This is Bosworth Hall, where Dr Johnson lodged while he was teaching at the town's grammar school. Now a hotel, it was built by the Dixie family during the reign of William and Mary. The Dixie family fortune was lost in the 19th century, and the house and estate were sold in the 1880s to pay gambling debts. After the estate had changed hands a few times, it was bought by Leicestershire County Council and became a hospital - Bosworth Park Infirmary - in 1931. When the hospital closed in the 1980s, it was converted in the Bosworth Hall Hotel. ...
Tue 27th
22:55
A member of the LibDem media team finds out he has won the sweepstake to write the response to Lord ...
[IMG: Derek jumps for joy in the Merzouga Dunes] photo by: kenfeisel [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: image] Dick Dastardly and Muttley from Wacky Races. The complete Wacky Races DVD is available on Amazon here. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
This Nick Clegg video has been sent to party members this evening. It is good to see some recognition that it is possible for local campaigners to work hard and lose, though the stuff about defeated candidates sharing in others' successes is a bit schmaltzy for my taste. More importantly, I still wait for some recognition from Nick that something needs to change we are not to suffer similar disappointments at the next general election. It is all very well saying we have the right strategy, but event if that is true, it is perfectly possible (as my chess career ...
...have the Alliance votes transferred so poorly to unionist candidates. In 1979 the Alliance candidate was eliminated after the election of John Hume SDLP elected after stage 3 and all the last Independent nationalist Bernadette McAliskey who was eliminated at stage 4 so we have no idea how else the Alliance vote would have transferred. In 1984 Alliance were eliminated along with UPUP candidate Jim Kilfedder but the only parties left after their elimination were SDLP and Sinn Fein so it is impossible again to guage the split in preference. In 1989 we didn't get to the elimination stage and ...
In 1959, at the height of the Cold War, the British photographer Gerald Howson was sent to Poland to take pictures for Queen magazine, in principle to illustrate an article that would be written by a friend of mine (long since deceased), the writer Frank Tuohy, who was then working for the British Council in [...]
"Full" as in, not quite full, by the way: @markpack No reason, thought all sets were full. Will upload. — Martin Boon (@martinboon) May 27, 2014 Download this file
...has it taken the long to elect a DUP MEP. But that is not a matter of length of time but number of stages. In the first 1979 elections with a quota of 143,060, Ian Paisley secured 170,688 first preference votes and was elected after stage one. In 1984 the quota was up to 171,330 but so too was Rev Paisley's vote he secured 230,251 and was elected on first stage. In 1989 needing just 133,703 Paisley got 160,110 first preferences and was elected along with John Hume on 136,335. In 1994 it was Paisley again who topped the poll ...
Nick Clegg has recorded the following video, which has just been emailed to party members: It is also available on YouTube.
A welcome change in tone from Nick Clegg in his new video to party members, acknowledging explicitly that many people who worked hard still lost:
Okay so that has outed me as a CSI lover. That music always excites me before the team go in and solve another major mystery in 45 minutes. But the discussions about the Party's future, shrill and heated although they ... Continue reading →
5 reasons Clegg will survive: 1) Majority of Lib Dem members (54%) want him to... — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) May 27, 2014 5 reasons Clegg will survive: 2) No Lib Dem MP has said they will stand against him... — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) May 27, 2014 5 reasons Clegg will survive: 3) Those who want Clegg to go are divided about what they want to happen next... — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) May 27, 2014 5 reasons Clegg will survive: 4) The commissioning/leaking by Matthew Oakeshott of that ICM poll has backfired... — Stephen Tall (@stephentall) May 27, 2014 5 reasons ...
Our retiring Whip Andrew Blacknurn hails from the Western Isles. This will be our first AGM without his guiding influence.We wish him well The picture is of Howmore Hostel on South Uist more details at Urras Osdailean Nan Innse Gall Gatliff
[IMG: Vince Cable - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] Business secretary Vince Cable has released the following statement in the last few moments: Lord Oakeshott's actions are totally inexcusable and unacceptable. I have made it very clear repeatedly that he does not speak or act for me. Commissioning and publishing polls without the consent of the Member of Parliament, as in the case of Sheffield Hallam, is utterly reprehensible. There are undoubtedly raw feelings in the wake of poor local and European election results. We need to respond in a measured way. Public speculation about the leadership is an ...
It's said that Vince Cable knew nothing about the polling commissioned by his right hand man and let's give him the benefit of the doubt. One of the interesting things in the whole #Libdems4change debate though is the protestations of many who signed the letter that they don't have a preferred choice for Leader. Even so, and again, purely coincidentally, the name of Vince Cable keeps being mentioned to replace Nick so let me put this squarely on the table. If we take the whole debacle over tuition fees, Nick maybe the principle salesperson for the party but it was ...
Tue 27th
17:33
Opinion: A change of leader will make no difference. A change of heart and pride just might.
[IMG: Romsey] As a young, recently-selected Lib Dem candidate for next year's general election and in a winnable marginal seat, I'm rather more interested in what my fellow voters think – over 70,000 of them in my area – than a small number of disaffected Party members looking for a scapegoat after recent election results. Standing in an area which includes smart middle-class patches as well as tougher urban ones, I've spent the past few weeks meeting hundreds of constituents. The words 'Nick Clegg' have been mentioned about three times. Nobody I've met really seems to mind who the leader ...
I am encouraged by some of the comments that people have been expressing about my early thoughts about the UK Liberal Democrats, post the Euro-massacre. I am rather less than encouraged by those self-indulgent folk who have decreed that the Liberal Democrats problems can be solved by an early change of leadership. Especially since it is self-evidently not the case. I say self-indulgent because, actually, I think Nick Clegg has actually come very close to quitting. I think he has taken this defeat extremely personally. I would like to ask those who are open enough to front the #libdems4change what ...
Please find the petition here.
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think about the performance of the Lib Dems and party leader Nick Clegg at the most recent set of local and European elections. 992 party members responded – thank you – and we're publishing the full results today. Here's the summary – full results below – of what our survey of Lib Dem members thinks: 54% want Nick Clegg to stay as leader; 39% want him to stand down Among the 39% who want Nick Clegg to stand down opinion is divided whether he should stay ...
[IMG: Lord Matthew Oakeshott addresses conference] The Independent has revealed that Matthew Oakeshott was the 'Lib Dem supporter' behind the ICM polling which we covered here. In an article headed 'Vince Cable allies accused of plotting to bring down Nick Clegg' it claims: Lord Oakeshott has been a close friend of Mr Cable for many years and has made no secret of his desire to see the Business Secretary succeed Mr Clegg. It goes on to quote various unnamed MPs and party sources, but crucially it adds: Some Lib Dem MPs and candidates believe the party needs to remove Mr ...
As I have previously written, Whickham North ward in Gateshead was one of the Labour Party's top target council seats in the North East in the local elections last week. Despite a campaign that soaked up nearly every available Labour resource, including taking people from at least one ward which they were expecting to win but lost on the day, the Lib Dem defending councillor, Peter Craig, held on
You don't have to have been paying much attention to Dr Who to know that Peter Capaldi has been cast as the next Doctor. If you follow it more closely you'll know that he's appeared in Doctor Who before as well as in its spinoff Torchwood. Now a superfluity of Capaldis is clearly a good [...]
Tue 27th
16:03
The European Election may be over, but who holds the biggest jobs in the EU has still yet to be deci...
We now know what the European Parliament itself will look like over the next five years, and I will no doubt write more about this in the coming days. But for now I am concerned to ensure that the biggest jobs in the European Union are going to be held by the right people. For me and my fellow Liberal Democrats, the single most pressing concern at EU level is the economy. As a party, we stand for a stronger economy in a fairer society so that everyone can get on in life. Nevertheless, because of the specific policy areas ...
Today should have been my Grandma's one-hundred-and-second birthday. Sadly, instead today is her funeral. I can't be in New Hampshire for the ceremony, so I'm remembering her here. I had the great privilege of knowing two of my grandparents well into my life, my Dad's dad Walter and my Mum's mum Eileen White. Both had long, active and determined lives. Both were fiercely independent. Grandad was fit and active until shortly before his death aged 95, back in 2006. Grandma was the same for around a hundred years, and only started to fade in the last couple. I remember Mum ...
[IMG: roadwork sign] Resurfacing work, carried out on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council, will begin on the A4147 in Hemel Hempstead on Friday 6 June. The works are part of a £500,000 resurfacing scheme that will last for 16 nights on Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead between the A4147/A414 St Albans Road roundabout to the A4147/ Swallowdale Lane roundabout. Crews will work through the night to replace worn out sections of road, replace damaged iron covers and re-apply road markings. In order to create a safe working environment for the workforce and for members of the public, there will be lane ...
[IMG: Blackadder Quote From DVD] After another bruising local government election in Hastings & Rye – a parliamentary target back in 1997 – the Liberal Democrats remain without any councillors on Hastings Borough Council and notched up a pallid 7% of the vote across the town. This is pretty much a re-run of the 2012 result. Once again, targeting just one Council ward, we achieved a swing from Labour to Lib Dem, but did not come close to a gain. This is one of the foremost bellweather constituencies of the South East, and is already a key Tory-Labour battleground for ...
Oh maths, electoral maths, it has been a while since we have met but the future of Southend is up for grabs and it is time to turn to you to work out what is feasible. The Tories went down big on Thursday night and unsurprisingly lost the majority in the Civic Centre. So the big question is now, 'who will run Southend Council?' and the realistic possibilities bring about a rather unlikely coalition. The composition of the chamber is as follow with the number to yet a majority at 26: 19 Conservative 12 Independent Group 9 Labour 5 Liberal ...
Tue 27th
14:36
That's one way to wake up in the morning..."Can you come on the Today Programme in 5 minutes"
This morning I was in bed at that stage when you start to get that vague inclination that there is a world beyond the cosy warmth and snuggliness of the duvet but can still pretend it isn't really happening. When ... Continue reading →
Tue 27th
14:35Well, that's one way to wake up in the morning: "Can you come on the Today Programme in 5 minutes"
This morning I was in bed at that stage when you start to get that vague inclination that there is a world beyond the cosy warmth and snuggliness of the duvet but can still pretend it isn't really happening. When my phone started ringing, I had to come to rather faster than I'd planned. It was a producer from the Today Programme on Radio 4 asking if I'd talk to Jim Naughtie about the election results and Nick Clegg's leadership pretty much there and then. Now, when I've done these things before, I've always got up early, mugged up on ...
A little comic relief for this perhaps rather glum of Tuesdays. Here's a glimpse back into the bad old days of single-party Government, way before the Liberal Democrats joined any Coalition Government giving you two parties with divergent interests and, more importantly, at least a few Ministers with actual genuinely liberal consciences... A glimpse back into the days of single-party Government courtesy of Yes, Minister I'll say this for Yes, Minister - it may have been satirical but in places it was also scarily accurate!
This is to remind you that the A14 consultation closes on 15 June 2014. The Highways Agency is keen for all those who use the A14 and who live or work nearby to have their say on the scheme before the consultation closes. There will also be an opportunity to talk to members of the project team during the second and final web chat. This will take place between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesday 4 June. To find out more please visit the schemes web chat page. To find out more about this scheme and comment on the consultation please ...
[IMG: Discover Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh website] Sunday 1st: The Leas Village Fete Sunday 1st: Crystal Palace Band - The Leas Bandstand Friday 6th: D-Day (NVA) Service - Garden of Remembrance, Sandgate Road Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th June: Folkestone Airshow 2014 - The Leas & Seafront Friday 13th - Sunday 15th: Multi-Cultural Festival - Sandgate Road Shopping Precinct Saturday 14th: Bayle Heritage Walk - Folkestone Town Hall, Guildhall Street Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th: Miniature Trains & Tractions Engines, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Sunday 15th: Race for Life - The Leas Sunday 15th: Ariodante Ensemble in Concert ...
Tue 27th
13:35Paul Burstow writes ... How can we achieve the home care workforce that we all deserve?
[IMG: Care in the home Some rights reserved by British Red Cross] A couple of weeks ago the diary of a home care worker shone a light on highs and frankly far too many lows that care workers all around the country face, day in, day out. When we have all heard too many shocking stories of neglectful, malicious, taunting "carers" which now dominate perceptions of social care, this is the antidote. It was been truly inspiring to read the dedication, compassion, and genuine care motivating this fantastic woman. But it is also deeply depressing to see set out in ...
From my own experience, being on the recipient end of 'counselling' and 'therapy': I can only agree with the reports findings, I am not the easiest of patients, I admit. I find it very difficult to delve deep into the soil and find the roots to my Balck Dog, yet each time I have had a session for CBT, counselling or therapy, I have more often than not felt as if I have cut open an already festering wound and infected it with more poison and it has rendered me with more sadness and dark thoughts about my vulnerabilities, guilt ...
I'm all electionned out, so I'm going to indulge myself today by talking about something else dear to my heart. Those of you who have known me for some time, and know my proclivities when it comes to men, might have noticed that I have something of a type. Tall, geeky boys with deep voices and good legs. Men who can cook. Well-dressed, curly-haired men who look good in a beard and can pull off an outrageous hat. Men with a wicked, dry sense of humour; who look great in shiny boots but will wear slippers when nobody is looking. ...
UKIP has celebrated its undoubted success in last week's elections by deciding to cause another one. Their councillor, Michael Keogh, has resigned leading to a by-election on a date to be determined. Cllr Keogh was elected for the first time last year and has cited time pressures as the reason for quitting. He served on only one committee in addition to his place on full council. The seat will be an interesting one to watch. Sitting Tory Chris Ridgers was beaten by Cllr Keogh by just three votes last year with Lib Dem John Ault in third only 82 votes ...
The Western Mail reports that the number of children arrested by Welsh police has fallen by almost 59% in five years. Figures from the Howard League show that Welsh forces arrested 18,805 children in 2008 – but by 2013 this fell to 7,759: All four Welsh forces achieved 50% plus reductions in arrests, with North Wales' figures dropping by 68% and South Wales' 54%, while Gwent and Dyfed Powys both saw 51% falls. Over the five years arrests in North Wales fell from 5,559 to 1,780, in South Wales from 7,087 to 3,245, in Dyfed Powys from 2,974 to 1,165 ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg Q&A 8] (Warning. This is not comfortable reading) The decline in popular support for the Lib Dems since 2010 has been painful, culminating in Sunday's near-wipeout in the European elections – and being beaten in the popular vote by the Greens. We are a year away from the general election. The improving economy and Lib Dem policy successes like the Pupil Premium and larger tax allowances have not fed, so far, into electoral success. Can and should anything be done to recover the situation in the coming year ? Is 'holding one's nerve' (or as critics might ...
I have promised a couple of times over the last few days that I will post on the European elections and the current controversy surrounding Nick Clegg. What is set out below is not meant to be a coherent reaction to recent events, rather it is a series of random thoughts that will hopefully add something to the debate about how we could have done better and how we should go further. I think I should add a further caveat that despite my criticisms of the way the European campaign was fought, they are retrospective ones. In the case of ...
EU citizens stopped from voting in UK after confusion over registration forms (tags: ) Rebuilding our MEP base by @carlminns - bloody hell, Minnsy is taking sense. (tags: ) Ozzy's recipe for home made pork scratchings (tags: ) Has Nick Clegg Resigned Yet? - I know this is bad but "shafted Beaker" made me lol (tags: ) Liberal England: If changing the leader isn't the answer, what will the Liberal Democrats change? (tags: ) I always defended Michael Gove. Then I met him. (tags: ) The ancient roots of inequality (tags: ) AAV takes apart the mainstream media narratives on ...
[IMG: charles-kennedy-429665] There has been pressure applied on Nick Clegg to step down as leader of the party following the dismal display in the locals, which was followed by the even worse one in the EP elections. I've already written about why I think Nick's still the man for the job and nothing has changed my mind over the last day or so. But in talking to people on the subject, I have come across one interesting fallacy repeatedly: people assume that a new leader would get the same level of attention and therefore name recognition as our current leader. ...
In my adult lifetime the first significant politic reverse occurred on 3rd May 1979 with the election of Margaret Thatcher. Until then we in Britain had shuffled, sometimes hesitantly, sometimes taking one or two steps backwards, but generally progressed, towards a more mature, tolerant, and caring democracy. Under both Conservative and Labour governments, as we became richer our health services improved, educational opportunities expanded, areas of personal freedom were enlarged, rights were protected and care for the less fortunate maintained. Life wasn't perfect, of course. Some flourished more than others and some still slipped through the net. But the sense ...
Yesterday, I blogged about my recent minor surgical procedure, noting how well everything went, how kind and caring the nurses were, how efficient the surgeon was. And it got me to thinking about the NHS, not something that I've had much cause to do in the past. You see, as a very infrequent user of the healthcare system - I've been pretty fortunate to remain in good health - it is the sort of thing you take for granted. It will always be there, it will be free (well, freeish), and it will cure you if you're ill, and save ...
The launch of LibDems4Change last week has offered an interesting insight into the internal democracy of the Liberal Democrats, and not a very edifying one, if the various comment threads of Liberal Democrat Voice are any reflection. Attacks on 'Orange Booker subversives' or 'anti-Coalition irreconcilables' indicate that there are those on either side of the argument that simply don't get it. This is my party. I have supported it through my voluntary efforts for nearly thirty years, carrying out a series of almost entirely thankless tasks for a mostly unappreciative organisation because of my belief in the importance of a ...
[IMG: UKIP logo] Like many others I was a sub-agent for the European Elections. My 'chosen' borough was Tameside where we stood precisely zero candidates at the local elections. A bizarre contrast compared to Lib Dem led Stockport just down the road where I live. It will come as no surprise from the North West results that one of my samples was devoid of any Lib Dem votes at all – a first after 30 years in politics. (Luckily there were samples that were a bit rosier!) Once proceedings were complete something troubled me: there were Labour, Green and Conservative ...
My article posted on the Guardian's Comment is Free pages yesterday - "It's not just outdoor play that's gone - so has a whole genre of children's fiction" - has now received 157 comments. Unusually for a comments thread on that side, the comments are friendly and enlightening. They are well worth studying if you are interested in children's books or the question of children's freedom to roam. This is the most comments I have received on a Comment is Free article, proving that children's books are bigger than chess or even cats.
It might seem an odd way to wind down from the exhaustion of the European election campaign — and the frustration at the results — but I've used the time (when not asleep) to read Chris Bowers' biography of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, which I bought in a bargain bookstore a few weeks ago. [...]
[IMG: nick_clegg_vince_cable_budget_2009_b] Coalition government is very tough on the junior party. No surprise there. The prize, in our case, was lots of our favourite policies implemented - something we haven't achieved for 100 years. The downside is a massive amount of negative media coverage. Your coalition allies hate you because they see you as imposing policies on them. The opposition see it as an open goal, a chance to squeeze you out of the next election. It is a two party nut-cracker with the potential to crush us. The voracious appetite of the press pack has a constant supply of ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
As you will probably be aware the Parklife event will be returning to Heaton Park over the weekend of 7-8 June 2014, from 11:00 to 23:00 both days, with last entry to ticketholders being at 17:00. The below information is from Manchester City Council. It has been hand delivered to people who live near to the Park, but I've included it below for others who may/will be affected. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if there are other things we need to feed in to the team. We are working closely with the Parklife organisers, Bury Council and ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27580863 Well worth a look. The BBC London site (link above) has the story.The web site of the Brunnel Museum is below:- www.brunel-museum.org.uk/history/the-thames-tunnel/
We have been given details of a new fund which has been set up in Greater Manchester – the Police and Crime Commissioners Fund. This fund is aimed at constituted community and voluntary organisations, or those working to become constituted, who contribute to positive activities within the local community. The organisations should demonstrate how the project to be funded meets the priorities within the Police Crime Plan for Greater Manchester (www.gmpcc.org.uk/plan) and the Local Township Plans in Bury(www.bury.gov.uk/townshipforums). It should focus on one or more of the following themes: • Driving Down Crime • Building and Strengthening Partnership work • ...
[IMG: European Union flag] The Lib Dems have suffered their worst European election performance for 25 years. In 1989, that election was fought by six parties – Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem (as SLD), Green, SNP and Plaid Cymru – which also fought the 2014 election. Of those six parties, five got fewer votes in 2014 than they got in 1989. One got more. Can you guess which one? Let's look at the figures: 1989 2014 Change in votes Lab 6,153,640 4,020,646 DOWN 2,132,994 Con 5,331,077 3,788,405 DOWN 1,542,672 LD (inc. SDP, 1989) 1,062,178 1,087,633 UP 25,455 Grn 2,292,705 1,136,670 DOWN ...
I covered this matter yesterday but more has now emerged about the detail. Labour's local Police Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, has come under attack from the cross-party Merseyside Police Panel which oversees her, for her recent controversial decision to appoint a Labour Liverpool councillor as her Deputy - a part-time position for which the annual full time equivalent rate of pay is £53,000 per year. Meeting just over a week ago, the Police Panel grilled Commissioner Jane Kennedy and her nominee, Labour councillor Ann O'Byrne about the proposed appointment. Councillors expressed worries that the move smacked of the very "cronyism" highlighted ...
Details of our local community job shop at the Mitchell Street Centre are on the above poster, but you can download details of all the job shops across Dundee plus a high definition copy of the poster here.
[IMG: Tower Hamlets logo] The hugely delayed election results from Tower Hamlets became rather a running joke as Sunday evening stretched into Monday morning, with all sorts of jokes about how Tower Hamlets had just finished counting the AV referendum or was about to start on its 2015 general election count. But more substantively, some of the accounts emerging from inside the count are deeply troubling about a democratic system that nearly collapsed and raising real doubts about the independence and competence of the administration of the election. The Conservative Peter Golds wrote: I was, for obvious reasons, at both ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and Vince Cable vote for the Make it Happen resolution] The Guardian today leads with a sorry tale headlined: Clegg taking Lib Dems to wipeout. An unnamed Lib Dem supporter has commissioned ICM to carry out research in four key Lib Dem constituencies, including Nick Clegg's own seat, and the report has been leaked to the Guardian. Voters were asked how they would vote in a General Election if the party were led by Nick Clegg, Vince Cable or Danny Alexander. The results seem to show that in the Labour facing constituency of Redcar, currently ...
Haydn Preece Liberal Democrats 1187 30% Elected Jamie Halsall Conservative Party 1159 29% Not elected Terry Durrance United Kingdom Independence Party 990 25% Not elected Stephen Jowett The Labour Party 444 11% Not elected Barbara Ann Dutton The Green Party 207 5% Not elected Birkdale Iain Brodie Browne Lib Dem, win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Birkdale - resultsElection CandidatePartyVotes% Iain Brodie - Browne Liberal Democrats 1484 41% Elected Tom McKenzie United Kingdom Independence Party 945 26% Not elected Ged Wright The Labour Party 521 14% Not elected Georgia Twist Pactor Conservative Party 489 14% Not elected Tony Young The Green Party 178 5% Not ...
