That's the front page headline tomorrow in The Times: Monday's Times: Brexit camp in turmoil as leading Tory defects#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/wO8cDxoubS — Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) June 19, 2016 You can sign up to back the Liberal Democrat In campaign here, and the official Remain (In) Campaign is here. 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.
As you may know, I was born in Belfast. I grew up in a country which was not at peace. I sat in the back row during the first six months of the 1996-98 talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement. Peace in Northern Ireland would simply not have been possible without the European dimension, which transformed the relations between the UK and Ireland from a zero-sum game over sovereignty and loyalty, to a co-operative project of shared growth. I see the Leave campaign asserting that nothing would change between Northern Ireland and the Republic if Britain left the ...
The city's Opera House opened in 1877 and closed in 1960. It was demolished the same year. You can read all about Leicester opera house on the Arthur Lloyd music hall and theatre history website. What you will find there calls into question the prejudice that provincial cities were cultural deserts for much of the 20th century.
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our xxxth 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 (12-19 June, 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. Clement Freud exposed as child abuser by ...
Woodvale Rally was my next stop. This event originated in Ainsdale with 1st Southport Scouts and therefore it was appropriate that I was met by scout leaders from that troop. Charles Scott, the Group Scout Leader, and Di showed me round the show. The show moved to Victoria Park after asbestos was found on the Woodvale site. It is good news that the show is flourishing in its new home Good to meet Gwen and Derrick (who I used to be in a baby sitting circle with) and Stuart from the Southport model Club Local army cadets from Southport and ...
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, on behalf of the Lib-Dems in Broxtowe. Many apologies that there wasn't a newsletter last week. I'm afraid that I was so tired after running a stall at the Hemlock Happening that I didn't have the energy to produce one. 1. Jo Cox MP This week saw the horrific murder of MP Jo Cox. She and I both originated in Batley in West Yorkshire, and I've penned my thoughts on her death at the end of this newsletter. However may I draw peoples attention to ...
Photo by Keith Evans Rhetoric has consequences and we cannot stand by and do nothing, says Ceri Phillips. "I'm sick of people saying, "gosh, you must have thick skin". That's not the way it should work." Daisy Benson on the threats political activists face today. Peter Watts explains why Battersea power station is down to one chimney and asks if it could now be facing demolition. "As things stand, English cricket is in danger of becoming a sporting version of the Church of England, with an ageing demographic who attend because they always attend, and believe because they have always ...
Sun 19th
19:59
What more can be done to improve the EU after the referendum? The debate that we are not having.
What more can be done to improve the EU after the referendum? This is the key debate that we should be having that we are not having. That remainers should be having with antis even now - we can disagree, they can vehemently oppose and want out of the EU but we can still find out what they don't like and try to change some of those things (any that are actually real and factual) for the better. This is the debate that Stronger IN and David Cameron have failed to have. SI because the political strategists are only focused ...
Well who knew that Maghull used to have a Rhubarb industry, I thought that was confined to the Triangle in Yorkshire. The church keeps alive the memory of the site where they built their chapel by calling their Newsletter The Rhubarb Patch I was met by Chris Fazakerley the organiser who explained how the Day had grown. The Baptist church are on good neighbourly terms with the RC Primarily School, St George's, on whose playing fields the event is held. I was then met by the new Minister Keith Parr who recently arrived from Coventry. He is lucky to have ...
Counting in the European referendum will be done by local council area, with the results declared in each area as they are completed. Rather as with general elections where the first few results can point to the final result well before the last seat has finished counting, this means that we will get early indications of the likely result well before the final result is ready. But there are two major caveats. First, there will be no exit poll. With a general election, we get an exit poll straight after the polls close and then the early results rapidly tell ...
The day began as it was to end at the Waterloo sea front. I was booked to open the first Waterloo Community Festival and judging by the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the turn out it will not be the last such event The local community choir Voicepop were on hand to join in the opening ceremony along with their excellent leader Also on hand were the Active Sefton folk with lots of ideas for improving the wellbeing of local people. The got me up on a bike I am sorry I could stay longer but I had to rush ...
Not can Cameron win the EU referendum, if he loses then his and, the Tories' reckless gamble with our future will have failed, as it nearly did in Scotland. The official Yes campaign, Stronger IN, have been determined to repeat many if not all of the mistakes of the political campaigning and British establishment class from the Scottish referendum. If we lose, then many of us will be angry and in despair because Britain will not have voted to be the kind of country that we want it to be, it will not have voted for the shared cooperative European ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: After a residence of about a year at Ullswater, Adrian visited London, and came back full of plans for our benefit. You must begin life, he said: you are seventeen, and longer delay would render the necessary apprenticeship more and more irksome. He foresaw that his own life would be one of struggle, and I must partake his labours with him. The better to fit me for this task, we must now separate. He found my name a good passport to preferment, and he had procured for me the situation of private secretary to the ...
Our EU membership gives UK cancer doctors access to vital research and funding - another aspect of British healthcare that means you and your family are healthier and better off IN Europe.
[IMG: 7 best] Many thanks to the 10,800 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Tim Farron attacks Farage poster over Orlando atrocity (31 comments) by The Voice RIP Jo Cox MP (17 comments) by Caron Lindsay About Nigel Farage and the British Fishing industry (47 comments) by Newspuppy It's time to drop everything and concentrate on the EU Referendum (53 comments) by Caron Lindsay Proof arrives that Remain are right on the economy (68 comments) by Joe Otten Understanding the fears of those leaning towards Brexit (31 comments) by Mark Argent Coalition ...
On 8 May 2015 Nick Clegg made a powerful speech resigning his leadership of the Liberal Democrats. He spoke of how we need British liberalism now more than ever. I believe the events of the last days of this EU referendum campaign show that to be true. I'm speaking of a liberalism that goes across several parties and across people of none, but the Liberal Democrats, of which I am a member, are a key part of bringing that to the fore. A key passage of that speech was particularly relevant. I thought I would paraphrase the argument in the ...
Over the last few of days I have spoken to a couple of people who, while previously sitting on the fence, have decided to vote for Britain to remain in the EU. In each case they have expressed a general cynicism about Europe but have decided on balance it is better for Britain to be In rather than Out, principally because of the economic case. I think we can do better than that. I think it's important to remember the good things about the EU too. I think it's important to remember good things like: being a key part of ...
The man sat, twisted on the chair in front of us. He was clearly agitated, veering between frustrated anger and incoherence. Life had not been kind to him and his behaviour and choices hadn't helped him. We were the outlet for his frustrations. We were the staff in an MP's office. We dealt with these sorts of frustrations on a regular basis, doing everything we could to help. We made it a rule that we would never turn anyone away and we always promised them that we would do everything within our power for them. We couldn't guarantee success, but ...
Jo Cox MP. A fine woman, mum, wife, MP and public servant On Thursday last week public life in the UK became much the poorer because of a despicable and cowardly attack which snuffed out the life of a bright, ... Continue reading →
The BBC has made their programme in the Great Lives series on Millicent Garrett Fawcett available free on iPlayer. Listen to it here. Lesley Abdela talks to Matthew Parris on Fawcett's life and achievements and the way she campaigned, rejecting militancy and building up support for a variety of causes so that it eventually became obvious that women should have the vote. She talks about how, as a teenager, Millicent, her sister and a friend discussed how they were going to break into male dominated areas like medicine and politics. There's also the story of her being robbed and when ...
Thereis a time for mourning, there is a time for resolution, and there is a time for truth. Sometimes those times coincide, and this is one of those moments. Being a time for truth also means a time for confrontation. We have to tell the truth about the Leave campaign's great lie about immigration, about the brutal enthusiasm for stoking up imaginary fears with their anti immigration rhetoric, and the atmosphere they have helped to create, an atmosphere of fear and hate, in which it becomes possible to think that taking someone's life is a legitimate act. "He was nothing ...
[IMG: Derek Ezra] In twelve years as Liberal Leader, David Steel only got to nominate eight peers. One of them was former National Coal Board chairman Derek Ezra, who died last December. In London this week, Lord Steel gave a speech at Haberdashers' Hall (Derek Ezra was an honorary Liveryman) in which he paid tribute to Derek Ezra. He also explained why his colleague was so in favour of a European organisation that worked together and kept the peace. During my twelve years as party leader Prime Minister Thatcher was notoriously mean in Liberal peerages, allowing me only eight during ...
The EU cannot override the UK in the following areas: There are more facts here.
Episode 17: A Hit For A Miss First shown: 2 January 1971 (US), 2 April 1971 (UK) Director: Harry Booth Writers: Glyn Jones and Harry Booth Appearing apart from the Double Deckers: Georgina Simpson as Miss Petit Damaris Hayman as Miss Finch Brian Hayes as the Head Master John Clive, Lucy Griffiths and Bryan Hunt as amdram members Plot Billie and Tiger are jealous of the boys' attraction to Miss Pettit, the new teacher. But they are won over by working together on a show to help an old people's home. Soundtrack The boys alone sing "With A Little Bit ...
This Bob Dylan song comes from Ferry's 1973 album of covers These Foolish Things. As his first solo single, it reached no. 10 in the UK charts the following year. I have always assumed the hard rain was nuclear fallout, but in a 1963 interview (says Wikipedia) Dylan told Studs Terkel: "No, it's not atomic rain, it's just a hard rain. It isn't the fallout rain. I mean some sort of end that's just gotta happen ... In the last verse, when I say, 'the pellets of poison are flooding the waters,' that means all the lies that people get ...
As so many people have already said the murder of Jo Cox is above all a deep tragedy for her family and friends. I can't (and selfishly, glad I can't) know how awful it must be for them, how much this will affect their lives (especially her young children who will now grow up without her), and they have my deepest sympathies. I hope above all they can find space within the media storm to come to
[IMG: Haringey Lib Dems IN campaign] Up until Thursday and the sad news of Jo Cox MP, the Lib Dem IN campaign in Haringey was full steam ahead. Our London election campaign canvassing included the EU question and some EU activity to motivate those not entirely engaged in the London elections. As soon as the May election were over, we got on with a schedule of street stalls, doorknocking, delivery, fundraising and social events to stay in the EU. It's been great fun and helped get more people out to join us regularly. The first street stall after the May ...
Sun 19th
09:34
The worst thing about Brexit is that the people who vote for it will be most adversely affected if i...
Several areas in London are odds on to be the place that votes to Remain in the EU in the largest numbers. Clacton-on-Sea is odds on to be the place which votes most heavily for Leave. Two things are interesting about this. One, the places in London voting for Remain are the areas most directly affected by EU immigration, i.e. that's where the EU immigrants live. Meanwhile, Clacton is 95% both white and British born. They blame their woes on immigrants – despite the fact that there are none where they live, and if immigration fell to 0%, it would ...
I was in a bar in Croatia when I saw the news on social media that Jo Cox had died. I was surrounded by English fans and Wales had just lost to England as the result of a last minute goal. I was too shocked by the senseless and tragic killing of an MP to fully take in the football result. Instinctively and almost as if I was seeking validation of my sense of loss I turned to the man next to me, with whom I had passed what until then had been a pleasant afternoon, and suggested that the ...
The Royal College of Midwives on why staying in the EU is better for women, parents and babies - and our NHS.
Last Thursday,the European Movement held a "Lead not Leave" rally in Edinburgh in support of a Remain vote. Just before the event started, the news that Jo Cox had been shot came through but at that time we didn't realise the full horror of what had happened. All the contributions from the cross-party panel were superb. The Greens' Sarah Beattie-Smith was passionate on women's rights, climate change and the EU having the power to make sure multi-nationals pay their taxes. Tory Jackson Carlaw said he'd been surprised by how much a Remain vote had come to mean to him. North ...
[IMG: Bank of England Govenor, Mark Carney] Bank of England Govenor, Mark Carney There was a quite surreal segement on the Today Programme on 16 June, when Bernard Jenkin, of Vote Leave, was interviewed and attacked Bank of England Govenor Mark Carney for (as he saw it) breaking the purdah rules that prevent civil servants and publicly-funded bodies speaking out on the referendum, and David Cameron was quoted as saying this was an attack on the Bank's independence. It took a while to work out what the actual story was. When it came, it transpired that the Monetary Policy Committee ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD : WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 20 JUNE 2016 Scottish Water Clatto East mains renewal - Mid Wynd closed. South Tay Street closed northbound from Monday 27 June. Seabraes Lane (from No 11 for a distance of 30m westwards) - closed from Monday 20 June for 5 days for gas service connection works. You can read the weekly road report for the whole of Dundee here.
Yesterday canal narrow boats, barges and cruisers gathered by the dozen from just north of the Wango Lane swing bridge in Aintree Village ready for the flotilla that will reach Maghull Cricket Club's ground around 2pm today. Here's a shot of the gathering with the Pride of Sefton Trust's barge in view:- [IMG: Lining up for the Flotilla] Lining up for the Flotilla Today's Canalfest celebrates the Bicentenary of the opening of the whole length of the Leeds Liverpool Canal which snakes it way through the Sefton East Parishes communities of Aintree Village, Melling, Maghull and Lydiate. The photo is ...
Azerbaijan imprisoned me. Pharrell Williams and others should stop helping my jailers. Khadija speaks out. (tags: azerbaijan ) Exploring your surroundings through GPS-based games Unleash the power of location! (tags: Games Internet ) AGAIN A sonnet by Roz Kaveney for Jo Cox. (tags: poetry ukpolitics ) Apple Withholds Support For GOP Convention Because Of Donald Trump Choices have consequences. (tags: uspolitics )
The violence of Jo Cox's murder seems at odds with Britain's political culture. It isn't. Political violence is sadly common in British history. Let me start an article on the murder of a mother of two in a way that might seem inappropriate: with trivia questions. But please humour me for a moment. It is leading [...]
