Jay Rayner on the uncharacteristic silence of Keith Vaz. "Boosting economies and vindicating the human rights of women and girls is the very real impact of aid in developing countries. The UK being the first G7 power to enshrine in law a commitment to spend 0.7% of its gross national income (GNI) on aid every year is something of which the British people should be justifiably proud." Jenny Tonge celebrates overseas aid. Did Nick Clegg drop two clangers yesterday? Keynesian Liberal thinks so. "Adolf Hitler said: 'I have sent my Death's Head units to the east with the order to ...
This morning, I had a feeling that the Telegraph's story about Tory preparations for a Boris Johnson coup was going to be the big story of the day, hence why I dashed off a quick post about it. In my defence, how was I supposed to know that the Prime Minister would manage to forget what football team he supposedly supports? Yes, I know it's trivial to care about what football team a politician supports, but I think it also shows just how manufactured Cameron's public image is that he felt the need to invent one, instead of just honestly ...
I have resolved to listen to some music before shutting down for the night. This evening it was the immortal Rostropovich playing Bach's cello suite No 2 in D minor. "E knew what E was doing, that Bach", Rostropovich said when I met him some years ago, and he was right!
[IMG: Who would make the best Deputy Prime]
Nick Clegg has been talking about how the Liberal Democrats will not be part of a coalition which has to rely on the support of the SNP or UKIP. He outlined his position in an email to members this afternoon: You'll see in the news today some comments I made about us not entering into a post-election coalition that relies on life support from the SNP or UKIP. Over the next 12 days the media are going to become more and more obsessed with who is prepared to do a deal with who. This only goes to underline what we ...
Liberal Democrats support our continued membership of the EU. We support the free movement of people within Europe. I fully agree that it is not acceptable that people from other countries come to the UK to claim benefits, just as it would not acceptable for British people to do the same when they go abroad. [...]
First, let us pause a moment to enjoy David Cameron's discomfort today. Remember, he is supposed to be an Aston Villa supporter: Not that he knows much about the Villa. Remember, he was 15 when they won the European Cup. If he really was a fan, that would have been one of the greatest nights of his life: The truth, I suspect, is that David Cameron is not a Villa fan at all. As I wrote when discussing Tony Blair's equally unconvincing claim to be a Newcastle United fan: Football may be classless today, but when the young Blair was ...
When I first came to Kazakhstan in the spring of 1994, the newly independent country was in a pretty sorry state. Travelling from Nanjing in China, by train, I'd had to shift from a comfortable Chinese train, with bizarre but usually palatable food to a Russian (i.e. ex-Soviet) alternative, on the opposite side of the [...]
I'm not sure quite how I missed it the first time around. Most probably because, like many policy commentators, I'm inclined to focus too closely on the relatively parochial and the marginal shifts in domestic policy position. As a consequence of this failure to look sufficiently far beyond the end of my own nose I only recently became aware of the Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, a document that was finalised back in October 2014. This document is not legally binding, but it offers a potential resource in ongoing discussions over the direction and ambition of housing policy emanating ...
Lib Dems Believe Wordle 37 Freedom - Community Politics
Fifteen years experience working in frontline mental health services; a family life rooted in our constituency; independent-minded and in no-one's pocket - these are the things that I bring to the table as a candidate to be our next MP. And I believe that the Liberal Democrats have a job to finish in Government - [...]
Why Community? Our starting point is the individual. We want to find ways of enabling and encouraging each person to fulfil his or her own potential. We believe that men and women have an immense, largely unrealised capacity for self-direction, self-cultivation, self-understanding and creativity. The ultimate obscenity is to reduce people to the status of objects: to be led, manipulated, directed, discarded. Our goal transcends political theory: it is an idea of human independence in which each, individually precious, human being has the liberty and the opportunity to experiment, to experience, to learn and to influence his or her surroundings. ...
If Nick Clegg has been correctly reported I suspect he made two serious mistakes yesterday. The first: he has apparently stated that the Liberal Democrats would take no part in a "rainbow coalition" which included the Scottish Nationalists. There are, to my mind, two problems with this. First, I think it is foolish to make statements as to what we shall or shan't do after the election. I know he, and other leading politicians, will be pestered by the commentators to rule things out and declare red lines, but these should be resisted. Such a response would not be evasive: ...
Sat 25th
16:07
Labour Leader questioned about Sefton Council's financial arrangements with Labour Mayor Anderson
Some people wonder why Radicals, progressives and those whose politics are generally considered as being on the Left want nothing to do with the Labour Party. The events surrounding Labour Mayor Joe Anderson receiving what the judge at an Industrial Tribunal described as 'a reverse form of zero hours contract, whereby the Respondent was bound to make to make payment of salary but the Claimant (Labour Mayor Joe Anderson) was not bound to provide any services. The disgraceful saga that saw Liverpool Labour Mayor -who worked in a Sefton MBC school - take his employers to an Industrial Tribunal came ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe:
Lord Ashcroft has released a further six constituency polls today. There is serious Liberal Democrat interest in only one of them – in Stephen Williams' constituency in Bristol West. The results make depressing reading, showing Stephen in 3rd place behind the Greens. The figures, after they've been through Ashcroft's magic manipulator, his not very transparent methodology. [IMG: Ashcroft Bristol West poll bar chart] As always he doesn't use the candidate's name, which makes no sense during an election. Let's face it, the voters will be filling in ballot papers with the candidates' names on them. Not only that, he doesn't ...
David Cameron had one of those moments on the campaign trail this morning. This is what happens when you are too used to reading your speeches off an autocue, I guess. He was talking about how he wanted to see Britain at ease with multiple identities. From the Guardian: Where you can support Man Utd, the Windies and Team GB all at the same time. Of course, I'd rather you supported West Ham." Asked to clarify his loyalties after his speech, which he read from an autocue, Cameron replied: "I had what Natalie Bennett described as a brain fade. I'm ...
Today's Anzac Day, and the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign. It is perhaps Australia and New Zealand's most important national commemoration – similar to our Remembrance Day. More than 11,400 Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) troops died during the campaign. The BBC has a good piece outlining what will be happening [...]
For the third time in ten days, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has hit out at the Conservatives, accusing them of putting party before country and risking the future of the United Kingdom they say they want to keep together. Their actions are very different, though. Last week, Michael Fallon talked up the entirely ridiculous suggestion of a deal between Labour and the SNP on Trident with the aim of persuading swing voters in middle England to vote Conservative. They also sent their Scottish leader campaigning in North East Fife, a seat they know that they can't win. Willie ...
There's a lot of activity in Yate today concerning the National Health Service. The Labour Party is holding an "NHS Day" at their pop-up shop, and members of the campaign group 38 Degrees are collecting signatures for their campaign "Save Our NHS". This level of interest shows how concerned the public are about the NHS - it's one of this country's unique and most treasured features. It's worth looking at what the major parties have put in their manifestos about NHS funding. The respected health and social care think tank The King's Fund has looked at the size of the ...
A quick, but important, observation which will be relevant for at least one political party after the May elections: the current deadlock between Labour and Tories in the polls is a striking example of how changing leader isn't enough to make a party into a winner. Both Cameron and Miliband, when elected, were meant to be the new leader gloriously leading their party to the 40%+ sunny polling uplands where they would win a comfortable overall majority and rule unimpeded by others. Cameron never finished rebranding the Conservatives to leave their rich, selfish and posh image behind, whilst Miliband (due ...
When it comes to the Lib Dems, political journalists are utterly clueless, and this means that a lot of people have severe misunderstandings about the likely result of the election if there's a hung parliament. I *keep* seeing two subjects coming up, over and again, in these discussions. These are "a Tory/Lib Dem/UKIP/DUP block" and [...]
In an election where the outcome is highly uncertain, and likely to be defined by feverish negotiations between many parties – with even the smallest possibly playing a part – ruling out options before the result is known is obviously foolish. 2010 was a success The Liberal Democrats know this well. We have recent experience of [...]
Sat 25th
11:13Sefton's £4,500 a year "pay for no work" deal with Labour's Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson comes...
The deal in which Liverpool Labour boss Joe Anderson was paid £4,500 a year by a Sefton school for doing no work came under attack from Lib Dem councillors at Thursday's meeting of Sefton Council. When the school, Chesterfield High School in Crosby, ended the arrangement, Mayor Joe Anderson took the case to an Employment Tribunal. When he lost there he appealed and lost again, with the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal being widely reported last week: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-32317297 At the Council meeting in Southport Town Hall, Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Simon Shaw led calls for an Inquiry into ...
In a General Election it always good to welcome outside helpers. Last night I had the pleasure of being out in the rain with a team led by Stephen Hesketh when along came John Pigott, past Chair of ALC, to add to our numbers. All political parties target seats nowadays. The Labour Party are sending out emails directing Southport supporters to go to their 'local battle ground' Ribble South, one of their top 100 target seats. From their point of view that makes sense. The bookies make Labour 100 to 1 outsiders in Southport and the Ashcroft poll puts them ...
Guy Who Invented Emoticons Hates Emojis - #IAgreeWithScott (tags: ) From Loonies to Pirates: five smaller parties fighting for your vote (tags: ) The Homer Simpson effect: Forgetting to remember (tags: ) The Rise of Arab Atheists | The New Republic (tags: ) The Creepiest Images from Google Maps - I like no7 best (tags: ) Book of Kells Now Free to View Online (tags: ) Not seeing politics in science fiction takes a certain amount of privilege (tags: ) How Men Value Independence in Wives — and Daughters (tags: ) This is the best looking G&T I have ever ...
[IMG: Car keys] The BBC reports: A Labour general election candidate has been suspended after appearing in court charged with drink-driving. Sumon Hoque, 32, who is standing in the Banff and Buchan constituency, is also accused of driving a car with no MOT and without a licence... A Scottish Labour statement said: "Sumon Hoque has been suspended from representing the Labour Party and we have, therefore, withdrawn support from him as the general election candidate." Meanwhile, the Ukip candidate who previous was in the news about providing free food (possibly in breach of the law) has now defended quoting Mein ...
The BBC has a Hung Parliament Coalition Builder, based on various projections of seats, and different possible outcomes depending on small voting shifts in the handful of marginal seats. The challenge is to get a coalition without the Lib Dems. It is almost impossible! There is an assumption this election -the Lib Dems are going to be at the negotiating table on May 8th. But, given the likely outcome for our party, what if we start from the assumption that we will not be at the negotiating table, and we will go into opposition and oppose any and all Queen's ...
The polls don't tell the truth. It's as simple as that. The question is what can you do about it? In an earlier blog I highlighted the dangers of focusing on a single data point - as shown by voting intention polls for the general election, where a swing one way is usually followed by a swing back the other. But there is a more fundamental problem: can you really trust poll results at all? Take the ITV Leaders' debate; according to the polling, twice as many people said they watched all the debate as really did. That is an ...
[IMG: Caters memorial] This is a great piece of artwork which is on Liverpool's waterfront between the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Museum of Liverpool. It was unveiled in 2010 by the Mayor of Liverpool. My interest and attention was drawn to it via my wife who has been researching her family history. This research has led to the fact that a relative of her's was a Liverpool Carter. The May 2010 Liverpool Echo article – see link above – gives some background information to the artist who created it, how the money to was raised to fund the ...
[IMG: Don't worry David, I've never gone back on my word.] Don't worry David, I've never gone back on my word. I think we might be in the election silly season, as today we're getting swamped by odd stories and speculation. This includes the idea that if the Tories don't get a majority, David Cameron will step down and allow Boris Johnson to be appointed Tory leader without an election so he can try and form a minority administration. So far, so silly, but if they do try it, they might want to take heed of the words of a ...
Sat 25th
08:54
Imagine if there was a Cameron-Miliband debate coming up - regret now from the Tories for ducking it...
Many, myself included, thought Cameron played a blinder when he managed to bully the networks into running the "debate" schedule he wanted, i.e. one without a head to head with just he and Miliband being involved. The idea at the time ran that since Miliband would be coming into the whole thing with such low expectations, he'd be bound to win no matter how Cameron performed. Given the Tories were on course for victory, giving such an opportunity to Labour had to be avoided. That seems a long time ago now, doesn't it? In a post-#Milifan Britain, the above stated ...
Cameron warned over right-to-buy David Cameron has been warned by the Institute of Fiscal Studies that his proposed extension to the right-to-buy scheme risks worsening the housing crisis and damaging Britain's public finances. The IFS also warned that the measure risked further dividing communities into rich and poor areas. It added that previous pledges to replace every home bought under the existing right to buy scheme had not been followed through. The Times newspaper ran this story What Britain needs now is more social housing not less. Giving people a cheap deal to buy their social housing property simply takes ...
I preface this by saying that nothing I say about Nigel Farage will make any difference. Just one more bleeding heart liberal bleating on... He's taking temazepam for back pain, then drinks beer on Thursday, as the photo shows. Apart from starting to look like the late great Derek Jameson, he is risking his health. This website says: Do not drink alcohol while taking temazepam. It can increase some of the side effects, and could possibly cause a fatal overdose. And what are those side effects which can be increased by drinking alcohol while taking temazepam? Here are some: weak ...
Despite avidly using social media myself I am the first to admit that it is a young person's game. It is also a very democratic media in which people vote with their feet. If you do not capture people's imagination straight away and find a way to keep their attention then you will find that you are talking to yourself. In that respect the likes of Twitter and Facebook are not conventional marketing tools in which you can force your message onto people with persistent advertising. It is a shame that Government has not learnt that lesson. Today's Times reports ...
It's election time, so first here's a bit of political commentary... Labour/Tory election battle looks a bit like Man Utd/City prem campaign. Reds' success only relative. Neither anywhere near winning title. — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) April 22, 2015 Now, back to business. Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks (1,985 points) continue to lead the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 33, a little distance ahead of Jon Featonby (1,900). But the battle for that runners-up spot is a hot one: just 30 points separate second and fifth places. But let's also hear it for three players outside the top ...
The Evening Standard reports: A pollster today accused a London candidate of using "misleading" figures in a bid to unseat a Cabinet minister. Lee Godfrey, who is standing for Labour against Energy Secretary Ed Davey in Kingston & Surbiton, told residents an Ashcroft poll showed he had overtaken Mr Davey and was in second place. His leaflet declared that "Lib-Dems are a spent force here" and urged them to rally behind Labour. However, the leaflet was disowned by Lord Ashcroft Polls, which said their research actually showed Mr Davey in first place.
It's election time, so first here's a bit of political commentary... Labour/Tory election battle looks a bit like Man Utd/City prem campaign. Reds' success only relative. Neither anywhere near winning title. — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) April 22, 2015 Now, back to business. Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks (1,985 points) continue to lead the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 33, a little distance ahead of Jon Featonby (1,900). But the battle for that runners-up spot is a hot one: just 30 points separate second and fifth places. But let's also hear it for three players outside the top ...
[IMG: 2nd Lt "Mary" Coningham of 32 Squadron, The Somme, 1917] Today marks one hundred years since Gallipoli and my brother and I will be at the Cenotaph to mark this special ANZAC day, as my grandfather, Arthur Coningham, a very young New Zealander, was there and survived. We never knew him because he died in an air accident in the Bermuda Triangle in 1948 but we know from family that his experience in the Dardenelles affected him greatly. Arthur Coningham later went on to join the embryonic Royal Flying Corps (where he was known as Mary, thought to be ...
The Liberal Democrats will create the post of a Veterans Commissioner to help ensure that veterans get the support they will need, the party has announced today. Roger Williams has said the party will 'serve those who have served' by working with armed forces charities and homelessness charities to ensure veterans do not fall between the gaps in services and get the help they need to get back on their feet. The purpose of creating a Veterans Commissioner is to improve co-ordination and prioritisation for veterans across government departments. Roger Williams, Parliamentary candidate in Brecon and Radnorshire, said: "We ask ...
One of the striking characteristics of Britain's current general election has been how very domestic the agenda has been: the NHS, job creation, the cost of living and so forth. Perhaps it is because I live in London, one of the world's truly global cities, and write and broadcast about international affairs that I find [...]
