Outrageous that Corbyn goes to a Stop the War dinner - he should go to dinners held by arms dealers and offshore bankers like a proper MP.— Mark Steel (@mrmarksteel) December 11, 2015Back in September I suggested that "whataboutery is pretty much all that enthusiasts for Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party have to offer". Certainly that trope is alive and well amongst them, judging by the number of times this has been retweeted into my timeline. The truth, of course, is that it is perfectly possible to believe Corbyn is wrong to hang out with apologists for Putin ...
A conversation made me wince as I browsed Tim Farron's Twitter feed this evening. Let me say this first, though. If you want to help people affected by the flooding in Cumbria – and we've seen some utterly heartbreaking scenes of devastation and people losing everything – please donate to the Cumbria Community's South Lakelond Flood Recovery appeal. Back to Tim, who has been energetically working to help those affected. One constituent asked Tim if he might take rather drastic action to raise money. @timfarron I know you like @russellhoward .. What do you think of a #TaserTim campaign to ...
It's great to finally see the crossing set up and operating after years of campaigning for one and putting forward residential concerns relating to this stretch of road. I must admit that I am surprised to learn that the cost of the crossing and associated resurfacing work at Gunthorpe Road near Norwood Primary School, was [...]
Sat 12th
19:32
Rocks Green supermarket bid delayed again as Highways England complains it was not consulted - we ne...
The Shropshire Star reports today that Highways England has placed a three-month hold on plans for a store and petrol station at Rocks Green. The big surprise is not that Highways England has taken such an uncompromising stance. It's that its action has come nearly a year after the application was submitted. I would have [...]
Embed from Getty Images Commenting on the Paris Agreement Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron MP said : The landmark agreement that has been reached in Paris must be welcomed as a vital step in combating climate change. The Government must now urgently rethink it's cuts to renewable energy which are undermining the achievements of Ed Davey and Liberal Democrats in the Coalition government in promoting green energy. It is not good enough to go to Paris and sign up to ambitious targets whilst scrapping the schemes that will help tackle climate change back in the UK. Liberal Democrat Energy and ...
During the 2015 election campaign you may remember that everyone's favourite purple-wearer, Nigel Farage, made a number of comments linking the strain on NHS resources with immigrants being treated for HIV. It was at the time when "peak UKIP" appeared to have passed – or at least, when the surge in support necessary for them to win more than a ...
This is the press release, issued by Northumberland County Council. Free wi-fi trial underway in county Christmas is coming early to Blyth as the County Council launches a free wi-fi trial in the town centre across the festive period.The innovative scheme involves wi-fi being fitted onto lamp-posts and is being carried out as part of the authority's £23m streetlighting modernisation projectThe areas covered in the trial are along Bridge Street from the junction of Percy Street to the junction of Wanley Street at the other end, including the market place.The free wi-fi operates in a similar way to that offered ...
The overnights meme: List the places where you spent a night away from home this year, marking places where you spent two or more non-consecutive nights with an asterisk. (Just back from a week in the US and not planning to add any more, though I said that last year and then found myself doing one last international trip the weekend after Christmas!) *London, England *Sofia, Bulgaria *Paris, France Dublin, Ireland *Belfast, Northern Ireland Sulaimania, Iraq *Belgrade, Serbia Heathrow, England *Loughbrickland, Northern Ireland Kiev, Ukraine Kotor, Montenegro Podgorica, Montenegro Zürich, Switzerland Barcelona, Spain Senningerberg, Luxembourg Abuja, Nigeria Portslade, England *Kidderminster, ...
[IMG: Good Governance] Good Governance Liberals aren't desperately keen on concentrations of power. It's pretty integral to the whole 'liberal' thing. Whether it be power accreting to the state or to private interests or to the church, stark structural inequalities can threaten mechanisms by which different voices can be heard and society can deliberate over its collective future. A belief in the benefits of a healthy liberal democracy is a belief in the virtues of checks and balances. At the same time, we know that life is complicated, and that two or more deeply-held principles can come into conflict. This ...
Yesterday was the 75th birthday of Chris Foote Wood, a Liberal stalwart in the North East of England who has been active in the party for decades. He had a birthday party in Darlington last night and David and I popped down to it though, sadly, we couldn't stay for long as we had another Lib Dem engagement in Newcastle. So happy birthday Chris and keep up the good work.
Sat 12th
14:25
Making your mobile once again a device designed for calls: Native Union Pop Phone Retro Handset
[IMG: An orange Native Union Pop Phone Soft Touch Retro Handset in use] Most mobile phones have long since stopped being designed with convenience of voice calls in mind as the phone is now more a portable internet device than a way of using your vocal chords to communicate at a distance. All the more with the increasing trend towards phones with larger screens, better for typing and viewing but more cumbersome to hold up at the side of your head. Which is where the Native Union Pop Phone Soft Touch Retro Handset comes in. A long name for a ...
Sat 12th
13:30
Scottish Government is consulting on the future of civil partnerships - respond by Tuesday
What should happen to civil partnerships now that we have equal marriage? (Yes, I know it's not properly equal in England because of the spousal veto.) The Scottish Government simply wants to abolish them and is consulting on that proposal I have responded to the consultation this morning saying that I think that they should be retained and opened up to all couples. For me, that's the "liberal max" option. Marriage isn't for everyone, so it shouldn't be the only way possible for people to formalise their relationships and benefit from legal protections. I do respect the view of those ...
Best Live Album Without a doubt, it is the luxurious Roger Waters' the Wall, both the DVD and Album.
This post has really been prompted by two considerations. Firstly, there is the simple fact that the current main building that houses parliament and its necessary associated functions is, to put it bluntly, in the process of falling down. In addition to that, the other associated buildings are barely fit for purpose, and any form of expansion in the centre of one of them most crowded and expensive cities in the world is obviously going to be a problem. Now is a perfect time for considering exactly what we do about the location of parliament, and I don't think we ...
Writing on the Scottish Liberal Democrats' website for Human Rights Day, Alison McInnes looked critically at the SNP's records on human rights. For all their noise at Westminster, at Holyrood, they are most definitely found wanting. But the Scottish Government also has a responsibility to act in accordance with international and domestic human rights legislation and the SNP's record in government is dismal. This week alone, the SNP rejected moves to increase the age of criminal responsibility to ensure that children are treated like children, not crooks. This was against the advice of the Scottish Human Rights Commission and other ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link above This is truly shocking particularly as the East Parishes area of Sefton Borough, of which Melling is a part, have historically had low levels of crime. The Leeds Liverpool Canal tow path is very popular with walkers as it snakes its way through the East Parishes communities so it is vital that it remains safe particularly for women to be able to enjoy without fear of attack.
The First Minister's meet-the-people tour has come under fire both for its convenient timing and its cost. It has emerged that nine meetings in places as diverse as Newport, Bangor, Aberystwyth and Carmarthen cost the taxpayer £13,021.90, which works out at £18 for each of the 721 people attending. The staging of the events cost £7,500 but there is no allowance for staff, as it is argued that the work formed part of their normal duties. Curious then that all these meetings have taken place in the run-up to the Assembly elections and none were scheduled in the previous four ...
Sat 12th
10:22
Sefton Council – Response to Leader's endorsement of the Merseyside devolution of powers deal
The Champion newspaper in its edition of 25th November carried an article where the present Leader of Sefton Council endorsed what I call Merseyside's 3rd rate devolution deal. Here is my response to Cllr. Ian Maher...... Devolution powers so poor they are not worth having Reacting to the Labour Leader of Sefton Council Cllr. Ian Mayer's endorsement of the devolution deal for Merseyside the Borough's former Lib Dem Council Leader Tony Robertson says the devolution deal for the Liverpool City Region/Merseyside is rubbish. Tony, a long-time campaigner for devolution of powers from Government to the diverse communities of Sefton and ...
Lib Dems call for more support for small businesses. Give the new Small Business Commissioner real teeth to tackle late payments by big businesses, including fining big suppliers who regularly fail to pay on time. Boost access to finance by requiring diversity within the financial sector, including encouraging new online lenders and supporting a regional [...]
Embed from Getty Images Whatever the press report on the Paris UN Climate Change agreement, it's already clear there are 3 things we should remind people about: first, it's great news the whole world has come together to make the first ever global climate change agreement, so elusive over the last 25 years; second, the impressive commitments to cut greenhouse gases are huge steps forward – and should make the remaining vital steps easier and cheaper; third, Liberal Democrats played a major role towards this agreement - in leading the UK's policy for Paris, in shaping the European Union's and ...
Yesterday, I travelled across Scotland to a very windy Prestwick to take part in Radio Scotland's Big Debate, hosted by Gordon Brewer. There was a big audience in the warm and welcoming Monkton and Prestwick Church Hall. My fellow panellists were Conservative MSP John Scott, SNP MSP Chic Brodie (who used to be a Lib Dem), Herald journalist Alison Rowat and former Labour MP for Glasgow South Tom Harris. Tom has a bit of a reputation for courting controversy and being a bit of a bruiser, so let me ruin that slightly by letting you know that he was showing ...
[IMG: Charles Kennedy - A Tragic Flaw - Greg Hurst] When Greg Hurst's biography of Charles Kennedy, A Tragic Flaw, first came out in 2006 it was rightly praised for treating a controversial and sensitive subject in an exemplary way, with very few of those involved in the contentious and emotional events it recounted having complaints over the book's accuracy. Newly updated since Kennedy's death in 2015, the book maintains its excellence and rightly summarises Kennedy's political approach: "both temperamentally and politically, Charles Kennedy was generally reluctant to commit himself to irrevocable decisions but it is noticeable that some of ...
Views on how long Corbyn will last as leader vary. Some of my Labour friends insist he'll be gone within the next two years. However, these are mostly people who were certain, right up until September 12th, that Corbyn wouldn't become leader in the first place. So I would venture there could be some wishful thinking going on there. For what it's worth, I think he'll go into the 2020 general election as Labour leader. I also think that if this is the case, Labour will be truly crushed electorally. But here's the thing: whatever else it would be, Labour ...
From Matthew Jarron, Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : As many of you know, I have for some time now been researching the history of art in Dundee during its first 'golden age' in the late 19th and early 20th century. I'm delighted to announce that my book Independent & Individualist - Art in Dundee 1867-1924 is now being published and I would like to invite you to the launch event on Monday 14 December at 5.30pm in Lecture Theatre 1, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee. This lavishly illustrated book explores in detail the period when ...
Like many writers, I can only work well in the right environment. At the house in London, that is a small book-lined study on the first floor where I sit facing the window but with the curtains permanently drawn. But I've discovered as I travel literally all over the world on journalistic assignments or to [...]
Party mechanics: why Labour would struggle to oust Jeremy Corbyn He's there as long as he wants to be. (tags: ukpolitics ) On Anti-EU Lies and Retiring from Blogging Thank you, @nosemonkey! (tags: eu ukpolitics ) The fascinating history of how Jefferson and other Founding Fathers defended Muslim rights "It neither picks my pocket not breaks my leg." (tags: uspolitics islam )
The Daily Mail & Sun are outraged at a BBC children's animation featuring 'Isis toast' Arriva confirms Northern rolling stock plans - still not holding my breath, like. 15 Autism Myths People Affected by It Want to See Busted - esp 5 and 15 Donald Trump: a total xenophobic racist male chauvinist bastard but not a fascist Because it's important to get your terminology right Accept more asylum seekers and increase support for refugee migrants in the UK. - Sign this petition - Petitions The most popular petition in the Calder Valley constituency at time of typing [IMG: comment count ...
Earlier this week Welsh Liberal Democrats voted against the Public Health (Wales) Bill and will do so at every stage unless it deals with the true public health issues that face Wales. The party has strong objections to the provisions within it to restrict the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public places. For a Bill that claims to address public health, some of Wales' biggest health concerns - obesity, diabetes, air quality, heart disease - don't even get a mention. Labour's poverty of ambition for the health of our nation is shocking. The truth is that as it's currently drafted, ...
