Shobdon Church, Herefordshire from Andy Marshall on Vimeo. From the Shobdon Church Preservation Trust website: Shobdon Church is a hugely important work of architecture. It has a direct connection to Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill in Twickenham and the members of the "Committee of Taste" which strongly influenced its design. Its amazingly intact interior and matching furniture are the sole example of this Walpolean Gothick style of Georgian church architecture and furnishing.
Monday (cont.) So (we are back at Oakham Studios now talking about that blessed comet - do try to keep up) it was with this experience in mind that I suggested we stage the whole thing here. "Is that ethical?" asked a fellow bigwig. "It is for the European Union," I replied firmly, "and as Liberal Democrats we all know that the European Union can do no wrong. Thus any action to improve its reputation is morally justified." The plan agreed, I searched the shelves of my Library until I found what I was looking for: "I-Spy In the Night ...
Yesterday in Stormont one of my MLAs for North Down Gordon Dunne (DUP) asked the following question to OFMDFM: Mr Dunne asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they believe that, given the launch today of a private Member's Bill to include a conscience clause, the Equality Commission should now withdraw legal action against Ashers Bakery pending the outcome of the legislative process. (AQT 1861/11-15)The response seeing as it was the Deputy First Minister answering the questions (although he deferred to his junior minister was actually better than if it had been left to the unionist side of ...
Tue 9th
22:31
Shropshire Council to withdraw nearly £1 million from town & parish councils forcing their...
Shropshire Council's cabinet is set to cancel the government grant it distributes to local councils across Shropshire. That means that Ludlow Town Council will lose £65,000 in grant aid over the next two financial years. Across the county, town and parish councils will lose £947,000 over the next two years. Shrewsbury will lose £146,000 and [...]
Cheadle village has a lot of car parking spaces compared to most other similar centres, but it's also successful as a shopping and employment centre. That leaves us with the problem that the parking sometimes runs out and people can struggle to find spaces in the main car parks. Traders and shoppers both complain that there isn't enough parking and the Lib Dem team want to improve the situation. It's not easy though. There are three groups of people: Residents who live near the village centre generally (and very reasonably) don't want their streets parked up Traders and shoppers who ...
Trans politicians were briefly in the news today, when it was claimed that the Labour candidate for Sutton and Cheam was the "first transgender candidate for Parliament". After a short session of fact-checking supplied by twitter, that's now been reduced to "first openly transgender candidate for Labour" – but as this mistake keeps cropping up it appears that a brief history lesson might be useful. The first openly trans candidate in current political memory appears to have been Alexandra (Sandra) MacRae, who stood in Glasgow Provan for the SNP back in 1992. Twenty three years isn't just a long time ...
We published the agenda for Cheadle Area Committee of 9th December 2014 here. This is our report back on the issues discussed and decisions taken. Planning application 56291 for a 50 seater stand at Cheadle Heath Sports Club was approved. The stand will measure about 5m x 3m x 3m and includes wheelchair seating. Planning application 56810 for an extension to 173 Stanley Road, Heald Green was recommended for approval. Because the house is in the green belt it will go to the full Planning & Highways Committee for a decision in January. We had an update on the three ...
...but could probably have guessed. Stephen got a mention in the Telegraph's Morning Bulletin this morning for this tweet: I have never played Candy Crush. I am the 1%. — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) December 8, 2014 So, I asked around at LDV Towers and discovered that there was only one member of the team who has a Positive Candy Crush Status. And it isn't me. I'm not going to out the person because they asked me not to. My husband is addicted to the game. He's on Level 147 and is completely awestruck by the "incredibly clever" LDV team member ...
Even though we're not part of the Welsh Government, we've managed to secure our flagship Pupil Deprivation Grant to support pupils from deprived backgrounds with reading and numeracy skills. Since we first secured this money, teachers have told us just how much of a difference it makes to the children who need it most. Higher [...]
Er ein bod ni ddim yn rhan o Lywodraeth Cymru, rydym ni wedi sicrhau Grant Amddifadedd Disgyblion i gefnogi disgyblion o gefndiroedd amddifadus gyda'u sgiliau darllen a rhifedd. Ers i ni ennill yr arian hwn gyntaf, mae athrawon wedi dweud wrthym bod yr arian ychwanegol yn gwneud gwahaniaeth i'r plant sydd fwyaf angen cefnogaeth. Lefelau darllen [...]
The opening joke may be rather familiar to Paddy watchers but his 2011 speech quickly gets into thought-provoking and original territory:
Changes to the Royal Mail Freepost Reply Service The Royal Mail has changed its freepost reply service. It's important that you are aware of these changes and adapt your campaigning to take them into account. If you carry on doing what you did previously with freepost you are likely to end up with a hefty [...]
I have long held the view that there must be few if any people within Sefton Labour Party whom I would class as environmental campaigners. This view has been formed as I have watched the Labour Party develop a Local Plan for Sefton that will mean that building is now highly likely to take place on precious high grade agricultural land locally. But maybe there is some hope as the biggest beast in Labour's local jungle has made it very clear that he is not supporting what Labour councillors are promoting i.e. building on the Green Belt. Sefton Central MP ...
The Liverpool Echo carries the latest on this sad and worrying case involving the death of a local youngster.
Here is an update from Anna Graham of the Highways Agency (more details also in the December parish report: A12 J31 - J33 improvement works I am writing to inform you that we will be carrying out works to improve the road network on the A12 between junction 31 (Four Sisters Interchange) and junction 33 (Copdock Interchange). The works are part of essential maintenance to ensure that the A12 remains in a safe and serviceable condition. There are a number of phases to the works: • Phase 1 - Work to build cross over locations to enable the use of ...
Political campaigns have learned how to tailor their message to appeal to specific individuals yet once the votes are counted we all get the same government. This is a recipe for disappointment unless we as voters are realistic about this process. The American political consultant Rick Riddler has an interesting article for Real Clear Politics. [...]
Last week, in the run-up to Human Rights Day tomorrow, the Scottish Parliament debated the Scottish National Action Plan on human rights. This aims to ensure that every citizen can realise these internationally recognised rights. Alison McInnes led for the Liberal Democrats and she went through the SNP Government like a dose of salts for its dreadful stance on stop and search. She highlighted how any one of us might need these rights to protect us one day should we find ourselves sick or vulnerable. If you read the Daily Mail, it'll tell you that human rights are nasty things ...
Well there is snow in the air and the winter sports season is upon us once more, or course earlier in the year we had the Winter Olympics in Sochi under the anti-LGBT administration of Russia. At the time I pointed out the few LGB Winter Olympians that were present. However, one we didn't know about actually won a medal. Radford with partner Meagan Duhamel in Sochi Canadian pairs skater Eric Radford (right) has recently come out as gay, or in his words the ultimate pairs boy as there is no danger of him forming an off-ice relationship with his ...
It's interesting to see that the postgraduate loan scheme announced in the autumn statement is now starting to attract some coverage. The IFS has published some analysis today, which seems to suggest that it is reasonable to believe that the scheme will pay for itself. In other words, unlike the current undergraduate loan scheme where around 43% of the value of loans made are not currently expected to be recovered, this scheme will be cost-neutral to the public purse. So does that mean that everyone's a winner? The IFS make this observation: While the proposed postgraduate loan scheme does not ...
It's not a comfortable day to be a Liberal Democrat today. The House of Lords is debating the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. Will it overturn the Commons' rejection of its amendment protecting the right to Judicial Review? Jonathan Marks wrote of his concerns about this provision earlier this year. When it was last discussed, 17 Liberal Democrats supported the rebel amendment and 43 supported the Government position. You have to ask serious questions when even Lord Carlile thinks the Government is going too far. It was a Judicial Review that ruled the appalling Prisoner Book ban unlawful last week. ...
Another day, another siren voice for Ed Miliband. The Telegraph reports that Peter Mandelson believes that the Labour Party is heading for "great self-destruction" unless it broadens its appeal by reaching out beyond its core vote: Speaking at an event in Westminster, the former business secretary, who helped Tony Blair achieve a string of victories with the creation of New Labour in the 1990s, warned that the party currently lacked enough supporters to win a general election. He warned that the party could not afford to "not bother" with large groups of the electorate. The Labour peer's words came after ...
A Freedom of Information Request has revealed that the new North-South air link will cost taxpayers £3.94 million pounds over a period of four years. Links Air are being awarded their second contract tomorrow with Welsh taxpayers subsidising every seat on every flight by almost £50. Publicly funded flights have been running since 2007 at an estimated cost of £9m. The previous contract with Citywing and Links Air ended in December but the Welsh Government has now renewed their contact. The National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee said it has significant concerns about the service. The Welsh Government are spending £3.94million ...
[IMG: ft other parties] The FT Data blog charts the decline of The Parties Formerly Known As The Two Main Parties: People in the UK are more likely to support a third party rather than vote Conservative or Labour in the general election next May, say pollsters YouGov. As I wrote in July 2012 in a blog called How Jeremy Thorpe (and then Nick Clegg) broke the electoral system: In short, two-party politics is dead. Unfortunately, we have a democratic system based on the assumption it isn't. That's not a good or healthy combination. That's still true.
Two million apprenticeships have been created in the UK since 2010 with 18,940 people in Manchester getting a vital start in life. Apprenticeships offered by Manchester companies performed a crucial role in the local economy. Apprenticeships are a vital part of building a stronger economy and a fairer society. By ensuring young people are able to earn and learn, we give them the opportunity to get on it life. I am delighted young people in Manchester have benefited from fantastic training and employment opportunities that apprenticeships offer. I'm also delighted that over two million young people across England have been ...
Tue 9th
13:13
Reasons to be careful about new analysis suggesting Lib Dems "set to lose several more seats than na...
A new analysis by Oxford academic Stephen Fisher (a member of the team which was behind the scarily accurate BBC/ITN exit poll at the 2010 election) douses the comfort blanket to which many of us Lib Dems have been clinging, suggesting as it does that the Lib Dems are losing more votes in our strongest seats: The most significant factor affecting party performance at the constituency level is prior Liberal Democrat strength. ... the Liberal Democrats are clearly loosing [sic] most in the seats where they started strongest and losing least where they started weakest. Partly this is inevitable. There ...
The European "right to be forgotten" has been in the news recently as it has been a little over 6 months since Google launched their formal process, allowing individuals to request the removal of search results for their name. But which Europeans are most and least likely to request removal from Google search results? Germany, the UK, Italy and France all feature highly based on raw numbers, but that is to be expected given those are also the most populous countries. Looking at the numbers based on population the answer is, surprisingly Estonia. Unless some Estonians are submitting more than ...
#163772834 / gettyimages.com Twenty-two. That's like having to get a tweet approved by every player on a football pitch. 22! When Mitt Romney's digital team wanted to send out a tweet during the 2012 campaign, it wasn't easy for them. A new paper by Daniel Kreiss, an assistant professor at UNC Chapel Hill (and flagged by Brendan Nyhan on Twitter), finds that, late in the campaign, as many as 22 people had to sign off on the language of each tweet from the @MittRomney feed. By contrast, what the Obama campaign got right wasn't just having far less than 22. ...
The website biggreen.co.uk today published the results from a national environmentally-conscious recycling and waste manage company who reviewed all the local recycling percentages from council to council across the United Kingdom. The results are based on the 2012-2013 financial year period. Top of the list was Rochford Council, which is not a stones throw from where I am, however Southend itself was 87th on the list. I happen to think that Southend Council do a pretty good job in promoting recycling in the borough, I know it is cool to rag on local councils but my lot provide pink sacks ...
[IMG: Care in the home Some rights reserved by British Red Cross] The extra £2 billion for health care services announced in the Autumn Statement last week is fantastic news. It is testament to Norman Lamb's effective and high profile campaigning for urgent funding for the NHS, as well as the hard work behind the scenes by many colleagues making the case. But in reality these additional funds will not be enough to put the NHS on a sustainable footing. As many of us know only too well, social care is in crisis, and with an ageing population, the existing ...
Women and men should be paid the same if they do the same job. It sounds obvious, but in reality it doesn't happen. In 1997, when records began, the difference was a very alarming 17.4%. Since entering government my Lib Dem colleagues and I have worked hard to reduce the gender pay gap to the lowest ever level (9.4%). This is welcome, but there is much more to do. The Lib Dems want to close the gap completely, just as we have eliminated other inequalities between men and women. Our introduction of Shared Parental Leave has made it easier for ...
Jeremy Thorpe was the leader of the Liberal Party when I was first politically aware. I found myself drawn to the party through their string of by-election victories during my O Level years, though I didn't actually join until David Steel was leader. I remember him fondly, not because I really remember anything he said, but because he landed by helicopter in my school playing fields in 1974 and made me aware that I was a Liberal - and because he kindly hosted a fund-raising party for local candidates (of which I was one) in his home before the 2001 ...
This is the sort of behaviour Labour and Tories decided to let carry on when they blocked House of Lords reform: [IMG: Lords champagne]
[IMG: Conservative Party Annual Conference] The Autumn Statement went well for George Osborne, something that all but the most ardent hammer and sickle waving comrade would have to concede. But he's followed it all up with some bizarre statements to the press over the last few days. Here's an example: "We are going to have to make savings... we are going to have to cut certain welfare bills like benefits that go to working-age people. But the prize is economic stability, growth, jobs in the future, brighter future, I think that's a price that works for our country." Now, correct ...
Tue 9th
10:40Liam McArthur highlights Swinson's and Featherstone's work and supports ambition action on violence ...
Last week the Scottish Parliament debated violence against women during the 16 days of action between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and International Human Rights day. Liam McArthur led for the Liberal Democrats. He noted that in the ninety minutes of the debate, 9 women would face violence at the hands of their partners. It was a sensible, consensual debate which you can read here. Liam's speech in full is published below: I, too, congratulate Michael Matheson on his promotion, which is reward for the constructive approach that he has taken in his ministerial duties ...
I don't approve of Polly Toynbee. She's so deep in the Guardian bunker that she rarely has anything useful to say. She writes polemic that will entertain the left, but not persuade anybody else . So I wasn't expecting much from her article last week Economic dishonesty is the deadliest deficit of all. I was expecting her to repeat the Labour myth that the economic crisis was somebody else's fault, and that austerity policies have strangled the British economy. But she was making a point of value. It was that the Conservatives and Labour have very different views of the ...
South Gloucestershire Council is currently consulting on its budget, council tax levels for next year and its overall savings plan. The council asks council tax payers their views each year before agreeing its budget and council tax. This is your opportunity to comment on the council's priorities, its council tax and proposals to improve services and increase efficiency. You can tell them your views on these important areas by completing their survey (also available to download) or contacting them - for more details visit Council Budget and Savings Consultation The Council has to make difficult decisions and the Lib Dem ...
Tue 9th
09:12Vince Cable marks 2 million apprenticeships in 4 years - how that story could be told a bit better
Over at the party website, there's a piece today marking the fact that the coalition government or, let's not kid ourselves, Vince Cable, has created 2 million apprenticeships. To mark the occasion, Vince met the two millionth apprentice, Paige McConville in Oxford. Paige, aged 16, started her Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering Manufacture with high-tech engineering firm FMB Oxford in August. Paige took Vince on a tour around FMB Oxford, explaining how her apprenticeship with the firm is giving her the skills she needs to begin her career as an engineer. All young people should have the opportunity to get on ...
I missed this Liverpool Echo article on their web site when it was published a few days ago but this has to be a positive development. [IMG: rsz_aigburth_station] If I had a £1 for each time I have heard folks say that they wish the trains ran later at night out of Liverpool...... But why no late night service on the Ormskirk line or indeed all of the Merseyrail lines?
Britain could drift into being a police state says head of Greater Manchester Police If even HE recognises it... (tags: ) Regenerative Candle Forms New Ones As It Melts - this is a really good idea (tags: ) Ladies Last: 8 Inventions by Women That Dudes Got Credit For - a couple of which even I didn't know (tags: ) Early day motion 605 - ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS - go @julianhuppert & @johnleechmcr (tags: ) Russell Brand could face Twitter ban after tweeting phone number of journalist Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha *breathe* hahahahahahahahahahahaaaa (tags: ) The longer we argue, the longer the queues at ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : The Women who went to War - tonight, Tuesday 9th December - 6pmGannochy Trust Lecture Theatre, School of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital A free talk and film screening organised by the Tayside Medical History Museum about the Scottish Women's Hospitals during the Great War, presented by Alan Cumming. When war broke out in August 1914, people clamoured to do what they could to support the war effort. While men volunteered for the armed forces, women were eager to assist in other ways. The Scottish Women's Hospitals were set up ...
The Bookseller tells us that, following his death last week, two books on Jeremy Thorpe are being rushed out: Little, Brown will be first, releasing Jeremy Thorpe by Michael Bloch on 16th December, less than two weeks after Thorpe's death. The book chronicles Thorpe's "rapid rise and spectacular fall from grace". ... Bloch's "magisterial biography is not just a brilliant retelling of this amazing story; years in the making, it is also the definitive character study of one of the most fascinating figures in post-war British politics", said Little, Brown. ...Penguin Random House's Viking, an imprint of Penguin General, will ...
The latest estimates of railway train stations are out from the Office of Rail Regulator. It is fascinating to see rapid increases in passenger number for Denmark Hill and Loughborough Junction - is it ticket enforcement or more passengers? Station Name 1314 Entries & Exits 1213 Entries & Exits Change Brixton 942,548 896,848 5% Denmark Hill 5,166,040 3,935,776 31% East Dulwich 2,119,018 2,104,766 1% Gipsy Hill 1,992,136 1,943,522 3% Herne Hill 3,308,970 2,918,610 13% Loughborough Junction 1,386,290 1,182,914 17% North Dulwich 869,276 839,378 4% Norwood Junction 3,758,122 3,544,748 6% Sydenham Hill 643,928 585,176 10% Tulse Hill 2,442,126 2,145,064 14% West ...
I have written about empty homes in Shropshire before, making the case that we have a worse performance than most other councils. This morning, the Lib Dem group on Shropshire Council is calling for the council's empty homes policy to be beefed up. We are aiming to make positive and constructive proposals to strengthen Shropshire [...]
My first reaction to Paul Givan's Conscience Clause as someone who has drafted amendments to party policy is that he doesn't even know how to amend the existing regulations. Most of what he is proposing relates to provision of goods, facilities and services (which is regulation 5 of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006). Instead he places his amendments under regulation 16 which is organisations relating to faith or belief. So let us that a look at what he is proposing. deletionsadditionsoriginalnotesHe is making paragraph 8 (8) Subject to paragraph (9), this regulation shall not apply where ...
Here's why it matters where we draw city limits – A quick lesson in house building and spatial planning incentives from Jonn Elledge. Dear members who read Liberal Democrat Voice, it seems that we aren't as representative as you thought... – Interesting thoughts on the recent Lib Dem presidential election from Mark Valladares. Shimer College: the worst school in America? – It's not, according to Jon Ronson, but it's an interesting look at a different way of doing higher education. Convincing versus mobilising – Alex Harrowell with a more in-depth and interesting way of looking at political opinion poll reports. ...
