The breadth and depth of friendship and affection for the late broadcaster and Liberal Democrat activist David Walter was on view this afternoon when St Bride's Church, Fleet Street, was packed by family, friends and former colleagues, remembering one of the kindest and most intelligent of men (a rare combination). So many people came that ...
I've previously posted the Trainspotting posters as Iconic Images of the 1990s... This week's track from NOW! 38 is the PF Project featuring Ewan McGregor's monologue from the film's opening - this is an extended version and features the unedited text: And, because I like to spoil you, here is the opening scene from the film - complete with John Menzies and the bit where Princes Street miraculously turns into Lothian Street: Andrew
The news that Barclays has been caught cheating by manipulating overnight interest rates - no doubt at a cost to mortgage holders - shows why Vince Cable is right that the big banks need to be broken up into retail and investment banking. The chinese walls and regulatory arrangements that have allowed the banks' exectutives to claim there are no risks to them growing bigger and bigger have proved to be worthless. Vince Cable is oft quoted as saying banks that are 'too big to fail are too big'. And he's right. It's clear that there is a cultural problem ...
As a big fan of the 'Back to the Future' trilogy, I was slightly in awe when I realised earlier that today, 27th June 2012, is in fact the date that 'Doc Brown' set in his DeLorean to time travel into the future. Or at least, that's what I thought when I saw this photo going around the internet earlier! For although the films were released slightly before what I recall of them, I am nevertheless a big fan. Indeed, I am slightly odd I suppose in being a particular fan of the 2nd film which is generally regarded as ...
Painters, sculptors, craftspeople and all sorts of artists will soon be flying the yellow flags that herald the start of Open Studios, when they invite you in to view their work. We have thirteen in Queen Edith's, with artists specialising in ceramics, jewellery, painting of all sorts, photography and textiles. We are surrounded by a golden ring of talent! The Open Studios website has an interactive map showing you where everyone is. I've previously visited Jane Evans in Cavendish Avenue (her proud cockerel painting graces my breakfast room), Helena Hadjioannou whose awesome elemental works are produced just opposite my house ...
This is quite long - but bear with it, because every word is worth reading. It's the thoughts of former MSP and Scottish education minister Robert Brown who was in May elected as a Councillor in Rutherglen, near Glasgow. He sets out what he sees as the way forward, to recovery by looking for new people to develop our policy in line with our principles and talks of the challenge of setting out a left of centre stall for 50 years and then going into coalition with a centre right party. I feel that I shouldn't try and say any ...
Martin McGuinness shook hands today with Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Source: BBC Website Words are important but sometimes, images speak louder. This image signifies a historic landmark event in a relationship long soured my suspicion and bloodshed. It is easy in retrospect to say that this meeting was a natural step in the progression of peace in Ireland. But take a step back and look at the image again. For so many decades, the possibility of seeing such an image was not so much unnatural as it was completely inconceivable. There are times when the ...
Glasgow Rangers have been liquidated, their assets sold on the cheap to a company snappily named Sevco 5088, the majority of their first team have walked away for nothing (as they are entitled to do under employment law), six SPL clubs have declared they won't support a 'new' Rangers going straight back into the top division and lower division clubs are lining up to send them to start again at the bottom of the league (or lower). So just when Rangers fans thought it couldn't get any worse along comes BNP leader Nick Griffin to offer support... As St Mirren ...
Take the road out of Long Buckby towards the village's railway station and you will soon come across a sign directing you down a close of modern houses to reach this castle. A page about it says Long Buckby has been described as a certain timber castle and also as a probable masonry castle: A trial excavation in 1955 revealed a shallow ditch or an enclosure of uncertain shape, possibly of pre-conquest or early post conquest date, which was superseded by a wall and subsequently by a bank with a deep ditch on the outside. The main motte was created ...
The consensus on the web appears to be that Chloe Smith's Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman yesterday evening was a disaster. I take the minority view, shared by the Guardian's Michael White, that she did about as well as she could in the circumstances. Any blame due for her performance lies with Conservative command for not briefing her better or fielding a bigger beast in the first place. It was Paxman's performance that concerned me more. I stand by what I wrote about him in Liberal Democrat News in November 2010: Wealthy, arrogant, members of powerful dynasties... It is not ...
Associations can take many forms. As a lover of music, sound associations have followed me throughout my life. A particular sound will remind me, often completely out of context, with a certain time or place. An example is the Eagles' 'Take It To The Limit' which will forever remind me of my time on Thailand's Koh Samui with the Gulf of Thailand lapping against my feet (but that's another story). Another is one of many songs that I associate with Only Fools and Horses. Having been a fan since I can't remember, I can often recite lines of dialogue off ...
Wed 27th
19:58
Social liberal values and the tyranny of spin doctors - the Social Liberal Forum (Scotland) Conferen...
Partick Burgh Halls in Glasgow was the venue for the Social Liberal Forum's first Scottish Conference last weekend. Members came from as far away as England to participate in what turned out to be a lively and stimulating meeting. The highlights of the event were: Sessions on a varied collection of topics designed to get members thinking about basic Social Liberal values and about practical ways of translating them into Party policy. In particular, Ben Colburn's speech on Social Liberal Values and Robert Brown's on Tackling the Policy Problem will be published over the next few days on Caron's Musings. ...
Neat infographic from Fix Parliament:
[IMG: Unlock Democracy] [IMG: Lords Reform Bill - write to your MP today] The government finally published the House of Lords Reform Bill this morning. Their proposals are for a much smaller chamber (half the size it is currently) with 80% directly elected by the public.This is it - over the next few months the House of Commons will be thrashing out the details of this bill and if we want to see this long delayed reform happen, we need to make sure they support it. Can you write to your MP to ask their position today? http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/lords-reform This set ...
The demise of David Parsons, leader of the Conservative-run Leicestershire County Council, has been announced before, but the vultures really do seem to be circling this evening. First, the Leicester Mercury has calculated that he would have saved the council £24,000 over the past six years if he had travelled to London by train rather than chauffeur-driven car. Then, more significantly, the Local Government Chronicle - its reporter is one Mark Smulian, whose name seems strangely familiar - reported the following:Leicestershire Police are investigating alleged financial irregularities involved county council leader David Pasrons (sic). It also emerged today that Cllr ...
Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire Jo Swinson has today sent out an e-mail to Liberal Democrat members and supporters asking them to spread the word about the need for Lords Reform on the day the Bill was published. This is what she had to say: Did you know that only the UK and Lesotho allow people to inherit seats in Parliament? In the 21st century, that's simply embarrassing, and it has to end. We can only do this with your help. Today, the Bill for an elected House of Lords has been published. Over the coming weeks I'll be ...
McCarthy was a greater traitor to his country than any imagined Communist, and Canadian politicians who ape his methods are just as surely betraying ours. Their behaviour is a public obscenity and a disgrace to the democracy we elected them to serve. Americans eventually roused themselves from the nightmare of their McCarthyists and cast them aside. The time is long overdue for Canadians to do the same.
I have written to my MP about the House of Lord Reform Bill. I was asking for his opinion on the bill although there were subtle words in my correspondence like 'Government bill' (he is a Tory) and 'reform' (who doesn't want to reform what is in need of reform?). I was also a little less subtle and told him that I thought we needed the changes even if we would still have 20% of the lords who were unelected. We can't afford to put off change for decades. I mention this not because I want to tell you about ...
PFI - Providing Fantastic Incentives for private contractors and companies to build hospitals, roads and prisons at the expense of tomorrows taxpayers. We in Greenwich and Woolwich are, yet again, standing facing into the wind as an almighty flock of chickens comes racing back home to the PFI roost. It has been announced that our local NHS ...
Many of us believe that the right to peaceful association is one of innate human rights. However, if you are gay that appears not to be the case in the Middle East according to Egypt's chief diplomatic representative to the United Nations' Human Rights Council. At a meeting discussing the universal right of association he said that gay people were not considered 'real people' before concluding with: "Finally, concerning the highly controversial notion of sexual orientation, we can only reiterate that it is not part of the universally recognized human rights." So apparently I am not real should I visit ...
Imagine that you work for a medium sized organisation. Imagine that you like your job, it gives you status and respect and that there was a real battle for you to get the position in the first place. Also, every few years there is a big reorganisation and you have to reapply for your role. Now imagine that there is another sister organisation just over the road from your one. The pay isn't as good but it provides similar status and respect within society. And even better you don't actually need to apply for a job or go through a ...
By Jade Holden This week David Cameron announced his desire to scrap housing benefits for those under the age of 25. The proposals aim to cut spending on benefits by nearly £2bn but, fortunately, the PM is under no illusion that a policy like this could become law during this Parliamentary term. 380,000 under-25s currently rely ...
Would you like to eat locally baked bread made from local ingredients? Cambake, an offshoot of Transition Towns, describes itself as being 'for people in Cambridge that love bread – not taste-less, soul-less industrial bread but bread that still remembers the oven it was born in, made locally – from the finest locally produced ingredients.' Locally, I enjoy the breads from Balzano's on Cherry Hinton Road, the filled Continental rolls at the Coffee House on Wulfstan Way and the cosmopolitan selection of loaves on Cambridge Market. We could certainly do with more 'real bread' in Cambridge. CamBake is carrying out ...
he meeting opened with a welcome and introduction of the panel. I was there mainly as my favourite MP, John Leech, Lib Dem MP for Manchester Withington, was speaking, and I was interested in his views on lobbying. I'd persuaded two friends to come along as well - all on the evening of the Sweden-England group game as well!John Leech was joined on the panel by Michael Meacher (Labour MP for Oldham West), Spinwatch director Tamasin Cave and Peter Facey, the director of Unlock Democracy. The meeting was chaired by Dr Colin Talbot, the director of Policy@Manchester and blogger on ...
View Poll: Oxford Commas ETA: If you're just happening on this, read the comments. My f-list is awesome. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
When I first got involved in campaigning for race equality the Tories were in power, unemployment was rising steeply and money was too tight to mention. Yet back in the early 1990s there was an energetic anti-racist movement making waves ... Continue reading →
Hat tip to PaulWaugh (again) at Politics Home for this extraordinary piece of information from the official CCHQ media log I wonder if Chloe filled in the log herself? Or maybe that's what George Osborne was busy doing so he doesn't get told to show up next time?
Defra has today launched its Hospitality and Food Service Agreement. This is a new voluntary UK-wide agreement with caterers, pubs, hotels and restaurants to reduce food and packaging waste by 5% and to increase the rate of recycling, composting or anaerobic digestion to 70% (it's currently around 47%). While we as Liberal Democrats should welcome this and recognise the positive environmental impact it will have, the Government could and should be going much further on food. Food production and consumption play a key role in public health, the UK economy, and in enhancing natural capital. Everyone should have access to ...
I think today is an important day for Northern Ireland and I welcome the Queen's visit and the handshake she has shared with Martin McGuinness On days like this I remember Miles Amos. Miles was the son of family friends, I often played with him growing up, and I remember my mother telling me about his death very vividly, and reading a copy of the valediction my father gave at his funeral. He was killed by an IRA landmine. It was a very sad time and I still think about Miles, his sister Naomi and his parents Di and Geoff ...
While in the supermarket, watching my purchases slowly trundle down the conveyor belt to a bored-looking cashier, I happened to notice a young lady behind us in the queue wearing a black chador. This is not unusual; our part of North London is home to people from a wide variety of backgrounds; Turks, Persians, Albanians, ...
Out today is a very useful set of guidelines from the CIPR about how PR professionals should and shouldn't use Wikipedia. It's got a lot of detailed tips about how best to find your way around Wikipedia's rules and features including the often neglected point about how to ensure your work and private online activities don't cause a problematic clash at any point. The accompanying press release adds that, The guidance, which was originally drafted by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), includes a number of recommendations and has gleaned global support in recognition of its potential for building ...
Every week, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland writes a column for newspapers in his Borders constituency. Here's this week's edition. Energy prices Rising energy continue to be a huge for concern for Borderers and I was pleased to meet with the Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey last week to discuss the Government's plans to help people reduce their energy bills through the Green Deal, the most ambitious home insulation programme the UK has ever seen. With the Green Deal, Borderers will be able to pay for some or all of the insulation work done with the savings ...
The Government's programme to help tackle youth unemployment, which is being led by Nick Clegg, received a boost today when the Deputy Prime Minister announced that Wage subsidies for firms taking on young workers are to be brought forward in areas with the highest levels of long-term youth unemployment. He announced that instead of coming in at nine months, the subsidy of £2,275 per person will start at six months: The subsidy, equivalent to half the minimum wage, is part of the Government's £1 billion Youth Contract launched last autumn. Mr Clegg will tell a CBI jobs summit in London ...
By Ellie Sharman First things first – we're Lib Dems. We love everyone. We want everyone to join our party, because we think it's the best thing in the world. And it is, it is, but what that does not mean is that we should fall into the Labour-Conservative trap of seeking to 'widen electoral ...
It is that time in the look at the teams in this years Tour to head to the Pyrénées and see the Orange wearing basque flag waving fans cheering on the race and hopefully some of their home grown talent. There are a few in other teams but their team is Euskaltel Euskadi. And in Olympic year they do have the Olympic champion. Samuel Sánchez. Samuel Sánchez not only is Sánchez a great climber he is also one of the fastest descenders in the peleton as well. With less mountain top finishes this year he may be a great danger ...
Many of you will know that I don't need to be asked twice to wax lyrical about the benefits of cycling. Cycling isn't just about getting from A to B. Quite often it's the quickest way of getting around, not to mention the healthiest, most environmentally friendly and the most predictable. It's wallet-friendly, for those of us with an eye on rising fuel prices, and it's space friendly, at a time when parking spaces in town and city centres are both at a premium and becoming increasingly expensive to use. Each car parking space could fit up to 20 bikes, ...
After comments supporting the Silvertown Tunnel earlier in the week by the leader of Greenwich Council, the project is gathering momentum following today's news that the Secretary of State for Transport Justine Greening has designated the tunnel an NSIP (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project). This government decision, following an application by the Mayor of London, means that ...
Via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister The Deputy Prime Minister today published the House of Lords Reform Bill which would lead to 80 per cent of House of Lords members being elected by the public and the number of members being reduced by nearly half from 826 to 450.Voters would be able to elect members of the reformed House of Lords for the first time in May 2015. One-third of the elected members would be chosen at the General Election in 2015, another third in 2020 and the final third in 2025 - 120 members in each election. ...
OK it's a long way away but the next deadline for applications for the Cressington Community First fund is 21st September. We are setting up a new website but until that happens you can find the details, including the priorities for the fund and info about ward boundaries at http://www.cressingtoncommunityfirst.blogspot.com/ There are also Community First funds covering other parts of the City (not all) including Speke Garston and St Michaels so if your group isn't covered by Cressington you may well be covered by one of the others.
I am just back from speaking at the final public hearing into the waste plant site at Garston Dock (Stalbridge). This is not into any planning application but instead into the decision to designate Stalbridge as the official sub regional waste site for Liverpool. The hearing was into the whole Merseyside (and Halton) plan which included the Liverpool site and several others. (If you want more history to this there are quite a few posts on this blog earlier with the background!) The reason for being against the designation is that it effectively directs would be waste plant operators to ...
Read about how the Sutton Green toilet block was saved from demolition, on my local ward blog here.
I was very fortunate to have successfully applied, via the Liberal Democrats' Diversity Unit, for a day's experience work shadowing an MP. The purpose of the initiative is to give candidates of under-represented groups (I'm bisexual and from a low socio-economic group, just in case you were wondering) the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the work of an MP, the parliamentary system and the democratic process in action. Whether by accident or design I found myself paired with a Scottish MP - the member for Edinburgh West, Mike Crockart. I must confess to not having known a great deal ...
The campaign to keep Scotland within the UK launched on Monday in Edinburgh. Led by former Chancellor, Alistair Darling, it aims to "promote the view that Scotland is a better and stronger country as part of the United Kingdom". The name of the campaign, Better Together, is positive and deliberately does not include the word "no". There were keynote speeches from Darling and a finale by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, but the stage was mainly given over to a selection of ordinary people who took to the stage to explain why they wanted Scotland to stay in the ...
Continuing to look in depth at the teams that will be taking part in this years Tour de France. Today it is looking at the somewhat surprise package from last year that almost put a Frenchman on the final podium for the first time since 1997. Thomas Voeckler was ahead of the race last year on the stage that the TV car took out Johnny Hoogerland and Juan Antonia Flecha. But he was one of the three who stayed on their bikes and away to the line. Coming second on the stage was enought to give him a lead of ...
Wed 27th
11:11
Sahel drought is one reason why I support our International Development funding pledge
International Development has always been high on the list of issues my constituents in South Manchester have been campaigning hard on. As their Member of Parliament I am privileged to have the opportunity to be involved with and support my ... Continue reading →
Panderee's Box - Haley Sweetland Edwards (NYT) In Georgia, more media freedom could mean a more polarized political debate; but that's a good thing. (tags: ) The Olympic torch - from Hitler to Headingley Penelope on sport and ritual. (tags: ) From Alrewas to Tavrobel A forgotten educational experiment. (tags: alphabets )
Lots and lots of talk about how terrible Chloe Smith was on Newsnight last night. I watched it and she was utterly appalling. And indeed, I tweeted as I watched, that I felt sorry for her. I now regret that. It was patronising and condescending and we should all stop it. Yes, George Osborne is a wimp. No wonder he's called 'Submarine' behind his back, only surfacing when the coast is clear (Gordon Brown was was known as MaCavity after the TS Elliott poem - "MaCavity's not there" - for similar reasons) But that's no reason to forgive Chloe Smith ...
Welcome to another leaflet from the archives, this time courtesy of Sutton Council leader Ruth Dombey who has kindly provided a copy of the first Focus leaflet put out in Sutton back in 1972. It kicked off the winning Parliamentary by-election campaign for Graham Tope and was put together by Liverpool's Trevor "Jones the Vote" who pioneered many of the campaign tactics now taken for granted. Some of the issues may feel rather familiar and given its pioneering nature I think we can forgive the missing apostrophes and question marks... Interesting too both the level of personal detail about Graham ...
[IMG: A pile of newspapers] Writing about securing media coverage for one of the chapters in 101 Ways To Win An Election, I was reminded of the old research finding about British newspapers: that the letters pages are consistently one of the best read parts of (the printed version of) newspapers. Letters pages used to face all sorts of practical difficulties, such as the time taken to post in a letter or the cumbersome nature of exchanges back and forth having to span different days, without all readers necessarily having read or remembered the earlier letters in the exchange. Enter ...
Stockport's Town Centre Business and Retail Forum is calling for nominations to make up the official Portas Pilot 'Town Team' - a recommendation made by Mary Portas as part of her high streets review. The Town Team will be responsible for shaping and running the town centre and was a key part of Stockport's successful Portas Pilot bid. It will comprise two main groups – the Town Team Board and the Town Centre Forum. The Board will be made up of town centre representatives, Stockport Council's Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration and MP for Stockport Central. It will ...
Solution Focused Politics celebrated its second year last week and below are the top 10 posts in the last year. You can see the Top 10 of the first year here. Self-esteem is killing our country, time to end policies which promote it Do negative campaign ads work? Personality characteristics of 'successful' politicians A dangerous developing Tory narrative ...
Is 40% the maximum level for UK public expenditure? (tags: ) Waffles For Stephanie | Introduction (tags: ) TV Tropes Deletes Every Rape Trope; Geek Feminism Wiki steps in | The Mary Sue (tags: ) Slaughter of first-borns could save £50bn in Child Benefit, pledges Cameron (tags: ) The Olympic torch - from Hitler to Headingley Very long but very interesting post about the Olympic Torch Relay (tags: ) This is not a girl thing On the "science is a girl thing" video (tags: ) My way of stopping sexist guys in online games (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] ...
Monday: "I want to screw with COMMON PEOPLE," as Mr Balloon might have put it in his speech about abandoning ALL under twenty-fives in the pub toilets*; "Common people like YOU," as he might have announced to the assembled dignitaries at... it says here Bluewater Shopping Centre. I know we're hard up as a Nation, but is the Prime Monster REALLY reduced to opening the latest branch of LIDL for a fee?! "And I Would Have Got Away With It Too If It Weren't For Those Meddling Liberals!" he is believed to have added as the police led him away. ...
Wed 27th
09:27LibLink: Tim Leunig - David Cameron should know better than this Housing Benefit gimmick
I wrote the other day that I wanted to see our party in general and Nick Clegg in particular come out and roundly condemn David Cameron's ridiculous plan to stop under 25s from claiming Housing Benefit. Centre Forum director Tim Leunig did just that in an article for the Guardian on Monday. His calm and forensic evisceration of Cameron's argument put me in mind of the way Nick Clegg took apart the Tory Marriage Tax Break plan ahead of the 2010 election. This, of course, has been kicked into the long grass because of the Liberal Democrats. I'm also reminded ...
Let us be glad that Hansard, which has recorded great debates in Parliament for years, was still around to capture this piece of high-level intellectual debate: Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab): The Prime Minister jests about what words are allowed and not allowed in this Chamber; on the Opposition Benches, we would quite like to hear one word more often from his lips: "growth". Further to the question from the right hon. and learned Member for Kensington (Sir Malcolm Rifkind), the problem of corruption in Russia is manifest. On 7 March, this House unanimously agreed a resolution, supported by the Government, ...
Over the last week I've highlighted how the Britain's love of home ownership is not based on any evidence that high home ownership brings economic success (if anything, the opposite is true), that the proportion of people living in private rented accommodation is on a long-term rise and that changes in property prices in Britain are widening rather than narrowing the huge geographic imbalances. Add to all that the increasing importance that Vince Cable and Nick Clegg, in particular, are giving to the housing market for boosting economic growth, and it is a sector clearly in need of action. But ...
Yesterday saw George Osborne execute his latest U-turn, postponing from August until January next year the 3p-a-litre rise in fuel duty. Here is that U-turn, by the way: Budget 2012: Fuel duty increase gets go-ahead (21 March): 'Chancellor George Osborne has said a 3.02 pence per litre fuel duty increase will take effect on 1 August as planned.' Government postpones planned 3p fuel duty increase (26 June): 'Fuel duty will be frozen for the rest of the year, Chancellor George Osborne told MPs, adding that this would benefit families and businesses.' Last night, Conservative Treasury minister did a tour of ...
1. Nick Clegg writes to me ("Dear Peter," although we've never actually met): " As Liberal Democrat Leader I was proud to be putting our long-held environmental beliefs into practice by leading the UK's delegation ( at the Rio+20 environment summit))and arguing for ambitious targets and agreement." Meanwhile back at the ranch, as it were, our coalition partners have caved in to the motorist and road haulage lobbies and "postponed" the scheduled 3p rise in fuel duty. The fact that, in his budget speech, George Osborne seemed to be sticking to his guns on this one was one of only ...
The City Council's Adult Learning Newsletter for Summer 2012 is now available. It includes details of adult learning opportunities in the West End, including "Just the Job", a course for residents preparing for employment and for whom English is their second language, and "Options and Choices", a course about career ideas and updating your CV. Both courses commence on 23rd August at the Mitchell Street Centre. Please note two corrections to the newsletter : Jobshop Changes Menzieshill Community Centre, Fridays 9.30am-12noon - contact Annette Miller 432973 Douglas Community Centre, Wednesdays 11am-12.30pm - Contact Claire Shepherd 436942 You can download the ...
Official reports have confirmed that no Liberal Democrat-run council in England has increased council tax for their residents. This is unlike both other major parties, many of which are increasing council tax by up to 3.5% this year.Commenting on Labour and Conservative councils' record on Council Tax, Liberal Democrat Party President, Tim Farron said:"While Labour and the Tories fight over how many of their councils raised Council Tax, it's clear that with the Liberal Democrats your money is safest: no Liberal Democrat-run council in England has raised Council Tax."At every level of government, the Liberal Democrats are cutting taxes for ...
Latin America has been the Cinderella of British diplomacty in recent decades, though that situation has mercifully been changing since the Coalition Government came into office twp year ago and Liberal Democrat Jeremy Browne took over responsibility as junior Minister for the region (along with East Asia, Australasia and most recently India). Several new British ...
