I've been playing around with my Raspberry Pi for a couple of weeks now. "Playing" is definitely the right word! So far, I've 'built' a case for it from a rather nasty grey plastic box I sourced from a local electrical retailer, figured out how to create SD cards so I can boot it into Linux (the beta of the Debian 'Wheezy' release being my current choice), got it working on my home network (and out onto the internet), installed a FORTRAN compiler and most excitingly of all, started to learn Python. I think I'm going to like Python. It ...
The Shropshire Star reports: The County Channel will be launched as Shropshire's own version of the BBC iPlayer, offering 'high-quality' programmes with a local twist. Mr Ward and business partner Robert Harper hope to put out about 260 programmes a year, with documentaries and music shows on the schedule. They said that they want to make 'broadcast quality' shows that can be watched by people around the world once the channel goes live. It is intended that the programmes would all be of a short length, lasting between three and seven minutes each. The pair hope the channel will help ...
This is a special blog post for me, because it enables me to offer a public thanks to my former colleagues for doing me a very public kindness... Receiving the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal is a profound honour, not only because it is a gift from my country, but still more because it is a symbol of affection and regard from the professionals, athletes, coaches, volunteers, and members of Canada's sport community, people whom I am terribly proud to call my peers and friends. I am more grateful to them, and more humbled by their kindness, than I could possibly ...
Why a review of an archival release by a band who dissolved almost 35 years ago, who only had one hit in the UK and one other in their native Germany? The answer is that Can are the European equivalent of The Velvet Underground: a band who few heard, but most of those who did formed a band themselves as a result. Can recorded largely by improvisation, and there have been rumours for years that tons of tapes were lying about, from which a little over three hours has been released here (there was the 70s 'Limited Edition' release, later ...
Won by BBC News for: Zimbabwe's MPs to be circumcised in bid to fight HIV
I posted on LibDemVoice last month on why I thought ideology was important for the Liberal Democrats. In that piece, I articulated my view in terms of giving a reason for policies - they are not detached, isolated bits and pieces of technocratic management. A typical push-back to this argument has been that "voters don't care about ideology" and experience on the doorstep is cited. I want to dispose of this myth, and return to the theme of developing a strong Liberal identity. Voters do not state cares about many important issues on the doorstep. We rarely meet voters who ...
It is true that Laurie Penny annoys me and I thought I had done well not to read anything she had written since her awful article about Remembrance day glorifying war which I wrote about in November. Yet as I read Richard Morris' article on Jimmy Carr's tax avoidance I found myself opening up this article on Game of Thrones and Good Kingship(for want of a better word.) It has already raised my wrath for two reasons. 1./ I burnt the bacon for my breakfast which I had so been looking forward to. 2./ She is writing a populist pseudo ...
Over on my Jewish Chronicle blog, I have written:I hope that there will be a measured, decent and respectful reaction to Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks' views on marriage equality (gay marriage), both inside and outside the Anglo-Jewish community. The views have been expressed in a statement from the London Beth Din and the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, with Lord Sacks' office having said that the statement encompasses the Chief Rabbi's views.OK, so I and other liberals support the Government's proposed change to the law, to enable same-sex couples to have civil marriages (not civil partnerships, but civil marriages) ...
Those of you who have visited here before know that a considerable part of this blog has been dedicated to my progress towards a psychology degree with the Open University, which I finally obtained at the end of last year. Studying with the OU was a great experience and anyone who is considering taking a psychology degree would do well to look at what they offer. However, recent research(*) shows that 71 per cent of people considering access to Higher Education in England are either unsure or feel they don't have enough information about the study funding options available to ...
The news is trickling through that Bodmin councillor Lance Kennedy has made it through onto the shortlist to be the Conservative candidate for police commissioner in Devon and Cornwall. It's quite a triumph for Lance who has been set against by the party machine locally who seemed to be desperate to find anyone but him to be the candidate. Lance (and the other shortlisted candidates) will now have to face the selectorate in three hustings events next week. But, contradicting their earlier statements on the issue, the Tory Party have decided that the hustings will be open only to Tory ...
It is time for the Audit. This is a relatively public process. Our rights as electors are set out here. "When your council has finalised its accounts for the previous financial year, usually around June or July, it must advertise that they are available for people to look at. You can get copies of the accounts from your council. You can also inspect and make a copy of any report made to the council by the auditor." Then "you have a right to inspect your council's accounts and to ask the auditor questions about the accounts." I may have missed ...
Just to prove you don't need a big band to make a noise here are the White Stripes with Hotel Yorba on Jules Holland:
literallyunbelievable: it turns out this really happened
If so you should be entering the Kids for Kids film festival. The full details can be found here. Kids for Kids have done some great film work with Consett's children, and no doubt anything done with them will already have been considered for entry. But with modern film-making available to so many more people with digital cameras and smartphones, I'm just advertising this in case there's other talent out there that has never been involved with Kids for Kids.
This judgment (today) shows how depressing the system is in terms of how it looks after children. Children have been made statutory orphans and then just left in that state. In fact the government could if it could be bothered track how many children are in that state through the SSDA903 return, but hasn't been bothered to do so. It is a mistake to think there is anything substantially
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 The 5 myths about the UK economy which it suits everyone to perpetuate (55 comments) by Stephen Tall Peter Kellner's advice to the Lib Dems: ditch boundary changes, and get a new leader before 2015 (30 comments) by Stephen Tall LibLink: David Laws - The Orange Book eight years on (61 comments) by Nick Thornsby Mandatory work: if we believe in evidence-based policy it's probably best to pay attention to the evidence (16 comments) by Stephen Tall ...
1996 would be the Centenary of the Modern Olympic era and many people felt in their heart that Athens would be the natural place to take the Games for the XXVI Olympiad. Indeed that sense of history that Athens played up in the candidate presentation at the 96th IOC Session in Tokyo in September 1990. However, they were not as well prepared for hosting a modern Games as some of its competitors, plus the demand by their bid leader that they had the historical right to host the centenary Games wasn't univesally popular. Though Athens did lead the bidding on ...
Now here's something that would not have happened without the Coalition. David Boyle - former Lib Dem candidate, former editor of Lib Dem News and my friend and sometime co-author - has been asked to lead an independent review of choice in public services by the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office press release announcing the review says: The Government today starts the next phase of its commitment to improve public services by increasing choice and giving people direct control over the services they use. Increased choice can greatly improve the quality of public services and equality of choice is an ...
As I write this we have had extremely heavy rain locally for nearly the whole day. The forecasts say there is little chance of it easing before Saturday. Already the Environment Agency in the North West, has issued three flood warnings as well as 28 flood alerts. On their website they say: We're asking people in Greater Manchester, Liverpool, the Wirral, North Cheshire and Lancashire to remain vigilant and prepared for flooding from this afternoon through to Saturday, after the Met Office warned of very heavy rain. We have mobilised teams across the North West to check on flood defences, ...
Baron Carlile of Berriew — the former Liberal MP for Montgomery, Alex Carlile — is one of the LibDems' most distinguished but also controversial Members of the House of Lords, which is one reason why he attracted a particularly large attendance at the Kettner Lunch at the National Liberal Club today. Another reason is that Kettner Lunch regulars have ...
Over 18 million people watched England beat Ukraine to reach the last 8 of the European Championships and so everyone and their dog seems to have an opinion on the Ukraine "goal" that wasn't. It immediately reopened the debate about ... Continue reading →
When I first got involved in Liberal Youth over 4 years ago, I never thought we'd have a day to focus on a Further Education issue. Back then all we talked about was tuition fees, and we have done for years. Further Education is known as the 'Cinderella Sector', because of its relentless ability to ...
Here at Liberal Democrat Voice, we are always thinking of new things to bring to our readers. Opinion, news, ideas, our editorial team and volunteer authors bring all this to you and more. However, there is plenty of information out there that campaigners, and anyone who takes an interest, might find useful. So, here's a miscellany of announcements you might have missed; HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have recently announced a new telephone helpline for the recently bereaved, 0845 300 0627, open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, following collaboration ...
Last night I was reminded by e-mail that the deadline for registering for Autumn Lib Dem Conference in Brighton at the cheapest rate runs out at midnight tonight. Seriously, it's cheap if you do it now, so don't bother reading the rest of this post right now - go ahead and do it here. It is literally the most fun you could ever have with or without clothes. It's wild, intense, it's like a family reunion, there is just everything to love about it. I missed it for 13 years and now I'm back. You can even hear Tim Farron ...
There were eight electoral contests reported to ALDC for June 21st, although one should properly be described as a deferred election, arranged after the death of the Labour candidate in Esher prior to May 3rd's local elections. Sadly, the only seat to change hands was a Lib Dem seat lost to Labour, the rest were one Labour hold, and six successful Conservative defences. Elmbridge's Esher ward was won by the Conservatives, who were run fairly close by the Esher Residents Association who were around fifty votes shy of an upset. The Woodhall Farm ward of Dacorum Borough also saw the ...
I have read the Snoopers Charter. It tends to concentrate on the administrative processes rather than the key question as to what records can in practise be kept. Web browsers work in two main ways. These can be distinguished in the URL. Eg http://www.theyworkforyou.com is insecure. https://www.twitter.com is secure. If, for example, you try to use twitter in an insecure manner it
It seems that our Conservative run Kent council is once more, facing an inquiry, in to what, most of us would recognise as another fat cat payout, the latest scandal, if that is the right word and in my opinion* it is, revolves around the dismissal or redundancy of Katherine Kerswell, paid a whopping £420,000.00 the sort of money which would take some residents of Kent slightly longer to earn than the eighteen months the Chief Executive(MD) of Kent Council was in post. Anyway what's to do, well not surprisingly it's not just hard working people, that are sickened by ...
[IMG: Katherine with PC Paul Kelly] My colleague Katherine Reece has this week submitted a list of residents ideas and concerns to Haringey's highways officials, to try to influence plans for road safety measures on Upper Tollington Park. As I mentioned in a previous post, a long running campaign by Lynne Featherstone, councillors and residents has resulted in the Council awarding £120,000 for road safety measures. The money is to be focused on improving safety at the pedestrian crossing, the junction with Florence Road, and the junction with Lancaster and Scarborough Roads. Katherine wrote to residents across the area asking ...
Fri 22nd
15:25
This week's CentreForum 'Liberal Hero of the Week' #2 (as chosen by me) - Michael Gove
Cross-posted from CentreForum... Welcome to the second in a new series here on CentreForum's blog — Liberal Hero of the Week — as chosen by Stephen Tall, Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. The aim is simple enough: to showcase public figures who help promote the four liberal tenets identified in The Orange Book: economic, personal, political and social liberalism. We will be highlighting individuals regardless of their party affiliation, and indeed from beyond Westminster. If they stick up for liberalism then they're in contention. Nominations are welcome via email or Twitter. Michael Gove Conservative Secretary of State for Education. Reason: ...
This is the latest in my series of Random Thoughts posts with links, things found on the web and other stuf that has occured to me between 17th June and 22nd June: Danny Alexander's speech to the GMB I was hugely impressed by Danny Alexander's speech to the conference of the GMB union. A well constructed mix of support and challenge that struck exactly the right tone. "although these are incredibly difficult and testing times, there are quite a number of issues and ideas on which Trades Union and Liberal Democrat instincts are closely aligned. Historically, though, Trades Unions have ...
'We will also consider the case for changing the law to allow civil partnerships to be called and classified as marriage.' Where do you think those words come from? New Labour? Liberal Democrats? No, they come from the Conservative party's Equality Manifesto from the last election. Here's an easier one. Who said this? 'And to anyone who has reservations, I say: Yes, it's about equality, but it's also about something else: commitment. Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don't support gay ...
This week has been pretty rubbish, really. Nothing serious for us - although people I care about are going through pretty hellish circumstances which makes what I'm about to write so trivial. But then what would this blog be if it didn't have its minutiae of moans and trash? I was very evil last week and made Anna go to school when she had a cold. My rationale was that if she had the energy to argue about whether she should go to school, she was well enough. I'm sure that sort of attitude in the Middle Ages that would ...
A few days ago, Stephen Tall posted his Five Myths About the UK Economy. But in fact understanding what is really going on in the economy is much harder than it first looks. One thing he was definitely right about was that the economy is the big issue and trying to get behind the political rhetoric to discover the economic reality is surprisingly tricky. I decided to post my own three myths about the UK economy. Myth 1: Cuts aren't really taking place The latest fashion for conservative commentators is to deny that real cuts are even taking place. This ...
The former Lord Mayor of Leicester Robert Wann has censured by the city council's standards committee, reports the Leicester Mercury. It found that the Labour councillor had brought his position as a councillor into disrepute by getting senior officers at the authority to cancel parking fines. And Wann's reaction? "It's a complete joke. It should never have gone ahead without me there. I have been denied the right to have my say. "If I had been there it would have been a very different outcome but I couldn't put my case. It's pathetic."According to the BBC report he will be ...
Newcomen Ward Neighbourhood Action PartnershipInaugural Meeting6pm Tuesday 17 JulyNewcomen Methodist ChurchMersey RoadOpen to all who live and work in Newcomen wardHave your say about issues that matter to youWork together with councillors and agencies on aNeighbourhood Action Plan setting priorities andideas for improvements in Newcomen wardAll will be welcomed: you can be as involved as littleor as much as you likeWe look forward to meeting youFurther information:Julian Feakes on 0774 8933 946or email julian.feakes@redcar-cleveland.gov.ukEmma McLoughlin on 0758 4480 408or email emma.mcloughlin@redcar-cleveland.gov.ukNeighbourhood team, Roseberry Library Roseberry Shopping Centre
Please do excuse this slightly self-indulgent progress update but we are now roughly halfway through the year, and I had a birthday this week, so I thought it would be useful for me to think through how I'm getting on. Back when I said good riddance to 2011 I also said that I was looking forward to 2012 with the expectation that it will be a far more positive year. I'm glad to say in general this has been true. For most of the first four months of 2012 I was lucky to have a period of solid contract work, ...
By Callum Morton – Liberal Youth Campaigns Officer When I first got involved in Liberal Youth over 4 years ago, I never thought we'd have a day to focus on a Further Education issue. Back then all we talked about was tuition fees, and we have done for years. Further Education is known as the ...
Sunshine Ward - or to give it its more formal name, the in-patient paedriatric facilities - at Kingston Hospital has been put under threat of closure in the NHS Better Services Better Value review. I know from personal experience the wonderful work done by the staff at Sunshine Ward. Moreover the alternative is to take children's Hospital Care to St. Georges, another wonderful hospital but some 50 minutes away by public transport - as this screen grab demonstrates. I wouldn't want to have my sick child in hospital almost an hour away from where I live - and that's from ...
What European Liberals feared but didn't hope for, unfortunately seems to be coming true – a revenge against democracy activists and journalists. As ELDR campaigned for freedom and democracy in Azerbaijan before the Eurovision Song Contest, European Liberal Democrats will not let go the Azeri authorities and will continue to hold the country to account ...
Cat amongst the pigeons again on education! Michael Gove has lobbed a hand grenade into the education pool and everything has erupted, as I am sure he knew it would. His proposals to look at re-introducing O level and CSE type exams to replace GCSE's have prompted cries of a two-tier system, not least from Lib Dems...and yet is ...
I did manage to get over to Bootle for the cabinet meeting on Thursday morning. One item of interest on the agenda was the proposed 67% pay rise to Labour chairs of Overview & Scrutiny. I half expected a lengthy debate on this, but now that the cabinet is all Labour, debates have all but disappeared. Instead the Labour leader Peter Dowd, simply suggested that the allowances be frozen. He made no mention of the absurd nature of a 67% hike in allowances whilst, at the same meeting, trying to find £43 million of cuts over the next 2 years. ...
On 4th July the Scottish Premier League clubs meet to decide whether to allow a new Rangers company formed from the wreckage of the liquidated one to continue in the SPL. They need no more than four clubs to vote against their application. At the moment Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen and Dundee United are committed to voting against a 'newco'. The Beeb's analysis shows how the other clubs may vote - and bizarrely the liquidated Rangers get to vote on their successor (only in Scottish football!). But with four definite votes against it will take the vote of just one more ...
By Howard from Lib Dem News
The BBC reports that six of Wales' seven local health boards are predicting a combined deficit of around £230m this financial year. Abertawe Bro Morgannwg said it was unable to provide a figure, but it should be noted that Dragon's Eye has revealed that services at Neath Port Talbot hospital are to "reconfigured". Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black said: "I am seriously concerned about the state of LHBs finances for this new financial year. "If four LHBs failed to balance their books last year after cutting services and making huge savings, the challenge is going to be even harder this ...
OK, it was five years ago. And he clearly meant every word, delivered without notes, responding visibly to the mood of his audience. On 'Webcameron'! Nothing dates like politics. "Autre temps," Julian Critchley might have said. Actually worth looking at, this video, given all that has happened since - at the time, some thought it noteworthy that doctors were demonstrating, and that the Leader of the Conservative Party was speaking to them. And yesterday, under his premiership, they were striking for the first time since 1975. I speak as a medical expert, as I have a Grade Three CSE ...
Part of the unheralded work of councillors is to see how the services we run affect the lives of ordinary people - particularly the most vulnerable people in our society. Yesterday members of the Communities scrutiny committee visited the Bodmin Foyer project to talk to staff and residents there. Like other foyers across Cornwall (including the one in Launceston), the Bodmin project takes young people aged 16-25 who are homeless and gives them a roof over their head. They then work with the residents to help them get training or a job and to learn to live independently. We heard ...
A bus strike day seemed like a good time for a bus story! Thanks to Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee and Kidbrooke Kite for alerting me to the changes proposed for the B16 and 178 buses that currently serve the Ferrier Estate. These two buses currently have a circular ...
New bus services for Launceston could be on the cards after a meeting I had with council officers yesterday. The current paucity of services means that many local residents end up having to use their cars for short journeys in and around the town. Cornwall Council adopted a transport plan last year which promises a wider variety of community and local bus services. The catch is that this is a 20 year plan and there is no indication when these services might be created within that timescale. The current town bus service is a good one, but is limited in ...
Jonathan Calder has a typically thought-provoking post on his blog — Education: When did Kenneth Baker become a Liberal hero? — responding to Michael Gove's leaked proposals to abolish GCSEs and re-introduce O-levels. Here's his conclusion: I have seen little reasoned argument against Michael Gove from Liberal Democrats today. Most seem locked in a mind-set where the world can be divided into sensible people who agree with us and ludicrous people who want to turn the clock back. Just as with health (and let us pause for a moment to observe how much more deft Gove has been at bringing ...
Friends of Garston Park now has a Flickr Photostream which includes pictures from the Fun Day this year and from previous events. We are still adding to it but do have a look. You will find it at this link
In my experience, Second Reading debates are often lengthy affairs. Everyone wants to say their piece; few have something new to contribute. The second reading of the Defamation Bill last week was no exception. We even heard the odd diatribe against threatening behaviour and internet trolls; some of which belied a complete misunderstanding of what we were actually debating. But, for once, there was some clear consensus. In the words of John Kampfner, the chief executive of Index on Censorship: When we launched the Libel Reform Campaign in 2009, only the Liberal Democrats backed change. Now the cause has cross ...
Simple question: which MP once triggered a point of order in the House of Commons for attempting to vote in their pyjamas? Answer: Winston Churchill. Pyjamas also feature in one of my favourite Parliamentary questions: Commander Locker-Lampson: If pyjamas are a symbol of social superiority, ought they not to be abolished in a democratic war? For other gems from Hansard see my appropriately named series of Hansard gems.
I regularly get queries about what's going to happen to the site near the end of Garston Old Road (the old municipal waste transfer station). There was a planning application in some time ago for some sheltered/extra care housing but its out of time now. Anyway, this morning I had a chat with the owner of the site, who wants to develop it, and his architect and Cllr Richard Oglethorpe. Richard and I had been pressing for this meet up for a while as the lack of news for local people was causing anxiety. The idea is to put in ...
There is only one meeting at Blyth Town Council next week. The Staff Committee will meet on Thursday 28th June, 6:30 pm, at Ebor House. Due to the confidential nature of items on the agenda, press and public are likely to be excluded for the vast majority of the meeting. Although I fully support the concept of "Open Government" , I also agree that certain items need to be kept confidential, especially items such as staffing matters. Therefore, to be honest, it's maybe not worth it for the public to make the trek down to Ebor House to listen to ...
Tomorrow would be Alan Turing's 100th birthday so why not send him a present and sign the petition to grant him a posthumous pardon or disregarded conviction. It's right here and takes 30 seconds: 30 seconds of your time for ... Continue reading →
Last weekend, I sat a GCSE 'mock' exam. I haven't had my mark back yet, but I think I did okay. Of course, this was just the foundation tier exam so even if I score top marks the maximum grade I'll receive is a C. Fortunately my teacher thinks I've got the ability to progress to sit the higher tier exam, which means — if I actually buckle down to learning my Spanish verbs and am a little less distracted by blogging — I could get an A* grade. I sat my first GCSE in 1992, five years after the ...
BBC News - Doctor Who actress Caroline John dies aged 72 Sad news. (tags: death doctorwho ) Doctor Who News: Caroline John (1940-2012) (tags: doctorwho ) wshaffer: RIP, Caroline John (tags: doctorwho ) miss_s_b | RIP Caroline John (tags: doctorwho ) The Very Fluffy Diary of Millennium Dome, Elephant (tags: doctorwho ) calapine: RIP Caroline John (tags: doctorwho )
Guest Blog from Alistair Dr Lee had a letter published outlining his views on the Doctors Strike ironically in the Wokingham Times, a paper most of his constituents don't read, representing as he does 'Bracknell'. Luckily for us he has reproduced it on his own website http://www.phillip-lee.com/article/why-i-striking/. Residents of Bracknell are entitled to wonder why Dr Lee MP has an issue with a GP being unavailable for a day of strike action, but he is apparently comfortable with both his own patients and his Bracknell constituents both receiving a part time service from the man they both effectively pay for ...
When first Lynne Featherstone, and then ably assisted by Jo Swinson, started pushing issues of body confidence and low self-esteem, it was rare for politicians to talk much about such issues. That is slowly changing, and alongside that there is an increasing number of steps being taken to help make people more aware of how unreal many of the images presented to us through advertising really are. The latest steps have been announced today, as the Press Association reports: The government has backed a guide to help parents teach their children to be confident about their bodies. The guide stresses ...
The 371 bus that runs from Stockport across to Wythenshawe and Altrincham, via Cheadle and Gatley, is being renumbered as the 11A. The new 11A will keep the same route on the Stockport side, but have a small additional diversion at the Wythenshawe end to serve Broomwood (daytime only). The 371 currently runs hourly buses on Saturday daytime – the new 11A will run a bus every 30 minutes. Otherwise, the 11A service will be the same as the 371 it replaces. The 11A service will run every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, every 30 minutes Monday to Friday ...
The Social Liberal Forum has written an open letter to Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander MP and Business Secretary Vince Cable MP, outlining the measures needed ... Continue reading →
View "Open Letter to Nick Clegg MP, Danny Alexander MP and Vince Cable MP" in fullscreen Text of the letter: Dear Nick, Danny and Vince We write to you to express support for the more distinctive line Liberal ... Continue reading →
I had thought it was R A Butler, among other things one of our greatest ministers of education, who coined the phrase "democracy is government by discussion" but a quick glance at Wikipedia says it was Sir Ernest Barker. Maybe Butler just publicised it. Whatever the source, the present Secretary of State for Education,(an example of title inflation?) Michael Gove, seems more interested in dictating educational policy rather than discussing it with those who know what they're talking about. His ridiculous prescription for he primary school curriculum is the subject of a previous post. Now, in addition to his covert ...
The Lords will provide: Bishops paid up to £27,000 for attending Parliament - UK Politics - UK - The Independent Ugh (tags: ) Here's our Cabinet Office paper on randomised trials of government policies. Read it. - Bad Science This is a thing that gives me hope. (tags: ) Caroline John: 1940-2012 | Den of Geek A nice tribute here. (tags: ) New Statesman - Tax avoidance isn't a left or right issue, it's a cancer eating our democracy (tags: ) Theresa May found guilty of contempt of court (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Nibley Lane will be closed between Badminton Rd and Westerleigh Rd on Wednesday 4 July for cleaning. No doubt signs will go up saying the times involved.
One to watch : With all the talk about the Government White Paper on Civil Service Reform, and whether it has gone far enough, here is a rather timely spoof video from the Hands Off Our Packs campaign opposing the plain packaging of tobacco. Angela Harbutt who is running the campaign said "The video reflects the widely held view that politicians, including ministers, are increasingly puppets of taxpayer funded bodies and unelected bureaucrats in Whitehall." "We urge ministers to think for themselves and listen to all stakeholders, not just the tobacco control industry and civil servants in the Department of ...
On Wednesday I returned to the theme of how private renters get short shrift in British politics. You can fight through a bulging email folder of press releases from politicians wanting to make mortgages easier, cheaper, safer and more numerous before you find one that talks about tackling any of the issues private renters face. This continuing neglect of them is despite the continuing increase in their numbers, as new figures for the UK published this week show: It is notable that the rising trend of private renting and declining numbers of those with a mortgage pre-date the financial crash. ...
Whatever you think of Michael Gove's views on education, he's not a dumb person. A successful journalist and politician, he's not stupid. Misguided and wrong at times, yes, but not dumb. Which is what makes he education plans so revealing. It's not exactly hard to work out that if you want to get a policy through a coalition government, you need to win over at least some people in the other coalition party. Nor is it hard to work out that bouncing big policy plans on them, which run against what they've called for in the past, isn't the way ...
Graham Watson MEP, Preseident of the European Liberal Democrats, has delivered a call to action at the congress of liberals in Bulgaria: "Friends, we face many challenges in the construction of our European Union. First among them for Liberals is the state of justice in many of our member states. Corruption, discrimination and nepotism are ...
When is a boycott not a boycott? When England confounds expectations by playing well. That appears to be the more-than-a-little confusing Government message during the Euro 2012 football championships being held in Ukraine, where there are continuing concerns about its 'selective justice' system. No government minister has attended a match yet, and that boycott will extend to this Sunday's quarter-final against Italy. But the Government has refused to be drawn on whether its boycott would continue if England reach the semi-finals. You can watch Lib Dem foreign office minister Jeremy Browne attempt to justify this inconsistency to Andrew Neil on ...
Yes. My piece yesterday in the New Statesman on why Cameron may have been politically inept about Jimmy Carr, but actually right, made the Politics Home 5 at 5. Thanks V Flattered - what company!
Dr Martin Milton is giving a free public lecture on the links between courage, creativity and our own mental well-being in Leicester on 14 July. The lecture forms part of the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society's Division of Counselling Psychology. It will see Dr Milton drawing upon the Harry Potter stories, boxing and mixed martial arts, as well as lesbian and gay psychology. Dr Milton's talk will launch his book Diagnosis and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Understanding Human Distress. Tea and cake will be available afterwards. The lecture takes place at the Mercure Leicester City Hotel, Granby ...
It did not take long for David Cameron's condemnation of Jimmy Carr's tax arrangements to come back and bite him. Yesterday's Telegraph reports that the the Prime Minister is facing calls to repay cheap loans of £1.2 million to the Conservative Party from companies registered in tax havens. They say that the Conservative Party accepted the two loans on favourable terms from companies in known tax havens before the last election. One £250,000 loan came from Juniper Trading, registered in the British Virgin Islands. It was given in 2004 at 0.25 per cent below the base rate, to be repaid in ...
I've said it before and I'm saying it again. The tories are so incompetent as to be unfit to be in government. And no one epitomises this better than Michael Gove, Education Secretary and a Class A idiot. Not content with previous wheezes, such as scrapping regulations that prevented teachers from searching pupils of the opposite sex without a witness present (there's no way that could possibly go wrong, could it?), or wasting money in sending every school in the country an additional bible (despite the fact that nearly every school has several dozen bibles already), Gove has managed to ...
...is still running on this blog. Just click one of the buttons on the right to register your vote. And when you've voted, you get to see how the poll is currently faring...
As I was wandering over Waterloo Bridge, I spotted a Blimp flying above London. I find that Blimps have an otherworldly quality. Sleek, silent, and majestic. I fired off a few photos as it flew overhead. It then turned and went to approach The Shard. Where, finally, it docked and her passengers alighted. Here's the time lapse: [IMG: image] Of course, it was just a trick of perspective. But wouldn't it be wonderful to commute over London by airship? [IMG: flattr this!]
It's all gone a bit quiet at the more civilised end of the Palace of Westminster, after the mayhem that came at the end of the last Parliamentary session. That isn't to say that it's dull, but there is rather more debate and scrutiny than voting. The Crime and Courts Bill has reached its Committee stage, and Days 3 and 4 take place on Monday and Wednesday next week. I have to admit that I understand precious little of this, even after reading the various (astonishingly lengthy) amendments, so if anyone fancies trying to explain it, I for one would ...
Yesterday I suggested that the extreme reaction to Jimmy Carr's tax evasion was due to our exaggerated respect for satirists. But Peter Cook, the founder of the modern movement and still quite arguably its greatest talent, did not share this weakness. He once described his club The Establishment as being modelled on "those wonderful Berlin cabarets ... which did so much to stop the rise of Hitler and prevent the outbreak of the Second World War".
The Heaton Park authorities have issued the following answers to frequently asked questions FAQs: What is the number of the Community Information hotline for the Stone Roses Concerts? 0161 954 9003 The community information hotline number will provide residents with information or assist to address issues that arise from 27 June through to 1st July. Operators will take details of the request/complaint and contact the appropriate department or contractor to action a response. How are people travelling to the venue? Ticket holders have been provided with information directing them to the Park and Ride facilities at Bowlee, Rochdale if they ...
Transport for Greater Manchester are currently considering proposed changes to some of the buses that run through our area. As I understand it (and it is quite confusing) the 93 bus will move from being every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes. The 137 (138 on Sunday) service will be withdrawn, with a replacement bus from Besses to Bury, but not in Prestwich. Please get in touch if you use these services or would like further information. 93 – First Manchester – Change from 22 July 2012 Bury - Unsworth - Whitefield - Prestwich - Carr Clough - Broughton - ...
Constituents have contacted me to voice concern that two trees have been removed from the Blackness Road boundary of the site of the new St Joseph's and Park Place primary/nursery schools (new building - right). It is understood that these trees were originally a gift to the city and looked lovely in bloom, so residents are disappointed they have been removed. I contacted the City Council's education capital projects manager about this and have received the following feedback: "The two trees in question have been removed after careful consideration and with full consultation with the Council Forestry Officer, Planning Case ...
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medicalschool: The Human Heart: coronary arteries dyed red; cardiac veins dyed blue
Tonight was the third meeting in the last two months where Ealing Council has discussed April's non collection of household waste. The discussion started at about 8.30pm and I spoke up about the reasons why my party, the Liberal Democrats, got the item added to the agenda: 1. There are many questions that still need to be answered 2. Enterprise, the contractor, have been present but not been able to say anything publicly. It is crucial that we hear what they have to say on this issue. 3. And probably the most important we need changes in processes so that ...
Thanks to Mark Pack's posting on Lib Dem Voice I visited the so-called SDP's website. And a jolly good read it is too. It starts off with the statement: "Formed in 1981 by four senior Labour party members - David Owen, Roy Jenkins , Shirley Williams and Bill Rogers. The SDP was eventually to gain the support of 28 Labour MP's and 1 Conservative MP... ...Believing Enough Is Enough, the SDP now stand alone as a patriotic, centre Left party that supports the ordinary people of this country, is for the UK's withdrawal from the EU and supports an English ...
