I've been sitting on this for weeks now but at last it is public: today's Queen's Birthday Honours List names me among the many others recognised for their work. So from today I'm Jen Yockney MBE, which is one of the weirdest things I could imagine. The Honour is for my extensive volunteering work with the bisexual community and on wider LGBT issues over the past couple of decades, whether with BCN, BiPhoria, Bisexual History Project, the Bisexuality Report, Bi Life, Bisexual Action, LGBT+LD, lobbying of ministers and GEO, or other things that just now I've forgotten. When I saw ...
Embed from Getty Images Many congratulations to all the Liberal Democrats honoured in the Queen's 90th birthday honours list. Dave Hodgson, our Mayor of Bedford, becomes an MBE for services to Local Government. Elected to Bedford Borough Council in 2002, Dave became only our second directly elected Mayor in 2009. He was elected a third time in May 2015. Dave has long been a superb recruiter of new party members and has trained many of us in the skills of signing up new people. Councillor Ruth Dombey, Leader, London Borough of Sutton, receives an OBE for services to Local Government ...
Across the road from the kissing gate that admits you to the churchyard of the ruined church of St John outside the village of Boughton is a triangle of land enclosed by three roads. This land is the old village green of Boughton and the original village stood around it. The Victoria County History for Northamptonshire describes it: Boughton Green was long associated with a fair, held annually, at least since it was granted to Henry Green in 1350, on the vigil, day, and morrow of St. John the Baptist; it used to be famed for brooms and wooden-ware, and ...
From the Leicester Mercury: Leicestershire County Council has set aside £2 million to cover the cost of assisting the inquiry into Greville Janner's alleged sexual abuse of boys in its care. The authority ran the children's homes in the city and county, where the former Labour politician allegedly met, groomed and sexually assaulted boys. It believes the £2 million will cover the cost of legal representation and digging out documents and other relevant material from its past. It said the cash would also would cover the cost of supporting the welfare of alleged abuse victims. The council will give an ...
I have never found stage magic that entertaining, but this young orangutan thinks it's hilarious. This is a remarkable little video. Not only is the animal able to form rational expectations about the permanence of objects, when reality fails to bear them out it finds it funny. h/t Animal Cognition on Twitter
As the EU Referendum debate descends into an unholy battle for the heart and soul of the Conservative Party, there is now a real danger of a vote to leave. I need not articulate the unimaginable horror of what this would mean for the UK. In the event that the nightmare of a Brexit becomes reality, on who's shoulders should the blame lie? Would it be the fault of the lacklustre and poorly led 'Remain' campaign, or would it be attributable to the lies and deceit of the unhinged and racist Brexiteers? My finger of accusation would be firmly pointed ...
South Gloucestershire residents are invited to an event to find out more about work that will soon be taking place to prepare the 130-year-old Severn and Patchway tunnels for the arrival of a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains. The event will take place at 7pm on Thursday 16 June at Patchway Community College on Hempton Lane and will begin with a presentation by the Network Rail project team, followed by an opportunity to ask questions. This event sounds like it will be of interest to rail enthusiasts as well as travellers. The upgrades required to ...
There are not many politicians who could pull this off... * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist in Newbury and West Berkshire. As part of the Liberal Democrat Voice team he helps with photos and moderation on the site, as well as occsionally contributing articles. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
My nominations for Best Related Work this year were: Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien, eds. Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A. Donovan Letters to Tiptree, eds Alissa Krasnostein and Alexandra Pierce Companion Piece: Women Celebrate the Humans, Aliens and Tin Dogs of Doctor Who, eds. L.M. Myles and Liz Barr TARDIS Eruditorum, by Philip Sandifer - the entire blog, which finished in February 2015 A Detailed Explanation, by Matthew David Surridge None of these made the final ballot, which was completely determined by the slate. I don't regard any of the ...
[View the story "Views of a Lib Dem Eurosceptic on Leave / Remain" on Storify]
[IMG: ALDC Master Logo (for screen)] Yesterday saw four principal council by-elections take place. In Southwark (LB), there was a comfortable hold for the Liberal Democrats in Surrey Docks ward. Dan Whitehead polled 51.7% to take victory with a 894 vote majority. The party's vote share also increased by 21.1% from the previous election two years ago. In the neighboring borough of Lambeth, Labour narrowly avoided losing a seat in Gipsy Hill ward to the Green Party. Labour received 43.4% of the vote but saw their vote share plummet by 23.6% from 2014 to finish just 36 votes ahead of ...
Fri 10th
14:55
For peace, healthcare, medical research, animal welfare, workers' rights and equality: why I'm votin...
This is a speech I gave recently at a debate on the European Union at Selwyn College, Cambridge. I want to tell you why Europe matters. Why it matters to me, to all of us, and our families. I was born in the Caribbean after Hurricane Hattie, with the windows still broken in the hospital. We know extreme weather events are now more common elsewhere too. But for our planet, and a greener future, Europe is taking the lead in the global effort to halt climate change. To prevent rising sea levels, and cut greenhouse gases. Our fragile, flood-ridden region, ...
In the late forties and fifties, when men and women had returned from war, babies boomed. The boomers were born in free NHS hospitals. Secondary education had been improved for them. Fees in the grammar schools had been abolished. There were jobs and apprenticeships for school-leavers. A few went to college free of tuition fees and with a healthy maintenance grant. The austerity of the post-war years slowly passed and rationing was abolished. Peace was maintained by a nuclear standoff between Soviet Russia and the Western powers. The boomers were lucky. Now they are retired, many on index linked pensions. ...
[IMG: Cllr Liz Green is the LGA Lib Dems Lead Spokesperson on Education and Young People] As the Lead Lib Dem Spokesperson on the LGA's Children and Young People Board, I have seen the academies controversy playing out at the top of local government, and am fighting for a positive role for local government - I believe we must continue to have oversight of our council maintained schools. But I need [...]
"Take back our democracy" is one of the major themes of the "Leave" campaign in our referendum on membership of the European Union. So you would think they would be delighted when the deadline for voter registration was extended to enable those frustrated by the crashing of the on-line registration system on Wednesday night to get on to the register. Not at all. The Brexit obsessed Daily Express's headline yesterday screamed "Outrage at bid to rig EU vote." I wonder who they think was outraged? Surely anyone anxious to "take back our democracy" would be delighted to welcome any measure ...
Whenever I've tired during this long referendum campaign I've thought about how I will feel as I watch the results come in during the small hours of 24th June. Fear of losing, especially if not by much, has driven me to throw myself into the campaign. And one of the benefits of a truly national election is that there are no safe seats or swing seats. Every vote genuinely counts as much as any other. It's given me the freedom to get out and about as I campaign. It means that last weekend I was in Bournemouth, the week before ...
Fri 10th
11:38
Sefton Village Conservation Area – That odd business with the remains of Sefton Mill posting N...
[IMG: The site of the former Mill is the grassed mound in front of the houses.] The site of the former Mill is the grassed mound in front of the houses. I posted not so long ago about concerns locally regarding how the remains of Sefton Mill have been covered up and with no interpretation board being displayed. The link to that previous post is available here:= Whilst I don't have much in the way of an update on the matter, which is presently being investigated by Sefton Council's Planning Officers, I have come across the document below all ...
[IMG: Julie Smith LDCF] So far in the main referendum campaigns we have heard the same arguments on repeat from the same people. Economics has dominated discussions, trade is becoming the nation's most used word and pound signs are flying all over billboards, news sites and buses. Out on the campaign trail, voters seem to be getting increasingly confused, tired and frustrated with the campaigns. They're after something different. A couple of weeks ago, David Cameron tried bringing morality into the debate by describing a vote for Brexit as 'immoral'. He was quickly shot down by his Eurosceptic colleagues, Iain ...
The popular Yate Rocks! festival returns to Kingsgate Park on Saturday 25th June. The following day there will be Praise and Picnic in the Park accompanied by bands on Sunday 26th June.
You can read all the articles that have caught my attention this week here: https://delicious.com/stephentall Below are a selection... Sponsored: 64% off Code Black Drone with HD Camera Our #1 Best-Selling Drone–Meet the Dark Night of the Sky! Jeremy Corbyn is Labour's Donald Trump. The Republicans are showing us what not to do with a disastrous leader « Labour Uncut Tough choices for moderate Labour: "Corbyn is Lab's Trump. GOP is showing us what not to do w/ a disastrous leader" http://bit.ly/1U4cRA9 The party accused of forgetting women: Liberal Democrats call for 'more chicks' Liberal Democrats, party accused of forgetting ...
It's that time of year to start thinking about Freshers' fairs. The party's new Youth and Student Development Officer, Vicky Nevin, told us about this year's plans: Freshers' Fairs are a great way to engage new young members with the Liberal Democrats. The effort and enthusiasm young people can bring to the party is incredibly beneficial; they provide fresh ideas to old problems and spark energy into local campaigns. Time is of the essence to begin preparations as deadlines for booking stalls at Universities/Colleges and their Students' Unions are fast approaching. The date of Freshers' Fairs differs from one institution ...
You can read my June 2016 Update to the Community Council here.
The Sunday Band Concerts on Magdalen Green start (for 2016) on Sunday coming - 12th June. I asked the City Council what the arrangements would be given the fact the bandstand restoration work is not quite complete yet. I am advised : "With this in mind we have arranged for the Sunday Band Concerts, on the 12, 19 and 26 of June, to take place within the newly purchased Starstage tent. We feel that this is a better option than cancelling the concert." A poster covering all band concerts across the city this summer is below :
Congratulations to Dan Whitehead and the team for such a strong defence of the Lib Dem seat in Surrey Docks ward, Southwark: Liberal Democrat HOLD Surrey Docks (Southwark). — Britain Elects (@britainelects) June 9, 2016 If you would like to receive by-election results by email in future, sign up for my daily digest of posts as they also include a full set of by-election results each week (with more detail than appears on this site).
MP switches from Leave to Remain Because the numbers were made up. (tags: ukpolitics eu ) Do you want to ruin this picture? Vote Leave. Irish consequences. (tags: eu northernireland ukpolitics ireland ) So democratic: Why I love the EU Francis puts a strong case. (tags: eu ukpolitics ) WTFUK Another horrible account of an honest traveller being abused and deported by the UK. (tags: migration ukpolitics ) The black hole within Donald Trump "A man tragically enslaved to his own neediness." (tags: uspolitics )
A new planning application has been received in Holyrood Ward as below: Reference 60127 Alternative Reference PP-05138764 Application Received Thu 12 May 2016 Address 63 Tamworth Avenue, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 6UA Proposal First floor extension at side with pitched roof to existing flat roof at rea Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require further information or help with this. The details will be on the Council's website here. Tim
A new planning application has been received in Holyrood Ward as below: Reference 60162 Alternative Reference Not Available Application Received Mon 23 May 2016 Address 22 Hill Top Avenue, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1LL Proposal Prior notification for proposed single storey rear extension Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require further information or help with this. The details will be on the Council's website here. Tim
The UKIP group in the Welsh Assembly has once more descended into open conflict as Neil Hamilton and Nathan Gill argue in public. The Western Mail reports that Mr. Gill has been criticised by steel dumping campaigners and his own group leader in the Assembly for missing key meetings. They say that Gill is still sitting as an MEP and has missed meetings in both Strasbourg and Cardiff Bay. He has been criticised for missing: A vote in Strasbourg on whether to grant China market economy status - which could have opened up the EU to more steel dumpingPart of ...
First Bus have published their diverted routes during the work on this busy road junction. Please see the First Bus website for details. No details from Wessex Bus yet - presumably they will post something on the Wessex Bus website.
