Nick Clegg's Education 'red line' announcement earlier today, and the suggestion that there will be more over the coming days, is tantamount to an admission of failure as far as the Lib Dem general election campaign strategy is concerned. We were told as far back as last July that there would be no red lines in the manifesto in case they hampered future coalition discussions. I have argued vociferously that this makes no sense in an election where the public is very interested in the answer to that question. As I argued in my recent article for the Social Liberal ...
Reading the Lib Dems hashtag on Twitter is a great way to self-medicate for euphoria at the moment. The false claims of the Conservatives, the hypocritical moralising from Labour, the narrow-minded xenophobia of UKIP, and the smug superiority of the Greens and the SNP (I know, we were just as bad before 2010) are enough to turn anyone's stomach. None of these actually bother me though. In fact they often lead to interesting discussions, a useful test of my beliefs as often as not. It's the consistent crowing over the great "betrayal" and the coming "just desserts" that stick in ...
After the month from hell dealing with the fallout from the Puppies, and the consequent backlog of posts, I'm back to a normal posting schedule at last, and so here's the first Batpost for a month. Over on Patreon, for those who are nice, generous, kind, good people who like giving me money, there's a [...]
At tonight's City Council's committees : + At Education Committee, I supported a Labour motion on staff shortages in Dundee schools and commented that this is a real concern (including the national issue about lack of supply teachers) that urgently needs addressed. It was good to see cross-party agreement on this issue. I also supported a further Labour motion to develop a proper brief for the Young Mothers' Unit, but the SNP administration voted this down. + At Housing Committee, I welcomed a Shelter-sponsored project that will allow for two staff to be attached to the City Council's Housing Department ...
Nick Clegg has announced tonight that protecting the education budget is going to be a deal breaker in any coalition negotiations and that we would not enter any coalition without ensuring that funding would be raised by £6.3 billion over the next Parliament. He told the BBC he would: not accept under any circumstances the cuts to nurseries, to schools and to colleges that both Conservatives and now Labour have announced". And if we don't get that we wouldn't enter into a coalition in the first place," he continued. We are the only party to protect from cradle to college, ...
Anoosh Chakelian is not impressed by the new, pumped-up David Cameron: As soon as he starts ranting and turning scarlet, viewers are reminded not of a slick, safe statesman, but of a bully on the rampage. A tyrannical lord of the manor who's been awoken from his slumber by an improperly-timed dinner gong.I was blogging about David Cameron as Flashman back in 2009, and judging by that post Michael White had made the connection before that. So let us see Flashman in action in the 1971 BBC adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays...
Ignore the apparently regular fluctuations on who is in the lead as polls from different companies come out muddled together. Instead focus in on what each pollster on its own has been saying during March and April. Five never have Labour in the lead. Three never have the Tories in the lead. One has shown a clear switch from Labour to the Tories. It's only two pollsters – including the most prolific – who show a lead switching back and forth. Conservatives ahead ICM (phone): 1-6% lead for Tories, average 3%. As Stephen Tall points out, ICM are the pollster ...
We were a bit remiss and didn't publish last week's Party Political Broadcast when it first came out. Continuing the theme from previous broadcasts, this time we have a young woman walking around in the dark listening to Nick on the radio talking about what the Liberal Democrats can offer as coalition partners. Enjoy. The Scottish version is voiced, very well, actually, probably with even more clarity and feeling than Nick, by Willie Rennie: The previous PEBs can be found here, and here, where Helen makes up her mind.
www.dec.org.uk/?gclid=CI-RxeCCl8UCFUQUwwodMy4AWw [IMG: MTGXT958P68SK88CC4W-paypal_hero]
Tomorrow (Tuesday 28 April) is International Workers Memorial Day. Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic "accidents". They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't that important a priority. Workers' Memorial Day commemorates those workers. Workers' Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year, all over the world workers and their representatives conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day. The day is also intended to serve as a rallying cry to "remember the dead, but fight ...
I was sent this by another LibDem activist today: It's an online poll.. one votes (and verifies one's vote as unique by Facebook). One can claim to be a voter anywhere (by inputting a postcode) but you only get one vote.. you can change your vote/seat, but presumably it cancels the old vote. The thing that interests me is that Greens were all over it first... and still dominate but a slow tide of other colours are appearing.. however Greens, UKIP and the SNP are in their element here and "first movers".. When shown to one of our veteran ...
Let's start with a couple of tales from the doorsteps, and see which one you find the most amusing. Both of them are from Devon, so maybe they do elections differently down there. First, we have the Greens of Exeter with a complaint: We're appalled to learn @BenPBradshaw is knocking on doors of those displaying #Greens posters urging them to vote Labour. #scaretactic — Exeter Green Party (@exetergreens) April 25, 2015 Related PostsPredict the election result and win beer! (Or a drink of your choice) (Possibly) New poll: 36% of Britons support a basic income Worth Reading 159: You can't ...
A while ago we told you about the Youth Leaders' debate on Channel 4 organised by Shout Out UK, which is an independent news network for young people. The debate is happening at 8pm tomorrow evening and you can watch it here. Alex Harding, the Chair of Liberal Youth, will be our representative. Shout Out asks: We are hoping to get as much exposure as possible for this historic event. As such, would you mind helping us promote it by joining our thunderclap? To join simply CLICK HERE. Thank you so much for your support and please do watch the ...
I had to phone the HMRC's tax credits helpline last week. I had to report that my household income had risen this month. I'm obliged to do so for fear of the most appalling consequences if I don't. I can't apparently do so online, at least until my annual information pack arrives in July. The experience was so infuriating and has made me think rather differently about the election campaign. The helpline is not a freephone, it's an 0345 number. I had to hang on twice - first for an hour and a quarter, after which someone rang my front ...
[IMG: Lib Dem achievements in government - 2. Fairer taxes] For more, see the full infographic: What have the Liberal Democrats achieved in government? [IMG: Share on Facebook] [IMG: Share on Twitter] Show support for Lib Dems on social media The Liberal Democrats have achieved so much in the last five years. Now help the party achieve even more in the next five years: Sign up to this Thunderclap to share a message on the eve of poll about voting Liberal Democrat Sign up to this Facebook event to show that you're voting Liberal Democrat
Over on Huffington Post, Norman Lamb has written about his campaign to end discrimination against mental health. The Liberal Democrats are on a mission to end the discrimination against mental health. From Paul Burstow who changed the law to give mental health equality with physical health to my work ensuring there is proper mental health crisis care available across the country. Nick Clegg has announced the first ever waiting time standards, ending Labour's discrimination against mental health that meant it missed out when money was tight. And we've committed over a billion pounds to revolutionise children's mental health. In the ...
Not exactly a policy response this post, so much as political theory. Today someone asked me if I was a Libertarian. No. Seriously, no. The reason for this goes right to the heart of the differences between Liberalism & Libertarianism, and for that matter between Liberalism and Statism. It's all to do with the role of government. (Disclaimer in case any Americans find this post: I'm using all these terms in the sense used in British English and British Politics. No, Liberal is not a synonym of Socialism. Nor is the US Democrat Party either of those things. And the ...
Once, in the Principality, there was a "sort of" Baron. To be honest, the "sort of" Baron was only sort of in the Principality as he lived on an island far, far away much of the time. But he owned the castle, and lots of other lands in the Principality so we'll call him a sort of Baron. Minor Baron. Little Baron, if you will. Little Baron had vexed the people of the Principality mightily over the years. At one time, he had tried to change the law to have himself proclaimed Prince, but the people overthrew him and drove ...
If you listen to the Labour and Conservative Parties the financial crisis is over - the books have been balanced - they can start spending money as if it is going out of fashion (except of course on the things ... Continue reading →
On the penultimate Saturday before the General Election, the Labour Party made a fairly startling policy announcement that was hardly noticed by the media: "Labour would outlaw Islamophobia", said Ed Miliband in an interview. At first glance, that doesn't seem like a scary announcement – I mean, Islamophobia is a bad thing, right? Unfortunately, it's much more complex than that. The proposals are fairly nebulous at this point: Ed says he intends to "make Islamophobia an aggravated crime" and "toughen existing hate crime legislation". Defenders of freedom of speech should be alarmed at this, because Labour has dangerous previous form ...
Mon 27th
14:55
Election deadline coming up: don't leave it too late to appoint polling and counting agents
[IMG: Deadline warning] Midnight, Wednesday 29 April: that's the deadline for campaign teams to appoint polling and counting agents.
Mon 27th
14:29
Opinion: I'm voting Lib Dem, without holding my nose: not for liberalism, but for democracy
We are the only party prepared to campaign for genuine democratic reform and to put their money where their mouth is. When I voted in 2010, I knew full well we might prop up the Tories: Brown had had it, and the Labour party has always been high handed and patrician-like to smaller parties. When I hear supposed progressives railing against the Conservatives, I hear people who only want the arguments closed, who want a winner: the point of democracy is that nobody should win outright. The only route to power should be to govern in a way people not ...
[IMG: Print] It's not just the political leaders whose careers are on the line on 7th May – so are the pollsters' reputations. Never before in the UK has an election been as polled as this one — well over 2,000 in this parliament, not least as online firms have lowered the cost. A few weeks ago, I said I was putting my trust in ICM.* The reason is simple: they're the pollster with the best track record across the last four elections. That's why ICM's polls are commonly referred to as the 'gold standard'. However, each time someone (not ...
From Sky Sports to the London stage: After the excitement of appearing on The Rugby Show alongside Ron Head and John Waghorn last week I can now confirm that My Life as a Hooker, has been turned into a play and will be performed for the first time at the Museum of Comedy, in Holborn, Central London from the 21st to the 26th of September 2015. This exciting new theatrical experience, timed to coincide with the start of the Rugby World Cup, is based on my book about what happened when I discovered the joys of playing rugby at the ...
Last week, Nigel Farage told a public meeting in Rochester: 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. According to The Independent: The move could see the end of more frivolous entertainment programmes like Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing, and Top Gear. Of course, as Mark Pack points out, those are the shows that make the most money for the BBC, which ...
I have this from a colleague and it concerns her daughter's friend's cousin, so it is practically first hand. At a recent school visit David Cameron stood on the child's foot, made her cry and then just walked away. I think that is a good metaphor for Conservatism.
Mon 27th
12:25MINI-VIDEO: Nick Clegg campaigning with Ed Davey in Kingston, highlighting Lib Dem tax cuts
Why is Nick Clegg ruling out options in a hung parliament? Firstly, he has said that he would refuse to work with Labour in a government that relied on 'life support' from the Scottish National Party; this is reported in the Financial Times as a blow to the chances of a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition. I know very well that the SNP are our most dangerous opponents in Scotland – as they are also Labour's – but the fact remains that these three parties' policies have more in common than any of them do with the Conservatives. And as pointed out ...
With the election result looking tight, Labour have reached into the bag labeled 'superficially attractive policies whose flaws won't become evident before May 7th' and pulled out rent controls. Now to be clear, I agree rents are too high. But rent controls are a terrible way of dealing with that. That's the consensus amongst economists [...]
With only a day's notice, Network Rail have said that they are having an official opening event at the bridge at 11.00 am tomorrow (Tuesday 28 April) to which local residents are invited. Dodington Parish Council will organise a community celebration in a few weeks time - we'll let you know.
Mon 27th
11:50
If Ed Miliband becomes prime minister after the election, this is what he needs to do as a matter of...
This weekend past, Miliband ruled out doing any sort of a deal with the SNP, even confidence and supply. This places the Labour Party in a rather precarious position. If Labour are the largest party in a hung parliament and Miliband becomes prime minister with less than 35% of the vote, without a parliamentary majority and lacking even a deal with any other party, just banking on the fact that Ed's Queen's Speech won't be voted down by the others parties required (which, to be fair, they probably would let through in these circumstances), there is a legitimacy problem staring ...
[IMG: Manifesto_Covers_2015] We have all see the 2015 Lib Dem manifesto, but did you know that the party has also published a series of specialist manifestos? These include (click links to download): Environment manifesto Manifesto for disabled people Local government manifesto Manifesto for the mind Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Manifesto You can also read the main manifesto in easy read, clear print, plain text or Braille versions, or listen to it on an audio recording.
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 [...]
Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats:
We held our monthly street surgery at Whickham on Saturday in the morning. Afterwards I visited the St Mary's Church coffee morning (lots of people clutching completed postal votes and telling me they had voted for me!) and then went to Dunston for some canvassing (yet again lots of people interested in my self-sufficient good life.) Then back to Whickham for lunch at Wetherspoons. We knew the
I've been volunteering in my seat of Watford for Dorothy Thornhill since February, offering my assistance whenever I can. I've done my fair share of both deliveries and canvassing since then, and whilst I was doing some deliveries I got thinking. Which way is the best way to attract voters and win people over? The quality of the deliveries I've done is undoubtable; it gets the facts across nicely and you can spread that information across a street in the time it takes to talk to one voter at the door – if there aren't any of those evil kinds ...
Last night was the big Churches Together hustings in Southend West and I toddled along (mainly to take my mind off of other things – seriously what an emotional roller-coaster this weekend has been) but I have to say it was both extremely well attended and also extremely well run. A strong chair who seemed to have both the candidates and audience under control and the addition of a microphone meant that even people at the very back could hear comfortably. So big props to the organisers, I genuinely thought it was spot on and if all hustings were run ...
Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron (12A) Writer & Director:Joss Whedon Website:Avengers: Age of Ultron Wow, if you like your comic Superheroes, then this is the movie for you because there are an awful lot of them. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, The Hulk and Black Widow are joined by Scarlet Witch, The Vision, Ultron, Quick Silver and Nick Fury. (Cast list here ~ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395427/fullcredits/) Basically the world is put at risk when a peacekeeping programme (Ultron) made by Tony Stark & Bruce Banner, goes rogue. Cue lots of terminator style robots that need destroying by the superheroes inter cut ...
Mon 27th
10:09The general election as seen through the prism of "House of Cards" (the Kevin Spacey American versio...
Having already looked at the impending general election through the lens of one television series full of bloody, political intrigue inspired me to take a look at it through another. House of Cards, as we all know, was originally a British mini-series about a psychopathic, murderous Tory MP who through various manipulations becomes prime minister. It's now the inspiration for an ongoing American series about a psychopathic, murderous congressman who becomes president of the United States. So what would each of the current party leaders be like if they weren't the well-adjusted, completely normal (*cough*) individuals we know and love ...
The Bristol and Bath Railway Path between Teewell Hill and west of Staple Hill tunnel will reopen on Friday 1 May, just in time for the first May Bank Holiday weekend. This section of the path had to be closed so a bridge could be widened. This provides new footways for pedestrians and improved cycle facilities. The council has also used the closure to carry out essential maintenance work to the Staple Hill tunnel. There is still some additional work to carry out over the new three months that will require short term closures from time to time. Any such ...
things I want to hear a candidate say before campaign end - @A_C_McGregor has said many of these (tags: ) Andrew Rawnsley continues to be the only mainstream columnist that gets what's going on (tags: ) What I fat about when I fat about fatties (tags: ) 10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings (tags: ) astoundingly gorgeous hubble space telescope photos (tags: ) In which Ann Wheaton is made of awesome (tags: ) George Osborne has some good ideas about devolution...and some terrible ones as well (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I delivered some letters on Fellside Park last week. Much of the estate is in my council ward and I was greeted by thumbs ups and waves through windows from voters. In the blistering heat of the day however, getting around the estate was a challenge. It is built on a steep slope. The best way to get around was to use the long flight of steps at the end of Sunnidale. Good exercise, bad for the
In the parliamentary election: 1, Alisdair Calder McGregor, Liberal Democrats 2, Joe Stead, World Peace Through Song 3, Jenny Shepherd, Green 4, Rod Sutcliffe, Yorkshire First 5, RON 6, Josh Fenton-Glynn, Labour 7, Craig Whittaker, Conservative 8, Paul Rogan, UKIP If there were a pirate or a loony they'd go in at #2 and renumber the rest accordingly. In the council election: 1, Jennie Rigg, Liberal Democrats* 2, RON 3, Green candidate who doesn't live in - or even near - the ward 4, TUSC person I've never heard of 5, Nick Yates, who is flying under a UKIP flag ...
I am hesitant to write another article for LDV so soon after my last one on polling, but with the General Election so close now, I am going to put my head above the parapet on the matter of the Party's seeming decision to steer us right down the middle. Having looked at the Lib Dem Manifesto in some detail when recently writing some articles for the LDCF, I was surprised to see how many progressive and innovative policies there really are in there. I am worried though, that if we keep saying we 'Won't spend as much as Labour ...
BBC reports that among the signatories to an open letter supporting the Liberal Democrats is the co-founder of Admiral insurance group. Heather Stevens has signed in her capacity as chair of the Waterloo Foundation. The letter reads: Dear Sir/Madam, When the Coalition took office, both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats pledged to make it the 'greenest government ever'. Liberal Democrats kept to that pledge. Under the leadership of the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, they have consistently acted to make this country cleaner, greener and more open to investment in renewables. Some £37 billion has been ...
Those naysayers who insist to me on a regular basis that the coalition government favours the rich over the poorest in our society may well have to think again if this Financial Times article proves to be correct. The paper says that people earning more than £2m a year, a small enough group to fit into the Royal Albert Hall, more than doubled their share of income tax to 5 per cent in the past five years. They add that the growing reliance on the wealthy for revenues is set to continue after the election, with top earners facing reduced ...
This letter appears to be genuine (even if some of the surrounding rhetoric is as excitable as myself on discovering an unexpected chocolate festival). It is to the Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner, from his agent David Walker: As you know, I have for some time been unhappy to continue as your nominated Election Agent, and have sought to resign from position. You have refused to accept my resignation... I am seriously concerned about some significant anomalies and ambiguities relating to financial aspects of the campaign... You still have not answered my question about who signed cheque number 100004 ...
Our April Blether will be on Tuesday - 28th April at 7pm in Madigan's Food Emporium. This month we are joining with the Dundee-Nablus Twinning Association to be part of their Palestinian Literature Festival : Olive Trees In Dundee. The theme is Palestinian stories. More details about the Festival can be found on the Facebook page.
This, of course, in no way mirrors my behaviour at all:Filed under: Uncategorized
[IMG: englandjigsaw] In this interview with the Guardian, George Osborne does make some good points about the importance of devolution, and does seem to be genuinely committed to giving more powers away from Whitehall, even to the extent of giving some local authorities more control over the purse strings. Sure, it's not full devolution or a commitment to proper federalism, but when it's compared to Eric Pickles' vision of localism – where you're locally free to decide how much you agree with him – it's a refreshing change. However, all that's tempered by his devotion to a single model of ...
@markpack @benatipsosmori Hi Mark – the slide has been corrected, Thank you for spotting the error. — Ipsos MORI (@IpsosMORI) April 20, 2015
For those who would like to see more detail about this matter than the Liverpool Echo has published so far, a visit to Iain Brodie Browne's Birkdale Focus web site is worth a bit of your time. Use the two links above to gain more detail:- The situation seems to be one of Sefton Council Officers agreeing to the deal but then soon after the School in question, Chesterfield High, converted itself into an Academy and they found the deal unacceptable so terminated it. There are clearly some big issues here about the use of public money, why ...
Twenty figures from the renewable energy industry and businesses have written to the Independent to back the Lib Dems' environmental credentials. The letter is published to coincide with the launch of the party's environment manifesto which includes radical targets for zero carbon energy, a pledge to improve air quality and council tax discounts for energy-efficient homes. The Independent on Sunday covered this story
Polling stations in Kazakhstan's presidential election closed at 8pm last night, at which point I was installed in a full house at Astana's Opera House for a performance of Mukan Tulebayev's Birzhan and Sara, a sort of Central Asian Romeo and Juliet, with a cast of around 100 (including a full corps de ballet) and [...]
