Author Archives: Stephen Tall

Lord Tom McNally, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, has unveiled his new frontbench team.

Results just in:

Labour Party: 12,528 (45%) -14% compared to 2005
Greg Stone, Liberal Democrat: 5,572 (20%) +8%
Conservative Party: 4,082 (15%)
British National Party: 2,494 (9%)
Independent: 1,885 (7%)

Huge congratulations to Greg Stone, the Sedgefield Lib Dems, and all those who helped the campaign, on achieving a double-figure swing from Labour, and knocking David Cameron’s Tories back into third place.

This seems to be the consensus of speculation so far:

– the Lib Dems will come a good second in Ealing Southall, running Labour hard, and shrugging off the Tory challenge;

– and will leap-frog the Tories into second place behind Labour in Sedgefield.

Here’s what the BBC Online report says:

The BBC understands that no-one is to face charges after the 16-month cash for honours investigation.

Four people were arrested – including two of Tony Blair’s aides – during inquiries into whether honours were sold and whether a cover-up followed. In total, 136 people were interviewed – including former Prime Minister Tony Blair and ex-Conservative leader Michael Howard.

All denied wrongdoing, but Mr Blair’s friends say his authority was weakened.

It is, of course, entirely co-incidental that this should be leaked just prior to the results being declared in Ealing Southall and Sedgefield. Because …

And I’ve absolutely no idea what the night will bring. Feel free to make your guesses below…

Thanks to Lib Dem peer Lord Avebury – aka Eric Lubbock, a famous by-election victor – we now know the answer: three times.

The BBC’s Martin Rosenbaum provides a good analysis here. The press notice from Lord Avebury’s solicitors, Bindmans, is here.

The government surprisingly decided to release the information – which had been denied to Lord Avebury since 2004 – the day after Gordon Brown became Prime Minister. No doubt the timing was a co-incidence.

A new Home Office proposal, accidentally released today, suggests road pricing cameras could be used by police to track drivers’ movements in England and Wales.

The Lib Dem shadow home secretary, Nick Clegg, is quoted in this BBC Online report:

With this unintended act of open government the disingenuous attitude of ministers towards public fears about a creeping surveillance state is revealed for all to see.

Bit by bit vast computer databases are being made inter-operable and yet the government seems to be running scared of a full and public debate on the safeguards needed to make such information

…

The call by Ken Jones, head of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), for the police to be given the powers to hold terror suspects indefinitely without charge has been condemned by Lib Dem shadow home secretary, Nick Clegg.

In a round of media interviews, Mr Jones has stated: “We are arguing for judicially supervised detention for as long as it takes. We understand people will be concerned and nervous, but we need to create a system with sufficient judicial checks and balances which holds people, but no longer than a day necessary.”

Nick Clegg has branded the call, “bizarre”, …

That’s the question in Edinburgh, where Lib Dem Provost George Grubb is seeking to revive the tradition of councillors wearing cermonial dress for civic occasions.

Full story over at The Scotsman.