On a gorgeous, almost summer, evening in Westminster the final throes of the campaign for equal marriage were in progress. It's very easy to be cynical about politics but this felt different. People from all the political parties came and spoke in favour of equality, including Chris Bryant and Crispin Blunt. Lynne Featherstone, the Lib Dem ...
Yesterday I went through the formalities of renewing my membership. Today I am disappointed. Oh the emotions of being a member of a political party. As you all will have heard this evening Mike Hancock MP has resigned the parliamentary party whip to concentrate on clearing his name against a civil action against him. He will continue as an independent MP. Which basically makes his resignation sound so see through it is as transparent as I am when someone tells me that they've made me a mushroom and fried egg sandwich and I've said 'ooo that sounds lovely' – it ...
My three favourite museums in the world — the Science Museum in Manchester, the Railway Museum in York and the Media Museum in Bradford — all face closure. These are 'non-core' museums, according to the organisation that runs them. Which means that they're not in London. Northerners apparently don't get to have science, art, history [...]
From ITV: In a statement released through the party Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock has said he is withdrawing from the party whip: Following our meeting today I have decided to offer to temporarily withdraw from the parliamentary party in the Commons until the civil court case against me has been concluded. I can assure you that I will continue to vigorously defend my position and that I completely refute the allegations made against me. I'm doing this in the best interests of the party nationally and in Portsmouth and for my family. I will continue to work hard for ...
fao @auntysarah RT @Gally_Freya: http://t.co/e8oYvfYExS This is the ganache recipe I used today, can absolutely recommend :) (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.flickr.com/photo.gne?short=eALiGE evacuee Holly gets off the bus @Brighouse1940s http://t.co/eoj35Laqjb (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.flickr.com/photo.gne?short=eALs67 best bit of @Brighouse1940s as far as I was concerned :) http://t.co/pbOwX3KzB3 (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.yogitea.eu/en/products/details/mens-tea/ this is it: http://t.co/tIH4yzAd9s is quite nice but disappointingly unspicy (tags: (from twitter) ) Should Have been gin. http://t.co/UDm59GVtdM (tags: (from twitter) ) Interesting infographic http://t.co/Za7akU05wK (tags: (from twitter) ) Best tumblr post ever http://t.co/lE9mvciKKi (tags: (from twitter) ) posted The Blood is ...
Transport is the one thing that gets most Londoners hot under the collar and is probably the area in which Liberal Democrats have made most impact on the London Assembly — first through Lynne Featherstone and now Caroline Pidgeon. London is a preeminent global city — certainly Europe's unrivaled metropolis — but it does not [...]
So says BBC political reporter Peter Henley on Twitter. Later. And Politics Home has a party statement and the obligatory exchange of letters confirming it.
Stockport College has a Professional Darts Academy, with expert tuition.
[IMG: image] No.10 rocked by secret love affair: 'Stunned' PM holds crisis talks over fears tryst will 'blow political agenda out of the water' Identities of people involved or details of relationship cannot be disclosed ...So shouted the Mail on Sunday yesterday. We were promised a seismic event which would knock Cameron for six, by various commentators. You read all this and your mind reels. Except, when you finally work out who the secret couple are, via Twitter and the filename of a photo on a well known gossip site, you are left with a distinctly underwhelming feeling. Note: From ...
When we lost two of our ducks at the start of May to foxes, we put some of our ducks eggs into our incubator to try to recover the loss. 28 days later and this morning, after letting out the ducks and hens, I returned home to be greeted by this scene. Our first duckling had hatched. As I write this, there are five ducklings in the incubator. Two eggs are still to hatch. The ducklings will be
[IMG: wedding rings] My Lords, I declare an interest. Many years ago I had the great good fortune to meet someone. She and I have loved one another ever since - apart, that is, from the occasional spectacular argument, usually about driving or DIY. As the slogan on T-shirts in the 1980s said: it happens in the best of families. Whilst marriage is robust and enduring, what is meant by marriage has developed and changed significantly. Marriage was redefined in 1986, otherwise there would not now be any civil marriages in this country. Marriage laws were redefined in 1949, otherwise ...
Guest blog by Ed Davey MP, Lib Dem Energy Secretary: We are currently on the verge of a major breakthrough in delivering the greener and more sustainable Britain that we Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for all our political lives. The Energy Bill returned to the Commons today and I'm fighting the green fight, to pave the way for the creation of 250,000 jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign gas, boost investment in low carbon technology and keeping bills low. Not everything is plain sailing however. The 2030 power decarbonisation target is getting a lot of attention. I can assure ...
I discovered a webpage about the green men to be found decorating terraced housing in Leicester a couple of years ago. The author (whom I met briefly at The Past Beneath Your Feet) says that the best place to hunt for them is off the Melton and Belgrave Roads. But when I read that page again the other day, I saw that it mentioned a couple of streets in others parts of the city. And one of them is near where I work. So here are the green men of Rawson Street, photographed in my lunch hour today.
As you will probably be aware, political reform has leapt back onto the agenda again following revelations from the BBC and newspapers that Patrick Mercer MP and a number of peers have been caught in yet more "cash for lobbying" scandals. In 2010, David Cameron said that lobbying was "the next big scandal waiting to happen" and yet did nothing for years. Will you write to him today to join our calls for him to finally take action now? http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/david-cameron Just a few weeks ago, we warned that the government's failure to introduce legislation on lobbying reform in the Queen's ...
Supporting new jobs and sustaining quality of life in villages are at the centre of the latest development proposals announced by South Cambridgeshire District Council. New business premises and homes are proposed on eight sites in six of the district's larger villages, including a parish council proposal to create employment opportunities and build homes at a vibrant 'gateway' into Histon and Impington. The plans are in addition to larger development proposals revealed last month which include a new town at Waterbeach, a new village at Bourn airfield and development around the new secondary school at Cambourne. Today's proposals recommend a ...
Today we published the aims and ambitions of the new Cornwall Council administration. This is the joint plan of the two groups that have formed the cabinet - the Liberal Democrats and Independents. It is a document which is deliberately not too detailed. Those details are for all councillors to decide. But we wanted to set out the framework of our ambitions and our philosophy, to highlight some of the key concerns and to give reassurance as to our determination to limit the effect of cuts on the core services on which the people of Cornwall depend. This is what ...
Julian Huppert today called for more support for council and social housing, during Communities and Local Government Questions. Julian asked what steps the Government were taking to ensure that much-needed housing was made available as quickly as possible. Lib Dem Minister Don Foster announced that 'with £19.5 billion of public and private investment, our affordable homes programme is on track to deliver 170,000 new affordable homes by March 2015'. Julian then asked for the flexibility for Councils to move funding from sites where building had stalled, to areas where progress can start more quickly, which the Government 'accepted entirely'. Julian ...
Our Headline of the Day Award sees a rare victory for the Bangkok Post.
[IMG: Empty Property (small)] An update on the very long-standing issues of the very poor state of the empty properties at 131-133 Heys Road which I know have been of concern the neighbours and nearby residents for a number of years. As people will know, this has not been a simple case and there have been complications on how the Council can use its legal powers in this case. I have been working with Council officers and encouraging them to find a solution. The Council is now serving notice on the property owners to undertake full repairs. If the owners ...
Today we bring you the 1956 Annual Report of Southport Women's Liberal Association. It is notable for several features. Firstly the context; the faltering Liberal revival had begun. Deep in the wretched winter of 1954 a by election was held in Inverness-shire on December 21st. In fact so poor was the weather the result did not reach the London Press till Christmas Eve. The Liberal candidate, John Bannerman, was a 'popular Gaelic speaking Highlander, sportsman, potato developer and broadcaster; he had played Rugby for Scotland on thirty seven occasions between 1921 and 1929'. He reduced the Tory Majority from 10,000 ...
[IMG: Energy-bills-006] The Energy Bill will, today and tomorrow, be going through its Report Stage and Third Reading in the Commons. Ed Davey set out clearly on Lib Dem Voice why this is so important for decarbonising our power sector and keeping on the lights at an affordable price for consumers. As a party we should be pleased that there is general cross-party support for the bill as it is vital that we maintain as far as we are able cross party consensus to provide the certainty for investors for our transition path. The issue that has been most controversial ...
At least I think that is what happened, although this Northampton Chronicle & Echo report is not entirely clear: Beverley Mennell, who was elected to represent Kingsley ward in 2011, today resigned from the Labour Party and announced she would now be standing as an independent candidate for UKIP (sic), making her the first councillor in the authority's history to represent the Euro-sceptic party. Councillor Mennell, who recently lost a bid to take the leadership from veteran Labour leader, Councillor Terry Wire, said she would be making a full statement at tonight's full council where should be sitting apart from ...
[IMG: Screen Shot 2013-06-03 at 13.05.35] Thank you to the significant number of residents who have been in touch about the fly-tipping between two of the blocks on Baguley Crescent. As you will see from the above photo this was at a totally unacceptable level and I have been working with the Council to see how we can get it removed as quickly as possible. Normally the Council would use legal powers to force a landowner to remove any fly-tipping, though I understand that this is proving complicated in this case. Notices have now been issued and failing that the ...
Dear Resident, Welcome to the latest edition of my Notes from Westminster. Earlier this month, we had the state opening of Parliament (and, of course, the Queen's Speech) where the Coalition Government's programme of measures were set forward. I welcomed a number of measures announced, particularly those that will help support local businesses, carers and pensioners. The announcement that the Government are set to reform the care system to make it more affordable was in timely fashion before Carers Week. I went along to a special campaign event in Westminster to highlight the tireless dedication of carers across the country, ...
[IMG: Police helmet] I was the Lib Dem candidate for Police & Crime Commissioner in Surrey, although I am yet to be convinced that such roles are necessary or desirable as the right way to tackle the problem, or even if 'we' understand what the 'problem' is. But our government set them up, they are a publically elective post, and we are in the business of standing for public office. PCCs were the Tories' solution looking for a problem: they were determined to put these posts into place whatever the situation, irrespective of the merits or otherwise. So the British ...
Labour won the election to take over the running of Maghull Town Council in May 2011 by taking 13 of the 16 seats - we Lib Dems taking the other 3. Labour's problem was that it was pretty obvious from the start that they had not expected to take control of the Council and many of them did not want to be Maghull councillors. One came from Crosby, two from Aintree and 3 were and still are Bootle Labour Borough Councillors - all 6 were clearly making up the numbers on the Labour slate rather than being dedicated to the ...
We take a regular look at the Early Day Motions tabled by MPs. These are basically House of Commons petitions and are used to raise awareness of an issue. One of the biggest elements of an MP's postbag or inbox is a pile of requests from supporters of a particular organisation or charity to sign a particular EDM. As a rule, ministers don't sign EDMs. A look at EDMs can be a useful insight into what's on MPs' minds. The second week of the parliamentary session saw a flurry of motions, going up from 71 to 155. Most popular The ...
Today, so far, has been about religion. The councils petitions committee has been considering petitions for and against religious observance in non denominational schools. We had well argued cases on all sides of the divide ranging from the secular society's view that they should allow religious education, but not observance, even if it included all faiths and humanists, to a very woolly stance taken by the Church of Scotland representative that most of the committee struggled to understand. In France and the USA you have political and public traditions which carefully and clearly separate church and state but the UK ...
It has been announced that the Mercian Regiment will parade through Stockport on Thursday 13th June. The 1st Battalion of the Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) has recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. The Homecoming March, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Phil Kimber MBE, will comprise approximately 200 personnel, including a number from Stockport, and the Band of The Royal Logistic Corps. Stockport Council is encouraging people to cheer on the Regiment. The parade will assemble in Stockport town centre, in the historic Market Place near St Mary's Church. The Mayor of Stockport will present medals to soldiers from Stockport ...
The Federal Policy Committee is advertising for members for two new policy working groups: Reform of Public Services, and Tackling Crime and Reform of the Criminal Justice system. The Public Services group will look at overarching issues relevant to all public services, including themes like decentralisation and user empowerment, and also address specific policy issues in major services like education and health. The other group will look at all aspects of preventing and reducing crime and the fear of crime, through the whole range of policy interventions. Both groups are expected to produce policy papers for the Autumn 2014 party ...
For all those of you with a deep and abiding love of energy policy, over on my business website I've put up my first article: How to decarbonise domestic heat on the cheap.
Look. I'm no Chelsea fan. My loyalties are firmly with another team in blue currently plying their trade in League 2 but I love football and the Premier League has been missing something over the past couple of years. With the loss of Sir Alex to retirement the league needed a figurehead manager and who better than Jose Mourinho? The one thing I want to say about Jose Mourinho is he has produced two of the most exciting teams I have seen in the past decade. His first Chelsea team with Robben and Duff marauding down the flanks, Drogba all ...
It's official.
Writing in the Independent, Guy Verhofstadt, president of the Liberal group in the European Parliament calls for Britain to seek EU-wide reform rather than a swathe of opt-outs. Other European leaders have stressed their desire for the UK to remain part of the EU, but also that they are not interested in cutting a special deal for the UK alone. They rightly stress that the single market relies on a common set of rules, applied and enforced equally by everyone. At the same time, many on the continent recognise that there is growing need for major changes. Rather than engaging ...
Every month as Councillors we are given an update on employment and unemployment figures for the local area and it is worth sharing these from time to time. These latest figures relate to the end of March 2013. Bury Figures Bury saw a 3.0% decrease in Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants to 4,770 between February 2013 and March 2013. This is a larger decrease than that of Greater Manchester (1.3%) and Great Britain (1.8%). A count of 4,770 claimants represents a 5.3% decrease in claimants over a 12 months period. This is a bigger decrease than that of Greater Manchester ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Finally, Ed Miliband gets it: he's turning his back on the Owen Jones flat-earthers - Telegraph Blogs Much as I love Dan Hodges' columns he's turning into Lab's Peter Oborne. Today he praises Mili, tmrw he'll savage him http://bit.ly/14aV1z0 68% of Lib Dem members back backbench rebellion over energy decarbonisation target More than two-thirds of Lib Dem members would back rebellion on decarbonisation target (poll from last Jan) http://bit.ly/16D6ye1 Send to Kindle
Oh boy... Many years ago I kept a journal and one of my 'friends' who read the journal decided one day to tell me exactly what she thought of me. She basically said my journal entries were dull and therefore had an opinion that I was just too boring to know. Nice of her. Her main issue was the fact I wrote a fair bit about my fantasy baseball teams. Well she left my life many years ago but fantasy baseball did not. I am still involved in a fantasy baseball league that I have been involved in since 2005 ...
I know that the absence of the [lobbying] register from last month's Queen's Speech raised some concerns. So let me be clear: it will happen. That was Nick Clegg writing in the Telegraph following accusations that an MP and three peers were engaging in paid lobbying. Also on the table is the power of recall of corrupt MPs – something also raised by Tories Dan Hannan and Douglas Carswell elsewhere in the Telegraph. The point at issue between the two positions: whether there must be wrongdoing, or whether recall is at the absolute discretion of the petitioners and voters. I ...
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, David Rimmer and Nigel Ashton, together with FOCUS Editor Jo Barton, are holding their next advice centre on Saturday 8th June, from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We hold our advice centre at St John's School, Rufford Road, Crossens every month (except August) on the second Saturday of the month. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at Cafe Moo Moo on ...
Many technologies come along hyped as being the next big thing to change political campaigning. Not nearly so many make an impact. One of my rules for judging which is likely to make the cut is the question of scale. Quite simply, small rural divisions in local government aside, there are simply too many voters for candidates to be able to personally spend much time communicating with them on a 1-to-1 basis. The communications technologies that have the most impact are those that in some way scale, ideally preserving a sense of personal communication yet in a way that allows ...
While I was doing the government's review on Barriers to Choice last year, the most common complaint at round tables was about getting appointments to see GPs. This was unexpected because the official research for the Department of Health, every year, does not pick this up. Nonetheless, anecdotal evidence - which is important here - suggests that some people, maybe older people in particular, do have difficulties here. I find it quite hard myself sometimes, at least if you wait until you really need it. So when I woke up a few days ago with another mild chest infection, I ...
This sounds like the start of a stand-up comedy sketch. The education minister tells us that learning by rote is the key to success and we need to go back to O levels. Well I took O levels and I'll tell you what I remember about the one I took in history. Bismark had a foreign and domestic policy and I can also remember the year 1870. That's the sum total of my memory of history O level. I have just looked up 1870 and there was a Franco-Prussian war in 1870 - 1871 but I couldn't tell you anything ...
Well, that's the end of semester two, year two. Two thirds of the way through my degree. In somewhere around 50 weeks time I will reach my expected completion date! But one subject I won't be upset about leaving behind this semester is macro- or voodoo-economics. I don't think I need to know my official results from this semester to know that this will have been my worst module, possibly in my whole degree. I have described it as trying to make an atheist believe Bible stories. I hear the words, I see the charts, I believe I understand the ...
Equality under the law and equal opportunity is at the heart of Liberal Democracy. So begins the first report of the task force appointed by Nick Clegg early in 2012, charged with identifying effective measures to tackle inequality, discrimination and under‐representation affecting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and individuals. Focusing on education and employment, no fewer than 30 recommendations are offered, notably including opposition to changes to the Equality Act and EHRC, previously covered here at Liberal Democrat Voice. The Guardian reports equality reforms condemned by Lib Dem task force. The Task Force recommends maintaining the wider role ...
Don't forget that Prestwich Carnival and Grand Parade takes place over the weekend of Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June 2013. A whole host of events take place each year at the carnival ranging from organised displays to stalls village, playing host to local businesses, charities and organisations alike. Attractions booked for the weekend include: - Normanis – Norman re-enactment group - An all new food village (details on this coming soon) - 1940s historical re-enactment group - Fantastic Ukranian dance troop (TBC) - Model helicopter display Irwell Works Brewery from Ramsbottom will be coming to Prestwich Carnival on the ...
I see variations of the words in the title of this post multiple times a day. Most often they are followed by a link to the offending article, and that really grinds my gears. I never click the link. Never. D'you know why? Because EVERY pageview is a pageview they can sell to advertisers. EVERY discussion that mentions them, whether positively or negatively, is buzz that they can sell to advertisers. Why do you think the Daily Mail is the biggest "news" site in the world? It's not just because people approve of the crap they write. It's because people ...
But only if you were planning to go to County Hall to view the map of the land to be appropriated at Belle Vue, as set out in the statement in this week's Advertiser. Here it is. [IMG: Appropriation land]
Giles Chichester, an MEP for the region since 1994, has confirmed he is to stand down at the next European elections in May 2014, completing 20 years of service to the region in Europe. Mr Chichester was elected as an MEP for Devon and East Plymouth in 1994 and then re-elected as an MEP for the newly-formed South West UK constituency in 1999. During his time at the Parliament he served as chair
The BBC's Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield has written a fascinating report about the central place of philosophy in the French education system. Why do the French consider philosophy so important? The purpose of the philosophy Bac is not to understand the history of human thought but to leap into the stream that is the actuality of human thought.If you learn about what Kant or Spinoza once said, it is not so much to understand their argument as to use their argument....the purpose of teaching philosophy was - and remains, in theory - to complete the education of young men and ...
[IMG: libdem letter from nick clegg] This week, Nick emphasises that despite all the fuss in the media, the Government is getting its head down and delivering good things. He points out that although things like Europe and equal marriage dominate the newspapers, they take up a relatively small part of parliamentary time. He also says that he thinks coalitions will become more frequent as people's dissatisfaction with "the old two party politics deepens." Over to Nick "It won't be easy: there will be bumps and scrapes along the way." That's what I said three years ago, in the joint ...
Patrick Stewart: made of awesome. (tags: ) posted The Blood is The Life 01-06-2013 http://t.co/fCsJSVd735 on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-22728150 LMAO "Horror as Dracula hammers exam hopes" BBC link to http://t.co/p5hFzCeIsb @Hammerfilms (tags: (from twitter) ) Lloyds Turn Away Transgender Customer - The Backbencher (tags: ) 10 popular myths debunked | News | The Guardian (tags: ) Also happy to accept paypal donations http://t.co/rAlDyuYZ8V #worthatry (tags: (from twitter) worthatry ) https://flattr.com/profile/miss_s_b Anyway, if anyone wants to flattr me, knock yourselves out: https://t.co/hj9NCat6Vz (tags: (from twitter) ) https://flattr.com/howflattrworks @timfarron https://t.co/Ci87EceEGx (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.ashdownfm.com/ So ...
The Friends of Balgay organised a litter pick across Balgay Park and Hill yesterday, as part of Dundee's Festival of Volunteering. Here's me with some of the team pictured below at Mills Observatory on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
With thanks to Sheena Wellington, here are details of the forthcoming BBC Award Community Music Day, taking place at the Bonar Hall on Saturday 22nd June and organised by the Friends of the Wighton. It is a family event for all ages that includes a morning concert with mezzo soprano Helen Brown, an afternoon harp recital with Alison Kinnaird, song and instrumental workshops, all day sessions, an early evening family concert including the Wighton Singers, U3A Folk Group, Tayside Young Fiddlers, Loadsaweeminsingin, the East Coast Ukulele Ensemble and others. There is also an Evening Ceilidh with the Mad Parrot Ceilidh ...
I have often said who owns the airport is of little relevance to the people of Wales, what they want is an airport that operates well and has a decent number of flights. The Welsh Government now own Cardiff Airport and they must ensure that it functions and grows. They urgently need put in place a Welsh Aviation Strategy setting out how they want air travel across Wales to develop and what they want it to deliver for Welsh economy. Taxpayers will rightly be watching every move made by the Welsh Government and alternative suggestions from other political parties. Taxpayers ...
A Cambourne benefit cheat is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of over £81,000 of benefit fraud. Vicky Cooling, 31, of Greenhaze Lane, Great Cambourne had claimed benefits as a single parent but failed to tell two councils and the Department for Work and Pensions that she had a partner living with her who was in full time work. Miss Cooling denied two charges of dishonestly failing to report changes in her circumstances and two charges of dishonestly making false statements to obtain benefit. A jury at Cambridge Crown Court found her guilty of all charges on 31 May. She ...
Although I follow a rather amusing spoof twitter account named after Number 10 Downing Street's cat, I had not realised how much of the establishment the Government's chief mouser had become until I saw the Inside Government website. Larry's biography explains that he was recruited from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on recommendation for his mousing skills and has made a significant impact. He is the first cat at Number 10 to be bestowed the title of Chief Mouser fficially: He has captured the hearts of the Great British public and the press teams often camped outside the front door. ...
Last week saw the first ever meeting of international humanists in Romania, held in the People's Palace in Bucharest. The Romanian Humanist Association (RHA) hosted the event which included atheist blogger PZ Myers, British psychologist Richard Wiseman, BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson, and representatives of humanist associations across Eastern Europe. The conference was widely reported in the national media in Romania. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) and the European Humanist Federation also held their General Assemblies across this four day event. The conference was opened by RHA president Cezar Maroti, who explained the urgent need for secularism in ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. 1. Hemlock Happening The 12th Annual Hemlock Happening will take place this Saturday at Bramcote Hills Park. This free event is one of the main highlights of the year and it is beginning to look like the weather might play ball as well. A full programme of entertainment is in place and everyone is invited to come and have a great time. The opening ceremony, attended by our MP, the Mayor of Broxtowe and the ...
Successful shoe shop Modish in Green Street has won the May category 'Best Clothing and Accessories Shop' in Julian Huppert MP's "Discovering Cambridge" competition, celebrating the city's independent businesses. Modish opened in Cambridge in May 2011 and is run by Sarah Decent who describes the shop as being aimed at "women who like gorgeous looking footwear that don't kill your feet or require a second mortgage". Sarah also owns a second branch of Modish in Saffron Walden and runs a website and blog about her businesses. After visiting the shop on Monday 3 June, Julian commented "Although I wouldn't claim ...
