One major advance in Victorian medicine was the realisation that cholera was spread through contaminated drinking water, rather than through airborne "cholera clouds". In J.G. Farrell's novel The Siege of Krishnapur, a heated debate is held between Dr Dunstaple who believes in cholera clouds and Dr McNab, who is able to demonstrate that contaminated drinking water is the real reason for the spread of cholera. Despite the overwhelming evidence that he is able to muster, Dr McNab loses the debate. I am worried that even though evidence and logic suggests that EU membership confers many more advantages than disadvantages for ...
European Union Heads of Government met in emergency summit in Brussels today to discuss what to do about Ukraine. Although there was not complete agreement about how forcefully to react to provocative moves by President Putin and pro-Russian forces inside Crimea, everyone understood the need to prevent a further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. [...]
Con Seat. Death The Liberal Democrat candidate is Carole King.
Lab seat. Resignation. Candidate David Foss Contact Andrew Martin 07890 880053 or andrew@burylibdems.net
Lib Dem candidate: Fiona Best, tel no: 01225 863164, e-mail: fefb79@gmail.com
Con Seat. Death There is no Liberal Democrat candidate.
Con seat. Resignation Lib Dem candidate is Ken Blanshard
Labour seat. Disqualification Lib Dem candidate is Tony Marshall
This little 19th-century church is still in use. With its churchyard, it occupies a wooded valley beside and below the A488, which makes it hard to spot as you speed past. They rest in hope.
Nick Clegg: Can he convince undecideds on Europe? In case some of you were unaware, an incredibly significant poll is to be held in a few months. I'm not talking about the Scottish independence referendum, either. In May the country will vote on who it wants to represent it in the European parliament. It's going to be a tough test for the Liberal Democrats - party president Tim Farron has publicly admitted as much - and there is a possibility that our representation could be reduced to previously unthinkable levels. Here in Scotland George Lyon, a progressive voice of reason ...
Over at the 1792 blog is a lovely 40 second video regarding how to use water play to prove Pythagoras theorem.....Well, lovely to me anyway :)
The Liberal Democrat MEP Sharon Bowles, ranked by a 2012 survey as the most influential Briton in EU policymaking, is interviewed by Jennifer Rankin in tomorrow's Guardian: Taking a break between meetings at the National Liberal Club in Whitehall, Bowles says she is not looking to change the bonus cap legislation, but acknowledges that "what angers a lot of people is that the overall sum, no matter what it is called, is too big. And to be honest there is nothing you can do about that unless there is rehabilitation of banking in general back to the ranks of normal." ...
[IMG: image] It's legal to kill a Scotsman with a bow and arrow in York, except on Sundays. It must be true, it's on the Daily Record website. They're Scots. So just be careful this weekend. And this law predates Alex Salmond, by the way. PS. Some websites say you can only kill a Scotsman in York if he is carrying a bow and arrow, which makes a bit more sense. Photo of York: License Some rights reserved by ospalh [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has congratulated Dr Ros Morpeth, Chief Executive of the city's National Extension College after she was named Further Education Leader of the Year for her "tenacity and inspirational leadership". Dr Morpeth won the Times Education Supplement award after she came out of retirement to rescue the NEC from closure eight years ago. Julian said: "I can't think of anyone who deserves this award more than Ros. She has truly been an inspiration as an outstanding leader and I send her my best wishes. "She has done a fantastic job, putting the students first many of whom ...
Newsletter for March from the Cheadle Neighbourhood Police team.
Marion Thorpe, the second wife of the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe, died earlier today at the age of 87, reports Norman Lebrecht. She is survived by Jeremy Thorpe and her three sons from her first marriage to the Earl of Harewood, a cousin of the Queen. Last year, the composer's centenary year, she spoke to the BBC about her long friendship with Benjamin Britten.
Tuesday From time to time I am asked by the leaders of our party to entertain a fellow at the Hall. "Give him the best of everything," they tell me. "Bacon and eggs, shooting, Auld Johnston and so forth. Treat him right and he is good for a cool half million." It happened under Jeremy Thorpe, it happened with a fellow called Brown under Kennedy, and only the other day Clegg sent someone called Choudhrie to stay. As a loyal Liberal and Liberal Democrat I have always done my best to oblige, but I have learnt that it is wise ...
Our Headline of the Day Award goes to BT Yahoo! Sport.
Thu 6th
18:01
Call Clegg: Ukraine, Europe, Boris's mansion tax, Vince's 'gaffe', collective responsibility and imm...
First up on this morning's Call Clegg was, unsurprisingly, Ukraine. After discussing the situation generally Clegg was asked why he thought financial support for the country was a good idea. His response was clear: It is in our interests to have a stable rather than unstable Ukraine. It is in our interests to have a prosperous rather than an impoverished Ukraine. Because if Ukraine is in a sense brought to its knees economically and socially never mind what the military incursions are from Russia, we'll end up frankly paying a much higher cost in the years to come. Next up ...
A clash between Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage has gone from a challenge on radio, to 2 debates on national radio and the BBC. With that, Clegg may well have
Please be wary: recent roadworks have sometimes not been properly signposted by the county council. Note from the county council Resurfacing work, carried out by Ringway on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council, will begin on the A5183 Redbourn Road roundabout on Monday 10 March. The works form part of a £110,000 casualty reduction scheme and will take place between 8pm and 5.30am, using phased road closures on Batchwood Drive and Bluehouse Hill. It is expected that the work will take five nights to complete. Signed alternative routes will be in place. Traffic entering and exiting St Albans via A5183 Folly ...
We hear a lot these days about 'EU migrants': those strange and threatening people queuing at our doors to milk our famously generous welfare state - if you believe the dominant, fact-free, UKIP-inspired narrative, that is. But what about British EU migrants? Figures recently uncovered by Lord Oakeshott show that there are 2.2 million British citizens living in other EU countries - almost the same number as other EU citizens resident in the UK. In many ways, this is not a surprise. We are a famously outward-looking country with centuries of globe-trotting experience. And who can blame those who decide ...
Who did Henry work for, goddamn it? RT @wagssid @dick_nixon Do we need to send Henry to settle the Russians? — Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) March 4, 2014 Firstly, Henry reminds us that The West must understand that, to Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country. Russian history began in what was called Kievan-Rus. The Russian religion spread from there. Ukraine has been part of Russia for centuries, and their histories were intertwined before then... Even such famed dissidents as Aleksandr Brodsky and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn insisted that Ukraine was an integral part of Russian history and, indeed, Russia.This ...
So I've been pretty quiet in the past fortnight or so. Hardly tweeted and not sure I've updated Facebook for a good while let alone write a blog. Well I am still here and the reason I've been relatively quiet is because yet again I have been unwell. After years of a bad cold being the low point in my health, since I decided to aggressively my weight issues I have been felled by numerous illnesses. Top of the tree was and still is my throat, which whilst much better still isn't 100% and recently I have been unable to ...
Michael Crick concludes: The former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom, who no longer gets the Ukip whip, has a very poor record, having voted in just 26.47 per cent of votes. If one included Bloom (and he is still a Ukip party member) the average Ukip figure would be dragged down to 62.2 per cent.The Liberal Democrat voting record is very different.Their 12 MEPs have voted in 87.95 per cent of votes - more than seven votes out of every eight. Even the Lib Dem MEPs' worst voter, Edward McMillan-Scott, took part in 70.62 per cent of plenary votes.It makes ...
When you are newly diagnosed with HIV you want to know more about the virus. The HIVe Project, sponsored by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, have produced an information / Drama short film aimed at people who have recently been diagnosed with HIV. The Film will be hosted on the BURC intranet site and we...
Following on from Sue Doughty's excellent invitation to the consultation session on one-member one-vote (OMOV) for our party's important committees, I'd like to give my perspective as a young(er) member on why I will be supporting this move at conference this weekend. Sometimes people on the inside of the party can forget what it's like to be on the outside, and also what it's like to be a new member. Imagine for a minute you've just joined the party, your eyes and ears full of ideas. You've joined the party because of a shining commitment to involving members in policy ...
Even a short visit to the Southern US is enough to see that it is still remarkably reluctant to face up to the horrors of slavery and the civil war "In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it [...]
Nick Clegg has said he is "emphatically" opposed to the UK introducing a ban on the slaughter of animals in compliance with what some see as religious requirements. Slaughter of animals for the production of halal or kosher meat is currently exempt from UK regulations requiring animals to be stunned into unconsciousness before having their throats cut. Clegg was answering a question on his weekly LBC phone-in, prompted by a recent ban on such slaughter imposed by the Danish government, where agriculture minister Dan Jørgensen supported a ban on the basis that "animal rights come before religion". Here's how the ...
The Information Commissioner's office has confirmed that they are investigating the refusal by Devon and Cornwall's Tory Police Commissioner to reveal the pay off given to ex Chief Executive Sue Howl. Ms Howl was the former Chief Exec of the Police Authority but left less than a year after the new Police Commissioner Tony Hogg took up his post. Officially, this was 'to pursue other challenges'. I asked whether she had been given a pay off, but Mr Hogg refused to answer, citing confidentiality issues. My argument is that when public money is involved, there should be a much higher ...
Thu 6th
12:34
Call Clegg - 6 March 2014: Paddy Power ad, Ukraine, Vince and teachers, halal and kosher food and mu...
A great Call Clegg today. Nick was in resplendent form. Here's my Storify thingy from the occasion. It's the first time I've done it with a new internet tool thing and it's ended up back to front. It would be ... Continue reading →
Bookings are now open for June's Local Government Conference and our two Kickstart training weekends - taking place in September and November. Places at both events can now be booked via our Events page. Local Government Conference - Milton Keynes, 27-28 June Satellite events on Friday 27th include: Group Leaders' Day, Researchers' Day, and the [...]
Thu 6th
11:59George Lyon MEP writes...Brave mountain rescue teams should not have to pay VAT on essential, lifesa...
We were navigating in near zero visibility in a white-out. As I was navigating I put my foot out and onto nothing, and fell down about 800ft of sheer cliff. You figure you have had it. These are the words of 25 year old Scot Ollie Daniel, who plunged through snow while walking in the Cairngorms in January this year. In Scotland we are lucky to have some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the world. Walkers and climbers are a common sight in the Highlands and Islands all year round. But we know that these activities are not ...
One of the constants of my working life has been the periodic need to submit to performance appraisals. It doesn't matter where I've worked, the 'a' word has invariably come up at one point or another. I've often found that being appraised is a disheartening experience. When I've been employed as a manager I've also had conduct appraisals. Sadly, that's often been an even more disheartening experience than being an appraisee, so I can just imagine how the people I was appraising felt. If you have ever been one of them, I apologise. Until I started the personnel selection and ...
Thu 6th
10:33If Roseanna Cunningham can't apologise to 83 year old subjected to cybernat abuse after she tweeted ...
I'm kind of used to waking up most mornings to a stream of cybernat abuse on Twitter. It's become an occupational hazard of sticking my head above the parapet in support of staying in the UK. I've been told I'm ... Continue reading →
Here's the third part of my guide to Spring Conference in York this weekend. Just think, this time tomorrow, we'll be on our way. Anyway, part 1, the debates, can be found here and part 2, the training, is here. Oh, and don't forget to download your Conference App. It's now been further developed and the issues I mentioned the other day are largely sorted. It will certainly help you manage your schedule, but, as I sad the other day, it can't make decisions for you when there are 10 things that you want to go to at once. Planning ...
Here are the Liberal Democrat entries in the top 100 political blogs as ranked by EBuzzing (Wikio as was). It's farewell to Nick Thornsby this month, but hello (again)to Matthew Green, Jonathan Fryer and Steve Beasant. 1 (4) Liberal Democrat Voice No change 2 (19) Mark Pack Up 5 3 (25) Stephen Tall Up 1 4 (37) Lynne Featherstone MP Up 9 5 (44) Jennie Rigg Down 9 6 (56) Zoe O'Connell (Complicity) Up 2 7 (60) Richard Morris (A View from Ham Common) Up 10 8 (65) Paul Walter (Liberal Burblings) Down 8 9 (68) Mark Valladares (Liberal Bureaucracy) ...
Nick Clegg has commissioned a review into the accountability of the UK's intelligence agencies in the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations. In an article in the Guardian, he challenged Labour and the Conservatives to support the Lib Dem plans to protect people's privacy and ensure intelligence agencies can still protect us. In his article, Nick said: "The [current regulation] was drafted 15 years ago, before the internet revolution had really taken hold. Back in 1999 there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no Skype. Google was still being run out of a garage. The way we use the internet, and the ...
For reasons some people know locally, I'm only too aware of just how much domestic violence there is, in the UK and beyond. It is insidious, destructive and much more common than most people think. But yesterday's mega-survey of the EU, which found that the UK had some of the worst levels of domestic violence (the 5th worst, in fact), has set me thinking about the peculiar effects of counting, and what happens when you take statistics too seriously. I'm aware that these are not official figures. They are based on a survey, but the same peculiar effect applies, and ...
This morning's Western Mail reports the continued 'cold fury' of the Welsh health minister at criticism of Wales' NHS from Westminster. Mark Drakeford has described the Conservative Party's criticism of the Welsh NHS as a "cynical" and "deliberate" attempt to "drag the reputation of the NHS in Wales through the mud". There is no doubt that this dispute has got very heated over the last few days, but that does not disguise the fact that there are real problems on both side of the border that respective governments need to get to grips with. Nevertheless, one cannot get over the ...
Green Community Travel now manages a dedicated door-to-door Hospital Transport Scheme Monday to Friday to Southmead, Frenchay, BRI, Oncology and Bristol Eye and Dental Hospitals. You can pre-book by ringing 01454 228706, or email admin@greencommunitytravel.co.uk for more information. Information regarding all their services can be found online at www.greencommunitytravel.co.uk and on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/greencommunitytravel
In January, Jeanne Tarrant started as the new Pastoral Care Officer at LDHQ. She introduced herself on here. A little about me: I previously worked for the Royal College of Midwives as a team manager and a Trade Union Officer. I have extensive experience in negotiations, supporting members through disciplinary action, grievances, supporting individuals in raising concerns including whistleblowing, developing and maintaining relationships with different groups whilst preserving confidentiality and also developing training for shop stewards on the new equality Act 2010 on understanding and challenging various types of behaviour which may adversely affect others and damage working relationships. And ...
[IMG: vince cable] "Teachers know absolutely nothing about the world of work." That's what Vince said if you believe today's newspaper headlines. And they're right, he did use those words. But what the newspapers are choosing to ignore is what he meant by them. Here's the full quote, from a question-and-answer session about how best to improve the quality of careers advice: "There has been an argument in Government about how to get the right careers advice in schools and successive governments have frankly messed this up. But the underlying problem is of course that most teachers, particularly in the ...
I have, in the past, raised residents' requests that something is done to improve the appearance of the historic rail bridge that crosses the rail line at Riverside Drive, just south of the Botanic Garden (see right). The bridge is over 100 years old (built in 1903) but has not been repainted in a very long time. When I asked the City Engineer in 2010 what the cost of repainting both sides of the bridge would be, he estimated the total cost could be as much as £65 000 (this included substantial Network Rail possession costs/interface costs of approximately £20,000 ...
This is part 4 of a series of blog posts looking at the security of the UK Government's web infrastructure. Over the last few days, I've shown that hundreds of websites run by branches of the UK state are in a perilous state of disrepair. There are multiple sites with hugely embarrassing XSS flaws, running ancient and unsecured software, languishing unmaintained and long since abandoned. What are the consequences of failing to invest in security and maintenance? The websites become a haven for cyber-criminals. They exploit weaknesses in the sites and use them to push dodgy pills, fake goods, and ...
Thu 6th
08:19
Roads fiasco condemned as waste of public money as good roads resurfaced while potholes left untouch...
Chris White, County Councillor for St Albans Central, has lodged formal complaints with the county council over the failure of their contractors to fix the correct roads. Chris said: 'On Monday they managed simultaneously to waste public money in two different sets of streets. 'In the Aboyne area, they have decided to resurface a number of roads – but only those which are not particularly damaged. Britton Avenue, which local residents and I have been complaining about for 18 months, is to be ignored. 'In Albert Street they are resurfacing over a piece of road which is clearly suffering subsidence ...
Thu 6th
08:14
Instead of bashing teachers Vince Cable should do something productive regarding careers advice
Vince Cable is in the news today with this delightful quote. " [Teachers] know absolutely nothing about the world of work". As this is a family blog I will forgo the expletives I aimed at Vince this morning but quite frankly I'd trust teachers to know more about the world of work than an MP who last had a job in the real world 17 years ago. Instead of bashing the teaching profession (of which many have experienced work in other areas before deciding to teach) he could choose to remember he is a Secretary of State and do something ...
The dark power of fraternities – It's been doing the rounds because of an interesting opening, but the meat of this article on the influence of fraternities within the US higher education system is interesting. The True History of Libertarianism in America: A Phony Ideology to Promote a Corporate Agenda – "That is how libertarianism in America started: As an arm of big business lobbying." America: Not a small business country – "There is almost no measure on which America's small business sector stands out from those of other advanced countries." The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space ...
I know little of the history, sociology or ethnic make up of Ukraine and have never claimed much expertise in forging policy. My reactions are therefore very general and commonplace. I think it's a bit rich President Obama pontificating about Russia invading somebody else's sovereign territory, and a bit pointless William Hague pontificating about anything at all. I note that the ousted Ukrainian president was democratically elected and that the West is less enthusiastic about the sovereign choice of the people when it produces a Yanukovych, or Hamas in Palestine and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. From the following, which ...
The Welsh Labour government is presiding over a childcare crisis. The Family and Childcare Trust's annual childcare survey 2014 published on International Women's Day shows that childcare costs in England are falling in real terms for the first time in twelve years, while in Wales the cost of nursery care for under two's has increased by nearly 12%, for over two's by 13% and the cost of after school clubs by 15%. It has also revealed that local authorities reporting adequate childcare provision for under twos has gone down, with just one in five Welsh councils saying they have sufficient ...
Yesterday, the National Assembly voted to accept Kirsty Williams's Minimum Nursing Staff Levels Bill for further discussion. Kirsty writes: Over the next 18 months or so my idea will be turned into a concrete proposal, consulted on and scrutinised. It's a long road from where we are today to the finishing line. One thing is certain though. The more people who add their support at www.MoreNurses.org.uk, the stronger my case will be in the Assembly as my Bill gets debated over the coming months. I was able to tell Assembly Members today about the thousands of people from across Wales ...
