Today is the first day of my visit to meet disabled people in Uganda. Disability is the great neglected issue in development. I am here to learn how we can make a greater difference on the ground. I am extremely grateful to UK paralympic star Ade Adepitan for taking the time to join us on this trip. I wanted his unique perspective and understanding about the daily challenges faced by disabled people at home and abroad. Our first stop was a state school at the side of a dusty, rural road. 901 children attend classes there everyday. With only 14 ...
An extract from a British Transport Films travelogue. The narrator is Robert Shaw.
Tue 22nd
21:14
On STV News at Six and on Wave 102 News - rejection of the West End Park and Ride proposal
Further to my update last night about the rejection of the West End Park and Ride proposal, I spoke on STV News at Six tonight and on Wave 102 News this afternoon about the issue. You can hear the Wave 102 interview by clicking 'play' below:
If you are not familiar with the popular BBC game Show, Pointless, the rules are very straightforward. 100 members of the public are asked a question and given one minute to give as many correct answers as they can to the question posed. Contestants are then asked to give correct answers which no one guessed, or in other words are 'pointless' To quote the host, Alexander Armstrong, 'We're looking for the obscure answers they didn't get'. Remember that. Obscure answers. There is a serious point to all this... So, to tonight's programme, and the question the final pair of contestants ...
I'm just back from a really good first meeting of a potential residents association. Big thanks to those who came and particularly to the lady who took the notes and so spared us my handwriting. Lots of great idea which we'll now be following up. I'll e mail everyone who was there, and who sent apologies, with an update
Tue 22nd
20:51
David Laws writes... Nick Clegg and I have always been clear that Free Schools must also be fair sch...
On Thursday this week, Nick Clegg will set out the Liberal Democrat approach to improving standards in schools. He will set out what parents and pupils should expect from schools. This is an issue we have worked on together for some time, and which was debated and agreed at our party's conference this Spring. The Liberal Democrats are instinctive supporters of freedom, diversity and choice. We believe in giving schools more autonomy and teachers more freedom. That's why we have supported extra powers to innovate for free schools and academies and have taken steps in government to extend autonomy for ...
A smaller part of today's Cornwall Council meeting was the formal go ahead being given for unrestricted filming of our proceedings. Until now, broadcast media had to give the council 48 hours notice of a request to film and stills photography or any recording by the public was forbidden. Live reporting via social media such as Twitter was a grey area. We had, however, enabled webcasting of some meetings and this has proved very popular. Now we have opened up access to our work. Apart from when meetings go into confidential session (only allowed in limited circumstances), any council meeting ...
Thanks to a reader for alerting me to the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard and my Headline of the Day.
Ed Davey is enthusiastic about renewables. He is enthusiastic about nuclear. He is enthusiastic about everything. It's like having a young labrador as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Times change, but I was sad that his announcement on Hinkley Point C yesterday marked the abandonment of the Liberal Democrats' opposition to nuclear power. Because opposing the building of a reprocessing plant at Windscale (as it then was) was part of my political awakening. Forming the opinion that the great majority of the great and good could be wrong about something important was almost intoxicating. I felt so ...
Andrew Kerr was today approved as the new Cornwall Council Chief Executive. He will take up the post in the New Year. Although selected by the panel last week, the appointment of a chief exec needs to be approved by the full council. This happened today and Mr Kerr was voted in with one vote against and around a dozen abstentions. The council also gave its thanks to Paul Masters who has acted as interim chief executive since March and who will continue in the role until Mr Kerr arrives. Paul has seen the council through a massive set of ...
Cornwall councillors today overwhelmingly defeated a proposal to draft an alternative budget which would see council tax rise by 6%. The proposal would have required a costly referendum and a majority public vote in favour in order to pass. I have blogged before about why I personally could not support such a proposal. But it was right to have the debate today and to test the water. However, the 79 votes to 33 outcome could not have been much more emphatic. Some have argued that the budget challenge facing Cornwall means that we should be seeking to raise council tax ...
Today the Supreme Court of the UK has ruled that the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety had not meet the court's criteria for an appeal and dismissed their case on the matter of same-sex and ... Continue reading →
[IMG: go home illegal immigrant poster] Since I have been President I have worked hard to try and make sure members views are heard in the heart of government. Banging on ministerial doors to try and make policy after policy better and more liberal. Over the summer the 'Go Home' vans came onto our streets. At the time I joined Sarah Teather and, oddly, Nigel Farage to oppose them. (Who says politics doesn't give you strange bedfellows!) My view was clear both then and now: The vans represented the worst kind of divisive politics and they wouldn't work. It is ...
With my colleague Councillor Richard Oglethorpe, I pubish an e mail bulletin roughly once a fortnight with news and information about South Liverpool. It's mainly L19 and L18 although we do sometimes report about a wider area. If you want to start getting the bulletin, you can subscribe at this link.
Liberal Democrats have expressed delight at the news that the notorious 'Go Home' vans are to be withdrawn. Home Secretary Theresa May admitted that they "not been a good idea" and were a "blunt instrument". .@chrisshipitv: "Home Sec Theresa May will confirm within the hour that the controversial "Go Home" vans will be SCRAPPED" We did it! — Tim Farron (@timfarron) October 22, 2013 Rushing for World at One and then 5 Live to talk about the Go Home Vans. They should never have been used; glad they won't be again #fb — Julian Huppert (@julianhuppert) October 22, 2013 [IMG: ...
The Safer Stockport Partnership (SSP) has launched its annual safety initiative over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period. Operation Treacle involves Stockport Council, the Police and the Fire Service working in partnership to ensure residents enjoy a safe and trouble free Halloween and Bonfire Night. The initiative will highlight dangers and possible consequences of anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and fireworks misuse. The operation is now in its seventh consecutive year, and will involve: • Increased patrols of potential hotspot areas for anti-social behaviour • Dedicated firework safety patrols • Test purchases at off-licences to stop underage drinking • Inspections of premises licenced to sell ...
I admit that I have a fondness for animals, although not always the obvious ones. Sea otters, giraffe and orangutans are fairly obvious, I guess, but iguana, rhinos and aardvarks aren't. But I have discovered a new favourite. Walruses are not exactly cute. They don't have the range of clever tricks that, say seals have. They aren't graceful on land, or dramatic in the water, but they have character. And, as someone who likes to describe himself as more walrus than gazelle, I find myself fascinated by them. And so it was with some delight that I came across a ...
Levies invest in British technology and clean energy, create jobs and support thousands of people unable to afford to heat their home. Scrapping levies leads to less investment, fewer jobs, higher bills for everyone in the long-run and an increase in the number of people in fuel poverty. That cannot be the right answer. We do not want to see a penny more going on bills than is strictly justified. People's bills go down over time by making sure their homes are more properly insulated and that fuel poverty is properly tackled, and that Britain starts to reduce its reliance ...
What's the best way of asking people's opinion? As a councillor, it is still the case that knocking on doors is the surest way of understanding what people think on an issue. But what about when the issue you are concerned about is a council budget? With the best will in the world, no budget [...]
[IMG: gagging law] Take a good look at this picture. This is what grass-roots political activism looks like – and you'll be seeing a lot less of it if the coalition's "Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill" becomes law. The photo was taken early on a chilly Wednesday morning in January 2010. Having learned that Immigration Minister Phil Woolas would be making an unannounced visit to an ID Card fingerprinting trial at Cambridge Post Office, our local NO2ID group organised this pavement protest at short notice. Within 9 months the incoming Coalition government would largely repeal ...
Today's Independent carries a gripping story about what happened when the Chief Executive of Ryanair was let loose on Twitter. They say that the airline's first venture into the world of the live Q&A was a shambles from the start: The idea was that passengers could post questions to the airline's boss, Michael O'Leary, using the hashtag "#GrillMOL". But the combative CEO seemed unaware that his inappropriate response to one of the first questioners - a woman - would be seen by everyone. His comment ("Nice pic. Phwoaaarr! MOL") was rapidly re-tweeted, with responses such as "@Ryanair how is it ...
Recent months have seen a frenzy of crossed accusations and abuse in response to the comments about the Bedroom Tax made by the Brazilian, Raquel Rolnik who spoke out in her capacity as the United Nations special rapporteur on housing. Many rounded upon the fact that someone from that country was not in a position to speak due to the woeful state of housing in Brazil. Having been to Brazil's major cities, there can be little rebuff to the claim that Brazil's major cities make a very good claim to be among the world's most squalid. However it was not ...
Tim Farron today spoke to the Huffington Post about his dismay over the new nuclear power station and why he personally isn't supportive of it. I have no problem with this. He can have an opinion just as well as the next person. It is part of what makes being a member of this party good in my view – people can openly express opinions even if they differ from the party line. However I am disappointed because it doesn't seem like a grown-up and mature reason for being unhappy. The popular MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale believes that, 'an ...
[IMG: nhs sign lrg] We are now 6 months into the much touted reorganisation of the health service, with the advent in April this year of Clinical Commissioning Groups to replace Primary Care Trusts, the only real difference being that GPs run the Clinical Commissioning Groups. The reorganisation did ensure a reduction in cost by the simple expedient of setting Clinical Commissioning Group administrative budgets one third below historic Primary Care Trust administrative cost, yielding a Clinical Commissioning Group admin cost of £25/head of population. There are 211 Clinical Commissioning Groups. The adjusted population figure is 53.8m, and so total ...
I have today, called on the Welsh Labour Government to publish all of the local health boards' winter preparation plans following the postponement of elective orthopaedic surgery in Hywel Dda LHB. The Health Minister announced in July that he had asked all LHBs to prepare plans for dealing with winter pressures. Carwyn Jones said last week during FMQs that planning for winter pressures was "well advanced" and that "formal winter plans have been received" The Welsh Liberal Democrats are concerned that the Welsh NHS will not be able to cope with the added pressures of the winter and that patients ...
Those who fret about the Islamisation of Europe and the emergence of 'Eurabia' should take comfort from those parts of Europe that already have large Muslim populations Europe's growing Muslim population has become one of the most important political issues on the continent. The fear of non-Muslims runs something like this: Muslims have more children [...]
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Carl Minns – Thoughts from Hull: The quote that sums up the ludicrous nature of modern politics "Please tell me again why the public holds all politicians in such low esteem?" + the media @CarlMinns might've added http://bit.ly/1aaO1oI Stephen Tall: Lib Dems recontaminating the Tory brand? No. The Tories do it to themselves | Conservative Home The Lib Dems are lucky, oh-so-lucky, to be in Coalition with the Tories. My @ConHome column > http://bit.ly/1aCWT3f CentreForum's 'Liberal Heroes of the Week' #17 - Boris Johnson and Malala Yousafzai | CentreForum Blog Boris a ...
I have spent much of the last week meeting with NGOs to discuss the Transparency Bill, in advance of the first debate on it in the Lords today. It's striking that only the most strident can now use the term "gagging bill" with a straight face, and I think even they now realise that the Bill is nothing of the sort. Readers of Lib Dem Voice, more than most, are well used to accounting for spending in elections. For the parties, it is clear that their purpose in life is to influence election outcomes. Candidates and agents have accepted the ...
I first got interested in energy policy when I was at university at the end of the 1970s. It is strange to remember quite what we were up against in those days: a strange semi-soviet state organisation, the Central Electricity Generating Board, presided over by a Gromyko-like figure called Lord Marshall. It poured money into nuclear energy (with little to show for it). It throttled research into renewables, and miserably failed to solve the problem of nuclear waste. Oh yes, and there was also Tony Benn's nuclear police force. Ah, yes, it all comes flooding back. The Edge of Darkness ...
Dimly remembered from my fourth year Latin is the idea in Virgil that a nation should "choose foreign leaders". It is surprising how often nations do in fact choose foreign leaders, the positive and negative examples are legion: of course there is Hitler, an Austrian, who led Germany, Eamonn De Valera, a half Sicilian New Yorker, who led Ireland and Napoleon, the scion of a Corsican speaking family, who led France. Winston Churchill was half American, and most royal houses trace their origins to each other and not necessarily to the countries that they reigned over. In the Baltic there ...
Men shouting at each other, not trying to find any common ground, each escalating the disagreement with every utterance. That's how it is with the Grangemouth dispute and both sides are, from what I can see, as bad as each other. Grangemouth is a huge oil refinery and petrochemicals plant in central Scotland, on the shores of the Firth of Forth. It's role in supplying Scotland's petrol stations is crucial. Yet, bizarrely, it's the management who are keeping the plant shut down because the Unite trade union wouldn't guarantee that there would be no further strike action this Winter. It's ...
John Leech (Manchester, Withington, Liberal Democrat) It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair for the first time since you were elected, Madam Deputy Speaker. I find myself [...]
While I mainly dwell on financial, housing and transport matters, a related theme that has exercised my mind in the past has been industrial trends. As we all know the manufacturing flow over recent decades has been one way towards China with a massive shift of production of, firstly, low value-added manufacturing and, recently, higher value-added products to the Far East. As a result large chunks of British industry have seen production losses over the last 20 years with China as the beneficiary. The trend, plain and simple, was powered by price and scale. The Chinese did big runs (and ...
Green NGOs say we're spending universities' resources supporting the oil and gas industry, and not putting enough into low-carbon energy Alice Bell
I cannot be the only Liberal Democrat who was appalled by the scale of the food waste which had been calculated earlier this week by our largest food supplier, Tesco. According to Tesco's research something like 40% of apples, or half of bagged salad, or half of bakery items end up in the bin, either [...]
Following on from my story last month, it would appear that Galloways have decided that they might be able to run a bus service to Stowupland without subsidy, and will be introducing a new route 387 to replace First Group's route 87. There are some particularly interesting features, with some extra buses in the morning to provide a half-hourly service during the morning rush (hourly otherwise), although the last bus leaves something to be desired if you're working regular office hours - it will run at 4.35 p.m. There will also be a Saturday service, again hourly, and again with ...
[IMG: European Union flag] In a speech earlier this month Nick Clegg detailed just how crucial the European Union is for prospects of a stronger economy and a fairer society here in Britain (you can read the full text of his speech here). The Liberal Democrats' success in the European Election is thus hugely important in making sure the EU lives up to its potential in contributing to that combination of increased economic strength and greater social fairness that we are uniquely in a position to deliver. The election is also significant from a political perspective, with the party's eventual ...
This week The Economist has an interesting article, Unreliable research: trouble at the lab, on the worrying level of poor quality scientific research, and weak mechanisms for correcting mistakes. Recently a drug company, Amgen, tried to reproduce 53 key studies in cancer research, but could get the original results in six. This does not appear to be untypical in attempts to reproduce research findings. The Economist points to a number of aspects of this problem, such as the way in which scientific research is published. But of particular interest is how poorly understood is the logic of statistics, not only ...
Nick Clegg's speech on free schools – setting out the policy approved by the Lib Dem conference last March – has ruffled feathers. Apparently he and David Cameron even had lunch yesterday to discuss this 'bombshell' announcement (which in fact won't be made until a speech this Thursday). My view (as I set out here on Sunday) is that schools should have the freedom to appoint teachers who lack formal qualifications, though I'd expect these to be the exceptions not the rule in the vast majority of state-funded schools. But I don't think it's at all surprising that Nick Clegg ...
I am currently in Uganda, but I recorded a speech to the International Conference on Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting, which is currently taking place in Rome. You can read more about the UK commitment to help end FGM here.
dodgy research methods by the ONS could have real impacts on funding for LGBT projects (tags: ) posted The Blood is The Life 21-10-2013 http://t.co/DfHZ49vpkg on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) enraging things only politicians ever say number 7. (tags: ) Ok so the news is out: yes, the Hitchhiker's tour is cancelled as of today. Producers' statement: https://t.co/MCBKUmWShx (tags: (from twitter) ) The Great British Bake-Off: Ruby Tandoh doesn't deserve this hostility | Sarah Ditum | Comment is free | theguardian.com (tags: ) Stephen's Liberal Journal: Hitchhikers Tour hits financial barrier and quotes God *sadface* (tags: ...
This is a judgment about a case that I know nothing more than what is in the published judgment. It is interesting in that the Slovaks have asked for some Slovak Children who are citizens of Slovakia to be sent to Slovakia, but the court has refused.
So said Grayson Perry on the radio just now, talking about photography, but I wonder if it applies more generally. I am tired of having backache. I am tired of having headache. I am tired of my brain's relentless negativity. I'm not smiling today. This means I am art. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: Swedish flag] Debate about NHS reform has been intense in 2013 as the service has entered its historic 65th year and the need for greater accountability has become apparent in response to lapses in care such as those at Mid Staffordshire. In light of this, it is important to learn from what is already established practice abroad and one of the best examples is Sweden, a nation with a word-class healthcare system with a history and ethos closely comparable with our own revered health service. It was developed after the war by a reforming social democratic government, it is ...
As we know, I've a little thing this year about puritanism and especially its reappearance among feminists. Yet another example comes to us from Swansea University's Student Union. They had allowed a pole fitness society to form however in the last few days it has been reported that they have rescinded this decision on the following basis. Although 'pole fitness' is sold as an empowering activity, we believe that women have been deceived into thinking that this is a way of taking charge of their sexuality and their own decisions. Moreover, we believe that it is just a further debasement ...
I'm posting this, originally posted by Paul Taylor ( BTC events coordinator) to help correct some incorrect information that is being spread, especially on Facebook, about the Halloween and fireworks event on 3rd November "As the Event Co-ordinator for the Halloween Fright Night 3 taking place on Blyth Quayside on the 3rd of November. I would like to correct some of the Mis- information which has hit Facebook over the last 24 hours: THE FACTS ARE: Wristbands are on sale at the former Thornton's shop in the Keel Row 12.00 until 2,00pm from Monday to Thursday and at 1,00pm until ...
[IMG: House Prices High Monitor Showing Expensive Mortgage Costs] When I first studied macroeconomics the Stagflation era of the 1970s and the death of Keynesianism were still being quite hotly debated. They were still contemporary events. Well, they were contemporary events in the way that the election of Tony Blair is a contemporary event for us today - it seems like just yesterday for the lecturers but has almost no significance for the students because they were far too young at the time. At an empirical level the death of Keynesianism was intimately associated with the breakdown of the Phillips ...
When I started this blog I never knew what it would end up as. Directly and indirectly it has ended up as my career. I want to move things forward though, and the one major area that I feel I've neglected is YouTube. Video is an amazing platform, but I've always been fearful of running a [...]
The most western part of the West End Ward (area around Clovis Duveau Drive, Millbay Gardens, Millbay Terrace, Clayhills Grove, etc) is - for telephone and broadband - served by the Invergowrie Exchange. Constituents have contacted me to complain that this exchange is not yet providing superfast broadband and I contacted the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout team about this and have been advised by a member of the team as follows: "I have conducted a search of our intervention area can confirm that the Invergowrie area is eligible for a state aid intervention as part of the programme. This ...
Cars and bystanders were forced to wade through knee-high water after a flash flood hit West End Lane yesterday afternoon, putting shops and businesses at risk. The flood, which rushed through the high street around 4pm, followed an unusually heavy downfall of rain and stretched along the north end of the street by Pizza Express and West Hampstead fire station. Following the quick-thinking of nearby firefighters who waded through the water to clear the drains, shops at risk from the torrent of water were saved from any damage. Nick Russell wading through the water at West End Green Nick ...
Liberal Democrats in government are legislating to ensure that every council in the country puts in place a scheme to allow people to defer payment of care home bills. This means that for the first time the right to defer payment will be a universal offer across the country. The fine details, as you would expect, are being consulted on now, but we are clear that this will deliver on the promise that people will not be forced to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for care.
