We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down. Aneurin Bevan quoted in the Observer, 6 December 1953 We have reason to be cautiously optimistic about the forthcoming elections. It will probably take years to clarify why we had such a disastrous result in the 2015 ... Continue reading We've learnt the hard way not to stand in the middle of the road
What happens in an election? That's what this video, made in 1999 for our sister parties in developing countries, explains. It might be from last century, but basics of election fighting which it explains are still very much relevant to this century too.
Mon 24th
22:56
Election notebook #4: A first prediction; Blair's contortions; challenging Bercow; precedent Macron;...
Just how bad can it get for Labour? We've seen polls in the past few days suggesting Labour could lose its last remaining seat in Scotland and be pushed into second place even in Wales. Combine that with the Tory absorption of the Ukip vote across England and there's a gathering, perfect storm. Just as opinion polls are perfect filler for newspapers, so are speculative predictions the handy stand-by of the political blogger. I fed what I considered a plausible end-of-campaign set of figures into the ElectoralCalculus website. It produces a Conservative majority of 154, Labour losing 69 MPs, and ...
I've come across this a fair bit the last few days (can't think why it's been coming up *rolleyes*), and as it's a big frustration for LGBT+LDs I thought I'd better post about why. Lots of people high up in the campaigns department at LDHQ think it's great to say that "we achieved equal marriage". They think that because we campaigned for equal marriage, and the Same Sex Marriage Act passed, we should trumpet our achievement. They think that calling it Same Sex Marriage is bad "framing" and Equal Marriage sounds better*. The problem is that although we did campaign ...
Two years ago, following a disastrous general election, many pundits were writing the Liberal Democrats off as a serious political force. But how things have changed! The party has now pushed UKIP down into fourth place in the opinion polls and has notched up an impressive series of local council by-election wins over the past [...]
Former Welsh Assembly member Eluned Parrott has been selected to fight the constituency of Cardiff Central which, until 2015 was held by Jenny Willott. Eluned fought the seat for the Welsh Assembly last year and came within 1000 votes of victory. From the Cardiff Lib Dem website: The Lib Dems are odds-on favourite to win Cardiff Central (at 4/6 with Betfair on Monday morning), and have been endorsed by pro-EU newspaper The New European as the clear choice in the fight against a hard Brexit. Eluned Parrott said: "I hadn't intended to come back into politics, but Brexit changed everything. ...
I love this range of old industrial buildings and the way the curve of them closes off the view along Empress Road. But they won't be there much longer. The Loughborough Echo reported last September that the authority has given permission for them to be demolished for new housing. So they survived a Zeppelin raid but not Charnwood Borough Council. At least the cross in the road that marks the raid is still there. And I was pleased to find an Edward VII pillar box that must have witnessed it.
This is the Birtley Focus we delivered on Saturday. We led with the council tax rise but there are lots of news stories about what's happening in the town. We are planning to deliver some in Lamesley ward as well.
Lynne Featherstone has, rightly, reacted with horror to UKIP's proposal to "implement school-based medical checks on girls from groups at high risk of suffering FGM. These should take place annually and whenever they return from trips overseas." Lynne, in her work as Home Office and International Development Minister, changed the law to tackle FGM. She said: UKIP's approach is horrifically heavy-handed and will alienate the very communities we are trying to reach out to. We should be training our teachers and other providers such as community experts to identify those at risk and teaching children themselves that FGM is wrong ...
Embed from Getty Images We knew that, in his effort to be reselected as the Conservative candidate for Northampton South. David Mackintosh MP faced a meeting on 2 May. There will be a vote on him by his constituency executive that day and, if he loses it, one by the whole membership too. What we didn't know was the venue of the meeting. Thanks to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo we now know it will be at the Sixfields Stadium - the home of the town's football club. Given that it is the controversy over a loan made by the ...
Mon 24th
19:40
Merseyrail – RMT Guards Dispute – Talks collapse as employer rejects compromise says uni...
Below is the press release from the train guard's union RMT following the collapse of talks which were aimed at finding a solution to the bitter dispute on Merseyrail over the hugely controversial removal of guards from local trains. I have covered this matter many times before. My last posting on this subject can be accessed via the link below:- Merseyrail's new Stadler Trains, to be delivered in a couple of years time, are at the heart of this industrial dispute about driver only operated trains. Merseyrail guards talks collapse as company rejects compromise TALKS AIMED at ending the ...
A Ukip candidate in Glasgow says she is sexually attracted to gorillas. I don't know how this will go down with the voters, but I am reminded of a post on this blog by Lord Bonkers. Explaing a viral video of a gorilla at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire apparently dancing, he wrote: There is nothing the older residents of the Bonkers Estate enjoy more than the tea dances I host at the village hall. However, we have a problem. The toll taken by the local industries of Stilton mining and pork pie production mean that many more ladies than gentlemen ...
Mon 24th
19:06
If you live in Peterborough and are young, from Polska, Eesti, Lietuva, Portugal, here's my MSG 2 U!
What's this about then? On the Thursday 4th May 2017, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election will be taking place. According to research and reports, it is thought more than 70% of young voters chose to remain in the EU. Realising that there are also people living in our city, from countries in Europe, working hard, [...]
Lib Dems to challenge Speaker As I reported last night, the Liberal Democrats are, unusually, running a candidate against the Speaker. It's a break with tradition which risks annoying someone who has significant power over Liberal Democrat participation in Parliament. But that someone is also a person who has been widely expected to stand down from Parliament in the next few years, most likely triggering a by-election. Which makes running a candidate now a good little warm up. Four more former Liberal Democrat MPs are re-standing Andrew George in St Ives Nick Harvey in North Devon John Hemming in Birmingham ...
Lib Dem Newbies co-founder Daisy Benson has stood down as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Yeovil for personal reasons. From ITV: Daisy Benson has withdrawn herself as Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesperson for Yeovil citing personal reasons. She appeared on The West Country debate less than a week ago but will not appear on ballot papers in June's snap election because she's "in the process of completing purchasing a house within the constituency." Her full statement reads: With regret I've decided not to put myself forward to stand for the Liberal Democrats in Yeovil in the upcoming snap General Election. Although ...
Over 30 young people in North West Durham will be affected by the Conservative government's decision to strip 18-21 year olds of housing benefit, research by the House of Commons library commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has shown. In total 18,000 young people across the country expected to be affected. The Liberal Democrats have committed to reverse the cuts, which came into force at the beginning of this month. North West Durham is already suffering from high levels of homelessness, with official figures showing there were on average a dozen rough sleepers across the county each night in 2016. Charities ...
The Usual Suspects
I thought it best to write a short post about the snap General Election, given I won't be able to write that many posts throughout it. I've got some Open Uni work on the go plus working 4 days a week plus a toddler to brin up so I generally don't have that much time anymore for reading blog posts, let alone writing them! Anyway, five things I would like to see from this election. 1. Jeremy Corbyn's removal as Labour leader post the loss of seats for Labour. I feel the single most important thing that could happen in ...
An interesting press release from the Lib Dems The Communist Party are fielding no candidates for the first time since 1920. The party has said members will be 'campaigning for a Labour victory', commenting on the news, Alistair Carmichael MP said: "From 1920 to 2017 the Communist Party of Great Britain elected 5 MPs. They have obviously concluded they can continue in that tradition by
Two bits of 'things not seen in many years' news coming out today. First up, Liberal Democrat membership has passed 100,000 for the first time since 1994. The milestone was passed at some point today, and the 100,000th member has yet to be revealed, but it's another example of the way the party's membership hasn't just bounced back after the coalition but rocketed on to levels no one was really expecting to see again. The record membership for the party was just a little over 100,000, so expect to see that record broken at some point in the next day ...
Mon 24th
17:21
Did you ever have a sense that the Conservatives weren't quite so ready for an election?
The starting gun is fired, the commentariat are up and running, and there is a frenzy as everyone gets ready for the campaign ahead. Me, I've got things to keep me occupied, but I've still got time to think. And I have an odd sensation that, whilst one could not envisage a better set of circumstances for a snap election - twenty points plus ahead in the polls, Opposition in apparent meltdown, no obvious domestic threat - there's something not quite right with the Conservative campaign. Don't get me wrong, a majority Conservative administration still seems 'bolted on', but amidst ...
Oh dear. Here we go again. It is like waking up in the morning only to find that you are in Groundhog Day (or to use a much cooler reference Window of Opportunity – Stargate SG1) and instead of hitting golf balls billions of miles through a wormhole or learn how to make pottery, once more my twitter timeline is full of conversation about Tim Farron's thoughts on gay people. Sigh. I have two points of view on this, the first is Tim has made a rod for his own back by constantly fudging the answer when he is asked. ...
Mon 24th
17:00
The Lib Dem Lowdown: 100,000 members special: A guide to the Liberal Democrats for our new members
When Tim Farron set his 100,000 members by 2020 target during his leadership campaign in 2015, it seemed pretty ambitious. Since Brexit, though, around 30,000 members have signed up to our party. A warm welcome to every single one of you. Around half of those 30,000 have joined in the 6 days since Theresa May made her announcement about the General Election. This afternoon, Tim Farron was able to announce that we had reached that ambitious 100,000 target at a rally in Vauxhall. I wouldn't celebrate for too long, though. Tim is not one to rest on his laurels. I'm ...
Embed from Getty Images The Liberal Democrats have proposed increasing income tax by 1 penny which would raise just £4.6 billion pounds annually. There is a better alternative, called the Property Uplift Recovery Tax which is being proposed by Liberal Democrat ALTER. The tax would be paid annually by all that own housing in the UK and are either: British citizens who are have non-domiciled tax status Foreign citizens (or British citizens non-resident for over 15 years) who are not taxed in the UK, or Corporate entities registered offshore. The tax would be levied annually on the property price uplift ...
Mon 24th
13:01Southport – Machester Trains – Why travellers & commuters are fighting the downgrad...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdVH2fxqpVs#action=share If you or your family/friends travel to Manchester from Southport the video linked above will be of interest. Parbold Station Level Crossing on the Southport – Manchester Line I have covered the work of the campaigners who are trying to stop the downgrading of this important railway line many times before. It is being led by the Ormskirk, Preston & Southport Travellers Association (OPSTA) and the Southport Rail Transport Forum (SRTF) and they are jointly doing a great job in trying to hold Northern Rail, Rail North, Network Rail etc. to account. Southport Rail Transport Forum logo They have ...
Embed from Getty Images The Independent reports: Tony Blair has advised those going to the polls to consider voting for the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats in order to weaken the Prime Minister's mandate for a hard Brexit. The former Prime Minister said it was important to vote for candidates who had an "open mind" on the final deal and that people should not limit their votes to just Labour because the issue was "bigger than party allegiance". ...Speaking on Sunday on the BBC's The World This Weekend programme he said: "The absolutely central question at this general election is less ...
You are the bleak-hearted fear of what exactly? Unnamed and nebulous, pervasive and refusing to take shape – but stronger for it, your dark gravity distorting time and space among us... I may try to name you, I cannot define you I can never face you; panic wins again Since my skull is empty, while [...]
Here in Richmond Park, we've been wondering who will be the Tory candidate in the GE. James Cracknell's name has been mentioned several times and the shortlist of 3 is announced today. Rumour has it that one of those names will be ... Zac Goldsmith. Which begs a number of questions. Not least, why would all those folk who voted against Zac 5 months ago now change their mind and vote for him this time? He remains a) A Brexit enthusiast and b) The Tories are still pushing the third runway plan, which is why he resigned in the first ...
Two months ago we planned an action day in Birtley for Saturday 22nd April. Arrangements were going well and then the announcement of the general election hit us. We decided to make Birtley the first action day and street stall of the general election campaign. We also had a Focus to deliver. I wrote it just before Easter and thankfully decided to leave printing until after the bank holidays.
The Office of High Sheriff is an independent, non-political Royal appointment for a single year. The origins of the Office date back to Saxon times, when the 'Shire Reeve' was responsible to the King for the maintenance of law and order within the Shire, or County and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown. Last week Jim Davies stood down and a new High Sherriff was installed at a ceremony at St Georges Hall. Stephen Burrows Esq DL is the new person and his period of office began in April 2017 and lasts for one year. ...
Embed from Getty Images We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down. Aneurin Bevan quoted in the Observer, 6 December 1953 We have reason to be cautiously optimistic about the forthcoming elections. It will probably take years to clarify why we had such a disastrous result in the 2015 general election, but it seems plausible to say that it was because people did not know what we stood for any more. Despite a laundry list of governmental achievements, we had, to an extent, sold our soul to the devil – ...
First, a disclaimer: I'm not an expert on French politics so I may be just blundering cluelessly in here. For a more informed take, try this from Rainbow Murray. It's not usually a good idea to try and explain one country's politics in terms of another, so I'm not going to try and draw any great extrapolations for British politics and our upcoming election from the first round of the French election yesterday. It's tempting to do so, given that on the surface it seems to share some of the same characteristics, but it's wildly different beneath the surface with ...
League Of Gentlemen anniversary special confirmed*happy dance* St George's Day: Six reasons why St George is the perfect symbol of multiculturalism"He was a soldier for a multicultural European super-state" being just one Smart Gay Life: A Surprising Look at LGBT Income DisparityThis is USian, but I suspect it will be reasonably similar in the UK. 'Everything's on fire' - the scramble to organise an election"When asked to sum up how things were going, a fretful Conservative source said: 'Everything is basically on fire.' A Labour campaigner replied with a series of distressed crying and screaming emojis." Books That Literally All ...
...other than me, that is?
I spent a tiring but invigorating day campaigning yesterday. Canvassing for one of our County Council candidates and then later taking part in a non party pro EU event, I was struck by the level of support we are getting – and where it is coming from. Wycombe is of course in the heartland of Conservatism. The metaphors about blue rosettes and various farmyard animals are overused, but apply here. But our arch-brexiter Tory MP and his kipper-lite Chairman have succeeded in dividing their own flock. Steve Baker was a prominent backer of Brexit, Boris and Leadsom. But Wycombe, I ...
Mon 24th
10:19
I have to admit that the Lib Dems start to this election campaign has been very good. Here's exactly...
Some have said – mostly Lib Dems – that I've been a bit harsh on the party Peter Bone likes to describe as the "yellow peril". That in the midst of #libdemfightback and the retaking of local seats, I've refused to be moved in regards to the rebirth of Lib Demery post-2015. The latest example of this being my prediction of the Lib Dems ending up with between 15 and 20 seats after June 8th, in the face of predictions from Lib Dem circles of double digit Tory-majority-ending proportions. I preface with all that to remind you that I haven't ...
Embed from Getty Images General Election campaigning has got off to a flying start across the country and it is exhilarating to be 'back in the saddle'. Oxford West and Abingdon was hard fought at the last election and it looks like it will be again. Like many seats, the Tory incumbent increased her majority here in 2015, yet this still feels like a marginal, and we are campaigning to win. We were knocking on doors yesterday and what struck me was just how different this election feels compared to 2015. The political sands continue to shift beneath our feet ...
All parties have a moment during election campaigns when a key spokesperson goes off message, leaving spin doctors to gloss over the mistake and set things straight. It is not usual though for the party leader to undermine policy in the way that Jeremy Corbyn did yesterday. As the Guardian reports, Labour was forced to issue a statement on Sunday saying: "The decision to renew Trident has been taken and Labour supports that. We also want Britain to do much more to pursue a proactive, multilateral disarmament strategy." This statement came three hours after Corbyn had appeared to cast doubt ...
Abertay University's Dundee Mental Health Awareness Week starts today. Details are of the events can be downloaded here.
Today the Liberal Democrat party membership is breaking the 100,000 barrier, taking the party's membership to its highest level since the mid-1990s.
Backing up red lines with more red lines My favourite Cyprus columnist reckons the process is over. (tags: cyprus )
I'm very surprised, given the circle of people I know, that no-one pointed out the TV series Braindead to me. In fact it's only because of an Amazon Video recommendation — one that was actually aimed at my wife (who ... Continue reading →
Embed from Getty Images The Liberal Democrat membership surge is about to take the party to a landmark 100,000 members - thanks to a staggering 12,500 joining since Theresa May announced the snap General Election last Tuesday. Reaching six figures makes the party bigger than it has been since the mid-1990s and puts it on course to reach its highest membership ever within days. The biggest the party has been since its formation is 101,768 in 1994. It means that more than 50,000 members have joined since last year's European referendum and more than 67,500 since the 2015 General Election. ...
