Ros has, over the years, been quite critical of Government efforts to interfere with the way buses and bus services are regulated. However, the current proposals offer some cause for optimism. She wasn't going to let slip an opportunity to condemn what Suffolk Conservatives are doing to a service which has hitherto been pretty successful... Baroness Scott of Needham Market (LD): My Lords, it is 16 years almost to the day since I made my maiden speech in this House. At the time I was chair of the Local Government Association transport executive, so it was quite natural to make ...
https://goo.gl/nwcWKg Why are they so upset? They have had the best of times even more money than any other time in British history, they had the lot and squandered it. Those born in the past 30-40 years will not have an inkling of the prosperity that the boomers generation had and have lost. The money that North Sea Oil brought and spent. They saw all the improvements that the 20th century had to offer and instigated the failures that its demise has brought. It's a well proven and recognised fact. And now these same people (not all of them it ...
Sometimes it is better to write blogs that reflect the mood you are in. At other times it is best to wait. On this occasion I am spitting so much blood in anger so I think it is better to publish. The planning inspectorate in Bristol has approved a huge solar farm off Squirrel Lane... Continue reading Welcome to the new ugly Ludlow - Henley Hall solar farm appeal gets the go ahead →
Since I have got myself a proper job, I can afford the odd little luxury. One of the pubs I used to work in was the local posties' pub of choice, so I have a fondness for posties and keeping them in work. Thus I started getting some subscription boxes. This is the fourth in an occasional series of me reviewing them. None of these are paid reviews, I haven't had special freebies, and I don't do sponsored content. WYSIWYG. Today I am reviewing: Spooky Box Club. What do they offer? A monthly box of interesting goodies and trinkets for ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above How things can be turned on their heads in the space of just 6 months. I blogged about this a while back. Here's the link to that original posting:- It looks like the right decision has been made at last i.e. to ensure that there is A Level education provision within Knowsley Borough but, and its a big but, educational attainment in Knowsley is poor, too poor, so if its young people are to be given a chance in life it has to improve. You would have thought ...
I am going to explain in this post why I think a vote to remain in the European Union is the only responsible choice. I'm not going to link to sources as it would take far too long, and anyway I want it to be clear that this is my own view, based on everything [...]
Wed 8th
17:31
My Hugo and #RetroHugos1941 votes: Art categories - No Award, No Award and Margaret Brundage
I did some due diligence and research while nominating for these categories, and it was all for nothing as far as the 2016 Hugos went, because the slate swept nine places out of ten. For Best Professional Artist for 2016, I nominated the following: Anne Sudworth Fangorn Julie Dillon David Hardy Fiona Staples None of these made the final ballot; all five of those who did were supported by the slate. I'm therefore voting No Award in this category and leaving it at that. For Best Fan Artist for 2016, I nominated the following: Andy Bigwood Chris Moore Jane Stewart ...
[IMG: Pledge card00] The result is going to be decided by whichever side can get their supporters out to vote. As the Chief Executive of ALDC and the Deputy Director of Campaigns (as well as us both being local councillors in Bury and Hull respectively), we know Lib Dem campaigners are the best in the country at driving up turnout. That expertise and experience is what the referendum needs - and has been recognised by a £30,000 donation given specifically to incentivise Lib Dem activity in the next few weeks to win the referendum for Remain. We're using that money ...
Bristol's new Mayor has ordered the publication of a tranche of invoices held by the council, shedding new light on the secretive spending of green capital millions. After bumping into a 40 day legal deadline for a freedom of information request from my Lib Dem colleague and former councillor Christian Martin the council has published [...]
Vote Leave's central message is one of taking back control from the EU, and returning it to the UK government. They may choose to talk about immigration as the answer to everything and to the exclusion of all else but here too, it is about control and rests on a perception that the EU, rather than national governments, is generally in control. Now those of us who understand how the EU works, know that the EU does what the national governments tell it to do, and not the other way round, and that the EU cannot do anything that national ...
[IMG: Oxford East activists campaign for #INTogether] With just a fortnight to go in the EU Referendum campaign, every bit of help Lib Dem campaigners can give could make the difference. Thursday 23rd June could well be the most important political date for decades to come. But by concentrating on the right activity we can also ensure that we get a lasting [...]
[IMG: Boris Johnson and David Cameron: conflicted over the referendum] Boris Johnson and David Cameron: in conflict over the referendum The crude answer is that people believe what they need to believe, which is not primarily about logic. The assertions that EU membership costs £350 Million per week and that Turkey is about to join the EU bringing mass migration have been thoroughly discredited. The fact that people are still believing them says a great deal for people's needs and fears. Working with unconscious fears is also core territory for psychoanalysis. One of the insights of the analyst Melanie Klein ...
In December 2015 the 'Diversity Monitoring Group' was created which consisted of five people passionate about ensuring progressive change is made to address diversity. Most people are aware that diversity needs to be addressed in the Liberal Democrats. Everyone has heard Tim Farron say 'we are a male and pale party'. Instead of waiting to see what the Party will do next we've decided to create a member-led diversity survey. The results of the survey have been shared with Liberal Democrat Headquarters, chairs of SAOs and AOs and some Federal Executive members. How it happened We created a set of ...
Yesterday I reported on how police had cleared former Lib Dems MP Adrian Sanders of the election expense allegations pushed heavily by Guido Fawkes: Guido Fawkes... alleged that allocating part of the costs of Adrian Sanders's general election freepost leaflet (printing paid for by the candidate, but delivery provided free by the Royal Mail) against the national expense return was a breach of the law. However, as the Royal Mail's own regulations make clear, it is permissible to refer to national politics in such mailings. Moreover the Electoral Commission in its advice to the Liberal Democrats ahead of the general ...
There was a full house at Southport Town Hall this morning for the Charity Coffee morning. It was good to meet so many people who regularly support the Mayor's Charity appeal- and some visitors from near and far. I met people from Inverness, Bury, Malaysia, Crosby and Litherland The people who 'meet and greet' visitors to Southport What is the secret of Maureem Fearn's Committee's success? Hard work and a dedicated team of loyal volunteers. But that would not of itself bring in the crowds. One additional secret weapon are those who meet and greet the visitors who come to ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said that US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump should meet Scottish muslims during his forthcoming trip to Scotland. He lands in the UK just before the EU Referendum and the opening of his Turnberry golf course takes place the day after when most of us will have better things to do than pay attention to him. It's good, though, that leaders from the Annandale Mosque and Roxburgh Street Mosque and Islamic centre in Edinburgh have invited Mr Trump to visit them while he's here to learn more about their work in the community. He ...
Jerome Ravetz has been one of the UK's foremost philosophers of science for more than 50 years. Here, he reflects on the troubles facing contemporary science. He argues that the roots of science's crisis have been ignored for too long. Quality control has failed to keep pace with the growth of science. As noted already in the Guardian's science pages, there is no lack of initiatives to tackle science's crisis in all its aspects, from reproducibility to the abuse of metrics, to the problems of peer review. This gives good grounds for hope that the crisis will eventually be resolved, ...
Wed 8th
12:48
Plans to redevelop One Stop at 9 Tower Street are to be updated after heritage concerns
The main concern with redevelopment of the One Stop is the future of the post office. But we are also concerned about the heritage aspects of this important site. Following concerns raised about the remains of the Tower Street goal between One Stop and the Renaissance Centre, the architect Trevor Hewitt is revising the plans... Continue reading Plans to redevelop One Stop at 9 Tower Street are to be updated after heritage concerns →
As we reported the other day, there will be work at this junction to improve safety on this dangerous junction. We now have more details. The work is scheduled for Monday 13th to Wednesday 15th June, but if all goes to plan they will finish by the end of Tuesday. The road closures will be from 9 am to approximately 4 pm each day. The Shire Way side of the junction will be tackled on Monday, and if there are no holdups they will move on to the Sundridge Park side on Tuesday. The work affects the Rodford Way carriageways ...
The UK's arms industry is one of the most prolific and lucrative in the world. From fighter jets to armoured vehicles to small arms, our arms dealers have a lot to offer the world by way of military equipment. No one will deny the power this industry wields in Britain. Until as recently as 2002, UK citizens and companies could arrange the transfer of arms between any other countries in the world (apart from those under a binding UN arms embargo) with complete impunity and no oversight. It took decades of campaigning and the undeniable involvement of UK dealers in ...
[IMG: fundraising website] Running good regular social events is vital for a local party of any size. They help to build team spirit, keep members involved and updated with the latest news, and can be fun. Ensure a good spread of types of events, including political. Some members will be interested in the social side, some will want [...]
Recent Liverpool Echo and Aintree & Maghull Champion newspaper stories refer:- If you lived in Melling or Maghull when this prison was originally foisted on the community you may recall that that undertakings were given back then (2006/2007) that it would only be a temporary prison and that the land had only been leased for 10 years. This information is no state secret and was readily available back then and it's less than 10 years ago that it all happened. Yes the government of the day has since changed twice since 2007 first to the Coalition and more recently to ...
Russian Athlete: Why Can't We Take Drugs? RT @pahunt1978: Coming up, pole vaulter asks "why can't I use a ladder?" & shot putter says "yes my shot is made of foam, so what?" Why Not Teach Girls to Masturbate in Sex Ed? ... not actually masturbating in the class, to be clear. But teach them that masturbation is not just for boys. Cutting benefits does not make people more likely to find work, Government-backed study finds | UK Politics | News | The Independent In fact, it's counterproductive. As SOME of us have been saying for YEARS. Britain's housing shortage ...
I have been a committed European Unionist for over 35 years and could once quote the Treaty of Rome as a party piece until the invitations dried up. This referendum is critical to all of us and I have been robust in criticising those aspects of the Remain campaign that I feel undermine the credibility of the real arguments. It was Brexit that kicked off with misleading numbers and daft claims. They were ridiculed quite rightly and we should not follow their lead. The referendum will be won on the credibility of our arguments, which must be Brexit-proof. I accept ...
I was at the monthly meeting of Sunniside History Society last night when I got an urgent message to go to my goat paddock. One of our goats, Georgina, had gone into labour. 5 minutes later I was there. I popped back home, only 2 minutes walk away to call out the vet. By the time I returned, the first baby had already been born. By the time the vet arrived, the 2nd had been born. I
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP today said that US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump should meet Scottish muslims during his forthcoming trip to Scotland. Mr Rennie's comments come as leaders from the Annandale Mosque and Roxburgh Street Mosque and Islamic centre in Edinburgh invited Mr Trump to visit them later this month to learn [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said yesterday health boards must get the support they need to carry out operations on time as new figures revealed 467 patients across Scotland had their operations cancelled for non-clinical or capacity reasons last month. This means around 16 patients a day in April had their operations [...]
Commenting on the publication of new figures on apprenticeships in Scotland which revealed persistent gender imbalance in industries like construction, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Tavish Scott MSP said: "The Scottish Government must put more effort into apprenticeships starting at school. The Wood Commission's work on developing Scotland's young workforce is the right blueprint. The [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP yesterday warned that progress towards cutting waiting times for psychological therapies has stalled as new statistics showed hundreds of Scots have been forced to wait more than a year for treatment. Across Scotland, only 82.8% of the 13,451 patients who started treatment for psychological therapies between January [...]
Commenting on new figures from WWF Scotland on renewable energy in Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrat energy spokesman Liam McArthur MSP said: "This survey shows the extent of the potential that our renewables sector has but we need wider action if Scotland is to start meeting our climate change targets, and going beyond them. "Building a [...]
The first thing to say about last night is that it could have been a lot worse for Vote Leave. What they would have wanted to avoid at the outset was Farage ending up saying something offensive that was quotable; they dodged that bullet. The UKIP leader was aggressive and nervous, however, and didn't come off well. A UKIP supporter once told me that Nigel is a "rock star politician", and I agree with him although not in the way he intended the comment: Farage is a great orator when surrounded by legions of his fans and admirers, but can't ...
Last night I spent an hour of my life I won't get back listening to two men who, respectively, don't much like and loathe the EU, take questions separately from an ITV audience. It was every bit as dire as you would expect and then some. Watching Cameron head up the case for Remain is a bit like watching that kid (who would have been me at my school) with no hand-eye co-ordination being forced to captain the netball team. Except, of course, that nobody forced Cameron into that position. He chose to pander to the right wing of his ...
Wed 8th
09:02Shropshire Council should step up to the plate and hold a referendum on council tax, says Ludlow's m...
The story is headlining on BBC Radio Shropshire right now and I guess we'll see it in the Shropshire Star when it is published around 9.30am. I think that when Shropshire Council leader Malcolm Pate demanded that town and parish councils agree to take over a range of services by September this year, or they... Continue reading Shropshire Council should step up to the plate and hold a referendum on council tax, says Ludlow's mayor in showdown →
Campaigning to Remain in the European Union ahead of the 23 June Referendum I have been struck by how little most people know about the EU. Perhaps that is inevitable, given that no previous British government has bothered to explain the Union to the electorate prior to the recent referendum brochure, which Brexiters have been [...]
From the City Council (for information, I have been assured that this should be the last traffic order in respect of the care home extension project in Thomson Street) : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 : SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water service connection works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Thomson Street (from Magdalen Yard Road to approx. 100metres north), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 13 June 2016 for 5 working days. ...
Further to my article in May following the site visit with the Street Lighting Partnership Manager and also with the Chair of Community Spirit Action Group, the local residents' group, to look at the new street lighting in Pentland, yesterday I had a useful meeting with the Director of Neighbourhood Services, some of her housing team, the council's Service Manager - Community Safety and Resilience and the Street Lighting Partnership Manager. This was primarily about the issue that, because the new lighting is that, because it is focussed on the road and pavements, it does not light paths and steps ...
Wed 8th
08:24
Libdem's gain Sherborne Rural Dorset CC seat (with help from Yeovil Constituency and beyond)
The Liberal Democrat's have gained Sherborne Rural constituency seat from the Tories for Dorset County Council. This is a great result, not just for Matt, Dorset Libdems etc. but a great result for the Liberal Democrats in the West and wider afield, to prove what we can do if we use resources wisely and really do work together. As an optimist I was personally keen for us as a local party in Somerset to help our neighbours, I know this is sometimes not practical as we have our own campaigning to do and others weren't so keen, but felt that ...
Tens of thousands of people wee still trying to register to vote before last night midnight's deadline but the site crashed and none of them were processed. This last minute surge and the problems associated with it were highlighted in a blog on Democratic Audit last week as we repotted on Saturday. Tim Farron is one of many voices calling for the deadline to be extended to enable those people to have their say in the referendum. He said: This is a shambles the government has presided over and people must be given an extra day to exercise their democratic ...
I recall watching the film Lincoln in 2012, together with its portrayal of the fight against slavery. In the film various politicians were arguing that the abolition of slavery was the top of a very slippery slope that could lead to black men getting the vote. Less that 150 years later the USA had its first black President. In many ways the now inevitable nomination of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate for President this autumn is just as significant. The only question is why it took so long to put a women at the head of one of America's ...
"Remain" is still ahead. Probably. Peter Kellner casts a cold eye. (tags: eu ukpolitics ) 'Doesn't Mary have a lovely bottom?' - Catholicism, sex and girls in Father Ted An excellent analysis! (tags: tv ireland church fatherted ) Vote Leave quietly delete its fake 'register to vote' page after being exposed Liars and cheats. (tags: ukpolitics eu ) In or Out? My journey to a decision on the EU Referendum Long but comprehensive. (tags: eu ukpolitics )
