Countryfile on Sunday was all about the glories of the Shropshire countryside. I could not watch it because I was out enjoying the glories of the Shropshire countryside. I have now watched it on iPlayer and can recommend it. In between the items on trimming cows' feet and the robot milking of the poor beats you will see why I am always going on about the hills here. Sadly, more from stock footage than from what the Countryfile people shot on their very damp day in the county. And I was pleased by the influence on William Penny Brookes (I ...
Probably the best known of many SF stories dealing with autism, this is a near-future novel told in the first person by an autistic man who is being pressured to try an experimental "cure" by his employers (who are in the right line of work to provide it to him). The actual plot is pretty straightforward - there's an Evil Boss and an Evil Acquaintance who both have to be dealt with in fairly unsurprising fashion - but the success of the book is Moon's depiction of what it might feel like to be autistic and write down how your ...
RT @campbellclaret: Glad to see govt publishing 'happiness stats'. easy to sneer but they can make a difference to attitudes and policy... — Christian Moon (@ChristianMoon1) July 24, 2012
Dear fellow Lib Dem members Please note the following important information about the launch of a diversity initiative by a Liberal Democrat Minister designed to improve access and engagement to elected office. The Access to Elected Office Fund offers individual ... Continue reading →
Over the last couple of weeks we have had an increase of reports of cycle thefts in Girton. May I remind all cycle users that when you leave your cycle unattended, please remember to keep it locked and secured. Girton: On Saturday 14th July between 20:30 and 22:30, Unknown offender(s) have stolen a old blue gent's cycle whilst left insecure on Cotton Hall Foundation premises, Cambridge Road, Girton. On Saturday 14th July between 18:30 and 23:45, Unknown offenders have stolen a Carerra hybrid mans cycle. This was left secured in the front garden of a residential property in Wellbrook Way, ...
One of the pleasures of being on holiday is finding that your visit coincides with an event you did not know was taking place. I have fond memories of seeing Runrig play in Portree when staying on Skye with Disgruntled Radical and son. Similarly, I have found that my current stay in Shropshire falls during the Church Stretton Arts Festival, and this morning I attended a free concert in the town's parish church. It was given by the cellist Ruth Henley and pianist Richard Silk. The meat of the concert was Mendelssohn's first cello sonata and there were shorter pieces ...
Councils across the country are currently developing schemes to replace council tax benefit. South Gloucestershire Council is proposing a scheme which is broadly similar to the current council tax benefit, which maintains the premiums and allowances for 2012/13 with the exception of removing the second adult rebate. Currently, second adult rebate can be claimed by people whose own income is too high to receive council tax benefit but who have other adult(s) in the household whose income is low. There will be no change to the amount of help pensioners currently receive. People who have reached the age for state ...
South Gloucestershire Council is going to apply for planning consent for a possible future residential development on the site of the former Rodford Primary School, Barnwood Road, Yate. The Council has appointed consultants to develop a concept plan and an outline planning submission for the site, and now it wants to consult with local residents. This is your opportunity to view the plan, raise any questions you may have and give your opinion. Please note that the plan you will see is for overall concept only. This means that it is merely describing the issues to be taken into consideration ...
Nick Clegg is delivering the welcome speech to the GB team as they arrive in the Olympic Village tonight. Here is an extract from his speech. "The nation is gripped by Olympic fever in a way it never, ever has been. Because, when you host the Games, you don't just support your team in the normal way. Something deeper happens. Supporters, volunteers, the official Team GB - these Games belong to everyone. We are all hosting the world. Our experiences are all tied together. And, when everything is said and done, those experiences will make up a history we all ...
For the last few months, Network Rail and Norther Rail's contractors have been building a new ramp at Heald Green Station on the Manchester Aiport line – and very nice it is too. The ramp's finished, but if you go along, you'll see the entrance is still fenced off. Why? Well, if you're going to put in a ramp, you normally try and make it flush at the top and bottom so someone in a wheelchair could get on and off. Unfortunately, this ramp doesn't meet the pavement at the top – there's a six inch drop from the pavement ...
Residents got in touch with the Lib Dem team when a dog bin was removed from the top of the Gatley Hill car park a few weeks ago. Although there's another new bin nearby (in front of Gatley Hill House), that's not on the route for dog walkers and the bin was in an ideal place. We pressed the case and the Council has agreed to put a replacement bin at the top of the car park. Remember that bagged dog mess can be put in a dog bin, any normal litter bin or your black bin at home, so ...
A fortnight ago I wrote about how the Care and Support White paper and draft Bill signalled the biggest overhaul of social care in over 60 years. The media storm triggered by that announcement inevitably focused on a single issue - namely who pays for care. And while of course that issue is very important (and is something I care deeply about), it doesn't address the urgent problem of fixing our broken system of social care. Over my fifteen years in Parliament and in my years before that as a councillor I have fought and campaigned to protect the rights ...
There are plenty of contenders for the strangest political ad of all times. Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" ad is widely considered to be high on the list. This one is weird, but, yet, strangely artful. It features "politicians" getting down on their hands and knees with pigs, slinging mud at each other and, even, apparently, eating mud (or is it whatever the pigs are eating?). It comes from Ted Yoho (who, based on this ad, is presumably known to his friends as "Ted Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho"). He is running for the US Congress in Florida. He says he's a veterinarian, which presumably ...
It's about ten days before our friend Peter will be over to stay for the weekend of the Belfast Pride Parade. I've stayed with him many times on my jaunts to Bedford in the past year so it will be good to return the hospitality. However, anyone who has been in our flat will know ...
Steve Webb writes in The Telegraph: Almost 11 million of the adult population are not saving enough for retirement. So if millions of people are not going to get a nasty shock when they retire we need some big changes in the world of pensions. ...So what is the truth about pension scheme charges, and what is the Government doing to make sure that people get maximum value from their hard-earned pensions savings? He goes on to say that the Government has the power to cap charges, and undertakes to use them if consumers need that protection. For most people, ...
What the heck is that?, good question but fear not, our air head Labour administration at Thanet Council have managed to procure an expert in corporate resources and transformation and are appointing one Mr Philip Hamberger as it's Director. I assume this appointment is not a minute too soon, as the lead paragraph on Thanet Councils website witters on "Following a proposal to reshape the council's senior management structure within existing budgets crikey it must be at least a good twelve months since the last "reshape" or was it a "restructure" of senior top bods. Anyhow Mr Hamberger has good ...
As part of the rather lovely restoration of Marble Arch and its green space, the London-ocracy came together in committee, and I was on it as I was then working as Thames Water's Local and Regional Government Liaison for central London. Thames Water was involved in restoring the fountains, which are switched off today for cleaning - two nice chaps from the maintenance company Conway kindly pointed me towards the plaque commemorating Marble Arch's re-opening, replete with a Thames Water logo - I didn't go, although invited). Even with the fountains switched off for a little while today, it ...
At a time when the public has so little confidence in our political system, it is essential that Governments do all they can to create a more transparent system. The Coalition Government in Westminster has recognised this and put in place significant changes for the good of democracy. It was only as a result of the UK government's decision to publish all departmental spending over £25,000 that the Welsh government followed suit. Sadly, this is not the norm when with regards to the Welsh Labour Government, who have consistently resisted Welsh Liberal Democrat calls for a more transparent system. Only ...
Tue 24th
12:58
What to do when a man is playing God? Get another man to play God and say he's the real God
Yes folks more on the Penn State Child Sex abuse scandal. Recently I don't seem to have written too much jolly but there isn't too much jolly going on in my peripheral vision at the moment. Yesterday Mark Emmert the President of the NCAA decided to lower the boom on Penn State football. Whilst he didn't use the death penalty he did essentially kill Penn State as a football powerhouse for the best part of a decade and relished every single moment. He had appointed himself judge, jury and executioner but what he was really doing was appointing himself as ...
In the Redcar Constituency, six of schools will be opening their doors this summer to help some of the most disadvantaged pupils in our area with the big step up from primary to secondary school. Many pupils find the move to a bigger school and a more challenging curriculum daunting and this can lead to falling results and they often never catch up again. To help pupils who are especially vulnerable to falling behind, those on free school meals (FSM) or looked-after children, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg launched the first Summer Schools programme today.Commenting, Ian ...
Osborne Vs Crouch in 2015 Well it is official. Councillor Tristan Osborne is no longer a prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Chatham and Aylesford. According to the Twittersphere an "Overwhelming majority" of Labour members voted him in as the official Labour candidate for 2015, congratulations. This will make 2015 interesting - well it was before but... This means Tristan will have to face Tracey Crouch. The first Salvo was fired in the KM letter pagers a moth or so ago with the stinging rebuke along the lines of; Whenever there is a vote that matters Tracey abstains. (It is something I ...
Comments by Exchequer Secretary David Gauke that it is "morally wrong" for householders to pay tradesmen in cash will certainly not be popular with plumbers, builders and electricians or even householders who do not see why the tax affairs of tradesmen should be their concern. The real problem though is that the Government has still not sorted out those at the other end of the income scale who are using tax schemes to avoid paying their dues. Although Mr. Gauke is absolutely right in what he says, many will wonder whether he has got his priorities right.
Walk down Lord St and look at the old banking halls. There are long forgotten names like the Preston Bank..If you look carefully at the picture you can see Preston Bank above the door. The site of the Atkinson Library was once the headquarter of a Southport based bank. Names like Martins, Williams and Glyn were once well known. In America and Europe these banks have survived and not been swallowed up by large corporate institutions that 'are too big to fail'. Many of the old banks were mutually owned -that is they were owned by their customers. Their chief ...
Pension funds whose high charges have 'torn the heart' out of savers' retirements should scrap unfair terms and offer them new deals that do not penalise them, says Southport MP John Pugh. Lib Dem Pension Minister, Professor Steve Webb MP has announced a clampdown on excessive pension fees. Hidden fees, charged by management companies, can wipe £100,000 off the value of a worker's retirement fund. The Lib Dems say that thousands of people are trapped in expensive old-style pensions, which can charge fees of up to 4 per cent of a pot's value every year. Savers are even also being ...
Since Bradley Wiggins' historic win in the Tour de France on Sunday and Sir Chris Hoy's election to carry the British flag at the opening ceremony next Friday, there has been much made about Manchester's velodrome. There are few ... Continue reading →
Redcar Athletic FC based at Green Lane, Redcar finished runners up in the Wearside League last season just missing out on the promotion spot to the Northern League, with the ground now furnished with floodlights, this season we want to go one step further and gain that elusive place in the Northern League for the town of Redcar. With the town of Redcar undergoing a major re- development programme we believe that Redcar Athletic Football Club can do its bit in attracting people to Redcar by putting the town on the Footballing map. However despite the major works of the ...
Lords reform, an issue all the parties believe in and the public believe in, but which the proposed solution, by Nick Clegg, is viewed as not the right type of reform, not allowing enough time for scrutiny or just at the wrong time. I'm being generous to those who are purely playing party politics with ...
Mighty Leeds United have won a landmark case against Police charging club the for policing outside of the ground.
It looks as though Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey has come out on top in his battle with Chancellor George Osborne over the level of subsidies that renewable energy producers will get in the future. This has been a hugely volatile issue ever since the coalition took power. They inherited a regime which promised massive payments to domestic and commercial producers of green energy in the form of a high 'feed-in tariff' - the amount paid for every unit of energy fed into the system. Whilst this high level helped to kick start the building of green power systems, ...
Hoe separatistisch of pro-Belgisch bent u? I come out 51%/49% - balanced or confused, rather than separatist or unionist! (tags: belgium ) Sally Ride has died :-( (tags: space death ) The Top 50 'Pictures of the Day' for 2012 Beautiful! (tags: photos )
In 2011 the Constitution Unit spent one year examining how the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition works. We interviewed almost 150 people about the Coalition: individuals from both parties—both in and outside Parliament—as well as civil servants, journalists, and interest groups. We have just published the result of our study in a book: The Politics of Coalition: How the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Works We are particularly grateful to all those Lib Dems who were so generous in giving their time to be interviewed, and for Mark Pack's very kind review of our book. And in the same spirit, we offer some thoughts ...
I knock on a lot of doors. It's an important part of my job, and a good way of finding out the issues that are affecting local people. I'm not selling a product, but door to door selling is a ... Continue reading →
There was some mention of costs in the recent Communications Data Bill committee hearings and I also ran across an interesting Freedom of Information request on the costs of the current system, so I thought I'd take a look at them side by side. Which system gives better value for money, the existing Data Retention or the proposed Communications Data Bill? Cost-per-request under the Data Retention Directive There are three pieces of useful information here. Firstly is the evidence of Charles Farr, Director General of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism. From his answer to Question 6 in oral evidence ...
Factcheck: Do a quarter of sickness benefits claimants have a criminal record? | Full Fact (tags: ) This is how racism takes root | Joseph Harker (tags: ) 17-year-old sexual assault victim could face charges for tweeting names of attackers | The Lookout - Yahoo! News (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
It's so easy being a political activist in this country. I can campaign for Liberal Democrat policies and values knowing that low poll ratings are my only concern. You can pretty much say what you want about the Government or challenge vested interests and power elites. It's a right some of us don't really appreciate as much as we should. People arguing for human rights or for the feminist cause might be ridiculed in the Daily Fail, but generally can go about their lives without fear of detention and torture. If we don't value this freedom, we could lose it ...
Interesting news from Ireland on the long-running question of male dominance of elected Parliamentary posts: GENDER QUOTAS are set to become law after the Electoral Amendment (Political Funding) Bill 2011 passed all stages in the Dáil yesterday. The legislation, which has yet to be signed by the President, will halve State funding to parties unless 30 per cent of their candidates at the next general election are women. This figure will rise to 40 per cent at subsequent general elections... The lobby group Women for Election also welcomed the development, but said the legislation would not be enough to encourage ...
I'm indebted to Charles Beaumont for alerting me to this piece that he wrote on Lib Dem Voice, in turn pointing to this intriguing polling piece from Lord Ashcroft... The latter centres mainly on how different ethnic minorities see the three main parties and is concluded with these three word clouds, describing what they think each stands for. I find the Lib Dem cloud especially depressing (click to enlarge each image). Just one survey I know - but the prominence of words like 'Nothing', 'Not Sure' and 'Confused' rather emphasis the need to me for more policy making and communication ...
Well done to the Shropshire Star for: Princess Royal Hospital bosses' U-turn in duck feeding row
Liberal Democrats have called for the Council to lead coordinated action to help local residents who are being increasingly beset by noisy gulls in Rathcoole Gardens in Hornsey. Reports have been made to the Council of gulls nesting in chimney pots and damaging property. Cllr Robert Gorrie (Hornsey) comments: I feel sorry for local residents who have to put up with the ongoing problem with gulls yet no-one is seeming to take the lead on finding a humane way to stop the problem. We need coordinated action led by the Council to ensure local residents, housing providers, and businesses on ...
David Gauke, the exchequer secretary to the treasury, is a Conservative minister I'm quite happy to stick up for. He's in the headlines this morning for an interview he gave to the Telegraph in which he states it is "morally wrong" to pay cash-in-hand to get a nod-and-a-wink no-tax discount: "Getting a discount with your plumber by paying cash in hand is something that is a big cost to the Revenue and means others have to pay more in tax. I think it is morally wrong. It is illegal for the plumber but it is pretty implicit in those circumstances ...
[Originally posted at Dale&Co, 22/07/12] Last week's reversal over Lords reform may turn out to be key moment in the life of the Coalition. In retrospect it may appear the point at which it all started to unravel. It was swiftly followed by another Cameron-Clegg relaunch, but that didn't convince too many people that everything in the garden is rosy. Differences between the parties become ever clearer - witness George Osborne putting the kibosh on Ed Davey's plans for renewable energy - even without the parties adopting a conscious strategy of differentiation. But at least there's the deficit reduction plan. ...
As part of Creative Scotland 2012, Trad Trails, a joint venture between Feis Rois and the Traditional Music and Song Association (TMSA), offers exciting performances and friendly music sessions showcasing Scotland's world renowned folk music heritage. Trad Trails will bring five of its brightest and best young musicians to Dundee on 31st July and 1st August. There will be informal sessions at Discovery Point and Verdant Works on Tuesday and a Lunchtime Recital at the Wighton Heritage Centre at 1.15pm on Wednesday afternoon. Their visit to the city will end with a flourish in a Gala Ceilidh on the Frigate ...
... last week, I went home to Scotland for a long weekend. Partly this was because I got return flights, including admin fees, for the obscenely low price of £40. But mostly it was to surprise my parents (who didn't know I was coming) and take them out for Afternoon Tea at The Balmoral. Whilst home, I went through to a friend in Glasgow who ran us out to Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond from where we took the Waterbus to Balmaha. After a late lunch (and a pint of Belhaven Best) in Balmaha's one eatery, we returned ...
