An interesting interview with Nick Clegg appears on the Huffington Post. Watch the video clips here to find out his views on Russia, the dynamics of President Trump and what he refers to as "Brexit by Daily Mail." He also outlines what he would have brought to the Remain campaign and is pretty caustic about George Osborne and David Cameron. The answer to the question in the headline is Michael Gove, most recently pictured doing a very obsequious thumbs up next to Donald Trump. Listen to find out what else Nick thinks the two have in common. And, of course, ...
Nick Clegg has been reselected by his local constituency party in the event of a snap general election. Asked today by Huffington Post whether he would stand against for Parliament if the next general election is not until 2020 he said: I genuinely haven't made up my mind yet. More from the interview over on Huffington Post.
It's official: it's a hard Brexit. We're not just exiting the EU, confirmed Theresa May today, we're also exiting the single market and probably the customs union also. Now, I'm a Remainer and last year's 23rd June result left me pretty numbed. Not because I'm emotionally attached to the EU — I've long counted myself a liberal Eurosceptic who's actually pretty embarrassed by the way too many Lib Dems fetishise the EU — but because Vote Leave owed its majority to naked xenophobia. We don't know exactly how many of the 52% belong to the send-the-bloody-foreigners-back-home brigade. But I'm pretty ...
Thanks to Open Culture for posting this extraordinary and unexpected film: During World War II, Walt Disney entered into a contract with the US government to develop 32 animated shorts. Nearly bankrupted by Fantasia (1940), Disney needed to refill its coffers, and making American propaganda films didn't seem like a bad way to do it. On numerous occasions, Donald Duck was called upon to deliver moral messages to domestic audiences (see The Spirit of '43 and Der Fuehrer's Face). But that wasn't the case with Education for Death: The Making of Nazi, a film shown in U.S. movie theaters in ...
Tue 17th
21:33
Just because Paul Nuttall is from the North, it doesn't mean he will appeal to Northern voters
When Paul Nuttall was elected leader of Ukip the commentators told us Labour should be afraid. Nuttall came from the North, therefore he would appeal to Labour voters in the North. That was, of course, nonsense. It was like saying the Conservatives should be afraid of Jeremy Corbyn because he came from the South and would therefore appeal to Southern Conservative voters. What it revealed was that, to too many commentators, the North of England is a homogeneous and unknown region stretching from somewhere just beyond Toddington Services to the Scottish Border. It is populated, they imagine, by men with ...
When I was a councillor we voted each year on the charges for collecting commercial refuse. Inevitably, one of the older Tories or Independents would get up to say how unfair it was that businesses had to pay for collection twice. They had to pay business rates and then pay the council's charges. This objection was always brushed aside. Councils just didn't work like that and, besides, we needed the money. But at the back of my mind was an sense of disquiet. Didn't the old councillor have a point? If businesses had paid their local taxes, shouldn't local government ...
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[IMG: Theresa May] 12 entire points later nobody is any clearer on what the Conservatives or Labour want from Brexit. The only thing we know is that we will be pulled out of the Single Market. Putting the economy at huge risk. As Liberal Democrats we are the only party with a credible plan for Britain. Let's make [...]
All Souls pantomimes are a Southport institution. All institutions need to adapt to survive and All Souls did that gloriously with their Sleeping Beauty show this year. There was an exciting and innovative use of high quality video not just in the opening sequence but throughout the show that added to the production. Nothing was lost from the traditional format we had all the usual gender bending devices; a script writing Dame, a principal boy, a precious item the audience have to guard ( a dragon slaying sword) and masses of audience participation- oh yes we did. The jokes were ...
Second frame of third page: (a bird steals a biscuit from Jeremiah's bag) I asked a friend some time back which Flemish comic series he would recommend, and without too much hesitation he name Jeremiah, an extended story about the odyssey of Jeremiah and his buddy Kurdy through a post-apocalyptic America. So I got this volume, whose title translates as "The Rifle in the Water" and then lost it for several years, finding it only the other day in a big household cleanup. I have to say I wasn't hugely impressed. Jeremiah and Kurdy encounter an extended family in the ...
[IMG: The LGA Lib Dems support Liberal Democrat council groups across England & Wales] This council notes: with anger the lack of any extra funding for social care in the Local Government Finance Settlement as announced in December 2016; that by bringing forward council tax raising powers in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government has simply shifted the burden of tackling a national crisis onto councils and [...]
I've listened to two speeches in the last 24 hours. One motivated me to redouble my efforts to support a cause I've long supported. The other left me depressed and worried about the future direction of our country. It was a rather dry lecture from a philosopher that gave me hope. It was the Prime Minister who gave me cause for worry. Prof AC Grayling told an audience in Bristol that Brexit was a national emergency to which we should respond with all forms of peaceful resistance. Theresa May set out her Brexit plan and it's much harder to bear ...
We live in a 7 day a week society/economy these days and I often wonder if there is not more traffic on our roads on a Sunday than any other day. But this is not really a posting about the rights and wrongs about Sunday trading. I'm an atheist so the religious angles are not an issue for me but I am also a trade unionist and I really do fear the exploitation of workers and a breakdown of family life. However, I will leave those aspects to one side for now. No, the reason for this posting is associated ...
[IMG: candidates-photos-04-11-034] It was Jim's funeral today and it was nice to see so many folks turning out to pay their respects to a chap who had dedicated much of his life to the Maghull and wider Sefton Borough community. Both the current Mayors of Sefton and Maghull were there as well as 2 former Sefton Mayors and 4 former Maghull Mayors, so Jim was getting a great send off. Here are a few photos about Jim's work on the council. The first photo is of the 1984 opening ceremony of Maghull Town Hall and Jim is 3rd from the ...
Merseyside Police: Meols Ward January - March Newsletter covering Crossens, Churchtown & Marshside.
The British people have voted. It was close however the message was clear - 'we want our country back, we want to control our borders, we will be better off outside the EU'. I found out about the result on sunny morning in Rome where I was attending an interesting meeting of people who are involved in public and civic life. As you can imagine, I was inundated with questions from people from Italy, Spain, Argentina, Slovenia or even South Korea. As an EU migrant, someone who doesn't hold the British citizenship, I have been part of the referendum debate ...
The ALDE Group is surprised by the letter and press release sent by Mr Gianni Pittella accusing its leader Guy Verhofstadt not to have taken their proposals seriously. ALDE spokesman Jeroen Reijnen: "In election campaigns people get excited. But it would be wise if Mr. Pittella sticks to the facts." "First of all, he never ... Continue reading ALDE Tell Pittella: 'Stick to the Facts'
Commenting after the Prime Minister's speech on Brexit, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said: "This afternoons speech has confirmed that the Conservatives are hell bent on a hard Brexit regardless of what the impact will be on millions of people through higher prices and greater instability. "Withdrawing from the Single Market and the ... Continue reading Rennie Aghast at 'Democratic Stitch Up'
Tue 17th
12:52
Farron: May is leading the UK towards a hard Brexit that was never on the ballot paper
Reacting to Theresa May's Brexit speech, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: Theresa May is leading the UK towards a hard Brexit that was never on the ballot paper. This is a theft of democracy, a presumption that the 51.9% of people who voted to leave meant the most extreme version of Brexit available. The BBC reports further remarks from Tim: Lib Dem leader Tim Farron says Mrs May has adopted "Nigel Farage's Brexit plan" which is bad news for the UK, accusing the prime minister of "waving the white flag across the white cliffs of Dover" regarding single market ...
The Scottish Liberal Democrats today said the SNP Government's decision to abandon more ambitious housing policies has contributed to a rise in the number of children in temporary accommodation, after new figures showed a 17% year-on-year increase. Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Caron Lindsay commented: "The rising number of children living in temporary accommodation is a ... Continue reading Lindsay Slams SNP Over Housing Policy
This weekend the Federal Board met for the first time. It was great to have such a mix of new talent and experience to drive the party forward. You may have noticed during the elections to Party committees late last year that there would be a second round of elections to some of our more specialised party committees, not least the Federal People Development Committee and the Federal Finance and Resources Committee. While all members are invited to seek nominations to these committees (and a variety of other individual posts - see here for details), due to the specialised nature ...
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said that the latest A&E waiting times are "simply horrendous" after they recorded the worst performance since March 2015. In the week ending 8th January, performance against A&E target was at 87.9% with over 3,000 patients waiting more than 4 hours to be seen. 454 patients ... Continue reading Cole-Hamilton Slams 'Horrendous' A & E Waiting Times
Major catastrophes often arise out the disproportionately small. The First World War arose from a conflict between a second-rate power and a third-rate power over a tiny Balkan province. Some time before Britain's referendum last year, I and some friends were speculating on the impact of a Brexit vote. I suggested that the it would be so ... Continue reading Brexit makes the Nortern Ireland crisis harder to solve. That should make us worried. →
Bury Council's Liberal Democrat Group has submitted its formal response, and objection, in the consultation on the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework. The full response is below, with the key points being: – We do not want to see any building on green belt land, certainly not before brownfield sites and existing planning permissions have been used first and empty houses have been brought back into use. – We object specificially to the use of large sections of green belt land for thousands of houses. – We believe that the share of green belt to be lost in Bury is unfair ...
I was surprised when the BBC in its TV news bulletins yesterday (Monday 16th of January) interviewed our Nick Clegg by way of reaction to the infamous Trump interview by Gove and Bild Zeitung. Nick said that Britons and Europeans need to realize that from Trumps Inauguration, Europa has two big powers' presidents who wish the EU to disintegrate; his words were "who wish the EU ill". In a previous posting, I enumerated how Socialist parties in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain have withered away; and how leaders of such parties like Corbyn and the Dutch Lodewijk Asscher ...
This is a reminder that I welcome guest posts on Liberal England. And as you can see from the list of the 10 most recent guest posts below, I am happy to consider a wide range of subjects. If you would like to write a guest post yourself, please send me an email so we can discuss your idea. We are all the poorer for soundbite politics - Tony RobertsonA few thoughts on walking - Phil SmithThe mad, mad world of Maghull Town Council - Tony RobertsonWhat the US can do to end the Gaza conflict? - Daphne Holmes"You're all ...
No sooner is one planning consultation out of the way, than another one comes along. By the end of 2018, South Glos has to publish a new Local Plan for 2018-2036. It will review and eventually replace existing local planning documents, including the Core Strategy and the Policies, Sites and Places Plan. The Joint Spatial Plan for the West of England, which was consulted on before Christmas, will set out the overall amount of residential and employment development and where it should be located in the West of England, as well as the infrastructure to support it. One of the ...
The long awaited speech, laying out Theresa May's plan for Brexit, has finally reached us. She will describe her twelve negotiating objectives for leaving the EU (which hasn't been trailed to the press, so we all need to wait and see on that one) at 11:45 this morning. There is enough vagueness in it that single market desperados will seize on – such as her "four key "principles", and how they differ from the twelve objectives I can't say, which are: a stronger Britain, a fairer Britain, a truly global Britain, and certainty and clarity. Draw your own joke from ...
ALDE and EPP form pro-European coalition ALDE and EPP have formed a pro-European coalition to reform Europe. The coalition invites other Groups to join. EPP leader Manfred Weber said: "The EPP Group has always been pushing for an approach that is based on partnership – we remain true to that principle and will continue to ... Continue reading ALDE & EPP Announce New Pro-European Coalition
Last week, I advised that there will shortly be an extension to the food waste collection service to the Perth Road Lanes and surrounding areas. The update also contained details of a drop-in event at Blackness Library for residents - you can read the earlier update here. A number of residents have asked the precise area covered and therefore please note this map and boundary below :This extension of the food waste recycling to this area (plus Brown Street) in the West End completes the roll out of food recycling in the West End Ward.
The Liberal Democrat Federal Board (whose role in the party is a bit like the board of directors of a company) will shortly be holding a series of elections for various key party posts. Some of these are posts where the candidates have to be members of the Federal Board, such as the two Vice Chairs of the Federal Board we'll shortly be electing. But many of them are open to any party member to apply for. The posts up for election which are open to all party members are: Registered Treasurer, who is also then the Chair of the ...
Bury Council allocates £8,000 per Township Forum (e.g. £8,000 for Prestwich) for locally funded projects, and a further £8,000 per year for cross ward projects covering a wider area. [IMG: screenshot-2017-01-17-08-23-22] There is quite a lot of money left in this year's budget (which ends 31 March), so if you are involved in a local community group or project – please apply! Application pack here. Please just get in touch if you need a local councillor as a referee – we will ask a little information about the project but are very happy to support worthwhile local causes.
A proven way to prevent cervical cancer is to have cervical screening to find pre-cancers before they can turn into invasive cancer. This is called a smear test and every woman over the age of 25 who is†registered at a GP is†invited to have one every 3 years; if youíre younger you can still make a request through your GP. [IMG: mycouncillor-image-cervical-cancer-prevention-2] Cervical screening prevents 75% of cervical cancers from developing which is why three quarters of women attend screenings when invited. Getting that final quarter of women that donít currently turn up for testing is the goal for Cervical ...
Heaton Park already has an Orchard, but it is in a very poor state. At the moment it's overgrown, there's too many weeds and a only few apple trees. So our friends at EAT Pennines are going to revitalise it and use it for our community, underprivileged kids and to offer training courses. They will clear the weeds, grown new trees and have even promised to grow Blackthorn, whose berries are used for sloe gin. To achieve this, they've started a Crowdfunding page and aim to raise £12,580. [IMG: image-17-01-2017-at-08-13] They already have over 12% of their target but need ...
Bury's NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is meeting tomorrow (Wednesday 18 January 2017) to determine the fate of the two Walk-In Centres in Bury (Bury and Prestwich). [IMG: screenshot-2016-09-06-09-00-46] The report which will be considered by the Board Members, recommends 'Option 1', which is to go ahead with the closures. The result of the 'public engagement' undertaken by the CCG shows that 85% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposals. The reports explains that the majority of concerns and objections were from the Prestwich area. Only one petition was received by the CCG objecting to the closures, ...
Drawing on Kleinian / group relations language It seems worth expressing this in terms of language that the world of group relations has developed from the work of Melanie Klein. In looking at small children, Klein developed two terms to describe the early stages of mental life (though inevitably this is a simplification). She coined the terms "paranoid-schizoid" and "depressive" positions for them — the terms are a little unfortunate, because they don't mean that someone is paranoid or schizoid or depressed, but it seems worth staying with them. She suggests that these are not stages we move through, but ...
The Secrets of LinkedIn Worth going through your connections and removing the ones you don't really know. (tags: linkedin ) A 10-point guide to responsible leadership in the age of populism Some reflections. (tags: politics )
Brexiteers who are clinging to Trump's promise of a quick trade deal with the UK as justification for the mess they have got us into, may live to regret their early enthusiasm. These things are not as straightforward as they seem. We have the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as evidence that these deals come at a cost As Nick Clegg points out in this article, the free-for-all nature of the US economy could lead to a different standard applying to the goods we import into this country from Trump's America: Mr Clegg accused Brexit supporters of believing in a ...
This blog post is a request post. Specifically, it's at the request of my wife, Holly. You get to request posts too, if you're married to me. Anyway, there's a story going round social media, backed up by links to ... Continue reading →
