View on YouTube When the storms earlier this year swept away part of the sea wall at Dawlish, I blogged about the possibility of reopening the Southern Railway's inland route from Exeter to Plymouth. If this scheme does go ahead, a diversion around the trestle viaduct at Meldon - fragile and listed - will have to be made.
John Lanchester reviews Flash Boys: Cracking the Money Code by Michael Lewis in the current London Review of Books. Lewis, he says, shows how computer technology and the ability it gives traders to exploit price differences that exist only for microseconds have made the traditional picture of financial markets laughable. Lanchester writes: We want a market to be people buying and selling to and from each other, in a specific physical location, ideally with visible prices. In this new market, the principal actors are not human beings, but algorithms; the real action happens inside computers at the exchanges, and the ...
There is a very good reason why, traditionally, political party leaders that have lost 66% of their party's vote base stand down, its because they have lost 66% of their vote base.. to state the obvious. Having lived all around the world and in various different political systems, I would note that a leader that has lost 20% of the base is usually history (let alone as the epic scale of our recent percentage demise). Such leaders almost always stand down.. and if they don't then they are subject to a vote, which they almost invariably lose. In this case ...
[IMG: Trams in St Andrew Square Edinburgh] If you think that canvassing on behalf of the Coalition Government is hard, you should have tried canvassing in Edinburgh during the 2012 Council elections. The Liberal Democrat/SNP administration which came in in 2007 actually did, eventually, sort the contract problems and ensured that today could take place. However, in 2012, voters had had enough of spiralling costs, roadworks and changes of plan. The line that opened today is a mere fraction of what was originally planned. A link between the airport and the trendy port of Leith would have been amazing, but ...
Since 2010 the dreadful Daily Mail has run the most vicious anti-Lib Dem campaign on page after page of the paper, day after day after day. Every columnist includes nasty remarks against individuals, stories are blown up well out of proportion. It cannot possibly be good for democracy if this is allowed to continue unchallenged. 1.7m people buy this paper. Millions more buy other Labour or Tory supporting titles that also target the Lib Dems each day albeit not as obsessively as the Daily Mail, It is bound to have an effect on those who read it and may well ...
New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office: You can also watch this on YouTube.
Sat 31st
16:39
Opinion: An anti-Liberal Democrat press isn't going to go any easier on any Liberal Democrat leader
[IMG: Sun newspaper - License Some rights reserved by vapour trail ] Liberal Democrats 4 Change have a point about one thing. They are right to say that the Liberal Democrats do not get a fair hearing. However, they are mistaken to think that a leadership change would alter anything in this regard. It is instructive to recall the moment Clegg began to get a bad rap from voters. At what point was this? The answer is not as obvious as you may think, It didn't start with Secret Courts, Bedroom Tax or Tuition Fees. It didn't even begin with ...
"Brian (McDermott) is a great manager and a great guy. He has been unfortunate to work in such difficult circumstances. I did not fully understand the mess he had to work in, and the broken promises he had to deal with, until I have got involved trying to turn Leeds around. "He has been a gentleman to deal with in our discussions and has been very understanding of my wish to implement a new structure. His main concern and priority at all times has been the welfare and protection of Leeds United. I wish him well for the future where ...
Geevor Tin Mine Exhibition to Celebrate the St Just Mining District held a preview event during the evening of Friday 30 May. I was lucky enough to attend with my husband and was impressed by the quality of the work that gives a real insight into the history of mining in the area. [IMG: Geevor Tin Mine The Mines of St Just Exhibition] Part of The Mines of St Just Exhibition, in the Hard Rock Museum Personally I think it will be really sad if this is only displayed until September and hope there maybe a way of displaying it ...
My Advice To Nick Clegg: 10anta: [IMG: image] After a difficult week, The Guardian this morning published six pieces of advice to Nick Clegg in order to assist with the Lib Dem recovery. These were, frankly, a little uninspriring. As someone who would describe myself as a liberal I've set out below to offer six of my own...
Jen Robertson blogs for the Merseyside Maritime Museum on the visit of MS Queen Victoria to Liverpool of yesterday and today.
[IMG: Henley HQ opening - with diamond poster] Dear James and team, Here is my feedback: 1. IN message. I applaud Nick and the party for taking this stance. As an historical trial, it was right. However, next time we need to (a)Have a top level campaign message which talks about reform of the EU and (b)Have a top level campaign message which encompasses the council elections on the same day. 2. Use of Connect and voter contact was excellent. 3. I think you could make more of activists in places without council elections on polling day. Have more leaflet ...
[IMG: one-direction-marijuana-600x450] As everyone in the universe is by now surely aware, two members of the boy band One Direction have been caught on video smoking what they refer directly to as marijuana. In the wake of this incident, there has been a fury unleashed the likes of which has not been seen since Beatles records were burned in America in 1966 after John Lennon said that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus". It was already an open secret, incidentally, by 1966 that the Beatles smoked weed. It took blasphemy forty-eight years ago to stir up dissent amongst fans; these ...
One of the joys of living in a big city like London (not that anywhere else is quite like London) is the constant discovery of new people, new place, new organisations. My latest new discovery, thanks to a presentation by Suran Dickson at a gathering of Gay Professionals Network, to which I was invited, is [...]
[IMG: frame] On Thursday Kris Hopkins, the Housing Minister, published a post at the Spectator entitled This government is solving Britain's homes crisis. The post was designed to coincide with the publication of statistics about the unlovely, and largely unloved, Help to Buy scheme. When I saw the post I was intrigued. It seemed, superficially, to be making a rather implausible claim. I anticipated an orgy of spin and statistical chicanery. As it turns out I wasn't too far off the mark. I don't think there is a huge amount to be gained by providing a detailed critique of Hopkins' ...
[IMG: Dorothythornhill2013] Congratulations to Dorothy Thornhill who has been re-elected as Liberal Democrat Mayor of Watford. Dorothy topped the polls, scooping 65.4% of the vote after second preferences eliminated Labour Candidate Jagtar Singh Dhindsa. She has campaigned tirelessly for the people of Watford, working to create a healthy local economy, more green spaces and a high standard of local services. A true champion for Watford, Dorothy now enters her fourth term as Elected Mayor. Candidate Party Votes received Philip Louis Cox UK Independence Party First round: 3,789 Jagtar Singh Dhindsa Labour Party First round: 6,577 Final round: 7,504 Dorothy Thornhill ...
[IMG: Coffee cup. Photo courtesy of http://jaymantri.com/] I'll be on BBC Radio Wales this Sunday at 8am with Matthew Parris looking ahead to the Queen's Speech. With both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats having had 'challenging' election results and with the Conservatives particularly nervous about the Newark by-election, expect plenty of content in the Queen's Speech that is designed for public appeal and differentiation from Labour and UKIP. What will that mean for the Liberal Democrats? Tune in on Sunday to find out...
Following last week's local elections, the Liberal Democrats remain the largest party on Stockport Council with 28 seats (the same number as after the 2012 elections). Labour have 22, Conservatives 10 and Independents 3. The Liberal Democrats remain running the council, with a small number of committee seats changing hands (e.g. on Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee and the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority). The new Executive includes one new face (Patrick McAuley, councillor for Manor) and one returning (Martin Candler, Marple). Sue Derbyshire, Iain Roberts, Martin Candler, Wendy Meikle, Shan Alexander, Keith Holloway, John Pantall and Patrick McAuley The ...
Alright, I've given the matter some consideration, and whilst John Tilley gave me food for thought (despite rather missing the point to my mind), I've come up with four questions to put to the candidates at this stage;What do you think the role of the President should be in the year of a General Election?What do you think should be the relationship between the President and the Party Leader?What do you think should be the relationship between the President and the voluntary party, i.e. the activists and volunteers?Name three personal attributes that would help you perform the role of Party ...
Sat 31st
10:41Opinion: Suggestions for the 2015 manifesto - how we can do more for low paid working people than La...
[IMG: libdemmanifesto 2010 wordle] I have just registered for conference, and that got me thinking about our 2015 Manifesto. When he first became leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg defined our target audience as being 'alarm clock Britain', a demographic that was derided at the time as being undefined and totally incomprehensible. Had he defined our target demographic as being 'people aspiring to improve their situation who are in work on low to middle incomes' would he have meant the same target group, and what have the Liberal Democrats in Government achieved that is of benefit to that demographic? ...
Ukip victory: Caroline Lucas points finger at media's Farage obsession (tags: ) BBC receives almost 1,200 complaints over Ukip election coverage (tags: ) Vote Sarah Brown in the National Diversity Awards (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Whilst we all recover from the European and English Council elections, it is worth reflecting on what lessons we can learn from the fiasco at Tower Hamlets. Over at the Telegraph, Charles Moore does precisely that and concludes that we are focussing on engagement rather than on making votes trustworthy: Our modern democratic system dates from 1872 when the secret ballot was introduced. The modern system of unrestricted postal voting almost reverses that great step forward. After the 1872 Act, voting became a private act, performed in public. Today, in postal voting, it is all too often a public act, ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg. Photo: Dave Radcliffe. Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats The Guardian has a pretty good list of advice to the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg (well, four are pretty good, one quotes me and only one do I have significant objections too): 1. Show humility and declare a new direction 2. Acknowledge that the party compromised too much in coalition 3. Stop trying to align the Lib Dems with Osbornomics 4. Swallow the reality of polling 5. Boost the morale of ground troops 6. Talk less about principled points, more about everyday concerns The one I ...
There are two meetings at Blyth Town Council next week Allotments Committee, Tuesday 3rd June , 6:30 pm Assets Committee, Thursday 5th June , 6:30 pm Both meetings will be held at Arms Evertyne House
[IMG: Screen Shot 2014-03-09 at 08.06.37 IN Europe EU European Union] Well, that was grim. The results for the Liberal Democrats from the European Elections were awful and there's no varnishing over it. For sure there will be a review of the European aspect of the campaign as well as for the locals. Despite what the results show, as a party we were right to make the positive case for being IN. Who else was going to do it? We are a liberal and internationalist party and we showed we had the stomach to stand up for our values. We ...
Constituents have raised with me the issue of the very poor road surface in Norwood Crescent at its junction with Blackness Road - see photo above. I have raised this with the City Council and asked for repairs to be undertaken.
My posting of 15th May refers:- Yesterday I received a call from Maghull Town Council telling me that Labour Cllr. John Jarvis had resigned his seat. He had been elected to the Council at one of the many by-elections, which have followed previous Labour resignations, in March 2013. Originally, he had won a seat for the Conservative's on Melling Parish Council in May 2011 but he resigned that position and stood for Labour in March 2013. Incredibly, there have now been 8 Maghull Town Council Labour resignations since they snatched control of the Council from the Lib Dems in ...
[IMG: I stand with Anna] When a politician says that he might trust a whole specific group of people only to go to the shops for him, you would think that would be a one way ticket to the door marked Ignominious Exit from Public Life. Sadly, Peter Robinosn, Northern Ireland's First Minister remains in office while Alliance Party politician Anna Lo has said she's going to quit politics because she's fed up at all the abuse she's getting. She spoke to Channel 4 last night about her experience with great dignity. My pride in her was matched by my ...
[IMG: image] Nick Clegg must have thought several of his birthdays had come at once, when he found out about Dick Dastardly Matthew Oakshott shooting himself in the foot. He's now in the clear to fight another day. We see his incredible resilience yet again. I suspect this resilience is based on a remarkably straight-forward outlook on life. When you have a wonderful family, why worry too much about what is, in the final analysis, temporary flim-flam? We all exist for the temporal equivalent of the blink of a dinosaur's eyelid in historical terms. If Paddy told him he needed ...
When a barber asked a curmudgeonly customer how he would like his hair cutting the response is said to have been, "In silence." I had the opposite experience earlier this week when the customer in front of me didn't seem to mind revealing details of his circumstances, without any sign of rancour or self-pity, to the chatty barber and the rest of us in the queue. He was having his hair cut ready for going on holiday. This was the first holiday of any kind he and his wife had had for ten years. No, they had not even been ...
The Coalition Government's announcement regarding the construction of Wrexham super prison that £30m is to be spent with local businesses and 50% of the entire workforce will be recruited from the local area, including around 100 apprenticeships is very welcome. Ever since I was leader of Wrexham Council I have been pushing hard for a prison to be built in north Wales. Today's announcement means that this will now be delivered by the Coalition Government. It was imperative that the prison also provided an economic benefit for the whole region. I am very pleased therefore that £30 million will be ...
YouTube is naturally awash with film parodies. Some of the better ones come from 'How it should have ended..." and in particular their running gag about Batman and Superman meeting up in a cafe. If you'd not seen them before I'd particularly recommend their versions of the Dark Knight Rises and Iron Man 3. However, [...]
Last weekend we had no break from the election battle. On Saturday I had agreed to run a stall at the Ryton Hirings to promote the Marley Hill Community Cafe and the local food trading network I am gradually building up. The idea with the network is that people who have grown food in their garden or allotment and have produced more than they need can swap it for other people's surplus. We swap
