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. May I apologise for the problems with last weeks enews. I don't know what the gremlin was (it wasn't that I'd fallen asleep on the job as one of my friends suggested) but about half of the readership didn't receive the newsletter when it was sent on Sunday. Hopefully this one will get to everyone without a problem. 1. Bramwell Nursing HomeRegular readers may recall that in 2011 and 2012 the Liberal Democrats strongly supported ...
From the Lord's website: Mike Brearley, the former England captain and Chairman of MCC's World Cricket committee, has delivered the 11th Bradman Oration, in Melbourne. Drawing on his second career as a psychoanalyst, Brearley attempted to answer the question: what is the point of sport, and in particular cricket? In a double Ashes Series year, his 40-minute Oration discussed instances of sportsmanship, co-operation and rivalry between the two teams - as well as in other contests. Incidents from Ashes history which Brearley drew upon included the famous Flintoff-Lee moment at Edgbaston in 2005 and the battle between Derek Randall and ...
I have been asked to represent the Liberal Democrat party in the Caddington ward bye-election on November 28th. If elected I would serve at least until May 2015. Studham, this weekend It's a large ward, and a beautiful ward with a people of diverse incomes. It covers the Parishes of Caddington, Hyde, Kensworth, Slip End, Studham and Whipsnade. I have lived all around it in my life, and driven through most of it at one time or another. It's also a very historical ward that once ran right down Blows Down, and like Houghton Regis has suffered land-loss to Dunstable. ...
The BBC News Asia pages win our Headline of the Day Award. Thanks to Nick Davies on Twitter.
Just so you know why I've not been posting here (or on Tumblr, where I'll crosspost this) for a week or so: I've been trying desperately to get the Doctor Who Fifty Stories... book done in time for Thought Bubble, which is on the 23rd, the same day as the fiftieth anniversary. Unfortunately, Lulu have [...]
The Dundee West End Christmas Fortnight committee has announced the programme of West End Christmas events starting later this month, with the largest-ever series of Christmas activities and events across the West End in the 13 year history of the Christmas Fortnight. The West End Christmas Committee is really grateful to all local residents, organisations and businesses who have made this programme of events possible and we hope the whole community will take part. The Fortnight will be launched with West End Community Fayre, taking place in Dundee West Church from 10am to 12 noon on Saturday 23rd November and ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 351st 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 (-, 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 12 by ...
Last night BBC4 repeated its compilation of rock performances from the early 1970s. Watching reminded me how wonderful this one is - the guitar player is the Canadian Calvin Batchelor, who also played with Long John Baldry and Ronnie Lane. Paul Walter and I must come from exactly the same generation, because we so often write about the same musicians and television programmes. But in one way at least he had an advantage over me. Because this is what he wrote on Liberal Burblings when Kevin Ayres died earlier this year: Kevin Ayers was very much part of growing up ...
[IMG: Happy baby Emeth] Maybe I am getting too worked up about the David Miranda affair. However, I am too old to worry about that, so I am continuing to allow free rein to my outrage over it. In a free democracy, I don't think one can make too much noise about this sort of disgrace. You can see my speech to our Glasgow conference on the subject below. The latest twist to the story has really made me breathless with disgust. Finally, we have had the Metropolitan Police pre-explanation as to why they detained David Miranda for nine hours ...
I spent part of today working on two of the planters on Long Lane in Garston. These have been there for a couple of years now but for the last year or so no one has really looked after them (although they have been watered - thanks to local businesses). Friends of Garston Park have now raised some money to replant these and some of the other planters around the area. I'm one of a team of volunteers who've agreed to do planting and maintenance and I've "adopted" the two planters roughly outside Monty's café (bit of an agenda with ...
I thought this week was supposed to be 'superhero week'? Like I've never wondered off topic before! But actually I do think there's a link. Superheroes are essentially a projection by America of its ideas about heroism – one of the most popular is even called Captain America after all. This is also a central [...]
I am all for the freedom of the press. Everyone should be able to say what they want within the usual constraints (I am thinking in particular of inciting to violence, and the rules on defamation and invasion of privacy give in article ten of the European Convention on Human Rights). Well on the 21st October, The Sun apologised because it had told us that there were hundreds of thousands of benefit tourists. Why would The Sun want to make up such a story? The answer is easy. It wants to sell newspapers and if that means pandering to fear ...
[IMG: barbed wire fence] There seems to be quite a bit of reflection on the current state of play in the study of public policy at the moment. I have recently offered something on the topic myself. A couple of months ago Peter John posted a draft paper online entitled New directions in public policy: Theories of policy change and variation reconsidered. The paper offers a perspective on the state of the debate and identifies what may constitute a novel way forward. As always with Peter, the paper is thought-provoking and well worth reading. The thought it provoked in me ...
Imagine you are are very interested in a particular field of business. Now imagine that after closely studying this type of business you realise that becoming a PA or advisor to someone senior within that field is a good way to get a solid grounding in it for your future career prospects as indeed it often can be. There's no substitute for close interaction with industry leaders. So after all this how would you react if when having come to this conclusion, all the PA and advisor jobs in the field you are passionate about are all stitched up behind ...
There's a new expenses scandal in the offing. Today's Sunday Mirror headline screams that 340 MPs are getting their second home energy bills paid. Yes, energy bills are a hot topic at the moment but let's look behind the hyperbole. Of course, MPs are paying their own energy bills in their homes out of their salaries. What is being paid by the public purse is the cost of their accommodation in either their constituency or London. If you're going to do the job of an MP properly, you need two bases. It stands to reason, therefore, that the second base ...
I came across this great article yesterday discussing how fixed 5 year parliaments had changed the rhythm of politics and it prompted me to ponder - is 5 years too long? I well understand the logic of fixed term parliaments and endorse it - it provides stability, confidence, and it avoids leaders calling elections when it is politically expedient for them do so (as opposed to when it is in the best interests of the country). And the way our Fixed Term Parliament Act is framed means a call of no confidence can still bring a government down to an ...
Before I start, a quick mention for Sainsbury's ebooks, I'd not be troubling you with my personal angst, had Sainsbury's offer, of a Free ebook attached to my grocery receipt, been honoured. I've come to the conclusion that Thanet is, really as badly run as is possible, and that most people in public life really are incompetent and self serving as we suspect, the reason amongst others I find it tooo depressing to ponder local issues. Things I've resisted the urge to comment on include the outrage of council officers and politicians continuing hostility to free access to meetings, a ...
Here is the latest FOCUS newsletter from Meols Ward Liberal Democrats, which is currently being delivered to residents of Churchtown, Crossens and Marshside.
Credit where it's due, Nick Clegg's "I'm In" campaign on Europe may finally see the Liberal Democrats campaigning on Europe during the course of a European parliamentary election. That would be a welcome break with precedent. In previous euro elections, the party has acted as though it viewed the exercise as, at best, a chance to train its organisation in target seats by campaigning on purely local issues or, at worst, something it wished would go away. National campaigns have been hesitant and embarrassed, a situation not helped by mistaken attempts to appeal to eurosceptics by making incautious promises about ...
Just catching up on this months Ad Lib and I see on page 10 a welcome return to an old favourite: Lib Dem's Pointing More of this sort of thing please.
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... This Is How They Do Fireworks In Glasgow – YouTube This is... impressive ? This Is How They Do Fireworks In Glasgow – YouTube http://bit.ly/HCFUGv Peter Franklin: Ten top tips for winning an open primary | Conservative Home Tory hopeful on local Kent connections: "One even informed us his horse was stabled in a neighbouring constituency." http://bit.ly/16YBnKF Sir Menzies Campbell was a 'ruthless and autocratic student politician who liked bawdy songs' – Telegraph Telegraph discovers there were hacks writing stuff in the style of Telegraph hacks back in the 1960s http://bit.ly/Hyx4KZ
This morning someone posted a screenshot of the Isle of Wight County Press about an article where a UKIP candidate forged signatures on their nomination form. I didn't really care about this story but at the bottom of the screenshot there was another story entitled 'Carisbrooke fails Ofsted' and I did some research. Basically Carisbrooke College has been on special measures since being judged inadequate in all four core areas – pupil achievement, the quality of teaching, the behaviour and safety of pupils and leadership of the school. Now why do I care about a school that is 150 odd ...
Yesterday it appears that Caroline Flint was getting a little desperate. She sent the same email to loads of my Liberal Democrat friends. It started: Hi Stephen Glenn, The next general election is going to be won on streets like yours -- so whether you're a seasoned campaigner or a first-time volunteer, your neighbourhood needs your help to defeat the Tories in 2015. But Caroline, I'm already have a track record for beating the Tories. It is those other two parties that caused me issues, first in 2005 then in 2010. So therefore I'll be dialing in to the conference ...
Many thanks to the 14,700 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Opinion: Russell Brand – a turgid mess of a manifesto (56 comments) by Jack Williams Updated: Full list of Lib Dems standing in our held seats and top 50 targets (2 comments) by Stephen Tall Time to do away with Lib Dem Friends of Israel and Friends of Palestine (37 comments) by Leon Duveen Lewis Baston's 2015 Election forecast: Labour 36%, Conservatives 34%, Lib Dems 16% (16 comments) by Stephen Tall Opinion: What is with the Liberal Democrat love affair with ...
Sun 3rd
13:02
Day 4690 BONUS2: Millennium's Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Top Trunks #05: BEN AARONOVITCH
Still Sunday: Age: Younger than that Dr Woo Stories: 6 Awesomeness: Unlimited Rice-Pudding Cuddles: So Vast a Pile (sorry!) AKA: Author of Remembrance of the Daleks. And The Also People. And, er, Battlefield. And PC Peter Grant. And we are still not worthy...
Sunday (again): Age: Diamond (Geezer) Stories: 28 Awesomeness: House of Lung Cuddles: Going Spare AKA: Author of Ghostlight. And Time's Crucible. And Spare Parts. And Lungbarrow. And we are not worthy...
Sunday: Age: Golden (Emperor) Stories: 21 Awesomeness: Masterplan Cuddles: Scripted AKA: The Script Doctor
The Isle of Wight's County Press reports: [IMG: UKIP logo] A UKIP candidate who stood in Isle of Wight Council elections this year, has been banned from public life for five years, after admitting he forged signatures on his nomination form. Richard Wilkins' electoral fraud came to light when a Conservative supporter was called before local party leaders to explain why she had supported a UKIP candidate, Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court heard today (Friday). Fifty-one-year-old sole trader businessman Wilkins, who stood for the Newport North seat won by Matthew Price, forged six of the ten signatures he needed on ...
Reblogged from Andrew McFarland Campbell: My favourite translation of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is from The Message. Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the [...]
Sun 3rd
12:47
CPS says you can be young enough to stand but too old to be prosecuted if you're accused of breaking...
[IMG: Michael Mates] There's no maximum age limit for standing in public elections, with instead it being left to the voters to decide if they think a candidate is (still) up to the job. However, the recent allegations of law breaking against Conservative Police Commissioner candidate Michael Mates have resulted in an oddity from the Crown Prosecution Service, who have applied their usual logic of taking into account people's ages when deciding whether or not to prosecute someone. In effect, the CPS has therefore ended up saying that you can be young enough to stand but too old to be ...
I'm a big fan of QR codes. A few years ago, I did some work for a major UK retailer who wanted to put QR codes on some of their DIY products. Rather than ship expensive instructions with each item, there would be a QR code on the packaging which linked directly to a video explaining how to use whatever it was you'd just purchased. The idea was a success and is now helping them cut costs - even in their after-sales service. It's always nice when other companies imitate your success - and it's always amusing when they fall ...
Just before the First World War, my great grand-parents bought a house in Mulberry Walk in Chelsea. They were modest town houses but it was an attractive street, with its gas lamps and brick pavements - and it had to be to attract the right clientele given that Chelsea remained a raffish suburb full of artists and slums. My great-grandfather was killed at the Battle of the Aisne, six weeks into the war, and my great-grandmother lived there for the rest of her life before dividing the house into flats for her daughters. I don't remember her, but I know ...
A more personal letter this week, as you can see from the headline. An insight into the day to day life of a party leader and Deputy Prime Minister, along with a lovely video of him and Miriam at the Great Ormond Street Hallowe'en party. Then you have the message that the Liberal Democrats have once again delivered in Government – with more powers to Wales – and an account of a trip to the pub with Sheffield students. He ends with a challenge to readers – to sign up a member of the party or join themselves. [IMG: libdem ...
One problem free schools may face in future is that they are entirely creatures of the education secretary. A future government could bring in all sorts of measures on the curriculum or admissions or funding and they would have few defences. For this reason David Boyle in his Broke: Who Killed the Middle Classes? says: They should be embedded, and federated together, like other schools, under light-touch local authority control - another way of reducing the complexity of admissions - and will not be safe until they are.And an article in today's Observer shows strong support for the idea. It ...
The Jades and "So Blue" from 1958 when Lou Reed was 16 years old. It was on Time records. Lou Reed played rhythm guitar and sang background on it. the lead vocal is by co-writer, Phil Harris. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
Far too often, information about the work our ministers are doing reaches us, and the general public, through a cloud of white noise created by the media. The information that we local activists get from Lib Dem HQ can be drowned out by what we read and hear elsewhere. It's often difficult to tease out our ministers' achievements in government from the work of the government as a whole. But in the past few weeks we seem to have found a way of dispersing our uncertainty and showing the public that we stand for something tangibly different from our coalition ...
If one were to believe the "Lose the Lad's Mags", "No More Page 3" and generally anti-porn types, you'd think that the banning of "objectifying" or "sexualising" images would have no negative effects. In their perfect world everyone benefits from the removal of such images and everyone is happy. Of course what they tend to forget is what happens to those who still try to view their "banned" materials. As we head towards web filters in this country and an outright ban on internet pornography in Iceland, it really is time to remember what happens when a country bans porn. ...
[IMG: nick clegg] Way back in March, in a speech that, to say the least, was not well received in the party, Nick Clegg proposed that some people visiting Britain from "high risk" countries should pay a bond. He said: One idea, which appeals to me, is a system of security bonds. And so I've asked the Home Office to do some work on it with a view to running a pilot before the end of the year. The basic premise is simple: in certain cases, when a visa applicant is coming from a high risk country, in addition to ...
world facial hair championships begin in Germany They don't look strokable enough to me (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
In a powerful article in today's Observer, Henry Porter contrasts the reaction in the United Kingdom with that elsewhere to the news that GCHQ has been collaborating with the Americans in collecting huge amounts of personal data on British citizens. He says that in contrast to Britain, the reaction in Germany, France, Spain, Brazil and the United States to the NSA leaks has included protest, vigorous debate and in America the admission from the secretary of state, John Kerry, that the NSA has gone too far and the policy of bulk data collection must be looked at again: Last week's ...
Earlier this year a kids program began airing on Pakistani TV with a novel twist on superhero genre: Burka Avenger stars a girls' school teacher who dons a burka to combat a cast of Taliban-esque villains with a decidedly conservative view of the appropriate role of women in society (the show contains clear parallels to [...]
Organisations throughout Wales should get involved with a new campaign to raise awareness of the potential for illness and death that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can cause called Be Gas Safe. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the charity Gas Safe, have launched this major programme to promote awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and the importance of adopting measures to stay gas safe. I am already working with the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group chaired by Labour MP Barry Sheerman on this issue. Each year in England and Wales, there are approximately ...
Siobhan Miller From Sheena Wellington: On Wednesday 6th November, at 1.15pm, the Friends of Wighton present their popular monthly lunchtime concert, upstairs in the Central Library. Admission to the concert is free and all are welcome. November's event is organised in conjunction with Live Music Now, and the performer will be singer Siobhan Miller. Siobhan Miller was voted 'Scots Singer of the Year' in the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2011. Her repertory includes Scottish traditional, contemporary and self-penned songs. Her hotly anticipated solo album is due for release in 2014. Live Music Now was founded 35 years ago ...
So plenty of people have responded to Russell Brand's position and comments by now, but the story rumbles on and on, so I thought it might be worth throwing my views on the heap as well. I'll admit I've never really found Russell Brand that interesting, his humour, the topics he covers, the way he talks, all just seem to be at the wrong end of what I enjoy (and sometimes the right side of what annoys me). So, when he eloquently put in to words so much that is wrong with our country in his Newstatesman piece and, less ...
At the end of its report about the Plebgate police officers being recalled to parliament to apologise for their original evidence, the Observer has this paragraph: [Andrew] Mitchell is expected to be nominated by David Cameron as Britain's next European commissioner, replacing Lady Ashton. An announcement is expected before the end of the year.If there is a by-election in Mitchell's by-election, remember you read it here first.
