The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change joined tens of thousands of other visitors to the West of England to mark the start of Bristol Green Week. Ed Davey MP (pictured right) was the keynote speaker at the Green Liberal Democrat (GLD) conference, Getting on with Going Green, held at UWE and timed to coincide with the environmental festival. The GLD conference attendees included academics, industry leaders and political activists. Energy & Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, said: "It's great to be here for the Green Liberal Democrats Conference. It provides me with a valuable opportunity to listen ...
Energy prices are soaring hitting everyone, especially the vulnerable. Your Focus Team has won cross-party backing on South Glos Council for two energy initiatives: At Dave Hockey's suggestion, officers are investigating a council-run collective energy switching scheme. £5000 has been identified to piggy back on the Bristol "Switch and Save" scheme (www.bristolswitchandsave.org.uk) which would allow local residents to gain discounts on their power bills of between £60 and £250 pounds per year.Claire Young successfully proposed setting aside £15,000 of Invest to Save money to help kick-start a Community Energy Co-op in South Glos. These organisations support communities to develop renewable ...
I decided over the weekend to quit a particularly lively Lib Dem Facebook group because I was getting a little tired of the Dutt-Parkers (thanks Paul!) of this world so totally misunderstanding my point of view. Yes, it's a two way street - them not understanding means me not explaining well enough, but a number of times it has turned into the sort of semi-abuse which it is not worth the time dealing with. You know the sort of thing: "I think you might probably mean well but you sound to me as if you are just a libertarian who ...
The Consett Strong parade in solidarity with the Armed Forces and our society took place in torrential rain today. It was exactly what the organisers had said it would be, a group of concerned citizens that wish to unite all races and beliefs into one voice against extremism, wherever it may come from. All the marchers stayed the course and remained cheerful through the rain, arriving on time to honour the two minutes silence at the Cenotaph.
As so often, the old boy has proved prophetic. Saturday In my long experience, new parties grow like mushrooms but rarely survive long past breakfast. At one time, Lord Sutch and his party were all the rage: so much so that little Steel insisted we stand down in Sutch's favour in half the constituencies across the country. It did not come to anything and I never thought it would. Today the talk is of someone called Farage. Farage? Rather a fancified, Frenchified name, don't you think? Evan a little poncey, as dear Violent would have put it. I find it ...
Every evening during Belfast Pride Week (Friday 28 June to Saturday 6 July) we will be holding our short reflective services, 15 mins with Christ, at 6 p.m. in St George's Church in High Street. We will also be going, as a group, to the launch of Belfast Pride on Friday 28 June, meeting at [...]
"In short, this kind of bond will severely limit our opportunities to do business with any other country which isn't an ageing, predominantly white countries with sluggish economic growth." The Potter Blogger argues that Theresa May's plan to require visitors to the UK from 'high-risk' countries to pay a £3000 bond will be bad for the British economy. The Real Blog asks why everyone is so angry these days. The Atomium questions the prison sentence awarded to Jeremy Forrest. "I may still be an arsehole, but at least I'm a sober arsehole," says The Alcohol-Free Shop Blog. "Graeme Smith summed ...
[IMG: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts] I heard a figure the other day that floored me. There are now 40,000 digital nomads living in the city of Chiang Mai in Thailand. That's 40,000 Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Australians who leverage digital technologies to perform their work duties, and more generally conduct their lifestyle in a nomadic manner. Many of them got their inspiration from one guy......Rolf Potts. Watch The Video Interview I recently interviewed Rolf about his book 'Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel' for ToutSuite (see video below) and we discussed: How to travel the ...
Councillor ASKS GOVERNMENT TO GIVE HOTELS AND B&B'S A VAT CUT Iain Brodie Browne , Lib Dem Leader, has asked Treasury Ministers to reduce the rate of VAT on charges for hotels and B&Bs. Iain thinks this tax cut could boost trade, create jobs and help our tourism sector compete with other destinations. Iain has asked the Treasury to bring tax rates into line with other European countries. While VAT rates on hotels and cultural attractions are set at the standard 20% in the UK, they are much lower in other EU destinations: · Germany 7% · France 7% · ...
I've been banging on about the need to provide alternatives to the big banks. Ever since the banking crisis broke I have argued for local alternative-preferably mutually owned-that is owned by their savers and acting in their interest rather than by a PLC. Last week a report was released by think-tank Civitas. Civitas have suggested that credit unions should be allowed to take bigger deposits if they are to become a viable alternative to high-cost lenders. Credit unions are financial co-operatives or Mutuals that operate in local areas, offering small loans to members. The big banks have let many people ...
In 1983 the aristocracy of British rock held a concert to raise funds for Ronnie Lane and research into multiple sclerosis. The ARMS concert saw all three Yardbirds guitarists - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page - playing together - and also marked Steve Winwood's re-emergence into the spotlight. Since Traffic had ceased touring almost 10 years before he had concentrated on session work and had recorded a couple of solo albums almost single-handed. Yet here he was, stealing the show, looking improbably youthful and ready to be a slightly unlikely star of the MTV era. "City Sirens" was ...
OK, confession time. When I moved back up north nearly two years ago, I joined Slimming World. I haven't really said much about it, because I know weight loss and diets are an incredibly touchy subject for a lot of people, but it was something I personally had to do, and it seemed the healthiest option of the various weight-loss methods out there both in terms of the food and the social aspects. [IMG: A photo of me a few weeks after I started losing weight] I mean it when I said I had to. I was a UK size ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 331st weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (16-22 June, 2013), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Those Liberal Democrat ...
People who have known me for a while, who have read this blog, or have followed me on twitter will know that I've not always been the intersectional anarcha-feminist I try to be these days. I used to be, especially a couple of years ago, an apologist for the forces of austerity. And while I could go down the route of some campaigners on the Left, pretend I never said that, pretend I was born on a mountain with a double rainbow in the sky when the angels sang my heralds, it'd be duplicitive and untrue. I'm human, and I'm ...
The work on Newbury's A339 railway bridge is expected to complete this Tuesday. My photos below show that the brickwork and parapet is more or less complete. The panelling and roof for the public thoroughfare have been removed. [IMG: image] [IMG: image] [IMG: image] [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
I've spent the last few months sporadically writing stories to help young people code. I've now placed the four Python Pals stories up on GitHub. Here's how you can help. Write your own story and contribute it to the GitHub site (or send it directly to me). Read the stories and let me know how they could be improved (spelling, grammar, plot). Play test the adventures! Am I missing any vital steps? Can you or your children solve the mysteries? Illustrations! Do you have an artistic flair? Perhaps these stories would work better with some artwork? Spread the word! Let ...
[IMG: Outside the King Charles Head in Newbury's Cheap Street today.] Outside the King Charles Head in Newbury's Cheap Street today. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: With a former Mayor playing, I think you'll find...] With a former Mayor playing, I think you'll find... [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: libdem letter from nick clegg] Unsurprisingly Nick's Letter from the Leader this week concentrates on his speech to the Liberal Democrat Local Government Conference in Manchester this weekend. Here's what he said to members and supporters. There are still people who talk about the Liberal Democrats being in power as if it is a new and unusual phenomenon. That's remarkable enough when you think that we have been in Government in Westminster for three years, but it's even odder when you remember how Liberal Democrats have been in charge in Scotland, Wales and councils throughout the country long before ...
Full disclosure before I start this — I am friendly with the author and the publisher, and I also potentially have a book coming out from this publisher. I don't think that this has biased my opinions in any way — I became friendly with them because we shared a lot of tastes, so it's [...]
The A1 in Gateshead is one of the most congested roads in the UK. This is not a motorway status road but the need to improve it has been an issue for over a generation in Gateshead. I remember it cropped up in 1990-91, in my early years on the Council. The need for improvements has grown ever stronger and this stretch of the A1 now carries three times more traffic than it was designed for. The
Earlier this year I was asked to look into problems on the walking route to Fairlawn School. In a separate occurrence I was also told of complaints of speeding traffic on Canonbie Road. At a meeting at the school, to discuss its Travel Plan, further issues were raised. Four years ago, Lewisham had run a [...]
Sun 23rd
17:15
Nick, we're not a bunch of unrealistic hippies desperate for opposition, you know.....
While I broadly agree with Stephen Tall that Nick Clegg's speech to the Liberal Democrat local government conference in Manchester yesterday had much that was on the right track, I do wish Nick could frame his remarks without it looking like he's taking a good old swipe at Liberal Democrat members and activists. Stephen says that's how you get the journalists interested. The trouble is that some of the people who are offended by that kind of talk may be too angry to read behind the headlines – and these are exactly the people that Nick needs to help him ...
Yesterday Ed Miliband told his National Policy Forum in Birmingham that he accepted Coalition spending cuts and would be ruthless on spending. He would not make any promises on changes to the spending plans set out by the Chancellor unless he could be "absolutely crystal clear" where the money would come from, as he set out the "hard reality" facing the party. "Nobody here should be under any illusions: the next Labour Government will have to plan in 2015 for falling departmental spending. And our starting point for 2015/16 is that we won't be able to reverse the cuts in ...
Sun 23rd
16:15Two thoughts on Clegg's Manchester speech (2 of 2): edging towards the right narrative
Two parts of Nick Clegg's Manchester speech particularly caught my eye. The first — how not to repeat our mistake on tuition fees — I've blogged about here. Here's the second: Governing has carried a cost. We have taken a hit; Our opponents try to use the fact we are in government nationally against us locally. And I cannot stress enough how proud and grateful I am for the grace and determination with which you have absorbed all of that. But I also know that if we try and turn back the clock... Hankering for the comfort blanket of national ...
Earlier this year, when Gateshead Council proposed a rise of 230% for the allotment rents, a modest tsunami of allotment holders got in touch with me about the severity of the rise. My support for the allotment movement is well known here so the fact people from across the borough contacted me was no surprise. To cut a long story short, the decision on the rent rise was deferred whilst
Our opponents are always quick to tell us that they have never against same-sex couples. They are just very concerned about what will happen to the "institution of marriage" if same-sex couples are allowed to marry. Take the issue of adultery. No one asked for adultery to be left out of the Government's same sex marriage bill. They just decided it was too complicated an issue to deal with and decided to leave it out. It was no grand conspiracy on behalf of evil LGBT activists. It was a silly decision made by bureaucrats that will lead to there being ...
Ten years ago (2003, age 15):I'd just finished my GCSEs, and was trying to figure out which subjects I should take at 6th form to give myself the best chance in life. I chose English Language, Foundation Maths, Product Design and ICT. I dropped Maths and switched to Philosophy within weeks, then dropped that too, and then switched from Design to Art in second year. None of them have had any bearing on my life as it is today, so that was successful.I'd just got together with my first boyfriend. It was a good relationship, in that it taught me ...
The Mail on Sunday on 5th July 2009 had an interesting and detailed article on transatlantic cables. Given the current news, it's worth re-reading: Most people think the internet is beamed around the planet by satellites. In fact, 90 per cent of global internet traffic is carried by a vast cable network, thousands of miles of which snake under the oceans. The two busiest internet hubs are New York and London, and nine cables link them. But the one pictured above is the Atlantic's newest and most advanced submarine cable system. It is so powerful that it could carry the ...
Sun 23rd
14:25
Nick Clegg's weekend speech: the good, the bad, the reassuring, the instructive and the new
[IMG: Nick Clegg speaking at local government conference. Photo from Nick Barlow Yesterday Nick Clegg gave the keynote speech at the Liberal Democrat local government conference which, as is traditional, had large extracts trailed in advance. That can make actually sitting and listening to the speech feel rather old fashioned and redundant - but this was one of those cases where it was well worth doing, as Nick Clegg's full speech was rather different in its implications than the advanced reports had suggested. Listening to the full speech, five things struck me - one each being good, new, puzzling, ...
Sun 23rd
14:15Two thoughts on Clegg's Manchester speech (1 of 2): how not to repeat the tuition fees mistake
Nick Clegg's pitch to the Lib Dems' local government conference in Manchester yesterday was given the kind of build-up that seems to be an inevitable part of leaders' speech-making. Nick was going to 'deliver hard truths' to his activists, 'issuing a warning' that we shouldn't return to the safety of opposition, and urging us instead 'to embrace the future'. That's the way you get journalists' attention, y'see. But the billing wasn't so very wide-of-the-mark. Nick Clegg did in fact offer the party a stark choice. And as the vigorous comments thread on my post yesterday attests, it hasn't been met ...
So today comes with the news that Theresa May, our glorious Home Secretary (eternal glory be upon her), is to start requiring all visitors to the UK from "high risk" countries to pay a £3,000 bond in order to enter the UK, refundable when they leave. Sounds fine and dandy, right? Let's just see what counts as a "high risk" country... ...oh, I see. It means pretty much all of the African and Asian countries. Now, aside from the racism of assuming that everyone from certain countries is automatically an immigration risk while those from other countries aren't an immigration ...
From the Observer: Vince Cable is refusing to accept deep cuts to his departmental budget without a guarantee of billions in funding for job-creating capital projects, as arguments over this week's spending review reached a new pitch. With just three days before George Osborne is due to announce £11.5bn of cuts for 2015-16, the business secretary was said to be in no mood to back down in a dispute he regards as crucial to the government's economic credibility. Cable is arguing, in talks with Treasury ministers and officials, that the coalition must have "a strong story to tell on growth" ...
I am putting my name forward to be the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Hampstead and Kilburn at the next general election. For me, politics has always been about talking to people on the doorstep and working hard to champion and address their concerns. The national issues that get raised time and again are getting [...]
I spent half an hour on a train with Nick Clegg yesterday, chatting to him about a range of subjects for an interview that will run on the site later this week. After the interview I tweeted about Clegg's interesting answer to my question to him on legal aid, and a journalist I know from the Mail on Sunday got in touch to say the paper was running a story on the subject and would be interested in seeing his answer. Here's the Mail's take: A cabinet split over plans to cut legal aid deepened last night as Deputy Prime ...
My thanks to Liberator colleague Jonathan Calder, who has spotted an article in the Mail on Sunday by Mark Littlewood, which calls for the government to publish the names of all benefits claimants and the amounts they are paid. It is the sort of shock tactic we have come to expect from Littlewood. But as the comments beneath the article show, this time it has proved to be too much even for readers of the Mail. One of them responds: For the love of God, what next? Are people on welfare going to be made to wear a large yellow ...
My fear of hospitals has been exacerbated lately with the latest stories of cover-ups and bribes. This behaviour may be shocking but it is typical of all socialist industries. The problems facing the NHS are the problems that always occur in industries structured this way so throwing money at the problems of the NHS is won't help. No amount of money can cure problems of structure. When talking about different health care systems everyone always says to me 'Oh, but the American system is so much worse...' (as if the NHS and the American system are the only two health ...
[View the story "Read what happened in Manchester at the Lib Dem Local Government Conference" on Storify]
Readers of today's Observer magazine have a treat in store: the profound philosophy of life of the TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh. It's in the regular feature titled This much I know, which in Titchmarsh's case turns out to be not very much once he strays beyond gardening. Amongst other things, he says "it's an insult to suggest this is Austerity Britain", thinks that older women on TV shouldn't "whinge" about the lack of career opportunities, and sympathises with people who vote for UKIP because there is "a danger of homogenisation in Europe". In short, he's the sort of bloke you ...
Kudos to Vince Cable who, according to the Guardian is holding out against the Chancellor of the Exchequer on cuts that are being demanded of the Department of TBusiness, Science and Innovation, arguing that the coalition needs 'a strong story to tell on growth' to balance £11.5bn cuts package. The paper says that Vince is refusing to accept deep cuts to his departmental budget without a guarantee of billions in funding for job-creating capital projects, as arguments over this week's spending review reached a new pitch: With just three days before George Osborne is due to announce £11.5bn of cuts ...
[IMG: Garden plan View Sketch] The components of a Labour housing policy are gradually being revealed. First we had some pronouncements on the need for longer tenancies and more stability in private renting. Then we had the idea that what we need is less money spent on benefit and more spent on building affordable rented housing. And yesterday we had Ed Miliband comments on boosting housing supply, as part of a wide ranging speech on the theme The discipline to make a difference. The central contention was that the key to the housing supply problem is land hoarding – organisations ...
Sun 23rd
10:21Controversy over "vicious campaign" as Joshua Fenton-Glynn selected for Labour in Calder Valley
James Hepplestone is a Labour member in Calder Valley and this is what he had to say about Joshua Fenton-Glynn's victory in the Parliamentary selection: [IMG: James Hepplestone (JHepplestone) on Labour's Calder Valley selection] [IMG: James Hepplestone (JHepplestone) on Labour's Calder Valley selection]
A smart interview by Nick Thornsby of Lib Dem Voice (and a lawyer himself) with Nick Clegg yesterday has elicited this: [IMG: Nick Clegg. Photo: Dave Radcliffe. Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats Clegg wades into Cabinet legal aid row as he insists people should be able to choose their solicitor... The Liberal Democrat leader said it was 'perverse' to stop people choosing their own solicitor and claimed small high street law firms would suffer - rather than the 'fat cat QCs' targeted by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling. Asked about the reforms by lawyer and Lib Dem activist Nick ...
In defence of paranoid hysteria » Spectator Blogs "Just because democracies are not dictatorships does not mean that they cannot act like dictatorships if an apathetic or frightened citizenry allows them too much leeway" (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
An email I've sent to the editorial team at the magazine, The Week: [IMG: The Week - cover] I love reading the Wit & Wisdom column with its collection of quotes each week in your magazine. For a while, however, I've been struck by how dominated by men it is. To be sure I wasn't being unfair, I've tallied up the numbers over the last ten weeks. During that time, you've included 65 quotes from living or dead men, just 15 quotes from women and 5 quotes where the gender is unknown. 65 versus 15 for men versus women is ...
It's a strange thing, but something about Liberator magazine seems to be shifting in the zeitgeist (is that an expression?). Liberator has become something of an institution. I like to think it was started and run by people a little older than I am, but I fear it is actually my generation. Now, decades later, there is a sort of exhausted pessimism about it - but you have to admire its staying power when everything else has gone online. It is still anti-centre ground strategies, still holding firm to the way that 'radical Liberalism' used to be interpreted circa 1982 ...
131028: Listed building consent for roof windows, East Hill. 131029: Consent for existing roof lights, East Hill. 131128: New canopies to the north to link buildings, St Helena School, Sheepen Road. 131203: Conversion of upper floors to flats and various alterations, High Street. 131205: Listed building application for 131203. 131213: Advertisement consent for signage, High Street. You can make a statement in favour or against any of these applications on the Council website, or if you want to discuss it further with one of your councillors then please contact me or my ward colleagues Bill Frame and Jo Hayes. I'm ...
The cross is to have its signage improved to alter traffic better to the presence of the crossing.
The Friends are holding an afternoon visit to Dunnichen Walled Garden on Sunday 30th June. More details about the Friends' activities can be accessed on their blog and at http://fudbg.org/.
In the National Assembly this week the Welsh Liberal Democrats called on the Welsh Labour Government to publish an Aviation Strategy for Wales, including a timetable for implementation. The Welsh Labour Government clearly needs to make Cardiff Airport a success. Yet, so far we have seen next to nothing about how they intend to turn the failing airport's fortunes around. Whilst improving passenger numbers are a key indicator to judge whether the airport is a success, we also need to be looking at wider issues. For example, we need to look at imports and exports, and whether there has been ...
On Love And War and Bernice Summerfield
