For the first time in a long time, I watched a Labour leader's conference speech this afternoon and didn't cringe with horror. To be fair, that's because he kept name checking Liberal Democrat policies. He even said that the agreed with Paddy Ashdown over airstrikes on Syria. Many people,including some in that Brighton hall, wanted him to fail terribly today. Indeed, the Blairites were desperate for that to happen. Labour spin doctor Lance Price was quick to condemn the speech as one of the worst he had ever heard. Was he listening to something else? For sure it wasn't an ...
Sixteen minutes of narrow-gauge goodness, filmed on Sunday. The narrow-gauge Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened in May 1898. It was taken over by the Southern Railway in 1922, closed in 1935 and partially reopened in recent years. Read about the progress with restoration.
Lots on at this evening's Cheadle Area Committee. Here's what happened. We received two petitions from users of the skateboard park on Gatley Rec asking for improvements to the ramps. We want to speak to the users of the park and see how we can work together to do that, and what the community might reasonably expect in return (e.g. keeping it tidy). Gatley Village Partnership applied for £400 towards a wood sculpture to go on Gatley Green and commemorate our war dead, which we were happy to agree to. Cheadle Village Partnership applied for £1000 towards the Victorian Christmas ...
From STV News this evening: MP Michelle Thomson has withdrawn from the SNP whip after police launched an investigation into property deals conducted by her lawyer. The MP's solicitor was struck off by the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal over several deals where Mrs Thomson used his services. After that ruling, Police Scotland has confirmed it was instructed by the Crown Office to investigate "alleged irregularities relating to property deals" in 2010 and 2011 following the Tribunal ruling. Mrs Thomson insisted she would cooperate with any investigation into the deals but said she would withdraw from the party whip as the ...
In recent weeks, it has become known that Caron Morton and Bill Gowans, two of the key figures in the Future Fit project, have stepped back from running the programme intended to reshape Shropshire's hospital services. Tracey Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East believes that this could provide an opportunity to reshape the entire Future [...]
Today is my 87th birthday, with thanks to the NHS and particularly King's College Hospital for keeping me upright still. As my family are aware, I expect to die around July 2016 but they all say I will continue past that horizon. My feeling about it is that quality of life is better than quantity of life, so its fine to step out of Samsara while I still have my marbles, eyesight and reasonable mobility. (the miracle cure for macular degeneration isn't likely to be available for another five years, by which time I will be long gone) Today we ...
Every leader does need someone they trust who can look into their eyes and tell them not to be an idiot. Or encourage them to do something that they are nervous about. Or boost their confidence when it wanes. Ben Rich has been doing that job for Tim Farron since he became leader in July, but it was only ever going to be a temporary role. Tim is now advertising for a permanent chief of staff. The official advert says: The Chief of Staff will be able to provide high quality, insightful, senior counsel and strategic advice to the leader ...
Jeremy Corbyn began his first speech as leader to a Labour Party Conference like this: You might have noticed in some of our newspapers they've taken a bit of an interest in me lately. Some of the things I've read are this. According to one headline: "Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the prospect of an asteroid 'wiping out' humanity." Now, asteroids are pretty controversial. It's not the kind of policy I'd want this party to adopt without a full debate in conference. So can we have the debate later in the week!How the audience laughed! Except that Jeremy Corbyn did once welcome ...
Transport for London reports that from Saturday 26 September additional buses will be used on route P12 during the daytime on a daily basis specifically designed to improve reliability for customers and ensure that service keeps to the timetable whenever possible. Route P12 runs between Surrey Quays Shopping Centre and Brockley Rise, Honor Oak Park.
This is a little far from Forest Hill, but may affect you if you drive up around New Cross, particularly to the Municipal Waste site at Landsman Way. TfL are proposing a package of improvements along the A20 between New Cross and Lewisham, which aim to improve safety and reduce the potential for delays to [...]
The judges who heard Alistair Carmichael's application to dismiss the election petition against him delivered a partial judgement today and ordered that a further hearing take place. From the BBC website: The judges have ruled that the language used in section 106 was "wide enough to encompass a statement made by a candidate about himself". However, they said they wanted to hear evidence about the two remaining issues before issuing a determination on the case. These are whether the words were false statements of fact which related to Mr Carmichael's personal character or conduct, and whether they were said "for ...
The Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael faces the prospect of giving evidence in court about why he lied about his involvement in leaking a memo intended to damage Nicola Sturgeon after a crowdfunded legal challenge to the Orkney and Shetland MP's re-election in May passed its first hurdle. Judges in the election court, which is sitting for only the third time in 50 years, ruled on Tuesday that the petitioners passed the first test of whether Carmichael's lie amounted to illegal practice under the Representation of the People Act 1983. [The Guardian] Interested in more stories about how our elections ...
The one thing that has struck me so far during this year's conference season is the Liberal Democrats' lack of a distinctive and credible economic policy. With both the Tories and Labour carving out distinctive and diametrically opposed positions you would think that there was plenty of space to carve out a uniquely Liberal position. Alas, this does not seem to be happening. I don't pretend to be an economist by any stretch, but there are some fundamental elements that I think should constitute a social liberal economic policy. First and foremost, a Liberal Economy is a Green Economy. It's ...
Remarkable find by The Spectator: Revealed: 'unspun' Jeremy Corbyn used a four-year old reject speech for Miliband On its own terms, I imagine Jeremy Corbyn's speech to the Labour conference can be considered tolerably acceptable... Nevertheless, what was new was not good and what was good was not new. Much of it, actually, was not new at all. A significant chunk of Corbyn's speech was, in its essentials, written in 2011. Not by Corbyn, of course, but by the writer Richard Heller. Four years ago Mr Heller (with whom I should say I have played cricket in the past) offered ...
Kickstart the Scottish Council Election Campaign With Scottish Parliament Elections in 2016 and local elections in 2017, now is the time to Kickstart your election campaign. Getting started early on our campaigns will ensure that we have the best chance of success in these elections. ASLDC is hosting a Scottish Kickstart event in Perth on [...]
A Freedom of Information request by the Welsh Liberal Democrats found that a total of £130,332.51 was spent on the Williams Commission, not including staff costs funded from core funds.Peter Black AM, the Welsh Liberal Democrat shadow local government minister, said: "For Labour Ministers to spend over £130,000 to set up a Commission, only to then completely ignore its recommendations, is a colossal waste of money. Why go through the effort and expense of a full consultation if the response is just going to be ignored?"Labour Ministers have been stubborn on this issue from the outset - it's their way ...
[IMG: Sorry Not In Service - Challenges in bus service provision] We have uploaded the audio recording of our fringe meeting on local bus services from Bournemouth. You can listen to it, via Soundcloud page, below: SoundCloud / ALDC – via Iframely
Jeremy Corbyn's first speech to the Labour conference as leader is due to start shortly. All such speeches are played to two audiences: one in the hall and one in the country. How Corbyn plays this will be particularly interesting, his being a candidate of the left wing core vote and, it is suggested by his opponents, putting two fingers up to moderate public opinion. Comments are open below for reaction as we go. .@JeremyCorbyn4PM taking the piss out of msm: Says he's not in favour of policy on an asteroid wiping out humanity without a #Lab15 debate — Heather ...
I am involved in moving detailed amendments to two items of Welsh legislation this week. This afternoon we will be considering stage three of the local government bill, which seeks to enable voluntary mergers of principal councils in Wales. Tomorrow, I will be in committee considering stage two of the renting homes bill. I have major issues with the Welsh Labour Government's attempt to legislate on the private rented sector. In particular I am concerned that Labour's Renting Homes Bill will dramatically weaken tenants' rights. Currently tenants must be offered a minimum of six months residency when they begin their ...
[IMG: The LGA Lib Dems support Liberal Democrat council groups across the country] Changes to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) The Government's plans to bring forward the full implementation of individual electoral registration by a year is against the very clear and strong advice of the Electoral Commission. The London Assembly Group and Liberal Democrats in Wales have been campaigning on the and This is the Electoral [...]
[IMG: Susan Kramer - Some rights reserved by David Spender] Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Susan Kramer has responded to John McDonnell's speech at the Labour conference yesterday. Labour's proposals lack any recognition that delivering growth, fixing the economy and eliminating the deficit involves taking difficult decisions. They are offering a false prospectus which will stall any economic recovery and would mean more austerity for Britain. There is no magic pot of money that has up until now been ignored, so Labour's plans to eliminate the deficit or renationalise major British industries are completely unfunded. The Conservative Government is choosing to ...
As I did the other day with my response to the Lib Dem policy process review, I am publishing here my response to the party's Governance review (pdf). 1. Are these still our values? The preamble seems generally right to me. The only bit that jumps out at me is the final sentence: "The Liberal [...]
This morning the planning inspectorate announced final arrangements for the public inquiry into plans by Tesni Properties for 215 homes between Bromfield Road and the A49 - a development known as Bromfield Meadows (15/02192/REF). The inquiry is at Shirehall. It is expected to last no more than a day, 27 October 2015. The inquiry will [...]
First up: thanks go to Mother Nature for kindly obliging with the weather. Any conference in Brighton (and I've been to my share) is lovely if you're experiencing it in the context of an Indian summer – it's less pleasant when you're trying to get back to your hotel room in Hove whilst rain and gale force winds are attempting to seriously impede your progress. I expected to come to Brighton to find a party split into two warring sides, with incidents of flare up; instead I found an uneasy truce. The right of the party are well and truly ...
The sublimation of Corbyn and McDonnell is absolutely fascinating. Political students must be agog. Over many weeks we were told that the great thing about Corbyn was his straight-talking and his ability to connect with people. However, akin to Bananaman, an amazing transformation is currently occurring. After a terrible first week where he appeared to think he could do and say as he wished, a moulding of a new man is happening before our eyes. I understand today Jeremy Corbyn will talk about "hard working families" today in his speech. Yesterday John McDonnell told us they would sign up to ...
Over 9,500 children in Haringey could lose their free school meals - if the Conservative Education Secretary pushes ahead with plans to scrap the scheme. You can sign the parliamentary petition against this here. Universal free school meals were introduced by the Lib Dems in the previous Government - guaranteeing each child a healthy meal at lunch.
I find myself on the opposite side to the science writer Matt Ridley most of the time, because he takes his very sensible theses too far - in a rather too deterministic way. He gives a sense that whatever happens had to happen. Which is nonsense. But I found myself warming to him on the BBC radio programme Start the Week yesterday morning, talking about his book The Evolution of Everything, for his emphasis on the clear historical drift towards complexity - where the power of change goes in a direction towards what bubbles up from below. Put like that, ...
We attach a draft press release below for your local area on the future of free school meals. As you may have read, the Tories have put the scheme under the spotlight as part of the comprehensive spending review. David Cameron has offered lukewarm support to the policy, but hardly a ringing endorsement. A spreadsheet [...]
So far, so good. That's my verdict of the remaking of Labour under its new leader, Jeremy Corbyn. I'll say more about the big picture later in the week, after Mr Corbyn's speech later today. This time I want to focus on economics and the performance of the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, who spoke yesterday. Like Mr Corbyn, Mr McDonnell is a serial rebel and a political outsider – and he is very much Mr Corbyn's right hand man. That is why he was given the job of Shadow Chancellor over the much more politically correct Angela Eagle. Both Mr ...
The Abbotswood Autumn Apple Day will be held this Saturday, 3 October, from 11am to 3pm, in the Abbotswood Precinct and Community Garden. This fabulous feast of autumnal activities and seasonal celebration includes:Apple juicing - bring your own empty bottle. Apples for juicing warmly welcome!Free refreshmentsBouncy castle and giant outdoor gamesWillow weavingApple bobbing and jam makingBaby toddler foot printing!Hedgehog RescueBunting workshopCreative activities with Make it MentoringGreen Community Transport and information about a wide range of local groupsMusic from the U3A Ukulele band and other music actsRefreshments and all activities free (including bouncy castle!) PLUS! DR BIKE will also be attending ...
At this year's party conference, Tim Farron and Nick Clegg both argued that a huge new swathe of centre ground had opened up in British politics, with Labour shifting to the left and a newly emboldened Conservative government moving to the right. That is a risky assertion. It defines liberalism against its opponents, rather than for itself. For a party battered, but not dispirited, by recent election results it is important that it defines itself with a positive vision for liberalism in the 21st century, not merely against its opponents' positions. If the Corbyn project collapses and Labour elects a ...
Interesting news from the government's Behavioural Insights Team (aka the Nudge Unit). A randomised control trial was run in an unnamed London borough to test the effect of offering people an incentive to complete electoral registration forms: entry into a prize draw. Residents were split into three groups: those offered no prize draw, those offered one with a £1,000 prize and those offered one with a £5,000 prize. The result? Offering a prize increased registration in the short-term, but in the long-term it simply sped up registration rather than increased it: At the end of the trial period, we found ...
It is dawning on an increasing number of people that Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of Labour is not a flash in the pan. His resounding victory may have had the Tories jumping for joy, but those voices claiming he would be removed within months are already beginning to look foolish. In part, this is because of the subtle work being done to shift the appearances of Corbyn and John McDonnell to confound expectations. In part, it is because the likes of Peter Mandelson are confused about meddling with their party or the European referendum campaign. But more so, it is because ...
The photograph below shows the western end of Dundee's Dock Street, with the Greenmarket to the right and east, and Dundee West Railway Station to the left. The rear of Gilfillan Memorial Church is impressive to the left, while nextdoor is the 'public warehouse', which was occupied by various salt merchants and fruiterers. Around the corner is 'The Weigh House', another salt store. Among the salt merchants, the Cowan family were pre-eminent. Members of the dynasty included George C.'s brother, Edward, who was Town Clerk of Broughty Ferry, and his father, James, who was a harbour trustee and member of ...
No one was more fiercely critical of Nick Clegg and the coalition than I, but dwelling on the past is hardly a constructive use of anyone's energy and time as we move forward and attempt to pick up the shattered pieces of our Party. In case anyone had not noticed, we are under new management. Our job now is to rebuild the Party from the bottom up through any contribution that we can or feel able to make and to hold the new Leader to account, offering constructive criticism and support in equal measure. It frustrates me that some are ...
Why is Richard Dawkins such a jerk on social media? Good question. (tags: twitter ) A Hiker Found a 2-Year-Old GoPro that was Launched Into Space and the Footage is Awesome This is cool. (tags: space ) How I learned to embrace my insomnia Sorry, can you say that again? I must have nodded off. (tags: health ) Is UKIP becoming extinct? One can only hope... (tags: ukpolitics )
[IMG: Liverpool Overhaed Railway 1910 r] www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyycp23Tuqs I think I have mentioned this wonderful video before – see link above – but what the hell its great so let's look at it again. If only Liverpool had known then (1956) what a great tourist attraction it had and really should not have lost. Yes, I know it was in a poor condition but it could have been rebuilt. Ah well, its a piece of nostalgia that we will have to hang on to. Great piece of work by Steven Wheeler. The photo above is from my collection and which I ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have hit out at the Welsh Labour Government for wasting over £130,000 on the Williams Commission, the recommendations of which they've ignored. A Freedom of Information request by the Welsh Liberal Democrats found that a total of £130,332.51 was spent on the Williams Commission, not including staff costs funded from core funds. Labour Ministers have said that they will not take forward the Commission's recommended map for combining local authorities, or many other recommendations by the Commission. The news comes as the Assembly prepares to debate Stage 3 of the Local Government Bill, which the Welsh ...
