Today, the members of the US Presidential Electoral College cast their votes in state capitols around the country. The ballots will now be sent to Washington where they will be counted by congress on 6th Jnuary. It has to be done... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
I'm fascinated by the prospect of the Queen attending cabinet tomorrow. Will she wear a hat? Her white gloves? Will she put her elbows on the table? Or sit back from the table? Will she ask questions? So many questions... It's quite exciting. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
A couple of youth workers and a life-changing experience. Watch the video. [IMG: Sailing(1)] Some great youth work takes place in and around Consett, and I'm filled with admiration for the workers who make it happen. If I tried to list it all I would just end up embarrassing myself and offending someone by missing them out, but one of the organisations I've admired for thirty years and now work alongside is the Consett Churches Detached Youth Project. It was set up after the closure of the works to get alongside young people where they were rather expecting them to ...
A busy Monday started with raising constituent concerns about street lighting failing in Grosvenor Road. The City Council's Street Lighting Partnership has responded as follows:I have checked the fault with the lights in Grosvenor Road. our stand-by electrician was out over the weekend at the fault which appears to be an underground cable fault. In the short term I will have this repaired tomorrow and in the longer term replace the columns and lanterns in that area.Later this morning, I was interviewed by both Wave 102 and Radio Tay News regarding my continuing concerns about the effect of the delay ...
It's five years tomorrow since Nick Clegg was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats. I worked very hard on his leadership campaign, phoning like mad to persuade people I knew to vote for him. Some might even forgive me one day. Seriously, though, while I don't agree with everything Nick has done as leader,and I do think he has made some mistakes, I think the party made the right choice. I don't think anyone could have done a better job of getting to grips with Government. I do, however, think that he could have done a good bit better in ...
Amnesty calls the Justice and Security Bill "a key moment for open justice". The second reading of the Bill is tomorrow (Tuesday 18th December). http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=20523
[IMG: Double Clegg 2 - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] On Comment is Free, Social Liberal Forum director, Prateek Buch provides an interesting critique of Nick Clegg's speech today: At least Clegg recognises that Liberal Democrats have to stand up for what we truly believe in. The recent direction of travel on Leveson, drugs reform and snooping is welcome, and we await more robust promotion of party policy on things that really matter to most people - a fair, sustainable economy where living standards rise for the many not just for the few. Only then will this journey to ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 304th 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 (9-15 December 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. Resignation: Tom Wood, ...
[IMG: David-Cameron-and-Nick-Clegg] On Comments is Free, Richard Reeves argues that, in 2013, Nick Clegg needs to establish a more assertive identity and win voters over for bold, new reasons: The coalition will be a play in two acts. Act one had the parties acting largely in tandem - reforming public services, reversing Labour's encroachments on civil liberties and, above all, gripping the public finances. In act two, the Liberal Democrats step away from the Conservatives. Still partners, but an arm's length apart. ...The government is established. The boat can be rocked without serious risk of capsizing. Next year will be ...
Saturday's leader from the Guardian makes it clear how crucial an issue secret courts are for the party. Where are the Liberal Democrats red lines if not on civil liberties? Another way of putting might be, if not to stop secret courts, what are the Liberal Democrats for?
Ireland is scheduled to take over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union on 1 January, followed by Lithuania in July 2013 and Greece in January 2014. Whilst the third, in particular, might raise some eye-brows in fact all three governments in Dublin, Vilnius and Athens are well advanced in their plans and priorities. ...
Mon 17th
16:03
"You're still interested in the same things you were interested in when you were 9 - LEGO,..."
""You're still interested in the same things you were interested in when you were 9 - LEGO, jelly and playing with your friends. The nature of the games has changed, perhaps..."" - Jonny, my office mate. I love this guy.
Finally, up to date again! Fingers crossed I can keep normal service up each Wednesday from now until the end of the series in around 20 weeks! Here are The Kaiser Chiefs with I Predict A Riot, their second release but first hit (initially only at No. 22 but a subsequent reissue got to No.9 - and probably still their most well known song. Andrew
I've recently finished reading Susan Cain's book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking which I found interesting, though it suffered a little from trying to cover a lot of territory. There were many times when it felt like she'd just begun to explore an area and then turned away to head on to the next topic and the book felt somewhat uneasily balanced between being pop science, sociology, psychology and self-help, attempting to cover lots of bases without going into depth on any one of them. However, reading the book did chime with me ...
[IMG: autumn statement] On Friday evening, a page entitled "We're interested in your views about the fairness of our benefit reforms" popped up on the Conservative party website. It invited people to comment on the decision announced in the Autumn Statement that the Coalition want to limit increases in most welfare benefits by 1% for the next three years. The language used on the website reflects that contained within the Autumn Statement document. Similarly, the main argument used for defending the 1% rise is that "since 2007, [out of work] benefits have increased by 20% whilst salaries have only increased ...
The British Conservative Party is an extremely successful electoral machine. Over the nearly 170 years since it was founded in 1834, it has been in government more than half the time. It is currently the most powerful political party in the UK, holding the largest single bloc of seats in the House of Commons, the largest number of Peers as well as being the largest single British Party in the European Parliament (holding 25 of the 72 British seats) and being a dominant force in local government too, with over 9,000 councillors. In the face of such a record it ...
[IMG: Screen Shot 2012-12-17 at 09.39.23] The Police have issued this advice sheet to help local people avoid being a target for crime over the Christmas period. As the festive season rapidly approaches, the opportunist thief will be preparing to take advantage of the fact that we are all too busy getting ready for the celebrations and perhaps not being as security conscious as we usually are. Suffering a crime over the holiday period has the potential to ruin what should be a happy occasion. Do you know? In one in three burglaries, the thief didn't have to force entry ...
The Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Liverpool and former Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Local Government Cllr Richard Kemp will be visiting Whitehall on the eve of the local government financial statement to meet the Deputy Prime Minister's ... Continue reading →
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Europe has nothing to fear but fear itself and will move ahead with hope – Telegraph Interesting from Klaus Schwab > Europe has nothing to fear but fear itself and will move ahead with hope http://bit.ly/VLkh7h Banks must return to their core values and focus on customers – Telegraph Interesting from Antonio Horta-Osorio, CEO Lloyds > Banks must return to their core values and focus on customers http://bit.ly/VLk2cf Clegg's deputy admits there's 'chatter' about boss's future – UK Politics – UK – The Independent Simon's comments best read in context tho > ...
[IMG: Phrenology head - mental health - Some rights reserved by evansville] I intended the previous mental health article on this website to be my last but, having been amazed by the people sharing personal and moving experiences in the comments section, I felt compelled to add something more. First, I wish to acknowledge that, while I have often felt that my world is crashing down around me during the last few months, my own problems pale into insignificance compared to those which have been shared on this website. It takes a remarkable amount of bravery to share these in ...
Mon 17th
13:19
They pre-empted a football game for an Obama talk on guns at a memorial service? Are they are reals?
Damn straight they are buckos. In case you were unaware we saw a genuine tragedy in the United States last week as a young men went mad in an elementary school killing 27 people including himself and it is 28 when you add that he killed his mother before reaching the school. 20 of those that died were young children. This is a huge story and it has really made a dent in the psyche of the American citizen but when the tragedy impacts the number one football game of the week then it becomes too much. Yes last night ...
The Telegraph is also owned by the elusive Barclay brothers...
The vital drug policy debate that is increasingly occurring worldwide is encountering some difficult obstacles. The passage up the lower slopes of the political mountain is getting increasingly smoother, as can be seen in the substance of the Home Affairs Select Committee report that was published last Monday. But when the arguments reach the political pinnacle, they are met with the usual intransigence and a gentle nudge off the nearest cliff-edge, only to resume their long ascent back to the top table. Much of the problem faced by the arguments for reform is created by the language used to characterise ...
[IMG: Great Wall of China - Some rights reserved by radiowood2000] Is China now on the road to democracy? My answer is "yes". I began to observe China's democratic progress on 5 April 1989. Now, 23 years has past. China is still at the starting point. We know in modern democracy, people can decide their own lifestyle and enjoy their own freedom. How about democracy and people's freedom in China today? I personally think today the country has some form of "Chinese-style" democracy. We Chinese must grasp that democracy takes time to understand and apply in a different cultural setting. ...
I'm filling in a meme on a DW community, and it's asking me what other fandoms I'm involved with aside from the one the comm is based around. And it got me thinking (possibly because I have been reading The Wee Yin's tumblr too much, and she definitely treats politics as a fandom) - does politics count as a fandom? View Poll: Politics as a fandom? [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Nick Clegg, wearing a yellow tie and a determined expression, appeared in Westminster this morning to lay out his vision for his party and their continued contribution to the coalition. Sitting in the room, it was easy to get the sense that this is the speech Clegg had been wanting to make for a good ...
I unashamedly love QR Codes. But every so often, I see one which makes me wonder if there should be some sort of licence for creating them :-) As I was walking around Camden the other day, I spotted this monstrosity. I figured with a code that dense, it probable contained a URL to a rubbish iPhone app, or perhaps a link stuffed full of tracking parameters. Still, what the heck, I scanned it. [IMG: Silly QR] What's the bloody point in that? Here's a guide on "How Not To Screw Up With QR Codes" which I presented at TeaCamp ...
The Telegraph reports that almost 60 members of the Commons and Lords have signed a letter accusing the Coalition Government of acting without a mandate on the issue of gay marriage. The letter says that 'as parliamentarians from different political parties and none, we are united in supporting the institution of marriage defined in law as a union between a man and a woman. We recognise the value of a loving and committed relationship and we respect civil partnership, but affirm the distinctive value of marriage reflecting the complementarity of a man and woman often evidenced in parenthood.' The letter ...
[IMG: photo] Many thanks to everyone who stopped to talk on Saturday at our street stall outside the Coop on Lordship Lane about our campaign for a new Primary school/s in the area. It was surprisingly cold after five hours but everyone helping kept going 10am-3pm. We've now reach 62 supporters for a new school out of the 80 we need with children who are 1 or 2 years old. So we're just over 3/4 of the way. We've also found 49 other supporters with younger children. So it's clear that huge demand for a new local school. But we ...
Mon 17th
11:25
Nick Clegg's speech: Governing Britain from the centre ground: building a stronger economy in a fair...
[IMG: Nick Clegg at rally] Nick Clegg gave a keynote speech at the Royal Commonwealth Society on the eve of his 5th anniversary of his election as Liberal Democrat leader. This is what he had to say: I don't suppose it's exactly controversial to suggest that I and my party have changed over that period. Today I will argue that we've changed for the better. Because my purpose here today is to explain, clearly and simply, what the Liberal Democrats offer the people of Britain, and why it's an offer which speaks to modern Britain. Our offer is different from ...
Before I begin I should state that I am not making a judgement about American national politics, nor am I lining myself up as a Foreign national claiming to be an expert or telling them what they should do. Just making observations. The Second Ammendment of the US constitution states that citizens have the right to bear arms. Fairly black and white. However it was written in 1791 and had it's origins in the English constitution from the century before that. For the English it was a necessity that the population could be quickly mobilised into an anti Catholic rebellion ...
There is a chance that Greenwich might see a few more independent candidates in 2014 and 2015 than usual if current conversations are anything to go by. I have come across a number of people who have become motivated to think about standing for the Council or Parliament in our area as independents - talk is cheaper than action ...
Twelve years ago I heard a visiting American school choir give a concert in a church in Venice. They were very good. That choir came from Newtown, Connecticut. I imagine some of those teenagers may now be parents with children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I hope their children survived but we know that twenty did not. There is little that we can do about this. We can show our
[IMG: Nick Clegg in Dublin] The Observer reports that Nick Clegg will today seek to put distance between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives. In a key passage of his speech today, Nick Clegg will say: The Tory right dreams of a fantasy world where we can walk away from the EU but magically keep our economy strong; where we can pretend that the world hasn't moved on and stand opposed to gay marriage; where we can refuse to accept the verdict of the British people and pretend the Conservatives won a majority of their own. You can read the ...
Fairness and effectiveness are often at odds in the distribution of benefits. There is always a tension between giving away too much and too little. If benefits are means tested, there will always be some people who desperately need them but don't claim them for a variety of reasons including the complexity of the process and the stigma. If you make a benefit universal, there is a lot less stigma attached, and it tends to be less complex, and so take up rises. Child benefit, for instance, in its various guises, has had near 100% take up, thereby insuring that ...
Stumbling and Mumbling: Support the undeserving poor Excellent post. (tags: ) 12 Letters That Didn't Make the Alphabet - Mental Floss (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Episode 41 of the House of Comments podcast "Why must you record my VOIP calls?" was recorded yesterday evening and is out today. This week myself and Emma Burnell are joined by the technical editor of PC Pro Magazine Darien Graham-Smith to discuss the recent joint committee report on the draft communications bill, gay marriage, gun control in the US and Maria Miller's expenses. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here (note - this is a new feed so if you used to subscribe to the old feed a couple of years ago you'll need to do so ...
Taken last week when the historic announcements were made in Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg explains why he has fought for equal marriage:
In the past few weeks Nick Clegg has given us incontrovertible evidence of the value of having Liberal Democrats in government. He has supported the Leveson recommendation of a statutory underpinning of press regulation, opposes the "snoopers charter" by which the government would require the communications industry to keep records of all our emails and internet searches and give access to them to over 300 public and semi-public bodies, called for a Royal Commission on drugs to develop an evidence-based policy in place of the present shambles, and , we hope, is about to give unconditional opposition to the proposal ...
On Tuesday 18th December 7pm to 9pm, Blether Tay-gither is presenting Winter Stories in the cosy ambience of the Burgh Coffee House. £3 suggested donation. Contact: sheila@blethertaygither.org.uk for more information!
Liked this in 1975 - and still do ...!
