A visit to the sleep clinic at an ungodly hour this morning means I didn't get any sleep, so you get links today... The state of whole-brain emulation in 2015 On the continued critical primacy of the white male auteur Jon Hunt makes some of the points I was trying to make the other day, [...]
One in every three Southwark Council tenants and leaseholders is dissatisfied with the housing service they receive from the borough - with no improvement since last year. Overall satisfaction with the landlord services the Council provides is just 65%. Ouch. Only 61% of Southwark tenants and leaseholders are happy with the overall quality of their homes, while one in three believes that they do not get value for money from their rent or service charge. 35% of residents are not satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service with over 3,000 complaints up to November 2014 about the service. The Council's ...
[IMG: lib dem manifesto 2015] The Lib Dems have today proudly published page 1 of the party's 2015 election manifesto. Serialising your own policy book is a new way to drum up interest. Though — *spoiler alert* — tomorrow's instalment, page 2, may be less so: [This page has been intentionally left blank.]. As ever when a Lib Dem policy announcement is made there's an inevitable row about the sign-off process. Did the party's elected Federal Policy Committee approve it, etc? Though I fully recognise the importance of the party's democratic structures — apart from anything else, they give the ...
Delighted to announce that I have the great honour of being appointed at Lib Dem PPC for Mid Beds – should be fun [IMG: ;-)] — Linda Jack (@LibDemLinda) February 12, 2015
Leicester City Council has announced that its former headquarters at the New Walk Centre will be demolished on Sunday 22 February. The council's website has details of the exclusion zone that will be established on the day and this simulation of what the process will look like.
Earlier today, I participated in the City Council's Annual Budget Setting meeting at which I was the only opposition councillor to propose an amendment (and - I would argue - improvement) to the Capital Budget. I also proposed an amendment to the Revenue Budget. The budget papers can be accessed here. My revenue budget amendment was as follows: Approves the budget savings totalling £3,310,000 as shown in the Administration Group's motion with the following amendments: Savings to be Deleted Education: Restructure of Young Mum's Unit (Menzieshill High School) £ 44,000 Environment: Major Service Redesign and Rationalisation of Ground Maintenance and ...
We'll deliver a stronger Wales, with more powers, home rule and fair funding. We've already ensured that the Pupil Premium, which delivers extra money to help disadvantaged kids in school, has been implemented in Wales and we'll deliver continued investment. On health the priority is more resources and safe staffing levels, consistent with Kirsty Williams' Assembly Bill to put staffing levels on a statutory footing.
Gosh, there's a lot of fuss been made over a pink (or is it magenta) minibus this week. Anyone would think that it was a scandal, or that a General Election was only eighty-four days away... From the perspective of someone with some sense of how you get attention, a bright colour that stands out from its surroundings is usually quite a good idea. And how many pink/magenta vehicles have you seen lately? So, in that sense, the colour is quite a good choice. Cliched? Well, yes, if you think in cliches, but isn't the content of those policies which ...
The Leicester Mercury wins Headline of the Day. The judges particularly appreciated the fine editorial judgement here. The idea of a horse teaching needs scare quotes, but the idea of a horse dedicating its life is unproblematic.
As I mentioned this morning when looking at the details (and some of the controversies) behind the front page of the Liberal Democrat general election manifesto, separate Scottish and Welsh versions have also been produced reflecting the devolved situation in each country. Wales For Wales the main difference is that rather than the Green Laws featuring, Home Rule does. There is also a change in the wording of the health and education policies: [IMG: Welsh Lib Dem manifesto front page] You can read Kirsty Williams's speech about it here. Scotland Meanwhile in Scotland, Home Rule features too and the education ...
Maybe not. Labour Students are having a dinner tonight. Their brochure is not quite as glossy as the Tories' one from the other day. Nor is it filled with such jet set items as a bronze statuette of Margaret Thatcher that went for £210,000. They do, however, stand to make over 1% of the price of the statuette with this auspicious item: Thanks @edballsmp for a cracking prize at our auction tonight! Tickets still available here: https://t.co/TjcR2qvilQpic.twitter.com/fQGaTCf6p2 — Labour Students (@LabourStudents) February 12, 2015 It's good that the New Statesman is looking out to protect Balls' interests: We at the ...
Ripplestone Review Blog Fiction: Shut-Eye (a science fiction short story): Shut-Eye by P L Herlihy (all rights reserved) Have you ever woken up with a jolt, as though you are falling but instead of landing, you wake up? It is, of course, neither a physical landing not an imaginary fall but the synaptic jolting of your subconscious returning from a trip across the multiverse back to your own brain. It only happens during sleep and very few people realise what they are experiencing is space travel, in fact, very few people realise they exist in a multiverse, universes stacking up ...
I was recently asked just this, and this was my 49 word effort: Elections decide how our health service is run, what foreign wars we get into and how our education system works - and they are determined by those who turn up to vote. Why risk leaving it to other voters to express your views when you can do it directly yourself? Can you do better? UPDATE: Yes, someone can. .@markpack can do it in 10, HT to @stephenkb : "Those who vote get stuff, those who don't get stuffed" — GUIDE (@GuideToPolitics) February 12, 2015
Yesterday, we moved forward in protecting vulnerable tenants by protecting them from the questionable practice of retaliatory evictions. This is the culmination of a process started by Sarah Teather MP on 28th November when she secured a private Members Bill on Tenancies (Reform) to deal with the problems caused by Retaliatory Evictions. Sadly there were members in the Commons that day who were themselves landlords, did not share the ethos of the Bill and talked it out of time. So it was a great privilege for Lib Dems in the Lords to be able to support the essence of Sarah's ...
100% behind this campaign. [IMG: 10974360_849095561827131_2314365754812006723_o]
Part I I am about halfway through an 'Emotional Coping Skills' group therapy set up by the local NHS Trust. It is based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT - for short); it differs from Cognitive Behavioural therapy in that it is designed for those of us who experience extremes in our emotions; those of us with Borderline Personalities due to these extremes and in my case borderline bi-polar - chronic depression. My emotions are incredible and exhausting sadness to a darkness that has burned away my 'soul' and left me hollow. I feel empty. There are no good days: there ...
While driverless car pilot projects get going across the UK, the robot economy has already started on the top deck of a London Bus "I can only go on what the machine says." My ears prick up. The Oyster card inspector on my bus to work has found someone who (apparently) hasn't paid her fare. He argues: "I connect to the scanner by the driver when I get on the bus, and check every passenger's card to see if they have recently swiped that scanner." She contests the reading from his handheld device: "But how could I have got on ...
The budget proposals from Stockport Lib Dems, to be decided by all councillors on 26th February 2015, will include a Council Tax freeze – the fourth in five years, meaning a significant real-terms fall in council tax over that time. The budget proposals include finding savings of more than £15 million to balance the books. However, the Lib Dems are proposing to invest more in capital projects across the borough: over £190 million to repair our roads and pavements, build new houses, start work on the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road, begin the Town Centre Access Package and more. ...
On Tuesday the London 'Standard' had the depressing headline "Rioters in new crime wave". According to official statistics 1593 of the 3914 people charged or cautioned by the Met following the riots in August 2011 have since reoffended. At our Autumn Conference in the month following the riots, I raised concerns as a Haringey magistrate that a knee-jerk approach was being taken to sentencing, with courts sitting overnight, dishing out custodial sentences as fast as they could. Prisons became overcrowded, sometimes with three prisoners sharing a cell meant for one; and precious little rehabilitation was going on. Over the last ...
[IMG: hoops] With Parliament formally dissolving on March 30th, the outgoing parliament will not be able to complete all of its work, resulting inevitably in many Government plans falling by the wayside. Of course, some will say this is a good thing – the less Government does the better! But what, do you think, voters believe the priorities of the Government should be in the remaining days? No need to wonder. Forest has commissioned an exclusive poll asking voters this very question. Respected research company Populus asked more than 2,000 members of the public, on a scale of 0 to ...
Some of you may be aware that Central England Co-op have sadly resigned as agents of the branch which is situated at The Poolway. The last day of service will be in January 2016. The Post Office maintain that they are committed to continue a Post Office service in the vicinity and are currently advertising the business opportunity on their website. They have already been approached by
Thu 12th
13:50
Nick Harvey MP writes... We mustn't let eurosceptics spoil useful defence co-operation with our EU p...
Today in London the UK's foreign and defence secretaries, Philip Hammond and Michael Fallon, will meet their French counterparts, Laurent Fabius and Jean-Yves Le Drian. Of course, there is nothing particularly out of the ordinary about this meeting: in reality, UK and French Ministers meet frequently at various EU and NATO summits. But rather than talking up the benefits of our close and productive working relationship with the French in the spheres of defence and security, the Tories are reluctant to admit that such cooperation is actually going on. These close ties - reinforced by the Anglo-French Lancaster House Treaty, ...
Well, it made me think of the Blair Witch Project.
It seems that a big story, some five years ago, has come to the attention of politicians, the media and now, the public. And, as it becomes clear that this information had been kicking about for some time, I find myself a bit perplexed. There is no doubt that a press release was issued in 2011, confirming the existence of a list of British taxpayers who held accounts with HSBC in Geneva. The now ex-HMRC senior official, David Hartnett told the Treasury Select Committee that September that such a list was working with HMRC, and it was known HSBC had ...
All of those of us who were elected to FPC last year were elected on the basis of their manifesto. It is not unreasonable therefore for the electorate to expect us to stick to our guns and do what we said we would do. I said "The run up to the next election this is a crucial time for the party. It is essential to have members on FPC who are prepared to challenge and to work hard to ensure our manifesto is the best it can be. We need strong and bold commitments, especially those on the front of ...
Today has seen the third House of Commons debate on pubs in less than three months: rather like the proverbial London Bus. But with the rate of pub closures in the UK still running at 29 a week, a marginal decline from 31 a year ago, communities' cries for help have been coming along rather faster. There is a growing issue with pubs being converted to supermarkets in particular. With long-awaited reform of the industry grinding its way through the House of Lords (where the resistance of Tory peer and former pubco director Lord Hodgson, sometimes rather distasteful, is thankfully ...
The American artist John Singer Sargent was often dismissed in the latter half of the 20th century as a darling of high society who was commissioned to produce sumptuous portraits of the rich and famous. In recent years, the critical appraisal has tended to be kinder and the exhibition of his portraits of artists and [...]
It feels an unequal battle. On the one side are ranged distinguished Nobel laureates, such Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz, formidable intellects such as the FT's Martin Wolf, together with any number of media economics correspondents, bristling with PhDs. On the other there's me with a trifling 2:1 BSc (Econ) awarded in 2008 by UCL. But I'm hanging on in there. Clever as these people are, I think that they are working in the wrong paradigm. The world has changed but their basic views as to how the economy works hasn't. In my defence I can usually quote some formidable ...
As we said in our post about the front page of the manifesto, the Welsh and the Scots would have slightly different versions. Here they are: The Welsh version says we'll deliver a stronger Wales, with more powers, home rule and fair funding. Devolution means that our priorities on health and education need to be tailored. We've already ensured that the Pupil Premium, which delivers extra money to help disadvantaged kids in school, has been implemented in Wales and say we'll deliver continued investment. On health the priority is more resources and safe staffing levels, consistent with Kirsty Williams' bill ...
Today's selection from the archives is a pair of one sided flyers advertising public meetings in support of the 1929 Liberal campaign in Nottingham Central (click on the images for larger versions): [IMG: Nottingham Central Liberal leaflets 1929] Note the reference to gramophone records on the first one. In a world before widespread broadcast media, let alone the internet, the circulation of speeches on gramophone records had become a significant part of how politicians got their words heard around the country. Rather like the use of chalk graffiti in the previous century, however, most of how they were used has ...
It is no way near April 1st but this was no April Fools, thought you may be mistaken for taking it as one.. "Supermarkets have been urged to keep daffodils away from fruit and vegetable aisles this spring – in case they are mistaken for food. In a letter to major stores, Public Health England warned the flowers could be confused with onions or Chinese vegetables, and consumption of them was an "emerging risk". " BBC 7th February 2015 Have we really got to that stage in the "Government micro-manages everything" route plan, that Public Health bodies are now telling ...
If you're yet to be convinced by the idea of a Land Value Tax - either in pure form or as a political compromise like a Mansion Tax - here's my (hopefully) concise argument as to why such a system would be desirable not just economically, but also ethically. Land is location. In the housing market, both rents and selling prices are a split between the value of the buildings/improvements that sit on the land, and the land/location value. Compare two ordinary 3-bed houses, one on the end of a farm track in rural Lincolnshire, one in a leafy London ...
[IMG: Manifesto_Covers_2015] So, it's out. The front page of the Liberal Democrat manifesto gives five key policy priorities. These things are a negotiation in themselves and the version released is substantially zingier than the version initially presented to the Federal Policy Committee on Monday night. By way of example, I understand that the Five Green Laws point was initially described as a "Nature Law." Why that makes me think of the Glee Club song "English Country Garden", I can't imagine. Now, every single Liberal Democrat, being the unique bunch that we are, will think that we could have worded these ...
Thu 12th
10:51
My ConHome column: Lib Dems have ticked Coalition off the bucket list. Do we really want to do it ag...
[IMG: con home cartoon] Here's my latest The Other Side column for ConservativeHome, published here on Tuesday. My thanks as ever to the site's editors, Paul Goodman and Mark Wallace, for giving a Lib Dem space to provoke – constructively, I hope. "I'm afraid to say, I think this is about as good as it gets." That was the fatalistic verdict of one long-standing Lib Dem friend on whether he thought the Coalition had been worth it in the end. I knew what he meant. I guess even the more realistic of us had hoped our first taste of government ...
Personally, the premiere of the film Fifty Shades of Grey this weekend leaves me cold. It is not a film which I intend to go and see. But then I am not a member of the target demographic. For others though the book and the film has had unintended consequences. As the Independent reports, London's fire chiefs are braced for an increase in calls after its release, saying the light bondage film could lead to more people trapped in handcuffs: Last year firefighters responded to 472 calls involving people stuck in compromising situations, a year on year rise - they ...
Thu 12th
10:35
Pugh: ' to make cuts and deny them and absurdly twist language to do so is dishonest and dangerous'.
A little extract from Hansard which gives hope to our Councillors: John Pugh (Southport) (LD): It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts).It would be churlish not to welcome the new money announced—it is welcome and needed—but I want to make a few brief observations. It is indisputable that during the attack on the deficit local government has been hit first and hardest, as it often is by all Governments—because local government is not us. We set the budget and they, the councillors, have to make the cuts. In fact, however, it is ...
[IMG: Fantasy__038816_] I have two children off sick from school at the moment which has involved a very long afternoon watching the films that make up Lord of the Rings. I suppose I must have seen the end before, with Gollum and the ring cast into the crack of doom, and - ten years on - I can't see Gollum without thinking of Vice President Dick Cheney. But then, what? Despite its elongation and long loving camera shots on departing hobbits, Peter Jackson's version has missed out the return to the Shire and its cleansing from the invading industrialism of ...
February 12, 2015 Conservative seat, resignation Candidate Romer Hoseason Contact: Heather Kidd 07980 635518
Conservative seat, death Liberal Democrat candidate- Fiona Whelan
UKIP seat, resignation Liberal Democrat candidate- Lesley Rideout
Conservative seat, resignation Candidate Amanda Woof Contact: Heather Kidd 07980 635518 For more information, click here.
South Glos has had its first successful fly tipping prosecution of the year, when a man from Winterbourne pleaded guilty to fly tipping, not having a waste carriers licence, no waste transfer note and failing to supply information relating to the vehicle used in committing the offence. He was fined £183 and ordered to pay £380 costs and a victim surcharge of £20. The offence took place at the former community composting site at Shire Way, Yate. Over a period of years the site has been subject to numerous criminal offences of fly tipping either by commercial landscapers dumping their ...
Just a quick note that the polling station for todays election in Bar Hill is at the Bar Hill Church (Hanover Close) by the Parish Council Offices and Maple Surgery. There is a note on the Village Hall for anyone who ends up there;
This week, Harriet Harman has spear-headed a movement to get women to vote Labour. It involves taking a sixteen seat van around the country. I know, I don't get it either. Anyhow, the appearance of the van was criticised on Twitter and throughout the media for being somewhat sexist. This centred on the van's colour, which was pink. Why not blue? Or better yet, Labour red, given that's the point of the thing's existence? Apparently making it this colour meant it bled into the background. Harman treated the criticism of the colour issue lightly, joking that she thought it was ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have launched the front page of the General Election manifesto. The front-page will set out five Welsh Liberal Democrat priorities that will build a stronger economy and a fairer society creating opportunity for everyone. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will not only protect Wales' health budget, but will increase it too. The party's priority will be to ensure the 'More Nurses' bill becomes law. Our commitments are only possible because of our strategy to deliver a balanced budget; borrowing less than Labour, and cutting less than the Conservatives. And it is because we have delivered in this ...
This article appeared earlier as a comment on our "Electoral fruit machine" post and is reproduced here with permission from the author. (After May 7th) I believe the Lib Dems will have more than 20 seats and less than 40, with many polls and commentators going for somewhere around the 30 mark, at the moment. From all the qualitative data I've seen so far that seems a fair estimate in political science. Anything less than 20 would be a shock, as Lord Ashcroft's polling indicates that this is not going to happen. There are two fascinating battles lining up at ...
UK prisons won't let journalists in - what do they have to hide? (tags: ) This is not the most deserved Grammy in the world, no, this is just a tribute. (tags: ) Is anyone at the MoJ listening to Simon Hughes? (tags: ) HebWeb News 2015: questions to candidates on transport policies and fare rises (tags: ) Never mind, Samsung, GOOGLE will EAVESDROP as you browse on Chrome (tags: ) Give the BBC staffer who wrote this a gold star, pls (tags: ) Nigel Farage: No coalition with any of the main political parties - Telegraph (tags: ) Universal ...
Good move from Julian Huppert and Nick Clegg: Nick Clegg is urging the government to quickly pass a law to protect journalists' sources from police surveillance amid signs that the Home Office is dragging its feet on the commitment. It has recently emerged that the police have systematically been using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to require phone companies to hand over phone records and internet email logs of reporters, which has had the effect of discouraging both whistleblowing and challenging journalism... Clegg will support amendments to the serious crime bill, due to be tabled on Wednesday by the ...
Thu 12th
08:49
Hornby Trains – Was the former Station Masters house at Maghull inspiration for model?
Legend has it, especially in Maghull and particularly in the mind of Frank Hornby Trust Chairman Les French that the buildings at Maghull Station were Frank Hornby's inspiration for his model buildings. The fact is that Frank Hornby lived yards away from Maghull Station at the Hollies on Station Road for many years and then later in life a little further away at Quarry Brook which is now the sixth form building of Maricourt RC High School. He would have used Maghull Station regularly so could easily have spent time studying the buildings as he awaited his trains. [IMG: rsz_former_station_masters_house_maghull_station] ...
Last night, I attended the latest Friends of Magdalen Green committee meeting and we had a useful discussion on a number of issues including some damage to the Green recently, arrangements for our forthcoming AGM in May and also our forthcoming "Can't Cook, Won't Cook" evening. You can download our most recent members' newsletter here - including full details of the "Can't Cook, Won't Cook" evening. All welcome!
The Ranji Trophy So, after a pretty horrible season, and a dramatic win over Baroda in the penultimate round of fixtures, it all came down to the last round. In group A, with three to qualify for the quarter-finals, Karnataka were through, whilst Baroda and Tamil Nadu, in second and third, played each other, the winner guaranteed a place and the loser, possibly. With the intriguing points system - six points for a win, a bonus point for a win by an innings or ten wickets, three points for a draw with a first innings lead and a point for ...
UPDATE: The polling station for today is Bar Hill Church, not the village hall. Apologies for confusion! Today is polling day, and for Bar Hill the polling station is the Village Hall. All you need to vote is your address, if you have the postcard from South Cambs (with you polling number on it) it makes things slightly quicker but if you don't have that you can just turn up with your address and ask to vote. Polling takes place up till 10pm tonight.
Labour have been slated today for taking onto the road a pink van to attract the female vote. Variously described as patronising and sending out the wrong message, to me it looks like a cross between Lady Penelope's pink Rolls Royce and the Mystery Machine, the van from Scooby Doo. Whether it will work in attracting the votes of women or not is yet to be seen. I would have thought putting that
The Liberal Democrats are today publishing the front page of the party's manifesto for the May general election, with these key policies: Prosperity for all: Balance the budget fairly and invest to build a high skill, low carbon economy Fair taxes: Cut your taxes by an additional £400 by raising the tax-free allowance to £12,500 Opportunity for every child: Guarantee education funding from nursery to 19 and qualified teachers in every class Quality health care for all: Invest £8bn to improve our NHS and guarantee equal care for mental health Our environment protected: Protect nature and fight climate change with ...
[IMG: Manifesto_Covers_2015] The Liberal Democrats are today launching the front page of their General Election manifesto. The front-page will set out the five Liberal Democrat priorities for forming a government after May 7th. The Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats will also today unveil their manifesto priorities, including greater devolution of power to Scotland and Wales. Nick Clegg will launch the campaign on a visit to a primary school in the Conservative-held constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon. The front page of the manifesto is available here: The five priorities are: Prosperity for all Balance the budget fairly and invest to ...
Prosperity for all Balance the budget fairly and invest to build a high skill, low carbon economy Fair taxes Cut your taxes by an additional £400 by raising the tax-free allowance to £12,500 Opportunity for every child Guarantee education funding from nursery to 19 and qualified teachers in every class Quality health care for all [...]
