Lindylooz Muze

Your last chance to vote!

2009-07-18T00:15:00.001+01:00

In the build up to the war in Iraq I was very proud of my daughter Lara. Aged 16 she lead her whole school out in protest. With her pal Amber Fry (daughter of the wonderful Barry), she then spoke at the STWC "People's Assembly" against what Blair was doing. During the Euro campaign she was horrified at the rise of the BNP and tried very hard (although sadly too late) to organise a national event to challenge them. In the end she had to be satisfied with staring them out at the Euro count in the East! But her whole mission in life is to challenge discrimination, injustice and bigotry. While I plod on in my similar mission through traditional political routes, Lara is taking every opportunity to do so through non traditional routes. Hence she has entered the competition for the Next new model. She has made it to no 38 (out of 3000) but in order to be in the final she needs to stay there! If successful I know she will use the opportunity to speak out against fascism, racism and inequality in this country. If you haven't voted, please do so - you have until Sunday! OK.......I am so biased........but I think mums are allowed to be?

Fellow Bloggers................I NEED YOU NOW!!!!!

2009-07-16T02:34:00.000+01:00

Dear pals.........this is totally unpolitical, but I do need your help today. During the Euros my daughter Lara worked flat out to help me..........now I am supporting her election/selection campaign in the Next competition. If you have a couple of minutes to spare please support her today. She has moved from page 147 to page 4 in 48 hours, but to be in the final she needs to make page 2. You can help - click here and type in Lara. She is 3rd along (Weerasirie) you will recognise her from this pic I hope, then you can vote for her. If selected she will use the opportunity not only to finance herself through to her aim of getting to be a clinical psychologist, but more importantly to further her campaign against racism in general and the BNP in particular.

PPCs, Bloggers and the Lib Dem constitution :-)

2009-06-27T17:24:00.001+01:00

Today is set aside for me to write my application for the job of my dreams (tho success would mean my sharp exit from politics), to sort out my paper work, try and find a mortgage to avoid yet another threatened eviction, write a motion on detention of children and resubmit my petition for divorce (in one week's time it will be incontestable). But, as ever, I have to confess to having been distracted by my fellow bloggers!

Charlotte Gore started the debate, do candidacy and blogging mix? Swiftly followed by Stephen Glenn and Darrell Goodliffe, both of whom I agree with. Charlotte, we may be opposite ends of the Lib Dem political spectrum, but my response would be go girl! Whatever comments you have made you have made seriously, they are your views, they demonstrate your political commitment, if you have made them I have no doubt you can robustly defend them - why then worry about having to do that if you are a PPC? And, I have to wonder, is this one of our bugbears as women, would our male counterparts have similar worries? Seriously, it worries me that as Lib Dems, with a constitution that among other things asserts that "no one should be enslaved by conformity" it ill behoves us to condemn those who don't conform to every jot and tittle!

In the current political climate people are looking for politicians with real integrity, who are motivated by a belief that society could be different, who will not conform simply to advance their careers and who have thought through where they stand and why. When Nick Clegg was elected his mantra was "risky and radical". Oh that we would truly embrace that!

A few years ago I attended a media course for PPCs - which I have mentioned before, being as I was the only woman. During the course our tutor cautioned us about the dangers of blogs. All eyes turned towards me..........my response..........what makes you think I'm not careful?! OK, I sometimes blast off about this or that that has wound me up - but, to quote my favourite book "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"....! :-) I cannot and will not water down my views so as not to frighten the horses. I will only alter my views if someone presents me with a logical argument, or presents me with new evidence to demonstrate that I am wrong. And, at the risk of falling into "I told you so" smugness, I have been proved right on for example raising the tax threshold rather than the 4p reduction, on Trident, on my lonely stand on troops out of Iraq (thanks to the 6 people who backed me in that debate!). I also think my support for Nick Clegg has been well and truly vindicated over the past few weeks. And in the future I expect to be proved right on my stand on privatisation of Royal Mail, Afghanistan..........amongst other things!

So to all you fellow bloggers out there who may think being a candidate or MP and blogging don't mix - take your lead from those such as Lynne Featherstone who have made an art of it. I certainly don't recall her ever pulling her punches on issues she felt strongly about.

Nick Clegg.........my hero!

2009-06-17T07:32:00.001+01:00

Well. For those of us who campaigned hard against Trident, today's news is just the best! The frustration so many of us had about the debate, the resultant motion and the fudge we ended up with, has now been replaced with pride and relief. Throughout his leadership bit Nick often made reference to our need as a party to be "risky and radical" something that on FPC I take every opportunity to remind him, here is a demonstration, if one were needed, of his preparedness to do that.

However, I do trust we will have a motion to conference, however happy I am with Nick's decision, the fact remains that our official party policy is made by conference and I can hardly bleat about other policy being made on the hoof and not expect that Nick ensures he has the backing of the party. It is one of our USPs that our membership still has the final say on party policy - long may it remain!

Lib Dems...............we're not racist but.........

2009-06-08T22:22:00.001+01:00

............have you ever heard us say that as a party? NO. For one good reason. The only parties who preface what they have to say with "We're not racist but............." are the racists! They know that what they are peddling is racism dressed up in an excuse for democracy, they know that when anyone hears what they have to say they are likely to think it is racist.........so they try that simple device. If you are not racist, why on earth would you need to tell anyone? Its like me saying "I'm not tall but............." If its true its stating the flippin obvious! We don't need to say we're not racist because we don't say anything that any sane person could mistake for racism.

In this election two parties have been claiming they are not racist. UKIP (whose rhetoric in one of the hustings I attended differed little from the BNP) and the BNP. Ah yes.........it is not racist to warn people about being swamped by foreigners, especially if they are Turkish. Ah yes...........it is not racist to refuse to allow non whites to join your party. It is not racist to talk about forbidding "mixed" marriages. It is not racist to blame non whites for all our ills. Hmmmmm.............so what exactly would they regard as racist I wonder?

What happened last night was deeply shocking, but we all have to take some responsibility for it. Today I heard that when someone was asked why they had voted BNP the response was that it was because they listened. Listening means engaging, engaging means more than bombarding folk with paper. Let's listen carefully to what the electorate said last night, let's fight everything the racists stand for, but let's more importantly, start really listening to what those who are most marginalised are saying to us.

We maybe have the luxury to bang our drum about civil liberties, human rights, equality, the environment and all the other things we rightly consider hugely important, but if we do so without acknowledging that some of our fellow citizens are more concerned about whether they will have a roof over their head, a job, or food on the table tomorrow........we will totally miss the boat and betray one of our declared aims..........that no one should be enslaved by poverty. At the moment the BNP and UKIP are saying what people want to hear, they are affecting to feel their pain, they are offering, albeit, dishonest and simplistic explanations and solutions, they are stealing a march and we ignore that at our peril.

All over bar the counting..............

2009-06-06T12:32:00.001+01:00

Final thoughts here

Hazel Blears.........you're havin a laugh!

2009-06-04T00:42:00.001+01:00

Hazel Blears beaming - victorious? Wearing a "brooch" that says "rocking the boat" with a cat and dog in it. Allegedly when you push the boat it starts rocking and the dog starts laughing. Is there no end to this woman's ingenuity???????

I am sorry. As a similarly vertically challenged, erstwhile auburnhaired, middle aged woman, I do have something in common with the woman - but I sincerely hope that is where it ends. She comes across as a self indulgent, self congratulatory, self obsessed excuse for a politician. She has the nerve to chat about connecting with the electorate - tho how that is possible from an ivory tower beats me. If she honestly thought paying back her capital gain was going to wash with anyone she merely demonstrates her palpable LACK of connection with her electorate - and I have no doubt they will show her just how disconnected she is at the next election.

Sorry Haze...........but the Cheshire grin is as ethereal as it ever was. You are toast girl and trying to take down your leader with you, however discredited he may be, only makes you look more pathetic.

As I listen to the palpable anger on the doorstep about totally dishonourable members - it is you who sits near the top of the list of those I blame. Sorry Ms B - you have not only lost connection with those you affect to represent, you have also sullied the good name of your own activists who put you there, but more disturbingly, the thousands of activists from all parties who have had to endure 3 weeks of insult and disdain, through no fault of their own.

A few months ago I heard the story of a 17 year old young woman, having left care and living on her own in a flat on £40 a week, £20 in food vouchers. She had begged to have just £10 in food vouchers and £30 in cash since she would "rather be hungry than cold". THAT is why I do what I do, THAT is why I am disgusted that this Labour government has presided over a rise in child poverty, THAT is why I see all we have had is another 12 years of Tory government.

Did George Orwell have any conception of how prophetic he was? Oh yes - the pigs are having a high old time - while the Boxers of our society are left to be driven to the knackers yard.

Cleggites Vindication

2009-06-03T01:27:00.000+01:00

I can't begin to imagine the pressure on a party leader over the last three weeks. Rather like being the hapless 3 coconuts on a coconut shy - the challenge is to be the last man (and of course they are all men!) standing! So, what kind of coconuts do we have? We have the old, beleaguered specimen - slightly calcified, attempting to appear heavyweight to avoid attack - Mr Brown. Then we have the fresher looking specimen - untouched, perky, but lightweight - the fact that the inner coconut "water" has dried up or has never even been there, invisible to the human eye - ah yes - Mr Cameron - clearly incredibly easy to unbalance, if anyone is willing to take a shot. Then we have the third "coconut" also under fire - but more resilient. Smaller yes, but heavier. Full of the "water" of values and convictions that the others either have lost or never had in the first place - Mr Clegg.

OK - I am drifting off into sycophancy again (!) but I am SO impressed with Nick. This crisis is a huge test for anyone, but he has totally kept his nerve, continued to challenge and remind everyone that it is our party that has consistently pressed for the reform now so desperately required.

When we elected our leader 18 months ago our considerations were around policy and who could best lead us into the next general election. None of us had any notion of the political maelstrom our chosen leader would be required to navigate - I for one feel totally vindicated that we chose the right man.

European Elections.......er..........it's the economy stupid!

2009-05-28T10:40:00.001+01:00

I was delighted to see how high our European website is coming in Google search when you type in European Elections - and a bit of reassurance that there are still some people out their who recognise that this election is about more than dirty moats, homeless ducks and "growing" families! A friend suggested to me last night that when people on the doorstep were complaining about expenses I should say - oh no, I certainly don't begrudge MPs their bath plugs, after all they are the only people who can afford the hot water to go in the bath now!

This is such an important election, while the nation is approaching hysteria about what is going on, at the same time we are in danger of prioritising the "haves" over the increasingly high number of "have nots".

The credit crunch has become yesterday's news and yet as we speak many of my fellow Lutonians are worried sick about Vauxhall closing completely. When I was a child nearly everyone had a relative who worked there. My dad did until I was about 8, my uncle a fiery shop steward - nicknamed "Red Ken" in the era of "Red Robbo" did until he died. And across our country ordinary people, who don't have the luxury of "allowances" to build extensions or buy their food, are paying the price for 30 years of Tory government (sorry, but I don't make a distinction between pre and post '97). So the need to work together in Europe to develop better banking regulation, greater consumer and worker protection and to support the development of skills and employment has never been more urgent. How the Tories can see that their isolationist position will be in the best interests of the people of this country beats me.

So what has kept me from blogging?

2009-05-25T19:14:00.000+01:00

See here

"Celebrity" challenge to Nadine Dorries

2009-05-24T10:31:00.000+01:00

Yet another "celebrity" has jumped on the "let's kick out the MPs" bandwaggon. David Van Day, late of I'm a Celebrity get me out of here (which may be what he would be saying if elected!) is apparently to challenge Mid Beds MP Nadine Dorries - I would put a link to her website but it has been shut down by the Telegraph. Interestingly Mr Van Day has been a Tory candidate before.

So it looks like the good people of Bedfordshire are to have the option of sending both Esther Rantzen and David Van Day to Westminster to represent us. There is a danger of the Palace of Westminster truly turning into the Palace of Varieties - perhaps they will end up hosting the Royal Variety Performance - no need to go anywhere else!

Rennard Quits

2009-05-21T12:28:00.000+01:00

Like many of you I was taken unawares by the following email that just popped into my inbox - more comment later -

Dear Linda,

First, I'd like to thank all members for everything that you are doing to help our candidates in the European and local elections (if you have local elections in your area). I am sure that they appreciate your support at a difficult time in politics. If you are standing yourself, then obviously I wish you the best of luck!
My reason for writing is that I have decided to make the current election campaigns my last as Chief Executive. I discussed this with Nick some time ago and I have given notice to the Party President that I will stand down as Chief Executive at the end of the Summer.
I want to be able to work more flexibly in future whilst of course continuing to help our party advance. I believe that I will be better able to do so without the administrative burdens of being Chief Executive and running the party's day to day organisation.
For family and health reasons, I have needed to change the way in which I work. My wife Ann has supported me enormously in all my work. But since she retired a few years ago after more than 35 years teaching, we wanted to have something of a more normal life outside the Westminster bubble.
This has become more important to me as I have struggled to maintain good diabetic control with the rigours of a very demanding lifestyle. This has proved to be increasingly difficult whilst carrying out the role of Chief Executive at HQ and around the country.
I decided that this Summer would be the best time for me and for the party to make a change. I am letting the party know this now, so that it can take the necessary steps to appoint a new Chief Executive in the Autumn.
My major work as Chief Executive in recent years has been to help create new structures for the party organisation and help to recruit an extremely strong professional team to work for it. The role of Chief Executive has therefore changed significantly since I undertook this role six years ago.
By the Summer, we will have had crucial local and European elections and I believe that we will do well in them. I am also confident that Nick Clegg will prove to be the most successful Leader that we have ever had. I am immensely proud of the roles that I have played so far in securing the steady advance of the Liberal Democrat cause. Our values and beliefs have never been more important than they are today. I will, of course, continue to support the General Election campaign, but not as chair.
Finally, I would just like to thank all members personally for all the support that I have had whilst working for the party and I look forward to continuing to work with you in future.
With all best wishes,
Yours sincerely

(Chris Rennard)

PS I thought about letting you know this after the current round of elections, but having taken the decision and informed the Leader and President, I wanted you to hear directly from me and to fully understand why I have been trying to make lifestyle changes and will make an even more significant one later this year.
Nick Clegg has issued the following statement:
Commenting on the decision by Chris Rennard to stand down as Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said:
"It is impossible to exaggerate Chris' immense contribution to the Liberal Democrats over the years. Without Chris' unique skills as one of the country's most astute and effective political campaigners, I doubt that the party would now have the largest number of MPs in decades.
"More recently, his work as Chief Executive of the party has been invaluable in steering the party through some turbulent times and significantly professionalising the organisational aspects of the party.
"I am especially grateful to him for the invaluable support he gave to me when I first became party Leader. At all times, he has been utterly loyal, hard working and dedicated to the wider good of the Party.
"He will be sorely missed as Chief Executive by the many people in the party for whom he has been a huge inspiration for years.
"Whilst I understand Chris' reasons for moving on as Chief Executive, I am equally looking forward to drawing on his immense wisdom and insight into politics in the years ahead."

Nick Clegg - Why break the habit of.......a few lifetimes?

2009-05-17T14:10:00.002+01:00

Well done to Nick Clegg for putting his head above the parapet on the issue of the speaker. Ok it may be a few hundred years since we lost one, but that is no excuse for allowing him to limp on. It is abundantly clear the man has lost complete contact with the real world, despite his much lauded origins. Somewhere along the way he drew up the drawbridge in his own little moated ivory tower! He is clearly part of the problem, not part of the solution - the reason probably why he doesn't see it himself and recognise that it is time for change.

Nick has called for a reformer to take the job. I think this is going to be the toughest issue for the Commons - who is a reformer who has the integrity, authority and commitment to take on the role? I would have opted for Ming, but I fear he would no longer command the authority he once did. Despite the fact that the worst possible solution would be to have another Labour speaker, I guess that is the most likely outcome. I am at a loss to think of any Tory MP who meets Nick's criteria although of course I would identify a number of our MPs (further revelations notwithstanding) who would fit the bill.

Whatever the outcome tomorrow - Michael Martin has been fatally wounded, the question is not if, but how soon - he goes. I trust he will not have spent this weekend buying ridiculously expensive bookcases for his Hansards given his pending retirement!

Sweeping the Sty Clean

2009-05-16T23:32:00.001+01:00

Having been on the road so much lately I fear my mental blogs have never seen the light of day, but, as you can imagine, they have been myriad :-)

Like so many of you I have had to endure the daily tirade of justifiable criticism on the doorsteps of the East of England. My normal response to "you're all the same" doesn't really cut the mustard........the electorate are tending towards the biblical view of sin - size doesn't matter! Hobnobs, sanitised moats, flipping, pruning 500 trees - all send the same message - our politicians are taking the proverbial.

I am delighted that the FE is meeting on Monday and according to our President, Ros Scott - they will be considering this issue. I have, like many, written to her asking for an urgent inquiry into whether any of our parliamentarians have brought the party into disrepute. Frankly, regardless of the fact that as yet it appears none of them have engaged in flipping, claiming second home allowance for homes 100 miles from their constituency or when they don't appear to have a first home; the fact is some are tainted and have in my view brought our party into disrepute. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to meet those tirades on the doorstep with - well, you know none of our MPs would do such a thing......hmmmm. Offences may be minor but surely buying something for your second home - however justifiable and having it delivered to your first home, needs rather a lot of explanation. An internal party inquiry would allow that to happen.

Watching Question Time this evening I had such a horrible sense of politicians having been metaphorically cut off at the knees. Their stature, all of them (even the wholly innocent) is diminished. Their words sound like tuneless clanging cymbals - tinny, discordant, unbearable to listen to.

We have an opportunity on Monday to show some real moral leadership. It really isn't good enough to hide behind the fig leaf of our transgressions are not as bad as your transgressions. Cameron acted swiftly but frankly didn't deal with the underlying dishonesty and opportunism of his colleagues, just asking them to "pay it back". And surely any profit someone has made on a second home, not just the tax, should be repaid? Aah, I am sure that many accused of benefit fraud because they forgot to inform the authorities of a change in circumstances would be more than happy with such an arrangement.

What makes the sty stink more is the climate in which all this is happening. We already have one in three of our children growing up in poverty, this is bound to rise. Many many families are having to deal with the stress of redundancy, repossession and unbearable debt. Those they should have been able to rely on to represent their interests it appears have been more interested in representing their own.

We have to be calling for a general election now, regardless of how many MPs we may lose or gain. Even after we have swept this sty clean - it will be a long long time before our fellow citizens regain their trust in the political system - and that is a tragedy for all of us, but most disturbingly of all, for democracy itself.

Margaret Moran - A curse on all your houses!

2009-05-10T00:05:00.002+01:00

On Monday my first task will be to telephone my MP's office to make an appointment to see her next time she deigns to visit her constituency. Now, even if she is in the town I reckon my chances of an appointment are pretty slim. I have a friend who has been trying for ages to get an appointment to discuss asylum seekers and finds she is never available.

But I will try, after all.......I do have something in common with Ms Moran - we are both "women of a certain age" born in the same year, but clearly not with the same mindset. Frankly - if she "needs a family life" maybe she should do what most ordinary people do - either move her employment or ask her partner to do so. Her shrill mealymouthed explanation of why she can flip all over the place is frankly sickening. She was elected to represent the people of Luton South - I really cannot understand how she can possibly do that whilst living 100 miles away.......or maybe I am missing something???????

Those of us who aspire to political office have to accept it comes at a price. It doesn't mean you can't have a family life, nor should it, but it means you have to be prepared for adjustments that mean you just can't have your cake and eat it. Politicians - I thought - were supposed to serve the people - being their representative, advocate, a voice for the voiceless, committed to making life better for the many not the few.

So - I want to go and have a chat with Ms Moran, I would like an honest explanation of her behaviour - woman to woman. What sticks in my gullet is the fact that she wouldn't have been there if other women hadn't been prepared to be imprisoned and died for the privilege. She is the embodiment of everything that makes me sick. She has not only sullied her own name, but mine too. While I have devoted most of my adult life to trying to make life better for my fellow citizens, she has totally undermined my efforts by her cynical exploitation of her position. When I knock on doors at the moment and meet those who are too disillusioned to vote or worse, those planning to vote BNP, it is her and those of her ilk I blame. Now, this is not to deny that she has done a lot of work campaigning on domestic violence, I appreciate that, but please Margaret - does the word integrity mean nothing to you? Frankly, your pathetic explanation for your totally inexcusable behaviour is astounding. If you want to salvage any vestige of that elusive quality integrity you should go - and go now.

Back Jack for Europe!

2009-05-04T09:25:00.002+01:00

My campaign website is now live here

Paddy Ashdown - Please NO!!!!!!!

2009-05-02T06:29:00.002+01:00

I am up uncharacteristically early since I woke to the news of Paddy Ashdown's clandestine chats with potential "Blairite defectors" from Labour. Apparently there is concern that some local parties are becoming "too left wing". Deja vu - except that the Labour Party of the early eighties - when Derek Hatton roamed the land - is quite a different animal from the Labour Party of today. I left the Labour Party then to join the SDP because I was uncomfortable about the direction the party was taking - yes - too left wing even for me! I was probably one of Richard Hussey's "stranded liberals" who actually has ended up feeling far more at home in the Liberal Democrats, despite some of my disagreements at the margins. Richard has given a thoughtful, thought provoking analysis of the prospect of us sweeping up a load of Labour discontents. However..............

I have to confess I am not really an "evangelist" for the party - I actually don't believe everyone should join. Whenever I talk to people about joining or defecting I will always make the point that they need to consider first whether or not they share our values. For too long we have been happy to welcome anyone regardless of their values - and it often ends in tears. What really worries me is that it is the Blairites that want to join our party. The Blairites - the architects of the Tory Party reincarnate, the warmongering, civil liberty denying, anti public service characters for whom frankly, I have little time.

Funnily enough yesterday I met with a Labour Party member to discuss tackling the BNP in the European elections, but also debated the possibility of a realignment of the left. In the evening I chatted to a friend from STWC about the vacuum on the left of British politics and his view that as Lib Dems we were in danger of missing an open goal.

If those who are considering defecting from the Labour Party are doing so because, as the Telegraph article suggests, the 50p rate is a drift to the left - I would remind them that this was a Lib Dem policy - and frankly I wouldn't mind betting will be again. At a time when cynicism about politics and politicians has never been so pronounced, when the plaintiff cry on the doorstep is invariably "you're all the same" - the time has surely come for us to put clear blue water between us and the other two Tory parties. If the Blairites are going to defect anywhere I would suggest that their natural habitat would be with the Cameronites.

Nick Clegg - Our hero!!!

2009-04-30T09:54:00.002+01:00

For the last 15 months or so my frustration has been that the nation has really not grasped the essence of Nick Clegg. He has been characterised as "Cameron Lite" - a bit like mistaking Handel for the Spice Girls. One speaks from a depth of conviction, a preparedness to stand by those convictions regardless of the consequences .........the other from the shallowness of expediency, popularism and the need to secure as many votes as possible, for the least amount of effort in the shortest amount of time. Clegg is prepared to nail his colours to the mast, however unpopular his position - Cameron on the other hand plays a cunning hand of poker - never revealing his hand, but somehow executing the exquisite bluff that leaves the unsuspecting believing he has actually said something!

So today I was delighted - at last - not before time - the nation is beginning to see what our man is made of, what many of us have always known - that we have a leader who will fight for what he believes in - popular or not. He has undeservedly had his light somewhat hidden under the remarkable "bushel" that is Vince Cable (!) but at no time has he shown the slightest irritation or pique. He has clearly demonstrated his underlying motivation - not for his own grandisement - rather of his undeniable commitment to the achievement of a truly liberal and just society. The motivation and commitment that leads Nick to champion the just cause of the Gurkhas will lead him to demonstrate what separates him from the shallowness of Cameron and the arrogant discordant disconnect of Brown (if Clegg is Handel and Cameron is the Spice Girls - maybe Brown is Stockhausen - (with apologies to Stockhausen fans!) admired by a few but unintelligible to most of us!)

Oh dear, this is sounding a tad to sycophantic - don't worry Nick/Tim/Matthew/Greg et al..........normal service will resume before you can say Jack Robinson.........or is that Linda Jack?!

East Midland Trains - an example of the benefits of privatisation!

2009-04-28T00:14:00.001+01:00

Last night I went to the National Liberal Club for an ALDE reception. It was a great evening and entertaining given I was seated between two of our esteemed peers, Navnit Dholakia and John Lee. I confess I spent some of the evening making the case for revisiting our Trident policy - but about 10.45 began my journey home. I knew I was pushing it to get the 11.15 East Midlands train back to Luton, but my delight at making it was soon dented by seeing the "DELAYED" signs.

The story was that a train engine was on fire near Luton and there were no trains running. The transport police informed us that we should make other arrangements as there were no coaches. I toyed with the idea of staying over with a pal, but decided against it, given that my "evening" attire was not quite the ticket for the hustings at Brentwood School I was attending in the morning.

I headed over to King's Cross, just in time to jump on a train to Hitchin - thankful that I no longer lived in Bedford when my alternative routes would have had to be Milton Keynes of Sandy. But even going to Hitchin meant a £20 taxi fare home.

However, my irritation faded into insignificance as I travelled into London this morning with my daughter and her friend. Her friend had been on the 8.20 train out of St Pancras last night and they had been stuck for four hours outside Luton! It took that long to turn off the electricity apparently - then the whole train were given glowlights and guided the half hour walk up the track to Luton Airport Parkway. The company included an elderly lady who had to be carried, and many with heavy cases who also had to be helped.

Then this evening I read Duncan Borrowman's blog, who had been stuck coming the opposite way and ended up having to take a taxi all the way home! So two important questions about a company (along with First Capital Connect whose services were also affected) with little on no regard for passengers. Not only do they pay scant regard for the hundreds of stranded commuters, clearly having no contingency in place to get them home, but also they have no contingency in place to deal with passengers stranded on the track. How and why on earth did it take 4 hours to "rescue" stranded passengers?

If ever there was a graphic demonstration of the problem of proxy customers - this is it. Our privatised train companies have a captive audience. We have no other realistic alternative, and they know it - we can't vote with our feet because our feet have no place else to go. I have never travelled on East Midland trains when there has been a problem and found anyone who thinks privatisation was a good idea. Frankly we are all treated like compliant mushrooms. Now I understand there may be an argument that the problem is that privatisation hasn't gone far enough - that may be the case - whatever - the truth is that this half way house serves none of us ........except of course the private rail companies and their shareholders - well, wouldn't you be laughing all the way to the bank with this sort of monopoly?

Unite..............to fight?

2009-04-06T22:27:00.001+01:00

Being a Lib Dem Trade Unionist is a bit like being a Trade Unionist Lib Dem......regarded with suspicion in all quarters! So today, having come from a union meeting at work (watch this space - we will be going for recognition at the FSA) I arrived home to an email from Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley asking me to sign a petition for jobs and pass it on to my pals - which I have done.

BUT.............Last week I read an interesting article in my Unite Activist newsletter written by a Labour MEP candidate. Hmmmmmmmmmmm thought I. I am a Unite activist. I am an MEP candidate. I am committed to protecting workers rights (unlike this present wolf in sheep's clothing Tory government). Maybe I can write an article in the newsletter? I have asked. The editor has no problem. But he has to run it past the political department..........he thinks they may have a problem. Yes, of course. The Labour Party are so committed to trade union values, their MPs will all sign that petition won't they? Er.......don't think so.

So, will they have a problem with publishing my article?

Who knows. But if they do........................

Jesse Jackson - Why we MUST listen to him!

2009-03-25T23:52:00.002Z

I am listening to Today in Westminster - if you get a chance do listen again. I have just heard Jesse Jackson give one of the most eloquent rebuttals of this government's totally misguided approach to youth crime. He talked of children growing up in the light or in the dark. He reminded us of how plants denied light do not develop properly - he chastised this country saying our approach to children was to "lock them up not lift them up". What a breath of fresh air.

Margaret Moran MP - make the most of it.........

2009-03-25T22:15:00.007Z

This morning I boarded the train at Leagrave - a little further North than Luton but not as far North as the arctic wastes of Bedford. Door to door when I travelled to 25 The North Colonnade from Bedford it was 61.1 miles..........now door to door, having moved to Luton, it is 40 miles exactly (courtesy of AA Route finder!).

Occasionally I stay over in London with friends in North London - then it takes me exactly the same time to get to work despite being 34 miles closer! Now, courtesy of AA Route finder, I discover that if my journey took me to Westminster instead of Canary Wharf, it would be 5 miles less - a mere 35 miles! The fast train from Luton is only 23 minutes, even faster on a good day when it is the right kind of leaves and snow........on such a good day it is possible for me to get door to door in 1 hour and 8 minutes - that means an hour was I to be heading for Westminster.

Now, I am well aware that our hardpressed MPs do occasionally find themselves sitting late in Westminster. I do sympathise, I occasionally find myself sitting late in Westminster, (usually in a local hostelry after FPC ;-)) but unless ridiculously late, I manage to jump on a late night train back to Luton and hop into a cab. Sometimes I have been known to arrive home at 2.30 and leave to return 5 hours later..........But, I agree, not a good idea. And if I am working I am well within my rights to expect my employer to pay for me to stay over in a hotel. As Kelvin Hopkins apparently does, as his fellow Luton MP clearly does not.

So....hat tip to Duncan Borrowman for picking this story up. Having stood against Kelvin Hopkins in the 2005 elections, I know him to be a man of integrity. I may not agree with him on everything, but as I said to the people of Luton North on the night of the elections, they may not have elected a Lib Dem, but they got the next best thing given his record of joining us in the lobbies! Margaret Moran, it appears, is a totally different kettle of fish. She is now my MP and I have already discovered how reluctant she is to engage with us unwashed masses of Luton South. She appears to be universally despised - even my apolitical mum hasn't a good word to say for her. I experienced for myself her obsession with the photo opportunity. Arriving late for the photo call with Operation Black Vote in the last election she was furious that the filming/photos had taken place without her. Clearly her interest was in image and spin, no evidence of any commitment whatsoever to listening to the concerns of the BME community.

So, I was not surprised to hear that she was unable to manage the short train journey from Luton to Westminster - perhaps that is because she spends so little time in Luton, who knows. Some time in the next 15 months we will have an opportunity to show erstwhile Blair babe Ms Moran what the people of Luton South make of her cavalier and self serving attitude.

Political Betting - Male Bastionism at its best?

2009-03-24T23:27:00.002Z

Last night I popped in to the Political Betting 5 year birthday party at the NLC. I dragged along a pal from Northern Ireland, haven't had chance to catch up with her yet to see what she made of it! But - much as I shout the odds about poor representation within our party - last night was truly shocking. Apart from us and Mike Smithson's wife Jackie there were only two other women there. The room was packed - but they were virtually all men, virtually all white and virtually all Tory men at that! One of them helpfully pointed out that the reason was that women generally were not interested in politics or betting............ hmmmmmm........probably far better tucked up at home with their knitting and nothing to worry their pretty little heads eh?!

But it was and is depressing - whilst we have made strides in terms of better representation in parliament, in terms of gender, ethnicity etc., we still have such a hill to climb. Men, God luv'em, still dominate political debate at every level. I was left wondering if we are banging our heads against a titanium wall - or if we just have to content ourselves that progress will likely mirror that of the ambitious stalagmite's quest to reach the roof of the cave.

That said, all credit to Mike for conceiving of and developing such an important and enlightening resource for all those of us who really appreciate his insightful and truly spinfree analysis.

150 Lib Dem MPs......OK Guys - What's the Strategy?

2009-03-15T23:27:00.002Z

I read Karin Robinson's article on LDV with interest, coming to it late having been away this weekend. We all know, however uncomfortable, it is always essential to listen to how outsiders see us. Cosy consensus is an inevitable default position when we only ever talk to ourselves. I found it particularly pertinent as I have driven back from the South West today mulling over the challenge we face if we are truly to make the breakthrough we all yearn for in British politics.

Nick Clegg took over the leadership with a vision for 150 Lib Dem MP's - Karin accuses us of a paucity of ambition - 150? No way..........if we really want to see transformation in this country I agree, we have to aim higher, we have to talk and think big. We will never achieve any of our goals if we languish in 3rd place. Our policies are the only ones that can truly transform this country, if I didn't believe that, if you didn't believe that, what on earth would we be doing in the Lib Dems?! We would be accepting the dodgy advice of the n'erdowells languishing in the comments pages of Political Betting who think we would be better off defecting to the Tories and Labour!

If all those who said they would vote for us thought we really had a chance and did so, there is no doubt we would be in power within two general elections. People are crying out for change, frankly, with the moral high ground Vince has taken for us on the economy, we should all be out there with our crampons and ropes to take the rest.

At the moment we have a target but from where I sit, no strategy. It is the strategy we need pretty damn quick. The fact is we do have people in the party who have that strategy, I spent yesterday speaking to one of them. The problem is, if as a party we are to embrace that strategy we have to loose our grip on outdated, stale and tired campaigning. We have to dump the mantra "but we've always done it this way and its always worked and anyway the Tories are copying us so it must be right", we have to be ready to obey Nick's injunction - risky and radical........not only in terms of policy, but perhaps more importantly - strategy.

The results of Labour's mismanagement is leading to total despair and ruin for so many. In particular the life chances of our young people are being blighted - 40% of the unemployed are 16-24. People are losing their livelihoods, their homes, are in mental distress and in some cases are taking their lives. Change is not an option it is an imperative. And crocodile tears apologist Cameron has absolutely NO answers. We do, we can, we will!

Time to "occupy" the green benches!

2009-03-12T00:44:00.000Z

I was a little disgusted by the Tories attempt to block the UK Youth Parliament from holding their annual conference within the hallowed halls. Fair enough to strut their stuff in the Lords, but let a load of YOUNG PEOPLE loose in the commons? Clearly totally out of keeping with respectable society.

Well, I for one welcome this idea. Having had some involvement with them, I always enjoyed the annual gatherings - what an encouragement to see so many young people excited and enthused about politics! And I well recall banging on about the fact that given parliament was in recess at the time it seemed a perfect opportunity to take over the green benches.

We all have a responsibility to promote democratic engagement in this country, if this can be enhanced by allowing our young people to convene in parliament........why should anyone object?.......unless of course they are scared witless......