[IMG: 8949165923_4d16093596] For a long time we have thought of the private rented sector as the most disorganised part of the housing market. Most properties were let by small landlords who owned one or two properties. Very few landlords belonged to any form of trade association, although around half let their properties through letting agents. On the demand side, most tenants held six month tenancies and many tended to be young, mobile and poor. Quite a lot of tenants lacked familiarity with their rights or the incentive to enforce them, particularly in the absence of any legal barrier to retaliatory ...
I've successfully completed a first draft of my Early Assignment this weekend, so that leaves me with a week to tidy it up and tweak it. It's been fairly difficult getting back in the swing of writing academic essays and the rustiness I feel definitely shows up in my attempt. However, there's bags of time and opportunity left on the course to sharpen things up again. I'll probably never want to write another essay by the time I get to the end of the course, although it would be nice to tackle a PhD at some point in the future ...
My latest Who post on Mindless Ones
These days, I edit and write for Liberal Democrat Voice, formally as Friday editor and but also at other times as news breaks or topics need to be discussed. This week has been typically busy, with zombie pubcos and vampire railways in the frame, as well as the vital issue of biodiversity offsetting. First up [...]
Following The Stone from Steve Shearn on Vimeo.
Independent schools do not have to teach the national curriculum and are free to hire people who are not qualified teachers. They do not seem to do so badly on it, but Nick Clegg is determined that these freedoms shall not be extended to schools in the state sector. In saying this Nick is, as Stephen Tall points out, championing Liberal Democrat, but that does not mean he is right. Because there is an odd contradiction here. The national curriculum was brought in by the Conservatives in the 1980s because they did not believe teachers could be trusted. Lazy. Marxist ...
What is the greatest album made by two unrelated people with the same surname? A strong candidate must be Industry, made in 1997 by the two British legends Richard and Danny Thompson. Sweetheart On The Barricade is a track from it As Allmusic says: The Thompsons, joined by members of Danny's band Whatever, as well as his uncles Albert and Harry Thompson on trombones and Richard's longtime associates Dave Mattacks on drums and Christine Collister on backing vocals, incorporate jazz, rock & roll, and traditional British folk music to convey their impressions of industry through the years.Think of it as ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 349th 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 (13-19 October, 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. By-Election Night 10 ...
Given Nick's pronouncements in the last 24 hours on Free Schools, a few things strike me... 1. As Stephen Tall has pointed out, this really shouldn't be news, in that Nick has just restated existing party policy. 2. The fact that lots of journalists think it IS news should give folk at Great George Street food for thought. As there are only 2 explanations. Either they haven't briefed journalists up until now too well on the party position - or it is so unusual for the leadership to think the same as the rest of the party in this area, ...
The Friends of Garston Library held another successful evening as part of a season of literary events. The picture shows local author Mike Axworthy talking about local history books and his love of local history. Friends of Garston Library secretary, Michelle Knox, is "in the chair" I love being Chair of the Friends as there's so much we can do. Our next event is on 21 November at the library with the theme of poetry. We do have some guest speakers but we want your poems too. So if you are a budding poet, do let us have a copy. ...
Eric Pickles always provides inspiration to write a blog. Today he was on the Sunday Politics show talking with Andrew Neil and the subject was localism. The article told us how, in opposition, David Cameron wanted a shift of power from Whitehall to local people. In 2009 David told us that "when one-size-fits-all solutions are dispensed from the centre it's not surprising they so often fail local communities". Never let it be said that I can't agree with Tory politicians. However we are then told that in the last few months Eric has tried to ban local councils from using ...
This article was first posted on the Liberal Democrat Voice website In its first annual report, the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has proposed cuts in welfare for well-off pensioners, including currently universal benefits such as the winter fuel allowance, free bus pass and free TV license, proposing the money should be used to help children ... Continue reading »
This morning Andrew Marr asked Damian Green, the Minister for Policing, if Andrew Mitchell had been "stitched up". Damian refused to give his opinion because the CPS investigations are still taking place. I don't mind giving mine and the answer is yes. As with most questions the answer is not quite that simple. There may have been a stitch up but you can only do this to someone who has done something wrong. You can't sting people who don't fall for the sting. One of my favourite political phases is (with tongue firmly in cheek) that if you have done ...
The Liberal Democrats in Government have helped business create more than a million private sector jobs, and now we're working to help create a million more. The total number of people in employment is now at a record high, with the rise driven by growth in full-time and permanent jobs. This week's figures show a welcome fall in unemployment of more than 18,000 over the last three months ― a figure that includes a significant fall in long-term unemployment of more than 15,000. The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen by 41,700 over the last month, and is ...
I don't usually email people I know in a so-called 'personal capacity' about political issues... I tend to save political discussion with friends, family, co-workers etc. for conversation over coffee, in the pub, or in Facebook chat where expletives tend be used on both sides! But, on one particular issue, I really felt compelled to contact everyone I know because it touches on something which, like equal marriage, I have been campaigning for my entire political life (which, FYI, began when I was 14!) As Nick Clegg talks about in his email to party members this week, the Tories are ...
It is safe to say that Allah is in the bad books of professional atheist Sam Harris. According to Harris: Islam marries religious ecstasy and sectarian hatred in a way that other religions do not. Secular liberals who worry more about "Islamophobia" than about the actual doctrine of Islam are guilty of a failure of [...]
Last year, our Parochial Church Council varied their usual village pub night, introducing homemade pie. Real ale, rabbit and pigeon pie, what could be better? And so it was with some pleasure that I spotted, on the carpet at the bottom of the stairs a few weeks ago, a slip of paper announcing that there would be another one. I admit to having anticipated the event for some time and, this time, Ros would be able to attend too. We were so enthusiastic indeed that we invited Ros's sister to join us, and at 7.30 p.m. sharp last night, we ...
6% of people think Nigel Farage is an extreme left-winger, which is pretty funny but that isn't the important thing that Ipsos-Mori has uncovered. The pollster asked people in one of their latest polls to describe their place on the political spectrum and the place of all the main party leaders. Now unsurprisingly the poll has found that most people see Ed Miliband on the left with David Cameron and Nigel Farage on the right. Nick Clegg is placed in the centre. Ticks all round. Now when it comes to how people describe their own political views then there is ...
Like the predictable rising and setting of the sun, on most Thursdays, Twitter is emblazoned by Liberal Democrats decrying the political makeup of the BBC Question Time panel. The tweets follow a similar argument; 2 Tories and no Lib Dem this week, #BBCQT bias again. UKIP/Nigel Farage on #BBCQT AGAIN! Does the BBC know the Lib Dems have 56 MPs compared to UKIP's ZERO! After three and a half years in government, the Liberal Democrat tweeters should accept the often unbalanced representation on Question Time which, in the grand scheme of things, is not that big a deal. Demanding a ...
Apologies for falling way behind on these, but these are all the planning applications in Castle Ward that I'm aware of since the last update. 131739: Conversion of shop to residential flat, North Hill. 131855: Listed building consent to widen a fire door, High Street. 131868: Advertisement consent for new signage, Culver Street West. 131905: Listed building consent for internal alterations, Church Street. 131943: Replacement of access gate and fire escape, St Peter's Street. 131948: Advertisement consent for new signage, Headgate. 131971: Retrospective consent for change of use from A1 to A3, St John's Street. 131972: Listed building consent for ...
Many thanks to the 17.000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... The Labour Party "Plebgate" website they no longer wish you to see (19 comments) by Stephen Tall Danny Alexander MP writes: this is the Liberal Democrats' policy and everyone knows it (38 comments) by Danny Alexander MP Opinion; Being tough on drugs means being pro-reform (22 comments) by Ewan Hoyle Jeremy Browne talks to the Times about his sacking and not being a Tory (36 comments) by Andy Boddington Labour Uncut editor Atul Hatwal writes...The two paths to a Labour deal ...
It is an article of faith with many Liberal Democrats, Greens and others that renewable energy is an unreservedly good thing. Life, however, is rarely that simple and there are arguments to the contrary. Some are exaggerated, some just wrong, but others have merit and deserve to be heard. Download document
At the behest of the Liberal Democrats, the MoD started a review in 2011 of alternatives to the simple 'Like-for-Like' replacement of the four Vanguard-class ballistic missiles submarines. As stipulated, an edited version of this review was published this year. This Briefing Note is a synopsis of the 64-page published document. Download document
Everyone see the photo of Russell Brand and the editorial team at The New Statesman putting together this weeks magazine? Here it is... (click to enlarge) Now, can I suggest two theories as to the staging of this shot? Theory One A great deal of care, thought and attention has been put into this. Here's the original 6 in from left, at the right hand of Jesus, Helen Lewis is playing John - but this figure is also often attributed to Mary Magdelene, who is mentioned as being at The Last Supper. Is Helen making a statement about the role ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg LBC] Nick Clegg appeared on Sky News' Murnaghan programme and took questions on a wide range of subjects. First up was the issue at the top of the headlines today – schools. He said that his speech didn't represent a great coalition crisis, that he was purely stating what he had always said and that it's simply a difference of opinion between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. While he remains a great supporter of freedom and diversity within the schools system, there are three things that he wants to ensure, and that he says the majority ...
Is it a dismal reflection on the party member's lack of grasp of matters financial that one of the (potentially) most significant initiatives made by one of our ministers should have received so little airplay or comment? The policy in question is Vince Cable's British Business Bank initiative. At the Autumn conference in 2012, Vince Cable telegraphed the initiative to LibDem delegates: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19691162 He announced that the government had resolved to put £1bn into setting up a bank designed to increase the amount of lending to businesses to help many small and medium-sized companies who have struggled for credit since ...
This week's Letter from the Leader tells us something that members and supporters really should know already – that Liberal Democrats are responsible for raising the tax threshold, that the Tories in general and David Cameron in particular, trashed it publicly at the time. But now that the idea has turned out to be popular, the Tories are claiming it as their own. Keep this one in your bookmarks to show off who's really responsible for this significant achievement. [IMG: libdem letter from nick clegg] Remember this? I know I don't usually send you videos of the Prime Minister. But ...
My latest piece at the New Statesman is reprinted below, suggesting that the Tories have retoxified themselves. It's getting a lot of traction and I'd encourage people to pop over and see the comments in the original piece. Of course there is a lot of the normal trolling - but several commentators have also weighed in, defending the Lib Dems. This has happened a couple of times in recent months - is it the green shoots of Lib Dem recovery amongst the progressive vote? Anyway, here's the piece... Oh dear, I think the normally inestimable (for a Tory) Tim Montgomerie ...
Sun 20th
11:05
Clegg on free schools and National Curriculum: no more, no less than party policy. And that's for be...
No-one should be that surprised by Nick Clegg's decision to distance the Lib Dems from Michael Gove's schools policies — specifically that every teacher should be qualified and that every school should teach the national curriculum. After all, what Nick is due to set out in a speech this week is the policy that was voted for overwhelmingly by the party's conference in March this year. Here's what the adopted policy – Every Child Taught by an Excellent Teacher – says about teachers in all schools having qualifications: All classroom teachers, including in academies and free schools and Further Education ...
I was delighted to read recently in Business Cornwall magazine that Camborne Chamber of Commerce has reported promising trading figures for the town shops. In total, 77.5% of businesses answered their survey saying that their trade had remained constant or increased above last years levels. This is great to hear and needs those who live in and around the town to keep up the good work and make sure they are visiting our quality independent traders as well as the familiar high street stores.
I must admit, I am caught on the horns of a dilemma. I've been writing this blog nearly every day since February, since completing the Barriers to Choice Review for the government. I am in favour of choice. It is a difficult word; I've sat in meetings with hospital doctors when they all folded their arms and stared at me, just because the conversation was supposed to be about choice. But, for all the ambiguities and difficulties, there is something a good deal worse than choice - no choice. But what I see around me is often the signs of ...
[IMG: Telegraph Migration] The Sunday Telegraph's disingenuous claim last weekend that "600,000 unemployed EU migrants are living in Britain at a cost of £1.5 billion to the NHS" sparked a chorus of protests about so-called 'benefit tourism' from the Mail, Sun and Express. Conservatives and Ukippers gleefully joined the feeding frenzy, with hard-right Tory MP Douglas Carswell upping the rhetorical ante from "waves of migrants" to a "tsunami of economic refugees". Fortunately, the European Commission, the NIESR and others were on hand to point out some facts. The Sunday Telegraph wrongly included students, retired people, parents on leave and some ...
HS2 winners and losers: full document (.pdf) Bradford and Calderdale both winners. I'm all right, Jack! (tags: ) BBC News - Boy of 12 sought for Manchester campus sex attacks :( (tags: ) BBC News - El Salvador: Where women may be jailed for miscarrying (tags: ) posted The Blood is The Life 19-10-2013 http://t.co/8rS2yJeAXM on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) Charlotte Church: 'Women who say they are not feminist annoy me.' - The National Student (tags: ) Tea Party Unity Leader Calls for 'Class Action Lawsuit' Against Homosexuality | Mediaite (tags: ) Map: Six Decades of the ...
The Balkans are undoubtedly a fascinating collection of countries. They are at the confluence of Europe, Russia and the Middle East, and thus of great strategic significance. On numerous occasions – during the Victorian focus on the Eastern Question, when the assassination of Franz Ferdinand triggered the First World War and with the wars that [...]
[IMG: Clegg Watford] The Independent on Sunday today reports that Nick Clegg is to criticise Conservative policy on free schools. He will pledge a new parental guarantee in the 2015 Liberal Democrat election manifesto. It makes no sense to me to have qualified teacher status if only a few schools have to employ qualified teachers. What's the point of having a national curriculum if only a few schools have to teach it? Let's teach it in all our schools. And what's the point of having brilliant new food standards if only a few schools have to stick to the rules? ...
A few weeks ago, Michael Goldfarb published an article in the New York Times highlighting the growing crisis in London property. His view- that Prime London property has become a global currency- has been said before, and rightly. However the timing of his article hit the zeitgeist of growing anxiety about the mismatch between London as a place to live, the capital of the United Kingdom, and London as a playground of the globalized rich. The squeeze in London is having a strongly negative effect on large areas of British Society, and the influx of hot money from places such ...
Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Balgay, at the Mills Observatory. Despite torrential rain, there was an excellent turnout to hear Clive Gillman (see right), Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, give a very interesting presentation about Dundee's bid for UK City of Culture 2017. Friends of Balgay can be contacted via their website contact form and would welcome your involvement in enhancing and protecting Balgay Park and Hill.
If there are splits in the Coalition it seems that they are all centred on Downing Street. Well, at that at least is the theory of Andy McSmith in his Independent Diary. He says that a number of factions are developing around Larry, the demon-mouser: I am now informed that some days ago, Larry the hardworking Downing Street mouser caught a mouse in the yard behind Downing Street and was playing with it when a furious member of staff emerged, accused the cat of wanton cruelty, and rescued the mouse. This leads me to conclude that there is a faction ...
The BBC report that the Welsh Government have turned to the European Investment Bank to try and turn around past failures with regards to Objective One funding. Statistics collected by the European Union suggests that other areas have seen higher levels of economic growth after receiving similar funding to west Wales and the valleys: Dr Adrian Healy, from Cardiff University's School of Planning and Geography, told the programme: "Previous places which have had low GDP growth, low employment, productivity value similar to Wales – and west Wales and the valleys in particular – are seeing higher levels of growth and ...
Welcoming the first annual report of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, Nick Clegg speaking on the 17th October said: "Social mobility is about the desire of every parent that their children should do better than they did. There is a fear in Britain today that the credit crunch marked the end of a century of progress in which every generation lived better than the last. "I don't believe we should simply shrug our shoulders and accept that. That is why we are determined to tackle the host of deep problems that governments have failed to address for decades: ...
