In celebration of Small Business Saturday and keeping my shopping relatively local I decided to buy only what I could get in Stockton town centre this afternoon. I knew that I could get good quality meat for tomorrow's dinner and decent potatoes to supplement the greens and carrots from the allotment. What I didn't know was whether I could get the other things I wanted. For most of this year
The last of Birmingham's once extensive tramway system closed on 4 July 1953. Soon trams will return to the city centre.
Politics moving online is creating an anti-Tory echo chamber in which demonstrable untruths circulate easily As you likely know Nelson Mandela passed away on Thursday and David Cameron paid tribute to him. That provoked this response amongst others: The thing is: "Cameron started his degree in October 1985, after the FCS faction had printed the [...]
One of the perks of helping out with Liberal Democrat News at the party's conference used to be that I got to talk about The Archers with Jock Gallagher, who used to edit the programme, and comedy with Adrian Slade. Adrian was the man who auditioned Peter Cook for the Cambridge Footlights. I remember him saying that Cook was the funniest person he had ever met. You would spend the whole evening with him laughing, but the next morning you wouldn't be able to remember what it was he had said. Today I picked up a copy Something Like Fire: ...
Every year, political corruption kills 140 000 children across the world, by depriving them of food, water, and medical care. My GOPAC parliamentary colleagues and I are at the United Nations UNCAC to bring the worst offenders before the bar of international law.
Nelson Mandela has made all the recent headlines since his death two days ago. Television has had nothing but praise for the 'freedom fighter' and world leaders have added their eulogies. This is understandable as he was quite possibly the most significant statesman in the past hundred years. However one person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist and you don't have to look too far in our internet age to find some adverse comments. Nick Griffin tweeted that Nelson Mandela was a 'murdering old terrorist'. I am sure that the BNP leader is not on his own in this view ...
Congratulations to everyone involved in making Cheadle's Victorian Christmas Market such a success – I can't remember the village being that busy as eager shoppers moved between the White Hart's fairground attractions, St. Mary's Church and Cheadle Green. I did get a few photos – not the greatest but they give some flavour of the day.
[IMG: Judith and Anthony at AGM] Antony Hook, South East European parliamentary candidate, gave a great speech to a packed Newbury Liberal Democrat party AGM in Thatcham this morning. Here he is with Judith Bunting, our PPC for Newbury. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Slavery in its contemporary guise is not always to recognise: a conference in London today reminds us that we may encounter the phenomenon in daily life without knowing it. The Trust Women conference, attended by campaigners from all over the world, is drawing attention to a disturbing global problem. As women's rights advocate Monique Villa...
Sat 7th
14:03
Danny Alexander's passion for Irn Bru and admiration for Lyndon Johnson revealed in Guardian Q &...
Danny Alexander is featured in today's Guardian Q & A. It's a strange feature that is sometimes contradictory, sometimes very revealing and sometimes just a little too on message for comfort. But then, he's not talking to Liberal Democrat members, he's talking to the wider public so if there was no mention of a stronger economy or fairer society, it would probably be a bit of a missed opportunity. When we are sick of hearing something, it's only just starting to get through to the wider public. He even recognises himself, though, that he might over-use "The mess Labour left ...
V.A.T. Oh, the hours we've wasted trying to work out whether VAT is progressive or not. Some Conservative MP's obviously decided to try and end the debate by calling for VAT to be introduced on children's clothing and food (no, really they did). Of course VAT is not perfect. The intention at the moment is VAT only applies to luxury items, not essentials. Which is why it is argued that those
Here's today's hand-picked selection that caught my interest... Why the Lib Dems will struggle to win any credit for the recovery "The battle for the Lib Dems will be to get nary a mention at all." http://bit.ly/195EYpq Good stuff from @richardmorrisuk CentreForum Liberal Hero of the Week #53: Nelson Mandela | CentreForum Blog And final honourable @CentreForum Liberal Hero mentions for @JWoodcockMP & @TomDaley1994 http://bit.ly/195m5ms < Find out why here CentreForum Liberal Hero of the Week #53: Nelson Mandela | CentreForum Blog With honourable @CentreForum Liberal Hero mentions for @ZacGoldsmith for his Campaign for True Recall of MPs http://bit.ly/195lTnn... CentreForum ...
Nelson Mandela's political legacy is too great, too various, to summarise in a single post. But for me he represents a core insight. For a revolutionary political idea to thrive, it must not be consumed by the very zeal it ignites. This is not to underestimate the importance of Mandela's cause. And it is sobering to think that, two hundred years after the Enlightenment's high watermark, the rightness of that cause was not at all self-evident to the greater part of white South African opinion, any more than Rosa Parks's validity as a person with rights was self-evident to George ...
[IMG: Simon Hughes] Hitting email inboxes on Monday will be the next edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire, looking at the Autumn Statement and including details of Simon Hughes's rather unusual (and rather good) present for his local party members. Sign up for Liberal Democrat Newsire here and make sure you don't miss out. In the meantime, you can browse the previous editions online.
No, he did not exemplify your political ideology (or mine) It is inevitable that someone as widely revered as Nelson Mandela that many his admirers will praise divergent aspects of his life. Hence people from different places on the political spectrum see Mandela rather differently. And since his death there's been a clash over which [...]
Amongst the crop of this week's by-elections are a convincing hold in Todmorden Town Council's Stoodley ward: LD Zaheer Abbas 203 (39.9) Lab 123 (24.2) Ind 71 (13.9) National Front 59 (11.6) Ind 53 (10.4) Majority 80 Turnout 19.12% In Cardiff's Splott, we came within 102 votes, and raised our vote by 3.5%, of taking a seat from Labour. Lab 706 (39.1; -8.7) LD Jamie Matthews 604 (33.5; +3.5) UKIP 209 (11.6; +11.6) Ind 94 (5.2; +5.2) Con 86 (4.8; +0.5) TUSC 80 (6.1; +3.2) [Communist (0.0; -3.3)] [Green (0.0; -4.5)] Majority 102 Glasgow Shettleston has never been our strongest ...
The Times reports that a new code of conduct for the House of Lords is proposing to extend the sanctions that are available to use against those peers who misbehave. The paper says that at the moment, the chamber can suspend peers, but for no longer than the duration of the current parliament. It can also demand written or oral apologies for smaller demeanours: The new rules would ban peers who have misbehaved from claiming any money from the House of Lords. In addition, such peers would be forbidden use of amenities within Parliament, including IT and library facilities, car ...
If someone is currently receiving partial Housing Benefit i.e. the amount does not cover the rent in full, they could apply to the Council for a Discretionary Housing Payment. This is an amount of money which can 'top up' the Housing Benefit on a temporary basis to help people struggling financially. There does not need to be any specific reason why only partial Housing Benefit is received-reasons could include the removal of the spare room subsidy, the benefit cap or because people are working. Private tenants, housing association tenants and council tenants can all apply. We cannot award a Discretionary ...
It has been confirmed in the Autumn Statement that Wales is to receive over £54m due to the Liberal Democrats' free school meals policy in English schools. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are repeating their calls on the Welsh Labour Government to use this extra funding to introduce a similar scheme for Welsh infants. In England, the Coalition Government is making free school meals available for all infant school children and disadvantaged college students from September 2014. Because of this policy, Wales will receive £54m. In total, Wales is to receive £233m in Barnett consequentials. The Welsh Government's funding will increase ...
Sat 7th
09:25
Watch and laugh: Clarke and Dawe - Ensuring Certainty in The Seasonal Gift Delivery Business
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
All You Need To Know About The Autumn Statement, Explained In GIFs http://t.co/F5Wt1rswX3 (tags: (from twitter) ) posted The Blood is The Life 06-12-2013 http://t.co/IkXxOMYJ9x on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) The bubble within the bubble of the Autumn Statement | Tom Watson MP (tags: ) posted And all my promises are lies, all my love is hate; I am the politician, and I decide your fate http://t.co/pqwAFSKBHV on #dreamwidth (tags: dreamwidth (from twitter) ) Why the Lib Dems will struggle to win any credit for the recovery (tags: ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnUoCRflCmQ Make it so, make it ...
LDV's Co-Editor, Caron Lindsay, has written for The Herald newspaper about 2014′s Scottish independence referendum. She's a bit bored with the same old politicians serving up the same old rehearsed lines. She wants real people to start having their say: Let's have the next debate around the kitchen table with some ordinary people. Take my friends Anne and Stevie as an example. The referendum is on her birthday. If we become independent, that'll happen on his. She's pro UK, he's pro independence, albeit with a slightly different and quirkier vision than that presented by the SNP. They care deeply about ...
