Tag Archives: bureaucracy

Immigration and Asylum: some thoughts from the house bureaucrat…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 6th August 2018 - 8:06 am

I note that the latest proposals for debate at Autumn Conference on migration policy have come in for some stick from my editorial colleague. And with good cause, for apologising for what is necessary and appropriate is never a good way to convince people that what you need is, indeed, necessary and appropriate.

But I come bearing something rather more practical, in that I want to talk about what underpins any immigration and asylum policy, regardless of how liberal it is, or otherwise.

For, no matter what your starting point is, you have to administer it properly. So, without actually outlining …

Argyll and Bute Council backs down on school dinners blog ban

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 15th June 2012 - 3:27 pm

The leader of Argyll and Bute Council has reversed the decision to ban a 9 year old schoolgirl from taking photographs of her school dinners and blogging about them. Roddy McCuish did so live on Radio 4’s The World at One, bringing to an end a morning of social media frenzy which had seen the subject have 3 of highest trending topics on Twitter in the UK.

In my earlier post, I covered the background and Argyll and Bute’s initial statement on the matter. It seemed strange for the Council to say it was taking action against “unwarranted attacks” on …

Posted in News | Also tagged education, photography ban and schools | 3 Comments

Council bans 9 year old’s school dinner photo blog

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 15th June 2012 - 11:02 am

Way back in April, 9 year old Martha Payne started reviewing her school dinners. Every day she wrote on her Never Seconds blog, under the pseudonym Veg, short for Veritas Ex Gustu which means Truth from Tasting in Latin. The blog quickly became an internet sensation and she and her Dad were interviewed on the BBC’s You and Yours in May.

Each day, Martha would rate dinner at her Lochgilphead primary school on criteria such as Food-o-Meter, health rating, how many mouthfuls and how many pieces of hair were in it. What made the blog were the photos she posted to illustrate …

Posted in News | Also tagged education, photography ban and schools | 15 Comments

What does the English Council do?

By Andy Strange | Tue 22nd May 2012 - 2:52 pm

Liberal Democrats who want to understand how the party runs can easily become confused by the range of offices, executives, committees, subcommittees and working groups that they encounter. Some have grand sounding names and are made up of “the great and the good”. Others are little heard of with powers unknown. One of the most obscure is probably the English Council.

I confess to being a bit of a nerd when it comes to matters of party organisation, but even I have found myself asking – “what on earth does English Council do?”

Last year, through my regional party, I was elected …

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged english council | 13 Comments