"The first real sign of trouble began as early as October 2010 when there was a mini-rebellion by 37 Tory MPs on the UK's financial contribution to the EU, and things just went downhill from then on." Tim Bale on David Cameron's doomed attempt to keep his party from banging on about Europe. Adam Ramsay suggests Scotland could remain a member of the EU even without independence. "The distrust of specialist, professional intelligence, abstracted from the 'real' world of tradition and experience, has a long tradition in British political culture, especially within what John Stuart Mill called 'the stupid party'." ...
Embed from Getty Images The story that Sir Bob Russell, former Lib Dem MP for Colchester, is now offering guided tours of the town is true. The Facebook page devoted to the tours says: Enjoy an entertaining and fact-filled walk around the country's oldest recorded town, in the company of former Colchester MP and celebrated town champion High Steward Sir Bob Russell ... The thing is, there's just so much history in Colchester - far too much to fit in to one walk. So there is now two different versions - A and B - both starting at Colchester Arts ...
Embed from Getty Images Back in 2006, when blogging was cool and Tony Blair was still prime minister, I wrote of David Cameron: If he is to become prime minister, it is overwhelmingly likely that it will take him two elections to get there. The really hard thing for him will be to avoid being knifed by his party after he loses the first of those elections.I was right to the extent that it took Cameron two elections to win a majority, but he found a way to avoid being knifed by the Tory right. He formed a coalition with ...
I'm too heartbroken to write something original. This is what my colleague Theo and I put together earlier today. Comment there or here. The UK's vote to leave the EU will have a number of implications, although the specific, detailed consequences of this unprecedented choice are uncertain. For some it is a brave new world, for others the end of the world, but for all it is terra incognita. What happens next, from the perspective of Brussels and the wider EU? Even before the vote there were very clear signals from significant European leaders that out would mean out. From ...
So, whilst I educated the next generation events took their course. 1 PM down another leader tottering and general chaos in the political class and alongside the high politics there was a mirror image of what happened after the general election. People calling the electorate scum, t@ats, racists, morons idiots the invectives go on and on and on (and on). On occasion these insults are being thrown by the same people who, only days ago, were calling for a more tolerant political culture after the death of Jo Cox. It shouldn't need to be said but tolerance, just like free ...
[IMG: 13535921_10154255985357311_547224596_n] If you like classic cars and bikes why not pop along to the Lydiate Classic Car and Bike Show at Lydiate Parish Hall on 3rd July. It's on from 10am to 4pm and it's in aid of great cause – North West Cancer Research.
Friday: By 6 o'clock this morning, Friday 24th June 2016, it was clear that the British public had voted to leave the European Union. Britain has chosen a new direction. But we won't be afraid, even if there is a difficult path ahead, because we trust the people of this country to make it through. And we believe, more than ever, that Britain will need a compassionate liberal voice to help along the way. It's a sad end for David Cameron, aka Mr Balloon, who gambled recklessly with the county's future. To keep his job as Prime Minister he gave ...
We shouldn't have a second referendum, Scotland shouldn't become independent and Boris mustn't become PM Having made a monumental mistake, what is a nation to do? We don't have any good options and of the miserable options available, it's hard to tell which of them is the least ghastly. Even were I less of an [...]
There is much anger – dejection even around today. I found myself in the unusual position of putting a consoling arm round a hard-bitten colleague's shoulders – he was really quite upset by the referendum result. I am angry for the young people who voted in droves for remain. That said, we can't change this result. It's a democratic outcome. I respect it and move on. I pledge to roll up my sleeves to work as part of the nation to make us as successful as possible in the new situation. Goodness only knows how Cameron managed to paint himself ...
It was a miserable day, the rain was torrential as I left Litherland and Seaforth station on my bike. I arrived at the Adult Learning Centre soaked to the skin. The overnight news was as depressing as the weather and so it was with a heavy heart that in entered the building. I was travelling under my own steam so I did not have the full Ruritanian Mayoral garb with me and for once I regretted that because as the morning proceeded I wished I could have Lynne Jones, a volunteer, got a special award. Lynne Jones, a volunteer, got ...
[IMG: 2016 Post Referendum - facebook ad (500x375)] This morning's result is unbearable, and it is understandable that colleagues will be devastated with a result that goes against everything we stand for and believe in. But the result is also unacceptable. We cannot accept, as liberals, the fear and intolerance that had been at the heart of the Leave campaign. We cannot accept [...]
Fri 24th
15:25
To Bootle seafarers past, present and future Hugh Baird brings hope with new Port Academy
Yesterday was National Seafarers day and therefore appropriate that the new Port Academy should get its official opening. It is part of the Hugh Baird College with which I am increasingly impressed. The maritime sector is part of the DNA of Bootle and with the creation of the new Port Academy the hope is that people can received high quality training that will fit them for the jobs that will be created by the expansion of the Port. The opportunities with be available from the age of 14 to adulthood. One of the key events in Bootle's maritime history-and indeed ...
The EU referendum delivers an unmanageable mess. The UK will lose its membership of the EU, and more immediately has lost its elected Prime Minister. Like many Lib Dems, I have never voted Conservative, but I do recognise the dignity and decency of David Cameron. The referendum outcome creates space instead for Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, and the reactionary Nigel Farage. Democracy itself is in an impossible contradiction. The UK norm is representative democracy expressed in Parliamentary sovereignty. The policy of the majority of Members of Parliament is to remain in the EU. But the referendum decides to leave. Paradoxically, ...
You may just have heard about the EU referendum and the result thereof. As a Party, on the whole, we supported the Remain camp, though there were some of a different opinion. It probably didn't even escape the notice of Tim Peake and he's been out of the world for six months. The result obviously didn't go the way we'd hoped with the majority (slim though it was) opting to Leave the EU. At this point I could go into the mis-information etc. etc. But to be honest that would just seem like sour grapes and not really achieve anything. ...
Like all liberals and progressives in Britain today I am devastated by the country's decision to vote to leave the European Union. I feared this outcome, having had many encounters with people over the years who believed even the most risible claims about the EU. Couple decades of negative stories about Europe with our political [...]
Just a quick post of reassurance — I had a comment on my last post asking if anyone had heard from me today, which given the tone is understandable. I've been all over social media, but I sometimes forget that ... Continue reading →
The electorate were misled. Don't get angry at them; persuade them to get angry at the lying arseholes that sold them this crock of shit and told them it was shinola. The shittiness of the crock of shit is already becoming apparent, but there's no use screaming I told you so at people who already feel crap because they were duped. Telling people they were wrong when they know they were wrong only leads to them doubling down and blaming immigrants, "benefit scroungers", women and LGBT+ folk even harder. Don't tell them they were wrong, tell them they were tricked. ...
Fri 24th
14:10
1000 new members join Lib Dems as Farron says "We will keep the vision of an open, optimistic, hopef...
So I still haven't gone to bed yet. I feel just about alive. There seems little point in sleeping now as I need to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to catch a flight to London for Federal Executive where we have a whole day of constitutional amendments ahead of us. I suspect we may mention the Referendum result as well. Just a bit. "I'm for the 16 million, the 48%" said Tim Farron in a speech on the referendum result. By 1pm,1000 people had joined the party, reminiscent of the surge last year. Tim's speech was heartfelt and hopeful. ...
Harriet Harman, as acting leader of the Labour Party, explained her lack of opposition to the government's Welfare Bill with the words: We can't simply say to the public "you were wrong" Well I can. Public, you got it wrong. You got it disastrously wrong. You've endangered the future of our entire continent for the sake of a handful of Brexiteers' Magic Beans. You've swallowed the distortions and lies of the Brexit brigade. You've gleefully thrown reason, evidence and reflection out of the window. You've allowed that Brexit brigade to press your basest, most pre-civilised, gut-reaction buttons. You've allowed yourselves ...
Immediate political punditry in the aftermath of traumatic events tends to age about as well as a four week old banana left on a beach in the south of France, so I post this as much for your chance to laugh at me in the future as for the odds of predicting it. But here's a thought. Labour MPs oust Corbyn and the party gets a pro-European leader. (Which given the new leader needs to get through the MP nomination round is a plausible outcome.) The Conservatives also get a new leader, who announces that as leaders of both parties ...
Fri 24th
12:41
Tim Farron: Nigel Farage's vision for Britain has won this vote, but it is not a vision I share
This is Tim Farron's statement this morning following the referendum result. You can join the Liberal Democrats via the party website: I'm devastated and I am angry. Today we wake to a deeply divided country. Nigel Farage's vision for Britain has won this vote, but it is not a vision I share. Young people voted to remain by a considerable margin, but were out voted. They were voting for their future, yet it has been taken from them. Even though the result was close, there is no doubt that the majority of British people want us to leave. Our fight ...
For as long as I can remember I've felt that those of us blessed with the safety and prosperity of life in the developed world have a moral duty to support those who are in need and less fortunate. So, for the past ten years I've been determined to do all I can to support the biggest issue facing our planet, to fight with others to find a pragmatic, achievable response to the problems of climate change and environmental protection. I've often been frustrated at how this issue – the habitability of our planet – has been stuffed down the ...
Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister, has a bit of a virus.
Alistair Carmichael has given his reaction to the referendum result on his Facebook page, reproduced here with his permission. Facebook asks what is on my mind. This may not be the most coherent answer I can give in my sleep-deprived state but here goes : 1. As a result of the referendum vote we now have massive economic issues to face and deal with – the priority for all parties should be to tackle that. 2. We can not tackle these problems while, as a country, we are split down the middle so this is a time for bringing people ...
I am so angry this morning that words fail me but those of Tim Farron sum up how I feel :- "I am devastated and I am angry. Today we wake to a deeply divided country. Nigel Farage's vision for Britain has won this vote, but it is not a vision I share. Young people voted to remain by a considerable margin, but were out voted. They had a clear ambition for their future, yet it has been taken from them. Even though the result was close, there is no doubt that the majority of British people want us to ...
Steam Search RT @2000AD: Gamers - there's 75% off the Rogue Trooper and Judge Dredd games at Steam until 4th July Britain Votes to Leave the EU - Little Green Footballs RT @Green_Footballs: No way to sugarcoat it - the Brexit vote is a victory for far right xenophobic nationalism miss_s_b | EURef posted EURef on #dreamwidth [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Traditionally, at this point after a vote, Politicians start to mutter comments about "The will of the people" I'm not going to. Manifestly, the result of the EU referendum is not to our taste. However, I do not believe that it is to the taste of the voting public either – or at least, it won't be once they've tasted the actual medicine that the Brexit campaign have prescribed. The public have, throughout the EU referendum campaign, been systematically lied to, deceived and manipulated by the Brexit campaign. The warnings of the Remain campaign on the impact of leaving the ...
Tim Farron has said that this "self-inflicted wound" will be David Cameron's legacy as he commented on the Prime Minister's resignation. 12 months ago David Cameron had the best result of his career. Today, the worst. I was honoured to share a platform with the Prime Minster on this campaign, but this result, this self-inflicted wound, will be his legacy. There have been many things I did not agree with the Prime Minister on, but I must thank him for his stewardship of the country and for the way he took the very bold decision to create a Coalition Government ...
Well. My first reaction when I woke in the night and heard the news was a rather cowardly thought that I should take down the blog post I put up yesterday afternoon. Certainly, as far as predictions are concerned, I ought to hand in my blogging licence. I leave it up as a testament to my own - what? Stupidity? Naivety? Not sure. Either way, it stays. And one reason I want it to stay up is that I have a feeling that, within it somewhere, there are the seeds of a more enlightened interpretation of the referendum result. So ...
Whatever side you were on it is clear last week's referendum result will cause a significant period of economic and political uncertainty. The outcome was as much an anti-politics vote as a vote against immigration, further austerity and the European project itself. Unravelling forty years of being tied to Europe culturally, legally and economically will not be easy. There are clear dangers. Many of the measures to protect workers' rights and to stop discrimination against the disabled introduced by the EU, for example are not instinctively supported by the Conservatives, least of all by those right wing members of that ...
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! 'There's no such thing as a Brusselo!' | Politics | The Guardian This lovely an' all, but isn't the point of the story that the Gruffalo did actually exist? http://bit.ly/28OuMnV Evening Standard backs Remain: All the national newspaper Brexit vote endorsements at a glance – Press Gazette "How the UK national daily and Sunday newspaper market divides on the EU referendum" http://bit.ly/28WWEcs ...
Liverpool had a large majority for staying in the EU on 23rd June Yesterday was, without any doubt, a dreadful day for the UK and Liverpool. But before I look at the consequences of that I want to thank Liverpool ... Continue reading →
You can understand why many people in Scotland don't like the idea of yet another referendum. In the last 26 months, we have had little respite from political campaigning with no fewer than five trips to the polling stations. But I would argue that the outcome of the EU vote means that another plebiscite must be organised in Scotland to settle the crucial issue of which union it prefers. And this needs to be staged sooner rather than later. In September 2014, Scottish voters said they wanted to stay in the British union by 55 to 45 on a very ...
This is the saddest day of my political life. My country has turned its back on everything I believe in and opted for insular, narrow-minded isolation. Goodness knows, Lib Dems are accustomed to losing elections. But when you lose an election, there is always the chance that you can win next time, because there always is a next time. But there is no next time with the referendum. We are headed out of the EU and there is no way to stop it. I am devestated. It's not just the damage that will be done to the economy in the ...
Another chance to see the excellent production by producer Claire Bee with the cast from the service users and staff at Jericho House :
Whilst a lot of analysis will be forthcoming on the events that led to a vote in the UK to leave the European Union, potentially of greater importance in the immediate aftermath is for a unified Post-Referendum Pro-Remain approach. Here, I am suggesting such an approach, and Lib Dems may wish to take the lead on such an approach. First of all we need a strong institutional approach. The Lib Dems, Greens, SNP, and PC require a competent secretariat and fundraising body, with a very sharp and responsive media operation, that Pro-Remain Labour and Conservative figures can rally around. Second, ...
Fri 24th
06:51"Devastated and angry" Farron says Lib Dems will fight for a "tolerant, open-hearted, optimistic and...
Tim Farron has made his first public comments since our Brexit result was confirmed. He said: I am devastated and I am angry. Today we wake to a deeply divided country. Nigel Farage's vision for Britain has won this vote, but it is not a vision I share. Young people voted to remain by a considerable margin, but were out voted. They were voting for their future, yet it has been taken from them. Even though the result was close, there is no doubt that the majority of British people want us to leave. Our fight for an open, optimistic, ...
So the pound is in freefall, and the markets haven't even opened yet. The Nikkei and the Nasdaq have both suspended trading. We've embraced xenophobia and nationalism. We've given Nigel fucking Farage what he wanted. How do I explain this to my daughter? How do I forgive my mum for voting leave? [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I wrote this piece last night in the expectation of a narrow win for "Remain." I post it as written then to show that the case against referendums is not one of sour grapes, but applies even if what I think of as the" right side" had won. Post result comments are in italics. Whew, saved by a whisker. Sadly the reverse The major lesson to be learned from this squalid campaign is that never again should an important issue be subject to a referendum. As Geoffrey Wheatcroft reminds us, when Churchill wanted to prolong the life of the wartime ...
It's about 5am and I'm genuinely gutted about what appears to be the result of the EU referendum. Like most liberals, I'm an internationalist. Without saying a great deal about my personal feelings, let me just make it clear that this hurts. It really hurts. This isn't some kind of political game, as some political commentators are suggesting. This is a huge decision with real human, social, economic and political consequences - not only for the UK but also for Europe. I don't plan to write a lengthy essay analysing what went wrong, but here are a few of my ...
Not every part of the UK has voted to leave the European Union. Every single council area of Scotland has voted to Remain, all but one of them by a significant margin,with most over 60%. In total, 62% of Scots voted to remain, 38% to leave. The SNP is naturally making noises about a second independence referendum. Of course they are. It's what they do. If we were them, we probably would too. Their manifesto was pretty explicit that they would consider they had the right to a referendum in these circumstances: We believe that independence offers the best future ...
I can only hope it doesn't go as badly from here as it looks like it will from I'm standing right now. Up until the final moment, the mood in Westminster was very much that Remain were certain to win. You saw it in Farage's resignation, in Boris' body language. The polls had bounced back towards Remain; with the status quo lift, it would be enough. Even the most pro-Brexit pundits and politicians thought that was the case. We know now for sure that it wasn't. The country has voted to Leave. Now what? Short term, get through the initial ...
Fri 24th
05:37
Britain and Shropshire votes OUT. It's a result for democracy but the vote could break our nation ap...
The result is clear in Shropshire. On a 77% turnout, 57% of the voters in this county said we should leave. That bigger than the UK trend, where leave has 52% with some areas still to declare as I publish this at 5.35am. I don't like the result. But it's a democratic result and a... Continue reading Britain and Shropshire votes OUT. It's a result for democracy but the vote could break our nation apart →
The people appear to have chosen to leave the EU. Yet again I find myself on my sofa in the middle of the night watching a disaster unfold before my eyes. This one, though, is going to hurt much more than the election nights of the past five years. I'm not quite saying that they can come back, all is forgiven, but the ramifications of tonight for the country are so much worse. Our future opportunities and standing in the world are all heading down the toilet. Already we see the pound in free-fall, making the Prime Minister's predictions during ...
The BBC have just called in for leave. This is a really historic decision. The turnout was huge. We'll have to respect the decision and move on. Thoughts? * 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.
