I attended the North East Lib Dem regional conference in Newcastle today. A good speech by Ian Wrigglesworth, recently ennobled, who talked about the need to raise aspiration in the North East. There was interesting praise for Ed Miliband on his decision to reform trade union funding (no doubt the local Labour dinosaurs will not be sharing in the praise). Ian also talked about how it would be
Sat 16th
22:46
Democracy needs political parties and they need activists: A response to Mark Thompson
The Liberal Democrat blogger Mark Thompson is a Liberal Democrat no more. He explains that this is not because he's disenchanted with the Liberal Democrats per se but with political parties in general. The impetus for me to leave is really because politics is broken. The Westminster Village is obsessed with who managed to shout [...]
David Laws was the keynote speaker at Kingston Borough Lib Dems annual meeting on Friday and although warmly received I felt his speech and Q&A was somewhat off key. David Laws is a gut liberal, with a commitment to promoting opportunity for those at the bottom of the heap and he is an articulate advocate for a number of policy positions - such as the pupil premium - designed to do that. But that to me is also his main flaw - he is too much of a policy wonk. He argued for the Lib Dem manifesto in 2015 to ...
[IMG: Norman Baker] Sometimes pronouncements emanating from Liberal Democrat Ministers are a puzzle. They are either naïve or disingenuous. And if they are disingenuous then they must think we're all naïve. The proximate cause of this observation is Norman Baker's post "We're not turning into authoritarians!" at Liberal Democrat Voice yesterday. The focus of Baker's post is the Coalition's proposals to reform anti-social behaviour legislation. The aim of the post is to assure everyone that: It is utter nonsense to suggest we are targeting skateboarders, ramblers, youngsters playing in their local park, or anyone else going about their daily lives ...
LibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you're reading now. The second is our private members' forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access. If you're a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that's on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you'll be included in our regular surveys' of party members' views. Here's some of the most active discussions this past 7 days: Our Seriousness on Apprenticeships; Switching to renewable energy; Breaking Up Unite; Is it right for a local party to expand by ...
A note from the King of the Badgers It may be rather a scruffy (indeed, if I am honest, rather a muddy) note, but this one is the most cherished communication of the day. It comes from the King of the Badgers and thanks me for my continued vocal opposition to the cull. It is also magnanimous enough to wish David Heath well for the future, saying that he has been forgotten by all but the most vengeful badgers. Whether Heath has yet forgiven Clegg for putting him in the job in the first place is another matter. Lord Bonkers ...
Jon Pollard, who blogs at We Need Toothpaste, has a suggestion. Do you know anyone who is a full time carer? Are you stuck for ideas for a Christmas gift for them? As someone who up till very recently cared full time for a family member I can help you. The gift I am about to suggest is very cheap, it may even be completely free. You can't wrap it, post or deliver it. You can't purchase it in any shop, market or even online. In all my years as a carer for my mother this was the best gift ...
This week has been a vary varied week but local concerns about the changes to the 10/10A bus routes and timetable have dominated. Other things in my diary been varied and includes: laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday taking a hen and chicks in to Kites at Cape Cornwall School supporting Bosavern Community Farm watching a group of unemployed lads being put through their paces at Penzance Fire Station being at a meeting that selected Andrew George to be the LibDem Parliamentary candidate for this constituency. A bit of light relief at home was when our old (female) pig fell ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
From the Evening Standard: British military chiefs today slapped down Cabinet minister Ed Davey for attacking America over its use of drones to target terrorists. Energy Secretary Mr Davey accused the US of "transgressing the sovereignty" of Pakistan by launching weapons from unmanned aircraft to kill al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. He also argued that America's use of drones was setting a "very dangerous precedent" and claimed international law needed to catch up with the technological military advances. But a senior Ministry of Defence source said: "It's not appropriate to comment in this way on our closest ally's military operations. ...
Nick Clegg was asked yesterday, on his LBC phone in, what he thought about the plan to give women in deprived areas £200 in High Street shopping vouchers. This was one of these questions which he had to answer by instinct because he didn't know the detail and to give him credit, he said a lot of the right things. He talked about how no mum should feel pressured to breastfeed, but those who do should get the support they need. Whether he knows on a practical level what that actually means, though, is not clear.He was unambiguous about one ...
Conservative Week continues. Having looked at the philosopher who represents the best of conservatism, we look at the party that represents the worst of it: UKIP. I argue that their policy on cycling is microcosm of their ugly worldview Ummm...wouldn't their policy on Europe be the key one? Not really. It's not the most salient [...]
From Och aye the news: [IMG: carrion londonsay] Parody is supposed to make you wince and laugh at the same time. Sadly, this one fails to live up to that. It's more congealed porridge than biting wit. We're asking for trouble, here, I know, but if you can do any better... * Caron Lindsay is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
All restaurants, cafes, takeaways and other food outlets in St Albans City and District will be given a rating for food hygiene by April 2014. St Albans City and District Council is more than half way through implementing the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in the District. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme was developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities. It rates eateries and other places that sell food on their hygiene standards, based on inspections carried out by council Food Safety Officers. At a meeting on 7 November, the Local Services Scrutiny Committee heard ...
Nick Clegg was asked yesterday, on his LBC phone in, what he thought about the plan to give women in deprived areas £200 in High Street shopping vouchers. This was one of these questions which he had to answer by instinct because he didn't know the detail and to give him credit, he said a lot of the right things. He talked about how no mum should feel pressured to breastfeed, but those who do should get the support they need. Whether he knows on a practical level what that actually means, though, is not clear. He was unambiguous about ...
Saturday: Age: 800-and-something Stories: 96 Awesomeness: Saves the Universe twice but gives his life for a friend he's only just met. Often at his best in Caves Cuddles: Moffat: Time Crash. Gatiss: Can We Kiss Peter? AKA: Omega; Dr Stephen Daker (A Very Peculiar Practice); Albert Campion; Inspector Christmas (Mrs Bradley Mysteries); Dangerous Davis (The Last Detective); David Tennant's father-in-law; Peter Davidstone... it's the always-pleased-to-see-the-fans Peter Davison
A guest posting by Baroness Tyler. The living standard is, I believe, perhaps the most pressing issue facing this country. Despite the recent and course very welcome signs of economic recovery real anxiety over the cost of living is the day to day reality of many British families, particularly people on low incomes. The stark fact is that living standards have been stagnating for the past four years and households are spending an increased share of their incomes on 'essentials' such as food, fuel and housing. The Which? Quarterly Consumer Report for October 2013 found that just 24% of people ...
As I was exiting Oxford Railway Station, I glanced at this screen showing the bus departure times. Notice anything odd about it? [IMG: Windows Update on Display Screen] *sigh* Yet again someone has shoehorned Microsoft Windows into a product it is completely unsuitable for. [IMG: Windows Update Message] Why does a screen which displays a fairly basic set of information need to be running on an expensive Windows licence? Moreover, why is such a machine connected to the public Internet? For bonus points, take a look at the program which has automatically loaded. [IMG: Mouse Jiggle] Yup, they're running a ...
So tonight is Alisdair's housewarming party, and this morning I tweeted:Vaguely wondering if, as fundraiser for @calderdale_ld, ppl would pay for me to turn up to @A_C_McGregor's party tonight in formal dress... — Jennie Rigg (@miss_s_b) November 16, 2013You guys know me. My uniform is combats/jeans and a t-shirt with something geeky on it. Formal dress is not something I do. But I do have, in the depths of my wardrobe, several options. Sadly I am still too fat for the blue taffeta ballgown. However! Some fool offered a donation. So I shall pledge as follows: the one donation already ...
Mark Thompson, the Lib Dem Voice 'Blogger of the Year' in 2012, announced yesterdayhe is leaving the party This is incredibly sad news. Mark's leaving is less to do with the party - though he is clearly he is disappointed by many things that have happened in government - "Of course I wasn't happy with secret courts, in fact I was furious. The removal of the spare room subsidy is just mean spirited and ultimately self-defeating. Tuition fees were an absolute mess. Cutting the 50p rate may have been economically sensible but was politically idiotic." But it's rather more to ...
Mark Thompson, winner of Lib Dem Blog of the Year 2012, has announced he's leaving the party. You might be thinking, "Ah, another one who's so annoyed with what the party's doing in coalition that he can't face renewing his membership." But you'd be wrong. As the title of Mark's piece makes clear – Why I am leaving the Lib Dems – AKA This is not a Flounce – it is not the party he is disillusioned with but party politics: The impetus for me to leave is really because politics is broken. The Westminster Village is obsessed with who ...
Progress with my MSc trundles on. I'm currently working on my second module assignment which to my great relief isn't another essay. Instead, it consists of a number of short answer questions related to research methods . Last weekend I managed to finish off around a quarter of the work and I'm hoping to make similar progress this weekend. Depending on how I feel when I've finished writing this, it may either involve me dusting off my copy of SPSS and crunching some numbers, or doing a piece of thematic analysis on an interview (and transcript) that we've been given. ...
The Liberal Democrats' spell in government has been characterised by very little hostility and disunity on a personal level. Whatever arguments there may have been behind the scenes have not spilled over into the pages of the press very often. That's actually quite remarkable given the pressure we are under as a party. Sure, we've had our disagreements on policy, with more to come, but we've kept it civil. Politicians have been secretly briefing the press about what goes on behind the scenes as long as there has been politics. I remember being shocked when, as a very young and ...
It has been said that America is the land of second opportunities, but the LibDems have also been inclined in the past to err on the side of patience rather than wield the long knives when the leadership has been perceived to be sub-optimal. The membership and parliamentary group have tended to want to help out with the problem be it excessive tippling or lacklustre speechifying and hope against hope that things would turn of their volition and salvation would be achieved. That having been said the party has also seen quite a vigorous turnover of leaders in recent decades ...
[IMG: Tim Farron MP. Photo credit: Some rights reserved by David Spender] The Liberal Democrats' spell in government has been characterised by very little hostility and disunity on a personal level. Whatever arguments there may have been behind the scenes have not spilled over into the pages of the press very often. That's actually quite remarkable given the pressure we are under as a party. Sure, we've had our disagreements on policy, with more to come, but we've kept it civil. Politicians have been secretly briefing the press about what goes on behind the scenes as long as there has ...
I hope Francis Anscombe will forgive me not noticing his excellent example data until 40 years after he published it, but Anscombe's Quartet is excellent. Four sets of data which share very similar summary statistics (e.g. mean and variance) but which, when you look at them, are clearly very different in many important ways. A great reminder of why you need to inspect data visually and not just rely on automated number crunching: [IMG: Anscombe's Quartet - diagram showing the four datasets. Image used under Creative Commons
posted The Blood is The Life 15-11-2013 http://t.co/IpENVxXkxk on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) http://youtu.be/Fn8sKcgHhJY FAO @A_C_McGregor: Pinky And The Brain S2E7 The Pink Candidate: http://t.co/gAFl4N7X6U via @youtube appropriate episode is appropriate ;) (tags: (from twitter) ) posted The Liberal Democrat Candidate For Calder Valley for the 2015 General Election is... http://t.co/NriDKjh5As on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) Shoot for the Moon (tags: ) Who can honestly say they've never accidentally decapitated the wrong person? http://t.co/4JoFBfukPv (tags: (from twitter) ) Motivation and aspiration: what's the point? | Science | theguardian.com "Cameron can say less privileged ...
Sat 16th
08:27Saturday Suggestions: the global LGBT split, America's mad censors and its radical youth, and Paul K...
Our weekly series sharing some of the more interesting things I've read this week The LGBT Global Values Gap by Christian Caryl (Foreign Policy) There's one aspect of the controversy [over the Sochi Olympics], though, that hasn't come in for much discussion. There's every indication that the fight over the Olympics merely dramatizes a much [...]
I am at the Welsh Liberal Democrats Conference in Newtown all day today so I am going to leave you with this piece from the Western Mail setting out 20 reasons why Swansea Bay should be awarded to City of Culture 2017. The photographs are spectacular.
The BBC report that the latest figures show the number of patients waiting more than nine months for hospital treatment in Wales has more than doubled in six months. The number of patients waiting jumped from 5,414 to 11,672, in the six months since March this year. The Welsh government wants 95% of patients treated within 26 weeks, but only 88.4% were seen within that time. It blamed the poor performance on health boards having to treat long-waiting patients. Opposition parties have claimed the NHS in Wales is in "crisis" and is a "national disgrace": In September the number of ...
Just finished watching BBC's 4 documentary about the 50th anniversary of the Beatle's Please, Please Me album - which featured various artists mainly making a hash of covering the songs. So here's the original with John Lennon being cheeky to the Queen Mother at the Royal Variety Performance in 1963.
I was pleased as Punch when I achieved 100% in this quiz. Those who know me well will not be surprised by this. Click image to open interactive version (via Staples.ca).Filed under: Blogging
