LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Saturday 19th May 2007

"Abominable. Loyal, Blind, Apparently Subservient"

Those were the comments of Ex-President Carter this evening, whilst describing Blairs relationship with Bush, on BBC radio. The article below has just been released by Reuters and makes interesting reading. I doubt any of it will appear in the "Blair Memoirs" Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter blasted George W. Bush's presidency as "the worst in history" in international relations and condemned Prime Minister Tony Blair for his loyal relationship with Bush in interviews released on Saturday. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has ...

Paddy’s Battle for the Holy Land

Paddy Ashdown had his first airing as a major television documentary presenter this evening, with a two-hour film on Channel 4, on the thorny subject of Jerusalem. He was an inspired choice, given his personal experience of two other divided cities: Belfast and Sarajevo, both of which have subsequently enjoyed a degree of peace, if not total reconciliation, [...]

Bringing You All The Results That Matter

And so, two weeks after all that fuss about the devolved assemblies, the truly important results are announced; those of the LDYS elections (at least provisionally; my apologies to the Returning Officer for some mild impetuosity...)Chair: Mark Gettleson (London) Vice-Chair Campaigns: Adi Smith (Aberystwyth) Vice-Chair Membership Development: Rocky Lorusso (Hull) and Nigel Smith (Bristol)

What have MPs got to hide?

Councillors, like MPs, deal with confidential casework on sensitive issues. People ask us to help them with problems of debt and housing, and often we learn about challenging histories which include medical, personal and financial details. When the Freedom of Information Act came in we were all worried that some of this might be divulged to the general public through a Freedom of...

That will be us relegated then

With Clermont Auvergne beating Bath in the European Challenge Cup final this afternoon, it will mean that Harlequins will be contesting the Heineken Cup next year. Which is nice. Except for the fact that the last three teams relegated from the Premiership (Quins, Leeds and Northampton) all played in the Heineken the year that they went down. Oh dear not a good omen. Personally although the extra

London transport sucks

From Thames Barrier It took me two and a half hours to travel the twelve miles from my front door to the Thames Barrier today. I could have got the train to Bath in the same time, and I wouldn’t have had to put up with antisocial behaviour the entire way. Bah. It really does [...]

Wheelie Bin, refuse, council committees and Monopoly updates!

Firstly, with reference to my blog earlier today about the City Council, if you click the headline above, you can read a resume of the Council Chief Executive's suggestions for a streamlined committee structure. This will obviously be the subject of discussion and decision at the City Council's Statutory Meeting on Thursday, but it seems a sensible way forward. Over the past couple of days I have had further complaints about wheelie bins sitting on pavements in parts of the West End and have taken this up with the Waste Management Department. The same department ...

Little Sid MySpace

Listen here before you buy here

I'm not going to be censored by Labour

I had a rather amusing set of incidents yesterday regarding the video I shot of the declaration of the result of the election earlier this month for the Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward in Gateshead. The video went up onto YouTube and I also included a link to it in an email bulletin to over 1500 constituents as well. Yesterday lunchtime I was in Gateshead Civic Centre to meet managers of Go

Steve Bennett - what a pillock

Earlier this year I wrote about the awful Lee Probert, a referee who I believe to be as incompetent as them come. However, Steve Bennett really does take some beating when it comes to bizarre decision making. In what has been a poor FA cup final the only highlight has been a series of petty free kicks, tellings off influenced by the protestations of opposition players and snug superior grin from Mr Bennett, a ref who knows the rules in a technical way but displays all the traits of someone who hat never played football in his life. Useless ...

Stratford-on-Avon results

Another Council where the Conservatives consolidated their control, the Conservatives gained an additional five seats, four from the Liberal Democrats and one from the Independents. Again we lost some good Councillors here.

Government Business is key to Post Office Survival

Business from the government is the key to the survival of post offices Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer has said. Speaking in response to a statement in which the government announced the closure of 2500 post offices Ms Kramer, who is Lib Dem Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, challenged the government to give assurance that no more government business would be withdrawn from the Post Office. Ms Kramer called on the government to explain their contingency plans in the event that the Post Office failed to win the tender for the Post Office card account. She also criticised the ...

Our Scottish leader must go !

No, not Ming Campbell, no not Nichol Stephen, but 'Calamity Colin' Calderwood manager of Nottingham Forest FC. His substitutions turned the game around last night - and not for the first time this season ! As is become frequently the case his defensive mindset has seen the club with the biggest support, biggest squad and biggest wage bill in the division flunk yet another 'big' game. 2-5 at home to a Yeovil side who created enough chances to win three or four matches is a disaster. Credit to the Glovers though. Their attractive pass and move football, their attitude ...

Good news for John Hemming

Sean Fear has written an analysis of how the Birmingham seats may be shared out at the next general election. He writes: Neither Sutton Coldfield or Yardley are going to change hands at the next election. The Conservatives won 60% in Sutton Coldfield this year, and the Liberal Democrats won 57% in Yardley. Sutton Coldfield has always been rock solid, and Yardley certainly looks as though it now is. It is hard to imagine that the Conservatives held that seat up until 1992. This year, they won less than 10% in its ward.The thought that we have a Lib Dem ...

Renault Laguna, Whitehouse and service

Grace and I were given her parents old car as a wedding gift - a rather nice Renault Laguna II Privilege Tourer. Those of you who read my Christmas Day posting will recall that on Christmas Eve one of our tyre valves broke in half and let all of the air out. Incredibly the same happened again last week. Now these valves, as I said back then, are not cheap and you have to have it done at Renault

Fact Hunt

Amongst the last twenty people visiting this site, one was looking for “chocolate teapot music”, one was looking for “afghan pickles” and one was looking for “Westcountry hardcore porn”.

Day 2329: Freedom From Freedom Redux!

Friday: Day TWO in the job and Mr Frown is RAPIDLY developing a reputation as the GREAT PRETENDER! PRETENDING to be in favour of something in public while PULLING SECRET STRINGS behind our backs to make sure that they are blocked, undermined and STOMPED ON! Challenged by Sir Mr the Merciless to put a stop to the SINISTER Conservatory moves to UNDERMINE Freedom, Mr Frown has REFUSED, saying… no, I'm wrong, HAVING A SPOKESPERSON SAY FOR HIM(!): "If MPs have voted this measure through then that is a matter for them." Are you not an ...

Overheard at the supermarket - Funny but true

When queueing to pay for some milk at my local supermarket yesterday I noticed that the girl on the till was very chatty, making time to speak to everyone and generally seemed to be following what is no doubt company advice to engage with the customer. As she started scanning through the items of the people in front of me, quiches, alcohol, fruit juice, mini sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, vol-au-vents, crisps, it dawned on her that the items were all party food, "Ooh, you lucky people", said the girl on the till "A party !" Silence from ...

Why I'm forced to support Manchester United today in the FA Cup

Whilst everyone else seems to be raving about the showpiece FA Cup final featuring the two top teams in England (Manchester United and Chelsea), nobody seems to realise that for some neutrals this is not exactly the final we wanted. Knowing that the two most hated teams in England are playing each other does not set the pulse racing, What I want in an FA Cup final is a plucky underdog or two teams who are not at the top of the league but for whom an FA cup final is the most special moment of their careers. ...

Techies' paradise

My favourite line of the week comes from the blog of Welsh exile, Annie Rhiannon. Describing a conversation with her mother about the latter's technical problems with her computer, Annie records: I was able to feel smug and patronising again later on when a warning on my mum's screen told her she may need to re-install some damaged software. "What was the last thing you installed, anyway?" I asked. "Mozzarella," she replied, with absolute certainty. As one of her commenters said, the mouse would have enjoyed it.

A bridge too far

Wales' 'National' paper has pages and pages on the proposed rainbow coalition this morning. So much so that Professor Peter Stead on Good Morning Wales described it as 'possibly the most interesting edition of the Western Mail ever.' Alas, Britain's foremost newspaper of the left, the Guardian, cannot bring itself to print a single word on the subject, not that I can find anyway. Presumably, somebody has taken their atlas home for the weekend.

An Act of folly

A number of bloggers, failed Tory candidates (sorry Iain, couldn't resist it), and media outlets have commented on the fact that Lembit Őpik spent Thursday night recording an edition of 'Have I Got News For You' instead of attending the crucial joint meeting of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Group and the National Executive on Thursday. In fact, Lembit stayed in London to carry out important Parliamentary duties on the Friday morning. He took part in a vote to try and preserve the right of the public to scrutinise how their elected representatives spend their money. The vote ...

Shameful vote

An MP yesterday said that the day's Parliamentary vote made him ashamed to be an MP! And I can see what he means. Yesterday the majority of MPs who were there voted to exclude MPs from part of the Freedom of Information Act. It was a case of do what I say not do what I do. In other words it's OK for citizens to get information about public bodies.. but not about MPs. I used to think that the introduction of Freedom of Information was one of the things that would go in the ...

Rainbow coalitions …

Janet & I were at Edinburgh Airport last night to give our older son a lift home following his trip round Italy and Germany. The photo (right) taken at the airport shows a rather spectacular rainbow (and a second, more hazy, one). Sort of spooky, given all the talk locally about rainbow coalitions over the past week. I have deliberately kept out of all the waffle in the press this week about coalitions, who “won” the election and some of the, frankly, intemperate comment. The position as my colleague Helen and I see it is straight forward. We ...

Stoke-on-Trent results

Stoke saw Labour lose an additional four seats taken them down to 24 seats - its is not so long along since Labour held all 60 seats in Stoke! The Liberal Democrats gained two seats, both in Central constituency, the Independents won a seat and the BNP gained two seats.

Day 2328: Good Golly Gosh it's Gordon!

Thursday: You have to hand it to Mr Frown… and that is exactly what the Labour have done! Still he put on a JOLLY GOOD SHOW of being keen on there being an election, debating against his opponents, putting out his policy announcements day by day: eco-towns, special tuition for mathematics. And all the while his little band of STALINIST ENFORCERS were twisting the arms of all the MPs to make sure the opposition got shut out. Or as Daddy Alex put it: who would have thought that there were 308 MPs who STILL want to ...

Be you ever so mighty, the Law is above you.

Basic part of our constitution, really. Our Sovereign Parliament is not mighty enough to escape the rule of its own laws. If we are to get a new constitutional settlement as hinted by Brown we need to remember these simple principles. Friday really showed why we need a Liberal Party in this country. I am proud it is my party.

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Saturday 19th May 2007

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