LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Tuesday 30th October 2007

The unpatriotic Conservatives

Yesterday I suggested that because many leading Conservatives are neo-cons they have no basis from which to mount an attack on Labour's disastrous foreign policy. Here is another illustration. As I also mentioned yesterday, the Labour minister Shahid Malik was stopped and searched at Washington DC's Dulles airport after a series of meetings on tackling terrorism. This is not the first time he has been singled out by US authorities. And what is the Conservative reaction? Here is Michael Forsyth's question to Steve Bassam in the Lords yesterday: My Lords, does the noble Lord not think that Ministers should set ...

Labour Follows the Liberal Democrats in Protesting against the Saudi Visit

Following Labour MP Khalid Mahmoud's pathetic attempt to brush aside Saudi Arabia's terrible human rights record on Newsnight, calling Vince Cable's principled stand, 'misguided and isolationist' it seems that some Labour MPs and activists, along with Peter Tatchell are following the Liberal Democrat line on this. Check out the Labour Home link: Protest the Saudi state visit! - Wed 31st October Join Labour MPs, Murad Qureshi AM, campaigners such as Peter Tatchell, Sandy Mitchell (former British prisoner in Saudi Arabia) and Yahya Al-Faifi (an exiled Saudi trade unionist) in a protest against the Saudi regime outside the Saudi Embassy this ...

You’re on camera…

The British love affair with CCTV means we are now the most filmed nation in Europe, with roughly one camera for every 14 people. I’m not a CCTV-phobe - in my time as a councillor, I sat on the regen board that introduced the first CCTV in Islington, and with my Lib Dem colleagues, voted [...]

Totally Unrelated

This and this have absolutely nothing to do with one another, not a single thing.

Birmingham in the Pink

The pictures below are from last Friday, when the fountain in Victoria Square (the "floozie in the jacuzzi") ran pink for "wear it pink" day (part of Breast Cancer Awareness month). The pink water was organised by the Lady Mayoress to accompany a fundraising coffee morning in the Lord Mayor's Parlour (which I understand raised over £600).

Why I Stood up Martha Kearney

I had really been looking forward to attending the Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture in Oxford this afternoon, as Martha Kearney — presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘The World at One’ — would be speaking on ‘Radio: Medium of the Moment’. Especially as there would be a reception heavy with fellow journos in the Examination Schools afterwards, followed by dinner at my old college, St. Edmund Hall. But just as I was leaving SOAS for the Oxford Tube, the phone went, asking me to take part in a one-hour live television programme on Press TV, regarding King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s state visit to ...

British jobs for British workers?

The Government are wiping statistical egg off their faces again. Up until this week, we were being told that only 0.8 million foreign migrants had come to work in the UK, while the labour market had grown by 2.7m new jobs. Now the Government has had to revise both figures, admitting that in fact 1.1m new migrants had entered Britain, while only 2.1m new jobs had been created. Far from creating "British jobs for British workers," it appears that Gordon Brown has been creating British jobs for foreign workers. Except that it's all tosh, of course. For one thing, Gordon ...

Recycling and graffiti ...

Attended the photocall in Blackness Avenue this morning (along with representatives of Blackness Area Residents' Association and councillor colleagues) to mark the installation of the city’s 50th neighbourhood recycling point - see photo (right). You can also read the story in tonight's "Evening Telegraph" by clicking on the headline above.Further to last Saturday's blog entry about the badly graffitied phone box in Cleghorn Street, pleased to say BT has since advised me it will take steps to get it cleaned up.

Literacy and Numeracy Education the Key

I've been doing a bit of catching up on TV viewing recently thanks to the excellent 4OD service. I watched the recent Dispatches programme on illiteracy amongst our kids in this country with shock and disbelief that so many were getting left behind. I have to declare an interest as a parent of a four year old who has started Primary School this September but I'm frankly shocked that anyone could think that anything less than 100% literacy in the 21st Century in a system with 11 years of compulsory schooling is acceptable. I'm going to sound like a bit ...

Proud to be a Liberal Democrat

I'm increasingly ashamed to be "represented" by the government of this country. Today's reason? The state visit of the king of Saudi Arabia. This is a country which is home to one of the most distorted forms of Islam, where cruel and degrading punishment is handed out to those convicted on the flimsiest of evidence. Those who doubt should try reading reports from Amnesty International. Then I

"Scrutiny" Committee

On my bike today for a ride up to Whinbush Way for the new Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Committee. A small, crowded room, with no space for local residents to squeeze in, even if they'd wanted to - so why did we drag 20 or so people up there instead of a comfortable room in the Town Hall? The meeting itself could have been really interesting, but the agenda was too long and the reports too

Ludlow Town Council latest

Britain's most entertaining local authority, Ludlow Town Council, has failed in its efforts to find a new clerk. Perhaps they should consider paying danger money? More in the Shropshire Star.

Computer games can be good for kids says research

A survey has shown that playing computer games can sharpen up a child's mind, can improve classroom behaviour and improve their maths skills. It might shut up those people who constantly want to have a pop at the computer games industry or those who play games regularly. And with recent evidence showing that regularly playing on a Nintendo Wii can be beneficial in both keeping you fit, helping you lose wight and sharpening up reflexes, perhaps the rather outmoded view that all computer games are bad might just go away.

When is a "dog whistle" not a "dog whistle" ? (2)

Try this little comparison. Speech One, according to Tory Spin Central is a "dog whistle" speech. Speech Two, TSC says, is not a "dog whistle" speech. Any help in understanding the distinction would be very gratefully received. I have cut and pasted a couple of little quotes from each speech and a link to the full text in each case. Speech One Firm but fair immigration controls are essential

Now the BBC does name Emily Thornberry

On Friday I complained that the BBC had failed to name Emily Thornberry (Lab, Islington South) as the MP whose action were described by Sir Philip Mawer, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, as "unwise and unfortunate". That post was read by a lot of people thanks to Iain Dale and, in particular, Biased BBC. Yesterday it had visitors from the BBC itself. Now the report does name Emily Thornberry and has this footnote: Earlier versions of this story did not include the name of the MP as it was a straight report from Sir Philip's report in which she was ...

On Liberty, Online: The threat to two party democracy is averted (for now)

BBC: Parties' funding talks suspended I'm aware that we have a spokesman quoted in this story (which is better than we usually do) but the Liberal Democrats should be all over this story like a rash, for as long as it takes for people to take notice. There has been a lot of chatter in the media recently wondering what actual differences remain between the three parties; what policies of each other's they wouldn't adopt if they thought it would make them more popular. A commitment to real reform what sets the Liberal Democrats apart from Labour and the Conservatives, ...

Corker on Giscard d'Estaing

Alix on "The People's Republic of Mortimer" has played an absolute blinder with this post about Giscard d'Estaing's letter regarding the EU Treaty.

Craig Murray is on Newsnight tonight

Craig Murray tells us that this evening's Newsnight (BBC2, 10.30 p.m.) will be covering the use of forced labour in the Uzbek cotton industry. He also recommends this short documentary from the Environmental Justice Foundation.

Yate Library wins £1.5m Lottery grant

Yate Library has been awarded a grant of £1.5million from the Big Lottery Fund to extend and update the inside of the library, creating space for community learning and an exhibition area for local organisations and the community. The improvements should open by 2010. Councillor Kay Crowe said, “It's absolutely wonderful news. We've been waiting this for a long time. Within the Yate and Sodbury Library Committee and the Mobile Library Committee we have been surveying and canvassing residents as to what improvements they want to see." "The sort of opportunities that this money will provide for extending the building ...

Labour U-turn on school surplus snatch

So the Labour Government have backed down on the plan to snach back 5% of school reserves. Good for them but they could have released the news five minutes earlier and we could have pulled the latest edition of Focus from the printer. It carries an item on the issue, that we could have updated. We contacted the printer as soon as we heard the news on the radio today but the page had just been printed.

Tories and Labour remain united in self interest over party funding

Talks have apparently collapsed ending any hope of a deal on party political funding, meaning that Lord Ashcroft (the former Belize ambassador ???) will remain the Tories major supplier of Tories funds and the unions will continue to bankroll Labour. What the collapse in the talks shows us is that labour and the Tories cannot put heir own interests aside in an effort to wipe the slate clean on party funding and get people believing that individuals make a difference in politics. As it is, the message the Tories are putting out is that millionaire individuals count as being more ...

Laws helps force Labour U-turn on schools cash-raid

Lib Dem schools spokesman David Laws was busy last week leading the attack on Labour’s plans to confiscate 5% of school cash balances. Today Labour back-tracked on its plans, with schools minister Jim Knight confirming the Government would keep its hands off, and leave school balances untouched. The BBC has the full story here. [...]

On Liberty, Online: Decision time - who to back?

So, the time has come to me to make my mind up and tell the planet who I think should lead the Liberal Democrats. In fact, I made my mind up as soon as I knew who was standing, and anyone who knows me at all, has read my comments on other blogs, knows where I live, or is friends with me on Facebook will know exactly who I'm backing. But let me spin it out for a bit. If you're anything like me you'll need a bit of suspense in your life. I think we all agree that Liberal ...

I know where the dinosaurs are hiding

When the media and the press talk about impending battles between the Left and Right within parties, they really are resorting to their comfort zones. For one thing, dividing politics up into Right and Left is a tad narrow-minded. There are three distinct political traditions (socialism; conservatism; liberalism; with the possible addition of environmentalism as a fourth), and if one must divide politics along a single axis, that between authoritarianism and freedom is as germane as that between a planned or a spontaneous market. But accepting that the press will never manage to handle something as complex as three – ...

Community Politics Today: be wolves not bees!

Another article from the archives. This one was written in Summer 2006 for Community Politics Today, a collection of essays revisiting community politics. Again, I would encourage you to buy the full book and read all the other contributions. The original Theory and Practice of Community Politics by Bernard Greaves and Gordon Lishman is available on Colin Rosenstiel’s website. The party has failed to heed the principles underpinning community politics, both in the way it campaigns and the way it treats its own community. If we are to be more than “just another party” we will need to become the ...

The Group Meeting (revised)

One of the cardinal principles that I adopted for this on line diary was that I wouldn't edit posts. It would stand or fall by what I felt at the time. I have kept to this with one exception so why revise yesterdays post on a Group meeting. Well firstly for non Lib Dem readers I didn't explain what I ment by a group meeting. The purpose of the blog was to try and explain how certain systems work. Secondly I'm not sure I really did justice to the theme I was trying to tease out, the conflict between individuality ...

Yazd All Folks

I went to Iran last month, and these are a couple of thoughts on what I saw there. Iran is a society in uniform. Before the Islamic Revolution which swept the Ayatollah to power, it is believed that a third of Iranians had some connection to SAVAK, the Shah’s feared secret police. Today the hand of the state is displayed far more boldly; everywhere you go men sport uniforms, though it’s often hard to tell whether they indicate that the wearer is a bus conductor or an Air Force pilot. A beard is a uniform too, and those wearing one ...

When is a "dog whistle" not a "dog whistle"?

Following my earlier post here: Only on Saturday night, Iain Dale wrote: "Brown to Spotlight Immigration in Bid to Woo Back Middle England A reader tips me off that according to a government minister he spoke to tonight, Gordon Brown sees immigration as the issue which will set him back on the straight and narrow. He will be making a big speech on it in the next couple of weeks. Apparently

The Madness of Gabbygate

If insulting the electorate worked, political parties would have tried it long ago. Clearly, telling people that they would have to be really stupid to fall for Labour/Tory spin would be counter-productive. That is a lesson the judges and some of the dancers on Strictly Come Dancing would do well to learn. Calling the viewing public all sorts of names for backing underdog Kate Garraway over the likes of Gabby Logan and Penny Lancaster-Stewart is only going to persuade more people to vote for her. There are some who take Strictly far too seriously. If it were just a dance ...

The Causal Relationship Will Be Between This Stick And Your Head

As a recovering scientist, one of my public policy bugbears is the flagrant misuse of statistics. What is worse is when that misuse comes from the academics themselves... The Independent on Sunday reports the findings of a study in the journal Environmental Research claiming that the fall in violent crime in the US in the 1990's was the result of banning leaded petrol. Researchers report a "very

Scrutinising

Tonight’s delights include a third meeting of the scrutiny sub-group on alternative models of service delivery. Now it is decision time, and we record our findings ready for them to be reported back to main scrunity in a couple of weeks. And then after that it’s scrutiny itself. A short agenda tonight, so hopefully we will be out of there by sunrise, which occasionally I begin to doubt will actually happen. I have to go to these meeting right now, hence the short posting…

Open Source in Government

Dr. John Pugh made a very sensible speech in parliament about software procurement. It's an esoteric field, but the same principles should be applied to software procurement in local government. The full debate is here. It's quite esoteric, but his third paragraph is the most important.

No Pay Day

Today is what the Fawcett Society is terming Women's No Pay Day. The pay gap between women and men working full-time is equivalent to men getting paid all year but women working for nothing from October 30th to year end. And this is despite the fact that women do better at school than men! And this is not a fringe issue, either. 71% of women think the government should do something about it (

My Re-Indoctrination Is Complete

You know, take a look around you. This country has been voting liberal for as long as I can remember. Sure, it’s been the Labour Party or the Conservatives that have been the beneficiaries but the truth is our crowd - our people - they’re the ones who make or break governments in this country.Look at how many of our policies have been implemented. Look at the liberal character of this country and ask yourself this: Why aren’t the Liberal Democrats the natural party of government? What finally sunk in today is that we do have a potential base out ...

Glasnost reaches the BBC at last!

People wondering why the BBC left Emily Thornberry’s name off their report about her altering Electoral Commission press releases may be interested to note that her name has now been added to the story, along with the following statement: * Earlier versions of this story did not include the name of the MP as it was a straight report from Sir Philip’s report in which she was not named. We added the name, and some extra background, once we became aware of her identity. This may seem uninteresting to some, but to those who have for a long time bemoaned ...

Rotating Drivel

Apparently the main picture that appears on Nick Clegg's website rotates. Here are some of my favourite: "... of pointing... and looking." "... especially 12-year-olds, because he's one of them." "... that can bore the pants off any MP" (or just insert "mass" where appropriate). "... All the way to Sheffield, where the really poor and elderly live." (seriously, was the bingo hall closed that day

The dark side of green

A serious-looking A5 booklet fell out of the Grauniad last weekend. Ah, I thought, another timely retrospective of Frieda Kahlo which I shall keep carefully on the floor for some months and mean to read in odd moments, only admitting that no moment is quite odd enough when the booklet has developed a thin patina of sticky fur. But no, this is The Green Guide, and I flick through to see if there is anything whatsoever I don’t know about lightbulbs, roof insulation, leaving appliances on standby and the remainder. By the seventeenth page of promotional material I have twigged that this is not ...

Opinion: Who Decides?

In the Liberal Democrats’ leadership election, for all the strategic analysis and policy debates among the cognoscenti, it is the ‘armchair’ members who will determine this election. This majority will rely on the mainstream media to make its choice rather than the party’s internal media and grapevines (bear in mind that the average age of [...]

Ming’s email lists and the leadership election… setting the record straight

There are some unsubstantiated rumours going round that the Nick Clegg campaign has been using Ming Campbell’s email list from the last leadership election. Let’s set the record straight here. I ran Ming’s online leadership campaign last time. I’m the only person with an archive of Ming’s online supporter database and of the ‘campbell campaign’ email news list. No-one else has got them. No-one else has asked for them. Ming has not asked me to provide them to anyone. And I haven’t done so. I’ve seen the various lists that were used during the recent ‘teamclegg’ cockup - because I ...

European Selection - if a candidate endorses another candidate in a different selection, and nobody notices, has it really happened?

The observant amongst you will have noticed have noticed comments from Linda Jack, amongst others, noting that she cannot indicate which leadership candidate she is endorsing. As Returning Officer for the South East European Region, I am obliged to enforce this ruling. I do so with a heavy heart. The endorsement rules have become a lead weight around the necks of candidates and Returning

I learnt a new word today

Illisible is French for impenetrable, as in the new European treaty is illisible pour les citoyens. Valery Giscard d’Estaing has claimed in an open letter to Le Monde that the European constitution and the current treaty are essentially the same. At least, that is what my epolitix bulletin is telling me and it’s also Giscard d’Estaing’s (which bit, if either, should one use? I am never sure) own headline. The Tories are crowing - the headline is presumably the only bit Conservative spokesman on Europe Mark Francois (is that really his name? or did no-one want the job and it has been shared out between an ...

Personal advisers on commuting!

Apparently the government in the form of Ruth Kelly is planning "a big increase in access to 'personal travel plans' after trials showed huge decreases in car travel for only a few million pounds of public spending. Under the scheme, households and other organisations are offered personal advice, including a home visit, during which an expert analyses what journeys are made by car and how some could be replaced by other means." As an aim this is to be lauded although I somehow doubt the cost effectiveness and long term benefit of such a scheme without a real focus on ...

But doesn’t liberalism require an English Parliament if we want one?

As Liberal Democrats, we believe that decisions should be taken at the most appropriate, most effective level. We believe that ceding certain powers to Europe is a good thing, although we’d really rather have a more democratic Europe, with open decision-making, better scrutiny and meaningful reportage. We also believe in localism (and for our newfound allies in the Labour and Conservative

Age concern – the Liberal Democrats and generational equity

I wrote this article in Summer 2006 for Liberalism - something to shout about, published by Graham Watson MEP and edited by Simon Titley. I’m taking the liberty of republishing it here, but if you want to read the other articles - by Graham, Simon, Ros Scott, Jonathan Calder and Simon Bryceson, follow the above link for an order form. Any article on this topic will inevitably date quickly, so please bear that in mind. In particular, “Hands off our future” is a reference to an abortive attempt of mine to set up a campaign website on the topic which ...

Winchester’s Environmental Footprint - TV interviews

It’s been a bit of a OTT week for media with interviews on Sky, ITV and the BBC. The BBC and Sky wanted to talk about the WWF report on Winchester’s Environmental Footprint. The Sky interview (below) was live and straight into a camera with a small earpiece in my ear where I could listen to Eamonn Holmes. The BBC interview was prerecorded at home. The final shot with Tom Hepworth is shot in our living room. That’s my TV that gets switched off at the end (and, yes, it does get switched off at the wall when not in ...

Three party politics is (officially) alive and well...

The cry of those would subdue us in recent weeks has been: “who cares?” “what are the Lib Dems for” etc. Radio presenters of phone in shows have asked their audiences “Is the departure of Ming Campbell a suitable juncture for the Lib Dems to curl up and die?” Well, now we have hard statistics with which to round on our detractors and show that far from being cast to the periphery, the public of Britain still believe us to be a significant force in British Politics. According to a recent poll conducted by the Daily Politics, respondents were asked ...

Why are the good guys so often the fall guys?

Today's Daily Mail has picked up on figures I've unearthed about the huge numbers of uninsured cars on the roads. As they quoted me saying: "[The Government's] policies for pursuing uninsured drivers have been a total failure and it is about time they accepted the facts and took action. As with most crime, it is inevitably the law-abiding public that end up footing the bill with uninsured drivers costing us on average £30 more in premiums. I get really, really angry that it is always the good guys who are the fall guys."

Jings! SFA make another correct decision

I'm not normally much impressed by the blazers who run the Scottish Football Association but much to my surprise they have today made their second correct call in as many weeks. Last week they announced that the Rangers and Celtic matches scheduled a few days before the all or nothing qualifier with Italy had been postponed. first time I can recall them so doing and, in the circumstances, an excellent plan. Today they announced that they are still opposed to a UK team participating in the 2012 Olympic games. This is also a correct call. Why? Well, quite simply a ...

The tories don't own england - thank god

On the issue of the proposal for an English Grand Committee of MPs, a key fact which is being ignored by everyone involved is that the Tories do not have a majority of MPs in England. In fact they have nowhere near a majority. The numbers from the 2005 General Election are as follows LABOUR 286 CONSERVATIVE 193 LIB DEM 47 OTHERS 2 That rather neatly reflects the national picture. While making all the right noises about a comprehensive constitutional settlement, we need to address the key issue over how long we intend to allow the anomaly of under-representation for ...

Getting The Right Answers

When a Minister answers you in the House with the words; "I agree entirely with everything the hon.. Gentleman says." You start to worry if you have asked the right question! I was asking about ...

Huhne: English votes on English laws (but only once PR’s in place)

The ‘West Lothian Question’ raised its head again this week, following the pre-announcement that the Tories want a ‘grand committee’ of English MPs to determine legislation which will affect only England. Under the current constitutional arrangements, MPs representing Scottish and Welsh constituencies can vote on English matters, but MPs representing English constituencies cannot vote on [...]

We need a referendum on the whole sausage, not a slice of it

Stephen Tall asks the $64,000 question: Would you be happy to see our MPs voting against the only EU referendum that’s on the table? It's the sort of question which brings a thin film of sweat to one's brow. But I have to be honest. Yes, I would be happy for our MPs voting against a referendum on a minor revising treaty. It’s nuts. But I agree, such a move would be the political equivalent of

Is it time to stop being so ‘inward looking’ about EU Reform?

Stephen Tall writes a fantastic opinion piece on Lib Dem Voice today about the leadership candidates’ stance on the EU Reform Treaty: Some time soon, the Tories will call vote in the House of Commons on whether Britain should hold a referendum, at which point 63 Lib Dem MPs will have to make a decision - to march through the ‘no’ lobbies with Labour against a referendum; or through the ‘aye’ lobbies with the Tories in favour of one. I doubt I’m alone in feeling queasy at the former prospect. Stephen is certainly not alone - I agree with him ...

For Megson, read Roeder…

Different club, different manager (although Gary Megson worked his magic at City too in the past), same story. This article says it all. Is there a pithy phrase for the way waste spirals down the toilet bowl - it might be more appropriate than ‘managerial merry-go-round’. Still, ticket prices might be cheaper in League One…

Tyrant lectures Democrats

As the bloated entourage of the Saudi King decamps to London for a full State visit it is hard to suppress the gag reflex. The Saudi regime corrupts all who engage with it. The disgraceful way that the UK has attempted to brush under the carpet the allegations of bribery against British Aerospace can not disguise the fact that the perfumed princelings of the House of Saud will always demand their cut. Meanwhile the austere version of Islam- Wa'habi - that the House of Saud proclaims has created the murderous perversion of Osama Bin laden and his deranged acolytes. The ...

55 more party members back Clegg…

After a slow start the Clegg campaign have now got a good website up and running. It allows ordinary party members not only to pledge their support for him, but also to post up a short statement of why they are doing so. These show well that Nick’s support includes grassroots party members from around the country - and some of their statements make interesting reading: if there’s one theme that comes across to me from them, it is the ambition for the party that shines through from these people, and that they firmly believe he is the man to ...

Which bit of him would you like to see first?

Unlike Dr Vince Cable, very tall Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski is positively gushing about the Saudis. Irked by criticism of the House of Saud, he chips into the debate to explain that "Most of the liberal elite in this country who complain about Saudi have never even visited it". Too right Danny - though since obtaining a visa is near impossible, we'll have to take it from you that it's Nivarna! But Dan marked his Middle East card during last year’s Hezbollah-Israel crisis, when he boasted that he had "asked Mr Blair to consider recalling the British Ambassador to Syria". ...

Saudi boycot - the the right thing to do

Congratulations to Vince Cable on his stance over the visit by the King of Saudi Arabia. If you are worried about human rights, you need to be worried whichever country you are talking about. This from the BBC- Cable to boycott Saudi king visit Vince Cable will not attend any of the ceremonial events Vince Cable interview Liberal Democrat acting leader Vince Cable is boycotting the state visit to Britain of Saudi King Abdullah. Mr Cable says he will not attend any of the planned ceremonial events - as would be normal for the leader of one of the main ...

Boycott of Saudi’s wrong approach

I’m not convinced that Lib Dem acting leader Vince Cable’s boycott of a visit by the Saudi King Abdullah is the right approach. Clearly some regime’s are beyond the pale and deserve to be treated as international pariahs. Sanctions and serious international diplomatic isolation can be effective in certain circumstances. But that’s not what we are talking about here. As a child I spent a couple of years living in Saudi Arabia. I fell in love with the country and its people. But it was absolutely clear, even as a small boy, that personal freedom, justice and basic human rights ...

“A dubious ally who devalues our government”

Following up yesterday’s story about Vince Cable’s boycott of the Saudi state visit, here’s a link to his article in The Independent in which he expands on his decision: The British government should not have offered the accolade of a state visit to the head of a regime which is authoritarian and deeply corrupt. Our own Foreign Office has described Saudi Arabia, without hyperbole, as follows: “Women are subject to discrimination. Prisoners suffer maltreatment and torture. Capital punishment is imposed without adequate safeguards and often executed in a cruel way and in public. Amputations are imposed as corporal punishment … ...

David Cameron wins the race to the dog whistle

Only on Saturday night, Iain Dale wrote: Brown to Spotlight Immigration in Bid to Woo Back Middle England A reader tips me off that according to a government minister he spoke to tonight, Gordon Brown sees immigration as the issue which will set him back on the straight and narrow. He will be making a big speech on it in the next couple of weeks. Apparently he's been on the phone to Michael

While I have been away

As so often, I have neglected this blog for months and all kinds of interesting* things have happened. I’ve been on holiday. I spent weeks with my team preparing for a general election that didn’t happen. I’ve knocked on lots of doors and delivered lots of leaflets. Oh, and Ming Campbell is gone and we Lib Dems are engaged in a leadership election. So who to back? Chris Huhne is probably politically closer to my own views than Nick Clegg, but I do find Chris a little dull. It’s not all about presentation, but if Ming’s departure told us anything, ...

Lithuanian ambassador complains about Cameron gaffe

The Guardian: David Cameron's alleged off-the-cuff remarks about "one-legged Lithuanian lesbians" at a recent arts funding lunch have caused outrage in Lithuania, and a complaint from the country's ambassador to the UK asking the Conservative leader to explain himself.

if you’re going to San Di-ego….

If Southern California hadn’t had enough to deal with recently, 35-40 000 neuroscientists will be descending on San Diego next week and I get to be one of them. whoopee. I wonder whether god might have something against neuroscience. The annual Society for Neuroscience conference rotates between Washington DC, Orlando, New Orleans and San Diego. So if Orlando and Washington want to avoid an "act of god" perhaps they should ban us - Maybe we’re getting to close to the truth! Or actually: 2005 - Dalai Lama gives keynote speech 2006 - New Orleans floods* 2007 - San Diego wildfires ...

Tories and Lib Dems up in latest opinion poll

The latest Communicate Research poll has the Lib Dems up to 16% whilst the Tories have a clear lead over Labour.

Post Office closures, Royal Mail degradation

The government appears to want to discourage ordinary people from posting letters. At the same time, Royal Mail continues to pour commercial mailings through our front doors. Many of these, pushing personal loans, contribute to the current debtor state of the nation. Meanwhile, the threat of post office closures draw closer. The list for South Wales Central is published today. When is this government - a Labour government - going to regard post offices as a resource for the citizen, not an embarrassment to Westminster? Liberal Democrats have long had a policy which would raise money for investment in post ...

Opinion: Who’s going to give us a good reason to oppose an EU Reform Treaty referendum?

Those with long political memories (ie, longer than a week) may recall the kerfuffle prior to the Lib Dem conference prompted by Ming Campbell’s statement that he would oppose Tory attempts to hold a referendum on the proposed new EU reform treaty. It was, he argued, “not necessary”, as the treaty bears scant resemblance to [...]

Mcnamara and Nuclear Weapons

I was not going to reply to the last reply by London Liberal on nuclear policy, I felt enough had been said by all. However after just finishing watching “The Fog of War” I wanted to share some of the things said by former US defence secretary Robert Mcnamara. “The Fog of War” is a documentary on Mcnamara where he himself explains the lessons he learned during his lifetime. Mcnamara was Secretary of Defence during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He is well known for being the architect of early Vietnam policy, presiding over a massive expansion of the US ...

I Broke This Post

I typed over the content of this post thinking I was deleting a draft. Whoops. It used to be a nice piece about the voting intentions of various faith groups. Joe Otten wrote a much more academic and interesting piece, linked to in the comments. Um.. headlines, Atheists, ‘None’ and Catholics love Labour, Anglicans love the Tories, Humanists and Pagans love the Lib Dems and Buddhists love the Greens. Interestingly, the Jewish, Muslims and Hindus overwhelmingly support Labour. Sorry about that!

Europe and Islam

Hammersmith and Fulham LibDems held a hustings with a difference last night, at Henrietta Bewley’s house in Ravenscourt Park. During the European part of the evening, the Euro-hopefuls — or rather, the five of us who were actually there — each spoke for five minutes on a related subject of our choice. I opted for ‘Europe and Islam’, as I believe this will be — and should be — a major focus of my attention if I do succeed in being elected to the European Parliament this time. MEPs have far greater freedom to choose specific areas of interest than ...

Birmingham, Hodge Hill Action Day

On Saturday 3rd November 2007 from 10.00am the Birmingham, Hodge Hill Liberal Democrats will have an action day to help Maureen Barnsley campaign to be elected the second Liberal Democrat Councillor for Hodge Hill ward.

Day 2489: On Message; Off Liberty - The Prime Monster Cross-Dresses

Thursday: Today it was Mr Frown's turn to put on a borrowed LIBERAL FROCK. (Being a SECRET STALIN, of course, he naturally leaked to the Grauniad first.) But – and this is IMPORTANT – being a Liberal Fluffy Elephant, I say: if a man wants to dress up in a new frock… there is nothing wrong with that! People have noticed that the Prime Monster seems clinically incapable of pronouncing the words "Liberal Democrats", always in the House of Commons referring to the third party as "The Liberal Party". Is it just possible that this is actually a sign of ...

BritBlog Roundup 141

Over at Mr Eugenides.

Tuesday 30th October 2007

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