Conservative seat. Disqualified for non attendance Candidate: Darren Reynolds Contact for helpers: Tony Greaves 01282 864346
Conservative seat. Death
Continuing the trawl through the archives of this blog following its 10th birthday, we come to June 2005 and this assault on David Dimbleby. Much good did it do. David Dimbleby's bladder Some broadcasters are so bland and inoffensive that it's offensive. Nick Ross is one such. I remember a magazine article that featured photographs of celebrities as children and invited you to guess who they grew up to become. It was somehow inevitable that the young Nick Ross should look exactly like the older Nick Ross. Two more such creatures are the Dimblebys. The first part of David Dimbleby's ...
In her capacity as Chair of EU Sub-Committee D, Ros takes an interest in matters European and environmental. This recent Written Question is typical of that... Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat) To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the level of illegal bird trapping within the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus. Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative) The Sovereign Base Areas are a separate territory and not part of the Republic of Cyprus. Countering illegal bird trapping is one of the key priorities of theSovereign Base Areas Administration and the Sovereign Base Areas Police. ...
Supreme court to hear internet defamation dispute - The Irish Times - Thu, Apr 03, 2014 I had blogged previously on the lack of clarity that surrounds the law on defamation on the internet in Ireland (and to a lesser extent in the UK), when lawyers for Angela Kerins rather remarkably threatened Irishcentral.com for speculating on what Ms. Kerins' salary is (information that was subsequently made public just a few weeks later). According to today's Irish Times we may get some clarity on some of the issues, though given the backlog of cases awaiting hearing before the Supreme Court quite ...
Writing last week in the isle of Thanet Gazette, Clive Hart made a couple extraordinary comments one suggesting that Manston airport had the support of TDC whenever and wherever, really? To back that up this statement followed " I was delighted when KLM launched its regular service to Schiphol and was very pleased to attend the launch event. Pity that at the time of the launch event he rather uncharacteristically refused to discuss his enthusiasm when invited to talk to BBC RADIO KENT. Come off it Clive, refresh your memory click here and read how you didn't support Manston.
A depressing story from the Swindon Advertiser: A Roman villa, a landing strip for pre-World War One biplanes, a Bronze Age barrow, half-a-dozen Neolithic stone circles, the birthplace of an acclaimed poet and an old Victorian brick yard. The countryside in and around Coate Water has all of these and more but conservationists who have lost a 30-year battle to keep developers at bay are urging people to enjoy the area before it changes forever. A two-day celebration of the old hamlet of Coate and its adjoining rural landscape on the eastern edge of Swindon takes place this weekend. It ...
Thu 3rd
19:17
'An Educated Lady' from Eglwyswrw. The Story of a woman I never met - my grandmother Sarah Anne Morg...
My blog has laid fallow for some time but I return on the back of my growing genealogical research to commemorate the life of my maternal grandmother Sarah Anne Lewis (nee Morgans) of Nantyrhelygen Fawr and latterly of Carnhuan in Eglwyswrw, north Pembrokeshire. Sarah Anne (or 'Sal' as she was known to friends), passed away suddenly on 4th April 1964 - today marks the eve of the 50th anniversary of that sad day. I never knew my grandmother (having been born in 1982 myself) but relatively recent family discoveries have shone a light on a rather incredible life. It was ...
I love a good flash sale, and I love make-up. Therefore, I was pretty excited to discover Baobella Boutique. They sell discounted make-up on their awesome website. I found a Ciante nail polish set for £7.45, and the Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream for £5.25. They're also offering a free Maybelline lipstick with any order over £10. I think that I've found the perfect excuse to update my make-up collection!
After promising ourselves that we were not going to subject ourselves to another hour of two grown men arguing over something that nobody really cares about, the Boy and I ended up watching the second Clegg versus Farage debate last night. Like all hardworking people, I love a game of bingo*, so I created this handy little bingo card to accompany my television watching: It wasn't long before I had a full house...! SOURCE: Twitter Unfortunately, I didn't have any beer around to celebrate, so I had to make do with a cup of tea. Sadly this meant that I ...
Nick Russell is fed up with flytipping! We'd like to thank everyone who responded to our recent residents' survey and thought we'd like to share the results. To no-one's surprise your two biggest issues are firstly, a variety of complaints about litter, dumping and the general state of our environment and secondly, traffic and parking. These are the issues raised most frequently on the doorstep as we speak to local residents. Interestingly, there's no real consensus on the general standard of street cleaning. It seems to depend on exactly where you live - some roads are obviously better ...
[IMG: Advocates disrupt transfer of asylum seekers from Villawood] Ever wondered how party policy is made? I was on the "Immigration, Asylum and Identity" Policy Working Group, and the process has taken a whole year. Living in the north east, I daren't begin to add up the cost of the fares, and food on the move, for meetings every 10 days on an evening in London, but it was an opportunity to get some good and Liberal policies for the Party for those asylum seekers who seek sanctuary in the UK. Between March and summer was spent on taking evidence, ...
Data is the life-blood of political campaigns. The more we collect, the better our targeting, squeezing and 'Get Out The Vote' operation is likely to be. Classically the data we wanted was voting intention and it was gathered by door-step canvassing. Activist were once told that the point of canvassing was to get voting [...]
Stephen Tall has given his view on last night's Debate over at Liberal Democrat Voice I broadly agree with Stephen. Let me get two things that annoy the hell out of me off my chest first, though. Nigel Farage was ... Continue reading →
I have been increasingly frustrated with my mobile technology of late. The BlackBerry which had already failed me twice in eighteen months recently started to suffer from catastrophic battery rundown and it was indeed fortunate that I became eligible for an upgrade this week. And so, it gives me great pleasure to blog this from my new and pleasantly shiny iPhone 5S, chosen to colour co-ordinate with my iPad Air. This means that I may be a bit more active in the blogosphere and on Twitter, although I've said that in the past...
Speaking at his monthly press conference earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg said: "I just think it is utterly grotesque that Nigel Farage apparently admires - and that was the question to him, 'Who do you admire?' - admires someone, Vladimir Putin, who has been the chief sponsor and protector of one of the most brutal dictators on the face of the planet, President Assad, who has blocked at every single turn in the United Nations any attempt by the international community to work in concert to help the many, many millions of ...
This Western Mail headline says it all. It quotes the Welsh health minister as stating that 'This isn't a nanny state; Wales has real health problems'. Yes it does but should that give government carte blanche to legislate to change our behaviour? It is an interesting philosophical point. In the Assembly plenary yesterday I specifically asked the health minister about the evidence for extending the smoking ban in enclosed spaces to include e-cigarettes. My point was that when we were considering the smoking ban we legislated on the basis of the harmful effect of second hand smoke. There is no ...
[IMG: Swiss Cheese] If only we were Switzerland, eh? That's the dream of the Better Off Out brigade, who long for its freedom as part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). And it's a tempting offer: all the benefits of free trade with EU member states, and (if you believe Nigel Farage, Dan Hannan et al) none of the risks. Except it's not quite that easy, as The Economist highlighted when it investigated Britain's options. Here are 5 reasons to be sceptical of the Sceptics' alpine panacea... Britain would be a smaller, more isolated country. "Britain would have less ...
Good news from the Commons today. As the Guardian reports: Plans to roll out the controversial badger cull pilots nationwide across England have been dropped by Owen Paterson, after a damning independent report found the shoots had not been sufficiently effective or humane. The two pilot culls, in Gloucestershire and Somerset, will continue with improvements recommended by the independent expert panel (IEP), including more and better trained marksmen. But plans to start new badger culls in 10 other areas have been cancelled, the environment secretary announced on Thursday, telling MPs he was taking the "responsible approach".The Liberal Democrats website has ...
COMPARISONS WITH CLASSIC 70'S POLITICAL THRILLERS OVERSELL CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. HOWEVER, IT IS STILL SMART AND EXCITING, AND POSSIBLY MARVEL'S BEST FILM TO DATE. I've kept the main review spoiler free. However, I do include a couple of amendums that have spoilers in them. I'll flag up clearly before we get to them. [...]
Note: it is safe to hold your breath.
I have today slammed Royal Bank of Scotland management for deploying disingenuous and fictitious arguments when trying to justify its proposed closure of the Perth Road Branch. When I initially contacted the bank to express concern about the proposed closure, the bank's response indicated that a key factor in its decision was drop in customer usage of the branch and it cited a 30% reduction in branch transactions since 2010 across its bank network. Being aware of the fact that the branch continues to be very well used by customers in the local community, I replied asking for details of ...
I was giving a presentation on choice in the NHS last night (thank you, Darzi alumni fellows) between the crucial hours of 7 and 8 in the evening, so I have had to watch the Clegg-Farage clash this morning - or as much of it as I could. My impression was very different to the polls which have handed the victory so spectacularly to Farage. I thought that Clegg was effective, articulate, passionate and authentic. He took on Farage's populism in a way that neither Cameron nor Miliband would have been able to do. It was a ferocious performance and ...
[IMG: Mark Hunter MP- Notes from Westminster] Dear resident, It's been another busy month both in Parliament and back in the constituency; there is never a dull moment! I hope the following gives you a flavour of the issues I have been working on over the last few weeks. My first item this month however comes after a meeting I had with the parents of Millie Thompson, the little girl who tragically died after choking on food in a Cheadle Hulme nursery in 2012. Joanne and Dan are determined to reduce the likelihood of such an accident ever occurring again ...
All this without a Welsh LibDem in Brussels.
1. Nigel Farage seemed to suggest that the existence of the EU is going to end in conflict, as extremists rise in popularity across the union. This seems bizarre to me, when the very existence of the EU is perhaps the largest reason why Western Europe has enjoyed the longest period of peace in its history - no conflicts in 70 years between members of the Union. Isn't this completely wrong headed? 2. Nigel Farage made a lot last night that the EU trade negotiations lie in the hands of an unelected Dutchman. Which is fine. Except Farage is wrong. ...
[IMG: Farage clegg] Well, there's a surprise. After last week's largely positive stories, the headlines aren't so good this week. It's interesting to see that those who called for Nick to be more passionate and to go less on the detail weren't satisfied when he did just that. I wonder if last week's coverage prompted too much of a strategic rethink to an approach that was working fine. In my opinion, the only thing that needed changing from the LBC debate was a stronger answer on the referendum question, especially as it was bound (and it did) to come closer ...
[IMG: BBC One logo (Reproduced under licence from bbc.co.uk - © 2014 BBC)] BBC One are looking for people who live in interested homes in Kent and would be happy to try a home swap holiday for a new TV series. They say: EVER WONDERED ABOUT HOME SWAPPING? We are looking for people who want to try out a home swap holiday in Britain for a new BBC TV series. Enjoy a unique holiday experience in a stunning part of Britain... Do you live in an interesting home you'd be happy to swap with someone elsewhere in the UK for ...
Another day, another empty pavement. This time it's in Haringey and it took a mere four and a half months, several emails to the council Chief Executive and an onsite meeting with a council officer. But the broken lighting on a no entry sign has finally been resolved by removing the no entry sign completely. It's – eventually – a better answer than simply fixing the lighting as the sign wasn't really needed, though as the yellow paint in the photo shows, Haringey Council flirted with moving the sign rather than removing it. Yet again, however, it's an example of ...
A whistle-stop trip back to Scotland has somewhat placed into context the crisis that Vladimir Putin has unleashed upon Europe and the world. As military units are hurriedly scrambled into position in NATO member states, it becomes clear that Russia is merely waiting in order to unleash further aggression on Ukraine. Whether that comes in a few days, a few weeks or even a few months, the idea of a free and democratic Ukraine is as repellent to Putin as a free and democratic Russia. The crushing of all free media, all opposition points of view and even the slightest ...
Thu 3rd
12:13
Opinion: The reason an EU Referendum is a bad idea is one that no politician dare utter
[IMG: European Union flag] We are constantly told that we "need" a referendum on Britain's continued membership of the European Union. Here's the thing: we don't. We don't actually need a referendum on anything just now. Referenda are, in general, actually a bad idea. They are vital every once in a while: the vote happening in Scotland on September 18th of this year is a good example. The government of Scotland is made up of nationalists who want to make Scotland an independent country. To legislate directly for this would be unthinkable, so it is put to the people, as ...
I'm delighted to announced the new Haberdasher's Aske's East Dulwich College. The East Dulwich Lib Dem councillors initiated a campaign in 2013 for a new co-ed non-faith secondary free school. This followed their experiences helping to avert the pending primary school places crisis by leading a successful campaign for new local primary schools. It was also informed by casework from distraught local families being offered secondary school places outside the area - places like Catford, New Cross, Walworth. It became clear that a new local secondary school was urgently needed to meet local demand and no later than September 2016. ...
[IMG: "Frozen Poetry" - Houses of Parliament, London] It is a tradition for LDV to bring its readers copies of our new MPs' and Peers' first words in Parliament, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. On 6 March, Lord Palumbo made his maiden speech in the House of Lords during a debate on the contribution of women to economic life. His words are reproduced below. Lord Palumbo of Southwark (LD): My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lady Northover for bringing this ...
The other Sarah has dug out some revealing statistics from the Ministry of Justice. The first statistic is interesting, but probably not that surprising for anyone involved in trans activism. There is a clause in the Gender Recognition Act 2004 that allows the Secretary of State to refer to the courts any case where they believe gender recognition might have been obtained fraudulently. Despite the fact that the Gender Recognition Panel (GRP) insist on documentary evidence that someone transitioned at least two years ago, that they provide letters from two doctors on the GRP's list of approved doctors and up ...
Graph of Fun vs Effort for pets (tags: ) Labour's plan to reduce tuition fees is a tax cut for bankers and lawyers (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: Pound coins with no date] We know that the Obama campaign made great use of micro-fundraising during its two successful campaigns. If you are signed up to the emails, you'll know the kind of thing. You get an email asking you to donate $5 before midnight to get a chance to have dinner with Obama or some (other) celebrity. The Liberal Democrats have been experimenting a lot with that sort of thing. During the Eastleigh by-election I had a whole host of emails, with increasingly emotional appeals, designed to get me in my soft, weak spots. And even though ...
I was on Wave 102 News earlier this week about unadopted pavements upgrades and adoption in the West End planned for 2014/15. You can listen to the interview by clicking 'play' below:
[IMG: YouGov polling on Vladimir Putin] Full poll details over on the YouGov website.
Thu 3rd
05:52
Welsh Government accused of complacency on serious concerns over mental health services for young pe...
The Welsh Government has been accused of burying its head in the sand over serious concerns regarding Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) services in Wales. This follows warnings that there has been little progress since a review in 2009 and young people continue to be put at risk with a failure to address significant safety issues. In their debate yesterday, Welsh Liberal Democrats highlighted the importance of early intervention to reduce waiting lists and are calling on the Welsh Government to take key steps, including: • investigating waiting times between a child or young person's first assessment with CAMHS ...
This recovery would not be happening without the Liberal Democrats. Our economy is growing because of the hard work of people and businesses throughout Britain. The Coalition's economic plan is the rock on which our recovery is being built. Three and a half years in, and the Coalition's priority is still the same: fixing the economy and cleaning up the mess Labour left behind. That task has never been simply about balancing the books. We inherited an economy that had become profoundly unbalanced. Growth was driven almost entirely by one industry: financial services. Almost exclusively from one city: London. And ...
