The David Cameron lobbying scandal has highlighted once more the weaknesses in the system, where the Prime Minister is then judge and jury over his own alleged misbehaviour, whilst former Ministers can apparently ignore the rules on lobbying and future employment at will, with no sanctions being taken against them. Of course that does not mean there are not proposals for reform. The Independent highlights proposals from the Institute for Government that could make a difference. Amongst their suggestions is that cabinet ministers should be banned from lobbying for private firms for five years once they step down from that ...
Writing in the party's conference Facebook group, Geoff Payne (Chair of the Federal Conference Committee) explains plans for the party's autumn federal conference: We have decided that Autumn Conference will take place from 17th to 20th September. It will be held online. That was a very difficult decision to take and we had a very lengthy discussion about it. We recognise that a lot of people would like to meet again in person - believe me, so we would we - but the question is whether, at this time, we can absolutely guarantee that conference could go ahead in the ...
India is now the epicentre of pandemic. It is a humanitarian disaster with political roots. By the end of this week 200,000 deaths have been officially recorded and there is strong evidence that there are many, many more unrecorded tragedies. The country is desperately short of essential medical supplies. And although it is the world's largest producer of vaccines, its immunisation programme has stalled with less than 10 percent of the population vaccinated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a populist in the mould of Brazil's Bolsonaro and America's Trump. Saving lives is secondary to the political goal of retaining power ...
Books finished in the last week: Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn (did not finish) The Relentless Moon, by Mary Robinette Kowal The Serpent Sea, by Martha Wells The Orphans of Raspay, by Lois McMaster Bujold Two Truths and a Lie, by Sarah Pinsker The Consuming Fire, by John Scalzi April Books Non-fiction 1 (YTD 14) Kathedralen uit de steentijd, by Herman Clerinx Non-genre 2 (YTD 7) The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco SF 12 (YTD 47) Worlds Apart, by Richard Cowper Network Effect, by Martha Wells Kaleidoscope: diverse YA science fiction and fantasy stories, ...
It has been announced that Johannes Cornelis "Hans" van Baalen, President of the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe) Party, passed away this morning after a short period in hospital, having recently been diagnosed as suffering from cancer. A member of VVD (The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy), he served as a member of the Dutch Parliament between 1999 and 2002, and from 2003 until 2009 until he took his seat in the European Parliament. His political career started as the International Secretary of VVD, the first step in what became a love of international politics that ...
Liberal Democrat agricultural spokesperson Tim Farron explains why his party is launching a campaign to Back British Farmers. British farmers have been let down by the Conservatives. They've been promised that British standards will not be undermined, yet this hasn't been guaranteed in law. They've been promised that levels of funding will be maintained, yet the transition will see huge amounts of income lost. And the Government is still expecting our farmers to be the stewards of our landscape, and work with us to cut emissions and help maintain and improve our natural environment - but if they're not careful ...
Earlier this week I was called into hospital for an operation. Although minor it was to be performed under a general anaesthetic and I was instructed not eat anything in the five hours before my admission, and drink only water up to an hour before admission. Not difficult in this country. I have a choice of four different taps in my house, all of which supply amazingly pure, fresh, totally safe drinking water. As a bonus I also have a WC from which I can flush "waste" to be scientifically disposed off without any effort from me, and a bidet ...
Responding to reports that the UK Government plans to cut funding for life-saving water projects in developing countries, as well as slashing funding for polio eradication, Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development, commented: "Now we can see why the Foreign Secretary is hiding the details of the Government's deep, potentially unlawful aid cuts. In the middle of a global pandemic no less, water, sanitation and hygiene programmes are being cut to the bone. Deep cuts to polio eradication efforts are shocking and could prevent the disease being eliminated."Cutting aid for water and sanitation raises ...
Responding to the release of the 'Assessing England's response to COVID-19' report by the King's Fund, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: "This report plainly lays out the need and the framework for an independent public inquiry into the Government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "It has become increasingly clear over the last year that the Government was poorly prepared for a pandemic and slow to act when it hit. Its shady approach to procuring PPE and its failure to implement a robust test, trace and isolate system have exacerbated this crisis. "The Liberal Democrats ...
Yet more eFocuses from the Low Fell Lib Dem Focus Team. Edition 89 was produced recently covering:As postal votes arrive, Daniel and the Focus Team need your supportWrong colour tarmac used in Ravensdale CrescentGateshead Awards - have your sayComputer facilities in Low Fell libraryOpposing plans to cut Gateshead Schools' Music ServiceYou can read eFocus on this link.
Time is running out to use your postal vote in the local elections. Please make sure you get it into the post to arrive at the Council on Thursday 6th May. You can also take your completed postal vote to your local polling station on Thursday. (Polls close at 10pm)
I'm still trying to work out how we can hold our Annual Parish Meeting without breaking the law given the problems I outlined a month ago. And so, I turned to my copy of the Nineteenth Edition of "The Parish Councillor's Guide" by Paul Clayden (what do you mean, you don't have one?) and promptly allowed myself to be distracted. You know how it is, you look up one thing, and then see something quirky and interesting and before you know it... Well, what I found was a reference to Town Councils. Now, if you want to become a City, ...
Thu, 12:56: RT @themindrobber: Three things are astonishing about this photo. 1) It shows the surface of a comet, 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. 2) It... Thu, 13:02: RT @bbcdoctorwho: "You're gonna love this!" Happy birthday to the Doctor, @therealjomartin 💙💙 https://t.co/e7gHLctb02 Thu, 13:40: I'll be on @BBCTalkback shortly to discuss this with @aoifegracemoore. https://t.co/2yvmq0I5z1 https://t.co/6sUCWT1dQB Thu, 16:05: #DisneyMustPay: authors form task force to fight for missing payments https://t.co/Rre8sYny0Z A shocking story. Thu, 17:11: An Artist Sketches the Giant Gender Gap on the Moon https://t.co/aDlM4DMClO Challenging the historical legacy of patriarchy through art. Thu, 18:27: March 2011 books https://t.co/et35xyRa0w Thu, 20:48: A year ...
In a week that saw Boris Johnson caught up in multiple political scandals, any one of which would have brought down a political career back in the old days when this stuff still mattered, I am taking the time to remind us all of incidents in British politics that have fizzled out into what is relatively nothing in the recent past. In other words, political scandals where the ramifications were short term and small scale for the politician at the centre of it, particularly compared to what used to end careers not all that long ago. I think this tells ...
Welsh Liberal Democrats have announced plans to make every town in Wales a Tree Town. This would see every council preparing a long term Tree and Woodland Strategy to deliver and sustain a minimum of 20% tree cover in urban areas and 30% tree cover for all new developments. Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said: "This is part of a range of tough new measures to tackle the climate emergency, including spending the equivalent of £1bn per year to protect our natural environment, create new green jobs, and create a greener economy. "We have made a commitment ...
i) births and deaths 30 April 1983: death of Gabor Baraker, who played Wang-Lo, the rather camp tavern-keeper, in the story we now call Marco Polo and Luigi Ferrigo, a dodgy Genoese merchant, in the story we now call The Crusade 30 April 2004: death of Richard Steele, who played Commandant Gorton in The War Games (Second Doctor, 1969), Sergeant Hart in Doctor Who and the Silurians (Third Doctor, 1970) and a guard in Mark of the Rani (Sixth Doctor, 1985). 30 April 2020: I missed the sad news a year ago of the death of Wally K. Daly, who ...
I am grateful to the residents who over the past fortnight highlighted to me the graffiti in the pedestrian tunnel near to Clovis Duveau Drive and Riverside Avenue. I contacted the City Council's Rapid Response Team to get this removed and the team lived up to its title as the graffiti was thereafter very promptly removed.
With next Monday , 3rd May, being a Bank Holiday Northumberland bin collections are put back a day. If your normal collection day is a Monday, next week it will be Tuesday, etc Next week is a green bin week ( ie non-recyclable waste ) Any questions, check with Northumberland County Council
Prospect thinks it knows: Win at least 16 per cent of projected Britain-wide vote share Gain more council seats than they lose Win at least 10 per cent of constituency vote in elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly (8 per cent in both elections last time) These goals are depressingly modest and the third, judging by the opinion polls, looks out of reach. But we also need to male some spectacular advances that suggest there are new parliamentary seats within our grasp at the next general election, It is such successes that keep us going and that feature ...
