Come join Team EastLY in electing a LibDem in Eastleigh!
The end of our latest visit to Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer. Rutland's new police and crime commissioner I am often asked to teach Liberal Democrat candidates the theory and practice of polling day organisation. After I have taught them the rudiments of knocking up and how to prime the Bonkers Patent Exploding Focus (for use in marginal wards), I give a little homily. (Or was she a Dickensian heroine?) Anyway, what I say to them is this: "Always remember to vote for yourself." The truth of this was borne in upon me with renewed force today. Because, thanks to ...
One of the great things about doing this degree is that it makes me read many things I have only heard of from others before, or which I've only dipped into when people quote from them and the like, often even things I have on my shelves, goading me to read them for years. Well finally I get the chance and the incentive to do so! This week it was Isaiah Berlin and in particular his lecture/essay "Two Concepts of Liberty". And what a surprise I got! I had of course heard of the idea of "positive liberty" and "negative ...
[IMG: inspiration - Some rights reserved by h.koppdelaney] I love Friday nights. They keep me grounded and motivated simultaneously, they're the week's reset button. The fact they usually involve the pub and a reasonable amount of alcohol is completely coincidental. I've been um-ming and ah-ing for ages over an article for LibDem Voice along the lines of "Aspiration Exasperation". Politicians talk about aspiration easily enough but it bothers me. Aspiration for what? What I take from it – and I would be delighted to hear I'm wrong on this – is that they mean aspiration to achieve a higher income ...
Ok. We have our candidate. Good luck to Mike Thornton. We're all in #teammike now. But why on earth have the Tories gone for Maria Hutchings? She lost last time and in the process saw a Lib Dem majority go from just over 500 to just over 3000. More to the point, she's a loose canon on the right of the Tory party who it would seem, if she were to win (which she won't), will give David Cameron all manner of trouble. She sounds like another Nadine. This report of her behaviour on day one of official campaigning is ...
My first experience of sexual education happened in the final year of primary school. The girls got a long education session and a bag full of stuff to prepare them for puberty. Us boys, meanwhile, just got a little book. The book was mainly just pointing out what was about to happen to us physically and had an FAQ at the back. One of the questions it dealt with was something along the lines of "I've been having sexual thoughts about other boys, is this normal?" The booklet answered that question with (and I paraphrase except the "it will pass" ...
Despite the best efforts of a few Yorkshire politicians, the "Where should Richard III be buried?" question was always a bit of a non-issue. The Leicester Mercury quotes a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice: "When applying for an archaeological exhumation licence, the applicant must state that the remains will be laid to rest at a suitable location. "The licence we issued states that the applicant (the University of Leicester) would, no later than August 31, 2014, deposit the remains at Jewry Wall Museum or have them reinterred at St Martin's Cathedral or in a burial ground in which interments ...
Today is a day of baking smells (cinnamon rolls for breakfast, fresh baked rosemary bread for lunch, cupcakes in a pile waiting for afterwards,) TV catching up, and cursing comic book artists for making outfits that are hard to copy. It is also a day for looking out of the window at the eiderdown of snow that fell on the city overnight. We walked through the snow, Ana and I, last night on returning from gaming night in Manhattan. It was early for a gaming night – midnight rather than two – because of the incoming storm that we didn't ...
At a meeting this evening Eastleigh Liberal Democrats chose local borough and parish councillor Mike Thornton as their candidate in this month's by-election. You might think that, with a by-election called in such circumstances, the seat cannot possibly be held by the Liberal Democrats. But that does not appear to be case. Eastleigh is an area of exceptional Lib Dem strength in local government, with the party holding every council ward in the constituency. Conservatives activists seemed convinced they would win it back at the last election, but in the event Chris Huhne increased his majority. The moral is that, ...
I've been serialising what will be volume two of a three-volume series, The Beach Boys On CD, here over recent weeks. When finished, that series will cover every released album by the Beach Boys, and every solo album by a member of the classic six-person late-60s lineup (so nothing by bands like Celebration, none of ...
We have undertaken DNA testing on our Luxury Meat Lasagne and are pleased to be able to report that it contains no horse. Interestingly, though, it does appear to be related to Richard III.
[IMG: .@dannyalexander congratulates @Mike4Eastleigh on his selection by local Lib Dems tonight] Photo by Helen Duffett on Flickr. Eastleigh Liberal Democrats have selected a local Business and Development Manager as their candidate for the upcoming Parliamentary by-election in the constituency. Mike Thornton, a parish and borough councillor since 2007, plays an active part in the community. He is involved with the annual Bishopstoke Carnival and is a member of the local church. Mike lives with his wife and daughter in Bishopstoke and the constituency has been his home for nearly twenty years. In his spare time, Mike enjoys playing squash ...
I know. Us gays are never satisfied. Very shortly members of the Coalition for Marriage will be giving each other knowing glances and saying "Told ya so". But the more I look at the Government's proposed Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, the more I think the Government is doing it wrong. Of course I've already made plain my problems with the bill which ignores consummation, adultery, the pension problems, opposite-sex civil partnerships and the restitution of marriages dissolved due to getting a GRC. Some of these oversights stand a good chance of getting fixed as the bill progresses through the ...
The judges appreciated the air of diffidence about this effort from the Northampton Chronicle: Uncertainty surrounding snowfall in Northampton
While it is tempting to be triumphal at success of the vote on equal marriage, I have some sympathy for some of the opponents. Not for the bigots of course – but while all bigots will oppose equal marriage, the converse isn't true, and some opponents are genuinely unhappy at the idea of parliamentary vote to, as they see it, change the meaning of a word. Now that may seem to many of us an odd thing to get upset about – although I would be quite unhappy if Parliament attempted to change the value of pi. Behind this lies ...
Mark Thompson has been looking at the maths of this week's Tory vote on same-sex marriage, and discovered that the party's 2010 intake of MPs was more likely to vote against than those elected in the previous two elections this century: David Cameron who took a clear lead on this issue has a big problem. The MPs that were elected in the general election where he led his party are more socially conservative than his contemporaries from the 2000s intakes. They seem to be getting more out of touch, not less. This echoes the analysis of Philip Cowley and Mark ...
The authorities, returning, would find the prison empty. He couldn't rid the place of all traces, of course; there was a lot of blood, on the walls and in the tunnel, and it would be a simple matter for the Police to DNA it and determine from whom it had come. But it was as much misdirection as Jac could manage. I was at a conference the day that the BSFA nominations were announced, and as speakers around the table opined on the future of the European Union, I was utilising the hotel wifi to download copies of the books ...
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longest running science fiction show in the world I am taking a weekly look at some of my favourite Dr Who episodes focusing on one Doctor a month. This month it's the second Doctors turn. Today we move to the opening story of season 5 (& Troughton's second season) - The Tomb of the Cybermen. This story is notable not only for the return of one of the Doctors most implacable foes but it is also the first story from the Troughton era to survive the BBC archive cull in full. This time ...
Note from District Council Railfreight Appeal We have now received a substantive response from the Treasury Solicitor to our letters dated 18 January. I attach a copy of the response. You will note that the Treasury Solicitor contends that the decision by the Secretary of State contained in his letter dated 14 December not to reopen the Radlett Inquiry and conjoin it with the Colnbrook appeal is lawful. Accordingly, the Secretary of State is not prepared to reconsider his decision of 14 December. I am seeking Counsel's advice on the Treasury Solicitor's letter. I will write to you again after ...
From Conservative Home: As 2012 opens, the winner of our readers' Conservative of the Year award for 2011 (Michael Gove) is the master of all he surveys. Well, fancy that! [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
The application for extended hours has been withdrawn.
Note from the county council Hertfordshire County Council (St Albans City 102) Modification Order 2013 I am informing you that we have made a decision to to amend the Definitive Map and Statement by adding a restricted byway along the track between Gainsborough Avenue and Jennings Road, St Albans. Please find attached a copy of the sealed Order made by the County Council on 25 January 2013 (the Order contains a plan showing the route). A restricted byway allows use by the public on foot, by bicycle, horse and horse-drawn carriage but not by motorised vehicles. Please note that this ...
Varney took a step back: a mistake. There was a knife at his temple, the point of the blade next to his eye. "Further movements are not recommended," said Mr. Croup, helpfully. "Mister Vandemar might have a little accident with his old toad-sticker. Most accidents do occur in the home. Is that not so, Mister Vandemar?" "I don't trust statistics," said Mr. Vandemar's blank voice. I first read Neverwhere around the time that the TV series was broadcast in 1996, though it was years before I actually saw it. I am eagerly anticipating the star-studded radio version which apparently will ...
It is always good to talk. This week there has been a lot of talking about marriage. Most of it has been done honestly and respectfully. Overwhelmingly Lib Dems have welcomed the proposals for equal marriage and a higher proportion of our MPs supported the Bill than in other parties. Lauren Keith (pictured on the left below taking part in the 'Breakthrough Breast Cancer' charity Crocus walk in Hesketh Park) has written a guest posting on the issue I'm proud to be a Liberal Democrat this week. Our action in Government, led by Lynne Featherstone MP in her previous role ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Chris Huhne turned down Treasury job | Westminster blog Interesting; tho equally unsurprising he was offered it or that he rejected it > Chris Huhne turned down Treasury job http://buff.ly/WUCGTh Israeli and Palestinian textbooks: Researchers have conducted a comprehensive study that reveals that both sides are guilty of distorting the truth in the classroom. – Slate Magazine 'A History of Misunderstanding' > How Israeli and Palestinian textbooks beget unceasing conflict http://buff.ly/WUxHSG Immigration reform: Illegal immigrants are really guest workers. – Slate Magazine Why US immigration reform will happen every decade or so ...
Today's newspapers are full of hype about the cut in the European Union budget. "David Cameron last night declared Victory in Europe," blares The Sun. "Cameron claims historic victory," declares the Daily Telegraph. "Tough-talking David Cameron forces through first ever EU budget cut," brags the Daily Express. So let's get this in proportion. As the leaders of the four biggest groups in the European Parliament reminded us in a joint statement before the budget negotiations began: The EU budget comprises only about 1% of the combined GDP of all the member states.94% of the financial contributions that the member states ...
On the day the Liberal Democrats across the country are campaigning for fairer taxes we are faced with silly and unfair taxes here in Medway as this press release shows; It was disappointing to learn from the Council, in response to my question last Thursday, that they are intent on pursuing a council tax policy which will result in an enormous waste of taxpayers money. Charging council tax to the poorest in our community, and then pursuing those who cannot pay with the resultant magistrates court costs and officers time, may result in those who have low paid jobs, and ...
Something that I haven't seen much covered since this week's vote on the Equal Marriage bill is just how much it tells us about the social conservatism of the 2010 Tory MP intake. Using the data on the vote from the Guardian Data Blog I have sorted those Tory MPs who voted for the bill into four categories. Those first elected before 1990, those first elected during the 1990s, those elected during the 2000s and those first elected in 2010. I think the results tell an interesting story: We all know that fewer Conservative MPs voted for the bill than ...
In what will likely be my last political outing for a while, I got the train to Cheltenham recently for a talk by the Business Secretary, Dr. Vince Cable. It was hosted by Cheltenham Ladies' College, organised by the impressive local Liberal Youth branch and attended by some exceedingly bright young students. As expected, the Business Secretary spoke with the lucidity, insight and maturity which characterises his style of politics. He detailed the origins and consequences of the 2008 financial 'heart attack' - in terms even I could understand - to a packed room of attentive students, teachers and visitors. ...
This morning, along with fellow members of the West End Community and Sports Hub (WESHA) committee, we toured the Riverside Pavilion and changing rooms on Riverside Drive to view the improvement works that have now commenced thanks to a Community Payback funding bid that WESHA and three other sports hubs across Dundee successfully bid for last year. We were pleased to note the initial progress, although much of the work remains to be completed. There are also other works in and around the pavilion that we would like to see take place in addition to the current bid and are ...
Today's Independent reports that Parliament's most powerful watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, is expected to launch an inquiry later this year into the finances of the Queen and the Royal Family. They say that this follows a change in the law which, for the first time, gives MPs oversight of royal finances. They believe that an inquiry of this nature will cause trepidation in Buckingham Palace because of the committee's formidable reputation for lambasting civil servants and government departments if it deems they have misused public funds: Among the areas the committee is expected to examine are transport costs including ...
Today's Western Mail reports that civil servants working for the Welsh Government are facing up to the prospect of a worse pay settlement than many of their colleagues working for Whitehall departments: Yesterday union representatives met Permanent Secretary Derek Jones to discuss the still unresolved agreement for 2012 and the possibility of a pay rise for 2013. A Welsh Government staff source said: "It seems we are being told to accept a pay freeze for 2012 - a situation that would confirm no cost-of-living rise since 2009. "There would be a 1% rise for 2013, but the three-year pay freeze ...
The Space Pirates is missing. But in a way, it has to be. These gaps are as much a part of what Doctor Who is as the TARDIS or the Daleks - something that is not just a DVD set for obsessive 21st century fans, but that has been a living, breathing part of every year since 1963. Without stories like The Space Pirates that flicker on in an imagined 1969 we can never reach, a vital part of the show's magic would be lost. I occasionally go and dip into Phil Sandifer's excellent blog, but have not read as ...
Firstly the Basingstoke Live panel meetings and then budget time. In all the reading through the Councils Council Plan (that didn't take too long) and the budget and medium term financial strategy, Then asking the Councils finance department to explain some of the variations and changes. And once you have received those answers read them 3 times (including once backwards), you then have to
[IMG: David Cameron - Some rights reserved by The Prime Minister's Office] Credit where it's due. If David Cameron had returned to Britain empty-handed or walked out of the EU budget talks in a fit of pique he'd have been pilloried. Plenty of his opponents were hoping he'd do just that. As it is, he's able to boast (not without justification) that he's successfully negotiated a 3% real-terms cut in the EU budget — to a cumulative €960bn (2014-20) — and protected the British rebate. Nick Clegg, who's been a particular critic of the Prime Minister's European adventures, praised it ...
[IMG: wheelchair] Let's start with the most important point. The Coalition's proposal to cut the housing benefit to social housing tenants who are deemed to be underoccupying is going to cause further hardship for households who are already poor and vulnerable. Reflecting on the experience of the WCA regime administered by ATOS, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the changes will make life intolerable for some. The second most important point about the bedroom tax is that it is likely to lead to some housing associations going out of business as a consequence of rising rent arrears. ...
The Government Inspector considering South Gloucestershire's planning blueprint for development up to 2027 will be holding another session of the Examination in Public on 7th March in the Kingswood Civic Centre, starting at 10am. Although South Glos Council has accepted his requirement for 28,355 homes by 2027 it has objected strongly to his request for at least 8,493 of these to be available in the first 5 years. The council has, however, reluctantly put forward extra sites. The session in March would allow public discussion as the Inspector considers whether, if he insists on his requirement, these sites are better ...
The Rochester Literature Festival (RLF), in conjunction with Medway Libraries, is hosting a Literary Potlatch at Strood Library on March 23rd.An ancient Native American word, the purpose of a Potlatch was the re-distribution and reciprocity of wealth, with all invited to 'bring something to the table'. The wealth, in this instance, will take the form of: 'Parashare' - sharing a paragraph from your favourite book, or a piece of your own writing; sharing knowledge and opinions via speed debating or simply sharing some fun with writers' games!This networking event for readers, writers and creative minds alike will run from 10am ...
[IMG: fairtax] Good morning Liberal Democrats and visitors. You don't have time to read this right now because you are on your way to join the day of action for the campaign for fairer taxes. To find your nearest, go here and enter your postcode. We inherited a system in 2010 where a cleaner would pay a higher marginal rate of tax on his income at 20%, than a hedge fund manager would on her income converted to capital gains at 18%. Decades of Conservative and Labour governments alike saw the progressive tax system diluted, as reliefs and loopholes multiplied, ...
Thranduill isn't quite as much of a tosser as The Hobbit makes him out to be (he's still an ELF though... ;)) (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Would you or a group you belong to like to help clean up our local area this spring? The South Gloucestershire BIG Spring Clean 2013 runs from 1 March - 30 April and is once again part of the national Love Where You Live campaign. Free gloves, refuse sacks, litter pickers and hoops are on offer to groups who organise a community BIG Spring Clean event. The council will also arrange to collect all the litter you pick up as long as it is bagged and pick up locations are agreed in advance. Unfortunately skips can no longer be provided. ...
[IMG: License Some rights reserved by zegen77] They are going to cull the herd, so that instead of having billions, we'll only have hundreds of millions of human beings on the face of the planet. – Alan Keyes, on the Talk to Solomon Show, warning of what's behind President Obama's gun control proposal. From Political Wire [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Finishing his drink, the Doctor placed his mug on the table with a grim look. 'So,' he said at last, 'the question is, Constable Briggs, who do you think is responsible for all these strange happenings?' Briggs gave him his most serious look. That trench today had clinched it for him. Those footprints disappearing into nowhere like that. No sign of mud on the road. Although he was facing a man from the Ministry and obviously a learned man as well, without a trace of embarrassment Briggs told the Doctor exactly what he thought. 'I think,' he said, 'it's ghosts.' ...
Could the Next Doctor Who Showrunner Already Be Chosen? I hope this isn't wishful thinking! (tags: doctorwho ) Twitter Search Gets Big Upgrade, Archiving Of Tweets Continues Good news. (tags: Twitter ) Amnesty: Azerbaijan opposition candidate arrested My former colleague İlgar, imprisoned by Әliev's goons on bogus charges. (tags: Azerbaijan )
Today is National Libraries Day, Cambridgeshire Libraries are staging events in Libraries across the County to celebrate. Local Parish Councillor Andy Pellew said, "Bar Hill Library also has a thriving Friends group which you can join which organises events throughout the year. The library will also accept donations of used books if you happen to be clearing your shelves to make room". "If you've not visited our local library for a while make today the day!"
In my wild youth, which was as long as it was fecund, I enjoyed a brief and mutually unsatisfactory fling with Marxism. One of the most fearsome methods used by Marxists to direct debate is to retreat into the world of "ism"'s, where, rather than engage in discussion of the relevant point, opponents are branded with the prevailing pejorative 'ism' of the day. While its probably too late for Marxists to change, it's rather disturbing when more mainstream political figures fall into the same habits. A recent example of this came when Labour MP Peter Hain, speaking on The Week ...
Sign the online petition NOW! [IMG: saveheatonparkcol] Manchester City Council have announced that work is to start this weekend on the access road for the commercial soccer centre in the St Margaret's, Prestwich side of Heaton Park. This is despite that the Planning Permission for the Soccer Centre runs out on Monday 11 February 2013. GOALS Soccer Centres secured planning permission for a massive commercial soccer centre, with artificial floodlit pitches a carpark and a clubhouse desipte massive public opposition three years ago. For two years and 364 days they have done nothing. Goals released the following statement to the ...
Residents have contacted me to highlight the fact that two of the seats at the river edge on Riverside Drive just west of Discovery Point are damaged - see right - and I have reported this to the City Council requesting repair. Also, along the nearby sea wall, some of the poles and a ring for rescue purposes are missing. I have reported this too.
It's more than five years since I became so infuriated by Microsoft, whose 'Service Pack 3′ had ruined my new Dell desktop, that I switched to the Linux Ubuntu operating system. I'm the household computer techie; Ian relies on me to sort out any computer problems he has, so when I switched he switched too. ...
Struck a glancing blow by Violet Asquith I see this morning's Daily Mail has got hold of rather a ticklish story: At the end of a long, relatively uneventful Edwardian summer, the papers were suddenly full of dire news about the 21-year-old daughter of the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith. The headlines were shocking: 'Premier's daughter missing', said one; 'Miss Asquith's peril', warned another. She had been reported missing at Cruden Bay on the Scottish coast, where the family had been spending their holiday in September 1908 at a rented fortress with the ominous name of Slains Castle. After a dangerous ...
What an unfortunate week for former oil baron and newly unelected baron Justin Welby to become the last Archbishop of Canterbury. The week he screamed 'Gays! Know your place!' and 'Ex-kings! Know your place!' The week that the Church of England looked more like a useless and vindictive relic than any week since, oh, the last one ('Women! Know your place!'). With the established church wielding vast power and money but refusing to do its few jobs as a minor nationalised industry - births, marriages, deaths - how long before the country says 'We know your place - the scrapheap'? ...
