The Liberals used to be the party of the temperance movement. Brewers thus always used to be Tory, prompting a barrel-load of appointments to the House of Lords that was once collectively dubbed the beerage. Anti-gambling used to be a big part of the same movement. With that in mind, I was interested to read a month-old BBC story about the Commons culture committee (do we no longer have Select Committees?) having urged what the BBC calls "further deregulation of the gaming and betting industries". I am on the Right of my party (a party that Charles Kennedy once called ...
This afternoon's planning committee showed some of the best and some of the worst of Stockton Council at work. The first item on the agenda was Morley Carr Farm - an application by Taylor Wimpey for outline permission to build up to 350 houses which was recommended for approval by the planning officer. The site is on the outskirts of Yarm, near the junction of Allerton Balk and Green Lane and
Those with a long memory will remember that what made the Asil Nadir case most interesting to some was his record of donations to the Conservative Party. He was, to put it mildly, generous, giving £440,000 during the late 1980's, just before the Polly Peck campaign collapsed amidst allegations of theft and fraud. I note that there have been calls for the Conservatives to return the funds, based on a curiously naïve declaration by Lord (then Sir Norman) Fowler that, were the funds proven to be stolen, they would be returned. Now, far be it from me to criticise, especially ...
My report this morning on LibDemVoice of our latest survey of party members showing that we're split 47%-46% on whether Nick Clegg should fight 2015 election as party leader has been picked up by Andrew Sparrow in The Guardian today under the more emphatic headline 'Half of Lib Dems want Nick Clegg to resign before election'. It's always a bit of a dilemma when I set up these polls what questions to ask, the more so if I'm aware any negative results they throw up could be seized on by the media. I endeavour to steer a middle course (I'm ...
I was going to choose Stephen Gately with New Beginning but I couldn't find a good version of it on You Tube. In its place, I've decided to stay in Ireland and to choose another act managed (I think) by Louis Walsh. Hands up if you remember Samantha Mumba and Gotta Tell You... Andrew
For generations in the wilderness Liberals held firm to the belief that British businesses would be transformed for the better if they were owned and controlled by their employees. From the Yellow Book , to Ownership for All and on to Jo Grimond this was the USP of our economic policy. After Paddy stepped down as Leader the policy fell from view but has been taken up again by Norman Lamb (although maybe not in the in such a radical distributionist fashion) Today the BBC carries two reports on the biggest group of worker owned business is Europe and asks ...
This is Tynemouth Watch House, headquarters of the town's volunteer life brigade since it was built in 1887. It was designed by Joseph F. Gomoszynski. It is like a New England rendering of the sought of late Victorian house you find on Leicester's London Road. Today the Watch House is home to a museum, though it was locked when I was there last week. It is also due for a major refurbishment. It forms part of a distinctive group of buildings that stand between the sea and the Collingwood Monument. There is something of Southwold about them.
Jeepers, we're in for a tough time ahead. Looks like there is an agreement to bail out Spanish banks as their economy is swirling around the plughole... Greece is already further down the plughole and will default again soon... and the rest of us are likely to be sucked down by the inertia, too, before long. How to persuade people to keep their nerve? How long can ordinary folk, more interested in EastEnders, The Simpsons, or simply finding the time to run from one job to another, spare any precious time to start to understand the issues? So, to stop ...
Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, is coming to Northampton on 5 September. Northamptonshire Lib Dems are holding a fundraising event, starting at at 8 p.m. at Kingsley Park Working Men's Club, 120-126 Kingsley Park Terrace, Northampton NN2 7HJ. All proceeds will go to Paul Varnsverry's campaign in the county's police and crime commissioner election. Tickets are £10 and there will be a buffet included - you do not have to be a member to attend. The organisers need to know numbers for the buffet, so If you intend to come please let them know. You can pay via ...
Sunday: The Foreign Office's recent threat to INVADE ECUADOR was a new LOW, managing to break the LIBERAL Principle of internationalism, the CONSERVATORY Principle of maintaining traditional values and the REALPOLITIK principle of not giving anyone else the excuse to do it back to us, all at once! Mr Vague was clearly having an OFF DAY or (more likely in the middle of August) a DAY OFF. Thankfully, it seems we've backed down. But we NEVER should have said that. But aside from that (Mrs Lincoln) how was the THEATRE surrounding the Eva Peron of the Embassy: Mr Julian Estrange? ...
Every day is made up of moments some memorable, some transient, some left hanging, because no one has time to record them. That's the way things are with this blog at the moment right here right now. Around 5:30 a day or so back I happened to witness a gorgeous sunrise near Hythe none too remarkable however memorable, a brilliant red fiery sky, maybe something not out of the ordinary but as I shot down the slip road onto the M20 instantly I felt regret for not having pulled over and taken a shot on the old smartphone camera. Similar ...
An abstract from the journal Social Psychology & Personality Science: Disgust Sensitivity, Political Conservatism and VotingYoel Inbar, David Pizarro, Ravi Iyer & Jonathan Haidt In two large samples (combined N = 31,045), we found a positive relationship between disgust sensitivity and political conservatism. This relationship held when controlling for a number of demographic variables as well as the "Big Five" personality traits. Disgust sensitivity was also associated with more conservative voting in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In Study 2, we replicated the disgust sensitivity-conservatism relationship in an international sample of respondents from 121 different countries. Across both samples, contamination ...
Following concerns raised by local residents, about the play field to the rear of Norwood School and that it had been consistently locked, the City Council have now confirmed that they will be unlocked for the remainder of the Summer holidays, allowing members of the community to access it, instead of jumping over the fence. Commenting, local LIB DEM ward councillor, Darren Fower said: "I received several queries as to why the gates had been consistently locked, despite the good weather and that the holidays are on, a time when young people are looking for somewhere to go and kick ...
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?" "To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." "The dog did nothing in the night-time." "That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.This time last year the Liberal Democrat blogosphere was filled with outrage at the party's decision to require people to be accredited by the police before they could attend its autumn conference. That outrage was turned into a critical motion at that conference, which was duly passed. Then, earlier this year, the party's bigwigs announced that they were going set aside the party's ...
I recently mentioned that the River Crescent Residents' Association AGM that I attended last Sunday was tinged with much sadness as one of its leading members, Sheila Fraser, passed away the previous Wednesday, after a short illness. Today, at Dundee Crematorium, along with her neighbours, her family and many friends, we remembered Sheila and celebrated her life. Sheila had two careers - firstly as a police officer in Fife, and later, a school teacher in Dundee - but above all, she was a much loved mother, grandmother, neighbour and friend. Sheila was always cheerful, positive and smiling - qualities that ...
Last Friday I wrote a post about how I thought feminism was becoming mainstream. Julian Assange, George Galloway, Todd Akin and others all combined to convince me it really wasn't, or else it's job was far from over. As you probably will not have been able to miss (much as you'd probably like to), Akin and Galloway have seen fit to share with us their rather inventive interpretations of likelihood of pregnancy under "legitimate" rape and how if you've consented to er... entering "the sex game" as Gorgeous George so temptingly puts it then you automatically have consented to everything ...
This afternoon, I participated in the City Council's Scrutiny Committee. In many respects, the substantive report was in relation to the misappropriation of income and cash from Baldragon Academy. Although the report before committee today was appropriate in its content, covering remedial action taken as a result of the investigation into the theft and a summary of review work undertaken planned to be undertaken by the City Council's Internal Audit Service, the committee and Chief Officers agreed to my request for a follow-up report covering audit arrangements and spot-checks at council establishments where there is cash-handling. This was a very ...
Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, has today launched a Cycle Rail Toolkit aimed at providing thousands of cyclists with easy access to rail travel. The Toolkit, produced in partnership with the Train Operating Companies and cycling groups, will provide specific guidance to railway companies on how they should improve cycle-rail integration. It includes clear recommendations on 'U' shaped channels, which should run out at ground level, a key issue among cyclists at Cambridge station. It comes after the Minister announced an extra £7 million for cycle-rail integration earlier this year, on top of the ...
[IMG: Lynne and campaigners at Harringay Station] There are just 24 hours left for residents to have their say on rail services at Harringay, Hornsey and Finsbury Park Stations – as the Department for Transport's consultation finishes tomorrow (Thursday 23rd). The consultation is especially important as Harringay and Hornsey Stations could miss out on a £6bn Government upgrade to services from the Thameslink programme – because the platforms are too short or on the wrong tracks. It would be massive shame if we were to miss out on this investment – and a disaster if we end up with less ...
There's a fantastic weekend ahead in Sandgate! On Saturday 25th August, there's a Saga Cruise Charity Auction. Saga have generously donated a luxury 15 night cruise to the Canaries and North Africa sailing on November 2nd and worth a total of £7,000, which will be auctioned in The Chichester Memorial Hall at 6pm. The Sea Festival kicks off on Saturday 25th from 7.30pm with the fabulous fireworks display sponsored by The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, starting around 9.30pm On Sunday 26th, the day time fun begins at 10.30am. There are more stalls than ever this year - truly something ...
The Carers support team at Cambridgeshire County Council have organised an away day which will provide advice and information for those supporting others. In previous years an Annual Carers Conference has been held, but following feedback the title and format has been altered this year. The event will still give carers an opportunity to air their views and meet professionals who provide them with services and support but in a less structured, more relaxed and fun atmosphere.. County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Councillor Martin Curtis, said: "The Annual Carers Conference was always well attended and we hope this ...
Yesterday I posted the video from the Cabinet Office showing the significant savings they had made. However, it seems worthwhile taking a bit more of a look at the figures. The Cabinet Office describes its approach to removing waste as ... Continue reading →
Did you see the Great British Bake-Off last night? Well, one of the twenty-something lads won, but the bad-teeth fella got kicked out after he got his plaits wrong. I spent much of the episode lusting hungrily after the various bready products portrayed on screen, and largely in incomprehension proportionate to my terrible cooking skills. ...
Around 300 people who gathered for the Sean Rigg memorial last night watched in shock and disgust as they were shown CCTV footage of his death at Brixton police station as police officers stood around him. Yesterday was also notable ... Continue reading →
Wed 22nd
15:23
Lynne Featherstone MP writes... George Galloway's comments on rape are totally unacceptable, and the...
In recent days, on both sides of the Atlantic, there have been not one, but two expressions of the kind of attitudes on rape you had hoped died with the Dark Ages. First, a US Republican Senate Candidate, Todd Akin, suggested that most women do not become pregnant after being raped as their body can, and I quote, 'shut that whole thing down'. Then Britain's own George Galloway, while offering his opinions on the Julian Assange case, took it upon himself to assert that certain acts of sexual violence are nothing more than 'bad manners', and that having sex with ...
I was very disappointed when the new statistics from the Department of Transport were released last week. With an increase in deaths and accidents involving drivers over the limit, we are losing the war on drink driving. The number of ... Continue reading →
As the Olympic Games concluded, the debate on school sports has risen to the fore. The Prime Minister, it seems, is a big fan of competitive sport being played in primary schools. This, he says, will lead to a real Olympic legacy. Since the Prime Minister started outlining his plans, the government has come under pressure to defend the sales of school playing fields - a robust defence of the 21 sell-offs was put forward by the Department for Education. Then it became 30. The media - and the Daily Telegraph in particular - has launched campaigns to save school ...
So states the Scottish Lib Dems' website in a rather disingenuous headline, announcing that an "independent" panel of experts has presented its findings in respect to its views on the form the question in the forthcoming independence referendum should take. It's disingenuous of course because no question has been published, merely advice as to how that question should be asked and what form the question should take. I'm not going to question the expertise of the panel, which includes Prof Stewart Sutherland, Dr Matt Qvortrup and Ron Gould. I'm even in agreement with some of the sentiments reportedly expressed by ...
Unless you're Prince Harry. Gossip website TMZ have published images of the Prince naked, having seemingly lost a game of strip pool. Insert your own terrible 'Crown Jewels' joke here. I have to say I feel really sorry for the ... Continue reading →
With next Monday (27th August) being a Bank Holiday , bin collections next week are put back one day. For instance, if your normal collection day is a Monday, next week it will be a Tuesday. Details are on the Northumberland County Council website here And as a reminder next week is a Blue Bin ( recyclabe items ) week
Last week, Paddy Ashdown came to the Edinburgh Book Festival. He filled the main theatre twice over with two very different talks.The first, Why the world will never be the same again, was chaired by the Today Programme's James Naughtie. "I wouldn't trust the UN to run a Liberal Democrat jumble sale"Speaking without notes and with compelling candour, Paddy told us that we were condemned to living in one of those turbulent times when the balance of power in the world shifts. He saw two such major shifts. The first was a vertical one. Individual nation states could not alone ...
Last week, Paddy Ashdown came to the Edinburgh Book Festival. He filled the main theatre twice over with two very different talks. The first, Why the world will never be the same again, was chaired by the Today Programme's James Naughtie. "I wouldn't trust the UN to run a Liberal Democrat jumble sale" Speaking without notes and with compelling candour, Paddy told us that we were condemned to living in one of those turbulent times when the balance of power in the world shifts. He saw two such major shifts. The first was a vertical one. Individual nation states could ...
Wed 22nd
12:57
Lucy Wright beat extradition despite preparing to plead guilty so why didn't Julian Assange?
I haven't weighed in on this Julian Assange debate but I have many questions on the matter and there aren't too many answers out there. Facts are few and far between but conjecture is all around. The vast majority of people fall into one of two camps – either it is a giant conspiracy or he's a rapist doing whatever he can to avoid facing imprisonment for his crimes. As per usual I am not firmly in either camp. I do think that there are many eyebrow-raising decisions that Mr Assange has made and they are at best questionable and ...
Amanda Feilding: "Tobacco kills 100,000 a year - cannabis a handful throughout history" I'm really pleased to see another article/post that makes perfect sense when it comes to the illogical policies that are in place world wide when it comes to illicit drugs. I know it's always easy to talk up people who agree with you but I really think she makes a lot of sense: "What is your stance on legalisation?[Drug laws] are often at variance with human rights: it is not clear why a person's enjoyment of a recreational drug, so long as it causes no harm to ...
One thing I was certain of, until recently was that rape is bad - and everyone thinks this. It would appear that I must have been mistaken. It seems that actually if two different women accuse you of rape it's fine not to face those charges, well it's fine at least if you are internationally famous for being a good person - highlighting problems other people have faced and showing the world the corruption of governments. How could I have got it so wrong? Before I say anything else, I've got to add that I love the work that WikiLeaks ...
The death of the Right to Die campaigner and Locked-in Syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson triggers mixed emotions of sadness, anger and relief. Sadness because his last few days were not peaceful ones, following the refusal by the Courts to allow him to die as he wished. The anguish on his face as he cried following ...
The Young Ones was terrific. Filthy Rich & Catflap was ok. Bottom was just as good as The Young Ones but the BBC declined a fully written fourth series but the stage shows continued until 2003 where upon Ade decided that the time was right to make a clean break from the Richie and Eddie franchise and try other things. Fans had always hoped that the two of them would reunite in a comedy way and Ade always said he'd like to do something with Rik again in the future and the future is seemingly now. Yesterday Ade posted on ...
ALDC Management Committee ALDC is governed by a Management Committee, which is elected every two years by a ballot of all members. Any member can stand for election to the Management Committee (unless you have worked or had a contractual relationship with the Association in the last year). Nobody can hold any single Officer position for longer than four years. The elections take place in the October of even numbered years, for a Committee which serves from November for two years. Management Committee is made up of six Officers (President, Chair, two Vice-Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer) and 13 ordinary members ...
If you Google "Lib Dems say no", this is the result you get. Beyond the recent headlines on new runways you will see that this phrase is widely used in our campaigns. In the same search, click on Images to emphasise the point. One would be forgiven for thinking that this phrase is printed on our membership cards. This phrase is deeply conservative and does nothing to help with our problem of explaining what the Lib Dems stand for, something I recently argued we urgently need to do. At the next election an opportunity to set that vision our will ...
I am a huge supporter of Drink Aware, and they have an excellent website and online tools. I am slightly intrigued by this one: Really? We go out and mark anything that happens as either a Good Time or a Bad Time, on a Facebook page?! "Your friend finally got chatting to the person they've been going on about for ages? Take a snap and upload it as a 'good time'. Later on one of your friends has ended up making a bit of a fool of themselves - you guessed it, snap it and upload it as a ...
The US-based Chronicle of Philanthropy has unveiled a jazzy new gizmo on their website mapping How America Gives. Loads of fascinating data to mine — oh for a UK version! — but the one I was most interested in was 'Percentage of income given by household', as this is the best measure of philanthropic generosity. $1 million to Bill Gates is nothing, $5k to others is huge — ie, The Parable of the Widow's Mite. Here's what we find: As the black circle indicates, we see that those with higher income give away less of their money to charity than ...
Here is a wonderful parody on the USA denying equality equal rights to LGBT couples based on the Cash for Gold adverts.
The Advertising Standards Authority have today published their adjudication about the RSPCA's "home for life" adverts. The ASA take the view that people do not need to be told that a proportion of the animals taken by the RSPCA under "home for life" are euthanased by the RSPCA even if they are rehomeable. The background to this is that a constituent of mine had some dogs taken by the RSPCA -
The Potter Blogger: Rape: Or why I am now a feminist This, right here? This is hope for the future. This shows that the fight is worth fighting. Thank you, George, and welcome to the club. (tags: ) Why do we let the Prudocracy police our sexual fantasies? (tags: ) Who is Manchester Pride really for? | Lesbilicious Clue: not for anyone who doesn't like misogyny (tags: ) Doctor Her » Radical Inclusiveness 2: Or, Dear Mister Moffat (tags: ) Religious Right Rape Scale « (tags: ) Sebastian Bach and Jon Bon Jovi End Decades-Long Hair Metal Feud I don't ...
LDV readers will no doubt be delighted that The Thick of It will be back on our screens this Autumn. The political satire has been greatly missed over the past two years and it will be interesting to see how they interpret the dynamics of Coalition Government. If today's Independent is to be believed, the script writers had a bit of help. The headline suggests a co-ordinated strategy – "How Nick Clegg's aides tried to put him in the thick of it". Sadly, the actual story doesn't really stack up. "Nick Clegg may wish to interrogate his private office," says ...
LDV readers will no doubt be delighted that The Thick of It will be back on our screens this Autumn. The political satire has been greatly missed over the past two years and it will be interesting to see how they interpret the dynamics of Coalition Government. If today's Independent is to be believed, the script writers had a bit of help. The headline suggests a co-ordinated strategy - "How Nick Clegg's aides tried to put him in the thick of it". Sadly, the actual story doesn't really stack up. "Nick Clegg may wish to interrogate his private office," says ...
Yesterday's official statistics were not at all good. The UK had a net deficit of £557m in July (excluding "funnies") compared to a surplus of £2.8bn last year and analysts' forecasts of £2.5bn. OK there could be glitches here such as the closed gas field and the potential for a surge in tax receipts in August ...
As summer comes to an end (did it ever start?), there is good news on the Televison front, with a new series of Dr. Who and the imminent return of The Thick of it, based around the coalition government. Rather disturbingly, today's Independent suggests that the scriptwriters have had the benefit of the inside track from Nick Clegg's office. They say that aides to the Deputy Prime Minister have been only too keen to leak embarrassing details of life as the Government's junior partners. I do hope so. The Liberal Democrats have always been able to laugh at themselves, though ...
Wed 22nd
07:15Lib Dem members split 47%-46% on whether Nick Clegg should fight 2015 election as party leader
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 500 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. 47% say Nick should stay to fight 2015 election; 46% say he shouldn't LDV asked: Thinking about Nick Clegg's position as Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Lib Dems, which of these scenarios do you want to see happen? 47% – I want Nick Clegg to continue both as Deputy Prime Minister and to lead the Lib Dems into ...
Following residents raising the issue with me, I have asked the City Council to repair worn white junction lines at: • Step Row at Magdalen Yard Road • Riverside Approach at Madgalen Yard Road/Roseangle A photograph of the worn white lines at Riverside Approach is given below:
[IMG: image]
