ITV News reports that Duwayne Brooks "has pulled out of the race to be London's next mayor". The report continues: Brooks, a former Lewisham councillor, was named today as one of two Lib Dems on the party's shortlist along with London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon. But the Liberal Democrats then revealed he was no longer taking part in the contest because of his role in a review of stop and search by police in Northamptonshire. "Unfortunately Duwayne Brooks has since withdrawn from the Mayoral selection owing to a new professional commitment with a Police Authority which prevents him from going ...
The Labour establishment clearly seem concerned about the possiblilty of a Corbyn victory. Various warnings have appeared from past Labour leaders and MPs about the dire effects of a Corbyn victory. Now a 'laugh out loud' spoof Twitter site with Corbyn warnings. Amusing and worth a look. https://twitter.com/corbynwarnings?lang=en-gb
POST DELETED This post was based on information in another post, which I have now discovered is misleading. This placeholder has been left in case anyone clicks a link to the post and wonders what's going on. Tagged: immigration
This new unbridled and unrestrained Conservative Government is not slow in showing its true colours. Recent announcements about fast tracking Fracking are simply horrendous. Coupled with the Conservative hatred and campaign against wind energy it shows clearly that they have no clue about clean energy. And to blame the planning system and local government is simply outrageous. An application that generates the level of interest that a fracking licence does simply cannot be processed in 13 weeks. It is not delaying things to respond to legitimate concerns. Our group leader has challenged our two Conservative MPs to speak out against ...
Regular readers will know that the Lib Dem team have been chasing Highways England for some months to get a "Keep Clear" box painted on the M60 J3 slip road where it meets the South Park Road Estate. First we were promised it would be done in April, then by the end of July. We've now been assured that, weather permitting, the Keep Clear box will go down on Monday night – 24th August. We will be checking!
Think of this as a rollercoaster ride for geeks:
Tim Farron has written to Theresa May to ask her to help the refugees in Calais. He visited the port earlier this month and saw for himself the conditions people had to live in and also heard some of their stories. Here is his letter in full: Dear Theresa, I am writing to you about the humanitarian crisis in Calais ahead of your meeting with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later this week. I welcome the measures the Government has already taken to improve the security situation at the Eurotunnel and reduce the disruption which has been caused for British ...
Two films based on classic sixties TV spy shows are in cinemas at the moment. I loved both of them but for very different reasons. The latest instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise has been out for a while now. Both its box office takings and reviews have been impressive. I'm certainly not going to [...]
For those of us who eat pork, there's something very yummy about a decently cooked, moist, juicy gammon joint. I got this recipe from this book and it worked well enough that I will now try more from the same source. 1 joint of ham 1 peeled onion 1 carrot 1 stalk celery 1 bay leaf 8 whole black peppercorns glaze 2-3 tbsp Demerara sugar 1 tsp mustard powder 12 cloves 250 ml orange juice sauce 1 Bramley cooking apple, peeled, cored, sliced 300 ml cider 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 2 tsp butter Soak the joint for ...
Wed 19th
16:40
LibLink: Jim Hume MSP: Out of sight, out of mind? Why the SNP need to get serious on mental health
Liberal Democrat MSP Jim Hume has been writing on the Scottish Liberal Democrat website about the crisis in mental health care in Scotland, where they haven't had a Norman Lamb in power transforming mental health provision. In Scotland during the last 5 years, over 4000 people were treated outside their own health board. Jim says that's not good enough: Despite the number of patients being discharged from psychiatric hospitals in Scotland falling dramatically in the past decade, hundreds of patients are still facing being treated away from their families and communities. There will always be some patients who need to ...
The recent two tube strikes and the two planned strikes are forcing many millions to use different methods of transport, to be massively delayed or feel obliged to take holidays to avoid the stress of a strike days. The scenes at many of our rail stations shows that we both have a good and varied transport network but when the railways are loaded they understandably cannot fully cope. The loss to businesses in Ealing and London wide is very large because of strikes. Many tourists who have visited Ealing and London for a short break will not return. Chiswick Park ...
About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article about how the behaviour of some men was driving women out of politics. I said: I've seen good women driven away from active politics out of sheer exasperation at the way powerful men exclude and demean them. Participation in politics should not require putting up with such behaviour and politics itself is better when it more accurately reflects the society we live in. A start would be for us all to be much more aware of our behaviour and that of others. Men in powerful positions, have a look ...
Calais August saw one Libdemfightback member visit Calais. Tim Farron's recent visit to Calais in July highlights the human plight of refugees, Migrants and asylum seekers who wish to risk their lives to come to help Britain and seek sanctuary from racism and violence. The BBC Songs of Praise visited St Michaels Migrants Church in Calais which inspired Christians and Liberals to redouble our efforts to oppose the Conservatives Xenophobic policy in Calais. These people are inspirational in their basic human desire for a better life. August has seen a number of solid Libdem council byelection victories and a clear ...
Prejudice. Bigotry. Discrimination. Intolerance. Fear. Hatred. The idea that there is something wrong with being 'different' or 'weird' or 'not normal'. That 'difference' is something to fear or hate. That it's OK to treat someone differently because you don't think they count as 'normal' by your standards. This is something I've had serious concerns about for a while now - that we haven't really addressed this problem in society at all yet. Of course, we have made great strides in dealing with some particular prejudices, and that is to be heartily welcomed. What we have done, though, has failed to ...
In a letter to Communities Secretary Greg Clark I have challenged him to clarify two key questions: 1. Will the Government be wasting £1.25 or £2.5 million on a none job. These being the costs next year of the election ... Continue reading →
From the six applicants to be the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London, the Liberal Democrat shortlisting committee put two through to a ballot of party members – Caroline Pidgeon and Duwayne Brooks. Duwayne has pulled out, so Caroline Pidgeon is going to be the Liberal Democrat candidate in May subject to a confirmation from party members. The official statement says: Unfortunately, Duwayne Brooks has since withdrawn from the Mayoral selection owing to a new professional commitment with a Police Authority which prevents him from going forward. We are therefore proceeding with a short-list of 1 candidate plus the ...
Delighted to have the support of the fantastic Haringey Lib Dem team and Lynne Featherstone for my Woodside By-election campaign. You can read the email Lynne sent to residents in Woodside below. To sign up for email updates from the Haringey Lib Dems - please email jenni.hollis@haringeylibdems.org and put 'sign up' as the subject title.
Yesterday the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, resigned his mandate to form a new government having failed to come to any coalition agreement with opposition parties. This morning, President Erdoğan declared that the country is heading rapidly towards new elections; his AKP failed to get an overall majority in elections earlier this year, for the [...]
On 16th September, it'll be 17 years since I last had a cigarette. I was one of those smokers who never really wanted to give up, who really enjoyed a cigarette. However, my consumption was a bit worrying – at least a pack of 20 a day. It was pregnancy which forced my hand. From the moment I saw the positive test, I have not had another cigarette. That doesn't mean that I never want one. Even after all this time, the smell can (especially after a few wines) set off all the old cravings. Giving up just like that ...
[IMG: Ask ALDC is split into subject areas covering all aspects of Lib Dem campaigning] With approvals and selections procedures gathering pace across the country, we wanted to give you a pointer towards some useful members-only FAQs on how to find the people to fill your slates. Ask ALDC: Finding Potential Candidates An FAQ on where to look for candidates for target and 'moving forward' seats. Including: Group audits Skills assessment [...]
Liberal Democrat Voice has a fantastic archive of posts going back to our establishment in 2006. Here's an interesting article from our Founding Editor, which was published in October 2006. You can read the post in its original form, with the title "There is no news today", with comments, here. Rob, our Founding Editor, made a thing about not writing about polls. So, in his amusing way, he didn't do this poll, but, er, he did do it. Anyway, it is quite eye-watering to look back and see us on 22%! [IMG: Guardian 3] There is no news today on ...
The local police have organised meeting for people from anywhere in Prestwich to meet the local police officers and raise any concerns you might have about crime or anti-social behaviour. The meeting is: Monday 24 August 2015 Prestwich Library 1st Floor Art Room 6.00-7.00pm All welcome!
Via the amazing political scientist Richard Rose's website: [IMG: 1959 election team at work with slide rules]
Sadly our last bank on the Bury Old Road side of Prestwich is closing this week (the Royal Bank of Scotland on the corner of St Margaret's Road). A huge thank you to the many people who wrote to RBS, who signed one of the petitions against the closure. Unfortunately RBS were not able to listen to local people on this occasion. I did meet with the Branch Manager and the area manager who was overseeing the closure. I went through a list of issues that had been raised by local residents and local businesses about the consequences of the ...
We have to give the Labour Party their due here because without them what would we be talking about in the dog days of the political summer? Bravo Labour for stringing out this leadership contest and keeping yourselves very much in the news (albeit not in a great way and certainly not providing the Tory government with an effective opposition) but we'll gloss over that for now and plough on through to the crux of this blog post. The Railway Network. More people than not would be in favour of it returning to the hands of being publicly owned. Of ...
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Nigel Ashton and Jo Barton are holding their next advice centre in Churchtown. We will be at Cafe Moo Moo on Cambridge Road (by the junction with Preston New Road, next to Boots) from 10:30 to 11:30 am on Thursday 27th August. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Crossens, at St John's School, Rufford Road, Crossens every month (except August) on the second Saturday of the month from 11:00 am ...
Unless you're a bookie looking for an easy publicity-shot, we have no idea who will be named Labour's new leader on 12th September. At the moment, Jeremy Corbyn seems a shoo-in. But there are dissenters — well-informed ones at that — who say no way. Labour Uncut editor Atul Hatwal is probably the most prominent. I'm also a dissenter (I'm sticking by my wet-finger-in-the-air hunch of Yvette Cooper) though not at all informed. And I'm also very uncertain. Because no-one can or should be. Yes, #JezWeCan is drawing the crowds (and, hell yes, they're impressive), but, as we saw on ...
It's a problem that's been going on for at least a century. Seagulls, seagulls and more seagulls in towns. In some places, such as St Ives, Cornwall, the local seagulls seem to have evolved to be particularly skilfull at nicking sandwiches out of "emmets'" tourists' hands just as they leave the baker's shop. They swoop from, apparently nowhere, and snatch food. Icecreams are a seagull speciality. The gulls know where the icecream shops are, they know which roofs to sit on, poised. They know exactly when to swoop to grab some poor unsuspecting child's icecream. (And it is quite a ...
Information is correct at the time of publication, please check availability before you travel. Asda Pharmacy, Pilsworth Road, Pilsworth, Bury, BL9 8RS, 9am - 6pm Asda Pharmacy, Riverside Retail Park, Pilkington Way, Radcliffe M26 3DA, 9am - 6pm Asda Pharmacy, Spring Street, Bury, BL9 0RN, 9am - 6pm Boots, Unit 1, Woodfields Retail Park, Peel Way, Bury, BL9 5BY, 11am - 5pm Boots, 32-36 The Mall, Bury, BL9 0QQ, 10:30am – 4:30pm Tesco In-store Pharmacy, Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 7BL, 11am - 4pm Tesco In-store Pharmacy, Peel Way, Bury, BL9 5BY, 11am - 4pm You can find pharmacy ...
A battle of words erupted yesterday between the Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper campaigns. "If he isn't prepared to offer an alternative to Jeremy, he needs to step back and leave it to Yvette," said Team Cooper. "Yvette's stunt is panicked, desperate and straight out of the Ed Balls handbook," said Team Andy. Ouch. But it's okay because this morning, the Cooper camp apologised. Passive agressively, obviously. But anyway the hostilities were all for show anyway, and here's why. The bookies Paddy Power have paid out on Corbyn bets. That's right – paid out. As in, not just stopped taking ...
Here's the answer via Dan Hodges: Labour's [up-to-date*] canvassing data covered five million voters The UK electorate is around 45 million, which means on these figures the Labour Party has canvass data for a little over 1 in 10 voters. Of course that's an average for something which will be heavily concentrated in particular areas, but even so it's a healthy reminder of the messy and incomplete grassroots reality behind the grand talk of big data and microtargeting which usually steals the spotlights and is talked of as if it is a mass communications tool reaching almost every voter. As ...
[IMG: key_tom] "The Human Rights Act and the European Court of Human Rights are not some piffling pieces of legislation, dreamt up by bureaucrats in Brussels to tie us in red tape. These are British rights, drafted by British lawyers forged in the aftermath of the atrocities of the Second World War and fought for by Winston Churchill. They are designed to place public authorities in the UK under a strict, non-negotiable obligation to treat people with fairness, equality and dignity. Frequently they have been all that has stood in the way of injustice, most usually inflicted on the individual ...
In the past week, I have participated in committee meetings of both the Friends of Magdalen Green and Friends of Riverside Nature Park. Both groups do great work - as do other Friends groups in the West End - such as Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden and the Friends of Balgay. If you are interested in more details of any of the West End Friends groups, contact me at westendfriends@frasermacpherson.org.uk and I will pass on your contact details - many thanks!
The BBC reports this morning that the newly selected Conservative candidate in one of the party's top assembly election target seats is being investigated by the public services ombudsman. They say that Powys county councillor Gary Price, who is standing for Brecon and Radnorshire next year, is alleged to have brought a local authority into disrepute. A formal complaint has also been made about his selection in an open primary last month. They add that the president of the local branch, Jonathan Reeves, believes that the Conservatives' chances in the election in Brecon and Radnorshire, where they will be up ...
Almost No One Sided with #GamerGate Good research. (tags: games internet ) Decertifying the worst voting machine in the US Old news now, but horrifying. (tags: voting internet hacking ) Will Comet Catalina become visible to the naked eye? Let's hope so! (tags: astronomy )
Even in an article about Bi-erasure, @Independent uses the term 'a little bit gay' instead of bisexual. I think you'll find that's at least part of the problem right there. Today's utterly unsurprising news: Most graduates 'in non-graduate jobs' [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The ruling Lib Dem group on Stockport Council have announced our proposals for the council's 2016/17 budget. Stockport has had to make big savings every year since 2010 as the Government seeks to get spending under control (in reality, while local council spending has fallen sharply, central government spending has actually increased). 2016/17 sees the biggest savings requirement yet, with Stockport having to reduce day-to-day spending by more than £21 million. That comes on top of previous reductions. Next year's savings will not be the last either. We estimate that the council will need to reduce spending by a further ...
