The Commons had the chance to help 3000 of the most vulnerable children on the planet tonight, children who are currently trapped in refugee camps in Europe. It was close – only 18 votes in it. The opposition came heartbreakingly close to winning the vote. I feel utterly disgusted at the 294 MPs who supported the Government's position. Tim Farron was equally unimpressed: "The UK has consistently stood up for best in human nature, tonight Govt have dishonoured that legacy" @timfarronpic.twitter.com/gBnyyMTPQT — Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) April 25, 2016 The Lords has the chance to reinstate this amendment tomorrow. ...
Plenty of tram-related goodness in the latest episode.
By now you've no doubt noticed the upgrade to many of our street lights over the last year or so? These new energy-efficient lights are superior in nearly every aspect to the old street lights that were previously in place. The new lights provide a remarkable amount of illumination while tackling head-on the problem of [...]
An impressive work rate by the Liberal Democrat MSPs: Willie Rennie has claimed that Liberal Democrats have been shown to be the most rigorous in scrutinising the Scottish Government, after new figures revealed his MSPs asked more questions than their counterparts from any other party. The most up to date statistics show that LibDems asked 2,416 written questions in the first four-and-a-half years of the last Holyrood term, translating to 483 queries each for its five MSPs. Scottish Labour MSPs asked 13,019 questions, but as the party had far more representation in the Parliament, the average questions per MSP was ...
It's a matter of convention, of course, but I tend to find the scenes with Shakespearean fools rather jarring to the course of the play. It can be done well, of course, but it was an intervention that perhaps worked much better in Elizabethan theatrical idiom than it does now. Romeo and Juliet, for instance, has two comic relief minor characters: the illiterate clown who accidentally invites Romeo to the Capulets' ball, and Peter, Juliet's nurse's servant. Neither really works for me. (The nurse herself, of course, may be a clown, but I think she's a different sort of entity.) ...
This is a reminder that I welcome guest posts on Liberal England. And as you can see from the list of the 10 most recent guest posts below, I am happy to consider a wide range of subjects. If you would like to write a guest post yourself, please send me an email so we can discuss your idea. The perfect Christmas gift for a carer - Jon PollardPolitic360: Mending online political discussion - Jason BrownA new hole in the safety net - AnonymousMemories of Snailbeach in the 1950s - Christina SamsonWe are all the poorer for soundbite politics - ...
Embed from Getty Images There is a strong chance that the Remain camp will win the EU Referendum. I say that because, through campaigning on the streets for Britain Stronger In Europe in the most Eurosceptic town in the South West, there has definitely been a shift in public attitude from a generally hostile view of the EU to the realisation of the potential damage to the UK a Leave vote would bring. I am not saying that we are home and dry; a week is a long time in politics and there are several more weeks to go in ...
[IMG: Suzanne Fletcher] In a ceremony earlier today Suzanne Fletcher was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Suzanne is known nationally amongst Liberal Democrats for her tireless campaigns in support of refugees and asylum seekers, and in particular for setting up Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary (LD4SOS). Amazed, humbled to win Lifetime Achievement Award #ALDELeaDeR2016.wonderful to be amongst so many wonderful Liberals doing good work in Eu — LD4SOS (@LD4SOS) April 25, 2016 Suzanne was a councillor in Stockton on Tees for 30 years until she stood down in 2011. ...
Mon 25th
15:44
Ludford Bridge will not reopen for May bank holiday as Shropshire Council refuses to pay up
Today Shropshire Council made the wrong decision. I fear it will damage trade in Ludlow over the next week. This is Mayfair week. It is the greatest spectacle in town. I love the arrival of the rides on Wednesday afternoon and evening. For the biggest rides, it takes a good while to get through the... Continue reading Ludford Bridge will not reopen for May bank holiday as Shropshire Council refuses to pay up →
Embed from Getty Images If the question relates to section 94 of the Telecommunications Act, then I am afraid I can neither confirm nor deny any issues in relation to the utilisation or otherwise of section 94 (James Brokenshire, 18.3.2014) As an MP, Julian Huppert spent considerable time pushing for information about the 'astonishingly broad power' of clause 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984, a clause which enables the Government to require telecommunications providers to cooperate with them in very broad terms. He tried to find out how often these extra ordinary powers were used and who, if anyone, was ...
Everyone in Sefton knows that Labour pledged to defend the Green Belt but then voted on Sefton Council to build on it! A real say one thing do another politician's pledge if ever we heard one. The part of Sefton Borough that it going to be hit hardest by Labour's broken pledge is Maghull & Lydiate where huge urban extensions are to be built on high grade agricultural land which is also Green Belt. This is the very land that grows the food that we eat. [IMG: This huge site off Poverty Lane in Maghull is just one that Labour-run ...
The latest YouGov opinion poll for the Welsh Assembly elections (conducted for ITV) shows a sharp increase in support for the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the regional list vote compared to a similar survey conducted ten days earlier. Kirsty Williams Lib Dems have increased their support by three percentage points to 8% on the regional [...]
Embed from Getty Images I'm half Danish and consider myself to be a European. I have never really felt particularly English or British at all and if Denmark is playing England at football it's a tough call, even though I've lived in the UK almost all my life and spent a total of only two years in Denmark. I have always been pro-EU. I believe in political co-operation and the European ideal – and have often considered other European countries to be more enlightened when it comes to matters such as social justice and environmental protection. Without the EU, I ...
Embed from Getty Images It is one year since the earthquake in Nepal which killed nearly nine thousand people, injured tens of thousands, and left half a million families homeless. Even before this tragic event, Nepal was one of the twenty poorest countries in the world, and the estimated economic impact of the earthquake was around $10 billion, fifty percent of its entire GDP. There was no question that the UK would help Nepal in the aftermath of the disaster, both in terms of emergency humanitarian relief and also longer term rebuilding. Within a month of the earthquake, which happened ...
Mon 25th
11:53
Liberal Youth's International Officer elected Vice President of the International Federation of Libe...
[IMG: IFLRY] From left: Sven Gerst, Tone Bjorndal, Pauline Kastermans, Danylo Korbabicz, Ab Brightman, Anders Rehnberg and Ahmad Al-Rachwani Last weekend in Istanbul, at the General Assembly of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY), I am extremely proud to say that I was elected Vice President! For those unfamiliar, IFLRY is the Global umbrella organisation for liberal youth and student organisations around the world, of which Liberal Youth is affiliated to. IFLRY brings together an amazing community of young people, and has given so much to Liberal Youth members who get involved internationally, so I can only be excited ...
I recall vividly the day a couple of weeks ago when the designations for the official campaigns of the EU referendum were announced. As expected, Stronger In and Vote Leave got the respective nods. Then Arron Banks said he was going to contest the decision – meaning the referendum might have to be postponed until October at least. My heart froze – the concept of another six months of EU crap was more than I could bear imagining. Thankfully, that never came to pass and we definitely only have to put up with it all until June 23rd. But another ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said that the SNP have centralised the life out of Scotland as he took his town centre tour to communities across the Highlands. Speaking after a curling lesson with Inverness and Nairn candidate Carolyn Caddick in Inverness, Mr Rennie said examples like the deployment of armed police on [...]
Asda are reportedly trialing "quiet hour for autistic people" in one of their Manchester stores. I think this is a great idea, although I'm not sure the hour they've chosen (8am Saturday, which is a very busy time) is the best possible one (and yes I know there are probably practical reasons for the choice but aspie folks are so often nocturnal). What would you think if this was to happen in your local supermarket? View Poll: Quiet hours in supermarkets (This poll is also available on twitter for those who don't have DW logins) ((Also I know that ASD ...
The Lib Dems have promised to accelerate the modernisation process at St Albans District Council in order to make it more useful to local residents. Lib Dem Group Leader Chris White said: 'The council is still absolutely yoked to the idea of residents having to phone through problems and seems to forget that in this [...]
Mon 25th
10:31Book Review: Big Tent Politics, the Liberal Party's Long Mastery of Canada's Public Life
Recently, the Canadian Liberal Party's sensational victory, to win its first General Election after three successive defeats and coming from third place when many thought it had no future as a party captured the interest of many Liberal Democrats and liberals throughout the world. Justin Trudeau's refreshing leadership, modern, likeable, down-to-earth without dumbing-down, inspires us. [IMG: big tent politics] I remember in 1993, the Liberals landslide win when the Conservatives reduced to just three seats. This followed Bill Clinton's victory in 1992, which his opponents did not see coming (see Hunter S Thompson, "Better Than Sex") and foreshadowed the UK ...
Deliverability is a clunky word for an important concept when it comes to digital campaigning. It's the idea that simply sending an email doesn't mean it ends up in someone's inbox. All sort of factors can get in the way of the email being delivered, and if it's not delivered it has no chance of being seen. Hence the importance of having a high delivery rate. The simplest factor is whether or not email addresses are accurate. That's one of the reasons why it's sensible to store email data in the same system as other data about voters (Connect for ...
In this year's City Council elections, I am very proud to say that Liberal Democrats have more candidates standing in more wards than ever before! I myself, along with Andrew Bond and Julia Davidson will be standing for election in the newly created Gunthorpe ward. I am delighted to have been selected and hope that local [...]
Let's just take a king at random: King Arthur. It was he who was supposed to have, like so many politicians, taken exception to anything which detracted from his image. In this case, it was the legendary head of Bran the Blessed, buried on Tower Hill in London, the magical properties of which protected the nation from invasion. So that everybody could see that it was his efforts alone which held back the Saxons, he had Bran's head exhumed. I was reminded of that story, as I so often am, thinking about some of the Facebook carping about the Queen's ...
[IMG: make votes matter] Our friends at Make Votes Matter have organised a demo for proportional representation – Demo for Democracy – just after the May elections, while the fiasco of inconsistent, variable and non-proportional voting systems will still be fresh in our minds. Party President Sal Brinton will be leading the Lib Dem contingent and you can join her at 11.30am on Saturday 7th May outside Lib Dem HQ at 8-10 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AE. You can sign up on Facebook or on the Lib Dem website. We are the party that has spoken loudly for electoral ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 25 APRIL 2016 Fleuchar Street (Eassons Angle to Blyth Street), Blinshall Street (Lochee Road to Douglas Street) and Scott Street (City Road to Glenagnes Road) - closed for 17 weeks for SSE cable renewal works. Forthcoming Closures Thomson Street (Magdalen Yard Road for 100m north) - closed from Monday 2 May for 2 weeks for service connections. Perth Road (West Park Road to Blackness Avenue) - closed from Monday 9 May for 3 weeks for carriageway resurfacing. You can read the weekly road report for ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes yesterday emphasised the importance of having strong, liberal voices at Holyrood that will question the SNP's cavalier approach to stop and search and police reform. Ms McInnes' remarks come as a new study by Kath Murray of the University of Edinburgh's school of law, published in the British Journal [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has praised his party's team of MSPs for punching well above their weight as he revealed they were the most rigorous at scrutinising the Scottish Government and SNP Ministers during the last parliament. The most up-to-date figures from the Scottish Parliament show that over the first four and a [...]
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie yesterday slammed the SNP over their record on civil liberties as he set out plans to abandon a Big Brother database and give citizens new rights over private information held by public bodies. Speaking from the campaign trail in Fife, Mr Rennie said that the SNP are using civil [...]
Breathing life back into Stockport's historic marketplace is a key part of the Lib Dem strategy to revive our town centre. Almost everyone agrees that changes are needed. Despite many recent improvements, there are too few people spending money in Stockport's market and council taxpayers currently subsidise it to the tune of £200,000 a year. A thriving marketplace is important not just for the market traders themselves but for the many shops, pubs and cafes around the Marketplace and on Underbanks which rely on the draw of a successful market to bring customers to their door. Unless the market can ...
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have announced their plans to double Welsh Government spending on international development over the next Assembly term - in stark contrast with UKIP. Under the party's plans, spending on international development projects would gradually increase over the next five years to £1.72m from the current level of £860,000. Projects currently benefiting from the grants promote cultural exchanges and foster relationships between Wales, and include the successful Wales for Africa programme. Liberal Democrats also ensured the Coalition Government's commitment to spending 0.7% of GDP on international aid, and passed legislation to enshrine that commitment into law. The ...
There was an interesting article in yesterday's Observer in which Will Hutton deprecates the way that the European referendum has slipped into carelessness when it comes to facts and the truth. He is particularly exercised about Boris Johnson's abhorrent article for The Sun on Friday morning in which he repeated the smear often peddled by the US radical right that Barack Obama's Kenyan origins somehow mean that he is not a "real" American. The implication is that we should not trust part-Kenyan Obama and his urging Britain to stay in the EU. Hutton says that the slur was 'partisan, unforgivable ...
