LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Tuesday 2nd October 2007

Mortimer: “too boring for Labour”

In a shock revelation ahead of the much-anticipated general election announcement, the People’s Republic of Mortimer can reveal that key Labour players have decided the Head of State’s posts on Lib Dem Voice are “too boring, involved, complex and accurate”* to respond to. Said Alix Mortimer: “I couldn’t believe it! I got back from a pleasant evening at my local with a Chinese takeaway expecting to find a meaningful response to my earlier posts on Lib Dem Voice concerning UK domiciled tax status, and there was nothing there, literally nothing! The last three posts were from me!” Mortimer had earlier lambasted the Tories for their ...

Super sub Westlake stuns the Latics

Leeds United's never say die attitude paid off once again with another winning goal in the dieing seconds. Super sub Ian Westlake came on for Alan Thompson in the 90th minute and scored with a superb volley in the 4th minute of extra time. Eight wins out of nine and one draw puts United just four points short of the play offs, having given the others a 15 point start. Oldham Athletic 0 Leeds United 1

What does Gordon Brown needs to know about Germany?

I understand that our Prime Minister is having a little difficulty distinguishing Germany from Iraq at the moment, what with saying that troops are coming home from Iraq when actually they are in Germany at the moment. For a dog, of course, it is easy - one has horrible, big nasty Alsatians and the other doesn't. But I can understand how a human might make a mistake. So I thought I'd help Mr Brown with this little cut out and keep guide:

if ever we needed a written constitution !

In the midst of committees and everything else the speculation of an early General Election are rife. There has never been a better time to press for a written constitution which states the length of time between elections. It is a nuisance and inconvenience for politicians, but you might say that is there life. However there is so much dashing around, many constituents won't be getting the...

The magical disappearing Iraqi troop withdrawal

First it was 2,000 British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq (the figure leaked to the BBC). Then it was 1,000 (the figure Gordon Brown told the TV cameras earlier today). Then it was 730 (after it turned out that 270 has already come home). Then it was 500 (after it came to light that 230 were due to [...]

Looong liive our soviet mooootherland......

I thought I would just plug this really cool blog with Soviet Russian posters on it. Hat-tip Tristan (I think). By the way, if anyone else (who can actually sing) is up for a rousing rendition of the Soviet National Anthem at the next Glee Club, do drop me a line. We can do either Russian or English. A third, possibly more popular, option is Not At All.

City Council Meeting - 9 October 2007

The agenda for the City Council meeting on 9 October 2007 has now been published. Items on the agenda include: the annual report of the Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities (Councillor Sue Anderson (Lib Dem, Sheldon Ward));the annual report of the Lead Member on the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority; and the Food Law Enforcement Plan 2007-08 (about Environmental Health inspections

More Hot Air From The Tories

Sometimes Councillors (& elected Mayors) get things right, sometimes they get things wrong, but either way a paid employee of the Council will have advised the elected member over the decision tha...

Perils of Facebook: Tory silly buggers, buggered

If you're on Facebook, and work for a political party, don't do really really funny things and post them to your Facebook profile the next day. This is the lesson I'm drawing from the parable of two Conservative Party researchers who thought that blacking up one of their faces was a great laugh, only to find the pictures printed in the Mail and the Mirror alongside outraged quotes from "anti-racism campaigners". Yes, it was a very silly and offensive thing to do. However, researchers - whatever they might think - don't actually have any power or influence. So the story ...

The year of three prime ministers

It was 1827. As Jon Craig writes on the Sky News Boulton & Co. blog: There were three Prime Ministers in 1827, but not all in the Commons. 1. The Earl of Liverpool, who resigned as Prime Minister after suffering a stroke. 2. George Canning, who became PM on April 10, 1827, but died from pneumonia on August 8, having been Prime Minister for just 119 days. 3. Frederick Robinson, Viscount Goderich, who didn't last much longer, just 130 days. Canning remains Britain's shortest serving Prime Minister. But Gordon Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair on June 27, could claim that ...

Ancrum Place/Morven Terrace

In the past few months I have had a number of complaints about the condition of the carriageway to the east end of Ancrum Place, immediately behind the Morven Terrace sheltered housing. Although the footway of Ancrum Place itself is on the Planning & Transportation Department's Unadopted Footways list, I have now been advised by the Department that the carriageway/parking area to the east is the responsibility of the Housing Department, linked to the sheltered housing complex. The West District Housing Manager has responded to me promising to visit the area to inspect the roadway. I'll keep residents advised of ...

Reinventing the State Chapter 4: Global Giants

Matthew Taylor surveys the progress and lack thereof in tackling Beveridge's 5 giants: want, squalor, disease, ignorance and idleness, in the UK and globally. For good measure, a sixth giant, the environment, is added. I should perhaps have mentioned earlier that chapters 1 through 7 come under the heading Principles and so we have here another chapter, much like Duncan Brack's, analysing the

Lancaut Church

Find out about it on the English Buildings blog.

Iraqi employees campaign

Dan Hardie reminds me that there is a meeting at Westminster on Tuesday 9 October to call for the British government to recognise its responsibilities and give shelter to the Iraqis endangered by their work for this country’s troops and diplomats. He asks you to urge your own MP to attend. Full details on how to do so can be found on Dan's blog.

Brummie of the Year 2007 - and they’re off!

Nominations are open for the 2007 Brummie of the Year award, run as always by the marvelous Birmingham:It’s Not Shit website. The big question is, can anyone match the popularity of the 2005 winner Babu? Despite his protests, my vote is going Pete Ashton’s way. His blogs consistently showcase the great things going on in and around Birmingham - I have three of them in my blogroll! Created In Birmingham is a superb resource for the arts, media and creative communities, while BrumBlog is essential reading for all things going on in the city. As if that wasn’t enough, up ...

Chris Huhne at SOAS

{chris-huhne-2.jpg} Chris Huhne flew the LibDem flag at a meeting sponsored by the Islamic Society in the Junior Common Room at SOAS this evening, on the theme ‘Do you have to be red to be green?’ Unsurprisingly, his answer was ‘no’. He made a spirited attack on the dismal failure of pre-1989 Communist governments in central and eastern Europe to care for the environment, calling them the most polluting in the history of the world, which rather took the steam out of the assault on capitalism from the Respect and Green representatives (Elaine Graham-Leigh and Derek Wall; no Tory, presumably they ...

Haram Scare ‘Em

Some time ago, I mentioned an especially unpleasant article that this blog’s old friend, Yvonne Ridley had written, attacking the young British Muslim singer and all round good guy Sami Yusuf. Now apparently, Yusuf, who recently visited Sudan, is to front a concert intended to raise awareness in the Islamic community of the genocide taking place in Darfur. I’m sure Yvonne’s colleagues in Respec’ will agee, that’s the last thing she needs.

Day 2465: Cat-Monsters Not So Tough

Tuesday: It turns out that the SABRE-TOOTHED CAT MONSTER – of whom I am NOT in any way afraid – may have been less of a TIGER and more of a PUSSY-CAT. Scientists have used computers to create a model of the Cat Monster's skull and jaws and famous TEETH and deduced that its bite was only about a THIRD as powerful as a MODERN LION. Er… hang on, that means LION MONSTERS are EVEN MORE SCARY! Where is Mr Stripy; I need a hug! Speaking of TOOTHLESS, the Competition Commission has issued a bit of a slap to Mr ...

The Now Show Podcast is Back!

... Albeit in altered form. For the last series the podcast disappeared, but for the upcoming series it will appear on the new BBC Friday Night Comedy podcast. Hooray!

Radiohead let the fans decide their worth

There’s been some crazy reaction in the media to Radiohead’s decision to let their fans decide how much to pay for their new album. In typical sensationalist style, the NME reports that Radiohead’s album will revolutionise the way people think about music. It won’t. It’s just one of a string of recent media stunts, kicked off by Prince giving away his album with the Sunday Times earlier this year. Radiohead may not make a huge amount of money from this album (although having said that their fans seem to be paying an average of £5 according to some forums), but ...

I'm sure I'd be pissed off too if I were the Tories - Brown is taking the proverbial out of us all

I have some sympathy with the Conservatives today after Gordon Brown chose to announce troop withdrawals whilst in Iraq. This is, however you look at it, a clever political move by Gordon Brown. It is a policy that will appeal to almost everyone who isn't American, but also steals the news agenda away from the Conservatives right in the middle of their conference. John Major spoke with some passion on this subject on the radio earlier claiming it shows that spin is still alive and well under Gordon Brown. I agree, although I never felt it would go under Brown, ...

Manipulation of Iraq troop figures is cynical

Commenting on the revelation that only 500 extra troops are being withdrawn from Iraq, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said: “Any troop withdrawal from Iraq is welcome, but this is a cynical effort to manipulate the figures and make it look more significant than is really the case. “In fact only 500 more troops will be pulled out of southern Iraq, since the withdrawal of the other 500 had already been announced. “It still leaves 4,500 British troops trapped in Basra airport where they no longer serve any real military or political purpose. “What we need is a clear timetable ...

Free Burma!

Immediately after my call for sanctions I received this comment which I want to publicise and encourage my fellow bloggers to participate. Free Burma! International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“. www.free-burma.org

Brown's Enron style numbers

Comrade Chairman Brown is on an election tour of Iraq to announce that 1000 troops are coming home. There must be a gap in the audience of soldiers meeting Brown drafted in to his expensive tax payer funded election tour, sorry I mean his completely necessary fact finding visit. The gap consists of 270 soldiers. They're the ones who have already come back home. Yes, here we have another Brown

Burma - Sanctions NOW!

I'm getting increasingly frustrated at the British Government's failure to impose serious and significant sanctions against the Burmese Regime (those pathetic and odious "Nazis" in the military regime don't deserve the title of "Government"). Waiting for China to sort the problem isn't going to work. We've stood by for the past 20 years (and the Tories are as guilty as Labour has been on this issue) and let the regime literally get away with murder. It is now time to crack down hard on the Junta and help bring an end to this odious stain on Asia. Come on Gordon ...

Other people's rubbish?

Most of us go from time to time to the tip at Villiers Road - or as they now call it, the Household Refuse and Recycling Centre. It seems people from other boroughs have been using it as well, and Kingston council tax payers have been paying a lot to get rid of their rubbish. So now the Villers Road site will only be open to Kingston residents. If you live in the Borough...

Brown double-counts Iraq troop withdrawal figures

So, Gordon Brown proudly announces that 1,000 troops are to be withdrawn from Iraq. The BBC headlines the story “UK troops in Basra cut by 1,000″. Job done? Well, one small problem. You see, Brown might say “1,000″ and the BBC might report “1,000″ but you know what? 500 of those troops were already coming home anyway. So [...]

Gladstone Unspun

Continuing our theme of great liberals here is a story about the G.O.M. I saw in Simon Hoggart's Saturday column: "St Peter's [in Bournemouth] is where Gladstone took his last public communion, in 1898. Three weeks later it was clear that he was near to death, so he took a train for his home at Hawarden, near Chester. At the station a man cried: "God bless you sir!" and Gladstone slowly turned to

Internationalism and the Individual

Bishop Hill is a blogger who I kind of like, even when I disagree with him, because although sometimes his analysis is slightly eccentric, it is usually trenchant. However one rant recently did catch my eye recently on Internationalism. Following up on a blogger debate between Tristan Mills and the Nameless One at Devils Kitchen , the Bishop argues that because Liberal Democrats say they are Internationalist, they are in favour of World Government. "Hard as it is to believe, internationalism embodies a belief that we need more government. That if we can just come up with some political structure ...

The rush to spend our money

Last night was another meeting of the Resource and Performance Scturiny Panel. And even though I was detained at the Peugeot garage having to sign more forms than it takes to become a US citizen, nothing could keep me away. The main item on the agenda was the Disabled Facilities Grant review. This was a review of the systems in place to provide things like easy-entry showers and stair-lifts for people with mobility difficulties, to help them stay in their homes. Lots of work went into the review from the officers delivering a much-needed service, and their efforts are to ...

Propaganda Posters and Strange Musical Instruments

The artwork on Soviet propaganda posters is often very striking and powerful as well as chilling. I’ve recently come across a great blog which is just these posters and some information about them. The author also has two other blogs. One is dedicated to Cuban propaganda posters and the other contains videos of strange musical instruments All are [...]

The rumbling guts of Labour election decision making

So what ‘gut feelings’ are likely to influence Labours (or Browns) decision on an election date? Well two possibilities are how they digest the lack of experience in actually fighting elections on the grounds and the memory of the clothes-peg vote in 2005 Both gut reactions suggest that for key Labour decision makers Labour a quick winter election is desirable as such. One of the key differences between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in 18th Century wars was that British officers worked their way up from junior ranks, learning by experience. French officers were more likely to be ...

The rumbling guts of Labour election decision making

So what ‘gut feelings’ are likely to influence Labours (or Browns) decision on an election date? Well two possibilities are how they cope with a lack of experience in actually fighting elections on the grounds and the memory of the clothes-peg vote in 2005 Both gut reactions suggest that for key Labour decision makers Labour a quick winter election is desirable as such. One of the key differences between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in 18th Century wars was that British officers worked their way up from junior ranks, learning by experience. French officers were more likely to ...

Battle of the Top Tips

A commenter signing themselves "A Royal Mail manager" has left this comment on one of my election fever posts: Top Tip. The Election Date Will Be Announced During Prime Ministers Questions Next Week. The Date WILL Be November 1st 2007. The Royal Mail Has Been Tipped Off Because They Deliver All The Election Material & Of Course Polling Cards. The Royal Mail As You Will Also Be Aware Is In Talks

Local Post Office to Close, again!

In the last round of Post Office closures the branch on Cross Street was closed down. At the time we were told that we could easily get to our second nearest Post Office which is located on the High Street opposite St Peter at Gowts school (also the name of the branch). However according to todays plans this branch is now also to be closed. How long before Lincoln is just left with one Post Office?

Laws and Clegg named among 100 most influential figures ‘on the right’

It seems unlikely that either David Laws or Nick Clegg is going to appreciate appearing on this list, The Right’s 100 Most Influential People, compiled by Iain Dale and Brian Brivati for the Torygraph. David ranks 66th, Nick 44th - here are their profiles: 66. DAVID LAWS MP LibDem Spokesman on Work & Pensions Laws was approached [...]

Voting chances

A bit of speculation in the papers today about the state of the electoral roll if there is an election in November. The "canvass" of households that every council will have done in August and September will result in a new roll in December. But clearly any changes registered through the canvass will not appear on any roll used for a November election (say various administrators). People who have moved since Autumn last year are likely to find their voting entitlement is at their old address - which may or may not be a problem. They can get round this ...

Adil Rashid's 2007 season

It is some time since we caught up with the great hope of English cricket, the young Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid. According to the Yorkshire Post: Rashid took 40 Championship wickets this year at 39.45, and although not quite the force he was with the ball in 2006, his batting will have attracted the eye of the selectors, with his record this summer reading 790 Championship runs at 46.47.The same article quoted his county captain Darren Gough: Gough revealed Yorkshire might promote Rashid in the batting order next season, saying: "He's a quality batsman who could play in the Yorkshire ...

Update - Video now available for insomnia sufferers - Left wing bias on 18 Doughty Street! Shock!

Update: Last night's embarrassment (for me) is now available to review on 18 Doughty Street. Click on "Last 7 days" and then on "George Osbourne and Inheritance Tax proposal" and then, if you are still awake, click on "Will Brown call an early election this week?" to completely send you off into the land of nod. "Does anyone actually watch this stuff?" asks an anonymous commenter about 18

Winning hearts and minds in Iraq

From the Washington Post: Blackwater security contractors in Iraq have been involved in at least 195 "escalation of force" incidents since early 2005, including several previously unreported killings of Iraqi civilians, according to a new congressional account of State Department and company documents. In one of the killings, according to a State Department document, Blackwater personnel tried to cover up what had occurred and provided a false report. In another case, involving a Blackwater convoy's collision with 18 civilian vehicles, the firm accused its own personnel of lying about the event. The State Department made little effort to hold Blackwater ...

Voting law change

Can't figure out why this story hasn't been more prominent http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7023872.stm

Tory promises on europe – always good for a laugh

William Hague, the only Tory with a licensed sense of humour, has had ‘em rolling in the aisles once again in Blackpool. He has called for the original Accession Treaty by which Britain joined the then European Community to be amended so that any new treaty which ‘signed away’ powers to Europe would have to be subject to a referendum. Well this just about beggars belief. Not only did a Tory Prime Minister sign that same accession treaty in 1972, supported by his Cabinet colleagues, including one M. Thatcher but at the time he didn’t seem to think that a ...

My Conference Round Up

Slightly later than I would have liked, and before I forget everything, here is my (illustrated) experience of this years conference: Saturday Arrived in Brighton by train in the late afternoon. First mistake of Conference was the decision to walk from the station with my, rather heavy, bag to my hotel. However, pleased to check in to a rather stylish and friendly hotel on Upper Rock Gardens.

Tories in a bubble?

One of the benefits of freelance work is the freedom to pick and choose your working hours. So with the prospects of a general election growing by the hour, I’ve been watching some of the Conservative party conference thanks to BBC Parliament. Some of the speeches have been impressive, particularly from William Hague. However, rather than serious political debates and policy announcements, their aim seems to be to cover as many populist subjects as possible to put Brown off calling an election. They’re sure trying hard - inheritance tax, immigration, NHS and “our broken society”. Hague then launched into a ...

Day 2464: DOCTOR WHO: Stink of the Zygons

Monday: I hope you all watched part two of Sarah Jane Smith's adventures this week – even if you already watched it the first time! Daddy will be reviewing the second story next week, but in the meanwhile, I have given him some light reading to get though Spoilers, as ever, may follow… There's nothing that's intrinsically wrong with this book. Steve Cole, who has written several times for the New Doctor Who books already ("The Monsters Inside", "The Feast of the Drowned" and "The Art of Destruction"), is accomplished as a writer with a relaxed style that generally carries ...

Feedback 2: Fathers

Barry's other comment was on my posting about Liberal Democrat policy towards fathers. He wrote, "This makes disagreeable reading on a supposedly liberal blogsite, and it is difficult to know where to begin. You mix general comments with specific which you clearly are inviting your readers to believe matches your situation. Firstly, your statement "the [father] loses his property." This is not

Arguments for and against inheritance tax

James Graham has done the short version of the Georgist objections to Conservative Plans over Stamp Duty and Inheritance Tax and, whilst I have blogged in the past about why we should indeed abolish IHT completely, I spotted this yesterday on "The First Post" which I think highlights a common confusion about IHT and, in particular, "real property" - ie your home... Arguments for and against inheritance tax: ARGUMENTS FOR (abolition/reform): Inheritance tax no longer fulfils its original intention. Initially designed to raise money from the very wealthy, it now penalises more and more members of the middle classes. The ...

Feedback: 1. Water

Barry Molyneaux has left comments on two earlier posts, but I'm responding here because I want to make the discussion more visible. Firstly on water and Barbara Young. Barry said, "Who is Barbara Young and why do you think she is in a position to know? And why do you not see that it is a disgrace to be making an excuse that the flooding was caused by climate change and hence was not in anyway

Quick, grab all the policies you can. we’re leaving!

According to the Independent, the future 18th Baronet Osbourne (George to his friends), tasked with preparing the Tories’ manifesto for the impending contest on November 1st, has decided that it will be much shorter and less specific than last time. A single sheet of A4 printed in 14 point on one side might just suffice, given the sheer poverty of their ideas. He made this announcement at a fringe meeting entitled ‘How do the Conservatives win next time?’ Well, you can imagine the tumbleweed which must have swept through that Blackpool meeting room as they all sat round looking bemused ...

A sense of loss

No. I'm not referring to what you all feel about my almost complete silence for two months. I'm just reflecting what a strange channel Radio 4 is. This morning "The Choice" told the story of a Pakistani women who still loved her country but had to flee it because of a brutal husband. Her courage and her sense of loss were palpable. Of course, the Home Office tried to send her back ! By

Strange incident with Dennis Wise

Sitting in my car in Sainsbury’s in Harrogate yesterday evening, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of me and two, what I would say ‘geezers’ got out. One was carrying an old styrene coffee cup which he then placed in the seat of a trolley which was in one of the bays. They went up to the supermarket, presumably to get some money because they were back in a couple of minutes and without bags. I thought was this bloke so feeble that he couldn’t carry the styrene cup up to the bins outside the supermarket? And on closer ...

Avtar Lit to stand as Mayor for London?

Rumours are abound that the King of Sunrise Radio (Avtar Lit) is to stand as an independent candidate for the Mayor of London elections. Avtar who has singularly built up the station and who now owns numerous stations across the country, has stood for elections before at a national level. He stood as an independent candidate for Ealing Southall a few years ago and has a core voter base within the Asian community. I personally like his style and manner and he is warm and very receptive. He is also incredibly politically able and I salute anyone who has the ...

Brown to call 1st Nov election tomorrow

Well, that’s the top tip The Voice has just received from ’sources in the know’. Remember, you read it here first if it happens. (Just forget about it if it doesn’t.)

All troops should be brought home from Iraq within six months

Responding to reports, accompanying Gordon Brown’s visit to Iraq today, that 2,000 troops could be brought home by the spring, Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell said: “While we welcome any reduction in the number of British troops in Iraq, there is now an urgent need to get all the 5,000 remaining troops home. “The overriding question is whether there is any military or political benefit to be gained from the continued presence of our armed forces in Iraq. The answer is clearly no. “The Government should draw up a timetable to get all our soldiers safely home within six months.” ...

A Challenge

..> Thank you May I thank those of you who responded to my bulletin last week about a forthcoming General Election. It could be upon us earlier than I thought.My best guess is that the Prime Minis...

James Randi tackles Audiophiles

The worlds most famous skeptical investigator is famous for debunking celebrity charlatans like the nonsense-talking, spoon-bending mystic Uri Geller. I’m glad to say that he also has time to educate the world about entirely materialistic forms of flim-flam: this week he has turned his attention to the high-end hifi industry, specifically their tendancy to sell outrageously priced “interconnects” and speaker cables to gullible “audiophiles”. Having served my time in community radio, I can be sure that there is no audible difference between an interconnect costing 50p and one which costs £50. There is a practical difference, which is that you ...

200 monks head `banged against a brick wall`

Added to my earlier post is more worrying news from Burma. It seems the Burmese Junta use their own `newspeak`. As they are not able to hide the raid of a monastery of 200 monks the news is let out that they are `arrested`. This allows the reader to see nothing or fear something so terrible that the individual dares not think. So what happened to them? According to someone in Yangon: `A troop of lone-tein (riot police comprised of paid thugs) protected by the military trucks, raided the monastery with 200 studying monks. They systematically ordered all the monks ...

One down, 534 to go

Via Graham Linehan, the USA gets its first atheist member of Congress, Pete Stark of California: Stark, who is a Unitarian, is the highest-ranking American politician to openly declare that he is nontheist. Although Stark denies a belief in a god, he was quick to note that the Stark family does recognize a supreme being: Mrs. Stark. Though it does help to confirm my belief that a Unitarian is just an atheist who likes to go to church.

A Brixton break from election prep

An evening off last night (which was a shock to the system!) so go and see the mighty Incubus at the delightful Brixton Academy. Originally planned as a treat for my eldest back in April the gig had been rescheduled following band member being injured. Support band Puggy did a fine job and picked up a strong reaction. A lively stage prescence and a batch of interesting songs with influences ranging from spanish guitar to Muse, they went down very well with the Incubus crowd. And Incubus? Well they're not a band I've heard a lot of, although what I ...

Brown's next election visit: Baghdad

If anyone thinks that nice Comrade Chairman Brown would not do all he can to get the Tory conference out of the headlines, his visit today to Baghdad is all the proof you need to know he will use any instrument he can to manage the news agenda and deny opponents the coverage they would expect to have in a multi-party democracy. Brown is posing as the statesman and is on a "fact finding" mission

The fighting nuns of Bari

Story of the Day goes to this one from the BBC: A convent in Italy is being shut down after a fight between its last three remaining nuns.

The humble moustache

A new book on The Decline and Fall of the British Empire by Piers Brendon has revealed the startling role of the moustache in the way that Britain extended its influence during the nineteenth century. According to The Times, itself a throwback to imperial times, in the 18th and early 19th century, sophisticated Britons wore wigs but spurned facial hair. The exception was the king, George III, whose unshaven appearance was mocked as a sign of his madness. However, by the 1830s the “moustache movement” was in the ascendancy. British officers, copying the impressive moustaches that they encountered on French ...

Hygiene and MRSA

MRSA and C difficile are only two of a number of infections that can be caught in hospital. Gordon Brown talked about a "deep clean" once a year. To some extent that should demonstrate his disqualification for the role he is in. He proposes as a solution something that basically would have no effect. I have linked to the BritMeds a collection of blog entries by people in the medical

Nick Clegg on Telegraph's list of 100 most influential figures on the "right"

For interest: The Right's 100 Most Influential: 50-26 - Telegraph: {Nick Clegg in Telegraph's list of 100 influential for the right.} 44.NICK CLEGG MP Home Affairs Spokesman, Liberal Democrats What’s a Lib Dem doing on a list like this? Clegg is the leading right of centre disciple of ‘Orange Book’ politics. He’s the antithesis of the stereotype ‘beard & sandals’ Lib Dems, who mutter about him being a ‘closet’ Tory. He’s the sort of liberal who actually understands the historic meaning of the word and is likely to become even more influential when he takes on Chris Huhne for the ...

The Triffids of Ladywell

A while back, I wrote to Lewisham Council about the overgrown vegetation which appears to be attacking pedestrians outside the Ladywell Playtower. Here is the response which I've just received: Dear Councillor Milton, Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding vegetation at the front of the Ladywell Playtower. I have been informed by Annette Stead, Head of Sports & Active Recreation, that the Ladywell Playtower is a disused site and is currently boarded up, with an on-site security presence to prevent vandalism. Although, the grounds are not currently part of any ongoing grounds maintenance contract, the responsibility for the upkeep ...

Euro Hustings in a remarkable building

Off to Stockton Town Hall on Saturday for the 10am stop on the Lib Dem Northern Region Euro Hustings roadshow. In the midst of General Election fever we still have to look ahead to 2009 and select our team for the European elections. The photo shows Fiona Hall MEP, Neil Bradbury, Chris Foote-Wood and Simon Reed, with Doreen Huddart, appropriately enough as the Candidates' Committee

In Memoriam Ned Sherrin

{ned_sherrin.jpg} Ever since I was a kid, most of my friends have been older than me, which has often proved educative. But now, sadly, it means that many are reaching the end of this mortal coil, the latest to depart being the broadcaster and producer Ned Sherrin. He became a household name to radio listeners in particular, because of his irreverent Saturday evening arts programme on Radio 4, ‘Loose Ends’. This was great fun to take part in, as Ned was good at coaxing stories out of people and he kept the atmosphere jolly with his grimaces and raised eyebrows — all invisible to the listener, ...

Jo Swinson to run the Loch Ness Marathon for charity

Jo Swinson MP will be running the Loch Ness Marathon on 7th October, to raise money for the Anaphylaxis Campaign.

Day 2463: A Diamond Gone Forever

Sunday: We were sad to hear that the original Miss Moneypenny, Ms Lois Maxwell, has died at the age of eighty. We were watching "Diamonds are Forever", interrupted by a telephone call, when we heard the news. It seemed sadly apt. She won a Golden Globe while appearing with Ms Shirley Temple and had a small role in the notorious "Bedtime for Bonzo" (it stared Mr Ronald Raygun and a Chimpanzee – one of them would go on to become President of America). She was the voice of Atlanta in Gerry Anderson's "Stingray" and played a Nun-with-a-Gun in "The Avengers" ...

Tuesday 2nd October 2007

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