Four weeks from now, I'll be living in Manchester again :) It's been a pretty rocking five months and whilst I'll miss this place, a small part of me can't wait to be back home as well. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The Liberal Democrats are currently carrying out a consultation on tax and admirably it really is a consultation, in that views are being sought not only at the national level (for example at last month's Federal Conference in Brighton) but also at the grassroots. This evening, Gareth Epps — a former leader of the LibDems on ...
I saw these in Little Bowden the other day. They make a good photo, but there is something sad about the scene too. They had been gathered up and placed on the wall by an adult, not scavenged by children.
Here's the thing: I don't have a problem with elected police commissioners. I know they were a Tory manifesto idea and that the Lib Dems are opposed to them (while reluctantly agreeing to vote for them as part of the Coalition Agreement). But I'm just fine with them. My support for directly elected police commissioners is paralleled by my support for directly elected mayors: For too long, city council politics have been in the hands of amateur part-time leaders: some have been very good, some not so good. But all have been ham-strung by a political system that grants them ...
On Saturday myself and Liberal Democrats from across the capital descended onto Croydon for our annual Autumn get-together. It was a fantastic day, and by far the best regional conference I have yet attended (I've been to many, and in several regions!) There were lots of things which made the day so good, not least the plurality of different sessions. [IMG: Podium Pic] First off, the day began with an informal Question and Answer session with myself and the other shortlisted Euro candidates. This was the first opportunity the membership has had to see what's on offer from the various ...
The Speaker of the House of Commons is attempting to block moves to publish the names of MPs' landlords under a freedom of information request. He is arguing that this is on security grounds, although it would be perfectly possible to publish the names without having to publish addresses. It seems as if we've been here before, with the expenses scandal in 2009. We want to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past; will you sign our letter to John Bercow demanding he agrees to publish the list? http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/bercow The scandal in 2009 was as much about the attempted cover ...
Washing clean dishes. I am washing a clean dish because I can't be bothered to get my hands dirty. Binders full of women. Tonight is the 3rd US Presidential debate. I will be getting up at 2:00 am and urging Obama on!
Down in Hamphire, a blue county with a splash of gold, few of us have any idea what a Labour Council would be like. Apart from the odd joint administration where they've a few grown ups from other parties to look after them, we simply haven't done Labour in Hampshire for many years. Until now, in Southampton. So how's it going then... Firstly a councillor resigns from the Labour cabinet, not
County Councillor Geoff Heathcock has taken up the slow progress on our parking review with Cambridgeshire County Council's Tory Cabinet Member responsible for Highways, Tony Orgee. Cllr Heathcock has with the rest of the Queen Edith's Focus Team been pushing for a parking review but progress has been too slow, leaving residents frustrated. He raised the issue at last week's full meeting of Cambridgeshire County Council and received assurances that the matter would be investigated. "We have had delay after delay and im absolutely sick of the situation - this whole process has been wandering along for over a year ...
Earlier today, I attended - along with a number of other councillors - a briefing by the City Council's Head of Planning and colleagues on the proposed Dundee Local Development Plan, that will be considered next Monday by the council's City Development Committee. The new Development Plan will be an important update with alterations to planning policies and, at the briefing, I asked a number of questions about it including : * Support to protect and promote district shopping centres, like Perth Road.* Progress towards the Western Gateway developments following infrastructure improvements.* The council's commitment to ensure developers in major ...
Bored already with all the stats and hype about how big social media is? Well, I've got bad news for you. Not only is it still growing fast, many of the key stats understate its importance. That's the finding from The Atlantic's Alexis Madrigal, who has been diving into the evidence about where traffic to websites really comes from. His point is at heart a simple one. Look at the statistics thrown up by web analytics packages and they show lots of web site visitors going direct to a page buried deep within site with a long URL yet - ...
Mon 22nd
19:25
Government suffers defeat in Lords over 'new poll tax' changes to council tax benefits
The Government has suffered a defeat today on changes to the system of paying council tax benefit. As part of the Coalition's existing welfare cuts, council tax relief is being reduced and local authorities are being given the power to set their own eligibility criteria from April 2013. As the Financial Times reported last week: The coalition has earmarked £100m for councils that promise to limit the sums poorer people must pay to around 8.5 per cent of the full council tax rate - less than half what some local authorities are considering. ... Lord Best, president of the Local ...
"Nick Clegg has ceased to act as a chief spokesman for the coalition as a whole. That is working to Mr Clegg's benefit and Mr Cameron's disadvantage. Without Clegg constantly reminding us that he is part of the show - his Lib Dem colleagues have also gone more low profile - we are left with the impression of a bunch of Tories, and a pretty second rate bunch at that, in charge." Nick is benefiting from a decision that he will no longer act as the Coalition's lightning conductor, argues Alastair Campbell. If you watched Trumped on BBC last night ...
Today saw the first meeting of the new Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel, the committee which will oversee and scrutinise the work of the soon-to-be-elected Commissioner. There are 16 councillor members - five from Cornwall, one from the Isles of Scilly, two from Plymouth, one from Torbay Unitary, one from Devon County Council and one from each of the district councils in Devon. In addition, we have appointed two lay members. Today was mostly about briefings and understanding the role. But the real works starts once the Commissioner is elected on the 15th November. The Panel will then ...
Rowan Atkinson recently spoke out in support of the campaign to repeal section 5 of the Public Order Act and in support of freedom of speech. It's not funny, but it's well worth watching: Tweet
Through the Streets of LA. Time lapsed in 2 minutes. Magic
When I did my blogposts back in 2009 that found an apparent link between the safety of an MPs seat and the likelihood of them having been involved in the expenses scandal of that year it caused a bit of a stir. It got a fair bit of coverage and there were some who thought (hoped?) it might make a difference to the campaign for electoral reform. There were however numerous people who dismissed what I had found claiming it was not statistically significant and/or there were problems with the methodology I used. I never claimed to be a statistician ...
Give it up for the sociable lapwing. I shall be having a drink with one later this evening.
Here is ALDC's list of the councils, and the number and affiliation of councillors, facing election in May 2013. Councillor figures are always subject to change, and these figures reflect the best knowledge of ALDC at the time of publication. There is a chance that some minor changes (defections, by-election 'churn', etc.) to council and group figures have not yet been reflected in the numbers below. For any questions, clarification or corrections of numbers, please contact craig.whittall@aldc.org  
Continuing reposted Odanglesex adventures with a few tweaks. The story so far: Councillor Broadthwaite has been enormously impressed by the Statistical Unit in Scunthorpeshire County Council and has persuaded Kenneth Spotlessnob to set one up in Odanglesex. FROM: Hamish Carpenter, Transformational Excellence Manager TO: Silesia Jones, Equality Consultant Silesia - I see you got the same e-mail I did from someone called Margot Outforle, Head of the Statistical Unit. Did you know we had a Statistical Unit? Seems it's in Neil's empire. I'll ask Kenneth, but wondered if you were more in the know. Seeing that you and I already ...
Unlike some on the Left I'm not a strident 'no platform' person when it comes to the Far Right. But equally I'm passionately against treating neo-Nazis like any other politician. If they are granted an ...
Please feedback to us any comments you may have. Chris IWPReportForDiv_45
In the Independent, Nick Clegg writes movingly of the need for constant reminders of the horrors of the Holcaust. This follows his recent visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau with students organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust: The constant threats of racism, Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism still lurk every day. Anti-Semitism has been described as a light sleeper. Cemeteries are still vandalised, discredited conspiracy theories are spread over the internet, Jewish people are still attacked in this country. ...Remembering what happens when warped ideologies and prejudice go unchecked is not just a history lesson but the greatest antidote today to anti-Semitism and extremism ...
[IMG: Poll piechart] The pollsters got our 2010 general election wrong, over-estimating the levels of support for the Liberal Democrats in their final polls. Only the exit poll got it right. The level of error varied between pollsters; the consistency of the error however means this wasn't just one pollster having a bad day with a duff sample or similar. Quite what the reason was for this is a mystery. Or, more accurately, none of the explanations offered so far stand up to close examination of the evidence. For example, it sounds plausible that the Liberal Democrat support was disproportionately ...
As one of our readers has pointed out, the First Bus changes mean that there will no longer be an evening service from Bristol to North Yate - just in time for the cold dark evenings! Yate Town Council are on the case - Ian Blair raised this at the council meeting last week and they have complained to South Glos for precisely this reason.
Sign up to the Dispatch Box, the new weekly political e-magzine from digitalpolitico.net Joanna Shields will become the new Chief Executive of the Tech City Investment Organisation in East London, sparking what the government hope will be a successful next ... Continue reading →
Holly is on half term. We have been having a bit of a dance around the living room. Among the vast range of stuff we've listened to, from Lady Gaga to Iron Maiden, this is the song she liked best today: [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Kent Trading Standards have become aware of recent activity in the Lydd and Sellindge area by a group of approximately 5 men cold calling businesses and residents and offering to do driveway tarmacing work. Whilst this practice is not illegal, our experience is that the work carried out is often of very poor quality and overpriced. The traders have been seen using a white flatbed truck and a white tar sprayer vehicle. In some cases the traders have informed the consumers that the materials they use are left over from bigger jobs they have just finished in the area. Reported ...
There are just 16 days to go until the US Presidential election. Liberal Democrat Voice will be live-blogging the election results as they come in on the night. Hopefully, the count won't go on as long as it did in 2000, or we might be in for a very long live blog. I should declare, up front, that I am inveterately Obama-optimist in my views. My predictions, over time, have been less reliable than those of Dick Morris. The race has always been extremely close but Obama was beginning to pull away after a merciless summer campaign against Romney. The ...
Taxis could be given the go-ahead to travel directly to the station along Cambridge's Hills Road avoiding a diversion set up while roadworks are taking place. The move follows complaints from Cambridge Liberal Democrats after taxi passengers were facing increased fares from drivers forced to use the lengthy diversion. Cambridge City Councillors, Jean Swanson and Colin Rosenstiel raised the issue with Cambridgeshire County Council's highways department asking for permission for taxi drivers to use the private bus way. But this was refused on the grounds that it would have involved driving over private land. Lib Dems do not accept this ...
Cambridge residents on low incomes are being urged to make sure they benefit from funds available from the government to cut their fuel bills this winter. The call comes from the city's MP Julian Huppert as Big Energy Saving Week is launched across the country today (Monday, October 22). With energy companies announcing price rises of up to nine per cent, it is more vital than ever for people to take advantage of the £1.1 billion of Warm Home Discounts available nationally and the £48 million available from the Warm Front Scheme which has to be spent before January, said ...
I think we're all clear about the issues the Tory brand have with class. If we're not, have a read of this rather excellent piece. Says it all. But I do wonder if the left aren't about to fall into a similar trap. As Ed M starts to glory in his 'inner geek' and placards like this are proudly displayed as the left marches through London.... (h/t George Eaton) Don't get me wrong, of course it's funny. But like the best humour, I suspect its also rooted in a truth - that the left think they are intellectually superior to...well, ...
There were four principal council by-elections that took place on Thursday 18th October. The best bits first, we held both of our defences in Maidstone with marginal dips in our share of the vote but still comfortably ahead of our nearest challengers. In the Kent county division of Maidstone Central, Rob Bird and the local Focus team won with an impressive majority of 868. In the corresponding borough election, the Allington ward of Maidstone BC, Belinda Janet Watson took an absolute majority - just over 52 per cent of the vote - a great result and a nice shot in ...
Commenting as the SNP reverses its opposition to an independent Scotland joining NATO, North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell said: "The position of the SNP is extraordinary. "The anti-nuclear party has voted to join the world's most powerful nuclear alliance. If they think the voters will not see through this they are very much mistaken. "You can't get any more contradictory than the SNP's current position."
IFLRY (the International Federation of Liberal Youth) are holding their General Assembly, Conference and Seminar in Moldova and we want YOU to join them! IFLRY is the international affiliate of Liberal Youth, bringing together young liberals of all stripes from as far afield as Canada, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Sri Lanka and the Lebanon. There will ...
I've written before about ways to recruit more party members and related issues such as the need to respond well to people who are interested in joining or helping. Underpinning that latter post is an important point – a good strategy for getting more people involved and helping isn't just about formal membership of the party. Pretty nearly all local parties recognise that these days. The idea that the "members newsletter" only goes to paid-up members, as used to be the case, is now a rarity. Instead they go to a wider group of people, including the non-member deliverers and ...
Contrary to the current twitterstorm, Newsnight can confirm Peter Rippon has NOT quit his job. Night everyone. — BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) October 21, 2012 No update as yet yet this morning. Which is a bit weird given that Rippon has ... Continue reading →
Hb 10.2 WBC 4.52 Platelets 546 Neutrophils no result New haematologist examined my spleen, found no enlargement. So she decided not to increase the hydroxycarbamide but wait to see what the platelets are next time, on December 3. Appointment was for 10.00 and I was actually called at 10.55, so I will make a further request for the system to be reviewed.
[IMG: Sandgate Society Book] Copies of the Sandgate Society's 50th anniversary book are now available. It is an A4 size book printed on glossy art paper, with a full colour cover and centre 4 pages. Covering the 50 years since the Society was formed in 1962, the publication blends Society issues and campaigns with the development of the village. Topics include the old High Street shops, the Castle, the Weather, the 1866 old School, Encombe and Enbrook estates and Landslips. Personalities who have influenced the environment are also profiled - like the Earls of Radnor, the Sassoons and the Rothchilds. ...
Mon 22nd
11:01
Random Thoughts for 22nd October 2012: Anglo-Saxons, Kiron Reid, Croydon North & the new theatre...
This is the latest in my series of Random Thoughts posts with links, things found on the web and other stuff that has occurred to me between 15th October 2012 and 22nd October 2012: BBC Radio 3 – The Essay: Anglo-Saxon Portraits This week I've been getting into Radio 3′s series of essays looking at the Anglo-Saxon's. This is one of my favourite periods of English history, but one that I know less about. So I've been finding them fascinating. They are also available as a podcast. Kiron Reid resigns from Lib Dems to run as independent police commissioner in ...
The decision by the Bootle Labour Cabinet to consult on the closure of 7 of Sefton's 13 libraries has been called in by my Liberal Democrat colleagues. Southport and Ainsdale councillors Haydn Preece, John Dodd and Simon Shaw have used their right to call the decision in for the following reason: The decision on the Review of Library Service made by Cabinet at the meeting on 11th October 2012 is unsound. When deciding to approve Option B for consultation, Cabinet did not weigh the relative merits of each option. Specifically, Cabinet failed to give proper consideration to Option C, in ...
On the 2nd July I wrote a blog about the closure of A&Es around the country and in particular how the people of Burnley now have to travel to Blackburn. On the 20th September I received an email and then a phone call from a reporter with the Mail on Sunday. He was interested in my personal experience of hardship caused by a closure of an A&E. I had visited someone in Blackburn but as this person lived in Blackburn then this wasn't the story he was looking for. I did pass on Tim Farron's name as he ran a ...
From the Sunday Times (£): A CABINET rift over the Conservatives' decision to block the release of letters from the Prince of Wales to government ministers has raised fresh questions about the government's openness agenda. Liberal Democrats have claimed that not allowing the letters to be released could breach the spirit of freedom of information (FoI) laws. Nick Clegg and other Lib Dem ministers privately questioned the government's decision to block the release of letters written by Prince Charles to members of the last Labour government, which had been requested under FoI rules. When consulted by Dominic Grieve, the attorney-general, ...
From the Electoral Commission: Our information booklet for voters on the PCC [Police and Crime Commissioner] elections will be delivered to all households in England and Wales (excluding London) from 22 October. We are liaising with Royal Mail to ensure delivery of the booklet and have separately contracted a delivery audit company that will carry out checks of delivery rates. We have also established a PCC Comms Network that includes electoral communications staff at local authorities across the police areas and members have been asked to monitor delivery effectiveness in their respective areas. See also the Electoral Commission's short video ...
The secret US lobbyists behind Police and Crime Commissioner election - Telegraph (tags: ) Missouri Pastor's Fiery Speech Against Equal Rights for Homosexuals Has Stunning Twist Ending (tags: ) 17 year old girl experiments with wearing a hijab Gets called a terrorist by a small child. (tags: ) Jimmy Savile was protected by the media's defence of the status quo | Ros Coward | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk (tags: ) Why I'm not marching | Hopi Sen (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
With nominations closed and the elections less than a month away, time for a quick recap on where the Lib Dems are at in the forthcoming police commissioner elections. As ConHome has taken some pleasure in pointing out, the party is standing in 23 out of the 41 contests, little more than half. A little self-righteously, they argue: 'This is a political party that is supposed to believe in radical change, in making the state more accountable to the citizen, and in boosting local democracy.' In fact, it's pretty remarkable that the party is standing in as many as half ...
Greenwich Council is at least accurate as it now officially calls the fireworks (formerly known as the Blackheath Fireworks to paraphrase a Prince) "Lewisham Council's Fireworks". Yes, for a third year, to the embarrassment of Greenwich residents, our Council will not be supporting one of London's biggest and most famous fireworks displays taking place partly within our borough. OK we have less heath than Lewisham, the ...
It is in the best interests of politcians not to give the impression that running the country is anything like that porrtrayed on 'The Thick of it', if only. Today's Telegraph takes that narrative the other way with the revelation that one of the Prime Minister's key advisers has admitted that most of his time is spent on "day-to-day crisis management": In his first interview, Oliver Dowden, David Cameron's deputy chief of staff who oversees domestic policy, disclosed that he was "surprised on a day-to-day basis" by the news agenda. The admission will add to concerns that the Prime Minister's ...
Posted on Liberal Democrat Voice this morning. A month after taking up my new role as Minister for Africa in the Department for International Development, I'm currently on my first trip to the continent - South Sudan, via an overnight stop in Kenya. Though I've actually been to Africa in my role as International Champion for Tackling Violence against Women Overseas, a role I've held since soon after the Coalition was formed, I'm anxious to see first-hand the work that DFID does toward alleviating suffering, bettering people's lives and working with partner governments to improve their ability to function more ...
Mon 22nd
07:50Lynne Featherstone MP writes... First ever Lib Dem DFID Minister, first trip to Africa
A month after taking up my new role as Minister for Africa in the Department for International Development, I'm currently on my first trip to the continent – South Sudan, via an overnight stop in Kenya. Though I've actually been to Africa in my role as International Champion for Tackling Violence against Women Overseas, a role I've held since soon after the Coalition was formed, I'm anxious to see first-hand the work that DFID does toward alleviating suffering, bettering people's lives and working with partner governments to improve their ability to function more effectively. South Sudan – where I'll be ...
Including two from the Telegraph, in what's probably a first: Drug laws and evidence-based policy: it's time to start doing experiments on the British people – One day, someone at the Telegraph is going to sack Tom Chivers for injecting sense into their website. The secret US lobbyists behind Police and Crime Commissioner election – Interesting news from Lincolnshire Clegg has quietly resigned from the lightning conductor role - which is to his advantage, but another problem for Cameron – Alistair Campbell's take. I don't agree with all of it, but a perspective worth looking at. An open reply to ...
Just to advise all West End constituents that my usual weekly surgeries start again today as the new school terms starts. I have surgeries every week in term time at the Mitchell Street Centre (4.20pm Mondays), Harris Academy (4.50pm Mondays) and Blackness Primary School (6.15pm Thursdays) - more details are available at www.dundeecity.gov.uk/councillors/frasermacpherson.
I was on Wave 102 news yesterday, welcoming progress with the new Olympia leisure centre that is now due to be opened by Christmas. Click 'play' below to listen:
Dear Fraser,As you will be aware, Scotland's two governments have reached an agreement that will deliver a legal, fair and decisive referendum on whether Scotland stays within the UK family or goes its own separate way. The deal was negotiated between myself and the Deputy First Minister over a period of weeks, and we, the Prime Minister and First Minister signed it in Edinburgh earlier this week. It ensures that the referendum is made in Scotland - as both sides wanted it to be. The agreement outlines that the referendum must have single question, on the issue of independence, held ...
I see the Scottish Daily Record has a story about the drastic fall-off in support for Scottish independence since the start of the year. What is interesting is the rather convoluted mention in the piece of "the same bar that Salmond plucked his independence poem from" and "bar room doggerel". OK Daily Record, out with it: shouldn't you actually publish a story about the gathering rumours about Alex Salmond's drinking instead of merely leaving sly hints? I have no love for the portly first Minister, but if he is an alcoholic then he needs help and not a conspiracy of ...
In a way the bombshell that has hit the BBC in the past 24 hours over the raft of allegations about the sexual conduct of Jimmy Savile- and the apparent long-term cover-up- is entirely appropriate. Yet to my mind the storm that has broken is also slightly mis-aimed. It is rather like Al Capone being convicted of tax evasion, rather than the much grosser crimes that he undoubtedly also committed. The fact is that the BBC has an ever longer charge sheet of misconduct, and the cover up of what seems, to say the least, the creepy, probably criminal, antics ...
Tonight (it's 1.45 a.m. as I write!) there will be a "drop-in" session at the North (Blackfyne) campus of the Academy from 4.00 – 8.00. It will be manned by county staff and will display the new outline plans for the Belle Vue site which are significantly different from the original plans as the Rugby Club is now to remain where it is. Of course, It's not clear that the county will be able to implement these plans because the Town or Village Green application is still to be determined, but they will give you a useful idea of the ...
