'Remodelling' is far too understated a term for what has happened at St Paul's Primary School in Hook. When the funding came through via the capital support for voluntary schools I had envisaged the school pushing outwards to enlarge the grossly inadequate classrooms. So I had been taken aback when I looked round the site last winter and lost my bearings - it seems like a completely new...
Friday: Because if they do, they're not making it very well! Mr Michael Cox, who has just been let out after being out in gaol for not paying £43,000 in maintenance to the Child Support Agency was on the The Today Programme trying to explain why it wasn't fair. If I have this right, Mr Cox is supposed to pay maintenance to look after his children. He looks after them for half the time though, so he gets a 50% reduction in the maintenance he pays. But – he says – since he pays 100% of ...
I feel that I must comment on the, ever worsening, traffic situation created by the installation of traffic lights where Beach Hill used to be. Instead of a hill, we've now got a cross roads with a three way set of traffic lights. Further on roughly 200 metres is another set of traffic lights, at the cross roads of Hospital Rd/ Newbridge Road & Victoria road. Recently, these traffic lights have also become a three way set of lights. Prior to Beach hill being taken down, traffic could move smoothly between Yscuthan Road and Victoria road via beach ...
In contrast to last week's Blogger TV on 18 Doughty Street (3 Conservatives/right-leaning individuals to 1 Lib Dem), this week's edition has 2 Lib Dems, 1 Labour and 1 Conservative. Now that's the kind of balance I can live with.
I should have switched on the blackberry before leaving home yesterday morning. Instead, I switched it on when I got on the train at Newcastle to go to Darlington and then on to Sedgefield. Big mistake! I should have checked earlier. There was a message from Ruth Milburn, Lib Dem agent for Sedgefield, telling me to wear a suit, shirt and tie as I was accompanying Greg Stone around the
Paul Keetch, MP for Hereford, was yesterday taken seriously ill on a flight to the United States, which was consequently returned to London whereupon Paul was taken to Charing Cross Hospital.
... has ceased to be, which is very irritating as I now have to go back to the '90s (or at least 2006) and actually bother to check the radio listings on a regular basis. I mean, jeez, don't these people know I have better things to do? Like blog about the termination of their podcast service... And scratch my bum and stuff.
One of the worst ways to waste energy and add to the problem of global warming is to heat the air outside using patio heaters. If we’re going to get serious about global warming, then we have to stop this infernal practice. That’s why the Camden Sustainability Task Force has recommended that the Council do everything in its power to persuade pubs, restaurants and residents not to use patio heaters. We probably have maximum ten years to stabilise our carbon emissions and keep global warming to under 2ºC. If we don’t, then the sort of weather ...
The exchange of councillors in Ealing from Labour to Conservative (at least partly motivated in one case by sour grapes at missing out on selection) is confirmation of what Ming said in his Cowley Street Stairwell speech: It is ironic that of the few areas where the Tories actually have policies, they share so much in common with the government. Cheltenham Robin commented on LibDem Voice: From
First off on Sunday was speaking at Wightman Road Mosque – as part of an open community day - as they do each year. Wightman Road is an exemplar mosque - friendly, welcoming and open. This reaching out into the community is what we need to disperse fears and unwarranted suspicion of each other. Happily in Haringey – this sort of work that has gone on for years in our joyfully diverse borough by a whole range of groups. Then a dash to the Priory Avenue backsite opening. Here the fight against developers who would have ruined the space ... 
(a) You’re a Conservative (b) You steal things (c) You boast about it on Facebook Hmm… can you see trouble ahead? James Graham has the story.
Very busy today, so just a short post. I have had the pleasure of seeing the Oldham Council staff award ceremony today (I work at Oldham MBC, nothing to do with my job as a Councillor in Bury). It is always a great sight to see so many dedicated servants of the public come together and celebrate the successes of their year working hard to improve people's lives. It has been my job to organise
Today I've been in two schools but for very different reasons. This morning I had the great pleasure to go up to Yarnfield with Jill Hood to visit Springfields First School on behalf of the Food and Drink Festival. Last year we ran a competition amongst the local schools to see who could grow the biggest pumpkin - the plant on the Festival's logo. The winner was a pupil from Springfields so today
In the light of recent events I have been thinking very hard about my political future. I've decided that I no longer wish to remain a member of Shepway Liberal Democrats and will be making a formal written request to Bromley & Chislehurst Liberal Democrats to rejoin them this week and aide them in their campaigning. This will enable me to continue to play a role in the wider Party and to continue to support the ideals and implementation of genuine Liberalism, something to which I have dedicated the whole of my adult life. I will, ...
There was a full house in the conference room at the Royal Commonwealth Society this lunchtime, when former BBC Director General, Greg Dyke, addressed a CentreForum meeting on political prospects now that Gordon Brown has taken over. Greg used the opportunity to give a fairly damning analysis of how politicians and the whole British political [...]
Iain Duncan Smith's idea of a binge-drinking tax - increases of around 7p on the price of a pint of beer, 20p on a bottle of wine and 70p on a bottle of whisky - seems to me fundamentally misconceived. One of the reasons that government taxes alcoholic drink is that people do not drink less as the price goes up. It's what we used to call marginal inelasticity of demand when I was a lad. The likely outcome of the tax would be that people who spend too much on drink now would spend even more on ...
This morning's papers are reporting that the Lib Dem MP for Hereford was taken ill on a flight to America last night. According to the Daily Telegraph: Paul Keetch, 46, MP for Hereford, was rushed to hospital on his return, a party spokesman confirmed.He said the MP’s flight was one and a half hours out of Britain when he was taken ill. Army medics who happened to be on board decided Mr Keetch was in “some considerable distress” and that the best option was to head back to Britain.I am sure we all wish him a swift recovery.
My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Sir Dave the Prohibited of Deepest Throcking Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title
This time last week, I noted the absence of any information about the impending parliamentary by-election on Ealing Council’s website. Since then, the council has posted a minimal news story linking to the list of candidates - although there’s still nothing on the Elections page. As I said then, the short by-election timetable that Labour [...]
On Friday 6th July 2007 the Sustrans 30th anniversary ride came through the Combe Down Tunnel. I decided to escort the riders through Combe Down, or rather about 70 metres below Firs Field, when they arrived at the Tucking Mill entrance on route from Wells to meet the Mayor of Bath and the Rector of Bath Abbey in the Abbey Churchyard. The photos show the Sustrans riders and me entering the tunnel (by kind permission of Bath Chronicle) The Combe Down Tunnel, more than a mile long, is a fantastic feat of Victorian engineering, which until 1966 took the Somerset ... 
Blogging will be patchy over the next few days as my son was born at 4.38 am this morning. Busy times ahead no doubt and as soon as he is home, I will be continuing to blog as normal, but during the more twilight hours perhaps. Update: Back from the hospital. It has all been a bit of a trauma, but everything is alright now. I certainly have a few tails to tell about the stresses on NHS maternity departments, Baby Harry is 5 weeks premature, so it was a bit of surprise, but both he and ...
If I was being glib I would say that the Tory proposal to add seven pence to the price of a pint in order to curb binge drinking was a sure fire vote loser. However, to be fair, the policy surely has some merits as binge drinking is an issue that needs to be addressed and it needs some bold thinking. So, let me shock some Tories by saying well done to Iain Duncan Smith for being prepared to be different and taking a risk.
Transport for London has just launched a glossy and expensive consultation on the Swiss Cottage gyratory system. Looking at the pack they have sent out you would think that they were planning to rework the whole area. But not a bit of it. The “consultation” amounts to little more than a couple of minor bus stop changes. Groups like the Camden Cycling Campaign and the Belsize Residents Association, who have suggested a host of constructive changes, appear to have been completely ignored. Yet the Swiss Cottage gyratory is in terrible need of a rethink. It is a huge physical ...
Leading Romford Conservative activist Billy Taylor and personal friend of Greg Hands MP has been bragging about stealing (sic) election literature: 6 Romford Tories were out delivering leaflets today (Sunday 8th) in Ealing and managed not just to deliver a whole polling district, but we managed to steal over 150 Lib Dem leaflets and 20 Labour [...]
Iain Dale was, I think, first with the news that five Labour Councillors have defected to the Tories in Ealing. He goes on to quote their joint statement thus: ‘we believe the Conservatives have become our natural home’ I have a mental picture of some of the dyed in the wool Telegraph reading blue rinse and bow [...]
ConservativeHome has the news.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell has emailed party members congratulating them on a record-breaking weekend of campaigning: This week’s campaigning in Ealing - which included three visits from myself to back Nigel Bakhai - ended with a record burst of campaigning. Chris Rennard tells me that over the weekend we have canvassed more people than in any [...]
A number of potential owners have until 5pm today to submit a bid for Leeds. As I understand it KPMG effectively have control of the club and will sell to the highest bidder today. Some of the potential bidders are complaining that they do not have access to all the information that they need to know in order to submit a bid. The Redbus Group have complained that they have “not been told what has been generated from season-ticket sales or from Kevin Nicholls's move to Preston North End.” There are also rumours that Redbus might link up with the ...
As Wales gets used to the idea of a Plaid-Labour coalition and the two sides sit down to divide up the spoils, new doubts are being raised as to the affordability of the One-Wales document. According to the BBC, ex-Plaid leader Dafydd Wigley has questioned whether the money will be there to meet the promises in the agreement. Ron Davies has the answer. He says that Labour and Plaid AMs will interpret their deal differently and therein lies the problem. Although One-Wales is full of lots of goodies, it is couched in such vague terms that it is ...
Visit to fonehouse on the Walworth Road on Friday to celebrate the launch of their new scheme to support Burgess Park. They have hit on a way of raising money for improvements in the park by recycling mobile phones. The idea is that everyone takes their old phones in to the Walworth Road branch. The [...]
Have you been subjected to racial harassment? Or are you aware that it is going on? If so you might like to report it, confidentially of course, and ask for advice at the Chessington Racist Incidents drop-in surgery. They will be held from 10am - 12 pm on every other Wednesday at the Neighbourhood Housing Office in Elm Road - 25th July, 8th August, 22nd August, 5th September, 19th...
With the development of Eden what is going to happen to our local shops? We are seeing small businesses being pushed out of business by the weight of the large retailers, Trevor Snaith and Ray Farmer are asking the council to invest in our local communities to support local shops for local people The Friends of the Earthg [...]
The Guardian's leader this morning delivers strong advice to Gordon Brown on voting reform: A more thorough-going reform, such as that proposed by Lord Jenkins, is needed to make fair votes a reality. That would have meant fewer Labour seats last time round, so Mr Brown will no doubt hesitate about including it in the next manifesto. But if he is serious about restoring political engagement,
This is from Jasper Gerrad in the Observer yesterday: This won't surprise regular readers, but the opposition leader suddenly doing rather well is Sir Menzies Campbell. Forget his joke, his question that bowled Gordon Brown was: if you want change, how about Iraq? Campbell had a good reshuffle, promoting the unsettlingly clever David Laws, and promises big tax cuts for moderate earners. As
A mail from Ming this morning states that "over the weekend we have canvassed more people than in any other by-election weekend for over a decade". Well done team!
I only managed to see the closing song of the UK Live Earth concert but urge everyone to sign up to the Live Earth Pledges.
40%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?Mingle2 - Online Dating Well apparently, I am only 40% Nerd! - Richie Northcote
I only recently read Ming Campbell's speech Liberal Democrats will "rattle the cage of British politics" (a lot later then it was delivered). | < | July 2007 | > | ||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||
