The Grauniad reports... the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, led tributes to the Marxist historian and academic Eric Hobsbawm, who died on Monday , calling him "an extraordinary historian, a man passionate about his politics and a great friend of my family". Liberal England carries more details of Hobsbawm's support for Soviet mass murder including this most egregious exchange with Michael Ignatieff:Ignatieff: What that comes down to is saying that had the radiant tomorrow actually been created, the loss of fifteen, twenty million people might have been justified? Hobsbawm: Yes.If nazi non-historian David Irving had said similar (and he probably has) ...
Reacting to the news that Labour runManchester Council spent £425,000 on an Alicia Keys' concert last week, Councillor Simon Wheale, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Manchester City Council, said:"It is absolutely appalling that Manchester's Labour Town Hall bosses have committed a monumental, 'empire state' scale of spending on one concert whilst putting the future of Sure Start Centres in doubt and whilst saying Lollipop Wardens must be laid off.The proposal to spend nearly half a million pounds on this one event has not been put before a single Council Committee for discussion or approval. I will be writing to ...
Haringey Council has made a mess of getting its financial accounts together. As the auditors themselves have pointed out: Management identified a number of errors to the financial statements... The Whole of Government Accounts pack was not submitted to the DCLG in line with the deadline of 31 July... The Council provided working papers on the first day of the audit, however these were incomplete... Some actions agreed by us with the Council after the 2010/11 accounts to improve the accounts process had not been implemented. Errors, missed deadlines, failure to make promised improvements: all very Labour-run Haringey Council house ...
I am confused about what Ed Miliband is trying to say. He speaks fondly and proudly of going to a comprehensive school. His objective is clear enough. He is trying to differentiate himself from the millionaire Cabinet members who mostly went to private school. Ed's story is one of a simple start in life at a level playing field school without the leverage of privilege. That is not totally true though. His father, Ralph Miliband, was a well known academic in Marxist theory. Ed must have grown up being exposed to political discussions and debates all the time. I would ...
Traditionally MEPs would this week be working from Strasbourg to fulfil their obligation under the European Treaties of sit twelve times a year in the French city. However, this is not the case this year and South West MEP Ashley Fox is revelling in this fact, taking to his Facebook account to hail the €15 million reported saving this has made to the taxpayer. "This time it's a little different
Cllr Liz Parr with Julian Huppert MP South West Herts Liberal Democrats have welcomed the vote at the national party conference against more runways at Stansted Airport. Taking place in Brighton, party delegates from across the UK backed a motion proposed by Julian Huppert MP opposing new runways at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick. The motion calling for better use of existing capacity has now become a part of Lib Dem party policy. Speaking from the conference in Brighton, Uttlesford Lib Dem Environment spokesperson Councillor Elizabeth Parr commented by saying that, "at a time when senior figures in the Conservative Party ...
Back in 2008, when choosing Downtown by Petula Clark as a Sunday music video, I wrote: The second reason for choosing it is that it gives me the chance to retail my anecdote about The Day That Petula Clark Phoned Me. It must have been about 10 years ago, when I was acting as press officer for the Malcolm Saville Society. The Society was planning a visit to West End Farm at Wheathampstead, because that was where the film Trouble at Townsend, based on a book by Saville and starring a very young Petula Clark, was made in 1946. Thanks ...
A rather neat graph (ahem, bar chart even) from the Fairer Tax campaign about people full time work on the minimum wage:
Or so I fear. Because the BBC's response to this growing scandal has to date been extraordinarily cack-handed. Take its statement, as quoted on the Guardian website this morning: "The BBC has conducted extensive searches of its files to establish whether there is any record of misconduct or allegations of misconduct by Sir Jimmy Savile during his time at the BBC. No such evidence has been found."I can think of only two explanations for these piece of nonsense. The first - and I wouldn't entirely rule this out - is that the BBC has a recruitment strategy that manages to ...
Reblogged from Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland: This afternoon Stephen Glenn, co-ordinator of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats Northern Ireland, sat in the gallery of the Assembly while our MLAs debated the motion from the Green Party and Sinn Féin about marriage equality. He was not alone as a large number of equal marriage campaigners were there ...
This afternoon Stephen Glenn, co-ordinator of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats Northern Ireland, sat in the gallery of the Assembly while our MLAs debated the motion from the Green Party and Sinn Féin about marriage equality. He was not alone as a large number of equal marriage campaigners were there in the hope that the DUP's petition ...
My Twitter feed today has been full of praise for Eric Hobsbawm, which (given the impeccably Sound people I follow) troubles me. I have not read enough enough of Hobwbawm's work to judge him as an historian, but I know enough about him to judge his politics. And they stink. My introduction to Hobsbawm was through an exchange he had with Michael Ignatieff on television in 1994. I have often seen it quoted, but today Heresy Corner posted the whole of the relevant passage: Ignatieff: In 1934, millions of people are dying in the Soviet experiment. If you had known ...
Here are the five posts published on this blog between July and September that recorded the most hits: Expensive homes for wealthy people (23rd August) There's money to be made from "responsibilizing" the poor (17th September) Housing and the economy (12th September) Housing transformations and trajectories: My contribution to #SLFconf (15th July) Is stronger regulation of private renting only a matter of time (21st July) This has been another busy quarter for the blog. I've been in and out of the ebuzzing politics top 100. I may well be back in again next month. One curiosity is that the two ...
Today the Telegraph has launched a new online section of their website called Wonder Women. The section is, not surprisingly, written only by women. The contributors come from various industries and backgrounds, and include comedian Katy Brand, Belle Du ... Continue reading →
PRQ.se, one of a number of ISPs used by WikiLeaks has been raided by Swedish police; 4 servers seized. Police still in office. — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 1, 2012
From The Guardian, 2007: There has never been a law passed that I couldn't bend. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
"...it is a motion that is as pointless as it is a worthless course on which to embark.... "A serious Assembly should concentrate its efforts on finding Northern Ireland solutions to Northern Ireland problems with health, education and, most importantly, with the economy." So said Danny Kennedy today about the motion in equal marriage. He later lodged a motion to fly a flag on Ulster Day. I kid you not. More on the Equal Marriage debate later.
When Neal Chubb went out canvassing in Waltham Forest I often wondered what people who opened their doors made of him. The cravat must have been the first thing that caught their eye — even in Chingford golf clubs that is a rare piece of male apparel these days — but the accent was a ...
One can just imagine the proposed pension for property scheme (which Nick Clegg has announced) being the product of committee thinking, for, typical of the produce of many committees, it tries to cram all of the trendier topics of the day into one proposal, resulting in something which is less than the sum of its parts. The current scheme, the product presumably of the Liberal Democrats' desire to create popular policies which differentiate us from the Tories among the voters of middle England, is closer to the more base Tory instinct for short-term economic populism than the liberal tradition. The ...
One thing that most people who take an interest in the Liberal Democrats agree on is that the party needs to develop a clearer identity and, to use the popular marketing speak, a clear "brand". This has characterised much of the coverage of the conference, such as this from the Economist, showing not a particularly good understanding of the party, and this from Michael Meadowcroft, who has an excellent understanding, but does less well in explaining what the party actually needs to do. Unfortunately these articles are all too characteristic of the debate. On the one side outsiders, including recently ...
A baby in a sling makes an amazing Conference icebreaker. Over the five days I lost count of the number of people who stopped to admire my darling and ask questions, to the point where occasionally I gave the answers without being asked ("11 weeks", "Nicholas", "no, not after the Leader, after his father's uncle). During the day, when I wasn't carrying him, I frequently got stopped and asked "where's your baby?" "In the crèche," I would reply, and almost always got the response "There's a crèche?" Yes, there is a crèche at conference, on site inside the secure area ...
Like many people I'm getting tired of the opportunism of the 38 degrees website. Lately, they seem to have majoring heavily on the NHS. Their ploy is very simple – it seems to find some issue, hyperbolise it and then ask people to say `don't want this at all ever`. Or something like that. The ...
This is the latest in my series of Random Thoughts posts with links, things found on the web and other stuff that has occured to me between 15th September 2012 and 1st October 2012: From Nick Clegg to Sir Menzies Campbell: the 50 most influential Liberal Democrats – Telegraph I found this interesting – but I'm not sure how accurate it is. One thing I did notice is that it doesn't include any one there because of their membership of one of the main party committees. You could make a case for the chair of conference committee for example. Not ...
I left a comment last week on Jennie Rigg's post about potential leaders of the Liberal Democrats that I wanted to expand on. Jennie was looking at the potential candidates for next leader of the Liberal Democrats, and one thing that comes up from her survey is that the party isn't exactly overwhelmed with leadership contenders. What I wonder is if this is a result of what the party expects from Parliamentary candidates and MPs, effectively limiting the pool of leadership candidates by preventing potential candidates from even jumping the first hurdle – being an MP – long before any ...
From littering to binge drinking to sexual harassment, as a society we suffer when individuals show a lack of restraint and self-discipline when interacting with each other and with their local environment. How many women do you know who have suffered sexual harassment? From wolf whistles in the street to full-on physical harassment, too many of my female friends don't feel safe to walk down the street at night, and, more often than not, have experienced harassment of some kind in broad daylight. This is hardly the "fair, free & open society" we aspire to live in. A totally different ...
Cheadle Area Committee will be at Bolshaw School, Heald Green at 6pm on Tuesday 9th October (please note, it is NOT in the Upper Rooms, Cheadle). Items on the agenda include Christmas lights Cycle projects Lane destination changes for Kingsway northbound – it's a relatively small change that could make a big difference to journey times Cheadle Area Committee, 9th Oct 2012
John Pugh has vowed to campaign against any proposals by Sainsbury's to move out of Southport Town Centre, warning that such a move would have "dire consequences" for the town. The Visiter newspaper has revealed draft plans for a huge Sainsbury's store at Meols Cop Retail Park. Sainsbury's is expected to apply for planning permission for the scheme, which would be built on the current Homebase site, next month. While there is no suggestion that Sainsbury's intends to pull out of its current Lord Street store, it is feared that the proposed 'out of town' store would pull shoppers away ...
Today's South Wales Evening Post contains a story I initiated regarding the amount of time people are kept waiting by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs when they ring up to query their tax credits etc. This is made worse by the fact that they tend to use expensive 0845 numbers, despite what they say in the article. However, what attracted my attention the most was the way that they sought to reassure us that the problems are being fixed: A HMRC spokeswoman added: "In August this year HMRC announced the recruitment of up to 1,000 additional contact centre staff, to ...
That was either the best or the second best gig I've ever been to (the other contender was Brian Wilson at the Manchester Apollo in 2002). The show on Friday seems likely to have been the last ever proper Beach Boys show (although despite press reports, Mike Love has not 'fired' the other members — ...
[IMG: Chuka Umunna] Just heard up and coming Labour shadow minister Chuka Umunna on The World at One being grilled about Labour's announcement that there will have to be further cuts if they win power in 2015. Under questioning from Martha Kearney he pointed out that they would be making the cuts because "they have no choice". Yet Chuka has been at the head of the queue previously denouncing the "ideological" cuts of the coalition government. So, just so we're clear, when Labour cuts it's because they are forced to but when the coalition does it, it's because they're evil ...
The Mitt Romney campaign in the US has an interesting approach to some of the accepted campaigning golden rules: Before televised debates, you lower expectations of your candidate ...That way when they do reasonably well, everyone is surprised and your campaign gets a bit of a lift. So what did Romney's campaign do? Well for weeks we have been told that Romney is closeting himself away with advisers for long sessions to prepare for the forthcoming TV debates. A few days ago we were told he is rehearsing some special debating "zingers" to fire at Obama. And his campaign have ...
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Economy concerns fall by 7% but the biggest riser is in housing - Latest from Ipsos Mori
The latest news from the Ipsos Mori issues index is that people are worrying far less about the economy than they have for over a year. The lowest score since last spring was recorded in September when the company asked people what the number one issue facing Britain today was. Economy scored 61% in August but that dipped to 54% in September as many more fringe issues picked up votes. These included the NHS (+2%), Crime (+3%), Inflation (+2%), Education (+2%), Poverty (+2%) but most interesting Housing went up 3% compared to August and thus is at its highest point ...
Later this month ballot papers will be going out for various Liberal Democrat committees, and this time I'm throwing my hat into the ring and standing for Federal Policy Committee. If you'd like to find out more about why I'm standing, do take a look at my Facebook page, the imaginatively titled Dr. Mark Pack for Federal Policy Committee. If you like what you see, please do like the page and share it with friends. If you're not so sure, by all means send questions my way.
Iran has restored access to Google's Gmail email service, having taken it offline in the country in response to the anti Islam video that sparked protests around the world. The country has not though restored access to another Google service, YouTube, which ... Continue reading →
Ed Balls has just taken the stage at Labour conference to lay out his vision for Britain's economy should he be given a second chance to get his hands on it. One of the focal points of his speech will ... Continue reading →
I spend most of my time arguing for our roads to be made safer and more attractive for cyclists and pedestrians and making the case for improvements in public transport. However, reducing car traffic and making our towns and cities more attractive for local residents does not mean defending indefensible practices against motorists. From today one of the worst injustices facing motorists has been ended, with a ban on wheel clamping on private land coming into force in England and Wales. North of the border this activity has been banned on private land for the last two decades. It will ...
If they let Sainsbury's go, Marks & Spencers could be next... MP John Pugh has vowed to campaign against any proposals launched by Sainsbury's, arguing such a move would have "dire consequences" for the town centre. Earlier this week, the Visiter revealed draft plans for a huge Sainsbury's store at Meols Cop Retail Park. Sainsbury's is expected to apply for planning permission for the scheme - which would be built on the current Homebase site - next month. While there is no suggestion Sainsbury's would pull out of its Lord Street store, should the plans be given the green light, ...
The local police have organised one of their regular 'PACT' meetings for our area (Holyrood Ward) (PACT stands for Police and Communities Together.) This is on Thursday 4 October 2012, at Toodle Hill Children's Centre (Heaton Park Primary), Cuckoo Lane from 6pm. You are more than welcome to attend to raise any issues. If you cannot come, but would like issues raising about the local work of the police please let me know and I can raise them for you. For information, the current PACT priorities for Holyrood Ward: 1) Anti Social behaviour Mardale Avenue / Sunnyfield Road. 2) Nuisance ...
I am some what ashamed to report this but... I am not sure how much of the details have been reported to this website but from what I have read it is very deplorable. Cllr Columba Blango of Southwark, a Libdem and local colleague of Simon Hughes has really put his foot in it. It's like Smacking. Some people see the benefits of smacking. Some don't see it WTAF?! With smacking, yeah I can see the benefit of it at times. After all, as a kid I was smacked if was particularly naughty and I learnt but I also see ...
There is a vast opportunity staring the Liberal Democrats in the face: To be the first British political party to accommodate speeches via Skype at their conference. There are all sorts of arguments for and against this. Would it stop people bothering to come to conference altogether and just participate from their living room? Would that kill conference? But there are two massive reasons why it should be done very soon: 1. It will allow participation by people who are unable to attend conference because of time or money constraints. It will also demonstrate that the party is truly opening ...
I wasn't going to conference this year. As part of my whole "giving politics a rest for a bit and focusing on other stuff" gig I thought it would be wise to give it a miss. Then there is the current state of my finances. So this years event was going to be the first Liberal Democrat autumn federal conference that I had missed in, oh, at least 10 years. But then I was asked to do a bit of work for one of the party organisations on the Wednesday. This was then followed by personal invitation to attend a ...
Crowds have flocked along the Promenade and around the lake to watch this years spectacular displays. More details at Visit Southport
Thanks to the Liberal Democrats in Government, it's now illegal to clamp cars on private land. (OK, it's not as big as taking a million low-paid workers out of income tax, the Pupil Premium, having the richest pay more tax than under Labour and all the rest of it, but still good stuff). From today you can no longer be clamped for parking on private land. You can be ticketed (if it's done properly). Cowboy clampers are a thing of the past. You can still, of course, be clamped on public roads and you still need to follow the rules! ...
I'm at Labour Party conference this week. Well, I couldn't get to Brighton so I'm in Manchester instead. I'm addicted to party conferences! Actually, I'm volunteering with a non-party organisation which means I'm missing most of the main event. However, on discovering that John Pugh and Simon Hughes, two Lib Dem MPs I have enormous regard for, were debating at a Fabian Society event, I wasn't going to be kept away. It was certainly more appealing than some of the other options. The debate asked "Is the future plural?" It was a fascinating discussion (about which I will write later ...
[IMG: Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice] ..........................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 ...
I don't agree with Alex Salmond on much. I don't think that breaking up Britain is a good idea. I also don't think that I should have to pay more than my counterparts in France, Italy or Lithuania to attend a Scottish university, for that matter. But I digress. Where we do agree – and ...
The Government has freed up small venues from the need to apply for a licence when playing live, amplified music between 8am and 11pm, as the BBC is reporting. The aim is to free small venues and small bands from red tape and breath life into the live music industry. However, residents should be aware that, for example, local pubs and restaurants no longer need to apply for a licence if they stay within those times. There have been issues in the past – such as with the Gothic in Gatley – where loud music late into the night did ...
[IMG: Shipston Town Councillor Philip Vial] All, The County Council is proposing some changes to parking on Sheep Street. I've put some of the documents Town Councillors have been sent here, here, and here (the last two are the drawings). This is an extract from one of the documents which outlines the plan. There is a consultation period, so let me or one of your other Town Councillors know your views so we can pass them on, or contact your County Councillor, Chris Saint, directly. Philip Sheep Street, Shipston on Stour is a one way street situated in the centre ...
You've got to give him credit. Nick Clegg stands strong as the party leader in the face of some truly dreadful polling. He has shrugged off a leadership challenge, and remains upbeat in spite of relentless media criticism. This resilience must, in part, come from a belief that taking the Lib Dems to the centre ground was right for the party. Going into coalition with the Tories, the leadership knew votes would be haemorrhaged to Labour. But it was the correct decision, and one that was backed by all quarters. The question, therefore, is whether we should reverse field in ...
A new planning application has been received as detailed below:- Application number: 55588 Location: St Margarets Parish Church, St Margarets Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2QB Proposal: Replace existing window screens to north and south aisles with polycarbonate screens Plans will be available to view on the Council's website. Please get in touch if you have any queries.
Despite all the coverage of the Ulster Covenant this weekend, it seems that at least one British political party wants not to recognise the Irish in the Union Flag. They have fallen into a similar trap as Hawes & Curtis did (though they have rectified this). The Union Flag has two red crosses in it ...
When asked if I supported the campaign 'No more Page 3′ during an interview with the Independent on Sunday – I said yes! It isn't top of my list of things to do – but it is part of the whole issue surrounding the coarsening of women's representation in the public space – and it is anything but harmless. Page 3 has the effect of enforcing the notion that women are little other than sex objects. For me, a semi naked woman in a 'family friendly' daily newspaper for the direct purpose of the titillation of men is an outdated ...
An American wife has claimed a divorce on grounds of cruelty because her husband ate too much garlic. – So starts the main story on page 3 of the first edition of The Sun back in 1964, with not a nipple in sight. By 1970, the now-Murdoch-owned paper was featuring racier matter and the topless "page 3 girl" was born. The Sun, which had been ailing, saw its circulation grow. On a typical day, The Sun is now read by over four million men and three million women. And that has led to criticism, most recently from Lib Dem MPs ...
[IMG: Fairtrade Football] Sandgate AFC play from Coolinge Lane, Sandgate and run an adult football team. Spectators are welcome to come along support the team (free admittance) and if you would be interested in playing for the team (or the associated youth team Folkestone Cantera) or hiring pitches at the Coolinge Lane ground, get in touch. 30/09 Givaudan vs Sandgate AFC (League) Kick Off 10:30 at the Ridge Ashford TN24 9ET 07/10 Park Farm Rangers vs Sandgate AFC (League) Kick off 10:30 at Kingsnorth Primary School field TN23 3EF 14/10 Sandgate AFC vs Birchington USS (KJC) Kick off 10:30 at ...
This past weekend, I doubt I could have been more away from it all: I stayed in a holiday cottage in the middle of Cumbria. When I looked out the window, I could see the mountains rising in the distance, with rolling fields below. On Sunday, the landscape was blasted by wind and streaked with ...
The success of the No More Page 3 campaign continues with the petition having crossed the 40,000 signature milestone last night. The organisers have now drafted a letter to the Sun editor Dominic Mohan for MPs to sign. Dear Dominic Mohan,We write to lend our support to the No More Page 3 Campaign. As MPs our role is to serve the people, and we cannot remain silent in the presence of a page that limits and misrepresents over half the population.The largest female image in our most widely-read newspaper is of a semi-naked young woman. She is there purely for ...
Today is International Older People day. Southwark Legal Advice Network in conjunction with Age UK, Southwark Pensioners Centre and Southwark Council are holding an event 1-6pm at the Amigo Hall, St George Cathedral, Cathedral Hous,e Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7HY. Q&A with Simon Hughes MP, historical slide show, refreshments and afternoon tea. I hope its a great success.
If you blink, you might miss this bike change!
Conference, it's great to be here today and share with you some vital issues of my work. Some time in the past, if I had been asked about naked short selling and large exposures. I might have thought it all a bit risqué: Closer magazine maybe; Soho rather than City. But times change. Now I'm ...
Michael Foot once accused David Steel of having "passed from rising hope to elder statesman without any intervening period whatsoever". That pretty much describes my relationship with the Liberal Democrat Voice's Blog of the Year awards. I was around to question the idea when the awards first appeared - but then I have been blogging so long I was around to welcome the founding of Liberal Democrat Voice. Then, in the early years of the awards, I was regularly shortlisted for Blog of the Year. More recently I have acted as a judge and even been described as "the Lib ...
Today is the day when wheel clampers clamping on private land can no longer extort and terrify motorists in the manner to which a number of people had sadly become accustomed. They are no more! They are ex-clampers. And most people would think that a very very good thing! It was practically the first decision I made as a Minister in the Home Office – to ban wheel clampers – and possibly one of the most popular decisions the Coalition has taken! The evidence of their bad behaviour (and for any who were unlikely angels – blame your less than ...
Dundee Rep is inviting local school pupils to win a place on the Inspire 2013 drama project. The Inspire creative arts project allows teachers to become directors and pupils to be performers. It brings creativity to the heart of the curriculum. Pupils (from P4 onwards) are being invited to design a logo for the project. Entries should be sent to: Dundee Rep Theatre Tay Square DundeeDD1 1PB The closing date is 30th November and if you have any questions, please e-mail info@dundeereptheatre.co.uk.
At the aforementioned Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton there was a debate on Addressing Underprovision in Mental Health which I had planned to speak in. Though in the brief 45 minute debate there was not time for me and others who had submitted cards to speak, it was a fantastic debate in which many good points were made - both personal stories and precise policy arguments. Nevertheless, having prepared a speech which touched on some very personal issues for me, as well as making a powerful point about the attitude of society towards mental health provision which was not explicitly ...
Along with many other Liberal Democrats from across these isles, last week I went to Brighton for our annual Autumn Conference. In addition to making a brief intervention in the debate on sustainability and jobs I appeared on BBC2's the Daily Politics on Wednesday in advance of the Deputy Prime Minister's speech. Both TV appearances can be seen via (admittedly somewhat low quality videos) on Youtube here: My brief intervention on sustainability and jobs My brief interview on Wednesday's Daily Politics All in all it was a very enjoyable Conference, both in terms of the debates in the main hall ...
It's that time of year again. Autumn Conference can be reinvigorating. So I guess, from the party's perspective, this isn't a bad time to have to be reaching into my back pocket. But I have to confess that there has been plenty of reflection about whether to sign on the dotted line again. Much of what happened at Conference this year was as liberal as you could possibly want it to be. I was only able to be there for a couple of days. I caught up with some of the rest of the proceedings on BBC Parliament. I went ...
