Faisal Islam has a very interesting report from Davos on how at least one bank no longer believes that a euro from Ireland, say, is worth the same as one from Holland or Germany. He writes that: ‘A leading European bank has begun to account for euros differentially, by nation state. That is to say, they are differentiating a risk to euros that originate in a potentially defaulting country fr...

All Liberal Democrat campaigners will agree that there’s no worse feeling at the end of a hard-fought election campaign than losing by a handful of votes. In the 2010 General Election, we were less than 1000 votes away from winning in 10 constituencies. Analysing these results, it was clear that our campaign technology had fallen

The Eurozone’s political crisis is deepening. Further to the news that individual member states were seeking their own bilateral deals with Greece to insure their taxpayers’ money from default, the FT reports that disagreements are emerging over how these deals should be conducted. Holland objects that Finland’s deal with Athens relies on Greece using EU bailout funds as col...

That would be the unelected Commissioner Reding. She's the Justice Commissioner, by the way. Henk Kamp, Holland's minister for social affairs and employment, recommended expelling EU migrants from the newer member states who had been unemployed for more than three months, and cutting benefits for those who failed a Dutch language test: We need to avoid migrants who decide to live here fo...

This is not formally benefit fraud: A scrounging father-of-two infuriated a judge yesterday after it emerged he has pocketed up to £16,000 in benefits – because he smokes cannabis. Paul Holland explained he was on anti-depressants after taking the drug since he was ten. But the 21-year-old’s addiction means he is able to rake in £60-a-week incapacity benefit on the grounds ...

A £16 'shared space' project inspired by similar schemes in Holland has cleared a previously congested road in Ashford of signs, pavements and road markings and reduced accidents and speeding

The party’s reorganisation of its Federal campaign team continues, with the appointment of three senior campaigns posts. Jake Holland, Shaun Roberts and Victoria Marsom are to head the three new central teams, reporting to Hilary Stephenson as Director of Elections and Skills. From a Cowley Street memo: Head of Campaign Development – Jake Holland Key

Campaigners in the UK will mark the tenth anniversary of the abduction and be-heading of Ukrainian internet journalist Gyorgy Gongadze this week by demanding answers about the investigation into his death. A delegation from the National Union of Journalists will visit the Ukrainian embassy at 60 Holland Park, London, W11 3SJ, at 11am on Thursday September

Yesterday's results: Skelmersdale South, West Lancs DC. Lab hold. Lab 644 (73.9%, +0.6), Con 122 (14%, -4.2), UKIP 105 (12.1%, +12.1). Swing of 2.4% from Con to Lab since May this year. Up Holland Ward, West Lancs DC. Lab hold. Lab 749 (51.5%, -6.6), Con 587 (40.4%, -1.5), UKIP 118 (8.1%, +8.1). Swing of 2.6% from Lab to Con since May this year.

So, The Lancet publishes a paper which shows that home births have a three times greater risk of death of the baby. Midwives are outraged. Then we get obstetrician saying that perhaps a quarter of births are suitable for home births. Midwives point to Holland where the mortality rate is very low which has one third of