Today to the surprise of pretty much no one, Lord Oakeshott reacted to the dysmal projections made by the ONS by calling for the replacement of George Osborne. He proposed that Osborne should be replaced by Liberal Democrat Secretary of ... Continue reading →
Tomorrow's Mirror front page:
Co-editor of the Orange Book Paul Marshall speaks at the recent IEA event – have the Lib Dems reclaimed liberalism".
I don't know if Lord Bonkers reminded the participants that their rents fall due on Lady Day before they answered the questions, but the Rutland & Stamford Mercury reports a remarkable finding: Rutland is the happiest place to live in England, according to a survey. The Office of National Statistics says the smallest county was the second happiest place to live in the whole of the UK, only losing out to Orkney and Shetland. The results are based on a national poll which asked residents across the UK to rate how happy they were with life.It is easy to make ...
The front page of today's Shropshire Star has a photograph of yesterday's fire on the Stiperstones: Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service reached the hill at 3.30pm yesterday after receiving a call from Lara Sproson, landlady of the Stiperstones Inn, who was alerted to the blaze by walkers at 2.45pm. As 72 firefighters, six fire engines, two off-road vehicles and two support vehicles arrived, flames quickly fanned out across the hill burning gorse and undergrowth dried out by the recent sunny weather. Fire service area manager John Das-Gupta said that after initially beating the blaze back, firefighters were forced to wait ...
Congratulations to the Gatley Carrs Conservation Group and Stockport Council's Parks people: Gatley Carrs now has a Community Green Flag to its name, to add to last year's Green Pennant. Cllr Kevin Hogg presented the flag. As well as being the councillor in charge of parks, Kevin used to play on the Carrs as a child more than fifty years ago and has many memories of how it used to be (we get fewer dead dogs left on the Carrs these days, apparently).
The shadow police and crime panel for Devon and Cornwall met this afternoon for the first (and only) time. The next time it convenes will be to begin the process of holding the new elected Police and Crime Commissioner to account. The Police and Crime Commissioner is an elected post which replaces the current Police Authority. It is the brainwave of the Conservatives and is being created to provide an accountable and human face to law enforcement. The new person will have the power to hire and fire the Chief Constable and to set the strategic aims of the police ...
Another reposted Odanglesex Chronicle, a little updated. From: Kenneth Spotlessnob, Director of Transformational Excellence and Strategic Vision To: All Transformational Excellence I thought our away-half-day where we brainstormed our contribution to the Change Agenda and I explained our new mode of working in Transformational Excellence was a really encouraging, lively occasion. It's good to see so many people with a positive outlook. I was especially impressed that when I asked for any questions about our new made of working with packages of work, no-one had a question. Obviously everyone understands it and is fully on board. Well done! Of course ...
The planning application to convert the former Abbeyfield Home in Dutson Road into 11 flats has been approved by Cornwall Council at tonight's planning committee. Following representations from local residents and the town council, I had opposed this application on a number of grounds and achieved some success in changing the original proposal: I argued that the intention of having just 9 parking spaces for the 11 flats was not sufficient for a development where it could be assumed that there would be at least one car per property. There are now 11 spaces being provided, but I remain concerned ...
Today it has been revealed that for the second quarter of this year, the British economy has shrunk and failed to grow. I for one have never been very enthusiastic about austerity and I personally think it can only ever be enacted alongside strong policies to ensure economic growth. We should aim to balance growth and austerity. The policy of outright austerity in Britain has seemingly failed to work and our economy is now continuing to decline, while being in recession. and unemployment remains stubbornly high. The political and economic discourse in our country should turn towards growth. As a ...
Alan Turing has been one of my heroes since school. He fought the world war with his brains (along with others saving thousands of lives and shortening the war) and helped advance human kind through his work on computing. I think that it would be a great idea to slap his mug on a bank note and IMHO he should be elevated up there alongside other greats in our Islandstory. Why then, do I find myself deeply uneasy about a bill to pardon Alan Turing? John Leech MP is quoted as saying today.... It's only right that we acknowledge the ...
Regular Readers will remember my blog post from last week - Crying Wolf? It's Another Civil Service Strike! I had argued that the demands were so wide-ranging it was unlikely that the government would make sufficient concessions that would satisfy a ideological driven union. To my delight and surprise, the Home Office strike has been called off at such short notice and I had started to plan a piece following up how the tanker dispute shows the way forward for a modern industrial dispute. But this time, using the Home Office as the example. Then, this was swiftly followed by ...
Doubtless some peers now believe that they can go off for the long summer recess, secure in the knowledge that the status quo in the House of Lords is preserved. The thought of a shake-up is so uncomfortable for some inhabitants that they have resorted to calling the Coalition's House of Lords Reform Bill 'rushed', despite its genesis in over a decade of cross-party discussion, and a hundred years of gestation. Yet after subjecting the legislation to a painstaking Joint Committee, which met thirty times to take evidence from almost everyone who has ever thought about the subject, my bets ...
Last night, along with Perth Road businesses and a City Council officer, I was pleased to participate in a very positive discussion that took place at the Tartan Coffee House on Perth Road, around the idea of forming a Perth Road Traders' Association. I was very grateful to a representative from Broughty Ferry Traders' Association (BFTA) who I had asked to attend to explain how BFTA operates and has worked for the benefit of Broughty Ferry businesses and the wider community in the Ferry. He gave a really interesting explanation of the work of BFTA that was really appreciated by ...
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chairing a meeting with residents of the Logie estate and was most grateful to representatives from: * Dundee Historic Environment Trust - who spoke about Conservation Area and grants issues * Dundee City Council transportation division - who spoke about traffic issues and safety measures, parking, roads resurfacing and safe crossings - all arising out of the new schools opening in October at the former Logie Secondary School site I am keen to ensure that Logie residents get the opportunity to meet to discuss local issues, particularly following the demise of the Logie Residents' ...
The Town Lands Trust, who own the building that hosts Chipping Sodbury Library, is carrying out urgent repairs to the floor. These will involve excavating the basement in the rear half of the library, so the service will be moved to the back of the Grammar School from Tuesday July 31st until Wednesday August 29th. The library will be closed on four days - Friday July 27th, Saturday July 28th, Friday August 31st and Saturday September 1st to move shelving, book stock and equipment. Although the library will operate normally, there will unfortunately be no access to public computers or ...
Lib Dem councillor John Dodd has been on TV to speak about the controversy surrounding the speed humps in Crossens. Please click on the photo above to see the news item broadcast on the ITV Granada Regional News programme on 24th July.
So today the GDP figures came out for the UK and its not good. The UK economy shrank by 0.7% between April and June. Now the Chancellor of the Exchequer is still blaming Labour, the Eurozone crises, for the economy shrinking and blaming the "difficult decisions" on a large deficit increasing our national debt. The ...
From Political Wire: Romney Adviser Says Obama Doesn't Appreciate Anglo-Saxon Heritage Just before Mitt Romney arrives in London for his international trip, a Romney adviser told the Daily Telegraph that President Obama has not been good friend to Britain because he doesn't "fully appreciate" America's "Anglo-Saxon heritage." The adviser said Romney would be different: "We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special. The White House didn't fully appreciate the shared history we have". From the Telegraph: As the Republican presidential challenger accused Barack Obama of appeasing America's enemies in his first foreign ...
The neighbourhood police report a crime spree in Queen Edith's, with three domestic burglaries between 18th and 25th July. Sincere sympathies to the people affected. Burglary takes away more than just the goods stolen, and police have just set a new priority of focusing on domestic burglaries in the south of the city - see previous post on police priorities for the coming four months. Curiously, the criminals concentrated on the streets beginning with 'G'. Is it fanciful to think those of us in streets beginning with H should be especially vigilant this week? I am copying the information the ...
As some members of the Liberal Democrat Voice editorial team prepare to go a bit daft over the Olympics, watch sports most of us have never heard of and cheer on our favourite athletes, we were pleased to see that Nick Clegg went to welcome Team GB to their new quarters in the Olympic Village. He told them that the people of Britain wouldn't just be watching them, they'd be right there with them, backing them all the way: The nation is gripped by Olympic fever in a way it never, ever has been. Because, when you host the Games, ...
Consett Green Spaces Group today heard the result of their Judicial Review. The judge who heard the case has quashed Durham County Council's refusal of the application to register Belle Vue fields as a town or village green ("TVG"). In essence, we are back to square one - with one difference. We now know that the county council's basis for rejecting the TVG application was legally incorrect. The Green Spaces Group, as readers know, has argued that the county council made "an error of law" when their Highways Committee rejected the Town or Village Green application. Judge Roger Kaye QC, ...
MPs may have gone back to their constituencies for the Summer, but the House of Lords is still sitting. Liberal Democrat Peer John Sharkey has today introduced a Private Members' Bill which, if passed, would grant a pardon to brilliant mathematician Alan Turing. During the Second World War, Turing's work on cracking the Enigma Code saved lives and shortened the conflict. Turing was convicted of gross indecency with a man in 1952 and committed suicide two years later after being subjected to hormone treatment. Gordon Brown apologised in 2009 for the way he was treated. Speaking as the Bill was ...
The type of Area Car Pop drove Yesterday when I got off the train I walked into the middle of a crime scene at Gillingham station. Someone had been stabbed, there were officers at the ticket gates, in the streets and a helicopter over Livingstone circus searching for the culprit. It got me thinking about Crime and the state and whether or not it had been different in the past. My family had been in policing for almost a century until I broke the chain. My Great grandfather served before and after the First World War as well as in ...
After months of prevarication and indecision Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) has finally announced the pay back of penalties wrongly issued in respect of the defective Moor End Road Bus Lane scheme. Letters are being sent out to people who payed the penalties asking them either to apply for the refund of the money or to authorise HCC to pay the money instead to charity. The charity selected is a local one, the important and much appreciated Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted. In my view HCC could really not have made a better choice. The hospice will benefit from all ...
I've been busy with work over the last few days and have not been paying much attention to this blog — but I've just noticed that this post has appeared in Liberal Democrat Voice's Top of the Blogs feature two weeks running – here and here. I'm sure it was an oversight rather than a judgement that my insights deserved double exposure — but I'm not complaining! Thanks Helen [IMG: ;-)]
With the Olympics only a couple of days away, and the 10th anniversary of the start of the Commonwealth Games today, I got to thinking about the similarities between the two events. Now, the general opinion of the Commonwealth Games ... Continue reading →
With Vince Cable allegedly throwing his much loved Fedora into the leadership ring, I thought it would be fun to have a 'which of the main three parties will lose its leader first' poll. It's over in the top right (if you're reading this on mobile go and look at the web version of this blog and you'll see it) Here are the runners and riders 1. David Cameron - hardly flavour of the month with at least a third of his MPs, still got Lords Reform/boundary commission issue to face, and well adrift in the polls. And they do ...
One of the highlights for me of the Queen's Birthday Honours last month, as I wrote at the time, was the news that Malcolm Bruce, Liberal Democrat MP for Gordon since 1983, had been given a knighthood. This comes in his 30th year in Parliament and the 50th anniversary of him joining the Liberal Party. Sir Malcolm is a former leader of the Scottish party and in that role made a searingly passionate speech to the 1992 Federal Spring Conference in Glasgow. Remembering it even twenty years on gives me goosebumps. Malcolm spoke for all of Scotland when he described ...
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted Matthew 5:4 Though not necessarily from Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, the newly appointed Catholic Archbishop for the Diocese of Glasgow. I first encountered acute pancreatitis, the disease which struck down David Cairns MP, during my running days, when it struck down one of the men I knew from the long distance road racing circuit. You see on of the less common causes is repeated marathon running and back in the early 90s that was even more of a craze for people. That particular man was in his mid thirties and left ...
... or so claims the new Archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia. The BBC reports that the Archbishop-designate said in a speech on Religious Freedom and Equality: "If what I have heard is true about the relationship between physical and mental health of gay men, if it is true, then society has been very quiet about it. "Recently in Scotland there was a gay Catholic MP who died at the age of 44 or so and nobody said anything and why his body should just shut down at that age, obviously he could have had a disease which would have killed ...
As we approach a century on from the horrors of hyperinflation in Germany, its effects still have a strong hold on the German approach to economic policy – a strong aversion to inflation and a visceral dislike of anything that smacks of 'printing money'. All these years on, it sill does much to explain Germany's frequent reluctance to support proposals for rescuing the Euro. Yet 'hyperinflation' is itself a fairly bland phrase. So much is best this, biggest that, supersized special that it is easy to miss quite what hyperinflation meant. Which is where this classic photo comes in. No ...
Wed 25th
13:35
As economy shrinks again, Oakeshott calls for Osborne to be moved to make way for "our A team at the...
Here's how The Guardian reports the call by Lord (Matthew) Oakeshott for George Osborne to be moved from Number 11 in the wake of today's fresh dire news on the economy: A senior Liberal Democrat peer has called on George Osborne to be sacked as the chancellor continued to insist the government was on the right economic path, despite "disappointing" official figures released on Wednesday that show Britain is enduring the longest double-dip recession for more than 50 years. The chancellor stood firm in the face of increasing pressure to rethink his economic strategy after shock figures from the Office ...
The Scottish government has today announced that it will equalise marriage, and make gay marriage legal. This comes after a high profile online campaign led by the Equality Network in Scotland. The campaign had a petition online, which was signed ... Continue reading →
The Scottish Government announced this morning that it would legislate for full equal marriage in Scotland, giving same sex couples the right to marry and allowing those religious organisations who wish to conduct these marriage ceremonies to do so. No celebrant or religious organisation will be compelled to carry out marriage ceremonies for same sex couples. This is everything that campaigners for equal marriage have been asking for and is the culmination of a vibrant 4 year campaign which has won hearts and minds across Scotland. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made it clear that cross party support for equal ...
Wed 25th
12:58
Look what happens when people work together - equal marriage to become a reality in Scotland
The Scottish Government announced this morning that it would legislate for full equal marriage in Scotland, giving same sex couples the right to marry and allowing those religious organisations who wish to conduct these marriage ceremonies to do so. No celebrant or religious organisation will be compelled to carry out marriage ceremonies for same sex couples. This is everything that campaigners for equal marriage have been asking for and is the culmination of a vibrant 4 year campaign which has won hearts and minds across Scotland. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made it clear that cross party support for equal ...
All over the internet this morning I have been seeing friends sharing the news that Scotland will get gay marriage first in the UK. From what many people are writing, you would think that it had already become law. However, this is quite simply not how it works. For all that has happened today is ...
It would appear that I am not alone in my belief that Labour are obsessed by maintaining control at all cost. I found the following on David Bartlett's tweet for the Daily Post. His tweet was about Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson hitting out at 'cynical' press coverage of his council's annual internal audit. I find the response from Katie54 interesting as I feel it mirrors some of the levels of control we now see being imposed on Sefton Council by it's Labour leadership. katie54 said: The man clearly believes his own spin. And thinks he has a mandate to behave ...
The announcement I made today of the levels of support for renewable generation for the period 2013-17 will unlock generation and network capital investment worth £20-25 billion between 2013 and 2017 This is the kind of sustainable long run growth and green jobs we need to get the economy moving again. This is further evidence that pursuing green policies can bring real economic benefits. The CBI recognised this in their report earlier this month stressing the need for a stable climate for green investment. I just wish that some of the critics of green growth policies would pay heed to ...
Impressive stuff:
Today is a huge step forward in the fight to get Alan Turing a pardon. Following a series of negotiations with the Government, my colleague Lord Sharkey moved the Alan Turing (statutory pardon) Bill in the Lords. I will be moving ... Continue reading →
Today the Office for National Statistics delivered its first estimate for the UK's GDP in the second quarter. With a fall of 0.7% they were a bit shocking – we have had a number of quarters with it being cose to no change, and this looks like a proper lurch downwards. This has provoked some predictable "told-you-sos" by the government's critics, who say that it shows that the Coalition government's policies are failing, and call for less austerity. But what do the figures actually mean? Making sense of it all is not easy. The first point is that GDP is ...
I wrote this in The New Statesman on Monday, partly inspired by the Vince Cable 'leadership' debate but also by these word clouds I came across the other day. They seem to indicate no one has a clue what we stand for at the moment. I also know the ever excellent Mark Pack has been advocating the need for a policy debate for a while - but suddenly it seems even more true to me. It's all very well continually saying that we're NOT Tories and that we're different - but sooner or later we are going to have to ...
(Very minor spoilers ahead) Guns are great. Really really great. Even if you accidentally shoot someone who you are torturing for information, the information will fall into your lap immediately anyway, so don't worry about it. Batman is a bit weird for not liking guns and killing random people he's never met before, but it's an acceptable weirdness because other people can do the shooting and killing for him. Anyone who talks about police and government corruption is in it for their own ends. And even if the police and or government DID lie to you, cheat you, and hurt ...
A NEW "supermarket ombudsman" for the UK is being backed by the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The party said it sympathised with dairy farmers after some processors said they planned to reduce what they pay for milk by 2p per litre. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams, AM, said, "The creation of this new supermarket ombudsman is great news for farmers. "I'm pleased the UK government has made a start, but this can only be the beginning."
Groups welcome passing of Bill on gender quotas - The Irish Times Hooray! (tags: elections ireland ) The Mayor of London's introduction to the Olympics Marvelous. (tags: video funny ) A Syrian Stalemate? Looks at the cartographic history of the Syrian state. Fascinating. (tags: maps ) Election in Georgia 'already stolen' | New Europe Former foreign minister speaks. (tags: georgia )
An application has been made for a permanent cycle track at Odd Down This is something we support, this application is part of a bigger application to move the changing rooms, and improve the facilities on the playing fields. By increasing the usage we hope that we won't get any further applications to build on the fields saving an important open space. Previously there have been applications
For the second time, in a just over a week, a brazen intruder, has breached security here at Flaig Mansions, last week Mrs Me's viewing of Corrie, was rudely interrupted when a fox cub strolled into dining room, hesitating, as it considered whether to catch up on the soaps or take a look-see at the contents of the kitchen, when challenged it strolled toward patio door, pausing with the arrogance and attitude of youth, and a look which could have been interpreted as, "what are you going to do granddad?" Since then Mrs Me has had at first one slipper ...
Story one. Dear politician, do you think people should knowingly assist others in breaking the law? What, you say 'no they shouldn't'? Hold the front page, I've got a scoop! Story two. Dear politician, might you want to lead your party one day? What, you might!? Hold the front page again. This is an amazing scoop discovering a politician who would fancy leading their party. Story three. Dear politician, if there is another hung Parliament, would you take the same approach as you did to the last one? What, you would? OMG! Someone saying they would do the same thing ...
It looks like former UK Minister and ex-Pontypridd MP, Kim Howells is not going to be the Welsh Education Minister's favourite person today, after some typically frank revelations in today's Western Mail. Mr. Howells confirms what we all suspected that Tony Blair's government deliberately ignored the contentious issue of Welsh and Scottish MPs voting on English laws when drawing up devolution plans, but then goes on to take a shot at his own party's record in power at Cardiff Bay, questioning educational attainment and suggesting a separate "Welsh way" was being pursued for the sake of it: He said: "We ...
An American blog reports on the tactics of one Democratic candidate in Connecticut who, they say is employing dubious tactics in her attempt to get her party's nomination for a safe Senate seat. They say that Senate candidate Susan Bysiewicz (who is trying to replace Senator Joe Liebermann who is retiring) is running an attack TV ad against her opponent, Chris Murphy, that is demonstrably false. What is most bizarre is that her campaign team have admitted that the advert is misdirected and yet they continue to run it. The blog says that the problem is that the main claim ...
Over the last few days we've been presented with rather different perspectives on future directions for financial regulation and the City of London. The forces of conservatism are seeking to reassert themselves, arguing for a limited regulatory response to the manifest and manifold problems already exposed. In Two cheers for Barclays? I recently argued that the new round of banking scandals - now with fresh outrages perpetrated by HSBC in the mix as well - has reopened the window of opportunity for significant policy change. Some senior political figures appear determined to slam it shut again. Boris Johnson turned up ...
The current proposals for electoral boundary changes include the idea that the number of constituencies and MPs should be reduced from 650 to 600. My suggestion is this: let's keep the overall number of MPs at 650, and let's agree to reduce the number of constituency MPs to 600 on the condition that the other 50 (less than 10%) are elected from party lists on the basis of proportional representation. In a democracy, all votes should be equal. Votes will never be equal in the UK until the country adopts the proportional representation (PR) voting system. Under the 'first past ...
It's easy to be cynical about Olympic fever. But yesterday the Olympic Torch made its way down Ham Common, and literally thousands of people came out to watch it pass. and there was a huge excitement, a real buzz and a proper sense of shared experience. It was a real moment. Nick said this to the GB Olympic team last night as they arrived in the village - but I have to say, it applies just as much to the thousands who lined the Richmond Road yesterday and cheered the two torch bearers on. "The nation is gripped by Olympic ...
Rutland's most decorated peer writes exclusively for Liberal England: I recently employed these columns to inform you that Fifty Shades of Earl Grey, my guide to tea making, had been selling gratifyingly well and that I had given orders for it to be reprinted. I am pleased to report that a second of my books, which happens to have a similar title, is rivalling hot cakes in its popularity. Fifty Shades of Viscount Grey is a nuanced study of Grey of Fallodon, the Liberal Foreign Secretary, and it has been positively flying off the shelves in recent weeks. So I ...
Last year 88 new foodbanks opened across the UK. According to the Guardian, Britain's biggest foodbank network, the Trussell Trust, says it has doubled the number of food parcels it's issued and is opening new foodbanks at the rate of two a week. Now, I can't claim to be an expert but I'd have thought that when you get so many people, including large numbers of families with children, depending on charity in order to be able to eat (and I should point out that foodbanks are quite strict in checking that people actually need food) it should be fairly ...
Organising an event in the District? Special recycling bins available If you are organising an event in the District, you can now borrow special recycling bins from St Albans City & District Council. The Council has some recycling bins designed to be used at public events to encourage people to recycle their cans and plastic bottles on the go. Look out for the big green flags! Anyone wishing to borrow recycling bins for an event can do so by contacting Louise Palmer, Recycling Officer on 01727 819428.
Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy has dramatically altered how we view "superhero" films. Prior to "Batman Begins", there was an expectation that such movies would be as lurid as their printed counterparts; the audience's suspension of disbelief was taken for granted, their willingness to accept a villain, say, who had fallen into a vat of ...
"Made and Finished on Film" is the proud boast at the end of the credits of The Dark Knight Rises - a boast that will, I imagine, become rarer in years to come. Of course, that's not to say that "film"-making will be any the worse for that, any more than the advent of sound or colour made for worse films - but it may lead to a different type of film. Christopher Nolan's film is an old-fashioned type of blockbuster - heavy on stunts, lighter on effects and eschewing 3D - and the intelligent (if far fetched) storyline ensures ...
Tonight in Walpole Park for the lighting of the torch was an amazing end to the day. It appeared that there was more than 8000 people in the main area on Walpole Park. With a large number also watching the large screens it reminded me of a music festival Sunday. When Tom Thacker ran through the park many nearly missed the event - he was running pretty quick - and then he lit the torch to end a great day where many families had so much fun in Walpole Park as well as the many thousands of residents who lined ...
