Our latest eFocus for the Whickham area was published last Friday. The main issues covered include Whickham Library recruiting volunteers, Chase Park renovation taking place but Labour planning to sell part of the park, proposals for off-road driving near Marley Hill and Byermoor and the planting of more trees at Kingsway community orchard. You can read it on this link.
Where were you when you first heard the news that Theresa May had decided to rip up the Fixed Term Parliaments Act and sent the wrecking ball hurtling towards the Labour Party? I was at Durham Hens at the time, buying a couple of white leghorns and 18 hatching eggs. Claims by May that the country is somehow uniting behind her are rubbish. Her demand that Parliament should unite behind her, and
This is a thing that once happened. A small piece of history today as Parliament voted to dissolve itself for the first time. Like all momentous historical decisions, it was taken after a 90-minute debate that they'd only had twenty four hours notice of, but that's still actually more democratic than just making dissolutions solely at prime ministerial fiat. By such small steps do we stumble towards democracy, and then canter into a general election that's been called specifically because the Prime Minister doesn't think that a Parliamentary majority gives her enough unchecked power to do whatever she wants. And ...
Wed 19th
22:40
Election round-up: Lib Dem "media and campaigning operation is as slick as a greyhound", plus fish f...
Manchester Gorton by-election is off After some back and forth between the Returning Officer and Parliament, the necessary steps have been taken by Parliament to cancel the Parliamentary by-election which was due. There is no direct legal power for the Returning Officer to cancel a by-election which has been overtaken by a general election being called; Parliament, however, has the power to cancel the writ for the by-election. Lib Dem "media and campaigning operation is as slick as a greyhound" Nice words from John Rentoul: The Lib Dems have a media and campaigning organisation as sleek and fast as a ...
Wikipedia makes it all clear: The Hundred of Hoo Railway is a railway line in Kent, England, following the North Kent Line from Gravesend before diverging at Hoo Junction near Shorne Marshes and continuing in an easterly direction across the Hoo Peninsula, passing near the villages of Cooling, High Halstow, Cliffe and Stoke before reaching the Isle of Grain and the container port on its eastern tip, Thamesport. There used to be a short branch line leading from Stoke Junction to the coastal town of Allhallows but this closed from 4 December 1961, the same date on which the Hundred ...
Natalie Bloomer reports on events in Northampton South: A Conservative MP has been pitched into a battle with his own local party over whether he can stand in the upcoming general election. David Mackintosh, MP for Northampton South, has been heavily criticised for his involvement in the loss of a £10.25 million loan to Northampton Town football club by the local council. The loan, which was approved while Mackintosh was the leader of the council, has not been repaid and the work it was intended for has not been carried out. This triggered a series of investigations, including an ongoing ...
Wed 19th
21:35
Election notebook #1: TV debates, Farron's liberalism, Labour woes, Ukip who?, Naked run 2.0
TV debates... I guess it was inevitable Theresa May would try and un-invent them. After all, what's in it for her? There's no reward, only risk. Tim Farron would relish the spotlight, and as the Lib Dems are the only actual threat to Tory seats it's only rational for her to avoid sharing the stage. Heck, even Jeremy Corbyn might out-shine her; he's a lot more experience of hustings than she has. The truth is that while Theresa May is a serious politician with plenty of strengths, she's actually not very good unscripted. Even semi-scripted occasions (aka PMQs) she struggles ...
The energetic Daisy Cooper, whose spirited campaign made her runner-up in the Party's Presidential Election in 2014 despite a late entry into the contest, is now the PPC for St Albans. Since her selection last August, she has been campaigning strongly on the issues that matter to the heavily Remain voting citizens of St Albans. This is in contrast to the local Brexiteer Tory MP Anne Main, whose greatest contribution to recent national debate was encouraging countryside walkers to flick away their dog poo. Her advice was contradicted by people who know about these things – the South Downs National ...
Time for another video... Here's what I say in it: Winners and Losers* So there's going to be another General Election. Maybe you're not that excited. Maybe you're still disappointed by the last one. In a democracy, you get choices. So you expect the people who made a different choice to be disappointed. But the great about democracy is that if you wanted something different, you can always keep putting another point of view, and there will always be another vote. Wanting to silence dissent or saying one vote counts for ever is sticking a knife in democracy. We've had ...
Politics in the UK seems to be in flux following the Brexit vote. With the Tories split between remain and leave and Labour too busy squabbling amongst themselves to be effective it ought to be a time for the Liberal Democrats. Yet, so far, although we have seen many individual members of both the Labour and Conservative parties switch to the Lib Dems, only a handful of councillors and no MPs or MEPs have done so. Why is this? I want to suggest that in the case of the Labour Party there are two factors; loyalty and respect We often ...
Wed 19th
18:36Election round-up - including the Lib Dem MP who is retiring, triggering an all-woman shortlist
More and more new Lib Dem members Over 7,000 since the general election was called, taking the party's membership up to over 95,000. Theresa May to be empty-chaired? Theresa May is refusing to take part in party leader election debates. But some of the media are making bolshie noises about going ahead with debates anyway: ITV will host leaders' debate. But will the PM turn up? #GE2017 — Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) April 19, 2017 This next Parliament will be pivotal for our country, both for Scotland's place in the UK, and the UK's relationship with the rest of Europe. I'm ...
Lots and lots of partisan people who would probably be unlikely to vote Lib Dem anyway are saying things like I couldn't ever vote Lib Dem; they won't rule out coalition with Labour/the Tories. You all know me. You all know I am not backwards in coming forwards, and will happily call a spade a spade. I, personally, will not rule out voting for a coalition with either the Tories or Labour. That's right. Even now, even in this poisoned, febrile atmosphere, I would do a deal with either the red devil or the deep blue sea. To agree to ...
It's just been announced that, subject to approval by MPs, the Gorton poll will be cancelled as a by-election and will now take place along with all the other seats on 8th June. From the BBC: A by-election for the Manchester Gorton constituency has been cancelled after the House of Commons backed Theresa May's call for a June general election. The Cabinet Office said the election for the vacant seat, planned for 4 May, would now take place on 8 June as part of the nationwide polling day. MPs will be asked to formally overturn the writ for the poll. ...
Paywall or no paywall, The Times wins our Headline of the Day Award.
John Pugh has announced that he won't be fighting the General Election in his Southport constituency. From the BBC: John Pugh, MP for Southport, said he planned to retire next month, but "did not bank on the prime minister's opportunism" in calling an election. He said he did not want to work through "the nightmare chaos of Brexit" in the next parliament. The local constituency party will now choose a new candidate from an all-woman shortlist. Mr Pugh said in a statement: "I was going to announce my retirement from Westminster politics in my own time this May after what ...
I've seen a lot of speculation about coalitions in relation to the election, and especially in relation to the Lib Dems. So I'm going to set out my own position here, and explain why my position matters (which it wouldn't if I were a Labour or Conservative member). A coalition deal including the Lib Dems [...]
Great news: I'm standing to be a pro-UK, pro-EU MP for East Dunbartonshire (2167 SNP maj over LD, 61% No to Indy & 71% Remain) #libdemfightback #GE2017 — Jo Swinson (@joswinson) April 19, 2017 In a statement, she added: This next Parliament will be pivotal for our country, both for Scotland's place in the UK, and the UK's relationship with the rest of Europe. I'm standing in the general election because I'm passionate about keeping Scotland in the UK, and averting the disaster of the Tories' hard Brexit. Most people in East Dunbartonshire agree - 61% voted to stay in ...
An awful lot of people that I love depend on a world where LGBTI people have proper equality. I need my leader to be able to speak up for the young transgender person so that they can feel confident that someone is on her side and understands what she needs to be able to live a happy and fulfilling life, who gets that you you are unlikely to meet your potential if you are being bullied for being gay, and how important it is that you have a good support network. I need a leader who speaks out for LGBT ...
A mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) support forum I belong to recently had a posting from someone in the US. They'd received a bill of around $70,000 for an 11 day stay in hospital. Their visit involved a single round of chemotherapy. Other people with this rare cancer recount their despair of fighting to pay medical bills. Some are unable even ... The post What does the general election mean for lymphoma patients? appeared first on ten pence piece.
No, really, bear with me... It seems clear to me that the Lynton Crosby Tory campaign will go with the highly successful "vote LibDem, get a coalition or chaos with awful people" stratergy in order to stop us. This works very well with Ed Milliband (rather unfairly) but imagine how much more effective this will be with Corbyn! We need to neutralise this early, but how? We can't say we won't join a colation with anyone as that just makes us pointless. We can't say we wouldn't join a coaltion with Labour/Tory as the other side will say a vote ...
The government has launched a consultation on banning letting fees, a proposal originally tabled by Liberal Democrat peer Olly Grender. It's responsible and right to address the shortcomings for tenants of a private rental market that now accounts for 19% of all households. And as the consultation paper sets out, there's an economically liberal logic to the ban as well. As a liberal, I'm not against market-based proposals for social problems. On the contrary, I'm all for them. In the summer after I left school, I worked temporarily as a Housing Allocations Officer. I see no reason in principle why ...
I am aware of the very serious issue with smells from this plant over the past few days. As a resident of Medomsley Road I experienced the smell myself at home, approximately a mile from the site, before walking down to the estates at Villa Real and on to the plant itself to photograph anything that I could see that was different. I also spoke with some local residents and some dog-walkers from Leadgate who said they had also experienced the smell at home. I sent a copy of the following photograph to the Leader of the council and other ...
That title may surprise some of you, but I'm serious. I plan on having one post, and one post only, on here about the election, at least up until election day itself. I have already had an intense two-month by-election ... Continue reading →
Wed 19th
14:19
Switch Island – That red Light jumping, why is it at such epic and dangerous proportions?
So why do drivers jump red lights? Is it attention seeking? Is it an alpha male issue? Is it inability to reasonably calculate travelling time? Is is just stupidity and not paying attention to the road? Is it simply being confused by a complicated junction? Of course it is all of these and other factors too but for some reason the building of Brooms Cross Road and particularly its junction with Switch Island has really brought home to many of us how much red light jumping goes on and the consequences of it. The Maghull Community Facebook Page records many ...
There has been some fuss recently about Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat party leader, and his views on sin. I am finding I am having to answer the same questions and rebut the same half-truths over and over again, so I put together a quick handy guide. The progression of points in here is typically how the debate unfolds but my style tends to be quite dry. Those who want a slightly more emotional response to the issue, which can best be summarised by "FFS, not this again", should read Jennie Rigg's post. Jennie is also chair of LGBT+ Liberal ...
One of the most depressing things about the whole Brexit business is the way that the UK's Conservative government is turning its back on Europe. It's not just Theresa May's apparent desire to lead the country out of the European Single Market — though the potential hit to the economy from that is enormous — [...]
The first big photo-op of the election campaign saw Tim Farron return to the scene of our most audacious recent triumph – Richmond Park, where Sarah Olney beat Zac Goldsmith. .@timfarron and @sarahjolney1 in Richmond Park today – the @libdems are the real opposition to this conservative brexit government pic.twitter.com/gC2rJV0X9a — Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) April 19, 2017 Here's a reminder of her stunning victory speech just 4.5 months ago. These are the values on which Liberal Democrats will fight this election and seek to change the country's course: .@timfarron This is a chance to send a message to ...
First Bus have responded to pressure from Cllr Claire Young, Dodington Parish Council and local campaigners by adding an extra bus at the end of the day, Mondays to Fridays. From 30th April, the last service back from Southmead will be at 8.30 pm (instead of 7.15 pm), calling at Cribbs Causeway at 8.45 pm and Bristol Parkway Station at 9 pm, reaching Yate at 9.26 pm. The full timetable is available here Please be sure to show your appreciation for this later journey by making use of it and help to encourage usage by making your family, your friends, ...
On five separate occasions since the Brexit referendum British PM Theresa May unequivocally refused to call a general election. The voters would have to wait until 2020 for another judgement vote on Brexit. Then she wanders off on a walking holiday through the hills and valleys of Wales and returns marching in the exact opposite direction. There will be, she announced, a British general election on June 8th , and the issue will be Brexit, Brexit and Brexit. Why the U-turn? And what impact will it have on the British political scene, British negotiations with the EU, the EU and ...
Twenty four hours since Theresa May told us she wanted an election, and what have we seen? The Tories, and the right in general have all happily taken their place behind her, told us what a good idea this election is and happily picked up her authoritarian autocratic rhetoric and gleefully run with it. The S*n, forgetting Jo Cox entirely promises us a 'Blue Murder' of opposition MPs, while the Daily Mail adds a dash of Leninism to its blackshirt tendencies, telling us that it's time to 'crush the saboteurs'. (This is day one, remember, so who knows what depths ...
Nick Clegg has announced this morning that he will defend his Sheffield Hallam seat. He explained why: Theresa May has called a General Election out of opportunism and intolerance: opportunism in seeking to exploit the weakness of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour party; and intolerance in seeking a landslide majority to bring about 'unity', by which she means the ability to impose whatever interpretation of Brexit she wishes without meaningful scrutiny from Parliament. Meanwhile, her Brexit-obsessed Government is failing to provide the decent schools, hospitals and social care which communities, including those I represent in Sheffield, rightly deserve. This ...
miss_s_b | Why has May called a General Election now? I posted Why has May called a General Election now? to my dreamwidth blog 'More politics? How absolutely f**king fantastic', says Britain Here's the Biggest Study Yet on Brain-Based Sex Differences Unsurprisingly most brains fall into the overlapping areas. Violence soars by 76% at Government's flagship prison that models itself on academy schools Stuff like this is why I'm a member of the Howard League for Prison Reform. House of lies | Milena Popova Milena's take on May's announcement is a strong (if depressing) one. Lib Dem Snap General Election ...
Wed 19th
10:16
Evidence-based politics is some way off, but the Brexit scandal will be a blockbuster story
Embed from Getty Images I've always been a strong believer in the scientific method, which is probably why the reasoning behind Brexit has baffled and dismayed me. In medicine, putting truth before dogma has resulted in effective treatments. Unfortunately though, it seems that politics has yet to learn this lesson, and seems to be intent on going in the opposite direction, with ideology and demagoguery trumping everything else. At this point, I have a confession to make. Back in the 1980's I wrote about the therapeutic potential of the sense of smell, illustrating with diagrams how it connected to the ...
Wed 19th
09:39
An open letter on the subject of Tim Farron's "homophobia" from the acting chair of LGBT+ Lib Dems
Dear media people, I see that, thanks to Cathy Newman's interview last night, the thorny theological topic of Sin has raised its ugly head once more. Let me get this right out in the beginning: I don't give a fig what Tim Farron's religious beliefs are. You know why? Because I am a Liberal. He could believe the sky is made from Puff the Magic Dragon's bumfluff, and I wouldn't care one jot, whit or iota. What I do care about, and care deeply about, isHow Tim Farron votes in parliament How he treats people - LGBT+ people in particular ...
The Prime Minister of a small European nation has called for a general election. But the leader of the country's incumbent hard-right government faced immediate demands to come clean as it became apparent that state prosecutors were preparing to bring charges against around thirty of the party's legislators and staff over irregularities in the previous election – held two years ago. The ... Continue reading Small Unimportant State Calls Fresh Elections as Corruption Accusations Fly
Not just Liberal Democrats but small "l" liberals in all political parties should welcome the opportunity the June General Election will provide for voters to make clear their priorities by voting for candidates committed to the fight for us to maintain a continued close relationship with Europe. In this increasingly uncertain world, there is nothing more important than that. Those candidates will not just be Liberal Democrats. If we want to maximise the strength of the opposition to May's "hard Brexit", the Lib Dems should have the courage to concentrate their limited resources on their candidates in seats that we ...
Wed 19th
08:47
Corbyn's one move from yesterday which demonstrates how bad June 8th will be for Labour
Yesterday, I predicted mayhem for Labour, with the party looking to do worse than many pundits expect, ending up on between 100-120 seats overall. As if this prediction wasn't bad enough, it might turn out in the end to be too rosy. This is due to the fact that one of Corbyn's first thoughts after he heard there was to be a general election in a few weeks time was, "I'm going to have to really hurry up on those deselections!" Today there is going to be an emergency meeting of the NEC to decide what to do about the ...
What's this to do with? At the latest meeting of Full Council, city councillors gave their support to a new Environment Action Plan (EAP). Seems the previous plan adopted April 2014, expired at the end of 2016. The City Council says that this is a vision of a sustainable world where people lead healthy, happy [...]
From Ninewells Community Garden : Our next volunteer day on Saturday 29th April will include a workshop to create your own beautiful hanging basket - for free! All materials will be provided and expert guidance given by Alex Graham, who creates beautiful baskets with the Maggie's Centre gardening group. The volunteer day will run from 10am - in the morning we will attend to a range of gardening jobs in the garden; the hanging baskets workshop will run from 1pm-3pm. Please bring some lunch if you'd like to come for the day, we will provide tea, coffee etc. Do let ...
On 22 April, from Oklahoma to Greenland, scientists and their champions will mobilise, and in many ways, the March for Science is already a success Science teacher Jackie Scott will be in the streets this Saturday in Little Rock, Arkansas. "I march because my middle school students deserve to have a better world," she wrote. "They deserve to see what real research looks like and sounds like when it is communicated." From Oklahoma to Greenland, scientists and their champions will gather on April 22 for the much anticipated March for Science. And in many ways, the event is already a ...
The passionately pro-EU Andrew Marshall, former leader of the Camden Conservatives, is voting Liberal Democrat.
30 Most Extreme Places in Britain - Part 1 Fascinating. (tags: ukpolitics demography )
Well that deteriorated quickly. One minute we are quietly getting on with the local elections and the next we are facing a General Election a few weeks later. Parliament will vote tomorrow and it looks like the required majority will be there. However, there is still unfinished business that could derail some of the Prime Minister's plans. As the Independent reports, Conservative MPs accused of breaking election spending rules at the last election face the possibility of being prosecuted by the Crown while they are in the middle of fighting their re-election campaigns. The paper says 14 police forces have ...
