I attended a conference panel debate this afternoon in which the participants were talking about children with special educational needs and how services can meet those needs in an era of diminished local authority budgets. Then this evening I read about yesterday's launch of the Liberal Democrat local election campaign. This seems to be based around a document detailing "Labour & Tory Incompetence & Waste". According to the comment thread on Liberal Democrat Voice, these examples have been culled from the Daily Mail and the Taxpayers' Alliance. And some of them, not surprisingly, start to unravel when you look at ...
John Pugh has written an excellent posting for Lib Dem Voice and Stephen Hesketh (also of this parish) has added some important thoughts. John and I had a discussion at the weekend about this-and how it should impact on our leaflets. I went away thinking of doing a blog posting and had in my mind a quote from Jo Grimond which I have now found. 'The salient feature of British politics is not the conflict of class and class or Tory and Liberal and Labour, though these conflicts exist, it is the conflict between the government and the governed. Part ...
I have just watched the Labour Party broadcast. I know it is the Labour Party's because it said so in the first few seconds. The rest of the broadcast was spent insulting Nick Clegg. It did mention the Labour Party in the last few seconds but we didn't hear anything about their policies. The theme was that Liberal Democrats were ineffective in Government. Well how does the Labour Party account for the implementation of 75% of the Liberal Democrat manifesto? There was specific mention of tuition fees - now that is obviously part of the 25% which didn't get through ...
This morning, I had useful site visits with roads inspection staff from the City Council looking at poor pavement condition in part of Perth Road and also the poor conditioned road surface at the busy Balgay Road/Blackness Avenue/Blackness Road junction (see right). With regard to this roads junction, I am pleased to say that the junction will be reinstated with work starting next Monday (12th May) - weather permitting. The work will take a maximum of 2 days but might be completed in one day. As temporary traffic lights will be required during the improvements work, these will be put ...
It was great to see that the Office of National Statistics announced last week a fall in local and national unemployment. For the UK the number of people out work fell 77,000 to 2.24m a five year low and a drop of roughly 23% on a year ago. For Dulwich & West Norwood the number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance fell by 1,013 to 3,001 people. But that still leaves 3,001 people without the work they and we need them to be in to be fully active in our communities. What's so amazing about these figures. Well they've occurred ...
I doubt that David Dinsmore (editor of The Sun) eats in Pizza Express, Exeter. So he wouldn't have witnessed the collateral damage that his miserable little rag The Sun caused tonight. Unfortunately, I did. While I was eating, a man clearly enraged by the "scoop" about halal chicken published in today's paper burst into the restaurant, sat down at a table and ostentatiously brandished the front page around in an attempt to intimidate staff and diners alike. He then proceeded to be abusive and swear at the staff when asked to leave, threatening them with calling the police as they ...
[IMG: Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice] Tis the season for knocking on doors and every years brings a new crop of stories. I remember people who were 50's and 60's telling me tales of canvassing in their youth. The 1929 election was etched very clearly in their minds. I recall old Mrs Lindley explaining why it was essential that the government build reservoirs! I shall return to the Party's 1929 canvassing guild and its policy advice particularly around Industrial Policy and Peace but in this posting I shall just retell a few incidents from the last few weeks. Let us ...
On my way into Belfast this morning I was just coming down the step from Central Station when I saw a sight that cheered my heart on this damp day. A Movistar team car was just turning the corner into the turning circle in front of the Waterfront Hall. However, when I got to the corner myself there was a sight that made this cycling fan's heart sing. There wasn't use one team car but several. Amongst them were those of Orica-GreenEdge, BMC, Tinkoff-Saxo, Columbia, Lampre and many more. I stopped to take a picture of just some of them. ...
[IMG: Phil Bennion MEP at the European Parliament] Liberal Democrat MEP and European Transport Spokesman Phil Bennion has won an award for his work in improving air quality in cities across the UK, after a successful campaign to cut deadly pollution including from diesel-powered vehicles. Phil was given the "Clean Air in Cities Award" by campaigning group Clean Air in London after he successfully campaigned to ensure tailpipe exhaust checks are included in MOT tests under EU law. This will help detect harmful emissions and ensure that newer diesel-powered vehicles remain fitted with exhaust filters that prevent deadly particulate pollution ...
Yesterday Oliver Wright visited Taunton for the Independent and came away reasonably confident that Jeremy Browne can hold the seat for the Liberal Democrats at the next election: While political pundits predict an electoral defenestration of Lib Dem MPs next May it doesn't quite feel like that on the ground. What matters to people in Taunton is having an MP with face and name recognition and a reputation for turning up at events, dealing with local issues and knowing the area inside out.And he goes on to observe: In looking at the Lib Dem prospects for 2015, it has to ...
Actually it's a sculpture in Berlin by Isaac Cordal called Electoral Campaign.
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 374th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (27 April – 3 May, 2014), together with a hand-picked quintet, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. "We thwarted Clegg as ...
With 2 weeks to go Getting your literature out, particularly direct mail to target groups and knock up your postal voters. THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK Phone and foot knock all our ( possibly all non-anti depending on resources) postal voters Euro election address work - many areas will need to do stuffing labelling or [...]
As you know, two years ago we had elections in London for the Mayor and the Assembly. In a shocking act of helpfulness, some bright spark has arranged the voting data from these elections into a ward by ward spreadsheet. Since London only votes for its council once every four years, the 2012 vote is a useful tool to predict how the votes will fall this May. I used the data for the London-wide Assembly vote and drew up a ward map of what it would look like if London voted the exact same way in a Local Election: The ...
[IMG: Prague] From Dresden, we went by train to Prague. After Germany, it was a bit of a shock. Within minutes of arrival we had been ripped of by both the forex desk and the taxi drivers. We were driven through some seedy looking streets to a rather seedy-looking apartment. After a week of Germany, it felt that we had been dropped straight into the Third World. Some of this was just lack of acclimatisation. The apartments soon looked characterful rather than seedy, being in a genuinely old building. And it had functional wifi, unlike both of our otherwise highly ...
[IMG: Thanks to Bob Piper] Grown up politicians are supposed to be be bit sniffy about the protest vote. It's a common axiom at the moment is to say the Lib Dems have lost the 'protest vote'. 'Protest' voters are considered to be unthinking souls who don't like what they see but have no coherent view of what should be in its place and thus are doomed to be unhappy with whoever is in power. A party can secure the support of these unreasonable people so long as they are not in power and able to espouse incompatible or undeliverable ...
Elections are won and lost in the last week, so what you do in the last six days really will be vital to your chances of victory on the 22nd May. We all know that the greater majority of undecided voters will only make up their minds how they will vote in the last week, [...]
Illegal parking on double yellows by Capital City Illegal double yellow parking outside Monte Cristo The area close to Fortune Green itself has been the source of much trouble and aggravation recently. After the Council took the decision NOT to change parking hours, attention has fociussed on the need to maximise the number of parking spaces available. There are currently several disabled redundant parking bays and the unused car club bay at the junction of Ajax and Achilles Road but the Council, who have been informed of these over several months has now said they can ...
[IMG: Norman Baker] Twenty years ago, I spent about 4 solid days, and nights, in a small flat in Chesterfield with a doggedly industrious group of Liberal Democrats. There had been a mistake with the imprint on the North Nottinghamshire and Chesterfield. This had not been noticed before the 250.000 leaflets had been printed. We had to stamp over the mistake and sort them. Oh, and for good measure, agent Paul Holmes, never one to underestimate anyone's capacity for work, had procured 40,000 envelopes for us to stuff for a by-election in Bradford. We made it, though. And at least ...
A story has been published which contains wildly inaccurate claims about me made by a former landlord. I made the truth clear to a journalist who contacted me, but the story appeared in any case. I do not propose to dignify the matter by responding in public, but the claims are false and I consider them libellous. I consequently consider any further publication of them to be libellous too. I am consulting lawyers on this issue and it would be inappropriate to say anything more. Tweet
[IMG: An election count - ballot papers being counted] You've probably noticed I quite often write about how British elections are run, how election law is changing and controversies that have kicked off. However, not all the stories appear on this blog or in my main Facebook/Twitter accounts. For a fuller range of stories (or if you just are interested in them and want to skip the pieces about toilet signage in Pizza Express and what Nick Clegg has got up to), take a look at my UK Election Law news Facebook page or follow @UKElectionLaw on Twitter. If you ...
Flick Rea inspecting the preparations the day before the closure Road Closures - For the second time in just a few weeks, local traffic was in more than its usual chaos by reason of road closures. Now we all understand that from time to time, necessary works have to take place. It just seems that we get more than our fair share. And it seems no-one seems to give thought to notifying early enough - let alone consulting with local groups and local ward Councillors. At least the recent closure of Maygrove Road finished promptly but ...
How did I miss this article by David Williamson in the Western Mail outlining some of the most controversial political advertisments of recent times? He starts with the 1978 image of a snaking queue of people leading to an unemployment office published by the Conservatives. The advert, which featured members of Hendon Young Conservatives was denounced in parliament, but as the election drew nearer it was republished with the tagline "Labour still isn't working". It helped win Margaret Thatcher her first term. The Tories Demon Eyes poster of Tony Blair is there, as is the more successful 1992 poster featuring ...
Post by Houghton Regis News Desk.
[IMG: Cllr Phil Knowles and winning team] Following on from yesterday's launch of the Liberal Democrat campaign for the local government elections, I thought I'd offer a few reflections on why people vote for Liberal Democrat councillors. Why is it that in places like Three Rivers in Hertfordshire and Oadby and Wigston that the Liberal Democrats have been in power for years on end? Big hearts and hard work Our councillors are embedded in their communities. They know what's going on, they keep themselves in touch with what people are thinking and they listen to what's said to them. Our ...
Having now done four university level courses at three different universities, I've been taught by a pretty wide range of academics. Some of them were excellent but too many were hopeless. What was particularly grating were those who either seemed disinterested, unsympathetic or frankly came across as jerks.* With this in mind I was rather [...]
The post PMQS Review – May 7th, 2014 appeared first on nicktyrone.com.
...Climbing rose 'Warm Welcome' in bud and rosemary in flower, calendula and love in the mist swamping a rose... cranesbill smiling, and the new leaves of hosta cheering... a dry, shady corner with fern, deadnettle, oak and primrose, the new oak leaves and the pond (Yes, finally a pond, complete with nutella the newt.The pond in a plastic box is no more and all fauna/flora settling in its new home.) first peony bud for this plant after relocation (it was on the receiving end of a bucket of builder's cement slops a few years back... ) and strawberries soon.
27 years ago today, I was first elected to Gateshead Council. My ward then was larger than it is now but had a shorter name. Then it was Whickham South. Now it is Whickham South and Sunniside. My most endearing memory of polling day in 1987 was turning up for the count. In those days each ward was counted separately in its own ward. My count was at the Parochial School. All three main parties
Wed 7th
11:56
Norman Lamb MP writes: I am determined everyone should be able to get good quality care
[IMG: James Terry Court, Croydon - License Some rights reserved by sjr60] If you watched Panorama last week, you will have been as horrified as I was by some of the footage. The treatment portrayed was disgraceful and a very clear illustration of the need for the changes that we are currently introducing in the health and care sector. As Liberal Democrat Care Minister, I am determined that everyone should be able to get good quality care, and to be treated with dignity. As minister, I want to make sure that we are able to prosecute care providers for serious ...
Contesting local elections whilst in government is a challenge for all parties. As ALDC members work harder than ever before to hold onto the seats (or their colleague's seats) a good get out the vote (GOTV) operation is essential to maximizing our vote. Historically our operation to get out our vote has often consisted of [...]
Yesterday was another early start for me as we needed to be in the old Sun Hill in Sunniside at 7.30am to move the three hives we had set up last week containing the feral bee colonies I had rescued from the roof space of the building. We have moved the hives temporarily to one of my apiaries but their eventual location will be the land next to Marley Hill Community Centre. Our aim is to take
[IMG: Campaigning on the doorstep - Lynne Featherstone] On May 22nd I'm fighting my first local election as a candidate. I've been stuffing envelopes and knocking on doors for other people for 8 years, but with a seat on Islington Council in the balance, this time it seems a little more real. But I'm lucky. I'm fighting – and fighting hard – alongside a councillor with 8 years experience, and an experienced campaigner who's already fought a by-election. The ward has two Lib Dem councillors out of three, and if we all get elected, there will be two women out ...
So appalled are some folk at UKIP that it has driven them back into the Lib Dem fold. Now a couple of chance encounters on a bank holiday afternoon don't amount to scientific evidence of a swing but they are interesting indicators never the less. First up I was walking back from Ainsdale after delivering postal vote letters when a car drew up beside me. 'I've got over the coalition, get me a poster board for the garden' said the driver. It didn't take moments to discover I had Mr Farage to thank for that offer Half an hour letter ...
Sex difference findings in human genome studies: Be very skeptical. (tags: ) Roger Helmer MEP unveiled as Ukip candidate for Newark by-election Niggle Farridge said: "He is a massively experienced and respected figure on the national political stage" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA oh shit he's not joking. (tags: ) Even the continuity Liberals think UKIP homophobia is a bit off. (tags: ) I hate Strong Female Characters (tags: ) Most people do not understand how hard it is to get British citizenship (tags: ) The physics of Nigel Farage - utter genius from @garwboy Only Dean could have thought of applying the Heisenberg ...
We bring you news of two essay competitions which may have escaped your attention. [IMG: Screen Shot 2014-05-07 at 06.31.09] CentreForum marks the 10th anniversary of the Orange Book Can you believe it's 10 years since the Orange Book? That publication is celebrated by some, reviled by others within the Liberal Democrats. It can never be accused of being boring though. It stimulated one of the biggest policy debates in the history of the party. It was also much maligned as some sort of right wing credo but people forget that Steve Webb wrote for it. In order to mark ...
Waterboarding. Detention without trial. Drone strikes on their trees. Whatever it takes. [IMG: Squirrels] Hat-tip: @elidourado
Residents have contacted me regarding fallen rubble sitting on the west pavement of Easson's Angle. I am pictured at this (see right). I have asked the City Council to remove it as it reduces the pavement width and have also asked for a safety check of the adjacent wall.
Wed 7th
08:24
Lib Dems defend our Green Belt, fight for our libraries and oppose Labour's £46 Green Bin Tax
For anyone who cares about our environment, the amount of local taxation we pay and closure of libraries supporting the Labour Party would be simply out of the question this year in Sefton. Since Bootle Labour grabbed control of the Council they have:- * Voted to build on the Green Belt and high grade agricultural land * Tried to bring in an additional £46 Green Bin Tax on every household in the Borough * Closed 7 local libraries and stopped volunteers from running two of them. We Lib Dems have fought Labour all the way over all these policies and ...
Post by Mark Pack.
Blyth Town Council have arranged a Public Information Session on Wednesday 14th May I must stress that this is not a meeting of Blyth Town Council. Nor is it a Public Question time. Councillors are not required , or even expected , to be there, but it is a chance for the public to discuss the role of the council in Northumberland I support the idea of the session, but the cynic in me expects this to turn into a gripe and winge session . I hope that I'm wrong.
It is a sad indictment of our society that everyone in work is not on a Living Wage. I was proud to vote for Southwark Council a number of years ago to introduce the London Living Wage to its employees in London. A great cross party motion from a green councillor and one of my Lib Dem ward colleagues. It was long over due when a minimum wage was reintroduced by the last Labour government. And despite fears it didn't reduce employment. If anything paying poorer workers more see's more money circulating and generating employment. But a number of national ...
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has published its report into coastal flooding and I would like to pay tribute to all those who helped repair the damage of winter storms and reconnect key rail services. NRW's report highlights a number of key areas for improvement and also asks some important about long term coastal management. The Welsh coastline is rarely constant and the threats posed by climate change mean that we must be wary of how it may further change in the future. The Cambrian Line is an essential service and I am glad to see it back in operation after ...
[IMG: Building Site - New Home Construction] It's clear we're already entering what is going to be a very long election campaign in the run up to May 2015. In the housing policy field we're seeing plenty of organisations pitching ideas at the moment, with the aim of influencing the content of the manifestos for 2015. But we're also seeing thinking aimed at shaping the programme for government post-election, whichever flavour of government we are landed with. All the parties are ostensibly signed up to the idea that we need to increase housing supply dramatically. So setting out the steps ...
