LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Saturday 14th July 2007

Visiting hours in Abergavenny

Back now from my daytrip to Wales. Missed the chance to go with Haringey colleagues to help campaign in Ealing Southall today and also missed an event at Coldfall School in my ward which I had planned to go to. But saw my Grandma in hospital - and she was looking much better than she had been earlier in the week. Got the train right into Abergavenny. I've only been there a couple of times (as my Grandma actually lives in Abertillery) and unfortunately always for the occasion of visiting Nevill Hall Hospital. But I always think that ...

Technocracy is not Democracy - A Response to Cui Shixin

Cui Shixin is a senior editor of Remin Ribao (The People Daily in English), the main mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (equivalent to "Pravda" in Chinese terms). Cui has made a bit of a song and dance about the appointment of Chen Zhu, as Minister of Health. Chen apparently has no party affiliation and is the second Minister "elected" this year who is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party. The previous appointment was Wan Gang who was appointed Minister of Science and Technology. Wan is a member of the China ...

Musical Chairs

I am not going to have a chance to get to the Ealing Southall or Sedgefield by-elections as I am too busy with a key local Council by-election in Swansea. However, the twists and turns in Southall have been absolutely astonishing, in turn throwing the Labour and the Conservative camps into disarray. I don't think that I can even begin to sum up events, except to say that they make attempts to form a Welsh Assemby Government appear to be routine and humdrum in comparison. It started off with Mr Brij Mohan Gupta, Deputy Chair (Political) of Ealing Southall ...

Even more hypocrisy from the Tories ?

Vote Tory, get Labour ? Astonishingly the Tory candidate in Ealing (don' t use a photo of him, the Tories will sue) was at a Labour fund raising dinner just weeks ago pictured with Tony Blair. Confused ? I certainly am. Liberal England has the full story HERE.

Tory hypocrisy over copyright infringements

Iain Dale today published a story about the Tories threatening to sue over copyright infringment in Ealing. . Perhaps the Tories could explain why for years they have photocopied Lib Dem campaigning booklets and issued them at Conservative Councillors conferences ? I spoke to a Tory Councillor in Peterborough who was handed them regularly at conferences he attended. Hypcorisy from the Tories ? Surely not. Update - Double Hypocrisy. The very thing the Tories are moaning about the Lib Dems doing in Ealing has been done by the Tories in Sedgefield by-election. Utter hypocrisy from the ...

Tony Lit: Labour donor to Tory candidate

From the Daily Telegraph website this evening: The Tory candidate in a key by-election is a Labour donor who posed just weeks ago for photographs at a fundraiser with Tony Blair, it can be revealed.Tony Lit, 34, the wealthy head of an Asian radio station, became a member of the Conservative Party only days before he was unveiled as their surprise choice to fight the vacant seat of Ealing Southall later this week.As they paraded him on June 28, Tory campaigners hailed Mr Lit as the perfect candidate, with good looks and charm and a high profile in the ...

Starbucks and the Forbidden City - Lessons for Liberal Internationalists

I am not completely surprised to hear that finally, after a significant amount of pressure, Starbucks has finally been effectively asked to leave the Forbidden City (Gugong) in Beijing. However before we all cheer at an major American multinational has being humbled there are some quite important underlying lessons which need to be borne in mind from this episode. Firstly, official Chinese sanction must have been given to Rui Chenggang to wage his campaign against Starbucks. Rui is a high profile media personality in China and you don't usually get into such a position unless you are ...

Tory and Labour campaigns almost collide

This rather fetching moment was a highlight in a day of campaigning in Ealing Southall. The car in front is Labour's new 'annoy the residents' megaphone car, the one behind is the Tony Lit bandwagon, with at least one wheel still on. They were trying to overtake, but not really getting anywhere. A cheery wave from at least one Southall Labour member who hasn't defected this week Tony Lit with friends not really looking very much like the smiley picture on the car door I understand Iain Dale ...

Has CCHQ made a fool of Iain Dale again?

After the all-round rubbishing of the Grant Shapps “but my password was set to 1234″ story which Iain Dale published (and is pretty much the only person to say they believe) you’d have thought Iain would be a bit more careful about stories he is fed in future. But it would seem not … for his [...]

14 Tesco stores closed after threats

And, having been shopping earlier this evening, I can exclusively reveal that Tesco Market Harborough is one of them. In fact, there is more to it than that. Part of the town centre is closed to both vehicles and pedestrians. The BBC has a report on the national picture.

Where was Tony Lit last month?

Tony Lit is the Conservatives’ candidate in the Ealing Southall by-election. And yet he apparently made a donation to the Labour party pretty recently. According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Lit was at a political fundraising dinner last month. Nothing unusual about that, you say, although as he’s only been a Tory member for a couple [...]

This news Lit up my evening

Now this is funny. No wonder Tom Watson was in such a strange mood earlier. I can just imagine the state of panic in the Tory by-election HQ just now!

Wycombe Station Redevelopment –Cllr Trevor Snaith and Cllr Ray Farmer -July 2007

We have seen the artist impression to develop the Wycombe station. We fully support development of station as it will put some life back into the east end of the Town. Residents are tellling us the Station development must have a design that compliments the area. Although early days we are already receiving comments from residents who are not impressed [...]

Liberal Democrats to cut 4p off Income Tax!

Radical tax plans that will take the basic rate of income tax to its lowest level since 1916 were unveiled today by the Liberal Democrats. The move to cut the basic rate by four pence in the pound will reduce the basic rate of income tax to 16p, benefiting millions of people on low and middle incomes. The plans are a development of those approved by the party conference last year and form part of the party's proposals to lift the tax burden on low and middle income earners whilst making the rich and people with environmentally damaging ...

Sky exclusive: Tony Lit, Tony Blair and the £50,000 cheque

Sky is just about to break a story about Tony Lit being photographed giving a £50,000 £4,800 cheque to Tony Blair at a Labour fundraiser. Let’s hope this story is more accurate than the PA’s poll reporting attempts earlier this evening… UPDATE: The Telegraph has more about Tony Lit and the donation. UPDATE 2: The party’s official [...]

How to raise your poll rating by 6% in one hour

Press Association, 6:48pm: Press Association, 7:48pm: A brief summary - there is an ICM poll, carried out for two different newspapers with one voting intention question and one which party do you feel warmest towards question (i.e. not a voting intention question, and with a much, much higher level of don’t knows). Alas, the Press Association didn’t spot [...]

100,000 viewings of YouTube

A milestone for me on YouTube. Last night was the 100,000th viewing of one of my videos on the site. Thanks to the Sedgefield campaign for getting me there - there have been 2000 viewings of the 5 videos I have made so far. The top ten videos on my channel are (viewings in brackets): 1)Copacabana Beach (17914) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p1vAYejKOFM 2)Inside a former Soviet secret

Ealing Southall - Where are all the posters?

Wandering around Ealing yesterday evening I was struck by the lack of posters that have gone up. I can remember Leicester South when the whole constituency went orange (or at least thats how it seemed) or Brent East when nearly every house in some streets in Willesden Green were showing their support to one side or the other. In the bits of Ealing Common ward I was delivering I only saw three

Bush is as unpopular as Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal

This really takes the biscuit. According to the latest poll from respected pollster, Harris, George Bush now has as low an approval rating as Nixon did in its polls taken at the height of the Watergate scandal. Bush is at 26%, which is the same as Nixon during the Watergate crisis. Breathtaking. When he has even Republican Senator John Warner, that chip off Mount Rushmore, coming out against his

Has McCain had his chips?

How we all laughed. The Wall Street Journal reports on the implosion of the John McCain campaign team. McCain was forced to tell ABC that only "contracting a fatal disease" would cause his departure from the Presidential race. Then there's this quote from McCain's former campaign strategist talking to New York magazine: We had a spending problem, a message problem, a spending problem... that’s

Iain Dale's self-confessed "blather, filling and bluster"

Writing of an impending television appearance, you have to admire Iain Dale's honesty in warning readers to look out for his "blather, filling and bluster".

Quatorze Juillet: Lewisham People's Day

Today (Saturday) went to Lewisham People's Day at Mountsfield Park. Before I do anything else, here's a link to the photos which I tookAs you can see, the Labour Party is adopting some very imaginative tactics for fund raising. Including palm reading. And the Parliamentary fruit machine. Plus guess the name of the fluffy bunny. I'm ashamed to say they got quite a bit of my money. Well, I wanted the fluffy bunny. So that I can say in Full Council: "Pass this amendment, or the bunny gets it." And it had better be called Maxine. Must confess ...

3rd trip to Ealing and Southall tomorrow

I am saving up my energies for an early start tomorrow and a full day at Ealing Southall. I will be going along with Nagalingamudaly Sidamparappillai, who I think had one of the longest names on the country's ballot papers last May.

John Bercow defection to Labour - 'being saved up for time of maximum embarrassment'

Conservative Home speculates that the defection of John Bercow MP to Labour is a matter of "when" rather than "if". I'll believe it when it happens. The whole thing about defections in the Commons is that they normally come out of the blue.

Summer Saturday

There's lots going on in Kingston this weekend - the Kingston Regatta, Malden Festival and the Hook Fun Day. I managed the last two events and am off to hear Thames Youth Orchestra this evening. Over in New Malden, Maggie O'Connor held a fitness workout for kids in aid of Young Kingston. She is a great communicator and encouraged over 70 children to dance and smile in the open air....

Liberal Democrats propose 4p cut in income tax

Radical tax plans that will take the basic rate of income tax to its lowest level since 1916 were unveiled today by the Liberal Democrats.

Conrad Black and British politics

With Black's conviction, it is perhaps time to refer people to my earlier posting How Conrad Black ate the Conservative Party.

Be quick or be dead

Just noticed that they are showing the classic Doctor Who series 'The Deadly Assassin' on UK Drama at 4.25pm. If you're not currently at a by-election and haven't seen it before I'd strongly recommend it.

Let's break the record folks

At the weekend before the Leicester South and Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election polling day I wrote to Lib Dem activists in London and the South East urging them to come and help in the last few days because we knew we could do it, but we needed enough people to turn up to deliver the (rather ambitious) campaign we had planned. Hundreds did turn up, and the result was victory in Leicester South and a near miss in Birmingham Hodge Hill. I think we are in a similar position in Ealing Southall and Sedgefield this weekend. In ...

"The thick of it" on political bloggers

On the BBC 2 website there is a "preview now" clip of tonight's "The Thick of it" with a comment about political bloggers. Watch it for yourself (remember to click on the clip you want to watch) HERE.

Your guide to the new Lib Dem tax plans!

Ask people to name a Lib Dem policy and those who don't really follow these things very closely will say "1p on tax for education". And indeed, that was our policy up until about 6 years ago! Since then, the Government has substantially increased spending on public services like health and education, and the focus is much more on how the money is spent rather than on assuming that "another billion" will sort the problem out. But this week we launched (for debate at our conference) a detailed package of tax plans. The ...

Day 2385: The BBC, An Apology

Friday: It was quite WRONG and very MISLEADING, especially for an organisation in which we place so much TRUST, for the BBC to re-edit their footage so that her RADIANT and CELESTIAL Majesty, Mrs the Queen was made to look like a GRUMPY OLD WOMAN storming out of a photo session. The TRUTH was so very DIFFERENT, and the BBC were forced to admit that Mrs the Queen was REALLY a GRUMPY OLD WOMAN storming INTO a photo session. I realise that no one could fail to be MORALLY WOUNDED by this UTTER BETRAYAL, and can ...

Film Proms on BBC 2 tonight

I'm one of those people who likes a bit of middle of the road classical, you know, the sort of stuff used in adverts and for films, and not the arty sort of stuff that the BBC Proms seems to be doing a lot of. So I am really looking forward to watching the BBC tonight and watching the Film Proms, with music from classic film scores, both old and modern, be it The Dambusters of Harry Potter. I think there is a lot of snobbery around concerning classic musical that is "popular", and too often film scores ...

Day 2384: Tax and Attacks

Thursday: Hooray! Another RADICAL tax policy from the Liberal Democrats: let’s CUT the basic rate of tax by 4p so that bringing in a LOCAL INCOME TAX will not make anyone worse off. (And don’t forget: not only is local income tax FAIRER, you’ll be more better off by not having to pay Council Tax as well!) We can afford this by (1) making the Green Tax Switch – cutting your taxes AND helping save the world, and (2) closing LOOPHOLES that allow very rich people to pay tax at a LOWER rate than everyone else. ...

Day 2383: Sun NOT linked to Global Warming!

Wednesday: Well that was the BBC’s rather CONFUSED headline. I am fairly sure that the Sun DOES have something to do with warming the planet which is why we are not a FROZEN ROCK like the planet/not-a-planet Pluto. What they ACTUALLY meant was “Climate Change Deniers Proved Wrong (AGAIN!)”

"Get stuffed America", or words to that effect from Gordon Brown

Gordon brown is, again, playing a shrewd political game. His governments latest break from the past is to put more of a distance between the US and the UK. This policy will appeal to the traditional pacifist left wing of the Labour Party, with only right wing Tories being able to take offence to the policy. Yes, we all know it is posturing and that Britain and the US will continue their unique relationship, but it is significant in so much as it has now been said. Clever politics again from Mr Brown, and whilst Gordon Brown will ...

A Betting Tip?

The recent Politicalbetting.com thread suggests good results for us in both by-elections. The regular punters spinning on that site say that Ealing Southall will be a close split between all three main parties. In Sedgefield, there’s speculation that some Labour voters may stay at home, giving Greg Stone a chance to win. Am I the only [...]

Warning to anyone expecting cash-back on a Nikon camera

A few weeks ago I bought a Nikon D40 digital camera, as it looked like a very affordable SLR. I was a bit miffed to find that the price quoted in the window of Jacobs Photo & Video on New Oxford Street didn’t make clear that the price quoted included a £60 Nikon cash-back, [...]

Sick and tired of the aviation industry bleating about security costs

The aviation industry is moaning that they cannot afford the costs of extra security in the wake of increased security since 9/11 and wants extra money from the government. Am I getting the industry mixed up ? Is this the same aviation industry that flies people to Spain for £19 ? Is it the same aviation industry who can afford to buy new airliners at a massive rate, each costing hundreds of millions of pounds ? Is this the same industry that is making good profits, so much so that the leading airlines are buying u[ foreign rivals (BA/Iberia and ...

People power: Starbucks 0, Forbidden City 1

I'm on a train at the moment, on my way to Wales to visit my Grandma in hospital. On a happier note, I will be back in time to see Saint Etienne performing at Rise in Finsbury Park tomorrow. Just seen on BBC News that Starbucks has been forced out of the Forbidden City, under pressure for "trampling on Chinese culture". Apparently the shop had been there for six or seven years, and a couple of years ago had even removed the name from the front. (I didn't notice it being there when I was there a couple of ...

Smoke-filled Trains

Milling around Little Ealing print-works today I feel myself irritable and devoid of usual chippy good humour. Signor Borrowman have me supervising cugine in construction of famous Molotov Rennards (MRs), a bundle of newspapers, tied with organic hemp and soaked in bio-fuels, that used to persuade truculent business types to use Liberali Family recycling bins for disposal of unwanted currency. In nervous irritation, I'm all fingers and thumbs and splashing more ethanol on suit than newspaper. "Liberali, you're going to end up smelling like the old Don if you don't relax" say friendly voice of Signora Elspeth. "I ...

Pasty snatching St Ives seagulls

Michael White extolls the virtues of St Ives in the Guardian today. It has been voted best seaside town by a Guardian panel. I am delighted that Michael White kept his sense of balance and mentioned the seagulls, which are an essential element in any objective analysis of St Ives: In truth, the bigger danger is dive-bombing seagulls who snatch a child's pasty - but only once. Being mugged by a

Cameron gets rough ride from Ealing Southall voters

The Telegraph reports a stormy ride for David Cameron when he went down Northfield Avenue in the Ealing Southall constituency yesterday: David Cameron came to Ealing Southall intending to make the earth move in next Thursday's by-election. The Tory leader assured reporters that there was "something quite seismic happening among British Asians": they were at last realising that the Tory party was

Battle of Trimdon Green on tv

We are currently at a coffee morning in Hurworth in the south of Sedgefield constituency with Greg Stone. So whilst sipping coffee and Greg is chatting, I thought I'd tell you all the good news - the Battle of Trimdon video was featured on tv yesterday, on Tyne Tees regional evening news! And they used a clip that revealed the worst of the Labour thuggish and hooligan behaviour. Seems as though

Soft on the causes

I really the think the Conservative Party is losing its soul, when it removes the whip from cruel arrogant bullies, just because they’ve been convicted of fraud. Anyone know why we still have criminals in our legislature?

Magdalen Green ... and continuing exchanges with OFCOM on digital TV ...

Firstly, following requests I had raised with the City Council from representatives of the Friends of Magdalen Green about the need to replace the missing 'no parking' signs on the Green edge (given the damage to the Green caused by vehicles) and the need for a BBQ facility, pleased to receive the following response from the Leisure & Communities Department yesterday : "I will have temporary signs placed on Monday with the view to erecting a more permanent sign in the coming weeks. I have also instructed a local blacksmith to supply and install 3 barbecues." If you click the ...

Anti-Crime candidate has run-in with the police

One thing you can say about these by-elections, they’re not dull.

Tories bite the bullet

The BBC report that the Conservative Party has said it will withdraw the whip from Conrad Black after he was convicted of fraud and obstructing the course of justice. I should think so too. David Heath MP is absolutely right in arguing that Conrad Black should be stripped of his peerage: He said: "Members of the House of Commons are automatically disqualified on conviction and there is no reason why the same rules should not apply to members of the Upper House. "It is essential that a change in the law to that effect is included ...

Boris chaos: He says "wait and see" but his website STILL says he is definitely running

Speaking yesterday afternoon, Boris Johnson says we will have to "wait and see" whether he stands for London Mayor. But his website currently says: Boris confirmed as London Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson will run as a candidate for London Mayor, as reported in The Telegraph this morning. More to come on this post later... That announcement was removed from his home page after ten minutes

More affordable housing? Not on our tax policies!

Tucked away in the comments to Lib Dem Voice's How rich are you? article comes this snippet from Tim Leunig (LSE economist, and member of the Housing Policy working party I was on a couple of years back): "The obvious new incentive effect is on house prices. We would expect them to increase (by around 8x the level of council tax, so around £15k), as happened when rates were replaced by the poll tax." Well quite. We in ALTER have been saying this since the Local Income Tax policy was first debated. We've gotten the impression ...

Birmingham Town Hall presents…

After what’s seemed like a lifetime, Birmingham’s Town Hall reopens this October with a 2-week festival of events. I’ve just booked tickets to see the Guillemots perform live with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. I saw the Guillemots a few years ago at the Glee Club when they were Jo Whiley’s darlings. It was the [...]

Convicted rapist at Labour fundraiser

Liberal Democrats in Southwark have been under fire from Labour recently for the misfortune of having a former volunteer end up in prison for offences relating to their private life. Despite the individual being a Ministry of Defence Press Officer who was entrusted to shepherd Labour Ministers around sensitive military installations, it is the contention of at least one local Labour Councillor that our volunteer-run local party, should have second-guessed their double-life. This on the somewhat slim evidence that they co-ran a web-hosting business, one element of which provided legal non-pornographic services to the adult entertainment business. A ...

Keetch: "My heart stopped for at least a minute"

More news on Paul Keetch's recovery from the newspaper of the moment - the Hereford Times: Hereford's MP says he's recovering by the hour from the mystery illness that struck him down on a trans-Atlantic flight on Sunday.Speaking from his hospital bed this evening (Friday) he told the Hereford Times: "I am a very lucky man, twice over."If I had been asleep when it happened I would probably be dead."If I hadn't been on a flight with a defibrillator and medically trained staff, I would probably be dead."Tests are still going on to find out what is wrong with me ...

Conrad Black Loses Tory Party Whip

I'm tempted to say "about bloody time", but then would they have been pre-empting the outcome of the case?

Saturday 14th July 2007

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