Back in 2005 I contributed a chapter - "Histories of Abuse" - to the book Making and Breaking Children's Lives. The other day, as you do, I had a look in Google Books to see if anyone had referenced it and found three instances: The New Early Years Professional: Dilemmas and Debates edited by Angela D. Nurse Sex Offenders and the Internet by Dennis Howitt & Kerry Sheldon Understanding Women and Child Sexual Abuse: Feminist revolutions in theory, research and practice by Sam Warner I even found that Angela Nurse had quoted a short passage that gives the argument of ...
It seems that the Lib Dems have entered into a civil war. This, naturally, is not unusual for political parties. Labour had their own internal battle over the repeal of Clause 4. The Conservatives fight among themselves over such matters as marriage equality and Europe. We Lib Dems tend not to do things as others do, but sadly the previous few days have witnessed a regrettable descent into what could well develop into a fully-fledged conflict, with the potential to damage both long-term relationships and the reputation of the party. I never took us for being a party that would ...
As British politics increasingly eats itself, and as my fellow Liberal Democrats compete for space before the national media, one can't help but notice that, regardless of what one might think of the Government, our national debate appears to be lurching from one witch hunt to another. Migrants from Eastern and Central Europe, the young, the unemployed, the LGBT community, Muslims, all seem to make good scapegoats for politicians who offer very little in the way of solutions but seem quite good at sound bites. UKIP's problems with, basically, anyone unlike them are fairly predictable. If you're going to base ...
Parts of me were used today that don't normally get exercised! Lots of digging.
Recent events have shown us that. Like many other similar organisations including other political parties and trades unions and some charities we are good at telling others what should be done and then falling short ourselves. Partly this is due to the fact that money and resource available to tends to go straight to campaigns and partly because when you count a large number of volunteers as part of the party, it is harder to have a clear structure. Whatever. We haven't covered ourselves in glory despite the high quality of many of the individuals concerned. Employment law didn't do ...
Local Lib Dem councillors have welcomed Sefton Council's decision to help tackle litter and dog fouling on the streets of Churchtown, Crossens and Marshside. Sefton Council has approved new plans to help tackle litter and dog fouling on our streets and open spaces. Approval has been given by the Council's Cabinet to start a trial scheme where an outside contractor will be chosen to provide additional enforcement for littering and dog fouling. Under the scheme, Sefton Council will use an external contractor to undertake patrols across the borough and issue fixed-penalty-notices to anyone caught dropping litter or not picking up ...
I had to think long and hard about blogging about this, because clearly things have gotten really heated - not surprising really because it's a really serious issue. I wouldn't have blogged, because I don't think another talking head on this issue is particularly helpful, but I had dinner with Lorely Burt MP on Friday night, and her reaction to some of our questions was really interesting. As part of the LGA's 'Next Generation' programme, Lorely joined us for dinner on Friday night. I need to caveat everything, with the fact that she was ultimately a really nice person and ...
I have a green bin for garden waste, a bin with an orange lid for recycling, and a black bin for everything else. Oh and a private brown ex-office wastepaper bin for glass that I have to take to a bottle bank. It would be so helpful if the councils could all agree on same colours, for people who move or holiday in a different part of the country. Maybe they should say that by a certain date/year they will all be the same colours?
The Welsh Government must take its time over any reorganisation of local councils so as to ensure that they get it right. It is my view that an inquiry into how we can deliver public services better has been hijacked by the Commission's own obsession with drawing lines on maps. Ultimately, this should be about ensuring we get cost effective, efficient and accountable public services delivered at the right level. That means that the review should also be looking at the Welsh Government, its sponsored bodies and the health boards so as to drive out duplication and waste. I want ...
The BBC reports on the rather bizarre views of UKIP Councillor, David Silvester from Henley-on-Thames who has blamed the recent storms and heavy floods across Britain on the Government's decision to legalise gay marriage. In a letter to the Henley Standard Councillor Silvester wrote: "The scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its faith and acts contrary to the Gospel (and in naked breach of a coronation oath) will be beset by natural disasters such as storms, disease, pestilence and war." He added: "I wrote to David Cameron in April 2012 to warn him that disasters ...
Sun 19th
16:16
Ukip Has An Anti-LGBT Freedom Problem, And It Is Far Deeper Than Just Religious Belief.
Ukip want to be presented as the freedom-loving party. They try desperately to pretend, for it is not true, to be "libertarian". But when it comes to Ukippers themselves and how they deal with others personal lives, you truly come to see the "real" Ukip. And the real Ukip has a major issue with LGBT people and their freedom. Any reader of this blog will know I occasionally mention their odd candidates and their even odder views on homosexuality. There was Mike Mendoza who believed 1) gay people don't like football, 2) people who don't like football are more likely ...
[IMG: Greenway-011-web] The great majority of people in Kenilworth, when asked, are totally against the whole idea of HS2. They think it's not needed, will be a huge waste of taxpayers' money, and will do nothing for people in this area. However, unless you live on the Eastern side of Kenilworth, many residents may feel that it won't really affect them personally if ultimately our national politicians persist with this white elephant of a project. My message today is - IF YOU LOVE THE KENILWORTH GREENWAY, THEN YOU ARE AFFECTED PERSONALLY, AND YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! The ...
The situation with Lord Rennard is becoming more and more untenable for the Party and the Leadership and needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. The big problem for Nick Clegg and Tim Farron is that there is not enough evidence for the CPS to prosecute. Those that know me or read my blog regularly (when I wrote regularly!) is that I have the utmost respect for the Law and belief that wrong doers are prosecuted. I also stand by the maxim that you are Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a Jury of your ...
I am childless, entirely by choice, I might add, but in my role as evil stepfather and hapless uncle, I do have to. occasionally, give some thought to the next generation. But not as much thought as my younger, taller and generally more handsome younger brother, Kirk. He blogs too, and I like to, from time to time, read what he publishes. His life is different to mine in all sorts of ways, but he is a good father and an all around decent human being (is one allowed to say that about one's kid brother?). Recently, he has been ...
A few quotes from Alex Carlile's piece in the Mail on Sunday defending Chris Rennard: "This refusal is monstrous." "I regret to say the approach of the party has made the North Korean judicial system seem benign." "Anything done by Henry VIII's thugs to extract confessions from Anne Boleyn's courtiers [is] gentle [by comparison]." "[Chris Rennard has been subject to] treatment that Thomas Cromwell would have hesitated from using on behalf of Henry VIII." "It is time for all to calm down." Alex Carlile's may well boost the Mail's readership. It's hard to see how it benefits anyone else.
I've had a post in drafts for the last 3 days about the fallout from Alistair Webster's statement but my heart has been so heavy that it's only now I feel able to complete it. I have to thank Lord Carlile of Berriew for his help in that regard. His statements across various media have been so unnecessarily aggressive, rude, bullish and, frankly, unhelpful to anyone that he's helped clarify my thoughts. There is also an irony about the man who so strongly supported the introduction of secret courts complaining about secret justice in this matter. To be clear, he ...
It had seemed almost certain that this month's Deputy Leader contest – triggered by Simon Hughes's decision to resign the post to become Justice Minister in the Coalition – would be between Solihull MP Lorely Burt and Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle. However, there's an intriguing suggestion in today's Independent that Gordon MP Sir Malcolm Bruce (who's retiring from the Commons at the 2015 election) will also throw his hat into the ring: Lib Dem MPs are planning to vote next week in the party's deputy leadership election. Lorely Burt, the MP for Solihull, is being urged to use the contest ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... researchED2014 is GO – Tom Bennett – Blog – Tom Bennett – TES Community Tom Bennett blogs that @researched2013 (+1) is now go http://bit.ly/1dPTum2 bit.ly Insights from @benatipsosmori on "Why some councils perform better than others" http://bit.ly/1dPRyKj The Pact: coalition and the path to power | Progress | News and debate from the progressive community 1977-79 / 2010-15 parallels – well worth reading @stephenkb's "The Pact: coalition and the path to power" http://bit.ly/1dPP3Yn Alex Massie: Games Putin's playing – The Scotsman Alex Massie excellent on "why the games should never have been ...
Nobody's perfect. Think of something that you have done wrong which may not be worthy of a visit from the police but it has done some harm. Maybe it's dropping litter or pushed into a queue. Now think about how that action could be interpreted by others. Could it be that the litter you have dropped is seen as victimisation because your neighbour feels everyone drops litter in their garden? Could it be that one push into a queue deserves another and it is easy to see how this could escalate. Now think about possible 'banter' which could be interpreted ...
Someone on Facebook just commented in relation to the ongoing Rennard story "Day 204 in the Big Brother House" - never a truer word spoken in jest. An issue that could have been resolved years ago, quietly and behind closed doors, has turned into a soap opera/reality TV debacle. The Liberal Democrat stone has been turned and revealed to be more of a Pandora's Box. So now we have the slightly surreal spectacle of our undemocratically selected peers appealing to their democratic right to determine a matter which has serious implications for the whole party. I welcome the statement from ...
[IMG: Lib Dems winning here] Here's the full list of selection contests in the coming month available for Lib Dems on the approved parliamentary candidates' list, together with the closing date for applications. They include two of the seats high on the party's top target list, Oxford East and Camborne & Redruth. The following seats have selections in progress and are currently advertising for candidates: Oxford East, 20th January Bexhill and Battle, 24th January Hastings and Rye, 24th January North Somerset, 24th January Romsey & Southampton North, 24th January South Northamptonshire, 24th January Middlesbrough, 27th January Middlesbrough South & East ...
Friday To Canary Wharf - a visible reminder of how central coal once was to our economy. For it was here that the unfortunate birds bound for the mines were landed after their long voyage from the balmy Atlantic isles after which they were named. The warehouses have long since been converted into offices and it is here that the ALDE Congress is being held. I trust my opening address hits the right note: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome over 900 Liberals from across the EU and beyond here to Canary Wharf. The European Liberal family includes three ...
Courtesy of the Electoral Commision comes a reminder of the changes to electoral law coming into force for May's elections. Note in particular the second point, a welcome and sensible move to reduce postal vote fraud, which I remember pushing for when I used to be a member of the Electoral Commission's Political Parties Panel. the requirement for EROs to publish two interim election notices of alteration in addition to the final election notice of alteration the requirement to check 100% of absent vote identifiers provisions that mean that for the first time at any poll in England and Wales ...
There have been fresh announcements about limiting access to jobseekers benefits of non-English speakers – is Cameron just grandstanding in an attempt to outUKIP UKIP? One thing is for sure, this is not a policy which enables people. The plan is to stop printing Job Centre paperwork in foreign languages and stop providing translation services [...]
Despite the rain, yesterday was a good campaign day in Gateshead. We piled in to Low Fell and Chowdene wards, both just outside Blaydon constituency. I ended up delivering Focuses in the morning, did photos at lunchtime and door knocking in the afternoon. I appear however to have been excused from deliveries in Lobley Hill and Dunston Hill. The latest edition of Focus started being delivered
Sun 19th
10:30
Internal investigation into Lord (Chris) Rennard: new statement issued by Alistair Webster QC
On Wednesday, Alistair Webster, the QC appointed by the party to examine the evidence in the disciplinary case being considered against Lord (Chris) Rennard, released this statement explaining his investigation. A further statement has just been released today: "In view of the extensive comment which has followed my statement, and in view of some of the statements made by those directly concerned, I wish to make the following quite clear: "1. My report to the RPC has not been provided to any other party for one reason only: the Committee had unequivocal advice from independent solicitors that to publish it ...
Horace Rumpole, Mortimer's fictional Old Bailey hack got in trouble with his son's girlfriend for suggesting that allegations of rape had to be tested rather than simply accepted as true. It seems to me that many Liberal Democrats, from Nick Clegg downwards, have been guilty of the same lack of scrupulous attention to due process in the case of allegations against Chris Rennard. I suppose
Party President Tim Farron has taken to writing a monthly blog on the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners' website. It's for ALDC members only, but if you have even the slightest link to any election campaign this May, I'd strongly recommend that you join them. People who do what they say have more chance of winning. They have so many good campaigning resources that they really are invaluable. Back to Tim's blog. He talks about why councillors and community campaigners are so important: You have the track record of action, the record of success and the community knowledge ...
Leo Sayer has long been seen as the quintessence of naffness - that Kevin Keegan perm did not help - but for a few years in the mid 1970s he enjoyed enormous success on both sides of the Atlantic. I can still remember the impact this strange figure in full clown costume and make up had on me when I first saw him on Top of the Pops. If, as I suspect, it was the show on 3 January 1974, then that tape has been wiped. Nor can I find what other acts were on the show, but I like ...
Sun 19th
09:07
Christopher Hitchens and eating pork: a microcosm for the debate about religion and reason
The weirdest chapter of 'God is Not Great' illustrates a lot of the problems with the book as a whole. The third chapter of Christopher Hitchen's anti-religious screed 'God is not great' is entitled 'A short digression on the pig; or, why heaven hates ham.' It's devoted to dissecting the Jewish and Islamic prohibitions on [...]
Defence of marital coercion used by Vicky Pryce to be abolished | Law | theguardian.com Glad that normal duress will be unaffected... (tags: ) BBC News - Is our Sun falling silent? (tags: ) (TW) Judge in Rape Case Rules 'No' Means 'Yes' | I Acknowledge (tags: ) Ewan McGregor on theatrical nudity (tags: ) Early Doctor Who fan art by Peter Capaldi (tags: ) Boring Sewing Competition (hilarious reasons for it) (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
