There's been a fair amount of discussion in Liberal Democrat circles, and even the media, about Nick Clegg's announcement of who the Lib Dem negotiation team would be in the event of a hung Parliament next year. Yet despite much of the discussion featuring questions such as 'why now?', 'is it wise to do this ahead of an election?' and so on, I've yet to find anyone mention one salient fact. Namely that the party leader has put together a negotiation team at roughly this time in the Parliament all through the party's history. The exact details have varied a ...
[IMG: Money] Paul Nurse has written an excellent article in the Observer discussing science funding and its broader importance in the UK economy. George Osbourne has apparently made science a "personal priority", which, with deficit reduction the dominant theme of the current government, has meant protecting funding in cash terms. Paul goes on to say - "However, as the chancellor likes to say, we are in a global race and so we need to look at the global picture on science investment. Our government is not the only one to have recognised that when you cannot compete on labour costs ...
This photo has appeared on this blog before - where you will find further details of its history - but this seems an appropriate time to reprint it. You will find this pyramid on the estate near Kiev that used to belong to Nick Clegg's family. And beneath it you will find Nick's great great grandfather, Ignaty Zakrevsky, a former attorney general in the imperial Russian senate.
From today's Leicester Mercury: More than £1 million is to be spent polishing up Leicester's hidden architectural gems. Scores of Victorian and Georgian buildings will receive some tender loving care to preserve historic features in the Greyfriars area. The work will be carried out during the next five years, thanks to Heritage Lottery funding, which is being awarded in two phases.Something else to thank Richard III for, I suspect. Let's hope the area is not left looking too tidy.
This post originally appeared on Lib Dem Voice and is crossposted here. 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 ...
Cllr Ed Cearns Cambridgeshire County Council is in danger of sending a contradictory message to the public by not flying the rainbow flag warns Liberal Democrat Ed Cearns. He says the council has a good record of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people but its failure to fly the flag during LGBT history month in February could be misinterpreted. Cllr Cearns, who represents Cambridge's Market Ward on the county council said that not flying the flag sends a negative message to young people who are LGBT with the implication that the council does not support them. He is ...
In what can only be described as one of the year's more bizarre contributions to political debate, one of UKIP's candidates for the European Parliament has called for the right of businesses to discriminate as they choose on grounds of ethnicity or gender. And no, it isn't a white, male candidate. "I believe that all business owners, Christian, Muslim, gay, straight, should be allowed to withhold their services from whomever that choose whenever they choose." "It's their business. Why should they be forced to serve or sell to anyone?", said Donna Edmunds, one of UKIP's candidates in South East England. ...
The new issue of Liberator was waiting for me when I got home from work. So it is time to spend another week in the company of Rutland's most popular fictional peer Monday A ticklish few days in Pendle have come to an end. You may recall that the Liberal Democrats recently issued a statement condemning without reserve the burning of witches at the stake. I wondered if this was wholly necessary - it is some years since such an incident has taken place even in the Upper Welland Valley - but our people in Pendle (where they have previous ...
Today, the National Assembly for Wales voted to give me permission to bring forward a Private Members Bill to set minimum nurse staffing levels in law. I believe this is necessary in Wales because we currently have the highest number of patients per nurse in the UK, which means that all too often our nurses are unable to give the time to perform their role to their highest caring ability. Evidence is increasing from across the world on the positive impact that nurse staffing levels have on patient care and the recruitment and retention of staff. Nurses who have fewer ...
So, we know the dates. Two debates will take place between Nick Clegg, in the yellow #partyofIN corner and Nigel Farage in the purple #partyofOUT corner. The first will take place on Wednesday 26th March at 7pm in front of ... Continue reading →
UKIP Lewes District Councillor and prospective MEP Donna Edmunds said, on the Lewes Forum, today "...all business owners, Christian, Muslim, gay, straight, should be allowed to withhold their services from whomever they choose whenever they choose." She, apparently, thinks that businesses should be free to choose, but also thinks that they should choose to do the right thing. I presume, also
Kudos to Nick Clegg and his team, including his director of strategy Ryan Coetzee. The gambit of issuing a personal challenge to Nigel Farage to debate Nick on Europe has been accepted not only by the Ukip leader, but also now by the media. As Caron Lindsay reported here this morning – #NickvNigel - We have a date and #NickvNigel: We have 2 dates - any more for the Tour? – the two leaders will face-off both on TV and on radio within the next month. Though the stakes are high for both – any live debate has the potential ...
On the day that Nick Clegg has pointed out how, well, useless UKIP MEPs are, I had a look back 5 years to a post I wrote two days before the 2009 European election in which I pointed out why they are really bad news. I could have written it today. Nothing really has changed. And over that 5 years, we've had a stream of UKIP councillors and parliamentary hopefuls say silly things. We've had the floods being related to equal marriage and Godfrey Bloom's fridgegate. Not to mention one of their major donors describe women wearing trousers as a ...
16H00 UPDATE: Both the Estonian Foreign Ministry and Olga Bogolomets have denied that she implicated the opposition in the sniper attacks in Kiev. Russia Today (not generally a news source in which I would have a lot of confidence) has tweeted a story a link to a story, which appears to contain a genuine leaked telephone conversation in which the Estonian Foreign Minister tells the EU's foreign policy chief, Cathy Ashton, that Olga Bogomolets that it was the same snipers in Kiev who shot both protesters and police (jump to 8:22 for the relevant snippet). Behind the snipers was not ...
The prevention, detection and prosecution of crime and the sentencing and rehabilitation of offenders is one of the fundamental roles of the government and the independent judiciary. It is also something that matters enormously to the electorate. No-one wants to be a victim of crime. No-one wants to be accused of a crime they did not commit. Many offenders would want to rehabilitate themselves and live a decent life in the future. For too long, crime policy has suffered from an obsession shared by successive Labour and Tory Governments of seeking to be ever tougher than the last and yet ...
West End Community Council now has a new website at www.dundeewecc.com that will help update West End residents about community council activities, including forthcoming meetings and events, minutes of meetings and other news. Thanks go to Andrew O'Malley, community council vice-chair, for creating the new site. The new website also links to a Twitter feed and a Facebook page.
In the past few days it has become very fashionable to rehabilitate Mitt Romney's foreign affairs credentials, and to assert that he was "right" about Russia in the presidential foreign policy debates, and President Obama was wrong. Dave Weigel at Slate was one of the first out of the blocks. There followed a piece in The New Republic by Isaac Chotiner, for which Julia Ioffe tweeted her support, and then yesterday evening The Daily Beast published a piece by Stuart Stevens, making essentially the same argument. It is, superficially at least, an attractive argument. Read more »
Don't be afraid of what people see or think of you - try and rise above your disability, keep your chin up and do what you can during the election. Be inspired by what people like the late Lord Ashley of Stoke, Anne Begg and David Blunkett did. I have lost many times over the years, but I don't give up! At the end of the day people will recognise what you have tried to achieve and admire you for the successes you have achieved. So says Liberal Democrat candidate David Buxton. David is deaf and has been able to ...
Mark Regnerus' New Family Structures Study has become a staple of arguments against gay marriage. It appears to provide empirical evidence that same-sex couples make less good parents. There's just one problem: it's a piece of research so poorly designed that it should never have been published. I will allow the New Republic's Nora Caplan-Bricker [...]
The psychological needs of men and boys are often overlooked - males often don't have someone to talk problems over with such that: Men are three times more likely to commit suicide Three quarters of missing people are men The majority of those who are homeless are men The rates on mental illness in the domestic homeless population are high Men are more likely to be victims of violence 5% of men (compared to 7% of women) have reported being a victim of domestic violence Men and boys can also be victims of physical abuse and sexual abuse Men make ...
Absolutely delighted today to hear of a very large spanner in the works as far as Barnet's proposals for the Brent Cross development! Many congratulations to the " Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood campaign! We could be saved huge increases in traffic up here on the North -West frontier of Camden! Let's hope this very large spanner (aka Secretary of State Eric Pickles) does the trick and forces Barnet and their development partners to come up with more modest and sensible schemes! Here is the Coalition's press release: PRESS RELEASE Tuesday 4th March 2014 The Coalition for a ...
[IMG: york] As the countdown to this weekend continues, I would like to say how pleased I am to be welcoming Spring Conference to York. I have been speaking to local party members, businesses and organisations like Visit York about the conference and it is clear that anticipation is building. Visit York estimate that this weekend will boost the city's economy by more than £600,000. And I know that hotels, B&Bs, guest houses, and restaurants are reporting soaring demand. Added to the short-term economic boost is the long-term impact that national exposure will bring. It is a showcase for York ...
Given the obsession of the Tory Party with immigration and their refusal to relax regulations where it is obvious that an economic advantage can be gained, I am not surprised by this story on the BBC which suggests that aa particularly inconvenient report has beeen suppressed. The BBC say that Downing Street has withheld publication of a cross-governmental report that suggests one potential impact of immigration is smaller than claimed. They say that it suggests "displacement", the number of UK workers unemployed as a consequence of immigration, is well below the figure used by ministers of 23 for every 100 ...
[IMG: julia-goldsworthy] Congratulations to Julia Goldsworthy, selected last Friday to fight what is, on paper at any rate, the Lib Dems' top target in the 2015 general election: Camborne and Redruth. This was the seat which Julia, who had been the party's shadow chief secretary to the treasury, lost by just 66 votes to the Tories in 2010. Julia, who became special adviser to Danny Alexander at the Treasury shortly after her defeat, has resigned her post to focus on the campaign. Camborne and Redruth was one of the eight Conservative-held marginal seats where the Lib Dems came second which ...
One of our long-running projects – the new Cheadle BMX Track at Bruntwood Park – is a month away from opening and it's looking pretty good! The official opening will be on 5th April 2014. [IMG: photo 2 (7)] [IMG: photo 1 (10)]
Dear resident, Thank you for taking the time to read my regular bulletin of what I have been up to over the last month; this Report Back covers the Spring Recess - a week free of my usual Parliamentary schedule enabling me to spend more time working in the constituency. Life Leisure is the organisation that runs the popular and well used sport and leisure facilities across Stockport, and I met with them recently at their HQ in Cheadle Hulme. It was a good opportunity to discuss their work and how they are encouraging us all to get more active ...
Mobilising the Movement – the Manchester Model What are our two greatest problems in winning the many defences we are fighting in May? Getting our supporters to vote. Having enough volunteers to run the campaign required to make 1) happen. When you think about the amount of effort we spend persuading, identifying and recording our [...]
Yesterday's Guardian ran a story which said that Vince Cable was considering all female shortlists for the boards of FTSE companies. That headline was at this stage over-egging that particular pudding. All he is doing is asking the Equality and Human Rights Commission to advise whether such a move would be legal. That was in fact the eighth of ten recommendations in a report by Charlotte Sweeney who has worked has head of diversity for top banks, which reviewed the effectiveness of the Government's voluntary code for city headhunters. It's worth having a look at the whole report which is ...
With just eleven weeks to go until polling day it's important that we all use our limited time as effectively as possible. Here are five things we can all do during March that will make our campaign in April and May that much more effective. Prioritise Postal Votes A large proportion of the votes cast [...]
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 [...]
Campaigns and Information Interns Full time (35 hours a week) for six months. UK minimum wage (currently £6.31 an hour). The Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors offers a paid full-time internship scheme for those who wish to undertake a short-term position within the organisation either post-education or as part of a change in career. Each [...]
We have received a report this morning from about what appears to be a bogus caller targeting older people. He is going to properties that have solar panels fitted stating that he needs to check the meter and asking the home owner/tenant if they have a step ladder. He does not offer any form of ID. He is described as wearing glasses and around 5' 5" to 6' no real distinguishing features. Apparently when questioned he ran off. This incident may also be linked to similar reports in Bassingbourn and Harston over the past few months. Please be aware of ...
So, not only is the BBC running a Nick vs Nigel televised debate on 2 April at 7pm on BBC2, but LBC have announced that they are running one the week before on their now national radio station. From their website: On Wednesday 26th March at 7pm, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, will go head-to-head with UKIP leader Nigel Farage in a live hour-long programme. The LBC Leaders' Debate will be hosted by Nick Ferrari in front of a live studio audience in London. The debate is taking place after the Deputy Prime Minister challenged the leader ...
So what are these proposals that no-one dare let Liberal Democrats see at Conference? There is an increasing body of reputable opinion and evidence that market competition is an expensive irrelevance in healthcare. It is interesting to note that every...Read more ›
A Cambridge street was plunged into darkness last night (Tuesday, March 4) after new street lights failed to come on. Residents in Alwyne Road had objected to the removal of their old street lights because they were to be replaced by fewer new ones. They were worried for the safety of elderly and disabled residents because parts of the pavement surface are poor. New lights have now been installed but last night they were not switched on and one resident contacted Cambridgeshire County Councillor, Amanda Taylor saying that she was too frightened to go out. Cllr Taylor has made a ...
[IMG: nick clegg v nigel farage] It's just been announced – the date we've been waiting for, when Nick Clegg will face Nigel Farage to debate whether Britain should be in or out of the EU. Nick challenged Nigel two weeks ago on his Call Clegg radio show on LBC. The debate will actually be televised, on BBC2 and will take place on Wednesday 2 April at 7pm. Julian Huppert has just been on the BBC News Channel saying that he thinks that Nick will do really well, making the positive case for the European Union. On the two largest ...
The sudden change in the weather this week from cold winds and rain to sunshine and warmth has meant venturing out into the garden is becoming more of a pleasure than a chore. Sitting in sunshine on the back step with a cup of hot coffee and watching Spring take over the garden is always a treat. From daffodils to clematis buds, roses and calendula, everything is growing, including the grass. Early frosts and boggy conditions have meant mowing is almost a forgotten chore but this week, with morning frosts set to disappear by the weekend, I have no excuse. ...
[IMG: Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma (Kindle Single)] Years ago, I went to a palm-reader in Kathmandu - my only visit to anyone remotely like that. I'm too coy to say here what he told me, except that one of the main elements of my personality was what he called 'brevity'. This may not be obvious to anyone who has endured one of my lectures. But it is true that I value brevity as a skill, as one of the only ways of conveying ideas in a sufficiently riveting way. I was reminded of this today by a very thoughtful ...
The Deregulation Bill is called as "Christmas Tree Bill". That is because it has lots of different baubles attached to it from a legislative basis. I happen to have been on the pre-legislative scrutiny committee for this as well as the regulatory reform select committee. In fact a lot of the issues in the Bill are both interesting and important. Yesterday, for example, there was a discussion
Reading my morning newspaper, I note that Jeremy Hunt is suggesting that the NHS must copy banks and budget airlines by using the internet to give a better service whilst cutting costs. And yes, there is no doubt that the internet does offer opportunities to increase efficiency and open up new possibilities for patients, but are banks and budget airlines really the sort of organisations that you'd want to see the NHS aspire towards?One envisages a Ryanair-style website, where you start off with what looks like a simple transaction and then you find yourself confronted with a plethora of choices, ...
Largest Oil Refinery in Europe is on Fire - cassus belli anyone? Hope not. (tags: ) Judge Naji El Dahdah, of Jdeide Court, Beirut: I salute you (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Transport costs can be prohibitive for people who are unemployed or in training. Perhaps one of these schemes could help: Bike loan scheme - You can borrow a decent hybrid bike from Bristol Bike Project, for two months to start with. Bus ticket scheme - If you need help with specific journeys, such as interviews, careers fairs, workplace training or the start of a new job, then you may be able get a free bus ticket. For the bike loan and the bus ticket scheme you will need to be referred by trainers, work clubs etc who are associated with ...
Nick Clegg took questions from journalists after yesterday's speech on security and privacy. One of them was on tax, after the reports in the press over the weekend that the Tories were cheekily trying to claim credit for lowering the tax threshold. Let's hope that some nice cartoonist has some fun with his comment that he's had to drag the Tories kicking and screaming into every set of talks on lowering taxes for those on low and middle incomes. He also said that his recent plea for an extra £500 workers' bonus had received a frosty reception from the Conservatives. ...
This is part 3 of a series of blog posts looking at the security of the UK Government's web infrastructure. Britain's National Health Service is riddled with old and insecure WordPress-based websites. Many of these sites have severe flaws including being vulnerable to XSS attacks. [IMG: XSS Spammers] There is absolutely no suggestion that patient data or confidentiality has been put at risk. These flaws were discovered passively using the information which was returned by the web server following a normal request. I have not exploited any of the holes found. All these flaws were responsibly disclosed to Department of ...
Residents have highlighted to me a road safety concern at the south exit from Pinegrove that exits onto Shepherd's Loan. The part of Shepherd's Loan that the slip road exists onto is the one-way only (northwards) at the north end of Shepherd's Loan, but there is no 'one-way only' sign on exit. Vehicles have been noted by residents exiting south onto Shepherd's Loan in error. I contacted the City Council's transportation division in City Development about this. It was pointed out that the east footway of Shepherd's Loan (opposite the exit) is very narrow and a sign there would add ...
Debates in the Lords don't always run to schedule. Peers make shorter speeches than expected, or there are less of them than allowed for in the estimated timings for the day. And, sometimes, that means that someone is caught out, as was demonstrated on Monday afternoon in Grand Committee... Lord Tunnicliffe: My Lords, before we start the next business, due to the efficiency with which we have executed our previous business, we are rather scratching to find a spokesman. I wonder whether we might take a 10-minute break for the Opposition to find a spokesman for the next round. The ...
This story today reports that there may be more Shale Gas in Northern England than was previously thought. Within the report it says: "But it could take two years to see if the gas is commercially viable." Realistically no one knows with any great certainty what fossil fuels remain under ground. It is important to remember that it takes energy to get fossil fuels out of the ground. The
The Welsh Government's view of the current education situation seems to differ sharply from the reality at the "chalkface". Yesterday via our two amendments to the debate on the Estyn annual report, I called on the government to support Estyn's view that a "whole-school", team approach must be implemented in schools so that teachers are fully involved, especially with regard to the Pupil Deprivation Grant. I also called on the Welsh Government to review the procedures currently in place for the youngsters moving out of mainstream schools and into Pupil Referral Units so that Estyn's aims of seeing a "clear ...
Next year will mark 800 years since the signing of Magna Carta, when King John was forced to guarantee certain rights and freedoms. The Magna Carta is admired around the world as a symbol of liberty - the first occasion the people of England were granted rights against an absolute king. It will be fitting that we celebrate this important moment in our history, but we must not lose sight of how far we still have to go. We want to hear what you think a Magna Carta for today should contain: TAKE PART IN OUR SURVEY While others will ...
As if on cue from my blog post yesterday that compared Russian president Vladimir Putin and former U.S. president Richard Nixon, Putin today obliged with two perfect illustrations of the 'madman theory' I was referring to. Holding what New Republic journalist Julia Ioffe described as a "dada press conference", the Russian president rambled and roamed. I'll let Julia fill in the gaps from her article (the whole thing is worth a read): "And much of that, by the way, is direct quotes."Read more »
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