No new blog post today — my CPAP machine leaked last night, and I was so unwell I had to come home from work at lunchtime and spend most of the afternoon in bed — so you get links. Brian Wilson is touring the UK with fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin in [...]
Wallington Public Hall will close its doors for the final time on 31st March. Built in 1934 with Art Deco features, the venue has hosted a wide range of events. A potted history It was originally a cinema, but soon evolved into a theatre hosting a range of productions and performances, including musical theatre and classical [...]
Alarming news from Cromford and the BBC: A bookshop once named as one of the best in the world could fall down unless £10,000 can be raised for structural repairs, say its owners. Four steel columns need to be installed at Scarthin Books, in Cromford, Derbyshire, to support the weight of about 100,000 books over four floors.Scarthin Books (seen here across Cromford Pool - it's the shop with the awnings next to the chapel) is crowdfunding money for the work via its website. Not only is it one of my favourite bookshops, it was due to play an important part ...
My story about Nicky Morgan having a book published by the eccentric Bretwalda Books made it into Andy McSmith's Independent Diary this morning. I even got a mention there myself. Along with paying my respects to Richard III, that made it an enjoyable birthday morning, Writing it the other day led me to rediscover this blog's Rupert Matthews label. I had forgotten just how much entertainment is to be found there. Do click on it yourself if you want some fun.
Alarmed by stories of long queues, I arrived at Leicester Cathedral at eight this morning. That proved early enough to beat the rush and it took me only an hour to pay my respects to Richard III and leave. It was such an English queue that you could buy a cup of tea as we snaked around the Cathedral Gardens, and someone close by was making a lot of money selling white roses. When you got inside the cathedral, Richard's coffin, with its black pall and a servicemen at each corner, looked entirely regal. We were a modern crowd, with ...
The Lib Dems were out with council officers on Wednesday morning, working to tackle speeding along Styal Road in Gatley. The speed limit along Styal Road is 30mph but residents have long complained of speeding. The road's narrow and vehicles regularly end up going through walls and hedges. We looked at having a flashing speed sign in each direction, plus some additional 30mph signs. Council officers are now going to work up a detailed plan and we'll report back soon.
I have written over the past few years about the excellent work of Solar Cities Scotland, and in particular its insulation pilot work in Logie. The current project has been funded by the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund since July 2012. It has saved 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over this period - this is roughly the weight of 4 jumbo jets! - 110% of an enormously ambitious target. Very sadly, due to funding issues, Solar Cities Scotland is ceasing operational activity as from 31st March. Whilst the project's board hope to secure future funding to allow for recommencement ...
The winner is the Derby Telegraph for: The former landlord of a Derbyshire home where a man died from carbon monoxide poisoning has been declared the Green Party's General Election candidate for Erewash.
Adrian Barnes, a barrister, will be the Liberal Democrat candidate in Leicester's mayoral election. That election will take place on the same day as the general election: Thursday 7 May. He told the Leicester Mercury he is standing because of the absolute lack of checks and balances in the city: "There are Labour MPs, a Labour council and a Labour mayor and it's just a nonsense and I think people are now ready for a change."It has also been announced that Anita Prabhakar will be the party's general election candidate in the Leicester South constituency.
I manage to pretend most of the time that I'm a young person, but last night I wondered if I was in fact approaching middle age when I saw this: Was I becoming an old fuddy duddy or was this genuinely an acquired taste? Well, it seemed that proper young people weren't overly impressed either. One wrote on my Facebook that it had "broken my brain." That was, I have to say, one of the kinder things I heard said about it. Others liked it though. To be fair, if you compare it to the original Uptown Funk video, there ...
Jim Hume MSP (Picture: www.libdems.org.uk) The Scottish Government has backed a Member's Bill by Liberal Democrat MSP Jim Hume to outlaw smoking in a car while children are present. Mr Hume's proposal, which have received cross-party backing and the support of a number of charities, would see violators charged with a £100 fine in the event of being caught smoking in their vehicle with an under-18 present. Speaking to Holyrood magazine, Mr Hume said: "I am over the moon. This Bill is about guaranteeing that children in Scotland can have the freedom to go on and lead healthy lives if ...
I am reproducing in full the summary text of the BBC report on the Clarkson incident, below. I am just utterly breathless that anyone can think the BBC did anything except the completely unavoidable. They took the only action they could take in the circumstances. Guido Fawkes is saying "lentils all round" and that the BBC have finally found an "excuse" to get rid of Clarkson. Louise Mensch came up with this comment: Britain has got so pathetically wimpy #Clarkson — Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) March 25, 2015 ...and then followed it up with: "when I was a kid two blokes ...
Fancy earning £130 for a nights work? Peterborough City Council, are looking to hear from people who'd like to count election votes overnight on the 7/8 May 2015. Obviously, when I am at a count, things are a little different, as I'm on the other side of the "table" and just sat fretting about the [...]
No-one can doubt that for many people living in Liverpool the struggle to survive on inadequate incomes is a key feature of their lives. This leads to illness, disease and a stunting of opportunity for those brought up in poverty. ... Continue reading →
Lib Dem MP Paul Burstow made a remarkable confession in Parliament on Tuesday. Whether it was intentional or not, only he knows, but this is what he said... "I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to undertake a programme of research into the costs and benefits of introducing an annual levy on sales to be paid by tobacco manufacturers, with the proceeds to be used to support tobacco control measures, to discourage young people from starting to smoke tobacco, to help existing tobacco smokers to stop smoking; and ...
The weekend after the party gathered in Liverpool, Liberal Youth gathered in Leeds for our spring conference. There was plenty of campaigning, socialising and of course stimulating debates on policy. Stuart Wheatcroft has already written an excellent summary of the motion we debated and voted for on Ambitious Liberalism; for my part, I submitted a motion on Russia's actions against Ukraine. In writing this motion, I aimed to cover the two principal reasons I believe any self-respecting Liberal must stand against what Russia is doing in the region. Firstly, they are attempting to forcibly thwart the will of the Ukrainian ...
Britain is entering an election season without deep or meaningful debate, so far, on any significant topic facing the electorate. Of course, as the manifestos emerge and politicians focus on the campaign once Parliament is dissolved, this may well change. But some of the topics we have to consider are too large to be fitted neatly into an election campaign; try as we might to compress things down to debates or YouTube clips. In particular, the issue of Britain's place in the world will linger throughout this election, not quite in the background, but it would certainly appear that it ...
A regular theme running through my posts about political messaging is the need to turn complicated issues into simple, visually arresting stories where a short, clear narrative and a powerful image make the point much more powerfully than a long list of bullet points studded with numbers containing decimal places. Here's a great advert from the US which does just that, turning a potentially complicated environmental story about the relative costs and practicalities of different policy options into a clear, easy to remember message: There's more on how to do this successfully in 101 Ways To Win An Election.
Wed 25th
14:32
The Independent View: Half of the public are likely to change their vote after examining the parties...
[IMG: Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 14.15.40] Last night, I found myself in the strange position of introducing a panel of speakers at Birkbeck, including John Curtice and Dr Rosie Campbell, to discuss whether the internet can have an impact on our voting habits. I say strange because just 5 years ago, I had no real interest in politics. I suppose I was like most people, engaged a little around election time but otherwise never really bothered by what went on in Westminster. But yesterday, the organisation I set up during the 2010 election, Vote for Policies, organised this debate in ...
Liberal Democrats Believe in Freedom - Video, Alex Wilcock, 2014, in the rain
This is the video of my speech to Gateshead Council budget meeting on 26th February. I was still deputy leader then but was also leader elect. The election to replace Frank Hindle had taken place three days earlier. However, only we knew that! The leadership announcement was made the next day. Gateshead decided to go for a 1.95% rise in council tax. We argued that there should be a freeze
The Liberal Democrats stand for freedom for every individual - freedom from poverty, ignorance and conformity. To make that freedom real needs both fairness and economic responsibility: an economy that works, that encourages enterprise, and where everyone pays their fair share. So freedom from poverty requires responsible spending, not debt, built on fairer taxes where lower earners pay less tax and the wealthiest pay more; working with others to boost jobs and tackle climate change; and building green jobs for the future. Freedom from ignorance needs better education, training and apprenticeships, so everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential, ...
There has been a lot of publicity today of claims by a race equality campaigner that the lack of black and Asian MPs in Wales is a "huge problem" which political parties need to take seriously. The BBC report that none of the 10 ethnic minority candidates standing in Wales for one of the four parties with MPs at Westminster is in a seat where their party came first or second in 2010 and that no black or Asian MP has ever been elected in Wales: The candidates from a BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) background include five Lib ...
Lib Dem Cities Adviser Lord Shipley says "we don't need any more writing on #devolution – just do it" #libdemdevo@Localis — Tony Smith (@SmithTonyD) March 24, 2015 Lib Dem Voice and the local government think tank Localis co-hosted a debate yesterday under the title 'What should the Lib Dems offer on devolution in their manifesto?'. I started by pointing out that our policies were not a secret and we had been discussing the manifesto for the last year or so, most recently in Liverpool. But the debate still threw up some interesting challenges. Stephen Williams, the Communities Minister, argued strongly ...
We were very pleased to see the inspection report of Stockport's Youth Offending service praise our success in reducing reoffending rates – something that's contributed to the fall in crime and anti-social behaviour in the borough. The Lib Dems have always championed evidence-led work to tackle crime and, though one crime is one too many, it's positive to see things moving in the right direction, and Stockport outperforming the England and Wales average by some margin. The published reoffending rate for Stockport was 30.8%. This was substantially better than both the previous year (34.6%) and the England and Wales average ...
Support for staying in the EU at 46%, an all-time high for YouGov. Support for leaving at 36%. pic.twitter.com/RPLXjzh8Yi — William Jordan (@williamjordann) March 24, 2015
I think it's fair to say that Nick Clegg may not exactly rock the tracksuit look, but he did do something very valuable today. In one of his last engagements as Deputy Prime Minister before the election campaign, he launched the Charter for Mental Health in Sport and Recreation aimed at kicking the mental health stigma out of sport. The video explains why: — Nick Clegg (@nick_clegg) March 25, 2015 He added: Whether it's Wimbledon or the World Cup, the Olympics or the Open, we are a nation truly inspired by our sportsmen and women. But with one in ...
In the run-up to this year's General Election, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is asking parliamentary candidates to support its manifesto, Nursing Counts, and to commit to supporting the following priorities: 1. Improve patient care by ensuring safe staffing levels; giving nurses access to training and; listening to the concerns of staff. 2. Value nursing by paying a fair wage; stopping the downbanding of nursing experience and; investing in nursing so that future generations aspire to become nurses. 3. Invest in health and care by guaranteeing no more cuts in the nursing workforce; increasing resources for the community and; ...
We will all be very busy for the next few weeks, working hard to get Lib Dem MPs elected. But once the votes are counted, the job of setting the country on the best direction will not over. There is every chance no party will win a majority. Thinking about this must not distract us from campaigning. But it would be irresponsible to think that polling day is the end. It is just the beginning. The Federal Executive has agreed processes for how Liberal Democrats approach inter-party negotiations. A negotiating team will operate on appointment by the Leader. It will ...
Wed 25th
09:58What Danny Alexander would say to his successor: "Jobs up, growth up, economy up, don't screw it up"
We all remember the rather pathetic note that Labour's last Chief Secretary to the Treasury left for his successor. [IMG: no money left] "I'm afraid there is no money left" he said. And he wasn't a million miles from the truth. Danny Alexander was asked yesterday at an event what he would put in a note to his successor. His reply was a little more, shall we say, motivating and inspiring, as the Vote Clegg, Get Clegg Facebook page reports: At a meeting yesterday with Danny Alexander on the panel, he was asked what he would say in a note ...
[IMG: 2015_predicted_winnerS] Today's shock political news is that a member of a political party has said that party will vote against the Queen's Speech of a party it generally disagrees with should it be in a position to do so. This should be something so routine it doesn't even need to be mentioned, but apparently because the party talking about it is the SNP, this becomes a grand constitutional matter, not an issue of regular politics in the House of Commons. Indeed, according to the Tories, this would be "trying to sabotage the democratic will of the British people" which ...
Hurrah for rude place names (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Wed 25th
08:55The Independent View: Location, location ... taxation? The benefits of a locally-driven mansion tax
A tax on high-value property is a long-standing Liberal Democrat ambition, yet one which remains controversial. If and when it is adopted by government, it must be directed locally if it is to address key concerns. The chief benefit of a mansion tax is to discourage purely speculative housing purchases. Falling demand for luxury property from prospective owners unwilling to pay tax on homes they are not inhabiting would encourage a greater focus from developers on homes affordable to the majority. Of particular concern is the 70% of newly built homes in central London bought by non-UK residents in 2013. ...
Wed 25th
08:43
Finally, someone tells the truth about a Brexit: that it would cost Britain money, not save it any
Open Europe have released a report outlining what a Brexit would look like economically - and from any sort of Eurosceptic standpoint, it's not pleasant reading. It outlines four scenarios post-Brexit; they range from economically catastrophic to economically slightly positive. And the one in which Britain fares the best involves deregulating everything and having essentially open borders. It should be noted here that Open Europe are hardly a bunch of raving Euro federalists by any stretch of the imagination. They are generally seen as mildly Eurosceptic, actually. So for them to be painting apocalyptic Brexit scenarios is particularly interesting. And ...
Further to my February update on the outstanding roads issues affecting Riverside Drive following its redesign and resurfacing last autumn, the promised road safety audit has now been completed and the City Council's Head of Transportation has now advised me as follows : "The Road Safety Audit and recommended amendments have now been fully signed off and the design engineers are actioning the remedial works. Summarising the recommendations will see: • An edge of road hatching replacing the temporary coning and end of lane bollards installed to make it clear that vehicles should not use this section of road. This ...
Wed 25th
08:25
I wonder how many people who signed the reinstate Clarkson petition will now regret it?
Jeremy Clarkson is to be sacked as Top Gear presenter after a BBC investigation concluded he did attack a producer on the programme... It is understood a report into the so-called 'fracas' at a North Yorkshire hotel, concluded that presenter spent 20 minutes verbally abusing producer Oisin Tymon, before launching a 30 second physical assault on him. [Daily Telegraph] 20 minutes. Not one momentary loss of temper. 30 seconds. Not one brief, thoughtless movement with the arm. I'm tempted to challenge any reader who claims this isn't serious to let me try the 20 minutes / 30 seconds combo on ...
[IMG: 1812 Moscow fire during Napoleon invasion] If all philosophy is footnotes to Plato, as they say, I have been wondering whether all politics might be footnotes to Tolstoy. I've been reading War and Peace - at the age of 56, I thought it was about time - and I've been struck by his perceptive attitudes to human behaviour. Take this for example, as Napoleon drew near to the gates of Moscow in 1812: With the enemy's approach to Moscow, the Moscovites' view of their situation did not grow more serious but on the contrary became even more frivolous, as ...
Firstly, we attach copies of the previous submissions that we have made to give context to the further comments we make now. (previous posting refers) [IMG: cropped-Lydiate-Parish-Council-Logo-e1372273297819] It is our view that the Local Plan process has been flawed and inappropriately conducted, a view we share with our MP Bill Esterson. Instead of a community based approach Sefton Council has led the process very much from its Planning Dept. based in Bootle. It feels like an imposed plan rather than one arrived at through genuine community engagement. Not an effective Plan We are concerned at what we see as ...
Jo Swinson* on Liberal Democrat Voice reports: 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 ...
