Emergency Appeal ! A chief executive is not just for Christmas but for life or in the case of Kent County Council er ... at least 18 months (on a four year contract). Still reeling from recent news of the departure of Kent council boss Katherine Kerswell, from KCC, Bignews Margate is appealing for help. We here at Bignews Margate believe that execs, even local authority bods, deserve better, how cruel and insensitive was it for top boss Katherine Kerswell to have found herself made redundant just before Christmas, despite having been more than competent, according to Kent Councils press ...
Tracey Crouch MP Chatham & Aylesford I like Tracey Crouch. Regular readers will not be surprised by this. Indeed at work those who watch me beaver away over the Medway Messenger, writing notes and typing up blog posts on my lunch hour have a theory that I'm secretaly blue. I must say that rumours of my imminent defection are completly unfounded. I admire the way she works for and with her constiteuncy and represents it in Parliament. She is hard working, isn't in it for an easy ride, goes to local events and works very positively. She also provides a ...
This is a wonderful poem but I have only reproduced the last three stanzas. Please read on and you will see why. 'And is it true? and is it true? The most tremendous tale of all, Seen in a stained-glass window's hue, A Baby in an ox's stall? The Maker of the stars and sea Become a Child on earth for me? And is it true? For if it is, No loving fingers tying strings Around those tissued fripperies, The sweet and silly Christmas things, Bath salts and inexpensive scent And hideous tie so kindly meant. No love that in ...
It's Christmas, so to get you into the spirit of all things yule, here's Tom Lehrer with A Christmas Carol from 1959:
Rolling Stone examines the influence of the Plastic People of the Universe on Vaclav Havel: "Until meeting the band, Havel was not exactly a cultural avant-gardist. "There's a letter from prison where he's asking his wife to buy the latest Bee Gees album," says Wilson, who has translated many of Havel's writings. Once acquainted with the Plastic People and their circle, however, Havel became their unofficial patron. The band played many shows in the barn at the country house where he died on Sunday." You can read all about the January 2012 issue of Liberator on Liberal Democrat Voice. A ...
My wife Elena heard a news report this week on Russian TV about the most expensive apartment in the USA. I then read about it in the Wall Street Journal: The latest trophy example came this week, when a Russian billionaire, Dmitry Rybolovlev, issued a statement saying his 22-year-old daughter, Ekaterina, a student, was in contract to buy one of the best-known apartments in New York: the
After a lovely mild autumn, it is now feeling appropriately wintry for December! Which calls to mind an idea first put to me last summer when the temperature was a balmy 82 degrees. It is a creative scheme to help the vulnerable elderly. The people who came up with it are the creative folk at Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF), a charity that matches grant givers to groups or individuals in need of funds. Here's how it works: Most people over 60 receive a Winter Fuel Payment of between £100-300. It's what is called a universal state benefit, so everyone eligible ...
It hasn't been the greatest year for The Liberal Democrats in government, I've often felt a good mix of emotions when certain things happen, or when policy is announced. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's very bad. In January my party membership is up for renewal. I shall after some soul searching renew. However, there are some big changes I'd like to see in 2012, if my party membership is to be renewed in 2013 The first is a change in attitude towards coalition. It seems that we as a party still have some anti being in government members. People whose ...
It's really starting to look like this Christmas is some kind of great dream for me. Not only have the Beach Boys reformed, and I've seen a great Paul McCartney gig, but the disability benefits we've been fighting for for my wife for two years have finally come through (and been backdated). And now this ...
The indignation of some of France's leaders that France rather than the UK should be singled out for possible downgrading by the ratings agencies has some justification, as figures published in last Saturday's Guardian (17th December, 2011) show. According to these figures France's current budget deficit for 2012 is predicted to be a "mere" 4.63% compared with the UK's 7.01%, and her total Debt/GDP ratio at 83.5%, is very comparable to the UK's 76.9%. France's inflation rate is predicted at 1.4% compared with the UK's 2.4%. (As a holder of savings I hope they're right and that the UK's inflation ...
As we gather with friends and family this Christmas, it is important that we, both individually and collectively, look back, take stock and reflect on the last year. There is no doubt it has been an extremely testing time for political leaders with falling budgets, economic turbulence, growing unemployment and social problems that threaten to rip the fabric of society. Making decisions when there are no easy answers is difficult but those problems are nought compared with those who are unemployed, face the threat of unemployment or are struggling to make ends meet. To be fair, this is the focus ...
I see from last week's Andover Advertiser that Alamein councillor Phil North is "disappointed" by his leaders' proposals to increase parking chargers in Andover. It is not enough for him to express disappointment at plans to increase parking charges. The proposals threaten Andover's already weak town centre and place an unnecessary burden on traders and shoppers. The increase runs contrary to recommendations from a recent report to government highlighting the negative effect parking charges have on our town centres. For details follow this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16153541 It exploits all those residents who, because of county council cuts to bus services, have ...
Wishing all my readers a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
We had an exciting general strike yesterday in protest at the government's planned austerity measures, or as a friend of mine put it on Facebook, "it's like an ant kicking the other ants in the backside on the assumption that the ant-eater will feel the pain". Certainly it's difficult to see how the transport strike will seriously inconvenience those with any power, while at the same time it reminds those of us dependent on the lousy service provided by SNCB / NMBS of the grotesque sense of entitlement which the staff of Belgium's largest employer seem to enjoy. One enterprising ...
The latest issue of Liberator magazine (issue no.350 - January 2012) has just been mailed to subscribers. For those of you who are not yet subscribers, here's a summary of the contents: The editorial column Commentary examines the electoral consequences of the Autumn Statement for the Liberal Democrats. It also castigates the party's Federal Executive for deciding against running candidates in next year's police commissioner elections. The insider gossip column Radical Bulletin begins with a report on the party's decision not to contest the police commissioner elections. 'Alice in Wonderland' - Paul Crossley (leader of Bath and North East Somerset ...
It's traditional to do a round up of the year - my personal goings on have been that I've fallen in love, got a new job and moved this year - not in that order but in order of importance! So a year of change on a personal level - but OMG as they say, what a year from the global POV. I don't think any year is particularly boring, mind, but with the Arab Spring, the eurozone collapse, our one shot this generation at voting reform (well... maybe not....), there's been a lot packed into 12 short months. Here's ...
This has to be one of the more interesting cases I have seen in a while. A juror phones the court claiming to be ill thus leading to a postponement of a criminal case. All seems fine and dandy until it turns out that he was actually in London attending a show. Not so clever. He lied not once but twice to court officials about where he was before admitting to the judge what he had done on the Monday. He thought he'd get a fine. He got time. You can read the report on the BBC News website behind ...
I've expressed my concerns before about the planned "de-harmonisation" of Consett's CCTV system and so read with interest a local police response congratulating the monitoring team on their performance yesterday. A witness gave the police sparse details of a purse theft which was passed on to the "Genesis" monitoring team. Within a couple of minutes they had reviewed the relevant camera, identified the crime and suspected offender, locating him a few hundred yards away on a different street. This led to officers carrying out a stop search and detention of a male. Further to this the team identified the route ...
Well that was quite a year, wasn't it? It was a good one too! I know, I know, after the referendum and the horrible results in May you'd be forgiven for believing we were sinking faster than Blackburn Rovers (how it pains me to write that), but you know what, it's not true. This year we did some amazing things, things you and I have wanted to do for years but never had the power to actually get done. For one, we put an end to the horrific practice of locking up innocent kids behind bars for months on end ...
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Steve Isaacson - please email comments and objections to him at steve.isaacson@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
Fri 23rd
12:54
#ForestHill planning consultation: Kelvin Grove Primary And Nursery School, Kelvin Grove, London, #S...
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Kate Challenger - please email comments and objections to her at kate.challenger@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Steve Isaacson - please email comments and objections to him at steve.isaacson@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Steve Isaacson - please email comments and objections to him at steve.isaacson@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Tabitha Lythe - please email comments and objections to her at tabitha.lythe@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Geoff Whitington - please email comments and objections to him at geoff.whitington@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
Details of this planning application can be found by following this link: The case officer is Tabitha Lythe - please email comments and objections to her at tabitha.lythe@lewisham.gov.uk, and don't forget to copy us in at foresthill@lewishamlibems.org.uk
A friend recently alerted me to this utterly gripping New Yorker piece about events in Guatemala, by David Grann. It certainly puts London's "Occupy" protests in context. If you think that the word "gripping" and the word "Guatemala" might not be natural bedfellows, then I urge you to read this article and think again.
I know it's Christmas so I should resist...but Louise Mensch. Honestly. I guess we shouldn't be at all surprised that she is cheerleading for Lady Thatcher to get a State Funeral. And there is a case she should, as our first Woman Prime Minister - though I subscribe rather more to the Peter Oborne stance on this, that she is too divisive a character to get the honour. So I can forgive this first tweet (though I don't think anyone who thinks differently is the idiot Louise Mensch says they are..) But then, she follows it up with this corker... ...
A delayed round up of last weeks full Council starts here, (due to the festive holidays it may take a while) The Leader Andrew Finney (Conservative) resigned. Due to the Basingstoke Town football club consultation I missed his speech, but understand that his decision had been heavily influenced by the way debate in the chamber had become increasingly political and all too often polite
Dear Richard, Well that was quite a year, wasn't it? It was a good one too! I know, I know, after the referendum and the horrible results in May you'd be forgiven for believing we were sinking faster than Blackburn Rovers (how it pains me to write that), but you know what, it's not true. This year we did some amazing things, things you and I have wanted to do for years but never had the power to actually get done. For one, we put an end to the horrific practice of locking up innocent kids behind bars for months ...
This is the young Mr Farron's Christmas message to all party members and it's everything you'd expect from him. Great to see our Alex Cole Hamilton quoted in it too. Here's why. Liberal Democrat Party President I will allow myself a little whinge - boo to the constant football references. I get the gist but they're tiresome. My challenge to our President for the New Year is to get through an entire Conference speech without one single football reference. I would be loathe to doubt our President's ability to do anything, but I really think he'd struggle with this one. ...
If I say so myself, this... ... is rather short of festive cheer compared to this ... Come on Nick, next time let's see some festive tinsel action.
I feel really sad that Vaclav Havel has passed away. I was fortunate enough to spend a month cycling back to London from Warsaw across Poland, Czechoslovakia, West Germany and Belgium a few months after the Iron curtain came down. It was an amazing month with a dear friend from University. The highlight was our time in Prague soaking up the atmosphere of a newly liberated capital and nation. The buzz was astounding. I could have stopped there permanently. Vaclav was the defining figurehead along with Lech Walesa from that period for me. Vaclav really did appear true to the ...
Thursday: From Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar Day 22: A-Wing leads the attack
G8 Grants for Local Campaigning for the 2012 Local Elections The G8 Grants Committee is looking to make grants to local parties in Scotland, Wales and England who have local elections in May 2012. We know from experience that early campaigning activity works. We want to reward those that are starting early on their campaign for 2012 and are therefore "Round 2" of the grants, will be to reward local parties who can demonstrate a good level of campaigning activity in the Autumn/Winter period running up to Christmas. Where people have elections by 1/3rds we are keen to support wards ...
In the midst of the grim economic data this Christmas it's nice to see the newspapers (even the Daily Mail!) focusing on some good news today. On Tuesday I secured a debate in the Commons and called on the Government to ban unfair credit and debit card surcharges. I am absolutely delighted that today the Government has heeded those calls. I have been working with Which? since July to stop businesses from charging people ridiculous fees just to buy their goods. The Government has recognised that debit and credit card surcharges are not only extremely unfair to consumers, they have ...
Chatham High Street As people charge to do battle in our town centres this time of year and manners and courtesy are forgotten in a frenzy of last minute shopping, £200 Million business will be lost nationwide from town centres. This isn't directly due to the deficit and crunch times and people not spending money - it's people like me who have taken their money to the Internet. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts I cannot abide shopping - except for book shopping which up until I got a kindle for my birthday, was a major vice. I ...
ED's JOB: The blog of Chief Executive Edelbertha Spengler Wow, only two days to the REALLY BIG DAY - Christmas! At home we've been hyperactively getting everything ready, the presents, the wrapping paper, the cellotape (desperate last-minute trip for that), the turkey, the pudding, the tree, the car window de-icer, the battle plan for refuse and recycling arrangements. Just remember to check out what the changed timetable is for collections in your area. My twelve-year-old is a bit hooked on glace cherries, so I'm having to take steps to limit the supply this Christmas or she could be sick again. ...
As London journalists contemplate the year ahead, a great number of them have finally begun to understand the high probability that now exists that the United Kingdom will not long survive. Few commentators, on either side of the border, seem prepared to make a principled case for continuing the common British state. Many, are increasingly inclined to welcome the idea that Scotland and the rest of the UK should part company. However, even if you accepted the inevitability of the break up, there is little thought being given to what happens afterwards. From the Scottish perspective, the advent of independence ...
... and a very Happy New Year
Fast broadband is vital for many local residents and businesses. While some local authorities have already claimed their share of Government money for improvements and others have submitted plans, until now South Glos had only got as far as starting a consultation to gather evidence of demand: http://www.southglos.gov.uk/broadband Now though there is good news as South Glos has announced it is joining Wiltshire and Swindon's project, described as the most advanced in the country. This will speed up the roll-out of superfast broadband to rural areas and should bring significant savings. The process of inviting bids from commercial suppliers is ...
Fri 23rd
10:55
VIDEO: Paddy Ashdown, Shirley Williams and Julian Glover on the Liberal Democrats, recession and The...
You can now watch again in full one of the best fringe meetings from the party conference, which saw Paddy Ashdown, Shirley Williams and the then Guardian editorial writer Julian Glover launch a new history of the party and its predecessors, Peace, Reform and Liberation.* Julian Glover gave a very funny speech about his newspaper's love/hate relationship with the party – "So there you have it, 150 years from The Guardian and the Manchester Guardian calling on the Liberal Party and the Liberal Democrats to be brave, radical; praising the party's policies and then writing it off as irrelevant". Shirley ...
Wednesday Who should I meet in Westminster but my old friend Mike Hancock? I ask him to pass on my congratulations to the delightful Katia Zatuliveter for her victory at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. I have never had much time for our Intelligence people: every one of them I knew in the 1930s turned out to be working for the Russians, and I don't suppose things have changed very much since. Besides, as I remarked to my personal secretary and masseuse Eva Vestoff only this morning, if every attractive young woman with an interest in British politics were sent ...
Continuity in television and film is absolutely vital, not to please the people who watch things just to spot the errors, but because attention to detail is a prerequisite to a film or programme being as enjoyable as it possibly ... Continue reading →
It's December which means for those who have them, it's time to get out those chocolate advent calendars! But for those of you who, like me, don't do such things anymore (and indeed for those of you who still do!), I thought I'd give my own unique little twist on this festive time of year with my Musical Advent Calendar countdown of my Top 25 favourite Christmas songs! I'm blogging a song a day, culminating with my favourite on Christmas Eve. So let's continue on our seasonal countdown... Cole's Musical Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 23! Today we have my ...
This has been posted several places before, but I know I will want this for future reference. Nick Clegg delivered the annual Demos lecture earlier this week, setting out his vision of the 'open society'. You can read the full speech here. The bit that really struck me, which many of my non-Lib Dem readers may find interesting is this neat summary of political ideology: It is clear that one of the most important differences between the three traditions is in our attitudes towards change. Open society liberals are progressives: we believe that the future can and ought to be ...
Radio One has an enviable reputation for new music. Rightly so. "In new music we trust" is their motto. Great. Well done BBC! They play the odd recent oldie. That is, the occasional record which is about five years old. Otherwise, it's all new stuff. It is therefore a little weird that they abandon their normal music policy for 1/12th of the year. December, that is. So, whereas normally you would hardly hear anything more than ten years old, suddenly you hear tracks which are 66 years old or 53 years old. Suddenly, for December, they repeatedly play a track ...
The Adventures of two Beatles obsessives and a Responsible Adult in Liverpool Part One I may have briefly mentioned in passing on Twitter and Facebook that I went to Liverpool this week with my gorgeous niece Laura to see Paul McCartney perform in the town where he was born. We took a Responsible Adult with us to keep us in order. We set off before 7 on Tuesday morning. Our different travelling styles were evident from our luggage: The mahoosive suitcase belongs to Laura and the RA. The rucksack is mine. I took the view that jammies and a change ...
Earlier this month, my home town of Lincoln hosted its annual Christmas market. Lincoln was the first city in the UK to host a German-style Christmas market. Since the first market in 1982, it has grown from just 11 stalls to more than 250. This year's was the most successful yet, attracting a record 335,000 visitors to the city and contributing millions of pounds to the local economy. The Christmas market is the most visible product of Lincoln's twinning arrangement with the German wine-producing town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. Besides the market, the twin-town relationship has led to all ...
Politicshome points us towards an interview in The Independent with Lib Dem Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, who warns that the Tory eurosceptic (or should that be europhobic) right wants nothing more than the UK to become 'semi-detached' from the EU. Criticising the Tory right's approach to the EU, he says: I am worried there is a tendency on the Conservative right wing, a significant part of its parliamentary party, that does not appreciate the importance of being at the table in Brussels when it comes to negotiating the rules for the single market - and does not understand the strength ...
I'll hold my hand up. I love info graphics. If you do too you should spend some quality time on this website.... But if you're both an infographics geek AND a Lib Dem, it really doesn't get any better than this. (Click the image to enlarge). Thanks Mark. (who put it together).
Back in September, I updated residents about the construction of the new St Joseph's Primary, Park Place Nursery and Park Place Primary Schools on the former Logie school site and gave links to the first two newsletters issued by the contractor, Robertson Construction, to adjacent householders in the Blackness Road, Abbotsford Street, Glenagnes Road/Logie, Rosefield Street and adjacent areas. In recent weeks, the school building has moved forward significantly. You can download the following two newsletters about the project, issued to adjacent householders, here : Edition 3 - November 2011 : http://tinyurl.com/nov2011edition Edition 4 - December 2011 : http://tinyurl.com/dec2011edition
My final day in the office: best wishes to @oxford_thinking and all who sail in her! # @adriansalmon Thanks, Adrian. Close, I'm off to http://t.co/MgRltTRz (of which Sutton Trust is lead partner). in reply to adriansalmon # @heyjames And these days it's the Conservative party home, so very Coalition [IMG: :)] in reply to heyjames # Y'know, Oxford's Rad Cam brushes up alright in the right light [IMG: :)] http://t.co/FBGRKwK4 # @sarabedford Not sure, but I think it out-retros analogue coffee. in reply to sarabedford # @chriskeating Many thanks, Chris! in reply to chriskeating # @TimMontgomerie Many thanks, Tim – ...
Keith Holloway, Pam King, Iain Roberts and Mark Hunter MP wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This Christmas card was designed by Austin Douglas, aged nine, a pupil at Oakgrove Primary School in Heald Green. Austin is the winner of Mark Hunter's 2011 Christmas Card competition.
This morning's Telegraph reports that airlines, travel companies and retailers are to be banned from charging fees when people pay by credit or debit cards. This is because the Government has lost patience with companies who charge customers as much as £12 to use their cards when they pay, even though the transactions cost as little as 20p to process. They add that in some cases, the surcharges are higher than the value of the item being purchased. Legislation is to be introduced at the end of next year: Over the past few years, card surcharges have risen sharply particularly ...
MP for Cambridge, Julian Huppert, has today (Tuesday 6 December) sponsored an attempt to change the law to force commercial lobbyists to make their activities public. This follows today's news that professional lobbyists Bell Pottinger were caught boasting about their influence over PM David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague, as well as key advisers to the Prime Minister. They were caught claiming that they used their access to Downing Street, paid for by companies, to get David Cameron to speak to the Chinese premier on behalf of one of their business clients within 24 hours of asking him to ...
During this run of Christmas treats there hasn't been that many adverts. But this year John Lewis produced one where the twist in the tale had me in tears ths first time I saw it.
My favourite Queen hit - back to Christmassy hits on Christmas Eve!
See the Ormskirk Qlocal news site for an excellent vision for re-developing the former Comrades Club site for community use. This will need a lot of backing by community groups as well as individuals but it would be the best ... Continue reading →
The Austrian edition of last week's Die Zeit (51/2011) contained an article on such a blatant example of a private university gone wrong that I decided to translate the whole article in order to give it a chance of some exposure. My translation can be found here: if you are, like me, worried about private universities, have a look at the whole story - it is a pretty shocking cautious tale. Die Zeit reports the story of Imadec University – founded by an ambitious university lecturer who used his excellent connections to the Austrian political Right to change Austrian laws ...
As you can imagine, I get side tracked like anyone particularly at this time of year and despite being on holiday, events tend to derail, plans to do things like, a bit more blogging and lounging about, such an event was a call Monday requesting I attend a briefing on some new procedure for work, this took up much of Wednesday, and of course Mrs Me has a list of things I need to do, not that I feel the need but .... naturally the pressure of all this has taken its toll, resulting in me falling asleep around 7 ...
The council officer reporthas just been released about proposed a controlled parking zone near East Dulwich station. I suspect everyone agrees with some degree of controlled parking – even if only disabled parking bays outside disabled people's homes – but the degree of other reasons for controlled parking is very controversial. The administration applied to Transport for London for money to study and consult the streets most vocal about parking pressures near East Dulwich station?Council officers receiving 44 compliants about parking pressures in three years from the consulted streets out of 130 for the whole of Southwark. It seems clear ...
