[IMG: polling station] I love how this article elaborately blames the political parties for the imbalance in our voting system without actually saying, until two lines before the end (in a quote) that: '...we need an electoral system that values each voter equally no matter where they live.' They even seem to be advocating public funding for political parties! Now, there's radical! photo by: secretlondon123 [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Xan Brooks travels to Kent to visit the key locations from A Canterbury Tale - one of my favourite films.
The Leicester Mercury wins my Headline of the Day Award with: Shop alcohol licence bid turned down over drinking fears
Much as I've enjoyed getting back to regular blogging, I realise that recent posts have been mostly political and I've not been leavening things with other styles of post. I know, also, that some of my readers really appreciate the poetry or music posts - and although they are few in number, architecture related posts are also popular. So, if you're been waiting on a Poem, or Music, or other such entertainment, thank you for your patience: this one is for you. Invictus by William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole ...
The new Liberator is with subscribers, so it is time to spend another week with Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer. Monday "Is it true," one of my companions asks over the Smithson & Greaves Northern Bitter, "that there are as many knights among Liberal Democrat MPs as there are women?" "I am afraid so," I reply. "Their spurs and lances keep striking sparks from the stone and the Serjeant-at-Arms says they are a fire hazard." There are those who regard women as the weaker sex and hold that they have no place in the rough and tumble of Westminster: I ...
I was visiting relatives in east Lancashire today and I had a look at this week's Accrington Observer. The first letter is about parking on the pavement and the author is not in favour. He mentions the possibility of arrest if a blind person decided to walk down the centre of the road with their guide dog and I heard similar stories when I was knocking on doors in the first few months of the year. I knocked on nearly two thousand doors and while it may not sound very many, around a dozen people brought up the issue of ...
If you watch the episodes of Top of the Pops from 1978 that BBC4 is showing, your enjoyment can only be enhanced by following Top of the Pops Fax on Twitter. He tweets relevant facts and trivia about the musicians while the show is on each week. There was a terrific fact this week - it easily wins my Trivial Fact of the Day Award. And it is that David Watts from the Kinks' song was a real person and came from Rutland. Really this should not have been such a surprise to me. Andrew Hickey reported it when reviewing ...
Wed 14th
20:02
"We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a..."
"We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means. What remains peculiar to war is simply the peculiar nature of its means. War in general, and the commander in any specific instance, is entitled to require that the trend and designs of policy shall not be inconsistent with these means. That, of course, is no small demand; but however much it may affect political aims in a given case, it will never do more than modify them. The political object is the ...
Tomorrow's the day students get their A level results. It's also the day that clearing lines open at Universities up and down the country. Clearing is the system that matches people without University places (perhaps because they've not got the results they needed) with places on courses. It can be a really stressful time, for the potential students and their families, but also for the course teams at Universities. I teach at Edge Hill and have been one of the voices on the end of the clearing line for a few years. So I thought I'd note down my tips ...
I've had a few more suggestions about the budget in response to the short film I made. Here they are and my comments on them: Suggestion: Perhaps cut the wages of some of our Cornwall councillors! Perfect start in my opinion. I'm positive that a gross majority of you lot are very over paid for the work you actually do!? Response: The proposal for a basic allowance rise made last year was reversed earlier this year (I voted against the rise in the first place and in favour of cutting it back). A new scheme for special responsibility allowances (ie ...
[IMG: Blog] A bunch of statistics about the housing market have been published over the last few days. Housing issues have been hitting the headlines in the mainstream media harder than is usually the case. A number of the key pressure groups have made the point forceful that current developments in the housing market are by no means entirely positive. It is interesting and welcome to see commentators who usually focus on the economy more broadly also getting in on the act and giving attention to our pressing housing problems. But the mainstream media does not always have the time, ...
I hate the word heteronormative. Like "trigger warning" and "privilege", it rubs me up the wrong way. I did use it, very reluctantly, in my last post and it even rubbed me up the wrong way then. It does, however, sometimes serve a purpose. Why, oh why, am I talking about a word that I really don't want to use? Because of this blog post from a supporter of the "Lose the Lad's Mags" campaign. It argues that "lad's mags" are heteronormative. I have to say in opposition that the blog post itself, and the entire "Lose the Lad's Mags" ...
Wed 14th
17:52
US Attorney General is accused of "casting aspersions on my asparagus" by US Congressman
[IMG: 4565290729_7a0e754017_b] Tagean Goddard's Political Wire continues to be a fascinating daily read of mine. I think it's the vicarious nature of US politics, enjoyed from the distance of several thousand miles, which has me hooked. Today, Political Wire links to a superb resource on Roll Call, which collates Twitter photos from US Congressmen and women showing what they are up to in their August recess. It's worth a browse. Also, there's a link to a brilliant 10 Most quotable members of Congress, again from Roll Call. Number 1 is Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas. A clip is linked to. The ...
[IMG: House of Lords] For all of the brouhaha about stuffing the Lords, it is interesting to note that, despite what many might think, the number of Peers on the 'active list', i.e. not on leave of absence, disqualified or retired, hasn't increased that much. After all, Peers die, often surprisingly unnoticed. They get old – the average age is already 69 – or sick. But the place definitely seems more crowded, as many Peers noted during the debate on Lords reform last year. Conveniently, the House of Lords newsletter for members, 'Red Benches', has recently published some data which ...
The Thomas Moore Hall (116A Lordship Lane) is owned by the local Roman Catholic church. In 2011 they closed it as a community centre and have been consulting their congregation and considering what to use this site for next. They've had one interested party obtain planning permission for a nursery. But their latest thinking is to have a cinema. We think this is a great idea - do you? Picturehouse Cinemas, who run the Ritzy in Brixton, are interested and so are Curzon Cinemas. I've spoken to both groups. A cinema again in East Dulwich, but especially on Lordship Lane, ...
Firstly because I do not want this to be seen as a personal attack on the Mayor of Liverpool I want to make two things clear at the outset: 1. I am delighted that on his return from holiday the ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Bearded Nick Clegg] Oh what a fuss about a beard! The media has gone mad over Jeremy Paxman's beard, egged on a 'Twitter storm' last night. Even the BBC has got in on the act, declaring its presenter's beard to be 'notorious'. What is it about beards that generate such interest, dislike, even fear? (This fear, the media tell us with glee, is properly called pogonophobia.) Distrust of beards is nothing new. I grew mine the moment I escaped from sixth form. As an archaeologist, being hirsute was pretty much obligatory for men in those days. But when I ...
[IMG: Zhou Enlai] When asked about the impact of the French Revolution, Zhou Enlai was said to have suggested that it was "too early to tell". Admittedly, he was apparently referring to the 1968 riots, rather than the original, but it was the response of someone who saw politics as a long game. With 24/7 rolling news, it would seem that such a perspective is in danger of being lost forever. In just twenty-four hours, the Joan Edwards legacy story appears to have gone from curiosity to scandal and back. Yesterday, news broke that a hitherto unknown elderly woman had ...
Wed 14th
14:00
Joan Edwards' solicitors state her wishes were "specifically checked": she wanted bequest to go to p...
Another twist to add to the tale of Joan Edwards' bequest. After the furore whipped-up by today's Daily Mail, the Lib Dems and Conservatives had little choice but to renounce the cash. But it turns out that, by doing so, the donor's actual wishes may well have been denied. Here's the statement from her solicitors, Davis Woods, executors of Miss Edwards' estate: We confirm that we act as executors of the late Joan Edwards. The Will was drafted by a solicitor at Davis Wood in 2001. At the time of the instructions received from the late Miss Edwards, the solicitor ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Tories and Lib Dems shamed into handing back 500k 'robbed' from dead spinster Joan Edwards | Mail Online I think this is the closest the Lib Dems will get to an apology from the Daily Mail for its baseless accusations http://dailym.ai/1eJgDVe ++ Lib Dems to give party's share of Miss Joan Edwards' bequest to government (UPDATED) Updated with solicitors' statement ++ Lib Dems to give party's share of Miss Joan Edwards' bequest to government http://bit.ly/124nHJy Joan Edwards' Donation Handed To Treasury Joan Edwards' solicitors via Sky News: "It was confirmed by Miss ...
[IMG: Brian, Susan and Rebecca Taylor] Brian, Susan and Rebecca Taylor Brian Harry Taylor, long serving stalwart of Bromley and Chislehurst Liberal Democrats, died peacefully in the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle on Monday 12 August aged 93. Born in Putney, London in 1919, Brian's political sentiments were first aroused against the Blackshirts and their targeting of Jewish immigrants in the East End of London in the 1930s. He joined the Bermondsey branch of the Communist Party in 1937, but was always more of an anti-fascist than a communist. He left the Communist Party in 1939 in disgust at the Hitler-Stalin pact. ...
[IMG: Eurotunnel service entrance lighting map] Eurotunnel service entrance streetlights to be retained Having attended a meeting today with KCC Highways engineers, Sandgate Parish Councillor Tim Prater has been promised that streetlights at the A20 Eurotunnel Service Entrance near J12 of the M20 will be removed from light turn-off plans. Tim Prater has been campaigning to keep the lights on by the Eurotunnel entrance for many months, and the pledge today at the meeting at KCC Highways Ashford HQ with Behdad Haratbar (Head of Transport and Planning at Kent County Council) and other Highway Officers is in addition to Cllr ...
[IMG: ollie_the_thick_of_it] Back in July I came across this blog post from UCL's Constitution Unit that was critical of the level of transparency around the numbers of government special advisers: 'Return to the dark: the continuing lack of transparency over spads' It seems that the last official publication of the names of special advisers and their salaries was on the 19 October 2012. This despite the fact that at least ten new spads have started working for ministers since that date. Special advisers have a unique and highly privileged role. They operate at the heart of government and are able ...
Wed 14th
11:05++ Lib Dems to give party's share of Miss Joan Edwards' bequest to government (UPDATED)
Here's the breaking news... BREAKING: Lib Dem source tells me the party WILL be giving Joan Edwards' money to the Government. Formal announcement very soon! — Michael Savage (@michaelsavage) August 14, 2013 It would certainly seems odd to leave a bequest to which ever party (or parties) happen to be in power. But, then, why not use clear wording such "to the government for the benefit of the nation"? Key lesson here: make sure your will is unambiguous if you don't want your intentions to be subject to the second-guessing of strangers you've never met years later. There's some useful ...
[IMG: David Boyle] For those into Liberal Democrat policy, hearing that David Boyle is going to write a post in response to one of your own is reason for mixing pleasure, apprehension and anticipation. What will he say? Will it be agreement? Will it be the polite highlighting of a fatal flaw? And will he manage to work in more plugs for his excellent book that you have for yours? David's taken to the keyboard to reply to my post about scaffolding, and what the frequent scaffolding outside my home says about public services: There's much I could write about ...
[IMG: bicycle route sign] Yesterday the Coalition Government announced a dramatic boost to cycling funding, reaffirming our commitment to promote safer cycling and to get more people to switch from four wheels to two. As the Lib Dem Transport Minister, I have worked hard to champion cycling within government and to increase investment in its infrastructure. I am delighted that we have now announced the biggest ever single cash injection for cycling funding in England. We are spending nearly £150 million to make cycling easier and safer. Our party has long recognised the overwhelmingly positive benefits of cycling, which helps ...
I've made a short film about the council's budget consultation events which are taking place next month. These events are open to all and I look forward to seeing as many people as possible. Contrary to what some have suggested, these meetings are not the only consultation we are holding. As well as the 19 meetings across Cornwall, we are also holding discussions with staff and businesses and with local councils. And we are going to use new technologies as much as possible with a webcast meeting from county hall, another online Q&A session and a website which sets out ...
posted The Blood is The Life 13-08-2013 http://t.co/HYWIjIocYu on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Apple responds to petition to remove 'bisexual' from list of spam words for app developers - PinkNews.co.uk (tags: ) Lots of words. | Not In The Kitchen Anymore But WHY are there less lady gamers? (tags: ) Have you submitted your nominations for the @libdemvoice awards yet? You've just 10 days http://t.co/HE5dDw2n6K (via @caronmlindsay) (tags: (from twitter) ) Interesting post bout animal sexual behaviour in irreverent language. Somebody needs to tell author bout bi folks tho http://t.co/YFFovKMwwa (tags: (from twitter) ) [IMG: ...
Since 2010, more than one million jobs have been created in the private sector. We are proud of the role that the Liberal Democrats have played in directing UK government investment into job creation and training. We are now focusing ... Continue reading →
"Every boy and every gal, That's born into the world alive, Is either a little Liberal Or else a little Conserva-tive." So said W. S. Gilbert, but even when he was writing (Iolanthe, 1882), something was going on to confuse matters. The split in the Liberal Party over Ireland was made permanent by the rise of socialism - fear of socialism kept important strands of Liberalism muddled into the the conservatives well into the 20th century. They still are. As a result, there are now two kinds of Conservatives (I am rather simplifying here, so please bear with me): Those ...
By Michael Tavares I was recently fortunate enough to visit the German Federal Chancellery, otherwise known as the 'Bundeswaschmachine' (that's 'federal washing machine' to me and you). The colloquialism may seem comical on first hearing; yet in my opinion, it acts as a metaphor for Germany's constitution. Just as a washing machine relies on its [...]
[IMG: Ed Miliband standing up to Rupert Murdoch] Kim Beazley, Australian Ambassador to the US, had a pretty dire record of losing not only Labor Party leadership elections in Australia but also losing general elections even when he managed to win leadership contests. His repeated comebacks became a farce of continual failure rather than a dramatic story of persistence and redemption. Hence he said of his final departure: "For me to do anything further in the Australian Labor Party I would say is Lazarus with a quadruple bypass". Along the way, he tried out one political approach that became notorious ...
The publication of donations to political parties for the second quarter of this year is as enlightening as ever, not least for the lady who left £520,000 to the Government of the day. The money was split 80-20 between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats. The Telegraph though focusses on the money received by the Labour Party, three quarters of which has come from the Trade Unions. Labour was given £2.4million by the unions between April and June this year. The Unite union gave £772,195, GMB gave £485,830 and Unison £458,080. This starkly illustrates how dependent Labour are on the ...
Well-known Gatley business BossCo is on the move, from their current location on Gatley Road next to the former Tatton Cinema to Stonepail Road. They plan to move to their new premises later in August. In its place may be an undertakers. The Council has received planning application 53272 to allow the building at 118 Gatley Road to be used as an undertakers and to put in an additional set of doors at the back. You can see the full planning application, and have your say, here.
Wed 14th
08:15Je ne regrette rien? Would Lib Dem members have voted for Coalition knowing what we know now?
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. More than 600 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Since the Coalition began, I've been asking the question about whether members support the party being in coalition with the Conservatives. Pretty consistently, across 16 separate surveys, around 80% have said yes. But I realise this question is, to some extent, skewed by the fact that we are where we are. Some members who are deeply unhappy with the ...
Wed 14th
08:00Daily Mail accuses "grasping politicians of pocketing spinster's £500,000 legacy". Let's have ...
[IMG: mail grasping politicians front page - 14 aug 13] This morning's Mail Online has a shocking headline: Grasping politicians pocket spinster's £500,000 legacy she bequeathed to government to spend 'as they may think fit'. The newspaper's front page also splashes on the story (right). This follows the story we reported here yesterday of Miss Joan Edwards, who had apparently bequeathed £520k to the two Coalition partners as the current governing parties. This was divided 80:20 between them, with the Lib Dems getting almost £100k. The Mail disputes that interpretation, asserting instead that she intended to leave the money as ...
Wed 14th
07:45
My column for ConHome: I'm holding on to my Lib Dem membership card. But what membership means is go...
[IMG: con home cartoon] My fourth column for ConservativeHome — The Other Side — ran yesterday. You can read it here (and enjoy the comments from readers who aren't, in the main, Lib Dems) or below. I'm enjoying the gig, and kudos to ConHome's editor Paul Goodman for allowing a Lib Dem a regular slot on the site. I'm a card-carrying party member. Are you? If so, then welcome to the club, along with our fellow freakish oddballs. The credit card-sized bit of laminated yellow card which I pointlessly keep in my wallet at all times marks me out as ...
A marvellous Midsummer Fete at the Vine! In aid of ABR Scotland - bringing new hope to children and young adults with cerebral palsy and other brain injuries. Saturday 24th August from 7pm - only £1 entry (under 5s free). Roll up roll up for ... live music/ luxury raffle/ face painting/ transfer tattoos/ vintage clothing £3 sale/ lemonade stand/ massive cake and candy stalls/ bottle ,bear and gift tombolas/ the best games & crazy good prizes/ tasty BBQ/ drinks bar/ special Starbucks stall and so much more!
The Welsh Government needs to do more to support Wales' housing market after figures released yesterday show that the housing stimulus programme in England has attracted 10,000 successful applications. As part of the 2012-13 budget deal, the Welsh Liberal Democrats convinced the Welsh Government to implement a mortgage guarantee scheme. After taking over a year to formulate the scheme and despite setting the launch date for June 2013, the Welsh Government has failed to deliver on its promise. The promising figures published today in England only further highlight how home-buyers are being left high and dry by this Welsh Labour ...
Conference is drawing nearer and of all the motions on the agenda, F17: Protecting Children from Online Pornography (here, page 34) seems to be provoking the biggest debate, at least for now. The motion is, I believe, deeply flawed. After the opening clauses, which comment on the power and importance of the internet, free speech and the rights of adults, it proposes that Liberal Democrats should support those in Government who wish to see the introduction of an "opt-in" system applied by Internet Service Providers for those who want to have access to porn. This, of course, is a campaign ...
