Category archive for ‘Simon's Blog’ 
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Housekeeping – new links
Now that it’s back online, I’ve been able to do a little housekeeping and update some of the links on this site. One that I’ve added is my Labour colleague Tulip Siddiq. Amongst many other things (including working for the London Labour party) Tulip is a Labour candidate for Regent’s Park ward.
In her latest post Tulip draws attention to David Cameron’s comments about the hijab. She writes:
Has anyone else read Cameron’s outrageous comment about how Muslim peer Sayeeda Warsi would [...] -
I’m back (sort of)
Strangely enough this is the first post on this blog in 2010.
Apologies for the break in posting on this site over the last few weeks – and, indeed, for the site going down altogether more recently.
I started a new job in December which I’ll be doing for the first part of this year – which is inevitably going to take precedence – but on top of that I’ve had some domain problems with the site.
Anyway, the technical problems are sorted…so [...] -
Climate change, dividing Conservatives
Tim Montgomerie, editor of ConHome, has an interesting article on that site today, writing up some of his thoughts for Radio Four’s The Week in Westminster.
“I make the case that the issue of climate change has the potential to divide the Conservative Party in the same way that Europe has divided us in the past,” he writes.
On the question of whether it is possible to do anything to stop climate change, Tim Montgomerie says he largely dissents.
He argues that climate [...] -
More bus strikes confirmed for next week
I’ve blogged before on industrial relations problems across the bus network. Boris Johnson has been explicitly criticised by trade unionists who see fares about to rise but their pay frozen, whilst revenue from the congestion charge will be reduced when the western extension is abolished. Johnson has blocked millions of pounds of potential revenue by axing the £25 c-charge on gas guzzlers.
Steve Hart, the regional secretary of the Unite union, has previously argued that his union believes Londoners are suffering [...] -
Johnson gets twitter guidance over party-political tweet
Boris Johnson will receive guidance by the GLA’s Monitoring Officer over the use of his Mayor of London twitter account after the Greater London Authority’s Standards’ Committee found he could be seen to have breached the Authority’s code of conduct by tweeting on a party political matter.
The three- person sub-committee, with a majority of independent members, investigated a complaint from a member of the public who questioned whether it was appropriate for Johnson to use his mayoral twitter feed to welcome the Sun’s endorsement [...] -
Single figure poll lead again as Tory austerity message bites
Two excellent articles from today’s Guardian that are well worth a read, whilst another poll sees the Tory lead down to single figures.
First, Polly Toynbee’s piece This is class war – carried out by Cameron against the poor. Brown’s reference to Cameron’s tax policies being dreamt up on the playing fields of Eton clearly got under the Tory leader’s skin, as his performance on the Politics Show demonstrated. Though Cameron complains that Brown’s attack was spiteful, Toynbee rightly points out: “background becomes significant [...] -
Parliamentary Flack
Parliament may be full of flummery and ritual, but a less archaic Parliamentary institution that deserves more acknowledgement is the Unite (formerly TGWU) branch, which for many years has tried – and even often succeeded – to make Parliament a better place for those who work there. So credit to the PLP chair Tony Lloyd for his Early Day Motion thanking Kevin Flack, the secretary of the Parliamentary Unite branch, for ten years carrying out that role.
His EDM says: “this [...] -
Gas guzzling drivers versus bus users – protecting the few, not the many
It’s not just nationally where the question of whose interests the Conservatives would govern in is posed. In London we are already seeing the impact on ordinary Londoners of an administration committed to defending the interests of the gas guzzling few against the needs of the public transport-using many.
Sir Simon Milton – Boris Johnson’s chief of staff – told viewers of the London segment of the Politics Show today that one of the principal reasons for scrapping the planned £25 [...] -
A progressive agenda to stop the right in 2010
Readers of this blog may be interested in attending the Progressive London conference on 30th January – “A progressive agenda to stop the right in 2010.”
Some of the initial speakers, including Ken Livingstone, leading members of the London Assembly, MPs such as Jon Cruddas, Diane Abbott and Tessa Jowell, trade unionists, bloggers, writers, London councillors, MEPs, campaigners and activists, are listed here along with an early indication of some of the subjects for discussion.
As Progressive London reports, Ken Livingstone says:
“We [...] -
Intermission
Apologies for the drop in frequency in updating this site in the last couple of weeks. Things should pick up this week.