If you read tomorrow's Sun, you might think they did: The account of the bombshell lunch during the last government – which a handful of other government ministers also attended – has been relayed to The Sun by a highly reliable source. The senior source said: "People who heard their conversation were left in no doubt at all about the Queen's views on European integration. "It was really something, and it went on for quite a while. "The EU is clearly something Her Majesty feels passionately about." The monarch is also said to have revealed her Eurosceptic feelings during a ...
One of the main factors in the defeat of a proposal for all-women shortlists in 2001 was a spirited campaign by the then youth organisation. Jo Swinson led the way wearing a pink t-shirt saying "I am not a token woman." Jo has now, after many years of putting her heart and soul into improving the party's diversity, come to the conclusion that all-women shortlists are a short term necessary part of the mix. There are many myths about all-women shortlists, but one in particular is the refrain you often hear – that we need to have the best person ...
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Tim Farron has openly said that he smoked Cannabis as a youngster. From today's Mirror: Lib Dem chief Tim Farron has becomes the first leader of a UK-wide political party to admit smoking cannabis. The MP's candid confession comes as he calls for the complete legalisation of the drug in a bid to generate up to £900million for public coffers. Father-of-four Mr Farron, 46, told the Mirror: "I tried cannabis when I was younger, as did many other politicians. "But sadly, too many other politicians want to continue forcing our police to waste resources chasing cannabis users when they should ...
Not so long ago a lady asked me via Facebook if I could assist in helping her get bus shelters on Liverpool Road North between the Dodds Lane and Westway junctions. [IMG: This is the section of road in question. Liverpool Road North, Maghull - December 2010] This is the section of road in question. Liverpool Road North, Maghull – December 2010 Unfortunately I can't trace back the thread where it popped up so this is a bit of a long shot in the hope that she sees it. I have also copied the same note on my Facebook page ...
For International Women's Day, the party has published the gender pay gap for its employees. And it's good news. Liberal Democrats fought hard in coalition for large companies to publish the discrepancy between what they pay men and women to help close the gap of gender inequality in the workplace. As of March 8th 2016 the annual gender pay gap for staff employed by Liberal Democrat HQ was 0.4%, with women earning more than men on average. Liberal Democrats are working hard to encourage a better gender balance within the party and a motion on Electing Diverse MPs will be ...
[IMG: dictatorshandbook] Something often seen in corrupt and autocratic regimes is a system that resembles democracy but is subject to an element of social coercion to ensure that the results of supposedly free votes help to maintain the existing order. As I discussed here before, there's a whole field in international relations that discusses the idea of the selectorate theory, and how autocratic regimes use the distribution of public and private goods to reward their supporters and keep them loyal. The public might be presented with a choice of parties that they can back at elections, but they'll be reminded ...
"Alcohol: 2.5 million people bust weekly limit in a day" Screams the BBC website. Or to put it another way. Only 9% of drinkers drink more than 5 pints on a Friday night. Doesn't seem quite so bad now does it?
Liberal Democrat women explain why women are better off in the EU If you haven't already, join the Lib Dems INtogether campaign here.
Over the past couple years, more tech giants have recognized the dramatic lack of diversity in their workforces as a problem. Google (largely white and male from top to bottom) is trying to establish itself as a leader in this space. A key initiative is having its roughly 60,000 employees across the world undergo unconscious bias training. Unconscious bias refers to the stereotypes, both negative and positive, that exist in our subconscious and affect our behavior. [Tech Insider] It's well worth reading the piece in full, especially if you're involved in politics and selections of staff or candidates because it ...
Tue 8th
16:45
Alison McInnes' speech in the Scottish diversity debate: Positive action is a realignment to break t...
This is the speech that Alison McInnes gave to the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference. It's quite direct and points out our own failings, saying that we have to take action to resolve our lack of diversity. I've been a member of our party for a quarter of a century. One disappointing constant has been the gender imbalance in our parliamentary groups. I have had plenty of opportunity to observe the dynamics of our party, locally and nationally, and to identify through the party's own myriad actions what it actually values and honours. Despite being the party that claims it cherishes ...
There's a few of the doggy accounts I follow on instagram (and if you're an instagram user who's not following Inna The Iggy, Whippy Jim, and Angharad's Athena you totally should be) whose doggies get subscription treat/toy parcels. Any of you lot tried any of these? Any recommendations for or against? From googling there seem to be LOADS of them, but I can only find one offering a multidog package... ETA: the ones I am leaning towards are:Barks and Bunnies because they have such a wide selection of types of box, including a multidog box Top Collar because they are ...
In speeches and conversations with party members in the South East, I have asked people to make Freedom of Information requests to their local council to ask what EU funding their area has received or applied for. Several members have done this and one member who has done some really excellent work along these lines is James Moore of Reading. James made a simple FOI request to his council: Dear Reading Borough Council, Please can you provide me with details on how much funding the Council has received from the European Union since it's inception and what projects/building/services did the ...
Embed from Getty Images For 134 years, the National Liberal Club has supported the Liberal cause. It was founded by Gladstone in 1882 to act as a "home from home" for Liberal activists and supporters - and it still does so today. Something we're constantly trying to do - while preserving the Liberal heritage of an extraordinary building, steeped in colourful history - is to keep membership costs down. And while we're aware that the up-front membership fee is necessarily quite hefty, it is less than half of that found in other comparable London clubs, which is something we manage ...
When George Osborne announced the northern powerhouse as a signal the government wanted to be inclusive by rebalancing the economy away from London, it was not then clear that he meant North London as opposed to the North of England. That though appears to be the reality. The Independent reports that far from devolving power and jobs up north the opposite appears to be the case. They say that 97 per cent of senior officials at the Government department responsible for the so-called "Northern Powerhouse" work in London: Figures released by ministers top senior civil servant jobs have actually shifted ...
In January, the Prime Minister announced in The Sunday Times that he wanted to see 100 of Britain's most run-down estates transformed. His ambition is apparently 'nothing short of social turnaround...with massive estate regeneration, tenants protected and land unlocked for new housing all over Britain.' 'Together,' he said, 'we can tear down anything that stands in our way.' What fighting talk! Yet what stands in the way is usually the fact that people actually live on these estates. Several generations of the same family may have done so. People cannot and should not just be swept aside in these waves ...
Last night, Ralph's brother left a comment on our piece about former Glee Club pianist Liz Rorison's death to say that her old friend and Glee Club host from the 90s had passed away on Saturday night. Before we published this sad news, I wanted to make sure that his friends and colleagues in the party were all aware. Current Glee Club host Gareth Epps has written a tribute to him over on Liberator's blog. Based in Harrow for many years, Ralph was a Young Liberal and went to Sussex University before being employed in Parliament, in the heady days ...
[IMG: c4 spin] Warning: spoilers follow Well, I gave 'Spin' (Les Hommes de l'ombre) — the French political drama broadcast by More4 in its Walter Presents strand — a decent chance. An entire series, in fact. But I've now officially given up. Here's why. One of my pet-hates always used to be TV dramas which mocked-up newspaper front pages in an appallingly amateurish way. It's bizarre that directors who will take every care with set designs and costumes seem not to care if they splash the screen with a 'Daily News'-type tabloid with a badly written, badly spaced headline that ...
It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of our friend Ralph Bancroft: head of the Liberal Whips' office during the Lib-Lab Pact, member of staff for the party in local government for many years, member of the Liberator Collective and Liberal Revue team, for many years compère of the Glee Club and above all an instinctive Liberal. Ralph was in his mid-sixties. Based in Harrow for many years, Ralph was a Young Liberal and went to Sussex University before being employed in Parliament, in the heady days of there being 14 Liberal MPs. He rose ...
[IMG: Moving a constitutional amendment, of course. ] Moving a constitutional amendment, of course. With the latest Liberal Democrat conference in York coming up in a few days, here are some tips for would-be new, and indeed, experienced, speakers at party conference. Doubtless others will have good advice to add to what's in this list, so do comment away at the end, or indeed ask any questions. 1. Time your speech and aim to undershoot The conference paperwork details how long the speeches can be for each part of conference. Getting your planned comments down to comfortably less than the ...
It's International Women's Day, when we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. But, the IWD website reminds us, the latest estimate of the World Economic Forum is that, at the present rate of progress, full parity between genders will not be achieved till 2133. Our record in Britain, while improving, is doing so painfully slowly. The pay gap between genders has not closed in spite of legislation, and has remained relatively consistent for the past 20 years. Britain elected more female MPs than ever in May 2015, but still sits at 48th in the world league ...
The Guardian has the story on is web site – see link above [IMG: Liverpool Waterfront Panorama] This is an interesting insight into how our city centres are changing and not necessarily for the good. And its happening almost under the radar. The photo above (click on it enlarge) of Liverpool's historic/World Heritage waterfront is also on my Flickr site at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/ With thanks to Keith Page who spotted this story
[IMG: Vandalised and abandoned car] There have been a number of reports of possible abandoned vehicles around Folkestone & Sandgate. Since the abolition of the tax disc, it is now possible to check the details regarding on the tax and MOT of UK registered cars on the DVLA website at https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla Untaxed / MOT'd cars can then be reported (anonymously if preferred) to Shepway District Council at http://www.shepway.gov.uk/report-a-problem/abandoned-car Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
Tue 8th
10:25
Does it scale? Why some technologies make for effective online campaigning and others do not
[IMG: Wall of numbers data.tron artistic work by Ryoji Ikeda] Back in 2013 I gave an unexpectedly slide-free but still coherent talk at the Contested Spaces conference on why some technologies make a big difference to political campaigning and others don't. The reason is still very relevant now. It's all about there being too many voters and not enough time, as I explain... This was also the event at which I discovered a quite jaw-dropping example of bad online political campaigning as well as a great quote. For more on how to crack the problem of scale in political campaigning, ...
This is the speech I made to last week's debate on diversity at the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference. I joined the Liberal Democrats in May and have never spoken at conference before. What I am going to say is going to be quite anecdotal and general, but makes an important point nonetheless. I grew up in a family almost entirely made up of girls. I attended an all-girls school from the age of 11 where I saw girls reaching and exceeding their potential. I never used to see gender inequality as a hugely important issue because in my life, and ...
Dsxyliea Ever wondered what it's like to be dyslexic? Instagram Today's edition of Spot the Second Dog. #dogs #lurcher #sheltie 97% of top officials at 'northern powerhouse' department work in London | Politics | The Guardian Witness my face of not-surprise Maybe we could tone down the JavaScript / fuzzy notepad When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful | crippledscholar Twitter RT @amar47shah: Feminist ally men please please PLEASE ask abt gender diversity @ every company where you interview. Don't let it go 12 things today's gamers don't remember about old games | Technology | The Guardian This is the best article ...
A national awareness campaign has been launched highlighting the crucial role people can play in reporting child abuse and neglect. Child abuse is any action by another person - adult or child - that causes significant harm to a child. It can be physical, sexual or emotional, but can just as often be about a lack of love, care and attention. Neglect covers the ongoing persistent failure to meet a child's basic needs. It may include failing to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, or medical treatment. It can also include failure to protect a child from harm or danger and ...
I've just spent three days in Barcelona. It was the first time I've been away from London on something other than business in how long I genuinely cannot recall. I hadn't been to the city in almost twelve years, and my previous visit was a very different one. Back then, I spent a month in and around Barcelona with my Chicago Connection, both of us on a retreat from reality. Although it can be as expensive as any other large European city (particularly, as I found out this time out, if you're doing anything with small children), it can also ...
Greater Manchester Councils have been asking developers, land owners and residents for 'suggested site for future development. They have now published the first map of sites suggested. This is available here. The information will help to determine whether there are areas of land available for development that individual districts or Greater Manchester are not currently aware of. The sites submitted so far are available to view here. These sites are promoted by owners and/or developers and have not been endorsed by Councils at this stage. Decisions on whether sites will or will not be supported will be made at a ...
Tue 8th
08:55Willie Rennie's message for International Women's Day: We will give women the same advantages that m...
Embed from Getty Images On International Women's Day it is right that we celebrate the achievements of all those who have broken through the glass ceiling that still restricts opportunity. We have made big strides towards gender parity in recent years. We have a female First Minister and I am in a minority of one as the only male leader of a larger Scottish political party. But the hard fact is that women are under-represented at the top level in business and politics alike. This needs to change. Scotland cannot be the best if the life chances of half of ...
The Heaton Park management have asked us to make residents aware of public notices which were published last Thursday in the Manchester Evening News. These notices for the next steps in the park's plan to have ongoing pay and display parking charges throughout the park, which they hope will commence this summer. The notices are for areas currently used for car parking, to be formally designated as car parks. [IMG: sign-in-park-2] We know a number of residents have expressed concerns about pay and display parking. We have separately asked Bury Coucnil to formally review two areas adjacent to the park ...
I have today launched my March 2016 Update to West End Community Council. Subjects covered include: • Perth Road crossing concern • Riverside composting operation• Riverside Approach - fencing and potholes repairs The Community Council meets tonight at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all residents welcome. You can download my Update here.
Tue 8th
08:25
'He just appeared and started singing Neil Diamond' - mystery of Norfolk's Sunday League Werewolf
Our Headline of the Day Award goes to the Eastern Daily Press. And the paper has a video of the incident too!
Monthly Liberal Democrat get-togethers in pubs have proved a popular way of getting some of the thousands of new members who joined the party after the May 2015 general election involved, not least in policy discussions. In London, the LibDemPint has been going strong for some time now, latterly at the Marquis of Westminster in [...]
Pennine Care, which is the NHS Trust which operates most of our local community health services, and some of our mental health services, has starting its next round of elections for public and staff members to serve on the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors. They have one Public Governor vacancy in Bury this year. There are a series of governor pre-election roadshows to familiarise potential candidates with the role of the Governor. The dates and venues for the Bury roadshows are below. If you would like to attend any of the dates, please contact the Membership office ...
There has been an increase in debate recently about the lack of diversity amongst some groups within the Liberal Democrat candidature, with the spectre of All Women Shortlists (AWS) once again rearing it's head. Whilst I am not at all in favour of AWS (or AWCS, ADS or ABAMES) I think we are getting ahead of ourselves and looking for a solution before we have identified the problem. Simply put, do we know the numbers of under-represented groups throughout the selection process? I suspect not, given that no-one has up to now used hard figures to point to the reasons ...
Shropshire Council's initial statements that Ludford Bridge will be closed for three to four weeks have proved to be over optimistic. The bridge has already been closed for more than a fortnight. It be another six or seven weeks before it reopens. All work on the bridge requires the consent of Historic England, the nation's... Continue reading Update on repairs to Ludford Bridge - it may be closed until late April →
The next Cheadle Area Committee will be on Tuesday 15th March 2016, 6pm, at Ladybridge Park Residents Club, Edenbridge Road, Cheadle Hulme. As ever, it's a public meeting and all are welcome. To be discussed and decided: a report on how the council will work with others to deal with flooding and flood management. A long report, but worth a quick look at page 96 where there's a map showing which parts of Stockport are most at risk from flooding, and page 97 that shows the flood zones in Stockport. Planning application 60659 – extension to 10 Daisy Bank Lane, ...
The First Time Texas Killed One of My Clients Devastating. (tags: capitalpunishment ) APCOForum celebrates International Women's Day A collection of blog posts by @APCOworldwide colleagues. (tags: sexandgenderandsexuality ) The Vast Bay Leaf Conspiracy Do they make a difference? (tags: cooking funny ) Six Reasons Why We Still Need International Women's Day From Amnesty International. #fb (tags: sexandgenderandsexuality )
Kirsty Williams has underlined that it is only by voting Welsh Liberal Democrat will people be able to stop UKIP gaining seats in the National Assembly elections. After months of infighting, UKIP has selected its regional list candidates. UKIP are highly unlikely to win any constituency seats, and it is clear that the party is focusing its efforts on winning regional seats. Kirsty is urging people who have traditionally voted Plaid, Labour and Conservative to vote for the Welsh Liberal Democrats with their regional vote. Kirsty said: "Let's be clear: UKIP have no interest in standing up for communities in ...
