New Model Army

A grand day out?

2009-11-30T20:37:00.003Z

I went on a short trip to a nearby town today. I shall save it the embarrassment of naming it, but it made a pleasant change.

It's really not true that everywhere looks the same, nor is it true that local councils cannot make a difference to their townscape. Here in St Neots, the efforts of the Town Council to make the town as attractive as possible are increasingly appreciated by residents. The final replacement of the notorious St Neots 'Fence' by our egregious County Council has corrected the last blot on our landscape and all is well on the Ouse.

It seems to me where the cosmetics are left to Town and Parish Councils town and parish 'scapes' are at their best. Things start to go wrong when planners start to get involved rather than gardeners and landscapers.

Une nouvelle dynamique pour Alternative Libérale

2009-09-26T17:33:00.002+01:00

Chers adhérents, chers sympathisants,

En cette période de G20 où il n’est une fois de plus question que de régulation, alors que le déficit public se creuse dangereusement pour atteindre 8% du PIB et que de nouvelles taxes, écologiques ou non, vienn ent grever un peu plus le pouvoir d’achat de nos concitoyens, notre pays a plus que jamais besoin qu’une voix libérale forte, cohérente et sûre d’elle-même s’exprime le plus largement possible.

Cette voix, c’est Alternative Libérale.

Notre jeune parti porte dans les rues, les urnes et les médias un message fort et sans concession. Porter ce message n’est pas chose facile. Les candidats et responsables de votre parti le savent parfaitement. C’est pour cela qu’ils se donnent sans compter pour apporter la touche de liberté dans le débat politique où elle manque si cruellement.Les prochains combats à mener seront rudes, et nous devons dès à présent nous mettre en ordre de bataille pour être suffisamment forts, nombreux et organisés pour les mener à bien. 2012 se prépare dès maintenant !<>De nouveaux responsables et candidats se sont engagés lors des élections européennes. Il convient maintenant de préparer ensemble les prochaines échéances.

Pour cela, nous vous proposons une nouvelle dynamique pour notre jeune parti.

Voici le programme que nous vous proposons :

1/ Moderniser et simplifier nos statutsNotre organisation est devenue trop rigide et peu adaptée à notre parti. Le Bureau, après un rapport de la Commission de Révision des Statuts, vous propose un texte simplifié. Ce projet de statut a reçu un avis positif du Conseil National. Une organisation plus légère nous permettra d’être plus réactifs. Cela est très important dans la mesure où tous les responsables d’Alternative Libérale sont des bénévoles : leur temps doit être utilisé de la manière la plus efficace. C’est le but de cette simplification.

2/ Organiser le débatNotre parti a besoin de débattre de ses objectifs, en particulier sur l’horizon 2012. C’est pourquoi il est essentiel que le débat interne prenne toute sa place. Si le projet de simplification est accepté, des élections internes suivront immédiatement. Cette période de débat sera l’occasion de faire bouillonner les idées et pour les adhérents un moyen de choisir entre les différentes voies proposées.Ces élections porteront sur les 2 principaux organes de notre parti : le Bureau et le Conseil National.- Le Bureau est l’organe décisionnel et politique d’Alternative Libérale. Il est constitué d’une liste solidaire de 6 personnes (si les nouveaux statuts sont validés).- Le Conseil National est constitué de 15 membres représentant des élus (conseillers municipaux, généraux, régionaux, présidents d’exécutifs, parlementaires) d’Alternative Libérale, 16 membres élus par les adhérents et représentant les tendances de notre parti et 8 responsables locaux. Ce sont les 16 membres élus par les adhérents qui vont être désignés au cours de ce scrutin. Ces élections sont importantes, car le Conseil National est l’organe compétent pour réformer le programme et voter les éventuelles alliances.

3/ Vous aussi, participez à l’aventure !Ces élections seront un succès si le débat s’installe en permet d’engager une véritable réflexion sur l’avenir de notre par ti. Prenez part à ce débat ! Formez ou rejoignez une liste pour le Bureau ou portez-vous candidat pour le Conseil National ! Participez en soutenant une liste. Alternative Libérale a besoin des idées de chacun d’entre vous. Seuls les adhérents à jour de cotisation le jour de la convocation à l’élection (c'est-à-dire le samedi 17 octobre au soir) pourront participer au vote ou être candidat.

4/ Voici l’agenda de ces importants débats internes- Dimanche 11 octobre à 17h : AGE, vote de réforme des statuts (vote électronique entre le mercredi 7 et le samedi 10 octobre). - Dimanche 18 octobre au dimanche 1er novembre: dépôt des candidatures pour les élections du Bureau et du Conseil National- Lundi 2 novembre : ouverture de la campagne- Dimanche 15 novembre à 17h : AGE, élections du Bureau et du CN (vote électronique entre le mercredi 11 et le samedi 14 novembre).Pour que notre parti devienne plus fort, nous avons besoin de votre soutien. Engagez-vous et soutenez-nous financièrement, en faisant un don.

Notre pays a besoin d’une voix libérale forte, notre pays a besoin d’Alternative Libérale.

Librement,
Sabine Herold
Présidente

Stagecoach go Smart!

2009-09-02T19:03:00.002+01:00

Much to my joy, I've just been chosen to be one of the first people to test out the new Stagecoach Smart card for Cambridgeshire. I get all my travel this week for free and for the next four weeks at half price. As County Officer and a non-driver, this is a real boon, but I will also take advantage of it as an opportunity to try out some of the routes I don't normally use, but about which I've had a number of complaints.

Tomorrow, I shall take the Citi 4, recently extended to St Neots, over to see my County Councillor for Hardwick, Fiona Whelan and on Friday, I plan to go to Huntingdon. All free!

In return, I have to use the card on each bus, fill in a weekly record of my journeys and return them to Stagecoach. This is all part of a test which will lead to a county-wide Stagecoach Smart card in the near future.

Is this card operating anywhere else in the Country? If so, any reports?

Paris Pas Cher

2009-08-31T12:05:00.003+01:00

I count a year wasted if it doesn't include at least one visit to Paris. In part because I love the City of Light which holds so many memories, in part because my children enjoy it so much. Watching my 11 year old tuck into Hareng, Saucisse d'Auvergne and Moules is a real pleasure and my 14 year old loves his Confit de Canard.

But there is no question that the decline in the value of the Pound against the Euro has made France very expensive and Paris even more so. If you are going soon, 'Paris Pas Cher 2010' is just out in FNAC and other bookshops and at 15 euros is not exactly a bargain in itself, but it can save you a lot of money if your French is good enough to read it.

If you want a tip for a good brasserie-style restaurant, try L'Ecrin, at 80, rue de Dunkerque in the 9eme. A ten minute walk from the Gare du Nord, and near to Metro Anvers, this old favourite will serve you an excellent menu for a reasonable 16,50.

Alternative Libérale rappelle l'importance de la liberté de conscience

2009-08-04T10:31:00.001+01:00

Du procès en cours de la scientologie au nouveau débat sur le port de la burqa, l’Etat cherche à réglementer toujours davantage le fait religieux. Alternative Libérale rappelle l’importance de la liberté de conscience et dénonce cette immixtion de plus en plus importante dans les pratiques religieuses qui ne relèvent que de la vie privée et ne devraient pas être pénalisées ou prohibées.
Les attaques répétées de l'Etat et de la justice contre l'organisation dite de l'Eglise de Scientologie ne font pas honneur à notre République laïque.

Alors que de nombreuses démocraties, parmi nos plus proches voisines et alliées, reconnaissent à la Scientologie le droit d’exister et parfois même celui de revendiquer le statut de religion, la France cherche à la prohiber. La focalisation de l’appareil policier et judiciaire, sous la bienveillante tutelle politique, contre cette organisation dont chacun appréciera le statut, est inquiétante pour notre démocratie.

L’opinion, manipulée par la peur des sectes, peur régulièrement alimentée en France par les médias et autres dossiers à scandale, a sur ce dossier majoritairement perdu de vue les enjeux fondamentaux que sont la liberté d’expression et la laïcité. Alternative Libérale ne soutient en aucune façon le système de croyance de la Scientologie et ne préjuge en rien de sa déontologie. En revanche, nous, libéraux, pointons un acharnement du système qui s’inscrit dans un mouvement plus général de pénalisation de la croyance et de restriction de la liberté de conscience.

C’est là un péril grave pour le principe de laïcité, cher à toute démocratie.

Choisir librement et exercer son culte est un droit fondamental de l’Homme. C’est sur le même registre qu’un incroyable débat s’est levé au sein du Gouvernement sur l’interdiction du port de la Burqa. Si on ne peut que regretter que certaines croyances conduisent des femmes à se priver ainsi de l’image publique de leur corps, est-il pour autant légitime de légiférer en la matière ?

Quelles seraient ensuite les limites pour interdire d’autres pratiques religieuses, peut être moins manifestes ? La Laïcité ne signifie pas l’interdiction de la religion, mais l’organisation de la concorde religieuse au sein de la communauté nationale. Libre à chacun de choisir sa croyance, sans que l’Etat intervienne autrement que pour assurer la libre expression des croyances, dans le respect des libertés individuelles.

I blame Paddy Ashdown

2009-07-29T10:37:00.004+01:00

A very odd woman was paraded on the BBC this morning as a 'Celebrity' who will be standing for Parliament at the next General Election. She was, apparently, the 'star' of a TV show called That's Life which was on the television when I lived in France and Belgium. From what I can gather about the show emigrating to France was probably not far enough.

But now this woman, whose career has made her wealthy from the taxpayer paid TV License fee, sees herself as a champion of the people of Luton South and wants to be their MP - despite the fact that their current expenses blighted MP is not re-standing.

Who do I blame for this fiasco, other than the egregious Ms Rantzen herself?

Paddy Ashdown. After all, it was Paddy with his old 'mucker' Tony who came up with the wheeze of sending an honest man to parliament, in the shape of Martin Bell. At the time this looked like a really clever way for Labour and the Lib Dems to avoid fighting each other and to get the laughing stock of the 1992 Parliament, Neil Hamilton, where he belonged. In a dole queue.

But now every faded ex-actor, every worn out hack sees a band wagon they can jump on to.

How long before some TV Producer comes up with 'I'm a Celebrity ... get me into Parliament'?

And Paddy, it's all your fault!

Death of the RISO?

2009-06-09T20:42:00.002+01:00

It was a good county campaign this year. Of course, you never do as well as you hope, but we made a lot of gains four years ago, so holding our own in conservative Cambridgeshire on the same day as the Euro's was as good as it's going to get.

Kept my printer very busy with lots of glossy colour leaflets, FOCI and Election Addresses.

Meanwhile, I've never used my Riso Printers less. I'm using my large laser more and one of my members very kindly brought me a large colour laser printer which is allowing me to produce colour letters at 20ppm. The Riso is economic, but much more time consuming than printing professionally - time that we don't have during elections. Another couple of years I guess and the Risos will probably go. What will I do with my garage?

Sadly, I have to report the death of Cllr. Ray Powell

2009-06-01T19:45:00.002+01:00

I can't begin to express the depths of my sadness tonight. Ray Powell, our District Councillor for Ramsey and candidate for the County Council on Thursday, passed away suddenly this afternoon.

Ray was a down to earth man. Despite his roots elsewhere he had become both a Ramseyman and a Fenman and to most local residents was nothing more or less than 'Mr Ramsey'. One of nature's gentlemen.

We are all too busy to fully take this in tonight and my guess is it will hit us even harder on Friday. We have lost a fellow Liberal Democrat and a friend and Ramsey has lost one of its most faithful servants.

The strange case of Jonathan Djanogly MP

2009-05-24T17:26:00.004+01:00

I'm always reluctant to comment on individuals, but local residents are bound to ask me my attitude to this weeks revelations about our MP, Jonathan Djanogly. And it's a question of judgement.

Firstly, for those unfamiliar with him, he's fairly harmless; you would have a pint with him, but probably wouldn't want to repeat the experience too often, if you follow me. I'm not sure how he got the nomination to replace John Major as MP for what was (when he took it over) the safest Tory seat in the country, but get it he did. He is, as a local MP, mediocre at best. His presence in the Shadow Cabinet is frankly astonishing and demonstrates the lack of talent available to David Cameron.

This weekend he is being dragged into the Daily Telegraph's slough of despond. Am I alone in finding the DT's crucifixion of so many Tory MPs gloriously ironic? His sin? A few thousand pounds worth of gates (far too expensive, though justifiable in principle) and a much larger sum claimed totalling around £25,000 on gardening and cleaning for his £750,000 pile in Alconbury.

He has now paid that back. And, I suspect, he thinks that will be the last he will hear of it. I think not. You see, the question on the doorstep here is why one of the richest MP's in the Commons (his family are very wealthy too, the last figure I heard was £300,000,000) should feel the need to charge the taxpayer for his cleaning and gardening in the first place? According to the Members Register of Interests he has a portfolio of shares in a large selection of PLC's and is a partner in an important law firm.

I'm not questioning his financial probity - I'll leave that to Cameron's Commission and the Daily Telegraph.

I'm just questioning his lack of judgement. And that, concerns me far more in an MP and possible future Minister.

Can we get a b****y sense of proportion, please?

2009-05-12T22:36:00.003+01:00

So, some MP has put a feather duster on his expenses. Jesus, I was in business for 25 years and have put in some expenses claims... well anyway. Surely, on the day that it's announced that 220,000 people have lost their jobs in the last quarter is my biggest concern that some Tory has had his swimming pool cleaned at the taxpayer's expense?

One of my councillors thinks that I should be attacking one of our local Tory MPs because he's been a naughty boy. But my heart's not in it. He's just been merely foolish and an attempt to clear MPs out of the house for that really would give us a democratic deficit. I'm planning to stick to policy, not personalities. There is plenty of Tory target's to hit there. More than enough to keep me busy until June 4th.

A Conservative Government and the collapse of Capitalism

2009-03-18T07:33:00.003Z

It just doesn't make any sense really, does it? The whole get rich quick Thatcherite experiment has just been shown up for the 'Con Trick' it always was and what's the response of the British people?

Well, if the polls are to be believed they are going to elect them back into power. Their fraudulent banking buddies in the City must be laughing their heads off. 'That Cameron chap was always a bit of a bounder when he was my fag, but if he's going to give us another chance to line our pockets at the public expense...'

Well think about it.

"Now the wall has come down and the system has collapsed, there is nothing to stop us voting for the Communist Party. Yes, of course they made a lot of mistakes in the past and we know they have no new ideas and got us into this mess in the first place, but let's not hold that against them...'

Goel Pyran Lowen dhywgh hwi!

2009-03-05T12:35:00.002Z

Let's hope that the campaign for a Cornish Bank Holiday really takes off.

So aside from Cornish ancestry why does this concern us here in sunny St Neots (and it's very sunny here today!). Elsewhere in Europe many towns and cities, counties or regions have their own Bank Holiday. So next time the government start to speculate about an additional Bank holiday for the calendar, let's have the courage to go for a little localism!

So, I put my bid in for St Neots now. I'd like the July 19th, which Parliament already once declared as a Bank Holiday to celebrate the victory of the New Model Army over the royalists in the battle of St Neots, one of the last actions of the Civil War.

What about your town?

BBC: Gutless, useless journalism

2009-02-16T13:39:00.004Z

On the whole, I think journalists have as much right to go about there trade as, well, say lawyers, bankers and estate agents.

And, yes, I do know some responsible and intelligent journalists. Worryingly, though, the ones I know are all close to retirement.

The BBC? Well take a look at today's business news on their website. Like the lunchtime news, they headline on 850 job losses at BMW. Why not? It's an important story, especially for the poor sods about to lose their jobs. But what's that further down the page and unmentioned on the lunchtime news? Another company announces that it's to create 9,000 jobs over the next three to five years!

OK, it's KFC. but it's still 9,000 jobs and it's still gutless journalism, happy to help drive us into a deeper recession. From the BBC as well. I despair.

Tories: Crisis, what Crisis?

2009-02-14T18:31:00.003Z

Following the lead of their County Council it's now the South Cambridgeshire Tories who are proposing both an unacceptably high increase in Council Tax (4.99%) and putting more money in reserves. Money that we think should be left in the pockets of Council Tax payers.

The Tories tell us that more money must be put into reserves in case of a crisis. Both the County and South Cambs District have more than the minimum recommended. Now let's think a minute. Recession; perhaps depression. Rapidly rising unemployment. A financial sector which has both lost it's nerve and our cash. So if this is not a crisis, what is?

I know. A crisis will be if we get a government run by this shower. Tory Economists? About as welcome as Alligators in a Swimming Pool.

Will Cambridgeshire go Unitary?

2009-02-13T15:12:00.004Z

Well, yes and no. Firstly, there is a relentless logic. Although there are all sorts of messy delays, Suffolk, Norfolk and Bedfordshire are all going down that route. You don't need a First in Geography to work out what's next. Cambridgeshire.
So would Cambridgeshire form a single county Unitary. It's highly unlikely. The reality is that it's a very artificial construct. Another 1973 fudge, I'm afraid. Even the most casual observer would note the different economic, social and demographic profiles of three distinct areas of the county.
When will it happen? No idea, but within five years I suspect. Is it a good idea? Perhaps. It would stand a better chance if it's allowed to go ahead on the basis that the pieces of the puzzle are wards rather than Districts.
Am I in favour? I'm not sure to be honest. I'm as uncomfortable with the rigidities of the Unitary system as I am with the conflicts inherent in the current three tier structure.
It would be interesting to know what the Tory view is on this. But, as usual they seem to have no clear policy on this. Sitting on the Fence once again, David?

Les libéraux mobilisés dans le débat sur la crise

2009-02-09T19:46:00.000Z

Le 29 janvier, une journée de grève a paralysé notre pays. Le sens de ces blocages reste inconnu de tous : à quoi rime la grève contre la crise ? Dans une période aussi sombre, ne serait-il pas logique de redoubler plutôt d'effort et de solidarité ? Ce n'est pas l'avis des bastions du service public, aux emplois protégés, qui ont nourri le gros des bataillons de ces manifestations, brandissant le sempiternel « Toujours plus ».

400 millions d'euros de coût pour notre pays, pour une seule journée de grand blocage, et des millions de vies perturbées, voire handicapées, ce jour là. Des « victimes » qui restent silencieuses. A-t-on besoin de ces grèves maintenant ? A quoi riment-elles ?

Notre pays a besoin de mesures économiques libérales rapides et fortes. L'interventionnisme forcené auquel nous assistons est doublement hypocrite : la crise procède pour partie de l'Etat (cf. analyse des origines de la crise), et on sait que son action aggrave la situation durablement (un déficit public qui pourrait atteindre 5,5 % cette année, hypothéquant notre avenir commun).
Pourtant, l'interview télévisée de Nicolas Sarkozy a montré que l'interventionnisme était plus que jamais la direction dans laquelle le gouvernement souhaitait poursuivre.

Face à cette débauche de moyens que l'Etat dépense à crédit, Alternative Libérale se mobilise pour faire entendre la voix libérale. Retrouvez le communiqué de presse publié par Alternative Libérale.

Dimanche 1er février, Sabine Herold, Présidente d'Alternative Libérale, était invitée dans l'émission « Ripostes » de Serge Moati sur France 5. Elle y a défendu les couleurs libérales dans un débat vif et animé, face à Olivier Besancenot, François Chérèque, Frédéric Lefebvre et Manuel Valls, tous chantres de l'interventionnisme public ! Retrouvez la vidéo de l'émission sur le site d'Alternative Libérale.

Il est temps de renouveler votre adhésion pour 2009. Vous pouvez adhérer en ligne sur le site d'Alternative Libérale. 2009 sera une année très importante où les libéraux auront l'opportunité de défendre leurs couleurs lors des élections européennes de juin : soutenez notre action : faites un don et contactez-nous !

Retrouvez nos derniers passages médias :
- Sabine Herold est désormais une chroniqueuse régulière dans l'émission Cactus, le vendredi soir sur Paris Première. Elle y apporte son angle de vue libéral : forcément piquant ! Retrouvez les émissions du 5 décembre, 12 décembre, 9 janvier et 16 janvier.
- Le 18 décembre et le 22 janvier, Edouard Fillias était invité du Grand Direct de Morandini sur Europe 1.
- le 26 novembre Sabine Herold était invitée de « Ce soir ou jamais », l'émission de Frédéric Taddéi sur France 3 pour un débat sur la pauvreté
Conférence de l'Université Libérale : retrouvez sur le site d'AL la vidéo de la conférence sur la réforme de la Constitution par Maître Jean-Philippe Feldman.

Cancel Half Term

2009-02-07T09:27:00.003Z

Now my children have already missed two and a half days each of schooling this week. Things only look a little better for Monday and Tuesday. The week after is half term.

Teachers 'hat' on for a minute. This will doubtless do untold damage to their education. Well, parents 'hat' on, this is what we are told when we take our children out of school for a few days. But when it's cancelled because the teachers can't get to work (why don't ANY teachers live near to their schools anymore?) even though the pupils can, we parents have to be understanding.

But I have a solution. The week after next is half term. Cancel it. After all, our kids have had a few days off and so have the teachers and as it so important to get every day of possible teaching, I look forward to Headteachers offering this simple solution to the loss of so many school days. Mind you, I'm not holding my breath.

Parents of course will continue to manage. In a situation where they really don't want to draw attention to themselves - 'Redundancies? Well start with the ones who are always taking sudden days off with little notice...' - parents are forced into a corner.

By the way, taking you children out of school is a curious experience. If you are middle class, it's all, 'We understand the potential educational benefits of taking Justin and Emma to Disneyland Florida' but if you are at the other end of the spectrum it's 'The absence of Kylie and Jason last week is extremely damaging to their Education and I have reported you to the Truancy Officer.'

Who said the class system was dead?

Gaza: Number Crunching

2009-01-14T10:09:00.002Z

After 19 Days

Number of Palestinians Killed: 1,000 plus
Number of Israelis Killed: 13

Average Number of Israelis killed in Car Accidents EVERY 19 Days: 23

Why don't we just Nationalise the banks?

2009-01-13T22:10:00.003Z

Something escapes me here. Perhaps Vince can advise?

Let's just take Bank X. Apparently we (the taxpayer) now own 43% of this wondrous institution. And now, having brought shares, pumped in capital, extended its credit and guaranteed its very essence, just so it starts lending, we are also going to underwrite it's loans. Now, having studied economics at university in my youth, I'm obviously at a disadvantage here, because I just don't get it.

Aren't we just guaranteeing their profits? Aren't we just encouraging the sort of profligacy which got us in this mess in the first place? Can't we at least ask their Directors and Managers put their homes up as a guarantee? Seems like the least they could do. After all, it's the first thing they ask of their customers.

Just Nationalise them. Support them. When the world economy recovers, let us, the taxpayer take the profit, not just their liabilities. Oh, and if one of them tries to lecture us about the 'free market' - just cut them off and let them experience true freedom.

The strange death of the Conservative Party

2008-12-22T10:51:00.004Z

Sound silly doesn't it. But it's not. I think future historians will see 2008 as the year in which the Conservative Party entered into terminal decline. My regular readers will have noted my absence over the last two months. A series of by elections have taken up my time and that of my colleagues.

Here in Cambridgeshire, a Tory fortress, they have simply failed to perform. They have lost a District and a County seat, and received a bloody nose as we moved from fifth to second in one of their strongholds. And, on Thursday, we successfully defended a seat on St Neots Town Council, which remains Lib Dem by 13-5.

Membership of the Tory Party is declining. That is a matter of public record. But then so is ours. But the problem for the Tories is not their decline in membership, it's their decline in influence. The decline of their activist base. The decline in the quality of their elected representatives.

We have six Tory MP's in the county (and one Lib Dem). Only one of their MP's is fit for the job; the others would make adequate backbenchers on a medium sized District or Unitary Council. Their Councillors with the odd exception are really not up to very much.

The Tory Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, their fourth in two years is nice enough, but has neither the qualifications nor the abilities to run an organisation whose annual income and expenditure is greater than that of the governments of more than 20 United Nations members!

In an attempt to prevent their headlong decline, they desperately recruit younger members and councillors who would probably be more at home in UKIP or I dare say, the BNP. So often they end up embarrassing them. Three of their current cohort are just 'accidents' waiting to happen.

They no longer dominate the 'old' networks, the Parish Councils, the various 'Chambers' and 'Boards' and 'Committees'. They singularly fail to properly penetrate the new ones. One local Tory Party's website (South Cambridgeshire) hasn't been updated in years - the social diary is still offering the opportunity to buy tickets to a celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. The design is so out of date it would come of no surprise to know it is was to celebrate the result of the original battle. Another local Tory Party, arguably the most successful, with around 1,000 members and an annual income of £120,000 no longer has a website at all and has not had one for the last two years.

I could go on. All of this shows an organisation in decline - almost in free fall. Combine this with the redundancies in their constituency support organisations and we see that there is no longer anyone their to arrest it.

Sure, we Lib Dems have our problems. But we don't hide from them and thanks to our structures and strategy membership is less important to us.

Cameron and Osbourne are working hard to win the next election. But if they are victorious, it will look to future political historians to be a very Pyrrhic victory.

Des idées neuves contre la crise

2008-12-03T08:31:00.001Z

Chers Adhérents, chers Sympathisants,

Fin d'année animée pour notre parti : les libéraux, en ces temps de crise, ont beaucoup à dire et à faire. Nous regrettons que la prudence de la Chancelière allemande, Angela Merkel, ne soit mieux suivie en Europe. L'argent dépensé en urgence pour cautériser les plaies de la crise ne règle pas les causes de cette dernière : une mal-régulation financière, corrompue par un interventionnisme mal placé sur le crédit.

Cet argent échouera également à traiter les conséquences de la crise : au contraire, il les accentue en favorisant le retour du protectionnisme. Il faut désormais s'apprêter à vivre un Renault Vilvoorde par semaine. L'horizon est d'autant plus sombre que les pilotes regardent une boussole faussée qui les aiguille obstinément vers les vieilles recettes de la social-démocratie.

Pendant ce temps, La France passe à côté de l'occasion unique de faire enfin de vraies réformes libérales : fluidification du marché du travail et simplification du code du travail, réforme des syndicats, suppression des niches fiscales et transparence de l'impôt, réforme du système social (mise en concurrence de la Sécu, instauration de la retraite par capitalisation)... Seules ces mesures permettront de relancer l'économie en remettant le pays sur la voie de la croissance.

Seule Alternative Libérale a le courage de défendre ces mesures comme l'a montré notre présidente, Sabine Herold, en donnant la réplique aux tenants du tout-Etat dans l'émission de Frédéric Taddéï, mercredi denier sur France3 (la vidéo). Elle sera à Toulouse, samedi 7 décembre, pour animer un débat sur la crise et les solutions économiques, bien différentes selon nous de celles préconisées par le pouvoir en place.

Alternative Libérale dans les médias

Votre parti continue de porter haut les couleurs du libéralisme dans les médias. Ces dernières semaines, radios, télévisions et presse se sont fait l'écho de notre message
- Didier Salavert, porte parole d'Alternative Libérale, est intervenu sur la radio BFM, dans le cadre de l'émission le Grand Débat - Sabine Herold est intervenue sur la radio Beur FM, où elle est désormais une invitée régulière. - Le comité Strasbourg d'Alternative Libérale s'est distingué dans le quotidien 20 minutes. - Sabine Herold a été reçue par l'équipe de Pourquivoter.com pour une longue interview. - Enfin, retrouvez Sabine Herold sur le plateau de France 3 pour un débat animé par Frédéric Taddéï sur le thème des solutions à la pauvreté.
Soutenez financièrement Alternative Libérale d'ici le 31 décembre

La fin d'année approche, c'est le moment de soustraire 66 % de vos dons de votre impôt sur le revenu. Si vous nous faites un don de 100 euros d'ici le 31 décembre, votre impôt sera réduit de 66 euros l'année prochaine : il ne vous en coûtera que 34 euros au final. Pour un don de 500 euros, ce sont 330 euros que le fisc vous offrira dans quelques mois !

Investi dans Alternative Libérale, votre don sera mieux employé qu'utilisé par l'Etat via l'impôt sur le revenu. Il servira à défendre vos idées en lieu et place d'entretenir un système à la dérive. Alors, avant le 31 décembre, faites valoir vos idées tout en réduisant votre impôt : faites un don à Alternative Libérale !

Librement,

Le bureau d'Alternative Libérale

Clegg: This had better not be true...

2008-11-30T16:26:00.003Z

I got a lot of stick for criticising our Parliamentary Party earlier in the year.

So I'll refrain this time. My only comment is that I wanted Steve Webb to run for the leadership and pushed him to do so. Within 48 hours though he came back to me with his reasons for not deciding to put his hat in the ring. Reasons I understood and respected.

He also told me and other friends and supporters across the party that he would be supporting Nick Clegg and gave us the reasons why. Mostly, in Steve's absence, natural Huhne supporters (though not I, my doubts remained) many of us, including me took that advice and I went on to strongly and unreservedly endorse Nick Clegg and to vote for him.

I have subsequently loyally supported Clegg and will continue to do so. But if this report turns out to be true, and I very much hope it's not, that support will be with the caveat that I expect to see talented people like Steve Webb and Chris Huhne treated with the respect they deserve. A truly great leader must value the talents of others. I still hope that Nick Clegg can be a truly great leader.

Victory! Tories beaten again!

2008-11-28T23:01:00.005Z

Some of the more observant amongst you may have noticed my virtual disappearance over the last month. By Elections, dear boy, by elections...

Well, it was one of my best campaigns, even if I say so myself. And in gaining the Hardwick County Council seat last night, another blow to the local Tories. Despite the usual (this time, not as bad as usual in fairness) sleazy Tory tactic of trying to blame others for their own failings, they were, duly, defeated.

Fiona will make an excellent County Councillor.

We now have 23 county councillor and on the swing we got last night, they would lose control next June.

Unlikely? Perhaps. But if any Cambridgeshire Tories are reading this, consider yourselves duly warned. You know me well enough to know that I will be threatening some of even your safest seats.

Off to Fenland now for another by election. I'll keep you posted. We would need a massive swing to win it, from 5th place - but you never know....

Un nouveau site pour le parti libéral!

2008-10-29T20:02:00.001Z

Chers Adhérents, chers Sympathisants,

Nous sommes heureux de vous annoncer la sortie du nouveau site d'Alternative Libérale.

Venez le visiter sur www.alternative-liberale.fr.

Nous avons opté pour un site qui fait la part belle à nos positions. Mais il met surtout en avant nos comités locaux, vous permet de suivre l'agenda des réunions organisées à Paris et en région, et vous propose les vidéos de nos événements et conférences.

Dès la page d'accueil, vous retrouverez également les derniers posts de notre blogosphère libérale qui réunit aujourd'hui plus de 50 blogueurs libéraux.

Nous tenons à adresser un grand bravo à Benoît Jolly, notre responsable Internet, pour son travail acharné ! Avec ce nouvel outil de communication grand public, un cran en avance sur les autres partis, Alternative Libérale va pouvoir être encore plus efficace pour promouvoir les idées libérales.

Ces temps de crise économique servent d'excuse aux anti-libéraux pour revenir aux vieilles recettes de l'interventionnisme : nous devons dénoncer la mainmise croissante de l'Etat sur l'économie. Qui s'opposera à la mise en place d'un fond souverain à la française ? Qui rappellera que les plans de relance économique sont non seulement inefficaces mais surtout néfastes ? C'est la vocation d'Alternative Libérale dans ces temps difficiles : être un repère et dénoncer ces solutions à la crise pires que la crise elle-même. Plus que jamais, il est essentiel que les libéraux aient la possibilité d'être forts et de s'exprimer.

Pour continuer notre action, nous avons besoin de votre soutien ! Adhérez ou donnez à Alternative Libérale pour que nous ayons les moyens financiers d'être efficaces.
Venez prendre votre part dans l'action ! Chaque jeudi, venez participer aux débats sur le programme ou à une réunion de recrutement et d'information. Un samedi par mois, assistez à une conférence de l'Université Libérale (voir l'agenda). Alternative Libérale est en ordre de bataille, mais nous avons besoin de l'aide de chacun d'entre vous.

Enfin, on félicite Emmanuel Prost, élu Premier Conseiller du Conseil National d'Alternative Libérale.

Oooo... I do like a nice by-election

2008-10-28T22:00:00.005Z

The first thing that comes up on the agenda when you get a by-election is the inevitable Lib Dem discussion about how we should spell it. Bye Election, Bye-Election, By Election, By-Election and of course whether it should have Capital letters for each word or just the first. Give a group of Lib Dems a pin head to dance on and they will be off on a merry jig.

But it does raise a more serious question. I'm told by colleagues in the Tory Party and the Labour Party that it's little different over there. The question? Go on, I'll be honest. Why is it that everybody seems to have an opinion on how to run elections? I'm the professional; I've 35 years of political experience in half a dozen countries and on top of that in my business career I rose to be European Sales & Marketing Director of a major multinational.

But there is always someone ready to argue with you. Why? Being the Lib Dems they are mostly professionals. I've never told the scientists among them how to carry out research, the engineers how to build bridges, the bureaucrats how to mess up the country. A colleague amusingly paints this situation in the colours of an Enid Blyton novel, 'Five run an Election Campaign'. The strange thing that however many times you win elections and by elections you still have to fight the same battle to persuade people to do it right every time!

But you see, it's not funny. It's time more people in this party just accepted the advice of the professionals. The biggest problem is the endless succession of 'training sessions' at conferences, regional conferences, etc. After every one, after a couple of one hour sessions I get a new set of instant 'experts' who now understand demographics, psephology, Mosaic, etc.

Some even claim to understand EARS. Now I know that's not true, because even the people who write it don't seem to understand it...

Now don't get me wrong. Training is helpful. But every training session should start and finish with the simple statement that this session is designed to help you to better understand why you are being asked to work in a particular way by the people in charge of campaigning. We're not making it up. It's the result of personal experience and tried and tested campaigning methods. We would do so much better if more people accepted it.

Prince Harry: With apologies to Bill Shakespeare

2008-10-27T14:02:00.003Z

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,
For he today who for security reasons,
Is surrounded by SAS guards, and only,
Pilots his copter, outside of the holiday and ski season,
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition.
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall wonder why we pay taxes so this minor scion,
Can play the soldier when ancestors named Harry too
Did not hold their manhoods cheap, but fought
Side by side, Prince or Pauper, upon Saint Crispin's day.

Party Membership - It's simple really!

2008-10-13T14:08:00.005+01:00

There are various debates going on about Party Membership. James Graham, as astute as ever, has made some telling comments on his blog and has opened up a debate and Mark Littlewood, as usual, has a lot to say on this subject (or any other you care to mention).

I'm afraid their discussion rapidly got too academic for poor little ordinary activist me.

But I have my own view on this. You see, for a party based, at least in theory, on community activism, we give far too little independence to local parties. My suggestion would be to have two categories of membership. National Members and Local Party Supporter.

National Membership would follow the existing membership scheme, with all the exclusive privileges that brings, like being able to attend national and regional conferences and vote in party elections (and receive irritating mailings from HQ, unsolicited phone calls asking for money...).

Local Parties could then recruit local supporters from those people who would perhaps like to join in supporting their local councillors or local Focus Team. There are lots of people who support us but won't join a national party, often because they don't support our policies on Europe, for example.

Local parties could buy a three part perforated pre-printed, localised (by laser printer), local party membership card from Cowley Street for, say, £6 each in lots of ten. The new supporter would get one part, the local party would keep one, and Cowley Street would then receive the third part when the details would be registered on a national database. The local party would charge a minimum of £12 but would go for £24 I hope!

Everybody is happy. We get more registered supporters. 50,000 across the country could generate £300,000 or perhaps £250,000 net for Cowley Street and perhaps twice that for local parties. After the first year local parties could be offered an incentive for every supporter upgrading to full membership.

A simple to administer, practical scheme that acknowledges changing times.

A new Blog you MUST follow.

2008-10-11T12:37:00.003+01:00

We have a by-election for the County Council! With only 7 and a half months to go to the once every four year poll, the member for Hardwick has resigned, just before he would have been disqualified. We have a super candidate already in place for next May and we are raring to go! We plan to have a strong Internet campaign so why not check out Fiona's brand new blog? http://fionawhelan.blogspot.com
And of course it will be on Lib Dem Blogs too.
If you live or work near Cambridge drop me a message - we need all the help we can get!

Letter to my Bank Manager, Dear Employee...

2008-10-08T13:18:00.003+01:00

Bet you don't like that do you? Well, first of all I'm lobbying for Vince Cable to push the government into adopting our idea for all public sector managers on more than £100,000 a year to have to re-apply for their jobs to apply to you and your colleagues.

Secondly, if it's now us who are paying you, we want better service. No more call centres in remote corners of the globe, but here providing jobs to replace those that your stupidity and speculation has cost us. Staff working at lunchtimes would be a good idea? Perhaps you and your 'management team' could do that little job?

And next time we want a big mortgage we can't possibly pay, don't be so stupid as to give it to us.

About your Bonus? Here it is: You get to keep your job. For now.

Message to Nick Clegg - Reshuffle NOW!

2008-10-03T11:34:00.004+01:00

Nick, it's time to go to DEFCON 4. The Shadow Cabinet you appointed after your election as leader is all very well, but now with what is probably Brown's last reshuffle, it's time to get into General Election mode.

And, frankly, that means bringing back the big beasts - and making sure they come back ready to fight. Keeping Vince at the Treasury is a no-brainer, but we need Ming on Foreign Affairs, Charles Kennedy at the Home Office, Chris Huhne back on the Environment and Steve Webb and David Laws need to be in places that truly match their talents. We need roles for our leading peers - especially those with a high profile. Yes, and a strong role for Norman Baker, the hard-hitting Freddie Flintoff of Liberal Democracy.

Some might plead that they want to spend more time with their families - they need to be told that this is the most important election for us in a generation. Their families will understand!

If we can hold our own against the Tories and take seats of Labour, we will truly, finally have the three party system so many of them have worked so hard for.

MPs with difficult to defend seats need to be doing just that.

Ed Davey needs to be firmly put in charge of the General Election campaign.

We need a Shadow Cabinet that shows our experience and knowledge and shows that the Tories have none.

But do it now. Be Nick Clegg. Don't be Nick Faldo and bring on your big hitters when it's too late.

Occitan, Welsh, Sard. (and the French)

2008-10-02T21:57:00.004+01:00

It's quite remarkable that the French, so anxious to preserve French Culture and Language from the baleful influence of the 'Anglo-Saxons' (that's us and the cousins) have with the incredible hypocrisy you can only expect from them, persecuted their minorities and their languages for centuries. Conscious of the Celtic Tigers, they treat Breton with a little more respect nowadays, but Occitan the most attractive of the Latin languages, is treated with scant regard.

Occitan, along with Kurdish and Catalan is an important indo-european language, that lacking a nation state, has been in long term decline.

But is this inevitable? Welsh and indeed Catalan, now if not nation state languages, are the languages of regional states. Kurdish now has similar status in Iraq, though it remains repressed in Turkey and Iran. In Italy, Sard, with its easily defined territory of the island of Sardinia has been given increasing recognition by both the Italian State and by its regional government.

But for a language like Occitan which crosses so many regions and is even spoken in other nation states proper recognition remains a distant dream. Ironically, it has greater recognition in Spain where it has official status in the Valle d'Aran and in the Western Valleys of Italy, where it is now both protected and encouraged. Indeed it was the official joint language, with Italian, of the last Turin Winter Olympics.

So, all I ask, the next time you hear a French Minister bleating about the need to protect the French language, don't hesitate to propose that we extend the same protection to French that French Governments have extended and continue to extend to Occitan, Breton, Basque, and all the other minority languages of France.

Recession chewing at our heels...

2008-10-02T15:21:00.003+01:00

Living right on the Market Square in our county's largest market town can give some good if not quite unique insights into the state of the local economy. Things are not looking good, I'm afraid. The weekly market has been held every Thursday since the charter was granted in the 13th Century. It's the usual provincial mixture of fresh fruit, mobile butchers and fishmongers, combined with cheap clothes and end of line goods.
Except this week there are five or six fewer stalls than there were three months ago. An estate agent has already gone, though I'm surprised it's just the one. House prices are dropping, though by more in Cambridge than they are here.
The problem is though I think this recession is as usual, at least in part, psychological. A friend bemoans the decline in property prices when I know he finished paying for his house 25 years ago. And I know he paid £600 for it in 1951 and it's still worth £300,000 today. I know he will cut back on what he's spending, though he has no reason to do so. Even if the recession is not here yet, we are talking ourselves right into it.

Crise, Européennes : les moyens d'agir !

2008-09-29T19:12:00.000+01:00

Chers amis,

Nous avons besoin de votre soutien.

Dans ce contexte de crise économique, nous avons le projet de sortir un site et un tract national (20 000 exemplaires, diffusé partout en France) pour expliquer les origines de la crise et les solutions pour en sortir, à l'opposé du « tout interventionnisme » tragiquement redevenu à la mode. Cette opération coûte 9 000 euros. Si nous touchons à travers elle 40 000 à 50 000 personnes, c'est un excellent rapport efficacité / prix (18 centimes d'euros par personne touchée par la campagne).

Comme vous le savez déjà, Alternative Libérale s'organise pour les élections européennes. Nous devons provisionner des dépenses d'impression pour nos tracts et nos affiches de campagne. Une campagne dans une seule Région coûte au minimum 60 à 70 000 euros. Mais nous toucherons en moyenne 5 à 8 millions d'électeurs, qui recevront nos professions de foi « Pour Une Europe Libérale » et verront nos affiches placardées partout (0,8 centimes d'euros par électeur).

Nous travaillons avec une équipe de bénévoles, sans l'aide de subventions publiques, presque exclusivement accaparées par l'UMP et le PS. Si nous ne comptons pas notre temps, nous devons aussi rechercher des budgets pour financer nos actions.

C'est vous, sympathisants ou adhérents de notre jeune mouvement, qui nous accorderez les moyens nécessaires pour faire entendre une voix différente. Il faut une étincelle pour allumer la mèche : aidez-nous à la déclencher !

Faire un don à Alternative Libérale est le meilleur choix politique et économique pour relayer vos convictions.

Si vous voulez soutenir notre action et doper la visibilité de nos idées libérales, envoyez-nous votre soutien financier :
- Par chèque, à l'ordre de « Association de Financement d'Alternative Libérale », 94 bd Flandrin, 75116 Paris
- Par paiement en ligne, pour les dons et cotisations inférieurs ou égaux à 150 euros (il est possible de réaliser plusieurs dons successifs)
Vous trouverez tous les renseignements sur notre site : cliquez-ici.

En vous remerciant par avance pour votre soutien,
Le bureau d'Alternative Libérale

Sa Présidente, Sabine Herold

French Ignore Europe - Again!

2008-09-28T20:11:00.003+01:00

The European Union rarely takes on national governments directly; after all, he who pays the piper calls the tune. However, some of the institutions are better than others and over the years the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages has done its very best at protecting important non-national languages from the nation states who seek to repress them.
Near to my village in France we have a bi-lingual French-Occitan school, which I have been involved in since its inception more than 20 years ago. It always amuses the kids when this 'anglés' comes in and speaks to them in the old language! Despite centuries of repression (if you think the Welsh and their language were hard done by...) the Calendretas bi-lingual schools have thrived and the European Union has bullied France into improving funding for teaching in Occitan across Provence, the Languedoc and the Midi in general.
Typically though the bureaucrats in Paris have revenged themselves in their usual manner - by halving the budget available to Toulouse University for training Occitan teachers.

Timeo danaos et dona ferentes

2008-09-26T10:16:00.005+01:00

Of course having endorsed Lembit, I suppose I had to expect the inevitable string of emails.

There is a certain tendency in the party; it's the 'I'm an Activist, so I know best.' Tendency. Their Liberalism is usually preached rather than practiced.

It's probably best summed up by someone who should know better telling me that Lembit is just like Boris Johnson, so I should support Ros because she is 'one of us'. Who are what 'us' are is not clear to me, but whatever or whoever 'us' is, please include me out.

But the reference to Boris Johnson puzzles me. You see, he is a bit of a publicity seeker, that's for sure. We get to see him in the press in often embarrassing circumstances. Oh, yes, and he was recently elected Mayor of arguably the most important city in the World supported by the votes of millions of Londoners. And apparently Lembit is a lot like him.

And that's a reason why I shouldn't support Lembit. Mmmm! Really?

I can't believe I'm doing this, but... I'm going to endorse Lembit Opik

2008-09-24T21:30:00.004+01:00

I'll admit that I have on occasion been highly critical of Lembit. And if he is elected as President, I will continue to be so if I feel he's not doing the job to the best of his (undoubted) ability. I've enough friends in the party and people who listen to me, that I feel I must justify this position in some detail.
Lembit is no fool; far from it. He's generally approachable, and is very good with people. That's an important quality in a Party President. He's well known but has made it clear that he would see his role as one of supporting the leader rather than competing with him. His objectives are realistic and his commitment seems both genuine and serious. Local parties will appreciate a President who can put bums on seats at annual dinners and knows how to handle an audience. He sees things realistically and I feel confident in his ability to at least arrest the decline in membership, perhaps even to reverse it.
In some ways this is his last chance too. And I'm sure that if I'm aware of that, he is. He's a bit of a sucker for cheap publicity, but given the bias of the media in this country, any publicity we can get is welcome (within reason, Lembit!).
As I've said before, I'm less than happy about the position of President of the Party being in the hands of a parliamentarian. But I'd rather, given that caveat, that it was a well-known and media savvy member of the Commons than an obscure member of the Lords.
Lembit's not perfect. Far from it. Few of us are (yes, I know, but I'm so busy already!). But I think on balance that he is worthy of our support. On this occasion he gets mine.

Conference from the outside - who cares (2)?

2008-09-17T17:40:00.002+01:00

Poll out in the morning:

Con 52%
Lab 24%
LD 12%

Hopefully they will be better at the weekend...

A word of warning for Vince Cable

2008-09-15T21:08:00.002+01:00

You are a popular sort of bloke, Vince. You are, on your own ground, frankly brilliant and you have both our respect and affection. Today you swung a potentially difficult vote in the leadership's favour. But a little note of caution, a word of warning.

Many of us remember and resent how the popular David Penhaligon was used to push the leadership's policies through conferences. It works up to a point. But it's not good for the party and it's not good for conference and dare I say, eventually, not good for you. So well done today.

Just don't make a habit of it.

Conference from the outside - who cares?

2008-09-15T07:25:00.004+01:00

I've not been to a party conference for a while now (Llandudno 1976); I'm always so busy at this time of year - this is the first year in many when I've not had a by election going on here in Cambridgeshire. There are other reasons. I really don't feel that spending enough money to take my family on a weeks holiday in order to spend a few days in a windswept English seaside resort alone in September is easily justifiable.

But the great thing about not attending is you get to see it how the public, the electorate, see it. And frankly, they don't see much of it at all. Generally, so far, the programmes you would expect to cover it, The Politics Show, Andrew Marr et al have done so. I'm sure the three or four people who are not at party conferences or planning to go to them who watch these programmes have seen coverage of our conference. It's been on the news too. After Gordon, Lehmann Brothers, etc. but before Newcastle United.

As far as the printed media are concerned, the Dead Trees Society, can someone at conference actually tell me if they are there? You see I get the impression that all they do each year is find last year's story on their hard disk and change it a little. You know the one. 'Lib Dems divided over Leadership / Tax / Trident (*delete as appropriate).

I'm sure Vince will get some coverage today, as will the Leader's Speech. But when you're not there, that's the only impression you get. The only coverage you see. But then it's a whole load better than we get the rest of the year round.

Agenda de rentrée d'AL : Débat Européennes & rdv adhérents

2008-09-10T19:03:00.000+01:00

Chers Adhérents, chers Sympathisants,
Pour vous permettre d'apporter votre pierre à l'activité d'Alternative Libérale, voici vos principaux rendez-vous :

- Réunions d'information et de recrutement : vous souhaitez participer à l'action d'Alternative Libérale ? Que vous souhaitiez être candidat, responsable, militant ou participer à la rédaction du programme, nous organisons un jeudi sur deux une réunion d'information ! Pour vous inscrire, contactez Christian Person : recrutement@alternative-liberale.fr

- Ateliers de travail sur le programme européen : un jeudi sur deux, venez collaborer à la réflexion sur le programme d'Alternative Libérale pour les prochaines élections européennes. Après un premier débat sur les principales thématiques à retenir, chaque débat sera centré sur un thème spécifique. Pour vous inscrire, contactez Jacques Legrand : j.legrand@alternative-liberale.fr

- Conférences thématiques : l'Université Libérale vous propose un programme de conférences mensuelles. Autour d'un intervenant extérieur, venez débattre d'un thème politique, économique, social ou sociétal. Pour vous inscrire, contactez Matthieu Longobardi : m.longobardi@alternative-liberale.fr

Si vous ne pouvez assister à ces réunions :
- Renseignez-vous auprès de votre responsable local d'AL, qui organisera également des rendez-vous de ce type
- Proposez-nous votre aide, et nous vous ferons suivre tous les comptes-rendus afin que vous puissiez contribuer à la réflexion et l'action collective.

Agenda pour septembre et début octobre :
- jeudi 18-09 à 19h30 : Premier atelier de travail sur le programme européen
- jeudi 25-09 à 19h30 : Réunion d'information et de recrutement
- samedi 27-09 à 14h30 : Conférence avec Vincent Bénard de l'Institut Hayek sur la crise des Subprimes et ses conséquences sur le marché du logement en France
- jeudi 02-10 à 19h30 : Second atelier de travail sur le programme européen
- jeudi 09-10 à 19h30 : Réunion d'information et de recrutement

Ces rendez-vous auront tous lieu au 94 bd Flandrin, Paris 16e (Métro Porte Dauphine). Merci de confirmer votre présence.

Associons-nous pour faire entendre la voix libérale en France ! Nous vous attendons nombreux !

Librement,Le Bureau d'Alternative Libérale et sa Présidente, Sabine Herold

Star Trek: Cambridgeshire

2008-09-10T14:26:00.004+01:00

Those of you who watch Star Trek, Stargate or Dr Who will know that at some point in any given series, the plot 'characters slip into parallel universe' will pulled down off the shelf and dusted down and re-used.

Now. despite it's Science Fiction credentials, I remained sceptical about the existence of parallel universes and even more so about the concept of people slipping in and out of them.

That is until yesterday, when I attended as a member of the public, a meeting of Tory Cabinet of Cambridgeshire County Council, at which point it seems I must have myself slipped into another universe.

The whole meeting was about Cambridgeshire; but not the one I live in. This Cambridgeshire had towns and villages of the same name, but there the resemblance ended. In my Cambridgeshire we have serious problems. In the parallel Cambridgeshire of the Tory Cabinet no one has failed, they are merely 'striving'. Roads and pavements are not appalling they are the victims of 'government underfunding'. Any problems can be solved by 'Private Enterprise' who given the tasks he is being asked to complete ought to be promoted to Admiral, at least!

I left the room and Shire Hall, but at some point a few yards down the road I must have re-entered our own beloved universe, as I tripped over yet another broken paving stone.

Ros Scott. Why the support?

2008-09-09T20:08:00.002+01:00

Now I must hasten to add I've got nothing against Ros Scott. But following an email from her, I took the trouble to look at her website. Wow! Look at all those people supporting her!

But you see I have a problem with this. As far as I know the nominations haven't closed. None of these enthusiastic supporters know who the other candidates might be. There are rumours that Lembit O'Pik the Northern Irish / Welsh MP from Newcastle might be standing and who knows who else.
Lib Dems are the first to bleat (quite rightly) in elections about people voting tribally and not looking at other people's manifestos or election addresses before deciding who to vote for. Surely so many of the parties luminaries could perhaps have waited to see who the other candidates were before making such strong endorsements?

Why I Blog (apologies to George Orwell)

2008-09-08T14:10:00.003+01:00

If I'm being honest, it's not really for your benefit, dear reader. Sometimes it's to salve my conscience. Often it's done in anger (not a good idea, but I'm only human) but most of all it's done because something has occurred to me and writing it down often helps me to think it out.

My problem in life is that I care. As I went to a Public School, this is not something I was brought up to do, so how it came about I've really no idea. Yes, it is my party right or wrong (frequently the latter, I'm afraid) and I do have a genuine affection for the small market town I live in.

There are a lot of lists and competitions floating around at the moment. Like Eurovision, it rarely seems to be the cream that rises to the top, just those who do it frequently and introspectively.

What do I like to see in a political blog? A genuine affection for a local community. A reasoned political stance. And someone at war with Humbug.

I blog for all of those reasons. And I hope you do to.

St Neots: slow down shows it's face

2008-09-06T15:46:00.003+01:00

Let's not use the 'r' word, for fear of encouraging what is already with us. But we have a slow down for sure.

Despite the constant arrival of the chains, Costa Coffee being the most recent arrival, shops continue to close. now, noticeably there are empty shops along the High Street and in the Market Square. Nothing drastic, but a sign of the times.

The most recent loss, perhaps the first of many, is the closure of an Estate Agents. I'm probably not alone in finding it difficult to get upset at the prospect of fewer estate agents, but in a town which has had more or less full employment for a decade residents have expressed concerns.

Inevitably, more closures will come and it's likely that more restaurants and coffee shops will arrive. A new Weatherspoon's will shortly open in the old Post Office. This will provide 40 new jobs. Cheap Beer and Food may well drive the Conservative Club opposite out of business. I knew I would find the silver lining if I looked hard enough...

Returning Officers: Real Reform Needed Now!

2008-09-06T09:14:00.004+01:00

The Electoral Commission is currently studying the role of Returning Officers. The conclusions they are coming to are the usual Nu-Labour mix of superficial democratisation combined with an under the counter increase in the power of the Returning Officers. In other words, a mess.

The problem is that the system needs more than 'reform'. It needs to become independent of local government. Today RO's are invariably the Chief Executives of the local councils. Chief Executives who report to council leaders and cabinets, leading to (hopefully) unfair accusations of bias. Who delegate nearly all the functions of the job, other than standing up at the count and making pompous announcements of who has been elected, to much more junior staff. As RO's and Chief Executives they are usually Lawyers by training and well aware that it costs a party a minimum of £25,000 to go to the High Court and challenge any decision they make.

Frankly, if this 'Zimbabwesque' system was in place in a third world country, we would be the first to condemn it.

Time for the Lib Dems to look serious not just at electoral systems but at the working of elections?

Lib Dems at the crossroads?

2008-09-05T19:36:00.003+01:00

As a party, the Lib Dems are rather good at lots of things, but we are generally at our very best when we are beating ourselves up.

The latest excuse? A new President. This of course is nothing like the US Presidential race in that while contender Ros Scott has very publicly chosen her running mate, Lembit has equally publicly failed to chose his.

Presumably they represent different ideological strands in the Party? No, apparently not. One is a member of the House of Commons, the other the House of Lords, so that doesn't help us a lot either. Now that Nick Clegg sits upon the right hand of ......, we have to ask ourselves, surely, if we even need a Party President?

After all, if the 'reforms' being proposed by the Bones Commission go ahead, the real power in the party will slip further from the hands of the membership. If the role of the President is to represent ordinary members, councillors and activists in the councils of the wise, then surely it needs to be one of 'us' in the job. I feel a little sorry for Ros Scott, who I suspect is on our 'side' but she has supped from the cup and should accept the consequences.

So if the presidency no longer fulfils its purpose shouldn't we simply vote 'None of the Above' and drop the post from the Party Constitution? I suppose this is the sort of discussion that will take place in the more exotic bars and pubs of Bournemouth, but I don't go to conference, so I'll never know.

(Note to new President: The reason I don't go to conference is that I don't see why I should pay hundreds of pounds when I've already been given in the Media the policies that our Parliamentary Party has already decided upon.)

La rentrée des libéraux

2008-09-04T13:25:00.001+01:00

Chers Adhérents, chers Sympathisants,

En cette période de rentrée scolaire, le besoin d'une présence forte des Libéraux n'aura jamais été aussi nécessaire face à un gouvernement qui ne cesse de se fourvoyer. Loin d'engager les réformes de fond dont notre pays à besoin (sécu, droit du travail, fiscalité...), le gouvernement préfère créer des taxes à n'en plus finir : sur la seule semaine passée, 3 nouvelles taxes ont été annoncées (RSA, téléviseurs et participation des salariés). Où est la rupture promise ? Consultez le commentaire vidéo de notre Présidente, Sabine Herold.

Alternative Libérale est aujourd'hui le seul parti politique capable de fédérer les libéraux et porter dans le débat public des propositions fortes de réformes de bon sens, inspirées par les principes libéraux : État modeste, budgets publics en équilibre et sous contrôle, défense sourcilleuse des libertés individuelles. Dès aujourd'hui, notre parti se mobilise : Alternative Libérale est d'ores et déjà en ordre de bataille pour attaquer une nouvelle année riche en défis. N'hésitez pas à consulter nos dernières positions ou à suivre la blogosphère libérale.

Le grand enjeu de cette nouvelle année sera la préparation des Élections Européennes. Alternative Libérale se lance dans cette bataille pour défendre une Europe du libre-échange, une Europe de la paix et des libertés.

Nous avons besoin de vous pour préparer ces Élections Européennes. Si vous souhaitez apporter votre pierre à l'édifice, contactez-nous ! Que vous souhaitiez être candidat, responsable, militant ou participer à la rédaction du programme, nous organisons le 25 septembre à 19h30 au siège d'AL une réunion d'information : les tâches à accomplir sont nombreuses et variées, il y aura en a forcément une pour vous !

L'Université Libérale d'Alternative Libérale lance son programme de conférences et de débats ! Après la première conférence en juillet sur le thème de l'euthanasie pour laquelle nous avons reçu MJ.L. Roméro (voir la vidéo), nous vous proposons pour cette année des conférences thématiques et des débats sur le programme (voir agenda ci-contre).

Enfin, nos comités locaux se structurent partout en France. Contactez le comité le plus proche de chez vous et rencontrez les responsables.

A vous tous, nous vous souhaitons une excellente rentrée !

Librement,
Le bureau d'Alternative Libérale

Tory Council Leader joins Lib Dems

2008-09-01T11:16:00.004+01:00

I'm just back from France and I thought a few of you might want to see our Press Release for this morning.

PRESS RELEASE

EMBARGO: Not to be published before Monday 1st September 2008.

Huntingdon Liberal Democrats have welcomed the decision by Councillor Dave Dransfield to leave the Conservative group on Huntingdon Town Council and join the Liberal Democrats.

Councillor Dransfield represents the Huntingdon East ward and is currently the Leader of the Conservative Group on the Town Council.

LD Leader, John Morgan said: 'I am pleased that Dave has decided to join our group and increase it from 3 to 4. Dave has impressed me over the last 15 months by his determination to put the interests of residents first. He is hard-working and committed and he shares many of the aspirations that we have for a better Huntingdon'.

The Bones Commission - finally we get to see something

2008-08-14T16:25:00.002+01:00

A 20 page 'Janet and John' version of the Bones Commission Report is now circulating.

But never mind that; I've just discovered the terms of reference for the Titanic Commission, hidden for nearly a century. They read, "You are to attempt, without criticising the Captain or any senior officers and with no reference to icebergs at all, to seek to establish why the Titanic sunk..."

Ian Oakley: the tip of the Iceberg

2008-08-10T14:18:00.003+01:00

Many Conservatives, understandably, want to distance themselves from their former PPC in Watford, Ian Oakley. Indeed, his behaviour was extreme and I suspect and hope, that this was very much a 'one-off'.

There are a good many honest, hard-working Conservatives out there, often seeking to achieve the very best for their communities.

Sad to say in my experience though, the Conservative Party has attracted and continues to attract a significant undesirable element. Loud-mouthed, aggressive and thriving on conflict, this element is increasingly prevalent in areas where the Tories are strong and where they think they should be. Sadly, they are sometimes encouraged and rarely restrained by Tory Agents and other senior figures in local parties, anxious to gain or retain power at almost any cost.

The Tories have mastered the tactic of accusing their opponents of something, anything, to disguise or to try to divert attention from their 'misdemeanours'. Their party seems to suffer from a culture that can best be described as paranoid and categorise any justifiable criticism as 'political'. Whatever that is supposed to mean. But they use their paranoia to then justify the most outrageous and frankly filthy tactics against their opponents. Defamation, intimidation and what cricketers describe as 'sledging' are the meat and drink of a significant element in the Tory Party. This is where Oakley went too far; but many in the party tread close to a fine line every day.

I live in an area of the country where the Conservatives are dominant though that is changing, slowly but surely. There really is no need for them to 'misbehave'. But that doesn't stop them. In the past few years I have witnessed activities that I had hoped never to see in a Liberal Democracy. Much of this seemingly encouraged by their Agents and certainly not controlled by MP's, many of whom are Tory Shadow Cabinet members.

If the current Tory leadership want a future Tory government to be able to concentrate on governing, they need to urgently bring the other four-fifths of the Iceberg under control; otherwise they will face an endless stream of embarrassments. Painful enough in opposition; fatal when in government. If David Cameron doesn't believe me there is a bloke who lives just up the road from me who can tell him. Give John Major a call.

But it's not sleaze that will bring down a possible future Tory government David, but your own irresponsible Militant Tendancy. It's time you took you professional agents aside and told them to put a stop to it.

Peking: Duck!

2008-08-08T19:18:00.005+01:00

While working on a Focus this afternoon my kids insisted on turning over from my usual afternoon background fare (TV5 Monde) to watch the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

It scared the hell out of me; if you've ever doubted that the Chinese invented fireworks, you wouldn't after this. An excellent show combining elements of Chinese culture with sport and entertainment - and nothing of Nuremburg, Nich! But then it was produced by the Director of 'The House of Flying Daggers'.

So why am I scared? Because I'm looking forward to the 2012 London opening ceremony. Produced by Boris Johnson and Seb Coe. A box of Standard Fireworks let off by the caretaker. The Duke of Edinburgh on hand if Boris forgets to insult some visiting dignitary. Oh god...

Bones Commission will SOMEBODY (kindly) leak the report to me, please.

2008-08-07T15:47:00.003+01:00

I'm just starting to get a little fed up. The Bones Commission was constituted in some sort of 'Angel Delight - Instant Whip' process immediately after the leadership election to look at reforms to the way the party was run. The time it gave to accept submissions meant that the vast majority of the membership and local parties were not aware of it before it was all over.

And now, apparently it has reported back and all sorts of reforms are proposed. The Press know more than I do apparently. And I'm just starting to get a little cheesed off about it. I pay my subs by standing order. I'm an active member of my local party and a well known campaigner. So why don't I get to know?

Can somebody (kindly) leak me a copy? I won't tell. martin.land@huntslibdems.org.uk

Why I miss Peter Hain

2008-08-06T08:12:00.005+01:00

Not Peter, per se. But I'm an ageing Young Liberal. Nowadays, like so many 'retired' YL's I'm a responsible citizen. I tow the line (well, up to a point). I win elections nowadays, which is novel to those of us who were members in the 1970's. Damn it, I even voted for Nick Clegg!

But deep down I still miss being just a trifle irresponsible. Souvenirs of my youth include being hit by Cyril Smith's mother with her handbag and standing loyally side by side with Peter and Simon Hebditch as we tried to get the 1975 Scarborough Conference to allow a Palestinian representative to speak.

Alright, I promise to be a good citizen, but it felt good to be the party of protest. It was nice just to be a little bit undisciplined from time to time.

Making it Happen - the morning after

2008-07-29T07:59:00.003+01:00

Well was it good for you?

For a little while it was promising wasn't it? But, par for the course, the morning after has not been as stimulating or exciting as the night before.

It would be easy to blame the press. We all know that they have the attention span of 3 year olds, and more or less the same level of political perception.

But we have not followed it up properly. Where is the national on line survey? Where are the questions we could be asking in our local surveys? Why aren't our spokes referring to it in each of their announcements? Where is the activity pack, for want of a better term?

If this was a by election we would be on our 40th leaflet by now. Our fifth appeal for help and our third for money. Nick deserves better. Too many Bones and not enough Flesh?

Dairylea Slices

2008-07-26T16:36:00.005+01:00

Well, this is hardly going to get me into the Top 10 Lib Dem Blogs, but what the hell...

In a previous life, I was a Marketeer. With a conscience only limited by the vague ethical system inherited from my parents, I was willing to sell everything from cakes to contraceptives. Indeed, with the exception of the Tory Party, I think I could market and promote anything without too many moral and ethical quibbles. And, if I say it myself, I was rather good at it.

I still get the industry paper, 'Marketing' whenever I pass a WH Smith.

With inflation on my mind, I took up this weeks edition expecting to see some clever ways in which product managers might be striving to provide better value to hard pressed pensioners and lower income families. Instead I came across this:

"Kraft has slimmed down the thickness of its Dairylea Slices, reducing the overall pack size, but leaving the price unchanged as it looks to make cost savings.

"Dairylea Slices will now come in 160g packs, with the 180g format having been discontinued. The packaging of the product remains the same." (my italics).

This makes me feel distinctly uncomfortable. I'm not in the market for cheese slices, but if I was I'll bet the packaging - the same size packaging - is not announcing that you now get even less for the same price.

Affordable Housing: Let there be flats!

2008-07-23T21:23:00.003+01:00

St Neots is a small market town. And, although it's getting larger it still retains the features common to most English market towns. The usual bunch of local worthies who think they run the place (when they obviously don't). A ragtag mix of long-term residents and commuters. A lot of young people who simply cannot find somewhere to live and will probably leave us in the near future.
Its the young people that I want to reflect on today. Matthew Taylor has delivered his thoughts to Gordon on the problems of rural housing. The problems in our market towns are little different. Except I think there is an easy solution. Flats for rent at reasonable prices. Young people don't want gardens. Even small developments of no more than three stories can give densities of over 150 units a hectare.

But how to finance them? Let's change existing structures and allow and encourage Pension Funds to invest in Studio, One and Two bedroom flats for rental. This would provide the capital for the units we require and give a more secure return on investment for pensioners and pension funds than the Stock Market.

It's how it works in France. And it works. And it might work here.

Une réforme des institutions manquée

2008-07-22T14:55:00.002+01:00

Alternative Liberale - Le parti pris de la Liberté

Chers adhérents, chers sympathisants

La réforme des institutions a donc été entérinée hier, par un vote très politique et conclu au cordeau. Cette réforme était attendue par tous, droite, gauche, libéraux. Elle était même un des principaux enjeux de la précédente élection présidentielle, posant la question d’une nouvelle organisation du pouvoir et, donc, des contre-pouvoirs à ce qu’il est désormais convenu d’appeler la présidentialisation du régime, initiée par le quinquennat et consacrée par la personnalité du nouveau locataire de l’Elysée. Las, la réforme tant attendue n’aura pas lieu, où seulement sous une forme rachitique : Gulliver atteint Lilliput…

En effet, la réforme ne touche pas aux (des)équilibres fondamentaux : l’inénarrable article 49.3 lui survit pour les décisions les plus importantes (budget et sécurité sociale), confirmant la capacité du gouvernement, et donc du Président, d’imposer sa volonté. En outre, l’interdiction du cumul des mandats, réforme tant désirée par les Français, est passée à la trappe : petits arrangements entre élus obligent pour obtenir le vote à Versailles. Que retenir alors ? Certes, la responsabilité du Président est plus manifeste puisqu’il intervient désormais devant l’Assemblée.

Oui encore à l’exception d’inconstitutionnalité, qui ouvre une option nouvelle pour le justiciable qui défend ses droits. Assurément, le Parlement aura plus de latitude pour disposer de son agenda. Mais encore faudrait-il que les parlementaires aient le temps et les ressources nécessaires pour profiter de cette nouvelle liberté. Dommage que le Groupe Génération Entreprise n’ait pas été entendu dans son excellente proposition de mettre la Cour des Comptes à disposition des Parlementaires en charge d’auditer les administrations et d’en rapporter le budget.

Le scrutin à la proportionnelle, à une dose même très partielle, a été lui aussi abandonné sur la route, alors que la plupart de nos compatriotes attendaient cette nécessaire respiration dans le scrutin majoritaire. Que dire de la suppression, espérée depuis des décennies, du Sénat, dont le rôle mériterait d’être complètement repensé, ainsi que le mode d’élection de ses édiles ? Qui peut croire qu’un Référendum d’Initiative Populaire avec 10 % des inscrits et 1/5ème des membres du Parlement a un jour la moindre chance d’être saisi ? Pour les libéraux qui attendaient une véritable audace de la part du nouveau pouvoir, la promesse de rupture a un goût nécessairement amer. Quant à ceux qui espèrent encore de la politique des petits pas, il devient manifeste qu’elle n’ira pas loin. C’est une réforme qui ne tranche pas entre deux types de régimes, présidentiel et parlementaire, qui ne consacre pas de véritables contre-pouvoirs à l’omnipuissance du Président, à la fois chef de parti, véritable patron des députés et chef de l’Etat, et qui ne résout pas la question de l’élu présent partout et donc nulle part.

C’est une réforme sans vision, gadget, qui échoue même à faire naître les passions.

Pour nous autres, la responsabilité doit être replacée au cœur de nos institutions : le Président doit disposer de sérieux contre-pouvoirs et assumer le véritable rôle de chef de l’exécutif, sans cette ridicule dyarchie qui discrédite le système. Les contre-pouvoirs doivent être réels et non formels : sanctionner le gouvernement en refusant le vote d’un budget, disposer de moyens de contrôle et de proposition en pointe, bref, garantir l’équilibre et nos droits fondamentaux.

Malgré cette décevante réforme, nous vous souhaitons un excellent été, sous le soleil, nous l’espérons, de la Liberté ! N'oubliez pas, si vous ne l'avez déjà fait, de renouveler votre adhésion.

Alternative Libérale organisera un Congrès de rentrée, à Paris, pour nous réunir avant le début de la campagne des européennes. Ce sera l’occasion de préparer nos arguments et nos idées pour cette future bataille, qui s’annonce décisive.

Enfin, nous saluons l'entrée de Vincent Mauricard au bureau d'Alternative Libérale, qui remplace David Poryngier, ce dernier ayant décidé de se consacrer plus pleinement au développement du courant Gauche Libérale. Vincent est adhérent depuis l'origine de notre jeune parti et a été un des artisans essentiels de la campagne législative d'AL. Depuis lors, il a joué un rôle politique d'apaisement et de consensus au sein de notre mouvement, à la recherche du juste équilibre.

A bientôt !

Pour le bureau

Sa Présidente, Sabine Herold

Nick, time för a small reshuffle?

2008-07-21T12:10:00.004+01:00

I think with the summer break cöming up för all öf us, a 'bit' öf a reshuffle is needed nöw. If yöu get my drift?

St Neots - The Fence (3)

2008-07-20T10:09:00.002+01:00

I can't believe it. Those who regularly follow my muse will know that we have a lovely market town here at St Neots. And a Lib Dem Town Council trying to make it even better. But we still have a Tory County Council - and there's the rub!

We have this damn Fence, about 200 yards long on Cambridge Street which they simply will not replace but insist on coming along, almost on a weekly basis, and 'repairing' it. Frankly, I don't understand local government economics (does anyone?), but by now it could have been easily replaced many times over with the money they have spent on repairs.

On the other hand if the Tories want to keep giving me election campaign material on a plate, who am I to complain?

Reflections on the Revolution in the Liberal Democrats

2008-07-18T21:19:00.006+01:00

There seems to be some surprise, but much praise for our leader's new proposals. Indeed, even Iain Dale in the Daily Tory has praised it. I too, have come to praise Caesar, but then as this was the first time I actually voted for a winner in any party election in 35 years, I feel obliged to support him. There is the usual speculation about how this revolution has come about and most people seem happy about it (despite the odd snidey about Orange Books).

How do I think it has come about? Sure, Vince Cable must have had a say in this. Nick certainly couldn't go public with this without his full support. But I think it comes from Nick. We have our first URBAN leader in generations. An MP representing a constituency from an industrial and commercially vibrant city. This gives Nick a different view to Ming from NE Fife, Charles from somewhere off the Great Glen, Paddy from Somerset, David from Roxburgh, ... well you get my point.

And I'm especially pleased, because that's why I voted for him. My only quibble?

Next time you are having a leaflet like this designed, Nick, please let me do it. Or my kids. Or the Hamster. An announcement of this significance deserved to go out with a better design than this.

Inflation: Thank God for Plasma TV's

2008-07-16T07:36:00.003+01:00

Inflation is at it's highest for 11 years at 3.9%. If only. Here in the real world (St Neots), bus fares just went up by 10%, Bread is up by 12%, Milk by 19% and for anyone who has two teenagers to feed the price of meat has risen astronomically.

But never mind. Inflation is only 3.9% because all those Plasma and LCD TVs are dropping in price and keeping the index down. Now I don't know about where you live, but here in St Neots, I don't see pensioners queueing up for new TVs at the moment.

A pensioner who lives around the corner, told me that the greatest blessing was the free bus pass. Now, at no cost to herself she goes to Bedford, 'because meat is cheaper there', to Huntingdon for Sainsbury's, as 'they sell lots of things cheap at the end of the day' and Cambridge for a day out once a week. This new type of 'survival tourism' is great for the pensioners, but those with young families don't have that free travel option and must manage with what they can find locally. I went to Lidl yesterday (my source for really good ring binders - only 89p - and Chorizo for my youngest son who is addicted to it!) and I've never seen it so crowded.

Things are starting to look pretty dire. It could be a very bleak winter for the poor and elderly.

Is it just because I'm a Lib Dem...?

2008-07-15T19:43:00.003+01:00

Is it just because I'm a Lib Dem or are we literally head and shoulders above Labour and the Conservatives. I can barely name a member of the Labour Government any more and the Tory 'front bench' are just another bunch of chinless wonders. You can't help wondering how many of them are in the Shadow Cabinet just because they were some one's fag at Eton.

But the Lib Dems. Clegg is six months into the job and it will still need a General Election to bring him to the forefront, but that was once true of Paddy and Charles.

But then look at our team. Huhne has gravitas; Cable has real stature. Laws and Webb make the so-called Tory thinkers look like they should be sitting at the back of the Cabinet with their faces to the wall. Ashdown, Kennedy and Campbell all have real status and we have rising stars like Featherstone, Goldsworthy and Swinson. Plus we have the frankly brilliant Norman Baker.

Even Lembit is streets ahead of Boris in whatever weird competition they are conducting...

Post Offices - it could have been a whole lot worse

2008-07-07T16:55:00.003+01:00

The Post Office will announce which Post Offices will be closed in Cambridgeshire tomorrow. The news was already leaked to the Cambridge Evening News who printed it all on Saturday. And it wasn't me who leaked it. Because (of course) I didn't know.

We seem to be getting off very lightly. I was expecting far worse. Here in Huntingdonshire the big news is that Great Stukeley Post Office will close. There are two things you need to understand. This small village somehow retained it's Post Office during the drastic cuts made by the last Tory Government. It is also (coincidentally) the home of the then Tory Prime Minister, John Major.

Elsewhere in the county a few potential closures stand out. Impington and Grantchester being the most significant and we will be actively campaigning against their closure.

It will be interesting to see how the Tories on the County Council react. Meanwhile, we have set up our new www.savecambspostoffices.org.uk site to act as a forum and information source for local residents and campaigners

Anyone but Lembit?

2008-06-28T20:31:00.002+01:00

Well, no. Though I don't think Lembit would make a suitable President for the Liberal Democrats. Why?

Well, first of all I think the role of the Party President is to act as a voice for councillors, activists and members.

For that reason I think it's wrong that an MP should be President. Equally I'm not sure that being a member of the House of Lords is any better. It doesn't exactly say 'progressive' does it?

I want to see a jobbing councillor and activist in the role. Someone who understands how tough it is for many of us at the moment. Someone who is outside the 'bubble' and can think outside the box.

My nomination? Hertfordshire County and Three Rivers District Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst.

St Neots gets another card shop!

2008-06-25T21:09:00.003+01:00

Wow! We still need a cinema, more restaurants; a butchers would be nice. But never mind, we have another card shop! Now I make that at least 20 places where you can buy cards in St Neots High Street!

Is our Town unique? Please let me know; but according to the marketing gurus, our 30,000 residents are desperate for a new house, have poor eyesight and are sending cards to tell everyone about it.

Food? Forget it! Unless you count the dire produce of the supermarket chains. Waitrose, where even the shrink wrapped fish is apparently organic, Lidl, where even as a linguist it's difficult to work out what I'm buying and Somerfield which seems to suffer from a crisis of identity of almost Woody Allen proportions. And to the south of the Town we have a Tesco Superstore, though I have no idea what's super about it.

Just bumped into the Mayor who says the old Woolwich is going to be another Coffee Shop. Great. Perhaps they will have a little corner where they will sell cards though?

The Tories: can you really recycle a party?

2008-06-23T21:30:00.003+01:00

It's a pertinent question. After two fop-heads the honest burghers of Henley, Thame and a large chunk of very middle England will be asked to vote in a new MP on Thursday. I suspect a good swing to the Lib Dems, but we shall see. I'm old enough and hopefully wise enough not to second guess the electorate.

There is no doubt that a lot of Cameron cred is on the line. A strong swing to the Lib Dems would raise a lot of doubts. The 'Right' (a euphemism for everyone in the Tory Party except those who would actually get a job if they could win an election) would try to ditch the new greener agenda and go back to the tried and tested mix of ignorance and superstition which has served them so well in the past. So can a leopard really change it's spots? Can you really recycle the Tories?

It was my birthday recently. It's the back of the cards that was most interesting, including this priceless quote, which probably sums up the real Tory attitude to the environment:

"No natural forests were cut to make this card; just squatty little farm raised trees that even birds wouldn't sit in. But we promise to re-plant them anyway." Except, of course, the 'Right' would like to skip the last sentence. Unless it involved a tax break.

Zimbabwe. Time to boycott South Africa?

2008-06-17T08:23:00.003+01:00

As a Young Liberal in the 1970's, it was almost impossible to get my five a day. Take Oranges for example. South Africa was a big No; Morocco too. Spain was executing prisoners and Chile... Isreal, of course was out as well. Indeed, if you had asked me how I was getting my five a day, I would have assumed you we talking about the produce of Hull Brewery, not that of semi-tropical dictatorships. Even now it seems a trifle strange to have an account with Barclays.

I'd love to find some way of communicating my frustration and anger to Mugabe. Some way that would not harm Zimbabwean people. But it's gone beyond that. The country exports little except it's own citizens nowadays. But this revolting regime survives only with the connivance of it's neighbours and especially that of the regional super power, South Africa. Constant pressure has been put upon them, but some strange solidarity, for want of a better word, seems to prevent them from taking any action. So, is it time to look at boycotting South Africa once again?

Après les 24h d'AL, un grand débat sur les Européennes !

2008-06-16T13:18:00.002+01:00

Chers Adhérents, chers Sympathisants,

Réforme des institutions qui rate les vrais enjeux (renforcement du pouvoir du Parlement, introduction de la proportionnelle, suppression du Sénat, suppression du département…), subventions « essence » accordées à certaines catégories professionnelles, maintien de la durée légale du travail à 35h, débat sur les retraites qui oublie de repenser le système par répartition : le gouvernement patine et refuse d’engager les vraies réformes sans lesquelles notre pays ne pourra retrouver le chemin de la prospérité.

Face à cet immobilisme gouvernemental, Alternative Libérale se mobilise pour présenter aux Français ce que pourraient être de vraies réformes libérales.

Les 24h d’Alternative Libérale, le samedi 24 mai, ont été un véritable succès. Dans de nombreuses villes de France, les militants sont allés à la rencontre des Français. Le ciel capricieux n’a pas entamé leur courage et leur volonté de mieux faire connaître nos propositions, loin de caricatures courantes.

Pique nique sur la plage au Havre, « marché équitable » aux produits proposés à des prix hors taxes et charges à Grenoble, sondage à Nancy, Toulouse, Nantes, Paris, Dijon, ou Bordeaux : les militants d’Alternative Libérale ont redoublé d’inventivité pour aller au contact avec les Français.

Le sondage « Etes-vous un libéral qui s’ignore ? » a montré une grande efficacité. En 20 questions, les sondés ont découvert, souvent à leur plus grand étonnement qu’ils étaient, pour nombre d’entre eux, libéraux sans le savoir ! Rares ont été les sondés à ne pas obtenir la moyenne ! Tentez l’expérience autour de vous, vos connaissances risquent d’être surprises !Samedi 21 juin, nous vous proposons un grand débat sur la stratégie de notre parti pour les prochaines élections européennes. Après une présentation par le pôle élections des grands enjeux de cette campagne, nous nous répartirons en groupes de travail pour réfléchir aux grandes questions : Quelles circonscriptions choisir ? Comment trouver le financement nécessaire ? Quels thèmes principaux allons-nous défendre ? Quelle stratégie de communication autour de nos listes ? Venez nous retrouver samedi 21 juin de 14h30 à 17h30 au siège d’Alternative Libérale, 94 bd Flandrin (Paris 16e).

Nous vous attendons nombreux pour cette journée importante. Merci de nous confirmer votre participation.

Librement,

Sabine Herold
Présidente d'Alternative Libérale

Will the 4th Tory Leader in a year make a difference?

2008-06-15T07:44:00.004+01:00

Cambridgeshire County Council is run by the Tories. Sorry let's start again. Cambridgeshire County Council is run by the officers, because the Tory majority on the Council are on their fourth leader in a year with a cabinet of none of the talents.

It's unfortunate really. We are the fastest growing county in the country and deserve better governance. Some key decisions are due to be made over the next few months. There is always a chance they will make the right decision, even if it's for the wrong reasons, but that too is unlikely. It's not a failing council. The Officers are too good for that, but it's a drifting council.

Next year we have the County Council elections. Difficult to predict the result but if, as I suspect, it shows the southern half of the county as increasingly Lib Dem and the northern half as resolutely Tory, calls for its' dissolution and the introduction of unitaries can't be far off.

PCSOs

2008-06-14T21:10:00.003+01:00

A County meeting this week showed a strong division over the issue of PCSOs. Roughly half of the members present felt they were a good thing while the other half felt they were a waste of time and money. Curiously this was not the urban/rural division of opinion we often see at these meetings, but was split even in the same district.

Why such a divergence of opinions? Is this how residents feel? A top question for this summer's surveys, I think!

There is no question that the desire for better policing has never been stronger and the feeling that we are not getting it is frequently expressed on the doorstep.

So are PCSOs effective and efficient or just the 'Bobbies on the cheap' so many of us felt they were when they started up?

Watch this space, I'll let you know what our local residents think in a few weeks time.

Parenting and the loss of identity

2008-06-14T09:11:00.006+01:00

One of the problems of living in a small market town is that everybody knows you, especially when you are a politically active member of the community. As we Lib Dems control our Town Council by 13 to 5, I'm often approached by people and asked if I could have a word with the Mayor about this or our Councillors about that.
But as a parent life can be much more disconcerting. I'm no longer Martin Land, Lib Dem County Officer, but Frank or Robert's Dad.
You are accosted in the street and invited into bizarre conversations along the lines 'Hello, you're Robert's Dad aren't you, I'm George's Mum, is Robert going to the party at Josh's Mum's house on Saturday?' For some reason my wife doesn't find this loss of identity disconcerting. I do, I'm afraid. I suppose I will have to wait until they go off to University to get my identity back!

Ireland, France, Europe and David Davis

2008-06-13T19:44:00.005+01:00

I only finished my MA Dissertation just after the local elections. It was entitled 'The European Constitution fails it's French Test'. In it I outlined the mix of domestic and European issues that defeated the treaty, but I put the blame fairly and squarely on the Euro-Elite who think they can play games with democracy.

The second half of this foolish game, the Treaty of Lisbon, has now in turn been rejected - this time by the Irish, who probably resent being manipulated as much as the French and the Dutch.

Now David Davis has decided to play the referendum game too. Sadly he won't receive the bloody nose he deserves, because he has been given what can be best described as a 'Get out of Jail free' card by those who should be opposing him for the nasty little Tory he really is.

But it's David Cameron who must feel the most depressed by all this. Europe will now come back to haunt another Tory Government as the Constitution comes back in a third guise and every MP with a safeish seat and an axe to grind will threaten to resign and call a 'referendum' every time his government has to make a difficult decision.

The Tories have skated past Labour into a massive lead in the polls. But on the doorstep one senses that the ice is getting very thin. A poorish performance in Henley and the Cameron project could still come undone. Is Cameron the new Hillary?

Immigration

2008-04-03T22:44:00.004+01:00

It's an uncomfortable issue for Liberal Democrats. It's the first issue on tonight's Question Time. Time and again it's the first issue of concern in Opinion Polls. True, with many people it's just another way of expressing prejudices which are no longer socially acceptable or even legal. But that just makes it more difficult to discuss; it doesn't mean we should ignore it.

The fact is that here in Cambridgeshire, we have had a strong influx from Eastern Europe and Portugal over the last few years. I'd have to say the results are mixed. It may have benefited 'the economy' whoever that is, but I'm unsure of the benefits to our communities.

Do immigrants take 'our' jobs. Difficult to say. Local Care Homes who always had difficulties recruiting now have carers from Eastern Europe, generally being supervised by nurses from Africa and the West Indies and the Philippine girls have gone home as it has proved far easier to employ EU workers. The work in the Fens being given to Portuguese and Poles picking and washing vegetables was work that was always being done by immigrants and transient labour and not by locals.

However, there are three areas in which there has been a negative effect. Between 2000 and 2005 the minimum wage had a very positive effect and the growth in the economy locally meant that unemployment sunk to levels which were unheard of. Here in St Neots, it went below 1%. Even in the Fens it dropped to 3-4%. This meant that companies, even the vegetable canning plants of NE Cambs were forced to pay above the minimum wage. One local Supermarket had to pay £7.25 an hour just to find staff for it's checkouts. There was an air of increasing prosperity in towns like Wisbech, which have been depressed since the Agricultural Revolution!

But the sudden and uncontrolled increase in immigration has, to the great joy of the employers, pushed rates back down to the minimum wage again.

Secondly, it has pushed up the cost of renting property, especially flats and small houses. This causes a lot of resentment with younger people, generally the most tolerant and welcoming part of the population. This, at a time when it's impossible to get on the housing ladder for young couples.

Finally, there has been a massive increase in the number of road accidents; Poles and Lithuanians seem to find Fenland ditches and drains very attractive and seem to have a more, shall we say, relaxed attitude to drinking and driving.

I think it's time Liberal Democrats started to realistically debate these issues and other issues surrounding immigration. We need a more balanced approach, one that ensures fairness, a lack of discrimination and exploitation for immigrant workers, as well as answering some of the legitimate concerns of our own citizens. We must have the courage to debate this.

Is the Standards Board just a new form of intimidation?

2008-04-02T19:53:00.003+01:00

I raise the question, because even here in polite Cambridgeshire, it's increasingly obvious that some members and officers of local councils have hit on a new wheeze.

If a Councillor asks too many awkward questions (sometimes even one will do), they are told they are being discourteous and threatened with being reported to the Standards Board.

Frankly, in my not so humble opinion, the Standards Board has gone from being an attempt to strengthen ethical standards in local government to being nothing more than a tool for censorship. Its procedures appear to owe more to the Star Chamber than to liberal democracy.

I believe we are reaching the point where the best way to improve ethical standards in local government would be to abolish the Standards Board and return the duty of policing standards and behaviour to the councils themselves.

Motion to LD Conference this Autumn, anyone?

A Modern Fable

2008-03-28T20:41:00.004Z

The river is in full flood. The small island will certainly disappear under the water. The Antelope turns to the Scorpion and says, 'I could swim, but the water is fast and I will find it difficult to see the bank. I could be swept away.'

The Scorpion, by now increasingly scared of the rising waves speaks up, 'Well I could stand upon your head and act as your eyes while you concentrate upon swimming.'
'No,' the Antelope says, 'You will only sting me.'
'But that would be foolish. For if I were to sting you, you would drown and so would I.'

The Antelope swims across, the Scorpion calling out the right directions as they cross the River. At the deepest point, the Scorpion stings the Antelope.
'Why did you do that!? Now we will both die.'
'I know, I can't help it. It's in my nature.'

Anyone for a joint administration with the Tories after the May elections?

Tories upset as Labour beat their record

2008-03-19T13:35:00.004Z

The Tories seem really upset; locally and nationally. Labour are on target to beat their record of closing Post Offices; the last Tory Government having only bled the network by a trifling 3,500 closures are upset that Labour are all set to butcher it by up to 5,000 while they are in power.

Locally, they are even more worried. You see we didn't lose that many Post Offices around here during the 1992-1997 bloodbath (Huntingdon: MP from 1992-1997, the Rt. Hon. John Major MP; Prime Minister) so we could well be up for quite a few cuts in this round.

The Tories are featuring Post Office closures in their leaflets - much to the annoyance of local Post Offices who really don't like being singled out! Last year the Tories carried a campaign against the closure of the local hospital (which was never really under threat). A lot of good it did them as they still lost a lot of seats to us. I wonder if they actually care about these issues, after all they are more likely to use FedEx than the Post Office and are mostly with BUPA as well, I suspect.

But it's great for distracting people from the real issue. The utterly incompetent manner in which our local councils are being run by the Tories.

We already lost our Post Office in St Neots Town Centre. It's moved into a local newsagent and seems to be doing very well. I suspect this changeover was more to do with the property value of the old PO Building than the economics of a very busy Town Centre Post Office.

Year 5 Maths Challenge

2008-03-17T20:13:00.004Z

My youngest son, Robert, has been selected by his school to be part of a team they are entering for the Year 5 County Maths Challenge. I hope he will do very well.

This is being organised by Cambridgeshire County Council. This is the County Council who every year manage to overspend their Social Services budget, put up their council tax by the maximum possible and still routinely cut everything except waste.

If they are looking for some people to help them work out how to manage this, I'm sure my son and his friends would be available after the contest. For a small fee of course! He's says they take payment in Chocolate Money!

What do the Government know that we don't?

2008-03-16T21:31:00.003Z

Those few, those happy few, who follow my blog will have realised that it's something of an eclectic mix. Those of you who know me well will never be surprised.

My eldest son, for reasons best known to the school system is currently doing textiles as part of the curriculum. This has taken over from the cooking he was doing before. Now this really worries me. Our local school is as normal as any school can be nowadays (I speak as a - non-practising - teacher) so presumably this is all part of the national curriculum. And that's what worries me.

I've always imagined my eldest son in some sort of high-tech profession. He fancies himself as a creative writer, but seems to be (like his father) better at foreign languages than English. In other words like any normal 13 year-old, he doesn't have a clue what he really is going to do and what his future will be. I've no problem with that. I'm 51 and I've changed careers three times already in my life and find that very healthy.

So why is the government got my son bag making? Do they know something about the future of our economy that we don't. Are we in such a bad state that they think we are going to be making bags to export to China in 10 years time?

Save Peterborough's Great Northern Hotel

2008-03-13T08:35:00.002Z

At present plans are afoot, as part of the City Councils ‘Master plan’, to demolish the Great Northern Hotel.To date the, the Conservative Cabinet have simply but forward empty phrases and has failed to provide the necessary formal guarantees.

You can sign the petition to stop this at: http://www.campaigns.libdems.org.uk/GreatNorthernHotel

The Great Northern Hotel is owned by local entrepreneur and city businessman Peter Boizot. Peter has vowed to fight the plans to the bitter end, in a bid to save the Victorian Hotel. The Great Northern Hotel has stood opposite the railway station since 1849.

The Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough, has already stated that plans are not set in concrete. So there is a clear opportunity for us to succeed in saving this local landmark.

Mr Boizot, long time President of Peterborough Lib Dems and founder of the Pizza Express chain, has spent millions of pounds rejuvenating the hotel which he bought 14-years ago. Peter ploughed tens of thousands of pounds into Peterborough United, while Chairman of the club, helping pay off the clubs bills.

“A major opportunity would be lost if Peterborough did not create an important civic space fronting the station so both citizens and visitors are able to move freely towards the city centre and bus station/parking facilities."

“This would address the current poor image Peterborough gives to new arrivals. The repositioned station can allow all this to happen without demolishing The Great Northern Hotel.” - Peter Boizot MBE"

The Great Northern Hotel is part of Peterborough's heritage as a railway town. There is no way anyone can come along with a ball and chain and destroy the hotel.." - Stewart Jackson (Evening Telegraph, "Boizot vows to save Great Northern", 08/01/08)

"We all want to see Peterborough City Centre improved and modernised but it needs to be done sensibly and making sure that important and popular features are retained. We don’t want a city centre clogged up with cars and lorries, nor do we want one, which is designed primarily to maximise benefits for property developers.”- Cllr Nick Sandford, Liberal Democrat Group Leader on the City Council (13/01/08)

Having the courage to do nothing

2008-03-12T11:06:00.003Z

It seems to be the most difficult thing in politics to do at the moment. Darling will feel obliged, at Gordon's behest, to come up with the usual Labour-lite mish-mash of re-announcements, pre-announcements and non-events and string this narrative together as a budget.

Why? When is someone going to just learn to leave things alone? It's bad enough in government, even worse in opposition. At least when Clegg and Cable say something the gravitas of Cable and his accepted economic wisdom give it some credibility, but the Conservatives are starting to make fools of themselves. The daily 'stream of nonsciousness' coming out of the mouths of their front bench spokes is starting to do them real damage with swing voters.

My prediction is that the main result of the budget will be that people will come to see George Osbourne for what he really is. And that can't help Cameron at all. If you want to succeed, David, now is the time to do nothing.

We

2008-03-11T21:21:00.004Z

Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin (Евгений Иванович Замятин) died 71 years ago yesterday. His brilliant novel, 'We' bears reading today. It inspired Huxley and Orwell with its distopian vision of the future.

Ironically, the vision of a future in which all homes have glass walls, all citizens have numbers and are constantly under supervision, controlled and observed and listened to by a network seems to resonate even more today than when I first read it in my teens.

So, as a tribute, when the ID cards have finally been forced upon us (bags I get to share a cell with Nick Clegg!), I hope we can ask for our own number and mine will be D-503, that of Zamyatin's hero.

Surely that's not too much to ask?

The Dictator in Zamyatin's utopia is called the 'Great Benefactor'. Gordon would love that.

Sabine Herold élue présidente d'Alternative Libérale

2008-03-07T20:37:00.002Z

L'équipe menée par Sabine Herold, cofondatrice et porte-parole d'Alternative Libérale, a été élue hier à la tête du parti avec 54% des voix des adhérents sur un programme revendiquant l’indépendance des libéraux face aux partis conservateurs de droite comme de gauche.

Alternative Libérale, le jeune parti libéral né en mars 2006, fêtait son deuxième anniversaire hier en organisant une élection interne pour choisir sa nouvelle direction. Le scrutin a été remporté par la liste menée par Sabine Herold, 26 ans, cofondatrice et porte-parole du mouvement, avec 54% des voix, à l’issue d’un débat qui a fortement mobilisé les adhérents.

Par ce choix, les militants d'Alternative Libérale ont confirmé leur attachement à l'indépendance du seul parti libéral français, leur volonté de défendre sans concessions un libéralisme authentique dans toutes ses dimensions et leur refus de toute compromission avec les forces conservatrices au pouvoir.

Sabine Herold et son équipe ont pour ambition de faire d’Alternative Libérale un grand parti qui saura rassembler tous les amoureux de la Liberté, orphelins de toute représentation politique, et fera entendre leur voix dans le débat national à travers les médias, mais aussi dans la société civile.Après cette élection, nous invitons tous les libéraux et les amoureux de la liberté, partout en France, quel que soit leur parcours politique, à nous rejoindre pour construire ce grand parti libéral dont notre pays a tant besoin pour reconstruire sa démocratie, sa justice, son économie et retrouver une voix dans le monde.

Souhaitons bonne chance à Sabine Herold dans son entreprise ! Les libéraux comptent sur elle pour faire entendre leur voix, trop souvent incomprise, et porter haut leurs propositions, qui réconcilieront la France avec la confiance dans l’avenir et le dynamisme qui lui font aujourd'hui défaut.

New Model County?

2008-03-06T08:46:00.005Z

Follow one of my recent posts in which I commented on Cambridgeshire somewhat unfavourably, I was asked which I would consider to be a model county.
Awkward, really. I live here. I'm a Londoner originally, but have spent most of my adult life in Europe. And therefore I'm in a difficult position to judge. Or am I?

Despite my avowed position as a Lib Dem community politician and my believe in the importance of localism, I have to say that in my experience, France is far better served by its local government than we are. The heart of the matter is probably more to do with the qualities and qualifications of council officers than that of councillors. The many councillors I know in France are no more inept or capable than their British counterparts.

But somehow French public servants at whatever level of governance are better trained, more capable and have a better and more positive attitude than their British counterparts. This is, I suspect, the result of the structures put in place after the war, whereby French Civil Service colleges such as the ENA offer the equivalent of an MBA in public administration. French local government officers can drag their feet over change, but generally this is because there is very little that is wrong. I'd sooner eat my lunch of French pavement than an English Hospital plate!

Somehow the prevailing attitude in British local government is that it can't be done - even when it is obvious that it can. Some local authorities seem to be better run and achieved more than others. This usually is the result of having a strong leader in charge. This has certainly been the case in Kent, Essex and Liverpool in recent times.

So, how would I want to see Cambridgeshire as a New Model County?

Firstly, and I mean this genuinely and objectively, our local Lib Dems are very much up to the job. If we can win control of the County Council next year, we have a capable team able to bring real positive change to this county. And anyone who knows me, knows that I would not say that if I did not mean it.
Secondly the Council, after a row which led to the Tory CC Leader having to resign, has now appointed a new chief executive. Young and dynamic, everyone has great hopes that he belongs to a new generation of officers able to see change as virtuous and not as their enemy.
Finally, and most importantly, people in Cambridgeshire are becoming increasingly aware that it cannot carry on like this. This is the fastest growing county in the country with the slowest moving political leadership imaginable at the top of it. There is increasing pressure for change coming from the public.

New Model County? Well, maybe not overnight. But I do believe that our county could become a beacon for others. We have an educated population and a stimulating combination of traditional industries like farming and new technologies spinning off from our universities. The potential is there. We just need the leadership.

My task for the next thirteen months is to campaign to ensure that a real shift takes place in next year's elections. Because Cambridgeshire really does deserve better.

David Cameron's Tories - UKIP Lite?

2008-02-27T12:09:00.002Z

It's depressing really. When the price of basic foods are shooting up in the shops, Gas and Electricity Bills are becoming a really burden for more than a third of the country, David Cameron shows his party once again to be a one trick pony!

Yet again, his questions to the PM this lunchtime are about a referendum on the latest European Treaty.

When is he going to learn that the people who really care about this are going to vote for him anyway.

Hopefully, never.

Why I hate the Tories

2008-02-26T14:41:00.003Z

The sun is shining outside, it 11C and as usual St Neots is, forever England.

So, it hardly seems the time to propagate a message of hatred. Now, lets be clear, it's not the individuals I hate (well, not all of them, anyway!), it's the hypocritical nature of their party and 'philosophy', their arrant and arrogant smugness and the appalling quality of their discourse. Well, that's not bad to be going on with is it?

As one local Tory Councillor once famously put it, "What we do we do very well, we just don't do very much". But read their literature and press releases and you are in a different world. Indeed, one wonders why so many of them are so religious and presumably believe in eternity in Heaven after death, when their latest leaflet would have us believe that we already live in Paradise.

Perhaps I'm being unfair; perhaps they are not hypocrites, but genuinely believe that the ecological and sociological disaster of Cambridgeshire is actually some sort of venture capitalist gas guzzling utopia. Perhaps they could rename it 'Clarksonia'?

Either way, I'm afraid I still can't stand them.

Poverty Bites Back!

2008-02-23T13:42:00.004Z

Now, before we start, I'd like to make it clear. This part of Cambridgeshire is pretty prosperous by any standards, unless of course you are a non-domiciled venture capitalist.

We no longer have a job centre in the town, even us Lib Dems, usually the first to protest about anything let this one pass more or less, when the government not unreasonably closed it down as unemployment in the Town dropped below 1%. Thousands of new houses are being built and it's refugees from London, not Somalia, who are filling them. Prosperous commuters mostly, leavened with a sprinkling of locals tempted by the gloss of high specifications that hide the appalling quality of modern housebuilding.

But there is no question things are not as good as they were six months ago. For the first time in years, High Street properties are empty and stubbornly remaining so. Some shops are obviously suffering from a squeeze now that Christmas is over. The adverts for staff that used to be in every shop window, except Waitrose, have now disappeared. I'm told that the plethora of Estate Agents are suffering, though even in my most liberal moments I find it difficult to be sympathetic to the problems of Estate Agents!

Fuel prices, increasing council tax, water rates, energy bills - even the rise in the price of staples like bread and potatoes is a matter of real concern. I'm told we will avoid a recession, but it doesn't feel like it.

Norman Baker MP comes to town

2008-02-23T08:09:00.003Z

Lib Dem Mayor, Bob Eaton waited with me and his fellow Town Councillor, Alan Cummings, at St Neots railway station for the arrival of Norman Baker MP, the Lib Dem Shadow Transport Minister.

MP visits to our neck of the woods are rare. Probably because we don't often ask them. But we asked Norman because Transport is such a key issue for St Neots. He came not just as some sort of visitor from another planet, but loaded with practical advice about how we could go about improving matters.

Bob briefed Norman about the improvements we had pushed through at the station and we were off for an informative cross-county visit, touching down in St Neots, Southoe, Huntingdon and Cambourne and including an official visit to the track of the new guided busway.

We learnt a lot and I hope Norman learnt something too. More visits from MP's along the lines of this one are greatly needed. Helpful, informative and positive.

Our County Group would like more, so if any of our gang of 63 are reading this we can promise a Grand Day Out in Cambridgeshire!

So long as you start in St Neots, of course!

MP - missing in inaction?

2008-02-07T14:40:00.000Z

Our MP has disappeared. Well, let's clarify that a bit. I'm sure his wife knows where he is. His Agent probably does too. But as far as the rest of us are concerned, he seems to be missing in inaction.
I'm told he's is the Tory Shadow Solicitor General. Well, that's a piece of luck. Because our Lib Dem Shadow Solictor General, David Howarth MP is the guest speaker at our annual dinner tomorrow. I'll ask him if he's seen him.
Which brings me to the point of this posting. There has been a lot of fuss recently about MP's expenses. We need to make sure MPs are spending our money on the right thing - us! But a debate which has taken place in our local papers about which MP spends what seems rather foolish. If your local MP has spent a lot of money working hard to represent you, all well and good.
My local MP apparently spends only a modest sum; but judging by his profile in the constituency, he's a very modest man.

Missing - whatever happened to the Liberals?

2008-02-02T20:46:00.000Z

I lived in Belgium and France for many a year. When I got back I was told not to worry - my Liberal Party had merged with some renegade Labour defectors (well, three-quarters of them) and formed a new and successful party under the leadership of a former Royal Marine Commando.
Suspecting that this might be the ramblings of a demented soap opera script writer, I decided to suspend my disbelief and join in. I found enough former colleagues from my YL days to make this plausable and I got to work.
I've enjoyed it. The Liberal Democrats have gained an organisational ability from the incoming social democrats which the old Liberal Party sadly lacked and in return the Labour Party have got Peter Hain. So all is well in the world then?
Well, no, not really. Liberalism seems to be at its best when it has a little humility to it, and I'm afraid there is a strident element to the new party which worries. Because like Uriah Heap, many of these new 'professionals' are ever so 'umble too.
So, an appeal to my fellow Liberals. Stop being so bloody nice and just occasionally tell those who would have us marching around in little regiments that, no, we do actually want an occasional spat. A debate; discussion. A bit of an argument. That if they want little robots, New Labour is where it's at. It might take us a little longer to win power, but it will be all the more worth having if we have managed to keep our principles and values intact on the way.

A culture of crisis?

2008-01-17T11:22:00.000Z

It's that time of the year again. Councils across the country are considering their budgets, to the usual chorus of cheap political point scoring. But that's not the point of this post.
I believe we have seen a 'Culture of Crisis' evolve in local government. It's a culture which is so often irrational where officers and councillors indulge in a feeding frenzy living off each others fears.
Council financial reports are structured in such a way that what the private sector would call of change of direction or new priorities, becomes a cutback or is underfunded. Budgets are rigid and most of what is done is done because that's how it has always been done!
It's impossible for any council now to manage it's affairs properly. One Cambridgeshire Council is saying, yet again, this year, that it's in crisis, yet it has received a 3.6% rise in it's settlement and will increase council tax by the maximum 5%; and it has massive reserves!
One suspects that central government has long since given up listening. After all, whatever it does, it's a disaster. One wonders at what point local government would be satisfied, 5%, 7.5%, 10%?
But you see the 'culture of crisis' does have a point. It excuses officers and councillors from making real decisions. It's easier just to moan and continue with the feeding frenzy.

Facing 'Major' Post Offices Closures

2008-01-16T19:35:00.000Z

We await with dread the next round of Post Office closures. Although our three market towns, Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots, have now all lost their main post offices, the shops who have stepped into the breach are making quite a good fist of it.
But it's our villages where there are large numbers of potential losses. We are likely to suffer more than most, as we seem to lost a whole lot less than others under the last Tory Government's closure programme. The cynical might think that had something to do with John Major being our MP at the time.
No such luck this time. Now our MP is someone who goes by the name of Jonathan Djanogly, who has added new depths to the meaning of the word mediocre. So we are probably facing the worst the Post Office can offer. The local Tories are campaigning to save local Post Offices, forgetting, as usual, that they closed 2,500 when they were last in power. For a party so deeply rooted in the past, you would think they would have a better memory.
They would be so much more convincing if only they would just pledge to re-open them all if they win the next General Election. Of course, no such pledge is forthcoming.

Liberal Democrats can be boring too!

2008-01-15T17:30:00.000Z

This is the time of year when I get round to my shortlist of seats to take off the Tories this year. It's usually an easy enough task, but that doesn't always mean we get it right. I enjoy campaigning and I enjoy talking to people even more.
My Liberalism is instinctive rather than philosophical or contrived, so it's come as a shock to have had much more contact with fellow Liberal Democrats recently through my participation in a Lib Dem Internet Forum, Lib Dem Voice.
Yes, Tories, be reassured, Lib Dems can be bores too! And there you were thinking you had a monopoly on it!
Fundamentally, there are four or five different types of Lib Dem bores. The most common ones are the 'PR' Bore and the 'Trident' Bore. But I will not bore you, dear reader, by posting any of their opinions, as I'm sure that someone as intelligent as you can work out the axe they are endlessly grinding.
Suffice to say, next week I start to ramp up our campaigning for the Spring. So, it's with great relief that I can spend more time pounding the streets.
The bores, as you have probably guessed, are rarely seen out there.

Rubbish and Cambridgeshire County Council

2008-01-08T11:14:00.001Z

This week we learnt that St Neots will enjoy a new indoor recycling centre to replace the outdoor one in the Town Centre. This new centre will be on the outside of Town, but easily accessible and it has the advantage of freeing up the current site, which is of great interest to our Lib Dem Town Council as a possible site for our new multi-screen Cinema.

This is good news then, for once, from Cambridgeshire County Council. But don't hold your breath. Just in case you thought they had got something 100% right, they somehow forgot to tell the Town Council and sent their Press Release out without copying the local County Councillors. The first thing Lib Dem County Councillor Sandie Giles knew about this was when she received calls from the local press asking for her comments.

The biggest growth area in recent years of local council expenditure has been on Press and PR. It would be nice to see this money being used a little bit more efficiently.

Tory Front Organisation Exposed!

2007-12-22T14:31:00.000Z

When I was a Young Liberal, our then Leader, a chap called Peter Hain (whatever happened to him?) called the Daily Mail, 'the litmus paper of latent English Fascism'.

Today, a colleague reports http://petedunphy.blogspot.com that the Daily Mail contacted him trying to make something out of the fact that he made a donation to Nick Clegg's leadership campaign.

Which all goes to prove that the Tories, despite their denials, are really panicked about Nick. After all, the Tories would never do anything they couldn't get a front organisation to do. I guess they learnt it from the Socialist Workers Party. Or the other way round.

Clegg keeps Compo!

2007-12-20T14:39:00.000Z

Well, well, well. This is pretty good. As Shadow Cabinets go, I'm quite impressed. With Vince to act as Compo to our Clegg, all is right in the world. I'm glad to see Sarah Teather on Business. I'm glad to see Norman Baker at Transport - it needs our fully paid up member of the awkward squad to get on to that brief. Steve Webb on Environment is an excellent choice too. But then Steve Webb is an excellent choice anywhere.
Nick now has to get this lot working together as a team. I think he will, and it's obvious that he intends to have a much more campaigning approach outside parliament and some of these appointments reflect that.
My only complaint is the continuing inclusion of Lembit Opik, especially with the housing portfolio. Perhaps he's expressed an interest in a second home in Romania. Better still, a first one.

Clegg vs Cameron. Testing, testing, testing....

2007-12-19T10:22:00.000Z

We will soon be into the New Year and the inevitable media cry of "May 1st will be the first big test of Nick Clegg's leadership" will go up.
Let's be frank; it's down to us. I'm sure Nick and the rest of the gang of 63 will help us (well, I hope so) but it's mostly going to depend on our progress.
Speaking for my patch, it's the Tories who are looking vulnerable. It's the last year of the cycle, so it's the councillors with the safest seats who are up. But the Tories, as usual, will have a lot retiring, meaning that we can hope for some reasonable gains, especially in Huntingdonshire and in South Cambridgeshire.
It's strange, when they are riding so high in the polls, to see the real situation on the ground. I'm not conscious when talking to residents that the Tories are doing better than they were a year ago. If I'm being honest I'd say they were doing a whole lot worse, and I gave them a right pasting last May.
So for once I agree with the likely cry of the Media. May 1st will be a big test of Nick Clegg's leadership. But I think it might prove to be David Cameron's big test too.

Whoops!

2007-12-18T17:11:00.000Z

Turmoil in the Land Household! We got the leader we voted for, for the first time ever!

Trust that's good news. It does occur to me though as I watched Clegg's first speech and the Beeb panned around the room, that any intelligent Tories (now, now!) must be very worried. I mean look! Kennedy, Campbell, Ashdown (who can run ANY country!), Huhne, Cable. In every department, we can beat them hollow. I even think Lembit is funnier than Boris.

Like I say, any intelligent Tories must be very worried. If I come across any I'll let you know.

The gods themselves...

2007-12-18T10:46:00.000Z

Against Stupidity, the Gods themselves contend in vain.

Well, to contend against stupidity in Cambridgeshire, divinity is not required, you need merely to be a Liberal Democrat.

Across the county, the honest burghers of Cambridgeshire are paying for the flashing 30 mph speed signs, designed to persuade lunatic drivers of the error of their ways.

The only problem is that the Tory 'run' County Council (I really do use the word 'run' advisedly) seemingly budgeted to install these signs but failed to sign up for their maintenance and connection. Potton Road in St Neots glories in on of these flashing signs, which in it's nine months existence has never flashed once. A colleague in South Cambridgeshire can go one better; one of his villages has had the pole (all connected up) but no sign of a sign for two years.

Police - an experiment that's failed?

2007-12-10T14:21:00.001Z

The Police Forces in this country are all less than 200 years old. Long enough for a reasonable trial you would have thought. But nobody seems to ask the question. Should we carry on with the Police?
My Town, St Neots - and I doubt if it's different elsewhere - has a Police Station, which is open at the convenience of the Police rather than the public. From time to time we see Police Officers whizzing around in cars or overhead in their helicopter, but not many people have actually met one. Rather than being the 'Hail and well met' type fellow of legend, our local police comport themselves like an occupying paramilitary force and when they (rarely) get out of their cars, seem to be far better equipped than our squaddies in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I suppose we could put up with it if they were actually doing the job but their own research, not only our Lib Dem Focus surveys, shows that the fear of crime continues to increase and national statistics show that the number of recorded crimes continues to spiral upwards. Detection rates are pathetic and the number of prisoners goes up and up.
Our Town Centre seems to have more CCTV than street lighting. A wonderful system this, where residents pay vast sums of money for cameras to encourage criminals in the Town Centre to move to the suburbs and rob residents rather than shops. The Police, when pressed, admit that nobody is really watching the screens anyway and never seem to have the time to actually wind back and look at a crime being committed.
Policing seems to be an experiment that has failed. It's time someone put their thinking caps on.

Sod Europe...What about the Fence (3)

2007-12-09T19:35:00.000Z

One thing about being a Lib Dem and having a blog is you inevitably come to the attention of those with an axe to grind. And, the axe they want to grind is always Europe. Now, this may come as a surprise to some, but St Neots IS in Europe. Even if I wanted to, there is very little I can do about it. Where do they want St Neots to be? Oceania? Africa?

So frankly, sod 'Europe'. The people who get all in a bother about it are the same sort of nutters who, in America, believe that the country is being run by a shadow world government hidden behind the United Nations.

I'm more concerned about The Fence. The latest news from the Tories who run the County Council have now taken £100,000 out of their highways budget to cover up another piece of ineptitude, so the chances of getting it repaired in the financial year are now less than zero. Sometimes it's difficult being a campaigner. You want to claim the credit when you win elections, but these damn Tories just go around handing me votes on a plate.. It's really not fair, but I suppose if they lose they can always blame Brussels!