Earlier this evening, Nick Clegg and Brian Paddick did a double act at a meet-the-people event at London Metropolitan University in the Holloway Road, chaired by the LibDem PPC for Islington South and Finsbury, Bridget Fox. Nick has been shuttling round the country recently, making himself accessible, while Brian is looking remarkably perky in the [...] 
Thirty years ago today, on 30 April 1978 I joined tens of thousands of people in a protest against the National Front. Many of us marched from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park, Hackney - where many more joined us for the Rock Against Racism "Nazis are no Fun" concert. The picture is of me in a 6th form school photo at the time wearing a "Nazis are no fun" badge. The concert itself will go down
The Evening Standard thinks that Stephen Knight can win the South West London seat for the Liberal Democrats. After all he only needs a 1.3% swing to take it. Don't be misled by the headline - this would not be the first Lib Dem on the London Assembly (we have five at present) but would be the first Lib Dem elected to one of the 14 super-constituency seats. (I tried to explain the...
The Evening Standard tonight has the story that a poll says that in the London Mayoral election: 30 per cent of voters did not know about the two-vote system while 27 per cent were aware of it but were uncertain how it worked. The full poll pdf is here. So 70% of Lib Dem supporters don't realise what I said a couple of weeks ago "Support Brian Paddick? Then vote for Brian Paddick" Interestingly
Given Keith Vaz's history of blaming all the ills of the Labour government on computer games and the terrible influence they are supposedly having on the youth of today, I am slightly surprised we have heard nothing yet from Mr Vaz regarding the release this week of the next game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise (GTA IV). A few months ago he got very hot under the collar about a game about a school bully and unwittingly gave the manufacturers an enormous amount of free publicity, and it can only be a matter of time before he gets on ...
I have heard from residents of Cotswold View and in fact have seen the letter that they have been sent offering to sell them several patches of land one of them the grass bank that was supposed to provide access to the land for which Somer Housing has the planning application on. Is there some thing that we are not being told about how much of their land do Somer and their agents...
I cannot fathom out why Labour would be wanting to call the Crewe and Nantwich by-election for the 22nd May. First off, it risks adverse comments (and not just from Iain) about the haste - before the funeral has been held. But most strange is what they hope to achieve from holding it so soon after the council polls and before any Henley by-election can be held (if Boris wins in London). Because whatever benefit Labour might get by not allowing the Conservatives and Lib Dems to build any momentum in the seat will surely be more than lost as ...
Great Boris interview with the BBC. Apparently the city's problems with poverty are going to be solved by the 'stonking' rich funding groups poor kids attend, like, erm, ballet, and erm reading groups. Yeah that'll solve the problem, get the brats dancing in tutus Boris... "In his interview, Mr Johnson told how he would enable the rich to help the poor in the capital, which has four of the eight poorest boroughs in the whole of the UK. "In London there are loads of people who are making stonking quantities of dosh and they are I think well able to ...
Dave on the Today programme was unnerving. I listened on the website, rewound and listened again. I heard the excruciating moment where he 'fessed up to being as childish as everyone else at PMQs. Buttock clenching it was too. I listened to his commitment to, er, try to improve the finances if he won an election, without making any promises - apparently the Tories have a 'philosophical' belief in tax cutting. I have a philosophical belief in my prowess as a lover but I imagine this might not quite marry with the reality experienced by the 'significantly fewer than 30' ...
I chaired the TACTRAN Board today (regional transport partnership - includes Stirling, Perth & Kinross and Angus Councils as well as us in Dundee) - included very informative presentations on Park and Ride, Demand Responsive Transport, Walking and Cycling and other strategies in the regional area. This afternoon, a useful and productive meeting with one of the local Head Teachers on the West End youth football team initiative, and tonight a meeting with Blackness Area Residents' Association. Lastly, a positive response from Dundee City Council following complaints raised by both myself and the Friends of Magdalen Green about inadequate litter ... 
Kate Hoey, Labour MP for Vauxhall, has told the world she is willing to work alongside the Tory candidate for mayor, Boris Johnson. Despite this, she has convinced Geoff Hoon of her loyalty to the Labour party and says publicly that she will vote Ken. However, the Labour rulebook states pretty clearly that she has twisted party law to breaking point. How can you say you'll work for an opposing candidate without that being a supportive statement? The Times lends a helping hand by telling her: "The key passage of the Labour rule book states: "Any party member of the ...
A text update from the party’s Twitter service reports that polling day in Crewe and Nantwich will be 22 May according to the BBC.
So I failed the hazard perception section of my theory test and have to retake but I'm not upset...why I hear you ask? Why, because, at the age of 27 (not 17) I know full well that there are much more important things to get upset about. Clicking onto the Guardian I came across a very important world issue to demonstrate this to me...a Dolphin has died in Florida. Apparently: "Sharky collided mid-air with another dolphin after leaping out of the water during a show at Discovery Cove in Orlando. The 30-year-old female bottlenose suffered head injuries and died soon ...
Just passed on to me from the Blaydon ward in Blaydon constituency in Gateshead is a letter from the Labour Party Councillors of the ward sent to various residents. It would be understandable if residents were forgiven for thinking this letter did not come from Labour. After all, this letter is stating that they are opposed to the abolition of the 10p rate and the word "Labour" only appears in a
This election is getting more and more bizzare. First the Divisional Commander for the police in Salford asked us not to distribute leaflets featuring a picture of one of his officers - which we were happy to oblige him on as there seemed to have been some confusion over permissions and police rules. Then we [...]
Or so the BBC says. And Iain Dale is not impressed: It's unprecedented to call a by election before the funeral of the previous MP has taken place.
It might be honest of him to admit that he has failed to keep his promise to end the adversarial "Punch and Judy" politics, but David Cameron has also made himself look a little daft. The fact is that he has promised very little so far, preferring to keep policies under his hat for fear of the scrutiny it will put he and his party under. But one thing that opposition parties usually have in their favour is that they don't break their promises, after all, the promises are based on what they would do if they were in power. ...
Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable has warned that the backlash from Labour's 10p tax gaffe could cost them up to 100 seats in Wales on Thrursday. Labour are currently the largest party across Wales, but the popular backlash against Gordon Brown's decision to double the income tax rate for 195,000 people in Wales has put Labour under pressure. Some councillors and candidates have even taken to removing the word "Labour" from their election material, and in Wrexham Labour councillors have written to residents urging them to ignore the National picture and vote only on local issues. Speaking during a campaigning visit ...
I thought that you might like to know about a series of free lunchtime lectures, organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council, take place at the Guildhall during Museums and Galleries month in May. All three talks are linked to the current exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery, 'Bath As It Might Have Been', which continues until 1 June. The first in the series on Tuesday 6 May,...
You can rely on the Shropshire Star: Cheesemaking giant dies, aged 88
Losing personal data took a step closer to becoming a criminal offence after the House of Lords backed a change in the law. Peers supported an amendment to the criminal justice and immigration bill which would make it a criminal offence to carelessly release or lose personal data. The amendment, proposed by Liberal Democrat Lady Miller, would make it an offence for anyone to "intentionally or recklessly disclose information" or "repeatedly and negligently" allow information to be disclosed. The amendment must be sanctioned by the House of Commons before it can become part of the bill. It follows calls by ...
Look at this table here. It's a breakdown from the latest YouGov poll: What the hell are you guys playing at? Nearly seventy percent of people who self identify as Lib Dem are going to put Not-Brian as their first preference. If you can't even get the message about the voting system out to your own supporters, then what's the fucking point??? You've got three days. Three days, or it's very likely Boris is going to win. Do you actually WANT that on your consciences? It's no good blaming the media for this one. For fuck's sake. And don't get ...
The government have had a strategy for some time of ignoring those people who are on low pay, but don't have families. That is how they ended up scrapping the 10p band and hitting this group of people particularly hard. When you take into account increasing food and energy costs there is a massive squeeze. It will be interesting to see if they can bring something together that does not leave a
{Img_0588_3} Since I raised the issue of ineffective alley gates in and around Hexham Road last week, the Council's Housing Department has responded to me today:"Thank you for your enquiry concerning the Alley gates at Hexham Road. Having investigated I can confirm that a job will be raised next week to service all the gates."I'm glad the Council is finally taking steps to ensure that the gates are secure and that any outstanding repairs are fixed. Local residents have complained to us for a long time that these gates have not been effective in protecting their properties.In the longer term ...
{Cans} I was in Cintra Park on Sunday and had a bit of brainwave. I saw a number of drink cans in the bins in the Park and I wondered if we could get the Council to introduce aluminium can recycling bins - that way cans could be recycled and not thrown away. Lots of children I emailed Council's Streetcare team asking them if this might be possible - their response was a little lukewarm. Apparently as Cintra Park is by RBC as a trustee litter etc is an issue for the Parks team so I will be taking the ...
Sadly only one person brave enough to stake their reputation by giving written answers. Take a bow Stephen Glenn. Here are the questions again but with the answers this time: Q1. How many members states are there in the European Union? A: 27 Q2. How many official languages does the EU have? A: 23 Q3. Which is the biggest country in the EU by land mass? A: France Q4. To the nearest full percentage, what percentage of EU citizens live in cities? 80% Q5. According to reports in the press, about 98% of all Spanish people participate in what every ...
In an interview for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Cameron has said; "I will absolutely hold up my hand... and say you're quite right, this is a promise I have not been able to deliver - I 'fess up to you if you like." What promise did he fail to keep? Why to end "Punch and Judy politics" of course. Whilst I can't say I'm I am surprised by the announcement I'm somehow suspect this won't be the last time he ends up apologising for breaking a promise. Click here for full story.
Just received from the City Council - pleased to see this carriageway being improved : Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating carriageway resurfacing works. The Order is expected to be in force for two weeks from 19 May 2008. Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months. The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic on the south carriageway of Logie Avenue from Glenagnes Road to Sycamore Place. Pedestrian thoroughfare and vehicular access to premises will ...
Today's Western Mail reports that Liberal Democrat-led Swansea Council is defending its social services staff over what it calls unwarranted attacks in election leaflets. The council's cabinet member for social services Wendy Fitzgerald is particularly concerned at claims the department has gone from being the best to "the worst" in Wales. She said it was deplorable social services in Swansea were being used as a "political football". Wendy is in fact not a Welsh Liberal Democrat but an independent Councillor. Nevertheless, her assessment of Labour's stance on this issue is right. She said: "There are some very worrying statements appearing ...
Check out David Brooks thought provoking article on the Democratic race. This policy free election is illustrating some very interesting, and potentially worrying, things about identity. Hmm. Do read it. 
Grangemouth refinery strike with possibility of more to come, predictions of unleaded costing £1.50 a litre by the end of the summer,record profits for BP and Shell, OPEC waring of the $200 barrel of oil, BA announcing fuel duty surcharge etc. No wonder I'm feeling somewhat gloomy about transport prices today. Although I'm a non-driver I shall shortly be moving to a rural location where I will be dependent on my partner and her car (or taxis) for transport to the nearest town. The car is fuel efficient as it gets about 11 - 12 miles per litre and, because ...
Yesterday we had Lembit Opik visit Wolverhampton to help in our local election campaign.
Looking for the Mouse: Gin, Television, and Social Surplus On how the TV used to be the timesink that the internet is now replacing, and how cutting TV watching back a small amount creates thousands of wikipedias. (tags: internet media productivity culture) From The Magazine : Radar Online : What better mentor for a 10-year-old than Charles Manson? Little Billy seeks life advice, and America's most notorious killers are happy to oblige As Jennie put it: 'Charles Manson is completely batshit, but Larry Flynt is kind of cool. In other news, the pope shits in the woods and all bears ...
Dispatches from the world of blogtronica - Britain's newest and worst musical genre. Playlouder reports that posh child George Pringle doesn't like Boris Johnson, and calls him (amongst other things) a "nazi fop". The report explains that she is insisting her legions back "pigeon-poisoning, Jew-bothering, boss-eyed, smug twat" Ken Livingstone.
Very disturbing
I know most people in Scotland don't see that the London Mayoral campaign has much relevance to them but this little film pretty much hits the mark about Boris.
Free Tibet flags made in China. This probably wouldn’t have happened if China didn’t suppress information of course (or perhaps it would have if the factory owner was opposed to the occupation).
When the planning process for the new North Road Primary School got underway last year, local ward councillors were "kept informed" of progress. We were not invited to be actually involved in the process. However, the school is expressly designed to be a part of the local community, and used by the local community. So we complained about being excluded from the discussions about the facilities
Nickersoff told John Humphrys that he was happy with our place in the polls yesterday and now it seems we're up to 20% according to the latst one published in the Independent. With Labour on a disastrous - but for us, tantalising - 26% it would be nice for some of the commentators to raise themselves off their haunches, set aside their tired two party paradigms, take a long look at the information in front of them and surmise that we might actually matter after alll. This is especially relevant given the fluid nature of the political system at the ...
'Cripes, it's rather jolly really.' What a prospect for London on Friday if Boris Johnson is elected. Either he will be like the young king, appearing in ceremony but being kept as far from power as possible by a Tory machine petrified of people cottoning on to the fact that they haven't changed a bit, regardless of what Dave tries to tell us. Or it'll be buns for breakfast, routemaster buses for all, crombie hats for the men and curlers for the - working class - women as they belt out cockerny songs while hanging out the washing, surrounded by ...
A scene in Victoria Street today reminded me of the huge gap that still exists between the socially included and excluded in London. On one side of the road, a guy is eating scraps from the bin outside Macdonalds (I guess he is one of the many people who stay close to Westminster Cathedral as a source of help and sympathy). On the other side, I can look up to see through the smart new glass frontage into the clean and stylish environment, complete with exercise balls, of a modern corporate office. At the window, several of the staff are ...
Hot on the heels of Boris Johnson’s announcement that Labour MP Kate Hoey will join him in City Hall (should he win) as an unpaid advisor on advise on sport and the 2012 Olympics comes the Ken Livingstone smear campaign. Speaking on LBC radio he said: "But I’m surprised he’s going to take her advice on [...]
Two final viral vids to promote Brian Paddick - one about Boris (”Somewhere in Oxfordshire, a village is missing its idiot”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B4wKN2Hsbg And the “Ken and Friends World Tour!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1UKhY_shX4
Building an ecological, energy saving house in a week? - what a great idea, starts on Sunday on Channel four for a week.
Towards the end of last night's Sky News.com programme (the bit that was online) there was a moment when I was able to point out what I liked best about Brian and why I really, really want him to be Mayor. When Brian starts to talk about how to reduce crime in London and how to work with young people to stop them falling into crime and violent behaviour he really, really comes alive. He knows just what to do and just what the other candidates aren't or have no intention of doing. It is clear just how much passion ...
It's a reasonably exciting title. But I haven't had a wax. This is merely an excuse to mention that I have been sweating away at delivering Foci/Focii (not sure whether it is fourth declension) in Reading and that Councillor Gareth Epps of that parish recommended an excellent Brazilian cafe and delicatessen in Silver Street. In turn, I would recommend it to anyone who goes within a mile or so of
Interesting information to be found if you read the latest proxy votes list for Thursday’s Winchester Council elections. Since the news broke that a Conservative activist in Whiteley ward, John Hall, has been charged by the police with false registration information, false proxy voting application and making a false instrument, the council has issued the final [...]
Yesterday, I kept getting twitter messages about “Boris and Torche on tour.” Naturally, I assumed this meant that in order to avoid the homophobic brush, Mr Johnson had been going round Soho with members of the Tory Campaign for Homosexual Equality (which appears to have folded given that I can’t find any evidence of their existence other than an archive). However, it turns out to be a couple of punk bands. Who knew? Share This
Magistrate’s blog contrasts the views of an official of the Prison Officer’s Association with the views of an insider. Of course, if you really want to know what life is like in prison, visit one. Most prisons have links to the community around them. Many faith groups are involved in prison visiting. Nottingham’s Prison does outreach [...]
That was the question John Humphreys put to David Cameron this morning. He asked if it was right that we should have the Leader of the Opposition, the Shadow Chancellor and potentially, London's Mayor, all from Oxford's Bullingdon Club. In 2008? Really scary....
I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. George W Bush "has now become the most unpopular president since the Gallup Poll began asking the question 70 years ago." So, he's more unpopular than Harry S Truman during the Korean War in 1952. He's more unpopular than Jimmy Carter when his helicopters broke n the desert and he appeared on TV with wobbly legs/fainting while he was running.
Today's Guardian reports that Labour is bracing itself for losses of 200 seats in Thursday's local council elections in England and Wales, together with Boris Johnson winning the London Mayoralty. If such a result did happen, it would be a remarkable meltdown for the governing party. That is especially the case when you consider that Labour did pretty poorly the last time these seats were up for election in 2004, so they are starting from a very low base. I will stick my neck out and say that despite the chaos surrounding Brown's government, their losses will not be as ...
Ken Livingstone visits Islington 3 times in a week, including Newington Green in my ward, which has a large Turkish population. Last Friday I witnessed 'vote Ken' leaflets distributed outside a Hackney mosque, with messages in Bengali explaining how Boris Johnson 'hates Muslims', 'would ban the Koran', pointing out it is a 'moral duty' for Muslims to support Mr Livingstone. Interestingly, the English side of the leaflet doesn't have these claims. BJ of course strongly refutes these charges. This is the Labour Party at its hypocritical and patronising best- scaring Muslims and other ethnic minorities into trooping out as they ...
The PM has a piece in today's Mirror urging people in London not to vote for the BNP. The trouble is, he comes across as just so false. Not in his opposition to the BNP. Although saying that they would have banned Kelly Holmes from winning Olympic Gold for Britain is surely missing the mark. The BNP win votes nowadays because they reach out to people who feel disenfranchised on issues like housing and jobs. Not because they want to ban people of a different skin colour from calling themselves British. Where Brown really comes across as false is when ...
Our weekly guide to the good on Lib Dem Voice This week, two important appeals for your input: Our competition for the last LDV mug Tell Alix your election results as they happen The highest number of comments this week were recorded on Should a dangerously incompetent anaesthetist become a councillor? Our weekly date with Question Time - London Mayor special [...]
Eton and Oxbridge. Check Investment Banking. Check Tory MP for safe Oxfordshire seat. Check Bayswater pad. Check Wife called Samantha. Check Street cred..... oops 'Dave' Cameron got dahn wiv da kids this am on the Today Prog. Ya get me. Da man was rappin wiv Humps an that. An he fessed up to losin it wiv da PM. He said dat callin' him a 'Loser' was well OTT. Said he still did a bit of 'punch and judy'. But he could 'andle it. Da man played dahn his gang membership. Said da Bully Boys was not somefink he was prahd ...
Mark Pack over at Voice has had a dig or two at John Rentoul of the Indie concerning his commentary on Nick Clegg's leadership and the party's polling. Of course, Mr Rentoul is entitled to his opinion. However wrong he is. I perhaps shared the view that we aren't doing so well in the polls as I hoped we would. But then I looked at Political Betting's reminder of the latest polls from each firm: ComRes C40: L26: LD20 ICM C39: L29: LD20 YouGov C44: L26: LD17 MORI C40: L31: LD19 Populus C40: L30: LD19 I don't know about you, ...
Birmingham City Council put great store in them. When asked why was it that Councillor Len Gregory (Con), Cabinet member for Transportation and Street Services, had had his rubbish shifted during a council strike, yet his neighbours bags were left rotting on the streets they simplied replied that it was a coincidence! Not so sure I accept that explanation - would you? Click here for the full story.
I was on the Hexham Estate yesterday, looking at the ongoing fly tipping problem. One of the disheartening things about it is that much of the stuff thrown away as "useless" is actually perfectly fine - it just is no longer needed by its owners. TVs, fridges, furniture, all going to waste. Thrown onto the grass, or left in stairwells, it's just so much junk, but if there was a way of getting unwanted goods to people who need them, that would be great wouldn't it? Well, in Lib Dem controlled Liverpool, there is! Step forward Bulky Bob's, who will ...
Yesterday while out campaigning in the North East that Tim'rous Beastie of a Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said sorry for the botched changes he made in his last budget. With the removal of the 10p tax rate to make room for his cheer raising lowering of the 22p rate to 20p (a long held Tory goal), affecting so many lower paid workers earning less than £18k. Why was it hard for him to say,
My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.13:34 is Spartacus #Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. {[info]} matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.
A few weeks, just before the Budget, I commented on the opinion polls which at the time showed the Tories a couple of points ahead of Labour. I made the point that: "at a time when all the talk is of impending recession, falling house prices, rising oil prices, political sleaze and so on; the Tories' should be looking at a comfortable double digit lead at the least." Well six weeks on, the polls have moved substantially. The Tories are now riding high, Lib Dems edging up and Labour in freefall. At the weekend, YouGov gave the Tories an 18% ...
It was good to join Zimbabwean friends and Bristol Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams at the free Zimbabwe Demo in Bristol on Saturday the 26th of April. Good news also came on Monday the 28th with the news that the opposition is to re-unite to take on Mugabe and Zanu PF in the Zimbabwean Parliament. How long will it be before the old man goes? The people of Zimbabwe have been incredibly tolerant, now things really need to change and change soon. I lived in Zimbabwe from 1996 to 2001 while working as an advisor with the British Government’s Aid ...
OMG. I beat Mitch Benn on a Who quiz. I beat Mitch Benn on a TENTH DOCTOR ERA Who quiz! I've only ever watched any of the Ten Era once, and some of them not at all... But Look! * cough * Anyhoo, magnanimous in victory as ever, I should point out that Mitch is having a rough time at the mo due to impending bebe and other stuff and so I'm willing to cut him a bit of slack. (and this post is not a roundabout way of saying good luck with everything birthy and hope your tummy bug ...
Joyce Gossom was one of the most remarkable human beings I have ever met. Attending her funeral was perhaps the most remarkable event of my 8 years on the Council and the only time I have cried. Before the boundaries were redrawn in 2004 the Model farm in Meanwood was in Headingley ward. I quickly developed a soft spot for model farm and Joyce. Its a small, community run animal charity preserving some farm land, some out houses and most importantly some horses in a inner urban location and on the edge of a very deprived council estate. Joyce exuded ...
This week with added Amused Cynicism.
Because West Yorkshire counts on a Friday morning I have 3 full days left on Leeds City Council and this blog has 3 days left to run. I will leave it up for a few weeks after polling day and then delete it. Its been too infrequent, poorly proof read and a little off message for one ( and only one) member of the Leeds party. However its generated a lot of interest from outside the Civic Hall bubble and more residents have read it than some people might think. Ironically it was meant to inspire people to think about ...
Saturday: The Sontarans are back and they are NEW! But will they be a SMASH or have they had their CHIPS? Are they hard BOILED or is their Stratagem HALF BAKED? Is the Earth in for a ROASTING, will UNIT be able to repel the alien SAUTEE/SORTIE or, er, something about CROQUET/CROCKET... [R: enough, enough of the potato jokes!] A Sontaran Battle Group, yesterday {Posted by Picasa} Size, as they apparently also used to say on Gallifrey, matters. Sontarans (pronounced Sont-ar-ans by everyone in the galaxy except Christopher Eccleston and Donna Noble it would seem) are famous for being short. ... | < | April 2008 | > | ||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
