A Labour councillor, Independent councillor and Owen sat down with the Director of Resources and the Director of Children and Adult Services yesterday at County Hall because of our, and their, concerns that face to face advice should be restored to Derwentside following the closure of the Derwentside Citizens Advice Bureau by the national body – previously reported here . We were given the good news that the County Durham Citizens Advice Partnership, operating in partnership with the county council, intends to provide face to face advice in both Consett and Stanley on three days of the week (in each ...
Yesterday I wrote a post contrasting Nick Clegg's opposition to our current libel laws with this week's partial retreat on reform. If you were Nick's defence counsel you might argue that since becoming deputy prime minister he has found that these matters are more complicated than he once thought. After all, the article I quoted was written back in January 2010. But this evening I came across an article that Nick wrote for the Guardian in March 2011 when he had been deputy PM for almost a year. And if anything, it is more outspoken still: These are laws that ...
[IMG: Old Bailey] So the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party have reversed their reversal of the party's views on libel reform, and we're back to where we started. As Glyn Ley commented on my wall on Facebook, that makes it not so much a U turn as an O turn. The issue at stake has been the ability of corporations to use libel law to silence critics, something that Nick Clegg has been vocal in opposing in the past and which was in the Liberal Democrat manifesto. However, it then for a while looked as if the party would back down ...
Thanks to the good offices of my Liberator colleague Kiron Reid, a booklet with the enticing title Country House Cricket Grounds of Leicestershire and Rutland arrived in the post this morning. As I hoped, it contains a good section on J.W. Logan and his ground at East Langton. That section tells us: J.W. Logan, Liberal MP for Harborough for about 25 years, laid out East Langton for his two sons and the pitch was the best in Leicestershire apart from the County ground. He was a great supporter of Leicestershire cricket, and President of the County Club from 1905 to ...
Spent much of the day helping other volunteers to fill some 15 sacks of rubbish - mainly crisp packets, plastic bottles and fizzy drink cans - and we removed sundry larger items from an area of our Parkside ward in Houghton Regis. Apart from the fact I've scratched my hand, and been stung by nettles, I quite enjoyed doing it. The project was lead by Parkside ward Town Councillors, Peter Carrington and myself, as part of the HOUGHTON REGIS TOWN COUNCIL VISION 2011 - 2015, part of which is to enhance public places by facilitating community litter picks. (Download the ...
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. 102007/NMC/2013/S1 70 ...
Last night, following their typically abysmal Party Political Broadcast, UKIP asked those watching to take to twitter to make statements about what "their" Britain should be, using the hashtag #MyBritain. Firstly, it says a great deal about UKIP that it puts the emphasis on the individual rather than on society. Whatever happened to #OurBritain? Not wanting to leave the descriptions of idealised Britain to UKIP supporters, I tweeted the following: "#MyBritain is one in which everything does not revolve around Westminster." "#MyBritain recognises the need for international co-operation and a place at the heart of Europe." And, most importantly, "#MyBritain ...
In the end the government offered an improved position on the issue of corporate defamation and permitted development. Hence I actively abstained on both of those votes (voting both ways). I also opposed the government on the issue as to whether the ECHR has a duty to monitor whether society is getting better. The government took the view that it should only monitor its detailed functions and
Here is tonight's Party Election Broadcast from the Liberal Democrats. It has lots of very good stuff in it, asking real people what they will do with the tax cut secured by them by the party. We've seen the Tories trying desperately to take credit for it because they know it's popular, but it wasn't in their manifesto. It was on the front page of ours. Our clear top priority, delivered. The Broadcast is a delight for anyone playing "stronger economy in a fairer society" bingo - and Nick also emphasises the third part, which is really for me what ...
[IMG: libel-reform-campaign-logo] The Defamation Bill has had a troubled passage through Parliament. Hijacked by Labour over Leveson, attacked by Tory backbenchers concerned about companies and undermined by vested interests, I was glad to see it finally reach one of its last Parliamentary stages in the Commons today. I was on the Joint Committee that considered this bill when it was a draft – those discussions are already beginning to feel like a distant memory! But we will deliver a huge reform of the UK libel laws. All the while, Lib Dems have been vociferous in their defence of both free ...
Dear Cardinal Archbishop André Vingt-Trois, His Eiminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris I understand that you feel that marriage equality is a step towards inciting violence and splitting society in France. And that you said :"This is the way a violent society develops. Society has lost its capacity of integration and especially its ability to blend differences in a common project." May I suggest your Eminence that therefore there is a fundamental flaw with the heterosexual community. Now I know we should love the sinner and hate the sin, but this violence against fellow man is contrary to Jesus exhortation ...
Demos has an interesting looking report coming out tomorrow about the social media following of Britain's three main political parties: We examine the social media support of the main three parties, and consider the extent to which Facebook and Twitter affiliation might replace the formal party membership model. We've number-crunched 'Followers' and 'Likes', and the results might surprise you. Part of the work involved looking at the 'loyalty' of Twitter followers toward the MPs they follow. We did this by calculating how many followers of, say, Conservative MPs, also followed MPs from a different party, and how many only follow ...
The first thousand days of a child's life - from conception through to their second birthday - are full of moments to cherish. First birthdays, first steps, first words. Whether these events are captured on film, or retold to maximum embarrassment in later years, they are treasured milestones in a child's life. A report published yesterday by UNICEF reminds us that those first thousand days aren't only precious, they are the most critical in shaping a child's future. Their health, their growth, their ability to learn and even their potential to earn are shaped during this period by one crucial ...
Tue 16th
16:59
My Lib Dem membership is up for renewal so I ask myself 'Why be a member of the Lib Dems?'
Being a member of a political party is slightly different to being just a supporter and a voter. It is that time of year where my membership of the Liberal Democrats is up for renewal and after a couple of years as a member it is always good to look at yourself and ask whether it is worth it. I have decided that there are three reasons to be a member of a political party – National Issues, Local Issues and Personal Ideology. The big question is how many of those three do I (or anyone for that matter) have ...
[IMG: slflogo] Dear Nick, I am writing on behalf of the Social Liberal Forum to urge that Lib Dem MPs vote tomorrow to uphold the decision of the Upper House to support the retention of Section 3 of the 2006 Equality Act. Today the Equality and Human Rights Commission itself issued a statement supporting its retention. In making this request we are adding our voices to those of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats and the Lib Dem Disability Association, and several Lib Dem peers. On 4th March several Lib Dem peers joined colleagues across the floor to successfully vote through ...
This sounds like a great opportunity if you are 16, 17 or 18 years old and are not in employment, education or training. Rotters is a community composting organisation working in South Liverpool. Rotters Community Composting and Myerscough College are recruiting learners for an accredited Horticulture course aimed at 16 to 18 year olds who are not in employment, education or training. The course will run from 27th May to 31st July 2013. Main Qualification: City and Guilds Level 1 Award in Practical Horticulture skills The course will be over 10 weeks and is appropriate for those wanting to gain ...
I am reading Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue. I fundamentally disagree with this attempt to recast Marxism through Aristotle, but this book provides a very helpful prism through which to view contemporary political debate. It does so because of its resurrection of an ancient idea which is at the core of modern politics, albeit in a ...
Given the UK Labour Party's obsession with millionaires I am quite intrigued by the scandal currently unfolding in France around the rich ministers in François Hollande's Government. According to the Guardian the Socialist government has been revealed to contain several multi-millionaires. Hollande and his ministers face embarrassing accusations that they belong to a group (highly unpopular in France) known as the gauche caviar, or what British people call champagne socialists. I understand that the French Government has sought to counter this by increasing transparency. They have published a list of the assets belonging to their Ministers. This has uncovered about ...
[IMG: tesco-site] A large site which has been earmarked by a council for residential housing, but owned by a major supermarket chain, has been lying derelict for 11 years. At a time of pressing housing need, this is a scandal. Perhaps you know of similar cases to my story. If so, share them in the comments. Does anyone know how much land is being hoarded in this way? In 2002 Tesco bought a redundant Ministry of Defence site in Tolworth, which lies within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in the southwest corner of Greater London. The sale was ...
Welcome to the third part of my look at the 2013 Suffolk Liberal Democrat manifesto. Yesterday, it was the turn of adult and social care policy, and today, I turn to transport... Transport recognised as a human right Neither Labour nor the Tories have had any great interest in supporting the bus network, yet it is essential for work, health, socialising and education. Liberal Democrats will:lobby for better, more integrated public transport, especially for rural areasreinstate important evening and weekend bus services that provide essential community links and benefit the economybegin investment in efficient cycle infrastructures round schoolsencourage use of ...
I found out something I didn't know about my husband last week. He reads emails from Better Together. I honestly didn't expect that. I tend to read all the political geekery and tell him what's happening. He tends not to do too much politicking, but he's really up for campaigning to ensure that Scotland stays as part of the UK. He hasn't been this exercised about an issue since we spent 2003 going to various marches against the Iraq war. I discovered his Better Together habit when I returned to the car with some shopping, There he was, chortling away. ...
Back here on March 8th, I wrote about the removal of the first of the 3 stanchions from Cardigan Castle. Those horrible buttresses had been apparently propping up the Castle at the gate-way to the town at the end of Cardigan Bridge since 1975. They were only supposed to be temporary supports whilst the walk bridge was built alongside the river but until now, they have remained. The work on the castle continues in earnest with the planned date of opening set for next Spring. But whilst the internal works will continue throughout this summer and into the winter away ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats are holding a debate this week in the Assembly where they will call on the Welsh Labour Government to implement the proposals put forward in the Dilnot Commission, in order for Wales to have a sustainable and affordable system for paying for care in Wales. According to the Dilnot Commission, one in ten families will be hit with catastrophic care costs of £100,000 or more in their lifetime. Wales has an ageing population with over 700,000 people over the age of 60 and a higher proportion of older people than the rest of the UK. In ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... How Labour saw Brown and Clegg in 2010: jokes need to be short or he can mangle them | Ballots & Bullets Lab's internal pre-2010 TV debates briefing on Clegg: "however he should not be underestimated" http://bit.ly/Zumpmi (via @philipjcowley) Blairite barbs expose the frailty of Labour 'unity' - Telegraph Blogs Is Dan Hodges right? Is Lab's unity a sham? Strikes me as pretty firm: fiercely anti-Coalition, fiercely pro-state http://bit.ly/ZnbU7q The worst penalties of all time | Football | guardian.co.uk Fancy some early morning schadenfreude? > The worst penalties of all time | ...
There is a crisis in social housing. In Southport there is a dramatic shortage of affordable housing. Our residents are living longer and-despite the borough's falling population- we need more homes to satisfy the growing elderly population and people who live in single person households. Many people under forty are choosing not to marry and in addition the divorce rate means that where a family used to occupy one house they now need two. Southport had a particular combination of circumstances. Firstly we have very few social houses-ie council houses or Housing Association stock. To be precise we have no ...
[IMG: Caroline Pidgeon] I was getting on a London Tube train yesterday and was expecting the guard to tell us all to "Move down inside the train" and "Mind the doors". Instead he announced "Have you read the Evening Standard? You lot are owed £53 million on your Oyster cards". He should have given credit to Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly and our spokesperson on the Transport Committee. The problem lies with the 19,790,130 dormant Oyster cards, ie those that have not been used in the last 12 months. (For those of you who ...
So, I said to the Liberal Democrat Voice team just before I headed off for a week in the Highlands mostly sans internet signal "Don't let anyone do anything interesting while I'm away." That worked out well. A wee bit of insight into how normal people live, though. When I found out about Margaret Thatcher's demise I was in the car en route to my sister's for some baby snuggling. On arrival, I told my niece. In my own house, I'd have switched onto the News Channel and kept that on in the background all day. They were watching the ...
So essentially says Jon Trickett in the Guardian today. His thesis is that we are close to another major political turning point in 2015 rather like the one that started with the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979. He also thinks that Labour (the party he has been a member of for 30+ years) is the only one that can bring about this change. Here are a couple of snippets: ...when a country arrives at a turning point, as we clearly had, the direction that it takes is not pre-determined. Thatcher had understood all of this too. As we now ...
I must admit I had a small moment of relief, even pride in the Lib Dems, when I heard that Vince Cable had resisted calls to prevent him from raising the minimum wage for apprentices - as well as for everyone else. The adult minimum wage is now raised to £6.31. It is still below the level it needs to be to make it a 'living wage', and until it is, the government will still be subsidising employers, which is a ridiculous position to be in. Old-fashioned Liberals like me still cling to the dream, not just of a minimum ...
Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats: Also on YouTube.
Policymakers in Australia are developing more sophisticated approaches to science and evidence, says Paul Harris in his contribution to our series on science advice The lead-up to the last federal election was a time of unusually high drama for the Australian government. Just two months ahead of the poll, prime minister Kevin Rudd stood down after losing the support of his party, and was replaced by his deputy Julia Gillard. Bitter debate raged about the science and politics of climate change, with Rudd having retreated from a planned emissions trading scheme. And an ambitious public service reform agenda, driven by ...
[IMG: clegg debate] There have been a couple of fascinating posts this week by election expert Philip Cowley, a politics professor at Nottingham University. They reveal for the first time the internal briefing prepared for Labour dissecting the debating skills of each of the three party leaders — Clegg, Brown and Cameron — ahead of the 2010 leaders' debate. Yesterday's focused on David Cameron. Today the spotlight of hindsight is shone on Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown. Below is the assessment of the Lib Dem leader — and what's perhaps most interesting is how thin it is compared to the ...
Ahead of the special Council meeting on open space later this week, tonight sees a public meeting as part of the campaign to save the Meadowlands (the piece of land the council wants to flog off). It's at 7pm at the Greenbank Academy on Greenbank Lane.
Alistair Campbell just can't hep leaping to the defence of his old boss Tony Blair. In back of a cab. Which idiot radio presenter just said Thatcher the only 20th century PM to win three elections? — Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) April 16, 2013 Except... .@campbellclaret umm, 2001 and 2005 were in the 21st C. — ...
"The Liberal Democrats are working for a stronger economy in a fairer society enabling every person to get on in life." What key policies will reinforce this simple message? How do we ensure that economic liberalism supports and advances social democracy? My answer to these questions lies with the words of J K Galbraith - "economics does not usefully exist apart from politics. The separation of economics from politics and political motivation is a sterile thing. It is also a cover for the reality of economic power and motivation. And it is a prime source of misjudgement and error in ...
Fascinating and informative:
Welsh Liberal Democrats hold their Spring Conference this weekend 20th & 21st April. On Friday, Cardiff Liberal Democrats will hold a pre-conference fund-raiser curry night at the Haveli restaurant on City Road at 8 pm. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will be opening Conference, with speeches later on in the weekend also come from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander and Welsh Liberal Democrat party Leader Kirsty Williams.
Bury Council has announced a 'Phase 2′ of its cuts to Library services in the Borough. Phase 1 was staffing reductions and Libraries in the centre of Bury itself, so Phase 2 concentrates on the libraries in the rest of the Borough. The good news is that there are no plans at the current time to close any libraries, but there will be some significant changes at four Libraries in particular, including our main Library in Prestwich. Radcliffe and Unsworth get new Libraries, linked to other services (for example at the Civic Suite building in Radcliffe. In both of these ...
It has taken me some time to write anything about the life or death of Mrs Thatcher since her death was announced last week. Unlike many who have spoken loudly in praise or condemnation I lived through her premiership. I saw at first hand the changes that took place and I wept at some of them. I cringed on the day she first entered 10 Downing St as its rightful occupier when she quoted the
The Nationwide Cycling Academy, based at the cycle centre in Phillip's Park, Prestwich have provided details of their Summer Cycle Camp during July and August 2013. The Cycle Camp caters for children aged 6-16, either for a week or individual days. A week's attendance is £80, one day £20. The team are also providing 'Learn to Ride' sessions for early years children (from age 2). Sessions take place in June in St Mary's Park, and in August in Phillip's Park. More information from here
A long blogpost about the Helen Lewis twitterstorm (tags: ) How to survive being wrong on the internet. | Chiller (tags: ) IDS cites "personal observations" to defend junk statistic (tags: ) Factcheck: Are more married men than women suffering from domestic abuse? | Full Fact Yes, but in every category other than married, women victims outnumber men by a long way. I was struck by the sexual assault stat myself - I suspect that's a massive under-reporting by all genders. (tags: ) another stab in the back for actual liberals who have given their time effort and money to ...
Episode 54 of the House of Comments podcast "We need to talk about Margaret" was recorded yesterday and is out today. This week I was joined by libertarian blogger Mark Wallace of Crash Bang Wallace to discuss the impact and legacy of Margaret Thatcher in the wake of her death last week. We cover a fair bit of ground including her rise to power, her early days, the miners' strike, the Falklands war, the Poll Tax, the culture of selfishness some say she fostered and finally her fall from power, her legacy and the shadow she casts across contemporary politics. ...
At the last meeting of Bury's full Council I asked for an update on youth unemployment in Bury. Apparently it has been a year since any Councillor asked about the subject, when I asked a question on employment a year ago! One of 'Team Bury's strategic priorities is youth unemployment, and this has been a priority for the last two years. I remember saying to the Council Leader when the priority was proposed, that what we needed to do was ensure that Bury fares better through the current difficult economic times than other places. The Council has undoubtably done some ...
In 2010 I wrote a blog post called "Why Aren't Terrorists Bombing the Queues?" - but I chickened out of publishing it. Bombing a plane is hard, you have to buy a ticket, get past airport security, detonate it at just the right time, etc. By comparison, anyone can walk into a busy airport - say during the school holidays - wait for the shear number of people to build up, and then... But it doesn't happen. Why not? My conclusion, such as it was, is that either terrorists are particularly stupid, or bombs are too hard to build, or ...
Liberal Democrats will recognise Helena Morrissey as the chair of the Independent Inquiry into the Party's processes, set up in the wake of the allegations against Lord Rennard, which he denies. I thought you might be interested in her interview on Woman's Hour from last week. You can listen to it here on iPlayer from about 19 minutes in. She was there to discuss her work as founder of the 30% Club, aimed at increasing the proportion of women on boards, and the proportion of women coming through in senior executive positions to fill the boards of the future. She ...
You can now have your say online as part of the First Bus fare review process. They are hoping to hear from both bus users and those who don't currently use the bus. The survey is available here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/fareconsultation You have until 29 June to fill it in. If you know people who would like to respond but who aren't online, hard copies will be available at the Travel Shop in Bristol Bus Station from the end of April. First Bus have also organised some events where people can have their say in person: Monday 22 April: Clifton Downs Shopping ...
Frankly, it's the last thing Nick Clegg needed. After losing several high profile Lib Dem supporters over the party's botched handling of the Government's 'secret courts' legislation, another core liberal reform, one promised in the 2010 manifesto, is threatened by a Coalition compromise: libel reform. Robert Sharp of free speech campaign group English PEN wrote here at the weekend about the threat posed to the defamation bill by Conservative MP (and former libel lawyer) Sir Edward Garnier's amendment to the Defamation Bill, striking out the clause which makes it harder for companies to sue for libel. The Independent reports: ... ...
Today MPs will vote on the proposals to relax planning rules to allow people to significantly extend their homes without need for planning permission. The effect of this will be to remove the opportunity for neighbours to object to extensions that impact on their light; that impinge on their privacy, or otherwise negatively affect their ...
[Wow, this one was fun, but in retrospect probably too much to get into 2000 words. This time I can only blame myself as it was a self-selected question. You can see from the bibliography the reading that went into it, and there was more that I didn't actually cite in the paper] In the nearly four decades since Harvard University Professor Robert Nozick wrote what is probably his best known work, "Anarchy, State and Utopia [ASU]" (1974), much of the academic debate it has generated has focussed on its role as a response to fellow Harvard political philosopher John ...
You may recall that, a couple of weeks ago, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey complained that Christians in Britain felt persecuted because of 'aggressive secularism'. In reality, there is no religious persecution in Britain - not unless your definition of 'persecution' includes having to live in a pluralist society and tolerate other points of view. What Carey and others with a similar persecution complex, such as those complaining about 'Islamophobia', are actually trying to do is appropriate victim status for political advantage. If these people want to understand what real persecution looks like, they should examine the situation in ...
The deteriorating condition of Queen Victoria Works I have welcomed the bringing forward of a draft Site Planning Brief for the Queen Victoria Works site in Brook Street. I have long campaigned to see the situation at the derelict works being improved with a view to seeing sensitive development of the site. The idea of consulting with owners and interested parties on a Site Planning Brief is due to be discussed by Dundee City Council's City Development Committee on 22nd April. It gives guidance on possible future uses and design and it is hoped that its publication will allow for ...
And ... see more about this on its Facebook page!
These changes are relatively minor – basically to ensure the rank works in a more effective fashion in the evening. The documents can be found here: SA 008 12 Scan Draft Docs
I hate Twitter sometimes. Just got involved in quite a long political discussion, and realised reading back that I contradicted myself several times — not because I had contradictory opinions, but because the format of Twitter requires one to lose all nuance and speak in broad absolutes. I have noticed that I very, very rarely ...
