Robin Harris: (a) Worked for the Conservative party, and (b) Was David Cameron’s boss So you might expect him to have nice things to say about how his former employee has come so far etc. But no. His verdict on Cameron? He is an “out and out opportunist” and “I don’t believe David Cameron believes anything” (except presumably the vote [...]
Here is the Common Ground page on seasonal fruit and vegetables, seasonal dishes, observations of customs and the natural world for this month.
There are only five Scout and Guide Marching Bands in the whole of London - and two of them are in my ward! In fact, good youth marching bands are pretty rare these days so they are in high demand, which in turn helps to drive up their standards. The 1st Hook band has held the National Scout and Guide Marching Band Champions title for 4 years running. It also won three gold medals in...
Last month was a record one for visitors to this blog, at last beating the extraordinary spike that accompanied the decline and fall of Charles Kennedy in January 2006. Two stories in particular helped to boost visitor totals. The first was Lord Goldsmith and his injunction. The second was the death of poor Bob Woolmer. A sad reflection on human nature is that in the past few days most of the people who have arrived here because of the latter story have been searching for Bob Woolmer jokes. Well, you are wasting your time. You won't find ...
I met with Colin Ross tonight who helped me to understand how these Prater Raines Partners websites work. 
My wife asked me to help out by writing a couple of product descriptions for eBay - she’s a bit obsessed and sells at least a dozen things a week - my DVD collection is rapidly reducing. However, for a change this wasn’t a DVD that she was selling it was a book - a book [...]
Spent the last few days campaigning right across the West End, with super feedback (and rather super weather too!)Had the following feedback from the Acting Chief Engineer about my request to resurface Fyffe Street and Benvie Road (road surfaces really poor) :"I have asked one of the officers to inpect Fyffe Street and Benvie Road. The 07/08 programme is just about completed."With regard to graffiti problems in the Fyffe Street and Benvie Road area, good feedback from Waste Management whose officers have spoken with local businesses. They have agreed to remove graffiti on their premises - the department will equally ...
Two quick questions for a Monday night: Which of the 238 district councils in England sets the highest Council Tax?Who’s the local MP?Answers as follows: Sedgefield - £354.37.Tony Blair (of course).For the record, Oxford had - under Labour control - the 10th highest Council Tax of any of the 238 English district councils. I’m proud to say that, after just one year of me being in charge of the
Robin Harris hates his former employee. Back in March 2006 Mr Harris, of Conservative Research Dept wrote in Prospect Magazine that Cameron was spoiling the party. Today in the FT he suggests Cameron is an out and out opportunist as re-printed here: David Cameron's former boss last night accused the Tory leader of being an "out and out opportunist". Robin Harris, director of the Conservative Research Department when Mr Cameron started work there in 1988, classed his former employee as one of a group who worked for their party "as a way of advancing their careers. They weren't ...
Matt Davies appears to have succeeded with his long-running campaign to keep The Kinks memorabilia at the Clissold Arms in his Haringey ward. 
After concern from a number of local residents, I have been speaking to the Council about the future of the junction of St Ann’s Road and Bury New Road. This is a very odd junction, with a pedestrian crossing and a set of traffic lights for cars very close to one another. Often the two sets of lights aren’t synchronised, meaning that cars often unintentionally run through red lights thinking that
I know that Bury Labour sometimes come in for criticism on my blog, but I like to think that I only offer criticism where I think it is merited and where the Lib Dems have alternative policies that I think are better. I also like to think that when Labour do good things, I’ll let people know about them as well. So I’d like to congratulate Ivan Lewis MP on making sure once again that many local
I was back in work today, delighted by the thought of two four-day weeks in succession courtesy of the Easter bank holidays. Like many people, this weekend will be my first time off since Christmas, and the added activities of the campaign will make time off from work all the more appreciated. It will of course not be a holiday entirely, since the campaign doesn’t wait around for bank holiday
Whilst the BBC and Mr Eavis claim that you can’t get tickets for Glastonbury, a quick search on eBay and I found these.
Colin Ross has the story about Mike Dolman in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
With nominations going in this week for local council elections it is always interesting to note those councillors and candidates who claim to be independent, but who really are party affiliated. For example, in Holt (North Norfolk) in the 1999 elections one of the councillors stood as an independent, but then immediately alied himself to the Tory group days after the election. He did the same in 2003 also. So people could justifiably ask under what basis Cllr Mike Baker is independent ? When he was serving a 12 months suspension from the council, the Conservatives stated at full ...
After reading THIS story about growing heart valves, and the chance that in future whole hearts could be grown, I wonder if it would be possible for someone to grow one for Gordon Brown because after reading THIS story in The Times, it appears that he showed a heartless disregard for pensioners back in 1997.
Good news - have received the following e-mail from the organisers of the Kinks petition: Great news - the new tenant of the Clissold Arms has today made the following statement; We are thrilled to have secured the site of The Clissold Arms for our next venture. It will reopen as a gastropub this summer, following a major refurbishment. In respect to the Kinks Memorabilia & subsequent historical connection to the Clissold Arms, I would like to confirm the following: We have no intention of removing it from the building; at no point did I use ...
Monday 2nd April 2007 - A constituency week this week for MEP's so I head of to the office first thing to judge the entries we have received from schools across the region for my competition to design a logo to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. I am amazed at the quality of the entries submitted and delighted to see so many pupils have taken such a keen
On Sunday 22nd April, Cllr Mark Morris (Leader: Lewisham Liberal Democrat councillors) is running in the London Marathon. He's seeking to raise money for the Lavender Trust (Breast Cancer Care), which is the Mayor's chosen charity, and want people to sponsor him. To make it as easy as possible for people, he has set up a website. The link is: http://www.justgiving.com/markcmorris Please give generously to our local Marathon Man.
Saturday 31st March 2007 - I was delighted to be able to join colleagues in Manchester at a fundraising dinner at La Qilal in Rusholme where Charles Kennedy MP was the guest speaker. It was good to see Charles who was in good form and remains a very popular MP with so many of our members and I am sure they will all want to see him back on the frontbenches of our Westminster team as soon as he is
Just back from a fantastic event at Speke Hall. It was to mark a project carried out by young people from Interchill - a youth project based in Garston. They have been working with people at Speke Hall to create a podcast so that you can listen to young peoples scripts as you look at the different rooms in the Hall. It's taken about four months to get to this point - and everyone seems to have gained such a lot from it. For some of the young people it was an introduction to the history ...
It is clear that the local election campaigns are building. There are rumours of Labour encouraging independent candidates to split the anti-Labour vote. It is sad that the new legislation against vote fraud has not yet been fully implemented. The approach of signing for ballot papers gives a facility to pick up personation after the end of the election that has not previously been possible.
Living on a High Street has its benefits. Easy access to shops, fresh fruit, veg, bread, meat, etc. Easy access to public transport. Easy access to a number of good pubs, bars and restaurants. But there are downsides too. Parking is problematic. Safety could be a concern, but up until last night I hadn’t experienced any [...]
Worth watching for a laugh. Billed as a “day in the life” of the First Minster, it’s clearly the day that Jack McConnell was stalked by Annabel Goldie as the voice of God:
I always try to catch Eurovision every year. The music is abysmal, but it always seems to provide a full evening’s entertainment. Much of this is down to Wogan of course. But this year, perhaps the music will offer some highlights too… http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6516927.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6453057.stm
A great big hurrah for EMI who are removing digital rights management from their songs sold online. This has been a major barrier in the industry so far and it was only a matter of time before it fell. Let’s hope it spreads to other record companies and becomes the norm, so the price can drop [...]
I read with interest todays Daily Post article AM protests over ground ad ‘cover-up’ in which Ann Jones AM complains that she is being censored by S4C. The broadcaster requested that her political sign be covered up at Rhyl Football Ground this weekend during a televised match which went ahead with Ann's sign blanked out due to their policy of not getting involved in political advertising. Its quite normal for this to happen, especially in the run up to an election as institutions such as S4C and the BBC receive funds from public sources and operate under struct guidelines. I am particularly dismayed that Ann has continued the push the point with the media and ...
On Sunday morning the Force was with local party colleague Albert Kemp and me in Abbey Road: tradesmen's bells worked, friendly residents let us in, we got almost all our Focuses delivered in record time and the weather was almost perfect. Delighted to learn that illustrious colleagues from other parts of London had come to help the previous day, including Jonathan Fryer and Monica Whyte. Thank you! Please come again. Beforehand, I took a walk with the dog in Regent's Park. Politics extend there too - the Royal Parks have applied for planning permission to ...
Back in 2004 I wrote an article for Open Mind magazine on the idea that experience of the natural world is good for our mental well-being. Today the BBC website takes it one further. it's not just "the sunlight and the pure wind" that are good for us: it is dirt too: Lead researcher Dr Chris Lowry said: "These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health. "They also leave us wondering if we shouldn't all spend more time playing in the dirt." ...
Newcastle-under-Lyme Councillor, Mick Dolman, has resigned the Labour whip to join the Liberal Democrats. Mick, a former trades union organizer, sits for Chesterton Ward on the Borough Council.
Two separate events but with connecting thoughts On ‘the Doorstep’ last week one resident (noticing my deafness) said it was a pity her son wasn’t in, but he was on a course for Anti-Terrorism Unit personnel on how to help deaf people caught up in a terrorism incident. Next morning my son told me there has been an uproar eight doors down from my house. Shouts of “Armed Police!” and “Section 42!” and the noise of a door being battered down. Of course I slept happily through all of this. Section 42 is ...
It is time for action. Time for the DTI to close loopholes in our export controls that allow companies to trade in equipment that can be used for torture to be closed. Items involved include wall handcuffs, spiked batons known as ‘sting sticks’ and interrogation equipment such as specially designed foot heaters, which can heat to 200 degrees Celsius. The current list of banned (or controlled) items does not cover these items and using such a 'list' system will not prevent these and other new or dual use items from being used to facilitate acts of torture. Good work ...
As Sir Alex Ferguson has been known to say it has reached that time of the season that is "Squeaky Bum Time". Life is certainly hotting up at the wrong end of the Championship. A few days ago I would have said Leeds were down. I am pretty sure not many would have predicted the result on Friday when Leeds beat Preston 2-1. They must be beginning to think we are a bogey team after we dumped them out of the playoffs last season. And what a weekend for the other results. Luton drew, Southend Lost, QPR Lost, Barnsley ...
I have started to see more and more of the new twenty pound notes, the first thing that strikes me is they look quite like Euro notes.
The Eastern Daily Press reported yesterday on their website that Dr Ian Gibson, Labour MP for Norwich North, is urging Charles Clarke, Labour MP for Norwich South to stand for the Labour Leadership. This would be funny were it not for the fact that it is well known, and I have heard this from Labour Councillors, Lib Dems, journalists and two Norfolk MP's that Ian Gibson and Charles Clarke cannot and do not get on at all. Indeed, mutual loathing might be a more appropriate description of their relationship, so I am led to believe. Any news of ...
Congratulations to Rebecca Hunt, selected to be PPC for Maidstone and The Weald, and to Sarah Carr who has been selected to take the baton from Paul Keetch in Hereford. Thanks to Mark Valladares and Colin Ross for the head’s up.
I see on Lib Dem Voice that my blog posting of the pictures I took at Chris Rennard's place was the 2nd top most followed link from Lib Dem Aggregator last week. Well, well, well. So you people are all interested in glamour and glitz! Mmmm....so whose house could I photograph for my next "Hello" style (Stephen Tall's word) blog posting? Invites to parties should be sent to me via Cowley Street!I
Like spotting the first cuckoo of spring, this morning's Western Mail carries the earliest known coalition government story of the Assembly elections. Quoting their source as anonymous second hand gossip at a party, the paper alleges that talks are already underway between the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Labour. This is complete nonsense of course. There is absolutely nothing to be gained for the Welsh Liberal Democrats in pre-empting the verdict of voters on 3rd May. For a start we expect to be in a stronger negotiating position by virtue of having many more seats. There are some who are ...
Canvassing is a numbers game. Whilst standing at unanswered doors yesterday evening, I was multiplying fractions. About one in ten people are in, or answer the door when knocked. Only half of the people of that inner city ward register to vote. Only one in five actually votes in local elections. Of those that vote in that area, half [...]
Out campaigning in Haverstock Ward Camden today with PPC Jo Shaw. Very familiar territory for me - I lived in the area from 1978 - 1984 and carried on working in Camden Town until 1987. And have been back a great deal since. When I lived in Downside Crescent I think I was one of "the only two Lib Dems in the village". Now the area is swarming with us... Let down by Labour, no alternative with | < | April 2007 | > | ||||
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