Joshua Rozenberg has written a reasoned defence of the decision not to prosecute Greville Janner, though he does not explain why 10 men with dementia have been prosecuted for sexual offences this year. I was struck, however, by the headline "Critics of Lord Janner decision misunderstand justice system". Rozenberg will not have written it, but it is a fair summary of his argument. If educated lay people do not understand the justice system, isn't that a problem for the justice system too? Or are we just meant to accept that lawyers are innately superior to the rest of us? I ...
Jim Crace paints a sympathetic picture of Michael Moore as he fights to hold Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk: Every conversation, though, invariably comes back to the coalition. The Scots are not as keen to forgive as many Lib Dems would hope. In public Moore remains resolutely on message - "I don't believe in cutting and running" - and tries to talk up his party's achievements. But his heart doesn't seem wholly in it: he knows the party made a huge mistake over university tuition fees and if he could turn back time, he would. But what's done is done, and ...
Proper post tomorrow
.@Kirsty_Williams "I'm grateful to the Syrian Doctor who looked after me when I was having my children" #walesdebate — David Deans (@DeansOfCardiff) April 22, 2015
Wed 22nd
21:42
Ukip hates Britain - and that includes Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing, and Top Gear
You would expect Ukip, with its concerns about immigration, to be a big supporter of established British traditions. But it is not. Here is Nigel Farage quoted in the Independent today: "I would like to see the BBC cut back to the bone to be purely a public service broadcaster with an international reach, and I would have thought you could do that with a licence fee that was about a third of what it currently is."And that, of course, would mean no Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing, and Top Gear. To most of us the BBC is an important ...
We reported a few weeks ago that the Alexandra Hospital planned to convert the old coal yard into a car park, freeing up spaces in the village. The planning application has now been submitted and you can view it online here, and of course submit your comments in favour or against if you wish.
Some people will have got a surprise when their postal votes arrived this week. Instead of the one ballot paper that they were expecting for the General Election they also got one for a local election. I always think is ... Continue reading →
Lib Dems Believe Wordle 34 Freedom - stronger economy, fairer society
Pugh Warns Tory Regional Pay Plot Will Hit North West Teachers and Nurses John Pugh, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Southport, warns teachers and nurses in the North West will be paid nearly £1,200-a-year less under Conservatives plans to introduce local public sector pay rates if governing alone. John Pugh led the Lib Dems in blocking Conservative attempts to smash uniform national pay rates for state workers - and would do it again. Dozens of Conservative MPs and candidates want salaries of public sectors workers in the North West cut in a bid to make them fall in line with ...
Roy Jenkins - Fuller Lives and Greater Freedom Thanks to Scottish Liberal Andrew Page for the graphic, which I have previously borrowed on one of my Liberal Mondays on Love and Liberty.
Wed 22nd
18:59
I agree with Philip Dunne that election posters shouldn't be defaced - but neither should he deface ...
The Conservative candidate for Ludlow is creating a bit of a stink in the media today. He says that his election posters around South Shropshire are being defaced and that's anti-democratic. I agree. But Philip Dunne can't take a moral high ground on this matter. His banners in Ludlow have wrecked a thousand tourist photos. [...]
Let us be on the side of those who want people to be free to live their own lives, to make their own mistakes, and on the side of experiment and brightness... of fuller lives and greater freedom. We cannot successfully survive unless we can make our society more adaptable; and an unadaptable political system works heavily against this. Politicians cannot cling defensively to their present somewhat ossified party and political system while convincingly advocating acceptance of change everywhere else in industry and society. 'Everybody change but us' is never a good slogan. A new politics, innovative, libertarian, close to ...
In between knocking up postal voters for Julian Huppert in Cambridge (and least said about one doorbell the better) I spotted this lovely old painted sign: [IMG: Sign painted on side of a Cambridge building] Notice that back when the sign was painted, the way to boast about bread was to say it was "machine made", not "hand made". The "pure" is a reminder how big an issue secret adulteration of bread used to be, and that indeed is one of the reasons why 'made by machine' used to be seen as a positive attribute – it could be accurate, ...
[IMG: yougovpredictions] I'm going to break one of my rules for these election blog posts today to talk about a poll. However, this one isn't a voting intention poll, so I won't be having to write 'variations within the margin of error' too many times. No, what I want to talk about is this YouGov poll, asking voters to predict who they think will win the election. This wasn't asking who they wanted to win the election – one expects that would be similar but not identical to voting intention – but rather who they think will win the election. ...
[IMG: John Pugh MP for Southport] Iain Brodie Brown has the story on his Birkdale Focus Bog Site – see link above. This is a subject close to my heart as I spent many years as a trade union officer and activist for IRSF, PTC & PCS trying to resist regional pay which would make public sector workers outside of London and the South East second class employees.
This week's selection covers three kind of nonsense: fad diets, nessie and the writings of Naomi Klein. The Logical Failures of Food Fads by Alan Levinovitz (Slate) "Paleolithic, vegan, raw, fruitarian, gluten-free, macrobiotic. Whatever diet it happens to be, the first question I ask is: "For the love of God, what's going on?" I mean that [...]
Nigel Farage wants the BBC to stop making Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing, and Top Gear The BBC should be "cut back to the bone" and stop producing popular entertainment programming, Nigel Farage has said. The Ukip leader said he wanted to see the BBC dramatically shrunk and only produce "public service" output – defined by regulator Ofcom as programmes broadcast "for the public benefit". [The Independent] Of course, those are all shows which make the BBC significant sums of money that then gets ploughed into its other output.
Wed 22nd
16:37
Kelly-Marie Blundell on walking the high wire: "It was absolutely terrifying but not so bad after th...
You will be relieved to know that Guildford Liberal Democrat candidate Kelly-Marie Blundell survived her tightrope walk in one piece. She was very brave indeed, getting back on after she fell off. That sort of persistence, courage and determination is definitely what you need in an MP. The event has been covered in the media, on the BBC's Election Live page (at 15:26 today): [IMG: Kelly-Marie on the High Wire] And on the Guildford Dragon: Guildford's Lib Dem candidate for Westminster showed her skills at holding the balance of power this morning (April 22) with the help of the Moscow ...
Identify your priority groups for the final fortnight and polling day Contact them on phone, doorstep and target mail Prioritise your polling day contacts With joint local and general elections in most places, you need to think through afresh your tactics for getting out the vote (GOTV) rather than just re-running what you did last [...]
With thanks to Rob Blackie and Jo Sutcliffe, here are the excellent polling week emails used in Sutton last year. One advantage of the email campaign is you can spend an evening setting it up this week and then it is already to go on polling week. The Sutton campaign has some great features: The [...]
Cllrs Kath Pinnock (President, ALDC) and Gerald Vernon-Jackson (Leader, LGA Liberal Democrat Group) have launched the Liberal Democrat Local Election Manifesto. In a message to Lib Dem councillors and campaigners across the country, they write: "Colleagues, Please find below the Lib Dem Local Government Manifesto. This is to highlight the relevant parts of the Lib [...]
Wed 22nd
15:25
How the ban on exit polls stops pollsters treating postal voters differently from non-postal voters
A few days ago I wrote about how the ban on exit polls being published before 10pm on polling day is worded broadly, and so could catch out people reporting a party breakdown for how many comments there have been on social media from postal voters saying they've voted. It's also pollsters who have to be careful about this ban. With so many people voting by post well in advance of polling day, it might seem natural for pollsters to ask people whether or not they have voted, separating out those who have (who can simply be asked how they ...
Wed 22nd
15:20Why Lib Dem Councillor Zoe stood down and what we should learn about our expectations of councillors
Liberal Democrat councillor Zoe Franklin is clearly a talented, caring and committed local servant. Her blog tells us that she's someone who cares deeply about child poverty, the cost of childcare, and she likes to keep residents informed about what's happening. It's a great shame, then, that she's standing down as councillor for the Stoke ward in Guildford. She's written on the Guildford Dragon about why she's made the decision not to run again for election. The toll the job takes both personally and financially just got too much. Her story of how she became involved sounds very familiar: I ...
Yesterday in the Assembly we discussed the Welsh Government's best practice guide on Community Asset Transfers. As the Minister pointed out: "Community asset transfers provide an opportunity to help communities develop thriving and diverse localities and sustain the long-term use of property assets and services. These transfers also open up opportunities for generating local economic benefits, reinvesting income locally and creating new jobs and skills." Essentially, this mechanism allows for a community, a community council or local trust to take over and run public assets. It is a means to keep important services going in the face of public expenditure ...
Ealing Southall Liberal Democrat candidate Kavya Kaushik has been writing for the New Statesman about the effect of the sort of rhetoric we're hearing in the immigration debate. She was annoyed by Evan Davis' comments about Nick Clegg's family background during his leader's interview last week and recognised Nick's obvious irritation: The choice to fixate upon Clegg's multicultural upbringing, suggesting it to be out of touch with "British" people, made for uncomfortable viewing. For centuries immigrants have been an integral part of the British working class. Within the context of the current immigration climate, it feels like further demonisation of ...
[IMG: Facebook login page] 4 in 5 floating voters at this election use Facebook, and they use social media for just over 75 minutes a day on average. Those are the two figures that leapt out at me from the new data published by Global Web Index, though this did also catch my eye: UKIP also sees a spike [in support amongst] men and older groups, but does better in the lower rather than top income quartile. Its supporters are anti-technology and are less interested than any other group in other cultures, equality or doing their bit to help the ...
Good news from Sutton for Paul Burstow's re-election campaign: On Monday night, Cheam Councillor Graham Whitham surprised everyone by resigning as a Conservative during a Council meeting. Today he has gone one step further by backing my re-election campaign and is urging others to do the same. Graham has been a life long Conservative and as he told councillors on Monday he felt compelled to speak out against the nasty tendency in his party and warn of the danger of the Tories becoming even more extreme. I am grateful for his support and invite you to read his speech to ...
With the General and Council elections in full swing here in Acocks Green, Hall Green and Tyseley, there have been updates on two of the issues that particularly important to people: Crime and jobs. The crime figures figures for Acocks Green ward show a year on year fall of 4.9% in the year to the end of March. These are encouraging figures as they represent a fall on top of previous improvements. Early figures from April do show a rise, largely caused by one incident of damage to cars (recorded as several seperate crimes) as someone vandalised a number of ...
This morning I was priviledged to get to speak to the Sixth Formers of Woodbridge High School in my constituency at a hustings. Full credit goes to Simon Shaw and the rest of the faculty for organising the event and helping their students access democracy even though many can't actually vote this year. I enjoyed the event so much I want to publish my speech here in full, for other younger people who weren't there. Opening: When we were coming up to the 2010 election, I was watching the debates on tv but it didn't feel right, because I was ...
The news this week has been dominated by the horrendous tragedies of over 1000 deaths in the Mediterranean. With the notable exception of the vile Katie Hopkins, this tragedy has moved the hardest hearts, not least because of the number of children who have died. For me it's far closer to home and I confess I have spent the last couple of days fighting back the tears. I have the enormous privilege of caring for two children who made that same journey. And the danger for them didn't begin when they climbed into a rickety boat, it began as they ...
Wed 22nd
11:25Does anyone give a hoot about the Grant Shapps furore? Even if the Lib Dem press office and Nick Cle...
Grant Shapps, a Conservative who's been getting himself into all sorts of scrapes for some years now. That is, of course, if he can remember his name. We've clearly got to that stage of an election where the journalists just want to have some fun. Rather than discuss the major issues of the day – remember that hundreds of people have drowned in the last week – the media is all in a spin about a Guardian story which suggests that Shapps is behind a Wikipedia profile which has edited the pages of various Conservatives, including Shapps, to either add ...
Wed 22nd
10:25New edition of Liberator is out: Peerages, post election scenarios and early intervention
The latest issue of Liberator, the independent radical liberal magazine, is with subscribers. Live sample contents from Liberator 371 are available online here. Commentary looks at whether the coalition negotiation team hand-picked by Nick Clegg would have the nous to walk away from a poor deal, or whether its wants a coalition at any price if the numbers are right. The lead story from Radical Bulletin concerns speculation about other contenders who might challenge Tim Farron's rather obvious ambition to be the next leader should a vacancy arise. In the sample feature Road To Recovery, former MP Michael Meadowcroft suggest ...
There may only be five Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs,sadly, but by heavens they have delivered incredible things. As Justice Spokesperson for the last four years, Alison McInnes has stopped the SNP Government in its tracks several times. She couldn't stop ... Continue reading →
I was press officer for Democracy Day in 1992, seven days before polling day in the general election. It was a highly successful stunt organised all over the country by Charter 88. It nearly killed me at the time. The conventional media was pretty insulated against anyone 'intervening' in the election campaign from outside Westminster, and publicity was a frustrating business. It was as if it wasn't really our business. I seem to remember that Democracy Day achieved two things. First, it successfully put the constitution on the political map - PR for elections, devolution to Scotland and Wales and ...
Nick Clegg accused of following 'gangsta' fashion - LOVE the comment from the LD spokesperson (tags: ) Nick Clegg political LEGO Minifigure - poor old Cleggy looks so worried (tags: ) In which Chuck Wendig explains how toxic Comment Sections Are Our Own Fault (tags: ) Councillor under investigation over alleged code breach - I wonder what's happened to this investigation? (tags: ) Why the hysteria over Nicola Sturgeon? - Deborah Orr gets it spot on (tags: ) Religious and refugee groups denied access to Dungavel immigration centre I feel slightly sick just reading this. Government not allowing access to ...
From a Lib Dem press release (a slightly more boring one this time) comes news of one of the other parts of the Liberal Democrat election manifesto which haven't had much attention yet: Liberal Democrats will guarantee public sector pay increases by at least the rate of inflation, the Deputy Prime Minister announced today. Nick Clegg said after five years of pay restraint public sector workers deserved to see light at the end of the tunnel and feel the benefits of the economic recovery. It is why the Liberal Democrats will ensure employees in the public sector are no longer ...
Wed 22nd
09:43
When it comes to the environment, the Lib Dems are head and shoulders above the Green Party in this ...
Anyone seriously concerned about the environment should look no further than the Liberal Democrats when deciding how to cast their vote in May. My personal manifesto highlight is the pledge to enact five green laws, good long term measures designed to reign in the worst excesses of Climate Change and put the UK on a sustainable footing. A public sector sustainability duty; statutory recycling targets & regulation to require recycling, reuse and repairability; energy efficient new homes; and, hugely, a commitment to a zero carbon Britain by 2050. This latter commitment is particularly bold and on an epic scale that ...
Some time back I wrote an article comparing the current state of British politics to the original Star Wars trilogy. In response, I received many a request to give Westminster the Game of Thrones treatment. Problem was, I didn't really see how it all fit; I just couldn't puzzle out how all of those murderous clans were analogous to UK politics. But then it all came to me yesterday, in a moment of clarity. The Tories are the Lannisters - ruthless, will do anything for power, a bit old school and incestuous, and their brightest sparks tend to be disregarded ...
An Electoral Commission press release brings the news: As part of its regular monthly casework update, the Electoral Commission has today (21 April) published details of a £1,200 fine imposed on the National Conservative Draws Society. The society has been fined for repeatedly failing to notify the Commission that it had made donations to the Conservative Party in excess of £25,000 during 2012, 2013, and 2014. Whilst the Conservative Party reported receiving the donations, under The Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), unincorporated associations are also required to notify the Commission when their donations to political parties exceed ...
Public sector workers would be guaranteed pay rises of at least the rate of inflation if the Liberal Democrat had their way. Nick Clegg is to give the details of the plan today. This would mean a minimum pay rise of £350 for a nurse on £25,000, £420 for a police officer on £30,000 and nearly £500 for a teacher on £35,000 over the next two years. After that, the government would recommend to pay review bodies that they give above inflation increases so that wages can rise in real terms. Outlining the plan, Nick Clegg said: Workers across the ...
Further to my update at the end of last month about the future of Victoria Park Bowling Green, last night I took part in a site visit with local schools' and community representatives, Environment Department staff and two of my ward colleagues to look at the green's condition and that of the pavilion. We had further very useful discussions about future schools and community use of the facility and we clearly now have a positive way forward for the former Bowling Green, which is really good news. A couple of photos from last night : The green is in good ...
The popular Prestwich Clough Day returns on Sunday 17 May 2015. This is a free day out for all the family celebrating the Prestwich Clough area of parkland, established by Prestwich Urban District Council in 1906. The Clough Day is 12noon – 5.00pm on Prestwich Flower Park (Bury New Road) and at the Church Inn (Church Lane). [IMG: Screenshot 2015-04-22 08.28.51] This is the 10th Prestwich Clough Day, which is a great achievement. Clough Day Chair David Stanley said: "Little did we think when we held the first one in 2006 that would achieve such a milestone. For this we ...
NHS Bury has published pharmacy opening hours for the bank holiday Mondays 4 May and Monday 25 May 2015. [IMG: Screenshot 2015-04-22 08.11.31]
The Liberal Democrats have announced a 'Five Point Plan' for teachers and parents The front page of the Lib Dem manifesto states our commitment on education, to protect education funding from nursery to 19. The Liberal Democrats are the only party to guarantee the protection of per pupil funding in real terms over the next five years. The Liberal Democrat five point commitment for teachers and parents will: – Provide an additional £2.5bn of funding for 2-19yr-olds by 2020; protecting per pupil education spending in real terms over the next parliament and increasing the education budget as a whole. – ...
Residents across Bury are invited to help shape the future of council services at a 'customer task force' event held on Friday 1 May.The session is for people who live in the borough and either use, or care for someone who uses, social care services. Bury Council says: "This is your opportunity to find out what's coming up, tell us what you think and help us shape our services so that they better meet your needs." The event will take place from 10am to noon (a light breakfast will be provided) in the Lancaster Room at Bury Town Hall. At ...
Not so long ago I bought a second hand book called 'The Products of Binns Road' from the Hornby Companion Series by Peter Randall. [IMG: IMG] A fascinating book in itself but then what fell out of it? Well a letter dated February 1980 from a chap in New Jersey together with an undated British press cutting headed 'Sit-In goes on at Meccano' and a page from the Los Angeles Times dated 7th November 1978. [IMG: British newspaper article - Daily Telegraph?] British newspaper article – Daily Telegraph? The Los Angeles Times article is all about 'Erector', the US equivalent ...
[IMG: Labour annual conference 2014] More of politics in action: 1) Say you want more young people to get more involved and interested in politics. 2) Young people get interested in politician and discuss him. 3) say 'oh, not like that'. As ever, people talking to the young have forgotten what it was like to be young. Imagine if Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and the rest had been around 20-30 years ago – what embarrassing sites created by journalists and politicians would now be in the archive for us to discover? How many current Tory MPs would have had Thatcher shrines, ...
Rent to Own will help all renters. Right to Buy has no particular effect on Wales and is a flawed policy anyway.
