Just last week the political website Guido Fawkes wrote on my blog that they were using software to sift out racist comments from their readers, yet today they are standing by while more racism appears ...

Posted by Lester Holloway on

Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties. John Milton Along with Milton we prize freedom of expression most highly. Indeed a copy of his book Areopogitica was the symbol of office for the President of the Liberal Party -and which of us who heard David Penhaligon accept the office and the book with ever forget his rendering of the title. Today the crude moral micro management of Thatcherism and her offspring -New Labour - has compromised that essential freedom. and the battle is on to reclaim the ground. For ...

Posted on birkdale focus

Earlier this evening, after my last ward surgery at Blackness Primary School before the Christmas break, I had the real pleasure of attending this year's Harris Academy Christmas Carol Service at Logie St John's (Cross) Church - see right. Despite tonight's torrid weather, there was a huge turnout of parents, families and other local residents. As always, the Carol Service was a thoroughly enjoyable event and it superbly showcased the musical talents of Harris Academy pupils.

At the moment around 1600 tonnes of carpets and underlay at Sort It!* Centres has been going gone to landfill each year because there hasn't been a way to do recycle it . From 14 January however there will be a new carpet recycling service at each of the four Sort It!* Centres at Yate, Mangotsfield, Stoke Gifford and Thornbury, with clearly signed containers. Collected carpets will be taken away and shredded to use as a sustainable alternative to coal in cement kilns. Even better, there is no waste from this process as the ash is then used as an ...

Posted by Paul Hulbert on Focus on Sodbury, Yate and Dodington

A really interesting thought piece from Alexis Madrigal, Senior Editor, The Atlantic from LinkedIn suggests the Republicans are always likely to be disadvantaged in attracting the most creative types because of their social attitudes and policies. There are clearly parallels that can be drawn on this side of the pond where the failure of the Tories to 'detoxify' is still a barrier for creative urban types in engaging with them. And of course now, by association, for the Lib Dems too.

Posted by Dan Falchikov on Living on words alone

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles will hit the poorest hardest with the latest cuts to local government announced yesterday. Local councils will face a new average cut in funding of 1.7 percent, he said, only for ...

Posted by Lester Holloway on
Thu 20th
21:52

Plodgate

Would you be more concerned if your child used the F word or a word like pleb? I find it hard to believe that Andrew Mitchell's friends are trying to say that an injustice has been done because there may be doubts about whether a police officer acted as a witness. Mr Mitchell has never denied using the F word. He should count himself lucky as anyone else using this type of language would have been arrested. According to the BBC, 'senior Downing Street source told the BBC that Mr Mitchell was in a "much stronger position" following the latest ...

Posted by Michael Gradwell on Politics for Novices

 

Posted by Maelo Manning on libdemchild, aged 13

One of the welcome developments in Shropshire in recent years has been that the beers brewed at the Three Tuns Brewery in Bishop's Castle have become more widely available. Now, reports the Shropshire Star, the brewery has come up with a novel way of expanding: Bosses at the Three Tuns Brewery, in Bishop's Castle, have been in talks with specialist engineers to make better use of its 370-year-old cellars. The idea came about after restrictions on the Grade II listed brewery building prevented any expansion upwards or outwards. The various beers produced at the Three Tuns, off Market Square, are ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

When I was negotiating in business I often employed the s**t sandwich approach – good news, bad news, good news. Leavening the pain and all that. Our national party doesn't seem to believe in this. We seem to be very keen on bread-free sandwiches of this kind when it comes to presenting news, and if it ...

Posted by Greenwich Liberal on Greenwich Liberal
YouGov

Back in February I blogged that, as a little boy, John Cryer (now Labour MP for Leyton & Wanstead) appeared as an extra in The Railway Children. It turns out that both his parents - who were both Labour MPs - were extras in the film too. Bob Cryer was Labour MP for for Keighley (1974-1983) and Bradford South (1987-1994) and also represented Sheffield in the European Parliament from 1984 to 1989. He was killed in a car accident in 1994, and Ann was later to sit for Keighley between 1997 and 2010. As I blogged the other day, Bob ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

David Cameron's Christmas round robin

Posted by Maelo Manning on libdemchild, aged 13

In May I got mullered in the local elections. I got a beating that was so bad that an expert dominatrix would have been embarrassed at the markings left on my body (that is a lie – she would be proud) but the defeat at the hands of Dr. Vel was to be expected. Dr. Vel has is now in his third term as an independent councillor for the Westborough ward on Southend Council. He had previously served as a Labour member on the council. Well Dr. Vel has 'officially' now left the independent group on Southend Council and now ...

Posted by neilmonnery on The Rambles of Neil Monnery

Well I know there are many candidates but surely one of the first must be to scrap what Martin Horwood described as a 'nasty and vindictive' clause in the mis-names Growth Bill. This is the clause that wants workers to swap their employment rights in exchange for the illusion of profit sharing. This has just got a whole lot worse. Tory Minister Michael Fallon has just confirmed that job seekers may be sanctioned if they refuse jobs with reduced employment rights. Time for our colleagues in the Lords to assert some clear Liberal principle. We should be advocating reform of ...

Posted on birkdale focus

The Harborough Mail comes over all nostalgic at the news that plans for a helicopter escape from HMP Gartree have recently been foiled: News of the audacious helicopter escape plot emerged - bizarrely - almost 25 years to the day after HMP Gartree was the location for one of the most dramatic - and daring - prison escapes of all time. At 3.16pm on Thursday, December 10, 1987, a helicopter landed on the prison's sportsfield and picked up John Kendall and Sydney Draper. Kendall, an East London gangland boss, was serving eight years for burglary while Draper had been jailed ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

When Jo Grimond became leader in 1956? When Mark Bonham-Carter won the Torrington by-election in 1958? Neither, says Dr Alun Wyburn-Powell, an honorary research fellow at the University of Leicester, on his blog. He dates the start of the Liberal revival to a deeply obscure by-election held in 1954: The step change was the Inverness by-election of 21 December 1954 - neither famous nor a victory. The Liberals' share of the vote at 36% gave them a very close second place to the winning Conservative candidate in this previously-Conservative held seat. The result was therefore not a dramatic upset. It ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

So the unelected Councillor for Bangor West, Adam Harbinson, has hardly surprised us with the announcement today that he has joined the DUP. When he In his letter to the Belfast Newsletter explaining why he thought he had no need to resign his seat he said; "It is they who will vindicate me on the principled stand I have taken and on my record as I continue to seek to serve them - regardless of race or creed, political affiliation or sexual orientation." If that is true he will possibly be the only DUP Councillor on North Down Council he ...

Posted by Stephen Glenn on Stephen's Liberal Journal
Thu 20th
18:40

A Quick Poll

View Poll: Newspapers on public transport [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments

Radio Cornwall is tonight reporting that Kevin Lavery, Cornwall Council's Chief Executive, is off to New Zealand to take up a new job as CEO of Wellington City Council. The news is also being reported by one of New Zealand's leading papers, the Dominion Post. My colleague, Jeremy Rowe has made it clear that, if this is true, we would expect Mr Lavery to work out his full notice and should not receive any form of 'golden goodbye'. We also believe that his replacement can expect a lower salary package than Mr Lavery received. Jeremy's full statement is as follows: ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

I admit it, poor SPaG irritates me. I have been accused in the past of being a Grammar Nazi. I find it detracts from whatever message the writer is trying to convey, and breaks me out of my attempt to concentrate on their meaning. There are some pretty highly thought-of blogs which I just cannot read because of their consistent inability to spell. Most people will say "well, as long as you get your meaning across, what does it matter?". It matters because language is a code, and if you get the code wrong, your meaning becomes less clear. It ...

eUKhost

Speaking to the local Southfield police they have today given me the crime figures for November as well as some useful advice for reducing crime over Christmas. Please spread the advise to your neighbours. Most of the crime figures are down from last month. There has been a slight spike in the theft from motor vehicle crimes but other than that the figures are slightly down from the previous times. There has been a spike in robberies and snatches - these have been of the high value items such as jewelry and iPhone 5s. Local policing A few crime prevention ...

Posted by Gary Malcolm on Councillor Gary Malcolm

Sir Albert Bore has referred to the "jaws of doom". This he has done when central government are cutting the spending power of the city council by 1.11% in cash terms. Nationally the figures are 1.7% (across England). At the same time the council has decided to put up the wages of all council staff paid under £7.20 to £7.20. This is called the "living wage". Many people who earn less than

Posted by John Hemming on John Hemming's Web Log

[IMG: Jeremy Browne - Some rights reserved by Foreign and Commonwealth Office] This month's Total Politics magazine carries an interview with Jeremy Browne, Lib Dem MP for Taunton and home office minister, by the Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson. He talks, among other things, about his aspirations for the Liberal Democrats as a true party of government, about his unusual upbringing (he was schooled in both Iran and Zimbabwe) and about why the Liberal Democrats is the party for him. Here are some excerpts, starting with his time at school and university: Aged 10, Browne was now at ...

Posted by Nick Thornsby on Liberal Democrat Voice

I don't watch Coronation Street any more. I stopped when the Battersbys arrived. Back in the days when I did watch, regularly, Ken Barlow, pictured above, had slithered down the employment ladder from the lofty heights of teaching to gathering the shopping trollies at Bettabuys supermarket in Wetherfied. I seem to have followed a similar path myself. Two years ago I was teaching at the last private school to exist in Southport. Like Ken I was a pillar of the local community. Parents sought my advice and I like to believe that I had a positive effect on the children ...

Posted by Mike Booth on kew focus

The collapse of the electrical retail chain Comet seems, on the face of it, to be yet another example of the capitalist system having evolved to a state in which profits are privatised and, despite the Thatcherite philosophy of their being no such thing, "society" usefully emerges to bear any losses. As I understand it, a loss-making Comet was handed over by its conglomerate owners to a private-equity group allegedly skilled in rescuing failing businesses, To help in the turn-round they were given a dowry of £50 million. In less than a year the rescue has failed, nearly 7 000 ...

Posted by Peter Wrigley on Keynesian Liberal

I've just about recovered now from the fabulous weekend Anna and I spent in Birmingham at the Starfury Midnight Doctor Who convention. The first 24 hours involved prize pooches and daleks with handbags, as I wrote the other day. My convention going experience ranges from the hyper-official (the Official Doctor Who convention in March and Star Trek: Generations at the Royal Albert Hall in 1995) and the cosy and intimate - an event called Cult TV which took over a holiday camp in Norfolk in the 90s. That, actually, was where I found myself on several occasions chatting to the ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Caron's Musings
Thu 20th
15:12

Pickles the hypocrite?

Eric Pickles has published his own list of 50 ways he believes that councils can save money. Number 20 is: Cancel away days in posh hotels and glitzy award ceremonies But what's this? A tweet lands in my inbox making a curious announcement: C'llr Awards @CllrAwards Confirmed: Rt Hon Secretary of State Eric Pickles keynote speaker @LGiU Cllr Awards Ceremony in Feb 2013! And Mr Pickles also made an appearance at the (very posh and swanky) Hilton St George's Park for the recent County Councils Network conference. Surely there can't be two Eric Pickles? Or is he being a tad ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

I was saddened to hear during the Autumn Statement that increases in many benefits would be capped at 1% for the next three years, particularly because I was in total agreement with David Laws when he opposed a similar policy last year. I was also disappointed that after months of party figures grandstanding about any welfare cuts being contingent on reformed property taxes, no higher council tax bands were announced. Abandoning indexation for benefits does not just affect them in the year that benefits are not indexed. To use Job Seeker's Allowance as an example, if inflation is 3% per ...

Posted by Mike Bird on Liberal Democrat Voice

Two bits of good news on Sandgate Parking - one for this weekend, and one for the New Year! This weekend: Sandgate's Castle Road Car Park will be FREE from 4pm on Friday until 8am on Monday 24th December. Users can park free after 4pm on Friday 21st, and all day Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd in the Castle Road Car Park (the one by the sea that is almost always empty - although I suspect less empty this weekend!). For the New Year: Shepway Council are in the process of agreeing a series of changes to parking charges in ...

Posted on Tim Prater

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), who are responsible for administrating the welfare and benefits system, have launched Universal Jobsmatch website. According to Rowena Mason in the Telegraph, the idea is that job hunters and their CVs are are automatically paired up with jobs that suit their skills. This new tool is part of ...

Posted by Charlotte Henry on Digital Politico

I was in the Commons Chamber yesterday when the Prime Minister announced that Second World War heroes will be recognised with an Arctic Convoy Medal. I am delighted that Chorlton resident Bob Cowan and the 400 other surviving veterans will ... Continue reading →

Posted by John Leech MP on John Leech MP

Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Is plebgate a product of the push for police reform? | Martin Kettle | Comment is free | The Guardian Lordy: Martin Kettle on police/Mitchell affair > "If it's not an act of high treason it seems to me it's not far off" http://bit.ly/Uf259w Christmas 2012: Christmas is a time for giving up my old life, says Bryony Gordon – Telegraph I like this: Bryony Gordon's painful transition from childhood Xmas to adult Xmas at the age of 32 http://bit.ly/VRV76L Damned and cast out prematurely. No wonder Mitchell is angry – Comment ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Stephen Tall

Excellent news from Lib Dem schools minister David Laws yesterday, with the announcement of how much Pupil Premium money each school in England will receive in 2013/14: "Liberal Democrats are building a strong economy and a fair society where everyone can get ahead. Education is absolutely at the heart of that. The Pupil Premium is extra support for the children who need it the most, whether it is catch-up classes, one-to-one tuition, extra IT support - whatever the school thinks best. Helping the most disadvantaged children helps every child. Fewer children falling behind means less disruption in class and a ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Stephen Tall

[IMG: Wind turbine - Some rights reserved by thomas vl] It feels very odd praising a Conservative MP on a Lib Dem website as a member of the Labour party, but that's exactly what I'm doing today. The Conservative MP Tim Yeo is taking a principled stand on the Energy Bill and plans to include a 'decarbonisation target' amendment as the Bill gets debated in Parliament. He says the Treasury must stop supporting gas and focus on getting a significant percentage of our all electricity from clean sources by 2030. He told a group of energy investors (FT) in the ...

Posted by Sunny Hundal on Liberal Democrat Voice

There's a fascinating piece over on The Media Briefing about how Computer Weekly went from print to digital: [IMG: Computer Weekly cover] Ending the printed magazine was, admittedly, something of a milestone, given that Computer Weekly had been around since 1966, the world's first weekly technology magazine... We're pretty proud of what we've delivered - but that success has been built on nothing more than getting back to basics: understanding your audience, and delivering quality journalism based on context, analysis, depth and great contacts... Editorially, we have been freed from the tyranny of chasing any hit on the website. Quality ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Uber are a private taxi firm trying to get a hold of the lucrative London market. Their main selling point is an incredibly easy to use app, a fleet of luxury cars, and a hassle free experience. I agree with Paul Carr when he describes Uber's crushing desire to "disrupt" as a fanatical form of hyper-libertarianism which could have decidedly nasty consequences. However, I thought I'd try it out for myself after being given a £20 free voucher. The app is lovely, and it had some delightful features - for example, I could take a photo of my credit card ...

Posted by Terence Eden on Terence Eden has a Blog

The Government's announced the figures for the Pupil Premium (thats extra money going to schools with pupils with disadvantaged backgrounds). It's worked out based on whether the pupil has been registered for Free School Meals at any time in the last six years. The money has increased next year and is set to do the same in 2014/15. Here are the published amounts for some of our South Liverpool schools. Banks Road Primary, £96,300 Booker Avenue Infants £26,100 Booker Avenue Juniors £53,100 Enterprise South Liverpool Academy £443,700 Garston Church of England Primary £51,300 Gilmour Infants £27,000 Gilmour Juniors £41,400 Parklands ...

Posted by Paula Keaveney on Paula Keaveney - Lib Dem Campaigner

Last week I posted a blog referring to a piece written by Michael Crick about whether Neil and Christine Hamilton are being lined up to be next UKIP MEPs for the South West region at the next election in 2014. Christine Hamilton has since been in touch via Twitter and refuted this suggestion, categorically ruling herself out of running for any position within UKIP and stating that if the party

Posted by Andrew on La Treizième Étoile

Last week, a government committee produced what was a switched-on report on Internet filtering. (PDF link) In it, they rejected calls for a default-on internet filter, pointing out that "default filtering can create a false sense of security" and that "there was no great appetite amongst parents for the introduction of default filtering". Personally, I've always preferred the educational approach to keeping kids safe online. In our house, the computers are all kept in public areas so when they were younger, before they had smart phones, we had some idea what they're up to. (Which mostly consists of doing their ...

Posted by Zoe O'Connell on Complicity

[IMG: Assault rifle - Some rights reserved by thebmag] This article, by the Economist's Lexington correspondent, David Rennie, is one of the best I've read on the inevitable debate on gun control following the appalling shooting in Connecticut last week. His argument is essentially that the only change that might actually have an effect is stopping most people having guns, with the rest only allowed under a tough licensing regime. But since I read the piece a couple of days ago, it is this penultimate paragraph that has had me thinking: But here is the thing. The American gun debate ...

Posted by Nick Thornsby on Liberal Democrat Voice
Thu 20th
10:52

The year of technology

The Telegraph's 'Year in Review' looks at the way that new technology has helped to shape 2012. They say that this is not just thanks to the gadgets that we ares buying with more enthusiasm than almost any other nation on Earth, but that every aspect of our lives is becoming connected to the web. They say that the overall trend is for a more connected world: Facebook's floatation, although not a financial success yet, shows that these are grown-up businesses. The launch of Netflix in the UK indicates that globally, the web is a global platform that people need ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

By the beginning of winter 1941 the future of Europe looked bleak. The Swastika flew triumphantly from flagpoles across the continent and the sound of marching jackboots resonated in many streets. The Wehrmacht had rolled through all opposition only being turned back at the English channel. Now they had encircled Leningrad, sat poised at Orel as Denikin had some twenty years previously and forward detachments were in the suburbs of Moscow itself. Russian industry in the Ukraine and Belarus had been destroyed or overrun and the Luftwaffe roamed with impunity looking for fresh targets. New factories were being set up ...

Posted by Chris Sams on The Ginger Liberal from Medway

Here is a link to the e mail bulletin that Richard Oglethorpe and I have sent out about services in the L19 and L18 area over Xmas - including travel, libraries, health service and so on. I am told this QR code should also take you there. We send bulletins of local news roughly once a month. If you don't get these and want to sign up, you can do that at this link.

Posted by Paula Keaveney on Paula Keaveney - Lib Dem Campaigner

This piece by Cory Doctorow is one of the best arguments for the entertainment industry needing to respond to its customers I have seen. He uses an excellent analogy to illustrate his point about externalisation of the costs of doing business. Wonga are blinding critics with science - Payday lender in bullshit shocker Golden Eagle Snatches Kid story turns out to be a computer generated student project - Snopes wins the day yet again I try to give the police the benefit of the doubt, but it's becoming harder and harder - Telegraph Blogs - When even people like Dan ...

Posted by Mark Thompson on Mark Thompson

Cornwall Council has issued a press statement this morning about the decision to abandon the TRAC project to deliver a multi-use trail from the town to Egloskerry. Originally, this promised to be almost entirely off-road and to deliver an extension of the steam railway from New Mills to Egloskerry. But reading the Cornwall Council spin, you would never know that. Instead, the new plan to have a half on-road, half off-road trail as far as the scrapyard is portrayed as some sort of victory. The council spin claims that they had a 'positive meeting' with Defra and that the government ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

Schools in Launceston are getting a funding boost of more than a third of a million pounds next year thanks to an increase in the Pupil Premium. This targets extra money to schools depending on the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds they have. The pupil premium was a key commitment of the Liberal Democrat manifesto at the last election and started of at £600 per pupil per year. But from next April that will rise to £900 per pupil. In Launceston, the amount each school will receive from April next year will be: St Catherine's £45,900 St Stephens £77,400 ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

According to Vote UK, the Tories have managed to come fourth (out of four) in a rare Wednesday by-election in true blue Surrey. The Lib Dems held the Sunbury Common ward with 46.3%, UKIP were second with 23.2%, Labour third with 16.1% and the Tories trailed in last with just 14.3%. Needless to say the Spelthorne Council website still hasn't published the result.

Posted by Dan Falchikov on Living on words alone

An open letter to the British judicial system – From a cyclist, pointing out the ridiculously small sentences handed out to motorists who've killed or injured cyclists. My reply to Nick Clegg's civil liberties email today – Jo Shaw writes at Liberal Democrats against Secret Courts, asking Nick Clegg to live up to what he says and block the Government's plans. (And if you're a Lib Dem who hasn't signed the petition against secret courts yet, why not?) Nick Clegg needs to get crunchy again – Jonathan Calder has one of the best takes I've seen on Clegg's recent 'centre ...

Posted by Nick on What You Can Get Away With

The decision to uplift certain benefits by 1% per annum has drawn an awful lot of flak in the past week or so. It is argued by some that picking on the poorest in society is harsh, to say the least. And it almost certainly is. However, it probably means that, over the period from 2007 to 2015, those on benefits will be about 4% worse off in real terms, compared to the Consumer Price Index. Those in the Civil Service would be delighted to be that amount worse off... An Executive Officer with ten years service is already 11.5% ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on The view from Creeting St Peter

The usual essential annual guide to all the details of May's local elections is, this time, available from Amazon at a rather hefty discount, taking the book from very expensive to merely indulgent. The format is the now well-established one of a brief commentary and set of summary statistics followed by the heart of the book – the full set of ward results from May from across England, Scotland and Wales. Amongst the gems you will find in the details is this: The (Official) Monster Raving Loony Party fielded no fewer than nine candidates in the Molesey East ward of ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

[IMG: Comet - Some rights reserved by ell brown] The Guardian reports: The business secretary, Vince Cable, has ordered an inquiry into the collapse of high street electricals chain Comet after the government was left with a £50m bill in unpaid taxes and redundancy costs. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) confirmed that the Insolvency Service had begun a "fact-finding" investigation into the high street chain's failure: "The purpose of the inquiry is to investigate the circumstances surrounding its insolvency and establish whether further action is required," said a spokeswoman. Cable has discretion to demand an investigation "where ...

Posted by Nick Thornsby on Liberal Democrat Voice

Following yesterday's suspension of Red Velvet's licence after arrests made in relation to drugs offences, the police have made an application for the Expedited Review of a Premises Licence under S.53A of the Licensing Act 2003 Grounds: prevention of crime and disorder – premises associated with serious crime Applicant – Mr M Barton, Durham Constabulary Premises – Red Velvet, Front Street, Consett, Co Durham, DH8 5AB Date of Application – 17th December 2012 Last date for representations – 2nd January 2013 Correspondence should be sent to Durham County Council Licensing Services PO Box 617 Durham DH1 9HZ

Posted by Owen Temple on Owen Temple

Eric Pickles' bin fetish | What You Can Get Away With - Nick Barlow's blog "Indeed, so bad has [Pickles] been at DCLG that he makes councillors I've met from all parties positively wistful for the days of Hazel Blears." bloody hell, THAT bad? (tags: ) Audience At Hobbit Screening Due To Leave Cinema In Early 2014 | The Poke: (tags: ) Spidey writer gets death threats over current comic book storyline | Blastr (tags: ) On Software Startup Culture | A Megahbite of Feminism Very interesting article on why software startups are so pale and male. (tags: ) A ...

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). Part One, Mensch's Ghost, was published yesterday. Here's the second stave, The Ghost of Avarice Past... [IMG: LDV scrooge story] As sketched by Bodz Osborne sat on the stone bench and shivered. Mensch's Ghost bothered him exceedingly. "It couldn't have happened," he moaned to himself. "There must have been something in that damned Starbucks coffee. Perhaps it is a revenge for my tax crackdown. Bah! Starbucks!" Very soon, despite the cold, he was drifting in ...

Posted by Andy Boddington on Liberal Democrat Voice

The trouble with writing a blog post about Eric Pickles is that just when you think he's dug down to a whole new unbeatable low, he finds himself a better shovel and heads down deeper. So today we have the news of the latest round of local government cuts which are about as awful as everyone was expected. But in an effort to claim that any cutbacks in services that result from this aren't the fault of the Government, we get to hear the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government telling us that there are easy ways for ...

Posted by Nick on What You Can Get Away With

Yesterday, along with other representatives from local charity Barney's Fund, established by Barnetts Motor Group, we presented a cheque for £250 to assist the sheltered housing residents of Sinderins Court and Pennycook Court enjoy a Christmas Party to remember. Pictured above are Andy McBride (Chair, West End Community Council), Sarah Lewis (Home Scotland Scheme Manager), Louise McKenzie (Barnetts Motor Group) and myself as Chair of Barney's Fund at the cheque presentation. It was great to see all the residents having a super Christmas Party and we are pleased that Barney's Fund was able to help with the festivities - see ...

Last night's Evening Telegraph highlighted the rather embarrassing mistake by Dundee SNP, who are currently distributing 2013 "calendars" across the city. Trouble is ... the "calendar" has a whole month with the wrong days against dates, rendering the calendar completely useless. As I said in last night's Tele, I'm sure this was caused by a simple clerical error, but eyebrows will be raised that, having had the error pointed out to them, the SNP has said it is intending to continue deliveries into the New Year of this useless calendar. Additionally, the SNP response in last night's paper states that ...

Thu 20th
06:23

PACT meeting April 2013

The next Odd Down PACT meeting will be 23rd April 2013 at St. Philips Church Hall.

Posted by Odddown on Odd Down

 

This photo is of Castle Cary in the winter of 1962. They are either they Blackmore Vale Foxhounds or the Sparkford Vale Harriers, I'm not sure which. Hunting with hounds has returned to the news this week, with the successful prosecution of huntsmen in Oxfordshire. I worked for an anti-hunting MP in a semi-rural Somerset ...

Posted by pauldavidevans on The Evans Account