Politalks Podcast - Interviews with British Public Figures

Opportunities for local news blogs: Trends in Blogging (Matt Wardman)

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:33:43 +0000

> In the last year or so there have been a number of new blog / news sites developing which provide commentary for a geographically identified area, covering politics but also giving a more rounded view of life in the area.

The site which has drawn my attention recently is The Lichfield Blog, which I mention on the Wardman Wire or on Twitter (follow me to keep up to date) from time to time. There are examples of sites with a similar ethos established for some time, including some personal blogs, and I'd mention Londonist and Dave Hill's Clapton Pond Blog but also sites such as Created in Birmingham and Curley's Corner Shop (South Tyneside).

Some areas have a range of local blogs. The tiny Isle of Thanet, for example, has Big News Thanet, Thanet Life and Thanet Online, in addition to the more idiosyncratic Thanet Coast Life, Eastcliff Richard and even Naked in Thanet.

Some of those sites have political stances, and some don't. The common factor is that they provide coverage of local life and grounded politics.

As an enthusiast for the rejuvenation of local politics, I think a more varied local media is an excellent trend.

I'm developing a list of sites aiming to rounded provide coverage of a defined local area, town, or community. If you run a good one, or know of one, please could you drop me a line via the Contact Form on the Wardman Wire.

In the last year or so there have been a number of new blog / news sites developing which provide commentary for a geographically identified area, covering politics but also giving a more rounded view of life in the area. The site which has drawn my attention recently is The Lichfield Blog, which I mention on [...]

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Opportunities for local news blogs: Trends in Blogging (Matt Wardman)

Podcast interview with Lord Falconer, former Lord Chancellor. Assisted Suicide, Supreme Court. By Charon QC

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:34:55 +0000

At the Wardman Wire, we have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of Politalks political podcasts.

This is an interview by Charon with Charlie Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, on assisted dying and the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom .

Lord Falconer put forward an amendment to the Suicide Act, which was defeated in the Lords recently.

Secondly, the interview discusss his thoughts on the reasoning behind establishing a new Supreme Court and the direction it may, in time, take.

Lord Falconer became Lord Chancellor In 2003, with the remit of abolishing the office. His reform included the creation, for the first time, of a Supreme Court for the UK, the creation of a commission to appoint judges, making a full-time independent judge the Head of the Judiciary for England and Wales, and introducing an elected Speaker for the House of Lords.

At the Wardman Wire, we have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of Politalks political podcasts. This is an interview by Charon with Charlie Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, on assisted dying and the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom . Lord Falconer put forward an amendment to the Suicide Act, which was [...]

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Podcast interview with Lord Falconer, former Lord Chancellor. Assisted Suicide, Supreme Court. By Charon QC

Ultra-local community renewal. Interview with Mark Jones, of Pleasley Hill Plight. Politalks Podcast

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:47:20 +0000

We have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of political podcasts for the Wardman Wire.

Mark Jones is an activist in the small community of Pleasley Hill, in Nottinghamshire. The blog Plight of Pleasley Hill has been set up to draw attention to the work of a small group to revive a sense of community in a small area of terraced housing comprising 3 streets and approximately 125 people.

This initiative launched in early June 2009.

I have interviewed Mark for Politalks because I am interested in very small scale regeneration undertaken by communities themselves, and I think that doing things on a *really* small scale is one of the keys to rebuilding local civic society and politics. By "really small scale" I mean in groups and localities which are small enough for everyone to essentially know all their neighbours.

In this interview, Mark talks about the aims of their project, and the good and bad experiences in trying to work with their local authority as a very small group.

There is much worth listening to here for Local Councillors and Community Development officers.

[audio:http://media.blubrry.com/politalks/www.politalks.co.uk/pod/politalks6-plight-of-pleasley-hill.mp3]

We have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of political podcasts for the Wardman Wire. Mark Jones is an activist in the small community of Pleasley Hill, in Nottinghamshire. The blog Plight of Pleasley Hill has been set up to draw attention to the work of a small group to revive a sense [...]

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Ultra-local community renewal. Interview with Mark Jones, of Pleasley Hill Plight. Politalks Podcast

Interview with Radio Journalist Mathew Hulbert: Midlands Politics and Local Media. Politalks by Matt Wardman

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:58:06 +0000

Today, I'm talking to Radio Journalist Mathew Hulbert, who works for a commercial radio station - Touch Radio - in the Midlands. Mathew covers an area including Donington Park, Tamworth and Staffordshire - one of the Counties where Labour was devastated at the 2009 Local Election , falling from a leading position with 30 seats to being the 4th party with just 3.

We talk about local politics, the prospects of UKIP as a force in local politics, and the future for local media in competition with the BBC, citizen commentators and online radio.

Mathew Hulbert writes the blog The Time for Justice is Now, and contributes to the Wardman Wire,

Today, I’m talking to Radio Journalist Mathew Hulbert, who works for a commercial radio station – Touch Radio – in the Midlands. Mathew covers an area including Donington Park, Tamworth and Staffordshire – one of the Counties where Labour was devastated at the 2009 Local Election , falling from a leading position with 30 seats [...]

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Interview with Radio Journalist Mathew Hulbert: Midlands Politics and Local Media. Politalks by Matt Wardman

Podcast interview with Steve Fodden, Editor of slaw.ca, about Law and Blogging

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:55:46 +0000

This is a bonus Charon QC podcast (Lawcast 127: Simon Fodden on Slaw, Canada) which I have pulled out of the archives because I enjoyed listening.

Mike Semple-Pigott interviewed Simon Fodden, a Canadian legal academic who runs a prominent law blog which covers law mainly within the "Commonwealth" with an international team of contributors.

In the second half of the podcast there is a detailed conversation about the international nature of blogs, and which parts of the legal world are using them well (or not).

This is a bonus Charon QC podcast (Lawcast 127: Simon Fodden on Slaw, Canada) which I have pulled out of the archives because I enjoyed listening. Mike Semple-Pigott interviewed Simon Fodden, a Canadian legal academic who runs a prominent law blog which covers law mainly within the “Commonwealth” with an international team of contributors. In the second [...]

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Podcast interview with Steve Fodden, Editor of slaw.ca, about Law and Blogging

Diane Abbott podcast interview: Trials using Secret Evidence, By Charon QC

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:15:00 +0000

The Wardman Wire team have joined with Charon QC to do a series of political podcasts. This is an interview with Diane Abbott MP.

Today I am talking to Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington about her latest campaign to prevent the use of "secret" evidence in UK courts.

Earlier in the year Diane tabled an early day motion (EDM) declaring "that this House believes the use of secret evidence in UK courts is fundamentally wrong", and calling on the government "to begin an immediate independent review into the use of evidence that is not ever heard by the defendant or their lawyer but which is used to justify indefinite detention, severe bail conditions or control orders".

Direct Download Link.

The Wardman Wire team have joined with Charon QC to do a series of political podcasts. This is an interview with Diane Abbott MP. Today I am talking to Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington about her latest campaign to prevent the use of “secret” evidence in UK courts. Earlier in the year [...]

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Diane Abbott podcast interview: Trials using Secret Evidence, By Charon QC

Politalks Podcast: The Importance of Jury Trials: Interview with “BabyBarista” Tim Kevan by Charon QC

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0000

We have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of political podcasts. this one is looking at the importance of Jury trials (Charon Lawcast 143).

Direct link.

Four men accused of being part of a gang that stole £1.75 million in a raid at Heathrow face the first criminal trial without a jury in England and Wales for 400 years after an historic Court of Appeal decision on Thursday

The Times reported “ The ruling means that the new trial, which would normally be tried by a jury, will be the first of its kind in England and Wales under legislation that took effect in 2003 to prevent jury nobbling. The only other judge-only trials for serious cases, known as Diplock trials, have been in Northern Ireland.”

Today I am talking to Tim Kevan, a barrister, author of the babybarista blog and forthcoming BabyBarista book and co-founder of the legal training company CPD Webinars”.

We have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of political podcasts. this one is looking at the importance of Jury trials (Charon Lawcast 143). Direct link to podcast. Four men accused of being part of a gang that stole £1.75 million in a raid at Heathrow face the first criminal trial without a jury [...]

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Politalks Podcast: The Importance of Jury Trials: Interview with “BabyBarista” Tim Kevan by Charon QC

Politalks Podcast: House of Lords Judgement on Control Orders. Interview with Carl Gardner. By Charon QC

mattwardman:@gmail.com (Mike Semple-Piggott / Matt Wardman) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

We have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of podcasts for the Wardman Wire. This is an interview with Carl Gardner, ex government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog about the House of Lords judgment those subject to Control Orders must now be informed of the case against them.

Lawcast 141: The House of Lords judgment on control orders

Today I am talking to Carl Gardner, ex government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog about the House of Lords judgment in Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) v AF (Appellant) (FC) and another (Appellant) and one other action

Lord Pannick, QC represented the lead appellant, AF “Since the Home Secretary can no longer impose control orders without telling the controlees the substance of the case they have to meet, the right decision — legally and politically — would be to abandon the discredited control order regime and concentrate on prosecuting in the criminal courts those against whom there is evidence of wrongdoing.”

We also cover Diane Abbot MP’s campaign about secret evidence.

Today, as part of a new series of political podcasts for the Wardman Wire, I am talking to Gawain Towler, the prospective UKIP candidate for the South West in the forthcoming election. We discuss UKIP policies on Europe, the alternative to membership of the EU, and a range of current issues. I also ask Gawain if UKIP will reap the benefit of support from voters fed up with the main parties after the expenses revelations of the last three weeks.

Click through for the podcast.

We have teamed up with Charon QC to do a series of podcasts. This is an interview with Carl Gardner, ex government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog about the House of Lords judgment those subject to Control Orders must now be informed of the case against them. Lawcast 141: The House of [...]

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Politalks Podcast: House of Lords Judgement on Control Orders. Interview with Carl Gardner. By Charon QC