[IMG: eastleigh bar chart] UK Polling Report has the figures from the latest (and last?) opinion poll to be conducted in Eastleigh ahead of polling day this Thursday — it shows the Lib Dems leading the Tories by 5%. The poll was conducted for The Times by Populus, the firm which undertook a previous survey for Lord Ashcroft (changes in brackets compare the two): Lib Dems 33% (+2%) Conservatives 28% (-6%) UKIP 21% (+8%) Labour 11% (-8%) On the face of it, this is good news for the Lib Dems. HOWEVER, we know the Tories are mounting a major push ...
Today I received information on what the Lib Dem whistleblower procedure is - including, crucially, who the official whistleblower is. The reason this is important is because the party has apparently had an official whistleblower for years who staff and members should theoretically contact if they have been, for example, victims of the kind of harassment as is alleged to have happened in the Chris Rennard case. Unfortunately, however, it seems like almost no party members knew about this procedure - and a thorough search of the party website and other readily available sources does not reveal who the whistleblower ...
The BBC reports tonight's predictable news: UK's AAA credit rating cut to Aa1 by Moody's The UK has had its AAA credit rating cut by Moody's, based on its expectation that growth will "remain sluggish over the next few years". The ratings agency became the first to lower the UK from its highest rating, to Aa1. ... The UK's net sovereign debt was the equivalent of 68% of the country's annual economic output, or GDP, at the end of last year. All three major credit agencies last year put the UK on "negative outlook", meaning they could downgrade its rating ...
From ITV News: "Our party is the only one on the up," the UKIP leader Nigel Farage told our cameras in Eastleigh today. And yet by the end of the day, UKIP was absorbing the news that one of its most prominent MEPs had defected to the Conservatives Marta Andreasen is not a name well known to those outside Westminster or Brussels. But if you were to name a UKIP member other than Mr Farage - she might be the one you would choose. It reinforces UKIP's main problem: that the party is nothing without Nigel Farage.
I was pleased to take part - along with Dundee LibDem colleagues - in Better Together campaigning this afternoon in Dundee City Centre. Another good reception from Dundee people - a photo of some of my colleagues in the City Centre today (above).
[View the story "Eastleigh by-election: 22 February - this time a different party is in trouble" on Storify] Eastleigh by-election: 22 February – this time a different party is in trouble Storified by Mark Pack· Fri, Feb 22 2013 13:58:35 I've written plenty about the travails of Conservative candidate Maria Hutchings in recent Eastleigh by-election round-ups. So let's start this time with the travails of another party. Labour fears fourth place behind Ukip in Eastleigh by-electionLabour fears it will limp in fourth in next week's Eastleigh by-election, dealing a blow to Ed Miliband's efforts to project it as the "o... ...
Last night, after attending a meeting with University of Dundee students at DUSA and having my weekly ward surgery at Blackness Primary School, I took part in the latest West End Local Community Planning Partnership meeting. In addition to a presentation on welfare reform, there were a number of local issues discussed. Of note: * The Ryehill Police Station will be closed for a short period from 11th March for a much-needed refurbishment. * It is hoped that improvements to the council-subsidised bus services (like the 204 and 204a service) may lead to an 'outer circle service' to improve evening ...
One of my early football memories is of Division 1 Arsenal being beaten in the League Cup final by Division 3 Swindon Town - largely thanks to Don Rogers, the George Best of Wiltshire. There was a touching piece about this match in this morning's Guardian, occasioned by Sunday's final between Swansea City and Bradford City: It was almost 44 years ago, yet the passage of time has done nothing to erode the memories Don Rogers and John Trollope have of the part they played in one of football's greatest giant-killings. From the surreal sight of hoof marks on the ...
I know we all suffer from outrage fatigue, but if you are not angered by the allegations in this Guardian story there is something wrong. A police officer steals the identity of a dead child and uses it to infiltrate perfectly legal pressure groups. While undercover he forms two relationships, fathers a child and then walks away from his responsibilities to enjoy a successful career.
The Liberal Democrats have not responded adequately to the allegations against Chris Rennard, argues Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice. While Niall Paterson on Sky News is not impressed by the obstructive way the BBC has set about releasing the findings of the Pollard Review: "The fact is, media organisations tend to be pretty media-savvy. When you see the BBC behaving like this, it's difficult to argue anything other than that they knew exactly what they were doing." Joint Public Issues Team says the Liberal Democrats should show their true colours on the Energy Bill Gavin Kelly, on the New ...
As Italy is heading to the polls on Sunday for 'the most important election in 30 years', the vote of Italians living abroad will partly determine the formation of the next government. How do these expats feel about Italian politics, and how are they going to vote? Read my Article on openDemocracy
A few years ago, leisure provision was all about opening up swimming pools, gyms, sports halls and other facilities. That's still an important part of it, but Stockport Council is now working with local doctors, hospitals, Life Leisure and others to do more. We want to focus more on health outcomes. That means it's not enough just to build a sports hall and open the doors. It's about helping people to achieve their own health and fitness objectives, helping them to live longer, healthier lives. Keith and I are trialling a device that does that. It's a small black unit ...
There's a certain grim irony that the BBC's mis-handling of the Jimmy Savile row should re-erupt at the same time as Lib Dems consider our own party's alleged failings to take seriously enough claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour levelled against former chief executive, Lord (Chris) Rennard. There is a gulf both in the severity and scale of the allegations. But there is also a potentially worrying similarity: that just as the BBC turned a blind eye to the alleged offences one of its stars, so too did the Lib Dems. Like many in the party I'd heard rumours along the ...
The village green application for Belle Vue will be settled on Monday morning. We hope as many people as possible will come to watch the committee debate the application because it's good for councillors to know that people watch what they say and do. At 4.08 this afternoon (pretty much the last possible moment for a meeting on Monday morning) the latest papers were sent out, including the inspector's confirmation that he still (as he has on every occasion, though for different reasons) recommends that the application is turned down. If you are interested in the history of the site ...
130260: Construction of temporary retail unit during redevelopment work, St Runwald Street. 130350: Erection of interpretation boards, Balkerne Gate, Duncan's Gate, East Gate. Please note that I am a member of the Council's Planning Committee for this municipal year. This means that I'm required to act in a 'quasi-judicial' manner with regard to applications before the Committee and as such, can't make comments in favour or against planning applications as I may then have pre-judged them before they come to Committee. I can give advice on planning issues and what to do if you have a comment or objection. However, ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week What Google reveals about the current state of play in Eastleigh (7 comments) by Mark Pack Eastleigh by-election: your essential round-up of the latest campaign news (19 Feb) (6 comments) by Stephen Tall Half a defence of John O'Farrell's comments on Margaret Thatcher (64 comments) by Stephen Tall Eastleigh by-election: your essential round-up of the week's campaign news (11 comments) by Stephen Tall "Bedroom Tax" - should social landlords be doing more to encourage swaps? (63 comments) ...
Amongst other things, the news today includes the story that City University London has begun locking the Muslim prayer room on Fridays. The reason for this is that the students using it have refused to submit copies of the sermons to the university beforehand so that the "appropriateness" of them can be checked. The Muslim students claim that they are being unjustly targeted while the university claims that it's necessary given the history on the university. The history being that three years ago it was revealed that extremist sermons were being given on campus and it was claimed that hardline ...
One of the great things about growing old is that life becomes much simpler. Those raging passions of youth give way, very gradually, to an acceptance that, in the grand scheme of things, we are pretty insignificant. Imagine my surprise when I found my blood pressure rising and my normally equitable mood being replaced by a growing sense of outrage. What exceptional event caused this? Well, it was the Health and Social Care Act, 2012. I am not sentimental about the NHS, or any other public body for that matter, and believe that we should constantly be trying to improve ...
... because I can't trust myself not to post a huge long damaging howl of pain and betrayal. Sorry. Normal service may or may not resume soon, depending on the outcome of various things. I'm not going to be more specific than that. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
This Sunday is the 95th Anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the Estonian Republic. 22 years and five months after February 24th 1918, the first independence ended with the overthrow of the Estonian State by the Red Army. There then followed the wholesale slaughter of anyone- from Ministers to Postmen- who had served the free Republic in any capacity. Following the subsequent German occupation in June 1941 and the return of Soviet troops in Autumn 1944, tens of thousands of people were arrested, deported to Siberia or simply shot out of hand. There was a deliberate attempt to ...
The Times is reporting that the Treasury is setting up an internal unit to look into the wisdom of revising the Bank of England's 'flexible' 2% CPI inflation target. Mark Carney, the incoming Governor of the Bank who will replace Mervyn King in June, mentioned the merits of adopting NGDP (National Gross Domestic Product) level targeting in a speech last December, launching a frenzy of speculation. Considering the enormous effect expectations of future monetary policy changes have had in places such as Japan, it may be that the talk of NGDP targeting is partly behind the substantial rise in the ...
News broke last night that Lord Rennard is being investigated for sexual impropriety. Lib Dem Voice can hardly bring itself to mention the words, referring to it rather obliquely as "Party launches investigation over C4 News allegations". You would not know the allegation was even about Lord Rennard, had they not put up a statement from Lord Rennard's solicitors. Likewise the rest of the blogs seem unusually quiet on the issue. Shock? Fear? Denial? The Channel 4 investigative report is admittedly, truly shocking. Put simply, the programme states that women who worked for the Liberal Democrats ha ve told the ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Why liberal conservatism isn't dead » Spectator Blogs There's a lot I can agree with in Ryan Shorthouse's article » 'Why liberal conservatism isn't dead' http://buff.ly/157N1xN Tim Harford — Article — Don't blame Ofcom if the 4G price isn't right 'Don't blame Ofcom if the 4G price isn't right' says Tim Hartford http://buff.ly/WVItao
One of the funniest moments of yesterday was listening to Tory MP George Hollingberry talk about how refreshing it was to have politicians who spoke their mind. "Do you want to have robocandidate?" he said. And he said it without a trace of irony, too. Who would have thought his comments came as part of the Eastleigh by-election hustings on Radio 5 Live? Here he was, replacing the party's actual candidate in the by-election, Maria Hutchings. Why on earth would the Tories replace a loose cannon of a candidate who has criticised state education with an on-message Cameron crony? Her ...
The Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast this week focused on the Eastleigh by-election and the mansion tax proposals. These topics were discussed by, amongst others, Lib Dem Voice's Mark Pack. You can listen to it here. * Mary Reid is the Tuesday Editor on Lib Dem Voice.
I've always thought that planning applications are a bit of a one way street. If your planning application is turned down you have a fairly straightforward right of appeal – though it will often go against you. Also, if one application fails, within limits, you can revamp it and go again. If, on the other hand, you oppose a planning application but the application is accepted, you have no right of appeal. Your only way to over-turn such a decision is by Judicial Review – not a route many people are prepared to take given both the expense and the ...
The student approached the master. "Master!" The student wailed, "My code always crashes when I reach this point!" The master was deep in thought. "Show me," she muttered. The student ran the code once more. Lo! It did not crash. "Thus," whispered the master, "is the proximity to genius effect demonstrated." And the student became enlightened. For years, I've been talking about the "proximity to genius effect." It turns out, according to Google, I'm the only one who has heard of this term! [IMG: Google Bomb Proximity To Genius Effect] (Or, at least, I'm the only one to have mentioned ...
David Faulkner, leader of Newcastle Upon Tyne Lib Dems explains how stricter targetting helped them to a better result in 2012. "In 2011 we won only 6 out of 26 council seats in Newcastle and lost control to Labour after seven years of a high-achieving Liberal Democrat administration. We were determined that we would do better in 2012 and stem the flow. We immediately set up a city-wide campaign team and began much earlier selection of candidates where new approvals were needed. We needed to get the entire local party to snap out of self-pity for our losses and get ...
When the markets opens the Tories were the favourites – one bookie even opened up with the party the 2/1 on favourites – which is quite strong. The incumbant MP was going to jail, he was a member of a political party that were languishing in the polls, the smaller coalition party were bearing the brunt of the voter rage of the government and the seat is in an area that has always been blue until the death of Stephen Milligan prompted a by-election at a time where John Major was overseeing a tough and deep recession and had a ...
George Orwell is best known for his fiction but his finest writing can be found in his essays and journalism. So it is good to hear BBC Radio 4 broadcasting a selection of these. Yesterday, one of the essays broadcast was 'Pleasure Spots' (radio and text), written in 1946. It served as a useful reminder of why the fashionable political objective of 'happiness' is absurd: Much of what goes by the name of pleasure is simply an effort to destroy consciousness. If one started by asking, what is man? what are his needs? how can he best express himself? one ...
It has been de rigeur on the left and right to pour scorn on the whole idea of the Big Society. I felt rather differently. I was enormously excited by the Big Society rhetoric when David Cameron first gargled with it, irritated that the Lib Dems had not articulated those things first - voluntarism is a core Liberal idea, after all. The Big Society was lucky enough to have an articulate, thoughtful and imaginative envoy in Nat Wei, but that was the limit of its advantages. I went to meet some of the people most involved a few weeks into ...
The notion that energy should be supplied to a dwelling from 'outside' through pipes and wires is relatively new. The first gas main was laid only in 1812 and the widespread availability of electricity is barely 100 years old. The gas and electricity utilities came to dominate supplies because they were more convenient as well as being reliable, cheap and relatively clean. Now the use of fossil fuel is causing global problems. Electricity generation at large remote power stations has received particular criticism because the steam turbine technology used ends up with large quantities of 'low grade' heat which have ...
In the time of Malthus at the end of the 18th century, global population was about 1 billion. By 1960 it had reached 3bn, in 1987 5bn. Another billion was added in the next 12 years and the total is nearing 7 billion now. It is something of a miracle that, outside war zones, virtually all the world's people are still being fed. The 7 fold increase in population since 1800 has of course required a 7 fold increase in food production. It has been achieved by scientific cross breeding of plants and animals to achieve higher yields, increasingly intensive ...
The Government's energy review, the volatility of fuel prices, vulnerability of oil platforms and pipelines, shortage of refining capacity, and worries about the free flow of oil from the Middle East and gas from Russia, have all focussed attention on the UK's dependence on imported gas and oil. In 2007 Government conceded that safety concerns were insufficient to preclude new nuclear stations, but thoughts are returning to 'clean coal' technologies – coal being abundant in the UK. Can coal be used without accelerating global warming? ALDCoal113
Until about 2 billion years ago the Earth's atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide (CO2). Then, as the Earth cooled, the CO2 began to combine with nutrients in the oceans to produce organic material. Oxygen was released. Dead material sank to the ocean floor and, over the passage of millions of years, was trapped, heated, pressed and converted to the oil and gas we use today. Land based vegetation later was converted to coal. When we burn these 'fossil' fuels we are reversing millions of years of geological process. Authors: David Nowell, Richard Balmer ALDGlobalWarm113
There has rarely been a time when interest in more fuel efficient cars was so keen. This note covers what is being done, the problems and opportunities. ALDCars113
When the Equality Bill was going through the Lords in 2010, I moved an amendment with LibDem support, giving the Government power to add caste to the list of 'protected characteristics', making it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of caste in employment, education and the provision of services. Baroness Thornton, the Minister dealing with the Bill for the Labour Government, accepted the amendment. But the Government decided that further research was needed, and they gave the job to the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR). It reported in December 2010 that there was indeed evidence of caste discrimination ...
In July 2012 there were 435 commercial nuclear reactors operating in 30 countries in the world with a total capacity of 370,003 MW supplying 13.8% of total global electricity. 62 more reactors were under construction in 13 different countries with 160 more planned. Nevertheless nuclear energy has never been free from controversy. This booklet is an attempt to describe the pros and cons of nuclear and argues that nuclear power should be part of the global energy mix. Authors: Bill Smith, Steuart Campbell, John Dean, Richard Balmer ALDNuclear113
Further to the allegations broadcast on last night's Channel 4 News that former Lib Dem chief executive Lord (Chris) Rennard behaved sexually inappropriately towards women working for the Liberal Democrats, he has announced he's stepping aside from his current active roles within the party — as a Lib Dem peer and a member of the party's federal policy committee — to avoid "embarrassment" to the party. Here's the Telegraph report: The top Lib Dem official official will temporarily stand down from his party duties to avoid "embarrassment" to the party, after several women made accusations about his conduct on Channel ...
Shale is a sedimentary rock laid down as mud at the bottom of the seas and lakes and compressed over hundreds of millions of year until it hardens into rock. All sediments contain dead organic material such as algae. Under extreme pressure and temperature this converts to oil and gas. Some is trapped. With sandstone, another sedimentary rock, the grains, and thus the space between them, is greater than shale. Oil and gas will move naturally, if slowly, through sandstone and can be pumped out. A technique has now been developed to get gas from the much tighter shale formations. ...
[IMG: andreas yiasimi] One of the pleasures of editing Lib Dem Voice on a Friday is the opportunity to cheer everyone up with news of by-election victories. Today we can congratulate Lib Dem Andreas Yiasimi on gaining a council seat in Cromer from the Conservatives. He polled 558 votes, beating the Conservatives into fourth place. The local newspaper reports that Andreas is a local celebrity chef and owner of a Greek restaurant. Let's hope that next Friday brings more heartwarming results. * Mary Reid is the Tuesday Editor on Lib Dem Voice.
[IMG: 8020758086_fc194a9c87_n] Yesterday at the New Statesman David Allen Green finished a piece on the Vicky Pryce case and the importance of juries with a broader reflection on the British constitution. At its core is the importance of balance and complementary strengths. The system may have evolved incrementally rather than by grand design. But it works. As Green argues: the main merits of the British constitution are in respect of what each part stops another part from getting away with. The best argument for the Crown is in respect of the ultimate powers others do not have because of its ...
Yes, that's Pain English, not Plain English, a feeble joke that I essay mere moments after learning from the Standard that Gordon Brown typically earns around £60,000 per speech following his relegation from the premiership, compared to the now-that's-more-like-it figure of £200,000 reportedly commanded by Tony Blair (who presumably charges a special premium for speeches that include verbs). Surely thirteen years of a Labour Government were intended to eliminate such relative poverty from our nation's midst?Perhaps Mr Blair or Mr Brown could speak on my behalf to an audience of executives at British Gas, who frankly would benefit from a ...
[IMG: helioslough mockup] The positions of Hertfordshire Liberal Democrat County Councillors Rob Prowse (St Albans East) and Aislinn Lee (St Stephens ) on the Rail Freight Terminal on the Old Radlett Aerodrome site have always been quite clear. They have always, along with fellow Lib Dem Councillors in St Albans and local residents, strongly opposed the application for a Rail Freight Terminal on this site. Indeed local county councillor Aislinn Lee has been a leading light in helping oppose the scheme and getting the plans rejected at local level. It is our view that the Secretary of State has acted ...
Why do we let the Prudocracy police our sexual fantasies? Ever wondered why Martin Robbins gets affectionately referred to as Clitlicker on twitter? This is where it all began. (tags: ) Most glasses are actually made by one company From Ray Bans to Donna Karan and lots of others. (tags: ) Deep Inside - A Study of 10,000 Porn Stars | Jon Millward - Blog No, don't just skip past this one. Grab yourself a cup of tea and go read it. It's safe for work in terms of pictures, although some of the terminology is possibly not. I found ...
[IMG: mike thornton eastleigh jon aylwin] In 1990, I always intended to help in the Eastbourne by-election. But I was busy, so I kept putting it off from one weekend to the next. And then, it was too late. Like all Liberal Democrats, I celebrated the stunning victory. Like most of the country, I was relieved by the following resignation of Margaret Thatcher. But my failure to help left a hint of bittersweetness. Of the by-elections I have attended, the one I remember most is far from famous. The West Derbyshire by-election of 1986 was held on the same day ...
A story in the West Briton this week makes disturbing reading about the way in which agency staff are employed by Cornwall Council as social workers. The article, which is based on a freedom of information request, claims that there are large scale vacancies for social workers in Cornwall and that many agency staff are used to cover the gaps. The cost of agency staff can be double that of a full-time Cornwall employee. Quite rightly, Cornwall Council is taking action to make sure that there are always enough social workers to undertake the responsibilities of the authority. They also ...
Today's Western Mail must have the non-story of the week with a little diatribe about former Welsh Labour Environment Minister, Jane Davidson removing negative comments from her Wikipedia entry. They say that Ms. Davidson has admitted removing critical comments such as her failure to notify the independent advisory committee on business appointments of a new job, from her Wikipedia entry and replacing them with positive material: The Western Mail story about the ticking-off given to Ms Davidson was referred to in her Wikipedia entry - and was one of the elements removed by her. Other negative references removed from her ...
Yesterday, the Burger Manufacturing Company in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells was found to have positive traces of horsemeat in three samples taken following tests by Powys County Council, at the request of the Food Standards Agency. I have been concerned from the beginning of the horsemeat saga as to the true extent of this food adulteration and have urged Police to act to crack the widespread criminal network. It is hugely disappointing to learn of this occurring within the constituency. A good company's reputation has been damaged because of criminal activity somewhere in the food chain. These 1% traces are further ...
Further to her first guest post, here's the second from my sister, Joanna: On Creativity The only (I'm going to admit it) Salmon Rushdie book I've read is a children's book called 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories'. That said, this book is of crucial value due to its allegory on the importance of free speech. The title character's father Rashid, a storyteller to trade, looses the ability to tell stories; his story stream is literally turned off. The man responsible for this is the ruler Khattam-Shud who is described as 'the arch-enemy of all stories, even of Language itself'. ...
I have had complaints from residents about the poor condition of parts of the roadway in Hillside Terrace - see right. I contacted the City Engineer about the matter, who has advised: "I have asked the Roads Maintenance Partnership to inspect this area and carry out any necessary repairs as appropriate. We are currently in the process of considering the road maintenance schemes to be carried out in 2013/14 and Hillside Terrace will be considered alongside all other roads within Dundee. Once the review has been completed I will be able to advise you on the position with Hillside Terrace." ...
The City Council has published a useful flyer that gives an indication as to what items can be placed (and which should not be placed) in green recycling boxes. You can download the flyer here. Only a minority of West End households currently have a green recycling box (and none at all have a burgundy bin that the leaflet also refers to) and I have made the point to the council's Environment Department that there is a need to improve recycling opportunities in the West End in the future. However, this should not be at the expense of weekly general ...
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