The BBC reports: The Electoral Commission will be asked whether a Conservative Vice Chair has broken the law in the marginal constituency she is contesting at the next election. Margot James is the Conservative candidate in Stourbridge – one of the most marginal seats in the country. The seat's current Labour MP, Lynda Waltho, is to ask the Electoral Commission for clarification of the law on "treating". At issue is whether Ms James might have committed an offence by hosting a lunch for a group of pensioners at her constituency home and some receptions for the local Muslim community. I ...
With thanks to Dr Ann Prescott of West End Community Council, here's a lovely and different photograph of the Christmas Lights Switch on last Tuesday :
I've been pulling some figures together from articles in The Guardian and The Edmonton Journal this week. The USA is offering a 20% cut in emissions from its 2005 level by 2020. The EU is committed to a 20% on 1990 levels by 2020. Canada is offering 20% on 2006 levels. Using the 1990 baseline this amounts to USA - a 4% cut by 2020 EU - a 20% cut by 2020 But, Canada - an 8% increase by 2020. However, using a 2007 baseline Bryony Worthington works out that the USA is offering more than the EU: USA - ...
Eleven. That's all the signatures it will take to get to the 500 mark on the e-petition to Gordon Brown to instigate a review of the choice of site for Consett's Academy. Mind you, there's also over 900 signatures on a paper based version ready to send in, but we aren't allowed to add them together! Some of you enthusiasts must know someone you can email, contact through Facebook, tweet or do something to poke into action to sign up at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ConsettAcademy/ And I'd put money on it that if some of you check the list you'll find you're not ...
Every so often you hear a bit of a song that you love but you don't know who is singing it. However recently I have heard a bit of a song and I know exactly who is singing it, but they have yet to release it and all you can listen to is a minute ...
Nasa's James Hansen was the first to point out the perils of climate change to the US Congress. In The Observer today, he began a heated debate with experts from around the world, from China to the threatened Maldives, and argued that our leaders had to be shaken out of their complacency. But will they show enough courage at next week's Copenhagen summit to take the first steps to saving the planet? Read more here.
TechCrunch is frequently a great source of stories but I think they've got it badly wrong with the story about Tiger Woods titled, "This Is Why The Internet (And Twitter) Wins". The story says, I'm reminded that this type of story is exactly why the web is destroying newspapers, and should eventually even take down television and the main source of news for most people. and goes on to talk about how great Twitter and the internet are for spreading and finding stories quickly. But it's a bizarre example to use to hang these claims on. Because those stories were ...
A film trivia question: Who is the only Carry On regular to have been nominated for an Oscar? While you are considering that, enjoy this performance from the Seekers' farewell concert in July 1968. I remember seeing the show on television at the time. Because the Seekers were huge in those days, having two number ones in 1965. I suppose they sound pretty tame now but, especially when you consider that she is singing live here, Judith Durham has a great voice. And the answer to the question? It is Jim Dale, who wrote the lyrics to this. It was ...
2012: don't botherBrighton Wok: not very good, but great fun and recommended if you appreciate amateur film-making.The Warlords: great - Chinese cinema is really very good these days, even if it is still somewhat one-dimensional, with most of their films (at least of those that ever make it to the West) still being some species of martial arts or war movie.House of Flying Daggers: good, but not great. The second half drags a bit and the plot goes through some rather silly contortions. Worth watching all the way through though.
BBC News Surf reef beach huts still unsoldBBC News - Nov 27, 2009 New designer beach huts alongside Europe's first artificial surf reef in Dorset remain virtually unsold six months after going on the market. ... With the economic downturn it is no surprise that its not easy to sell beach huts at 65-90K at the moment - BUT! Where is the marketing of the beach huts? I have just
TMZ have the 911 call tape of the Tiger Woods accident. They also have photos of the crash scene.
Friday A busy day on the old demesne supervising Meadowcroft as he sweeps up the fallen leaves and training my younger gun dogs. One puppy catches my eye in particular. While I cannot fault it for keenness, it is given to jumping up and pawing one and, when the guns go off, to barking wildly and rushing off in all directions. I have decided to call it Clegg. Earlier this week Monday: Trapped inside Phil DrabbleTuesday: Inside the Liberal Democrat Attack UnitWednesday: The Queen's lorry-driving careerThursday: Rutland's computer industry
At this time of year, please spare a thought for the Ambulance and A+E staff at your local hospital. Don't get 'pissed as a newt' or 'drunk as a Lord' but just drink in moderation — preferably at home indoors — and not become an unwarranted nuisance on our streets when there are many more people in actual need of the health services. Read Random Acts Of Reality's thought about finding a happy place ...
A new column called Bad History debunks some of the classic miserabilism that fuels the illiberal Tory right.
Just a couple of months ago, in his speech to the Tory party conference, Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, had a tough message for those not paying their way in Britain: We will...target tax evasion and off-shore tax havens. Remember we were the first to ask the non doms to make their fair contribution. Everyone must pay their share. And ...
SIX years, 179 lost soldiers and thousands of dead civilians after it began, we may finally be on the verge of getting some clarity about the UK's ill-fated expedition into Iraq. On Wednesday, the public inquiry into why we went to war finally got underway. Top spies, government advisors, military chiefs, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown will be giving evidence. The hot issue will be why the government was so sure Iraq dictator Saddam had weapons of mass destruction when, even at the time, it was pretty clear he didn't. After so much death, destruction and suffering, it's important to ...
APPARENTLY a letter has been discovered which proves former Prime Minister Tony Blair was told in near explicit terms that an invasion of Iraq would break international law and the UN Charter. UK Attorney General at the time, Lord Goldsmith, apparently stated in the letter to the PM that the charter permitted "military intervention on the basis of self-defence", but it did not apply here because Britain was not under threat from Iraq; that the UN allowed "humanitarian intervention" in some circumstances, but such was not the case in Iraq; and that it would be very difficult to rely on ...
I thought I'd share a little trick which others may find useful too for using the Liberal Democrat social network, ACT. Over the weekend I created a group for the Liberal Democrat History Group and was faced with the common dilemma, "It's good to have a presence where people are, but how will I keep it up to date with content?" ACT allows you to display an RSS feed on a group page, which deals with this question if the organisation has a blog or regular series of news stories. The History Group has neither, but it does have an ...
On the eve of St Andrews Day and the publication of a white paper on a referendum on Scottish independence, Radio Four's The World this Weekend took a good look at opinions on a possible plebiscite. You can hear the piece here at 9.00′. One thing that drives me crazy (but it has no right to, as a Cornishman) is that Nicola Sturgeon again repeats that Scotland is a "small country". This echoes the posters which used to greet me at Glasgow airport saying "Welcome to the best small country in the world". Come off it, it's hardly Lichenstein is ...
During the "debate" on the abolition of three discussion forums at last week's Council Meeting, the Labour leadership, supported by the Borough Solicitor, tried to stifle open debate in the Council Chamber. Rather than have debates on each and any amendment moved by members, the Borough Solicitor likes to get amendments moved straightaway after the mover of the original motion has spoken and to
The Labour Party in Darlington, shamefully, pushed through their proposal at last week's Council Meeting to abolish three consultative forums. As Cllr Dot Long said in support of their proposal, this is about making the consultative process streamlined and efficient. As I said in the Council Chamber, since when have efficiency and streamlining been part of the definition of democracy?
Sun 29th
17:33
After it was mentioned to me that parents at our local hospital are receiving hipp calenders through...
Parents all over the country currently receive marketing materials which undermine breastfeeding when they register their babies birth. This information comes along with their babies birth certificate, in a folder which contains a range of leaflets - some official government ones, along with a leaflet encouraging parents to join Hipp Organics online group. through this group parents will receive
Do a Google for Mitt Romney, one of the key contenders for the 2012 US Presidential candidacy. There at search result Number 1 is his PAC – Presidential Action Committee where you can shell out your hard-earned (if you're US citizen) to support his campaign. Do the same for Mike Huckabee, another contender and you get his own website mikehuckabee.com as number 1 result after some news items. Now do the same for Sarah Palin. No 1 result, after some news items, is her Wikipedia biog. Number 2 is her Facebook page. An attractive campaign page it ain't.Number 3 result ...
Over the summer I posed the question If Google is so great at usability, why..., raising the odd location of the "Blogs" option on Google searches. It looks like Google now acknowledges the point I made (though I suspect it wasn't my blog post that triggered the thought!) as the new look Google interface, which is coming our way soon, moves the "Blogs" menu option to a more prominent location. It isn't there in the main left hand menu, but if you click on "More" to get extra options it is second from top of the expanded list, just behind ...
A deputation to Full Council on 27th October stated that some important elements of the Sea Change project were not being delivered in accordance with the original project completion date of 31 March 2010. These elements included creative lighting linking Sea Road and Boscombe Precinct, improved disabled toilets and enhanced wheelchair access to the seafront. The deputation asked the Council to
Chris Keating and Sam Lockwood from party HQ have penned this piece about the new LibDem social network, Act: Launching a social network is a step into the unknown. If you open something up to thousands of Lib Dems then, frankly, the only thing you can expect is surprises. So those of us in Party HQ who are involved with online campaigning and supporter relations have been watching closely to see the kind of use people are making of this new tool. We've been pleased so far with the response – over a thousand people registered in the last week, ...
An article in Newsweek suggests a Dick Cheney candidacy for the US Presidency in 2012 would be good because he is ideologically "pure" and therefore the US would have a clear choice. Oh dear. As a liberal, the article says I should be spitting out my latte at this prospect. If I had a latte, I would be. But hold on a minute. Is Cheney really physically up to such a challenge? I always thought it was a miracle that he managed two terms as V-P. Indeed, he handed over his seals of office in a wheelchair. In 2012 he'll ...
I had a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon with the residents of River Crescent at the Botanic Garden cafe, where the Residents' Association held an informal social event of tea, coffee and cake! It was good to have a chat with residents including discussing some local issues such as parking and traffic speed.
The Lord Nelson Pub is current raising funds for a local girl, Emma Waters who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome so that she can have a mobility scooter. They're doing a great job, so please so try to support this. Meanwhile, the Christmas lights are now on along Hyde Road. It's looking festive.
A rather mixed tale from the latest election turnout figures I've been looking at. Given how I've previously blogged about how figures showing turnout on the up usually get overlooked or misquoted by the media, it is only fair to present the less good evidence too. First, Glasgow North East. Widely reported as having the lowest turnout ever in a Scottish by-election, the 33% turnout figure is certainly not good. The fall on the last general election, at 11%, puts it in the mid-range of Scottish by-elections this Parliament though, with the other changes having been -4, -6, -12 and ...
Tune in tonight, at 10.45 pm, to BBC Radio 4 if you want to hear Richard Reeves, director of think-tank Demos, examine the intellectual and philosophical roots of the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, for the Political Roots: Liberals programme. (Repeated on Wednesday 2 December at 8.45 pm). The BBC website carries an article by Richard, trailing the programme, with some revealing quotes from Nick – for example on the influence of his family in creating a liberal within him: There was something floating around in my family ... I don't want to make it sound as earnest as it ...
Nick Clegg rarely gets much coverage on his questions in the immediate aftermath of PMQs. Last week's edition was no exception, but his question about the protocol which limits release of information by the Iraq Inquiry is starting to look like an ominous slow-burner. Clegg's charge, if you recall, was that the document contained nine separate ...
The BBC report that BNP leader Nick Griffin, who has said global warming is "essentially a hoax", will be at the Copenhagen climate change conference. The MEP will be there representing the European Parliament, as he sits on its environment committee. Sometimes you just cannot make it up.
Found this archive of party political broadcasts and party election broadcasts from the 1950s and 60s on the Sheffield University website. Thought this might be of interest to some of you. Pretty amazing to see how they've moved on with technology. They'll be in 3D soon! http://pebs.group.shef.ac.uk/
[IMG: Wythenshawe Hospital] I was really surprised to see the University Hospital of South Manchester Foundation Trust listed in an Observer article as the sixth worst in the country. University Hospital South Manchester is the new name for Wythenshawe Hospital, somewhere I've had several occasions to visit over the last few years. In addition to a few visits for the kids' cuts and breaks, I had an operation there a few years ago and my daughter was in for a week with suspected meningitis. On none of those visits did I feel the standard of care and cleanliness was below ...
My morning was somewhat brightened up by the news that Zac Goldsmith has been outed as a 'non-domicile'. As an old friend of Susan Kramer's (she was our candidate in Dulwich & West Norwood when I was active there), anything that legitimately helps her to gain re-election in Richmond Park is a good thing. However, I see that Iain Dale has chosen to defend him on the grounds that what he is doing, using his non-domiciled status to avoid capital gains tax, inheritance tax and income tax, is perfectly legal. I therefore feel obliged to remind him that the public ...
Earlier this month I blogged this posting This is the reply I have received: Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding This Week. In response to your complaint, we believe that the Liberal Democrats and its policies have received and will continue receive an appropriate level of coverage on our political output. Nevertheless, I fully appreciate that you feel differently about ...
... using this recipe. It's yummy, and has the advantage that it doesn't need to be left to rise, so it's quicker than my regular sourdough loaf. I will be doing this again, especially when I'm short of time. This entry was cross-posted from Dreamwidth, where there are currently [IMG: comment count unavailable] comment(s). View DW comment(s).
[IMG: Katherine on Lancaster Road at everyone's least favourite stretch of pavement] A few weeks ago, I and some fellow Lib Dem activists went door-knocking on Connaught Road and Lancaster Road to ask residents what issues they were concerned about. The issue that was most commonly raised was the state of the local pavements, and particularly the amount of dog mess. Some residents were particularly concerned about the health impact on children – who can catch serious diseases. As a result I have contacted the Council, and they have agreed to look to see if the area needs more dog ...
With a couple of days to go til the deadline for writers, the articles for my new magazine PEP! (Politics, Entertainment and Pthings) have started coming in, so I thought I'd give you a rundown of what I know for certain will be in there. I'll be writing linktext throughout, and I'll be doing a comics ...
Having seen a blog comment on my blog here this morning in response to my entry about RNID's Impact Report launch for 2009 it would seem that I have attracted the attention of some members of the Deaf community who have some negative feelings towards the RNID. I would like to address their comments from ...
I challenge you Iain to a canvassing session on behalf of the Conservatives in a swing ward in Richmond Park. We are both experienced canvassers and I'm happy to put aside my own views and act as a Conservative if you try to explain to people what you did on your blog ie that it was ...
On his blog about Zac Goldsmith he wrote: There was lots of sanctimonious guff on Twitter from assorted lefties last night about the Sunday Times story that Zak Goldsmith is a 'non dom'. They even tried to suggest that he should resign as a candidate or David Cameron should sack him. Er, on what grounds exactly? ...
The BBC's Politics Show reports on a group of Welsh businessmen who have set their own not-for-profit business support service because they say the assembly government's service is too bureaucratic: Paul Ragan, who sold his south Wales-based insurance company last year in a multi-million pound deal, said the present business support environment was "stifling". "Over a number of years we've been frustrated at the lack of support, the bureaucracy and red tape," he said. "If you're the man on the street, if you're the lady running a business in Abercynon, where do you go, how do you get the help? ...
Andover Lib Dems are backing local calls for a review of bus services in the town. I am not happy with Stagecoach's proposals to reschedule local services in January. The new routes and timetables represent a cut in services. Stagecoach has been forced into this position because of lack of funding from the Tory controlled county council. St Mary's councillor Rod Bailey and I have held discussions with county councillors on the matter and Rod has called for a report on the new services to be brought to the next Andover Forum. We believe the county and borough council should ...
Dad and I are helping to organise a Quiz Night to help raise money for the Mayor of Waltham Forest's charities. I am spending this afternoon putting the final touches to the questions.The Mayor has chosen two great charities this year. The first is Whipps Cross Special Baby Unit and the second is the hospital's big push campaign.Venue: Social Club behind Walthamstow Town HallTime: 7pm
Seems like its gone a bit crazy outside and now its perfect blog writing weather. The wind is howling here in Woking and the rain is absolutely pouring down again. There seems to be some kind of major event going with the neighbour what with cars moving about in a chess like formation in order ...
[IMG: Schools Hill public meeting] The public meeting to discuss the traffic issues around Schools Hill and Wilmslow Road will be on Tuesday 8th December 2009, 6pm in the Lecture Theatre, Kingsway Lower School, High Grove Road, Cheadle. At the meeting I hope we can do two things. The first is to get a list of what the different issues are, and the priorities residents assign to them. The second is to have some initial discussion of the possible solutions. We don't have firm plans or budgets, so we aren't in a position to make any commitments at this stage. ...
From Mark's website: Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has launched a new campaign to "save the cheque" after growing concern over news that high street banks are planning to stop the use of cheques. Yesterday (26 November) Mr Hunter tabled a cross-party Parliamentary motion which, just two hours after calling on other Members to sign it, had collected the signatures of over three dozen MPs including that of Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable. Mark also challenged Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman, at Business Questions yesterday to remind the banks of their role in serving customers, and asked ...
Numerous bloggers (including plenty of Lib Dems) have commented on the story in the Sunday Times today that Tory Richmond Park PPC Zac Goldsmith is a non-dom and currently avoids UK income tax. Iain Dale has had a crack at a defence of Mr Goldsmith. In a blogpost entitled "Tofftastic" he says: There was lots of sanctimonious guff on Twitter from assorted lefties last night about the Sunday Times story that Zak Goldsmith is a 'non dom'. They even tried to suggest that he should resign as a candidate or David Cameron should sack him. Er, on what grounds exactly? ...
The Western Morning News reports on a council by-election today. It was a Lib Dem win against a Conservative candidate (Labour only got 5% of the vote). The Conservative candidate, Bob Davidson, did his fundraising on MyConservatives.com and set a target of £700. He managed to raise £45. Of course, he might have raised money elsewhere but this illustrates the perils of public fundraising. After my review of political networking sites, it is a warning that one should be cautious about how much information one puts in the public domain. If nothing else, it is embarrassing but the worst case ...
On Thursday of last week, I took my mock assessment for BSL Level 1. For those that don't know. BSL stands for British Sign Language and is the main language for a large number of people in the Deaf community. Working at RNID we get the chance to learn BSL (up to Level 3 if ...
Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate who is challenging Susan Kramer in the Richmond Park constituency, has admitted that he has non-domiciled tax status. According to The Sunday Times, Goldsmith has stored his £200million fortune overseas to avoid paying tax on it in this country. Non-dom status is meant for overseas nationals, not for Brits trying to get out of paying taxes on their wealth. Not surprisingly, there has been widespread condemnation of this hypocrisy, at a time when the Tories have robustly attacked the practice. To quote from The Sunday Times: Lord Oakeshott, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said: "Cameron ...
"We are all in this together!" shrieked the delicious George 'Gideon' Osborne at the Tory conference this September (Gideon is absolutely my favourite Tory, ranked even higher than that shimmering human butter mountain, Eric Pickles). I don't think any of us thought for one moment that he was poised to hand his £4.3 million personal ...
Welcome to the 145th of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (22nd – 28th November 2009), together with a hand-picked quintet, partly courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget, by the way, you can now sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. 'And finally, the Liberal ...
This blog is a wee bit different from your average politician's blog in that its primary purpose is to cover local news and views from Dundee's West End (together with, err..., vital updates on matters like the X Factor ...) rather than simply a daily digest of my views on the politics of the day. Of the latter variety in Scotland, there's a minority that consist of little more than an unfortunate barrage of acid comments about political opponents. The furore over the SNP Mark MacLachan's blog "The Universality of Cheese" (see article from today's Sunday Herald - click on ...
A couple of days ago, Tom Harris published this posting in which he basically took Alan Johnson's line that Asperger's Sufferer Gary McKinnon should be hung out to dry and be extradited to the United States for trial. I think he's wrong, as I have posted before for both humanitarian and legal reasons, and here's why. Tom outlined what he saw as a series of myths in the debate about what should happen to Gary: "MYTH #1: Computer hacking is not a serious crime. Yes it is, and it causes millions of pounds of damage every year. People who hack ...
The website of the Tory candidate for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, claims "I grew up in Ham, and have spent most of my life in this area" Which is intriguing, as the Sunday Times reveals today: ZAC GOLDSMITH, the green adviser to David Cameron and prospective Tory MP, has admitted that he claims non-domicile tax status, enabling him to avoid huge sums of tax on his estimated £200m fortune
It is not so long ago that Plaid Cymru took drastic action to remove a dissenting voice from an Assembly scrutiny committee so as to prevent criticism of the adminstration from within their own ranks. Plaid Cymru Assembly Member, Janet Ryder was removed from the legislation committee considering the Government's Learning and Skills Measure after supporting a number of opposition amendments to it. She was also replaced as Plaid's Education Spokesperson. Now I hear that Labour are to take similar action against their member for Mid and West Wales, Alun Davies, who has proved to be a real thorn in ...
I'm a busy man and not always the most organised, and so it shouldn't have come as a great surprise to discover that, on arrival in Edinburgh for the Bloggers Unconference on Friday night, it had taken place the previous weekend. Luckily, a full schedule of events was available to me, and I had already swapped blog comments with Jo Swinson before setting off, so my journey wasn't in vain. Friday saw me on the 14.00 Aberdeen service from London King's Cross, bound for the Edinburgh Pentlands St Andrew's Day dinner, in the company of John Barrett and his wife ...
I have been in contract with a number of IT workers in pursuit of a developing story which I will report on later (needless to say it's related to the Lloyds story here). There has been a concerted effort by a large number of IT contractors who have been sending letters and information off to MP's of all parties, I have also send a few emails to MP's on their behalf myself. I know that MP's can be famous for not replying and I can understand if it's an issue that is already being dealt with or if you're a ...
The news that 354 jobs are to be lost at Vauxhall is a heavy blow to our community. After the hard work of the trade unions and dedication of the workers at Vauxhall, the news that the only jobs to be lost at Vauxhall will be in Luton raises questions about where was our MP to stand up for our area? The workers and families of those who will lose their jobs have been badly let down by their MP failing to stand up for them. The sad news of job losses at Vauxhall will have a wider impact on ...
A few years ago nobody had heard of "non doms", but now most people have a good idea that those who are "non domiciled" in the UK and avoid paying UK income tax, now pay a fairly nominal flat rate of £25,000 a year and that is it. Now for anyone earning over £70,000 a year, being able to pay a one off £25k might seem like a bargain in order to avoid paying more in income tax. The problem is you have to have teams of accountants, generally have a home overseas, and be very wealthy in order to ...
It seems so incredible. Why would you consider standing for the UK parliament if you are a "non-domicile" of this country? Why would you even want to be an MP if you are a "non-domicile"? And what about the candidate selection procedure? We've had all that hoo-ha about Ms Truss in Norfolk, over alleged non-disclosure of an affair some years ago. What on earth was said at Zac Goldsmith's selection meeting at Richmond? Were the selection electorate aware that he was a "non-domicile"? Did he disclose it? Often in the past, candidates have made solemn promises to move to the ...
I am indebted to Mr Vic Pain for his campaign to deal with fly-tipping behind the shops on Atholl Court. This issue has been reported several times recently in the Andover Advertiser. This is a problem which Mr Pain and I have been dealing with for some time and every time we think it resolved it re-appears. I appreciate his frustration.We have many times spoken to Test Valley and Testway Housing and litter has been removed only for more to appear. I can now report that following meetings between Test Valley and Testway, affirmative action is being taken to resolve ...
After writing about the European Liberal Democrats stance on Turkey yesterday I not the new EU President Herman Van Rompuy view son the subject, as below. It is ridiculous that Van Rompuy could become EU President with such views, and even more ridiculous that Turkey's membership is being so held up.
From Bertrand Russell One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important. Here's to getting to Christmas in one piece.
Alex Salmond and Mike Russell will not be happy chaps this morning as the often talked about cybernat bullying is finally exposed as the News of the World uncover (now former) senior aide Mark MacLachlans disgraceful online bullying/hate campaign. Mike Russell's office manager Mark MacLachlan has now resigned (or been sacked) not only from his job but also membership of the SNP. Mark MacLachlan hid behind the pseudonym Montague Burton on his blog, "The Universality of Cheese", this blog has now been taken down, although we have had a bit of a period of blogs closing in Scotland, this is ...
I blogged earlier this month about Mariah Carey's diva moment when she was turning on the Christmas lights in a London shopping centre. You can read it here. Thanks to GMTV's Kate Garraway who blabbed like there was no tomorrow, and to be honest she is right to blab about it on this one. According to the wonderful Kate Garraway Mariah Carey employed two people to lower her onto the GMTV sofa so her dress didn't crease. If she had just sat down like us mere mortals have to the dress would have creased. You can read more about it ...
It's Sunday. It's 7am. It's time for cats, but first blogs and the news. 2 Must-Read Blog Posts What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here's are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Zac Goldsmith admits to being a 'non-dom' and avoiding paying tax in UK: I think you can guess the general message Andrew Reeves wants to get out. ACT: The Lib Dem Network: Simon Goldie casts his eye over the new Liberal Democrat social network. Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren't on the aggregator? ...
The news that high street banks are planning to stop the use of cheques has so enraged one of my colleagues that he has tabled a motion to Parliament.I've added my signature to Lib Dem MP Mark Hunter'...
Oh dear, this is not going to go down too well in the leafy suburbs of Richmond, Surrey. Zac Goldsmith, who was the Tories big hope to take the seat back off the Liberal Democrats, the green advisor to David Cameron and who was even being touted as a possible future Minister, has admitted that he claims non-domicile tax status, enabling him to avoid huge sums of tax on his estimated £200m fortune: In a disclosure that risks embarrassing the Conservative party, he confirmed that he is a "non-dom" who can legitimately escape paying tax on his inheritance from his ...
Following on from last months meeting between David Cameron and Scottish Conservative donors where they said David Mundell was not up to the job of Scottish Secretary should the Conservatives win the general election (arrogant assumption by them they will), now Cameron is being urged to allow the Scottish champagne supping Conservatives to form a breakaway party. Apparently Tim Montgomerie editor of the ConservativeHome.com website and fairly senior Tory has urged Cameron to take this radical move of allowing the Scottish Conservatives to form a breakaway party, because the Cameron effect stops at the border. That has nothing to do ...
Non-domicile status is for foreign nationals or those with roots overseas. It sole purpose is to avoid tax on earnings from outside Britain. So you would expect someone who was born in London, grew up in London, went to school in London, and has lived in London most of their life, to be ineligible for non-dom status wouldn't you? You would expect them to pay their fair share of taxes, and shoulder their responsibilities towards the rest of society willingly, and contribute as much as they can to this great country of ours, wouldn't you? Especially if they are running ...
News of the day is that Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative for Richmond Park, has admitted that he claims non-domicile tax status. How this will go down with the hard-pressed taxpayers of Richmond we can, I think, all imagine. More damaging still may be the light that will be shed upon Goldsmith environmental credentials. It is not so much that the Sunday Times report reveals his great wealth: Goldsmith's 300-acre ecological farm in Devon and a house in Richmond are both owned by companies based in the Cayman Islands. The farm was bought in 2001 and the house in Richmond was ...
I received a comment to Friday's blog but I only received it via email. I tried to post the comment myself but I couln't paste it, so today's blog isn't from me but it does fit in with what I remember... I wrote this blog in 2003. As far as I could make out: The "good guys": We think you have weapons of mass destruction. If you have weapons of mass destruction, we'll bomb the c**p out of you. Sadam: I don't have weapons of mass destruction. The "good guys": Give us a dossier on everything you've got on weapons ...
