Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 537th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (9-15 December, 2018), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. Spare a thought for Stephen Lloyd by ...
As Verdi and Aslan proved popular, here is their owner's appearance on Desert Island Discs. John Pardoe was the Liberal Party's economic spokesman when this was broadcast in April 1976. He had been MP for North Cornwall since 1966, but was to lose the seat at the 1979 general election. At the time his defeated was widely attributed to the Thorpe affair. In those days Pardoe and David Penhaligon were my political heroes, and I remember listening to this programme when it went out. There is a point of dermatological interest. Pardoe refers to walking the Cornish coast the previous ...
Sun 16th
19:00
Lib Dem Lauren Pemberton-Nelson explains why ethnic minority women need a People's Vote
A couple of years ago, Lauren Pemberton-Nelson, then just 18 years old, stood for us in a by-election in the ward of Faraday in Southwark. She did well – getting an 8.2% rise in our vote share. This week, she's written for the Gal-Dem site outlining why women of colour really need a People's Vote to stop Brexit. I thought her piece deserved a bit more exposure. Here's an extract: Discussions about Brexit at state policy level, as with much political discourse in the UK, has so far been dominated by the perspectives of white men. The Brexit Secretary and ...
Taking Pictures TV, my favourite television channel, is showing this British film tonight, starting at 7.10. One point of interest is the author of its screenplay. It was Stephen Lewis. That's right: Blakey off of On the Buses. As I wrote when Stephen Lewis died in 2015: Sparrows Can't Sing was a 1963 film starring Barbara Windsor and James Booth that depicted social change in the East End. It is remembered for its premiere, which took place in that part of London and in which the Kray twins tried to play the local seigneurs. And who wrote the screenplay for ...
Sun 16th
18:00
Shropshire Council plans to cut back on recycling banks just as recycling rates in the county fall
Recycling rates in Shropshire have fallen slightly for the first time since the years during which cardboard collection was suspended. The latest government statistics come just as Shropshire Council launches a consultation to reduce the number of bring bank recycling sites in the county. And the new is well timed for the government's long-awaited national waste strategy which will be launched this week. The council is not yet giving any details about which of the county's 120 bring banks will be closed, though it must have an idea as it expects to save around £230,000 though the closure programme. Shropshire ...
Ok, so get your pinches of salt out, because you'll need them, but a story in The Sunday Times (£) suggests that Labour could lose its place as the official opposition to the Lib Dems if Labour backs any sort of Brexit deal. The YouGov survey of 5,000 voters, commissioned by the People's Vote campaign, shows that support for Labour could fall from 36% to 22% if they helped the Tories to pass a compromise deal with Brussels like the one advocated by Theresa May. Under those circumstances, the Lib Dems would soar from 10% to 26% — their highest ...
We've tried to put as much information on here about bin collections, bus and train times and supermarket opening hours over the holidays. We hope it is useful Refuse Collections Normal Day Christmas Collection New Year Collection Monday Sat 22 December Mon 31 January 2018 Tuesday Mon 24 December Wed 2 January 2019 Wednesday Thurs 27 December Thurs 3 January 2019 Thursday Fri 28 December Fri 4 January 2019 Friday Satur 29 December Sat 5 January 2019 Waste paper and cardboard will also be collected on the rearranged refuse collection dates, and don't forget to recycle your Christmas wrap, cards ...
Roy Snelling, thrice a Green Party candidate in Taunton in recent years, has taken a look at the local Liberal Democrat manifesto, liked what he's seen and decided to join the party. He's even added in a tactical voting message for his former colleagues and Labour voters: We all need to support the Liberal Democrats if we are to win Taunton Deane from the Conservatives. Know anyone else who might want to follow in his footsteps? Here's a handy guide to what the party believes to share with them.
For the last few years I've been largely avoiding doing play-by-play reviews of New Who, as I did when it first came out, though I have continued to watch it avidly and definitely have Views about it all. I've slowed down on my commentary partly because the blogging environment has changed, and I now use LJ largely for book reviews; but also partly because one of the senior production team of the Moffat era is related to me, and I didn't want to make his life difficult (people saying "Look what your cousin wrote about your show!" etc). Obviously the ...
Sun 16th
13:30The Government doesn't have a mandate for Brexit - the state of play in current and former Lib Dem s...
New analysis for Best for Britain, Avaaz and Hope not Hate which breaks down the results by constituency, has our most comprehensive picture yet of how the country would vote in a People's Vote. The results call the mandate to leave the EU into question. Two thirds of constituencies would now back remaining in the EU. Our research shows that the country has moved significantly since 2016, with two thirds of constituencies in Great Britain now wanting to stay with our existing deal. There is majority support for a final say for the people in every single one of the ...
Parliament is deadlocked and there is an increasing acceptance that there is a strong case for another referendum. What goes on the ballot paper though? In the introduction to her deal, the Prime Minister said that there were three possible outcomes: her deal, a no-deal Brexit or no Brexit. For the sake of simplicity, it would be tempting to go with this. It has been ruled by the European Court that the UK can halt Article 50 process unilaterally and, since there is no majority for a no deal exit in Parliament, another possibility is having a choice between Theresa ...
Time for a bit of Traffic prehistory. The Hellions were a Worcester group whose members included both Dave Mason and Jim Capaldi, as well as Gordon Jackson who has already featured here. Mason and Capaldi took to hanging out with Steve Winwood, and together with Chris Wood they formed Traffic. I like Think It Over, even if it does threaten to turn into Fly Me to the Moon at one point. Read more about The Hellions on Brum Beat.
To talk about reasons why everyone else should join the party, I assume I should start by discussing the reasons why I joined myself. I joined the party shortly after Jeremy Corbyn's second Labour leadership election, seeing no future for myself in the Labour Party, I began to search for a new political party to call my home. Being vaguely close to the political centre, I knew from the start it wouldn't be the CPGB or UKIP, not being from a region that has a regional party, I assumed the SNP and Plaid Cymru wouldn't be too pleased with a ...
Sat, 14:48: Why We Sleep, and Why We Often Can't https://t.co/MQPKO2KIyT Fantastic review of three books about insomnia and dreaming. Sat, 19:44: RT @EleanorRylance: My friend @nwbrux echoing what I've thought for quite some months now. And it's a terrifying and inglorious prospect th... Sat, 19:48: Amen. https://t.co/7SXf0gwdJ9 Sat, 20:48: Dramatic Brexit week leaves us none the wiser https://t.co/4Z9IFojZuY If you want to know what actually happened la... https://t.co/ESJpDKNUca Sun, 10:45: @FraserMCameron puts it bluntly. https://t.co/M01YciO59s Sun, 11:07: RT @thedailymash: Watch the meteor shower tonight, say triffids https://t.co/dpXXORrh3u https://t.co/EovEmk79He
There is an interesting article in the Observer this morning in which they report that a powerful cross-party group of MPs has warneds Theresa May that Brexit is "sucking the life" out of her government. They also quote cabinet sources admiting that the crisis is forcing vital domestic business off the government's timetable. They say that with the deadlock over May's Brexit deal unresolved, and a key vote in parliament postponed until mid-January, the chairpersons of six all-party select committees have signed a statement saying long-drawn-out arguments over Brexit are having a "serious detrimental effect" on wider domestic policy: The ...
The North of England is the second English region after London and the south-east together, and has 15 million people—three times as many as Scotland and five times as many as Wales. It shares considerable cultural, economic and social cohesion and history, and many current problems. This is about the North as such because the North should stand together as a whole. What we have is asymmetric devolution. Scotland, and to a lesser extent Wales have increasingly become functioning units of a federal system, except there is no federal system for them to be the units of. This is not ...
I like to see sober analysis of important political events rather than hear the views of the biased waring factions involved. Below (with thanks to Roy Connell) is a link to an article by Gaby Hinsliff from The Guardian website which is well worth reading:- That Brexit has always been about irreconcilable differences within the Tory Party is a given and no matter which way any Tory leadership goes the result is the same – more EU splits more internal trouble. Now don't get me wrong, as a politician of the left seeing the Tories in deep trouble is ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe as Dave, the busiest man in the country and a pollster, gets grilled on what he really does.
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2018 Perth Road (at Riverside Place) - off-peak temporary traffic lights until Monday 17 December for drainage works. (I have sought assurances that these works will complete tomorrow)
My apologies for lateness, but it's been Opera Night in Needham Market, and we've been kept up by an Armenian soprano... And no, that's not a metaphor... Only two today, but one of them turned up just before midnight, so don't say you aren't getting them fresh. Lib Dems: Diplomatic move by Australian Government is 'deeply unhelpful and disappointing' Responding to reports that the Australian Government have recognised the state of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital and plan to move their embassy there from Tel Aviv once a peace settlement is reached, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said: ...
That's the headline on a new poll finding reported by The Sunday Times: Labour would fall behind the Liberal Democrats in the polls if Jeremy Corbyn helps the Tories to secure Brexit, according to a huge new poll. The YouGov survey of 5,000 voters, commissioned by the People's Vote campaign, shows that support for Labour could fall from 36% to 22% if they helped the Tories to pass a compromise deal with Brussels like the one advocated by Theresa May. Under those circumstances, the Lib Dems would soar from 10% to 26% — their highest rating in any poll since ...
"Margaret Wintringham was elected in a by election in September 1921, succeeding her deceased husband in the Louth constituency of Lincolnshire. She followed the Tory Nancy Astor as the second woman to take her seat in the House of Commons." Stephen Williams celebrates a near century of women Liberal and Liberal Democrat MPs. "The Institute for Public Policy Research reports that public spending in the south has risen by £3.2bn since 2010, against a fall of £6.3bn in the north." Simon Jenkins says the extra billions announced for Crossrail emphasise Britain's north-south divide. Owen Bennett-Jones looks at Auntie's many problems: ...
There's a remarkable story on The Times website this evening, reporting the findings of a new opinion poll on Brexit: The YouGov survey of 5,000 voters, commissioned by the People's Vote campaign, shows that support for Labour could fall from 36% to 22% if they helped the Tories to pass a compromise deal with Brussels like the one advocated by Theresa May. Under those circumstances, the Lib Dems would soar from 10% to 26% - their highest rating in any poll since they entered coalition government with the Tories in 2010. The poll shows that Labour's supporters want a People's ...
After three unsuccessful nominations, The Zombies are one of the acts to be elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after polls of music fans and industry professionals. In an email from the group, Colin Blunstone says: I'm feeling quite emotional remembering all the many years we've been touring and recording which have brought us to this career defining moment! I would like to give my most sincere thanks to all our loyal and tenacious fans who have supported us so wonderfully through the weeks of the fan vote and to all the members of the Rockhall who ...
Chesterfield Liberal Democrats have selected local campaigner and accountant Emily Coy as their Parliamentary candidate in the seat formerly held by Paul Holmes.
A warning from the future for our civil liberties courtesy of Tom Scott, with a little inspiration from contemporary China.
So here it is again - my annual round up of the Best (or at least my favourite - I'm not claiming any special objectivity!) albums of the year: 20. Cancer Bats - The Spark That Moves 19. Krosis - Solem Vatem 18. Collibus - Trusting the Illusion 17. Ghost - Prequelle 16. The Five Hundred - Bleed Red 15. Time, The Valuator - How Fleeting, How Fragile 14. Ihsahn - Ámr 13. Parkway Drive - Reverence 12. Oceans of Slumber - The Banished Heart 11. Unprocessed - Covenant 10. Valis Ablaze - Boundless 9. Skyharbor - Sunshine Dust 8. ...
First it was UKIP being asked to repay money to the European Parliament, now a European conservative group co-founded by the Tories and led by Brexit campaigner and MEP Daniel Hannan has been asked to repay more than half a million euros of EU funds following an investigation into their spending. The Guardian reports that in a rare negative finding touching a British political party in government, European parliament senior leaders on Monday night ordered the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (Acre) to repay €535,609 (£484,360) of EU funds. They add that the group will be denied a ...
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Anti-trans group admits bathroom predator myth is made up If second referendum campaigners can't stand up for free movement, they should give up If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] [IMG: Buy Me an uncaffeinated beverage (because I'm allergic to coffee) at ko-fi.com] [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Reducing inequality is something that all politicians even Conservatives say they are in favour of. They even produce figures to try and demonstrate that government measures are having a positive effect. The reality, of course, is that over the last forty years or so inequality has got worse particularly in economic terms. Wealth gives access to things like better quality health and education leading on to employment opportunities that the poorer in our society can only dream of. This is combined with a trend since the Thatcher years of a decline in access to things like relatively well-paying jobs and ...
News from Robert Smith's former constituency with the selection of John Waddell in the formerly held seat of West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine. Robert Smith was the seat's MP for 18 years until 2015. The seat is also mainly the successor to Kincardine and Deeside following boundary changes. It was best known to the political world for a by-election in which Nicol Stephen was elected to Parliament and best known to me for the first time I went campaigning on polling day. And apologies for taking 27 years to thank you, Willie Rennie, but your cheerful and welcoming face at by-election ...
To celebrate and get in the mood for the festive season I thought that we could have a writing competition. As many of you (on average at least 4,500 members visit the Lib Dem Voice site every day) write articles, read them or comment I propose a Christmas Article Competition. The proposed Competition Rules are: An Article should not be more than 550 words; The article in each of the specified areas will be jointly judged by representatives identified as experts in that area by Lib Dem Voice and Lib Dem editors; The starting date for the competition starts as ...
I'm indebted to Keith Page for the lead to this posting, which is a video presentation of what the new Merseyrail train maintenance depot will look like when completed. The link below refers:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWDXbAlruko A mock-up of a Class 777 – The new Merseyrail trains that will soon replace the Class 507/508 EMU's
From Dundee and Angus College : This course offers an opportunity to gain qualifications and skills that will help you move onto the right programme/onto the right career pathway. Available in a variety of formats (from flexible attendance to fully funded January-May courses to suit individual needs) Gateway to College Short Full Time is designed to develop the essential and soft skills you need to succeed in any career and at the same time lets you investigate different careers and discuss vocational interests so helping you be more informed about options open to you. Successful candidates will have the option ...
Sat 15th
05:19Councillors reject charges for A-Boards and call for local enforcement of pavement hazards
Shropshire Council has been flirting with plans to licence every A-Board in the county. Those ideas didn't get through the Place Overview Committee yesterday. Everyone agreed that a licencing and charging scheme was the wrong approach. Instead, the committee asked officers to work with local councillors and communities to draw up clearer guidance on where A-Boards can be placed to ensure safety of pavement users, including those with limited mobility and visual impairment. We agreed it would more effective for responsibility for "policing" of A-Boards should be devolved from Shropshire Council to town councils. This is good news. Shropshire Council ...
December 2018 marks the centenary of women being able to stand for election to Parliament. The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act was passed just a few weeks before the general election held on 14th December 1918 so only sixteen women candidates stood. Three years later the first Liberal woman MP was elected. Margaret Wintringham was [...]