Earlier today I was reading a piece about the financial crisis which argued that part of the problem with the financial system is a greater reliance on the technology, quants and trading over distance. There are fewer regular face to face meetings with counterparts in the market. This led to an erosion of trust and a sense of mutual obligation. Market actors were tempted to pursue the incentives they faced to put one over on others - or to act fraudulently - because they weren't doing it to people they knew. It's not going to hurt anyone, but it may ...
Yesterday and today I've been involved in a series of meetings about the Park and the Hall, the developments going on right now and the vision for the future. They've been in turn confidential, robust, comforting and exciting. The way in which the story of the Hall and Park will be told in the museum when it reopens, the ideas for celebrating harvest in the kitchen garden, the new settings and
Two of Europe most enduring and resilient political figures are heading for the door. George Papandreou and Silvio Berlusconi have to greater or lesser extents dominated Greece and Italy's political scenes in recent years and both have run out of luck. It remains to be seen who will replace them and how successful they will be in recasting the economies of these two nations but we are seeing the end of an era in each of these countries. Proving the adage that there is never a dull moment when Nicolas Sarkozy is around reports have just emerged of a conversation ...
There is always an issue when you start to compare any group to Nazis. You'd better be careful just what words you use to refer to yourself by in doing so, also you better be fully aware of what groups were targeted by the Germans in the 30s and 40s. It is a lesson that Alan Craig of the Christian Peoples Alliance would do well to heed as he decided to write about "Confronting the Gaystapo" in last week's Church of England newspaper. He talks for example about facism, then talks of the German Nazis "intended assault on our civilization, ...
I had tried Ivanhoe several years ago and bounced off it; fjm persuaded me to give it another go, and I must say that with a paper copy (rather than reading off the Blackberry as I had previously tried) it was much easier to speed-read through the cod-medieval prose and get the sense of story. This edition also has a very useful introduction pointing out that the imagined distance from the Norman Conquest to the setting of Scott's novel is about the same as the real interval between 1688-91 and the writing of the novel. The conflict between Saxons and ...
Looking for the Zeppelin memorial in Loughborough on Saturday I asked a man with a barrel organ and a woman who were selling poppies outside the Salvation Army hall. They directed me to this plaque. It was not the right one, but it did allow me to shoot a photo that shows 50 years of history. To make things even more symbolic, the winning street was called Shakespeare Street, though I suspect it has been truncated by redevelopment since 1953.
I see via Jonathan Calder at Liberal England that Lib Dem MP Annette Brooke's private members bill to make it compulsory for cyclists to wear a helmet has not been given a second reading. Jonathan reiterates his opposition to compulsion and cites research that it simply reduces the number of cyclists on the road. I am probably a case in point on this. I own a bicycle, but use it all too rarely even though I do enjoy a nice cycle ride. I am middle aged, overweight and am trying to make an effort to eat less and take more ...
Tonight's West End Community Council meeting featured a presentation from representatives from the City Council and TACTRAN (the regional transport partnership) on their proposals for park and ride facilities in the west of the city. The briefing note you can download at http://tinyurl.com/dundeep-ride describes the process undertaken to identify possible Park and Ride sites. As you see from the report's conclusions, two sites have been highlighted through an option appraisal process, the sites are to the west of the Landmark/Swallow Roundabout and at Wright Avenue, just off Riverside Avenue. Tonight's speakers indicated that the Wright Avenue option is significantly more ...
Today I spoke at the opening ceremony of Dunedin Canmore Housing Associations excellent new development in the Granton area of the City. Elizabeth Maginnis Court is a superb development which houses 68 older people and has been named after the late Councillor Elizabeth Maginnis who represented that area with great distinction on both Regional and City Councils until her death three years ago at far too early an age. Elizabeth was best known as one of the UK's leading councillors running Educational services but she was also some one who proudly represented her community. She had a strong interest in ...
(Picture and story supplied by Malavan) Here is the Big Society in action. 40 households and businesses from the area of Hillfield Road, Aldred Road, Orestes Mews and Mill Lane, West Hampstead, banded together to try to move foxes off our patch. No foxes were harmed in this action. No politicians or council officials were involved either. Whether our actions will succeed, we cannot be sure, but we certainly came up trumps as a community. Well done everyone! There are more wonderful pictures of this community action - look on And this is from the Hillfield and Aldred Residents ...
TweetIs it really 12 months since the violence in an unnecessary protests by students in the capital? Tomorrow, in some strange ritualistic complaint, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts will stage another protest through London. according to the Evening Standard, around 10,000 demonstrators are expected to join the protest and "march to the city ...
Michael Crick has the full list of the alleged targets of surveillance by the News of the World. There are 153, but Crick has excluded those who "seem to ordinary members of the public". Frankly, my dear, if you are not on the list you are simply nobody.
TweetTheresa May continues to top headlines over her abysmal handling of relaxing border controls. As ever, she takes a despicable approach of blinkered arrogance. It seems to be a Conservative trait to insist purple is white over and over again, as if, by some stroke of luck, it will make it true. As ever, May ...
Just watching "The Golden Age of Canals" on BBC 4. Apparently it's a series which has been on since May but fortunately it's all available on the BBC website here. Tonight we heard of rows between Tom Rolt and Robert Aikman, founders of the Inland Waterways Association. We also heard about the great festival and rally at Market Harborough in 1950 (not, I expect, news to Liberal England).
TweetWhile David Cameron is running around the EU and G20 summits trying to look important, he has missed the vital trick in appeasing the growing unhappiness over social inequality in the UK. The EU Commission revealed on Saturday they are going to commence an end to bankers bonuses and examine the Tobin tax proposals put ...
I thought I should post the motion passed unanimously by South Central Region Liberal Democrats, on the subject of the pubcos, in full below. Conference notes the findings of the BIS Select Committee on 20 September, strongly criticising the anti-competitive, anti-consumer practices of the largest pub management companies (pubcos), and demanding Government action as the industry has failed to put its house in order as requested by two previous Select Committee inquiries. Conference further notes the acceptance by Liberal Democrat Ministers in Government of the need for action if the industry failed to reform. Conference believes that the operation of ...
On Radio Five this afternoon the solicitor of Milly Dowler's family, Mark Lewis, accused Rupert Murdoch's News International of behaving "like the former Soviet Union". He also saidthat being snooped on by the Murdoch empire left him feeling like "the KGB are somehow following you". Read more on Left Foot Forward. "Think about it. You are going to the House of Commons for one of the most important Q&As of your career. Would you check the basic facts before setting out? It seems that May didn't." Liberal Burblings is surprised at the incompetence of Theresa May. The Potter Blogger tells ...
My title may state the obvious but what I mean to say that is that most people don't realise that there are different dimensions to mothering. I spoke at a MIRCI conference in Toronto, Canada last month which was titled 'Mothering, Education and Maternal Pedagogies'. My talk was on how my life has benefitted from having an empowered mother who takes an active interest in my education and in my life. MIRCI is one of a few organisations in the world that specialises in the academic and activism of mothering. Women came from all over the world to attend this ...
The website bikeradar.com reminds us that the Cycles (Protective Headgear for Children) Bill, put forward by Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, failed to receive a second reading last week. This means that it now has little chance of making further progress. I am not sorry. I recall writing a House Points column saying I was against compulsion in 2004 when the Labour backbencher Eric Martlew brought in such a bill. bikeradar.com quotes two good arguments against compulsion: CTC believes any helmet compulsion law in Britain would, as has been seen in other countries who've ...
Has anyone noticed the amazing resemblance between Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael and Rab C Nesbitt alias Gregor Fisher. I wonder if perhaps they are related.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA, has called on "the environmental movement" to rethink the way it engages with climate scepticism. He told Business Green that following years of "pious alarmism", green NGOs and businesses should develop a more "prosaic" argument for action on climate change based around its costs and benefits. He went on to say that climate hawks should equate action to cut emissions with the insurance that households and businesses buy but rarely use. "[People] spend money on house insurance and car insurance and life insurance, and, if what is overwhelmingly likely to happen and your ...
The 10kg of free grit for Sutton residents is available for another weekend from the following collection points on 12th and 13th November: Woodcote Green Garden Centre & Nurseries Saturday 9am - 5.30pm, Sunday 10.30am - 4.30pm B&Q in Sutton Saturday 7am - 5pm, Sunday 10am - 4pm Kimpton Park Way Reuse and Recycle Centre Saturday ...
Manchester Liberal Democrats have received the following confirmation from Mike Livingstone, Director of Children's Services that Manchester is to get an extra £10m of capital monies to help with pupil places. For years Labour did nothing to resolve this problem, but the Coalition Govt have helped Manchester and other LEA's deal with the problems caused by rising pupil numbers. I can confirm that Manchester is to receive just over £10m additional capital school funding. The monies are specifically for the schools capital programme and will be allocated accoring to the priority programme and gateway process. If you require any more ...
I hope Peter Welch is in the weights room working up a sweat for all the doors he'll be knocking on a year or so's time. Ok maybe I am getting a little (read: way) ahead of myself here but Southend West MP David Amess is on the front page of the local paper today and not talking about female newsreaders smiling too much. A headline screaming, 'Amess Told: Explain Your Council Tax Claims' probably isn't a good thing for the man. [IMG: southend echo david amess] Front Page of the Southend Echo - 8 Nov 2011 Inside the local ...
Fair Trials International (previously known as Fair Trials Abroad) is a unique UK-based organisation which campaigns on behalf of people unjustly or cruelly imprisoned around the world, notably those who have been waiting years for a trial or else have been extradited unfairly, or convicted in absentia. Although its remit is global, a substantial proportion ...
All are welcome to this free event run by young women in Brinnington. Tea & coffee, face painting, DJ, arts and crafts and more. In Your Face – women against domestic violence
Tue 8th
16:48
Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 14 Housing Market Re...
Cllr Realey said she was new on this committee, but pointed out that councillors meet a lot of people that might be entitled to investment and could staff come to a future meeting and give a talk on this? David Ball said he would make the information available and Paula was available already to businesses. ...
Tue 8th
16:37Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 13 Performance and F...
The Chair said the question had been asked by Stuart that officers were not equipped to answer. He moved his motion and called for a councillor to second his motion. Cllr Pat Hackett seconded the motion. Four councillors voted for, four councillors voted against. The Chair had a casting vote, the Chair, Cllr Johnston decided ...
Tue 8th
16:31
Chris Huhne told wife of affair during half-time in the Holland v Japan World Cup match
That this is the theory from the Sun. It could possibly have been Ghana v Australia or Cameroon v Denmark. The Telegraph reports: In a radio interview, Miss Pryce told of her shock when Mr Huhne, her husband of 26 years, told her of his affair during a World Cup football match in June last year. There were three matches that day at the tournament, between Ghana and Australia, Netherlands and Japan and Cameroon and Denmark. Miss Pryce, a Chelsea FC fan, told BBC Radio Four's World at One: "I think it was June 19, when I think I was ...
Tue 8th
16:25Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 12 Performance and F...
Cllr Mountney said he welcomed the report and the financial information included. The Chair said he wanted to add something to the work program. Cllr Wittingham referred to 4.4.1, 4.4.4 in reference to a 21% decrease in contracts made. The Chair said he wanted to carry on with the point about why the next two ...
Tue 8th
16:17Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 11 social housing, s...
Cllr Wittingham asked if they would use Wirral Partnership Homes, the answer given was yes. Cllr Realey said she had concerns about the under 35s and the single room rate which comes into effect in January 2012. She said this would reduce benefit for those affected with private landlords to £63/week. Cllr Realey said it ...
I was reminded to day of the completely, outrageous inequality in our economy, in which public sector workers encouraged by the unions believe that they have some God given right to be paid far in excess of the private sector, and that with no sense of shame, their happy to see the low paid workers, fund their extravagance. I'd have some respect for the public sector unions if I thought they gave a toss, for those subsidising their life style but then you don't, millions in the commercial sector, work without any basic safeguards, still its clear that in the ...
Tue 8th
16:03Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 10 Department for Wo...
The Chair asked if there were any questions on the Department for Work and Pensions Work Programme. Cllr Wittingham said there may be movement on Department of Work and Pensions rules which stated they couldn't share statistics them externally. Eventually he hoped this would change and the statistics would be made available to councillors. David ...
Tue 8th
15:47Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 9 Child Poverty Stra...
Cllr Steve Niblock said he was curious about the method used. He said the ward he represents was not in there and he wanted a map of all of Wirral made available to councillors. Jane Morgan said it was in more detail in the needs assessment by super output area. They had drawn out comparison ...
It being over four years since I last read David Steel's speech to the Liberal Party Assembly of 1976, I thought it was time I did so again. As you do. And yes, once again, it is the bombing of Greenland and the cats which caught my attention: I have been leader of the Party for less than three months. During this short period I have not lacked advice on what I should do ... These submissions have ranged from the useful through the exotic - such as the plea that I could end the nation's drought by advocating the ...
See Quick Study, a new series on The Economist's Prospero blog that offers a crash course in a particular subject, delivered by an expert in the field, with some suggestions for further reading and for more useful links. (1) is a rhetorical question really...see Lewis Pages book 'Lions Donkeys and Dinosaurs' for some thoughts... Feinstein, A (2011) "The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade". Hamish Hamilton.
From PoliticsHome: In her first personal interview since separating from her ex-husband Chris Huhne, Vicky Pryce has said that she is strongly considering a Parliamentary career, pointing out that there had "never been a female Chancellor" of the UK. Ms Pryce also told the BBC's World at One that she had been shocked when her husband told her of his affair during the halftime interval of a World Cup football match. The first interview was on Radio 4′s World at One. You can listen to the programme here. [IMG: Attribution] [IMG: Noncommercial] Photo credit: Some rights reserved by radiothings.com [IMG: ...
Tue 8th
14:52Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 8 Child Poverty Stra...
The Chair thanked Paula Basnett and said that if councillors had a couple of hours that Invest Wirral was well worth their while visiting. The Chair, Cllr Johnston said he hoped councillors had read the Child Poverty Strategy and Action Plan Progress Report and that Jane Morgan was here to answer any questions. He asked ...
Dear Akismet, I have a small suggestion which will improve your usually amazing comment spam-killing abilities by several orders of magnitude. In the spirit of open source, I won't be charging you for my advice. If a comment has the phrase "ugg boots" anywhere at all – including in the person's name, email address or website fields, it's spam. No-one needs to make a manual decision about deleting it. Yours, etc. p.s. What are "ugg boots", anyway? [IMG: :)]
Local residents and other interested parties are being invited to comment on mixed private and affordable housing proposals to replace the rest of Oaklands city centre campus when the college moves to Smallford next year. An exhibition is being held by Hightown Praetorian & Churches Housing Association, on Thursday 10th November, between 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm in the refectory of the College's main block in St Peters Road. It will show various sketch schemes to replace the college buildings with around 100 flats. George Edkins, Development Director for Hightown explains: "There is a huge need for homes for local ...
John Pugh has made a speech on fracking. This is a very important issue around here. John's speech can be found here. It concludes: The ball is in the Government's court. If they and the agencies that want to exploit shale gas can show to all and sundry that they will hold the various companies concerned to the fire, until they agree to what is appropriate, safe and satisfactory and what passes all reasonable scientific tests, there may be an answer in shale gas for British energy supplies.
This morning's Telegraph contains an interesting article on the SNP's much-talked about Independence Referendum. This is particularly relevant given that a number of Plaid Cymru figures are already pre-empting the result of that plebsicite and demanding that we make contingency plans for an emasculated British state. I would contend that not only are they taking the vote for granted but also that they are deliberately misleading people on the process should a 'yes' vote emerge. The paper says that one of Scotland's leading QCs has claimed that the planned independence referendum has a "high chance" of being struck down by ...
Following the Home Secretary's announcement that the post of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), due to be elected on 15th November 2012, could receive as much as £100,000 per year, Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats have questioned whether the job is really worth more than four times the salary of the current Chair of the Police Authority and twice the salary of the Leader of the County Council. Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats' Policing Spokeperson, County Councillor Ron Tindall, said: 'At present, the Police Authority Chair receives £22,500. While PCC will be replacing all seventeen members of the current Police Authority, we do not ...
Tue 8th
14:09Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 7 relationship manag...
Cllr Mountney asked where the relationship managers were from and what their skillsets are? Paula Basnett said some were from industry and the others were long term local authority employees. Two were long term local authority officers and three were fairly new but all of them had degrees. One was based on the IT sector, ...
The opposition of Liberal Democrats to the idea of an elected Mayor for our city is well known, long-term and consistent. We believe it to be a bad system that has shown few if any benefits where tried. It interferes ... Continue reading →
Launceston Fire Station is one of a number of locations around Cornwall where new firefighters are needed. Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is after a number of new on-call firefighters to ensure that each call out is attended by a fully crewed vehicle in the shortest possible time. The other stations where new recruits are needed are Camborne, Fowey, Liskeard, Looe, Lostwithiel, Polruan and Torpoint. On-Call firefighters (they used to be called 'retained') are fully trained part time firefighters. There are more than 400 across Cornwall at the moment and most stations rely on them for all their cover as ...
Last night the Liberal Democrats held their Annual General Meeting. Usually people might think meetings of this sort are dry and stuffy. Being set in a pub in South Ealing people had a good time discussing local and national political events as well as eating and having a drink. As Liberal Democrat Leader in Ealing I spoke about what my team of councillors have been up to in the past 12 months. Of all three political parties we had the best attendance rate! Cllr Harvey Rose and Cllr Nigel Bakhai attended 100% of their meetings plus some extra ones that ...
Tue 8th
13:51Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 6, manufacturing, bu...
The officer said that they [Wirral Council] also worked with the Manufacturing Advisory Service on culture and had made eighty-one referrals in the last year. They go in with MAS who had a list of practitioners who helped with office or shop culture and worked to add value to the business, attract industry and keep ...
I'm not sure why this makes me smile, but for some reason I received a piece of advertising email (aka. spam) tailored for a very specific audiance: Special member's offer – get yourself heard Having completed the ballot, we have special prices for for affiliated trade unions and their members on our megaphones. We've mmanged to get new stocks of our megaphone range which offers the simplest in operation by being compact & lightweight as well as offering a surprisingly powerful sound. For a small gathering and directing small crowd from a safety point of view, try the ADS 226 ...
Tue 8th
13:33Economy and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee 7th November 2011 Part 5, apprenticeships, ...
An officer said that some businesses were not doing well and some were leaving the Wirral. One had made a decision to move to Hungary and Wirral Council was working with the hundred and eighty staff affected. The forty-six apprenticeships were not just for young people. They also went into companies that they heard were ...
Tue 8th
13:30
Southwark Lib Dems face questions over Ministry of Sound donations: 3 important points to consider
Southwark Lib Dem councillors and local MP Simon Hughes have been in the spotlight the past 24 hours following their decisio to oppose a planning application objected to by the Ministry of Sound, a prominent donor to the party. BBC News reports: Political donations to the Liberal Democrats from a nightclub chain totalling almost £80,000 went undeclared as its councillors discussed a tower block development opposed by the firm, BBC London has learned. The Ministry of Sound, in Elephant and Castle, south London, was fighting to prevent developer Oakmayne building a residential tower block nearby. The club feared noise complaints ...
But sadly prisons are covered by the Ministry of Justice, not the Home Office, and even they don't cover prisons in Mexico.... [IMG: Attribution] [IMG: Noncommercial] Mexican prison photo credit: Some rights reserved by DexterPerrin [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Cleaning up from yesterday's internet meltdown has meant that I've not had the chance to write about this at length, but last night I went to a preview of the first episode of Channel 4′s new documentary, "My Transsexual Summer", which airs tonight (Tuesday 8th November) at 10pm. First off, it's not perfect. But then, nothing ever will be – we can be an argumentative community at the best of times and even if this was produced by Trans folk, either everyone would still object or it would be terribly, terribly dull. (Follow my life with a camera and unless ...
Theresa May has always struck me as an efficient and effective operator. But after yesterday, I have me doots. We've seen this morning the Telegraph headline "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" which summarises May's inability to say how many illegal aliens were let into the country under relaxed border controls. But, after that, if you were under any illusion that May knows what the Sam Hill is going on in her own organisation, read the following exchange from Hansard. When asked, she did not know if Manchester airport had been included in the relaxed immigration controls pilot. She had ...
Am seriously worried about Reh? Last week a fake Twitter account for the Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti appeared and began tweeting on all sort of topics. It was annoying for two reasons. One was that I had half written a blog (which is salvaged in this one) which I then had to scrap and eat a certain amount of Humble pie. The other was that within a week it was proved to be false and deleted and I was one of the 100 suckers who had signed up to follow him and had even tweeted to him on ...
Pictured above is Andy Gill from the BBC, interviewing children on the beach at Crosby. I was asked to attend a busy day of interviews as the route for the Olympic Torch Relay was announced. Events began for me last Friday when I was interviewed by the BBC for inclusion in the local news once the embargo was lifted on the story yesterday morning. Yesterday I was joined by children from a local school and a Paralympic hopeful. The first of yesterday's events place at 7.05 am on a cold but beautiful morning by the Iron Men on Crosby beach. ...
I may be a little late for what turns out to the be the penultimate Five on the Fifth hosted by Stephen. But I had a rather hectic week helping two friends move as well as a hectic time getting applications off for jobs so here, better late than never is my contribution to November's Five on the Fifth. The theme was movement but I may end up digressing here somewhat. Heading toward the Mournes and the highest point of Northern Ireland is in the middle I had to move my nephew slightly so he wasn't in front of his ...
As Scottish Lib Dem members who have received their ballot papers will now realise, I am standing for election to the Executive Committee. My friend Caron blogged yesterday that the way forward for the Scottish Liberal Democrats is to "be awkward, wearing our hearts on our sleeves and not letting anyone put us in the corner". I couldn't agree more and, if that's the kind of Liberal Democrat you want on your Executive Committee, then I'm pretty sure I meet the criteria! I'm not into indulging in an internet campaign of self-promotion and you won't find any facebook groups called ...
Following the latest delay to establishing a new health centre in Stansted, I have written the following letter to Alan Haselhurst MP requesting that he call for the Secretary of State's investigation into the competence of West Essex Primary Care Trust. Dear Alan, I am writing to you in relation to the persistent delays in establishing a much-needed health centre in Stansted, where services at the local GP surgery are deteriorating due to the increased demands of a rapidly growing village. In the most recent development, local developer Pelham Structures has offered to devote part of a retail and housing ...
No there aren't two of him but I wanted to write more about Jerry Sadowitz and the naive / cynical spectrum of his humour. Jerry has been in trouble for making a joke about Canadians. He doesn't like them because half speak French and the other half let them. Well I think that's quite funny even though he has managed to insult the whole of Canada.The point is that he can't hate them that much because he allowed a young Canadian comedian called Bobby Mair to support him on Sunday. So you can take anything Jerry says with a few ...
Yesterday, Tim Montgomerie ran a series of post on Conservative Home called 'Rebooting Project Cameron'. He makes many recommendations. Number eight, if adopted, could have a profound affect on British politics. Montgomerie thinks that the Conservative party should be relaunched as the Conservative Alliance. This new entity would be modelled on the Republican National Committee in the USA. He believes that a new structure can embrace the way we live now. The Internet has given us a powerful tool to do what we do naturally: communicate and build relationships. Montgomerie believes harnessing that and taking a different approach to groups ...
Some time ago I read that the problem with the Greeks is that they regard paying their taxes in rather the same way as many people regard the collection plate at church: you put on what, if anything, you happen to feel like at the moment. When I repeated this to a young Greek student he responded, rather indignantly, that "ordinary " Greeks, such as his family, do pay their taxes: it is the wealthy Greeks who evade and avoid their obligations. Confirmation of this view comes in a letter to the Guardian last Friday (04/11/11) from a Professor Greg ...
I may have nagged you once or twice about taking part in the Scottish Government's consultation on Equal Marriage which runs until 9th December. The opponents of equal marriage are trying to get 100,000 negative responses to the consultation. We know that almost 2/3 of the Scottish population, a good couple of million of the voting public, support equalising the marriage laws so we owe it to all of them to encourage as many positive responses as possible - with no limits. The postcard above is part of the ever awesome Liberal Youth Scotland's very well received campaign on equal ...
We are all experts when we blog. So, let me break with convention and start by admitting I am no economist. What's more, I really hope I am wrong. If you read the discussion in the Observer on the future of the economy you might have been struck, like me, by what seemed to be a killer point from Will Hutton. Challenging the notion that government borrowing is unsustainable he pointed out that when he was a child in the 1950s the level of borrowing was even higher as a proportion of national income than it is now. Doesn't that ...
Tue 8th
10:08
Independent research backs Social Liberal Forum: Strong recommendations for Lib Dem economic policy
Is the Spirit Level correct? A question that many have argued over with arguments and counter arguments. But the debate is very important to the Lib Dems. The Social Liberal Forum endorse the Spirit Level and propose policies to promote equality, while those more economic liberals have argued that this is not a good strategy ...
Just read Julian Baggini's interesting piece in the Guardian on religion and ineffability. I particularly liked:"Too often I find that faith is mysterious only selectively. Believers constantly attribute all sorts of qualities to their gods and have a list of doctrines as long as your arm. It is only when the questions get tough that, suddenly, their God disappears in a puff of mystery.
This Friday, November 11th is Armistice Day. I will be marking the day with two minutes silence at 11 am, wherever I may be. I urge you to do the same, to take two minutes out of your life to reflect on those who gave their lives in war.
Sadly this policy is not being followed by the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in the Northern ...Continue reading »
A number of people have asked me about the trees in front of the Civic Centre. The following is the response of the "Building Schools for the Future" project manager: The decision on whether or not to retain the trees will be taken as part of the design proposals for the new development. This will be subject to pre-planning consultation to allow residents to express their views, and will of course be subject to all necessary consents. I have also had drawn to my attention that the racks for the poppy wreaths at the cenotaph have been takken away. I ...
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has confirmed that the Olympic Flame will be carried through St Andrews on 13th June 2012. As well as visiting the iconic Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course, the route the Flame will take in Scotland will include Loch Ness, the Forth Rail Bridge and John O'Groats. Sir Menzies Campbell, who was the first to call for the Olympic Torch to come to St Andrews, said: "In only 7 months we shall see the Olympic torch in St Andrews. "For sportsmen and women, and the public too, this will ...
The Press Association reports: If Britain is to benefit from a controversial drilling technique to extract gas from the ground "we must be able to guarantee safety at every stage", a Liberal Democrat MP has said. Dr John Pugh (Southport) said without appropriate and effective monitoring of the process, public support would not be achieved. Fracking, which involves hydraulic fracturing of shale rock using high pressure liquid, led to the tremors which hit Lancashire earlier this year. Environmental campaigners and local residents have called for an immediate halt to the exploration work, which could lead to vast untapped gas reserves. ...
Well it time once more to delve into my music collection this time I'm looking at the Hs. With the MTV Europe Music Awards happening in Belfast at the weekend I could have gone Irish with a little Hothouse Flowers, but maybe that would have been too predictable. Belfast is the home of the Delorean sports car, which starred in Back to the Future so I could have done a little Huey Lewis and the News, though not that track. There is also the possibility of a little Whitney Houston, or some Human League, maybe even some George Harrison. But ...
It's one of politics' great unspoken truths that the UK Border Agency has for years been managed as badly as any public body in the UK. The Home Affairs Select Committee hauls its 'untouchable' senior management in for a quarterly grilling – frequency reflecting their total distrust of the non-answers management give them. There is a human cost to all this mismanagement and waste too, in part because it escalates already difficult issues. I'm delighted this Home Secretary has acted so quickly to suspend those at the top after their latest misdeeds. Now will she get on and fire for ...
Before the internet, before computers, before even electricity, the Romans had a communications technology that showed an understanding of how to get the right information into the right hands which is still highly applicable to the online world. The Acta Diurna were daily public notices, posted up in public locations around Rome. Lesson one - put your information where the audience is. The content mixed dry official news such as the latest magistrates to have been elected with news of greater human interest, such as notable births, marriages and deaths or strange omens. Lesson two - spice up information with ...
Ex libris is a wonderful game. No – better than that – it's a beautiful game. Here are the rules: Everyone has to write the opening line of a novel, based on the novel's summary. One player has the real opening line to copy down. One other player (the guesser) has to guess which of the opening lines is the real one. If you fool the guesser, you win the point. If the guesser is correct, she gets the point. Simple and perfect. You don't need to be well read – you just need enough of an imagination to write ...
Two EU Parliament committees reject EU-Morocco Fish Pact - fishelsewhere.eu "European Parliament's Development and Budget Committee both adopted an opinion calling on Parliament to reject the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement." (tags: eu westernsahara ) Evil social networks What's wrong with #Klout (tags: internet )
Last week Coombe Vale Ward in Kingston Borough had three Conservative councillors. Then one was exposed by the local paper - the wonderfully named Surrey Comet - for working full time in the USA and not attending any council meetings since 14th July. Yet Cllr Tasker still found time to claim £2,500 allowances from the taxpayer. But instead of taking action - the Tories backed errant councillor Tasker explaining 'he had been carrying out constituency work while he was away, via email and telephone.' That was 8am on Friday 28th October. By 5.11pm on Tuesday 1st November the paper reported ...
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A foggy Abbotsford Street Yesterday, along with Housing and Environment Department Officers and representatives of Blackness Area Housing Association, I took part in a walkabout around the Blackness area - in particular, Corso Street, Abbotsford Place, Blackness Road, Peddie Street, Blackness Avenue and Abbotsford Street - to look at any local issues such as graffiti, road condition, bins collection, buildings repairs and similar issues. It was a very foggy and rather cold morning - see right! - but a most productive walkabout, with several local problems being highlighted.
The last week has been an extraordinarily busy one. Speaking to supporters on the phone, meeting with Lib Dem workers to map out what I need to do in the weeks and months ahead to get our message to local residents, carrying out a clean-up in Southern Cemetery to get it tidy for Christmas, and marking my birthday with family and good friends. Indeed, a lot of this past week has been spent in pursuing funding to further the work of the Friends of Southern Cemetery group, which now has 56 members and goes from strength. Our proposal, to establish ...
