This morning I had a very useful and productive meeting with the new West End police sergeant about local policing matters and later today I held my weekly Monday ward surgeries at the West Park and Mitchell Street Centres. Tonight, I participated in City Council committees. At Policy and Resources Committee, I was delighted that the City Council unanimously supported my motion to call for the adoption of "Frank's Law" following a very moving address to committee by Amanda Kopel, wife of the late Frank Kopel. Following Angus Council unanimously agreeing to back "Frank's Law" to recognise the need for ...
I first meet Emma Sykes as she was then during the 2010 General Election during a visit to the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency office. She had come in to volunteer to help my friend Kevin Lang try and get elected against Labour's Mark Lazarowicz. At the start of her volunteering I don't think she quite knew what to expect, but apparently she keep turning up on her bike and getting more and more involved in the campaign the nearer we got towards election day. However, on that election campaign she met someone she would end up falling in love ...
It seems that young Mr Miliband has got it into his head that what we need is legislation to ensure that debates between party leaders take place. In doing so, he reminds me of the Labour belief that you can legislate for anything and everything. Having chaired, or managed, far too many hustings in the past, I have to admit that they're usually pretty dull. Or, if they aren't dull, they consist of a series of soundbites designed to wind up the opponent. It was one of the reasons why, when the Party's Selection Rules were last reviewed, I sought ...
Phew, I thought I was the only one struggling to understand the 60:40 split. I have spent quite a lot of time looking for information. I am not the only one. Liberal Reform are featured in the Guardian and they speak about how members of the Lib Dems have not yet been informed of the economic plans of the party. The only economic policy that has really come to light has been the 60:40 plan where by cuts and taxes are split in the ratio of 60:40. The Lib Dems have always been a party that has pursued the rights ...
Mon 9th
20:00
Angry badger shuts down luxury Stockholm hotel after scaring guests with 'crazy' behaviour
The Independent takes us to Sweden for our Headline of the Day. Is this badger, Liberal England wonders, any relation of the giant badger that caused hysteria at Folkestone School for Girls?
One was a tyrant under whose reign no child was safe. The other was a much-loved monarch tragically slain... You can see where this is going. From BBC News: A former children's services boss has been sacked after a "botched review" caused the department to "fall apart". Vulnerable youngsters in Leicester were left at risk after half its front line children's social workers quit during the review, the city's mayor said. Sir Peter Soulsby said there was a "complete failure" to inform the council's leaders about the crisis. Former head of department Elaine McHale has been dismissed, while assistant mayor ...
A vibrant and active voluntary sector is an essential part of any liberal society. Third sector organisations provide effective vehicles for comunities and citizens to act on those issues that matter the most to them. However, as all levels of government make cuts to public spending, a Welsh third sector that relies significantly on public funding is left vulnerable. This is made worse by a decline in charitable giving and a weak philanthropic base in Wales. In spite of this, expectations as to what the third sector can deliver have inceased. Struggling public sector organisations are moving from grants that ...
I've blogged many times about the excellent record of Julian Huppert in Parliament – a liberal scientist who understands the digital world – and also of some promising signs for his re-election bid. But as with all Lib Dem MPs, he faces a tough fight this time round – so please do go to his excellent new campaign site www.backjulian.co.uk and make a donation. He's trying to raise an extra £10,000 and is well worth every penny. [IMG: Julian donate button] (Two interesting campaign organisation points to note: multicoloured sign-in sheets to make them easier to fill in – yay! ...
Relations between Nick Clegg and his fan club of economic liberals appear to have broken down, according to a peculiar article in the Guardian. It quotes the tiny Liberal Reform group, hitherto notable for their support for the leader being shriller the less popular the leader gets, as saying the party's spending plans don't add up – and that £7-8 billion of extra taxes are needed. Perhaps they should have read this blog first, as their sums are several billions of pounds from adding up. Here's why. Next week's Budget will give the final sets of economic data on which ...
Do you know only one in ten smokers in the UK started after the age of 19, and two in five of smoking habits started before 16? Every year, more than 100,000 people die from smoking related diseases across UK; at the same time, 200,000 children aged 11-15 are risking their health and spending hundreds if not thousands of pounds a year on this toxic habit. When smokers take up in their early years, they face more serious health impacts and find it harder to quit, so reversing this alarming trend has to be one of our biggest priorities in ...
At present the Lib Dems are focused on the May 7 General Election. Me included. I am a parliamentary candidate in West Ham, London, and spending my spare time helping London MPs retain their seats. Immediately after the May General Election, however, the London Region Party will start the process of selecting its candidate for the May 2016 Mayor of London election. The Party achieved 4% of the vote last time, in 2012, and this time will need to be prepared to do things a little differently to significantly improve on the result. Thus, the London Party leadership, activists and ...
Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams is supporting this year's Earth Hour by making a special pledge by backing protection of the world's forests. He was one of many politicians joining WWF-UK at a reception in Parliament to show their support for a responsible trade in sustainably-sourced forest products and to support WWF's Earth Hour, which takes place on Saturday 28th March at 8:30pm. Earth Hour is WWF's annual global grassroots movement where millions of people around the world come together to switch off their lights for one hour in a symbolic act of support to show they care ...
Despite the obvious point about MPs operating in a different world to the rest of us, there is something vaguely surreal about the House of Commons selling off their silver-plated cutlery because it costs too much to polish.In Twitter-World this is known as a first world problem. The Times says that a proposal has been made to sell the silver-plated cutlery to tourists and replace it with stainless steel knives and forks, made in the Far East, which would be less likely to be stolen. In many ways this is a sign of the times. Naturally,Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Tory MP ...
[IMG: wifi_logo_small] Lib Dem-led Stockport Council has launched free, unlimited wifi across 18 public buildings including Cheadle and Heald Green libraries. "The internet is becoming more and more important in all our lives, and gives us easy access to information more than ever before. People can now access the internet for free in Stockport's public buildings, and get help if needed." said Deputy Leader Iain Roberts. The full list is: First House (Brinnington) Offerton Social Club Fred Perry House Reception Adswood & Bridgehall Library (Bridgehall Community Centre) Bramhall Library Bredbury Library & Information Office Cheadle Hulme Library Cheadle Library Edgeley ...
[IMG: ALDC Master Logo (for screen)] Four principal council by-elections were contested last Thursday. UKIP slumped to third place in Bocking ward in Essex (CC) in their attempt to defend the seat as the Conservatives polled 34.3% to win the seat back having lost it by 20 votes two years ago. In addition, UKIP suffered a 5.3% drop in their vote share from 2013 as they finished 119 votes adrift of Labour to finish third. Elsewhere Labour polled over 70% in holding seats in St Pancras & Somers town and Selhurst wards in the London boroughs of Camden and Croydon. ...
Last autumn the council patched Westerleigh Road through Westerleigh village, in preparation for it being resurfaced this summer. Soon after residents reported the surface was already breaking up and officers informed Claire Young that lab tests were being carried out to identify if there was a problem with the materials. They now have the report back and it has identified some irregularities with the quality of material supplied. Discussions are ongoing with the supplier on how to resolve the problems.
Mon 9th
16:00
Election 2015: Neither Labour nor the Tories deserve to win. But the Lib Dems don't deserve to lose.
[IMG: election2015] This election's a bit of a paradox. If you're an out-and-proud political geek, like me, it's fascinating... Will there be another hung parliament? Can Cameron survive not winning two elections? Will Miliband prove his doubters wrong? Will the Lib Dems confound expectations? Will Ukip fade? Can the SNP surge be sustained? Will the Greens implode under scrutiny? Psephologist manqués like me are, though, a rare breed. If you're interested in who's got the best policies to run the country most effectively, however, then the next two months are likely to be a depressing experience. The broadcasters have already ...
[IMG: If a gratuitous kitten doesn't make you sign up, what will?] If a gratuitous kitten doesn't make you sign up, what will? What new polling says about Lib Dem strategy, how the party is ending up with a more progressive tax policy than Labour, the contenders still worth a bet for next Liberal Democrat leader and more: read all these stories in the next edition of my monthly email newsletter, Liberal Democrat Newswire, coming out this week. Sign up for it here and make sure you don't miss out. In the meantime, you can browse the previous editions online. ...
[IMG: 123rf-apology-button-free-300x180] There occasionally comes to every long term blogger a time when you realise that you'e made a huge and colossal mistake. Not a simple error that's easily edited away or corrected before anyone can notice, but a massive mistake of judgement that would cause anyone who sees it to instantly think less of you as a person. When you realise that you've made such a mistake, the only honourable course of action is to hold your hands up, admit that you were fundamentally wrong and throw yourself on the mercy of your readership, hoping you will get a ...
The principles of open and accessible justice are key for all liberals, but they are principles that have been challenged in government by the woeful condition of the public finances and the Conservative appointments to the office of justice secretary. The Justice and Security Act and legal aid cuts have been bitter pills indeed for Liberal Democrats to swallow. Today, another concerning reform takes effect, namely a significant increase in the fees for bringing what are known as "money claims" in the civil courts. They cover everything from serious injury claims to small businesses seeking to recover unpaid invoices. For ...
Deciding what is the most damaging legacy of the Thatcher years makes an interesting area for debate. Is it: the lingering divisive effects of the miners v the police;deregulation, particularly of financial markets;the "right to buy" council houses;privatisations;the Falklands War; the emasculation of local government?All of these have had a negative effect on the quality of our society, but high on my list would be the "right to buy." Like the other policies, this has backfired badly. Meant to create a "property owning democracy" (and in the process turn us all into Tory voters) a huge proportion of the "bought" ...
Who are the candidates standing in your constituency? Crowd sourcing seems the obvious way to build an online database of PPCs, of all parties and none, across the country, and that is exactly what is happening on YourNextMP. Please check out your own constituency and submit, or correct, information about the Lib Dem candidate. Some time ago I helped them to sort out my own constituency of Kingston & Surbiton, which appeared to have two candidates, one called Edward Davey and the other called Ed Davey. I got a pleasant response from a real human. You can also download the ...
[IMG: unlocking liberalism] A source of inspiration and optimism for Liberal Democrats and an important chapter in the body of Liberal Democrat Discourse. A book that could help provide the road for the party to take in 2015 and beyond. On average there are over 200,000 books published every year in the United Kingdom and nobody can read them all! But if you're a Liberal Democrat, or are interested in knowing more about how we think, the book whose title I have mentioned above could be the one book from 2014 that you may have missed and should not miss ...
I have just come back from being interviewed by the Police about Liverpool Direct Ltd and One Connect Lancashire with a greater emphasis on the former. You will all be aware that I have been concerned for a considerable time ... Continue reading →
[IMG: House of Commons. Crown Copyright applies to this photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/4642915654/] There's growing talk in Conservative and Labour circles about a minority government. Let's make an assumption about numbers - not a prediction, just approximate numbers based on current polls: Con 275, Lab 275, LD 35, SNP 40, UKIP 5, Green 2, Speaker 1, all the Northern Irish 17 (of which the present numbers are DUP 8, SF 5, SDLP 3, All 1). Take out the Speaker and assume that Sinn Fein get five again, and the target for an overall majority is 323. On these numbers a majority ...
Along side Ian Paisley one of the earliest politicians I knew about was James Molyneaux who from 1979 until 1995 served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. Indeed the two were the ever presents in my formative years of political awareness. He had been a teenager at the outbreak of World War II and growing up near Aldergrove, which is now the location of Belfast International Airport he joined the Royal Air Force in 1941, and served through the war as was one of those involved in the liberation of Belsen concentration camp. He was first elected to a ...
The climate march went ahead. The Guardian devoted their whole front cover to the issue. Russell Brand spake from the platform. But you have to ask yourself - given the stakes - why the climate change campaign seems so Sisyphean (I don't know if there is such a word: I mean like pushing stones uphill). It shouldn't be so difficult, after all. Why wouldn't people subscribe to the idea of rescuing human life on earth? Or saving themselves ruinous costs? And yet they resist it very effectively, with increasing tenacity. And here, as so often, Jonathan Freedland hit the nail ...
[IMG: No, I don't know what the logo means either.] No, I don't know what the logo means either. We hear little talk of Whiggery nowadays, and outside of the strange world of Daniel Hannan there are few calls for it to return. But, such practical concerns should never deter a truly idealistic politician which may help to explain why we appear to have the return of the Whig Party. New internet-based political parties haven't been that uncommon over the past few years, and will probably continue to multiply. When the chief barrier to setting up a 'political party' becomes ...
[IMG: Calendar] The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 made some important changes to election timetables, including above all ending the ludicrously short timetable for Parliamentary by-elections. Parliamentary by-elections get four weeks shorter - and why it mattersThe average length of Parliamentary by-election campaign has shrunk by four weeks since the 1970s, sharply narrowing the chance for the public to find out about the candidates. more That reform is very sensible from the point of view of healthy democracy – rushed elections in which voters barely get a chance to hear from candidates just benefit incumbents. But it's also a ...
Recently Lydiate Parish Council unveiled a walking map around the community at their Sandy Lane Park. A great local initiative and one backed by husband and wife team Dave Russell (Chair of the Parish Council) and Pam a notable and published local historian. [IMG: Dave and Pam r]
Cheadle MP Mark Hunter and the Lib Dems are campaigning to get Metrolink to Cheadle and Gatley – running along the Stockport-Altrincham line. Now a cross-party group of MPs have boosted Mark's campaign, recommending that the Stockport-Altrincham-Chester line be one of twelve "tier one" lines which should be first in line to be electrified across the north of England. Electrification is essential if we're to get Metrolink along the line. This means it will be now be considered for Network Rail's programme of work for the period 2019 to 2024, known as 'Control Period 6′ (CP6). Commenting on the report, ...
Today's e-conference is about Parents Want a Say. That is about the issues of policy on term time absence at the request of parents and the new rules. If someone wants to watch the e-conference it will be on Youtube. When the conference starts (or re-starts) the link will appear on my twitter feed. Others may copy it elsewhere. If you wish to watch then simply click on that link. http://
Mon 9th
09:21
The conservatism of the Left - and why money has always been what politics is actually about
Armando Ianucci wrote an article in the Guardian this weekend past entitled, "Politics was once about beliefs and society. Now it's a worship of money". It contains the following paragraphs: "It used to be that we went into elections being asked some pretty big questions about what sort of country we wanted to live in. Did we aspire to free health treatment, safety at work, votes for women, a stronger navy, an end to child labour, higher standards of literacy, a welfare safety net, the dismantling of an empire, the nationalisation or privatisation of the nation's resources? For the first ...
[IMG: internationalwomensday] Yesterday was International Women's Day. We have a lot be proud of, but there is still a long way to go. On Friday I spoke at a hustings organised by Youth Parliament. Afterwards, I had several young women come up, inspired and engaged with what I had to say. It was brilliant to see them keen on becoming politically active. But as I left I was approached by two teenage lads, well-spoken, but of a completely different mindset. They asked me why women should be encouraged into politics because "it is a career which suits men." I was ...
A Peterborough takeaway owner is encouraging residents to use the council's My Peterborough app to check food hygiene scores after securing the highest rating possible. Mr Nashaqat Ali, an owner of Hot Pot Take-Away on Lincoln Road, Millfield, has worked with Peterborough City Council to improve his business's rating over the past two years. Having [...]
Religious freedom unquestionably means support for Catholic weddings, Church of Ireland weddings, Presbyterian weddings, Methodist weddings, Christadelphian weddings, civil weddings, and it means support for same-sex weddings. The Rt Hon Peter Robinson MLA, leader of the DUP, recently said, "Those who believe in freedom of conscience must stand strong and stand together." That is unquestionably true, and everyone who supports freedom of conscience and freedom of religion must support same-sex marriage, so that those of us who believe in same-sex marriage can practise our religion as freely as those who do not. Stand up for freedom of conscience. Stand up ...
Jesus. Somebody poisoned a dog at Crufts :( (tags: ) Don't trust your phone, don't trust your laptop - this is the reality that Snowden has shown us (tags: ) We need to talk about this hyper-sexualized secretary job listing (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Perception of Biology : An exhibition in the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum Students from second year HND Contemporary Art at Perth College (University of the Highlands and Islands) present their response to the Zoology Museum. Taking influence from historical and visual aspects of the collection as well as responding instinctively, the 12 students have worked intensively over a four week period, inspired by their access to the fascinating and unique 130 year-old collection. The project has been run by Anna Orton, UHI Contemporary Art Lecturer, who promises that ...
Doorsteps, Dogs and Doughnuts - A Dozen Worst and Best Election Moments – I think many of us will have sone election memories similar to the ones Alex Wilcock recounts here. Could a 'citizen's income' work? – A long and detailed report looking into the issue from the Joseph Rowntree foundation. Global warming and the death of a magical sports tradition – How a change in the climate has made an epic Dutch ice skating challenge very unlikely to ever happen again. Wherefore art thou, Honest Abe? – It'll take more than a few words from a Great Man of ...
96% of teachers believe we have a preferred learning style but the evidence suggests it's probably a myth. Am I a Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic learner? I have done tests to determine this question at least half a dozen times. I did them at school, I did one when I went on a course on [...]
