Tue 24th
21:23

Happy Christmas

I still have nearly three hours to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2014, but not too prosperous as we don't want any more of that boom and bust stuff. Just like David Cameron's photos in the 2010 poster campaign, this photo has not been manipulated (but it was taken in December 2009). Happy Christmas

Posted by Michael Gradwell on Politics for Novices

Following this afternoon's wonderful news about the safe arrival of Andrew Lennox Marshall Hames, the Belfast Telegraph reports that his dad, Duncan Hames, has decided to step down from his position as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Nick Clegg so that he has "more time to spend with our new baby": Mr Hames said: "When I told Nick that I would be wanting more time to spend with our new baby, I knew he would understand. "Now that our son, Andrew, is with us, I am stepping down as the Deputy Prime Minister's PPS. "I truly appreciated the opportunity to see ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

 

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

I unequivocally welcome the great news that Alan Turing has been pardoned. What I don't understand is the logic of this move, when set beside the absence of pardons for anyone convicted of homosexuality in the last century. The thought process from Chris Grayling, the Justice minister who initiated the pardon, appears to be: If you were convicted of homosexuality and you were a great code breaker, that's OK. If you were convicted of homosexuality but were not a great code breaker, that's not OK. What nonsense. Come on, Mr Grayling. You now need to finish the job and pardon ...

Posted by Paul on Liberal Burblings

[IMG: 8182240298_f9770a9cbe] A substantial essay by James Meek on the housing crisis, entitled Where will we live?, has appeared online today at the London Review of Books. It will appear in the print edition in the New Year. The essay roams widely across the terrain of housing policy. It focuses on past and current policy failures and contradictions, but en route touches on the problematic nature of the housebuilding industry, modernist architecture, underinvestment in social housing, and the land market. It is well worth reading in its entirety. Meek does an excellent job of laying out why we find ourselves ...

Posted by admin on Alex's Archives

From mybrecon.co.uk [IMG: nick clegg kirsty williams - 1] FOR me part of the Christmas period is about reflecting on the year that has been and looking forward to the year coming up. 2013 has been an interesting year here in Wales. There have been ups, with strong signs of the UK's economy improving and unemployment falling in the constituency. There have also been downs, with Wales falling further behind England and Scotland in both education and health standards. Next year is set to be even busier for me. I recently won a ballot to bring forward a piece of ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

Just a very quick message to say Merry Christmas to all my readers, and thank you for all the support this year! This year has been an amazingly exciting one for digitalpolitico.net – breaking stories, developing the Despatch Box newsletter, and growing traffic to the site. I've even started a shop! This year to date, [...]

Posted by Charlotte Henry on Digital Politico

Merry Christmas. What's on your tree this year? Baubles? Tinsel? Some of that fake snow that looks a bit like candy floss and gets everywhere by New Year? Almost certainly some fairy lights. However you decorate your Christmas tree, you would probably think it looked a bit bare if it only had the star on the top. You'd be right. Which is why, however big an achievement it is for those who have campaigned for it, I can only raise one-and-a-half cheers today at the news Alan Turing has at long last received a posthumous pardon for the conviction he ...

Posted by Benjamin Mathis on Liberal Democrat Voice

When Jo Swinson and Duncan Hames got engaged, they announced it by a co-ordinated tweets. They carried on that tradition to announce the birth of their son Andrew. He was born on Sunday, but they've just announced his arrival in the last few minutes. Duncan & I delighted to welcome our son Andrew Lennox Marshall Hames to the world on Sun 22 Dec, weight 7lb 10oz, all tired but v.happy! #fb — Jo Swinson (@joswinson) December 24, 2013 Very grateful to the wonderful team of midwives who helped deliver our son - really proud of Jo & am enjoying getting ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

It looks like Tory Police Commissioner Tony Hogg is at it again - wasting taxpayers' money on his own office. But this time he is trying to keep his spending a secret. A month ago the chief executive of the Commissioner's office, Sue Howl, left - officially to 'seek new challenges'. I felt that this reason did not stand up to scrutiny, so I asked for any further details as well as details of any compensation that Ms Howl received for loss of office. In other words, had she received a pay off. If she had, it would indicate that ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy
YouGov

Here's my list: agree, disagree? Feel free to join the debate below-the-line... On train trying to think of 7 biggest political moments this year: 1) the Syria debate: Commons voting for non-interventionist foreign pol. — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) December 22, 2013 * Stephen Tall is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, and editor of the 2013 publication, The Coalition and Beyond: Liberal Reforms for the Decade Ahead. He is also a Research Associate for the liberal think-tank CentreForum and writes at his own site, The Collected Stephen Tall.

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice

Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Liberal Heroes of the Week #55: The 12 members of the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill. My Liberal Villain is Chris Grayling | CentreForum Blog And there's no doubt who's my @CentreForum #LiberalVillain this month: the mean-spirited Chris Grayling http://bit.ly/1fDFvj7 Liberal Heroes of the Week #55: The 12 members of the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill. My Liberal Villain is Chris Grayling | CentreForum Blog My @CentreForum #LiberalHeroes this week are the 12 members of the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill cmttee http://bit.ly/1ckMX2Q feedly.com Nick Cohen on the "writer working for free" ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Stephen Tall

New rules brought in by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling mean that prisoners will not be allowed to receive any parcels this Christmas. City AM reporter Mike Bird highlighted yesterday a press release by the Prison Reform Trust, that details how spiteful new rules brought in by Chris Grayling last month mean that prisoner's families cannot [...]

Posted by Charlotte Henry on Digital Politico

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 750 party members responded – thank you – and we're publishing the full results. Party members reject 'Help to Buy' by 61% to 27% Do you support or oppose providing a government guarantee to encourage banks to offer 95% mortgages to homebuyers, available for homes costing up to £600,000? 5% – Strongly Support 22% – Support Total support = 27% 9% – Neither support nor oppose 34% – Oppose 27% – ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice

It is a truth almost universally acknowledged that Monopoly sucks. So – why do people still play it? This post takes a trip into the psychology of gaming to think about why Monopoly remains a runaway success... [IMG: Monopoly being smug, from accordingtodevin.com] Monopoly being smug, from accordingtodevin.com This week, hundreds of thousands of families worldwide will make a horrible mistake. They will take the currents of jealousy, resentment and regression that lie underneath the merry surface of the family Christmas, and into this explosive mixture will throw the hand-grenade that is Monopoly, one of the most spiteful games of ...

Posted by Chris Keating on The Brass Castle

Not just a talking head this year. We see pictures of Nick visiting a school and Great Ormond Street Hospital, pulling crackers and chatting with children. Someone needs to tell him not to stick his hands in his pockets after he's done the antibacterial wash, though. Oh, we just did. Enjoy.

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

From today's Guardian: A previously unpublished independent report has found evidence that veteran Portsmouth MP Mike Hancock sexually assaulted and harassed a constituent and made "unwelcome sexual approaches", the Guardian can reveal. Nigel Pascoe QC, a leading barrister in sexual crime cases, interviewed Hancock's accuser at length at the request of Portsmouth city council and concluded in August that there was evidence of sexual advances made by Hancock and that the MP was fully aware of his alleged victim's mental health problems. Pascoe also examined dozens of texts sent by Hancock to his accuser over a nine-month period from October ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

In today's globalised world, twin city links with China can be profitable bridges between knowledge economies if approached in a creative way by local Councils, business clusters, educational institutions and research establishments working together. But there are many pitfalls and long-term, multi-layered commitments, leveraging existing core strengths, are required to make them work. This report by the Chinese Liberal Democrats is a useful handbook on how 21st century twin city-led partnerships can bring valuable results in trade, investment, science and education. Richard Pascoe- Executive Director, Great Britain China Centre I welcome this interesting report. Twinning links with China, with political ...

Posted by Merlene Emerson on Liberal Democrat Voice

Least week I received an Email from Danny Alexander, Liberal Democrat number two in the Treasury. "Dear Peter," he begins, though I have never met him personally, and goes on to congratulate himself on the "good news" that unemployment has fallen "because we've stuck to our sound economic plan" in spite of the difficulties of "clearing up Labour's mess." So far he hasn't responded to my reply that he should be ashamed of himself, because his message contains two misrepresentations, or lies, if you want to be blunt. First, the economic "mess" was and is not Labour's. As has been ...

Posted by Peter Wrigley on Keynesian Liberal

Good to see that Alan Turing has been pardoned by the Queen. Better late than never, of course. But it also serves as a recognition of Alan's work, as well as a reminder that the homophobia that destroyed his life was inherently evil. That is not a word I use lightly. But it must be said that homophobia on the level directed towards Turing, and currently being witnessed in Uganda, can be described in no other way. There are no words sufficiently adequate to define the appalling crime against humanity that rampant homophobia represents. I have been sent this morning ...

Posted by Andrew on A Scottish Liberal
eUKhost

As we mark the loss of close friends and distant heroes it's important to take a moment to think and reflect on the year. Christmas is also a time to make a special effort to reach out to others. Whether it be the distant friend, the estranged family member or the quiet neighbour, Christmas is a good excuse to make new. It's also a time to reflect on the year past with its successes and its challenges. It's no different for me. The progress with the Liberal Democrats in the last year has been significant. We're delivering our £700 tax ...

Posted by Willie Rennie on Liberal Democrat Voice

The Spectator blog had a feature last week outlining ten good news stories from this year. I have termed this nine and a half because I am not sure that all-time high sales of the Spectator counts. They cite the fact that recorded crime has fallen to the lowest level in 25 years, that people think public services are getting better, in spite of substantial cuts in local authority spending. The doomsayers were wrong, they say, thanks to resourceful British public servants, more is being done with less. And, despite the trebling of tuition fees acceptances of university places are ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

Alice Bell: We should celebrate Alan Turing. A posthumous royal pardon is not the way to do that. Alice Bell

We've finally had confirmation that Alan Turing has been official pardoned of his convictions for having gay sex. The poor man was chemically castrated and as a result committed suicide. There can be no doubt that for his work on ... Continue reading →

Posted by AAEmmerson on DIY Liberalism

3 (4) posts in the golden dozen, & Eddie Sammon calls me "brave" in cmmnts http://t.co/J8BJmVRRdR Hope that's not Yes Minister brave... -_-" (tags: (from twitter) ) posted The Blood is The Life 23-12-2013 http://t.co/RuGK21U5si on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) 75,000 cap on EU migrants will not happen, says Vince Cable Clegg & Cable exactly right on immigration & stupidity of Tory/UKIP scare-mongering: http://t.co/UQhBWnqzaf Thank goodness for the @LibDems. (tags: (from twitter) ) http://www.theguardian.com/p/3ydmb/tw Christmas in the clink? But I'm no cocaine fiend | Victorian Coren Mitchell http://t.co/ITjpcdzh1A via @guardian (tags: (from twitter) ) http://open.spotify.com/track/7BLp2SLt6YNAphf6X6iQ6E *totally ...

Tue 24th
08:54

My grumpy Christmas

[IMG: Clegg family Xmas card 2013] I really do not like the practice adopted by most party leaders of sending out Christmas cards adorned with portraits of themselves and their families. Having caught a glimpse of the card sent by Charles and Camilla this year, it seems this is not limited to politicians, but it is certainly not widespread amongst the rest of us. Most of us send cards that illustrate the significance of the season, drawing on religious or mid-winter symbolism. So why do politicians usurp the underlying message of peace and hope with their blatant acts of self-promotion? ...

Posted by Mary Reid on Liberal Democrat Voice

New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office: You can also watch this on YouTube.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Seriously: For a 1994 paper in the journal Child Psychiatry and Human Development, Carl Anderson and Norman Prentice, psychologists at the University of Texas at Austin, recruited 52 families with elementary school-aged children and interviewed both parents and kids about the family's experience of Santa Claus. What they found was surprising: "Children reported predominantly positive [...]

Posted by Mark Mills on Matter Of Facts

Further to my previous updates regarding the Tayside Pension Investment Fund's holdings in companies such as Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco, in terms of concerns about ethical behaviour, I have now been advised by the council's Director of Corporate Services: "I would confirm that we have now written out to fund managers to obtain the necessary details to enable us to determine the financial impact of not investing in tobacco funds. Thereafter we will be in a position to also consult with employers on this proposal. I would hope that we will be in a position to report back ...

Further to my recent article about road safety outside the Harris Academy site in Perth Road, I spoke about the issue on Wave 102 News yesterday. You can listen to this by clicking 'play' below:

The Dundee Channel has uploaded an excellent short video from Perth Road businesses wishing all a Merry Christmas - you can see it on Facebook here or on the Dundee Channel blog here.

 

Another year has almost passed and for those of us the wrong side of 50 the system of care for our elderly is one that is getting closer to home than we would like! If we are ill, the NHS takes care of us. It might not be the quickest service in the world, but it does mean that we do not receive large hospital bills. The same arrangement does not exist if we need long term care. There is very little help from the state and families are often forced to sell their own homes. In England the Coalition ...

Posted by Aled Roberts on Freedom Central

'We have been led up the garden path' was the LibDem reaction to news that no changes are to be made to the unpopular Part Night Lighting regime of plunging most of the county into darkness around midnight, following a so-called review. 'A promise of a review was widely used by Conservatives in May's county council elections, but it has turned out to be a whitewash as all suggested changes were rejected by highways portfolio holder Cllr Terry Douris,' said Liberal Democrat group leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst. 'We suggested a way of getting some lights back on without it costing the ...

Posted by chriswhite on Chris White

WILLIE RENNIE'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE As we mark the loss of close friends and distant heroes it's important to take a moment to think and reflect on the year. Christmas is also a time to make a special effort to reach out to others. Whether it be the distant friend, the estranged family member or the quiet neighbour, Christmas is a good excuse to make new. It's also a time to reflect on the year past with its successes and its challenges. It's no different for me. The progress with the Liberal Democrats in the last year has been significant. We're ...