St Luke's Church, Sunday 16th March, 4pmThe Liberal Democrats are currently running a consultation with members on the 2015 General Election Manifesto. As part of this, the Cambridge Liberal Democrats are holding a Policy Forum this Sunday. The event will be led by Julian Huppert MP, who sits on the party's Manifesto Working Group. The event starts at 4pm, at St Luke's Church, Victoria Road, CB4 3DZ. So come along, listen to the debate, and input a few ideas yourself. Refreshments will be provided, and non-members are also welcome. For more information on our manifesto process and to have your ...
South Glos Council is consulting about changes to subsidised bus services. The consultation is available here - it closes on 31 March. Local impacts are as follows: Service 222 Chipping Sodbury - Yate - Kingswood - Longwell Green (Aspects cinema) - Experimental service with low usage, to be discontinued - Brimsham Park and Iron Acton lose services Service 622 Chipping Sodbury - Yate - Thornbury - Cribbs Causeway - removing journeys before 9am with a view to thereby reducing the subsidy the council pays for this service Service 967 South Yate - Chipping Sodbury Secondary School - Brimsham Green School ...
As we told you recently, there will now be a direct bus from Yate to Southmead Hospital. But this is just one of the changes to come - here is a summary: Service 46 (replaces 327) Yate - Bristol - Will now serve Cranleigh Court Road, Greenways Road and Church Road instead of part of Station Rd. - Increased evening services, net result with Service 47 will be 30 minute frequency Yate - Bristol. - Also replaces 329, so Sunday services lost to Iron Acton, North Yate and Heron Way Service X46 (replaces X27) Yate - Bristol - First taking ...
The trai having been safely divided at Hamburg - the back half is going to Aarhus, where my international political life started twenty-five years ago - the last leg of my journey began. No compartment this time, and the diesel version of the ICE train, still grey but better laid out. The DB lounge at Hamburg is very nice, and the first class treatment starts there, as a nice lady brought me a bowl of vegetable soup, with lentils and an extra German touch, sliced sausage, which I approve of. I was able to use their free wi-fi, catch up ...
[IMG: ALDC Master Logo (for screen)] It has been a busy week for by-elections with ten in principal authorities and one parish council by-election reported to the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC). The Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives yesterday in Barnham Downs ward, Canterbury. Michael Sole was 52 votes ahead of his Conservative rival, taking 37.3%. It was a bad result for the Conservatives who lost 11.4% of the vote despite the Tory Council Leader living in the ward. UKIP took 18.15 to come third, Labour finished fourth with 78 votes and the Green party saw ...
Tomorrow will see the latest in a series of action days in Gateshead. Lib Dem campaigners will be delivering, door knocking and wearing out the shoe leather in two neighbouring wards - Dunston Hill and Whickham East (Labour are defending from 2nd place in May) and Lobley Hill and Bensham which is normally a strongly Labour ward which they came close to losing to us in the last decade. Since then
Cllr Sebastian Kindersley Last month I wrote about the Council tax position at the County Council - this month at South Cambs! Another 24% cut in Government funding for South Cambridgeshire District Council means times will be tough there as well. Having delivered efficiency savings of around £5 million over the last four years, finding even more savings is going to be hard. To balance the books next year another £300,000 of savings will be delivered by the Council with a further £790,000 in 2015/16. The Council plans to absorb almost 90% of the reduction in funding by generating income ...
38 reasons we should hate the French (or at least dislike them mildly) - Heritage News | The Irish Times - Fri, Mar 14, 2014 Numbers 1, 18 and 38: Thierry Henry
Congratulations to Andy Boddington for a great win in the Shropshire Council by-election last night. As the Ludlow Advertiser puts it: Liberal Democrats are celebrating after winning the 'safe' Conservative stronghold on Ludlow North in the by-election for Shropshire Council following the decision of Rosanna Taylor-Smith to stand down and leave the area. Andy Boddington topped the poll with 579 votes well ahead of the Conservative candidate Anthony Bevington (382). The Independent Graeme Perks was third with 223 votes followed by the Labour/Co-operative hopeful Danny Sweeney with 94 votes.
This time it looks like he's settled on 5 Guys. I was surprised when the cashier told me that water and wine were free.
Some Lib Dem activists are asking when resignations should be handed in to get a by-election on the May 22nd? When an election is in your control (ie a potential Lib Dem resignation), sadly, you can't decide which day the election will be called for, at least not completely. The actual date of the election [...]
Yes this is a patent piece of promotion. However, it's funny, clever and cute – so what the hey! P.S: is it me or is Buzzfeed mocking itself a lot of lateFiled under: Uncategorized
With St. Patrick's Day coming up, there will be a lot of green shamrocks and leprechaun costumes being waved about, particularly here in the U.S. (where St. Patrick's Day was largely invented). So, in honour of Ireland's patron saint, I was reminded of this little educational video, in case anybody happens to be planning on visiting my own little corner of Ireland to take part in the festivities. It is a handy guide for learning to speak like a Belfast local, and in no time at all you'll blend in while you are there so you will. If you want ...
The latest Public Attitudes to Science survey was released today. What does the data tell us? Alice Bell
Today a legend of the political left, Tony Benn, passed away at the age of 88. Already there have been hundreds of tributes made for the veteran politician, most of which praise him as a man of conviction, principle, honesty and as someone who cared deeply about humanity. All this is, of course, utterly true. But there was far more to Benn than the cuddly national treasure he eventually became. He was, at his height, a hugely divisive personality, and one who prompted Harold Wilson to describe him as a man who "immatures with age". That aside from Wilson was ...
The blossom is coming out, the daffs are springing into flower, the birds are starting to chirrup and yes, the political canvassers and leafletters are out again – hooray it's local election season again. Well maybe muted hooray in Greenwich. Of course campaigning is a year round activity for us in the Lib Dems but we do ramp [...]
Vladimir Putin is not de-escalating or looking for the off-ramp. As he reinforces his occupation of Crimea with a rigged "vote", he is now upping the rhetoric re: Eastern Ukraine. His supporters have killed Maidan supporters in Kharkiv, but apparently this instability- which has been created solely at his instigation- will justify further Russian military intervention. It seems clear that he does not believe that the West can or will do very much to stop him. After his abrogation of the Budapest memorandum, through his invasion of Crimea, he has now essentially abrogated the conventional forces treaties that govern the ...
It has been a busy week for by-elections with ten in principal authorities and one parish council by-election reported to ALDC. The Liberal Democrats gained a seat from the Conservatives yesterday in Barnham Downs ward, Canterbury. Michael Sole was 52 votes ahead of his Conservative rival, taking 37.3%. It was a bad result for the [...]
It was with very little enthusiasm that, full of the Liberal Democrat Conference cold, I headed to Glasgow to spend 90 minutes watching Jim Naughtie in conversation with Alistair Darling as part of a series of lectures ahead of the ... Continue reading →
[IMG: st Andrews flag saltire scotland Some rights reserved by Fulla T] It was with very little enthusiasm that, full of the Liberal Democrat Conference cold, I headed to Glasgow to spend 90 minutes watching Jim Naughtie in conversation with Alistair Darling as part of a series of lectures ahead of the Scottish Independence Referendum organised by the Herald in partnership with the International Network of Street Papers. What motivated me off my sofa was the chance to see Darling in a proper chat. I think we get the best of him that way. I don't think the Better Together ...
The recent report by The Campaign for Fairer Gambling at the beginning of the month on Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBTs), termed the crack cocaine of gambling, has provided detailed data on usage across the country in 2013. These are the machines that enable gamblers to stake up to £100 per spin with only seconds [...]
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
[IMG: lib lab Labour Liberal Democrat logo] 14 Areas that they now agree on screams the headline. The Daily Mail and (behind the paywall) The Times are reporting on the degree of policy convergence appearing between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. While Tory strategists admit they struggle to envisage reaching agreement on plans for another five years of power-sharing with the Lib Dems, Labour now agrees with Nick Clegg's party on a broad range of issues. Ed Miliband's decision this week to effectively rule out a referendum on the EU if he becomes prime minister was the latest in a ...
There is only one meeting scheduled for Blyth Town Council next week Thursday 20th March , 6:30 . Full Council meeting and Public Question Time
Councillor Iain Roberts visited Marketing Stockport and Stockport Business Awards. Pictured above from left to right: Richard Higginson, Director of Marketing Stockport; Councillor Roberts; Helen White, Director of Marketing Stockport and Ben Poland from Stockport Business Awards I was very pleased to open Stockport Council's 8th annual "Meet the Buyer" event on Thursday. In 2012/13 60% of goods and services procured by the Council and its related organisations like Solutions SK and Stockport Homes were from Stockport companies – a total of £71 million spent locally. At this year's Meet the Buyer over 200 local companies met directly with not ...
Fri 14th
12:21
Why - if the maths are right - we'll form a coalition with Labour, not the Tories, post 2015
We're very fond of thinking - indeed, there seems almost a presumption - that come the 2015 General Election, there will be another hung Parliament, and we'll be back in government. Of course, this isn't necessarily the case, and for over 3 years now, the polling figures translated into a a GE result indicate a Labour majority. But, as the economy improves and we can nearer the crucial date, polls are shifting and the Dan Hodges rule comes in to play. The Dan Hodges 'rule' - which I tend to broadly agree with - says... 1. Half of current UKIP ...
Algerian scientist and human rights activist Hamza Hamouchene argues science education must stop promoting arms companies.
I was very sorry indeed to hear of the death of Trevor Brown. Trevor was a stunning example of how to live one's life for one's values. He sacrificed his career to fight, successfully, for improved safety in the nuclear industry. He campaigned long and hard to stop children from picking up the smoking habit. He campaigned on a variety of local issues in Newbury as a Newbury Borough Councillor and a Berkshire County Councillor. But Trevor was also a very warm and friendly man. A lovely, lovely man with an impish, dry sense of humour. He was extremely thoughtful ...
Did a recent interactive quiz just to check I was sporting the right party. It seems I am. Almost too much... Anyway, it's a splendid quiz and takes 2 minutes so do pop over there yourself.
That's not the same as asking if they are safe, argues Jack Stilgoe Jack Stilgoe
Last year, when Margaret Thatcher died, I tried to sketch out an understanding of her in a context that didn't easily fall into either of the two strongly opposed views on her premiership. I saw her as a revolutionary Prime Minister; both in a positive and a negative sense, and someone who shaped Britain in a way that very few other Prime Ministers can claim to have done. Today we are confronted with the passing of another titan of that age; Tony Benn. After reading far too many hollow tributes to the man, I want to try again to unpeel ...
I'm not the first person to post this today. And I won't be the last. But goodness, Tony Benn is brilliant here
Mark Steel fundamentally fails to understand how competition works, or in that regard where Bob Crow got his power from – the absence of competition in London for fast travel. Suppose as Mark wishes the Pret-A-Manger and Starbucks baristas organised like the RMT, shutting down their respective chains on the public grounds that the steamed milk dispensers represented a serious health and safety threat to their members, while negotiating behind the scenes for more pay and pensions. Their employers might give in from time to time, and wages would rise. Their employers would also stop investing in new shops. Practically ...
Having been a bit harsh on German fashion sense, I ought to balance the ledger a little. Fortunately, that isn't too difficult. I've spent the morning pottering around the city, as only an Englishman can, and a very charming city Hamburg is too. And before anyone reminds me, I gave St Pauli and the Reeperbahn a wide berth, although I very much suspect that it has changed somewhat since its 'glory days'. The Hauptbahnhof is, as is often the case in big German cities, very imposing and full of retail opportunities, but the walk from there, through the shopping area ...
[IMG: Parents and child - Some rights reserved by Ed Yourton] Writing on mumsnet, Nick Clegg describes the Children and Families Act as kick-starting a revolution for a more family-friendly Britain. Every dot and comma of the Bill puts into law measures that will transform outdated attitudes and systems in Britain. We want to give families like yours more freedom and flexibility to make the choices you want and ensure every child gets the best possible start in life. So now, thanks to these changes, our parental leave system will no longer be built on the 1950s assumption that when ...
It's a funny thing, but travelling by rail is a much easier experience in the UK these days. It is one of those areas of public life that have improved dramatically - especially on the London underground. I belong in the generation when we would stand for hours, peering hopelessly up a tunnel, waiting for the old newspapers to swirl around to show there was a train on the way. I even went on Virgin Trains to Lancashire on Monday and was bang on time, there and back. There are other reasons I don't enjoy Virgin Trains - the peculiar ...
[IMG: image] Summer 1993. I'd just finished my GCSEs and so, like any other teenager, spent the next few weeks reading Tony Benn's diaries from start to finish. They are an immense achievement, as was his life. They had a pretty major impact on me: I joined the Labour Party aged 16.The effect wore off in time: I left Labour (in 1999), and the Labour Party left Tony Benn. 1950s' Benn was the constitutional reformer, battling for the right to renounce the hereditary peerage accepted by his father, William Wedgwood Benn (Viscount Stansgate), so that he could take his seat ...
Thanks to Liberal Democrat Voice for the following: Arthur Seldon on Liberal, Labour and Co-operative from 1949 From "Liberal Magazine" Nov 1949"A Liberal looks at the Co-operative Movement, declares Alliance with Labour is dangerous"The co-operative movement is a liberal institution. It was born in a liberal economy. It grew in an era of political and economic liberalism. It will survive and prosper only in a liberal State.Its alliance with the Labour Party is a profound and tragic blunder. Its principles, its purpose and prospects as a trading organisation, and its political policies make its most natural and congenial political home ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention in the past couple of days... Nate Silver Interview: The New FiveThirtyEight — Daily Intelligencer +1 "Plenty of pundits have really high IQs, but they don't have any discipline in how they look at the world" http://nym.ag/1gfN5hO BBC Two – 37 Days Just finished watching BBC Two's 37 Days http://bbc.in/1gumgHo < Fantastic telly, 2 days left on catch-up. Assisted dying will turn into a lethal weapon | The Times Thoughtful piece from @TimMontgomerie with which I've a lot of sympathy: Assisted dying will turn into lethal weapon http://thetim.es/1iFusXQ New Statesman ...
In which @A_C_McGregor livetweets the #Calderdale CCG Meeting (now updated)· miss_s_b · Storify (tags: ) THIS is why Paris Lees is awesome (contains swears, but also MUCH sense) (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I've always wondered why a country as wealthy as Germany has such a curious relationship with fashion. And, walking back towards my hotel after dinner, I was reminded of an interesting contradiction. Hamburg is not a city of poverty, as evidenced by the glitzy stores on Neuer Wall, and yet Germans do casual in a way which makes you wonder who actually shops in them. Now, you may be thinking, where does Mark get off, having a go at our German friends in such a way, after all, I'm not exactly an advert for haute couture either. It is a ...
An improvement at the Morven Terrace Sheltered Lounge (that serves the sheltered tenants in Ancrum Place and Morven Terrace) was amongst a number of upgrades that were approved at Housing Committee on 13th January 2014. The work that is being carried out at Morven Terrace Sheltered Lounge involves an upgrade to the toilets, making them fully accessible to those with disabilities. Work at the sheltered lounge at Morven Terrace started on Tuesday 25th February and is due to complete week ending Friday 21st March. The lounge remains open during the works as only one WC is affected.
Art for All : Painting on Tuesday with Liz Dulley at Dundee Art Society's Roseangle Gallery. Liz offers advice hints and tips to help improve painting and drawing skills. Each week, Liz will demonstrate a technique appropriate for individuals in the class. Students are then free to work on their own painting or drawing or practice the technique demonstrated. Individual help is offered throughout the evening. Liz is a watercolour painter but welcomes any media. Find out more here.
You're a member of the ruling group on Haringey Council. You're responsible for housing. You're come under heavy criticism from residents, who are suffering from a badly run housing service that repeatedly wastes money with poorly managed repairs yet pays out millions in bonuses to its staff. The chance comes through for you and two colleagues to go off on a £16,000 trip to a property conference in Cannes – an event that comes complete with a dramatic firework displays for the opening night cocktail party. [IMG: MIPIM 2014 property conference cocktail party - fireworks display] Do you think (a) ...
[IMG: Tony Benn] Anthony Wedgwood Benn has died aged 88. Tony championed many causes including nationalisation, unilateral nuclear disarmamemnt, leaving the common market, socialism, and democratic reform of the Labour Party. He renounced a peerage – changing the law in the process – in order to remain a member of Parliament. He left Parliament in 2001 "in order to spend more time in politics", leaving his Chesterfield seat to be won by Liberal Democrat Paul Holmes. One of the few not to be taken in by Ali G, Tony was a conviction politician, and an inspiration to many on the ...
Every political party needs discipline. some though exercise it more liberally than others and not always appropriately. In many ways the Plaid Cymru leader had little choice in taking action against Dafydd Elis Thomas as he topped off a nightmare party conference weekend for her by directly and publicly contradicting a key part of her speech. However, the Plaid Cymru peer does have a valid point in arguing that |Assembly committee chairs should have an element of protection from such considerations to enable them to do their job. In previous Assemblies we have seen members removed from commitees by the ...
Back in 2009 I sat next to Tony Benn at lunch. Here were my instant impressions of a fascinating man and a standard bearer of a type of radicalism you don't see in politics any more. The body politic is poorer for his passing. I was a guest at an IoD lunch yesterday where the guest of honour was Tony Benn. Given that the only thing I really know about Tony Benn's heyday is what I read in the history books I found him a very charming man. He started his address with what looks like a stock line and ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband] It was a fiery Prime Minister's Questions this week: with Nick Clegg standing in for David Cameron, Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman was joined by her backbenchers in hurling insults at the Lib Dem leader, which he returned with equal force. It wasn't edifying or enlightening. And it may not be a good guide to what could happen after May 2015 if the electoral arithmetic leaves Labour and the Lib Dems with little choice but to team up to form a Coalition government. In fact, if you review the policies announced by both the ...
A friend who is a School Governor circulated the following to his colleagues after in a meeting in January. He raises some interesting issues, though I wish he'd talked of co-operation rathar than collaboration: sounds less sinister.Competition versus Collaboration The Benefits of Competition 1 I, like most school governors, am aware of the frequency that the word "competition" and the phrase "being competitive" crop up in school governor meetings. The "framing" (key word !) of the debate leads us to educate our students for a competitive job market where the better qualified candidate who performs better in the interview (or ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have published plans for a new concessionary bus fare scheme for young people and students in Wales. In 2013, Welsh Liberal Democrat members at party conference passed a policy motion highlighting that young people are disproportionately impacted by increases in public transport fares due to their reliance on public transport to access education, employment, training and apprenticeships. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now published a cost efficient proposal for a concessionary fare scheme for young people that they would bring forward in government. Young people are one of the largest users of public transport, but often ...
