In a rather strange back to front view - here's the full journey on the reinstated Borders Railway. What srikes me is the lack of twin track - something that will no doubt will have to fixed at enormous cost as passenger numbers exceed predictions.
While I was in Kent I posted a photograph of Reculver taken from most of the way along the coast to Herne Bay. Here are some photographs from closer to the ruined church. There is something about the site that makes you keep snapping. There was once a Roman fort here. Later churches were built within its footprint. The current ruin was demolished at the start of the 19th century. In its pomp, with caps on both its towers, it must have resembled Southwell Minster. Incidentally, the empty cliffs in the photo in my first Reculver post were occupied by ...
From BBC News: The US has reopened its embassy in Cuba more than 54 years after it was closed, in a symbolic step signalling the warming of ties between both countries. John Kerry, the first US Secretary of State to visit Cuba in 70 years, presided over the ceremony in Havana. The US flag was presented by the same US marines who brought it down in 1961.It was good to see this rapprochement between the US and Cuba. The touch of asking the same marines who lowered flag made it oddly moving. What we want to see now is more ...
The excellent Brussels English-language bookshop, Sterling Books (on Rue du Fosse aux Loups / Wolvengrachtstraat, behind the Munt/Monnaie) had the excellent notion the other day of offering ARCs to interested customers (thanks to Aoife for alerting me). I had previously very much enjoyed two of Shapiro's other Shakespeare books, 1599 and Contested Will (the latter provoking one of the more rancorous comment threads I have had here), so I eagerly grabbed 1606. It will be published in October, and I recommend it to fans of Shakespeare and of Jacobean history. The coming year is going to see a lot of ...
Friday A fresh breeze whips up the white horses as my launch powers across Rutland Water. I like to keep an eye on my oil rigs, and there have been reports recently that the feared Rutland man o' war jellyfish has been sighted close to shore, so you will often find me aboard. Today all is well, so we moor up early for a lunch at the Bonkers' Arms. Later I take to the air - or at least my Patent Focus-Delivering Drone does. What with the membership of all parties in historic decline, I reason that we shall have ...
[IMG: City Hall, London] Liberal Democrat members in London will shortly be voting to select (and order) the party's 11 candidates for the London Assembly list elections being held in May 2016. The rules said the shortlisting committee should aim for a list of 15 people for members to choose the 11 from. They've actually gone for 16. One appeal was lodged over their initial selection of 16 and that 16 still stands, being: Dawn Barnes Rob Blackie Duwayne Brooks Emily Davey Merlene Emmerson Brian Haley Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett Stephen Knight (incumbent) Teena Lashmore Ben Mathis Annabel Mullin Pauline Pearce Caroline ...
Originally posted on Lib Dem Voice here. Two council by-elections have just been called in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency. And - I'm pleased to say - I've been selected as the candidate for one of them. It's not the first time I've been involved in a Lib Dem campaign. I stood as a London target ward candidate in 2014, and then I ran Lynne Featherstone's General Election campaign. Since then, I've helped Tim's leadership campaign. Now, I'm ready to take on this one. Here's why:
[IMG: Reading a phone. Public domain photo CC0] Like to get a summary of new posts on this blog conveniently by email rather than having to check the RSS feed, stalk me on social media or manually come back to this site? Or fancy getting my monthly Liberal Democrat Newswire? Or even want both? Then my email list sign up form awaits. If you sign up for the daily email with my blog posts, you'll find a little bonus inside: an 'on this day' piece of history courtesy of the Liberal Democrat History Group. Usual points apply about how you ...
[IMG: Libby - Some rghts reserved by David Spender] Two council by-elections have just been called in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency. And - I'm pleased to say - I've been selected as the candidate for one of them. It's not the first time I've been involved in a Lib Dem campaign. I stood as a London target ward candidate in 2014, and then I ran Lynne Featherstone's General Election campaign. Since then, I've helped Tim's leadership campaign. Now, I'm ready to take on this one. Here's why. Firstly, both wards are currently represented by a Labour-run Council and ...
I've just read an excellent blog by Tim Farron about the first hundred days of this Conservative Government. He argues that the Conservatives have made their intentions clear - and in doing so, they've made it increasingly obvious just how much the Lib Dems stopped them doing in Government.
Earlier today, along with four councillor colleagues, I attended a briefing with the council's Chief Executive and with John McClelland, author of the independent review of the V&A at Dundee construction project budget and the huge budget overshoot, during which Mr McClelland explained the detail of his findings. His report is over 30 pages long and he has made eight key recommendations and I will be scrutinising the report in detail before it is discussed at the council's Policy & Resources Committee on 24th August. However, what is glaringly obvious from the report is the failure of cost management and ...
[IMG: Women in the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, north Darfur, Sudan - Some rights reserved by DFID - UK Department for International Development] For many Liberal Democrat members the heavy election defeat was disheartening. However, the party can take strength from their contribution to governing the United Kingdom from 2010-2015. One such example is the achievement made in the area of overseas aid. What were the achievements? When the Liberal Democrats were in government the UK reached the 0.7% figure of all national income, that should go towards foreign aid, for the first time ever; then enshrined the ...
I picked this up at a Brussels literary event last year, at which Bateman himself spoke and autographed a couple of his works for me. I had previously read a couple of his thrillers set in Belfast, usually involving struggling journalists who get into political and criminal difficulties, though I don't think I had looked at any of them this century. Divorcing Jack is more political, but it is a slightly different politics to our time line, set in an alternate 1995 where the Alliance Party is about to win the elections and take power. (I read this bit with ...
[IMG: Autumn 2012 conference - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] Any passing observer will note the state of national politics with little more than vague disinterest and apathy. A Centre-Left Labour Party lurching between a nationalisation candidate and three also-rans. A Tory Party sharpening the knives ready for the evisceration of most public services, chasing the ghost of UKIP and Scottish Nationalists pressing a separatist agenda regardless of the recent referendum. There's a malaise in public life of seeming inevitability to politics, that what is done is done and there's no opportunity for change. Most people have only a ...
The post What Is The Role Of Creativity? appeared first on James Taylor.
[IMG: International Office_with text] With European and International affairs dominating the political agenda in the UK, this year's Autumn Conference is set to be one of the most 'internationalist' of recent times. With this global agenda as a backdrop, the International Office is hosting its most extensive conference programme yet! With the EU In/Out referendum expected within the next two years, and neither of the two major parties willing or able to take ownership of the 'Yes' campaign, there is a unique opportunity for the Liberal Democrats to take charge and lead the fight for our continued membership of the ...
As the years of my youth sweep by me, increasingly I am drawn towards the comfort blanket of nostalgia, but when it comes to public policy making, such vanities must be cast aside and answers framed by the chill of the contemporary, and the pragmatic must instead rule the roost. It is this increase reluctance to fight the dying of the light and instead embrace maturity that has caused me to pause, and embrace the idea of Sunday trading. For personal and professional reasons I tend to view all policy decisions though the prism of their economic efficacy , rather ...
Fri 14th
11:25
Tony Blair's electoral success in context. Or why it's so curious that Labour activists love booing ...
[IMG: Tony Blair - photo courtesy of Here's how all the Labour Party's leaders from Clement Attlee onwards have performed, judging them on the basis of the average proportion of seats won by Labour at the general election where they were leading their party. (Proportion of seats as the size of the House of Commons has varied during this time from 615 to 651.) [IMG: Labour leaders election records] Yet who have been the most unpopular Labour leaders with their own ranks? Certainly Tony Blair and in his time Harold Wilson too. Labour's two most successful party leaders when ...
Those with connections to the more enterprising candidates may already have noticed this, but the party in London has released the shortlist of candidates to be London Assembly members in 2016. Liberator understands this was due to a delay after one excluded candidate was reinstated on appeal. The list is:Adrian Hyyrylainen-TrettAnnabel MullinBen MathisBrian HaleyCaroline PidgeonDawn BarnesDuwayne BrooksEmily DaveyMarisha RayMark PlattMerlene EmmersonPauline PearceRob BlackieStephen KnightTeena LashmoreZack Polanski It includes at least 6 candidates from a BAME background and the gender split is 50/50: two encouraging signs. Most of the names will come as no surprise including the two incumbent AMs. Notable ...
This is the by-election caused by the new Conservative MP for Brecon and Radnor standing down as a councillor: Glasbury (Powys) vote result: LDEM – 457 CON – 415 IND – 106 GRN – 52 — Britain Elects (@britainelects) August 13, 2015 Congratulations James Gibson-Watt. There seems to be a theme with newConservative MPs... and this is the second gain in Wales since the general election, following the gain last month in Wrexham from Labour.
Fri 14th
11:06
Conservatives admit that Home-Start cuts were made without any consultation with professional groups
Service users, Staff, Volunteers and Councillors alike were stunned to learn on Monday that a Conservative Councillor made the decision to cancel the £395,000 annual grant to HomeStart without any consultation with either HomeStart, the Health Visitor Service or the Children's Services. Monday's scrutiny of the decision was the result of the Liberal Democrats on [...]
[IMG: Liberal Democrats have now won 18 council seats since the general election] Liberal Democrats were celebrating two big wins in local by-elections last night, with a successful defence and a gain from the Tories being added to the growing tally of local Lib Dem victories since the general election. Powys – Lib Dems take Tory MP's former seat to become official opposition The Glasbury seat on Powys [...]
[IMG: Winning Candidate James Gibson-Watt's Newtown Focus] There was a brilliant gain for the Lib Dems in Powys (CC) last night with candidate James Gibson-Watt polling 44.4% of the vote to secure victory in Glasbury, with the defending Tories vote share dropping by 10.9% from three years ago. The seat had been vacated by new Conservative Brecon & Radnorshire MP Christopher Davies [...]
Fri 14th
10:15
LibLink: Tim Farron - After 100 days, the penny is well and truly dropping on how hard Lib Dems foug...
On Huffington Post, Tim Farron writes: We're 100 days into a Tory government and, let's be honest, they have been fairly clear on what they're about. Unfortunately, for the majority of us across the UK – those of us who didn't vote Tory – it doesn't look pretty. A clear course has been set that puts the interests of the haves over the have nots, dismisses issues like the environment and migration as someone else's problem and enthusiastically paints the UK as an increasingly insular, ungenerous country ill-fit and unwilling to play its part in Europe. The penny is well ...
Does this picture remind you of Tony Blair?! As I listened to Tony Blair talking with disdain about the Party that he once led a poem came into my mind: I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: ... Continue reading →
[IMG: Education has been a consistent priority of the Liberal Democrats, both in and out of government] ALDC Member Cllr Paul Porgess (Stockport) reports back on last month's Children and Young People Conference, hosted jointly by the Liberal Democrat Education Association and the LGA Lib Dems. Children and Young People Conference 2015 National College of School Leadership, Nottingham 17th-18th July Friday 17th Liz Green (LGA Lib Dem Children and Young People Lead) and [...]
Let's say Jeremy Corbyn wins on September 12th. It's starting to possibly even look like a given, with the rumours circulating that some betting shops are considering stopping taking punts on the subject (just a rumour mind you, but that's the way these things start). There will be miles of speculation about what happens to the Labour Party in the aftermath of this neutron bomb landing in the middle of it, should it do so. At first, there will be no talk of a split; or at least, I'd be shocked if there was. That whole Gang of Four thing ...
[IMG: Cameron and Clegg in 10 Downing Street. Image used under Crown Copyright] The Coalition Effect comes with an impressive pedigree, both in terms of the authors and the contributors. It's a detailed, lengthy work with chapters structured around policy areas, providing for each a basic summary of key events as well as a rather varying level of analysis. [IMG: The Coalition Effect, 2010-2015, edited by Anthony Seldon and Mike Finn] Depth is sacrificed for breadth at times and as a few authors take a very opinionated line it also means some mainstream interpretations of events get very little time ...
Great news this morning. Congratulations to Councillor James Gibson-Watt! Very well done to James and all the Brecon and Radnor team! Details are: Powys County Council, Glasbury Electoral Division – Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative LIB DEM – 457 CON – 415 IND – 106 GRN – 52 And the swings from UK General Election 2020: [IMG: UK general election 2020 POwys result] * Newsmoggie - bringing you comment on the Lib Dems whether it's deserved or not
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Labour 'weeding out' supporters reeks of a stitch-up, and risks losing an entire generation of new voters Jeremy Corbyn: Blairism is magical thinking | Quaequam Blog! LEAKED: List Of People Banned From Voting In Labour Leadership Election [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
A Milestone in Africa: No Polio Cases in a Year Hooray! (tags: health ) More on apologies and consequences Comparing Antonelli and Requires Hate. (tags: sadpuppies ) My Query Letter for Ancillary Justice How 2014's multiple award winner was marketed. (tags: sf ) Why can't Britain build enough homes to meet demand? BBC asks a good question. (tags: housing ukpolitics )
