The Christmas holidays are a good opportunity to find the time to do a number of important tasks: Send out a 'non-political' email Hopefully you will have already sent out a Happy Christmas email (and, depending on where you live, maybe others such as a Hanukkah one). Sending out an early one gets you noticed. [...]
Same sex couples in Scotland are now free to arrange their weddings to take place from 31st December. Some people are sure to have a very happy Hogmanay. Some had a very happy 16th December as they converted their civil partnerships into marriages. One of the things I'm most proud of is that organisations like the Equality Network and LGBT Plus Lib Dems (thanks, Dave Page) were listened to and we don't have the cruel spousal veto up here. Also, the Guardian published a poll today that shows that equal marriage has never had such high support, with 68% of ...
Nick Clegg's interview with the young people that was broadcast earlier today. I'm still a party loyalist, me.
Nick's Bite the Ballot Leaders Live Q & A this evening went pretty well. Those watching were asked to tweet #yesNick or #noNick to indicate what they thought on four different subjects, jobs, education, health and immigration. All I can say is that I hope all these young people have votes. Here are the scores on the doors: The results are in, this is how @nick_clegg did with health #LeadersLivepic.twitter.com/EG6amSmHgX — BITE (@BiteChannel) December 16, 2014 From all the rage of four years ago, you would expect him to have lost that issue, which obviously includes tuition fees, by a ...
Nick Clegg answers live questions on the interweb thingy tonight at 7pm. That's in just 45 minutes' time. A group of young people will be asking him about the issues that they care about. Watch here: It's part of the Leaders' Live initiative with Bite the Ballot and ITV News. Enjoy. * Caron Lindsay is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
[IMG: rsz_sailing_into_southport] Southport was looking well all lit up with Christmas lights last night and I could not resist taking a shot of the sails on the traffic island at the end of Eastbank Street. The photo is amongst those on my Flickr site at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
Despite the change to wheelie bins, the Christmas collection arrangements are basically the same as before. So there will be no collections on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, with the refuse collections due then taking place on New Year's Day and Friday 2nd January respectively. If you were due to have your recycling collection on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, it will take place on Thursday 8th January or Friday 9th January respectively. As an increased amount of waste is produced by many people during the holiday period, side waste will be collected from beside wheelie bins from the 29th ...
Great news about the extension of the Post Office Card Account (POCA) contract. POCAs have become an integral means of support for local people in receipt of pensions and state benefits across the country. Every community will contain people who rely upon this service and it is vital that they know about the work done [...]
I am excited to announce I will actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States: https://t.co/luY4lCF2cA. — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 16, 2014
To protect citizens, policymakers need to move beyond a narrow understanding of what privacy is On 3 October 2014 Google was fined 2,250 Canadian dollars (£1,230) for publishing an image on its Street View feature that showed a woman's cleavage. Despite blurring her face, her car registration number and house were clearly recognisable in the photo, negating any attempts at anonymisation. The Quebec court ruled that the woman's privacy had been invaded and that she'd experienced a loss of personal dignity after facing a barrage of sexual harassment after the picture was published. Privacy is a difficult topic for science ...
The Taliban has hurt the only power to protect it for decades Today, on 16th December 2014, the Taliban made the most tragic and devastating error since 21st September 2001. On that date thirteen years ago their representatives chose to defy the US rather than enforce the eviction of 9/11-planner and Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. They did so in the face of international condemnation and a hostile UN Security Council, the first and last time the Americans would be written a blank military cheque by the international community. Thirteen years ago their error in judgement resulted in the ...
Air quality and recycling goals at risk [IMG: Lib Dem Cllr. Simon Shaw (Birkdale Ward - Sefton Council) promoting recycling] Lib Dem Cllr. Simon Shaw (Birkdale Ward – Sefton Council) promoting recycling The Guardian claims to have seen leaked documents that show EU plans to tackle air pollution and make countries recycle more of their rubbish are to be scrapped. The paper says that the initiatives at risk are a clean air directive designed to reduce the health impacts from air pollution caused by vehicles, industry and power plants, and a waste directive that would set states the target of ...
#81207479 / gettyimages.com You've probably noticed I quite often write about how British elections are run, how election law is changing and controversies that have kicked off. However, not all the stories appear on this blog or in my main Facebook/Twitter accounts. For a fuller range of stories (or if you just are interested in them and want to skip the pieces about toilet signage in Pizza Express and what Nick Clegg has got up to), take a look at my UK Election Law news Facebook page or follow @UKElectionLaw on Twitter. If you spot any stories I've missed that ...
So just a quickie but it sums up why I get pissed off at politicians and particularly UKIP. Douglas Carswell tweeted the following earlier today (it got RT into my timeline) [IMG: UKIP MP Douglas Carswell's tweet] UKIP MP Douglas Carswell's tweet The article linked to was this one [IMG: The actual article linked] The actual article linked When you click on the twitter button this is what actually comes up to RT [IMG: What it comes up with if you hit the Twitter button on the article] What it comes up with if you hit the Twitter button on ...
[IMG: cameron clegg miliband 2] Just over a year ago I wrote a piece titled Nightmare scenarios: what are the 2015 election results the Lib Dems, Tories and Labour most dread? In it, I argued that the trickiest prospect for the Lib Dems would be an evenly poised general election outcome in which the Lib Dems held the balance of power: In the nightmare scenario [we] would have a genuine choice open to us: a second coalition with the Tories or a Lib-Lab pact. Do a deal with the Tories - if that's even possible, given the Cameron modernising agenda ...
New from Lib Dem HQ – research that shows the real local impact of the Conservative's spending plans for the next Parliament and materials to help local campaigners with publicity on this issue. Details: Research has found a Conservative majority Government would need to cut the education budget by more than a quarter - or [...]
Its awards season at the moment and last week the focus shifted to Europe where the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe held its annual LeaDeR (Liberal Democrat Regional and Local Politicians) Awards. Two British Liberal Democrats were successful. [IMG: David Tutt] The first was Cllr David Tutt, Lib Dem group leader of East Sussex County Council and leader of Eastbourne Borough Council who had been nominated for the Achievements in Government prize by MEP Catherine Bearder. He won for: ...his visible leadership in having put core liberal values of innovation, forward-thinking and opportunity into action in transforming what ...
English has plenty of perverse and rather unhelpful features. One of them is that British and American English have differing conventions as to proper spelling. It can therefore be rather unclear whether to use colour or color, cheque or check, arse or ass. Io9 has an interesting article by Lauren Davis on how this divergence came about through the efforts of men [...]
It is not beyond the realm of possibility that today could have been the day that I got married. While I was over in Scotland there was a serious relationship with another man the talk did get towards the stage of should we look towards a civil partnership. In the end our lives took over and we ended up not having enough time for each other and drifting apart, on this occasion it actually wasn't me in an election year that led to the lack of time. So it is possible that in some alternative universe he and I could ...
View image | gettyimages.com People who justify torture – or who like setting philosophical conundrums – often posi a scenario where you have in your hands a terrorist who knows the location of a bomb that's about to go off and blow up your family. Would torturing them in such circumstances be wrong? As a starting point for an abstract debate about absolute or relative rights, it's not a bad one. But as a guide to practical policy, it's awful – because it misses the main point. Quite simply, time and again the evidence shows that torture is an extremely ...
Everyone knows that the Federal Party committees do important business and that this business has to be kept absolutely secret. So I can't really say anything about Monday's Federal Executive meeting. But if we are to move to OMOV (one member one vote - essentially the abolition of conference representatives) there need to be reports capable of being seen in the public domain and hopefully - unlike some reports I have seen within the Party about Federal Committees – uncoloured by the standpoint of the observer. So let's have a go. We talked about OMOV itself. There is now a ...
The BBC reports that Commons Leader William Hague has said legislation affecting just England should only be passed "with the consent of the majority" of English MPs: He announced four options for "English votes for English laws" in Parliament, including giving English MPs enhanced scrutiny and a veto over new laws. He said new arrangements for England were a "fundamental issue of fairness". But Labour said the plans, which follow the pledge of new powers for Scotland, were a "backroom stitch-up". The options announced by Mr Hague in a Commons statement include three Conservative proposals and one Lib Dem suggestion. ...
Meanwhile the Sun has this: Animal welfare groups are prosecuting a porn film maker after she used her CAT in a bondage film. Zorro, five, was trussed up and hoisted in the air with his legs dangling as film-maker Hera Delgado whispers: "Good boy, good boy, you're enjoying this aren't you?" International animal welfare group PETA is now taking legal action against Delgado, 34, of Berlin, who has gone into hiding to escape possible repercussions from cat lovers. Ms Delgado is convinced that the cat enjoyed it: Delgado, who has made scores of sado-masochism and bondage films, claimed the decision ...
A few days ago I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing how well Royal Derby Hospital's A&E department works. Unexpected, because I fell on an ice patch in the office car park, managing to bang my head and elbow as gravity took its inevitable course. A pleasure, because although it was very busy (I suspect that rather a lot of their patients had done similar things to me that morning), their systems worked beautifully. Over the course of the three hour wait that was estimated accurately on arrival, I saw seven different people on my way around and every single ...
Clearing out my loft this week I came across a copy of the Stockport Times East from 29th July 2004 – just over a decade ago. It makes interesting reading! [IMG: Front page of the Stockport Times East from 29th July 2004] Front page of the Stockport Times East from 29th July 2004 The main story is "Armed girl gang lay in wait for female victims" – the gang robbed two other girls at knifepoint in Bredbury. Armed robber at travel agency on p2 – gun-wielding robbers burst into Lunn Poly in Hazel Grove An article about the Council and ...
The Western Mail has this: Jimmy Osmond breathalysed by police on way to McDonald's This will appeal more to those of us of a certain age. It is all kicking off in Llandudno
We've all heard about how Peterborough, according to the City Council is "aspiring" to become the Environment Capital ..........? Well, in the national news, it's been reported that our city has been named the 'worst place to be without a car in UK' – DOH! "Peterborough is named and shamed today as the worst place in [...]
In the wake of the Scottish Referendum result and the Smith Commission process it is right that Government and all political parties should consider the implications for England, and indeed the rest of the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats believe it is now time to set out a reform programme to devolve more powers within England and to address the so called "West Lothian Question." Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats congratulate the parties in Wales in agreeing on a way forward for devolution in Wales and deprecate the position of the Labour Party in Westminster in not contributing to the ...
It had been originally thought that the House of Commons would debate the Lords amendments to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill yesterday. This has now been delayed, probably until the New Year, indicating that there may be some chance of a Government compromise on the points of dispute. The Lords have now voted twice to give judges some discretion about letting cases proceed even if they fail the "highly likely" test. The Government hasn't yet given way on this one but you would hope that they would accept Lord Pannick's amendment passed last week which would allow cases to ...
We've just had notice that the 2015 C'llr Awards are open for nominations. This is a great opportunity to showcase the work that Liberal Democrat councillors make in their communities and we strongly recommend as many Lib Dems as possible throw their hats into the ring! The deadline for nominations is Friday 23rd January. Full [...]
A round-up of the year in photos from the garden ~ Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
It's now 20 years since Neil Hamilton's behaviour as an MP was exposed, triggering one of the biggest political scandals of the 1990s and his landslide defeat in the 1997 general election. He has, to the best of my knowledge, never expressed remorse or regret for his actions which were exposed by The Guardian and then further documented by official investigation. If this was the behaviour of an MP from another party in the present, Ukip would doubtless by at forefront of the charge against them. But instead he's held senior posts in the party and keeps on being pushed ...
The long shadow of the BlairBrown approach to public services seems to still reach across the years. The Metropolitan Police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe has spelled out what should happen to the police to save money. And, reading through the list, I was wafted back to the infuriating days of 2007 or so - when I was so cross at the state of public services that I set out to write a book. It eventually emerged as The Human Element, three years later (or was it four?) Now one of the great omissions of the coalition, in my humble view, is ...
Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat Health Minister, has written for the Huffington Post about the changes he's been trying to implement in mental health care and treatment. First he talked about services for young people: Recent provisional data shows that hospital admissions for self-harm for young people aged 11-19 are at their highest for five years. Maybe it is better reporting, maybe it is a result of the added stresses young people face. But these figures represent real young people and their families and the serious emotional distress they face. Some find it difficult to talk about their mental health, which ...
Over a month ago now I, and four other [IMG: Telferscot 2] governors at Telferscot Primary School in Balham, were interviewed by the Ofsted inspector. As Chair I managed to show a good grip of our performance statistics and the general overview. But all the governors contributed knowledgeable answers . The highlight was when the inspector asked us about the curriculum – the parent governors burst into an enthusiastic description of what the school was – showing not just enthusiasm, but knowledge and understanding . It was an impressive performance. And so went the rest of the inspection. Children, parents, ...
As December arrives with all its seasonal joy and mayhem, my time as President of the Liberal Democrats is coming to a close. Beginning January 1st, the presidency of our party will be placed in the skilled hands of Sal Brinton. I wish to extend a big congratulations to Sal, and I look forward to [...]
[IMG: Tim Farron launches the Lib Dem YES! campaign] Lib Dem party president Tim Farron argues that "a simplistic debate over immigration will force potential wealth creators overseas" over at the Huffington Post website today. Here's an excerpt: Pollsters will say that migration is one of the main concerns of this election. An ill-fated and simplistic response by politicians to this issue will not address their concerns. A cap will do nothing to address the problems that Britain faces. Low pay will not be solved by a migrant cap. The housing crisis will not be solved by a migrant cap ...
[IMG: Bl7qikdCEAE5yfL] I turned on Channel 4 around 10 PM in order to watch a documentary piece about the leader of UKIP going to have a knees-up with two retired B&B owners in Sandwich. The first thing I heard as I did so was what sounded to me like Nigel Farage saying, "It will always be Great Grimsby". Turns out this was the preceding programme. I have no idea if the voice I heard was indeed Farage's (perhaps they were having a sort of "night with Nigel" type thing), but it did make me think for the first time about ...
UK trans people banned from voting unless they provide previous name (tags: ) 6-Year-old girl calls out sexism in Planes and Star Wars toys "When kids are telling adults that this stuff upsets them, it's time to stop acting like sexism isn't harmful" (tags: ) Hyphen Hate? When Amazon went to war against punctuation (tags: ) My Little-Minded Brony » Jesus Christ. The kid was EIGHT YEARS OLD. (tags: ) Information Commisioner's advice for MPs and political parties (tags: ) This is how police reacted to those anarchist posters (tags: ) Can painkillers make you homophobic or racist? #QTWTAIN (tags: ...
View image | gettyimages.com Lewis Baston has a typically interesting piece over on ConservativeHome looking at what past patterns in opinion polls suggests could happen this time round in the run up to May 2015: Governments gain more often than oppositions: if my Conservative-supporting readers want some comfort, there are no cases of a Labour opposition gaining ground over the final six months. Most of the best Conservative showings, though, are from the 1979-92 period when the party was most dominant in campaign skills and funding, and polling was inaccurate. But for the pessimists (and UKIP supporters) among you, people ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg Q&A 12] Last week came the revelations from the US Senate Intelligence Committee about the extent of the CIA's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques". It immediately promoted questions about what the then Labour Government knew about what was happening on the watch of its closest ally. Nick Clegg has called for senior ex-ministers to give evidence to Parliament's intelligence and security committee (ISC) on what they knew about torture conducted by UK or US intelligence agencies in Iraq or Afghanistan, as The Guardian reports: The deputy prime minister said it was clear that the intelligence agencies should ...
Just to wish all our Jewish residents a very happy Hanukah from all of us in the local Lib Dem team. Hanukkah runs from this evening (Tuesday 16 December 2014) to the evening of Wednesday 24 December 2014. Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has issued this short video message for Hanukkah.
Just to update residents on the 'long awaited' additional yellow lines on Kenilworth Avenue. Residents will recall the need to additional 'no waiting' limits on Kenilworth Avenue (Kirkhams) – at the moment parking down the road can cause a danger to drivers turning in and out of Bury Old Road, as the road becomes effectively single lane (with traffic at high speed). I have chased up the Council, who have confirmed that the lines are in the work programme and should be happening soon. Thanks Tim
Just to update residents on the short section of Simister Lane in Bowlee. Thank you to residents who have reported streetlights which have been 'out of action'. Although the road is unadopted, the Council has agreed to repair the lights which should be happening as soon as possible. Please don't hesitate to let me know if problems persist. Tim
Harmful viruses in e-cards, online shopping fraud and adverts for bogus holidays are three of the twelve scams of Christmas that have been identified in a new campaign launched by National Trading Standards eCrime Team in conjunction with a group of other agencies for the first time in a bid to protect festive online shoppers. National Trading Standards say: "The festive period is traditionally the most lucrative for scammers, who prey on people's good will at this time of year to defraud consumers. In the coming weeks we expect more and more people to make transactions online, including shopping for ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : The Road to Multicellularity - Lifting the veil on the emergence of multicellular life forms A free talk by Pauline SchappD'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum, Carnelley Building, University of DundeeTonight : Tuesday 16th December at 6pm The appearance of multicellular organisms was a defining moment in evolution that gave rise to all the life forms that we see around us today. Multicellularity allows division of labour between cells and the construction of tissues and organs. However, multicellularity also requires novel mechanisms for communication between cells that allows them to ...
Prestwich Carnival has a 'Christmas Fair' this Sunday, 21 December 2014, in the Longfield area. The event, which includes taking donations for food and toy banks, will also feature a snow globe and dressing up as Dickensian characters. [IMG: image001]
Plans to release flooding data The Government has announced that real-time information on flooding risks around the country is to be made available by the Environment Agency. [IMG: A flooded front garden in Fouracres where some folks had to leave their homes due to water getting inside their houses] A flooded front garden in Fouracres where some folks had to leave their homes due to water getting inside their houses The information will include water-level measurements taken every 15 minutes from rivers across the country. People whose homes are at risk of flooding will be able to use smartphone apps ...
Yesterday the dam finally broke in the Russian markets: the Rouble had a heart attack and fell over 10%. The continued erosion of the price of oil down to $61 is placing Russian government finances in considerable jeopardy at a time when even a relatively small deficit is unlikely to be financed by Western lenders, and the increasing refinance risk on the existing debts of Rossneft and the banking sector is creating still further demands on the Russian public purse. At 1 am the Russian central bank raised rates by 6.5% to 17%. Moscow has made a choice to attempt ...
I was working til gone 10PM today, so you get links: You've probably seen this, but if not, the parable of the polygons is a fun use of economics and cellular automata to put forward a social justice case. Of course, me being me, I've spent most of the time since I saw this finding [...]
When the Pakistani teenager Malala Housafzai became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate recently her story resonated around the world as a testimony of hope and determination by a very brave girl wise beyond her years. Of course, not everyone is happy with the renown that has been granted her since being shot by [...]
