Over the past months (we are getting towards a year!) Calderdale Council has been consulting with local resident for a proposed 20mph zone for the Pellon area. The consultation showed a majority of residents were in favour of introducing the 20mph zone, and the zone if set to be introduced towards the end of March this year. However in developing the scheme it was considered that because Gibbet Street is a bus route, having the whole length of the road at 20mph would add to journey times, and affect bus time tables. Therefore it is proposed that the road will ...
Earlier this evening Umair Haque tweeted: Name a book that changed your life. — umair haque (@umairh) February 4, 2013 My response was: Michael Stewart's "Keynes and after" > RT @umairh: Name a book that changed your life. — Alex Marsh (@ShodanAlexM) February 4, 2013 If anyone ever asks me a question like this I always respond with Stewart's book, even though now I can hardly remember what it says. Having tweeted, it all went a bit Proustian. Memories of the book, when and where I read it, came flooding back. And I considered whether I could really say it ...
There's not much more I can add to the comments I have read across the blogosphere regarding the end of Chris Huhne's political career. But I'll have a go. It strikes me that this is a literal example of a tragedy. I wanted to believe Huhne, really I did. I have followed his career with interest for many years and when I met him a few years back at conference he was as friendly and enthusiastic as he had always come across in the media. I wasn't a party member back in 2007 but if I had have been I'd ...
In a busy news day, the least surprising 'news' is that Jo Swinson is a firm advocate of equal marriage: It's probably the last video of their succesful YouTube campaign that Coalition for Equal Marriage will upload before tomorrow's debate. What an apt subject they have for it!
First they were for it, now they claim to be against it. The flip-flopping position of some Tory and Independent councillors on the allowances rise is quite incredible. There will be a debate at full council next week to rescind the decision taken back in October to increase the basic councillor allowance from May. In October the vote was taken to raise allowances from £12,128 to £14,600 per year. That was, to say the least, controversial and passed by 42 votes to 29. I was one of the 29 who voted against the rise. Because the vote next Tuesday involves ...
Its a fact, that few of us expect our politicians, to be totally straight, during Thatchers time, and this is probably how it is today, tomorrow and forever, being "economical with the truth" became a well known technique for government. Something that explains, how the EU for instance was allowed to develop from the "Common Market" to the all pervasive malign superstate with its French/German centered social and cultural engineering. Anyhow today in the face of overwhelming evidence Chris Huhne fesses up, at last, big deal! and this is what separates the crooks from the enthusiastic politicians pushing their manifestos. ...
From PoliticsHome. Hubris versus pathos, I suppose. [IMG: image] [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: Childcare: woman and child drawing together. (c) iStock] A letter to The Guardian: Based on her own experience Zoe Williams concludes that a person without qualifications will struggle to look after six children. That sounds plausible. What sounds rather less plausible is her insistence that the problem lies with the number six and not with her lack of qualifications. The problem isn't with the government's proposal that some childcare professionals can look after six children. It's with her logic that if an untrained and inexperienced person can't do it, then a trained and experienced professional must also be unable ...
In June I came across the story that the bones of Richard III might still be lying under the streets of Leicester. I wrote about it as it seemed the sort of local curiosity this blog enjoys and thought no more about it. A month later I came across the suggestion that there was to be a dig to look for the king. I blogged about that too, but was at pains to point out that I did not know who was behind the plan - or the appeal for funds. A month after that, the dig began. The photograph ...
As explained in our previous post, South Glos Council is consulting about which street lights will be switched off after midnight. The consultation and plan for the Old Sodbury area - including The Bell to the Cross Hands - is available here: Old Sodbury consultation Lights in this area will be switched off in April unless certain criteria apply.
Events and activities are planned across Cambridgeshire Libraries on Saturday 9 February to celebrate National Libraries Day. As part of the day, Cambridgeshire Libraries will be encouraging those that love their library to find out about ways they can help support the service. There are opportunities to sign up to be a library volunteer, join a library Friends group or donate a book. Cambridgeshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Learning, Cllr David Harty said "We'd really like to encourage our residents to visit their local library - and join up if they are not already a member. Libraries across the ...
[IMG: skating_13xii07 005] Here's my 2007 Lib Dem leadership election ballot paper: Chris Huhne got my first preference. (Okay, with only two candidates there wasn't really a need to mark the figure '1′: I'm just a die-hard preferential voter.) I slightly surprised myself with my vote. Nick Clegg should have been more my cup of ideological tea. Though both he and Chris were 'Orange Bookers', it was Nick who was more closely associated with the social-justice-through-market-liberalism which is my philosophical bent and I started off assuming I'd vote for him. What changed my mind? Well, Nick spent the whole leadership ...
No advert should ever make a grown man cry. It's just a stupid advert. Adverts are not real. However here I am constantly refreshing a YouTube video and every time I well up as it is such so perfect. The Super Bowl was last night and as you know it is not just about the actual game – the adverts are kinda important too. Companies spend millions not only on the advertising space but also on the actual adverts (and the think tanks beforehand) in an attempt to find an advert that will resonate with the viewers. Anheuser-Busch nailed it ...
Throughout our lives there important milestones that we want to mark - births, marriages and partnerships, anniversaries, deaths. Time and ageing is something we can't avoid and through the year we set markers for ourselves to celebrate and recognise the passage of time (a pinch a punch for the first of the month, birthday invitations, or even just the annual watching of Eurovision). There are both personal and national events and dates to participate in, but what they have in common is that all of them enable us to gather together, share experiences, or reflect on the significance of events ...
My chief feeling at the fall of Chris Huhne is sadness. Sadness at the waste of his talents. I twice voted for him in Liberal Democrat leadership elections. I still maintain that he was by some way the strongest candidate in 2006. Whenever I met Chris he has been friendly and without pomposity, which is not something you can say for every politician. As my mother has just said on the phone, a man of his wealth could easily have coped with a driving ban. Indeed he was banned from driving a couple of years after the evening that has ...
Rail Minister, the Rt Hon Simon Burns has met with Council Chiefs today and visited the site of the new Cambridge Science Park railway station. Cambridgeshire County Councillor Nick Clarke, Leader of the Council met with the Rail Minister to discuss the scheme in more detail and view the site in person. Amongst the topics for discussion were the designs and passenger forecasts as well as the franchise and finance agreements that the County Council will need to make with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail (NR). Cambridgeshire County Council's plans for the station are well under way ...
Open Eco Homes is on again on 15th and 23rd June, and we are already looking for people willing to open their homes! We're looking for houses that have undergone significant renovations or have been designed and built to be environmentally friendly. Homes should preferably be in Cambridge itself. Information about the event and last years homes are available at www . openecohomes . org. The dates for the Milton Road Carbon Conversations group have now changed and it will run Wednesdays on February 6th, 20th, 27th, March 13th and 27th from 7.30pm - 9.30pm with the date for the 6th meeting to be ...
A white lorry with red curtains was seen being driven away from BP Garage Childerley Gate, St Neots Road, Dry Drayton, between 11pm and midnight on Friday (25th of January 2013). Four people were seen to lift the manhole covers and steal 20,000 litres of diesel. Detective Sergeant Sarah Gaylor, investigating, said: "I would appeal to anyone who saw this vehicle in the area on the night the theft happened to call police. We're checking CCTV and carrying out local enquiries but someone may have seen this lorry drive away." Anyone with any information should call DS Gaylor on 101, ...
Reaction to Chris Huhne's shock decision to plead guilty to perverting the course of justice over a 2003 speeding case and to quit as MP for Eastleigh has been rolling throughout the day. Here's two of Chris's backbench colleagues on today's events. First, Lib Dem MP for Wells, Tessa Munt, who praised his work as a "fantastic constituency MP": And Lib Dem president Tim Farron has written to party members this evening: Shocked and saddened Today's news about Chris Huhne makes this a difficult day for Liberal Democrats everywhere. Nick Clegg summed up how we are all feeling when he ...
'As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.' John Stuart Mill It is quite rare for there to be a vote in the House of Commons where ...
Tomorrow is the 2nd reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill. Until today we had only one major concern from the Lib Dem contingent of MPs with regards to voting against the bill and that was Gordon Birtwistle. Unfortunately today John Pugh has also come out against it, with some statist arguments that he believes to be "liberal" (talk about "cultural communism", having the Government regulate relationships only for its own benefit), and it has raised my concerns as to whether we might see an even larger number vote against. If we look to Edward Leigh's amendment vote last ...
Before today Chris Huhne had seemed to be cloaked in a sense of invincibility. He was the self-made millionaire, the man who ran for the leadership twice but who remained key to his opponent, the person who first suggested coalition with Conservatives, negotiated it, and then became the Energy Secretary in the Government. Some believed that after ...
It's been quite a day. The news from Southwark Crown Court this morning was breathtaking. Having interviewed Chris Huhne with other bloggers when he was striving for the Lib Dem leadership, I found him to be a good Liberal and a clever, well-read man. I campaigned for him. But today I couldn't help think of a few things in connection with his sad political demise – which probably qualifies as a "tragedy", given that it seems to have been brought about by some personal weakness on his part. The first thing which sprang to my mind was the motto I ...
Liberal Democrat members now receive a weekly letter by email from the party leader, Nick Clegg. I found a 32-year-old example of a "Letter From the Leader" to party members - one from David Steel on 27 February 1981. (Click to enlarge photo) [IMG: image] Without email, Steel asked for Local Association Chairmen (sic) to "take an early opportunity to read and discuss [his letter to members] at appropriate constituency executives and other meetings." He noted that the party was campaigning on "unemployment and cuts" (today it is "jobs and growth"). Presumably, this observation was really a polite reminder as ...
Mon 4th
16:23
Out of the Huhne debacle the Eastleigh byelection offers potential salvation for Lib Dems
The resignation of Chris Huhne as MP for Eastleigh today was sad but inevitable after pleading guilty at the start of his driving points trial. It presents a tricky but eminently winnable byelection test for ...
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone with Same Sex marriage bill - Some rights reserved by Mark Pack] Tomorrow the House of Commons will vote on the Bill to allow equal marriage for same-sex couples which Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone did so much to push forward as Equalities Minister. Two Lib Dem MPs have so far publicly declared their opposition: John Pugh MP (Southport) "I will vote against the Bill – against Gay Marriage but not necessarily for all the reasons the churches give but because I think there is a good liberal case against the current legislation. ... My fundamental objection ...
Wow RT @skynewsbreak Chris Huhne pleads guilty to perverting course of justice over claims speeding points taken by his exwife Vicky Pryce — Sophy Ridge (@SophyRidgeSky) February 4, 2013
It's just over a year since Chris Huhne and his former wife Vicky Pryce were charged with perverting the course of justice and Chris Huhne resigned from the Cabinet. Today, as the case came to trial, Chris Huhne dramatically changed his plea, only entered for the first time last week, to guilty. This means that he will be sentenced some time after the conclusion of the proceedings against Pryce. He said that he would be stepping down as an MP. I am not going to say too much about the incident concerned as it's still the subject of a criminal ...
Want to know more about the people who represent you? The Libertine has conducted interviews with our new Exec members, so enjoy! Kavya Kaushik and Sam Fisk (Co-Chairs of Liberal Youth) Conor McKenzie (International) Josh Dixon (Membership Development) Reece Edmends (Non-Portfolio) Steven Haynes (Communications)
[IMG: Willie Rennie - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] In The Scotsman, Willie Rennie asks some pertinent questions about what might happen after the Scottish referendum: The Electoral Commission surprised us all on Wednesday when it went beyond spending limits and the wording of the question to press for clarity on the process after either result in the referendum. It did not ask us to negotiate a solution on the substance of our conflicting cases as pre-negotiations are impossible. Yet, on reflection, I believe this will assist those who share my view that Scotland should remain in the UK. ...
Stephen Tall said it best – "Chris Huhne's political career is over. That's not a sentence I expected to be typing today." Chris Huhne has admitted to perverting the course of justice over a decade ago, when his ex-wife took speeding points for him. He could face a prison sentence for this offence, and has ...
Years ago, sitting over lunch while Iain King sketched out my horoscope in return for an omelette, I watched him peer suspiciously at some marks on the paper. "Yes," he said. "I see this in a lot of Liberal Democrat charts. I think it means unreasonable optimism." How right he was. It is a defining feature. That is what keeps the Lib Dems pushing when all about them are losing theirs, and so on and so on. It keeps them cheerful in the most depressing circumstances. It isn't necessarily a useful attribute, but it is better having it than not... ...
A member of the Royal Naval Reserve in Liverpool pointed out to me recently that Liverpool residents are potentially being treated less fairly than those on the Wirral. Reservists have to take a fitness test every year (as they should really). So this involves putting some effort into staying fit. On the Wirral they can currently use leisure centres for free. This is not the case in Liverpool. I got this raised with the Council and the reply came back that this would be too costly to do. The reply was data free and frankly there is no way the ...
They say you'll never find a poor bookie. Well as the books open on the Eastleigh by-election one thing is clear – they have no idea who'll win this by-election. You can get both the Lib Dems and the Tories at odds-on and also odds against. It is a straight two-horse race as it just isn't a Labour area and the big question we'll see for the first time in this new political climate is the effect of UKIP on a Tory/LD marginal. I wrote last year that UKIP could actually be the saviour of the Lib Dems in 2015. ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Chris Huhne: the straight talking fighter faces his biggest battle Hmm. Here's my headline from Feb 2012 > "Chris Huhne: the straight talking fighter faces his biggest battle" http://buff.ly/11HRjbw Bayesian Statistics and what Nate Silver Gets Wrong : The New Yorker 'Bayesian Statistics and what Nate Silver Gets Wrong' http://nyr.kr/11EBy5l < excellent, constructively critical review of his book. What Will Obama Do with His Second Term? Twelve Issues : The New Yorker What Will Obama Do with His Second Term? Twelve Issues : The New Yorker http://buff.ly/WQhNsf Watch House of Cards Online ...
Some of my friends may have found that they have been a bit confused in recent days. I've been updating my Facebook presence and have taken the decision to deactivate one account and start afresh from another. As I have said in the past, I have been on Facebook since it became available to the ...
[IMG: Boundary - Some rights reserved by ank0ku] On the face of it, the boundary change proposals were about cutting costs by having less MPs and strengthening democracy by having each MP represent roughly identical numbers of voters. Neither of these claims bear close scrutiny. Our democracy is not a simple thing - it struggles its way through the conflicting needs of the nation and the individual. It is unrealistic to base our representation on population statistics alone. It's true that there are a few Parliamentary seats with fairly sparsely populated constituencies but democratic representation is not just about an ...
Every week, I get an e-mail from Nick Clegg giving his persepctive on some of the Liberal Democrat achievements in Government and an insight into what goes on behind the scenes. Encouraged by Caron Lindsay and also Jo Shaw from "Liberal Democrats against Secret Courts", this week's "Letter from the Leader" received the following reply from me. Dear Nick, First, can I say that I (mostly) enjoy these weekly e-mails especially when they give an insight into the way the coalition works behind the scenes, as this week's does. Secondly, I'd like to say that I was, and remain, a ...
Is George Osborne's promise of 'ring-fencing' within the big banks an adequate response to the corruption and shoddy practices that caused the financial crash? Probably not, if Wall Street is anything to go by. Greg Smith, a former employee of Goldman Sachs, has just written a book titled Why I Left Goldman Sachs: A Wall Street Story. Unfortunately, it doesn't properly explain what went wrong, according to another Wall Street refugee Michael Lewis in his review of Smith's book In 1989, Lewis wrote Liar's Poker, a pioneering exposé of Salomon Brothers. And he finds Smith's book a statement of the ...
Cambridge Re-Use have released their latest Newsletter which is available here (via Google Docs). This issue features; Community AwardDuke and Duchess of CambridgeNew neighboursA Volunteers StoryEvents
Well what can you say? You sleep in because you were up until gone 4AM watching Super Bowl XLVII and you wake up to Chris Huhne changing his plea to guilty and all hell breaking loose. Obviously due to the ongoing trial I can't type too much about the case only that Chris Huhne is clearly a moron and thought that he could lie and bully his way out of a problem. The sad thing about all of this is that is was so needless. If you are going to break the law in such a small way (speeding) then ...
As a Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh has written an open letter to his constituents. I am therefore going to openly reply to his points here my comments in red. The emphasis in bold are actually what appears on his website not my doing. A large number of you have written to me in recent weeks about the Government's proposals on gay marriage and asked me what my view is. I'm sure that a large number have also told you what their view is. Some will have gone to lengths to explain their personal feelings while others will have filled ...
Chris Huhne did something that was wrong and stupid, and now he has to take the punishment for it. It's a shame that a career that promised so much has to end this way, but if he'd taken the care to actually drive sensibly in the first place, he wouldn't be in this position. As it is, error was then piled upon error, got mixed into a sea of malice, and we find ourselves where we are today. As someone who campaigned for him in two leadership elections, I'm obviously disappointed. However, one thing I would note is that I've ...
[IMG: Theatre2] Tring Mayor Nick, was one of 20 Mayors and Deputy Mayors from around Hertfordshire who attended a gala performance of Rodgers & Hart's "Babes in Arms" at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. The performance was to raise money for the Mayor of Dacorum's charity for the year - Iain Rennie Grove House Hospices. Together with the civic representatives an invited audience filled the Tring Park School's Markova Theatre. Everyone was delighted by the energy, ability and skill of the young people from a variety of nations and backgrounds united by the outstanding talent they all ...
Fairly high on Labour's list of priority seats in 2015 is Cardiff Central, held by Jenny Willott since 2005. The bookies have Labour as favourites to win. It sounds like the kind of place that Labour should expect to win, particularly since they made massive gains in Cardiff's local elections in May 2012. Well, I had a look at how Jenny's constituents voted in those local elections and got the following result: Of course General Elections have higher turnouts than Local Elections, and not everybody votes the same way in both elections, and in the space of three years, many ...
I am very pleased to see that Nick Clegg has spoken out about how stupid the Tories' plans for marriage tax breaks are. He's done that consistently over the last 3 years, most recently on last week's Call Clegg LBC show. What I'm not so chuffed about is the line put about by a "senior Liberal Democrat source" in today's Times (£) which says that the Government couldn't introduce a marriage tax break before we got to a tax threshold of £10,000. Well, it's guaranteed we're going to get there anyway, as I showed way back in December. The legislation ...
[IMG: huhne quits] Chris Huhne's political career is over. That's not a sentence I expected to be typing today. I had thought Chris would somehow squeak through his court case by the skin of his teeth. Certainly when I spoke to Chris at the last Lib Dem conference he was confident (his default mode, it's true, but still). But now his career lies in tatters. Last year he resigned as a cabinet minister; this year he'll resign as an MP. And all over a speeding charge - or more to the point his attempt to cover up a speeding charge. ...
From the BBC: Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne has said he will resign as an MP, after he pleaded guilty to to perverting the course of justice. Huhne admitted charges against him over claims his ex-wife Vicky Pryce took speeding points for him a decade ago. Aides to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told the BBC he was "shocked and saddened" by the Lib Dem MP's conduct. A by-election is now expected in his seat of Eastleigh in Hampshire, where he has a majority of nearly 4,000. The prime minister's official spokesman declined to comment on the former minister's resignation, ...
Dafydd Elis Thomas' intervention in the field of local government at the weekend is interesting because he started to articulate what many people have been thinking for some time, namely that we have too many Councils and that the small size of many of them means that they are not delivering services efficiently. The issue is one of timing. Many of us do not think we should be considering reorganisation at a time of austerity and when we should be focussing on service delivery. My problem with what he was proposing though was that he focussed too much on representation ...
Despite governing in the most difficult economic climate in living memory, Nick Clegg and his team have take some key decisions that will have a real impact on people's lives. It's that time in the life of a government...mid way, ... Continue reading →
Monday: Today, former Energy and Climate Change Secretary and Duke of York, Mr Huhney-Monster, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice when he got his former wife to accept points for speeding through Bosworth Field. Maligned by Shakespeare as a twisted schemer, the Duke - famous for his war cry of "more horsepower more horsepower my kingdom for more horsepower" - also asked for two counts of Princes in the Tower to be taken into account. His rival in the Wars of the Rosettes Mr Tudor Clegg was unavailable for comment due to an uncontrollable fit of hysterical giggling. ...
The inevitable consequnce of his guilty plea. Huhne to quit as MP. One assumes the by-election will be on local election day in May.
It has been a funny morning for the Libdems where Chris Huhne is concerned. Firstly, he changes his plea after ten years admits that he is guilty of perverting the course of justice, facing prison (anywhere between six months and life!) and then he resigned as MP for Eastleigh. Good. He has finally done the right thing. Firstly he should have told the Police the truth ten years ago when it happened, though I have no doubt that this happens all the time amongst married couples, and he should have definitely told the truth when the story broke and when ...
"Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold, for Dickon, thy master, is bought and sold". When I was a small boy, I went to Arundel castle, the home of the Premier Dukes of England, the Howard Dukes of Norfolk. It left me with a life-long interest in Heraldry and Flags, but as fascinating as the castle is there is one thing- a simple piece of paper- that left a stronger impression upon me. On that paper were the words above, and the letter was delivered into the hands of the then Duke of Norfolk on the eve of the Battle ...
[IMG: The Polish parliament - Some rights reserved by Kancelaria Premiera] It's been a week of ups and downs with regard to marriage equality and I am not just talking about in Britain. This week the Polish parliament voted down a bill that would have introduced civil partnerships. Despite an impassioned plea by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a significant part of his governing party voted against the bill, teaming up with conservative members to destroy any chance it had of becoming law. Indeed, one member declared that she would be voting against the bill because gay people "are of no ...
The Wales on Sunday reported yesterday that a number of businesses in Wales believe that plans to force shops to display their food hygiene ratings are "very unfair" and could be damaging to small traders. The Assembly Bill passed last month provides that Welsh food businesses will soon be forced to display their hygiene ratings. The Welsh Government says the ratings system, which rates businesses from 0 to 5, is essential to protect public health and will help drive up standards in the food industry. But as the paper reports, many shop owners fear the decision could damage their businesses ...
I must begin by declaring an interest. I've been a season ticket holder at City for 29 years, and have been to away games at 42 different league grounds over the years. I have seen the highs and lows- ... Continue reading →
Last week the SNP Government held debate in the Scottish Parliament on the effects of the changes the UK Government have made to Child Benefit. Of all the welfare reforms, this is the one I have least difficulty with because it affects people with a household income of more than £50,000 a year. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon moved a motion that recognises that it is only through the full powers of independence that it can properly protect the universal benefits that produce fair and equitable outcomes.The thing is, she wasn't able to give any assurances that under independence, Child ...
Good content produced at the right time is at the heart of any successful blog. Good content often needs a helping hand courtesy of sensible promotion too. All of which is to say that fiddling with the technical details can be a tempting distraction from main business at hand, but it can make a difference even if it isn't the main factor in success or failure. One of the reasons I'm sure a fan of WordPress (as used by Lib Dem Voice, on my own blog and for my news aggregator) is that there is a wide-range of free or ...
[IMG: chris_huhne] Dramatic news from the BBC: Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice over claims his ex-wife Vicky Pryce took speeding points for him a decade ago. The Lib Dem MP, 58, had originally pleaded not guilty to the charge at Southwark Crown Court. BBC chief political correspondent Norman Smith said: We can safely say that his political career is over. * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.
Dear Chris, You'll often hear politicians say, "Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers." There's not the time to correct every inaccuracy but when a mistake becomes received wisdom and gets repeated again and again, it's worth putting things straight. Like on the Government plans to help families with the cost of childcare. You'll know by now that this is a topic incredibly close to my heart. Making sure all families, and mothers in particular, can afford to work is important for our economy and for our society. That's why I ensured we found the money to up the ...
[IMG: Gay teen supporters of Stonewall and its campaign against homophobic bullying in schools, celebrating London's Gay Pride. July 2009 - Some rights reserved by lewishamdreamer] Liberal Democrat colleagues may remember that one of Liberal Youth's big campaigns was to stop homophobic bullying. As the former Liberal Youth Chair in Northamptonshire it was a campaign that is very close to my heart. Too many LGBT young people are subjected to terrible abuse and bullying – just because of who they are. When I was elected to the County Council in 2009 I wanted to do everything I could to make ...
"I am in constant dialogue (with the UK Government) because I've gathered evidence myself, I've seen people who are going to be affected by this. I'll be working to make sure people are not hurt."So said Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie about the problems associated with the so-called Bedroom Tax on yesterday's Sunday Politics Scotland. In April, Housing Benefit will be allocated on the basis of the size of properties you are judged to need by a number of pretty inflexible and unfair criteria. For example, a divorced dad who has a spare bedroom for when his kids come ...
Dear Nick - please sort out the secret courts mess - our message, in volume, over time (tags: ) making a nsfw cake tin a bit more sfw so you bought a willy-shaped cake tin for a hen party and now the hen party is over and you're stuck with it. What other cakes might you make? I think I like the ufo one best. (tags: ) Sorry Toby But The Data Backs Suzanne is always fun to see Toby young monstered (tags: ) Democratic Audit: "The Bradford Earthquake": how Bradford West was won fascinating and thorough report (tags: ) ...
Is it me, or is politics becoming ever more unpleasant as the years go by? Perhaps it has always been thus, but the unpleasantness is much more immediate, much more public than it was previously. Once upon a time, politicians were treated with rather more deference than is the case now. Interviews with the media were more of a lecture than an inquisition, and there was little attempt made to challenge what was being said. It made for rather dull television, I suspect, but then there wasn't an awful lot of choice, was there? Effectively, you got to find out ...
The operations of the Search and Rescue services are probably more complex than the government realises. A few years ago someone claimed in parliament that people who got themselves stranded on mountains or became adrift at sea should jolly well be sent a bill to cover the costs of rescuing them. A military person responded that the search and rescue teams had to practise anyway, and operating in real situations was more effective training than taking part in staged situations. So market forces weren't necessarily appropriate in this area. Equally, the Search and Rescue services rely a great deal on ...
Richard III: unveiling day arrives for skeleton that would be king Announcement due Monday morning! (tags: archaeology )
[IMG: Wedding rings. Photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1384052. Some rights reserved] There's only thing that puzzles me about people who base their opposition to same-sex marriage on the idea that marriage is an institution which has been around for hundreds of years and whose basic elements must not be changed. It's the question of what is so special and immutable about 1858 whilst 1856 is fine to discard. Why those two years? Well in between, in 1857, marriage was massively changed in this country. Divorce was greatly expanded. The role of the state in marriage was significantly altered with civil courts ...
Following some of the links from the Lib Dem Voice Golden Dozen, I found this post by Richard Morris suggesting names for potential new Lib Dem members of the House of Lords. As I've stated many times before, I'd like to see the House of Lords replaced with an elected chamber – it's the 21st century, I think we're in a position where the British people should elect their own Parliament – but as reactionaries and opportunists in other parties happily conspire to prevent that from happening, we remain with a house of patronage. As a result, it looks like ...
From Sheena Wellington of Friends of Wighton: Wednesday 6th February at 1.15pm in the Wighton Heritage Centre (see right) at the Central Library Lunchtime Recital with Robyn Stapleton, singer. Admission free - donations welcome. Specialising in Scots song, Robyn Stapleton is in her final year as a music student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly RSAMD) studying towards BA in Scottish Music. Born in Dumfries and raised in Stranraer, at just 23 years old Robyn has performed for HRH Prince of Wales at Dumfries House; the Globalscot Conference at Kelvingrove Art Gallery; in London for the East India Club; ...
Cambridgeshire County Council has announced British Telecom (BT) has been chosen as the winning bidder chosen to roll-out better broadband for homes and businesses across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough over the next three years. The contract award means that the council will achieve its challenging targets for better broadband. More than 90% of homes and businesses in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be able to receive superfast broadband (at least 24 Mbps) with basic broadband (2 Mbps minimum) available to very nearly 100% of premises by 2015. The milestone comes just one year after the Connecting Cambridgeshire programme was formed to get ...
I'm going to try to start posting more than just the Beach Boys posts here over the next little while — I've spent a few weeks concentrating on 'proper writing', and since late December I've been averaging ten thousand words per week, but that's been split between various things, the biggest of which won't be ...
Green travel and parking on grass verges will be hot debating topics for St Albans City and District Council's Local Services Scrutiny Committee at its next meeting on 5 February. The Committee will also be hearing from Network St Albans - the local transport group made up of key local transport and infrastructure providers, including bus operators. It will update members on improvements to and further developments with local bus services and on its support for green travel plans Residents' views on these issues and on facilitating more green travel are very welcome and can be sent to scrutiny@stalbans.gov.uk. Themes ...
You may – if you're watching this website very closely – have noticed that a link to the EDL has appeared in the sidebar. This isn't a shocking new development on my part, it's just plugging the English Disco Lovers and helping people find them instead of other, less inclusive, EDLs.
