David's Blog

Here are my thoughts for some of the day. This includes extracts from my facebook site too.

Thursday 31st March 2011

Make MPs work harder for your vote

It's simple really, vote YES to make the MPs work harder to appeal to the majority of the people not their own interest groups.

Eastleigh's MP and Energy secretary Chris Huhne condemns Lady Warsi's claim that changing the system would pander to extremists such as the BNP

The Guardian: Chris Huhne accuses cabinet colleague of Nazi tactics over AV referendum

People who like this - Andrew Dunlop, Paul Bicknell and Simon Stokes

Comments.

● David Goodall strange if AV panders to the BNP why is it the BNP along with the Tory party are supporting the NO to AV campaign.

● John Luckett: Am with you guys David, I think AV would be an excellent innovation and would see a much more representative voting system at local and national level. It might actually encourage people to vote as I think many feel their vote does not count. For me it's a YES - Baroness Warsi is only trying to protect her own which is a key part of Conservative ideology - look after yourself and *** everyone else - nice way to run a country eh. Best wishes John

Friday 25th February 2011

The myths of the No to AV campaign

The no campaign is continuing to pursue this myth that counting machines will have to be brought at huge expense, which is complete rubbish, no counting machine are required. The argument is simple should voters be able to rank the candidates on offer and should then the most popular candidate to elected. The answer to both these questions has to be YES.

The YES to AV campaign said :-

"We are writing to register our disappointment and disgust at the recent behaviour of the No 2 AV campaign. In particular we are referencing the decision to publish advertisements which use distressing images of sick children, accompanied by outright lies about fictitious costs."

YES to Fairer Votes: Demand Better

Comments.

● Daniel John Clarke Enjoy it David, the more they go on about problems with process and cost, the more it becomes apparent that they have lost the intellectual argument. The public will become aware of this.

● David Goodall No extra costs because of AV instead of FPTP see Independent report: Voting reform will not cause more cuts treasury insists

● Peter Galton I do not think that I have heard a decent argument from the No Campaign yet. I see that the Irish have conducted their recent election very well in my view, with of the results known by late Saturday/Sunday morning. Only 3 constituencies with counts to finish. If the people want change you will still get it with STV as we have seen from the results from Ireland. AV is the right move. However I do think that we now have too many ways to vote in the UK.

Wednesday 9th February 2011

Changing the voting system is REFORM

If changing the voting system for parliament is not reform then I don't know what is.

In May voters will get the chance to back a new and fairer voting system: the alternative vote. Unfortunately, the BBC is failing to provide a fair debate, by banning the word "reform" in reference to the referendum.

I have co-signed a letter the BBC demanding that they reverse their ridiculous guidance on, please sign too.

YES to fairer votes: Co-sign the letter

This is the letter I have co-signed:

Dear Mark Thompson,

We are writing to urge you to reverse your Orwellian guidance against the use of the word "reform" in reference to May's national referendum.

Switch on BBC1 or tune in to Radio 4 any morning and you will hear the government's plan of the day being described as "reform," from the NHS shake-up to restructuring the education system. Either the BBC is biased in favour of government policies or it is interfering in the referendum debate by skewing the language used.

By its nature, the referendum will be a debate on the issue of re-forming the electoral system.

If the BBC continues to enforce this guidance, you will be hampering the free and fair debate that the country deserves, and which licence-fee payers demand.

We call on you now to acknowledge the true nature of the 5 May referendum and to reverse your guidance and describe reform of our failing political system as what it is - reform.

Jonathan Bartley

Comments.

Sunday 12th December 2010

Chris does a good job at Cancun Climate Change Conference

Well done Chris, with all the talk in the media on cuts in the past few months, some may have forgotten that the major problem facing the world is not credit crunch and debt but climate change.

The blog site Liberal Democrat Voice commented:-

After the hype and disappointment over Copenhagen, the climate change talks in Cancun were also going to be much lower profile - a gentle attempt to have some successful preparatory work and build up momentum ahead of the next round of talks. However, with the tuition fees vote this week, Chris Huhne's presence at the talks got rather more publicity than usual. But what actually happened at the talks?

Three days of intensive talks involving Chris Huhne and others resulted in modest progress on a wide range of fronts.

Perhaps most significant was the willingness of many on both sides of the traditional developed / developing world divide to seek agreement, with the increasing impact of environmental damage in the developing world helping to provide an incentive for reaching an agreement that compliments the pressure of the often more vocal environmental campaign groups in the developed world.

Agreement was reached on setting three overall ambitions: hitting a peak of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees and setting a long-term global emissions reduction target for 2050. A Climate Change Fund is being established to help developing countries tackle and adapt to climate change alongside measures to speed up the spread of low-emissions technology to the developing world.

Overall, the international climate change regime is back on track after Copenhagen, even if it is moving rather slowly.

Lib Dem Voice: So, what did Chris Huhne achieve in Cancun?

Comments.

Thursday 9th December 2010

Don't play follow the leader

Lets hope more Lib Dem MPs follow the party president Tim Farron, deputy leader Simon Hughes, past leaders Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell and don't vote for this rise in Tuition Fees. This is not a time for them to play follow the leader Nick Clegg.

More than 100 Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates, including David Goodall the candidate in Southampton Itchen petition Nick Clegg to oppose government plans to raise tuition fees in England.

BBC report: Lib Dems target Clegg over fees

People who like this - Jenny Schwausch, Keith Day, Simon Stokes, Daniel John Clarke, Ian Smith, Keith House, Adam Moniz, Dave Broughton

Comments.

● Joanne Sturmey I'm sad and disgusted that by a majority of 21 votes the Government will allow Universities to charge £6,000 per year per student from 2010 and despite this sum being a 'cap', will also allow universities to charge upto £9,000 per year per student! :(

● Joanne Sturmey Dos this mean 18 voted against rises and 39 votes for rises very disappointing :(

● David Goodall Sadly Jo - the Lib Dem vote was 21 against, 28 for and 8 abstained or were absent from the vote. In a vote where the Lib Dems could have made a difference they failed and let not just the party down but the young people of this country too.... This is a dark day for our country for the first time in history one generation is saying to the next, we will not help you, you are on your own, pay for your own future. This is just plain wrong !!!

● Ian Martin he shot him self in the foot in the rush to have some sort of power. The question now is will he ever be trusted again .

Tuesday 7th December 2010

Now it's down to the 57 who did get elected

I too made this pledge and would vote against this massive increase in tuition fees. Unfortunately I didn't get elected and it is up the 57 who did to at the very least not support this measure.

YouGov Poll: Lib Dem fees row

People who like this - Keith Day

Comments.

● Julie Williams I would also have voted against this had I been elected.

Friday 3rd December 2010

One Italian town gets a real windfall

What a great idea. The BBC's Duncan Kennedy visited Tocco Da Casauria, an Italian town powered entirely by wind turbines and it's never looking back.

BBC report: Italian town's wind farm windfall

People who like this - Rowland Glaysher, Jill Wareham, Andy Moore, Joanne Sturmey

Comments.

● Adam Moniz Not quite as good but I hopefully Fullabrook and West Down in North Devon will follow suit soon. - http://www.devonwindpower.co.uk/

● Paul Bicknell Exactly. Stick wind turbines and solar panels on every roof of supermarkets and industrial units. They soon become as acceptable as tv ariels and sky dishes!

● Adam Moniz And chimney stacks!

Thursday 18th November 2010

Well said Charlie !!

Chris Mills has blogged Charles Kennedy's reply to the open letter organised by Sophie Bertrand asking all MPs to honour their pledge on tuition fees.

Former Liberal Youth Executive member Sophie Bertrand wrote last month on Lib Dem Voice:

We all know that the [Browne] review is merely a suggestion for how the government should approach this situation. Yet the fact that Nick and Vince seem to be jumping on the Browne bandwagon leads me to expect the worst. It would seem that they need reminding of the slogan we fought with during this year's General Election - building a fairer Britain.

This is why a group of us have got together to write an open letter to our MPs urging them to honour their pledge to fight higher fees. An abstention is NOT a no. Here is Charles Kennedy's reply in full (reproduced with permission):

Dear Ms Bertrand,

Thank you for your communication regarding the Browne Report and the issue of university tuition fees.

There are long-established reasons as to why I find it impossible to join in both with the direction and thrust of the Coalition's approach to tuition fees. As well as the NUS pledge which I signed at the last general election, personally I find it impossible to reconcile what would be a change of stance on my own part and a departure from the approach which I set out as UK party leader in the previous elections of 2001 and 2005.

Accordingly, I shall be voting against the Coalition's proposals on university tuition fees.

In doing so I cast no aspersions whatsoever on the conclusions arrived at by any others. These are testing decisions being taken against an extremely difficult economic backdrop; it is incumbent upon us all to recognise the sincerity of the motives among those who arrive at a different outcome.

Obviously, this policy relates to England - but I am concerned greatly by the potential impact upon the Scottish tertiary sector as well. (I am mindful here of my role as Rector of the University of Glasgow). I will continue to urge Westminster government ministers to cooperate closely with their Scottish counterparts to help ensure that across the UK as a whole we maintain a level playing field in terms of educational opportunity and research capacity.

There remains much more to be discussed, debated and decided as these matters proceed. Rest assured that I shall continue to work constructively in the best interests of university students - present and future - as events continue to unfold.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to make contact.

Charles Kennedy

Liberal Democrat Voice: Charles Kennedy MP responds to tuition fees open letter

People who like this - Keith Day and Carol Hall

Comments.

Wednesday 17th November 2010

Asia Bibi a criminal? I think not!!

This should not happen in a civilised country. This is simply not the way to treat someone for expressing their faith.

Her crime? The court claims she committed blasphemy against her fellow farm workers while defending her belief in Christ. She spoke firmly of how Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of mankind and asked the Muslim women what Muhammad had done for them.

She was pressured but refused to renounce her Christian faith and accept Islam. So they locked her in a room and violently abused her. Next, they announced from the mosque that her face would be blackened and she would be paraded through the village on a donkey.

For protection against this act of violence, she was taken into custody. Officials eventually caved to the demands of Muslim leaders and Asia was unjustly charged with blasphemy and ultimately sentenced to death.

The letter I co-signed:-

To: Ambassador Husain Haqqani

CC: Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton

I ask you to see people as human beings, with specific individuality, and therefore seek the unconditional and immediate release of Asia Bibi who was unfairly sentenced to death in the Punjab Province of Pakistan on November 7, 2010.

Petition to Free Asia Bibi - A Christian Sentenced to Death in Pakistan

People who like this - Adam Moniz

Comments.

Thursday 15th July 2010

The Servant of Two Masters

I enjoyed the open air play The Servant of Two Masters at Hamptworth Lodge yesterday evening despite the light shower towards the end

The Servant of Two Masters is one of the great classic commedia dell'arte plays and Carlo Goldoni's most famous piece. It is a rip-roaring comedy about the complications wrought by a servant - Truffaldino - when he gets himself jobs with two different people at the same time. Not all the complications are of his making; one of his 'masters' is, in fact, a woman in disguise, and the other is her lover, but Truffaldino doesn't know this.

There are mistaken identities, cross-dressing, slapstick comedy, romance, jealousy, a duel and a hilarious supper when Truffaldino becomes a manic waiter trying to serve both masters a huge and very messy banquet.

Hamptworth Estate - The Maskers Theatre Company

Comments.

Sunday, 20th June 2010

The best England team given those available

My thoughts of the team for wednesday England v Slovenia :-

..............................James...........................

................Dawson....Terry...Upson....................

..Johnson...Gerrard.......J.Cole...... Barry.....A.Cole..

......................Crouch........ Defoe...................

Notes:-

- back three gives more license to Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole to attack

- Crouch & Defoe play well together at Spurs and Pompey

- Joe Cole is a more inventive player who should support the front two better

- Barry plays a more defensive role to allow Steven Gerrard to freedom to attack

- Gerrard plays better on the right hand side with the license to attack at will

- many of the players have played at club together

- with the ball we need to score and this team is better balanced to do that

- without the ball we need to defend and get it back a 5 man midfield assist in this task

Comments.

Sunday 23rd May 2010

No Arms No Legs No Worries

Nick Vujicic - simply an amazing bloke. Attitude is Altitude - Nick uses his story to inspire and inform people all around the world.

Nick Vujicic - on You Tube - watch it

And see the website:-

Nick Vujicic :: Attitude is Altitude :: No Arms, No Legs, No Worries

Comments.

Wednesday, 19th May 2010

Reform is in the air

To change the way government works is essential to reform the country as a whole, so that the improvements to our living standards really happen. That is why the the announcement today of the biggest shake up of British democracy since the Great Reform Act of 1832 is so important, without proper governace of a country it is impossible to achieve real reform and improve in the country. That is also why there is this need for a fundamental resettlement of the relationship between state and citizen that puts people, not Whitehall, in charge.

The aim is to doing this in three steps:-

• Step one - repeal all of the intrusive and unnecessary laws that inhibit people's freedom. This means scrapping ID cards, halting the second generation of biometric passports, radically reforming the DNA database, ending the ContactPoint children's database and stopping the fingerprinting of children without parent's permission.
• Step two - reform our politics so it is open, transparent and decent. So there will be an elected House of Lords, fixed termed parliaments and strengthening parliament so it can hold the executive to account. Under the plans voters will have the power to recall corrupt MPs, there will be a register of lobbyists and a cap on donations. And most importantly give people a chance to vote in a referendum on our outdated and undemocratic electoral system.
• Step three - radically redistribute power away from the centre, into your communities, your homes and your hands. By strengthening local democracy and empower local people whilst scrapping layers of unnecessary top-down Whitehall bureaucracy. And implement further devolution to the nations and regions of Britain.

BBC report: Nick Clegg pledges biggest political reforms since 1832

Comments.

Friday, 16th April 2010

David Cameron: 'Clegg Had A Good Debate'

For once I agree with David Cameron "Nick Clegg had a good debate", it helped greatly that Nick Clegg is a leader of a party with real detailed policies to really change the country for the better

Tory leader David Cameron has conceded that Nick Clegg "had a good debate" at the first of the historic events. Speaking to BBC Manchester, Mr Cameron said he had enjoyed answering "the big questions" but admitted the Lib Dem leader, who has been declared the winner in several polls, did well.

The strong showing for Mr Clegg among viewers of last night's debate, is reflected in the latest national poll where Lib Dem support is up by three per cent.

The final analysis of the ComRes survey for ITV puts the Conservatives on 35%, Labour on 28% and Liberal Democrats on 24%.

This compares to a ComRes/ITV poll broadcast on 14 April showing the Conservatives on 35%, Labour on 29% and Liberal Democrats on 21%.

The first audience figures reveal 9.9 million people tuned in for the first TV debate.

BBC report: Election debate praise for Clegg from Brown and Cameron

Comments.

Wednesday, 14th April 2010

Sorry does not cut it, there must be a plan

At last Gordon Brown has admitted he got it wrong despite all the warnings from the Liberal Democrats and Vince Cable in particular that there needed to be a change to banking regulation. Yet still he refuses to have any real reform of the financial sector or the bonus culture that led to the problem.

And as Vince Cable says "Only the Liberal Democrats have clear plans to break up the banks so that the recklessness of some bankers can never again hold the taxpayer to ransom"

Commenting on Gordon Brown's admission that it was a mistake not to have taken a tougher line with the banks when he was Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

"It's not enough just to hold your hands up and say sorry without having a plan for making sure that the same thing doesn't happen again."

"Gordon Brown's admission that he was swayed by the pleas of the City shows the danger of Tory plans to base economic policy on the wishes of vested interests. The only people that we should be thinking about are the British people and what's best for them."

"The Liberal Democrats have clear plans to break up the banks so that the recklessness of some bankers can never again hold the taxpayer to ransom."

Comments

Sunday, 21st March 2010

'Harry Potter' will be voting Lib Dem

Actor and star of block buster Harry Potter film series, Daniel Radcliffe, has said:-

"I'll be voting Lib Dem, without a shadow of a doubt"

He also made two very good comments firstly:-

"Nick Clegg rang me and we had a good chat. He's seriously impressive."

Which I too have always thought as soon as I discovered that Nick can speak five languages i.e. English, Dutch, French, German and Spanish. Daniel Radcliffe's second comment was:-

"David Cameron is barely distinguishable from Tony Blair"

Again a good observation.

Daily Mail: Harry lends his magic to Lib Dem's campaign

BBC report: Potter star 'will vote Lib Dem'

Comments.

Tuesday, 16th March 2010

Tory immigration policy worst of both worlds

The immigration system is in chaos after years of incompetent management. The Government has failed to plan properly for new migrants, making it harder for people to integrate. We have no idea how many people are here illegally, and we don't even have exit checks at our airports to ensure people here on temporary visas go home on time.

However it would be wrong to try and "pull up the drawbridge". Britain has always been an open, welcoming country, and thousands of businesses, schools and hospitals rely on people who've come to live here from overseas. But you have to manage migration so it benefits Britain and is fair for everyone.

Yet strangely it is only the Liberal Democrats are calling for tougher immigration control in densely populated areas like London and the South East while allowing more migrants elsewhere.

In a keynote speech to the Policy Exchange, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said that an overall national limit of the sort proposed by the Tories would be too lax in London and the South East and too tough in Scotland, he said:

"Immigration is vital to our economy but lots of people are worried by the issue because of Labour's catastrophic mismanagement of the system. If we are to make the case for a liberal immigration policy, we have to give the public confidence that the flow is properly managed and the pace of change is reasonable."

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party offering a hard-headed assessment of the needs of different regions and parts of the economy. We need a system that makes migrants go to those areas that most need them."

"The Tory policy of pulling up the drawbridge because we have reached an arbitrary national limit would bring in the worst of all worlds. Immigrants would continue to crowd into the most populous parts of the country - making the policy too lax for the South East of England and too tight for Scotland."

To have a effective immigration policy we should have:-

• Exit checks - we must count people out as well as in if we are to effectively manage immigration and these checks should be immediately reintroduce.
• Focus deportation efforts on criminals - whilst let law-abiding families earn citizenship.
• A regional points-based system - to ensure migrants go where they are needed.
• UK Border Force - that is a strong, unified, co-ordinated National Border Force with police powers to protect our borders effectively.

David's Views: Immigration

Comments.

Monday, 4th January 2010

Tory sums do not stack up

With the current mess in the public finances what is needed is a clear approach that is fully budgeted. Having fully budgeted out policies is something that the Liberal Democrats have always done and will continue to do. It is simply not viable for a major political party, such as the Conservative, to claim they are an alternative governing party without having clear policies on the Governments finances, particularly at a time of severe Government debt.

The mess of the Conservative Party is particular highlighted by their plans or rather lack of them over recognising marriage in the tax system. They say it is something they wish to do but don't say how or when, so it is a pretty unclear plan to say the least. The only tax proposal they are clear on is removing inheritance tax from all estates up one million pounds for single people and two million pounds for couples.

In stark contrast as a Liberal Democrat party we have said that we would:-

• Increase income tax threshold to £10,000 - increasing the starting point for income tax would remove nearly 4 million of very low earners from paying tax and reduce the tax burden on many other low and middle income earners. In fact it would cut the average working age person's income tax bill by £700 and cut average pensioner's income tax bills by £100. This change would be paid for by closing tax loopholes on high earners and switching taxation from income to pollution.
• Increase inheritance tax threshold - to 500,000 single people and one million pounds for couples to fairly a just the tax system to reflect changes in house prices. This would be paid for by decreasing the scope for the very rich who can afford to pay accountants to avoid the tax through the gift of the loopholes.
• Abolish Council Tax - Fairer taxes raised and spent locally. This would reform local government finance so it is fairer and communities raise more of what they spend. This can only be achieved if council tax is scraped, as it penalises pensioners and people on low incomes, who pay a far higher proportion of their income in council tax than the very rich. It would be replaced with a local income tax which is based on the ability to pay. It would be run through the existing Revenue and Customs Income Tax mechanism - so saving hundreds of millions of pounds by abolishing council tax administration. Under these plans everyone would pay a percentage on all their taxable income to cover the costs providing local services. To give real power back to local government the purse strings ties from central government would be cut, as over time the central government grant to local would reduce along with central government income tax, with this central government cut would be a matching local government income tax increase. The difference in income tax levels to the individual would be zero but the change to local government ability to manage their affairs as local people wish would be immense.
• Correct unfair tax credit system - all apart from the current government agree that a couple's penalty that exists in the tax credit system is unfair and this is why our priority is fair tax and benefits system. So when Government finances allow we would introduce a couple's premium to correct this particular unfairness.

Commenting the Conservative party plans and on David Cameron's decision to stick with his proposed inheritance tax cut and his assertion that it will be paid for by taxing non-doms, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable said:

"It's unbelievable that the Tories are still planning to cut taxes for a handful of millionaires when the majority of people across the country are feeling the squeeze. We need fair tax cuts that put money back in the pockets of ordinary people. The Tory sums simply do not stack up. It is irresponsible and highly misleading for George Osborne to continue to pretend that they do. If Osborne and Cameron can't get these simple sums right how can they possibly be trusted to run the economy."

Tory married tax break: Hope or promise?

Comments.

David Goodall's Blog Archive

January 2008 - August 2008

June 2007 - May 2007 - April 2007 - March 2007 - February 2007 - January 2007

December 2006 - November 2006 - October 2006 - September 2006