My friend James Gent has started a new website, We Are Cult, and I'm going to be contributing the occasional piece for it. My first one there is up tonight, a look at why the Monkees' TV show was important.
. A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of three new episodes of the 1960s British television series Thunderbirds to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was my favourite programme when I was seven.
Still no news on how the Liberal Democrats can revive their electoral fortunes. Still, Estate work is important. The work of a particularly large mole I must now pause for a modest luncheon. You are no doubt wondering how my article is coming along. Well, I am (as I may have mentioned) simply bursting with ideas for it, but I have been concerned for some days about a spot of subsidence at the Bonkers' Home for Well-Behaved Orphans. Being firmly of the belief that we must put children first, I hurried over their after coffee to supervise the repairs. The ...
The motion on Europe to be debated at the forthcoming Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton has now been published. The one selected for debate is the motion put in by the Federal Policy Committee (FPC) setting out the party's continuing pro-European stance. The Brighton motion can be summarised as: We're still in favour of the EU There should be a Parliamentary vote on the terms of negotiation before Article 50 is triggered Here's the Lib Dem minimum demands for the negotiations to count as successful The British people should then get a vote in a referendum to decide whether or ...
Embed from Getty Images The Remain campaign lost the referendum on British membership of the European Union because it was unable to articulate a single positive reason why voters should continue to support it. As a result it relied upon Project Fear issuing increasingly blood-curdling warnings about the effects of Brexit which, though unfolding events may prove them largely justified, failed to convince. Much the same thing is now happening in the debate over grammar schools. I have heard plenty of tales of the iniquities of grammar schools of earlier decades - what I once called "tales of short-trousered angst" ...
The sugar industry in the USA paid scientists in the 1960s to downplay the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit. Anahad O'Connor on a scandal revealed by newly released documents. Pedro C. Magalhães and Besir Ceka say the meaning of democracy changes for Europeans depending on their education status, income and nationality. The largest producer of IQ tests in Britain after the Second World War was an early advocate of comprehensive schools. James Thompson tells the story. "It envisioned an era where an American worked alongside a Russian, and a black woman was ...
As more than 2 million Muslims from around the world, including thousands from the UK – mark the end of their holy pilgrimage of Hajj in Mecca, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to everyone celebrating Eid al-Adha. Eid al Adha's themes of reflection, sacrifice and charity seem more and more relevant each year given the global challenges we face. For those suffering oppression across the world, we must continue to work towards peace, safety and security. These values of tolerance, compassion and generosity towards one and other are at the heart of Islam and the heart of ...
Shropshire Council is planning cuts of 25% to the opening hours of the customer service desks in Ludlow Library. The cuts, from 40 to 30 hours a week, were revealed in a consultation published this morning. The proposals follow a 60% drop in the numbers of people obtaining advice face to face over the last... Continue reading Shropshire Council's customer service hours could be cut by a quarter in Ludlow →
Social media locally seems to be giving a big thumbs down to the parking tickets that are being handed out 'like confetti', to quote one dischuffed resident, at the now privately run Maghull Square car parks. [IMG: Maghull Square] And the issue is drawing other comments about the state of the shopping centre generally; they are far from complementary. For what it is worth, my view is that now is a poor time to reinstate parking restrictions. The promised refurbishment of the shops is yet to happen, the car parks are hardly in the best condition – ruts and potholes ...
Cadan ap Tomos is the Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson for young people, equalities and the Welsh language, and is a former adviser to Welsh Lib Dem Assembly Members. He has written a post for the Institute for Welsh Affairs with the title "The young and the voiceless?". He writes: "Young people are the future." An increasingly-used and well-meaning phrase that those in the political bubble will have heard more than once. Yet as well-meaning as it is, to an actual young person like me it's one of the most irritating clichés of modern politics. Condemning young people as merely the ...
As someone once said, it's always hard to make predictions, especially about the future. This year I tracked several possible indicators of who might win this year's Hugos - the Goodreads/LibraryThing statistics, the views of bloggers, and the instincts of two commentators (one of them me). Goodreads/LibraryThing statistics This turned out to be the least reliable indicator this year. The 2016 Best Novel Hugo winner was fourth out of five by ownership on both Goodreads and LibraryThing, and the 1941 Best Novel Retro Hugo winner was second on both, but a very long way behind. Having said that, both winners ...
At last a leading Tory, DR Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade no less, has blown the gaffe. Britain's poor export performance is due to "business executives [who] would rather be playing golf on a Friday afternoon than negotiating export deals." Good for him and about time too. For most of my lifetime Britain's poor economic performance has been blamed variously on lazy workers, obstructive trade unions, inadequate education, absenteeism, restrictive red tape (even before we joined the EU), too many holidays, excessive pay demands, suffocating bureaucracy (this particularity in the nationalised industries), and any thing else by ...
People who know me will know that it isn't often that words fail me. They will also know that I'm not a huge fan of Conservatives either, But David Cameron had the world at his feet. He had led a successful coalition government, steered the nation through a financial crisis, modernised his party to the extent he was able to pass equal marriage into law and then topped it all with an overall majority in the last general election. Not only that, the Labour Party is in such a state of disarray, he could have expected a trouble free five ...
Embed from Getty Images At midday tomorrow the Boundary Commission for England will publish their first draft proposals for the 499 constituencies in England. The Welsh Commission will do the same for their 29 seats. The Scottish Commission is expected to announce their plans in the near future. Their proposals are being released under embargo today to political parties and MPs. When this happened in 2011, various political blogs had been leaked copies of the plans by close of play the same day, so whilst the Liberal Democrats will be respecting the embargo, don't be surprised if others don't and ...
Saturday was the final pre-Brighton meeting of Federal Conference Committee, (FCC) in which we selected the motion for the reserved Europe slot, amendments to be debated on all motions and emergency/topical issues for the all-member ballot. We also discussed: One appeal against selection of a motion, which was rejected. A request for an external (non-party) speaker to be allowed to put in a card to speak in the Europe debate, which was accepted. 10 questions to party bodies, all in order. For those less familiar with the process, here's a short reminder of what can happen with an amendment, or ...
There's a very striking detail in the latest polling from Lord Ashcroft. You might think that down at 8% in the 2015 general election the Lib Dems were pretty much down to the party's core support. But Ashcroft's polling shows that the level of core support for the party is even worse because only one quarter of the party's voters even in May 2015 were regular long-term loyal supporters: And thinking about the party you voted for in the 2015 general election, which of these statements comes closest to what you did? Of those who voted Lib Dem... I had ...
[IMG: wikimedia-org-flag-of-uk-home-nations-home_nations_flag-cc] I would like to contribute to the 'radical and distinctive' LibDem platform of the Radical Association. We should be proud of our devolution process, freely achieved without unrest and violence. But it has created inconsistencies underlined by the Scottish and EU referendums: We are a Union of four countries, each theoretically equal within the Union... Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a Parliament and First Minster England does not have a Parliament of its own, or a First Minister England does 'host' the 'national Parliament' to which the others also send 'MPs' But England has way more seats ...
Federal Conference Committee has published the text of the Europe motion it has selected for debate. This motion is open for amendment and amendments should be submitted in the usual way by 17.00 on Thursday 15th September. The amendments selected will be published in Conference Daily. You can download the motion here. * Andrew Wiseman is Chair of the Liberal Democrats' Federal Conference Committee.
From October the Barclays branch in Blyth will have restricted opening as follows:- Monday, Tuesday 9:30 to 4:30 Wednesday CLOSED all day Thursday, Friday 9:30 to 4:30 Posters in branch encourage use of Internet and 'Phone banking, but that's all well and good for some services. But how do you pay in cash or cheques. I was in earlier today, and half a dozen businesses were paying into business accounts . Also there were a couple of "elderly" customers, who with every respect are unlikely to have internet access Is this reduction in hours an excuse for cutting staff? Is ...
For those of you who don't follow me on twitter: - we got burgled last night. - they took small, easily carried things like laptops, wallets, and the phone I'd just sold on ebay - The police have been fantastic, especially responding officer PC Lewis and Fiona from the crime scene unit. - for various reasons (which I'll maybe talk about publicly later) we are hopeful they'll get caught, and we'll get at least some of our stuff back - response from internet friends has been amazing. You're all lovely, and anyone who says internet friends are not REAL friends ...
Back in 1972 I was an undergraduate in London. I was active in the YL's and was one of the small group who started going to Sutton and Cheam to help deliver the first Focus leaflet soon after it was announced the Tory MP Sir Richard Sharples was to be Governor of Bermuda. On more than one occasion Trevor arranged to drive me back in to central London and fed me at the NLC. I learned a great deal from those meal time conversations. I have never lived in Liverpool or been involved in the day to day politics of ...
This may come as a surprise. It may even be a shock to some of my friends who are aware of my lifelong political views, but I've decided to go purple. It's taken a lot of heart searching to come to this decision as you might expect. I've spent hours agonising over this move. I hope that none of you ... The post 10,000 steps a day – day 12 – why I've gone purple appeared first on ten pence piece.
Embed from Getty Images The Transatlantic Slave Trade, famine in India, Social Darwinist programs across the globe (which included racial science influencing policy and creating what were effectively concentration camps for indigenous peoples in Australia and in South Africa during the second Boer War) and the destruction of the city of Benin - the United Kingdom is far from an innocent player on the international stage. Even in the modern age, our hands are not exactly clean. Churchill openly endorsed eugenics and now-illegal warfare (saying in one letter that he saw no issues with "giving the natives a sniffle", regarding ...
[IMG: It's a long way up!] Sheila, Keith, Jan and I took the opportunity last Saturday to climb up to the top of Christ Church Bell Tower to see some spectacular views across Lancashire and Merseyside. The tower and church were open as part of the free Heritage Open Days opportunities to see things that are not normally open to the public. [IMG: The narrow spiral 107 steps] The narrow spiral 107 steps The Church sits at the highest point in Aughton so climbing all the 107 steps to the top of the tower afforded a great vista. [IMG: Wooden ...
In the early hours of the morning of June 24th, everything we understood about the UK's relationship with the rest of Europe changed. The European Union and our belief in its goals of peace and economic prosperity is an enormous part of what it is to be a Liberal Democrat. We are internationalist, co-operative, tolerant. And as that reality sank in we realised there was another consequence: What did this mean for our relationship with the rest of the UK? Scottish Liberal Democrats have spent years campaigning for a strong Scotland within the UK, for a federal UK that pools ...
Instagram Daddy has steak. And an audience [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: britain-eu-intolerance-story_647_062816095324] In a few hours we gathered just over 250 signatures on a not-that-busy street. Some were delighted to sign. Some were relieved that we were not taking the opposite position. Some said their businesses would struggle without people from other parts of the EU. More worrying was the small minority who disagreed, loudly wanting foreigners to "go home". A prize for confusion goes to the person who said that, and then added that she wanted to retire to France. Then came an apparently-xenophobic attack on two Poles in Harlow and Theresa May's assertion that curbing immigration will take ...
Embed from Getty Images In six months' time I turn 40. This isn't a total shock - the previous 39 birthdays have prepared me pretty well for the eventuality - but it is an unignorable milestone. I don't have a "before I'm 40" bucket-list. Just as well: a small child, full-time job and newly-renovated house needing decorating (in order of importance) don't allow for the "must do's" that online lists prescribe: visit Australia, start a business, play an instrument, go to Glastonbury, write a book, etc. But I like reading and I want to make the time to do more ...
[IMG: Parking Sandgate High Street / Gough Road] Kent Trading Standards continue to receive reports of bogus Blue Badge websites offering to assist with applications and charging £49 for a Blue Badge. These websites are not associated with the Blue Badge Service and the application form supplied by these websites is not accepted by Local Authorities. The official Blue Badge costs £10. Information about the Blue Badge scheme including how to apply or renew a Blue Badge can be found by visiting the Kent County Council website. For advice and to report issues to KCC Trading Standards contact Citizens Advice ...
It's a personal rule of thumb that, if a television or radio show includes the name of the presenter, it's intended to be entertaining rather than informative. So, the Morecambe and Wise Show was funny, Weekend World was serious news. And so, the Dermot Murnaghan/Emily Thornberry exchange over the weekend merely serves to reinforce my theory. Giving the Shadow Foreign Secretary a pop quiz may have seemed vaguely humorous, but it was hardly news. Was it sexist? Possibly, you'd have to ask young Murnaghan that (and actually, why shouldn't he be held accountable for his actions?), but it is an ...
After a consultation which attracted 3,600 responses, the Conservatives were forced to rethink their original plans for library cuts but unfortunately the new plans are very much a mixed bag. The good news is that people in Chipping Sodbury have come together to save their library as a volunteer-run service and several other communities have offered to run libraries in village halls and other venues. The use of new technology to open library buildings for longer is also welcome. Those aged 16 and over will be able to register to access libraries with their library card when staff aren't present. ...
[IMG: Scottish Parliament 3] What are our MPs, MSPs, MEPs and AM's going to be talking about this coming week? Holyrood On Tuesday, MSPs hear a statement on how the SNP government intends to resolve the mess they've made on agricultural payments. There is also a debate on housing. Given that the government moved the goalposts on house building and the number of houses built for social rent has fallen well below both need and target, there is a great deal of jelly to be nailed to the wall. On Wednesday there is a debate on Brexit and the UK's ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2016 Scottish Water Clatto East (Mains Renewal) - Logie Street (Loons Road to City Road) closed southbound until Wednesday 14 September and City Road (Logie Street to Tullideph Road) closed until Monday 12 September. Temporary traffic lights at Loons Road/Gardner Street junction until Wednesday 14 September. Rosefield Street and Peddie Street closed for one week. Lochee Road (Tullideph Road to Park Street) closed southbound from Monday 19 September for 2 weeks. Perth Road (Glamis Road to West Park Road) - closed for 7 ...
Be careful what you wish for may well be the phrase that becomes most associated with the Brexiteers as yet another consequence of the leave vote becomes apparent. The Independent reports that families have been warned of a possible £40 'holiday tax' to travel to the EU as the price of Brexit. The paper describes this as a bombshell Government admission but really, what did they expect? Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed that a Brussels scheme that would require permission to be granted - and a fee paid - before departure could be adopted, saying "We don't rule it out." ...
[IMG: polling_station] One answer is to wait and see: a general election in October would point to a different strategy from one early in 2017, and as Liberal Democrats, we don't have resources to invest a lot in an election that doesn't happen. But the appointment of a slate of Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) and putting things in place for an election campaign is an opportunity to put forward strong party values and to engage with people who have joined recently in shock at the referendum result. If we get it right, what we do now helps to shape the ...
