In no particular order: 1. I have roles within the national party which it is important to do properly, at a time when the risks of divergence of Liberal Democrat policy and Government action are significant. The role of the Federal Policy Committee within the Party has never been more important. 2. Unlike, it seems, [...]
Much action locally on the AV referendum campaign. The YES campaign’s ranks have been boosted by the declaration of Peppard ward Conservative councillor and blogger Richard Willis, who has penned an erudite summary of his thinking on his blog. Contrast this with the sudden appearance of the No campaign in Reading (which seems to comprise [...]
This week in a Scrutiny panel I was chairing, we were discussing the new draft set of performance indicators, local and national, Reading is due to adopt. There are supposed to be fewer of them as part of a culture of setting local government free. There is still a long way to go. One new [...]
Some quick reasons why, if I was a Liberal Democrat group leader (which I am not), I would have added my name to the 91 Liberal Democrat leaders writing to today’s Times:- 1. This is not a shortsighted attempt at deficit-denying. It explicitly acknowledges the need for deficit reduction – with the consequences. 2. In [...]
Reading is not a place renowned for its cross-party harmony, and when I learned the shocking news that Cllr Jim Hanley had died, very suddenly, earlier today aged just 51, I wanted to point out the loss not just to his partner and family but to Reading’s body politic. Living in Katesgrove when I first [...]
