[IMG: Blue bird tweets and sings on smartphone] Today's Independent carries a piece on LivesOn, a piece of software currently under development. LivesOn aims to analyse your tweets and then tweet on your behalf in your style on the topics you tweet about. So you can live on online, even after your demise IRL. The idea of post-death tweeting would appear to be a bit of a gimmick to attract attention. It clearly worked. Perhaps the most interesting comment in the article came towards the end. Dave Bedwood, a creative working at an ad agency heavily involved in social media, ...
I'm now well into my core assessments as the long journey towards becoming a real life Inspector of Taxes is finally underway. The training is the same, regardless of background, so we start with some basic skills - analytical thinking, communication and teamworking - as well as some basic tax knowledge - how appeals are handled, how HMRC is structured, as well as some simple legal premises. As an old man, relatively speaking, I've spent my career doing these things, so the online assessments shouldn't represent a particularly high hurdle. There is a catch though. The pass mark is 70%, ...
From DP 6/2/13: From the Sunday People 17/2/13 And tomorrow's Telegraph: Same story. Weeks apart. Guess who was first? You're either digital, or you're disconnected.
I am skeptical about the academic discipline of psychology without rejecting it utterly. It comes from having done a social science degree which taught me to look carefully at research methodologies before accepting the results, and then working as a family lawyer and seeing child and educational psychologists putting their research results into practice. In ...
I didn't have a good night – and that wasn't just down to yesterday's Planning Committee! The result was that I made an unscheduled trip to Shotley Bridge Hospital's 24hr Urgent Care Centre, and as I left I commented to the doctor on how grateful I am that it's there. At a time of cuts I worry about every service in our area; whether the Empire will survive the warm embrace of the County Council if they create the monolithic trust for sport and leisure they intend for the county; whether Blackhill and Consett Park will prosper under such an ...
The Friends of Garston Park AGM and General Meeting is coming up later this month. It's at Long Lane Church on 22 March at 6 30 pm. The group's achieved quite a bit this year, including the art by the sports pitches near the leisure centre. But we can always do more and we love hearing new ideas. So do please come along to get involved or just find out more. The Chair is Mr Alan Helsby who lives at 80 Long Lane... or e mail me and I will pass messages and queries on. I am at paulakeaveney@yahoo.co.uk
In addition to visiting four constituents today about issues and concerns they had raised with me, this afternoon I took part in the City Council's Local Economy Monitoring Group's latest meeting. This group, chaired by the City Council's Chief Executive, is a useful opportunity for senior council officers, a cross-party group of councillors and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses to discuss the local economy and business growth in the city. Today, we had updates and exchanged views on youth employment, progress with renewables, the Waterfront/V and A and the Work Programme. Last year, there ...
Non-fiction 0 (YTD 5) Fiction (non-sf) 1 (YTD 2) The Red and the Black, by Stendhal sf (non-Who) 5 (YTD 8) Matilda, by Roald Dahl Dark Eden, by Chris Beckett London Falling, by Paul Cornell Empty Space: A Haunting, by M. John Harrison Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, by Lois McMaster Bujold Doctor Who 6 (YTD 12) The Menagerie, by Martin Day Original Sin, by Andy Lane The Turing Test, by Paul Leonard Snake Bite, by Scott Handcock The Silurian Gift, by Mike Tucker The Nameless City, by Michael Scott Comics 1 (YTD 2) Slaapkoppen, by Randall C. ~3,400 pages (YTD 7,600) ...
Lord Bonkers writes: That's what comes of employin' chaps without a reference. Which one is it? Calm down Lord B: it's not you. But go to the website for Belvoir Castle and you will find that the private secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland is one Harvey Proctor. Could it be? Yes, It is that Harvey Proctor - younger readers click here. But that is no reason why he should not be a very good private secretary. Think of him as a modern version of The Efficient Baxter in Wodehouse's Blandings series.
This time last week you would have seen me as somewhat of a whirling dervish. Even good friends, were greeted with the following phrases. "Can you sign in please." "How long do we have you for?" "Do you have a car?" Once all these questions were asked they were dispatched out the door either with someone they may not have known who had a car, or with the people in the car they came in, with either leaflets or canvass boards. I'm sure that seeing the result in the early hours of last Friday morning none of my friends old ...
I am please to have signed the Emergency motion on the economy tabled for this weekends conference. Prateek Buck has drafted the motion. Prateek is author of the Social Liberal Forum's Plan C which-along with Will Hutton's foreword is available here The motion speaks of the failure of the banks to lend to businesses and people-especially RBS and Lloyds. Yesterday Lord Oakeshott tweeted: matthew oakeshott Furness Building Soc was bigger net lender to homes and biz than RBS,Lloyds or Santander"State-owned banks are stabbing biz in back That is a pretty amazing statistic. One small northern mutual Building Society is massively ...
John Hemming MP explains why he voted against the government on secret courts (among other things) on Monday. Remember those shameful "Keep Calm and Rape On" T-shirts on Amazon? They never existed. I Am Pete Ashton explains. Craig Murray warms to Palmerston. "The British continue to suspect that they lost something special, even moral, when their society graduated from an aristocratic empire to a modern democracy. Like all nostalgics, we take comfort in a past that only seems so good because so few are alive to remember it well." Tim Stanley on History Today is unimpressed by Downton Abbey. "A ...
I pointed out yesterday "What occurs to me is: in the aftermath (and on going issue) of recent media attention, you'd think for a staged media shot welcoming a new member to Parliament that we'd do a bit of stage management and have some prominent women MPs front and centre". Whereas we used a series of shots not unlike this..... Or, as Mark Pack put it... But someone was listening in Great George Street. And in today's LDV review of Mike's introduction to parliament we saw this shot Look everyone. A Female Lib Dem MP! And not just any female ...
There is a vacancy at the sheltered housing scheme for the over 60s, run by the Charles Lane Trust. The Trust, of which I am a trustee, has 12 homes at the junction of Fox Hollies Road and School Road in Hall Green (though it is just inside Acocks Green Ward). The accommodation consists of a living room, one bedroom a bathroom and a kitchen. There is a visiting warden service and a weekly payment of £60. If you, or someone you know is interested, please contact the Clerk, Mr Derek Hackett, Edzell House, 121 Chester Road, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham ...
[IMG: Credit: DfID] Credit: DfID The season of giving is descending on us as Red Nose Day 2013 approaches, but the UK dropped the ball on international aid last week as lack of time in the parliamentary timetable meant that the private members bill proposing legislation to commit the UK to the 0.7% GNI aid target, as laid out in the Coalition Agreement, was not read and, as such, had to be deferred to a later date. The 0.7% target is a figure that the Coalition, and the Liberal Democrats, are firmly committed to, as Lynne Featherstone stressed in an ...
Dr Adrian Ely [IMG: Adrian-Ely_web] Adrian Ely is a Lecturer at SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Sussex, UK and Head of Impact and Engagement at the ESRC STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability). Adrian previously convened the project Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto, which engaged colleagues at Sussex and partners from around the world in debates around STI for poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability and social justice. This work continues through the STEPS Centre's ongoing projects, including those on grassroots innovation and pro-poor, low carbon development. Adrian's earlier research focussed on ...
Stephen McFarland and John O'Neill of NI LibDems had a great day in Mid-Ulster on Tuesday, giving a campaigning hand to Eric Bullick, the Alliance Candidate in Thursday's Parliamentary By-Election. In an election in which all the headlines are about sectarian power politics, Alliance could not have given the voter a better alternative than ...
Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make. 101623/FH/2013/S1 72 ...
The amazing Alex from Love and Liberty has challenged us all to come up with a statement of what the Liberal Democrats stand for and has tagged me. Thing is, as ever, his version is so good that I feel that I couldn't possibly match up to it. Here's what he has to say: The Liberal Democrats stand for freedom for every individual - freedom from poverty, ignorance and conformity. To make that freedom real needs both fairness and economic responsibility: an economy that works, that encourages enterprise, and where everyone pays their fair share. So freedom from poverty requires ...
I have received notification that an application has been received by the City Council for a New Premises Licence for The Laundrette, Basement And Ground Floor, 32 Beech Road, Manchester, M21 9EL. A summary of the application is as follows: Proposed trading hours for the provision of regulated entertainment Films: Mon to Sun 1600 to 2200 Live music: Mon to Sun 0800 to 2200 Recorded music: Mon to Sun 0800 to 2300 Proposed trading hours for the supply of alcohol for consumption on the premises only: Mon to Sun 1200 to 2300 Proposed opening hours for the premises: Mon to ...
Did you miss out on signing up to the Energy Auction in January? Well here's some good news - there's another chance to make big savings because the whole process is being repeated on the 9 April! That's the day that the next online energy auction will take place: UK energy providers are given the chance to supply people across Greater Manchester who have signed up to the scheme, and bid for your custom by offering their cheapest energy deal. The best-value provider will then be chosen and that deal will be sent out and offered to everyone who's signed ...
I have now received notification that an application has been received by the City Council for a Premises Licence Variation for Dixy Chicken, 450 Wilbraham Road. A summary of the application is as follows: The application seeks to extend the terminal hour for late night refreshment, which is the only licensable activity permitted by this licence. The current and proposed hours are as follows: Trading hours for the provision of late night refreshment: Current hours: Sun to Thur 2300 to 0100, Fri and Sat 2300 to 0200 Proposed hours: Sun to Wed 2300 to 0100, Thurs to Sat 2300 to ...
Here are the Liberal Democrat entries in the top 100 political blogs as ranked by EBuzzing (Wikio as was). Hello this month to Nick Thornsby, Liberal Vision, Richard Davis and Jonathan Calder (Liberal England), whilst it's farewell (temporarily I'm sure) to Alex Folkes. 1 (5) Liberal Democrat Voice No change 2 (14) Mark Pack Up 16 3 (32) Stephen Tall Up 16 4 (40) Jennie Rigg Up 3 5 (47) Lynne Featherstone MP Up 12 6 (51) Paul Walter Up 6 7 (58) Alex Marsh Up 7 8 (59) Nick Thornsby NEW 9 (62) Zoe O'Connell Down 6 10 (62) ...
Well it's being sent out at a very opportune time for members to have a damn good moan about secret courts.... I am afraid I descended into what Boris calls "exisential epithets" (about secret courts). Dear Paul, Nothing is more valuable to the Liberal Democrats than our members and we value everything you're doing to add to the Party's success. We want your feedback on the benefits you get as a Party member. That's why we've put together this survey: Tell me what you think: please complete this online survey today. On the basis of previous survey feedback we have ...
Monday was the day on which I voted most against the government so far in this parliament. Public Whip provide a list of rebellions (which has not been updated yet). It is inaccurate in that not all votes are whipped votes - in particular house business is generally not whipped. The list is here. On 29th January was a 10 minute rule bill. This was not whipped. I voted for the concept of
Never knowingly one to shirk a challenge I was delighted to get an email from Alex Wilcock inviting me to join his Meme restating what we as a party stand for. I am someone who constantly quotes the preamble to our constitution - and have only just returned from speaking at an International Women's Week event, where I quoted it to explain why I am a member and to underline the importance of matching political allegiance with personal values. I didn't have a lot to argue with about what Alex has already said. The challenge though it seems to me, ...
[IMG: gritbin] Right across the county this winter the Liberal Democrats have been fighting the Conservatives to try to get new salt bins and support residents with self help. County Councillor Nick Hollinghurst, Tring and The Villages, said "I'm not the only person to have raised concerns about the state of our roads and the lack of salt bins in Hertfordshire. I've been fighting to try and get new bins provided where there are hilly roads or pavements that are susceptible to freezing. Perversely the Conservative administration have stated that they will not support any new salt bins on County ...
Every Saturday, I had a ritual. When I bought my copy of the Guardian, I would open the paper's complementary Guide magazine and methodically go through the TV and radio listings with a red biro, marking all the programmes I wanted to watch or hear for the following week. I no longer bother. Nearly everything I want to see or hear is on BBC2, BBC4 or BBC Radio 4. There are also a few specialist music programmes on BBC Radios 2, 3 and 6. And if there's nothing else on, there are always the repeats of BBC comedy programmes on ...
[IMG: By-election winning Lib Dems Alan Beith, Simon Hughes, Mike Thornton, Sarah Teather, Mark Hunter and David Chidgey] By-election winning Lib Dems. Photo by Helen Duffett, on Flickr. From the BBC: The newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Mike Thornton has taken his seat in the House of Commons after winning the Eastleigh by-election. He took his oath of allegiance to the Crown earlier. New MPs are not allowed to speak in debates, vote, or get paid, until they have been sworn in. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg welcomed Mr Thornton to Westminster as he arrived on Monday, congratulating him on ...
To return to my theme of yesterday... You would think that Cornwall Council would see it as part of its job to promote Cornish businesses. We have some excellent food producers in Cornwall, but you wouldn't know that if you eat at the new Link Cafe in County Hall in Truro. Today I have found out more about where the food comes from that fills the sandwiches and salads eaten by council staff, visitors and members. And it is pretty shocking reading. The cafe is run by a company called Chartwells, which is a division of the multi-national conglomerate Compass. ...
Despite supposedly being overtaken by the slick and quick Twitter, blogging still remains key to political discussion. But when do bloggers become journalists? I started thinking about this the other day, after I was initially declined a media pass for Lib Dem conference this weekend, seemingly because I was perceived as being 'just a blogger' ...
Many thanks to the team at Peninsula Community Health, the company that runs Launceston Hospital, for sending through an update on works to bring the site back into use following the discovery of legionella bacteria in the water system. They say: Following the closure of Launceston Hospital two weeks ago on Monday 18 February extensive work is now underway to replace the boiler and update the water system throughout the general hospital site and associated buildings.As part of the overall refurbishment works to the heating and water system, additional measures have been taken to ensure compliancy to Infection Prevention Control. ...
On Monday 4 March, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, a renowned and respected disability rights campaigner, tabled an amendment, to which I included my name and support, opposing the Government's proposal to repeal the 'General Duty' of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, arguing that doing so will fundamentally change the purpose, role and scope for the only equality and human rights statutory organisation in the UK. The General Duty says that the EHRC 'shall discharge its functions with a view to encouraging and supporting a society in which: .. people's ability to achieve their potential is not limited by prejudice ...
This morning's Independent highlights the latest attempt by Ed Miliband to recover some traction after his party's disastrous showing in the Eastleigh by-election. They say that the Labour Leader Ed Miliband is planning to toughen his party's policy on immigration today by promising that Labour will cut the number of people coming to this country to take low-skilled jobs: In a party political broadcast devoted to the sensitive issue, Mr Miliband will admit that the previous Labour Government got it "wrong" on immigration and failed to understand people's concerns. He will announce that, if Labour regains power, English language teaching ...
[IMG: Blue badge sign] Following the simply appalling decision by West Herts NHS Trust to start charging blue badge holders for parking, we have launched a petition urging the trust to reverse this decision with immediate effect. It can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FRS76FT - please sign it and let your objection be heard.
The City Council and the Government funded Healthy Homes project is starting a series of "surgeries" to give advice to people on minimising their fuel costs. This might be by using grants available for insulation etc or even just understanding the bills. There'll be debt advice available also. The first one is on 13th March. They'll take place at the One Stop Shop in the Municipal Buildings on Dale Street and you will need to book an appointment. I'm told these will be every fortnight initially with a 1pm start. If you want to make an appointment, or find out ...
We had a good meeting of the newly formed Friends of Garston Library at the weekend. I have become Chair of the group and we have a secretary and treasurer as well as committee members. We did the boring stuff around writing a constitution and very soon we'll be ready to sign up members. (Watch out for sign up sheets in various places) Our new e mail, if you have questions or suggestions, is friends-of-garston-library@hotmail.co.uk We even have a logo which combines reading with a bit of fun. We decided to meet initially once a month on the first Saturday ...
According to the well connected Ben Brogan, there may be a Tory leadership plot afoot with Theresa May leading it... and spookily enough, look what's in todays Independent... So please everyone - before everyone goes mad: read this... (click on the link...) The "Theresa May is a safe pair of hands" myth or this The May-for-leader campaign shows the paucity of Tory talent She may the best of a bad bunch (if you're a Tory). But that's no comfort for the rest of us. PS TBF, good joke from Ed M in PMQs on this; and May handles it very ...
Last year in May, Scottish voters were given the chance to vote using the Single Transferable Vote to select their local councillors for the second time since the introduction of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act of 2004. The Bill owes its life to the Liberal Democrats; it was a key demand for us entering into the Lib-Lab coalition government in Scotland. Almost ten years on from when the Bill became law, STV has done what it says on the tin. It has produced almost proportional results (exact proportionality is pretty much impossible under any system), it has almost doubled the ...
At the Health Scrutiny meeting earlier in the week fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Nigel Bakhai spoke about the issue and the devastating effects the closure of A&E and maternity wards would have on local residents. An extract of what Nigel said to the committee is below... "Thank you Chair for giving me a brief opportunity to speak on behalf of the Lib Dem group in response to the Shaping a Healthier Future plans. We have consistently opposed the proposals to close 4 A&Es across our region including Ealing. Liberal Democrat members have been willing and active participants in the cross ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... What happened to the BNP? | Ballots & Bullets At least there's one good thing abt the rise of Ukip » Explaining the demise of the BNP http://bit.ly/WGXQkX (violence + extremism) Secret courts bill: the rebels » Spectator Blogs Full list of Lib Dem & Tory MPs who care enough abt civil liberties » Secret courts bill: the rebels http://bit.ly/166d2yT The truth is, we have no idea how much money bankers deserve | Adam Smith Institute San Bowman on the EU's bank bonus cap » The truth is, we have no idea ...
From the Press Association: [IMG: NHSLogo] The Government will amend controversial regulations governing tendering for NHS services following widespread concerns about the role of competition, MPs were told. Liberal Democrat Minister of State at the Department of Health, Norman Lamb, made the announcement just days before his party's spring conference. [IMG: normanlamb] Summoned to the Commons to answer an urgent question, Mr Lamb said the regulations had "inadvertently created confusion and generated significant concerns". He told MPs: "I have therefore listened to people's concerns and my department is acting quickly to improve the drafting so that there can be no ...
1. Chavez is dead 2. We're sending armoured cars to Syria 3. Thomas Cook are making 2500 people redundant 4. The Governor of the Bank of England thinks RBS should be fully nationalised Here's the headline and lead story in The Daily Telegraph Words fail me
Out-of-touch Conservatives running Herts County Council have launched an attempt to drown local media in unwanted press releases. The Liberal Democrat opposition highlighted over 2000 press releases on locality budgets sent out in less than 3 years, at the budget meeting of the county council, and pointed out that most local newspapers and radio stations have said they don't want them. The Tories hit back in the only way they know how – by sending even more, clogging up inboxes across the county. 22 came out the next day, then a record 62 the day after. 'We know virtually no-one ...
I made a boo-boo and now am retreating Occasionally I get things wrong... Ok, I get things wrong most, if not all, of the time. At the time of writing my last post I believed I was writing fact. When I was young I was taught, by my police Sergeant Grandfather taught me three tricks for investigation. 1. Rarely ask questions, you can learn more from just listening. 2. If you hear something once it is a rumour, twice coincidence, three times there is something in it. The third thing he taught me, that was backed up by my History ...
In October last year, Theresa May announced in the House of Commons the Conservatives' intention to opt-out of 130 measures of EU criminal law cooperation. We, at Justice Across Borders, are opposed to it - and many others are too - but the reality is, the way this issue has been presented by the Home Secretary, and has been debated so far, means nothing to the man in the street. That is why we have taken on the challenge to start a debate that can be joined by all. Yesterday, we met the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the ...
Interesting story today about how Liverpool's elected Mayor, Joe Anderson, wants a review of democratic processes including a look at whether the number of Councillors should be reduced and whether elections should move to every four years instead of once a year (with a gap in the 4th one). I'm agnostic about the timing of elections but I think it really is time we had a look at what elected councillors do, whether ward boundaries are right and whether the number of people we elect is correct. The role of an elected councillor is really important... or it should be ...
What does one do when one's political party leaders drive one to despair? Plunge into fandom, of course. So. The first bit of news is that as from this Sunday [IMG: [personal profile] ] evilawyer and I are going to be switching positions on Gallifrey Times - I'll be the regular editor and she'll be back-up. I'm possibly going to be making a few changes, and almost certainly going to be linking to more stuff, while avoiding treading on Who Daily's toes. So if you want to be added to the GT watch list and get your who-related posts publicised, ...
First, I must respond to the query from 'Old Albion' arising from my previous posting. There were no connections made to the forthcoming referendum on independence for Scotland during the debate about commemoration of World War 1 on Monday evening. The only indirect reference was the general acknowledgement of the unstinting contribution - and supreme sacrifice - of men and women from all the constituent nations of Great Britain and Ireland (including, then, both North and South, of course). Beyond that the extra time gave us all a better opportunity to be more thoughtful, and I think that you will ...
Local residents in Hart Road St Albans have contacted local Lib Dem councillor Chris White to complain about a Thames Water manhole cover which has been clunking 24 hours a day for over a year. Chris said: 'Yet again we have an example of Thames Water neglect: residents have complained and nothing has been done. The county council has backed the residents and nothing has been done. And yet, every time a vehicle passes over the manhole cover there is a loud clunk, many times a day. At night this is understandably keeping people awake. 'It is time that Thames ...
I have tabled an oral question in the Lords to ask the government what measures they will take to ensure that wage-earners who are below the income tax threshold will benefit from any future increases in the personal allowance. In a little-noticed debate last September the Liberal Democrat conference debated social and economic inequality. Inequality, the conference decided in the obscure language motion-writers use, "is an obstacle to individuals determining their own destinies and reduces aspirations". The resolution also, equally clumsily, said that inequality "prevents talent from fulfilling its potential to the detriment of the economy and society". And, more ...
[IMG: 101 Ways To Win An Election on a bookshelf at Liberal Democrat conference] I will be signing copies of the book I wrote with Ed Maxfield, 101 Ways To Win An Election, at the ALDC stand at Liberal Democrat conference, this Saturday in Brighton from 10:15am to 10:45am. Hope to see you there. If you can't make it, a range of online purchase options for 101 Ways To Win An Election (including ebook formats) are available here.
Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD) have joined forces with the Liberal Democrat Disability Association (LDDA) to submit a motion to spring conference calling on the party to oppose moves to scrap an equalities mission statement. ...
Last year, a record number of companies were newly registered in Manchester. This is according to a Business Confidence Report from Duport, which you can find a link to here. According to Duport, a total of 10,603 companies ... Continue reading →
Important political question of the day: is Philip Hammond actually David Tennant with grey hair? [IMG: davidtennant] [IMG: philiphammond] Does this mean that his pleas to protect defence spending are actually about protecting Britain's share of the UNIT budget?
Name of Project No of Votes Received Derwentside Mind/Mental Health & Wellbeing Skills 176 Headway Durham & Chester-Le-Street/Cycle Helmet Awareness 73 React Youth Theatre/Equipment and Storage 180 YMCA/White Water Tubing 117 Moorside Community Association/Intergenerational Art Project 35 Leadgate District Carers/Day's Out for Carers 106 Shotley Bridge Hospital Support Group/the Future of the Hospital 215 Stepping Stones Co-op Nursery/Outside Classroom 178 Moorside Community Association/New furniture for Centre 44 Burnopfield Community Partnership/Temporary Skate Park 56 Friends of Blackhill & Consett Park/Animating Heritage 97 Leadgate Area Partnership/Watling Wood – The Way Forward 181 Stonham/Arts and Crafts 71 Blackhill & District Comrades Social Club/Disability ...
Here's a blog from the second day of my visit to New York – on Body Confidence and how it links with violence against women: It's Day 2 of my visit to the UN for the Commission on the Status of Women, and I've just come from a Danish event, where we discussed the links between social controls – like bodily perfection – and violence. In every society with a mass media, whether in developing or developed countries, women are subject to a daily bombardment of images and messages about what they should look like. Of course, nothing is wrong ...
The campaign to save an equality law enshrining Britain's commitment to work towards the elimination of racism received a boost this week when the coalition peers defied the Government to keep the aspirational statement. Ministers ...
Wed 6th
09:55
LibLink...Lynne Featherstone: Bringing a worldwide end to violence against women and girls
Over at the Huffington Post, Liberal Democrat International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone writes about her trip to New York for the UN Commission on the Status of Women which is this year focusing on violence against women and girls. First she talks about what the UK Government is doing to tackle this problem which affects 1 in 3 women worldwide: The Coalition Government has provided nearly £40 million of ring-fenced funding for specialist domestic and sexual violence services, and national helplines. We've invested in changing attitudes and behaviours. You may have seen the UK television adverts we've launched to tackle ...
Here's a blog about my trip to New York for the annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. You can also read the blog on the Huffington Post here. I've finally arrived in New York for the annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – one of the big annual events in my diary and one that Justine Greening and I have been working hard on for months. So far I'm overwhelmed by the sheer number of women (and men!) here from across the world, not only representing various countries but ...
The Op-Ed piece in today's Independent by George Galloway is a classic case of cheap left wing demagoguery. I can certainly judge George Galloway by his friends- mostly murderous criminals with no respect for democracy and little respect for human life, rather like the late Hugo Chavez. Usually de mortuis nihil nisi bonum but in the case of Chavez we must make an exception. By making Venezuela a regional ally of Cuba, he placed himself firmly in the same tyrannical camp as the Communist regime in Havana. He led an onslaught against human rights that was condemned both by Amnesty ...
This is exactly how I feel about the secret courts vote (tags: ) what do we want out of the welfare system? (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Now I've heard the lot. Sitting on Guildford Station early this morning, I heard an admonishing computerised message - presumably inspired by South West Trains - warning me not to take my bicycle on peak trains because of the discomfort to my fellow beings. I can take folding bikes, of course (they have not banned those yet), but ordinary cycles "cause discomfort for your fellow passengers and can cause delay". They can certainly cause discomfort occasionally, but why is this? Because of the miserable failure of the train companies to build trains capable of carrying them. So I don't take ...
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. Fairtrade fortnight Fairtrade fortnight is now drawing to a close and it has been a great couple of weeks of raising awareness of the brand across the UK to inspire more people to buy Fairtrade. The theme of the fortnight was 'Go Further' to encourage people to try new Fairtrade products. I know that many Borderers already buy Fairtrade coffee, tea and bananas, but there are now so many more products available that are ...
I wondered when it would happen. The huge drop in opinion poll support during the first months of the coalition didn't do it. The decision to break the pledge on tuition fees in the autumn of 2010 didn't do it. The terrible results in the local elections of 2011 and 2012 didn't do it. The Tories' awful NHS reforms - which were not in the coalition agreement - didn't do it. The failure of the coalition's austerity policies - which the Liberal Democrat 2010 manifesto correctly predicted would fail - didn't do it. But somehow, Monday night's vote in the ...
What was the Leaning Tower of Pisa for? We all know the answer, but worth reading for the joke at the end. (tags: Architecture ) Giant camel fossil found in Arctic Just one of those classic headlines. (tags: Science ) Why US foreign policy keeps failing Summary of what sounds like an interesting lecture by Stephen Walt. (tags: uspolitics war )
Following recent appearances from Paolo Nutini and La Roux in this strand, I very almost chose them again this week (for "Pencil Full of Lead" and "Bulletproof", respectively. As it happens, the act I have gone for has also recently been one of my NOW! Tunes!: MIKA, this time with We Are Golden. Note that I chose this before I had seen the (rather odd) video: Andrew
Further to my recent update about the road resurfacing and yellow box/lining painting at the junction of City Road and Logie Street, I am pleased to advise that the works were being completed at the start of this week - see right. Having long-since requested the repainting of the yellow box markings here at the request of local residents, I am pleased this work has now been undertaken.
Following concerns raised by a number of residents, I have been in contact with both Scottish Water and the City Council about a leak at the south end of Magdalen Green - see below:The area is very muddy and I have asked both the council and Scottish Water to investigate the matter and undertake necessary drainage/pipe repairs.
Peter Black, Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Minister for Local Government, has criticised Caerphilly Council after a report has revealed it acted unlawfully in determining pay for senior officers. The Wales Audit Office has found that the decision by the Senior Remuneration Committee on 5th September 2012 to approve the pay structure set out in the report of the Chief Executive was unlawful on a number of grounds. Responding to the report, Peter Black commented: "This damning report shows that Labour's Caerphilly Council acted unlawfully. They owe the residents of Caerphilly an apology. "There is absolutely no justification for the massive ...
It's only the last update because of the slowness of the count, but it is pretty clear that Kenyatta is going to win - whether by enough to get over the 50%+1 hurdle on the first round is slightly more contentious. And because I have to go back to the UK in a few hours I won't be able to give any more updates. So enjoy if you can the last one... Kenyatta: 2,800,000 (53%) Odinga 2,200,000 (42%) Mudavadi 150,000 (3%) Kenneth 21,000 (0.6%) Votes counted: 5,250,000 Around 5,750,000 more votes to be counted. It's clear Raila Odinga is closing ...
