Leon Wieselter accuses Nate Silver of "intimidation by quantification." I accuse Leon Wieselter of idiocy. Note: this was a post I drafted at the time of the time FiveThirtyEight launched. For various reasons I never got around to publishing it. The time that has passed has left me convinced that Silver's new website is nowhere [...]
One of our priorities in East Dulwich has been fighting crime through crime prevention. We've invest a huge proportion of the devolved capital budgets and create a crime prevention fund. So what have we done to help prevent crime: 175 Alertboxes connecting businesses together so they can help each other out when in trouble. 2,500 residential SelectaDNA property marking kits. Huge deterrent and great for helping to convict burglars. 50 large premise SelectDNA property marking kits. Gating alleyways to make them more secure- 2 on North Cross Road, Ashbourne Grove, Shawbury Road. Ensured all street lighting has been modernised. Laser ...
What I find interesting about the 2014 candidates is that only three parties have a full slate. Even though UKIP have quite a high poll share, they are not fighting all 40 wards. The Greens have gone down in terms of numbers of candidates. There are two "anti austerity" parties the Trades Union and Socialist Coalition and the Communities against Cuts, that a fighting a small number of seats.
We now have the full list of candidates for the 2014 Birmingham City Council elections. In Acocks Green, I will be standing again for the Liberal Democrats. The full list of candidates (in alphabetical order) in our patch is as follows: Amanda Baker: The Green Party Eamonn Flynn: Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition Roger Harmer: Liberal Democrats Charlotte Hodlvala: The Conservative Party Candidate Peter Johnson: Social Democratic Party Rachel Seabright: Labour Party Candidate Half of the 6: myself, the Green Party candidate and the TUSC candidate, live in Acocks Green. The Conservative Party candidate lives in Sutton Coldfield and the ...
Independent Seat. Death Tony Richardson is the Liberal Democrat candidate. Contact: Cllr_Wallace_Lee@n-kesteven.gov.uk
Conservative seat. Resignation The Liberal Democrat candidate is Lorna Dupre (Lorna@LornaDupre.org.uk).
Conservative seat. Death There is no Liberal Democrat candidate.
Labour seat. There is no Liberal Democrat candidate.
This is the grave of John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace, and his wife in the churchyard at Olney. St Peter and St Paul stands beside the young Great Ouse. For a few days you can learn more about him - and see the church and the Cowper and Newton Museum - by watching episode 3 of Rule Britannia! Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th Century on the BBC iPlayer.
NIACE, The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, invited me to contribute to a special edition of their Adult Learning magazine. This issue focuses on examining the role of education and skills in tackling poverty and low pay. They were aware of the partnership work we are doing under our Opportunity Sutton Skills Match project, and wanted [...]
Before swanning off to a Vince Cable fundraising dinner, Lord Oakeshott gave an interview to Channel 4′s Cathy Newman in which he called for the Lib Dems to quit the coalition after May. He also reminded viewers that his opinion on Nick Clegg's position is 'well known' i.e. he wants him to go. His interjection came after he had previously criticised Jeremy Browne MP for an interview to the Times that was picked up by other publications. "@GdnPolitics: Liberal Democrats are pointless, says sacked former minister http://t.co/puAKLdbP6J"Oh dear,with friends like Jeremy... — matthew oakeshott (@oakeshottm) April 12, 2014 The obvious ...
In Devon: A councillor was allegedly kneed in the groin by a colleague during an altercation over a parking space. Police were called to Church Hill, Fremington, Devon, following reports of a common assault. North Devon and Devon County councillor Frank Biederman confirmed he was involved and an investigation was "in the hands of the police". The second councillor has not been identified, however the BBC understands he is from North Devon CouncilIn Cornwall: A Cornwall councillor who claimed to have been appointed an MBE was never awarded the honour and has now apologised unreservedly, saying he was the victim ...
From South Glos Council on Facebook today: "Following discussions with Bristol Water we have agreed to extend the Church Road closure in Frampton Cotterell for two days until 1400 on Sunday 27 April. This will allow crews to fill and close two large holes in the highway, which would otherwise need to have been done during the following week and would have required extensive roadside barriers and traffic signals. We apologise for any inconvenience caused during these essential works which will allow the planned replacement of Church Road bridge over the summer" We have seen comments on Facebook saying that ...
I have contributed another opinion column to the Leicester Mercury. I was asked to write something on MPs' expenses in the wake of the Maria Miller case. But, as you will see, I ended up arguing that expenses are not at the root of our problems with our politicians these days: There is a terrible lack of big ideas in British politics today. Voters sense this and that politics is now just one more career. And a very exclusive career it is, because knowing the right people is paramount. The typical path to becoming an MP these days is an ...
When Channel 4′s Cathy Newman tweeted this... +++BREAKING...Lib Dem peer tells #c4news party should withdraw from coalition straight after euro elections. Watch interview shortly — Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) April 24, 2014 ...it didn't take a long time for everyone to guess that it was the latest salvo from Lord Oakeshott. The interview is coming up on Channel 4 news, but it's not hard to predict what he's going to say. Oakeshott is becoming a parody of himself, and only the most looney of the Lib Dem left rally around him.
Thu 24th
19:05
Making in China: Maker Faire Shenzhen highlights the global politics of the maker movement
MakerFaire embodies grassroots DIY culture; Shenzhen is the world centre of mass manufacture. What happens when they meet? It is Sunday afternoon in the city of Shenzhen, China, and my friend Natasha and I are havering about whether to buy a Lidar robot. At 2600 yuan approximately £250 its rather dear but still cheaper than anything were likely to find back in the UK; and, as the stallholder tells us, its on special offer for the event. Is he based here in Shenzhen, we ask? No, in Beijing, but like many of the other companies exhibiting, all of his factories ...
[IMG: Why are you IN?] Today, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg launched the Liberal Democrats' 2014 European election campaign. The launch took place in Colchester at a rally with activists and supporters, followed by a public town hall-style Q&A session hosted by Heart FM. Speaking at the launch event, Nick Clegg said: "The election on the 22 May is about one thing: do you think Britain is better off in the EU, or do you think we should be out? Finally the big question at the heart of the European debate is being addressed. At long ...
Another WTF moment from Chris 'Bonehead' Grayling, there are far too many points of 'What the fuckery' in this article on his decision to obstruct an investigation into sex in prison either consensual, non-consensual or coerced, needless to say it all fits in with his 18th Century view of penal punishment. Two parts do strike one as somewhat so fucking mad, one wonders if there is one single sane member in Cameron's Cabinet.1) Sources say Grayling's reaction to the inquiry was to say: "Prisoners aren't going to have sex on my watch."2) The justice secretary is also understood to have ...
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has today launched the Liberal Democrats' 2014 European election campaign. The Liberal Democrats are now the only party truly campaigning to keep Britain IN Europe. Back our campaign here.
The Council's proposals to close swimming pools at Park Road and Everton have received quite a bit of attention. I wonder however how much people know about the proposals for Speke. The Council is talking about running the centre on a "caretaker" basis. That'll mean that organised groups can book in but residents won't be able to just turn up and use it. I've seen no coverage of this idea but it appears on a page on the Council's website where a "consultation" is taking place. If you want to comment, or find out more, the page is at this ...
Just a quick thing I thought I should say about UKIP.I am very, *very* far from being a UKIP supporter — the facts that I am married to an immigrant, campaigned for same-sex marriage, and believe referenda are the enemy of the representative democracy that I think is the single most important tool for progress [...]
[IMG: Edwardian school License Some rights reserved by freeparking :-|] There is a rule in British politics - non-codified, but always there, like the British constitution - that long-forgotten ideas will at some point come back into fashion. Witness Ed Miliband's stuttering 'One Nation' pitch and the Tories' tentative return to a hotchpotch of local relief schemes as a means of providing welfare. There is one such Liberal concept which I believe could be updated and refocused as a thoroughly Liberal alternative to the New Right's turbocharged capitalism and the New Left's corporate-bashing fury: National Efficiency. With an Empire to ...
I wrote an article last week about the problems a Lib-Lab coalition might face were it to ever come into being. As I'd hoped, I got some interesting responses. Although I say this explicitly in the article itself, I will reiterate the fact that if such a coalition came into being I would wholeheartedly support it and hope it worked brilliantly. I just have my doubts that would be the case. But the debate gave me pause for thought about other possibilities. I got a comment back that said: "But the Tories and us are on different planets, too, surely?" ...
Shropshire Council is consulting on its flood risk strategy. This a good piece of co-working with Staffordshire County Council. But I am not sure that it will allow us to tackle growing flood risk effectively. I'm sceptical that its guidance on planning will be followed in practice. I'm more disappointed that greater attention hasn't been [...]
[IMG: Screen Shot 2014-03-09 at 08.06.08 Liberal Democrats Libby] Thank you to everyone on Lib Dem Voice who has taken the trouble to comment on my book 'Race Plan'. It is healthy to have an active debate about how our liberalism can be applied to address the big political events of our time. I am appreciative of the favourable comments; I also thought it might be of interest (and good manners) to respond to some of the main criticisms and themes that emerged on LDV. Timing of publication The timing was determined by the date when I ceased to be ...
Thu 24th
11:51
"The fight is on; it's time to pick a side" - Clegg launches European election campaign
[IMG: Nick Clegg Q&A 19] At a Town Hall style event in Colchester this morning, Nick Clegg launched the Lib Dem campaign for the European elections, which will see the party seeking to defend its 12 seats in the European Parliament. Speaking at the event, Clegg framed the elections as a clear choice between internationalism and isolationism: The election on the 22 May is about one thing: do you think Britain is better off in the EU, or do you think we should be out? Finally the big question at the heart of the European debate is being addressed. At ...
Hatters Lane, Chipping Sodbury will be closed from Horse Street to Gorlands Road for about two weeks from Monday 28 April for footpath widening to be carried out. As the Gazette reports, there's quite a bit of controversy about this.
[IMG: Sabrent Premium 4 Port USB 3 hub] My immediate reactions to the Sabrent Premium 4 Port Aluminium USB 3.0 Hub were very positive. It comes in one of those annoying plastic blister packs, except that this one has a little notch at the back which makes opening it nice and easy. It also has a nice Apple-like appearance. Closer inspection, however, was not quite so good. It does the job of being a hub perfectly well, but there's something very oddly rough about the outside finish, which means you have to be careful what rubs against it as it ...
[IMG: image] In 1910, British journalist Norman Angell published "The Great Illusion", arguing that the integration of the global economy was so all-embracing and irreversible that future wars were all but impossible. Released shortly before the outbreak of the Great War, the idea that humans had outgrown their propensity to mass slaughter did not stand the test of time for long. We face today a similar dichotomy in Putin's Russia. Europe and Russia are intertwined in mutual trade dependency and the major oil companies - BP and Shell among them - are increasing their investments in Russia. Since the end ...
Thu 24th
10:30
My column for ConHome: You think only Lib Dems / Ukip are protest votes? Here's why you're wrong, an...
[IMG: con home cartoon] Here's my latest The Other Side column for ConservativeHome, published here on Tuesday. This week I look at protest voting, loss aversion and why that matters to this year's referendum on Scottish independence and any future EU in/out referendum. My thanks as ever to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke – constructively, I hope. I once asked one of my brothers whether he'd be voting Lib Dem. "Probably," he said. "But the moment I think you've got any chance of getting into power I'll stop." For ...
Thu 24th
10:0168% Lib Dem members say Clegg right to challenge Farage to debates on Europe (but, sorry Nick, more ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 830 party members responded – thank you – and we're publishing the full results. [IMG: Nigel farage nick clegg in out eu european union debate] The Lib Dems launch our European election campaign officially today – but it was unofficially kicked off in February when Nick Clegg laid down the gauntlet to Nigel Farage, challenging him to a debate on whether the UK should be in or out. We asked Lib ...
The fightback against gendered toys (the tags on this make me sad) FTR I got this link via a man. NOT just women care about this issue, Grauniad. (tags: ) Why is Britain deporting LGBT asylum seekers to Uganda and Nigeria? (tags: ) Five "facts" everyone gets wrong about depression - classic cracked "I could do the dishes, or I could just sit here and fantasize about killing myself. Then I wouldn't have to do the dishes!" - this is SO true. I also loved the line "the daily mail is such low-hanging fruit it's practically a potato" (tags: ) ...
Thu 24th
09:04In Full: Nick Clegg on tearing down the barriers facing women at work and the £23 billion boos...
[IMG: Clegg Speech 40] I have always said that if I had to pick one policy enacted by the Coalition that summed up our liberal values it would be the revolution that Nick Clegg and Jo Swinson have enacted on parental leave. From next year, parents will be able to choose how they split parental leave following a birth or adoption between them rather than the mother having to take it all. It's the stronger economy, fairer society and enabling people to get on in life all in one. Yesterday, Nick Clegg made a speech in which he explained the ...
For some considerable time, much of the area of Dundee Technopole south of Blackness Road, immediately east of Annfield Road, has remained undeveloped. Residents in the area have queried why this is the case and if the City Council is actively marketing the unused the unoccupied parts of the site. The City Council's Head of Economic Development advises: "With the economy now picking up albeit slowly, there has been no firm interest in the sites at the Technopole, though we continue to show it to relevant potential investors. The overall demand for land remains low. There is therefore still no ...
When the opposition raise the Welsh Labour Government's appalling record on education in the chamber we are often pointed at the measures that have been put in place in the last two years as proof that concerns are being addressed. However, further evidence that this response is too little, too late has emerged with a report on the BBC today that a confidential document from 2007 detailed weaknesses in strategy and teacher training. These are precisely the issues highlighted by an OECD report published earlier this month. The BBC say that the 2007 report called for a more "coherent" policy ...
It seems there's some underlying fault with the streetlights, or the electricity supply to them, on "conker island" near Gatley Medical Centre – two of the lamps are out again! We've reported both and we'll get in touch to say there may be more of an issue than a blown bulb – though I know tracking down those sorts of problems can be tricky. Remember – if you spot any faulty streetlights, you should report them via the Council website where there's a great map and you can find the streetlight and click on it to report it.
I am on Wave 102 News this morning, continuing the campaign against the Royal Bank of Scotland's decision to close the Perth Road branch of the bank. I have criticised RBS management for failing to provide customer usage statistics when trying to justify its proposed closure. 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. However, the branch continues to be very ...
According to research carried out by the Times, road casualties in areas where street lights have been turned off have risen by 20% in four years. It found that 324 more people were killed or seriously injured in crashes at night on roads where street lights were unlit in 2011-12 than in 2009-10. Deaths rose by 39% to 25 and serious injuries rose by 27% to 225, analysis of 800,000 pieces of data collected by police showed. The Local Government Association said: "If councils were presented with evidence it 'turning off street lights' was causing a public safety risk they ...
At a time when Cornwall Council is having to make £196 million of savings over the next five years, it takes some nerve for a private company which is failing in its duty to local residents to suggest that council tax payers pick up after them. But that is what Elan Homes, the developers of Kensey Valley Meadow in Launceston have done. The roads and open spaces on the estate are due to be adopted (ie taken over) by the council. But only when the building work has been completed and the infrastructure brought up to scratch. The roads have ...
The Evening Standard writes: We have already had a foreign manager of the England football team; perhaps it was only a matter of time before all the political parties turned abroad too. Last week David Axelrod, President Obama's campaign mastermind, was appointed as Labour's strategic adviser. He will take on the Tories' Australian election chief Lynton Crosby, their ex-Obama strategist Jim Messina, and Nick Clegg's director of strategy Ryan Coetzee, a South African. And goes on to profile some key individuals: Austin Rathe The Lib-Dems' head of member and supporter development was prominent in last year's key Eastleigh by-election. Well ...
[IMG: Britain's churches; in danger of becoming derelict?] Britain's churches; in danger of becoming derelict? In a week when the Prime Minister has been stung, twice - once by a malevolent jellyfish and then, not long afterwards, by public reaction to his observation "Britain is a Christian country," there has been much analysis of polling and census data in support or denunciation of his statement. Cameron supporters point to the 2011 census, where 59% ticked the box to describe themselves as 'Christian,' while his detractors preferred a YouGov poll where the question, "are you religious?" saw only 29% of respondents ...
One in ten children and adolescents in Wales will experience a mental health issue, yet there are still serious concerns over the provision of Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Waiting lists are too long, there is a lack of investment and focus on early intervention, too many young people are still inappropriately placed on adult mental health wards, safety checks are not common practice and many young people get lost in the transition between CAMHS and Adult Mental Health Services. It's almost a decade on since the Children's Commissioner first warned that CAMHS provision was in 'crisis across ...
