Tonight I attended, with fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Steed, the AGM of the AGRA - known locally as the Acton Green Residents Association. It was a quicker than average meeting but was still very interesting and had a lot of items relating to the police and crime matters generally. Southfield's new police Sergeant, Darren Grey, was able to attend. He is a real hand on sort of guy. He would rather be on the beat than sitting in an office creating a strategy document. He said he is someone who likes to bash heads together to get things done. ...
Because I was ill earlier I ended up watching coverage of the leader's speech on telly. I admit, I was already wound up by the level of ill-informed opinion dressed up as fact and the appearance of Quentin Letts when the coverage of the Clegg/Gonzalez Durantez arrival at the ICC started... And Andrew Neil, true to media form, started going on in simpering tones about Miriam's dress. This was, in fact, the major content of the comment on the leader and his wife's arrival at the hall. So I blew my stack and fired off a tweet in very intemperate ...
I wouldn't really define this as a full conference report... but more of an update on what I've been up to since my last post on Sunday night / Monday morning. I did actually decide to put in a speakers card during Tuesdays quality of life policy paper debate, although I sadly never got called and the policy wasn't taken up by a large enough majority to have it implemented as official party policy. I had aimed to speak in favour of the motion and all 3 amendments - with the specific aim of speaking on personal wealth or more ...
The beeb reports that both the BMA and NSPCC have criticised the organisers of a childrens' cage fight in the Greenlands Labour Club in Preston. The fight involved no punching or kicking and was licensed by the relevant authorities. Now far be it from me to say, but if the bout had involved karate, judo or some other middle class pursuit and was held at Preston Grammar School would it even have registered with either of these organisations?
I've just received notification that the planning application for St.Anthony's was approved on the 9 September. HOORAY. I'm reassured that one of the conditions I requested when I stated my support for this application has been confirmed. I requested that a School Travel Plan must be agreed. This should help mitigate the effects of the expansion of this school whose pupils come from on average further away. So all going well it's permanent expansion won't negatively affect the local area. W just need to improve Etherow Street to make a better school entrance....
Party conferences are different when you're in government as we found out at Liverpool last year. I didn't go to Sheffield in spring but I heard from good friends that some of the demonstrators there were very aggressive and made it difficult for people with mobility problems to safely access the conference. This year at Birmingham I saw something new again - machine guns being carried by
[IMG: Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister] My final Liberal Democrat conference blog post for the New Statesman: When the introduction to a politician's speech starts with a black and white photo of them looking serious, you know there's a sombre message coming. So it was with Nick Clegg's speech ending the Liberal Democrat autumn conference, as he talked of the state of the UK and world economies, about how the party was "not doing the easy thing, but doing the right thing. Not easy, but right". He was frank about the challenges of being in government: "Liberal Democrats, we have ...
A Supplementary Report and a Covering Report are down as item 19A of tomorrow night's Wirral Council's Cabinet agenda. However the full report and executive summary is not going to be published until those named in it have had a right of reply. It's a rather long running saga, a little complex to put into ...
REM seem have been a constant backdrop to my life. They have been with me through school, college, university, elections, partying and even the odd funeral. So to commemorate their break up, here are my top 10 songs. I find it interesting that all of them are pretty old!! 10. (don't go back to) Rockville 9. The sidewinder sleeps tonight 8. Talk about the passion 7. The sidewinder sleeps tonight 6. Radio free Europe 5. Imitation of life. 4. It's the end of the world as we know it. 3. Losing my religion 2. Nightswimming 1. The one I love ...
Premature as it inevitably is to comment on the way back from any party conference, several thoughts have struck me about Birmingham. The principal one concerns one of the four amendments that Reading Liberal Democrats (and others) submitted and were passed. (One fell by six votes) It was to the Quality of Life policy, and concerned debt management and the need for a regulatory framework to get to grips with some of the rogue fee-charging providers of debt management plans. I'll post up the detail of my speech later. In a lunchtime fringe today, I heard the money saving expert ...
[IMG: Huhne 8] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: Liberal Democrats Oh dear me. I think most of us have an antenna which allows us to sense if something has crossed a line. This interview (below) with Andrew Rawnsley crosses that line, I sense, at precisely 5'55". (The personal bit starts at 4'27"). Discussing whether a private apology has been extended and whether it has been accepted or not, is simply going too far. I am not surprised that Vicky Pryce has issued this statement through her lawyers.
[IMG: tv] How would you know (you may well not) that Conservative Leader in Kent Council Paul Carter, was being likely to be challenged for the leadership of his party and consequently the political leader of the Kent Council, an organisation with around a two billion pound spend, who deal with local education, roads, social services and all those tentacles of government that actually effect you personally. Well you would know if you read This is Kent Website or Paul Francis KM online, however if you get news from the BBC south east, forget about it. Imagine a leadership challenge ...
It was painful to watch Nick Clegg deliver what was, on paper and on the whole, a very good speech today. The content reflected a Liberal Democrat Conference that has largely eschewed self-flagellation, save for Vince "Hairshirt" Cable, and has not needed to guard against triumphalism for obvious reasons. It was calm, measured and tried hard to set out positive ways in which Lib Dems can deal with the present and look to the future. The only weak spot was the odd decision to raise, once again, the tuition fees debacle. Clearly Nick and his advisors think there is some ...
As many will know, I was elected chairman of FLAGS, I've been outlining some of my thoughts on this election. ...Continue reading »
Following its list of top Liberal Democrat blogs and bloggers, Total Politics has now also published its overall list of top blogs and bloggers – two lists in which many Liberal Democrats feature. In the top 50 of the blogs list, Lib Dem Voice is in at number 12 (up from 27 last year), Caron Lindsay at 25, Jonathan Calder at 38 and Andrew Reeves at 44. In the top 50 of the bloggers list, I'm in at number 20, Caron Lindsay at 29, Andrew Reeves at 43 and Jonathan Calder at 49. Thank you to everyone for your votes ...
I opened one of my Christmas presents today. My dearly beloved gave me a voucher for two for a tour and tasting at the Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery. So we ventured off to enjoy the treat this morning. The Winery and Brewery, it has to be said, is set in some of the most gorgeous countryside in the UK around Hambleden, just north of Henley-on-Thames. The establishment itself is unashamedly bijou but perfectly formed – with just two full time employees. But they have won fistfuls of awards and supply to Fortnum and Mason and the Duke of Edinburgh ...
We have a freezer full of blackberries, sloes, apples, elderberries, plums, cherry plums, raspberries etc etc. We also have a big box full of empty jam jars. So all is set for mammoth jam, chutney and jelly making sessions quite soon. The Trinity school Christmas fare should, again, have a large collection of many and varied preserves on offer! The one thing left to pick are the crab apples, seen above in the sun today. By the way, if you are under any illusion that I do any of the work involved in this cottage industry then let's be clear ...
Scouting is not an abstruse or difficult science: rather it is a jolly game if you take it in the ...Continue reading »
There's always a bit of an irony with blogging and party conferences — at the time when the media are most looking for reaction from activists to the leader's speech most of them are hot-footing it to the train station to return to their normal lives outside the conference bubble. However, a few Lib Dems have had chance to put finger to keyboard in response to Nick Clegg's address to close the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham. Here are those I've spotted so far on the Aggregator... Go back to your constituencies and prepare for the long haul... (Yellow Tinted ...
Wed 21st
17:55
Michael Moore tells Liberal Democrat Conference: we're building a fair, free, green Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore gave his keynote speech to Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham. He talked about the rugby world cup, for too long for my liking, but never mind, and then outlined what the Coalition has already done for Scotland and what it will do in the months and years to come. He's talking about presenting a positive view of how Scotland gains from the Union. Having just been away for 4 days, I wonder if my family have realised that I might actually be of more benefit to them than they think. I'm just about ...
You know the story. It's the turn of the decade and a new election is upon us. The third party, liberals sometimes accused of having turned to the Right in recent years find themselves holding the balance in a Hung Parliament. Talks begin and a Coalition agreement is agreed with the larger Right-wing party. The country finds itself in an economic crisis and strong leadership is required. The country I speak of is, of course, Germany where the Free Democratic Party have governed since 2009 as junior Coalition partners to the CDU. Germany finds itself embroiled in a deep economic ...
I've been guest posting at the New Statesman again: Tuesday lunchtime at Liberal Democrat conference saw me speaking at an IPPR fringe meeting on what the Liberal Democrat future strategy should be. Reaching for a striking, memorable way to make my comments stick in people's minds in amongst the excellent other speakers at the event such as Simon Hughes, I revived a parallel that I had briefly blogged about a few months back: John Prescott. No great surprise really that in a room with several Labour members and national journalists, this time the line spread rather wider, with some good ...
I've just watched Nick Clegg's leader speech. He needed to come out bold and fighting, and he did. We got a good 'slogan' for the speech (which I'm glad to see being picked up): 'Not easy, but right'. We got a touch of Tory bashing, but far more Labour bashing. We got a strong sense ...
From the Shropshire Star: A pair of protective parrots are proving effective guard dogs for a Telford security firm - after learning how to bark. 'Guard Parrots' Elvis and Cilla have been stationed outside RMP Guarding in Stafford Park by bosses Trevor and Louise Bate.Signs around the firm's premises warn would-be thieves that 'these premises are being patrolled by RMP Guarding security'. But the ferocious barking beasts are merely the two green winged Macaws squawking away from their perches.This story also gives the answer to the age-old question "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" It is: "Barking parrots, of course."
Apparently the Lib Dem conference has taught the Guardian ten things over the past few days: Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems are definitely not "going wobbly" on the coalition of course we're not. If we back out now then the Tories will have no incentive to implement the things our MPs have worked hard to negotiate. Maybe the Guardian is only just realising that the only people seriously suggesting it were in the media Morale is actually rather good - for reasons that are not particularly obvious. Now I haven't been there to assess the mood but Caron Lindsay's ...
Clegg's speech at conference includes the line A new economy that works for families. Where men and women can choose how to balance work and home. That's why Liberal Democrats are bringing in shared parental leave and more flexible working. This is a very cheering thing to see. I knew it was likely on the cards and was being worked on, but actually having it confirmed in the Deputy Prime Minister's conference speech is a very cool thing. Because, basically, it's my idea and policy. It wasn't just me, but when I first took Jennie to conference she stwearded a ...
The Total Politics poll results have finally come to an end with the publication of the list of the top political blogs in Britain. Since you ask, Liberal England is at no. 38 (up from no. 62 last year). Other Lib Dem blogs I have spotted in the top 100 are Liberal Democrat Voice (12), Caron's Musings (25), Andrew Reeves Running Blog (44), Stephen's Liberal Journal (63), Mark Pack (65) and Liberal Vision (72). The results go all the way to no. 300, so I am sure there will be a lot more Lib Dem blogs included in the list. ...
During Liberal Democrat conference someone watching it from home texted me: "I now know what the Lib Dems are against - bankers, top rate taxpayers, tax cheats generally, overpaid directors and energy companies But, with the single exception of gay marriage, I've got no idea what the Lib Dems are for." Some will - rightly - quibble over the 'against' list in that but the essential point is a fair one. Liberal Democrat conference has been a lot about what won't happen or isn't the case: the coalition isn't going to end early, the Liberal Democrats are not the same ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members responded, and we're currently publishing the full results. Lib Dem members' approval of Coalition recovers LDV asked: Do you approve or disapprove of the Coalition Government's record to date? 66% – Approve 25% – Disapprove 9% – Don't know That 66%/25% split gives a net approval rating of +41% . We've been tracking this question since the formation of the Coalition, so we can see how this result ...
View Poll: Kendall Mint Cake [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
But you're on a train. How do you know this? I hear you ask. Ok, someone sneaked me a copy of Nick Clegg's conference speech, but don't tell anyone in case they get in trouble. I'll do more analysis on this later, but I've been saying for a long time that we need to start getting some emotion back into the language we are using. I know that our ministers feel, but we don't often get any evidence of that from the language they use. Nick's speech today has its heartstrings moments - exactly the sort of thing I wanted ...
Our very own Tom Papworth is interviewed on Radio 5 Drive today, briefly at about 6 after Nick Clegg's speech and at greater length about 6.30. Tune in or get online to hear Tom's perspective.
On Monday the Metro ran the story above. This lead to the following letter by Andy from Birmingham (presumably not attending the conference) in the Tuesday edition: "So the Liberal Democrats voted at the party's annual conference to reform drug laws to make possession of heroin and cocaine legal (Metro, Mon). Yes there is a problem with drugs in this country but is decriminalising them going to help? Making them as easy to buy as milk, bread, alcohol and cigarettes will undermine suppliers but what message does this send to our impressionable children? And as for Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes, what ...
There are, as at any level of government, limits upon what you, as an elected representative, can do or achieve. There are the financial ones - what discretionary spending is available, if any, what resources you can bring to bear in terms of staff, the ability to increase income. There are personal ones - how much time you have available, how much casework you get, your level of commitment. And there are cultural ones - how empowered you are, how much information you can obtain. At Parish Council level, the 'debate' is more philosophical in nature than elsewhere. The general ...
No really. This conference they were the thin yellow line - and speaking from an entirely selfish point of view, they did a brilliant job. Of course I know about the controversy over the new registration rules this year (how could I not?) and indeed, arrived at conference early Sunday morning - just as the motion to change the rules was being debated. However, I had a problem. I wasn't sure when I was going to conference, so planned to do the walk up and register on the day routine, having checked that this was possible on the website. Which ...
Our favourite Tory MP Nadine Dorries is back again for more. She's been rather busy blogging during the Liberal Democrat Conference. Mostly showing off her inferiority complex about the Lib Dems who are being all mean and pushing her party about and I have a sense that she's not to fond of that. However she has published her wants or mottos of whatever you want to call them. That's look at them one by one: Nadine Dorries wants a referendum on EU membership very soon, to stop right now sending English £s to support failing European economies, First of all ...
This year has not been an easy one for the Liberal Democrats. By any stretch of the imagination. With 800 councillors lost in England, a reduction by two thirds of our MSPs and the anger over tuition fees and ongoing concerns over NHS and welfare reforms being carried out in our name, you would expect there to have been an atmosphere somewhere between hand-wringing anxiety and brewing rage. I really was amazed to find that this was far from the case. The week has been incredibly upbeat, almost bullish even. Jeremy Paxman proved no match for a spirited and vibrant ...
'IMF warns of UK recession' is the main discussion point for the press today. But the probability-based on a quarter-is less than 20% in the United Kingdom – 17% to be exact. (see the chart to the side) The IMF were more concerned with a potential lost decade of growth in the United States and ...
First things first, let me be absolutely explicit: I expect and hope that Nick Clegg will lead us into the next General Election and beyond. I believe that a 2015 election fought by Nick Clegg will be a highly effective campaign. Liberal Democrats, as everybody has seen, are being uncharacteristically loyal to Nick currently as we are unified by our belief that the Coalition is the right path. That said, I have an insatiable interest in questions such as: if Nick Clegg, for whatever reason, had to resign as the Leader between now and the end of the current Coalition, ...
On late Monday afternoon EST a 41 year-old man finally stood alone as the greatest sportsman of his position in his sport. People will argue forever about who the greatest football player was, some will say Pelé, some with say Maradona and some will even say George Best. There is an argument for all three. Same with every other sport. It is one of the greatest things about sport that you can have these different viewpoints but in one sport one man stands so alone at the top of his tree that even the harshest critics from the bitter rivals ...
My heart goes out to the family of Troy Davis today. For the second time in three years, they are spending what they believe to be his final hours with him. I can only imagine the horror, the fear, the sickness in their stomachs as they fight to control their emotions, to make Troy's last hours as calm as possible for him. The instinct to protect duelling with the rage at a terrible injustice. For those of you not familiar with Troy's case, he was convicted 20 years ago of the 1991 murder of a policeman. However, since then, the ...
Today is the last day of Lib Dem Conference which also coincides with the announcement of the Total Politics Top 100 Blogs and Bloggers. It is meant to have been a year that the Lib Dems were falling away, yet Lib Dem Voice is up from 27 to 12 the year AFTER Cleggmania. Caron is up at 25 from 44th last year, that spot being taken by the late Andrew Reeves who was only 106th last year. In between them is Liberal England at 38 also a riser from 62. Fraser Macpherson's blog Dundee Westend is another climber from 165 ...
Don't Panic. Before the Police cancel leave, South Today despach Sally Taylor and the Mayor calls his lawyer I should explain that this headline would have been blogged 130 years ago today had such technology existed. I've written it for two reasons. Firstly as the Tories get ready to start their conference, no doubt banging on about this new idea of 'broken Britain' it is worth remembering
There are only two possible results to the Euro-crisis: 1) collapse of intra-European trade, or 2) greater European integration. The first has far-reaching negative implications for Britain, Europe and the world. The second indicates a massive area for future growth in our shared economy. While the current political challenge remains to deliver stability and growth at the same time it's up to Britain to choose to find the political will and lead on the issue. Why? Because continual continental dithering and endless domestic bickering will mean economic conditions stay in the doldrums until the Eurozone countries wake up to the ...
Launceston's Community Shop has been so successful that it has gone out of business - at least temporarily. The shop was the brainchild of the local Rotary who wanted to raise money for local projects and good causes. They were kindly given the use of the old Moores Furnishing shop in Southgate Street which has been unoccupied for some time. Since they opened on August 1st, they have raised many thousands of pounds by selling donated goods. The trouble is that they have proved that a shop in those premises is viable and a new commercial tenant has been found. ...
So, I'm on a train, heading home in time to see my daughter when she comes out of school this afternoon. At this moment, Michael Moore, Secretary of State for Scotland, is delivering his keynote speech. I am not the only Scot who's left. There are very few of us still in Birmingham to cheer him on. Would it not have made more sense to put him and Welsh leader Kirsty Williams on earlier in the week - and perhaps in the same session? It feels like the "regional" elements are being put in the post Glee Club graveyard slot ...
There was a significant announcement yesterday by Andrew Stunell, the Lib Dem local government minister. He said that the Government are planning to allow councils to charge additional council tax on empty homes. Properties which haven't been occupied for two years or more could be subject to an additional 50% charge as a "nudge to owners to bring abandoned homes back into use." This is the second piece of good news about empty homes in just a couple of weeks. The first was the awarding to Cornwall Council of just under £2 million in what is called the new homes ...
Wed 21st
10:34
Frew, comments section in The New Statesman and @casbo28 - this one's for you. (Everyone else please...
My pieces in The New Statesman have generally accrued the types of comment one might expect - it's fairly easy at Conference to forget that the general level of bonhomie is not shared by much of the rest of the country and especially not by the readers of that august journal. But then someone tweeted me yesterday with a link to one of pieces and a note that simply said 'I'm with Frew on this one'. So I thought I'd better nip back and see what Frew had said. Here's what he (she?) wrote... The previous commentators have all made ...
Dear, oh dear, what a storm in a teacup. Only in Dulwich could Bonfire Night be transformed into a theatrical performance worthy of a media meltdown before it even hits the stage, as Southwark Council's events department launches the "consultation" ... Continue reading →
As we've reported recently, with crime continuing to fall in our area, crime against businesses (mostly shoplifting) is the one that's bucking the trend and rising significantly. The Police are working to target this, and bringing together the traders who are having a bigger problem to tackle it better. So shoplifters watch out – we're onto you!
F.A.O Iain Brodie Browne - Street Lighting - Central Avenue, Birkdale Thank you for your recent email regarding the street light in the passageway that runs from Central Avenue to Liverpool Road, Birkdale. I wish to inform you that this street light has now been repaired and is working correctly.
Wed 21st
10:15
LDVideo at Conference | Farron on 'Tory bashing', Lamb on NHS reforms, and Ming on the Euro
At Birmingham and so missing out on how the Lib Dem conference is being reported? Not at Birmingham and so missing out on seeing Lib Dem MPs and government ministers up close and personal? We hope these videos will help re-connect you... Tim Farron's Tory-bashing (Available on the BBC website here.) Norman Lamb on NHS changes (Available on the BBC website here.) Sir Menzies Campbell on euro currency (Available on the BBC website here.)
For all readers of this blog and who are interested, I will be on Radio 5 Live at 6pm discussing Nick Clegg's speech with some other Lib Dem members. It is the Drive show and we are supposed to be giving our reaction to the speech so tune in and let me know what you ...
Wed 21st
09:57Nick, I'll set them up for you, but you still have to knock them in the back off the net....
In my interview with Nick Clegg on Sunday, I invited his views on whether it was appropriate for the Police to employ the Official Secrets Act to force a journalist to reveal their sources. This was of course a reference to the application by the Met for an order instructing the Guardian to hand over details of the alleged Police source who had informed them that The News of the World had been involved in the hacking of Milly Dowler's voicemail I was hoping for a resounding 'no'. Both because what the Police were doing was both inappropriate and illiberal, ...
This is possibly the most amazing use of technology of the year: a virtually free way of providing light into the poorest housing using plastic bottles filled with water. Genius simply doesn't do it justice. Sadly, I cannot add links at the moment for reasons unknown to me but here's a pastable link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14967535
Mark Pack's report
Tuesday: Well, the meeja might possibly give more attention to what Captain Clegg has to say, but for me there was a MORE IMPORTANT speech this week, cos it was my Daddy Richard's FIRST TIME! Many people do not realise that Daddy Richard has never spoken at Liberal Democrat conference before. It's probably because he is so ANCIENT! Okay so he has spoken at the BOTYs a couple of times. If you count flapping his mouth like a landed fish when I won my award in 2010. But never a proper speech. Until today! Here's what he had to say: ...
The other day, someone came up to me and said: "Steve, you're an above-average pensions minister!" In a world where praise can be a bit hard to come by, I took that as a compliment. But he quickly said: "No, I didn't mean that you're good at your job, I meant you've survived longer than most pension ministers!" And when I inquired, I found out that I was, indeed, the 11th different pensions minister in the last 14 years. So it is hardly suprising that pensions policy has been a bit piecemeal and messy over the years. Every change with ...
In 2007 I went to see the leadership hustings in Leicester and Nick Clegg impressed me with a communication style that was straight, direct and clear. Following being elected leader I remember feeling proud when he was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman or John Humfreys, as he was able to set out clear positions that I ...
This morning's Western Mail gives some prominence to a report by an allegedly leading think tank which Disabled Charity, Scope say has identified significant differences in the way local authorities in Wales are coping with cuts to their social services budgets. It is impossible for any one person to judge the accuracy or otherwise of this report so we aee forced to take it at face value. However, on the basis of the authority I know the best, Swansea, my opinion of this survey is that it is not worth the paper it is written on. Swansea for example, has ...
What happened on Tuesday in Birmingham at Liberal Democrat conference and what to watch out for today, Wednesday: (To find out more about any of the motions I mention, or indeed the others I've not highlighted, see the full agenda for the Liberal Democrats conference.)
The FT and the BBC have now repeated the story about a £5 billion blob of investment in growth, which I first saw on the Mail front page for today, last night. Here's an excerpt from the FT's report: Clegg seeks to invest way out of gloom By George Parker and Elizabeth Rigby in Birmingham Published: September 20 2011 23:39 | Last updated: September 21 2011 00:19 Nick Clegg will on Wednesday insist Britain can invest its way out of the downturn, amid signs of tensions between Liberal Democrats and the Treasury over the release of funds for capital projects. ...
Leading Cambridgeshire County Councillor, Geoff Heathcock, has expressed his concerns that the rising number of cancer and chronic diseases could significantly challenge the county's new health organisation. Councillor Heathcock, Shadow Cabinet Member for Health spoke out after warnings from the World Cancer Research Fund that serious illnesses threaten a public health disaster. He said: "This is a timely warning and comes on the same day that GPs are being told to pull back from allowing sufferers to have a cancer scans. There is clear inconsistency of approach here; cancer caught quickly need not be a death sentence. "This warning from ...
At Birmingham and so missing out on how the Lib Dem conference is being reported? Not at Birmingham and so missing out on seeing Lib Dem MPs and government ministers up close and personal? We hope these videos will help re-connect you... It was Lib Dem energy secretary Chris Huhne's day in the limelight yesterday, with his speech to the party's Birmingham conference generating acres of coverage. Here's how the BBC reported it. Chris Huhne on fuel poverty and energy prices (Available on the BBC website here.) Huhne inspects energy efficient house (Available on the BBC website here.)
Further to the concerns I raised last year following a wheelie bin fire at 97 Peddie Street, I am pleased to see the City Council now introducing a two-month trial of removing the wheelie bins here (north end Peddie Street plus a small number of properties in Annfield Street, Corso Street and Abbotsford Place) and replacing them with a Eurobin communal waste service. Although in most streets the wheelie bin collection system works well, the problem of some wheelie bins sitting out permanently on the street exists in a number of streets in the West End (and in other parts ...
I joined a political party last year with some trepidation. This is only right and proper – growing up in a culture of cynicism and disengagement, it's easy to be suspicious of the entire political process and it's inhabitants. However joining the Lib Dems has proven to be an extremely positive thing for me. The Birmingham conference is nicely rounding out my first year (and a bit). I've delivered two short speeches supporting things I care about, both being accepted by the conference. The feeling of acceptance warms my cold heart. The funny thing is how, having spoken, people start ...
Israel and America on the Wrong Side of History - Gareth Evans - Project Syndicate Mysterious paper sculptures - Weirdness in Edinburgh libraries. The Beauty of The Kalevala - The great Finnish epic. Victorian Visions of the Year 2000 Hugo Nominees: Conclusion - "I've learned that I still love Dune despite everything, and that the alien sex really is the only bit worth remembering from The Gods Themselves." peterbirks: Another week, another crisis - "Greek default would not be Armageddon"! Massive Biometric Project Gives Millions of Indians an ID seanan_mcguire: Across the digital divide - On the importance of paper ...
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual General Meeting of Harris Academy's Parent Council. It was a well-attended meeting at which we discussed a number of matters, including the school rebuilding project, the situation arising out of the destruction of the school minibus and the City Campus. The Parent Council does excellent work and Jim Thewliss, the school's Head Teacher, gave an eloquent vote of thanks to the parent volunteers who serve on the Parent Council.
>Northern Ireland Boundary Commission proposals 2011 - observations by Nicholas Whyte 0. Introduction I maintain the Northern Ireland elections website at http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections, the most substantial archive of electoral information regarding the region available anywhere. Although I have not resided in Northern Ireland since 1997, I maintain a strong interest in these matters and was invited by BBC Northern Ireland to participate in their live telecasts of the election results in both May 2010 and May 2011. I was a candidate in North Belfast in 1996, and electoral agent for a local council by-election in 1995, but am not at present ...
