What with the weather and the floods, we could all do with something to cheer us up. And what could be funnier than a man dressed as a nun at the controls of a motorised piano? This is Musical Ruth, whom I saw at Market Harborough's Arts Fresco in 2009.
BBC News wins our Headline of the Day Award. The judges remarked that Sheryll Murray, the Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, has an odd sense of priorities when the weather is causing such problems in her constituency.
I've no doubt you've got used to my overly dramatic style of headlines on certain articles. But in this case I really don't think I'm going over the top. In a joint initiative with O2, Stonewall has decided to seek to shame, berate and, I kid you not, criminalise the sexuality of young gay people (I say gay rather than LGBT because we are talking about S'onewall here). They've released a document entitled "Staying Safe Online" which is really a deeply conservative and sex negative piece of corporate "advice" to parents and teachers on how to control teenager's sexuality. Ruth ...
I'm a Nick Clegg guy. It isn't anything new and a big revelation but I am. I think he is the most intelligent of the party leaders. I think he is the best speaker of the four main party leaders and when you look solely at what he says then it makes the most sense. His biggest problem at the start of this parliament was clearly he was outmaneuvered by the Conservatives and showed a distinct lack of political nous. Also despite putting up good overall numbers, he actually oversaw his party losing seats in the House of Commons, spreading ...
Victorian Britain was associated with gunboat diplomacy and there are still some people in this country who think of power in terms of military might. But since the Second World War, Britain's "soft power" has been more in evidence, not least through the work of the British Council and the BBC World Service. The Council's [...]
[IMG: payday london] Much attention has recently been given to the growth of payday lending and with very good reason. In the first quarter of 2009/10, across the UK, just 1% of Citizens Advice Bureau debt casework clients had at least one payday loan. But by the same quarter of 2012/13 the figures show 10% of their debt casework had at least one payday loan. Similarly, in November 2012 the debt charity StepChange reported that the proportion of their clients with payday loans had soared, from 3.7% in 2009, to 17% in 2012. This growth in incredibly expensive debt is ...
This is a talk about planning, potholes and democracy in the St Albans district: http://t.co/UW8jT1l7cd
As part of LGBT History Month, Unison Northern Ireland is showing a film, We Were Here by David Weissman, which is a deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis. I am sure that some...
[IMG: Lords Twitter] It's not too well known outside the House, but there are three UKIP-affiliated Peers sitting in the Lords. And interestingly, despite being members of a party that shouts the loudest about immigration, not one of them turned up to yesterday's Immigration Bill second reading debate. Read into that what you will. But what about the excellent speeches that Liberal Democrats Peers gave? You can read a summary of my speech below (finding the full version, here – and the Parliament TV link at 19:27, here). I also urge you to follow my colleagues' activities on TheyWorkForYou, via ...
This is part of a weekly series of posts to highlight key templates from our template File Library. This can be accessed by clicking on Members icon on the top bar, once you've logged into the website. This gives you four options 1. Advice 2. File Library 3. My councillor 4. Manage Membership Select File [...]
The rule of thirds is a handy rule of thumb you can use to improve the composition of your photographs and the design of your Focus leaflets. It's so simple, and if you haven't come across it before than learning about it and following it will really boost the quality of your pictures and artwork [...]
I have had a busy start to the year promoting apprenticeships and meeting with businesses; I thought I would share some of my findings with Lib Dem Voice. I've been on some fantastic visits over the past month or two, seeing some truly inspirational outfits offering apprenticeships. In December I visited Gloucestershire Engineering Training centre in Steve Webb's constituency. The GET provides training in mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering disciplines. I met 88 first year apprentices, including Lib Dem member Eva Fielding, one of three female engineers on the programme. The MD communicated her primary concerns; namely costings and encouraging ...
Today is to be yet another marathon session as we debate more amendments to the Welsh Government's Social Services and Well-Being bill. Last week we managed to get through 28 groups of amendments in five hours. Today we have another 28 groups of amendments and expect to be here until 8.30pm or later. All of that is fine of course. These are important matters and they deserve effective scrutiny. Where today differs of course is that we will finally be voting on what has become known as the smacking amendment. For once the Western Mail has characterised this debate accurately ...
Note from the county council NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using that length of Grosvenor Road, St Albans from its junction with the A1081 London Road/Orient Close roundabout north eastwards and north westwards for a distance of approximately 100 metres, except for access. The purpose of the Order is to enable a crane to be positioned in the highway to remove and replace existing air conditioning units on the roof of No.45 Grosvenor Road. The section of ...
There are few who'd say that the A14 doesn't need improving, it's one of the most congested roads in the country and hardly a day goes past without an accident on the Girton to Huntingdon stretch, the big questions are how and what else needs to be done. The Highways Agency has been 'consulting' and has just reported on the results of this consultation. Click here to go to the Highways Agency's web-site and the pages about the A14. Unfortunately when it was running the consultation tolling of the new A14 along the Huntingdon southern bypass was a given and ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has called for minimum nursing staff levels to be enforced by law. The Western Mail reports that "while Wales has 10.5 patients per nurse, Scotland has 8.8, England 8.5 and Northern Ireland 7.2. Wales' proportion of nurses as a percentage of staff also trails behind, with 56% compared to England's 59%, Scotland's 60% and Northern Ireland's 66%. The proposed legislation would require the government to set a minimum staffing level for nurses, similar to laws introduced in California and in two Australian states - which Ms Williams said had reduced mortality levels. "The levels ...
Liberal Democrat county councillors were baffled to learn that the county council is turning its back on potentially lower costs from contractors for some of its work. Member of a recent scrutiny of loosening the rules for 20 mph zones, were shocked to see how expensive some of the measures to reduce speeds are. After the scrutiny committee recommended the costs were looked at to try to reduce them, the answer came back -they are fixed in the highways contracts so will not be reviewed. Malcolm Cowan, LibDem vice-chair of the scrutiny committee said: 'Everyone was shocked at the prices, ...
Just to whet your appetites a little. The book is still being edited, and there may be rewrites ahead, so these may not all be in the final book, but here are ten sentences chosen at random... These Mal'akhim are spoken of throughout Araby in dark whispers and legends, and are capable of taking the [...]
[IMG: police] Following a Freedom of Information request the BBC has obtained figures for the amounts spent on policing political party conferences. It seems that over the last five years the Home Office has provided £106 million in special grants to fund the police presence at one-off events such as major protests or the Royal wedding. £50 million of that has gone on party conferences. Some commentators have suggested that since music festivals and football clubs have to pay for policing their events, so political parties should do the same. The other parties have defended the current practice: A Conservative ...
Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Tina Donnelly, Director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, have joined forces in a press conference today calling for Wales to become the first country in the UK to establish a legal duty for safe nurse staffing levels in hospital wards. In December, Kirsty Williams AM was successful in the National Assembly's ballot to introduce backbench legislation. Her proposed bill calls for minimum nursing levels to be enshrined in law. Assembly Members will vote on the proposed bill on the 5th March. If the vote passes, then the proposed ...
Commenting following Estyn's Report that the standards of education in Ceredigion have been classed as 'excellent', Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams said: 'I was pleased to receive Estyn's Report which shows the standards of education in Ceredigion are excellent. This comes as no surprise to me both as a parent, and as someone who is privileged enough to often visit Ceredigion's schools. 'All those in the school community – staff, children, Governors and the LEA – should be commended for their proud record.'
Tue 11th
13:20
Must-read analysis from Peter Kellner on where the 5 million missing 2010 Lib Dem voters have gone
A fascinating piece of polling research from YouGov's Peter Kellner in today's Guardian, looking at how votes have churned since the 2010 general election. My working assumption looking at the headline poll ratings has been that there's been relatively little movement between Labour and the Conservatives, with most of the movement from the Lib Dems to Labour and from the Tories to Ukip. YouGov's research shows how simplistic that assumption about votes lost/gained in the last four years is: [IMG: vote churn peter kellner - feb 2014] Three quick points drawn from this table: What immediately jumps out is how ...
The potted candidate biographies which appear in election leaflets these days are so dull compared to this gem from 1945, which I found in The British General Election of 1945: [IMG: A tiger. Photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1414463 - some rights reserved] His most thrilling weekend was when he shot and killed a tiger which had for months killed the coolies' cattle; a few hours later he was in an earthquake which damaged his bungalow, and a few hours later still a coolie was murdered within a hundred yards of his bungalow. On another occasion he shot four python snakes, the ...
What is our society going to do about underachievement by males? It is well documented at school level that girls overall significantly outperform boys. This is now repeated at University level. In non-science subjects admissions are large majority female. In nearly all subject areas females outperform males on average by up to 10% (more exaggerated in arts and social sciences). There is the same pattern in graduate jobs. If you look at the professions: medicine, dentistry, vets, law, the new intake is heavily female dominated. New members of barristers' chambers, solicitors' firms and accountancy practices are usually overwhelmingly female. Look ...
This is a video I produced yesterday for a family now living in France Their story has been reported in the Sunday Telegraph and last appeared on Sunday in Christopher Booker's column.
The Guide Hut on Ambergate Road, L19, is hosting an event this week which brings together a group of women running local businesses. The Let Yourself Glow evening is on Wednesday 12th Feb and runs from 6 30 to 8 30. It's a mixture of health advice, free massages, travel advice and hair consultations. It's a free event. The Guide Hut is at the end of Ambergate Road ( if you live locally you'll also know it as a polling station in the elections)
[IMG: nick clegg pointing] This is the text of Nick Clegg's speech at Mansion House yesterday evening: A lot has happened since I spoke here last February. At that time, critics of the government's economic strategy were still clamouring for a Plan B. Around the country you could feel a growing restlessness as people wondered when, if, things would get better. And, in government, we just had to hold our nerve. Today, a year later, it's clear that was the right decision. Growth is back, unemployment down, 1.6 million jobs created in the private sector, the deficit reduced by a ...
Star Trek's 'Parallel Lives' and The Awesome Women In The Mirror | Geek Feminism Blog (tags: ) Feminist infighting, and the power to disagree (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I was bawled at by a guard at Clapham Junction yesterday morning. I had held the doors open to let an old gentleman on. Shocking disregard of safety regulations and public money. But then, I'm a Liberal. And before you dismiss this example as too silly for contemplation, can I give you a couple more? Imagine a single mother confides in you that she's being beaten by her partner and begs you to say nothing; what do you do? Tell social services? Or do you at least consider the case for not doing so - local authority targets for taking ...
From a speech given on Monday: [IMG: Nick Clegg. Photo: Dave Radcliffe. Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats In the Autumn Statement we set out a plan to get debt falling as a proportion of GDP by 2016/17 and to get the current structural deficit in balance a year later. That is the right timescale and the one to which the Liberal Democrats remain absolutely committed. If I am in government again, this is the plan I want us to stick to. Ed Balls has now confirmed that Labour think they can put all this off until the end ...
[IMG: Lynne featherstone by paul walter] [IMG: Norman Baker] There has been a consistent thread running through Nick Clegg's most recent government reshuffles: get good campaigners into posts where they can run successful high profile campaigns, implementing liberal policies and winning Liberal Democrat votes. Put like that, it sounds uncontroversial, but when it has involved the departure of Jeremy Browne from government and swapping out from posts in the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, it has been rather more controversial. Which is why last week was significant. Two key parts of the plan were getting Lynne Featherstone in at ...
This is a reminder that I welcome guest posts on Liberal England. So far 33 have appeared. And as you can see from the list of the 10 most recent guest posts below, I am happy to consider a wide range of subjects. If you would like to write a guest post for Liberal England yourself, please send me an email so we can discuss your idea. How Liberal Democrats can help fight for privacy rights in Europe - Peter BradwellPolitical defections: Storms of protest or signs of political climate change? - Alan Wyburn-PowellTransition Town Market Harborough - Darren WoodiwissBullying ...
Firms like Shell can and should collaborate with taxpayer-funded researchers. But no single organisation should be granted privileged access to the processes by which priorities for public research funding are set, argues Kieron Flanagan Kieron Flanagan
As the Economist explains: SOCHI, a subtropical resort on the Black Sea coast, seems an odd place to stage the winter Olympics. It is the warmest place in Russia, where people go to escape winter. The weather forecast for the coast where the opening ceremony will be held on February 7th is 10-12°C (50-54°F). The [...]
For several months now Slate has been publishing a column called 'if it happened there.' It writes about events within the US in the way the American media reports on other countries. So it covers Michael Bloomberg's rule in New York City like this: Under his control, the city has grown wealthier, safer, and healthier [...]
