The Irish voters' rejection of the Lisbon Treaty is a disappointment, but not a great surprise. The No Campaign was more effective, despite the disparate nature of the groups involved, and there was always going to be a substantial number of people who would vote 'no' simply because they didn't understand what the treaty was all about. [...] 
No pro-European can be happy with the Irish "No" vote. It leaves a huge question mark over the future of the Lisbon Treaty - and coupled with the past "No" votes in France and the Netherlands for the more radical Constitutional Treaty, suggests a continuing inability to marshall our arguments successfully against the diatribes of populist [...]
I recently set up www.newhaventown.ning.com, a site which allows councillors and the public to discuss new ideas and issues which perhaps aren't quite ready to be brought to council. The idea arose because I had a few ideas that I really wanted to discuss and go through properly with my fellow councillors - something that there isn't always scope for in council meetings, and I thought that the site might help councillors 'sandbox' new ideas or solutions to problems, or indeed, discuss new problems. What do you think? Could a similar thing help in your community?
So, according to Conservativehome, Sharon Massey the megaphone stealer who axed pensioners Meals on Wheels in Bexley while voting herself a pay rise has been dumped from the shortlist for the Old Bexley & Sidcup Tory PPC selection to replace Derek Conway. What a shame, she would have been a great target, maybe the Tories thought that with all the pensioners voting against her she would be a
The leader of the council last week used a phrase in a meeting which was wholly inappropriate. He has however offered an unreserved apology for it and for any offence caused. I for one am happy to accept this and the matter should now be closed. Initially it seemed that this would be the case. Our Tory opposition, having told the press that they were going to move a motion of no confidence, failed to do so and said that if a full apology was offered then as far as they were concerned the matter was closed. However it took ...
Well the events of the past few days in Westminster have been breathtaking. Labour got their crazy 42 day proposal through only by selling out to the DUP. If Gordon Brown thinks that this is an endorsement of his premiership then he's deluding himself. The simply fact remains that there is no justification for this and it's yet another attack on personal freedoms in this country. Frankly the Government is doing the terrorists jonb for them. Next David Davis resigns to force a by election on the issue. For the first time in my life I found myself agreeing with ...
Oh dear. Someone's made the mistake of asking me what I think about the David Davis resignation. Here we go: 1. The Tories look absolutely pathetic as they nearly all voted against the Government legislation for 42 days. 2. Therefore David Davis has been assigned as the PR trick - a token gesture to reassure Tory voters that the Tories have really got power when really they haven't as the Government still have a majority and only needed 9 votes to win. 3. DD has done a deal with us - he's promised to do something for us if he ...
My House Points column from today's Liberal Democrat News. It turns out that it is the 1000th issue rather than the 20th birthday, but the thought was there. Incidentally, the joke about masonry bees, which first appeared in an early Lord Bonkers' Diary, occurred to me when I came across them at the house in Shropshire where Malcolm Saville wrote Mystery at Witchend. You see how it all fits together? Completely Bonkers What could I do this week but give over this column to Lord Bonkers? I have been editing the diaries of Rutland's most celebrated peer for Liberator magazine ...
A lot of people seem to be very upset that they are not going to be able to travel to Humberside for the next few weekends to fight a by-election. But worry not, help is at hand. Here in Henley (which is much nearer to Taunton than Humberside!) we have piles of leaflets to deliver and large amounts of canvassing to do every day until June 26th. Now I'm sure Taunton Deane Executive spent as much time planning who could come and help here and when as they did discussing the other by-election, but in case they need more details ...
Its not immoral. It efficient. It doesn't randomly hurt anybody. We don't want over priced markets. They make us feel good for a bit and then bloody awful when they fall. Let's grow up a little.
So the good folk of Sligo, Waterford et al have voted 'no' to the EU revising treaty, known as the Lisbon Treaty. So, this might mean that the changes in the document do not go ahead. How awful! I am dumbstruck! This really is the end of civilisation as we know it.
Right-winged, conservative, republican supporting, are ways to describe Fox News. It had disgusting bias, twisting stories in sickening ways. It's been a staunch climate change sceptic. It's been pro-war, anti-immigrant, etc. It's even had racial slurs. Fox News would of course be preparing the fight against Obama. They've had to apologize for calling Barack's wife 'baby mama'. The term is slang for a woman who has a baby with a man who is neither her partner nor boyfriend. Well thinking about Fox News makes you more thankful of our television. The BBC we may criticise but realistically it's quite well ...
So Maliki's hand has been forced by Sistani et al. One of the two hands that feeds him is being bitten and there is nothing the US can do about it. Maliki is going to reject the security pact. The Coalition of the Willing will have not UN backing for remaining in Iraq after the end of 2008. This matters not one whit for the White House, as the US has not signed up to the ICC. Britain has and Britain will declare a victory in Basra and scuttle home. Iraq is asserting its sovereignty. It will not be a ...
Our local Bath MP Don Foster has backed a bill to stop the sale of cut price alcohol in a move to stop the explosion of binge drinking. I agree with Don that much needs to be done to resolve the problem of Binge Drinking and welcome his support for this bill. The new bill aims to bring in a four point package to combat binges in which people drink over half the weekly limit...
I understand how David Davis must feel but I am not sure if he really thought through what he was doing when he resigned for Parliament. I am sure that you could say that this was a matter of conscience over Labours 42 day detention rule, but I feel that he had a rush of blood to the head and did not think through what he was doing. What has he achieved by resigning well... 
Maybe my blog reader is faltering, but I seem to be getting enough comment on the Irish EU Treaty vote from eurosceptic types. But very little from members of the most avowedly "pro-EU" political party in Britain. Are the Lib Dems collectively stunned by the result? As that strangest of beasts a pretty anti-EU Lib Dem I'm personally kind of pleased.
Most casual observers who are not particularly interested in the European Union and its development can surely be excused having really, by now, lost interest in this saga. Born from the lengthy process of Valery Giscard d'Estaing's Constitutional Convention (itself the most open and consultative process for reforming the EU ever undertaken) all the way back in 2003, then re-drafted by European Prime Ministers into a Constitution, which was then rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, then re-drafted as the Lisbon Treaty, the ratification of which in this country it would be fair to say has caused its ...
When Nepal became a republic I asked the question in my blog: should we become a republic too? I anaylsed some of the different options the UK might have and some consequences of actions. Well the UN is saying that the UK should hold a Referendum on whether it would like to become a Republic and get a written Constitution. That's from the UN Human Rights Council. Well 70% of people are thought to support the Monarchy, despite it's significant burden on the tax payer. On Constitution, it's not exactly a big subject of debate. I would like the idea ...
I only finished my MA Dissertation just after the local elections. It was entitled 'The European Constitution fails it's French Test'. In it I outlined the mix of domestic and European issues that defeated the treaty, but I put the blame fairly and squarely on the Euro-Elite who think they can play games with democracy. The second half of this foolish game, the Treaty of Lisbon, has now in turn been rejected - this time by the Irish, who probably resent being manipulated as much as the French and the Dutch. Now David Davis has decided to play the referendum ...
Apparently, the UN has issued a report which is critical of the UK in a number of areas. A Sri Lankan questioned whether we should be a monarchy, Syria accuses us of being discriminatory, whilst rather hilariously Iran wanted to know why we were not doing more about sexual discrimination. This from a country that still persecutes homosexuals ! The United Nations, it appears, allows despots and tyrants to lecture democracies about things that these dictatorships don't even do in their own countries. How about Syria stopping supporting terrorism in Lebanon ? How about Iran stopping their support for Hezbollah ...
She got dumped for Obama. Check out the video below
Today's result from Ireland and a clear rejection of the Euro Constitution immersed in what was name a 'Reform Treaty', is disastrous for the EU, but is the very last thing either Gordon Brown or Nick Clegg wanted right now. Gordon Brown's problems seem to double by the day and have been well documented, but having only got the 42 vote through by a wafer thin margin, Gordon Brown must be dreading that the Euro Constitution might resurface in another amended form shortly before a general election and require another re ratification by parliament. Nick Clegg too must be worried. ...
At the time of the recent resurfacing of the roadway around the roundabout at the west end of Blackness Road (at Glamis Drive/Road), I asked the City Council if a small environmental improvement scheme could be undertaken to make the rather drab roundabout a bit brighter and more attractive. The City Council kindly agreed to this and the roundabout work is now completed. As you can see above, it looks much improved and I have now written to the Council staff involved, thanking them.
I've spent the last four days in Belfast with my 'day job' although have been in constant touch on local matters by phone and e-mail! My colleagues and I had an enjoyable time on the Belfast Wheel - see photo below and video above!
First 42 days, then David Davis; and now Ireland has voted to reject the European Union's Lisbon treaty. Sometimes the cliche about a week being a long time in politics really is true.... Suddenly it's not just the football that's making Euro headlines. Liberal Democrats have always been pro-Europe. The EU has brought [...] 
The blog has been quiet for a quite while now - mostly because I have been away for a month in China and central Asia. However I am now back and posts should be resuming shortly!
I'm on the show tomorrow (Saturday) talking about families and David Cameron - family policies, whether it's right for him to use photos of his kids in political stuff, and more! Catch it at 11am or listen again via the website.
Never mind a week being a long time in politics - its 4 days since I last blogged , and not only have we seen the 42 days detention scrape through in parliament, but an extraordinary fallout. So an an old fashioned Tory is apparently going to take a stand against the erosion against our civil liberties. Or is he? There has been much speculation about his motives. Words like ego, bonkers and bizarre, have been the kinder ones being used to describe DD's decision to resign his seat and fight a by-election in his own seat. Just when the ...
I spent a really pleasant time this morning visiting Binswood Allotments where two members of the allotment society John Shuttleworth and Geoff Southgate showed me around and explained their fears that it may all be lost to future development. The regional spatial strategy has allocated 10,800 new homes to be built across Warwick District in the next 20 years. This could mean land the size of Warwick Gates and South West Warwick developments put together may be used for housing. There is currently a consultation underway to gather public opinion before a decision is made where these will be built. ...
Three cheers for Gordon Brown, he's managed to create a Guantanamo situation in Britain, but unlike President Bush he hasn't been foolish enough to keep all suspected terrorists in one place. I won't go into too much detail, the case has been made here. Now lets not all get hysterical, this Bill is not law yet. David Davis would be wise to note this. Thankfully I can still walk around the streets of London, and if I am suspected of being a terrorist I'll only be locked up for 28 days as opposed to 42. Lucky for us we have ...
Local people have been sending in hundreds of paper and electronic responses to the South Gloucestershire Core Strategy consultation - and they're not at all happy at the options the Conservative-led council is putting forward. The photo shows Lib Dem Cllr Pat Hockey with the latest bagful of responses. In another move, local residents in the St John's Way area of Chipping Sodbury have set up their own website bs37action.com to protest about plans to build 1500 houses on the open countryside opposite their homes, alongside the River Frome. Among their concerns are the increased risk of flooding, increased traffic ...
Many of our local communities are putting together a Community Plan, to shape what their are will look like over the coming years. This is not just something for councillors - it's an opportunity for 'real people' and community groups to get involved. The Community Plan aims to produce a profile of the community - the people, the businesses, the housing, the transport, the open spaces and anything else that local people think is important. From the profile the Plan group identifies needs and aspirations, and then produces an Action Plan, a document aimed at turning what you need into ...
At the Taunton Deane Executive meeting last night one of the items up for discussion was our response to the decision by Nick Clegg not to contest the Haltemprice & Howden by election following David Davis' resignation. Although I could not be present at the vote, I was pleased to hear that the Executive voted (16-2) in favour of writing to Cowley Street to not only voice their disappointment and regret at Nick's decision, but also to ask that Nick Clegg reconsiders the decison. What on earth is Nick Clegg thinking of? Giving the Tories a month's grace to promote ...
Some uncomfortable questions for anybody who thinks David Davis is a 'man of principle'; 1) Why has he resigned from the position he was most able to change that policy from? 2) Why is the Conservative Party not funding his campaign? 3) Why are spokespeople for the Conservative leadership saying at every juncture this is a 'personal campaign'? 4) Why is it that already his resignation is the catalyst for the Daily Telegraph to say it has; 'Raised questions about the way the Conservative Party is being managed. It is no secret at Westminster that the top of the party ...
Hearty congratulations to Iain Dale, who has announced today he is getting married on Sunday. I'm sure our readers here will join us in wishing him every happiness.
.....bet you never thought you would hear me say that! But, he has come up trumps today - just got the following message from Stop the War Coalition re the planned demo against George Bush on Sunday - The demonstration against George Bush's state visit to the UK on Sunday 15 June will definitely take place, now the police have accepted that we can assemble in Parliament Square. The campaign to get the ban lifted on us marching from Parliament Square to Downing Street continues. Today, the Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary, Chris Huhne, wrote to the home secretary, Jacqui ...
OK lets try to get a grip on what's what. Might help to do a thought experiment - suppose the frontbencher resigning to fight a bye-election on 42-Days was one of our frontbench team. Say Chris Huhne. What would be the various reactions to this? First off I suggest most party members would feel somewhat pissed off, even betrayed. Just at the point where the Labour government has made an utter and pig-headed prat of itself a massive smokescreen has come down on the key issue in question. It would be seen as a stunning vote of no confidence in ...
Remember Monty Python's right-wing prisoner who was jealous of Brian for being spat in the eye by the gaoler? 'Gaoler's little blue-eyed boy...' He'd probably have voted against 42 days detention without trial: '42 days? Oh, what I'd give to be detained without charge for 42 days. But it's too good for them. String 'em up, string 'em up long before then.' Somehow that thought came to mind following the news of Mr Davis' latest bid for attention, which John Humphries seems to want to depict as his Hampstead Heath experience -- the 'moment of madness' of Davis without an ...
I was invited to a lunch to celebrate the success of women in the transport and logistics industry as a guest of TfL, who have made diversity a priority in recent years. As someone who has been involved in the transport world for almost 20 years now, it's been great to see how the workforce is changing and to see women moving into areas such as driving and engineering where they used to be a rare exception. The awards lunch, organised by Every Woman, was sponsored by Man (all irony intended), the truck and bus company. Every Woman is the ...
For most of my life there's been a fourth force in British politics. If you knew nothing about Britain, but studied a cross section of popular newspapers, you would get the impression that we were rather a different nation. Our newspapers are, on the whole, more right wing, authoritarian and insular than the average Brit. No newspaper illustrates this better than The Sun. And never was it worse than under the editorship of one Kelvin MacKenzie. He wouldn't deny it either. In one famous quote in the early eighties he said: You just don't understand the readers, do you, eh? ...
After listing the Labour rebels, it is only fair to praise Ann Widdecombe for breaking the Conservative Whip - if she believes 42 days to be right, which she does it is only right to vote for it.
Three bumble bees on the same buddleja globosa flower. www.flickr.com/photos/ripplestone The sound of recorders in a church. A slice of carrot cake, because I've lost FOUR pounds - the WIIfit is truly a beuatiful thing!
Well, David Davis has certainly brought a new dimension to national politics! I have to say straight away that I really admire the stand he has taken. I find the idea of extending imprisonment without trial to 42 days completely abhorrent. 28 days is already too long, in my view. This Labour Government has done more to undermine our precious rights and liberties as...
35) Sami Zubaida, Law and Power in the Islamic World (London: I.B. Tauris 2003, ISBN 1850439346). Traces the history of the relationship between religious and secular laws and authorities in Islamic countries, finding that until modern times, Shari'a was rarely the sole law of the land, but either ran in parallel with a secular legal system or was relegated to the fringes. This began to change with European pressure on Islamic countries to codify their laws in order to facilitate trade and with nationalistic responses to colonialism. Zubaida argues that this process has resulted in a harsher application of Shari'a ...
Amongst the hubbub of the Davis implosion, I managed last night to watch 'Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley' on BBC4. It was a beautiful production and I recommend watching it when it is repeated tonight at 10pm on BBC4 or here on iPlayer. The play centres on Thatcher's personal life and early political career, especially her many attempts to become a Conservative candidate in a
Hampshire Conservatives over-charged council tax payers this year so they could bribe the voters with a lower increase next year - County election year. They denied it at the time, but now the truth is out. They have also announced some modest improvements to services to try to distract people from the major service cuts they are making. After increasing the council tax by 4.5% this year, when it was not necessary to do so, they have now announced that the increase in election year will be 3.0%. Liberal Democrat Group Leader on the County Council, Cllr Adrian Collett, said: ...
Kelvin MacKenzie's phone must be in meltdown. Good! BURN him, BURN him! Ahem. The former Sun editor and fervent supporter of a 42-day detention limit has indicated that he will stand against David Davis in the forthcoming Haltemprice (how quickly we've all learned to spell that) & Howden by-election - putting many Lib Dems into the extraordinary position of not only hoping David [...]
The shock waves from the David Davis resignation (nearly) shook my hotel room although it is possible that this was from passing traffic. Suddenly, after flying so high the Conservatives have a crisis on their hands. The question has to be asked why he took this step. He is a front-bench spokesperson for a party committed to opposing the government and has openly committed that party from his lofty position to a repeal of the measure. What is the need to then resign unless there is some hidden split within the Conservative hierarchy? No possible explanation other than this and ...
Congratulations to new Councillor Mark Mills who won the Holywell by-election in Oxford last night and takes over from my good friend and all round good egg Richard Huzzey. The turnout was low due to the election being on the penultimate day of term. (Richard resigned very quickly so that it didn't slip into the summer vacation). Perhaps the most interesting part of the result is that the Greens fell to fourth place in a ward that they held until May 1st this year.
Last night's local fundraising dinner was, as it turns out, remarkably well timed, and this is what members made of it all, "All I think I can say in summary is that although there will be many in party upset by our decision not to oppose Davis, judging from last night's gathering, the local party in [...]
Early returns apparently suggest an impending Gaelic thumbs down on the Lisbon Treaty. However, it does also appear turnout is low - a situation in which it is assumed that the 'Yes' vote will thrive. Looks increasingly likely 'Yes will go tits up rather than thumbs though. When I get a spare second I will post a quick pre-emptive riposte to the euro-sceptic bloggers sharpening the knives for yet another assault on the Lib Dem position.
Carlisle City DC, Upperby Lab 595/515 (35.2; -12.1) LD James Osler 428 (25.3; -0.6) Con 346/275 (20.5; +5.5) BNP 321/278 (19.0; +7.3) Majorities 167/87 Turnout 36.1% Lab hold x 2 Percentage change is since May 2007. East Sussex CC, Bexhill King Offa Con 2825 (62.3; +23.1) LD John Kemp 1191 (26.3; -4.3) Lab 518 (11.4; -18.8) Majority 1634 Turnout 25% Con hold Percentage change is since May 2005.
Iain Dale, that'll be the Tory one rather than my Scottish colleague and friend, raised an interesting quandary over the Democratic Unionist Party's support of Labour in the lobbies on Wednesday night. If the as yet unsubstantiated rumours that some deal has been done, no matter how surreptitiously, could it help the nationalists? No, not the SDLP or Sinn Fein but the Scottish variety. Like
From where I am sitting David Davis' decision to resign and fight a by-election on the issue of civil liberties still looks sustainable. It is becoming increasingly unlikely that Labour will now put up a candidate, prefering instead to pass the baton to that other well-known liberal, Kelvin McKenzie, former editor of the Sun and one of the brains behind topless darts on L!VE TV. In these circumstances, and discounting the intervention of the odd beauty queen and Monster Raving Loony, the idea of focussing the contest entirely on the role of an ever-burgeoning state may well just come off. ...
My week started in the way I like best: on constituency business. I was invited to open the Barle Enterprise Centre near Brushford in West Somerset. £800,000 of EU funding matched the same amount provided by Somerset County and West Somerset District Councils between them, to finance a small development of business units already in demand. Exactly the kind of thing we should be doing with EU Competitiveness funding. An example of where the EU could also help but fails was provided that afternoon by a packaging company in Avonmouth, who had called me in to discuss problems with the ...
Mayor's Reception for Carers This is Carers Week so a busy one for me as Sutton's Carers Champion. The Mayor's reception for carers has now become a tradition since it was started by Cllr. Bailey in his year as mayor in 2006. It is particularly fitting this year that the mayor, Cllr. Brandon Hudson is also [...]
Another deeply malicious article in the Advertiser this week on the elected Mayor. Voters in Bury will be asked on July 3rd if they want to have an Elected Mayor running the Council. The referendum has been called because 10,000 or so signatures were collected, allegedly in favour of a Mayor, but in reality in opposition to congestion charging. Those behind the petition have linked the two issues without a single fact to back them up, and are continuing their catalogue of lies in the run-up to a vote which could forever damage the relationship between Bury and its local ...
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE 13/6/08 09:05: The Official Monster Raving Loony Party has announced that 'MadCow' (pictured above) will challenge David Davis at the forthcoming by-election. She's already got her campaign site up and running here. Roy Greenslade comments interestingly on Rupert Murdoch and Rebekah Wade's decision to enlist Kelvin MacKenzie as a Sun candidate: Kelvin will fight and Kelvin
'Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety' Ben Franklin That a citizen should not be held unjustly is a fundamental principle of democratic freedom. It is the root of our entire system of law and justice. It is why a suspect must face charges quickly after being taken into custody. From the Magna Carta of 1215, we derive the law of Habeas Corpus - the fundamental principle that the state may not imprison the individual unlawfully. The United Kingdom is a country rooted on these democratic principles, and in ...
I got an unwelcome surprise when I went to get off my Northern Line tube train this morning... Boris Johnson had been standing right next to me. The Mayor looked as if he was desperately trying to catch people's eyes - perhaps to prove that he can use the tube - but, in typical tube fashion, either no one had noticed him or no one wanted to start a conversation. At least he can make it into work on the tube without going through any red lights or breaking other traffic laws (even when he knows you're not supposed to). ...
Gordon Brown won the vote on Wednesday night on the 42 days detention, I realise I am posting in all the wrong order by the David Davis thing got most of my attention yesterday.
The scene: the House of Commons voting lobbies. David Davis and Nick Clegg are walking through to vote against 42 days detention. David Davis: 'If we lose this vote, I'm thinking about standing down to force a by-election on the 42 days issue, but I'll only do so if you agree not to stand against me. I get to look like a hero, a principled politician who puts his career at risk to stand up against an over-mighty state. I also give the impression that civil liberties are associated with the Tory Party. As you won't be standing, you save ...
Drunk on a day in the limelight, the hangover must have truly kicked in for David Davis this morning. As the ex-editor of the Sun Kelvin Mackenzie threatens to challenge and knock this contest into new fathoms of absurdity, Labour look increasingly unlikely to field a candidate. Labour can do this because of the direction that the media's narrative has taken. It started well for Davis but the coverage on 24 hour news quickly descended into scepticism that this was a stunt and little more. Many commentators now call his campaign a vanity project. Its not an unfair assessment - ...
Last night's fundraising dinner of Haltemprice & Howden Liberal Democrats saw the burning effigies of Chris Rennard and Nick Clegg, membership cards were ripped up and thrown onto the flames and guest speaker Lembit Opik was forced to flee under a hail of bread rolls. Denied a by-election to fight the right wing thug that [...]
I appear to have a slight problem and, in order to understand it better, have been doing some research. Do you know anyone like this? I wonder if I do...
I nodded off quite early last night so it seems all the hoopla was only just beginning. I was evidently not so unconscious as I thought, for I had had a nightmare about everyone rushing outside to see this Davis chap ride past on his high, ever so high, horse (a strange beast, for it had white bits where you would normally expect black and black bits where you would normally expect white) whilst waving their 28th day release papers and union flag bunting, and hailing him as potentially the greatest liberal Home Secretary the country's never had. And then, ...
Oxford has a new councillor, and he's a LibDem. Yesterday saw a by-election in Holywell Ward, in the city centre, were 95% of the electorate are students. The university colleges will be represented by one of their own, as student Mark Mills has been elected, to represent the ward alongside fellow LD, Nathan Pyle, who was elected in May. The by-election followed the resignation of the ward's excellent councillor, Richard Huzzey, who is moving to the States for work (and, incidentally, just ahead of the presidential election). In recent years, Holywell has been a fight between Greens and the LibDems. ...
The talk of Kelvin MacKenzie (or Kelvin Calder MacKenzie as he would be known to the acting returning officer) standing against David Davis in his by-election reminds me of an earlier posting on this blog. When the story broke that Matthew Taylor is the great-grandson of Sir Percy Harris, a long-serving Liberal MP, I wrote: Sir Percy was first elected to the Commons for Harborough at a 1916 by-election. There was an official truce between the parties, but he had to overcome strong opposition from Thomas Gibson Bowles, an Independent candidate backed by Lord Northcliffe and the Daily Mail.Bowles's campaign ...
David Davis' decision is not unique. There is a long track record of people resigning their own seats to fight by-elections. There used to be such a tradition when people were appointed as cabinet ministers. In 1912 George Lansbury was Labour MP for Bow and Bromley and a strong supporter of votes for women. When the Labour Party gave lukewarm support, Lansbury resigned to seek re-election with
I haven't got around to posting this yet but over 30 years after he initially posed the question the then MP for West Lothian Tam Dalyell has acknoweldged that a recent Conservative proposal is the 'least bad answer' he has seen thus far. Ken Clarke who has carried out the democracy review and Tam are not natural bedfellows, but the former father of house says that Clarke 'grasp of the
It is said that Hampstead tube station is the deepest tube station in London - it may or may not be true, but one of the reasons for the depth is that it runs under the top of the hill. And just over the road, literally, is the corner of Holly Hill and Heath Street at the top of hampstead High Street and on that junction is the old Fire Station.When you look at it it's hard to realise that it was the fire station and in the relatively recent past - but sure as eggs is eggs, it was. ...
The Property List programme on Channel 5 has apparently declared Chalfont St Giles in Bucks as a perfect village. I didn't see the programme so I don't know if they discussed Chalfont's liberal heroes. For a plush commuter village, Chalfont St Giles has a proud liberal tradition. John Milton wrote Paradise Lost there. Milton [...]
Whatever thoughts crossed my mind that weren't worth a whole post.13:11 Holy crap. David Davis resigns to fight by election on a single issue, but his main opponent will be even more opposed than him. WTF? # 13:29 Support Davis, Clegg's right, Lib Dems shouldn't fight on this: tinyurl.com/5a355o #Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. {[info]} matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.
But it's not here, it's on LC. My OWN little posty wosty. And I shall love it and hug it and sing to it, and I shall call it George! [plug]If you would like to subscribe to LC in general, you can add {[info]} liberalconsp_fd to your f-list, and if you want to subscribe to just me you can add {[info]} jennier_lc_feed[/plug]
Bottle banks have been installed in the last week at locations in Cintra Park and Hexham Road (116-122), following years of campaigning by the Lib Dems. We are continuing to press RBC to install an additional bank to serve communties around London Road and Kings Road. If you experience any problems or issues using these banks please email Glenn so he can get issues ironed out quickly. It seems that a number of Labour councillors are finally coming round to the Lib Dem idea of introducing glass recycling collection at the kerbside - better late than never we say! The ...
Look. Come on, guys. The result of the Haltemprice & Howden by-election was effectively announced at the moment when David Davis resigned today. Once he had pulled that stunt, he was made for the by-election. It doesn't even matter if the majority of his constituents are pro-42 days. He's the "guy who resigned on principle". Some [...]
I am indebted to {[info]} burkesworks for pointing out to me that the other famous MP for Haltemprice was someone we ALL should be familiar with...
Daily Telegraph: Tensions with David Cameron lay behind David Davis's resignation The Economist: Davis blows his top Financial Times: Going out in a blaze of glory The Guardian: Tories in turmoil as David Davis resigns over 42-day vote This is London: Tories in Turmoil The Times: David Cameron moves to limit the damage as his old foe does the inexplicable Headline [...]
One of the less glamorous campaigns I've been fighting for the past two years has been about getting the Council to sort out the drains on London Road. Problems in this area have led to water failing to drain away and puddles forming at all the junctions between the Upin Arms and the RBH. A lot of the responsibility for this lies with Thames Water, but in the absence of any levers to pull in that direction I have been raising with the Highways team. Basically, the problem has been one of regular 'ponding' of water at the junction of ...
Kelvin McKenzie is saying he might stand agin Davis as a Sun-cum-Murdoch endorsed candidate. * hollow laughter * One pro-death penalty anti-gay wanker against another. We're all doomed, aren't we?
If Labour doesn't run he'll do it. He just said it on This Week[1]. Tim was almost right. ETA Jennie has more. I hate to say this, but Labour would be better off with McKenzie as an independent candidate, Davis's vote is partially partizan lock 'em up Tories (not all Conservatives are Tories, really must write that post), and while Davis will get a big vote, his 'core support' might split off on the single issue to back Kelvin, especially with a media circus. Interesting times. Is there a train station in town? If Kelvin runs, might need to actually ... | < | June 2008 | > | ||||
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