#57033250 / gettyimages.com Taken around 1975, this photo shows Ronnie Lane at Fishpool Farm, his home at the time. It stands just over the border in Wales, but the nearest town is Bishop's Castle.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

While we mourn Simon Titley, we should remember that he was at one time a considerable blogger. The Liberal Dissenter flourished in 2004 and 2005. Here is Simon writing on the fall of David Blunkett in November 2005: Amid all the media comment about David Blunkett's departure from office last week has been an unpleasant recurring theme. Apparently the man had ideas above his station. Aren't there enough legitimate political reasons for opposing Blunkett, principally his instinctive authoritarianism? Instead, there has been a litany of snobbish remarks to the effect that a man who is not only working class in ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

#88495982 / gettyimages.com Back in March 2010, when John Bercow had been in the Speaker's chair for less than a year, I wrote in Liberal Democrat News: With his gown and boyish smile, John Bercow resembles a progressive young master in an old-fashioned school. And like a lot of masters who want to be popular with their pupils, he has trouble keeping order. You can trace his problems back to the undistinguished reign of Michael Martin. Often Buggins' turn will get you through, but when the expenses storm broke over Westminster Martin proved to have none of the qualities needed ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Here is a list of Bootle's MP's Election We are told that Bootle Labour Party are meeting to select a new candidate to fight the 2015 GeneralElection have dispensed with Joe Benton. Member[4] Party 1885 Thomas Myles Sandys Conservative 1911 by-election Andrew Bonar Law Conservative 1918 Sir Thomas Royden, Bt. Coalition Conservative 1922 James Burnie Liberal 1924 Vivian Leonard Henderson Conservative 1929 John Kinley Labour 1931 Chichester de Windt Crookshank Conservative 1935 Eric Errington Conservative 1945 John Kinley Labour 1955 Simon Mahon Labour 1979 Allan Roberts Labour 1990 by-election Michael Carr Labour 1990 by-election Joe Benton Labour Here is another ...

Posted on birkdale focus

As we all mull over the scenarios that could arise after an election it is time to debate what the party's approach should be. I fear 'ex cathedra' statement from the Leader's bunker. I have a couple of matter to start the ball rolling. Way back at the dawn of time when Jeremy Thorpe was Leader and David Steel (to whom we shall return) was Chief Whip, I recall much discussion about under what conditions we would form a coalition and it what circumstances 'supply and confidence' would be the best option. In 2010 we didn't have that discussion. Chris ...

Posted on birkdale focus

If you want to know how your area compares to others in Stockport, and nationwide, the MyStockport website is an excellent place to start. There can be a bit too much jargon in places, but it's easy to find your way around and there's loads of data from life expectancy to employment rates, plus a range of datasets including the 2011 census to explore. [IMG: Selection_126]

Posted by Iain Roberts on Keith Holloway, Iain Roberts & Pam King

I wrote last night that Alex Salmond's plan to use the pound come what amy after independence would lead to higher personal credit costs as well as higher national debt costs. According to Danny Alexander it might also compromise Scotland's EU ... Continue reading →

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Caron's Musings

I wrote last night that Alex Salmond's plan to use the pound come what amy after independence would lead to higher personal credit costs as well as higher national debt costs. According to Danny Alexander it might also compromise Scotland's EU membership. He has a letter from the former EU Commissioner Oli Rehn who told him that it would "not be possible" for Scotland to join the EU while using someone else's currency. Rehn said in a letter sent to Danny today: As to the question whether 'sterlingisation' were compatible with EU membership, the answer is that this would simply ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

Last Friday I wrote to the Mayor of Liverpool stressing my concerns at the way Liverpool had been brought into the Rotherham question. I have just received a reply from him. This is not a criticism of speed because he ... Continue reading →

Posted by richardkemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?

[IMG: Jim Murphy] Never let it be said that I'm not good to my niece. This morning I took her into Edinburgh to see the return of Labour's Jim Murphy and his Irn Bru crates to the Independence Referendum trail. You may remember he had to call his "100 town in 100 days" tour off at the end of last week after encountering angry mobs of Yes campaigners. A much friendlier crowd, estimated by the BBC to be around 300, turned up to see him today in one of the most beautiful locations in Edinburgh outside the National Gallery which ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice
YouGov

The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above. What a sad turn of events with two deaths in the same area in only a few days. Again, please think of the train driver as well as the victim and their family; such events must have a dramatic effect on train drivers.

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

[IMG: Great Books series. Photo courtesy of - some rights reserved] The Guardian's recent feature, A book that changed me: we want your choices, got me thinking about which book most influenced my political views. Mine, I think, is fairly obscure – David A. Stockman's The Triumph of Politics. First published in 1986 by Ronald Reagan's former Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1981-5), it had a flurry of attention at the time, selling well and still not completely forgotten. It's a good, interesting book, by what made its impact on me was the timing, making it ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

[IMG: House of Commons. Crown Copyright applies to this photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/4642915654/] I was alarmed initially by the title of Mark Pack´s piece "Lessons from Rennard #4: who gets the party whip is a matter for the whole party". As it turns out I find myself in agreement with much of it. Rightly he points out that the smaller the group the more disproportionate influence one person will have. I like his suggestion of referring decisions of removal of the whip to the Federal Appeals Panel. Some scrutiny of the decision from outside parliament will be beneficial to Party and ...

Posted by Matt Burrows on Liberal Democrat Voice

 

Posted by Andrew on A Scottish Liberal

The case of Ashya King, the little boy with a brain tumour, brings into sharp focus an ethical dilemma where expert, official, police and parent may come into conflict while each trying to do their best for a desperately ill child. When he disappeared, the hospital was rightly concerned for his safety, knowing that he needed specialist care. As it seems to have turned out, the Kings took every precaution to provide Ashya what he needed while seeking what they believe to be a better treatment in another country. Nick Clegg has now called for Brett and Naghemeh King to ...

Posted by Joe Otten on Liberal Democrat Voice

Haringey Lib Dem Councillors recently got quoted in the local paper on the issue of right to buy sales money not being used to build new council homes: While many councils that retain their own stock do use receipts to re-invest, it may be worth checking the situation in your area

[IMG: borisisland] Boris Johnson's proposal for a new London airport on the Isle of Grain in the inner Thames estuary, to replace Heathrow, is not dead in the water despite being rejected by the Airports Commission. The Commission's decision on the proposal was published today. Whilst acknowledging that a new ('ITE') airport on the Thames estuary would provide extra capacity and improve noise impact, the report cites the loss of protected habitats, the issues with being sited next to a Liquid Natural Gas storage facility, plus the costs of infrastructure, housing and access improvements. The cost of the airport could ...

Posted by Mary Reid on Liberal Democrat Voice

[IMG: British housing] One of the reasons for my scepticism about the comments from people such as Tim Farron about putting housing at the centre of the Liberal Democrats policy pitch is that the public regularly says housing isn't its priority. As I said in Reasons to be sceptical about making housing central to the party's political message: The public rarely rates housing high as an electoral issue. That is both somewhat bafflingly, given how much housing features in people's conversations of their own current circumstances and their hopes or fears for the future, but also a consistent finding over ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

I've just finished reading have been Peter Singer's introduction to Marx and the book I read before that was Noam Chomsky writing about Anarchism. Now I'm feeling the need for some balance. So I was hoping that you dear readers might be able to recommend what right-wing books are most worth reading. I'm looking for things which will challenge [...]

Posted by Mark Mills on Matter Of Facts

[IMG: Creeting St Peter church] I am delighted that Lord Eric Avebury has moved the first reading in the House of Lords of the Chancel Repairs Bill. Eric ( the former MP, Eric Lubbock – the famous Orpington Man) must be our longest serving Parliamentarian. Having been elected as MP for Orpington in 1962, with a massive swing from the Conservatives, he succeeded to the Peerage as Baron Avebury in 1971, and has held his seat as one of the 93 elected hereditary peers. Over the years he has continued as a keen and active supporter of the Liberal Democrats ...

Posted by Michael Hall on Liberal Democrat Voice
eUKhost

More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe: You can also watch this on YouTube.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Years ago, when I was a reporter in Oxford, I remember a curmudgeonly old Labour councillor who used to put post from his constituents unopened into the bin, if they had the temerity to write to him at his home address. We've come a long way from the days when the public weren't allowed to attend council meetings, let alone contribute to them. The fact that we have moved on since the days of Local Government Life on Mars is largely down to the revolution wrought during the 1980s and 1990s by the Lib Dems. It was their collection of ...

Posted by David Boyle on The Real Blog

South West Water are going to be carrying out sewer works in Carboth Lane which will require the closure of the road from October 13th to 17th. I have asked that the suggested diversion does not encourage drivers to make the very sharp turn into Western Terrace when travelling north on Western Road (ie into town) or to turn from Western Terrace to go south on Western Road (ie towards the Pennygillam roundabout). Such manoeuvres are dangerous and cause delays. If you have any questions, please contact South West Water on 0844 346 2020. Tweet

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

My colleague Sue James has set up a petition to start a debate on the potential abolition of the post of Police and Crime Commissioner. Sue says: "I have no personal gripes with any particular Police and Crime Commissioners. I feel they have been given a role that the public do not want a single elected person to have, no matter what their political persuasion. I also believe that even if you believe in the purpose of the role, it would be impossible for even the most brilliant of people to carry out, when you think of the size of ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

Chris White (County Councillor for Clarence and St Peter's Wards) has slammed Eurovia over the repeated failures to resurface Burnham Road or communicate with residents and councillors Chris said: 'I have been contacted by numerous residents who have now been told twice that the road was due to be resurfaced and that they should move their cars. On the first occasion many residents did only to find that the work had been postponed for no reason. 'On Saturday I visited the road and watched while Eurovia, the HCC highways contractor which also owns the main contractor Ringway, did botched preparation ...

Posted by chriswhite on Chris White

Why is Clacton So Concerned About Immigration (worth reading the comments on this one) (tags: ) Cleggy's Latest Email to Party Members Has Not Met With Universal Approval (tags: ) The Other Half of the Sky: praise-winning space opera with strong women heroes (tags: ) Can UKIP scale up? (tags: ) Epiphany hits Raspberry Pi founders & users (tags: ) Adult women are now the largest demographic in gaming (tags: ) Having The Talk with your kids... (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments

Info from the council: Contractors working on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester will be undertaking works to replace the sensor loops for the existing speed cameras on the A34, Kingsway, Cheadle; under the Etchells Road overpass. These works require the use of lane closures from 7th September 2014 to 9th September 2014; between the hours of 8pm and 6am only.

Posted by Iain Roberts on Keith Holloway, Iain Roberts & Pam King

[IMG: tax-lib-dems] The Liberal Democrats have set out plans to introduce a trio of wealth taxes which will help to cut the deficit whilst ensuring fairness in our tax system. Manifesto plans to increase taxes on the wealthiest will go alongside a pledge to further cut Income Tax and reduce National Insurance. Commenting Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander said: "Great progress has been made in tackling the largest deficit since the Second World War, but there is still more work to be done. "The Conservatives have indicated they will focus on spending cuts in the next ...

Posted by nickhollinghurst on Nick Hollinghurst

We've spoken before of our frustration that play equipment promised for installation before the summer holidays in Gatley has been delayed due to the contractor messing up. We are hoping the new equipment will be installed later in September, though because of the amount of play equipment being installed in schools, it may get pushed back into October. This is the equipment planned for Gatley Rec – a large combined tube-slide and climbing frame. [IMG: R2] [IMG: R1]

Posted by Iain Roberts on Keith Holloway, Iain Roberts & Pam King

[IMG: Budd Dwyer pic] When I was nine years old, I had two best friends. One was Berthold. He was really short and funny looking, sort of like a slightly mutated version of Opie Griffith from the Andy Griffith Show. A bad bowl cut and an unfortunate in the context of where we lived German accent added to the mix made Berthold not the most popular cat in school. The other best friend I had was Ian. Ian had two defining traits. One, he had an unbelievably deep voice for his age. His larynx went through the change early and ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

Residents Parking issues come up on a regular basis, with residents applying on different road: some qualify and others don't. Here's the Council's guide to permit permit schemes.

Posted by Iain Roberts on Keith Holloway, Iain Roberts & Pam King

[IMG: nhs sign lrg] Liberal Democrats have committed to protecting the NHS Budget in the next Parliament. But over the next 6 years, we will need to fill a £30 billion deficit to maintain the level of quality we expect from our NHS. Social care faces a £7 billion shortfall. There have been recent reports that senior party figures are looking at a hypothecated "NHS Tax". Some Conservative and Labour backbenchers have also called for an NHS Tax. Lord Finkelstein suggested "if we are going to deal with the issue of cost, one possibility is to try to create an ...

Posted by Mohsin Khan on Liberal Democrat Voice

The statistics around road safety are scary. 95% of all collisions are caused by human error and a third of all serious crashes involve people aged 17-24. Avon & Somerset Police are therefore keen for as many people as possible to attend a FREE 2 hour session to improve their driving awareness. The sessions are available in Keynsham, Bath, Filton, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Chipping Sodbury and Yeovilton and are bookable for 17-24 year olds and for those aged 25 and over. This new and potentially life-saving session is available to all drivers. To see the dates on offer and to book ...

Posted by Paul Hulbert on Focus on Sodbury, Yate and Dodington
Tue 2nd
08:30

West End Curling Group

The West End "ice free indoor curling group" resumes its meetings at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall on Thursday 11th September from 2pm to 4pm. It takes place every Thursday thereafter (except the 18th as the room is being used as a polling station that day). The curling group is run by are Reshaping Care for Older People and open to all aged over 50.

Tue 2nd
08:23

Lib Dem energy offer

The Liberal Democrats are to propose offering homeowners £100 a year off their council tax if they make their houses more energy efficient – see link below:- Has to be welcomed; nice to see the Party hitting a strong environmental note.

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

Continuing my First World War theme for 2014. This is a very well done exhibition all about the First World War and York's place within it that Sheila, Jen and I had the good fortune to see recently. Here are some shots I took:- [IMG: rsz_photo0854] [IMG: rsz_photo0853] Click on each photo to enlarge it. [IMG: rsz_photo0850] There are more photos amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

There is a lot of negative feeling about politics these days. Despite the country moving out of recession and back into a growing economy many people are still feeling the pinch, with the cost of living generally outpacing growth in incomes (recent statistics suggest this trend may finally be reversing, albeit very slowly). The Conservatives [...]

Posted by Patrick on Patrick on Politics

It is with a little apprehension that I look forward to my first local party meeting for several years this evening. As well as some new faces, there will be plenty of old ones too. How will they respond to me given my stance on the coalition, the leadership and my recent self-imposed exile from the party? By eight o' clock this evening, I should have a pretty good idea Never having been one for sitting in the background to make up the numbers, I've tabled a motion for the local party to consider submitting to the autumn conference. I'm ...

Posted by Energlyn Churchill on Towards the Sound of Gunfire

Yesterday I called into the Carnegie Hall in Skewen to visit the Skewen and District Historical Society World War One Heritage Day. This is a very successful society who are currently collecting as much source material as possible to produce a book on the men and women from Skewen who contributed to the 1914-1918 war effort. The village of Skewen around that time had a population of roughly 9,000 people. I was told yesterday that the society has so far been able to identify 370 men who volunteered for active servive. At least 70 of these did not return. They ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

The BBC report on the verdict of the Wales Audit Office that Cardiff council is failing to improve its services because of "fragmented leadership and management": The Wales Audit Office (WAO) says the council is not doing enough to address "long-standing weaknesses" or plan effectively for cuts in its funding. Decision processes are "inefficient and lack transparency", it also said. Cardiff council leader Phil Bale said the report "makes for a sobering read" and lays out challenges "very starkly". The report by Huw Vaughan Thomas, Auditor General for Wales, assessed how the council, the largest in Wales, performed in 2012/13 ...

Posted by Freedom Central on Freedom Central

Her very first blog entry. It's beautiful. I can't wait to read more! I particularly enjoy coming up with different scenarios as to how dad could have gotten the scar on his neck. It wasn't from a biopsy, but in a sword fight with a samurai warrior over my mother's honour.

It is a very odd feeling, the possibility that a majority of my fellow Scots could vote to take away my British citizenship on 18 September.

Posted by Ming Campbell MP on Ming Campbell

Just watched this 2008 film, Surviving Summer, starring Hilary Duff. I was so into it. What a great film. Of course my viewing perspective was that of the father of the wayward know it all teenage girl. Totally got the viewpoint of the girl's grandmother, too.

Posted by Alan Winter on Alan D Winter ~ life blog