LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Monday 5th May 2008

Escape from Boris

Fortunately I was already well out of London on Friday night when the mayoral results came through, so I was able to try and ignore the fact that Boris Johnson has been elected to run our capital. Back in London now, I see from the constituency results that he at least didn't win the most votes in Enfield & Haringey. The Tories also failed to win the Enfield & Haringey GLA seat, so they are still without an election win of any sort in Haringey (for over 10 years now). After the good results of the local elections, which mostly ...

Gateshead local election results May 2008

This is the final video produced about the local elections. In this one, Peter Maughan discusses the election results in Gateshead with a focus on Blaydon constituency.

Healthy Eating?

I discovered something today which others may have known for a long time - such foods as frozen pizza, frozen chips and milkshakes are zero rated for VAT, while fruit juice and fruit smoothies are rated at 17.5%. This is because apparently the former count as food while the latter count as luxury! I don't very often buy any of them, but for a government to be wringing its hands and weeping

Daisy-related trivia and other Bank holiday stuff

{Img_0609} I've been taking a few days off since the election last Thursday, taking time out to thanks helpers and supporters, visiting the fine CAMRA Reading Beer and Cider Festival, and catching up on much needed sleep. With luck, normal (campaigning) service will be resumed in the next week or so. Anyway, an email popped into my inbox at the weekend which made me laugh: "Dear Daisy, Have you been through the Oracle recently? They have a "green" campaign on at the moment - "It's not all Daisy's fault" (Daisy being a cartoon Friesian cow). In Reading, if someone talks ...

Volunteers and the voluntary sector

Bank Holiday weekend. Not a washout after all, but disappointing in how much leisure time there was to do what I really wanted to. The Council and Government talk about work / life balance for Councillors, but it doesn't work out. I spent 6 hours over 2 days going through past documents and minutes preparing for the last meeting of the Task and Finish group scrutinising the Community and...

A Reason to be Cheerful

As high-minded as I try to be when it comes to politics I can't see Boris's win - and the Conservative resurgence it indicates - as anything other than lamentable. He has given me little reason to consider him personally as a disaster for London and what I find his political leanings, gleaned from the tidbits he has thrown us over the years, as distasteful. On the issues I care about - inequality, education and transport - he has few thought-through policies. This is also a man who has espoused little or no real interest in social justice. I found ...

Richard Holme has died

Richard Holme - Lord Holme of Cheltenham - has died aged 71. It was widely known within the party that he had been ill with cancer for some time. There are full obituaries on the Daily Telegraph and Guardian sites of this prominent Liberal and Lib Dem adviser, who was able to move from David Steel's side to Paddy Ashdown's without breaking step. He narrowly failed to win the Cheltenham seat on several occasions. Anyone joining the Liberator Collective in the 1980s was required to regard Richard Holme as a hate figure, but he was always charming when I came ...

View from the States

Obama meets Orwell...Catholics confess to a liking for Hilary...

Cobblers about the Crewe and Nantwich selection

Please don't take in personally Bob and John, I like you really. I am in an aggresive mood these days - I have already had a go at dear old Mary Reid this weekend! I'm sorry but I think both Bob Shaw and John Dixon are talking complete cobblers about the Crewe and Nantwich by-election PPC selection. If the local party has been over-ridden, then where are the complaints from the local party

one match that sums up a season

One match that sums up a season is an apt description of Norwich City's 4-1 away defeat at Sheffield Wednesday yesterday. First half we dominate; golden goal from Huckerby; lots of possession and creating chances but failing to put any away. Second half we lose concentration and start making mistakes letting Sheff Wed not only into the game but letting them score 4 as our defence does its' familiar disappearing trick. It is true that Wednesday were still in danger of relegation and we were safe (just) but the huge travelling support deserved more. The only other highlight was the ...

Peter Black vs Boris Spassky

They called Fischer vs Spassky the "Match of the Century" - until now. Lib Dem AM Peter Black is taking on former world chess champion Boris Spassky at Booth's bookshop in Hay-on-Wye on 25 May. Spassky is giving a simultaneous display, playing 20 opponents at once. I once drew with Nigel Short in such circumstances, though he was only 14 at the time. The display is being put on for charity, and Peter is supporting Childline. If you visit Peter Black's blog you will find details on how to sponsor him. Are there any other Lib Dem chess playing parliamentarians ...

Where next for the Evening Standard?

The liberal conscience in me would very much like to think that there will be consequences for the Evening Standard for the way it has behaved over the last few weeks. For the duration of the campaign it has turned itself from a relatively respectable newspaper with some journalistic integrity, with a generally right of centre agenda, into a full-scale campaigning newspaper for Boris Johnson. Its headlines, and perhaps most powerfully of all the billboards it has prominently displayed around London, have carried headlines which would have shamed the writers of the most partisan party campaigning literature for their cheerful ...

Quote of the Day

"When all prejudice and superstition has been banished, the question arises: now what? What is the truth which the Enlightenment has disseminated in place of these prejudices and superstitions?" Hegel, in Phenomenology

Opportune time for Westminster electoral reform

The 1997 Labour party manifesto said: We are committed to a referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons. An independent commission on voting systems will be appointed early to recommend a proportional alternative to the first-past-the-post system. That independent commission reported back yonks ago with a very sensible suggestion. Is it not now high time that the Labour government

Beautiful day in Dundee!

A beautiful holiday day in the City today - but the mist coming down at Broughty Ferry by teatime.

Comments I wont publish

As a great believer in freedom of speech, there are few things I won't allow to be published as comments on this blog. If you look through the comments you will see that I like debate, I encourage feedback and have a very thick hide! However, if your comment is a string of deliberately personal abuse with absolutely no intellectual comment whatsoever, expect it not to be published. I guarantee you that I will take less time and effort deleting it than you will writing it in the first place.

The next general election is one Labour has to lose for its own survival

It was reported on Friday that Gordon Brown was likening himself in private to John Major. I too see the parallels. Both embattled, suffering terrible poll ratings and with a party now starting to turn in on itself. However, Gordon Brown apparently sees himself more at the 1990-1992 John Major, not the 1992-1997 one. This should be of some concern to Labour. You see in 1992 the Tories squeaked in to power again, but in many ways it would have been much better for them not to have done so. In 1992 the Tories still had some inner city seats ...

Edward Timpson - working hard for Crewe

According to facebook Elizabeth Shenton was out campaigning yesterday. According to his blog, Edward Timpson was doing anything but. Arrogance or grim resignation to a position in third place? "Sunday, 04 May, 2008 Taking time out with the family Well, a bit of a break today. My turn to look after the kids. Well, to be precise, to entertain to the two eldest ones. It's a chance to free my mind a bit and refresh myself ahead of next week and spend some time with my family. We will probably take the kids for a walk and go and see ...

Have parents learnt nothing?

Today's Times is reporting that a Portuguese prosecutor and judge are today considering whether to bring charges against a British couple accused of abandoning their three young children following a drinking session. No, it's not Kate and Gerry McCann, although in my opinion they should have been, this is the story of Eamon and Antoinette McGuckin, who, on the first night of their holiday collapsed unconscious and had to be taken to hospital for emergency treatment. Just like the McCanns, the McGuckin's seem to have thought that it was perfectly acceptable to abandon their children whilst they went off drinking. ...

News coverage

Having returned from a short post-election camping trip I’ve been catching up on the news. I’ve been rather struck by the slants on local election coverage in our local papers. From stories in the MEN: “In Greater Manchester, the Lib Dems retained control of Rochdale and Stockport but failed to make significant inroads elsewhere.” “The Conservatives took control [...]

It's Only A Game?

Most football fans dream of seeing their team at Wembley, so to only go once this season ought to be consolation for losing in the semi-final of the Blue Square Premiership play-offs this afternoon. P...

Crewe Labour running scared of Gordon?

The Telegraph's blog has an amusing story pointing to a pic of their candidate with the PM in happier times back in 2006 when he was still popular (although she had just been booted off the Welsh Assembly). Trouble is that the pic appears to have been pulled from the website being pointed at. Could Labour be worried that the Tories or Lib Dems would cache it and use it on their literature? Are Labour already running scared of their own leader? (Sorry if this sounds like an Iain Dale type story.)

The emptiness of Left and Right

Apparently, some MPs in the Labour party want Gordon Brown to move to the Left, while others want him to move to the Right. Someone recently described Simon Hughes as someone on the Left of the Liberal Democrats and someone else said to me they didn't like Boris Johnson because he was right-wing and a libertarian. When I asked what they meant by right-wing, they replied that he was a racist. Before pointing out that I didn't believe he was a racist, and neither does Diane Abbott, I asked why racism was right-wing. I studied A level Politics many years ...

Shhh - Nobody tell Lembit

See here

Hot Fuzz—an apology

It has come to my attention that a correction must be made to previous comments made about the above named film starring Simon Pegg and others. Comments made in the past such as I thought it was arse. All the good bits are in the trailers, Do not go to see Hot Fuzz and funny at times but not funny enough to make up for The Stupid, nor for the awful plot may have given the impression that this movie was a waste of celluloid unworthy of consideration. In fact, the only comments made that, on reflection, appears to be ...

The new Brown narrative: a mistake

Gordon Brown spent most of Sunday morning touring the television studios. The reason was clear. Labour had been hit hard in the local elections and this was his counter-attack. It also gave him an opportunity to re-write the narrative the Conservatives have constructed for him. He replaced dithering for someone who makes mistakes. We won't know for a while if the British electorate prefer a Prime Minister who makes mistakes to one who can't make up his mind. It is too early to pass judgement on the tactic. The idea of course is to say, I had a policy that ...

Booklist 2008, part 21

27) Daniel C. Maguire (ed.), Sacred Rights: the Case for Contraception and Abortion in World Religions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003, ISBN 0195160010). Essays setting out the arguments for contraception and abortion in Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism, Thai Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Yoruba traditional religion, indigenous American traditional religions, Confucianism and Taoism, with essays on population growth and public policy to provide some context. The latter appear last, but might have been better at the beginning. The quality of the articles is quite variable, as is the approach taken (sometimes academic, sometimes apologetical and sometimes polemical). The chapter on ...

Time for chess

On Sunday 25th May I will be one of 20 people taking part in a simultaneous chess display against former World Champion, Boris Spassky. The display will take place at 6pm in Booth's bookshop in Hay-on-Wye. I am keen to take advantage of this occasion to raise some funds for my favoured charity, Childline. It has been suggested that I seek sponsorship for each move I make but as I am not really that good then that could limit the money I am able to raise. Any sponsorship will be gratefully received. Please offer what you can afford. Please go ...

Cleveland Lessons not learned

Justice Holman is a judge who has made a number of really good judgments. This one (linked) is another one. The secrecy of the family courts allow masses of miscarriages of justice to occur. In the linked case things have been sorted, but not without a year of trauma for the children as well as the parents. At least they were able to stay with their grandparents.

Crewe & Nantwich by-election: are the rules wrong?

Well - I don't think much of polling day in the Crewe by-election being called for 22 May. In an era when we are supposed to be engaging people in the political process it would seem that Labour have called it as quickly as is allowed using the antiquated rules on these matters. Of course this gives the advantage to the incumbant's Party - so Labour are simply using what's available. But that's no reason to say the rules shouldn't be changed. If you're talking about listening and learning - well here's a chance: change the rules so that all ...

'rwanda dave' to solve oxfordshire flooding problems from london

Time to retire to Bedlam. Dave has called a meeting to discuss the flooding in Oxfordshire last July. The meeting will be held in Westminster Hall in, er, London on Wednesday. This is the first time Dave appears to have recognised that the flooding happened. He famously was in another continent when his constituency was under several feet of water but, as the leader of the new Tories, Dave now cares. I am sure that many of my neighbours will make the special trip to London to listen to this important debate. It is a shame no suitable venue could ...

Batman Trailer

http://www.whysoserious.com/happytrails/trailer.htm On the one hand, they've recast Tommy Lee Jones's part as well as Michael Gough's. This is two for two, actors I love replaced by actors I am not hugely bothered by, although Caine does seem to be making a fair fist of Alfred. On the other hand, Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker seems to take all the menace of Nicholson's interpretation, while ignoring the campy silly bits. I have longed for a dirty, horrible Joker for many years. The closer to the one in Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum: a Serious House on Serious Earth, ...

Linkspam for 5-5-2008

[Greta Christina] The Joy of Theoretical Non-Monogamy | Blowfish Blog I like this, sums up my fairly lazy position quite well: when you're not monogamous, the soap opera vanishes like a bad dream in daylight. The basic fact that you and your partner are living animals with normal libidos doesn't turn into a crisis (tags: relationships sex) BoJo might be a bozo¦ the concise edition » doctorvee Duncan follows up: My point was that the campaign from the left was a negative one against Boris rather than a positive one in favour of Ken Livingstone. Saying that you should vote ...

Attn NiN fans

New NiN album is completely free. Apparently, to say thank you to all his loyal fans for their continued support, Trent says this one's on me. Don't forget the single too! Bless his little cotton socks. (x-posted personal journal, {[info]} 6musicrockshow, {[info]} theyorkshergob)

This year’s big hit - you saw it here first!

Could this be the next Thriller? See it through to the end - it's great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d4L4hiSHNw ...

I couldn't resist this...

Thanks to NewsBiscuit and Iain Dale

Could a Lab/Con coalition take over in Northumberland?

Labour lost over 20 seats in Northumberland last week. From having a clear majority, they came out of the elections with 17 seats, having endured a sort of electoral liposuction that left them considerably slimmed down. The Conservatives fared better though compared to the rest of the country, their performance was not fantastic. They went from 14 to 17 seats but their leader lost to a 20 year

Monday morning blog - believe this rebellion when it happens

Yet another Monday morning when I have the joy of being at home rather than on a train to London! And I'm blogging a bit later than usual for two reasons: I slept in (come on, give me a break - it's a bank holiday) and I've just been down to Dunston in Gateshead to shoot my 4th and final election results video. For the subject of this Monday Morning Blog I have taken the issue of another, yes

Explaining the secrets of the success of the biggest Lib Dem council group in the UK

The Lib Dem group in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 49 members, is now the biggest Lib Dem council group in the UK. John Shipley, Leader of the group, explains how this was achieved. And Parliamentary candidate for Newcastle North, Ron Beadle, explains what the election results mean for his constituency.

New Routemaster buses: I was there before Boris

From my essay in Liberalism: Something to Shout About, which was published at the 2006 Liberal Democrat Conference: [Public] order is best seen as a by-product of people going about their ordinary business rather than the result of enforcement action by the authorities.Perhaps the next Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate should campaign for a new generation of Routemaster buses and promise to employ conductors on them.

The housing debate

There has been much debate of late in the City about housing and, however you view that debate, there is absolutely no doubt that further house building investment from Scottish Government to local authorities will be vital. As the Council Leader said recently (quote from the Evening Telegraph of 15th April), "Mr Keenan said that, if there was to be a solution to the waiting list issue in Dundee, and across Scotland, it must involve a major new house building programme and the co-operation of the public and private sectors as well as councils. "Mr Keenan said the council was ...

Twit Twoo!

Recently I discovered Twitter after Lynne gave it a publicity boost when she joined a couple of months ago. At first I thought it would be a bit like facebook. So I have been hugely disappointed. There's not much you can do on twitter, apart from, well, twitter. Also I just can't be bothered to attempt to find personal friends or family on there. 12 people follow me and I follow them. OK...what happens now? I thought Iain Dale would be interesting to follow, but that fell a bit flat. I didn't realise he was such a media luvvie. I ...

Wendy Comes Out Fighting

For weeks, neigh month, the leader of Labour in Scotland has looked like a punch drunk boxer, up against the ropes waiting for the next punch or hoping that her corner would through in the towel, while facing Alex Salmond in the chamber at Holyrood. However, just like in all the Rocky films you think its all over then, using all effort one final telling blow swings the whole thing around. Well

Marc Goodwin - victim of political correctness?

It seems that from a shortlist of two, an as yet unnamed, female candidate has been chosen by Cowley Street to represent the Lib Dem's at the forthcoming Crewe and Nantwich by-election. Nothing wrong with that. But Crewe and Nantwich already had a candidate, Marc Goodwin. So, what's going on? If you believe Marc, "Nick Clegg has obviously decided that he didn't want a middle-aged man but a photogenic woman as his candidate for his first byelection as the new party leader." As for Cowley Street, they simply say an announcement will be made at an appropriate time. When they ...

Business as usual?

On Saturday we went for a stroll in Islington. Instead of leaflets to deliver, we had Eggs royale at Med Kitchen, overlooking Islington Green; bliss. Then on to Camden Passage, where we bought something lovely & vintage for my sister in law Ros (a belated birthday present). I’m not going to say what in [...]

Eat less meat!

Food is something that affects us all. We all have to eat. But very few people know the extent to which oil underpins our food system, how much carbon is used in the production of food, how much water is used, and the impact the food system therefore has on climate change. The current all-time highs [...]

Lessons from London for the Lib Dems

Here's a paradox from Thursday's local election results. Where voting was by first-past-the-post - that is, outside London - the Liberal Democrats won a respectable set of results, which have generally been recognised as such by the media. Where other voting systems were used, however, it was different story. In the race for London Mayor, where supplementary voting was used, Brian Paddick won a 9.6 per cent share, 5 points down on 2004. He was squeezed in the titanic Boris / Ken clash. His campaign lacked a story. But none of that fully explains why Lib Dem supporters did not ...

Fighting like cats and dogs

It is the most hotly contested presidential nomination battle for decades and now, according to the Guardian, there is proof that Clinton and Obama really have been fighting like cats and dogs. The newspaper draws our attention to the way that Americans are plunging their pets into the fray. On the one side we have Cats for Obama on the other there is a Pets for Hillary site. The report continues by telling us that there is a video on YouTube of a couple of West Highland terriers "howling for Hillary". Though, really, who knows what they're howling for? The ...

EU-wide missing child alert system essential

Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson is supporting calls for the introduction of an EU missing alert system for children who are suspected of being abducted. "A Europe wide scheme equivalent to the US 'Amber Alert' system would undoubtedly save lives," he says. "The European Parliament's initiative on this is a good example of where a Europe wide-action could really add something. Increased cross border cooperation is essential in these cases." Graham Watson supports calls for a system which will immediately supply to relevant news media, border authorities, custom and law enforcement agencies, details of: the missing child, with a photograph ...

Government's attitude on biofuels crude and simplistic

Commenting on last week's Environmental Audit Committee report on the sustainability of biofuels, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Webb said: "Biofuels must not damage the environment they are meant to protect. "The early rush towards biofuels failed to take into account their wider environmental impact and the Government's current policy is far too crude and simplistic to change this. "European targets must not incentivise the production of unsustainable biofuels and the Government must act now to prevent this from happening. "What is needed is an international policy which discourages the use of damaging biofuels, without undermining the promotion of ...

Local Elections- some random Liberal Democrat thoughts

Here are my inital random thoughts from the local and London mayoral elections: I am both encouraged and concerned. That we could have done a lot worse and it appears that we did well in our key parliamentary areas. That we are not very good at fighting elections under PR. That if, as time moves on, Brown looks certain to lose overall majority, he could offer some form of PR to win our qualified support in Parliament. That, if the economy does start to pick, he could still get hiomself ouf of the hole he finds himself in. That the ...

What I've been up to by Text today

My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.12:46 pondering coffee #Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. {[info]} matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

Day 2680: DOCTOR WHO: The Poison Sky

Saturday: This was GREAT: a plot to poison the world's atmosphere; a secret base in orbit; a Bond villain's palatial home where he trains his track-suited followers; a breeding plan for a new human race; laser battles and a turkey shoot that's "such good sport"... still, enough about MOONRAKER, Daddy's been watching Dr Who again. Déjà vu, Monsieur Drax? {Posted by Picasa} To the surprise of nobody on Earth, Bernard Cribbins is saved within moments by the smashing of the car windscreen... what WAS a surprise was that he wasn't saved by Donna, but by Donna's mum wielding an axe. ...

Monday 5th May 2008

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