Happy Christmas from the Team

Wishing all our readers a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We hope you have an enjoyable day.



(This posting was scheduled! Image stolen from Warwick LibDems, thanks guys.)

Election Result in King's Hedges

Just a quick update; the election result in King's Hedges was as follows:

Matthew Adams Conservative 813

Martin Booth Cambridge Socialists 92

Simon Brierley Liberal Democrats 1236

Alexandra Collis Green 274

Elizabeth Hughes Labour 986

New Election Leaflet

It's the final few days of the 2010 campaign and we've been delivering the above leaflet across the ward. If you'd like to access an electronic version it's available here (via The Straight Choice website).

Liberal Democrat Manifesto for the City Election 2010

The manifesto for the City Council elections on 6th May (the same date as the General Election) has now been published and is accessible either here (or here as a PDF).

Liberal Democrats - providing a fair deal for Cambridge

Conference Speeches

Slightly more political post than usual ... but it is an election year ;-)

I'm sure you'll have seen Nick Clegg and Vince Cable's speeches mentioned in the papers but if you'd like to view them yourselves (and make up your own mind) then I've embedded the two videos from YouTube below. Enjoy.

Cambridgeshire Registration Service - Looking for Feedback!

Cambridgeshire Registration Service is seeking comments from across the County on the service they provide (for the registration of births, civil partnerships, marriages and deaths) and how they can work to improve it.

Registration Offices are located in Cambridge (by Shire Hall), Ely, Huntingdon and March. A limited range of services are also available at offices in Addenbrookes Hospital and Wisbech. On-line services for customers include making appointments to register births and deaths as well as ordering copy certificates is available here.

Survey Forms will be available at the offices above, and an on-line Survey is available here. There is a prize of a £50 High Street gift voucher for one participant.

I've used the service twice and have never encountered a problem, neither have I heard of one from friends of colleagues (I don't doubt that there are problems out there! It's just that they seem to me to be the exception rather than the rule). It's difficult to know how to improve a service like this other than "make it ubiquitous"/"make it easy".

In the current climate though if it ain't broke ...

Julian Huppert selected to stand for Cambridge

Cambridge Liberal Democrats have selected Julian Huppert as their parliamentary candidate to fight the General Election.

Julian was selected from a shortlist of six candidates who fought for the position at Hustings at The Michaelhouse Centre in Trinity Street, Cambridge last night (Friday).

The ballot was called after MP David Howarth decided to stand down at the general election to return to his academic career at Clare College.

Julian said: “I am delighted and honoured to be given the chance to fight for this seat in the general election in my home town; it is a great privilege.”

Julian grew up in Cambridge and has represented the diverse interests of the city, including the universities, students, council estates and the knowledge economy as county councillor for East Chesterton between 2001 and 2009 and as Lib Dem group leader. He is a member of Liberty's national council.

Julian works as a scientist at the Cavendish Laboratory and believes that his scientific background is one of his great strengths in fighting for the Cambridge seat in Parliament.

“So many decisions from climate change to health care require detailed understanding of what is actually happening,” he told members. “We must try to change the way policies are made in this county so that they are made for clear reasons and not just as knee jerk reactions to media scare stories.”

Speaking on climate change he said he was proud to be “green” and that all Lib Dem policies from transport to housing were environmentally sustainable.

“I will continue to fight for our liberal, progressive, green and international values,” he said.

David Howarth said: “I am delighted that Julian has been chosen as the candidate for the general election. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position and I am confident the future is in good hands.”

Your local team were all at the hustings, and were impressed by the quality of all six possible candidates.

I am confident that Julian will be able to stand up for Cambridge's values and interests in parliament if elected. He is an outstanding candidate.

David Howarth to step down

The whole team in King's Hedges were saddened at the announcement that David Howarth, our MP, has decided not to stand at the next election and will instead return to his self-confessed "other life" in academia.

The announcement can be found on the local party web site, David Howarths Website, and has been reported by the Cambridge News (amongst other places).

David has done a lot of excellent work for Cambridge, first as a ward Councillor, then leader of the City Council, a key member of our Federal Policy Committee and since 2005 as our MP. He led the fight to allow councils to push for higher environmental standards in buildings, fought to protect the right of people to protest legally, and also fought a battle against the innocent-sounding "Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill" the effect of which would have given the Prime Minister the power to change law by decree.

Just last week he achieved a fairer deal for Cambridge in the funding of Concessionary fairs by Central Government (although still some way short of the true cost!).

Nick Clegg said it best; "Academia's gain is very much politics' loss."