised, and 20 minutes later Clarke put us ahead and in the end sent New Zealand home instead. I had to dig out my Lightning ...
Having read all but two of the Old Who annuals, and most of the new ones as well, I can say this is one of the best large-format annual-style books to be associated with the Who franchise. The core of it is a combination of two-page reviews of the 13 episodes of 2010, plus interviews with the cast and crew; but there are lots of joyous extras as well, including a page of teasers for the 2011 stories (only two of which I recognise) and a rather joyous look at the past appearances of vampires and other blood-sucking horrors in ...
The Logie Estate This afternoon, I had the pleasure of introducing the guest speaker - Jim Fenton, West District Housing Manager - to a packed meeting of residents of Logie that we had arranged. Well over 30 residents attended and, in addition to Jim's update on the role of the local housing manager in tackling local problems, there was a useful and robust questions and answer session when residents raised local issues, followed by tea and coffee. It was also good to chat with local residents over coffee and thereafter I met with Elm Street residents to see several local ...
As Helen Duffett reported early this morning, the Inverclyde by-election saw Labour holding on to the seat, but with a dramatically reduced majority over the SNP. This was always going to be a tight fight between those two. You would think that Labour would be the likely victor, but the SNP came within 500 votes of unseating them in May's elections. With the SNP in majority control at Holyrood, how would they fare in this first electoral test? Scotland has felt very different since the Holyrood elections. The political environment feels a lot darker. In the run up to the ...
Here's a treat! Damon Green, the reporter from ITN who recorded the car crash interview with Ed Miliband has published a warts and all account of the experience - it's fantastic insight into how the Labour PR handlers got it so badly wrong, how they operate, and what the experience of the actual interview was like. It's brilliant. Unless you support Labour (as someone accused me of earlier - ha ha !). Then it's a disaster. Here's an edited sample... Ed Miliband thinks that the strikes are wrong at a time when negotiations are still underway.... I know this because ...
This afternoon I popped down to Coronation Square in Southcote to support a campaign being led by local Lib Dem campaigner Dave Warren to get the Council to ensure developers include delivery of new community facility as part of the redevelopment of the former Happy Prospect pub site. It was great to catch up with Dave who along with local shopkeepers and residents is collecting signatures for a petition to Reading Borough Council to be presented later this year. Clearly it is important to provide more housing on the site but given the loss of a pub is also the ...
This morning, I had the pleasure of attending this year's Harris Academy Prizegiving Ceremony. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning and great to see the success of so many pupils from Harris Academy. Guest speaker was Mr Denis Speedie, who retires today from his post of Depute Head Teacher. Mr Speedie has been at Harris since 1975 and has made an enormous contribution to the school. He gave an informative, entertaining and emotional speech. Like all present today, I wish Denis a long and happy retirement.
As you may have noticed, although I live in Inverclyde I have not written much about the recent by-election. This is partly because I've been away for long periods and not directly involved in the campaign - for reasons which may become obvious in the next few days as I return to blogging in earnest. It's also due to the fact that not only was the final result predictable from the outset, it almost entirely failed to enthuse the local electorate. To be blunt, I wasn't overly excited about our prospects either. After standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate for ...
This week, VN found itself in the unusual position of agreeing with senior members of the Labour party. First David Miliband, then Chris Bryant, made very sensible statements on Lords reform. Luckily that old charmer Ken Livingstone to remind us why tensions are still so high between the leading lights within Labour and the Lib ...
Finally July is here and it appears to have bought the sun with it, and with this in mind there is the Beech Road Festival going on this weekend. This fantastic festival is now in its 14th year all thanks ... Continue reading →
As you may know, my husband celebrated his 60th birthday this week. Today his bus pass arrived. The photo shows it next to his nightclub discount card. Sixty is a lot younger than it used to be. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The last Labour government commissioned a report into reducing costs on Britains railways by Sir Roy Mcnulty an aviation expert! Its titled "Realising the Potential of GB Rail" and has just been delivered to the current coalition government. One of its many recommendations is to close the following Southwark railway ticket offices: East Dulwich, North Dulwich, West Dulwich, Elephant&Castle, Nunhead, Queens Road Peckham, Sydenham, South Bermondsey and Gipsy Hill on the border with Lambeth. Also proposed that Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill station ticket offices only be open 7-10am Mon-Fri. In fact it's easier to list the ones that would ...
San Francisco and Silicon Valley are exciting places to be living just now as a number of tech companies go public and turn their founders into millionaires overnight. Most of these founders are the same age as me (in their 30′s), but what I find interesting is that this is a generation of entrepreneurs that ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Why Simon Kelner is wrong to defend Johann Hari (19 comments) by Stephen Tall What can the Lib Dems do about the Coalition's 'Northern problem'? (55 comments) by Stephen Tall Brian Paddick writes: Why I want to be Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor in 2012 (22 comments) by Brian Paddick Opinion: Stephen Williams is right to support the criminalisation of squatting (33 comments) by Tom Papworth Opinion: Why today's strike action is wrong (21 comments) by ...
I am beginning to think the campaign to save the libraries from privatisation is having an effect. In May Wokingham Borough Council put out a press release unequivocally stating that the plan was to outsource the libraries to a private sector body. Just before the Executive met- and agreed it – the press release said: Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for community development, said: "If agreed by the executive next week, this would see the council start the process for outsourcing the library service to a private sector organisation. You can read the whole press release here: But ever ...
Bon soir. Tomorrow sees the start of the 2011 Tour de France so I'm getting really excited and indeed I have prepared a number of treats for you in advance for the next three weeks as well. My usual mix of politics and cycling (plus other stuff) for the month of July, so bear with me. As it is the first Friday, or Vendredi, before the kick off of theTour since I started blogging the Tour and doing my fun Friday postings the theme today is this year's Tour. First of all let's take a look at this year's route. ...
I asked Andrew Wiseman, Chair of the Liberal Democrat Conference Committee about exclusion of representatives from conference.He replied that "Conference Standing Orders allow us to exclude someone from conference. It is not something we would do lightly. As I have said given that the threshold of likely to cause a serious risk of harm to those attending conference or conference it is highly
The Independent reported Michael Gove's call thus on 26th June: In an unprecedented step in relations between the Government and trade unions, the Secretary of State for Education said that classrooms threatened with closure could remain open if head teachers used the "wider school community" - including pupils' parents - to teach lessons. - Rarely has a ministerial statement made me so angry. That is just such nonsense. CRB checks take weeks. So, you'd have to be using the few parents with existing CRB checks in place. But it is just such utter bunkum to suppose that parents can just ...
This is my tenth monthly round-up of blog figures for anyone who is remotely interested in who reads my little blog. These stats for the month of June come courtesy of google analytics. Another Busy Month After the record shattering antics of May, June was a quieter month, albeit only slightly. Although my output for the month of 25 blog posts was the lowest monthly total since last October, I still reached near parity with the record-breaking viewing figures from May. It was the exploits of Rory McIlroy at the US Open that meant that I experienced on 20th June, ...
Yesterday at the LGA conference some Labour Councillor addressed Milliband as a future Prime Minister. Sadly for him there was a spontaneous outburst of laughter . It just was not credible. The much discussed interview today rather confirms that he has a lot to do to persuade folk he could take up that job.
The suggestion that the Labour Leader of Mersytravel capitulated to the RUM over moves to have vertical integration-that is to run both the rail track and the rolling stock- would seem to many have been confirmed by a statement from Bob Crowe reported in the Liverpool Post this morning RAIL union leader Bob Crow has praised a U-turn on plans to allow Merseyside to run its own rail network. Earlier this week, passenger authority Merseytravel voted to break off negotiations about introducing the system, known as "vertical integration" on Merseyrail. This was despite having spent £1.5m pressing for the new ...
Poor Ed Miliband. The Labour leader would have been hoping public attention today would be focused on his his party's defence of its Inverclyde stronghold — instead, everyone's watching his car-crash TV interview in which he reformulates a soundbite repeatedly in order to insert the words 'negotiating table' and 'these strikes are wrong' into every sentence. The result? A distinctly odd, unnatural, automated interview which fuels the 'Awkward Ed' media meme. Part of me feels a little sorry for Mr Miliband. Clearly he was under the impression that only one line would be extracted from the interview; not unreasonably he ...
The link is to an article I have written about problems with the legal system. It concentrates on, but is not exclusively about, Public Family Law.
I've been away from Parliament for the last three weeks. My wife Rosie had an operation (nothing horribly serious, but nevertheless debilitating) so that leaves me at home to take care of her and the children. Being out of the Westminster bubble means I'm hearing the news the same way everyone else does - not from nuanced internal briefings, or from having been in the chamber during PMQs or a particular debate, but from the radio, the papers, the telly and the web. And I've not been discussing the issues of the day with other MPs but instead with mums ...
Like me, you may been labouring under the illusion for some time now that what lay behind the government's passion for reform of Public Sector pensions was that the country simply couldn't afford them - especially given the fact that people are now expecting to live much longer and therefore draw on that pension for longer. And if so, then again,like me you may be surprised to learn this isn't true. Remarks like David Cameron saying "The reason we can't go on as we are is because as the baby boomers retire - and thankfully live longer - the pension ...
I was very disappointed to read Iain Duncan Smith's latest attack on migrant workers in the UK. The idea that a cap on immigration will solve our unemployment situation is simplistic in the extreme. In Scotland we are struggling to find people to work in the care sector. In the near future every school leaver in Tayside will have to work in Care in order to look after the elderly population of Tayside. I don't think that part of Scotland is alone. The NHS is and always has been heavily dependant on people moving here from overseas. These are not ...
If Ed Miliband is inhuman and operates the dialectic skills of C-3PO, then humanity has nothing to fear from the technological singularity. The worst interview, by a British politician, in the history of contemporary politics. (credit to http://maxfarquar.com)
[IMG: Former Tory council leader Lord Hanningfield could serve at least a year in jail for expenses fraud] Former Tory council leader Lord Hanningfield was aided by his colleagues and superiors running a council now known for its expensive junkets and policy failures Essex Tories will no doubt be relieved to see their former leader Paul White – aka "the Right Honourable the Lord Hanningfield" – behind bars so they can move on from a particularly dark era in the county's political history. But those who collaborated in Lord Hanningfield's vanity projects and his closest stalwarts are now the ones ...
This morning I was privileged to be invited to the launch of the British Gurkhas Ex-Serviceman Assocation campaign for justice held at the Wycliffe Church in East Reading. I have been involved with Reading Gurkhas through my colleague Tilehurst Lib Dem Cllr Peter Beard who helped set up the Forgotten British Gurkha charity. Although Gurkhas were granted indefinite leave to remain following the campaign led by Joanna Lumley and supported by Nick Clegg they currently do not have full British citizenship and associated rights i.e. pension rights. We heard at the meeting that on a visit to Reading David Cameron ...
Nominations for the 2011 LGA Lib Dem group elections are now open, nomination form is attached. If you are interested in representing your colleagues at a national level or just want to know a bit more, read the short summary below and then go to the following web address for a full guide to the elections: http://www.libdemgroup.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/18947767 If you would like to stand for a post, please complete the form (download a form here) and then either print out, sign and post/fax back (details on form) or else email it back to libdem@local.gov.uk and ask your proposer and seconder to ...
Ed Miliband is pretty poor at his job in my opinion. I have said it before and will probably say it again. Some people agree and some people disagree and that is fair enough. However what I don't think too many can honestly disagree with is that Ed Miliband is not great in front of the camera and when videos like the one embedded into this blog post come out then you can see why. To read the full story please click here as ITV's Damon Green recounts the full tale. In short he was doing a pool interview for ...
On Monday, MPs will be asked to vote through £1 billion in windfall profits to existing nuclear operators for doing absolutely nothing new. We fought the last general election on the promise of opposing new nuclear power and certainly reject public subsidies for nuclear power. Whatever your take on nuclear power though, surely it's unjustifiable and politically untenable to hand out £1 billion to EDF and Centrica directly from consumer purses, when people are already feeling the squeeze. The windfall will do nothing to ensure new electricity generation, nothing to help us meet our renewable energy targets and nothing to ...
As The Guardian has reproted, on the Today programme yesterday, Francis Maude tried to claim that the reason Public Sector Pansions should be reformed was becasue they are unaffordable. It's surprising he did - as Justine Greening had tried the same thing on the same programme the day before, and got hammered for it. And as Evan Davis had been given the opportunity for a dry run the day before, he really skewered Maude. Here's the interview - more later on the wider issue. But for now...enjoy! Intervew begins: ED: I want to just ask about your credibility. The prime ...
There were two principal local council by-elections held on Thursday 30th June. The Tories held both seats. There were no parish or town council by-election results reported to ALDC. [IMG: Our candidate Lisa Smart campaigning on the Park charging issue in Wandsworth] Wandsworth is not the strongest borough in London for active liberalism, so it was not surprising that the by-election in the Thamesfield ward was fallow ground for us - residents saw their first active Lib Dem campaign for 30 years. We went in with our eyes open and with achievable objectives. We held our vote despite a massive ...
Regular readers will know I have been calling for Jane Collins, Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital, to resign for some time now. This morning reports are breaking that once again a group of doctors have called for an investigation into what's going on, in a letter to be published today in The Lancet. This follows scathing criticism of the management at the hospital in last weeks Lancet editorial. I hope this will be the moment Jane Collins does the decent thing, decides enough and enough - and resigns.
Once again I am indebted to Liberal England. They report that this is Co op fortnight and there is a video on youtube from 2010 which gives some background and context. I am particularly pleased that the co-ops are taking this step to promote themselves because there is a real danger that the government drive to promote mutuals to take on public sector operations may eclipse the role of employee ownership in other sectors of the economy. I should be clear I am delighted by the attempt to promote employee firms in all parts of the economy but I firmly ...
Two Liberal Democrat peers are among the six candidates standing for election as Speaker of the House of Lords. Baroness (Angela) Harris and Lord (Rupert) Redesdale have entered the contest following the announcement that the current Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, will not be seeking re-election. On Tuesday evening, the Hansard Society held a hustings in which the candidates set out their reasons for standing and answered questions from the audience of peers. You can listen to their speeches here, including Baroness Harris' (Lord Redesdale had a prior engagement). You can also watch full coverage of the Lord Speaker hustings on ...
Seeing the Liberal Democrats poll 2.2% of the vote in a town that elected the first Liberal Provost in Scotland and has had continual Council representation from my party for nearly 50 years is something that I find a little hard to take. My grandfather was born and grew up in Greenock and could remember when the area was represented by a Liberal MP. Having been a Communist at one stage and having witnessed Labour's rise to power as a young man, he was surprised when I told him that the Council had been run by Lib Dems in recent ...
As the campaign to save RAF Leuchars nears its conclusion, Sir Menzies Campbell MP is "reassured" that the case for the retention of the base in his North East Fife constituency is being well considered by those at the heart of government. David Cameron has written to Sir Menzies acknowledging the "succinct summary of a case for RAF Leuchars" made by the North East Fife MP recently to the Prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Secretary and Scottish Secretary. In his letter, the Prime Minster said that, "it is not difficult to appreciate why the future of the base is ...
Cornwall is set to be hugely under-represented on new Police Boards unless the Government amends the legislation to reform the way police forces are held to account. The Government plans to bring in new elected Police Commissioners - one for each police force including our own Devon and Cornwall force. These people will be held to account by a Police Board comprising one councillor from each authority covered by the force area. Because no differentiation is made between districts, counties and unitary councils, that means that Cornwall will have a single representative, as will The Isles of Scilly, Torbay and ...
I once sold an ice cream to Harold Pinter. Or, to be more accurate, to his wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, who bought one each for herself and Harold during my time with the Royal Shakespeare Company. My notably undistinguished career at the RSC comprised two months as a Front of House Assistant, selling programmes and ice creams, tearing tickets and directing patrons to their seats. This was thousands of years ago, when I was aged eighteen and the RSC's London base was at the Barbican. Alright, it was 1989. One of the job's many best bits was "sitting in". The ...
Apparently the shirt has Cameron 10 on the back. It's nice to see Cameron supporting a less fashionable team. Prince William, who worked with Cameron on the FA's disastrous world cup bid, is also known to support Aston Villa. VN doesn't imagine that this pic, tweeted by Ross Lydall, will go down well in the blue (or striped, ...
A debate on the civil list in the House of Commons yesterday took on a surreal air following a speech by Conservative MP. Jacob Rees-Mogg. Mr. Rees-Mogg started off with an intervention that suggested that MPs secure the return of the royal yacht in time for the Diamond Jubilee and then launched into a full scale defence of the monarchy: So far in the debate, we have missed a crucial point. We have just focused on the cost of the monarchy, but our sovereign represents the greatest institution in our land; it is that bit that makes us British, and ...
Die Walküre [The Valkyrie], opera in three acts and the second part of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen [The Ring of the Nibelung]. Performed at the Wermland Opera in Karlstad, 29 June 2011. After the great success of Das ... Continue reading →
Economic prosperity and social stability are interlinked. Growth and employment opportunities provide means for tranquility, within a nation, and means for the individual to accumulate wealth and savings. But when economies fail and governments' struggle to maintain control, social unrest ... Continue reading →
But why won't they come to us???
A journalist who contributes to the Guardian's Comment Is Free website has mocked on twitter the deaths of three students killed in Thailand on their gap year. Kia Abdullah, who authored the book Childs Play, tweeted: Abdullah is mocking the loss of three young men, about to start their adult lives, because she ...
I went to the Consett Scout Group's Annual General Meeting last night, held at Consett Methodist Church. Since they've had to stop using their old Scout Hut which was no longer fit for purpose, Consett Scout Group has been operating in other local venues like a school and Church Hall. That cramps their style a little (the car park isn't suitable for pitching tents or camp fires), but despite this they have gone from strength to strength, keeping numbers of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts up and gaining new leaders. The Beavers are 22 strong still, despite 16 moving on into ...
Since the publication of the Government's White Paper and Draft Bill on House of Lords reform, the old guard have lined up to cavil about its detail, to deride its democratic principles and to defend - in the last ditch - the status quo. This has augmented the popular media's predisposition towards arch cynicism and trenchant pessimism. Yet there is firm evidence to contradict their lazy assumptions. Just because Labour engaged in over a decade of dither and delay does not mean that a determined government, with the resolve of the House of Commons behind it, cannot succeed. The Coalition ...
This piece of BBC film looks horrendous, but there's a case to be made for saying that Ed Milliband has been set up by the corporation. I don't know if that's true, but it's the only explanation I can come up with for why Mr Milliband should appear to be giving such a terrible interview. He's being pilloried for it on a number of political websites. Why I think he has been set up TV news programmes will usually want a short sharp statement (a soundbite) from key figures, rather than a full interview with lots of questions. So they ...
You'll notice that although I wrote a lot about Inverclyde, and the excellent Liberal Democrat candidate Sophie Bridger, I never made any wild predictions about what would happen. That's because I had a feeling that it would be pretty much as it was. The result in full was: Iain McKenzie Labour 15118 Anne McLaughlin SNP 9280 David Wilson Cons 2784 Sophie Bridger Lib Dem 647 Mitch Sorbie UKIP 288 Logic dictated that if the SNP couldn't win this seat on a night like they had in May, it was destined to stay as a Labour fiefdom. SNP candidate Anne McLaughlin ...
Stockport Council has launched a new service, and is asking members of the public to report illegal dog foulers by text message. The following information is requested in the text: Specific date and time of the fouling Specific location of the fouling Brief description of dog and the owner The name of the person texting (if they are willing to provide this) The number to text is 07624 805 662 - texts to the number will cost the standard network rate and an automated reply will not be sent. Nor will they be entered onto a text database where they ...
Many thanks to all who read my blog in June, which record traffic up 36% on the previous month. Here are the top 5 post over the last 30 days. 1. I apologise; this is a cheap dig at the Milibands. But it's the most brilliant photo, isn't it.... I know, I know...still funny though. 2. There's nothing special about Nick Clegg. Not like that nice David Cameron. Nick's not the first politician to get a continuous kicking from the media. But for how much longer can David Cameron avoid similar treatment? 3. To Jane Collins, Great Ormond Street Hospital: ...
US officials are distributing a document designed to reform the political agenda in Syria, the Guardian reports. There is something unpleasantly subversive about this measure. The document details in Obama-style rhetoric to establish a "clear and frank apology" for abuse of protestors and proposes democratic systems for the country to embrace. It's an extremely illiberal move. I really dislike the interference the west conducts into the middle east, I believe ideologies differ greatly and democracy, like critical thinking, can only be achieved by the country's own people, not enforced or implemented by an external body. Of course, this is a ...
I was at the Public Affairs Cymru dinner last night at which the guest speaker was the former Welsh Conservative Assembly Leader, Nick Bourne. One of the candidates to succeed him was also present, though the other had given apologies and cancelled at the last minute. Nick Bourne told the dinner that he was not going to take sides in the leadership contest but he had voted. I suspect that many other Tories have also sent in their ballots. This morning's Western Mail hatchet job on Andrew R.T. Davies then is a bit late in the day. Nevertheless it does ...
A double dose of RIP: Peter Falk (aka Columbo) and Habitat (aka Where my bank balance goes). # Just one more thing... So many memories of Friday afternoons at uni watching Columbo, post-tutorials. #saladdaze # Something tells me I've just given into being middle-aged: I've bought a set of golf clubs. http://lockerz.com/s/113759225 # @cjmillsnun Better than uphill all the way tho #everycloudetc in reply to cjmillsnun # @phirewhorx Damn straight [IMG: :)] in reply to phirewhorx # @sarabedford I blame the parents [IMG: :)] in reply to sarabedford # @sarabedford 'Nuff respect. Does she still play? in reply to sarabedford ...
I spent yesterday working on some help pages for my WordPress theme for Liberal Democrat websites; Lib Dem Aqua. I have made the theme very flexible and customisable but, for those not experts on WordPress, it can be a bit confusing working out how to make the best of all its features. So I hope these new pages will provide some guidance for those who are using my theme. The pages available are: Recommended plugins Using custom menus Setting up your home page Home page image dimensions Using widgets
AV Referendum asked the wrong question: The result was so poor because we set the referendum up wron...
The AV referendum seemed like a simple question of Yes or No. It isn't and we were naive to think it was. It is two questions rolled into one making it much more complicated than it needed to be and the result much more difficult to understand. I doubt that the inquiry will be able ...
Some people need to learn to be more pleasant. Why exactly is this person in the Liberal Democrats again? And you wonder why I took the decision to leave twitter? Its all part and parcel of the same utter bollocks ...
I'm mostly taking a break from Liberal Democrat Voice over July and August to write a book with Ed Maxfield on political campaigning. The rest of the team will be keeping the site running, but if you've ever half-thought of writing a post for us, now's a particularly good time to put fingers to keyboard. I may now and again break my Lib Dem Voice fast [IMG: :-)] But I'll still be tweeting and doing my monthly email newsletter about the Liberal Democrats. Otherwise, see you in September.
Next Monday, strike a blow for individuality by buying at least one thing from a local, independent shop. In and around King's Hedges we have a lot to choose from with both Milton Road including a flower shop, hairdressers, and motor accessories and in Arbury Court there is a wide range of shops including a Chinese Takeaway, Bike Repairs, and a butchers. Cambridge City Council and Love Cambridge, the City Centre partnership, are backing a campaign to help the High Street by Skillsmart Retail and the National Skills Academy for Retail. They have got together with independent retailers and trade ...
Following my letter to Baroness Blackstone, Chair of GOSH Board in which I call for an investigation – in a signed editorial, Richard Horton (editor of the Lancet) arrives (pretty much) at the same conclusions that I did over the with-holding of information by Great Ormond Street from the Serious Case Review into the death of Baby Peter. I paste his editorial at the bottom Interestingly he links the 'cover up' with GOSH's application for Foundation Status and the dilemma that the Sibert report posed with its damning conclusions about the dangerous conditions at St Ann's – where Baby Peter ...
"Why are they remaking Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"? I grumbled, before checking and finding that the famous television adaptation with Alec Guinness was first screened in 1979. I was like someone in 1979 saying that a book that had previously been adapted in 1947 so there was no need to do it again. So let me give an unqualified welcome to the new film of John Le Carre's book, the trailer for which you can find on the Guardian website. And the cast list is impressive - IMDB suggests Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Bendedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth - though ...
Sit back. Relax. And get ready to eat a bar of chocolate / have a drink each time he says "wrong" in this interview. You may wish to cheer and applaud as well. Though obviously not at the same time as drinking or eating. That would be rude and messy. (It is a mesmerisingly strange interview, though I wonder if what really went wrong was the pre-interview discussion with the BBC and he was expecting just one short clip to be used - hence the repeated use of the same phrases, rearranged slightly.)
I have been away for most of the week, in Bruges (which thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhey seem to prefer to be called Brugge) so I'm missed most of the debates and comments leading up to yesterdays strikes. What little I have heard has not caused me to change my views as expressed in an earlier post. However, I'd be interested in further and better particulars on several aspects of the situation: 1. Pensions for retired local government employees are "funded", which I understand to mean that their contributions were invested (doubtless much of them in the National Debt), and that the funds are ...
The main issue at Stockport's Full Council last night was whether the Council should put in £20,000 to sponsor Stockport County for the coming season, as a complement to £20,000 already agreed by the Solutions SK board. I, and the Liberal Democrat group, supported the move. I make no claims to be a big County fan – I've been to a couple of matches at Edgeley Park with the kids, and that's about the extent of it. Many people are far more passionate about their football than I am. I supported the move for three reasons. First, it's a good ...
This interview was quite surreal. Whatever the question was the answer was essentially the same.
From the BBC: Labour has won the Inverclyde by-election for the UK parliament but its majority has been more than halved. Iain McKenzie took the Westminster seat with 15,118 votes over the SNP's Anne McLaughlin on 9,280. Labour's majority fell from 14,416 at the 2010 general election to 5,838. The Conservatives took third place with 2,784, the Liberal Democrats polled 627 votes and UKIP was fifth with 288. The by-election was held after the death of David Cairns in May, aged 44. Read the full story here. In local council by-election news: Wandsworth LBC, Thamesfield: Con 1497; Lab 1022; LD ...
Natural England has recently declared that Wapley Bushes is an Ancient Woodland - that means it's more than 400 years old. To celebrate, there's a guided walk through the woods and meadows on Sunday. The meadows are currently full of wild flowers and butterflies. The walk will also showcase some of the major projects that the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group has undertalken over the past year. Everyone welcome - meeting at the Shire Way gate, next to the zebra crossing. Please wear suitable footwear.
I was speechless when I saw this BBC interview with Ed Miliband yesterday. It was one of the most gut-wrenchingly awful media performances I've seen from the Labour Party leader. Whatever your view on the strikes yesterday, Miliband's muddle was excruciatingly painful to watch. His parrot-like repetition of the same tried and tested lines spoke of a man clearly ill at ease with his script, knowing as he did that he was walking a near impossible tightrope of trying to appease his own party whilst not being painted into a corner by 'middle Britain'. He sounded wooden and stilted and ...