So I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself this week. Those of you who follow me on twitter might have noticed that I have been afflicted with a mystery spotty disease, which it's looking increasingly likely is shingles*. And there have been a couple of other health-related things which... yeah, I'm not going to go into those. But some of you know why they are upsetting. I never realised how much my self-esteem was wrapped up in my appearance, despite being the kind of feminist who doesn't wear make-up etc., until I suddenly have a face like a ...
David Davies - the 1st Baron Davies - was Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire between 1906 and 1929. As an article in the Journal of Liberal History (Issue 29, Winter 2000-01) by J. Graham Jones showed, he was a trusted lieutenant of Lloyd George and an influential adviser on foreign affairs. As well as being a politician, Davies was a public benefactor. And among his good works were institutes, built to spread learning and keep men out of the pub, in several of the small towns in his constituency. I came across a couple of them during my recent holiday. The ...
Liberator and its friends and relations had some terrible news yesterday. As you may already have read on Liberator's blog, Simon Titley is extremely ill and probably does not have long to live. I would urge you to read the tribute to him (or "living obituary") there by Roger Hayes. I'd just like to say a couple of things of my own. The first is that Simon is the only person from whom I have ever accepted ideas for Lord Bonkers' Diary. The second is that I am now so glad that I had lunch with him on three Saturdays ...
#154419647 / gettyimages.com The last time school milk was a live political issue I blogged: One of the factors behind Mrs Thatcher's election victory was her act of abolishing free milk in schools. Some people hated her for it and dubbed her the "milk snatcher". But they didn't have to drink the stuff. The crates were not kept in a refrigerator, so on a hot day it was already halfway to going sour by the time mid-morning break came. The trick then was to avoid drinking the stuff. Yes, Mrs Thatcher was swept to power by a generation of grateful ...
Residents have contacted me about the appearance of a group of caravans at the old call centre site in Luna Place (see photo below) :I contacted the council's Housing Officer/Traveller Liaison Officer who has update me today as follows : "... we have made contact and the Land owner has been made aware of the encampment and we now wait on the land owner(Graham and Sibbald) to instruct legal action. I visited both groups of travellers today and provided bin bags and will organise a collection to keep on top of any waste. Also the dog warden came along checked ...
The Manchester Harriers, who have long had a local link (they used to be based at Scholes Field, Gatley and currently hold their Primary School cross-country event at The Cheadle College) are bringing back the Manchester Mile, last run in the 1950s. Any Runners/Athletes who would like to get an accurate time for the Iconic MILE Distance, please enter asap, electronic timing for all!!! A minimum of 200 to take part from u15′s through to Veterans, from fairly new sub 10min mile to those hope to get a British Milers Club time. FREE – Commenorative T-Shirt to all competitors!!!- All ...
My first thoughts go to the victim here - and I hope that her recovery with her mental illness will now be a little easier. As a sufferer with mental illness myself, I know all too well how ongoing issues really hold you back. My second thoughts are more personal, as a member of the local party and as Equlaity & Diversity Officer in the Local Party Executive, I actually feel very let down. Throughout this whole debacle, up to the time he was suspended from the party, the issues and the controversy over his remaining in his cabinet post ...
[IMG: Libby - Some rghts reserved by David Spender] The Liberal Democrats are a family that does politics. We fight like cat and dog at times, but when push comes to shove, the ties that bind us together are strong. That's why it's so difficult to factionalise us. The last 24 hours have brought some really awful news about the health of two Liberal Democrats, both of whom are seriously ill tonight. The first I won't name, but many of you will have seen the details on Facebook. Call me old fashioned, but I still consider what appears on Facebook ...
The Richard Jefferies Museum at Coate Water, Swindon, now has a tearoom. According to the museum website, it is open on Sundays from 2 to 5pm and on Mondays from 10am to 5pm. It also advertises musical Mondays for toddlers and after-school play. One of the museum trustees, Mike Pringle, told This is Wiltshire: "Those people who know about Jefferies, know how inspiring his love of nature is and that is what the place is all about. What we want is for more people to discover this well-hidden Swindon treasure and enjoy it for themselves. We hope that more events ...
Gatley residents have been asking us for further 20mph zones in the village to make our roads safer. The 20mph zone around the Lakes Estate and Foxland Road area is being rolled out at the moment – some signage is in place, and more is due. Other 20mph zones on the the South Park Road Estate and Lorna Grove/Dingle Grove have been in place for some time, and there are several in Cheadle too. The proposed new zones cover the estate behind the Horse & Farrier/Tatton Cinema and the village centre. Residents will be consulted by the Council before we ...
And other daft reasons the economy grew. Chris Giles has a predictably thorough look at the state of the UK economy. Asking whether the recovery is strong or fragile, he zeroes in on the key question; it "depends partly on why it grew so strongly in 2013 when even the most optimistic thought the UK [...]
Dear Resident, Thank you as always for your continued interest in what I have been up to in our local area and down in Westminster. Parliament was prorogued in May (the end of a Parliamentary session), which meant that attention focused on the Local and European elections for a couple of weeks. There were disappointing results for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections as the highly effective Chris Davies MEP lost his seat. Chris was a dedicated advocate of the North West and an excellent representative, and he has taken his defeat with characteristic humility and good grace and ...
When my copy of "Storykiller" by Kelly Thompson arrived in the post, I literally squealed in delight. (It's okay, I do that kind of thing.) I had backed the publication o this book on Kickstarter, based solely on the cover art (A woman staring ferociously out of the silhouette of a labrys made of paper) and the plot description: Tessa Battle is the Last Scion - the only Mortal with the power to kill Stories - the fictional characters who live among us. Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Fables, with a labrys! Where could I possibly go wrong? I am ...
Back on 3rd June we let you know that the Council's received a planning application from the Islamic Centre on Foxland Road, Gatley. There's been quite a bit of comment and concern following that so we wanted to bring you up to date with the latest information we have. The application, which you can see here, is to extend the opening hours of the centre to allow 24 hour opening. We're told that this is to allow up to five people to attend morning prayers, the timing of which is related to dawn so can be as early as 4am. ...
[IMG: DIGITAL CAMERA ] We are now several weeks on from having each been asked to cast a vote for the next European Parliament, but what have our newly elected MEPs been up to? Yesterday I wrote quite extensively about the on-going power struggle between the Parliament and Member State Governments over the issue of the Presidency of the European Commission. Nevertheless, trying to get 'their man', so to speak, nominated to the Commission Presidency is only one of the many activities currently being undertaken by MEPs. In fact, the main focus of the last several weeks, intensifying this week ...
As Newsnight prepares to feature Jeremy Paxman's final appearance on the programme tonight, the Independent reports on his best bits. Theey say that his last show will see him ride on a tandem with Boris Johnson, who once turned the tables on the presenter to ask: "Why don't you get yourself a proper job instead of just sitting around telling politicians what to do all the time?" Johnson is one of the many politicians who have been publicly embarrassed by Paxman's persistent line of questioning, including one interview in which the Mayor of London evaded 12 questions about a new ...
[IMG: EU Flag at the European Parliament at Strasbourg. Photo credit: Some rights reserved by European Parliament] My co-editor Caron Lindsay has asked the following question, amid reports senior Lib Dems want the party to commit to an in/out EU referendum in the next parliament: "What do you think? Stay as we are or shift our position?" My own view is the party has nothing to lose by offering a referendum in the 2015 manifesto. As I've pointed out before, the Lib Dem line on an EU referendum has been remarkably consistent over the last few years - far more ...
Wed 18th
15:43
Opinion: Liberal Democrats' principled decision gives civil servants continued workplace protection ...
[IMG: PCS picket] One of the announcements at Nick Clegg's press conference on Monday was his categorical rejection of Tory ministers' attempts to abolish check-off across government. What's check-off? This isn't a Michael Gove attempt to ban a celebrated Russian playwright, it's a mundane administrative convenience which allows members of trade unions to pay their union subscription by getting their employer to deduct it from their wage packet and send it on for them. Union members like check-off because it's the easiest way to keep their subs up to date. Trade unions like it because it's easier and cheaper for ...
[IMG: Mike Hancock] Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, whose membership of the Liberal Democrats has been suspended because of allegations concerning his behaviour towards a constituent, has this afternoon made a public apology for his behaviour. From the BBC: MP Mike Hancock has made a public apology over "inappropriate and unprofessional friendship" with a constituent. Civil action against Mr Hancock, alleging he sexually assaulted a female constituent, was dropped earlier this month. A statement said both parties had settled the claim on confidential terms. Hancock said in the statement: In October 2009 you first came to me as a constituent ...
Tuesday: (Warning: Contains Maths!) I've seen a couple of people linking to this story: "British public wrongly believe rich pay most in tax, new research shows". It claims that most people want a tax system that is fairer (good) but that they are wrong to think it's fair now (bad!). Of course, this is a piece in the Grauniad cherry-picking from a report for The Equality Trust cherry-picking data from the Office for National Statistics and before you can say "confirmation bias" it's proved to the Internets that the Evul Condums are Evul. Except, of course, it's not true. Obviously, ...
As I have often remarked on this blog, the European Union plays the tortoise in Aesop's fable to the United States' hare. The EU's forward motion is imperceptible and it is easy to make fun of it, compared to the easy strides made by its American counterpart. And yet when reviewed over the long term, progress is dramatic. At the moment we are witnessing an ugly row in the EU about who should be the President of the European Commission. This follows a rather dramatic election to the European Parliament (EP) in which Eurosceptic and populist parties made big advances, ...
John Swarbrick's lesser known cousin Dave is one of the few people who have had the dubious pleasure of reading their own obituary. But if ever a man deserved to hear good things said about him it is Simon Titley so, while there is still time, I want to write this living obituary to one of the great Liberals and one of my best mates. Many of us have been devastated by the tragic news that our life-long chum and Liberal colleague Simon has a massive,inoperable brain tumour and probably doesn't have long to live. Some of us have been ...
Costa Coffee have applied for planning permission to open a shop in Launceston town square. They are seeking to take over the currently empty building last occupied by Day Lewis and before that by Boots - 24 Broad Street. The building is listed, but Costa are only proposing to make substantial changes to the ground floor - currently a pretty ugly aluminium framed shopfront. They would replace this with a wood and glass frontage. The proposal would also mean a change of use. Costa say that they would create 10-12 full time equivalent jobs with the new shop as well ...
[IMG: Europe Day - European Union - Some rights reserved by Niccolò Caranti] Today's Times reports that Nick Clegg may be about to change his position on the circumstances on which a referendum on EU membership could be held. The Coalition has legislated for a referendum if there is any further Treaty change. The Times (£) suggests that this could be altered to a "material change": Liberal Democrat MPs were due to meet last night to discuss whether to shift their position of holding a vote only if there is a "material change" in relations with Brussels. The party's near ...
Like seriously there are more Muslims in Ethiopia than Syria or Saudi Arabia. And there are more Muslims in Russia (a state we barely think of as having a Muslims population) than Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel combined. The world's four largest Muslim nations are in South and South East [...]
Interesting figures from the latest ICM poll. The most popular answer ain't so good, but note the relative proportions for people blaming Labour versus the government: [IMG: Economic anxiety - ICM polling]
West Cornwall Lib Dem MP Andrew George came top of the ballot for a Private Members Bill last week. That allows him to propose a new piece of legislation and guarantees him some parliamentary time to give a chance of making it happen. Andrew is asking people what they want to see him take forward. He has written a letter setting out how he has made his choice and what his remaining options are. If you want to have your say, please read the following and let him know: Dear Friend, A week may be "a long time in politics", ...
[IMG: Liberal democrats] Nick Clegg has set out his Liberal vision and I think it is inadequate as I see his vision as mainly about pursuing less pure liberal economic policies and education. Education policy has been a big part of our appeal. A penny on income tax for improvements to education was a good policy. It resulted in the Labour government putting a penny on National Insurance to pay for improvements to education. The pupil premium in 2010 has been implemented by the Coalition government. However we shouldn't reply on education policy alone. We should be idealist. We should ...
Concerns from Cambridge teachers and academics that children may be forced to start formal learning too early under Education Secretary Michael Gove's education reforms have been raised in Parliament by the city's MP Julian Huppert. Julian quizzed Mr Gove on what assessment he had made on the benefits of creative, play-based learning after concerns were raised by Cambridge academics and members of the National Union of Teachers. They met Julian to call for his support for the Too Much Too Soon campaign which shows that starting children on formal learning too early can hamper achievement and affect their health and ...
The marked register is a copy of the electoral roll that was used on polling day that shows who voted. Everybody should be getting a copy for their area for the May elections whether its just for the European elections or local elections as well. Enter the data it provides into Connect and it gives [...]
Ridgegrove Hill will be closed for up to two weeks at the end of July and beginning of August for ducting works. Diversions will be in place via Ridgegrove Lane. The application has been made by Carillion Telent who need to repair their cable ducts with works starting on 22nd July and continuing until 4th August. If you have any questions, call the company on 0800 526015. Tweet
Political movements change. They sometimes change profoundly. The US Democrats went from "the party of slavery" to "the party of civil rights" in the space of a hundred years. In a similar space of time, the UK's Liberals went from being a party led by a Prime Minister (HH Asquith) who took the country into the First World War, promoted imperialism and opposed votes for women to being today's progressive Liberal Democrats. South Africa's National Party, the party of apartheid, evolved into the conservative, democratic New National Party and forged an abortive alliance with the liberal Democratic Party before merging ...
Earlier this week, my colleagues at the New Economics Foundation published a fascinating graph comparing the growth of economic inequality in the UK with the rise of average house prices. They got a proper pasting below the line, as is proper on these occasions - a proper pasting below the line is what we bloggers deserve these days and often get - which came from economists who said that there could be no connection and, finding one, would imply changing the definition of inequality. The graph is pretty impressive nonetheless, but it shows a six-year time lag between the pattern ...
Forty-four years ago to the day, on the 18th June, 1970, I first stood for parliament in the Liberal interest.* I can't remember now whether it was slightly before or after that general election that we used the campaign slogan "Which twin is the Tory?" a parody on an advertising slogan which promoted the advantages of a home perm called "Toni" compared with a more expensive permanent wave from a professional hair dresser. Our point was that there was nothing much to choose between the Conservative and Labour parties, and the only real and progressive alternative was the Liberal Party ...
For several elections pundits have predicted that the next campaign will be dominated by e-campaigning. Each time the impact of digital campaign has been rather less than expected. Instead of a big bang we are seeing incremental change. We all know the impact of the internet on internal campaigning and communications. For most councillors email [...]
Liberal Democrat Women (LDW) are launching a new mentoring and support scheme for female councillors. It is aimed particularly at newly elected female councillors and also female councillors who find themselves in new leadership positions or split wards. The idea is that LDW organises mentors for these women, so that they can discuss worries or [...]
[IMG: Florence With Knife 1] There is a problem with knife crime. Too many of our fellow citizens suffer from knife attacks, and even more live in fear of being attacked with a knife. Even though fewer people are carrying knives, too many still are. The Tory response to this, backed by Labour, has been to rush into legislation forcing judges to impose a mandatory jail sentence for anyone who is found in possession of a knife twice. To deal effectively with the problem we should try to understand why people are carrying them. Most of them are victims of ...
[IMG: work graph] A record rise employment saw nearly 5,500 more people in work every working day over the last three months. This has taken the total number of people in work in the UK to over 30.5 million for the first time ever, with unemployment reaching a five-year low. Compared to a year ago, 780,000 more people are in work - the biggest annual rise in a quarter of a century, a further sign the Liberal Democrats' plan to build a stronger economy in a fairer society is working. Commenting on this brilliant news, Lib Dem Treasury Minister Danny ...
Danger Mouse to return to TV screens (tags: ) UK intelligence forced to reveal secret policy for mass surveillance of residents' social media use Holy SHIT. (tags: ) The elaborate appeal of Heath Robinson (tags: ) YouTube to block indie labels who don't sign up to new music service Oh dear. (tags: ) Global Summit of Women all-male panel: It's important, not sexist, for men to talk about feminism. (tags: ) Should boys read boys? | Children's books | theguardian.com bout us | Work for us | Join our dating site today (tags: ) Gay MEP attacked with acid: I ...
The headline grabbing lines "£10bn burden" exaggerate the strength of Margaret Hodge's argument. The equity loan part of Help To Buy is relatively less controversial. It was tested in previous ideas like NewBuy or HomeBuy, which I believe was a Labour scheme. Helping people without sufficient equity to buy a house is risky. That is why [...]
[IMG: State of the parties, 17 June 2014.] The Guardian has published its latest ICM poll, the 'gold standard' survey most eagerly awaited alike by political junkies (because ICM has the best track record) and Lib Dems (because it tends to give the party higher ratings). It shows Labour on 32%, a nose ahead of the Tories (31%), with Ukip (16%) and the Lib Dems (10%) trailing in third and fourth. Two points stand out. First, the combined Labour/Conservative shares, at 63%, are the lowest ever recorded by ICM using the phone method. No sign of a reversion to two-party ...
As of yesterday evening, 59 MPs had backed the call for an inquiry into the organised sexual abuse of children - even though this story has so far been ignored by the national media. The story has been covered by the Press Gazette: Investigative news website Exaro has used a Twitter campaign to get the support of more than 50 MPs in a call for Home Secretary Theresa May to hold an inquiry into the organised sexual abuse of children. After breaking a story about a cross-party group of MPs sending a letter to May two weeks ago, the campaign ...
The West Port area has traditionally been part of the City Centre Parking Permit scheme. However, I have highlighted with the City Council over a considerable period the need to correct an anomaly whereby a small number of households in the western part of the street have been excluded from the scheme, due to an error in the boundary. I was given a commitment some time ago that this would be addressed as part of the City Centre Controlled Parking Zone review. I recently asked the council's Head of Transportation for an update on the situation and he has responded ...
Wed 18th
08:14
Brownfield Sites – Is the Penny finally dropping about the foolishness of building on high gra...
HOUSING – Pickles promises a better use of brownfield sites Up to 75,000 homes are to be built in 30 new "housing zones" across England after George Osborne announced £400m of funding. Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, writing in the Telegraph, says that there is enough brownfield land in Britain to build 200,000 new homes. He comments that the UK has been facing a serious housing shortage, and supply has got to be increased in line with demand. He explains that he is determined to do so without building unnecessarily on undeveloped land and proposes the better use of brownfield ...
We are arguing in our debate in the Senedd today that the Welsh Labour Government is failing to support small scale community energy projects. We recognise the potential for microgeneration to deliver for Wales's communities in strengthening local economies, increasing energy efficiency and decreasing fuel poverty. We are calling on the Welsh Government to: • ensure that microgeneration projects are considered with a presumption in favour of development; • provide a model legal and business framework for Community-Owned Renewable Energy Co-Operatives to reduce the legal costs and complexity for communities wishing to establish their own; • ensure that the advice and support offered ...
The Queen's Speech reinforced the party's key priorities: TaxThe Liberal Democrat commitment to raising the tax threshold to £10,500, giving 25m people a further income tax cut in April next year. Cutting income tax for working people remains a top priority for the Liberal Democrats. It was on the front page of our 2010 manifesto. The Liberal Democrats have had to fight to keep this on the agenda in the internal coalition discussions running up to each fiscal event in the parliament. PensionsThe biggest reforms to the pension system since its inception, conceived and driven by Liberal Democrat pensions minister ...
