I had meant to write about something else this evening but time has run away with me. Never mind. That'll keep for tomorrow. So this is really just a quick post inspired by the fact that my nephew is heading off, all fired up and full of anticipation to his first political conference. Sadly, it's the SNP one in Perth, but I'm sure he would want me to say that he did join earlier in the Summer, before the referendum and before it became cool to do so. Even though his views are very different to mine, it's great to ...
Those words must come from another Cadbury's commercial in this series, but I can still remember when they seemed scarily modern.
Crikey, the Capital Steps are still going. I remember when they were making fun of Mario Cuomo.
The carriageway of Southport Road often floods at times of rain more or less on the Maghull/Lydiate Parish boundary but it seems to have got much worse in recent times. I have asked Sefton Council to sort it out as pedestrians and cyclists don't stand a chance of getting through without an unwanted cold dirty shower! The photo below shows the problem on the northbound carriageway, it is just as bad if not worse on the southbound carriageway. This shot is looking back to Maghull Methodist Church and the junction with Liverpool Road/Liverpool Road North from Lydiate. The flooding is ...
#162205778 / gettyimages.com David Boyle blogs about The Imitation Game, the new film about Alan Turing that stars Benedict Cumberbatch. Looking at the IMDB entry for the film, I am drawn less to the names of the actors than to the names of the real figures they are playing. Harry Golombek, who mentioned Turing to me when I met him 30 years ago (in the days before everyone had of Turing), does not feature, but two of his fellow chess players who were at Bletchley Park do. One of the leading characters is Hugh Alexander. I once quoted an article ...
I learn from Mark Pack that the Liberal Party thinker George Watson died last year. I am sorry that I missed his death at the time Watson was part of the party's intellectual renaissance under Jo Grimond. Mark links to a tribute by Julian Huppert: "George Grimes Watson was a great thinker, an English don and a life-long liberal. "He stood for Parliament in 1959 in Cheltenham, unsuccessfully, and then became a Fellow at St John's College Cambridge, where he became a noted scholar in literature, literary criticism and liberal political thought, including being a key member of the unservile ...
Labour MP John McDonell is facing heavy criticism after making a violent joke about Tory welfare minister Esther McVey. His party have not taken any action though. McDonell joked that McVey should be lynched Labour MP refers to Minister as a "bastard" Labour press issue one tweet in response John McDonell, the Labour MP for [...]
#456784844 / gettyimages.com The BBC reports: The Lib Dems have received their second biggest donation ever, from an academic who bequeathed the party £950,000. George Watson, a former professor at Cambridge University and one time Lib Dem candidate, died in 2013, aged 86. His gift was the single biggest sum reported in the Electoral Commission's table of party donations for the third quarter of 2014. Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge, adds: George Grimes Watson was a great thinker, an English don and a life-long liberal. He stood for Parliament in 1959 in Cheltenham, unsuccessfully, and then became a Fellow at ...
[IMG: image] I finally made it to the Tower of London today, as the volunteers were gathering the 888,246 hand-made ceramic poppies which have filled its moat to mark the centenary of the First World War. I wish I'd seen the full display, but there is also something quite affecting about seeing the care with which each individual poppy is plucked and packaged ready for its new owner, and about watching the red tide slowly recede and normality re-assert itself. It is the out-of-the-ordinary transience of this memorial which has made it stand out. Permanence would have robbed it of ...
Another 'Living Well with Dementia' roadshow is being held, this time at Turnberrie's Community Centre in Thornbury next Monday, 17 November. These roadshows offer practical, emotional and health advice aimed at anyone who has recently been diagnosed with dementia, their carers or relatives of people with dementia. The free event runs from 10.30am to 1pm however places must be booked in advance by using one of the following methods: Book online at www.southglos.gov.uk/dementia Complete the booking form found on the flyer/leaflet and return it via freepost Email cchengagement@southglos.gov.uk Phone 01454 862356 For more information and details of future roadshows visit ...
Lib Dem HQ have been in touch with the great news that there have now been over 2 million apprenticeships created since 2010. A full Breakdown of localisable numbers can be downloaded here. Here is the template press release to go with it (download in Word form, here): Liberal Democrats Stronger Economy Fairer Society Contact: [...]
It's probably fair to say that the European Court of Justice is unused to tabloid adulation. But this week's ruling in Luxembourg on the case of a jobless Romanian woman in Germany led even the arch-anti-EU Daily Express to hail 'a rare outbreak of common sense'. The judgement by the EU's highest court that the right to free movement does not equate to a right to free access to benefits was warmly welcomed all round, including in Germany - which has higher rates of migration than the UK. Even David Cameron called it 'good news'. On that point I agree ...
[IMG: Team of surgeon in uniform perform operation on a patient at car] There are now 13,635 more clinical staff in the NHS than in may 2010, including 7,997 more doctors. You can check those figures yourself on the Health and Social Care Information Centres webpage. Despite the NHS being protected from cuts, with an ageing population, and increasing health needs it is clear the NHS is today under a tremendous amount of pressure. There may not have been cuts in real-terms, but our needs and expectations are increasing. That's why I was very pleased to hear Liberal Democrat Health ...
[IMG: Anarchy] It is often assumed that the polar opposites on the political spectrum are the Far-right and the Far-left. In my experience, this just isn't so; those at the political extremes tend to have a lot more in common than you might at first think. Here are the similarities they share. Anger at the world Both ends of political extremism are fuelled greatly by rage. A feeling emanating from people who gravitate to the farthermost political edges that the reason they are unhappy, or poor, or alone or whatever it is they don't like about their lives, has to ...
Do we still do community politics? "Of course we do," all Lib Dems will say, particularly after press comments on Lorely Burt's "dog poo" speech at a conference fringe meeting. But I'm not so sure. A while back when I advised residents to use the local Text the Council number to report flytipping etc, my colleague, a hard working ex-councillor was horrified. 'Don't do that," he told me, "get them to text you so that we get the credit for reporting it." And of course we do that all the time and it earns us votes. But wasn't part of ...
This week mankind for the first time ever managed to land on a comet. The Philae probe had a bumpy landing, but successfully touched down on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This immense achievement is the accumulation of a 10 year project undertaken by the European Space Agency. It just goes to show what mankind can achieve when it works together and puts aside the rivalries of nations that plagued previous centuries. 100 years ago Europe was torn apart by World War One, today we are working together, pushing forward the boundaries of science and space exploration. That's something we can all be ...
The Fox Hollies Neighbourhood Forum held a public meeting last night. The major agenda items were: 1) A presentation by Citysave, Birmingham's largest Credit Union: Citysave was set up in 1987 and has 10,000 members, who own it. It lends between £500 and £10,000 (average loan size £870) at a typical rate of 3% per month (42% APR). This covers defaults (typically 4-6%), administrative costs and what is left over is distributed to members. It does not pay interest on member's deposits, but shares profits - which amounted to a payment of 1.5% on deposits last year. There is no ...
Yesterday I was in Manchester speaking at the RenewableUK Annual Conference, and then on to see a fascinating energy efficiency project led by students in Parrs Wood School in John Leech's constituency. My Manchester speech focused on the politics of renewables – both the good news and the bad. The good news is that renewables investment is in great shape. Since 2010, an average £7 billion a year has been invested – more than double that under Labour's last term in office. We are now seen as No.1 in the world for attracting investment in offshore wind, wave and tidal. ...
[IMG: wind-farm] Conservative opposition to onshore wind farms risks undermining the creation of British jobs, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey has warned. Research by RenewableUK shows that 15,400 people are now employed in Britain's wind power industry, an increase of 70 per cent since 2010. The wind turbine industry attracted £2.6bn of investment in the year 2013 to 2014. Commenting on the new data, Ed Davey warned that the Conservative party's opposition to onshore wind farms was undermining the creation of British jobs. Ed said: "We have had a major leap forward in ...
[IMG: philipsreeltoreel-1024x768] The tape begins to roll. I ask Carlos to speak clearly into the microphone (translated from the original Spanish).... He was born in Concepcion, just like I was. His pictures adorned my wall as a child. He was, as the Americans like to say, my hero. He virtually created the nation of Chile if you ask me. Or ask my father, for that matter. Or you could if Papa were still alive. I will admit that my love for Luis Altamirano is something I owe my late, great father for. Papa even got to work for the great ...
Throughout our time in government Liberal Democrats have been committed to supporting our elderly population. Lib Dem policies that have been delivered since 2010 provide stability for pensioners, as well as those coming up to retirement .They will be able to better plan their futures knowing that they will no longer be faced with the insecurity [...]
The new Benedict Cumberbatch film comes out tomorrow in the UK. It is called The Imitation Game and it concerns the code-breaking career of Alan Turing, the British candidate for the inventor of computing. It is also the UK candidate for the next Oscars ceremony. What I have been wondering is why Turing has become such a compelling figure in our recent past - and, at the age of 102 if he had lived, he might even have still been alive. When I first began writing about him, when I was writing my book Authenticity, Turing was a half-forgotten, fringe ...
Alice Bell: ESA can land their robot on a comet. But they still cant see misogyny under their noses. This morning, when Dr Matt Taylor briefed the press on the Rosetta mission, he wore a very plain black T-shirt. Yesterday, he wore something more colourful. As the Independent reported, the public marveled over his cool attitude. Not since Brian Cox rocked up with a Beatle haircut and soft northern vowels has a scientist become trended so suddenly over such a short period. It follows a spate of press on this geezer scientist who seems like a charming and appealing break ...
[IMG: image001] Another Bank of England inflation report, another set of rosy forecasts for earnings next year. Just as 2014 was supposed to be the year of the pay rise, now it seems 2015 will be the year when things turn positive. And, according to the Bank, wages won't just creep into positive territory next year, they are going to take something of a jump upwards. In the last quarter of 2015 the Bank expects nominal wage growth of 3.25% at a time of inflation of 1.4% - so a gear shift from the current position of at best flat-lining ...
[IMG: 387 004 blog] Despite over twelve thousand Herts residents petitioning for bus services to be protected the Conservatives in County Hall are still determined to slash bus services across the County.The County Council Highways and Transport Panel Tories voted down proposals from the Liberal Democrats that would have protected bus services and saved £753,000. They chose to ignore their own public consultation which showed only 30 people out of 4,548 supported cuts in services and also ignored 10 petitions totalling over 12,000 signatures from local residents opposing cuts. Instead the Conservatives have pushed through plans for a new consultation ...
Microsoft's home page opens with the words: At Microsoft our mission and values are to help people and businesses throughout the world realise their full potential. Well that's fine, and I'm a great admirer of the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is doing great things all over the world. To counteract the grumpiness of the Daily Mail and right wing Tories with regard to overseas aid expenditure, the number of children under five dying from easily preventable diseases has, according to Melinda Gates, fallen from 12.6 million in 1990 to 6.6 million now. That's still 6 ...
We were lucky to have a special visitor at the Ealing Liberal Democrat AGM meeting this week. That of Lynne Featherstone who is now a minister at the Home Office. She told us about the work she had done when first in the Home Office, back in 2010. All of us are so proud of the work that Lynne had done to bring in equal marriage. Lynne Featherstone speaking Lynne was also instrumental in ensuring that DNA is not indefinitely retained. This arrangement was brought in by the Labour party who encouraged the storage of bio data, despite the enhanced ...
I attended the Swalwell Remembrance Sunday wreath laying to film the event for Councillors Chris Ord, Sonya Hawkins and Peter Craig. This is the video.
Liberal Democrat sitting as an Independent, disqualification Liberal Democrat candidate- Munir Ahmed For more information on how to help:
Last night's council meeting was an absolute disgrace. This was not because of the way that the Lord Mayor conducted the meeting (would I dare to criticise her?!) but the way that the Elected Mayor of Liverpool conducted himself! As ... Continue reading →
Conservative seat, resignation Liberal Democrat candidate- Simon Hicks
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Labour seat, resignation Liberal Democrat candidate- Viki Sanders To help please contact Amanda Taylor (amanda@ajtmail.co.uk; 01223 249787)
Conservative seat, death No Liberal Democrat candidate For more information:
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Sue Mountstevens our Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will be holding her next public forum on Wednesday, December 3rd from 1845 - 2100 at The Shire Way Community Centre, Yate, Bristol, BS37 8YS. It's a chance for you to hear from North East's Area Commander Chief Superintendent Caroline Peters, and to ask any questions to the PCC, C/Supt Peters and other senior police officers. If you would like to attend please register here , email pcc@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk or call 01275 816377 so they can ensure a seat is reserved for you. If you have questions please email them ahead of the ...
Europe is on the eve of war. Since Vladimir Putin came to power Russia has fallen sixty one places in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. It is currently 127 on the list, more corrupt than Gabon, Pakistan or Mali. The contempt for the rule of law extends across all aspects of Russian society. Property is routinely stolen, human rights are routinely abused. Russia is the most unequal society in the world and there is no justice in one of the least free countries on the planet. This lamentable record has been accompanied by the rise of one of the ...
A campaign has been launched warning people of the dangers of air pollution. Air Aware in Sheffield also gives people information on what they can do to reduce it. Poor air quality has been blamed for up to 500 premature deaths a year in Sheffield and annual health costs of £160m. Councillor Jack Scott, cabinet member for environment, recycling and street scene on the city's council, said: "Sheffield aspires to be a city where health inequalities are reduced and air is healthy for all to breathe. It would be great if everybody could use their cars a little less, and ...
Study: How Yoga Alters Genes (tags: ) perceptions of tax spending, even on the flawed Osborne model, wildly wrong (tags: ) Nigel Farage's new friend in Europe: 'When women say no, they don't always mean it' (tags: ) Greater Manchester: a right Mayoral stitch up - why DevoManc isn't devolution (tags: ) WHAT KILLS US: The Leading Causes Of Death From 1900-2010 - Business Insider (tags: ) Long but interesting article about the psychology of long-lasting relationships (tags: ) Loads Of Huge UK Rock Bands Still Have Day Jobs (tags: ) Lego Movie 2 'will feature more female characters' - ...
[IMG: IMG_0081.JPG] The image you see here is that of Kris Hopkins MP. 'Who is he?', I hear you ask. He is the MP for Keighley, defending a majority of all of 294 votes at the next election. He is also the so-called 'Minister for Community Pubs'. However, a more appropriate title would be that of the Minister for Pubcos. Even the industry doesn't think he is that good: the normally pretty pubco-friendly Publican's Morning Advertiser is the one asking why the Minister is missing, as he seems to have done little to trouble the PMA's journalists with his salary. ...
While Europes scientists were watching Rosetta, President Juncker quietly scrapped the role of his top scientific adviser. What does this mean for the future of evidence-based policy in Europe? Yesterday was a moment of celebration for European science. Although the precise fate of the Philae probe remains unclear, the remarkable achievements of the Rosetta mission reflect the noblest ideals of pan-European research: 2000 scientists and engineers from across the member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) pooling their resources and expertise in pursuit of new knowledge. Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESAs director-general, described it as a great great day, not only ...
Last Monday I was invited to a party to celebrate the achievements of Nickie Smith who, for the reasons I posted about recently (see link below) has decided to call it day with her youth work, which she did on top of her full time job I would add. Here are a couple of shots of Nickie and her friends at the party which was held at the Meadows Pub in Maghull. [IMG: rsz_nickie_1] [IMG: rsz_nickie_3] Click on the photos to enlarge them Nickie deserves a break as she has been campaigning and working for youth facilities in Maghull ...
Primary schools in England are to be handed an extra £22.5 million next year to help close the gap between the poorest pupils and their richer classmates, thanks to the Liberal Democrats. £390,000 will go to Lambeth and Southwark Schools on top of the existing £39M planed for 2015/16. The Pupil premium, which was created and successfully delivered by the Lib Dems in Government, helps support disadvantaged youngsters from the time they start school, and stop them falling behind. The pupil premium funding for 2015/16 will help teachers support those children at most risk of falling behind their colleagues. In ...
[IMG: Preschool] Primary schools in England are to be handed an extra £22.5 million next year to help close the gap between the poorest pupils and their richer classmates, thanks to the Liberal Democrats. The Pupil premium, which was successfully delivered by the Lib Dems in Government, helps support disadvantaged youngsters from the time they start school, and stop them falling behind. In total, primary schools will get £1,320 for every child who has been registered for free school meals (FSM) in the last six years, while pupils in secondaries will receive £935 each. All schools will still receive £1,900 ...
Liberal Democrats vehemently opposed the creation of the Lambeth Living ALMO when Lambeth Labour first proposed it moving council tenants to this quango. Labour politicians had set up a dodgy poll of tenants and leaseholders promising a whole raft of improvements and cost savings. They also told tenants that voting for the ALMO would guarantee heaps of money from a friendly Labour Government that would transform their dire living conditions. Even this was not persuasive to perceptive residents, more of whom voted "No" and "Don't Know" to setting the organisation up than voted "Yes". Yet Labour ignored that verdict and ...
I very much welcome announcements in the House of Lords on Tuesday that the Coalition Government will publish plans for a reserved powers model for Wales and that 16 year olds will be able to vote in a future income tax referendum. I am glad that Liberal Democrats are continuing to lead the charge in Government to bring power closer to the people of Wales. The announcement on a 'reserved powers' model is good news for Wales and Welsh devolution. I am pleased that Ministers in the Coalition have listened to the consensus in the Assembly and have acted swiftly. ...
The Public Finance magazine contains an interesting report of a paper issued by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which confirms previous studies, that Scotland benefits disproportionately from the Barnett formula. In fact it is a bit more complex than that as the first part of their study concentrates on the different way that business rates are treated in Scotland and Northern Ireland for the purpose of distributing grant to those countries as compared to Wales. In their paper, Business as Usual, Barnett say that the result of this different treatment means that Scotland and Northern Ireland will by 2015/16 have ...
