Liberal Democrats in Islington are used to the appearance of one Lib Dem MEP at events, viz Sarah Ludford of this parish. However, tonight in addition to the traditional regular features of a Liberal Democrat social there was also one departure from tradition. There was still an MEP present, but this time it was not Sarah Ludford, but Rebecca Taylor. Technically not quite an MEP yet, she will shortly be taking over from Diana Wallis. She will also be increasing the ranks of Tweeting Lib Dem Parliamentarians by one.
Here's Ziggy proving that not all glam rock was pants...
Liberal Democrat local parties are often good at organising events: Pizza and Politics (with a guest speaker), fundraising dinners, or thank-you parties after election campaigns and the like. But it's rare that they just organise something for members and helpers without any ulterior motive. So hats off to Islington local party for putting on a ...
I'm off down to London tomorrow, for my Returning Officer training. Oh yes, I need to be retrained, given that we have shiny new Selection Rules. I am aware of the irony, given that I was on the Working Group that rewrote them, but there can be no exceptions. And it's probably about time too, as I've already had an informal approach to see if I'd be willing to serve in one of the forthcoming European Parliamentary selections (the answer is no, but then I said that I'd leave the country after the 1997 selection, and ended up doing 2002 ...
The first parliamentary by-election I worked in was Birmingham Northfield in 1982. I can recall looking over the parapet of a railway bridge into British Leyland's Longbridge works and seeing a substantial disused railway station. What I didn't know at the time is that line used to turn to the north and, a few miles later, cross the extraordinary Dowery Dell Viaduct. The video above, taken from a 1958 edition of the television programme Railway Roundabout, shows the viaduct in use and also the branch that served Southwell in Nottinghamshire. Midlands railway gold.
Millennia ago, an Chinese general, Sun Tzu, wrote the ultimate guide on how to wage war. This book is just as relevant in today's world as it was then. In this series aimed at experienced campaigners, we look at a verse every week, to gain a higher understanding of how to trample our opponents underfoot ...
For the last couple of years I've been really happy with my subscription to MLB.tv - there being no other way to get access to baseball here in the UK that lets me watch all the games I want to be able to see - so when the HP TouchPad became available I was really happy that I'd be able to use it to watch games instead of having to keep my laptop or desktop computer on. I say "was" because about two weeks ago you stopped me being able to use it. One of the primary reasons I selected ...
Just a quick update on todays scrutiny meeting in which members of the Conservative group got to scrutinise the proposed Liberal Democrat budget ammendment Full Council will be asked to vote on at the meeting on the 21st Feburary (when we will also be voting on the Conservative Administrations Integrated Plan - or Budget - for the next year).It was a little disappointing to see that there were no members of the public or press present to record the comments (and responses) to our alternative Budget. Now the Chair of the Committee is the Conservative Fred Brown and the Conservatives ...
Ouch! "Tim's sole achievement in politics was to be chief of staff to the most unpopular leader in Conservative history, so forgive us if we don't take any lessons from him. He clearly wants to take the party back to the bad old days of constant infighting and no policy."Mind you, I think Tim Montgomerie is right on this one.
David Hencke examines the tax "efficient" measures adopted by Ed Lester, chief executive of the Students Loans Company, and the extent to which they must have been approved the then Cabinet Secretary, Gus O'Donnell. Sadly, there is nothing new about people in important public-sector jobs benefiting from such arrangements. Chris Horrie and Steve Clarke wrote in their Fuzzy Monsters: Fear and Loathing at the BBC, published in 1994. about an investigation conducted by Chris Blackhurst of the Independent: Blackhurst replaced the receiver. It was not surprising that the BBC's hierarchy was proving difficult to pin down. He had been calling ...
The Old Grammar School, Market Harborough. Iconic Read the histories of comprehensive education and you will find widespread praise for the "Leicestershire Experiment". Because the version of comprehensive secondary education pioneered in this county was certainly influential. Leicestershire Experiment? It is explained in Derek Gillard's The History of Education in England: In 1957 Conservative-controlled Leicestershire began what became known as the 'Leicestershire experiment' in which all the children in a locality transferred at age 11 to a three-year 'junior high' school. The brightest went on at 14 to grammar schools, the rest did a final year in the junior high ...
Many residents I speak to in my ward want their local politicians to improve things but not claim they will change the world if they can't. That's what the Liberal Democrats in Ealing do. If we disagree with the Labour administration then we will say so clearly explaining why. But just campaigning against something is not enough. You need to have some positive vision for a plan, for an area. This is the same for Brian Paddick who is the Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate. He has decades of experience working from the bottom to the top of the Met. ...
Running a business and the Law Wednesday 15 February 10.30am-12.30 (12 places only). Les Brown, Swinburne Jackson Solicitors Are you trading legally? Everything in place from contracts to insurance? Find out more about running a business and the legal requirements. Get advice on your own personal situation. Everything Marketing Wednesdays 7 March, 21 March, 4 April 10am-1pm (12 places only) Pascal Fintoni, Centre for eBusiness Three sessions covering a wide range of marketing topics. Session one will focus on traditional marketing techniques, still the foundation of any marketing activity. Session two will discuss the online presence of a business. Session ...
"Today, Rita could have signed up to Open University on Facebook" There's a lot to love about both The Open University and The Independent. However, The Independent really ought to stick to proper journalism rather than re-hashing what looks like a PR piece put out by the 48 strong OU communications department. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the OU promoting itself. It's a fabulous institution and their recent initiative to ask former students to act as "ambassadors" for the OU on Facebook is a splendid idea. As all OU students and alumni know, the perceptions many people have ...
Internet Piracy is one of the big talking points, and certainly one of the biggest issues that faces my generation. The reaction towards SOPA, PIPA & ACTA all highlights this. I don't agree with the powers those bills would grant. Corporate power is very hard to be held to account. So what is the solution? ...
In and around this area there are 4 City Council wards, these include North Werrington, South Werrington & North Gunthorpe, Walton and Paston. This means there are a total of 11 City Councillors paid to represent the views of people in this area at the Tory dominated Town Hall. Party wise there are three Lib Dem councillors, three "independents" and five Tory councillors. Anyhow, Peterborough Liberal Democrats, are presently trying to get some 'real' people to stand for election in this and other areas, so if you feel you have a determination to represent your area, they WANT to hear ...
Today's news about the court decision on prayers at Bideford Council has provoked much discussion. Eric Pickles says it's illiberal but I'll take no lessons in liberalism from Pickles. I do think the secularist councillor who sued the council has wasted a lot of time and money when he could have just absented himself from the prayers. The court's decision is an interpretation of s111 of the
The lovely people from UK Gov Camp have put up some of the videos from the barcamp. Here's me chatting about mobile and the WordPress Mobile Pack. UKGovcamp 2012: WordPress & mobile (Sat 21st, 2pm) from Steph at Helpful Technology on Vimeo. See my blog post about the day. [IMG: flattr this!]
Now that three cabinet ministers have sneakily complained to Conservative Home, I am totally convinced the Health and Social Care Bill needs to steam ahead, even though I don't really agree with it. By all means, let their Lordships and Ladyships amend it sensibly. But those three cabinet ministers are the final straw. I bet one of them is Michael Gove... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Jenny Willott MP writes... The Welfare Reform Bill - What's happened on ESA? (47 comments) by Jenny Willott MP Opinion: What price democracy in the Lib Dems? (133 comments) by Linda Jack Chris Huhne: the straight talking fighter faces his biggest battle (52 comments) by Stephen Tall Opinion: Lib Dem Cabinet Ministers - surely we can do better than this? (57 comments) by Robin McGhee Opinion: There is one coalition that needs to last (28 comments) by ...
"And the games of the 5th Olympiad are awarded to.......Rome" So why are we in London? And why are they now the 4th? Last first the Intercalated games of 1906 (see last week's post) were at the time recognised as the 4th Olympiad, up until 1949 the position of the 1906 Games being in dispute. The former is because on 7 April 1906 Mount Vesuvius erupted devastating Naples and the funds that were designated for the Olympic stadiums and infrastructure were directed instead to that end. London stepped into the breach, not for the last time. For the first time ...
Cain Wall is 108 years old. Despite his advanced years the frail great-grandfather is at the centre of a long-running legal struggle to reclaim the "ill-gotten gains" of slavery. For many he has come to represent the living face of ... Continue reading →
The county council has provided county councillors – but no-one else – with maps of where they plan to switch off street lights. We have obtained the relevant pdfs and placed them on our website. Please have a look and tell your county councillor your views. The maps can be found here:
VICTORY! - as Labour's Merseytravel "Gravy Train" is derailed, saving £100,000 Cutbacks in councillor pay on Transport Authority Merseytravel, following independent review, will save local Council Tax payers £100,000 a year, say local Lib Dems. Proposals for a massive pay rise for some Labour councillors were unanimously rejected yesterday, (9th February) at a meeting of Merseytravel. However, councillors agreed to accept the recommendations of an independent review axing many of the "Special Responsibility Allowances" previously paid to councillors. The rejection of the proposed pay increase, and the axing of 25 Councillors' 'Special Allowances' is projected to save Merseytravel £100,000 a ...
Conservative Home this morning has a much publised editorial calling on Cameron to drop the Health Bill. At lunch time Southport Lib Dem MP appeared on BBC World at One pleading with the powers that be to find a way to curtain the agony that the passage of this Bill is causing. You can listen here, it is the second item: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01bmq2q The BBC reports his comments: Lib Dem MP John Pugh - who has criticised the reforms - told BBC Radio 4's World at One that the ConservativeHome report "chimes .. with what I myself have learnt in conversations ...
There were eight principal local council by-elections held on Thursday 9th February. The Lib Dems gained two seats off the Tories and held one seat. The Conservatives held three seats and gained one from UKIP. Labour gained one from UKIP. There were two parish or town council by-elections results reported to ALDC a Labour hold and a Labour gain from UKIP. South Northamptonshire is a Lib Dem good news story. In February 2011 we targeted five wards in and around Towcester. In May 2011our team won two seats in the Towcester Brook Ward - our first two on the council. ...
The Voice's Mark Pack has published some useful tips on how to get to where every busy Parliamentarian, councillor, candidate and activist wants to be - Inbox Zero. They include such gems as: 3. Stop using your inbox as a substitute for filing Quite often there will be an email you have read, responded to but do not want to forget quiet yet. Perhaps you have made an order and don't want to bury away the confirmation until the goods arrive. That is fine — but do not use your inbox for that. Create a "pending" folder to hold these ...
As far as I'm aware, there are only two meetings at Blyth Town Council next week Tuesday 14 February 2012 - 6.00pm Events Committee Meeting, Ebor House Thursday 16 February 2012 - 6.00pm Planning & Development Committee Meeting, Ebor House
[IMG: The cover of Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! Large title text with a cartoonish picture of a tired looking but sulky pigeon holding a toy bunny] Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems Hyperion Books, New York, 2006 ISBN 978 078683746 5 Buy from Pigeon Presents! (links to high-profile booksellers) At the beginning - in fact, on the very title page – of Don' t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! the readers are asked by nameless man to do him a favor and "don't let the Pigeon stay up late!" ...
It's worth emphasising this quotation from the judgment of Mr Justice Ouseley on the Bideford Council case: The saying of prayers in a local authority chamber before a formal meeting of such a body is lawful provided councillors are not formally summoned to attend. That paragraph follows on directly after his main judgment: A local authority has no powers under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972 to hold prayers as part of a formal local authority meeting or to summon councillors to such a meeting at which prayers are on the agenda. Eric Pickles has been saying that ...
This week is National Apprenticeships Week. I am the Lib Dem spokesperson on the Council's Economy, Employment and Skills Committee. On Wednesday we had a very interesting item about creating apprenticeships in the Construction Industry. I asked about how the apprenticeships created under this scheme are benefiting all areas of Manchester and asked for a break down of the number of apprentices in each ward. I also pressed the Council to pay particular attention to creating apprenticeships in 'Green' construction industries. I was also delighted that this week Chorlton MP John Leech launched a campaign to get local companies to ...
Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make. Just one ...
Some funny visuals with a serious message from the Brian Paddick campaign today:
If you have been to Blyth in the last week or so, you will have seen the new mast placed outside Morrisons supermarket on Regent Street It appeared overnight last week, much to the surprise of many Blyth people, including me! I have been trying to find out the full story behind it, especially as it would need planning permission, and I don't remember it ever coming to Blyth Town Council Planning and Development Committee. I have now found what I think to be the story behind it. The mast is a temporary structure. It has been sited to take ...
Following discussions with The Prostate Cancer Charity, I have submitted an Early Day Motion (EDM 2706) asking the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) to overturn its draft ruling that the drug abiraterone, which can prolong life for ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Vote Toaster] From the Independent: Liberal Democrats made two landslide gains from Tories in the latest council by-elections, suggesting their voting support has not been dented after the resignation from the Government of Chris Huhne. Their candidate Chris Lofts took Northamptonshire County Council's Towcester division on a massive swing of more than 30% since the 2009 shire polls. Party colleague Lisa Samiotis triumphed at Towcester Brook, South Northamptonshire District. This brings the total of Lib Dem gains this month to three, after a win from Labour last week. This week's results, courtesy of ALDC are as follows: Hampshire CC, ...
I had an interesting experience this morning in my car. I was listening to Today on Radio 4 and one of the main stories was that three Conservative cabinet ministers had called for the health bill currently going through parliament to be scrapped. One of them was also calling for Andrew Lansley to be sacked as Health Secretary. Seismic stuff. Of course it was all anonymous but there is no doubt that a call like this is very serious for the government. I would now be surprised if the health bill is not radically changed if not dropped altogether. But ...
Happier times, but now is there a drift? As the Coalition continues to trundle forward it appears that limbs of the two parties, the Libdems and the Conservatives, are trying to pull the fabric apart. On the right of the Conservative party we have Europsceptics and those who are frustrated with the Human Right's act and Abbu Qatada's release. On the left an army of angry Libdems who are getting more and more angry over Austerity cuts and the worrying drift to the right that has happened within the party. The Conservative right, who have never really liked the idea ...
Tory Health Minister Simon Burns is on the television saying that ConservativeHome's story about the health reforms (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16976199) is "tittle tattle". If three Conservative Cabinet Ministers have contacted Tim Montgomerie about the bill, then he must be delighted, as it is a massive boost to his site's profile and demonstrates what excellent Tory contacts he has. And imagine the outrage if Lib Dem Voice had reported that three Liberal Democrat Cabinet ministers had been in touch to say that they oppose a flagship piece of Coalition Government legislation. People like me would be calling it an outrageous act of indiscipline ...
The new Secretary for State has got off to a busy and high profile start, including taking to YouTube several times. Here's the latest, from Ed Davey's visit to Walney, the world's largest offshore wind farm:
What to call the complex which includes the Town Library, Art Gallery and the old Arts Centre (formerly the Cambridge Halls).There are several ideas doing the rounds. First amongst these is William Atkinson. He was a great Victorian benefactor in the town who made his money in cotton and hailed from Knaresborough. By all accounts he had a sickly wife who liked to holiday in the town. Atkinson kicked start the project with a donation of £6,000 and his name is already widely used in relation to the Library and Art Gallery and his name is inscribed in the stonework ...
I welcome this ruling. Councillor Tony Inch, who supported the prayers said: We seem to be going from one crisis to another. It has implications for councils up and down the country. Where is it going to end? It's eroding the whole basis of Christian life in this country. No, what erodes Christian life is the notion that people have to be compelled to pray as a part of the official business of a council. What strengthens Christian life is people praying of their own freewill before, during and after council meetings. If Mr Inch doesn't know how to do ...
Fri 10th
11:47
Lib Dems call for resignation of David Parsons, the Conservative leader of Leicestershire County Cou...
Yesterday I blogged about the calls on David Parsons, the Conservative leader of Leicestershire County Council, to resign. LocalGov.co.uk has not published more details of the affair: Leicestershire leader David Parsons faces a crunch meeting over his future today after internal investigation following whistle-blowing allegations suggested a "technical breach of the county council's Code of Conduct" and a potential breach of the Companies Act.The website goes on to say that earlier this week Cllr Parsons told its sister publication The MJ that there was "no money owing" over his travel expenses, and that he was "very willing to co-operate" with ...
My friend Plok has posted asking all comics bloggers (of which I am technically still one) to post asking their readership not to go and see The Avengers on its opening weekend, in protest at Marvel's treatment of Jack Kirby and his heirs. I admit that this is not the world's biggest and most important ...
I have no issue with the piece Tim Montgomerie has written on Conservative Home this morning about the NHS bill. It's a well balanced and fair report on the history of the bill, the pressures that have played out to change it, and the excellent arguments for dropping it now. However, I am perturbed by a more general theme that seems to be emerging. That it is the Tories who are going to kill the bill. That is the Tory's who are then going to run through some sensible and reasonable changes. And David Cameron will have saved the NHS. ...
It's very easy for people to claim oppression when something happens that they don't agree with, but at a full Council meeting in Manchester the level of oppression I experience when the guest Chaplain is urging us to debate for the good of the City and exercise free speech is nothing compared with the baying mob trying to shout me down a few minutes later when attempting to exercise that liberty of speech. Any oppression at Council meetings generally comes from people not listening to the sentiments of the Chaplain, not from having to stand through the prayers at the ...
The AA announced this week that they're also going to offer Satnav telematic insurance. Effectively a method to change insurance premiums depending on how well you drive and adhere to speed limits etc. Initially, as with Aviva, they view this as a way to more selectively insure younger drivers. Massive 30% discounts for people driving well. The industry views this as a trend likely to extend over time to most vehicle insurance policies. This has to be one of the most promising road safety technologies going forward. If the majority of drivers were so monitored collisions and driving standards would ...
Just six months ago today London was emerging from its third night of rioting, with a semblance of order only just beginning to take hold as a massive police presence descended on the city. The fear in the streets was palpable. We had been given a brief and terrifying glimpse of what sheer anarchy looked like, the rage and shameless opportunism of London's marginalised youth provoking deep existential questions about what was wrong with our society. Yet, as the contest for London Mayor begins to build up momentum, Ken and Boris' campaigns continue to revolve around the same old topic ...
Hat tip to PR Daily News
A lunar hornet moth yesterday Rare insects have been discovered munching their way through - and killing - trees at a nature reserve. Lunar hornet moths, which resemble hornets and have a wingspan of up to 4cm, have been found burrowing into willows at Dishley Pool, in Loughboroughreports the Leicester Mercury. Let's hope they don't hear about the unique Salix caprea x cinerea subspecies oleifolia x purpurea x viminalis on Aylestone Meadows. A lunar hornet moth writes: Sounds a bit of a mouthful.
I put a press release out earlier this week highlighting the way that the big energy companies are seeking to hoodwink the public with small price reductions in selected products. Essentially, most of the Big Six energy companies have cut the price of one fuel only. For instance, British Gas has only cut electricity prices, EDF and Scottish and Southern Energy (which is SWALEC where I live) have only cut gas prices. British Gas has twice as many gas-buying customers as electricity customers. EDF and SSE have many more customers who buy electricity than gas. That does not appear to ...
Former Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott was all over Twitter yesterday announcing that he is to run for Police Commissioner in the Humberside area later this year. He has already been branded Kojag, a label he has accepted with glee. However, if he uses pictures on his literature such as the one that illustrates this Telegraph article, I dont hold out much hope for him.
Can't get enough of moody Danish drama and Lars Mikkelsen (Troels Hartmann) after The Killing / Borgen? Then Flame and Citron is just for you. A Danish film with English subtitles from 2008, it includes a role for Lars Mikkelsen and tells the mostly true story of two Danish resistance fighters of a particularly merciless sort. Flame and Citron (their codenames) were assassins, picking off individuals by killing them to their face but justified in their eyes by the fact that the victims were Nazi collaborators. However, as the film explores that morality gets very frayed at the edges. What ...
In case you missed it, today saw the announcement of a new group within the Liberal Democrats: the Liberal Left. The Twitter response, at least the ones I saw, was decidedly opposed to the move. Most felt this was counter productive as the party is in government and should accept the fact. Of course, the party has problems. One only has to look at the comments under Martin Kettle's relatively positive piece in the Guardian about the party to get a flavour of how some see the Liberal Democrats. How much impact the new grouping will have remains to be ...
Here's an interesting slice of data-mining. The University of Oxford's careers service surveys all undergraduate and postgraduates six months after they leave Oxford as part of the Government's Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. According to the tables, published here, more than half the students from the following six 'mixed colleges' (ie, those with both undergraduates and prostgraduates) had found a job during that time: 1. Lady Margaret Hall (52.4%) 2. St Hugh's (52.3%) 3. New (52.0%) 4. St Peter's (51.9%) 5. St Edmund Hall (51.8%) 6. Corpus Christi (51.0%) 7. Worcester (50.6%) 8. Somerville (50.0%) There is ...
I've previously written about my dislike of that venerable clichéd demand for "government to send a strong signal". Government isn't a bloody semaphore team, thank you very much. Not even I'm willing to believe it was the power of that blog post alone (plus natty diagram) which cowed the political classes into giving up semaphoring addiction. Yet the phrase does seem to crop up rather less often now, perhaps because of a change from the Labour government's love of telling people what to do? But we have not arrived in a happy new post-Brown cliché free world. Instead, the one ...
Posted: 02/ 9/2012 7:01 am via The Huffington Post UK A coalition has formed, a new coalition of the willing. The democratic West, Arab democracy movements and the Arab League itself; its greatest adversaries are the avatars of authoritarianism – Russia and China. The isolation of the two undemocratic members of the United Nations Security ...
On my visit to the Arts Centre I reported that during the renovation some fine floor tiles had been uncovered. In particular the old banking hall-the home to the Library since the 1920o's-revealed some fine examples. The hope was expressed that it may be possible to display some in the new building and there was speculationu that a coat ofarms may have been in front of the fire place as was often the case in banksof the period. Nobody seemed to know which bank. The observant amongst you will have noted that the bank building does have a coat of ...
The new Android app is now available to download from the Android Market. Sustrans has now the released 'The complete National Cycle Network' app with which you can access over 25,000 miles of walking and cycling network across the UK, anytime anywhere. The free app is available to download from Android Market and the iTunes store and marks the first time the National Cycle Network has become available for mobile phones. Download from the Android market: The Complete National Cycle Network. Download from the iTunes store: The Complete National Cycle Network. Find out more about the app, by simply clicking ...
"The Social Liberal Forum and senior Lib Dems with expert knowledge of the NHS have long believed that the Health and Social Care Bill is seriously flawed and should only be enacted if substantially amended. It has now emerged that senior ... Continue reading →
It always irritates me when fellow Lib Dems bang on about conspiracies by 'the right' of the party, or accuse colleagues of being crpyto-Tories. To be consistent I should apply similar standards when uncomradely sentiments are expressed by those I agree with. So it is a rather over the top, if typically er... forthright for Dan Falchikov to accuse the members of ginger group Liberal Left of 'seeking to work their passage into the Labour party'. Yet on the substance of the issue, Dan is surely right (and Jonathan Calder makes a similar critique of Liberal Left here). What frustrates ...
At yesterday's scrutiny meeting we discussed the shortage of council housing in Cornwall. There are more than 23,000 people on the housing waiting list, of whom 430 have a local connection with Launceston. The changes to the way council rents are collected means that Cornwall Council has a lot more control over the system. We also have the ability to borrow more money and, because of the low rate of interest that the council pays, it makes sense to borrow almost up to the limit and invest this money into our current housing stock and new building. That's why the ...
This week has been something of a mixed bag for the Liberal Democrats. Aside from getting over the fact we have lost one of our most respected and feared heavyweights in Chris Huhne, we have been forced to accept that a serious reassessment of our position within government is required and necessary. Needless to say, the ceaseless commentariat and Westminster gossips are not helping matters. There have been three stories - all different in topic and angle - that have focused attention on the junior coalition partner in recent days: I shall lovingly refer to them as the good, the ...
Update: last night the Leader of the Council has called on the Chair of the Governors David Jones and the Headteacher of Birkdale High School to consider their position From Good with outstanding features to special measures as a new academy is a journey no school wishes to travel. But to make that journey as a new flagship Academy raises important questions of accountability and governance. Birkdale High School has made that journey. Ofsted visited in December 2011 and yet the report was only published on the website this morning. It is well known that drafts have been in circulation ...
Spineless Liberal, for his 100th post (!), takes a look at Liberal Left, the new Liberal Democrat pressure group... and asks why haven't they bothered to watch Borgen?
My research article 'The myth of New Liberalism: continuity and change in Liberal politics 1889-1914' appears in the latest volume of the Revue Francaise de Civilisation Britannique (my article is in English). It is part of a special edition of the journal on the British Liberal party 1906-1924. It includes contributions by Kenneth O. Morgan (on Asquith and Lloyd George), Paul Addison (on Churchill as a Liberal) and Martin Pugh (on Liberals and the role of women in politics). As the title suggests, in my article I argue that the Asquith government's welfare reforms were less a product of a ...
At yesterday's City Council Budget meeting, the Liberal Democrat Group's amendments to the City Council's proposed revenue and capital budgets proposed :* A cut of up to £6 in the Council Tax bills for residents - the Liberal Democrats were the only group to propose a cut in the Council Tax, to assist hard-pressed council taxpayers in challenging financial times.* A large increase in capital funding for seven primary schools' improvements (including Blackness and Ancrum Road).* Removing the cost of one of the two civic cars, cutting out alcohol hospitality budgets and no councillor attendance at conferences. * Visiting music ...
BBC - Doctor Who - Doctor Who Writers Confirmed - News & Features YAY! Toby Whithouse! ... Oh fuck, Chibnall (tags: doctorwho ) The lady vanishes: Invisible Wife Syndrome Gia Milinovich on what it's like being Mrs Brian Cox, via Nanila "The first signs were there five years ago when Brian and I went to pitch some ideas to a producer at a well-known production company. I'd had a science-technology series broadcast on Channel 4 several months earlier, and Brian's appearances as the science expert on This Morning were going very well. Our agent called us the sci-tech version of ...
Sensible news from the government yesterday with talk of modification to its plans for individual electoral registration in the light of comments made during its consultation. Many people (including myself) criticised the plans to weaken the legal requirement to register, either because they oppose voluntary registration in principle or because even if they are warm to voluntary registration in theory they think that switching to individual registration and voluntary registration at the same time is a recipe for disaster. One should be done, sorted and settled in before the other is addressed. As has been heavily trailed, the government is ...
This week saw the passage of the Scottish Budget. For the first time, John Swinney had the ability to draw up his figures, tell his overall majority to vote for them and barely involve any other parties in the Scottish Parliament. He could have done that, but he didn't. He actively sought input from the other parties. It takes two to tango, though and in the event the only other person who wanted to get onto the dance floor (why, oh why, did I start on that line of thinking? I feel sick already) was Willie Rennie. By doing so, ...
Until a few years ago the Sunday Telegraph was my preferred weekend reading. Among the reasons I stopped getting it was that a new editor ditched the Psychic Psmith spoof horoscope column, which was among the best thing in the newspaper. I now find that Psychic can now be read online, although it appears I have missed several months of his predictions. I particularly liked his entry for 18 January ...your very own Psychic Psmith was the only astrologer working in the British media who predicted the upcoming Little Chef restaurant closures... other leading media star-gazers, such as Polly Toynbee ...
@jpshaddock I'd be v surprised if it were Laws. Davey or Featherstone wd be my guess. in reply to jpshaddock # @SoniaRothwell Hi Sonia, Happy to. in reply to SoniaRothwell # Some quotes from me on Ch4 News site » RT @SoniaRothwell My profile of Chris #Huhne with contribution from @StephenTall http://t.co/DuABvMYh # @markpack many thanks for the #ff – tbf cute cat photos easy when you have cute cats. in reply to markpack # @markpack Get enough of dogs when delivering, no wish to go home to them too! in reply to markpack # @KP_LD Suspect we're just more ...
Fri 10th
08:10
Senior Tories voice growing concern over NHS reforms, calling for 'unnecessary and unpopular' Bill t...
The Health and Social Care Bill has long been criticised by doctors, nurses, many Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party. To the list of those concerned about the impact of Andrew Lansley's reforms can be added senior Tory figures including Tim Montgomerie, editor of ConservativeHome blog, and several members of the Cabinet. According Tim's editorial this morning, following on from a Times article earlier in the week (£), Conservative Cabinet Ministers are sufficiently concerned over how the reforms were being handled to press for the contentious components to be dropped and for only those elements that retain cross-party agreement to ...
Liberal Democrat Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has impressed upon Parliament the need to empower Cambridge and communities across the country to make the decisions to secure the future of their town centres. He welcomed the government's commitment to protecting the nation's high street and moves to decentralise power, but added there is more that can be done. During a debate in the House of Commons today (Tuesday, January 17) Julian said how Cambridge was lucky to have a successful city council, led by Councillor Sian Reid who was fighting hard to protect its town centre and local high streets. "As ...
MP Julian Huppert has impressed upon Parliament the need to empower Cambridge and communities across the country to make the decisions to secure the future of their town centres. He welcomed the government's commitment to protecting the nation's high street and moves to decentralise power, but added there is more that can be done. During a debate in the House of Commons today (Tuesday, January 17) Julian said how Cambridge was lucky to have a successful city council, led by Councillor Sian Reid who was fighting hard to protect its town centre and local high streets. "As such, we're more ...
Fri 10th
07:5597% of Lib Dem members back Nick's call for raising income tax allowance to £10k as immediate ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 570 party members responded, and we're publishing the full results. Overwhelming support for 'further and faster' tax-cuts for low-paid LDV asked: The Coalition is committed to increasing the level at which income tax becomes payable, from its current £7,475 to £10,000 by 2015. The tax-free threshold was expected to rise by about £630 annually. However, in a recent speech Nick Clegg said, "I want the Coalition to go further and faster ...
Guido's pro-hanging petition has failed miserably to get the required 100,000 signatures to trigger a Commons debate. It has now closed with just a pathetic 26,399 signatures! Hat-tip: Commenter Gordon [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
The steps from Blackness Road to Kelso Street (see right) are not only very useful for residents and many Harris Academy pupils travelling to/from the school from the north of the catchment area, they are also well-used by visitors to Royal Victoria Hospital. On behalf of residents and visitors, I recently raised with the City Council the need for an extension to the handrail on the steps. I am grateful for the positive response from the council's transportation division as follows : "An engineer from my team met the blacksmiths on site and I am now awaiting a quotation for ...
La Cucina in Cheadle has applied to change its licence – to extend the hours of operation to 1.30am each day. Local residents have been concerned of the impact of music being played and alcohol served that late into the night, and the Lib Dems have worked with residents to ensure their concerns are properly considered. The decision will be taken by the "Licensing, Environment & Safety Sub-Committee B (not Cheadle Area Committee) on Friday, 17th February, 2012 at 1.30 pm, where it will be item five on the agenda. It is going to committee because there were objections from ...
Keeper: Batwoman Batwoman #1 cover, art by JH Williams III I picked this up because: Com'on, it's the long awaited sequel to Elegy, and you all know how I feel about that. What's good about it? Art, art, art, art, art. J.H. Williams is a highly skilled visual storyteller, continuing the combined comic-y and hyperrealism style he established in Elegy. His layouts are dynamic, enhance the story and make reading the book a joy. Yes, occasionally you have to read a book twice, but that's no hardship when the book is so pretty. Amy Reeder, the artist on the arc ...
Just when you hear that the DUP First Minister is attending GAA games and talking about inclusion they go and mess up understanding of 'the other' community once again. The field of play is the football field, ironically as Martin McGuinness is looking to attend a football match at Windsor Park. But of course it ...
The people of the South Ward of Launceston voted today in a by-election for the town council caused by the sad death of Olver Harris. The result was: Launceston Town Council South Ward Maurice Davey (Lib Dem) 160 votes 28.67% Leighton Penhale (Ind) 157 votes 28.14% Anna Duke (Ind) 104 votes 18.64% Susan Roberts Alfar (Labour) 73 votes 13.08% Ashley Crapp (Ind) 64 votes 11.47% Spoilt 2 Turnout 18.25% (no poll cards) Lib Dem gain from independent Obviously it's always good to win, but three votes was a very close margin. Huge congratulations to Maurice who will, I'm sure, be ...
