I suffer from hypertension and the BBC News at 10's 'behind the politics' feature on Nick Clegg has only served to exacerbate my condition this evening. I usually respond badly to this sort of contrived nonsense at the best of times and, frankly, I don't care about his family, his private life, or his comfortable upbringing. I am bothered about his policies and his record in government. This is what I expect my news and current affairs programmes to focus on. BBC News is rapidly becoming the Okay Magazine of television news, increasingly superficial, trivial and lacking depth. Thank goodness ...
See King Richard in Leicester for information on the coming week's events.
Lambs and mother doing well although we are having to hand rear one and support the other. [IMG: Twin Lambs] Twin Lambs that had a traumatic entry into the world but now picking up! I reported last week about the difficult birth of twin lambs and that it did not look good for one which was unable to stand. A new Lamb on the block Well, like before we bottle fed the weak one but unlike previous occasions we managed to encourage her to learn to stand. Very wobbly at first but now holding her own, if rather smaller than ...
Ruth Bright calls for those investigating the late Cyril Smith to be allowed to scrutinise the Liberal Democrats; archives, I don't know that the party has or would refuse any such request, so far our reaction to the allegations has fallen short of complete openness. As the Observer reported in April of last year: "Cyril Smith's acts were vile and repugnant and we have nothing but sympathy for those whose lives he ruined. His actions were not known to, or condoned by the Liberal Party or the Liberal Democrats." Party sources said there were no plans to launch further investigations.Trouble ...
Already attention has been shifted away from core economic programmes to politics and campaign, bad enough, the 2015 budget is yet to be considered and approved by the National Assembly as a result of these activities. We are faced with worst scenario especially if the legislature decides to politicize its legislative assignments. The budget might end up not being passed until after the May 29th transition period. It is not pleasing that the President is currently financing the 2015 budget outside appropriation, considering the fact that the current exchange rate of the naira would make such expenses risky. What is ...
The Nigerian Presidential election rescheduled to 28 March has been beset by controversy. This special report for the Liberatorblog is by Donald Inwalomhe, a journalists for several national Nigerian newspapers, who works with a network to monitor the elections, and has been warning for several years of the threat in the north posed by Boko Haram. THE general election earlier scheduled in February, 2015 has been postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to March 28 (Presidential and national assembly) and April 11, (governorship and state assemblies) 2015, Announcing the postponement on Saturday 7th February, 2015 in a press ...
There have been a number of reports of car crime (e.g. theft from cars or attempted theft from cars) in the Simister area in recent weeks. I have raised this with the local community police, and they have urged residents to report all such incidences. This is important so the police can build up a picture of the crimes, priortise their work and hopefully stop any future incidents. Obviously there are common sense things we can all do around making sure our cars are secure, and not having bags or valuables on display in a vehicle. Please don't hesitate to ...
The NHS in Bury has published the following opening times for pharmacies over the Easter Bank Holidays (Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday). The details were correct when at the time of going to press. [IMG: Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 17.07.25]
There were some important changes in the final Coalition Government Budget this Parliament. There are some great Liberal Democrat policies put into practice in the budget: Help for lower and middle income earners by increasing the Personal Allowance by further £200 so that from April 2016 the tax threshold increases to £10,800 and from April 2017 to £11,000. By 2017/2018, 27.2 million workers will have benefited from increases in the personal allowance and we will have lifted over 3.7 million out of income tax altogether. Help for children with mental health problems by providing £1.25bn of new funding over the ...
It appears that the Liberal Democrats have turned parts of the centre of Gravesend into a film set. The News Shopper has the details: The Lib Dems have been filming in Parrock Street car park for the last two nights, which confused residents who spotted a white, double decker bus and film crews. They also filmed in the area around Windmill Street, Railway Place and Manor Road, where traffic management was in place both nights from 5pm. A dancing troupe and the Lib Dem party leader are expected to be filmed today, as long as the smog does not interfere. ...
On 'Call Clegg' this week Nick robustly declared that "if Benjamin Netanyahu now unilaterally has decided to rule out the prospect of a Palestinian state then I think it is inevitable that British parliament, as it voted a few months ago, should rule a Palestinian state in." The contrast with Cameron's (is it unthinking or calculated?) support for Netanyahu's hope-destroying election victory is both massive, and very welcome. It is great to see the Liberal Democrats standing up for the peace process rather than for an obstructionist right-wing government. It has become a cliché to say that 'paradoxically Netanyahu's election ...
LD Hayley Spencer 511 [67.1%] Conservative 250 [32.9%] LD gain from Con 20.8% turnout Lib Dems take majority control of Melksham Town Council
Just hearing the name 38 Degrees will, undoubtedly, make at least the candidates among LDV's readership shudder. For the luckily unfamiliar, 38 Degrees is a campaigning group which mobilises individuals, primarily in an effort to bombard MPs and candidates with, often, hundreds of identical emails. Those of us involved in politics will have long heard the frustration of those on receiving end, who rightly complain that the campaigns are often only loosely based on facts, and selective ones at that, and often fit with Labour's similar shaky narratives. The campaign against TTIP is probably the prime example. However, such is ...
Lib Dems Believe Wordle 3
A year or so ago, we decided to switch energy supplier away from British Gas. We weren't alone in doing it, at the same time many people got fed up with the offers from big energy suppliers and switched to smaller outfits to get better deals. At this time we decided to switch to Good Energy, partly because of their links with the National Trust (never a bad thing) and partly because I reasoned that with Good Energy we could play our part in investing in renewables, and partly because over the long haul I tend to think that renewables ...
Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats:
As late as last year there were people defending Cyril Smith's reputation on Liberal Democrat Voice. Well now we know beyond all reasonable doubt that the old Liberal Party had its own Savilesque character – it is just that none of us knew, in fact none of us even had an inkling. None of us could possibly have known and none of us could possibly have had an inkling. Could we? I joined the party in 1985 when I was eighteen. Of course three decades on I do not remember every earnest conversation amongst my fellow Liberal students. What I ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe:
Fri 20th
13:10
Independent: "Liberal Democrats do have a more balanced, pragmatic approach to the task"
This morning's leader article in the Independent praises yesterday's Liberal Democrat alternative budget and concludes that "five years in government have clearly matured the Lib Dems": ...the substance of what Mr Alexander had to say was much more impressive. Easily dismissed as "splitting the difference" between the Conservative and Labour routes to deficit reduction, the Liberal Democrats do have a more balanced, pragmatic approach to the task. Mr Alexander and his colleagues would indeed try to avoid the worst of the cuts the Tories would inflict on public services, and they rule out tax cuts for the rich, such as ...
The Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve work morning last weekend attracted 26 Wapley Bushes Conservation Group volunteers and friends, including family groups and a community work party from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Group tackled a wide range of tasks. One party planted trees to form a barrier at the edge of the picnic area, while others cleaned up around the main paths and public areas, gathering around 15 bags of litter (plus a carpet from a roadside ditch) Volunteers listen attentively to the safety briefing at the start The third and probably heaviest job of ...
The Liverpool Echo has some interesting coverage of the event over Merseyside today. Some great photo's too. This is one of the photos which I really like:- [IMG: JS59550852] I did not manage to capture any shots myself as work called and I was stuck inside an office.
In a heavily covered campaign memo earlier this year, Labour MP Douglas Alexander set out his party's election strategy: "Our focus will not be on negative billboards". So what did Labour do today? Launch a negative billboard. Dropping your election promises before polling day is an interesting variant of the usual political pattern...
England's rubbish challenge Littering has become "endemic" in England, according to a report from the Department of Communities & Local Government (DCLG). [IMG: This was the sight to meet residents in Lunt Village - this morning 20th March 2015 - Don't you wish you knew who put it here so you could chuck it in their front garden to see how they would like it!] This was the sight to meet residents in Lunt Village – this morning 20th March 2015 – Don't you wish you knew who put it here so you could chuck it in their front garden ...
The Tories have introduced some changes to the civil service code this week I have a feeling they rather hoped would fly under the radar. The changes mean that any civil servant who is caught speaking to the press without the written consent of a minister could face the sack. This is very bad for numerous reasons, but I'll let Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA (the union civil servants belong to), have the first go: "This announcement is an unnecessary, unworkable and unjustified restriction on the work of the civil service. "Survey after survey shows that civil ...
Fri 20th
12:15Tim Farron MP writes...The British people deserve more than Cameron's weak leadership on EU
[IMG: European Flag] This week marks David Cameron's last European Council as Prime Minister before the General Election and let's hope he avoids one last blunder. It is easy to forget, given the endless Tory arguments on Europe over the past five years, that in opposition David Cameron's ambition was for the Conservative Party to "stop banging on about Europe". This summarises Cameron's position well – he is simply not interested and sees the EU purely as a party management issue. If the issue of Europe is quiet then it's a good bet that Tory backbenchers will be too. But ...
What I believe and why I can only be a Lib Dem: Fairness and equality are at the heart of everything I believe in. Every child should have the best start inlife, the opportunity to do what they want, even if it isn't what everyone else wants, with the best skills they can learn. I want people to have the freedom to say and do what they want - but not to harm others. We need a successful economy, but not just for the few rich, for as many as possible, with a safety net for those that struggle. This ...
Southampton University is under attack: it is planning a conference on 'International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Responsibility and Exceptionalism' in April. Paris University has been forced to cancel a conference entitled: 'Israel Apartheid is real'. I have recently attended two conferences on Islam, one of which also came under threat. So when is free speech permissible and when not? At my local university I have been shocked at the racist and Islamophobic comments made in talks and seminars by those who support Israel unreservedly. Had I made similar comments about Jews and Judaism, I would have been ...
Labour 352 [76.4%] Conservative 77 [16.7%] LD David Dear 32 [6.9%] Labour hold
[IMG: _81787003_proba-2_view_of_europe_s_solar_eclipse] Polly Toynbee: In the summer of 1999, there were clear blue skies and a warm August day for the eclipse, which Tony Blair had ensured was happening at the family friendly time of 11am. In 2015, the eclipse was hidden behind thick clouds, only visible to rich bankers circling London in their private jets, buried away at 9.30 in the morning, when millions of workers would be slaving away for their bosses, unable to see it, even if David Cameron hadn't arranged for there to be cloudy skies. There couldn't be a more damning indictment of Coalition Britain. ...
Here are a few photos I took of the eclipse this morning in Sunniside from my front garden and from Laburnum Grove. The last photo didn't manage to catch the eclipse but it shows how the crows took to the air when the eclipse was happening.
A new website has been launched to help PPCs and their teams to get more information on policy issues and support on dealing with the media. The website includes: Standard letters on issues that charities and campaign groups are sending to parliamentary candidates. Headline briefings on top policies and how to make the argument for [...]
Fri 20th
09:54The Liberal Democrats could well be on course to improve our vote share to seats "bangs for the buck...
In the 2010 election, the Liberal Democrats were 14%, or a seventh, less effective at harnessing our vote share to win seats than we were in 2001. If you look at my table below you'll see that, since 1983, 2001 was our best year for converting vote share into seats. 52 seats for an 18 per cent vote share. One could say that was the election when we were best at targeting. In 2010, there was a lot of hoo-haa after the election about the coalition forming and us being in government for the first time since the Second World ...
All the relevant South Glos officers went to the site yesterday to meet the Bellway Homes planning manager and specialist consultants dealing with the ecology matters and tree protection. Local residents have been very concerned about what has been happening on the old Rodford School site - see our previous post "How much is a tree worth?" They talked about the Ecological and Landscape Management Plan, which still hasn't been provided, to protect the boundary hedgerows and provide biodiversity enhancements. It was agreed that there is minimal risk from the work to removing the hardstanding, so this can carry on ...
Fri 20th
09:25
Constituency expense limits are dying off in the UK, but neither politicians nor the regulator will ...
[IMG: Michael Howard] I ran a shorter version of this in Liberal Democrat Newswire #59, but it's such an important and neglected issue, it's worth giving the story another airing. In April 2005 thousands of voters living in marginal seats around the UK found letters about the political situation in their constituency from then Conservative Party leader Michael Howard hitting their doormats. To the untrained eye, these were just another round of standard political direct mailshots. But they also signaled an important step in the death of constituency expense limits in the UK, a death triggered by mistake after Parliament ...
As part of our Future Funding campaign, the LGA will be using Tuesday 24 March as a day to focus on the financial pressures local government is facing, and highlight the good work councils are doing to set budgets despite reduced resources. During the day, we will be looking to stress financial pressures in the [...]
Readers of this blog may remember my interest on meeting solar powered "Big Belly" bins in Lib Dem controlled Bath two and a half years ago. I blogged about it then. [IMG: Where the sun don't shine] Now five are coming to Consett so let's hope they prove successful in helping to control the litter problem in our "windy city". The trial bins, which have been provided free, are fitted with a compaction unit, which reduces the need for them to be emptied by up to eight times compared to conventional street bins. This means the council will need to ...
[IMG: BBC_Question_Time] Because I'm a masochist, I watched Question Time last night, where one of the panellists was a representative of the Taxpayers' Alliance. Contrary to the image they present, the TPA isn't a membership-based grassroots organisation, but a privately funded lobbying group that doesn't represent anyone but its donors – what's normally known as an 'astroturf' group. However, like other lobbying groups and corporate shills that pretend to be 'think tanks' (the ones with 'Institute' in their names), it often gets invited to go on Question Time and other news programmes as though it has some kind of impartiality ...
Londoners less tolerant of gay or trans children - also labour less tolerant than kippers (tags: ) All-Women Shortlists and how to fix them - this genuinely looks to me like it could work (tags: ) Lego Danny Alexander is so much better than real life Danny Alexander (tags: ) The problem with referring to someone as "high functioning" ASD (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
As a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate I have received emails from St John Ambulance and from the British Red Cross, both wishing to promote First Aid. But what about mental health first aid? With equal parity now being given to mental and physical health, shouldn't First Aid include Mental Health First Aid? I think so. And I am pleased that Lib Dems at conference thought so too, for we approved new mental health policy which included a clause I submitted with the support of Oxford East: To consult with external bodies on the content of, and how best to include training ...
A message from Southport Neighbourhood Police Bogus Tradesmen Police at Southport are warning residents regarding bogus tradesmen approaching householders asking for money for roofing work which is not necessary. On 17th March 3 males were visiting houses in the Crossens area of Southport using this method to ask for money. It is believed the males were using a silver van displaying a company name Homescale Roofing. If a vehicle matching this description is spotted please phone 101.
Glenagnes Road site In past weeks, I have highlighted residents' concerns about untidy, unkempt areas in Glenagnes Street and Glenagnes Road. I am pleased to advise that I have now had confirmation that the Environment Department will be tidying both sites. Additionally, at the site in Glenagnes Road (east side south of the West End Campus), the department will also erect a chespale fence where the previous (now removed) fence was, to avoid any further fly-tipping.
I recently came across a review of two of the Just William books, written by Lincoln Allison in 2006: William Brown first featured in a short story in 1919 and went on to be the central character in thirty-eight collections of stories. He shares his surname with Tom Brown and also a place in the great English catalogue of children's (mainly boys') writing which began with Charles Kingsley and Tom Hughes. (I'm not sure when it ended.) But otherwise they are opposites in every way; William is the alternative Brown, the alternative boy. Most of the central characters in the ...
A new report from economist, Gerry Holtham has concluded that there is "little evidence" that devolution has had much effect on the Welsh economy. According to the BBC, Mr. Holtham believes that Wales needs to be more ambitious economically if it is to catch up with our neighbours on the other side of Offa's Dyke. He has found that the value of the goods and services from Wales was 72.4% of the UK average in 1999 and 72.2% 13 years later: The report has been produced for the think-tank, the Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA), where Prof Holtham - a ...
Out and about in the constituency recently on the campaign trail. Above - over the A1 near the Coalhouse Roundabout to see the work on upgrading the A1. The Coalition are investing over £60 million in the improvement. Outside the new Morrisons store in Blaydon. The council can claim some of the credit for the regeneration but at the end of the day, companies such as Morrisons will only
