Here's Bastille with Pompei at the British Museum earlier this year...
I am one of four co-editors of the official Liberal Youth blogging platform; the Libertine. We would love it if you would write a short blog post for us. It can be on any political topic you wish (you totally don't have to agree with Lib Dem policy, in fact, we welcome a bit of intra-member debate)... Posts don't need to be any longer than 500 words or so, and can be sent to Rebecca.tidy@liberalyouth.orgor any of the other editors... Recent posts have received between 200, and 350 views, which means that it's a great means of getting your writing ...
I am so happy that nine Lib Dem MPs, including two Cornish MPs voted against killing more innocent people in Syria. As human beings we have no right to end the life of a fellow human. We may perceive their actions to be "wrong" but they often feel the same about us. By killing these people, and perhaps many innocent by-standers, we would also be choosing to end the lives of others...
I'm probably one of very few people who believe that Bangor's student accommodation issue is a result of local representatives failure to develop a constructive strategy, or message, on private student accommodation. A recent article in the Bangor Mail regarding the Jewsons development demonstrates the lack of clarity on student accommodation, and a distinct void [...]
In essence Ed Milliband's position on Syria was essentially the same as the government's. Hence he needed to lose to avoid people noticing that his position is tactical rather than based upon principle. There are a number of principled positions. However, his position was pure oppositionism. He now faces the real difficulty that although his amendment failed he also voted against the
[IMG: Toddler in a pedal car] A banker yesterday Amy Davidson in The New Yorker is very good on David Cameron's Commons defeat and the lessons for President Obama: "Obama can't win this the way that Cameron lost it: by talking as though he is the only one acting according to principle, and that those who disagree just haven't seen enough pictures of the effects of chemical weapons. There are principles at work in wondering whether something that feels satisfying but causes more death and disorder is right, too. The real Cameron trap is thinking that a leader can go ...
Many of you may have received an email from Unlock Democracy who are currently encouraging Councillors to pass motions that help protect their local pubs. The suggested wording of the motion is as follows: Sample Motion [Name] Council notes the possibility of submitting the following proposal to the government under the Sustainable Communities Act: 'That the Secretary [...]
My final poem is one that sums up my Ulster Scots roots and the fact that I have spent over 10 years of my life living and working in Scotland. Keeping Going The piper coming from far away is youWith a whitewash brush for a sporranWobbling round you, a kitchen chairUpside down on your shoulder, your right armPretending to tuck the bag beneath your elbow,Your pop-eyes and big cheeks nearly burstingWith laughter, but keeping the drone going onInterminably, between catches of breath. The whitewash brush. An old blanched skirted thing On the back of the byre door, biding its time ...
One of the articles in David Morris' booklet 'Reporting Back Autumn 2012' tells us about his views on Syria. Well, no it doesn't. The title is 'Petition for CHANGE' and it tells us that pupils from Heysham High School organised this petition 'for the removal of President Assad'. It doesn't mention whether David agrees with the pupils. We gain more insight from The Visitor from the 11th July 2012. Yes it is more than a year old and David is only now reporting back but his view is directly relevant to August 2013. Here he states "I'm extremely proud to ...
Fri 30th
18:35
Clegginar, featuring hot sexy @helenduffett & a question from me. Also info on next Lib Dem webi...
My question is asked at 8.42, and got a pretty positive response on twitter. Clegg's answer was interesting, and not as ducky as the last time he failed to answer a question from me. He keeps saying my name, which makes me giggle. I do like that the party does these webinars, although usually they are at a time when I can't participate live. I was quite happy that I got chance to join in today. The next one with a Lib Dem minister will be on Monday 2nd September at 7pm (when I am at work) with Mike Moore, ...
Another day and another Scientology memoir. The number of memoirs out there has exploded over the last few years and you'd think there wasn't much more to say. You'd be very wrong. Jeff Hawkins' "Counterfeit Dreams " is to Scientology memoirs what Going Clear was to Scientology history. It is extremely well-written and deeply engaging. Hawkins was in the church for 35 years. He sailed aboard the Apollo with L. Ron Hubbard himself. He ran the successful 1980s campaign to promote Dianetics. And he served out his last years in the church on the now infamous Int Base near Hemet, ...
Travellers have illegally camped on The Cheadle College fields and a number of residents have contacted us, concerned about it. The land is private (owned by the college). The College is taking the proper legal action to remove the travellers from the land, advised by the Council. The proper legal process has to be followed, but the College are taking action as quickly as they can. Anyone with concerns can contact us.
Today marks the death of Ulster's most world renowned poet Seamus Heaney as I said earlier I will be sharing some of his work that has touched me through the years for different reasons. This next one is another experience we both shared, my father had a sizable vegetable patch out the back of the house I spent my formative years in. Planting seeds and harvesting the various vegetables and fruits became a family endeavour. I was too young then to have homeworks over the weekends but later on when we moved house I would on occasion be working away ...
This afternoon, Nick Clegg answered questions put by Lib Dem members. The half hour interview, by Helen Duffett, is now available on YouTube. * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.
Yesterday I accused Ed Milliband of letting politics dictate his position. Some Labour friends questioned the veracity of this statement. I suggest they tune into 5 news at 5 or 6:30
Blyth Town Council meets as follows this coming week:- Tuesday 3rd September - Allotments Committee with Allotment Holders , Arms Evertyne House, 6:30 immediately followed by Allotments Committee , notional start 7:15 but this may be subject to change if the previous meeting over-runs Thursday 5th September - Planning and Development Committee , Arms Evertyne House, 6:30
I am, I suppose, a bit of a liberal interventionist. I believe in a model whereby the international community defines certain behaviours as unacceptable, agrees on a range of possible sanctions, and then enforces them based on principles of evidence, justice and international law.It's the word 'enforce' that presents us with the tricky bit. Enforcement means action, because unless you actually demonstrate that you really mean it, those minded to break the rules are encouraged to believe that they might well get away with it.Last night, the Government showed poor judgment in calling a fairly meaningless, and probably unnecessary, vote ...
This is the first of three extracts from the forthcoming collection of essays Green liberalism: a local approach to the low carbon economy. Similar collections will be published under Green Alliance's 'Green social democracy' and 'Green conservatism' projects as part of the Green Roots programme, which aims to stimulate green thinking within the three dominant political traditions in the UK. A sustainable and low carbon transport system is something which UK governments have historically struggled to achieve, thanks to years of poor forward planning and systems which revolve heavily around cars, a highly inefficient mode of transport. But mobility patterns ...
As I said earlier today marks the sad passing of Seamus Heaney and I shall be marking today with some of his poems. This next one reminds me of an activity that I enjoyed around this time of year with my grandfather as we walked along the hedgerow of a farmer friend's fields, him reaching high and me lower. Blackberry-Picking Late August, given heavy rain and sunFor a full week, the blackberries would ripen.At first, just one, a glossy purple clotAmong others, red, green, hard as a knot.You ate that first one and its flesh was sweetLike thickened wine: summer's ...
Fri 30th
15:00
URGENT! Just 2 hours to respond to Jim Hume MSP's consultation on banning smoking in cars where chil...
When I originally flagged up that Jim Hume was intending to introduce a bill to the Scottish Parliament making it illegal to smoke in your car if you had children present, it's fair to say that it inspired some heated discussion. And then I'm sure we all forgot about it. I certainly did. Until I saw on Facebook a little while ago that today is the last day to respond to his consultation. By 5pm to be precise. After uttering a few sweary words, I thought I'd better remind you all before I filled it in for myself. There are ...
Fri 30th
14:59
Syria: Labour's Amendment (490 MPs were willing to consider military action potentially)
It is worth looking at Labour's Amendment expresses its revulsion at the killing of hundreds of civilians in Ghutah, Syria on 21 August 2013; believes that this was a moral outrage; recalls the importance of upholding the worldwide prohibition on the use of chemical weapons; makes clear that the use of chemical weapons is a grave breach of international law; agrees with the UN Secretary General
As I write this blog post I am looking forward to this weekend with trepidation. On Sunday, I will be going to the Love Withington Baths campaign Pirate Fun Day. [...]
I've been mulling over doing a piece on Syria for a few days but intended posting this (or something similar) last night but a combination of being out and being tired put paid to that. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are a few thoughts. I daresay none of them are terribly original but if nothing else, it will help with my own thought processes on the subject. Syria is not Iraq... It's become a cliche to say this - but it's true. But whilst the situation in Syria is not analogous to that in Syria, Iraq is the prism ...
[IMG: John Stuart Mill] Cable should revisit Mill's Principles of Political Economy With new analysis this week showing as many as 50,000 women lose their jobs each year while taking time off to have a baby, insecurity appears to be the new normal for British workers. From mothers losing out whilst on maternity leave, to the rocketing growth of zero hour contracts on which as many as 1m people are now employed, millions of people face instability at work. These bad employment practices combined with the on-going squeeze on wages means that over half of people say they struggle to ...
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... MPs have made a terrible mistake on Syria – FT.com .@MaajidNawaz's more convinced than I am, but this is very persuasive > MPs have made a terrible mistake on Syria http://on.ft.com/15plu8Q Miliband was governed by narrow political interests - not those of Syrian children. I have left the Labour Party - Telegraph Blogs Dan Hidges has left the Labour Party over Syria. Cue inevitable jokes. But, before you make them, read his piece. http://bit.ly/19S1zUQ I am an internationalist, not an isolationist. The headlong rush to inaction is as bad as the headlong ...
I join Paddy Ashdown in feeling depressed about my country today. In my near thirty years as a Liberal Democrat I have heard two tropes consistently from campaigners: that policy is irrelevant and that foreign policy is particularly irrelevant. Yet it is foreign policy above all that shapes our party's fortunes. Take the SDP split over Europe - that got me into the party in '85. Then came our opposition to the UK's ban in letting in Hong Kong residents before the handover to China - several of my friends joined too, and it put Paddy Ashdown on the map. ...
Growing up in Northern Ireland part of of English Literature course was to study the works of Irish posts. Even then we had a living luminary that the world recognised who wrote sometimes about things so quintessentially about Ulster and in language that was so us (or our grandparents as some of us were urban youth) that it made us hunger for more. Today we have learnt that the Nobel Laureate (1995) poet has passed away. As a tribute today I'll be publishing some of his works, some are the ones I learnt about in school, some are ones I ...
Last night's vote by the UK Parliament to reject a government motion to clear the way for punitive action against Hafez Assad's regime in Syria feels like a very important moment in British politics. It is a small but decisive step away from Britain's centuries-old role as a Great Power on the world stage. This has good and bad aspects. The vote itself has divided opinion among in my social network. The less political of them, including my liberal leaning but unpolitical friend at the gym this morning, are very happy. A depressing chain of events that started with Tony ...
It is true - I have an interest in war. I've studied war in all its forms since I was a small boy. I'm fascinated by the tactics, logistics, strategy and human behaviours from the Field marshal on the hill to the Private on the fields - but I am not a war monger. War for war's sake is always wrong and should always be a last resort to sort out a situation. As a Star Trek geek I also hold to the Prime directive of non interference in another nations internal affairs. When Human rights are being, shall we ...
On returning from holiday it was a pleasure to find the garden full of butterflies, in particular tortoiseshells, thoroughly enjoying the late summer sun and the buddlejas. It's easy to forget just what annuals you've planted by this time of the year and there are one or two new flowers blooming, unexpectedly enjoying the heat. While away I noted the aubergine plants I'd passed on to family members in Devon were happily fruiting whereas mine in Kent are just flowering. Typical! Autumn marches towards us now, the Virginia Creeper is starting to turn crimson, leaves are falling, the grapes and ...
A routine hold for the Lib Dems in South Lakeland with a small swing to the Tories: Lib Dem 431 Cons 248 Lab 29
Yesterday's Commons vote showed incredible strength in politics and democracy, the bedrock of our freedom. What about the others? To those who decry the fact that we ignore crimes against humanity at our peril, talk to me about the gulags in North Korea. Tell me about the machine gunning of a singer in that nasty little country for having sex. Tell me about the starvation of millions of North Koreans and who and what we can bomb to stop that happening. Go on, in the comments below. Or explain to me our role in dealing with one of the most ...
Stephen, as an internationalist you should applaud and accept the outcome of the democratic House of Commons last night. Do not be ashamed. Be proud. Do not be dismayed. Be hopeful. The biggest destroyer of lives and life chances is anarchy. Anarchists work to bringing the whole house down. That is their objective. The rule of law is anathema to them. I quoted earlier in the week, Gavrilo Princip, whose assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austrian precipitated the loss of 21 million lives and, if you see the Second World War, the Cold War and the dominance of Stalin as ...
...was A.J Ayer, the celebrated advocate of logical positivism One of the last of the many legendary contests won by the British philosopher A. J. Ayer was his encounter with Mike Tyson in 1987. As related by Ben Rogers in "A. J. Ayer: A Life," Ayer — small, frail, slight as a sparrow and then [...]
Parliament has spoken. And whilst it isn't entirely clear that what it appears to have said is actually what it meant to say, there are some serious questions that follow on from the outcome of last night's defeat for the Government.Is the 1925 Geneva Protocol a dead letter, if nobody is willing to enforce it?Written during the time of the ill-fated League of Nations, the Protocol outlawed first use of chemical weapons, and is still being ratified in various places - Syria ratified it in 1968, Moldova in 2010. It was widely accepted as applying to use anywhere, including domestically, ...
What if marketing-speak is not glib nonsense, but a poison at the heart of the university? http://t.co/1mvvzUYmED (tags: (from twitter) ) posted The Blood is The Life 29-08-2013 http://t.co/gFeCXswgCa on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) http://toys.usvsth3m.com/damascus/ I'm definitely on the road to Damascus! 150 miles away, better than 62% of people. Can you get closer? http://t.co/UnghENOGXV (tags: (from twitter) ) Marvellous! @Metal_Hammer: Win an exclusive @BrianBlessed badger t-shirt! http://t.co/PtdbO3Swrc #TeamBadger (tags: (from twitter) teambadger ) http://pinterest.com/pin/164803667587173919/ Ghostbusters as it might have been http://t.co/ACmnpXfila (tags: (from twitter) ) http://advocate.com/ Terrifying: Russia Raids Gay People's Homes | http://t.co/uxs0e79V9O: ...
Dear Nick, Following the vote in Parliament last night the Prime Minister demonstrated how to graciously step back from a position and accept the will of our democratically elected representatives that Britain should not engage in the folly of military intervention in Syria.To step back, accept that you have lost the vote, and so quickly return to the task that parliament has set is not in my view a sign of weakness, it is a clear sign of strength and dignity that will serve the Prime Minister well. At our Spring conference this year you faced two major votes where ...
Below is a copy of the email I am sending to my constituents this morning, following last night's vote in Parliament: Good Morning, Thank you for responding to my request for views on Syria. The responses from constituents were considered and measured. The vast majority were against any direct action on Syria – many of which were against direct action without a UN resolution – a view with which I totally agree. The Government motion was defeated last night and so was the opposition amendment. I supported the Government motion because it proposed waiting for the UN weapons inspectors to ...
Note from the the county council Hertfordshire county council Temporary Closing of St Peters Road, St Albans NOTICE is given that the Hertfordshire County Council intend to make an Order under Section 14[1] of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, to prohibit all traffic from using that length of St Peters Road, St Albans from its junction with A1057 Hatfield Road north eastwards to its junction with Essex Street, a distance of approximately 75 metres. The purpose of the Order is to enable utility service works to take place. The section of road will be closed for approximately 1 day ...
Last night, thirty-three Lib Dems voted for the government's motion; 9 voted against; one abstained and 14 did not vote. Alexander, Danny: For Baker, Norman: For Beith, Sir Alan: For Birtwistle, Gordon: Against Brake, Tom: For Brooke, Annette: Did not vote Browne, Mr Jeremy: For Bruce, Sir Malcolm: For Burstow, Paul : Abstained Burt, Lorely: Did not vote Cable, Vince: For Campbell, Sir Menzies: For Carmichael, Mr Alistair: For Clegg, Mr Nick: For Crockart, Mike: Against Davey, Mr Edward: For Farron, Tim: Did not vote Featherstone, Lynne: For Foster, Mr Don: For George, Andrew: Against Gilbert, Stephen: For Hames, Duncan: ...
The Government's defeat last night over its motion on intervention in Syria was always on the cards given the deep divisions of opinion within all three main parties. It was interesting that some of the strongest speeches against going down a road that could lead to UK military strikes came from Tory rebels. Clearly memories [...]
Let's get down to the nitty-gritty about numbers in policy-making, and why they caused such waste, expense and ineffectiveness in public services when wielded by the last government. Numbers have the appearance objectivity. They look hard-nosed and unanswerable. They look like the kind of thing that people who gargle with the idea of 'evidence-based policy' might like. But here is the tragedy. The numbers are chained at the other end to definitions, which involve words, and these are endlessly malleable, often illusory, sometimes delusory. The numbers are trustworthy, but the definitions slip through your fingers, are massaged by frontline staff ...
Initial reactions to last night's Parliamentary vote against military action against Syria have generally been predictable. Allies and internal foes of party leaders have tailored their stock points to events; Right-wing isolationists and Left-wing peaceniks alike have hailed what could be an historic change in Britain's relationship with the wider world and the US. Political commentators have added little (on an occasion when we might expect them to do more). Interventionists such as Paddy Ashdown have an air of despair. The question then is: 'so what?'. The world will not stop still, as news of an apparent napalm attack on ...
Fri 30th
08:30I am an internationalist, not an isolationist. The headlong rush to inaction is as bad as the headlo...
18 March 2003: I remember how I felt when the House of Commons voted to approve military action against Iraq. Sad. But not surprised. Sad because like millions of others, many of whom I marched with, I did not believe the case for war had been made and that we were rushing headlong into a conflict we were likely to make worse. But not surprised because with most Labour and almost all Conservative MPs four-square behind military action the vote was a formality. 29 August 2013: Today, following Parliament's decision to rule out military action against Syria, I feel both ...
Some light relief after last night's Commons fiasco over Syria, the Independent has highlighted one of the more unusal road trips of the summer. The paper reports that two Conservative-voting British students are taking a cardboard cutout of Local Communities and Government Secretary, Eric Pickles around the United States: He has been photographed sunbathing in Crawfordville, Florida (fully dressed: he's no fool), snapped striding past bikini-wearers on Miami Beach, briefcase firmly tucked under arm), and was recently seen standing strong on Atlantic beach next to a Union Flag. (No surprise there: Eric Pickles loves flags. Supporters will be delighted to ...
The Western Mail reveals that dozens of people are waiting more than 24 hours to be treated on over-worked Accident and Emergency wards in Welsh hospitals each week. A total of more than 2,000 people waited more than a day to be treated on A&E departments across Wales' seven health boards - meaning an average of around 39 people a week, according to information released under Freedom of Information laws to the Welsh Conservatives. The paper says that the figures provoked an impassioned response from the British Medical Association (BMA) in Wales, with its Council chairman saying the information exposed ...
This isn't a post about the outcome of last nights vote. Whatever you think about it, it happened. Personally, Although I was uncomfortable about intervention, (see my views here) I wanted the government to make its case and change my mind- I don't believe it did make its case so I didn't, others think it did. The strategic implications didn't seem to have been considered and the government just could not say how a few days of bombing would end the suffering in Syria or would not end us up with a worse regime than the one now. It is ...
[IMG: the_master_of_the_ordnance_500] Yesterday's Commons vote on intervention in Syria is a landmark. And a surprise. All day I had been reading the pundits in the national press and listening to the BBC. No one expected the government to lose the vote. Least of all the government. My view is that is one of the most significant votes in our recent history. This perhaps - hopefully - is the moment when we stop believing we are a world power. At long last we, or at least our parliament, believe that we cannot bomb our way to peace. This could be the ...
From 1878 onwards Gilbert and Sullivan's Sir Joseph Porter, MP has sung: I always voted to my party's call, And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.* as the explanation and condition of his rise to greatness. So, for over 100 years until yesterday, have our MPs by and large behaved. The only significant exception of which I can think is the vote on the Norwegian campaign in 1940 which brought down Neville Chamberlain, to be replaced by Winston Churchill. Not any more. Yesterday's defeat of the government motion on Syria, anodyne as it was, is an indication ...
There's been a development in events around the decision of the Council to sell off the bit of land at Sefton Park referred to as the meadows. When the Labour Cabinet voted to sell this land off for housing, it still had to go through a legal process. When open land is potentially being lost, it has to be advertised to give people a chance to make objections. This advert was published and a large number of objections came in. This means these need to be discussed before anything can happen. The Council has now said that this discussion will ...
I have received concerns from a number of local residents about the state of the pavement near the bus shelter on Blackness Road (south side) just east of Abbotsford Street - see right. I have brought this to the attention of the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership and asked for necessary repairs to be carried out.
Earlier this week, a constituent raised the following concern with me: "When are the Council planning to put a replacement bus stop in Perth Road for the people who want to get off at Harris/West Park Halls? The bus stop area has been fenced off and the bus stop (which has not been covered as out of use) is well behind their barrier. Anyone wanting a bus there would have to stand on the road which would not be advisable." I raised the matter with the Head of Transportation at the City Council who has responded as follows: "This has ...
In last night's debate, Nine Liberal Democrats voted against the government's motion, and thirty Conservatives. Liberal Democrats Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley) Michael Crockart (Edinburgh West) Andrew George (St Ives) Julian Huppert (Cambridge) Dan Rogerson (Cornwall North) Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove) Ian Swales (Redcar) Sarah Teather (Brent Central) Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire) Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam) voted in both lobbies, and thereby abstained Conservatives David Amess (Southend West) Richard Bacon (Norfolk South) Steven Baker (Wycombe) John Baron (Basildon and Billericay) Andrew Bingham (High Peak) Crispin Blunt (Reigate) Fiona Bruce (Congleton) Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford) David Davies (Monmouth) Philip Davies ...
I'm sure everyone else will be doing something similar to this, but I wanted to put down something about what I think about the Syria situation, for what it's worth. And the government's position before and after defeat in the House of Commons this evening. Nothing has got me much stirred in politics for a couple of months like this has. Two years ago, when the Libya uprising was under way I said to someone "if you think this is bad, wait for Syria, their gangster government will be brutal and tenacious." It needn't have been that way of course. ...
The story that is told by the exhibition that I was visiting this afternoon is one that has been told many times before. It one which is drawing great crowds of visitors to Belfast - it is a story of great success but also of great tragedy. The exhibition is that in the Titanic Belfast...
[IMG: Stop bombing sign] Syria has been preoccupying the mainstream media and the political blogosphere for several days now. I've not blogged about it because I try to stick to things I know something about. I know very little about Syria. Other than it is an awful situation. And awfully complicated. Clearly, the Syrian government has inflicted some truly unspeakable acts of violence upon the Syrian people. These may or may not have involved the use of chemical weapons. It seems likely that they did. Chemical weapons are horrendous. But even if they weren't used it is clear that some ...
Today our parliament, by the slimmest of margins, voted against intervention in Syria as the BBC showed footage of alleged napalm-like attacks on schools. Some are saying it was a good day for democracy, but it really wasn't. The Govt ... Continue reading →
I generally think that Twitter is a good thing. It allows people to air their feelings, to be more connected, to be more open. It also allows people to turn armchair aristotle on us, and that can be a bit embarrassing. Today's vote on the situation in Syria has shown parliament for what it should be - a living, breathing, thinking space. On very few occasions do you actually watch proceedings in the house and actually think that something is being considered and contemplated - very rarely do you think that a decision is being made there and then, without ...
