Regular readers will have noticed this blog hasn't been updated for a while. This is because Michael and I have moved to Gibraltar. Faith and Pride hasn't been forgotten, and normal service will be resumed once we have our lives a little more organised.
I am, I freely admit, not entirely 'down with the kids'. I listen to very little radio, watch very little culture on television, attend very few live performances. And, when I do listen to music, it is seldom mainstream. I like madrigals, I enjoy chamber music, which doubtless puts me in a fairly small minority, one that might under normal circumstances be termed 'elitist'. I was extremely fortunate, though I didn't know it at the time, to have been exposed to classical music at my North London comprehensive by teachers who thought that it was part of a proper education. ...
Magna Carta was sealed under oath by King John at Runnymede on 15 June 1215. It was the first document imposed upon a King of England by a group of his subjects (the feudal barons) in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their rights.
I was on my way to Potsdam this evening, when I was shaken from my gaze out of the window by the announcement of our next halt, Wannsee. It's quite a pretty place, on the bank of a largish lake, but is perhaps famous for being the location for what is probably the most infamous planning and administrative meeting in history. For those who have not studied history, it was at Wannsee that the 'Final Solution' to the Nazis' 'Jewish problem' was agreed, leading to the deaths of millions of people whose sole mistake was to be deemed to be ...
This is one of the first songs I can remember being aware of and liking. Given that King of the Road was a British number 1 in 1964, it is possible that I have known it for 50 years. That is a daunting thought, but at least I can claim to have had good musical taste as a four-year-old.
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 379th 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 (8-,14 June 2014), together with a hand-picked quintet, 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. 8 quick points about today's speech by ...
More news on the difficulties of Sefton Central Labour Party Labour sources are saying that Maghull's Labour leaders were recently summoned to explain themselves and seemingly to be given a dressing down, by higher echelons of the Labour Party, following yet another Labour councillor resigning. My posting of 31st May refers:- I was musing on the 'visit to the headmaster's office' being held at say Bootle Town Hall from where all Sefton Central Labour's marching orders emanate. If so this can't but have made relations between the dominant Bootle Labour Party and its subservient Sefton Central Party even more ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.
I've not been able to get much writing done this weekend — my sleep pattern is such that I slept from midnight Friday night to 2:30PM yesterday, then from 5AM to 9:30 today, rather than anything that might be conducive to actual cognition — but I have managed to get the second edition ebooks of [...]
As the games get underway in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, the row over the 2022 venue rumbles on. In addition to the corruption allegations the Sunday Times reports that other considerations should have ruled Qatar out as a host country. The paper says that a report handed to Fifa officials 17 days before the decision was taken said that the Gulf state was the only one of the nine countries bidding for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments where there was a "high risk" of a terrorist attack shutting down the event: Fifa's 24-man executive committee (Exco) was briefed ...
Sun 15th
15:45
Paddy: "A problem caused by killing Arab Muslims won't be made better by killing more with Western w...
[IMG: rally paddy 01] I had been waiting to see what Paddy Ashdown would have to say on Iraq because he's probably the person in British politics who best understands the international complexities of all the world's flashpoints. On a day when Tony Blair is urging speedy action to deal with extremism, Paddy spoke to Sky News' Murnaghan programme about what he thinks should happen. He was asked if Blair was right to be interventionist. His reply that intervening didn't necessarily mean blowing things and people up: I'm firmly interventionist because I believe unless we are prepared to intervene internationally ...
[IMG: 7 ver 4 full] Many thanks to the 14,800 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Tales from the Federal Executive: The one where we discussed the Elections (228 comments) by Caron Lindsay Nick and the Sun, a missed opportunity (153 comments0 by Caron Lindsay Cambridge Lib Dems back Nick Clegg and reject leadership ballot (128 comments) by The Voice Nick Clegg on the Liberal Democrats' unique mission (67 comments) by The Voice LibLink: Jeremy Browne: The Lib Dems must define themselves more clearly (73 comments) by Newshound Baroness Sal Brinton writes..Why ...
I have about eight different bloggers in my "Must Read" category on Feedly. One of them is Tony Yates, lately of the Bank of England and now at longandvariable. His most recent post has a go at its own medium, with the self-explanatory title "Blogging is still mostly unpaid hot air". The thesis is almost self-evidently [...]
[IMG: contamination-leaflet] With recent headlines being generated over precisely what is recyclable and by which local council, I thought a timely reminder of what is acceptable in Dacorum would be useful. Dacorum Borough Council provide each household with one grey bin, one green bin and three recycling containers (black, green, basket). Grey and green bins are collected on an alternate weekly basis and your recycling containers every week. Each household is provided with a black box, green box and a black basket for the collection of their recyclables. Green box: mixed plastics (including bottles, yogurt pots, margarine/ice cream tubs, plastic ...
In Matter of Facts' first ever guest post my friend and Oxford doctoral student Helen asks "Does my weak and wavering belief make me less of a Christian?" I have wanted to write about religion and faith many times over the last few years. I think that Christians have a duty to evangelism, or at [...]
After reading Tim Oliver's blog post titled 'On fighting for what you believe in and leaving things behind' I felt my fingers twitching and my teeth starting to grind. Whilst I respect a lot of points Tim has made in the ... Continue reading →
Dear all, This email is primarily aimed at the NHS England complaints team, however I am copying in several other people as I think it is very important for you all to hear an actual patient experience and discover how bad things currently are for those currently referred for NHS gender reassignment surgery. In this [...]
[IMG: License details Released under the GNU Free Documentation License. (Original text : de:GNU-FDL)View more] Nick Clegg made clear his opposition to the use of water cannon in London the other day on Call Clegg. He said: Personally I think it rubs up against the long tradition of policing by consent on London's streets. It creates an embattled sense of how police work and I don't think it is in keeping with our long tradition. Now Richmond Park's Liberal Democrat candidate Robin Meltzer has added his voice to the debate, arguing that water cannon must not be allowed on London's ...
Travelling across Europe by train, I am always reminded of Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express", a tribute to the notion of international travel well before the emergence of low-cost airlines that allow you to travel across Europe at a price our parents could not have imagined. I have to admit though, that I still cling to the notion of a means of travel less banal than Ryanair and less inconvenient than having to beat my way out of the city, check in an hour or more before my departure time, wait for my luggage at the other end, and then beat ...
Sun 15th
11:32
East of England Rail Boost as New Doncaster Link Frees up East Coast Mainline Services
[IMG: DoncasterNorthChordOpens] As part of the Coalition Government's infrastructure investment programme, a new £45m railfreight improvement scheme known as the North Doncaster Chord came into service this month. This new 3.2km twin track railway between the Skellow Line and Askern Line now allows freight trains to travel across the East Coast Main Line (ECML) on a new bridge. Up to now slow moving freight trains had to turn onto the high-speed ECML and run along that track for twelve miles before turning off again further along. These manoeuvres used to cause regular interruption to passenger services on the line between ...
Canada Journal collects our Headline of the Day Award.
The Lib Dem Account system seems to have stopped working – so we've switched it off. You may need to reset your password here.
I was contacted recently by Gateshead CAB who were seeking my advice on possible locations for an advice terminal they want to install in Sunniside. I suggested the Social Club could be a possible location but I also wanted to see what the terminal could do. On Friday, between attending the Gateshead Carers' Association allotment launch and annual council, I paid Gateshead CAB a visit to look
[IMG: sundaypaps] Here's today's picks, guaranteed to inspire, infuriate and amuse you. The first one will make you cry, though. The first puts all the others into perspective. The Independence Referendum is the only game in Scotland at the moment, with dedicated people working their socks off on both sides. One of the key players in the Better Together campaign, Gordon Aikman, has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. He writes in Scotland on Sunday about how he has coped with this shocking and terminal diagnosis. It's a real, candid and moving piece. When you are told you are dying ...
Somehow the weather has not been a fan of the Whickham Chase Park Fayre in the last two years. Last year the Fayre was cancelled at the last moment because the ground was waterlogged from the rain. This year the rain held off long enough to allow the Fayre to go ahead, and then it started raining. My colleague, Cllr Peter Craig, took this photo of me at the Fayre last week. The wet look seems
If you're having an affair, be careful where you order your takeaway from (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
A few days ago, I told a meeting of the Liberal Youth Policy Committee that I joined this party to fight for the things I believed in. Today, I feel that the future of the party is such that there may not be a space for people like to me to fight for what they believe in much longer. I fear that 2014 will be my last year in the party, and then I will turn my energies elsewhere, because I have seen the future, and it is neither pleasant nor liberal by any meaningful stretch of the imagination. What ...
A meeting to announce thew Labour Cabinet members in Southwark has been dubbed the most expensive council meeting ever – after costing taxpayers more than £400 a minute. On Wednesday 11 June Southwark Council held it's annual constitutional meeting. The £12,500 meeting used chairs, tables and curtains hired in especially for the occasion, but only lasted a total of 30 minutes from start to finish. It means every minute of the meeting will have cost the council over £416. As a Lib Dem councillor I tried fighting the annual Mayor Making and Constitutional Meeting begin separated out. But Labour refused. ...
It was good to hear Nick begin to set out our real narrative – not the one written for us by other parties. He said in a speech on Monday: "We may be the smaller party, but we have all the biggest ideas," crediting the team who have brought so many good things into the coal - including: Ground-breaking pensions reform - Steve Webb. Dragging maternity and paternity leave into the 21st Century - Jo Swinson and Jenny Willott. Getting our schools motivated to stop the poorest children from falling behind - David Laws. Putting infrastructure front and centre of ...
[IMG: lib dem conf voting] There are two formal mechanisms in the Lib Dems for getting rid of the party leader. First, a vote of no confidence by the party's MPs. It's pretty clear that won't happen. The second option is for enough local Lib Dem parties to request a leadership election: the receipt by the President of a requisition submitted by at least 75 Local Parties (including for this purpose, the Specified Associated Organisation or Organisations representing youth and/or students) following the decision of a quorate general meeting; This option is currently being pursued by a number of local ...
Another reminder of the 100th anniversary of WW1 A guest posting by Andrew Blackburn In a village called "Cross", on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, off the West Coast of Scotland. [IMG: rsz_067] The memorial covers all the villages which make up the northern part of the island. The second photo explains who the memorial is dedicated to and the third shows my Great Uncle: [IMG: rsz_065] Swainbost 1914 – 1918 24 Maclean, M Tank Corp 19.3.19 20 Swainbost is the village he was born in. 1914 – 1918 is the war he fought in. 24 is ...
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending National Express Dundee's Open Day, a great day with lots of activities and vintage vehicles. See below: With Phil Smith yesterday And ... it was also an opportunity to speak with Phil Smith, Managing Director of National Express Dundee and we had a good chat about bus matters, including my request that, when National Express Dundee next purchases new buses (and particularly hybrid-electric buses) it considers doing so on the 28/29 and 17 routes, given that these very regular services use the air-quality hotspot of Lochee Road. I am meeting council officers (both ...
You may be aware that Croft Lane, Bury (between Melton Drive and the side road accessing Nos 77-101 Croft Lane) was due to close on Monday 16th June 2014 for a period of 5 weeks to enable Virgin Media and Electricity North West to carry out cable diversion works prior to Untied Utilities commencing the construction of a new sewer network at the end of September. United Utilities have been working very closely with Virgin Media regarding the possibility of an alternative working method being adopted which would see the cable diversion works being carried out but the impact on ...
There has been some discussion of Nick Clegg's unilateral announcement of new fiscal policies for the Liberal Democrats - Stephen Tall - we're a party of the Liberal Centre Stephen Tall and Giles Wilkes - can the Lib Dems delivery their fiscal plans Adam Corlett - Nick's splitting the difference fiscal targets Last year in September at Federal Conference in Glasgow the Liberal Democrats agreed a manifesto position paper that included an aim to balance the budget. Therefore it is significant to change it to "run a cyclically adjusted balanced total budget, excluding capital spending that enhances ...
Nick made a speech on Monday June 9 entitled 'Opportunities for Everyone' - to launch our Summer Campaign. Ultimately we believe that the job of government is to enable people to realise their own potential. As Liberal Democrats we are innately optimistic about people. We don't write off anyone and we don't think that politicians and governments know best. It's in the DNA of all liberals. On the Economy:Two rules will underpin how the party wants the economy to be run over the course of the next Parliament and beyond. Firstly, the Liberal Democrats are committed to finishing the job ...
Note from the county council (edited) Temporary traffic management measures on Various Roads and footway in St Albans, Sandridge, Bricket Wood and Harpenden 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 the following lengths of roads, except for access and to prohibit all vehicles from waiting at any time on both sides of these lengths of roads whilst works are in progress:- that length of Harlesden Road, St Albans from its junction with Brampton Road southwards to its junction ...
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