House of Lords debates that you might have missed: in which confusion reigns...

Parliament can be a very dry place indeed, lacking in humour or goodwill. However, the House of Lords isn't like the 'Other Place'. Sometimes, humour escapes into the chamber, as shown by this excerpt from the third day of the debate on the Queen's Speech on Monday...

Lord Dubs (Lab): Before I get to the heart of what I want to say, I hope that I may be permitted to refer to a matter which is obliquely relevant to what we are about to discuss today. Five years ago the noble Lord, Lord Dobbs, joined the House. That was a welcome addition, even if it meant that there was an additional vote on the Conservative side. However, I was rather slow in realising that there were other aspects of significance to this, and the alarm bells started to ring rather slowly.

One day, soon after the noble Lord arrived in the House, I got a bill from the restaurant here. It was a pretty good meal but one which I had not eaten. Indeed, his bank manager would have been happier about the size of the bill than mine would have been. Certainly, given the success of the various editions of House of Cards, on which I congratulate him, I think that he is better able to stand those bills than I am.

But then other things began to happen. I got a phone message to call No. 10 urgently. This occasionally happened under Labour, so I called and rather foolishly gave myself away rather than listen to what was on offer. I hope that the time it took that message to then get to the noble Lord did not in any way jeopardise his career or perhaps lose him a ministerial post. Certainly, that made me think again about what was going on.

Then letters came my way, a room which I had not reserved was booked in my name, and I had letters from Members of this House congratulating me on the way I had handled the EU referendum Bill. I felt that I just could not take credit for that. I think that Labour Party policy is now changing but I did not like the Bill at the time and, certainly, to be given credit for it by several Members of this House was more than I felt I could keep quiet about.

In pondering this, I then came across a little booklet about confusable Peers. It is not for general circulation among Members of this House but is a booklet which the staff, quite properly, use to help them. I do not wish what I have said in any way to be seen as a criticism of the staff of this House. When I was in the Commons, I once was confused with Frank Dobson. Those noble Lords who know him will know that he and I do not look particularly alike. When that was mentioned in the House, we got letters of apology from senior officials. I do not want any apology because this is not about that; I just want to clarify a misunderstanding.

The booklet I got hold of is not about confusing Peers or confused Peers, which of course would be a much thicker volume, but about confusable Peers. It shows pairs, trios or quartets of Peers who can be confused with each other and the noble Lord, Lord Dobbs, and I are included. This interesting little booklet enables staff to differentiate us.

Lord Dobbs (Con):I find the confusion remarkable. After all, my noble near-kinsman is a craggy faced, Czech-born socialist and, quite clearly, I am not. Perhaps I may come to his rescue and settle his qualms. I have taken advice from the Garter Principal King of Arms who says that he can think of only one way of us resolving this confusion; namely, that one of us should become an Earl. I humbly submit myself to my fate.

Lord Dubs: I would rather he took that honour than me. I would have a job explaining that one away but I am grateful to the noble Lord.

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab): My noble friend’s problems are nothing compared with mine. I keep getting invited to meetings of Conservative lawyers for reasons I cannot understand, but they will probably become clear when we come to the reply to this debate.

Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon (LD): I wonder whether the noble Lord finds it as confusing as my case: I keep being asked for very large sums of money on the grounds that I am Lord Ashcroft.

Lord Dubs: I hope that that little interlude has helped many of us to decide where we are and who we are. I would be grateful to the House if it would allow me to intrude on the time a little...

The day the Morris Men came to Needham Market

Having lived in a big city for many a year, and having spent all my money on whisky and beer (I like whisky but I'm not so fussed about it), my experience of morris dancing is, to be honest, a bit metropolitan. It's all very well, but just rather bucolic, and that word is used in an ironic sense in this instance.

However, live in the country long enough (and I mean live in it rather than just visiting it at weekends), and you begin to appreciate it rather better. It isn't simply a bunch of men with beards who drink beer, wear hats with flowers on and either wave hankies or hit sticks against each other. And yes, I acknowledge that beer is drunk (real ale, not the gassy lager stuff), and that straw hats with flowers on are de rigeur, but it is quite complex.

As a child at primary school, I was forced to do country dancing every week. Given that I went to school in a north-west London suburb, that was a little unusual but, as one got the hang of it, one began to develop an appreciation of the precision needed to do it well. Oh yes, you can galumph about, flinging your partners around, but the real joy of it is remembering all of the patterns, making sure that your timing is spot on, and ensuring that your partner enjoys the experience as much as you do.

Now, add sticks to that, and you have to be even more accurate. Those sticks hurt if you miss your target, and the clatter when they are struck against each other sounds all wrong if your timing is out. And if you do hit one of your colleagues, the beer only deadens the pain for a while.

So, when I discovered, on arrival at the fundraising launch for St John the Baptist Church, that there would be beer, some really excellent sausage rolls and morris dancing, I was rather pleased. Eight men, two accordion players, two lengths of stick - what more could you want? And, I have to say, the East Suffolk Morris Men were excellent value, giving us a goodly sample of dances under the splendid fifteenth century roof. And, in keeping with tradition, a number of them could be seen sampling the fine products of the local Calvors brewery.

In tribute to them, here they are, performing at the Suffolk Show last month...

Is there anyone who can spare the odd quarter of a million for the church roof?

I may have mentioned in the past that, whilst Suffolk doesn’t have the most exciting landscape, what we do have is built environment, in particular some of the finest medieval churches in the country. The only problem with that is that they do need rather a lot of care and attention.

St John the Baptist Parish Church in Needham Market is just one of many fine churches, but I have a particular interest as they are currently attempting to raise rather a lot of money to repair the leaky roof. Sadly, it is not simply a case of repairing and replacing tiles.

Stunning late C15 roof, St John the Baptist, Needham Market. From new Pevsner #Suffolk: West http://t.co/Z5MyHg4ChR pic.twitter.com/tAsbejorKl

— Pevsner Guides (@YalePevsner) April 16, 2015

Built in the second half of the fifteenth century as a mere chapel of ease to the then primary parish church at nearby Barking, it has a double hammerbeam roof, in which the need for cross-beams is obviated by the support of the roof's thrust on hammers along the north and south nave walls. Henry Munro Cautley, who was the Diocesan architect for St Edmundsbury and who published “Suffolk Churches and their Treasures” in the 1930s, thought it had no equal in all of England, whilst the perhaps more famous Sir Nikolaus Pevsner concluded,

The roof had to be described in detail to make everyone appreciate what the significance of Needham Market is.

He noted that it was described by Crossley as “the climax of English roof construction” and by Cautley (again) as “the culminating achievement of the English carpenter”.

Unfortunately, five hundred years of age and neglect – the roof was hidden behind a false ceiling in the eighteenth century and only uncovered again in the late nineteenth century – have taken a toll. Wet rot has been discovered and, worse still, deathwatch beetles are slowly munching their way through the timbers. As a resident of a house with timbers of a similar age, I know just how bad that can be.

But, I hear you ask, why the interest? Well, a fundraising campaign has been set up and Ros has been asked to be its Patron, something she was more than happy to do. The campaign is formally launched this evening, so I’ll be there in my consort role. And, if you happen to know anyone with a lot of money and an interest in medieval church architecture, do pass them in my direction, won’t you?

Quietly, quietly, Suffolk is going to become just a little bit more influential. That's bad news for some...

Be afraid, be very afraid...

The newspaper headline at the station newsagent this morning reminds me that, whilst the population of the United Kingdom is growing, it is growing fastest in some unexpected places.

My quiet corner of the English countryside is one of them, and that means that the county has to manage that growth despite planning policies that rule out additional housing in the many small villages that dot the landscape, such as Creeting St Peter. Instead, towns such as Stowmarket, Sudbury and Haverhill come under pressure to absorb the new residents.

And, to complicate matters further, it is predicted that the county's population is aging too, with projections indicating that more than a quarter of Suffolk residents will be 65 or older by 2031.

That makes for a set of 'interesting' challenges for our political leaders over the next decade.

But it does also have an effect on the rest of you. One of the unexpected outcomes of the aborted Boundary Commission effort to draw up new Parliamentary constituencies was that, despite the proposed reduction from 650 to 600, Suffolk was slated to gain representation, not lose it, with a new 'Ely and Newmarket' constituency making seven and a bit, as opposed to the original seven.

Suffolk's seven MP's are currently all Conservative - they held on in both Ipswich and Waveney, much to my surprise - and adding the new seat will simply dilute a series of huge Conservative majorities to little political advantage for their opponents.

Oh well, I suppose that I might have to console myself that we might get some more services to deal with all of these newcomers. And, you never know, there might be a few more liberals about the place...

The Greater Anglia rail franchise contest - down to the final three...

The East Anglia rail franchise has, in truth, not been a terribly happy experience for anyone - passengers or train operating company. Hampered by poor, aging infrastructure and equally poor, aging rolling stock, customer satisfaction has been low for the most part and the ever promised jam delayed by faulty points in the Westminster area.

And now, after the seizing of the franchise from National Express, only to be replaced by a twenty-nine month franchise to cover the gap whilst the Department for Transport worked out just how one might decide upon how to award a franchise having made such a bodge of the West Coast Main Line one, the final three contenders have been announced. So, what have we got?...

Firstly, Abellio East Anglia Ltd, a joint venture between Abellio (part of Nederlandse Spoorwegen) and Stagecoach. I'm not a huge fan of Stagecoach, but must admit that Abellio have done reasonably well since they took over. By improving cleaning, refurbishing trains and using social media, especially Twitter, well, the calamitous state of the infrastructure has been somewhat mitigated.

Next up, First East Anglia Ltd. Yes, it's those people that brought you 'Worst Great Western', a company so bad that passengers went on strike. And yes, they may well argue that they got better, but if they had got any worse, the franchise would surely have been taken away from them. Indeed, some might argue that it should have been.

And finally, National Express East Anglia Trains Ltd. What can I say, apart from repeating my fond wish that, having walked away from two franchises, they should never, ever, be allowed to run a railway service in this country again. When they ran the East Anglia franchise, they axed the award-winning restaurant service, sacked cleaners and customer service staff "in order to improve the customer experience" and were generally utterly useless. I can but hope that the only reason they made the final shortlist was because there were only three applicants.

So, given the choices, I would rather want Abellio/Stagecoach to win, as the prospects for my daily commute would not be rosy if either of the other bids were to be successful.

So, a polite reminder to the Department of Transport and, in particular, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (who, I see, appears to have no experience in transport policy), that if you screw this up, you will not have heard the last of it. There are plenty of Peers who use the East Anglian Main Line who will have much to say if their journeys are interrupted...

As the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party in the Lords girds its loins for battle…

…we should, perhaps, say goodbye and thank you to five of our Peers who have retired from the House of Lords in the past month under the terms of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014. In order of their declaration of retirement;

Lord (Colin) Sharman retired with effect from 30 April. A former Chairman of the ‘Big 4’ accountancy firm KPMG, he wasn’t terribly active in the House in recent years, but could be relied upon for critical votes.

Lord (Andrew) Phillips of Sudbury retired (again) with effect from 7 May. I say ‘again’ because he took leave of absence in 2006, intending never to return, but clearly realised that his annoyance at both Labour and Conservative efforts to reduce our civil liberties was good enough cause to return. Brave enough to disagree with even Paddy Ashdown on the floor of the House, Andrew spoke strongly against cuts to the legal aid budget and ID cards, and was an expert on charities and the law. Outside the chamber, he was probably most renowned for being Jimmy Young’s ‘Legal Eagle’ for more than a quarter of a century. Personally, I’ll miss him, although, as a near neighbour, I’m hoping that he won’t be a stranger.

Lord (Michael) Sandberg retired with effect from 8 May. A former Chairman of HSBC, he added business acumen to the Parliamentary Party although, again, he was relatively inactive in recent years. Given that he is 87, that might well be excusable…

Lord (William) Goodhart retired with effect from 15 May. One of the original SDP grandees, he fought Kensington in the 1983 and 1987 General Elections, as well as in the 1988 by-election, and Oxford West and Abingdon in 1992, when he got within 3,500 votes of victory. He went on to hold a number of frontbench positions in the Lords, including that of Shadow Lord Chancellor.

And finally, Lord (John) Roper retired with effect from 23 May. A former Labour MP who defected to the SDP in 1991, he served as our Chief Whip in the Lords until 2005, before going on to be Principal Deputy Chairman and thus Chair of the House of Lords European Union Committee, in 2008. In recent years, he was a regular attender at ALDE Congresses, where his knowledge of how Europe works was very impressive, even if his skills were underused. In a situation where opinion is not necessarily supported by knowledge, his modesty regarding his own knowledge meant that it wasn’t utilised by our delegations to its best effect.

I am confident, however, that as far as is possible, they will not be lost to public life altogether. We should be grateful that they contributed as they did to both the Party and to Parliament.

To the Arctic Circle and beyond: Day 5 - in which our voyagers retrace their steps...

The Norwegian Air Shuttle flight to Bergen leaves Gatwick at 10.50 a.m., which is all very well if you live in London, especially South London. It isn't so great if you live in Suffolk but, luckily, Ros's term-time flat in London was available to us, so an early, but bearably so, start as we headed back to Norway.

I don't use Gatwick very much, but check-in and security were rather straightforward, and the South Terminal was crowded but not overly so. We grabbed breakfast and headed to the gate for our flight.

Nice, eh? A bit strange, but very Scandinavian...

Norwegian offer free wi-fi throughout the flight (an unfamiliar but welcome facility), so the journey passed relatively easily and we arrived in Bergen on time, grabbing a taxi to our hotel. It was our first reminder as to just how expensive Norway is - you always find yourself mentally exclaiming "how much?" with a slightly panicky air of disbelief - but we arrived at the hotel, checked into our room (with a balcony, no less) and made a reservation for some traditional Norwegian fare - there may have been reindeer and fish involved.

I checked the Hurtigruten website. The MS Trollfjord was making its way south towards Bergen and was on time. Things were beginning to look up...

Dinner was... interesting. Excellent food, service of a decidedly amateurish streak. But then, Norwegians don't really tip - they assume that people get paid a proper salary - so some of the incentive is missing. Wesselstuen is a rather traditional sort of place, with an emphasis on the food, rather than the ambience. However, that suits me just fine, especially if there's reindeer on the menu.

Replete, we had a brief stroll around the town in bright sunshine before heading back to the hotel for a good night's sleep...

To the Arctic Circle and beyond: Days 3/4 - and just when you're about to give up hope...

So, we had returned to Suffolk after the disappointment of having our trip cancelled and, out of curiosity, I had a look at the Hurtigruten website to see if they had availability for the voyage on the Saturday out of Bergen. They did, a surprising amount of availability.

I called my new friend at Hurtigruten, Andy, the Senior VIP Consultant (we're not VIP's, but I think they realised that they had screwed up). I said to him, "I see that you have availability for Saturday. Is there any chance that we could cut a deal so that we get one. I can get us to Bergen in time if necessary.". He responded favourably, although he would have to put it to management the next morning.

It was agreed that I would call the next morning...

Gatwick to Bergen, surprisingly reasonably...

Ros was in Harwich, attending a board meeting, when I rang Andy again. "Good news!", he said, "Yes, we can put you on the Saturday sailing, we'll give you your journey at the original price plus a 20% discount.". That was good enough, and so I booked new flights to Bergen for the next morning, rearranged our original flights home and organised new hotels. And then, I texted Ros to let her know that we were back on.

Down to London that evening - we hadn't unpacked, which made life easier - we anticipated, slightly wearily, the journey ahead...

Alright, I've been away. So, where have I been?

Readers with a long memory may recall that, on polling day, I fled the country, possibly never to return (well, you never know, do you?). I was bound for Oslo, for a meeting of the ALDE Party Council (here's my report, since you ask...).

What I didn't mention was that my plans involved staying on in Norway for a few days and, initially, all went well. I enjoyed a scenic train ride through the snow-covered centre of the country, travelling from Oslo to Bergen via Finse (the highest mainline railway station in Europe, I'm told).

Ros was waiting there to meet me, and we had the afternoon and most of the next day to see Bergen, meeting Svein, one of her former colleagues on the North Sea Commission, and his partner. And yes, the weather in Bergen wasn't great, but the company was good and we were rather enjoying ourselves.

Which, as you might have feared, is when things started going wrong.

Ros has always wanted to take the Hurtigruten (the coastal express ferry) up the Norwegian coast from Bergen to Kirkenes, on the Russian border. And so, I had booked us into a suite on the MS Finnmarken, scheduled to leave on the Monday evening. It was at the point that we returned to our hotel to meet Svein for some afternoon sightseeing that the hotel receptionist noted that there appeared to be a problem with our ship.

Svein kindly drove us to the harbour, where it was confirmed that the sailing had been postponed due to a mechanical failure. We were to report to a hotel in the city, where things would be explained and arrangements made.

"We're sorry, but the Finnmarken won't be sailing tonight. Repairs are being made and we expect it to sail tomorrow. In the meantime, we have arranged accommodation for you here, and meals will be provided.", said the Hurtigruten representative. "The ship will make up time and you will arrive at Kirkenes as scheduled."

That wasn't entirely the point, given that the whole idea was to enjoy the journey but...

The next morning, we awoke, only to receive the news that the repairs to the Finnmarken had been successful, only to uncover another problem, this time with one of the propellors. We weren't going anywhere, at least, not soon. We were offered a full refund and flights home so, after some discussion, we opted to head back to Suffolk.

I will not bore you with details of our return but, back in our cottage, it was time to regroup...

The adventure is over, for the time being. Now, the hard work begins...

In retrospect, leaving the country on 7 May has begun to look better and better, especially given the result of the General Election. Unfortunately, my employers take the rather conservative view that, in order for my salary to be justified, I have to come in and do some work occasionally. And so, I am back.

Today has been a day for catching up. I've got a Local Party Executive Committee meeting on Thursday evening, so a report has had to be written and accounts drawn up for the year to date. I've done that, so I'm alright so far.

Laundry and shopping have been done, the garden tidied and progress on this year's building work has been ascertained (so that's what a death watch beetle looks like...). The house is still standing, so that's alright too.

So, I'd better catch up on events over the past fortnight or so...

@ALDEParty Council - what message should Liberals bring in answer to anti-immigration EU-sceptics?

Alright, we lost and the Conservatives won. A referendum on our membership of the European Union beckons and UKIP, plus a chunk of the Conservative Party, can be counted upon to campaign for us to leave. Labour can't be counted upon to make a pro-European case and the Liberal Democrats need to develop a more nuanced stance than simply being in favour of Europe as it is (not one of Nick Clegg's finest moments, might I suggest?).

So, the European Liberal Forum event on confronting the far-right and Eurosceptics was a potential source of ideas and I attended with some enthusiasm.

After some introductions by our hosts, Giulio Ercolessi spoke about the importance of treating people as individuals, as opposed to groups of, and within, minorities.

Han ten Broeke made another appearance, speaking about the Dutch experience. He believes that the VVD advances stem from an acknowledgement that telling people that they should be more tolerant is not good enough. You need to understand where the people are, and you need to be in government. That means, potentially, compromising on your principles in order to gain power. in the Netherlands, that meant drawing the far-right populists into government, forcing them to compromise. For such people, compromise is deadly, making them 'just like the rest of us' and thus neutralised. You need to bring them out into the open, rather than forcing them underground.

He noted that, in Britain, the Liberal Democrats had taken responsibility, yet had been unfairly punished. However, generally, the public like political parties who take responsibility. He accepted that, for many liberals, this is an uncomfortable stance, but it works.

Yousuf Gilani is a Venstre local councillor from Drammen, and the winner of the 2014 ALDE Committee of the Regions President's Award. He spoke of his background, coming as he does from a family who came to Norway from Pakistan in the 1960's.

He emphasised the importance of building bridges between communities. He had organised a protest in Oslo against Islamic extremism, with a huge turnout from the Muslim community to demonstrate their opposition to such extremism, inspired by the experience of his daughter.

Johanna Jönsson MP, the Swedish Centerpartiet spokesperson on immigration and integration, was next up. She noted the difficulty that mainstream Swedish opinion has had in dealing with the far right Swedish Democrats. How do you discuss immigration and integration without providing succour to such people? As a result, politicians and the media have chosen to duck the issue or raise potential tightening of the immigration regime.

Support for the Swedish Democrats is highest amongst those who feel threatened by the changes in society, technological and cultural. The campaign against them is dominated by accusations of racism and xenophobia, which merely reinforces their sense of alienation.

Johanna felt that the best solution is not to communicate through the media, but to take a more 'face to face' approach. She is travelling the country, meeting those who are worried about change, explaining how the immigration system really works, and about what happens. She wants people to exercise their brains, not their hearts.

We need to have a clear vision for our society, to explain how migration fits into that and what we need to do to make things work for as many of us as possible. That does not mean including the Swedish Democrats, as Han ten Broeke advocated, it means taking them on.

Delegates then intervened, talking about the issues of identity and integration. I spoke about my background, and about my family's migration. I firmly believe that we have to do something about those communities who have effectively become 'ghettoised' and isolated from our community, our civil society and our values. That means, as liberals, reaching out to them, expressing how our values offer them opportunities that isolation denies them.

Mid Suffolk - the results...

Well, as Treasurer of the Mid Suffolk Local Party, I had set my goals fairly low for the campaign, with the hope that we might retain our deposits in Bury St Edmunds and in Suffolk Central and North Ipswich. As for the District Council elections, my fear was that we would be swept away by high turnout.

Firstly, the Parliamentary elections. Given the calamitous performance across the country, retaining both deposits is something of a pleasant surprise, even if the results are awful.

In Bury St Edmunds, David Chappell came fifth with 3,581 votes (6%), down 20.4% on our 2010 performance, when we came second. In Suffolk Central and North Ipswich, Jon Neal came fourth with 3,314 votes (6.1%), down 18.8% on our 2010 performance. I am grateful to them for their willingness to fly the flag under difficult circumstances.

On Mid Suffolk District Council, we lost two of the six seats we were defending, Ringshall, where we were defending a majority of just 20 with a new candidate, and Claydon and Barham, where the incumbent retired. Wendy Marchant and Mike Norris survived in Needham Market, although Mike only scraped in by eight votes. In Rattlesden, Penny Otton came home fairly comfortably and John Field topped the poll in the the two-member ward of Bramford and Blakenham.

Elsewhere, Keith Scarff came up eighty-eight votes short in Stowmarket South, having lost by sixty-five on a much lower turnout in 2011, and Doug Reed lost by ninety-five in Elmswell and Norton.

On a personal note, I didn't contest Stowupland ward this time. However, there was a sting in the tale for the not so local Conservatives when Keith Welham beat Jemma Lynch by 103 votes to take the seat for the Greens.

So, how does that leave Mid Suffolk District Council?

Prior to the election, the Conservatives held twenty-two of the forty seats, with three Condependents to be counted upon, with six Liberal Democrats, four Greens (plus a reliable Independent, the wife of the Green group leader), two Suffolk Together, one Labour and one 'proper' Independent. Now, we have twenty-nine Conservatives (plus Charlie Flatman in Eye), five Greens, four Liberal Democrats and Gerard Brewster, the Independent from Stowmarket South.

So, goodbye Suffolk Together and farewell to the Labour Party in Mid Suffolk, both swept away by the Conservative tide and a massively increased turnout.

Our membership is already up since polling day, and the work begins now for 2017 and the County elections...

@ALDEParty Council - the urgency resolutions working group

So, I was minding my own business at last night's welcome reception when my pocket buzzed. Checking my e-mail, I was slightly surprised to find that not only were there urgency resolutions - seven of them - but that one of them proposed an asylum and migration policy for the European Union, courtesy of the FDP, and that they would be debated at 9.30 this morning.

Having told Robert Woodthorpe Browne, chair of our Party's International Relations Committee and delegation leader, that I would attend, I went back to my hotel room, read the resolutions and made a few notes for use in debate.

After a hearty breakfast, I arrived at the Council venue and took a seat. Vedrana Gujic, President of LYMEC (ALDE's youth wing), opened the meeting and we were under way. Resolutions on Greece and the Eurozone, protecting the European Single Market, mineral waste dumping in Norwegian fjords and the release of political prisoners in Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan were pretty uncontentious. However, there was some debate on whether or not to push for visa-free access to the European Union for Ukrainians. Personally, I tend to the view that moving on this demonstrates to the people of Ukraine that we believe them, and want them, to be part of the European family, and is a good thing.

It was at this point that I realised that I was, in fact, the delegation. And therefore, given the absence of policy support, I will accept that the views expressed by me on behalf of the Party may not entirely reflect Party policy. However, offering visa-free access is a liberal thing to do, and I'm happy to stand by my support for it in this instance.

The next resolution was the controversial one. Springing a resolution on asylum and migration policy on an ALDE Council meeting with just twelve hours notice is unacceptable, and whilst I accept that some of the elements of the resolution did fulfil the requirements of the use of the word 'urgency' - strengthening Frontex, allowing asylum seekers to apply at embassies of European Union member states overseas, for example, suggesting that a points-based system was sound without considering the impact on Schengen and non-Schengen States is unduly hasty. I called for amendments to the resolution that would allow Congress to discuss the matter at greater length in Budapest in November, allowing us to consult with our members at home.

There is an acknowledged acceptance that the current Dublin system for allocating refugees is broken, and we need to replace it with something better. However, dumping refugees on communities that cannot cope, or who need to develop strategies for integrating them, risks creating pockets of isolation that generate future problems for both the community and those seeking to become part of our wider society. I intend to raise this with Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary to seek their input prior to the meeting in Budapest.

Finally, we discussed the situation in Macedonia, where the current government has been accused of massive levels of corruption and other criminal activity, up to and including murder. If passed by Council, the resolution now calls for the government to resign in favour of a transitional administration bringing together all political forces in the country and to impose personal sanctions against those individuals responsible otherwise.

Next, the round table on liberalism and fighting the extreme right...

ALDE Council Fringe - The Future of Liberal Europe

Earlier this evening, Tom Nuttall, who writes the Charlemagne column for the Economist, moderated a round table debate in Oslo's Litteraturhuset (Literature House).

The panel, made up of four liberal politicians from Austria, Estonia, the Netherlands and Norway, were asked to respond to the reference in Nick Clegg's resignation speech, in which he noted that European liberalism is under threat.

Trine Skei Grande MP, Leader of Venstre, our hosts, spoke about the importance of being relevant in national politics. We need to renew our policies in the light of technology and its potential impact on our civil liberties. She was (politely) critical of the Liberal Democrats, noting that we appeared to have forgotten the things that had made us successful in the first place. Trine believes that you should go into government with a clear set of goals and promises and stick to them (she apologised to Lib Dems for having to say that). She was very critical of Nick Clegg, saying that you can't tell the people that they are wrong, that we must go back to our strengths - representing people, 'pavement politics', connecting with people one at a time.

Urmas Paet, former Foreign Minister of Estonia, and now a member of the European Parliament, talked of three risks that liberalism faces - the economy and household income, impacted by free movement of goods and services, the digital economy and trade agreements, security - where fears over migration from outside the EU may challenge the future of the Schengen zone and bring about a further increase in support for populist, nationalist parties, and privacy - how can we balance personal freedoms with the need for security.

Han ten Broeke, VVD's Foreign Affairs spokesman, felt very sorry for Nick Clegg, suggesting that it was very brave to go into government. He had hoped that the coalition would continue, ensuring that the United Kingdom does not turn its back on Europe. He was of the view that we must decide whether we want to be entirely true to our principles or whether we are willing to exercise real power.

For example, if voters believe that freedoms is under threat, so how do we address the concept that freedom is security?

Angelika Mlinar MEP, NEOS (Austria) espoused a view that the voters are always right - I fundamentally disagree with that - and we have to address their concerns, regardless of whether or not we agree with them.

Han ten Broeke also noted that, for the first time, foreign affairs has become a major issue in Dutch politics as voters begin to fear the outside world. Liberals are uncomfortable talking about security.

Urmas Paet disagreed with Angelika, as he felt that, actually, some people ARE wrong. Estonians are not shocked by events in the Ukraine, for example, given their history and geography. Europe is very diverse and has a lot of variety in its views.

Ever willing to seek wisdom - that rather seems to be the point of coming to these events, I suggest - I asked the panel what our priorities should be, and their unanimous answer was that we need to rebuild from the floor up.

So, there you go, Team Cockroach, there are some marching orders...

Lest we forget...

The sun is shining here in Oslo, although a brisk wind is bringing in some rather less attractive cloud. And, as I sit here, on the edge of the battlements of the Akershus Fortress, it is perhaps appropriate to send condolences to those who have lost their seats today, and to those whose jobs have suddenly disappeared - researchers, agents, constituency staff.

All of them have given their best for our Party, for its beliefs and for liberalism, and regardless of what we may think of the past five years, they did it for what they thought was for the best. Many of them are personal friends - one of the hardest parts of being in a party such as the Liberal Democrats is the sense of family that we engender.

And to the volunteers up and down the land, whose enthusiasm never failed, and the candidates in hopeless causes. You didn't have to put your heads above the parapet, but you did anyway.

Thank you to you all, you deserve our gratitude...

Alright, it's virtually all over. It's been horrible. We're not dead though.

The War of the Triple Alliance, in which Paraguay fought, and lost to, the combined forces of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, saw the male population of Paraguay reduced by 70%. As a Liberal Democrat this morning, it feels a lot like that at the moment. And, of course, it isn't over yet. There are still local elections to be counted and it would be naive to expect any encouragement from those.

So, what now? What can, or should, Liberal Democrats do?

Firstly, don't panic. Yes, it's bad, yes, it's awful. There is no consolation sufficient to shelter behind. But, despite everything, something like 2.5 million voters still turned out to vote Liberal Democrat, even after five years of cuts, of having to make and defend some very difficult positions. That is a base upon which we can rebuild.

Second, we are in opposition. Even if the Conservatives come in search of our support in the Commons, we are better off out of it. There are going to be more cuts, more pain, and voters are about to discover what Conservatives are capable without having Liberal Democrats to restrain them. Personally, I hope that those on the left whose vitriol did so much to undermine us in Conservative-facing seats dwell on the outcome and learn the lessons. I'm not optimistic.

Next, policy. What are we actually about? We need a positive vision for our country, rethinking the very concept of the nation state (devolution, Europe), about what government is for (form and function).

We also need to decide if we are going to play the political game in the same way. Is 'looking like a party of government' something that works for us or against? For the record, I'd say that it doesn't - the media don't like us and never will. Our social media campaign was extremely good, and if there was a positive from the campaign, that (and fundraising) was it. We need to focus on our message and our ideas and talk about beliefs.

One last thing. Whilst the Conservatives will have a majority in the Commons, the position is very different in the Lords. One hundred Liberal Democrat peers will find themselves in a key position until, presumably, the Conservatives appoint enough Peers to change that. They'll need at least one hundred though. In the meantime, they represent an opportunity for us to hold the Government to account. It will be interesting to see whether the Party's approach towards our Parliamentary Party in the Lords changes.

And now, I'm off to face our European sister parties. At least they'll be sympathetic...

Creeting St Peter: it's too late @jemnicole1, your predecessor sold the pass on the Business and Enterprise Park...

In her leaflet, two weeks ago, our Conservative candidate assured us that she would

Ensure that our views regarding the proposed developments in Stowupland and Creeting St Peter are adequately represented.

I should, therefore, not have been surprised when, last week, it was announced that outline planning permission had been given for a proposed Business and Enterprise Park on the edge of our Parish. I was even less surprised when, in the East Anglian Daily Times report, the current ward councillor, Caroline Byles, popped up to say;

Initially I was very against this development. But after reading papers I have come to the conclusion this development is needed.

It would possibly be a mite cynical if I were to note that Ms Byles lives fifteen miles away from the site and is unlikely to suffer in any way from the increased noise and light pollution, loss of views and congestion caused by both the construction work and the three thousand people expected to work there.

Soon, all this won't be fields...

So much for Jemma's commitment then, given that residents of the Clamps Farm group of homes will have this on their doorstep, and that the gap between Stowmarket and the village will be halved. Worse still, with the site expected to be transferred from Creeting St Peter to Stowmarket, it is hard to envisage what benefits will accrue to us.

It is probably fair to say that local Conservatives have little interest in the voices of Creeting St Peter residents, except on the rare occasion that they want our votes. And yes, it is true that none of the other parties have made much of an effort here either, but as I expect to hear from my councillors rather more than once every four years, I feel that I have every justification for expressing dissatisfaction.

I wonder how the Greens are getting on in Stowupland...

Far from the campaign trail - a European detour on the road to wisdom

Never let it be said that I am unwilling to help, and I have always been happy to go to meetings so that you, gentle reader (yes, Jennie, I know that you don't see yourself as gentle but...), don't have to. And so, today I am off to Brussels, as I have a meeting of the ALDE Party's Financial Advisory Committee to attend tomorrow morning.

I have served on some very obscure bodies in my time, but the Financial Advisory Committee is probably up the most obscure. It isn't mentioned in the statutes of ALDE, its membership is decided upon by the Bureau and its minutes aren't published. It has no authority of its own, acting in a consultative capacity only and files no reports, at least, none that I am aware of. In short, it is a perfect home for shy and retiring bureaucrats like myself.

This may be about to change, however, and it might just be that I am, in part, responsible. In November, at ALDE Council, there was some discontent about the apparent absence of ethics and transparency guidelines for fundraising. Except, of course, that my colleagues and I had actually written some, a point I was only too happy to volunteer. Not only had they been written, we had actually requested feedback.

The feedback has now come and all of it has come from member parties in Northern Europe - perhaps a sign of better organisation? It tends to be focussed on enhanced transparency and greater consultation and, whilst my impulse is to be supportive, there are questions of practicality to consider.

So, I really ought to give this some thought. Over a nice dinner, perhaps... or a beer...

@jennirsl is unhappy about the lack of women in politics. She's notnecessarily right about the cause.

In this morning's Times, Jenni Russell writes interestingly about the lack of women in modern politics. And, naturally, she is critical of political parties for their lack of progress in this aspect of candidate selection. Apparently, women are less likely to be approved and less likely to be selected when they do compete.

I can't speak for the other political parties but, unlike Jenni, I do know how my own party's processes work and, I have to tell her, as far as the Liberal Democrats are concerned, it isn't about approval or selection, it's in some ways worse (or at least, more difficult than that). My experience is that, in the Liberal Democrats, women are as likely to be approved to go on the candidate list as men - indeed they tend to perform slightly better - and as likely to be selected to fight seats, even winnable ones, as their male counterparts.

2015 won't be a great year for Liberal Democrats, with everyone expecting us to lose seats. And yet we have women candidates who have taken over from retiring male MPs, and we are optimistic that some of them will win. But, we are reminded of 2010, when exactly the same thing happened, under very much more promising circumstances, and what happened? They lost. in South East Cornwall and Harrogate and Knaresborough, to name two. In target seats, where we really thought we could win, like Derby North and Truro and Falmouth, women candidates lost. And in held seats, like Redruth and Camborne and Richmond Park, good women MPs lost.

So, we have an apparent problem at the sharp end, when the electorate, uncontrollable and unfathomable, made the decision not to elect some women - not really something that political parties can control.

We do, also, have a problem at the initial stage of the supply end. Women don't come forward in anything like the same numbers as men - the ratio was about 1:2 in my days as a candidate assessor and member of the English Candidates Committee. To be honest, I have no idea why and it's hard to envisage how one might easily find out. However, the answer to that question is essential in determining possible solutions.

Jenni's solution is a simple one - quotas. But, if you don't have willing applicants, even quotas won't offer a real solution, especially for smaller parties without safe seats. The life of a Liberal Democrat PPC, especially one in a target seat, is a tough one. You wouldn't get me doing it. Indeed, because of my wide experience of our Party, I have huge admiration for anyone willing to do it, especially given the high risk of defeat.

So, I invite Jenni to dig a little deeper. Indeed, I'm perfectly happy to help her do so, because the fact that she cares enough to express her view, in print, somewhere where lots of people will see it implies that she wants to be part of the solution. Unless, of course, she just wants to beat political parties with a stick...

Far from the campaign trail - we're on the road to Bognor Regis (Town FC)...

Ten days ago, along with an astonishing 971 others, I was at Bloomfields, the home of our plucky little non-league football team - the Marketmen of Needham Market - as they played out an incident-packed, and ultimately indecisive, 2-2 draw against fellow title contenders Harlow Town. That meant that the last day of the season would see Needham Market travel to Chatham Town, knowing that a win would see them promoted, regardless of events at Harlow, where Thamesmead Town were the visitors. Any slip up though, and a win for Harlow would condemn the Marketmen to the lottery of the playoffs.

So, a nervy ninety minutes or so in prospect it seemed. Clearly, nobody told the team, as they put the Chats to the sword, romping to a three-nil half-time lead before eventually coming out as five-nil winners. It was tough on Harlow Town, worthy adversaries all season, although some of their rather foul-mouthed supporters whose expletive-laden chanting both at pitch side and in the bar afterwards was out of keeping with our genteel town won't be missed should they fail at the play-off stage.

And so, next season sees the relative footballing big time hit sleepy Needham Market, with teams that people may have heard of looking at a map wondering, "Where the hell is that?". And yes, compared to Dulwich, or Lewes, or Harrow, Needham Market is very small, but visiting teams can expect a warm welcome, friendly locals and a decided lack of aggro. We just don't do that here.

It also means the end of Preliminary Round FA Cup games for the time being - Ryman League Premier Division teams are exempted until the First Round of the Qualifying Competition, which will ease the burden on the squad in the early stages of the season. Best of all, it makes the prospects of reaching the First Round proper that little bit more realistic - dreams of Portsmouth or Luton Town coming to Bloomfields will be slightly less fanciful.

So, Wingate and Finchley, Kingstonian and Burgess Hill Town, Canvey Island and Metropolitan Police, prepare yourselves for the Marketmen. Let the adventure begin...