Embed from Getty ImagesBack in 1985, I recall that... Where has everybody gone?
A constituency opinion poll from Matt Singh of Number Cruncher Politics puts Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds on course to win the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election: Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrats): 43% (+14 on 2017) Christopher Davies (Conservative): 28% (-21) Des Parkinson (The Brexit Party): 20% (+20) Tom Davies (Labour): 8% (-10) Lady Lily Pink (Monster Raving Loony Party): 1% (+1) Liz Phillips (UKIP): 1% (n/c) Fieldwork: 10-18 July Method: online, using a special methodology for small geographic areas There are no Green or Plaid candidates as both parties have decided to back Jane Dodds. Matt Singh famously got the 2015 general ...
It's amazing what you find wandering the backstreets of Leicester. Shortly after photographing the tin tabernacle that may be home to the city's women Freemasons. I came across a Catholic church where the Latin mass is still celebrated. It was St Anne's in Abingdon Road:We are profoundly attached to Catholic Rome. We hold firmly to all that has been believed and practised by the Church of all time, in her faith, morals, worship, catechetical instruction, priestly formation and her institutions, and codified in the books which appeared before the late Council. Meanwhile, we wait for the true Light of Tradition ...
Rob Merrick, deputy political editor of the Independent, writes: The Liberal Democrat leadership race is on a knife-edge with postal votes cast splitting "almost 50-50" between Jo Swinson and Sir Ed Davey, The Independent has learned.The figures were described as "a major surprise" by a source at the party's headquarters - given Ms Swinson has been the odds-on favourite to win the contest on Monday. So it's a two-horse race. All the Twitter polls I have seen have shown Jo in lead, but Twitter users may not be typical of the party as a whole. And even there, I have ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:'Couldn't you ask him here for dinner or something?' said the Mole.Way way back in 1976, we were on a family trip to London and as a treat went to see A.A. Milne's stage version of Toad of Toad Hall, starring Richard Goolden as Mole - his 17th year in the part, aged 81! His last ever acting role was Zaphod Beeblebrox IV in The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series in 1980, John Warner as Water Rat, David King as Badger, with his faithful dog Dougal appearing in the first scene, and Ian Talbot ...
Sat 20th
14:34
The Triple Lock: or why there may be TWO Lib Dem federal conferences to come this year
With a hung Parliament looking so likely, a quick recap of the Liberal Democrat triple lock process for negotiating with other parties may come in useful.
I had an email this week reminding me that my first year of Medium membrship was coming to an end, which prompted me to look back at some…
What if there’s not a conspiracy behind everything? What if it’s just arseholes getting lucky?
Fri, 12:56: RT @GuitarMoog: I just can't believe that not only are we still having to have this stupid conversation, but that a significant portion of... Fri, 14:07: RT @AdeMontchalin: 🇮🇪 🇫🇷🇪🇺 Sur la frontière Irlande - Royaume-Uni avec ma collègue irlandaise @HMcEntee. Après le #Brexit, la France sera... Fri, 15:34: The fundamental question: is the UK a nation of shopkeepers, or joyriders? https://t.co/mdMCf5wzIG Fri, 16:05: Nick Clegg: the Facebook fixer https://t.co/1SYI44epMI Great, largely sympathetic profile. Fri, 17:11: RT @PGourevitch: Chuck Klosterman drops the mic on the @nytimesbooks "By the Book" dinner party question: https://t.co/eX5PG40bIu https://t... Fri, 17:49: RT @TheProgressives: ...
Westminster is abuzz with talk of a general election taking place sometime later this year. The theory goes, Johnson can't get no deal passed (or doesn't really want it passed, deep down) before October 31st because parliament stands in his way. He has no choice but to go to the polls. Or, there is a vote of no confidence which brings an election on. The 2019 general election would be the hardest to predict in the history of British democracy. There are several realistic scenarios that could play out, all of them wildly different from one another. Boris Johnson's pitch ...
When I first saw the headline (see link below) I wondered how a council could 'buy' a town but then realised the headline had 'center' missing from it. I then wondered if it was Sefton Council buying Maghull Square but the photo did not look right. Of course it's Kirkby town center that the Echo article is all about, a saga that goes back many, many years indeed. And then I thought back about Maghull Square and the long promised refurb's that go back many, many years via different owners and wondered what it will take.............. This is Maghull ...
In the leadership contest, LibDems are choosing someone who might be Prime Minister before the year is out. That brings new factors into play as members make their choice
I was sent this yesterday from Highways England as a Lydiate Parish Councillor:- 'As you will be aware, we faced a legal challenge regarding our preferred route choice for the A5036 Port of Liverpool access scheme. This was lodged in November 2017 and heard by the court in October 2018. The court ruled in favour of the preferred route option but naturally the challenge has impacted on the 2019 construction date. We now expect to start work in late 2022 or early 2023. We are fully committed to working alongside our partners and local community to ensure we have a ...
I woke yes terday morning to heavy rain. Knowing that the jacket I had bought was not up to the job, I headed to the local charity shops to see if I could find something better. I had almost given up hope when I found something perfect – for a fiver! I am not an outdoorsy type so I didn't realise that I had got an absolute bargain until Pete Roberts, who is running the Llandrindod office, pointed it out as he sent me off with some letters to deliver. Once those were done, I was sent off with a ...
The NHS Tayside Department for Spiritual Care is holding an information afternoon on volunteering opportunities on 21st August at Royal Victoria Hospital. For more details on what it involves and how to sign up, you can read more here.
The Mirror reports that the failure of the Tories to keep their promise and retain free TV licence betrayal for the over-75s could add another £1.6 billion to the welfare bill. They say that George Osborne, who was Chancellor 2015 when a deal was stitched up, believed forcing the BBC to fund the lifeline would save the Government £745million a year from 2020. But the Treasury's own watchdog yesterday revealed the move could backfire - ultimately costing more than it saves: The Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed spending on Pension Credit was set to rise because of the move to ...
Lib Dems bring forward legislation to protect EU citizens Lib Dems: Govt must provide urgent clarity on teachers' pay Lib Dem legislation to protect victims of crime passes second reading Davey: Govt must fund police pay rise Umunna slams economically incompetent Tories Swinson: This is a time for cool heads in the Gulf Lib Dems bring forward legislation to protect EU citizens Today, the Liberal Democrats have brought forward a bill to safeguard EU citizens' rights. The Bill brought forward by Liberal Democrat peer Jonny Oates would provide a guarantee that, regardless of the outcome of Brexit, the rights of ...
Lib Dems: Funding uncertainty for schools and colleges must stop Responding to the publication of today's report by the Education Select Committee, which calls on the Government to commit to a 10-year, multi-billion cash injection for schools and colleges, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: Over the past few years, our schools and colleges have been cut to the bone, as funding levels failed to keep up with spiralling costs and increased pupil numbers. Teachers have been forced to buy resources out of their own pockets, teaching assistants have been let go, and tens of schools have been ...
There was a bit of a glitch yesterday, as the press releases ended up in my spam folder for some reason. Things seem to be back to normal, so the usual service resumes here... Welsh Lib Dems - time to embrace zero-carbon housing Lib Dems: EU resolution a vital step in UK's duty to stand up for people of Hong Kong Davey demands urgent action as knife crime epidemic continues to spread Umunna: OBR report shows No Deal Brexit would be unforgivable Lib Dems: Johnson's 'fishy tales' have no plaice in Number Ten Lib Dems: Milestone victory to block no-deal ...
UPDATE: Thank you! We've now raised enough money to give a special package of support to four people from areas without Liberal Democrat councillors. Only a few hundred more pounds will mean a fifth person can receive it too. Can you donate to help make this happen? Here's what it is all about... There are liberals in every community across our country. There are Remainers in every community. But there are not Liberal Democrat councillors. Getting more Liberal Democrat councillors elected means more councillors working hard to create communities where people feel their views matter and where liberalism wins out ...
Back in 2010, an edition of ALDC's Campaigner contained this piece from me, which I've lightly updated before republishing given how relevant it still is: Knowing why people vote the way they do is tough. It's not just because people may be reluctant to be honest to others about their motivations, but people are also often bad at understanding themselves. In fact, one of the findings increasingly coming out from research into how we make decisions is that often we make a decision using our subconscious and only afterwards come up with a justification for it. Our subconscious decides, our ...
Fri 19th
17:37
Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir, by Stan Lee, Peter David and Colleen Doran
Second frame of third page: This is Stan Lee's autobiography, in graphic novel form. I spotted it in the English-language bookshop in Luxembourg the other weekend, and grabbed it. It's a book of two halves really; the early part, explaining Lee's New York upbringing and gradual ascent to the top of the comics industry, is very interesting; later on it gets a bit repetitive - "and then I had the idea for the Hulk! and then I had the idea for Iron Man! and then I had the idea for Stripperella!". Having said that, Lee was an iconic figure and ...
Here is all the information you need to know if you are able to come and help in Brecon and Radnorshire. There are two HQs - one in the south at Brecon and one in the north at Llandrindod Wells. They are both open every day from 10am until 7pm: Brecon HQ: 26 High Street, Brecon, LD3 7LE Llandrindod HQ: Haslemere, Park Crescent, Llandrindod Wells, LD1 6AB If you can't come in person you can make calls from home by e-mailing: brecon@libdems.org.uk. How to find us: https://www.janedodds.wales/find-our-hq Join our virtual HQ: https://www.facebook.com/groups/brlibdems/ Contact us: BreconATlibdemsDOTorgDOTuk Contact our volunteer accommodation team: ...
Dr Tim Morgan has featured recently in the Radix blog on 'surplus energy economics'. His latest piece is one for the sceptics – 'The strictly economic case for energy transition'. I have to say, it is particularly good. It is a brilliant exposition of the case for regarding economics as a surplus energy system, followed by [...] The post What are we actually dealing with here? appeared first on Radix.
I was astonished a week ago when the US President, Donald Trump, launched a Twitter attack on Democrat Congresswomen, telling them to "go back to where they came from". My first reaction was that he had lost the plot. Since then he has doubled down on this attack, incorporating it into a central theme of ... Continue reading Has Donald Trump made a serious mistake?
Thu, 12:17: RT @PolhomeEditor: BREAKING: John Bercow has selected this cross-party amendment seeking to stop Boris Johnson suspending Parliament to for... Thu, 12:56: RT @Whoozley: To use the American phrase, May normalised no-deal by insisting on "keeping it on the table", which as a negotiating techniqu... Thu, 13:15: So Boris Johnson was lying about the kippers? What a surprise! But good on @JamesCrisp6 of @Telegraph for exposing... https://t.co/zzcBi9zYaT Thu, 15:04: MPs pass amendment seeking to thwart no-deal Brexit prorogation https://t.co/3ZICYz3s6c Thu, 15:11: Finding the Retro Hugo finalists in the comics, film, editors, fanzine and art categories online. https://t.co/jVTCAZw9rr via @IanMoore3000 ...
The steeple of Prescot Parish Church just as the sun was going down. Local history has always fascinated me and I often blog about it across Sefton and indeed Merseyside and West Lancs. This piece – see link below – in the Liverpool Echo took my eye:- Prescot's connections with clocks is well known but this significant Lancashire town also has some interesting historic buildings too – my shot of its parish church heads up this posting.
There have been six by-elections this week, and five have seen fantastic performances from the Lib Dems. Last night's big news was a stonking gain in Daventry. Wow, Cllr Jonathan Carter! Brixworth (Daventry) result: LDEM: 49.5% (+38.6) CON: 37.3% (-28.2) LAB: 13.2% (-10.5) Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) July 18, 2019 All in all, a good night. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Following an unusual Tuesday council by-election (a big Lib Dem win, woop), Thursday brought another five council by-elections, along with a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) by-election.
The strong focus by Liberal Democrat ministers on environmental issues during the coalition government was all but abandoned once the Tories got into power by themselves in 2015. So much so that new government data shows that efforts to end fuel poverty and energy waste by making the UK's draughty homes more efficient have collapsed by almost 85%. As the Guardian says, the report, published on Thursday, shows that the number of energy efficiency upgrades undertaken each month has fallen to 10,000 on average for the six months to the end of May. This compares with an average of 65,000 ...
Brixworth (Daventry) result: LDEM: 49.5% (+38.6) CON: 37.3% (-28.2) LAB: 13.2% (-10.5) Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.— Britain Elects (@britainelects) July 18, 2019An extraordinary result in yesterday's Daventry District Council by-election. Congratulations to all involved. It gives me an excuse to post a photograph of "the finest Romanesque church north of the Alps".