Following my email to Rehman Chishti about the concerning state of Medway Primary school results in the recent appraisals I received the following letter this morning; Dear Mr Sams, Thank you for your letter concerning primary school exam results in Medway. As you may be aware, the Government has introduced tougher targets for Primary schools to improve standards across the country. This means that schools are set a "floor target" for 60% of pupils to attain Level 4 in English and Maths combined. Although there have been improvements in Medway, results published last week show that 11% of schools are ...
This morning we heard reports of bullets being sent to elected representatives, this evening news is coming in that an off-duty PSNI Officer has been shot at in the Springhill area of Bangor. The Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats once again have to say that violence and the threat of violence are not the way the ...
Over a million children in poverty are not getting free school meals with a survey revealing that three quarters of teachers have experienced kids coming into school without a meal or any money to pay ...
Dear ______________ I can hardly believe it's been a year since we did the last Christmas Circular, but here we are again. And if 2011 was a year to forget, then 2012 was completely different. It was, indeed, a Diamond Year - and not just for Her Majesty (of which more anon...) Anyway, the year started with Joan resolving that she would learn ballroom dancing: I think she wants to be the next Ann Widdecombe! (I'm reading this out to her as I type - she's just told me to take that out and say she wants to be Flavia ...
Recently there was the announcement that manual boarding ramps on the Tube, which were introduced during the London 2012 Games, at 16 Tube stations, will now be kept and extended to more stations. This is good news but something that Liberal Democrats across London have long supported. Caroline Pidgeon has been very vocal on this issue. In the photo you will see that (a few years ago) I needed to get around using a crutch. Getting around via the train and tube was very difficult. Sometimes people did not get up to allow you to stand. Me at Turnham Green ...
A great stride forward in the search for justice for the families of Hillsborough was made today when the Lord Chief Justice quashed the verdicts of the original inquest into the 1989 disaster. It follows the Hillsborough Panel's report which was published on the 12th September - a damning document that made today's news surely inevitable. Nervertheless, it will hopefully gives those families who have fought for so long, some respite this Christmas in the expectation that the New Year will bring the full justice that they have long craved. The Justice Collective In the meantime, I sincerely hope that ...
This afternoon I got the very disappointing news that the TRAC project - for a multi-use trail between Launceston and Egloskerry - is not going ahead. Together with my colleagues and local MP Dan Rogerson, I have put out the following press release: Councillors and MP slam Cornwall Council over TRAC failure Launceston councillors and North Cornwall's MP have slammed as incompetent Cornwall Council for dropping the promised multi--use TRAC trail from the town to Egloskerry. "Cornwall Council was given more than a million pounds to provide the trail," said Cllr Adam Paynter, Liberal Democrat councillor for Launceston North. "All ...
Reader(s) of this blog will know that I am never one to complain and that I am not in the least the sort of grumpy old blogger type with whom it would be very stupid for BT Chief Executive Ian Livingston ever to get into a personal email correspondence about a customer complaint - a customer complaint, indeed, that began in September, generating emails on which I have sometimes been so pompous as to copy in what I assume to be the correct address for Mr Livingston, in the hope that messages addressed to BT's Chief Exec might be seen ...
"Ye have acquired merit. Merit greater than your knowing." Who else can be our winner but the Guardian? Here is Charlie Fletcher choosing his favourite adventure books: It's an exciting story of espionage and skullduggery, but more than that it's a story about identity and choice. Kim's liking for intrigue and adventure is tempered by his love for the Llama he serves.
Liberal Democrat Employment Minister Jo Swinson has announced that the formal consultation period employers must carry out by law when making more than 100 employees redundant will, from April, be cut from 90 days to 45 days. According to this BBC report, a consultation showed "strong support" for the changes. I can only imagine this must have been amongst employers because, frankly, it would take a special employee to favour doing themselves out of six and a half weeks' pay. It is worth pointing out, though, that people who work for very small employers have the right to individual consultation, ...
In the past few weeks an Internet meme has emerged concerning gay marriage. It started with a college humor video suggesting that gay guys would marry straight guys girlfriends'. It was a winsome piece of humour, playing to the idea that certain gay stereotypes would be very attractive to women, and that therefore straight guys should support gay marriage in order to eliminate the competition. Then a bunch of gay women thought that lesbians could follow up on this and came up with a whole load of reasons why straight women should support gay marriage. There was a pretty dramatic ...
The amounts that schools will receive under the pupil premium have been announced. I have yet to examine the amounts for all Blyth Schools, but the ones that hit me are:- Bede Academy £253,800 (282 pupils ) Blyth Community College £394, 650 (439 pupils ) Newsham Primary £129,600 ( 144 pupils ) The cash targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have. I'm sure that the money is most welcome, and will be useful, in all the schools in Northumberland and England. A total of £1.65 billion has been allocated for 2013/14 ...
From BBC News: A venue called The Ritz in Northamptonshire has been told to change its name or face legal action by the owners of the famous London hotel. The wedding and conference venue in Desborough has used the name since the 1930s, but it has now been given until the new year to alter it. The Ritz hotel has asked for a name-change agreement to be signed. Desborough Ritz owner Kris Malde said he thought their email was "a joke". The Ritz in London declined to comment.The Desborough Ritz may have traded from the 1930s, but the London Ritz ...
I scanned YouTube for a humorous clip to use as a Christmas greeting. But couldn't find one to beat my favourite Christmas film. As a child in Manchester my Dad forced me to watch this whenever it appeared on the T.V. - thanks Dad - I've never grown tired of it. MERRY CHRISTMAS
The BBC reports that You Tube has published its top trending videos of 2012 in the UK. That Gangnam Style came top is not really a surprise, I suppose. What caught my eye, though, is that the Poke's auto-tuned video of Nick Clegg's apology over tuition fees beat that iconic moment from the Olympic Opening Ceremony with Daniel Craig and the Queen. The Clegg video has been seen by over 2 million people. Here it is again in case you missed it... * Caron Lindsay is Wednesday editor at Lib Dem Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
First they forgot to get planning permission for the Academy signs. Story Here Then they submitted a planning application with the wrong plan on it. Story Here Now I've had it confirmed that the county council has indeed blundered in not submitting an application to vary the fence line of the Academy from that set by the Planning Committee which gave the original planning consent. I am told that, having had this pointed out, such an application is now imminent. That's as it should be. People are entitled to expect the same adherence to planning law by their council as ...
Last week's passenger numbers for the Emirates Cable Car have just been released in the last few hours and they are the lowest since the stats became available in June, down 30% on the previous week and down 68% on a month ago at 20,600, or less than 3000 a day. OK the weather played it's part ...
Last night Channel 4′s Political Editor Michael Crick produced an explosive piece, exposing that short lived Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell was a victim of a stitch up involving the Police Federation and serving officers. I won't repeat Crick's revelations here, you should watch the videos and read the blog here. Many question arise from the ...
[IMG: The Amazing Weapons That Never Were] Following the success of The Wonderful Future That Never Was, Gregory Benford and Popular Mechanics magazine have now produced The Amazing Weapons That Never Were. I very much enjoyed the previous book, this one not nearly so much. Why the difference? Primarily because pretty much everything in the book in one form or other came to pass. The possible futures painted in this book are recognisably similar to how things actually turned out, unlike the futures of The Wonderful Future That Never Was. Certainly all manner of details have turned out different, with ...
Wed 19th
15:40
Calling all Theatre-Makers! An extraordinary challenge from Culture Minister Ed Vaizey
I just came across a blog post by Fin Kennedy, a playwright who attended the Performer's Alliance Parliamentary reception earlier on this month. In it, he reports a conversation he had with Ed Vaizey, who he says claimed that recent cuts to arts funding were having no effect on the British theatre industry. Knowing the devastating impact on new and professional theatre in Derby which occurred when the Arts Council withdrew funding for the "old" Derby Playhouse a few years back, my jaw hit the floor with a loud clang while reading it! However, to the minister's credit, he says ...
At the time of writing, the Labour Party still have this campaign page up calling on Andrew Mitchell to "come clean" about Plebgate. Given that even The Police don't believe The Police on this subject now, isn't it time Labour took this misconceived page down?
[IMG: Saltire - St Andrews Flag - Scotland - Some rights reserved by byronv2] I thought it might be a bit amusing to trawl through the Lib Dem Voice archives and have a look at how certain stories have developed during 2012. This time last year, it looked like it was all going wrong for the Scotland Bill that Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore was piloting through Parliament. On top of that, confusion reigned over the forthcoming referendum on independence with the Scottish and Westminster Governments seemingly on a collision course over how this would be delivered. Then, ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Why Europe will bounce back in 2013 – FT.com Do current account surpluses signal Europe will bounce back in 2013? http://on.ft.com/Ucu75N In full: Police log detailing Andrew Mitchell's 'pleb' rant – Telegraph For ref, btw, here is full police log detailing what Telegraph called "Andrew Mitchell's 'pleb' rant" http://bit.ly/VPu4ZM A sinister new twist in the Mitchell saga – Telegraph The Telegraph editorial on Mitchell affair is itself pretty unbelievably sinister http://bit.ly/UchyY6 Not sure truth matters to them at all The Liberal Democrat paradox » Spectator Blogs James Forsyth argues "the public simply ...
For the first time ever there will be a Police & Crime Plan for each of the six policing districts of Avon and Somerset. The views of residents, community groups, businesses and victims of crime are being sought to make sure that the Police and Crime Commissioner and the police are concentrating on the things that matter to local people. The Police and Crime Plan for Avon and Somerset and the six policing districts of Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset West, Somerset East and South Gloucestershire will set out the vision, aims and objectives for the new PCC Sue Mountstevens' term ...
South Gloucestershire Council is asking local people to report sightings of a fungal disease killing local ash treea in order to prevent it spreading further. Ash die back originated in Europe and has spread into the UK, including parts of South Gloucestershire. Symptoms of the disease include leaf death, with dead leaves typically hanging on the tree. This is followed by death of the tree's branches. As well as reporting suspect sightings, if you have an affected tree on your land it needs to be burnt on site to destroy spores that spread the disease. You can find more information ...
The Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust is asking people who care for someone who uses their services to complete their latest survey. These surveys are conducted twice a year to help the Trust track the experience of carers and assess whether the improvements they are making are effective. You can complete the survey online. South Glos Council is currently looking for groups and organisations to bid for funding to support initiatives that will involve and benefit people with mental health problems. They are particularly keen to hear from organisations that would not necessarily see themselves as "Mental ...
This morning the Labour led council have announced all the bulge classes they propose for September 2013: Albion, Bessemer Grange, Crawford, Dog Kennel Hill, Ivydale and Langbourne will all take an additional 30 reception pupils Camelot, Charles Dickens, and Grange will each take an additional 15 reception pupils. In addition Keyworth had already agreed to take an additional 15 pupils in 2013 and this information was included in the 2013 primary booklet. So 7.5 extra temporary forms of primary school entries. But the last cabinet papers pages 92-100 stated we'd need an extra 7-11 forms of entry to cope with ...
[IMG: Ken Clarke] Isabel Hardman has written a piece on the Spectator's Coffee House blog which essentially says that Liberal Democrat MPs and campaigners are on a bit of a collision course over Part II of the Justice and Security Bill. Liberal Democrat conference voted overwhelmingly in favour of this measure being withdrawn because of its provisions on secret courts. The article suggests that Liberal Democrat MPs are likely to support the measures now that Ken Clarke has accepted an amendment from the House of Lords guaranteeing judges, not ministers would authorise secret courts. Liberal Democrat Voice's Nick Thornsby explains ...
For what sins committed in a previous life have we found ourselves inflicted with Eric Pickles in this one? I've written many times about the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, each time sure that he's reached a new nadir, that he can go no lower, and then every time he confounds expectations to find an even lower common denominator. Indeed, so bad has be been at DCLG that he makes councillors I've met from all parties positively wistful for the days of Hazel Blears. One of the main problems I have with Pickles' reign at the DCLG ...
I welcome the decision made by the High Court today to quash the original inquest verdict into the Hillsborough Disaster. I also support the announcement made this morning by the Home Secretary Teresa May, that there will be a new police inquiry ... Continue reading →
After a great many years, I am about to re-enter the world of education. And yes, I do recall that I successfully obtained a Non-Vocational Qualification in Operational Delivery earlier this year. It has been pointed out that I won't have to use a quill pen and an abacus this time, which should make life a little easier, and that there are new-fangled trains, rather than stagecoaches, to whisk me to London for the classroom training. This is mildly encouraging. However, the prospect of examinations that I have to pass, and the need to be rather better organised than I ...
Today's Independent contains more good news for those of us on the libertarian side of the political divide, namely that Conservatives' plans to dilute the influence of the European Court of Human Rights before the next general election have been pronounced "dead" after the commission set up to review the issue ended in deadlock. As the paper records Liberal Democrats had vowed to block any moves to change the Act which incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into British law. It has now emerged that the nine-member panel set up by the Government has been unable to agree amongst ...
[IMG: The Queen attends UK Government cabinet 18 12 12] Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore MP writes a weekly column for newspapers in his Borders constituency. Here's this week's edition, illustrated with a photograph of the Queen attending Cabinet yesterday. Trip to US and Canada Last week, I spent a few days in the US and Canada to promote Scotland and Scottish exports such as textiles and Scotch whisky. In Washington, I was pleased to be able to highlight the importance of the Scottish textiles industry which has its base in the Borders and in Canada, ...
The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey (12A) Directed by Peter Jackson The Hobbit website If you loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy, go see this. Martin Freeman (Bilbo) and Richard Armitage (Thorin) put in great performances and, although the story ambles along via hill, dale and horse eating trolls, it is three hours spent in fantastic company. Four out of five stars! (One knocked off for not putting in an interval and so making me wear DVT socks...) *****
A reminder of what the Metropolitan Police Federation's reaction was on Monday to the news that a policeman has been arrested over the Andrew Mitchell affair: Mr Tully said the high-level decision to arrest the male constable was disappointing and risked damaging morale in the force when it was already at rock bottom. He questioned whether it was necessary to arrest him over an alleged "policy and procedure" violation when he could instead have been interviewed under caution... He said: "The thing which disappointed me is around the proportionality of whether it was necessary to arrest the individual. After all, ...
Man! Instagram sucks! Let's all move to Flickr! The Internet - December 2012 The same flickr which capriciously deletes the photos of paying customers? The same flickr which has catastrophic accidents? The same flickr who bans paying customers for commenting on political issues? The same flickr which one day decided that paintings and drawings weren't suitable for its site? Yeah. I'm not ok with that. If you're "liberating" your Instagram photos to Flickr, you're merely trading one jail cell for another. As I've mentioned before, we're moving to an era where people control their own content. They don't need to ...
[IMG: Andrew Mitchell] That's the heavy implication of Michael Crick's revelations on Channel 4 News last night. The bare facts appear to be that, when told the police wouldn't open the gates at Downing Street to allow him to ride his bike through, then Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell swore at them, saying "I thought you guys were supposed to f****** help us", a sentence he admits uttering in exasperation. He then cycled off and thought no more of it, until contacted by Downing Street and told The Sun was about to run a front page splash alleging a serious ...
[IMG: Twelve O'Clock High - Gregory Peck] Twelve O'Clock High, the classic 1949 film about an American bomber squadron based in England during the Second World War, is nominally a war film but really one about leadership. The background is military – most of the cast wear military uniforms, they fly military planes and they live on a military base – but the action is in their heads as a new man takes over a failing team, turns it around and then faces a breakdown himself. Dating from when it does, there is little blood and gore shown on screen ...
[IMG: Paddy Ashdown video screenshot] If you thought Paddy Ashdown had been a bit quiet since he was appointed General Election chair, then I can confidently predict that our time of peace is soon to come to an end. Have a good break this Christmas, Liberal Democrat activist, because if our energetic peer has his way, it'll be the last chance you get until May 7 2015. He emailed members yesterday to let them know 3 things. Firstly, Danny Alexander, Kirsty Williams and Alistair Carmichael have been appointed as vice-chairs of the General Election campaign to work closely with the ...
It's a mystery to me why James Madison did not draft instead: "A well fed militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and eat chocolate eggs with toys in shall not be infringed." Incidentally Wikipedia has an excellent discussion of the Second Amendment.
Golden oldies? David Cameron favours the elderly because they're the ones who vote - Comment - Voices - The Independent Captain Obvious works his magic again. Somehow whenever Mark writes something like this I read it thinking, uh-huh, yep, I know this... And then get really shocked when it appears everyone else didn't and it's a massive revelation. (tags: ) Thundersport to launch women's championship - Motorcycle news : Racing news - Visordown "The question is - do women need their own championship? Or should they demand to compete on equal terms?" - am torn on this myself. (tags: ) ...
I used to be a fan of Sarah Montague of Radio 4's Today programme but she has become unbearable, interrupting every bloody sentence before the interviewee has finished it !
Over the next five days LibDemVoice is delighted to bring you A Christmas Carol, a contemporary re-imagining of Charles Dickens' classic tale, told in five staves (as Dickens called them). Here's Part One, Mensch's Ghost... [IMG: LDV scrooge story] As sketched by Bodz Osborne was a very grumpy person indeed. Why on earth had the Italian economy decided to implode just days before Christmas? The crisis had kept him chained to his desk long after the rest of the cabinet had fled London. "Curse Berlusconi!" he muttered as his taxi crawled through the thickening snow to St Pancras. He paid ...
I don't have the full result yet, but I have been informed that, along with Janet Nunn and Nigel Quinton, I've been elected as one of the members of the East of England Liberal Democrat Regional Policy Committee. Thank you to everyone who voted for me – I look forward to having the chance to get on with the things I wrote about here. There are other places on the committee still to be filled, and there are three places available for Liberal Democrat councillors in the region, as well as two from the region's parliamentarians and two from the ...
Shock, horror, this week's entry in the NOW! That's What I Call A Tune! is on time... The entry was going to be by Corinne Bailey Rae until I discovered, just before scheduling it, that I had previously featured the track here. Instead, therefore, here are The Ordinary Boys with Boys Will Be Boys: Andrew
The City Council has published its latest adult learning newsletter - you can download this here. In addition to a number of activities at the Mitchell Street Centre, the newsletter also gives details of the Balgay Hill Nursery School Parents' Group for ethnic minority parents, as well as many other activities city-wide.
This week marks five years since Nick Clegg became leader of the Liberal Democrats. To mark this occasion Nick gave a keynote speech at Centre Forum earlier this week. The speech highlighted the journey the Party has been on under his leadership. It set out the Liberal Democrats' position at the centre ground of British politics and explained how we are building a stronger economy in a fairer society. Click 'play' below to hear Nick's speech:
A storm is heading our way. That's the only conclusion you can sensibly draw from reading the second annual independent Homelessness Monitor, funded by Crisis and published this month. Homelessness is a complex phenomenon, with its roots in the interaction of structural, social and individual factors. Broad economic and labour market trends can contribute to homelessness, but the housing market acts as the more direct driver. Social capital and individual resilience can reduce the risks of homelessness, while persistent structural weaknesses can slowly erode those personal protective factors and increase risks. [IMG: 6964996505_6bc3262014_n] The English social safety net is conventionally ...
