How To Woo A Lib Dem

Councillor Martin Mullaney is the latest Cabinet member on Birmingham City Council. After having his arm twisted to throw his hat in the ring, he circulated the following pitch to his fellow Lib Dems and then won the overwhelming backing of the group to overthrow Ray Halsall the incumbent Cabinet member for Leisure, Sport and Culture.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

I expect no reward for this public service, but I hope this gives other ordinary mortals an insight in how to woo a Lib Dem.

Behind The Curve & Ahead Of The Curve

It is difficult to gauge the mood when events move so quickly. In spite of following the progression of many a political scandal, I was slow to appreciate the political impact of the Expensegate and as a result I have a somewhat painful bet hanging which depends on Labour's performance at the upcoming Euros.

On the other hand, a thread that I started a week ago on Michael Martin - where John Hemming MP indicated his support for attempts to remove the speaker and which attracted some half-hearted criticism from a local Labour blogger now appears ahead of the curve. Congratulations Douglas Carswell MP.

On a related note, do you think now would be a good time for the Daily Telegraph's whistleblowing source to reveal their identity? Update - Police will not prosecute. 2nd Update - John Wick deserves congratulation, but in the MPs' expenses maelstrom some people are losing perspective. For example, where is the scandal in this case?

Easter In Wales

At Easter, Wales was the only sunny place in the UK, but fortunately that's where we went. We started at Mellington Hall where my wife and I stayed for a night. Built like a Cluedo boardgame, I imagine that the murder mystery nights they host there are great fun. Its grounds were perfect for a relaxing evening stroll.
Here's a few pictures from the country roads and lakes of mid-Wales.

The perfect reflection at Lake Efyrnwy was a joy.
We ended up at the distinctive Powys Castle near Welshpool which remains inhabited.

Political In-Fighting

Astonishingly, Birmingham Labour returned more MPs to Parliament in 2005 (nine) than the number of councillors they returned in last year's locals (eight). Labour MPs sit in Birmingham Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Hall Green and Northfield but in the 36 local elections held in these four seats in the local elections held in May 2006, 2007 and 2008, Labour have won a solitary seat. Occasionally people express surprise at how badly Labour are doing on Birmingham City Council. In a recent post (three down) I related Labour's selection difficulties for the Lozells & East Handsworth by-election. This election campaign has now exploded into violence. Not between parties, but within the Labour Party! It's rumoured that the victim is in fact the Labour Party agent, a chap who is unfortunate enough to share a name with a commenter who posted this drivel on the Birmingham Post blog.

...Every one has right to air their views how ever I begg to differ.
Roshan must be held responsiable for an attack on the sikh community. The birmingham post should remove such people from their post who try to create hate within our multicultral, multifaith community. I also take the view that this is not roshan speaking but the Birmingham post for not vetting and allowing this articail to be printed. Again welldone to the organisors. This is what happens when you harvest fruit out of season , you get a Coconut that has a bitter taste.

Now do you understand why Labour is vanishing in Birmingham?

Annoyed With The Telegraph

Guess why?