Well if you believe the media it is disenchated Tories demanding the sort of nonsense announced in the 'alternative Queen's speech' by Peter 'Sven' Bone. Well the Liberton and Gilmerton by-election last night in Edinburgh for once provides some hard facts about the nature of their (albeit still small) support north of border. Thanks to the Lib Dems introduction of STV for local council elections we can see how votes transfer between parties - rather than just speculate. So here's how real UKIP votes transferred: The table doesn't show parties - but their votes transferred as follows: Con = 67 ...
[IMG: Peace Bridge] The 20th British Irish Council met at Magee College, Derry-Londonderry this week. I suppose most people would greet that news with a yawn. Big deal. But wait. I feel an odd stirring within me. It actually is a big deal and we ought to remind ourselves of that. In my lifetime there was day after day, month after month, year after year of atrocities in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. They are now a thing of the past. The British Irish Council is one of the mechanisms which played a part in the Good Friday agreement to help ...
After a few weeks of hype and speculation, we finally have a result in the Aberdeen Donside by-election. Political anoraks like by-elections. I'm not sure other people do particularly, but for the politically obsessed they tend to provide hours of conversation and indeed entertainment of sorts. We speculate about share of the vote, turnout, swings and of course the political implications. It's an odd pastime in honesty and personally I prefer to try to make sense of by-elections in their aftermath. Before discussing this particular by-election in some depth, it may be worth mentioning that on 1st June I made ...
[IMG: Richard M. Nixon and Elvis Presley at the White House] Is this real? I thought it was a spoof.. - So asked a post-Nixon child on seeing Nixon's the One in the Sky Playhouse Presents series. Yes, it is real. He recorded all his office conversations and then he was hoist by his own petard. And that's Mr Burns that is. (Harry Shearer who plays Nixon in these superb shows is Mr Burns, Kent Brockman, Ned Flanders etc etc in the Simpsons). photo by: The U.S. National Archives [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Thursday A fine evening: I find that Littlewood's shirt is quite sufficient to keep me warm as I walk by the shores of Rutland Water. My cattle low in the nearby fields, the shrill call of wheway and hamwee can be heard across the waves and I fancy I can distinguish the harps of the Elves of Rockingham Forest playing in my covers. (Strictly speaking, they are trespassing, but I find it best not to make a fuss: it is wise to keep on the right side of these fellows.) The breeze is heady with the scent of May blossom ...
Back in January I got a number of letters from local residents about the arrangements for rough sleeper in Southport during severe weather. I blogged about it then As a result of those letters I received I contacted the leading Southport Homeless Charity Light for Life and asked their advice. I was appalled by what they told me. Firstly that Sefton Council discharged their statutory obligations to the homeless by doing a deal with Liverpool City Council for the Whitechapel Project to open up a Church Hall in Liverpool and to tell rough sleepers to make their own way ...
Fri 21st
19:35
ATOS turns Market Harborough man away disability benefit assessment because he is in a wheelchair
Just when you thought your opinion of ATOS could fall no lower comes this story from the Leicester Mercury: A man has claimed he was turned away and labelled a fire hazard after attending a disability benefit assessment in a wheelchair. Charles Foreman said he was asked to leave the building as he presented a health and safety risk at the medical examination.And his wife takes up the story: His wife Karen, 52, a shop manager, said she was asked to take her husband out of the building after she checked in at reception. She said: "We were in bit ...
A headline in the New York Times presents ageing hippies with a difficult choice: Marijuana Crops in California Threaten Forests and WildlifeHmmm... Marijuana vs. Trees and Animals. That's a tough one, isn't it?
Last week Helena Morrissey published the results of her inquiry into how the Liberal Democrats handled allegations of sexual harassment. In our 24 hour news cycle, this may already seem like old news. But it is vital for the future of women in politics that do not allow the report and its conclusions to be forgotten. The change cannot only be top down - it must also be a grassroots movement. The Lib Dems are not the first institution to be found to have mishandled allegations of sexual harassment. It is particularly galling for party members though, as the picture ...
At first, I was sceptical. Then, I conceded there might be some truth in it. Now, it cannot be denied. The Conservative Party really does contain some mad swivel-eyed loons. Today's Daily Telegraph reports: Conservative MPs have drawn up an "Alternative Queen's Speech" with radical policies such as bringing back the death penalty, privatising the BBC and banning the burka in public spaces.The 42 bills also include legislation to scrap wind farm subsidies, end the ringfence for foreign aid spending and rename the late August Bank Holiday "Margaret Thatcher Day".Britain's relationship with Europe features prominently in the action plan, with ...
Nick Clegg has taken a mostly unjustified pasting in the media over the past couple of days for his answer to the question: If you had been in the restaurant eating close by to Nigella and Saatchi when he disturbingly put her hands around her neck, what would your reaction had been? Stephen Tall was right to say yesterday that his response was a bit ill thought out and incoherent. I preferred to think of it as him taking the pony to get to the point rather than the helicopter, something that he does quite a bit. Nick did get ...
The Government of Gibraltar has this week marked the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in which the Kingdom of Spain ceded Gibraltar to the Crown of Great Britain with an exhibition at the European Parliament in Brussels. 2013 also marks the 40th anniversary of Gibraltar's entry into the European Economic Community, as it was then, on the 1st of January 1973. The
You will recall my recent disappointment when travelling from Stuttgart to Zagreb on discovering that my booked first class seat had been replaced with a perfectly comfortable, but not first class, standard class one in the absence of an entire first class carriage. And so, on 20 May, I complained... Dear Sir/Madam, I travelled from Stuttgart to Zagreb on train EC113/213 on 8 May. Having booked a first class seat, I was disappointed to find, on boarding the train, that the first class carriage had been left off of the train, and that my reservation was in a second class ...
The Local Government Conference organised jointly by ALDC and the Lib Dem LGA group takes place tomorrow in Manchester. As you can see from the agenda (pdf) there is a packed schedule, with numerous MPs including Nick Clegg, Tim Farron and Ed Davey in attendance. I will also be there, covering things for the site. I'll have a live blog running here where I will bring you coverage of some of the talks, and hopefully some interviews from some of the participants. I'll also try and tweet, both from my own twitter and the Lib Dem Voice account. If you ...
Once again the Shropshire Star wins our Headline of the Day Award. Note that, even when the perpetrator is a cat, crime stories in the Star generally concern Telford.
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... The Lib Dems: the party with as many knights as women MPs Ouch > "The Lib Dems: the party with as many knights as women MPs" http://bit.ly/182lUbE (via @georgeeaton) Nick Clegg on ISPA's Internet Hero shortlist for 2013 – uSwitch.com Well-deserved > @Nick_Clegg & @JulianHuppert on ISPA's Internet Hero shortlist of 4 for 2013 http://bit.ly/11P5wTD No, Nick Clegg didn't say domestic violence was a "fleeting thing" 'No, Nick Clegg didn't say domestic violence was a "fleeting thing"' Good article by Martha Gill http://bit.ly/19VfAU7 (via @caronmlindsay) Britain's banks are still a danger to ...
Fri 21st
13:16
Maghull Town Council - What the former Labour Leader of the Town Council has said about the running ...
Only days ago I posted about Labour's troubles in the Central Sefton Constituency in which Maghull is located. I knew Labour councillors had been at each others throats so to speak but even I was taken aback to read what the Council Leader (until just a few weeks ago) had to say in the Aintree & Maghull Champion newspaper. The following is a direct quote which I have neither added to nor deleted from under the heading:- Why I quit as Leader of the Town Council "Some decisions are being taken within the town council which I feel are mainly ...
Local Government Minister Eric Pickles has been explaining how he fought long and hard to restrict cuts to local government grants to 10%. Which is, of course, the number that the Chancellor had in mind all along. I'm guess that when Mr Pickles bought his house he probably came back really proud that he paid exactly the amount it was advertised for. A 10% cut in government grant for the year 2015/16 was what Cornwall Council had been expecting and planning for. That's not to say it is anything other than bad news. We wish Mr Pickles had fought harder ...
Some little Englander MPs, as we know, are incredibly jumpy about anything they think might have come from Europe. The latest in the line of Brussels bogeymen is the worrying advent of public activity at the weekend, which could - they say - cause all kinds of terrible problems. The British Social Attitudes survey (not the dangerous 'Eurobarometer') has found that 45.7% of the public regard themselves as belonging to 'no religion'. Of those who do profess some faith, 57.5% say they 'never or practically never' attend meetings or services connected to their religion. A further 20% say they do ...
If you want to get the pro-science, technically sophisticated UK public to change its mind on GM, don't imply they're stupid Yesterday the UK launched an utterly predictable slow motion train wreck of an attempt to rehabilitate genetically modified organisms in the European market. Owen Paterson gave a speech at the Rothamsted Research site arguing for a new debate about the potential of genetically modified crops. His position was clear. He thinks that we have a moral responsibility to invest in GMOs in order to feed the world in the near future. He thinks that there will be benefits for ...
The summer solstice is a great mid-point to stop and take a look back to see how far the garden has progressed this year (despite the weather) and a chance to take stock and think ahead for the next six months and solidify plans for next year. This week the air of change has blown through. Finally, a revolution afoot, heralded with thunderously close heat and everything blooming at once. The new patio is down and suddenly, in one brave sweep, a new garden pattern starts to emerge, a new scheme, new possibilities for next year. The flowerbed shaped a ...
A few months ago I met Stephen, who had just been granted refugee status having waited five years for a decision on his case. He fled persecution in Uganda for being gay, and since his arrival in the UK, he had not been able to seek work despite holding a master's degree in psychology. For five years, he was dependent on a meagre handout (which is currently £36.62 a week). His distress and frustration were palpable; but sadly, he is but one of many. Stephen's case exemplifies the nonsensical nature of Government policy on asylum seekers. At present, taxpayers' money ...
I published a short ebook last year as a radical history of the allotments movement, and quoted the following letter to Country Life written at the height of the first Dig for Victory campaign in September 1917: "The assumption on which a national policy of agriculture is based seems to be that the food supply of the country depends chiefly on the large cultivators. One is not prepared to say that there is no truth in this. The five-hundred acre farm must yield a greater absolute percentage of the food supply than the little plots. Still, that is not all ...
Do you remember how back in May UKIP's MEPs voted against tackling tax evasion? You wonder if the latest news about their leader is the reason why?
This article for the Reporter was written last Friday. Since then, we have had ministers announce a better than expected financial settlement for museums in the spending review, and promise [...]
The Lib Dems pride themselves on their party democracy "the others aren't like us, we get listened too" we've all probably said it at some point, we've all heard a liberal democrat colleague say it. Truth be told, we probably ... Continue reading →
Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has come under fire after complaining about the area's hosting of the Miss England finals. This is Plymouth has the story: A row has erupted between Miss England organisers and a Devon MP who claimed the staging of the contest finals in Torbay sent out the wrong message about the area. Adrian Sanders, Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay, has come under fire after telling the BBC the event was "an own goal". Mr Sanders said: "There are fantastic events happening in this area. Cycling events, art exhibitions, it's all there, but this one is such an ...
Guido's got the list of the 42 Bills the fruitcake/loony part of the Tory party are convinced would propel them to victory in 2015. Here are my top 5 personal favourites: The state should have the power to set dress code, apparently... 1. Face Coverings (Prohibition) Mr Philip Hollobone Bill to prohibit the wearing of certain face coverings; and for connected purposes. But why stop at dress codes? Let's give the state the power of life or death over an individual as well while we're at it... 10. Capital Punishment Mr Philip Hollobone Bill to allow for capital punishment for ...
Yesterday I read a fun article on the Notts Politics blog. It was a list of political science academics on Twitter. I have been hoping to find one of these for a while - I'd found the LSE one a year or so ago, and didn't think it to be very useful, as it didn't relate solely to political science - it had human geographers, natural scientists, and all sorts of subjects. However, the Notts one has over 250 political science academics, and is growing in size.... It's great to see members of the academic community on Twitter. The ones ...
posted The Blood is The Life 20-06-2013 http://t.co/RNa1Cceuyj on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) fantastic piece about the Nigella media scrum trigger warnings though. (tags: ) surveillance state extends to people planning Badger cull protests why anyone is surprised by this is something I genuinely don't understand. What ELSE did they think the various laws would be used for? terrorists and paedophiles? (tags: ) FAO @johnleechmcr RT @caronmlindsay: This school needs telling off at way it treated girls starting feminist society http://t.co/mhK9CDb3Xv (tags: (from twitter) ) http://m.thisisplymouth.co.uk/story.html?aid=19340303 Woop woop! GO ADRIAN! RT @_RosyD: I'm with Torbay MP ...
My morning was dedicated to small mammals (well, smallish), and amongst them were probably the least obviously interesting from a personal perspective. You see, I've never been terribly keen on baboons - they're kind of violent and aggressive. Accordingly, the promise of Gelada Baboons was not expected to be one of the high points of my day. However, it just goes to prove that you shouldn't rush to judgement. Gelada - beautiful plumage... Male gelada have a wonderful coat. Admittedly, it comes with a pretty bad attitude, but the coat is superb. What makes them particularly interesting, however, is that ...
Here's my most recent Muswell Flyer Article on supporting our local high streets One of the best features of Crouch End, Highgate and Muswell Hill are their unique high streets. Instead of endless chain stores, we have a rich range of diverse independent shops, which add so much character to our local area – and I want to keep it that way! We are going through tough economic times, and without the support of multinational head offices, many of our independent retailers are struggling. The Labour-run Council hasn't helped, either. They've raised parking charges on the high streets to a ...
Notice from the county council NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using the following lengths of roads, except for access:- 1. that length of B651 Stonecross, St Albans from its junction with A1081 St Peters Street north eastwards to its junction with Sandpit Lane, a distance of approximately 175 metres. 2. that length of Avenue Road, St Albans from its junction with B651 Stonecross eastwards to its junction with Lemsford Road, a distance of approximately 537 metres. 3. ...
The future of the left? No, of course he isn't. But the fact that all parties contain a broad spectrum of opinion did not stop Labour List yesterday from strongly implying that the fact that a few MPs on the extreme right of the Tory party have published an Alternative Queen's Speech must somehow mean that those few are "the real face of the Tory party". LL then highlights three policies that this AQS called for: the banning of the burkaabolishing the Department of Energy and Climate Changebringing back the death penalty I think we can solve this one quite ...
Fri 21st
09:05
Tory rebels launch their own alternative Queen's Speech as helpful reminder of why Lib Dems vital to...
It's enough to make you feel sorry for David Cameron. The Telegraph report gives the highlights: Conservative MPs launch attempt to bring back death penalty, privatise the BBC and ban burka Conservative MPs have drawn up an "Alternative Queen's Speech" with radical policies such as bringing back the death penalty, privatising the BBC and banning the burka in public spaces. The 42 bills also include legislation to scrap wind farm subsidies, end the ringfence for foreign aid spending and rename the late August Bank Holiday "Margaret Thatcher Day". Britain's relationship with Europe features prominently in the action plan, with draft ...
[IMG: Percentages: not wanted here] Percentages: not wanted here Much of the BBC's political coverage is great. Its reporting of by-election results, however, is anything but – due to the BBC's weird phobia about giving percentage vote shares and about giving changes in the percentage shares since last time. These are a huge part of the absolute basic information for understanding what has happened in a result – and of course at general election time the BBC gives these figures as a matter of course. Yet come by-elections, percentages get banished – as you can see in the report on ...
Fri 21st
09:02Vote up, share of vote up and up to 3rd place - good result for Team Christine in Aberdeen Donside
[IMG: aberdeen donside hq] Christine Jardine and her team delivered an excellent result for the Liberal Democrats in the Aberdeen Donside Scottish Parliament by-election. Bearing in mind that we had come 4th in the seat 2 years ago, many pundits thought we would lose our deposit and might even come behind UKIP. In the end, we leapfrogged the Tories to grab 3rd place, with a vote share up from 6% to 8.3%. All that on a fraction of the budget enjoyed by Labour and the SNP. The seat was won by the SNP's Mark McDonald with a much reduced majority. ...
[IMG: James Taylor in office] Dialing for Dollars So I just quit my job! Two years ago I moved from the cold shores of Scotland to sunny California to join pioneering San Francisco Bay online education startup ArtistWorks. Since then the company has seen explosive growth, launching 18 online music schools and putting out amazing content that's been experienced by millions worldwide. But there was a problem...... As a kid all I ever wanted to do was be an entrepreneur and play drums. My heroes were Richard Branson, Tony Robbins & Steve Gadd (although not necessarily in that order). When ...
Back in 2009, I was delighted when the City Council agreed to my request, made on behalf of the parents of pupils of Blackness Primary School and Harris Academy, for a school crossing patroller on busy Blackness Road at the Kelso Steps. This is a busy crossing and I have had constituents ask for an assurance that the patroller will not be removed when Harris Academy is decanted to Rockwell as he will continue to assist Blackness Primary School pupils cross this busy road. I am pleased to say that the Director of Education has advised me: "There are no ...
The Independent reports that the Ministry of Defence closed its UFO desk and hotline in 2009 because it served "no defence purpose" and was taking staff away from "more valuable defence-related activities". The decision was taken despite the fact that reported sightings trebled in that year. However, it was decided that, in more than 50 years, none had indicated the existence of "any military threat to the UK". The paper says that the latest release of declassified MoD UFO files amount to 25 files, 4,400 pages and cover the work carried out in the final two years of the MoD's ...
Fri 21st
05:12
Key clarifications needed on the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) Wales legislation to avoid potent...
The First Minister and the Welsh Government need to clarify a key contradiction in the new Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) Wales 2013 Bill, which could result in a single member of staff alone being responsible for the care of several hundred dogs. As things stand the regulations published last week stated that a ratio of one full time member of staff to 20 dogs would be put in place across Wales' breeding establishments. However, the Ministerial Statement which accompanied the regulations stated that puppies would not be included amongst those 20. This is deeply concerning given the fact that ...
Latest news from the count seem to suggest so. Hmmm...
