LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Wednesday 4th July 2007

Brown to unveil powers for local council referenda

The Guardian is running with a story tomorrow (Thursday) on Gordon Brown's plans to encourage councils to hold a referendum on how money should be spent in local council areas. I'm all for devolving power, but I don't like government by referendum, particularly when it comes to single issues which involve spending money. Council spending has to be looked at in its entirity. If you ask people in an area dominated by elderly people if the council should fund play schemes for children, the answer would be no. If you ask people in an area with low numbers of ...

The resistable charm of Boris Johnson

Today everyone is excited by the idea that Boris Johnson may be the next Tory candidate for Mayor of London. This gives me the chance to do two things. The first is to refer you to a posting by James Graham, made a few weeks ago, which explains why London local government no longer produces the big names it used to. The second is to recommend Andrew Gimson's biography of Boris. Its subject is usually seen as a lovable buffoon, but he emerges from this book as rather a different character.

LGHS Public Meeting

First a local update. Leeds City Council has extended the deadline for comments on the Leeds Girls High School Draft planning brief ( view details on www.leeds.gov.uk/lghs ) till 12/7/07. A final decision will be taken by the Council's Executive Board on 22/8/07. I won't say this improves our chances of getting a better deal but it will now be a decision taken by elected politicians in public not unelected officers in private. That can only be a good thing. Last weeks public meeting was well attended and a bit choppy at times. Its worth noting that in the ...

The final hurdle

I'm afraid I didn't make it onto the panel for tomorrow's Question Time. I've had a really good run, and I'm delighted to have been in the final five. The audition involved a mini-Question Time in the studio, chaired by David Dimbleby, and if nothing else, it's good to know that I can stand up to the full Dimbleby treatment without losing it too badly! Thanks very much to everyone who supported me; I couldn't have made it this far without you. The recording of the audition should be online shortly, and I'll post a link as soon ...

Commercial Break

You may (or may not) have noticed that I’m not around much at present. Other priorities raise their ugly heads. I’ll be back at some point. In the meantime I’ve discovered that this person shares my name. No relation whatsoever, but I do like the ‘cargolinear’ tune that comes on automatically. God only knows how he [...]

Roger Williams new spokesman for Wales

It's good to see a Welshman in this post. The Conservatives are sticking with their English MP - obviously their Welshman does not fit the Cameron pattern for the pastel blue-greens. Congratulations to Lembit Öpik on his new position, too. Further details and the views of Mike German are here.

Ealing 3: Real fight set to begin as Tory bubble bursts

Just returned from an evening leafleting in Southall. The number of tempting Indian sweets on offer is making this by-election bad for my waistline... grrr! However, some encouraging signs for the Lib Dem campaign and all the more reason for anyone reading this to go and help get Nigel Bakhai elected. Shopkeepers in Southall are fickle. Shops which at the weekend displayed a Tony Lit poster are now displaying Lib Dem posters as well. The kebab shop opposite Southall station has both but also a Respect poster. However, the Conservative campaign is in other ways quite absent from ...

Are terrorist "sleeper cells" preparing to attack the London 2012 Olympics ?

In the wake of the latest terrorist scares last weekend and the government now reducing the threat level from its highest level, more and more people are starting to ask how the latest terror cell was organised and recruited and to what extent it is a forerunner of things to come. In an excellent article in today's Telegraph by Crispin Black, the point is made that Al-Qa'eda has been looking for some time to recruit more Caucasian converts to Islam to become suicide bombers. Although this has not seen a mass wave of bomb attacks, there is evidence of ...

The Ming of Comedy

Hilarious scenes at Gordon Brown's first prime minister's questions: It was Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell who got the biggest laugh of the session. Mr Brown had begun his answer to a question on Iraq by saying "my door is always open to the right honourable gentleman".Sir Menzies responded by saying it was "more of a trapdoor than anything else", at which the chamber collapsed into protracted laughter.

Ming makes us laugh at Question Time

So - Gordon's first PMQs. Ming scored today - with a joke! Gordon was saying that his door was always open to Ming - and Ming said 'Yes - a trap door'. It doesn't quite come over in print - but it rocked the House with laughter - the right sort of laughter. As for Gordon - I thought he was much as you would expect - serious, slightly ill-informed on some issues (as he said - he had only been in the job for five days - but excuses don't go down too well in the HoC) and he ...

Ming's trap door

So how did the party leaders square up at Prime Minister's Questions today? Well, we'll, well, who would have expected Ming's unrehearsed joke about the door to Brown's Downing Street being a trap door! It was all the more enjoyable as it was so unexpected. Ming always does better when he leads on foreign affairs and especially Iraq. Today it was a tour de force of foreign and domestic but the

Training completed!

It's two months since the elections and tonight I completed the last of my training sessions. It never occurred to me before I became a councillor just how much a councillor needs to know in order to do the job properly. And I am so impressed by the standard of training that's been provided. Tonight's session was an overview of local authority finances. Not a particularly exciting topic but the

Treehouse Trust's birthday

Yesterday I went to a big reception in the Lords for the 10th birthday of Treehouse. Treehouse (Trust) is the most fabulous of organisations. Basically - ten years ago two mothers of autistic children got together to say that their kids were not getting the right care and attention - and set up Treehouse. Lord Tim Clement Jones (Lib Dem colleague in the Lords) leads from the front on this - and together with very committed group of people has taken this idea through to creating the best ever school for autistic children that there is. But it's not just ...

NEWSFLASH! Lib Dem candidate selected for St Austell & Newquay

Following the packed selection hustings for St Austell & Newquay on Saturday, the count has just taken place. I'm really pleased to be able to say that my former Fortis Green ward colleague, Stephen Gilbert, has won the selection contest for his home constituency. He worked very hard to get selected - and will work even harder to make sure we win the seat at the general election, whenever that comes. St Austell & Newquay, although made up from bits of three different seats which are all currently Lib Dem, has a notional majority as ...

Why do some Islamic Fundamentalists care so little about the values their religion upholds ?

In the wake of the 7th July bombings in the UK, we were told that one suspect escaped the country in a burqa. Seemingly the bomber cared little for the important role the burqa plays in Islamic life for some Muslims. Now we read the the leader of a pro Taliban sect in Pakistan has attempted to used the burqa to escape Pakistani authorities. Any Muslim who has one shred of support for terrorists within them needs to witness the way they desecrate Muslim values they claim to uphold. The hypocrisy of Muslim terrorists needs exposing at every ...

Missing the train

I headed up to Kings Cross and found I have missed a train to Newcastle by 5 minutes. Typical. The next one isn't due til 8pm. So I'll not get home until about 11.30pm. So to all those people reading this blog from the comfort of their computer desks, spare a thought for me stuck at KX station. Before leaving the office, I did manage to send out our email newsletter eFocus. It went to about 800

Ealing Southall: yet more Labour selection woes

From (presumably) a Labour party member: I was at the meeting last night and it was a disgrace to local democracy. As you say, as soon as the two candidate shortlist was announced, the regional director was subjected to continuous heckling, to the point that ‘heavies’ were brought in to threaten protestors with ejection from the [...]

According to Sterotype

Today I received the news letter of PAFRAS ( Positive Action For Refugees And Asylum Seekers) www.pafras.org.uk. This is a Leeds based organisation doing grass roots relief and advocacy work in the Harehills area. The letter along with a thank you note was sent because of my £200 council MICE grant I had sent them. I have been reflecting on the philosophies and prejudices of how a Councillor allocates the £3000 he/she gets every year to allocate to projects. I have always been fiercely parochial about grants keeping them in ward. However in valedictory mood I thought about ...

Brown's Constitutional Reforms

Yesterday new Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced a series of constitutional reforms, to Parliament of all places. Not the press, to whom most important government announcements were made under the old regime, but that old democratic institution situated in the Palace of Westminster. Well done him. The Guardian has printed up a fairly good rundown of the different proposals. Anyway, seeing as

"Enormous goodwill among MPs" towards Ming - The Independent

Colin Brown and Nigel Morris write in the Independent today: Sir Menzies enjoys enormous goodwill among his MPs, who regard him as an elder statesman, and there will be no attempt at a coup, partly because after the removal of Charles Kennedy as leader, another bloodletting could prove counter-productive with voters.

"The winner was Ming Campbell" - Veteran Commons writer on PMQs

Speaking on BBC Radio Four's PM about Gordon Brown's first Prime Minister's Questions, The Guardian's veteran parliamentary sketch-writer and hardened journalist, Simon Hoggart said: "The winner was Ming Campbell"

Salmond breaks election promise and keeps the money

As the party’s news release today points out, Alex Salmond is still drawing his Westminster salary, despite promising not to do so during the Scottish election campaign. More here.

Taking Liberties since 1797

I recently read the most fascinating article on how democracy undermines liberty. Entitled Taking Liberties (it seems that nothing is original), it was written by Craig F. Smith, who was at the time a research fellow at the University of Glasgow and has since become a lecturer in the Department of Moral Philosophy at the University of St Andrews. By chance I happen to also be reading a short summary of the works of Adam Smith to which he provided commentary. The article begins by reminding us of one simple fact that we long seem to ...

Fleet Street’s Finest

This lunchtime I attended the Press View of the National Portrait Gallery’s new exhibition, ‘Daily Encounters: Photographs from Fleet Street’. There are scores of wonderfully evocative black-and-white images that really capture the spirit of their age. Some of the most striking are pictures of London in the Blitz, such as Winston Churchill touring bombed out buildings, and [...]

Custom icons on your P990i

Recently it was discovered that you can customise some of the icons on your P990 / M600 or W950 (and I’m guessing the P1 and W960). The trick involves having files with the same file names in the same location on your memory card as on your Z rom drive. This trick is identical to the [...]

Not whispering but shouting

As readers will be aware, in my view the “Ming must go” debate in the blogosphere is a distraction being lead by armchair generals who are either unwilling or unable to conceive of what they are really calling for (i.e. self-immolation for the party for the second time in 18 months, with the option for [...]

The contradiction of Michael Moore

Michael Moore (the American one, not the LibDem MP) is an odd character, yet I think he encapsulates much of that which is wrong with the statist left. He’s passionate about the causes he believes in. He argues his cases forcefully. He’s an egalitarian and genuinely wants to improve people’s lives (the two don’t necessarily go [...]

'Cheers for Ming at Brown's first PMQs' - Daily Mirror

Kevin Maquire of the Daily Mirror writes: Gordon Brown's first Prime Minister's Questions was stolen by Ming Campbell's first joke. The straight-laced Lib Dem leader's endured a torrid time for months, jeered whenever he opened his mouth and put his well-polished brogue in it. His quip that the door Brown said was always open for him was "more of a trap door" doesn't make him Peter Kay, but it

BNP election tactic - if it doesn't work, do exactly the same again

Shortly before the May local elections I mentioned on this blog that the BNP had circulated a leaflet in Dunston and Teams ward in Gateshead which purported to come from the "Christian Taxpayers' Revolt". It was the familiar muck raking garbage from the far right fringe. Many Lib Dems have seen similar claims in very similar leaflets from the BNP in recent years. The same ward is having a

Lloyds TSB - The fraudsters friends

It appears from correspondence I have received from Lloyds TSB that my bank account has been accessed and an attempt has been made to remove money from my account via the Internet banking system Upon checking my bank account 20 minutes ago, it appears also that a large amount of money has gone missing from my current account. So what do I do ? Of course, I get straight on to Lloyds TSB to report and unbelievably Lloyds TSB's Fraud department has a 30 minute phone queue ! I wonder how much money can be removed from ...

Royal Artillery - Ready to go (Republica)

This soundtrack caught my attention again when the BBC used it on a film about Tony Blair going. Went looking for the track and found this video to go with it - a bit different from your average pop video.

Boris Johnson may run for London mayorship

According to the BBC at least. Way to court the student vote. Is it wrong that I'd consider voting for him? (although admittedly I probably wouldn't actually do it)

Comedy Conservatives: Boris for Mayor!

And, of course, Boris Johnson is being tipped as Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. The Nasty Party really is becoming the Party of Light Entertainment. I understand that the London Papua New Guinean community is up in arms about the fact that Boris is being headhunted. A Johnson for Mayor campaign would, however, really liven things up with a host of embarrasing gaffes and faux pas. Update on the posters. I understand that Hywel Morgan, a former Lib Dem by-election campaigner, has written to Grant Shapps MP asking which particular by-election campaign he thought the dodgy poster lottery ...

Wanted, loud mouth infamous self publicising politician to beat same - Enter Boris Johnson

Is it a master stroke by the Conservative Party to try and get Boris Johnson to stand against Ken Livingstone or a sign of their desperation. Whilst Boris Johnson might be well known, it is not always for positive reasons. His slagging off and subsequent apologies to the people of Liverpool and Portsmouth hardly shows him to be diplomatic or to be the ideal host when it comes to the 2012 Olympics and whilst some will say he is popular in his own constituency, arguably a large log with a blue rosette on it would have been elected as ...

Another veil row: Magistrate walks out on woman in niqab

A magistrate refused to deal with a Muslim woman wearing a full veil, according to the BBC. Another challenge for what you do in an inclusive, liberal society. If there is an issue about her identity, surely that can be solved by a female court official looking at the woman in question's face? How do courts in Islamic countries deal with this problem?

What a week to be away!

Cat Pic Week was rolling out automatically whilst I was away in France and Switzerland around Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains. I set up the posts to come out two-a-day for the week I was away, and hopefully they all came out nice and regularly. Now, however, normal service will be resumed, and I will [...]

They hate my freedoms

Just had an email from a colleague in my office, informing me that: the whole of West Smithfiled is cordoned off due to a suspicious package at St Barts Hospital - you won't be allowed to leave this building apparently. So I've taken a look out the window, and there are indeed Police cordons outside. But as I see it, if I don't go out and buy my afternoon apple, Al Qaida have won.

July 4th release for Alan Johnston

The news about Alan Johnston this morning was joyous. His interview with James Naughtie on Today was one of the most remarkable interviews that I have heard. He reminded us that Terry Waite, Brian Keenan, John McCarthy were held for far longer than him - up to four years. He also showed endearing consideration for his parents and the worry they have been through. It was also inspiring how he said

Presiding Office revisited

It seems that a consensus is emerging that if the Plaid-Labour Coalition goes ahead next week then the existing Presiding Officer and his Deputy will remain in post. This will require a motion to be passed by two thirds of the AMs present to override the requirements of the Government of Wales Act 2006. The only way that this will not happen is if Dafydd Elis-Thomas is offered and accepts a Ministerial post. My information is that the Tories would a motion to override Standing Orders so as to retain the existing team. My group has not discussed it. ...

Ming makes the funniest joke at PMQs - Conservative Home

In a live blog on Brown's first PMQs, Conservative Home writes: 12.16pm: Best joke so far... Brown says that his door is always open to the Leader of the LibDems... Ming responds by saying that Brown's door is more like a trap door!

Greg Stone selected by the Liberal Democrats for the Sedgefield by-election

Greg Stone has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Sedgefield by-election, caused by the resignation of Tony Blair.

Thoroughly depressing

It seems everything is depressing for liberals at the moment. We have the smoking ban infringing on property rights. We have the EU advocating internet censorship and looking towards China for ideas. The new Criminal Justice Bill seeks to make ‘offensive images’ illegal - no matter how they were created. This is now well into the realms of [...]

The future's bright

Last night I attended the first meeting of the Bury Council Youth Cabinet for this year. I am the new Lib Dem Councillor representative on the group. It was absolutely fantastic to see so many young people round the table. The group is made up of representatives from youth groups and schools, together with Councillors from across the parties, and staff from the Youth Service. Members get the

Day 2374: Mr Balloon Gets Ruthless

Monday: "Ruthless": that is how The Times described Mr Balloon today when he struck out on his own with decisive action to relaunch his faltering Conservatory brand and seize control of the news agenda by, er, doing exactly what Mr Frown has done: he announced a reshuffle. It's hardly ORIGINAL; even Sir Mr the Merciless is doing it! So, what are the changes? Well, he has ruthlessly kept Mr Gideon Oboe as Shadow Chancellor, now with even more things to mess up responsibilities; he has brutally asked Mr Vague to remain as Shadow Secretary of State ...

Just the news we've all been waiting for

With the good news about Alan Johnston ringing in our ears, another piece of welcome news has also been announced today, but seems to have gone largely unreported so far. In the wake of recent health announcements that Red Wine is good for you, health experts have now announced that chocolate is good for lowering high blood pressure. So tonight I'll be having chocolate and Red Wine for my tea. Now if some health expert could tell me a food that is good for a bad back I'd be delighted !

We hold these truths to be self evident...

In the 231 years of American independence, the United States has stood for many things, from the opening up of a new frontier to becoming a bastion of democracy in the cold war. Yet while by and large the country has much to be proud of, it has also had much to regret. The strange persistence of slavery in the Land of Liberty and bigotry and racist violence have persisted even to our own day. The astonishing despoliation of the land that must have truly seemed like Paradise to the early settlers by ugly strips and endless suburbs also takes ...

Brown Supports Citizens' Initiatives at a local level

Gordon Brown's proposals on constitutionl reform look set to include provision for citizens to instigate local referenda - long overdue and a definite step in the right direction. Guido's also reporting that charities may be allowed to get involved with political campaigning AND maintain their charitable (tax deductable)status. Together these could potentially be a very good move for the health of our democracy; putting political activity on a par with purely charitable activity and recognising that they're not mutually exclusive. - There are of course potential problems; if not given proper regulation these proposals could potentially lead to ...

Happy 'Lucky Escape' day!

Yes it is the 4th of July again, the anniversary of the second day after the US Declaration of Independence was actually voted on. US Independence was a huge and lucky escape for Britain and the world. Britain learned after US independence that trade did not depend on colonial controlls. Cross-atlantic commerce boomed after peace was made. This astonished the French who thought they had engineered the beginning of the collapse of the British Economy by cutting off Britain's colonial lifeline. It was the first practical sign of the reality of Free Trade and the power of ...

Gordon Brown, the great reformer?

So, the centre-piece announcement of Gordon Brown's first week in office was a Green Paper on constitutional reform. The Governance of Britain, they called it, in a conscious or unconscious echo of Harold Wilson's much-derided tome. The British press this morning generally gave Brown's measures a cautious welcome, with Peter Riddell in the Times accepting the Prime Minister's claims of change:Nothing illustrates the change of regime in 10 Downing Street more strikingly than Gordon Brown's Commons statement and his 63 pages of proposals for constitutional reform. They could not conceivably been put forward by Tony Blair...The result is a sensible ...

All quiet on the reshuffle front

Hurrah! I have stayed in my job as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. It is a massive but absolutely riveting portfolio - so am hugely delighted that Ming is leaving me in post. Phew!

Greg chosen

Delighted to see Greg Stone chosen as the Lib Dem candidate for Sedgefield. For those who don't know Greg, he is one of the leading campaigners who slayed the Labour dinosaur in Newcastle 3 years ago to end 30 years of Labour's prehistoric style rule of the regional capital. So he knows how to hurt Labour and win for the Lib Dems. He was first elected to Newcastle Council in the late 90s. I was

Sister Act III: Electric Boogaloo

Stories about Yvonne Ridley usually make me burst out laughing, this one is no exception. Having been sacked more times than a Music Zone employee, she has now picked up a job working for Iranian television.

Glastonbury for Daily Mail readers

Off to a very wet Royal Horticulture Society show at Hampton Court yesterday to see the new Groundwork Playscape show garden on display. It was a slightly odd experience - a gentile, mostly retired looking gathering trudging through the mud collecting new varieties of roses and ornaments for their suburban gardens. It felt a bit [...]

Youth Live - published!

Last night was the launch event for the new magazine - Youth Live! I am chair of an organisation called Youth Communications Network which was set up to involve young people in journalism and to make it more possible for them to have more of a voice. The main product is our magazine, which we proudly showed off last night at the launch at Radio Merseyside. We invited people from housing associations, local agencies, schools, youth groups, local councillors etc to meet the young people involved in the work so far. As well as the magazine, ...

Thatcher Center criticises Warsi appointment to Tory shadow cabinet

There is a remarkable and weighty intervention today on Conservative Home from the Director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom (their "center" not mine). In a weighty missive, Dr Nile Gardiner says that the appointment of Sayeeda Warsi to the Conservative Shadow Cabinet "sends the wrong signal". The article then lists a lot of Warsi's remarks, many of which seem refreshingly frank.

Now for Madeleine McCann

As someone said to me this morning, great news about Alan Johnston, now we need some good news about little Maddie.

Community Organisation for Cleghorn/Pentland/Ancrum and other matters ...

I have been speaking with a number of residents in the Cleghorn Street/Benvie Road (and surrounding streets), Pentland and Ancrum Drive areas about hopefully setting up a Community Council or community group for the area. The area is to the north of the West End Community Council area and seeing the good work that Community Council does, there's no doubt that a community group for Cleghorn/Ancrum/Pentland would be good for the area.We have now got enough interest for the Communities Officer to arrange an initial informal meeting to get the ball rolling. If you live in the area and are ...

Happy Independence Day

Today marks the anniversary of the issuing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress, one of the greatest events in the history of liberalism. It is sad to think that the signatories to the Declaration would be horrified to see the abuses of executive power and the loss of independence by the states under [...]

Sedgefield Liberal Democrats select Greg Stone

Sedgefield Liberal Democrats have selected Greg Stone to be their candidate for the parliamentary by-election to succeed Tony Blair. The Sedgefield Liberal Democrats website reports: Greg is a senior Liberal Democrat Councillor and has lived in the North East since graduating from Newcastle University. Greg is 32 and currently works as an expert in regeneration including [...]

A wonderful concert

Last night witnessed another 'first' for Stone! The young Japanese virtuoso violin player Atsuko Sahara delighted a packed audience in the Crown Hotel ballroom and I was privileged to be there. I have four or five discs of Vivaldi's Four Seasons and know the work backwards but she still managed to impress upon it her own style and interpretation. it was a delight! And from a practical point of

Liberal Democrats unveil new Shadow Cabinet

Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell today showed his confidence in the strength of his front bench team as he unveiled his new Shadow Cabinet.

Another girl, another planet

The new Doctor Who companion for series four has been announced, and it’s someone we’ve met before. They’ve recently finished the work for which they were famous, some people love them while others can’t stand them, and they’re catchphrase is “Am I bovvered?” No, it’s not that Tony Blairs… Catherine Tate will reprise her role as [...]

The forces of reaction?

I mention this only in passing and then just for the sake of recording the vehemence of Labour opposition to their pact with Plaid Cymru. The Western Mail carries two high profile and compelling tirades against the One Wales Agreement this morning. On the front page we find Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells, accusing Rhodri Morgan of “helping to deliver our communities into the hands of nationalist incompetents and separatists”. In a letter to officers and executive members of his local Labour Party, Mr. Howells says: “If this proposal is pushed through... it will mean that the Labour ...

Day 2373: out of Jail Free Get

Sunday: We interrupt this diary with the joyful news that the BBC’s news correspondent in Gaza, Mr Alan Johnston, has been released from his captivity. This is incredibly happy making. Being locked away in a small box, never knowing what your fate might be must be VERY HORRID! Perhaps that is why the Monkey-in-Chief has spared Mr Scooter the Perjurer from going to gaol. Now be fair, like us the Americans already send FAIR TOO MANY people to prison anyway and it does not do them a lot of good. And it ...

Ealing Southall: now Labour have trouble with their candidate

Hot on the heals of the Conservative Party’s trouble over the imposition of Tony Lit as their candidate in Ealing Southall, we have fun and games in the Labour Party too. Ealing Southall was originally going to have an All Women Shortlist for Labour, something strongly backed by Piara Khabra before his death who had wanted to [...]

Kennedy in the Pink

Charles Kennedy was on good form last night at the Kensington and Chelsea LibDems’ annual garden party, the first half of which had to be held indoors because of the tropical downpour. As he told the assembled throng, British politics is in a state of fluidity at the moment — not just because of Gordon [...]

Shuffling in the shadows

There have been not one, but two, shadow cabinet reshuffles since I last blogged. I’m beginning to make the dead tree press look positively on the pulse. First, the Conservative one. I can’t decide if Cameron has simply decided to copy everything Gordon Brown says, or if he has given up the ghost and [...]

West Midlands Liberal Democrats Autumn Conference

Wednesday 4th July 2007

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