I’ve spent the last two days promoting the new Lib Dem Green Tax Switch policy on Chesterfield’s markets and in Nottingham city centre. A few months ago, the central party offered us goodies like pre-printed leaflets and correx boards and stickers if we’d sign up to standing in the middle of town and talking to people. We [...]
The Shropshire Star reports: TV weathergirl Sian Lloyd today scoffed newspaper reports that her two-year engagement to Mid Wales MP Lembit Opik had ended. Rumours began to fly after the Welsh-born weather presenter appeared on TV last week without her engagement ring. But Sian today denied there was any possibility that the couple were splitting. “It’s absolute nonsense,” she said today.I'm sorry to include such a trivial story, but I have been itching for the chance to use this headline. I also note that the Star does not bother to put the little dots over Lembit's O. Later. I ...
BBC reports that the police and suggesting that Flag-burning could become crime: Police chiefs are urging the government to make flag-burning a new criminal offence, as part of a drive to crack down on Islamic extremists and others preaching violence and religious hate, the BBC has learned. The proposals also include action to ban demonstrators from covering their faces to avoid police scrutiny, and tougher powers to arrest demonstrators seeking to inflame tensions. It might be funny if the call didn't come a few days before half the country goes out and burns a token Catholic, or, as ...
The BBC report that Tony Blair “is thought to have picked up his first ever mobile phone.” While The Sun captions their version of the story with “PM needed mobile help” All of which makes me wonder what he’s holding here in news footage from 1994? The story is presented in a ‘Queen sends first email’ [...]
At least according to today's Guardian here. The Electoral Commission has indicated that the Liberal Democrats could be forced to pay back their biggest ever donation of £2.4m which came from Michael Brown's company, 5th Avenue Partners Ltd. The BBC also has the same story here. Meanwhile The Times runs with the same story with the slant that all 70,000 members of the Liberal Democrats will be personally responsible for repayment of the £2.4m. The piece states that "The Lib Dems have admitted that they have not made any provision for paying back the money. If forced to do so, ...
By recent standards Thursdays Area Committee was short and good tempered. As usual we whinged about things we have no power over, whinged about things we do have power over but I suspect not the will to take on vested interests and yes, actually did a little bit of good along the way as well. The Inner North West Area committee is very apolitical ( 8 Lib Dem, 3 Labour and 1 Independent) and when we argue it tends to be differing personality types rather than inter party. We approved £10k for the Radio Asian Fever initiative which aims to ...
There is more talk this year than in previous years both in the written press and on radio phone-ins on the merits of putting the clock back. Personally, I would rather it be left as it is. Even if left alone, it will be light enough when the most vulnerable children are walking to school in the morning (an argument often given for changing the clocks), whilst it being lighter later on in the day will save people more on their electricity bills. At my school afternoon clubs go on until 4pm and it will be dark as ...
Just got this addressed to my Gmail account Subject: you is there something you need? apparently you keep going through carol and my dad to get a point across. let me tell you something-I think we are a little to old to be running to someones daddy and telling on them when you have a [...]
Earlier today the West Midlands Liberal Democrat Regional Conference took place in Shrewsbury, a fuller report will be posted in a couple of days (after my birthday celebrations). At the Conference I was elected as Vice Chair of the Region.
Dennis Wise kicked off his time as manager at Leeds United today and in true new manager form he got three points. Moore and Blake got the goals and the vital three points move Leeds up to 21st! Ok not brilliant I admit but at present all straws will be gratefully clutched at and at least we are out of the relegation zone.
Lib Dem North West conference in Blackburn with a green theme - Fair Trade, public transport problems and ideas to influence changes, carbon emissions, energy efficient power, ecco-design and energy efficiency in the home and new builds (work coming out of the EU) - have left me with post-conference over-load to mull over .... Won a House of Commons bottle of whisky .......will raffle for party funds of course!!!! ........ Old friend, Frank, replied - we've been out of touch for twenty years (far too long) - the web is an amazing tool!
Something peculiar is happening in Tennessee. Prominent Republican Senator Bill Frist, the leader of the largest party in the U.S. Senate, is standing down at the forthcoming mid-term elections on 7th November, and the choice for voters in this southern state is between grey-haired, white, self-styled “real Tennesseean” Bob Corker, and baby-faced black Democrat, Harold [...]
The issue of the £2.4 million is being raised again by The Times, but yet again, the clowns who call themselves jounralists are putting 2 and 2 together and making 29 ! Keeping clear of the issue of should the money be repaid or not, which has been discussed previously, it is The Times obsession with claiming the Lib Dem party members are liable for the debt that devalues their article. They keep repeating the phrase "party members will be liable" or "each party member would share the debt". The problem for the journalists, and something they cannot ...
Any LibDem Bloggers planning to be at South-Central Regional Conference (to be held on the OU Campus in Milton Keynes) on Saturday November 3rd? I will be around... By the way we still have a few tickets (£25 each) available for the MK Annual Dinner on the Friday evening 2nd November, but caterer needs to know numbers by 30th October. Cheers Edis
Apparently an extra hour in bed aids thinking. Italian psycologists have studied the effects of sleep on cognitive behaviour and concluded that staying out of bed for too long can have a negativ...
again. Pairs of planes roaring over the village at chimney-pot height day and night. It's half term, so maybe Osama bin Laden's taken a holiday cottage for the week. I ask The Village Gossip if she'd seen him. 'No,' she said,'not this year. There's some rum lookin' buggers from Doncaster though. Newsagents. Have you got a red-hot poker I could borrow?'
The BBC reports that the Police are backing calls to raise tax on alcohol to curb binge drinking, particularly amongst children under the age of 18. It is a shame that the rest of us, the non binge drinkers are going to be punished in order to target a specific group. I personally like a bottle or two of red wine at the weekend. Am I to have to pay more in order to prevent binge drinkers ? I think Steve Webb, Lib Dem spokesman on this issue got in right when he says in the ...
It is amazing how one negative incident in ones life changes the whole outlook/ behaviour. And how it takes a long time to move towards a state where you are back in your confort zone. This could be a swimming accident as a child and as an adult you are not comfortable to go into deep water or get water on your face when you are swimming. My incident and it is very small compared with others is
Sometimes there are snippets of news which make you relieved, grateful or proud to be a Lib Dem. This week it was the turn of Richmond to give us something to shout about. The news that it was a Lib Dem council who became the first to propose to use it’s parking regime to encourage [...]
When I started this blog, I wrote that I wanted to be fair and open minded, so it is absolutely right to defend a local Tory MP when he is being criticised for no reason other than him being a politician. South Norfolk Tory MP is having to defend himself in the press after it was revealed that he has been loaned a Lotus Europa sports car by Lotus for an extended month long test drive. Snouts in the trough ? Well no, I really don't think so. Lotus are the biggest employer in Mr Bacon's constituency ... 
The South West London Scouts and Guides Gang Show has been entertaining audiences at the Secombe Theatre in Sutton all week. Yesterday's performance was full of energy and smiling faces and I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. Here are some of the 150 or so cast and crew, drawn from Kingtson, Sutton, Merton and Croydon, relaxing after the event. | < | October 2006 | > | ||||
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