Some of us have long argued that allotments are great for improving a person's physical health, but what about mental health? There are now one million single older men in the UK and many can fall victim to loneliness and mental health problems. Men's Health Week takes place on 10th-16th June and one project in particular in Gateshead aims to address the issue of loneliness and mental health
Councillor Ashley Evans and I are supporting a fair deal for you local. This campaign is calling reform of the PubCo industry to stop landlords being exploited by large companies that tie them into buying their beer. Around a third of pubs in the UK are run by these large companies, who charge such prices for their tied beer that it becomes very difficult for local publicans to earn a living. Furthermore it prevents our local pubs buying in guest beer from local breweries such as the Elland brewery, Little Valley or Slightly foxed brewery. We are urging both Craig ...
Brookfield on the London Road in Leicester was built in the 1870s for Thomas Fielding Johnson, though the Tudor frontage - which I find more attractive than I probably should - dates from the following decade, says From Tollgate to Tramshed. Fielding Johnson was a Leicester worsted spinner and the main administrative block at the University of Leicester is named after him. This is because he bought the old lunatic asylum and presented it and its land to the city for in memory of the Leicester men killed in the First World War. Today's Fielding Johnson building at the university ...
Two articles on Lib Dem Voice caught my eye today - both from the so-called 'Better Together' campaign who are effectively the political wing of the Scottish Labour party. One is written by Kirsty O'Brien, who fails to mentions she is a London based Labour hack - looking to become a Scottish MEP next year. Confusingly titled 'London is not a foreign country' - er no because it is a city - she raises the bizarre spectre of her poor wee son having to get his passport out when visiting his Granny. If you couldn't think it could get any ...
We reported last night the historic decision of the House of Lords to approve the second reading of the Same Sex Marriage Bill by a hefty majority. 73 Lib Dem peers voted against Lord Dear's wrecking amendment. And if you were wondering about the breakdown across the parties — how many of each voted for or against? — then Will Howells (formerly of this parish) has posted this handy graph to Twitter: [IMG: equal marriage votes] Figures are from Public Whip, with one or two errors as noted here by Will. * Stephen Tall is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, ...
Earlier tonight, I attended the June meeting of Community Spirit Action Group - the community group for the "north" part of West End Ward, covering Tullideph, Pentland, Ancrum and the Cleghorn area. The meeting took place in the Mitchell Street Centre. There was a really impressive presentation by Eamon Keane and his colleague Conor Doherty about the University of Dundee's Student Law Clinic that provides free legal advice, given by law students under the supervision of a member of staff who is legally qualified. More details of this excellent initiative can be accessed here. The Law Clinic not only provides ...
This afternoon, I took part in the latest meeting of the City Council's working group tackling school parking and pupil safety outside schools across the city. I took the opportunity to again raise my concerns and those of constituents about road safety in the vicinity of the West End schools' campus - Balgay Hill Nursery School, Victoria Park Primary School and St Joseph's Primary School. The concerns include some drivers driving into the school campus area (instead of parking on-street) against school advice and some inappropriate on-street parking including drop off and pick up of pupils on Blackness Road. I ...
Today counter-terrorism Police launched an investigation into a fire which destroyed an Islamic Centre near where I live in Muswell Hill. Graffiti reading 'EDL' was found at the scene and the Police are attempting to identify if this is a genuine lead. I am extremely concerned about the possibility of a terrorist act in Muswell Hill. If the suspicions of the Fire Brigade and the Police concerning the blaze at the nearby Islamic and Bravanese Community Centre are confirmed then the enemies of liberal democracy will have proven themselves to be devoid of both scruples and morals in pursuing their ...
Wed 5th
20:30
Alistair Carmichael writes...We should be talking about how Lib Dems won record investment for renew...
Yesterday I voted against the inclusion in the Energy Bill of a target for decarbonisation to be met by 2030. In truth I think that the setting of a target would have been sensible and that is why I am content with it being party policy. So why vote against it? I didn't do so because I am a bad person who is determined to ignore party policy. The truth is a little more complex than that. Firstly, it seems to be conveniently ignored by many that the Bill does include a power to set a target but in 2016 ...
Further to my recent update about the arrangements for the temporary move of Blackness Library to Logie and St John's (Cross) Church whilst the remainder of the improvements at the library take place over the next 6-8 weeks, I today visited the temporary facility to chat with the staff and library users about how the temporary arrangement is working. See photo of the temporary facility (below).It was good to hear from staff that the facility at the church is working well and being well-used thus far by local library users since it opened on Monday. The library will be moving ...
The Guardian wins our coveted Headline of the Day Award.
[IMG: Stephen and Anna Soubry - WHO Award] Every year on World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organisation gives out medals to people who have made outstanding contributions to tobacco control. There were just six awards given out in Europe, and one of them was to Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West, Stephen Williams, who was nominated by two organisations, Action on Smoking and Health and Smokefree South West. He was presented with the medal by Health Minister Anna Soubry today. The Minister backed his campaign for plain packaging of cigarettes. Since he was elected in 2005, Stephen has ...
At the local elections two years ago York Liberal Democrats lost 12 councillors and control of the city's council. Now, reports The Press, they believe they are beginning to fight back: Halfway between elections, the Lib Dems have a new leader - 31-year-old teacher Keith Aspden, Fulford's councillor since 2003 - a six-point plan of attack, a new councillor in Lynn Jeffries, once of Labour, and a bullish approach. They see themselves as "the real alternative" to York's Labour rulers.York was where I gained my first experience of fighting local elections. Steve Galloway, the doyen of York Liberal and one ...
Wed 5th
19:25Registers and recall: I support them both. But they're not going to clean up our democracy
The weekend's revelations that two Labour peers and an Ulster Unionist were filmed offering to lobby ministers for cash, following hot on the heels of Tory MP Patrick Mercer's resignation of the Tory whip over similar allegations, has re-ignited the question of how to clean up Parliament. Two proposals are being pushed, both of them originally pledged in the Coalition Agreement. Register of lobbyists First, there's a register of lobbyists, intended to bring greater transparency to the way in which professional lobbyists seek to influence government decisions. This is one of Unlock Democracy's top campaigns: If we don't know who ...
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[IMG: Annette Brooke] Annette Brooke is the new Chair of the Parliamentary Liberal Democrat Party. Annette was elected unopposed, and took her place as Chair of a meeting of Liberal Democrat MPs last night. Annette's new role will involve the chairing of Parliamentary Party meetings, interaction with all colleagues, providing a communication channel to represent views where appropriate and providing a listening and supportive pastoral role to complement the work of the Liberal Democrat Whips. Annette will bring a wealth of experience to the role, having been a member of the Chairman's Panel in Parliament since 2010, serving as the ...
Stop me if you have heard this one before, but a popular, prominent left wing social commentator appears to have caught out lifting quotes. Harry Cole, as his Spectator alter-ego Steerpike, has revealed that a quote that appears in Penny's breakthrough pamphlet 'Meat Market' also appears in a previous article from the New Internationalist. From 1988. ...
People, especially the sports-viewing public, understand uncertainties just fine Writing in Nature last week, Nic Fleming argues that "the introduction of goal-line technology to football is likely to perpetrate a mass deception on television viewers." He further worries that, "It will miss a huge opportunity to educate people about the role of uncertainty in science. And it will exacerbate the approaching danger of fake computer-generated video footage." Here I take the other side. People, especially the sports-viewing public, understand uncertainties just fine. Contrary to Fleming's concern, the opportunities that may actually be missed here include the chance to educate scientists ...
HiRes version available here
Today it was clear that the cabinet intends that its meetings shall be less interesting than ever. That's the only conclusion I can draw from the leader's introduction in which he explained that questions from the public are to go, or be dramatically scaled back, and that he would be tightening up on who could ask questions at Cabinet – only councillors whose ward is particularly affected by a cabinet decision. That's a relatively rare event, so questions and challenge at cabinet will become almost extinct. The leader also took the opportunity to remind the assembled that the Liberal Democrats ...
This is not the wild-life section of my blog. Instead it's a summary of my recent Highways Committee Training. Each of these is a different kind of road crossing. The pelican, as you will know, is the one where you press the button and look for the green man on the other side of the road to indicate that it's safe to cross. The puffin is the newer kind where the green man is actually on the pad next to the button, and is designed to be more helpful for the visually impaired – which is fine, but apparently confuses ...
[IMG: Willie Rennie - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] The last time I heard the phrase continental drift used was when I was half asleep in a Geography class more years ago than I care to remember. Willie Rennie uses it in today's Scotsman to talk about the problems which he thinks would ensue an independent Scotland joined the EU and the rest of the UK left it. I certainly have been susceptible to thoughts that, although far from my first choice, an independent Scotland in the EU would be preferable to a rest of the UK outside it. ...
[IMG: Downham Summer Fayre.2013]
"Goldplating" – the practice whereby national governments add on extra regulation to the law emanating from the EU - is what often leads citizens to believe that the European Union "over-regulates". Whilst there may be cases of such excessive regulation from Union bodies, such as the recent proposal to ban certain types of olive oil jugs, which has been thankfully withdrawn, the fact is that much of the over-regulation happens when the European law is being processed at national level. Unfortunately, Westminster has not been immune to the "goldplating bug." For this reason, Lord Tope, member of the EU's assembly ...
Like many others this morning I was astonished to wake to the news that the Public Services Ombudsman is seeking the power to stop the publication of some of its reports and to prosecute those who go against his wishes. According to the BBC this would mean complainants could face contempt of court charges if they go to the media. The danger is of course that it will lead to less transparency and accountability. The BBC add that a number of legal experts believe it is the duty of the justice system, not the ombudsman, to decide whether confidentiality outweighs ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Labour and Tory MPs have a new twist on an old game. Block democratic reform. Then criticise lack of democratic reform | Stephen Tall Lab and Tory MPs have a new twist on an old game. Block democratic reform. Then criticise lack of democratic reform http://bit.ly/15zWjCF Check your privilege! Whatever that means | Hadley Freeman | Society | The Guardian A sane look at "Checking your privilege!" from @hadleyfreeman http://bit.ly/11h2qaK PS: it's about more than spell-checking priveledge Grammar schools and the myth of social mobility - Telegraph Blogs Good stuff from @timwig ...
This morning, I attended Dundee's Second Economic Summit, at the Bonar Hall. Like last year's summit, it was extremely well-attended and it was good to see so many of the city's employers represented. There were a number of very interesting presentations and I was, in particular, fascinated by the excellent contribution by Herman Twickler, Managing Director of the PressureFab Group, the leading designer and manufacturer of offshore transport and development equipment, and based in the West End Ward at Wright Avenue. Not only did Herman give an insight into the astounding success of PressureFab over the past four years, he ...
Wed 5th
12:59Ashdown says package offered to Afghan interpreter doesn't "fulfill our debt of honour"
A couple of weeks ago, we reported that the Government had changed its mind and would allow Afghan intepreters to settle in this country. This is something that Paddy Ashdown and Nick Clegg had argued for vociferously. However, as details of the scheme have emerged, they have been dismissed as insufficient by various people, including Paddy Ashdown as the Times (£) reports: Senior politicians have accused the Government of mistaken priorities in their handling of safeguards for British Army interpreters when UK forces leave Afghanistan. Only those interpreters who were still in British service on December 19, 2012, will be ...
So people know the plan for the next few weeks, I plan to finish the Beach Boys essays for book two this week (only Looking Back With Love and Youngblood to go). Then for the rest of this month I'm going to mostly post book reviews here — I need, for starters, to review the [...]
The first meeting of the new 'Finance and Resources Portfolio Advisory Committee' takes place next Thursday 13th June in Truro. On the agenda for every PAC meeting as a 15 minute slot for the public to ask questions relevant to the portfolio. The PACs are a new invention designed to engage more councillors in the work of each cabinet member. There was a feeling under the old system that cabinet members had become too detached from backbenchers and that decisions were being taken without regard to the views of all 123 councillors. By retaining the cabinet system, the council chose ...
This week's revelations about MPs and Peers profiting from their seats in Parliament has been a catalyst to get the political reform agenda going again, though Alexander Ehmann is quite right to say that these stories were not a "lobbying" scandal as such. No lobbyist worth their salt (or their fee) would seriously approach a parliamentarian offering ready cash. Only journalists would do that, exposing their targets as greedy and stupid in equal measure. The parliamentarians concerned - it would appear - have broken the rules which already exist. And if they have sinned, it looks like a case of ...
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: Big Ben London] London is a world city so it's no wonder tens of thousands of Scots like me call it home. Some come to work for a while then head home, others put down more permanent roots and stay for the long-haul. I can't speak for all of them but I don't know anyone who has considered the move a 'migration'. Leaving Scotland is a wrench but you don't feel you're moving to a foreign country. I love this city – I love how busy, diverse and vibrant it is. But when people ask me where I'm from ...
[IMG: Twitter logo] If you're interested in the Liberal Democrats and you're into Twitter (start drawing that Venn diagram now), here are four lists to help you get the best out of the social network: Liberal Democrat MPs (44 currently) Liberal Democrat peers (24 currently) Liberal Democrat MEPs (11 currently) Liberal Democrat council leaders and directly elected Mayors (6 currently) (Note – there are other versions of the first three of these lists maintained by others, but I usually find, ahem, that my three are more accurate and complete. That's not to say they're always perfect so do let me ...
Wed 5th
10:25Labour and Tory MPs have a new twist on an old game. Block democratic reform. Then criticise lack of...
[IMG: clegg on leveson] Labour and Tory MPs have a new favourite hobby. It's one they've been practising for decades, but they've really refined their art in the last three years. Basically it works like this... A political scandal happens. Abuse of expenses by MPs or cash-for-questions/honours/favours, that sort of thing. Everyone demands reform. This must never happen again, they say. Cross-party talks are immediately convened. Then re-convened a few months later once the pressure's off a bit. And finally they're abandoned once they're sure people have got bored with it all and the news agenda has moved on. Everything ...
posted The Blood is The Life 04-06-2013 http://t.co/atdEFXkjhm on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Hounslow Council Run Foodbank Shuns 'Undeserving Poor' | the void (tags: ) "Naked" man grabbed by the fuzz: http://t.co/8HSRHru0Op (tags: (from twitter) ) http://anatweet.com/report [My Twt Report] via http://t.co/NJYCOGA1WV - http://t.co/XI9TgxhWJ9 (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ @SarahBrown1984 am using MyFitnessPal on the phone. It makes it geeky which helps me ;) http://t.co/glPRJPyNJO @AAEmmerson (tags: (from twitter) ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: wedding rings] We've covered in full all the Liberal Democrat speeches from the Same Sex Marriage Bill, which passed its second reading in the Lords last night. Lord Phillips of Sudbury was the last but one speaker very late on Monday night. He made an original contribution, describing himself as "pathetically open-minded." I'm not sure that young people will be entirely satisfied with his comments which implied that when they grow up, they won't support equal marriage in as large numbers. He di, however, again use thoughtful and temperate language in his critique of the Bill. He said: My ...
[IMG: New Statesman] It is always a little nerve-wracking when someone whose writing, and whose point of view, you admire enormously takes it upon themselves to review your book. Bryan Appleyard's review of my book Broke: Who Killed the Middle Classes is in the New Statesman this week, but isn't online, so I can't link to it. But to my intense relief, it is a generous, thoughtful article, comparing it to another new book called When the Money Runs Out (Stephen King) - and he has not only read the book (a rarity among reviewers) but believes it is "convincing" ...
[IMG: Blue bird sitting on rope] The received wisdom is that unfollowing someone on Twitter is of no great significance. It can be done with breezy indifference. And it will be treated in the same way by the person being unfollowed. They probably won't even notice. It's not like unfriending someone on Facebook. That's a weapon. It can be interpreted as a serious slight or a declaration of war. A couple of years ago when talking to someone new to Twitter I said "Just do your own thing. If people like it they'll stay, if they don't they'll go. It ...
[IMG: Image courtesy of freefoto.com] York is a classic example of an English city where the Liberal Democrats developed a strong local base as voters became disillusioned with both the Conservatives and later Labour in the 1990s and 2000s. After two decades of Labour control we won a landslide victory in 2003 and formed the administration on City of York Council for eight years. As elsewhere, in 2011 we took a hammering from the voters, our first electoral test as a party of government. The unitary authority of York is split into two parliamentary constituencies including the marginal (famously 'doughnut-shaped') ...
The Lincolnshire Echo has breaking news about UKIP Councillor Chris Pain, leader of the opposition on Lincolnshire County Council, who has been accused of posting "racist rants" on Facebook: Chris Pain has stepped down as East Midlands chairman of UKIP amid a police investigation into racist remarks on Facebook.He is still protesting is innocence, insisting his Facebook account was hacked. Meanwhile, police investigations continue. We should not be complacent and assume that such rows will necessarily damage UKIP. The party has been embroiled in various scandals before. Two UKIP MEPs, Ashley Mote and Tom Wise, were jailed for fraud but ...
Wed 5th
08:22
Fighting to Protect the Green Belt - A guest posting from Cllr Nigel Ashton (Liberal Democrat, Meols...
Green belt land is a precious resource and we must fight to protect it. The need for new housing can be met by building on brownfield sites and other non-protected areas. There are viable alternatives to building on green belt, but in producing their local plan Sefton has gone for the easy option. Once green belt land is built on it is lost forever. Many local residents feel very strongly about protecting the environment. During a previous consultation in 2011, more people attended the drop-in session in Churchtown than anywhere else in the whole of Sefton. There was also a ...
From the Tay Road Bridge Manager: Here is the monthly update on the Dundee City Waterfront Development works and how this has impacted on traffic on the bridge: Contract 3 - Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM) Progress May 2013 There have been no issues affecting traffic accessing and exiting the bridge. As a result of a minor delay to the bridgeworks the current traffic management will now be in place until mid to late June 2013 to allow the first phase of the new ramps to be completed and commissioned Waterproofing and strengthening of the existing deck on the southbound plaza ...
You can download a high quality PDF of this leaflet here.
The Welsh Labour Government's Programme for Government claims that it will 'work with partners to support the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the Welsh Uplands'. The unilateral decision to strip Welsh hill farmers of essential dedicated Less Favoured Areas (LFA) support utterly undermines this commitment, and has the potential to significantly damage the economy of the Welsh Uplands. Thanks to the policies of the Welsh Labour Government alone Wales now faces being placed at a competitive disadvantage with farmers across the UK and the wider EU by radically reducing support for their businesses. While simply throwing money at farming ...
I looked at the form. It was printed on green paper; the black sans-serif letters ensured the questions were clear: did I want to be a councillor, was there anything in my past that could embarass the party, and why did I want to do this? As I scanned the paper, I exhaled. I've lived ...
