Find it on Facebook and moored behind King's Cross.
The Breaks Are Off Graeme Swann Hodder, 2012, £8.99 An off spinner who wins matches on helpful pitches and keeps it so tight on less helpful ones that England need only field four bowlers? It scarcely sounds possible. Already the Graeme Swann era is receding into history, but it was great fun while it lasted. As Vic Marks wrote at the time of his retirement: Only Derek Underwood among the spinners took more wickets for England. Along the way Swann surpassed Laker, Lock, Titmus, Emburey, Edmonds and Illingworth. He would have settled for that at the beginning of December 2008 ...
Mon 15th
20:10
Connect: 7 things Lib Dem activists should know about the Connect electoral database program
4. Don't share your Lib Dem Connect login. Your Connect login is just for you to use, and what is done with it gets logged and recorded.
Second paragraph of third chapter: "Oh, good, Watly. Oh, good. Perfect timing. Just perfect. Couldn't've asked for better. Things'll be ready in just - almost perfect timing, Watly. A few more minutes and we'll sit down to a - be ready in a few minutes, Watly. You have a seat and put your feet up." This 1991 novel may have been partly inspired by Frederik Pohl's memorable 1974 story "We Purchased People", with which it shares the concept of human bodies being rented out for use by other intelligences, the original owner helplessly aware as murder is committed by their ...
Today is 69 years since India gained its independence from the British Empire. On this day, everyone in the Liberal Democrats will send warm wishes to our friends in India and the other countries of the Indian sub-continent that were created when British rule ended. We restate that our friends and neighbours of Indian, Pakistan, Bangledesh, and Sri Lankan heritage in Britain are welcome and valued members of our society, as are people of all heritages. The struggle for self-rule in India was long and hard. As Liberals, we recognise and share the deep, basic, natural desire for freedom that ...
One of the Principal failings of Liberal Democrat involvement in the Coalition Government of 2010-2015 was the the failure of community minded Liberal Democrats to stand up for the 500,000 people in Rural,Suburban and Urban communities who had been our key supporters in the proposals for a High Speed Rail System. Instead of listening to Rail Industry voices like Rail Engineers HSUK & many others including our own HS1A who had taken a systemic,ecological and community minded approach to how to connect a HIgh Speed Rail System, Liberal Democrats signed off on a Big Government White Elephant project of breathtaking ...
[IMG: Your Liberal Britain] When asked to chair a meeting in Oxford East for the Your Liberal Britain initiative my heart sank. Having been through all the Lib Dem soul-searching last year, written a post-election blog, My Vision, and an Agenda 2020 essay, the last thing I wanted was more philosophy and discussion on values. But I agreed to host and I'm glad I did! The event attracted a room full of people, more than our usual events, and the majority of the audience were new members. They hadn't yet gone through the existential angst of figuring out our party's ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat business manager Mike Rumbles MSP said that stacking Holyrood Committees with aides to government ministers fosters complacency and undermines democratic scrutiny. Mr Rumbles is set to table a series of parliamentary questions in an attempt to get a clear picture from the Scottish Government about the privileged information that is given to [...]
Embed from Getty Images I'm a videogame developer with a distinct love for wildlife and conservation, I am a big fan of bees and beekeeping. Whilst we already have some groundwork put in place for strategies to protect bees and other pollinators I thought it would be nice to list a few suggestions for what we as Liberal Democrats can do to improve the environment for these creatures right now in local government. If possible it would be beneficial to ensure that specifications given to council contractors for gardening and landscaping include flowers well known for attracting bees and other ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson, Liam McArthur has written to the Scottish Government to urge them to ban 'zombie knives' after England and Wales enforced a ban on the weapons today. Writing to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Mr McArthur MSP said: "As you will be aware, these knives are designed to inflict horrendous damage, [...]
It is time for sport to turn to more practical ways than biological testing to determine eligibility to compete in elite women's sports events In difficult social or political contexts, we often hope that science will forge a path to decision making that sidesteps the messiness of culture and values. If only scientists could identify the specific biological factors that distinguish male from female, then the issue of "sex testing" in athletics would be easy to resolve. But sometimes the most important thing we learn from science is that science cannot perform the political or social work that we'd like ...
Theresa May's party activist pleasing aim to create more grammar schools generated a lot of debate last week. I thought I would share the absurdity of the Kent Test, which I sat to go to grammar school in 1991. It is fair to say that Conservative-run Kent administered selection in a very odd way at that time. In those days: Your test could be given someone else's mark a) You took, at the start of Year 6, three tests. But the marks you were given was usually not your own. This was not an administration error but was intentional policy. ...
[IMG: Final_View_Overall] Ribble Valley's Opposition councillors have united in calling for an Extraordinary Council meeting about the Clitheroe Market Development. Their request for the extraordinary meeting calls for a brake to be put on the current redevelopment proposals and for there to be a wide, deep and meaningful consultation process before any new plans are drawn up. Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition Cllr Allan Knox said: "All of the opposition councillors were united in their criticism of the way the consultation process is being carried out. The process is the same sort of consultation a developer carries out when ...
Embed from Getty Images Everyone should be appalled at the rise in hate crime since the BREXIT result and agree that the campaigns by the EXIT campaigners in some way made respectable the attitudes and behaviours of the perpetrators. Under the circumstances it is understandable that many are calling for tough or mandatory prison sentences for hate crime even where the intensity of an individual act may relatively minor. (All hate crime has an impact and should never be regarded as minor but I am trying to differentiate scale). But prison may not be the answer especially for young offenders ...
Embed from Getty Images Before the Referendum, Asda Money carried out a survey which showed that on average British families spend £1310 on their summer holidays, including spending money. At the same time David Cameron was warning that a vote for Brexit could add £230 to that cost. He predicted that the pound could fall by 12%. Predictably, Leave campaigners claimed he was scaremongering. Both were wrong. The cost of a family holiday has increased since June by almost £300, as a result of the pound falling by 16% against the dollar and by 23% against the euro. Tim Farron ...
So the handbags between Boris Johnson and Liam Fox have begun sooner than most expected. Fox, predictably, is trying to grab some FCO land, claiming that he needs it in order to do his job properly (which may actually have a scintilla of truth about it), while Boris Johnson, equally predictably, is resisting all attempts to shrink his remit (against all odds, given the way that the Fox and Davis ministries have been set up). I use the word predictably above because this is what any reasonable individual would have expected to happen if you put BoJo, David Davis and ...
Twitter Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Twitter RT @pjf: Okay social media, it's been a long time coming, but here's exactly how I feel about you posting about your day. Twitter RT @GeneralBoles: 'and what's the lesson here children' *raises hand* 'your friends will fuck you over to try and win' 'Bit daunting, really': the Edinburgh standups reading Chilcot in full - video Long, and depressing, read about two different moral codes and how these affect us politically For readers in the UK: try substituting "Farage" for Trump. Labour's women problem isn't new. I saw it first hand Most of this applies to Lib ...
Not long ago, I responded to the 'Your Liberal Britain' survey. I am pleased with this kind of democratic engagement. When I look at what (as it seems to me) is a high degree of engagement with grassroots Liberal Democrat members, I see some difficulty or constraints; there is a degree of uncertainty about what our party stands for, and what goals and ideals it should pursue. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, this constraint is also an opportunity: to provide an alternative to the Conservative Party's wrecking project against the foundations of this society; and again, it ...
Readers of this Blog will be spoilt for choice when it comes to their political reading over the next month or so as a spate of late Summer books are released for readers of a political bent. Here we preview 7 of the best that have caught our interest, in no particular order:- SPEAKING OUT [...]
Mon 15th
10:06
Q: How's the #LibDemFightBack going in #Peterborough? A: Awesome! And here's why .........
When I first joined the Peterborough Liberal Democrats way back in 1999, we had one Liberal Democrat city councillor, had a 6% popularity in the polls, had about £20 in the bank account and used to hold our Executive meetings in conjunction with the local Liberal Party, at the Great Northern Hotel. Fast forward to [...]
The Independent reports on the views of a church minister who grew up behind the Berlin Wall and who fears being seen as an intruder in Scotland following the Brexit vote. The Rev Aniko Schutz Bradwell, who leads the Humbie with Yester, Bolton and Saltoun congregations in East Lothian, said the rhetoric of politicians in the Brexit campaign seems to have "made it legitimate to use racist language". She says she is more nervous speaking German in public since the vote. The Reverend Bradwell is not alone in her anxiety nor is it ill-founded. Back in June the Independent reported ...
Here are some photos from Carl Cashman's Merseyside Metro Mayor launch event held in Prescot last Saturday:- [IMG: Carl Cashman Metro Mayor Launch 08 16 - Credit Charlie Green] Click on the photos to enlarge them – Photo above by Charlie Green [IMG: Kris Brown, Chair of Liverpool Lib Dems, introducing Carl Cashman] Kris Brown, Chair of Liverpool Lib Dems, introducing Carl Cashman [IMG: Carl making his launch speech to a packed out gathering of his supporters.] Carl making his launch speech to a packed out gathering of his supporters. What struck me most about this launch event was the ...
The new Dundee City Council adult learning newsletter (Summer 2016) is now available and you can download it here. The following courses are available in the West End :
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP said yesterday that SNP policing reforms are the root cause of Police Scotland's bad week. Mr McArthur was speaking after 7 days in which we have seen forecasts of a £21m police budget overspend and reports that officers have been forced to bring in basics such as hand sanitiser. On Monday, it was [...]
Hugo Award Predictions and Handicapping Sheet Steve Davidson predicts. (tags: sf ) The Armagh windmill (PDF) In case you were wondering. (tags: Northernireland History ) Brexit 'could be delayed until late 2019' This year, next year, sometime, never... (tags: ukpolitics eu ) Why is the Greenwich Prime Meridian 102m west of the GPS zero meridian? or, what is vertical? (tags: astronomy )
It occurred to me today that, while I've mentioned on a number of occasions on here that I'm somewhere on the autism spectrum, I've never really clarified what that means in terms of how I feel on the inside. I ... Continue reading →
