While it is too early to say whether the German elections will allow the return of the vaguely liberal FDP to Parliament, the initial exit polls suggest they aren't. The results are clearly very good for Angela Merkel. The German commentariat is already writing the epitaphs, some with more glee than others [http://www.istdiefdpnochimbundestag.de/] of the current leadership. Given the absolute requirement to reach 5% of the national vote (the FDP has not won a constituency seat for years), it might be too early to call: the head of the JuLis (Young Liberals) has spoken of 'mistake after mistake' being ...
In today's Telegraph Chris Grayling goes on the offensive. And his article certainly is offensive. It's an offence against nuanced debate for a start. Grayling's argument in summary is that Britain is in "a global race" that is getting tougher. The Conservatives "support wealth and job creators" and that is one of their "red lines". This is contrasted with the other parties, which are "bringing back the politics of envy": So, what do Labour want? To penalise the wealth creators. Higher taxes for the rich. To pay for what Labour really desires - an ever bigger welfare state. The Lib ...
You may try to take our policies on Mansion Tax and on the Living Wage You can copy our Party Conference vote on the Bedroom Tax You can win over our former Director of Policy And you can even attempt to steal our mantle as the champions of civil liberties But there's one thing you will never take away from us. OUR GLEE CLUB This, may I suggest, is a step too far....
Having initially been sceptical about Pope Francis and especially his record under the Argentine junta, I am developing a certain respect for him. As you can probably tell from the fact that this is my third post about it his recent interview impressed me. However, there were points where the Francis and his interviewer get [...]
Today's Observer reports that Nick Clegg is to hold an investigation into whether members of his team briefed against Vince Cable before conference. The matter in question is a briefing given that said that in a debate on the Glasgow economy motion at an MPs' awayday, the vote went 55-2 against Cable's unhappiness with it. This was reported by the media, plainly as the result of an official briefing, though was later the subject of a limited retraction by the BBC's Nick Robinson, who said: "I am now told that no vote was held after a debate about economic policy ...
Ed Miliband was asked by Andrew Marr about the voting power of the union bosses. Ed chose not to answer so Andrew asked again whether a union boss could put his hand up and say "I've got five million votes here". It is an important question about Labour Party democracy so it is worth asking twice. Ed ignored Andrew again and told him "the really big question for people watching this programme Andrew is how we deal with their living standards crisis". There are flaws with this answer. It doesn't address Andrew's big question (again) and secondly there are many ...
We need apprenticeships, we need a skilled workforce and we need skilled and unskilled members of the workforce matched with job vacancies. It sounds so obvious but it is easy to see how things can go wrong: too few jobs, too few people with the required skills, too few people for the unskilled posts. This means that some employers have to go to other countries to find skilled and unskilled members of staff. This isn't an easy option but if the company wants to get the job done then difficult decisions have to be made. There is good news. There ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 345th 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 (15-21 September, 2013), 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. Private Eye's 1979 ...
Here's what CoVi made of the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow: And don't forget to take a look at the party's own round-up movie:
I was very pleased to be invited to join Tony Rowland and Jeremy Sandford in celebrating 50 years of their retail store Richard Marks, located in Wallington Square. A dinner in honour of this milestone had been organised by the local branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) at the Croydon Park Hotel. Tony [...]
I can't claim to be an expert on Catholicism. I've grown up a cultural Anglican (though thankfully I've been spared a religious upbringing) whose interest in other religions has never stretched to the Roman Catholic church. I think this is perhaps because the Roman Catholic church is so complicated and has so many different organisations, styles and, above all, saints that it would require a lifetime's study to do it justice. And as I believe it is all make-believe I'm not interested in expending the time on it that I instead give to New Religious Movements (those are the things ...
I may have remarked in the past about the difference between the cultural life of Suffolk and that of London, where I lived for so many years. In order to have one here, I have to be more organised, more disciplined, if you will, as there obviously isn't the range of opportunities so taken for granted in a big city. Luckily, as my sense of organisation or discipline is not ideal, Ros tends to step into the breach from time to time. And so, this morning, we set off from Needham Market by train for Bury St Edmunds, to see ...
This is a cross-posting from the Creeting St Peter Journal... Last night's power cuts are a reminder as to just how dependent we are on utilities that we generally take for granted. The village's nine street lights fall into that category too, and yet their long-term future is in some doubt. The impact of higher energy costs, combined with the relatively low efficiency of the elderly equipment, hurts the Council budget. Worse still, EU regulations on light bulbs make the required bulbs obsolete, and hard to obtain. But, more importantly, the equipment is the property of the Parish Council, meaning ...
On Faith and Doubt: Finding God in all things is not an 'empirical eureka.' When we desire to encounter God, we would like to verify him immediately by an empirical method. But you cannot meet God this way. God is found in the gentle breeze perceived by Elijah. The senses that find God are the [...]
Many thanks to the 16,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Bob Worcester forecasts Lib Dems to be reduced to 24 seats in 2015. I'll run naked down Whitehall if that happens (72 comments) by Stephen Tall Hung Parliament: what Liberal Democrats members think will happen and what you want to happen (72 comments) by Stephen Tall Clegg: "Every primary school pupil should be able to sit down with a hot, healthy lunch with their classmates every day" (110 comments) by Stephen Tall Opinion: Ten reasons why the Bedroom Tax must go ...
Set your taste buds tingling with the wide range of culinary events and restaurant offers available at this year's St Albans Food and Drink Festival 2013. During the festival you can visit CAMRA's St Albans Beer Festival, join a cup-cake making class, go foraging for a banquet and attend a food writing workshop. The festival runs from Wednesday 25 September to Sunday 6 October and full details are available atwww.enjoystalbans.gov.uk/foodanddrinkfestival. You can also pick up a festival brochure from St Albans Tourist and Information Centre in Market Place and participating venues. Events include beer tasting with Roger Protz, editor of ...
On Liberal Democrat Voice Caron Lindsay points us to an article in this morning's Observer: Nick Clegg has launched an inquiry into claims that aides have been involved in a "dirty tricks" campaign against his leadership rival Vince Cable. The Liberal Democrat leader is investigating an allegation that members of the media have been briefed with erroneous information damaging Cable's position in the party. The move followed an angry complaint from an MP during a meeting of the parliamentary party at last week's Lib Dem conference in Glasgow. The dispute centres on an economic debate held during an away day ...
The great eccentric of the British music scene was Viv Stanshall. And one of the more unexpected facts about Steve Winwood's career is that Stanshall wrote the lyrics of the title track on Arc of a Diver, the album that relaunched him as a star of MTV in the 1980s. Steve Winwood one said of him: "He was a one-off. he found the route that brought together elements of intellectual with rock'n'roll and comedy and poetry - he was incredibly well read - and it was just a unique combination. He couldn't possibly create a niche or an art form ...
At party conference I asked Nick Clegg why the word 'co-operative' appeared only once in our economy paper and not at all in the resolution presenting that paper to conference. He advised me to write my views on a postcard and send them to him, and this is that postcard. The third clause of the preamble to the constitution sets out the underlying principles of economic liberalism clearly and concisely: We will foster a strong and sustainable economy which encourages the necessary wealth creating processes, develops and uses the skills of the people and works to the benefit of all, ...
Clegg arrives at the Hall in a car that looks rather the worse for recent collisions: "I've decided to stop looking in the rear-view mirror," he explains breezily. He tells me he wants to lie low for a while as he has upset rather a lot of people lately. "You will be quite safe here," I assure him. "Why don't you hide in my boathouse? No one will think of looking for your there." Later I walk down to the Bonkers'Arms, where I recall they have one of those telephones with a Button B.... Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for ...
Just as the UKIP Conference was overshadowed by the antics of Godfrey Bloom MEP, the Labour Party are struggling to overcome the legacy of the bitter and sometimes vicious rivalry between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, a legacy that has thrown a pall over their own annual gathering thanks to the timely publication of Damian McBride's book. On the Telegraph blog, Iain Martin draws out the similarities between the trauma that overcame the Conservatives following the ousting of Margaret Thatcher and that currently besetting Ed Miliband's party: It is now clear that Labour finds itself in a similarly bleak situation. ...
How familiar, Ed Milliband, the latest in a long line of no-hope Labour leaders and I might say, leaders who offer to sort out corrupt union thugs, and never do, appeared on this mornings Andrew Marr show, failing to commit to union reform or anything sidestepping pretty much every question instead offering allsorts of inducements from apprenticeships to increase wages but clearly no substance to back any of his vague offer of jam tomorrow. Ed Milliband gave a masterclass in evading simple questions, still one thing's for sure, long after Ed's a blip in Labour history, crooked union leaders will ...
The BBC report that some Welsh councils may block access to payday loan websites from computers at council-run libraries and buildings to try to help people in debt. They say that Monmouthshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Vale of Glamorgan councils are considering the move to stop "irresponsible lending". However, the Consumer Finance Association said it feared people could be stopped from accessing responsible credit providers: John Killion, chairman of the North Wales Credit Union – a financial co-operative owned by the people that uses it – said he would welcome councils restricting access to payday loan websites. "We're ...
posted The Blood is The Life 21-09-2013 http://t.co/w7vDbT4no6 on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) http://pic-science.com/butterfIy Transparent Butterfly. The 2nd pic is so beautiful. http://t.co/sQNFhObaAt (tags: (from twitter) ) Rough pictorial approximation of the mood I am in today: http://t.co/yMDCG01szn (tags: (from twitter) ) I feel guilty that this made me laugh: http://t.co/VMuB3BegSn (tags: (from twitter) ) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BUoZHbdCEAE1GZM.png A reminder of the stellar picture of Niggle Farridge on the front of today's Indy http://t.co/IUh46vZNuH (tags: (from twitter) ) http://twitpic.com/dehx52 At Coney Island. One Spock and two Sirs. LLAP http://t.co/77s0Iq62hH (tags: (from twitter) ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] ...
From today's Observer: The Liberal Democrat leader is investigating an allegation that members of the media have been briefed with erroneous information damaging Cable's position in the party. The move followed an angry complaint from an MP during a meeting of the parliamentary party at last week's Lib Dem conference in Glasgow. The dispute centres on an economic debate held during an away day for Lib Dem MPs last month. A number of reports, including one by the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson, alleged that Cable lost heavily when he proposed at the event that the government should borrow more, ...
The bin near BCA in Rush Hill, is due to be replaced shortly having rusted through.
Last weekend, I found an old VHS of Steven Spielberg's film Back to the Future being sold off in the local library, along with the books, furniture, staff etc etc (thanks for nothing, Croydon Borough Council). I watched it through with my children, for whom it needed a lot of explaining. But what I noticed was how strange it was looking back to 1985, when it was made, which is almost 30 years ago. This is ironic because it is all about going back in time 30 years from then, to 1955. Regular readers of this blog (if there are ...
I've done a couple of posts lately on Christian sexual ethics. I've argued that conservatives overemphasise them and draw the wrong conclusions from the bible; while liberals unduly neglect them. So I thought I would be remiss not to mention what Pope Francis has said recently on the subject. His holiness has given a long [...]
'What are your thoughts on coalitions? Should the Lib Dems go with Labour or Conservatives - if they are in a position to choose?' That was the question I was asked by the BBC's Daily Politics in advance of appearing on Thursday to talk about any future coalition (you can catch my discussion with historian Lord (Peter) Hennessey here for the next few days). Here's the answer I gave, one I didn't actually have chance to discuss during the programme... First, as a flow-chart and then my original email reply: [IMG: Coalition flow-chart - Sept 2013] It depends on 5 ...
... a new exhibition in the Tower Foyer Gallery from this coming Saturday, featuring new and old work by renowned painter and Duncan of Jordanstone College graduate Marge Loudon Moody. This will be Marge's first show in Great Britain in 30 years - she has lived in the USA since 1983, and is currently a Professor in the department of Fine Arts at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina. She graduated with a Diploma and Post-Diploma in Drawing and Painting from Duncan of Jordanstone in 1972. The exhibition features stunning abstract paintings created during in her time in the USA, ...
For those of you who are interested in my next music book (the one I Kickstartered on the LA pop scene of the 60s), here's a playlist of the rough list of tracks I've chosen to write about. There are sixty tracks in all, starting in 1960 with Moon Dawg by the Gamblers, and progressing [...]
