George Osborne's speech at the Tory conference today has been widely reported as a call for continued austerity. But what struck was the key passage - his call for the public finances to be in the black when the economy was strong as insurance against a rainy day. Isn't that what Keynes argued - run a budget surplus in the good times and a deficit in the bad to even out demand?
So Theresa May has said that the next Conservative Manifesto will commit to scrapping the Human Rights Act. Here was my reaction to the news: Tories say: they'll ditch Human Rights Act after 2015? I say: There's a #RedLine right there. — Andrew Brown (@oneexwidow) September 30, 2013 ...and here's an effort at a parody of Blurred Lines: All You Tories Shut Up All You Tories Shut Up Hey, hey, hey Hey, hey, hey Hey, hey, hey You want to repeal the Human Rights Act. You want out of E C H R But you can't have it We'll not ...
This afternoon I was at Municipal Buildings in Stockton to support Save Stockton South as they handed in their petition to the council. This umbrella organisation of pressure groups has worked very hard over the last couple of months to get more than 2000 signatures on a petition calling on Stockton council to review its planning decisions, following some of the most inconsistent and ludicrous
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, the leader of the Lib-Dems on Broxtowe Borough Council. Many apologies that the newsletter is a day late, normal service will hopefully be resumed next week. 1. Splitting BroxtoweNottingham City Council have made it clear in a number of statements recently that they are keen on splitting Broxtowe into two so that the south of the borough (Beeston, Chilwell, Toton, Bramcote and Stapleford)becomes part of an enlarged city council area. My personal view is that this is an appallingly bad idea as I do ...
Earlier this month the British Politics and Policy at LSE blog published a post by Charlotte Gerada on research she has conducted on unpaid internships. From an online survey she found that these were most common in the charitable sector and advances two arguments suggesting they are a bad idea. The first, which is familiar but none the less powerful for that, runs: Socially, a lack of accessibility and equality of opportunity could lead to the sector becoming less diverse and more elitist, further halting social mobility. In terms of wider labour market implications, many interviewed charities admitted that unpaid ...
As Congress approaches its midnight deadline, it doesn't look like a budget deal can be struck...
I'm a mathematician by training. I respect numbers. And when I hear intelligent people confuse 'deficit' and 'debt', I shudder a little inwardly. I find myself thinking, "Perhaps that's why so many apparently well-off people struggle with their personal finances?". But when I see politicians, people who want to run the country, make the same mistake, in writing, I am even more troubled. Stumbling over the words 'debt' and deficit' when speaking happens - I get that. This afternoon, my Twitter feed included this;.@George_Osborne is in cloud cuckoo land. He's talking about a surplus when the deficit has increase on ...
Mon 30th
21:43
Might some of the welfare changes be a little more helpful to people than Osborne made out?
Conservative Conference week is never an easy time to be a Liberal Democrat. The Conservative in its natural habitat is not a pretty sight to those of us who cherish the principles at the heart of the preamble to our constitution, of liberty, equality and community, of freeing people from poverty, ignorance or conformity. The words Tory leaders use to rally their troops give us that joyless feeling that is known in Scotland as the dry boak. But, you know, the Tory conference is what the Cabinet table would be like if it weren't for the Liberal Democrats in Government. ...
I've long wondered who writes the weekly briefings to Lib Dem members from party chief executive Tim Gordon. Its unlikley he writes them himself, given the mixture of policy detail and spin is not what one would expect from someone in an organisational role. Whoever wrote last week's must have been stumped for a way to positively spin the Public Accounts Committee's savaging of the rural broadband programme. You can see its report here. Among other cock-ups it noted that DCMS had handed BT a publicly-subsidised monopoly, that the programme had ended up with BT committing £356m rather than the ...
Another slant on Cambridgeshire - hope you might be able to come along to what should be a fascinating evening. HALLOWEEN SUPPER CLUB SPECIAL The Black Death in Medieval Cambridgeshire: Saturday 26 October, 7PM, Foxton Village Hall. Tickets £12.50, including home-made supper, desert, licensed bar and raffle. Tickets from susanvandeven@yahoo.co.uk, tim@whittlesford.plus.com or jose@josehales.me.uk. Please mention the "Focus on Bar Hill" blog when contacting them!
The last remaining pub in Swavesey has been added to a list of 'assets' to make sure local community groups have a realistic chance of buying it if it is put up for sale in the future. The White Horse Inn on Market Street has been listed as an 'Asset of Community Value' on South Cambridgeshire District Council's Community Right to Bid register after Swavesey Parish Council put forward the nomination. The pub is currently trading and not up for sale, but if this happened in the future the Council must be notified so local groups can be given the ...
Mon 30th
20:15Nice try, George. But the Pupil Premium is happening only because the Lib Dems are in government
[IMG: Osborne - Some rights reserved by altogetherfool] Who has made sure the Pupil Premium is being delivered in Government? Pretty straightforward question, you might think: the Liberal Democrats. Not if you're George Osborne, though... "I sit at that Cabinet table and I know who has really put forward the policies that are delivering a fairer society. The pupil premium to support the most disadvantaged children: that was Michael Gove's idea, front and centre of the last Conservative manifesto." (30 Sept 2013) Erm... okay, George. Let's take those two claims in order. [IMG: clegg pupil premium] First, you say it ...
Reblogged from The Dish: The latest study (pdf) from the International Monetary Fund indicates that persistent gender inequality in employment "is bad news for everyone, because it translates into lower economic growth - amounting to as much as 27% of per capita GDP in some countries": The potential gains from a larger female workforce are striking. In [...]
Mon 30th
19:36
Council acted illegally by indemnifying chief executive in libel action against blogger
I suspect a post on the blog written by David Hencke will be studied closely in Rutland. It begins: A decision by the Wales Audit Office in the last few days should send shivers down the spines of senior council staff thinking of using taxpayer's money to silence bloggers. The audit office have ruled that Carmarthenshire County Council acted illegally by indemnifying its chief executive, Mark James, in a libel action involving local blogger,Jacqui Thompson.And it ends: The consequences of this ruling are two-fold. It must question whether the council should continue to provide an indemnity to Mr James in ...
George Osborne, a man whose clarity of purpose should never be questioned - even if his grasp of economic reality should - has today given a speech at his party's conference in Manchester unveiling his plans to extend his "work for benefit" scheme. Referring to "the long-term unemployed" - yes, he does talk about such people is if they are a single, homogenous group of undeserving parasites - he argued that "no-one will be able to get something for nothing". It's such a shame he doesn't apply the same logic and obvious energy to those avoiding tax using various loopholes, ...
I am delighted that Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, has made a statement welcoming Black History Month which begins tomorrow. I had a hand in this! Deputy Prime Minister's Message: Black History Month Black [...]
There are quite a number of reasons why someone might want to take pictures of themselves naked and post them to individuals, or anyone who happens to pass by, online. Few, however, would send naked pictures of themselves from a personal account (one that can be traced back to them) for malicious purposes. So to hear Benjamin Cohen (someone I have some respect for thanks to his work with Pink News and on marriage equality) help propagate calling them "trolls" is a bit sad. Now don't get me wrong, if you receive an unwanted naked picture (especially of someone you ...
Episode 78 of the House of Comments podcast "2013 Conservative Conference Special" is out. Myself and Emma are joined by Graeme Archer of The Telegraph and his fellow Conservative member Amy Gray to discuss Conservative conference including conference locations, married couple tax allowance and the extension to help to buy. 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 mp3 for the latest episode directly from here. Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here: listen to 'Episode 78 - 2013 Conservative ...
The Courier reports: Perth and Kinross Council has received confirmation that no extra legal sanctions can be applied to a councillor fined in court for election fraud. Councillor Ian Miller, leader of the council, told The Courier he now had legal clarification that no action could be taken against Councillor Alan Jack, who was fined £450 at Perth Sheriff Court for exceeding the limit of election expenses between March 22 and May 26 last year. Mr Jack's political future looked uncertain following the court case earlier this month but it appears he is set to carry on as one of ...
Cambridge City Council's children and young people's play service (ChYpPS) is proposed to be restructured under plans to be considered by the council's Community Services Scrutiny Committee in October. Under the proposals, ChYpPS will be based at Brownsfield Youth and Community Centre, giving the centre a greater focus on youth activities. The City Council will increase the amount of work it does with partners, such as schools, to deliver play activities and work with vulnerable children. This will allow the service to continue working with young people at less cost to the council. In addition, ChYpPS will have an important ...
Purely by coincidence the start of the new school year was also a time to change my mode of transport. For the last 4 years I have owned and loved a BMW motorcycle. Owned and loved but rarely ridden. Due, in part, to a combination of weather, the need to wear a suit for meetings, a bad back and fear of dropping the thing; I have never really managed to get my money's worth out of an expensive toy. Therefore I finally, after much research and deliberation(part of the fun for us blokes), I traded the bike in for my ...
I initially thought this was another example of crazy US gun laws but actually I'm not so sure about. This Guardian article on the subject quotes this rather reasonable perspective from a blind activist: The fact is, US law says anyone has the right to bear arms, and if that's the case, then, in the [...]
I am a feminist. I believe that men and women should be given equal opportunities and that - as far as possible - we should have a civic society composed of equal numbers of men and women. At least... I think that's how I feel. Most people believe that they are rational and live up to their own ideals. But can we ever really know our own subconscious biases? The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media have released a series of study about gender biases. One of the more interesting findings was that when the male:female ratio in a ...
They have lost most of the MEPs, they are the most gaffe-prone party in Britain and yet still UKIP flourish. How do they do it? The Times reports today on the party's latest faux pas. They say that Nigel Farage's chief spin doctor referred to a British Asian newspaper journalist as "of some form of ethnic extraction": Gawain Towler, who is UKIP's top press officer and a candidate for next year's European elections, used the description in a text message intended for a colleague but sent accidentally to someone else. Sending instructions to a local activist ahead of a visit ...
Stephen Gilbert is inviting you to Newquay from Friday 18th October to Saturday 20th October 2013. Steve and the team have planned a weekend of surfing, leaflet delivery, door-knocking, and eating out. We'll probably also visit a few bars if anyone fancies it... If you would like to come join Steve and the St Austell and Newquay team (including my good self), then the local party will pay for your accommodation, food (a mixture of take-aways, eating out, and Cornish pasties), surfing, and an evening event, in return for a few campaign sessions. The local party have secured a deal ...
It was great to attend the Dundee City of Culture Bid Send Off event at the City Square this lunchtime. In the 12 years I have been a member of the City Council, I have never seen such excellent cross-party support and co-operation on a project as we have seen with the City of Culture bid. The city as a whole is united behind the bid team and we all believe that the City has much to offer in its bid to become UK City of Culture 2017. My LibDem colleague Alison McInnes MSP also said today, "Dundee has a ...
Stephen Gilbert is inviting you to Newquay from Friday 18th October to Saturday 20th October 2013. Steve and the team have planned a weekend of surfing, leaflet delivery, door-knocking, and eating out. We'll probably also visit a few bars if anyone fancies it... If you would like to come join Steve and the [...]
To be updated as I discover more ( do let me know if you see any...) but for now.... 1. The Lib Dem policy on raising the tax threshold. And let's not forget Cameron said in the leaders debates in 2010 that it couldn't be done 2. The Pupil Premium. Yes, you thought you had seen it on the front page of the manifesto... but George seems to think it was Michael Gove's idea all the time.... 3. His vision. He didn't nick his final words from us; but he definitely drew his inspiration from somewhere other than the Tory ...
The winners of the ALDC Campaigner Awards 2013 were again sponsored by Midshires and Riso. They were presented at the ALDC AGM held in Glasgow at Federal conference by Veronica German - President of ALDC and Sir Andrew Stunell MP. Overall Winner - Wiltshire We liked this because: • They ran a good campaign making [...]
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Help to Buy scheme condemned by Lib Dem grassroots groups | Money | theguardian.com Good on @soclibforum @liberal_reform & Liberal Left for uniting > Help to Buy condemned by LibDem grassroots groups http://bit.ly/1heupQN Why it's time to start buying shares again in George Osborne's political stock | Stephen Tall Andrew Mitchell take note. From me *a year ago* » Why it's time to start buying shares again in George Osborne http://bit.ly/16BC0dp
Once again, the Shropshire Star walks away with our Headline of the Day Award. The judges also love the photograph, but they were not sure about that apostrophe. Later. Good news - the rogue apostrophe has disappeared.
The Guardian is reporting the following joint letter by Liberal Democrat grassroots groups including the Social Liberal Forum and Liberal Reform representing different perspectives within the party, protesting against 'Help to Buy'. Sir – We write as Liberal Democrats who share deep concerns over the second element of the government's Help to Buy scheme, the implementation of which has just been accelerated as a Conservative demand within the coalition. The UK housing market is to all intents broken, with chronic shortages of supply having combined with an out-of-control financial system to create a house price bubble which (outside of London ...
It seems that the 10k tax threshold isn't the only thing the Magpie Tories are nicking off other parties George Osborne finished his speech today saying... 'The sun has started to rise above the hill..." Now, where did he get that image from?
Why is the UK government focusing R&D spending on offensive weapons in preference to tackling the roots of conflict? UK public spending on military research and development has long been among the highest in the world. Its advocates argue that this spending is focused on defending Britain and keeping our soldiers safe - an argument that has been hard to challenge because of the opaque nature of Ministry of Defence accounting practices. However, thanks to data obtained using freedom of information requests and published in a new report by Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR), it is now possible to see ...
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone and Haringey Liberal Democrats protesting at the proposed site of a waste processing plant on Pinkham Way] I have just sent the below comment to the press regarding the North London Waste Authority's (NLWA) decision to end their procurement process for long term waste management services. In short – they have decided to keep using the waste facility in Edmonton and keep waste management under control of the local authority (rather than contract them out to a private bidder). There are now no current plans to use the Pinkham Way site for waste management. I'd like to ...
Bridget Harris, the former Clegg special advisor, has spoken about the allegations she made against Lord Rennard. Lord Rennard denies all the allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by four women, and the police last week decided not to proceed with a prosecution. However, writing for The Telegraph's Wonder Women section today, Harris says: [...]
New research by the Institute of Government has produced a very welcome study, looking at the fate of junior coalition partners, in coalitions around the world - and the lessons which can be learned by the Liberal Democrats. To...Read more ›
Over the last few days I have completed and sent out the two regular email newsletters I produce. The first, efocus, is about local news and the work Lib Dems do in the Whickham area of Gateshead and can be viewed here. The second is about local food production and how we survive the challenges of being self-sufficient and growing our own food. It can be viewed here. Anyone wishing to subscribe
More fighting talk from the Lib Dem press twitter account.
I warmed a little to George Osborne last year when I found myself in the same theatre, watching the musical of Swallows and Amazons. But I must admit, spending my breakfast listening to him this morning was a threat to my digestion - as the emotions veer between irritation and frustration and back again. There are two of his propositions which I believe are fundamentally right. That you should ask people to give something back in return for their benefits, and that you should not let people moulder their lives away on the dole - or its Labour equivalent, incapacity ...
It is now 6 days since Ed Miliband's announcement that if elected, he would cap energy prices for 20 months, while undertaking a restructure of the energy market intended to bring lower prices in the long run. Some details have followed, for example that the cap would not necessarily be set at the May 2015 price, but may be set at an earlier price if energy companies appear to be hiking prices to beat the cap. This wouldn't stop them hiking prices to build up a war chest. George Eaton in the New Statesman called this a "brilliant trap for ...
It was with enormous sadness that I learned earlier this week that Joan Coleman had died. She had been in a nursing home for some while. Joan, a Scot, was a stalwart of Southport Liberals and later Lib Dems. In her own right she was a formidable politician but her contribution extended far beyond party politics; she was a charity worker, a senior magistrate, real ale advocate and a family women. In 1965 she was in the small market town in the Scottish borders when the declaration of the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election- which sent David Steel to parliament ...
Harry Goodwin, who died last week, was Chorlton born and bred. Born in 1924 Harry rose to prominence for his photography work for Top of the Pops. He first [...]
LGA members (and, from November, any member of the general public) can register for free use of a huge database of facts, figures and reports from the world of local government in England and Wales. This is a hugely useful, but under-utilised, resource for councillors and campaigners seeking an evidence base for policy development or [...]
(UPDATE, 10:20 : FAIR ENOUGH SHE"S CHANGED IT and POSTED THIS) Angela Eagle posted this 15 hours ago on Twitter (it's 10 am on Monday morning). Now, I have no issue with the point she is trying to make; a large demonstration about the NHS should be reported, and Police estimate 40-50k people attended so it should be heard. Problem is, I'm told that isn't a photo of the NHS demonstration. It's of an anti Iraq War demo. In 2005. Now I am quite sure this is just a mistake; I'm sure Angela Eagle genuinely thought it was the demo ...
Dave is disappointed in Private Eye, and suggests a radical policy for lib dems I second his policy motion. (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Curtailing (to one day), let alone abolishing, Spring Conference would weaken the party. It would do that through seriously reducing the opportunity for accountability and democratic debate within the Liberal Democrats. Internal democracy strengthens and unites us as a...Read more ›
Stockport's historic Little Underbank has a starring role in the latest National Lottery Lotto commercial. If only it was always that sunny in Stockport.
This map is from a BBC news article on the German elections which notes that: the former route of the Berlin Wall divides the city into voting choices. In the constituencies of the East, voters chose Die Linke (The Left party), descended from the old communist party. In the West, they voted for the Social [...]
[IMG: Cameron and Clegg in Downing Street. Photo courtesy of the Cabinet Office] Sometimes it involves anchors. Sometimes it involves the ground. But consistently it's about the centre – that's Nick Clegg's political positioning of choice. I'm one of those who instinctively isn't that keen on talking about a party being in the centre, as it sounds like defining yourself based on what you're not and based on what other people are (making who you are dependent on what others are) and as it skips past all those things which don't fit on the left/right spectrum. However, I'm also a ...
In the Huffington Post, Chris Davies MEP highlights the lack of progress on carbon capture, despite early enthusiasm and promises of funding for trial projects. Yet now, there is little to show for the initial enthusiasm. Thirteen significant projects applied for the first phase of funding, but most could not meet the strict and inflexible requirements. In the second phase only one project, the 'White Rose' in the UK, is in the running for €300m support, Even so the odds are against it securing the necessary government commitment within the given deadline. Of a further €1 billion of EU funding ...
There were reports on Twitter last night that Don Warrington (who will always be Philip from Rising Damp to those of a certain age) had been stopped by anti-terror police on his way to his flat near the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. Warrington is currently starring in All My Sons at the city's Royal Exchange theatre. Perhaps we have not come such a long way from Rigsby after all?
For Want of a Nail For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. But how shall we rewrite this little rhyme? How about: For the lack of LibDem dissenters votes the vote was lost For the lack of the vote Britain didn't join the bombing ...
A constituent recently expressed concern about the operation of the Sinderins junction, stating: "I have become increasingly conscious of a potential danger at the foot of Blackness Avenue. There seems to be a great increase in traffic flow at this junction. Traffic going east from Perth Road into Hawkhill can take so long that the lights change to red forcing traffic turning from Hawkhill into Blackness Avenue to do so on the red light. Is there a need for a green arrow to allow the Hawkhill into Blackness Avenue traffic safe passage?" I raised the matter with the Head of ...
The latest figures show that fewer than half of young people who've taken part in the Welsh Government's flagship Jobs Growth Wales programme have secured employment after their placement. It is worrying that fewer than half of young people who've completed the Welsh Government's flagship youth employment programme are still in employment. Jobs Growth Wales is helping some people but it is not the magic spell that the Labour party pretend it is. Jobs Growth Wales placements should prepare and equip our young people with the skills and real life experience to enter the workforce and begin their professional life, ...
When I emigrated to Canada in '06 I cancelled my membership of most of the campaign organisations I'd supported in the UK. The exception was the CPRE. I'd retained my membership of the CPRE partly for sentimental reasons, because I'd been a transport campaign organiser for my local group for a few years, but also [...]
