For the last year Liberal Democrats on Durham County Council have pressed for negotiations to resolve issues around the variety of contracts currently held by the county's teaching assistants. We therefore warmly welcome the council's change of direction, withdrawal of dismissal notices, and the promise of a real review of Teaching Assistants' roles, functions, job descriptions and activities to see whether they properly reflect their true value. We remain wary, however, because the county council has previously firmly dismissed any suggestion of such negotiations. That's why Liberal Democrat councillors have put down questions for the next full council meeting to ...

Posted by Owen Temple on Owen Temple & Margaret Nealis

This week's by-election results will be dominated by the news from Richmond Park, but first in was a moderately rare Tuesday by-election in Scotland. The SNP gained a seat from the independents, though courtesy of the ward last time not only having elected multiple candidates but moreover by STV, the vote share changes may not have given you much of a clue about that: Arbroath East (Angus): SNP 35.0% (-8.8) CON 27.0% (+12.2) IND 17.2% (+17.2) IND 11.8% (+11.8) LAB 6.7% (-6.0) LD 2.3% (-0.7) SNP gain. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) November 29, 2016

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Southbourne (Chichester) result: Lib Dem – Jonathan Brown: 57.7% (+15.8) CON: 25.8% (-32.3) UKIP: 11.8% (+11.8) LAB: 4.7% (+4.7) LD GAIN

Independent seat. Cause: disqualification. LD candidate: Emanuel Andjelic.

UKIP seat. Cause: resignation. LD candidate: Jason Jones. To help, please call 07789642394.

The poet Burns writes: Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Embed from Getty Images Before the cool kids tired of Pokemon Go I wrote: It is good to see children out on a summer evening exploring the streets and seeing things the adults around them cannot.I had similar feelings when reading this story on the Guardian website today: It is drizzling and cold in Salford, but a class of eight- and nine-year-olds from Lewis Street school in Patricroft are buzzing as their teachers lead them down the streets of terraced houses between classes. They stride through a park, dodging an abandoned car seat, to swipe lanyards against three street sensors ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Embed from Getty Images The European referendum and the American Presidential election went his way, but last night Vladimir Putin's man failed to win the world chess championship. After their 12-game match was tied, Magnus Carlsen retained his title by beating the challenger Sergey Karjakin in a four-game play off at a much faster time limit. It led to exciting chess - Carlsen finished the play off by sacrificing his queen to force mate - but that is like settling a drawn Ashes series with a Twenty20 game. The play in the match proper was not exciting, and this was ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

A new set of automatically updated campaign buttons is now available for Liberal Democrat websites.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

We know that Lord Bonkers was an early champion of the Rutbeat sound and that the real David Watts (the one we all wish we could be like) came from Rutland. Now, thanks to Ned Rutland on Twitter, comes further evidence of the little county's central place in musical history. The other day I pointed out that "Roger Daltrey didn't die before he got old: he bought a fish farm." And that fish farm, or at least one of the fish farms Daltrey, owned was Horn Mill Trout Farm on the Gwash in Rutland.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
YouGov

More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe as Scott Morrison, Federal Treasurer, tries to stay on message.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

In my day we didn't get chocolates in our Advent calendars. We got little pictures - perhaps a drum or a ball - with the highlight being the Holy Family behind the final (double) window, And we were happy. Inspired by that I am doing a Advent calendar with my own photographs this year. Some will have appeared here before, but I shall also use it as a chance to present new ones. We begin with an old favourites - I just wish I had taken it as a landscape shot. It shows the ruined engine house at White Grit ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

[IMG: alde-congress-2016] Yes, it's election time again, as the ALDE Party elects different positions in alternate years, the Presidency and some Vice-Presidents in odd-numbered years, the Treasurer and a few more Vice-Presidents in even-numbered years. This year, there is no British interest, with Ros Scott having been safely elected as a Vice-President last year. As for the Treasurer, it looks as though there will be a intra-Slovene handover, with outgoing Treasurer, Roman Jakič, expected to be replaced by the sole candidate, Gašper Koprivsek from SMC (Modern Centre Party). There are five candidates for three Vice-Presidential slots; Henrik Bach Mortensen, from ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Democrat Voice

Second paragraph of third chapter:'Your suite is on the first floor, sir,' Major Wolff said. 'It faces the sea.'I read this when I was twelve, in 1979, a completely unsuitable age to read a novel about an American airman landing on occupied Jersey just before D-Day and causing mayhem. (A phrase from the one and only sex scene, "Her neat round buttocks bouncing", has lingered with me for almost four decades.) Even aged twelve I knew a bit about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands - I think the Observer, which we used to read religiously on Sundays,. must ...

Highways England were having another one of their regular crisis issues on the M6 today between junctions 19 and 18 and sadly we were in it! Goodness knows how long we were in the jam, well over an hour I think but the really frustrating part of it was that we were on our way to funeral in Mansfield, which is about 100 miles away by road from our Merseyside home. We had allowed 3 3/4 hours for the journey, which takes 2 1/2 on a good day but we had to give up and return home when we finally ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

Update 1 December 2016 Gill George from Shropshire Defend Our NHS has reported on Facebook: There was a fair bit of conflict today at a Board meeting of SaTH, the organisation that runs maternity services in Shropshire. They were challenged on all sorts of things... We got a commitment that Ludlow's renal dialysis service won't... Continue reading Health chiefs will decide today on unacceptable proposal to close Ludlow's renal unit →

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington

America's science community is getting organised as never before to hold the new administration and Congress to account More than 2300 scientists—including 22 Nobel laureates—this week issued an open letter, outlining how they want the Trump administration and 115th Congress to make use of scientific evidence and expert advice. It remains open for signatures here. The letter calls on the president-elect to appoint cabinet members with a track record of supporting science and promoting diversity; to protect the integrity and independence of government researchers; and to provide sufficient funding for scientific research and data collection. Continue reading...

Posted by Guardian Staff on Political science | The Guardian

 

Four ambassadors from different EU countries have spoken to Sky News under the guise of Chatham House rules (which means the quotes can be made public but not directly attributed) saying that each of them has had separate conversations with Boris Johnson in which he has said that he personally supports the principle of freedom of movement. Sources at the FCO have immediately struck back hard, declaring the whole suggestion that Boris said any of this to be "a total lie". It seems odd that four separate ambassadors would tell the same story to one news outlet in very similar ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

[IMG: alde-congress-2016] Welcome to Warsaw, where the cranes are busy bringing new skyscrapers to the city's skyscape (don't try to say that quickly...), and a thousand liberals from across Europe are meeting over the next three days. To some extent, the event is dominated by Brexit – our sister parties are keen to adopt a common position on a European negotiating position, whilst simultaneously showing their support for pro-European forces in the United Kingdom (that would appear, given the Labour Party's dithering on the subject, to be us). The welcome so far appears to be as warm as the outdoor ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Democrat Voice
eUKhost
Thu 1st
10:17

Clock this!

[IMG: santa-clock] I'm delighted to report that Durham County Council, Cllr Derek Hicks, Cllr Alex Watson, and I have reached agreement to replace the clock which once stood at the bottom of the bus station. The difference will be that this will be a much more substantial clock than the one which preceded it – essential if it is to stand up to Consett's notorious climate. It's a shared endeavour which includes not only the cost of the clock and its installation, but also money set aside to ensure that the future costs of repair and electricity can be met, ...

Posted by Owen Temple on Owen Temple & Margaret Nealis

Investigatory Powers Bill officially passes into law, giving Britain the 'most extreme spying powers ever seen' | The Independent RT @TheGreenParty: Security services now have unprecedented powers to spy on us - it'll come back to bite us in future years. #IPBill It's Time For a New Kind of Power Fantasy - How We Get To Next RT @kezamacdonald: A timely evaluation of the worrying role of the technology-enabled "male power fantasy" in our disquieting times: BISCUIT ORIGINAL ART FOR SALE RT @Thebeastmustdie: I'm selling some original Biscuit art pieces: Perfect Christmas gift I'd say! Secret Santa?... The Lib Dems ...

The controversy has only just begun. Yesterday morning, the Future Fit board firmed up its recommendations on how to split services between the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princes Royal Hospital in Telford. Both hospitals will have urgent care centres (UCCs) open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is predicted that the... Continue reading At last Future Fit publishes plans for the future of Shropshire's main hospitals →

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington

Liberals are traumatised by the Brexit vote in Britain and Donald Trump's victory in the USA. The margins were very fine in both cases, but that is little comfort. Things weren't meant to be that close. And more shocks could be to come. It isn't too late to fight back. But how? And here there is ... Continue reading Competence, cosmopolitanism and change. And fewer experts needed forthe liberal fightback →

Posted by Matthew on thinking liberal

[IMG: The closed Stafford Moreton Youth Centre and the old Maghull Library] The closed Stafford Moreton Youth Centre and the old Maghull Library Well this is the word on the streets. The original planning application has been changed a bit (via a revised one) but the applicant is still Netto Ltd so no clue there. Indeed, the new plans do not show a retailer's name on them at all. However, my understanding is that it is actually going to be a Home Bargains store. Or is that a Home & Bargain Store to us locals? [IMG: The site after the ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

All welcome at the One World Centre Open Evening on 6th December but do please advise of your attendance in advance by e-mailing secretary@oneworldcentre.org.uk - many thanks :

I have covered the problems of flooding at these two sites within Lydiate before. One is on the Maghull/Lydiate boundary on Southport Road adjacent to Astor Court, the other is in Lambshear Lane between Lydiate Village Centre and Oakhill Drive. Here, as a reminder, are a couple of photo's of the problems that manifest themselves after heavy rain:- [IMG: This outside Astor Courts flats on Southport Road, Lydiate] This outside Astor Courts flats on Southport Road, Lydiate [IMG: This is the flooding in Lambshear Lane, Lydiate] This is the flooding in Lambshear Lane, Lydiate The reason for raising them again ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

Local and county health services are changing. Most readers of this blog will know of Future Fit, the programme to transform health services across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. In recent weeks, we have been engaged with the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) and its implications for the county and Ludlow. I'll write more on... Continue reading Neighbourhood health and wellbeing workshop: Ludlow 9 December 2016 →

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington

Donald Tusk rebuffs British MPs' call for expats rights deal Good for Tusk. UK must make first move. (tags: ukpolitics eu brexit ) Startups be warned: Something weird happens to companies when they hit 150 people Importance of structure. (tags: work psychology ) How to manipulate Donald Trump. @Saletan on top form. (tags: uspolitics ) PIN number analysis How common is yours? (tags: mathematics )

Durham County Council's decision to suspend the dismissal notices it had issued to many of its teaching assistants is very welcome – and long overdue. Likewise its decision to undertake a review of teaching assistants' roles, functions, job descriptions and activities to see whether they properly reflect their true value. I wouldn't be human, however, if I felt no sense of irony in the fact that this is exactly the course of action that I was filibustered out of proposing at a council meeting a year ago, and for which I was accused of hypocrisy a month later. Teaching Assistants ...

Posted by Owen Temple on Owen Temple & Margaret Nealis

Labour-run Redcar and Cleveland Council appears to want to split Roseberry Library up with the books going into the 25K Community Centre, the IT section staying where it is and Adult Education taking over the purpose built Library building, as part of the Council's cost cutting Shaping Our Future 3 programme. But the possible partial closure of the library is unacceptable. My Newcomen Ward Lib Dem Community Campaigners Laura Benson (pictured centre) and my daughter Kelly Seaman (left) have joined the campaign and hope to encourage more people to sign our online petition. The Council should leave Roseberry Library intact ...

Posted by Chris Abbott on Chris Abbott

Once upon a time Sammy Wilson and I shared a classroom. One of our Economics teachers started a new job and for the last weeks of our first A'Level year Sammy Wilson stepped in. Just over 15 months later I was at Kingston Polytechnic (as it then was) studying for my degree in Economics. In those early months I met a young man who was the first person I knew who was living with HIV. This was that dark old days of the 80s and ignorance was still rife about how HIV was transmitted with rumours about shaking hands, or ...

Posted by Stephen Glenn on Stephen's Liberal Journal