Edvald Boassen Hagen The Norwegians have had a good Tour de France between them their two riders have one four times as many stages as the French and equal the number of the Isle of Man. Their fans have been vocal and visual on every stage of the Tour, flying the Norweigian flag on the plains, in the Mountains, in the towns. Both their riders are supposedly sprinters yet both Thor Hushovd and Edvald Boassen Hagen have won in the mountains. Hushovd in the high mountains on the road to Pau and again on the run in to Gap, Boassen ...
It's July, it's raining, so it's time to stand in a field listening to your favourite bands. So here is the Manic Street Preachers at last weekend's T in the Park.
Today I visited one of my favourite places - Cromford in Derbyshire - to meet a couple of old friend from university and look at a little industrial archaeology. The photograph shows part of the Arkwright's Mill complex. The oldest building on the site dates from 1771 and is described by the Arkwright Society website as "the world's first successful water powered cotton spinning mill". In 2001 the Derwent Valley Mills, stretching 15 miles from Matlock Bath to Derby, became a World Heritage Site. They represent the birthplace of the factory system in the 18th century as water power was ...
Ballot papers are being received in the Lib Dem selection for its London Mayoral candidate. The first hustings took place on Wednesday and Lib Dem Voice carries a report here. In addition to some bizarrely defensive comments from his campaign manager Ed Joyce on Lib Dem Voice, Lembit posted some frankly strange comments on Facebook, implying there is some sort of conspiracy against him. It's clear Lembit has lost touch with any sense of reality. As Peter Black makes clear Lembit is blaming anyone but himself for the loss of Montgomeryshire last year. Lembit has lost it. His flagship policy ...
After the closure of the News of the World and the appointment of the excellent Chris Blackhurst as editor of the Independent I have been thinking about what the public wants from its newspapers. This question is particularly important as the editors and owners try to work out how to make money from their online offerings. Simon Kelner, now editor-in-chief of the Independent, said a few years ago that the paper should be a views paper more than a newspaper. Given how much news is available for free it makes sense to provide something different. I am not sure though ...
Fri 22nd
21:53
Oh look, you can defend your own family home under the law as it stands at the moment. Quelle surpri...
A householder who killed one of a group of masked, machete-wielding intruders in his home has been released without charge. The Crown Prosecutor was satisfied that Peter Flanagan had used reasonable force in self-defence. Could this report be printed off, rolled up and then surgically inserted into the orifices of those brain-dead pillocks who think the law needs to be changed in this area? The word "reasonable" has served English law brilliantly for centuries, and it does not require knee-jerk clarification by idiots.
Just over a week ago, I wondered if the News International story would be the 'black swan' that breaks up the coalition. Eight days later and the coalition is going about government business and the deputy prime minister is defending the PM. Of course, we don't know where this story will end but one has to be careful getting caught up in the story and stopping to think how damaging the whole thing is to David Cameron and others. Perhaps the black swan has drifted by and the next time it arrives it will be another issue that challenges the ...
So I've finally got An Incomprehensible Condition out of the way, and I'm going to start work on the next few things. My plan is to structure my book-writing like a Claremont A-B-C type plot – have a main book that I'm doing the bulk of the work on at any one time, a second ...
Earlier this morning, Peter Black AM led a justified attack on Lembit Opik for accusing his former Welsh Assembly Montgomeryshire colleague Mick Bates of being the reason why he lost his Montgomeryshire seat back in May last year. Peter's angry riposte can be read here. Mick Mates and Lembit Opik in happier times During the course of the day, Lembit has responded by refuting the rebuttal information that was put out on his behalf as a part of his London Mayoral campaign by claiming that it was published without his authority, presumably by a member of his campaign team. His ...
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the chance to do a fuller write-up following on from the Full Council on Tuesday (for news from the chamber you can always follow me on Twitter). In the meantime the County Council has just published a video on it's You Tube feed showing an extraordinary attack on Cllr Bourke (newly elected leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats) by the Conservative Council Leader Cllr Clarke during a "tribute" to outgoing Liberal Democrat group leader Fiona Whelan.The video is available below;Sadly the audio is pretty terrible so I have attempted to extract the text of Cllr Clarkes ...
Excellent news! I have received confirmation that the motion I drafted (but officially proposed by Liberal Youth) for the Lib Dem autumn conference has been accepted! [EDIT: The motion will be debated on the Sunday] It's been chopped and changed quite a bit from my original draft but the core of it is still there and it is now much more succinct and to the point. Some final editing is still taking place (slight changes in wording, grammar, etc.) by Liberal Youth at the behest of the Federal Conference Committee but the final version to be proposed to conference should, ...
42 What else in the year that I will turn that age? Or to be precise 42km around the roads of Grenoble are the ultimate answer to all bar two of the jerseys on this year's Tour.What we do know is that the King of the Mountains this year in Samuel Sanchez after the final ride in the high lands yesterday. What we won't know is who will win the green points jersey as there are a maximum of 65 points on offer and only 15 between Mark Cavendish and Jose Joaquin Rojas. Andy Schleck 82h 48'43 Frank Schleck +53"Cadel ...
I know I have written this before. But I simply do not have the time to maintain this blog. I simply cannot react in time to the daily events. Events in my life like having a son and my work life balance have simply taken all my time. Although I do still have plenty to say I do not feel I have the time to say it. So for now I won't be blogging on this site or any other. although your still find me on Twitter. Thank you for your time in reading my words. Over and out.Dazmando
The dreadful news coming from Norway is almost too shocking for words. My thoughts go out to everyone hurt, especially the young Social Democrats attacked by a gunman at their summer camp at Utøya, not far from Oslo. I've been ... Continue reading →
When I read what the experts are saying about man-made climate change, for example Achim Steiner's speech to the UN a couple of days ago, I feel frightened for the future of the human race. I'm also concerned about the loss of bio-diversity, and build up of toxicity on land and in the sea. It seems ...
The news from Oslo tonight is truly horrific. The author perched above Oslo Harbour in 2007 The numbers of dead is increasing by the hour and whilst the deaths of at least 7 in a probable car bomb attack in the city centre is bad enough, the shootings on a remote island at a Labour Party Youth Camp is shocking beyond comprehension. It has now been confirmed that at least 10 have been killed on the island with eye-witnesses mentioning the sight of 20-25 bodies. These unprecedented attacks on Norwegian soil look as if they are linked and this ...
Wokingham UA, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe Con 850 (65.9; +0.6) LD Martin Alder 272 (21.1; -7.1) UKIP 55 (4.3; +4.3) Lab 94 (7.3; +0.7) Green 19 (1.5; +1.5) Majority 578 Turnout 29.38% Con hold Percentage change is since May 2010. Gwynedd UA, Glyder Plaid Cymru 207 (39.4; -25.1) LD Doug Madge 194 (36.9; +1.3) Con 65 (12.4; +12.4) Lab 60 (11.4; +11.4) Majority 13 Turnout not known Plaid Cymru hold Percentage change is since May 2008. Truro City Council, Boscawen Con 469 (40.7) LD Kate Tregunna 322 (28.0) Lab 246 (21.4) Mebyon Kernow 114 (9.9) Majority 147 Turnout 24.59% Con ...
Last month, Peter Flanagan of Pendlebury in Salford was confronted by machete-wielding intruders at his home. He has been quoted as saying he "did what he believed necessary" to defend his home and family and fatally stabbed one of the burglars. The day before the break-in, Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters he intended to "put beyond doubt that homeowners and small shopkeepers who use reasonable force to defend themselves or their properties will not be prosecuted". Who knew that this clarification of the law would be tested the following day? Now the CPS have agreed with Mr Flanagan that ...
In today's Times, 115 Liberal Democrat councillors (including 14 Lib Dem Council Leaders and almost 70 opposition and group leaders including Councillor Norman Owen, Leader of the Salford Lib Dem Group) have called for the scrapping of Conservative-proposed plans for Police and Crime Commissioners. You can read more about the story at LocalGov, thereby saving you having to pay News International for the privilege of reading the story. I personally urged Councillor Owen to sign the letter and I am very glad his opinion is the same as mine, that there is a clear need for a separation of the ...
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 LibLink | Vince Cable: I declared war on Murdoch... now everyone agrees with me (25 comments) by Helen Duffett Police and Crime Commissioners: Lib Dem candidates start here (17 comments) by Helen Duffett Opinion: David Laws takes another step on the road to redemption (26 comments) by Mark Valladares Opinion: Stephenson resignation - the bar just got lowered (22 comments) by Richard Morris Opinion: Cameron's ten big mistakes - more please! (21 comments) by Paul Walter 5 ...
Good lord.
Figures in a Government consultation paper on the funding of academies have revealed that Michael Gove's policy of getting schools to convert to academies is expected to cost nearly £600 million more than planned over the two year period 2011 - 2013. This confirms what Lib Dem activists have been saying for some time i.e. that the programme for converting schools to academies is costly and unsustainable, as well as being divisive and unfair. When a school decides to leave its Local Authority (LA) and become 'independent' (i.e. dependent on central government!), in addition to its standard funding it gets ...
First the good news, and that's the poll from ICM which shows the Liberal Democrats up 4% to 16%. OK, so it's only one poll but it's a start. On to other news: In today's Times, 115 Liberal Democrat councillors have called for the scrapping of plans for Police and Crime Commissioners. You can read more about the story at LocalGov, thereby saving you having to pay News International for the privilege of reading the story. The government has announced plans for a coastal communities fund using money raised through the Crown Estates. This will allow people to bid for ...
Is it possible to change Coalition policy? Council leaders certainly hope so if the letter to today's Times is to be believed. Over a hundred have supported - and no doubt many more councillors, deputies, backbenchers and the like might have done so had there been more time to hone the message and gather support. The issue should be core to the localist agenda – although we need to be rather clearer about what we really want. Not so long ago the police were governed (at least in non-operational terms) by the police committees of county councils. There was not ...
Sometimes you just have to respect genius. Tweet
Many writers find the thought of self-publishing scary and, well, yes, it is a bit. When you put your book out there - probably something that you've been labouring on and pouring love into for a good long time - you don't know what people are going to think. It's a risk. But then again it would be a risk if you went down the traditional publishing route, too. If anything, that might be a bigger risk because there are so many other factors (and other people's money) involved. So self-publishing can be a good thing, but if you are ...
As I have written previously, I hold no brief for Binyamin Netanyahu. Israel's prime minister is a right-wing conservative and I am a liberal, so I doubt that I would vote for him if I was an Israeli citizen. That said, we have to start from where we are - and where we are is with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I was therefore very pleased to read this transcript of an interview that Mr Netanyahu has given to a TV station called Al Arabiya. Ask yourselves this question: Which would you rather have - a Prime Minister Netanyahu who says these ...
Wednesday 21 July East Dulwich Safer Neighbourhood Team ward panel we were issued with a letter from New Scotland Yard. It stated rather draconian centralist changes – Ian_McPherson_letter. Sad that our borough commander who proposed changes keeping SNT intact isn't being allowed to manage his team or budgets. As East Dulwich crime rate is now so low East Dulwich SNT will share a sergeant with Village ward SNT with both teams on duty at the same time rather than staggered and covering each others patch. Each SNT will have their marked patrol and unmarked vehicles removed. Currently SNT are focused ...
He may have 17 years of experience in the European Parliament and now serve as one of its Vice-Presidents, but that doesn't mean he's incapable of epic lapses in judgement. The following tale from the column by High Street Ken appearing in the Independent today explains all:[L]ast month in Totnes, 89-year-old grandmother Eileen Noakes emailed her Conservative MEP, Giles Chichester, to ask him to
In June, Mark Pack addressed the Liberal History Group's summer meeting on the topic of Forgotten Heroes for a Governing Party. Further details of the event can be found here. And who was Dr Pack's choice? You will have to listen to find out. PS don't check the tags
"Climate change is getting less political attention now than it did two years ago. There is a vacuum, and the forces of low ambition are looking to fill it .....giving in to the forces of low ambition would be an ... Continue reading →
Last night I attended the first Holyrood Ward PACT meeting. PACT incidently stands for Police And Communities Together. These meetings are a new Police innitiative to develop local community policing priorities by directly engaging local residents. Although it would be fair to say last nights first meeting was dissapointing, it did nevertheless start the ball rolling and did highlight a couple of issues that local Police officers and community support officers will now pursue. In particular residents raised concerns about drug dealing in parts of Prestwich and officers confirmed that this is an issue in the area. Another resident raised ...
Ever since I installed a simple word processor called WriteRoom on my laptop, I've been a huge fan of full screen interfaces. That was WriteRoom's sole selling point – it took up the whole screen, getting rid of all distractions. There are situations where I want several windows or panels at once – writing software, for instance. Editing photos and composing music. But when it comes to reading and writing, I like to focus on nothing but the words. Here's my interface for writing blog posts: I am absolutely falling in love with the combination you see above – the ...
I wonder whether I'm the only commuter traveling the Thanet Way who having noticed the construction of at first, an expensive looking fence, which I assumed was to protect crops, over the weeks then realised the field was the site of an incongruous hi-tech power plant. The Isle of Thanet Gazette, today refers to this solar farm as an eco-friendly project, although doesn't qualify the remark, I just wonder what local wildlife makes of the harsh looking apparatus, obviously nobody can ask the birds and bees, what they think of the somewhat sterile environment. However I'm sure if the someone ...
During the election campaign last year, a lady angrily approached and accused me of wanting to ditch the pound. I calmly explained that, while it is Liberal Democrat policy to join the Euro, this would only be when the economic circumstances were correct and after approval in a referendum. The lady considered my words and then decided the best option was to hit me with her umbrella. Being a major trading nation, we in the UK cannot ignore events elsewhere in the world - but I sometimes feel our xenophobia prevents us from rational discussion. Depending on which paper you ...
Having been away in London last week, I never got the opportunity to comment on Darren Clarke's brilliant and emotional Open victory on Sunday. I was watching the latter stages in Shepherds Bush and was absolutely overjoyed to see the oldest winner in over 40 years, lift the Claret Jug. It was a sensational victory for a man who has really gone off the boil in the Majors of golf for a good decade or so now. The loss of his wife Heather to breast cancer before the 2006 Ryder Cup also remained in the memory as his heroics for ...
Figures recently released show that David Lammy MP claimed the highest amount of House of Commons expenses in the last year. He claimed "£173,922 – the bulk of which was spent on staff costs". It's worth remembering that in 2003/4 David Lammy claimed £12,041 for a second home, even though he lived just a 28 minute tube journey from Westminster.
This (courtesy of Liberal England) is an on-the-nose summary of muppet Jonathan May-Bowles's decision to put his ego front and centre. You don't have to be fanciful or grandiose to feel proud that This Is How We (Eventually) Do Things .. People were surprised that they were allowed to nip to the loo, drink fizzy water and chew gum. Hey - The Authorities don't think we need to be treated like infants! Hmm. The full post is a good read. May-Bowles could be seen as a cautionary tale: if you believe in something, it is not wise to act like ...
Development of the party's new campaign management and voter contact system from the Voter Activation Network (VAN) is now underway and we'll be writing to you next week with more information. In the meantime, we're running a series of demonstrations online for local party Data Officers, Treasurers and Chairs. We'll run through the basic system and some specific areas of interest to people holding these positions. Please feel free to sign up to which ever session works for you though. Please click on the link for the session you would like to attend and register online. You'll be sent an ...
The Liberal Democrats are inviting potential candidates for the new Police and Crime Commissioner posts, which, if the legislation is passed, are expected to be elected in May 2012. The party wants to encourage the widest possible range of applicants so the membership can select from the best possible choice of candidates. So if you're interested in applying, you need to be an approved Parliamentary candidate: The Bill to create directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners is currently before Parliament. The first elections of Police and Crime Commissioners are expected in May 2012. The English Regional Parties will be inviting ...
Below you can see a video produced by the national party of Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, Julian Huppert, talking to the deputy prime minister about the phone-hacking scandal. It is reminiscent of the videos produced by the party last December of former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris talking to Nick Clegg about tuition fees – though this is much shorter. I personally think there is a lot of value in such videos, particularly when it comes to the party communicating with its members. You can watch the video above, or on YouTube here.
Once again we can see the evidence that Britain is still a very divided nation when it comes to education. The UCU, the college lecturers' union, has published data for each Parliamentary seat showing the number of adults in the workforce without any qualifications. The figures come from the Office of National Statistics and I ...
Launceston show basked in the sun yesterday as we had our first dry event for four years. It was good to see so many people there and some of the best that the town and surrounding country has to offer was on display. I was dragged into having a go at bricklaying thanks to the construction unit at Launceston College - many thanks to Alex for putting up with me. There were, of course, lots of animals of every variety. And some people who clearly peaked too soon. Tweet
Good old Japanese. Here's a pointer to the next stage of energy generation, reducing the need for grids and huge power stations and looking forward to a time when - once again - energy can be created, stored and used within a home or business. To coin a tired old old phrase, it isn't rocket science, just common sense to do everything locally. I'm reading more and more about climate change and the looming problems but also about the thousands of people researching solutions, such as this. The future's not bleak.
The 'continental' market in Launceston town square is causing more than a few problems and action is being taken at the moment with a view to shutting them down. The market was booked in for four days but I and my fellow councillor Sasha Gillard-Loft have had a very large number of complaints after just the first day of operation. The market brands itself a continental market and sells baclava, sweets, paella and jewellery. Yesterday there were no prices on show and many people complained at being ripped off. I was told of people who were charged £18 for a ...
Much has been made of the recent phone hacking scandal but how much influence do the papers actually have? The Sun, and therefore the Murdochs, claim to win elections for the party they back but maybe their power is not as strong as they think which would open up a different way of approaching the ...
RT @JohnRentoul I just used #QTWTAIN as a verb. It is not only a noun but an acronym < actually not an acronym, but an alphabetism #pedantry # My #hackgate verdict on Murdochs' performances: ignorance is no defence, deliberately staying ignorant makes you guilty. # Also, I note Murdochs adopting Blair doctrine of doing the 'buck stops here' schtick while simultaneously passing the buck along the line. # @GHmltn I act / You're in denial / He's a liar. Irregular verbs a la Murdochs. in reply to GHmltn # @JohnRentoul Would love to hear you say #QTWTAIN as a word. ...
The photograph shows a part of the manifesto being sent out by Lembit Öpik to members in London in pursuit of his campaign to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor. It contains an interesting view as to why he lost his Montgomeryshire seat. According to Lembit it was entirely due to the incident in which Mick Bates drunkenly assaulted a paramedic in January 2010, which became public two months later. As somebody who was campaigning actively in Wales during that election I was surprised by this view, as is everybody else I have spoken to since I saw it. ...
A Labour motion on the school site was overwhelmingly defeated at the district council on Wednesday night. Chris White said: 'Any attempt to move this school to the old fire station site would mean that it was not located near the demand for school places. This will mean that more people get into their cars. By contrast the nearest city centre school sees over 90% of its pupils arriving on foot and we can expect the same here. 'The idea that there is a problem with schools being sited on main roads is frankly ridiculous to anyone who has ever ...
Chris has objected to the Chinese Cottage's application to have karaoke until 3 in the morning. Please get in touch if you wish to object.
After yesterday exhilarating stage with Andy Schleck going on an attack 60km out and holding the virtual lead on the road by over a minute. Only for Cadel Evans paced himself, the Maillot Jaune of Thomas Voeckler and Ivan Basso back and allowed Fränk Schleck to leapfrog him into a podium position. How can we possible top that? Well the Tour is hoping that they can, they give us a shot stage at only 109.5km but they were expecting fireworks from early on today, not yesterday. Scene from the 1924 ascent of the Galibier It may be time to finish ...
I took part in a short telephone interview with Gabby Logan on The Wright Stuff Extra on Channel 5 yesterday about concerns regarding the large BT Openreach green boxes that are springing up all over the place, including in the West End. You can see the programme by clicking on the headline above or by going to http://tiny.cc/wstuffextra.
You might remember that last year I wrote about my growing interest in the Tour de France. It's basically all Stephen's fault for sparking my interest the year I was ill. My big regret is not discovering it sooner. What a combination of bravery, drama and adrenaline! I love my F1 but the Tour takes excitement to a whole new level. I still can't get over the fact that the top 8 riders are within 5 minutes of each other after 18 days of hardcore cycling. And, at the time of writing, the day before the final time trial, we ...
A quick blog in praise of another blogger and tweeter. Sgt Gary Watts is a community police officer in Falmouth and has embraced the whole social media thing incredibly well. Gary isn't the first tweeting policeman and he's not doing anything earth shattering. But he is doing the basics very well indeed and his blog (just started) sets out in the clearest possible language why it is a good idea for police officers to blog. The arguments he uses apply to just about every other type of public too. So please have a look at his blog and follow him ...
Debdale Festival will be on this weekend, Sunday starting at about 11 and going on to about 4. It promises to be a great day, the Sealed Knot are coming to set up camp and have a few battles, which should be entertaining. All welcome, please come along.
This is the post I contributed to 20:20 Vision yesterday On the 4th July, The Guardian first broke the news of Milly Dowler's phone allegedly being hacked by The News of the World. Since then, every day has seen a kaleidoscope of news stories, debate, opinion, and an endless wailing and gnashing of teeth. Yet there has been a single thread pulling all the myriad stories together - the fight to control the message. This has taken a number of forms. There has been a general acceptance that Murdoch has set the media agenda for 30 years or more - ...
Bob has a couple of weeks' holiday coming up and we've been dithering for months about what to do with it. We'd thought of going to Mallorca, but we don't really fancy it at the beginning of August - too hot, too busy, so we might leave that until the October holidays. Our resolve was shaken a bit last weekend when our friends managed to get a last minute deal for the island for £1000 for five of them, but we decided against it. Anna and I have both been desperate to see the musical Wicked for a long time. ...
Want some useful truth about health issues? Ask a scientist. Want an impressive way to convey dull statistics? Ask a data journalist. The combination is powerful. Information is Beautiful has a wonderful visualisation of health stats for the HPV jab. It also contains a link to Ben Goldacre slating the tabloid press for saying a life-saving treatment is "as deadly as the cancer". This is another aspect of tabloid journalism's disrespect for human dignity. Health scares are a greater risk to public safety than the terrorism the Met used as an excuse to not do their job. Covering them responsibly, ...
Further to my previous updates about the progress with the Tayside Recyclers' Backyard Container Vegetable Garden, its good to hear that Trading Standards and Environmental Health staff at the City Council have ok'd the selling of the produce. The garden is well worth a visit :
20 Steps To Getting Published With Hollowstone now out and available to buy, Neo gives his tips for getting published. (tags: writing) Warner Bros. Snagging 'Red Star' Comic for Producer Neal Moritz (Exclusive) – Hollywood Reporter YAY! Red Star is one of the most beautful, complex and masterfully written stories in the sequential art medium, and I'm really excited for this! Now if only Christian Gosset would complete the story... (tags: comics)
Google+: It May Have 10 Million Users, But They're Not Visiting Very Often I must say I've signed up but am barely using it. (tags: internet) An Eye-Opening Adventure in Socialized Medicine | NeuroTribes "Riding the Underground back to Great Portland Street, I felt an unexpected sense of exhilaration. I had experienced not just a visit to a new clinic, but an unfamiliar paradigm of medicine — one in which health care is abundant, easily available, and affordable, rather than scarce, expensive, and a hassle for both the patient and the doctor." (tags: ushealth) Belgium bans 'burqa' | openDemocracy "Belgium's ...
Whatever you think of the SNP, their performance in May 2011 in the Scottish Election should become the model for a successful 21st century British election.
Fri 22nd
00:38
Of course it is happening inside of your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real...
I have just returned from seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the second time. I don't normally write reviews but I feel that this series has been a massive part of my life since I first read The Philosopher's Stone. In many ways I have grown up with Harry and it is very sad to feel that it is all over. Now the following contains SPOILERS... S P O I L E R S . . . There are many things to love about the latest film. At first I was disappointed and surprised that they ...
It's sad that Lembit Opik, a figure in our party with very mixed reception, respected by some, reviled by many, is so often subject to orchestrated efforts to demolish his image from within his own party. I mean, there are plenty of people in the party that I rather dislike, but as far as I am concerned, it's bordering on Treason to go onto a public platform and smear somebody in the party. So it's sad to see this, a thinly veiled attack on Lembit from Simon McGrath, a consistent and vocal critic of Lembit's. The piece poses as a ...
