Thursday nights are fun at the moment. Look at that swing! Congratulations to Andrew Doherty & @CotswoldLibDems on another GAIN! LD Andrew Doherty: 68.1% (+40.2) CON: 30.1% (-20.9) GRN: 1.8% (+1.8) pic.twitter.com/hYbtdoQlEJ — ALDC (@ALDC) February 9, 2017 And one more! A 2nd GAIN of the night – In North Norfolk DC, Waterside where Marion Millership makes it another win from the Conservatives. pic.twitter.com/gveKwJIWJV — ALDC (@ALDC) February 9, 2017 Well done to Andrew, Marion and their teams * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
One thing to note for people thinking about coming to Lib Dem spring conference for the first time, and so not familiar with its usual timings – the consultation sessions start on Friday afternoon and the formal business on Saturday morning. Download this document For more about conference, including why it's a great event for any Lib Dem member to come to, see Liberal Democrat conference: what you need to know. Keep up with news about Lib Dem conference If you'd like to be notified by email when further posts about Liberal Democrat conference appear on this blog, just sign ...
A bigger patch of by-elections this week after the thinner gruel of the last few weeks with five contests, as many as the three previous weeks put together. First in, another Lib Dem gain on a huge swing. Almost predictable at the moment: Liberal Democrat GAIN Fairford North (Cotswold) from Conservative. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 9, 2017
A variation on the switches from Labour: Robert Mclean, who stood for the Conservative Party at the 2016 Local Elections, has left the local party and is joining the Liberal Democrats. Mr Mclean said: "This is not a decision I have come to lightly or hastily and have given myself ample time to digest what people have said and recent events. "I have been concerned by how closely the local Conservative Party aligns with their Labour counterparts, for some time, despite clear issues with this administration and the deep divides in the Labour movement which only prove to hamper the ...
Conservative seat. Cause: resignation. LD candidate: Andy Doherty. To help please contact Chris Twells on 07952450943 or email chris@cotswoldlibdems.co.uk
Conservative seat. Cause: Disqualified. LD candidate: Marion Janet Millership.
Independent seat. Cause: Resignation. LD candidate: Matthew Charles Bensilum.
Conservative seat. Cause: Resignation. LD Candidate: Allen Lear. To help, please contact Trevor Poile on 07732 613927.
I took this photograph in the early 1980s, but the county sign makes it look as though it could have come from a Shell guide of the 1950s. Except there would probably have been more hedgerows in those days. It was taken by the A427, just east of Market Harborough. I remember walking up to Dingley and then back to town via Braybrooke.
Two weeks today the staff at Stoke-on-Trent City Council will be preparing to gather in the ballot boxes and count the votes that have been cast for each of the candidates. The simple truth is no-one knows what the result is, nor where the candidates will come, nor the number of votes cast. All we can do is assess what has gone before, run the campaign we want to run and seek to get out our supporters out on the day and ask them to vote for Dr Zulfiqar Ali. Lots of people sit behind their keyboard and make bold ...
Gosh, it was cold outside. Fortunately, the Church Room, where Parish Council meets, isn't very far away, and there's always tea available. Unfortunately, when I arrived, it was painfully clear that the heating hadn't been on, and it was almost as cold inside as it was outside. We were, only just, quorate, but both our District and County Councillors had shown up, as well as my near neighbour, Ginny. The reason for her attendance wasn't entirely clear to me, but incentivised by the notion that we might get home early if we stayed focussed, we sped through the agenda. Keith ...
Embed from Getty Images Cathy Newman and Channel 4 News have been offering some good reporting in recent days, investigating the case of John Smyth. The late Mary Whitehouse's go-to lawyer, he has been accused of savagely beating teenage boys and young men in Britain, and other allegations of inappropriate behaviour have emerged in in Zimbabwe and South Africa. So far he has made no statement admitting or denying the allegations. Today I have come across two article that fill in the social and religious background to the affair. Matthew Scott was a pupil at Winchester, the school to which ...
"While a number of British think tanks are open about who funds them ... some of the most influential think tanks which impact on current Tory government policy are extremely secretive." David Hencke looks at a new report on who funds the people who work to influence government policy. Sidney Blumenthal offers a riveting history of the Trump family. Richard Smith discusses the career of Sir Edward Grey, the Liberal foreign secretary who led Britain into the First World War. "She told me so much about those strange and unhappy children, and she was puzzled and perplexed by what she ...
The leader of the Vote Leave campaign has repaid a £50,000 charitable grant after he was found to have used the money to produce a highly political 1,000-page anti-EU dossier. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the official pro-Brexit campaign in last June's referendum, used a grant from a charity he had set up to fund a high-profile campaign report called Change or Go - How Britain Would Gain Influence and Prosper Outside an Unreformed EU. The repayment follows concerns raised with the Charity Commission that the Politics and Economics Research Trust (PERT), set up by Elliott in 2006, should not ...
There is a problem with the common account of Brexit as a phenomenon driven by the rising up of "neglected communities" against the London-centric establishment that put them in that state. It's that it ignores the extent to which communities in this country have actually broken down. I'm sure that plenty of Liberal Democrats might think that local organisations, pressure groups, housing associations are still central parts of life in this country, but we have to remember that we are a poor representative sample of the country at large (through volunteering and activism, and even simply through our interest in ...
The UK is in the bizarre position of having a government pursuing what today's Guardian describes as "as profoundly mistaken a decision as any that the UK parliament has taken in the post-war era,"* yet that same government is riding high in the polls and winning huge majorities in the Commons, with three quarters or more of the official opposition voting for its Alice in Wonderland policies. I can't help wondering what the political atmosphere would be like if it were a Labour government which had: called a referendum which was important to its own members on the "lunatic left" ...
With an influx of 4,000 new members in less than a month, it is fair to say that the Liberal Democrats' message on Europe has struck a chord with many people who feel disconcerted by the path to hard Brexit which Theresa May has set our country on. But what do those new activists know about our other policies? Since starting my new role as Head of Digital Content at the Liberal Democrats, I have applied a few key principles to everything that we do. One of these is particularly pertinent to the area of policy: we must look outwards ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link above Well worth a detailed look at this Echo article on its web site
Now we know the identity of the chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, the science community will be anxiously watching his first steps The establishment of the £6bn umbrella organisation for UK science funding, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has provoked debate across the research community since it was first mooted. Brainchild of a review by Sir Paul Nurse, UKRI will create what is in effect a new 'super' research council, sitting above the seven existing councils, and rolling in Innovate UK and Research England (the research arm of the Higher Education Funding Council for England). The vision behind ...
Islington is one of the most liberal places in the country. Cosmopolitan and confident, Islington was a natural home for the Liberal Democrats, but when voters moved on from Iraq, Labour moved back in. Labour hold 47 of 48 borough council seats (the other is a Green) and have held both parliamentary seats for longer than I've been alive. I am relatively new to front line politics, but then so too are most of our members. Islington's membership soared past 700 last week and from these newcomers, a majority of our executive have been elected into a Lib Dem role ...
Just to update residents on the overnight motorway diversions that have been taking place using Heywood Old Road. I am aware that this has been causing considerable nuisance, with the road not really being suitable for this sort of regular diversion. This has been raised on a number of occasions with Highways England, who have been very helpful. Previously the contractors have been using 'Junction to Junction' closures which has meant using Heywood Old Road. After a lot of discussion they have now been given discussion to have larger closures – e.g. from Junction 18 to 20 or 20 to ...
The Independent has the story on its web site – see link above [IMG: ehic-card-nhs_328x212] Looks like this valued card may be at risk. Is this going to be another potential negative effect of Brexit? But will it sober up a Labour Party, who are supposed to be Her Majesty's opposition, but which seem to be daily more firmly in Teresa May's Brexit back pocket? With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting
At the Adult Care and Health Cabinet Panel on 3rd February, following debate on the Liberal Democrat Motion referred from the Council Meeting of 15th November 2016, an amended motion was agreed by the Cabinet Panel. Councillor Ron Tindall (Liberal Democrat Opposition Spokesperson) said: At a time when we are asking Pharmacists to do more [...]
The Holocaust Memorial service, presided over by Michael Braham, was one of the most compelling and powerful remembrances for the victims of genocide held in our town. Young people from the VIth Form Colleges at KGV and Runshaw joined the pupils of St John's Ainsdale in reminding us of the enormous human cost of the holocaust. They told the stories of individual victims, those who had died and those who lived on after the war. Their thoroughly researched presentations had a great emotional impact. Their contributions were followed by the Imam of Southport Mosque Soyful Alam. The packed congregation, in ...
Thu 9th
12:23
Cash strapped Conservative Council announce plans to spend £150,000 on educational consultants...
What's this to do with? As reported in the Peterborough Telegraph recently, Tories at the Town Hall, have decided to pay education specialists £150,000 "..to help improve primary school results." These "experts" are from an organisation called Success for All, which is based in Cathedral Square, and apparently they'll be helping the five most under [...]
Embed from Getty Images I'm going to sound callous but I do believe that perhaps the only plus point of a Trump Presidency is its comedy value. Viewing figures for the US late night shows are booming. I thought we had reached the pinnacle of Trump comedy with the story of how he appeared, in front of a cross-party gathering of Congressional leaders at the White House, to base his call for an investigation into voter fraud on a conversation with German golfer Bernard Langer. But yesterday there came a story which really takes the biscuit. At 3am one morning, ...
Just to update residents about the long-standing absence of a street light at the entrance to Brookvale towards the eastern end of Simister Lane. As I understand this light has been out for over 12 months and making this part of the lane feel particularly un-lit. I have investigate this with the Council. The original light was attached to an Electricity North West Pole (ENW), but was removed during their overhead line and pole review. Due to an incident where a BT Openreach worker was tragically killed, permission to re-attach equipment to poles like this is no longer granted. The ...
At least that's over. The Article 50 Bill has now passed through the House of Commons with a massive 300+ majority. It now goes to the House of Lords where, whatever happens, at least Jeremy Corbyn will not be intimately involved. I want to start by saying that I do not want the rest of this article to be confused for a Remoan. Whatever you think about Britain leaving the EU, I'm sure we can all agree on this: Corbyn's Labour have been woeful on an epic scale this past week. And I am not being hyperbolic when I use ...
Vote Leave director admits brexit was won by lying to the public not that Gove isn't still clinging to the same lie Journalism needs to fight this century's battles, not last century's. a follow up to yesterdays article by Martin Belam BBC takes down Trump claims of lack of coverage I dunno. Maybe they're learning? [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: Brins] I am writing this with very tired eyes but a very full heart after what can only be described as our truly spectacular by-election win in Brinsworth and Catcliffe, Rotherham. With an astonishing 2000 votes and 66% of the vote share for our local candidate Dr Adam Carter who stormed to victory, beating Labour into [...]
[IMG: The Great British Spring Clean - March 3rd to 5th 2017] The Great British Spring Clean is a campaign with one simple ambition – To bring together people from across the country to clear up the litter that blights our towns, villages, countryside and coastline. The campaign is aiming to inspire half a million people to join in and be part of an event aimed at [...]
I am pictured below towards the top of the south section of Glamis Road :At the request of residents, I asked the City Council for a safety traffic island at this location to complement the one north of the roundabout I previously successfully campaigned for and I am pleased to say this second island has been agreed to and will be installed in the spring. Residents have also requested a similar island at the south end of Glamis Road and I have been advised by the City Development Department this will be considered along with other similar requests during 2017/18. ...
Writing in Tuesday's Times, Paul Johnson, a director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, says some 15% of the UK workforce is now classed as self-employed or as an owner/manager. Among them is me, now in my 17th year of my second period of self-employment. Indeed, I am the fourth generation of small business petit bourgeoisie Roches (so far, no generation has managed to propel us permanently to the haute bourgeoisie). Many of the new self-employed are part of what is now known as the "gig economy": living on short term contracts and often experiencing a financial life of feast ...
Thu 9th
07:55
When it came to the crunch, Jeremy Corbyn chose holiday over fighting for his constitutents
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's claim that the "real fight starts now" after the Brexit vote has produced a blizzard of mocking messages about supposed 'real fights', but it's worth also remember the contrast with his decision to go on holiday during the European referendum campaign: He could have said the real fight starts now at the start of the European referendum campaign. Instead he went on holiday. https://t.co/GaMbXLmn06 — Mark Pack (@markpack) February 8, 2017
The story too dangerous for "Again, Dangerous Visions" It is about a snot vampire. (tags: sf ) 'A big-hearted optimist': Hans Rosling tributes pour in on social media Sad news. (tags: deaths ) Why @helpfuladvisor gave up on Plaxo I switched to @fullcontact some time ago. (tags: internet networking socialmedia ) 24 Hours at JFK: Two Iraqis' Detainment and Release The reality of the #MuslimBan. (tags: uspolitics iraq migration )
As the BBC reports, a key route into the UK for children caught up in Europe's migrant crisis is to close after a total of 350 arrivals. They say that a written ministerial statement by the Home Office announced that the UK will stop receiving children via the so-called Dubs amendment at the end of March. The law was designed by peer and former refugee Lord Dubs and aimed to help some of the estimated 90,000 unaccompanied migrant children across Europe. A legal challenge on how the government has handled the legal commitment will go ahead on Friday. As the ...
