A couple of weeks ago George Monbiot argued that libertarians must deny climate change at guardian.co.uk If he gets anything at all right in this article, it is merely implied: that libertarian types do not appear to articulate often enough our thoughts about how a stateless world might deal with environmental issues. But the main argument of his article betrays a failure of logic that, in his determination to have a pop at what he thinks of as libertarianism again, leads him to reject one of the simplest and most just mechanisms for preventing, or ultimately punishing, environmental damage. And ...
Mon 23rd
23:30
Licensing, Health and Safety and General Purposes Committee (Wirral Council) Item 4 Hackney Carriage...
report to Committee. Audio (11m 04s) of representation made by trade and committee discussion followed by decision to go for option 2. Partial transcript 00:00 to 01:00 meetings about this, we have expressed that our favourite option is number two and still is to is to this day. Err a long ????mat. However errm because ...
I am surprised that it has taken so long for the horrible truth to be exposed to us here in Ireland about the man the evangelicals of the Anglican Church in the Provinces of Armagh and Dublin seem to hold as a supporter. That man is a rather radical cleric in the Province of Canterbury. ...
TweetMy posting of 2012 has been poor, so it's easier to announce I'm on sabbatical (ran out of spoons/gave up smoking/am moving house) than try and catch up at the moment. However, I'll post the occasional comment. Today's yelling at the radio; If you ask someone if we should give a family £26,000 in benefits, ...
Happy Chinese New Year! Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: China, Chinese New Year
Tonight, after my weekly surgeries at Harris Academy and the Mitchell Street Centre, I attended City Council committee meetings at which: * At the Education Committee, I welcomed the recommendation not to progress a 33 period model in Dundee's secondary schools. I also queried why the council did not have the foresight to build the new Kingspark School large enough to accommodate the proposed additional four classrooms, now being proposed at a cost of an additional £1.1 million. Of course, if the school needs the additional rooms, they must be provided, but it is a real pity that a school ...
Conservative MEP Julie Girling has this week taken her Good Egg Bad Egg Campaign onto the social network Facebook and is calling on users to speak up for the 'Good Eggs' and name and shame the 'Bad Eggs'.OK, OK please don't crack up, it may not be the most egg-citing issue but it is a serious one. As Mrs Girling explains "fourteen EU member states have failed to fully enforce the Welfare of
This is a great book about the human side of space travel. There are fascinating chapters on how astronauts are chosen (people who are able to keep making decisions and responding to instructions while under extreme stress, and also do not snore) and on the problems of personal hygiene when underwear and room for manoeuvre are limited. The chapter on sex in zero gravity was a bit disappointing because there is in fact no empirical source material. But there is a lot about poo, a recurrent theme throughout the book culminating in a long chapter which answers every question you ...
This is a video from the University of Leicester that offers a re-evaluation of the career of Konrad Smigielski, the city's planning officer from 1962. It argues that, though Smigielski is often blamed for the worst aspect of Leicester's redevelopment (the ring road, the loss of ancient buildings in the city centre), he deserves credit for many features of the city that are admired today, such as the preservation of New Walk and the improvement of some of its Victorian suburbs. There is more about Konrad Smigielski and Leicester in a post by Jones the Planner. For better or worse, ...
Mon 23rd
20:54
Video - perhaps the most dramatic implosion of a front-running Presidential campaign in history...
In case you missed this, it is likely to rank as one of the most dramatic ends to a front-running Presidential campaign in history. Before this RTE debate on 24th October last year, Sean Gallagher, standing as an Independent candidate, was 15 points ahead of the field and a "shoe-in" to be the next Irish President. Three days later, he finished the actual election 11 points behind the winner, Michael D Higgins. This video clip shows the complete debate episode which led to Gallagher's political demise. The discussion centres on a visit to a businessman's house on behalf of Fianna ...
It is always good fun when right-wing Tories get all het up about Nick Clegg, fulminating that David Cameron should jolly well do something about it. Norman Tebbit provides today's entertainment along these lines under the headline: Nick Clegg needs cutting down to size. If only the Prime Minister was brave enough to do the job. He is specifically exercised about immigration and the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights. Employing all his skills as "the Chingford Skinhead" he culminates with this: It seems that Mr Cameron is prevented from doing anything to bring the nonsense to an end - and ...
The BBC reports the result of tonight's defeat for the Coalition in the House of Lords over the controversial government plans to introduce a £500 a week benefit cap: The government has been defeated in the Lords in a vote on its plans for a £26,000-a-year household benefit cap. Lib Dem, Labour and crossbench peers backed a bishop's amendment by 252 to 237 that child benefit should not be included in the cap. Critics argued that imposing the same cap on all families, regardless of size, would penalise children. The government said it was "very disappointed" and the vote "clearly ...
Yesterday, Ed Miliband said the chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, Stephen Hester should not receive a bonus this year. If Labour wanted control of executive pay of state owned banks, then they should have made renegotiation of contracts a condition of the bailout when they were in power. Labour should have also demanded that all front office investment banking staff in those banks had to re-apply for their jobs, without any guaranteed bonuses. Labour left the coalition toothless to deal with the issue. Once the banks returned to operational profitability, they lost the legal financial justification for placing ...
Ellen Arnison at In a Bun Dance is hosting a carnival of posts about mental health.
It is always good fun when right-wing Tories get all het up about Nick Clegg, fulminating that David Cameron should jolly well do something about it. Norman Tebbit provides today's entertainment along these lines under the headline: Nick Clegg needs cutting down to size. If only the Prime Minister was brave enough to do the job. He is specifically exercised about immigration and the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights. Employing all his skills as "the Chingford Skinhead" he culminates with this: It seems that Mr Cameron is prevented from doing anything to bring the nonsense to an end - and ...
Andrew Hickey is serialising his new ebook on The Kinks. In the first part he writes of British rhythm and blues bands of the 1960s: Like many British bands in 1964 and 65, the Kinks were attempting to sound like the American blues music of a previous generation. The problem is that like many of those bands, the Kinks were not particularly strong either vocally or instrumentally, and simply couldn't carry the weight of this material. When Muddy Waters or Bo Diddley sing "I'm A Man", the implicit meaning is "so don't call me 'boy'". When white teenagers from the ...
I didn't really get much out of this Eighth Doctor novel, set immediately after the two-volume Interference, with the Doctor, Fitz and new companion Compassion getting involved with various aliens and Iris Wildthyme. I did like the fact that we encounter a young svelte Iris as well as the standard more elderly version - indeed this is one of the better stories about Iris out there. But I was hoping to get a better handle on what Compassion is all about, and didn't; and the various alien plot threads were all entangled without being terribly interesting. One of those books ...
It's been a great weekend for Cardigan's top darter Jamie Lewis. Yesterday, the 20 year old gained a 2-year PDC Tour Card after coming through stiff competition from a 200+ strong field in the PDC's 4-Day Qualifying School in Barnsley. Source: Red Dragon Darts I've known Jamie and his family here in Cardigan for a number of years and as a keen follower of darts since I was a child, have taken a particular interest in Jamie's development as a former World Youth Darts Champion through to his progression onto the senior BDO and now PDC, darts circuit. Jamie is ...
One of the last two Sarah Jane audio books, featuring the voice of Daniel "Clyde" Anthony and a story by Martin Day about a timetravelling steampunk android (the "difference golem") which needs to be sorted out by SJS and pals. I have not seen the last series of SJA so the character of Sky was new to me, but the story is well done and Anthony a decent reader who sensibly gets on with trying to convey emotion and character rather than imitating voices.
Today I found three musical bits on Youtube that I liked. They've really made my day... The first is a brief snatch of President Obama singing a few bars of Al Green: Then on Radio 2 this morning I heard this song by Gotye, featuring Kimbra. I must admit they are two names I hadn't heard before and although the song isn't very cheerful, I'm still cheered to hear some talent like this in the
[IMG: Vince Cable] The simple top-lines on Vince Cable's measures to curb executive pay sound good: 10 out of the 12 recommendations from the (unofficial but cleverly named) High Pay Commission implemented and condemned by Conservative MP Peter Bone as being "left wing claptrap". The details, however, really highlight the limitations of the focus on executive pay. They are all welcome small steps, but there is very little evidence they will make much of a difference. And if they do, it may be too boost rather than cut executive pay. More transparency? Good, but the evidence that transparency reduces rather ...
Stupidly this morning, after a weekend of reading the Indy, I opened up the Daily Mail and this article caught my attention. The article suggests that women are try to juggle too many commitments and are spreading themselves too thin causing themselves stress. The problem with the article is it focuses on a small minority of high-flying career professionals - an elite group - rather than the average working mum. Whilst my statement is rather sweeping I look round my 'peer' group - I do have friends and colleagues whose husbands stay at home, one or two, but I have ...
Including "Jaw-jaw is better than war-war", as Churchill might or might not have said. Reports (http://bicom.org.uk/news-article/4825/) of yesterday's Israeli/Palestinian talks in Amman are not exactly brimming with optimism, but these talks are surely a lot better than nothing? ------------------
PoliticsHome reports: Vince Cable has unveiled a raft of measures to combat excess executive pay, including binding votes for shareholders and a 'clawback' of salaries of failed bosses. In a surprise move, the Business Secretary told MPs one day earlier than expected that the Government will require firms to provide a single figure for each director's pay. Dr Cable admitted is was "not the Government's role" to micro-manage company pay but there were steps that could be taken to tackle the "clear market failure". Setting out the measures, he said: "First [we want to see] greater transparency so that what ...
The Liberal Democrats' vision of a John Lewis economy, and an end to 'crony capitalism', articulated by Nick Clegg, is welcome. So how does Government need to change? The answer, it seems, lies in the habitual practices of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and its notorious revolving door to pet trade interest groups. So when the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), the in-house lobbyists of the pubcos that have closed countless community pubs, come calling, the condemnation of the outside world seems not to matter. BIS ducked the solution supported by the cross-party BIS Select Committee ...
I've been talking with a few people recently about self-publishing, and some of them are vaguely confused about what you need to do in order to get a book out if you've written it and want to publish yourself, so I thought I'd do a semi-comprehensive guide. This is for full-length books of 40,000 words ...
The Liberal Democrats' vision of a John Lewis economy, and an end to 'crony capitalism', as articulated by Nick Clegg, is welcome. So why, then, is this approach not yet embedded in Government? Rewards for failure, a failure to listen to small business over big property interests, short-termism and the perpetuation of a failed business model are at the heart of the Government's pubs policy, according to MPs of all parties in a Commons debate on 12 January. The answer, it seems, lies in the habitual practices of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and its notorious revolving ...
A film project to celebrate 100 yrs of Cinema at Consett's Empire Theatre has been turned down for funding by CreativeEngland. That's a disappointment to the people from Jack Drum Arts, Leisureworks and myself who have been working on the "Digital Dust" bid, but not the end of the story. Attempts will now be made to gain funding from other sources. It's a fantastic story which returns to the very roots of our town, and in the Empire we have a cinema which takes you right back to the days before the multi-plex when a whole community could settle down ...
Mon 23rd
15:54
Video: Perhaps the most dramatic implosion of a front-running Presidential campaign in history
In case you missed this, it is likely to rank as one of the most dramatic ends to a front-running Presidential campaign in history. Before this RTE debate on 24th October last year, Sean Gallagher, standing as an Independent candidate, was 15 points ahead of the field and a "shoe-in" to be the next Irish President. Three days later, he finished the actual election 11 points behind the winner, Michael D Higgins. This video clip shows the complete debate episode which led to Gallagher's political demise. The discussion centres on a visit to a businessman's house on behalf of Fianna ...
Last night I attended the Mayor's Charity Dinner at the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant in Wallington. It was really nice to be able to attend a function like this in my own ward. In celebration of the Chinese New Year the restaurant was beautifully decorated, and the place was packed. The restaurant staff did us proud ...
The Liberal Democrat whip in the European Parliament, Chris Davies, has resigned as whip in a gesture of protest against the expected confirmation that Stewart Arnold is to be one of the party's MEPs in the Yorkshire and Humber region. He ... Continue reading →
Recently I was talking with someone and he said that he never shops in Blyth, but travels up to Cramlington to shop. He said that the shops there were "better" I often visit Cramlington, as much for a change of scenery as anything else, but I never thought the shops better. Different maybe, but not better. So, having some odds and ends to get today, I took a bus up the road to Cramlington to compare the shops. Most of Cramlington's shops are in the Manor Walks Shopping Centre, or just outside, whereas Blyth has a traditional town centre, with ...
The Campaign Corner series looks to give three tips about commonly asked campaign issues. Do get in touch if you have any questions you would like to suggest. Today's Campaign Corner question: I saw you talk about the importance of (captioned!) photos in leaflets, but what makes for a good photo? 1. It should tell a story: A quick glance at the photographs is often all the attention a leaflet (or online story) will get, so the photograph(s) should convey the main message of the story. If you can't guess what the story is about from the photo, then the ...
My regular column for the Prestwich Advertiser. Proposals from a developer to build a major-name supermarket in Prestwich village centre has re-awakened discussions about what we want for the centre of our community. Town centres are an important part of defining a community. For us in Prestwich, what our town centre is like - we call it 'the village' - is an important part of what makes this part of Greater Manchester a good place to live. Elsewhere in the country, towns have had their life and soul ripped out -little more than a car park which is quickly deserted ...
I have responded to the UK Government's consultation on the Scottish Independence Referendum and enclose my comments verbatim below. I would strongly encourage all, regardless of their political persuasion, to make their views known so that we get the most considered and appropriate result. Constitutional law is not something to be treated as a political weapon (by either side of this debate) and legal clarity is imperative. To whom it concerns, Please find attached the document containing my response to the consultation document published by the UK Government in respect of the delivery of a legal and impartial referendum on ...
This is a crosspost from LibDemVoice. I have to thank Caron Lindsay as she really pushed me on this piece. It came out better for it. It was posted on Thursday 19th of January. On Monday, Nick Clegg gave a speech on capitalism. This was his first real foray into the debate since it has ...
Today Manchester and communities all over the world will celebrate Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar, and enjoys a whole 15 days of celebrations, from luscious banquets to spectacular ... Continue reading →
Not only has Eric Pickles failed to extend his largesse to Parish Councils, but he now accuses me of failing in my moral duty by increasing the Parish precept by 13%. I would love to freeze our share of the council tax this year. But I can't - the numbers simply don't add up. Like councillors around the country, I have a legal obligation to secure the finances of my authority. Each year, we fret about balancing the books, about long-term sustainability, about maintaining essential services, about protecting our staff and treating them with respect. Even in good years, difficult ...
On the 6th May 2011 the Scottish National Party secured a historic majority for the next five year term at the Scottish Parliament. Their manifesto promised to freeze council tax, oppose tuition fees and set a renewable energy target of 100% by 2020. However, more crucially, one of the SNP's most important pledges was to hold a referendum on independence. The SNP is keen to emphasize its view that independence would make Scotland more successful; economically and socially. The SNP state that independence is the best choice for the future of Scotland and the issue should be decided by the ...
So, Liberal Democrat peers are preparing to stage a second major rebellion on the Welfare Reform Bill. The first, before Christmas, helped to defeat the Government's plans to cut Housing Benefit for those in houses with one spare bedroom. Paddy told Sky News yesterday that he was intending to vote against the Government's plans to introduce a cap on the amount of benefits a family can receive of £26,000 in a year. Nick Clegg presented this yesterday as fair on the Andrew Marr programme. He said that it the system had to be seen to be fair to taxpayers, many ...
Chris has called upon Herts Highways and the police to take action against motorists who are queuing onto a zebra crossing. Chris said: 'Any motorist knows that they should not be stationery on zig-zag lines so I can't see why they think this is acceptable behaviour.' He added: 'It beats me why they queue anyway. If they went into the adjacent car park they would find plenty of space at a reasonable price – and no need to queue at all.'
PoliticsHome reports: Vince Cable will tomorrow announce shareholders are to be given binding votes on boardroom pay. A Written Ministerial Statement from the Business Secretary lays out plans for a legally enforceable veto on future pay arrangements for executives. But shareholders will not be able to vote down bonuses already awarded, and the Government has stopped short of giving employees seats on remuneration committees. You can read a full report on this on the FT website, which requires registration.
More than 100 of the biggest hitters in British business have signed the Government's Business Compact and are committed to opening their doors to people from all walks of life, ending the 'who you know, not what you know' culture. The businesses – employing over two million people in Britain with a turnover of more than £500 billion – have signed up to the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's Business Compact on social mobility. This is an unprecedented partnership between business and government to spread opportunities across our society and, crucially, to create culture change in other companies. Signatories to ...
Ed Miliband on the government's public sector pay freeze: 2010: "Absolutely the wrong thing to do" (Channel 4 News, July) 2012: "I think it's right" (BBC News, January)
It seems that Leeds GIC may be having a bit of an identity crisis of their own, given that in response to an FOI request by Emma Brownbill they make it clear they do not really know what they're diagnosing people with. First, lets look at the background to the request. Emma's first question to the GIC was to ask for "the numerical designation and diagnostic criteria for Primary Transsexualism in DSM-IV". This is as a result of some interesting statements on their web site, including one referring to "primary transsexualism... (In accordance DSM IV)". Why is listing "Primary Transsexualism" ...
I started writing this blog post the best part of 36 hours ago. I was found naked in my study by my girlfriend with tears having more than moistened my cheeks staring at the screen suffering from Writers Block. A couple of hours earlier I had rolled over in bed to check my twitter feed and saw reports that Joe Paterno was in a serious condition and that his wife had called the family in from all over the country as his time was short. I got up and came to the computer to read all the stories and reports ...
Another day, another headline on the cost of green policies. This time thanks to a new report from Policy Exchange as part of their 'Greener, Cheaper' workstream. With customers feeling the pinch from high energy bills, Chris Huhne continues to have his work cut out to defend green policy spending. Problems with Policy Exchange's analysis, including their uncritical support of gas and aversion to the promotion of growth by Government, must be brought to the fore. The main argument of Policy Exchange's report is that there are additional costs to consumers from renewable policies beyond those directly on the bill ...
As an amateur genealogist I have a thing about crawling around in cemeteries looking for ancestors. Over the years this has grown into a real love for the architecture and history (social and otherwise) of London's cemeteries. Yesterday I took myself off for a visit to Kensal Green Cemetery, one of the Magnificent Seven as ...
Happy Chinese New Year to all our readers. Today (I am told) marks the start of the Year of the Dragon.The picture comes from Wikimedia
Every election day 21 schools are used as Polling Stations in Southwark. Southwark Council has just reviewed all its Polling Stations and has decided that it still wants to use those 21 schools. This is a real missed opportunity. Hosting a Polling day sounds easy but talking to some teachers it really disrupts not just the day but the whole academic week. That can't be good for those children's education. And we have elections nearly every year what with local, London, UK, Europe elections as well as last years AV referendum. Of the 21 schools two are special schools, one ...
This morning, on BBC's Breakfast Show, Iain Duncan-Smith was talking about the impact of his proposals on a benefit cap. He suggested that the 'scare stories' were exaggerated, claiming that the Shelter definition of homelessness was unrealistic. When pressed, he stated that their definition of homelessness includes circumstances where bedrooms are being shared. At this point, Ros noted that he was being less than entirely accurate. So, I thought that I ought to check. Given that Ros has plenty of knowledge on housing issues, and has held senior office at District and County level, I'd tend to trust her judgement. ...
Last week, the government announced a consultation on establishing a statutory register for lobbyists. The document defines what a lobbyists is and recommends that those involved who act as third parties for clients register. The membership bodies behind UKPAC have been arguing for universality: anyone who engages with government in order to influence policy should register. Meanwhile, libertarians who generally dislike regulation are calling for a stricter regime. It is important to note that the register will not regulate lobbying. Anyone can respond to the consultation. The key questions are: Should only third party lobbyists have to register? How do ...
This is a shortened version of a blog post on Chris Davies' blog. The full version can be read here and contains complimentary comments about Diana Wallis' parliamentary career. The resignation of Diana Wallis, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, came as a complete shock to her colleagues, and not least to the MEPs from across the political spectrum, including myself, who were with her 10 days ago when she handed in her nomination paper to stand for the presidency of the European Parliament. On Tuesday morning Diana Wallis was campaigning to lead the Parliament, to bust apart the incestuous ...
I was thinking the other day about the Labour Party and its recent history and I realised something that had not really occurred to me before. Despite having held power for almost half of the last 50 years, there are only two Labour PMs from that period who have actually won an election. They are Harold Wilson and Tony Blair. I think perhaps this sometimes gets a bit lost in the detail of the 7 election wins and 24 years of power they yielded. Of course Jim Callaghan and Gordon Brown were also PM during this period but they never ...
Message sent by Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg MP, to Liberal Democrat members: Nearly two years ago, Liberal Democrats chose to do the right thing in the national interest at a time of crisis. We put tribalism aside and the good of the country first. We didn't come into politics to make cuts, but with the economy on the verge of collapse we knew we had to take the difficult decisions necessary to get the deficit under control and the country back on track. And how did the Labour Party react? They attacked us viciously. They ...
Mon 23rd
09:55
The day Nick Clegg made me cry and other personal tales - over at Ellen's Mental Health Carnival
Ellen, over at In a Bun Dance, is doing something very important today. She is hosting a Mental Health Carnival, where she posts contributions from bloggers who have faced the particular challenges that mental health conditions throw at you. She's done it because: Mental illness, of all shades, just doesn't get talked about enough. There's still a stigma, so anything that raises understanding and awareness has to be good. Blogging can be hugely therapeutic in matters of mental dis-ease. It really helped me when I was in the grip of depression, therefore, I was delighted to highlight bloggers who talk ...
Mon 23rd
09:45
How to create a liberal economy, tackle bonuses and differentiate in a time of austerity
All parties are fighting it out over who is in touch with the public more when it comes to the economy. While the rhetoric is flying around it seems to be business as usual in the City with a proposal for $1.3m bonus for RBS chief; making it an easy target for Miliband to attack ...
I have, until now, paid relatively little attention to the government's proposed benefit cap. I knew it was there as a proposal but made no effort to find out whether I think it's a good idea or not. If you're ... Continue reading →
Sir Menzies Campbell MP has questioned at what point Alex Salmond's vision for the scope and scale of an independent Scotland's Armed Forces became established SNP policy. His calls come after the SNP's own Defence spokesperson Angus Robertson said last year, that one air base would be "totally unacceptable" in Scotland, and the First Minister presented himself as a defender of communities faced with the closure of their local military base. However the SNP's own plans are now significantly below the proposals contained in the Defence Review which the First Minister challenged vehemently at the time as being a bad ...
Below is an email from Rt Hon Nick Clegg to party members. See you what you think. Dear _____, Nearly two years ago, Liberal Democrats chose to do the right thing in the national interest at a time of crisis. We put tribalism aside and the good of the country first. We didn't come into ...
On Comment is Free, Tim Leunig reveals some alarming impacts of the government's housing benefit cuts: Imagine two sets of people, both renting from private landlords. One is an Islington couple who have never worked. The other is an Oldham family with four children, where the working parent has just lost his or her job. The Islington couple currently receive £250 a week in housing benefit, while the Oldham family gets only £150. Times are tough, and the government wants to save money. Which family should have its housing benefit cut? George Osborne has chosen the Oldham family. He is ...
The Sad Death Of The Knob, Switch And Button Knobs! Tee hee hee (tags: cars ) For They Are Weary of Space Marines: Why Some Men Are Playing Women, and Why Game Developers Should Take Note From the other side of the bored-with-gender-being-stereotyped divide. (tags: games gender ) ladies, we are live | women write about comics I shall be participating in this later in the week, and watching it with interest. (tags: gender comics ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
For a few days it looked as though Mitt Romney might have it in the bag. Then South Carolina backed Newt Gingrich. This doesn't mean Romney won't end up with the nomination or for that matter that Gingrich will. The Republican primary voters of South Carolina were never going to be wildly keen on Romney. But he needs to carry that constituency to become the Republican contender. After having looked like a sure thing, he now only has won New Hampshire after a recount of the Iowa caucus. Of course, all the challenges face a very big question: can they ...
For many of us Peter Hain is the marmite in Welsh politics. You either love him or loathe him, but there has never been any doubt about his competence as a Minister, a politician and a campaigner. Newport West MP, Paul Flynn described him as one of politics 'shapeshifters' and that is certainly borne out in the extracts I have read so far from his autobiography. Having said that I am not yet convinced that I actually want to read or buy the book. Maybe that will come later. Today we learn that there was clear hostility from some Labour ...
Today, Centre for Cities launches Cities Outlook 2012, our fifth annual 'health check' on UK cities, and this year we have focused on unemployment in cities. The report, sponsored by IBM and the LGA, shows that there is a strong geographical nature to unemployment across UK cities. But unemployment is not evenly spread across the UK. While cities such as York and Cambridge have relatively low levels of unemployment, cities such as Grimsby and Hull have a much larger problem. The variation in unemployment across cities is stark. While the number of people in Cambridge claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is ...
A few years ago complaints about speeding and terrible parking near Junction Farm School led Egglescliffe Parish Council to ask for action from Stockton Borough Council. The Community Engineer drew up plans for traffic calming along Butterfield Drive and for parking restrictions near the school. During the consultation people from the Birchfield Drive area pointed out that "rat-runners" would
I freely admit that I haven't given an awful lot of attention to the Welfare Reform debate. Odd really, because Ros cast her first ever vote as a rebel against the proposal to punish those in receipt of housing benefit who have a spare bedroom. But nonetheless, it isn't an area of policy that I'm terribly knowledgeable about. But I do like to think that a proposal should add up. And the benefit cap doesn't seem to do so. As I understand it, the proposal will lead to a direct saving of £270 million from the social welfare budget. So ...
Andrew Duff MEP Andrew Duff (ALDE/UK), who is Parliament's rapporteur on electoral reform, has triggered a revision of the Parliament's own rules for its internal elections. He has written to newly-elected President Schulz to propose a change to the Single Transferable Vote (STV). In his letter to the President, Duff says: "STV would allow Members to express their order of preference for candidates and would considerably speed up the election of the Bureau. Under STV no vote is wasted. STV is a much more sophisticated form of election than the simple agglomeration of equal preferences which we use at the ...
During the Feltham and Heston Parliamentary by-election, I found myself chosen to participate in an interview with German TV news, commenting on David Cameron's use of the veto in discussions with other heads of state as to how to solve the euro crisis. You'll find me 90 seconds in, though if you don't speak German, you'll have to strain to hear what I'm saying, so here's a transcript: "I think there are definitely some Eurosceptics who will be celebrating today and I think that's very short-sighted. But at the end of the day, there's no love lost between us. We're ...
If you visited this website on January 18th, 2012, you will have been locked out – for that day, Spineless Liberal went on strike. And won. PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo. Internet piracy is a huge problem. It takes money away from artists and recording companies, ...
Following complaints from residents about broken fencing at the Pennycook Lane Car Park - see right - I have taken up the matter with the City Council's City Development Department and requested repairs. I have been assured that an order has been placed with Tayside Contracts to have this repaired.
A little over a year ago I suspect like most other people in the UK I couldn't tell you the name of the Representative for the Arizona 8th District in Congress. But when she was holding a Congress on Your Corner event in the Safeway store in Casas Adobes, to the NW of Tuscon her name became etched on many people's memory. Not because she was going out to meet the people but because of the actions of a gunman who shot her and , killed a staffer, a Federal Judge, 3 pensioners and a girl born on 11 September ...
Sunday: I see that Auntie Jennie and Mr Steven o' the Glenn have popped "The Question". No, no, no - THIS Question:"What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?" Well, the answer depends on how much MAGIC you're investing into the phrase "could not fail". Because if it's a what-would-you-do-but-lack-of-confidence-is-holding-you-back kind of "could not fail", then the answer is: "be a best-selling fantasy author". But if this is a rub-the-lamp-and-get-three-wishes sort of "could not fail" then it's: "design and build a workable, affordable (non-polluting) faster than light space drive and initiate the human exploration of the galaxy". ...
