The second and final part of this exploration - part 1 is here.
The Rights Info site is translating the 50 most important human rights cases into plain-English short stories. Its countdown to the most important case of all has reached number 30. You may also enjoy this video from Rights Info...
I wrote during the election about what a joyless event it had been. Almost a phoney war to some extent in which all Parties hid behind slogans and sound bites but failed to express their true beliefs - even supposing ... Continue reading →
The Times & Star reports of the Workington Town Council elections: Mr Johnston, 37, of Ruskin Close, High Harrington, was announced as coming last out of nine candidates in the ward, missing out on one of the six available seats. But after questions were raised over the weekend, it was found that Mr Johnston had in fact received 690 votes - 85 more than fellow Labour party member Christine Johanssen, who was announced as winner of the sixth seat. The Moorclose ballot papers had been split between three counting tables but the votes for Mr Johnston counted at one were ...
Sat 16th
18:05
Sheila Ritchie tells Scottish Lib Dems: Let's reach out to the the internationalist, the iconoclast ...
Back in the day, I learned how to campaign and how to be a liberal from Sheila Ritchie. She is a bit of a party legend but hasn't been wildly active in recent years. However, she came back to run Christine Jardine's campaign in Gordon and she was brilliant. She spoke to the Scottish Liberal Democrats' members meeting last Sunday and I know that her words about liberalism, the future and the national campaign will interest you. She has given her permission for me to share her words with you. Sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy: Liberals, ...
Where I am now. So it looks like the Lib Dem leadership race will come down to a choice between Tim Farron and Norman Lamb. In that event, I am strongly inclined to back Farron. Both men are admirable individuals and, as someone whose struggled with depression in past, Lamb's work on mental illness is [...]
Sat 16th
17:27
It Could be You (but it probably wont be). Or why I don't like the phrase "Social Mobility"
Social Mobility I seems such a harmeless phrase doesn't it? It so fits with our ambition that folk can progress free from the shackles of poverty, ignorance or conformity. So we use it often. I don't like it and I want us to stop using it. Why so. Partly because mobility goes both ways. Up and down. I don't want people moving up and down the escalator of life. I want them only to move up. I want everyone in the first class seats. But more because the phrase 'social mobility' has become the language of winners and losers. It's ...
When I was but a lad (June 1971) I walked through the new Mersey Tunnel just before it opened to traffic and this year I got the opportunity to walk along part of the new Switch Island to Thornton Link Road before it too opens for traffic. The walk along Brooms Cross Road, for that is what it will be called, was in aid of and to raise money for St. Joseph's Hospice (Jospice) in Thornton and Sheila and I had a great time walking the new road. Here are some photos of the event:- [IMG: People walking the new ...
Posting will be intermittent here for a couple more weeks. I've been a little blocked for the last month or so (yes, I know, I wrote a ten thousand word ebook in three days last week — I expected to write that in one day, and would have done had I been at full writing [...]
Ok, So I have heard many people asking what do the liberal democrats believe? What is Liberalism? and where do I fit into this? Well, I am going to attempt to answer these questions the best I can without boring you all to sleep. From the Preamble to the Constitution: The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals, ...
Sat 16th
15:42
Coalfields and curtains - two very surprising things about the general election on May 7th
[IMG: Coalfields%20v%20labour] In all my reading about the general election, two things have particularly surprised me. Firstly, the Labour winning vote situations are virtually identical to were there are coalfields in England and Wales. Secondly, a major academic study says that the Lib Dems didn't lose because of policy, but because of valance issues. You know, curtains. It was curtains for us. No, that should read valence issues. Valence issues? I had to look up the word "valence". Mark Pack explains: Political scientists crunching the evidence over how people decide who to vote for (such as in Affluence, Austerity and ...
It seems that events are conspiring to strain the health of Nigel Farage to breaking point. After the general election he said he would take the summer off. That was very wise. (Family and enjoyment of our beautiful world are what is important above all.) That decision seems to have melted in the subsequent UKIP civil war that has broken out. It would be very unwise for Mr Farage not to take that long summer break. I have recently spoken about my concern for his health. It doesn't do any good to a human being to be, essentially, a one-man ...
Distinguished people such as Peter Kellner and Stephen Tall predicted that the Liberal Democrats would get 32 seats at the general election. That was what I was hoping for. But imagine if that is what we had got. Nick Clegg would still be leader, probably. We might have been involved in some sort of government deal making. Messrs Law and Alexander would still be ruling the roost. We would have limped on. But I think the electorate has done us a favour. The grassroots now rule the roost. I believe and hope those grassroots are now younger and more diverse. ...
Honourable mentions for Messrs Cable, Laws, Alexander, Baker and Hughes who have, according to the Guardian, turned down or said they are not interested in offers of peerages in the dissolution honours: Four senior Liberal Democrat politicians defeated in the general election, including former business secretary Vince Cable, have turned down offers of a peerage from Nick Clegg in the dissolution honours list. It is understood that David Laws, the former education minister, Simon Hughes, the former justice minister, and former Treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander have also decided to reject a chance to sit in the House of Lords. ...
The British Election Study has put together its first release of all the constituency results in convenient Excel format. Download the data file here. If you also want all the national voting intention polls for the Parliament, there's my opinion polls database (which will be updated at the end of Q2 to go through till polling day and beyond).
On a sunny spring day, you either need bubblegum pop or something ethereal and dreamy. This 2010 cut from Warpaint does the latter thing in spades, with a slowly burning build, woozy vocals and subdued guitars gradually moving into a more aggressive second half. A good example of how a drummer can drive the feel [...]
[IMG: Scottish Lib Dem members' meeting] Last Sunday well over a hundred Scottish Liberal Democrats gathered together in a very warm room in Edinburgh to mull over the election results. Two of our defeated MPs, Mike Moore and Alan Reid made speeches that both inspired and made us cross and sad that they are not part of the new Parliament. In two and a half hours (the meeting had to be extended), over 40 members made some really interesting contributions on the constitution and the direction of the party. It was a very positive event. Willie Rennie said at the ...
Channel 4 reports: A candidate in Kent is challenging the official election result that he received zero votes on the grounds that he voted for himself. Paul Dennis, who stood for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (Tusc) in Rainham North, is challenging Medway council over the result because he says he would have got at least two, because both he and his wife voted for him.
I'm furious. It's not an ideal place to begin to write a blog but I imagine it can be harnessed effectively by it's conclusion. I'm furious. Thankfully not at the electorate which is always a hiding to nothing. No, it's mainly with a Tory party that has managed to sneak away with winning an election whilst avoiding being held truly accountable. We know they will make £12 billion of welfare cuts yet they managed to avoid telling us which of the most vulnerable are most likely to be hit. I'm furious at a Tory party who played the politics of ...
Sat 16th
10:25So, the Guardian finally recognises the usefulness of the Liberal Democrats, years too late
[IMG: The Guardian Building Window in London] The Guardian has spent the last five years spewing poison in the direction of the Liberal Democrats. Now, a week into a majority Tory government, they finally realise what good we did. I suggest that this is not entirely a surprise. A cursory glance at the Conservative manifesto gave an indication of what would happen. David Cameron's pronouncement, back in 2012, that he'd govern like a true Tory if it wasn't for the Liberal Democrats, went unignored. Here's what they had to say in an editorial posted last night: ...yet it is true ...
Sat 16th
10:21
Boston – The jury got it terribly wrong, the death penalty is nothing more than legalised murd...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-32762999 The telling part of this story is that the jury was selected because they would consider imposing the death penalty. The jury should have been selected whether or not they were individually opposed or supportive of the death penalty. This is legalised murder, nothing more nothing less and we become less civilised each time any state or jury uses the death penalty to try to right a terrible wrong.
Early humans had better levels of gender equality than we do now, study finds (tags: ) Farewell @DIMBLEBOT - Twitter's greatest political account disconnects (tags: ) It's Labour's fault the Tories are in power so often. (tags: ) in which @pseudomonas has made the BEST t shirt EVER for poly Lib Dems. (tags: ) A quick question re sexism in the lords led to a very interesting comment thread. No, honestly. (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: New Lib Dem members evening] It's a nice problem to have. It's an unexpected problem to have. But it's still a problem: quite what should local parties do with all the new members flooding in since polling day, the vast majority of whom are new to political parties. Don't invite new members to "come campaigning"Imagine you've just joined the Anti-Cat League because you're horrified at the carnage caused to Britain's bird population. more Party HQ itself is getting much right that it hasn't with previous bursts of new members: prompt member surveys, new member packs, welcome calls and getting ...
[IMG: edward wilson whitehall mandarin] The Whitehall Mandarin, Edward Wilson The comparisons to John Le Carre are inevitable: who's the mole in MI5 passing on secrets to the Russians? But if that sounds all a bit trite-and-tested a spy formula, don't worry: The Whitehall Mandarin is too thoughtful, clever and fast-moving to be boring. The protagonist is William Catesby, a Cambridge-educated working-class socialist who accommodates himself to working his way up MI6. His nemesis is Jeffers Caudwell, an American double agent who isn't all that he seems. They're united by their separate pursuits of Lady Somers, the first female Permanent ...
By now last week's elections have been analysed, over-analysed, and then analysed a bit more for good measure. There seems to be certain sense of shock at the outcome and a sense, certainly amongst those I've spoke to, of trepidation. Last week was not a good experience for any Liberal Democrat; but strangely at both the counts I attended I found myself talking to people who gave me a rather better feeling about these elections in general, if by no means making me happy with the results. On Thursday night (or should I say the early hours of Friday morning, ...
[IMG: The Lib Dems blocked Tory attempts to lift the fox-hunting ban last year] The Lib Dems blocked Tory attempts to lift the fox-hunting ban last year A little over a year ago the Lib Dems blocked Tory attempts to lift the fox-hunting ban. We believe that hunting foxes to their death and having them torn apart by hounds for sport is morally wrong. Now the Conservatives are in power with a majority they are promising to try again to lift the fox-hunting ban. Without the Lib Dems to stop them, they could do it! As the Independent reports: David ...
This is a critical moment for our party and for our country. The general election was won through the politics of fear. But we need to be honest: we failed to make a strong enough case for liberal values. Now we face a new and greater challenge: to show that we are still relevant, to speak what we believe, and to prove that we matter. In a crowded political market dominated by negativity, we have to be clear about the beliefs and philosophy that set us apart. This is a process which needs to involve the whole party, not just ...
[IMG: The Guardian editorial on the Lib Dems] The Guardian's editorial: The Lib Dems were frequently a moderating, and on occasion a truly positive, force within the coalition. Even in social security, a field in which they ultimately proved disappointingly willing to fold, they postponed the serious Conservative assault for a couple of years. On the core liberal territory they proved more determined - defending human rights, seeing off the snooper's charter and rallying to defend equality laws. It has taken precisely one week of majority Conservative government to remind Britain why, in the absence of a liberal party, one ...
The Conservatives are really talking up last Thursday's result. I don't blame them - when all of the discussion leading up to an election is about how no one can win, getting a majority, even one of 12, looks like a massive triumph. The question now is this: will Cameron be held to ransom by the right of his party due to the narrow nature of that majority? And if so, what will that mean for the country? The 1922 committee were immediately on manoeuvres. Graham Brady gave an interview in the press on Friday the 8th that was all ...
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the farewell party for Sarah Lewis, Scheme Manager at Pennycook Court and Sinderins Court for the past seven years. It was a lovely event, although emotional given that all the tenants will miss Sarah greatly. She has been a fabulous scheme manager, absolutely dedicated and hugely professional. I wish Sarah every success in her new role with Caledonia Housing Association in Perth. A few photos from yesterday : A great turnout of the tenants for the farewell party Marion Adams, Chair of the Residents' Association, thanking Sarah on behalf of everyone With Sarah ...
Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks are still in pole position in the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 36, with 2,153 points. Sam Bowman's Sterlingization (2,080) and Jon Featonby's What bitey racist? (2,059) are his closest rivals. But let's also hear it for the three players who enjoyed the best week's performances: Benjamin Moody's Atletico Diabetico (102), David Roberts' cant handle the huth (101) and James Ludley's Ludley's Line-up (100). [IMG: LDV FANTASY FOOTBALL 36] There are 163 players in total and you can still join the league by clicking here.
David Cameron's determination to repeal the Human Rights Act withdraw from the ECHR is not going to be without its difficulties. According to today's Guardian there is a growing rebellion amongst backbench Tory MPs against the proposal. The paper says that Conservative MP David Davis, a prominent Eurosceptic, has threatened to rebel against any legislation that could lead to the UK withdrawing from the European court of human rights: Davis's reported comments are a sign of growing rebellion on the Tory backbenches as the complexity and political difficulties involved in seceding from the judicial authority of the Strasbourg court become ...
Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks are still in pole position in the LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League after Week 36, with 2,153 points. Sam Bowman's Sterlingization (2,080) and Jon Featonby's What bitey racist? (2,059) are his closest rivals. But let's also hear it for the three players who enjoyed the best week's performances: Benjamin Moody's Atletico Diabetico (102), David Roberts' cant handle the huth (101) and James Ludley's Ludley's Line-up (100). [IMG: LDV FANTASY FOOTBALL 36] There are 163 players in total and you can still join the league by clicking here. * Stephen was Editor (and Co-Editor) of ...
