[IMG: Miliband and Brown] Source: The Times
It is clear that the Conservatives view the dreadful attack in Woolwich as a reason to re-introduce the so called snoopers charter. Several senior Labour MPs have joined in with a view to giving the state the power to know every website you visit, email you send and who you send it to. Although the Labour leadership have been quiet on this, it would look opportunist for the party so wedded to
The Cheese Boat travels the canals of England selling Welsh cheeses and homemade chutneys. I met it at Stoke Bruerne on Saturday and can recommend the smoked cheddar.
Paul Waugh on Politics Home says the party has issued the following statement this evening: "Following Mike Hancock's receipt of legal papers in a High Court civil action, Nick Clegg has asked the Chief Whip to convene an urgent meeting under the disciplinary procedures of the parliamentary party between Nick Clegg, Mike Hancock, Simon Hughes and the Chief Whip. "Mike Hancock strenuously denies the accusations. We are not pre-judging the outcome of the case, but given the seriousness of the allegations, Nick Clegg has instructed the Chief Whip to invoke the disciplinary procedures of the party."
Nick Clegg has asked Lib Dem Chief Whip Alistair Carmichal to convene a disciplinary meeting to consider the case of Mike Hancock MP. The Portsmouth South MP has had allegations of sexual misconduct made against him. Nick Clegg asks Carmichael to convene urgent disciplinary meeting to consider Mike Hancock — Michael Crick (@MichaelLCrick) May 29, ...
A Tory Minister recently said something imminently sensible. Naturally, the Daily Mail doesn't like it. In the most typically characteristic rant, the DM blames immigrants and marital breakdown for the lack of housing. They also blame an aging population but that's the only point on which they are correct. The odious commentary actually uses the phrases "glorious green fields" and "children's and grandchildren's heritage." *shudders* You may enjoy the sight of those green fields but when your 28 year old adult son or daughter is still living in their childhood bedroom you may prefer it if there were more houses... ...
Wed 29th
21:17
Vince on dangers of immigration debate and women in business - he doesn't seem to be in the mood for...
I thought it was supposed to be holiday season for MPs. Not for our Vince, it seems. He's been everywhere the last couple of days. Today, the BBC reports, he has been making the point that all the hot air on immigration is going to stop the very people we need to boost our economy will be put off from coming here: But he warned that the globalised world of university recruitment was in danger of being undermined in the UK by anxieties over immigration. He said that the "politics of identity" which worried about immigration and the economic need ...
The Communications Data Bill would not have prevented last week's murder in Woolwich. I know that. You know that. Even MI5 knows that. But here's another authoritarian myth busted: The greatest authoritarian myth of all - that Mussolini made the trains run on time. In fact he didn't. Brian Cathcart explained why in the Independent in 1994: Say what you like about Mussolini, he made the trains run on time. That was the famous last excuse for Fascism, conveying the idea that while dictatorship might not be very nice, at least it got things done.It is an argument we may ...
So, all the postal ballots have been entered, the buttons have been pressed, the candidates informed. I can now give you, for the first time, all the results of the Liberal Youth Elections in one place. First of all, though, I will take advantage of my position as Returning Officer to thank all the candidates for standing. There were a good number of them too, with many of the positions being contested. You normally have to use significant powers of persuasion to get candidates for treasurer of anything – yet Liberal Youth had three. The lively campaign and the move ...
A woman as Mayor is today scarcely remarked on-indeed Maureen Fearn has done it three times, but there was a time when such things were fiercely controversial. In deed in Bootle they did get around to having a woman Mayor until the 1967/8. Indeed there was only ever one woman Mayor of Bootle, Veronica Bray . In Southport things were a little different. Liberal Women were elected to School Boards-Birkdale's Kate Riley was the first woman elected to anything when she joined the local School Board at its inception. The first Councillor was also a Kate with the quintessential Southport ...
Planning application 51651 – to convert the old Nat West in Gatley into another Indian takeaway – comes to Cheadle Area Committee next Tuesday (4th June 2013). I wrote about this back in March when the application was first submitted, and there's been considerable discussion on the Gatley facebook group. This is an update. What the application is for Mr J Ahmed of 20 Wolverton Drive, Wilmslow is applying for permission to convert the former Nat West Bank at 195 Gatley Road, Gatley into an Indian takeaway. If permission is granted, it would allow any hot food takeaway to operate ...
I've now also been sent the details and times for the re-surfacing works at the top end of Western Road and round the Pennygillam roundabout. This work will take place overnight between 4th July and 12th July. This means that the local roads - including the A30 westbound off-slip and Western Road will be closed between 7pm and 6am. As you can see from the map, the resultant diversions are going to take you a considerable distance out of your way, so plan accordingly. Tweet
After Dan Witkowski's mum Sue passed away in the care of St Ann's Hospice, Dan has set out to raise money with a charity ball on 5th October 2013.
With great power comes great responsibility" a line I recall from the Spider-Man film circa 2002, whether Thanet council wields great power or any sense of responsibility is something we might find out tonight. A couple of contentions items are on the agenda tonight, one the never ending saga of the royal sands development, of which Michael child is expert and best placed to discuss Next a more recent foul up, (please note other four letter words are available) the Transeuropa debacle, so far from my cursory view of the evidence we've had a couple of its not me Guv ...
Well folks. I am straying back into dating blogging but before anyone gets any ideas – I don't have any first dates lined up or on the horizon so just chill. This is more of a blog inspired actually whilst surfing the interweb and I saw the question, 'What happened to the gesture of flowers on a date?' and it actually got me thinking. So I thought I'd do some interweb surfing on this topic and the general consensus was pretty split. Some think it is a sweet move that shows that someone cares and some think it is creepy. ...
Here's a fascinating piece of analysis showing how economic development has shifted around the world over the centuries, first heading west and now heading back east: [IMG: Economic centre of gravity of the world - McKinsey via BusinessInsider.com]
Today, 29 May, is Oak Apple Day. When I was in Barkby a couple of weeks ago I came across this mosaic, which the villagers have created to commemorate the day and the village's connections with Charles II and the English Civil War. A Leicester Mercury article from last year quotes Angela Barnett from the Barkby Local History Group explaining what it shows: "The mosaic features Thomas Marshall, the son of a Barkby blacksmith, who was born in 1621. "Marshall showed so much promise that Francis Foe, the vicar of St Mary's Church, Barkby, between 1633 and 1662, took on ...
Just checking the date folks. Bear with, bear with, bear with...wait it's not April 1st. What the hell? Seriously what the hell? Ok I suppose I should probably explain what I'm going on about. Well Salford Council are proposing not allowing takeaways from selling hot food until 5PM in the vicinity of a school in an attempt to force children to live a healthier lifestyle. In a way it is a noble cause because as a nation we eat worse and have less exercise than we used to. The health of us all should be a huge concern but where ...
The Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle is investing £1.2 million in a new radiology unit. The hospital is the largest private employer in Stockport, with 869 staff and more than 600 consultants, and has already invested more than £8 million over the last two years. Marketing Stockport has the full story.
An update from Sandgate Parish Council on events, meetings and other general information. Tomorrow, 10am - 12noon: Sandgate Children's Craft Club. For 2 - 11yr olds, accompanied by an adult. Venue: Sandgate Library Monday 3rd, 10am - 11am: Read & Rhyme at Sandgate Library (and every Monday) Tuesday 4th, 6.30pm: Parish Council Planning Committee meeting and at 7pm: Parish Council Environment Committee meeting - agendas are on the website Monday 10th, 11.30am - 12.30: Police Community Support Officer's Open Surgery. Venue: Sandgate Library Tuesday 11th, 7pm: Main Parish Council meeting - Sandgate Library (the agenda will be on the website ...
I am currently representing the Assembly Presiding Officer at a European working group on e-government in Seville. It is not as good as it sounds. There are two days of travel and one day in the working group. I will not see much of the City at all. The discussion though has been very interesting, involving a look at the results of a survey of 21 regional Parliaments and how they use new technology to engage with their citizens, as well as a presentation by three Spanish Professors. Some of the points I picked out include the diverse way Parliaments ...
Since the Woolwich attack many have been lining up to explain why the snoopers' charter needs to be implemented. To do so would be a foreign policy disaster, as well as a domestic one. The UK frequently decries nations who limit internet access or spy on their citizen, and we are right to. Just look ...
If a month in Turkey has taught me anything, it's that builders in Turkey don't give too hoots about health and safety. Here in the UK, we would expect them to wear hard hats. But although a sign indicates that these workers ought to wear them, I never saw one actually being worn. And apparently, the rules have been revised by the HSE so they may not even be compulsory here.
Today's deeply upsetting statistics – you're 44% more likely to die from an elective surgery on a Friday and 82% more likely to die from an elective surgery on the weekend. Coupled with this upsetting article in the Speccie which I'm sorry to say directly corroborates some of the truly awful experiences with the NHS care of my elderly relatives. And the cherry on the cake – Julie Bailey, a campaigner for the reform of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and founder of the 'Cure the NHS' group, has been subjected to startling bullying and abuse. What a damning indication ...
The timetable for the re-surfacing works on St Johns Road and Moorland Road has been confirmed by the council. The work will take place between Monday 29th July and Friday 9th August during daytime hours. During this time (between 7.30 in the morning and 6 in the evening), the roads will both be closed and a diversion will be in place - see the map for the route. Obviously this will cause a fair degree of disruption in the local area, but the state of the roads and the need for large scale re-surfacing and patching means that there is ...
Monday: This may be a bit of a departure from the usual PG movie and telly reviews you find on here: an ultraviolent console game. But this is a game that has won all sorts of awards and much critical praise for the way that it deals with themes of freedom and conformity, American Exceptionalism, racism and white supremacy, religion gone berserk, and the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. All the sorts of things that I bang on about, in fact. Plus LOTS of shooting. The game I'm talking about is Bioshock: Infinite. And it's actually not very good. ...
I am delighted when Jo Swinson arrives at the Hall this morning, passing through Rutland on ministerial business. After insisting that she join me for a second breakfast, I take her to visit my own Home for Well-Behaved Orphans.Find out what happened on Liberator's blog.
I am delighted when Jo Swinson arrives at the Hall this morning, passing through Rutland on ministerial business. After insisting that she join me for a second breakfast, I take her to visit my own Home for Well-Behaved Orphans. The boys are full of the vaulting horse they have just made and will brook no delay in trying it out, so Jo talks to the girls. This, I reason, is no bad thing: we Liberal Democrats do not have half enough women MPs and I hope that some of her audience will find that they have a vocation as a ...
The Council's contractor, Amey, is planning to resurface the top end of Shaftmoor Lane and into Olton Boulevard East. The work is scheduled to start in week commencing 10th June. Because this location takes in the busy Shaftmoor Lane / Spring Road / Summer Road / Olton Boulevard East junction, the work will be done overnight. It is scheduled to take 7 nights to complete. This should also take care of the very worn road-markings in this section of road, as they will be remarked as part of the job.
Apologies for the lack of posts over the past week. There haven't been any council meetings and I've been getting to grips with my new role. I promise to do better. Tweet
A week ago a British soldier, Lee Rigby, was murdered in Woolwich, in southeast London. His murderers (subject to due process of law...) were two British black Muslim converts, who had taken up Jihadist views. Their methods were as low tech as possible, and they were happy to be caught, though they may have wanted to be killed by police snipers. For them the point was publicity. In this they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. The story was promoted massively by all media outlets, and it is still getting a lot of coverage – quite out of proportion to ...
We could be in the fortunate position in Gateshead of being able to reverse the fall in the number of allotments. Two years ago the Council decided to get rid of 100 plots, nearly 10% of those in Council ownership. That's the background against which I am working. I am a trustee of Marley Hill Community Centre and we are in the process of undergoing a community asset transfer. The building is
Today's Times carries a story (£), with not very much substance to it, that the Liberal Democrats have threatened to team up with Labour to vote on the Mansion Tax if the Conservatives team up with Labour to force through the Communications Data Bill so loved by Theresa May and which has been rejected by Nick Clegg on 3 occasions now. The first was when he refused to let it in last year's Queen's Speech as a full bill, ensuring it received detailed scrutiny by a parliamentary committee. The second was when the Parliamentary Committee rejected the measure out of ...
In February last year I put forward a successful Lib Dem Council motion to see 20mph limits introduced on all of Manchester's non-major residential roads. I am delighted that today the Council's Executive Committee has committed £500,000 of public health money to see this policy rolled out in three areas: parts of Hulme, Moss Side and Fallowfied, Miles Platting & Newton Heath and parts of Ancoats and Clayton, and Gorton North and South. Sadly Chorlton will not be included in this first rollout as the Council is focusing on areas of high deprivation and accidents where 20mph have been proven ...
[IMG: 5 Days in May by Andrew Adonis] Andrew Adonis's book about the May 2010 coalition negotiations following the general election is very much one of two halves: a near-contemporary account written in the heat of the moment and then reflections on what happened, written three years on. It's also a book of two halves in that one part reveals little new whilst the other offers much worthwhile insight. The near-contemporary account adds little to existing books such as those by David Laws (22 Days in May) and Rob Wilson (5 Days to Power). It does try to give an ...
Wed 29th
10:15Your absolute last chance to vote in the Liberal Youth elections - and what happens next
Voting closes in the Liberal Youth elections at 12 noon today – so if you are eligible to vote, and you haven't done so already, get on with it. As returning officer, I'll be heading into the Party's Scottish HQ to enter the postal ballots before I stop voting at noon. I may or may not have the assistance of some helpful and entirely neutral sloths. Ed Balls will not be allowed anywhere near the building. The wonderful electronic gadgetry will then give me the results. I will then contact the candidates. Once they and the Executive have been informed, ...
The last few days following the disgusting scenes in Woolwich have brought to the surface once again concerns about the increasing part of our UK population and indeed citizens who are followers of the Islamic faith. It always seems to ... Continue reading →
"They must feel the thrill of totting up a balance book, A thousand cyphers neatly in a row. When gazing at a graph that shows the profits up, Their little cup of joy should overflow." Not me, of course, but Bert the Chimney Sweep's satirical take on Mr George Banks' view of what life is all about. Mary Poppins was the first film I ever saw. My father took me there at the Odeon Haymarket in 1965 and I have only recently seen it again, and the satire was a bit more obvious to me now than it was before. ...
Stockport College have teamed up with Stockport County to offer students the opportunity to play for one of five teams playing in the Youth Alliance League, English College FA League or College Leagues. Students can study any course and try out for the teams. A great opportunity for anyone who thinks they might have what it takes to make it in professional football.
posted The Blood is The Life 28-05-2013 http://t.co/8MZt3v3zVQ on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: A Strange Tale of Corporate Generosity Disney in Not Evil shocker (tags: ) Letting the market near the justice system...what could go wrong? http://t.co/ldGnLcAGp8 (tags: (from twitter) ) UK Courts to be Privatised, This is Not Satire | Scriptonite Daily (tags: ) Lucy Meadows coroner tells press: 'shame on you' | Society | guardian.co.uk (tags: ) BBC News - York Mosque praised for offering EDL protesters tea Make tea, not war :) (tags: ) Peter kelner on controversial ...
Sefton Council's Local Plan took a step closer last night when the Council's Scrutiny Committee agreed to endorse the controversial "Preferred Option Document" by the narrowest of margins. Labour councillors on the Committee outvoted Liberal Democrats and Conservatives by 5 votes to 4 to send the Document, which proposes the building of thousands of houses on Green Belt land, through to the Planning Committee with no amendments. Cllr John Dodd points out land under threat near Bankfield Lane The Local Plan proposes the building of over 500 houses to the South of Moss Lane in Churchtown, on land surrounding the ...
Greater Manchester Lib Dem MPs John Leech, Andrew Stunell and Mark Hunter have welcomed today's announcement that Manchester will get £15million grant to improve cycling across the City as part of Government's Cycle City Ambition scheme. The bid is to support a series of continental-style, largely segregated, cycle routes with Greater Manchester, together with the delivery of a number of cycle and ride stations. The bid also funds a promotion and engagement scheme designed to trigger a generational shift to cycling, and would unlock further investment across Greater Manchester from the public and private sector The bid has been supported ...
Wed 29th
09:00Jo Swinson responds to Liberal Democrat Voice commenters about telling children they are beautiful
A small storm erupted yesterday on our article reporting Jo Swinson's comments in a Telegraph interview about the importance of making sure that children were praised for a wide range of things and not just their looks. Commenters raised a number of concerns, including whether it was appropriate for a Government Minister to give this sort of advice on what should essentially be a private matter. As the mother of a teenage daughter, if I'm looking for advice on anything, I tend to look to people who know something about the subject, to a credible, expert source of information I ...
The next edition of my monthly email newsletter, Liberal Democrat Newswire, is hitting inboxes in a few days time and will contain an updated and redesigned version of Liberal Democrat achievements infographic/poster. Among the changes are another year of achievements plus a new A3 size so that it is more convenient to print out and use for a poster, or to put in with a newsletter. Sign up for it here and make sure you don't miss out.
Welsh Liberal Democrats Scrutiny Chair, Elizabeth Clarke has called for an internal investigation after it was reported that a key letter in a £7.25m bid for land in Cardiff's Callaghan Square had been mysteriously shredded, preventing Councillors assessing the urgency and validity of the bid. The Western Mail reports that former Labour council leader, Russell Goodway had used the letter last November to help justify the urgency of a £7.25m bid to purchase five acres of land at Callaghan Square in the city centre: He told two meetings late last year that the Welsh Government had, in the letter, advised ...
Sefton Council's Local Plan took a step closer last night when the Overview & Scrutiny Committee agreed to endorse the controversial "Preferred Option Document" by the narrowest of margins. Labour councillors on the Committee outvoted Lib Dems and Conservatives by 5 votes to 4 to send the Document, which proposes the building of thousands of houses on Green Belt land, through to the Planning Committee with no amendments. The majority of the 5 Labour councillors who voted for the recommendation were from Formby, Crosby and Maghull, ironically the areas where the proposals to build in the Green Belt have been ...
Wed 29th
07:27
Lower Alt Wind farm – Lydiate Parish Council submits its concerns to both West Lancs and Sefto...
Lydiate Parish Council last night passed the following resolution in response to the Planning application that has recently caused a wave of concerns from local residents across the central area of Sefton. ***** Lydiate Parish Council, having taken account of local concerns and the recent public exhibition held in the Parish wish to raise the following concerns and objections to the plan that is presently before West Lancs Borough Council. * We have significant ecological concerns regarding the location of the proposed development. They relate to negative potential impacts on bird species and designated breading sites within Sefton and within ...
The Maghull in Bloom volunteers want to tackle a wooded glade right in the heart of Maghull at the junction of Westway and Liverpool Road North, across the road from the Hare and Hounds Pub. It is not well maintained or regularly litter picked which is a shame as it could look really nice. Many years ago Maghull Town Council offered to take it over and properly maintain it so the owners (the NHS) could save a few bob and the Town would look better. The offer was effectively turned down. The land has belong to the NHS for 30 ...
Science funding bodies should be opened up to the public, not just industry In 2007, a group of Climate Camp activists stood under a banner that read "We are armed only with peer-reviewed science". It was a powerful message* but what exactly were they standing behind? What's this peer review thing anyway? It can seem complex and esoteric, but peer review just means research is checked by scientists in a similar field. Different journals work out the practicalities of their peer review policies in different ways, but in essence, that's all it is: checking by people in the same area. ...
I recently mentioned the meeting last week to progress the fundraising campaign by Friends of Magdalen Green to improve the Roseangle playpark. The team report that the meeting went very well and the next campaign event is at the WestFest Big Sunday! You can follow and support the campaign on the campaign Facebook page. As an initiative for the playpark fundraising campaign, the main Friends of Magdalen Green Facebook page is now featuring high quality artworks that have a Magdalen Green theme.
Wed 29th
06:00
Getting things done ... Glamis Road/Drive and Blackness Road Roundabout - paint spillage
Constituents contacted me last night about the effects of a spilled or emptied 5 litre tin of cream masonry paint over the pavement at the roundabout at Blackness Road/Glamis Road/Glamis Drive - see below:I have asked the City Council to have the paint cleaned up as a matter of urgency.
In September 1977, the Beach Boys split up, briefly. There were many reasons, but the fundamental split in the band came down to Al Jardine and Mike Love wanting to live cleanly, coast on past glories, and practice transcendental meditation, while Carl and Dennis Wilson wanted to make artistically progressive music while abusing as many [...]
On the New Statesman's blog, Liberal Democrat blogger Richard Morris says that the Tories may be mad swivel-eyed loons, but at least they're coherent mad swivel-eyed loons: I am beginning to wonder if, entirely by accident, it's the Tories who are moving towards a coherent position for 2015, while we in the Lib Dems look like the straight laced, steady as you go, slightly conformist middle men.Yes, the Liberal Democrats are currently the better behaved half of the coalition. But if their overriding aim is not to frighten the horses, they will fail to offer a compelling vision for the ...
