Rumours abound that another high profile Tory MP is planning on standing down before the general election resulting in a By-Election. This is unrelated to the David Davis issue. The seat in question has some good Liberal Democrat strength in local government but a third place in recent general elections. 
Ray Lewis said yesterday he was a magistrate. Boris Johnson repeated this claim. Today it has been revealed he was not and never has been a magistrate. Yesterday Boris Johnson introduced Ray Lewis as a former prison Governor, yet even in the press conference Mr Lewis admitted, as I understood him to say, that he had never been the governor of a prison and was instead a senior warder who had a grade that was equivalent to that of a certain type of governor. He also appeared to claim in his press conference that Newham Council continue to fund his ...
From time to time this blog has drawn attention to the antics of Ludlow's town council - surely Britain's most dysfunctional local authority? Now the South Shropshire Journal has drawn our attention to the existence of Ludlovius, which is a blog designed to expose the doings of the councillors. There is now only one posting on the blog, and in it the author announces that he is closing the thing down. But the cached version shows there have been more postings in the past. And it leads us on to CittaScam Ludlow - 'Lancing the boil on the arse of ...
The visit by Ros Scott this evening and her hubbie Mark Valladares increases the number of Lib Dem bloggers I have met. My stalking started back in November 2006 when I met Mary. Her outfit was much better than mine, but I forgive her as she was very friendly. Then Mary sighed a sigh of relief when I met my second, My Lynnie. Stephen was always up there. Meeting and sharing emails. His
My ward colleague Julia was getting married today to Mike, who was former group deputy leader before he retired last year. We knew it was going to be a very quiet wedding, but our group just had to be there for when they came out of the registry office as a married couple. So we crept up there for the time after the ceremony was going to start so we could greet them and after all - I needed a...
It seems that he's started a business in Prague!
Epping Forest Liberal Democrats held their fourth 'Pizza and Politics' evening tonight. Baroness Scott of Needham Market was our guest and a great guest too. Ros spoke knowledgeably about the House of Lords and the positive effect that the Liberal Democrat peers have on adapting and improving legislation. It is just a shame that the work of the House of Lords is not more widely kwown. And
Today's House Points column from Liberal Democrat News. As ever, I hit the bottom of the page just as I threaten to say something interesting. There is a an article on the good and bad points of Academies by Ross McKibbin in the current London Review of Books. Ed-ucation Judging by the name of the department Gordon Brown created for Ed Balls, this government has nationalised children, schools and families. So we shouldn't be surprised at the subjects MPs think they can hold him responsible for. What is Balls doing to reduce the bullying of children with disabilities and special ...
Oliver Cromwell had an appropriate message for a particular individual in the light of tonight's events. 'You have sat here for too long for any good you are doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go! ' The breaking news tonight is that there have been two further resignations from the Shepway Liberal Democrat group. The ridiculous 'groupthinking' that has been going on for years has got to come to an end and it is time to face up to the situation the local Party has got into. Enough is enough. ...
Senior Hackney Labour councillor, Luke Akehurst, who's views have always been to the far right of the Tories, has now finally broken cover and declared his support for Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition. He's actually in favour of people being illegally kidnapped and tortured, of people being held for years with no charge or trial. This is someone who represents Hackney, one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, where nearly 50% of its population is from a BME background, and with a very substantial Muslim population. Akehurst, who describes himself as being 'firmly on the moderate wing of the ... 
I got my degree result today. I now have (well, technically, am entitled to claim at some point) a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages, class 2:1. Really pleased with it. Now I know I've done fine, I'm off to celebrate as befits a ginger Liberal Democrat - with copious alcohol. And then, on to the next great adventure ...
41) The Sivananda Yoga Centre, The Sivananda Companion to Yoga (New York: Fireside 2000, ISBN 0684870002). As some of you know, my firm has recently started offering subsidised yoga classes, and I have been enjoying them hugely. Sivananda is the style of yoga our tutor teaches, so I thought this would be useful to help me practise between classes. It includes a four-week introductory 'course' for beginners that is very similar to what we have been doing in class, and I did the first week's exercises this evening after I finished work (Fridays is good for this because I work ...
On Monday the Times will launch a campaign on Family Justice at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/familyjustice They say: I wanted to let you know that in Monday's Times, Camilla Cavendish will be starting a major campaign under the banner of Family Justice. The Times is calling for family courts to be more open, and for childcare professionals to be accountable for their decisions. The conclusion
Here is the front and back of the final BNP leaflet delivered in Christchurch, by a mob handed team of deliverers. Oddly when I saw the delivery team they didn't quite match the image portrayed in this leaflet. You just want these little facists to come along and kiss your little kiddie on the cheek don't you. And the candidate told me when I met him a while back that he even isn't racist!
Land of the free, apparently. And on Independence day too. It says much that Bush spends so much money on wars abroad but people wait for 24 hours and die in a hospital in the US without seeing anyone willing to treat them.
Two new allegations around London Deputy Mayor Ray Lewis have emerged today. First, that - contrary to his claims - his Academy is no longer being funded by Newham Council and, second, that despite repeated references to Ray Lewis being a Magistrate, in fact according to the Ministry for Justice Ray Lewis "is not and [...]
I received a letter today from an elderly constituent living in one of the streets off Erleigh Road, worried among other things that "now I hear that they (Reading Buses) are going to take away our 19 Bus". After the closure of Erleigh Road Post Office earlier this year, it's not surprising there is a heightened level of concern about local services in the area. My correspondent is right - bus services around Reading, including Route 19, are under review. Reading Buses is currently consulting on proposed changes to it's bus services. The bit that affects Redlands is as follows ...
The news that Ray Lewis has resigned begs the question as to whether there is truth to the rumours about him. Yesterday, during the press conference he and Boris Johnson did, Ray Lewis stated clearly that he would resign if the allegations were proved to be true.
There were three council by-elections in London yesterday, in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Bexley and Havering. The most striking aspect of all three results was the BNP vote. Having not stood in any of the three wards concerned in 2006, the BNP polled 25.1%, 17.3% and 21.3% respectively, coming second in the Havering contest. Of course, [...]
It is of little surprise to me to hear that there will be delays in getting the results of this year's SAT's tests for 11 and14 year olds. Stories about the way that ETS, the company awarded the contract to mark the tests, have been circulating around the education system for some months. To put it bluntly, ETS seem incapable of organising a piss up in a brewery. Sadly though, the clowns at ETS are being paid £31.2 million per year for five years to do this marking. It wouldn't be so bad were it not for the fact that ...
Interesting piece by Andrew Rawnsley on Politics Home. It's panel the PHI100 feel that there is a serious schism in the Conservative Party over green policies. It cites the example of Tim Yeo, the Tory chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, who said that the Conservatives were broadly in support of Government plans to raise green taxes who was contradicted by Chris Grayling, a member of the Shadow Cabinet, who distanced the Tories from those remarks. 1% of the panel think that there is unanimity within the Tories over the environment. The rest think they are split to varying degrees ...
An extract from the Hansard transcript of yesterday's debate on MPs' pay and expenses: David Maclean (Penrith and The Border) (Con): I have been a Member of the House for 25 years. I have been privileged to be a Minister under Prime Minister Thatcher and under Prime Minister Major. I have taken pay freezes, pay standstills, [...]
My heart has been gladdened by the press release from Nick Clegg saying that he will implement spot checks on LibDem shadow cabinet MPs' expenses, regardless of what Labour and Conservative MPs decided last night. Well done Nick Clegg!
The Howard League for Penal Reform sent me a message on facebook about an hour ago. Unfortunately I'm too old now to do an internship and quite like the monthly arrival of a payslip, but if you know anyone interested in criminology this could be for them! (But be quick!): 'Due to unforeseen circumstances we have a full-time internship position open for upcoming month, starting immediately. Applicants need to commit to 4/5 full days a week. We will cover travel expenses within Zone 4 and lunch. Due to the unforeseen circumstances there is no job description but the job will ...
I know that this isn't anything really to do with Eaglescliffe ward, except that it involves two residents of the ward, but it involves one person well known to many in this ward so the story and photos are here for all. Cllr Julia Roberts who represents Elmtree ward and my former Eaglescliffe colleague, now Preston Parish Councillor Mike Cherrett married this afternoon. It was supposed to
I had a little talk with a conservative member of staff who is working for Andrew Stephenson. It was a great chat and we talked about the current status of the country and we exchanged views. One of the main issues was the fact that a Strong Conservative member (George cant remember his second name) didn't know who the Tory leader was at the time Iraq War was started. The Tory member believed until we told him that at the time of Iraq David Cameron was the leader and the silly Tory didn't know the leader at the time was ...
If the allegations against Ray Lewis prove to have sufficient truth and substance for him to stand down from his post as Deputy Mayor, it could be that Boris' big mistake #1 was appointing Lewis in the first place and that his big mistake #2 was not suspending Lewis pending the inquiry. There is something which doesn't quite add up about this story. Two bishops have come forward, including one
I'm in Chicago on Independence Day. No matter what I think of the current state of US politics (not much) the original thirteen states were right to fight for independence from the British and in doing so they made one of the greatest blows for liberty against tyrrany ever. Its a revolution which never turned to complete [...]
The real test of devolution is how much local people, families and communities are empowered themselves. Liberal Democrat councils are leading the way in changing this. In Kingston, which has a population of over 150,000, any group of 100 people can call in any decision the council has made. And the opposition chairs the scrutiny panel - so this is no paper exercise in...
I'm very excited about seeing Iron Maiden tomorrow. I think it will be about the 15th time I've seen them in 21 years and they never fail to rock like b***ards. I also hope to hook up with a few of my rock loving mates which should make it even better. This does mean I'll miss the final episode of this (excellent) season's Dr Who - but I'm sure the kids will record it for me and I'll watch it as soon as I get home. I think I've been watching the good doctor for 35 years now and I ... 
Pringles, the popular tube based snack, has been declared to be 'not a crisp' by a court. The makers, Proctor and Gamble, had gone to court because potato crisps, unlike most food, are subject to VAT. According to the BBC report: The manufacturer had insisted that their best-selling product was not similar to potato crisps, because of their 'mouth melt' taste, 'uniform colour' and 'regular shape' which 'is not found in nature'.The good news for P&G is that they won and so they will save millions of pounds in VAT (customers may also see the benefit). The bad news is ...
Is American faux-right wing political pundit / comedian Stephen Colbert.... an MP in the UK Parliament? No, the second two pictures are obviously Conservative MP for Ludlow! I'm a big fan of Stephen Colbert, that's why I can tell him from a the charlatan impersonator, Philip 'pseudo Colbert' Dunne (MP). Visit Stephen Colbert's website HERE! Next... Sven-Goran Erikson
Frank Field has an astonishing article in the Telegraph calling for a redress in the balance between the state and the individual. This just goes to show how volatile British politics is right now, and the possibilities open to all parties. His call for an end to over centralisation and the overbearing of the state is incredibly welcome. He sets out a six part agenda for a 'radical' government. 1. Individual Control over public expenditure. Move towards cash transfers which can be used in multiple manners by recipients. This simple transfer is more efficient and returns control to people of ...
On 1 July France formally took over from Slovenia the baton of the EU Presidency, to great French fanfare. But with President Sarkozy deciding to engage in a barrage of bitter public criticism of Commissioners McCreevy (single market) and Mandelson (trade), some of us fear the whole thing could yet turn sour very early on. The European People's Party, the largest in the House (288 MEPs), held its meeting this week in Strasbourg. Their French members are from Sarkozy's UMP Party and they wanted to mark the moment. I took my troops to Tallinn in Estonia, where both the governing ...
Letter sent to Liverpool tax office today: 4th July 2008 Dear Sir/Madam I wish to bring your attention to an individual who is claiming to be self-employed who I believe may not be registered as such. Yesterday Mr Peter Kilfoyle MP stated that "I'm technically self-employed" [see here]. My understanding, having previously been self-employed myself, is that a person who [...]
I have always held the view that it is wrong for MPs to vote on their own salaries, terms and conditions. It's why I never vote when these matters come before the House. My view is if you ...
Cllr Bill Gifford has sent me a copy of Leamington Town Councils response to the 'Options For Growth' consultation. You can find a copy on our local Lib Dem website. I find this captures my own thoughts very well and I feel it is important that the Town Council has a strong position on something that may affect the very heart of the town way into the future. I welcome any thoughts you may have on where new homes should be built in the future.
I have to admit that, while I am tempted to offer Conservatives platitudes about reaping what they sow, I really am a bit uncomfortable about the allegations being made against Ray Lewis. The fact that they are being made by an Anglican Bishop sets alarm bells going off instantly. But the fact that the woman he is alleged to have ripped off remains a personal friend and in his employ makes it even harder to swallow. There are dark mutterings about sexual misconduct, but significantly no actual allegations being made. He has answered all the questions put to him robustly ...
Press release just out: Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, has today committed to unilaterally introduce the recommendations of the Members Estimates Committee for independent spot checks of MPs expenses. Despite Labour and Conservative MPs defeating the MEC's recommendations on Thursday, the Liberal Democrats will go ahead with implementing those that are relevant in order to further improve [...]
You would have thought someone who makes much of representing some of the more deprived parts of the City would understand that voting to keep an unjustifiable and unscrutinised expense bung is not the best signal to sent. Clearly not in our MPs case.
The BBC news website often provides amusement with quirky stories and, to my mind, is a winner with this one about the drunken Swede: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7482551.stm
Barking and Dagenham LBC, Chadwell Heath Con 842 (37.4; +7.5) Lab 691 (30.7; -7.0) BNP 564 (25.1; +25.1) UKIP 142 (6.3; -6.9) Ind 11 (0.5; -18.7) Majority 151 Turnout 33.2% Con gain from Lab Percentage change is since May 2006 Bexley LBC, Christchurch Con 1192 (47.8; -16.1) LD Oliver Brooks 459 (18.4; +3.5) BNP 431 (17.3; +17.3) Lab 411 (16.5; -4.8) Majority 733 Turnout 29.6% Con hold Percentage
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7488960.stm A top Judge of the UK wants to bring in Principals of Sharia Law into UK Laws. Sharia is a the Muslim Law and was revealed by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) for the whole of the world. Sharia is a very good Law it is only strict in certain circumstances and many people now believe that we need to be tough on the kind of aspects that sharia is tough on. For example people want robbery's to decrease but in a Muslim Sharia following State a thief would get his or her hand chopped of for ...
I want to lead this party because I believe that it has never been a more important time to be a Liberal Democrat. The other parties are obsessed with eroding individual civil liberties: * the Labour Party is hell-bent on forcing people to carry ID cards and increasing the length of detention without trial to 42 [...]
The tabloid press* (and to a lesser extent, the "quality" dailies) have leapt on comments made by Phillips LCJ** yesterday: "There is no reason why sharia principles, or any other religious code, should not be the basis for mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution. "It must be recognised, however, that any sanctions for a failure [...]
So much for Big Mac's 100 years. Iraq's Foreign Minister appears to have pulled the plug on the full on Security Agreement. What will be left is a watered down pact which allows the US to leave troops in Iraq for another 2 or 3 years. The Iraqis appear to have got the hang of their own sovereignty. The continuance of US troops on Iraqi soil is now in the hands of Iraq's, not America's, political and religious elites. The Security Council resolution legalising the regulation runs out at the end of this year. The mini-pact will run out in ...
OK I know it's early days, less than 48 hours after the news broke that we needed a new leader, and many people are biding their time to see who actually stand but the Facebook groups are forming up for the Scottish Lib Dem Leadership. Jamie Stone must be worried that most of his 13 don't seem to have Lib Dem tendencies and interestingly has turn the SNP Group turn Glasgow East Yellow as a
'If they are doing the time, they cant do the crime' that is roughly what a man said yesterday from the audience on Question time. The debate about how to tackle Knife Crime was very interesting but out of the whole debate i found this quote by the man in the audience very interesting. Many people have committed a crime and have served a few months then been released on bail with a tag. What is the point of that they haven't tasted the punishment and they already have been released. This is making people loose belief in the juristic ...
I wasn't at the vote on MPs' expenses and salaries as I had to be somewhere else. But, as I have said before publicly, I will not vote on my own salary or expenses. I will vote for such things to be decided by an independent body - in just the same way as I have supported the independent pay review for nurses and teachers etc. And when the Government fails to deliver - I stick by what the independent pay board has recommended.I think the MPs' system of pay and expenses is absurd. So - our pay should be ...
In keeping with this year's Take Part Take Pride theme we have organised a Wallington Community Coffee Morning on Thursday 10th July between 10.30am and 2.30pm. There will be free tea and coffee served on the lawn in front of the Old Town Hall and also cakes, some of which may even be made by my [...]
Visiting Resident I made a visit to a resident to discuss their problems with overhanging trees.
This is broadly in tune with my own views. But you all knew that anyway.
The divisions are up for the MPs expenses vote and, like Alex Wilcock, I am very happy indeed that not one of the piggies who voted to remain more equal than the rest of us is a Lib Dem. Predictably, the printed press is squealing about the horror and unfairness of it all, from the strident howls of the Fail, to the more measured disapproval of the Indy. I am one of those rare people who thinks that MPs should be paid a lot more than they currently are for basic salary - on the grounds that if we want ...
As luck would have it I was struck down with laryngitis yesterday, just in time for the public meeting I helped organise on FGW, so, as it was I wasn't able to give voice to my ongoing frustration with FGW's substandard London-Reading train service quite as much as I would have liked. Luckily there was a microphone at the meeting! The presentation given by Andrew Haines, Chief Operating Officer, was pretty much as expected, with lots about 'jam tomorrow' i.e. things are improving and in ten years things will be much better. Like many people who spoke at the meeting, ...
Nick Clegg's speech to the Local Government Association has been highlighted elsewhere, but I wanted to give it a quick plug here too. I'm a strong supporter of giving as much power to local communities as possible. I have admitted before to some doubts about how you deliver it effectively if local authorities are not closely [...]
As I sit here drinking tea I'd like to raise a cup to American Independence on this fourth of July. You seen American once upon a time was a colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland but as a result of some rebels trying to make a giant pot of tea, without putting warm water in first, out of Boston harbour a little war broke out and General George Washington and the settlers in
If you haven't heard it already Lily Allen has written a song telling the BNP to 'fuck off''. In response Great White Records' Joey Smith has come out with his own pop song very wittily saying 'a lily is just pond life'. Now usually I just wouldn't be interested , but for some reason or other I have become embroiled in a debate with BNP members on Facebook thanks to an invitation from a BNP supporting friend from uni. At first it was rather depressing to watch the BNP trolls try to claim Lily Allen had committed some form of ...
Alex has beaten me to writing up the result of yesterday's vote, so here are his words: News reports of last night's self-pampering vote by greedy MPs offer a choice of two messages: either 'they're all at it' or 'the Tories and Liberal Democrats condemned Labour'. But the truth is that not all MPs - and [...]
Coverage left, right and centre today over the allegations against Ray Lewis, one of Boris Johnosn's deputy mayors (e.g. The Times). A few points to note: The Bishop of Chelmsford has said that, "Between 1999 and 2005 Ray was placed under the formal disciplinary structures of the Church of England and his ministry was restricted." This is a very [...]
So the Conservatives were right to be rattled. The result was closer than expected. As i said to members in my thank you email, 'This is a good result for the Liberal Democrats and proves that the Cameron effect is not having as big an effect as the Conservative party hopes.' The final result was: Conservative: 288 (58%) Gary Martin (Liberal Democrat): 206 (42%)
Tim Collins, who as a native of Northern Ireland and former colonel in the British Army you'd expect would know about this kind of thing, had an article in yesterday's Telegraph on why repressive laws are not the way to deal with terrorist activity: "In parliamentary democracies such as the UK, a system of checks and [...]
Childcare costs can be a huge drain on the finances. Yet the little-known 'Childcare Voucher' scheme can save you £1,000s on nursery fees or child minder costs every year. It allows you to pay for childcare from your pre-tax income. While this mightn't sound a big deal, the impact is huge. For every £1,000 a basic rate taxpayer earns, after tax and national insurance is deducted, they only actually receive a little under £700 in their pay packet. By using childcare vouchers, the whole £1,000 pays for childcare so there's a £300 gain per £1,000 of childcare. lick on the ...
Can anyone help? I was trying to be clever and ad google search into my blog (so you can search within my blog, a basket of sites I read regularly, or the whole net) and a new unit of advertising. Well its not worked. Instead of the previous three ads I had, I now just have one public service announcement (look above this post). How do I get my new stuff? Or at least how do I get back to before (I haven't changed any of the HTML code)? Can anyone give advice? Please. Update: Google have got back to ...
At long last the members of the All-Wales Convention have been named. It is an impressive list of the great and the good. What we need now is some idea of what they are going to do and what they are for.
The people of Bury voted "No" to an elected Mayor yesterday, rejecting the proposals by a 60:40 margin. The final result was 15,425 votes "No" and 10,338, with a turnout of 18%. Interestingly where we live in Holyrood Ward had the highest turnout of voters anywhere in the south of the Borough, at over 20%. Lib Dems in Bury campaigned hard for a "No" vote in the referendum, and it is very good news for democracy that that the idea of an elected Mayor has been rejected by local people. A Mayor would have been an expensive and democratically disastrous ...
News reports of last night's self-pampering vote by greedy MPs offer a choice of two messages: either 'they're all at it' or 'the Tories and Liberal Democrats condemned Labour'. But the truth is that not all MPs - and not all parties - have their snouts in the trough. The truth is that of 176 MPs so out of touch with the economic woes of the real world that they voted themselves £23,000 a year for home furnishings, 146 were Labour. But none were Lib Dems. Zero. Despite desperate Tory spin, it was Conservative MPs who tipped the 'trough' vote. ...
Oli Harvey doesn't think so. He says we should be looking at capital investment. If the oil price were going to stay this high, so his argument goes, then there should be a huge amount of capital investment to find new deposits of oil because the incentive to do so would be large. He posits that the reason for low levels of capital investment is because the price is going to fall soon. The logic works, as long as you think oil analysts for the large exploration companies have it right. Give it a read and see what you think. ...
The people of Bury voted "No" to an elected Mayor yesterday, rejecting the proposals by a 60:40 margin. The final result was 15,425 votes "No" and 10,338 votes "Yes", with a turnout of 18%. Lib Dems in Bury campaigned hard for a "No" vote in the referendum, and I am glad that the idea of an elected Mayor has been rejected by local people. As I've been saying on here all week and elsewhere for ages, a Mayor would have been an expensive and democratically disastrous move for Bury. The "Yes" campaign suggested that the voting for a Mayor would ...
Just saw a clip of 4th of July Celebrations at Mount Rushmore on Al Jazeera. Many of you will, like me, find Civil Religions a little bit creepy, but this tops it all. As the fireworks were scorching the sky guess what song was playing? The Star Wars theme tune. America as the 'rebel alliance', standing up to the 'Evil Empire'? How's that for self image? Creepy. Here's a video of the theme tune to remind you of it.
Intriguing letter in the Western Mail this morning from the President of Plaid Cymru, Dafydd Iwan on the need for more affordable housing. Dafydd echoes the Essex report on housing in suggesting that the Labour-Plaid Cymru Government's target of 6,500 new affordable homes by 2011 should be the bare minimum. However, he goes further than both Sue Essex and his own housing minister in proposing that these new homes should all be built by the public sector and be additional to any that can be provided by private builders through planning gain. Such an assertion is in direct contrast to ...
Mister Stephen has told me that to be a successful and popular Lib Dem Blog he's needs a little fluffiness and colour. So a few months ago he took me aside and gave me some typing lessons until my paws hurt. The picture you see is me ready for a football game wearing my football scarf, which also as Mister Stephen points out are also the colours of the Liberal Democrats.Mister Stephen will
The result of the Bexley Christchurch by-election can be found here. Interesting is the change in the number of votes cast for the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour: Top candidates 2006 Con 2205 Lab 733 LD 513 Votes this time as %age of 2006 (excluding BNP, who didn't stand in 2006) Con 54.1% LD 89.5% Lab 56.1%
I had a little talk with a conservative member of staff who is working for Andrew Stephenson. It was a great chat and we talked about the current status of the country and we exchanged views. One of the main issues was the fact that a Strong Conserv...
M&S yesterday announced a 5.3% fall in sales over the last three months, prompting a 25% collapse in the company's share price and wiping £1.2 billion off the company's market value. Sir Stuart Rose, the company Chairman, pinned the blame on the credit crunch, calling it "the fastest and most severe slowdown since the early 1990's", although some analysts criticised M&S for focussing solely on expensive products. There is little doubt that the retailers at the higher end of the market are struggling as consumers look for cheaper alternatives - Aldi and Lidl are booming. There has been much media ... | < | July 2008 | > | ||||
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