This blog may seem more incoherent than most! I am writing it in Dubai Airport in the middle of the night after 2 beers but I wanted to record the impressions of the day that I have had. I am ... Continue reading →
It's Saturday, so here's another six blogposts and articles that I've seen and thought worthy of some note over the past week: First up, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report into attitudes to poverty and welfare. The Guardian reports that this suggests that attitudes towards those who claim state support are hardening amongst Labour supporters. Over on Lib Dem Voice, Stephen Tall looks at how the figures breakdown across the political spectrum. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill returns to the commons this week, with news that the Government is not in favour of using the Bill to ...
[IMG: reading station_tonemapped] Quite pleased with my photo of the new Reading station above... I had to take several frames (as they say in the trade!) and jiggle with the controls to get the train a bit blurred while not whiting out the whole picture. As usual, Photomatix added the final lighting magic. For the first time I used the "surreal" setting, which seem to suit the setting well. Anyway, Reading Railway station is still work in progress. It's like an airport. But two friendly constants remain: 1. The Three Guineas 2. Those boards on platform 7b where you can ...
Sat 18th
18:21
Quote of the day. - Liberator blog on disagreeing with Tories on the EU & equal marriage
From Liberator Blog "So a lot of Tories oppose the EU and gay marriage? Of course they do. That's why they're Tories. It is a political position with which Liberal Democrats strongly disagree, but we live in a pluralist society and it is legitimate to express those views. The Liberal position is that such views are fundamentally wrong, not a form of mental illness. The way to deal with them is through argument, not exclusion."
There's a lot of talk at the minute about creating caucuses within Liberal Youth for minority positions. It seems that Callum Leslie, a contender for chair, has put these amendments forward. Generally I find caucuses a bit patronizing the suggest a level of ... Continue reading →
Today's newspapers are full of reports that an unnamed ally of the prime minister described Conservative grassroots activists as "mad swivel-eyed loons". Liberal Democrats might be inclined to agree. The idea that members of opposing parties are bonkers is a tempting one but we should avoid it. Tory blogger Iain Dale demonstrates why: Of course there are swivel eyed loons among the Tory Party membership. Just as there are in any party. It's just a shame that the Liberal Democrats have more than their fair share. Just go to a LibDem conference and you will see what I mean.Not so ...
It was misbehaviour all round when the UKIP leader came to Edinburgh on Thursday. He found himself on the receiving end of a noisy protest organised by, among others, the Radical Independence Campaign. They shouted all sorts of abuse at him, leading to him taking refuge in a pub from which he was rescued by the Police. The Guardian has video of the incident. He quickly lost any sympathy he might have gained by accusing the BBC's David Miller of hatred and hanging up on a live radio interview. This from a man who used the term "fascist scum" to ...
IBB,(Group Leader) Ronnie and Joyce Fearn I posted recently about Ronnie reaching 50 years service as a Liberal/LD councillor Last night we held a celebration at Auberge Brasserie in Southport The picture shows Ronnie and Joyce having received a cut glass rose bowl in recognition of his service. Ronnie joined the Southport County Borough Council at a time when there were 23 Liberals out of 45 members. He went on to serve as Leader of the Group, MP and is now in the House of Lords. By any measure he is the most successful Southport politician of his generation. ...
So what has happened to the Tory party? We have not seen this level of in-fighting since the John Major years and even then their cabinet ministers and SPADs stopped short of slagging off their own activists. As the Telegraph reports the pressure is starting to get a bit much for some of the occupants of the Number 10 bunker. So much so that a a senior figure in the Conservative Party who has strong social connections to the Prime Minister decided to excuse the 116 rebels who voted to amend the Queen's speech by saying that: "The MPs just ...
Sat 18th
14:15
LibLink: Nick Thornsby - As a Liberal Democrat, I ask, "What are you, our Coalition partners, playin...
LibDemVoice's Nick Thornsby has been on recce behind enemy lines, writing for ConservativeHome on the past week's Tory implosion over Europe: It is clear to everyone looking in from the outside that if the Tory Party does not get over itself sharpish, historians will look back at this as the moment the party destined itself to spend another decade, or longer, on the opposition benches. ... As a Liberal Democrat who regrets the passing of the coalition's early radicalism, and who had hoped that David Cameron and those around him could govern as modern, moderate, sensible Conservatives, this regression is ...
Here's a good dinner party question. Imagine you are an MP. You put your name into the ballot to introduce a private member's bill and, joy of joys, you have won! You get first shot at introducing a bill on a subject of your choice, and plenty of time to do it. This is a chance for you to make a difference! Even if your bill does not make it into law, it is still a chance to bring an important issue to public attention. What would you do? This year's ballot was won by James Wharton MP and he ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Vince Cable on dancing, romance and raw jelly – Telegraph "Girls were a distraction, too." Only one Lib Dem politician would've said this. Guess... http://bit.ly/15VxENa Nick Thornsby: As a Liberal Democrat, I ask – What are you, our Coalition partners, playing at? Kudos to my @libdemvoice colleague @NickThornsby for taking the Coalition fight into enemy territory [IMG: :)] http://bit.ly/15VwJwd Tim Farron in outspoken and honest interview shock! I hereby call on Tim Farron to resign as Lib Dem president for branding party members "nutters" and "cockroaches" http://bit.ly/19Jh6nK BBC News – Concern over ...
I was away this weekend joining in the celebrations of friends birthday. We were staying in Chipping Camden. Around lunchtime wandering around the town we came upon the village parish church of St James and, as is my habit, I went inside to look around. It is one of the finest wool churches in the country. The church was the venue of the Chipping Camden Music Festival and was laid out ready for a concert with a Steinway Grand Piano alone on the stage in front of the chancel. I sat down for a moment and a young lady came ...
Prior to reading Wednesday's Standard I lived in ignorance of the self-proclaimed, self-appointed "Safe at School campaign", one of whose member(s) is quoted as saying: "Parents expect a school to provide an education, not subject their children to gay propaganda." The "gay propaganda" in question is material produced by Stonewall to encourage children not to bully those other children who are thought by the bullies to be gay. It beggars belief that a spokeswoman for an organisation that calls itself Safe at School could possibly oppose the use of such material in the education of our nation's children. I ...
This year is very special: it is the 20th anniversary of the Maastricht treaty. We have, since 1993, been European citizens, each of us endowed with the rights of free movement, settlement and employment across the Union. Of course, we are anxious about the lifting of barriers for some European Union workers at the beginning of next year. I suggest that we remove all hostility and suspicion and treat them as they are: fellow citizens of the Union. If we treat them otherwise, we are asking for trouble. Facts must take prominence; scaremongering must be stamped out. But of course ...
Earlier this week, I was interviewed by the Colchester Gazette in my new role as group leader. Unfortunately, they didn't put the article online, but as I own a copy of the paper, a pair of scissors and a scanner, here it is: [IMG: img015] You can click on the image to see it in a readable size. The headline wasn't exactly something I said, but otherwise I think it generally reflects the conversation I had with James. Related PostsIs the fix in?
[IMG: Conservative Party logo] Here's the remark attributed to 'a member of the Prime Minister's inner circle' according to the Telegraph: "There's really no problem," the Conservative figure said about the parliamentary turmoil. "The MPs just have to do it because the associations tell them to, and the associations are all mad swivel-eyed loons." There is an obvious point here (and it's the reason why whoever said it will soon be resigned): don't diss your own supporters. 'Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican,' was Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment. It was as much a statement of survival as ...
Constable Peter Sams of the Met Police in 1948 Earlier this week Theresa May announced to the Police Federation conference that should a Police Officerbe murdered the culprit will serve the rest of their life in prison. As the decedent of three generations of Police Officers who worked selflessly for their communities (three served in the Mertropolitan Police with two making Sargent and one in the Devon & Cornwall constabulary.), I can fully agree with this motion. A Police officer dedicates their time to serve and protect the community from crime and fear. It is unfortunate that officers can be ...
During his research into the ruthless side of the modern economy, the journalist Simon Head discovered a fascinating paper, published in 1997, about a customer relationship management IT system in action. It was written by two researchers at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Centre in Silicon Valley, and they describe a corporation called MMR, a thinly disguised version of Xerox, and their IT system called CasePoint, which was designed to automate the conversations between customers and agents. The idea was to cut the cost of sending technicians out to repair Xerox machines. It would all be done automatically by call centre ...
[IMG: Energy-bills-006] As we finally emerge from what felt like a never ending winter, many consumers are rightly concerned about the energy bills landing on their doormats. In Government I'm doing everything I can to 'cushion' people from bill increases. Wholesale energy prices make up nearly half of the typical household bill and controlling the recent increases is outside of our control. However, there's a whole range of measures that we're introducing to help people to keep their homes warm and their bills down - particularly the Green Deal, with the latest figures showing a very encouraging start. Already, more ...
It's fair to say I'm a fan of Gove. He's not perfect, he has many faults, but he seems to be the only minister in this government who has a vision for his departmental brief, and is determined to carry ... Continue reading →
Tonight is the final of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, which the United Kingdom will lose. But don't despair, because tonight we will also be treated to the annual Eurovision Whinge Contest, which the United Kingdom will win - hands down. (If you want an assessment of the Eurovision runners and riders, visit Will Howells's blog). As usual, we will blame our dismal result on bloc voting. The Nordic countries will vote for one another, as will the former Soviet republics. But there is no Turkish entry this year, so the Turkish-German alliance can't happen. Likewise, no Cyprus means no ...
Ukip donor brands women 'hostile' for wearing trousers Actually, if you think about the construction of the male body, they'd be a lot better off in skirts, with their nadgers roaming free and not squished into inadequate flat spaces, while women are much better suited to trousers due to the need for gusset. YAY! I can do logic too! ;) (tags: ) Revealed: Cameron's nudge,nudge survey to woo marginal voters | David Hencke (tags: ) At Google Conference, Cameras Even in the Bathroom - NYTimes.com (tags: ) Sexual squeamishness does women no favours (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments ...
Sat 18th
09:45Lynne Featherstone: If you think a girl is in danger of being forced to endure FGM, tell the Police
Lynne Featherstone has urged anyone who suspects a girl may be at risk of being forced to endure Female Genital Mutilation to go to the Police with their concerns. She said that she wants to see cases prosecuted to send a powerful message. She appealed for help to protect girls as what she called "the cutting season" approaches. The procedure often happens during the Summer holidays when the girls are away from school for several weeks. She said that prosecution and other work to change behaviour were the way forward: It would be great to have a prosecution and send ...
A new planning application has been received within Holyrood Ward as detailed below:- Application number: 56298 Type of application: Full Date Registered: 13/05/2013 Location: 127 Heys Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1QB Proposal: Single storey extension at side/rear Plans will be available to view on the Council's website here (use the planning application number to search). Any questions or if I can help please just get in touch. Tim
By Steve Donnan Despite the thousands of protests, despite the advice being given by experts, charities, churches, politicians and those who will be hit the hardest; the Coalition is pressing ahead the biggest and most high profile cuts, such as the Bedroom Tax, the household welfare cap, and the abolition of council tax benefit.These new reforms will take £2.3bn a year out of the pockets of some of Britain's poorest households in 2013-14 alone according to the Child Poverty Action Group. I am sick and tired of reading headlines such as the ones opposite. I am disgusted with the amount ...
[IMG: Mural at Crosby Lakeside 04 13] This is quite a piece of public artwork. I could not resist taking a photo of it.
I have recently been assisting the Dundee ADHD Parents Support Group get a local base to support parents and carers of children with ADHD. I'm pleased to highlight the forthcoming fundraising the support group has organised:
[IMG: IMG_0249_tonemapped] Taken at 04:43. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
This week I called for clarity in proposed changes to Post-16 funding in Wales. The proposals are contained in the Welsh Government's Post-16 Planning and Funding Review: Final report which was published this week. Any funding programme has to ensure that students are given the best opportunities whilst ensuring that public money is spent efficiently and effectively. It is clear from my experiences as a member of the Children and Young People Committee that deficiencies currently exist in ensuring that the funding system takes account of both the needs of employers and the subsequent destinations of students. Given the scale ...
Unquestionably the best olive oil I've ever had is from a small grove a friend and ex-work colleague owns on Italy's east coast. The fruit of these totally organically grown trees is pressed the traditional way by bare feet. The 200 litres or so a year are decanted into screw top half litre or one litre wine bottles and simply labelled with just enough information to tell where it is from and the date of the batch. It is like molten golden butter without the heart attack. If I knew of a restaurant I could afford that used it for ...
It's pretty clear one of the world's oldest football clubs - Heart of Midlothian - is about to be liquidated as their Romanov empire collapses around them. Now as a Hibs fan it would be easy to gloat - and there would be plenty of songs that I could choose for a Friday favourite that would reflect that. But it isn't that simple. Hearts, like Hibs, have mainly been rubbish for most of their existence - dominated by the pseudo religious and deeply sectarian (but money making) institutions of the 'old firm'. For most of their existences Hearts and Hibs ...
