Fresh from the £50,000 fine for breaking data protection rules, there's more trouble in the anti-EU camps with news that the Electoral Commission has struck off a range of campaign bodies: The Electoral Commission has struck off 11 pro-Brexit campaign groups from their official register of EU Referendum campaigners after a Telegraph analysis raised concerns about how the Grassroots Out Movement intended to spend millions in campaign donations. In a statement, the Commission said that the 11 Grassroots Out or "GO" groups had been removed from the official register of campaign groups after "they were found not to meet the ...
I have a new weakness - or rather I have revived an old one. The Gideon stories were a series of police procedurals written, under the pen name J.J. Maric, by the extraordinarily prolific John Creasey between 1955 and 1976. For some reason I took to them while I was at school even though they were already dating markedly by then. Now I have discovered that the whole of the Gideon's Way TV series has been uploaded to Youtube. There were 26 of them made for ITV and broadcast in 1965 and 1966. John Gregson took the title role, playing ...
I was suspicious when I read the following: Representations were received that Teaching Assistant grades and pay in Durham were lower than other Councils in our region. Our research has demonstrated there is a range of pay levels associated with Teaching Assistants on a regional basis and the Council grades are comparable with several of these. Durham County Council – Response to the Second Consultation Exercise on Teaching Assistants' pay and conditions This is clearly intended to suggest that the pay grades of Durham's Teaching Assistants are broadly in line with regional averages. UNTRUE. I asked to see the research; ...
Thu 12th
20:31
Willie Rennie, dare and Prince Charles in the same sentence. What could possibly go wrong?
You can't really imagine it, Dave, Jez, Angus Robertson, Tim and all the Westminster leaders all lined up waiting to meet some VIP and suddenly one says to the others "I bet you £100 you won't say (something slightly unexpected) to said VIP. For a start, if Jez or Angus actually did it, the Daily Mail and the Sun would be screaming outrage and horror for at least a decade. There would probably be a constitutional crisis. It's not quite like that in Scotland. There's a lot more genuine banter between the party leaders. Last year, they all made out ...
At a meeting last night, Ludlow Town Council decided to ask Shropshire Council for extra time to negotiate the transfer of services from Shirehall to community control. The town council wants two years to negotiate with the unitary council and to build the local capacity to take on services. It wants to work with other... Continue reading Ludlow town council calls for more time and greater cooperation over service transfer →
From the Shropshire Star today: Church Stretton Town Council has agreed to set up a "working group" to look at the services in the area put at risk by Shropshire Council cuts. It will launch consultation with people living in the town over whether to raise the council tax precept to help fund such services in the future. The move has come in response to Shropshire Council's proposed budget for 2017, which suggests stopping all funding of services such as libraries and leisure centres.This report reveals the scale of the cuts the government is inflicting on local government. For decades ...
A firm which sent more than 500,000 text messages urging people to back its Brexit campaign has been fined by a watchdog. Better for the Country Ltd, best known for campaigning under the name Leave.EU, broke the law by not having consent of the people it sent text messages to, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said. The firm, which obtained the list of phone numbers from a third party supplier, was fined £50,000 for the breach. Many of those who were sent texts by Better for the Country Ltd had consented to receiving messages about areas including leisure, home improvements ...
Thu 12th
18:48
Electoral Commission has to take legal action to get expenses information from Tory HQ
[IMG: Channel 4 News election expenses 2015 graphic] Quite remarkable that the Electoral Commission had to take legal action: The Conservative Party has produced documents about its spending during the general election after the Electoral Commission took court action. The watchdog applied to the High Court to force the party to disclose the documents as part of an investigation into an alleged spending rules breach. Within hours, the commission said it had received the documents from the party and was reviewing them. The allegations relate to accommodation costs of activists on its "battle bus". The Conservative Party acknowledges that due ...
Back in 1989-90, I served as Deputy President (Services) of Cambridge University Student Union. CUSU had only three members of staff, plus a part-time assistant in the shop. My year was the first to have four sabbatical students union officers. At NUS meetings, I marvelled at the resources available to my peers at other institutions. My role combined numerous responsibilities that in most British student unions were assigned to several different full-time staff members (which we did not have). Frankly, I did not enjoy it much. Things have changed. CUSU now has six sabbatical officers at CUSU, and Cambridge's Graduate ...
The BBC reports: The Conservative Party has produced documents about its spending during the general election after the Electoral Commission took court action. The watchdog applied to the High Court to force the party to disclose the documents as part of an investigation into an alleged spending rules breach. Within hours, the commission said it had received the documents from the party and was reviewing them. ...In a statement, the Electoral Commission said: "Using its powers under the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000, and in line with its enforcement policy, the Electoral Commission may issue a statutory ...
In the distance, the Globe, home of Eurovision 2016 If you thought semi-final 1 had a lot of male soloists, just wait. Is it an unimaginative response to Måns? I realise there are always lots of female solo artists... and I might be imagining the whole thing. Anyway... the second final of 2016's Eurovision Song Contest is wide open. There are plenty of worthy entries but no clear leaders – nothing I absolutely love and nothing I hate. Latvia And here's our first solo man: Justs. A gentle start segues into a strong chorus. Poland Micheł has a proper pair ...
If you're an active Liberal Democrat campaigner looking to win in 2017 or 2018 (or in fact any year) then ALDC's Kickstart weekend is a must. Kickstart is the highly regarded annual residential training weekend organised by ALDC that brings together some of the party's most experienced and successful campaigners with campaign teams from across [...]
Academics are queuing up to make the case for staying in the EU. But almost all the larger R&D-intensive companies have kept their heads down. Why? Science is a vital part of the UK's relationship with the rest of Europe. Some eighteen per cent of EU funding returned to the UK is for research. The UK is a net contributor to the EU across the board, but a net beneficiary in science. Businesses are responsible for around two-thirds of research and development (R&D) investment in the UK, with firms headquartered overseas making up half of that figure - by far ...
The Federal Policy Committee had its most recent meeting on 11th May 2016. The agenda was a fairly light one with two major substantive items. Further Discussion on Liberty and Security Working Group Paper Brian Paddick attended the committee again to discuss the progress of this working group. It is nearing its closing stages now and will report to conference in the Autumn. The group has consulted very widely throughout the party; firstly at a consultation session at Spring Conference which was extremely well attended, secondly, through an online survey that was promoted on Twitter and Facebook, thereby doubling the ...
National vote third at 15%, up 45+ Councillors! Scottish mainland seats gained! Overall, these elections were an important step forward in recovery for the Liberal Democrats. However, this was not a uniform set of results. There were disappointing results in Wales and London, along with some English areas. We should think twice when discussing with colleagues how we did. Candy Piercy wrote this which struck a chord with me: The hard working candidates and teams who lost will be feeling out of step with the rest of the party. It is not just Wales and London feeling the pain. There ...
Despite a slight kick-start in the most recent elections we are still a long way off form truly having a #libdemfightback. If that is something we really want to do then we must start taking a real look at campaign strategy and the way we are fighting these elections. For years now the Liberal Democrats have been running a campaign that, whilst it does reach certain people, it is not working as well it perhaps could be. Targeting strong seats is very sensible and admirable but if feel we are potentially missing out on capturing other constituencies. Having lived in ...
I have been saying for some time the real crisis within the Welsh housing sector is that there are not enough homes available to meet demand. Now a survey by Shelter Cymru has found that 83% of people in Wales agree that there is a "crisis" in housing supply. Their call for more affordable homes to be built exactly accords with the Welsh Liberal Democrats policy during the Assembly election. ITV Wales reports that four out of five people in Wales are in favour of massive growth in the number of affordable homes built each year. Other results of the ...
[IMG: BoJo_security] StrongerIN have rightly seized on his words: his actions smack of political opportunism, and sound as if his support for leaving the EU and his personal ambition to become Prime Minister are closely linked. An immediate riposte is that the mechanisms of the EU do limit the ability of Maverick politicians to play opportunistic games of rabble-rousing. This is no bad thing. People might claim it as undemocratic, but democracy does assume that voters are well-informed and rational: manipulative games also undermine democracy. But Johnson's narrative gets the whole thing horribly wrong. At a treaty level, NATO is ...
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Nigel Ashton and Jo Barton are holding their next advice centre on Saturday 14th May from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at Cafe Moo Moo on Cambridge Road (by the junction with Preston New Road, next to Boots) on the fourth Thursday of every month (except December) from 10:30 - 11:30 am.
In his first act after swearing in as a member of the Scottish Parliament, Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh Western Alex Cole-Hamilton tabled a motion calling for the installation of thermostatic cut out valves in care homes across Scotland. Mr Cole-Hamilton tabled his motion after speaking with the family of Nicola Jones, a 35 year [...]
[IMG: Vince Cable at Social Liberal Forum conference 19th July 2014 - photo by Paul Walter] In my view, trade benefits all countries. It spreads technology and good practice; it stimulates competition and rejuvenates economies. Vince Cable, less than six months after being appointed Business Secretary, said that back in 2010 as he welcomed the EU-South Korea trade agreement. Liberal Democrats should loud and proud make the case for Free Trade. It ought to be inconceivable that we have to have this argument again. For most of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, the bone of contention between Liberalism and Conservatism ...
I am not known for being a lover of delivery companies and have been really unimpressed with some of them in the past; Yodel comes to mind as one I have commented on negatively previously. [IMG: index] Now my frustration is directed at Parcel Force who failed to pick up a parcel from our house on 10th May despite us waiting all day for them to call for it. At 5.30pm we decided to phone them to see what the problem was. I was redirected to their local delivery branch, kept waiting on the phone for a while and then ...
From the Mirror website today: The Electoral Commission are taking the Tories to the High Court to force them to reveal documents detailing the spending on Battle Buses ahead of the 2015 general election. The Commission have already asked the Tories twice for the documents, but they have only provided "limited" disclosure. Political parties have a legal obligation to provide full spending disclosures to the Commission on request.Later... Tory Party yields up Election expenses documents only after Electoral Ciommission said they were asking High Courst to force their release— Jon Snow (@jonsnowC4) May 12, 2016
Lib Dem Economics Spokesperson Susan Kramer was not entirely impressed with David Cameron's pronouncements on corruption. It's fair to say she won't be holding her breath. She said: We welcome the Prime Minister's announcement that those buying property in the UK or bidding for government contracts will be required to register, but quick action is vital for him to show sincerity, and any such register should be publicly available. Don't forget, we have heard similar platitudes before that have amounted to nothing. Back at the G8 conference in 2013 a new drive against tax havens was heralded, and the Panama ...
For those of you less interested in the goings on in the Welsh Assembly than I am, allow me to tell you the extraordinary thing that happened there yesterday. A vote was taken to decide who would be the First Minister. This should have been relatively straightforward – Labour are short of a majority on 29 seats (there are 60 altogether), but the opposition is all over the place. Plaid has 12, the Tories 11, UKIP 7 seats and the Lib Dems one. But Labour underestimated just how annoyed Plaid would be regarding deal making, or rather the lack of ...
Twitter RT @Quaristice: Whittingdale can't purge stuff from the Wayback Machine. BBC Recipes will live on there.. (500) RT @Quaristice: Whittingdale can't purge stuff from the Wayback Machine. BBC Recipes will live on there.. Predicting the 2020 election? We are not even sure if the results of 2015 are going to change. : Democratic Audit UK RT @liberalhistory: Predicting the 2020 election? We are not even sure if the results of 2015 are going to change. Twitter RT @haveigotnews: After receiving criticism for calling Nigeria "fantastically corrupt", David Cameron gets some moral support: Leave.EU campaign fined £50,000 for sending ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP today said there is no way that the First Minister can keep Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead in his post following repeated delays to vital EU payments. Farmers and crofters have been hit by extended delays to Common Agricultural Policy payments as a result of the failure of [...]
[IMG: Flag_of_Essex.svg] Essex County Council unites – no to national control of all schools. Essex County Councillors from all parties yesterday (Tuesday 10 May) united to oppose the forced conversion of Essex schools into academies. Members from all parties voted for a Liberal Democrat motion which opposed government plans to: force all "coasting" schools to become academies, [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said there is no way that the First Minister can keep Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead in his post following repeated delays to vital EU payments. Farmers and crofters have been hit by extended delays to Common Agricultural Policy payments as a result of the failure of a Scottish Government IT system. Mr Lochhead was informed of potential problems with the £178m IT system before the referendum but waited for months before warning farmers that payments could be delayed. It also emerged during the election campaign that farmers receiving support from an emergency Scottish ...
Watch the latest video from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign: Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary on Question Time, 5 May 2016, talks about why the EU has enabled low-cost flights to exist, and how Ryanair will invest less in the UK if Brexit takes place on 23 June. If you'd like to know more about the wider topic, see my other European referendum posts, and in particular Nick Clegg's demolition of the anti-EU case.
[IMG: Reggie and Kit] Every knows somebody with a positive story to tell about campaigning. Indeed thousands of Liberal Democrats go beyond the call of duty. I want to tell the story of Reggie Lane. Reggie, 45 is a long standing member of the Liberal Democrats. A full time wheelchair user, Reggie from 'The Cray' in Rochdale was an inspiration in the local election campaign in Rochdale. People talk of a Lib Dem Fightback – Reggie never stops fighting. Both personally and politically. Did you know that during the election, Reggie delivered hundreds of leaflets and target letters to his ...
[IMG: Stockport Business Awards 2016] Fancy your chances at becoming one of Stockport's award winning businesses? It's time to get your entry in for Stockport Business Awards. The awards are free to enter and you can enter as many categories as you like, the deadline is 27th May. If you have any questions please email Chelsea (chelseam@clarkenicklin.co.uk) Simply click here to go to the website for criteria and entry forms for each of these categories: Business of the Year (over £5m) Business of the Year (£1-5m) Business of the Year (up to £1m) Business Person of the Year Most Promising ...
One of Science in Transition's founders describes how his experience as a young HIV/AIDS researcher convinced him that science needs to change HIV/AIDS research in the early 1980s was a new and exciting field of science. I had started working as a biomedical researcher in Amsterdam, a city with a large and visible gay community. The new disease was a threat to public health and was highly contagious. It was transmitted by sexual contact and in the developed world affected young healthy gay men and recipients of blood and blood products. It took some time to realise that a truly ...
I've previously talked about the accuracy, or not, of the Thrasher and Rallings prediction for the Lib Dem vote share in local elections, but what about the other parties? Today then, let's look at their record for Labour in vote share* predictions based on by-election results in advance of the big May round of elections. Forecast Labour % Actual Labour % Error in forecast 2006 28% 26% 2% 2007 24% 26% -2% 2008 n/a 24% 2009 25% 22% 3% 2010 n/a 29% 2011 38% 37% 1% 2012 38% 39% -1% 2013 38% 29% 9% 2014 33% 31% 2% 2015 n/a ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Two family events for Festival of Museums 2016 : Saturday 14th May, 2pm-4.30pm Fossils and Ferns: The Hunt is On! Get your magnifying glasses at the ready and dust off those detective hats because some sneaky fossils and ferns have found their way into our displays in the museum and we need your help to find them all! So round up your friends and family and head over to the museum to take part in our quiz and fossil hunt festivities. Whilst exploring the museum you'll also learn ...
[IMG: European and British flags.] European and British flags. In recent elections, both the General Election or the European Election, Liberal Democrat candidates have included officials or civil servants working for EU institutions in Brussels. There is no restriction on them standing in these elections. I saw many of them do an excellent job. On the other hand, UK civil servants are generally banned from standing as candidates to be MP or MEPs. Isn't it time to address this inconsistency and relax the rules that mean civil servants cannot be chosen by their peers to represent them in our parliaments? ...
As May 12 is both the feast day of St Pancras and Steve Winwood's birthday, it is a big deal here on Liberal England.
