Well, well well, what do we have here? A private site using a Central Bedfordshire Council logo. I always thought that the use of logos was very closely guarded. The Central Bedfordshire Council logo would surely be a certified logo, probably with a whole document commissioned at great expense and detailing exactly how and where the logo may be used. Very unlikely that that document would permit it to be cannibalised like this, let alone used on a private website. The quotation at the bottom states "The domain caddington-conservatives.com together with the creation and hosting of this website were all ...
Taken outside my office in Leicester this lunchtime.
An encouraging story for you from The Bath Chronicle: The Liberal Democrats are rock solid favourites to hang on to the Bath seat at next year's general election, according to bookmaker Ladbrokes. The firm is the first to release odds for the constituency currently held by Don Foster, who is retiring at the May 7 poll. Ladbrokes has given recently-selected candidate Steve Bradley odds of 1/16 on, with Conservative Ben Howlett second at 6/1.
Thu 15th
22:32
.@scotlibdems - the only party fighting to keep Scotland in Britain and in the #EU #whyiamIN
Dundee LibDems have been campaigning across the city for George Lyon, Scotland's hard-working Liberal Democrat MEP. Today we were campaigning across the West End and Strathmartine areas. Here's three of my colleagues, Daniel, Kat and Craig, in the Downfield area this afternoon:
I've just published some thoughts on last night's Bristol Festival of Ideas event over at Medium.com: Last night I attended a cracking event to mark the relaunch Pelican books, organised under the auspices of the Bristol Festival of Ideas. The authors of four of the initial five volumes published by Pelican in its new guise were present to give a 15 minute overview of their book and participate in a Q+A. The panel comprised Ha-Joon Chang, Robin Dunbar, Orlando Figes, and Bruce Hood. It was unfortunate that Melissa Lane, the fifth author, was unavailable because that resulted in an all-male ...
I was delighted to take part in the making of the Dundee version of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" - produced by Gary Robinson from Wave 102 and directed by Scott Sigsworth. Released today, its already becoming a viral hit! Gary and Scott have done a great job and its great so many Dundee folk have taken part:
Network Rail have withdrawn their "advance notification" for replacing the footbridge to Wapley Common so that they can take account of the various comments about their previous scheme. We understand that they will be submitting new plans in due course - we'll let you know here when new proposals are available.
Last November Robert McCartney, chairman of the National Grammar Schools Association, won our Snob of the Day Award for his suggestion that: "Many, many parents from deprived areas, including what is generally called the dependency classes, are essentially not particularly interested in any form of academic education. Their interests are directed towards pop culture, sports."Today that award goes to Richard Walden, chairman of the Independent Schools Association. He wins it because, according to the Daily Telegraph: The state education system is producing a generation of "amoral" children who fail to understand the difference between right and wrong, according to a ...
I admit I'm completely baffled by the criticism of Austen Mitchell's use of the word rape in a tweet. It was certainly hyperbole, but so what? Is the use of the word unacceptable in any context other than sexual now? Are rape metaphors out of bounds? The Tory women MPs who are offended must [...]
I spotted this advert outside of my local tonight. Talk about irresponsible. Don't they know three pints is binge drinking? And as for giving away pies in a pub are they not thinking of the children? Actually, has the landlord not heard that these free pies could kill people who just see them being eaten via second hand eating?
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) currently has its own Fire Control Centre in Shrewsbury that takes 999 calls. SFRS is now consulting on closing the control centre and merging its operations with either Hereford & Worcester fire control or West Mercia & Warwickshire police. Closing our Fire Control Centre in Shrewsbury will be bad [...]
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update on what I have been up to here in Cheadle and down in Westminster. Thanks to the recent parliamentary recess, I was able last month to spend more time campaigning around the constituency. Despite wet and blustery weather, a crowd of over a hundred BMX cyclists gathered to test ride a brand new track in Bruntwood Park which I was honoured to be asked to officially 'open'. The £300,000 project has been possible thanks to Sports England and Stockport Council, and is open to all ages and abilities. ...
Well it would seem so as one faction is certainly briefing against another and this follows previous blood lettings that led to 7 Labour councillors resigning from Maghull Town Council in recent times. The two issues now, I am told, surround efforts to deselect a Labour Sefton Councillor (in Molyneux ward?) and for the record is that not the same ward which allegedly passed a motion of no confidence or some such resolution in the Sefton Central Labour Party a while back? The second issue is whether yet another Labour councillor is going to resign. One faction says yes it ...
[IMG: Me, Katherine, Lynne and Ben] The local elections for Haringey Council are on Thursday 22nd May. I've been your councillor here for 8 years and am standing again to fight for local residents and to keep improving our neighbourhood. My hard-working colleague Katherine Reece is also re-standing. The newest member on the team is Ben Myring who lives on Mount View Road and is standing for the first time. He's been out knocking on doors with me and Katherine for over a year now, and is very passionate about planning issues, protecting the Stroud Green Conservation Area and improving ...
"We are in Britain here and one of the best parts of Britain is Yorkshire." MASSIMO CELLINO #LUFC
As previously reported, I visited the Hop Garden in High Spen on Sunday to swap some of my hen, duck and quail eggs for plants. I used the opportunity to film the site as well. It's a volunteer gardening scheme that took over a derelict garden and turned it into a community food growing space.
[IMG: Womens shortlists] It's nearly 31 years since I joined the SDP. When I was first involved, a hot topic of conversation was how to improve the representation of women in the House of Commons. At that point, there were just 23 female MPs, or 3.5% of the total. We are still having these discussions today. Now there are 22%, but the total has only risen by 4% in the last 3 elections. The biggest leap we have ever had came in 1997 when the numbers doubled from 60-120, with more than half of the increase coming from Labour women ...
Thu 15th
14:00
LibLink: Mark Pack: There's rather more to the story of "Police call on someone who tweeted criticis...
There's been a fair bit of discussion online about the incident last weekend when two Cambridgeshire Police Officers visited Green Party member Michael Abberton over a tweet which contained his edited, fact checked version of an anti-UKIP poster designed by someone else. 10 Great Reasons to vote #UKIP. I don't know who made it – so I referenced it from official #UKIP websites pic.twitter.com/GXnikZ3Blg — Michael Abberton (@MichaelAbberton) May 5, 2014 He told the whole story on his Axe of Reason blog. Julian Huppert, as you can imagine, expressed concern about the and took this up with the Police. I ...
The Liberal Democrats believe in a Britain that is open, modern, tolerant and diverse. UKIP, frankly, do not. We are the only party standing up to UKIP in and their brand of divisive, backwards-looking politics. Some polls have suggested that UKIP could come first in the European elections next week. If you want to know what sort of party they are, listen to what they say. Watch this video and ask yourself a question: Are you going to let these people win the next election?
Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has voted in favour of proposals to ban tenants and prospective tenants being charged exorbitant fees. The government has already agreed a package of measures to help tenants including a requirement for letting agents to offer redress, facilities for longer term tenancies and an end to hidden letting fees. But Julian is concerned that they do not go far enough, and proposed a Private Member's Bill, tabled in the Commons a couple of months ago, to tackle the problem of excessive letting fees. The Bill calls for a review of the law as it applies to ...
inkyblacknight: i will never not reblog this post
dkc2: Well I know reason #1
Devon and Cornwall's Conservative Police Commissioner Tony Hogg is proposing to close a number of front counters across the force area. Once of those that will go under his plans is Launceston. Of course the police need to save money, but I question whether this is the best way to achieve those savings. If the police become more inaccessible, then will they retain the same level of public confidence? The 999 number is there for emergencies, but few people know about the 101 number for non-emergencies. That is the direction that people are being pointed in for enquiries that until ...
Thu 15th
12:30The Independent View: The innovation revolution: How small banks and building societies are playing ...
[IMG: Obama taking donations via Square mobile payment system] Up and down the country there are small but significant banks and building societies playing an important part in the day-to-day lives of customers and businesses. Yet they are not only helping customers locally, they are also changing the way we bank. The Cumberland Building Society will be familiar to Westmorland and Lonsdale's Tim Farron MP, and despite a relatively small customer base compared to the traditional big banks, it is leading from the front when it comes to payments innovation and technology, offering more choice in the form of competitive ...
Thu 15th
11:42
Andrew Duff asks EU Commission for new 'Public Interest' clause for European Strategic Science
East of England Liberal Democrat MEP is asking the European Commission to consider widening the scope of the EU Mergers Directive to include a new public interest clause to prevent take-overs on the grounds of European science strategy. In a statement today, Duff says:- "I recognise there is deep concern in the life science community that Pfizer has a record of diminishing R&D for short term shareholder gain. It is vital that AstraZeneca's future as a key scientific innovator is secured, not least by the completion of its plans for the Cambridge campus. "The capacity of the UK government in ...
AN UNCONVENTIONAL SPOILER NOTICE: Not only should I warn you the reader that I the author may be about to reveal spoilers for Captain America: the Winter Soldier and Agents of SHIELD up to episode 19. However, I should also warn that as episodes are shown several weeks later in the UK than in the [...]
Thu 15th
10:55Gove and Laws write for Times: We are committed to free school meals policy because evidence shows i...
[IMG: 20120907-FNS-LSC-0544] On his various media appearances this morning, Nick Clegg has been asked whether he ordered Michael Gove and David Laws to write an article setting out the background to the free school meals policy. He said on Call Clegg that he had suggested it to them that they clarify the situation to reassure parents that the policy will be delivered on time. This comes after a febrile few days when Dominic Cummings, Gove's former Special Adviser, has been telling everyone who will listen that this was a policy drawn up pretty much at 5 minutes' notice on the ...
This article first appeared on Liberal Democrat Voice Imagine you're in a loving relationship with someone. In the context of that relationship, you allowed some personal, intimate photographs to be taken that were only for your private enjoyment. Then you ... Continue reading →
Clegg Interview: I LOVE his answers on manliness (tags: ) Govt plan to dock benefits by 40% if in rent arrears - even if arrears caused by govt (tags: ) AdBlock Plus's effect on Firefox's memory usage Do read below the line on this one (tags: ) Ukip pressured me to take down a tweet - and now I'm really up for a fight (tags: ) Vince Cable urges right for staff on zero hours contracts to request fixed hours (tags: ) Kipper posts that Twitter is no fun any more due to far left trolls. Replies are comedy gold. ...
Haringey residents could be forgiven for not knowing that on May 22nd we will be electing our European Members of Parliament. Liberal Democrats are fighting for our jobs and our security and much else in Europe. But not a peep from Labour here about the Euros – and yet – I cannot believe that Labour really want us out of Europe. But that's just a guess as Labour are nowhere to be seen on Europe. They are far too busy making class war party political broadcasts to stand up for local people, and the local firms and local jobs that ...
The future seems to have converged on Aldous Huxley's once brave predictions... [IMG: Brave New World: first edition cover] Rooting around for a new audio book recently to listen to on my daily commute - as there are only so many Bryant and May novels I can fill my days with - I decided to give Aldous Huxley's Brave New World a try. I remember reading it years ago. Or rather, I'm sure I must have read it years ago as there's a copy on my bookshelf and I'm as likely to put an unread book on my shelves as ...
According to the Telegraph, the Better Together lead spokesperson in Scotland, Alistair Darling has accused the SNP of undermining democracy over claims it was preventing Holyrood's committees from publishing criticism of Alex Salmond's government. He refers to reports that Nationalists are using their parliamentary majority to "shut down" legitimate debate over Government policy raised serious questions about accountability. Mr. Datling should come to Wales, where Labour are doing exactly the same thing, not least in preventing Ann Clwyd, one of their own MPs, coming before the Health and Social Services Committee to give evidence about how badly the Labour Government ...
[IMG: European Flag] Writing on the European Movement UK blog, Lord (William) Wallace has some interesting thoughts on the importance of European cooperation to Britain's strategic and security interests. Here's a snippet: The 2010 National Security Strategy stood out from its predecessors by its inclusion of a number of non-military threats among the most serious it sees as facing Britain: global epidemics, organised crime and cross-border terrorism , the impact of climate change, and cyber-attack. The European Union is an important player in international action to counter these threats. Europol, which Europhobes want Britain to leave, now works on cyber-crime ...
Celebrate 25 years since Yate Railway Station was reopened! This Sunday (18th May) from 12.00 noon till 3.00 pm the Friends of Yate Station have organised a special event with stalls, a brass band, afternoon tea, vintage and railway display, and a heritage tent to share artefacts and memories.
As John Humphrys has woken up to the Nick Clegg teenage arson story only seven years after the rest of us, I thought I would republish this entry from Lord Bonkers' Diary: Tuesday The pride and joy of my gardener Meadowcroft is his collection of rare hairy cacti. He gathers them from the arid south of Rutland and tends them in the way that a particularly attentive she wolf looks after her whelps. I well remember his fury when a young whipper-snapper from Westminster School burnt down the glasshouse where he keeps them. My first reaction was to hand the ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-27406738 I must admit to being sad but not necessarily surprised by this turn of events. The BBC web site has the story. Not having a religion means I may be accused of being biased but I genuinely felt that the Free School move by St. Mary's was right and progressive. Sadly, progressive seems not to be on the agenda of the religious leaders who have the final say.
Last August, I had a site visit in Wilkie's Lane with Rev Leszek Wiecaszek, Parish Priest of St Joseph's Church, the Chair of St Josephs Parish Pastoral Council and two representatives of the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership. I had raised concerns from residents including members of the church about the state of the footpath at the south end of the lane and at the site visit, the council representatives agreed to progress improvements. I am pleased to say the path has now been fully resurfaced (see right).
Post by Mark's Lib Dem email newsletter.
Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats: You can also watch this on YouTube.
I have commented before on the closure of pubs; The Priory in Litherland being one where locals, in that case, have tried to move heaven and earth to save their pub. Another one to go recently was The Aintree in Aintree Road Bootle and I feared that this architecturally interesting building could be demolished or significantly altered. However, it is being reused in a sensitive way by a motor factor company and the integrity of the interesting facade has been retained. [IMG: rsz_img_0631] Although not an old building the herringbone brickwork shows that some imagination went into the design of ...
The previous post deals with the folly of the Tory policy of mandatory prison sentences for the second offence of carnying a knife. On a broader front my friend Michael Meadowcroft has written to the Yorkshire Post outlining wider criticisms of right wing "get tough" policies. TO: THE EDITOR, THE YORKSHIRE POST 10thMay 2014Dear Sir Grant Woodward's article (Get-tough over sentences won't stop scepticism, May 8) is yet another repetition of the standard fallacies associated with crime and deterrence. No-one doubts that there are heinous crimes that require severe punishment but this really should not be confused with effective combating ...
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams has launched the consultation on her Minimum Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill. In December 2013, Kirsty Williams was successful in the National Assembly's ballot to introduce backbench legislation. Her proposal would see Wales become the first country in the UK with a legal duty on safe nurse staffing levels. In March, Assembly Members across all parties supported Kirsty's proposal in the chamber, which means that it will now proceed to the next stage of the legislative process. Almost 3,000 people have already supported Kirsty's 'More Nurses' campaign, either through signing her petition or lobbying ...
