I have had a welcome day off, and have spent it resting and catching up on emails. Tomorrow I'm back at ExCel for a more civilised 8am start to my final day as a Gamesmaker. This week I worked four consecutive 11 hour days, clocking in each morning at 5.45am. Some of my colleagues were leaving home before 4am in order to be there on time, but I was able to saunter over in 5 minutes from my hotel. I was even more pleased that I didn't have a long journey back at the end of the day. Which brings ...
Rosemarie and I have just had a perfect meal with ingredients from Tring Friday Market. For starters we had melon. Then we followed that by two fillets of sea bass and some fresh samphire from Paul Hopwood's wet fish stall, with carrots, runner beans and white potatoes (and the melon) from the fruit and veg stall. The cost? Just £4 each! All perfectly cooked – we got the timing right for once! What a treat and what a bargain! Of course you do need a bit of skill – but cooking's not really difficult (except the timing!), it's fun and ...
Targets reached for the team, but there is no stopping them. There were yet more medals but only one of them gold today for Paralympics GB meaning more for the Royal Mail to do to keep producing those stamps but a light day. Early on today was an gold in the morning session in the F51/52/53 women's discus. Josie Pearson threw a F51 world Record of 6.58m in the third round; her third of the competition. She didn't throw any further in the final three rounds but she didn't need to securing GB's 32nd gold. As it was a mixed ...
At one time I was secretary of the Liberal Animal Welfare Group, and still support causes for animal welfare. Here's a current petition worthy of your consideration. We call for changes in the Laws governing animals for sale on Internet sites. Responsible department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs We urge the Government to review the current Laws governing animal welfare to include animals for sale on trading internet sites. Currently live animals can be advertised for sale on these internet sites and there are no laws, few rules, checks or protection for the animals. Some animals offered for ...
Having cut millions from the (already lean) Council budget over the last couple of years, Stockport Council needs to find around £24 million of further savings in the next two, and it doesn't get any easier. Although the budget for 2013/14 isn't decided until next March, we're starting early to give as much time as possible for everyone to look at our proposals, comment on them and perhaps come up with others we've not thought of. We're aiming to plan ahead and identify savings for the next two years 2013/14 and 2014/15. The proposals we have so far identify around ...
The North West news today includes a story about the Hillsborough disaster because Harry Arnold, the reporter who wrote the original article claims he was 'aghast' when he read that the title was 'The Truth'. He says that he wrote about allegations and it was a version of the truth. His article had been written in a 'fair and balanced way'. It was only a 'version' of the truth. So what kind of truth had Liverpool fans urinating on a police officer? How much truth was there in writing about stealing money from dead people? This version of the truth ...
Police newsletter for Cheadle, September 2012
Just finished reading 'the Complaints' - the first non-Rebus Rankin crime novel. It features a dodgy cop called Billy Giles. So by some very circuitous logic today's Friday favourite is Tribe of Toffs 'John Kettley is a weatherman' which features the only reference (that I know of) to 'Billy Giles' in pop music... The song - something of a novelty in its day - actually stands up quite well.
The return of David Laws to ministerial office is a bad move by Nick Clegg and the Lib Dem leadership. It is a triumph of hope over political reality and demonstrates (sadly once again) the naive political judgement of Clegg. Here's just some of the images posted on the web over the last few days on the issue: Whatever the merits of Laws (and his reasons for not telling the truth about his expenses) - he is severely damaged goods. His return to government is just another reminder that the Lib Dems say one thing in opposition and do the ...
A press release from the longest serving pension minister Steve Webb arrived this morning. This is of particular relevance to Southport where so many people are employed in retail, hotels, restaurants and care services. Builders, waiters and gardeners are among those who will benefit most from automatic enrolment into workplace pensions starting next month, new analysis by DWP reveals today. The industries where workers are currently least likely to have a workplace pension are Construction (with 33 per cent of workers saving); Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants (28 per cent); and Agriculture and Fishing (19 per cent). Gas fitters, electricians and ...
A 2002 Guardian article by Jon Henley begins: Fifty years ago next weekend a Hillman saloon pulled off the N96 near the village of Lurs, about 75 miles from Aix. It was a stifling Provençal afternoon and the car's occupants, the distinguished British scientist Sir Jack Drummond, his wife Ann, and their 10-year-old daughter Elizabeth, decided to camp out for the night by the banks of the river Durance. Within hours they became the centre of one of France's most troubling criminal puzzles, variously shot and clubbed to death. The tragic demise of the Drummonds is a murder mystery that ...
Charles Beaumont looks An English Murder by Cyril Hare "England, alone of all civilized countries, retains in its constitution an hereditary legislative chamber." - An English Murder, Cyril Hare (1951)The Tory media screeched that the idea of an elected legislature would lead to "blood on the floor and the walls and the ceiling" and Boris Johnson, who owes his job to the largest direct election in British politics declared "[i]t is crucial to the success of the Upper House [...] above all that it is at one remove from the electorate". The average liberal got a forcible reminder of conservatism's ...
With youngsters returning to school this week, Peterborough City Council have sent out a reminder to people that six children aged 16 and under were killed or seriously injured on Peterborough roads in 2011 and 89 were slightly injured! Commenting, local LIB DEM ward councillor Darren Fower said: "The City Council are reminding local children returning to school next week after the summer holidays to remember their Green Cross Code and stay safe on their way to and from school. "Personally, I'd also like to see the Town Hall announcing what actions they intend to introduce in the coming year ...
The MP for South East Cambridgeshire James Paice has been given a knighthood. The eye-catching headline was Honours for Cabinet Reshuffle Casualties. Poor poor people. How terrible for them to lose out to younger, fresher faces. They have done their jobs and to lessen the pain, heres a gong or two. A snarky post comparing these people with the likes of people who also just did their jobs such as Bradley Wiggins; Dave Brailsford; Jessica Ennis; Mo Farah; Eleanor Simmonds; Sarah Storey; David Weir and Lee Pearson would have followed if it was not for the surprising news that Dave ...
There's a tremendous hoo hah going on over at LDV on Nick's leadership just now, in an 'LDV debate'. Here's my two pennys worth... 1. I do have a bit of a problem with the way the debate has been framed. It looks Like Paul W in the 'No to Nick' camp wrote his piece which was then read , analysed and replied to by Nick T in the 'yes' camp. I'd have preferred to see both pieces written 'cold' and then the debate on the comments section to begin... 2. I think Nick did a tremendous job as leader ...
It might have escaped the notice of some of my English friends, but after the screening of Cameron's 18-rated horror on Tuesday fellow film director Alex Salmond decided to make some adjustments to his cast too. "Nightmare on Downing Street" followed by "Independence Day" might sound like an entertaining evening's viewing but in reality both reshuffles tell us very significant things about the Prime Minister and First Minister respectively. The first instalment of drama made it quite clear that David Cameron is insecure, fearful of his own party's right wing but lacking the courage to take it on. It also ...
...just a shame the politician in question has been dead since 1898. Yes, this is BBC Two's fabulous 'The Great British Bake Off' whose mini in-programme historical documentary — which gives viewers a little break from the egg, flour, caramel, tears, competitiveness, and vanilla essence — this week highlighted the role of sweet-toothed W. E. Gladstone in lifting the Sugar Tax in 1874 and making good cheap sugar affordable to the working classes. This was an application of 'economic liberalism' (I think he would have said 'free trade') that made possible in Britain the popular culture of baked goods, sweets ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Maria Miller's appointment: have you forgotten what was said when Theresa May got the role? (14 comments) by Mark Pack Government Reshuffle live blog (63 comments) by Caron Lindsay The reshuffle - who's in and who's out (15 comments) by Nick Thornsby Opinion: Reshuffle to the Right (89 comments) by Sean Davey What the three departing Lib Dem ministers have said as they leave government (4 comments) by Stephen Tall 5 sample LDV Members' Forum threads Zac ...
It's hard to know what to make of yesterday's slew of policy initiatives in the housing field. It is clear that they are directed primarily at boosting the economy, rather than being any sort of considered response to the problems of the housing market. You get the sense that the Government has pretty much run out of ideas and it just so happens that doing something with housing investment might help. It's incidental that it is housing. It's the only lever left to pull. There has already been a healthy debate in the mainstream and social media as to whether ...
There were three principal council by-elections reported to ALDC for Thursday 6th September, unfortunately, they were all formerly ours and we only held the one. There was disappointing news from Lincolnshire, where we have to report on a pair of losses. Our formerly held division seat in Lincolnshire County Council, Nettleham and Saxilby, was lost to the Conservatives by just over four hundred votes. Things were a little closer in the West Lindsey district seat of Nettleham, where after a hard fight the Conservatives took the ward by fifty-two votes. Our commiserations to the West Lindsey team on such a ...
D66 the left Liberal Party from the Netherlands is being tipped to enter government. With the recovery of the Labour Party the possibility of a 'purple coalition' is growing. That was the coalition that ran the government between 1994 and 2002 and has always been seen as D66's preferred option. The coalition would consist of D66, the Labour Party and the right wing Liberals VVD. The election is on the 12th September Earlier this year D66 put out a statement on their position which can be found in full here and their website is here Forward Now Towards a prosperous, ...
As a 'thank you' for all his hard work the Liberal MP for Southport presented his agent with a handsomely engraved silver salver. I was John Pugh M.P.'s agent when he first won Southport but sadly it was not me who got given the 120 ounce silver salver. The MP was another John, J M Astbury KC, who fought and won the seat in 1906 and his agent was the legendary A. Keith Durham. Now I must make clear I do not hold a grudge against John Pugh for failing to give me such a lavish gift. When I fought ...
Saturday the fifteenth is Simon Wright's birthday. To help him celebrate, he'd like nothing better than hordes of Liberal Democrats to join him in Norwich. We'll be playing such party classics as: find a deliverer, how many leaflets can you deliver in an hour, and pass the residents survey. If you're not familiar with these games, training will be available. As the local party will be providing a free lunch and a free supper, they need to know how many will attend. They also need numbers because they need to know how much to print for the party games. If ...
As far as I am aware there is only one meeting at Blyth Town Council next week. Thursday 13th September, 6:30 at Ebor House, Finance Committee. I will post if I hear of further meetings
In this reposted Odanglesex adventure, senior management is getting concerned about the level of mileage allowance claims and responds with its default reaction - tight centralisation (for a while). FROM: Grant Coutts, Director of Financial Process and Resources TO: Kenneth Spotlessnob, Director of Transformational Excellence and Strategic Vision Kenneth: I attach a copy of the quarterly analysis of mileage expenses by directorate. While the overall trend for the Council is directionally benevolent, your directorate's mileage is increasing. One employee in your directorate claimed for more than a thousand miles in the last quarter. FROM: Kenneth Spotlessnob TO: Grant Coutts Grant: ...
As you may know I'm a, often inconsistent, "liberaltarian". That is basically a libertarian who doesn't have the balls to go all the way and just say "Screw the Government". Perhaps calling myself a lightweight minarchist is the best way of describing my usual political stance on most issues. Reading back through my personal blog (which is far older than this) I have often gone through periods of libertarianism. It is a running theme through the last decade or so. I have a strong belief that the Government should keep out of people's lives. And yet, I'm a huge a ...
Today's meeting of Cornwall's Communities Scrutiny Committee decided that St Austell is the best place to host the new archive and records office for Cornwall. The St Austell bid was chosen above those from Redruth and Hayle. The decision to go for a new joint archive a record centre comes because the existing archive - below Old County Hall - is full to overflowing. Historical items are scattered around the UK and are not on display for the people of Cornwall and visitors as they should be. It makes sense to combine the archive with the Cornish Studies Library (currently ...
I should start by saying that this has not been an easy decision to make. I have been thinking about it for a while, and have taken my time to come to a decision. I could sit here and say that I resigned because I want to focus on my job, or that being Liberal ...
The Department for Communities and Local Government yesterday announced a series of new planning and housing measures. Key measures include: The removal of affordable housing requirements – Developers who can prove that a council's affordable housing requirements will make a project commercially unviable will see them removed. The Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill - the Bill includes Government guarantees of up to £40 billion worth of major infrastructure projects and up to £10 billion of new homes. This will include guaranteeing the debt of Housing Associations and private sector developers. The provision of up to 15,000 affordable homes and £300m of ...
Forthcoming events at in Sandgate Saturday 8th September at 10am: Folkestone Netmums at The Hub Café, Sandgate - for mums, dads and young kiddies Saturday 8th September from 11am to 1pm: Open Dance Day for 'Tiddies and Toddies' at the Chichester Hall, Sandgate. Taster session for 2 and a half to 6 year olds. £2 contribution. For more info, call 07805 059334 Monday 10th September from 10am to 11am: Read & Rhyme starts again - at Sandgate Library Friday 14th September from 7.30pm: A Pictorial History of Sandgate and Folkestone at St Paul's Church Hall, Sandgate. Entrance £1 Published and ...
Kent Trading Standards are warning consumers NOT to rely on the printed version of the new-style MoT certificates when buying cars after a 38 year old man was arrested by Cleveland Police on suspicion of forging MoT test certificates with intent to deceive. There is also the possibility that unscrupulous traders, and service repair outlets, could agree to MoT a vehicle and charge accordingly without having carried out the test at all. The new-style MoT test certificates can be fraudulently reproduced and there is a lack of awareness about the fact that paper documents are no longer proof of existence ...
The reshuffle: the talking point of the last few days. I'm sure we all feel a bit angry and flustered after the Tory side was announced - Hunt at health, Miller as equalities. It really could not have been much less liberal. Our side, though, may at first appear entirely less interesting, and far more acceptable. There were some great moves in the reshuffle, sure. Jo Swinson as an Undersecretary of State. David Laws is back. This reshuffle, though, has cut out something essential to the Liberal Democrats: our internationalism. Lib Dems gone from FCO. No Lib Dems in the ...
This lunchtime the funeral for Sister Aloysius, who founded Francis House in 1990, has been held. Three weeks ago, I attended a blessing at Francis House in Didsbury for the new extension, which will provide 7 extra bedrooms. In 1990, Sister ... Continue reading →
Economists recognise that many private activities have "externalities." which can be positive or negative. In the pre-politically correct days when I taught in an all-boys school we used the example of the girl wearing a mini-skirt, who had the private satisfaction gained from the knowledge that she was in fashion,and we had the public benefit of being able to admire her legs, as a positive externality. Unacceptably sexist today, I know, but they did remember it. In housing, or any other building for that matter, an elegantly designed structure gives private satisfaction to its owner, and the rest of us ...
The first thing David Laws has been doing as the new Education Minister is promoting the Pupil Premium. For schools in Haringey it's worth £8.8million. So it's a shame that their Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone ends up having to write to them to find out how they are spending the money. One report finds that while some schools are spending the premium as intended, for example on early intervention schemes or more one-to-one tuition, a sizeable number also use it to mitigate cuts. Most worryingly teachers don't seem to be aware of their school having priorities for spending the ...
By Howard of Lib Dem News
Like many other Welsh Liberal Democrats I am delighted and relieved that Jenny Randerson has been made a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Wales Office (PUSS). This position is significant because unlike many other domestic departments, the Wales Office's role can be reduced to a representational one, rather than legislative and administrative, though they do some of that as well. Most of the responsibilities of Wales Office Ministers have been devolved to the Welsh Government, so they are focussed on representing Wales in cabinet and vice versa. It has to be said though that this role is crucial ...
Ooh, it's all kicking off at Liberal Democrat Voice today as two daily editors, Paul Walter and Nick Thornsby debate the Coalition, the reshuffle and Nick Clegg's leadership. Paul argues that he can't support the Coalition or Nick Clegg's leadership any more because of David Laws' renewed high profile role and the Tories' promotion of Hunt and elevation of the notorious Lord Ashcroft to the Privy Council. I've made a comment there that I thought was worth re-posting here. Do come and join in the debate. Here's what I think about Nick and his leadership:Ok, I'm going to stick my ...
My latest from the New Statesman. Do pop over there to see the normal complimentary comments... So, now it's war.As the reshuffle unfolded, my timeline was full of fellow Lib Dems asking "Is Cameron actively trying to piss us off?" And frequently it did feel like that. But of course the truth is, Cameron wasn't really bothered what we thought. That wasn't what this reshuffle was about. Neither was it really about a strategy to win the next general election - a lurch to the right seems unlikely to hoover up enough votes from UKIP to compensate for the seats ...
Deep in the ruins of GHQ in fortress Stalingrad General Paulus mused over the situation. His army was dead, dying, captured or starving. He held in his hand a memo from Berlin that effectively promoted him to Generalfeldmarschall, no German army had ever been defeated in the field, nor had a GFM surrendered nor were they expected to. The implication for failure was clear. After the failure of July plot General von Treskow walked out into a minefield. Generals Clinton and Burgoyne never held a significant command after failing in the Americas. Asquith and Chamberlain slipped into obscurity after their ...
Even the cursorily familiar with economics will have heard of the Paradox of Thrift; when people, worried about the future of the economy, save rather than spend, and in doing so ensure that the economy takes a downturn. The current shale gas boom in the US is an example of a different kind of paradox: ...
Fri 7th
12:11
Opinion: Good news on affordable housing, but spare me the house builders' crocodile tears - their s...
Winning an extra £300m from the Treasury for affordable housing and tackling empty homes is good news by any standard (well done, Andrew Stunell, and thanks for all you did at DCLG). Moving forward on the £10 billion government guarantees for infrastructure spending is positive too. And if the Montague Review to encourage private renting is implemented, that's proof patience can be rewarded.... I spent ten years on the London Assembly calling for both Labour and Conservative mayors to act. Back in June I had put housing at the heart of a four-point plan for a sustainable recovery. So it ...
Pontes v Portugal K.A.B. v. Spain 59819/08
Thirty years ago today David Ogilvy penned his classic memo on how to write. As he said in it, "People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well." So today is also a good day to read his memo, which you can find in full here.
The light is clear, crisp and sea-washed bright as it falls through the bay window and across the desk. Perfectly lit. A stage setting, almost. The perfect light for the perfect desk in a writer's room. Not an office, no, not a some stuffy ashtray-coffee-cup-dog-end muddled cell. Not a library heaving with all the words you can never ever hope to write. But a clean, clear, quiet space. As hopeful as a blank page and as empty, apart from the desk. I had bought the desk on a whim, who could resist such a thing? Its deep layers of varnish ...
People living in the Nursery Road and Long Lane area have been wondering for some time now what the Council plans to do with the former Greenhill Nursery site. We now know that the Council says it doesn't need the land itself and is thinking about options for how it can be used. There'll be a report leading to a decision. Obviously its important that local people have as much say as possible at this early stage as well as when any planning application might come along. My colleague Richard Oglethorpe has written to people living very near the site ...
On September 2nd, Liberal Democrat Voice co-editor, Stephen Tall, strongly supported Nick Clegg's leadership of the Liberal Democrats, in his piece, Nick Clegg's leadership: 3 thoughts from me. Giving one other side of the debate, Monday editor of LDV, Paul Walter, here explains why he cannot support Nick Clegg as leader any more. Below Paul's piece, fellow day editor, Nick Thornsby responds. Against – by Paul Walter This week I have had a peculiarly "beard and sandals" type of personal crisis. I heard that Jeremy Hunt had been promoted to run one of the largest and most cherished government departments ...
Theresa May to announce Gary McKinnon extradition decision by October - UK Politics - UK - The Independent (tags: ) Doctor Who fabrics on Spoonflower I think I like the time-fob/Van Gogh one on page 7 best. (tags: ) FactCheck: Cuts to Disability Living Allowance | The FactCheck Blog (tags: ) In Search of the Happiness Max, On the topic of harassment. (tags: ) Nature ENCODE : Nature Publishing Group : A landmark in the understanding of the human genome More on the Human Genome, via Bagpuss (tags: ) anecdotes of a manic mum: S.O.S... (tags: ) Comedians using their ...
This week is the 260th anniversary of the founding of the Eleven Day Empire, and 'coincidentally' a lot of people have been linking to the Faction Paradox wiki, which has had a new lease of life recently after several years of inactivity. This is mostly because there has been a huge doctrinal schism on wikia, ...
Another piece of reshuffling today – the replacement for Richard Reeves as Nick Clegg's strategy advisor is being formally announced. It will by Ryan Coetzee, previously of the South African Democratic Alliance where he has been both Chief Exec and an MP. That mix of both backroom and frontroom political experience should come in very useful. #MiddayReport And the DA's Ryan Coetzee on his move to London, to advice UK Dep PM Nick Clegg. — Stephen Grootes (@StephenGrootes) September 7, 2012 Though he is technically Richard Reeves's successor he will be a very different sort of person, with a lot ...
The party's housing working group has looked at the laws around the private rented sector. We had a choice of whether we regulate: no private landlords, or some private landlords or all private landlords. The party's housing working group rejected the deregulation option. But we didn't reach agreement on whether we should regulate some landlords, targeting landlords with more vulnerable tenants, or regulate all 1 million private landlords. It will be for conference to decide. Large houses in multiple occupation (HMO), e.g. student houses, have always been regulated because HMO tenants have always been seen to be at a greater ...
St Basils is a fantastic Birmingham charity providing advice and support to young homeless people in our city. They provide housing advice, family mediation, emergency housing and supported accommodation. They will be 40 in October 2012 and have the opportunity to win £250,000 to extend their services – what's more you can help them win it. The money would come from Persimmon Homes, one of the UK's largest house builders, who are giving away a £250,000 home also, as it happens, to celebrate their 40th birthday. There are 24 organisations hoping to win the home, who gets it will be ...
Fri 7th
08:56Rehsuffles, reasonable Liberal Democrats and Jo Swinson's rising star: Guardian podcast
This week's Politics Weekly podcast from The Guardian features, ahem, myself alongside Dan Sabbagh, Juliette Jowit and Tom Clark. Amazingly, we talked reshuffle, then reshuffle and a bit more reshuffle, including how Jo Swinson is now one of the party's main rising stars. All three of the Guardianistas are their own people with their own views, yet I was struck how between them they didn't particularly paint the reshuffle as a lurch to the right – more a nudge of a few points – and also how they were relatively kind to the Liberal Democrats too. Not quite the collective ...
Another gathering of things people have said better than me: I Hate It When Politicians Talk About "Hard-Working Families" – Jennie Rigg points out the flaws in a bit of politician-speak. Democracy 2015 – The Independent's new campaign – I was thinking of pointing out some of the flaws with this campaign, but A Dragon's Best Friend has beating me to it. Gathering of the damned – DoktorB on party conferences and leaders' speeches. Do we have to be so macho? – In the wake of David Cameron's 'butch' comments, Emma Burnell questions the style of modern politics. Comedians using ...
Here's a thought. Zac Goldsmith has promised to resign and force a by election if Tory policy changes on Heathrow (By the way Zac - it has changed. Previously it was no third runway, now it's 'we'll look at it again'. I notice you haven't resigned). He is presumably waiting to see if the 3rdrunway actually becomes policy. But what if he isn't... Zac isn't finished with politics, even if he is disillusioned by Westminster politics. What other job do you think he might fancy? Now hold that thought. Boris Johnson is anti third runway. He also wants to be ...
Residents have complained to me that the pay phone box at Magdalen Place is graffitied and some of the glass panels are missing - see right. On their behalf, I have contacted BT and requested repairs.
Tony Davis in the South Glos Council Chamber shortly after the result was announced Tony Davis gained a convincing victory in the Dodington ward by-election this week, with more votes than the other candidates put together. The opposition parties were very divided, with the Conservative vote collapsing so that they finished last. The full results are as follows: Tony Davis, Liberal Democrat Focus Team 787 votes ELECTEDMike McGrath, Labour Party 243 votesAaron Foot, UK Independence Party 213 votesKate Duffy, Conservative Party Candidate 139 votesTony will take his seat at the first meeting of South Gloucestershire Council next week. Boundary note: ...
