Major developments should include travel plan, says LibDem AM

Jenny Randerson, Liberal Democrat AM for Cardiff Central, has proposed a Legislative Competence Order which would enable the Welsh Assembly Government to insist that major land use developments include a travel plan.

Jenny explains: "It is essential that all new, large, planning developments take account of people's transport habits and adopt a transport plan within the development that could, among other things, ensure that there is adequate scope for accessible public transport provision, adequate parking provision, integrated cycling links as well as ensuring that the development is accessible by foot."

Sustrans has expressed its broad support.

Petition against sweeping powers of arrest

Lib Dem Cambridge City councillor, Colin Rosenstiel, draws the following to our attention:

From: David Gilbertson
Sent: 04 March 2009 14:02
Subject: Excessive Powers of Arrest by Police - Petition to the Prime Minister

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

PLEASE READ ON, THIS IS NOT A 'SPAM' MESSAGE

Most people are unaware that in 2005 a fundamental change in police powers
was quietly passed into law; a change that directly affects the life and
liberty of you and every person in this country.

Section 110 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 was 'tacked
onto' an otherwise acceptable piece of legislation and allows ANY police
officer in England and Wales to arrest, (i.e. physically detain, handcuff
and take to a police station for a DNA sample), ANY person, for ANY
offence, no matter how trivial and whether or not a power of arrest
previously existed for that offence. People can now be, (and have been),
arrested and detained under Section 110 for not wearing a seatbelt;
dropping litter; shouting in the presence of a police officer, climbing a
tree, and building a snowman. Whereas police officers used to have to
justify every arrest and be aware of whether or not a particular piece of
legislation gave them power, they no longer have to do so. The power to
deprive someone of their liberty should only be exercised in the most
extreme circumstances, yet young and inexperienced police officers, (and
soon, PCSO's), are being trained that arrest and detention of a suspect is
the first option in most encounters with the public. This sweeping power
is being roundly abused on a daily basis in all of the 43 police forces in
this country and puts you, your wife, husband or partner, your children
and your friends at risk of arbitrary action by the police.

I spent 35 years of my adult life in the Police Service and am appalled by
what it has become, largely as a result of powers such as those granted
under Section 110.

Petitioning the Prime Minister will probably do little to stop the drift
of this country to what has been described as a 'Stasi State' but I would
nonetheless ask that you consider placing your signature on the petition -
if only to see how the government responds to genuine concern from
thoughtful citizens.

If you are sympathetic to this project, please forward this message and
link to other friends, colleagues or bodies concerned about civil
liberties.

The link to the petition is below:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/PowersofArrest/

Thank you,

David Gilbertson QPM
(formerly Assistant Inspector of Constabulary
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary,
Home Office (retired 2001))

[There is also a Guardian article]

Nick Clegg Speech to Conference 2009 - Part 2

Nick Clegg Speech to Conference 2009 - Part 2
Video sent by libdem

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats addresses the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference 2009 in Harrogate.

Nick Clegg Speech to Conference 2009 - Part 1

Nick Clegg Speech to Conference 2009 - Part 1
Video sent by libdem

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats addresses the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference 2009 in Harrogate.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader wins award

News of Kirsty Williams' latest accolade is at Freedom Central.

LibDem group leader endorses tax settlement

John Warman, councillor for Cimla, welcomed the efforts of Neath Port Talbot CBC leader, Derek Vaughan, and the council's officers in restricting the rise in council tax in 2009/10 to 3.9%. He agreed with Cllr Vaughan that the county borough had been handicapped by the initial apportionment of central support on set-up, and by below-inflation raises by the Welsh Assembly Government since.

He said that parents, as well as head and other teachers, would welcome the aim of protecting front-line education services.

John took the opportunity to point out the unfairness of the method of paying for local council services, and urged central government to review the whole system of local government taxation.

Job Centre Plus sponsored pyramid scam

BBC Radio 4's "You and Yours" has exposed a deception of the unemployed which involved advertising non-existent jobs in newspapers and employment web-sites, including that of Job Centre Plus.

The firm pretended to be a national company expanding into all regions of the countries. Applicants were initially told that they had been accepted to take up a post in the new office local to them, then informed that the job was no longer available. Instead, they could work from home in return for paying a fee for training. The training consisted of a mailed set of instructions on how to draw further applicants into the scheme.

The firm concerned has had its listing on the government site withdrawn, but the "You and Yours" team demonstrated how easy it was to get on the DWP's approved employer list without undergoing any practical check.

No doubt these pseudo-jobs are included in the DWP's statistics, thus making the job availability figures look better than they are.

Kirsty Williams calls for personal data security

Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for tighter controls on our personal data in the hands of our governments (see for instance the posting on the DNA database of last October).

Now the Welsh Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion for Wednesday that urges the Welsh government to identify what measures it is taking to safeguard the personal data it and the services it funds hold on people in Wales.

Carbon capture

Green Liberal Democrats are reporting that the UK government is ready to approve a new slew of coal-fired power stations, on the assurance by the generating companies that carbon-capture will be implemented when practicable. However, there are warnings that the technology is unlikely to be ready for nearly a generation.

The Lib Dem national position is that new coal-fired generating capacity - which has the capacity to completely derail any attempts to reduce our greenhouse gases - should not be commissioned without carbon capture and storage technology being fitted.

Royal Mail and the post offices need more than gestures

Peter Hain was unequivocal on "Question Time" last night. He will vote against any privatisation of Royal Mail. However, he did not offer a solution to two major problems facing the postal system: where is the money coming from to update the Royal Mail's technology, and what is to be done about the post office network?

A purely public service answer is feasible. The government could put back some of the money previous administrations have skimmed off, money which should have gone into continuous technological improvements, and replenish the pension fund, which it has forced to take contribution "holidays". (Both Conservatives and Labour have been guilty of treating the Post Office as a cash cow, though credit should be given to Tony Benn in the 1960s for giving a kick-start to modernisation.) The Post Office, both collectively and individually, should be allowed to advertise its facilities. Its ability to accept and receive payments should be increased, not discouraged.

But there was no promise of extra money last night. So there will have to be external investment, or not only the post offices but also the Royal Mail will wither away.

Liberal Democrat policy, which Mr Hain misrepresented last night in line with Labour spin-machine directives, in spite of vigorous correction by Kirsty Williams, is laid out in the background notes to our petition of last year protesting against post office closures. (An excerpt is at the end of this posting.) The government has yielded on the post office card account, and gone a little way on the universal service obligation; now let it go all the way.

Lib Dem proposals - your questions answered

"Is this a privatisation of the Post Office?"

No. This is not a privatisation of the Post Office. That is a misrepresentation of our policy spread by some of our opponents which relies on creating confusion between the Royal Mail and the Post Office. Under our plans the Post Office franchising company – Post Office Ltd - will be separated from the Royal Mail and retained in the public sector. Our proposals will lead to extra investment in existing branches, the opening of new ones and will give the network new markets.

"Could a part-privatised Royal Mail decide not to deliver in rural or remote areas?"

No. Royal Mail will continue to deliver to every address – it will be required to do so under its licence.

"Will the daily delivery of mail continue?"

Yes. We will protect the Universal Service Obligation (USO) and therefore the network will be required to be able to deliver to each property 6 days a week.

"Will customers have to pay more to post a letter to a rural area?"

No. The USO will require the Royal Mail to deliver to every address at a uniform price.

"Will stamp prices go up?"

Big rises in the price of stamps will be less likely under our proposals. The only source of cash for investment if the Royal Mail is in the public sector and not allowed to borrow is the income from stamps and charges to business customers. To make the investment needed without borrowing, these costs will rise considerably. We do not wish to see the price of stamps rise in this way. Borrowing to pay for investment will be repaid through the company being more competitive and efficient.

ID cards - government suppresses criticism

The Office of Government Commerce has spent huge sums of taxpayers' money to help the Government avoid publishing reviews of ID card plans.

A tribunal has ordered the reviews to be released under the Freedom of Information Act, but it is still not certain that this will happen.

You can read the full story here.

John Warman says Assembly's rail policy disappoints

In an interview by the Evening Post, Neath Port Talbot councillor and former Rail Users Consultative Council member John Warman argued that the powers that be should be doing more.

He said: "People are disappointed by the Assembly's stance on transport.

"Fares need to be reasonably priced and we need to have a good service. There are benefits to the economy and to communities from having good public transport and that includes the rail network. We are forcing people off trains and onto the roads and that is defeating the environmental arguments.

"Unless something is done to improve public transport links from Wales our economy will be left behind."

Jacqui Smith caught out

The Home Secretary encouraged people to spy on their neighbours, but she couldn't have reckoned on her own neighbours casting doubt on her explanation of her Commons expenses.

Job title corrected 2009-02-25

Liberal Democrats now alone as council tax axers

The Welsh Nationalists have gone quiet on their manifesto commitment to oppose council tax, while the Scottish Nationalists have done a complete U-turn.

You couldn't make it up

A Labour candidate in a recent by-election in England (no names, no pack-drill) follows in the footsteps of John Prescott and George W Bush:

"I was [XXXXX] ward councillor for over 10 years and I want this to stop"

The Crosby mysteries

There is doubt about how much Sir David Crosby, who has been forced to step aside as deputy chief of the Financial Services Authority, genuinely believed in his bank's policy at the time he allegedly fired a whistle-blower.

In the Independent yesterday, Vince Cable was quoted as saying that at HBOS Sir James privately accepted the banks were taking risks. The banker was "smart enough to realise he was on a very dangerous treadmill", he said. In meetings with him, Sir James argued he would be "fired" if he changed HBOS's behaviour while other banks pressed on, Mr Cable claimed.

According to thismoney website: "[The London Evening] Standard also revealed today that Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable felt Sir James had also tried to silence his warnings over the looming economic turmoil."

Tonmawr children’s playground safety queried

Liberal Democrat councillor Des Sparkes is pressing for a long-overdue safety inspection of the children’s playground in Tonmawr. The community council promised last October to send the community’s footpaths officer on a course that would enable him to carry out this function. Four months later, this has still not been done.

Des Sparkes says: “To my knowledge, the playground at Tonmawr has not been inspected for five years. This not only flouts the law, but also the duty of care the Community Council has to the children of Pelenna. I am calling on my fellow county councillor, the member for Pelenna, to join me in impressing upon Pelenna Community Council the seriousness which the County Borough Council attaches to child safety.”

Labour solution to rising unemployment: close job centres

The number of people on Jobseekers in Wales is four times higher than the number of jobs available, the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

The figures, revealed through Parliamentary Questions, also show that:

· There are 6 Welsh constituencies in which Jobseekers outnumber vacancies by more than 10 to 1.

· There are 16 Welsh constituencies in which Jobseekers outnumber vacancies by more than 5 to 1 – 14 of which have Labour MPs

Commenting, Jenny Willott, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, said:

“These figures underline just how badly Wales is being hit by the unemployment crisis.

“Gordon Brown can talk about there being half a million vacancies all he wants, but if they aren’t being advertised and they’re not in the areas they’re needed, they aren’t going to be much help.

“Some parts of Wales are looking increasingly desperate with over 10 Jobseekers for each vacancy.

“Rather than provide help when it is needed, ministers have closed almost 50 Jobcentres across Wales over the last five years alone.

“We need to ensure that Jobcentres are easily accessible for the public and that they offer access to all the jobs available.”

Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Economy Minister, Jenny Randerson AM added:

"This is a worrying milestone in this increasingly long and bleak period. The UK rate is running at 6.3%, so Wales is in a considerably worse position. For a long period, the Welsh unemployment rate was below the UK average, and now we have fallen behind. This raises serious questions about the unsustainable nature of the economy that Labour has built in Wales over the last decade.

The worrying thing is that because no-one can tell how long this recession will go on for, we just do not know how bad things are going to get. It is clear however that Wales is facing an even more difficult time than the rest of the UK. This means the Assembly Government's response needs to be sharper, more focused and more effective."

Israel: another argument against party lists

"Make Votes Count" explains why the Israeli system leads to governmental constipation.

The Cabin, Cwmgwrach

We have commented before on the loss of this facility to Blaengwrach ward. The condition report, about which there has been much dispute, has still not been put in the public domain.

However, one immediate threat has been removed. Neath Port Talbot planning and development department has rejected the application by the former Neighbourhood Watch group to develop the site for housing. The fact that this has been done under delegated powers, without any councillor asking for the determination to be made by committee, shows that the applicants have no supporters on the county borough council, even among the Nationalists.

The situation is still unsatisfactory. A building which required regular maintenance to be usable has been left to decay and Cwmgwrach has no equivalent facility.

Scot Nats / Trump Aberdeenshire golf course "worst planning decision of 2009"

Debra Storr, one of the four Liberal Democrats on Aberdeenshire council who stood out, unsuccessfully, against approving the potential environmental disaster, said: "May it be the only Award ever given to this development".

BNP fishing in troubled waters

It is typical of the British National Party, like similar organisations before them, to take advantage of difficult times to try to recruit members. The Evening Post shows them in Neath, presumably blaming Jews and Muslims for the economic crisis. They have apparently added to their platform the breaches in electoral law committed by Peter Hain's leadership campaign. How discriminating against people of different ethnicity or religion is expected to clean up the UK political system defeats us.

We support Mr Hain's condemnation of the BNP and trust that the county borough issues its own rebuttal of the party's divisive message. We deprecate the Evening Post's giving the organisation more publicity than it deserves (including a colour photograph which is technically better than those which have illustrated many more deserving news stories) and for not making clear that Brian Mahoney is not a local councillor (nor a member of any principal authority in Wales), but merely the BNP's national organiser.

Readers who are tempted to join BNP are advised to read Searchlight first.

Recession cheats means-tested beneficiaries

Many government benefits, such as Job Seekers Allowance and income support, are means-tested. The test assumes that, if one has capital, it earns interest at 7% and the government payout is tapered accordingly.

This may have been a valid assumption in the boom years ending with Gordon Brown's chancellorship, but it certainly is not now. Interest rates have plummeted to the extent that a cash ISA with National Savings offers just 2.4%. Stock market returns and those from most other government savings vehicle are even worse. (Current rates of return from NS&I are here.) The government assumed rate has not changed for three years.

Pensioners are particularly badly hit. LibDem shadow Work & Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb MP, said: "Life is hard enough for savers without the government making it more difficult by inventing interest rates that nobody could possibly hope to get. The government should immediately change its rules and bring its assumed interest rates into line with what pensioners can actually hope to receive," he demanded.

More allegations of Labour parliamentary corruption

The Sunday Times has named four Labour members, two of them ex-government ministers, of the House of Lords as being ready to amend Bills for cash.

Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are overdue for reform. Only Liberal Democrats are prepared to grasp that nettle, as Nick Clegg has made plain.

"Question Time" from Wales

BBC-2's "Question Time" will be coming from Merthyr Tydfil on 26th February. Our information is that Kirsty Williams is scheduled to appear.

Labour planning for spring election

With all the experts predicting that the recession will get worse before it gets better, the Labour government is preparing to make the best of a bad job by calling a snap general election in April. Gordon Brown wants to take advantage of opinion poll ratings which can only follow the employment figures as they plummet through 2009/10. Pensioners, who vote in larger numbers than the rest of the population, will receive their uprate during the month. And, on April 2nd, the G20 summit will take place in London and be attended by Barack Obama. (Expect plenty of photos of the prime minister shaking the hand of the new US president.)

Liberal Democrats are ready. The shadow cabinet is in place. Leading members of it are engaging senior civil servants in the private briefings which are held for opposition parties. The manifesto is being drafted.

The sooner Vince Cable gets into number 11 Downing Street to restore confidence in the UK economy, the better. So we say: bring it on!

Kirsty leads attack over crumbling Welsh NHS estate

Figures uncovered by the Welsh Liberal Democrats have revealed that the cost of maintenance and repairs to get NHS hospitals to operationally safe levels are close to ½ billion pounds.

Targets were set by the Assembly government in 2002 to get 75% of all NHS estates across Wales up to operationally safe level by 2005 and 90% by 2008. Out of the 14 Health Trusts in Wales, only 3 met the 90% target, 5 met the 75% and 6 failed to meet the 2005 and 2008 targets.

A catalogue of other failures from Trusts not meeting statutory and safety compliances to fire safety regulations reveal the Assembly government has been failing to meet its own targets and legal requirements.

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has described this as a dire situation for the Welsh NHS. In a debate on a Liberal Democrat motion in the National Assembly today, she urged the Health Minister to bring forward an action plan to bring our hospitals up to a decent standard.

Kirsty said:

“This is a very dire situation for our National Health Service. These figures and failures really show how Labour has handled our NHS during the last decade of power.

“The Assembly government knew back in 2005 that 11 of the 14 Welsh NHS Trusts had not reached their target of getting 75% of their NHS buildings to operationally safe level and now at the end of the 2008 target period only three Trusts met the 90% target.

“This capital backlog is huge and the year on year massive increases in health funding is now behind us. The Assembly government didn’t manage to clear the backlog during times of plenty and as budgets get tighter and tighter, there is little hope that these backlogs will be cleared.

“The Labour-Plaid government is shirking on its responsibilities to ensure that NHS staff and patients work and get treated in decent and safe hospitals. This Labour-Plaid government is taking our NHS in the wrong direction.

“The Welsh NHS may seem to be the envy of the British Isles given its free prescriptions for millionaires and free parking in hospitals, but when you have nearly half a billion pounds worth of repairs to your hospitals, the real cost of giving out treats becomes obvious.

“The Assembly government’s priority now is to eliminate the most serious risks in NHS buildings to staff and patients. By using money from the Strategic Capital Investment Funds, most of which they are holding in reserves for an election year, and by reversing the decision not to allow private funding in the NHS, this Labour-Plaid government could reduce this massive backlog and improve the standards of hospitals in Wales.

“Only when our hospitals are safe to work in and be treated in can the Labour-Plaid government even consider implementing their vote winning gimmicks.”

Peter Black, Shadow Health Minister, added:

“NHS staff are already working under hard-pressed conditions with bed shortages, long waiting lists, strained maternity services and poor ambulance performance times. The added pressure of working in poorly maintained hospitals and possibly dangerous working conditions is not acceptable.

“I shall be asking the Health Minister for urgent action to ensure that NHS staff across Wales are able to work in a safe environment.”

Notes:

Physical Condition of Welsh NHS Trusts

• Backlog maintenance costs across Wales are £468.2 million

• Only three Trusts met the 2008 90% target

Statutory and Safety Compliance of Welsh NHS Trusts

• Trusts should have been fully compliant with Disability and Discrimination Act by October 2004. It would cost £20 million to make the NHS in Wales compliant with the Disability and Discrimination Act.

• It would cost £11 million to make the NHS in Wales compliant with Fire code requirements.

• Six Trusts failed to reach the 2008 90% target fire safety compliance.

• North Glamorgan Trust reached only 52% compliance on Fire Safety.

Bloodless coup in Portsmouth

Liberal Democrats have taken control of Portsmouth City Council by virtue of defections from other parties, one Conservative and two formerly-Labour Independents.

LibDem to sponsor bill to end fuel poverty

In December, David Heath, Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton & Frome, won second place in the annual ballot for private members bills. As a result of finishing so high in the ballot, David Heath is guaranteed time for a bill to be debated in the House of Commons. This week he announced that he will be bringing forward a bill on ending fuel poverty.

The Fuel Poverty Bill will bring in two measures:

• A major energy efficiency programme to bring existing homes up to the current energy efficiency levels enjoyed by modern homes.
• Social tariffs to limit vulnerable households’ exposure to high-energy bills.

These proposals will be great for the environment whilst also making a real difference to pensioners and others struggling to pay their energy bills. An estimated five million households are faced with the terrible choice between heating and eating this winter.

These proposals deserve the support of politicians from all parties. We hope that Dr Francis and Mr Hain will give the bill their support when it is debated in the House of Commons.

The date for the debate has not yet been set, but it is likely to be in March.

The measures in the bill have received the backing of many major charities and campaign groups, including Help the Aged, Friends of the Earth, Consumer Focus and the Association for the Conservation of Energy. They were also included in the Liberal Democrats’ Green Road out of Recession package.

A check to Big Brother

In a ZDNet UK article, two security vendors have said they would block police attempts to hack into systems without a warrant.

The Home Office on Friday said it was working with the European Parliament on plans to extend police powers to conduct remote searches of computers. UK police already have the power to hack into suspect systems without a warrant, due to an amendment to the Computer Misuse Act, which came into force in 1995.

However, security vendors Kaspersky Labs and Sophos told ZDNet UK they would not make any concession in their protective software for the police hack.

Kaspersky Labs said this week it would block all attempts to access its customers' systems, regardless of the agency attempting the entry.

David Em, Kaspersky's UK senior technology consultant, said: "Ultimately, we are politically neutral but we consider it our duty to protect our customers."

Cambridge University security expert Richard Clayton told ZDNet UK on Monday that UK police were most likely to hack into computers by entering a premises and installing a keylogger on the target system. This would be more effective than a drive-by download or sending an email with a malware attachment, as the chances of successful interception of data were higher, said Clayton. As an alternative, police could hack into wi-fi networks to search systems, he said.

Kaspersky's Em said that while police could provide details of the software it used so Kaspersky could avoid blocking it, the police software could also be used by cybercriminals. "While we wouldn't want to scupper police attempts to catch bad guys, police [hacking] software could end up in the wrong hands," Em said. Kaspersky would not put a backdoor in its software to enable the police to bypass its protections, Em added. "If we provided a backdoor, it could be used by malware authors," Em said. "People would be able to drive a coach and horses through our security."

Sophos would also block any attempts to compromise its customers' systems, said Graham Cluley, the security vendor's senior technology consultant.

"We block spyware, regardless of where it comes from," Cluley said. He added that police putting malware on a suspect system could backfire, if the person targeted was a criminal. "Who's to say that criminal wouldn't take that malware and use it against someone else?" he said.

Symantec declined to comment on whether it would block a police hack, saying the matter was "politically sensitive". The security vendor has said in the past that it would not scan for the FBI's Magic Lantern keystroke-logging software.

See also "Email law 'attacks civil liberties'"

Getting in to Gaza

From Chris Davies MEP (and only a day late this time, Rob's Uncle!) :-

************************
*GETTING IN TO GAZA*
*Sunday, 11 January 2009*
************************

We travelled up from Cairo through the Sinai in a coach with an Egyptian
police escort. Assembling our team of 8 MEPs took a long time at the
airport, and what with confusion about where to stay we didn´t put our
heads down till past 3am. More confusion in the morning delayed us getting
to the Rafah crossing till just before noon. It didn´t seem to matter;
UNRWA had already called to tell us that the Israeli Defence Ministry was
not prepared to let their vehicles meet us. A series of telephone calls
had produced conflicting stories but the result was the same: ¨No way are
you getting in!¨ This fact-finding trip was going to prove nothing more
than a gesture.

I´ve been to the Rafah crossing before but last time approached it from
within Gaza. It´s a modern border control complex, a smaller version of
the Channel Tunnel vehicle entrance all paid for with EU money. There are
passport control offices, a cafeteria, even a duty free shop – but it´s a
fiction, they are all empty and covered in dust. The Israeli siege of Gaza
has kept the flow of goods and people to Egypt to a minimum.

Escorted by the mayor of the Egyptian town of Rafah we climbed onto a
rooftop platform to look across at Gaza City. All was quiet; ¨bombing is
at night,¨ we were told. Returning to the ground we talked with Egyptian
ambulance drivers, waiting to take the injured coming out of Gaza. They
were all lined up with nothing to do it seemed. We chatted to various
journalists, all of them frustrated at not being able to cross into the
Gaza Strip.

Then a flurry. ¨Get into the minibus, GET IN, GET IN!¨ For unknown reasons
a window of opportunity had opened. It was 2.20pm and the ´ceasefire´
lasted till 4pm. We passed through the gate to be met by UNWRA´s director
of operations John Ging and three bullet proof (really heavy doors) UN
Range Rovers. We transferred and drove into the Palestinian town of Rafah
(yes, there are two Rafahs), passing a few bombed buildings on the way,
probably ones that had cloaked entrance/exit routes to tunnels across the
border. In so doing we may have become the first ´observers´ to cross
since the assault began 16 days ago.

It´s a funny thing about a bombed building but I always find that, even
though they may have been destroyed by a devastating explosion just
yesterday, they look as though the incident took place a year or two ago.
And maybe, their appearance suggests, it wasn´t a bombing at all but a
demolition job by a firm that went into liquidation just after the work
commenced. So long as it is not your own building it somehow diminishes
the impact.

The journey was short, just a mile or so. There were lots of people on the
streets taking advantage of the ceasefire - ¨The streets are deserted
except during these periods,¨ explained our UN security guide - but very
few vehicles except the occasional cart pulled by a donkey. We turned into
the compound of a UN distribution centre. There was time only to look at
the devastation of a former police station opposite, and exchange a few
words both about the damage to the UN buildings and the distribution
operation with John Ging. I asked him about the Israeli defence for
civilian casualties being that Hamas uses human shields to cover its
operations. His response was dismissive, and when you looked around at the
context of a war in the midst of a living community you could see why.

Suddenly there was a huge bang; the ground shook and so did my stomach. An
Israeli blast during ceasefire. It may have been 6-700 metres away but it
felt bloody close! What must this be like for people who really are close?
Allegedly, we learnt later, it was a response to Hamas rocket attacks.

Back in the vehicles we drive a short distance through back streets to a
primary school being used as a shelter. ¨The UN has 71 ´shelters´ across
Gaza and we have 30,000 people in them whose homes have been bombed or are
at risk,” said John. ¨Some of them, just like this, have been hit
nonetheless as you will know.¨ It seemed to me that most of the residents
were children, and they were hugely enthusiastic to see us. (At least our
presence changed the routine a bit).

Another Israeli blast, and again the ground and my stomach shook. Smoke
arose between buildings a few hundred metres away. The kids weren´t
phased, ¨Too far off¨ I imagine they were thinking.

Pushing through their numbers, shaking lots of hands and smiling hard,
(some of our team shed tears as soon as they had privacy), we met in a
side room to hear about the distribution arrangements (¨We need more than
just food and medicines, it´s all the essentials of family life, like
bedding for displaced families, and nappies¨).

It was 3.15pm. ¨We need you to go NOW,¨ said John Ging. ¨I am so pleased
you have been here to see this for yourselves. Just take back the message
that the people here need protection. The violence has got to stop. The UN
has got to back up its words about a ceasefire with some real action and
pressure.

We walked out of the building into the throng of excited kids, mostly 7-11
year olds. I was struck by how many made ´V for Victory´ gestures with
their fingers. Do the Israelis really believe that bombing urban
communities and terrorising their populations is going to bring them
security? What about the next generation that even now starts to merge
with the existing one?

The streets were still busy but very few people had anything in their
hands. Not much to buy I suppose.

I asked the UN driver about casualties at the hospitals. ¨We´re
approaching 900 dead and more than 3,000 injured,¨ he said. ¨From what we
hear it is mainly ordinary people. Amongst the numbers there do not seem
to be that many young fit men of fighting age that would fit the
´combatant´ category.¨

We get back to the crossing and leave the UN vehicles. Back in the Rafah
compound it´s interview time, and we watch also as a succession of Israeli
F16s cross the sky dropping white flares of some kind. Donkeys pulling
carts in the streets and 21st century killing machines in the air.

Then the explosions start. One of them close enough so that journalists
and ourselves start to move quickly away.

Twenty or 30 minutes later the crossing complex starts to get really busy.
Ambulance after ambulance arrives from Gaza, and their occupants are
transferred to Egyptian ambulances.

Our coach sets off in the direction of Cairo just before sunset.
Ambulances race past on the road south.

Chris Davies MEP
11 January 2009

Clegg reveals Liberal Democrat General Election Team

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today announced his team for the next General Election.

He said: “I am proud to lead the best front-bench team in British politics, a team which has consistently been ahead of the curve on the big debates that matter to the British people.

“This team leaves the Liberal Democrats well placed to take the fight to both Labour and the Conservatives in the run-up to the General Election and to bring about the change that Britain needs.”

The new roles are:

Simon Hughes Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

Steve Webb Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

David Heath Shadow Leader of the House

Jenny Willott Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

David Howarth Shadow Secretary of State for Justice

Susan Kramer has chosen to leave the shadow cabinet to take up a new role leading the party’s campaign against the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Nick Clegg is also creating an economic recovery group to co-ordinate the party’s ongoing response to the recession.

Nick has asked Lynne Featherstone to oversee the party’s online campaigning as Chair of the New Technology Board.

John Sharkey, the Leader’s adviser on strategic communications, is appointed Deputy Chair of the General Election campaign. He will work closely with Lord Rennard, Chair of the General Election campaign, and Chris Fox, the party’s new Director of Policy and Communications.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness, former Deputy First Minister of Scotland, has been appointed to advise on the party's engagement with senior civil servants.

Janet Davies AM dined out at National Audit Office expense

Private Eye magazine has finally obtained details of the lunches and dinners which Sir John Bourn, the now departed head of the National Audit Office, so lavishly provided at the taxpayer's expense. Among the many beneficiaries of what the Eye otherwise sees as mostly a mutual back-scratching exercise is the name of Janet Davies, treated to dinner at Bibendum and the Aurora (cost £328) within the space of a month, but after NAO had lost responsibility for WAG audit. The magazine was unable to obtain an explanation for this.

New Year Message

I don't normally post such items as this but after hearing it and reading the comments both on Youtube and Digg it became obvious that this is exactly the sort of message we should be getting out. So, in a break with tradition, I am posting it here.

Lib Dems Lead the Field - Yet Again!

An interesting article appeared on Nick Harvey's blog, Forces Focus, today highlighting thats its not just the economy where the Liberal Democrats are leading the way in terms of ideas and forethought. In terms of defence, it is the Liberal Democrats who probably have "The Best Defence Policy" according to the Defence Management Journal.

Nick's blog article went on to say:

Going Down - The Labour Party

We uncovered a simple economic formula sent from Treasury ministers to the MoD. Apparently it never arrived. If inflation is greater than proposed spending increases, your budget will eventually have a deficit.

Not Moving - The Conservatives

On the surface they promise to bring about fundamental change to the MoD if they come to power. This might be so and we would welcome a change of leadership. But no one is committing to actually increasing spending so the current problems will persist for many years to come.

Going Up - The Liberal Democrats

Considering they are Britain’s third party, the Liberal Democrats probably have the best defence policy at the moment. Nick Harvey is one of the most knowledgable MPs on defence subjects outside of government and always has something to say on any given subject. The party is committed to Afghanistan and a new strategic defence review, two major policies that need more attention at the moment. While we may not agree on their Trident position, we want to hear more from this party in 2009 on defence.


Hat Tip to Forces Focus

Clegg: "Gordon Brown and David Cameron are con-men trying to fool the British public."

“First we have an expensive VAT cut that doesn’t help people and now the Prime Minister announces he will create 100,000 jobs without any idea of how.

“David Cameron is offering his own fake giveaway. Cutting savings tax will mean someone saving £100 will only get an extra 40p a year.

“If David Cameron is going to be taken seriously he has to identify what cuts he will make. How many fewer police officers will there be on the street and who will have a smaller pension?

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party with a detailed plan on how to put Britain on a green road out of recession. We have set out how we would make big, permanent and fair tax cuts, giving £1,000 in income tax cuts to families on average incomes.”

---

Green Road out of Recession

Before Christmas, Nick Clegg set out Liberal Democrat plans to put Britain on a Green Road out of the Recession, creating jobs and leaving a legacy that will save energy, put money back into people’s pockets and fight climate change.

The plans will cost £12.5bn, which would be paid for by scrapping the proposed VAT cut. The vast majority of that money will be spent immediately, making a real impact on the economy and people’s lives right away.

The Green Road out of the Recession proposals to create jobs include:

· A five-year programme to insulate every school and hospital, with 20% completed in the first year
· Funding insulation and energy efficiency for a million homes, with a £1,000 subsidy for a million more
· Building 40,000 extra zero-carbon social houses
· Buying 700 new train carriages
· Reopening old railway lines and stations, opening new ones, electrifying the Great Western and Midland mainlines and beginning the Liverpool light rail network
· Installing energy and money saving smart meters in every home within five years

Download the plan: http://www.libdems.org.uk/assets/0001/0042/GreenRoadOutofRecession.pdf

Kirsty's New Year message

We have received the following message from Kirsty Williams, the new leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats:

The Christmas break has been a chance to recover from what have been a whirlwind couple of weeks for me. Since the leadership election, it’s been non-stop. I scarcely had time to draw breath after the election on the Monday, before my first ‘First Minister’s Questions’ time as leader the next day. A key debate on the UK Government’s Legislative Programme followed on the Wednesday, and then the announcement of the new Assembly team on Thursday.

The next week was equally hectic, with a series of visits across Wales. I was very keen during the election to stress that we need to re-connect with people across the country, and I meant it. It was great to meet with party members, and people who aren’t yet members, in Swansea, Colwyn Bay, Wrexham and Chepstow.

I use the phrase “people who aren’t yet members” for a reason. While coverage of the US Presidential elections has quite rightly focused on Barack Obama and his incredible gift for public speaking, there is another aspect to his campaign that really intrigues me. The Obama campaign motivated a whole raft of people to become engaged in politics for the first time. Why can’t we do the same?

This could have some far reaching consequences. In Assembly elections, for example, turnout has usually been below 50%. If we could enthuse a whole section of those people who are currently totally switched off by politics we could really shake up this country.

You see, I believe politics is for everyone. Wherever you live, whatever you do, whoever you are - politics is for you. Not the politics you see on TV of two men in suits criticising and trying to outsmart each other. But the real politics, the politics that matter, where radical ideas have a positive effect on the lives of real people. The politics of change.

I’m not content for us to carry on as the party with the best ideas. It is not enough. We have to make those ideas count. That means we have to grow as a party, both in our outlook and the way we think, but also in actual numbers We have to bring on board all those like-minded people who want to change things for the better.

I know that our Campaigns and Candidates Committee are already on the case - offering incentives to the local party that attracts the greatest growth. During the election campaign I promised to work with local parties to achieve their recruitment targets – and with the help of our chief executive Joanne Foster and her team I will be talking to and meeting as many of you as possible in the New Year to put that plan into action.

But I want to urge you take action on an individual level too. It may be stating the obvious, but if every one of us signed up just one more member, this party would double in size. That’s my challenge to you – to persuade one person you know to join this party.

There must be someone in your street, your family, your local pub, at the school gate, at the gym, wherever, who shares your beliefs, my beliefs, OUR beliefs in a better future for Wales.

Over the last decade we’ve become great at putting leaflets through doors, but we mustn’t forget how important it is to talk to people too. Sharing our vision and ideas is crucial – and the best way to do that is by and sharing the passion and enthusiasm which I know exists within the Party.

Joining the Welsh Liberal Democrats needn’t be expensive, and it can be a lot of fun too. I’ve promised to ‘get out more’, but I hope that all our activists will see the benefit of doing the same. We can’t be shy about what we have to offer in this party. I’m tired of being the party with the best ideas, but insufficient numbers to implement them.

As well as recruiting new members, we must reach out to those people who might be sympathisers and supporters too. I know some local parties have successful coffee mornings, or Pizza and Politics evenings, where people invite friends and neighbours around to talk politics. It’s a fun way to get together with people who share our ambition to change our country but may not have made the leap to realise that we can do more than talk about it if we all pull together.

Let’s get out more, take our message out there, shout it from the rooftops. We need to offer hope in what are pretty hopeless times for many people.

On a UK level, the Liberal Democrats were the only party that warned the downturn was coming. Vince Cable has been setting the pace on the economy – he’s been gliding around like Anton Du Beke, while Darling and Osbourne look more like Ant and Dec.

We were the only party to see it coming, and we are the only party with a credible plan to lift us out of it. Nick Clegg’s proposals offer a double benefit - economic recovery, and strong support for tackling climate change too.

That’s what politics should be about in 2009 - the battle of ideas, not endless muckraking about expenses and obscure constitutional rows. Norma Desmond says in Sunset Boulevard, “I am big. It's the pictures that got small.” Well, in modern Wales, we’ve had the big bang of devolution – it’s just that politics got small. We need to get back to the big ideas; the ideas that can transform the nation. And we need to convince people we can deliver on them. I will do my share, but I need your support and help to move our party on.

I believe those ideas exist in this Party already, they just haven’t been shared widely enough yet. I’m sure many of you already have your own thoughts. Too many people within our communities are not represented in our politics, too many potentially good policies are not discussed. Wales is not doing so well that we can afford to ignore good ideas.

Now, not all of these are going to be practical, and I can’t guarantee that we will be able to use them all. Some may just not be practical in the current economic climate. But I want to hear them anyway, and I guarantee that every one will be given full consideration.

There are two ways in which you can put your views forward.

I’ve set up a new e-mail address ideas@welshlibdems.org.uk / syniadau@demrhyddcymru.org.uk

Or, if e-mail isn’t your thing, then good old fashioned pen and paper is every bit as valuable - you can write me a ‘proper’ letter and stick it in the post to the address above. .

In 2009 I want to blaze a trail for the Welsh Liberal Democrats across Welsh Politics. You achieved a significant first in 2008 by electing me as the first female party leader - but I want this to be just the first of many barriers that we break through together.

In 2008 I want you to ask what you can do to get the torch of Liberalism burning brighter in your community. I can’t change this country on my own. but together I believe we can.

Blwyddyn Newydd Da/ Happy New Year.

Whitehall in policy talks with LibDems

Liberal Democrat Voice has a story from the Guardian that top civil servants are looking forward to the probable result of the next general election.

In spite of warnings, Neath Port Talbot officer loses sensitive personal data

A computer memory device containing confidential information about vulnerable children has been lost by a Neath Port Talbot council officer, according to a foster carer. The informant has voiced concerns that the youngsters whose details are on the memory stick could be put at risk.

This site, and that of Cllr Frank Little, have consistently warned of the dangers of lax computer security. It seems that there has been no borough-wide policy on data security, with the result that we see today. It is unclear whether the stick was lost within the education or social care departments, though the impression gained of a "hands-off" management style by the outgoing director of social services suggests the latter.

Enquiries have revealed that councillors were not informed of the loss, even though the Evening Post report suggests that the stick may have been missing for over a month. The news broke in the media on the day the council had its last committee meetings before the Christmas break. It will not meet again until the second week in January. We hope that our councillors will raise this as a matter of urgency then.

Nick Clegg launches the Green Road out of the Recession

On his first anniversary as leader, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg, yesterday, set out plans to put Britain on a Green Road out of the Recession, creating jobs and leaving a legacy that will save energy, put money back into people’s pockets and fight climate change.

The plans will cost £12.5bn, which would be paid for by scrapping the proposed VAT cut. The vast majority of that money will be spent immediately, making a real impact on the economy and people’s lives right away.Green Road out of the Recession proposals include:

• A five-year programme to insulate every school and hospital, with 20% completed in the first year.

• Funding insulation and energy efficiency for a million homes, with a £1,000 subsidy for a million more

• Building 40,000 extra zero-carbon social houses

• Buying 700 new train carriages

• Reopening old railway lines and stations, opening new ones, electrifying the Great Western and Midland mainlines and beginning the Liverpool light rail network

• Installing energy and money saving smart meters in every home within five years

Nick Clegg said:

“As the recession deepens, every day we hear news of more workers being laid off, more families struggling with bills and more elderly and vulnerable people plunged into fuel poverty."

“The Government’s answer is to borrow £12.5bn to tinker with VAT when what is really needed is fresh, bold thinking."

“For the same money that it costs to make that tiny VAT cut, the Liberal Democrats propose a huge economic programme that will put the unemployed back into work and leave a lasting legacy that will save energy, reduce bills and fight climate change."

“Instead of a meaningless VAT cut that people won’t notice, we will insulate every school and hospital in the country and the homes of a million people languishing in fuel poverty."

“We will build thousands of desperately needed social houses, install money-saving smart meters, re-open rail lines and build new trains."

“Gordon Brown and David Cameron argue about whether we should borrow money or not. They are two dogs fighting over the wrong bone. The real question is what we borrow for and how we invest it so that we all benefit in the end."

“These are real, achievable goals that would make a real difference to people’s lives now, create new jobs today, and leave us with the infrastructure for a long-term, green economic recovery.”

Your Local Council needs you!

Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Women Councillors Taskforce Outreach Event

Friday 12th December 2008

The Guildhall, George Hall, South Road, Swansea, SA1 4PE

We are looking for black and ethnic minority women who may be interested in standing for their local council to attend this event in Swansea. A flyer can be found at by clicking here.

This is an exciting opportunity to hear from Baroness Gale, the Wales Commissioner for the Women’s National Commission and Yvonne Jardine, Government Taskforce member, about how they got involved in public life and what it means to them. Participants will be given the opportunity to participate in two interactive workshops with experienced facilitators who will share their experiences; skills needed to not only become a Councillor but how to be an effective champion in your community.

The organisation is able to assist participants with travel arrangements to and from this event and have arranged free coach travel from Cardiff train station to the Guildhall in Swansea. The coach will be leaving Cardiff Train station at 8.00 and returning from the Guildhall at 14:00. If you wish to make use of this free travel service you will need to reserve a place on the coach. Please ensure you do this when registering online for the event as allocations will be on a first come first served basis.

Registration will commence at 09.30 with the event starting at 10.00 and is scheduled to end with a networking lunch at 13.00.

Solution to benefit fraud that simply won’t work

Beveridge was not soft on work-dodgers, but he would not have approved of the government's scheme, as this article by Anne Johnstone in the Glasgow "Herald" newspaper shows.

Votes for Women

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the first British general election in which women were able to vote and stand as candidates.

Labour not doing enough to stem unemployment

LibDems Peter Black AM and Jenny Willott MP have warned that JobCentres are buckling under the weight of increasing unemployment. Peter said that "the government is relying too much on hard-pressed staff to clear up some of the mess their economic policies have helped create."

While the government closed traditional employment offices (Cymmer, Glynneath, Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais in Neath Port Talbot alone), the much-vaunted New Deal continues to make a net loss to the taxpayer of between £40 and £1100, even after the gain in tax and benefits is taken account of.

It should be remembered that these schemes were launched in the early days of this Labour government. Producing job creation schemes at a time of virtually full employment and then cutting DWP staff when mass unemployment threatens is of a piece with selling gold reserves when the pound is at its highest and trying to borrow ones way out of economic difficulties which were created by excessive borrowing.

Kirsty launches new Welsh Lib Dem blog service

Kirsty Williams has been true to her word in her successful leadership campaign. She is already making changes to the way Welsh Liberal Democrats are reaching out.

An early step is the launch of a new blog aggregator, which brings all the party's bloggers under a single banner. We are happy to note that we are included, along with the blog of our chairman, Cllr Frank Little.

Kirsty Williams' election heralds a new era of change

Read about how you can help here.

The most embarrassing Whitehall leak yet

Home Office Watch is highlighting an embarrassing Whitehall leak: the Home Office's anti-leak guidelines for workers on the National ID Register have themselves been leaked!

If you are as concerned as we are, please sign our petition.

The first official prime minister remembered

He may have served for only a few years, but Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman set off a liberal and democratic revolution which lasted for over a decade. He brought to prominence those "Welsh pests" David Lloyd George and Samuel Evans, too.

David Steel and Charles Kennedy last Friday unveiled a commemorative plaque in Glasgow, his birthplace.

A Welsh Language Commissioner? Plaid Vote NO!

With the pomp and ceremony of the Queen’s Speech in the House of Lords, and the State Opening of Parliament, the Welsh Electorate would be forgiven for missing the events that were going on in The Sennedd on the same day.

Opposition AM David Melding tried to introduce a Legislative Competence Order (LCO) to give the Welsh Assembly the power to appoint a Welsh Language Commissioner. Many supporters of the Welsh Language would see this as a good thing, unfortunately, the motion was defeated.

The record of the voting shows Labour either voted against this motion or abstained.

The record of voting also shows that eight of the 11 Plaid Cymru Assembly Members voted against this motion to introduce a Welsh Language Commissioner, those voting against the motion included Bethan Jenkins & Dr Dai Lloyd. What does this say about Plaid’s commitment to the Welsh Language?

The Welsh Liberal Democrats voted for the motion.

Neath Labour MP: political corruption case dropped

More details are here.

It seems that there will be no chance for a jury to pass a verdict, it will be left to the voters of Neath whenever Gordon Brown dares to have a general election.

Stealth cuts and a missed opportunity

The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a respected independent financial think-tank, has looked at the small print of Alistair Darling's pre-budget thinking. It has detected built-in £37bn cuts in frontline public services. This puts in the shade the £20bn which Labour falsely accuses us of intending to cut.

Given the increased borrowing and these cuts, you would have thought that he would have made good use of the money. The Liberal Democrat verdict on the Labour Chancellor’s Crisis
budget is: a missed opportunity.

He could have made tax fairer for everyone by cutting income tax for low and middle income people, by closing loopholes for the rich.

BUT he chose a temporary reduction in the top rate of VAT. That doesn’t make food or fuel or children’s clothes cheaper. It does make it harder for small businesses who have to change their pricing and VAT accounts twice. All it does is help the “big spenders”.

Where’s the fairness in that Mr Brown ? Where’s the help for struggling residents here ?

Teenage drinking and unsafe sex

Research published in summer shows that Wales has the highest level of teenage drinking in Europe. Last month, figures were released which showed worrying rates of under-age sexual activity.

In giving a cautious welcome to the proposal by Karen Jones, Head of Change Management for the County Borough, put before the Social Care Health and Housing scrutiny committee and cabinet board last week, to hold scrutiny-driven workshops to look at aspects of social care and health starting in the New Year, Liberal Democrat Councillor Frank Little stressed the need for a multi-disciplinary approach. He instanced the impact on health of alcohol misuse and irresponsible sexual activity, for which there were implications of licensing, young people's and education policy.

Frank Little said: "I am gratified that there appeared to be acceptance of this approach on the part of both officers and other members, across party lines."

Arlingclose: an apology

We have had a call from the Liberal Democrat parliamentary office that Arlingclose have objected to the content of our blog about treasury management. They say that the posting could be construed as suggesting that they have acted as advisors to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, which they deny they ever have been. They wish to be dissociated completely from Neath Port Talbot CBC, and we are happy to accommodate them.

LibDems ahead of the rest on the economy

Cowley Street has just reminded us of many things we called for first, and which have now either been implemented or taken on board by at least one of the other two main parties.

Northern Rock nationalisation - it was clear to us that this was unavoidable in November last year. It took the Government until February to act.

Independence of the Bank of England - longstanding Lib Dem policy. First Labour implemented it, over Tory opposition. Now even the Tories support it.

Recapitalisation of the banks - Vince Cable was the first politician to call for this. Three days later the Chancellor announced that this would be going ahead.

Tackling the bonus culture - in May we were the first party to put forward proposals for tackling the harmful bonus culture in the financial sector. By the autumn, ministers and the Tory leadership had realised the situation was indefensible and changed their tune..

Regulation of 'sale and rent back' agreements - this was part of our '7 point plan' for dealing with personal debt, launched in September 2003. The Government announced on 22nd October this year that they were finally looking into this.

New court guidance to make repossession a 'last resort', obliging lenders to exhaust all alternatives first - another measure in the Government's 22^nd October announcement that the Lib Dems had been calling for for more than six months.

Changes to capital adequacy laws to require banks to hold more capital in periods of boom and less in recession - we called for this back in January 2003. Now the Conservatives back it too.

National network of financial advice centres - since 2003 we have been calling for a network of local and generic financial advice, particularly for those on lower incomes, funded by a levy on the financial services industry. Earlier this year the Tories announced their support for this too, using almost exactly the same language.

Curbs on irresponsible lending - a commonplace sentiment now, but we called for "the publication by the Government of strict measures for responsible lending, which lenders must be required to observe" back in September 2003.

New benefit being processed by hand

Public Finance magazine reported last week that:

Delivery of the new Employment and Support Allowance, which replaces Incapacity Benefit, will rely on manual processes and postal services for the first nine months because a new £295m computer system is not ready.

The delay comes despite assurances given in June by Lesley Strathie, then Jobcentre Plus chief executive, that the system would be ‘business ready’ for the ESA’s October launch.

Doubts have already been expressed on this blog and here about the way the new rules will be applied. Add the necessity for manual intervention by already over-stretched staff, and it becomes obvious that claimants are going to suffer.

The requirements for the new system have been known for years. The basic structure must surely be similar to other systems running in DWP. We trust that the relevant Select Committee will be asking searching questions as to the reason for yet another Labour government IT failure.

LibDems hail end of EU wonky veg rules

It's been a long time coming, but many EU regulations which imposed an unnatural uniformity on produce are to be scrapped.

Lib Dem MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, Graham Watson summed up the move:

"This is great news indeed; the Commission has at long last seen sense on this issue. Consumers obviously demand high quality produce that is clean and healthy. But quite why some countries, like France and Germany feel consumers are concerned on how wonky or knobbly fruit and veg appears is absurd. At a time of global food shortages and rising prices its good to see sensible measures being taken to remove ridiculous regulations. Ultimately Europe needs to concentrate on the real issues that affects the continent's citizens."

Haringey children

There has been yet another revelation of gross child abuse in the London borough of Haringey. It led to an angry exchange between David Cameron and Gordon Brown at Prime Minister's Questions, and a rather more considered question by Lynne Featherstone, LibDem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green.

Most commentators (for instance Jonathan Calder) have been kind to David Cameron, but I believe he lost his temper and the plot. He thought he was on a winner with the assumption that the only inquiry into the Baby P case was one to be conducted by the head of Haringey social services. Indeed, he had prepared the ground with a press release to London's "Evening Standard". Brown's answer was that not only was the critical executive case review already with the Children's Secretary, but that Lord Laming, who had conducted the Climbié inquiry, was looking at shortcomings in social care. Cameron's suggestion that the government should take over failed social services departments, as it already took over failing schools, was a reasonable one. Instead of following it up with his last three questions, or of leaving it hanging by switching to the unemployment figures, he allowed himself to be side-tracked by Brown's gibe (clearly justified, but incidental) that Cameron was playing party politics with the issue. It would not be the first time that Cameron failed to adjust to unexpected answers from the prime minister.

Lynne Featherstone showed that she had been listening and took account of the new information: "I was leader of the opposition on Haringey council at the time of the Victoria Climbié tragedy, and I was told that lessons would be learned and it should never happen again and yet it has happened again and whilst I welcome the prime minister's announcement yesterday that Lord Laming would lead a national review of child protection services, in terms of Haringey that doesn't go far enough and while I hear what the prime minister says about looking at the report, that is not a report that will guarantee the safety of children in my borough. So I would ask the prime minister, look at that report but call for an independent public inquiry."

It is probable that the failures in Haringey stemmed from peculiar circumstances. The social services department was under-staffed and underfunded in the year 2000. Reports yesterday suggest that the situation has not changed. Morale appears to be low, and recruitment difficult, not aided by the department's reputation.

We must not allow the Baby P, and the Shannon Matthews cases, to encourage child protection officers to swing to the opposite extreme and seize children on the slightest evidence. In all cases, the facts must be carefully evaluated. Social services departments should be open (with all the necessary safeguards of confidentiality, of course) to democratic scrutiny.

A message from chief executive Lord Rennard

Dear Friends

We have just completed the election count for the next President of the Liberal Democrats and the result was:

Ros Scott 20,736 votes (72%)
Lembit Opik 6,247 votes (22%)
Chandila Fernando 1,799 votes (6%)

Turnout: 47.8% (+0.4% on last time)

Ros Scott will take up office on 1st January, succeeding Simon Hughes. I look forward to working closely with Ros in the busy period ahead, which will include European and local elections, and of course a Westminster general election !

Over 50% of Liberal Democrat members voted. Their donations covered the cost of this important exercise in internal democracy and left us with a small sum of money for campaigning purposes.

Thank you to everyone who voted, donated and especially to the three candidates, their campaign teams and to Simon Hughes who has been our President for the last four years and will continue to serve in that role until the end of the year.

Earlier, this week we also had the Parliamentary by-election in Glenrothes. Thanks are due to Harry Wills, his agent Charles Dundas and everyone who helped support his campaign in difficult territory for us.

The next big electoral test that we know about will be the very important European and (in most of England) local elections on June 4th next year. Our European and many local candidates are already working hard - and hoping that you can help them over the next six months or so.

One important thing that you can do to help is for you and other people who support us (including family and friends) to arrange to vote by post. This means that you and they won't have to risk being able to get to the polling station in future elections.

Please do what you can to publicise our party's website and encourage people to join or help the Liberal Democrats bring about the changes that Britain really needs.

Nick Clegg is working hard to visit almost every corner of the country between now and the General Election - you can find out where you can meet him via his website


Best wishes,

Chris Rennard

Chief Executive, Liberal Democrats

Glenrothes

A bad result for us, but for once the media got it right in hailing it as a victory for Gordon Brown and a rebuff for the Nationalists. On the same day, there were by-elections in the big two Scottish cities: Edinburgh City, Forth ward, and Glasgow City, Baillieston. Both were won by Labour.

It is clearly a result of Brown's improved image in the wake of the bank rescue. This so-called "Brown bounce" will deflate as the job cuts (such as these) bite, and the voters take it out on the sitting government.

An old Scottish hand tells us: "I remember us getting about 2% in Glasgow Central and Glasgow Govan in 1989/90. We came back from that. Then we got 3% in Hamilton South and Falkirk West in 1999/2000. Five years later we were coming 2nd in Scotland, with 24% of the vote. It's not nice to get such results, but it doesn't worry me greatly, long-term."

Another decision which gives EU a bad name

Westminster's European Scrutiny Committee has decided to hold its deliberations in private, even when questioning ministers.

Liberal Democrat MP, Richard Younger-Ross, who is a member of the committee, said:

"It’s a great shame that the Committee has decided to meet in private.

"The Committee makes important decisions about which pieces of European legislation need to be debated by Parliament.

"These decisions will now be kept secret from the public."

A conspiracy-theorist would say that the Labour cabinet has leant on the majority membership of the committee so that the contribution of UK ministers to poor EU decisions may continue to be concealed.

Home Office beginning to get the message

The Western Mail reports that Swansea is one of the areas in which "visible justice" will be piloted. We hope that the Justice Ministry will take on board the experience of Chard in Somerset, whose restorative justice panels Liberal Democrats have long championed.

Of course, other measures need to be taken in conjunction: improving detection & apprehension rates, and fully staffing the parole service, for instance.

LibDem and Green voters had highest child IQ

As reported in The Scotsman and the Daily Telegraph:

Research by the University of Edinburgh and the UK Medical Research Council and published in the journal Intelligence, suggests childhood IQ is as important as social class in choosing political allegiance.

Previous studies have focused on class or education when examining adult voting habits.

For the research, the IQs of more than 6,000 subjects were recorded at the age of 10, before any secondary schooling.

People were than asked about their voting habits 24 years later, aged 34.

In this set of questions, people were asked how they voted in the 2001 general election, how they intended to vote, and in what other political activities they had taken part.

The researchers found people who reported voting in 2001 for the Green Party and Liberal Democrats had the highest average childhood intelligence scores.

Those who were cleverer were also more likely to take part in rallies and demonstrations, to sign petitions, and to be more interested in politics generally.

Average IQ scores at the age of 10 for people voting in the 2001 general election for various parties were:

:: Green 108.3

:: Liberal Democrat 108.2

:: Conservative 103.7

:: Labour 103

:: Plaid Cymru 102.5

:: Scottish National 102.2

:: UK Independence 101.1

:: British National 98.4

:: Did not vote / None 99.7

Girls in council care

Neath Port Talbot has nearly 20% more girls in council care per head of population than our neighbouring authority, Bridgend, which is of comparable size, and far more than Cardiff or Swansea.

This table is derived from figures published by Data Unit Wales.

	Neath Port Talbot	Swansea	Cardiff	Bridgend
Population of girls*	14,843	22,182	32,748	14,933
Looked-after girls*	140	170	235	125
Looked-after girls*/1,000 population	9.97	7.66	7.18	8.37

*females aged 0-17

Social Services taking children

Camilla Cavendish of The Times has been nominated for a Paul Foot Award for her campaign against injustices which result from the Children's Act 1989, and the climate of secrecy which surrounds disputed child protection cases (such as that which led to this party's recent statement).

It is only fair to point out that she is not without her critics. However, the roster of cases she has highlighted, and the anecdotes this writer has heard about local cases, show that there is much to be concerned about.

- Frank Little

Confirmation of revised Labour list for Europe

Thanks to Gary Lewis for pointing us to this. The comments to Miss Wagstaff's post say it all.