On 22 June 2010 a new parliamentary phenomenon was born. The Deputy Prime Minister in a new-fangled coalition government got his own Commons question and answer session. It was Labour MP Jim Cunningham who asked the first question then on plans for the AV referendum. Since then these monthly sessions have generally involved Labour lobbing whatever verbal grenades they can, ably assisted by certain Conservatives who were not, to put it mildly, fans of the coalition. Today marked the last Deputy Prime Minister's Questions of this Parliament and it was unique in leaving Nick actually lost for words. He has ...
Earlier today, I had the pleasure of attending the AGM of the Sinderins and Pennycook Courts Residents' Association, covering both sheltered housing complexes. It was a well attended and productive meeting. I updated residents on a number of matters including the new bin/recycling arrangements for much of the West End, changes to the Friendly Bus sheltered shopping service from July and liaison with Home Scotland who own the housing. Tonight, I attended the latest committee meeting of the Bonnie Dundee group, at the City Chambers. This really positive group encourages improvements to the Dundee environment and helps local groups who ...
When I joined the Liberal Party the Chelmsford constituency was one of our great hopes of a gain. Stuart Mole fought it for us a five general elections from February 1974 to 1987. In 1983 he came within 378 votes of beating the sitting Conservative MP Norman St John-Stevas. Now, as the Exeter Express & Echo reported last month, Stuart has been chosen to fight the East Devon seat for the Liberal Democrats in May's general election. You can hear him make his case in this video.
Over to the Leicester Mercury for a report on last night's meeting of Leicester City Council's overview scrutiny committee. The meeting was called to discuss a damning Osfted report on the council's children's social services department, We join the report halfway through: The meeting took an ill-tempered turn when Coun Kitterick asked Ms Craven to say when she had informally told the mayor about the problems she discovered in October shortly after her arrival. Sir Peter [Soulsby] attempted to answer the question but committee chairman Mohammed Dawood insisted the officer answer herself. Sir Peter then said: "Oh chair, honestly how ...
It seems that UKIP's prejudice doesn't just extend to foreigners, they've decided to extend it to the Welsh speaking residents of Wales, too. The BBC News website reports that a UKIP public meeting in Porthmadog was disrupted by Welsh Language campaigners, angry at the lack of opportunity to participate in Welsh. For those not in the know, Porthmadog is in the Welsh speaking heartlands of North Wales. Paul Nuttall, UKIP's deputy leader who was in attendance at the meeting, had this to say: "The fact is that we are one nation. We are the United Kingdom. "If you come into ...
For the 2015 General Election the Lib Dems give to you five green laws. Looking to build on our record in Government as well as having a green thread throughout our manifesto there are five specific environmental areas that the Liberal Democrats will specifically highlight with five new green laws. Zero Carbon Bill Introducing a Bill in the next parliament to end Britain's adverse impact on climate change for good by 2050. Measures will include: A new legally binding target for Zero Carbon Britain by 2050 A new legally binding decarbonisation target for the power sector by 2030 to support ...
One of my work colleagues is a member of the Green Party in Montgomeryshire and has been for many years. We often exchange views on politics and share each other's frustrations with our respective parties, and today's catch up meeting was no exception. Today's discussion focused on party membership, particularly the recent rapid growth of the Greens. It transpires that in Montgomeryshire, Green Party membership has increased more than tenfold going from about 12 to 120 at a very rapid rate. What's more, they seem to be mobilising effectively and plan on a credible local campaign in a seat that ...
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued another list of those employers, including some High Street brands, who have illegally paid some staff less than the minimum wage. This latest round brings the total number of companies named and shamed under the new regime to 210 employers, with total arrears of over £635,000 and total penalties of over £248,000. Business Minister, Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson said: There's no excuse for companies that don't pay staff the wages they're entitled to - whether by wilfully breaking the law, or making irresponsible mistakes.The government is protecting workers by cracking down ...
TELL US WHO MAKES YOU PROUD Stockport's extraordinary people are to be recognised in the Borough's popular citizen awards. The Proud of Stockport awards will see individuals, groups or teams that go out of their way to make the Borough a better place, recognised at a ceremony at Stockport Town Hall. The Council and its partners are asking people for their suggestions as to who should be honoured with a Proud of Stockport award. Do you know someone who helps to make Stockport special? Is there an individual, a group, a volunteer, or perhaps a local personality, or someone else ...
Stockport Advice and Information for Life – SAIL – has just launched. It aims to be a one-stop shop, pointing people in the right direction for information. [IMG: SAIL - Stockport Advice & Information for Life] SAIL – Stockport Advice & Information for Life SAIL deals with the sorts of issues people seek help about every day, around benefits, debt, immigration, housing and more. It is particularly aimed at younger people who might not come into a CAB office but have a smartphone with internet access. The site is funded from a Lottery grant and created by nine organisations, including ...
In the final days of this Government Lib Dems are still delivering our agenda against the odds, and against Conservative obstruction. Under the coalition government the gender pay gap had fallen to its lowest level, at just under 20% – but this is still 19.1% too high. Despite our high levels of women's employment the UK has the 8th highest gender pay gap in the EU. Not only is the gender pay gap socially wrong in modern society, but economically it's nonsensical not to reward our most talented female employees properly. We should value the contribution of women and men ...
[IMG: 101 Ways To Win An Election on a bookshelf at Liberal Democrat conference] I've got 5 copies of 101 Ways To Win An Election to sell at a specially discounted price of just £9.00, including post and packaging (to UK addresses). To order your copy, email me a selfie of yourself holding one of these books: the Liberal Democrats Field Manual, the ALDC Election Law Handbook or the 2015 Agents Manual. If your picture shows you holding all three, you can get an extra special, rare version of 101 Ways To Win An Election: an unsigned edition. First come, ...
Cameron may "go" early There a rumours that David Cameron may go to the Queen to call for the dissolution of parliament this week. However early this may seem it will NOT affect the the election timetable and expenses deadlines already set out. Commonly Used Names In the past you were able to put a commonly [...]
[IMG: Tim-Farron-007] Good news everyone! Party HQ have dropped the 'shut up and deliver leaflets' instruction to anyone wanting to do something other than election campaigning and allowed a special dispensation. Yes, you're now allowed to drop your laser-like focus on the election campaign and discuss a whole other topic. Unfortunately, the topic HQ appear to have chosen as the only other one suitable for discussion is 'why Tim Farron should never be party leader'. Or, to put it another way, Farron-hunting season is officially open, and now Vince Cable's decided to bring a blunderbuss to it. The first salvo ...
In the last few days, the Tories have shown us a cartoon with the worst of TV campaign tactics about the SNP and Alec Salmond. I'm no fan of the SNP, and I'm a supporter of the Union. However, this internet spot ad, at 45 seconds reveals a lot about the Tories campaign techniques. It's straight out of the USA Political Consultants handbook. In 1992, whilst lecturing and researching Political Image making at the University of Marie-Curie Sklodowska in Poland, I came across the work of Laurence Rees, in his TV series "We have ways of making you think" and ...
If you spend long enough in the chamber of the National Assembly for Wales then you will quickly come to the conclusion that everything is the fault of the coalition government in Westminster. Well that is the refrain from Welsh Labour AMs and Ministers, week in, week out. This piece by David Cornock on the Barnett formula then is especially interesting. He reports on his conversation with Gerry Holtham around the report written by the Cardiff-based economist for the Institute of Welsh Affairs. Professor Holtham, who first categorically established that Wales would be treated more generously if we were funded ...
We are the youth and student wing of the Liberal Democrats; we exist to fight for a Britain that is fair, free and tolerant based on our own values and principles of liberty and equality. We have a proud history dating back to the early 20th century championing radical and liberal thought. Today you'll find Liberal Youth societies up and down the country tirelessly campaigning on issues such as civil liberties and human rights. Our societies can be found in almost any town or university; wherever you go there'll be young people fighting to protect the poorest and most vulnerable ...
Channel 4's Dispatches programme last night featured the attempts of one business man to give lots of money to Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The programme has already led to Liberal Democrat peer Paul Strasburger temporarily resigning from the Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords pending an investigation from the Electoral Commission. Here are my thoughts on the programme: Lib Dems should not keep this money – and we aren't My instincts on seeing the programme was that the donation that he has procured should be returned because the programme made clear that it didn't come from the ...
You know what the problem is with British politics? It's too many politicians give direct, honest answers to questions. So the right way to respond to one of them doing so is to ridicule them immediately, mocking their lack of forethought and point out how it's not the right move for any sensible person. Oh hang on... But the allergic reaction to a politician giving an honest answer isn't the worst of it. Because following Cameron's answer that he doesn't want to serve a third term has been a whole host of 100% self-confident assertions about what this means for ...
Controversy has surrounded Lord Hussain in the last few weeks, since it was revealed that his "son" was smuggled into the UK 23 years ago. The tabloid press has been keen to highlight the fact that the peer not only brought the Pakistani child not the UK illegally, but also lied about it. He told the British High Commission in Islamabad that the boy was his own and therefore eligible to be a British citizen. Given the furore, and the predictable reaction from some quarters - including Labour calling for a resignation - a sense of balance and perspective is ...
The world is an ever-smaller place. Advances in transport and telecommunications have bridged enormous geographic divides. With a click on my phone I can Skype a friend on the other side of the world, or step outside my office and find produce from around the globe for sale in the local supermarket. Yet, for all the many advantages of globalisation for trade and tourism, there is another side of the coin. It is not only holidaymakers that travel by air. Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. Last year, it killed an estimated 1.5 million people. In ...
[IMG: Social media on a Mac computer] TNW has a really interesting interview with The Atlantic's social media editor, which is packed full of good sense applicable to anyone trying to reach an audience online. Three elements are particularly relevant to those of us using social media for politics: Go easy on the hashtags I've noticed that most news organizations, including yours, only use hashtags sparingly. Is that a conscious decision? I think there are two parts to this. One is aesthetics, or, put another way, snobbery. The tweets that use hashtags often look like marketing or like someone who ...
Ten years ago, myself and the South Werrington and North Gunthorpe FOCUS Team started campaigning for a crossing along Gunthorpe Road. At the time we were told it could not happen, it was too expensive, it was to close to the Paston Parkway roundabout junction..... etc So instead of giving up, I launched the Safer [...]
[IMG: Tim Farron Social Liberal Forum conference Jul 19 2014 Photo by Paul Walter] Not even a charming account of his Friday dance class as reported by Buzzfeed's Emily Ashton can assuage my annoyance with Vince Cable this morning. I have to say that he is an unusual candidate for my ire. His work rate of good, decent, liberal stuff in this parliament from stopping the Tories allowing employers to hire and fire people at will to strengthening consumer rights, tackling payday lenders and bringing in shared parental leave has been excellent. His economic wisdom and willingness to call out ...
Message in a sentence The Liberal Democrats want to introduce a High Value Property Levy, or 'Mansion Tax', on properties valued at over £2 million to help balance the country's books and reduce the country's deficit. Message in a paragraph The Liberal Democrats want to introduce a High Value Property Levy, or 'Mansion Tax', on [...]
It always amuses me how the newspapers report what is going on inside the Liberal Democrat campaign machine. I would strongly recommend that you read anything published on the pages of newspapers who hate us with a very large pinch of salt. A few weeks ago the Mirror painted this picture of "MPs being forced to undergo dragon's den style grillings" to secure campaign resources. This is kind of right, except it's a process which has been going on for most of this Parliament and in fact any seat was welcome to apply to be part of the strategic seats ...
There are lots of activities and ways you can help raise funds for the National Autistic Society, whether it's at school, at work, on your own or with friends and family - and it all helps promote awareness of autism. Please check out the National Autistic Society's website for details of how to take part in World Ayutism Awareness Week (27 March to 2 April)
Last weekend I attended Liberal Youth's excellent Conference in Leeds. This is a regular event that allows members to meet, debate and - this time especially - campaign. The final item on the agenda was a debate on "Ambitious Liberalism: a Radical, Liberal Voice for the Future", which I proposed. Although there are plenty of policy items in the motion, this was not primarily a motion about policy. Most of the individual items were already Liberal Youth policy. As we head into the final weeks of the General Election campaign, it is worth taking a few moment to reflect on ...
Here's my latest Muswell Flyer article, also available here. Nb – since the time of writing – the campaign for fairer health funding has been successful, and we've secured an extra £23.5 million for our local health services! As a Liberal Democrat, I believe in creating a fairer society. And in a fair society, rail services should be accessible for everyone - including the elderly, the disabled, and those with heavy bags or pushchairs. That's why I started the campaign to make our local stations step-free and accessible (which I wrote about in the last edition!) Almost 800 local residents ...
My father got cross with me when I was sixteen for insisting that I wanted to stick solidly to the arts subjects for my A Levels. He insisted that my only chance of rescuing my renaissance future was to do an AO Level in Navigation - which I did and duly failed. I'm not sure I could have survived a scientific A level, but I'm also pretty sure that I ought to have tried. I'm almost sorry I didn't. I have a great deal to thank the people who educated me for. My grounding in literature, my fascination with ideas, ...
Revealed: the link between life peerages and party donations - "revealed" is a bit strong, I think I mean, we all know, don't we? (tags: ) A father and daughter recreated Jurassic Park in Lego and it's brilliant (tags: ) Banning me from prisons won't silence the truth - Frances Crook of The Howard League (tags: ) 'That's how I want to remember Terry': Neil Gaiman reminisces about Pratchett (tags: ) Home Office to blacklist extremists to protect public sector - this is terrifying (tags: ) Sorry, but it's not a 'law of capitalism' that you pay people as little ...
I'm going to let somebody else do the heavy lifting today. My [IMG: Magna_Carta] nephew and godson James Green has won first prize in the One Essex Court/Times essay competition, with this essay. The subject of the competition's essays was: "Is Magna Carta more honoured in the breach?". The essay is about the same length as one of my normal posts, and at least as well written – do read it! James makes the point that Magna Carta's main purpose was to challenge King John's sovereignty, and set limits to it. Today the concept of sovereignty in Britain rests not ...
Last night, Dispatches finally aired their special programme on the sleazy, behind the scenes world of how our political parties are funded. The whole thing had been heavily trailed in the Telegraph over the last few weeks. Actually, nothing about it shocked me at all and in fact, what it really demonstrated more than anything else is public naivety about how funding of political parties actually works. Here are some of the basics on the rules regarding party donations. Any donation lower than £7,500 you do not need to declare, if it is the only donation made to a party ...
Norman Lamb's son Archie has been talking to the Times about his experience of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Many people with this condition find it incredibly irritating when people casually joke about "being a bit OCD". If you are one of them, perhaps you'll stop after reading about what life is like for sufferers. This is not a condition to be belittled. Archie talked about how the condition affects him: "People think OCD is nothing, that it's a bit of a joke. It is not just about being clean and washing your hands or lining up cans of Coke in the fridge. ...
There will be practical conservation work for volunteers at Riverside Nature Park this coming Sunday - 29th March. All volunteers are very welcome and anyone willing to take part should meet in the nature park car park at 1pm.
Who wants to be a millionaire? Peter Oborne on Tony Blair – "Something has gone wrong with our national life and the sad story of Tony Blair helps to illustrate the scale of the problem." Controlling the past – The British and Greek economies were not in the same position in 2010, and the lack of challenge to this claim has let George Osborne get away with far too much, according to Simon Wren-Lewis. Labour's new identity policy – Alan Finlayson for Renewal on the lack of any real theory behind the bluster of Labour policy proposals. Ours to Master ...
[IMG: Syringe] I've written before about the risks of debunking myths, as shown by the case of vaccinations, as repeating a myth even when followed up by a list of facts to show its mythical status can make the myth stronger, not weaker: In a study on perceptions of flu shots, he found correcting myths had the opposite of the desired effect on the most vaccine-skeptical among us. In another study on the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, he found that myth-busting actually increased some parents' wariness about the shot. This 'backfire effect' is still novel territory for solid research, but ...
[IMG: Photo1210] The article above appeared in the Monday edition of the I and unsurprisingly I do not agree with Ian Birrell's conclusions about releasing Green Belt for building houses. The particular paragraph that gets my goat is the one that says 'A majority of green belt is used for agriculture, often so intensive, industrialised and over-sprayed with pesticides that it has less biodiversity than is found in city gardens.' Yes of course the majority of Green Belt is used for agricultural purposes and so it should be on an island that can't grow enough food for us all. But ...
This week, two different Lorenzo Semple stories I liked a lot. For paying patrons, you can read what I think about the Penguin going straight, while those of you who aren't willing to pay actual money to read my witterings can read about the Joker going to school over on Mindless Ones.
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