[IMG: House values] On Wednesday this year's Housing Studies Association conference featured a panel discussion on the theme "Who is best placed to judge the value of housing - the state or the consumer?". The panel members were Vidhya Alakeson of the Resolution Foundation; John Moss, a Councillor at LB Waltham Forest; Paul Tennant of Orbit Group and the Chartered Institute of Housing; and me. I spoke first. My talk was rather more abstract than those of the other panel members, and perhaps more abstract than the organisers were expecting. But it was the direction my thinking took when I ...
This is the Humber Stone, which stands beside a roundabout on Leicester's ring road. Some say the village of Humberstone got its name from the stone, but it may be that the stone's modern name comes from the village as it has had other names - Hell Stone, Holy Stone, Hoston and Holston. This Was Leicestershire will give you the Humber Stone's geology and history: So what is the Humber Stone, speaking geologically? It is probably an "erratic"; a large block of rock transported by the action of glaciers and plonked down, now out of place, when the ice retreated. ...
On the Record was broadcast at Sunday lunchtime between 1988 and 2002. You cannot beat Big Ben* turning into a crocodile and laying waste the country as a symbol of the political process. The only thing wrong with these titles is that a member of the Dimbleby family turns up when they are over. And On the Record replaced an earlier programme in this slot, This Week, Next Week, which was introduced by the other brother. Lord Bonkers writes exclusively for Liberal England: Long ago, the negatives of certain incriminating photographs of Lord Reith fell into the hands of Richard ...
Hastings Liberal Democrats have issued a statement of the Main Policy Themes they intend to pursue on the Borough Council after the May 22nd Elections: All Council services should be audited for their impact on struggling families. Liberal Democrats want to see an expansion of current house building and improvement efforts. Liberal Democrats want to avoid [...]
The grafts by Mr Desai from December 1995 were all in 'pristine condition, but one of them was connected to the remains of the heart artery by a length of the original artery that was all furred up and therefore not supplying blood to the heart. This was the probable cause of the angina, and it isn't susceptible to surgery. Stronger anti angina medication, Ranosaline, is added to the arsenal I'm already taking. The procedure took two hours, partly because the faulty connection wasn't accessible via the groin, and the surgeon had to start again via the wrist. Afterwards I ...
Well, I think I came out of that better than the Labour Party website:
A few years ago I was watching a documentary about Milton's Paradise Lost. It was presented by Armando Iannucci who had been writing a PhD on Milton before he became a comedian. During the program he explained that he had once considered becoming a Catholic Priest but had lost his faith because he couldn't see [...]
Catching up with events, I was reading Liberal Democrat Voice's latest 'Golden Dozen' and was most gratified to find that my piece on the Nigel Evans case has been included. And that's especially nice as it marks my one hundredth inclusion in that august weekly record of popular/good Liberal Democrat blogging. It also gives, possibly, a hint as to how blogging has become more popular and more mainstream, in that my fiftieth appearance was reached in the 131st edition, yet it took another two hundred and forty for me to double that. Ah well, onwards and upwards, I suppose, and ...
I looked at my Solar Generation meter and winked. My new Google Glass snapped this picture [IMG: MegaWatt] 116 days ago, on the darkest day of the year, we had our solar panels installed. They have just ticked over the 1MWh mark. The average British house uses about 10kWh a day. By our estimates, our house uses 8.5kWh - thanks to LED lighting, a new TV, and efficient computers. Basically, at this point in the year we're already generating more energy than we use and have, on average, completely offset our electricity needs so far. Assuming the last third of ...
[IMG: Geneva talks on Ukraine crisis] What is it about Geneva and international discussions that don't go anywhere? In January of this year, I wrote an article for the New Statesman about the Geneva II talks on the Syrian crisis. That summit didn't end in an agreement at all, which cannot be said of this week's roundtable to try and defuse the crisis in Eastern Ukraine; Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine signed a deal on Wednesday that, on paper, should at least be the first step on the road to peace in the region. But I think both ...
xkcd sums it up: If in doubt, try being extra polite. For more details see here. Liberal Democrat Voice is 'our place to talk'. The team seek to ensure that a free exchange of ideas is possible, with nobody being driven away by aggressive or boorish behaviour. Commenters are advised to address themselves to the ideas that have been expressed and not to attack the individuals who have expressed them. This high standard can be a challenge to maintain in a political context when much of what passes for political debate in our culture is little more than the imputation ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
First up, from Olly (former communications chief for the Lib Dems and Shelter, now a Lib Dem peer)... Easter Hols quiz: can anyone guess the election this passage is referring to? pic.twitter.com/4TFZl26WB9 — Olly Grender (@OllyGrender) April 15, 2014 Click here for the answers
Announcement by the district council St Albans City and District Council is providing a special collection after the Easter weekend to help residents recycle large pieces of cardboard. The Council is doing this because it is a time of year when a lot of cardboard is generated, for example from DIY and home improvement projects. Residents should put cardboard in their recycling box with paper or flatten larger pieces and stack them alongside for collection on their next recycling day after Easter. Details of waste and recycling collections over Easter are available at: If residents miss this cardboard collection ...
[IMG: photo (99)] We've had several reports of thieves tampering with the Barclays cash machine in Gatley to steal cards and money. Typically the thieves will attach a device to the machine that looks like part of the normal apparatus. When you put your card in and enter your PIN, it records the buttons you push (or possibly there's a hidden camera or someone looking over your shoulder to see). When the machine returns your card, the device grabs it so it appears that your card has been retained. After you leave, the thieves (who are normally nearby) get their ...
[IMG: Steve_WebbBlog] Over 3 million workers have for the first time been given a workplace pension, according to figures from the Pensions Regulator. The 3 millionth worker is employed by West Ham United. The new scheme, which Liberal Democrats in Government began rolling out in 2012, provides workers with a safe, private pension that both their employer and the Government pay in to. This tops up the worker's contributions significantly. Welcoming this news, the Lib Dem Pensions Minister, Steve Webb, said: "Before automatic enrolment, pension saving in this country was at a very low level. Too few people were being ...
Cheadle Makers Market returns – on Saturday 3rd May, a great way to start the bank holiday weekend. This market will be on the White Hart car park next to St Mary's Church. The aim is to bring the Makers Market back to Cheadle Green in June.
Fri 18th
11:34
A nation enters the European Union, walks up to the Commission, and asks for... what, exactly?
The relationship between the British public and the European Union has seldom been a strong one. Decisions by politicians past and present to use Europe as an excuse for inaction or, even more cynically, as a reason for unpopular action, an ill-informed media whose ownership have no desire to see a level of government that might challenge their influence, and a pick-and-mix approach to political integration that leaves the United Kingdom looking insufficiently committed to its partners and overly committed to its citizens are all factors. It is, of course, made more complex by the fact that we are a ...
Not content with the most radical reforms to private pensions in a generation, Steve Webb is proposing a flat rate of 30% of tax relief on pension contributions. Currently savers enjoy tax relief at the marginal rate of income tax they pay, so higher rate tax payers get the lion's share, and standard rate tax payers have less incentive to save for a pension. Steve told the Daily Mail I'd like to see the benefits of pensions tax relief spread much more evenly. Most people get 20 per cent relief, some people get it at 40 per cent. But the ...
To quote from the Northumberland County Council Website "Bank holiday bin collections Easter (21-28 Apr) Bank holiday bin collections will be one day late during the week beginning Mon 21 April 2014 (Bank Holiday Mon ) " As a reminder, next week is a "Blue bin week" ( ie Dry recyclable Collection )
Very long but utterly heartwarming and adorable interview with mad Tom (tags: ) Conformity is Bad For You. Yay! This means I am healthy! OfC we all know which political party has non-conformity enshrined in its constitution, don't we? (tags: ) Fake Geek Guys: A Message to Men About Sexual Harassment (tags: ) Why is Good Housekeeping's 'intimate test' on vibrators so shocking? (tags: ) Why a British exit is not inevitable - interesting, if longwinded, article (tags: ) Charging for crutches is the first painful step towards dismantling the NHS - worrying if true (tags: ) The Definitive Stereotype ...
Fascinating: [IMG: Syria] The Syria Conflict Mapping Project is an initiative launched by the [Carter] Center to examine the massive amounts of citizen-generated information related to the Syrian conflict that is available online. Posts on social media, among other things, help to details the growth of opposition armed groups in each governorate within Syria; show the current geographic delineation of pro and anti-government forces and provides up-to-date analysis on the current state of the conflict. Initially, the goal of the Syria conflict mapping project was to provide information to neutral parties working toward a peaceful end to the crisis. With ...
Many could argue that in 21st century Britain enough has been done to create equal rights and opportunities for men and women so inequality is no longer an issue. But of course it isn't that simple. Equal rights, access and opportunities must of course be the starting point but the next step is to look [...]
This John Harris article from earlier in the week is worth a read: What is Nigel Farage's entire act if not a huge raspberry blown at the values and privileges of the more elevated parts of the capital, and most loudly heard from counties such as Sussex, Kent, Norfolk, Hampshire and Lincolnshire? Plenty of numbers suggest that people there are right to be angry. In Ukip's heartland of the east of England, for instance, people talk endlessly about the state of the roads and railways and how difficult it is to get around. At the last count annual transport spending ...
This article in the Western Mail graphically illustrates why the various Government schemes to help people get on the housing ladder are so important. A lot of attention is being given to the impact of the UK Government's Help to Buy schemes on London and the South East of England, with claims that it will create a housing bubble. It certainly has not done so yet. However, the biggest impact of these schemes (and the largest take-up) is outside of these areas. We cannot allow UK Housing policy to be dictated by the economy of the South East, nor can ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention in the past couple of days... Ed Miliband signs up top Obama adviser David Axelrod for UK election | Politics | The Guardian Mmmkay. "Lab aides insisted Axelrod wld be integral to the campaign & not be taking money just to provide stardust." http://bit.ly/1eYN7vs Mirror's weeping child picture is a lie and smacks of lazy journalism at best | Media | theguardian.com Yep: "Mirror's weeping child picture is a lie and smacks of lazy journalism at best" http://bit.ly/1hQRn5R What should Sarah Wollaston have done? | Head of Legal Carl Gardner ...
I am, once again, somewhere else, something that will not entirely surprise my regular readers. So, this week, I thought that I would take a leaf out of Jennie's book, and take the blog out of its usual rural comfort zone. There is a temptation, when blogging, to react to an agenda set by our increasingly useless, vapid national media. And, given their ineptitude, fecklessness and tendency to hunt in packs, it all begins to feel a bit circular. However, I have a week of enforced relative idleness to look forward to, so perhaps I should take the opportunity to ...
[IMG: A few wind turbines] Rarely a week goes by without an onshore wind story appearing in the media – normally negative, with some Conservative source trying to undermine this important source of renewable energy. The past few weeks have been no different. First, let's set the record straight. Liberal Democrats in Government will not accept a cap on onshore wind. Of course what other parties choose to put in their manifestos is a matter for them. But this Coalition Government is not changing tack on onshore wind or renewables and we will not lose focus or rewrite policy. Second, ...
It is good to see a new church initiative being launched earlier this month at St Peter's Free Church Offices, where a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Centre has been opened to serve the whole of the city. Initially, 4 Churches are combining together to make this happen - St Peter's Free Church; Grace Church (Menzieshill); Hermon Evangelical Church (Hilltown) and Broughty Ferry Baptist Church. Acting in a voluntary capacity, the local CAP Team will be available to befriend and offer direct practical support to people with debt problems. The primary service is to assist them to manage and overcome their ...
I am pleased to say that the West End figures prominently in this year's Festival of Volunteering, including Community Spirit Action Group's litter pick, Time2Give's Coffee Afternoon at Blackness Library, Starter Pack's Open Week (Perth Road) and Bridge FM's Open Evenings at Ninewells Hospital. You can download the full brochure with all the details here.
[IMG: rsz_img_5219] Above is Sefton Lane in Maghull in 1956. I lived in one of the houses (No.27) from December 1968 to April 1982. I recently purchased the photo on ebay. [IMG: The same shot 57 years later] The same shot 57 years later, remarkably with little traffic on the Lane as it is a very busy road these days. Click to enlarge the photos
I am being asked, by Clitheroe residents if bins and white paper sacks are due to be collected today because it's Good Friday. The simple answer is yes. In the land of Ribble Valley refuse collection both Good Friday and Easter Monday are normal days. The only issue residents face is if your bins are missed accidentally, you will not be able to phone up the council offices and say: "What about my bins?" because the offices are shut. As a rule of thumb the only time refuse collections alter in Ribble Valley is over the Christmas Period.
A new book has concluded that the Welsh Liberal Democrats and their predecessors the Welsh Liberals have never benefited from entering coalitions with other parties. The Western Mail reports that in his book, 'The Welsh Liberals', Professor Russell Deacon of the University of Wales writes: "At a local government and Welsh Assembly level, it seems [being in coalition] makes very little difference to the party's electoral fortunes. "Coalitions at the Westminster level, however, have always weakened the party in Wales, sometimes considerably. "The various coalitions that the Welsh Liberals had with the Conservatives between 1916 and 1945 saw the Liberal ...
I was on Wave 102 News yesterday following my meeting with the City Council's Environment Director regarding bin collections in the city. You can listen to the Wave 102 interview by clicking 'play' below:
