LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Thursday 24th May 2007

Council Executive Emphatically Endorses Sustainability Task Force Energy Report

I’m delighted to be able to tell you that last night Camden Council’s Executive wholeheartedly endorsed the vision of the Sustainability Task Force’s Energy Report and accepted virtually every single recommendation. (See www.camden.gov.uk/susforce for the report itself.) We now have a green light to look at turning our housing estates into energy hubs supplying electricity, heat and cooling to the surrounding neighbourhoods. And they backed our recommendation to investigate setting up an Energy Services Company (ESCo), in partnership with a private utility, to invest in the necessary infrastructure and supply energy services. They gave us the go-ahead to do ...

Two votes for Two Jobs?

One of the odder debates in Wednesday's "tedious" Council Meeting was an attempt by Labour to secure bonus Community Council votes for their Councillors in Livesey ward, including long-suffering Councillor Pakes, still distracted by his two political 'jobs' in Milton Keynes (target seat PPC) and Southwark (Councillor). It's hard to imagine he has time to attend one Community Council, let alone two. Livesey is a full part of the Peckham Community Council, which includes Peckham ward, but Councillors are also entitled to non-voting representation at Rotherhithe Community Council due to the unusual shape of the Livesey, a third of ...

Talking McBollocks

The silly story of the day has been Ronald McDonald's attempt to rewrite the dictionary. It seems the burger company does not like the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of the word "McJob": "an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects".According to the BBC: The current definition is extremely insulting to the 67,000 people who work for us within the UK," said McDonald's senior vice president David Fairhurst."It is also insulting for everyone else who works in the wider restaurant and tourism sectors."It is time for us now to make a stand and get the Oxford English Dictionary to change ...

Religion and Politics: Tension or Tolerance?

‘Disestablishmentarianism’ is not a word I casually drop into garden party conversations, but it just popped out when Hackney LibDems held a Pizza and Politics this evening, on the theme of Religion and Politics, led by Cazenove ward councillor, Dawood Akhoon. Cazenove is unusual in that Dawood — a member of the shura of the local [...]

What's going on in Wales?

I'm not sure either, but a report from the BBC gives the latest news: Liberal Democrat party members have revived plans to discuss joining a coalition Welsh assembly government with Plaid Cymru and the Tories.A Lib Dem official said 20 requests to hold the special conference on Saturday in Llandrindod Wells had been received.The party's ruling executive had failed to back a "rainbow coalition", and the conference had been cancelled.But if you really want to be informed I suggest you read the comments on a posting by Peter Black AM.

Henry Campbell-Bannerman - can you help?

An unusual request arrived today in my e-mail inbox: Do you know where I can find (on-line) copies of photographs of this man's younger years and relatives? Thank you very much. I'm stumped... If you can assist, please leave a comment, or mail me here.

Channel 4 - what a load of rubbish

This isn’t yet another post about fortnightly alternate weekly waste collections. Honest. However, I accidentally found myself tonight watching Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, ‘Bin Wars’, in which Oxford heavily featured. Regardless of your views - whether you think 160+ councils have taken leave of their senses, or that increased recycling rates are well worth the extra effort - what struck

When being fat is your greatest worry

When so many people in Iraq worry where there next meal will come from will they get home safely from work or school or will they still have electricity for more than two hours tonight, how refreshing to know that their leader never goes short of food. If I was Iraqi president I'm sure I would have other things to worry about more then my weight. Perhaps it's comfort eating that is his problem.

Conservative peer gives FoI bill a new lease of life

Oh dear. Just when it looked like Conservative MP (and their ex-Chief Whip) David Maclean’s bill to exempt Parliament from the Freedom of Information Act might fall in the House of Lords due to the lack of a peer to sponsor it … step forward Conservative peer Lord Trefgarne, who has said that he will [...]

On Liberty, Online: Liveblogging that Dispatches bin programme

Because we all know that bins are IN (if you're in local government) 21.03 - Lots of pictures of rats so far. Nice and sensationalist then. 21.05 - Dodgy internet connection may impede this exercise. Come on, Wireless doohickey... 21.06 - Oxford eh? Will be looking out for shots of our councillors running from TV crews... 21.10 - It's Jean Fooks! Not running from Channel 4, giving a nice interview pointing out how much the policy has increased recycling.. 21.11 - Here comes the SCIENCE BIT! 21.12 - Does anyone know the name for ...

The BNP: Left or Right?

The following comment was left by Left Field on Peter Black’s post on fighting the BNP, in response to the suggestion from Charles Walker that the Conservatives should treat the BNP as a ‘party of the left’ for campaigning purposes: Of course, Norman Tebbit tried to make out that the left have always been the [...]

Dundee City Council Administration

Earlier this evening, the Labour/Liberal Democrat partnership succeeded in becoming the City Council administration at the Council's Statutory Meeting, with the support of the Conservative Group.I am delighted to become the Council's new Planning & Transport Convener and look forward to delivering quality services in the areas of roads, planning and transport over the next four years.

On Liberty, Online: Who said the Manchester dance scene was dead?

Hat-tip: Shambla via B3ta.

Bin the proposed rubbish charge

On the surface, charging households for the amount of rubbish they throw away sounds attractive as a way of encouraging people to recycle. But it makes me feel very uneasy for a number of reasons: How will it be measured? Will each bin have to be weighed before it is emptied in to the [...]

I'm going to Hell. And so are you, you, you and you....

... according to this speech by someone called Richard Turnbull, reported in the Grauniad here. He also complains that evangelical Christians don't get enough funding. I think that given the amount of money they already have, the fact that they haven't already saved 95% of the population is nothing less than a scandal! I was meaning to post my full views on religion, but I can't be bothered at the moment. Basically I have a lot of respect for people with sincere religious faith, particularly if it's combined with respect for the views of others and a ...

Champions League Tickets Fiasco - UEFA's attempts to blame Liverpool fans simply ignores their own failings

As an Everton fan, you would expect me to be supporting Liverpool fans, but I was so incensed this morning to hear about the dreadful way in which UEFA handles the ticketing for the Champions League final that I felt compelled to write about it. On the radio this morning the press officer for UEFA called William Gaillard refused to admit that UEFA had any responsibility for the problems occurring an squarely blamed Liverpool fans. However, anyone with any knowledge of what UEFA did and what they allowed to happen can see what the true story is. Firstly, ...

Rubbish bag horror

Was it really fortnightly rubbish collecting that led to the defeat of a number of Lib Dems in Godalming, Surrey on 3rd May? Do improvements in recycling rates and savings in council expenditure count for nothing in comparison with the horror of foxes ripping open rubbish bags? Apparently so if Radio 4's Today has reported accurately. Good grief! Things have come to a pretty pass if the people of Godalming do not have the wit to go out and buy a metal dustbin.

Claim to fame

I have been a fan of the Chase me Ladies I'm in the Cavalry blog for some time: Puerile - check Childish- check Filthy- check Side Splittingly, Hog whimperingly, cry out loud funny- check check check. I see in his latest post Harry has outed himself as a Lib Dem voter. As he lives in High Wycombe, perhaps he voted for me last time, then! Do you know- however insulting he may be about this- I'm really rather chuffed.

Jeremy Hargreaves: Is challenging housing needs racist?

Not everyone agrees with the point I raised recently regarding Labour’s readiness to pander to the BNP in places where they pose a threat, such as Barking: Jeremy Hargreaves » Blog Archive » Is challenging housing needs racist? I disagree fundamentally with this approach. Hodge’s comments are a direct response to the electoral threat posed by the [...]

Dreadful situation in Liberia

I was very taken by a lengthy report this morning on Radio 4's Today from Liberia. Despite the end of the war, the infrastructure of the country is still in a parlous state. The reporter interviewed some children from a "school" there. I was very moved by this phrase from the reporter: This is not so much as school, as a building with a thousand children in it, waiting for a school to manifest

Ignorance is bliss?

Agentmancuso- a thoughtful Scottish Liberal- was kind enough to quote some words from this blog on the Our Scotland forum so I went to have a look. The theme was "what is the most Fascist country in Europe?" One or two people suggested Russia, Croatia got a dishonourable mention, then a few suggested Estonia. I pointed out some fairly objective truths about the place, it is free and democratic for a start and adheres to various international conventions, including the European Union which really do prohibit states that are not objectively free. I was therefore rather surprised to ...

Tony Blair "hell-bent" on more nuclear power

Exchange in the House of Commons yesterday: Sir Menzies Campbell: "Can the Prime Minister explain why in his manifestos of 1997, 2001 and 2005, he did not seek a mandate for a new generation of nuclear power stations? Why is he so hell-bent on nuclear power now?" Tony Blair: "We are going to go from a situation, as my right honourable friend [Alistair Darling] will explain today where we are 80%-90% self-sufficient in oil and gas - that is going to decline completely in relation to gas, largely in relation to oil. We are also going to have ...

Enchanting life of Daphne DuMaurier

At last, I have watched the Rick Stein BBC 2 programme about the life of Daphne Du Maurier , marking her centenary. Well done, Ricky and well done BBC, say I! It was an enchanting programme. (Sadly my IT skills abandoned me in attempting to record the subsequent docu-drama about Du Maurier). My mum comes from Fowey and we have spent many holidays down there based in Polruan. There are lots of

Ming on BBC TV news about Facebook

As I struggled with my midriff in the gym at lunchtime, I saw a clip of Ming appear on the screens in the context of Facebook on BBC News. Prince William also flashed up. The story was about this (I presume - they always have Capital Radio on rather than the sound from the TVs!): A university has told students not to post offensive comments about staff on the social networking site Facebook.

Snake vs Alligator

What happens when u get 2 of the worlds deadliest predators in the same place??? the florida evergalades is famous for its wildlife, and a great place to see alligators in the wild, but now there's something new too see; Burmese pythons. orginally kept as pets, and later illegally released they can grow over 15 feet, and have anything from 30 to 100 eggs at a time and are now possibly endangering the food chain in the everglades the picture shows whats left of a 6 foot alligator and a 13 ...

Big Brother - Thorough and fair adjudication from Ofcom

Ofcom have imposed a very heavy penalty on Channel Four regarding last year’s Big Brother. Channel Four will have to broadcast an agreed summary of the Ofcom adjudication not once, but three times. Having seen these sorts of adjudications roll up on the screen several times, I can vouch for the fact that they are thoroughly humiliating for the broadcaster. You sit there waiting for your programme

Lib Dems in wales pull out of coalition talks, irritate Plaid

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have rejected coalition talks with Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives to form a government in Wales. They have also said they will not reopen coalition talks with Labour and will abstain from voting for a First Minister next week. Story here.

My new surgeries day and times

Being nice co-operative people, the four West End councillors (despite all being in different political parties) are all agreed that we should work positively together for the West End, and, with that in mind, we have made sure none of our surgeries clash. In fact, we are all doing different days of the week, which makes sense.I have just got mine organised and with effect from the week after next, I am moving surgeries from a Monday to a Thursday. I'll no longer do my City Chambers surgery as the ward no longer includes the City Centre, but I'm continuing ...

Radio silence

The fact that I have not blogged on the events of last night yet has nothing to do with me maintaining radio silence. In fact I have spent most of the morning talking to the media. It seems that I am the only Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly member giving interviews. What happened last night was a surprise. I fully expected to see the National Executive endorse the package and refer it to Conference. That they did not do so was something that nobody foresaw. The reasons for their decision were many. Some were unhappy with the tone of the ...

Red Balloon Appeal

A neighbour, and friend of mine has pointed me towards a new appeal that's been launched by the Birmingham Children's Hospital, the Red Balloon Appeal. Click and donate to a very worthy cause.

Lonely Planet on Dundee, Wave 102

Was really pleased to read the positive view of Dundee in the latest Lonely Planet guide yesterday - and great to see the West End getting a good mention: “Dundee’s superb location on the Firth of Tay is finally being taken advantage of, and the presence of several top-drawer attractions — the super Verdant Works museum among them — is bringing public opinion of the city slowly, but very surely, around. “Dundee is a city of two halves, with the centre’s somewhat hard-bitten feel counterbalanced by lively Perth Road just to the west, which has a youthful, arty flair, given ...

The GLA selection: a bit of a shambles, really…

Anyone who has been observing London Liberal Democrat activity recently will have been aware that the process by which we have been choosing our Mayoral and Assembly candidates has been on the end of some criticism. This, I admit, is a bit like saying that it rains occasionally, or that civil servants drink tea. And so I must regretfully accept my share of the blame, as a member of the Regional

Back from sunny Fl

After Key West, we drove back up to Florida City and then out into the Everglades. All I can say about the 'glades is that there are lots of mosquitoes and 'gators, and when it rains, its wet. Fortunately we didn't come across many dangerous snakes, unlike the unfortunate 'gator in this story. After the 'glades we moved on to Collier Seminole state park, then Oscar Scherer SP (outside of Venice, less canals, nicer beach) and finally for camping, Ft De Soto, just south of St Petersburg/Tampa. After camping, I got to spend a couple of days in Disney, while ...

Ofcom: interfering busybodies or upholding standards?

Even before Big Brother 8 starts, its shallow spin-off Celebrity Big Brother is again hitting the headlines, following media regulator Ofcom’s decision to order Channel 4 to apologise three times for showing footage of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty being taunted by fellow contestants Jade Goody, Jack Tweedy and Jo O’Meara. My first reaction was one of concern - why should a regulator force a

I have just written to a ramdom peer

After reading Lynne Featherstone's blog entry about writting to a ramdom peer, I have tried to write to Lord Young of Norwood Green asking him to join the Lib Dems in the lobby to vote against the the exemption of the Freedom of Information bill for MPs. However, I was directed to this message: Sorry, but we have to limit the number of similar messages sent to members of the House of Lords. We

Hames on Harman

Her neighbour Tessa Jowell aside, it would appear Harriet Harman has much to do to win over some members of the press to her Deputy Leadership cause. Some quotes from Tim Hames piece last week below: "Oh, no, please! Absolutely anybody but Harriet" "I have not seem a more useless aspirant to power since a party leader in Denmark in the mid-1970s almost came to office on the back of a promise to place tripwire along the border that would blast out “we surrender” in Russian were the Red Army to invade. " "this contender and her ...

The Neo-Cromwellian Society: Exhibit 94

Text to thelondonpaper letters page yesterday. “Why is the experience of our beautiful London parks thoroughly ruined by passive cigarette smoke? Come on Royal Parks, ban selfish, ignorant, arrogant smokers.” Anon.

Headline of the Day

It comes, naturally enough, from our old friend the Shropshire Star: Council helpless over geese

Casework and football

Today I have begun working with Councillor colleagues and officers of the Council to address some of the issues I picked up at the street surgery the other night. A lot of them are to do with highways – cracked pavements and the like, so I have been in touch with the Highways people to see what we can do. I have also been in contact with a local resident to try and organise a meeting between me,

Writing to a random peer

OK - so the next step in the Freedom of Information 'defeat the secretive buggers campaign' is to 'Lobby a Lord'. If you visit www.ourcampaign.org.uk/foi then you can select a random (or specific) Lord to nag about the way they will be voting on the Bill when it is debated in the Lords. This is my text to my random Lord!Dear Lord Bishop of Worcester, I am writing to you to beg you to join the

Tories down three points in ICM poll

It is fascinating to see the latest ICM/Guardian poll, via Pigeon Post, which shows the Conservatives down 3 points to 34% - only two points ahead of Labour.

Survey: Cameron's Tories are like an old phone box: Lovely on the outside, smelly inside

Well done to Peter Pigeon for spotting, in the Tribune, this description of the public's perception of the Tories: In a survey distributed to senior Conservatives just before the local elections, the Tory leader and his party are compared to a traditional British telephone box: "appealing on the outside but if you open the door it smells really bad".

Something Good to Say about CiF, for once

Jonathan Freedland wrote a quite good piece in yesterday's Grauniad: Israel has failed to learn these last 40 years [that] if you refuse to deal with a group because it's too extreme, you don't get to deal with a more pliant, moderate alternative. On the contrary, you eventually confront a force that is even more extreme. It happened when Fatah was eclipsed by Hamas - and it could happen

Should the public know how much the Foreign Office spends on Ferrero Rocher chocolates?

The BBC reports: Plans are due to be unveiled to deter "pointless and mischievous" requests under the Freedom of Information Act. UK Information Commissioner Richard Thomas will say the act's reputation is being jeopardised by such inquiries. The commissioner cites some interesting examples which he regards as unreasonable and needing to be filtered out by existing provisions in the Freedom of

An alphabetical and partial guide to Westminster boozers

Adam and Eve, Petty France Pretty nondescript and overly airy. Feels keen not to exclude any demographically significant quarter of its potential clientele, and in the process has made itself so inoffensive that it actually offends me quite seriously. Bellamys, Number One Parliament Street This bar has all the atmosphere of a provincial Wetherspoons, but with marginally more costly fittings. Its narrow bar area leads through into an brightly lit ergonomic nightmare of a room, seemingly designed solely to prevent casual interaction between parties. This is a miserable place, made bearable only by its views over Whitehall and the ...

Written Parliamentary Question 24th May

Health:Departments:Ministerial Red Boxes Q:To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many ministerial red boxes her Department bought in each of the last five years; and how much each cost; (2) what tendering process is used to decide which company supplies ministerial red boxes to her Department. A:The Department orders red boxes from Banner Business Supplies as and when they are

Submission to UN

A submission to the UN Human Rights Commission asking for an investigation into UK Public Family Law has now been written and should be posted off later today. There will probably be a bit of tooing and froing whilst this is put into the right form.

A victory for decency

I don't think that anyone with any sense of decency could fail to be outraged by the treatment of the Chagos Islanders by the British Government even with the briefest knowledge of their story. I find it difficult to imagine a clearer example of how a powerful bureaucracy and military establishment can abuse the rights of a weaker poorer community outside of tales of the Empire at its height. So

Talking about polls...reward offered

...as I was a couple of posts ago, there is a small, but interesting piece in the Times this morning. David Cameron chose to make the grammar schools row a test of his leadership after private polling gave a warning that deserting voters believed that he was leading “the same old Conservative Party”. The Tories’ biggest threat is not from UKIP or the BNP but the Liberal Democrats, according to secret research presented to the party’s front bench last month and leaked to The Times. The polling also showed that voters are clearer about what ...

Police offer reward following hate campaign in Watford

After suffering a two-year hate campaign, Liberal Democrats in Watford are probably welcoming the news that the police are stepping up their investigations and offering a £5,000 reward to help track down the culprit(s). As The Times reports, Tyres on cars have been slashed, poster boards damaged and members plagued by malicious letters and late-night silent phone [...]

Control Orders: Just what we needed

I'm waiting with some apprehension for John Reid and the hang 'em and flog 'em brigade to respond fully to the absconsion of three men subject to control orders. No doubt there will be criticism of judges and human rights generally as well as the scourge of fundamentalist terrorism. In my view, only the last in the list is a legitimate target for criticism. If what was suspected of these men is accurate, then of course it is unforgivable and they should be locked up. But judges in this country, traditionally the guardians of the rule ...

I was robbed

It's rare enough that I write a blog that gains much attention. Then, even when I do, its popularity remains unacknowledged. Through a 'technical hitch', I don't make it to the Golden Dozen on LibDem Voice. I don't know whether it makes it better or worse that the Dozen was, on this occasion, not compiled by ward colleague. Instead, it was drawn up instead by an Oxford councillor from a completely different ward. I'm not the suspicious type.

Is challenging housing needs racist?

So it seems I spoke too soon in hoping that we could discuss issues related to immigration sensibly, without immoderate criticisms being thrown at anyone who raised the issue. Margaret Hodge wrote in Sunday’s Observer that immigration can lead to tensions in some already deprived communities, and that politicians have a duty to listen to [...]

Wyre Forest results

Health Concern continue to do well, gaining a seat from Labour. Everyone else stayed the same so the Council remains in No Overall Control.

Sebag

Young Stalin sounds like an instructive and entertaining biography, and I will add it to my reading list. I mention it here, though, simply as an excuse to celebrate the name of the author, Simon Sebag Montefiore. I want that middle name! Granted, Frank Sebag Key does not have the mellifluous multisyllabic beauty of Simon [...]

Protect Freedom of Information!

I have been sending a copy of the message below that I have drafted to Peers for whom I can find contact details unfortunately I am away on holiday from Friday so my chances to send any more emails and letters will be further restricted however I would encourage readers to use facilities such as http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ to contact peers and ask them to vote against the Bill.

Thursday 24th May 2007

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