Supplying electricity at a fixed price can have damaging consequences: there must be enough power to meet peak demand, typically early evenings on winter weekdays. Always meeting demand is made harder by weather-dependent intermittent renewables, such as wind and solar. During summer weekends, demand might even be less than the available low carbon, low running cost, generation. Adopting a system that encourages shifting of demand could help to tackle this problem. The National Grid balances supply and demand using a spot market, with generators selling, and retail supply companies buying. Charging customers using a real-time retail tariff based on the ...
Campaigners and other participants in politics often advocate the importance of respect for evidence and expertise in policymaking. This is particularly true in the arena of science policy where past and existing policies, from flood mitigation to tackling bovine TB to drugs policy, have been roundly criticised for ignoring the best available evidence. So what is the missing ingredient in effective, informed and accountable science policymaking? Is there a need to shift political culture to be more evidence-based or do scientists need to learn to frame advice in more real-world terms? Conversely, do scientists focus too narrowly on only one ...
Wow. Entry vs Exit polls at #CamHustings Undecided 26% ➡️ 9% Con 18% ➡️ 13% Green 10% ➡️ 9% Lab 24% ➡️ 23% LibDem 17% ➡️ 40%! UKIP 5% ➡️ 7% — Chris Rand (@ChrisRandWrites) March 6, 2015
... thousands upon thousands of incredibly witty and original people ask "but when is International MEN'S day, eh, if we've got equality? Answer me that!" or words to that effect. Most of these people seem to think that they are being both clever and edgy when they say those things. In honour of those people, I have changed my twitter handle for the day to "It's the 19th of Nov". I do encourage you to join in. Several people already have. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I've never had any doubt that this election I will be campaigning for, and voting for, the Liberal Democrats, the same party I've voted for in every election since 1997 (except I think for a single council election about fifteen years ago, where I wrongly thought that the Green had a better chance of beating [...]
Yesterday was Women's World Day of Prayer. I am aware of this because for decades my mum has supported this annual event. Tomorrow is International Women's Day, and we have been asked to nominate women we admire. I would like to nominate one of the Emeritus Lay Canons of Truro Cathedral, Mrs Hilda Walter. She is approaching her ninetieth birthday. She brought up a family of seven children, including six boys, often on her own. She has studied and lectured on theology and played a very active role for decades in the church in Bude, and in Stratton deanery, Truro ...
A few photographs from this morning's walk along the Great Northern Greenway at Breadsall. The path follows the route of the old Great Northern railway and is currently in the process of being extended towards Ilkeston. Although today the path ends near Breadsall Hilltop, the old line passed over Friargate Bridge in Derby which I ... Continue reading »
On the radio this morning Danny Baker suggested that Rinka had been the first dog in space. Sadly, she was famous for quite another reason. I was laughing about this with Lord Bonkers over tea in the Library, when he showed me what he had just written in his diary. Saturday One of the disappointments of my long career in public service has been my inability to persuade Parliament that it should build upon the lead we gained in interplanetary travel when, in Coronation year, Raymond Baxter blasted off from Woomera to become the first Briton in space. For a ...
Andrew George, M.P visits Bosavern Community Farm, just outside of St Just. He has wanted to visit for a while but we just have not managed to get it in his diary at a time convenient to the farm. We made it last Friday, before he held his advice surgery, in the Old Town Hall. He was very impressed with the work and ambitions of the project and sees us, as a community, being ahead of the game, in terms of food security and helping local school children understand and get in touch with where their food comes from. [IMG: ...
New from the Deputy Prime Minister's office:
With just two months to go to the UK's parliamentary elections Liberal Democrats in the capital gathered at Southbank University this morning for a campaign lift-off featuring Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Justice Minister Simon Hughes. Nick's capacity to remain bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite all the vitriol poured over him by political opponents, on [...]
While the national polls aren't looking great for the Liberal Democrats, to say the least, in key seats there's more of an air of, if not confidence, at least hope. Campaign teams are busily getting on with what needs to be done for them to win their seats, buoyed by increasing membership and a never-ending list of jobs to do. Ben Lazarus, who write the Telegraph's Morning Briefing tried to fathom the other day what he called the "Lib Dems' curious optimism": For a party that, since 2010 has now lost three quarters of their support, the Liberal Democrats seem ...
Twitter produces a huge flurry of activities yet is strangely isolated from the rest of the internet. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how social media has changed blogging. Essentially blogs no longer gets views primarily because of links from other blogs. Instead traffic now comes in large part through views [...]
The Wharf has this bizarre comment from the agent to the highly controversial Mayor of Tower Hamlets, who is facing a legal challenge over his election: Lutfur Rahman's election agent said having the right candidate in power did not need to be achieved through "an open and transparent process". Cllr Alibor Choudhury, who is cabinet member for resources and a member of Tower Hamlets First, made the statement while giving evidence at the High Court on Tuesday. Mr Rahman, the current mayor of Tower Hamlets stands accused of corruption, including overseeing electoral fraud and smearing his rival, John Biggs as ...
It is a rather pleasant morning in Mid Suffolk, but I find myself with weightier matters to consider. Do I, or do I not, move Russian forces into the Ukraine? Before anyone gets too excited, or thinks that I have developed illusions of grandeur, relax - I'm playing an online game of Diplomacy with a group of former Young Liberals of my acquaintance. And yes, it is hard to contemplate a time when I was young, and knowing my politics, even less likely that I might have been a Young Liberal (bloody radicals!), but it is true. Indeed, I was ...
One of the low points of this week for me was reading about Aderonke Apata. She came to the UK after her girlfriend was murdered in Nigeria but this week a Home Office barrister actually stood up in court in public and argued Aderonke couldn't possibly be a lesbian because she had children and because she wasn't "part of the social group known as lesbians." Do people not think about how ridiculous these things sound before they say them out loud? The Independent reports: But the Home Office argues that Ms Apata could not be considered a lesbian because she ...
Imagine the following scenario: as a result of having been empty chaired for the TV debates, at least the first two before realising he has to take part in the final one-on-one with Miliband, Cameron fails to help the Tories become the largest party in a hung parliament. By default, Labour form a government; Miliband becomes Prime Minister. Cameron steps down as leader and a new person to lead them is sought after. Either Osborne or Boris comes in. The Right is not satisfied. Or imagine this one: Cameron ends up back in Number 10 and calls a referendum. It ...
Five years ago at this time I was waiting at the front of the Perth Concert Hall waiting for the final day of the Scottish Liberal Democrats spring conference to get under way. I had been in the refreshment area outside the main auditorium for most of the previous hour going over not just my amendment relating to Transgender issues but also with Kieran Leach who was moving the main motion and Derek Young who was moving the amendment for humanist celebrants. For this was the day that we as a parted started to actually have a policy on marriage ...
Sat 7th
09:55
Tories are hoping economic recovery will win it for them in 2015; why didn't it in 1997?
In some ways 2015 is nothing like 1997. Exhibits A and B: Tony Blair and Ed Miliband. But in one important sense they are very similar – in both cases the run-up to polling day has seen the Tories place huge faith in economic recovery to push up their public support. In 1997, despite a very strong recovery, the Tories still lost in a landslide. Given the chance to learn lessons from that previous failure, now is a good time to dust off and smarten up my previous post on what the economy didn't rescue John Major's 1997 Conservative government. ...
[IMG: "I have a very particular set of broadcasting requirements."] "I have a very particular set of broadcasting requirements." It has come to our attention that barely weeks after its official release, one of the earliest projects of Not Watching This Weekend Studios is now being remade by a rival fantasy production studio. This gang of young upstarts, apparently known as The Conservative Party have announced plans to remake Not Watching This Weekend's classic British comedy The Empty Chair. Rumours also persist that this remake will change the script of the original debate, and rather than featuring a Prime Minister ...
Social media has been full of content in the last few days posted by the Welsh Government-funded Independent sector demanding that the opposition parties support the Violence against Women Bill when it comes to be voted on during Tuesday's Assembly Plenary session. The surprise is that they are not directing their efforts at the Labour Minister in whose hands the fate of the bill really lies. His position and that of Labour loyalists is that he has amended the bill enough for it to pass. He clearly has not amended it sufficiently to satisfy opposition parties however and should not ...
Residents now only have a couple of weeks left to have their say on the Tory controlled city councils plans on library services in Peterborough which will see all ten libraries stay open for longer using self-service technology. To take the survey NOW – simply CLICK HERE! The new system will use Open+ self-service technology, [...]
reasonstovoteukip.com (tags: ) I see Police Squad was merely ahead of its time (graffiti proof wall sprayed paint back in that IIRC) (tags: ) Lib Dems push through mandatory reporting of gender pay gaps (tags: ) Government fitness for work test is making disabled people sicker, report claims (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Last month, Dominic Nutt, one of the advocates of Lord Saatchi's Medical Innovations Bill, argued on this site in our Independent View slot that the Bill should be given Commons time for debate. So what's happened since then? Well, the Bill will make no further progress after the intervention of Liberal Democrat Ministers. Norman Lamb wrote a sensitively worded article for the Telegraph last week where he showed empathy for those with serious life-threatening illnesses, but said that he couldn't allow them to potentially be preyed upon by unscrupulous people: We must do everything we can to ensure patients get ...
Another excellent production ahead by producer Claire Bee with a cast from the service users and staff at Jericho House. With a cast of 30+ aged from 7 to 81, 'Drink! The Musical' guarantees to bring you fun, laughter, amazing original songs and a heartfelt script. A snapshot of the emotional journey any of us could face. This diverse cast brings you a performance like no other...filled with high energy and tears along the way.
Inspector criticises Durham local plan [IMG: Green Belt campaigners outside Maghull Town Hall.] Green Belt campaigners outside Maghull Town Hall. A planning inspector has identified 'fundamental issues' with the emerging local plan for County Durham in north-east England, which would make the plan unsound and conceivably incapable of being rectified by suspending its examination. The inspector who has been examining the strategy said the council's assessment that 1,651 new homes were required in the area in each year of the plan period was not justified and was based on unrealistic assumptions of employment growth and inward migration. The inspector said ...
We Liberal Democrats hold our Spring Conference next weekend. The motion for debate on the economy contains many "goodies": investing in green and hi-tech manufacturingsolving the housing crisisdiscounting bus-fares for 16 to 21s by 30%retaining our "triple lock" on pensions (hurray!)cutting greenhouse gas emissions.The fly in the ointment comes with this clause: "Balancing the cyclically-adjusted current budget by 2017/18, on time and fairly, protecting the economic recovery and bringing down Britain's debt as a share of national income." The "official" policy is that 60% of this balancing should be achieved by further cuts in expenditure and 40% by tax increases. ...
Mark Pack reports that the name Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party has been banned by the Electoral Commission. This is a sadly inevitable consequence of bureaucratic creep that was always going to result in the Commission overstepping its remit. The Commission is there to register parties, their donations and investigate any dodgy funding - not to decide matters of taste. If voters think 'crumpet' is demeaning to women, then they will vote accordingly. It's not for some unelected bureaucrat to take that decision out of their hands.
