Dear Jeremy and Sarah, I get it. I understand that you want to advocate for Hastings (and Rye) and be seen to do so. And not just because there is a General Election a few months away. It is of course right and proper that scrutiny should be brought to bear on funding decisions - [...]
When walking the streets of Northampton you do not expect to come across a building you simply cannot believe. The palace of a footballer's wife or a Russian oligarch? No, this appears to be a new facility built by the mental health charity St Andrew's Healthcare on the site of the old Cliftonville Middle School. Extraordinary.
Baroness Wasi is to be applauded for her principled stance on Gaza, and the albeit tardy call by Clegg and Cable for an Israeli arms embargo is to be welcomed. But still the condemnation of the Israeli Government is nowhere near strong enough. As bad as Hamas and their rockets are, that can never be a justification for the war crimes being perpetrated by Netanyahu and his cabinet. He deserves to be brought before the Hague for the atrocities that he has sanctioned and condoned. The historical parallels are not lost on me. Gaza has become a ghetto at best, ...
Liberal Democrat seat. Disqualification. Candidate – Nick Wiltshire Agent – Cllr Bob Smytherman (robert.smytherman@ntlworld.com) c/o 7 Willow House, Goring Chase, The Strand, Worthing, West Sussex, BN12 6NS T: 01903 507073; M. 07867 562538 Result last time (2012): LD 701 (E) Con 505 UKIP 270 Lab 262
Conservative seat. Death Result last time (2011): Con 832 (E) Con 784 (E) Green 491 Green 386
Green Party seat. Resignation
Conservative seat. Death The Liberal Democrat candidate is Arnold Verrall. Contact Jon Whitehouse (agent): jon@jonwhitehouse.org.uk or 07854 851628.
Conservative seat. Death
Along with my Dundee local party Convener Craig Duncan, Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie MSP and Tim Brett and his North East Fife LibDem team, I had a very enjoyable evening campaigning in a lovely, sunny Leven - a couple of photos below : With Tim, Willie and Team in Leven Willie, Craig and me - campaigning for a stronger Scotland after Scotland rejects independence
This morning, I was delighted to take part in a presentation by Network Rail to Dundee Museum of Transport of a historic rail station sign that originally sat (from the 1950s) on the rail platform of Tay Bridge Station and latterly on the south wall of the station on Riverside Drive. It is another great addition to the museum and many thanks go to Network Rail for donating it. Today's presentation Previous site of the sign on the side of the station
In recent days both Labour and Ukip have named their candidates to fight the Harborough constituency at the next general election. I can't tell you much about Ukip's Clive Langley, but a search of this blog will tell you all about Labour's Sundip Meghani. As well as being a councillor in Leicester, he is in favour of the death penalty, wanted to be his party's candidate for the county's police and crime commissioner, and sends Valentine's messages to his voters. The Liberal Democrat candidate will be the excellent Zuffar Haq, who fought the seat last time round and also recorded ...
Hertfordshire Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that an extension to Crossrail is being considered which would mean it served Tring, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction and Berkhamsted. Stephen Giles-Medhurst, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Hertfordshire County Council commented, "This will help support jobs and businesses in the County, as well well as making travel to and from London significantly faster for many who live in the west of the County." It is thought that the new services would run into Canary Wharf, Liverpool Street and Bond Street, reducing overcrowding at Euston, and making onward travel easier for ...
Well done ITV for winning Headline of the Day. Pity about the scare quotes. (See what I did there.)
You've got to love Alex Salmond. He never disappoints. He is the gift that keeps on giving. He is now furiously digging in on the pound. We learn today that an independent Scotland would use the pound even without a currency union, while declining to take on any of the UK debt. The Panama option. So let's look at Panama. It's economic output per person (Gross domestic product per capita as of December 2013) is $10,200. On this measure, they are the 58th economically active country in the world after Kazakhstan and Gabon. By the same measure, the United Kingdom's ...
The post Daily Rituals of Creative Minds appeared first on James Taylor.
I have launched a campaign urging local people to inundate Marc Bolland the Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer with letters and emails asking them 'think again' about closing their Redcar store. Marks and Spencer is vital to Redcar town centre. People come into the town specially to go to Marks and Spencer. The decision to close the store has been a massive blow. It does not make sense at all at a time when the economy in on the up and we get the steel works back. The town really needs top stores to start coming in not closing ...
Thu 7th
17:30
Catch up with 'Call Clegg': on Boris, immigration, Gaza, Europe and the Tories' electoral srategy
If you missed the latest 'Call Clegg' you can catch up with it below. Here are some of the edited highlights... On Boris: Do you know I think the thing about Boris Johnson is you know despite all the kind of clumsiness and bumblingness he's actually a really, really ambitious politician. And you know you don't need to sort begrudging him that. He treats his political ambition a bit like he treats his hair. He wants everyone to think that he doesn't really care but he actually really, really does care. And so look he'll now have to, I think ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-28645520 The BBC has the story via the link above.
Rachel Carson faced gender-based slurs on her work in the 1960s but, 50 years on, why does the Royal Society still struggle to invite women to talk about her legacy? In October, the Royal Society, one of the oldest and most respected scientific institutions in the world is hosting an event with the Royal Literature Society, marking the 50-year anniversary of Rachel Carsons death. Taking Silent Spring, her most famous work on the environmental consequences of chemical pesticides (or biocides as she preferred to called them) as the inspiration, Writing Wrongs promises to discuss the complementary roles of literature and ...
Now in force is the Representation of the People (Variation of Limits of Candidates' Election Expenses) Order 2014 which raises the expense limits for the general election and also for local council elections in England and Wales. The changes are: UK Parliamentary general elections Long campaign (from 18 December 2014): New limit: £30,700 + 6p/9p per elector in a constituency (for borough/county constituencies) Old limit: £25,000 + 5p/7p per elector in a constituency Short campaign: New limit: £8,700 + 6p/9p Old limit: £7,150 + 5p/7p Local Government elections in England and Wales New limit: £740 + 6p Old limit: £600 ...
Leading Tories are happy to sacrifice British jobs and growth to boost their own anti-Europe credentials, Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has said. His remarks come after Mayor of London Boris Johnson claimed leaving the EU could be an "attractive" option for the UK. But Danny called for Britain to "stay in Europe, lead Europe and reform Europe". Danny said: "Boris Johnson has shown once again that leading Conservative politicians are willing to sacrifice British jobs and economic growth in order to bolster their own Eurosceptic credentials. "Successive independent and Government studies have shown that between ...
[IMG: Gaza Burns - photo by Al Jazeera English] I suspect that there is growing dismay, not to say anger, among our population as they watch on television the daily slaughter and destruction in Gaza, at the mealy-mouthed statements from both our Government and the American's in response. Spokesmen for the Israelis regularly recount the huge number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israeli territory, but fail to tell us that the vast majority of these have been successfully intercepted without casualties. In fact, over the entire last decade they have killed two dozen Israeli citizens. Unacceptably dreadful though these ...
[IMG: Black car. Photo courtesy of http://www.freeimages.com/photo/913579 - some rights reserved] There's a classic cylce that new automated technology goes through: from suspicious through to trusted through to so mundane it's barely thought about. 'Fly by wire' technology for planes is a good example – initially the cause of much cautious reporting and even scares over how pilots would no longer be able manually to fully control a plane, being left helpless if their technology failed, through now to being so unremarkable that it barely gets a mention even when there is a tragedy. So it's no surprise, nor any ...
[IMG: boris and cameron] By making a Europe speech at Bloomberg, just like the Prime Minister did over a year ago, it was clear that the Mayor of London was sabotaging the launch of his Chief Economic Adviser's report on our place in the EU as a (re)launch pad for his political career. What a good use of £36,400 of taxpayers' money! Predictably, the headlines are about Boris Johnson's plans to return to the Commons. Once again, the debate about our role in the EU gets swept under the carpet and reduced to meaningless sound bites. The Tories have now ...
A couple of years ago David Cameron announced that he intended to mark the centenary of the beginning of WW1 in style. There were sceptics at the time as to how and why these commemorations. I was and remain one of them. Coming from the country of the 'former enemy' I have to choose my [...]
In the week that the Council created a new team of vigilante dustbin inspectors, snooping through peoples bins, TDC's latest press release reveals details of their Margate task force operations last month which involved up to 40 agencies from HMRC to Police and trading standards who took part in something called "Operation Streetweek" poking around the mean streets of Cliftonville. No doubt it was all carried out to a high standard and everything was above board but to be honest for me it sounds rather sinister and authoritarian. We learn from their press release that they have focused on Northdown ...
It has been a terrible few weeks in Israel and Gaza. My Facebook account is full of people condemning Israel's bombardment. A lesser number of commenters try to defend Israel's actions. I am not planning to join this chorus of condemnation. I want to take a step back and look at what is happening, and ask where it is all heading. What about me? I am not Jewish. I had a lot of Jewish friends at school in the 1970s, where I was highly sympathetic to Israel. In 1979 I volunteered for a few weeks at a kibbutz on the ...
In the wake of Baroness Warsi's resignation Nick Clegg has reportedly said that he will be pushing for an embargo on arms sales to Israel. I hope this actually happens rather than what I suspect will more likely be a more diluted 'review'. Without a robust response, and without outside pressure being put on it, it's likely that Israel will continue to act disproportionately in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. If the government goes for a review, then it will have no more effect than a modest ticking off. Doubtless there will be Liberal Democrats who will apportion blame ...
All around us we hear of war and the remembrance of war. As I watched the lamps going off across the town on Monday evening and as the last candle was about to be extinguished at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier the camera panned to the plaque in Poet's Corner which bears the names of sixteen soldier poets . One name caught my eye- Ivor Gurney. A few weeks back I had caught bits of as radio programme (now available as a podcast) about the life and music of Gurney. I knew of his protracted mental illness but I ...
[IMG: Iowa. Photo courtesy of http://www.freeimages.com/photo/537885 - some rights reserved] Politico reports: Iowa Democrats Friday explicitly ruled out allowing absentee ballots, proxies, letting people Skype into caucuses and having multiple caucuses through the day. "Iowans did not want us to take any steps that would change what our caucuses are at their core," said Democratic state party chairman Scott Brennan. Instead, the party is calling on the state legislature to pass a law requiring employers to let non-essential workers take time off to attend their precinct caucus. This would require the uncertain bipartisan backing of Republicans. A full-time employee at ...
Studios don't need to rely on franchises to make commercially successful films I was sceptical about Guardians of the Galaxy when I first learnt about it. It seemed a bit too goofy and random to me but it looks like I might need to eat my words. While I've not seen it yet – damn you [...]
Two men convicted for possessing extreme 'WhatsApp porn' that wasn't viewed As someone said on twitter, this is like prosecuting somebody who got sent a letter bomb for possession of explosives. (tags: ) New Comic shop in Bradford - Its A Trap Comics - deserves your support Not least because we like supporting lady entrepreneurs around here, right? ;) (tags: ) The truth about the supposed "Open Door" Immigration Policy "We've half-jokingly talked about running a campaign to get her on the Lib Dems' elected list of suggested peers, because getting her into the House of Lords seems like the ...
[IMG: VIDEO_Boris_Johnson_363926a] BoJo has finally come clean and admitted what we all knew a long time ago, namely he's going to become an MP again in 2015. It's worth noting that he did so in the context of the most Eurosceptic speech he's ever delivered, so he's clearly eying up the leadership of the Conservative Party, and by extension Number 10 (beware Elvis, Martians and Frisbees, never mind the rest of us). In honour of the mayor finally letting this long suffering ball drop, I decided I would use Burroughs' "cut up" method to try and find some of the ...
[IMG: equal_pay_jobs blog] Large companies will be legally required to publish the difference between what they pay men and women, under manifesto plans set out by Liberal Democrats. Liberal Democrats would make it a legal requirement for companies employing more than 250 people to publish the average pay of their male and female workers. This would create pressure from staff and customers to account for and close any pay gap that exists between men and women. Plans were announced by Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg, Minister for Women and Equalities Jo Swinson and Business Secretary Vince Cable. Currently leading employers ...
Not a lot of people know that David Cameron is a great fan of the late Benny Hill. So much so, that he knows the words of "Ernie – the fastest milkman in the west" off by heart. Perhaps Boris is trying to curry favour with the PM by imitating the great comedian?: Front page of today's Telegraph: [IMG: image] Benny Hill: [IMG: image]
From the Council: We will shortly be commencing highway drainage repairs and improvements on Schools Hill, Cheadle located outside and opposite Ladybarn School. This work is due to start week commencing Monday the 11th August and will be carried out by our Alliance Partner Solutions SK Ltd. The scheme is anticipated to take up to three weeks to complete, weather permitting. We aim to have a minimal impact upon the traffic flows along this route however it will be necessary to use temporary two-way traffic signals throughout the duration of the contract. Access to properties within the work area will ...
If there's one area of political debate where perception triumphs over reality, it's immigration. While the public rate it as the number one issue facing Britain, it tumbles to 12th place when they're asked what concerns them most at a personal level, behind the more pressing issues of pensions, health and household finances. This is the 'disconnect' between what people hear about in our debate on immigration - fanned by political opportunists and their media allies - and the reality they experience in their daily lives. It's the doorstep charge of "well there are just too many of them, aren't ...
Here are the Liberal Democrat entries in the top 100 political blogs as ranked by EBuzzing. No goodbyes this month and a very welcome back to Jonathan Calder. 1 (5) Liberal Democrat Voice Down 1 2 (25) Mark Pack Up 1 3 (28) Stephen Tall Up 1 4 (43) Jennie Rigg Down 7 5 (50) Alex Marsh Up 11 6 (54) Lynne Featherstone MP Down 5 7 (59) Paul Walter (Liberal Burblings) Up 8 8 (77) Zoe O'Connell (Complicity) Down 14 9 (79) Mark Valladares (Liberal Bureaucracy) Down 11 10 (83) But what does Richard Kemp think? Up 15 11 ...
A report by think tank Civitas is warning that high levels of immigration will undermine living standards by putting pressure on schools, housing and hospitals. "Population growth may lead to housing shortages and pressure on public facilities such as schools, hospitals and the transport infrastructure," the report says. Net migration has been over 200,000 every year for the past decade and the report suggests that population will increase by a projected 20m over the next 50 years if this continues. The Times, Page: 4 The Daily Telegraph, Page: 4 Mm, this kind of report probably hits a note but it ...
How to Die by Siegfried Sassoon (1918) Dark clouds are smouldering into red While down the craters morning burns. The dying soldier shifts his head To watch the glory that returns; He lifts his fingers toward the skies Where holy brightness breaks in flame; Radiance reflected in his eyes, And on his lips a whispered name. You'd think, to hear some people talk, That lads go West with sobs and curses, And sullen faces white as chalk, Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses. But they've been taught the way to do it Like Christian soldiers; not with haste And ...
This Sunday's band concert on Magdalen Green is the final one of the 2014 summer season features the Tullis Russell Intermediate Band. It starts at 2pm on Sunday 10th August at the bandstand. Further details available here.
Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary Ed Davey has put forward new proposals to safeguard customers from unfair practices by energy companies. Under the new laws, anyone found guilty of rigging wholesale gas and electricity prices could face up to two years in jail. The plans would give new powers to energy regulators to prosecute people suspected of abusing the energy market. It would be a criminal offence to fix the price of energy at an artificial level or use insider information to buy or sell energy on the wholesale market. It would also be an offence to make misleading claims or ...
I don't normally do two linkblogs this close together, but all the time I would normally spend writing has been spent today dealing with reactions to last night's post, which can best be summed up by this graph of hits to my blog: Yeah, so I've been a bit busy tonight on Facebook, Tumblr, and [...]
