When I moved to London from Brussels, more than 30 years ago, I deliberately avoided going to London's Imperial War Museum (IWM), as its name suggested to me a form of British jingoism that grated with my Quaker pacifism. But how wrong can one be! Older and (perhaps) wiser, I now recognise what an extraordinary [...]
Back in the 1980s I spent a summer working for the Liberal party conference office. This being the old Liberal party, it was naturally housed in two semi-converted narrow boats moored deep in the Leicestershire countryside. It was one of those crazy periods when the Liberal/SDP Alliance had just won a startling byelection and everyone thought it was going to form the next government. The phones were hot with companies ringing up to ask if exhibition space was still available. We kept increasing the price, and they kept agreeing to pay it.So I wrote for the Guardian website in 2007. ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: Dr. Jones greeted me at the door. She was lovely, polite, brown. She appeared to be somewhere in that range between forty and seventy years, when it becomes difficult to precisely ascertain a black person's precise age. She was well composed, given the subject of our conversation, and for most of the visit I struggled to separate how she actually felt from what I felt she must be feeling. What I felt, right then, was that she was smiling through pained eyes, that the reason for my visit had spread sadness like a dark quilt ...
There is just time to listen again to an enlightening interview with Vince Cable on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07mxgx6.. Sir Vince (as he now is, and probably the only one of our lot to deserve it) seems pretty pleased with himself, and I've no quarrel with that. He's rightly proud of several ways in which as Business Secretary he was able to introduce a few Liberal ideas, and also prevent the Tories from implementing a few bad ones. Unfortunately the way politics is conducted these days that is not enough. People are simply not prepared to look at the small print (or even, ...
Fri 12th
17:50
Hunter S Thompson's widow returns antlers he stole from Ernest Hemingway home after 52 years
The judges were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold and they gave the International Business Times our Headline of the Day Award.
After a few weeks of fantastic results for the Liberal Democrats, this week the by-elections are a little more routine, with campaigns taking place in North Ayshire, Renfrewshire and Worcestershire. North Ayshire was gained by Labour from the SNP (contested by the SNP by Nicola Sturgeon's father, Robin Sturgeon), whilst the SNP retaliated by taking [...]
Fri 12th
15:00
LDV at 10: Pick of the posts: The one where Vince said what we needed to do about the credit crunch
On 27th August, LDV will be 10 years old. In that time, we've brought you over 24,000 posts and published over 337,000 comments. Over the Summer holidays, we'll take you on a nostalgic meander through a decade of Liberal Democrat history, seen through the eyes of our editors and contributors. We hope you enjoy our choices. Let's go back to 2008 and the start of the global crash. Here is what Vince Cable had to say. It's relevant because it shows our consistency of approach to these things over the years and that we were well ahead of the game ...
Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn came to Gateshead for the Labour leadership hustings. I found out that the Corbyn fan club would be gathering outside the Hilton Hotel, venue for the hustings, to welcome the Beloved Leader. I decided to turn up with cameras and enjoy at close hand the Labour Party in self-destruct mode. It is, after all, the peak season for blood sports. The BBC reporter was amused by
Last month I visited York's Chocolate Story, a visitor attraction in the centre of the city of York. A very lively tour guide told us about the Quakers who established the chocolate industry in York, and we saw how filled chocolates are made (and got to eat some) and made our own chocolate lollies (and got to eat them too). The other visitors included several grandparents, who seemed to be enjoying the experience at least as much as their grandchildren! As the UK population gets older, the leisure industry has observed that we are becoming far more interested in acquiring ...
A resident has raised with me the need for One Vision Housing to trim back their hedging that fronts Southport Road and is adjacent to their Haven Walk bungalows. [IMG: Pavement Southport Rd Lydiate by Haven Walk - 08 16] As you can see from the photo above the hedging is now well across the pavement and is clearly restricting pedestrian access. Hope it will be cut back soon.
I am no Labour supporter (I'm actually backing Cllr. Carl Cashman's campaign to be selected as the Lib Dem candidate for Merseyside Metro Mayor) but have to say that there must surely be a huge collective sigh of relief across Merseyside that Joe Anderson has not selected as the Labour candidate. But why is Steve Rotherham MP, who will be Labour's candidate, backing the Northern Poorhouse policy of George Osborne? Is he another Labour politician who has not realised that the Northern Powerhouse is just Tory spin? I have commented before on Labour's odd attachment to the previous Tory Chancellor's ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles today said that the SNP need to take their head out of the sand on the economic challenges facing the North East as answers to Parliamentary Questions showed fewer than one in six energy workers who had registered interest in a £12 million flagship retraining scheme have received support. [...]
A new report by Shelter Cymru has found huge inconsistencies in the amounts private sector tenants are charged by letting agents, a lack of transparency in what they are being charged for and widespread flouting of a new law designed to improve the letting process. The report is based on a mystery shopping exercise of 85 letting agents across Wales. It found that despite the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requiring agents to display a full list of fees in the office and on a website, if applicable, more than half did not do so in a clear and understandable way. ...
The British Liberal Democrats are setting up a policy working group on the "21st Century Economy". I was among over 200 people to volunteer to take part, but sadly I was not picked. Those that have been picked will face truly daunting quantities of advice and reading material, but nevertheless but doesn't stop me from offering ... Continue reading How should Lib Dems embrace economic policy? →
Twitter RT @meakoopa: Judi Dench (and Maggie Smith) on what they think of "method acting." Judge Patricia is my new jam RT @indy100: Judge who called racist thug 'a bit of a c--t' branded a hero Donald Trump is like a biased machine learning algorithm | mathbabe RT @andrewducker: Donald Trump is like a biased machine learning algorithm A brief Windows 10 PSA Flight attendant Olivia Sievers adopts dog who waited six months outside hotel for her | Metro News Tissues at the ready: Shelter Dogs Serve As 'Ball Boys' At Brazil Open For Adoption Awareness RT @onionofjoy: street dogs ...
Written before the European referendum, David Laws's words about David Cameron have aged rather well.
Scottish Liberal democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP today called for urgent action to ensure that people suffering from brain injuries are not left stranded in the criminal justice system. Mr McArthur was speaking after a recent report recommended new screening arrangements and assessments in prisons. The report found that there is a "significant association" [...]
Fri 12th
10:23
Plans submitted for 74 houses on Fishmore Road, Ludlow - but there is no provision for affordable ho...
Willsgrove Developments have submitted an outline application to build 74 houses on the former quarry site on Fishmore Road (16/03096/OUT). The plan is for a mix of homes and apartments. It is on the right lines for what we need on this site. This site should be developed. It is suitable for a high density... Continue reading Plans submitted for 74 houses on Fishmore Road, Ludlow - but there is no provision for affordable housing →
Remember the ongoing controversy over the Conservatives bussing activists into marginal seats and whether the costs should feature on local expenses returns? Around 20 police forces are still carrying out investigations into a serious issue. At the same time, there were a few complaints about former Liberal Democrat MPs' expenses. There were suggestions that visits to constituencies by the Leader's Tour should somehow be put on local expenses. Given that these visits were about promoting the Liberal Democrats to the country and providing the piece for nightly news bulletins, the costs were, of course, included on the national return. Duncan ...
I have something to confess, straight off: I hardly ever watch football these days. I tuned in a bit last Spring when it really looked like Leicester City were going to do it, but that was the first English league football I'd watched in several years. So take what I'm about to say with that in mind – or better yet, feel free to ignore it as a result. What inspired me to write this was all of the pundits predictions that have just come out. Pretty much everyone who is supposedly in the know on these matters is picking ...
Near the village of Hanbury is RAF Fauld. Once it was a munitions dump: now it's a crater. Here's why.
There were two principal local authority by-elections in Scotland last night and they produced a stalemate in terms of the results, with Labour gaining one seat from the SNP in North Ayrshire only to see the SNP gain one back from them in Renfrewshire. The first result was in Irvine West ward in North Ayrshire [...]
Twice in the last year or so, I've found myself having to intervene on the platforms of the London Underground to rescue older people from closing doors which were crushing them. On the second occasion, I was also shouted at for my pains by the platform staff for delaying the trains. I hereby dedicate myself to obstructing the doors and causing delay where necessary. In fact, I dedicate this post to my friend Mike Harskin who first used the phrase (he hasn't been with us, I'm afraid, since August 1992). I draw no conclusions from this anecdote about the current ...
Yesterday, along with the West End Communities Officer and my ward colleagues, I participated in a useful discussion at the Mitchell Street Centre about the issues affecting the West End that could be tackled as part of the new West End Community Plan. A Community Plan for the West End has been in place since 2008. Over the years much has been delivered and it is now time to develop a new plan for the coming period - 2017 to 2022. As part of the process to create new Local Community Plans, Dundee City Council, on behalf of the Dundee ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Tavish Scott MSP called yesterday for answers over SNP education plans as council leaders from across Scotland met to consider the government's schools policy. Council bosses and teaching unions criticised John Swinney's reform plans after the COSLA meeting on Thursday. Commenting, Mr Scott said: "Pupils will be going back to school [...]
The Curious Case of Dorothy L. Sayers and the Jew who wasn't there Yes, I'd noticed this too - great analysis. (tags: literature race ) The Most Paranoid Country in Europe A brilliant survey of the situation in Macedonia. (tags: macedonia )
Fri 12th
06:07
Councillors rushing to criticise colleagues often get it wrong but the damage is done!
Redcar and Cleveland Councillors are at their best when they work together I was disappointed yesterday to read a post on the Facebook page of a fellow Councillor, a Labour member for Coatham Ward, sniping at me in a very patronising way. It claimed I should have contacted the Council before complaining in the press about the lack of action to repair Redcar Town Clock (see previous item below). The comment attracted some rather nasty comments in support including one from the other Labour Councillor for Coatham Ward also suggesting I should do like him and contact the Council. Had ...
2004 was a big year for Brian Wilson. On February 24, he performed live, for the first time, a completed version of Smile, the unfinished album that had hung over his head and dominated all discussions about him for nearly ... Continue reading →
