Anthony Weiner's manhood may have got him into trouble, but that's nothing compared to the recent confession of Democrat candidate Bill De Blasio – that he is a Boston Red Sox fan. As I mentioned in a previous post, I essentially follow politics as a way of killing time between watching watching sport, so it's great [...]
The quality is not great (it does improve later on) and scenes are repeated, but this is the only footage I have seen of trams in Leicester. I believe it was shot in the 1930s.
Nick Clegg's silence over the David Miranda detention has got me worried that my fattest chicken may have just fallen off its perch to be carried away in the jaws of rationalism and despair. I hope Nick speaks up soon.
[IMG: The scales of justice] Commenting on the detention of David Miranda, Scotland Yard said: Contrary to some reports, the man was offered legal representation while under examination and a solicitor attended. I have now read/scanned a 13 page stinker of a legal letter from Bindmans, solicitors, to the Home Secretary and the chief of the Met Police. On pages 3 and 4, it describes in detail the "legal representation" which was allowed to David Miranda at Heathrow. Here's what it says: [IMG: image] [IMG: image] So, it is a bit of a joke to describe an hour at the ...
And so another week at Bonkers Hall draws to its close. Perhaps that is just as well, Sunday Sir Nicholas Harvey rings at last with some news. "Good knight..." I begin, entering into the spirit of things. "Goodnight" he replies and puts the phone down. Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for Rutland South-West 1906-10. Earlier this week in Lord Bonkers' Diary Too many knightsEscape from Liberal YouthOn the knight busWhy isn't Sarah Teather a knight?In support of equal marriage"Go out and look at Uranus"
Britain in 2013. The police detain a journalist's partner under anti-terrorism legislation in what look likes an attempt at intimidation. The police supervise the destruction of computers on the premises of a national newspaper. And what does Nick Clegg have to say about it? Nothing. The longer his silence continues, the harder it becomes not to share the conclusion of Liberator's blog: Nick is abandoning the party's traditional concern for civil liberties in order to make it easier for him to continue his coalition with the Conservatives after the election. But, I hear you protest, Nick once vowed to go ...
Sorry for the lack of proper posts recently. I'm busy doing final edits to the Beach Boys book (which is taking longer because Plok has given me such good notes — I've had to do things like go and do a search for every occurence of the word album and think "Is this really necessary?") [...]
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 339th 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 (11-18 August, 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. Is there any ...
When people ask me what I did with my afternoon of Tuesday 20th August 2013 I'll tell them I read. I read a lot. As you all know I've not an avid reader of books but I love reading. It is just I struggle sitting with a fiction book as it isn't real but anything that is real captivates me. Whether that is researching politics or news stories or whether, as in this instance it all about human interaction and dating then I'm all over it like the proverbial fat kid on a smartie. This afternoon I was pointed to ...
This evening I'll be on a live current affairs programme on the English language service of the Iranian broadcaster PressTV, defending the British position on Gibraltar. By coincidence I sailed past Gibraltar last Wednesday (and got some very friendly waves from Spanish fishermen as they came up close, maybe partly because we were flying a [...]
[IMG: peoplepower] Dan Jellinek's book 'People Power', which was published last month, is subtitled 'A user's guide to democracy', and in it he comprehensively outlines the principles and practice of democracy in the UK. This is not a book for political nerds, although even they may find some new nuggets of information within. Instead he is writing for members of the general public who may be curious to know how our political institutions work. Does that sound like someone you know? The title, of course, encapsulates the power of the vote at election time, which he describes as 'the heartbeat ...
Three years ago, I wrote about the deficiencies in Microsoft's Tag system. [IMG: MS Tag] It was painfully obvious even then that MS had no desire to back the "standard" they'd tried to create. They couldn't even be bothered to leverage the then-new Windows Phone to get the reader into customers' hands. Their terms and conditions at the time said We will also use commercially reasonable efforts to make these basic features available until at least January 1, 2015, and provide two years prior notice before we terminate the basic features or the entire Microsoft Tag service. Well, they've just ...
The detention of David Miranda at Heathrow Airport has turned into a major news story, and rightly so. The story has revealed dangerous levels of state power, as the Guardian's editor Alan Rusbridger explains in an account of the assorted threats he received from "shadowy Whitehall figures", culminating in a raid by GCHQ on his offices and the destruction of computer hard drives. Also in the Guardian, columnist Simon Jenkins (who can hardly be dismissed as a dangerous lefty) explains how the term 'terrorist' is being applied loosely by the state to hoover up any person or data it wants, ...
Ahead of One Direction's movie premier tonight, which is making the news because of the thousands of teenage girls who have camped out to see the boys, I thought I would post this video of our esteemed PM looking 'I need to do this to win the youth vote' ish. Cameron appears at 2:42 and if you don't find it funny then your laugh-o-meter needs fixing.
Two weeks ago, I introduced this year's Liberal Democrat Voice Awards and invited you to submit your nominations by Friday 23rd August. That deadline is now hurtling towards us like a herd of stampeding elephants. There has been a steady flow of nominations so far, but that won't be much good to you if your favourite blog, or tweeter, or campaign or post hasn't been put forward. To nominate, you need to send your suggestions to caron@libdemvoice.org as soon as you can. Please also feel free to publicise the awards on your own blog or via social media. In the ...
an abridged version of an August 2013 Liberator Article A senior Liberal Democrat, when recently asked about their view of the prospects for the Party is rumoured to have replied, "The Valley of Death", evoking thoughts of the Crimean War....Read more ›
As some of you know I've been waiting to be active at Lib Dem Conference until Further Education came up. At Glasgow in September, the #FEparty begins. Below is the amendment I'm looking for signatures for. If you're interested in supporting it and you are a voting rep let me know! Facebook @callum_morton EMA's Replacement [...]
Tue 20th
13:43
Not smiling, possessing a cricket bat and heckling Jack Straw. Top ten uses of Labour's 'anti terror...
The use of Labour's anti terror laws to detain David Miranda has got me thinking about other misuses of their various acts. So here is a quick list of other questionable decisions, arrests and uses of Labour's various anti terror laws 10. Me. I had a nice little chat with Humberside police after taking pictures of a shopping centre in 2009. (I'm sure there are better examples but it's my blog so I can be narcissistic.) 9. During the 2005 G8 protests in Scotland, a cricketer on his way to a match was stopped at King's Cross station in London ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Undergraduate Degree Classifications 2012/13 – University of Oxford Journos! Obsessed with Oxford colleges? Here's this year's catnip: 2013 Norrington Table http://bit.ly/1bPfknY (1 New 2 St John's 3 Merton) Guy Fawkes' blog of parliamentary plots, rumours and conspiracy Don't often recommend Guido for a balanced take, but this is > Guardian v Spooks: Key Questions http://bit.ly/16rWD7N Miranda detention is a "defining point" – Index on Censorship | Index on Censorship Excellent from @billt (via @IndexCensorship) > Miranda detention is a "defining point" http://bit.ly/165869V Forward, not back. | Hopi Sen Balanced, astute, sensible stuff* ...
Today is the Feast of St Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist., the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian Order. He wrote the Memorare, a very familiar and traditional prayer to Our Lady: "REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy [...]
Come along to the launch of Healthwatch Stockport, 10.30am-2pm, Tuesday 27th August 2013 in Mersey Square [IMG: healthwatch]
[IMG: University campus] When people ask me why I'm a Liberal Democrat, I simplify it slightly. Yes, it's because I have a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament and I think he's pretty great, but it's also because I quite like freedom, and I think it should be applied more liberally (see what I did there?). I always describe Liberalism as being obsessed with freedom. It's a very simple way of encompassing so many of the campaigns and issues we care so passionately about. We raised the tax threshold, because people on low incomes deserve freedom from a punitive tax burden. ...
I was reading last night a piece on the Indie website where members of our party were discussing how they felt a second coalition government would be difficult to get past our members. Is it just me, or have I missed out on a whole General Election campaign, and I've woken up a few days into May of 2015? Talking about another coalition is all well and good if it's a question of taking precautions and putting plans together, but, discussing the likelihood of a second one completely negates the process of election. 2010 was my first General Election campaign ...
Having published just about the most light hearted post about genocide one can realistically manage, I wanted to share some rather darker facts that I came across while researching it. FACT: For years before Eichmann's capture, the CIA and the BND – the West German intelligence agency – were aware that he was in Argentina [...]
The government and the police have a duty to protect the public and our national security. If the police believe that an individual is in possession of highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism, then they should act and the law provides them with a framework to do that. Those who oppose this sort [...]
Home Office on detention of David Miranda: police believed he possessed 'highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism' — Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) August 20, 2013
Journalists and their associates have a proud history of making life difficult for the state. David Miranda's detention is the security service's latest attempt at fighting back. It's a cliche I know, but I'm currently gripped by 'All the President's Men', the book Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein published detailing the Watergate investigation.I never went [...]
Brian Paddick has just gone on the BBC News Channel to talk, very briefly, about the detention of David Miranda. The former Liberal Democrat London mayoral candidate, recently ennobled by Nick Clegg, has a unique perspective on the issue. He was quite careful in his use of language, but the overall impression I took from what he was saying is that he's not entirely convinced that the detention was justified. He said that it was extremely unusual for a transiting passenger to be stopped in this way and that the authorities must have had some sort of intelligence that he ...
Rumblings of discontent within the Labour party has attracted media attention. Some of it is a bit harsh, both Conservative and Lib Dem commentators would love Labour to announce a detailed raft of policy announcements in readiness to adopt and implement the better ones and pull the more controversial or not so well thought out policies apart. Labour campaigners too would like to be able to
Let us not kid ourselves. We are not living in the world of 1984. We are not in a position to cry out for freedom as if we're being oppressed. Though it is easy to compare our western civilisation to German Democratic Republic, such a direct comparison is an insult to the true horrors inflicted upon some East Germans by the GDR, such as Miriam in Anna Funder's heartrending book "Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall" who was arrested as a teenager for putting up posters against the regime, who tried to flee across the wall but was captured ...
The Innergie PocketCell is the latest Innergie product designed to make life with a clutch of electronic gadgets easier. It is a small and light recharging block: you carry it round with you and when a mobile phone, iPod or pretty much any USB device runs low on power, you recharge by plugging it into the PocketCell. No need to be near a power point. [IMG: Innergie PocketCell Rechargeable Battery Bank] As with other Innergie products, such as the mCube Slim 95 and the 3-in-1 Magic Cable (which you get a copy of included with the PocketCell), the design tries ...
posted The Blood is The Life 19-08-2013 http://t.co/a8a706SlmN on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) posted Why is membership of political parties falling? http://t.co/9EatQTSff2 on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) The world is a very depressing place today. Perhaps it's because I'm past 35. Everything is bad/worrying/unnatural. http://t.co/ZDqivjP1rv (tags: (from twitter) ) David Miranda's arrest proves how sinister the state has become » Spectator Blogs Apart from Nick Cohen's obsession with linking everything to Leveson when Leveson has achieved precisely fuck all, this is a very good article. (tags: ) Welcome to Britain: Border control officers ...
When David Miranda was arrested under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act at Heathrow Airport on Sunday morning, he had the best lawyers the Guardian could afford at least arguing with the authorities if not with him for all of that time, the newspaper itself and the Brazilian Government, concerned at the treatment of one of its own citizens, to stick up for him. Even then, the authorities held on to him to within minutes of the maximum nine hours. Holding the partner of the journalist who has been working on a story alleging that Governments have been acting beyond ...
The Council is now saying that they expect the backlog of bin collections to have been cleared on or by Friday 23rd August. If your normal day is missed the advice is to still have the bin out on following days.
I was brought up on submarine films. The captains were always played by John Mills; sometimes they come to the surface, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they are set in the Second World War, sometimes the Cold War. In fact, John Mills cut his film-acting teeth in a 1935 naval film called Brown on Resolution, where the captain was played by Henry Stoker, who had actually commanded the Australian submarine AE2 when she slipped through the Dardanelles in 1915. Perhaps he learned the style from Stoker himself. All of which is a way of asking: why are there no submarine films ...
Reblogged from The Dish: by Chas Danner https://twitter.com/glcarlstrom/status/369355374597402625 Bassem Sabry outlines the treacherous path that lies ahead for the organization: On one hand, the Brotherhood is faced with the combined power of an antagonistic administration, the media, the judiciary and a substantial number of people who seem to be confronting the Brotherhood in the streets out of [...]
There is a certain phrase that summarises the immigration debate for me; the one that goes 'I'm not racist but....' that gives people the opportunity to make comments that could otherwise be offensive. We're now seeing a sophisticated anti-immigration stance from other parties where they simply structure in racist comments and defend it as just being anti-immigration. For me this is what they tried to do with the 'go home' van ad campaign. However as a party we're not putting up much of a fight against this, and have been silent for some time, unless we're responding to the campaigns ...
Jonathan Calder catches one of the oddities well in his tweet from last night: The silence of Nick Clegg and Jeremy Browne is getting louder and louder — Jonathan Calder (@lordbonkers) August 19, 2013 There's certainly a role for caution in forming a firm view about a specific case until you have heard the protagonists explain their reasoning. To take another recent example, think how different the Joan Edwards bequest case would have sounded if the very first story had included asking and publishing the answer from her lawyers as to why her money went to political parties – 'because ...
After my two Monday weekly ward surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and the West Park Centre yesterday afternoon, I then attended Dundee City Council committee meetings at which: Education Committee : I asked a question about the financial close of the Harris Academy rebuilding project. One of the teacher representatives on the committee raised a number of concerns about the decant building in Lawton Road and the Director of Education gave a commitment to thoroughly investigate these. I have since written to the Director in that regard. Environment Committee : It was pleasing to note the committee's unanimous approval ...
From the City Council : "I wish to notify you that work is programmed to commence at the above location on Monday 2 September 2013, and will last for approximately 10 days. The Contractor for the works is Tayside Contracts. In the interest of public safety, a road closure will be implemented and through traffic will be diverted via Hawkhill, Bellfield Street and reverse, in addition local diversions will be in place for residential areas. Vehicular access will be maintained to residents/businesses, although we ask for vehicular traffic movements to be kept to a minimum, and some minor delays may ...
I have written to the Chief Executive of Hywel Dda Health Board following receipt of a long-awaited response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request concerning colo-rectal surgery at Bronglais Hospital Aberystwyth. My detailed request for information which was sent in to the Health Board on the 18th April, was finally responded to last month. The purpose of the request was to try and elicit further information about colo-rectal surgery at Bronglais Aberystwyth and the importance of the full retention of this service. Having poured through the documents which have been sent to me, this week I have raised a ...
A bit late to the party, I know, but this piece by Dan Hodges in Sunday's Telegraph is worth a second look. Mr. Hodges is described by the paper as a Blairite cuckoo in the Miliband nest. They say he has worked for the Labour Party, the GMB trade union and managed numerous independent political campaigns and that he writes about Labour with tribal loyalty and without reservation. What are we to make therefore of this hatchet job? Dan Hodges says that the People's Party is scattering its marbles to the winds: Its poll lead is crumbling. Surveys show that ...
Tue 20th
00:00
It's time for Labour to go - Lib Dems propose vote of no confidence in George Dunning's Labour Party...
Redcar and Cleveland Council's Liberal Democrats propose a Council motion of "No Confidence" in Council Leader George Dunning (pictured right). Calling on George Dunning to step down as Council Leader, the Lib Dem motion to the Council says "That the Council has no confidence in George Dunning as Leader of the Council." Commenting Lib Dem Group Leader Glyn Nightingale (pictured below) who is proposing the motion said, "It is time for Labour to go. George Dunning's Labour Group has lost the confidence of the public and he has lost the support of his own party and of local Councillors and, ...
