Lib Dems Believe Wordle 4
I saw someone (who I generally rather like, so naming no names) retweet this earlier: That's four circles, saying "You Love It", "You Get Paid For It", "The World Needs It", and "You Are Great At It". The tweet said "aim for the bullseye" — the bit where all four circles overlap. I can't really [...]
I spent some time today at the University of Leicester's King Richard III Day. There was plenty of Medieval-type fun for the kiddies and three streams of lectures for the grown ups. I listened to three lectures. Matthew Morris, who was the site director for the dig at Greyfriars, revealed just how fortunate it was that Richard III was found. He revealed that the famous 'R' on the car park was much fainter than photographs make it appear - besides, the king was beneath the space next door. He did use the car park markings to align the first trench ...
Last night I went to a meeting called for residents of three wards about the fate of green spaces in those wards. It wasn't a politically called meeting such as the stunt one that Labour called in Church Ward nor ... Continue reading →
There are those of you out there who may be expecting me to do something, or come to a meeting, over the next few days. Unfortunately, having woken up this morning with nothing more onerous on the schedule than a bit of light gardening and an evening dinner with friends in Woodbridge, I find myself en route to the airport, with a 21.30 flight to Mumbai (via Delhi) to catch. So, comment may be a bit thin over the next week, but do bear with me...
[IMG: Exclamation point] Thousands of other people like yourself who are interested in the Liberal Democrats already subscribe to Liberal Democrat Newswire, my monthly newsletter about the party. Here's what people say about it: "A must read for senior Lib Dems and politicos alike" – Daily Telegraph "Don't fear: you don't have to be a Lib Dem to find this invaluable" – Prof. Phil Cowley "All Lib Dems should read this – it tells us like we are" – Lynne Featherstone MP Don't miss out – sign up today. Email* Name First Last What would you like to recieve? Liberal ...
Sat 21st
16:00
In full: Willie Rennie's speech to Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference - personal stories which sho...
This is Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie's speech just delivered to the party's Spring Conference in Aberdeen. It's full of real, practical accounts of how the Liberal Democrats have improved people's lives. George is a young man. He lives in the Borders. George works hard but is not rich. He earns £12,000 a year. Before Liberal Democrats were in Government he used to pay over £1,100 income tax. But this year it will be cut to £200. George is not alone. Over 2 million Scots have had their income tax cut. I believe fair tax is necessary for a ...
A delivery with which I couldn't help. We had a team out in Dunston Hill this afternoon, led by Kevin McClurey. They were delivering a letter about Labour's decision to raise council tax in Gateshead. I was at home, dealing with print deadlines. Kevin helpfully sent me this photo of himself near the bottom of Dunston Bank. No doubt I'll have him more leaflets to delivery shortly.
Sat 21st
15:14Tim Farron's UKIP opponent resigns, citing claims of "open racism" and "sanctimonious bullying" with...
In 2010, UKIP attained a whopping 1.6% of the vote in Tim Farron's Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. Their candidate for this election resigned yesterday and was replaced within 5 hours. The Westmorland Gazette explains why Jonathan Stanley stepped down. The Scotland-based surgeon, speaking exclusively to the Gazette, said: "I have given my full resignation to the party because of issues happening in Scotland: open racism and sanctimonious bullying within the party. This sectarian racist filth in Scotland needs cleaning up. it is a great threat to the Eurosceptic cause and civil society." Mr Stanley also cited 'the general level of ...
I was heartened by today's report of Lord Steel's view that Liberal Democrat members do not want to enter another Coalition in the next Parliament. His assertion that we need to recharge both the Party and its values, and his caveat that we cannot do that by associating with another party, is spot on. It echoes the sentiments expressed by Mark Williams at his Welsh Governance Centre Lecture the other week. Our public identity is currently indistinct and amorphous, in part due to coalition but substantively due to the poor 'middle ground anchor' rhetoric coming out of Great George Street. ...
BBC news are reporting former leader (who is seldom consulted by Clegg) as handing out some rather good advice. He asserts that the party should be listened to after the election and that there is no appetite for another coalition and that ' the party needs to recharge its values' I agree with him both about the mood of the party and the need to recharge our values.. In an earlier interview on Radio 4 Steel hand branded this coalition as 'unnatural' Alan Beith reviewed the latest on Steel in the Autumn 2014 edition of the Liberal History Journal and ...
He's been a marine. He's been an MP and party leader. He's an election campaign chief and a successful author. Paddy Ashdown has now shown that he can be an effective literary critic. As you would expect, his comments are direct, no-nonsense and pithy – and required journalists and bloggers to put content warnings on their missives from Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference in Aberdeen. From the Scotsman: The former SNP leader's book The Dream Shall Never Die recounts his experiences in last year's independence referendum campaign. The book was published yesterday, with Lord Ashdown telling the press he had been ...
I'll confess to being a little apprehensive on hearing that Hackney North and Stoke Newington Lib Dem candidate Simon de Deney had done a poem for his campaign, but this is actually rather good (puritanical obsession that politicians are only allowed to talk in barchart encrusted political cliches aside):
While out and about the other day I spotted that the yellow lines along Pipistrelle Court were worn and in some sections no longer readable. There have been issues in recent months regarding cars parking inconsiderately and so I've now contacted the City Council and asked them to get the paint pots out and give [...]
Sat 21st
11:31In Full: Alistair Carmichael's speech to Scottish Liberal Democrat conference: "Liberalism is needed...
Here is Alistair Carmichael's speech to Scottish Conference in which he says the party will confound the doom-mongers and sets out why we can be proud in our records in Government. He paints a grim picture of life with the Tories governing alone and, after praising Willie Rennie, tells us "Let's go win." Good afternoon, Conference. It is good to be back in Aberdeen. Aberdeen is where I attended party conference of the Scottish Liberal Party for the first time here in 1983. The party was very different then. In fact it was a different party – liberals and social ...
I saw this in the cinema when it came out – with my daughter, obviously. I should mention that the only time I go to the cinema these days is to watch kids movies for obvious, parent with young children reasons. So I'm pretty picky about them now. Anyway, I'm using the DVD release of the film to write the review I didn't write at the time. I went into Penguins of Madagascar with low expectations. Things I'd heard: nothing for the grown-ups, a bit facile and overly reliant on slap stick. So when it went way beyond my expectations, ...
"The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it." "The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant." The heart of John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor's On Liberty, possibly the most influential of all Liberal texts and the book held by every ...
Sat 21st
10:26Nick Clegg: Governing with Labour and the SNP would be a recipe for "insomnia and instability"
The Guardian is doing a series of interviews by Phoebe Greenwood with the leaders of the parties, in the run-up to the general election. This week, it is the turn of Nick Clegg. There is a sixteen minute video of the discussion, plus a couple of summary reports. Highlights from the interview are: Nick says he is more anti-establishment now than when he joined government five years ago. He feels that some sort of governing arrangement with Labour and the SNP would be a recipe for "insomnia and instability" in parliament, which would eventually hit people in the pocket. He ...
[IMG: "I still have a very particular set of dietary requirements."] "I still have a very particular set of dietary requirements." The Pitch: Following the unexplained success of Eggbound, a sequel was inevitable. With production set to start, no original script was available so another script was press ganged into service, with names hastily find-and-replaced to match the original, and no one really caring that it moved the franchise into a whole other genre. Brendan McPuncherson, the world's most inexplicably Irish accented and still egg-dependent CIA agent is on a visit to London to meet an equally inexplicable friend who ...
Sat 21st
09:53Paul Strasburger stands down from Lib Dem Lords group pending investigation of fundraising allegatio...
Lord Strasburger has temporarily stood down from the Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords pending investigation into allegations to be made in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme which have been reported in the Telegraph. This involved another undercover operation involving a reporter posing as a businessman. Lord Strasburger has denied doing anything wrong. From the BBC: In a statement published by the Liberal Democrats, Lord Strasburger said: "Whatever Channel 4 may say in their Dispatches programme, I do not think I have committed any offence. "Having said that, I believe that we should all be accountable for what ...
The Friday 20th March edition of The Independent newspaper said this about the Lib Dem approach to the economy and the deficit...... [IMG: Danny Alexander MP] Danny Alexander MP '...the substance of what Mr Alexander had to say was much more impressive. Easily dismissed as "splitting the difference" between the Conservative and Labour routes to deficit reduction, the Liberal Democrats do have a more balanced, pragmatic approach to the task. Mr Alexander and his colleagues would indeed try to avoid the worst of the cuts the Tories would inflict on public services, and they rule out tax cuts for the ...
Sat 21st
09:15
Len McCluskey's sideways compliment to the Liberal Democrats, aka does he think talking about this s...
Yesterday, Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, thought it a good idea to talk about just what the unions might get up to should the Tories win the general election. It essentially involves striking no matter what. This is all in response to the Tories looking to create laws around strike thresholds. Namely, that at least 40% of members must support any industrial action in order for it to be considered a legal strike (I should add here, members of the relevant union – not the Conservative Party). What McCluskey has said is that essentially the unions would be prepared ...
The BBC report that Liberal leader Lord Steel has said he doubts Liberal Democrat members will want to be part of a coalition after May's general election. They add that he believes that "the most" Lib Dems will accept in another hung parliament is a confidence and supply deal - where policies are agreed on a case-by-case basis, rather than a formal coalition. In the first statement David Steel has hit heights he rarely achieved when leader, understanding the feelings of most grass roots members. However, a confidence and supply arrangement would be the worst of all worlds - all ...
really Awesome point about Fan fiction (tags: ) Katee Sackhoff Photo Shoot for GEEK Magazine - Ohhhh. My. GOD. This is amazing. (tags: ) Labour have said they don't want my vote. So where am I supposed to go now? (tags: ) Newspaper columnists respond to the eclipse (tags: ) For those of us who grew up with Rainbow - Original Bungle is quite possibly the scariest thing ever (tags: ) 10 Things You May Think Sound Supportive of Bisexuals But Aren't (tags: ) I have never had such a strong urge to put googly eyes on biological diagrams before. ...
Sat 21st
08:55
Labour disqualifies over 130 members as Ukip's suspension tally hits 14 Parliamentary candidates and...
The Guardian reports: More than 130 new members of the Halifax Labour party have been disqualified from voting for the party's general election candidate after suspicions were raised about their recruitment. All but seven of the disqualified members are of Asian heritage, and joined six to 12 months ago in the same multicultural ward of Halifax, according to Linda Riordan, the outgoing MP, who resigned at the end of February. Fifty have appealed against their disqualification, according to a local party source. Riordan has demanded the new members be allowed to vote in hustings on Saturday to choose the new ...
Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks have established a firm grip at the top of the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 29. Not too far behind are the chasing trio of Jon Featonby, Mark Widdop and Sam Bowman. But let's also hear it for three players outside the top 10: Austin Rathe's 1878 Forever had the best week's performance, with 84 points. Honourable mentions go to Henry Compson and Philip Jones, with 74 and 71 points respectively. [IMG: LDV FANTASY FOOTBALL 29] There are 161 players in total and you can still join the league by clicking here. ...
I'm reading with great enjoyment historian Richard Davenport-Hines's recently published book "Universal Man: the Seven Lives of John Maynard Keynes." Davenport-Hines's comments on the aftermath of the Versailles Treaty should, I believe, be noted by Mrs Merkel et al as they negotiate with Greece over the next few days. . . .less than half of the £6.6 billion demanded by the Allies under the Versailles Treaty was reckoned by (Foreign Office) experts to be recoverable. Consequently , throughout the 1920s the Foreign Office's tactics. . . sought to pacify Europeans tensions by allowing reparations and then war debts to be ...
2,100 workers in Ceredigion will see a boost to their pay packet from October this year, thanks to an increase in the National Minimum Wage. Thanks to the influence of the Liberal Democrats in Government, the National Minimum Wage is set to rise by three per cent, which means workers will get a new rate of £6.70 an hour. The National Minimum Wage for apprentices will increase by 57p an hour to £3.30. This is the largest real-terms increase in the National Minimum Wage since 2008, and over 1.4 million UK workers are set to benefit, and 73,000 workers in ...
Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks have established a firm grip at the top of the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 29. Not too far behind are the chasing trio of Jon Featonby, Mark Widdop and Sam Bowman. But let's also hear it for three players outside the top 10: Austin Rathe's 1878 Forever had the best week's performance, with 84 points. Honourable mentions go to Henry Compson and Philip Jones, with 74 and 71 points respectively. [IMG: LDV FANTASY FOOTBALL 29] There are 161 players in total and you can still join the league by clicking here. ...
What would you normally be doing on a Friday night? Sitting at home relaxing? Out with friends? Alas for us, we had 2000 envelopes to stuff. A group of us invaded the conservatory at Cllr John McClurey's house tonight to get the letters into envelopes. And we have another 1000 to do on Monday, when we have finished printing them. The letters are from me and are for constituents in my own ward
