Con seat. Disqualification. Prospective Candidate: Marion Bland
Thu 30th
21:13
The 50p tax rate. As Roy Walker used to say....it's a good answer........but it's wrong
Poor Ed Balls. His big new idea is an old one. And polling suggests a popular one, but it would be worth remembering it took place in the 2005 Lib Dem manifesto, it was popular then too but didn't win us the election. just for fun, can you guess who said this about the 50p tax rate? "will make the UK less attractive, wealth creation will slow down, and that will have negative consequences
Here is another film from the British Council Film Collection. I blogged about Western Isles and General Election a while ago. Country Town dates from 1943 and pains a picture of Boston in that year. It is striking how collectivist agriculture was during World War II and how unproblematic the commentary finds this. The producer Sydney Box and composer William Alwyn were both considerable figures in British films at the time, but I can find no record of Philip Robinson, who play the newspaper editor. The solution to this mystery may be that he really was a newspaper editor. The ...
The Commons today voted to accept Theresa May's new clause 18 for the Immigration Bill. It gives her the power to deprive a British citizen of their citizenship if she: "...is satisfied that the deprivation is conducive to the public good because the person, while having that citizenship status, has conducted him or herself in a manner which is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests
We are frequently told that if Labour came to power and Ed Balls became chancellor he would borrow and spend too much and bankrupt the country. Nonsense. The truth is that the chancellor, whoever he or she was, would have very little room for manoeuvre. So the correct charge is against Ed Balls in not that he would be profligate but that he is promising policies he knows he would not be able to deliver. Occasionally the truth seeps out from Labour. Back in March 2010, at the start of the general election campaign, Alistair Darling admitted that Labour's planned ...
Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, paid a visit to Hackbridge today to announce that Sutton Council had been successful in securing Government funding for a feasibility study into creating a local heat network. This funding is a fantastic boost for our plans to deliver sustainable and cheaper energy to local homes and [...]
A couple of media outlets have today excused shoplifting on the basis that self-service checkout tills are "faulty"; see this article in the Daily Mail for example. Dressing up shoplifting as some justifiable technophobic rebellion truly is a low point in the rather low-brow publishing history of everyone's least favourite paper. They don't really elaborate on "faulty" beyond people finding them difficult to use. Sure, sometimes they can be a little frustrating. But I use them at least once a day (I live next door to Sainsbury's) and I experience very few problems and when I do the staff are ...
Thu 30th
19:25
Nick Clegg is wrong to support the stripping of foreign-born terror suspects' citizenship
From the Guardian: Nick Clegg has signed up to a plan drawn up by Theresa May to strip foreign-born terror suspects of British citizenship - a move that would render them stateless - if they are judged to present a threat to national security. In a last-ditch bid to reduce a damaging Tory rebellion in the Commons on Thursday, the home secretary rushed out the plan, which was branded by Liberty as "irresponsible and unjust".Liberty is right, of course. And why is Nick going out of his way to aid David Cameron's doomed attempt to placate the fruitcakes and headbangers ...
Today I am in Ziniaré, a village that has abandoned female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C). While 76% of girls and women from 15 to 49 years old in Burkina Faso have undergone the practice, only 9% of Burkinabés, men and boys included, think it should continue. So, what is working here? Sometimes people see for themselves the terrible harm FGM/C can do. In Ziniaré I met Naba Siguiri, a customary chief who lost his 5 year-old daughter when her cutting went wrong. Siguiri has become an important voice in the fight to eradicate the practice in his village. But ...
Yesterday I blogged about Alan Massie's praise for Nick Clegg's political courage in entering a coalition with the Conservatives. By chance, David Cameron was required to show political courage today and, put to the test, he flunked it. He funked it. His backbenchers' amendment to stop foreign criminals using European human rights law to avoid deportation was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The home secretary told the House of Commons that. So what does Cameron do? Does he tell his backbenchers to vote to honour our treaty obligations? No, he tells them to abstain and lets it ...
Around two years ago I highlighted to the Cabinet member at Southwark Council that property adjacent to Burgess Park was up for sale. Key property that would really help improve the Southampton Way boundary and area. Cllr Barrie Hargrove was interested. I'm delighted that the council cabinet committee agreed this week to potentially seek Compulsory Purchase Orders to make this idea a reality. Burgess Park was conceived during WWII to make the area much more green and pleasant. Huge number of homes and many businesses to make this happen. Some were my family. So I'm keen that in my lifetime ...
Sometimes, the national interest is more important than the party interest. Doing the right thing is more important than doing the populist thing. I have long campaigned on Syria. I [...]
Southwark Council has a very large property estate. It regularly buys in surveys. Sometimes this can be really expensive with scaffolding installed to give safe external survey access or abseiling engineers. This is hugely expensive. Wouldn't it be useful to have a high definition camera up close so a surveyor doesn't need scaffolding and to get much quicker results. Such a system has been created and is being used - month drone. And talking to a survey supplier I've used professionally the system is already in use in the UK. I've suggested this method to the Cabinet Member for Housing ...
Tona Anzures: In an earlier post, Daniel Zeichner argued that we should regard scientists as more valuable than footballers for the UK economy. Here, Tona Anzures investigates more connections. He argues that science and football are both global games.
Nearly seven years ago, while I was writing Toward the Setting Sun - a look at the links and rivalry between Columbus, Cabot and Vespucci - I went to Palos de la Frontera, from where Columbus set sail in 1492. You can stand on the dockside, as he did, but the ocean is now completely out of sight. It is smallholdings, strawberry farms and scrubby farmland as far as the eye can see. In the far distance, on a clear day, you can just see the glimmering of the Guadalquivir estuary in the distance. It is a measure of just ...
When I read this morning about the last minute government amendment to remove UK citizenship from terrorists, I immediately thought of the UN Convention on Reduction of Statelessness 1961 under which the UK can remove citizenship on grounds that a person "conducted himself in a manner seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the State;". The UK took advantage of a provision in the
Daniel Zeichner: Bankers and footballers get paid vast sums and are allowed to move freely around the world. Scientists are vital to our future economy, so why do they seem to be treated so badly?
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles is always advising councils that they could save money by taking on board his 50 ways to save. Other groups, notably the Taxpayers Alliance, have produced even longer lists of ways that councils could save money. But this is a two way street. Councils can, and should, be doing all they can to reduce the amount they spend on administration and bureaucracy. Some of the ideas advocated by Mr Pickles and by the TPA are fairly straightforward. Others are much more controversial. It is for each council (and councillor) to decide which, if any, they ...
The amendment tabled by Dr. Phillip Lee reads: (1) The Secretary of State may by order provide that persons who apply for immigration permission must demonstrate that they are not
[IMG: Ed Davey meets Paul Burstow and Sutton Councillors at Heat network funding...] Today I visited Lib Dem controlled Sutton to announce £2 million of DECC funding for developing low carbon local heat networks. The money will go to 26 local authorities - including Sutton – to develop their own local projects. By 2030 around 14% of UK heat demand could be met by these networks and around 43% by 2050. While it is up to each local authority to develop their own projects, the idea is that networks source heat from a central source – for example landfill - ...
Dominic Raab's amendment to the immigration bill has been the subject of a parliamentary furore, but the attention on that has allowed another very worrying amendment to slip into the
Just been reading about the problems of yet another national political initiative for schools - this time free school meals for some. Nick Harvey warned that it would be unfair in the allocation of resources. Now the Independent reports it wasn't thought through before being announced. What is it about hands crudely grasping the levers of power before they are wrenched away by the next
Speaking on Call Clegg this morning, Nick Clegg said that he personally wan't in favour of changing the law to ban smoking in cars where children are present. The question came about as a consequence of a vote in the Lords last night. MPs will now be given a free vote on whether to incorporate it into the Children and Families Bill. Nick made it clear that he would be voting against: Of course it's a stupid thing to do to smoke when a child is in the back of a car but you don't always have to have a ...
In a report to the Children Services Cabinet Panel today, the Conservative run County Council admitted that it is operating a post code lottery in its allocation of apprenticeships. Of the 23 care leavers who have been offered apprenticeships by the County Council, none are based in the west of the county. "This is typical of a County Council based 30 miles away from the largest centre of population in the county" commented County Councillor Mark Watkin. "They have little appreciation of the needs of young people living in Watford or Dacorum and these statistics just demonstrate it. Its frankly ...
The agenda for the Environment Committee meeting on the 5th February has now been published online; 1. To receive apologies for absence and declaration of interest 2. To approve minutes of the previous meeting 3. Matters arising for discussion and decisions to be made from the previous minutes 4. Stream and Nature Reserve - Rob Mongovan to attend 5. Tree Management Programme Report 6. Litter - To make a decision on the date of the next Litter Picking Day 7. Works outstanding and approval 8. Items for information Comments or suggestions let me know.
New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office: You can also watch this on YouTube.
Independent seat. Resignation There is not a Liberal Democrat candidate
Labour seat. Resignation Prospective candidate: Kate Smith
A last-minute government amendment to the Immigration Bill which would give the Home Secretary the power to deprive terror suspects of British citizenship even if it would make them stateless has made all the headlines. Well, the cynic in me suggests that it neatly deflects attention from the abject failure of David Cameron to keep his right-wing backbenchers under control. So far he hasn't been able to stop Dominic Raab and Nigel Mills from tabling amendments which, if passed, would render the Bill illegal as far as the European Convention on Human Rights is concerned. He is unlikely to be ...
Labour are becoming notorious for dodgy online campaigning, and their latest effort on a "second tax cut for millionaires" just continues that trend. Labour are determinedly building up their digital
Our Headline of the Day Award goes to the Cambridge News - though isn't it usually written as 'teapot'? Thank you to everyone who makes nominations. This one came from @RutlandNed on Twitter.
Many people are content to see that rails are to be removed around the islands near the traffic lights in Forest Hill, near the station. This will allow people more room when they cross the road and avoid 'pinch points' . Notices are attached to the railings explaining why they are being removed.We are [...]
Hence my views for BBC's Daily Politics, featuring cockroach eating:* * Me talking about it rather than me doing it. Sorry.
Those who have visited me at home will know that between us, Andrew and I have a vast quantity of books. Much as it is often difficult to say goodbye to well-loved books, I have recently decided that that is one way of helping to clear up our house and streamline my life. The books...
In the past four days, we've seen two articles from journalists saying good things about the Liberal Democrats. On Sunday, Jane Merrick said that we could all stop worrying and learn to love the Lib Dems. Now, Allan Massie has written in the Scotsman that Liberal Democrats deserve praise, not censure. So, why? First of all, for simply putting the country's needs first. In politics, the Duke of Wellington did not match his achievements in war, but he held to one sound and important principle: the Queen's government must be carried on. This means that you must have an administration ...
Here's a blog from my visit to Burkina Faso – also available here. As a woman, a mother, a Member of Parliament and a government minister, I make my voice heard and take significant decisions every day of my life. But there are millions of women and girls around the world who don't have the luxury of having their voice heard or making choices about their futures. One of the clearest examples of women's lack of choice, voice and control is female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), on which I have launched the world's biggest programme as part of my ...
There's a really good project which is looking for funding at the moment. Remembering David Penhaligon is a project, hosted by the Cornish Audio Visual Archive, Cornish Story and the Institute of Cornish Studies at the University of Exeter, which aims to record the memories of friends and acquaintances of David Penhaligon - MP for Truro from 1974 to 1986. They aim to build a website which will host the recorded memories, audio or video, of interviews with those that wish to contribute to the project. Many of these interviews will come from his native Cornwall, whether from school friends ...
When I was an MP (nearly ten years ago now), my main line of communication to my constituents was via the very vibrant local Cornish press. I would issue a press release saying what I had done, with a quote from me, and a local journalist would then find a quote from someone else on the same issue and write a story around the two points of view. If I was lucky, the paper might just print the release unedited and unsupplemented with anyone else's response! Now things are quite different. Twitter is hugely important to MPs and candidates, and ...
I have always loved living in Haringey – an area that has such an abundance of independent shops and small businesses. As the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green constituency, I am proud to represent such an entrepreneurial and vibrant area. It's the traders themselves and customers that make the high streets - but in these tough economic times, the Government should step in too, to help out small businesses and retailers. So, I am very pleased that the Coalition Government has made significant changes, such as: Reducing the rates bill of small businesses, shops, and pubs by £1000 for ...
A report on the successes and failures in Britain's Europe policy, published today by British Influence shows that we have the power to shape the EU, if we wield it correctly. The report, by a cross-party panel of EU experts on which I served, shows that Britain has either achieved its objectives or is on track to achieve them in nine out of ten of the policy areas, but it makes clear that we will only be able to achieve more if we lead in a cooperative manner. There are parts of the EU which need to be reformed. There ...
LBC have just announced that it is to go national, and it was Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg who helped make the announcement! LBC will change its name once again,
Thanks to Laura Willoughby for introducing me to the London Sound Survey and their Harry Beck inspired map of London's waterways.
On Thursday evening we had a Full Council. Labour spelt out with an unintentional clarity their dystopian vision of society. The Tories, incidentally, said absolutely nothing all night. We had certainly not come for bout of extreme ya boo exchanges but clearly that was Labour's plan from the off. They were even petty about answering written questions I should start by saying that during the meeting we got the devastating news that our friend and colleague Robert Hamilton had been killed in Southport when he and his bike were hit by a car in Linker St. John Pugh paid tribute ...
Not long ago Labour supporters seemed very confident. Their lead in the polls pointed to a comfortable majority; the electoral system was loaded against the Conservatives; they (in their own minds) had won the argument on austerity. It was a good moment to move to the political left and drop the Blairite obsession with the political centre. But now Labour's poll ratings are sinking, and the Tories catching up. The 2015 election increasingly looks like a stalemate or worse for Labour. What can they do? And it is not difficult to see the source of Labour's problems: Britain's reviving economy, ...
Last evening I took part in a panel debate at King's College London on what political parties are offering young people in May's European elections. The event was part of KCL's Europe Society's European week, and attracted more than 50 students of diverse nationalities. UKIP had failed to nominate a spokesman, but the EPP (from [...]
On the prosecution of people who nick from bins FAO @jackofkent @pennyred & others (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
If you read this blog even occasionally you will probably know about my adoration for the Minions from Despicable Me. So I'm excited that they are going to get a film of their own. It's due to be released in Summer 2015. Pierre Coffin returns as director. Sandra Bullock and John Hamm star as Scarlet [...]
Take a squint at a lamppost and you'll often see a little sticker encouraging people to report any fault with it to the local council by ringing a phone number. It's a sensible idea. Get residents to report in problems, which saves council time on checking and speeds up repairs. But how has Haringey Council, the fourth most complained about council in the whole country gone about this? Haringey has gone for an 0500 number which is free from landlines but costs extra to call from a mobile phone. It can't count against your free minutes and doesn't even get ...
The original caption is misleading, as the photograph shows Dundee's Scouringburn, whose layout was incorporated into the new Hawkhill section of the city's inner ring road system in the 1970s, here seen leading westwards, Session Street to the right. Mrs J. McManus, the general dealer, is first listed at No. 13 Scouringburn in the Dundee Directory for 1888-89. The 1893-94 edition has John Finnigan as the owner of the public house at No. 15, the Celtic Bar. James P. Casey is described there as 'dealer in furniture, left-off clothing, antiquarian and general bookseller, and licensed broker'. Their advertisement says Mr ...
Earlier this week I urged the Welsh Labour government to introduce a young person's concessionary fare system as soon as possible. In a statement in the chamber on Tuesday, the Transport Minister announced that her department "is working with a number of bus operators to explore the potential to introduce a pilot young person's concessionary fare initiative." This follows a long running campaign by IR Cymru (Liberal Youth Wales) for Wales to introduce such a scheme. The Welsh Liberal Democrats strongly believe that public transport should be made as accessible as possible for young people. The fact is that the ...
Kirsty Williams used the recent depressing Estyn report to probe the First Minister in the week's first question time in the Assembly. The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader that after four years of "disappointing Estyn reports" pupils in Wales had still not seen the improvements that Welsh ministers "continually promise but don't deliver". She said ministers had argued that getting local education authorities to work together as regional consortia was key to driving up standards. "Yet, if you read the Estyn report today, they say that in more than half of local authorities that have been inspected that regional consortia are ...
The Western Mail reports on an initiative by the Electoral Reform Society designed to convince the Wales Labour Party of the benefits of introducing fair votes as part of any council reorganisation here. The ERS argue that the system of proportional representation used in Scottish local government elections has allowed Labour to win more seats there than it held in 1999, despite the rise of Alex Salmond's SNP: Making that case that it is in the interests of the party to abandon first-past-the-post, Steve Brooks, director of ERS Cymru said: "As the recent council and police elections show, Labour still ...
[IMG: 6162309761_6e59bfde6d_n] Vince Cable made a substantial speech to the Royal Economic Society at the beginning of this week. The speech is worth reading in full because it represents one of the most thorough, thoughtful and wide-ranging perspectives on the economy that you are likely to hear from a front bench politician. Vince very clearly differentiates his position from that of the Conservatives on a whole host of points. He also, in my view, provides a more balanced assessment of the nature of economic policy under Coalition than you are likely to get from any member of the Quad. Vince ...
