[View the story "Eastleigh by-election: the final round-up" on Storify] Eastleigh by-election: the final round-up Storified by Mark Pack· Wed, Feb 27 2013 15:18:54 Last night it was a case of another day, another dodged hustings for Conservative candidate Maria Hutchings: Twimg Maria Hutchings dodged the 38 degrees hustings for a public event in Hamble, but only 5 people turned up to meet her! #EastleighA C McGregor If there was a prize of 'most reluctant four legged canvasser', I think we've found a winner: This is my favourite photograph of the #Eastleigh campaign: @GregBarkerMP and the reluctant canvasser, his dog ...
On a cold winter's evening last week I knocked on doors in Eastleigh and got a sense of the faith that people still have in the party. People told me their concerns about both national and local issues and felt that the Lib Dems had something to say to them. It is wrong to write the Lib Dems out of either level of politics.Those who were going to vote UKIP can never be swayed by Liberalism because they fear anyone who is not White and British born. That is not the Liberal way. In today's Times Daniel Finkelstein says that ...
Library event highlights adventures of "Life in the Bus Lane" The tales of a local author, whose cross-country travels by bus inspired an eco-friendly internet campaign, can be heard at Saltford Library as part of Bath & North East Somerset Council's "After Hours" campaign to promote the wider use of libraries. Pat Lunt, of Odd Down, Bath, took a month-long trip around England on public service buses as a way of doing something unusual and enjoyable. On Friday 1 March, from 10.15am to 12noon, he will talk about the book he subsequently published - "Life in the Bus Lane: An ...
Wellsway School hosts launch of Council's Active Travel Project The Active Travel Project, organised by Sustrans in partnership with the Council. Children and staff at Wellsway School took part in the launch of the Active Travel Project, run by Bath & North East Somerset Council, at lunchtime on Thursday February 21 Feb. The project aims to provide children with the skills and information to allow them to travel to school actively and sustainably by bike, foot or public transport on a regular basis. As Leader of the Council I am keen to encourage young people to walk and cycle more. ...
LIBRARY CAMPAIGNERS PUT FORWARD PLAN TO SAVE THREATENED LIBRARIES As many will know Sefton Council holds its crucial budget meeting this Thursday. One of the Labour-proposed cuts of most concern locally is the proposal to close Birkdale Library, together with Ainsdale and Churchtown Libraries. In fact more than half the current 13 libraries in Sefton would shut under the so-called "Option B" plan. Concerned local residents and councillors have been highly active over the past 4 months in campaigning against the closure plan. Petitions containing 12,500 signatures were submitted to Sefton Council's ruling Cabinet 2 weeks ago calling for all ...
St Andrew's Street, in the centre of Cambridge, is one of the busiest streets in the city. Although access is restricted to most motor traffic, it is used by a large number of buses, delivery vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and taxis. What are the problems? The main focus for taxis is the rank in the lay-by in St Andrew's Street. Often this rank is full and taxis sometimes queue onto the road to wait for space on the rank to become free. This has led to complaints, adds to congestion in the area and reduces safety for others. Over-ranking causes a ...
Owen Hatherley reviews Museum Without Walls, Jonathan Meades' new book, in the London Review of Books: Meades's work is so generous, so rich and so obviously contentious that to mount a critique of it seems churlish. No one else could combine all of the aesthetic and political positions he flexes so aggressively. The enemy of populism and the taste of the 'masses' who nonetheless shows a scrupulous respect for their intelligence; the magic-mushroom-guzzling rationalist; the passionate hater of Blair and Blairism who has a place in his heart for the Fabians and the white heat of technology; the enthusiast for ...
Coton Church of England Primary School will receive an award from charity Sustrans tomorrow, Thursday, after increasing the number of pupils travelling by sustainable transport. Cambridgeshire County Councillor for Hardwick, Fiona Whelan, will present the Bronze Bike It School award, recognising the schools commitment to cycling. Students will also benefit from a free Bikers Breakfast and a Dr Bike session to provide maintenance checks to their bikes. Cambridgeshire County Council and Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, have been working closely with the school from 2010. Since then the school has seen the number of children cycling to school increase by ...
From today's Hansard, and put a note in your diary for 26 th April for the second read; so nice to get notice of these things Local Authority Devolution and Powers Motion for leave to bring in a Bill (Standing Order No. 23) 12.35 pm John Pugh (Southport) (LD): I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Government to publish a list of the powers of local councils and a code of conduct defining the degree of autonomy attached to those powers and areas where a council may act autonomously; to create ...
UKIP does not only stand for British withdrawal from the European Union. At the last election it had a whole manifesto of policies, including: reinstate grammar schoolsincrease defence spending by 40 per centbring back Pullman trainsreinstate the Radio 4 theme To these it has recently added opposition to equal marriage. These policies have no logical connection. Just because you support British withdrawal from the EU there is no reason you cannot support comprehensive schools, gay marriage or contemporary rolling stock design. What unites them, of course, is that they are issues that unite angry white men - particularly angry white ...
The news broke today that Tim Montgomerie, the editor of Conservative Home, is to become the new comment editor of The Times. Congratulations to him, and it is always good to see someone from the blogosphere get on in the mainstream media. But I wonder if it is such good news for David Cameron. Montgomerie is one of the more eloquent holders of the view that the way for the Conservatives to gain a majority is to move to the right and concentrate on issues like spending cuts, immigration and Europe. It is not for nothing that Conservative Home is ...
Because I have known Chris Rennard for almost 30 years, and because I have not been well for the past few days, I have held off commenting on the story of the week. The nearest I have come to it is this piece by Lord Bonkers on Liberator's blog. I am often surprised by the old boy's knowledge of modern culture, but as my readers are so young these days I had better explain that his title is a reference to this record...
I am very much enjoying being out and about in Ludlow canvassing for votes and I have had some very engaging discussions in recent days. One theme comes up regularly. People say that politicians - local and national - have lost touch with the needs and wishes of ordinary folk. Voters are fed up with ...
France provides some of my happiest and most evocative memories of childhood. I remember when I was very small, sitting in a cafe in Dunkirk with my parents - when the waitress came over with our croissants, they made me thank her in broken French. I was glad to do so, though unfortunately my French ...
I can't help noticing that Clegg has been rather down in the mouth of late. In my experience, the best cure when the cares of office are getting on top of you is to curl up with a good whodunit. So this morning I breeze into his office with a selection of the things. "This," I tell him, "is one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marples. The old girl's theory is that you can find every variety of human wickedness represented in the most tranquil English village. Always makes me think of Rutland." "And this is a Father Brown. He bats ...
Sarah Teather has been speaking in Parliament today about a new report by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council which highlights the treatment of pregnant women and their new babies in the asylum system. You can read her whole speech here, and I warn you it will make you upset and angry in equal and consuming measure. The description of a woman who had just given birth being made to carry her newborn baby home by foot in the snow was harrowing. There are many such similar stories in the report. These vulnerable women suffer both poor physical and mental ...
For a start, a few basic thoughts, which I want to preface by saying that I think the Princess Half Marathon is a fantastic race. I love the underlying messages that a) princesses are fit and strong and b) princesses (and runners) come is ALL shapes and sizes. I think it provides a supportive atmosphere for anyone looking to tackle their first half marathon and a fun atmosphere to give the experienced runner a break from taking their running too seriously, if they want to do so. I also love that it gives me, personally, an excuse to spend time ...
The owner may be a Tory - but that dog is certainly a misbranded Lib Dem h/t Jennie Rigg
Recent interventions by high-profile scientists have reignited the debate about whether we spend enough on fundamental research in the UK. Such debates frequently generate more heat than light and may be obscuring the bigger picture My University of Manchester colleague (and Nobel laureate) Andre Geim argues (most recently in this piece) that our societies are on the brink of a crisis in the delivery system for new knowledge which, if not averted, will lead to a major technological slowdown. In his view "the chain from basic discoveries to consumer products is long, obscure and slow - but destroy the basics ...
ConservativeHome founder and editor Tim Montgomerie is leaving the site to become the Comment Editor of The Times. Tim Montgomerie moving to become Comment Editor of The Times (but he'll still be writing for ConservativeHome) bit.ly/YzNJQB — ConservativeHome (@ConHome) February 27, 2013 Wow. Tim already writes a column for the paper, and will still ...
I hope that regular readers of my blog will forgive me for returning once again to the subject of Liverpool's bins and recycling.this time there is a new twist – the shame of Labour's lack of belief in genuine consultation ... Continue reading →
Rain lashes the glass in wind driven waves as Sam nurses a mug of hot, sweet tea to his chest. Lyme Bay stretches out before him, a wild and seething cauldron as the storm races in, clouds piling up over the slumped cliffs to batter the conservatory of his bungalow with an onslaught of hail. As the night falls Sam can see several dark hulks moving closer into the bay, ships looking for shelter from the storm, their thin lights stuttering through the spray. He sips his tea and wonders what to do, until the storm dies down there is ...
It seems in the wake of his sex scandal, and his voluntary giving up of the whip, Lord Rennard is no longer named as a Lib Dem peer on the party's official website:
In a shock move, the Liberal Democrats have demanded urgent answers to allegations of fraud made by a whistle blower. Chris White, Liberal Democrat councillor for St Albans Central, recently met with a former highways engineer, who handed him some documentation. This documentation included paperwork from county council officials which admitted: falsification of records use of inferior materials instead of contracted materials falsification of key performance indicators reported to the council false 'close down' of jobs There was also a letter from a senior county council official which said: 'We have considered the situation carefully and it has been agreed ...
The Telegraph has put up a great Eastleigh infographic ahead of tomorrow; part of it is a visual identity for every party standing - all 14. So can you... name that party? Pop over to The Telegraph for the answers...
It has been a week for thinking about sexual harassment, and for talking (in both its old-fashioned and its electronic variants) about it more than I usually do. During this thinking and talking, I have been struck by how similar the attitudes towards it among men (or at least some of them) are to the way I heard men talk thirty years ago about rape and domestic violence. I bet most of the women reading this have been sexually harassed in some way or another during their professional (in which I include political) careers, even if they have been reluctant ...
Two recent announcements have been made about how it's viewed that people should interact with each other. Both, in my opinion, are misguided. Firstly, Yahoo's chief executive, Marissa Mayer has announced that she's banning staff from remote working. The idea behind this announcement is simple - that "some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings". This is absolutely spot on, but the next sentence in the leaked internal memo is more problematic: "Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home". Don't get me wrong, working ...
Britain's economic performance since the Coalition government took over in 2010 has been as dismal as today's cold, damp and grey London weather. Negligible economic growth; government finances that stubbornly refuse to improve, even as services and benefits are cut; and although unemployment is trending down, this is at the cost of pay and hours being squeezed. In political and media circles most of the debate about this state of affairs is around managing total economic demand: the "Keynesian" critique (quotation marks since using a dead economist as a source of authority does not do justice to the critique). Much ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Two Sides of the Same Party | History Today A brief look at the last* time the Tories split > Two Sides of the Same Party | History Today http://bit.ly/YBgIFo *to date The Lib Dems' identity crisis just got a lot more critical 'LibDems' identity crisis just got a lot more critical' says @RafaelBehr cos of percvd incompet re Rennard handling http://bit.ly/YAUtQ3 Italian politics: A dangerous mess | The Economist The Economist's guide to the Italian elections » A dangerous mess http://econ.st/WdzWTv We should welcome the increased reach and influence of select ...
We might not have blamed Nick Clegg if he'd stayed under the duvet with a detective novel rather than turn up for his weekly Call Clegg session on LBC. Our leader is not one to duck out of things, though, and deserves respect for not hiding away and allowing himself to be quizzed on live radio. Clearly he was going to be asked about the allegations surrounding Lord Rennard (which the peer strenuously denies) and what he had done about them. For the first time he acknowledged that although the main reason for the former Chief Executive's resignation was health, ...
It's always exciting when I find another link on twitter or facebook to a Kathy Gyngell blogpost on the drug policy debate. I read about drugs policy and come to certain conclusions. Kathy reads the same things and comes to completely different conclusions. I've been wanting to pick all the little non-fact nits out of one of her articles for a while now and I think it's about time I stepped up to the plate. After all, Kathy - having been the major agitator behind The Conservative's drug policy for the last few years - is basically my conservative equivalent. ...
Last night Ealing set its Council Tax. What might be reported will be the news that using government money Ealing Council is to again freeze the level of Council Tax for this coming year. What the Labour party won't like being reminded of, is that they voted (as well as the Conservative party in Ealing) to shut two vital day centres - the Learning Curve and at Stirling Road. The Liberal Democrat group proudly found money so we could save these two day centres as well as investing over £1 million pounds extra into our pavements and roads. Stirling Road ...
"We may sit in our library and yet be in all quarters of the earth"JOHN LUBBOCK, The Pleasures of Life Who was Sir John Lubbock? Firstly, he was my Great Grandfather, and in May this year, it will be 100 years since his death. He served as MP for Maidstone in Kent for 29 years. According to Wiki, he had "four main political agendas: promotion of the study of science in primary and secondary schools; the national debt, free trade, and related economic issues; protection of ancient monuments; securing of additional holidays and shorter working hours for the working classes.[1] ...
Wed 27th
12:01
When all Malcolm Tucker wanted to be was a Tory PPC for a constituency in the shires...
(h/t to @alexhern)
Getting access to my Twitter archive opened my mind to the nature on transience of the media we create. Take, for example, this tweet and image: http://twitpic.com/2dhr3 - Loving #mint09 :-) [IMG: Ephemeral Tweet] Well... ok... fun at the moment it was taken, but does it have any use beyond that? On the off chance that I become a subject for scholars in the year 3723, perhaps. Should some media just be declared ephemeral? The word comes from the Greek εφήμερος - ephemeros, literally "lasting only one day". Services like SnapChat allow you to send a message to a single ...
The Daily Mail just don't get it do they? As I read the editorial comment (pictured) I was torn as to whether they were genuinely missing Clegg's point or being deliberately obtuse. In Nick Clegg's statement to the press yesterday he stated that the party would carry out it's two separate enquiries into the Rennard case but they would not be updating the press/Self appointed detectives on every bit of speculation that developed. Yes there should be freedom of the press but there is also due process and Lord Rennard, like every other human being should remain innocent until proven ...
[IMG: rare-disease-day-logo] Tomorrow is International Rare Diseases Day, and I shall be asking in the Lords what contribution the Government are providing for the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium. The EU defines a rare disease as one that affects no more than 5 in every 10,000 persons. But since between 6,000 and 8,000 such diseases have been identified, about 3.5 million patients are affected in the UK. Three quarters of these diseases can affect children, and nearly a third of the youngest patients die before their fifth birthday. The Department of Health launched a draft plan for rare diseases a ...
It was strange, and rather thrilling, to hear a radical idea from the deputy governor of the Bank of England. We have become used to the great tradition of the Bank of England that no no idea should ever emerge from there until it was completely worn out - but then Denmark has already introduced a negative interest rate, so perhaps it wasn't completely radical after all. But since you won't hear this anywhere else, here is a little potted history of negative interest rates. The idea goes back to an Argentinian trader called Silvio Gesell. It was Gesell who ...
This is a press release from Jersey.
Saturday: The Chancer of the Exchequer - known to you and me as Master Gideon - is in a UNIQUE position in Government: he's the ONLY person who DOESN'T resign when things go disastrously wrong, on the grounds that his resignation would panic the markets and make things go even WRONGER! So even though Great Britain has, like America and France before, lost our Triple-A credit rating, and although this is obviously a total HUMILIATING FAILURE for Chancer Gideon who has based our entire economic policy on maintaining CREDIBILITY with the markets, he won't be going. Which is a pity. ...
[IMG: Ed, Katherine & Ben at the Whittington] Like many local residents I was shocked by the recent news that the Whittington Hospital Board want to sell off about a third of the land at the Whittington site and make some important changes to services. There was no consultation or discussion with residents and patients about these plans, so it is not surprising they have caused confusion and alarm. In response, our local MP Lynne Featherstone launched a petition demanding that the Hospital Board hold a public consultation before selling any property, and to ensure services are protected and improved. ...
The Independent reports that the Labour Party "will fight the next general election on a pledge to retain Britain's independent nuclear deterrent": Although some advisers to Ed Miliband want him to opt for a scaled-down, cheaper alternative to the current Trident system, there are growing signs that Labour will join the Conservatives in backing a £25billion "like-for-like" replacement.The reason for Labour's likely stance turns out to be Big Willy Politics: ...the Tories' support for full Trident renewal would allow them to portray Labour as "soft" on safeguarding the nation's security if the Labour manifesto opts for an approach similar to ...
A guide to the law for twitter users (tags: ) The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food - NYTimes.com Very long but fascinating article. (tags: ) Castoreum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia You know that Strawberry/Raspberry thing you're eating? One of the "natural flavours" it might contain is distilled tincture of Beaver Arse. (tags: ) Surge of interest in going vegetarian in wake of horsemeat scandal - Manchester Evening News Of course, these are vegetarians who wish to avoid strawberry/raspberry flavoured things. Who first found out that beaver arse tastes of berries anyway? Sorry, that previous link is playing on ...
In a change to the usual schedule, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will be taking questions from listeners around the country at 9am this morning, Wednesday (not tomorrow, Thursday): At 9.00, @nick_clegg will take your calls with @nickferrarilbc on @lbc973. You can listen live to #CallClegg here: bit.ly/13iKZtN — Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) February 27, 2013 Not that there's much for him to talk about this week...
Every week, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore MP, writes a column for newspapers in his Borders Constituency. Here is the latest edition. Local television Last week was an important one for local news coverage in the Borders as the broadcasting regulator OFCOM asked for views on its proposals to change the way local television news is provided here. After years of shared news with Tyne Tees, they are now looking at options to return things close to the way they were in 2009. That would mean more coverage of the south of Scotland and particularly our ...
The statement in today's Western Mail by Redrow chairman Steve Morgan that it is harder to build new homes in Wales than in England is worrying on a number of levels. Mr. Morgan told the paper that the stimulus to the new homes market evident in England is not being seen in Wales because the Government-backed NewBuy scheme for people with small deposits was not available and there are no plans for an equivalent of FirstBuy, which helps first-time buyers get on the property ladder. He added that this situation is being compounded by increased build costs in Wales due ...
The Italian election resulted in a deadlock with no clear winner. But while Italy is stuck between politics as usual and a sterile protest vote, the seeds of a 'liberal revolution' have discretely been sown. Could this mark the beginning of an Italian spring? Read my article here.
Iraq: the story of my testimony Carne on the origin of the war. (tags: War Carneross ) Mike Nesbitt over the last twelve months The UUP leader's flexible rhetoric. (tags: Northernireland )
Homebuyers can pick and choose their way to a greener lifestyle after show homes equipped with a range of optional energy generating and efficiency finishes opened their doors. Prospective purchasers at a new Cambourne development can choose from a range of green extras when they buy off-plan, in exactly the same way that they can customise and upgrade kitchens, bathrooms and other aspects of their new home. Solar panels, innovative heat recovery ventilation systems, recycling facilities, smart metering, sustainable flooring, eco-paint and low energy appliances are just a selection of the green options available in some homes. Samples and annotated ...
Yazoo, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys, Hurts, Soft Cell, Erasure... There is something about Synthpop that seems to generate great duos. This week's NOW! Tune! is from another: La Roux, with In For The Kill: Andrew
The British press are having a field day with the Liberal Democrats. Day after day a little more juice is wrung out of the allegations that former chief executive Chris Rennard groped women in the Lib Dem office. I think we are entitled to ask "Why?" It is not that such usually misogynist newspapers as the Daily Mail have discovered a new compassion for women abused in their workplaces. Similar allegations are made against journalists every few months, if one believes Private Eye. It is not even about whether the allegations were properly handled. They probably weren't. It is about ...
I recently received complaints from residents about overgrown shrubbery around the Union Place car park - see right. I took up the matter with the City Council and have been advised by the Head of Transportation as follows: "We have investigated the complaint about over grown vegetation and it has been identified that this area is maintained by the Property Division and my Parking team have notified officers of this request for grounds maintenance."
Betsi Cadwaladr Community Health Council must reconsider their decision not to refer planned changes by the local health board to the Labour Health Minister for final determination. Betsi Cadwaladr CHC decided last week to give the go ahead to move specialist intensive care for babies in north Wales to England, despite strong local opposition to the plans. Welsh Liberal Democrats have questioned how two neighbouring community health councils have reached completely different conclusions while facing similar strength of feeling from local people. This follows reports that Hywed Dda CHC will refer the LHB's reorganisation's plans for the Health Minister to ...
