Political parties are preparing to launch their election manifestos to be picked apart and scrutinised by the public and media (and given whatever spin fits each groups particular agendas). Each manifesto will no doubt be held up and discussed as 'the' definitive guide to what this or that party is going to do to our country (with much bemoaning of what it will do to the -insert word most likely to enrage your particular brand of consumer- '). Then, when the dust has settled over the hair of another set of secretaries and ministers, turning them from brown/blonde/black/red/etc. to a ...
I have, in the past, extolled the virtues of Needham Market, with its predominantly Georgian high street, a splendid non-league Tier 4 football team and a gratifying support for genuinely hard-working Liberal Democrats. I have not, and it is remiss of me to have thus failed, mentioned its opera house until now. The Barrandov Opera, the vision of John and Carol Dearlove, is probably the smallest opera house in the country, with three brief 'seasons', one in April, another in September and the third in the run-up to Christmas. Up and coming talents perform a selection of arias and other ...
I have long known of Yogi Berra, the baseball player and coach, and his famous sayings. But for some reason I assumed he was a long-dead figure from early in the last century. Not a bit of it. He is alive today, aged 89. To celebrate this welcome news, here are some of the sayings attributed to him: "If the fans don't come out to the ball park, you can't stop them.""It's déjà vu all over again."[On why he no longer went to Ruggeri's, a St. Louis restaurant.] "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."[When asked if a player had ...
One of the worst human rights abuses in the later years of the Soviet Union was the use of psychiatry to repress dissidents. If you questioned the system you risked being diagnosed with a mental illness - 'sluggish schizophrenia' - and being confined to a closed institution. In a podcast from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Robert van Voren discusses the worrying signs that this tactic is being revived in the nations that have succeeded the Soviet Union.
The candidates seeking election as South Cambridgeshire's next MP along with those standing for South Cambridgeshire District Council have been announced after the deadline for nominations closed. Residents will head to the polls on Thursday 7 May to elect their next MP along with councillors for a third of the seats on the District Council - 19 in total. To make sure residents can have their say in the elections, they are also being reminded to make sure they are registered to vote. If you still need to register to vote please visit the Electoral Commission's website www.aboutmyvote.co.uk - the ...
"We simply can't afford to do it all, all the while ruling out any more cuts to army numbers. The real gamble with the nation's security is making a currently purpose-less weapon a financial priority." Nick Harvey explains how a like-for-like renewal of Trident would be a gamble with Britain's security. Mark Thompson looks at Labour's hypocrisy on government advertising. 'Adventures in Tory Land: Democracy in Middle England' by Katie Barron, says a reviewer on Amazon, "tells us something about both human nature and the trials of being a foot soldier in Nick Clegg's army after five years of coalition ...
ON THURSDAY 7 May, elections take place across the city for 14 of the 42 seats on Cambridge City Council, as well as for Members of Parliament for the Cambridge constituency (in 13 city wards) and the South Cambridgeshire constituency (in Queen Edith's ward). Nominated candidates for the UK parliamentary election in the Cambridge constituency are as follows: Chamali FERNANDO (Conservative) Keith GARRETT (Removing the politicians) Julian HUPPERT (Liberal Democrat) Patrick O'FLYNN (UKIP) Rupert READ (Green) Daniel ZEICHNER (Labour) For details of candidates in the South Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency, please visit www.scambs.gov.uk/content/recent-and-forthcoming-elections Nominated candidates for the Cambridge City Council elections ...
I was invited today to visit the Global Newsroom on the Team Valley to have a look around and learn about the company that produces Heart FM, Classic FM, LBC and Smooth Radio. Quite a fun time. I had a few questions about how they put their programmes together, based on my somewhat more limited experience of the technology. The tour started at 8.30am but it was worth getting out of bed early to
My post earlier this week about Sussex Police's latest rape prevention campaign proved controversial. Former Lib Dem presidential candidate and parliamentary candidate for Mid Sussex Daisy Cooper and others complained to the force after the posters were tweeted out last Saturday: HI @EverydaySexism@evawuk will you join me in demanding @sussex_police apologise &withdraw victim-blaming poster? pic.twitter.com/sTDL0TbbSq — Daisy Cooper (@libdemdaisy) April 4, 2015 Now Sussex Police have listened to the enormous amount of feedback they have had about this campaign and withdrawn it, as the Argus reports: Detective Superintendent Paul Furnell, Head of Public Protection, said: "The way we have gone ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above Hardly a week goes by without a gun issue hitting the headlines across Merseyside. Will it ever end?
Fri 10th
18:55
After polling day, it gets even more interesting for the Lib Dems: make sure you don't miss out on t...
[IMG: Liberal Democrat Newswire logo] Whatever the outcome of the election, the next few months will be some of the most important and testing for the party. Each month Liberal Democrat Newswire will be covering the events as the unfurl with my exclusive monthly analysis. Sign up to Liberal Democrat Newswire here and make sure you don't miss out. In the meantime, you can browse the previous editions online.
[IMG: johnmajorsoapbox] Another day, another series of set-piece speeches and photo opportunities. Marina Hyde in the Guardian does a very good job of catching the sterility of this election campaign, where the general public are being kept as far away from it as possible as battlebuses flit from one business park to another, hi-vis jackets are donned and removed, things are pointed at, activists wave signs and everyone leaves with the feeling that this wasn't why they got involved in politics, journalism or even coach driving. The Guardian also reports that many local campaigns are dreading the prospect of a ...
Fri 10th
17:41
LBC Women's Debate: Lynne Featherstone gets Harriet Harman to admit she's "happy" with Rachel Reeves...
Last night's 90 minute LBC women's debate was, on the whole, well-mannered, informative and a billion times better than anything Michael Fallon had had to say. Lynne Featherstone was our representative, Nicky Morgan represented the Tories, Diane James UKIP and Harriet Harman was there for Labour. I liked the 5 minute "Ask me Anything" segments where each candidate had to ask questions of the others. If I'm going to criticise, some of the questions were too long. If you are going to ask an awkward question, make it brief and make your opponent squirm for longer. Harriet Harman did keep ...
I like it when the wildlife starts to co-ordinate with the planting schemes, this jay visiting the pond matched beautifully. Some wildlife I'm not so keen on, wood rat taking a shortcut through garden to a bird feeding stand nearby. Daffodils and grape hyacinths are flowering. A hand-made Mother's Day gift from my son gets a weather-proof coat of paint. Planting it with herbs from the Lost Gardens of Heligan. And since it is finally Spring, hopefully for more than a day, the grass seed is starting to grow.
Earlier this week SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said that: The SNP have made it very clear that Trident is a fundamental issue for the SNP so we would never be in any formal deal with a Labour government that is going to renew Trident and we would never vote for the renewal of Trident or [...]
LDHQ have published a new batch of templates some of which are available on a bulk buy deal if you're quick. The artwork as PDF's and PagePlus files are available here Items are as follows: Tabloid A3 RISO Squeeze A4 RISO Weak Support Knock Up Blue Letters A4 RISO Squeeze Eve of Poll Leaflet 3S [...]
As Mark, Graham and the Lib Dem team have been pressing for, TfGM are now installing a CCTV camera at the junction to better monitor traffic flows. The hope is that it will enable them to modify the traffic light timings remotely and better respond to queue lengths at the junction to get traffic flowing as freely as possible. [IMG: Graham Greenhalgh and Iain Roberts at the Kingsway junction] Graham Greenhalgh and Iain Roberts at the Kingsway junction Contractors working on behalf of TfGM will be carrying out trial hole works on Kingsway at the junction with Gatley Road. The ...
Our fourth set of election artwork template batches. To see our earlier batches click here for Jan batch 1 and February batch 2 March batch 3 In this batch we have materials for the postal vote GOTV operation. For details on what to do see the linked article. Downloads Addressed Postal Vote Reminder with How [...]
The deadline has passed and we have five candidates standing in the Ludlow constituency. Three live in the constituency, one over the border in Herefordshire and one in Birmingham. Liberal Democrats. BARNES, Charlotte Ann. Linley Lane Cottage, Norbury, Bishop`s Castle, Shropshire, SY9 5DX. Conservatives. DUNNE, Philip Martin, (address in the North Herefordshire Constituency). UKIP. KELLY, [...]
If you're struggling to form a view on what's on offer for science at the general election, these interviews with six major parties are a starting point Voters with an interest in science may be struggling to form a view on what's on offer at the general election, if two recent public debates are anything to go by. A few weeks ago, the Society of Biology brought together science representatives from six leading parties, but little emerged to differentiate them. Consensus seemed the watchword. It all sounded a bit cosy, as if a muted respect had descended - for all ...
Fri 10th
15:32Nick Harvey writes...Trident: The real gamble with the nation's security is making a currently purpo...
[IMG: Trident] For some, there is no greater symbol of the United Kingdom's enduring role on the world stage and continued military relevance than the Trident nuclear weapons system. For others, Trident is the last unreformed bastion of Cold War thinking. It is a symbol of a bygone era of fear, instability and sky-high defence spending to hedge against an unpredictable Soviet threat. Despite the Cold War ending; Russia and the UK de-targeting one another; multiple treaties the UK has signed up to committing to a reduction in nuclear weapon stockpiles; and a £100bn price tag which will in time ...
Woo, woo. We have a sign that the Electoral Commission may finally be abandoning the conventional wisdom of political cynicism and joining the ranks of the Campaign for Democratic Optimism (aka The People Who Look At The Evidence – such as this and this). Here's their new press release on electoral registration: Over one million applications achieved – but there's still time to register to vote before the General Election Over one million (1,016,248) online applications to register to vote have been made at www.gov.uk/registertovote in the past three and a half weeks. The one million online applications have been ...
With less than a month to go until the general election and postal voting starting next week I thought I would write a quick piece on why I'll be voting Liberal Democrat on the 7th of May. First of all I think the party shares my values more than any other. I care about public services, but I also care about taxes and being self-employed I don't like overly burdensome regulation. I care about both my security and my privacy and feel that I shouldn't have to choose between one and the other. I don't want a party that favours ...
Lib Dems Believe Wordle 22
Here's another video to enjoy, posted up on the Liberal Democrat Newswire Facebook page: [IMG: Lib Dem postal vote video] If you're supporting the Liberal Democrats, remember to sign up to the Facebook event here - and show your support to others.
The Liberal Democrats are about freedom for every individual to live as they wish so long as their choices don't harm others. We aim to break down the three major barriers which hold people back: poverty, ignorance and conformity. We believe in carefully managing the resources we have, mindful that generations to come deserve the same freedoms as we have. That means that safeguarding our environment and making sure that we don't over-spend, amassing huge debts for the future, are essential. The cost of running an effective, liberal state must be met in a fair and sustainable way with those ...
Fri 10th
12:03
Why Plaid Cymru cannot take the moral high ground on tuition fees and coalition government
An anonymous, off-topic comment prompts me to do a search of the archives to illustrate that on tuition fees no party has a good story to tell. We all know what happened with the Liberal Democrats of course. The fact that the new system is actually an improvement on what was there before, that it means most students will not have to repay their tuition fee loan and that it is attracting more students from the poorest backgrounds to go to university than before, does not excuse the poor way that this was handled by my party. I did not ...
From Twitter: Oxford sadly lost @DrEvanHarris as MP. The new LibDem @LaylaMoran is a scientist & teacher. She has by far best chance of beating the Tory. — Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) April 9, 2015 * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.
In recent discussions of deficit reduction my ear was caught by a survey or economists, organised by the Centre for Macroeconomics and the a press release from the National Institute for Economics and Social Research, both suggesting that austerity had not helped growth, and the Office for Budget Responsibility being quoted as saying that cuts reduced growth by one percentage point in each of the first two years of the coalition and by five percentage points over its lifetime. The subtlety lies in a quote from Charlie Bean, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, that the main purpose ...
There will be five candidates in North West Durham: Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP. The details are below and full details can be found here. [IMG: The candidates]
To the denizens of Denne in the district of Horsham, please consider lending me your vote on 7th May 2015... [IMG: denne ward nom] AS FEATURED IN THE WEST SUSSEX COUNTY TIMES (2 April 2015): [IMG: wsct -apr 2015]
Election 2015: Lib Dem battle bus draws first blood - oh the things that pass for news. What a time to be alive. (tags: ) Lib Dems lead list of donations in Britain's top 20 marginal seats, Tories third (tags: ) I contributed a bit to this. Am glad it got funded, & ashamed of my party's (limited) pandering to anti-immigrant hysteria (tags: ) Unconnected and out of work: the vicious circle of having no internet (tags: ) Top Gear: Sue Perkins named bookies' favourite to replace Jeremy Clarkson (tags: ) Statement of persons nominated and Notice of poll: Calder ...
Richard Kemp reports: Liberal Democrats are fielding a third more candidates in this year's local election than last year and they have attributed it to a surge in people joining the Party in the last 12 months.
We're very glad to see the hole in the wall on Styal Road is finally being repaired – and looks like a good job too. [IMG: styal road wall] The Lib Dem team have been pressing to get it repaired and it's taken longer than we'd have liked. There have been several delays. Most recently the company doing the repair was stuck on their previous job when the electricity people decided they needed to do some work in the same place.
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention this week... Mike Hancock standing for re-election as he 'doesn't like' rival – BBC News "I don't like him." Mike Hancock explains his reason for standing against LibDem candidate http://bbc.in/1a9vEUs On the campaign trail: Tim Farron in Kendal | Total Politics / @TotalPolitics asked Tim Farron about giving the LibDems 2/10 for handling of the coalition http://bit.ly/1CkP9kJ Dinner with John? I feel we missed a trick not calling this a 'Cleese & Whine' evening > Dinner with John? http://bit.ly/1a9dJNN Please, no more coalitions: two-thirds of voters want one party rule ...
Imagine this on May 8th: the Tories have ended up with 270 seats in the House of Commons, the exact same number as Labour. The Lib Dems have 30, the SNP 40. The rest of the House is comprised of tiny parties with a handful of seats, the DUP being the largest with 9. If you've already done the maths in your head, you realise that no government could be formed out of two parties alone, and even multiple party government would be a stretch. You may be thinking that Labour could form a minority government with the Lib Dems ...
Nominations for the General Election and local election closed at 4pm on Thursday so we now know that Mark Hunter – who's been our MP for nearly ten years – will be the Lib Dem candidate for Cheadle parliamentary constituency and Graham Greenhalgh will stand for the local council seat in Cheadle and Gatley. [IMG: ld team photo] The Lib Dems are the only ones who have a track record of working hard for our area all year round, year after year. Others turn up at election time and ask for your vote, we get things done. [IMG: Selection_328] [IMG: ...
As the General Election campaign gathers pace all parties are focusing on the future of our NHS and social care, but it is the Liberal Democrats who are setting the agenda. The announcement of £8 billion of extra funding and thus the challenge to the two big parties to match it, has been met with stunned silence. Combine this with the proposal for a 'Care Closer to Home Fund' and you have a party leadership that is getting to grips with what needs to done in this important policy area. Contrast this with Ed Miliband's staggering ignorance evidenced by his ...
Power of Attorney is a campaign funded by the Scottish Government to raise awareness of the importance of having a Power of Attorney granted to a trusted relative or friend. The campaign involves a partnership between NHS Tayside, Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross Councils and local law firms. Many people are unaware that if they become ill or injured and are unable to make decisions for themselves, no one else can do this on their behalf unless they have legally been given power to do so through a Power of Attorney. The campaign is encouraging people to talk to ...
[IMG: changethetune] The Green Party's 'Change The Tune' election broadcast has generated quite a response since it was first released on Wednesday. Most of that reaction – and I include my initial ones – to it was pretty derisory, with lots of political types on Twitter saying it was the worst election broadcast they've ever seen, what a terrible idea it was, why didn't it feature Caroline Lucas talking about policy etc etc What we didn't consider was that it wasn't aimed at us, and indeed wasn't really aiming to be the traditional election broadcast. How many of them get ...
[IMG: white lines] A local resident had spotted that card driving down Daylesford Road were often turning into Barcheston (by Broadway) without pausing to check for traffic, leading to some near misses. The Give Way lines at the junction had worn away and people just didn't realise they should stop. Graham and the Lib Dem team have now had the lines repainted and we're looking at some other issues around that junction. Please let us know of any places where repainting lines would improve safety.
Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats, and I rather like it:
google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwkI2coBI A touchy subject this, which certainly tripped up the Lib Dems, but now a firm Labour supporter adds his concerns to those of an independent stance in slamming Ed Miliband's ill-thought out policy that will suit richer students but at the expense of poorer ones. The link above to the New Statesman's blog refers.
A resident asked me about the cherry picker in Tower Street. Here's the answer I received: 'The works that are being undertaken in Tower Street relate to on-going maintenance work by BAM Construction to the elevations of Elizabeth II Court. Due to the location and nature of the works these are weather dependant and have resulted in the cherry picker remaining on the road for longer than originally anticipated. Hampshire County Council and BAM are sorry for any inconvenience this is causing to residents. The siting of the cherry picker in the residential parking bays is necessary to enable uninterrupted ...
Liberal Democrats are calling on Labour's city council administration to rethink its plan to invest the lion's share of the council's available funds in commercial property and instead to make its priority alleviating the city's affordable housing needs. The move comes in a motion to next week's meeting of the full council in the names of Lib Dem leader Cllr Tim Bick and colleague councillors Catherine Smart, Andy Blackhurst, Nick Avery and Phil Tucker. "It is quite extraordinary that Labour is continuously commentating on the housing needs of the city, but when it has the resources, it's first instincts appears ...
