Claims made by Councillor David Barton at (21st September) Southport Area Committee that an unnamed officer from Merseyside Police sanctioned his plans for a 'private army' to patrol the streets of Southport has prompted a senior Lib Dem councillor to call for an inquiry. Birkdale councillor Simon Shaw is Vice-Chair of the Merseyside Police Panel which oversees the work of the Police Commissioner. He was written to the Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, asking her to ensure that "Merseyside Police investigate to establish who is telling the truth here." Last week suspended Conservative councillor David Barton announced his controversial plan for a ...
The Liberator Song Book brought out a new edition (again) this year. There are some new songs and one or two from the back catalogue of the 1960's and 70's. One such 'For all the Trots' -a song which one can't but help feel has some contemporary relevance-was included despite the editors failure to track down the tune. I was able to help out, it was set to the tune written by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906 for the hymn 'For All the Saints' which he called Sine Nomine (literally, "without name") in reference to its use on the Feast ...
Today's rather alarming Trivial Fact of the Day comes from a Shropshire Star article about Jonny Keeley, the new Liberal Democrat councillor for Bishop's Castle. More about him here.
Commenting on plans unveiled by the government to force businesses to reveal how many foreign staff they employ, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: The Government's plan on foreign workers is a nasty little policy that deserves to be thrown out on the rubbish heap. This threatens to further stoke the resentment that has seen increases in hate crime across our country. Only the Liberal Democrats are fighting to keep Britain open, tolerant and united. This policy has also shown that Conservatives are now not the party of business, the Liberal Democrats are. But this issue is about more than ...
How much should a top-level sportsperson be expected to take responsibility for themselves?That's a question I find myself asking after the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) ruled that Maria Sharapova's suspension from tennis for taking a banned performance-enhancing substance should be reduced from 24 months to 15.There is a principle in anti-doping that all athletes are responsible for what is in their body. That means if a banned substance is found, the player is guilty. Simple.Except it's not. There are always grey areas, and the cases in the past where players have pleaded for bans to be overturned ...
Second paragraph of third story ("Retreat from Earth"): So, forty million years after the last of the old ones had gone to his eternal rest, men began to rear their cities where once the architects of a greater race had flung their towers against the clouds. And in the long echoing centuries before the birth of man, the aliens had not been idle but had covered half the planet with their cities, filled with blind, fantastic slaves, and though man knew these cities, for they often caused him infinite trouble, yet he never suspected that all around him in the ...
You may have read or heard in the local media that a company called Stef & Philips have told some residents in St Michael's Gate, Parnwell, they have to get out before Christmas after the firm won a contract with Peterborough City Council to accommodate homeless people in need of temporary accommodation. Unsurprisingly, there has been uproar [...]
Embed from Getty Images In response to the Prime Minister's conference speech in Birmingham, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: Regardless of the rhetoric, the Conservatives have moved to the right. The Prime Minister's words about a pitch to the centre-ground are utterly divorced from her party's actions over the last few days. The Conservatives are reckless, divisive and uncaring. They are the fence-building, snooping-on-your-emails, foreign-worker-listing party and that is something that most people will be revulsed by. Her opening speech prompted the pound to hit a 31-year low. Our NHS needs a new deal to secure its future and ...
[IMG: john-david] Lifelong Liberal stalwart John David died early on Monday morning. John David was an immense presence in the Pendle community who served as a Liberal and Liberal Democrat member of Pendle Borough Council for 28 years. He was elected in May 1986 for the Fence area until retiring in May 2014 due to ill health. He was Leader of the Council from 2008 to 2010 and Deputy Leader from 2012 to 2014, and served as a highly distinguished Mayor of Pendle in 1992/1993. A proud Welshman (not least when Wales were on the rugby field) John was a ...
[IMG: Willie Rennie, Alison Auld, Mike Rubles MSP and the team campaigning in Inverurie] Tomorrow is polling day in the Culloden and Ardersier Council by-election in High land Council. Our candidate Trish Robertson is fighting hard to win and is the challenger to the SNP. To help get out the vote tomorrow call Thomas Prag on 01463 791617. You can still help with telephone bank today VPB code7EEBA1F-2908. Hot on the heels of the Culloden by-election comes the Inverurie and District ward on Aberdeenshire Council. Alison Auld is leading the LIbDemfightback in the North East of Scotland and is campaigning ...
[IMG: Tims card] While Christmas may be some time away, it is already on my calendar to get our local Christmas cards sorted. To make sure you have time to print and stuff the cards, we are releasing this years template this week. Many Liberal Democrats send Christmas cards to every house in their ward. These are a [...]
I was very pleased to be invited to the launch of the 2017 Wallington and Carshalton Marie Curie Calendar, raising funds for the charity to provide care and support to people with terminal illnesses. This calendar is extra special as the photographs are of Carshalton scenes taken by popular local fine art photographer Julian Heath. [...]
Embed from Getty Images The Independent reports: A majority of people would rather the UK have a soft Brexit, which sees the country give concessions on EU immigration in return for access to the single market, a poll has found. The exclusive survey for The Independent by BMG Research revealed that people preferred the option compared to a hard Brexit that sees the UK leave the single market altogether to gain "full control" of its borders. The data, coming as Conservatives prepare for a battle at their conference over the terms of Britain's EU withdrawal, flies in the face of ...
A record number of runners almost 1300 turned out for the Matalan Merseyside 10k on Sunday morning. My job was to sound the hooter to start the race and to hand out the cups and cheques to the various winners. It was good to meet so many local runners including this gentleman who was from Litherland who attended Litherland High School Dejene Gezimu from Liverpool Harriers in an impressive time of 31 minutes and 26 seconds and first home in the women's race was Catherine Howard of Knowsley Harriers who crossed the finish line in 36 minutes and 36 seconds, ...
Embed from Getty Images Commenting on the Home Secretary's speech to the Conservative party conference, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: Amber Rudd delivered a speech that could have been written by John Redwood. The 'Nasty Party' hasn't come back, rather it seems it never went away. This speech is exhibit A on how the Liberal Democrats restrained the Tories. Without us they are showing their true colours: reckless, divisive and uncaring. All the Conservatives care about is tough rhetoric rather than helping those in need. Amber Rudd can't defend the indefensible, heartless inaction by the Government on ...
Below is an extract from the report that will go before West Lancashire Borough Councillors as they decide whether to allow the wind turbine development on land between Lydiate and Ince Blundell. 8.0 RECOMMENDATION 8.1 That planning permission be REFUSED for the following reasons:- Reason(s) for Refusal 1. The proposed development constitutes inappropriate development within the Green Belt which would be harmful to the Green Belt by definition, contrary to Policy GN1 in the West Lancashire Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. In addition the proposed development would have a significant adverse impact upon the openness of the ...
Once again, Manston Airport is in the news (BBC) and once again there is the danger that a golden opportunity to bring long term jobs, infrastructure and prosperity to the Thanet region is likely to be overlooked in favour of an easy, short term political solution of housing and light industry. Of course, once the housing is built the construction work dries up, and any light industry park/shopping units will be in direct competition for occupancy with Discovery Park at Sandwich and Ramsgate's Westwood development. Manston's long runway make it ideal for long haul and freight services and a post-Brexit ...
According to the 2001 Census, 5,484 local people in Peterborough were identified as unable to work as they were identified as long‐term sick or disabled. I suspect, they along with the hundreds of carers in our city, will be concerned to discover Peterborough's Tory MP was one of the parliamentarians who earlier this year supported plans for [...]
Having had time to digest conference season a little over the last 24 hours since returning home from Birmingham, I am left with few things that give me hope for the future. Liberalism is in trouble – by that I mean liberalism with a small "l", not just within the Liberal Democrats. The turn towards social conservatism within the Tories scared me – and not just because it is so far away from my own personal politics. It frightened me because I could see the unfortunate electoral genius in it all. With an unelectable Labour Party in situ, the Conservatives ...
Embed from Getty Images Mind you, we can talk: Embed from Getty Images Hat-tip: Greg Judge * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist. 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.
[IMG: Shepway District Council Sandgate Parking Consultation Notice on Granville Parade] Following the publication of Shepway District Council's decision to proceed with the Sandgate East CPZ, the remaining Council process open to us is to see the decision "called-in" to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. That committee can look at the decision in detail, the reasons it was taken, the evidence on which the decsion was based and make recommendations on either upholding, amending or changing the decision. Although the view of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is advisory and not compulsory, it gives the Cabinet Member for Transport as ...
Fear of other men teaches us to hate women - Medium Interesting piece about men and feminism from @MarkOneinFour Dissertation and Transgender RT @TransMediaWatch: Can you help with this student survey into trans people's attitudes to the media and how it portrays us? Associate Citizenship of the EU for those who voted to remain | Campaigns by You RT @po8crg: Please sign & RT this petition, it means a lot to me: via @38_degrees Instagram The things you write when running in a fresh ink cartridge... Spain wants UK to foot healthcare bill for British citizens - EurActiv.com RT @GrayInGlasgow: ...
[IMG: fitzgerald] Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald This is the third novel plucked from my my #40booksby40 list. Fitzgerald's been on my should-read list for ages. A Booker Prize-winner (beating Naipaul, Keneally) whose first book was published when she was 58, recently biographed by Hermione Lee, but still a little out of fashion (most of my friends looked blank when I mentioned her). Offshore is a surprise, both good and bad. Good because it's a quick, enjoyable read (just 140 pages). Its central character is Nessa, a 30-ish mum of two precociously articulate daughters, estranged from her husband and living on a ...
Embed from Getty Images There's a great line in the film Apollo 13 before the on-board emergency in the space ship. A character refers to the very low TV audience for the coverage of the mission saying: People at home are finding this as exciting as a day trip to Pittsburgh. The Clinton/Trump first TV debate was watched by an estimated audience of 83 million, breaking records. It appears that the parallel Vice-Presidential debate was as eagerly awaited as that day trip to Pittsburgh. I got up to watch it in the early hours of this morning. But then I ...
On a day when the main news was a man who once described himself as "19 stone of prime Welsh beef" misspeaking in his speech to Tory conference, the whole of the UK must have breathed a huge sigh of relief to have normality restored with yet another UKIP leadership contest. The Western Mail reports that as Welsh Tory leader, Andrew R.T. Davies wound up to the conclusion of his speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, he puffed out his chest, straightened his back and delivered the immortal line: "Mark my words, we will make breakfast.... Brexit, a ...
A plan that could change the character of our area has been published this week. The "Towards an Emerging Spatial Strategy" plan proposes: 1,500 new homes at Coalpit Heath 2,600 around Yate and Chipping SodburyUp to 1,000 homes at CharfieldUp to 600 homes at Thornbury 2,200 homes at a new garden village at Buckover near Thornbury That's on top of all the houses we already knew about. The plan, drawn up by Conservative-run South Gloucestershire Council in collaboration with the three other West of England Councils, will go out for consultation in November. This will come as a huge shock ...
Embed from Getty Images It's a little known political trivia answer that Suzanne Evans was leader of UKIP for a few days in May 2015. Nigel Farage stood down after losing Thanet South in the General Election and Ms Evans stood in for three days. Then the party's national executive commitee rejected Farage's resignation. Incredibly, now another UKIP leader has stood down after a few days. Diane James has resigned 18 days after being annointed by an awkward Farage non-kiss as leader. What is going on? Ms James has given these reasons for her resignation: ...it has become clear that ...
I have received complaints that at the pedestrian crossing on Riverside Avenue near Riverside Nature Park if a pedestrian presses button for green man, the wait is extraordinarily long. I have raised this with the City Council and the Head of Roads and Transportation has responded assuring me that this fault will be rectified.
Studies show messy people and those who swear may actually be smarter and more creative Comforting? (tags: psychology ) Mr Grayling is wrong about the Brexit dividend to station platforms A glorious takedown. (tags: ukpolitics eu rail brexit ) New crackdown on overseas students and work visas ...and you must publish how many foreigners you employ. (tags: ukpolitics eu migration brexit )
I can't remember a worse day in British politics than October 4th, 2016. Today ranked far below even last year's general election, when 49 of my party's MPs were defeated, and June 23rd, a date I thought had established itself as comfortably the worst domestic political event of my lifetime. I have spent the day in ... Continue reading Theresa May's Britain: disgraceful, unpatriotic and openly racist
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