It seems a lifetime ago, but it is only three weeks since ITV broadcast its documentary on Jimmy Savile. And it is worth reminding ourselves of how the BBC first responded to the story. Here, as quoted at the time by the Guardian, is the statement it issued in the run up to the screening of that documentary: "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. "Whilst the BBC condemns ...
Tonight's Question Time panel is Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable, Labour Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry, Conservative MP Claire Perry, The Huffington Post's Mehdi Hasan, and UKIP's Paul Nuttall. Refresh to keep up with the live blog.
After more than two years Alex Salmond has finally responded to his own constituents complaints about police tactics at the Trump golf course at Balmedie - including the bogus arrest of film maker Anthony Baxter. In a hard hitting statement statement Montrose Pictures accuse Salmond of 'deliberate silence and inaction' on the issue. Interestingly Salmond is both a huge supporter of Trump and of nationalising Scotland's police force into one megaforce - meaning there would be no independent investigation of police wrongdoing. And Salmond's complicity with Trump doesn't appear to end at policing. In this piece by the excellent BBC ...
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When I blogged this morning about the Higher Education Policy Institute's report into tuition fees, and its claim that the government's tuition fees policy was in danger of costing more money rather than saving it, I included the caveat that: Predictions attempting this sort of level of accuracy decades into the future are prone to significant margins of error ... Predictions attempting this sort of level of accuracy decades into the future are prone to significant margins of error. Looking at the report in more detail now, I should have been rather more sceptical of its conclusions as there are ...
It sounds like a silly idea. But this song is, in a funny sort of way, quietly brilliant: [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Women's football - is it really a separate sport to the men's game? I was interested to read in today's Guardian that the FA has some interesting plans for the development of women's football. As someone who has been actively involved in promoting inclusiveness within football, in some respects this is welcome news. For example, the recognition of the opportunity afforded by the increased profile of women's football that the Olympic Games provided is positive. These opportunities need to be seized. Increased investment and a new commercial strategy are both needed and overdue. On those scores, the FA is to ...
Four months ago, just after the last set of quarterly figures published by the ONS showed a sharp contraction in the UK economy, I highlighted economist Hamish McRae's very public assertion that the UK was in actual fact no longer in recession. Pointing to the second-highest rate of job creation ever in the private sector, combined with falling inflation, he declared: 'pull all the other data together and the figures would be consistent with an economy growing at around 1 per cent a year'. Here's what he has to say about the latest quarterly growth figures of +1.0%, which officially ...
BBC reporters have watched all 23 Bond films to prepare an interesting audit which shows how many people Bond killed in each film and how many women he kissed (never more than 4 in one film). I wonder how many connections to the Liberals one could find. Go on, watch them all again and let me know. To get things started, Penelope Smallbone (LD member in 2009 and maybe even now and daughter
Gloria De Piero MP asks an interesting question in this piece: "When I say the word 'politician', what do you think?" the first golfer, named Peter, replied: "Liars"."Selfish," added David."Privileged and arrogant," said Paul. "Devious," said Barry. "Insincere," said Steve. Daphne, the only woman in the group, was not much kinder. "Self-seeking," she said Through observing this important work that Gloria is doing, I thought that it does have relevance to some of the findings from this series of posts. Though the scope could get wider here, it occurred to me that through these words, we seem to a problem ...
Today's ONS figures show that the economy has grown by 1%. This is good news. We've waited a long time to see growth in the economy. It has to show there are some things going right with the current economic strategy since unemployment is down, inflation is down, deficit down. The debt however is still ...
Mark's answers are ( under the cut ) You can find links to all the other candidates' answers here [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I'm an unreserved coalition enthusiast. The coalition means Lib Dems in government; something which, in turn, means the implementation of many Lib Dem policies, the likes of which I have campaigned and voted for over the years, believing said policies to be long overdue and beneficial for the country. But, despite what our critics say, that doesn't make me a Tory; and I have very little interest in seeing the Conservatives have an easy ride, in helping them implement their policies, or in keeping their members happy. The embrace them closely strategy of the first coalition year now looks naive, ...
Thu 25th
17:01
A hearty round of applause to Ashley Fox - the British Tory MEP who addressed the European Parliamen...
Today in Strasbourg, South West Conservative MEP Ashley Fox delivered a speech in the chamber of the European Parliament. While that fact in itself may be unexceptional, the fact he decided to deliver it entirely in French is. In the presence of the French-speaking Belgian Commissioner and presenting his group's view on a report by a French MEP rapporteur, Mr Fox read his lines in a glorious
Excellent work by Jonathan Jones putting together an analysis of how right (or rather, how wrong) the initial quarterly GDP estimates are: Whatever figure the ONS tells us GDP grew by in the third quarter of 2012, there's one thing you can be pretty sure of: it won't be the actual amount GDP grew by in Q3. In the past 51 years, just 12 of the ONS's 205 first stabs at quarterly growth have survived later revisions... It's not unheard of for the initial estimates to be out by more than three points. In June 1971, for example, the ONS ...
This morning I had a meeting with our local highways engineer to discuss a range of issues including the ever expanding pothole outside the Westgate Inn. Although not hugely deep, the pothole is now more than five feet long and getting bigger all the time. Thousands of cars pass over this spot every day and each one runs the risk of damaging tyres and suspensions - and it's not great for people in the car either. Originally, a temporary patch was planned, but the council will now be undertaking a full repair within the next week or so. Tweet
Here's my latest Ham and High Column on protecting our local services: What would we do without our schools, hospitals, post and sorting offices, small businesses and pubs? Our local services are the backbone of our community and need to be protected - but they have been under threat in Haringey for years. Right from our childhood, we begin to benefit from one of the most important local services - schools. It is vital that schools have enough money to provide a good education and pay their teachers decent wages. Haringey's schools, however, faced a chronic underfunding problem. Locally, I ...
I am not aware of any meetings scheduled for next week. But of course, if I learn of any, I'll let you know.
Initial GDP figures for Q3 2012 suggest that we are now out of recession and that the economy grew by 1%. Good news! Or so you would think. There are plenty lining up though to claim that the "exceptional circumstances" of the Olympics are largely to credit for this and that hence the picture is still quite bleak. They may well have a point, but I would take them more seriously if these criticisms were not largely coming from the same quarters that reacted with derision when George Osborne tried to claim last year that one off factors such as ...
I have a terrible cold, which isn't going to kill me, but is energy sapping. I'll start the proper recap later. But in bullet points: We got to see Laurel showing skills that her cop Dad taught her Joanna still has no hobbies or interests other than getting her friend laid Thea is great Diggle is better AND he gets a few hints of backstory. One of my favorite DC villains shows up, in name and a few effects only. Otherwise he's unrecognizable, which is okay because he makes a better villainous protagonist than an antagonist. Two new female characters ...
This week the candidate list for Police and Crime Commissioners was published. Given the party's ambivalence towards the idea we have ended up fielding candidates in only just over half the Police Authorities in England and Wales. The decision to allow local parties to make the decision about whether to field a candidate or support an independent took no account of the fact that in many areas independent candidates have been forced out because of the cost, or the fact that in other areas finding a liberally minded independent may be tough. Sadly only 18% of the declared candidates are ...
The coastbound A2 will be closed for two nights near Canterbury in Kent for resurfacing. The road will be closed between its junction with the M2 (Brenley Corner) and the A28 (Wincheap) tonight and tomorrow night (Thursday 25 and Friday 26 October 2012) from 8pm to 6am each night. A fully signed diversion route will be in place via the A251 (to Ashford) and A28. Vehicles over 15 feet high wishing to access Canterbury from this diversion route will be diverted onto the A2 to use the eastern A2050 access to the city centre. Although the coastbound A2 has been ...
I would walk again those spring tidesThe unsettling shift of shingle slidesAnd all the spray in rainbows spunAgainst the high tide harbour flung Dried seaweed crackles underfootA cuttlefish, a long lost bootA razor-shell, and old, tarred ropeThe beached turtle of an upturned boat My steps are swamped by the shifting stonesThe air pungent with bleached fish bonesAnd the sea is wild and free and rareShaking horses from his hair I would walk again those summer lanesWith leafy boughs and murmuring streamsAnd overhead in the whistling skyA lark song lost to cloudless eyes White campion, ragged robin, cow parsley and wild ...
Look I'm interested in politics. I'm an active member of a political party. The other Friday night I was busy writing the latest Lib Dem Focus for the Westborough ward in Southend. I think that politics is an important venture and that you can really make a change. I'm not naive enough to think that if I ever get elected in any capacity I could change the world but real change doesn't have to change the world. Quality of life isn't measured by the big things but all the little things. However in this day and age being interested in ...
...that Ed Balls / Andrew Neil interview was a corker. Unless you're Ed Balls of course... ...though in fairness these may not be the most objective commentators... Update: Like I said...
Peter Mandelson argued passionately for greater British engagement in Europe at a debate last Thursday on the implications of further Eurozone integration for the UK. He criticised David Cameron for threatening to veto the upcoming EU budget, which he said ... Continue reading →
One of the reasons the behaviour of MPs in the House of Commons is often so appalling, baying and insulting in a way that if done by a school child in a classroom would have MPs lining up to demand tough action to restore decency to British life, is that the place is very small. Lots of people in a small space doesn't usually bring out the best of behaviour, whether in MPs, commuters, sports fans or even tricycle riders. But that's only a partial excuse. Because another of the reasons is simply that it is orchestrated. Deliberate, planned, organised ...
There are many obvious reasons to be glad that Donald Trump's not British, not least the fact that it gives us another reasons to be dismissive of American politics and pretend ours are somehow better, but one specific one occurs to me. Look at it this way: Donald Trump is a rich man who's involved in politics and is known to give money to causes he supports. If he was British, he'd be free to give as much money as he likes to political parties – we can probably assume he'd be a Tory, at least initially – and wouldn't ...
Today in First Minister Questions, Alex Salmond told the Scottish Parliament that Nicola Sturgeon had sought permission from Scottish Law Officers in order to tell Parliament on Tuesday that she and the Scottish Government were going to seek legal advice from the Law Officers over an independent Scotland's position in the EU. Yet, Alex Salmond ...
Cornwall Council is once again offering free parking in various car parks across Cornwall next Wednesday 31st October. To take up the offer, you need to display a voucher which can be found in the Cornish Guardian tomorrow. You can also print off a copy for free by using this link. The free parking only applies after 9.30am and to some Cornwall Council car parks and does not apply to those operated by other organisations such as the town council. In Launceston, the valid car parks are: Walk House Car Park Cattle Market Short Stay Car Park Cattle Market Long ...
The UK Government sponsored report into High Frequency trading (HFT) this week is an excellent and measured look at the frightening take-over of our financial markets by automated machines and their impact. The press have focussed on the broad conclusions which point to little hard evidence of increased instability, volatility or market abuse as a result of HFT. I ...
We have a new winner in the shape of the Hunts Post: Cambs children at risk are safe, council insists
The City Council is looking at changing the service it provides to get people to and from day care services. It's thinking of providing transport only if people can't get there on public transport, in a motability vehicle and so on. Before any changes there are some meetings to discuss this. People who use the service should have had a letter but I'm posting this here to remind anyone who wants to go to the relevant meeting in South Liverpool that it is next week. The date is 30th October. The time is 2pm and the venue is the Bridge ...
One month ago today Liberal Democrat members voted overwhelmingly against the government's plans for secret courts contained in Part II of the Justice and Security Bill. The motion was passed unamended despite the efforts of party leaders who attempted to dilute the motion into an apology for unfair trials. Reporting of the Bill has continued, none of it reassuring. During the debate I said I could not understand why our government would suggest this illiberal measure, unless it was due to pressure from the US government. Disturbingly it seems I was right as it was what David Anderson QC, the ...
The plight of older savers is very real. They have been amongst the biggest loosers of the financial crash. Low interest rates may have helped those who are borrowing but for the thrifty elderly it has been a disaster. This issue has been debated at Sefton Council on several occasion and a number of ideas have been advanced. Chief amongst these has been the idea that the ISA allowance for shares etc should be reformed to allow pensioners to use all their allowance in safer savings products. Personally I would like to see something for pensioners on low incomes -maybe ...
Labour Council's £19million Consultants bill is an "insult to residents"Posted October 25, 2012 [IMG: *] Comments(0) Edit Recently uncovered figures show Manchester Council spent a staggering £18.9m on Consultants' fees in the last three years.Marc Ramsbottom who is standing to be the first Lib Dem MP for Manchester Central in next month's By-Election slammed the Council: "It is an insult to residents that our arrogant Labour Council is cutting frontline services whilst handing over vast sums to Consultants.It is simply wrong for the Council to be cutting lollipop wardens and putting Surestart centres at risk so they can line the ...
Early notice that part of Western Road - fortunately not part of the main road itself - will be closed at the beginning of December for water main works. The stretch affected is the up-slope of the triangle outside Western Terrace. See the map to find out which bit I mean. The affected area is marked in solid black. The works are planned for December 3rd - 7th and will be full-time during this period. The signposted diversion will be via Chapel, Upper Chapel, Moorland Road and St Johns Road and is marked on the map with a dotted line. ...
That Lib Dems have been angry about Osborne's attempt to 'toxify' the whole idea of employee ownership with his perverse and foolish proposal to swap minimal ownership rights with employee rights is well testified. The open letter on Lib Dem Voice is just one manifestation of that... Others in the field were equally outspoken. : Commenting on the new BIS consultation on workplace rights "Implementing Employee Owner Status", Employee Ownership Association CEO Iain Hasdell: "There is absolutely no need to dilute the rights of workers in order to grow employee ownership and no data to suggest that doing so would ...
Less porn and more family history than you might expect. That's the answer from the latest Nielsen data on UK internet usage. Looking at the most popular online sectors in September, the top ten are: Member communities (6 hours 35 minutes on average spent by people on this sector) Online games (5 hours 3 minutes) Email (2 hours 12 minutes) Videos / movies (2 hours 3 minutes) Adult (1 hour 56 minutes) Classifieds / auctions (1 hour 53 minutes) Instant messaging (1 hour 38 minutes) Genealogy (1 hour 27 minutes) Software manufacturers (1 hour 13 minutes) Gambling / sweepstakes (1 ...
Sign the petition here We staged a demo outside Starbuck in Lord Street today. Tony Dawson designed the banner and we turned up outside a deserted Starbucks. We were a little taken aback when a member of the public came up to congratulate us. He was a small businessman who was in the catering trade. He was angry as he had been paying his tax and had to compete with the likes of Starbucks who had not. Bristol MP Stephen Williams has also taken up the campaign Boycott Starbucks and back local independent coffee shops After revelations that Starbucks has ...
Parliament debated the tragedy at Hillsborough this week. Southport's MP spoke and you can read his contribution below. The full debate can be found here John speaks at 5.47pm Let us consider this: it took very little time for South Yorkshire police's version of events to be established, broadcast and embedded in the public mind; it took 23 years for the families to do the same, and without their efforts the truth would be lost to history. As my hon. Friend John Hemming said, that tells us something about this country. It tells us that there is a huge inequality, ...
Thu 25th
10:53
If Obama wins, this Republican ought, perhaps, to be top of his list of people to thank
This is John Kasich, Republican Governor of the state of Ohio, USA. It is possible to argue, credibly (albeit amid much debate), that if Barack Obama wins re-election on November 6th, the first person he ought to thank is John Kasich. Polls suggest that, despite the hyperventilated efforts of the Romney campaign to generate some "big mo" after the Denver debate, Obama is still ahead in vital Ohio. It is also fair to suggest that the election on November 6th in the fifty states is rather unnecessary. You could just hold it in Ohio because that is the only state ...
I have posted before about the European Court of Human Rights' ruling on prisoners' votes and how British media and politicians have consistently misrepresented it. Today the BBC reports that David Cameron told the house: "No one should be under any doubt - prisoners are not getting the vote under this government". The same report tells us that the Labour Opposition spokesman on Justice,
Mothers of Liberty: Women who built British Liberalism (tags: ) Nazi buddha from space might be fake Headline of the decade right there (tags: ) FactCheck: Why leaked A4E data suggests Work Programme isn't working | The FactCheck Blog Jesus this is terrifying. All that money... you might as well just up benefits. Ooops, can't say that, can I? (tags: ) Dangerous Minds | FACEBOOK: I WANT MY FRIENDS BACK (tags: ) Nick Davies — The sheer scale of child sexual abuse in Britain Severe trigger warning on this one. (tags: ) Jimmy Savile inquiry looking at alleged sexual abuse ...
On Saturday a group of Lib Dems, including the majority of the current Euro candidates hit the streets in North Croydon in support of Marisha Ray, our newly selected candidate for the upcoming by-election. It was good to survey the residents to find out what it is they are looking for in their candidate, and ...
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant:
The loss of the Loganair routes from Dundee Airport to Birmingham and George Best Airport Belfast is a real blow. I wrote to the City Council's Head of Economic Development about the matter and called for every effort to be made to attract additional flight destinations. He has responded: "The Scottish Government announced recently that they would be commissioning a study into future options for Dundee Airport and the development of services. They have included us in that study. The work is out for procurement just now and the current expectation is that it will report in the new year. ...
Why you are wrong, by James Delingpole – Actually by Generic Parody, but indistinguishable from the original. He's Behind You – Adam Curtis looks at the story of Muammar Gaddafi. David Miliband and the Labour art of speaking in code – John Harris on how Labour politicians are in the habit of writing lots while saying nothing. I'm quite sure I could find the samples needed for a Liberal Democrat version of this too, though. See also this post by Jamie at Blood and Treasure A Warning about Matthew Brown – In the last Worth Reading, I linked to a ...
Tuesday saw the publication of HMIP's first report into the Cedars 'pre-departure accommodation'. For those of you who aren't versed in UKBA jargon (few are), 'pre-departure accommodation' was established in December 2010 as part of our strategy to end Labour's abhorrent policy of routinely detaining children for immigration purposes. Under Labour, from 2005-2010, 7000 children who had committed no crime were detained. Children were imprisoned in appalling conditions, including the now infamous Yarl's Wood centre. Detention was often for weeks and months. In one case, for 190 days. The policy was one of locking children up indefinitely – an atrocious ...
A VIEW FROM HAM COMMON: Nick Clegg truly doesn't have a reverse gear The National Health Action Party must be strangled at birth - This is a terrible post by the normally more sensible Paul Richards. His argument is essentially "vote Labour" because the electoral system is dreadful. You know, that same electoral system that half his party frantically campaigned to keep last year. If AV had come in the "problem" Paul highlights (LETTING TEH TORRIEEZ IN!!!11) would no longer exist. The Savile scandal is about children, not overpaid TV executives | Suzanne Moore Shove your $5m, Donald Trump - ...
Today's Independent reports: A £1bn-a-year "black hole" in university funding means the Government's new £9,000 fees regime is in danger of costing taxpayers more than the old system. A report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), a highly respected think-tank, says the Government has "seriously understated" the cost of its higher education reforms... There are three reasons why the new system will cost at least £1bn-a-year more. Firstly, the average fee is £8,234, not the £7,500 predicted. This forces students to take out higher loans. Secondly, the Government estimates that it will not recover 32 per cent of debts. ...
The Telegraph reports: Mervyn Barrett has flooded Lincolnshire with expensive leaflets, free DVDs and full-page newspaper adverts in his bid to be elected as its policing supremo next month. Unusually for a rural local election, he has employed professional campaign staff, commissioned weekly opinion polls, opened "field offices" and is driven in a chauffeured Mercedes. He has poured tens of thousands of pounds into the elections, far more than any other candidate anywhere else in Britain. Mr Barrett describes himself as an "independent", opposed to "party politics" in policing. He has refused to disclose who is funding him, despite widespread ...
I mentioned the National Rail Museum while choosing Petite Fleur as one of my Sunday music videos: In my student days the museum used to run slide shows about railway history, with a musical accompaniment of brass bands and jazz tunes to give a period feel. This tune, in fact this very version of it, was one of those used.Though those slide shows are no more, I was surprised at how little the museum has changed. It is bigger, certainly, but the atmosphere is the same and there were viewer computer simulations and the like than I had expected. One ...
Hopi Sen has written an interesting blog post on how Labour adopting the policies desired by some of their lost voters would be a disaster for the country. I was thinking about this issue at the weekend, after reading on the SNP voting to change their policy on whether an independent Scotland being a member of NATO. This was because regular polling showed that a majority of Scots want to remain in NATO, so the SNP's anti-NATO policy was seen as a hindrance to the independence campaign. Leaving aside the implied assumption that the policies of a post-independence Scotland would ...
What's that saying? Never look a gift horse in the mouth? To Apple the buying public are sheep. The buying sheep demand the iPad mini. The buying sheep will pay for it. Apple will supply it, and sell out. That's why the iPad mini will cost $329. And it doesn't matter that the Amazon's Kindle Fire is half the price, or that the Nexus 7 is also way cheaper! Me? I don't buy Coca Cola, like all the "sheep". I'm quite happy with the Cola versions in places like Lidl and Aldi. In my view equal products, doing the same ...
Rather busy day today as I travel up to Llandrindod Wells after the Assembly Finance Committee to launch my private member's bill on Park Homes. The Bill is intended to modernise the licensing system for park homes across Wales - giving local authorities the resources and powers to award and monitor licenses and to ensure site owners pass a fit and proper persons test. I also intend to offer more protection to mobile home owners wishing to sell their homes without prior agreement with site owners. Throughout the course of researching and gathering opinions on this Bill I have often ...
Back in August, I wrote to the Chief Executive of NHS Tayside expressing concern about the reduction in Service 333 - the 'hospital link' bus, primarily between Ninewells Hospital and Perth Royal Infirmary. I have had constituents who are either NHS staff or hospital visitors contact me regarding their concerns and have therefore corresponded with both the NHS and Perth and Kinross Council (who tendered the service for NHS Tayside) on the matter. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to discuss the matter further with my friend and colleague Cllr Willie Wilson of Perth and Kinross Council. Willie has ...
Last week, following concerns from sheltered tenants, I asked the City Council Environment Department to clean up wet, slippy leaves at the Blackness Avenue end of Abbotsford Place and - with thanks - the department attended to this extremely efficiently. On Sunday, an elderly lady slipped on leaves on Logie Avenue at the junction with Birchwood Place - see photo of the area - right. Thankfully the lady managed to steady herself and was not injured, but I have asked the council to clean up the leaves here. The City Council advises me that an instruction has gone out to ...
Church leaders have united to deliver a clear message to the English Defence League that it will not be welcomed in Norwich if a planned protest march goes ahead in the city. The right-wing movement, which opposes what it considers to be the spread of militant Islamism, is planning its first-ever march through Norwich on Saturday, November 10. It was organised in response to Norwich City Council's decision to ban the Rev Alan Clifford of the Norwich Reformed Church from using a market stall on Hay Hill, where it was believed that anti-Islamic literature was being distributed. But the EDL, ...
The Polish Embassy in London threw its doors open to the Wednesday Club of the Institute of Directors (and a couple of journalists, including me) this evening, to promote investment opportunities in Poland. The country has much to be proud of, having been judged by the IMF to be one of the best places to ...
