I often say in speeches that to my mind the European Union has three major achievements to its credit: (1) ensuring that France and Germany — and by extension the rest of Western Europe — would never go to war again, (2) the re-incorporation of formerly Communist states of central and eastern Europe into the [...]
The Secret of the Gorge, published in 1958, is the 11th of Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine series. It is a topical book, in that it involves the demolition of a large country house (enormous numbers of them were lost during the 1950s), though the plot has been largely borrowed from The Nine Tailors by Saville's friend Dorothy L. Sayers. The Secret of the Gorge begins with a stranger getting off the bus in the village of Bringewood Chase. This is a fictionalised version of Leintwardine, which is just over the Herefordshire border from Saville's favourite Shropshire. First, the stranger looks ...
Thanks to a reader for nominating the Ipswich Star for our Headline of the Day Award. And, yes, the Star does have a photograph.
This may be quite a controversial perspective on the situation in the Ukraine. There is one thing I read the other day that has made me consider a different perspective. On the 23rd February, only days after the former Ukrainian president Yanukovych fled the capitol the Ukrainian Parliament voted to repeal a law passed in 2012 that allowed the use of "regional languages" - including Russian, Romainian, Hungarian, and Tatar - see The International Business Times . Now that seems a bit odd - why would this be the first thing the new government sought to do. Faced with a ...
Adam Taylor on Business Insider explains why Ukraine isn't 'The Ukraine' - and why it matters. Charles West has a set of proposals for the NHS that would "render redundant a large number of national quangos and return at least some measure of local democratic control over the delivery of health services". "Were I a banker seeking to distract the public from my troughing for bonuses, I could hope for no better foil than a university vice-chancellor. Indeed, the two groups share behavioural tics." In the Guardian, Aditya Chakrabortty says university bosses are lining their pockets like never before. A ...
Tue 4th
20:05
Ros in the Lords: Social Security (Maternity Allowance) (Participating Wife or Civil Partner of Self...
Occasionally, as a member of a Parliamentary Party, you need someone to step in at short notice to deal with a piece of legislation - perhaps the usual spokesperson is ill, or absent, or double-booked, and yesterday saw one of those days, as Ros was asked if she could speak for the Liberal Democrats on a piece of secondary legislation. As you can see, she was able to demonstrate her versatility here... Baroness Scott of Needham Market (LD): My Lords, I support the social security regulation which we are debating today - not just because it avoids an €11 million ...
In her latest gaffe, Cornwall Council's Tory leader Fiona Ferguson has ranted against the amount being spent by the authority on 'council vehicles'. Unfortunately, she has failed to realise that her dodgy dossier includes money for a new fire engine and equipment to fill holes in the road. Fiona took the published spending information that the council produces every month. She added up the amounts in the 'vehicles and plant' categories to come up with a set of figures which are mostly accurate (but her abacus seems to be out by around £300,000 in one month - not a small ...
Tue 4th
18:49
Julian Huppert MP writes...Nick Clegg has put Liberal Democrats far ahead of other parties on securi...
This morning was a good day for Liberal Democrats. I and many others went to RUSI, the Royal United Services Institute to hear Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of our party, deliver a speech on security and privacy in the internet age. He sent out a clear and strong message: the legal framework for the UK's intelligence agencies and intelligence oversight structure is in desperate need of an overhaul, and this must start with an independent review, which he has commissioned. His wider ambitions are set out in a piece for the Guardian today. The Tories are blocking ...
I've used the example of the South Shields constituency in the North East several times when writing about the issue of safe seats and how they make a powerful argument for electoral reform (The new MP for South Shields has been chosen, I live in a Rotten Borough, and The South Shields by-election and Lazy Labour) so I thought I'd post this. I will remind you that it is the only seat in existence since the Great Reform Act of 1832 to have never elected a Conservative MP and that the Labour party have held the seat without interruption since ...
Tue 4th
17:12Opinion: Drugs - Evidence based policy, liberalism and some Uruguayan political courage
[IMG: drugs] Are we seeing some change in the way societies view drugs? Last December Uruguay legalised cannabis, and in the US, the states of Colorado and Washington legalised cannabis for personal use in 2012. The Netherlands has, for some time, allowed cannabis use in specialist coffeeshops. Of course, none of these examples have opted for free and unfettered access for all, but rather a regulated system where the authorities can exert control. The Uruguayan plan includes a user registry, a tax, and quality control, with the aim of reducing profits for organised crime, and reducing drug related violence. We ...
As Co-Chair of the DCLG Parliamentary Policy Committee I am pleased that Motion F5 'Reform of Planning' will be before Conference on Saturday 8th March. The members of our committee are very clear that a pledge for 300,000 homes per year to be built (Federal Conference motion September 2012) requires planning permission for 300,000 homes per year! Do Liberal Democrats have the political will to address our housing crisis? Do we only have that will as long as the homes are not in our own backyards? We present our motion for debate with the belief that the answer to the ...
Last night Cllr Simon Wales, Sutton's lead member for Resources, presented an historic 28th Liberal Democrat budget for approval by full council. Even in difficult times we were able to present a balanced budget that focused on the key values of this council and its residents – being Safer, Fairer, Greener and Smarter. Cllr Wales [...]
[IMG: Brent Town Hall. Photo credit: stevecadman on Flickr] Ford famously commented that customers could have any colour they like as long as it's black. It feels to me that at the moment we can have any localism we like as long as it's blue. Two particular events have provoked this thought. The first is that that council tax bills are about to go out and, under localism, a council cannot raise council tax significantly, including to protect services, without holding a referendum. However they can cut council tax and services without any such requirement. Furthermore, as councils have to ...
More than 12 years ago Liverpool made a name for itself with the Government and in the eyes of the nation when within 3 days it organised and took in more than 900 Kosovan refugees. Most of these were women ... Continue reading →
The Independent reports today that Nick Clegg has told the Liberal Democrats to prepare for another five years in power amid new evidence that voters are warming to the idea of coalition government. They point to a ComRes poll for The Independent, which found that 34 per cent of people believe that Britain is better off with a coalition government than if the Conservatives or Labour had won the last general election outright. That is higher than the 29 per cent figure recorded last July: The findings are a boost for the Lib Dems. Last night, a bullish Mr Clegg ...
With things kicking off in the Crimea as russian troops take charge of the peninsular and with the UK considering retaliation in the form of sanctions, it is reassuring to note that as far as the Welsh Governmeent is concerned it is business as usual. The BBC report that five Welsh firms are taking part a trade mission to make further inroads into Russia. Aber Instruments, Aberystwyth, Licentia Group and myPinPad from Cardiff Bay, Weartech International, Port Talbot and Teddington Engineered Solutions, Llanelli will all be represented in Moscow: Economy Minister Edwina Hart explored trade links with Russia in a ...
[IMG: nick clegg ponders] Nick Clegg writes today in the Guardian under the headline: 'Edward Snowden's revelations made it clear: security oversight must be fit for the internet age.' Until this week, the revelations published by the Guardian about the nature and extent of internet surveillance had provoked little reaction from British politicians. The quality of the debate in the US provides an unflattering contrast to the muted debate this side of the Atlantic. Some of the revelations have described far-reaching intelligence-gathering capabilities. There are questions of principle here that require answers. Are such capabilities necessary and proportionate? Does the ...
It is an article of faith with many Liberal Democrats, Greens and others that renewable energy is an unreservedly good thing. Life, however, is rarely that simple and there are arguments to the contrary. Some are exaggerated, some just wrong, but others have merit and deserve to be heard. ALDOffshoreWind314
Simultaneously criminalising buying sex, while legalising its sale is inherently contradictory and doesn't work in practice Last week the Guardian reported that: The European parliament has voted in favour of a resolution to criminalise the purchase of sex. On Wednesday, 343 MEPs backed a report proposed by the London MEP and Labour spokeswoman for women [...]
I'm not all that well at the moment, and will be spending Friday through Sunday at Lib Dem Conference without internet access. I've also promised Andrew Rilstone that I'll proofread his expanded Doctor Who book and get it formatted as an ebook next week. Once that's done, though, I'll be getting a lot more California [...]
This case shows that Habitual Residency is not just an issue as to where someone is living. I think the court decision is in fact wrong as the links to the UK had been cut. However, I am aware of cases where people have left the UK, but continue to claim benefits in the UK. That would mean that they are inherently habitually resident in the UK. To change habitual residence is more than just
Disabled people who want to stand for election as a councillor or MP, including the 2015 General Election, can benefit from a grant to help cover any additional costs they may face. The Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund has been extended by an extra 12 months to the end of March 2015 and provides cash grants to help with any supplementary costs that a disabled candidate might face when standing for election (such as extra transport or sign-language interpreting). Prospective candidates who have disabilities can apply for between £250 and £40,000 per calendar year. This is an ...
New apprentices gave businesses in Cambridge a £1.2 million boost over the last year with each company being on average around £2,000 better off. The news has been welcomed by Cambridge MP Julian Huppert, who has been visiting apprentices across the city as part of his monthly initiative, Celebrating Apprenticeships. He urged more businesses to take on apprentices as national figures show the numbers have doubled. "These businesses have seen financial rewards from giving young people a chance," said Julian. "Apprenticeships are good news for the employee and the employer. "The young person gets a chance to earn a wage ...
[IMG: ukraine] An international affairs policy wonk could be forgiven for thinking that April Fools' Day had come early. After all, the last 72 hours have seen the Russian Federation occupy Ukraine's Crimea, and apparently threaten to attack Ukrainian forces in Crimea if they don't surrender. Such an action is in direct violation of the 1994 Bucharest Memorandum, the OSCE's Helsinki Final Act, and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. The use of force without the explicit authorisation of the UN Security Council has a very specific name: aggression. The Nuremburg Tribunal described aggression as the "supreme international crime": aggression ...
This is part 2 of a series of blog posts looking at the security of the UK Government's web infrastructure. Many XSS flaws rely on altering the GET parameters of a request. Some webmasters seem to think that if their forms only use POST they will be immune from the XSS. This is not the case. Don't Press This Button Pressing this button will send a POST request to the Department of Education's EduBase website.
In my younger day, my Summer job was at Braemar Youth Hostel. Many of the people who came to stay there went out to bag as many of the nearby Munros as they could. The hills can very quickly become ... Continue reading →
Nick Clegg has announced the team who will handle coalition negotiations after the election in 2015 (if needed, of course). It will consist of Danny Alexander, Steve Webb, Sal Brinton, Lynne Featherstone and David Laws. In his book '22 days in May' David Laws revealed that Nick Clegg had appointed the 2010 negotiating team in secret during the previous year. The team was not put together in haste after the election, as many had assumed, so there were really no excuses for the absence of women. Politically David Laws and Danny Alexander were drawn from the economic liberal wing of ...
There has been considerable debate about how best to fix the structural deficit. Figures of £25billion have been posited as how much is needed to do this. There is some dispute as to whether this figure is really accurate; but...Read more ›
The Garston Cat Rescue had some problems with Royal Mail last month so people may think it's no longer there. Well the news is it is..... and it has plenty of cats (and some kittens) looking for new homes. Here's a link to the organisation's website.
The daughter of the Ugandan President declares she is gay . She explained in a radio broadcast she was doing so in protest against the anti gay leglislation signed by her father. Lynne Feathestone has declared: Uganda's new anti-homosexuality legislation is abhorrent. It imposes draconian penalties for repeat offences of homosexuality, so-called 'aggravated' homosexuality, same-sex marriage, attempting to commit homosexuality and for the loosely defined 'promotion' of homosexuality. This is nothing short of a great leap backward - not just for Uganda but for gay rights across Africa. I believe it marks a growing state-backed homophobic trend across the continent, ...
[IMG: A-Co-operative-bank-sign-007] I was a bit flummoxed after being taken to task on Lib Dem Voice last week for being anti-business. What had I done? I had been criticising payday loan companies for hoovering up money away from local companies. There are two underlying problems here, confusions which muddy the political debate on business. The first is the misleading idea that somehow all business is always on the same side. Organisations like the CBI claim to speak for business while actually promoting the interests of the biggest. It isn't the way the world is. The second problem is this idea ...
There is a difference between liberals and socialists. Tell me something I don't know. OK, give me a chance. The thing is that I've found myself falling back on a peculiar definition of my own that sometimes helps me realise why people are disagreeing. It is based on their blind spots. Socialists seem to me to have a blind spot about the abuse of power, hence the inevitable way that Labour governments eventually start restricting civil liberties - and how they fall back on centralised control in any given situation. It isn't that they are convinced tyrants, or anything like ...
Nick Clegg has appointed his top-team of negotiators in the event of a second hung parliament. It's clear a lot of effort has gone into selecting as representative group as is possible within a five-person team. On the economic liberal 'right' of the party there's David Laws and Danny Alexander. On the social liberal 'left' of the party there's Lynne Featherstone and Steve Webb. The fifth member, Sal Brinton, is a Lib Dem peer well-connected throughout the party, not obviously aligned to either wing. That means the group includes two women, both with strong interests in diversity (Lynne as champion ...
For those of us who take an interest in history, it has been a scary few days, as Russia flexes its muscles over Ukraine. It is the sort of behaviour that can lead to war, if not now, then the next time they try it. It's worth trying to unpack these historical parallels a bit. First there is a reminder of the lead up to the First World War, now very much in the public consciousness as the centenary approaches. There are some striking parallels here. First is complacency. In 1914 there had been 43 years of peace in Europe, ...
Come along to the Greener Cheadle planting event on 15th March 2014 – meet at Cheadle Medical Practice, 10.30am-noon.
Excuse me for not being wildly chuffed to wake up after 16 hours in bed feeling sick, sore and sorry for myself to see the Guardian telling the world that Nick Clegg has picked the team who will prepare for ... Continue reading →
In praise of procrastination: five reasons why it pays to wait (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
South Glos Council is developing a Flood Risk Management Strategy, and they are keen to hear your thoughts and experiences on areas in South Gloucestershire that have been flooded in the past or that may be vulnerable to flooding in the future and how you think these risks should be managed. You can have your say online here
This Saturday, March 8th, at spring conference, Liberal Reform and the Electoral Reform Society will be hosting an event in the Bootham Room of the Hilton York on the topic of Which Party for Liberals? Conservative or Liberal Democrats? I know already that, right from the title, there will be some in the party who will be upset. "Why limit the choice outside of the Lib Dems to just the Tories?", I can imagine some will ask. The binary nature of the debate was inspired by Nick Boles' talk a few months ago about the need for a "National Liberal" ...
Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden event : Saturday, March 29th, at 2pm: Plant Heritage Lecture. Professor Michael Tooley will give a talk on "Gertrude Jekyll and the plants she bred at Munstead Wood." Admission is £5 and booking is essential. Contact Frances Tait on 665719.
As a minister Ed Davey has been key at getting Lib Dem principles enacted, first by helping the Post Office survive, and then in pursuing climate change policies. But he
UPDATE: Although the tweet claiming that Yanukovich is dead remains on Michael Lebed's Twitter feed, (see below), the story that originally carried the report on LB.ua has been updated to include a denial from the cardiac surgeon in the Rostov hospital that Yanukovich was ever there. Умер Янукович. Только что об этом по телефону мне сказал друг из Ростовского Кардиоцентра. Яныка привезли туда окол.. http://t.co/8KdnMGAy6b — Michael Lebed (@michael_lebed) March 4, 2014
