I had to leave the Lighting Up Whickham meeting early last night as I had another to attend at 7pm. This second meeting was the first of the Washingwell History Project. The catalyst for this project was a proposal by me a couple of years ago that the historic orchard at Fugar Bar be restored. I took this proposal to Sunniside History Society to see if they would be interested in leading it and
We had a meeting of the Lighting Up Whickham committee last night to kick start the arrangements for the next Whickham Community Festival. We have chosen Saturday 4th July as the date but the main discussion was around the theme. We had had some discussion by email in advance and I had suggested pets and animals. I would have gone for a history theme but since I have successfully pushed for the
Ludlow town council tonight voted against proposals for an out of town supermarket at Rocks Green. Ludlow's mayor Paul Draper opened the short debate. He said an out of town supermarket would be "disastrous for the town centre." Pointing to the problems they had caused in other towns, he said: "Just look at Kidderminster and [...]
Stewart Lee demonstrates his peculiar genius. Much of this, of course, is aimed at Michael McIntyre, but we can all agree that he is more of a threat to Western values than any jihadi terrorist.
I have to say I'm completely over this debate talk. I'm starting to think that we should just lock every party leader in the country in the Big Brother house after the current occupants have departed and leave them there till they start behaving like adults rather than 9 year olds in the playground. We have Dave who doesn't want to take on Nige who's wooing his more prejudiced voters. And wasn't he talking about "green crap" not so long ago. More opportunistic posturing than repenting sinner, though. We have Nige who thinks he can come across as the man ...
At a simple level 'Je Suis Charlie' stands up for the Freedom of Speech. But what is specifically does is to stand up for The Freedom to Offend and I find that harder to swallow. Purist Freedom of Speech defenders tell me that the Freedom to Offend is an essential part of the Freedom of [...]
Wed 14th
21:25
The serious point to Al Murray's bid to defeat Farage echoes the Monster Raving Loonies at their bes...
[IMG: Al Murray election slogan] The late Lord Sutch of the Monster Raving Loony Party had a rather more serious side than his party's name or his appearance at election counts might suggest. In amongst the comedy and absurdity, he had rather a good eye for political seriousness too, using the absurd to more than mere whimsical effect – and putting to shame those professional comedians who got for the easy, stale, unoriginal jokes aimed at whoever is the unpopular party leader of the moment. In the Rotherham by-election in the mid-1990s, for example, Sutch used absurd policies about bags ...
Yesterday I blogged about sightings of big cats in Shropshire. Tonight the phenomenon seems much closer to home. You see, the Black Beast of Harborough has been sighted again. The Leicester Mercury has the story: A black panther has been sighted in broad daylight on a country road in the south of the county. Callum Blair was driving to play rugby on Saturday when the animal leapt across the road in front of him. Callum, 22, said: "At first I thought it was a labrador. But as I got nearer I realised it was moving far too fast and was ...
Today, I went to London to drop off my Indian visa application, a process which was fairly lengthy - I arrived at 10.45 and left at 1.15 - but no worse than I had expected and, having nothing else to do, headed back to Liverpool Street to catch a train back to Stowmarket. Having boarded the 2.30, I sat back with a good book as Chelmsford and Colchester came and went and, as the train approached Manningtree, I put the book down. The Stour Estuary just east of Manningtree station. This is the Essex bit, you understand... The late afternoon ...
Oh joy! Oh rapture! At last the prospect of some fun during the election campaign! All hail to the ale! The Guardian reports: Comedian Al Murray has announced he plans to stand against Nigel Farage in the seat of South Thanet in May's general election. He will stand as his comedy alter ego "the Pub Landlord" for the Free United Kingdom Party, or FUKP. In a video posted to YouTube launching his bid for parliament, he says: "It seems to me that the UK is ready for a bloke waving a pint around offering common sense solutions." Amongst the Pub ...
Well ... that's not what they are presenting it as. Instead they are talking about banning encryption. See here. When I say I am a cryptographer I mean that I implemented the second version of the SSL (now TLS) encryption system in the world after Netscape back in 1995. I have written the software for RSA encryption. What would it mean to ban encryption? Well the most obvious use of
I'd missed this previously, but one of the 18 lawgivers depicted in a series of artworks at the US Supreme Court is Muhammad. Perhaps it's best if Fox News doesn't notice that... but also it seems to have only triggered relatively rare protests or requests from Muslims for it to be removed. Once reason perhaps is that Islam's attitude towards depictions of Muhammad is rather more varied than it is often portrayed, as Sameer Rahim has written about for Prospect magazine: Nothing in the Koran forbids image-making but it does worry about idol-worshipping. A century after the Prophet died in ...
The best of ALDC content from the last week, including: New ALDC and LDHQ Templates "100 Days to Go" Fundraising Ideas G8 Postal Vote Recruitment Deadline Ask ALDC 'Election Law Handbook' Section Facebook Group update ALDC Blog ALDC Freepost Templates A short article to accompany the launch of our 2015 Freepost templates. LDHQ Freepost Template [...]
The second set of budget proposals from the Tory controlled City Council in order to "balance their books" in 2015/16 have been published. Unsurprisingly, included is a council tax freeze for residents, as the council will get a golden handshake from the Government in the shape of a "grant" by choosing to keep council tax [...]
I'm not sure I know why I've always found it so difficult to agree with so reasonable a man as Tony Blair. Perhaps his fatal inability to think beyond the most powerful person in any argument - which is a strange Labour party trait; one of the few things he has in common with the rest of his party. But I do agree with him about religion. Religion may be a force for disorder and war but, in comparison with secularism, it is a pussycat. And unlike secularism, religion carries within it at least a powerful demand for peace. We ...
[IMG: Lib Dem Message Briefing] Edition #56 of Liberal Democrat Newswire came out last week, covering the latest preparations for the general election and why some Lib Dem ministers should be rather embarrassed by the party's messaging document. You can also read it below, but if you'd like the convenience of getting it direct by email in future, just sign up here. It's free! And if you are already a reader and like it, why not Like my Facebook page to help publicise the newsletter to others? Welcome to the 56th edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire and the first of ...
Today LDHQ are releasing a template for an unaddressed Election Address. The design is very straight forward. It only requires you to add two photographs and make some simple text changes, which are all highlighted in red. LDHQ are not running a national bulk buy on these leaflets, so it will be up to local parties [...]
Since the summer we have been releasing ALDC's new "Campaign Essentials" artwork templates. This week, we are happy to add the first in a series of three artwork template batches. In this batch we have: ALDC "Election Communication" or "Freepost" General Election templates for addressed or un-addresseed use LDHQ "Election Communication" or "Freepost" General Election templates [...]
The "Freepost", "Election Communication" or "Election Address" is the item of literature we can have delivered to every elector in your parliamentary seat, via the Royal Mail, before a General Election. You pay for the printing, but not the postage. The literature can be in a wide variety forms but has to comply with a [...]
John Bridges wrote about the 'Election Freepost' here. We are now launching the ALDC templates for you to use if you wish. There are three templates, each with a 'sample' pdf, available here. There are addressed and unaddressed versions of our 6-panel design and an unaddressed 4-panel one. They come with a comprehensive user guide here. [...]
Whilst pleased to see work started on site to redevelop Wallington Square, residents have noted that since one building has been demolished the rear of the square is now very dark. This is especially problematic with it being the time of year when it gets dark very early and when people are travelling home from [...]
For those of us who have been around for a few years, the news that UK inflation has fallen to 0.5% is almost unbelievable, given what inflation rates were when we were younger. In the 1970's, the inflation rate surpassed 20% at times, and was ranged between 3 and 8% through the eighties. You did kind of get used to it. Since then, inflation has seldom tested 5% at its upper limit, and even then not for very long. The expectation is that inflation may fall further still, and even if real wages are going up by less than 2%, ...
Great news! Haringey's health services are getting an extra £23.5 million this year - following our local fairer funding campaign.It's a massive 5% increase from last year, and it's a huge step towards getting truly fair funding for our local services, residents, and health workers.Take a look at this short video - featuring residents, midwives, a new mum and me. It's about why I started the campaign, and the impact the extra money will have! Thank you to everyone who supported the campaign for fairer funding. You can see from the video just how much it means.And it won't stop ...
It was only just over a year ago that Labour politicians were shouting loud and proud about their big idea, a freeze on energy prices. Suddenly it has all gone quiet. The reason, as the Daily Mail points out, is that at long last power companies have started to cut their bills. If Labour had had their price freeze in place already then consumers would have been worse off. And that underlines just how irresponsible the pledge was when other mechanisms are available to government to help consumers. At the time the argument against the freeze was that it would ...
The deadline for policy motions to the party's Spring Conference in Liverpool has now passed. As always, it will be up to the Federal Conference Committee (newly elected at the end of last year), to select the motions to be debated on the Conference floor, and no doubt the imperative of the General Election will focus minds as to which motions to pick; and there may even be a little direction from HQ as to which motions best suit the messaging! Many of us will have now read and digested Ryan Coetzee and Hilary Stephenson's Message Briefing which identified our ...
Let's take it as read that the leaders of the Conservatives and Labour have to be present for the televised debates — after all, it is one of those two parties which will supply the next Prime Minister and will form (the major part of) the next government. It follows that the leader of the Lib Dems is included in the televised debates — after all, they have a record in government to defend this time round and it's not fair for Labour and the Conservatives to be free to attack it in his absence. It follows then that the ...
Local Focus Team members - not happy about the situation, but trying to find a solution Despite today's very good news there are still problems the community is working on at Abbotswood. With less than 2 days warning on the Friday before Christmas the SGYI charity running the youth club at St Nicholas Family Centre closed - after 45 years of service to our community. We owe a massive debt as a community to all those who have run it in that time. We were devastated to get the news it was closing - and were only told the day ...
Yate Town Council has announced that they have reached agreement with the absentee landlord of Abbotswood for the Town Council to buy the "public" space. The Council and Abbotswood Action Group will now be able to do a lot more to improve the area. The land being bought includes the paved and grassed areas at the front of the shops and some of the rear. Residents and councillors have been frustrated that they cannot invest in the area to do it up because the land is privately owned. Purchasing this land is the key to being able to raise money ...
The ability to accept and collect donations online has been a growing component of modern day election campaigns. Famously the Obama campaign was hugely successful in raising a large amount of money through lots of small online donations. There are a number of online tools and resources that you can use to accept online donations, [...]
Wed 14th
11:54
The Independent View: After Charlie Hebdo, we must not sacrifice democratic ideals in the face of fe...
The images of masked men walking around with assault rifles including the brutal execution of a French policeman will fill many of us with terror and fear. The chilling words of Charlie Hebdo writer Laurent Léger on the phone to his friend 'Call the police. It's carnage, a bloodbath. Everyone is dead' are chilling. It is tempting at a time like this to seek security at all costs and those in power are usually all too willing to oblige. We ask to be kept safe and they are more than happy to play the paternalistic state. They give the caveat ...
Notice from the county council NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using that length of Sopwell Lane, St Albans from its junction with Thorpe Road north westwards to its junction with A5183 Holywell [...]
Also available here. Yesterday was day 2 of my visit to India on the theme of violence against women, and I spent the day meeting people in some of the poorest areas of Madhya Pradesh. It was an incredibly informative and inspiring day, so I'm afraid quite a lengthy blog follows! Even though Madhya Pradesh has seen a phenomenal 10% economic growth rate in the last five years, the state is struggling to bring everyone along in this progress. Over 30% of the state's population live below the poverty line. And what is abundantly clear right across the world is ...
In among much more important events this past week, David Cameron's statement that the Conservative Party will not participate in UK-wide election TV debates without a Green presence is ... interesting. Also stirring the pot are Ofcom, who have announced they do not consider the Greens a 'major' party in UK terms. Putting to one side advertising revenue, broadcaster motivation, party advantage and individual leaders' egos and sense of pecking order (if we can), let's state some principles. A key thing that makes me a Liberal Democrat voter is that I back a political process that promotes choice and diversity, ...
In advance of the Scottish Lib Dem leader's lecture to the David Hume Institute in Edinburgh yesterday evening, The Scotsman reported on Willie Rennie's criticisms of the SNP's ongoing independence campaign and his concerns surrounding what he termed "ultra-extreme devolution". Understandably, this met with predictable criticism from pro-independence blog Wings over Scotland - which claimed this intervention represented "the embrace of stupidity". I also expressed some much milder criticism of the position Willie Rennie appeared to be taking, but also insisted that a few excerpts taken from a national newspaper should not be the basis for making assumptions about a ...
Questions have been raised as to the modifications In Division 130 as to the basis upon which a decision by a public authority can be quashed by judicial review. The change introduced by the Crime and Court Bill means that apart from a few exceptions if the court is asked to quash a decision because of procedural flaws it is not to do so if the decision if when remade is highly likely to result
Wed 14th
09:53
Ludlow Rocks Green supermarket - town centre area set to lose one quarter of everyday trade
In Brief Blackfriars Developments has submitted an outline application for a 25,000 sq ft supermarket and an accompanying petrol station on the outskirts of town at Rocks Green (further details). Indigo Planning, acting for Blackfriars, says that the supermarket will draw 6% of trade in food and other convenience goods away from the town centre [...]
Yesterday, if you were in the centre of London, you saw evidence of the chaos that surrounds any industrial action around public transport. There were some buses, but not nearly enough of them for everyone to get to where they had to go. Because south London has no tube, if you live in that part of town you are heavily reliant on buses. The poorer you are, the more this is the case. Also, many of the less financially well off across London rely on buses to get them to and from work due to this mode of transport being ...
"We stand squarely for free speech and democracy", said David Cameron last Wednesday at Prime Minister's Questions, not more than an hour after the attacks on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. This is a rather strange proposition for the leader of a party who proposed to reinstate the ban on "extremists" from appearing on television and have been trying for the past few years to reintroduce the "snooper's charter". Indeed, the Tories have gone rather native in the Home Office, in contrast to five years ago when we were all criticising Labour for restricting our civil liberties. Several hours later, ...
This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. "Infrequent" is defined as having post less than five comments in the last month Nick Clegg is someone who evokes strong opinions – for and against. Last week we wished Happy Birthday to him and listed 48 (to match his age) good things he has done. I won't recite the list. However, I'll just set out two reasons why I am currently in the pro-Clegg camp. Firstly, he is a passionate liberal. One recalls his animated criticism of ID cards. In the last week we saw his remarkably articulate and sincere ...
Last Wednesday, we ran an experiment. We reserved the comments thread on one post for new and infrequent commenters. We were pleased with the resultant debate and received some warm feedback about this. We also received negative feedback about the idea from....er.....frequent commenters. We welcome our frequent commenters and appreciate their views. However, after the success of the experiment last week, we will feature occasional new and infrequent commenter posts, as the mood takes us. One such post follows in ten minutes' time. * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist in Newbury and West Berkshire. He is Wednesday Editor ...
Gay couple claim they were kicked out of pub for kissing (tags: ) Leeds Player wins the inaugural Fallon d'Floor award for most outrageous dive (tags: ) The Actual Effect of David Cameron's proposals on Internet snooping (tags: ) Tories spent £114,000 on Facebook likes and ads in just one month (tags: ) Star Trek Continues: this looks like loads of fun, plus has the involvement of Colin (tags: ) ▶ Remote Control Flying Doctor Who TARDIS (with special guest R2D2) (tags: ) 3 Dead After Cadbury's Creme Egg Protest Turns Violent In Dublin (tags: ) Are people better protected ...
Wed 14th
08:55Alphabetic ordering of candidates stays but 'none of the above' rejected in Electoral Commission rev...
A new report from the Electoral Commission recommends widespread reforms to the rules around standing for election including (to my pleasant surprise given the failures of my previous efforts to persuade them on this point) the obscure 'occupying as owner or tenant' qualification to stand in local elections. To summarise brutally briefly the legal problem with that qualification is that no-one really knows exactly what it means* and in the past the Electoral Commission has repeatedly ducked requests to set out clearly what it thinks the rule means. Even its guides to candidates on whether or not they are qualified ...
[IMG: rsz_lydiate_sunrise_14_01_15] Sunrise reflected in the Leeds Liverpool Canal through Lydiate. This photo is amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
Further to the decision taken at the City Council's Education Committee on 8th December to consult on a proposal to close Menzieshill High School from the end of the 2015/16 school year and the Harris Academy catchment area be increased to include the Dundee part of the Menzieshill High School catchment area, the Director of Education has written this week to consultees as follows : On 8 December 2014, the Education Committee gave the Director of Education approval to consult on the following proposal: The closure of Menzieshill High School and redelineation of the catchment area of Harris Academy to ...
The news that one of Forest Heath's Independent councillors has formed a group called the West Suffolk Independents, with the intention of supporting independent candidates in this year's District Council elections, is interesting indeed. Simon Cole, who represents Exning, has said; The aim of WSI is to bring more common sense - and less party politics - to our district, town and parish councils and act in the best interests of the whole community. There is no party whip so members are truly independent and can act as they consider fit and proper for the benefit of residents.Frankly, I object ...
After 25 years or more of disagreements about the future of the piece of land behind the Liverpool bound platform of Maghull Railway Station planning permission has been given for a development of a small number of houses and an area of accessible open space by Sefton Council's Planning Committee. [IMG: This shot of the former Stationmaster's House at Maghull Station was taken in June 2006. Sadly, it is in worse condition now.] This shot of the former Stationmaster's House at Maghull Station was taken in June 2006. Sadly, it is in worse condition now. The dilapidated and derelict Station ...
When I read this recently I thought no it can't be true. Labour nationally and locally have objected to all the Coalition's cuts and savings so clearly they would be reversing them if they came into government again. But no, it seems Labour have indeed said they will not be reversing the Coalition savings! Is this not saying one thing but doing just the opposite? Indeed, Labour are planning even deeper cuts in local government if they gain power at Westminster! What about all those young people that Labour marched around Maghull protesting about cuts in youth services that Sefton ...
[IMG: herts vally ccg] ... are reporting that Emergency health services across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are experiencing major pressures. Accident and Emergency departments are being stretched by the number of patients arriving at their doors, as is the Ambulance service. The situation is so serious that health bosses and the most senior doctors from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire have united to deliver a hard-hitting message to the public. Dr Nicolas Small, Chair of Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said: "The Accident and Emergency departments at our hospitals only have the capacity to treat people who have serious, life-threatening or dangerous conditions. ...
[IMG: The Lib Dem team at Gatley's Tatton cinema site] The Lib Dem team are working to get development at Gatley's former Tatton cinema. Dickens Property Group, owners of the Tatton, have told the Lib Dem team they are bringing forward new plans to develop the site. We don't currently have details of their proposals, but initial discussions have taken place between the architects working for Dickens and the Council's planning team. We are giving the news a cautious welcome. We've long said that our objective is to get sensible development on this privately-owned site, either by the current owners ...
