On my way to a television studio to do a Press Review this evening, I was able to call in at Christie's South Kensington for the launch of Tessa Codrington's book of photographs Spirits of Tangier (Arcadia, £25). One of the auction house's best galleries had been taken over to display the finest prints from [...] 
Readers may recall that late last year I blogged about my girlfriend's family's problems with Abbey when they tried closing her late stepfather's account. That particular incident ended happily as if by magic once the Observer got involved. I wish I could say that was the end of the matter. Sadly, it is not the case. I'll let Alex's mother's letter to the Financial Ombudsman do the rest of the talking - there really isn't anything my usual brand of sarcasm can add: I have enduring power of attorney for my mother. She has recently moved into a care home ...
This morning's Guardian had a story promoting an article in the June issue of Prospect. It is by Philip Collins, a former Blair speechwriter, and Richard Reeves, an academic who recently published a book on John Stuart Mill. That article is now on the Prospect website, but unfortunately it is only available to the magazine's subscribers. So it looks as though I shall have to buy a copy. Because the Guardian article suggests its analysis of Labour current problems is spot on: He (sic) takes a swipe at Brown and his allies who place their faith in the 'benign' power ...
Just to say if anyone reads my blog and thinks I may have got my facts wrong, or thinks my views have been too strongly and bluntly expressed, please don't go away and blog about it or fume about it in private. You may have picked up the wrong end of the stick. Please have the decency and good nature to contact me personally if it really is a big issue (ie you'd contact an MPs office about it or contact Ryan). You can leave a comment at any time. I don't moderate my comments now and if you have ...
The problem for Labour is that there is a sense that the New Labour project has given altruism a bad name. Gone are the days when the Middle Class Intellectuals supported Labour against their better financial judgement so as to help those less fortunate than themselves. They simply give them a wide berth and vote [...] 
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I had a follow up meeting with the Parks lead officer at the end of last week looking at potential approaches for Cintra Avenue. The challenge is to find a way that makes parking caravans on the lawn difficult without making life impossible for local residents and affecting the park visually. They are proposing low-rise fencing, gating and bollards. Electronic copies of the proposal should be available this week and when they are we will post them here. Glenn and I have already visited Cintra Ave to get a feel for how the proposals would work on the site (thankyou ...
At a stroke, Boris Johnson has undermined the capital the Conservatives have made out of the 10p income tax fiasco. It isn't that the cheap oil deal with Venezuela was defensible - it wasn't. It was this sort of tokenism that disqualified Livingstone from office in the eyes of most Londoners. But no-one begrudged low income earners from getting half-priced travel. In Crewe, the Tories ground Labour into the dust attacking them for doubling the 10p rate and blithely ignoring the impact it would have on low income earners. Now the Tories have imposed swingeing cuts on a very similar ...
From The Times: A loss-making Japanese rail company has found the perfect mascot to bring back business - Tama the tortoiseshell cat.All the nine-year-old cat does is sit by the entrance of Kishi station in a railway uniform cap and pose for photos for the tourists. Tama has done such a good job of raising revenue for the Kishikawa train line that she was recently promoted to "super-station-master".The Wakayama Electric Railway Co said: "She is the perfect station master. She never complains, even though passengers touch her all over. She has patience and charisma."
I attended a meeting of around 20 residents at the front of the Bath Press building on the Lower Bristol Road tonight. The general consensus of those that were there is that they were opposed to a huge Tesco store on the site of the Former Bath Press Building. There are many issues surrounding this one and the affects that it would have on neighbouring homes and local...
Important news from the Shropshire Star.
It turns out that both Mark and I took our degrees at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, although some years apart. Mark studied statistics at what could be described as a normal age, whilst I read European Studies with German at the advanced age of 39. I left school at 16, married for the first time at 17 and in a moment of madness decided to take my degree in my 30s at a time when my political career was developing fast. I finished my degree in January 2000 but didn't attend my graduation ceremony because I was ...
I am just watching an old episode of Have I got new for you? on the weirdly named channel 'Dave'. Unlike the repeats on BBC 'Dave' does not seem to put the programme into context so you have to try and work out when it was recorded. It appears that this programme was recorded shortly after Tony Blair resigned as party leader and something Ian Hislop said reminded me of an old post I wrote.
Steve Webb met the Managing Director of First Bus this morning, and it sounds like First may possibly be going to listen to all the comments they've had about their proposals to restructure the bus service and withdraw the 'X' express buses from the Yate/Sodbury routes. You can read Steve's account of the bus meeting here. Meanwhile local councils have been protesting - Dodington Parish Council, for example, has said that we need more X buses, not fewer. What's more they have asked South Gloucestershire Council to start discussions with alternative bus companies about providing more services in this area. ...
Guido Fawkes thinks she is, he says that ' a mid-level Hillary campaign source' says her speechwriters are drafting a concession speech and not a moment before time either. I decided to investigate on Daily Kos but could find no evidence of the largely Obamaite commeteriat breaking open the bubbly just yet; so lacking any joy I resorted to the desperate Googling of said rumours. Still no joy. CNN carries no mention of the story either. So, just where does this story come from?? Is it fevered Guido's imagination? For once I hope not. Meanwhile, Political Betting has an interesting ...
Miles of column inches have been written by numerous commentators and journalists alike since the Crewe and Nantwich train crash as to what Gordon Brown should do to become popular, how he can still turn this around, and how he needs to get that vision across to the electorate. Brown's receiving daily advice by the truck load on every aspect of his government from every corner of the Labour Party, and beyond. Jon Cruddas thinks that Labour have the best policies, but its the language being used that's failing to resonate; whilst Steve Richards in the same edition of today's ...
Ofsted see this report as being better than The East Midlands one. However, the following is in the report: Overall, Ofsted judges safeguarding in the region as inadequate The key is the following: Inspectors found no consistent use of an assessment framework in their analysis of case files and court reports, or in discussion with Family Court Advisers. Recent inspections of Cafcass have
Another review of the Liberal Democrats' policy on higher education funding has come up and it's vital that we maintain our commitment to higher education being accessible to all regardless of background. With an increasingly debt-averse society, it's clear that the only way to do that is with access to education funded through general taxation. There's a group on Facebook created to show the support amongst grassroots Lib Dems for this policy. Please join it and add your comments.
After the first Twerton PACT meeting some four months ago the report back meeting will take place on the 3rd June at St Michaels School, Twerton, Bath. At 6pm. At the first meeting residents raised the following priorities. 1) Security of communal areas for blocks of flats (SOMER) 2) Burglary/Arson (SOMER, Police, Fire) 3) Youth Provision (B&NES, Play rangers)...
Julia Wassell, a Labour councillor in Wycombe (sitting on both Wycombe District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council) and their 2005 Parliamentary candidate for Wycombe, has joined the Liberal Democrats. More details on the Wycombe Liberal Democrats site.
I was in Stornoway yesterday with the 'day job' addressing a group of the local authority's elected members - a thoroughly enjoyable experience, but a very long day (up at 4.30am; back home 10pm and playing 'catch up' today!) It was a beautiful day in Stornoway as you can see from the photos - Stornoway Harbour (top), the airport (right) and Lews Castle (below). The castle - built for Sir James Matheson in 1847 - is situated in extensive wooded grounds overlooking Stornoway Harbour. There's an interesting website about the castle (click on the headline above to view).
His van is in the background of this photo with the Dalai Lama, but sadly you can't quite see Albert's nose through the grill. He was there though, and very impressed with the Dalai Lama he was too.
Luke Akehurst writes an interesting if not rather obviously New Labourish blog. Today his guns are aimed squarely at Guardian readers and their concerns. Interesting how he spits the name of the newspaper out like a Daily Mail reader would which probably says alot about his perspective. His handle are comments by former Blair speechwriter, Phil Collins, who says that Labour is in the midst of a 'tragedy'. The root cause of this tragedy, Collins feels, is Labour being in the 'thrall to the Fabian branch of its history for decades, even as its purchase on the world has loosened.' ...
sorry. :)
Who would imagine that in Europe there is a country where people can be prevented from travelling freely, can be assaulted, beaten up and have their vehicles burnt, attacked, damaged and ruined and whilst this happens, the police look on and laugh as they share jokes with the perpetrators. If I said it was Russia, you'd probably expect it, but if I say it is France, an EU members state, a state which was supposedly born on the virtues of 'liberte, egalite, fraternite', we can see again (like my last post) why so many people don't trust European institutions at ...
... Called 'How Doctor Who Made Me a Liberal'. I read this article quite a few years ago, and at the time, I didn't know who Alex was. More recently, although I had started reading Alex's blog, I didn't actually connect his name with the article I had been so impressed by until I went looking for it today so that I could link to it as proof of the 'the Lib Dem party is stuffed with Who fans' thing. Cthulhu, that was a long sentence. Anyway. I see similar Liberal biases in most of Classic Who to Alex, and ...
I heard some Scandinavian chap on the radio last night who is head of programming for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the people behind the Eurovision song contest. He was trying to explain that Eurovision was a fair competition which votes on the basis of the song, not for political or other motives, but then extraordinarily explained that Britain cannot expect other nations to vote for it if Britain and the BBC continually ridicule the Eurovision song contest. Now this chap from the EBU must be some sort of prize pillock because he was in one breath trying to tell ...
I've been away on holiday for a week, so apologies if I've been away when people phone/email. {Valencia, Town Hall Square, May 2008} I was in the Spanish city of Valencia - this is it's "town hall square" (the Town Hall is on the left). More pictures here
I read an interesting article by Carla Butler in the Argus, about young people, and the need to attract younger people into party politics and thus, voting. There is indeed a sterotype that young people don't care, are reckless, and couldn't care less about themselves, their community, or indeed, anything in particular. Is this true? I think not. I think such people are the minority - young people do care, but they have little way to express themselves. If you felt strongly about something - what would you do? I'd say young people are actually more likely to take action ...
I posted this on another blog discussing the fuel protests today but I wanted to give others the opportunity to dismiss and damn my somewhat controversial comments... On the question of fuel costs, can't hauliers simply increase their prices, forcing their users to pass on the cost to consumers? That would surely be a more sustainable and market driven way to address demand while still addressing the urgent problem of climate change. It's clear that the oil companies are coining it in - they can as they have something we all want and there is insatiable demand globally. However, it's ...
Do read Dennis MacShane's advice to Gordon Brown. Its superb. Cut taxes at the bottom of the income scale, curb needless spending, improve efficiency, increase supply side. Very good. MacShane is so good its hardly a surprise he never got into the Cabinet. P.S. The Middle Eastern Monday post will be published later today (I know its tuesday but hey, I'm busy) and the Tuesday Elections post will appear tonight.
2005 Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Wycombe Constituency, Councillor Julia Wassell, has joined the Liberal Democrats. {Steve Guy officially welcomes Julia Wassell as a Liberal Democrat} Councillor Wassell sits on both Buckinghamshire County Council and Wycombe District Council. In 2005, she was the Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for Wycombe. Wycombe Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Spokesman, Steve Guy said: I am delighted to welcome Councillor Wassell to the Liberal Democrat team in Wycombe. She has an outstanding record of campaigning hard on local issues and getting results. I believe she will be a great asset. We are all looking forward to working with ...
A little while back I spoke to the Equality and Diversity Forum, and one of the ideas I floated was a change in employment recruitment practices. I thought I'd reproduce that part of my speech as it contained a few ideas I floated and which I'm particularly interested in hearing more feedback on. So here's the gist of what I said. I have been struck by the experiences of two interns I've had in my office since becoming an MP. Both were fantastic working for me - but both had the same experience searching for work. Until they worked for ...
The other week I saw a local man leave his house with his dog, and proceed to let it foul the footway immediately, before repeating the trick 50 yards down the road. The man looked on in amusement, and left his gift for the community right there on the pavement. There's an old saying about not crapping on your own doorstep, but my mind wasn't occupied with those particular wise words at the time. Instead, I took busy-body-dom to a whole new level and reported him. I was told that I'd have to fill out a statement, and that a ... 
Today hauliers nationwide are leading a protest against the increase in petrol prices which have been prompted by the surge in worldwide oil prices to record levels. Petrol prices in and around Weston-super-Mare are pretty much in line with the national average, unlike many south west towns, where the price per litre is higher still. However, since January, local petrol prices have on average risen by 8% for unleaded and 14% for diesel. When you take into account the fact that oil companies have continued to make enormous profits running into billions of pounds and the Government continues to take ...
Just how do any MPs think that they are going to make the public respect them more when they propose to institutionalise expenses fiddles. Rather than MPs having to justify what they spend on second homes and so on, the proposal is to give every single one of them a tax free £23,000 lump sum every year and do away with the need for receipts. So the very rich and those who have been MPs such a long time that they have bought their second home outright will just pocket the cash (it's like a £40,000 pay rise). The rest ...
For all their overt attraction, personal carbon credits are almost as intrusive as ID cards and they would fail for many of the same reasons. Lib Dems should be opposing them. Of course many people would say that we should be backing a scheme which seeks to encourage personal responsibility for our carbon output with the likely consequence of securing an environmentally friendly cut. And indeed such personal responsibility is a good thing. But the bureaucracy needed to manage a personal credit trading scheme would be immense and the likelihood of massive loopholes equally certain. For these reasons the Government ...
Was drawn by this blog entry from Lynne Featherstone our MP for Hornsey and Wood Green regarding this piece by Pickled Politics. Lynne also referred to another piece of hers where she wrote: Liberal Democrat bloggers tend to be either fairly inward or local looking. There are many blogs that really talk all about what is happening in the party, along with a smaller number of - often excellent -
The Government has no idea how many unexploded British cluster bombs remain from conflicts around the world, the Liberal Democrats have found. In a Parliamentary answer, Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth admitted that he could not provide an accurate estimate of the number of unexploded British cluster munitions which still have to be cleared following their use in Iraq, Kuwait, Serbia and Kosovo. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey said: "These weapons have a terrible legacy, yet the Government appears to have no idea how many it has used and how many have been made safe. "It is incredible ...
This morning I had a meeting with the Managing Director of First Bus in Bristol, Justin Davies. I have had dozens of angry e-mails about the company's plans to cut bus services from South Gloucestershire, especially the 'express' services that go down the M32. (The consultation document mysteriously failed to mention the extra half an hour that this would add to peoples' journeys). To add insult to injury, the Transport minister has just announced millions of pounds for 'showcase bus corridors' into Bristol, including one down the M32! I had a constructive conversation with Mr. Davies this morning, and I ...
Interesting piece from Sunny over on Pickled Politics today: Are bloggers on the political left of the spectrum really that crap compared to those on the right? I don't believe so, but I'll come back to this question another time. I do want to point out how and what can be achieved if we put our minds to it.The full piece is well worth a read. I don't agree with all the points Sunny makes (personally I think the liberal versus authoritarian political divide is hugely important and is a better way of looking at many issues than trying to ...
Update/Correction: I have since found out that Jeremy Browne MP has been on a parliamentary trip to China both during the vote and since and have not checked with the offices of the other MPs. As noted on Lib Dem Voice seven Lib Dem MPs couldn't be bothered to vote in the crucial and highly important Abortion Debate. (Adrian Sanders was out of the country at the time) The biggest debate on the subject in twenty years seemingly didn't have any impact on: Jeremy Browne, Vince Cable, Tim Farron, Mark Oaten, Alan Beith, David Heath, and Charles Kennedy. I stand ...
Redcar and Cleveland Council's five Area Committees give a chance for the public to ask questions in an hour-long open forum. Written questions can be posted to the Council's Community Development Co-ordinator Julian Feakes at Fairway House, Limerick Road, Dormanstown, TS10 5JU or by email Dates and venues for the next cycle of meetings is: Redcar: Wednesday, June 4 at Sacred Heart RC School, Mersey Road. East Cleveland: Wednesday, June 11 at Gleneagles Community Centre, New Marske. Greater Eston: Tuesday, June 17 at Ravensworth Junior School, Normanby. Kilton: Wednesday, June 18 at Moordale Court Community Centre, Lingdale. Guisborough: Tuesday, June ...
My ignorance is once again showing on this faux-Monday morning. I had been under the impression that legal aid was a right, given to all who could not defend themselves in court. However today it has come to my attention that this is only on a case by case basis and it is up to the judge to decide. What then happens if the judge has already made up his mind on the case? In Brighton a group of student activists called Smash EDO, have been denied legal aid because the judge feels "they are intelligent enough to represent themselves", ...
My latest column can be found on the New Statesman website: Kenneth Horne's father Silvester was MP for Ipswich between 1910 and 1914. A contemporary said of him:'He understands better than any speaker of his years ... how to quicken slow blood, kindle light in dull eyes, and bring the flood-tide of enthusiasm sweeping into all creeks and inlets of the spirit.'I can't remember the last time a politician filled my creeks and inlets.
Fry & Laurie from 13 years ago. Nothing's changed. The script can be found here.
On Saturday, Jo Anglezarke asked: Which MPs were in the pub during the abortion vote? Well, I've been doing a little checking Jo, and I think you may be interested to hear that, contrary to what you have written, Jeremy Browne MP wasn't one of them. Had you contacted his Taunton office before writing your post you would have discovered that it simply isn't the case that Jeremy Browne did not vote because he couldn't be ' bothered' or was 'down the pub'. Jeremy it seems, was, and still is, "in China with a cross-party delegation of MPs". Perhaps, if ...
Bad news for Romanian football fans. Super Dan Petrescu writes: Bugger.
Only one? In all Labour's keenness to raise the school leaving age to 18 and get half of young people into universities, I have never heard anyone ask whether there are enough good teachers around to make it possible. Good teachers are immensely valuable things. And like a lot of valuable things, they tend to be rare.
Relax. She's not talking about Baroness Williams. She means a locale of Solihull.
The Votes at 16 Private Members Bill proposed by Julie Morgan MP is scheduled for Friday 6th June 2008 at 9.30am in the House of Commons main chamber.
The Telegraph today reports that Environment Secretary Hilary Benn is opposed to Personal Carbon Trading (PCT). I find it fascinating how stories like this play. The story in the Torygraph this morning and the Today Programme yesterday come on the back of a report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), who argue that the Government should 'be courageous' on the issue. Mr. Benn can be heard on Today, opposing a personal carbon allowances scheme. Yet, the Government's stance is not news. Indeed, on the May 8th the Defra issued a press release declaring a moratorium on PCT. Either the media ...
Seems, according to Today prog, that ticket prices may have to increase. Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas. I've never understood why those football fans don't wield their consumer power more by going on strike until the clubs get their own houses in order. After all, the prices seem to cost a fortune. Is there an elephant in the room? Ah yes, I know what we can do - cut the players' wages! I've never understood either [...]
In response to Lynne Featherstone's piece at libdemvoice and the comments there. From what I've seen of the comments everybody responding is a lib dem. (I've voted lib dem, paid my membership, contributed towards leadership campaigns, set up ma... Read and post comments | Send to a friend
I had done any earlier (much earlier) post last year about the war storage capacity on the Northern Line. Indeed the deep bunker is still visible from the road-side on Haverstock Hill. What I hadn't appreciated is that there are in fact two and it was only when I was in Russell Nurseries that I spotted this second bunker visible. Wandering down the path next to Belsize Tube station there, bold as brass, is the entrance to the second bunker. Now I really do have to do some serious research to understand the architecture and useage. And probably chase ...
The following appear to be all the Administrative Court decisions relating to Local Government Standards Board cases. Murphy v the ESO [2004] EWHC 2377 (Admin) Macclesfield Councillor appeals against suspension of 1 year for involvement in a decision about the ombudsmans report about a planning decision where he had a prejudicial interest. Reduced to 4 months. This is an interesting one as it
There is something double-edged about being an elected mayor in the Liberal Democrats. At one level it has involved being a bit of a mini-celebrity within the party and I have been touched by the pleasure which colleagues across the country show in our success in Watford. Yet, I'm always aware that I hold a [...]
Listening to the on-going debate on whether fuel tax should be increased this year as planned, now that fuel is expensive, and whether the VED on older cars should be increased as planned, now that Labour isn't popular, I do wonder whether Gordon and his troops will ever get it where Green Taxes are concerned. (Mixing green and red produces the colour of mud - is that relevant?) The whole point
As a slogan, taking the NHS out of politics is alluringly attractive. After all, who trusts politicians to run anything these days? However, the reality is much more complex than that. I do not think that Dr Layla Jader does herself or her profession any credit by raising it in the way that she has. Of course as a politician I may be expected to say that but Dr. Jader's own solution speaks for my argument. She wants to set up an NHS Board for Wales, which would be independent of direct government control, but it would be accountable to ...
CARERS PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING There were two main issues that provoked discussion at this meeting: a report back from the Sutton Partnership Board about the Draft Commissioning Framework, and an issue raised about Malvern Ward by Ken Fish under 'Any Other Business'. A Draft Commissioning Framework had been prepared on commissioning from the Third Sector in Sutton [...]
No this isn't from school report but could well be and it is a comment that can be levelled at the UK's miserable attempts to cut CO2 emissions as part of the EU's carbon trading scheme. In the last year the EU's CO2 emissions actually rose by 0.68%. The UK was well above this average at 2.2%. However, overall the rise was below the increase in GDP which suggests that new development is taking
At Sussex University, there is a course that all undergraduates take, called Career Development. As part of the course, the students submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV - like an extended resumé). I'm a tutor on the course and have now marked hundreds of CVs - so consider myself a bit of an expert, so I'm now offering a free of charge CV checking service to my visitors! Simply contact me using the contact form, and I'll send you an e-mail address to which you can send your CV, preferably in Microsoft Word format (although other formats are fine), and I ...
Former US President Jimmy Carter made good use of a waterlogged Bank Holiday weekend to address an appreciative throng at the Hay Literary Festival at Hay-on-Wye, focussing his remarks on the Middle East. In an interview with a Guardian journalist present, he berated what he called the supine European Union for backing US policy on [...] | < | May 2008 | > | ||||
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