[IMG: Lib Dem logo] 1. As with Labour, the biggest source of new supporters for the Conservatives are Liberal Democrats. Winning votes from, or losing some of those gains back to, the Liberal Democrats is key to the prospects of both of the largest parties, just as it is to the Liberal Democrats. (See p.33 of the full document below) 2. Liberal Democrats do best on "its heart is in the right place" (29% agree) and "wants to help ordinary people get on in life" (24%), and has the biggest problem with trust – "will do what they say" gets ...
Parish Council Meeting Dates for 2014 (7pm start) Thursday 16th JanuaryThursday 20th FebruaryThursday 20th MarchThursday 17th AprilThursday 15th MayThursday 19th JuneThursday 17th JulyThursday 18th SeptemberThursday 16th OctoberThursday 20th NovemberThursday 18th December Planning Committee Meeting Dates for 2014 (1.30pm start) Please note that Planning Committee meeting will only be held if plans are to be inspected. In this case the meetings will be confirmed by email for the 2nd or 4th Thursday in the month Environment Committee Meeting Dates for 2014 (7.30pm start) Wednesday 5th FebruaryWednesday 2nd AprilWednesday 4th JuneWednesday 3rd SeptemberWednesday 5th November
For those that follow this issue. Stuart Syvret who as health minister in Jersey blew the whistle on maltreatment of children has been released from prison again. He was imprisoned for what he said. Yes I know it was contempt of court, but at the end of the day the offence was one of speech. Specifically speech criticising the failure of the authorities in Jersey to prosecute certain
Presumably having read Bignews Margate over the last couple of days, Cllr Alan Poole has revised his story concerning the debacle of Thanets waste collections, it seems he and Thanets Councils Waste Management, oh and the union still cling to the view that it was too dangerous to clear rubbish on Christmas Eve, although clearly his more level headed colleagues, don't share his views. A new version of events was emailed to the offices of Bignews Margate @ 17:21 Friday (I've only just noticed it) , as you can imagine, weakened by misinformation (porkies) from TDC about when bins were ...
Latest news from the neighbourhood police.
Anthony Reed-Herbert, the National Front's leading organiser in Leicester in the 1970s, was Salman Rushdie's fag at Rugby. The proof is in Rushdie's Joseph Anton: A Memoir. There's more about the National Front in Leicester in an earlier post on this blog.
The London Sound Survey site carries a wide selection of archive sound recordings and other resources dealing with the history of the city. Among them is a recording from the Hammersmith South by-election of 1949. It carries the victor's speech by Thomas Williams, who had just held the seat for Labour. Note that he does not thank the police, as now appears obligatory. Williams went on to hold seat at the 1950 and 1951 general elections. Following boundary changes, Williams won the new Barons Court seat, defeating Sir Keith Joseph by 913 votes. In 1959 he lost Barons Court to ...
Kenneth Langone, the billionaire founder of Home Depot, has issued the following gobsmacking ultimatum: Sounding both aggressive and whiny, the billionaire investor warned that he and his overprivileged friends might withhold their millions from church and charity unless the pontiff stops preaching against the excesses and cruelty of unleashed capitalism. According to Langone, such criticism [...]
This article appears in the December 2013 / January 2014 Forest Hill Focus Following pressure from many local residents and your councillors, the council are intending to consult on introducing residents' parking around Dartmouth Road and the Pools in the spring. Councillor Philip Peake said: "The success of the new pools means that there has [...]
This article appears in the December 2013 / January 2014 Forest Hill Focus Local residents who attended October's meeting of the Forest Hill Assembly decided the allocation of the £12,500 Assembly Fund for the year ahead. Seven of the ten organisations that put in a bid were awarded funding. The successful projects are: Garden Power [...]
This story appears in the December 2013 / January 2014 Forest Hill Focus Buses serving Forest Hill, Honor Oak and Sydenham are among the most overcrowded in London. The 185 from Lewisham to Victoria is the most crowded of all and the 176 from Penge to Tottenham Court Road is also in the top ten, [...]
We received this email- it might be of help to someone Shelter's helpline receives too many calls from people in desperation, and on the brink of losing their home, because bills and notices have been left unopened and problems have piled up. This January we are encouraging those at risk to seek advice from Shelter and avoid problems spiralling out of control. We would very much appreciate
This year's centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is, according to the British Government, going to be about Reconciliation, and of course that is a noble thing. But I can't help feeling that reconciliation between the Brits and the Germans (and other parties to the conflict) happened long ago — even though [...]
From the Harborough District Council website: Market Harborough's popular market will begin trading from a new, temporary location from Friday [3 January 2014]. Stall holders from the indoor market in Northampton Road , Market Harborough, will temporarily relocate to The Square in the town for four months while redevelopment work takes place at the Market Hall building. The market will be held on The Square every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 8am to 4pm. Temporary stalls have been installed on The Square to accommodate the market traders during the relocation.The Sunday antiques market has temporarily moved to the Assembly Rooms ...
For the 4th January (LJ | DW) [IMG: [personal profile] ] herdivineshadow asked how it feels to have the driving test thing done. And the answer is REALLY QUITE NICE, ACTUALLY. Bit of background: I failed my test three times when I was eighteen. Considering I had unresolved attention and anxiety issues, this should surprise absolutely no one. Then I lived in London for ten years, and New York for three years, and not only did I not really have much use for driving, I also didn't really want to learn to drive or keep a car while I was ...
Sat 4th
14:21
And the winner is.... The 2014 Ripplestone Review Biennial Award for Best Movie Reviewed.
This is probably the smallest of small film awards around but that doesn't mean I haven't spent many a sleepless hour trying to pull the stand out movie from the list of nominees below for the Ripplestone Review Biennial Award 2014. (Please remember this year's winner is from a pool of reviewed movies over the last four years. In fact the awards have contracted to only the movie category this time round due to a shoestring budget over the last few years...but, I do want to keep this project going and so, deep breath, I'll just get on with it!) ...
Sat 4th
14:18
Ming Campbell says Coalition should be broken up "without recrimination" ahead of the 2015 election
[IMG: ming] Sir Menzies Campbell MP has given a wide-ranging interview to Total Politics magazine in which he says some pretty controversial stuff. A civilised dissolution The first is that he wants to see the Coalition break up in a civilised manner ahead of the 2015 election to avoid acrimony and recrimination: The ministers will have to keep going to the very end. Why? Because the country has to be governed. But I think we should accept that the point's going to come at which politically we may be together governmentally, but politically we're going to start - well it's ...
Those of you who are regular visitors to my blog will know that I've often criticised the "no" campaign for their negativity. It will therefore come as something of a surprise when I say that what I hope to see from Better Together in these crucial, final months of campaigning is more negativity. Not simply negativity, but focused negativity. And that negativity should be directed towards the Union. It is the only intellectually honest tactic to save the 307 year old union, which is itself arguably threatened by the strategy of its self-appointed defenders. Let's turn back the clock a ...
This is a slightly extended version of a story which appears in the latest Forest Hill Focus Local people are celebrating victory in the fight to save vital services at Lewisham Hospital. The final victory came on October 29th when the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's judgment in July that Conservative Health Secretary [...]
This week, Holyrood's Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick put forward proposals which she said would strengthen the Parliament's role in holding the Scottish Government to account as the Herald reports: Under her plan, conveners of Holyrood's 20 committees would be elected by their fellow MSPs, rather than installed by their party chiefs. The move, which would be one of the most far-reaching reforms of the Parliament since its creation in 1999, would help remove party politics from the often sensitive work of committees, she believes. Ms Marwick also threatened to put time limits on exchanges at First Minister's Questions. Trouble is, ...
Let's play "Spot The Difference"! [IMG: Two Reviews of Plants Vs Zombies 2] The review on the left comes from the North American version of Plants vs. Zombies™ 2 whereas the one on the right is from the Worldwide version of Plants vs. Zombies™ 2. The above screenshot was taken shortly after the release of the North American version. The scores as of today have harmonised (4.2/5 vs 4.4/5) but there is still a disproportionate number of 1 star reviews on the American version. Both have the same version number (1.8.265164), release date, "what's new" changelog, screenshots and are identical ...
The Independent reports that Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP and an MEP for North West England has declared himself bankrupt. Unsurpisingly, Griffin himself is reportedly upbeat about his situation, declaring today a "good day", as his status as officially bankrupt has washed away all his debt concerns. He has also said that his new status means that he can better advise his constituents on money management. I would suggest they go elsewhere. The most crass comment though comes from the BNP's press officer: As if working for a far right political party wasn't tough enough, head press officer ...
Just a few quick links today, as I try to get this draft of the novel done... Two friends of mine have just self-published books about TV series — Mike Taylor on Doctor Who, and Melanie Mitchell on the Monkees. I'm linking to their blog posts rather than to the actual books because both blogs [...]
[IMG: street scene (2099)] Today's papers bring us further news of the sickness that afflicts our housing market. On the front page of the Telegraph is a piece focusing on St Vince of Cable's warning that the housing market is exhibiting all the signs of overheating and that Mark Carney is considering stepping in on the lending side. He fears we'll repeat the mistakes of the benighted Brown. The story takes the usual form - there are references to the danger that the market 'may be heading for a bubble', never the suggestion that there's already a problem. There is ...
Many thanks to the 555,972 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice in 2013. Here's our 12 most-read posts... The affair is none of our business, but how did it get in the papers anyway? (54 comments) by Caron Lindsay Tom Brake on 38 degrees and the Transparency and Lobbying Bill (84 comments) by Tom Brake MP Sarah Teather won't fight 2015 election (286 comments) by Caron Lindsay The Economist's political map of the UK: north/south divide revealed (35 comments) by Stephen Tall Simon Hughes MP writes: My vote on the same sex marriage bill (111 comments) by Simon Hughes ...
This morning's Western Mail reports on an article by David Phillips, a senior research economist at the Institute of Fiscal Studies, that speculates on the impact of cuts by a future UK Labour Government and the impact they will have on the Welsh Government's budget (not yet on-line). In particular Mr. Phillips highlights the threat by Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls that no area remains sacrosanct, including the English health service, which is likely to have a disproportionate impact on services on the our side of Offa's Dyke. What the paper does not make clear is that the current UK Coalition ...
Sat 4th
10:30
Owen Paterson's Misunderstanding of the Concept of Biodiversity is Illustrative of a Wider Problem
Our Environment Secretary thinks that if you "have to" destroy ancient woodland to build something, you can offset that by planting lots of trees elsewhere. This is so utterly wrong-headed I barely know where to begin. I mean the clue about the importance of biodiversity is in the name - bioDIVERSITY. IT'S NOT JUST TREES, OWEN. The fragile ecosystem of ancient woodland might have trees for its foundation, but it's insects, birds, fungi, ferns (oh God, you wouldn't believe how important ferns are), flowering and non-flowering plants... Some trees won't even grow unless a woodland has been established for a ...
I just heard that Phil Everly, of the Everly Brothers, has died. In his memory, I thought I'd repost this review I wrote eight years ago on my old LiveJournal of what turned out to be a show on their last ever tour: A couple of decades ago in 'history of popular music' books, the [...]
There's been a spate of articles and comments by Liberal Democrat politicians which, at a guess, isn't co-ordinated, but they all address the same themes – the problems with the way that we do politics and lack of trust in politicians and institutions. Paddy Ashdown told the Times (£), reported also for free in the Guardian that public faith in British institutions was "crumbling into dust" with some very harsh words for the BBC and NHS: The BBC is revealed as an organisation which can't manage its own affairs, misspends public money and seems to have been complicit in aggrandising ...
Former Special Adviser and current Scottish Euro candidate Christine Jardine writes in the Scotsman about what Europe means to her and how she first became aware of what it meant as a child: For me, joining what was then the EEC was the beginning of a very different, more positive and much less life-threatening relationship with the Continent than the previous generations of my family had experienced. In 1973 Europe was all about new money, counting everything in tens and hundreds and new equipment to learn with at school. Yard sticks were out and metre sticks were in. No more ...
posted The Blood is The Life 03-01-2014 http://t.co/K17N8eC9oD on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) http://ldv.org.uk/37703 Lord Roberts writes: It is time to open our doors to some of the most vulnerable people in the world http://t.co/7n37LRscar (tags: (from twitter) ) Rather lovely dragon bones dress. http://t.co/7oTA4s4ibq (tags: (from twitter) ) http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/901.htm Nearly 500 files have been released today from 1984. View a selection online: http://t.co/lWyQrTRuTd #archives (tags: archives (from twitter) ) http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/tell-them This what we are up against. A selection of front pages from the past few weeks. Sign http://t.co/uQhhdWJNeA http://t.co/vksXvkDyas (tags: (from twitter) ) 10 ...
The Ludlow Advertiser carries the not unexpected news that Rosanna Taylor-Smith is to stand down as councillor for Ludlow North, just seven months after being re-elected. Last May, her husband, Martin Taylor-Smith, a former Cabinet member of Shropshire Council, lost his seat by a massive 225 votes to Viv Parry. Rosanna Taylor-Smith beat me by [...]
This story in The Independent looks at the issues of the variability of capacity proceedings (both in the court of protection, but more widely). The nub of the issue is that the interests of the state tend to predominate over people's wishes. Quoting from the article: Lawyers believe that patients who make controversial decisions are left vulnerable to the court assuming they lack capacity. "We
Just before Christmas, residents reported to me that the litter bin on the north side of Perth Road near the Sinderins had been burnt out - see right. I am pleased to say that, having taken up the matter with the Environment Department, I have received a very prompt response confirming that the bin will be replaced.
From Dundee City Council: THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Edward Street (from its junction with Brook Street to approx. 25 metres north), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 13 January 2014 for 1 day. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Brook Street / Polepark Road / Milnbank Road / Forest Park Road / Forest Park ...
The agenda for the forthcoming Liberal Democrat conference in Ely has been published; 10:00 Welcome and introduction 10:05 Europe 2014: special campaign briefing 10:30 Workshops Areas with council elections in 2014 Areas without council elections in 2014 11:30 Coffee break 11:45 (A) Effective new local parties and officers (B) Connect: finding our voters and supporters (C) Policy forum: jobs, skills and our local economy 13:00 Lunch 14:00 Q&A with invited panellists 14:30 (A) Coordinating the party across Cambridgeshire (B) Using NationBuilder to reach voters online (C) Policy forum: homes, housing and development 15:45 Feedback and close If you'd ...
The beeb have run a series of documentaries about ABBA over the festive season. And it reminded me of just how complex their songs are. And it is also an opportunity to feature this 1984 Blancmange cover of 'The day before you came'.
