The bad news: chief executive pay in the FTSE 100 increased by 55 per cent last year alone, accelerating the creation of an inflationary class of ubermensch, with huge consequences for social cohesion. The good news: a more effective, imaginative and flexible corporate form - the mutual - increased by 25 per cent in the UK economy last year. Both these facts are relevant to The Ratio, the new report by myself and Andrew Simms, which suggests forcing companies - and especially those bidding for public service contracts - to reveal the ratio between their bottom and top pay levels. ...
As I type, twitter is going crazy for #LDchatuplines. So I have taken it upon myself to compile a list of the top ten Lib Dem chat up lines that I have seen so far: I'd like to reform your lower chamberAs a LibDem candidate how would you like to take my deposit?Get your anorak - you've pulledCan I put you down as a firm yes or a soft no?Hi, I'm doing a residents survey... What's your name? What's your phone number? Are you free next Saturday?How would you feel about getting involved with a gang of four?Here's 20p. That's ...
Ok so in their wisdom the director of the Tour the France have decided to dop away with three intermediate sprints on the stages and replace them with one Super Sprint. The reason is simple often the breakaway never used to contest the sprints they just rode through, although if there were three in teh breakaway they usual tried to share the honours and the line money. Now however, there are points for the first 15 at the Intermediate sprint. The result is that there will now unless there is a big group out in front still be points on ...
I don't think I've ever been more appalled reading a news story than I have been today. The background of the story appears to have been running for as long as I can remember - the BBC have a handy timeline. I haven't felt the need to comment before, as it's pretty cut and dry - what they did was terribly wrong, but I always thought it would turn out to be a bit like the MP's expenses case ('everyone was at it') with all but the most serious players getting away with it and though a serious crime, it ...
"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26) "But what there is on the credit side! It is rather like the effect of the Ring-a self-riching work, harmony piling ...
I felt it fitting on the day that celebrates democratic freedom and fighting for a cause you believe in against a larger oppressive force to talk about the Independent party with in Medway and in particular the actions of Councillor Andy Stamp. (pictured) Now before I start I want to make it clear that I am not a vengeful Lib Dem with a vested interest - I'm relatively new to the Medway "Active" list and so missed the events of last year and I barely know some of the people so my approach is one of a neutral. I also ...
Tonight's C4 Dispatches programme provided some very clear evidence regarding poor standards of accommodation and management in the private rented sector. It is linked to the Shelter campaign to Evict Rogue Landlords. While the individual underhand practices deployed by landlords are very unpleasant, the impact of the programme will be mitigated by the problem that ...
Cllr John Gold was a well-respected member of Dundee Corporation for over 20 years - from the mid 1930s until his death in 1959 at the age of 57. He represented the then Dudhope Ward, was married at 7 Rosewood Terrace in the West End on 12th July 1929, and their oldest daughter was born exactly one year later - 12th July 1930 (who, now aged over 80, lives in Australia). Cllr John Gold was very much involved in the Temperance Movement, was heavily involved in amateur dramatics and was a basket maker to trade. But in addition to all ...
Two crime related stories in the news last week. Firstly there was the story that the police had been applying the legislation around bail conditions that police can deploy. From the few articles I have read I seem to be in a minority that thought that this was a good thing. The only measured analysis I read was by the excellent Mark Easton, actually looking at what the effect (if any) would actually occur from this. As far as my limited understanding, the legislation as previously interpreted meant that the police could arrest someone, hold and question them for say ...
Apparently the reason that trouble flared up in East Belfast after a mini-Twelfth parade last Friday is down to an MTV party, that will be happening in November. Yeah, you have read that right. The reason is not because tensions were already running high since the earlier trouble in the Short Strand area already. The route of this parade was in the Albertbridge Road, very close to that previous orchestrated riot by the Loyalist UVF, though this riot was not orchestrated. However, if you read the comments from the Order Grand Secretary Drew Nelson it would not be down to ...
Both the Courier and the Evening Telegraph have today highlighted my concerns over the proposed loss of the West End part of the route of the Number 4 bus service - a service that serves many elderly people. I understand that National Express Dundee intends to withdraw the West End part of the 4's route (along with the withdrawal of some other services including with the 3/3A and 28S in other parts of Dundee) from August and I have written to the new Director of National Express Dundee, Phil Smith, outlining my concerns about the effect on many elderly people ...
Two car book sales are coming up at the Together Trust, Schools Hill, Cheadle, SK8 1JE. Sunday 17th July 2011 Sunday 11th September 2011 Sellers: arrive 8am (£10 per car) Buyers: arrive 8.30am (50p per person) Refreshments and toilets available. For more information, call 0161 283 4822 or email fundraising@togethertrust.org.uk
I have started to read a book called The Winter of Disconnect by Maushart. Its a pluffed up book about how she and her 3 teenage children go free of cell phones, IPods and PCs for 6 months. I say fluffed up because really when it comes down to it she describes what happens when a vaccuum is caused in the status quo. She talks of how her children were horrified at having to put down gaming computers etc. How each found a way around the perception of boredom. She harks back to Therau's Walden quite a lot. Mental note ...
Market Harborough Lib Dem councillor Phil Knowles has made it all the way to the Persian Gulf. He has been quoted by The National, which turns out to be the leading English-language newspaper in the UAE and claims to be "the leading English-language voice in the Middle East". He is quoted in the course of a long article on the sorry affair of St Luke's Hospital, Market Harborough. But why are they taking an interest in Harborough out in the Gulf? Because, as The National helpfully explains: A small construction firm in the Northern Emirates has become embroiled in a ...
While Jenni Russell presents a fair range of points arguing for common-law marriage in today's Standard, her tone is one filled with extremely negative connotations. Phrases such as "she couldn't be compensated for downgrading her own earnings", "she is far poorer and more insecure" and "to marry wouldn't work, because men weren't willing to" have one thing in common: they vilify men as the bad guys (please excuse the pun). It is true to say that more and more couples are cohabiting and know nothing of their legal rights. It is also fair to say that in the main, it ...
Laura Willoughby has written a nice tribute to Liz Rorison, who died a few days ago, for Liberal Democrat Voice. Many will know her as the pianist at the Lib Dem Conference Glee Club, but there was far more to Liz than that. She was, for instance, Britain's first female radio outside broadcast sound engineer.
I will be voting for Mike Tuffrey to be our candidate in the forthcoming Mayoral elections. I was all set to write a detailed and reasoned argument why I've come to that conclusion - and then Dave Hill in The Guardian essentially wrote everything I was going to say in one pithy and well written piece (albeit perhaps with some home truths we'd rather not read).. I urge you to go and read it yourself, but to pick out one key phrase: I know the precise and experienced Tuffrey would hold his own in any platform dust-up with Boris and ...
[IMG: Ravencourt protest] Local residents turned out in large numbers to protest about the lack of shops in Halewood Angry Halewood residents turned out in large numbers this evening to protest at the lack of progress with the new shops development at Ravencourt. A crowd in excess of 300 local residents gathered at the site of the proposed new development to demand Knowsley listen to their concerns and address the lack of local facilities in the area. Labour have been promising new shops in Halewood for over eight years now, time and time again giving completion dates that come and ...
Just a heads up, tomorrow your local county councillor, may well be in attendance at Thanet Local Board Meeting, a chance for you to see what if anything your Kent councillor does for the money. For those who are unfamiliar, these meetings are pretty much in line with other KCC public relations events, generally a lot of puff and nothing too controversial, one item on the agenda is Cllr Graham Gibbons explaining changes to Adult Services, for changes you can probably insert swingeing cuts. Assuming you can last through Cllr Gibbons presentation, Chris Wells, will explain what's happening with children's ...
Four hundred years ago a remarkable book was published and circulated to every corner of the land. It was a book that was to be read out loud, heard in reverence by those summoned to listen. It was commissioned by the King and prepared by a team of 48 scholars basing their work on previous ...
Today I spoke to a resident who contacted me about problems being faced by allotment holders who have allotments on Hexham Road off Northumberland Avenue. My constituent R who has had an allotment in Hexham Road for many years told me that he has today reported to the Police a series of thefts and damage to the allotments. Bags of compost has been stolen, plants have been ripped up and recently a greenhouse was also stolen. As you can imagine this is causing distress to allotment holders. Many of them spend many hours there maintaining their plots including at least one person ...
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Earlier today I visited the University area of Redlands with the Lead Member for Transport, Streetcare officers and other ward councillors. We were visiting the area following the end of the University term (when most students move out),and after the additional collections of excess waste (campaigned for by the Lib Dems) had taken place. I have no doubt this visit would not have happened had we not got this issue on the political agenda in Reading - after all, that is what local campaigning is all about! It is hard to believe Labour councillors thought they could get away with this ...
Chris has discovered subsidence in Grosvenor Road, just by Ardentinny, during one of his regular walkabouts. Chris says: 'This is clearly more than a pothole and I have asked Herts highways officials to deal with it urgently.'
Mon 4th
17:04
Milly Dowler's voicemail intercepted and deleted by the News of the World. Can the newspaper get mor...
I spent three years at university studying how to be a journalist. I was apparently half decent but life took me elsewhere. One thing I would never do was cross that moral bridge to the other side. There are always limits. However it seems as though the News of the World under Rebekah Brooks nee Wade and Andy Coulson didn't just cross that moral bridge – they crossed it, blew up said bridge then jumped in a fast car and drove so far that they disappeared over the vanishing point on the horizon to ensure that they couldn't even see ...
Tyler Farrar winning a stage in the 2010 Giro d'Italia Stage three took out out of the Vendée who have thrown up an exciting and interesting start of the Tour. There are already time gaps between the big names that will lead to an interesting times in the mountains. There was a five man breakaway Mickaël Delage (FDJ), Iván Gutiérrez (MOV), Niki Terpstra (QST), Perez Moreno (EUS) and Borut Bozic (VDM). They went away at 2km into the stage and at the crossing from le Vendée to Brittany that was the order they crossed over. As there was only one ...
As a LibDem councillor at District Level for Frome in Somerset, the past few months have been a really interesting learning curve. It seems clear to me that the situation for us here in Somerset is pretty similar to that around the rest of the country. In places we still hold control in Local Government, and ...
In her eighties, my grandmother would announce that she was taking her summer holidays during Wimbledon fortnight. She would cancel any meetings or other activities and sit down in front of the television with multiple cups of tea. I was hopeless at sports at school, although I usefully learnt the rules of both tennis and cricket, and at home followed Wimbledon and Test matches on the screen. And yet I never made my way to live matches until recently. Thinking back, I think I was intimidated by all those sporty types amongst my friends and relations, and I felt I ...
MPs and Peers have briefly debated the future finances of the Monarchy. Crown and Parliament differed over money for centuries. But at the accession of George III in 1760 it was agreed that most of the income from Crown lands would go to the Treasury and the King would receive a Civil List payment for ...
The smoking ban was a good example of how the UK tends to make bad law. The debate at the time was whether or not to pass a smoking ban rather than how to handle the issue of smoking in public places – hence people were either for or against. I supported, and still support, a general smoking ban. However, at the time it seemed clear to me that there was a strong argument for having ventilated smoking rooms. What has developed is a situation where a number of pubs and clubs have lost custom with people drinking and smoking ...
(Source: PoliticsHome and YouGov)
So wrote George Dangerfield in the Strange Death of Liberal England*, but their house lives on. In the opening words of the Parliament Act 1911, it is written: "...whereas it is intended to substitute for the House of Lords as it at present exists a Second Chamber constituted on a popular instead of hereditary basis, but such substitution cannot be immediately brought into operation..."Mark
As I've said before on this blog I'm proud to be an Ulster man. I may also have mentioned that the family heritage comes from the North West of the Province and by that I mean Donegal, which of course is now in the republic. So when last weekend DUP MLA for Mid Ulster Ian McCrea tweeted this last weekend: I was actually rather divided. You see while the family historically is from Donegal, my father's line for at least four generations comes from the city on the Foyle, that give the County of Londonderry its name. Indeed the last ...
At a time where public sector pensions have been at the heart of our national debate its worth thinking about what happened in the United States. Why? Because expensive and outdated pension schemes has destroyed the auto manufacturing industry in Detroit and with it the city!Detroit is a city built around the car manufacturing industry. It used to be dominated by the big 3 auto companies - GM, Chrysler and Ford. In recent years the industry and the city have collapsed. In the 1950s 1.8 million people lived in Detroit. Today it is less than 800,000. There has been a ...
It has been almost 3 months since I wrote a blog post and it might seem that I have been struggling to stick to my new year's resolution. But this time my reasons for not blogging don't stem from procrastination, but rather from a conscious choice to reduce my online activity. I've realised in the last year that online life can very quickly become addictive. The constant stream of information and communication plays on basic human instincts. We are biologically programmed to be curious and to seek out connections with others, it is one of the reasons why we are ...
As I understand it, we have to wait until 12 July before we know who has been shortlisted for selection as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London, with the candidate then to be chosen in a one-person-one-vote postal ballot of all London Lib Dem party members (we don't have an eccentric 'electoral college' involving trade unions and Parliamentary blocs; we have one-member-one-vote). There are at least three contenders for a place on the short list: Lembit Opik, Brian Paddick and Mike Tuffrey. Reader(s) of this blog will know that I sometimes attempt humour, so I'd been planning to ...
I thought the day the Reagan statue was unveiled would be an opportune moment to revisit what is generally agreed to be the most effective political TV commercial ever produced, 'It's morning in America again', which ran in the Reagan '84 re-election campaign. A few thoughts about it. It's not aged well. It is (to coin a phrase) 'hideously white' - in fact its notable for the gobsmacking avoidance of any reference to any minority at all. It employs a bucketload of stereotypes - there's even a white picket fence.And a commercial that's ostensibly about economic recovery also contains a ...
British residents travelling elsewhere in Europe this summer will find the cost of using their mobile telephones further reduced from this month. An EU law has forced telephone operators to drop the 'roaming charges' incurred when making or receiving calls ... Continue reading →
How do you celebrate Independence Day in your country? View 313 Answers Ask me when we get our independence and I might tell you...
That pound in your pocket. How much is it worth to you? The haters of rhetoric will say, "A pound, you fool." The ingenious economists will say, "An amount of goods and services determined by a combination of market forces and fiscal policy". This is to miss the operative part of the question: how much ...
We have been pleased to support the work done by Birkdale Civic Society over the years. Several people have remarked to me how good the village looks since their volunteers were out planting bedding.
Not content with their position in their ongoing battle against customer choice in Reading, greedy Tescos now want to open stores number 13 and 14 in Reading. They will have doubled their presence in the town in 5 years. Their latest property acquisition is the Westside pub on Tilehurst Road. Tesco openly boasts (see the Reading Chronicle) of its ability to exploit planning loopholes to close pubs and turn them into their ubiquitous stores without even needing planning permission. Successive Governments have, disgracefully, let them get away with this. I led a campaign which had some success in stopping Tesco's ...
I'm off work ill today, but have the last of the Seven Soldiers posts scheduled to auto-post tonight. Don't expect me to reply to comments on it though. I've crawled out of my sickbed for long enough, though, to announce that it will be the last comics post on this site for the foreseeable future. ...
Britain stands to gain more than €1 billion of investment capital from Europe for innovative green energy projects. Seven British companies dominate the 14 from across Europe that are now bidding for financial support to build carbon capture and storage ... Continue reading →
The bin madness continues. Across Gorton and Abbey Hey, local residents have found themselves the unwilling recipients of communal bins, dropped on them without consultation either as to whether the residents wanted the bins, nor where the bins should go. Now there are many places where the big stack of wheelie bins left in the entries (and outside the entries) for weeks at a time suggest that communal bins might be a better solution (not all of which are getting these bins), however there are other entries where the residents have put in a lot of time and effort to ...
It's the 235th anniversary of the signing of America's Declaration of Independence in 1776. A younger, leaner looking author with Liberty Bell in 2005 It's a day of great celebration for our cousins on the other side of the pond and I for one am happy to pass on my very best wishes to them on this day. Philadelphia Freedom When I holidayed along the east coast of America in 2005, I visited Boston which was of course the home of the Famous Tea Party which galvanised local feeling against the colonial repressors. I've also been to Philadelphia ...
I really enjoyed the Beech Rd Festival Yesterday. The weather was absolutely fantastic which helped to attract record numbers. I understand there were about 10,000 - 15,000 people there yesterday. I really enjoyed the music in the park, having a chat with lots of friends and neighbors like Ida Bradshaw (pictured) from the Chorlton Civic Society; browsing and supporting the local stalls (I bought a present for a friend from the Belly Button stall), and the delicious Samosas on offer from the Village Tandoori. This morning I have been contacted about a few small problems. I've reported an isolated incident ...
Mon 4th
12:49
Chris Davies MEP writes: Conservatives and climate change - Tuesday's revealing vote in Strasbourg
While Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is at the fore of efforts in the European Council to raise EU ambitions for reducing CO2 emissions, Conservative MEPs are refusing to back the Government's position, and look set this week instead to demonstrate their real views about efforts to curb global warming. At issue is a vote due to take place in Strasbourg on Tuesday that will determine the Parliament's stance on the European Commission's strategy to promote a low carbon economy. The result is on a knife edge. Liberal Democrat MEPs will reflect government policy by backing a call to raise the ...
Today, on American Independence day, a statue of Ronald Reagan was unveiled outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, to commemorate his 100th birthday. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice represented President Reagan's widow, Nancy. It fell to William Hague both to read the words of Reagan's great ally Margaret Thatcher, and to deliver the key note address. ...
I know Channel 4 will be distraught that I'm not giving them the thumbs up but heck I'll write the blog post anyway. Channel 4 have taken over the rights for the World Athletics Championships in both 2011 and 2013. It is a bold move by Channel 4 and might give an insight into these constant swirling stories that the channel are interested in Formula 1. So last week they announced who they had signed-up and apart from one or two good moves – the rest are distinctly meh. The front man will be former CBBC and The Gadget Show ...
Two very important reports today-Andrew Dilnot on funding social care and Graham Allen on early intervention and how to fund it. I shall return to the early intervention report later. As to Social Care, I have remarked before that this is a significant issue here in Southport with people with very modest means being frightened about how they are going to cope. It is commonplace-but none the less true- to say that this has been shoved in the 'too hard to solve' draw for too long. With hindsight the Sutherland Commission got it wrong. Today Dilnot provides a another chance. ...
[Originally posted at Liberal Democrat Voice, 04/07/11] There is no doubt some soul searching going on at the moment, in part as a consequence of the poor result at the Inverclyde by-election. I'm sure the leadership will seek to dismiss poor election results at this stage in the electoral cycle as to be expected when ...
Current proportion of seats held at Essex County Council The past 14 years of Conservative rule in Essex have been marked by misrule and corruption, presided over for much of the period by Paul White – The Right Honourable The Lord Hanningfield – who is now serving a nine month prison sentence for stealing nearly £14,000 from the public purse. And the police investigations at County Hall are deepening and widening to include other senior councillors and even the bureaucrats who collaborated with them. The county's residents have the opportunity to rid themselves of this rotten administration in the 2013 ...
It is a bit mind-boggling that the eldest son of the last emperor of Austria-Hungary was living until just the other day. When I first moved to Brussels in 1999, he was still an MEP, and I saw him vigorously participating in debates about NATO's campaign in Yugoslavia. Of course, if the first world war had gone the other way, he would probably not have had to settle for being a mere member of the European Parliament.
The publication of the report by economist Andrew Dilnot on social care which proposes a cap on contributions by older people is very welcome in bringing to the fore a huge issue which is ignored by most of us, quite reasonably because it doesn't affect us but which will be something we will all have to face in the future. Doubtless Ed Milispoons will say the government is not going far enough and Ed Balls will say that this is what Labour planned all along. Tories will say we can't afford this. Lib Dems will hopefully welcome the report and ...
Having enjoyed an exchange between a Tory MP and an erudite, well informed squatter this morning on Breakfast TV (the squatter won, hands down), on the moves afoot to make squatting illegal, I thought I'd blog this morning about my views. Then I found that everyone has had their two pennyworth last week (do read the piece and the comments as the main article doesn't seem to represent many peoples views). So I thought I'd leave that on hold, and instead ponder where we were on our manifesto commitment to bring empty homes back into use. We were the only ...
This was the second time I have played with Digby Fairweather at the Jazz Festival. It is always a pleasure to accompany him. Sadly, however, I have my duties to perform in London and as such will not be able to attend most of the festival. I am hoping to find some time to sit in at some of the summer events in Birmingham, however.Pic: Merlin Daleman
This is my response to Great Ormond Street's rebuttal of my allegations. This will be copied to the Secretary of State for Health. Baroness Blackstone Chair Great Ormond Street Trust Board Great Ormond Street Hospital 34 Great Ormond Street London WC1N 3JH 2nd July, 2011 PLEASE CIRCULATE TO BOARD AND TRUSTEES Dear Baroness Blackstone Thank you for your response to my letter of 8th June. I am grateful to the Trust for their time in looking into these matters. After fighting for over three years for justice for my constituent Kim Holt - the NHS whistleblower - who warned GOSH ...
Here in the UK we have just about recovered from the multi-million pound marketing assault that was the 2011 census. The follow-up harassment and prosecution of the non-compliant appears to be quite light touch, so perhaps the ONS has had enough negative publicity for the time being and will settle for the return rate it gets. Over in Oz they are just getting started as their census takes place in August. I have come across this rather bizare video promoting the en devour. In it a drunken Russian stereotype is just about to get into some web cam 'fun' when ...
Reading de Saint-Exupéry's Terre des Hommes I came across a sentence with a triple negative: Il devenait plus évident que Lécrivain non seulement n'avait pas atterri à Casablanca, mais que jamais il n'atterrirait plus nulle part. It was becoming clearer not only that Lécrivain had not landed at Casablanca, but that he would never again land anywhere.It struck me that standard English rather loses out by not repeating negatives. In informal speech one can imagine someone saying that the pilot "wouldn't never land nowhere again", but it looks very odd in written form. In the original French, de Saint-Exupéry is ...
The finale party for the Barefoot Games volunteers was held on Saturday night at the Eden Project. Barefoot Games was an Eden Project run by Launceston locals Jeni and Beth Lewitt and Ben Robbins. It sought to use the talents of local young volunteers to improve the local area and to give these volunteers new skills. Among the projects in Launceston were the art auction in aid of Shelterbox, the gardening at the Orchard Centre, the Pisky Piran event, street art amongst many other events. Groups around Cornwall had their own projects and events and all came together for a ...
The police would like to know what you feel should be their key priorities and what services you would like them to provide. You can share your views online until 19 August.
There is no doubt some soul searching going on at the moment, in part as a consequence of the poor result at the Inverclyde by-election. I'm sure the leadership will seek to dismiss poor election results at this stage in the electoral cycle as to be expected when you're "in government". But that can hardly carry much weight, given the Tories aren't doing anywhere near as badly. It seems to me that rather deeper reflection is needed. Is it clear any more what the Liberal Democrats stand for? Why would someone – beyond the most unwaveringly committed – vote for ...
I wish to inform my readers of my new blogging role for the Huffington Post UK. A great honour, indeed, to participate in the British site and expand my blogging work, too. Very good prospect for me, personally, and my ... Continue reading →
This morning I was interviewed on Radio Cornwall as part of their day long look at parking in Cornwall. They were asking about our Free after 4 campaign. I think they thought we in Launceston are unique in having parking charges ending at 4pm. In fact, Launceston is one of a number of towns across Cornwall where the finishing time has been brought forward by an hour. What makes our town different is that we are trying to support our local shops and businesses (as well as stopping drivers being ripped off) by advertising the change. But whilst I was ...
Mon 4th
09:50
A dangerous developing Tory narrative designed to make Lib Dems extinct: Lib Dems need to be aware a...
In Esquire Magazine and reprinted in the Telegraph Blog there is an interesting piece by Toby Young on why he is a Conservative. It is interesting for the Lib Dems as he uses a narrative to minimise and airbrush out the importance of the Lib Dems in British Politics. For the Lib Dems to show ...
... so don't expect much new material this week.
I am on holiday & am just watching Shadow Communities Secretary Caroline Flint slate the Government on the benefit cap. I am fairly certain that the Labour manifesto had some rhetoric about how people in benefits shouldn't get more than those in work. Were they in office, I reckon their benefits policy generally would not be a million miles from the Coalition's. I don't have a half decent Internet connection to do more research but thought I'd throw the ball into play. For the record, I think benefits, as many other things, should be assessed according to need rather than ...
As many of you know, our dear friend and colleague, Liz Rorison succumbed to a short illness on the 24th of June. Music was such an important part of Liz's life it is no surprise that she is fondly remembered for giving melody to the party's liberal enthusiasm at the annual Glee Club. Nearly everyone shares the memory of her at the piano playing with huge energy and with a great big smile on her face as Ralph Bancroft led the party faithful in a rendition of The Land. She first played the piano at an informal singing gathering at ...
Great Ormond Street Hospital sent me their rebuttal of my allegations on the 21st June – which I post below. It is on their website too. Needless to say – I disagree! My response follows shortly. 21st June 2011 Dear Ms Featherstone, I am replying on behalf of Great Ormond Street Trust Board to your letter of 8th June 2011 (which was received by the Trust on 10th June). In this letter, you called for an investigation into Dr Jane Collins' actions, based on an allegation that the Trust withheld vital information from the original Serious Case Review into the ...
Day three sees us leave the Vendée and enter Brittany. As we leave Olonne-sur-Mer and head to Redon. If only the Redon-Redon race were on a different day than the Paris-Roubaix it may have had previous visits from the Tour. As it is today is the first time that Redon has been a stage town in the Tour. However, with Thor Hushovd now wearing his third different jersey of this Tour, having started in the Rainbow Jersey of the World Champion, then wearing Polka Dot because Phillipe Gilbert couldn't wear all three yesterday, he now finds himself in Yellow as ...
The benefit cap is being blown out of proportion by the media with evocative images of people sleeping in doorways designed to outrage the left. I do not wish to see people being made homeless, of course However, they won't. Local authoties have an obligation to house people and if formal housing isn't available then they will go into subsidised bed-and-breakfasts. The predicted figures bandied about in the Observer and the Guardian this weekend are 20,000. However, I would suggest the reason that Pickles' concerns raised in January were not mentioned in the white paper and EIA were because they ...
I read with interest a report in today's Independent about problems with private landlords. They correspond exactly to my view that the spectre of really bad private landlords is again rising throughout the country and that we (through the route ... Continue reading →
Labour Leader, Ed Miliband owes his election to the Trade Unions and yet felt obliged to condemn their recent day of action on pensions. A number of Labour politicans have denounced in trenchant terms Coalition Government policies on welfare reform, the economy, schools and the NHS and yet when it comes to the detail of these reforms, Labour frontbench spokespeople offer support for the general direction of travel. Even on the deficit it has emerged that plans by the last Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer were comparable with action by George Osborne and in terms of Wales, revenue cuts would ...
Coalition or no coalition, I am all in favour of the Liberal Democrats challenging what the government is doing. It's just that I do not always think we choose the right issues. The rebellion on the Health & Social Care Bill, for instance, seemed chiefly aimed at involving NHS professionals other than GPs in the proposed new structures. This was sensible as far as it went, but it was a long way from the sort of democratic reform of the NHS the party should be championing. And the other week Politics Home reported that the Social Liberal Forum will be ...
"The purpose of this film is not to teach cricket to the unbeliever - merely to give pleasure to the converted." Narrated by Sir Ralph Richardson and John Arlott.
The second stage of this year's Tour was the Team Time Trial. You only had to get five men to the line together to set a time, but each of your other riders had to be within 30% of that time. The team of Alberto Contador Saxobank were first out of the gate, because they had held back on stage one to prevent their leader losing too much time after that crash. They set a time of 25'16" with six of their team of nine still together. Which some of the other early teams could only dream of. Then came ...
From time to time the media publish shock-horror stories that people are having to sell their houses in order to fund their elderly care. I can see a difficulty if one partner not needing care still lives in a house which is too small to "downsize" from and there are no available council flats, but otherwise what's the problem? I can see no reason why the state should pay for someone's elderly care over and above £35 000, as proposed by the Dilnot Commission, so that the rest of their personal wealth can be passed on to buy advantages for ...
*facepalm* This morning, I travelled from Greenwich to the West End, for a screening of Con-Air (awesome!) at the Prince Charles Cinema. From there, I went to the Pembury Tavern in Hackney to meet Hackspace folk and enjoy a Sunday lunch. I made my way back to Greenwich at about 8pm, and discovered on arrival at home that I had left the house without my keys. It was just after 9pm, my phone battery had died, and I had about half an hour of sunlight left, with which I used my Kindle to check Twitter, ask a few people if ...
