Only weeks after Sir Malcolm Bruce announced his decision to stand down as an MP at the next election, former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell has followed suit. While the two have been long-serving MPs and their retirements were far from surprising, I personally feel a sense of an era coming to an inevitable end. Having developed an interest in politics at a time when the Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs included in their number Russell Johnston, Jim Wallace, Bob Maclennan, Ray Michie, Charles Kennedy and David Steel - in addition to Ming and Malcolm - of those great Scottish ...
The other day I was actually thinking over the possibility of keeping a track of the number of hetero-normative signs of affection I saw out in public and compared them to homosexual ones. Being back in Northern Ireland can do that to you. The reason why you may ask was sparked by one straight couple having a great big snog right in front of a group of school children. Then yesterday in Starbucks I watched a couple in the window seat with her almost certainly checking where the edge of her husband/partner/lover's boxer/y-fronts/briefs/nothing came down to underneath his trousers. When ...
So, I've put my name forward for Vice Chair of Liberal Youth. One of the requirements was to submit a 300 word statement, but due to my dodgy laptop I did not manage to do this on time. So, I ... Continue reading →
In case you missed it the Sun run the adjacent story as it's front page item. The Change.org website is running a petition calling on the Sun to correct the sensationalism in it's mental illness story and to make amends for the hurt caused by donating it's profits from the story. The petition is available via this link; For the full debunking of that story you can check out this Fact Check blog post courtesy of Channel 4; The very first sentence of the opening Key Findings section of the report the story is based on says: "Homicide ...
Today, I wrote to the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Belfast East, Naomi Long of the Alliance Party to ask her to not support the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning, and Trade Union Bill which is currently before the House ... Continue reading →
This week our long term plans to make Lordship Lane 20mph have come ot pass. It's now 20mph between Goose green roundabout and Melborune Grove where it meets Lordship Lane. 600m of high street now just that bit calmer. We started trying to make Lordship Lane more friendly for locals and visitors walking about in 2006. In 2007 we had a Living Streets walkability assessment done which worked with locals to test the areas walkability. Why? Because 99.99% of us walk. We've added two extra formal crossings before, had many side roads with raised treatments, improved Goose Green with thrid ...
The agenda for next weeks Parish Council meeting has been published and I've included a copy of the agenda below for your information. As always all members of the public and press are invited to attend, particularly for the Open Forum which is your opportunity to raise any issues you'd like the Parish Council to be aware of. If you've got any comments on this agenda or anything you'd like me to raise let me know. Open Forum 1. To receive apologies for absence and any declaration of interest 2. Approval of minutes. To approve minutes of Parish Council Meeting ...
MP Julian Huppert has attacked the Competition Commission for failing to act against the monopolies which exist within Cambridge's supermarket and bus travel sector while forcing the sale of the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. He claims the Commission has failed to stop big companies dominating other markets in the city but instead has ruled that Cineworld must sell either the Picturehouse or its other city cinema. "We have seen the Competition Commission sit back while our independent companies have been put under threat by giant businesses moving into our city and dominating the market place," he said. "Yet it has moved ...
The planning application for a two-storey drive through McDonalds restaurant on the site of the old petrol station opposite Pizza Express in Stafford Road Wallington will be decided at a Development Control Committee meeting on 16th October 7.30pm at Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA. The case officer's report to committee recommends the [...]
[IMG: ming] We told you earlier that Sir Menzies Campbell had announced that he's retiring as MP for North East Fife in 2015. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and fellow Fife Parliamentarian Willie Rennie had this to say: Menzies Campbell's wise and intelligent counsel has guided our nation through some of its most testing dilemmas. From Yugoslavia to Iraq to Syria he has been insightful and calm but never feared standing out from the crowd. For over thirty five years Ming has dedicated himself to his constituency of North East Fife and in return local people have put their trust in ...
Click on the picture to play the game. Thanks to Jennie Rigg on Twitter.
Karl Marx is constantly mentioned in the news these days. Marxism is enjoying a resurgence in political debates and thoughts and in the protest movements that fights back against what it sees as social and economic injustice. There are many who believe in the core views of Marxism and challenge neo-liberalism that seems to rule the capitalist system. If you had the chance to meet Karl Marx would you want to know what he would have to say about modern society? Howard Zinn's play, 'Marx in Soho', addresses Marx's ideology through a monologue that resurrects Marx and places him in ...
Andy Emmerson (@AAEmmerson on twitter) doesn't like Job Centres. He wrote a blog about it explaining why for Liberal Youth . This is one of those cases where I've listened very hard to someone I disagree with in order to understand them - something Seth Godin advocates. I still disagree with Andy - I don't think the problem is all down to the job centre. As other people on twitter - (@_TommyLong and @make_trouble) have agreed with me, there is the need to try jobs, even "crap ones" in order to get started on your career. We've found that we, ...
[IMG: con home cartoon] My eighth column for ConservativeHome — The Other Side — ran yesterday. You can read it here, as well as the always interesting comments below-the-line. 179 yesterday – well, the subject is Europe. My thanks to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke ... constructively, I hope. There's a moment that sticks out in my memory from the first time I stood for election. It was the local elections on the morning of 4th May, 2000, and I was knocking-up old ladies. Which, as those of you ...
[IMG: Badger] An absolute classic. From the Guardian: The controversial badger cull in England has been branded a "farce" by opponents after ministers confirmed the marksmen have been forced to seek extensions in order to kill the minimum number required. Despite the government slashing by two-thirds in 12 months its estimate of the number of badgers in the Somerset cull zone, marksmen still failed to reach their target. "The whole situation is a farce," said Gavin Grant, RSPCA chief executive. "They keep moving the goalposts on how many badgers exist and how many need to be killed but, whatever the ...
Sometimes you just have to pinch yourself in Liverpool to be sure that something is happening because you cannot believe what you see, hear or read. So I took a large piece of flesh (mind your own business) and pinched ... Continue reading →
Wed 9th
16:30
Danny Alexander writes... A good home should not be a luxury for the few, but an achievable aspirati...
Across the UK tens of thousands of aspiring homeowners find themselves in the same situation. They have steady jobs, reasonable incomes, but for them the dream of owning their own home is currently just that-a dream. It's made even worse by the fact that they can afford the mortgage repayments on a new home. The one thing holding them back is the cost of a big deposit. And without parents wealthy enough to give them a helping hand these aspiring homeowners will continue to be excluded from the property ladder. I don't think our housing market should be shut off ...
Since my last E-cops message there has been 5 crime reports. Please see below. Between 20th and 26th September, there has been two burglaries in Foxhollow, Bar Hill. Unknown offender/s have gained entry in to the property by smashing the rear glass door. Various items including jewellery and small amount of cash has been taken.Crime is still under investigation. Scenes of crime have attending and seized various exhibits including footwear marks and glass samples. Between 25th and 26th September, there was a report of dwelling burglary in Fairway, Bar Hill. Unknown offender/s have gained entry into the property by smashing ...
Ming Campbell, Lib Dem MP for North East Fife since 1987, has today announced his decision to retire from the House of Commons at the next election. It's been an enormous privilege to have been an MP for 26 years and to represent such a wonderful constituency as North East Fife. My wife and I have made many friends and have been supported by constituents of all political persuasions and none. It is always a regret to begin the process of retiring from the House of Commons but I believe now is the time to start. I have written to ...
[IMG: nick clegg kirsty williams - 1] The Welsh Liberal Democrats were delighted to announce yesterday that we are more than doubling the Welsh Pupil Premium. Two years ago, in a similar situation, we worked with the Welsh Government to ensure that Wales would have our own Welsh Pupil Premium. This meant that each school would get £450 per child on free school meals. This was an achievement we were rightly very proud of. However, while Liberal Democrats in England continued to increase the Pupil Premium, the unambitious Welsh Labour Government refused to do the same in Wales. We have ...
Although the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that the poster campaign telling illegal migrants to "go home or face arrest" did not stir up racial hatred, they have slapped the Home Office on the wrist for getting their facts wrong. As a result a spokesperson has now confirmed that the posters will not be used again in their current format. The Times reports that the Home Office scheme, in which vans bearing the adverts toured parts of London, led to more than 200 complaints to the UK advertising watchdog: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that while the phrase "Go ...
China's science and innovation system is more connected than ever to the wider world, but how do countries like the UK strike a balance between competition and collaboration? Until recently, Sunnylands, a 200-acre luxury estate in Rancho Mirage, California, was best known as the venue for Frank Sinatra's 1976 wedding to Barbara Marx; the fourth, last and longest of his marriages. But in June 2013, it provided the backdrop for the start of another relationship: the first summit between Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. Topics on their eight hour agenda included North Korea, climate change and cyber security, and although ...
I am pleased that we convinced the Welsh Labour Government to increase funding for the Health Technology Fund. The Welsh Liberal Democrats called for this fund to be created so that patients would have better access to innovative treatments. Patients will now have better cancer treatments and telemedicine available to them. The Welsh Liberal Democrats, alongside Plaid Cymru, also proposed the idea of the Intermediate Care Fund. This will go a long way in supporting independent living for those who need health, housing and social care. Our hospitals are struggling under pressure and this fund will alleviate some of that ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... In praise of ... Norman Baker | Comment is free | The Guardian I'm often critical of Gdn editorialising so props where they're due: "In praise of ... Norman Baker" http://bit.ly/15UGLOp Labour should not be muzzling free speech with its support of the Royal Charter – Telegraph Good on @TomHarrisMP for article on Leveson: "My party is turning its back on a core tenet of progressive politics" http://bit.ly/15UBypP Education in England: sliding down the class | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian A pretty balanced Gdn editorial on education in ...
Good booking agents are worth their weight in gold. They help build your live career, book your tours, advise on fees and routing and generally act as your cheerleader with promoters and festivals. Music agent Chris Wade founded the Adastra agency nearly thirty years ago and it is has grown into the UK's most successful agency specializing in folk, roots and acoustic music. I recently stopped in at the Adastra offices in England to interview Chris and fellow agent Kelly Foley on how musicians can get an agent, market their music and build successful tours. Video Highlights: 00:02 – Adastra: ...
With the continuing rows over Leveson, The Privy Council is under more scrutiny that perhaps at any other time in its history. Currently chaired by Nick Clegg, the Privy Council is a centuries old body, with hundreds of members accumulated from public life across the decades. Looking through the names of Privy Council members, one [...]
Wed 9th
12:29Poppy's pawlitical perspective: Working for Tessa Munt MP and entering Westminster Dog of the Year
[IMG: Poppy at laptop] My name is Poppy and I have the privilege of working in Tessa Munt's office and I thought readers would enjoy my take on what is my most exciting week at work to date! The Monday reshuffle was exciting stuff, I was monitoring twitter all day - that Tim Farron gave me all the updates I needed! I am especially pleased for Susan Kramer going to Transport, we need more girlies in Government. Today I have been working on some messages about what we have done in Government. I started as an apprentice for Tessa so ...
So the Gulf states are to conduct medical tests to detect gay men from entering their countries. Just how are they going to detect gay men? They are going to introduce routine clinical screenings of expatriates as a way to detect gay men they say. I'm just wondering how this is possible? My blood is undetectable from that of any straight man. As for sexually transmitted diseases none of these are particular to one sexual orientation. So is it possible that anyone who is HIV+ will be prevented from entering irregardless of their sexual orientation or how they contracted the ...
Gateshead Council's all-Labour cabinet met yesterday and at one point it wandered off into a discussion about failing schools and parental choice. I sat at the back of the room as an observer and listened as Cllr Mick McNestry talked about how Highfield Primary School, seven years ago, had not performed well, but since then had turned itself around to become, according to Ofsted, an excellent
In news which will surprise nobody, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Simon Hughes has been re-selected by his local party in Bermondsey and Old Southwark to fight the 2015 General Election as reported by the London SE1 community website. Simon said: Since I was first elected, we've been through a lot. Fighting to have tube stations in Bermondsey and Southwark, unemployment dropping from nearly 20 per cent to 7 per cent, regeneration of our high streets, and many things that matter to local people like better housing and schools, and more training and jobs. But little compares to the work I ...
October is Black History Month - a great time to reflect on and celebrate our diverse history both locally and nationally. I have been MP for Hornsey and Wood Green since 2005, and I am so proud to represent an area with such a rich cultural heritage. My constituents come from a very wide range of backgrounds - over 100 languages are spoken in Turnpike Lane! - and I wouldn't have it any other way. The British Isles have always been a major destination for migration, dating back beyond the Romans. Until the end of World War II, BME (Black ...
I've been listening to a programme about a man from East Germany bursting through the Berlin Wall in an armoured car in 1963. It reminded me of a good test of Liberalism, which is this: where would you rather live? Despite the sympathy from the left in Western Europe that East Germany occasionally managed to conjure up, I am not aware of any examples of people from the West trying to escape to the East across the Berlin Wall. It was all the other way. Ask yourself: where would you rather live? I try and use that simple question for ...
Penicilin is conventionally thought of as one of the great achievements of the twentieth century. I was taught at school that the antibacterial properties of mould were discovered in by Alexander Fleming in 1928. While this is partly true – Fleming was responsible for a great stride in our understanding – such treatments had been [...]
posted The Blood is The Life 08-10-2013 http://t.co/NPGfbKQEEC on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) #FreshersWeekSexism and #RapeCulture continue with a club night promoting rape http://t.co/bLznG2py9z (tags: (from twitter) rapeculture freshersweeksexism ) http://youtu.be/aOJ93tAbPP0 This is clear & well presented RT @helenlp: Wealth #inequality in the UK: http://t.co/4vqRjkqZaV via @youtube (tags: (from twitter) inequality ) beetroot bread from @LoveBread_, about to be devoured http://t.co/FAyTxEnUW8 (tags: (from twitter) ) CUTE! SO CUTE! RT @UsVsTh3m: Cute or creepy? Tiny snakes with top hats and twirly moustaches: http://t.co/NG7y4SYqQP (tags: (from twitter) ) Conference Season: All these promises have availed you ...
Wed 9th
09:51Does any Lib Dem except Danny Alexander support the Coalition's 'Help to Buy' house price inflation ...
I missed it yesterday, but have just caught up with Lib Dem chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander's (rather flailing) attempts on BBC Radio 4′s Today Programme to justify the second stage of the Coalition's 'Help to Buy' scheme for folk wanting to buy their own house. You can listen to it here or below. There are two stages to 'Help to Buy'. The first, announced by George Osborne earlier this year, offered anyone purchasing a newly built home costing less than £600,000 the opportunity to apply for a 20% government-guaranteed loan with just a 5% deposit. The Economist ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg in Dublin] Here, for posterity's sake, is Nick Clegg's speech on Europe from yesterday: I am a pro-European – that is no great revelation, I know. But sometimes you need to say it, clearly and unambiguously. The isolationist forces in Britain are on the rise – UKIP on the doorstep; Conservative politicians at their conference; familiar headlines in some of our newspapers each placing Britain's ills firmly at Brussels' door: too much immigration, too much crime, too much red tape. And every time Europe is back in the spotlight, their hostility towards it - this negative reaction ...
[IMG: Adelaide Gaol #dailyshoot] "It doesn't feel like a very long" said James O'Brien on Daybreak of the six years served in jail by the mother of Baby P. It doesn't feel very long when you just say it: "Six years". However, try this experiment, which I have, to an extent tried myself when a jail term I was interested in was current. Every morning for the next six years say to yourself "They are still in jail". After doing that exercise, tell me whether you think six years feels like a long time or not. photo by: Leshaines123 [IMG: ...
[IMG: image] - So said the headline on the Guardian website. I thought, for a moment, that this was the latest theory from Isle of Wight resident, David Icke. But it turned out that it is a normal story about potholes with a rather bizarre headline. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
The Shropshire Star and BBC report yet more planning applications for greenfield solar farms in the county, including at Condover. I am not so keen on building solar farms in green fields. After all, one of the biggest industries is county is tourism and that relies on the beauty of green landscapes. Energy minister Greg [...]
The Ninth Annual University of Dundee Culture Day Wednesday 16 October 2013Baxter 1.36, first floor, Tower Building 1.45 Welcome 2pm Graeme Stevenson (Music) - Bach's Coffee Cantata The Coffee Cantata is about the closest Bach came to opera. Written to be performed in Zimmermann's Coffee House in Leipzig it tells the tale of Herr Schlendrian and his daughter Lieschen. She is addicted to coffee and her father is trying to persuade her to give up the "evil drink". Our soloists are Jill Harrison (soprano), Mike Towers (tenor) and Alister Allan (bass) and the band is made up of students led ...
Wed 9th
01:30
Harry Redknapp. A liar or a man who has a very dodgy memory? Thoughts on his Pompey/Southampton move...
This evening I was sat in the radio box at Roots Hall commentating over one of the most bizarre 15 minutes of football that I have ever seen. Southend came out after Half-Time 1-0 down but were 2-1 up within eight minutes. They would be 5-2 down just seven minutes later. Truly absurd football. Whilst calling the game I was leaning over watching the laptop of our colleagues at BBC London and I saw Portsmouth were 1-0 up away at Oxford. Late in the game I glanced over and I saw the Oxford v Portsmouth game was flashing 'Goal' and ...
Wed 9th
00:30
Minutes Published for 19-SEP-2013 Parish Council Meeting (In Draft, Pending Approval at the October ...
Bar Hill Parish Council Minutes of Monthly Parish Council Meeting Held in The Parish Council Office at 7.00 pm on Thursday 19 September 2013 PLEASE NOTE: These are DRAFT minutes, they could be altered or approved at the October meeting. For the final (agreed) minutes please contact the Parish Council officers. Present: L Baffa Clerk (LB) , C Foley Councillor (CF) , R Hall Councillor (RH) , B Howard Councillor (BH), S Jenkins Vice-Chair (SJ), A Mitchell Councillor (AM), S Munford Councillor (SM), A Pellew Councillor (AP), M Pope Councillor (MP), A Saunders Councillor (AS), B Waters Councillor (BW), and ...
