I sent out our latest email newsletter last night to over 1000 households in the area. It covers the Whickham Remembrance Day parade, Whickham's Christmas lights switch on, the Mayor coming to Marley Hill, my BBC self-sufficiency programme, Swalwell residents' group, the forthcoming Whickham Christmas market and much more. You can view it on this link.
"The ANC is a typical terrorist organisation ... Anyone who thinks it is going to run the government in South Africa is living in cloud-cuckoo land" - Margaret Thatcher, 1987 "How much longer will the Prime Minister allow herself to be kicked in the face by this black terrorist?' - Terry Dicks, Conservative MP, mid-1980s "Nelson Mandela should be shot" - Teddy Taylor Conservative MP,
I once wrote in my House Points column for the much-missed Liberal Democrat News: The steep main street of Bishop's Castle in Shropshire runs from the site of the long-vanished castle down to a church with a Norman tower. At the top of that street is a collection of fine Georgian houses. When you discover how they were paid for, you realise there is nothing new about political corruption. Before the Great Reform Act of 1832 Bishop's Castle was a notorious rotten borough. Despite having fewer than a hundred electors for much of its history, the town returned two MPs. ...
Residents Association seat. Death.
Labour seat. Resignation. Prospective Candidate: Kevin White
Labour seat. Death. Prospective Candidate: James Spiers
Lab seat. Death. Prospective Candidate: Claude Nsumbu
Labour seat. Disqualification.
Lib Dem seat. Resignation. Prospective candidate: tbc Contact: Michael Taylor or Hywel Morgan
Lab seat. Resignation. Prospective Candidate: Jamie Matthews
Lab seat. Resignation. Prospective Candidate: Sian Donne
Con seat. Resignation. Prospective Candidate: Jeni Goldfinch Contact for Helpers: Cllr. Stephen Robinson, Chair, East of England Liberal Democrats, 0772 632 7250 stephen@stephenrobinson.org.uk
Nelson Mandela has died. Let us remember him through his words from the dock at the opening of his trial in 1964 - you can read the whole statement on the African National Congress site: In my youth in the Transkei I listened to the elders of my tribe telling stories of the old days. Amongst the tales they related to me were those of wars fought by our ancestors in defence of the fatherland. The names of Dingane and Bambata, Hintsa and Makana, Squngthi and Dalasile, Moshoeshoe and Sekhukhuni, were praised as the glory of the entire African nation. ...
***Breaking*** Former South African President Nelson Mandela has passed on this evening. The former South African President was born in the last year of the First World War and almost survived to the centenary year of it's beginning. Many will no doubt write full biographical remembrances of his life but I'm going to go through the points that his life bisected with my consciousness. One of the first international politicians to grab my attention was Nelson Mandela. of course at the time he was still in prison. His image and presence touched my life in many ways along the way. ...
Earlier this evening, The Queen's University Literific Society was debating the motion, This House Believes we will see the end of AIDS I was invited to speak in the debate, which is how they are marking World AIDS Day. It is some time since I have spoken in a formal debate, so I hope that...
Let's face it... I've never been very nice about civil partnerships. Even now I feel the bubbling of rage just beneath my skin at the mere thought of them. They were introduced by Labour because of the obvious need for some sort of partnership rights for same-sex couples. That can, really, only be seen as a good thing. But the fact is that, at the time of their introduction, the debate internationally had already moved on to marriage equality. Civil partnerships were, in hindsight, doomed to be considered obsolete within a few years of their introduction. And that is what ...
Following on from today's Autumn Statement the party and HM Treasury has made available a number of useful summaries and statistics about the Autumn Statement that will help with local campaigning. There is also a set of suggested tweets that you can use to promote today's positive news. There is also an LGA Briefing and [...]
Today's autumn statement might have been delivered by a Tory Chancellor, but most of the ideas had the roots with the Liberal Democrats*. So we see: free school meals for key stage one pupils; 20,000 more apprenticeships over the next two years; no rise in petrol duty (again). That means a 2p per litre rate rise has been scrapped and petrol prices are now 20p per litre lower than they would have been under Labour; more support for firms to employ younger workers as they will no longer have to pay employers National Insurance contributions for under-21s. That will affect ...
New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office: You can also watch this on YouTube.
An extremely poor set of by-election results for the Lib Dems last week, with the party being significantly outpolled by UKIP everywhere it stood with the exception of Lambeth's Vassal ward. There the party managed second place - but faced a massive 16.5% swing to Labour - enough to lose it every seat on the council next May. Eight by-elections this week and for the first time in a few weeks we're back to UKIP standing in more contests than the Lib Dems. UKIP have a full slate - two more than the Lib Dems - which is all the ...
Last week former Sun editor David Yelland delivered the first "Leveson Anniversary Lecture", exactly one year after the Leveson report was released. In attendance were much of the Hacked Off team, in specially reserved seats. This included former Lib Dem MP Dr. Evan Harris, who works as a consultant to the campaign. Noticing him, I took [...]
I don't pretend to be an economist so don't expect any commentary on debts or deficits from me. I want to take a very quick look at some of the practical aspects of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.I'm not taking any marriage tax breakIf Liberal Democrats hadn't allowed the Tories their awful marriage tax break, we'd have been breaking the Coalition Agreement in the same way as the Tories did over Lords Reform. I would have preferred we hadn't agreed to it in the first place. We won't be voting for it, at least but that's no small comfort to seeing ...
[IMG: Mark Pack's snazzy clipboard] Do you have a great big long list of people to buy Christmas presents for and no idea what to give them? I hope that you will find our ongoing series of present suggestions helpful. Today, our former co-editor Mark Pack puts forward something that will surprise nobody. He's always keen to make sure that Liberal Democrats are the best equipped political geeks around. Last year he was keen to ensure that we didn't let a little bit of snow and ice get in the way of leaflet delivery. This year, he's advocating an all-singing ...
I don't pretend to be an economist so don't expect any commentary on debts or deficits from me. I want to take a very quick look at some of the practical aspects of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. I'm not taking any marriage tax break If Liberal Democrats hadn't allowed the Tories their awful marriage tax break, we'd have been breaking the Coalition Agreement in the same way as the Tories did over Lords Reform. I would have preferred we hadn't agreed to it in the first place. We won't be voting for it, at least but that's no small comfort ...
[IMG: Southeastern train (Chris McKenna)] An email arrives from Southeastern following the Autumn Statement: "As you may be aware, the Chancellor announced today that Government will cap the increase in regulated fares (season tickets and peak returns and singles) to the Retail Price Index (RPI). "The July RPI is used for setting next year's fares, so therefore the average fare increase across the Southeastern network from January 2014 will be 3.1% "Southeastern welcomes the Government's change in fares formula which is obviously good news for passengers. "The fares team here at Southeastern will need to get to work to reset ...
The preparations for the switch on of the Christmas tree lights at Marley Hill Community Centre took a step forward yesterday when Councillors John McClurey, Marilynn Ord and I decorated the tree with the lights and tested them. Despite the blustery cold wind, we got the job done. The Mayor arrives on Sunday 8th December at 3pm. Live music with Whickham Wind starts at 3.30pm and the
I was intending to write more on this and issues relating to VBAC. Instead I will refer to two posts written on Birthrights and Mental Health and Capacity Law which explain the situation well. I will also refer to the following comments by AIMS. The decision to have a Vaginal Birth after Caesarean (VBAC) had been a huge issue in our postbag and maternity care for a long time, and is very
"A lot done, a lot left to do." It's the slogan that adorns many re-election campaigns and it's the one George Osborne adopted in his autumn statement today. He was cautiously jubilant. Growth has returned with the OBR seemingly struggling to get its forecasts to keep up. Borrowing will fall – slower than the Chancellor forecast, true, but a cash surplus is expected within five years. This gave the Coalition the wriggle room it needed for an assortment of giveaways... Free school meals for 5-7 year-olds, the personal income tax allowance to rise to £10k then be pegged to inflation, ...
Thu 5th
13:42
'bad things the Lib Dems have stopped the Tories doing in government' (I am desperate for a catchier...
The second daily 'bad things the Lib Dems have stopped the Tories doing in government' You are still protected by the Human rights Act. I know, I know, it gets bad press from time to time as the odd clever lawyer uses it to prevent things we'd quite like to see happen (well the right wing media would) It is rather like innocent until proven guilty. We know some bad people walk away from things
[IMG: Car Tax Disc] As widely leaked overnight (what is the point in big statements if all of the headlines come out in advance?) the Chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement 2013 that car tax discs will be abolished from October 2014. Good. In the 21st century, sticking a bit of paper in your window to prove you have tax is clearly well past it's sell-by date. Even better, the option to pay monthly by direct debit is going to be available - meaning you only pay for your road tax as you go along, rather than in annual or ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... The Autumn Statement and the unreal economic debate in which everyone pretends the Coalition stuck to 'Plan A' Me @libdemvoice on the unreality of the economic debate http://bit.ly/1cZTCxE (feats @jdportes, @TimMontgomerie, @OborneTweets) London's mayor is half right on envy, greed and inequality – FT.com Typically thoughtful from John Kay > London's mayor is half right on envy, greed and inequality http://on.ft.com/1cZCRCR Booker, Hemming and the "forced caesarian" case: a masterclass in Flat Earth news | Head of Legal Essential reading » Booker, Hemming and the "forced caesarian" case: a masterclass in Flat ...
A clever way of making a story into something social media friendly, and so able to reach a wider audience, direct and without journalists getting to add their spin on the story before it reaches the audience. [#Vine] #AS2013 announces free school meals for all infant school pupils in reception, year 1 and 2 http://t.co/nVQ0vKDEKC — HM Treasury (@hmtreasury) December 5, 2013
Thu 5th
12:58
Danny Alexander on Autumn Statement: Our stronger economy will help us deliver a fairer society
Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has emailed Liberal Democrat members to highlight what we have brought to the Autumn statement which, he says, is "packed full of Liberal Democrat ideas." Here it is in full. Our greatest achievement in Government has been bringing our economy back from the brink of Labour's disaster. On Wednesday, I set out how we are literally re-building the fabric and infrastructure of Britain. Today, we have delivered an Autumn Statement that clearly shows we are making real progress in rebuilding our economy after the 'car crash' Labour years. Growth is improving. There are ...
Having just watched the Autumn Statement, the activity behind Labour's Ed Balls caught my attention. Actually, it should better be described as lack of activity. Whilst Balls ranted and shouted in response to the Chancellor, the faces of his leader Ed Miniband, the deputy leader Lady Harriet and other Labour MPs in shot were glum and largely motionless. Whilst we have been spared the ear-busting
Richard Peppiat is a former journalist, who made his name attacking and criticising his former employers and colleagues. Now one of those former colleagues, Dennis Rice, has decided to put another side to that story. [View the story "Richard Peppiatt - the Truth" on Storify] Peppiat now works as a stand up comedian. Looks like [...]
The evidence given by former First Minister, Rhodri Morgan to a House of Lords committee investigating coalition governments is worth reading if only to gauge the mood within the Labour Party immediately after the 2010 General Election and the problems they had in taking negotiations with the Liberal Democrats seriously. Rhodri Morgan told the committee that it was "odd" that Labour did not use his experience when the party was trying to form a coalition to stay in power after the 2010 election. He said that the team working to prevent a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition Government in the days after ...
I have written before on the problems of Asbestosis and Mesothelioma that has affected the people of Medway in particular Tracey Crouch's campaign and outspoken work on the subject. These conditions cause severe health issues and death and Medway is one of the highest registered areas in the South behind Portsmouth and possibly Southampton (from memory - I can't find my original chart!!!). Statistics stated here show that an estimated 100,000 will die from Mesothelioma nation wide and 1.4% of all ship yard workers will contract the condition. Unknown amounts will suffer from Asbestosis. The heavy industrial works at Chatham ...
Thu 5th
11:55
Mark Williams holds meeting of West Wales MPs with Government Minister to discuss Community Radio
Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP this week led a delegation of West Wales MPs to meet with Department for Culture Media and Sport Minister Ed Vaizey, to discuss issues relating to the future of community radio. MPs who attended with Mark included Jonathan Edwards, Member of Parliament for for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Nia Griffith, Member of Parliament for Llanelli, and Simon Hart, Member of Parliament for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. Commenting following the meeting, Mark Williams said; 'Concern has been expressed by community radio stations that the terms of their licenses may restrict their opportunities for raising funds ...
As we reported recently, Liberal Youth are currently holding by-elections for Membership and Communications Officer. This morning, emails containing links to the electronic ballot were despatched to voters. If the party knows you are under 26, in full time education and you have supplied an email address, you should have received an email from Opavote. If you have not, please contact the Returning Officer at lyelections@gmail.com. Details of candidates and their manifestos can be found here.
Excellent piece by Bill le Breton on why empowerment is an illiberal concept and no, we are not in the centre ground !
Thu 5th
10:15The Autumn Statement and the unreal economic debate in which everyone pretends the Coalition stuck t...
It's autumn statement day. George Osborne will stand at the despatch box of the House of Commons this afternoon and present his pre-budget report. The Guardian's Martin Kettle sums up what it's all about: For the Conservatives, today is about redefining themselves - in the face of a run of seriously disappointing polls - as the party that feels the voters' pain over energy prices, house price inflation, wind farms or payday loans - while still, boosted by yesterday's strong economic surveys and the possible return of the UK's AAA rating, managing a recovering economy more soundly than Labour. For ...
Local election agents are formally appointed by the candidate as part of the nomination process but don't wait till April to find your wingman or wingwomen. Who'll be the Sundance Kid to your Butch Cassidy, and cover your back? We have talked before about building the team, usually focussing on deliverers, canvassers and clerical help [...]
[IMG: Noah's Ark] The news that an American court is being asked to decide if chimpanzees have the equivalent of human rights seems to me to be an important milestone. The interview on the Today programme yesterday singled out elephants, whales and dolphins, as deserving similar treatment. They are self-aware, deeply intelligent and sentient. Of course they should be given 'personhood' under the law. In fact, by the end of the interview - which had clearly been arranged for tongue-in-cheek treatment by John Humphreys - I was completely convinced. I've no idea what the court will decide, but it does ...
The next National Day of Action is on Saturday 1st February and many local parties have started to prepare. Previous Action Days have helped local parties in a number of ways: Recruiting members and helpers Collecting petition signatures and email addresses Delivering extra literature Signing up supporters for Postal Votes Building team spirit Encouraging new [...]
posted The Blood is The Life 04-12-2013 http://t.co/HfbMfsAI2k on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) http://open.spotify.com/track/49IA4BhFCOWZQ7A7wxfa4e Appropriate song is appropriate http://t.co/hLaiCco58w (tags: (from twitter) ) Male and female brains: the REAL differences ""You never see elephants or sperm whales queuing for the latest version of the iPhone!" they might say, which probably doesn't prove the point they think it does." - ♡ (tags: ) I am depressed and I have decided to get help Respect to John Woodcock for this. (tags: ) The male pill? Here are some grim side-effects to expect "I've heard many men claim that they ...
It's a cute piece of research for two reasons. It sits comfortably with what so many of us think, even if we don't say it out loud. Yet it challenges every one of us. University of Pennsylvania researchers have shown that women's brains are wired from left to right - that's linking logic with intuition. In men, the neural connections go from front to back. That strengthens their spatial and motor skills. This research suggests that those age old stereotypes are true. Overall men are better at reading maps and being single-minded when tackling a problem. Women are in general ...
As I said last night on Twitter: A really splenetic row tonight between Gove and Clegg (or their people). A senior Clegg source says Gove's lot are 'going rogue.' — tom bradby (@tombradby) December 4, 2013
This might surprise you but despite all their extra resources, private schools don't deliver a better education than those in the state sector: OECD data shows that the average achievement in private schools in the UK is the same as that in state schools, once social class is taken into account, even though the average [...]
I'm sure that the Word Of The Year for 2014 will be Polinfographic - a hideous portmanteau I've just constructed of "Political" and "Infographic". Infographics are the content-lite, citation-free, colour-heavy spurts of marketing jizz which have replaced the sound-bite as the political parties' weapon of choice. Voters, apparently, can't remember such complex ideas as "Education education education" or "If you want a [racial slur] for a neighbour, vote Labour". So along comes the political infographic - specifically designed to be shared on social networks. It's like watching particularly inept mad-scientists trying to create a memetic virus to ravage the whole ...
Do you support a new East Dulwich secondary school? If you have children due to start secondary school Sept 2016 or 2017 please email me your support for a new exemplary secondary school stating your name, child's date of birth and your home post code to: james.barber@southwark.gov.uk Background: Locally East Dulwich councillors have been working to solve the Primary school reception places gap. By September 2016 the gap would have risen to 215-235 reception places. We've supported one free school that's opened by finding a site for it and provided the evidence and suggested sites for another two free schools. ...
The sheltered tenants at Tullideph have pointed out to me that the bus stops in Tullideph Road nearest the sheltered housing (near the Friary/Lochee Road - both sides) lack bus shelters. Given the number of elderly folk using these stops, I asked the council if shelters can be considered and I have now been advised: "We will add this to our list of outstanding shelter requests."
Later today, there is a political debate hosted by the Northern Ireland Government Affairs Group entitled Is the Westminster Coalition helping or hindering Northern Ireland's recovery? Prominent Lib Dem blogger, Nick Thornsby is set to take part, and I—as a Northern Ireland Lib Dem party officer will be there to welcome him to the Province....
