[IMG: Featured on Liberal Democrat Voice] D66 the left Liberal Party from the Netherlands is being tipped to enter government. With the recovery of the Labour Party the possibility of a 'purple coalition' is growing. That was the coalition that ran the government between 1994 and 2002 and has always been seen as D66's preferred option. The coalition would consist of D66, the Labour Party and the right wing Liberals VVD. The election is on the 12th September Earlier this year D66 put out a statement on their position which can be found in full here and their website is ...
This is my 999th blog post, and I have two minor posts planned (a review of Dredd, and a link to a Mindless Ones review of last night's Who when I write it). I don't want either of them to be my 1000th post — I'd rather it be something interesting. So I'd better think ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 290th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (2-8 September, 2012), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, 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. That's it. I'm ...
I don't want to say a lot about this. It was a passable, middle-of-the-road Who episode. HOWEVER, considering this was a Chibnall ep, this is praise indeed from me. Someone has clearly had a word with Chibbers about his rampant sexism, because there were references to Amy being as good as two men, and the words "gender politics" were explicitly uttered. That said, there were also still two cock jokes and a rape threat... BUT it was reasonably tightly plotted, the dialogue was much more like real people talk than a normal Chibnall ep, and there were DINOSAURS! OK, so ...
If you are planning a clear out of any of the items listed below, RE>Build Bury, a charity which helps people in need to set up home or replace broken or worn items, would really like to hear from you: Sofas and armchairs with the relevant fire labels Cupboards and drawers Dressers and wall units Sideboards Tables and chairs Beds with the relevant fire labels (especially doubles) Wardrobes Chests of drawers Dressing tables Bedding boxes Coffee tables TV units Electrical items such as washers, cookers and fridges in working order Clean bedding Bric-a-brac Bicycles If you have anything you think ...
Longmans Dictionary defines Sods Law as: British English the natural tendency for things to go wrong whenever possible - used humorously [= Murphy's Law American English] It's Sod's law that the car breaks down when you need it most. Well Sod's Law came out of it's draw on Thursday night. I've been a Sefton councillor for 6 years and throughout those years I've had to endure "motions" at full council meetings (nothing to do with bowel movements). The subject of motions is usually based on national politics and all parties spend a lot of time and effort laying the blame ...
This week we've heard a lot about how undiverse David Cameron's new Government is. Especially from Labour. But how diverse are Labour's own frontbench? Looking at black representation following the reshuffle there are five Conservative ministers – Lady Sayeeda Warsi, ... Continue reading →
I have no complaints about the Government's strategy for helping refugees. Indeed, I strongly support many aspects of it. As the grandson of refugees, this issue cannot be emphasised strongly enough, even if the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition is generally getting it more than right, which I think it is. I am happy to forward this email from the Refugee Council and I have emailed my own local MP about it. The Government must be held to a very high standard on issues of conscience such as this – however much they do that is right, there will always be scope ...
As a 'thank you' for all his hard work the Liberal MP for Southport presented his agent with a handsomely engraved silver salver. I was John Pugh M.P.'s agent when he first won Southport but sadly it was not me who got given the 120 ounce silver salver. The MP was another John, J M Astbury KC, who fought and won the seat in 1906 and his agent was the legendary A. Keith Durham. Now I must make clear I do not hold a grudge against John Pugh for failing to give me such a lavish gift. When I fought ...
I don't need anyone to remind me of my Granny, Annie Souter, who died 17 years ago today. She was a delightful, kind and loving lady and I miss her so much. However, Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson's open letter to Maria Miller asking her to intervene to make sure children have access to local libraries and the events they organise reminded me of something else Granny did. She took me regularly to the library in Inverness, fuelling the passion for books that's marked my life and developed into the wee bookshop/Amazon habit I have today. We didn't have a lot ...
[IMG: Jon Pick Pic] Here's a lovely little thing to get in the post – a personalised plectrum. Thanks, Chez. For anyone interested, next little pub gig is a while off, Friday November 9th at the Shepherd's Hut in Eton Wick. Or the very next night, Saturday 10th November at the Old Ticket Hall in Windsor.
This record reminds of the time when I first made a point of listening to the singles chart on a Sunday evening. It was a hit in 1972, so I was probably 12. It also marks the end of an interesting era - a sort of interregnum between the glories of the 1960s and the rise of glam rock - when quite heavy bands made it into the charts. Free, best remembered for Alright Now, though My Brother Jake is a good record too, were a notably youthful band, still in their teens when they came together in the late ...
It was Sir Humphrey in the great Yes Minister who said 'a party with just over 300 MPs forms a government and of these 300, 100 are too old and too silly to be ministers and 100 too young and too callow. Therefore there are about 100 MPs to fill 100 government posts. Effectively no choice at all'. Indeed when you look amongst the 300-odd Conservative MPs, once you take out those who are constantly rebellious, politically immature, too old or just simply bonkers, there is not a lot left - so David Cameron's task when putting the government together ...
It was down to the last day of competition, GB Paralympics weren't going to give the Royal Mail any break in producing stamps. There were only two chances of GB athletes taking medals on this last day both of them over 26 miles and 385 yards. First away were the men's T54 marathon and GB's hope had already won gold in the 800m 1500m and 5000m. But David Weir was in the lead group all the way and once again was ready when the race came around the Victoria Monument for a final push up The Mall pulling away from ...
A big thank you to all those who took part in the survey I ran about new equipment for the Holbrook Park playground. There was a mixture of replies, from children themselves as well as parents and a few grandparents. The most popular options were the Climber and Rotator 2 (the more disc-shaped of the two carousels). Thanks also for the other comments and ideas about this park. I shall be feeding them all back to the City Council along with people's preferences, and we hope to see some new equipment soon!
Vince Cable went on the Andrew Marr show this morning to talk about his new industrial strategy. He was also asked about the story in the Mail on Sunday which touted the idea that Zac Goldsmith would resign his Commons seat over the third runway at Heathrow. This, by the way, is an idea that was touted by Richard Morris over at A View from Ham Common on Friday. Well, actually, to be more accurate, he suggested a job swap. It was I in the comments who suggested that Boris wouldn't resign as Mayor but might contest the by-election. Vince ...
This is a further post about my adventures with the music service Spotify. At the end of each year I usually put together a "best of" playlist of the music that I have been listening to, or has meant something, that year. This has sometimes generated a post here. This is what I wrote for 2010. However, putting together my playlist for 2011 had got more than usually delayed. Signing up to Spotify has motivated me to sort out various playlists so I've now managed to complete it. I won't post the whole thing here — the full playlist is ...
It is quite hard to fathom the current maelstrom of gossip in and about the British Conservative Party hitting the headlines this weekend. The Prime Minister has crafted a reshuffle that rewarded several of the more patient of his party's right wingers, without destabilizing the coalition itself too much. Yet the response has been a plethora of alleged plots and supposed fury. Plans are said to be afoot to bring Boris Johnson back into the House of Commons in order to challenge his erstwhile Eton and Oxford chum. The mechanism apparently involves a third old Etonian- Zac Goldsmith- standing down ...
Today is this blog's 6th birthday. This, astonishingly, is the 2739th post. I was looking through old posts around this time of year to remind you of by way of celebration and I found that writing about children was a bit of a theme. In 2006, my 6th ever post, on Labour's answer to anti-social behaviour saw my first mention to a theme I've returned to many times since - that of the need for responsive parenting in the early days particularly. 2007 saw me asking To smack or not to smack. I'm sure you can guess that I'm firmly ...
Sun 9th
10:50
The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King - The 5-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea
Walter R. Borneman's The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King is a very ambitious book, trying to squeeze into one volume four different characters each of whom could easily fill a multi-volume biography themselves. It's an ambition Borneman succeeds in matching, with the inevitable omissions not detracting too much from the book. The book tells us of the careers of the only American 5-Star Admirals, all of whom served with great distinction in the Second World War. They are wrapped together into a story that, despite the need to cover four different people, is still cohesive, showing the reader not ...
Here in Houghton Regis we have to put up with mentions of the Labour-run unitary authority of Luton Borough Council in our local newspapers. So it was nice to see the ball punted back into the red court in this week's Luton on Sunday: [IMG: Labour Councillor 87 per cent pay rise]
Having established yesterday Labour's culpability in creating the economic mess we are facing it is interesting to read in today's Observer how badly split they remain in how to put things right and indeed, on their general approach to policy. The paper reports that David Miliband and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander, have written from the Democrat convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, that Labour needs to show it is on the side of prosperous middle-class voters as well its working-class base if it is to win the next election. They also say that Labour must show it is committed to ...
Experienced campaigner, Linda Jack, has thrown her hat into the ring for the Police and Crime Commissioner role in Bedfordshire, by seeking support for her candidature. It's not natural for Liberal Democrats to feel comfortable about a political appointee for this post, but at least it will give the public a good alternative to Tory and Labour candidates. Linda reckons she knows urban and rural communities well, and their diversity, and is passionate about evidence based approach to criminal justice, which should bode well for protecting citizens and preventing crime. She's had experience of the party's Crime Policy Working Group, ...
I was amazed to discover that Shakespeare first folios are not on the web and haven't been digitized. But the Bodleian's Sprint for Shakespeare is trying to change that. Making these available on the web will enable anyone to view them for ever. So if you can support this cause – that via the Globe theatre has such strong roots in Southwark – donate here.
During the reshuffle, the government unveiled a new Cabinet sub-committee with the task of implementing policies to boost growth. The question they are confronting is at the very centre of British politics at the moment; indeed, it's been the case for a very long time. I wrote an article for Parliamentary Brief last year in which I cited Reginald Maudling's 1963 Budget Statement; he was clear then that there was no question on the need for economic growth. All politicians - apart from a few of the Green persuasion - seem to be united in this common cause, of finding ...
Great debate is clearly still alive and well! We had the liveliest of discussions at a vibrant Liberal Youth pizza and politics in Haringey on Friday night. Well done to Sophie Erskine for organising such a great evening. Sarah Ludford MEP and I were certainly grilled in the best possible way!
Here's their story... It all seems very familiar....I ran this on Friday: Anyone happen to know if they've credited me....? And before I forget. Hat tip to @sunnyhundal who tipped me MONTHS ago (as I wrote in this story)(which hasn't happened yet) that he thought Zac would want to be Mayor one day! Thanks Sunny....
Many thanks to Iain Martin at The Telegraph who followed up my story that the new Transport minister, Simon Burns, is an avowed third runway opponent, with full credit and a link to boot. Thank Iain, appreciate it.
Following our productive meeting with Perth Road businesses in July, another meeting is planned for later this month - details below - all local businesses in the Perth Road area are very welcome to attend:
At Thursday night's Council meeting at Bootle Town Hall, councillors discussed the issue of sheep pens and felling on the Ainsdale and Birkdale Local Nature Reserve and beach management. The debate was prompted by a motion submitted by Conservative group deputy leader Cllr Terry Jones. In it he requested that "an urgent review is undertaken of our current coast management programme in order to protect Southport's Dune system, foreshore and the many habitats within it." However the Mayor, Litherland Cllr Kevin Cluskey, ruled that the motion could not be passed as it stood but would need to be referred to ...
As I possess that rare thing among Liberal Democrats - a soft spot for Baroness Warsi - I have been amused by three Guardian stories today about her successor Grant Shapps: Google blacklists websites run by family of Grant ShappsThe rise and fall of Grant Shapps' Twitter followersGrant Shapps altered school performance entry on WikipediaAnd they have reminded me of an incident that took place in 2007 during the Ealing Southall by-election. As Mark Pack revealed on Liberal Democrat Voice, the following comment was posted on a Liberal Democrat campaign video: Okay, realistically we're not going to win though. Especially ...
