They Blog For You

It's not a group we hear much about but The National Housing Federation, which represents England’s housing associations, is making ripples. They anticipate harsh results of one planned cut. They say that the “Supporting People” budget, which aims to allow the disadvantaged to lead independent lives and is paid through local [...]

PRODUCING a Downfall video is hard enough without having to avoid swear words (except one minor one). Still, I thought that on the first anniversary of Al-Megrahi’s release from jail by the SNP, I’d give it a shot. And before you complain, I am not trying to smear Scotland’s First Minister [...]

The Guardian’s Martin Kettle has an interesting article suggesting that the internet is having a profound cultural impact on the UK, leading to a “national mental disengagement with Europe”.   With the whole planet just a few clicks away, [...]

WHEN I heard that Dave had invited Maggie round to Downing Street for tea recently, I imagined a conversation like the kind Bertie Wooster would have had with his Aunt Agatha: DC: And this is the Cabinet Room, Lady Thatcher. You’ll have some fascinating memories of this place, what? MT: Hmm. We [...]

I am taking up the matter of so many roadworks all at the same time which constituents are understandably raising with me. At last count Davis Street (Winnersh), Finchampstead Road, and [...]

In the US the Stock market has been falling because many investors no longer believe printing more money and running up a collosal public deficit is the way to sustained recovery. Mr Obaama continues with more of the same in the hopeless belief this will save him in the mid [...]

As long ago as the 20s there was a learned thesis named 'In search of a scrounger. It mocked the myth of legendary scrounging woman 'in a fur coat' who was seen collecting her National Assistance after getting out of her limousine. She was seen everywhere from John o Groats [...]

WELL done to my colleague Andrew Slaughter, the Hammersmith MP, who helped turn Nick Clegg’s visit to a local families’ project into an episode of The Thick Of It. Poor Cleggy. You would think that there are people in government deliberately setting him up for this kind of thing… www.youtube.com/watch?v=FppIVaWfJxM Hat-tip to Total [...]

Leon Brittan has been appointed as a trade adviser to the government. Not that the UK government has any real say over UK trade policy. As an ex-Eurocrat, I’m sure Lord Brittan knows that already.    But still, why not appoint [...]

ERIC Pickles was dead right: public sector bodies shouldn’t be spending money on lobbying. Why, I’ve heard that some of them actually use tax-payers’ money to sponsor events at political party conferences! I know! Wait until Eric fnds out, he’ll be livid. Fortunately, they don’t give any money to the Conservative [...]

Almost every month the Big Lottery Fund emails me to let me know if any organisations in Edmonton have been successful in receiving funding to help with community projects. Our area does pretty well out of it actually and it's always nice to see well-deserving groups get funding to fulfill [...]

We are now at real risk of losing one (or more) of the four defining characteristics of a civilised society.   Alongside good health, education and housing services access to justice is not just desirable, it is absolutely essential.   It’s now seriously threatened by a combination of upheavals which together could [...]

THOSE who refuse to pay for The Times online are missing a brilliant piece today by David Aaronovitch, who I hate because he writes about the same kind of stuff that I do except much, much more effectively. I trust he won’t mind me reprinting a few lines: Here is the background, [...]

TIME to explode another myth surrounding the reformers’ fourth-favourite electoral system, the Alternative Vote (AV). It will mean that every vote counts, say its “supporters”; no more tactical voting for candidates you don’t actually support. Ah, bless. In fact, AV will institutionalise tactical voting and make sure that many, many more voters than [...]

I’VE TRIED to avoid commenting on the various initiatives suggested by the different leadership candidates, but I have to agree with Ed Miliband’s recent comments on Nick Clegg. Clegg’s sacking of Gordon Brown after the general election was offensive on two levels: first, who the hell does the leader of a [...]

We have been debating three proposals for better decisions on building and planning. The first is my proposal to pay compensation for loss [...]

"Why learn American? is the surprising message on the front of a t-shirt seen in Brittany today. The back gives the real message:Perak deckin americaneg?Warc-hoazhe vo konzetBREZHONEGgant ar bed a-beth.The full French message is:Pourqui apprendre L'amercain?Demain la monde entierparlera Breton.Why learn American ?Tomorrow the whole world will speak Breton.Pride in [...]

An all-day ministerial excursion took me today to Wrexham, the part of the world where I was brought up and which, in my admittedly prejudiced opinion, is one of the most interesting corners of Wales, with a rich military, industrial and social heritage. There, I learned some facts of which I was [...]

This sort of story reported in the Daily Mail makes one wonder about the reliability of the assessment processes used by local authorities.Whether there will be a serious case review or not is unclear. I think there should be some inquiry. [...]

THERE was a power cut on the south side of Glasgow this afternoon, which affected my constituency office and my home. Incredibly irritating, though fortunately it didn’t last long. Inevitably it got me thinking about my childhood, when power cuts were as common as TV “variety shows”. Some were caused by [...]