One of the first things that’s happened under the new Liberal Democrat / Tory coalition in Government is that one of the worst bits of Labour’s authoritarian nanny state has already been scrapped. The ID card scheme was first rolled out in Manchester, but very few people volunteered for one. Labour were spending hundreds of thousands of pounds every day on the unpopular scheme.

The National Identity Register, the largest interlinked system of Government databases, was at the heart of the ID card scheme. While Labour told us that carrying the card would be voluntary, it was always compulsory that you would be registered and tracked for life like a criminal, with details of your life available to thousands of civil servants and private enterprise. This compulsory database was first touted as an anti-terrorism measure, then something to stop benefit fraud, then something to prevent illegal migration, then merely as a “convenience”. All of these were lies and falsehoods to dupe people into an expensive, intrusive, useless database dreamed up by a control-freak authoritarian Labour Government.

I joined the Liberal Democrats at the same time as I joined No2ID, the nationwide single-issue, non-partisan campaign against the Database State. For the last few years, I have been co-ordinating Manchester No2ID, a local group of the national campaign. I have worked with people from all political backgrounds, including fellow Lib Dems, Greens, Labour and even anarchists. Working across party lines, on a single issue, has been very refreshing and helped me see beyond party politics. Our monthly street stalls keep me in touch with people’s opinions, and lead to frank and open discussions.

I am pleased that No2ID’s lobbying encouraged the Conservatives to join us in opposition to the scheme, as public opinion turned against it. It was Labour’s refusal to bow to popular and progressive opinion that meant that the Liberal Democrats’ coalition discussions with them failed.

There’s still work to do for No2ID. There are many other elements of the database state which need to be addressed. No2ID will continue to work with all parties and none to encourage people to get involved in protecting our civil liberties against an over-powerful state. We won’t be happy until the laws that enable these databases are gone, and cannot ever return. Please get involved and help us to achieve this, no matter what your party background.

My feelings about the Lib Dem / Tory coalition are mixed, and I may well blog about that in a few days when more details are clear. However, the Liberal Democrats’ ability to work with the Conservatives has already delivered this manifesto pledge, for the good of the country, despite Labour’s bloody-minded stubbornness.

I have campaigned against the Digital Economy Act 2010. The law will require the University to spy on student Internet traffic, and could stop bars offering free wifi to customers. It can force people to be disconnected on mere suspicion of copyright infringement.

I attended a recent demo in Manchester organised by the Open Rights Group (of which I am a member), wearing a gag to symbolise censorship. I handed out copies of the Liberal Democrats “Save the Net” factsheet to passers-by and discussed the issue of arbitrary disconnection without trial.

The Liberal Democrats voted against this law in the Commons, and have pledged to repeal it if elected. The elections in Fallowfield and Gorton are between the Lib Dems and Labour. A vote for anyone else supports Labour’s Digital Economy Act and arbitrary disconnection without trial.

Every third Sunday of the month, Friends of Platt Fields holds a volunteering afternoon. A couple of weeks ago, I went along to find out more, accompanied by some friends.

Platt Fields is supported by the Council, but a lot of the excellent work done in the park is undertaken by volunteers. On this particular afternoon, I found myself working as part of a team of half-a-dozen, stuffing barley hay into tubular bales. These bales will be dropped into the boating lake at Platt Fields, where they will counteract the troublesome lake algae by natural processes. It was hard work but enjoyable, and the organisers and other volunteers were great fun. Other groups were planting seeds in pots, and painting things for the celebration weekend on 7-9th May.

Platt Fields is an excellent resource for Fallowfield, and I will continue to support it if elected. I’m also planning to return for more volunteering, and I’d recommend it as a fun and rewarding way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The Manchester Liberal Democrats have released a manifesto of what a Lib Dem-run Manchester City Council would do.  Manchester Liberal Democrats are making 5 key promises for the 2010 local elections:

1. Cut Council Tax by £51 for a Band D property
2. Cut waste, including ending the Council Leader’s chauffeur-driven car and claiming back £421,000 owed by other councils
3. Lobby for the return of £82 million Greater Manchester Police Funding, which would pay for over 500 more police on our streets.
4. Spend over £1million extra on gritting and improving our roads.
5. Reverse plans to close Ewing school; and cut truancy levels.

We want to change Manchester for the better, making it safer, greener, cleaner and more local. We will play our full part in the future of Manchester’s City Region. We’ll stand up for the people of Manchester, and give power back to the people.

The Manifesto shows how committed the Lib Dems are to green and environmental issues. Unlike Labour we would include Manchester Airport and aviation in the City’s climate change plan. We would concentrate on improving recycling and reducing waste. Manchester’s Lib Dems are committed to protecting our green open spaces from developers.

Obviously, in a recession, cutting council tax is important to put money back in the pockets of families. Likewise, the main concern that people tell me about in Fallowfield is crime and anti-social behaviour. Increased police funding, and the strong commitment to effective community sentences from the manifesto, will help address these problems and make Fallowfield a safer, happier place to live.

I’m also impressed with the way that the priorities here in Manchester dovetail neatly with the Liberal Democrat’s national priorities. Our tax plans will put more money back into people’s pockets, where it will support struggling local businesses. Our education plans will see the end of tuition fees for students, and more funding and support for our younger children, making sure that our kids have the best chance at life we can give them. Our health plans will give Fallowfield people more say in Manchester’s health services. Our economic plans will see more investment in green local businesses.

The only way to achieve all of this together is to make your vote count, and vote Liberal Democrat for change that works for you in the upcoming local and general elections!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all those who celebrate it. There are many Irish people and people with Irish connections in Fallowfield and across Manchester, and they continue to contribute to the city.

If you’re interested in all things Irish, be sure to check out the Manchester Irish Festival!

Platt Fields Park has kicked off a year of centenary celebrations with the unveiling of a new clock on the boathouse today. Friends of Platt Fields organised the event in conjunction with the Council’s parks and leisure department, and arranged funding for the clock from Sainsburys. The Friends have also received a £4,850 grant from Lib Dem councillors in Rusholme, towards the centenary celebrations.

The clock on the boathouse has been missing for around 50 years - nobody can quite remember when it went! However, even in these days when everybody’s got a mobile phone to tell them the time, it’s still very nice to see it back.

Friends of Platt Fields have organised a great series of events throughout the year to celebrate the Park’s centenary, and I’m looking forward to getting involved in many of them. I hope to see you there!

U Decide is a project funded by Manchester City Council which aims to
direct cash into local communities like Fallowfield. It’s been running for a few years, and the initial phase this year has finished, wherein people proposed community projects they’d like to get funded.

There’s a Fallowfield U Decide meeting on Thursday 4th February at 6:30pm in Platt Lane Methodist Centre to decide which of the proposed projects will be funded from the £10,000 pot. Obviously it’s in the interests of Fallowfield residents to come along and vote for what they want to see happen! Previous funding bids have been included a Family Day in 2008.

I’ll be there to see what projects are applying for funding, and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

It’s lovely to see some sunshine after the rain in Manchester today. The snow and ice seems so long ago, even though it’s only a couple of weeks since people found themselves housebound.

It’s important to think about what lessons we can learn from the weather conditions so we can avoid them in future. One thing that local residents mentioned to me was the Fallowfield Loop, the cycle path on the old railway line which runs between Fallowfield and Old Moat, from Chorlton all the way round to Openshaw. This path was completely frozen over in many places during the ice. Now, cars might have trouble on ice but at least you can’t fall off a car while driving (unless you’re Brian Harvey). An icy cycle path is completely unusable to cyclists, as well as the pedestrians who use it for recreation, dog walking and so on.

We’re being told that we need to cycle more. Cycling is a great way to commute, when the roads aren’t perilous - even in the rain, you tend to get less wet (or at least feel less wet) than waiting for a bus. It’s cheaper than a car, and quicker to get into town in rush hour. It’s better exercise than a bus, and gives you the freedom to go exactly where you want to go, which is very handy if you’re off the main bus routes or travelling on a Sunday. I’m looking at ways to make cheap refurbished bikes available to people in Fallowfield, like the “Ride Manchester” scheme formerly based in Levenshulme.

However, if Manchester City Council want us to cycle, they need to support the infrastructure that allows us to cycle, and that includes off-road cycle paths. We know that not every road can be gritted in extreme weather conditions, but since a frozen cycle path is even more perilous to its users than a frozen road, and there are not too many of them, then they should be afforded the same priority as other commuter routes. Of course, keeping the gritting up on roads is also important - though road gritting rarely covers the width of the road, meaning that cyclists either have to cycle in the snow and ice towards the side of the road, or try to share the narrow cleared strip of tarmac with cars - this too needs to be addressed.

Local residents have told me that they want to see action on the cyclepaths issue. Having clear cyclepaths all year round means more people getting more exercise, less congestion and more money in people’s pockets, and I think it’s a great idea. Fellow Lib Dems Victor Chamberlain and Cllr. Paul Ankers have also covered this issue. What do you think?