And while we're missing Brian Walden, why does no politics show have good theme music either? One issue puzzling me about modern British politics is what's happened to the follow-up question? Because I'm a sucker for punishment, I watched Theresa May being interviewed twice this morning (first by Andrew Marr, then by Robert Peston) and noticed that both of them had times when her answer to one of their questions felt like it needed probing and following up for more detail, but instead they just moved on to the next item on their list. It makes me wonder just how ...
I am a passionate internationalist. I have been a strong advocate of Britain's positive membership of the European Union for the whole time that I've been involved in politics. When the Conservative government made the mistake of calling an unnecessary referendum on Britain's membership of the EU I threw myself into campaigning for a Remain [...]
The government will devolve the adult skills budget to the regional mayors in May 2018. In between then and now I will meet with employers, further education colleges and other skills providers to discuss the skills needs of our regional economy. In particular, I will seek to ensure that skills training and apprentice provision is [...]
As a country and a region we have failed to build enough homes in the last 40 years. The rate of house building in the West of England has not been enough to cater for our growing region. This puts huge financial pressure on people. House prices in the West of England are on average [...]
Devolution is a journey, not an event. The settlement that come into effect in May 2017 is just a modest beginning for the rebalancing of power away from our over centralised government to our city sub regions. We have seen in the last decade that the devolved governments of Wales and Scotland and also the [...]
From the Harborough Mail of 16 May 2007: Furious residents have expressed their disgust after a planning 'loophole' allowed a developer to demolish a Harborough building steeped in the town's history. Without warning, the 108-year-old former Urban District Council's gas office on the corner of Clarence Street and St Mary's Road was razed to the ground by Hallway Estates on Wednesday last week. The firm, which owns the site, was able to flatten the building because it does not have listed status and is just outside the town's conservation area. Yet just two years ago former owners of the site ...
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 478th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (23-29 April, 2017), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down: 1. I have to admit that the Lib ...
Non-fiction: 3 (YTD 12) Traveler of Worlds: Conversations with Robert Silverberg by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro The View from the Cheap Seats, by Neil Gaiman Words are My Matter, by Ursula K. Le Guin Fiction (non-sf): 1 (YTD 5) The Habit of Loving by Doris Lessing sf (non-Who): 8 (YTD 26) A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers Pounded In The Butt By My Second Hugo Award Nomination, by Chuck Tingle The Arrival of Missives, by Aliya Whiteley Daughter of Eden, by Chris Beckett Europe in Winter, by Dave Hutchinson Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee Too Like ...
Sun 30th
19:29
Business Insider names nine MPs at risk of an anti-Brexit Lib Dem revival at the general election
Embed from Getty Images Writing for Business Insider, Adam Payne identifies nine sitting MPs who "have to fight hard to fend off the looming threat of the Liberal Democrats". Here they are, with extracts from Payne's analysis of the contest in each constituency. Cambridge: Daniel Zeichner (Labour) - "If Farron's Lib Dems do enjoy a revival at the ballot box in June then Cambridge is the most likely seat to fall in its hands." Bermondsey and Old Southwark: Neil Coyle (Labour) - "One Labour source told us this week that Coyle is 'very worried' about the June contest." Bristol West: ...
Paul has already shown us the pictures of Bonnie, the gorgeous cockapoo who delighted everyone on Tim Farron's visit to Cambridge the other day. But Bonnie had a starring role in one of the funniest events of the week: From ITV Video footage showed Mr Farron approaching the dog, which was wearing a yellow Liberal Democrat rosette, before saying: "Smell my spaniel". Mr Farron owns a black and white springer spaniel called Jasper, and often posts pictures on social media of the two of them together. It appears Mr Farron may have been suggesting that the campaigner's dog could smell ...
They say never work with children or animals... Tim Farron learnt all about that in Cambridge on Thursday. He was on a visit to support local parliamentary candidate Julian Huppert, Mayoral candidate Rod Cantrill and candidate for South Cambridgeshire Susan Van De Ven. Bonnie the Liberal Democrat cockapoo captured the spotlight and was voluminously photographed ... Continue reading Slideshow: Bonnie the Lib Dem cockapoo captures the spotlight in Cambridge
The morning rises with a tide in flood, a swelling warmth of swallowed salt that lifts my body off its feet then muscles up and through the chest as it overpowers a racing mind with calm – or the tastes of sweetened rum and the delights of islands that once dreamt a feathered man, imagined [...]
The Night Manager (15) Six episode mini-series based on John le Carre's book, this gripping espionage thriller about a hotel worker who gets caught up in the world of an international arms dealer is both stylish and sophisticated. An all-star cast features Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki, Tom Hollander and David Harewood. Directed by Susanne Bier. Five out of five stars ***** Straight Outta Compton (18) A gritty and hard-hitting biography of the early life and emergence of the Los Angeles band N.W.A. and the influence of their music on Hip Hop culture and the wider American ...
I have been concerned about the impact of technological disruption for some time as you can see if you click on the link. More recently the Bank of England have started to share my concerns Technological developments enable human societies to run with much less human work. However, they have a number of hazards. Although we cannot change things over night to deal with this we must make some
[IMG: 7 best] Many thanks to the 20,600 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Daisy Benson stands aside as Yeovil candidate (20 comments) by Newshound David Ward removed as a candidate (55 comments) by The Voice Lib Dem candidate won't stand against the Speaker after all (42 comments) by The Voice The "hit list" of pro EU Tory MPs the Lib Dems are targeting in Brexit purge – Telegraph (28 comments) by Paul Walter Encouraging poll news for the Liberal Democrats (26 comments) by Caron Lindsay Could Rachel Johnson stand as a ...
As it's come up a few times in discussions triggered by my post on how Theresa May isn't a guaranteed shoo-in for the 2017 general election, here are the Crown Prosecution Service's criteria for deciding whether or not to prosecution election-related offences: Proceedings for major infringements will normally be in the public interest. Proceedings for other infringements may not be in the public interest in situations where: the offence is of a "technical" nature which does not infringe the spirit of the legislation; the offence was committed as a result of a genuine mistake or misunderstanding; the offence could not ...
Current Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (a chapter a month) A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth The Parrot's Theorem, by Denis Guedj The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin Lavondyss, by Robert Holdstock Last books finished Words are My Matter, by Ursula K. Le Guin Lars, by Kristof Spaey Death's End, by Cixin Liu Next books Argonautica, by Valerius Flaccus The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd Short Trips: Ghosts of Christmas, ed. Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
The Guardian reports that amongst the many things that will be lost as a result of Brexit is access to free health insurance for Britons living or travelling within the European Union. The paper draws our attention to a Parliamentary Health Select Committee report which urges the government to offer more guarantees for Britons visiting the continent after hearing evidence that without the right to receive treatment in countries that are part of the European Economic Area, people with cancer could find it too expensive to go to Europe: In a strongly worded report on the effect of Brexit on ...
Sun 30th
15:25
Fun on the campaign trail #1: Willie Rennie and Jo Swinson as Di Caprio and Winslet - or Sergei and ...
Back in 2005, there was a very dignified photo-op during the election campaign that had then Scottish Lib Dem Leader and Jo Swinson during her first election on a canal barge. It was played time and time again on the news. Yesterday, Willie Rennie and Jo Swinson launched her campaign to win back East Dunbartonshire on a boat in Kirkintilloch. The image from that is a bit more fun and perhaps not quite as classy as the 2005 event. When the leader can't resist a cheesy photo op. #GE2017 #winninghere pic.twitter.com/e5aKy1Eah0 — Scot Lib Dems (@scotlibdems) April 29, 2017 That ...
Liverpool Lib Dems will fight to keep this flag flying in Liverpool alongside the Union Flag and the English St George Cross There's an old joke going round that when Brummies answered the question, "which is the second city of ... Continue reading →
Brilliant turnout for a Lib Dem canvass training session this morning in Bromley with around 20 first-time canvassers as well as older hands turning up.
China is at a political crossroads with a nuclear-tipped Mack truck driven by a suicidal North Korean juvenile threatening to plough into its side with disastrous consequences for Beijing and the rest of the world, President Xi Jinping can avoid the crash. It is not inevitable. But to do so requires a major change of direction in Chinese foreign policy—with some help from America Korea's 38th Parallel is the Asian relic of the Cold War. It is also a highly visible and symbolic border which determines whether China or the United States is the major 21st century power in the ...
On the eve of the 20th anniversary (how on earth did that happen?) of Tony Blair's first election victory in 1997, Tim Farron has made an appeal to those who voted for Blair to choose the Liberal Democrats this time, saying that the Blair anthem of old now applies to the Lib Dems: 1997 shows what can happen when a party is prepared to make a broad appeal to change Britain's future for the better. My message on the eve of that anniversary is this: 'Things Can Only Get Better' - but this time with the Liberal Democrats. Back us ...
Sun 30th
11:37Farron on Marr: Lib Dems will be the strong opposition that Britain so desperately needs
Tim Farron has been on the Andrew Marr Show this morning. Theresa May was on as well, although not at the same time. It was like Durham in 1992 all over again. He set out his pitch to be the strong opposition to Theresa May's Government: "There is a vacancy for the leader of the opposition" @timfarron says the Lib Dems are the opposition that Britain desperately needs #marr pic.twitter.com/2WJLAckLpZ — The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) April 30, 2017 And he explained why people should spoil May's coronation by turning to the Liberal Democrats "Theresa May is heading for a ...
Jennie Rigg's review of Perfect RemainsI read Perfect Remains (D.I. Callanach, #1) - here's my review on Goodreads Gender and verbs across 100,000 stories: a tidy analysis - Variance ExplainedThis is fascinating. Driver reveals ONE SIMPLE TRICK to avoid ALL speeding fines and penalty pointsAlmost worthy of NewsThump, this one. PSA: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it now.I'm pretty sure this doesn't apply to me because I'm oooooold, but it might to some of you. The scandal of CSI, the little-known loophole used to deny EU citizens permanent residency"without a valid CSI the years ...
Having done my post about how the election could go badly wrong for the Conservatives, what about Labour and the Liberal Democrats?
Big Bill Broonzy played extensively in Europe in the 1950s and was an important influence on the 1960s generation of British musicians, both as a guitarist and a singer. Martin Chilton tells the story of his early life: Broonzy was born Lee Conley Bradley in Arkansas sometime around the end of the 19th century (his actual birth date is disputed), one of 17 children of sharecroppers. His musical career started by playing at local dances, using a fiddle made out of cigar boxes, but things were interrupted when he was drafted into the army and went off to fight in ...
Embed from Getty Images They say never work with children or animals... Tim Farron learnt all about that in Cambridge on Thursday. He was on a visit to support local parliamentary candidate Julian Huppert, Mayoral candidate Rod Cantrill and candidate for South Cambridgeshire Susan Van De Ven. Bonnie the Liberal Democrat cockapoo captured the spotlight and was voluminously photographed by Getty Images. Please use the arrows above to flick through the slide show of this canine campaign coup. * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist. He is a councillor and one of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs ...
Email isn't anything new - it's been around only one year less than me. But we still don't use it nearly widely enough.
There was a minor social media storm yesterday evening when some people shared a question that YouGov are currently asking in one of their surveys. People were asked on a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree how much they agreed with the statement "the best way to run the country would be to have a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament or elections". Now, seen on its own that question might seem odd and somewhat scary, but its not uncommon to see questions like that asked in political science research. Indeed, as Chris Hanretty reminded ...
With a snap general election called to assist the Tories Brexit troubles it really does make you wonder why on earth Labour jumped into the Tory/UKIP bed and voted in Parliament to push on with a Brexit process that can only harm the poorest and most vulnerable in our fractured society! We are all going to be losers in the Brexit process but as with every other social upheaval and economic downturn it is those who have the least who will suffer the most. There is an alternative to this mad world of Brexit and that's to vote Lib Dem ...
Cast your minds back to last year, when anyone travelling ulong Corstorphine Road, one of the main routes into Edinburgh, passed two offices with enormous portraits in them. In one, Alex Cole-Hamilton told people that only he could beat the SNP (and he was right). In the other, a giant image of the First Minister took centre stage. A year on, and on Friday night, Edinburgh West members selected journalist, former special adviser and LDV contributor Christine Jardine to be their candidate in the General Election. Chosen from a 3-strong all women-shortlist, Christine has a proven record of being a ...
The Lady in Red art exhibition is now on at John Stoa's studio (17a Menzieshill Road in the West End) The Lady in Red goes shopping in Dundee, up Reform Street, popping into Ann Summers, sitting outside McManus Gallery and the City Square as well as at home in the garden and on holiday in Gran Canaria. John will also show his Scottish landscape paintings as well as some still life studies. Exhibition runs every day until Sunday 7th May 2017 - open daily from 11am to 5pm.
Look, I was going to do a long and pretentious post about this episode, and the deeper politics of it, and the subtleties of Pearl Mackie's performance... but like an idiot I squeed on Twitter first, and first Sarah Dollard and then Pearl Mackie replied to me, so I've been all "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" all evening, so I'm just going to do a ( spoilerific list under the cut ) Now, some people have been moaning on twitter and elsewhere about how their beloved show has been taken over by SJWs, who have to bring icky lefty SJW politics into everything, and ...
