At dinner this evening I asked Lord Bonkers about his recollections of two of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century. This is how he described them: Bertrand Russell - "Terribly Clever." Ludwig Wittgenstein - "Terribly Clever but Rather Hard Work."
A useful item in the current Private Eye records the private schools attended by many of the Guardian's leading journalists: There's editor Alan Rusbridger (Cranleigh); G2 editor Clare Margetson (Marlborough); political editor Patrick Wintour (Westminster); economics editor Larry Elliott (St Albans); environment editor John Vidal (St Bees); fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley (City of London School for Girls); US editor Janine Gibson (Walthamstow Hall); literary editor Clare Armitstead (Bedales); film critic Peter Bradshaw (Haberdashers' Aske's); theatre critic Michael Billington (Warwick); associate editor Madeleine Bunting (Queen Mary's, Yorkshire); as well as columnists Jonathan Freedland (University College School); Seumas Milne (Winchester); Sinon Jenkins ...
Willie Rennie had this to say on the last St Andrew's Day before the referendum. 2014 is shaping up to be a big year for Scotland. By St Andrew's Day next year the referendum will be done and dusted and we have big events like the Commonwealth Games to look forward to. The referendum has dominated the headlines over the last 12 months. But whether you support keeping Scotland in a strong United Kingdom or back independence there is more that binds Scots than divides us. I think sometimes we need to take a moment to recognise the many things ...
Emine Saner has an article in today's Guardian looking at the number of children of politicians who are trying to follow the same career. In it she quotes Professor Steven Fielding from Nottingham University who compares the number of political families to: "the later 19th century and early 20th century, when access to politics was restricted, and you couldn't afford to be in politics unless you had quite a lot of money, and it was expected that the aristocracy played a certain role. That diminished in the 20th century but it has reasserted itself for slightly different reasons. Class plays ...
[IMG: the bank] A couple of weeks ago Martin Wolf blogged on the way in which modern macroeconomics has neglected the explicit and integrated treatment of the financial sector. The consequences of this omission have turned out to be of enormous practical significance. It left analysis mostly blind to a range of important real world developments. He provided a brief summary of the characteristics of the banking system that he considers economics students need to be familiar with. This is a theme developed by Professor Wendy Carlin in the revision of her textbook currently under development. She blogged about the ...
There's a vicious rumour going around that using 'ize' spellings (for example, realize) is somehow 'not British' and that the only correct form is 'ise'. If you believe that 'ize' is an Americanism and that 'ise' is British, then there's only one way to put this – YOU ARE WRONG. If you'd like to disagree with me please do so in the comments for this article, but you may want to read the rest of this first and check my sources, which naturally, are impeccable! I have the backing of the Oxford English Dictionary in this matter. They note that ...
Sat 30th
19:55
LibLink: Willie Rennie - St Andrew's Day: A proud Scot making the positive case for remaining within...
Over at the Endeavour Public Affairs blog, Leader of the Scottish Lib Dems Willie Rennie marks St Andrew's Day, 30th November, by reflecting on the importance of Scottish identity ... within the UK. Here's an excerpt: It is because I am a proud Scot that I want to see a constitutional settlement which gives us the best chance to get on in life. 2011 was the first year where the number of people aged 65 and over was higher than the number of those aged under 15. When it comes to providing stability for pensions, welfare and our economy I ...
This story in The Telegraph is a step beyond the normal abuses in the family courts (and court of protection). This was a pregnant mother visiting the UK for a training course lasting only two weeks. It ends up with her baby being taken through a forcible cesarian and then placed for adoption for the usual spurious reasons that are used. Oddly enough last night I had another case of someone
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our belated 354th 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 (17-23 November, 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. Liberal Democrats ...
Spoiler: I don't get knocked over crossing the road.
The UK has the notion of a "strict liability" law. If you are caught with a picture of child abuse - you're guilty of a crime. It doesn't matter if it was sent to you unsolicited, or misaddressed. Possession is the crime and there are no mitigating circumstances. On that cheery note, let's consider Twitter's new image embedding functionality. If your friends post a photo onto Twitter, you will see it in your timeline automatically. No need to click on anything. (As an aside, that's a feature Dabr and other Twitter apps have had for years). A few years ago, ...
On Tuesday Herts Liberal Democrats forced the Conservative administration of HCC to accept that after one full year of operation "the new and revised highways term contracts as well as the Call Centre are not fully functioning and working to best effect for the residents of Hertfordshire and there are still a number of important issues that require resolving". After a year of constant criticism of repeated failures the HCC Conservatives have today admitted that it is now time for the Highways and Waste Management Panel of the Council to consider the matters that cause continuing concerns, and if necessary ...
Labour MP Jim Murphy gives a very moving eye witness account of the bravery of him and others at the scene of the Glasgow helicopter crash.
Unsung Heroes of Belfast, by The Belfast Jurys Inn Hotel }Filed under: Blogging Tagged: belfast, Heroes
Saturday: Age: Between his twelfth and last incarnation... hang on if Davy T used up regeneration eleven AND twelve now, doesn't that make Mr Dr Matt both twelfth AND last...? Uh oh! Stories: 2 Awesomeness: the Catharsis of Spurious Morality! Cuddles: there'll be no impropriety with the Inquisitor! AKA: m'learned doctor of law (allegedly; Boatyard, Backyard, Graveyard, Knackers' Yard... Keeper of the Great Key; Peter Guillam (Tinker, Tailor); Neville Badger (A Bit of a Do); Colonel Mustard (Cluedo); Colonel X (no relation) (Press Gang); ...and James Bond on the radio; he's the immortal Michael Jayston. He'd better be in the ...
[IMG: Julian Huppert, Lib Dem PPC for Cambridge] [IMG: John Thurso] The Liberal Democrats have 2 entrants in this year's Parliamentary Beard of the Year shortlist. Julian Huppert is described as the "rising star of hirsuteness": University lecturer. One of the few people in the Commons who has a clue about science. Supporter of real ale pubs. We'd be dissapointed if the MP for Cambridge didn't have facial hair. Flett tells us: "The Lib Dems have got the rising star of hirsuteness in Julian Huppert – it's a very modern, almost hipster beard. Our second entrant is John Thurso: The ...
It is with the deepest sadness that the Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats receive the news of the death of Mrs Helena Alderdice. Many, in many realms of life, especially in her beloved Ballymena and Glens, mourn her loss, while giving thanks for the great, great deal that she gave, and for the wealth of memories...
James Wharton's EU referendum bill finally passed through the Commons on Friday. Whilst this is seen as a significant victory for the Conservative Party and indeed all Eurosceptics, there is still some way to go before a 2017 EU referendum is enshrined in law. The bill must now get through the Lords, and even Wharton seemed unconvinced that it would pass, at least not without significant amendment. However, the Tory MP for Stockton South warned the Lords, ominously stating "For an unelected House to deny the British people a say on a bill which has been passed by the elected ...
Here's my latest suggestion in The New Statesman - in a nutshell, that the Great George Street strategy is to target soft Tories. Ryan Coetzee was kind enough to respond - so I've added his Twitter comments at the bottom of the piece. Also, curiously, while if I'm right this strategy could benefit Labour, readers of the NS have responded with a fair amount of vitriol... Chris Huhne has ventured in Juncture magazine that any Labour/Lib Dem coalition after the next election is likely to be based upon common agreement in the policy areas of tax, the environment and housing. ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
Apart from the manifesto which, by its very nature is not going to be so detailed, Congress does find time to debate more specific ideas, and there are some interesting proposals on offer. The various Nordic member parties have been particularly active, and here is a quick summary of what will be debated this afternoon. Tackling the shadow economy (Keskusta, Finland) – calls for better EU-wide cooperation against tax evasion, common criteria to define tax havens and greater transparency of company registers Enhancing long term investment for SMEs (Open VLD, Belgium) – seeks dedicated EU markets for small and medium-sized ...
I speak as a Liberal when I say that nine score and a handful of years ago, our fathers brought forth a great idea into the political firmament. It was a logical extension of the anti-slavery movement, and it was called 'free trade'. It framed the debate about business in terms of human liberty, explaining that when businesses get too big, or when they join forces with governments or ally with landed interests, then the prices rise - and those people who have been released from slavery fall victim to a new economic tyranny. That was the 1830s. Thirty years ...
Sat 30th
09:02Rebecca Taylor MEP writes...Can you help me campaign against e-cigs being regulated as medicines?
The EU is currently deciding how best to regulate e-cigarettes. Opinion is divided, with many public health organisations and most national governments - including the UK - pushing for the regulation of e-cigarettes as medicinal products, while consumers, manufacturers, along with some doctors and public health experts asking for a less stringent approach. The European Parliament also voted against medicines regulation, adopting instead a Liberal amendment drafted by Frédérique Ries, myself and Chris Davies which aims to guarantee essential safeguards without resorting to medicines licensing. E-cigarettes are a new and increasingly popular product used almost entirely by existing or former ...
posted The Blood is The Life 29-11-2013 http://t.co/rjfxB1IB0x on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) http://miss-s-b.dreamwidth.org/1460308.html http://t.co/i5CPLESfVi @miss_s_b once again talking about stuff many people too embarrassed to talk about -- here STD screening. (tags: (from twitter) ) Quaequam Blog! » Scapegoating Nick Clegg is the lowest form of populism (tags: ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmbgBlhaxV8 The proto-Frankenstein FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE is now available on @hammerfilms' YouTube channel http://t.co/bVpNUpKtI0 ' (tags: (from twitter) ) http://open.spotify.com/track/4YaSMFKiW4wRgtRFxvM2Zv Ahhhh comfort music... http://t.co/k4V8aECIgX "blood on her skin/dripping with sin/do it again/living dead girl" (tags: (from twitter) ) Government outlines how mums and dads can use new ...
My top reads from the past 7 days What Steven Moffat Doesn't Understand About Grief, And Why It's Killing Doctor Who by Sarah Siegel (Tea Leaves and Dog Ears) "Joss Whedon, Steven Moffat and George R.R. Martin walk into a bar and everyone you've ever loved dies." Why Hawks Should Love the Iran Deal by David [...]
I was at Tesco Riverside yesterday to meet the store's community champion Kath Torode - Kath and I are pictured above at a photocall at which, not only did Tesco generously donate to the West End Christmas Fortnight, but also sponsored the West End Christmas Fortnight Primary Schools' Art Competition. Each of our four local primary schools - Ancrum Road, Blackness, St Joseph's and Victoria Park - allowed all P1 and P2 pupils to take part and the winning entries are below. Well done to Carys, Darci, Josias and Matylda, who each win a Tesco Gift Voucher. Here are the ...
The man charged by the Welsh Government with reviewing the work of Finance Wales, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans writes in the Western Mail in defence of his report. He concludes that there is evidence that Finance Wales, even allowing for any risk element, is charging far higher margins to its customers on loans than that required by regulators to satisfy state aid regulations. This is despite the fact that publicly owned funds across the rest of Europe have kept their interest rates relatively low during the last five years: For example, the normal cost of borrowing by Finland's state-owned bank to ...
The UK Government's already disastrous policy of tackling bovine TB by randomly shooting badgers has become farcical after Natural England pulled the plug in Gloucestershire three weeks before schedule after it became clear even a reduced kill target would not be met. The Telegraph says that the pilot scheme was extended by eight weeks after marksmen exterminated only around 30% of the local badger population, well short of their 70% target. Natural England gave up the ghost after it became clear that the cull was set to miss even the revised level of 58%. An extension to a trial cull ...
By some arcane constitutional nonsense, if a student union general meeting here is inquorate, whilst it may discuss things its votes may only be indicative, and it is adjourned and reconvened a "week hence" at which reconvened meeting however many people as are present constitute a quorum and can ratify or overturn the decisions made at the inquorate meeting itself. I suspect this was implemented in order to avoid the recurrence of the embarrassing spectacle, from a few years ago, that even the union's own constitution took several years to pass for want of a quorate general meeting (free pizza ...
