From 15 years ago, the Manic Street Preachers first number one and the longest title of any number one in history (without brackets)... A song that I felt at the time was relevant to the betrayals of the then Blair government - and given the betrayal of this week well worth repeating.
It's Friday. It's five o'clock (ahem, ish). Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Nick Clegg's illiberal hat-trick: now immigration joins 'secret courts' and media regulation on the pyre (134) by Stephen Tall Boris has a right Mair in live BBC interview (18) by Stephen Tall Opinion: Taking minimum wage work out of tax would deliver the Living Wage (15) by Adam Corlett Secret Courts now a reality after Lords amendments fall - how did Liberal Democrats vote? (49) by Caron Lindsay Nick Clegg's speech on immigration: the good, ...
I was talking to someone yesterday, Maundy Thursday, who asked me about my views on immigration. I mentioned my blog from the 4th March which I won't repeat here but this time the person I was talking to was a Christian and I said that the Christian thing to do would be to have no border controls. If we are to follow Christ's teaching then we should accept everyone who wishes to be here and give them all that they require. It is almost the complete opposite of what actually happens. Jesus commanded his disciples to go and proclaim the ...
What a good initiative by Ealing Council. Foster parents are always in short supply, and offering the incentive of avoiding the bedroom tax is a good move to recruit more. What is Nick Clegg's problem? As for Mr Millican, leader of Ealing Conservatives, his remarks surely qualify as ignorant comment, by a politician who should ...
Yesterday I was one of a group of councillors taken on a tour of the new North Shore Academy. The school holds a particular interest for me, not just as the first completely newly built secondary school in the borough for a number of years, but also because one of the schools which closed to form the new academy was the one at which my husband had been among the first to gain his school leaving
Dear David Philips, The space outside Monkridge Court on Crouch End Hill has consistently being used as a dumping ground for your advertising materials for many months now. I've rung often often to let you know, yet here's what I found today: [IMG: Dumped David Philips estate agent board, Crouch End Hill] What's particularly unfortunate is that not only does this problem persist, but whenever I've left my name and phone number asking you to let me know what's happening, I've never had a call back. One phone message might go astray, but several over several months? So perhaps this ...
The resignation of David Miliband as an MP means there will be a by-election in his South Shields constituency. But this will not be another famous Liberal Democrat victory, more a case of damage limitation. Liberator has looked up the South Shields result in the 2010 general election so you don't have to: 52.0% Labour 21.6% Conservative 14.2% Liberal Democrat 6.5% BNP 2.1% Green 3.6% OthersLabour majority 11,109 Turnout 57.7%In short, it is a safe Labour seat and Labour will hold it. A Labour hold will not be an achievement. A Labour hold will not be news. There will be ...
The practice of 'planning communications' is, broadly, the process by which developers consult local people about new development proposals and then put together a case to present to decision makers at the planning authority. In the best cases, there is a real element of community-led design input. In some cases, it primarily involves countering the ...
Fri 29th
16:10
A reply to Dan Hodges: why it's not surprising some Tories aren't bothered about winning in 2015
[IMG: dan hodges] The Telegraph's token Labour blogger Dan Hodges has a typically punchy post today – Do the Tories actually want to win in 2015? – highlighting the fatalism of some Tory MPs who think victory next time is possible but not worth it: Hardly worth it? What, just managing to scrape a win at the next election, just managing to govern for another five years, just managing to drive through your agenda on health care reform, welfare reform, education reform, etc? The Conservative Party is currently in the middle of the biggest sulk in British political history. "It's ...
Boris is still a pretty wild card. Just supposing Boris became Prime Minister the idea of Boris' finger on the nuclear button...one day he'll get it mixed up with the button to call the maid or something. Max Hastings, friend and former employer of Boris Johnson in Michael Cockerell's Boris Johnson: The Irresistable Rise [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Well, just three results yesterday, as far as we're aware. And to be honest, none of them were particularly exciting from a Liberal Democrat perspective. In deepest Cambridgeshire, Fenland District Council has been a bit of a one-party (Conservative) state in recent years, and only relatively recently have Liberal Democrats made an impression, picking up four council seats. But UKIP have a strong presence in the Fens so, in a three way contest, there was a possibility of an upset in Parson Drove & Wisbech St Mary ward, where we had achieved a 38% share of the vote in 2011. ...
[IMG: Ballot papers] Following the sad death of Liberal Democrat Councillor Roy Davies a by-election to Luton Borough Council for the Wigmore ward is to be held on Wednesday 10 April 2013. Note that polling day is a Wednesday — not the usual Thursday. There are six candidates — all men — for the vacant place in this three member ward. The other two councillors for Wigmore are both Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrat candidate will be former councillor Alan Skepelhorn. The Conservatives are putting forward John Young — a regular candidate for them in local elections in Luton. The ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... "The end of the NHS as we know it"? A guide to the Health and Social Care Act | Full Fact FullFact's guide to the NHS Bill » "The end of the NHS as we know it"? A guide to the Health and Social Care Act http://bit.ly/YXkc1E How To Pronounce It - U and non-U » Spectator Blogs The Spectator in "understanding modern living" shock » How To Pronounce It - U and non-U http://bit.ly/YitCJi David Cameron mini-shuffle done to move John Hayes from DECC » Spectator Blogs Ed Davey's hand strengthened ...
Posting this a little earlier than usual, because I don't think there'll be any new applications to come in during Good Friday! 130280: Replacement front door, Castle Road. 130547: Renovation of house, replacement of windows and conservatory, Lexden Road. 130578: Change of use to restaurant, cafe and function rooms, Town Hall, High Street. 130579: Listed building application for 130578. And something new for these posts as we have an applications with amended plans, which means consultation on it has reopened: 121738: Demolition of offices and construction of new commercial premises and flats, Castle Bailey, High Street. 121739: Conservation area consent ...
Between the AV referendum and the House of Lords, the cause of electoral reform has taken a few punches recently. But this year's Spring Conference showed that Liberal Democrats have far from given up the fight. Member contributions at consultative sessions on Political & Constitutional Reform and the next General Election manifesto revealed a strong appetite for reform to local government elections in England and Wales. And the same issue was addressed in detail at a packed Saturday evening fringe entitled 'Worst Past the Post: why local government desperately needs electoral reform'. The event, jointly sponsored by Liberal Democrats for ...
During the hottest week of May (remember those?) a few years back the month, my mother-in-law arrived at the council-run college in Croydon where she taught part-time, to find that the central heating was on. It was particularly sticky and sweltering. During every spare moment, she set about the long business of tracking down somebody who had sufficient authority to turn off the radiators. My mother-in-law is one of those people who can make things happen, very gently but determinedly, but - even for her - getting the radiators turned off in the sweltering heat was no easy project. The ...
Fri 29th
12:25
Concerns over 'view blocking wall' near Menai Strait. // Pryderon dros 'wal sy'n blocio' golygfeydd ...
"CITY councillors have raised concerns over a new wall, which may block views of the Menai Strait. They also have concerns about the safety of elderly people who have to cross busy roads in Upper Bangor. Work is underway to replace a wooden fence along Holyhead Road from Upper Bangor towards the Menai Suspension bridge ...
[IMG: george-lyon-mep-15] Commenting on the European Commission request for an additional 11.2 billion euros in an amending budget, senior Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon, Vice-President of the European Parliament's Budget Committee, said: It is hard to understand how the Commission can justify this increase in the EU budget, long before bills from Member States are even through the door. At this stage the Commission has no definite idea of what the final payment claims will be for EU projects and will not know until later in the autumn what size the bills from Member States to the EU budget are ...
I am only aware of one meeting next week Planning and Development Committee : Thursday 4th April, 6:30 pm at Ebor House In the meantime, Happy Easter
From LabourList: [IMG: Mobile phone] Ed Miliband's campaign were the first to realise the potential power that mobile could play in member mobilisation. Partnering with specialists Mass1 was a pivotal decision, as they conducted the largest voter ID operation in Labour's history adding over 4,300 volunteers to his campaign, with over 89% of those following though and taking "actions" on the campaign, such as signing up to a phone bank or making a donation. And you can't do much in politics without volunteers or money. Miliband's campaign aren't the only ones to put mobile digital at the centre of their ...
Are recycling bins too small for some families? With collecting being done every two weeks instead of weekly, and say if you have a family of six, the question is being asked, are these bins big enough? It could be a case of people not squashing down there materials enough, so here's a few of my tips. I have stood in my recycling bin several times, to squash it down, but of course it isn't practical or safe for everyone to do that. I certainly wouldn't want anyone to end up in hospital. Plastic bottles and cans can be crushed, ...
On Sunday, the City Council is arranging an Easter Fun Day at Camperdown Country Park. It features the Play on Wheels Playbus, Cycle Stunt Show, Funfair, Easter Walkabout, Arts Activities, Radio Roadshow and takes place between noon and 4pm. It is entirely free of charge (although there is a £2.50 charge for car parking).
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 650 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Miliband edges ahead of Cameron among Lib Dems (though ratings of both decline) We've been asking this question for 18 months, and over the past year there has been quite a reversal in fortunes for the two party leaders, as this graph illustrates: [IMG: miliband cameron ratings - mar 2013] Here's the detail from this month's survey... Do you think ...
Dreamwidth now has a Sixth Doctor Fanfic Challenge Community You can't KNOW how happy this makes me. Even the gloriously clashing sixish colour scheme makes me happy. (tags: ) Women's bodies: Cause of 'epidemics and disasters'? | Women Under Siege Project (tags: ) A White Boy's Observations of Sexism and the Adria Richards Fiasco | Good Math, Bad Math (tags: ) another universal credit set back (tags: ) DWP allegedly offering easter eggs as prizes to staff who sanction the most job seekers in the target system they haven't got (tags: ) universal credit shambles gets more terrifying (tags: ) ...
The Guardian is reporting that the Olympic Stadium in Rio , where the athletics will take place in 2016, has been closed indefinitely for safety reasons. To quote the piece.. ' The João Havelange stadium, which is currently used by the Botafogo football club, is scheduled to host athletics events at the Games, but engineers have discovered structural problems with the roof that could pose dangers to spectators in certain wind and temperature conditions."There is a risk, so I have decided to close the stadium immediately," said the Rio mayor, Eduardo Paes, who emphasised that it would not re-open until ...
[IMG: Sea otter] Yes, welcome to the frozen North, as today is brought to you from Leeds and Brighouse, the home of two prominent Liberal Democrat bloggers, Jennie Rigg and Mat Bowles. However, as it is Good Friday, Liberal Democrat Voice doesn't tend to work quite as intensively, so it will be a bit quieter than usual. We will be reporting on by-elections at Harwich West (Tendring District Council), Parson Drove (Fenland District Council) and Evelyn ward (London Borough of Lewisham). We also bring you news from Europe, where Liberal Democrats continue to challenge excessive spending, and we have a ...
[IMG: 598890_485583388157160_17255516_n] Recently, both your LIB DEM councillors Darren Fower and Julia Davidson visited Peterborough City Council's customer service centre at Bayard Place in the city centre. Commenting, Cllr Fower (pictured) said, "It was a very interesting to see and hear the sort of concerns raised by residents via the number 747474, that said though I was disappointed to learn that the guys at the centre do not ever refer people with concerns to their own democratically elected councillors? I thought that, despite the selling off of council services, elected members were still part of the team, and at least ...
More information has come to light regarding Tuesday night's votes in the House of Lords on secret courts. And it seems there is a fundamental problem of Liberal Democrats on the government payroll (i.e. ministers and whips) behaving as if they are suffering from a coalition equivalent of the Stockholm syndrome. There were three key amendments in the Lords debate: Amendment 6A (proposed by Labour peer Jeremy Beecham, which would have made secret courts a "last resort"). This amendment was narrowly defeated by 174 votes to 158, a margin of 16. 26 Liberal Democrat peers defied the whip and voted ...
New Roseangle playpark roundabout Last autumn, on behalf of residents, I requested that the City Council replace the two children's roundabouts it had removed at the Victoria Park and Roseangle playparks with new ones. The removed roundabouts - over 30 years old - had worn spindles and were removed on safety grounds. I am pleased to say the City Council agreed to my request and the new roundabouts have recently been installed - see right and below: Installation of the new Victoria Park playpark roundabout is nearly complete
Paul Magrs thinks that if we want more women writing Doctor Who (and we do) we should start with Jacqueline Rayner and Kate Orman. I agree. Tim O'Neill on Factory Showdown by They Might Be Giants For autism awareness month, be aware of those poor people who have to suffer from a lack of autism, ...
