Last updated Saturday 4th February 2012 18:00 GMT
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This morning it was off to south west London to join campaigners from around and outside London for some campaigning to follow up the Feltham & Heston by-election. Roger Crouch and his team did a great job holding on to third place and the deposit in the by-election. Now the election is over, the area is not being forgotten – particularly as parts of it may move into Vince Cable's constituency at the next general election. There are several similar moves around London where chunks of a borough in which the party is weak are being added in to the ...
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader... (Picture from The Guardian.) Here's Nick Clegg welcoming new energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey to the cabinet — what do you think might be being said or thought by or about them? And the winner of our last caption comp is... Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, Eds Balls and Miliband "The Early Years" Edition. The winner, according to The Voice's judging panel of one, was this one by Cheltenham robin, with a highly commended offerings by ...
Tee, hee. We had our coursework assignment for Macroeconomics 1. I could have some fun with this... Individual Assignment Task: In 2011, Bank of England chose to maintain the Bank rate at its historic low even when the prevailing inflation rate was significantly higher than the targeted level. You are required to critically evaluate this particular policy decision of Bank of England. Using available information on the UK economy from 2000-2010: i. Outline the pattern of economic growth, inflation, and interest rate over the past 10 years. (This task requires that you find annual data on these economic variables over ...
'Everyone is born in a poetic state,' the Syrian-born writer and artist Adonis declared in an interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist at the Mosaic Rooms in Kensington this noon. But not everyone is destined to express themselves poetically. The sprightly octogenarian — who is viewed by many as the most significant Arab poet alive today ...
The huge gulf between the kind of "slavery" than existed within Africa and the bloody horrors inflicted by Europeans is once again coming under the spotlight. Published – New Nation, 16th April 2007 Black historians believe there is simply no ... Continue reading →
I thought I'd not blog today, so instead here's some pictures of Missy the new family cat, admittedly there are plenty more serious subjects to choose from locally and the greater world, stuff like Sainsbury's proposed new supermarket, which if it goes ahead will make traveling out of Margate a mission, as of course will the wretched plan to allow Tesco, to occupy an incongruous location for massive supermarket on the front of Margate seafront and of course not forgetting the equally out of place "occupy protest" outside the Turner Gallery Still its the weekend and for once I'm not ...
American politics is a bottomless morass that will suck you in deeper the further you wade into it. Such has been my experience, and now one randomly-planned and hastily-written blogpost has become three. Ron Paul's day, as ever, is not ... Continue reading →
Today's award goes to BBC News (Glasgow and West of Scotland) for: Ear bitten off in fast food queue
It was a terrible night's sleep. The tinnitus was raging and piercing into my night-time soul and left me in a constant state of REM. The drifting dreams of the sub-conscious. Many of my dreams are surreal (are not all of ours?), from flying to underwater breathing, to many a sexual liaisons with.....well that would be saying. However, at my age I am well past the teenagers' wet dreams. Do dry dreams count? The most disturbing dream I had though was a 'Trumanesque' reality one. Every aspect of my life was being commentated on, analysed by and criticised by Fern ...
Earlier this week, LibDemVoice started asking party members signed up to our discussion forum a range of questions — the survey is still live, but one of the questions is already a little previous so we're reporting it early... We asked: Would you support or oppose David Laws making a return to government at the next reshuffle? Yes – to a cabinet post 58% Yes – but only to a non-cabinet post in government 14% No – he should not return to the government at the next reshuffle 21% Don't know / No opinion 7% In total, then, 72% of ...
We have received this email from the council's highways department With regards to today, due to the cold temperatures during this week the road surfaces are very cold and overnight the road temperature could be as low as -9c. Air temperatures are due to fall to -5c A few key pieces of information in the event of any enquiries. Our crews have salted the network regularly during the
Bath and North East Somerset Council proposes to make an order under section 84 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as amended, the effect of which will be that it is prohibited to drive a motor vehicle at a speed exceeding 50 miles per hour on that length of Pennyquick Hill, Bath which extends from a point 37 metres northwest of its junction with Poolemead Road in a north westerly direction
The last time there was an English Defence League march in Leicester, many of their supporters stopped off in Market Harborough on the way. I was out searching for a lost Medieval village that day (I have an image to keep up), but I am told that they took over the town centre with their chanting for a while. This morning all was quiet. There were a lot of police around and the Wethersoon's pub where the EDL congregated had not opended. I saw only about a dozen EDL types in the town. They were clustered around another pub, which ...
The internet is largely anonymous. It is easy to make judgements on people we know and it is even easier to make snap judgements on people on the television. In this age where celebrity is a concept that has been diluted because of reality TV it has coincided with the explosion of social media. Therefore people on the TV and in the papers are more regular than before. Newspapers will run stories and photos of reality TV stars causing people to have more vocal opinions on said people. A few months ago Jesy Nelson was getting bullied over her looks ...
And the winner is...George Potter "Oh my god, I think he's trying to grow a mohican." George, DM me an address via @richardmorrisuk and I'll send you some sort of prize. I have no idea what. :-) And by the way - brilliant blogging this week George too. Thanks for all the entries
We seem to have ended up in odd place regarding the debate about Climate Change. It appears that the majority of scientists that work in the field of climate say that the climate is changing and that there is a large anthropogenic component to this change caused by greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. There are however a significant minority of scientists and others who think that either the whole thing is overblown and/or that there is either no, or very little evidence that humans have contributed to this. Both sides have lots and lots of data to back up ...
LibDemVoice is currently conducting one of our regular surveys of party members to find out views on a range of issues. One of the questions we always ask is how satisfied Lib Dems are with key figures in the party. Though the survey is still open, a couple are now out-of-date — specifically, what members' opinions were of Chris Huhne and Ed Davey in the jobs they occupied until Friday. So here are their results... Chris Huhne: How would you rate the performances of Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change? Very satisfied 15% Satisfied 40% Total ...
Though my blogging musings have been lighter over the past month or so, this blog has nevertheless made some international strides in recent weeks. America Firstly around Christmas, I was contacted by a business from across the pond in America asking for an opportunity to advertise with selected links in blog posts that matched their product. You probably won't have seen then, but they are there and in the last few days, the $40 (£25) payment reached my bank account via PayPal. It's only a small amount but after just over a year, it's a pleasant bonus to find that ...
Chris Huhne resigned, I believed it to be somewhat inevitable whether or not he was charged by the CPS, obviously the court case is live, so little can be said on the case itself, but the political impacts are huge on Clegg, and no matter what happens now he's in a corner, let me explain. The Huhne case can go one of two ways, and both will be bad for Clegg. if Huhne is convicted and found guilty, Clegg is faced with the double charge of leading a corrupt party, losing a seat in parliament (which from my knowledge of ...
The New York Times reports of a law case where a trainee counsellor, Julea Ward, asked for referral of clients seeking same-sex relationship advice on account of her Christian beliefs. Ms Ward claims that she doesn't want to change her clients' minds and behaviour, nor does she want to discriminate against homosexual clients. Indeed, she would ask for clients to be reassigned if there were
On Facebook Simon McGrath has drawn attention to a letter to the Guardian from Labour MPs, already circulated by the Open Europe blog. The Labour MPs concerned include Gisela Stuart who has a long history of euroscepticism and Dennis Skinner who proudly proclaims the fact that he has never been abroad. How delighted these soi-disant left wingers must be that their ideas are shared by the
Here's your starter for ten in our weekend slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate... In the Australian system even a single rebellion against your party can mean the whip is withdrawn but in the UK we're much more used to MPs 'crossing the floor' and voting against their party. In fact there's been a fair amount of coverage on Lib Dem Voice of Mark Pack's research on the number of backbench Lib Dem MPs who have rebelled against the government since the last election. One could argue that MPs have a duty to vote with ...
Boundary Commission for England Newsletter 2012 #1
The loss of Chris Huhne from Government was inevitable once he was charged, however it is difficult not to draw the conclusion that the constant exercising of 'sharp elbows' was bound to end badly in some shape or another, whilst leaving few political friends to pick up the pieces. Having said this, the Liberal Democrats will miss Chris Huhne's presence in the cabinet, where he was a big hitter and consequently was able to press forward with the party's green agenda with impunity. We now have Ed Davey in his place, a Minister who has already achieved success in reforming ...
The Almighty Johnsons episode 1 review - Den of Geek This review is possibly a little harsh, but it makes some good points, and I love the desc ription of Olaf as "God of Exposition". Probably still going to give it a couple more episode; I'm glad I did with American Horror Story, which Jessica Lange has been utterly fabulous in. (tags: telly ) The first page of H.G. Wells's version of Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds | Retronaut Am singing this now (tags: music ) Taxpayers' Alliance admits director doesn't pay British tax | Politics | The Guardian ...
Apparently David Cameron called Ed Miliband a hypocrite in parliament this week, but had to withdraw because you're not allowed to be so rude. This incident brought forth in the press the usual list of archaic insults ( eg stool-pigeon, guttersnipe, cad)which are still on the taboo list. In my view the most amusing incident with arose out of this convention occurred when Jeremy Thorpe was leader of the Liberals and was overheard to mutter "Stupid bastard" whilst the then Prime Minister, Edward Heath, was speaking. The interjection was loud enough to generate immediate demands that Thorpe withdraw , but ...
The following link will take you directly to the Council's consultation webpage: The public consultation period will end on Sunday the 11th March 2012.
Cambridge City Council has dug deep into its finances to provide £15,000 for new allotments in the city. Seventeen allotments will be created off Kendal Way in East Chesterton and up to 50 plots will be provided by potentially extending Empty Common in Trumpington. The plots will be allocated to people who have registered on the council's 290 strong waiting list for allotments. Cambridge City Executive Councillor for Art, Sport and Public Places, Rod Cantrill said: "We are committed to helping people who want to grow their own produce. This helps them maintain a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and I ...
I han't heard of The Kitschies - "the annual awards for those books which best elevate the tone of genre literature" - until very recently, despite my old friend Bex Levene being one of the judges, but I love the concept. In case anyone like me is struggling through Twitter to find the results, whkch are not yet up on the official site, they were: Red Tentacle (to the novel containing speculative or fantastic elements that best fulfills the criteria of intelligent, progressive and entertaining) - A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd Golden Tentacle (to the debut ...
I know exactly what makes me a slow runner - it's the belief that I'm a slow runner. I find the idea of pushing myself to go faster than is comfortable so much more difficult than the idea of plodding on for more and more miles. You know - slow & steady, etc. I just never thought I could be faster, so I wasn't. That seems to be changing. Part of my marathon training involves tempo runs, which are supposed to be between 9:47 and 10:04 pace (my easy runs are supposed to be paced between 10:47 and 11:16). I ...
Following my writing to Royal Bank of Scotland last month following concerns about possible closure of the student branch at Balfour Street, I've expressed disappointment at a response I have received from the bank to reject calls to think again over the proposed closure of its branch at the university's student union. The response I have received from Jeffrey Hartley, RBoS's Head of Group Customer Relations, confirms the branch is indeed earmarked for closure and it appears the Royal Bank is adamant that it will not reprieve the well-used branch. In his letter Mr Hartley says : "I acknowledge that ...
... that the income tax threshold should increased to £10,000 more rapidly, there is now an e-petition on the HM Government website. It says: "Please sign this to persuade George Osborne to fast track the Lib Dem policy to increase ... Continue reading →
I've been following the run-up to the American election this November more casually than many of my fellow political aficionados. To be frank, I'm not yet embedded enough into party politics to be the sort of person who views the ... Continue reading →
As a foolish thing to do for the BiMedia bisexual news website, I'm trying to mark LGBT History Month this year by giving a little dash of visibility to a different bit of bi history each day of February. Like a lot of LGBT work, History Month resources and events in my experience tend to be good on the LG bits and frequently good on the T strand but often the B is weak. But there has been plenty of bi history:albeit sometimes things we need to (re)claim. I have an assortment of ideas of things to highlight, and at ...
When Nick Clegg planned a Liberal Democrat parliamentary away-day in Eastbourne this week he could hardly have known that the media hordes would descend on that seaside town, not to quiz MPs and Ministers about policy but rather about the fate of Chris Huhne. But if Plan A was to carry on as normal had the ...
Given today's events I couldn't resist...
The self destruction of Chris Huhne has not been edifying. But the appointment of Ed Davey as his replacement is unalloyed good news for the Lib Dems. Ed is a formidable campaigner - fighting the 'unwinnable' Kingston and Surbiton seat in 1997 - with no central help and a 15,000 Tory majority. The selection for the Tory nomination (between Richard Tracey and Norman Lamont) was seen by the media as the decisive contest. In the end Ed won by just 56 votes, but carried on campaigning so just four years later romped home with a majority of more than 15,000. ...
I ask this question because I think a serious mistake has been made. The bill as it stands punishes those in serious need, and also those who try and help them. Many people will see their mobility allowance cut (meaning ... Continue reading →
Heather Kidd is holding a surgery at the Stiperstones Inn on 13 February.
I was interviewed today by Sonia Rathwell for Channel 4 News for a profile of now-former Lib Dem cabinet minister Chris Huhne. Here's some of what I said: It could be said that the former secretary of state for energy and climate change has a rather chilly public persona – but despite something of a "grey man" image, Chris Huhne has a warm, devoted fanbase according to Stephen Tall, the editor of the Lib Dem activists' newspaper, Lib Dem Voice. ... "After the leadership battle, he could have gone away and sulked but he didn't, he backed Nick Clegg all ...
It's completely unsurprising that there will be many people in the country tonight who will certainly not be mourning the loss of Chris Huhne from the government. What is more surprising is that some of those people will be Liberal ... Continue reading →
The Liberal Democrat blogosphere has been an odd place over the past few days. There has been talk of "betrayal and loathing in the Lib Dems," our MPs have told to hang their heads in shame and someone appears to have declared war on the leadership. I have never been an enthusiast for conducting politics in this slightly paranoid language. That distaste is one of the many reasons I have never been attracted to the Labour Party. It reminds me of poor old Michael Foot waving his arms and talking about treason. Nor do I have any sense that the ...
Today I stumbled across the blog of Shiraz Socialist, on which is a fascinating post about the mini-controversy surrounding Terry Eagleton's review of Alain de Botton's Religion for Atheists. The post is a review of de Botton's response to Eagleton's review, achieving a level of nested meta that Tarski would appreciate. It is well worth ...
Please sign our petition here:
Ahem. As my regular readers will know, I'm renowned for my considered, well-tempered and cautious approach to events. Okay, so that's a lie. But I do try not to lose my temper in debates as it just undermines the argument. And I also try, despite how passionate I feel, not to come across as too abrasive or insulting. Unfortunately, given the number of times I've seen people been told lately, or been told myself, that concerns and dismay about the impact of the Welfare Reform Bill (passed thanks to Lib Dem MPs) is actually nothing more than "hyperbole" or "exaggeration" ...
Nick Perry, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Hastings & Rye, has announced that he intends to run for election to Hastings Borough Council on 3 May this year. Nick, who was his party's candidate at the 2010 General Election said to The Observer, "There are local and national reasons for wanting to be selected ...
It has been another pretty intense week. My posting has not been as frequent as I would have liked. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what to post about out of so many issues going on at once. This afternoon I took part in the launch of the next phase of the No Knives Better Lives anti knife crime campaign. The No Knives campaign was trialled in Inverclyde with great results and we have rolled it out in the North of the city. Today it was extended to the Gorgie, Sighthill and Wester Hailes areas. We do not have huge ...
There was a discussion of mental health on last night's This Week. Alastair Campbell was impressive, but I am not sure that Ruby Wax's insistence that poor mental health means that there is something wrong with your brain and you need drugs reflects the most enlightened view. Because other ways of understanding mental illness are possible, and I have come across a particularly interesting one in my day job. The clinical psychologist Caroline Cuppitt writes about Charles Dickens' view of the topic and the character of Mr Dick in David Copperfield in particular: There is no suggestion that Mr Dick ...
The Mail Online carries a story that Canadian academics have shown that right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers,thus proving John Stuart Mill right."I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will
Extraordinary.
... it's mostly bored resignation that in the midst of mouthing off about diversity, Clegg promotes two white middle class middle aged cisgendered het men, rather than one of the vastly more capable women he has available to him. I can't bring myself to be angry about it, like Caron is. I just don't have the energy any more. My irony meter went sproing a long time ago. It's like the fact that while the Welfare Reform Bill was going through Cameron was hosting a party for Children in Need. Because there's going to be so many more of them, ...
John Dodd attended the memorial service at the Fog Bell,Marshside Road on Sunday 29th January. The service was held to commemorate the anniversary of theburial of the seven Marshside men who lost their lives on the 26th January1869, whilst out hand-putting for shrimps in the estuary. The men were:Peter AughtonWilliam HeskethJohn 'Marshall' RimmerJohn WrightPeter Wright 'Thomas' Peter Wright 'Hannah's Robert Wright
I hardly ever answer these, but this one caught my attention. My undergraduate degree was in Natural Sciences, specialising in astrophysics at the end. My undergraduate dissertation was a literature survey of the Comic Microwave Background Radiation and the Origin of the Universe. My career is now in international politics. So it is fair to say that the two fields are not intimately related. I can count the number of fellow astrophysics graduates I have met in my current line of work on the fingers of one finger (the then chief of staff of the president of an Eastern European ...
There is just one meeting at Blyth Town Council next week Full Council, Thursday 9th February , 6:30 pm at Newsham Pavilion, Newsham Blyth followed by Public Question Time
There are quite a few homes in Launceston whose rubbish was not collected on schedule today. I'm told by the Council that they had three vans break down and, although they caught up with some of the missed collections, they will not be able to complete the job until Monday. Apologies to householders affected. Tweet
I'm going to write about parliamentary tactics today. Not because it's interesting – it's about the inside baseball of the UK Parliament, and is thus really only interesting to about ten people in the world ever – but because it's been tickling me ever since I noticed it. This is going to be a post about how the government runs itself politically, how it organises its business to avoid political risk, and how the government is already preparing for the next election. Okay? There's a reason why this post is happening today, and it's not going to be a surprising ...
So, I was sitting in the BBC News Channel Millbank, ahem, 'Studio' (broom cabinet) this morning as the Huhne news broke. As you can see, I was filling while everyone waited for Nick, Olly et al to walk from a door and get in a car. I was asked my views on what the Lib Dem Grassroots were thinking. So here's what I said you were thinking (I am paraphrasing). Do feel free to yell if it's not true, as I'll be doing the same with 5 Live tomorrow morning... Q. Are we sad to see Chris go? A. Yes. ...
In 1901 the International Olympic Committee decided that they would hold Intercalated Games every four years in the gap between the internationally arranged Olympic Games. There were to be held in Athens every 4 years. However, only one is ever staged, but if you have read my posts about the 1900 and 1904 Games the 1906 Intercalated Games may well have been the saviour of the entire Olympic movement. France 15 9 16 40 2 United States 12 6 6 24 3 Greece 8 14 13 35 4 Great Britain 8 11 5 24 5 Italy 7 6 3 16 ...
Energy secretary Chris Huhne has today resigned from the cabinet following the announcement that he has been charged with perverting the course of justice. Huhne, who was once considered the natural leader of the Liberal Democrats and at one time favourite to succeed Nick Clegg, decided that in the circumstances it was best to stand down to "avoid distraction". Huhne continues to maintain his innocence in the matter concerning his wife's alleged acceptance of his penalty points for speeding. That in itself, however, has become almost irrelevant. The allegation that a cabinet minister would willingly stoop to such deceptive practices ...
From the Department of Energy and Climate Change:
Because I'm made that way, I suppose, I do kind of collect new kinds of organisations, especially if they seem to pre-figure the future. One such is the Upper Norwood Library. It is red brick and 111 years old (I believe Bilbo Baggins was also eleventy-one at the beginning of The Hobbit). There are computers, but it hasn't been taken over by the boneheaded technocrats and cleared out of books altogether. It is always lively. But what is really interesting about it is that it is independent, run by a local board and funded jointly by the two London boroughs ...
It is likely that a number of our cities will, by Government diktat, be holding referendums in May as to whether to move to a mayoral system. Some of these will give the go-ahead and Liverpool is anyway likely to jump straight to a mayoral system by use of a council resolution. The mayoral contests will be on the same day as those for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). There are still some who, in relation to PCCs, are fondly imagining that Liberal Democrat candidates won't be needed. This is despite the fact that it abundantly clear that the Conservative ...
is ed miliband...?
Chris Huhne resigns, having no choice following allegations, as I understand by his ex-wife, who suddenly if I've got this right, confessed to having taken penalty points for a speeding offence (way back in 2003), some years later in 2011, which should have gone taken by her then husband. Both will now appear in court to answer charges of perverting the course of justice, now I cannot help thinking, the rights and wrongs of this will be decided by a jury, however I cannot help thinking that the over the top coverage being played out just now on the BBC's ...
Two stories of interest in similar ways in two completely different fields, both accused of crimes, both not yet proven guilty, both stepping down from a position of responsibility (one walked, one pushed). Chris Huhne You would have to have no interest in politics not to know that Chris has been having a rough time of it for a while, now it is official that he will be charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly having his then wife (Vicky Pryce) take penalty points on her driving license that were actually incurred by Chris. As such Chris has ...
Deputy Prime Minister gave a wide-ranging interview to The House magazine, in which he discusses how it's right for the two coalition parties to differentiate themselves once a stable government was formed: In the run-up to the general election, you may remember, the tabloids were screaming, saying that if there was a hung Parliament locusts would descend from the sky and the sun would be blotted out, you know... so we needed for those first few months to show the most important thing of all, which is this is a government that works, and actually works rather well. Of course, ...
There is an article in today's South Manchester Reporter about the 10 minute rule bill. I have agreed to extended the deadline to saturday to allow their readers to make suggestions too. We've had over a dozen suggestions so far . ... Continue reading →
Many years ago, when I was an SNP member and the party was briefly without Alex Salmond's leadership, I sent a polite e-mail querying the dropping of LGBT issues from a draft manifesto. The response, from someone who was already rather senior and is now a Scottish Government Minister, contained the phrase "not a priority for the people of Scotland" - which was the defining moment in my decision to leave the party, because the "people of Scotland" I wanted to work for certainly included LGBT people, and it damn well was a priority for them. (I note that LGBT ...
A little later than usual, but there is one planning application to report in King's Hedges last week: it is for the replacement of the "existing post sign with double legged sign (internally illuminated)" at the Jenny Wren pub on Campkin Road.Full details can be seen at the relevant page of the City Council's online planning website. If you prefer to look in person the reference number is 12/0081/ADV.As always in case of difficulty contact the team.
A few weeks ago I was trying to put together a review of all that I'd written on this blog over the past year. I didn't get that far with it, and now it is February the moment for it seems to have passed. However, in doing it I was reminded of the posts that I'd written over the summer where I talked about what I saw as my achievements over the eight years that I served as a councillor on Luton Borough Council. Having failed to be re-elected in last May's local elections, I found the process of writing ...
There are two fundamental problems with the analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies of the current negotiations on public sector pensions. Firstly, the IFS compares public sector pension provision with that of the private sector and implies that the inevitable disparity has to be rebalanced by cutting the public sector rather than improving private sector provision. Secondly, they choose to ignore the approximately £100 billion saved by moving from RPI to CPI and then says that if you exclude £100 billion and the fact that retired public sector workers' pensions are going to have lower increases than before, they ...
What a rubbish week this has been. Nothing has been as bad for me as the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill, a true nadir in the life of this Government, but it's not good to see one of your own people have to resign from the Cabinet. Whatever you think of Chris Huhne, and to be honest, I was never his biggest fan for all sorts of reasons, anyone else facing the same charges in any other job would not be sacked until after the Court case. Unfortunately for him, if he'd stayed in post, every time he tried ...
The Faustian pact is now complete. The betrayal of everything the Liberal Democrats believed was accomplished this week when our ...Continue reading »
Further to last week's post on Leeds GIC not understanding what they're diagnosing, they've responded to further "clarify" their position in response to a follow-up by Emma Brownbill. They're still pretty confused. Firstly, they apparently retract any claim to follow the DSM-IV: (this is despite it being listed on their web site) Your example above follows the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV (TR)) which makes a differential diagnosis coding based on current age (302.6 Gender Identity Disorder in Children, 302.85 Gender Identity Disorder in Adolescents or Adults). However, as a provider of Adult ...
According to the No. 10 website, Ed Davey MP will replace Chris Huhne as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with Norman Lamb to replace Davey in his role at the Department for Business. Completing the changes, Jenny Willott becomes an Assisstant Government Whip, and Jo Swinson replaces Norman Lamb as Nick Clegg's PPS. Congratulations to those Lib Dem MPs taking up new positions in government.
I can hear the smug cries of satisfaction & if Chris Huhne was indeed stupid enough to try & dodge, nearly 10yrs ago, a simple driving ban then OK. The law is the law even when it is silly & largely unenforced. But he's not been found guilty yet. And I wonder how many of those whose fingers will be pointed have themselves done the thing he is accused of. Of course the charge is not now a motoring one. It is perverting the course of justice which is indeed more serious but again not uncommon & when related to ...
I have recently switched from using dircproxy as an IRC bouncer to ZNC and it is turning out to be a better piece of software. (Not least of which is decent SSL support and a handy web interface that allows easy reconfiguration) However, it suffers from the same problem as many other bouncers – it doesn't log Private Messages when you're online. This is annoying because I may have left some machine somewhere connected that I might not return to for a day or two, or I might be on a mobile device that's prone to losing it's connection due ...
Hot off the press from the Lib Dem Press Office 'Following the appointment of Norman Lamb as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire, Jo Swinson has been appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Liberal Demcorats and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.' This to me is terrific news. So both Jo Swinson and Jenny Willott have had promotions today. It might not make up for Chris Huhne going but it could have been a lot worse. A lot worse. [IMG: Share on Tumblr] [IMG: ...
The principal reason being his collusion with lobbyists acting for the big pub corporations, who he allowed to write large parts of a Government report in response to the BIS Select Committee. Today's news for Chris Huhne is a personal tragedy and I hope he clears his name. He is a huge loss both to the Government and the Liberal Democrats. But there are others more worthy and capable of being Cabinet Ministers. Norman Lamb, calm and unobtrusive, is a much more effective negotiator who would not have led the capitulation over the erosion of employment rights presided over by ...
There will be a by-election for Bodmin Town Council on March 1st. The four candidates are: Paul Ellis, Mebyon Kernow Jake Lyne, Liberal Democrat Robbie Taylor, Retired Cornwall Fire Service Office - Independent Christopher Wilkes, Conservative Jake Lyne, the Lib Dem candidate is 18 and as a result this is his first foray into politics. He's hugely enthusiastic to provide a voice for younger people on the town council. As a police volunteer and fire cadet he already puts a lot into the local community as a volunteer and I think he'd be a great addition to the town council ...
From the Daily Mail: Eighteen months after he'd buried her, Dawson married Tracy Roper, a barmaid 20 years his junior.
The 16th edition of my monthly newsletter about the Liberal Democrats came out this week. If you're not on the list to get it via email, you can instead read it online here: Tax cuts for millions or for millionaires If you would like to receive future editions of the newsletter direct to your own inbox, just sign up here. It's free! You can unsubscribe whenever you want using the link on the bottom of all the emails, and I won't pass your email address on to anyone else (except if required by law). And if you are already a ...
A trio of resources for your weekend's delectation: Electoral timetable for May's elections: I've recently updated my May 2012 election timetable post with extra details Liberal Democrat peers on Twitter: having commented adversely in the past on the lack of communications from many of them, I've been hunting out how many are using Twitter. You can find them all in this Twitter list (which is a little more comprehensive than the other lists I've come across). Let me know if you spot anyone I've missed. Liberal Democrat achievements: over on Facebook, I've started up a daily posting of a Liberal ...
Dale Cox Follow @twitter Today saw the announcement from the Director of Public Prosecutions that Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce have been charged for perverting the course of justice. As my twitter feed fired up with the news, a close friend of mine Sam Fowles, posted the following tweet which I think does something to grasp the ridiculous nature of this whole tawdry affair: The Director of Public Prosecutions making a television statement regarding a speeding ticket, is indeed ridiculous, but then so is the fact that he is today charged. Putting things into perspective, a year after the 'story' ...
I'm on a short lunchbreak today so I don't have time for a proper blogpost but the resignation of Lib Dem Chris Huhne from the cabinet today, due to being charged with perverting the course of justice, makes me want to ask this one question: Chris Huhne must know whether he's guilty or not. I'm not going to pre-judge someone who has yet to be found guilty in a court of law but, if he really is guilty, then why the hell did he wait until now to resign when he could have stepped down months ago and saved everyone, ...
I know it's a rather boring thing to believe, particularly when you read a lot of the newspapers nowadays, but I still hold onto that most basic tenet on which our judicial system is built - that you are innocent until proven guilty. It is a particularly apt moment to re-consider this in light of two high-profile cases this week. Chris Huhne Chris Huhne's decision today to stand down from the Cabinet to fight his case is a sensible one. He pleads innocence on the charges of perjury and if he is to fight his battle for that truth then ...
The letters between Chris Huhne and David Cameron on Huhne's resignation as Energy and Climate Change secretary have been published on the Number 10 website: First, Chris Huhne's. His pain is palpable as he recounts his achievements. This letter is to submit with much regret my resignation as Energy and Climate Change Secretary. I intend to mount a robust defence against the charges brought against me, and I have concluded that it would be distracting both to that effort and to my official duties if I were to continue in office. It has been an honour to negotiate and then ...
"One nation banking recognises that these institutions cannot be isolated from the rest of society – that we are once again at risk of becoming two nations in this country, segregated economically, geographically and socially. One nation banking is, bizarrely, Ed Miliband invoking 'One Nation' Toryism, which Disraeli was a great pioneer for. If you're ...
It was in May 2011 that the allegation first surfaced that, eight years previously, Chris Huhne had allegedly asked his then wife Vicky Pryce to take the rap for speeding points that would have seen the aspirant Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh lose his licence. It's a charge Chris has strenuously denied ever since, always saying he welcomes the police investigation as a chance to clear his name. When asked whether he would resign, he has previously only ever had to answer hypothetically, as here when questioned by Andrew Neil: (Available on YouTube here.) But now reality has struck. Though ...
[IMG: Engineering Student] Image CC Engineering at Cambridge Leading figures in the engineering, business and education sectors have strongly criticised Education Secretary Michael Gove's decision to downgrade the school Engineering Diploma from the equivalent of five GCSEs to just one. The Engineering Diploma is available for 14-19 year olds and combines engineering theory with practical experience as well as complementary study of science, maths, English and information technology. It can be taken at a Foundation, Higher and Advanced Level. Dr Mike Short, President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, published an open letter to the government noting how industrial ...
Simon Wright MP and the Norwich Lib Dems are campaigning for better broadband in Norwich. At this week's Full Council meeting, Cllr James Wright highlighted the fact that there are areas of Norwich that do not have access to consistently high internet speeds. He also called on City Hall to play its full part in the 'Say Yes to Better Broadband in Norfolk" campaign. [IMG: Simon Wright MP and Cllr James Wright are saying YES to broadband ] Cllr James Wright, Liberal Democrat Group Leader at City Hall, commented: "There are pockets of the city that suffer from a poor ...
So Chris Huhne (and ex-wife Vicky Pryce) is to be charged with perverting the course of justice as a result of allegations that the former Environment Secretary Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change allowed or persuaded his wife to accept speeding penalty points on his behalf in 2003. Mr Huhne strenuously denies the charges (and one can't help but wonder whether Ms. Pryce will be less keen to repeat her allegations now that she is being charged as well) but it has not saved him. He has been forced to resign from the Cabinet. It's an odd business, ...
Chris Huhne has just made the briefest statement outside his Central London flat. He has confirmed that he is stepping down as Energy and Climate Change secretary. He protested his innocence and stated that he was confident that a jury will find him not guilty.His statement in full is:The CPS decision to launch a prosecution is deeply regrettable. I am innocent of the charges and I intend to fight this in the courts. I'm confdent that a jury will agree. So as to avoid any distraction from my duties or my trial defence I am standing down, resigning as Energy ...
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, has just announced that Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne and his former wife VIcky Pryce will be charged with perverting the course of justice. They will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday 16th February. It is expected that Chris Huhne will now step down from the Cabinet. Keir Starmer emphasised that Huhne and Pryce have the right to a fair trial and that nothing should be said or reported that could influence that. He said:All the available evidence, including the new material, has now been carefully considered by the CPS ...
Chris Huhne has just made the briefest statement outside his Central London flat. He has confirmed that he is stepping down as Energy and Climate Change secretary. He protested his innocence and stated that he was confident that a jury will find him not guilty. His statement in full is: The CPS decision to launch a prosecution is deeply regrettable. I am innocent of the charges and I intend to fight this in the courts. I'm confdent that a jury will agree. So as to avoid any distraction from my duties or my trial defence I am standing down, resigning ...
I am just so bored of this story. I am even more bored that people still think that charges is a presumption of guilt. We have seen in recent months people just being arrested is enough for the mob and the media to presume guilt and yell it from the roof-tops. Look at Rebecca Leighton. Everyone said she was guilty because she was arrested and described as the saline nurse killer. Turn out she wasn't guilty and was in fact totally innocent. Look at Chris Jefferies. Arrested over the murder of Jo Yeates and you know what – he wasn't ...
At last I've had some fly-tipping removed. You can see the before and after photos: It always feels good to get a long term bit of eco crime fixed. This 'little' problem only took 12+ months and 4 attempts to get it fixed. Mobile phone photos can be a god send. Hopefully this now makes the recently opened bus drivers toilet more attractive. (This bus drivers toilet solving the worst eco problems for this patch of Friern Road).
If you wish, you can see Paul Staines and Harry Cole enjoying champagne while bragging about various betting organisations who are no doubt indebted to them. I can't remember such a dramatic moment when a cabinet minister's future hangs in the balance, as this morning and the DPP's announcement. At the bottom of it all is a human story which has an element of Greek tragedy to it. I don't want to say anything that would prejudice a fair trial. But one does wonder whether Vicky Pryce may now be regretting talking (presumably freely) to her friend at the Sunday ...
The following is the complete statement by the Director of the CPS Kier Starmer on the Chris Huhne affair. This statement is made by the Crown Prosecution Service in the interests of transparency and accountability to explain the decisions reached in the cases of Mr Christopher Huhne and Ms Vasiliki Pryce and to explain the time ...
So the Crown Prosecution Service have announced that charges of perverting the course of justice are to be brought against the Environment Secretary Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce. So with his cabinet position untenable who will take over this Lib Dem position. Not because he has been found guilty of anything, but because his resources or time and energy will have to be directed to defending himself. Therefore the ability to carry out his Government responsibilities would be limited as he is facing a criminal charge. Who will be replacing him? There was talk of David Laws making ...
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, has just announced that Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne and his former wife VIcky Pryce will be charged with perverting the course of justice. They will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday 16th February. It is expected that Chris Huhne will now step down from the Cabinet. Keir Starmer emphasised that Huhne and Pryce have the right to a fair trial and that nothing should be said or reported that could influence that. He said: All the available evidence, including the new material, has now been carefully considered by the ...
BBC news has just announced that Chris Huhne and his ex wife Vicky Pryce are to be charged with perverting the course of justice. The first hearing will take place on the 16th February. I said some time ago that Chris Huhne had probably had it here and got a lot of flack for it fom ...
The Sonic Lipstick Sarah-Jane Smith fandom newsletter hangs up it's collective keyboard :( (tags: doctorwho ) Mark Thompson: Is Lib Dem MP gender balance problem exacerbated by FPTP? Mark is very good at taking a point that is already well known and finding and collating the evidence to back it up. He's a Lib Dem Fact Check if you like. Here, he gives us the maths and shows his working to prove that actually, Lib Dem gender balance is better than both the other two main parties, and unlike them, we've never stooped to quotas. Now, if only we could ...
This morning's Telegraph reports that Nick Clegg has continued his campaign to secure help for the lower paid with the insistence that Conservative plans to give married couples a tax break must take second place behind a Liberal Democrat tax cut for low-earners. The paper says that as ministers debate next month's Budget, pressure is mounting for a targeted tax cut to ease pressure on household finances and stimulate the shrinking economy: Mr Clegg last week called for an acceleration in Coalition plans to raise the starting point for basic rate tax, a policy designed to increase the take-home pay ...
Changing Attitude Ireland is launching a new book, "Moving Forward Together: Homosexuality and the Church of Ireland", in Belfast on Tuesday 7th February and in Dublin on Thursday 9th February. The book, co-edited by Ginnie Kennerley and Richard O'Leary, includes short articles in straightforward language written by leading theologians and well known Church figures, as well ...
@travelling_wolf All fair points (in my post) – more impressed by efficiency of top-qual state ed for £5k pa. in reply to travelling_wolf # From me last night > 'The day the Coalition broke. Literally.' http://t.co/LfQYgYRS # @omaromalleykhan Hmm, article assumes poorest don't want to (or can't) work. True for some. But high marg tax major disincentive for many... in reply to omaromalleykhan # @omaromalleykhan Benefits most efficient form of handout, least effective method of empowerment. So depends if u want s-t or l-term impact. in reply to omaromalleykhan # @mjturner1975 Thx for the figs. So as expected:high FSM % ...
In December 1976 Paddy Ashdown put to the local party in Yeovil a plan for winning the constituency for which he had been recently selected and where the party was third at almost every election. Thirty-five and a bit years on, it still reads as a pretty good plan. 1. We should adopt a three-election strategy and should plan on that basis that I would probably not be in a position to mount a genuine challenge for the seat until my third attempt. [It took him two rather than three attempts as it turned out.] 2. I would need to ...
The Farmer's Boy has applied to have an extra night of live (and amplified music) – ie Wednesdays. Please let us know what you think by emailing Chris or Michael.
If you don't like the plans to switch to part-night street lighting, which are being rolled out across Hertfordshire, you will not be able to influence the policy for another 18 months at least. In a recent email, the Conservative Cabinet member responsible for Highways confirmed to his Lib Dem opposite number that the current policy, which introduces a blanket measure of turning some street lights off from midnight till 6am across the whole county, will not be reviewed until the Summer of 2013. Lib Dem County Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Central Watford and Oxhey), who is the Opposition Spokesperson for ...
If the Crown Prosecution Service announces today that Chris Huhne will NOT be charged, it will struggle hard to convince the public of the case. Maybe that's why Keir Starmer has called a press conference - that was Portillo's view last night. It may well be the right decision. As Uncle James in the Forsyte Saga repeatedly said, "I don't know. I can't tell." It is important that the public is
A high profile national campaign to teach schoolchildren skills which could save lives has been backed by Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert. Julian visited the British Heart Foundation shop in Burleigh Street to show his support for the charity's campaign to teach Emergency Life Support. Hard man actor, Vinnie Jones features in the television advertising for the campaign which urges people, worried about giving the kiss of life to forget it and go for chest compressions (CPR) instead to the beat of the Bee Gees' classic, Stayin' Alive. The BHF, working with the Resuscitation Council UK, is calling for youngsters to ...
Cllr Helen Dick and I have now submitted to the City Council Liberal Democrat proposals to improve the council's Revenue and Capital Budgets. We will have amendments to both the revenue budget and the capital budget at the Budget Meeting next Thursday but will look carefully at the ideas coming from the other political groups. In the revenue budget, by using unallocated and not legally committed money in the City Development budget, we propose saving the much-needed visiting specialists in Music and PE in the city's primary schools and also reversing the proposed cut of music instructors contained in the ...
I contributed to the Mindless Ones' post on the Watchmen prequels, or at least my swearier alter ego Andre Whickey did. That post was put together from what started as informal discussions between us, hence the writing style for my bits is very different and swearier than my normal writing. Tagged: Alan Moore, comics, me ...
