I had to pop over to Newcastle this morning, after a meeting at Gateshead Civic Centre, to pick up some rail tickets. For the first time I was able to go into the redesigned portico at the front of Newcastle Central Station. Once the taxi rank and drop off and pick up point for passengers (I am no longer having to do that every week to go to London thankfully), the portico is now enclosed and
Ditton station, originally Ditton Junction, opened in 1871 and was closed by Railtrack in 1994. As the blurb on Youtube says: Take a look over the road bridge wall and there are still 5 platform faces still in existence, and a large footbridge. There are many trains which pass this point every hour and large sidings adjacent to the station. The station was rebuilt in the early 1960's with a booking office at road level, and the footbridge linking it to the platforms. It was the first to close after privatisation of British Rail in 1994. Unfortunately the view is ...
Rowena Mason in the Guardian has been talking to Liberal Democrats from beyond Nick Clegg's immediate circle and come up with some good advice for him. She has come up with six changes that may might help him get through the next year: Show humility and declare a new directionAcknowledge that the party compromised too much in coalitionStop trying to align the Lib Dems with OsbornomicsSwallow the reality of pollingBoost the morale of ground troopsTalk less about principled points, more about everyday concerns
Stuart Waiton (whom I once got to write for Liberator) writes for Spiked about the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act recently passed by Holyrood: The new act will mean that, from birth, each child in Scotland will have a specific state-appointed professional, a 'named person', to oversee their interests, and, in particular, to oversee their safety. Initially, this named person is likely to be a health visitor or midwife, the role later being taken over by school teachers who will have the 'duty' and responsibility to act as the child's guardian.The trouble with nationalism as a political ideology is ...
The Hugo Packet has been released, at least for this year's Hugos (the retro-Hugos are on their way), so as I finish each section I'll do a quick blog post explaining how I'm going to vote and why. The short story category this year is... odd. There's a certain sameness to the stories, which all [...]
On Radio Shropshire earlier this week, portfolio holder Ann Hartley and Karen Bradshaw Director of children's services announced changes to hikes in post-16 transport to sixth form and college. This follows a consultation which fairly predictably came out against the huge leap in fares. Shropshire Council had planned to hike the cost of a bus [...]
At the first meeting of the new Regeneration Committee we talked about a pier for Redcar being included in the Local Plan. It was left out of the draft plan published last year. As you can see from the slide that was put up the majority group on the Council are still being very negative about it in spite of what they may say publicly. They refer to difficulties that may not actually be there. I made the point, as I have done all along from day one, that a pier similar to that of Saltburn is achievable. At the ...
Nigel Ashton was pleased to lead the recent sponsored walk to raise money for the North Meols Library Association. The aim is open a community 'Library in the Park' at Botanic Gardens, following the closure of Churchtown Library by Sefton Council. Councillor Nigel Ashton with library campaigners at the end of the sponsored walk The sponsored walk was held in conjunction with local businesses along the route from Churchtown library to the pavilion in the Gardens, also the North Meols Civic Society and the Botanic Gardens Community Association. The Library Association are planning a walk from the old Crossens library ...
I was horrified to read that Boris Johnson has asked TfL to work up plans for a £30bn ring road tunnelled under London. Apart from the traffic generation and extra air pollution it would cause £30bn is a colossal amount of money. We could build roughly 6 complete new underground lines in London for this sum. Such a huge expansion in tube lines would bring huge benefit to all Londoners not just the tiny minority that drive in central London. Or we could build 300 new tram lines across London. A revolution in public transport. Or we could make every ...
[IMG: Beethoven's Trumpet (With Ear) By John Baldessari, Saatchi Gallery - London.] My perspective comes from being born and bred in Rochdale, part of the 'urban North'. This is my community. I don't have to conduct focus groups or opinion polls to know what people think. Partly because I am a 'local lad' and partly because of the by-election people are very happy to tell me directly. I always take this as a positive sign - if people want to have a go then they must be wanting to engage - but the Party should be under no illusions that ...
This afternoon, I had the pleasure in taking part in a presentation photocall at the Roseangle Playpark to mark the very generous donation of £5 000 to the playpark campaign from Tay FM's Cash for Kids charity. It was very generous of Cash for Kids to support the campaign and, as you can see below, many local children came along to the presentation with their parents to pass on everyone's thanks! Great turnout! And many thanks to the Tay FM Cash for Kids team!
Congratulations to Couciillor Olga Potts who was elected Mayor of Blyth last evening, and to Councillor Adrian Cartie who was elected Deputy Mayor Olga has been a councillor for many years ( sorry Olga, but it's true) and Adrian was first elected this time last year. The Liberal Democrat group did not make any nominations for these posts, as we welcome both Olga and Adrian to the posts of the Mayor and Deputy. As someone said yesterday, at least they belong to the "sensible wing" of the Labour Party
Well, that was quick! Yes, within the day, every one of the four candidates has kindly replied, and all are willing to answer my questions. Now, given that there is a review underway into the recent election campaign, I don't want to put them in an uncomfortable position, so I'm planning to focus on the role of the Presidency. However, I do want this to be useful to members and activists so, if you have a suggestion (or even more than one!), use the comments space below, or use Twitter, including @honladymark, so that I see it on my timeline. ...
I've been having major problems logging in to blog, so apols to those who I know posted comments which were also questions. Not sure what the techy problem is. I was asked about the Garston Masterplan and if there is an update on this. There is sort of. The plan was signed off by the City Council and there is a project being started through the organisation Sustrans called Pocket Places which is about potential improvements to the pavement/shared space on St Mary's Road. It's funded by money from the Health Lottery. At the moment literally all that's happened is ...
Last night (Thursday/ Friday) a considerable amount of graffiti - some of it obscene - was painted onto the play equipment in Kingsgate Park. A lot of cream emulsion was painted (using brushes/ rollers) onto some of the wooden items, and black paint was used to write and draw on the end walls of the football/ basketball court. Blue gloss was poured onto the basketball back-boards, and dripped onto the tarmac floor. It would appear the culprits were well organised and no tins were found in the park. A big thank you is due to Yate Town Council's Estates Team ...
Stockport Big Event 2014, run by Life Leisure, kicks off in July. There are three events, each suitable for all ability levels. See Marketing Stockport for all the info on the swim, run and cycle events.
[IMG: University Life 13] Amongst the many issues raised by our performance in the European Elections one that troubles me greatly is the loss of young voters to the Green party. Amongst 18-25s of my acquaintance who might be considered centre-left and politically aware, and having taught Politics A Level for 9 years and kept in touch with most of my students this is a reasonable number, many more voted Green than Lib Dem. This trend was somewhat masked by a slight overall drop in Green votes, which can partly be ascribed to their almost total lack of media coverage. ...
Given the large number of local authority by-elections on Thursday 22nd May, we haven't been able to include a full list of results in this week's email. Instead, we've picked a few Lib Dem highlights for your information and encourage readers looking for further results to visit our website for fuller listings: https://www.aldc.org/category/by-election-results/
[IMG: First ascent- Team photo] Whilst most MPs are taking a short break from Parliamentary work and recuperating from the exertions of electioneering, I've been keeping myself busy climbing volcanoes in Ecuador to raise money for The Royal British Legion. Yesterday we tackled our first ascent; climbing to the peak of Pasochoa, a 4,200m extinct volcano located in the Guayllabamba river basin in the Ecuadorean Andes. It was a hard first climb, but has helped to prepare us for the arduous climbs ahead. Acclimatising to the high altitude was our main goal yesterday, and thankfully we all successfully made it ...
While the rather depressing election results of the last week poured in, I was having a report published that is intended partly as a contribution to the debate about the Lib Dems missing message about public services - something I hope that the party's public services commission will also address later in the summer. My report was published by the thinktank CentreForum - it is called Turbo-charging Volunteering - and it envisages a rather different approach to public service reform and to volunteering: that public services become hubs around which we can build the local networks of mutual support that ...
Friday: In purely mathematical terms, it could have been worse. But not by much. The voters' ongoing desire to give the Liberal Democrats a pummelling for giving them what they voted for saw us losing another swathe of councillors and all but one of our Members of the European Parliament. Unsurprisingly, there have been calls for Cap'n Clegg to step down, many from friends. And, despite suspicious leaks from "usual suspects" in the Grauniad (who are NOT our friends), most of them have principled reasons for wanting him to go. But I disagree with them. I still agree with Nick. ...
[IMG: preamble] Understanding the European and local elections is important to how we heal as a party. It has been the hardest election defeat to take for various reasons. Firstly that the Liberal Democrat MEP team were truly incredible; hard working and respected across Europe for delivering the most they can for their regions. Secondly because of how the grass roots reacted to the results. Finally, and most lamentably, we lost our MEPs to the politics of fear, hatred and blame. I am unapologetically pro-coalition and a strong supporter of Clegg's leadership. He has led this party into government and ...
The NHS is a common theme in these blogs - well I did work there for 25 years so I know a little bit about it. Common themes run along the lines that members of the public want a good local service, there is pressure to close smaller hospitals and there should be local accountability. However there is no local accountability and the NHS has been centralised. There seems to be a certain inevitability about centralisation as technology advances and becomes more expensive, but the whole of the NHS, regardless of its sophistication, has been swept into the tide of ...
[IMG: I stand with Anna] A story is breaking in Northern Ireland where an extremist pastor has dubbed Islam as "satanic" That is reprehensible in itself but he has received support from some Unionist politicians and in particular Peter Robinson the First Minister. The Guardian reported ...Robinson, who sometimes attends McConnell's mega-church on the shores of Belfast Lough, was quoted in the Irish News on Wednesday as describing the pastor as "someone who preaches the gospel". The Democratic Unionist party leader said he would continue to visit McConnell's church. He then went on to say Muslims can't be trusted although ...
[IMG: HCCwasteaware] Just a week after the local elections the Conservative run county council has announced they plan to award a new commercial contract to run its Household Waste sites that will mean two will close and others will see a massive reduction in opening hours with sites closing at 4pm and two day closures. Opposition Liberal Democrat Councillors had already warned that agreeing to a new contract without discussing it with councillors was wrong. The Conservatives have proposed a public consultation on the changes. Liberal Democrat Leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Central Watford and Oxhey), said, " I am all for ...
Warning spoilers ahead for just about every Joss Whedon show and film I wrote a post a while back about Agents of SHIELD and among other things lamented its lack of exciting characters. To redress the balance I've decided to look back at some of its co-creator Joss Whedon's past triumphs on the character front. [...]
Read the exclusive interview with Nick Clegg on his 'tough week' and his election reaction only in tomorrow's Star pic.twitter.com/1QbK0ZTAEz — The Star, Sheffield (@SheffieldStar) May 29, 2014 Interviewed in Sheffield newspaper The Star, Nick Clegg says he is 'confident but not complacent' of winning his seat, and that he will not quit and the party would not leave the coalition. There are more people with jobs in Sheffield than ever before, more apprenticeships, and fewer youngsters not in employment, education or training. We've got a long way to go, we've still got a lot to do, and a lot ...
WEEKLY RANT: Ukip and the dangers of sophistication | sturdyblog (tags: ) sian and crooked rib: From 'Not All Men' to rape threats - on feeling like I've had enough, but not stopping fighting. "I promised her that I would do everything I could to make sure she grows up in a world where we, as women and girls, no longer have to put up with this violence. I want her to grow up in a world where her right to bodily autonomy is not just respected, it's not even conceivable that anyone wouldn't respect it. I want her to ...
Liberal Hero of the Week (and occasional Villains) is chosen by Stephen Tall, Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, and Research Associate at CentreForum. [IMG: cf hero anna lo] Anna Lo Alliance Party member for Belfast South in the Northern Ireland Assembly Reason: For championing non-sectarian tolerance. Now what we in the mainland euphemistically referred to as 'The Troubles' are over (ish), Northern Ireland rarely gets a look-in in UK politics. That changed this week, though, when Alliance Party MLA Anna Lo dramatically announced she was quitting politics - and possibly leaving the country she's made her home for the past ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention in the past couple of days... The crushed Lib Dems have a bright future | The Times I agree work almost all this @pcollinstimes piece, except idea Clegg can secure 2nd coalition: he can't http://thetim.es/RHteDt Grammar schools widen gap between rich and poor – Education News – Education – The Independent Grammar schools = social inequality http://ind.pn/1kjeDoC < unsurprising finding of the day Liberal Democrat discipline is gone, and the convulsions will deepen | Steve Richards | Comment is free | The Guardian Steve Richards predicts w/ Clegg leading "there ...
I meant to put this up yesterday, but I ran out of time. My teenager, fed up of her mum being welded to a keyboard or a phone for the last few weeks, put her foot down and insisted that ... Continue reading →
For obvious reasons, I take an interest in the Presidency of the Liberal Democrats, and today's not entirely surprising announcement that Liz Lynne, the former MP for Rochdale and then MEP for the West Midlands, has thrown her hat into the ring, has given me some food for thought. Not because I'm planning to support her - it's far too early for me to make a decision and we have little idea what the various candidates will campaign for, or what vision each might have for the role and for the Party. It is particularly interesting that all four candidates, ...
[IMG: Fortis Green by-election 2004: volunteers at work stuffing envelopes] As Chair of the Party's democratically-elected Campaigns & Communications Committee, Nick Clegg has asked me to conduct a review into the Local and European election campaign and result. I will be joined in doing this work for Nick by a small group comprised of Cllr. Abi Bell of Hull City Council, Cllr Ruth Dombey – Leader of Sutton Borough Council, and George Lyon – former MEP for Scotland. I have spoken to Nick and we have agreed that this review will be a full and frank one that explores both ...
Residents have a requested a bus shelter on Perth Road at either the Rockfield Street or Windsor Street stops, given how exposed it is there. I raised this with the City Council and the Sustainable Transport Team Leader has advised:We'll add this to the list of stops requiring shelters and put it through our scoring system.
For those involved in planning, land supply often seems to be the only game in town. Where a council has not identified enough land for housing developments over the next five years, planners can build almost anywhere. This has led to a degree of panic in some councils, with planners and councillors approving pans which [...]
Research from the Global Sustainability Institute, based at Anglia Ruskin University, claims the UK will run out of fossil fuels in just over 5 years. France is reportedly even worse off, with less than a year's worth of fossil fuels in reserve, while Italy has less than a year of gas and coal and a single year of oil. The UK has 5.2 years of oil remaining, 4.5 years of coal and three years of gas before completely running out of fossil fuels. Russia, by contrast, has more than 500 years of coal, 100 years of gas and 50 years ...
[IMG: Old radio] Another day, another interview yesterday about the Liberal Democrats – this time one for Radio 4′s World At One which got recycled into Radio 2 headlines later in the day. Slow news day indeed when I appear near the top of a headlines bulletin...! You can listen again via iPlayer for another week to the piece, which also includes some interesting comments from Steve Richards on the party. The piece starts at 22 minutes 50 seconds in.
Fri 30th
07:41
Lord Rennard issues apology to four women: "regret for any harm or embarrassment caused to them"
Channel 4 News last night revealed that Lib Dem peer and former chief executive Lord (Chris) Rennard has issued a written apology to four of the women who accused him of sexual impropriety. You can read it in full below. Read the Lord Rennard Letter in full by Channel4News
The Times reports that the House of Commons has been spending £750,000 a year on alcohol for resale to politicians and their staff. They say that tens of thousands of bottles of beer, wine, champagne and whisky were purchased for sale in the House's bars and restaurants as the government was considering introducing minimum pricing for alcohol for the general public: Details released under the Freedom of Information Act show that £1.43 million worth of alcohol was purchased by the parliamentary authorities for sale in the House in 2012 and 2013. The bill, equivalent to an annual spending of £1,100 ...
The Western Mail reports that three more nurses have been suspended by the ABMU Health Board, making a total of 13 nurses in all, following an investigation into falsification of records at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend: Last year, three nurses were arrested by South Wales Police on suspicion of neglect following claims notes had been falsified. The three have been released on bail and the criminal inquiry is continuing. And this month it emerged a further seven nurses were suspended last year on suspicion of falsifying records . At the time the ABMU Health Board said the ...
[IMG: King Alfred is Dead!] Centuries ago, there was an excellent news service. A few months after a King died, that news was finally reaching outer villages of the country. A random horse rider would finally reach the last village to give them the news. Sometimes I wonder whether we would be better off with that system now. I gest somewhat. But we now have the "instant Butterfly" effect. A butterfly flutters its wings in London and, a nano second later, via the interweb, the resultant hurricane is all over the world. We end up disappearing up our own jaxi. ...
In a political coup worthy of Ken Livingstone's ousting of Andrew MacIntosh 24 hours after Labour taking control of the GLC in 1981, Kingston Tories have dumped their election winning leader just seven days after taking contol. And in a move that will delight local Liberal Democrats, the Tories choice to lead the council is Kevin Davis. Hapless Davis is well known to Lib Dems beyond the Royal Borough's boundaries - pledging (and failing) to oust David Laws in Yeovil in 2010 - just as he had done to Edward Davey five years earlier. As a result of his lacklustre ...
