The fire occurred at 5.50 a.m. on 20 December 1984 when a goods train carrying more than a 1,000,000 litres ... of four-star petrol in thirteen tankers entered the tunnel on the Yorkshire (north) side. One-third of the way through the tunnel, a defective axle bearing (journal bearing) derailed the fourth tanker, which promptly knocked those behind it off the track. Only the locomotive and the first three tankers remained on the rails. One of the derailed tankers fell on its side and began to leak petrol into the tunnel. Vapour from the leaking petrol was probably ignited by a ...
Earlier this week, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation amending the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (remuneration) regulations 2007. This confirms that Councillors have been awarded a 1% pay rise for 2013/14 and a further 1% for 2014/15. The new legislation comes into effect on 18th February 2014. I have advised the City Council's Director of Corporate Services that I will refuse the increase in salary and I have asked for the money to be used to benefit Dundee good causes, just as I did with the previous councillor salary increase in 2009. Having refused the councillor salary increase in 2009, ...
An anonymous reader calls on the Liberal Democrats to save what remains of the Social Fund. Many people haven't heard of the Social Fund. It was introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1987, following the so-called Fowler reviews of the social security system. Part of it covers regulated payments, some of which are familiar: winter fuel payments, cold weather payments and Sure Start maternity grants all come out of this side. The other part has often been called the 'discretionary' Social Fund. When it was first brought in, charities and individuals argued against it, because it chiefly consisted of loans - ...
Fri 10th
19:57
Danny Alexander MP writes: We shouldn't fritter away our EU influence when we can lead drive for job...
As the House of Lords debates the EU Referendum Bill, you may be forgiven for thinking that the Coalition Government has already legislated for a referendum. In fact we did – in 2011 Parliament passed the EU Act which holds that there will be a referendum if there is a transfer of powers from the UK to the EU. This is a sensible approach which means that the British people will get their say in a referendum when our terms of membership change. At the time, Conservative Ministers strongly supported the EU Act and rejected attempts by their own backbenchers ...
There has been some controversy about Nick Clegg's sudden announcement last September that schoolchildren would get a hot meal every day at school for the first 3 years. Some within the Party feel that resources could be better spent. Others argue that it does make a difference, having a direct effect on children's learning ability. Clegg though, is not the first liberal to be associated with such a policy, as former Special Adviser Christine Jardine wrote in the Scotsman this week: Exactly a century ago, the last Liberal government to win a majority at Westminster made their policy compulsory to ...
A second Electoral Commission change of deadlines in 3 weeks has been announced today. On the 19th December, in a revision to the normal electoral timetable for local elections, the Electoral moved the deadline for the submission of local election nominations for the local elections to be held on the 22nd May, from Noon to [...]
Families searching for childcare and information about other children's services in Stockport can now visit the Stockport Early Years web-pages. The web-pages enable families to search for childcare by location and type. There is also useful information about free entitlement for two, three and four year olds; Sure Start Children's Centres; and school admissions, information and application procedures. The site also contains links to other useful information for families. Families without internet access can visit their local library for free internet access or visit their local Council run Sure Start Children Centre for information. For further information please click here ...
On Wednesday the House of Lords debated the first part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. As has been reported [here], the main issue discussed concerned the definition that will be used in the new 'Injunction to prevent anti-social behaviour' of IPNAs that will replace ASBOs. The Government was proposing the IPNAs can be issued against behaviour that can reasonably be expected to cause 'nuisance or annoyance'. However, an amendment by Lord Dear proposed changing this test (except when it comes to social housing) likely to cause 'harassment, alarm and distress'. I know many Lib Dem Voice readers ...
Dry January seems to be in fashion but might those giving up alcohol for a month find it even better to give it up all together? The New Scientist seems to have turned some of its staff over to the UCL medical school as lab rats for an experiment in what difference giving up booze [...]
Mathew Oakeshott was on Newsnight stating the blindingly obvious last night. A party which was re-formed in the image of Jo Grimond's vision of re-aligning the left and which merged with the Jenkinsite wing of Lab has mostly centre-left activists. Such a statement would have not cause any comment over most of the last 70 years. Of more interest was David Steel and Alan Beith taking part in the Radio 4 programme called The Reunion . If you listen to the programme you will find David Steel describe the present coalition as 'unnatural' because it is with the Right. The ...
We wanted to honour those Liberal Democrats that our readers felt were true stars of 2013. We sought out nominations and now have a rather impressive list that we've been publishing in instalments during this week. Here is the penultimate part. Their names come with the comments made about the contribution they have made. Some are parliamentarians, some are councillors, most are grassroots activists. Let's celebrate them and the many others who are fighting for Liberal Democrat values and victory. These are our Liberal Democrat stars of 2013. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here part 3 here ...
As a Briton living and working in Poland I am ashamed of the small-mindedness David Cameron is encouraging in Britain by attacking Polish immigrants and insinuating that they are nothing but benefit scroungers. It is doing great damage to our image here and cutting deep into the trust and respect between our peoples. I am a guest in this country, an economic migrant if you will. Since coming here to Warsaw in 2010 no one has ever uttered even the mildest criticism of my taking up the opportunity to work here (at an international college of European studies). Far from ...
WARNING: HAVE HANKY READY BEFORE READING!! This time last week our family was in a very dark valley. Jonah had been born and resuscitated but was very poorly and in need of a major operation. This week we can see ... Continue reading →
Fri 10th
12:25
Systems Thinking in the Public Sector: the failure of the reform regime... and a manifesto for a bet...
[IMG: Systems Thinking In The Public Sector by John Seddon] I started out expecting I would largely agree with the book, and by the end although my agreement with much of the ideas wasn't shaken, the way the book argues for them left me disappointed. Take the book's bald statement, "I have not seen any evidence that people want choice. I see plenty of evidence that people want services that work." It's an extreme factual claim – no evidence at all, indeed (and I guess means he's not been a reader of David Boyle over the years, ironically given that ...
On leaving the Labour Party last year (which I have written about here), I was asked if I was going to be leaving my trade union UNISON. I didn't and no don't intend to. The question confused me. I was a trade union activist in the Labour Party more than I was ever a Labour Party activist who happened to be in a trade union. As a trade unionist I see the purpose of my membership is to be supported at work and to have the union collectively bargain on my behalf for better pay, terms and conditions at work. ...
There is a new API in town! HTML5 will (soon) let you make the user's device vibrate. What fun! Obviously, it's useful for triggering alerts, improved immersivness during gameplay, and all sorts of other fun things like sending Morse Code messages via vibration. At the moment, Chrome (and other Android browsers) ask for permission before accessing features such as geo-location, camera, address book etc. This is a security measure to prevent your private information leaving your hands without your knowledge. At the moment, accessing the HTML5 Vibrate API doesn't trigger an on-screen warning. Its use is seen as pretty innocuous. ...
[IMG: School Traffic sign] Do you have children starting school in September 2014? The deadline for applying for a place in Kent is 15 January - applying after then may seriously harm your chances of getting your child a place at the school of your choice. Children should start primary or junior school if born: Between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 for Reception Between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007 for Junior School (Year 3) You can apply online for a school place until midnight on 15 January 2014. Alternatively you can download the paper form from ...
Last year saw the launch of the million jobs campaign which will continue into 2014. Our ambition is to create a million additional jobs by 2015 on top of the [...]
Fri 10th
10:30
South West MEP calls on UK government to apply for emergency EU funding after more flood misery in t...
South West Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson is calling on the UK government to urgently act and unlock emergency funds available from the European Union to help support those struck by the recent flooding across the South West. Persistent rain over the past month has left thousands of acres of countryside flooded across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. With
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our late running 360th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (29 December 2013- 4 January, 2014), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way ...
WordPress, the blogging platform that we use for the MyCouncillor network, released its latest version at the end of last year. The upgrade, to WordPress 3.8, will take place across the mycouncillor.org.uk network at the end of the week. Members should be aware that this update will add some cosmetic changes to the layout and [...]
[IMG: 3542341781_2e07e18657_n] I have to admit I found the whole situation rather discomfiting. Yesterday I found myself agreeing with George Osborne. Of course, as David Gillon (@WTBDavidG) pointed out on Twitter, we can all join George Osborne in agreeing that Iain Duncan-Smith is not perhaps the sharpest knife in the drawer. But, beyond that, most right-thinking people tend to find themselves parting company from the biggest cheese on Horse Guards Road. So when I read reports of Osborne's comments on raising the minimum wage I was rather surprised that my initial response was to agree with him. Especially as he ...
It struck me a few days ago, as I climbed on a London bus, how the everyday rituals of life change so quickly. Until 2005 or so, the words "time, gentlemen, please" were pretty familiar - even if landlords tended to cover both genders by then. But, a decade ago, would we have imagined that very familiar feeling of putting an Oyster card on the reader only to find there was not enough cash - especially if we have waited for the bus for 15 minutes or so in the rain beforehand? This happened to me over the weekend again ...
MPs in Christmas jumpers: most awkward pictures (feat. our local boy @CraigWhi2kermp ) I love Tom Brake's penguin LOL it looks like it needs a hug (tags: ) Brilliant infographic about Cisgender people (tags: ) Racist bullying: Far-right agenda on immigration 'being taken into classrooms' Inevitable consequence of the over-heated, over emotional "debate" about immigration we have going on at the moment :( (tags: ) Something to aim for, boys: Three Hour Orgasm Lands Woman in Hospital (tags: ) Men - if you're not a feminist, it's fine, just move on (tags: ) Why the EDM on non-gender specificity matters ...
There's been a bit of controversy over the issue of breastfeeding in the House of Commons and taking babies into the voting lobby sparked by comments by Jo Swinson, who gave birth to her son Andrew on 22 December. The argument goes that you can take a sword into the Commons voting lobby, but not a baby. On face value, it sounds like yet another way in which Westminster needs to be dragged into the 21st century.Jo said to the Guardian:"I think it's been lovely the way people have been really supportive in parliament of my pregnancy," she said. "[But] ...
Fri 10th
08:55The Independent View: Lobbying Bill protects multinational corporate interests at expense of charity...
The Robin Hood Tax campaign is facing a tough opponent - not just from the usual source of the financial sector and their allies, but from legislation currently going through the House of Lords. The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill is due to go to its report stage next week. The Robin Hood Tax campaign cannot support it for a number of reasons, and we urge peers of all political colours not to rush the bill through just to get it passed in time for the 2015 election. The legislation would hamper our campaigning abilities ...
John Robinson writes in the Guardian: Gentle, long-enduring and filled with familiar faces, Midsomer Murders has become Last Of The Summer Wine, but with a higher body count.
Deliver a workers' bonus: cutting your income tax by an extra £100. In Government the Liberal Democrats have already cut your income tax bill by £700. But now we want to go even further - taking the total tax cut up to £800. This is what Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats will be fighting for in Government over the coming months. The Tories care more about tax cuts for millionaires - your support will help us secure tax cuts for you. Add your support now at www.ahundredpounds.org Cllr Andy Pellew
I did not see the BBC 2 programme on Immigration last Tuesday but my friend Michael Meadowcraft did and has given me permission to reproduce his letter to the presenter Nick Robinson. I am particularly struck by Michael's suggestion that the opinion polls should pose the question: "Would you be in favour of being prevented from living and working in other EU countries?" which, of course they never do. I have personally taken advantage of freedom of movement to work as a migrant in three different countries: Papa New Guinea for most of the 1970s, Malawi in Central Africa for ...
Some of the things that make me nervous about people with power wielding it over those that don't have it are unnecessary introductions of ID and personal data storage, and anything which reduces the likelihood people will vote. This week the Electoral Commission has released recommendations for reducing voter fraud by introducing the need for [...]
A record high number of people have been waiting over 36 weeks for the start of their treatment in the NHS, according to figures published yesterday. By the end of November, a total of 13,269 patients had been waiting over 36 weeks until the start of their treatment. This is despite the Welsh Labour Government's target for 100% of patients to be seen within the 36 week period. The Welsh Government also has a target for 95% of patients to wait less than 26 weeks until the start of their treatment. This target was also missed, with only 88% of ...
A fascinating photograph (below) looking west along Perth Road and with Roseangle to the south with what is now Dundee West Church prominent in the photo. The full Dundee City Council Photopolis collection is available at http://photopolis.dundeecity.gov.uk.
The BBC report that more than 6,000 branches of the Post Office are to be revamped by the government in the next three years. They say that an investment programme costing £1.34 billion will modernise the sub-branches, which will then be styled as either main or local branches. These local branches will typically be situated in convenience stores, which will mean longer opening hours and modern fittings for customers at the revamped branches. The remaining 5,500 sub-branches will stay as they are. The BBC add that of the new modernised branches, 4,000 will be designated as main and 2,000 as ...
A raft of improvements is being made by St Albans City and District Council to progress requests for on-street parking restrictions more efficiently. At a meeting on Tuesday 7 January, the Local Services Scrutiny Committee heard that the Council acknowledged that there had been problems progressing requests for on-street parking restrictions. It also heard that there had been issues processing Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs). This was in part due to an increase in the number of requests received by the Council for parking restrictions. This has risen from 36 in 2012 to 81 in 2013. The Council must follow a ...
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 ...
