Part 1 and part 2 have already been posted, so let's go back to the summer. July I discovered the Children's Receiving Home in Leicester and travelled to Weedon to see the Royal Ordnance Depot. Back in the political world, I criticised Labour's opposition to private schools entering the state sector, pointed out that the Liberal Democrats are unlikely to be able to choose their future coalition partners and said that David Howell's ignorance of the North of England was all too typical of our rulers. Most important of all, there were floods in Market Harborough. August I welcomed the ...
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging party goers to be extra careful during the next fire strike on New Year's Eve (Tuesday, December 31). The Service has back up plans in place so 999 emergency fire calls will get a response during the national FBU strike, which runs from 6.30pm on New Year's Eve (Tuesday) until 12.30am on New Year's Day (Wednesday). Chief Fire Officer Graham Stagg said: "While we want people to have a good time, we also want them to welcome 2014 in safely. If you are going to enjoy a night out, look after yourself and ...
Today the City Council launches consultation on a plan that aims to improve opportunity for sports participation and to increase levels of physical activity. The City has a relatively physically active population - The 2013 Public Health profile for Cambridge shows that 68.5% of adults are physically active i.e. % achieving at least 150 minutes physical activity per week, placing the district in the top quartile nationally. The most recent Sport England Active People Survey identifies that 43% of the adult population play sport for at least 1 session each week. The 2011 census showed the numbers of Cambridge residents ...
"As the gap between Americans widens, the bonds that hold society together weaken. So, too, as more and more people lose faith in a system that seems inexorably stacked against them, and the 1 percent ascend to ever more distant heights, this vital element of our institutions and our way of life is eroding." Joseph Stiglitz, in the New York Times, looks at the importance of trust to society and economy and at how it is declining in modern-day America. George Campbell Gosling looks at the extraordinary career of the pioneering woman doctor Cicely Williams. Cllr Fraser Macpherson attends the ...
Throughout 2012 the media fed us the, with hindsight, lies of opponents of marriage equality who assured us it'd be all but impossible to get marriage equality on to the statute books. 2013 revealed just how wrong they were and saw their campaign against marriage equality collapse under the weight of its own inconsistencies. Cardinal O'Brien had been a staunch, and often offensive, opponent of same-sex marriage (and pretty much any LGBT friendly policy). His downfall would've have been delicious if such joy was not tempered by sympathy for all those he hurt. But having one of the most visible ...
I've had five suggestions since yesterday on what to write about in January (LJ | DW), so there's twenty six slots to fill. And it occurred to me – maybe people just don't know enough about what's going on with me right now. So here's a quick run down that you might get suggestions from. WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING SINCE COMING HOME Applying for jobs (boo) Volunteering (yay) at the Natural History Museum and a high school Playing Roller Derby with a local league Learning to drive and passing my driving test two weeks ago. Hanging out with the ...
This has been a relatively quiet year, hence my lack of blog entries, but has concluded with my election as Chair of the Swale Liberal Democrats for the important year of 2014 - important because of its lead-up to election year. At the next general election, for the very first time, we have a record of government to defend. There is much we can be proud of. The tax threshold to £10,000, the pupil premium, the green bank, a million extra jobs in the private sector, improved childcare provisions, a free meal for primary school children and, above all, our ...
I have been contacted by a number of people to ask why I have been put on the naughty step by Mumsnet. There are a number of online fora in which I debate issues relevant to public policy. One is mumsnet.com another one is netmums.com. On Mumsnet there is poster whose user id is "spero". She happens to be a family court barrister who tweets as SVPhillimore. She and I have had a few
[IMG: nhs sign lrg] I agree with Norman Tebbit. There, I've said it. The antique rottweiler was writing in the Telegraph in response to a number of intemperate comments made on another column about the service received from staff at the NHS. He said, among other things, "when things go wrong, as they have often done in the NHS, I believe it is right to blame the officers, especially the more senior ones, rather than the troops". I agree with him whole heartedly on that point, though not on some of the other things he says. On the same day, ...
Mon 30th
14:50
Deserving poor, undeserving poor and welfare reform - can you have one without considering the other...
Like many people, I often hear about welfare reform in terms of finding ways to cut spending in difficult times with a degree of nervousness. Experience tells me that, at one extreme, dozens, nay thousands, will suffer horribly, whereas at the other, the public are apparently horrified by the number of alleged skivers. But to even suggest that there might be deserving and undeserving poor is anathema to those who believe in greater state action in challenging poverty. And yet, without using such phrases, the debate seems to have swung towards making such distinctions. For example, EU migrants without work ...
I had planned to see out 2013 with a countdown of my favourite films of the year. However, I soon realised that wasn't really going to work. I've only seen a pretty small selection of films. This means both that my top ten wouldn't be a very selective list and a lot of films that [...]
A reorganisation of school services in Wales is "unlikely" before the end of the Assembly term, according to Education Minister Huw Lewis, with regional consortia currently recommended as the best way forward. Education in Wales however needs more than structural change to address the fact that a Labour-led Welsh Government since 1999 has failed young people [...]
The half-dozen most read posts written and published here during 2013 were: How to start a riot – The Worklight Theatre Company visit Derby Theatre with their production based on the research of Stott and Reicher into the psychology behind the 2011 riots. edX 6.00x - time for the final exam, but will MOOCs be bad for social mobility? – Some thoughts on the advent of MOOCs and their potential unexpected consequences on social mobility. edX 6.00x - final thoughts – a measured review of the first presentation of edX 6.00x (An Introduction to Computer Science and Programming). How have ...
On Saturday morning I got up just before dawn with a determined sense of purpose. With our dog Charlie, I took the car to Duckpool in North Cornwall, complete with hi-vis vests for me and the dog, plus torch. Then I walked up a steep hill to join the cliff footpath northwards to Higher Sharpnose point and back. Along the way, I took photos. Nothing untoward, you might say? Except, I was walking past one of the most secure and secretive installations in the country and took 34 photos of it. Not a single security guard took any interest in ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... BBC News – The year in books A good selection with reviews from the BBC's @DArcyTiP > The year in books http://bbc.in/19VUQeE Kate Maltby: Farage has upstaged Cameron over Syrian refugees | Conservative Home Astutely argued by @KateMaltby: "Farage has upstaged Cameron over Syrian refugees" http://bit.ly/19ynJtR
The Liberal Democrats have a very visible problem with diversity. If you look at our MPs, they don't reflect the population of this country – particularly when it comes to ethnicity. None of our major political parties do, but the Lib Dems don't have any BME faces on the front benches, and are noticeably under-represented [...]
[IMG: Rain] I ran right around Greenham Common this morning, which I think is over 10k. My running kit had to be surgically removed afterwards, as it was so wet. But my only injury was sore nipples. Oooh missus. I successfully road tested one of my Christmas presents, which was a pair of Bluetooth headphones. This track came up, as I ran on. It seemed to sum up the day beautifully. photo by: photon_de [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Mon 30th
12:35Lib Dem HQ tweets: "Dear Twitterbots, we are happy with our 2000 new party members. We do not need y...
Those scamps in the Lib Dem press office have clearly had a good Christmas, judging by their Twitter timeline this morning following up on the news that the party's membership has increased in 2013... The Liberal Democrats are the first governing party in recent history to have increased its membership while in power http://t.co/gijZXLUwiE — Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) December 30, 2013
More on the Cambrian Wildwood website.
Mon 30th
12:012,000 new Lib Dem members join in last 3 months of 2013: "first governing party in recent history to...
Today's Independent reports the story that Lib Dem membership is on the up – 2,000 new members joining in the last three months of the year mean the party has recorded a net increase of up to 800 members across 2013: Much of the success, party sources said, was down to a new incentive scheme for local Lib Dem associations to recruit new members. Under the policy, if they can prove that their membership has grown over a three-month period, they get back 20 per cent of their subscriptions in that time to spend on local campaigning. If it has ...
As many of you will know, I've been a fan of Michael Schumacher ever since he came on the Formula 1 scene in 1991. You can imagine how I'm feeling this morning as the news from Grenoble sounds ever grimmer. I know that it's par for the course for news to be progressively scarier in the days following a severe brain trauma. Things get a lot worse before they start to get better. I know from my own experience with a friend that when hope appears lost, recovery can come. My thoughts are with his wife Corinna and all his ...
I am on Wave 102 News today being interviewed on the subject of the Tayside Pension Fund and tobacco investments. You can listen to the interview by clicking 'play' below:
The announcement last month by House of Commons Speaker John Bercow of a commission on digital democracy has kicked the debate over e-voting back to life in the UK. For many years it has been a rather odd debate in the UK because, all too rarely, this is an area where (back when Labour was in power) large sums of money were spent on extensive pilot schemes before, based on the evidence gathered, the idea was dropped. It is how policymaking should work: have an idea, test it and then make a decision based on the evidence. Yet the evidence ...
Mon 30th
10:25
Political journalists regularly did what I wanted in return for getting a story given to them - Dami...
[IMG: Damian McBride - Power Trip] Many British journalists are so keen to have a good story to run, they are easily bought off and distracted by government spin doctors who can get them to ditch an unwanted story as long as the spin doctor has a better story to offer up as journalistic payment. That is the basic story of Damian McBride's book Power Trip: A decade of policy, plots and spin. Even allowing for the usual pattern of people talking up their own achievements in their memoirs, and even allowing for the fact that people on all sides ...
Personally the odd years seem to be going the best for me so far.... I am now engaged! Also managed to move house and go on holiday twice - to Barbados and Cyprus! Outside the personal tho: What did I enjoy this year? Website of the year - The Atlantic - always got something new to say. I do seem to enjoy reading US news websites more than UK ones - they almost seem more thoughtful, and less self-regarding than a lot of UK sites (e.g. BBC, Guardian etc - who I often feel do have an agenda and pick ...
Here are my faves for the second quarter of the year... Could the Lib Dems stay in the Coalition in the event the Tories dumped David Cameron? (June 25, 2013) Two thoughts on Clegg's Manchester speech (1 of 2): how not to repeat the tuition fees mistake (June 23, 2013) Two thoughts on Clegg's Manchester speech (2 of 2): edging towards the right narrative (June 23, 2013) Helena Morrissey's report: my first impressions (June 12, 2013) The Lib Dem narrative dilemma: forget about 2010, start looking forward to 2015 (June 12, 2013) My question to those who say "If you've ...
posted The Blood is The Life 29-12-2013 http://t.co/PLMwxwF8XO on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) http://www.theguardian.com/p/3yfcd/tw Britons ready to welcome migrants from Bulgaria and Romania, poll finds http://t.co/RRuBS8kAjT via @guardian #freemovement (tags: freemovement (from twitter) ) Scientists tell us their favourite jokes: 'An electron and a positron walked into a bar...' The Observer has been collecting science jokes. Mine didn't get in, but my head of dept.'s joke did http://t.co/Om7TJT6iQZ (tags: (from twitter) ) Hey! Love xenophobia and misogyny but hate having to chose between them? Well here you go! http://t.co/L8Cepcw2eq (tags: (from twitter) ) 'Greedy' charity ...
Mon 30th
08:45Payday loan companies: majority of Lib Dems say they're unethical, with 85% wanting limits on their ...
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. By 56% to 30%, Lib Dems DISAGREE that payday loan companies offer a useful service For each one please say if you agree or disagree with the statement... ... Payday loans companies offer a useful service 3% – Strongly Agree 27% – Agree Total agree = 30% 26% – Disagree 30% – Strongly Disagree Total disagree = ...
The Western Mail reports on a ruling by the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales that will allow unelected members of the public co-opted on to council committees to claim more money in the New Year. At present all 22 local authorities in Wales have people who are not elected councillors sitting on at least one committee. Most commonly these include independent members of Standards and Audit committees, but unelected individuals also sit on some scrutiny committees. As the paper points out unelected voting members are already paid up to £256 a day if meetings they attend last for more than ...
I've only had my solar panels for a few weeks, but I'm already trying to hook them up to the Internet of Things. I'm using the Fronius DataManager card. The API is fairly well documented - but you should be aware that it offers no authentication! The API is Read-Only - but I would still recommend against opening up your firewall to allow unfettered access. Aim I want to draw a (static) graph of my day's energy generation - suitable for sharing on social media. [IMG: Graph of Solar Power] I've released the PHP code required to do this on ...
The Independent reports that the Liberal Democrats have claimed to be the first governing party in recent history to have increased its membership while in power: Figures released by the party showed that in the last three months of the year membership grew by more than 2,000 - wiping out reductions seen in the first two quarters of 2013. Overall the party will go into 2014 with over 200 new members - which is an achievement not matched by their Conservative coalition partners who have seen steep falls in paid membership since 2010. Much of the success, party sources said, ...
Last Friday David Cameron visited the village of Yalding in Kent to sympathise with, or console, victims of the floods. He received a torrent of criticism. "We were literally abandoned. We had no rescuers, nothing for the whole day." "[All the council] decided to go on holiday." "The Environment agency said it was up to the council and when I did get through to the council they said if you need sandbags get your own." "The people [Cameron] is talking to , the Environment Agency and so on, They weren't here. . There was no one here on Christmas Day ...
It's not been a vintage year for me, from a blogging point of view, but none the less, here's a Top Thirteen of pieces written and read this year, based on Google Analytics' reading stats... At 13 - and from all the way back in January - an Open Letter to Nick Clegg on Secret Courts. In February the world was shocked at the murder of Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend and the idea that a superstar athlete could be a possible murderer... No one seemed interested in Reeva Steenkamp herself, or her family. At numbers 11 and 10, another two pieces ...
At the start of the month, I reported to the council residents' complaints about potholes in the road surface of Richmond Terrace, near the junction with Windsor Street. In reply, the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership advised: "An order was raised on 2-12-13 for the repair of a number of potholes along the length of Richmond Terrace with a timescale for completion of twenty eight days or sooner." I am pleased to say that the potholes were filled in last Saturday morning.
