Local campaigners have launched a petition to save the local charity 'Home-Start Bury'. This is a charity which supports local families by offering support, friendship and practical help to parents with young children. Bury Council funded Home-Start thorugh it's 'Commissioning Fund' for a period of three years starting in 2013/14. That came to an end on 31 March 2016. During this period Homestart received a total of £69,000 from the Commissioning Fund. This is the statement from the Trustees of Home-Start from their Facebook Page" "It is with much sadness that the Board of Trustees has taken the difficult decision ...
Tue 3rd
21:53
Lord Paul Tyler writes...Liberal Democrats force government climbdown on Trade Union Bill
This evening sees the culmination of five months' work, led by the Lib Dems, which will finally knock some fairness into the Government's proposals for reforming the relationship between Labour and the Trade Unions. Late last year, the Left was raging - with some justification - about a Tory plot to remove up to £6m a year of funding from Labour, by restricting the right of trade unions to collect donations through a political fund. While the principle of requiring individual 'opt-in' consent for such donations is an important one - with which Lib Dems agree - the Government's endeavour ...
Note that the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall was the party's election agent in one of the seats now under scrutiny. Which could prove embarrassing for all concerned if she wins on Thursday. Note too her reluctance to answer questions on the matter. You can find earlier Michael Crick reports on this blog.
Embed from Getty Images That's what Jeremy Corbyn told the Welsh Labour Conference in February. And that phrase has since been adopted as the party's slogan for this week's local elections. But is it any good as a slogan? Standing up for your principles or your friends is admirable. So is standing up to bullies. Just standing up, however, is a pretty neutral act. (And it can be irritating to stand up if everyone else was sitting down.) And then there is standing by. Standing by while others suffer is a bad thing, but for the most part standing by ...
I joined the Lib Dems because of the merger with the SDP. However, if I was looking to join now what would convince me is the preamble to the constitution.
Jim Sharpe will be known to many for his quirky 'One Man and his Dog' columns in the Champion series of newspapers across Sefton and West Lancashire. [IMG: I am not aware of many pictures of Jim as he is always stood beside the press photographer (usually Martyn Snape) but here he is in 2014 caught on camera press notebook in hand with Cllr. Edie Pope.] I am not aware of many pictures of Jim as he is always stood beside the press photographer (usually Martyn Snape) but here he is in 2014 caught on camera press notebook in hand ...
Tue 3rd
20:05
Which of these "100 Must-Read Science Fiction and Fantasy Books By Female Authors" have you read?
Another list (this time from here), another poll. If you don't have a Livejurnal account, I believe that you can sign in with Twitter, Facebook or Google accounts to tick the boxes. View Poll: #2043865
After last night's events I had to go into Leicester today. I cannot claim there were remarkable scenes, but the commemorative Leicester Mercury was selling out as fast as they could print it. This is the first time I have seen people queuing to buy a local paper. So I went to the Cathedral to thank Richard III, the man behind it all. Since he was reinterred there, Leicester City have not stopped winning. I found they were flying the club's flag. More than that, I found a former boss of mine from Golden Wonder in clerical garb. I was ...
Rhys, local Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate for [constituency] standing for election in the Welsh Assembly has pledged their support for pub-goers and beer drinkers by backing CAMRA's Manifesto for Wales. CAMRA's manifesto calls for greater protection for valued community pubs by introducing a bespoke Welsh solution to protect community assets in Wales. Local residents across [...]
Tue 3rd
19:30
New data shows Shropshire has a middling record on renewable energy but is top for biodigestion
A year or so before I moved to Shropshire, I drove from Oxfordshire to visit the biodigester on Coder Road. The plant was a work of wonder, new technology that turned food and farm waste into compost, generating gas and electricity in the process. The biodigester has since been shut down but anaerobic digestion has... Continue reading New data shows Shropshire has a middling record on renewable energy but is top for biodigestion →
It's a close run between this and the play I'm going to talk about tomorrow, but I think the end of Macbeth has it. It combines a strong dramatic closure to the violence of Macbeth's story with the punchline about Macduff. It's also the root of the Ngaio Marsh novel, Light Thickens, which I mentioned earlier. Macbeth: Of all men else I have avoided thee: But get thee back; my soul is too much charged With blood of thine already. Macduff: I have no words: My voice is in my sword: thou bloodier villain Than terms can give thee out! ...
On Thursday May 5th vote for Helen Ceri Clarke in Aberavon, for Frank Little in Neath, for Welsh Liberal Democrats on the South Wales West regional list (lead candidate Peter Black) and put a cross in column 1 for Judith Woodman on the Police and Crime Commissioner Ballot.
News from Tim Gordon at Liberal Democrat HQ: [IMG: Shaun Roberts] I am delighted to announce that Shaun Roberts has been appointed as Director of Campaigns and Elections. Shaun has a strong track record both within the Liberal Democrats and, more recently at Which? He has played a key role in numerous campaigns including our byelection triumphs in Brent and Eastleigh and in the Ghurka Justice campaign. At Which? he has been focused on building up their digital campaigning arm (which now boasts one of the strongest supporter networks in the UK) which will help in our drive for campaign ...
Second to fourth paragraphs of third chapter: John [Nathan-Turner], never backward in coming forward, took advantage of tis to lobby [Bill] Slater about his aspirations to produce. "One day, during an annual interview," he recalled in his memoirs, "I restated my ambition yet again. 'Well, if you're serious, you'd better learn the PUM's job [Production Unit Manager] by doing it, then the script editor's job, then we'll talk again.' 'When do I start?' 'Tomorrow, as far as I'm concerned.' There is no more controversial figure in the history of Doctor Who than John Nathan-Turner, the show's producer for the last ...
[IMG: Five ideas] Anthony Lester, the Liberal Democrat peer, lawyer and "the most eminent human rights lawyer in Britain" has been interviewed by the Huffington Post. He highlights how, as a Jew, he was exposed to prejudice and discrimination from a young age, starting with the loss of relatives in the Holocaust, and later in the army when he was barred from attending a dance in the officer's mess to "prevent miscegenation". As a barrister he devoted a large amount of his life to combating discrimination, and he also worked with Roy Jenkins, then Labour Home Secretary, on developing laws ...
Tim Gordon, the Party's Chief Executive, this afternoon announced who will be heading up our Campaigns and Elections Department. The new Director is what we would call in Scotland a well kent face. Shaun Roberts had a long record in the party's campaigns team, becoming National Campaigns Officer and ultimately taking charge of ground communications and messaging before joining Which three years ago. There he has been responsible for digital engagement. His Deputy will be the newly promoted Dave McCobb, who will continue to be based in Hull where he is a Councillor. The Hull Liberal Democrats are one of ...
Myself and the local Lib Dem FOCUS Team, have been out and about a lot in recent weeks! And, with the good weather months soon to be upon us, have noted one or two gardens that are unsecured, which reminds us to ask local residents to be mindful of crime when designing or maintaining their front [...]
Last night around 6.00 I went to post a letter and saw that the poster at the top of Durham Road had almost blown off the hoarding. A bit of an accident waiting to happen. [IMG: primesight1] I emailed the contact details on their the advertising company's website. Bear in mind it was a bank holiday, so at best I thought there might be some action today. Not a bit of it. Within 15 minutes I had a telephone from the owners of the site, just to get a bit more detail on the address, and before nightfall I received ...
[IMG: ppb 2106] Lib Dem Party Election Broadcast April 2016 Yesterday evening (Monday), Labour aired its party election broadcast for the local elections next Thursday. I know this because it said so at the beginning of the broadcast: I certainly could not have guessed this from its content. This broadcast was entirely devoted to knocking the Tory Government, without any mention of the work of local councils. This single message of the broadcast was summed up by Jeremy Corbyn at the start: "This Thursday's elections are a chance to send a message to David Cameron and his Government. It's become ...
Just over three years ago I posted this. Roz has now gone to join his mum. They'd better have some decent ale up there or there'll be hell to pay. I'm going to be a bit fragile for a while, guys, and if you know my dad, don't say anything because he's not that kind of guy, but if you see him in the pub buy him a pint, yeah? [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Alison McInnes has said her party will liberate Police Scotland from top-down government control as she warns of the dangers of a continued target for extra officer numbers. Figures published today show that the SNP government has met the 1,000 extra police officer target it set in 2007. But [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said reports that the SNP government threatened the independence of the Information Commissioner reveals their addiction to secrecy. Mr Rennie was commenting following media reports that Scotland's freedom of information watchdog bowed to behind-the-scenes pressure from the Scottish Government to conceal information about legal advice. Commenting, Mr Rennie [...]
Over the last couple of years, myself and Cllr Nick Sandford have been part of a 'cross party budget working group' at the council. The group has had the challenge of overseeing the planned budget cuts by the Tory-controlled council. Over the past years, the Tories have lost money gambling with Icelandic Banks, they've spent millions on vanity [...]
Tue 3rd
13:18Breaking... Controversial Stone House plans withdrawn - new scheme announced tomorrow - come along
I wasn't expecting this. Yesterday, I made clear my opposition to the current plans to redevelop the former council office site at Stone House on Corve Street. This morning I has a call from Purcell, the developer. It turns out they have been working on a new scheme for the last few weeks. The previous... Continue reading Breaking... Controversial Stone House plans withdrawn - new scheme announced tomorrow - come along →
[IMG: Royal-Courts-of-Justice-2] In a test case brought by two British citizens who have lives outside the UK for more than 15 years, the High Court has rules that the state can deny them the right to vote. It is estimated that 700,000 people are affected by the decision. The Conservatives have pledged to scrap the restriction for future elections (in which they calculate it will assist them). The court ruled that Parliament is entitled to restrict the franchise to those with a specified "closeness" to the country and also said it would be difficult to amend the register to include ...
Tue 3rd
12:35
Knowsley – And you wanted evidence that our warped 'first past the post' electoral system does...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above If this story does not show why our warped electoral system is failing people I don't know what does. What's the point of standing against Labour in some Knowsley wards – the result is a foregone conclusion so candidates have stopped even putting up against Labour. This places our democracy under threat as voters end up with no choice because they don't have an election through which to make a choice. Labour will get re-elected in some Knowsley wards no matter what local people think of them. Credit to ...
Marvel's Captain America: Civil War 12A (2D) Marvel Comics Website Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe RussoWriters: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely After several international incidents involving the Avengers cause too much collateral damage, a set of governmental checks and controls are to be placed on all enhanced humans. The proposed agreement splits the group with Tony Stark (Iron Man) heading up those Avengers who acquiesce and Steve Rogers (Captain America) leading those who won't.It starts a civil war between the two teams meanwhile allowing a new enemy to emerge; one who has the Hydra secret to unlocking the Winter Soldier in Captain ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above What on earth is the Tory Party doing putting up a candidate who has been dismissed from a Serious Organised Crime Agency job for gross misconduct?
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume has said the next Scottish Government must put the NHS front and centre for the next five years, as new figures reveal over 20 operations a day were cancelled in March across Scotland for non-clinical or capacity reasons. Figures published today show that 670 planned operations were cancelled [...]
Blog Categories: Economics Oxford Vote: 0 votes + Vote up! - Vote down! The weekend saw a desultory rally of assorted anti-neighbour groups in Woodstock, following their "parish poll" to decide whether they should continue to oppose new housing near the town. This was reported on by the Oxford Mail, and has generated an assortment of comments. I thought it would be good to post one of my more strident ones here, just for posterity, so to speak! It also gels with some of my current reading, Sir Peter Hall's "Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and ...
Spare a thought for the thousands of candidates up and down the country who are now in the final stretch of the race to election day. Some of them will have entered the race on nomination day three weeks ago with little expectation of success. Such paper candidates are just flying the flag for their [...]
Tue 3rd
11:36
Lib Dems Pupil Premium policy has given hundreds of thousands of £'s to schools in this area
The Liberal Democrats have certainly got a lot of stick for taking part in the coalition government between 2010 and 2015, but, it was certainly not all bad! Especially when it comes to providing support for schools like Norwood, Gunthorpe, Werrington and Welbourne Primary Schools! The other year I was appointed to a special group at [...]
[IMG: Reading a phone. Public domain photo CC0] Like to get a summary of new posts on this blog conveniently by email rather than having to check the RSS feed, stalk me on social media or manually come back to this site? Or fancy getting my monthly Liberal Democrat Newswire? Or even both? Then sign up below. If you sign up for the daily email with my blog posts, you'll find they come with the added bonus of council by-election results from ALDC and an 'on this day' courtesy of the Liberal Democrat History Group. There are also options to ...
Embed from Getty Images In yesterday's article I alluded to 'a central contradiction going on in the Liberal Democrats at the moment: the incompatible melange of pro-asylum seeker and pro-interventionist rhetoric and ideology.' Today, I will say firstly that I do support accepting some asylum seekers in the UK; in accordance with a rather hard-headed ethic of prudence and restraint, rather than the gushy sentimentality that so often afflicts our party (of which more shortly). I will also say that my reasons for accepting asylum seekers are completely different from some dominant lines of discussion in the Liberal Democrats; and ...
The final Daily Record poll of the campaign from Survation Scotland shows the Scottish Liberal Democrats holding steady at 7% on the constituency poll. Although the list vote shows a 6% score full analysis of the tables shows that in reality the difference between the two totals is only due to rounding up and rounding down [...]
Embed from Getty Images The ongoing junior doctors strike has unfortunately focused the attention of the public and the media away from the plight of nurses and midwives. I believe this group deserves much more sympathy. Nurses and midwives, while not required to study for as long as doctors, nevertheless have to complete a degree course. Nurses' standard hours are usually 37.5 to 40 hours per week and many work extra nights, weekends and evenings to earn enough to provide for themselves and their families. A Royal College of Nursing report from 2015 found that 35% of nurses have to ...
I used to be a planning journalist. In those days, I covered the case of the fifty foot shark built on the roof of a terraced house in Oxford. I've written about the swordfish plunging through someone's garage in Crystal Palace. I've applauded the way that a law pushed through by the Thatcher government to allow stately homes was used to allow eco-villages in the woods. But when I heard about the plan to build a 100-foot statue of The Redeemer, a copy of the one that towers over Rio de Janeiro, right on topof Chanctonbury Ring, I thought for ...
[IMG: Voting Lib Dem on a ballot paper] Previously I covered a simple way to knock-up voters on Facebook. Today, it's the turn of one extra flourish you should always give your get out the vote (GOTV) efforts: what voters should be asked after having voted Lib Dem. The narrow, short-term, damn the future attitude of course is not to care. Vote secured, ignore them, move on to another voter. The smart, long-term perspective – remembering the importance of building up a larger core vote and a larger party membership – is to think like the rest of the world ...
From Sheena Wellington, Honorary Librarian at the Wighton Heritage Centre : Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library - Wednesday 4th May at 1.15pm. Lunchtime Recital with The Ferryport Ensemble - Music for Recorder and Strings from the Ferryport Ensemble under the leadership of Morag Anne Elder. Admission free, donations welcome.
From Dundee City Council : Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating carriageway resurfacing works. The Order is expected to be in force for three weeks from 9 May 2016. Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months. The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in Perth Road from West Park Road to Blackness Avenue (Phase 1) and at the junction of Perth Road, Hawkhill and Blackness Avenue (Phase 2). During Phase 2 temporary traffic lights ...
The extent by which the housing market is frustrating the ambitions of many young people is revealed today in an article in the Times. They report that parents helping their children on to the property ladder have become such an intrinsic part of the housing market that they will be involved in a quarter of all property transactions this year. The paper says that a report by Legal & General and the Centre for Economics and Business Research has revealed that the "bank of mum and dad" is now the equivalent of a top-ten mortgage lender in the UK: Rising ...
DUP likely to drop seats but stay top My piece for the News Letter. (tags: northernireland my media ) The forgotten occupation The broken promise of an independence referendum for Western Sahara. (tags: westernsahara ) Regarding My 2016 Hugo Award Nomination Tom Mays withdraws his story from 2016 Hugos. (tags: sf ) Rabid Puppy Finalists' Reactions, Compiled What the slated finalists said. (tags: sf ) Northern Ireland Assembly election 2016 All you need to know, in Kindle format. (tags: northernireland ) John Boehner just confirmed everything liberals suspected about the Republican Party *gulp* (tags: uspolitics ) Seanad Elections 2016 - ...
