This year's Proms opened with a new piece called "Harmony" by the British composer Julian Anderson. The music blog 5:4 reveals, this turned out to be a setting of words from Richard Jefferies' spiritual autobiography "The Story of My Heart". The Proms programme does not reveal what those words, were but 5:4 thinks he knows: Here this moment, by this tumulus, on earth, now; I exist in it. The years, the centuries, the cycles are absolutely nothing; it is only a moment since this tumulus was raised; in a thousand years it will still be only a moment. To the ...
Remember the new unit at St Luke's hospital, Market Harborough? The one for which Leicestershire County and Rutland Primary Care Trust paid £1.5m to the appropriately named Modcon UK, which was later wound up by HM Revenue and Customs, without making basic checks on the company and without obtaining a bank guarantee? It caught fire today.
The below was sent to the BBC today at 23:18. It will be interesting to see how long it takes them to fix the article – or if they even bother, given they don't usually cover trans issues at all. (I count exactly one direct reference since the start of June – the Cory Mathis bathroom case in the US. The remainder are references in passing, generally as part of defining what "LGBT" means and discussing pride events. It seems you're more likely to get referred to on BBC News for being a cis person making boots in large sizes ...
A lethal front page from the Daily Mail tomorrow: This is not going away Andy Burnham.
They're sending the bill* to Buckingham Palace with apologies to A.A. Milne They're sending the bill to Buckingham Palace - Christopher and Robin are planning their marriage. Alice is writing her best woman's speech "A writer's life is sometimes a peach" Says Alice. They're sending the bill to Buckingham Palace - Alice and Robyn can raise the romance. "A double marriage along with the queens, Just as soon as the bill is signed by the Queen" Says Alice. They're sending the bill to Buckingham Palace - But Christabel Robyn still needs equal marriage The love of her life first married ...
I've just been to the third meeting of the Greenhill/Melbreck residents' association. I've been working with local people to get something going in that part of L18 . We had a general set up session which identified some key issues and the next two meetings were on themes - one on policing type topics and tonight's on the local environment. Obviously you can't solve every problem with a few meetings but there's a core of local people now and the group should be able to go on and be successful in helping make the area better. If you live in ...
Like so many zombies with fixed expressions health "professionals" (by that I mean the managers thin on competence but fat on salary) have been paraded on tv screens in the last day or so to comment on the emerging scandal highlighting around 13,000 deaths due to inept hospital management, perhaps the most irritating, was not a health professional but former health minister Andy Burnham who's blaming, yes you've got it the coalition government. No surprise that one of the contributors, to the Keogh report, highlighting this tragedy, Sir Brian Harman, has accused Labour ministers of presiding over a "denial machine" ...
Good to see my good friend Len McLuskey making the case for UK nuclear submarine building. http://t.co/7NpcIeFwiH via @unitetheunion — Jim Murphy (@jimmurphymp) July 16, 2013 Timing.
[IMG: con home cartoon] My second column for ConservativeHome — The Other Side — ran this morning. You can read it here (replete with an array of, erm, thoughtful comments) or below. It's fun to write for a new audience, and kudos to ConHome's editor Paul Goodman for allowing a Lib Dem a regular slot on the site. What's the Coalition's most popular policy? No, it's not the £26,000 benefits cap. That is popular, it's true: almost three-quarters of the public support it in principle, despite the lack of evidence that an out-of-work family is ever better off than an ...
From The Independent: [IMG: Rack servers] The little-known watchdog responsible for ensuring that Britain's spy agencies act within the law over communication interceptions has been condemned as "ineffective" by civil liberties campaigners - amid concerns that it failed to scrutinise the systems revealed by Edward Snowden. The Independent has established that the watchdog's annual report had to be delayed and revised because the first draft made no mention of the hi-tech GCHQ spying programmes exposed by the US whistleblower. The updated 2012 report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner Office (ICCO) will now be published later this month, after hastily ...
Below are recently submitted Planning Applications in the Chorlton area. You can find out more information about any of the proposals on the City Council's Planning Portal at http://tinyurl.com/yv6lex or by contacting the South Area Planning Group Manager - Roger Hall; Tel: (0161) 234 4536; email: r.hall@manchester.gov.uk . You can also make a Planning representation (in support or opposition) to Mr Hall or the designated planning officer for each application. Please feel free to contact me on (07947383740; cllr.v.chamberlain@manchester.gov.uk) if you wish to discuss any application and please also send me a copy of any representation you make. 102850/JO/2013/S1 The ...
Can you get involved ? Dig the City is back with an even more adventurous programme than last year. Now in it's second year the event promises even more. With activities for children, talks from celebrity gardeners, meadows, show gardens and a even a disco, the event is jam packed. To find out more follow the link. http://www.digthecity.co.uk/ We are looking for your help. 29 July - 2 Aug 2013 - Creating the Festival - assembling the gardens. This will involve digging, planting and creating the vision for the festival. Please note this work will get dirty, you will need ...
In its report on May's elections, the Electoral Commission is rather generous – over-generous even – in burying this point a long way down the document: [Electoral] Commission representatives also commented that in some cases the layout of tables at some counts made it difficult for observers, candidates and agents to see the ballot papers as they were counted. [IMG: Room with chairs and tables. Photo courtesy of teamaskins on Flickr. Licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic] This isn't some minor tangential point. The ability of observers, candidates and agents to see what is going on at a count is central ...
The Coalition are feeling mutual love at the moment. A love for public service mutuals that is. A multiplicity of support programmes, funds and policy initiatives have been initiated since 2010 (although the process was technically kickstarted under New Labour), in the hope that a 'mutual revolution' will envelope public services and unleash a wave of latent entrepreneurialism from frontline workers. Francis Maude has expressed the rather utopian aspiration that by 2015, 1 million public sector workers will be working in one of these new public service mutuals. On the face of it, what's not to like about a 'mutual ...
Tue 16th
16:28
Sefton Central Labour - Yet another internal gripe and more on that UKIP by-election withdrawal.
Readers will know that I keep being made aware of Labour's local internal difficulties but the latest leak comes in what I can only describe as a very odd category indeed. If I am to understand some Labour sources correctly they seem to be getting quite distracted about one of their own whom I am told has allegedly done something that they disapprove of and are very unhappy about. I am told that this unnamed person has been at the core of some of the recent internal fall-outs. Secondly, that odd withdrawal of a UKIP candidate from the Maghull North ...
The NHS is deep in a long term crisis. Last Thursday NHS England published a "call to action" outlining the emerging crisis. This attracted a day or so of news coverage, focusing mainly on a £30 billion funding gap. But there was no political debate, and the story quickly died. It was replaced yesterday by a story on the NHS's abuse of the "Liverpool Care Pathway" for end of life care, and today by an investigation on struggling hospitals. Both stories are backwash form the continuing struggle of NHS management and staff with financial pressures. But where are the politicians? ...
For all the bluster in the Welsh Assembly Chamber from Labour AMs about what is happening in the English NHS it has long been understood that outcomes in Wales are worse than those over the border. Now a Labour MP has come out and said it openly. Cynon Valley MP, Ann Clwyd has obtained figures that show that patients in Wales are up to 140 times as likely to wait an unacceptably long time for potentially lifesaving tests as patients in England. She found that in April this year nearly three times as many patients in Wales (30.8%) waited more ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg Lib Dem leader] Nick Clegg, writing in Pink News, said: We're almost there. We've almost made it. With the Third Reading of the Equal Marriage Bill complete, we're just a few final steps away from the equal right for gay couples to marry becoming law. I know you're saving the champagne for when it actually happens. And that's right. But it's also important for us to recognise how much your commitment to this cause has transformed people's attitudes to equal marriage in this country. He continued: That is the kind of open, modern, tolerant and diverse society ...
Today I spent an hour answering questions on the Laurence Reed phone in show on BBC Radio Cornwall. This is part of a series of weekly interviews with all ten of the new cabinet members. During the hour, I answered questions on the budget, parking, toilets, the fire service and adult care among others. The listeners came from all across Cornwall, including two from Launceston. Answering questions in a format like this is something I really enjoy doing. Not only is it a way of helping with individual cases, but it also means explaining the reasons behind our thinking to ...
Clearly the result of a poorly thought out clause rather than any deliberate attempt to ban the popular hot drinks, the following amendment (PDF link – page 15, New Clause 2) proposed to the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill rather oversteps the mark. It appears those drafting the amendment did not realise that the scary sounding phrase "psychoactive drugs" includes caffeine. To move the following Clause:— '(1) It is an offence for a person to supply, or offer to supply, a psychoactive substance, including but not restricted to— (a) a powder; (b) a pill; (c) a liquid; or (d) ...
[IMG: schoolsign] "I still have serious reservations about it, but it's a whole lot better than when Gove originally launched the consultation" - a headteacher friend summing up his feelings about the newly announced National Curriculum for schools. We know, behind the scenes, just how the Liberal Democrats in the Coalition have influenced some of the most significant changes. It's time to let your teacher and parent friends know the difference the LibDems have made. One big win is that this new curriculum is so much shorter than Labour's (468 to 224 pages). The history curriculum has been rewritten to ...
For full text of speech click here.
Call it female intuition, call it a sixth sense, but I've got a feeling that Andy Burnham is in serious trouble over the Keogh report and NHS failings. In BBC3′s brilliant, surreal, comedy the Mighty Boosh, talking gorilla Bollo frequently declares "I've got a bad feeling about this". That's exactly how I feel now about former ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Are Labour and the Tories really level-pegging? Are ICM polls the gold standard they once were? I share Peter Kellner's doubts > Are Lab/Tories really level-pegging? http://bit.ly/15Jxg1z Conservative Home Columnists Do the Tories have a Plan B to Coalition? That's my main question in today's @ConHome column > http://bit.ly/12FMZcS Spanish party funding: Mariano in a muddle | The Economist Rajoy's ability to hold on in Spain in spite all the emerging evidence of PP corruption is breathtaking http://econ.st/13LloOE Is Labour's enthusiasm for HS2 on the wane? – Telegraph Lib Dems next? > ...
To the Mayor of London, Mr Boris Johnson esq. Dear Sir, I am writing to you concerning your proposals for an airport on the Isle of Grain or in the Thames Estuary. Iam not writing as a Liberal Democrat rather as a father, a husband and a resident of Gillingham. I will not trot out all the arguments of environmental damage and problems of shipping, the SS Richard Montgomery etc - which you have all heard and discounted rightly or wrongly before. What I want to do is implore you from the point of view of the residents. The Medway ...
[IMG: slflogo] So what did we learn this weekend? In several ways, the Social Liberal Forum [SLF] conference in Manchester has been about celebration. Not only was the weather as glorious as it was when I left that great city as a student; but the work of the SLF in ensuring the delivery of social Liberal policies in Government has been worthwhile, should not be ignored and merits recognition for those who have played a part in it. We were also - rightly - challenged by Norman Lamb when thinking about public services, that the best outcome may well not ...
I had half wanted to come down to London with Anna yesterday to be outside the House of Lords when the Same Sex Marriage Bill cleared its final hurdle there.We decided against it as we've been away so much recently, so it's lovely to have this wee snapshot of the event. Nick paid tribute to Lynne Featherstone, Ed Fordham and Liz Barker and all the others who have helped make the Bill a reality. We as a party owe him a huge thank you for his vocal and steadfast support, the first party leader to unequivocally support equal marriage. There ...
[IMG: Go sign - road sign from Mauritius. Image courtesy of Kingroyos. Some rights reserved Want to get a summary of new posts on this blog by email rather than having to check the RSS feed, stalk me on social media or manually come back to this site? Or fancy getting my monthly Liberal Democrat Newswire? Or even want both? Then my email list sign up form awaits. Usual points apply about how you can leave the email lists at any time and how I won't be selling your email address to a Chicago chemical supplies for plumbers firm ...
When I was around 17, my Government and Politics class went to a student politics conference where various high profile politicians were speakers. Nick Clegg was there, and frankly brought the house down, George Galloway was there, doing what he does, Jack Straw was meant to be there, but was replaced at the last minute by the most boring junior minister on earth and William Hague was there talking for the Conservatives. After each speech there was a question and answer session - I hadn't really been interested in asking too many questions until William Hague began his speech, outlining ...
The Ipsos Mori poll published last week showed a perhaps surprising amount of simple ignorance amongst the British Public. In major areas of public policy, it seems that large numbers of people do not have even a most basic understanding of the data behind the issues of the day. Alex Massie in the Spectator put forward the idea that this ignorance is why some kind of political class is necessary. Robert Sharp at Liberal Conspiracy rebutted this, making the fairly valid point that the ignorance on display can in fact be blamed on media failures as much as educational or ...
MiddayToo hot reallyTo be walking nowThe kind of heatThat blisters the pavementAnd sticks itOozingTo your feet Coins for the car parkI forgot the suntan lotionHat and flip flopsBut rememberedCoins for the car park I must be madMad dogs and EnglishmenIt is too hot but I won't be lateI can add garden parties to that listAs roses pave the wayTo the Good IntentAnd, at the corner, I find the open gate Bunting bedecked and sunlit stageThe square back yardNow filling with expectant facesAn audience eager for a performanceSlogan t-shirts, parasolsGreat big boots and bare feetCold drinks, crisps and finding spaces Overhead ...
Tue 16th
12:28
Where did Tory MPs get their ideas on getting tough on single parents from? Gordon Brown...come take...
Much gnashing of teeth today regarding the Tories agenda for a post 2015 Conservative only government with the independent running a story under the headline: Conservatives prepare to get tougher still on teenage single mothers in crackdown on benefitsThe Independent quotes an un-named Tory MP as saying "All benefits to teenage mothers should be made on the condition of them living with their parents or in supervised hostel accommodation," said the Tory MPs. You know, this sounds awfully familiar. Let me take you back to the Labour Party conference of 2009 "From now on, all 16 and 17 year-old parents ...
A regular frustration for campaign organisers across political parties is how slow some local councils are in providing data that they are legally obliged to supply, but for which the law is silent on how quickly. Good news then that the Electoral Commission is looking to push councils to be better at providing electoral register data: As set out in our report on ERO performance in 2012, we now want to consult with both EROs and recipients of the register to clarify what an acceptable timeframe for supply is, which will then form the basis against which assessments of performance ...
[IMG: cashforkids]
On my holidays earlier this year, I read "The Lost Continent" by Gavin Hewitt, the BBC News's Europe Editor, about the causes, effects and response to the European financial crisis, with its outlying crises in Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain. It was a great read and I heartily recommend it to any of you, especially those going on holiday as it both rewards in-depth attention and travel makes a good backdrop to its change of focus between different countries. I find travel often makes me think about the world as a whole, so this book is a great accompaniment to ...
A few days ago my wife was on her way home driving our car along the M58 when suddenly blue flashing lights appeared in her mirror and she was pulled over by the Police. After an initial panic she was informed by the officer that the car did not have a current MOT certificate and that it was now 3 months overdue. As the maintenance of the car is one of my chores she wasn't aware of the offence and (quite rightly) blamed me. I'm told the officer was very pleasant and even commented on our well behaved dogs - ...
Remember last week I told you that Liberal Youth were conducting co-options for certain positions? Well, the deadline for nominations has been extended to noon on 17th July – that's tomorrow. Here's a reminder of what's up for grabs and how to apply: Regional Chairs for North East and South Central regions Regional Chairs are responsible for organising and assisting local Liberal Youth branches in their region and working directly with the Lib Dem regional executives. We have positions open in the North East and South Central. For information on these positions please email Stuart Wheatcroft on england.convener@liberalyouth.org. To apply: ...
Next weeks meeting of the Liverpool City Council planning committee will see decisions being taken on applications for housing at Booker Avenue and at Beechwood Road/Beechwood Gardens. The committee meets on Tuesday 23rd July. You can see the agenda, and reports, at this link. You might need to scroll down a bit. The items are number six and number ten.
Groups of young people, or organisations working with young people, have until early October to bid for a share of a fund to pay for activities in the community (either locally or across Liverpool). It's City Council money and the decision making will involve young people themselves with reps from the Schools Parliament and Schools Councils taking part. Information about the fund, and an application form, is at this link.
Here's my latest Muswell Flyer column – also available here: http://beckybeach.net.gridhosted.co.uk/?p=7119 The issue that I am most frequently contacted about at my constituency office is the state of the roads in Haringey. Potholes, road surfaces, the need for traffic calming and road safety - not a day goes by without someone telling me that they are troubled by these issues. Haringey Liberal Democrats and I have been campaigning hard for improvements and the past 2 months have finally seen Haringey Labour-run Council concede - with two dramatic successes. In May Labour-run Haringey Council confessed that action had to be taken ...
Prestwich Wholefood Coop are a new venture who are looking for ideas, support and funding to set up a community food retail co-operative, owned by the community for the community – in Prestwich! Their aim is to bring back choice for shopping for basic essentials and good quality fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable competitive prices, provide value for money while trading ethically and with integrity. They plan to introduce organic produce, and support local farmers, growers, suppliers and producers. Initial interest and support has been phenomenal, and we are listening to what shoppers want through meetings, events and our ...
Tue 16th
10:27
The Steve Webb interview: How I built a modern, inclusive, liberal State Pension system
[IMG: steve webb] At the excellent Social Liberal Forum Conference on Saturday, a group of eight bloggers spent the lunch break interviewing Liberal Democrat Pensions Minister Steve Webb just before he delivered the second Beveridge Memorial Lecture. The thing about Steve Webb is that he might have Professor in front of his name and MP after it, but he's in no way intimidating, though. He speaks with authority, but engagingly so, has no airs and graces and has a knack of explaining some complex concepts in language that even I can understand. He was in the sort of company that ...
The County Council have informed me that there has been a delay in the planned resurfacing of this road. This would appear to be due to a problem with their contractor. The County Council plans to carry out the work later in the year.
Labour have to respond to the revelations today that they did not respond properly to being sent data on higher than expected death rates from 2001. The link above is from an interview on BBC Breakfast (That I watched whilst in the Gym as one does). Sir Brian Jarman, Emeritus Professor at Imperial College's School of Public Health has said information on higher-than-expected death rates was
posted The Blood is The Life 15-07-2013 http://t.co/2AGb4mdP05 on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Five things Iain Duncan Smith doesn't want you to know about the benefit cap http://t.co/7KJxgtfqTL via @newstatesman (tags: (from twitter) ) Same Sex marriage - actually - just marriage! Lynne Featherstone, architect of the Same Sex marriage bill, is perfectly justified to celebrate. We didn't get everything we wanted, and I, personally, will keep campaigning on behalf of my trans friends who have been royally screwed by this, but it's still a step in the right direction. (tags: ) Thank you Lynne - ...
They finally let Norman Lamb into the Today programme yesterday morning at the last possible minute before 9am, to talk about the potential role of neighbourhood watch groups in looking after older people. I've done that Today slot myself and it doesn't give you much chance to say much, still less to answer whatever bizarre take on the subject that John Humphries has in his head that morning. And this is a pity because, far from a peculiar thought by the social care minister (Lamb) - after the disastrous coverage of NHS hospitals over the weekend - Norman's proposals are ...
At Bury's last full Council meeting, my colleague Cllr Donal O'Hanlon asked a question on behalf of the Lib Dem councillors about 'smart ticketing' for trams, buses and trains in Greater Manchester. This month marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of 'Oyster' cards in London. This is a credit-card sized travel card which enables you to travel on buses, trains, trams and underground across London. Most people load up the card with funds before they travel and the card charges you the cheapest fare for your journeys that day. Smart cards would make it easier for people to access ...
So, what did the Liberal Democrat MP David Ward mean when he tweeted the following non-sequitur: "Am I wrong or am I right? At long last the Zionists are losing the battle - how long can the apartheid state of Israel last?" How, precisely, are "the Zionists" losing the battle What is "the apartheid state of Israel"? This is apartheid (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_of_apartheid) and this is Israel (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Israel). Spot the difference? In asking "How long can the apartheid state of Israel last?", he is either contemplating the end of a non-existent system of Israeli apartheid (and why bother campaigning against something ...
[IMG: house danny alexander] The House magazine features a smiling Danny Alexander on the cover, and a lengthy interview inside. On the Comprehensive Spending Review: Now that the dust has settled on the Spending Round, he has a rare moment to catch his breath and reflect on how it went. He says things went "more smoothly than many people outside this room thought when we started out on it", but admits it was at times not easy. "You are dealing with finding £11.5bn of savings. Of course those discussions are going to be difficult, they are robust exchanges. Sometimes they ...
[IMG: rsz_playhouse_2] [IMG: rsz_playhouse_2_-1] [IMG: rsz_playhouse_2_snake] Saturday night saw old chum Keith and I travel over to Shaw, just across the M62 from Rochdale where I lived as a child for a few years. Our visit was to a great little threatre called Playhouse 2 which is run by a charitable trust. We have been before, indeed both visits have been to see Snake Davis, former saxaphone player with M People. His concert this time was with a new venture/group called Snake Strings i.e. Snake and 4 talented classically trained string musicians. A good night was had at this delightful ...
Rochdale Council have published the next phase of it's 'Core Strategy' planning document, which includes a vision for Middleton. It looks at what transport and other services are needed to support growth and development. One of the key proposals for Middleton is that Rochdale council should look into linking the town to the tram network at neighbouring Bowker Vale. The core strategy planning document says connecting the town centre to the Metrolink network should be a long-term aspiration for the council and a feasibility study should take place to see if it is possible.
From the Daily Mirror this morning: Conservatives have a Cold War fixation with keeping Britain's nuclear deterrent, Lib Dems will say today. The war of words with their Coalition partners comes as the party publishes its long-awaited review into the alternatives to Trident. The document is expected to recommend building two new nuclear submarines to replace the current four - ending the policy of having a continuous at sea deterrent (CSD). The Tories have already dismissed the report and have vowed to press ahead with like-for-like renewal despite the £80billion plus cost. But a Lib Dem source hit back saying ...
Episode 67 of the House of Comments podcast "Funding Farrago" is out. This week myself and Emma Burnell discuss party funding in the light of Ed Miliband's recent announcement on union funding, the immigration backlog and Post Office privatisation. We are having a break for a few weeks now for the summer holidays but we are both recording a couple of one-off specials featuring interviews with special guests which we will release over the summer. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe. You can download the ...
Local MPs and councillors have welcomed more than half a billion pounds that will be pumped into small businesses via the Regional Growth Fund, which was announced last week. Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, announced the fourth round of the Regional Growth Fund – half a billion pounds for 100 smaller businesses across the UK. This is on top of the £2,500 million already invested via the fund. Locally this has gone to MAN Diesel & Turbo to create 15,000 training places for local people, to NXP Semiconductors UK Ltd and to Stockport Homes to create new homes, new jobs ...
Due to a number of issues, primarily around booking and scheduling clashes, Manchester Harriers Schools Cross Country League is moving from Scholes Fields over to the Cheadle campus of Cheadle and Marple College.
Last year, I met with Solar Cities Scotland about their Dundee Green Challenge project. The West End Ward is a part of this project and it aims to work with residents on a variety of projects that will encourage 2 600 households to take up low carbon living. There is now a team of canvassers in the West End who are asking local people to take part in a short survey and then commit to some carbon savings actions if they are interested in them. The canvassers then carry out a follow up in a few weeks to find out ...
Last week I announced half-a-billion pounds to invest in more than a hundred businesses across Britain to help them expand and develop ideas. With this money they can employ more staff, train more young people, and help build a stronger economy. This builds on what we have already achieved: since the Liberal Democrats came into Government in 2010, we've helped businesses create more than a million jobs. You can see the jobs that have been created in your area by clicking on this map. Liberal Democrats are leading an unrelenting focus in the Coalition Government to create a million more ...
