I'm a third generation fountain pen geek, my mum and her dad both did calligraphy with Osmiroid pens, so I can't really say when I first got into fountain pens because I can't ever remember NOT being into fountain pens. I wasn't allowed to have my own till I was 8 or 9 and could demonstrate to my mum that I could use it properly, though, and it was a BIG thing graduating from pencil to a Proper Pen. The first one that was actually mine was (I suspect like most brits) a Parker Vector. When I got to grammar ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, on behalf of the Lib-Dems in Broxtowe. It's quite a short newsletter this week - it just doesn't seem that there is too much to write about! 1. EU Referendum The referendum on the EU is just over a month away now. If you are not yet registered to vote you have until 7th June to do so. I was told that there was a rumour floating round Facebook this week that you need to register to vote specifically for the referendum. This is not ...
Watch the latest video from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign: NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens talks about Brexit and why the NHS is better off if we vote to remain in the European Union at the EU referendum on 23 June. If you'd like to know more about the wider topic, see my other European referendum posts, and in particular Nick Clegg's demolition of the anti-EU case.
[IMG: Parish of Lydiate Map] Please click on the map above to enlarge it – It shows the whole Civil Parish of Lydiate which is much more rural than many people may realise. There is a launch event at Lydiate Village Centre on Lambshear Lane on Tuesday 24th May between 3pm and 7pm where residents can drop in to find out more about the proposed Neighbourhood Plan for the Civil Parish of Lydiate. [IMG: cropped-Lydiate-Parish-Council-Logo-e1372273297819] The Parish Council is presently delivering an information newsletter to all properties in Lydiate which outline how residents can participate via on-line questionnaires on Survey ...
I have now watched all 26 episodes of Gideon's Way on Youtube. As I said in my first post on the subject, one of the pleasures of the series is the regular appearance of actors who later became famous in other roles. So it is that in one episode (Boy with Gun) you will find both Sir Oliver Lacon from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Wally Batty from Last of the Summer Wine. That first post showed you John Hurt and Michael Cashman. Here are some more familiar faces. A young Donald Sutherland in The Millionaire's Daughter. Mrs Bridges from ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 458th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (15-21 May, 2016), together with a hand-picked quintet, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. What do Labour moderates do with this ...
The thing about unexpected by-elections is that you have to hit the ground running. A rudimentary campaign plan is agreed, and you set to work. But, with any hastily drawn up plan, things change as events unfold, especially if you need to contend with the fact that other people might have plans of their own. That includes your opponents. And so, if you're sensible, you stop, recalibrate, and work out how best to use your time. Good preparation means that you can avoid wasting valuable time later, especially as, in a four week campaign, you really don't have time to ...
Embed from Getty Images My favourite liberal philosopher of recent decades is Richard Rorty, who died in 2007. An article by Mark Danner in the New York Review of Books quotes a passage from Rorty's 1998 book Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America: Watching him blather and mug as he casually leaned over the podium in Boca Raton, seeing him cultivate the applause as if directing a symphony and then raise his two hands in thumbs-up gestures as he surfed the waves of applause and the deafening shouts of "USA! USA! USA!," I recalled a remark that the ...
The internet is a pretty torrid place at the best of times. Some users delight in throwing rage, bile and abuse around the place. If you are a woman the abuse can be particularly graphic, sexualised and incredibly unpleasant. In a feature for Radio 5 live, 3 politicians, including our former minister Jo Swinson, talk about their experiences of online abuse and how it affected them. Also taking part are my SNP MP Hannah Bardell and Labour's Diane Abbott, who gets a whole load of racist bile thrown in just for good measure. This is fairly routine for any woman ...
Liberal international held its first-ever Executive Committee in the South Caucasus republic of Georgia this week, fortuitously coinciding with the 38th anniversary celebrations for our host party, the Republican Party of Georgia. Security issues were at the fore outside of the purely administrative session, including a trip to the "separation line" — where Geirgian troops [...]
Manchester's Labour councillors are not used to opposition. They have had none (that's no opposition councillors at all) for two years. All that changed on 5 May when former Liberal Democrat MP John Leech was elected for the Didsbury West ward. At the first full Council meeting last week, John dared to ask a whole 8 questions of the Labour administration, and its leader was deeply unimpressed. From the Manchester Gazette: However, council leader Richard Leese, was quick to quieten down the opposition interrupting Councillor Leech's supplementary question. Leese sniped: "There is a right to ask a questions. Then there ...
Meols Ward Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Nigel Ashton and Jo Barton are holding their next advice centre in Churchtownn 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 26th May 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 ...
A quick update regarding parks and open space maintenance. I noticed this morning that the dog waste bin on Chaddy field (the one by the entrance at Parr Lane) was so full it was overflowing. The council's Parks and Countryside services website states that the bins are emptied weekly, but I'm not sure if this is (1) true and (2) often enough. Are residents elsewhere across Unsworth finding similar problems?
As I predicted a couple of days ago, the First Minister has effectively kicked local government reform into touch and it looks like the famed black route M4 extension around Newport will follow it in due course. In addition The Western Mail reports that First Minister Carwyn Jones has confirmed that the Welsh Government will not resurrect plans for a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in some public places. He told the BBC: "The Public Health Bill will be brought back to the Assembly but clearly there is no point including the provisions on e-cigs when we know they're ...
An application has been made to split the solar farm into two ownerships. The smaller part of the array, which has already been constructed, will remain in the ownership of Bromfield Sand and Gravel.This is currently powering the gravel works. The rest of the array will be owned by Ludlow Solar Ltd. I am told... Continue reading Changes of ownership to Bromfield solar farm →
"I find no contradiction between being a Highlander, a Scot, a citizen of the UK and a citizen of the European Union at one and the same time." – Charles Kennedy ... Continue reading →
Two very different jobs working for the Liberal Democrats are on offer over at W4MP The Scottish Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament are looking for a Press Officer who will be based at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The primary responsibilities of the postholder will be to work in a leading role in the small staff team at Holyrood to ensure that the Scottish Liberal Democrats' media relations are delivered in a professional manner. This will provide Liberal Democrat MSPs, and to a more limited extent the wider Scottish Liberal Democrat party, with press and media support. The post-holder ...
[IMG: Batch of letterboxes - CC0 Public Domain] Not every by-election is worth fighting to win this time round. It may be the lack of past support for the party in the area combined with the shortness of notice before polling day. It may be the imminence of the next usual round of elections combined with the by-election being at odds with the targeting strategy for those said elections. It may the exhaustion and low bank balance after another big winnable election. Whatever the reasons, sometimes the cool judgement is 'we've not got a chance of winning this one'. So ...
[IMG: 7 best] Many thanks to the 12,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... +++Breaking: Welsh Special Conference to decide whether Kirsty Williams should enter Cabinet as Education Secretary (45 comments) by Caron Lindsay David Rendel 1949-2016 (6 comments) by Paul Walter Tim Farron on BBC Question Time tonight (22 comments) by Caron Lindsay Clegg speaks at #libdempint anniversary (37 comments) by The Voice Facts on immigration (41 comments) by Antony Hook Former Liberal Democrat MP David Rendel dies (5 comments) by The Voice What being in the EU has meant for ...
The first LP I ever bought was Band on the Run by Wings. Though the title track and Jet were great singles, that rather embarrasses me today. I suspect the second LP I bought was Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, which does not embarrass me at all as Paul Simon is one of the great songwriters of the post-war era. This recording of America is taken from their 1981 concert in Central Park, New York.
On Friday, the official Leave campaign released a deeply unpleasant video suggesting that Turkey is on the brink of joining the EU. Lib Dem Peer Meral Hussein-Ece was horrified: This is more desperation from Brexit and Project Fear. This is a xenophobic attack from a leave campaign that knows it is losing the debate. Stigmatising Turkey and the people who live there is a dangerous move which comes from the propaganda playbooks of 100 years ago. One of the great things about the EU is that it encourages us to work together; instead the leave campaign are offering a world ...
Sun 22nd
12:34
80% of special Welsh conference members vote to back Kirsty Williams as Education Secretary in Welsh...
At a special conference held in Newtown yesterday, the Welsh Liberal Democrats endorsed overwhelmingly the Progressive Agreement announced on Thursday, 19 May 2016, by Welsh Labour and Kirsty Williams and the invitation made by the First Minister to Kirsty Williams AM to take up the position of Cabinet Secretary for Education within the Welsh Government.
This piece of Land at Beechley Riding Stables in Calderstones Park is still under threat from Redrow's bulldozers Some people are becoming very complacent about the possibility of the Parks and green spaces of Liverpool being safe from the bulldozer ... Continue reading →
Although nothing can be taken for granted, the polls are starting to move towards Remain. Given you'd expect a push of three to five points for the status quo option on polling day, even if the two sides were polling neck in neck, this bodes badly for Leave. Still, if you look at the Scottish Indy referendum, there was a late move towards Yes that was unexpected at the time – again, nothing can be taken for granted. If there is a late surge for Leave, Cameron has one last card to play. It is risky, however, and I think ...
As a birthday present to myself, I bought a DNA analysis from 23andMe, the company that takes your saliva and tells you who you are descended from. I have been waiting in some suspense for the couple of weeks it takes for the results to come through, but finally the email has arrived and I am enlightened. Actually it turns out that I am as white genetically as I am Whyte nominally. My genetic heritage is summarised as follows: With three grandparents born in Ireland to Irish families, and the fourth East Coast aristocracy (born in Philadephia, raised in Plainfield ...
Sun 22nd
11:10
Register for the Lib Dem Summer webinar series - refugees, EU campaign briefing and same sex marriag...
The Lib Dems are holding a series of monthly webinars. Last month saw the first, on the election campaigns. On Wednesday, the second, on the refugee crisis, takes place at 6:30 pm. If you are a party member, you will have had an email from Sal Brinton on 26th April which will have all the links to register at the entire Summer series. Those links are unique to you. Next month's, on Wednesday 8th June, is a briefing as we head into the last fortnight of the referendum campaign. And on July 27th, we celebrate 3 years since we introduced ...
Is Ghostbusters the unfortunate victim of Hollywood hitting peak reboot? | Film | The Guardian RT @ManVsPink: "It's hard to believe geek culture sexism is responsible for the bad buzz aimed (#Ghostbusters) remake" No it isn't. Instagram For day 18 of @mjrutell's #pfsixwordchallenge - prompt: about a dog (I'm catching up here so... Instagram For day 19 of @mjrutell's #pfsixwordchallenge - prompt: at the courthouse #ink #inkyfingers... Instagram Day 19 of onicahanby's #quotedmay2016 #challenge - prompt: blank page #ink #inkyfingers... Instagram Day 20 of onicahanby's #quotedmay2016 #challenge - prompt: light #ink #inkyfingers #fountainpen... Instagram Day 21 of onicahanby's #quotedmay2016 #challenge ...
Cllr Mick Henry was Labour leader of Gateshead Council but following his group's decision to block Gateshead's involvement in the North East devolution proposals, he announced his resignation. This was the speech I gave to Gateshead Council's annual meeting on Friday 20th May in which I thanked him for his work and referred to some of the events with which we have both been involved over the
Tim Farron was on Question Time the other night and was everything you would want a Liberal Democrat to be – positive, optimistic, passionately internationalist and pro-NHS, progressive and practical. Here is why he is voting to Remain: .@TimFarron says how we vote in the #EUref will define us as a nation. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/qHmf1WTc4W — BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) May 19, 2016 He also had a fair amount of support from the audience. An honourable mention, too, for Yvette Cooper, who made the very reasonable point that the Tories who are leading the Remain campaign aren't thinking to talk about ...
[IMG: litherland CC opening] themayoralblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Cllr. Iain Brodie Brown the new Mayor of Sefton Borough has set up his own blogspot which available via the link above. So should you want to know what our Mayor is up to have a gander at it from time to time.
Further to my update in March indicating major Scottish Water infrastructure works in the West End (the major effect of which will not be until July when there will be one-way traffic in the area of the Perth Road shopping area for up to eight weeks, followed by works on City Road), please now see the Temporary Traffic Order from Dundee City Council below. The work programme covered in the Order starts this week. As the work progresses, please note that the dates assigned to each street are only indicative and could be subject to change dependent upon progress. The ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Macoto Murayama is a Japanese artist who cultivates 'inorganic flora'. His extraordinary images are created after minutely dissecting real flowers and studying them under a microscope. His drawings are then modelled in 3D imaging software then rendered into 2D compositions on Photoshop before being printed in large scale. To accompany the current exhibition of Macoto's work in the Lamb Gallery, we are delighted that the artist will be coming to Dundee to give a talk about his work on Tuesday 24th May at 6pm in the D'Arcy Thompson ...
Sun 22nd
08:13
Rocks Green supermarket - revised petrol station plans and unhelpful retail and highways analysis
Shropshire Council has begun a new consultation on plans for a supermarket at Dun Cow, Rocks Green.[1] This is a result of changes to the plans for the proposed petrol station and a revised retail statement. This is a controversial application. I can't take a final view on it until we have the evidence right.... Continue reading Rocks Green supermarket - revised petrol station plans and unhelpful retail and highways analysis →
The Welsh Liberal Democrat Special Conference in Newtown has overwhelmingly endorsed the Progressive Agreement reached between Kirsty Williams AM and Welsh Labour, and the invitation to Kirsty Williams AM to take up the position of Cabinet Secretary for Education. Speaking after the vote, Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon & Radnorshire and Education Secretary, said: "The Welsh Liberal Democrats will now play our part in delivering real change in the way government works for the people of Wales. "I will be in government as a Welsh Liberal Democrat, guided by our values and commitments. "It is those values - of democracy, ...
