[IMG: WiggintonShow14] Once again the Village Hall in Wigginton hosted a successful Wigginton Gardeners Association Annual Show – and once again we thank Roger Wyborn, his team of organisers and the competitors for an inspiring show of imaginative flower arrangements, beautiful blooms, champion vegetables and an assortment of delicious and prize-winning wines, cakes, jams, chutnies and bread. Borough Councillor, Rosemarie Hollinghurst, contributed and took a second prize for a flower arrangement and third prize for a deep red rose. Her husband and County Councillor Nick Hollinghurst also took part, being rewarded with a first prize for his Three Courgettes, a ...
With less than a fortnight to go before the Indy referendum Political Betting reports that a YouGov poll puts the Yes campaign in front by a whisker. I'm not surprised - the shamefully negative and insulting No campaign - funded by Cameron's Tories and run by west central Scotland's Labour mafia has made no case for the union and failed to agree what new powers Scotland will get in the event of a No vote. The Yes campaign has also been helped by a bit of social media creativity - such as this:
One of the things I've been seeing a lot recently is the repetition by people who should know better of the idea that what we need in British politics is primary elections. It started with the Tories, who are more prone than most to a disease that affects almost everyone in Britain — fetishising the [...]
Most days I get a bus or a taxi from the station and visit my mother in Leicester General Hospital. The quarter of the city I pass through is dominated by the redundant Sir George Gilbert Scott church of St Saviour's. No one has any more idea what to do with it than they had when I first photographed it in 2010.
With just over 10 minutes to go it may be a bit early for Man of the Match but referee Luke Pearce has not put a foot wrong for Tigers.. — Newcastle Falcons (@FalconsRugby) September 6, 2014 This tweet from the club's official account proves that it is not only football managers who whinge about the referee when their teams loses. The final score? Leicester Tigers 36 Newcastle Falcons 17.
Since about 2008 I have been calling for the top section of Woone Lane (from Eshton Terrace to the Brown Cow) to be made one way. Back in 2009 we launched a petition on this website. And the online petition site is still going strong with people still signing it. Over the years friends and residents have continually said: "Allan, when are they going to make Woone Lane, one way?" For my part, whenever I have had the chance, I have brought this issue up with the various powers that be (and have been – it has taken that long) ...
[IMG: liberalyouth] Liberal Youth policy matters. It's how we, as young Liberal Democrats, can make a clear and credible case for change on the issues we care about. The disengagement from politics by so many young people has made it easy for the views of our generation to be overlooked. Despite this, the Liberal Democrats have long been the strongest advocates in both tackling the challenges young people face and building the future society in which we want to live. The unique perspective Liberal Youth provides can help to ensure the party will continue to listen to young people and ...
[IMG: Connect screenshot (the Lib Dem version of NGPVAN)] Sometimes it isn't just what candidates in an election are saying that is revealing, it's also what the candidates aren't saying. Which makes it notable that none of the five people at some point in the race to succeed Tim Farron as Liberal Democrat President (one recently in the race, one now withdrawn) has, as far as I have seen, mentioned anything much about the party's election fighting database, Connect. The introduction of Connect has been one of the biggest administrative projects for the party in this Parliament, with significant cost, ...
[IMG: liberalyouth] Voter apathy has never been higher among students and young people. Liberal Youth should be a clear voice in a political wilderness. To the disillusioned youth, politics appears to be a static and increasingly wearisome battlefield, with each side wasting a lot of time and gaining very little ground. Many cannot see the progress that is being made by groups just like Liberal Youth. It is my vision to make this progress clear. I joined the Liberal Democrats in 2013 because I was fed up of entrusting the way my country is run to 'people who knew better ...
[IMG: Photo of loch Sloy hydro electric scheme by paul walter] Charles Kennedy is one of a handful of politicians on the pro-UK side never to have put a foot wrong in the independence debate. Labour's Kezia Dugdale, always passionate on feminism and social justice is another. Better Together could do a lot worse than leaving all the talking to them for the next 12 days. On his own website, Charles has written a typically thoughtful article about Scotland's energy needs, what we gain from being part of the UK and how independence would affect us. Scotland benefits from exporting ...
After giving the matter no consideration and not talking it over with anyone, I've decided to stand for Liberal Democrat Party President. My key priorities will be to reduce the party membership, not listen to any of those members who do remain and to do all I can to ensure that we lose as many elections as possible. I'm proud to say that I'm definitely in favour of bad things. I'm committed to regressive values and promoting injustice wherever I can, I want fewer good things for everyone in the party and will be working hard to ensure that people ...
[IMG: 8610361700_dea8d85350_z] You have to admire Andrew George. Or at least I do. Commentators are busying themselves accusing the Liberal Democrats of inconstancy or hypocrisy in supporting his Private Members' Bill to reform the Bedroom Tax. But we should remember that George has ploughed a rather lonely furrow in consistent opposition to the policy from the start, even as the bulk of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary party repeatedly lined up behind the Tories to support it. And it shouldn't be forgotten that the George's Affordable Homes Bill, if it were to be successful, would bring housing benefit policy closer to ...
Matthew Parris has today urged the Conservative party to turn it's back on Clacton, deciding the seaside town and its residents live in the past. It's fair to say that the Clacton tourist board won't be citing Parris' Times column in their next advertising campaign: Don't buy the too-easy media picture of a rancid or untended town, or of bitter people; but understand that Clacton-on-Sea is going nowhere. Its voters are going nowhere, it's rather sad, and there's nothing more to say. This is Britain on crutches. This is tracksuit-and-trainers Britain, tattoo-parlour Britain, all-our-yesterdays Britain. However, UKIP's Douglas Carswell just ...
[IMG: Mark Pack] Mark wrote a piece about a Conservative Councillor being disqualified after conviction on a firearms charge. Spot the wonderful typo. If he's corrected it, here's the screen grab: [IMG: Mark Pack brilliant typo] How, I wonder, would you do it legally? This is, of course, written very much in the spirit of "there but for the grace of God go I." A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about Nicola Sturgeon challenging Clegg to the Ice Bucket Challenge. At the end of the third paragraph, there was an extraneous r at the end of the ...
Sat 6th
11:55
Grandad's Kitchen: new business launched by former Party President candidate Pauline Pearce
[IMG: Grandad's Kitchen flavours] Former candidate for Liberal Democrat Party President Pauline Pearce has started up a new business over the summer – a range of seasonings based on her father's recipes: Pauline Pearce, who stood up to youths during the 2011 London riots, hosted a launch party for the new brand, called Grandad's Kitchen... Ms Pearce and co-founder 22-year-old Sean Davey, a student at University College London, decided to market the seasonings after realising how popular they were among family and friends. The sauces, marinades and dry rubs are faithful to traditional Bajan recipes that Ms Pearce's father Wilbert ...
[IMG: members forum wordle] LibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you're reading now. The second is our private members' forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access. If you're a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that's on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you'll be included in our regular surveys' of party members' views. Here's some of the most active discussions this past 7 days: Toll roads + Welsh Lib Dems proposal for Severn Bridge; A bit of news to cheer you ...
Saturday: How many times can we tell this story? Terry Nation, infamously, recycled "The Daleks" on let's just say "several" occasions, but now it seems that the "good Dalek" story is giving him a run for his money. And it turns out that what's inside a Dalek is, basically, "Doctor Who", including corridors for running up and down, bug-eyed monsters (that are literally bug eyes), gunk tank, and an archive with, of course, missing episodes. If only they'd found "The Evil of the Daleks" they could have seen what happens when Daleks "turn good", and saved a lot of bother. ...
One of my favourite Monty Python songs, which doesn't get heard a lot. I recently mentioned it to a Finnish colleague, who hadn't heard of it. I ended up having to sing the first verse at the beginning of a meeting, just to satisfy everyone's curiosity.
Sat 6th
10:30
Farron name checks Liberal Democrat PPCs Julie Pörksen and Vikki Slade in Commons Bedroom Tax s...
[IMG: "Frozen Poetry" - Houses of Parliament, London] During the debate on Andrew George's Affordable Homes Bill yesterday, Tim Farron name-checked the two Liberal Democrat candidates whose motion on the Bedroom Tax was passed with just one vote against at Party Conference last year. Julie Pörksen, PPC for Berwick and Vikki Slade, PPC for Mid Poole and Dorset North, argued strongly for the sort of reform to the policy that has now appeared in Andrew's Bill. Here's what Tim had to say: I am proud of my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives for bringing this Bill forward, and ...
This is worth a read (see link above) not least because the changes have been very much driven forward by the Lib Dems.
[IMG: Burroughs] My two year old daughter has become obsessed with a terrible book she found in amongst the volumes we put upon her shelves; it is from the 1970′s and is filled with "cute quotes" from small children, many of which are crushingly outdated, such as "You tell me to use my imagination – then you hit me for lying!" or "I'm not stupid – my ears are too short!" Being asked to read her this throwback to the days when child abuse was kosher enough to joke about started to wear a little thin, so I came up ...
radio 4 adapting Good Omens by @neilhimelf & @terryandrob (tags: ) The Unlikely Rise, Fall, And Rise Again Of "Viz" Comic (tags: ) Paul Bernal on Data and politicians (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The Liverpool Echo has the story – see link above:- Robert was a friend of mine. My original posting soon after he was killed in this accident as at:-
Today's Times speculates that yesterday's vote, in which senior Liberal Democrats joined with opposition MPs to support a private member's bill tabled by Lib Dem MP, Andrew George, could signal the end of the coalition. Amongst those supporting the bill, which creates exemptions to the removal of the spare-room subsidy, were Vince Cable, the business secretary, and Danny Alexander, the chief secretary. All but three Liberal Democrat MPs backed the bill. Nick Clegg, who is at the NATO summit in Newport, did not take part in the vote. The bill, put forward by the Lib Dem MP Andrew George, would ...
[IMG: September 14th "Welcome to Scotland"] I have recently returned to Scotland after 27 years working for the European Commission in Brussels. After 18 September, I plan to campaign hard for the Scottish Lib Dems, irrespective of the outcome of the independence vote. At the moment, though, I am in something of a limbo, finding myself on the "wrong" side of the referendum debate vis-a-vis my own party. As I am half-English and half-Scots, with family in Devon, I might be expected to vote "No", but after a lot of soul-searching, I realise that it has to be a "Yes". ...
Sean is a Newbury character. Everyone knows when Sean is around. But my teenager pointed out to me #bigseanwatch which has been going for a few years. I've been missing out. Showing the world his new hat #bigseanwatch pic.twitter.com/apF5gnJ1qq — Emily Thompson (@Efthompson) August 18, 2014
Liberal Democrat Party Headquarters has issued the following Q&A, following Andrew George MP's success in the House of Commons yesterday. His "Affordable Homes Bill" has cleared the major hurdle of a Second Reading, which means it can go on to detailed consideration in committee. Among other things, the Bill would practically abolish the iniquities of the coalition's Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy, the so-called Bedroom Tax. Mr George's Private Members Bill has the support of the Labour Opposition as well as the parliamentary Liberal Party. Why are you doing this now? We have been monitoring the introduction of the ...
I have previously mentioned the timebanking initiative for the West End - Time2Give. Timebanking is a means of exchange used to organise people and organisations around a purpose, where time is the principal currency. For every hour participants 'deposit' in a timebank, perhaps by giving practical help and support to others, they are able to 'withdraw' equivalent support in time when they themselves are in need. In each case the participant decides what they can offer. It is a great, community-based, concept and Time2Give is making great progress. You can now download its latest newsletter here.
[IMG: A Walter PPK. Image courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/art-sarah/4772664340/ - some rights reserved] Conservative councillor and former Mayor Jonathan Farmer (Fenland District Council) has been automatically disqualified after being given a 21 month suspended jail sentence. This follows Cllr Farmer's conviction for possessing a fireman illegally. Although I've not seen the exact reasoning given for the sentencing, the suspended nature of the sentence is most likely due to his defence: Mr Farmer, who lives in South Brink, said the German Walther PPK pistol was a gift from a friend, a British veteran of the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy in ...
Congratulations to Jon Featonby, who leads the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after the third week, with 198 points. It's an impressive tally which means he's in 2,550th position in the global league of 3.2 million players (ie, the top 0.08%). And he's done that even with Wayne Rooney as his team captain. But George Murray (189 points), William Jones (187) and Lucy Keating (186) aren't far behind: in fact, just six points separate the next six places. You can see the full top 10 below. There are 144 players in total in our league and you can still join it ...
We make a distinction between physical and mental illnesses, and too often that means making a distinction between illnesses that are 'real' and those that 'are all 'in someone's head.' Obviously this way of looking at the distinction doesn't make sense but does the distinction itself? I'd argue that in a very meaningful sense mental [...]
