No sooner do I say that I'm finishing newsletters for the year than one of the big news stories that I mentioned breaks, and so I'm sending out an additional newsletter rather sooner than expected. As regular readers will know one of the big issues for Broxtowe is the number of new houses that the council will permit to be built over the next 15 years. Most of the councils in Greater Nottingham have worked together on this and as a result of those negotiations Broxtowe was given a figure of 6,150 houses to allocate, the lowest of any borough ...
What the Liberal Democrats can achieve in a week...
This is George Pickles, the Ripon Hornblower, Setting the Watch around the obelisk in the city's market square. It is, says his website: which has been carried out every evening on the market square without a miss, not for one single day, for 1125 years. It is the longest ongoing unbroken daily ceremony in the world."And no, madam," I heard him say, "it's not been me all that time. There were two more before me." Mr Pickles carries out the ceremony with due seriousness, and then chats to the tourists who have gathered to watch him at 9 p.m.each evening. ...
The Conservative Cabinet at Suffolk County Council have once more decided to ride roughshod over the needs of vulnerable people in the County. The Lib Dem group at Suffolk County Council has been fighting for the rights of disabled and older people to regain the ability to travel free of charge before 9.30am. Before Suffolk County Council took over the administration of concessionary passes in April 2011, the Borough and District councils in Suffolk had placed no time restriction on travel. The ruling Conservatives failed to carry out a full equality impact assessment when they restricted travel and groups representing ...
New census figures released today show that the proportion of Black and Asian people in the London Borough of Sutton has almost doubled, making it one of the fastest-growing BAME populations in London. Meanwhile the ...
When I was an undergraduate the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall were still in existence. And in those days how people responded to repression in the Soviet bloc seemed to me a good pointer to a their moral worth. Though outright admiration for the Soviet Union - "All them cornfields, and ballet in the evenings" as Peter Sellers' Fred Kite put it in I'm All Right Jack - was rare by then, there were plenty on the left who argued that we should engage with the Warsaw Pact powers and played down questions of human rights. So, while Jim ...
Odanglesex continues to fast-track its stationery operations into the 21st century with some slight hitches, and I repeat the old posts with a few changes. FROM: Rob Methuen, Business Transformation Consultant TO: Brett West, Head of Modernisation and Business Practice cc: Goneril Hayes, Head of Information Management Brett: You asked me to report on progress towards the total enablement target for Supersmart engagement, and in particular its contribution to the Agile Stationery Strategy. There's good news and bad news. The good news is that one module of the enablement target has been hit. Since there are no admin officers left ...
And so - first the good news. The very good news. As a photographer I will shortly no longer have to hear the discriminatory phrase "according to the law of this country, marriage is the union of one man with one woman" when working at weddings. As a believer in, and advocate for, marriage equality this is indeed very welcome. I am absolutely delighted that marriage is being redefined - as it has of course many times previously - to enable same-sex couples to have the same legal rights to marry as opposite-sex couples. Culture Secretary Maria Miller's announcement today ...
It is hard to believe that less than 400 metres of track should make such a difference, but this week saw the introduction of the new timetable on the East Suffolk line, which links Lowestoft with Ipswich via Saxmundham. For the first time in far too long, the sixteen miles of single track which restricted the number of trains that could be run has been augmented by the Beccles loop, a passing point at Beccles station which allows an hourly service to be provided, as opposed to the two-hourly service which ran previously. Residents of East Suffolk now have a ...
Cornwall Council also formally agreed to scrap the second home council tax discount too... Tweet
Under legislation passed by the Labour Government in 2000, councils had been required to use what is known as the Leader and Cabinet system of governance. Today - using new powers given to it by the coalition - Cornwall Council chose a system which will give more power to ordinary councillors. The new system will take effect from the elections next May. The downside of the current system is that the Leader is elected for the full term of the council. Once chosen therefore, there are only limited chances to defeat his or her proposals. The Leader can appoint and ...
After many months of wrangling, Cornwall Council today voted in favour of the slimmest form of joint venture partnership which will see some services and staff handed over to a private company. But it is not yet certain that the move will go ahead as it will rely on more negotiations with BT and health organisations. Councillors comprehensively voted against the 'full fat' version of the deal which would have seen vast swathes of services - including libraries, one stop shops and other front line services - handed over to BT. For me, this was the crucial point. Ever since ...
Being a member of the audience at an Emily Holyoake play is never a straightforward experience. However, it's always a rewarding one provided that you like a hefty challenge or two served with your entertainment. A packed house at the Coffee Cellar in Exeter last Saturday evening were in turns both amused and shocked by her latest play, April. April explores the world of what psychologists know as computer mediated communication, but everyone else thinks of as t'internet. In a little over an hour, the developing online relationship between Will, an actor in a popular television series and April, a ...
Tring Liberal Democrats enjoyed a lively pre-Christmas Social Evening in Wigginton last Saturday, 8th December. As the Party prepares for a resumption of political campaigning in the Spring a series of planning and social events have been arranged between January and Easter. Last Saturday's event was a successful trial run with good conversation, fine wines and some interesting cheeses. After the event, Nick Hollinghurst, Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Tring & the Villages said, "There are lots of serious social issues to be tackled at the moment. Tax avoidance by wealthy individuals, companies and foreign multinationals is one. The problem ...
As a supporter of the UK's overseas development programme, I am pleased to see the announcement of £1.25 million in new aid to Gaza If the UK is to spend such money in so many places across the globe, than why not in Gaza? It is possible to be both pro-Israeli a supporter of UK Government aid to Gaza.
If you live around Watmore Lane or Woodward Close, you will be aware by now of two issues – the council's plans for additional primary school places, and Taylor Wimpey's plans for 150 – or more – houses. The council wants more primary school places so has enough for the children they know will be starting school in September. Adding them to the existing site of Winnersh Primary School is turning out to be difficult because of traffic and parking issues. It looks as though the council will opt to build a new school near the British Legion instead. At ...
So lots of people (especially the Daily Mail and miscellaneous xenophobes) are panicking about the census showing that the number of people living in Britain born abroad has reached 7.5 million people. Well, before everyone starts panicking, it's time for me to make a confession. You see, I'm one of those 7.5 million people born abroad. And so is my brother. Yup, we're the ones the Daily Mail is warning you about. Except that I was born to British parents who just so happened to be working abroad in Belgium when I was born, and that I've been a British ...
Here's a copy of the email I sent out to all Liberal Democrat Members today... It's been an amazing day for equality today as the Coalition Government announced it will introduce legislation to open marriage up to same-sex couples. I am so proud of our Party because - don't let anyone fool you - it's because of Liberal Democrats that this is happening. It all started two years ago when LGBT+ Lib Dems and Conference broke new ground. In September 2010, Liberal Democrat members voted to support equal marriage and end the separation between same-sex and opposite-sex couples. I took ...
[IMG: Photo from Gates Foundation] Last week, Jim Dobbin MP, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Child Health and Vaccine Preventable Diseases was in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to take part in a global health summit to raise awareness of the challenges entailed in vaccinating children against preventable diseases such as pneumonia, rotavirus, HPV and rubella. The summit, which was being hosted by the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and coordinated by the GAVI Alliance, saw more than 500 distinguished global health leaders and parliamentarians from developing and donor countries, technical experts, civil society organisations and private sector partners ...
The chemical industry is vital to the UK. It is already the biggest export business in the UK at £43 bn. However imports have risen after various shut downs, and the amount we are importing is, in my view, unnecessarily high. There are major opportunities for new investment to bring production of key materials back into the UK and bring jobs, growth and expertise with it. My constituency of Redcar is part of an area which has traditionally been a hub of the UK chemical industry. Chemicals are key ingredients in almost everything we buy. Whether it is through plastics, ...
From TheDaily.com Government officials are quietly installing sophisticated audio surveillance systems on public buses across the country to eavesdrop on passengers, according to documents obtained by The Daily. Plans to implement the technology are under way in cities from San Francisco to Hartford, Conn., and Eugene, Ore., to Columbus, Ohio. Given that these sort of things happen to drift across the pond I'll give it 18 months before some authority / bus company tries it here. After all, its already been tried in taxis This is one to watch (or listen) out for! You can read the full horrifying story ...
So hey, I guess now that Avatar Ladyfest reveals are up, I can reveal that I wrote Lessons, about an older Jinora and an original female character meeting while the former is at college. And also to mention other entries in the exchange, that were all so good they put my effort to shame. I spent a good month reading all these entries, so fantastic was each one, but now I can break it down to the very best. Although many are still really long, but awesome for it! I've already mentioned the great savor belonging to yourself written for ...
The Prime Minister is concerned that Leveson's "essential" legislative underpinning for press self-regulation would cross a line. "We should be wary of any legislation that has the potential to infringe free speech and a free press", he stated, saying that we should be proud of our "great tradition" of freedom of speech. But the UK has many laws that restrict citizens' free expression and which we should be deeply ashamed of. Will the PM be campaigning to end these? There's 'Section 5', under which – for example – a 16 year old was summoned to court for holding a placard ...
Multinationals like Starbucks, Amazon and Google has been on the wrong end of publicity in recent weeks here in the UK. They don't seem to be paying very much corporate tax, in spite of well established and successful commercial operations here. But there is something missing from the debate: nobody seems to be offering much of a solution to the problem of taxing multinationals. There's a lot of sound and fury, but it all ends in a bit of a whimper. We can do better than that – but only by adopting policies the government's Conservative members will be deeply ...
Further to my article earlier today, I am pleased to have been given the following update from a City Council engineer at lunchtime to my request for an extended handrail to aid pedestrian safety: "I refer to our site meeting at Kelso Street held yesterday on 10 December to discuss the request from the local residents for extending the section of handrail to the bottom of Kelso Street. The gradient is in the order of 10% which is less than the required criteria of 12% for a handrail justification. However due to the location and general age of the users ...
From Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies: British inventors are set to benefit from the successful outcome of a 40 year EU battle on patent laws. Businesses applying for patents currently need to have their application translated into 23 different languages to protect their rights in 25 EU countries. But Euro-MPs this week gave their backing to a new patent law that will allow inventors to apply in just one language and get protection across the EU. The new unitary patents will be processed in English, French or German but can be submitted in any of the 23 official EU languages. ...
Tue 11th
14:47
West Coast Mainline: Time to learn the lessons of this sorry tale and get it right next time.
The government's first independent report into the West Coast Mainline fiasco announced its findings last Thursday. In his report, Sam Laidlaw found that Department for Transport officials had supplied Ministers with inaccurate information before the original decision was taken. Hours ... Continue reading →
On 15th October last, Liberal Democrat Voice published my splutteringly crimson outburst about multinational corporation tax avoiders Opinion: Calling All Bloggers - Don't make me a tax avoidance accomplice. Back then, I pleaded that an ongoing media debate would hopefully, at last, provide the oxygen needed to bring about some serious action in respect of corporate tax collecting: "...the media at least seems to be smelling blood. I hope they see this through to some sort of conclusion." And didn't they do well? But the sleepy-eyed laissez-faire attitude by the respondents to my call-to-arms was frankly pathetic; apart from one ...
The release of new figures about the 'ethnic minority' population from the 2011 census this morning means that the extent of disproportionate discrimination and inequality has officially risen. No wonder, then, that the 2011 census ...
For those MPs opposing gay marriage in the House of Commons this afternoon, perhaps they should pause to watch this video:
Below is a statement from Tom Wood, Chair of Liberal Youth, who, tragically, is resigning today. The last two and a half years on the Liberal Youth executive have been an exciting, exhilarating and often exhausting experience. Over those years the organisation has improved more than I had hoped. At times it has seemed that ...
Via Gareth Epps, and also reported here, it looks like there's even more evidence building up to show how George Osborne's 'shares for rights' (or employee ownership, to give the official name) is going to cause a lot more problems than it solves. (Indeed, I'm not sure that it's solving any actual problems) I've concentrated before on the issues this could have for people at the lower end of the pay scale – those likely to be forced to give up employment protection in exchange for a bunch of shares that could well turn out to be worthless when they're ...
I just had a very quick initial scan of the Government's response to the Equal Marriage consultation. (PDF Link) Headline issues of particular interest to Bi and Trans folk are as follows: Civil partnerships will be retained, but open to same-sex couples only. This is disappointing, as it's effectively giving same-sex couples more rights than mixed-sex couples. There is a legal challenge in the works already to try to open this up to mixed-sex couples, and presumably that will now go ahead. Civil Partnerships (CPs) can be converted into marriages, either for transition or just because a couple wishes to ...
Tue 11th
13:18
Can LOCAL media help continue City Busker Social Sensation? @PaulStainton @peterboroughtel @BBCpeter...
With OVER 1200 Facebook SHARES, 1400 LIKES and 160 comments, Cllr Darren Fower's video upload, "Forget X-Factor – Watch this BUSKER in Peterborough City Centre" has proven to be a BIG hit with FACEBOOKERS in Peterborough and AROUND the world! WATCH the video NOW on FACEBOOK by CLICKING HERE! Commenting, Darren said: "We often hear about sports people getting recognised, but I believe that the role of artist is equally important in regards the impact they have on local communities and society as a whole. Another good example is that of my friend Tony Nero, who works tirelessly and without ...
Last week the Home Secretary claimed that anyone who opposes the Draft Communications Data Bill, dubbed the Snoopers Charter, was supporting paedophiles and terrorists. She argued, "Criminals, terrorists and paedophiles will want MPs to vote against this bill. Victims of crime, police and the public will want them to vote for it. It's a question of whose side you're on." We've heard that argument before. Tony Blair used similar arguments to support 90 day detention without trial, ID cards and invading Iraq. They were misleading then, and they are misleading now. But they are the signs of someone without rational ...
Earlier this year, I blogged about seeing these QR codes appearing on some train tickets. [IMG: QR Codes on Train Tickets] The campaign itself wasn't that great - a poor call-to-action and a decidedly mobile-unfriendly site - but I was interested in how many people had scanned them. Thanks to bit.ly's practice of exposing everyone's statistics, we can see exactly how well this campaign did. [IMG: QR Train Stats] Wow! Twenty-five thousand scans. It's not as good as Tesco's QR campaign (80k scans and counting) - but it's an interesting data point. I don't know how many tickets these QR ...
Or, how do you solve a problem like Mark Littlewood? 2012 began with Liberal Democrat Voice criticised first because the shortlist for its "Liberal Voice of the Year" included only one woman, and then because someone many people didn't like won. The two problems with this are that the shortlist emerged from nominations people submitted, with only one woman receiving enough from readers; and that the winner arose from votes cast on the site. So if you want a better nominations line-up, right now, this week only, is the time to tell LDV (and to then affect the winner, vote). ...
Michael Gove seems intent on bringing forward a replacement for the GCSE, going so far as to make its introduction a matter of confidence in the face of criticism. All parties can agree, however, it is important to set out what these reforms should look like and make sure they deliver a qualification that is fit for purpose. There are at least two key areas that I think Liberal Democrats should seek to influence. Firstly, the arts. Gove's stated intention of the EBacc is that it will form a "basic suite" of subjects. This may seem all well and good, ...
Tue 11th
10:27
Fiona Hall MEP writes ... Paying the world's poorest people for their precious resources
The battle to ensure that companies publish what they pay for developing countries' natural resources has finally reached the home straight. The EU Accounting and Transparency Directives are in the 'trialogue' stage, a negotiation between the EU Parliament, Commission and Council to decide upon the final form that the legislation will take. Liberal Democrats have been involved in this process from the beginning - I wrote the report for the European Parliament's Development Committee and am now joined by Jo Swinson, as she continues to maintain the UK Government's strong leadership stance in ensuring that the final legislation includes the ...
The near-unanimous rubbishing of George Osborne's 'shares for rights' plan has escalated further with both the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Office for Budget Responsibility warning that it will 'foster a new tax avoidance industry. The Financial Times reports the IFS Director Paul Johnson attacking the Tory plan as putting 'another billion pound lollipop on the table' while condemning tax avoidance. Meanwhile the Office for Budget Responsibility, set up by Osborne himself, agrees that the plans will eventually cost £1 billion a year – money which, experts agree, will mostly go to the financial services industry, or rather, bankers. This ...
Sign up to the Despatch Box, the new weekly political e-magzine from digitalpolitico.net Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has stepped in an rightly condemned Theresa May's Communication Capabilities Programme, otherwise known as the 'Snoopers Charter', and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said it will not progress. Better late than never. "Their report makes a number ...
A blog From our Friends over in Northern Ireland, the Alliance Party. Peter Stitt writes in a personal capacity about the recent flag riots in Belfast and across Northern Ireland. First, a little background on the Alliance Party for those on the mainland who may not be aware: as stated on the Alliance Party's website ...
While the Chancellor's direction of travel in relation to tackling Britain's economic challenges is improving, his current approach will leave Britain feeling like Sisyphus, labouring hard to push a rock up a hill but never quite feeling secure that it won't come crashing back down, destroying the hard work already undertaken. But just as Sisyphus continued to focus on the mechanics of getting the rock up the hill, rather than indulge in any broader experiment to escape his predicament, Osborne toils at the seams of Britain's economic malaise. The Chancellor happily wallows in the Bank of England's myth that giant ...
Against George Osborne's war on the poor and the vile stupidity of his 'workers vs shirkers' narrative - Comment - Voices - The Independent (tags: ) Revealed: Seven Milky Way planets could harbour life - Science - News - The Independent (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Congratulations to Layla Moran who has been selected by Oxford West & Abingdon Lib Dems as their new Parliamentary Candidate. The Conservatives won the constituency by just 176 votes in the 2010 General Election and is one of the most winnable seats for the Lib Dems at the next election. Layla's selection comes just four days after the Lib Dems trounced the Conservatives in a district council by-election in Sunningwell & Wootton on a 17% swing. "Layla has shown herself to be a dynamic campaigner, full of ideas and with a real passion to promote our liberal values," said Cllr. ...
One chart. One graph. No words! LABOUR COALITION INCOME 2009/10 Average tax 2012/13 Average tax % CHANGE £10,000 7.8% 5.7% -26.92% £15,000 11.3% 9.5% -15.93% £20,000 13.7% 12.4% -9.49% £30,000 15.4% 14.8% -3.90% £50,000 22.4% 22.1% -1.34% £100,000 28.6% 30.1% 5.24% £150,000 31.0% 33.4% 7.74% £200,000 33.3% 38.8% 16.52% £500,000 34.7% 43.0% 23.92% £1,000,000 35.1% 43.6% 24.22% £2,000,000 34.7% 44.3% 27.67% (Click on graph for larger image) H/T Vote Clegg, Get Clegg (Via Facebook)
There is a danger of very cold weather this week. Below is advice from the NHS about keeping warm and will in extremely cold weather. These are particularly important for people who because of their age or health are more vulnerable to cold. Please do check up on friends, family and neighbours if you are worried during a period of very cold weather. The Met Office have provided these pages 'Get Ready for Winter' which contain advice and ideas for getting help and information. NHS Advice: Follow these tips to keep you and your family warm and well in extremely ...
Just to update people on some progress on issues that have been reported to me around Heaton Park Metrolink Station: The cycle lockers have been repaired, and as far as I can see with a more robust door. There are now stickers which inform cyclists how they can subsribe to the Cycle Users Group to get access to the lockers. (I think it will remain to be seen whether people will feel confident about using the lockers – but time will tell.) Round the corner on Upper Wilton Street the unsightly plot of land adjacent to the never used commercial ...
Back in July, I reported that, although the City Council had agreed to my request made on behalf of residents to extent the handrail at the Kelso Steps (see right), the finished extension to the handrail was too short, leaving a long stretch of pathway on a gradient that is without a rail. The steps and pathway to the north are used by many elderly residents and visitors to Royal Victoria Hospital and is treacherous in the wintry, icy weather. Yesterday, along with seven local residents, I met on-site with two engineers from the City Council to discuss the situation. ...
Sunday: Everything about the seminal Dalek story "Dalek" tells us that THAT Dalek has to die at the end. It cannot live with itself. It has started to have FEELINGS. It has started to CHANGE. And if you CHANGE from being the supreme life-form, then you're turning into something that must be exterminated. But, on the OTHER fluffy foot, it don't half explain away a lot of COINCIDENCES if the Emperor who fell through time to escape the Time War and the one solitary Dalek who fell through time to escape the Time War are one and the same Dalek. ...
The Telegraph reports on a call to ban foie gras at the House of Lords on humanitarian grounds. They say that the dish is one of the traditional delicacies in French cuisine, but is controversial because of its production methods. Geese or ducks are force-fed with grain for up to a month before they are slaughtered for their swollen livers. So far, so very sensible. The paper adds that California has led the charge to ban the food and many countries including Britain have halted production. The article though then goes onto set out what life can be like in ...
It's a programme which politicos love and hate - probably in roughly equal measure. Each week, the Question Time roadshow rolls into a new town and the hot topics of the week are debated. Sometimes, the mix of guests leads to a constructive debate and some light being thrown on the subjects considered. More often than not, there is more heat than light, the balance of the debate is skewed, your point of view is not adequately represented and you end up frustrated and irritable. But yet, you find yourself drawn back again and again... This week, the circus arrives ...
I've now published nearly 300 posts on Alex's Archives. Some started life posted elsewhere, but most were written for this blog. The readership of the blog is increasing over time, but I'm very conscious that not everyone likes to consume their reading material online. And few people have the inclination to rummage in the blog archive to find related posts of interest. I have therefore put together a thematic collection of posts for download in pdf format. The collection focuses on economics and policy and is entitled Marginal notes: Offline essays in economics and policy. You can download it for ...
