I think most people who have dealt with me think I'm a pretty straight sort of guy, and I am.

No, not me.

The words of Tony Blair, very early in his premiership, when a lot of people thought this to be true. It took a while for the Bliar theme to emerge...

But I'd like to think it could be about me. Or anyone who takes an active interest in politics. I'm not talking about professional politicians. I'm talking about the people who push leaflets through doors week in, week out, who organise fund raising lunches all year round, and yes, even people who blog in an effort to get the message out.

But actually, nowadays, I'm not sure people outside politics would say that about any of us.

I was reminded of the Blair quote when I was reading Martin Kettle's terrific piece in The Guardian last week entitled "Heard the one about the corrupt, lying politician?". Do read it, but the basic sentiment is that 20 years of political satire in this country has given politicians a bad name. Here's a sample...

"And what is Hislop's principal message? Week in and week out, it is that most pretty much all politicians are corrupt, deluded, incompetent, second-rate and hypocritical. Hislop's message is delivered with enviable deftness and wit, and very often it is irresistible. But it is also good-naturedly merciless. And extremely repetitive. There is never any sign that Hislop allows of exceptions; or that he has a political hero; or even, with the occasional honourable mention for Vince Cable, that there are politicians whom he respects. The impression he always gives is that today's politicians are uniformly unworthy of their inheritance, not to be compared with some previous golden age of statesmanlike effectiveness."

Now of course, politicians don't exactly help themselves, not with expenses scandals, bare faced fibbing, and ,er, broken pledges (ahem, shuffles nervously).

But I do think that the satirists do play their part too (it's a little chicken and egg, but still)...And I think we do all end up tarred with the same brush.

I'm not asking anyone to feel sorry for us. But just sometimes, when I'm shoving leaflets through doors on a wet saturday morning, it would be nice if I thought people were a little more positive about politics.

I'm also aware this is probably a sentiment not shared by many others!

Slacking Again

This blog is sunning itself in Spain. It is not expecting to be summoned home due to riots or foreign wars.

See you in a week

PS There are a few treats lined up for the week. Don't get too excited mind...

PPS Thanks to Applied Language Solutions for letting me use their flag. Bet they didn't think they'd end up being credited on a Lib Dem blog when they asked for link back mind...

Martin Shapland has saved me a job. Thanks!!

Just before going on holiday (yes,again), I was going to knock off a quick blog post explaining that while I think the EDL are a collection of vile and loathsome idiots, I don't agree with banning political marches.

Then I discovered that Martin Shapland had written everything I was going to say and more over at Total Politics.

So go and read his post instead. It's very good.

Right. Where's the suncream...

David Cameron may well read my blog but Tim Montgomerie doesn't.

Ha

Tim Montgomerie's gone off on one.

He wrote a piece in the Evening Standard the other day complaining about Lib Dem influence on government

As I wrote then, if The Tories are complaining we're getting in the way, we must be doing something right.

Anyway, Tim's not taking any notice. Which is fair enough.

And now he's written a piece, entitled "With every passing day the Liberal Democrats are dragging the Coalition further away from the Conservative manifesto."

So kick back everyone and take a well deserved 15 minutes off to consider just how right we must be getting it.

And then lets get right back on with building a more liberal Britain.

Tim Farron has just made my holidays safer.

One of the reasons I enjoy following Tim Farron on Twitter is that when he lists where he's been on his constituency tours, it reads like my holidays all rolled in to one. Grasmere, Ambleside, Troutbeck...all conjure up happy memories.

I go to the Lakes most years, and apart from the posters advertising where Tim is due to meet residents - the shop in Chapel Stile and the Britannia Inn in Elterwater are frequent favourites - one of the most common sights are the collection boxes and appeals from the local mountain rescue teams for donations. Because all the work they have done until now is voluntary and all their equipment is bought from what they can collect. Until now.

Because Lib Dem MP's like Tim have been campaigning for funding for the teams and earlier this month Danny Alexander announced that the government is giving an annual grant of £200000 to Mountain Rescue teams across the UK. And I think that's brilliant.

When I'm stumbling around on the top of a mountain with three kids, vaguely wondering if we shouldn't have set off a little earlier, it's a huge comfort to know that if anything did go pear shaped, there's someone there to help. And now the presence of that help is a little more secure.

However, there is lots more to do.

The grant will cover about 10% of the annual running costs of a team - £2500 out of an average budget of £25000. so the collecting and campaigning will go on.

And next step should be a change in EU law to allow teams to reclaim VAT on equipment that they buy. Currently the emergency services bar mountain rescue can do this, which seems like an anomaly that needs fixing. (I wonder if the RNLI, another charity, is in the same boat, no pun intended).

But meantime, this is a huge step in the right direction.

#handsofftwitter : update

Thanks all round to the gazillions of people and organisations who added a #handsofftwitter hashtag to their tweets today, it's great to see so many of them. Special thanks to Julian Huppert, the many media organisations and comms agencies, and also the MP's from Labour and Green parties (narrows the field, that last one, doesn't it) who were all non partizan and tweeted the tag as well. I'm sure there are others I should have mentioned, so apologies and thanks to them.

It seems that good news has emerged from the meeting with The Guardian (and others) reporting that the Home Office and the Met Police are backing down on the proposals.

Any while that shouldn't mean we let our guard down - it's got to be good news.

Thanks again everyone

Update

Extra Special thanks to Gordon Macmillan, editor at Brand republic, who not only RT'd my original tweet, but then wrote this which got lost of attention. Great stuff.

Today's the day. #handsofftwitter

Representaives of all the Social Networks are meeting with the Home Secretary today to discuss the effect of Twitter et al on the riots.

David Cameron and the Acting Commissioner of The Met have both mooted the notion that the police should have the power to turn off social networks if they deem it appropriate, while the Tory MP and member of the DCMS Select Committee Louise Mensch has run a high profile campaign endorsing this thought (ironically enough, using Twitter).

Today by all accounts the networks are going to give a firm rejection of this threat to freedom of speech. It also says a lot that the Chinese Government think it's a terribly good idea. Which surely should give pause for thought.

So please take a moment today - why not do it now? - to post something on whichever Social Network you use to tell the government that the right to access Social Media at all times should be as guaranteed in Trafalgar Square as Tahir Square or Martyrs Square.

And if you're doing it on Twitter please add the hashtag #handsofftwitter which we're trying to get trending.

Thanks