LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Sunday 18th March 2007

RIP Bob Woolmer

What a shock today's news from the Cricket World Cup has been. I remember with pleasure watching Bob Woolmer playing for Kent during Folkestone Cricket Weeks in the late 70s and early 80s. A very gentle man who was always more than willing to give his autograph to young fans. He was a member of that great Kent side that included legends such as Alan Knott, Derek Underwood, Alan Ealham, Graham Johnson and Graham Dilley to name but a few. He will be greatly missed in the cricket world and my heart goes out to his family ...

Sunday best

The latest best-of-the-Lib-Dem-blogosphere's 'Golden Dozen' is now up and ready for your viewing pleasure here at Lib Dem Voice. Meanwhile, I'm touched to have been tagged by Iain Dale for the latest meme, the so-called 'Thogger Awards' (Thinking Bloggers). Unfortunately, this means I must now nominate the five bloggers who make me think most. Hang on, this needs some careful thought. Try me

Top of the Blogs: the Golden Dozen #4

The fourth of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator, together with a hand-picked quintet you might otherwise have missed. After last week’s post-Harrogate post mortem, this week’s list has a more eclectic feel. So, here we go, in descending order of popularity: 1. [...]

I'm knackered!

My plan today was to whiz down to the office, print a load of focus leaflets (along with the crime survey - if you haven't used it yet shame on you!) then deliver a couple of patches in our key defence ward of Dunston Hill and Whickham East. But then, on 9.30am Yvonne McNicol, our councillor for the ward, sent through some changes to the Focus. So I redid the Focus (actually Focuses - we rarely

Start 'em young, that's what I say!

Peace and Prosperity for Northern Ireland?

In little over a week we will know whether or not Northern Ireland will have been able to take the next step in the peace process with, let's hope, a stable and secure assembly. One of my great joys in visiting Belfast these days is the clear evidence of the peace dividend. The regeneration of the city, the vibrancy and feeling of security, even the soaring house prices are an indication of the very real change. Last week I was on Donegal Pass and able to snap this poster of Anna Lo (see Colin Ross's piece ...

In debt

The news that NHS debt has now reached £130 million in Wales raises a number of fundamental questions about what is to be done. It is not as simple as stepping in and paying off the debt as that would penalise those Trusts such as Bro Morgannwg who are debt-free. Such an action would also ignore the fundamental problem of current deficits. The fact that Trusts continue to add to the debt mountain year-on-year indicates either that they are badly managed or that they are underfunded. Wanless of course declared that the solution lies in re-structuring but unless ...

BritBlog Roundup

This week's selection can be found at From the Dustbin of History.

“He Which Is Filthy, Let Him Be Filthy Still”

“The principal function of Biblical exegesis”, wrote Dobson in jaunty mood one morning, “is for me to look with disdain upon the minnows who have trod these paths before me.” It’s hard to know whether the pamphleteer was being deliberately muddle-headed with his image of walking minnows, but as I said, he was in a jaunty [...]

Insights from Nick Griffin -cough-

Hat-tip to Ryan Cullen via Tony Ferguson for this Nick Griffin interview from the Lincolnshire Echo. For the unaware Nick Griffin is the leader of the BNP. I’ve reproduced some interesting “highlights” here from Nick Griffin’s thoughts on homosexuality and Islam. “The homosexual community, well, they can either vote for us or not, but in the end, [...]

Soap Star Super Chef - Thank goodness for ITV

I was thinking the other day that there just are not enough programmes that feature actors from ITV soaps doing things that they don't normally do like skating, singing or cooking. So thank goodness for ITV's "Soap Star Super Chef". Thanks goodness for ITV, raising the bar and setting ever higher standards in TV. Who needs the BBC anyway !

A 70 year old photo opportunity

I would be a rare politician if I didn't have an eye for a good photo opportunity. And what better photo op for a local politician could there be than Hampstead Photographic Society's 70th anniversary exhibition, which I opened at Swiss Cottage Library on Friday night? My day job is with a company that pioneered digital effects back in the early 198os but what I found really refreshing about the Hampstead Photographic Society exhibition was the lack of manipulated photos. There are so many software packages around now that allow you to create "art" from images. Call me old ...

St Patrick's Day Parade Photos Birmingham 2007

The link is to a flickr set of photos. The BBC have some photos These are the organisers photo site but no photos as yet. This (if it lasts as a URL) gives about 50 photos from the Post and Mail

We can cut crime

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I travelled to the Lib Dems’ spring conference in Harrogate. One of the big themes there was the party’s approach to cutting crime. Whilst there I met Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Nick Clegg MP to discuss with him the findings of a survey of residents about crime that we’ve distributed to local people across St Mary’s. And now we have the

There's a reason we have elections in the spring...

The only logical reason that we have elections in the Spring is to enable party activists to avoid being blasted across the face and body by showers of freezing hail stones, surely? We get cherry blossom and the tweeting of freshly hatched birds instead, no? Well, no. Which is why today's apocalyptic weather was even more annoying than it would otherwise have been. I thought, when I got into

What's next for Students 1st?

Now I have had a few days to collect my thoughts on how Students 1st performed in the elections I thought it was time to comment on how we did, and how we can move Students 1st and more importantly the University of Manchester Students' Union (UMSU) forward. The first thing is to point out just how well we did compared to both Book and Beer (basically, Labour Students and the Jewish Society) and the Lib Dems did last year. I was not nearly as involved this time last year as I was this year; last year I did ...

Blair in secret deal over bribery investigation

From today’s Sunday Times: TONY BLAIR struck a secret deal with the king of Saudi Arabia, assuring him that there would be no criminal charges against anyone implicated in bribery in Britain’s biggest arms deal. In July 2005 Blair assured the then crown prince, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who is now king, that Britain would abandon [...]

The real nasty party

Hat tip to Ryan Cullen for pointing out an interview by Nick Griffin in the Lincolnshire Echo. Some selective points from this interview will suffice to illustrate why this man and his party should be opposed at all costs. VK is the journalist and NG is Nick Griffin Transport VK: Our problem in Lincoln is mostly car traffic, because we don't have big lorries travelling through the city. So, have you got any ideas for reducing rush hour congestion? NG: On policies like that, once you get into the minute detail, there has to be ...

The Doctor versus Catherine Tate - a reprise

Absolutely brilliant!

Sally Clark - It's still happening

The most important point to note from the press coverage relating to the miscarriage of justice relating to Sally Clark (and Angela Cannings, Ian and Angela Gay and the prosecutions of Trupti Patel and Marianne Williams) is that this is still going on. Firstly, parents are being prosecuted because doctors don't know what happened. Or indeed because doctors do know, but want to point the finger

Happy Mother's Day

I have suffered a grade 1 assault on my emotions in the run-up to Mother's Day. First came the Brownies Posh Pink Party on Wednesday. Mums were invited along and served with juice, cake, songs and poems from our talented daughters. On Friday, Anna's school held a Mother's Day assembly where the staff were handing out tissues at the door. Before the children had even come into the hall, we were treated to Westlife songs coupled with heart with loving messages on each chair and a display with sweet quotes about motherhood. The tears really did start to ...

Independent on Sunday: "Dope is Bad After All"

The Independent on Sunday has, in a publicity stunt, apologised for the publicity stunt ten years ago in which it called for cannabis to be legalised. Since everyone had forgotten about the IoS's original campaign, which in any case had no impact, the apology serves no purpose whatsoever. It's a bit like Slough apologising for its role in the slave trade. They've changed their mind because there's now evidence that smoking cannabis is bad for you. Well, duh -but specifically, because cannabis resin on the market now is much stronger than what it used to be. Presumably the ...

ridding us of rubbish

A job I have been putting off for a while this morning - sorting out mountains of stuff to see what I need and and what I don't. And then a bit of a cleaning session. Now that the council's recycling service collects plastic and cardboard as well as the paper, cans and glass, there's a lot more that can go out for collection. Sorting this out made me realise just how much of my rubbish is cardboard and plastic (cornflake boxes, cat food boxes and so on). But sorting it out also brings home ...

What does half a million buy?

So, Brian Souter has decided to give half a million to the SNP. His last major financial contribution in the political arena came with his homophobic Keep the Clause campaign seven years ago. Certainly it's up to him who he gives his money to. What worries me is that the SNP does not have any clear philosophy which respects the rights of the individual and they are accepting money from someone who does not support the rights of same sex partners to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. What might this mean for future legislation? ...

Education without Borders

Lynne Featherstone has an interesting idea. Share This

Nick Cohen on housing and generational equity

Critic of Nick Cohen that I tend to be, his contribution this week outlining the problems with the UK housing market is well worth a read. Share This

Cameron uses private jet for 90 mile journey

The BBC reports that David Cameron has used a private jet for a 90 mile journey from Oxfordshire to Hereford. This comes just a few days after Dave told everyone that they should be more responsible about how they travel and that people will be taxed more for taking flights. Astonishingly though, in this case, Dave was only travelling 90 miles. Let's all do the COuntdown conundrum to re-arrange the letters to describe Mr Cameron. E H T Y P I R C O

Veteran's Badges Available

Do you know someone who served in the UK Armed Forces before 31st December 1969? They may be entitled to the new Veteran's Badge.

"Crackdown on Crime!"

Local residents in Norwich have highlighted continuing crime and anti-social behaviour in the city as one of their greatest concerns.

Smashed Bus Stop Reported

Thanks to a local resident that got in touch with me this morning to report this: I’ve now reported it to Network West Midlands. What a mess. This is clearly deliberate damage as it has been smashed in at least 3 places.Incidents like this (presumably on Saturday night) go further to support the decision to throw out [...]

Spring Clean Balgay Hill

There will be a spring clean on Balgay Hill this afternoon (1pm to 3pm) involving Friends of Balgay, Countryside Rangers and others. You can read more about Balgay Hill by clicking on the headline above.

Nicol Stephen MSP

It is rare that I make any political comment on the blog but thought I should include this quote from our Scottish Party Leader's weekly e-mail to party members in the run-up to 3rd May. The photo is me with Nicol in the West End : "And increasingly across Scotland, this message is getting through. I was pleased to hear this week from Fraser Macpherson in Dundee, who says that the Liberal Democrats are mounting our strongest ever campaign in the city and have the other parties seriously rattled. Advances like these are being made all over the country."

Some sense in the "Swindle"

I had the repeat of that "Great Global Warming Swindle" on in the background last night. I didn't really watch it last week when it was on, and I only caught bits of it again last night (I know - I should turn the thing off if I'm not really watching it!). But there was one bit in particular, towards the end, with which I agreed, and whicih has been a bee in my bonnet for a long time. It was not about the science. It was about social and development policy towards the developing/undeveloped ...

Photos

I've now added some photos to my blogs about Jamaica.

Half baked and delayed: CSA reforms could be a disaster for Welsh famillies

Trust in Wales Ymddiried yng Nghymru The Government’s proposed new child support system is half baked, delayed by a further 6 years and could leave vulnerable Welsh families in even more of a mess than they are in under the current system. “The CSA is already running two different systems, which aren′t working. And the proposal is to make the system even more complex, with the introduction of a third system to run alongside the other two. “The current system has left Welsh families the worst off out of all regions and these changes are not going ...

Marine bill must deliver for Wales - Williams

Commenting on the Government’s plans to publish a Marine Bill White Paper tomorrow (Thursday) Morning, Ceredigion’s Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams MP said: “We have been waiting for legislation on this issue since the Government promised it in 2002, and I hope the Government will act swiftly to get this Bill on the statute books. Wales has 6% of the UK’s population, but 10% of its coastline, so this Bill could have a massive impact in Wales. “Current laws are utterly inadequate for protecting and enhancing our coastal zones and territorial waters in Wales, as the Cardigan ...

Government should 'get over it’ and accept ASW pensions ruling - Willott

Today, the Government announced that it will appeal the High Court ruling that Ministers were wrong to reject the Ombudsman’s findings of pensions maladministration. Commenting, Jenny Willott, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central and Member of the Public Administration Select Committee that recommended in 2006 that the Government should accept the Ombudsman′s findings, said: “The 1,000 ASW workers and over 100,000 others who have been waiting years for fair compensation will be rightly furious to see the Government yet again contesting the maladministration findings. “This means yet more delays for ASW workers until they get ...

Being of Independent mind...

...I have the courage of my convictions (no, not that sort of conviction!) and the balls of Rosie Boycott and resile from her former paper's reactionary u-turn on cannabis. I also enjoy a good malt. And I know that, at up to twenty times the strength of the small beer on sale at my local hostelry, I can't drink it by the gallon as I can pale ale if I want to last very long. It's not that I don't care how many youngsters have their brains mashed by the stuff, if that is indeed ...

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mums around the world. Especially to my own, who I suspect is the only one likely to read this blog... The day is one of unique events for us both. Not only does it mean a free feed and a present for Mum, but it also means a Sunday without leaflets for me! Although the weather may have seen to that anyway, as it did last night when the rain forced an abandonment of our

Am I a magnet for smoke?

Last night before I left London to come home to Gateshead I met up for a meal with Richard. Why do people feel the urge to light up their cigarettes in the middle of a busy restaurant? And why is it that I always seem to be at the next table to them? Notice how they hold their arms out so that their cigarettes are not wafting smoke across themselves. So why is is that they have to hold their

Politics...........who's boverred?

Well, I am just back from St Patrick's Day celebrations in Bedford. As ever it was a brilliant night, spent with pals from our local rag. The band "Life of Riley" are awesome. What is it about Irish music which liberates the soul? OK, so maybe it has a bit to do with my heritage, Irish, Scottish, a dollop of English, a little Spanish seasoning and a smidgen of German. I know, a bit of a mongrel.................but there is always something which draws me to my Gaelic heritage. So tonight was great. Dancing, singing, walking home barefoot. I ...

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Sunday 18th March 2007

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