At the local Southfield police panel meeting tonight it was their AGM. There was a good chance to hear from the local police team what they have done over the year and what changes there will be to the police in Southfield, Chiswick. The items I noted down included... 1. Police team nearly back up to full strength and the Lib Dem petition You might be aware of the petition set up by the Southfield Liberal Democrats to get ensure that our area had a team of six led by a sergeant who does not have to share his time ...
This year's Liberal Democrat autumn conference in Brighton is heading towards its final day. There was a lot of interesting substance to some of the discussions I attended. The conference also raised plenty of questions about the way the party goes about its business. I may return to some of them in future. Here I'll just note a couple of issues that stood out. Good Today's motion F41: No Government above the law - the Justice and Security Bill was trailed as a likely flashpoint for dissent. And so it proved. The motion called for the Coalition to withdraw part ...
Sorry for the relative lack of updates for the last week — my wife's been away at conference (and before that for work), which means I'm more distracted than normal. I'm also working on two writing projects I can't talk about yet, which are taking up some of my brain power. I'll have a Who ...
A useful video, which looks to be made up from excerpts from a longer interview. I particularly admire the way that Pinker does not invent abstract rights to make the case for free speech. Instead, just as Mill and Popper did, he points to the unwelcome consequences of not allowing freedom of speech. Thanks to Boing Boing.
Four weeks ago, like all the good people of Eastrop, my bottle bin (well more of a box) went the short journey from just inside the garden gate to just outside the garden gate ready for the reliable emptying service on Monday morning. It sat , clearly labelled with my address, on top of the large recycling bin, carrying my address equally clearly. They grey bin was there too, less full (
Just returned from a couple of days in Brighton where it was good to catch up with some old friends. The biggest talking point was not in fact the future of Nick Clegg but the appalling weather. But the conference was noticeable for the extremely high ratio of non-representative to representatives - either an indication of the party's decline in membership or the attraction of commerce to lobbying ministers. The sight that greeted you on arrival at Brighton station - an advert for an appropriately named play at the Theatre Royale The angry sea and remains of the West Pier ...
In his interview with Andrew Marr on Sunday Nick Clegg suggested that parents and grandparents should be allowed to draw on their pension pots to secure deposits and help young family members get a foot on the housing ladder. Larry Elliott thinks it is a very bad idea and I find it hard to disagree with a word he writes: This is wrong on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin, but let's start with the basic rules of economics. The reason homes are out of reach for most young people is that property prices are ...
Two years ago I posted Lord Bonkers' words of wisdom from a New York hotel room. Tonight my day job has brought me to one in Manchester. So here is the foreword to new Liberator songbook that revellers will be using in Brighton later this evening. Bonkers HallRutlandTel: Rutland 7 I am rather of the view that we fought two world wars so that we did not have to be approved by the police before we could attend the conference of our political party. Yet when I put this to the President of the Liberal Democrats he took out an ...
At most conferences there is at least one debate which proves how different we are from the other main parties. Different because we entrust Conference to decide party policy, in open debate, even where that may be at odds with the views of our parliamentarians. Today's debate on the 'Secret Courts' motion was a good example. The full title was F41: No Government Above the Law – The Justice and Security Bill. This motion, submitted by two local parties, called on the Coalition to withdraw Part II of the Justice and Security Bill, which would empower Ministers to allow civil ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our xxxth weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (16-22 September, 2012), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Nick Clegg "might ...
It isn't the social life. It isn't the fact that we are just awesome. It isn't even the fact that being a Lib Dem with the looks of Mike Hancock means young attractive eastern European girls will fancy you. No the best thing about being a Liberal Democrat is that the membership actually dictate party policy and not the leadership. That my friends is why many of us even with coalition frowns don't leave and know that by staying on the inside we can still influence what we do in government. This evening we saw F41 voted on by those ...
I read with interest the reaction to Trevor Phillips' retirement in the Guardian. The commentators Rob Berkeley, Sandra Kerr and Simon Woolley all make valid points. There is no doubt that Trevor Phillips has had a ...
In biology there's a process called "speciation", which is the moving apart of two groups of individuals of the same species, usually geographically separated, until they can be counted as separate species. Something similar happens with languages, although as history has tended to create larger units and faster communication across longer distances as time went on, with languages we also see the process in reverse. At some stage the northern and southern Celtic languages diverged and later the two languages themselves subdivided, encouraged by being separated by non-Celtic speakers, so Cornish, for example, is neither Breton nor Welsh. Distinct dialects ...
It would appear I have been slipping in the book plugging department: Apparently @markpack has recently written a book. He never mentions it. He needs to learn to push himself forward. #LDconf — Ben Mathis (@binny_uk) September 24, 2012 So to remedy that, here's the latest news: 101 Ways To Win An Election is now available on iTunes. The book is also by available from Amazon (paperback and Kindle editions) and as a Kobo ebook. Meanwhile, in a lurch to the right, Ed and I have moved from being sandwiched by Tony Benn to being sandwiched by David Laws:
A poll commissioned by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth has revealed some useful data about the attitudes of Liberal Democrat voters to green energy. It found that more than half of those who voted Liberal Democrat in 2010 said they would be more likely to do so again if the Liberal Democrats took action on carbon-free electricity generation. It asked: The Government's advisors, the Committee on Climate Change, have said that to meet our climate change commitments the UK must switch to almost entirely carbon-free electricity by 2030. Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for ...
In addition to our stall at the Liberal Democrat Autumn conference, Aldes are hosting a fringe event tonight on Shale Gas. The fringe is at 8pm in the Edinburgh room of the Hilton Metropole and will see a discussion of what the significance is of the potential for shale gas exploitation in the UK. The fringe will include presentations from two experts: Huw Clark, a geologist from energy company Cuadrilla; and Mike Hill, an independent safety consultant. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions of the expert panel on this important and complex issue. We look forward to ...
Newly-appointed education minister David Laws spoke at a Lib Dem fringe meeting yesterday. I asked him about the huge gaps in GCSE achievement between African-Caribbean and White pupils. Sadly his answer revealed he has not ...
With Conference season upon us once again, Parties reach out to embrace their wider membership of activists, supporters and sympathisers. This brief popping of the Westminster bubble is of course vital: a safeguard stopping Westminster disappearing into its own parochial obsessions. Party Conference is only one of a number of ways of dipping into the wider public mood, of course. Polls, focus groups, constituency surgeries, party machinery and, indeed fora like Liberal Democrat Voice all allow views and concerns to (sometimes) percolate up to the leadership. And some politicians - such as Tony Blair at his height - seem to ...
The BBC have gone big today on a so-called story, highlighting the amount of money being spent by the Assembly on training AMs. This provision was made following the report by Sir Roger Jones into Assembly Member remuneration and expenses, which proposed continuing professional development for AMs and their staff. Every other profession has this provision, why shouldn't AMs? After all the journalists who are reporting this matter were trained, largely at public expense, in how to ask questions. Good scrutiny is a skill that can be learned and nobody is above improving their performance. In the circumstances, the sum ...
This post was originally posted on Liberal Youth's blogging platform The Libertine on the 25th of September 2012. So said one delegate speaking on the Good Food Shouldn't Cost The Earth motion at Conference on Sunday 23rd September. Now that has some truth; what we eat has a significant impact on how healthy we are. The ...
I believe that the Liberal Democrats' Federal Conference Committee performs a unique role amongst the main political parties in the UK. As a Committee elected from amongst its members, it plans and delivers the Liberal Democrat Conference, and selects motions and amendments for debate and decision by members of the party at conference. It is this dual function (the utterly practical alongside the vital policy debates) that makes our Conference stand out from the other party conferences which are becoming more and more sterile showcases for senior people. There are three main sub-committees: GPSC (covering the practical and financial) CCG ...
Today's Times pulls no punches in its assessment of the Liberal Democrats and our future as a party. It rightly, in my view, identifies the need for the party to chart out a radical, centrist trajectory - distinct from Labour or Conservative grounds. As both of those two parties seem to want to shift back away from the centre; to escape legacies of leaders they would both, it appears, like to forget rather sooner than the rest of us, it leaves a Blair-sized hole of recent lore. I have said it before, and will say it again - we must ...
Yesterday was my manic day at conference consisting of no less than 21 meetings and I'm feeling slightly drained now! There's a huge amount to talk about but here's just some of things that came out of yesterday's meeting. With ... Continue reading →
As Liberal Democrats we are committed to the concept of people participating and exercising democratic rights in their communities. But we usually identify communities geographically, in the villages or the wards where we can deliver our Focuses. During yesterday's debate on Mutuals, Employee Ownership and Workplace Democracy (F22 in the Conference Agenda) Alan Sherwood reminded us that the workplace is also a significant community for many people. So workplace democracy is a natural extension of community politics. In moving the motion, which derived from a policy paper, Martin Horwood went further and claimed that not only should Liberal Democrat principles ...
Tue 25th
13:30
Willie Rennie tells Liberal Democrats: Liberal values need to be at forefront of independence debate
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie gave his keynote address to the Brighton Liberal Democrat Conference this morning. Seeing him speak after MIke Moore, you can see how their vastly different styles complement each other. Mike is statesmanlike and reasonable,Willie will get in there and say things that are uncomfortable for our opponents to hear. I know that there will be many SNP supporters who weep into their beer when they think of Alex Salmond cosying up to Murdoch, or pandering to the Chinese over the Dalai Lama's visit, or see their MPs cosying up to the English Democrats. Willie's ...
So said one delegate speaking on the Good Food Shouldn't Cost The Earth motion at Conference on Sunday 23rd September. Now that has some truth; what we eat has a significant impact on how healthy we are. The motion before Conference spoke of how important it was to eat healthily, and for government to promote ...
If you attend conference regularly you may remember five years ago. We were interrupted by news of the collapse of a small bank in Newcastle. That was the beginning of a terrible economic storm which rages to this day. It has left behind broken banks, lower living standards, ballooning budget deficits, job insecurity and a sense of permanent crisis. In a time of crisis what the country needs is national government. That means working with political opponents in the national interest. Indeed, one of our central aims as Liberal Democrats is to show that coalitions work. And Nick Clegg's major ...
Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore MP and Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Willie Rennie moments ago gave their speeches at federal conference. As speeches go, these seemed to be more about reiterating and emphasising the Liberal Democrat position rather than making new announcements. That is to be expected. They were confident performances, but the heavy emphasis on the independence referendum and nationalism suggests that to a significant degree we are being dictated, rather than leading, the political conversation. Again, that is unsurprising, but as a Scottish Liberal Democrat I'd like to find more opportunities to facilitate debate ...
Fairer taxes, crack down on tax avoidance, an emphasis on the mansion tax and a low-key, getting on with the work in hand delivery: that's Danny Alexander's conference speech in a nutshell. "You can move your money offshore. You can't move your mansion" – @dannyalexander calls for mansion tax #ldconf — Mark Pack (@markpack) September 25, 2012 Here's the official text of his speech: I'd like to talk to you about our conference slogan: "Fairer taxes in tough times." Thanks to the Liberal Democrats, taxes are getting fairer. Our tough budget negotiations mean that next year 24 million people will ...
Last night I took an evening off from Liberal Democracy, to enjoy a pie and a pint in one of Hove's finest hostelries. At the bar I got chatting to a man who arrived in the UK last Sunday from Brisbane with his family. I heard his accent and mentioned to him that I had recently been "Down Under". He then asked what I was doing in Brighton and Hove, and I told him. He was then very curious, and said that he had seen a bit of ITV "Daybreak" about the conference. Then, with a brow furrowed with curiosity ...
Worried for the welfare of a friend, Michael tells of his own period of being missing, and urges the public to contact police if they see Michael Hurman in or near Hemel Hempstead or anywhere else for that matter.
Over on The Spectator there's a curious leaked document today, ostensibly a leaked internal party document setting out Liberal Democrat campaign weaknesses. I say ostensibly because the document is a strange mixture. Some of its content is either wrong or distorted – such as the reference to the party having canvass data for only 2% of voters. That's wrong, and I've seen evidence which shows it is wrong. However, the 2% figure has the phrase "functional political data" attached to it at one point. That sounds like a carefully crafted definition designed to talk down rather than talk up how ...
Local residents in Cheadle and Gatley have been frustrated at missing out on the latest Superfast Broadband from BT – until now. BT have now confirmed that the Gatley exchange (which covers both villages) is one of three in Greater Manchester to be upgraded to Superfast Broadband in 2013. Here's the press release: BT today announced a further major investment in Greater Manchester pledging to roll-out £2.5 billion high-speed fibre broadband network to more than 23,000 more homes and businesses across the area. Collyhurst, Gatley and Longford are among the latest communities to benefit. All are due to be upgraded ...
Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland gave a keynote address to the Liberal Democrat Conference today. It was every bit as measured and reasonable as you might expect from him. It's good to see that there's been progress to getting a deal on the table on the process for the referendum. Credit to both Mike and Nicola Sturgeon on that one. It's important to get this sorted in the next month or so in order to get all the legislation passed in time. He's right, too, to emphasise the reasons Scots value the UK, from institutions like the BBC ...
Last night I took an evening off from Liberal Democracy, to enjoy a pie and a pint in one of Hove's finest hostelries. At the bar I got chatting to a man who flew, with his family, from Brisbane into the UK last Sunday. I heard his accent and mentioned to him that I had recently been "Down Under". He then asked me what I was doing in Brighton and Hove, and I told him. He was then very curious, and said that he had seen a bit of ITV "Daybreak" about the conference. Then, his brow furrowed with curiosity, ...
There was an interesting character in amongst some increasingly bored Lib Dem activists picking up their passes in Brighton on Saturday – Chris Huhne's partner Carina Trimingham was also waiting in line. She was greeted by a friend, who asked ... Continue reading →
It is extremely important that documents from the police security team at high-risk terrorist targets are kept fully confidential, unless they are about an MP you do not like, in which case they must be leaked in full to the press, no questions asked. * Mark Pack has written 101 Ways To Win An Election and produces a monthly newsletter about the Liberal Democrats.
I've just returned from a holiday in France and whilst going through my emails I have been reminded by my colleagues of the apparent thirst for power and control being applied by the Bootle Labour group. I know that I have posted on this in the past, but I see no harm in posting this as a reminder. Whilst I was suffering with back pain I missed the last full Sefton Council meeting where the Labour group made a change to their chair of the Audit and Governance Committee. I have aired my views on why I see the Labour ...
Lib Dem Voice put up this shot from behind Kirsty Williams at the Blog of the Year Awards ceremony. Who is that sad character on the right, tweeting away? Oh. That'll be me then...
Courtesy of The Guardian:
..........................The loud and prolonged cheering which followed the decisive rejection of a resolution urging the abandonment of the policy (employee ownership) was the climax of the Assembly and made it clear that the great majority of those present regarded the proposals as the cornerstone of Liberal Policy and the Party's main issue at the forthcoming General Election. Profit-sharing and co-partnership have, of course, been advocated by the Liberal Party for more titan fifty years; but to-day it wants to go a good deal further than merely welcoming the development of such schemes. It wants to extend them over a large ...
When he apologised for the tuition fees debacle this week, Nick Clegg went dramatically down in my estimation. From the start of his leadership, Clegg has taken the longer term view, and cast his gaze upon the country as a whole, rather than simply focusing, as previous leaders have, on playing to the gallery of the party membership. His is the Liberalism of the historical sweep, as aware of the intellectual traditions that can be traced back to Edmund Burke as to the 'pavement politics' of David Penhaligan, and while seeing a place for both, respecting that embracing the former ...
Many residents are concerned about the state of Badminton Road through Coalpit Heath, a major commuting route from our area. Not only is the uneven surface dangerous, it also increases the noise of passing lorries. Claire Young has met officers on site several times to discuss residents' concerns. In August, officers carried out a "walk through" of Badminton Road. They have highlighted three areas of priority: Priority 1 - Area on dual carriageway section heading towards the A4174.Priority 2 - Area from Frog Lane to Woodside Road.Priority 3 - Sporadic areas through Coalpit Heath including the section from Beesmoor Road ...
Nurse makes heartfelt apology after Atos forced her to trick disabled people out of benefits - Daily Record (tags: ) Is journalism clinging to an outdated way of doing things? Yes, but to be fair, so is politics... OMG an article on LabourLost that makes some valid points! (tags: ) From Nick Clegg to Sir Menzies Campbell: the 50 most influential Liberal Democrats - Telegraph Few women, and sad to see Miriam's looks discussed alongside everything else (tags: ) Heresy Corner: Who should pay for the news? This is one of those "I don't agree with it but think it's ...
There's a fantastic interview with Paddy Ashdown by The Guardian's Simon Hattenstone published here. As you'd expect it's crammed full of anecdotes and quotable bon mots. I've picked out just three to enjoy... Paddy on the Coalition He regards those who feel betrayed by the party as weak or naive - notably Guardian leader writers who backed them in 2010. "The Guardian feels like a jilted lover. It hates the Liberal Democrats. The Guardian feels personally betrayed because for the very first time it gave the Liberal Democrats its support and what did we do? We went off with the ...
[Originally posted at Dale&Co, 24/09/12] There's a joke going around at the moment: Did you hear that Nick Clegg has joined a boyband? It's called No Direction. This came to mind when I read of Clegg's announcement on Sunday's Andrew Marr Show that the Liberal Democrats are proposing a "pensions for property" policy. The party is starting the process of sounding out the various financial institutions that would need to get on side for the policy to work. The proposal is that young people who are shut out of the housing market because they lack a deposit can be helped ...
We must now implement the pioneering coalition policy of splitting the investment bank casinos from mainstream personal and business banking. Without Liberal Democrats in government you can be absolutely sure this would not have happened.
Well, here I do, but not over that The New Statesman... So when I wrote this piece yesterday pointing out there is a messaging discrepancy in the Lib Dems just now, while I thought it might come over as slightly mountain out of a molehill, I didn't really expect the headline 'Clegg and Cable at odds over welfare cuts'. Ho hum It's proved very popular too.. Anyway, once again the comments over there are definitely warmer than they have been for quite a while. Regular readers will see this, if you're not a regular reader, trust me, you should see ...
Last week Bury Council's Cabinet agreed a scheme to significantly extend the amount of residential roads across Bury which are 20mph. Which is to happen is: - the Council will spend £750,000 of its 'reserves' on the project over three years. - areas will be made 20mph on a priority basis, based in particular on a history of accidents - areas where traffic speed is currently less than 24mph, can be made 20mph without any 'physical calming measures' - areas where traffic speed is currently more than 24mph, then physical calming measures would be needed. What is being promoted by ...
The guys at The Poke, staggering into the office after celebrating all their Christmasses coming at once, have put together this compilation of the media coverage of Nick Clegg Says I'm Sorry (the Autotune Remix). Meanwhile, we understand that in the Lib Dem communications office there has been a reenactment of that scene from "When Harry Met Sally". * Paul Walter is Monday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, a LibDem activist in Newbury, Berkshire and blogs at Liberal Burblings
My prize for winning Lib Dem Blog of the Year on Saturday was a 25 minute interview with Lib Dem party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. I posted the first part yesterday where we discussed the coalition's legacy, pension funding for mortgages and a particular hobby-horse of mine, drugs policy. Here is the second and final part of the interview including a discussion on how his speech last year that stated "Birth should never be destiny" can be reconciled with his support for an hereditary monarchy, the three things he likes about Ed Miliband and whether anything can ...
Don't forget Faith, Pride, and Chat, our informal social evening, is taking place on Friday, 28 September at 7 p.m in St George's Church on High Street. More detail....
Liberal Youth's awesome Exec and Conference officer and committee have produced a guide to having a great time at Conference in Brighton. You can get your copy for free here! Not only does it include the amazing MP Bingo, it has some highlights of the events which may be of interest to youth and student ...
The Telegraph has published its annual list of Top 50 influential Lib Dems, compiled by Iain Dale and Brian Brivati. I'm a new entry at number 41, charting higher than Ming Campbell or indeed Nick Clegg's 'So Sorry' video. It's nicer to be in than out, of course — though I'm there more for what I represent as co-editor of LibDemVoice, and in particular the notice taken of our members' surveys. 41. (NEW) Stephen Tall Co-editor, Liberal Democrat Voice Stephen Tall's influence stems for Liberal Democrat Voice, the must-read site for party activists which he helped take over running when ...
Tue 25th
08:00
Here's a suggestion for cutting the defecit. Stop spending public money on ads like these
Yes, I know there is a legal duty to advertise publicly funded jobs. But honestly, does anyone think that buying half pages in The Economist for several weeks at the taxpayers expense is going to produce an application that will be successful? As you're perusing the Pages of The Economist, I find it slightly unlikely you'll stumble across this ad and think, 'Oh I fancy a bit of a career change'... Lunacy.
The Manor (where I'm Chair of Governors) has published details of Open Evenings and Open Days in October. If you'd like to come and speak to staff, pupils, and myself at the Manor and see for yourself the hard work Ben Slade (the Principle) is doing for students and for the community then we'd love to see you! I know this is a little out of our area but I feel that it might be of interest! The Manor: Open Days/Evenings 2012
Securocrats arguing for increased judicial scrutiny of their actions? Human rights groups praising the collapse of cases brought alleging torture against the Government? Like me I suspect, you will suspect this is some elaborate joke, or indeed a typographical error. But in fact these are indeed the seemingly bizarre positions into which these perennial adversaries have put themselves. In the last few days we have seen some spectacular attempts to redefine the content of the Government's Justice & Security Bill, casting all sorts of hyperbole and confusion on what should be a cool-headed debate. The authors of these counsels of ...
Nick Clegg right to say sorry for making his broken pledge not to raise university fees: 72% Nick Clegg wrong to say sorry for making his broken pledge not to raise university fees: 16% How has your opinion of him changed as a result of this apology? (Net improved minus worsened scores) Overall +0.5% Current Lib Dem voters +40% 2010 Lib Dem voters +9% Source: Survation
A constituent recently advised that: "...my sister has asked me to bring to your attention a problem relating to the play area in Victoria Park - this is closed in on 3 sides by fencing and fourth side by hedge on Jedburgh Road. This hedge area is now full of holes and her great niece nearly escaped onto the road." I brought this matter to the attention of the City Council's Environment Department, and have received the following positive response: "... yes there are holes in the hedge. We will infill them to thicken up the hedge. We would look ...
