Thanks to Split Horizons.
Wow I've not blogged in a few days. I do have things to say but not the time (or inclination) to type them up. If only I had a typist or a head-set that changed by words into written words on the screen *daydreams* ah if only. Anyway on with the blog. On Sunday morning Martin Brundle confirmed what was one of the worst kept secrets in sports broadcasting that he was leaving BBC F1 to join Sky Sports new F1 coverage from next season. His partner or partners in the commentary box haven't been confirmed as yet but it ...
Further to Saturday's West End Christmas Week launch and P5s' football tournament, and with thanks to WestFest for sponsoring the football and to Alan Richardson for the photos below, my congratulations go to Ancrum Road Primary School's A Team - West End football champions!
Spotify is now available on Virgin Media's Tivo for Spotify Premium subscribers. I was expecting to be able to search the Spotify library just like with the desktop application but all you can do is play from your playlists or the "What's New" section. I was initially disappointed with this but I think I can get over it. Hopefully we'll be able to search the library in a later release. My free 30 day trial of Spotify Premium runs out on Friday and I'm seriously tempted to keep pay the subscription fees of £10/month. I would use the BlackBerry app ...
It was at a children's birthday party when I first heard the news, and like many people my first reaction was one of shock. "Gary Speed is dead" I exclaimed in a stupefied manner, "Gary Speed is dead...". Fans of Notts County, Lincoln City and Macclesfield had already experienced tragedy with the passing of Richard Butcher at the beginning of the year. His death had reminded us what an uneven hand fate can sometimes play us, spending his last night alone dying of a heart condition. So when the news about Speed came through I was preparing myself for a ...
Following my surgeries this afternoon at the Mitchell Street Centre and at Harris Academy, I attended tonight's City Council meetings at which : * At Education Committee, I sought assurances from the City Council's Chief Executive that the council's involvement in the East Scotland Territory Hub for capital projects will ensure Best Value, will give local contractors a fair share of the work and that funding per square metre on schools' projects from the Scottish Futures Trust is sufficient to build a high-quality new Harris Academy building. * At Policy & Resources Committee, I welcomed the City Council's support for ...
This evening the shortlist for the SPOTY are being unveiled on BBC's The One Show. Once Gary Linekar announces who they will I shall be listing their reasons for the nomination and their chances IMHO of how they will do. Mo Farrah was, for me, actually a surprising omission from the 2010 short list when he won double gold in the 5000m and 10,000m at the European Championships. This year at the world he won gold in 5000m after achieving a silver in the 10,000m. He also won gold in the European Indoor 5000m this year. For a distance runner ...
One of the fastest-growing petitions in recent weeks has been this effort to stop millions of pounds in government funds being handed over to Tottenham Hotspur FC. You can view it here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14605 Spurs recently announced annual revenue of £163.5m, a significant chunk of which they spend paying their squad of millionaire footballers. Yet having launched a strong campaign to take over the (tax-funded) Olympic stadium in Stratford, the club is now set to receive a large taxpayer "incentive" to build themselves a new stadium in Tottenham. Unsurprisingly Mayor Boris is happily trying to chuck the cash their way while ...
I have long worried that older people find children and adolescents threatening. Given that a recent survey found 44 per cent of adults agreeing with the proposition that young people are becoming feral, it seems I have good cause. In part this fear arises from a more general decline in community, but I suspect it also a result of our enthusiasm for segregating the generations. And advanced opinion generally wants to increase that segregation by further raising the school leaving age and sending more teenagers to university. If this analysis is right then most of the remedies suggested, whether liberal ...
Every market in the world is in green today, with increases around 2-3%. But, of course, no time to feature this in the main bulletins.... Graphic from the FT. [IMG: 20111128-220327.jpg] [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Back in February I wrote about the government's aim to think long-term and the problems with turning that rhetoric into action: "We must think long term" is a common cry in politics and government. Far easier said than done, but whether it is investing in early years education, making decisions over building new physical infrastructure such as railways, setting rules for pensions or a myriad of other decisions, government repeatedly makes decisions which only work well if they are stuck to for a long period of time and whose positive impact may not be directly felt for many years. For ...
A blatant plug for an event for a local charity, the Friends of Wadi Fuqeen, who support this village in the occupied West Bank. (Google the village name to read why it has been in the news recently) The Friends of Wadi Fuqeen will again be selling Palestinian handicrafts and foodstuffs in Church House, Caversham, Reading, on Saturday, 10 December, 2011. The doors will open at 10am and will remain open until at least 1pm. The venue is located just down from Waitrose in Caversham. There will also be a short film about our adopted village and tea and coffee ...
TweetA newly evolved human being is emerging in the political classes. The media is utterly fascinated by them, in an interview after interview with the strange creatures with a variety of hack approaches, trying to understand the new behaviours. I'm talking of the young female politician. The Liberal Democrats have been including such unusual female ...
As I type I am moving into my 45th minute on my journey from Bradford to Leeds do I know more investment is needed in the UK's infrastructure. If the government can persuade pension funds to invest in this way for a return then all well and good. Pensioners get a return and I get a better train service. Win - win. My one concern is that this seems like tens of billions of off balance sheet borrowing that may come back to haunt the country and although I hate to agree with anything Ed Balls says I too will ...
The other day, as shares in the Thomas Cook Group plummeted, I pointed out that Thomas Cook was living in Market Harborough when he first hit upon the idea of organising excursions. What I didn't know I researched that post is that this fact is commemorated by a small plaque high on the wall above the entrance to Quakers Yard in Adam and Eve Street. It is next to the excellent Duncan Murray Wines. The moral is that I should look up more often.
TweetThe coalition may have rebranded the Pre-Budget Report to an "Autumn Statement", but it also appears, with a slight of hand, they have neatly changed their own approach to fiscal stimulation too. Still Plan A, the proposals George Osborne will put forward tomorrow will significantly boost the economy. £40 billion worth of loans to small ...
I was one of the several members of the Faceless Mindless Collective who came up with questions for Marc Singer about his new book about Grant Morrison. Tagged: Grant Morrison, marc singer, mememememe, mindless ones
With thanks to Liberal Vision and the Institute of Economic Affairs.
A sign of the times.
An article by the Park Farm Neighbourhood Watch has listed all those councillors who recently accepted the latest technological freebie from the city council, paid for by local taxpayers, a brand new iPhone! Both the Tory councillors for this area have accepted the gift, but local LIB DEM ward councillor for South Werrington and North Gunthorpe, Darren Fower has refused to accpet one. Following a Freedom of Information request FOI-11-0667 by Park Farm Neighbourhood Watch, you can see the complete list of those City Councillors, who accepted the handsets, valued at a couple of hundred pounds each, just by clicking ...
A lady called Lana Peters died in Richland County, Wisconsin, last week at the age of 85. The New York Times has a characteristically full account of her life: Her three successive names were signposts on a twisted, bewildering road that took her from Stalin's Kremlin, where she was the "little princess," to the West in a celebrated defection, then back to the Soviet Union in a puzzling homecoming, and finally to decades of obscurity, wandering and poverty. At her birth, on Feb. 28, 1926, she was named Svetlana Stalina, the only daughter and last surviving child of the brutal ...
This morning a number of residents contacted me after they experienced horrendous traffic jams at the Barlow Moor Rd, Hardy Lane and Mauldeth Rd W crossroad. Some reports were that the traffic jam was stretching as long as one mile in all directions. I, like hundreds of Chorlton residents had the misfortune of getting stuck in this traffic on the way to work. I reported this to the Council and asked them to investigate urgently why these delays had occurred and requested urgent action to ensure they did not recur. I am told that the junction currently has temporary lights ...
Last Saturday night, ITV3 showed Murder By Decree, the 1979 film pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper (not to be confused with Hammer's earlier variation on the theme, A Study in Terror). Of all the many films that tried to make a serious attempt at defining Holmes between Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett, this is perhaps the most critically acclaimed and certainly the one that takes itself the most seriously. Yet though I rather like Christopher Plummer's soulful Sherlock, the film's achingly fashionable - for 1979 - Ripperology and conspiracy theories in general just test my patience. Spoilers follow... ...
According to the cyberneticist Stafford Beer the purpose of a system is what it does – we shouldn't look at an organisation's stated principles, but at its results. Applying this principle to politics, we can see that for my whole lifetime, the purposes of both the Labour and Conservative parties have been the same – ...
Gatley Carrs Conservation Group are planting free trees from the Woodland Trust to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. They have received a free 105 tree pack in the wildlife theme enjoying the wide range of benefits trees bring to both local communities and wildlife. The tree packs are provided in partnership with Ibuyeco, one of the Uk's leading eco insurance providers who have worked with the Trust for over two years and raised £300,000 for the charity so far. One of the oak saplings is from one of the Queen's woods. If you would like to help to plant a ...
Local Lib Dems are thrilled by the news that the long-campaigned-for A555 Relief Road is to go ahead, after Government funding was confirmed today. The Relief Road will go from the M56/Manchester Airport across to the A6 just south of Hazel Grove. A middle section currently exists, between Bramhall and Heald Green. The economic case for the relief road is one of the strongest for any similar scheme in the country, with the road predicted to not only reduce traffic on local roads around the area, but also to cut traffic levels on the A34 and A6 and to bring ...
It's already upset Charlotte H. :-( Here's the link
Today I went to support the Anchor Grey Pride Campaign in Parliament, aimed at having a designated Minister for Older People. I've already signed an Early Day Motion calling for the same thing. What I found staggering was that today ... Continue reading →
It's been a tough year for Europhiles, especially those, like me, who have always supported the single currency and thought Britain should have been part of it. Most of them have been very quiet, and no wonder. Whatever one says quickly has the feel of being out of touch and in denial. And now this week the Economist asks in a leading article Is this really the end? that has been tweeted over 1,200 times and picked up over 500 comments. In today's FT Wolfgang Munchau article is headlined: The Eurozone really has only days to avoid collapse (paywall). Is ...
My latest blog on Egypt was published over the weekend on Lib Dem Voice. You can read the full post here
North West England Euro-MP Chris Davies is backing a campaign to introduce an 8-hour EU limit for the transport of live animals. Davies who has campaigned on a range of animal rights issues during his 12 years in the European Parliament wants better conditions for ... Continue reading →
There are no words in this video from Get up Australia, just a beautifully shot portrayal of the ups and downs of a shared life that we can all relate to. I think my favourite bit is the argument in the car when they get lost. That's happened many a time for Bob and I. Enjoy! And now, suitably inspired, get yourself responding to the Scottish Government's consultation on changing the law to equalise the marriage rights here. Closing date is 9th December so you have to be quick.
The Campaign Corner series looks to give three tips about commonly asked campaign issues. Do get in touch - mark.hat.libdemvoice.org.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real one) if you have any questions you would like to suggest. Today's Campaign Corner question: Is it possible to deliver too many leaflets? A very good question! Here are three things to consider when judging the number of leaflets being delivered: 1. People vary greatly in their interest in leaflets and toleration of them, which means that if nobody is complaining then you ...
He's called Tim Gordon. This letter is from Tim Farron. There may be a new rule for senior Party officials I know nothing about. Tim Clegg anyone? Anyway, here's the note... TIM GORDON APPOINTED NEW LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CHIEF EXECUTIVE Dear Richard, It is with great pleasure that I can today announce the appointment of Tim Gordon as the Party's new Chief Executive. Tim will take up this position on 9 January 2012. Tim Gordon brings to the role a lifetime of commitment to the Party, as a volunteer, campaigner and candidate, but also a strong commercial background and clearly demonstrated ...
I've had a couple of residents asking me when the Christmas Lights will going up in Acocks Green Village and the Fox Hollies Shopping Centre this year. The answer is that they are scheduled to be up and on this Thursday (1st December). If not I will be chasing up the staff responsible!
I just had an idea for a way to promote my music books, and hopefully make a little money, but I want to know if it sounds too mercenary. I'm very, very wary of going from someone writing for pleasure to turning into a money-grabbing hack, so I thought I should ask those who get ...
Last week I posted this about a question which had been submitted to the full council meeting tomorrow. Mr Davidson of St Austell was wanting to ask: "Can I ask a question relating to item 12 - Parliamentary Constituencies Review?" Last week I suggested that the answer was yes. It now appears that the question has been withdrawn from the order paper and so it is clearly no. Tweet
We have grown used to politicians approaching the issue of 'race' in the context of immigration, crime, or the aftermath of a tragedy. So it was enormously refreshing to hear Nick Clegg offer up a well-informed speech on the quest for true race equality, without a negative backdrop. Delivering a Scarman Lecture on the 30th anniversary of the ground-breaking report into the 1981 Brixton riots, Clegg gave arguably the best speech on race equality by a Cabinet minister. It was Liberal Democracy at its best, bravely shattering the conspiracy of silence on one of the biggest issues of the day ...
The latest conference on climate change kicks off today in South Africa but North West England MEP Chris Davies says he will be skipping it. The UN COP conference in Durban is the latest in a series of meetings on ... Continue reading →
News that Thanet Cllr. John Worrow has resigned the conservative whip on a point of principle concerning the banning of live animals exports, sounds like a humongous event but is it such a big deal. I myself cannot quite understand what Cllr. Worrow is worried about, rather than showing disdain as John says, it would appear to me that Thanet district Council, has done a lot more than most elected bodies would do in similar circumstances, in representing and promoting the concerns of animal welfare activists. I'm sure that some cynics might think that John Worrow by resigning the conservative ...
As I type, I am currently making plans at work to cover my absence on Wednesday when I, and most of my colleagues, will be out on strike. In a previous blog entry in June, I had mentioned this as a possibility, and, indeed, there was a strike ballot and I voted in favour. Four of my colleagues have moved on recently, so, because of the recruitment freeze, I am now doing three jobs. We have not had a pay rise for three years. Many positions, including mine, are due to disappear over the next year or so. And now ...
For those of you unable to attend (or just want to watch again) Mark Littlewood's cracking interview with David Laws MP at the IEA last week, the video is now up. My favourite line from David Laws.. "The Lib Dems... are the party that best fuses social justice and economic liberalism". Overall however, you will notice that it is a rather cautious David that turned up for the event. This is no bad thing in my view. As much as David might loathe speculation about his return to the front bench, his answers and demeanour on the night suggest we ...
Here's the news from the party: Tim Gordon brings to the role a lifetime of commitment to the Party, as a volunteer, campaigner and candidate, but also a strong commercial background and clearly demonstrated leadership qualities. Tim Gordon has been a Party activist since his teens, when he first volunteered for the SDP "Yes to Unity" campaign, and has since campaigned in every major election. He stood as parliamentary candidate in Rotherham in 2005. He worked as a researcher for David Steel when he was Foreign Affairs spokesperson, and has been a member of several policy working groups over the ...
Mon 28th
12:25
Whilst a tragic death should not be clouded by allegations of sexuality - we shouldn't allow homopho...
The death of Gary Speed by suicide has shocked many. Indeed, suicide is never nice. If one were to be really cynical you could argue that so much attention on one person, including the Prime Minister talking about it perhaps has a slight imbalance, as it suggests a high-profile footballer seems to mean more to the country than anyone else (I suggest equal importance, rather than more or less, just for the record). As a small note, when I talk about "football", I'm putting fans, players, managers and employees and partners of the FA, FIFA etc as one group, for ...
Mon 28th
11:59
Let's just not have reserved places for Bishops in the House of Lords - make your voice heard
The link I'm going to direct you to in a minute is a wee bit inaccurate, cos it says "No Bishops in the House of Lords." That's not strictly speaking what the petition that comes with it is asking for. I certainly have no objection to any Bishop standing for election to the House of Lords and getting there with a bit of legitimacy behind him. I say him, because being a bishop is only open to men at the moment and will be until the very earliest next Summer. However, the plans for the reform of the House of ...
Last week I announced that the Welsh Liberal Democrats will be voting with the Welsh Labour government for the budget on the 6th December. We have agreed to support the 2012-2013 budget on the basis that we will be introducing a Welsh Pupil Premium. This means that from April 2012, every child in Wales on free schools meals will recieve an extra £450 of funding - no matter where they live, or what school they go to. This is a total Pupil Premium spending of £32 million, of which £20 million is brand new money for the education budget. Some ...
As I blogged about before bilingual records of Assembly proceedings had been dropped some time ago, at a time when Plaid Cymru – a party which prides itself on their campaign to give the language the same legal status as the English language – were a part of the government. The records will finally be
Local residents will be overjoyed that Pelham Structures has finally submitted its planning application for a development at Lower Street, which will include a much needed health centre. This follows a minor delay caused by the PCT deciding that it did not need as much room as originally planned. PCT representatives will be attending a special parish council meeting at 7pm on December 7th, which is open to the public, to explain the project. I hope that quality issues relating to the current service, caused in part by lack of staffing and an inadequate appointments system, will also be addressed ...
Enjoy:
You can find out which schools are expected to be closed as a result of strike action on Wednesday here: http://www.durham.gov.uk/Pages/schoolclosures.aspx
The debate on whether Scotland should become an independent country or not is one which will go on for the next few years until the referendum takes place. However, there's one phrase I'm already sick to death of hearing. You don't even have to disagree with independence to have this phrase used against you - all you have to do is ask a legitimate question. You see, even asking questions, probing for detail, is "talking Scotland down" according to Government ministers. This is absolute nonsense. I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but most people have huge ambitions for Scotland, whether ...
Like the press, I have mixed up two different stories. As Nick Clegg might put it, "Has the party retained external brand advisors ? Yes. Have I appointed Neil Sherlock as head of [something or other - press reports differ] ? Yes. Are these two events linked ? Er, don't know." That last bit's me. Always easier to answer your own questions than someone else's except when you don't know the
News of the Arab League's sanctions against Syria brings to mind the Curate's Egg – good in parts. That such sanctions are unprecedented shows a welcome increase once more in the Arab League's willingness to stand up to dictators where mass violence against the population is involved. (Other dictators are another matter of course.) After the steps in Libya and now Syria, the Arab League is looking rather more like a body that does good rather than excuses evil. That transformation only goes so far. For it has taken months and around 3,500 deaths to bring about sanctions which are ...
On Saturday I joined Fred and Maureen outside the Scarisbrick Hotel. We were there to join in the weekend's celebrations of Lancashire Day. Don, The Town Crier, made his annual proclamation in front of a gathering of supporters. Lancashire Day proper, was on Sunday. Lancashire Day commemorates the day in 1295 when Lancashire sent its first representatives to Parliament by King Edward I of England to attend what later became known as The Model Parliament.
The Western Morning News this morning reports that George Osborne is proposing a £50 cut in water bills across the South West Water area. That's hugely good news for an area which has been hit by over-pricing since the Conservatives controversially privatised the water companies. The most argued about element was the need to clean and keep clean more than 30% of the UK's coastline despite the area having just 3% of the population. Together with what was perceived to be over-charging by the company itself, this lead to water bills which are twice as expensive as London and over ...
This is the current state of play but it is expected that many more will be added. Strike closure list
Ahead of the anticipated strikes this week - I thought I'd share the Council's current expectations about impact on schools. Name of school Open Partially open Closed 1. Christ ChurchNW1 Primary X 2. Christ ChurchNW3 Primary X 3. St Eugene de Mazenod Primary X 4. St Michael's Primary X - open apart from Year 4 and Year 6 classes 5. Argyle Primary X - school open to non-striking staff only 6. Acland BurghleySchool (secondary) X 7. South Camden Community School (secondary) X 8. Camden Schoolfor Girls (secondary) X 9. William Ellis School (secondary) X - school open to non-striking staff ...
Can be read over at Liberal Vision.
I recently just discovered the Portable Antiquities Scheme website. This allows me to download KML files for all finds for an era in a county. For example, the map below shows all the Early Medieval finds in Cambridgeshire and how they relate to my own parish (Somersham). You will need to zoom in. Given the size of Somersham in Domesday, I find the paucity of finds quite surprising!
In a series of comments under the post, The Strange Rebirth of Classical Liberalism, the question of what the Liberal Democrats are all about came up several times. One comment by Dan asked about the party's view of limited government and the free market. Instead of responding directly by discussing my own experiences, I thought it might be more illuminating to look at what different strands make up the Liberal Democrats. This is partly because I see myself as a commentator on the party and how liberalism has developed. It is a cliche to say that the party is a ...
Mon 28th
10:34
Cabinet (Wirral Council) 24/11/2011 Part 7 Budget Projections 2012-2015, Insurance Fund Budget (2012...
Motion on Item 3 Projected Budget Proposed Cllr Steve Foulkes Seconded Cllr Phil Davies Cabinet recognises that, although the projected budget gap is diminishing, considerable work is still required to set a balanced budget in March. In order to avoid any undue delays as proposals are explored, Cabinet authorises the Chief Executive, in consultation with ...
I see news reported in the local papers including Kent on Sunday, that "county hall chiefs" and local MP's have had an official launch, of a scheme to offer grants to local businesses in East Kent to encourage up to 5000 jobs in the area, 40 million is on the table from the billion pounds national Regional Growth Fund. I think its fair to say that KCC have done well getting this money, however its going to be even tougher I think to realise anything like the "up to" 5000 jobs figure quoted by Kent on Sunday, and I can't ...
Despite living in the same county for 34 years, yesterday I had my first opportunity to explore Eton College and Eton itself. It is an extraordinary place. The facilities at the college are unbelievably comprehensive and sumptuous. Wandering through Eton, with its Eton College bespoke tailors and high quality shops and restuarants, one is amazed at the sense of entitlement which such a place must engender in its pupils. They are extraordinarily fortunate. One wonders if any of them pause long to consider such blessedness. One doubts it. OK, I went to a public school, which happened to be the ...
2 things happened this week. 1. I was burgled and they stole my computer and many other things and when the police officer came to my home he said there had been a spike in crime recently in the area and so he would check the list of people who had been released from prison. ...
On Wednesday there is a large scale public sector strike planned over the issue of pensions. As a result, at least 88 schools across Cornwall will be totally or partially closed. In the Launceston area, these are: Egloskerry School - open to Class 3 only Launceston College Launceston CP School St Catherine's C of E school St Stephens CP School, Launceston - only open to ARB Stoke Climsland School Tregadillet CP School Sir James Smiths in Camelford and Budehaven School are also among those closed. This list may change over time. For the latest information, go to the Cornwall Council ...
The first thing I did when I heard that Scottish Secretary Mike Moore was heading to Brazil this past weekend was to fire off a strongly worded e-mail to a member of his staff which went roughly along the lines of: "You jammy *******s, are you going to the Grand Prix?" It may have been more polite than that - but not much. You see, I knew it was the final race of the F1 season at Interlagos yesterday - and I know that our Mike is a bit of a motorsport fan. And much as this blog is a ...
In Egypt, they endure the bullets; in Syria, they risk torture and summary execution; in China, they are immolating themselves in ever greater numbers, directly giving their lives for an ounce of equality. In the West, they sit in tents and paint funny signs. It's not because they're uncommitted, but because that's all they need to do. They endure the taunting of the right, the chilling weather and the risk of arbitrary arrest but they stay ... and many of them even smile. In the early days of mass media, the disaffected found that peaceful but irritating acts of protest ...
Mon 28th
09:59Cabinet (Wirral Council) 24/11/2011 Part 6 Gas disruption (Leasowe and Moreton), Budget Projections ...
Cllr Steve Foulkes said the debrief should include lessons learnt and a critique. He said he had been there on Friday night and said people had been "working hard" and that it was a "huge National Grid operation". Cllr Foulkes said they had been lucky the weather had been relatively mild. He referred to Cllr ...
My announcement last week on pubs hasn't won me or the Government three cheers from the likes of CAMRA or Fair Pint. Yet I believe it is a notable success for tenants and lessees across the country - and time will prove it so. For the pubcos have till Christmas to make their Codes of Practice legally binding - so tenants and lessees can enforce their rights - and they know that if they don't, Parliament would be very happy to make it legally binding for them. Coupled with the other reforms we negotiated from the pubcos and brewers, real ...
Dave Green continued by saying that given the scale the response of council officers was "very good indeed" after the "unfortunate accident". There would still be a formal debrief and lessons learnt. He was happy to talk to councillors, such as the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee and/or Cabinet. On a nicer note, he ...
Getting rid of inefficient and ineffective regulations sounds like a good idea. So does stopping the proliferation of inefficient or ineffective new regulations. The problem is, of course, that views on what constitutes inefficient or ineffective regulation differ sharply. The Coalition agreement, in its section on supporting business, made a number of proposals relating to curbing regulation. This is one area in which, one might suppose, there is scope for Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to unite in common cause. Economic liberals tend to be even more averse to overenthusiastic and over-detailed state regulation than Tories. Vince Cable's chapter in The ...
Last week Nick Clegg launched the Youth Contract, a £1bn programme to get every unemployed young person earning or learning again before long-term damage is done. As je said we can't afford to lose the skills and talent of our young people - right when we need them most. We need the next generation to help us build a new economy. Across the UK, youth unemployment has risen to 21.9% and in Southwark, there are currently 2690 young people claiming Job Seekers Allowance. We all owe it to them to make sure that even in tough economic times, we will ...
I know, I know! AV lost. Decisively. So why am I still banging on about electoral reform? Well partly because I can't help myself! It is one of my pet causes and I still think that eventually circumstances will arise in which FPTP becomes indefensible. I appreciate this is likely to be a fair way into the future but it is worth considering how it could come about. Which actually brings me to the point of this post. One thing that is abundantly clear following the AV failure is that we will only be able to get a majority to ...
In fact the Chancellor's statement on Tuesday does not constitute a fully fledged Plan B because the billions of pounds extra he plans to spend on infrastructure projects has largely come from savings. Nevertheless. a refocusing of expenditure can deliver a more beneficial multiplier effect, especially as much of this expenditure is designed to lever in huge sums of private money. The Independent says that plans for a £30bn infrastructure programme will be a key element in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. In addition the Government will underwrite loans of up to £40bn to small businesses and will increase the levy ...
A reminder that the Nethergate Writers' reading and social event takes place at the Vine tonight. In their latest anthology, A Private View, Nethergate Writers find inspiration from exhibits in the McManus collection. The result is an entertaining, illuminating and sometimes surprising read. Join us tonight at 7pm at the Vine - 43 Magdalen Yard Road - opposite the Roseangle Car Park.
Dundee Transition Town Group has a new downloadable poster :
What is it about New Zealand and the debate about electoral reform? Why are they so sensible when we in the UK don't seem to manage to conduct constitutional debates properly? New Zealand has just conducted a referendum on its electoral system, but serious debate has a longer history there. Back in the early 1990s, the New Zealand Labour party, which was in government at the time, decided to hold a referendum on the electoral system. An indicative referendum in 1992 , with a very large majority (84.7%) voting in favour of abandoning Forst-Past-the-Post, was followed by a binding referendum ...
Chris is pressing for new litter bins on Beechwood Avenue and on Woodstock Road South, after comments from local residents. If you have an area where you think a bin could be located then please get in touch!
