There has been huge local publicity recently about the proposal by Cottesbrooke Junior School to close at 1pm on Fridays. The school says this would enable better use of teacher PPA time – which stands for planning, preparation and assessment. I attended a packed meeting at the school last Wednesday, which discussed the plans. Its fair to say that the large number of parents who attended were overwhelmingly hostile to the proposal. I share their concerns. Teachers have to be given 10% PPA time, but when this is done and how it is organised is largely up to each school's ...
Sorry for the lack of posts, but most of my writing time recently has been spent working on my novel (which is going much more slowly than I expected, since I've never written anything of this length before). I hope to have some Actual Content up soon, but meanwhile here are some links: A look ...
I'm having trouble getting this morning's Andrew Marr Show out of my head. This is not pleasant. There are two causes of this affliction, both relating to the interview with Iain Duncan Smith. The first is the rather extraordinary approach taken by Marr. To call it the interviewer's equivalent of underarm bowling would be too kind. It wasn't so much that he didn't seek to engage critically with any of the statements that IDS made. It was more that several of his questions simply rephrased Conservative policy and he then invited IDS to endorse or elaborate upon them. Not surprisingly, ...
First a confession: I made two trips to St Lawrence's, York. The photograph of the tower was taken on the Sunday and I went back the next day, when I took the photograph of the plaque that was being placed on it. I went back because on the Sunday evening because I had read about the Rigg family monument on York Stories: Mr Rigg was a seedsman with premises on Fishergate. The sons and daughters of John and Ann Rigg went for a boating excursion on the Ouse on 19 August 1830, with friends. Their rowing boat met a keel ...
Earlier today I attended the hustings meeting for shortlisted potential European Parliamentary candidates in London. I prepared some remarks for the five minute speech we were each allotted before taking questions. As ever, I prepared far too much for this short time so what I actually said was slightly truncated; but I thought it best to share here the complete text of my prepared speech: [IMG: 5] So, to speak for five minutes about European candidacy without any repetition, hesitation, duplication or contradiction of other candidates. No easy task. When I was still a philosophy student I used to joke ...
For the benefit of those who weren't there but who have asked what I was going to say, this is the speech I gave at the European candidates' selection hustings meeting in central London today: Good afternoon everyone. I know it can be quite tiring listening to a whole series of speeches, but this hustings ...
I received an email from a local resident about the state of Hillside Bridge. this is what he had to say: Is there anything you can do regards the overgrown shrubs & trees on the bridge especially the ones along Hillside Road. In some places they are encroaching 5-6 feet across the pavement and have become a danger to pedestrians using that stretch of road as they are having to get close to the kerb line if there is more than 1 a breast. I regularly use this stretch of pavement and this year the shrubs are particularly bad as ...
In the Independent on Sunday John Rentoul points out that Michael Moore may be the least known Lib Dems, or indeed member, in the Cabinet, but he has played a blinder in out foxing Alex Salmond, and is well on the way to saving the UK. "He should be better known, because he is the ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 298th 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 (28 October-3 November, 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: If ...
Last week I spoke at the AIDS Consortium's Faith and Criminalisation AGM. I was happy to join the distinguished panel, and to emphasise the UK's continued commitment to HIV treatment and prevention. This is something I feel very strongly about not just because I, like many in the early days, lost several personal friends to AIDs but also because it is now possible to live with HIV and AIDs and yet there are still so many people who could be helped who are not yet being helped. About six years ago I visited Johannesburg to see for myself the work ...
Sun 4th
18:15
In other news... Hemming "resignation threat", Rogerson on second home tax, Russell on Israel & ...
MP John Hemming's fury over 'cover-ups' (Daily Express) A LIB Dem MP threatened to resign the party whip last night and sit as an independent unless child protection was treated "more seriously". John Hemming said the Government was "dangerously complacent" about the level of cover-ups at children's homes and in the wider family justice system. He said if ministers did not demonstrate "a change of attitude", he would withdraw his "personal support for the Government". Mentally impaired people 'exploited by court-appointed deputies' (BBC News) Action is needed to prevent vulnerable people being ripped-off by those appointed by the courts to ...
I went to see Skyfall this week. It is an absolutely fantastic film. But is it the best? Where does it sit in the pantheon of a great series of films? Here is how I currently rate the Bond films from least to best. It is of course a personal view and some of the placings will be a bit quirky to me (and I may even have got some of the details mixed up). Have a read and tell me what you think! 22 View to a Kill It feels more like a TV movie than a top Bond ...
Full story: Meet Westminster's answer to James Bond. * Mark Pack has written 101 Ways To Win An Election and produces a monthly newsletter about the Liberal Democrats.
Here's another of Ros's interventions that I hadn't covered, from 15 June 2011... Since being elevated to the Lords, Meral Ece has been persistent in pursuing the Government's strategy with regard to Cyprus, and it's a subject that Ros has taken up too. So, when Meral raised the question of progress towards a political solution, Ros wanted to suggest a way forward... Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat) My Lords, does the Minister agree that the biggest practical problem facing Cypriots wanting to reunify is the difference in GDP between the two halves of the island, and that the ...
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Obama tops our poll with 91% support from Lib Dems LDV asked: If you had a vote in the US presidential election, would you support Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? 91% - Barack Obama 1% - Mitt Romney 7% – Neither 1% – No view Not, perhaps, the most startling discovery in our surveys to date: across Europe there is ...
Some time ago I went to see the head of the police training college on Mather Avenue (with local residents) to talk about problems caused by selfish and inconsiderate parking by people working at or visiting the building. The superintendent agreed to reinforce the message about considerate parking, but we realised it would take more than that. Among the frustrations of residents was the double yellow line across the front of the building which seemed to have little point and which the police said they didn't need. I followed up by asking the Council to look into removing it. We ...
Hurry, hurry, hurry: the ballot closes at noon on Wednesday for the Liberal Democrat federal committee elections. If you're voting by post, it is best to make sure the envelope is with the Royal Mail on Monday at the latest. If you are voting electronically, you have until noon on Wednesday – but don't leave it until the last moment just in case there's a computer problem. You can find out more about the elections in my Q&A post and votes for myself for Federal Policy Committee would be much appreciated.
Now that Kaleidoscope reveals have gone live, I can reveal that I wrote this piece for Sungkyunkwan Scandal : Title: The Second Time Fandom: Sungkyankwan Scandal Pairing: Cho Seon/Ha Hyo Eun Summary: Hyo-eun finds herself embroiled in a daring escape from the authorities. Set post canon, therefore contains spoilers for the entire series, but especially the stories of Hyo Eun and Cho Seon. Meanwhile, do feel free to browse the rest of this year's Kaleidoscope and Kaleidoscope Treats!
Warning: Most of this is in Italian.
Respect leader George Galloway yesterday urged the Black community to elect "the new Bernie Grant" by getting behind race equality campaigner Lee Jasper in the Croydon North byelection. Speaking at the second Black Men in ...
Last Wednesday I was up before the selection panel. Beforehand I was experiencing that curious mix of feelings that is at once confidence and nervousness. I had no idea how to dress. What does a typical Lib Dem wear? A bit of lippy and my poshest high heels? My usual casually crumped look, replete with a hat that Dr Seuss would be proud of? A business suit? Lipstick and high heels won. The day began badly with an encounter with Maxwell Tarmac-Smyth - the "Mad Max" of Libbyshire politics. He's second peg in the Tory oligarchy that runs Libbyshire. He's ...
Although the Commons vote on the EU budget isn't binding, the Government is now under pressure to make demands that simply cannot be met. Calling for a real-terms cut in the EU budget would not only be unrealistic, but would ... Continue reading →
"And New York drowns as we hold hands." For obvious reasons this lyric has been on my mind this past week. It comes from the great Jimi Hendrix track "Voodoo Chile". And there is a mystique that surrounds this recording of it. The Winwood Fans site tells the story: In the most famous recording involving Hendrix and Traffic members, Steve Winwood played organ on "Voodoo Chile", released on Jimi's album Electric Ladyland (1968) ... John McDermott, in his exhaustively researched book Jimi Hendrix: Sessions (1995), describes the recording session for "Voodoo Chile" on May 2, 1968, actually early morning May ...
Have it, don't have it - as currently set up it seems a bit irrelevant to my generation. That was my message to the audience at a Hackney Lib Dems debate last Tuesday. I was joined on the panel, Chaired by Simon de Deney by Cllr Lester Holloway, Anuja Prashar and Pauline Pearce (a.k.a. the Hackney Heroine), along with an audience passionate about the subject. The debate ranged from identity, the void which exists in history taught in schools on British colonialism and the overall aim of Black History Month in the UK. Photo courtesy of Patrick Thomas I suggested ...
IR Cymru has come far since March, despite having come short of meeting our goals when we first met in June. Whilst some of the Executive have been able to commit more than others to developing the organisation, because as we'll all know, sometimes things happen that we can't avoid, I believe that my commitment to ...
The first of Nick Clegg's new 'Letter from the Leader' series has been emailed to party members this morning. Here it is: I want to start writing to you, as a supporter of the Liberal Democrats, regularly and more informally than I have in the past. I want to give you a bit more of an insight into what's going on behind those Whitehall doors and how we, as Lib Dems, are dealing with the issues and challenges that come up. An issue that gets raised again and again when I speak to people across the country is the question ...
I woke up this morning to see all sorts of comment on Twitter about an email from Nick Clegg received by Party supporters. I hurriedly checked my inbox - and there was nothing. I wondered fleetingly and not terribly seriously if I'd been removed from the distribution list cos I'd been so critical of emails from HQ in the past. However, after an hour or so, it appeared. And it was worth waiting for. Nick, as a parent of 3 young children, knows only too well how families can struggle with childcare. For a start, it's seen as something women ...
On 25th October Peter Black formally launched his Mobile Homes Bill at a Consumer Focus Wales event in Llandrindod Wells. On Wednesday he will be introducing it into the Welsh Assembly. The Bill is intended to modernise the licensing regime for park homes across Wales - giving local authorities the powers to award and monitor licenses and to ensure site owners pass a fit and proper persons test. The Bill also offers protection to mobile home residents wishing to sell their homes without prior agreement with site owners. It can be viewed here.
It's Sunday - time to kick back, relax, chill and just enjoy the day (although it looks like I'll be out campaigning later...). Why not take 10 minutes to add listening to Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture - one of the most sublime pieces of music ever composed. Andrew
Liberal Democrats in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland are asking when the problems with the BMX track at Eston will be dealt with. The track has cost £90,000 to build but has had to be repaired four times already due to subsidence. The Director of Biketrack (specialist track designers) has said that parts of the course are so dangerous they need demolishing altogether. Liberal Democrat Leisure Spokesman, Cllr Josh Mason (pictured), questioned the Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Tourism.Cllr Mason said:"A BMX track is a great facility for young people."But I am very concerned it cannot be ...
I blogged a few days ago about a planned new series of emails from Nick Clegg. Well, the first one has started hitting inboxes this morning and it's good. It has a nice chatty style and makes good use of a common theme to turn what would otherwise be a dry collection of bullet points and decimal points into something rather more readable. I'd have preferred a little more in the way of a personal story than the simple "when I speak to people" bit, but even without this is a great step forward. I want to start writing to ...
First Neil Fawcett hijacked me and diverted me to some Police and Crime Commissioner campaigning: Then I got to draw a graph: And to meet some of the Oxford University Liberal Democrat activists, who are doing excellent work building up their activities: Rumours that I may have mentioned a certain book are, of course, completely true.
Thanks to the kind efforts of Tim Pickstone and colleagues at ALDC and Tim Prater and co. at Prater Raines, the newly revived Liberal Democrat campaign buttons have now been tested successfully on websites run using their own systems. You can see an example of the buttons running on a MyCouncillor site on ALDC Chief Executive Tim Pickstone's site (see second column). For a Prater Raines example, take a look at Kent Liberal Democrats (see right hand column). For Prater Raines sites, you can add the buttons from the admin area without worrying about any lines of code: To add ...
Last night I joined Lewisham Liberal Democrats for a curry supper at the house of a couple of members before we all headed up to Blackheath Common where a throng of many thousands had gathered to watch the famous firework display. This year's show was a few minutes shorter than some previous years', as Greenwich ...
Sometimes having a microphone thrust under your nose instantly crystalizes your thoughts. As you hear yourself speak, you realise you have strong opinions when a moment before you didn't know what to think. On Thursday night, as I left a Police and Crime Commissioner hustings in Shropshire, I was struggling to gather my thoughts. A reporter from BBC Radio Shropshire, gloriously named James Bond, thrust a microphone at me. "Andy. What did you think of the candidates?" The hustings was a meeting that nearly didn't happen. A local Ludlow man had organised it off his own back when he realised ...
Pack and Maxfield transcend their Liberal Democrat affiliations to make this a book which genuinely relates to mainstream democratic practitioners of all hues. Yup, this is a book review I like. The reviewer, Paul Brighton, makes a good point about holes in shoes. What worked for Ronald Reagan probably wouldn't have worked for Michael Foot. (The review is of 101 Ways To Win An Election.)
There is a photograph on the Getty Images site with the caption: 23rd February 1974: Actress Honor Blackman lends support to the Liberal Party as she joins Johnnie Savile, brother of broadcaster Jimmy and candidate for Battersea North, London, on a canvassing tour of the constituency.Sure enough, the Wikipedia page for the Battersea North constituency reveals that a J. Savile stood there for the Liberal Party in the February 1974 general election. He finished third, polling 4683 votes. And a recent Daily Mail report suggests that Johnnie was no more pleasant than his brother.
No one would have believed in the first years of the twenty-first century that the online world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences lesser than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various blogs they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a woman with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went twittering and facebooking over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over the Internet. No one ...
Several new Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee co-chairs have been appointed by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg. Paul Burstow has also been elected as chair of the parliamentary party. The former chair Lorely Burt stood down after being appointed as parliamentary private secretary to Danny Alexander. The new appointments in the House of Commons are: Gordon Birtwistle - Business, Innovation and SkillsMike Crockart - Energy and Climate ChangeJulian Huppert - Home Affairs, Justice and EqualitiesJohn Leech - Culture, Media and SportGreg Mulholland - Work and PensionsAlan Reid - TransportMark Williams - WalesRoger Williams - Food and Rural AffairsJohn Thurso - ...
Harry Potter actors detail their favourite lines their characters said Julie Walters is, obvs, awesome. Rafe is... disturbing. (tags: ) Discussion of the 1874 painting "the irritating gentleman" shows that modern problems are not so modern (tags: ) My christening dilemma: I'm gay and an atheist, should I be a godparent? - Comment - Voices - The Independent I applaud this man's stance, and would make the same one myself (tags: ) Why you shouldn't click through to stories on the Daily Mail, no matter how tempting it might be Clicking through for outrage is still a click through and ...
At least according to the Daily Express website he is - hence the scare quotes in my title. Referring the failure of John's far-reaching (probably too far-reaching for its own good) private member's bill last week, the report says: In his closing remarks at the end of that debate, Mr Hemming said: "The Government are being dangerously complacent about such issues as cover-ups, and my personal support for the Government will rest on a change of attitude by them to take such matters more seriously." He confirmed last night that he was threatening to resign from the party whip.
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Post-conference boost: +23% happy with party's direction LDV asked: Do you think, as a whole, the Liberal Democrats are on the right course or on the wrong track? (Comparison with September's figures.) 57% (+7%) – The right course 34% (-7%) – The wrong track 9% (-1%) – Don't know / No opinion There's a significant recovery in the number of ...
Hitchcult – Jamie at Blood and Treasure on the proposal to build a statue of Christopher Hitchens. Remember Who You Are – A report from a David Icke talk. At points, it sounds like Icke is stealing lines from Bill Hicks, though I don't recall Bill ever having dance routines. I'm not ashamed of being a man, but I ashamed of the things men do – I was considering writing a 'why I follow Everyday Sexism' post, but this does the job perfectly. 10 days that shook my world – Tom Watson MP's account of what he's learned since asking ...
Following the US elections as I do I noted that Barack Obama visited Mentor, Ohio just two days before voting starts. It got me thinking – his strategists must have decided that in the frantic last 3 days of campaigning the town and its surrounding areas must be key. Well it sure is – it's ...
You can download a better quality copy of this poster and further information about the consultation timetable here.
It may have been a cold day yesterday but as Janet's photographs show, the West End was looking at its best:Magdalen Green: Balgay Hill :
Assembly Member launches Regulated Mobile Home Sites (Wales) Bill from Assembly Wales / Cynulliad Cymru on Vimeo. On 25th October I formally launched my Mobile Homes Bill at a Consumer Focus Wales event in Llandrindod Wells. On Wednesday I will be introducing it into the Welsh Assembly. The Bill is intended to modernise the licensing regime for park homes across Wales - giving local authorities the powers to award and monitor licenses and to ensure site owners pass a fit and proper persons test. The Bill also offers protection to mobile home residents wishing to sell their homes without prior ...
