LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Wednesday 25th October 2006

Council calls for urgent talks with Racecourse Board of Directors

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, Councillor Dave Fitzpatrick, has put forward a Council motion to call for the Board of Directors of Redcar Racecourse to enter into urgent private discussions with representatives of the Council to ensure that racing in Redcar continues. The request has been made in response to recent media reports which suggest that the future of Redcar Racecourse may be under threat. Cllr Dave Fitzpatrick, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said: “As a Council, we have not received any direct communication from the Racecourse regarding any future plans. ...

I've got a nice cuttlefish for you

Factchecking Pollyanna - the blog which keeps an eye on Polly Toynbee's Guardian columns - has woken up. Its most recent posting looks at Toynbee's column on NICE and NHS funding for drugs. Tim Worstall is also worth reading on the subject.

What would you like in your manifesto?

Liberal Democrats are starting drafting a manifesto. Time to think about what to put in, and what to leave out?

Activists to help write next manifesto

The party has announced today that Steve Webb will lead the group writing our next election manifesto. Steve has pledged to use online consultation to engage as many activists as possible in the process, and according to the Guardian “He hopes that as many as half of the party’s 70,000 members will help to feed in [...]

New ways to feel old, No. 93

Flick through the City Council's 2006-07 Committee membership listings, and find out you're one of the 10 longest-serving councillors.

Rocking Around Missouri

According to noted right-wing radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, Michael J. Fox is faking the extent of his condition in this video: Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Two great scare stories

1) We are reaching peak oil, doom gloon and disaster await: Umm. Okay, if oil reserves reach 50% of what there was in total before extraction began then we still have a lot of oil left. As availiable, and easily obtainable oil supplies start to diminish the price goes up, leading to higher prices, greater incentive to find alternatives and greater incentives to reuse and recycle existing products

On the Internet, Nobody Knows You are Wearing a Veil

Two stories have struck me over recent weeks. The first is the heated debate over the wearing of different forms of veil by Islamic women in the UK. And the other is the frenzy of interest in virtual world Second Life. The Second Life stories are full of admiration for the way you can be whatever [...]

My job in Bulgaria has fallen through - Gutted !!!...

With the news that the number of Romanian and Bulgarian citizens allowed in to the UK to work are to be severely limited, the Bulgarian Government have threatened to impose the same rules on UK citizens. I thought it was a joke to begin with. I mean, Bulgaria is hardly top of the list for British citizens seeking to be economic migrants is it. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Spain, America, yes there are lots of countries I know friends would love to move to, but Bulgaria ? "Oh I'd love to work in a steel mill in Sofia", said my ...

What we omit from a single minute is lost to all eternity

After last week's disappointment, Jenkins is back again with another, and in my view much more accurate, article today about the invasion of Iraq. While I agree with his broad brush analysis, there are one or two areas where I don't necessarily go the whole 9 yards. Jenkins seems to propose that the whole project was flawed from the outset, and that to quibble about it's execution is merely a fig leaf. Elsewhere I've suggested that the issue in hand throughout these events has been winning the consent of the people, especially those in Iraq. Where I disagree with Jenkins ...

Good news ... and even better news...

Good news… and even better news… I have learnt that Action Sport have now signed the contract to take over Whitchurch Sports Centre. As someone who spoke against Action Sport being handed the c...

Pro-dictator disgrace? Joined up thinking!

There was a debate among British MPs in Westminster Hall (not the Commons Chamber) on the Iraq war last Wednesday. During the debate, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram is reported to have suggested that: "some would say" the anti-war movement was "pro-dictator". I think I am one of those people. I think that parts of the anti-war movement are pro-dictator. It seems a fair comment to me. Anyway, the BBC report from which this comes goes on to say: Mr Ingram also signalled a possible role for Iran and Syria in Iraq's future. He told MPs "those who ...

Reviewing the Council's E-services

A couple of months ago, I suggested that the Council review the state of its e-services (in other words, the services that it makes available over the Internet). For example, the Council has made planning applications viewable on-line, and participates in the Council Direct initiative with other local Councils. But are these different strands of activity fully co-ordinated? Have we got the balance right between the initiatives that we implement/manage ourselves, and those that we tackle collaboratively with other organisations? Are there any gaps? We've now set up a small cross-party working group to look at these ...

Open Learning - an exciting project for an Open and Liberal Society

This is all great news as Sarah Teather says - even if her press release does suggest she has not quite looked at all of what the new Open University project 'Open learn' actually does. This is what the 'welcome' page for the OpenLearn project says: Welcome to The Open University's OpenLearn website - free and openeducational resources for learners and educators around the world.You are in the LearningSpace where Open University learning materials are freelyavailable for you to study in your own time, away from any formal teaching environment.Visit the LabSpace to share and reuse educational resources.Download ...

Save Peter Knowles Some Emails

After two years of complaints the BBC have finally discovered what many of us have been telling them, namely that they do have enough capacity to broadcast BBC Parliament fullscreen on the Freeview platform. The defence has always been a claimed lack of capacity but in giving this response BBC managers somehow ignored the fact that [...]

BBC Parliament to go full-screen on Freeview from 13th November

More here and here. Well done BBC!

Not Quite a Rarity

Thanks to Peter Black for pointing out this one. So I find that there are only 163 people sharing my first name, 53rd most common, and last name, 572nd most common. Some of these American Stephen Glenns I have located in the past via google. My Brother is rarer only 94 matchs. My nephews have 423 and 7 for their Old Testement fist names. My dad has 945 matchs and mum 25. However my sister-in-law

Want to lose your council seat ? A once in a lifet...

David Miliband announced this afternoon in the Commons a plan to ask local councils to volunteer to have nuclear waste buried in their area. Now I know having travellers sites place in your ward can be difficult enough (believe me - I know), but quite how a councillor sells the idea of having nuclear waste buried locally to electorate, I have no idea. Apparently, they are going to persuade local councils by offering them large bribes. "Local councils are to be invited to volunteer to have a nuclear dump in their area. Those chosen will benefit ...

One Way traffic?

It was good to see the Liberal Democrat leader raise the extradition issue at PMQs. Not unexpectedly, the Prime Minister had no answer to offer.

Harpooning - more than you ever wanted to know

The Icelandic decision to resume commercial whaling previously lamented does also raise the question - just how are Whales killed? According to the Harpooning for Dummies page over in Science Blogs nobody know how humane this proceedure is, and no other slaughter procedure with this degree of uncertainty would be permitted on any other mammal in any well-regulated farming or hunting practice. Note that explosive harpoons are not the only means used to catch whales. The harpooning for Dummies writer, Shelley Batts says about the International Whaling Commission documents on harpooning: Essentially, what they are saying is that ...

Sagittarius

You will get out of bed and step in a pile of cat vomit. The hard disk on your computer will crash and while two customers scream for website updates you will rue not making a back up since June 2005. A lunchtime bike ride will buckle your £50 new front wheel. At 6.50 the power will fail and walking to the garage in the dark you will stand on the tines of a rake left leaning againt the coal

This Time He Answered

Along with over 500 other MPs I enter the ballot for Prime Minister's Questions every week knowing that only the first ten or so out of the hat will get called to ask a question. ...

How many?

Kerron Cross has discovered from this site that there are no people with the same name as him in the United States of America. It seems that out of 299,968,595 adults in the USA, 361 of them are named Peter Black. The site's list of famous people with my surname includes Jack Black, Karen Black and Sirius Black. Funny that, I thought Sirius Black was a fictional character in Harry Potter. Just for the record the site states that there is nobody called Rhodri Morgan in the USA, largely because it says that his christian name is unknown ...

Volunteer to be a Nuclear Dumping Ground

David Miliband the 'Wayne Rooney' of Tony Blair's cabinet want to sweep the issue of the waste created by nuclear power station under the carpet, or at least under the ground in a willing local authority. Obviously after decades of consideration weighing this up this has been considered the safest option open to the government. That is clearly why they will be offering hte willing local

Not five, not seven, just six.

Via Communicator, Wired magazine presents some very short stories. My favourite: Leia: “Baby’s yours.” Luke: “Bad news…”

Ryder Cup

There has been a lot of discussion in the media about the cost of the Welsh Assembly Government's delegation to the Ryder Cup in Ireland. Independent AM, Trish Law was the first to raise it in the Assembly however, with a question about the next tournament: Trish Law: Is it the Welsh Assembly Government’s intention to send a delegation to the thirty-seventh Ryder Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2008? OAQ1963(FM) The First Minister: I would expect us to do so, for the same reason that Governor Ernie Fletcher and his delegation from ...

Lib Dems most trusted on health

As Rob doesn’t do polls, I guess I better point out that today’s Guardian ICM poll makes the Lib Dems the most trusted party to run the NHS. The net party ratings are: +36 Lib Dem +31 Labour +30 Conservative (Trust “a lot” or “a little” minus “do not trust at all”)

New Chairman of the Yorkshire Ridings Society

Chris is the new Chairman of the Yorkshire Ridings Society. Members of the Society's Executive Committee, met last night in the Black Swan, York, to select a replacement for one of the Society's founder members, Roland (Colin) Holt of Fenwick, near Doncaster, who died in April. Chris said: "It is a real honour to follow Colin Holt as Chairman of the Ridings Society. It was a sad blow when we lost Colin In April but the Society carries on with the same enthusiasm that has kept it going for more than 30 years. "I feel proud that members have placed ...

Attention Google Mappers

If you use Google Maps on your own site and haven’t already changed over to use version 2 of the Google Maps API, now is the time to do it. The v1 API will switched off in early November. There is a guide to upgrading on the API site.

3rd Army send battalion to Bangkok

According to the Bangkok Post here the Third Army sent a battalion of troops to Bangkok last night following fears that Thaksin Shinawatra was about to return, There are also protests about the the election of Meechai Ruchupan as the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) President as he is seen as being loyal to Thaksin. Apparently a further four battalions were on their way as well. Rumours indicate that Thaksin Shinawatra may have left London for Singapore and the authorities are worried that he may attempt to sneak back into the country possibly via the Southern border with Malaysia. Given his ...

Doctor Who top three

Via Rullsenberg comes Rob’s Tuesday Doctor Who meme: So here it is: what are you three favourite Doctor Who stories and why? You can have stories from the old series, new series, audio plays, movies, books, comics, stage plays, even fan fic. You don’t have to arrange them in any order (nor put down any other [...]

Get me a new planet!

The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) has confirmed what lots of other reports have been saying - they we are overusing our natural environment. The WWF's biannual report suggests that humanity are using 25% more resources than are renewed naturally each year. The biggest offenders are, surprisingly, the United Arab Emirates and, less surprisingly the United States of the America.

Richmond leads the way

Its rare that a Lib Dem council proposal (or any other party - come to that) captures the headlines in the way that Richmond Upon Thames has done today.Richmond's 4x4 parking charge story was the lead story on bulletin's throughout the Today programme this morning (though the 7:40 slot it managed isn't as good as the coveted 8:10 slot)The local council's story nicely symbolises the national debate with both the Lib Dems and Conservatives claiming to be 'greener than thou' but with the Lib Dems proposing firmer policy measures to back it up.The Independent have been quickest to pick up ...

The enemy within

Last night I found myself haunting the bars of Parliament. We ended up in Bellamys, which has so little atmosphere you need a oxygen mask to avoid expiring into your beer. The evening began in the Sports and Social though, which unfortunanetly seemed to be hosting some sort of event for elderly cigar-puffing trade unionists – at a guess, bus drivers. Indeed, we were the only ones in the bar who were not elderly trade unionists. Having just ordered our drinks, the bar was brought to silence and a roll-call of members who had died in the past year (quite ...

There is no news today.

There is no news today on account of the fact that I do not do polls. Someone do something. Please. I mean, seriously. I’m on the brink of joining Fathers for Justice and performing a naked stunt on the Commons roof terrace, before the Parliamentary authorities fence it in. If nothing happens at PMQs today, I’m replacing Lib [...]

Questions, Climate Change, and Coincidences

So I never got to ask my questions yesterday, everyone was being on the long-winded side really.... Another day starting gloomily, although at least it has finally cooled off. Proper weather for ...

A Brave Act

It is the top news story on the BBC website. Lib Dem run Richmond council is going to introduce a higher charge for second 'gas guzzler' cars to park in Richmond. This is a Brave move. I believe that we need to change our behaviour to help stall climate change. The introduction of door step recycling has been the first step. Before it was introduced I argued with my mother about what she was

Who will rid me of this turbulent war

News reached me today (Tuesday 24th) that Margaret Beckett, that useless non-entity of a Foreign Secretary, has admitted that history may judge the Iraq invasion as a 'disaster' for British foreign policy. It is worrying to think that as a senior member of the government she has taken this long to see the problem she was a party to creating. My impression is that ordinary Labour members have fallen into 2 categories in terms of the war: opponents who whinge about it but have sat on their backsides ever since and done nothing to remove those who took us into ...

From Russia with love

Tuesday 24th OctoberThis is our 2nd visit to Russia, though it is our first to the southern part of the country. Our first visit was in 1999 when we went to St Petersburg, Moscow and Novgorod. As is now becoming something of a habit, the ship arrived in port - this in Sochi - before breakfast. Border controls here are much more thorough and without a visa, you cannot just step off the ship and wander around. To go ashore you either have to get a visa before coming here or be part of an organised group. And clearly ...

Fw: Georgia

Monday 23rd OctoberThe Discovery arrived at Batumi, the main port of Georgia, around 7am so we were able to go up on deck to watch the docking. This ship is a floating eating factory and since my waistline is beginning to feel the effect, I decided that this day must be the start of a food intake reduction programme. Well sort of. Fruit for breakfast.Georgia is the 43rd country I have visited (and

Latest Poll puts Labour at lowest since 1987

The latest ICM Poll in today's Guardian puts Labour at just 29%, the Conservatives are at 39% and the Liberal Democrats on 22%. This is the lowest rating for Labour since May 1987 (when they were also at 29%).

I-pod hacking is good news for consumers

The BBC reports that the I-Pod code has been hacked for the first time so that Apples own proprietry music format can be played on other brands of music players. To explain to thos who are confused, Apple's "I-Tunes" website downloads music to I-pods in a way that means the music can only be played on an I-Pod, and not on any other multimedia device. I am no I-pod fan (I prefer my Sony), with the biggest thing putting me off about I-Pod's being their inflexibility to allow music to played things other than an I-pod. I like ...

Comments

An online flower shop has been trying to post comments on my blog for some while. This is a subtle form of spamming and I don't use my site for promoting commercial operations that I know nothing about. For the record - I welcome comments but I would ask three things: 1. Please do not post anonymously. 2. Please do not use my web space to place negative personal...

UKIP and the London Mayoralty

According to the BBC a UKIP spokesperson, commenting on the news that radio presenter James Whale hopes to become the party’s candidate for Mayor, said: “if people want politicians who simply say the same things as other politicians, they can vote for Ken Livingstone or Steve Norris.” When I read the statement I had to double and [...]

Tranquillity Sucks

According to the CPRE Luton is the third least tranquil place in the country, just behind Slough and Greater London. Am I bovvered? No, not really. Tranquillity is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

John Reid's Statement Revealed

The House will wish to know what arrangements will be in place here in the UK to support the accession of Romania and Bulgaria on 1 January. = My token sop to the tabloids. Global movement is a fact of life. In the UK we have over 90 million visitors a year. This openness ensures we have a vibrant society and a strong economy. Over the years Europe has prospered by letting people move and trade freely. = but I will give the illusion of closing the door But as the EU expands this poses new challenges which have ...

No return fares in Norwich - Another scam from Fir...

First bus, the company famous in the Norwich area for their poor time keeping, rudeness and dirty buses have come up with a great new plan to further annoy local people. Bizarrely, they are scrapping return tickets ! The principle of a return ticket is to provide a discount which encourages people back on to buses and avoid them seeking other methods of transport home. The problem is in Norwich that there are no alternative methods other than a car or taxi, so the only thing this will encourage is more people using taxi's rather than thinking that they've ...

Google launch bespoke search engine

According to this article from the BBC Google have launched a bespoke search engine service which can be included on people's websites or blogs. The actual Google site for this can be found here. According to Google you can : Place a search box and search results on your website. Specify or prioritize the sites you want to include in searches. Customize the look and feel to match your website. Invite your community to contribute to the search engine. I will have a play with this later and see how it works. ...

Colour-blindness

Yesterday was the day of the budget and every Assembly Member was there. It seemed reasonable therefore that the opposition might use this opportunity to influence Government business for the next three weeks by voting down the Business Statement. In this instance the opposition business managers concentrated on trying to force the Government to bring forward the date that we will debate the local government settlement until before Christmas. When it came to the vote however the opposition's 30-29 advantage had turned into a 30-28 Government majority. In his blog last night Alun Cairns owns up to pressing the wrong ...

Metropolitan Police Authority Report on Election Fraud

I am not sure where this is available on the web and it has been commented on in the media, but here is part of the report. Within the MPS, election offences (often referred to as electoral fraud), are investigated by the Special Prosecutions Unit (SPU) of the Counter Terrorism Command (CTC - SO15), as such investigations were previously the remit of SO12 (Special Branch). In relation to the

Why is life so hard?

No one takes responsibility any more. No one ever responds to you. I know this is a bit of a winge and there is not much happiness around, but I promise you I didn't get out the wrong side of the bed this morning! I am just getting annoyed that all I ever seem to do is chase people up to get a response. Take my first point- no one takes responsibility. There is quite a bit of graffiti around

Another day, another poll

The other day I wondered whether the Cameron honeymoon was over. Only fair, then, to point out that Labour are at their lowest point since 1987 in the latest ICM poll...

4 managers in a month

Kevin Blackwell departed at the end of September and John Carver took over. On Monday John Carver too departed and David Geddis was appointed for last nights game against Southend. Yesterday Dennis Wise and his assistant Gus Poyet were confirmed as the new management team. They were at Elland Road last night to watch Leeds take on Southend in the Carling Cup. The two of them walked around the ground before kick off and were given a far better reception by the Leeds fans than I feared. WACCOE had a poll running on how people felt about the appointment of ...

Why journalists and politicians should get out mor...

John Harris - a likeable left-winger who recently managed, through painful contortions and with multiple nose-pegs, to square his conscience with re-joining the Labour Party - yesterday railed against the complacent assumptions of the liberal media. (That he did so in, of all places, thegrauniad has its own internal irony.) Still, it’s a well-written, well-argued and well-timed piece: Just

Junk Mail

One of my earlier posts referenced a Matthew Parris article in The Times (and yes I know I've promised a considered post on balanced parliaments - it will come eventually). Curiously I got a letter through the post the other week from a current member of the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive that enclosed a photocopy of the very same article and the suggestion that I "might be interested" in

Blog Break

Well this blog got off to a good start. Regular posts and at least one healthy extended rant. But life has got in the way over the last few weeks and no posts for a while. This will be rectified.

Finland, we salute you

Finland's hitting the headlines (and you don't hear that often said). The BBC have just caught up with our European colleagues' penchant for the prisca lingua -- and aren't quite sure what to make of the Finnish rendition of Elvis. They also provide a link to the Latin newsletter of the Finnish EU presidency (very kind, thank you) but seem to have come to the conclusion that the Finns are somehow crackpots. First of all, it must be said that their newsletter is hardly Ciceronian in its style -- it reflects instead the Vatican fashion for neologistic Latin. At ...

Wednesday 25th October 2006

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