European Selection: starting as I mean to go on...

I am a cautious soul, something which comes with being a bureaucrat, I guess. And so, having got my head around being a Returning Officer again, my first thought was to read the rules and work out how the proposed schedule fits into the rest of my life.

My first thought was, "I really need to talk to the Regional Executive.", as they appoint a shortlisting committee which is subject to my approval (I am tasked with ensuring that it is properly reflective of the Regional Party's membership). The Regional Executive is expected to appoint the shortlisting committee in a window that opened on 6 March and closes on 30 April. Given that I was only notified of my appointment on 3 April, my first problem was apparent, in that there could already have been a nominated shortlisting committee in place.

So, being an organised sort of person, I contacted the Regional Chair to see if they had done anything about this, only to be told, in no uncertain manner, that the Regional Party had other, more pressing, concerns - I can't help but agree that the London Mayoral and Assembly elections are rather more obviously important just now.

However, this does mean that I can fulfil the obligation laid down by paragraph 5 of the not actually finalised European Selection Rules, i.e.

"The Returning Officer must brief the Regional Executive(s) on the selection process before the appointment of the shortlisting committee."

I have left a message with London's Regional Secretary, Peter Ramrayka, hoping to set something up, and I guess that I ought to collect some data on the Regional Party, in order to be able to make a proper judgement as to the representative nature (or otherwise) of any proposed shortlisting committee. I'm also going to have to read the regional constitution in order to ensure that the correct procedure is followed when proposing the shortlisting committee's membership.

What all of this means, of course, is that the London selection process is already behind schedule. It's retrievable, no doubt, but just squeezes the timetable a touch.

This could be fun, couldn't it...

European Selection: the first order of business for the Returning Officer

The disadvantage of my increasing distance from the Party’s central bureaucracy is that I don’t really know what they’re up to. This may be a good thing in some ways, but advances in administration do happen without me and unless you may an effort to stay ‘in the loop’, there is a danger that you act on the basis of obsolete guidance.

Accordingly, I’ve asked the Senior Returning Officer for the European selection (he co-ordinates stuff and deals with issues that transcend individual Regions, amongst other things) whether or not the Rules have changed from 2012. I’m led to believe that, as far as I’m concerned, not much has changed but we’ll see about that shortly.

In the meantime, and assuming that these bits haven’t changed, what am I expected to do as Returning Officer?

I will;

• Support the shortlisting committee through the selection process
• Protect the interests of members
• Ensure the fair and equal treatment of candidates
• Ensure that the selection rules are followed

I am also required to brief the relevant Regional Executive on the selection process before the appointment of the shortlisting committee (can I do that via Skype?).

So, it looks like my first task is to contact the Secretary of London Liberal Democrats and find out when they next meet. I wonder who that is these days?...

"Speed, bonnie bus, like a bird on the wing"...

It still wasn't very nice as I left Inverness (again). At least it wasn't raining as hard as it had been for the most epic part of my rail adventure, involving two trains, a ferry and two buses, one of which might not actually exist.

The railway line to Kyle of Lochalsh is another of those well-known railways to nowhere, passing through a whole lot of nothing on the way to a ferry port which lost its raison d'etre when the bridge to Skye was built. Admittedly, the 'whole lot of nothing' is insanely scenic, but you do wonder how such a line survives even now. I'm not convinced that the number of fare-paying passengers really justifies keeping it, but as the sort of person who can think of little finer than gazing out of the window of a moving train, accompanied perhaps by a nice cup of tea, I am grateful to the powers that be for funding it.

The train rolled into Kyle of Lochalsh at 11.30, leaving me less than five hours to get to Mallaig, the furthest extent of the West Highland Line. The obvious route was via the Armadale-Mallaig ferry, but how to reach Armadale?

There is a bus from Kyle of Lochalsh to Broadford, on Skye, which conveniently leaves the slipway, near the station, at 11.50 a.m., and so I headed there to catch it. I found it easily enough, a little thirty-seater operated by Stagecoach, and sure enough, it made its way over the bridge and onto Skye. Soon, I was in Broadford, which is the second largest community on Skye, after Portree. This is not saying an awful lot, but it has all of the key things that you might need, including a bus stop. It even has the Isle of Skye Candle Company, which offered an opportunity to do some minor gift shopping.

According to Traveline, there was a bus to Armadale Pier, run by Maclean's Coaches. There was, however, no mention of it on the bus stop, and the company website indicated that there was no summer timetable. I could, however, ring them for information, so I did, only to get a voicemail message which indicated that I could leave a message, which I did. It also indicated that the bus stop was half a mile away.

And so, I trudged through the rain, suitcase trailing behind me, until I found the designated spot. I was not optimistic but, at almost exactly the appointed time, a slightly stretched pale blue minibus hove into view, which I flagged down, somewhat to the surprise of the driver. It was the mysterious number 601 bus to Armadale Pier.

I stopped for fish and chips (don't tell anyone) at a rather cute little cafe next to the port office for Caledonian MacBrayne, who run most of the ferry services in the West of Scotland, and did a little more shopping, before buying my very reasonable ticket to Mallaig.

Mallaig was wet (just for consistency's sake) but, having stopped for tea as an alternative to being rained on, I was fortunate to board the train just before the heavens opened with particular ferocity - not a good omen for the train journey ahead. However, I wasn't to be disappointed, for the journey to Glasgow is a sensational one. My personal high spot was, just as we left Rannoch, a stag decided to display himself close to the track, immediately followed by a rainbow.

The last part of the journey is a bit of an anti-climax (if you choose to do the journey, do it in the other direction, is my advice), but I did get to my hotel in Glasgow early enough to have a truly marvelous steak and Gruyere baguette, possibly a marker for the culinary treat to follow the next evening. For I was heading south...

European Selections: could these be the most open ones for a generation?

Being a European Parliamentary candidate for the Liberals and then Liberal Democrats has seldom been easy. Before the advent of list elections, it was not until the 1994 elections that a Liberal Democrat was elected (there were two of them – Graham Watson and Robin Teverson). And so, when list elections were introduced for the 1999 European Parliamentary elections, European selections began to really matter, and not just in places of traditional liberal strength.

With as many as eleven candidates to be elected in some Regions, achieving 12% of the vote across a European Region would probably be enough to get you elected, should you be lucky enough to be on top of the list. Indeed, with the use of the D’Hondt system of proportional representation, in some Regions, electing two Liberal Democrats was a possibility (South East, for example). The selections really mattered, and were fiercely contested as a result.

There was a small catch though, one which only began to emerge in the course of the next selection, which took place in 2002. The incumbent MEP had a huge advantage, with a budget to issue annual mailings to members (some of which were conveniently timed to go out just before the campaign phase) and a profile that made it hard to envisage them being defeated in a selection contest.

As it turned out, it wasn’t hard to beat them – it was impossible. And with the curious fact that, as a pro-European political party, we tend to underperform in regional list elections (and one could go on for hours about why that is), it meant that other applicants were contending to be the ones that didn’t get elected (unless the incumbent subsequently fell under a bus post-election). Interest began to fade, to the extent that, in 2012, there wasn’t much interest in candidacy. Indeed, in the East of England, where I chaired the shortlisting committee, there were so few applicants that they were all waved through to the membership ballot.

This time, it will be different. There will be no incumbents, and few of the ex-MEPs are expected to run (there are exceptions, I’m led to believe, but I don’t have any firm knowledge and, as a Returning Officer, I don’t see why I should promote them anyway). So, there is every possibility that new names may emerge and end up as Liberal Democrat MEPs. That means, potentially, more competition, on the basis that “it might be you”.

There are other factors in play too. The Party is far more conscious of the need to have more diverse candidates than it was in 1997 – gender was considered, but not ethnicity, for example. The evidence of the Spring Conference in York is that the mood of the Party has become more determined on that front.

So, as a Returning Officer, I expect to have a rather tougher job than I might have had in, say, 2012. How much tougher is, I guess, up to the membership…

Want to be a Liberal Democrat candidate for the 2019 European election? Not on the approved candidates list yet? You need to move fast!

It is hard to believe that, if all goes well, the advert seeking applications for consideration as a Liberal Democrat candidate for 2019 will go live in less than eleven weeks. Yes, less than eleven weeks. How do I know this? Because I've got the schedule, and I'm one of the Returning Officers (London, for those who didn't read yesterday's post - and it disappoints me how many of you don't hang on my every word...).

Given that so many of our members only joined the Party in the month after the May 2015 disaster, they are only now becoming eligible to attend a candidate development day and gain approval (strictly, if I recall correctly, you need to have renewed your membership to be eligible to attend such a development day, although you can submit the paperwork before then). So, for all of those keen, probably young, people, time is of the essence.

However, regardless of your age, or length of membership, if you want to be a European candidate in 2019, you perhaps ought to start thinking about it now. Yes, I know that there are Police and Crime Commissioner elections, Assembly elections in London and Wales, and Parliamentary elections in Scotland, plus local elections in scattered locations across the English counties, and I would be the last to suggest that anyone should lose focus on those, or even the European referendum that follows but, if you do want to be a contender, a small investment of time spent coming up with a strategy that will guide your moves over the months to come might help you achieve a good result.

If you aren't on the approved list, the earlier you get your application form in, the better. Regional and State Candidates Chairs will need to organize development days, and the more notice they have of likely demand, the better, for you, and for them. Remember, a development day is not that easy to organize, or prepare for, and you may only get one shot at it to meet the deadline for this selection (you can, of course, have another go in time for the Westminster selections that will follow).

So, contact Candidates Office at Party HQ, ask them to send you the forms and make sure that you fill them in and return them promptly. My fellow Returning Officers and I look forward to welcoming you to the wonderful world of European candidate selections...

I, the Returning Officer for the aforesaid Regional List...

And so, it can, apparently, be told. A schedule for the selection of our European Parliament regional candidates lists for 2019 has been agreed, and Returning Officers are being appointed.

There will be those of you who might think that this is all a bit premature, especially given the small detail of the referendum on 23 June, and you may well be right. However, any advert isn't due to be published until after that, so in the event that there is a vote to leave the European Union, not so much effort is wasted. It is, I think, probably better to be prepared on the basis of optimism.

European selections have been a thread of activity during my time as a faceless Party bureaucrat. I ran my first one in 1989, and have been involved in every round subsequently. In 1997, I was Returning Officer for the South East region, when seventy-two applicants came forward for what turned out to be eleven places on a list and, eventually, two seats in the European Parliament. It would be fair to say that it wasn't an easy selection, but I was lucky enough to have a shortlisting committee who were a joy to work with.

I was back in 2002, which was rather easier, and then 2007, a selection made simpler in many ways by the fact that I met and proposed to Ros in the middle of it. It would be fair to say that both shortlisting committee and the candidates encountered a more generous than usual Returning Officer...

By 2012, I was in a new Region and a new role, as Chair of the East of England shortlisting committee. It was a very straightforward job - we never met, and agreed to wave all of the applicants through to the all-member ballot.

It won't be that easy this time. We will surely do better than we did in 2014 (it can't possibly be that bad, can it?), which means there is the potential for gains in regions such as London, the South West and the North West. Without incumbents, contests will be, potentially, far more open, making the job of Returning Officers rather more challenging.

And so I'm back, from Outer Space, in my newly appointed role as the Returning Officer for London. I'm looking forward to working with a new shortlisting committee, and to meeting a bunch of interesting candidates. I'm probably a gentler Returning Officer than I once was, and it could be fun. Time to start preparations, I suspect...

Heading south, with an interlude for social interaction...

It was still pretty miserable in Thurso, but I had seen as much as I was ever likely to, and so I was out on the lunchtime train. The Flow Country was still pretty majestic, even if it wasn't the sort of place you'd fancy being caught out in. And so, as I headed south, I passed the time glancing out of the window, as you do, drinking tea as supplied by the actually not bad trolley service.

I had just passed through Dingwall though, when I checked my Twitter feed to discover that one Caron Lindsay was leafleting in Munlochy. "Where on Earth is Munlochy?", I wondered, so I looked at the map function, only to discover that it really wasn't that far away.

And so, I called her, if only to see how she was getting on, and found myself invited to have dinner with the Lindsay family, at their rented holiday cottage on the Black Isle. Naturally, two arch political observers had much to talk about, as we put the world to rights or, at least, the Party, and it was nice to meet Bob, who I've heard a lot about but had never met.

I should also note that I got to meet Hazel, who has become quasi-legendary in dog owning Liberal Democrat circles. Offering her the gravy from my plate appeared to go down well, so I guess that I'd be a welcome visitor in future.

All in all, a very pleasant evening. But tomorrow would see the most complex part of my journey...

To Inverness... and beyond!

It was raining when I reached Inverness, a cold, heavy rain falling from a sullen sky. Not so much "Welcome to the Highlands!" as "The Highlands, you're welcome to them...", but I was heading further north, much further north.

I like trains, as regular readers will be aware. It's not about locomotives or rolling stock - that has little attraction unless it offers something I might personally enjoy - but about the journey. And the four hours and eighteen minutes that it takes to get to Wick, at the furthest extent of the Far North Line, takes you through some of the remotest country served by train.

And is it remote! The relatively gentle country of Ross-shire yields to increasingly rugged country, where sheep are fewer and the lambing is just starting, before you enter the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, a truly bleak, if majestic, place of bog, covering 1,500 square miles.

Colin Rosenstiel tells me that, in years past, the train used to divide at Georgemas Junction, with one part reversing before veering off to Thurso, whilst the other half continued to Wick. Nowadays, with only two carriages, it serves Thurso first before reversing back through Georgemas Junction and on to Wick.

I had planned a brief explore of Wick and arrived to find that it was still raining. Not a promising start, but it wasn't destined to get any better. Caron Lindsay, who spent some of her younger years in the town, tells me that it has rather lost its way, a shadow of its former self, and that seems pretty accurate, although there are few places that benefit from rain and low cloud. I was somewhat relieved that I only had just over an hour...

It was raining in Thurso too but, having checked into my hotel, I needed a good walk, and so went to explore. Like Wick, it seemed that most people had deserted in search of somewhere more pleasant, but I doggedly walked around, looking to see what might reward further exploration in the morning.

After a decent night's sleep, I returned, guided by the hotel proprietor towards 'Caithness Horizons', a relatively new museum housed in the old Town Hall. It has an interesting exhibition on the nuclear facility at Dounreay, not too far down the road, but the highlight is a twenty minute video on Caithness highlighting the unusual countryside - well worth a visit if you unexpectedly find yourself that far north. Remember, it's seven hundred miles from London King's Cross to Thurso by train.

But I had miles to go before I slept, and I was bound for Inverness again on the lunchtime train...

A night on the Caledonian Sleeper...

Ros is away for a week on business and, rather than join her and (to be honest) get in the way, I thought that I'd go for a train ride. And so, on Sunday evening, I reported at Euston Station to catch the 20.57 departure to Inverness (as you do).

It has been a very long time since I rode a sleeper train, so I was intrigued to find out what the experience is like. So, here are some thoughts...

The first class lounge at Euston is alright, no more, no less, although I'm sure that the cookies are very nice. It's simply somewhere to sit whilst you wait for your train, with free soft drinks and a bar (which isn't free, or even particularly cheap). But, as your berth isn't available until about half an hour before departure, it's better than hanging around the concourse, especially whilst Euston is being redeveloped.

You head for the train as soon as the berths are available and, as you've booked in advance, you know where to head for. There will probably be someone to check you in, take down your choice of breakfast if you haven't pre-booked it and explain the various bits and pieces.

The sleeping berth itself is a bit austere (although they tell me that the new rolling stock, due to be introduced in two or three years will be rather less spartan). Your bed is already made up and if, like me, you've booked a first class ticket, you get a nice bag of Arran Aromatics goodies, including a pillow spray for those of you who like that sort of thing.

You may also have pre-booked dinner, which you can eat in your cabin or, if you're not anti-social, you can join your fellow passengers in the lounge car. The notion of sitting on sofas, drinking single malt whisky and making conversation is obviously quite attractive, so it's usually quite crowded at first but, again, your first class ticket is your friend, as you get priority if it's full.

Dinner is microwaved - none of this 'having a proper chef' like they do on Hungarian operated Eurocity trains - but they've chosen well, picking options that survive the process well, and using Scottish ingredients to make the meal an introduction to Scotland.

The prime attraction though is the whisky list, with an impressive range of blended whiskies (for the love of God, why?) but, more importantly, some outstanding single malts. I went for the Balblair 2003 Vintage from Edderton, described as "full bodied, with notes of oranges, lemon, honey and spice". Don't ask me to confirm that, but it slipped down the throat like a song.

Do make sure that your mobile phone and other electrical stuff is as fully charged as possible. The only available charging points are in the lounge car and, on this journey at least, they didn't work anyway. Bring one of those gadgets that will charge your phone if you have one.

Sleep is surprisingly easy. Admittedly, I can sleep just about anywhere, but the background noise isn't too bad at all, and with no announcements to disturb you, and the train pretty steady, most people should be fine. The train was decoupled at Edinburgh Waverley at about 5 a.m. (it's broken up into three parts - Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness - and extra carriages attached) and I never noticed.

I woke up at about 6.30 a.m. - we'd just left Blair Atholl - to a rather more bleak landscape than the mid-Suffolk one that I'm used to. It was also raining out of a sullen grey sky.

Breakfast is, in truth, a bit of a disappointment. Microwaved pork and egg isn't going to float the boat of this carnivore but, perhaps one day, they might solve that problem.

But, at just after 8.30 a.m., the Caledonian Sleeper pulled into Inverness. It was still raining and I went off on search of the final first class perk, the Caledonian Sleeper lounge with its free coffee and, most important, showers. What isn't made clear is that the lounge is outside the station, which means crossing the street. It isn't signposted in the station at all, and the sleeper host didn't seem to know where it was either.

It's very nice, with good hot showers and very drinkable coffee. And, as it doesn't close until 10.30 a.m., it makes a good resting point for your onward connection. I had one of those, at 10.38 a.m., so it worked out rather well. I was able to recharge my iPhone and iPad too.

So, all in all, a pretty good experience. £180 for a first class ticket sounds like an awful lot, but given that you get a 500 mile rail journey and a bed for the night, I actually think that it represents pretty good value. And yes, I'd probably do it again if the opportunity arose.

"Building a Better Walrus" - this is not, I repeat, not an April Fool...

Another month has passed, and a surprising number of leaflets have been delivered. After all, if I'm going to be walking around, I might as well do something useful. And thus, my ten thousand steps have achieved each day - forty-three consecutive days since my mid-February food poisoning glitch - and my nearly two litres drunk.

My work colleagues are beginning to notice now, and some of the more exotic elements of my wardrobe are coming back into play, all of which is nice.

Ros has, as is her way, been incredibly supportive, calorie counting our meals, accompanying me on my late night village walks, and generally being supportive.

So, what has happened in March? Well, despite a weekend at Spring Conference, where I ate delicious but hardly calorie conscious pork-laden breakfasts, I've lost another 2.4 kilos, making 9.4 kilos in total. For those of you who, like me, still think in imperial measures, that's just shy of a stone and a half, or twenty-one pounds, putting me very nearly three-quarters of the way towards my target for the family wedding in early October.

Interestingly, young Dr Pack approached me in York, suggesting that it was somewhat brave of me to blog my progress as I have. I have to admit that, up until then, I hadn't given it any conscious thought. This, perhaps, says much for our relative personalities, and campaigns experience - the difference between a campaigns professional and a professional bureaucrat?

However, I'm kind of committed now so, until next month, this is twelve-thirteenths of the initial walrus, signing off...

A la recherche du Stowupland perdu*

It is hard to believe that it is now nearly five years since my gallant, but ill-fated, attempt to become the District Councillor for Stowupland ward, but I found myself on familiar territory this weekend, delivering leaflets for the Remain campaign. After all, a majority of those who actually turned out that day voted for parties that support our membership of the European Union, and if Ros and I don't get a pro-European message out, who will?

Funnily enough, five years ago, there was controversy over plans to build some new housing association properties, and now, the hedges and windows are full of signs condemning a proposal to build one hundred and seventy-five houses on a greenfield site on the edge of the village. There is little doubt that it is highly speculative, but it does offer up a slightly uncomfortable dilemma for local residents.

You see, Stowupland is quite a nice place, and people want to live there. More homes and thus, more people, means, potentially, better services or, in the current climate, more chance of keeping the ones they have. It also means that their children and grandchildren have some prospect of living locally when it becomes their turn to set up home.

And yet, with Stowmarket growing apace, there is a risk of one being absorbed into the other. One wonders how a local councillor might reconcile the opposing tensions, but luckily, I guess, that isn't my problem.

At least my memories of the 2011 campaign make deliveries rather easier - I remember where some of the trickier letterboxes are - and we've made pretty good progress thus far. If only the weather wasn't so unreliable...

* (for those of you whose French is rather better than mine, an apology...)

Spring Conference - a report back from the Mid Suffolk delegation...

I've just got back after a very pleasant trip to York. Apparently, there was a conference on, although I couldn't say that I was an active participant - I did attend the Conference Quiz and a fringe meeting on the referendum campaign. I wasn't in the hall for the cannabis motion, or the economy motion or even the diversity one. On the other hand, I may have been the only person from Mid Suffolk who got to York at all.

So, what do I put in my report to my Local Party Executive Committee?

Well, we now have a policy to improve the diversity of our Parliamentary Party in the Commons. Of course, we do have a Member of Parliament in Mid Suffolk already, and best of all, she's a woman. Admittedly, Ros is in the Lords, where the relative diversity of the Parliamentary Party seems not to be of interest currently. And, the policy doesn't obvious have any immediate salience to us, as we don't meet the criteria for All Women Shortlists. In general, we try to encourage anyone to do pretty much anything they want to, including candidacy.

There's a new policy on cannabis. I'm not convinced that it's the revenue raiser it is purported to be - look at the proportion of hand rolling tobacco that is smuggled into the country for an idea of how much duty evasion is likely to take place - but I'd rather the police focus their efforts on those drugs that lead to crime, ill health and addiction. Is it a burning issue in Mid Suffolk? I don't think so.

We also passed an economic policy motion, which basically endorses previous policy - reassuring, if not exactly radical. On the other hand, the Conservatives don't appear to have much in the way of coherent policy, so we're ahead of the game there.

The Party is now against fracking in England. In fairness, Suffolk is not an area where fracking is likely to take place, so it isn't likely to be an issue for us. 

We're not in favour of enhanced surveillance powers for the State either - we are sceptical as to whether or not the security services can be trusted not to misuse such powers. Admittedly, given the woeful broadband provision in large parts of Mid Suffolk, they might be better off opening our post instead...

And finally, in policy terms, there's policy on the private rental sector, seeking to protect tenants. Am I sure that it's entirely practical? Or would simply addressing the supply side of the supply/demand equation effectively solve most of the problems the motion seeks to mitigate?

Elsewhere, the fringe was nice. Our Honorary President made a splendid Conference quizmaster, and our Treasurer wasn't a bad assistant either (let's not kid ourselves about the notion of prefixing that word with 'glamorous'), and she also chaired an interesting event about referendum strategy.

I even have an IN campaign t-shirt, which might make a good raffle prize...

Time to reach for my trusty Party Constitution...

I received an unexpected e-mail the other day, from our Regional Chair, Stephen Robinson. "The Region has to nominate someone to be on English Appeals Panel. You would seem like an obvious candidate and so I wondered if you would be willing to be nominated?".

I thought for about a millisecond and replied, "I would be honoured - count me in!".

And so, it seems, I am to be a member of the 'secret society' that is the Appeals Panel for England. Except, of course, that it is no such thing, it's just that it is legitimately low-key - how visible do you want your 'judiciary' to be, after all? I would argue that what the Party needs is accountability, proper justification and an adherence to both the word and the spirit of the Constitution. And that's what I'll aim to deliver, as and when I am called upon.

So, how does one qualify to be a member of the Appeals Panel for England? Well, you can't be a Parliamentary candidate, or a member of the English Council Executive. You can't be an MP or and MEP, you can't be a Party employee, and you can't be a member of the English Candidates Committee. Luckily, I am none of these things and, for the most part, wouldn't want to be even if given a free ride to become one.

English Council elect three members of the Federal Appeals Panel, all of whom are members of the Appeals Panel for England as of right - they also usually chair any constituted panel convened to hear a specific appeal - and they are joined by a nominee from each of the Regional Parties, which is where I come in. The appointment is for five years, with the option to renew once, unless infirmity, death or inability to perform the duties of the role intervenes.

And so, it seems to me that reading the Party's Constitution might just be a good idea, as well as finding time to take the designated unconscious bias course that the Party offers. Interestingly, my gallant employer insists that I take one too - I passed, you'll be pleased to know - so it will be interesting to 'compare and contrast'. I'm also wondering if there is scope to analyse some of the Appeals Panel's recent rulings to gain a sense of the type of issues it more often deals with, and explore those in context.

So, much to dwell on. But first, back to Conference...

"Building a Better Walrus" - refurbishment work continues

Two months gone, and despite a food poisoning related glitch which lost me three days, I'm still going strong with the ten thousand steps and nearly two litres of water. Indeed, the steps are averaging over twelve thousand per day. Naturally, losing the will to eat for a week has helped...

And, actually, I'm beginning to enjoy the new regime. I even sneak out into the darkness for an extra two thousand steps or so just because. The diet isn't too stressful, as the extra weight I carry about means that I'm burning more calories - this perhaps explains why my weight had stabilised in the first place. All that I've done is cut out the snacks and made a few substitutions - ham for cheese, for example - or introduced some minor portion reductions. Ros is also being very helpful, encouraging my walks and cooking delicious healthy meals over the weekend.

But, I hear you ask, how have I got on? Is there less walrus in mid-Suffolk? Well, the answer is that I've lost another four kilos, making seven in total, the equivalent of more than a stone in old money. That puts me more than halfway towards my target of losing two stones by early October (and no, I don't intend to change my target yet).

So, a slightly more limber bureaucrat will be seen in York in just over a week. Don't worry, I'll be easily recognisable - I'll be the slightly bemused one nursing a glass of sparkling mineral water...

Moonlight over International Relations Committee - the Chris Black tribute report...

Longer term Liberal Democrat bloggers will remember the evocatively named 'Moonlight over Essex', the blog of Cllr Chris Black, from Rayleigh, a not particularly notable area of Liberal Democrat support. And, having passed through Rayleigh earlier today, I was reminded of his blog (Chris, if you're reading this, hope that all is well with you and your colleagues!). Hence, the title...

This evening's meeting of International Relations Committee was an unusual one, possibly because we spent quite a lot of time on discussions of an organisational and functional nature. As part of the Party's Governance Review, Sal Brinton, in her capacity as Party President, has been meeting with various groups to discuss possible input and likely implications. And tonight, it was our turn.

I have to admit that I hadn't read the current document (habitual Party bureaucrat in 'not paying attention to constitutional stuff' outrage...), but quickly speed read through it to find the key principles. It seems that IRC will become a sub-committee of the proposed new Federal Board (not much different to its current position as a sub-committee of Federal Executive) but there was talk of business plans and more directly elected representation (only five of us are directly elected by Federal Conference delegates at present - myself included). A business plan is certainly a radical concept for IRC, which can be a bit of a talking shop given the lack of connection between it and the relevant backbench committees in Parliament. I personally don't get a sense that we are taken terribly seriously by the foreign affairs enthusiasts in either the Commons or the Lords, and thus don't need to be considered.

But, it was resolved that we would submit some feedback, individual and collective, to the Compliance Review in the next month (note to self, read current document...). I also noted that we need to think much more about our role and purpose, and others raised the issue of what mechanisms might be necessary to improve access and increase diversity.

Discussion then turned to my paper on future ALDE delegation makeup. The general sense seemed to be that the paper wasn't bad, but needed more consideration. In the meantime, my proposals for the 2016 ALDE Council delegation was endorsed by a rare IRC vote, 7-1, after which we were advised as to who the delegates now are. I am not one of them, although I am first reserve and have been led to believe that I might get to be Sal Brinton's understudy in Vilnius in early June. Frankly, I'll be there anyway as consort to the Vice-President, but I enjoy Council (a bureaucrat's natural environment) and like to think that I punch above my weight there.

We then had reports from the International Office on its work with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and from the Liberal Democrat 'Remain' team - all very interesting but not really appropriate for publication yet, I'd suggest. Besides, if you want to know what the International Office get up to, I strongly recommend their reports in Liberal Democrat Voice.

Verbal reports from various groups followed before, almost miraculously, we were done just before eight o'clock - IRC Chair, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, runs a tight ship when it comes to getting through the business. That left me with enough time to catch a civilised(ish) train back to mid-Suffolk and write this meeting report. Quick enough for you, Dr Pack?...

Leaving the lizards behind... or coming home to them?

I have been, as those of you who are Facebook friends may be aware, on holiday in Cuba, a trip which has, from a personal perspective, not gone as smoothly as might have been hoped. Personal misadventure leading to a badly gashed elbow and a jarred shoulder, followed by three days interrupted by (presumed) food poisoning, rather cut into the trip. Nonetheless, the weather was good, the wildlife friendly and the resort... well, not as good as perhaps it should have been, would be fair. Ros is at least well-rested for the campaigning ahead, which is probably the most important thing.

Our resort had a fine collection of curly-tailed lizards, who haunted the rocks and crevices of the landscaping in our resort, and were seemingly quite content to be photographed. The pelicans that cruised the shoreline, looking for fish, glided by in a manner that implied that they were doing this for our benefit between essential refuelling, and the other birds were colourful and inquisitive. One species in particular seems to have learned that sugar packets may be valuable, pulling them out of their little holders and scattering them around. Don't ask me whether they know what the contents are - evolution doesn't appear to have progressed quite that far yet.

But now I'm back to a Britain about to determine its future in the world. Naturally, I'll be voting 'remain', and will be campaigning accordingly.

It is noticeable so far that the people who have been telling us for a couple of decades that we would be better off outside the European Union have been so busy moaning that they've never quite got round to working out what the implications of Brexit are. 

Today, for example, Bernard Jenkin claims that the critical Article 50 provisions need not apply. They are, of course, provisions of a treaty that we signed, and are binding unless both sides agree to an amendment. Of course, we need not adhere to them, the sort of negotiating strategy that the diplomatic equivalent of cads and bounders would implement. Naturally, by behaving in an untrustworthy manner at that stage, we could expect such behaviour to be overlooked when it came to negotiating all of the treaties on trade and citizen access that Bernard assumes would follow...

And, of course, Boris. Two weeks ago, he seemed to say that engagement was better than estrangement. Now, he's changed his mind so as to maximise his leadership potential in the event of a 'leave' vote. I have to wonder why I should trust the judgement of someone whose political positioning is, predominantly, populist in nature and who is, generally, as slippery as an eel.

It seems that I didn't leave the lizards behind me...

@NeedhamFC versus @GraysAthleticFC - as relegation rears its ugly head, can the Marketmen turn things around?

Welcome to a cold Bloomfields, on a windy evening with a pitch that doesn't look to have improved much since I was here for the VCD Athletic game a few weeks back. Since that rather sorry home defeat, not much has gone right for the Marketmen, although Saturday's nil-nil draw at basement dwellers Lewes at least halted the run of grim outcomes.

At least the visitors, Grays Athletic (unbeaten in 2016, apparently) may have brought along some support - we'll see if the attendance is better than the 135 who turned out to brave the risk of hypothermia for the VCD Athletic game...

A lively start saw both sides test the opposition goalkeeper, but the crosswind was already causing play  to concentrate on the far side of the pitch. The Marketmen seemed to looking to play long balls over the top, whilst Grays were testing the pitch by playing more along the ground. Probably a mistake, given the conditions, but we'll see...

35 minutes - a pretty even contest thus far, with both teams having had their chances. Still nil-nil though...

Half-time - both sides have hit the woodwork, but Grays appear to have a slight edge as we reach the break. Can Needham Market rally in the second half and get something from the game? A win would see them reach the giddy heights of eighteenth...

60 minutes - Needham's best spell of the game led to a shot on goal spilt by the Grays keeper low down and turned in from a tight angle. But whilst the home supporters celebrated, the assistant's flag was flying. Still scoreless, but the hosts were looking the stronger...

Time is running out, and the Marketmen are hanging on... The final whistle blows, and it's another point, and a clean sheet - Needham Market 0, Grays Athletic 0...

A question to which the answer is forty-two...

Yes, it's been six weeks since I started my (kind of) health regime of ten thousand steps and 1.9 litres of water a day, and I've managed both every day thus far.

It feels, I must say, pretty good.

Today, by way of a change, Ros and I took our morning constitutional on the seafront at Felixstowe, which isn't so far from the Creetings, but is somewhat different, especially on a sunny, but windy day. Put it this way, walking northwards was wind-assisted, and the return journey somewhat tougher.

Felixstowe is, unlike some seaside resorts locally, in relatively good shape, in part due to the presence of one of Europe's biggest container ports on its doorstep. And even now, despite the pressure of local government finances, the gardens and landscaping have been maintained, the promenade is in good condition, and there are places to stop for a cappuccino, should one be so inclined.

There is even sand, which sounds unremarkable until you discover that, until recently, the beach was a pebble one.

After our walk, we made our way into town for a light lunch, and remarked on the fact that the range of shops was pretty broad, with a mixture of chains and more local outlets. The bank that Ros worked in when she left school is still there (and still a bank), and there isn't that sense of decline that towns such as Walton on the Naze have experienced.

All in all, it was nice to get out, and we may well take the opportunity to stroll around other places over the coming weeks. At least, we will when we next have a free weekend at home...

Is using your preferred definition of liberalism a means to suppress reasoned dissent?

It's funny really. Once upon a time, I was a Young Liberal on the minority non-radical wing of the Party. Yes, radicals were all well and good, but somebody had to keep the organisational show on the road. Sensible, less emotional people like myself, for example. And yes, I tended to be sceptical about some of the more 'out there' proposals (a surprising number of which went on to become mainstream truths), but disagreement, or even outright dissent, was seemingly tolerated to a greater extent.

As I've grown older, I've developed a greater appreciation for honest dissent, courteously and intelligently expressed. The majority, after all, isn't always right, and the status quo is never disturbed unless someone challenges it. I've always seen liberalism as a philosophy which encouraged dissent and challenge of the orthodoxy. Indeed, some of my colleagues that I've most admired are not those who I consistently agree with.

I also have, over the past five or six years, developed an appreciation of the breadth and depth of liberalism through my involvement with ALDE (our European umbrella party). Social liberals, economic liberals, all coming together under one banner, but able to debate courteously and reach an agreed policy stance through compromise.

And so, I am somewhat disheartened to see fellow Liberal Democrats (and no, not ALL Liberal Democrats...) use their definition of liberalism, usually one which reinforces their view of the world, to attempt to shut down debate. Lines like, "policy X, passed by Conference, is illiberal", or, "Thank goodness we have a President of the Party who does write this. It shows that she understands the fundamentals of Liberalism.". By implying that anyone who disagrees with the argument isn't a liberal, you seek to suppress dissent from your preferred stance.

In truth, I've probably played the 'liberalism' card myself in the past. It is terribly easy to use, even more so when you are so certain of the rightness of your position, and yet more so when the person arguing with you is 'annoyingly persistent'.

But, perhaps, we would do better by respecting the right to dissent amongst ourselves, displaying a bit more courtesy towards those we disagree with. We are, I've always thought, a family. A family that squabbles amongst itself, yes, but one that pulls together when threatened.

And so, the establishment bureaucrat has morphed into a respecter of difference. Perhaps I have mellowed over the years, or perhaps Ros has been a positive influence (very likely, I'd guess...), but either way, I've developed a sneaking regard for those who are outside the perceived mainstream. I can only hope that I'm not in a minority on this occasion...

Ros in the Lords: Food Waste

Regular readers will know that, for some time, Ros has been working to raise awareness of food waste, following the publication of a seminal report by the Select Committee that she chairs.

This week, she returned to the subject by means of a Short Debate, seeking to keep up the pressure on the Government...

Baroness Scott of Needham Market (LD): My Lords, it is almost two years since the EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee for energy and the environment, which I chair, published its report into food waste. At the time, it was enormously gratifying for the committee to produce a report that generated so much interest. The press office tells me it had more coverage than any other Lords Select Committee report.

The fact that around one-third of all food produced in the world is wasted is truly shocking. The waste of land, labour, water, carbon and all the other resources is truly staggering. When people around the world are going hungry, when the global population is set to increase and when many thousands of people here in the UK do not have enough to eat, this becomes a moral issue, too. It does not matter what sort of political philosophy you have—there is a case to be made for dealing with this as a matter of urgency.

So two years on seems like a good time to see what has happened since. In this time, food waste has rocketed up the agenda and efforts are being made at all levels. I am very grateful to all noble Lords who are speaking in the debate today and very much look forward to hearing from them.

The United Nations sustainable development goals, which were published in September, contain a commitment to halve food waste at the consumer and retailer level and to reduce food losses along the supply chain. The UN goals make a distinction between the two, as we did in our report, but I would like to give an example of where this is no longer quite so clear-cut. The campaigning organisation Feedback has spent several years looking at the supply chains of our major supermarkets. Focusing on Kenya, Peru and Guatemala, it has uncovered evidence of late cancellation of orders and overzealous size and shape specifications resulting in up to half the crop being wasted and massive hardship for farmers.

These were exactly the sort of practices which in UK agriculture had led to the establishment of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in 2013, and it is increasingly clear that farmers in the developing world need protection, too. Is the Minister aware of this issue and would he agree with me that bad behaviour should be stamped out, regardless of whether the farmer is in Norfolk or Nicaragua.

Our report made recommendations aimed at all levels of government. We asked the European Commission to look at areas where it has responsibility—date labelling, the regulations around the feeding of waste to animals, packaging regulations, fish discards, and the use of CAP funds for food waste reduction projects—and we asked it to spearhead work on common definitions, measurements and benchmarks.

Around the same time as we were producing our report, the EU Select Committee reported on the role of national parliaments in EU decision-making. It concluded that national parliaments should have a power to request action as well as to object. Under the leadership of the noble Lord, Lord Boswell, a so-called “green card” procedure was developed with the support of all EU parliaments. I am really pleased that the first-ever green card to be issued in the EU was based on our work on food waste. It was signed by 18 parliamentary chambers.

In December, the Commission published its Circular Economy Package, which includes a section on food waste. That reflects many of the recommendations that were made in our report and in the green card proposal. Will the Minister say whether the Government are minded to support the proposals on the table?

The thread which ran through our 2014 report was the role of the supply chain in generating food waste, and why it is essential to look not just at each stage but at the links between them. The UK is fortunate to have a highly effective think tank—that is what I will call it—WRAP. It is now a charity independent of government and it provides a unique combination of academically rigorous analysis, supply-chain knowledge and campaigning skills. It really excels at developing partnerships and has been at the forefront of doing so with regard to food waste. Its work with the hospitality and food service sector achieved a 3.6% reduction in food waste by its second year. In a sector where an estimated one meal in six is thrown away, it is really important to address this. The food service giant Sodexo has developed some very good initiatives and what strikes me from what it told me is how important it is to get the staff engaged, because, when they are engaged, things begin to happen and it is more effective than just setting targets.

A couple of weeks ago the Times ran an article outlining how top chefs are now moving away from à la carte menus in favour of more limited menu choices. That is exactly to reduce food waste. One Michelin-starred restaurant said it thought it could halve the amount of food it wastes. So regardless of the size of your business there is a clear economic case for dealing with this. This is an area where a lot more could be done, particularly by the large outfits. Will the Government meet WRAP and perhaps me and other Members to discuss what more could be done about this? Clearly, the public sector is an enormous user of these catering services.

Another good example of this partnership is the Courtauld commitment. The voluntary agreement started in 2005 is in its fourth stage and aims to reduce packaging waste as well as food waste. While recognising the limits of the new charitable status of WRAP, I hope that the Government will commit to continue to support its work. I was certainly very taken by a briefing from the campaign group Stop the Rot which talked about how important this is and I know that it, and I suspect some noble Lords here today, would like to see Courtauld do more and be more ambitious.

Retailers are still very reluctant to publish food waste data, so, in this regard, hats off to Tesco, which has been more open about its levels of waste; others should follow suit. Retailers are crucial in reducing supply-chain waste. They impact not only on the growers, as we have heard, but also on the processors of food, and are key influencers of consumer behaviour. Tesco and Asda have done some very interesting work to assess levels of waste of their most popular products and have looked right through the supply chain to see what can be done. It is not rocket science—for example, using bananas that cannot be sold off the shelf as a base for frozen smoothies or using things for soups and sauces makes absolute sense, as does sending bakery waste to animal feed or converting used vegetable oil to biodiesel. The Food and Drink Federation told me that KP is now using potato starch generated from its processes to make products such as wallpaper paste. This is real value added from waste.

Our report highlighted a food waste hierarchy in which food produced for humans should, wherever possible, be eaten by humans—then turned into animal feed, then used to generate energy, then composted and so on to achieve zero to landfill. I think this is one of the most important aspects of this whole debate. Without getting into discussion about the need for food redistribution, of course it makes sense to use this food wisely. FareShare has reported a 30% increase in the food redistributed in the last two years. Indeed, its partnership with Tesco provides 1,700 community groups with meals. The Co-op increased its depot-level redistribution from 85 tonnes to 300 tonnes in the last year.

Marks & Spencer is using an app called Neighbourly that links stores with local charities and in the pilot a single store in Bristol in just six months redistributed 4 tonnes of perfectly good food that otherwise would have gone to anaerobic digestion. FareShare estimates that around 300,000 tonnes of supply-chain food waste could go to feed people instead of feeding animals or going to digesters or landfill. Will the Minister commit to exploring ways of ensuring that the incentives to behave in this way are lined up? We are still a long way behind the US, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain and they all have some sort of fiscal incentive.

While it is true that much household waste occurs at household level, it is a complex issue to tackle. As we uncovered in our evidence, the causes are often rooted in modern life—irregular eating patterns, the weekly shop, a wider variety of food and so on, and much less basic knowledge about food. WRAP has developed the Love Food Hate Waste label and has even exported it to Canada. The retailers have stepped up to the plate on this, but there is still very much to do to demystify date labelling, despite the Food and Drink Federation’s Fresher for Longer initiative.

We have made a lot of progress in the past two years but we are really still only in the foothills of what we need to do to make permanent inroads into the scandalous waste of food. What gives me cause for optimism is that I think that we have developed a sort of ecology. We have the academic rigour and analysis from WRAP; a huge variety of civil society groups, from the Trussell Trust to Stop the Rot; innovative use of technology; a willingness on the part of industry to really see the business case; and the campaigning zeal of people such as Tristram Stuart from Feedback, and celebrities such as Jamie Oliver, who are so effective at mobilising public action. We have done a lot, but there is much more to do.