The meeting starts at 7.00 pm, Bulbourne Room, Civic Centre. 4/01210/11/FUL Demolition of Existing Dwelling and Construction of 5-Bedroomed House and Oak Framed Garage Little Glebe, Golf Club Road, Little Gaddesden, Berkhamsted HP4 1LY 4/01219/11/FHA Single Storey Front and Side Extension and Inclusion of Roof Lights The Cottage, Fletcher Way, Hemel Hempstead HP2 5RR 4/01250/11/FUL Demolition of 2 Office Buildings and construction of Replacement Building to provide Holiday Accomodation Balshaw Heath, Bulbeggars Lane, Potten End, Berkhamsted HP4 2RS 4/01017/11/FHA Raising Roof to provide First Floor Accomodation, Infilling to Front Elevation, First Floor Bay to Rear Elevation and Single Storey Side ...
When a careful reader of cabinet papers said to me that the Cabinet's paper on Consett's Regeneration made him fear for the future of Consett's Library I was frankly disbelieving. He then pointed me to the following words: A number of buildings are rundown and the library in particular is in poor condition and poorly integrated. Could this, he asked, be a softening up exercise to prepare for closure? I said I'd ask the question, and the need to ask it was emphasised by something else I read in the report. It says there is a plan in the next ...
The consultationperiod on the speed management scheme for Rufford Road and Bankfield Lane has nowended. John Dodd at the site of a fatal accident on Bankfield Lane Councillors John Dodd, David Rimmer and Nigel Ashton have met withSefton Council officials to discuss the feedback. A report on the proposedscheme will be presented to the next meeting of the Southport Area Committee,at Southport Town Hall at 6:30 pm on Wednesday 28th September.
Preparing to go to our party conference at the weekend I've been reading some of the motions for debate. We are in interesting times as a party. For many years in opposition we set our policies at conference safe in the knowledge that we were unlikely to be called upon to put them into action. For the last few years there has been a gradual change towards setting policies which just possibly
Earlier I discussed the problems with what seems to be the Lib Dem leadership's take on macroeconomics. David Boyle points out the problem at the microeconomic level: There was nothing in the speech about those elements that might actually have some chance of reviving the struggling economies of many of our cities - enterprise, small business, local lending. This reflects the gap in Treasury thinking and it is a serious problem. The establishment has no idea how to revive local economies. It's not particularly heartening for a speech on economics to ignore obvious problems at both the macro and micro ...
I have received numerous concerns over the past 48 hours following around 40 travellers' caravans now again illegally occupying former Scottish Water grounds on Riverside Avenue, west of the junction with Riverside Drive. I have been in contact with Dundee Airport who have concerns about the close proximity to the airport runway, where there would be safety concerns should rubbish from the site blow across aircraft flight paths. I have also been in touch with the City Council's Chief Executive regarding the need for the land owners (a Manchester-based company) to take necessary legal steps over the matter. The council's ...
'IT'S THE [SEFTON] ECONOMY STUPID' TO PARAPHRASE BILL CLINTONSeptember 14th, 2011 by tonyrobertson | 1 CommentNow who said this just a few hours ago?"You have to be ruthless, focusing on the investments that transform growth potential: transport, energy, digital communications. Roads and rail so manufacturers can transfer goods. Better broadband so small, high-tech companies can flourish. Renewable energy so low-carbon industry can too.If you modernise this kind of infrastructure you stimulate activity in the shorter term and you build systems high growth industries can use for years to come. Transport schemes announced in the Spending Review, for example, will deliver ...
Wed 14th
22:13
Johann Hari keeps his job, but I'll probably never buy The Independent for a very long time.
Johann Hari has apologised and kept his job. After being exposed as a fraud, someone who had used previous works and thoughts and claimed that he had extracted them from his interviewees. He was then later exposed as "David Rose" by David Allen Green as someone who had been editing wikipedia articles to smear his opponents and hype his allies. Whilst I do feel his apology is genuine (But only truly sorry about being caught), his handing back of the Orwell Prize and the general tone of the apology is of woe is me, and a piece full of self ...
Lucy Robinson appointed as Interim Chief Executive Last month Lucy Robinson was appointed as the interim chief executive at Suffolk County Council. She has been employed by Suffolk County Council since 2002 as the Director for Economy, Skills and Environment. She had previously held a number of other roles across local and central government, and had been covering the role of Chief Executive since the previous Chief Executive was put on "gardening leave". The role is initially for six months, during which time the recruitment of a permanent Chief Executive will take place. Mrs Robinson has been appointed on a ...
I have never been the greatest admirer of the former Liberal leader, but these words of his from 1978 have a strong contemporary resonance.
There is a bizarre moment in the half-forgotten Lindsay Anderson film Britannia Hospital, where the Queen arrives to open the new hospital wing wheeled in on a trolley, to avoid the demonstrators outside. I was reminded of this going to hear Nick Clegg's speech on the economy at the LSE, where the security was so tight and labyrinthine that only the demonstrators knew where he was actually speaking. Nick could be heard in his microphone, as he was being slipped in through the back door, asking: "Has the lecture theatre been booked?" It was a good speech, well-delivered, and what ...
This evening was the first meeting to kick off the planning for Cheadle's Diamond Jubilee celebrations (a big event planned for June 2nd or 3rd 2012). There were representatives from a whole range of local groups including friends of the parks, schools, scouts, army cadets and churches. The initial plan is for a day of celebration on either Saturday 2nd or Sunday 3rd June 2012 with stalls, events, games, etc. on Ashfield Road and Jubilee Fields at the end of Ashfield (the southern section, when you walk past the library and past the pedestrian section). We're lucky to have Rev ...
The Friends of Rock Road Library invite children to come and meet book illustrators and have a go at making their own illustrated book. Venue: Rock Road Library, Rock Road, Cambridge Date: Saturday 8th October, Workshop 1: 10:30-12 noon with Adrian Reynolds, suitable for children aged 3-8 Workshop 2: 13:30 – 15:00 with Alexis Deacon suitable for children aged 6-10 Children must be accompanied by an adult. Refreshments for children will be provided. This event is free but there will be a collection to help cover expenses. Numbers are limited to 18 children per workshop so pre-booking is essential. Please ...
When does a political attending the funeral of a murdered police officer become a disciplinary matter? Well only if the location in Northern Ireland, the police officer Catholic and the Politicians members of the Loyal Orders. LOL 821 St Simon's Church Total Abstinence from the Sandy Row may complain against Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliot and minister for Regional Development for attending Constable Ronan Kerr's Requiem Mass in April. However, the majority of people in Northern Ireland were pleased to see representatives of all our parties attending such a funeral that led to a public outpouring of grief and outrage. ...
Survivor; Tracey Crouch MP After months of hard work the Boundary commission has released its findings to the public for a three week consultation period before going before Parliament. However the preliminary results have brought mixed reactions. In Medway there is good news for the hard working MP for Chatham and Aylesford Tracey Crouch (con). The Commission is not axing her constituency thus leaving her jobless in 2015 - infact they are adding to it for the next election. There were rumours back in August that the constituency she represents would be broken up and absorbed by surrounding constituencies including ...
Thanks to George Potter (Twitter: @georgewpotter) who has just sent this great link round to the Unlock Democracy site. Unlock Democracy have set up a handy response mechanism if you want to submit your views to the Cross-House Committee leading the consultation process on the Draft Bill to reform The Lords. It makes it very easy to ensure you have your say. Do let them know your views. I'll be telling them mine...
On Monday morning I received the unfortunate news that the amendment to the ESA motion (written by Sophie Bridger and myself and sponsored by the Guildford Lib Dems) had been rejected on the grounds of accuracy. Personally I think the decision was wrong which is why it is being appealed but the appeal will not be heard until Friday at which point it will prove rather difficult to fit the amendment on to agenda. This is why I want to pay homage to the brilliant James Sandback. He has been the driving force behind an amendment to the motion which ...
It was sad to see Boris Johnson's fare proposals for 2012, which he confirmed today, will be set at RPI plus 2 per cent. This is the fourth year of fare misery that Londoners will face under Boris Johnson. He has already hit Londoners hard by hiking up bus fares from 90 pence to £1.30 for a single fare since he arrived at City Hall. Today's further rise will really hit hard many people, especially those on low incomes. Boris Johnson has failed to tackle effective action to tackle fare evasion or cut waste which is widespread throughout TfL. If ...
I'm in a rather melancholic mood this evening. I've received some sad personal news so I'm in a rather reflective frame of mind. It is as such that I happened to fall upon this Personal Apology from Johann Hari in today's Independent. As an Independent reader for many years, I've been a Johnann Hari fan for some time. I've not always agreed with everything that he has said but on balance, I have done so and I have throughout, been impressed with the way that he has tackled a number of significant issues head on. I'd heard that he had ...
Phil Beesley, who wrote a guest post on Anthony Burgess and Leicester earlier this week, points out that there are flyers for a band called the Rassoodocks all over the city's Victoria Park. Rassoodocks? See the Nadsat lexicon.
I'm willing to bet that the Cabinet Member for Transport on Surrey County Council regrets even thinking about trying to introduce on street Pay and Display to towns and villages in Surrey. The policy has seen a huge backlash from businesses, residents and Councillors alike, and the process of implementation has become farcical. Following the countywide outcry, decisions on detailed implementation were handed to SCC Local Committees, leading to a confusing patchwork of different charging regimes and restrictions being recommended. The business case is tenuous at best and the claimed savings unproven. And to add to the confusion, the Cabinet ...
Nick Clegg's speech on the economy is profoundly disappointing. The fundamental problem is the underlying voodoo economics. He has clearly been influenced by advisers that got it wrong last decade, got it wrong last year, and yet retain their clout. This is understandable, I guess. The left wing also refuses to put hard headed economic thinking before populist slogans. The media covers the debate as if we were stuck in the interwar period listening to Keynes vs. Hayek. Why would a politician want to take on the challenge of introducing the public to obscure economic concepts such as liquidity traps? ...
That's the question of the moment in this funny old season of blog nominations for the various awards and list's that we are currently in and it got me thinking. Well thinking not just for this reason but for another ...
Let me be clear although I do not think that Clegg' speech this morning is the last word on how to get the economy to grow it does contain some very important passages on infrastructure investment not only in road and rail but in IT and the 'green' industries. I also wholeheartedly welcome his dishing of the 'euro sceptic' nonsense which would significantly damage our prospects in the near and long term.His clear and unequivocal support for the Switch Island project in Sefton explaining the direct economic investment makes you wonder how Labour could have spun out 13yrs without making ...
TweetLondon Riot offenders are embracing new deviance in a very British way, according to the Evening Standard. Gangs are prevalent in prison culture in America, dominated by racial territories such as Neo-Nazi White Supremacy, referred to as 'skin privelege'. But, more like the street gangs Bill Bratton would be used to dealing with, the gangs forming in British Prisons are based on postcode with "Londoners uniting against rivals from other cities". Bearing in mind just one in four of those arrested for rioting during August in London had any link to a gang, the news that "some young people who ...
We received this from the Free School Team As it stands the council have stated to the DfE Cabot Learning Federation as their preferred option for the Culverhay site. Myself and the all the Sarahs (3 of them) met with David Carter (Executive Principle of Cabot) last week and had a good of chat. We agreed that with community involvement we can still achieve the co-ed school that we
Next in the series marking the one year anniversary of the election court which stripped Phil Woolas of his seat in Parliament is the account of the second day of the trial. The second day consisted mainly of the continuation ... Continue reading →
The group Liberal Demorcrats for Lords Reform (Yes, guilty as charged M'lud) are...well, here's Mark Pack's email which explains it properly. We're putting together a list of all the Liberal Democrat peers, their views on Lords reform and the best contact details for them. Once we have a (fairly) full set of data together, we can then start using it to target our campaigning at the key peers we need to persuade or reassure. You can see the list in our Google document - but it has got quite a few gaps at the moment! So this simple request: could ...
My tips on what to watch out for on the Saturday of Liberal Democrat party conference: You can also watch Liberal Democrat Conference 2011: Saturday preview on YouTube.
Wed 14th
17:42
Economy & Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 5th September 2011 Part 4 Budget Issues f...
Kevin Adderley replied that the target for the last seven years was higher than the actual income. They could set the price that equated to the gap between the income target but it would require changing the whole system. Next year they would publish how much it costs and calculate and publish an estimate of ...
Wed 14th
17:23
Boundary proposals automatically reduce proportion of English LibDem MPs by one seventh
Thanks to Duncan Stott for an excellent graphic which "the new English constituencies plotted by their projected 3 party vote in 2010"which is based on the Guardian Datablog's rough projections of the 2010 result in these initial boundaries. This shows that the LibDems would have 34 out of 502 English MPs (6.8%) under the new boundaries based on the 2010 vote. That compares to 43 out of 533 English MPs (8%) at the 2010 election. So, that's a reduction of 1.2 percentage points or 15%, or just short of a seventh. But have a look at Duncan's graphic because it ...
Wed 14th
17:20Economy & Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 5th September 2011 Part 3 Budget Issues f...
Cllr Johnston said there had to be some explanation over why it was included, Cllr Foulkes had mentioned in his address to Council and the press that he would include scrutiny committees. He had expected chairs of committees to draw together and decide on direction, but he had only been given 24 hours notice to ...
It has been a busy week with lots of evening meetings. Today I helped with the Bread St Clean up.Organised by the local community, City Centre Neighbourhood Team and the local police this was about cleaning a bit of the city just of Lothian Road. A good turnout from local volunteers was very good to see. Picking up cigarette butts with one of those litter grabbers was a challenge - like trying to pick up grains of rice with chop sticks! The saddest thing I saw today was the story of the Jackie Kennedy interview with Arthur Schlesinger. This revealed ...
Saturday:You know what Doctor Woo is missing? GLOW IN THE DARK CATS! Never mind creepy dolls or kill-you-with-kindness handbots, THAT'S a monster to be REALLY scared of! Honestly, when these appeared it was nearly ME that aged thirty-six years in a matter of minutes! Anyway, where's Daddy review?Well, this is awkward. My first reaction was that the episode was awesome. Alex... was rather less enthusiastic. He has been, if I can put it this way, timey-wimied out. So, I have to review this without my normal sounding board and soul mate. We'll just have to see how it goes. The ...
Wed 14th
16:43
We've had a gloriously sunny day in the studio, we've seen some great action, Jessica Ennis, good...
Well John Rawling asked me to write a review of the coverage on Channel Four after I expressed my displeasure at the coverage when it was announced. Mostly I was discontent with Ortis Deley as presenter as I didn't think he had it in him to be the front man for a major live sporting event. I think I was proved right. I won't jump on Ortis' back here as there are plenty of comments from my readers on the blog post linked above so I won't get into it. Clearly he was totally out of his depth and the ...
Here is the Council response. Date 14/September/2011 Status For Immediate Release STATEMENT: RESPONSE TO TRANSPORT SCOTLAND NEWS RELEASE ON EDINBURGH TRAMS Council Leader Cllr Jenny Dawe said: "We have been in constant dialogue with Transport Scotland throughout and both parties agreed that it would be beneficial to have a closer relationship in the operational management of the tram project. We have a joint interest in ensuring a clean, green and efficient transport network is delivered in Edinburgh and our new working arrangements are a logical extension of the discussions we have had with them." Chief Executive Sue Bruce added: "As ...
Here is a release relating to the latest development in the Trams saga. I will post the Council response in a moment. Ministers to oversee final delivery of Edinburgh trams14 September 2011 The Scottish Government has today announced that it will help oversee the final delivery of the Edinburgh trams project. Ministers have also confirmed that the remaining £72 million Scottish Government grant will be reinstated to the project now that the route to St Andrews Square has been similarly reinstated. Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment Alex Neil announced that a team of experienced project managers from Government ...
Wed 14th
16:38Economy & Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 5th September 2011 Part 2 Budget Issues f...
Kevin Adderley continued about the population demographics which was outlined on page 44. He did have good news of a Telegraph report on cities in the UK with the greatest growth over three years measured by companies that had grown 20% year on year. Birkenhead was second best after Aberdeen. 12% companies had grown 20% ...
Al Qaeda preached violence and terrorism as the mantle for martyrdom. Sacrificing your own life and maiming countless others in the process was a heroic death; but the Arab Spring refuted that doctrine. Completely negated it. Martyrdom was restored to the disciples of liberty and freedom. On the 10th anniversary of September 11th, the revolutionary ...
Hello All. Here is a guest/sponsored blog post from the good folk at one of the supermarkets I do happen to shop at. If they had a bigger M&S Simply Food in Southend-on-Sea no doubt I would shop there more. Far more. Please read on for their thoughts on Christmas hampers – something which is a rather big tradition with many families over here It seems that every year, the world gets a quicker jump on the holidays. Shops begin to light up and Christmas music starts being played long before the fall season is even over, and many organized ...
As a campaigner on environmental issues since the 1960s, I have admired the way Caroline Lucas has publicly championed green issues. However, while I am sad that the Lib Dems have not been able to implement all of their manifesto, I am even sadder that Caroline's lust for power has overtaken her commitment to the environmental cause. While the Green Party has played an important role in helping inform the public, it has only a very small proportion of councillors and just one UK MP. The Liberal Democrats, with their far greater number of councillors, their participation in the Coalition ...
Who could fail to be impressed at David Walliams's amazing swim along the Thames, raising money for Sport Relief? I could see him finishing his epic swim from my Westminster office. On Saturday I'll be doing my own spot of charity fundraising, for the Wallace and Gromit appeal for the Bristol Children's Hospital. I won't ...
It appeared in yesterday's "Evening Standard" that the Council, as part of its regeneration is building two residential tower blocks near to the world famous Club, "The Ministry of Sound", sited in Elephant and castle which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. The Club's owners are concerned that the proximity of these new residential areas will affect their opening times and ability to conduct its ability to carry out business. Their lawyers have already contacted the Labour run council to inform them that should such development go ahead then they will be responsible for paying up lost earnings and ...
At a time of economic difficulties, it is welcome that the Coalition Government is retaining its commitment to the UK overseas aid budget. Indeed, UK aid is demonstrating great value for money, and making a real difference in the lives of the poorest. Which is why CentreForum's recent paper by Pauline Dixon and Paul Marshall 'International aid and educating the poorest' is so puzzling. The report paints an alarming - but highly partial - picture of aid doing little to help reduce poverty, promote growth or achieve progress in education, and everything to line the pockets of corrupt elites. In ...
The Total Politics blog awards are being revealed over the next few days, culminating in the overall rankings for the best 100 political blogs in the UK. Today though, Total Politics published the only real result that matters - the best 25 Scottish blogs. The result is as follows: 1 (-) Better Nation 2 (6) Bright Green Scotland 3 (2) Underdogs Bite Upwards 4 (15) Lallands Peat Worrier 5 (-) A Burdz Eye View 6 (-) Labour Hame 7 (-) Andrew Reeves' Running Blog 8 (9) Sub Rosa 9 (26) Bella Caledonia 10 (-) Dundee Westend 11 (23) Scot Goes ...
The new structure for council housing in Cornwall got the go ahead from the Council's Cabinet this morning. It means that council housing will be transferred to an 'arms length management organisation' - a private company which will do the job previously done by the authority itself. The new company will collect rents, manage repairs and run the HomeChoice allocations service. In Cornwall, there are council houses in the former North Cornwall and Caradon areas and an existing ALMO in the former Carrick. That organisation (Carrick Housing) is a three star business which is recognised as having done a great ...
Yesterday I attended the Council's cabinet meeting. The following items are snippets: 1/ School Meals - The council is about to tender to gain a supplier for cooking school meals for 60 schools in Ealing. I asked a question that surprised the Cabinet member for Education. Quote simply I asked whether they would ensure that initatives, by Jamie Oliver, to improve the diet in schools. She seemed interested that someone was interested in this subject. I was given a committment from her that the contract when agreed would include elements to ensure a more healthy school diet. 2/ Green Spaces ...
The parapets of the footbridge from Church Road to Walter Stansby Park, Gatley will be repainted from 19th to 30th September, and the bridge will be closed during that period. The retaining wall running alongside Church Road by the park will also be repaired over the same period as part of the Council's Retaining Walls programme. The railings running alongside the park on Church Road will be fully repainted. There will be no effect on traffic flow, but the pavement will be narrowed to allow the work to go on.
As I've blogged before, there are huge holes in Cornwall Council's transportation budget at the moment. Both the parking income and bus fares reimbursement are out of kilter by £2 million or more, meaning that the overall department budget is 32% adrift. But apparently, these are not things that ordinary councillors have the right to ask questions about. At today's Cabinet meeting, during an agenda item on budget management, I asked the Leader to explain why, given the assurances that were made about us being able to hit the parking budget, we were likely to fall 25% short in the ...
[IMG: DPM-LSE-14Sept11_8846] Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg delivered a speech on the economy at the LSE this morning. Here's the full text: Good morning. Today I'm going to talk about the economy. I'm certainly in the right place. For more than a century LSE scholars have been at the forefront of every major economic debate asking – and answering – the most pressing questions of the day. Today, the big question facing governments is this: Given the unprecedented pressures in the global economy, what can we do to restore stability and encourage growth? The Coalition will be saying more about ...
I was posting about the problems that residents in Hartey Rd/Blundell Drive were having around the bit of land they called Hartley Green,. I knew that it had another name and asked readers to let me know Michael Braham has responded: The land was, I believe, bequeathed by Alderman Paul Carter to be used as an open space and was referred to as Carter Piece . I have a cutting from the Southport Visiter circa 1961 which relates to some case work which Edgar Bradley did about the area. Incidentally Paul Carter was the proprietor of Whiteleys Laundry which used ...
The Federal Conference Committee has published its Conference Extra which lists last minute changes to the agenda and If I could choose just one amendment and motion to pass from this year's Conference, it would be the one which, if enacted, would make a huge difference to the seriously sick people who are currently being forced to undergo assessment for Employment and Support Allowance and who face the removal of their benefit after one year. Glasgow North local party have submitted an amendment to Liberal Youth's motion which really tightens it up and improves it. The text in full is: ...
Some Tories have turned their thoughts to the next election and are putting ideas on paper to open a discussion about how David Cameron can win a majority government. Of course it would be a brave man to predict events of the next few years, but this seemed to be a good idea so these are my own thoughts from the Lib Dem point of view. Many in the party are dreading the next election. Our poll ratings are in single figures, we will be losing many councillors over the next few years, and we will be hit by boundary ...
Wed 14th
12:30
David Cameron 'expects no nonsense' from Nick Clegg. Funny, because nonsense is Cameron's middle nam...
The momentary consensus on the Boundary Review is that of all the major parties, Liberal Democrats look set to be the hardest hit proportionally. Precipitating a turn of opinion against the Review by Lib Dems, David Cameron has issued an emotional appeal to Nick Clegg, that he identifies Clegg delivering his party's votes on the Review a matter of honour, as was agreed in the deal in which his party was granted a Referendum on the Alternative Vote. Cast your mind back to that Referendum. The NO2AV campaign ruthlessly pushed the nonsensical narrative that the Alternative Vote election system would ...
With the reduction in number of MPs back in the news, so too is the question of how many ministers there are. As I wrote in October last year: I agree with Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs Yesterday in Parliament Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs voted to reduce the maximum number of ministers allowed in the Commons in line with the forthcoming reduction in the number of MPs Without a cut in the number of MPs on the government payrolls, reducing the number of MPs will increase the government's power over Parliament when the whole thrust of other ...
Ed Miliband was going ok at #PMQs today. Not terrific but certainly doing ok and then he came to his last line and here it is, "The Chancellor has lashed himself to the mast.. not for the first time perhaps" Oh Ed Miliband why must you lower yourself to such a petty level? This is of course a nod at the story that George Osbourne might like kinky sex as was revealed a couple of days ago. As we all know kinky sex is all good and fair and can be part of a healthy private life. An MP is ...
Liberal Democrat Federal Party Conference takes place this Saturday 17 September, to Wednesday 21 September 2011, in Birmingham. All Party members can attend, more details on registration are available from the main party website here. Download and print out ALDC's Conference Planner for our full guide to training and fringe events for this year's September Conference. Come and visit us in the Exhibition Hall - we're at Stand 104 in the main Hall 4. Come and tell us how you think ALDC is doing - staff, Management Committee members and volunteers will be on hand from Saturday through to Wednesday ...
Earlier this week the Council issued a press release about 'a series of consultation workshops spread across the borough begins later this month and marks the next stage in Reading Borough Council's on-going 'We Need To Talk' campaign.' It continues: 'Residents are being invited to attend one of the events which involve informal, small group activities, designed to tease-out the things that matter most to people in their own communities, the council services that are most valued, and how local people can work with each other and the council to improve the places in which they live. With public spending being ...
So, the initial draft Boundary Commission proposals for England have been published and we've had 24 hours of comment before even the first proper analysis has been produced. Thanks to the Guardian (who, to be fair, pointed out clearly that their methodology was simplistic) we've seen figures flying around showing that, amongst other things, the Lib Dems have been 'shafted'. Well, hold on a minute. Firstly, the Guardian's methodology is seriously flawed. They have simply shared out the constituency votes from each constituency last time in proportion to how many electors have moved. Any good Lib Dem knows that the ...
Details of the amendments, emergency motions and more for the Autumn Liberal Democrat conference have been published today. Liberal Democrat Conference Extra Autumn 2011
Spidey yesterday wrote an excellent blog post based on a Tweet she'd sent saying that Ed Miliband could never be Nick Clegg because he: "isn't that brave or honest". One sentence in particular jumped out at me: "So yes, what Clegg did was remarkably brave and I don't think that Ed Miliband or any other member of the Labour party would have had the guts to do the same thing." I've been racking my brain (along with browsing Google - but please correct me if I'm wrong) and I can't remember David Cameron and Gordon Brown or any high ranking ...
The Electoral Commission is currently consulting on its performance standards for Returning Officers in Great Britain. Here's my response (with the full consultation document embedded below). Dear Ross Clayton, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft Returning Officer performance standards. As you rightly identify (p.6), one of the key principles for each election should be participation: "it should be straightforward for people to participate in our elections, whether campaigning or voting". However, the campaigning aspect of this is only partially followed up in the standards themselves. Performance Standard 2c covers some aspects of this, and the inclusion ...
The new LibDemVoice members survey is out and it asks the usual question of whether they think being in Coalition will improve or damage the Lib Dems prospects at the next election. Previously, this question has overwhelmingly returned a negative result in the views of Lib Dem members who have answered the survey and I ...
Iain Dale's Total Politics awards have come out with a whimper and not a bang this year. It all has the impression of haste about it. The poll was conducted over a couple of weeks in August, rather than July as in previous years and the results are a lot later in coming out. They're also doing several lots per day which doesn't feel particularly special. There's also no Scottish list, which is surprising as that was one of the categories we were asked to put our choices in. However, Scots seem to be doing reasonably well with Better Nation, ...
The Pensions myth "there's a solid argument for spending money while you have it, because deferring gratification now for gratification later on is intrinsically something of a gamble." (tags: economics) The WBN 2012 Top 100 Yet another book list. (tags: books) BBC News - Pushing the boundaries (tags: northernireland) Science fiction and religion Looking mainly at Doctor Who and Star Trek. (tags: religion sf doctorwho) 531 - A Rio Runs Through It: Naming the American Stream Brooks, runs, branches, rios, etc - fascinating. (tags: maps languages)
John Dodd welcomes reduction in Merseytravel bureaucracyCllr John Dodd has welcomed proposals to reduce number of committees at Merseytravel from the current 34 down to 8. Cllr Dodd says "This is something the Liberal Democrats have been requesting for a long time. I am glad Labour have taken on board what the Lib Dems have being saying. This new committee structure brings Merseytravel in to line with other local authorities and will better serve the public of Southport and Sefton as a whole". Cllr John Dodd is the Sefton Liberal Democrat representative on the Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority (Merseytravel). For ...
This Saturday, Conference has the opportunity to show that Liberal Democrats are genuinely committed to achieving gender balance in our own distinctively liberal and democratic way. Conference will debate an amendment which Jo Shaw and I have put forward to Mark Pack and Paul Tyler's Lords reform motion. Our amendment builds on the approach taken by our party in the late 1990s, when one-off zipping was used to deliver a gender-balanced cohort of Lib Dem MEPs in the first PR elections to the European Parliament. In an ideal world we wouldn't need these kinds of measures. But with just 12% ...
The Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain has been all over the media in the last 24 hours condemning the proposed constituency boundary changes in unequivocal terms. It is the best impression of Dads Army's Corporal Jones since, well since Clive Dunn. In the Western Mail this morning, he talks about the "butchery" of seats, an 'attack on Wales' democracy, and Stalinism. In other words an attempt to achieve equity of representation and fairness in the political system is comparable to the murder of thousands of political prisoners and the ruthless oppression of freedom of speech and ...
There were 3 major news stories that broke on Monday. They were: 1. The Vickers Report on banking 2. Allegations that George Osborne may have indulged in inappropriate behaviour in his youth. 3. The leaking of The Boundary Commission report. Now, one of these stories represents a massive achievement for the Lib Dems. The Vickers Report largely endorses the views Vince Cable has been putting forward for some time, the endorsement by Osborne shows the Lib Dem view has triumphed, and even Ed Balls has indicated he is largely supportive. We should be shouting this news from the roof tops. ...
According to today's Guardian, a leaked No.10 memo outlines government plans to appeal to women. It cites "...an urgent need to up our game on communications about what we're doing". Well, they could start by learning to write in English and continue by basing policy on principle and evidence instead of trim and spin. Why do politicians always think the problem is communications instead of
A break from party politics as we try to cope with a glut of apples the like of which has never before descended on the Rigg kitchen. Our crab apple tree fruited heavily and early so dozens of jars of chutney, pickle and jelly filled the cupboards. Then the tree which produces multi-purpose juicy green apples also fruited heavily, rapidly followed by the trees at the allotment. The allotment
So in a blaze of glory He rode out of the west No-one was ever certain What it is was that he was saying But they loved it when he told them They were better than the rest When I commented yesterday that it's slowly dawning on some conservatives that (economically speaking) they've been following tin gods, it reminded me of the Don Henley song from the 80s, Little Tin God. It's funny to think my forays into political commentary are partly inspired by twenty year old album tracks. Don Henley isn't high art, but then I'm a bit of ...
Brian Taylor used the backdrop of the hurricane to discuss the current state of Scottish politics in his blog the other day. There was praise for the Liberal Democrats at Holyrood and new leader Willie Rennie: The Lib Dems at Holyrood are fairly settled.Decidedly fewer MSPs than they had bargained for - but a federal party constitution and a newly elected leader in Willie Rennie who has plainly opted to "go for it": to disdain the option of whimpering in a cupboard, choosing instead to offer his views, strongly, on anything and everythingThis is the latest in a long line ...
TweetThe parlimentary boundary consultation, as Mark Pack observed, has been a much higher profile story than anyone first assumed. Now Cameron is using it to appease his rattle-throwing backbenchers by leaking a statement that he 'won't stand any nonsense' from the Lib Dems. I would suggest, scanning the review, that any nonsense is as likely to to come from his own MPs as any disgruntled Lib Dems. Cameron attempts to take an authoritative and trade-mark patriachal tone, which intends to dispute rumours of his succumbing to Clegg's influence. But the truth is, the Conservatives cannot pass the vote without support ...
Cambridgeshire's Shadow Cabinet Member for Health, Geoff Heathcock, has labelled a decision to allow only three elected councillors on the county's new health board, "a sad day for democracy in the NHS". Cllr Heathcock spoke out after the county council's Tory-run Cabinet rejected calls from Liberal Democrats for five county councillors and one councillor from each of the five district councils on the new Health and Wellbeing Board. But the Tories pressed ahead instead with two Conservative county councillors and a solitary district councillor. Councillor Heathcock said: "This is a sad day for any real attempt to bring meaningful democracy ...
Odd news from Liverpool, where Labour council leader Joe Anderson has taken such exception to local media coverage of a leaked document relating to the council's controversial interim Chief Executive appointment that he, Has ordered all Labour councillors and council officials, including the press office, not to talk to either newspaper. (Liverpool Echo) A curious twist is that the leaked document was legal advice from Cherie Blair, which the council claims was subsequently contradicted by further advice given to it by ... Cherie Blair. To add to the confusion, local newspapers have pointed out that when they contacted the council ...
Statement from the 'Odyssey': After four weeks making good and getting ready to open for a rough but safe, one-off screening at the Odyssey, this last week was fraught with visits from St Albans DC Health and Safety people (5 to 9th Sept). We complied with all their demands and requests, including extra emergency lighting, illuminated stair nosings – and other things we already had in hand. The Building control dept (one man) came in and described it as a building site. No building has begun. It is rough, but not yet a building site. It is all clearing and ...
Us worker ants often draw comfort that there is someone out there fighting our corner, although some of us are a tad more cynical, the concept that we're "all in this together" when facing years of bleak economic performance, rarely holds up when we see, the rich get richer, like crooks, politicians, bankers, chief execs and union bosses. What chance a politician, banker, chief exec and now union bosses, seeing things from our perspective, anyway surely there must be someone who understands, how to get along on modest incomes, well maybe. How about Britain's union bosses, well maybe not, if ...
I was somewhat surprised when planning my diary for this years Liberal Democrat conference, being held in Birmingham, to find that one of the fringe meetings is to be dedicated to Luton. The Love Luton Campaign, the campaign behind Luton's bid to get city status for the town, has arranged a meeting on the Monday evening (19 September) which they have called "Celebrating DiverCity". The event will be hosted by my good friend Lord Hussain and will feature performers from the carnival and the mela. Lib Dem equalities minister Lynne Featherstone MP is also down to be present. This is ...
