Norfolk Uncovered is a series of short documentaries about the less-known and less-obvious relics and ruins of the county of Norfolk, in the United Kingdom. This episode focuses on the former railway line between the once bustling terminus of Norwich City Station and the railway town of Melton Constable, once dubbed 'the Crewe of Norfolk'.
Why are the Lib Dems in such a mess about the allegations of sexual impropriety against Lord (Chris) Rennard? When a complaint is made against a Lib Dem member the party has a documented disciplinary procedure. You can read it here. In theory, it looks quite straightforward – there's even a flow-chart. A complaint is made, an investigator is appointed, and they make a recommendation of whether action should be taken. Keen to ensure the process was (and was seen to be) fair and transparent, the party appointed an independent QC, Alistair Webster. He reported this week and concluded that ...
So, as a distraction from my study, I've taken time out to book my travel to Copenhagen. But why Copenhagen, I hear you ask? Well, Ros has been invited to take part in a meeting of the North Sea Commission in Aalborg, and it seems sensible to make a weekend of it. I'm in London on the Wednesday, and don't see the point of going home and then turning round again, so whilst Ros heads for Aalborg, I'll be on an early evening Eurostar to Brussels, allowing me to have dinner in my favourite brasserie on Place Jourdan, before catching ...
Last night's Question Time had a question about Benefits Street, the subject of my last blog. The person who asked the question, Matthew, was criticised by another member of the audience. This person who had been made redundant and had been unemployed thought that he had been labelled a scrounger by Matthew when David Dimbleby invited him to give his impression of the Channel 4 programme. That's the problem with the programme. I believe that Benefits Street has set out to get more viewers by telling us sensational stories. Then the viewers start to think that this anecdotal evidence reflects ...
Wednesday In my younger day I spent more time at my London residence - Bonkers House in Belgrave Square. In those days the more affluent parts of London were home to many Russian aristocrats who had (very wisely) fled the Bolshevik revolution. Trouble was, they adopt the ways of their hosts and would be up till all hours playing the balalaika, boiling their samovars and slicing the corks from champagne bottles with their sabres. As I recall telling them one evening after a nasty incident involving a peasant and a knout: "If you are in Britain and you are coming ...
Fri 17th
19:45
Nick Clegg: Inappropriate for Lord Rennard to rejoin Lib Dem Lords if he does not apologise
A statement released tonight by a Liberal Democrat spokesperson Nick Clegg is of the view that as long as Lord Rennard refuses the very reasonable request from Alistair Webster QC to apologise that it is inappropriate for him to rejoin the Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords. Nick has communicated this to the Chief Whip and Leader of the House of Lords group. In addition, a growing number of party members have come forward to make representations to the party that Lord Rennard's refusal to apologise in itself brings the party into disrepute. The Lords Chief Whip and ...
Christina Samson has kindly sent me her recollections of life in this village in Shropshire's lead-mining country more than 50 years ago. This is an area for which I have a very deep affection having spent many extremely happy holidays with my Mum's cousin and family, who lived at 14 Snailbeach. When I first visited around 1956, the cottage didn't have running water and the loo was located outside the house and up a steep little bank. It was an Elsan. My Aunty (although technically my second cousin) claimed the view from the loo took in several counties! Our water ...
This is for Tim Snowball, the Liberal Democrats' Director of Political Operations:
You wait years before you get an intelligent intervention about the middle classes, and then suddenly three of them come along at once. Ed Miliband has now finally made his speech, which you can read in full here. Nick Clegg launched a report for the think-tank 4Children describing how this generation is the first for half a century or so to expect their children to be worse off than they are. There is an element of bathos about putting it like this, but I can't help mentioning that there was a third intervention. Yes, you guessed it, the updated, 'affordable' ...
In the week that yet more good news on the economy (inflation, house sales and retail sales) hit the headlines, Labour Leader Ed Moribund has announced that yet again, Labour screwed up when they were running the country. Okay, they didn't say they screwed up, but Miliband's attacks on the market dominance of the big five banks has to be taken as an admission that they messed up under Blair and
Thanks to a nomination from a reader of this blog, the city's Express & Echo wins Headline of the Day.
As Liberal Democrats build our manifesto for 2015, one key policy is already being promoted as a flagship measure - continuing to raise the income tax personal allowance to £12,500. While there's little doubt that raising it to £10,000 in...Read more ›
Over the next month, my Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee will be looking into the future of the BBC. This is an issue that affects nearly all of us [...]
Fri 17th
15:39Coalition minister calls for minimum wage increase (that's Vince, 4 months ago, in case you were won...
Here's the Lib Dems' Vince Cable on 14 September 2013: [IMG: vince min wage - sept 2013] And here's the Tories' George Osborne – four months later – on 10 January 2014: [IMG: osborne min wage - jan 2014] Oops, sorry, wrong link. This is apparently what he meant to say (17 January 2014): [IMG: osborne min wage 2 - jan 2014] Glad that's all clear, then.
Liberal Democrat Women, have just issued this statement following Alistair Webster QC's investigation in to Lord Rennard. Liberal Democrat Women is whole heartedly against sexual harassment and unwanted indecent or
So says a BBC news report on his release. This is a very sloppy piece of reporting by the BBC who appear to have fallen for Corey's supporters politically-charged spin on events, rather than the legal reality. Corey was given a life sentence for murder. As this guide from the Ministry of Justice makes explains: Released lifers: are subject to a life licence which remains in force
Further to our work and the petition that was raised on this matter last year, we recently met with a representative from Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and local Police Inspector James Gooderidge to discuss developments in how safety concerns on the A45 could be addressed.We presented the views of our constituents who have conscientiously written letters and emails to our office
As a non-driver, I take particular interest in anything that makes it easier to get around the neighbourhood, so the news that the First route between Stowmarket and Ipswich has been revised is very good indeed. The re-routing of alternate buses around Claydon to serve the York Crescent area connects Needham Market and Stowmarket to that part of Claydon for the first time, which will allow the elderly in particular access to shops and services there, perhaps a more desirable option than Ipswich. For more information, check here.
The Transparency Bill – on which I seem to have spent most of my waking hours, excluding the few days with our grandchildren over Christmas – has had some very positive results for the House of Lords. Setting aside the particular areas of agreement and disagreement the reputation of the House has been improved in four ways. First, a large number of charities, campaigning and pressure groups have become much more aware of the significance of Parliament, and of the Lords itself, in our role as scrutineers of Government proposals. That must be good. Secondly, they have worked together to ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Our political predictions for 2014 "We expect Francis Maude to announce his decision to step down at the next election" http://bit.ly/1dqev6y Can Clegg oust Rennard? | Westminster blog Good account from @KiranStacey > Can Clegg oust Rennard? | Westminster blog http://on.ft.com/1j28tev Lord Rennard sex case: Westminster's sexist treatment of women is stuck in the 1950s – Telegraph And here's @aligoldsworthy's piece for today's T'graph > Westminster's sexist treatment of women stuck in the 1950s http://bit.ly/1fBJVuW Brian Paddick writes... The curious case of Chris Rennard Here's Brian Paddick's piece @libdemvoice on 'The curious ...
Today Fermanagh's Impartial Reporter was holding a Q&A session with the TUV's Jim Allister via twitter. I threw my hat into the ring to see if my question would get used, it was. See below: It was a straightforward but at the same time loaded question. Neither the DUP, UUP or TUV have voted for any advance in LGBT equality in Northern Ireland. The LGBT community in Northern Ireland is not split along traditional lines but crosses them. You will notice that I am asking for equality. First equality with other citizens and second equality within the UK with other ...
Fri 17th
13:05
New Report shows Welsh Councils are failing to help disabled people with housing costs
I have huge concerns that many local councils are holding back the money they should be using to support tenants through the Welfare Benefit changes and are putting in place unreasonable barriers to special payments to help with rent. That this is happening is made clear in the findings in a Welsh Government monitoring report that shows that halfway through the financial year, only 3 of 22 local authorities had spent more than half of their annual discretionary housing payment budget. This money has been given to councils by the UK government to help disabled people and others, who might ...
It has rather been overshadowed by the events of the last view days, but the race to be Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems is ongoing. Lorely Burt seems to
Hi, Here is this original version of the week's column for the South Manchester report. The paper edited some words out and made up its own headline, but the [...]
[IMG: Amber-Valley-Action-Day---2] East Midlands Euro candidate Issan Ghazni joined local activists in Amber Valley recently for a day of leafleting meeting local residents. In his second visit to Amber Valley as an MEP candidate Ghazni promoted the message 'In Europe, In Work' to underline the importance of trade to the East Midlands regional economy and why it was so important that Bill Newton-Dunn is re-elected. He paid tribute to the drive and leadership of campaigner Kate Smith and the local membership who were committed to the Euro campaign. Ghazni said: "Bill Newton-Dunn is a hard-working MEP who fights for the ...
The killer reaction to Ed's big economy speech came from retired England cricketer Graham Swann Ed Miliband can never be PM surely? — Graeme Swann (@Swannyg66) January 17, 2014
Dear Michael, I hope this finds you well. A confession. Unlike Paxman, I'm a fan. You're an unusual Tory with unusual origins. And your passion to change education is laudable. The 1960s Crosland reforms, implemented by your mentor Mrs Thatcher, were supposed to promote social mobility. The reality is mixed. Overall literacy and numeracy have improved. Higher education has become more accessible across class, gender and race. But this has come at a cost. Some think general mediocrity is better than a few attaining excellence while the majority attain little. I think it's still mediocrity. Employers lament school-leavers' inadequate skills. ...
With the European election controlled period approaching (23 Jan) many of us are madly getting our pre-Euro Election literature out before the deadline! Calendars and Focuses are flying out of the door. What that also means is that many of us are artworking the next tranche! So we thought it was wise to reiterate the [...]
Larry Elliott, the Guardian's economics editor, concluded his article on "Benefits Street and the real problems of breadline Britain" (Monday 13th January) with the following paragraph: Here, then, are some alternative suggestions. An all-party consensus to tackle poverty rather than simply tactics for rewarding "hard-working families". Macro-economic policies geared to full employment. A higher minimum wage. Legislation to make it easier for trade unions to organise. A mass programme of house building. And, an industrial strategy to rebuild Britain's manufacturing base, including the nurturing and protection of sectors seen as crucial to future growth. Additionally, a full-blooded assault on the ...
Earlier this week in a blog post speculating about series 4 of Sherlock, I wondered: "what stories will they take inspiration from this time? Sherlock has now done its own very loose adaptation of three out of the four Holmes novels but only a handful of the short stories. That still leaves them an awful [...]
Golcar makes history A cold late November evening saw Kirklees Liberal Democrats grinning from ear to ear as Christine Iredale made history - making the first Liberal Democrat gain from Labour in a Metropolitan Authority since the 2010 General Election. Christine has been a stalwart of the Party for many years and served as a [...]
The Liberal Democrat President, Tim Farron, rightly won plaudits from liberal quarters when he said on the BBC's Question Time last night that immigration is a blessing, not a curse, and that more politicians should be saying so. Doubtless his twitter and other social media timelines are now receiving a lot of very hostile comments, [...]
It's been a trying week on Planet Bureaucrat. I've had problems over Europe, caused by the inability of people to understand how process works, and problems related to my ability to trust others to behave with some consideration towards their colleagues. In that sense, one could be easily disheartened. However, having expressed myself clearly, I have resolved to focus on the things that I enjoy rather than stress about things that needn't concern me that much. There is, after all, no point in being a volunteer doing something that one isn't enjoying, when there are things that I do enjoy ...
Fri 17th
10:05Julian Huppert MP: Another promise kept - Nick Clegg announces more than doubling of young offenders...
If people are to be in jail, one of our priorities is to make sure that when they leave prison, they won't come back. We realise that the best way to do this isn't about draconian sentencing; it's about providing people with skills. That's why in our 2010 manifesto we said that we'd increase the number of hours prisoners spend in education and training. Today, we've achieved another goal – Nick Clegg has announced that through a new system of Secure Colleges, young offenders will see the time they spend in education more than doubled. This really matters. At any ...
In Prime Minister's Questions this week David Cameron was challenged to back the 'War on Sugar' by giving up sugar for a day. Huffington Post report that Labour MP, Keith Vaz who has championed the cause since being diagnosed with diabetes asked him: "Will you meet with a delegation of health experts to discuss this issue and can we enlist your support in the war on sugar by asking you to give up sugar and sugary drinks for one day this week?" "I'm sure that would have the support of Mrs Cameron," the PM retorted. Huffington Post say that Vaz's ...
It has been a busy and eventful week at Blyth Town Council There has been an ongoing complaint about the conduct of Councillor Bob Parker since his first term of office, and although I knew a lot of the background and the facts behind the complaint I was not able to comment publicly The Standards Committee of Northumberland County Council heard the case late last year, and you can read the papers here:- ( Click on the recent decision notices link ) On Tuesday a Special Council at Blyth Town Council was held to discuss the recommendations. Until the minutes ...
The sad death of Roger Lloyd-Pack yesterday robs us of one of the great comic actors. His timing and sheer brilliance is wonderfully summed up in this clip from 'Only Fools and Horses':
Phil Bennion MEP writes: It's time we had a sensible, evidence-led debate on EU freedom of movement (tags: ) Why is a minute divided into 60 seconds, an hour into 60 minutes, yet there are only 24 hours in a day?: Scientific American (tags: ) Open Rights Group - How to complain about mobile filtering over-blocking ... or just turn the blocks off and learn how to use the web properly? We've never had blocking on Holly's computer/phone. We have, however, religiously supervised her and taught her what to watch out for in terms of viruses and inappropriate things. She's ...
[IMG: Bill Bernbach] Bill Bernbach was one of the pioneering American ad men of the mid-twentieth century, now best remembered as a frequently referred to rival in the TV series Mad Men. The following words of wisdom in particular have not only aged well but are very applicable to political campaigning too: The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting, and you won't be ...
It hardly seems worth Ed Miliband's time to actually make the speech on economics today, because it has been previewed, leaked and debated - almost sentence by sentence - all week. There was a debate about the middle classes on Tuesday. Then there was the important commitment to competition in the banking sector, where he flagged the idea of a market cap, an important idea - but there are three practical problems with it. First, there is a danger that it will lead to the big banks dumping poorer customers - though equally, there will be more banks available for ...
Alarming, isn't it? To celebrate, here is a photograph, taken a couple of summers ago, of the real-life model for Malcolm Saville's Witchend.
Fri 17th
08:01
Ludlow's tip & recycling centre: We deserve better treatment from Shropshire Council in Ludlow
My letter on the probable closure of the Coder Road tip and recycling centre is published in the South Shropshire Journal today: Shropshire Council is determined to close our tip and recycling centre at Coder Road. As you reported last week, the council received only 112 responses to its second consultation on the closure. That's [...]
We have announced fairer rules for the access European nationals have to UK benefits. The Coalition Government's reforms will do three things: Bring the UK more in line with other EU statesHelp build confidence in our immigration systemProtect the freedom of movement in the long-term Bring the UK more in line with other EU states The idea that European nationals have unfettered access to benefits across the member states simply isn't true. Other countries such as the Netherlands already impose a three month residence requirement before you can access benefits like job seekers' allowance. The EU has transformed over the ...
I have received residents' complaints about the state of the road surface of Cleghorn Street at its junction with Rosebery Street - see below:I have reported this to the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership and asked for repairs to be carried out.
This latest photograph of this short series of West End historical photographs is of Perth Road. Although "Perth Road" is absolutely correct, residents of this section of the north side of Dundee's Perth Road preferred to have their mail addressed to Windsor Terrace. Residents of the block in 1895 included David Dewar, the superintendent of police, James Walker, Professor of Chemistry and University College, George Haggart, a solicitor, and John B. Hay, a builder. In 1905, three were still there: Haggart had been replaced by Henry William Rennie, a merchant. Mrs James Burdon [sic], a spirit merchant in 1895, has ...
