All the news that fits

23-Jul-10

Neue Politik [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ]

What Have I Done This Month To Get Marriage Equality? [ 23-Jul-10 1:27pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
In between a sofa delivery and a nice cafe breakfast I've spent the morning reading the Civil Partnership Bill debates from 2004. This was a major mistake, leading me only to see the deceitful nature of Labour's claims to be a force fighting for LGBT equality. I shan't discuss it further as I am truly angry, but suggest you do take a look at the debates if you so wish.

So let's focus on the positive, what have I personally done this month to advance the cause for equality. Sure, there's only so much one person can do but I think it illustrates what can be achieved if we all do a little to fight for it. Together we can make a difference.

1) Your Freedom submission. On the 1st of July I entered the first request on the new Government website announced by Nick Clegg in support of marriage equality. The request stands at 194 ratings and has an average rating of 4.5 which is actually fairly high for the site.

2) Letter writing. I've written letters this month to Lynne Featherstone, David Miliband and Ed Miliband. These letters were written seeking clarification of their expressed views on marriage equality. Only Lynne Featherstone, a Minister, had the courtesy to reply (and understanding the Miliband's may have been busy with the leadership fight I directed the letters to their campaign offices for a reply but still nothing). Her reply was merely an acknowledgement that she had heard my views but hey, it's a start.

3) Questioning. It was I who asked the question and received the reply from Simon Hughes about marriage equality that made various news stories a couple of days later.

I also asked a question of Ed Miliband via a Labour Uncut interview, and received his less than inspiring reply.

I've also asked David Miliband a question via Yoosk. I'd be grateful if you were to click that link and rate it up in order for it to be asked next month during their "Yoosk hustings".

Personally I think that's a fair bit for a one man mini-campaign! I shan't be slowing down and plan to double my efforts in August to get this issue out there. I'm not expecting any amazing legislative action. I'm just trying to get the idea into MPs heads that civil partnerships are not equality. If we can win that battle, I think we can eventually win the war.

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist



Pits n Pots [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ]

Ashley Howells 'Apologises' - But I'm Still Not Happy! [ 23-Jul-10 12:38pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

I was incensed to read the comments made by Newcastle-under-Lyme Councillor Ashley Howells in today's Sentinel.

He said:

[quote]"I am extremely sorry that I made a personal response on Twitter which has been misinterpreted and then sadly misrepresented by others.

"My comments were in response to reading a highly political anti-Coalition Government comment about public expenditure cuts, which alleged that Stoke-on-Trent has been and will be disproportionately affected.


I came across a very interesting tale in the archive of the Leek Post and Times of a formidable woman who perhaps deserves far more recognition in her home town than she gets. The story came from an article in the Post and Times dated January 31st 1980 and is headlined Harriet Ann- a dedicated woman.

It is a very interesting tale, which I will restate augmented by addition information from the Internet gathered in the 30 years since the article was written.



Darlington Councillor [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ]

The Cost of the Coalition [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Full Council was dominated last night by a spirited debate about the robbing from Darlington of the Building Schools for the Future money by the ConDems. It was, shall we say, interesting to watch Tory and LibDem councillors opposite performing logic gymnastics as they tried to reconcile their support for the BSF campaign with a slavish defence of their Government's slash and burn approach to public spending.

I would imagine the debate would have been more heated still had councillors been privy to the news released by Durham Constabulary today that it is issuing 90 day redundacy notices to all of its 1160 civilian staff, which include its community support officers. The BBC website says that it is expected that 200 will lose their jobs.

To quote from the press release in full;

"Durham Constabulary, along with all other public sector bodies, is considering its budget for 2010/11 in line with the government's comprehensive spending review which will be announced in the autumn.

"We expect that some jobs will go; how many depends on the outcome of the comprehensive spending review which reports in October.

"In preparation for this, all 1,160 members of police staff employed by Durham Police Authority are being issued with notices advising that their posts are being considered for potential redundancy and that the statutory 90 day consultation period has started.

"This does not mean that all 1,160 police staff posts will go. "It means that when we are in a position to consider where cuts will be made, the formal process will already have been underway for some time."

Assistant Chief Officer, Gary Ridley, said: "Despite undertaking a range of actions to save money, such as freezing recruitment, offering early retirement, voluntary redundancy and centralising functions within its HQ site at Aykley Heads, it is clear that compulsory redundancies need to be considered in light of likely future reductions in the amount of government grant the constabulary receives.

"We are working closely with the Police Authority and Trade Unions to try and minimise the impact on our staff whilst maintaining a service to the people of County Durham and Darlington."


From my perspective as a ward councillor, the community officers perform a valuable role in tackling crime and responding to concerns, and we will all be watching the situation closely. No-one should be in any doubt either of the importance played by civilian staff - they free up officers to work on the front line, and from my own experience politically and professionally, I kmow how they help keep the public safe, albeit not in a way many will appreciate on a day-to-day basis.

Another bleak day. But believe me, this is just a taste of what is to come over the next few months.


optimum population trust news watch [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ]

Jatropha, a wild plant that grows well in dry areas on degraded lands and can be processed into biofuel, has potential as a low-cost energy source for poor farmers, according to a new United Nations report, which adds that further research is still needed on this crop. The report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development notes that the seeds of the jatropha plant can be processed into lower-polluting biodiesel than fossil diesel to provide light and cooking fuel for poor rural families. Seed cake, a by-product from this process, can be used as fertilizer and animal feed after detoxification, the agencies add.Unlike other major biofuel crops, such as maize, jatropha is not used for food and it can be grown on marginal and degraded lands where food crops cannot grow, and animals do not graze on it. The cultivation of jatropha - already used in countries such as Indonesia, Ghana and Brazil - would be particularly beneficial to women, the report points out, because milling machines powered by engines fuelled with jatropha oil reduce the amount of work they have to do. Replacing traditional biomass cooking fuels with cooking stoves that run on jatropha oil is also healthier, as cooking is done in a smoke-free environment, and women do not have to spend time gathering fuel wood. In addition, the lower use of fuel wood relieves pressure on forest resources.

"As developing countries face increasing local demand for energy in rural areas, they also must deal with both economic and environmental pressure on agricultural lands in general," the authors say. "The possibility of growing energy crops such as Jatropha curcas L. has the potential to enable some smallholder farmers, producers and processors to cope with these pressures."

At the same time, the report stresses that jatropha is still essentially a wild plant sorely in need of crop improvement, and that expecting it to substitute significantly for oil imports in developing countries is unrealistic. It adds that many of the actual investments and policy decisions on developing jatropha as an oil crop have been made without the backing of sufficient science-based knowledge. "Realizing the true potential of jatropha requires separating facts from the claims and half-truths," states the report.

Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35392&Cr=energy&Cr1=


The Kalahari Bushmen are to appeal against a decision by the Botswana high court forbidding them to use a well in the central Kalahari game reserve, one of the driest regions in the world, a spokesman announced today. The Bushmen, Africa's oldest inhabitants, won a ruling in 2006 against eviction from the game park, hailed as a victory for indigenous peoples around the world. Hundreds returned to their home villages but they have been prevented from reopening the well or drilling a new one.

The government argued that the Bushmen's presence in the reserve was not compatible with preserving wildlife and that living in such harsh conditions offered few prospects. The Bushmen took their case to the high court, and the judge this week ruled against them. "The decision doesn't make any sense," said a community spokesman, Jumanda Gakelebone. "We are going to appeal." For now, the 500 Bushmen have to truck in water from the nearest settlement with a public borehole, 300 miles away.

Survival International, a British charity that supports indigenous peoples' rights, described the decision as outrageous and accused the Botswana government of wanting to drive out the Bushmen. "The government wants them out," said Fiona Watson, its Africa expert. "They have contempt for the Bushmen's way of life."

The government capped a borehole in 2002 to drive the Bushmen out of the reserve. Despite the 2006 ruling, the government banned recommissioning of the borehole, leaving the Bushmen facing what the UN's top official on indigenous peoples, James Anaya, described as "harsh and dangerous conditions" due to a lack of access to water". Meanwhile, the Wilderness Safaris Company opened a luxury tourist lodge, complete with bar and swimming pool, on Bushman land; the government drilled boreholes for wildlife with funding from the Tiffany & Co Foundation; and Gem Diamonds was cleared to mine in the reserve on condition that the Bushmen could not use its water.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/22/kalahari-bushmen-bostwana-well-court-appeal


Sex education ‘could be better' [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Lessons about sex, relationships and health are not good enough in 25% of schools in England, inspectors suggest. Teacher embarrassment and lack of knowledge were often to blame, Ofsted said in a report based on findings at 92 primary and 73 secondary schools. It said in many secondary schools, pupils were taught about the biology of sex but not relationships.

The government says all young people should have high-quality teaching in this area. It will take Ofsted's findings into consideration in its review of the curriculum. Ofsted looked at personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education in 165 schools in England. The subject has been part of the timetable in most schools for about a decade.

Ofsted found in more than a third (34%) of the secondary schools visited, students' knowledge of sex and relationship was "no better than satisfactory", while in a further three schools it was rated "inadequate". The report says: "Students' knowledge and understanding was often good about the biology of sex but weaker about relationships. They said that their sex and relationships education was taught too late and there was not enough of it to be useful. Discussion was sometimes limited because of the teacher's embarrassment or lack of knowledge. In these schools, the students did not have the opportunity to explore the nature of relationships in any depth. They had not discussed managing risks, saying ‘no', negotiation in relationships, divorce and separation, or living in reconstituted families."
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-10727656

A fifth of girls pregnant by 18, survey reveals [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Almost one in five girls say they have been pregnant at least once by the age of 18, according to a Government survey published today. Just under half (46 per cent) decided to keep their baby, while more than a third (36 per cent), had an abortion, the figures show.

The statistics are part of wider research on the experiences of 18-year-olds in England, published by the Department for Education today. The responses of thousands of 18-year-olds questioned for the Youth Cohort Study and the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England were analysed. The findings show that of the 18-year-old girls questioned about pregnancy, 18 per cent had been pregnant at least once.

Of these, almost eight in 10 (79 per cent) had been expecting a baby on just one occasion, nearly one in five (18 per cent) had been pregnant twice, and 3 per cent had been pregnant at least three times. The survey concluded there was a "noticeable trend" between the young women who fell pregnant by 18, and their GCSE results.

More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/a-fifth-of-girls-pregnant-by-18-survey-reveals-2032952.html

Readers may also wish to look at some other government statistics on the subject which are not entirely consistent: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/population/births-and-fertility/conception-and-fertility-rates/index.html (Click on tab ‘Overview')


US Senate drops bill to cap carbon emissions [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

A major climate change bill that would have capped carbon emissions has been abandoned by Democrats in the US Senate in the face of opposition from both sides of the house. Under pressure from falling popularity ratings, Barack Obama had hoped the bill would add to the two biggest legislative successes of his presidency: the comprehensive health care bill and reform of the US banking and financial sector.

Democrats have been trying to pass a plan that charges power plants, manufacturers and other large polluters for their carbon dioxide emissions, the leading contributor to global warming, for more than a year. But it ran into opposition from Republican senators, as well as Democrats eager not to jeopardise their chances in November's midterm elections. Republicans said the bill would create a "national energy tax", warning costs would be passed to consumers in the form of higher electricity bills and fuel costs that would lead manufacturers to take their factories overseas, putting jobs at risk.

The failure to pass sweeping energy legislation is likely to weaken the US negotiating position heading into the international climate negotiations in Mexico at the end of the year.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/23/us-senate-climate-change-bill


Viet Nam: Young workforce poses challenges [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Viet Nam's population is entering a period of "demographic bonus", in which the number of people of working age is larger than that of the dependants. "While this is a phase of unique opportunities in terms of human resources, which is a great advantage to the country's socio-economic development, it could pose employment, education and social welfare challenges in the future," said Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung.

The national census data, which was officially released yesterday, indicated that by 2009, the number of youths aged under 15 had fallen to under 30 per cent, while the proportion of the population aged 65 and over was still under 15 per cent. "This demographic bonus could pose employment and social security challenges in the future unless the young emerging workforce is provided with education, training and job opportunities now, which in turn will ensure the improved well-being of the whole population in the future," said Tran Thi Van, assistant representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Viet Nam.

Hung, who is also the chairman of the Central Population and Housing Census Steering Committee, said Viet Nam had not only made great efforts in reducing the birth rate and maintaining and stabilising the pollution size, it had also fostered advancements in improving the population quality. He made the statement while speaking at the national conference on the dissemination of completed census results and a review of the 2009 population and housing census yesterday in Ha Noi.

The 2009 census reported that the rate of literacy had increased much more quickly than that of the previous, which was conducted in 1999, and had risen to 94 per cent of the population over 15 years of age. Life expectancy had also continued to rise, reaching 72.8 years. When the census results were completed on April 1, 2009, Viet Nam's population was 85,846,997 people-- an average increase of 952,000 people each year from the last census.

More: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Social-Isssues/201769/Young-workforce-poses-challenges.html


Uganda yet to ratify women's automatic right to abortion [ 23-Jul-10 2:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Women discussing at the rural women's conference at the Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe

Uganda has not ratified the Maputo Protocol which calls for the promotion of African women's rights over abortion. The protocol, which calls for women's civil, political and reproductive health rights, also calls for a blanket right to abortion.

The gender and culture state minister, Rukia Isanga Nakadama, yesterday said abortion was a very controversial issue, which had raised opposition from different groups of Ugandans. "Some articles in the protocol call for abortion but religious and cultural groups want them amended before we can ratify the protocol," she said. "This protocol will help us to improve maternal and child health in our country. The contentious article has been revised according to the Ugandan laws and we are going to ratify it soon."
The minister was attending the regional rural women's conference at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe. The meeting is expected to make resolutions on issues affecting women and forward them to the African Union Summit for consideration. Nakadama also launched the Uganda baseline survey on the African women's rights protocol, which seeks to change negative power relations, gender inequality against African women and also guarantee their rights.

Uganda is one of the 22 African countries that signed the protocol but have not yet ratified it. About 27 nations signed and ratified it while four have neither signed nor ratified it. The Maputo Protocol urges countries to provide adequate, affordable and accessible family planning, prenatal, delivery, post-natal, health and nutritional services. "Research shows that 80% of maternal deaths could be averted if women had access to essential maternity and basic health care services," the UNFPA gender advisor for Africa, Miriam Jato, said.

More: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/726536



Mark Pack [ 23-Jul-10 2:18pm ] [ T ]

Mmm, well this is one approach to take to the internet:

TERMS & CONDITIONS

...

Do you want to add a link from your website to the Shropshire Council website? Do you want us to add a link to your website through our Community Directory?

Please email the Community Directory Officer (community.info - community.info.hat.shropshire.gov.uk.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real one)) with ALL the following details:

link TO www.shropshire.gov.uk or a link FROM www.shropshire.gov.uk?

organisation

job title or position

name

address (including postcode)

telephone (including area code)

email

domain name of your website

brief description of the purpose and contents of your website

reasons for requesting a link

Alas, Shropshire Council have so far declined to respond to my request for a comment explaining the reason for this policy. Far be it from me to ignore it though, so if you want to find the source of the above copy and paste this address: http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/websiteinfo.nsf/open/2F5121395E2D0EE5802574C20047E748

Time methinks for a freedom of information request asking for the number of such requests the council has received and how many times it has taken action for links that don't meet these conditions...

(For my previous post along similar lines about Hyndburn see here.)



Luke's Blog [ 23-Jul-10 2:18pm ] [ T ]

A Labour candidate in every by-election [ 23-Jul-10 2:18pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
The fly in the ointment in the otherwise good council by-election results is that we did not field a candidate in the by-election in Kensington. I understand this was a local decision by the CLP with some members wanting to stand someone and the majority feeling it was such a safe Tory ward and so soon after the May elections that it wasn't worth it.

I don't think it's acceptable for them to have done this, particularly when the voters have had to choose between two parties now in national Coalition together. The Coalition gives us a clear way back in in places that have been Con vs LD fights, but to capitalise on that we have to be on the ballot paper.

I will be using my position on the London Regional Board, and if elected to the NEC my position there, to push for Labour's HQ and regions to make it an absolute priority to field candidates in every single council by-election going forward - and in every ward that we possibly can in the main council elections each May. This will require considerable organisational support and a good deal of friendly persuasion for weaker CLPs but it is vital to getting us back into power that we show we are a national party with no "no-go" areas for our candidates.


Paul Remfry, UKIP, Weaver Vale [ 23-Jul-10 2:18pm ] [ T ]

The cost of the EU [ 23-Jul-10 2:18pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
UKIP Leader Lord Pearson has introduced a Private Member's Bill calling for a public inquiry into the cost to the UK of its EU membership. The European Union Membership (Economic Implications) Bill had its first reading on Tuesday and the full text can be found at:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldbills/016/011016.1-i.html

For more information and links see:

http://ukip.org/content/latest-news/1794-ukip-push-for-inquiry-into-cost-of-eu


Cornish Zetetics [ 23-Jul-10 2:17pm ] [ T ]

Quangocrat quits before he even starts [ 23-Jul-10 2:17pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]


On BBC Radio Tees again [ 23-Jul-10 2:17pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Liberal Conspiracy [ 23-Jul-10 1:49pm ] [ T ]

Goat more popular than govt ‘spending' site [ 23-Jul-10 1:49pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

An unnamed goat has stormed ahead in Facebook fans stakes by comprehensively bleating the government's Spending Challenge website yesterday.

Prime Minister David Cameron recently launched a collaboration with Facebook, to much fanfare, to encourage FB users to suggest ideas to cut government spending on a special page.

Despite the media blitz, and a special video stunt discussion with Mark Zuckerberg on YouTube, the Spending Challenge page on Facebook has a paltry 81 followers.

In contrast, the goat, who might be named Billy (but the lefties who adopted it couldn't decide on a name and soon started accusing each other of betrayal), managed to attract over 500 fans in just one day.

You can become a fan here.

The goat was unavailable for comment, but spokesperson Clifford Singer from the Other Taxpayers Alliance said: "Billy [the name's not decided yet dammit! - ed] passionately believes the government should focus on growing the economy not cutting spending."



LibDemBlogs [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

Here I am! [ 23-Jul-10 1:22pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
View Larger Map

S4C must look at management costs and senior salaries [ 23-Jul-10 1:20pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Recent reports that S4C is facing cuts to its future government grant of as much as 24% over a four year period are worrying but as yet unconfirmed. While this is just speculation at the moment, if these cut have to be made, S4C must ensure that the quality and standard of Welsh language programming are not affected. S4C need to make efficiencies in backroom functions to limit cuts in what we, the viewers, see on the channel. S4C must look at cuts in management and senior staff salaries as some of the pay in the higher echelons are out ...

GDP 1.1% up - good sign but let's not read too much into it [ 23-Jul-10 1:15pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
So the figures are now out for growth in Q2 2010 and it is looking like it is almost double what was predicted by economists. They thought it would be 0.6% and it is actually 1.1% Predictably both Labour and the government are trying to claim that the better than expected figures vindicate their policies. Alistair Darling claims that they prove the previous government's "measured and balanced" approach is working. Meanwhile George Osborne claims that they show the current government's plan to cut the public sector is the right approach (only 0.1% of the growth came from the public sector, ...

Looking for a new BlueTooth Headset [ 23-Jul-10 1:10pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
It turns out that my washing machine is incompatible with my BlueTooth headset. What was once my favourite little gizmo – resplendent with blinking lights – is now little more than scrap metal. Arse. [IMG: Dead BT3030] Dead BT3030 The Jabra BT3030 was, without a doubt, the best BlueTooth headset I ever had. There were regular firmware updates for it. Sound and call quality were excellent. It could pair with two devices simultaneously – and automagically pause the music on one if you received a call on the other. Best of all, it had standard sockets. A 3.5mm jack so ...

I was rather unimpressed by the Pinker book I read last year, but this seemed to be a more coherent assembly of facts and theories relating to linguistics, psychology and philosophy. I'm afraid I still wasn't gripped by it, but that is more to do with my own preferences for intellectual exercise than any fault of the book; I can't get very excited by deep philosophical questions, and psychology has never been an attractive field for me. There were some points of interest. I was startled to read of an old family friend making her reputation by observing and writing ...

Edge Hill PR success [ 23-Jul-10 1:03pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Three of my PR students who graduated this week are already in jobs in the PR industry. It's great news for them and I'm really pleased they've been able to do well despite scary stories about lack of jobs for graduates. The University Press team have interviewed the successful trio. This is a link to a story about their fantastic achievements.

On the prospect of a double-dip... [ 23-Jul-10 1:00pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
The ONS today released their second-quarter preliminary estimate for GDP growth in 2010... Wait, where are you going? Come back, this stuff is important! The electoral fortunes of the Lib Dems are currently at a low ebb, as the combination of unpopular budget decisions and a media squeeze push our poll ratings back towards pre-election ...

Mmm, well this is one approach to take to the internet: TERMS & CONDITIONS ... Do you want to add a link from your website to the Shropshire Council website? Do you want us to add a link to your website through our Community Directory? Please email the Community Directory Officer (community.info - community.info.hat.shropshire.gov.uk.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real one)) with ALL the following details: link TO www.shropshire.gov.uk or a link FROM www.shropshire.gov.uk? organisation job title or position name address (including postcode) telephone (including area code) email domain ...

Cleggtriloquism [ 23-Jul-10 12:32pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
It's nice to see that the art of ventriloquism isn't dead. Even if you can see George Osborne's lips move. No, really: you can actually see him mouthing along with Nick Clegg's controversial 'illegal war' jibe at Prime Minister's Questions this week. Here's a link to the place in the tape where Nick Clegg accuses Labour of the illegal invasion of Iraq, just before Claire Perry pops up in her orange jumpsuit, presumably to make a protest about Guantanamo Bay. But catch it while you can – these iPlayer links only stay fresh for a few days. While Callmedave was ...

Thanet Pride in Margate [ 23-Jul-10 12:08pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Margate doesn't have as much going for it, as it should, due to various factors, Kent council choosing to build an art gallery out to sea, owners of Dreamland bulldozing the site, still that's nothing to do with local people. Events that have been organised, by local people and organisations have proved successful, Thanet Pride being a good example, in terms of all round benefit this is probably one of the best, since its held on the front and grows in popularity each year. Thanet needs events like this every weekend, and not just in Margate, an awful lot of ...


mudhook [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

PAY RISE FOR CORNWALL COUNCILLORS ? [ 23-Jul-10 1:30pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
The 27 July 2010 meeting of Cornwall Council is to consider an increase in councillor pay – the official term is allowances. At present the basic pay is 12 128 a year. The Local Government Association has told councils that, based on a rise in ASHE national median pay, there could be a rise of [...]



The Scottish government is resisting pressure to attend a senate committee that wants to question the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber. Is there a case to answer?


A new unease is hitting business confidence | Liam Byrne [ 23-Jul-10 12:59pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Despite encouraging signs of economic recovery, the looming public sector redundancies are making business nervous

Today's GDP data confirmed the recovery had taken quite a hold in Labour's final months of office. National output was up by a huge 1.1% in the second quarter of 2010 with good growth across the board. Services output was up 0.9%; government and other services rose 0.9%, production output rose 1.0%, manufacturing was up 1.6% and construction output was up a huge 6.6%. So, the question now is what kind of recovery lies ahead?

If growth carries on at last quarter's pace we could start to see unemployment coming down fairly soon. And this week there was some news to support the idea that economic momentum was gathering. The CBI's industrial production figures showed this week that more firms were feeling a rise in local orders and exports, and retail sales - perhaps boosted by the World Cup - beat analysts' expectations.

But a couple of big problems loom. First, it's hard to tell just how high growth needs to go before unemployment starts falling.

During the recession, firms have been "hoarding labour". Instead of laying people off, workers have been put on shorter hours. As growth now returns, we're seeing a sharp rise in productivity as output goes up - but hours stay fairly fixed. The ONS has a neat summary. Simply put, firms are getting more out their existing workers; they're taking new people on. We just don't know how long this "unhoarding" is going to take.

Second, and just as serious is the weak state of confidence now acting as a hand-brake on business investment and consumer spending.

Abroad, there are siren voices warning that co-ordinated austerity is damping down global growth, which could hit UK exports.

Nouriel Roubini, an economist who can boast he predicted the crash, warned this week that global growth was heading for a sharp slowdown towards the end of the year and in testimony to the Senate Banking Committee this week, Fed chief Ben Bernanke said the economic outlook looked "unusually uncertain".

In the UK, the minutes of July's Monetary Policy Committee released on Wednesday, concluded that the economy had now "deteriorated a little". Bank of England officials said that while the impact of the budget measures on the economy were "hard to gauge", it was "likely that they had pushed down a little on the most likely path for output". The medium-term outlook for growth "might have weakened too".

None of this is good for confidence. In the boardroom "private sector thrift" is still halting a flow of new funds into the kind of investment we need for future growth (on which there is a good discussion at the Economist) as British industry gets cold feet about the future. This, as Robert Skidelsky explained this week, is simply a consequence of the new unease triggered by the government's economic plan:

"'We have as a rule only the vaguest idea of any but the most direct consequences of our acts.' [wrote Keynes]. This made investment, which is always a bet on the future, dependent on fluctuating states of confidence. Financial markets, through which investment is made, were always liable to collapse when something happened to disturb business confidence."

So, why is business worried? Quite simply because the government is about to sack potentially hundreds of thousands of public sector workers. If there aren't private sector jobs for them to go to soon, then unemployment is going to liable to rocket.

We already know that consumers who are lucky enough to have a job are not seeing the recovery fatten up their pay packets. Last week we learned that average earnings growth, including bonuses, decreased in the year to May 2010, from the April rate of 4.1% to 2.7% in May 2010. That doesn't bode well for a bounce back in consumer spending.

Yet it could get even worse. The government's economic plan needs a very fast revival in the private sector's animal spirits to create jobs for potentially hundreds of thousands of layoffs from the public sector. In Birmingham for example, a 9% cut to the city's 156,000 public service workers could put unemployment to almost 18%. Without opportunities to go to, unemployment in towns and cities across Britain is set to spiral to levels seen in countries like Spain.

Liam Byrne
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


Sir Paul Stephenson: "The Met will shrink" [ 23-Jul-10 12:19pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

If one word captured the business discussed by the Metropolitan Police Authority yesterday it is "efficiency" - or a lack of it. In its plural form, of course, the word often serves as code for financial cut backs, and the threat of those ran through most of the proceedings.

Sir Paul Stephenson framed the big picture against background talk of public spending cuts of 25 percent. The idea that such a reduction could be made to the MPS budget "without touching people," would be "an absurd notion," he said. He went on: "The one thing I am fairly confident of is that the Met will shrink, if that is the scale of the cuts."

How frightened are you feeling? Call me blase, but I'm not quaking just yet. I've yet to find a remedy for my old time lefty view that the relationship between levels of crime in any society and the numbers of police officers employed is not straightforward. The same goes for the latter's deployment against crimes causing particular concern.

Criminologist Marian FitzGerald's recent research into the Mayor and the Met's stop-and-search campaign against knife crime bears this out. In Southwark, where the tactic has been used liberally, knife crime rose. In Islington, where it was used sparingly, it fell. This doesn't prove that stop-and-search is worthless, but it usefully reminds us that throwing cops at a problem doesn't automatically solve it.

Sir Paul's comments came shortly after Ken Livingstone had presented a petition:

We call on the Tory led Metropolitan Police Authority and the Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to reverse the decision to cut 455 police officers and guarantee the future of London's dedicated 630 safer neighbourhood police teams.

During the 2008 election campaign one of Ken aides described himself to me as "a bit of a Tory on crime". Ken himself might be characterised in that way too and his instigation of SNTs under Sir Ian Blair seen as an expression of his faith in a George Dixon policing model recalled from his Tulse Hill youth.

Tory MPA members, however, did not see Ken's initiative as a chance to unite with him on common ground. Tory bloggers - including two I've always got on well with, MPA member James Cleverly AM and Iain Dale - had already published a variation on a line Boris Johnson has been using in the (rather tiresome) "police numbers" context since the beginning of the year.

This holds that the projected reduction of 455 officers is a result of an initiative - Project Herald - introduced under Livingstone's last mayoralty, and that his petition was therefore a stunt rendered ridiculous because it criticised his own policy. Steve O'Connell advanced the same argument in the chamber. Team Ken and Team Labour both say that Project Herald has nothing to do with it and that the Tories are in a spin and, well, spinning accordingly.

The dispute presents me with a dilemma: the familiar, well-balanced Dave with his sound grasp of priorities and proper sense of proportion - not getting ahead of myself, am I? - thinks this is a bit of a sideshow; the pathetic, obsessive Dave wants to burrow pitifully into the small print and see who's right. The outcome of this internal struggle will become evident over the next few days.

For now I'll simply place on record my agreement with two of the MPA's independent members, Clive Goodwin and its vice chair Reshard Auladin, who presided yesterday in the absence of a holidaying Kit Malthouse. To paraphrase, both said that more than ever the debate shouldn't be about numbers but about effectiveness and, yes, efficiency. The trouble is, there are fewer votes in it.

Not until the last half hour of the meeting did we get to the part that had prompted me to put it my diary in the first place - the discussion of the report of the Race and Faith Inquiry, which I've followed with interest since Boris Johnson commissioned it in October 2008.

It won't surprise you that Sir Paul welcomed it. It didn't surprise me that James Cleverly did too, praising what he called its "constructive tone" which he believed meant the Met was more likely to take it seriously. I wasn't surprised, either, that Jennette Arnold - in line with the thinking of the MetBPA - thought it too soon to dispense with the label "institutional racism", as the report recommends.

Whatever the merits of that argument, it's fair to say that the report builds much of its case around the idea that London will be better policed if it changes to ensure that BME officers are more effectively recruited and retained and that the management of career progression is fair, transparent and seen to be so (a point which white officers who helped the inquiry made too). Sir Paul said he thought that being wise to diversity issues was integral to police professionalism in London. Alas, he also remarked, though not in so many words, that things like recruitment and promotion tend to slow up when you're skint. Efficiency is such a versatile word.

Footnote: You can watch a webcast of the entire meeting via here.

Dave Hill
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


Allergy to BNP is undemocratic | Shaaz Mahboob [ 23-Jul-10 10:00am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Barring Nick Griffin from the Queen's garden party ignores his mandate as an MEP and allows the BNP to play the victim card

It appears to have come as a double-whammy for Nick Griffin, first a dismal performance in the general election, and now getting barred from the Buckingham Palace garden party. The BNP and its leader appear to be on a slippery slope heading south.

While it has to be acknowledged that, as an MEP, Griffin was entitled to expect to be invited to this year's garden party, his blatant efforts to gain political mileage from this experience prompted the Palace to withdraw his invitation. Whether or not any pressure from the wider circles of power was exerted on those responsible for managing the garden party guest list is best left to one's inference.

No matter how repugnant BNP's stated position is on those considered non-British, or how vile Griffin's thoughts may be about Muslims in general, barring him from attending a party hosted by the Queen, will have undesirable repercussions. One of the reasons cited for this ban has been that of potential discomfort to many of the guests who were due to attend.

It would appear that the guests who would have felt rather uncomfortable due to his presence are of the same ilk as those who walked off the platform back in June 2009 in protest at Nick Griffin's democratic victory in the last MEP elections. Such aversion to Nick Griffin due to his contentious political beliefs sadly counters the democratic principles that this country has upheld until now. It allows the BNP to play the victim card, and to draw more support from the disgruntled middle England, something which is being tapped by the more radical EDL in the recent past.

The majority of the people in this country rejected the far-right party earlier this year in the general elections, yet the fact remains that until the BNP is voted out of the European parliament, it retains its two MEP seats and are thus elected representatives for the thousands from whom they managed to gain support. It is this mandate that ought to be respected and tolerated in the spirit of democracy and common decency.

Griffin's dismal performance on the BBC's Question Time last year is evidence enough that offering him the microphone does indeed have its own merits. Not only do such opportunities oblige the BNP leader to defend the indefensible; he ends up exposing himself and the deeprooted desire of his party to cleanse the country of all things and persons they deem "unBritish", whatever that means. At the same time, such events allow much needed debate on certain core issues with the major stakeholders, including the BNP.

The wider British public and politicians need to get over their allergy to the BNP and all those who hold controversial, unpalatable and borderline offensive views. Without engaging and challenging the far right and religious extremists within our communities, democracy will slowly lose its meaning and we might one day become as intolerant as some of the countries and cultures we so detest.

Shaaz Mahboob
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds



Mark Thompson [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

GDP 1.1% up - good sign but let's not read too much into it [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
So the figures are now out for growth in Q2 2010 and it is looking like it is almost double what was predicted by economists. They thought it would be 0.6% and it is actually 1.1%

Predictably both Labour and the government are trying to claim that the better than expected figures vindicate their policies. Alistair Darling claims that they prove the previous government's "measured and balanced" approach is working. Meanwhile George Osborne claims that they show the current government's plan to cut the public sector is the right approach (only 0.1% of the growth came from the public sector, the remaining 1% is from the private sector).

I think it is too early to say what these figures show with any certainty. Also, they cover April, May and June which is almost perfectly bisected by the two administrations. April and the first half of May had Labour at the helm whilst for the second half of May and June the coalition was in place. But the idea that the decisions taken by the coalition in recent weeks would already have percolated through to the growth figures is I think a little far-fetched. If anything I would say Labour have the stronger claim as it is their policies in the last year or two that will still be having their effect. But even then, there was a strong expectation that Labour would not be in power after May and so market sentiment for what it thought would happen may also need to be priced in.

So I don't think either side should get carried away and make overblown claims at this stage. not least because these are only preliminary figures which could end up revised down in a few weeks time.

I would suggest that the growth figures in the next few quarters will be more instructive as to whether we are on the right track now rather than what we have seen today.



Liberal Democrat Voice [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

Mmm, well this is one approach to take to the internet:

TERMS & CONDITIONS

...

Do you want to add a link from your website to the Shropshire Council website? Do you want us to add a link to your website through our Community Directory?

Please email the Community Directory Officer (community.info - community.info.hat.shropshire.gov.uk.spam.com (this is spam bot hidden email address, replace .hat. with @ and remove .spam.com for the real one)) with ALL the following details:

link TO www.shropshire.gov.uk or a link FROM www.shropshire.gov.uk?

organisation

job title or position

name

address (including postcode)

telephone (including area code)

email

domain name of your website

brief description of the purpose and contents of your website

reasons for requesting a link

Alas, Shropshire Council have so far declined to respond to my request for a comment explaining the reason for this policy. Far be it from me to ignore it though, so if you want to find the source of the above copy and paste this address: http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/websiteinfo.nsf/open/2F5121395E2D0EE5802574C20047E748

Time methinks for a freedom of information request asking for the number of such requests the council has received and how many times it has taken action for links that don't meet these conditions...

(For my previous post along similar lines about Hyndburn see here.)



Iain Dale's Diary [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

The Problem Facing Labour [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
I have just got arund to reading last week's Spectator. In it, Patrick Wintour has an insightful column on the problems facing Labour during its highly uninspiring leadership contest. I was particularly struck by this passage...

...This is Labour's problem when opposing the cuts now. Their own policy, on which they fought an election, was to halve the deficit over four years. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies demonstrated, this would mean public spending cuts, for each department, in the region of 20 per cent. Nonetheless, Labour tried to fight an election on the investment vs cuts narrative. With no credibility on the deficit, it is hardly surprising their campaign was a disaster (as Mandelson freely admits in his book).

Now Labour's leadership candidates find that the debate has moved on. The coalition government has persuaded the public that cuts are inevitable, that Labour was profligate and had turned public spending into a false idol. The Lib-Con government is thereby absolved of all responsibility for these cuts. So when the axe starts to fall in the autumn, with the 25 per cent cuts that the Chancellor warned about in the Budget, Labour will have difficulty complaining given that their own plan was for cuts of a similar magnitude.

Some of the leadership candidates believe they can argue that Labour's cuts would have been more compassionate, in contrast to the ideologically driven and unfair cuts being planned by the government. Some candidates are striking out to the left. Ed Balls, for a few weeks now, has been saying he regarded the Brown-Darling deficit reduction plan as too aggressive. This frees him to oppose government cuts now.

Another leadership candidate (with a better chance of winning) is, I understand, developing a similar stance on the public finances. To the all-important question — where to find that clear, red water — he proposes a simple solution. First, he would declare that the public finances are better than Labour had thought when it drew up its own deficit reduction programme. So, it can be argued, Labour's cuts would not have been so harsh as it had previously imagine. Next, propose higher taxes, thereby reducing the need for further cuts.

But whoever is elected Labour leader on 25 September will face a substantial logistical problem. By then, there will be just four weeks remaining until George Osborne announces his spending review. It is a tight deadline on which to forge an economic policy, especially if the new leader has to wait until the results of the shadow Cabinet elections to find out who the shadow chancellor will be.

Labour's leadership contest has been very uninspiring. None of the candidates has even tried to think the unthinkable or launch a real 'change' manifesto. It's 'same old same old' from all of the main four contenders. Most of them still act as if there in government and as if the deficit hardly exists, and if it does, it's not their fault.

Compare this with the Tory leadership contest in 2005. That contest captured the imagination and lots of new ideas were batted around. It showed a party wanting to learn from its past and move on to a new future. The 'change' message was one which the party responded to, even though it knew it could be an uncomfortable journey. Ed Miliband is possibly realising this at last and adopting the same message as the Cameron campaign in 2005 - Change to Win.

But is it too late? Will anyone notice if they have been switched off already?


In Defence of Crispin Blunt [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
I know I am going to get slagged off for what I am about to write, but here goes, anyway.

Crispin Blunt is right to have rescinded Jack Straw's order banning arts and comedy courses in prisons. I first wrote about this back in 2008...

So Jack Straw has banned prisoners at Whitemoor Prison from learning about how to write a comedy script or do stand up. They were taking part in an eight day course as part of an education programme. What harm can possibly be done by learning about comedy script writing and improvisation? I'd have thought learning how to diffuse potentially harmful situations by the use of humour was a good thing. Instead, Jack Straw has jerked his knee and responded to synthetic tabloid outrage. Not only that he's ordered an inquiry! you couldn't make it up.

Prison is a balance between punishment and rehabilitation. I don't believe in going soft on people in prison - but nor do I believe that activities which make them want to learn and develop should be discouraged.

And then last October I appeared in a cabaret at the Tory conference, the aim of which was to demonstrate how comedy can help in prisoner rehabilitation. I wrote...

Jack Straw cancelled all arts projects in HMP Whitemoor and issued a Prison Service Instruction to all Governors, telling them that, when making decisions about arts interventions, they must ensure projects "meet the public acceptability test" and consider how the activity might "be perceived if open to media scrutiny."...

Surely if rehabilitation is to mean anything, the arts have a key role to play in helping prisoners discover some self esteem and maybe a talent they never thought they had. Our prison system is set up for punishment, but rehabilitation takes a back seat.

I hope under a Conservative government that will change. Being tough doesn't just mean locking people up and throwing away the key. A tough politician will take tough choices - and that means locking fewer people up and devoting more resources to preparing prisoners for life on the outside. Only in that way will reoffending rates drop.


The Daily Mail has predictably gone OTT and Downing Street are distancing themselves from Blunt, briefing that the speech wasn't properly cleared with them.

I wonder how many people who are slagging off Crispin Blunt today have read the actual text of his speech. Do youself a favour and click HERE to do so. The whole speech is a very good statement of aims for the new government with regard to the balance between rehab and punishment. But it is this para which has caused the uproar.

I want to mention one other proposal from Churchill that struck a chord with me. Churchill noted that
'we have got a class of men in our prisons who need brain food of the most ordinary character.'

He notes that

'There have from time to time been occasional lectures given in the prisons, and a few months ago the Somerset Light Infantry, quartered near, had their band in Dartmoor Prison and it played to the convicts. It was an amazing thing the effect which was produced on all these poor people, and their letters for a month after had been eloquent in recognition of the fact.'

I have to say that not all Members of the Commons were quite as enthusiastic about military music with one suggesting that:

'The music will be an added punishment to some.'

But there is a serious point here. We recognise that arts activities can play a valuable role in helping offenders to address issues such as communication problems and low self-esteem and enabling them to engage in programmes that address their offending behaviour I confess before getting this job I was not aware of Prison Service Instruction number 50 of 2008, though was vaguely conscious of some row in the tabloids about offenders being recorded as enjoying themselves. As a measure it was typical of the last administration's flakiness under pressure. At the slightest whiff of criticism from the popular press policy tended to get changed and the consequence of an absurd overreaction to offenders being exposed to comedy in prison was this deleterious, damaging and daft instruction. I'm pleased to have marked the actual day of the 100th anniversary of Churchill's speech on Tuesday by rescinding it.

I'm glad he did that. It was the brave and the right thing to do.

So, go on, call me a woolly liberal, or a LibDem. It'll be water off a duck's back. We need to run our prisons policy very differently. It is not working, and we need to think more about the kind of person we put back into society at the end of their sentences. At the moment the majority can't read or write and they're hooked on drugs. Is it any surprise that they then reoffend? it's all very well saying that we should keep offenders in prison for longer, so they can't offend, but we will be heading for a situation where the prison population heads for 200,000. We simply cannot afford that, even if we thought it was a good idea. And it isn't. The key to lowering reoffending is to improve in-prison rehabilitation. And education via courses like arts and comedy courses is all part of it.



People's Republic of South Devon [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

There might have been giants! Or there may once have been a 20ft sculpture called Giant's Chair. This six mile Dartmoor walk takes in the site of the soon to be former modern masterpiece as well as a tragic legend, an ancient cross and the Bronze age settlement of Grimspound.

The day started at Jay's Grave with a legend. The story of Kitty Jay is one of the more well known ones on Dartmoor and local award-winning musician Seth Lakeman even wrote a song about it.

In brief the legend says that in the late 18th century unmarried farm girl Kitty Jay became pregnant and after being left with no home and no reputation she committed suicide. In those days suicide victims were buried at crossroads to ensure that their restless souls didn't wander and disturb the living. Every day fresh flowers are left on the grave and no-one knows who leaves them there.

There were plenty of flowers and even coins on Jay's Grave (SX 732799), as I paid my respects and started on the footpath behind it towards Giant's Chair.

After 0.6 of a mile Giant's Chair (SX 733799) isn't difficult to miss (unless you get here and it's already been taken down). The 20ft sculpture was made from local oak by Henry Bruce in 2006. It was in a beautiful location overlooking the west Webburn valley. It's also on private land so please be respectful if you take a closer look.

After taking my fill of photos I carried on along the footpath until I reached a gate and crossed a small road and through another gate, back on to moorland.

Here I ignored the signpost and kept left on a track which took me through a marshy area where lots of dragonflies and damsel flies kept me entertained while I tried to get some good shots with my zoom lens.

If you keep following this track on and then diagonally left it will take you on to the top of Hamel Down where you can join up with the Two Moors Way. This is the easier option, but I decided to follow the line of boundary stones up the ridge, so I found an animal path that took me right and over to Berry Pound (SX 713803) - the remains of a pre-historic enclosure.

After enjoying the view from Berry Pound I headed up the ridge and found Blue Jug boundary stone (SX 708803). This is at the head of the east Webburn river and is quite a boggy area so it might be prudent take the easier route if the weather has been wet.

These boundary stones mark the edges of the old Natsworthy estate and a little further on is the Grey Wethers boundary stone. Carry on up and you'll meet a path.

Go left for a visit to Broad Barrow (SX 706799), one of the largest barrows on the moor, which is marked with a 19th century stone inscribed Broad Burrow.

Two Moors Way runs through this barrow and if you look towards the cairn on Hameldown Tor you'll see it as the left path - the right being the one you just walked.

Follow the Two Moors Way along and on the left you'll spot the remains of Hamel Down Cross (SX 704801). It is inscribed HC (Hamel Down Cross), DS (Duke of Somerest) and 1854.

Head towards Hameldown Tor (SX 703806) and admire the cairn, trig station and views. From here you have a steep descent to Grimspound (SX 700809) - a well-known Bronze age settlement of around four acres containing about 24 hut circles. The pound is large enough to go in and have a wander around with the dramatic backdrop of Hookney Tor opposite.

Heading away from Grimspound the path splits into two so take the left one. This will take you to Heathercombe and down through the tranquil forest, ending up at the small road and gate which will take you back past the Giant's Chair and then to Jay's Grave.

Thinking of going on this walk? Check out the Giant's Chair video!

o Want to take this walk with you? Use our Print option. Or download it to your phone to check on the way.

Watch Seth Lakeman's song Kitty Jay


View East Dartmoor: Giant's Chair and Grimspound in a larger map

o When walking on Dartmoor please ensure you take the right equipment with you, eg, waterproof, walking boots, water, a map, plus your common sense.

Twitter Facebook FriendFeed MySpace


Kevin Maguire & Friends [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

A Kiss of Death from the Prince of Darkness for Ms King? [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

"There are two possible Labour candidates, Ken Livingstone and Oona King, and I am supporting Oona King..."

The endorsement of Lord Mandelson of Memoirs does Oona King no favours, and gives Ken Livingstone a new line in applause-grabbing gags, in the battle to be Labour's candidate as Mayor of London.

Two things struck me. Firstly, the label of Blairite candidate does her no favours in London and Mandy reinforces it(as did her earlier failures to condemn unequivocally Post Office privatisation). And secondly, Mandy's a Labour leper since his book created such a stink, all five runners in the leadership race criticising the Prince of Darkness last weekend at Unite hustings I chaired. Will Ms King disown her champion? With a friend like Mandy, she could make a lot of enemies in the Labour Party.

I'd noticed at Labour hustings Frank Field was the party's bogeyman for benfiting the ConDems. Over the past fortnight Field's been usurped by Mandy, a full-throttle denunciation of the PoD going down well with the party voters activists.

I've just caught up with Mandy's endorsement of King on Five Live on Monday. You can hear it here until the BBC takes it down from iPlayer. It's 97 minutes into a programme hosted by the always entertaining Colin Patterson.


A History Test for David Cameron [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Poor History Boy David Cameron. I hear the Prime Minister isn't coping well with the ridicule after he thought the US entered the Second World War in 1940 instead of 1941. Downing Street officials are also suffering a sense of humour failure, saying they hope there'll be no more mocking the PM.

I'm tempted to say Cameron's error doesn't say much for an expensive private education at Eton or three years at Oxford, supposedly one of our elite universities. But I say that most days. So, instead, I've devised a test for Cameron to prove he knows his history. I've pitched it at the Prime Minister's level to give him a fighting chance of getting some of them right. Good luck, Dave...

The Cameron History Test:

1) In which year was the 1066 Battle of Hastings?
2) Nelson's column was named after which famous British Admiral?
3) Over which islands was the Falklands War of 1982 fought?
4) Hadrian's Wall was built by which Roman Emperor?
5) The Great Fire of London of 1666 was in which capital city?
6) The Anglo-French Entente in 1904 was between which two nations?
7) Which came first: the First World War or Second World War?
8) The Seven Years' War of 1756-63 lasted how many years?
9) How many Henrys were there before Henry VIII?
10)The Six-Day War of 1967, involving Israel, lasted how long?


And the Labour election winner is...Ken Livingstone? [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Ken-Livingstone-20.07.10.jpg

Ken Livingstone, the Labour candidate who wants his old job back as Mayor of London, is hoovering up the affiliated union nominations on what used to be known(and still is to some) as the industrial wing of the labour movement.

Unite, Unison, GMB, Ucatt and Tssa all support Red Ken's bid with party rival Oona King yet to get a score on the union door, although she may get Usdaw while he's likely to add the CWU to his list.

Unions in London flocking to Livingstone is a sharp contrast with the Labour leadership where they've split: David Miliband(Usdaw and Community), Ed Miliband(GMB and Ucatt), Ed Balls(CWU), Diane Abbott(TSSA and Aslef) while Andy Burnham is in King's position and awaits his first.

Unite and Unsion have yet to declare and I'm chairing the Unite hustings with the five tomorrow, which you can watch from 10am at UnitetheUnion.org There'll be no vote at the end. Alas.


A Clothes Peg Vote [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]


I've advocated the Alternative Vote for 30 years but reckon it'd be easier
to organise the No campaign in the May 5 referendum.

The Tories will be overwhelmingly against and Labour split. Electoral
reform sceptic Jack Straw knows reducing Labour Parliamentary seats will
sway many in his party into the No camp. Labour reformers will be
unenthusiastic about asking for a Yes vote to keep Nick Clegg in his job as
Deputy PM when the ConDems are cutting the jobs of hundreds of thousands of
people.

The Yes camp is also mad if it really thinks putting a cut-happy business
figure such as ex-CBI boss Sir Digby Moans in charge.

I hope it'll be a Yes vote. Britain needs a fairer, more democratic
electoral system. But I bet I'm not the only reformer who feels queasy
about Clegg using the referendum to hang on to his post by keeping going a
coalition which could collapse if the Lib Dems fail to get what they really
want.

I may have to put a clothes peg on my nose before I go to vote under these
circumstances.

********************
IMPORTANT NOTICE This email (including any attachments) is meant only for the intended recipient. It may also contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, any reliance on, use, disclosure, distribution or copying of this email or attachments is strictly prohibited. Please notify the sender immediately by email if you have received this message by mistake and delete the email and all attachments.

Any views or opinions in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Trinity Mirror PLC or its associated group companies (hereinafter referred to as "TM Group"). TM Group accept no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Although every reasonable effort is made to keep its network free from viruses, TM Group accept no liability for any virus transmitted by this email or any attachments and the recipient should use up-to-date virus checking software. Email to or from this address may be subject to interception or monitoring for operational reasons or for lawful business practices.

Trinity Mirror PLC is the parent company of the Trinity Mirror group of companies and is registered in England No 82548, with its address at One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AP.
********************



Eric Avebury [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ]

Friday 23rd July 2010 [ 23-Jul-10 1:48pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Just a brief note to say that Eric returned home from hospital last night, and is delighted to be home. No doubt he will add to this later. Lindsay


Scotsman.com News - Politics [ 23-Jul-10 1:18pm ] [ T ]

MP warns cutting jobs fund will lead to 'lost generation' [ 23-Jul-10 1:00am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
EAST Lothian Labour MP Fiona O'Donnell has warned the UK Government's decision to scrap the Future Jobs Fund could lead to "another lost generation of Scots".


Guy Fawkes' blog [ 23-Jul-10 1:18pm ] [ T ]

Friday Caption Contest (Junior Partner Edition) [ 23-Jul-10 1:00pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Tagged: Caption Contest

Quote of the Day [ 23-Jul-10 12:28pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
After the row today Whitehall says... "Mr Coulson is having difficulty pronouncing Crispin Blunt's surname"


BBC News - Politics [ 23-Jul-10 1:18pm ] [ T ]

No 'prison parties' insists No 10 [ 23-Jul-10 12:39pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Justice Minister Crispin Blunt is over-ruled by No 10 after suggesting a ban on parties and other 'inappropriate' prison events could be lifted.

Denis Healey's wife, Edna, dies [ 23-Jul-10 12:13pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Lady Edna Healey, the wife of former Labour Chancellor Lord Denis Healey, dies at the age of 92.

Business basics: What is GDP? [ 23-Jul-10 10:39am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Declan Curry explains just what GDP stands for and why we should care.

Can you show us you are a man? [ 23-Jul-10 9:14am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
A passionate debate over burkas ends in smiles when union leader Bob Crow asks a member of the audience to prove he is really a man.

Tomlinson verdict's bad 'smell' [ 23-Jul-10 9:01am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Question Time panellists question the DPP's decision not to prosecute a police officer over the death of newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson at last year's G20 demonstration in London.

No punches pulled [ 23-Jul-10 12:09pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Ex MI5 chief reignites interest in Iraq inquiry with frank testimony


Epolitix News [ 23-Jul-10 1:17pm ] [ T ]

Lords to examine EU single market [ 23-Jul-10 1:52pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
The House of Lords EU committee is to examine the union's single market as part of a new inquiry.


MPs' staff 'worse off under Ipsa' [ 23-Jul-10 1:42pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Concerned MPs have backed an early day motion calling on Ipsa to improve employment conditions for staff.


Visa system will 'foster culture' [ 23-Jul-10 9:32am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
A points-based Visa system for visiting artists and performers should be 'robust but fair' according to a home office minister.



Anna Raccoon [ 23-Jul-10 1:17pm ] [ T ]

Virtual Insanity. [ 23-Jul-10 1:17pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
This is the United Kingdom 2010. 'Walking the dog' is no longer the low-tech activity it used to be. If you are lucky enough to avoid the marauding transvestites intent on introducing your Pekinese pooch to the finer details of alternative sexuality, then your next task is to find a suitable lamp post. Assuming you [...]



London's political leaders today wrote in unison to the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to enact legislations to devolve more power to the capital.

In the letter, London's senior leadership laid out specific proposals which aim to deliver a more efficient system of governance in London and deliver savings for the public purse. The detailed proposals laid out by the co-signatories, Boris Johnson, Mayor Jules Pipe and Dee Doocey AM , can be found here:


The Government today released the  Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009 which provides a comprehensive account on how  the government and wider public sector has spent 86,833 million  from the public purse on procurement. The procurement spend by English local authorities and the Department of Health have also been published for the first time as well.


City of Lincoln Council received a top accolade for its Apprenticeship scheme at last week's Apprenticeship Awards, organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS). The award recognises the council's success in using apprentices to meet the needs of its business and the community it operates in.


A new national survey released by the DCLG shows that a majority of people in England are "satisfied" with their communities despite accepting that they have minimal influence on local decision making.


Responding to the publication, today, of the Government's consultation on the future direction of skills policy, CMI (Chartered Management Institute) warns that an opportunity to drive economic growth could be missed. 


The poorest in Britain have 2:1 chances of dying before the age of 65 than the richest, and the health gap could get worse, according new research unveiled today.


Skills Minister John Hayes has today invited employers, individuals, colleges and training organisations to share their ideas on how they would like skills policy to be set out in the future.
The consultation document Skills for Sustainable Growth outlines BIS's vision for skills and what are expected to be the key elements of a strategy for delivering it.



Mark Pack [ 23-Jul-10 12:47pm ] [ T ]

Worth a second outing: Can Google's dominance be broken? [ 23-Jul-10 10:50am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Welcome to a series where old posts are revived for a second outing for reasons such as their subject has become topical again, they have aged well but were first posted when the site's readership was only a tenth or less of what it is currently or they got published and the site crashed, hiding the finest words of wisdom behind an incomprehensible error message. Today's is about Google. I've updated the social network usage figures.

Google dominates the search engine market, both in the UK and internationally. Although there are some countries where a local search service has the lead (e.g. Russia), overall Google is undoubtedly number one.

The world however is full of companies which used to be massive, even dominant, but fell from grace. Remember the days when Novell dominated the server market? Or watch Blade Runner and look at the brand names used back then, firms so big that it was easy to believe the future would include them. Names such as Pan-Am.

So could Google too fall from grace? And if so how?

Google gets a case of commercial madness

No matter how big the company, a domineering chief with a kooky business plan can bring it to its knees. Think RBS. Think Marconi. It may be very much a long shot that Google will commit commercial suicide in this way, but it is not completely unthinkable. (And the highly implausible has a nasty habit of happening now and again. After all, who until a few weeks ago would have thought that one wrong character in one file could break Google's search engines for a few hours?).

Google gets regulated

The repeated skirmishes between Microsoft and regulators haven't brought Microsoft to its knees. They have cost the firm in fines, legal costs and reputation, but Microsoft is still one of the commercially most successful companies in the history of the IT industry.

Other firms have though been dismembered by regulatory action; IBM comes to mind most notably.

Could Google ever face such a fate? Its increasing dominance of online advertising markets could leave it open to anti-trust / anti-monopoly action, especially if the economic downturn and resulting advertising squeeze makes its advertising rivals turn up the pressure for intervention.

Google loses the privacy battle

Much of Google technical and commercial success relies on gathering bucket loads of data from us. Lots and lots and lots. And the putting that data to work to improve its services even further and to tie us in to them.

But what if there is a move to give people much more control over what is done with their data? This could cause serious damage to the Google way, and it appears to be the line of attack that Microsoft is taking.

Microsoft has been signing up some of the best privacy talent in the business to work for it. All done in the name of helping to improve its own services of course, but if Microsoft can get public and regulatory opinion on its side, we could see a move towards much greater individual control over data that could seriously damage Google.

Someone does a better search engine than Google

There have been, and are, lots of new search services which try to find an approach that Google doesn't cover, such as clustering search results around themes or providing visual representations of the results.

This is an area where Google can feel confident, because not only is it their own core area of expertise, but Google has the huge financial resources to buy or replicate any ideas other people have which take off.

Moreover, Google is now so deeply embedded into people's habits and systems, that even if a better search engine came along (and several around at the moment argue that they are better), Google has a huge incumbency advantage. To illustrate this, imagine if you invented a superior taste for a cola drink this weekend. What would you actually then start doing on Monday morning to topple Coke or Pepsi? It's not trivial task to knock an incumbent off their perch, even online.

We stop needing Google

A bigger risk, though, is that people move to using search services built into other services which are beyond Google. This is what was happening with YouTube - until Google purchased it. YouTube has become the second most popular search site on the internet, after Google itself. It may only return video results, but its content is so popular that people are often happy to only be searching that, leaving the rest of the internet alone.

With YouTube, Google's money snuffled out the threat. But why shouldn't search migrate in future to another site stuffed full of content? And if that other site, having captured people's attention with the ability to search its own content, started adding in search results from the wider internet...

Consider social networks, which now get more internet traffic in the UK than search engines.

Or consider Microsoft's move to turn its extremely widespread Office software suite into a web-based software service. Microsoft's own search engine has failed to dent Google's dominance, but imagine a world where Microsoft migrates millions of users around the world to using Office online, making its Office services some of the most heavily used sites on the internet. Drop a search box on to them and it'd be time to start selling Google stock.

There are good reasons to think that each of these futures might not happen. Just as Microsoft has largely successfully seen off wave after wave of competitors, Google might too. But even if the odds of any one method of downfall are low, for Google to continue to dominate, it has to be the case that none of them happens - and that's a much less likely prospect.



Liberal Conspiracy [ 23-Jul-10 12:18pm ] [ T ]

The Big Society exists, just not where the Tories want [ 23-Jul-10 12:18pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

I doubt David Cameron was watching Channel 4 last night, away as he is in America. But his aides ought to save the 4OD link for him.

I'm talking about Undercover Boss, which followed Kevan Collins - Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets Council - as he became "Colin" and met people doing frontline services in his borough.

It was remarkable.

There was Chris, who delivers meals on wheels to the elderly. She used to stay for a cup of tea and a chat, but now finds it hard because cut-backs mean she has more deliveries in fewer hours. It breaks her heart - especially at Christmas - because most of the elderly are alone and she is the only person many see all day. Yet she meets them all with a smile, a kind word, and a parcel of food which literally keeps them alive.

There was Malachi, who works with those about to be made homeless who desperately need help. He's only on a temporary contract, but he would like to do this permanently and gives it his all. "It's important to treat the people who come in with respect" - he says - "because after all they are human beings, and it could be you on that side of the counter one day".

Or what about Tim, who works in pest control. Not a glamorous job, killing rats. But Tim does it and he does it well, seeking out the holes and drains that are off his beat but also the real sources of infestation. "A private company wouldn't do this extra bit" he notes off-hand, "they just go for the profit".

Shazz works the Whitechapel street market - where he grew up as a kid - daily ensuring the regulations are kept to. But in his own time he and some friends have been designing plans for the Olympic area renovation, which they have dreams of putting forward. They'd like to look back and know they've made their area a better place.

Even Del and Mark - the somewhat overzealous community enforcers who hand out 40 fines for dropping fags down drains - hit the streets every day for 10 hours. They try to bring order to one of the most socially deprived, and sometimes chaotic, boroughs in the country.

Which got me thinking: if there is a "Big Society" it looks suspiciously like it resides in places like Tower Hamlets Council and its frontline services.

The Conservatives tell us that the state gets in the way. That by hacking away with enormous spending cuts spontaneous voluntary work will make Britain into a modern Shangri-La. Well Channel 4 neatly showed what a load of bullshit that is.

The ‘Big Society' is already here. It's Chris squeezing a few extra minutes to chat to a lonely pensioner. It's Tim going the extra mile to keep people's homes vermin free. It's all the countless other unsung heroes we never hear a word about. Professionals providing public services, adding the human touch that makes the extra difference.

But the Big Society is under-resourced, over-worked and operating above-capacity.

If Dave and Co.'s rhetoric was anything more than a front for an ideological agenda, they'd be getting ready to reverse that. Instead, they're deciding to make it worse.



LibDemBlogs [ 23-Jul-10 12:18pm ] [ T ]

G8 Grants for 2011 Local Elections - Register NOW [ 23-Jul-10 12:00pm ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
G8 is a grants programme to support local parties campaign in local elections. G8 is administered by ALDC, with kind support from the Federal, English, Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats. If you have local elections in 2011, then we may be able to provide financial support for your campaign in wards where you will be fighting particularly hard campaigns, either to gain the seat or where there is a tricky defence. The 2011 round of elections is the biggest in the four-year cycle. This means a lot of demand for funding through the "G8" grants process. We want to maximise ...

Opinion: No Need for a Graduate Tax [ 23-Jul-10 11:50am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
For a decade or so now governments have been firmly fixed on the idea that students should pay for their own education. So firmly fixed, in fact, that it's easy to forget that until 1998 Higher Education was funded from general taxation and was, to the student, completely free. It's true that most taxpayers are in no further need of Higher Education. But that doesn't mean they don't benefit from its existence. Since most tax payers will one day be dependent on a pension (public or private) it's in their interests that the next generation of wealth creators is educated ...

Is Miliband defining what should be Lib Dem territory? [ 23-Jul-10 11:50am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
David Miliband makes the point in the FT that the Lib Dems should be making. Where indeed is our fiscal escape hatch? Is Nick Clegg ready to come out fighting against Osborne if the rather optimistic tactic of heavy cuts doesn't pan out? Here's David's core argument: I am an economic realist. The public finances need addressing. Labour's plans would halve the budget deficit and remove the bulk of the structural deficit in four years. It is the sensible, credible middle-ground between extreme cuts and unchecked spending. But the government's proposals, designed without an escape hatch in the event of ...

Commenting on the Coalition Government's announcement that it has introduced a Bill to compensate Equitable Life policyholders, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Treasury Policy Committee, Stephen Williams said: "The Labour Government had 10 years to help the those who had their lives ruined by the collapse of Equitable Life and did nothing. "In just 10 weeks the Coalition Government has taken real action to ensure that those who saw their pensions and life savings hit hard get the compensation they deserve. "Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for proper compensation for Equitable Life policyholders and committed to it in our election ...

On BBC Radio Tees again [ 23-Jul-10 11:32am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
At 7.15 this morning I was on the John Foster morning programme on BBC Radio Tees talking about the Special Cabinet meeting to be held next week. Cabinet will be considering proposed cuts of £2.6million: the first tranche towards the eventual expected target of £22million of cuts. Should you be so moved, you can listen again here. Go forward to 1 hour 11m 30s.

Start spreading the news [ 23-Jul-10 11:19am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Another day, another disappointing article about us tanking in the polls. Apparently now, if there was a General Election tomorrow, the Liberal Democrats would be reduced from having 59 MPs to having a single man with a long beard standing atop a mountain howling forlornly at the moon. This isn't good news, especially for those of us closer to the polling booth firing line than others. It's fine to say that this is the third month of a five year project, and that we won't have to go to the country until George Osborne starts shaving, but there are Council ...

Worth a second outing: Can Google's dominance be broken? [ 23-Jul-10 10:50am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
Welcome to a series where old posts are revived for a second outing for reasons such as their subject has become topical again, they have aged well but were first posted when the site's readership was only a tenth or less of what it is currently or they got published and the site crashed, hiding the finest words of wisdom behind an incomprehensible error message. Today's is about Google. I've updated the social network usage figures. Google dominates the search engine market, both in the UK and internationally. Although there are some countries where a local search service has the ...

Polls close 31 July [ 23-Jul-10 10:50am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
A quick reminder that voting in the Total Politics blog poll closes on 31 July. Votes for this blog and for Lib Dem Voice would be much appreciated: It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. This is the fifth year of the poll. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2010-11, which will be published in September. For the second year running, the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as this blog, and that ...

A Ramsgate Blog [ 23-Jul-10 10:46am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]
This blog now comes to you from Ramsgate. Sorry about the hiatus. I flew back from Ghana overnight and that day picked up the keys and entered our new home. Since then I have been ankle deep in plaster dust. There is a lot to do. I share the outrage over the lack of a prosecution for the manslaughter (at least) of Ian Tomlinson. On torture and extraordinary rendition, and on policy in Afghanistan, I feel events have completely vindicated me and my efforts. But there are times in life when you need to step back for a brief while ...


Labour Party News [ 23-Jul-10 12:18pm ] [ T ]

Results of Labour's approach to supporting the recovery [ 23-Jul-10 10:38am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Alistair Darling MP, Labour's Shadow Chancellor said:

"Today figures show the results of the Labour Government’s approach to supporting the recovery.

"This is the fastest growth we have seen for over four years. It shows that confidence was returning. And you can see the success of maintaining support for important sectors like construction.

"And this is the final nail in the coffin of the Coalition’s argument that things are worse than they believed before the election. Today’s figures show that growth was twice as fast as expected. The Coalition’s economic policy is not inevitable – it’s the choice they’ve made.

"And they will have to accept responsibility for the risks they are taking with the economy. "




Anger over Scottish justice minister's Lockerbie inquiry snub [ 23-Jul-10 10:48am ] [ T ] [ G ] [ N ] [ L ]

Kenny MacAskill, who released Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, will not fly to US for Senate foreign relations committee

The Scottish justice minister has been accused of "running a mile" from a US inquiry into the release of the Libyan jailed for the Lockerbie bombing.

Labour and Tory leaders said Kenny MacAskill, of the Scottish National Party, had no justification for refusing a "perfectly legitimate" request to give evidence before a powerful US Senate committee on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release next week.

The Senate foreign relations committee is to hold hearings next Thursday into allegations, ignited by the Gulf oil spill controversy, that the British oil giant BP influenced a UK government prisoner transfer treaty with Libya to win lucrative contracts there.

The hearing has reignited the controversy over al-Megrahi's compassionate release from Greenock prison last August, partway through his life sentence for planting the bomb which killed 270 mainly American passengers and crew on a Pan Am flight to New York over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Al-Megrahi, who still insists he is innocent, had been fighting an appeal against his conviction but dropped it two weeks before his release because he was terminally ill with inoperable prostate cancer and wanted to return home to die.

Richard Baker, Labour justice spokesman at the Scottish parliament, said: "There is a legitimacy for the US senators, they represent so many of the families who lost loved ones on that flight, I think it's a perfectly legitimate request."

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Baker added: "I think it speaks volumes about the lack of confidence [MacAskill] has now in his own decision that he is running a mile from any scrutiny of it."

It emerged yesterday MacAskill has been invited by the committee along with former UK justice secretary Jack Straw, the Scottish prisons' head of medical affairs, Dr Andrew Fraser, and Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive.

Reports that Tony Blair had been invited were denied by committee officials. Last night, a spokeswoman for senator Robert Menendez of New York, the committee member who sent the invitations, refused to confirm whether other ministers or senior figures in the affair had been invited.

Straw and Hayward are considering the invitation, but the Scottish government had refused the request on MacAskill's and Fraser's behalf.

A spokesman said there was "unequivocally" no connection between the compassionate release of al-Megrahi and BP's oil contracts - the issue central to the senate committee's hearing. The prisoner transfer route negotiated by UK ministers with Libya was rejected by MacAskill. Al-Megrahi was released solely using Scottish prison service procedures because he is terminally ill with prostate cancer.

MacAskill said today: "I am elected by the Scottish people, I am accountable to the Scottish parliament, I have appeared before a Scottish parliament committee and indeed before a Westminster committee. That is where I am required to be held to account and indeed I am happy to do so."

He insisted the release of the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was "the right decision", made for "the right reasons".

Scottish officials fear privately that MacAskill could be used as a whipping boy by the Senate committee, but also argue there is no constitutional basis for a foreign legislature to cross-examine a British politician.

The al-Megrahi affair has been investigated by a Scottish parliament committee, which could not reach agreement on whether it was justified.

The Scottish Tory leader, Annabel Goldie, said last night this would increase suspicions about the affair. "A no-show would only fuel suspicion that they have something to hide," she said. "We need clarity, not confusion."

Baker said MacAskill's refusal to fly to Washington and meet US senators face-to-face contrasted starkly with his decision to meet al-Megrahi in person in Greenock prison last year.

Baker said: "He shouldn't just go to see the senators, we think he should take the opportunity to go to the families of the victims in the United States. He met after all personally with al-Megrahi in making the decision. He didn't meet with them, he just met a few of them by webcam.

"I think it's time for him to go to meet them personally and not only to explain his decision, but now offer an apology for making such a bad decision, which clearly was very wrong."

Severin Carrell
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds



  • Search
  • Titles only
  • Suggest a feed

  • Search all the blogs

    Powered by Google Coop Search

  • All
  • Big Media
  • English Blogs
  • N Irish Blogs
  • Official Parties
  • Proxy Blogs
  • Satire
  • Scottish Blogs
  • Welsh Blogs

  • N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    N/A
    "And Then He Said..."
    'UK shamed again...'
    (NOT) Alan Milburn: MP for Darlington
    (Obsolete Feed)
    ......SHOT BY BOTH SIDES
    1169 and counting....
    1820
    24 Plus News
    25 years serving North Oxfordshire
    A Challenge to Liberals
    A comfortable place
    A Conservative's blog
    A Councillor Writes
    A Gentleman's Commonplace
    A Liberal Goes A Long Way
    A Logical Voice
    A neo-Jacobin
    a pEaCeFuL ReVoLuTiOn (john's blog)
    A Pint of Unionist Lite
    A Place to Stand
    A Tory in the Rhondda
    A Very British Dude
    A View from Middle England by Arden Forester
    Aberdare Blog
    Abolish the General Medical Council *(GMC)*
    Acid Rabbi
    Actually Existing
    Adam Brown
    Adam York
    Adloyada
    Admanumloquere
    Adrian Sanders's MySpace Blog
    Alastair Campbell
    Alex Ross
    Almost David Lepper, MP
    Alternative Medicine Campaign
    Ambrose Musiyiwa
    Amnesty Blogs: Belfast and Beyond
    An Englishman's Castle
    An Officer's Mess
    Anders Hanson
    Andrew Allison
    Andrew Lewin | Lib Dems
    Andy D'Agorne
    Andy Love MP
    Andy Mayer
    Anna Raccoon
    Anne Milton - Guildford MP (and Dipstick)
    Another Green World
    Antonia's blog
    Anything that defies my sense of reason....
    Armchair Socialist
    Arsembly
    Arthur Goring
    Arthur's Seat
    Arwen Folkes Blog
    Ask Marina
    Atu XVIII
       Stockwood Pete
    «Ethical Post»
    Backing Blair :: Campaign Weblog
    Backsplash
    Bad Ecology
    Bag's Rants
    baillieston independent!
    Bala Fria 冷たい銃弾
    Ballots, Balls and Bikes
    Balrog
    Battersea MP
    bazzfazz
    BBC Election 2005 | UK Politics | Weblog
    BBC News - Politics
    Beau Bo D'Or
    Bel is thinking
    Bel is thinking ...
    Ben's Blog
    Best of the Politics Blogs
    Bethnal Green Centre Support Group
    Bevan Foundation Blog
    Big Brother Britain & Civil Liberties
    Bishop Hill
    Bishopbriggs High - my view
    Blairwatch - Chronicling the Demise of the New Labour Project.
    Blairy England
    Blamerbell Briefs
    Blog
    Blog
    blog dot org
    Blog of small things
    Blog.com
    Blogg
    Bloggerheads
    Bloggerheads: the Back-Up Blog
    Bloggers4Labour
    Blogging for Backlash
    Blogging the Beeb
    Blogging4Merton
    blogyk
    Blogzilla
    Blood and Property
    Blunt & Disorderly
    BobFromBrockley
    Boris Johnson
    Boriswatch
    Boulton and Co.
    Bridgnorth Sewage Action Group
    Bright's Blog
    Bristol South Lib Dems
    British Nationalists in Wales WATCH
    British Politics
    British Politics's Blog
    burberry chester bags
    Burning our money
    butler david
    By-Elections
    Cabalamat Journal
    Cabot Lib Dems
    CALEDONIAN COMMENT
    CALEDONIAN COMMENT
    Campaigning articles
    Campus Radicals
    CarbonData
    Cardiff Blogger
    Cardiff Central Watch
    Cardiff Fabians
    Cardiff Fabians
    Carmarthenshire Planning Problems
    Cassilis
    Catch-13
    Chamberlain Forum
    charlotte street
    Charters & Caldecott
    Chester Conservatives Blog RSS Feed
    Chicken Yoghurt
    chimptron.com
    Chiswickite - formerly The Croydonian
    Chris Huhne MP News Stories
    Chris Huhne MP Press Articles
    Chris Whiteside's Blog
    ChrisBlog
    Christina McKelvie MSP
    Ciara Leeming - words, photos and multimedia
    Cicero's Songs
    City of Salford Conservatives
    Civitas Blog
    CLASS WARFARE
    Cllr Andrew McConnell Blogging for Bedford
    Cllr Fraser Macpherson - LibDem Councillor for Dundee's West End - www.dundeewestend.com
    Cllr Iain Lindley's Diary
    Cllr Iain Lindley's Diary
    Cllr Richard Thomas
    Comical Tommy
    Conservative Commentary
    Conservative Education Society
    Conservative Party articles from Conservatives.com
    Conservative Party News from Conservatives.com
    Conservative Party speeches from Conservatives.com
    ConservativeHome
    Constantly Furious
    Cornish Pips
    Cornish Zetetics
    corriganreid
    Councillor Bob Piper
    Councillor David Walker :: Working for Bridgnorth Morfe Ward all year round!
    Councillor Steve Wakefield - West Swindon
    coutries from other time
    CPF insight
    Craig Murray
    Cranmer
    Crust Of The Grouch
    Curious Snippets
    Curly's Corner Shop, the blog!
    Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg
    CymruMark
    Cymrumark's Plaid Blog
    cymuned.net
    Daily News From Andy Reed
    Daily Referendum
    Daily Referendum - a vote on political topics in the news today
    Danger is my Middle Name
    Dark Matter Politics: open forum to discuss the forces influencing the world of politics and entertainment across the United States, Europe and Latin America.
    Darlington Councillor
    Darren Grover
    Dave, nice but knave
    David Davies MP blog
    David Davis for leader
    David Hanson is our MP
    David Jones, MP
    David Miliband | Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
    David Ottewell's politics
    David Reeves
    David Reeves
    David Ruffley Local News
    DavidCameron.com
    Dead Men Left
    Delyn Democracy: The Political Watchdog
    Democracy How?
    Democratic thinking
    Derek Wyatt MP News
    Devizes Melting Pot
    DIRTY EUROPEAN SOCIALIST
    Dirty Leftie
    Disillusioned And Bored
    Dispatches from the Land of Cleggeron
    Disruptive Proactivity
    DistributionPolitics
    DistributionPolitics
    DistributionPolitics
    Dizzy Thinks
    DM Andy's Bits and Pieces
    Doctor Bloggs... The official online diary of Nasty Gnome Party
    doctorvee » Politics
    Don't trip up
    Downing Street Says
    Dr Sean's Diary
    Draconian Observations
    Drinking From Home
    Drive-by Times
    Drunken Blogging
    Dunderheadedness
    DunnIn
    Dyslexic with an axe to grind
    Ealing Southall Watch
    Earthquake Cove
    East Dunbartonshire Scottish Socialist Party
    Eaten by missionaries
    eBeefs: telling it like it is
    Ed Vaizey
    Edinburgh Sucks!
    Edward Duncan Thompson
    eGov monitor - A Policy Dialogue Platform - Latest News
    eGov monitor - A Policy Dialogue Platform - Promoting Better Governance
    Election 05
    Ellee Seymour
    Elliott Joseph
    Emily Thornberry MP's Blog
    england gay kirkcaldy
    England the Land Equal Rights Forgot
    English Democrats news
    english ranter
    Epolitix News
    ePolitix.com - Interviews
    ePolitix.com - Legislation
    ePolitix.com - Stakeholder Interviews
    ePolitix.com Podcast
    Eric Avebury
    Eric Illsley MP
    Ermine For The Guvnor
    EUREALIST
    eurealist.co.uk
    Europhobia
    Everything Ulster
    Facts On The Ground
    Failed State
    Fair Deal Phil
    fdelondras
    FIGHT BACK - AN INTERNATIONAL, ANTI-WAR, SOCIALIST BLOG
    Fitaloon at MicroShaft
    Five
    Flashbuck
    Focus on King's Hedges
    Focus on Sodbury, Yate and Dodington
    Following restrictions on the use of the communications allowance this website is frozen from the 1 January 2010
    Forum Republica
    Forward not back
    Fourthterm.net
    Frank Dobson MP
    Free britain
    Freedom and Whisky
    freedom rules's blog
    freescotlandnow
    freethinkeruk
    Fremington
    Fremington and Yelland
    Fundamentalist Druid
    Futile Democracy
    Futile Democracy
    Gaffa's Blog
    Garden Grabbing in Cardiff
    Gary Barker Illustration
    Gary Barker Illustration
    Gary Barker's Illustration blog
    gathering
    GAUCHE
    Gav's View
    Gavin's Blog
    GavPOLITICS
    Gerald Howarth MP
    GidleyWatch
    Glasgow Kelvin Labour
    Glasgow Kelvin Labour
    GLC View
    glenda-jackson
    Glenn Goodall
    Goodballoon's paunch
    Gordon Brown
    Gordon Clown .Com
    government educational grant
    Grace Fletcher-Hackwood
    Grangetown Jack
    Green Cardiff - Pedestrians First
    Green the Health Service
    Greenman's Occasional Organ
    Guardian Unlimited: Election 2005
    Gus Abrams
    Guy Fawkes' blog
    h thisleadenpall
    Hands Off Our Future!
    Hansard Society - Promoting Democracy - Strengthening Parliament
    Hapless band of staff and regulars
    Harlow Liberal Democrats News
    Hartlepool 2004
    Heresy Corner
    Hogarth's Happy Hour
    holder
    Holyrood Chronicles
    Honourable Fiend: The UK Politics Blog
    Hot Ginger and Dynamite
    Hot Shot Hamish and Mighty Mouse
    Hove Labour 2005
    How This Old Brit Sees It ...
    Human Writes
    hung, drawn and quartered
    I Intend To Escape ......................And Come Back
    I Was Thinking...
    I, Celticus
    Iain Dale's Diary
    Iain Macwhirter Now and Then
    Ideal Government
    In Place of Fear
    incurable hippie's musings and rants
    Independence
    Independence First
    independence4scotland
    Independent: The Rise of the Non-Aligned Politician
    Infinitives Unsplit
    Informaticopia
    Inner Hippy
    Inner West
    inside out - a jaxxland perspective
    Inside Uplands
    Insidious
    Inveresk Street Ingrate
    Ivory's Diaries
    J. Arthur MacNumpty
    James Barlow
    James Cleverly
    James O'Malley... Living Legend » Politics
    James' Nasty Political Problems
    JamesCousins.com
    janestheone
    Jeff Ennis MP
    jennimarsh
    Jim Cousins
    Jim Millar
    jingoistic
    Jo Christie-Smith
    John Brigden - Liberal Democrat PPC Dover and Deal
    John Hayward
    John Hemming's Web Log
    John Leech Watch
    John Redwood
    JohnBM:Liberal
    Jonathan Wallace
    Joyce Acton
    Julie Morgan MP
    Justify This!
    Justin Wyllie's Political Blog
    Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, has no website
    Kavin Davis
    KCL Conservatives - The Regalis
    Keetchwatch
    Keighley Councillor Judith Brooksbank's Blog Feed
    Keighley Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Nader Fekri's Blog Feed
    Keith Vaz, MP
    Kent Wood Councillor
    Kevin Maguire & Friends
    King's Hedges News
    Kirk Elder, Senior Citizen from Peebles
    Kirklees Unity
    Kitty Killer
    Klong Walking
    Kristofer Wilson
    Labour Matters
    Labour Party News
    Labour Watch
    LabourDoNotDo.com
    Labourhome - Stories by john prescott
    Labourservative Party
    LACHIE'S VIEW
    lambethlou
    Lancaster UAF blog
    Lancaster Unity
    Lancaster Unity Deconstructed
    Land Of The Nearly Free
    Latest Posts at LabourList.org
    Left Luggage
    Left Out Liberal
    LeftAlign
    LeftCentral
    Leicester Election 2005
    Leighton Andrews
    LENIN'S TOMB
    Les Bonner
    let's be sensible
    Letters From A Tory
    Lewis Moonie MP
    Liam Murray
    Lib on the United Kingdom
    LibDemBlogs
    libdemchild, aged 10
    Liberal Action
    Liberal Conspiracy
    Liberal Democrat News from Westminster
    Liberal Democrat Voice
    Liberal Democrat Watch
    Liberal England
    Liberal Polemic
    Liberal Review - Liberal Opinion, Commentary and Ideas
    Liberal Review - Liberal Opinion, Commentary and Ideas
    Libertarian Party UK
    Liberty Alone
    Liberty Alone
    Liberty Central
    Life after Ken Livingstone
    Lindsey's Blog
    Little Red Blogger
    Live from the Socialist Fortress
    Local Government Chronicle
    London Denizen
    Londonspot
    Looking for a voice
    Love and Garbage
    Love and Liberty
    Luke Akehurst's Blog
    Luke's Blog
    Lynne Featherstone's Parliament and Haringey diary
    mad musings of me
    Madeleine Bunting Watch
    Main Journal
    Make My Vote Count
    Mal Burns Monitor
    Malcolm Clarke - Labour Party
    Malcolm Redfellow's World Service
    Man in a Shed
    Mark John Young
    Mark Pack
    Mark Prisk: news stories
    Mark Pritchard MP - The Blog
    Mark Thompson
    Mark's Edinburgh North & Leith blog
    Martin Cakebread
    Martin David From Across The Water
    Martin Linton MP | News
    Martin Stabe
    Martin Tod
    martin.bartos's blog
    Martyn Shrewsbury-Rowlands
    Mary Honeyball MEP
    Matt Buck's Hack Cartoons
    Matt Palmer
    Matt Palmer
    matty's blog
    Mayor of London blog
    MayorWatch®
    MediaPaL@LSE
    Medway Tory Watch
    Melanie Phillips's Diary
    Metaphysics As A Guide to Lunch
    Michael Clapham MP
    Michael Meacher - Labour's Future
    Mike Barker: Lib Dem politics in a northern market town
    Mike Cartwright's Blog
    MIKE MCMANUS ON ICE
    Mike Wolfe
    Mike Wood
    Mikey's Tent of Reality
    Militant Moderate
    Miserable Old Fart
    Miss Wagstaff Presents
    Moments of Clarity
    Most recent blog entries
    Moving Britain Forward
    Mr Eugenides
    MR MONKEY
    Mr Right Wing
    muckspReading - A satirical Look at Reading
    mudhook
    Munaeem's Blog
    Muscular Liberals
    Musings from Medway
    Mustaqim - Musings of a flying Imam
    muttering.co.uk - Voices of reason in a forest of stupidity
    My Political Ramblings
    My Random thorghts
    MyPetGoat
    mySociety
    Nadine Dorries Blogspot
    NatWatch
    Neue Politik
    New Direction
    New Northumbria
    New Paradigm
    New pledges - PledgeBank United Kingdom
    New Radical
    New Statesman Party Conferences Weblog
    Newid means change
    Newport East Watch
    News Diffusal
    News from Barking and Dagenham
    News Rage International
    News Rage UK
    newsBlog | Campaign for an English Parliament
    nhsblogdoc
    Nick Robinson | The Reporters
    Nigel Ashton News Stories
    No Borders South Wales
    no contact politics
    No geek is an island
    No PC Thoughts
    No police force mergers!
    NoBollocksPolitics
    Norfolk Blogger
    North to Leith
    Not Little England
    Not Proud Of Britain (But Would Like To Be)
    NotApathetic.com
    Notes from the Panopticon
    Notting Hell
    NuLabour
    Nunhead News
    oberonhouston.com
    Obliged to Offend
    Observations from the Hillside
    Oliver Kamm
    Oliver Postgate
    Olly's Onions
    Omar's Blog
    On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing
    On Liberty Now
    On Liberty, Online
    One Man And His Gob
    Opinionated Blog
    optimum population trust news watch
    Orange By Name...
    Orange Music Team Blog
    order order moral order
    ORGANIZED RAGE
    ORGANIZED RAGE
    Paddy Tipping is my MP
    Parburypolitica
    parburypolitica
    Parliament Protest
    Party Political PLC
    Past Present & Future
    Paul Cumming
    Paul Edie's Blog
    Paul Hinks' Blog
    Paul Linford
    Paul Remfry, UKIP, Weaver Vale
    PC's Green Blog
    PCoE
    Pencilandpapertest
    People's Republic of South Devon
    perfect.co.uk
    perfect.co.uk / UK Politics links
    perspective
    Peter Black AM
    Philobiblon
    Pickled Politics
    pigeon-post
    Pilton Sucks dotCom
    Pink Sauce
    Pits n Pots
    po8crg
    Police State UK
    Political & global comment
    Political Cream
    Political Cynic
    Political Paul
    political-reform-party
    PoliticalHackUK
    Politicalog - Fighting the Spin
    Politicians Outed
    Politics
    Politics As Sport
    Politics Cymru
    Politics news, UK and world political comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
    Politics through the eyes of a teenager
    Politics Watch
    Politics, Piety and Polemics
    Poor Bastard Marvin
    Popular Alliance
    Post Political Times
    Postal Voting
    Power to the People! UK Politic's Blog, Commentary and Opinions
    Powered by Mambo
    Preston Liberal Democrats
    Prime-minister.org.uk*
    Program your own mind
    Progressive Politics
    prolix: blog
    Public Servant Daily - Latest News from the Public Sector
    Quaequam Blog!
    R W's Commentary
    Rachel from north London
    Radical Muslim
    Random Variable
    RCR UK - Blogs - Blogging Britain
    Reading List
    Reasons to be Impossible
    Red Box Blues
    Red Pepper's Election Blues
    Redlands Liberal Democrats
    Regno Defines
    Respect - the Unity Coalition
    Revalidating The General Medical Council
    rhetorically speaking..
    Rhondda Today
    Rhondda Today
    Rhondda TV
    Richard Arnold's Political Sketches
    Richard Herring
    Richard Spring MP
    Richard Taylor
    Ridiculous Politics
    Rob Fenwick
    Rob's Election Blog
    Romseyredhead
    rrn
    RSScache.com
    Rupert's Read
    Ruscombe Green
    Sadiq Khan MP
    Samizdata.net
    SAOIRSE32
    SAOR ALBA
    sarah teather is my mp
    Save And Repair Our Homes On Ashcroft Square
    Save The Ribble
    Schneider Home
    Scotland Independent
    Scotsman.com News - Politics
    Scotswahey!
    Scottienda
    Scottish Political Blogs Review
    Scottish Political News
    Scottish Politics
    Scottish Unionist
    Scratchings From The Sickle
    Second Life Left Unity
    Seismic Politics
    selectprivacy
    seren
    Shiraz Socialist
    Sian Berry
    Simon Goldie
    Simon Williams
    Slugger O'Toole
    Small Nation - Old Site!!
    Snide Clide
    snowflake5
    SNP Tactical Voting
    so now who do we vote for?
    Socialism or Barbarism!
    Socialism stinks
    Socialist Action
    Some Roses are Red
    Someday I Will Treat You Good
    Sonia's Diary
    South Wales Anarchists
    Southpawpunch
    Southside & Newington Newsblog
    Splintered Sunrise
    Splintered Sunrise
    spotter
    Spy Blog - SpyBlog.org.uk
    Spy Blog - SpyBlog.org.uk
    Staple Tye online
    Stephen Pollard
    Stephen's Liberal Journal
    Steve Beasant
    Steve Brine
    Steve of Stevenage
    Steve Pound Proxy Weblog
    Steve Reed | Steve's blog
    Stevenage Politics
    Stewart Stevenson MSP - Working for You
    Stewart Stevenson MSP - Working for You
    STFU or GTFO
    Stoke Labour Group
    Stop Veritas
    Straight Banana
    strange stuff
    Stuart Jeffery - Green Man Thinking
    Stumbling Across The Truth - A Political Commentary
    Stumbling and Mumbling
    stv
    SUBROSA
    supermidge
    Surreal Scoop
    Surrey Tories
    Suz Blog
    Swedish Meatballs Confidential
    Swindon For Buckland
    Swinton South Liberal ------------
    Syniadau :: The Blog
    Tabloid Edition
    Tabman's Lib Dem Blog
    Taffia Don
    Tartan Hero
    Technorati Search for: uk politics
    Ten Percent Has Moved To Tenpercent.org.uk
    The Choice Of A New Irish Republican Generation!
    The Apollo Project
    The Art of Politics
    The Awful Life of an MP's Wife
    The B.I.A. Fan Club
    The Blog of Kev
    The Blogspot Last Ditch Archives
    The Blue Idea
    The Bureau Of Sabotage
    The Cameron Leadership
    The Charity Blogger
    the common man
    The Conscious Earth
    The conservativehome.com blog
    The Cornish Democrat
    The Cowan Report
    The Cutting Edge
    The Daily
    The Daily
    The Daily (Maybe)
    The Daily Pundit
    The Daily Quail
    The despatch box
    The Devil's Knife
    The Diary of a Geek in Oxfordshire
    the Disillusioned kid
    The Dissenter's Voice
    The DYDA DISPATCHES
    The Edge of England's Sword
    The elephant in the drawing room
    The Empire Chronicles
    The Empire Chronicles
    The England Project
    The English Question
    THE FAULKNER JOURNAL
    The Fifth Estate
    The Fluffy Economist
    The Former Red Squirrel's Lair
    The Glass House
    The Green Ribbon
    The Grumpy Spindoctor
    the guisborough labour party
    The Heathlander
    The Heathlander
    The Insane Ramblings of Wonko The Sane
    The Intelligent Giving Blog
    The Justice of the Peace [magistrate`s] Blog:
    The Labour Humanist
    The Learned Fool
    The Liberal Republican
    The Living Wage page
    The London Drummerboy
    The London Echo News
    The Lone Voice
    The Loneliest Jukebox
    The Mid-Atlantic Blog
    The Mysterious Case Of The Non-Existent Train Time
    The Nether-World
    The Northern Herald
    the orange party
    THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF MORTIMER
    The Polemical Report
    The political views of a 15 year old boy.
    The Pseudo Magazine
    The purple scorpion
    The Red Megaphone
    The Red Rag
    The Redcar Labour Party
    The Returning Officers
    The Rights Of Man
    The Road to Euro Serfdom
    The Salisbury Pages
    the sandals are off
    The Scottish Sketch
    The Sharpener
    The Skakagrall
    The smoking ban is shit
    The Spine -- The News With A Point
    The Third Estate
    The Tory Boy
    The trawler Gaul
    The UK Today
    The Vented Spleen
    The view across the bar.
    The Virtual Stoa
    The voice of young liberal democrats
    the void
    the void
    The Voter
    the VoxPolitics blog
    The Wardman Wire » Politics
    The Webb log
    The Whiskey Priest
    The Yorkshire Ranter
    the-morningstar
    the-rightapproach
    They All Speak English?
    theywanttobeelected: the manifestos BETA(i.p.)
    Things I Don't Have Time For
    Things Which Must Be Disseminated
    Third Way
    Thomas's blog
    thomasjpaul
    Tim Hicks - Blog: The (e)State of Tim
    Tim Yeo - The Weblog
    time-4-change
    toddler bedding
    Tom Greeves
    Tom Watson MP
    Tony Blair
    Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings
    Toque
    Tory Convert
    Tory Heaven
    Tory Radio
    ToryScum.com
    Toryteenager
    Toughen up Britain
    Transport Crucible . com
    Tribune Political Cartoons
    trinketization
    Tutor2u - The Politics Blog
    Tweetminster Livestream
    Two for Tea
    Two for Tea
    UK Bubble
    UK Change
    UK Comment
    UK Commentators
    UK Current Affairs
    UK FOIA requests - Spy Blog
    UK Freedom
    UK Freedom of Information Blog
    UK Future
    UK Green Party - the unofficial newsfeed.
    UK Issues
    UK News and Politics ... You Heard it Here
    UK News and Politics ... You Heard it Here
    UK Politics on the Left
    UK Polling Report
    UK Tactical Politics
    UKIPwatch
    United LEFT
    Unlocking the Potential of Empty Homes
    Up Your Ego
    Uploads by theuklabourparty
    Vale of Clwyd Liberal Democrats
    Valleys Mam
    Very British (Political) Subjects
    View From The Ramparts
    Virtual Prime Minister
    Voice of Reason
    votao
    Vote for Ralph Crisp's MySpace Blog
    Vote Greensted
    VOTE Scottish Socialist Party - Colin Fox
    Vowles the Green in Knowle
    Waking Hereward
    Wales - World Nation
    Wanabehuman
    Ward 87
    Wave Network
    We Perish If We Yield
    Welsh Independence
    Welsh Politics
    Westminster Wisdom
    Westmonster
    What the 'Eck
    What You Can Get Away With
    When IT Meets Politics
    WhenWillBlairGo.com
    Whittington's Diary
    wholly RUDE
    Winning Media
    Withington Co-operative Party
    WOMEN'S VOICE - LLAIS MERCHED
    Wonko's World
    www.paxmundi.info - Weblog
    www.politics.co.uk |
    www.the-vibe.co.uk
    Yellow Peril
    Zehra Zaidi
    Zeitgeist - The Spirit Of The Time
    Links
    About







    Created by Voidstar

    Inspired by ConventionBloggers