We reported on Wednesday that the Lib Dems had suspended Mike Hancock's party membership following the leaking of a report commissioned by Portsmouth City Council into allegations of sexual assault against the MP who is a also a councillor. Tonight Portsmouth Liberal Democrats have issued this statement: We have today been made aware that Liberal Democrat HQ has received a complaint about Mike Hancock and has, pending investigation of that report, suspended Mike Hancock's membership of the party. There is an ongoing civil court case on the issues raised in the complaints to Portsmouth City Council and to the Lib ...
Move along, there's nothing to see here, says Garda Commissioner - Crime & Law News from Ireland & Abroad | The Irish Times - Fri, Jan 24, 2014 I thought I was finished blogging for the day, when I came across this blistering piece of form from Miriam Lord in The Irish Times (above). In a post the other day I wrote about Ireland's problems being so endemic and culturally-embedded that it
This video show parts of the former Great Western mainline from Birmingham Snow Hill to Shrewsbury. It gives the modern viewer a feel for what the last years of steam, with their grubby, fading grandeur, must have been like. Today the trackbed from Snow Hill to Priestfield is used by the Midland Metro.
Over the New Year period many of us either leave London to visit relatives or stayed here in what feels like a deserted Ealing. We expect a reduced transport services at that time of year but hope for a better transport system in 2014. We saw the government reduce transport fares across the country but due to mistakes from the Mayor of London, residents in Ealing are paying higher fares than necessary. On top of this it is expected that the Mayor will close many of the ticket offices which will not help make Ealing a welcoming place for tourists ...
In May of last year Mike Hancock put down an early day motion in support of Portsmouth and Southampton's joint bid to be the UK City of Culture for 2017. He remained its only signatory. That motion ran as follows: That this House welcomes the decision by Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils to run a joint bid for the UK City of Culture for 2017; recognises the remarkable heritage and enormous contribution to international development given by both cities; acknowledges their wide ranging historical links as well as outstanding maritime traditions; notes that such individuals as Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan-Doyle, ...
"Running a car is expensive, buses are scarce, to put it mildly, but Rachel Reeves wants to place an obligation upon unemployed villagers to travel, potentially quite some way, to study." The View from Creeting St Peter on the nonsense of Labour's new proposals for the unemployed. Middle-sized is beautiful, says David Boyle on The Real Blog. OurKingdom investigates the GEO Group - the American private prison operator that runs Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre. Philip Larkin claimed that sexual intercourse was invented in 1963. Blake Backlash on Mostly Film looks at some British films released that year to see how ...
As the economy continues to push in the right direction, Labour are finding it harder to win the battle, but are still trying to ram home their "cost of living
Currently buses service the park and ride every half an hour, though sometimes the gap extends to fifty minutes. And it can take up to half-an-hour to get back from the town centre to the car park. Many visitors have been appalled by poor timetable, let alone the scrappy state of the buses, some of [...]
The Boy returned from Longleat this morning. I made the most of his day off by suggesting that we continue the sofa hunt. After a quick lunch, we spent the afternoon driving between furniture stores. I took photos of each of the sofas that we liked so that we could make a final decision tomorrow (we're visiting some furniture shops in Cornwall tomorrow). As you can probably tell, the Boy was slightly restless. I suppose furniture shopping isn't the most exciting of activities. At the moment we're torn between this sofa in brown from Next Home, and another at a ...
Please note that the second paragraph of this article contains some graphic details of the procedure of FGM which some people might find distressing. I'm very glad to see Liberal Democrats at the forefront of the drive to rid this country and the world of female genital mutilation (FGM), one of the most horrible expressions of male power over the female. The debate about it, around the world, as well as in this country, is often blurred by comparisons with male circumcision, which many people also campaign against actively (and in my view rightly). When the topic of FGM comes ...
Stockport yet again leading the way in the UK – the first independent Apprenticeship Store has opened at Stockport Exchange (formerly called Grand Central) – and it's well worth a visit for anyone interested in taking up an apprenticeship, or just getting some career advice and help. The store allows people to register on the National Apprenticeship Service vacancy online website, find information and advice about Apprenticeships, view hundreds of current Apprenticeship vacancies with national and local employers, apply for an Apprenticeship vacancy, compile a CV, receive assistance with interview techniques and gain an insight from current Apprenticeship Ambassadors on ...
Full marks to the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee (@CommonsCLG on twitter) for their recent example of how to use social media to engage a wider audience in the work of our democratic institutions. The committee had one of their regular sessions with secretary of state Eric Pickles and, presumably with his agreement, they asked the twittersphere for questions they could put to him. So far, so good. But, as well as reminding people about the upcoming session (and reminding them again after the original date was postponed because Mr Pickles was ill), the committee went ...
One of the areas I cover in my Executive role on the Council is culture and heritage, so I was very pleased to go to Staircase House where the staff received a Sandford Award for Excellence from the Heritage Educational Trust. Gareth Fitzpatrick MBE, presenting the award, singled out Stockport as the leading borough in the country for excellence in heritage education – a real boost for all the staff working across our cultural sites including Staircase House, the Air Raid Shelters, the Hatworks and Bramall Hall. More details here.
There are an estimated 279 million Pentecostal Christians around the globe. That means that if we took the combined flocks of Anglicanism, Sikhism, Judaism, Lutheranism and Methodism, they would still be outnumbered by Pentecostals. Pentecostals now amount to a tenth of all the Christians in the world and four percent of the world's population. [...]
Germany's central bank backed move to burn bondholders - Irish Economy News & Headlines | The Irish Times - Fri, Jan 24, 2014 A popular narrative has existed in many of the eurozone countries hardest-hit by the Great Recession that says the suffering of the people of [insert choice of Ireland/Greece/Spain/Cyprus/Portugal/Italy] has been orchestrated to save ze Germans from losing their geld.
The Portsmouth Lib Dems have been under a growing amount of pressure over the investigation into former MP and councillor Mike Hancock, so much so that they are not talking
A number of residents have contacted me about alarming media reports suggesting Chorlton is the burglary hotspot of the UK. Residents often tell me that burglary is a major concern to them. This is a crime that always comes up in meetings with the local Police and I know it has been one of their local priority for a number of years. However crime statistics show overall crime is down in Chorlton including burglary. The figures that have been reported are a massive distortion of the truth because they only reflect the number of insurance claims for burglary. Chorlton is ...
Network Rail have submitted notices to carry out works on the double railway bridges over Westerleigh Road, as you enter the village from Yate. The works are in 3 stages and will involve the use of two way temporary traffic lights. The dates are 30th January until 8th February, 17th February until 26th February and 5th March until 7th March 2014. Hopefully we will not have the problems we had last time as the road will not be closed.
I attended the Open forum meeting of a series of hearings this week to do with the Woodside Connection, a proposed new road to link Woodside Industrial estate, Houghton Regis, to a point close to the to-be-constructed M1 junction 11a. Most of the people commenting today represented themselves as residents, and by and large all focussed their concerns about the "optional" Parkside Drive link. I spoke after most of the others had, and kept to a personal viewpoint. I said that I had moved to the area in 2006, and had considered moving to the Houghton Park estate but as ...
Tomorrow (25 January 2014): Keepfitathon. Take part in a sponsored keep fit challenge along Sandgate seafront and help raise money for the Community Spirit project. If you don't have time to raise sponsorship, just turn up anyway and join in! Times: 10.30 - 11.30; meet at the Sir John Moore Memorial on Sandgate Esplanade. Sunday (26 January 2014): Sandgate Beach Clean - beach cleaning for The Marine Conservation Society. Times: 10am - 12noon. Meet at back of The Ship at 10am or arrive at 9.30 at the Rowing Club for tea/coffee before the clean starts. Saturday 2nd February: Farmers' Market ...
Fri 24th
14:21
LibLink: Vince Cable: Baroness Shirley Williams, the Lib Dem peer who defined British public life
Over at the New Statesman, Vince Cable has been reviewing Mark Peel's new biography of Shirley Williams. He starts off by expressing annoyance at the conclusion – and quite rightly, too, given her major contribution to national and international life over 6 decades: She is, of course, approachable, informal, engaging and whatever else "nice" means. But "niceness" is also a dismissive put down, as in William Hague's comment in an Oxford Union debate (quoted as the punchline of the introduction): "In politics, Mrs Williams, it isn't enough to be nice." And it misses the essential point, that she is an ...
Signs left by the protestors. Last night I made a semi conscious decision that I would go home and spend the evening with my wife and watch comedy on E4 than go to the full Council meeting. It had been a long day at work and I was pretty hacked off and just wanted to go home but follow Ed Jenning's twitter commentary. It appears I made a massive mistake! There are a few issues in the Medway towns that are getting up people's noses and they are pretty passionate about. One is the on going issue of the expansion ...
In Ros's new role as Chair of the House of Lords European Union Committee's Sub-Committee D, she plays a key role in the scrutiny of proposals coming from the European Commission, and on 30 July, she contributed to the debate on the report of the Committee's work in the past year which took place on 30 July... Baroness Scott of Needham Market: My Lords, I will speak on the work of Sub-Committee D which, for the uninitiated, deals with agriculture, fisheries, environment and energy. I have had the honour to chair it since the start of this Session in May, ...
Driving through the New Forest The ponies run freeNew Forest skies fill their eyesEars to the wild sea The Horse (Rhiannon's Dream) After all these yearsLying down my headBed of stonesFlesh of clayAnd all around a forest growsTrees of dreamsLeaves of wind And in the rushing airI thought I heard you smileFor meLove, like the angel's flaming hairAnd silver horses running freeThe dove before the stormWaiting for me And I will stay here A horse carved out of my bones For you Until love is returned to meLike silver horses running freeI'll carry this stormWaiting for you After all these ...
The Lobbying Bill returned to the commons and the following lords amendments were agreed: Increasing the spending limits in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the levels originally set out in the Bill, giving an uplift of £20,000 to each nation. . Removing all burdens from low-spending participants in a campaigning coalition by allowing larger campaigners to provide a single report on
Vince Cable allies pleased Governor Carney reportedly wants Help to Buy maximum loan reduced from £600,000 to £350,000. Vince Vindication. — Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) January 24, 2014
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... The social divide of access to higher education: my take on what universities need to get better at. (Hint: EVIDENCE) | Stephen Tall Me on what universities shd do on widening participation (if they're serious about social mobility) http://bit.ly/1jIAJTY | #casedebate14 Ed's 100-year-old recipe won't work today | The Times Excellent from @PCollinsTimes on Mili's Rooseveltism > Ed's 100-year-old recipe won't work today http://thetim.es/1jIilui
The Long Quest for an International Order with Chinese Characteristics: A Cultural Perspective on Modern China's Foreign Policies Connolly 2013 Pacific Focus Wiley Online Library I hadn't realised that an article I co-wrote with a former colleague of mine, Joern-Carstern Gottwald, has been published in Pacific Focus. I think it is currently free to read, so click on the link above if it is
When the Liberal Democrats say we're the party of 'In', it's not because we worship symbolically at the altar of EU institutions. It's because being In Europe is vital to achieve real policy goals, of which the most immediately important is jobs in Britain. This is the clear message coming from major employers, like Ford, Nissan, Siemens and BAE Systems, which have all warned against pulling Britain out of Europe. According to a recent YouGov poll 6% of British companies said they would go out of business if we left the EU. This translates into almost 10,000 firms closing and ...
Here's my latest Ham and High column – also available on Lib Dem Voice. There are so many perks of living in Haringey - vibrant high streets, good transport links, wonderful parks and views - to name but a few! But on the downside, our bin collections, roads and other public services are notoriously bad. Haringey Council - which is run by Labour - has been rated the worst in London. Week in, week out, Haringey Labour seem to lurch from one crisis to another. They failed to meet their own targets for making our local roads safe, and allowed ...
International Development minister Lynne Featherstone writes a monthly column for one of her local newspapers. Here is the latest one..... There are so many perks of living in Haringey - vibrant high streets, good transport links, wonderful parks and views - to name but a few! But on the downside, our bin collections, roads and other public services are notoriously bad. Haringey Council - which is run by Labour - has been rated the worst in London. Week in, week out, Haringey Labour seem to lurch from one crisis to another. They failed to meet their own targets for making ...
Fri 24th
11:30
The social divide of access to higher education: my take on what universities need to get better at....
I took part in the first 'Directors Debate' yesterday – on the real value and true price of scholarships in higher education - organised by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education at Senate House in London yesterday. We had 5 minutes, and below is what I had to say in my slot. If you don't want to read it all, here's the skinny version: Financial aid for students is undoubtedly a good thing. However, the evidence is clear that scholarships and bursaries do very little to address the biggest issue I think faces higher education: how can you ...
It's been an funny few hours for David Cameron at the World Economic Forum. A chance encounter with the political Prince of Darkness clearly had an effect on the PM...
The Long Room at the Oval in London may normally be the scene for the relating of cricketing yarns, but last night it hosted a fundraising dinner for the London Liberal Democrats' European elections campaign, at which Vince Cable was the keynote speaker. For a long time Vince was known as one of the least [...]
This Monday (27th Jan) will mark the 14th Holocaust Memorial day that has taken place in Britain. On this solemn day I think it's fitting that we all take some [...]
Fri 24th
10:45The Independent View: Vince Cable should make sure all companies are bound by new transparency law
Consider this question - what is the difference between a T-shirt from Tesco and one from TopShop? Lib Dems will undoubtedly have their own style preferences. But for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Minister Vince Cable there's an important distinction. Cable is seeking to weaken proposed EU rules that would require companies to report annually on risks their operations pose to communities and the natural world, such as accidents, pollution and human rights. The new non-financial reporting directive could be a game-changer on a path towards more sustainable production. It should ensure that a firm like Tesco, as a large ...
The comments of Anonymous (on the previous post): "It's not skills they lack" Disagree - given the constant chorus of complaint from employers about people with inadequate literacy and numeracy skills for starters. Far fewer jobs for unskilled people than when Keynes was doing his stuff. If I recall correctly he favoured paying people to dig holes and fill them up again - how soul-destroying to be doing something with no purpose. There's a load of stuff which NEEDS doing but needs people with appropriate skills to do it! deserve a full post in response rather than a brief reply. ...
The Cowdenbeath by-election result is in. From The Courier: Alex Rowley (Lab) 11,192 (share 55.79%, +9.33%) Natalie McGarry (SNP) 5,704 (28.43%, -13.17%) Dave Dempsey (C) 1,893 (9.44%, +2.45%) Denise Baykal (UKIP) 610 (3.04%) Jade Holden (LD) 425 (2.12%, -1.77%) Stuart Graham (Victims) 187 (0.93%) James Trolland (SDA) 51 (0.25%) In a result that should surprise nobody, Labour scores a big win in its heartland on a pretty low turnout of 34%. We lost our deposit, which was also, to be honest, eminently predictable. Cowdenbeath is not what you would call the most fertile Liberal Democrat territory at even the best ...
The news emerged yesterday that the successful publisher Quercus is now up for sale because, according to co-founder Mark Smith, "the publishing industry seems to be polarising around very big and very small companies. It's difficult for companies of our size." The immediate cause of all this is the anti-competitive thumbs up to ridiculous mega-mergers, like Penguin Random House. And of course to the disappearance of most of the middle-sized bookshops. I don't think, when we launched the Clone Town Britain campaign ten years ago, that we expected the great clear out of middle-sized retail chains. Nobody really predicted the ...
Yes, the Tories have them too. Here is Alex Wickham writing in the new Spectator: As I walked out of the bar, I noticed a Conservative MP following me. It had been an evening for young political activists, mostly teenage boys, and it was drawing to an end. I pretended to be engrossed in my phone, but the MP - well-liked, universally respected - lurched towards me, placing his arm around my waist and leaning in close. I could smell the whisky and cigars on his breath.'I'm just going to the toilet,' he slurred, winking and gesturing at the gents. ...
I blogged a while ago about a proposal to expand Gilmour Infants and Gilmour Junior Schools both in L19. There was a consultation, involving parents, teachers, community members and so on. As a governor of the infants I sent in comments myself. The decision is due to be taken by the Council's cabinet on 7th February. A bit nearer the time there'll be a report and paperwork for the meeting which will be on line. The latest outline details however have just been published and you can see them at this link. I'll post the link to the Cabinet materials ...
The Independent features a video The Apprentice star Nick Hewer sharing his top five pet office hates in what they describe as a typical no nonsense style. For the record the top ten are: 1. Social Notworking - messing around on Facebook and Twitter to avoid doing work - 26% 2. Déjà Brew - offering to make someone a cup of tea when you know for a fact they've just had one in the hope they will decline- 21% 3. Blue sky drinking - an unlimited free bar at a work party -18% 4. Drainstorm - a poorly organised workshop, ...
Fri 24th
08:22
And in local news... Nottingham City Council uses public money to make a political statement
For a third year in a row Nottingham City Council has used public money to make a political statement about the cuts in the local government settlement – the amount councils get from Government to fund their services. It's incredible that they can get away with this. The first poster makes a comparison of the [...]
Earlier this week I asked the Minister for Finance to consider allowing local authorities to replicate measures in England that enables councils to access additional capital funds for regeneration projects. A number of English cities can currently anticipate income from additional business rates that might be generated by a regeneration project in the future and use that to borrow money so as to enable that project to go ahead. This is not happening in Wales despite being highlighted by a committee report over 18 months ago. In England, local authorities can keep their business rates to innovate and regenerate, but ...
What with the paper being up for sale, the Independent will be pleased to win today's Headline of the Day Award.
[IMG: 1918 - A Very British Victory by Peter Hart] Peter Hart's book is a fascinating account of the last year of fighting on the Western Front, even though in the end he leaves a big question unanswered. Hart is one of the historians believing what is now very much the mainstream view, namely that by 1918 the British Army (including the soldiers from around the empire, especially Australia and Canada) was a very effective fighting machine, skilfully-led, with smart new tactics and the latest technology. The balance of military power at the time meant that even such an impressive ...
The current service provided by R&B Travel will end on Saturday 25 January. At the very last minute, Shropshire Council has announced a limited replacement bus service from next Monday. Our bus timetable leaflet. This temporary service will be operated by Minsterley Motors. It will be a low floor bus but it will run just [...]
Tay Square is the present-day location of The Rep theatre. It stands to the west of South Tay Street, which runs north from Nethergate to the junction with Overgate to the east and West Port to the west. It is impossible to date this photograph by Alexander Wilson as not only are there no visible names, but there was very little change of ownership over a considerable time span anyway. No 9. (the house behind the central tree!) was home to James H. Laing. No. 10 belonged to David Ogilvy, tailor, and No. 11 is listed in the Dundee Directory ...
My piece on the IRA's, in the guise of Seamus Costello, approach to the Mao Zedong's China in 1964 was picked up by Clifford Coonan of The Irish Times, with whom I had an email exchange to expand on some issues before he wrote the piece. I've just been made aware, however, that The Times also picked up (£) on the story, in what is a pretty garbled and incoherent account, complete with
So here we are. UKIP are four months away from having potentially several councillors on Southend Council. 410 votes in West Leigh was a staggering result but the thing that is worth noting is that people on the doorstep weren't canvassing as UKIP at all. The UKIP vote is silent but it is there. The disenfranchised vote is loud and unless the three main parties address this quickly then it will be carnage come May in local elections, although I still think in the General Election things will be slightly different. In Southend, UKIP and the Independent's are either in ...
Losing an election by 55 votes is never ideal but when you consider the last time this seat was up for election we lost by 500 odd then you can see that progress is being made. The Tories held West Leigh yesterday on a 26% turnout with 743 votes with the Lib Dems get 688. However the big story wasn't who won and who came second place but who came third. I shall deal with that is a separate blog post. I want to say a big well done to the Lib Dem team in West Leigh, who put up ...
The Neighbourhood and Home Watch movement is one of the largest voluntary crime prevention initiatives across the country. Groups typically operate in a variety of communities to help bring neighbours together who want to look out for each other, creating strong, friendly, active communities where crime and antisocial behaviour is less likely to happen. In order to evaluate Neighbourhood and Home Watch groups across England and Wales, the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHWN) invite you to participate in our national survey to help us assess the perceived impact and effectiveness of the movement. To take part, please select the ...
[IMG: 4635240754_eb76ddc5e5_m] I was intending to discuss Iain Duncan Smith's speech today at the Centre for Social Justice. I really was. But I just can't. I've read the text of the speech and watched some of the VT. But I'm not quite sure what to say. The characteristic missionary zeal is there. But now it comes with an extra dollop of hubris. Quite incredibly IDS likens his callous welfare changes to the campaign to abolish slavery. We have a fine smattering of slogans and soundbites. There are some extraordinarily sweeping claims about the attitudes, lifestyles and behaviours of those who ...
