Those of you who know my allergies will know that I can't have chocolate. What you may or may not know is that my chocolate allergy is racist. Whatever it is about chocolate I'm allergic to is in the brown bits. I can eat WHITE chocolate til it comes out of my ears. It's very annoying, even apart from the fact that I abhor racism and all it's workings, because of course most of the depth of flavour and things are in the brown bits, and white chocolate is mostly just fat and sugar. Anyway, having tried all the white ...
"Down Street is an abandoned station on the Piccadilly line, which TfL is considering opening up to the public. We got to explore it, one of the many 'ghost' stations on the network, discovering stairs that haven't been used for decades, a World War Two typing pool... and is that Winston Churchill's old bath?"
[IMG: farronforleader] It feels odd to recall that the general election was just two weeks ago. It was a campaign where nothing seemed to happen, and then an election that pulled the rug out from under a lot of us and radically changed British politics. Two weeks ago, I was thinking that we'd be arguing over coalition wrangling right now, not a leadership election. Instead, we find ourselves with the party in the worst position its been in for at least four decades and the question we're being asked is now a simple one of how do we survive this? ...
Following the news that 111 Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidates are backing Tim Farron to be Lib Dem leader, today brings the news that Simon Hughes is also backing him: Want to keep up with more news on the Lib Dem leadership contest? Sign up for Liberal Democrat Newswire here.
Note from Thameslink Thameslink (Govia Thameslink Railway – GTR) rail replacement buses between St Albans City station and St Pancras from 23:00 Friday 19 June – 06:30 on Monday 22 June 2015 Over the above weekend Network Rail will be carrying out major engineering work on the Midland Mainline. As a result no trains will run between St [...]
New members have been asking about Lib Dem organisations that they can join. You are welcome to submit similar items on behalf of other organisations. [IMG: Liberal Reform] Liberal Reform was founded early in the previous parliament as a grassroots group to focus on "four-cornered liberalism (personal, political, social and economic freedom), arguing for modern, dynamic liberalism that draws on our party's long heritage arguing for broad individual freedom. Virtually all Liberals believe in "four-cornered liberalism" but we, more than some others in the party, believe that economic freedom — open markets, free trade and proper competition — has to ...
Thu 21st
17:13
Military Road in Sandgate closed after hole opens up as Kent Police attend to control traffic
From the Folkestone & Hythe Express: A hole has opened up in the middle of a road in Sandgate. Police were called shortly after 3pm to a report "a void in the road" on Military Road about a foot deep near the Military Road Recreation Ground. The road has been closed while officers assist with traffic control at the junction with Bybrook Way. Published and promoted by Tim Prater, 98a Sandgate High Street, Folkestone, CT20 3BYPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
'Do not stand by my balustrade and weep, my lanyard is not there, it does not sleep.' pic.twitter.com/R7frG5Fyyj — Nick Barlow (@nickjbarlow) May 19, 2015 Many people come here seeking the truth about Balustrade Lanyard – the man, the myth, the lanyard – but thanks to a quirk of Google, they're merely landing on a page that tells them next to nothing of one of the most important political figures of our generation. Should you wish to know more, it can be found by clicking here. Related PostsCouncillor Camp 2013 (#cllrcamp) Worth Reading 23: There is no conspiracy Colchester Beer ...
Nearly two weeks have passed since the general election and while much has been analysed in reaction to that fateful day, as the party looks to turn a corner, it is also worth looking back and mentioning all of those good Liberal Democrats now out of office. The election of 2015 will leave its mark in history for being the election of political scalps. Countless big names lost their jobs while the press looked on in disbelief as three leaders resigned all within a couple of hours of one another (and one even reinstated himself!). However we must also reflect ...
It is undoubtedly a good thing that Richard Brett, the Chair of the English Candidates Committee has sent out an apology to candidates for the very poor tone of the email they received on Monday. But did it pass muster? Initial reports suggest that it is not being particularly well-received by candidates. You know how in an email you have to hook people in that first sentence? I'm not sure that this quite cuts it: I am aware that the e-mail sent out on Monday upset some of you with its tone and I am very sorry if this was ...
(Pause for joke about how short this post will be.) I've written about some of the things the Liberal Democrats got wrong in the 2015 general election – see the lessons in Liberal Democrat Newswire #65, my piece on what went wrong with the Lib Dem polling and the repetition of the mistakes of 1992. There are many lessons to learn from what went wrong. But that doesn't mean there aren't also lessons to learn from what the party got right. So here's a brief interlude in the dissection of mistakes to highlight the other, smaller, set of lessons for ...
If you're a member f the Lib Dems, you can nominate your preferred candidate for leader (in fact candidates need at least 200 nominations from a minimum of 20 local parties) So click on this link and you too can nominate Tim Farron to be leader - as I've just done.
At yesterday's full council meeting Labour councillors voted, whenever the law allows it, to give work to its internal Direct Services Works Department and other internal departments which offer services for sale, even if it the work could be better done by a local business at a lower price. This is newly written into the constitution of the County Council (remember Ed's tablet of stone?) stating that council departments have to consult "service providers" within the council rather than asking anyone else what they would charge for a job, and then have to use the council service provider if they ...
On Monday night, four friends and I (all new members) hosted #libdempint, an informal event for fellow newbies in London. The original plan was to meet up together and share a drink or two. We thought we might get a couple of random strangers come along and make pleasant but slightly awkward political conversation with us. Instead, we had 100 fellow newcomers attend, three official speakers (Rob Blackie, Elaine Bagshaw and Tom Brake MP), and a couple of pretty interesting gatecrashers - a couple of lovely fellows called Tim Farron and Nick Clegg. Needless to say, we hadn't really expected ...
Thu 21st
13:08
Hertfordshire Bus Travellers Ignored - Tories Force Through Bus Cuts Against Strong Lib Dem Protest
[IMG: 387 004 blog] Conservative run Herts County Council has decided on a second slice of bus cuts – they will now slash a further £1.47m from the bus budget. This means a dozen key bus routes will go, others will only run up to 7.30pm. Sunday services will disappear with just a very few that serve hospitals running only up to to 7.30pm. Throughout the week, evening hospital visits will be made almost impossible shift staff will be hit hard. The Conservatives voted by 42 votes to 30 to push through the bus cuts, despite condemnation by the NHS ...
John Dodd at Lane Ends shops, Churchtown, Southport promoting Dementia Awareness week with Cllr Dan Lewis, Cllr Sue McGuire, Cllr Pat Keith and medical professionals.
So a tweet today from the Refugee Council said: New stats also reveal 28% of asylum appeals allowed. Gov is getting over a quarter of what can be life & death decisions wrong first time. — Refugee Council (@refugeecouncil) May 21, 2015 My first thoughts were that doesn't add up. A quarter of all decisions wrong first time? This would mean that 90% of all decisions would have had to have gone to appeal. Surely we are a) granting more than 10% and b) appeals aren't 100% of all refusals. So I went to the Office of National Statistics and ...
[IMG: Sandgate path running from Chichester Hall towards Sandgate Recreation Ground] A local resident, Rosemary Sanders, is hoping to 'claim' a path in Sandgate as a designated Public Right of Way for all Sandgate residents and other members of the public. She has the support of Sandgate Parish Council but she needs help from other local residents to complete statements that they have used this path. Please click on the link below to see her full request and the witness form that each resident needs to fill in. There is a map showing the route. Rosemary has given her contact ...
The Liberal Democrats and the public have been going through a messy divorce. Things haven't been right for some time and there is no shying away from it. Perhaps the problems started when we were unfaithful and began a fleeting affair with the Tories? And when the lies began, including over how to fund the children's university education, it was clear that there had been a breakdown in trust which we were always going to struggle to repair (things are always more complex when kids are involved). I know we didn't pay you enough attention, preferring to spend time on ...
I've no idea which way Rowland Hill, the great founder and originator of modern postal services, used to cast his vote. But since he was a friend and close associate of John Stuart Mill, I'm inclined to believe he was a Liberal. So bear with me for a moment while I rehearse the well-known story of the penny post. Because, in the 1830s, before Hill conjured up the Post Office, the postal service worked like this. If you were an aristocrat, you could send what post you liked by'franking' it, which would guarantee its delivery. Everyone else had to pay ...
David Cameron's slim majority may well be enough to see him through the next five years, but it is doubtful that the path will be a smooth one. Many Tories remember vividly the internecine fighting and plotting that marred the John Major government. The odds are that this new Conservative administration, elected with a clear manifesto pledge to hold an in-out referendum on Europe could go the same way. Indeed, the Guardian is already publishing articles warning that Cameron could lose Cabinet members during the referendum campaign. They say that government sources believe Cameron would need to devise a mechanism ...
[IMG: Sandgate beach cleaner Marie Smith and Sandgate Parish Council Chairman Robert Bliss] Sandgate Parish Council is very proud to announce that Marie Smith, who cleans the beach and promenade in Sandgate, has been awarded a Kent Association of Local Council (KALC) Community Award. The success of being awarded Keep Britain Tidy's Seaside Award in 2013, 2014 and as announced yesterday 2015 too, is in part the result of the tireless work of Marie. Every summer season, she diligently keeps the beach and the walkway clean and tidy and is a great ambassador for the village. She is always smiling ...
The Planning Advisory Service, is part of the LGA and is funded to support planning in local government. There are many useful resources on their website, they can come to your council to provide councillor training or other support, and they run many courses throughout the year. The PAS provides the following: Toolkits, guidance, case [...]
Thu 21st
10:54
LoveProudly: An interview with Stephen Donnan about the fight for Marriage Equality in Ireland (Nort...
Tomorrow Ireland votes on whether to allow equal marriage. I recently interviewed Stephen Donnan who is one of the founders of LoveProudly , a grassroots group dedicated to marriage equality across all of Ireland. He is also a former Chair of the LGBT group in the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. Mathew: Stephen, tell us a bit about this new initiative. Stephen: Well, basically, Mathew loveproudly was set up by myself and a number of other activists from Belfast, Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland to facilitate and support the calls for Equal Marriage in both Northern Ireland and in the ...
As we now have email addresses for over 80% of our members in Gateshead, we have launched an email newsletter in addition to our printed edition. The first edition can be viewed on this link. We have 22 new members in Gateshead since polling day - one of the unexpected consequences of our general election defeat. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure we keep in touch with them.
Almost a third of school pupils believe 'Muslims are taking over our country', study claims This is what our news media does. I hope they're happy. (tags: ) Charles Bradlaugh, man, what a hero ♡ (article on MPs oaths) (tags: ) More on liberal hero Charles Bradlaugh from @lordbonkers (tags: ) Why "don't read the comments" does not apply on my blog part 957 - @po8crg imparts learnings (tags: ) Prevalence of rape in USian college 1st year (tw esp for repeated taking about rape as if it just happens) (tags: ) Makes you wonder what goes on at adult ...
Zoe Williams has written a piece today about the term "metropolitan elite" and how it has become a catch all phrase for the political class to essentially try and either distance itself from everything modern Britain increasingly dislikes, or to self-immolate with, depending on how you see things. This, by the way, is not the start of another article in which I have a go at Zoe Williams; I thought her article was actually rather poignant if lacking a conclusion. There was one quote in the piece that defines for me the whole "metropolitan elite" being used as the scapegoat ...
A Shropshire Council conservation officer has called for a heritage assessment of the impact of the proposed supermarket at Rocks Green. In the clunky language of planning, the Rachael Parry says: The proposals include the demolition of historic buildings... The impact of their removal is seen to be a significant detriment due to their positive [...]
Yesterday Britain's Trades Union Congress (TUC) published a poll exploring the public's attitudes to the Labour Party. The press release's headline, "New poll has no easy answers for Labour but trust and competence key", does not invite much interest. A poll that found easy answers, or which suggested that competence and trust could be taken lightly – now that would be interesting! There were one or two eye-catching findings though: Over 55s overwhelmingly picked the Conservatives over Labour by 47% to 24%. Labour did better amongst younger voters, but not overwhelmingly so. The survey identified 13% of floating voters that ...
What have the Conservatives said on health so far? Their manifesto makes big promises - but is vague on detail. NHS England's Five Year Forward View called for £8 billion more annually by 2020 (alongside £22 billion efficiency savings) to maintain NHS standards. Liberal Democrats were the first to sign up to this - and we set out clearly how to fund it. The Conservatives matched this - but give no details on funding this other than the 'recovering economy'. Lamb also called for a (much-needed!) cross-party Review of NHS & Social Care funding. David Cameron yesterday proposed 7-day hospital ...
Here's what I doubt we will hear any of the Labour leadership candidates say: What will our message to voters on the NHS be in 2020? Can it really be: "In 2010 we said you had to vote Labour, or the NHS would disappear – and it didn't. In 2015 we said you had to vote Labour, or the NHS would disappear – and it didn't. But now in 2020 when we say you have to vote Labour, or the NHS will disappear, we're right"? I said before the election that the NHS wasn't a strong point for Labour but ...
From the City Council : "Work is programmed to commence at the above location on Monday 25th May 2015, and will last for approximately 1 week. The main contractor for the works is Tayside Contracts. In the interest of public safety, a road closure will be implemented and through traffic will be diverted via Riverside Avenue and Perth Road and reverse for the duration of the works. Vehicular access will be maintained to residents of Newhall Gardens, Millhall Crescent, Burnaby Street and Vernonholme from the end of Perth Road . We ask for vehicular traffic movements to be kept to ...
[IMG: North Liverpool & Bootle] Click on map to enlarge it. This is my last posting, at least for now, about the 1958 Ordnance Survey map of Liverpool (which I picked up for a song on Bewdley Railway Station not long ago) with particular reference to its lost railways. The former line from Seaforth and the North Mersey Goods Yard past Linacre Road (closed April 1951), Ford (Closed April 1951) and Aintree Racecourse (closed March 1962) onto what is now the Liverpool Kirkby Merseyrail line is interesting. Most of it is just about still there; well at least the section ...
Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the General Election results. Some 1065 party members responded – thank you – and we're publishing the full results. Was Nick Clegg right in standing down on Friday? 92% – Yes 8% – No It's no real surprise that after the poor results the overwhelming majority of Lib Dem Voice members felt it was time for Nick to make way for a new leader. Before the General Election, did you expect that Nick Clegg would still be leader by 2016? 39% – Yes 61% ...
Here is another take – see link above – on the general election result that no one expected from veteran political campaigner and commentator Vince Cable. With thanks to Roy Connell for ferreting this one out.
With Monday being a Bank Holiday , bin collections are put back a day. So, if your normal collection day is Monday, it will be Tuesday next week .... I'm sure you get the picture If in doubt, contact Northumberland County Council
In the Guardian this weekend, Tim Farron responded to his critics, explaining his votes on gay marriage. This is what I asked him to do, and in regretting his abstention on the third reading of the equal marriage bill, he's moved closer to my position. Great! Unfortunately, the interview as a whole has somehow left me more skeptical than I started out. Obviously if Tim is now pro-equal marriage (or always was) then that's great. But he must have known at the time that abstention would be perceived as opposition - and it bothers me that he isn't willing to ...
