Andrew Sandoval just posted a link to "Ultimate Classic Rock"'s list of the best reissues of the year, and it looked frankly dull for the most part — deluxe editions of 'classic' albums we've all heard a million times. Elvis, Beatles, Van Morrison, Nirvana. Yes, yes. All very nice, I suppose, but not really any [...]
Last summer I posted a video about a campaign to preserve the Art Deco diving board at Coate Water near Swindon. It looks as though that campaign has been successful, as the Swindon Advertiser reported on Saturday that it has been listed by English Heritage as a Grade II structure. The paper also tells us: The board at Coate Water was first constructed out of wood in 1922. The platform was later replaced with the current concrete diving stage, designed by JBL Thompson in 1935. It was officially opened by mayor Reuben George, who took the first dive from the ...
It's all kicking off in the Coalition. BBC News reports: The Liberal Democrats have accused the Department for Education of "going rogue" by briefing against Nick Clegg. The deputy prime minister has announced primary schools in England will get an extra £150m for new kitchens and dining rooms, to cope with the roll-out of free meals for infant pupils next year. This would be part-funded by an £80m education underspend, Mr Clegg said. But, after an education official told newspapers this was not the case, a Lib Dem spokesman accused them of "lying".The Daily Mail adds some colour: A DfE ...
Launceston Town Council has agreed to make parking in the town's multi-storey car park free on the last two Saturdays before Christmas. Charges will also be waived after 4pm on the two Fridays before the holidays. The move was agreed tonight with the aim of giving a boost to the town's shops and businesses in the crucial run up to Christmas. I was very glad to add my vote in favour of this move. The town council deal goes a stage further than Cornwall Council, which has agreed a £1 charge for all-day parking every Saturday in the run up ...
There are two meetings scheduled at Blyth Town Council next week Assets Committee , Tuesday 10th December, 6:30 at Arms Evertyne House Planning & Development Committee, Wednesday 11th December , 6:30 at Arms Evertyne House
The judiciary have now published the judgment in respect of the Caesarean. It is here. I remain concerned that it does not appear that she was told that this was being proposed. If it is true that she had previously elected to have a Caesarean then it sounds odd that she was not asked on this occasion, but instead driven through a legal and medical procedure in which she had no input. I
Apologies to people who've emailed or messaged and not had a response recently. I've been sleeping very badly for the last month or so, and it's been all I can do to manage basic things like feeding and clothing myself and keeping things ticking over at work. This is also why I've not blogged much [...]
I am not a Facebook user but I know how much Honey was part of the community so, if enough people email me asking for it, I will get some help to set one up!
The transcript of Boris Johnson's notorious speech about IQ reveals it wasn't quite as crass as it was portrayed. But it nearly was, and it also contains a tremendously important mistake about inequality. I personally find the whole idea of Boris infuriating. This is because, since I had second preference vote in 2008I bestowed it on him rather than Ken Livingstone because of one issue alone: the blight of skyscrapers in London, Ken used to call in architects and ask if they couldn't make their plans any taller. It was part of his disastrous scheme to increase the population of ...
Roland Jackson: We've had 20 things politicians need to know about science and 20 things scientists need to know about policy. Where's the rest of society fit into this? Roland Jackson
Anyone who watched Prime Minister's Question Time or listens to Call Clegg regularly will know that Nick Clegg is often in relaxed, confident mood these days. He answers questions with ease and authenticity. Writing in today's Times, Alice Thomson writes about the "increasingly confident and powerful Mr Clegg" in a way that makes you think she doesn't really like it. But the bizarre paradox is that the more scandals they have overcome and the worse the Lib Dems do in the polls, the more confident their high command has become. She doesn't really take into account that national polls don't ...
I've often wondered about some of the Freedom of Information requests I've come across. Some people really are time-wasters, AND public expense wasters. But I love the response given in this request...
Here's an email I recently sent out to local residents on keeping warm this winter. You can sign up to receive similar updates here. News reports and weather forecasts predict a very cold month ahead for us. So now more than ever, a warm and well-insulated home is vital – particularly for the elderly and vulnerable people. There are a number of Government grants and discount schemes to help people with the cost of their winter bills, and organisations that give out free advice. Here's a summary: The Winter Fuel Payment: anyone born on or before the 5th January 1952 ...
East Midlands Euro candidate Issan Ghazni has spoke about the environment when he met activists from Amber Valley. Speaking to members after the local AGM, he said that the environment is no respecter of borders which is why Europe plays ... Continue reading →
As we're untangling the tinsel and dusting off our baubles in LDV Towers, we're inviting our team and some of our friends to suggest some ideas for Christmas presents which we hope will inspire you. Today it's the turn of Yorkshire's Jennie Rigg who has two suggestions. First up, it's Lego Lord of the Rings Lego LotR has got to be a winner, right? We have Shelob dangling from the curtain rail in our living room and we're all Lib Dems, and Lib Dems like building things, whether that's winning election teams or miniature battle sets (and seriously, the number ...
Wed 4th
15:17
Gordon Birtwistle MP writes... Careers advice should reflect the value of apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are just a valuable as degrees – careers advice is vital to ensure this message is heard. As Government Apprenticeship Ambassador to Business, my job is to advocate and promote apprenticeships to businesses, young people and schools across the country; working closely with the National Apprenticeship Service and BIS. Over the next two years (and in the upcoming months) I will be visiting more schools, training providers, businesses including small and medium enterprises and apprentices to hear from a range of people and to establish how the Government can improve on apprenticeships. So far we have been up and ...
I heard the announcement by Nick Clegg regarding shared parental leave and I am pleased that the party is moving the arrangements into the 21st century and away from the 1950's. I do though still have an internal sigh when I hear the debate only being framed as a "mummy and daddy" debate, when it is reported in the media. Hearing this language personally annoys me, as it reinforces the view that a family is only correct if it is for one mother and one father. This is patent nonsense in the 21st century and causes subconscious bias towards parenting ...
Wed 4th
14:00
'bad things the Lib Dems have stopped the Tories doing in government' (I am desperate for a catchier...
We can all remember the election that never was. Gordon Brown had taken over from Tony, a poll boost followed and the 'will he won't he' chatter was in all full flow. Then Osborne stood in front of the blue rinse masses assembled at the party conference and said inheritance tax was within his sights and a Tory government would be getting rid of it. The Tories got a poll boost from it, Gordon
Today's announcement by Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander that he has signed an agreement with Hitachi and Horizon to support the financing of the development of Wylfa's new nuclear power station is excellent news for north Wales. This good news follows the commitment to build the super prison and to roll out superfast broad to help businesses in north Wales. The coalition government is committed to bringing investment to the United Kingdom and I am delighted that Wylfa Newydd is clearly a big part of their plans. Thousands of jobs on the island are reliant on ...
It may seem to Lib Dem Voice readers that important energy announcements are a bit like buses. You wait some time for one and then several come along together. So hard on the heels of Monday's energy bills package today Danny Alexander announced the final strike prices for renewable technologies and also which companies had qualified for the final stage of being awarded early investment contracts. This is good news for investment in the UK's infrastructure and good news for our move to a low carbon economy. On the back of these announcements we expect an additional £40 billion of ...
The festive lighting agreed at the Beddington & Wallington Local Committee out of public realm funding is due to be put in place this week. It will be the first time Stafford Road has had festive lights along its length, and we hope it will bring some festive cheer to local residents, shoppers and businesses [...]
Wed 4th
12:24
'What Works'? Here's what I wrote for the Guardian Public live-chat about putting evidence to use in...
I've written a fair amount about evidence-based policy over the past couple of years – check-out my posts here – partly linked to my day-job fund-raising for the Education Endowment Foundation, a charity which aims to increase the attainment of children from low-income backgrounds and which was designated by the Government the 'What Works' Centre for Schooling in March this year. Alongside colleagues from the other 'What Works' centres, I took part in a Guardian live-chat last Friday. You can read the whole thing here, and Storify-ed below are links to my specific contributions on behalf of the EEF... [View ...
The consultation on the initial proposals saw a large number of residents opposed to the one-way element of the scheme, as this would push rat-running onto nearby roads. At the local committee discussion where the results of the consultation were presented there was a desire expressed to investigate a mini-roundabout option. Traffic & Highways officers [...]
I don't like spam. I'm very careful always to tick the "do not pass my details on to 3rd parties" box on forms. So, when I do get SMS spam, I like to know who has been flouting the rules. See my previous investigation. A few weeks ago, I received this rather annoying message: [IMG: Coral SMS Spam Screenshot] I'm not a gambler - and I've never had a business relationship with Coral. So why are they sending me this tripe? I took to Twitter to find out. @edent Hi Terence. We're sorry to hear this wasn't of interest. Opt-out ...
Wed 4th
11:58The Independent View: Help, don't judge - better uses for the £700 million marriage tax break ...
[IMG: Don't judge advent calendar] Another Westminster set piece, another piece of the jigsaw for David Cameron's marriage tax allowance. This Thursday the Chancellor gives his Autumn Statement. With the economic upturn shaky at best we can expect little in the way of good news and plenty more squeezing of budgets. Except, that is, for the little matter of the £700m the Conservatives are gearing up to spend on giving tax breaks for married couples. The Chancellor is expected to give more detail on this policy, which even its supporters believe is only of symbolic value. With austerity set to ...
Sarah Matthews, a mother living in England, has petitioned parliament to raise concerns about the way in which courts decide that people have no right to make their own decisions. This is how it was decided that the Italian Mother was not allowed to decide not to have a caesarean section. The petition is in Hansard here Sarah Matthews has been gagged by Mr Justice Mostyn to stop her talking to
...and still living in Surbiton. And the irony is she's now called Goode! Most 'middle class' petition ever. With thanks to the Kingston Guardian.
[IMG: Giles Goodall at ALDE] Last weekend, over a thousand European liberals met in London for the annual ALDE congress, hosted by the Lib Dems and opened by Nick Clegg. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe - the European family of liberal parties - became the first to adopt their joint manifesto for next May's elections to the European Parliament. But a second historic event took place at the congress: the launch of a new European liberal campaign for LGBT rights: Liberals for Equality. LGBT rights are human rights, and for me as a Lib Dem, they're a ...
[IMG: con home cartoon] Here's my latest The Other Side column for ConservativeHome, published here yesterday. My thanks as ever to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke ... constructively, I hope. You'll just have to take my word for it the next sentence is meant sincerely: I feel sorry for the Tory modernisers. Genuinely. The authentic modernisers, that is, the ones who wanted their party to appeal to a broad range of voters (not the 'modernisers' who simply wanted the party to hide its old, harsh face behind a new, ...
Wed 4th
09:30
St George's Healthcare NHS Trust v S; R v Collins and others, ex parte S [1998] 3 All ER 673, [1998]...
The above was a case which looked at the issue of forced caesarians. This is an article that looks at the above case. In terms of the Italian case we cannot know on the information currently available the reasoning of the judge. It seems very clear, however, that there was an Article 6 contravention because the mother concerned was not made aware of the suggestion that she might have a
[IMG: frame] Yesterday I spent the morning at a meeting of housing policy types. Around the table were policy-makers, practitioners, voluntary sector representatives, and a sprinkling of academics. Everyone there was, as far as I could tell, signed up to the idea that good quality, secure and affordable housing is not only desirable in its own right but also has positive impacts on a whole range of other policy areas - health and social care, education, economic performance, combating poverty and social exclusion. The discussion ranged widely. Part of the morning was spent considering how to get the message out. ...
I have long considered that one of the most amusing lines in British films were those uttered by Kenneth Williams in 'Carry On Caesar'. Running down a corridor in the eponymous role with his toga billowing behind him he says, ... Continue reading →
posted The Blood is The Life 03-12-2013 http://t.co/7iiud3u8gI on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) When is it appropriate to gender things? short answer: very very rarely indeed. (tags: ) The 10 Worst Product Names in PC History (Spedo Advanced Package LMAO) (tags: ) British wage-earners have taken £5,000 pay cut in five years (tags: ) How do ordinary voters see the UK's political parties? V long & exclusively lab/tory but well worth a read. "Our question, 'What is Labour's vision for Britain?', met a full 10 seconds of silence, as 12 voters looked around the room to see ...
A letter originating from the Leader's Office on Liberal Principles has provoked some much needed discussion on this subject. For example, this opinion piece from Paul Connolly received a warm welcome. But it seems odd to discuss Liberalism without ever mentioning directly power. There been a few mentions of that awful concept of 'empowerment' which is so deeply 'illiberal' and yet seen as a badge to be worn by post 1997 'liberals'. To 'empower' is to allocate power. It is in the first instance the acceptance of the taking of power from people and to 'reallocate it'. It is a ...
Wed 4th
08:25
Hooray: a great example of unnecessarily complicated government paperwork is to be sorted
I've written before about the massive volume of paperwork generated by the Office of the Public Guardian: I've no doubt that it was well intentioned people who supported the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its provisions (in England and Wales) for people to be able to lay down instructions on what should happen if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves. Having a clear legal framework in which people can specify who can make decisions about their health, welfare and financial affairs is a good idea. It needs to balance letting people decide what they want to ...
The Economist reports that: In much of Europe, pupils from many ethnic minorities linger at the bottom of the heap, says Chris Hamnett of King's College London. That used to be true in Britain too—but not any more. Every ethnic-minority group that trails white Britons in GCSE exams, normally taken at 16, is catching up [...]
Manchester City Council will consider today whether the lowest paid workers should be paying income tax. I seconding a Manchester Liberal Democrats motion at full Council calling the for the Government to change the tax rules so that those on the minimum wage would pay no income tax. Increasing the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 was a key Lib Dem election pledge at the last general election. From next April the single person's tax allowance will rise to £10,000. Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Prime Minister recently said this should rise further to £10,500 by 2015. ...
Bethany Christian Trust has a great social enterprise project that is happening in Dundee this year. The project is called Caring Christmas Trees. Every Caring Christmas Tree that is bought in Dundee helps to fund vital services which support hundreds of homeless and vulnerable people across Scotland who use Bethany Christian Trust's services. How does it work? Buy a Tree - go to the website www.caringchristmastrees.com and pre-order your Caring Christmas Tree today and create a happier, brighter tomorrow for someone in need in our community. You can select the size, collection dates and location that suits you best. All ...
The South Wales Evening Post is very exercised by the proposal by Amazon to one day use unmanned drones called Octocopters out of their Jersey Marine fulfilment centre to deliver goods to customers within 30 minutes of them being ordered. I had to check the date, but no, it is not April 1st. The company's Chief Executive Jeff Bezos claims the Octocopters could deliver packages weighing up to 2.3kg, but that it could be five years before we start seeing them hovering above Swansea or Neath rooftops for example: "I know this looks like science fiction, but it's not," Mr ...
