New "Passing Loop" at Beccles Abellio train operator Greater Anglia today, Monday, 10th December 2012, introduced a new hourly service between Ipswich and Lowestoft after work to install a passing loop was completed at Beccles. The £4m scheme, jointly funded by Network Rail and Suffolk County Council, has brought a previously disused platform at Beccles station back into use. Before this major upgrade, train services between Ipswich and Lowestoft ran every two hours because there was a single track between Halesworth and Oulton Broad, meaning that trains could not pass each other for more than 16 miles. Track and signalling ...
Sign up to the Despatch Box, the new weekly political e-magzine from digitalpolitico.net As anyone following the recent news will know, there has been some terrible news coming out of Belfast recently, as violence has reared its ugly head once again. You wouldn't think, given the serious and ongoing nature of the disturbances we would hear ...
Congratulations to Layla Moran, who has been selected tonight as the new Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for Oxford West & Abingdon. That's the seat represented until 2010 by Evan Harris, who lost to the Conservatives by a tiny 176 votes. The selection of Layla Moran comes just a few days after a stonking pair of by-election victories for the local party, which were a great sign that it is on the right track. Last Thursday the party won both seats in the Sunningwell & Wootton double header by-election, taking them off the Conservatives with a 17% swing. Congratulations ...
WBC Just below normal range HB Much below normal range but stable Plt Higher than normal range and deteriorating, but likely to becorrected by increased Hydroxycarbamide Neutrophils Below lower limit and may be adversely affected by increased Hydroxcarbamide
With Midterm 2 safely over, I can now reveal that I have just gained enough marks to pass the course – with a few more weeks of lectures and finger exercises, two more problem sets and the final exam still to go. That's rather pleasing, so I hope no-one minds me sharing my progress chart below: [IMG: 6.00x progress - after Midterm 2] 6.00x progress – after Midterm 2 This time the midterm exam consisted of eight questions and was marked out of 96. I ended up with 92 – having reversed the answers for the EDrunk and PhotoDrunk random ...
In my youthful naivety, I still have belief that people can, in general, be rationally persuaded to consider facts within their opinions. It feels that there would be some point where they'd realise it and have to take it into consideration, that moment where you realise you're wrong. It's rather leaves open the question, however,
Liberal Democrats in Zetland Ward are campaigning to get a plaque erected in a local park to honour a local hero - Redcar's Sir Rex Hunt.Born in the town's Laburnum Road in 1921, Rex Hunt joined the RAF near the end of World War Two flying spitfires in India. After serving his country in Uganda, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Vietnam, he found fame as Governor of the Falkland Islands during the 1982 Argentinian invasion and the war that followed.He was knighted in 1982 and continued as Governor after the war until 1985. He later returned to the north-east, living ...
Can you spot anything interesting on this poster? Yes, there in the corner - living in blissful harmony are a QR code and an NFC tag. There's an excellent call-to-action which even works for people without either a QR reader or NFC scanner. The destination is this mobile friendly landing page. Of course, you should still boycott Nestle due to their contributing to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants around the world by aggressively marketing baby foods in breach of international marketing standards.. The NFC and QR have different URLs - which should allow the marketing team to see ...
A few years ago, I left London behind and returned to Worlebury for a family Christmas. Time passed agreeably and on 24th December I found myself sinking cider in the Windsor Castle pub with two friends, Max and Daniel. As I recall, we were sitting outside despite the penetrating cold, an idiosyncrasy of the group. ...
I got bored with the old theme, so decided to try a new one. I've been checking it in different browsers, but please let me know if you find any problems with it, or just if something's missing that used to be there. For those of you interested in such things, the new theme is RedLine, and the old one was Librio.
It looks like we are going to get a new Code of Practice and a system of voluntary self-regulation by the press. But is that all we need? Shami Chakrabati wrote an instructive objection to the concept of "legal underpinning" and has subsequently said she "would rather leave the question of whether the tests are met to the courts and not to involve a quango . . ." (such as Ofcom). As one of the six advisors to the commission and an expert in Human Rights Law, she is in a good position to comment. What is needed are not ...
Sunday: Please read Mr Andrew Hickey's diary: Do Not Hire John Brown Advertising. They have COPIED pieces of his diary without permission and even worse DUMBED THEM DOWN. To add (literal) insult to (criminal) injury, someone calling themselves John Brown has then posted comments in reply, starting with a false excuse claiming to have e-mailed (to the wrong address and then, getting no reply, used Mr Andrew's work without permission anyway), and escalating to... well, you'll have to see. If this person is supposed to be in ADVERTISING, this is well into "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" territory. ...
There's been a lot in the media today from opponents of equal marriage about how the state mustn't go about redefining marriage. What they keep on skating over is that equal marriage isn't something cooked up by atheists and agnostics. It's also - as Lynne Featherstone has pointed out – supported officially by Quakers, Liberal Jews and some Unitarian Churches, not to mention many people of other faiths that officially take a different view. Insisting that the state continues to make illegal the sort of marriages which Quakers, Liberal Jews and some Unitarians want to carry out isn't defending marriage ...
Tory MP for Hendon Matthew Offord asks in Commons whether Government support for gay marriage means it will permit polygamy next. Oh dear. — James Chapman (Mail) (@jameschappers) December 10, 2012 bob stewart not quite on same page as maria milller tho.... talks about danger of upsetting thousands of people in "normal marriages" — Joey ...
'What is the matter with these people?' is probably the reaction of many in Great Britain when observing the escalating violence in Northern Ireland in relation to - well - just a flag. Although it is true that it is currently unlikely that there would be mass demonstrations on English streets over what flag was flown over the town hall and when, it is remarkable how few councillors really pause to think about the symbols used in their own councils and the potential effects on the people they aim to represent. I did a quick audit of the two councils ...
The long-awaited arrival of Connect Casework is here. Connect Casework is an add-on to Connect that allows you to manage casework more effectively, recording details of the issues raised, what actions you have taken, any correspondence you have sent or received, and setting reminders for you to follow-up. Not only that, but access to it is free to ALDC members (£3 a month for everyone else and for parliamentarians whether ALDC members or not). ALDC has long argued for why being an effective local caseworker is important. Not only is it something that often marks Liberal Democrat councillors out as ...
I posted on Saturday my frustration about the failure of Cornwall Council's waste contractor - Cory - to send the big street cleaning machine to clear up after Late Night Shopping. First thing on Saturday morning I called the council only to be told that the call centre couldn't get hold of anyone who could help. As a result, the lone street sweeper had to be joined by local shopkeepers and business-owners who abandoned their businesses to try to get the town looking as good as normal. But even then their abilities were limited as the high pressure washer capabilities ...
In the never ending quest to differentiate the LibDems , I've developed the following formula for use in the pub on a Friday night, whilst chatting over the veg in the local shop, or wherever else the question arises (my previous longer-winded attempt on a beach is here): Labour = social conscience plus authoritarianism Lib Dems = social conscience minus control freakery and Conservatism = social conscience question mark. The response so far has usually been: I've never thought of it that way before. Any other suggestions? One sentence, 25 words or under. * Karen Wilkinson is a non-earning mother ...
A headline to stretch incredulity to the limit is found in today's Telegraph: I'm no bigot - I once fought a gay boxer, says Tory MP David Davies The Monmouth MP tries to trump his earlier statement that: "I think most people are very tolerant and have no problem at all if people are gay but, and I hate to say this in a way because I expect it's going to cause controversy, but I think most parents would prefer their children not to be gay, knowing most parents want grandchildren if nothing else" by explaining that this in no ...
I've not been very active in the comments thread to my blog recently. I just want to let all the regular commenters here know that you're all appreciated — this blog is much, much better for the comments by regulars. My health and time commitments have essentially meant that I can either write blog posts ...
I'm sure the champagne corks are popping in the 'Better Together' HQ after European President Jose Manuel Barosso said that newly independent states would have to reapply for EU membership. I'm sure he is right that states created by that secession from a larger entity would have to apply to join the EU. But that's not the case if Scotland votes for independence. The United Kingdom is the entity that has EU membership and it was created by the Act of Union in 1707. If Scotland votes for independence then it is surely arguable that both remaining parts - Scotland ...
David Ward MP has been out in the West Bank. He has been blogging a diary for the three days of his visit. Day One is here: Yesterday night I met with the Consul General based in East Jerusalem to discuss the incredibly complex issue of achieving peace for Israelis and Palestinians. I am reluctant to post my thoughts at this stage as we have so much more to see over the next three days but there is so much that needs to be done to ensure that there is lasting peace in the region. Hopefully the next few days ...
The national news magazine 'Private Eye' features Heaton Hall this week. The magazine highlights the fact that (Manchester) City Council's website says: "Due to the city's financial pressures the hall will not be open to the public on a regular basis". Private Eye goes on: "In fact it is closed for the foreseeable future and being used to store furniture from Wythenshawe Hall .... also closed thanks to budget cuts". Heaton Hall was designed by celebrated British Architect James Wyatt. A new biography of the architect says that: "This is Wyatt's major surviving early country house, one that displays his ...
The delayed repairs to the roof of Acocks Green Library, are now scheduled to get underway early in the New Year. The Library is planned to close after 31st December 2012, with the building handed over to the contractors on 7th January. If the work goes to plan, it will reopen in early April 2013. While Acocks Green Library is closed, South Yardley Library will operate with extended opening hours as follows: Monday: 9am – 7pm (extended hours) Tuesday: 9am – 5pm Wednesday: 9am – 5pm (new) Thursday: 9am – 7pm Friday: 9am – 5pm Saturday: 9am – 5pm These ...
Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Chairs Davies has called for all drugs to be licensed and legalised following the report by the Home Affairs Select Committee today. Davies claims that drug related harm and crime would reduce if drug supply was taken ... Continue reading →
When double yellow lines appeared in Ross Parade no one was more surprised than your ward councilors Colin, Monica & myself. Under normal procedures we would have been alerted to implementation of double yellow lines and privy to feedback from the related formal consultation, but this had not happened. What we were not surprised about ...
Last week's Autumn Statement from the Chancellor provided important information about Government income and Government spending over the next few years. Liberal Democrats know that times are tough. We have taken action to make sure that the very richest pay more and close loopholes for tax dodgers. We have protected the increases in benefits for pensioners and disabled people. To make life a little easier we are cutting Income Tax and putting more money back in the pockets of struggling families. That means Liberal Democrats will have cut your taxes by £600 a year for working people. Cutting taxes for ...
Last year, the Lib Dems passed a near-unanimous Conference motion calling for a complete review of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. It included a call to "consider reform of the law, based on the Portuguese model". Today, the cross-Party Home Affairs Select Committee, of which I am a Member, has endorsed that position, and told the Government that they must focus on reducing the damage caused by drugs, rather than hard-line posturing. I wrote about it in the Guardian this morning: Despite 50 years of criminalisation, illicit drugs are now the third most valuable industry in the world, after ...
It's amazing how far you can go with funny hair and the ability to say 'cripes!' isn't it? For a start, you can get straight past the Telegraph sub-editors and fact-checkers and bring out this little nugget of non-information: a new building like the Shard needs four times as much juice as the entire town of Colchester Yes, that's right. According to the Mayor of London, who'd you expect to know even a vague something about these things, the Shard – a building that will hold around 8,000 residents and workers when it's full – needs four times as much ...
I'm joining with North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson and other local Lib Dems to campaign to stop the latest rounds of cuts to bus services in our area. Last week, Western Greyhound announced a package of changes which include the loss of the 577 service linking Launceston to Tavistock and changes to the 584 service along the North Coast which will hit people living in that area. Sadly, the company gave people very little notice of the changes and they will have serious consequences. Some people who live in villages along the route rely on these services to get out ...
Now that the flurry of graphs, snapshot analyses, spin-heavy briefings and counter-briefings is dying down, how to judge George Osborne's Autumn Statement in the cold winter light? For me it is a microcosm of Osborne's time in No. 11 - a smattering of politically calculated and superficially populist measures, masking a dangerously thin grasp of what an economically successful Chancellorship looks like. Moreover, his claim that his mini-budget is fair because it is fiscally neutral doesn't hold much water. Leave aside the sneaky transfer of the Bank of England's surplus from quantitative easing into the Exchequer's coffers - at least ...
Following a recent spate of burglaries across Cheadle and Gatley, Police arrested a young man found in someone's back garden. Although the person was later released and the person in question has not been charged, the burglaries have since stopped. Whether these two events are related we can only guess, but hopefully this recent spate is now at an end.
On the evening of George Osborne's Autumn Statement, in which he announced an effective cut in welfare payments, Rachael Reeves, Labour Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, roundly and rightly condemned the proposal on television's Newsnight. Yet when asked, repeatedly, whether Labour would therefore vote against the proposals, and reverse them if they regained power, she slipped into a predicable mantra of evasions: that was a matter for her boss, the Shadow Chancellor; she hadn't yet seen the details in the bill; no-one could predict the circumstances of the future; etc. Asked a similar question of Radio 4's "Any Questions" ...
A few months ago I was in Belfast when a colleague told me his wife had rung to ask him to pop into a Flag Shop and pick something up. This may seem a little stupid but I had to ... Continue reading →
Liberal Democrats on Cornwall Council have criticised the authority for the way that the current review of council tax single person discounts is being carried out. We believe that the firm doing the work - Capita - are being far too aggressive. A person living on their own - or with no other adults liable to pay council tax - receives a 25% discount on their bills. It is entirely right that the council should be making sure that no one is receiving the discount who is not entitled to do so. But the way they carry out that work ...
In 26 European Union countries, (and one acceding country, Croatia) today is something of a celebration, albeit a muted one, given the circumstances of continued economic hardship- the European Union will formally receive recognition as the winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. In one other European Union member state it is the occasion of ridicule and disbelief. Admittedly the contemptible British press prefers to hypocritically attack an Australian radio programme for an unfortunate prank that went badly wrong, so probably remarkably few people in the UK may be aware of the special recognition that the EU is getting, unless ...
Do Not Hire John Brown Advertising – Andrew Hickey gets plagiarised. Plagiarist turns up in the comments to provide a great example of chutzpah. It's Official: Austerity Economics Doesn't Work – "Having adopted the policies of Keynes in response to a calamitous recession, the United States has grown more than twice as fast during the past three years as Britain, which adopted the economics of Hoover" We are all Alliance now – Spineless Liberal responds to the threats against Alliance politicians in Northern Ireland. 502: French conservatives temporarily unavailable – Alex Harrowell explains at A Fistful Of Euros how a ...
I've been reading the Party's Ad Lib magazine, the successor to Lib Dem News. Generally, I liked it. I do have some fairly major quibbles, but for a debut issue, looking for new subscribers, I thought it was a good effort. For all Liberator wants political analysis, that's not what Ad Lib is for. It's not going to be pulling the Party to bits and espousing all manner of conspiracy theories and if it tried, Liberator would be the first to complain that it wasn't doing it properly and was trying to throw us off the scent of the real ...
Last week, on a cold December afternoon Liberal Youth continued their campaign for human rights in Belarus, a country often described as "Europe's Last Dictatorship". We were joined by the Free Belarus Now group, lead by Irina Bogdanova (sister of an ex-Presidential candidate) in a demonstration outside the Belarusian embassy in London. The event was called "Make Some Noise for Human Rights" with Liberal Youth members bringing everything from drums to violins. We need to raise awareness of the situation in Belarus and what better way than being loud enough so people have to take notice of us! Since 1994, ...
Back in May I wrote: In 2010 I took up the issue of paperwork gone mad at the Ministry of Justice, using a series of Freedom of Information requests to reveal the ludicrously over-bureaucratic safe driving polices in place at the MoJ: Despite the government's rhetoric of cutting bureaucracy, the Ministry of Justice - one of the largest Whitehall departments and responsible for many important administrative systems - is spectacularly failing to set a good example with its own hugely bureaucratic approach to health and safety when people are driving as part of their work according to information I've unearthed ...
Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal: Who hacked the ICT chairman's computer?: When the UK Guardian and other newspapers first published the wikileaks material on the US embassy cables, attention was not just focused on...
The autumn statement was reminiscent of the 1961 Sid James film 'Carry on Regardless'. Austerity policy is not working, and the claim that it will work is constantly pushed to the far future. What's wrong? There is nothing wrong with the real supply side economy. But there are two crucial things wrong with the financial economy, meaning that we have a crisis of demand, not of supply. These are: 1. Disposable income has grown significantly less than GDP 2. Financial orthodoxy insists on balancing government accounts Between 2001 and 2007 when the crisis hit, GDP grew by 19.5% but disposable ...
From the Harborough Mail: Have-a-go heroes wrestled a thief to the ground after a chase that they described as "a Benny Hill moment". Nick Staff and a friend, who did not want to be named, were on their way home from a dinner party in Great Bowden with friends when they heard the alarm going off at Welton's shop in the village...
I thought it might be useful if I wrote a post to explain some of the ways in which planning and development control work – at least, how they do in Colchester – in an effort to give people a bit more insight into the way the system works, and the role councillors like me have in it. I think some – though not all – of the issues people have with planning come from not understanding how the system works, and how much councillors can and can't achieve. One of the first points to understand is that there are ...
Episode 40 of the House of Comments podcast "Strivers vs Skivers" was recorded yesterday evening and is out today. This week myself and Emma Burnell discuss the Chancellor's Autumn statement and try to work out who the strivers and skivers are, whether Starbucks are a fair target for tax protests, pluralism with respect to the new "Labour for Democracy" movement and speculate on how the government will respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report on drug policy. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here (note - this is a new feed so if you used to subscribe ...
I am very proud of Nick Clegg for taking the time to write to the company who employ Valdemar Ventura. He's the man who cleaned the Deputy PM's office until he was moved and disciplined by his employer for campaigning in the most respectful terms possible to be paid the living wage. When the company found out what he'd done, they moved him to a job where he doesn't get the same overtime and hours and loses around £400 a month. The Observer reports that Nick took time to write to the cleaning company to ask for him to be ...
Sometimes it feels like I'm doing all the work on this blog. So here is a reminder that I welcome guest posts on Liberal England. So far 31 have appeared. And as you can see from the list of the 10 most recent guest posts below, I am happy to consider a wide range of subjects. If you would like to write a guest post for Liberal England yourself, please send me an email so we can discuss your idea. Anthony Burgess in Leicester - Phil BeesleyWhy you should visit The Bog - Paul DavisBlogging for happiness - Ellen ArnisonAn ...
The Mail on Sunday yesterday reported that the Home Affairs Select Committee report into drugs policy, reporting this morning, is going to recommend that the option of legalisation should be seriously considered and a Royal Commission should be set up to report on the issue prior to the 2015 general election. As readers of my blog will know, I am a long standing supporter of liberalisation of our drug laws. So this report is a breath of fresh air as far as I am concerned. – A sensible pragmatic look at the problems with current policy and an attempt to ...
The Mail on Sunday yesterday reported that the Home Affairs Select Committee report into drugs policy, reporting this morning is going to recommend that the option of legalisation should be seriously considered and a Royal Commission should be set up to report on the issue prior to the 2015 general election. As readers of this blog will know I am a long standing supporter of liberalisation of our drug laws. So this report is a breath of fresh air as far as I am concerned. A sensible pragmatic look at the problems with current policy and an attempt to suggest ...
Julian Huppert, Lib Dem MP for Cambridge, writes for Comment is Free following the publication of the home affairs select committee report on drugs policy: Despite 50 years of criminalisation, illicit drugs are now the third most valuable industry in the world, after food and oil. Presidents of supply countries, such as Colombia, are desperately calling for a rethink. We're stuck in a pointless "war on drugs". It's not working and it costs us heavily, in human terms - with people addicted, incarcerated and burgled - and in financial terms. The UK spends more on drug policy than any other ...
I have today launched my December 2012 Update to West End Community Council. Subjects covered include: · Homebase development on Riverside Drive · Former Lawrie's Nursery site · West End Christmas Fortnight The Community Council meets tomorrow evening at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all residents welcome. You can download my Update here. A key issue being discussed tomorrow night will be the consultation on residents' parking proposals for part of the West End. Having now spoken with over 120 residents about the issue since the consultation was launched, there are many views on this issue ...
Last night, Janet and I had the pleasure of attending the "Encore" Glee Choir Christmas Concert at the University of Dundee Chaplaincy Centre. OK, we're biased (our older son Mark's partner Clair is a choir member!) but, biased or not, all who attended heard a really superb, professional and enjoyable performance, with a great variety of songs performed - Kelly Clarkson to Rodgers and Hammerstein. The selection of Christmas songs at the end was really superb. A thoroughly enjoyable evening that got you into the Christmas Spirit!
Mo Farah brought us more drama on consecutive Saturday nights on the BBC than we've seen in years. Yes a lot of people like and watch Strictly Come Dancing religiously and Doctor Who has a huge fan base as does Casualty but live sport is always more dramatic and the Olympics caught the imagination of the country – even those that don't like sport and Mo Farah was arguably the face of the games for GB athletes. Well Mo Farah set up the Mo Farah Foundation that helps provide life saving aid in East Africa. His success on the track ...
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