During her two years at the Home Office, Lynne Featherstone did great things to promote the equalities agenda, even if she and Theresa May did not always see eye to eye. The Equal Marriage consultation was a real win for the LibDems within the Coalition, and to his credit David Cameron "got" the issue, even ...
While I have been out this evening I gather that the Conservative member for Mid Bedfordshire has been eating ostrich anus on national television. I don't like Nadine Dorries. I don't like I'm a Celebrity... And she is a fool for going on the show. But I shall not be voting got her to eat any more anuses. Because I don't like the bullying inherent in the campaign to have her undertake every Bushtucker Trial. And I have reached an age where I have sympathy for the words of the psychologist Professor Paul Gilbert, as reported in this morning's Independent: ...
Press conference this morning to discuss the Bahrain government's unlawful deprivation of 31 people's citizenship. There was no judicial process, contrary to the comstitution and to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and there is no practical possibility of an appeal because firstly no grounds were given for this measure and secondly, everybody knows that it was decided by the king, whose word IS the law. I was interrviewed by al Jezira and it was on their news bulletin at 21.00 this evening [IMG: Posted by Picasa]
If I believed in God, I would give thanks for the Election of Obama to a 2nd term of office at the Whitehouse. As it is, I shall revel in relief that it was not Mitt Romney that received the majority vote. His verbal assault on the rights of women, his religious extremism, his complete lack of understanding, empathy or desire to address the problems of those less well off than he etc etc; We can - and should - all give a great sigh of relief! But the problems of the so-called 'free world' are far from over and ...
From the wide variety of headlines on tomorrow's front pages, one concludes that the public's interest in the labyrinthine workings of the BBC management structure was rather short-lived... In other news, Telegraph readers are apparently most interested in seeing a photo of a 55 year old woman in a bathing suit taken from above. Excuse me while I just hand in my resignation from the human race... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Earlier this evening, I attended the November West End Community Council meeting - a well attended meeting at which there was concentration on planning matters - including the forthcoming consultation exhibition about the Harris Academy rebuilding project, the Park and Ride proposals for Wright Avenue and the proposed Dundee Local Development Plan. There was also a discussion about the residents' parking consultation in part of the West End and I made the point that it was important that Dundee City Council officers attend the next Community Council meeting to explain their proposal and listen to residents' views. The proposed tour ...
Rico Sorda has kindly extracted my speech of today onto his web log here I shall highlight the key element: Parliament has to stand on the side of the powerless. Whitehall mandarins, judges, BBC managers, council bureaucrats and professionals all have their own interests and a desire to hide mistakes. Parliament needs to balance the scales on the side of the weak—those without wealth who are
The following are taken from the websites of two Northern Irish political parties: First: "We want to normalise our institutions and political arrangements to demonstrate that democratic standards apply and fairness and equality of opportunity is the right of all. "We wants to strengthen our relationship within the United Kingdom. Our representatives in Westminster dedicate themselves to involvement in the affairs of the Nation and in partnership with their Stormont colleagues maximise Northern Ireland's contribution to the United Kingdom. We will work to increase the respect and status of our region within the Union.... "We want the name of Northern ...
Its as if the BBC has two personalities, Auntie and her mad sister. Why do they keep referring to themselves in the third person. If I work for an organisation then we may have a pop at different departments, but in public we stand shoulder to shoulder. But, no not the BBC they seem to be able to make news about their own news programmes. Newsnight investigating the BBC, sorry but are they
Fellow blogger Rob Simmons has posted about a leaflet (see left, click on the image for a bigger view) being put out by the Tories in the St Ives constituency. The problem with the leaflet is that it argues against the very policies that they are implementing in power. One section says: "Cllr Harding has long argued that cheaper short-stay car park charges are fairer and help boost the local economy. Roger continues the campaign to see further measures taken to reduce the cost of parking..." Obviously Roger will have taken every opportunity to press his case for a reduction ...
As LibDemVoice reported today... You can read Nick's speech in full here.
Or worse? It's a hard question when it relates to reports of abuse of vulnerable people. On the one hand, the fact that suspicion of abuse is being reported may indicate heightened awareness of the issue, improved training, and a greater willingness of people in 2012 to report suspicions. There's not much doubt that once many of us would have hesitated to do so, motivated amongst other things by fear of sticking our neck out over what some people would accept as "normal", or simple disbelief that anyone would abuse a vulnerable person. On the other hand, increasing reports of ...
Most of the BBC's radio stations will come together tomorrow at 17:33 to broadcast an audio pastiche from Damon Albarn, celebrating 90 years of BBC radio. (Hopefully, they will find a manager to authorise this in time.) This is the first time (nearly) all the BBC's radio stations are broadcasting the same thing. However, some of them often come together to broadcast the two minute's silence on Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. And in 1978, those of use old enough will remember "Radio 10" or the "All Network Service" on December 22nd when the ABS union took industrial action. This ...
I occasionally see the old alpha-numeric phone numbers on old shopfronts - you know the sort of thing 'Whitehall 1212'. So when I stumbled across this obscure website at work today (don't ask why) I thought it was too good an historical source not to publicise. And if you can fill any of the gaps in terms of naming conventions so much the better...
Tue 13th
20:26
Horwood revolts over 'a nasty, vindictive little clause'-Osborne so called employee ownership
At 7.53pm Martin Horwood 5th November (Lib Dem Cheltenham) spoke in the Government's Growth and Infrastructure Bill Column 663. Below is his thoughts on Osborne's daft suggestion on employees being asked to swap their employment rights for the illusion of ownership Then we come to the extraordinary clause 23. I proposed a policy on employee ownership and workplace democracy to this year's Liberal Democrat conference. I would strongly commend the contents of that and its many recommendations to Government, including the option to bid for employee ownership at the time of transfer of an undertaking, which we believe could result ...
This morning, councillors got the chance to hear from and quiz the boss of Peninsula Community Health - the company that runs cottage hospitals in Cornwall including Launceston Hospital. There has been a lot of concern at the number of bed closures in these hospitals, including 7 of the 20 beds in Launceston. Although some of the closures have been due to refurbishment, most are down to lack of staff and problems recruiting new staff. In Launceston, much of the problem was because staff were borrowed from Stratton Hospital while that was being refurbished and, when it re-opened the staff ...
I'm glad that Bristol is voting for a directly elected Mayor on Thursday. I made the case for a yes vote in the referendum, which put me out of line with many of my local Lib Dem colleagues. I think a Mayor will be able to secure the devolution of more power from Westminster to ...
Cornwall's Liberal Democrats have welcomed a proposal by the authority to end the council tax discount for second homes and for empty properties. The proposals had been demanded by the Lib Dem group for many years and were finally made possible by legislation from the Liberal Democrats in Government. My colleague, Lib Dem group leader Jeremy Rowe, said: "The second home council tax discount is an anathema which harms local services. I'm delighted that the Lib Dems in government have made the change that allows councils to charge full council tax on second homes and equally delighted that Cornwall is ...
This Thursday, 15th November 2012, will see Britain's first ever elections for Police & Crime Commissioners to oversee our police forces. Everyone in England and Wales outside of London will vote for a Police & Crime Commissioner for their county. They will be in charge of Chief Constables, set budgets set policing priorities. Here is a list of the candidates standing for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The Police Commissioners are intended by the Conservatives to provide greater accountability to the communities they serve. I question whether one person is more accountable than the police authorities, which comprised a number of people. ...
Big policy launch involving highly photogenic subject. And this is the 'action photo' punted out on social media. Excuse me whilst I apply head to desk. (If you want something that isn't just text and is a little livelier, try watching the clip the Guardian put together.)
Tue 13th
18:43
Cornwall Council's parking charges displays utter contempt for motorists, localism and reality (yet ...
Next week, Cornwall's cabinet will debate the proposed parking charges for next year. Their draft shows utter contempt for motorists, for localism and for reality. But as this is the third year with such problems I suppose we should be used to them by now. Over the course of the last few months, the parking panel has traveled to all the different parts of Cornwall to ask about what charges local people would like to see. There was the caveat that they wanted the new charges to raise at least as much as the current ones. We could dispute the ...
I support cosplay in all its shapes and forms, and I just want you to know that. Because cosplaying is great, and I want to make sure you know I think that. If you spend time, money and effort making an accurate cosplay of your favorite character because you love that character, you are awesome. If you stick a W belly shirt on over jeans and call that a Wonder Girl costume, that is awesome. If you buy a "sexy Robin" costume from a hallowe'en store, because it was quicker and easier than making a costume from scratch, you are ...
[This is the text to accompany my presentation to open the South West Observatory seminar "Welfare reform: challenges, impacts and evidence", 13/11/12] Where to start? Politicians are prone to hyperbole. The most minor modification to a relatively peripheral policy is portrayed as a groundbreaking initiative. However, in the case of welfare reform a hugely ambitious agenda is being pursued in the name of making work pay. Nothing like it has been attempted for decades. The challenges are therefore enormous. There is a huge amount at stake. The well-being of the most vulnerable members of society depends on its successful delivery. ...
The first mandate between the Government and the NHS Commissioning Board was published today, setting out the priorities for the health service over the next two years. It reaffirms our commitment to a comprehensive and universal NHS, available to all based on need rather than on your ability to pay. Its overriding aim is to make the NHS work better for patients. The Mandate was drawn up following widespread consultation over the summer. Key goals contained within it include: Improving standards of care, especially for the elderly Better diagnosis, treatment and care for people with dementia Better care for women ...
A follow-up to my earlier post about Nick Clegg's plans for more flexible parental leave: You can read the full text of Nick Clegg's speech on flexible paternity leave here.
The problem with the latest corrosive scandal to engulf yet another UK institution is that... well it's all so predictable. People, or organisations for that matter, that believe themselves untouchable quite often end up doing fairly unspeakable things. Although I didn't know Jimmy Savile from a hole in the ground, it does rather seem as though he believed he was untouchable, and lets face it he is dead and was given something of a hero's send-off- so in life he surely was untouchable. Those who have come out to complain about his behaviour since he died do seem to have ...
I'm going to use Storylane to write and share the completely fictional stories of a cold case team based at the Forensic Science Service. I have based the characters and plot in Dorset, England. Hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoy writing them. http://www.storylane.com/trishah
Compare and contrast: From This is Staffordshire July 2011: "MOTHER-OF-FIVE Teresa Brain has been jailed after illegally pocketing more than £55,000 in benefits. The 36-year-old claimed income support and housing and council tax benefit for almost six years after claiming she lived alone. But Brain failed to tell the authorities that her partner Paul Walker was living ...
Nick Clegg's announcement today may be overshadowed by various rows in the media, but this is an historic moment. Parents will soon be able to share 50 weeks of the 52 weeks maternity leave entitlement, and everyone will have the right to request flexible working. Why does this matter? Because we are wasting the talent of our women workers to such an extent that when women start a family they often take a drop in their pay, lose the opportunity for promotion or even can find themselves locked out of the labour market. About one million women are missing from ...
If you have an opinion on what works and what could be improved in our town, Yate and Dodington Priority Neighbourhood Steering Group want to hear from you. Does there need to be more for younger people to do?What about more opportunities for improving employment prospects or health?What one thing would make the biggest difference?What works well now that there should be more of?Drop in to Yate Library between 10.30am - 12.30pm and 4.00pm - 6.30pm on Thursday 15th November and have a quick chat with the team. Free mince pie and hot drink - plus everyone who comes along ...
[IMG: Virgin train] As the 2015 General Election approaches, the principle challenge for Liberal Democrat policy makers will be to come up with distinctive policies which don't trade in our party's radicalism while allowing us to trade on our experience as a serious party of government. One policy which we can be confident won't be pursued by either of the other two parties is that of re-nationalising the railways. Readers familiar with my previous posts on this site would be surprised to see me advocating nationalisation as a policy. The traditional economically Liberal view is that the ideal state for ...
After a request from a friend, I have uploaded all the Manifesto Booklets from the recent Federal Committee Elections. When I first started thinking about standing, I looked online to see what past manifestos looked like, only to find nothing available. No one I contacted seemed to have kept copies, online or offline and it left me with a bit of a blank page as to what 'needed' to go within the margins of my A5 sheet of paper. I hope these uploaded booklets will be useful to future candidates, easpecially those people who will be new to the elections ...
A reference in the Evening Gazette today about reporter Mike Morgan's telephone conversation with Sir Rex Hunt shortly before the 1982 Argentinian invasion of the Falklands brought back memories of my own involvement in what I think were the events which led to Mike Morgan making the call. Mike (pictured right) was then a reporter on the Whitby Gazette and I was a member of Whitby Town Council. I think Mike was prompted to make the call to His Excellency Mr Rex Hunt, the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Falkland Islands and dependencies in response to a letter Mr Hunt ...
No sooner has the bunting been cleared away following Barack Obama's re-election then news emerges of efforts by his administration to help Shell oil company avoid being sued in connection with human rights abuses against the Ogoni ...
On my way to windmill spotting in Lincoln recently, I happened across this example of an 19th century election leaflet for the City of Lincoln's local elections: It's a neat example of a point I've made before, that what can seem new and exciting in the world of communications often is really long-established ideas in slightly new clothes. In this case, note two particular features of the message. First, the reference to electors having previously elected Mr Page four times before. In other words, 'lots of people liked me, so stick with me' – a mix of what now in ...
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. 7-in-10 say new fees system is fairer than old LDV asked: Overall do you think the new tuition fees system introduced by the Coalition Government is fairer or less fair than the system it replaced? 70% – Fairer 21% – Less fair 10% – Don't know A substantial majority of Lib Dem members in our survey say the new system ...
In the old days, Kings and/or Governments who lived by the sword, often died by the sword. In modern times, the sword has been replaced by ICT systems. Thus the report in Sunday's Independent that the Government's flagship reform of Britain's welfare system has been placed on a Treasury list of projects in crisis because of problems with the ICT comes as no surprise. The paper says that despite assurances from the Department for Work and Pensions that universal credit will be rolled out on time and on budget, its national launch, scheduled for October next year, will now be ...
Another radical Lib Dem proposal is being implemented today as Nick Clegg announces the arrangements for flexible parental leave. In essence, parents of new babies will be entitled to a year's worth of parental leave that they can share between themselves to suit their own circumstances. He says: From 2015, the UK will shift to an entirely new system of flexible parental leave. Under the new rules, a mother will be able to trigger flexible leave at any point - if and when she feels ready. That means that whatever time is left to run on her original year can ...
Despite having been in Government since the Coalition's formation, first in the Treasury, then as Transport Secretary, and now International Development Secretary, Justine Greening has never yet been on Twitter. That's all changed today though: Hello, this is my first tweet as Secretary of State for @dfid_uk. Excited to be speaking at #OpenUp12 today! — ...
This is the update for the month of October 2012, for Cheriton, Morehall and surrounding areas. Education officers teamed up with local PCSO's Gary Carr and Mark Ball in order to conduct a truancy sweep throughout Folkestone town centre. On Saturday 13th October 2012 PCSO Mark Ball hosted a Community Meeting at Cheriton Library. Residents from Chilham Road and local councillors attended. Issues surrounding criminal damage and Anti-social behaviour were discussed. PCSO Mark Ball was alerted to a report of Theft of a laptop, which had been brought into a local computer store. The laptop was quickly seized and the ...
Tue 13th
12:30
LibLink: Simon Hughes - This water tax trickery in the corporate sector is unacceptable
[IMG: Simon Hughes] Over in the Observer, Simon Hughes is making his views on tax avoidance perfectly clear. Every pound lost to tax avoidance, tax planning, tax efficiency, or whatever other euphemism is used, by people who simply don't want to make their contribution is a pound that cannot be spent on vital services. At a time when we are asking individuals and households to make great financial sacrifices, behaviour of this kind from the corporate sector is simply unacceptable. He singles out the water industry as "one of the worst cases of widespread corporate misbehaviour that has been exposed ...
Today is one of those days when I am so glad we are in Government. So glad that we have a leader who understands the realities of 21st century family life and who doesn't just leave it to the girls to talk about childcare.So glad that he is in a position to make a real difference, to give families a proper choice. Nick Clegg has announced a radical shake up in parental leave. Note, I say parental leave, not maternity leave. This is because there is no assumption that the woman will take more than the first two weeks. After ...
I like predicting the death of the iPhone. I've been doing it since the device was first released - and I'm sure, one day, my doom-mongering will be proved correct! Apple is at an interesting nexus with its iPhone. It's hugely popular, vastly profitable, beloved by millions, and plagiarised by its competitors. The only fly in the ointment? It's just a little bit dull! Dull is, of course, another word for consistent. Predictable. Comforting. Pick up an original iPhone and the newly released model and see if you can spot the difference in the user interface. Yes, the screen is ...
Everyone benefits from a planning system that is efficient and effective - enabling the homes, jobs and facilities that communities need while minimising uncertainty for those promoting or affected by development. The development of the National Planning Policy Framework, reducing 1,300 pages of planning policies in 44 separate documents to just 50 pages, has been widely welcomed. It will ensure that every area has a clear local plan which sets out local people's views of how they wish their community to develop, consistent with the Framework, and against which planning applications for planning permission will be judged. Less popular, among ...
Paul Waugh at PoliticsHome has published an in-depth article publicising allegations of child abuse against former Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith: Sir Cyril Smith became the latest public figure to be accused of abuse today after residents at a boys' hostel described how he made youngsters strip, fondled them and smacked their bare bottoms for punishment. Two former residents of Cambridge House hostel in Rochdale have gone on the record for the first time to tell PoliticsHome.com how former Liberal MP Smith treated them as teenagers in the 1960s. Barry Fitton, who was 15 at the time, said that the ...
Gas and electricity costs are still rising leading to more people being placed in fuel poverty – where the proportion of household spend on fuel is greater than 10% of income to keep the household sensible warm. So not just warm in one room but the whole property. Currently in London 9.4% are defined as in fuel poverty. The government is consulting on changing the definition of fuel poverty. As a result, nearly all English regions see a fall in the number of fuel poor households in their area. But in London the proportion will rise from 9.4% to 14.1% ...
Looking forward to some festive season reading or wondering what books to get some of your politically-minded friends? Here are my top five books which will tell the reader about how political campaigning really works. Not the starry-eyed fun fiction of the West Wing but real politics and real campaigning. Talking to a Brick Wall by Deborah Mattinson – a fascinating account of how politics looks through the eyes of the voter. A Fortunate Life by Paddy Ashdown - a great read covering many topics, including a chapter on how he won Yeovil. Still very relevant. Minority Verdict by Michael ...
The Government Digital Strategy was formally launched last week. It's an in depth document putting digital at the forefront of public service provision in the UK – digital by default', and comes not long after the very smooth launch of the Gov.UK website. Yesterday, No. 10 digital evangelist Rohan Silva, GDS boss Mike Bracken, Government ...
This morning, I will be attending a memorial service in Westminster to celebrate the life of Alf Morris. He was a proper gentleman, Wythenshawe's MP for 33 years, but was perhaps best known as the first Minister for ... Continue reading →
Here's my article for Liberal Democrat News about my recent trip to Africa: I've recently returned to London from a visit of firsts: my first trip to Africa in my new role as Africa Minister in the Department for International Development - the first Liberal Democrat to hold any position in DFID, of which I'm incredibly honoured. I travelled to South Sudan, the newest country in the world after gaining independence from Sudan in July 2011. The reason for this country being the destination for my first visit is it encompasses virtually everything DFID does and all the challenges the ...
Liberal Reform has responded to the BIS Consultation on 'Employee owner' status. Like most Lib Dems we do not see that there is any need for this and it is noticeable that no evidence has been presented that this reduction in employee rights would make any difference to growth. We are also concerned that an association in people's mind between owning shares and losing rights will put people off owning shares in their employers, through well established plans like Save As You Earn . We believe that there are two additional questions which need to be asked: How will the ...
[IMG: Margaret Marshall and Steve Webb campaigning] Margaret Marshall and Steve Webb campaigning at the weekend If you live in the Yate South East ward, which stretches from Elswick Park to the Common, and from Yate Shops to just north of Abbotswood, you have an election for a vacancy on Yate Town Council caused by the sad death of Cllr Arthur Adams. Lib Dem Focus Team candidate Margaret Marshall is a former town councillor - she stood down a while ago to look after her elderly mother, who has since passed away. Margaret is an experienced campaigner and a key ...
Labour's return to the right | John Kampfner | Comment is free | The Guardian I do worry about the use of the word "returned", but... (tags: ) bart_calendar: The State Of The Electorate I love his definition of libertarians. (tags: ) Neil Gaiman - The Companion Conundrum: Now rebloggable 3 Neil Gaiman on Who companions (and Doctors) (tags: ) We are Spartacus » Blog Archive » The People's Review of the Work Capability Assessment (tags: ) Naked Scientists to be axed by BBC local radio Bugger :( (tags: ) On the term "Chinese Whispers" « Sci-Ence! Justice Leak! Anyone ...
Well, Liberator magazine has gone all New Statesman on us! The magazine for radical liberals has launched a new blog. I'm pleased to see that the collective will now be able to give their take on events in between issues of their magazine. I did have a slight facepalm moment when I read their Comments Policy - "Play the ball not the man." For goodness sake, I thought we had all learned about using more inclusive language. My one criticism of Liberator is that it can sometimes be a bit blokey. I'm not sure that they really understand the many ...
Many residents have expressed shock about further library cuts made by Conservative-run Hampshire County Council: this time the axe has fallen on 29 mobile libraries across the County. This is a bitter blow to the community. Mobile libraries are a lifeline to a lot of people living in rural areas, particularly elderly and disabled residents. I am particularly disappointed to see they have ignored local residents' views and cut the library service to Enham Alamein. The Conservatives have designated Andover library a key library but won't increase opening hours to the target 50 hours for another two years. Now museums ...
[IMG: Lord Patten] Vultures are circling above Lord Patten's head - he must not resign. George Entwistle may or may not have made a good director general of the BBC. He took over from the maverick Mark Thompson, who had wreaked havoc across the BBC with his Delivering Quality First cuts. Entwistle might just have provided a steady pair of hands to guide the BBC and rebuild its confidence after the Thompson era. But coping with the Savile crisis proved beyond him and his fate became inevitable. Now vultures are circling above Lord Patten's head. As chairman of the BBC ...
I have today launched my November 2012 Update to West End Community Council. Subjects covered include: + West EndChristmas Fortnight Update + Parking Consultation + Derelict Property Working Group+ Riverside Drive- proposed speed limit reduction You can download a copy of my Update here. The Community Council meets tonight at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all welcome!
How long does it take to improve safety outside a St Albans school? Five weeks? Five months? No: five years. Fleetville Infant School, working with local councillor Chris White, requested some yellow lines in Royal Road outside the school five years ago, to make it safer for children arriving on foot. The consultation was done last year. Since then nothing. Understandably the school wants to know what has happened and the explanation appears to be that the files have been lost by the district council which should have been processing the traffic orders of behalf of the county council. Chris ...
Many people will criticise me for focusing on the BBC Crisis when it could be said the real crisis is the explosion of revelations in past child abuses. Following the unreported Newsnight investigation and the shocking Exposure broadcast, Jimmy Savile's past has served as a catalyst to explore the failings in private and public institutions of child protection and the presumed innocence of establishment figures. However, I believe the BBC's crisis of management failure has progressed to such a point now that it co-exists independently of the previous crisis as it harbours questions for the very nature of British broadcasting ...
