LibDem Blogs - Archived!

the England cricket team's 2-1 lead in their biennial competition for The Ashes has caused a rush of blood to the national head. There are some reasons for this: one is that, for the last 20 years Australia putting us to the sword has been a predictable national humilation, but this year it's been different. England has ground out two wins which needed the kind of talent and mental toughness

Yesterday's article promoting the benefits of self-government in Alderney was provided with an interesting counter-point in the Western Mail today. The paper reports that a new book from a pair of Cardiff academics concludes that unless the financial straightjacket of the Barnett formula is taken off the Assembly then it will continue to crisis-manage, regardless of the powers available to it.'The academics go on to argue that while Gordon Brown's policy of pumping significant amounts of public spending into health and education as a means of staving off recession may have worked well on a UK-wide basis, it has "created ...

The Western Mail reports that productivity falls sharply during hot weather. They have failed to mention that the Pope is a catholic or that bears like woods.In reality this is a puff piece for environmentally-unfriendly air conditioning. This did not stop the Assembly installing it a few years ago to aid the comfort of their own staff. Now all employers are being urged to follow suit despite the fact that there is no evidence to support the assertion that it will reduce absence rates.Wayne Elliott of the Exeter-based Met Office, brings some commonsense to the discussion: "We have air ...

It is a beautiful summer day on the Raekoja Plats in the old town of Tallinn. I am nursing a cold beer in the August sunshine as I sit in the square. The mediaeval buildings give an impression of timeless peace, only slightly marred by the enormous, booming hoards of tourists echoing across the open space. I am in Estonia on a regular visit, but this time, I am also enjoying the wedding of some friends of mine- she Estonian, he German. Estonia is, in many ways the most Liberal country in Europe. Last night I had dinner with a ...

Well the local party has acquired office space for the Livingston by-election close to Livingston North Station. We recieved the keys this morning. I might just have to don my marigolds after work to help get it cleaned up ready to become a hub of activity. I'll post again once I actually get the guided tour. Until then I have some more deliveries to do.

by Alex Sweet Among the many reasons Robin Cook will be missed, his aim of an ethical foreign policy stands out. This was a rare example in recent politics of the correct use of the term 'ethical'. Usually it is misused, in two distinct ways. The dominant school of thought regards the whole concept of morality as rather dodgy: embarrassing, with religious or at least priggish overtones, and definitely best avoided in politics. What people get up to is their own business: as long as they're not breaking the law, politicians shouldn't stick their noses in. "You can't make ...

OK, so had a good couple of weeks enjoying Edinburgh shows - most of them over the last weekend. I saw nine in all, which is far too many to be writing full reviews of. So, another NGIAI doomed-to-fail audience interactivity project: which shows do you want to hear about? Stewart Lee Richard Herring Bella and the Beautiful [...]

Doctor Who stalwart and Mr Bronson actor Michael Sheard dies

This story shows the absurdity of having a system of rules that means that politicans can be "unelected" for being rude. The decision as to whether a politician remains elected should be primarily that of the electorate. It is true that efforts should go into preventing conflicts of interest. However, the current system does not actually work to prevent the mild levels of corruption that are

Devastation has been wrecked on the Gulf Coast of the US by Hurricane Katrina. It's unclear whether a benefit concert will be held, but if it is, can I make a personal request for Katrina and the Waves to make an appearance. Katrina and the Waves. With large haircuts Pretty please?

The report to this month's Liberal Democrat conference from the party's Gender Balance Task Force includes this intriguing statement:At close of nominations, 24% of new women candidates were women, an increase on last time - more than either other main party.What I'd like to know about is the remaining 76%.

Jonathan Calder's excellent blog has introduced me to the addictive world of 'the Wayback Machine'. If you fancy a laugh, check out the first ever Lib Dem website from January '97... http://web.archive.org/web/19970110103253/http://www.libdems.org.uk/

I am one of the millions of people hooked by the current cricket series between England and Australia. When you look for things that are peculiarly English and that you can be proud of then cricket comes high on my list. The casual observer may be surprised when tuning in to see the odd Spanish [...]

I emailed my blog entry on animal research to a few animal rights groups and here's one of the responses I received, from the Covance Campaign: The Covance campaign do not encourage illegal activities or support the recent act of grave-digging. The media have carried on claiming that David Hall Partners bred guinea-pigs not only for medical research, but also that some were sent to France to be