Tonight's meeting of Stockton Council produced some of the least credible arguments ever heard in that council chamber. One of the agenda items was on the subject of members' allowances. Over recent years the council has had to reduce its expenditure significantly and that has led to redundancies and cuts in services. In 2011 the Liberal Democrat group suggested that the special responsibility
Seen beside the River Welland this evening.
Saturday Sad news from the West Country: David Laws has broken his elbow in a canvassing accident. I immediately consult the Revd Hughes and arrange for prayers to be said for him daily at St Asquith's. This intelligence is contained in a copy of the Western Gazette mailed to me by an old friend who has underlined the passage: "He said he is still able to carry out Department for Education duties in his role as schools minister, as he signs letters with his right hand." Whilst Laws' determination to continue working is to be admired, I wonder if it ...
It's the last day of April, a month which began with the second 'Nick v Nigel' debate and has seen 11 polls asking specifically about voting intentions in the European elections on 22nd May. Here's what they show: [IMG: euro election polls april 2014] Quite a lot of movement, but the trend appears now to be that Ukip are in a clear first place above 30%, followed by Labour around 25%, then the Tories on 20%. The Lib Dems are some way back in fourth place, at or around 10%, with the Greens fluctuating around 5% and the BNP nowhere. ...
Jeremy Paxman is leaving Newsnight and I am not sorry. Paxman has always been at his best when interviewing members of the public. He was polite and gentle, drawing them out and encouraging them to tell their stories. He is at his worst when interviewing politicians. As I wrote in Liberal Democrat News in 2010: Wealthy, arrogant, members of powerful dynasties... It is not the politicians we should worry about these days so much as the interviewers. Take the biggest cheese of them all: Jeremy Paxman. Politicians are not brought before him to have their views examined: they are there ...
From BBC News: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is considering evidence against Lord Janner as part of an inquiry into allegations of historical child abuse. The London home of the 85-year-old peer, who was a Labour MP in Leicester for 27 years, was searched in December. Police have said he has not been arrested and the BBC understands he has not even been interviewed. The investigation is linked to Frank Beck, who was found guilty of abusing children in the 1970s and 1980s.Lord Janner's London home was searched by Leicestershire Police just before Christmas. Later. The Jewish Chronicle quotes a ...
Both Danny Alexander and Alistair Carmichael have tried their hand at taking on some of the pro-independnece supporters' claims about the consequences of independence today with varying degrees of success. Before I start, I usually try to refer to SNP ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Saltire and Forth Bridge] Both Danny Alexander and Alistair Carmichael have tried their hand at taking on some of the pro-independence supporters' claims about the consequences of independence today with varying degrees of success. Before I start, I usually try to refer to SNP and Yes supporters as pro-indy people or something like that but it's a bit clumsy. I say the Yes Lot, too, as long as people know I'm doing it in good spirit. I don't really like calling them Nationalists because the likes of Jim Murphy use that as a term of abuse, but it is ...
You may not have realised it yet, but we are right now in the midst of the first ever Presidential election in which British citizens can take part. Don't worry, the Coalition hasn't abolished the monarchy while no-one was looking! After all, David Cameron couldn't even get his backbenchers to deliver the very House of Lords reform which they promised in their own Conservative manifesto, so Her Majesty is probably safe for now. Instead, following the Lisbon Treaty and for the very first time ever, when you vote in the forthcoming European Election (in which yours truly is a candidate) ...
Tony Greaves: "The more I listen to the Better Together campaign, the less I like it." I'm not a fan of Better Together - something that's unlikely to change, although I do have respect for some of the figures within it. I'm also not really one to get out the "I told you so"s when circumstances prove me correct. However, having made the case in January 2012 for Liberal Democrat non-affiliation to a "no" campaign that would inevitably employ the tactics of cynical negativity, it has been encouraging in recent months to see overdue and welcome criticism from Lib Dems ...
Wed 30th
20:38
SNP try to airbrush the trouble out of paradise - but they can't argue with the evidence
Since last night's post in which I brought you news that SNP MEP Alyn Smith had said at a Law Society hustings that the SNP leadership should admit it made a mistake (against his advice) by saying that an independent ... Continue reading →
In my village of Sunniside, Sun Hill, the aged person's housing, has been replaced with a new building. The old one is now being demolished. However, we have known about a feral bee colony that has lived in the roof for over 7 years. I was able to persuade the Gateshead Housing Company, former owners of the building, and Keepmoat, the housing association that now owns it to let me go in to
Diana Darke is one of those splendid British Arabists, in the tradition of Gertrude Bell, who combines a passion for Syria and the rest of the Middle East with an admirably Anglo-Saxon cool head, which has enabled her to work for many years as a translator, consultant and writer of Bradt travel guides on the [...]
I attended Town and Parish conference yesterday at Chicksands, Central Bedfordshire Council HQ. Discussed were: Health Review. Local health authority are consulting on the ways that they will have to cut their cloth and deploy future services. You should check this out online and try and have your say on this. It affects Central Beds, Bedford, Milton Keynes. Cemeteries The main thrust was why are parishes charging very silly low prices for exclusive right of burial, when the money raised goes nowhere near paying for upkeep of a plot for 75 years? Why don't we charge prices akin to Bedford ...
[IMG: Nigel Farage] To be a serious political party in the UK you have to have MPs at Westminster. To get MPs at Westminster there are two main routes, which can be followed in concert: 1. Win a seat or seats at a general election, as per the Greens in Brighton, normally based on a strong local base on the council. 2. Win a parliamentary by-election and then build on that. Method 1 is usually a darned sight harder than 2, but can be much easier. The forthcoming Newark by-election presented UKIP with the only chance they'll ever seriously get ...
Broadcasting legend Jeremy Paxman has just announced he will leave Newsnight after 25 years. In announcing the move, the BBC revealed that Paxman had wanted to leave last summer, but "generously agreed to stay to help the new team bed down." Directer of News and Current Affairs James Harding said "I think it is fair to say that the only people really celebrating his decision will be the politicians and public figures he has so often and so brilliantly held to account." His probably right. Here are some classic, moments by the great man. Russell Brand Russell Brand vs. Jeremy ...
So the major parties PPBs for the upcoming Euro elections have been released and they make interesting viewing. David Cameron sets out his vision for the EU in the Conservative video and while I find his language about Europe pretty patronising, his party deserves credit for talking about Europe when it's so divisive within their own party. Nick Clegg gives a powerful defence of Europe in the Lib Dem PPB, explaining (quite rightly) that his is the only party to fully support our membership of the EU to keep our economic recovery on the rails. The Labour broadcast is the ...
The remit of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is huge. Ministers are responsible for housing, local economic development, planning policy, parking, local government finance, localism and community integration. Often these issues spark controversy. But all CLG ministers are in complete agreement that there is an urgent need to revitalise the Great British [...]
Last night we had an absolute omnishambles of a 'consultation event in SFX Academy in Woolton. The event was supposed to be a consultation meeting about the relocation of St Julies School to Beaconsfield Road. It is the third botched ... Continue reading →
Local concerns about increases in betting shop numbers can now be addressed by new council powers. Local authorities will be able to take the number, and potential 'clustering', of betting shop sites into account when considering new planning applications to open similar businesses nearby. The Lib Dem HQ story can be found here. These new [...]
Cornwall Council's staff have stepped up to the plate and look set to agree a new pay package which will secure £5.4 million of savings for the authority. At the same time, the council will be implementing the living wage as the minimum for its staff. Over the next four years, Cornwall Council must save £196 million. Ultimately, much of this money must come from cuts to services, but the council is determined to make savings from 'back office' functions and administration where possible. The council has been in discussions with staff and unions for some time to see what ...
The announcement by the Home Secretary today that she will be reforming the rules around stop and search after it was revealed that 250,000 conducted last year may have been illegal, is very welcome. Theresa May said that official figures have shown that people from black and ethnic minority communities are up to seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. She added that she could only assume that people are being stopped and searched solely because they were black: She is to revise the code of practice under which stop and searches are carried out ...
Jim McKenna has been announced as the new cabinet member for Health and Adult Care. He takes over from Judith Haycock. Jim was nominated by the Independent group and has been appointed by the Leader to his new role. I've only known him for a year as he was newly elected in last year's election, but has spent that time chairing the health scrutiny committee. However he has a lot of experience in local government as former chief executive of Penwith. I worked with Judith for four years as members of the Communities Scrutiny Committee on the old council. She ...
Ahem: @haringeycouncil roads ain't too chipper round here! pic.twitter.com/W55j635Jxh — Toby (@tobythirling) April 28, 2014 But then Labour-run Haringey Council did manage to fix only 1 in 3 potholes on time in its recent self-declared blitz.
[IMG: Newark Castle] One of my earliest political memories is the moment when Shirley Williams got up at Bradford in 1981 and announced that she would be a candidate in the Crosby by-election. Her talk of how sometimes in politics it was necessary to take risks, to "scale unscalable heights" gave the 14 year old me goosebumps. It was all very much "stand up for what you believe in, take risks, go and change the world" motivation. Decades later, Shirley wrote about her decision to stand for Crosby in her excellent autobiography, Climbing the Bookshelves. At the time, I hadn't ...
On May 22nd 2,728 candidate are flying the flag for Liberal Democracy in the Local Elections. We are defending 711 Liberal Democrat seats and are targeting many more. Nominations have now closed and we know (with a few exceptions of places that have not yet published their Statements of Persons Nominated) candidate numbers. ALL London [...]
Liberal Democrat John Pugh MP has announced that he will be standing again for Southport in next year's general election. John says "I have thought very hard about this, because it is an honour and a huge responsibility to try to represent Southport and certainly not a right. "I see myself essentially as part of a dedicated team of activists and councillors who continue to seek positive change for our town. "Although I am the obvious link with government and Westminster, I am re-assured that neither my local colleagues nor my constituents will expect me now to change and become ...
[IMG: Electric Meter on the Back of the House] Liberal Democrats in Government are doing everything possible to help consumers with their energy bills. Just last week I announced that by the end of the year energy suppliers will halve the time it takes to switch energy supplier from the current five to two and a half weeks. This is just the first step to achieving my ambition of achieving 24 hour switching. But there is more that can be done, and I have written to energy suppliers asking them to now focus on pre-payment meter (PPM) customers. There are ...
Eluned Parrott AM, the Welsh Liberal Democrat speaker on business and Europe, has exposed statistical flaws in the claims made by Carwyn Jones for the Labour Welsh Government's Jobs Growth scheme.
[IMG: John-Bercow_1428946c] Verdict: Cameron wins Review: Miliband had one of those weeks in which he asked what amounted to the same question six times. And it was territory he'd already covered – the Royal Mail sell-off. Now, whatever you think about the sell-off, whether there were dodgy elements involved in the "sweet sixteen" or not, surely even the most ardent supporter of the Leader of the Opposition has to grant that using two whole PMQS on the topic is a bit overkill? It makes it seems like he's avoiding speaking about something. Namely the economy. The theme of Miliband's bent ...
[IMG: Photo UNICEF Bangladesh] Paddy Ashdown has been writing over at UNICEF's blog about his recent visit to Bangladesh. There, he saw the benefits of an initiative, supported by Marks and Spencer, to provide better ventilated, safer, fuel efficient stoves to 40,000 homes. First of all, he outlines how dangerous simply cooking dinner could be: I have just returned from a visit to the country and even in the tiny village of Daccope, children are exposed to potentially deadly air pollution in their own home every day. This dangerous mix of chemicals, including carbon monoxide, can cause breathing illness such ...
Scottish Liberal Democrats could campaign more effectively for genuine federalism outside the all-party Better Together campaign, argues Tony Greaves In 1987, during the merger talks between the Liberal Party and the SDP, David Steel said I was a "North of England Nationalist". We were of course discussing how to fit the demands of Liberal and SDP negotiators from Scotland and Wales - for Scottish and Welsh autonomy within a federal constitution - with the conundrum of the much larger England. I remembered this while watching Willie Rennie call for the No campaign to get some "sunshine" into its strategy. I ...
I produce an e mail bulletin focusing on L19 and L18. This goes out roughly twice a month and carries information on local events, decisions, planning applications, developments, news and so on. If you want to start getting this, you can subscribe by using this link.
It is commonplace to criticise the parochial Western media for its ridiculously sparse coverage of the 'largest elections ever.' However, it's unusual indeed for it to be done as hilariously as John Oliver has managed in the first episode of his new HBO show. It's well worth a watch: Filed under: Uncategorized
Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell has said the First Minister's comments on Russian President Vladimir Putin reflect a disturbing lack of judgement. In an interview for GQ magazine, First Minister Alex Salmond said he admired "certain aspects" of Vladimir Putin's leadership. This follows from previous poor judgements where the First Minister labelled the NATO attack on Kosovo as an "unpardonable folly" and also courted the Chinese government over the Dalai Lama's visit. Sir Menzies Campbell said: "I am afraid to say that Mr Salmond's admiration for "certain aspects" of Vladimir Putin's leadership reflects a disturbing lack of judgement. ...
Wed 30th
10:53
The Independent View: New report from the Electoral Reform Society: Close the Gap - Tackling Europe'...
[IMG: EU flag] The new report out by the ERS, written by Chris Terry, is one in which the problem of "democratic deficit" in the European Union is explored. This is an issue that pro-Europeans have traditionally shied away from. However, it is the pro-Europeans who must actually take the arguments forward if Britain is to remain in the EU. The Eurosceptics, meanwhile, simply need to hammer home the fact that, from their point of view, there are no answers other than exit. In the report, twelve recommendations on how to improve the EU are given. Some of them are ...
A few visits to Gateshead Civic Centre are always enough to glean some hints about what's happening in the Labour party. That, plus one or two other sources have helped fill in an interesting picture. There are rumblings and grumblings in the ranks of the "socialist" brethren. Firstly, I hear of moans about the normally safe Labour ward of Saltwell soaking up lots of time and effort following
If you've got local elections this year you are probably already into the swing of the campaign: leaflets and letters going out; doors being knocked on; phones being phoned; posters going up and your postal vote campaign ready for launch. You've hopefully also got a campaign plan in place and a clear idea of what [...]
The Hornsey Bowling Club is a great local asset - the local Lib Dems use it for social events from time to time, and I know from talking to local residents that it has produced many fond memories. Cyril Meadows and the 100 or so members are now looking to regenerate the club - they want to make a number of improvements including the redecoration of the clubhouse, replacing the boiler, and improving the bar area. The total cost will be about £25,000, which the club is seeking to fund through a Community Award from Engage Mutual. This is where ...
[IMG: 8020758086_fc194a9c87_n] Anyone with a liberal bone in their body ought to be concerned. Liberals need no convincing about the damaging effects of concentrations of power, in either the public or the private sector. There is therefore a preoccupation with checks and balances - mechanisms for curbing power and holding power to account. I find it puzzling therefore that liberals have not been more vocal in their opposition to the Coalition's programme of legal reform, which is progressively undermining the checks and balances we have in place. It is progressively making access to justice, and therefore the ability to hold ...
All you people posting stuff to the UKIP freepost address to cost them money? You do realise you're actually costing the Royal Mail money, right? There's this little thing called "abuse of freepost". If you're not aware of it you can be damn sure the Kippers are. If you post them anything larger than large letter size the Royal Mail won't even try to deliver it because large letter is the maximum size for standard freepost*. So bricks might be a problem. And if you post them stuff they don't want they can refuse to pay for it under abuse ...
What (Else) Can Men Do? Grow The Fuck Up. (@medium via @caro) SUPERB piece by one geeky boy addressing his cohorts. (tags: ) PC gaming now brings in more money than console gaming (tags: ) I'm not massively keen on BrewDog beers, tbh, but their attitude is bloody awesome (tags: ) biological sex is not binary (tags: ) George Monbiot has written a nice little polemic. I hate agreeing with George Monbiot :/ (tags: ) Quiz: how good is your taste in films? I got 65/100 "A very high score. Your taste in films is exemplary." (tags: ) Free tuition ...
Refuse and recycling collection dates will not be affected by either bank holiday in May.
[IMG: Dutch polling station selfie - I've blogged before about the fashion for electoral selfies in Holland, with people taking photos of themselves at polling stations. As I said then: There are some secrecy rules in Britain which could effect selfies (such as regarding the official mark, exit polls and the reference to how voters shall "secretly mark his paper"). The Electoral Commission has decided to urge caution in the UK: The law relating to obtaining information in polling stations and disclosing such information is complex. Given the risk that someone taking a photo inside a polling station may ...
[IMG: Liberal Democrat badge - Some rights reserved by Paul Walter, Newbury, UK] Next month marks my 20th anniversary as a Liberal Democrat. Could it really be that I've spent two decades - and my entire adult life - as a member of Britain's (still) third party? And more to the point (as some friends would no doubt ask me), why? I signed up in the dying days of John Major's government, shortly before we won our first ever MEPs at the 1994 European elections - as well as the first Eastleigh by-election, held the same day. The Tories had ...
A new planning application has been received in Holyrood Ward as below: Application Number: 57490 Registration Date: 16/04/2014 Location: 18 Perrymead, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 2QJ Proposal: Certificate of lawfulness for proposed single storey rear extension. Details are on the Council's website here. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need any further information. Tim
Wed 30th
08:45
Area around Glamis Road/Drive/Blackness Road roundabout - progress on pedestrian safety improvements
Back in February, I reported that a number of constituents have contacted me about how difficult they find it to get across the road in the area around the Glamis Road/Drive/Blackness Road roundabout. The City Council's Head of Transportation had responded positively to my request for improvements, stating that a site visit would be undertaken to ascertain the viability of providing a central refuge island and drop kerbs. The good news is that the Team Leader in Network Management has now advised:The Engineers have now carried out a site survey for this location and have confirmed the carriageway is greater ...
Yesterday, along with a number of other councillors and council chief officers, I attended a very informative update from Philip Long, Director of V&A at Dundee, and Sarah Saunders, the project's Head of Learning and Engagement, on the project's progress and the development of learning and engagement activity. Dundee's V&A Museum of Design is making impressive strides forward and it was good to hear of the initiatives to engage with target audiences, including : • Schools - Onsite and digital programmes and resources for pupils aged 3-18, teachers and trainee teachers - local, national and international; group visits. • Communities ...
I just caught this sunset whilst driving through Aughton last week. It is looking towards Lydiate with the A59 at my back when taking the shot. We all like a sunset. [IMG: Click to enlarge] Click to enlarge The photo above is amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
Everton FC have said they are in advanced talks with Liverpool Council over a site for a new 50,000-seat stadium. Walton Hall Park, a city council-owned recreation area is believed to be the favoured site, and Everton said they would like the new stadium to be built as part of a regeneration process. This is in today's Daily Mirror, Page: 59 The Daily Telegraph, Sport, Page: 8 The Times, Page: 61 The Guardian, Sport, Page: 5 Daily Mail, Page: 65 With thanks to the LGiU for this story and let's hope it is not just another in the long saga ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, Kirsty Williams, yesterday challenged the other Welsh political parties to support further devolution of powers to Wales. In a debate on the Silk Commission's proposals, including introducing a reserved powers model and strengthening the capacity of the National Assembly to scrutinise legislation, Kirsty Williams challenged other political parties to follow the Silk Commission's recommendations and include these proposals in their party manifestos for the 2015 Westminster and 2016 Assembly elections. She said: "We believe that Silk's recommendations set out an ideal blueprint for the future of devolution in Wales. But it is up to Wales' ...
A vexillological ménage à trois Okay, so the European Parliament elections don't exactly have a track record of engaging the public in enthusiastic debate. The turnout in the UK was 34%. In Scotland it was even worse: 28.5%. They are often seen as an opportunity for a protest vote or to make a statement about domestic issues. It provides an opportunity for those outside of mainstream politics to shout rather loudly and incoherently without any semblance of actual accountability, to energise the already malcontent. That leads to the election of, at times, questionable and populist (such as UKIP), and in ...
