During his 10 years on the London Assembly, LibDem Mike Tuffrey has made environmental issues one of his top priorities. And although he is standing down in May, he is still a man on a mission, all guns metaphorically firing, on the matter of London's poor air quality. As he told a meeting of Merton ...
A question for Liberal Democrat members to mull... Under the law used for regional list elections, the decision over who should take over following Diana Wallis's resignation as an MEP is up to the party (technically, the party's Nominating Officer). The general assumption in the past has been that if a list member stands down, it is whoever would have got their place on the list that takes over. That is the process followed in the past, such as in deciding Liz Lynne's replacement as an MEP on her retirement or Lynne Featherstone's replacement as a GLA member on her ...
From BBC News: Eastman Kodak, the company that invented the hand-held camera, has filed for bankruptcy protection. The move gives the company time to reorganise itself without facing its creditors, and Kodak said that it would mean business as normal for customers. The company has recently moved away from cameras to focus on making printers, to try to stem its losses.
In the morning, SubCommittee E which is coming towards the end of its inquiry into EU drugs strategy. At the end of the session in May I will be rotated off the SubCommittee, having done a four-year stint, and I shall be quite sorry. Lunch with Shadia Syed, and a good chat about all things Bangladeshi. At 16.00, meeting of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group: discussion of future programme, and funding. 18.00, a meeting chaired by Ilora Finlay to discuss 'compulsory sobriety', a system allowing courts to make orders that defendants convicted of repeat offences of violence or drink driving ...
I've got some decent posts lined up for the next few days – How We Know What We Know and Bigger On The Outside ones, and one on the Kinks, but I'm tired today, so just links. Apple's new iBooks Author program has a EULA which states that you can't use the program (essentially a ...
As you might have been aware if you have been following such things here in the North Area of Cambridge the City Council has been conducting an experiment in Localism by changing the format of the North Area Committees to encourage/ increase the levels of public participation.As a sitting County Councillor the only issue I am allowed a vote on at North Area is Policing - everything else falls within the domain of City Councillors. In fact the first part of the meeting is just devoted to Planning and this is a City Councillors-only affair and so County Councillors rarely ...
Yesterday it was announced that Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, had caved into pressure from Norfolk County Council and the waste industry, granting £91 million of PFI credits for the construction of an incinerator near King's Lynn. This was despite the necessity for a "broad consensus of support" to be shown before the money could ...
European Voice reports that the Liberal Democrat MEP Diana Wallis is to resign as MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber. Apparently she wants to "take a break from politics" and believes it is time "for someone with fresh eyes to take over". All of which makes it a little odd that Diana stood as president of the European Parliament earlier this week. But there is a deeper issue here. Because Diana's resignation appears to form part of an increasing trend for MEPs to stand down between elections. I suppose the thinking is that it will help resigning MEP's party in ...
Mae'n noson drist. Mae trigolion Cwm Deri yn delio gyda marwolaeth Denzil 'Denz' Rees arol 28 mlynedd ym Mhobol Y Cwm. Y diwedd yn dod yng nghannol gem o Scrabble! It's been a sad night. The death of Denzil 'Denz' Rees after 28 years in Cwm Deri on Pobol Y Cwm brought to an end the life of the 10th longest-serving character in UK soap opera. He passed away tonight in the middle of a game of Scrabble! Nos da Denz bach. Cysga'n dawel.
Richard Clare on Liberal Democrat Voice wants your help in stopping the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer. Is lack of funding really the only possible explanation for a school's weakness? asks Eaten by Missionaries. "Even the late Labour government's worst enemies would concede that it spent a lot of money on schools in the days when boom and bust had still been abolished. There hasn't been time for the effects of austerity (whether one considers it painful but necessary or ideologically driven) to filter through. So if comprehensive schools have been failing because of lack of funding, then there really is ...
Dear resident, First of all, a happy new year to you all! Welcome to my latest Notes from Westminster, which aims to keep you up to date with some of the work I've been doing, and interesting news announcements both locally and in Westminster. • Our campaign to see the A555 Relief Road completed has been successful! After much pressure from local residents and Stockport Council, Ministers have confirmed this long awaited project has been given the green light: • ... I have since lead a delegation to top level talks with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander ...
Darren Ennis on MHP reports good news for the UK from the European Parliament: British Liberal Democrat Sharon Bowles is expected to keep her role as chair of the European Parliament's influential economic and monetary affairs committee, MHP Sources Say. Despite winning cross-party praise for her increasingly high profile role during the economic downturn, Bowles risked losing the coveted position following British Prime Minister David Cameron's EU veto and the decision by her UK Liberal Democrat colleague Diana Wallis to stand in this week's election of a new President of the European Parliament. Wallis infuriated Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt by ...
Watson: How can MacNeill claim to be a unionist when he is of Nationalist stock? Holmes: It's 1603, my dear Watson. Angus MacNeill, the SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, has just appeared on BBC Northern Ireland's Hearts and Minds [link to iPlayer link to follow] claiming to be a Unionist! The thing is that the tactic that he was using was which version of the Union was his opponent in debate, the UUP leader Tom Elliott, referring to. He kept going back to it as Elliott tried to mention that the United Kingdom was stronger under the European ...
I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian, but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our former speaker can't celebrate an open marriage with his mistress in Washington as his wife at home. As President, I'm sure that Gingrich's war on Clinton will not stop him having sex with that woman, or that woman, or that woman. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on his sexual history of cheating on his wives. Faith made America strong. It can ...
Nick Clegg's speech on Monday was a welcome contribution to the debate about the changes we want to make to our economy following the financial crisis. That the economic boom of the decade leading up to the 2008 bust was unsustainable is a proposition that hardly needs putting, yet the broader debate about how to avoid such a situation in the future (if indeed we think it worth avoiding) is a topic that is largely undiscussed. My own view is that we need a serious discussion about how we measure economic health, because if the last few years showed anything ...
Well done to the Leicester Mercury for: Drink-driver was caught in a nappy and a bonnet
So today the worst secret in British football became public knowledge. For a good week or so now it has been abundantly clear that the FAW were looking to appoint Chris Coleman as the next Welsh football manager. There have been murmurings of discontent at his apparent choice. Most notably from Welsh Captain Aaron Ramsey. But the concerns that Coleman will shake up a settled backroom staff has been calmed by his insistence that he will work alongside those who were there before. Gary Speed It's this 'before' that is understandably causing so much angst for all involved. The FAW ...
Over on epolitix, Lord (Chris) Rennard has a piece calling for changes to the electoral registration system to place the burden on individuals rather than households following the news that at least 6 million people are unregistered: All parties and the Electoral Commission are agreed in principle that the electoral registration system should change to put the responsibility on individuals rather than households. But the Commission report shows that our existing system is not as good as we thought and there are clearly dangers in making any changes. The biggest dangers to the integrity of the process would be to ...
European Voice reports: Liberal Democrat MEP announces that she is to quit just days after failing in bid to become president of the European Parliament. Diana Wallis, a British Liberal MEP who this week failed in her bid to become president of the European Parliament, today announced that she is to stand down as an MEP. Wallis said that after 12 years as an MEP she wanted "to take a break from politics," adding that it was time "for someone with fresh eyes to take over". Wallis said she would give up her seat on 31 January. Wallis came third ...
As a Lib Dem should I really be writing off Brian Paddick's chances of winning the Mayor of London election later this year? (No you shouldn't – Ed) Ah well...erm...*looks at shoes is an embarrassed kind of way* but let's be realistic here. The odds of Brian Paddick pulling off the sensational coup and making arguably the biggest single election splash for the Liberal Democrats in their relatively short history are the same as me actually being in a real-life position having to decide whether Zooey Deschanel or Sophie Ellis Bextor should accompany me to the Ambassadors reception. So we ...
The yet-again-ressurected Hammer Films actually seem to be getting somewhere this time. Not only do they have The Woman In Black on general release very soon (when the trailer came up before SH: A Game of Shadows [IMG: [personal profile] ] magister and [IMG: [personal profile] ] innerbrat and I all did happy squeals in unison when the gret big Hammer logo appeared; we're all fans of the original and the trailer looked very good indeed) but their restoration team are pulling out some proper gems. We got the BluRay of the restored Quatermass and the Pit just before Christmas, ...
Had an SEN meeting with Holly's teacher yesterday. She's a very sensible lady, and has set some useful targets for Hol's social and behavioural development, and has been keeping records of her progress. The interesting thing is that, because Holly is now on the SEN register, they track her academic progress alongside the stuff she got put on for, because there's boxes for that and you have to fill in all the boxes. Thus, yesterday, we found out that her reading age is 13.9 (she's 8) and she would be quite capable, academically, of going to senior school now. I ...
I blogged previously about this having been a week in which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon were both due for talks with UK Government ministers in London. President Abbas' visit has since been widely reported, and I have already posted Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel's press release on that here. Among that coverage, incidentally, was the Telegraph's saying that: Mr Ayalon said: "We have the greatest appreciation for the position of the Deputy Prime Minister as a politician and for Mr Clegg himself. So this is why we see (some words of Mr Clegg's) ...
I don't watch The Only Way Is Essex and I don't plan to at any point in the near future. However one of the girls from the show is part of the new advertising campaign for Cadbury's Creme Egg. The delight comes out but once a year and made it all the way into the quarter-finals of the World Cup of Chocolate defeating the old fashioned favourite Mars Bar en route to the quarter-finals where it lost out to eventual winner Twirl. I'm not Creme Egg fan. I just don't like the look of them and then I saw this ...
Two days ago, Yorkshire and the Humber Lib Dem MEP Diana Wallis stood for the Presidency of the Parliament and almost, but for one vote, came second. That was as good as a result as she could have hoped for. Given the way these things are usually stitched up between the two main groups, she was never going to win. The whole Liberal Democrat party will be shocked to learn of her resignation as an MEP, effective 31st January. This leaves the way clear, as in any other list seat, for the second placed person on the list to take ...
We deliver leaflets till our shoes are worn out, now-a-days we also deliver letters, send emails and update our blogs and twitter feeds, but there is NO SUBSTITUTE for knocking on doors and talking to people. The experience of last year's local elections as a Party of Government in Westminster has taught us the importance of talking directly to voters. This is why you and your team to be knocking on doors now. Why is this so important? 1 - It's very easy for politics and politicians to become remote. But as campaigning local Liberal Democrats a fundamental core of ...
At 10pm in 100 days time and it will "all be over bar the counting" for this year's local elections. I do not need to tell you that the next 100 days are going to be tough for Liberal Democrats up and down the country to get the message across and campaign to have more Lib Dem Councillors representing local people on the 3rd May 2012. Target Ruthlessly If you've not done this already the campaign from now on should be only about targeted seats. This means campaigning in the local elections where we plan to HOLD a Lib Dem ...
On Monday, Nick Clegg gave a speech on responsible capitalism. This was his first real foray into the debate since it has erupted as a major talking point, even though we as a party have been arguing the need to reform capitalism before it was cool. Before criticising capitalism, he praised it by saying this: Capitalism may be today's political punchbag, but let's take a long view: it's one of history's great success stories. No other human innovation has driven progress and raised living standards so consistently. Markets catalyse ideas, invention and experimentation. When they work well, they are meritocratic ...
Earlier today, Liberal Democrat MEP Diana Wallis announced her resignation from the European Parliament, effective 31 January. Her statement is in full below, but reading between the lines and adding in what I've heard from party sources it looks like the BBC story over disagreements related to the elections for European Parliament posts are right. Local Liberal Democrat MEP, Diana Wallis, had announced her resignation from the European Parliament. In a statement on her website she says: "I have been in the European Parliament twelve years and I think that is time enough. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and ...
Well, I was up at the crack of dawn and down again to the Moor End Lane Bus Lane for an interview with BBC Three Counties Radio.The amazing thing is that Herts Highways has actually done something – though nothing to clarify the signs, just something to cover their own backs. The signs saying that there will be camera enforcement (of something) in Moor End Road (where? There's only one sign) from July 25th (meaning July 25th 2011) have had the words "from July 25th" covered up. That, I suppose, is because we're now in a new year and some ...
No doubt, both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, joined by a select band of Blairite survivors, would be rather chipper if the trade union chiefs currently making threatening noises about cutting Labour Party funding turn out to really mean it. But the real benefit could be much wider: if Labour loses a large chunk of its funding from trade unions bosses then it could unlock the long-running saga that political party funding reform. Back in December I wrote: The strong historical links between trade unions and the Labour Party means that any proposals which would curb the amount unions can give ...
Just an idle thought about media bods, watching the channel four news last night (Wednesday) , I couldn't help noticing the gulf between what I consider normal in the current job market and the seeming unfamiliarity of the presenter of last night's channel four news. Unemployment is a miserable existence, it isn't just money, work or not working defines you, it's a the thing that makes you belong or not, outside of the underclass workshy bludgers, most of us prefer to work. Watching Jon Snow, interviewing a young man who having graduated from university last summer with a degree in ...
I see Diana Wallis has just stepped down as Lib Dem MEP for Yorkshire. In a "time to move on" way, before anyone thinks this is a defection or what have you. This follows fairly close on from Liz Lynne's move in West Midlands recently, halfway through the parliamentary term giving her successor a fair amount of time to build a profile in the region. As in Liz's case I suspect this means we get the number 2 from the Yorkshire 2009 list and so gain a male MEP in Diana's place? In 2009 we saw 6 of 11 Lib ...
If you've at least been on twitter or on various political sites today, you will no doubt by now have read about the latest YouGov poll that sees Ken moving ahead of Boris by the narrowest of margins. Now anyone would think that such a shift in opinion would have Boris quaking in his boots ...
I scraped the ice off my window screen this morning wrapped up in a warm overcoat and a heavy tweed suit I still felt I was ill prepared for the weather. At lunch time I entered the Mayor's Parlour to attend the unveiling of a Blue Plaque (possibly the only one in Southport) to commemorate F J Hooper -Percy to his friends. Percy was the Town Hall Keeper from 1922-1955 only breaking his service to serve in the armed forces. He joined Scott's expedition to the South Pole (as the youngest member) as a steward but soon became part of ...
The award of a £1.4bn contract to Bombardier's rival Siemens seemed to threaten the existence of Britain's last remaining train-maker. 1200 workers were being laid off by Bombardier with more losses in the supply chain. The award to Siemens was all the more galling as it followed statements by politicians of all parties saying how important it is that we boost our manufacturing sector. Two salient points have emerged regarding the Labour Government's tender process. Firstly, they set this up as a 'Private Finance Initiative' and secondly that they used the 'Utilities Contract Regulations' rather than the 'Public Contracts Regulations'. ...
...because they were still counting votes. Here's my piece saying so AND LOOK. MASSIVE SMUG FACE. IT'S CHANGED. (click to enlarge) So, one win for Santorum, one for Romney, if S. Carolina goes to Gingrich then it's all to play for again. And suddenly the dullest primary race I can remember is off and running...
Last week, the first shots were fired in the auldest battle - the battle for Scottish independence. With the SNP prevaricating over when it will hold its long promised referendum, David Cameron blundered in to tell Alex Salmond that Westminster would grant Holyrood the power to do so. But the referendum would need to be held before 2013. And, our English Prime Minister told the Scottish First Minister, he would prefer one question: Yes or No to independence. This is an issue where there is quite a lot of process, much of it very legal and technical. But it's clear ...
Yesterday's strike by the modern world's gatekeepers of knowledge was fascinating, both from a professional campaigner's perspective and for those of us with an interest in how intellectual property rights play out in the modern world. Whether it achieves its aim has yet to be seen, but the language used to describe it by its ...
The Wreck of SS Richard Montgomery I usually find political point scoring distasteful - When all the major parties are in agreement locally and yet "political Football" is still going on about who is right and wrong I just shudder and think of the electorate who may lose out and cease to wonder why people are no longer interested in politics anymore - I mean really?! Any way, that aside, and seeing as everyone else is doing it I might as well hop on the band waggon and blow the Lib Dem trumpet on this. Yes! It is true, the ...
Norwich South Member of Parliament, Simon Wright, has signed up as a Real Life Entrepreneur Champion as part of a new campaign being run by East Anglia FSB (Federation of Small Businesses). Norwich South MP, Simon Wright, said "I strongly support the FSB's efforts in voicing the views of local businesses. Small and medium sized businesses in Norwich are vital for our economy, providing thousands of jobs for my constituents. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to work closely with the FSB to champion the work of those local entrepreneurs who are putting good ideas into practice." [IMG: Simon Wright ...
Having political oversight of the Welsh Assembly's ICT services is by no means a trouble-free job. Things do go wrong occasionally and I bear the brunt of complaints. Fortunately, in one of the World's most switched on legislatures, technophobia is not a problem I have to deal with. This may not be the case elsewhere as illustrated in the Daily Mail: As if spending £13,000 on iPads for 20 peers is not bad enough, several of the doddery old boys can't use them. They have been phoning for technical help with complex questions such as 'How do I turn it ...
Bizarre is perhaps the best word for it, though a little more polite than some that have passed through my mind in the last few days as, once again, the party has drawn a tight veil of secrecy around the concessions Liberal Democrat peers have been securing in the House of Lords over welfare reform. It's not new – there's now a lengthening track-record of requests for information or answers taking weeks to elicit any meaningful response or resulting in games of pass the parcel as each person points at someone else. Silence, delay – even evasion – might be ...
Caroline Lucs seems to have been a victim of yet more of that lovely Westmister sexism this morning during a debate about the sell of the country's forests. She was branded as 'hysterical' by one Tory minister during the debate but does she have a point and is this sexism? I would say yes and I ...
Last night for #BoobieWednesday I posted the following picture on Twitter and linked to Breast Cancer UK to raise awareness of a hideous disease that claims hundreds of lives in the UK each year. As you can imagine, I was somewhat surprised when I found at that the photo had been reported to Lockerz for apparently ...
Thats the best I can come up with right now frankly. Everywhere you turn there is yet another argument or movement in social media calling for the complete abandonment of either the Health Bill or the Welfare Reform Bill. It feels like we are in a war of 'who can shout the loudest' or who ...
Report from last nights meeting of Bury Council's Executive Committee. Last night was the regular meeting of Bury Council's Executive Committee, this is the meeting that brings together the eight Labour Executive members, together with the two opposition leaders as non-portfolio members. As part of the 'tour' of the Borough, we were in Tottington, though no members of the public came to see our tour.... Social Media and IT We agreed a new policy framework for the Council's use of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter etc etc). All worthy in itself, but I feel that the policy was lacking a strategy, ...
Total UK Unemployment rose by 118,000 in the three months to November reaching 2.69m. The number of people in work also rose slightly – by 18,000 in the same period to 29.12m; a welcome rise, but not nearly enough to accommodate the growing workforce. Meanwhile average weekly earnings rose by 1.9% over the past year. Claimant unemployment rose by a seasonally adjusted 1,200 in December to reach 1.597m. In Birmingham the rise was 379 taking the total to 51,747 or 12.8% of the workforce. This remains the highest of the core cities, with Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool a little lower, ...
I used to think of heroes as valiant individuals, standing alone against impossible odds. But, too often, they are media myths, their achievements the work of others. And so with political heroes. They don't change the country for the better without help. Too often, the real heroes are unsung, toiling away for little recognition and less reward because it is the right thing to do. Ten years ago, my political heroes were the grass roots of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Unexpected from a Liberal Democrat: the UUP is close to the Conservative party, and, in Northern Ireland, were the ...
A recent YouGov poll shows that about a 60/40 majority of Scots want more devolution [Devo-Max] and a minority [40/60] want full independence. They are not stupid are they. The Financial Times [14th January] Looked at the issues. In summary Scotland receives a subsidy from the rest of the UK. [The University of Stirling reckons it's £4.5bn annually] Its economy has declined by 4% over the last 4yrs and is more sluggish than similar sized EU countries. Oil & gas revenue, which Alex Salmond thinks is his, has halved since 1999 & is predicted to be only a third of ...
As a ward councillor one of the most common things people raise with me is litter. And one of the most common places where this is a problem is near takeaways (also betting shops and ATM machines in some cases). In Cressington ward the places where this is most obviously a problem are the parades where Mather Avenue and Heath Road meet, the Cenotaph area, and parts of Aigburth Road. (I say most obviously.. but there are others) Now not everybody chucks their drinks can and takeaway wrapper on the pavement. But enough people do for it to become a ...
Fascinating to read that in the last financial year 11,597 Fixed Penalty notices were issued against cyclists – 8,027 for cycling on the footway and 3,570 jumping read lights. The London Mayor was unable to state how many cars were issued FPN's for driving in mandatory cycle lanes... It feels as though when people cycle they are treated more harshly and inconsistently compared to when people drive motor vehicles.
I've just been alerted to a new e petition on the Government e petition site on school uniform grants. It basically makes the point that local authorities that have been doing this should carry on doing so. The link is below http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23272
With a new American Presidential cycle producing, as ever, near obsessional coverage (and ignoring other more important electoral news), now is a good time to update a post from the last cycle about learning lessons from the US: This year is already seeing all sorts of prognostications about the lessons UK political parties and campaigners can and should be drawing. However, many of the differences between American and British election campaigns are not the result of American campaigners having good ideas the British should copy, but rather are the result of four key legal differences between the two countries. First ...
The whole sex-by-deception thing is back in the courts, this time with a teenager from England. (Telegraph) The facts are broadly similar in both cases – a woman1 poses as male and has relationships with other women, but this time she ends up in trouble due to sexual assaults on the women, rather than them simply being unhappy when they find out the full situation as that happened later. From what I can tell, these were all short-lived relationships with girls Barker already knew, and not the longer-term ones we saw in the previous Scottish case. It also sounds more ...
Whatever you might think of the controversy over Donald Trump's golf course in Aberdeenshire (and I was and am firmly on the side of its opponents), surely you can't help but be concerned about the appalling behaviour of the tycoon's representatives. The low point was threatening to make an 85 year old woman pay legal costs and branded her son's home a slum. This week, when plans for a supremely ugly club house were approved by Aberdeenshire Council by some margin, George Sorial, Trump's representative on earth, had the cheek to abuse Cllr Debra Storr, calliing her a "disgrace" and ...
In 1776 a group Nationalists, political theorists, brigands, and well to do Colonists declared Independence from the Crown of England, believing they had a majority support. The fact they didn' and that the majority of Colonists were neither for nor against the Crown or Colonial cause didn't stop a successful rebellion. Politicians at the time were worried about the financial dent the loss of the Colonies would have on a struggling British economy which was recovering from the debts of the Seven year war and establishing new garrisons in freshly acquired territories. Others were of the opinion that a separate ...
Local Community Councils are under threat. I need your help to save them. Liberal Democrats believe in local democracy and local residents making their own decisions. That's why we are proud we introduced Community Councils in Southwark – a way of giving local people a say over how money is spent in their area. Sadly, the Labour-run council are determined to give local people less say about the future of their communities. They want to merge the 8 community council areas into 5. This means for many in Southwark they wont have truly local community councils. Labour also want to ...
Cross-posted from Liberal Democrat Voice Let's start with what Ed Balls, Labour's Shadow Chancellor said in the Guardian on January 14th: My starting point is, I am afraid, we are going to have keep all these cuts. There is a big squeeze happening on budgets across the piece. The squeeze on defence spending, for instance, is £15bn by 2015. We are going to have to start from that being the baseline. At this stage, we can make no commitments to reverse any of that, on spending or on tax. So I am being absolutely clear about that. So, it was ...
Thu 19th
09:38
GUEST POST: We need to kick homophobia and transphobia out of sport - so why aren't we?
This is a guest post by the lovely Stace, other wise known as @Stackee, on a subject very close to my heart. So please support her in her endeavours!! The Stonewall Awards celebrate the positive contribution people and groups make to the lives of LGBT people throughout the UK. The winner of the 2011 'Sports Award of the Year' was Anton Hysén, a 21-year-old Swedish footballer who is one of the only openly gay professional football players in the world. But he wasn't the first to come out. I'd like to share with you the story of Justin Fashanu. The ...
As this rather brilliant picture of which candidate won the most votes in the leadership election demonstrates... Just click to enlarge. Hat tip to Edward Mayes (@eljmayes) for the link
Imagine if the Lib Dems had been in power in the west of England in the 1830s during the construction of Brunel's visionary Great West Rail line. 19th century equivalents of 'Focus' leaflets (which, on reflection, would probably have looked much the same and have been produced in much the same way) would have dropped through the letterboxes of local residents in affected towns and villages warning them of terrible noise and rural devastation from years of construction activity that would permanently scar their cherished landscape. Or imagine Lib Dems in opposition in the 1930s, who would have campaigned against ...
Crikey some days you think that blogging has come of age, and then something crops up you think it's as crass as it always was. God knows here on the planet Thanet, there has been enough twaddle spoken and written about blogging often by those who should know better. I see Cllr John Worrow is off on one with his recent blog posting (sadly unavailable as I post this) about ethical diversity blogging or something similar yes I know the stuff I inflict on those without the self control to avoid these pages with a load of twaddle and really ...
The Last Secret Six Trade... If you're into comics in any way, buy this. And then buy the rest of the Secret Six stuff as well. (tags: comics ) An essential new guide to British comics TThis looks really interesting; I bet my dad has fond memories of a lot of these. (tags: comics ) Link redacted due to being f-locked BBC News - The Wealth Gap - Inequality in Numbers Some very informative graphics on this piece. I'm saying NOTHING about where the turning point is in the timeline.... (tags: economics eco ) Yeast suggests speedy start for multicellular ...
I realise that I haven't posted in a while about the grants that I have made from my community chest. This is the money that all Cornwall Councillors have each year (currently £2,195) to support local groups with projects and activities. Cornwall Council has recently received a freedom of information request asking for details of how all councillors use their grant and the complete list shows just what a good scheme the community chest is. The entire list will be published by the council shortly, but my grants are as follows: Cedar Grange - Equipment for art group project £162.40 ...
Let's start with what Ed Balls, Labour's Shadow Chancellor said in the Guardian on January 14th: My starting point is, I am afraid, we are going to have keep all these cuts. There is a big squeeze happening on budgets across the piece. The squeeze on defence spending, for instance, is £15bn by 2015. We are going to have to start from that being the baseline. At this stage, we can make no commitments to reverse any of that, on spending or on tax. So I am being absolutely clear about that. So, it was something of a surprise when ...
One of the problems I've experienced of being a dedicated Liberal/Liberal Democrat supporter is that I've spent a lot of time defending the Labour party from unjust accusations from the Tories and unfair distortions from the overwhelmingly right-wing press. Such is the situation at the moment. The trouble is that it is then difficult to explain that you are not actually a Labour supporter because there is a "more excellent way," Liberalism. Such is the situation at the moment. I've tried to enumerate some of the many faults of the last Labour government in a previous post but gross economic ...
Andrew Duff MEP BASF have announced that they are to relocate their plant science research hub from Europe to the United States. Lib Dem Euro-MP Andrew Duff says he regrets the decision of a leading European Science Companies to move to the USA. Mr Duff said "Until we intensify research into GM we will be unable as a society to take informed decisions about the future of plant biotechnology. GM science offers the prospect of long-term solutions to problems of disease, drought, nutrition and food insecurity." "For Europeans to leave the hard science to the rest of the world is ...
This Sunday (22nd January) sees a Conservation Volunteering Day, taking place on Balgay Hill. It takes place between 1pm and 3pm - all welcome - meet up at the Mills Observatory at 1pm. The event is being run by the City Council's Countryside Ranger Service and is a way of helping to improve Balgay Park for the benefit of local people and wildlife. Please have warm clothing and sturdy footwear. There are complimentary refreshments at around 3pm for all volunteers.
In which I discuss The Evil Of the Daleks, missing episodes, collage, steampunk and censorship. Or at least, it'll be up once the Mindless Ones site is back up after our strike in solidarity with the SOPA protest.
The Links Estate Neighbourhood Watch meeting tonight was an interesting meeting. Fortunately there were no crime issues to report n the estate itself but there was a comprehensive Police Report for the area, which included a warning about bogus callers. Apparently some have been going around the Blackhill and Shotley Bridge areas claiming to be released prisoners and asking for money. Another, posing as a charity worker, has been seeking people's bank details. As usual the word is, take extreme care of uninvited strangers knocking your door – unless of course its your local Lib Dems canvassing! Another warning was ...
One of the cuts that the Labour Leader ofSefton Council has decided to consult on is a proposal to scrap the Tourism Service. This would mean closure of the Tourist Information Centre and end to marketing Southport as a tourist destination. John Dodd and the Lib Dems in Southport do not believe thatthis is the correct course of action. Over 5,000 jobs in the town are directlyrelated to tourism. Many businesses would be hit if this proposal isn't defeated. Please support our campaign by signing the petition tooppose any reduction in the Tourism Service.Sign the petition here
Wednesday: Obviously, Great Britain needs an airport in the Thames Estuary like a hole in the wind farm, but you can't deny that it is a BIG IDEA. Stupid, yes, but BIG. In its way, this is of a piece with the bicycle hire scheme and the new Routemaster buses. Mr Bojo may be CLOWN PRINCE of LONDON, but he's not interested in MANAGERIALISM. He wants to DO things, CREATE things. In the HORRID modern parlance, he's got his eye on the "LEGACY". And this may be the key to his SUCCESS. Well, that and the "loveable" bumbling buffoon persona! ...
