The annual Europe Day concert in St. John's Smith Square is always an emotional occasion for me. Although I abandoned any ambition for a musical career in my early teens, music still has the ability to move me more than any other art form. So strong is its influence that I cannot write with music [...]
Tue 9th
23:11
CPS will announce on Wednesday if any Conservatives being charged with breaking election law
Robert Peston has the news: CPS to announce tmrw whether any Tory will be prosecuted for breaching election spending rules in 2015, I have learned — Robert Peston (@Peston) May 9, 2017 Interested in more stories about how our elections are run? Follow my dedicated election law channels on Facebook or Twitter which include bonus extra stories that don't appear on this blog.
The Mars Yard, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is one of the closest simulations of Mars that we've got.
In a world which is getting more dangerous it is important to look at how conflicts can actually be resolved. England has managed to avoid either a civil war or a revolution since 1688. That is because people have accepted the constitutional settlement and that was a popular settlement. From time to time there have been pressures for change. Those have normally been resolved through
The excavations of Roman remains off Great Central Street in the centre of Leicester were opened to the public on Saturday and Sunday. So long were the queues to view them that it was decided to open the site between noon and two every day this week. I went along today, finding the entrance to the site directly opposite the old Leicester Central station. Even on a weekday I had to queue for over an hour to get in to view it. As the Leicester Mercury told us: Key discoveries include the remains of one of the largest and highest-status ...
Embed from Getty Images The problem with Jeremy Corbyn is not his left-wing politics, The problem is that he is no good as a leader. On the great issue facing the country - Brexit - he has managed to convince Leavers that he supports Remain and convince Remainers that he supports Leave. We saw that in microcosm today. This morning he announced that the issue of Brexit is "settled", dismaying those of us who hope Britain will yet escapte this self-inflicted disaster. This afternoon he refused seven times to say he would definitely take Britain out of the EU, dismaying ...
The Swalwell Focus was the last of the current round of Focuses planned before the general election was announced. The lead story is about the transfer of Whickham Library to the voluntary sector. I also had a bit in about being the candidate for Blaydon.
Tue 9th
20:15
LibLink: Tim Farron: Emmanuel Macron's victory shows why Britain needs a liberal opposition
Tim Farron has been writing in the Mirror about the example Macron's victory in France sets for Britain. He doesn't pretend that it means that the Lib Dems will bound to victory: So, I won't try to claim that the success of Macron in France last night means that the Liberal Democrats will win a majority next month. What is does mean is that there is a place for outward-looking, forward-thing politics. It means that the far-right can and should be fought and held to account. It means that we don't have to settle for the status quo. In France, ...
On Sunday Ukip announced they would be standing a candidate in the Harborough constituency as the new Conservative candidate, Neil O'Brien, is a "big Remainer". Today they named that candidate: Dr Teck Khong. This came as something of a surprise as he was until today a Conservative member of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council. He also fought Bradford North for the Tories at the 2005 general election and Twitter gossip is that he was disappointed not to be allowed to fight a seat this time. I don't know if he had his eye on Harborough, but because of the snap ...
Let's talk about one of my least favourite innovations in recent politics: the Twitter poll. I understand the thinking behind Twitter introducing it – 'interact with your friends and get their opinions' – but like all seemingly benign social media inventions, its taken on a new and more twisted life of its own complete with the annoying accompanying phrase 'please RT for a larger sample'. While as a social scientist I'm glad that people have understood that sample size is an important aspect of polling, it's only been taken on in the way of a cargo cult, where the more ...
Call Clegg made a comeback today. During the coalition years, Nick Clegg took questions every Thursday morning on LBC. The banter with Nick Ferrari resumed today for an election special Watch Nick defend the proposal for a referendum on the Brexit deal. Nick Ferrari suggested that he was defying the will of the people. Nick responded: N o one will be defied. You can't change a decision made by the British people, other than by another decision of the British people. By the way, people change their minds all the time, that's why we have an election. Last year, we ...
Exciting times at Burnham-on-Sea today as Tim Farron and Tessa Munt visited the Hovercraft Search and Rescue Centre. Tim spoke to the workers, media and supporters before taking a ride in one of the things. Which reminds me of two earlier encounters between Liberal leaders and hovercraft In 2008 Nick Clegg and Tessa made the same visit to Burnham. And Rod Liddle once told the story of Jeremy Thorpe's 1974 visit to Sidmouth: I sat in the bar with a drip feed of genteel alcohol and listened to one of the younger locals — he'd have been in his late ...
Our latest email newsletter for Birtley and Lamesley wards has just been published. Lead story was the council tax rise but we also included stories about the general election campaign. You can read it on this link.
Top tip for Kate Hoey's team: if you're going to go down the Stalinesque route of airbrushing your opponents out of photographs, don't leave a couple of limbs behind: Word to the wise @KateHoeyMP, if you're going to be petty and Photoshop out @georgenturner from a picture, don't forget his legs... [IMG: 😂] pic.twitter.com/uZr51agCNg — Jake Johnstone (@hijakejohnstone) May 9, 2017 Of course, the most famous photo in the Vauxhall contest is this one: Embed from Getty Images
The police are asking all Neighbourhood Watches (and observant locals) to help them. They are asking that you give them information on anyone currently working in your neighbourhood, especially anyone doing driveways, roof repairs and garden work. Whilst the vast majority of workmen are legitimate they are targeting those whose intention is to provide a poor service at an inflated cost, and who are looking for the potential to steal cash and valuables. Please give them any details you can provide of those working in your area, especially descriptions and registration numbers of vehicles and the people driving them.
The frantic and febrile environment of a general election isn't always conducive to clear-headed thinking, but I fear we Lib Dems are guilty of some serious fuzzy-headedness that even a general election shouldn't excuse. This is the background. We tumbled from 57 seats to 8 at the last election. This election is all about limiting Theresa May's majority, and under a voting system that doesn't help us. If we're smart about it, we could boost our seats to the point where we have a healthy bloc that will recapture the oxygen of publicity needed to push liberalism to a wider ...
The one and only Andy Carling persuaded us to watch Clueless with him at the weekend. The only thing I knew about this film was that it is based closely on Jane Austen's Emma, which I thoroughly bounced off when I read it a few years back. But in fact this worked much better for me - Alicia Silverstone, who was still a teenager herself when the film was made, is hilarious as Cher, monstrously insensitive and yet meaning the best in her own special way, and then reaching an epiphany of realising what she has really done. And there ...
There's always been a tinge of otherworldly eccentricity about some liberals- the ability to hold a conversation about the merits of site-value rating while simultaneously clutching a bundle of ready-to -go Focuses- the blending of the theoretical with the practical. Now is the time for the practical. Here in Southport we are fighting off the Tory hordes with our excellent candidate Sue McGuire – and we all know that as a party we need more women MPs. We need more MPs period......and Southport has provided the party with one since 1987. It's a winnable seat that has to be won ...
This morning I handed in my nomination papers, paid the deposit, and believe I was the first completed nomination for North West Durham constituency. Let battle commence. I'm very proud that my local party wanted me to run again. Their faith in me is heart-warming. So is their belief that there is still a place for a genuinely local MP. One who has worked in an ordinary job amongst their neighbours, watched their children grow and blossom at the comprehensive school down the road, and built their networks of friends and acquaintances amongst the very people they want to represent. ...
Well, after one of the toughest six months for a long time, it is a pleasure to be settling in a new garden, new roots, new shoots... new homes for old stones, sequoia yearlings, the green man with blue hair, hostas, hornbeam, mint, new oak leaves, beautiful flowers, and bees, and Glastonbury Tor...
A few weeks ago, Lorely Burt raised the issue of period poverty in Parliament after it was reported that some girls were missing school because they couldn't afford to buy sanitary products. Today the Guardian reports that the party would ensure that school nurses had stocks of pads to give out to all girls: The party said it would fund the scheme so school nurses could keep a large stock of sanitary products for girls who need them, rather than singling out the teenagers likely to be struggling with the costs and giving out the products to them directly, which ...
The Liberal Democrats have announced they will invest nearly £7bn more in schools and colleges over the next parliament. The funding would reverse cuts to frontline school and college budgets, protect per pupil funding in real terms and ensure no school loses out from the National Funding Formula. Liberal Democrat Shadow
Tim Farron's leader interview with ITV's Julie Etchingham was broadcast last night. In it, he talked about his early life, his family, his friends and his vision for the country. In essence, he talked about wanting to lead us to a place where we were all decent to each other and where nobody had to hide who they are. His best mate stitched him up slightly by saying he had an "I love Maggie" poster in his youth. He said he had pictures of all sorts of politicians including Thatcher and admitted to a crush on a young Tory at ...
Last June, the price of petrol was 111.2 pence per litre. Last week, it was 1118.1 pence per litre. The price of oil takes care of about 2p of that. The rest – around 5p – is due to the post-referendum collapse in the value of the pound against the dollar. This 5p increase works out at £2.50 on a tank of petrol for an average-sized car, or £60 per year for the average motorist. For hauliers, the impact of the increase in fuel prices is far greater, adding more than £2,200 per year for the average lorry. 85% of ...
Tue 9th
11:56
Lydiate's parks and open spaces – An update on my previous posting 'Maghull – land, mone...
Lydiate PC grounds maintenance staff at work in Liverpool Road outside St. Gregs Church. I wrote not so long ago an article that was based on complaints made by residents about the standard of maintenance at Old Hall Park in Maghull. That posting can be accessed here:- This is in effect a follow up piece although the detail is about neighbouring Lydiate's parks and open spaces. I have used Lydiate to further illustrate the points I was making in my first posting as the detailed information is to hand for that community. However, such information should be available about ...
There was joy in the hearts of liberals across Europe on Sunday night when the French results came through. It was certainly worrying that more than a third of voters chose a far-right extremist, but it shows that populism can be beaten. Tim Farron was quick to congratulate Emmanuel Macron and said that his values could win the day here too: I would like to congratulate Emmanuel Macron on his election as France's new President. This is not just a victory for France, but a victory for Britain and the liberal values we hold dear. A National Front win would ...
The latest attempt by Theresa May to appeal to the 'just about managing' is an intriguing one if only because she has adopted a Labour policy championed by Ed Miliband that the Tories completely trashed at the time. As the Independent reports, the latest wheeze to cap energy prices has all the drawbacks identified when the former Labour leader advocated it including the loophole that if international prices go up then the energy regulator could allow domestic fuel bills to follow. But that is not all. As the paper says, this particular Conservative policy was rejected by the Competition and ...
In last Thursday's elections, the UKIP vote nosedived from 11% to 1%, largely benefiting the Conservatives whose vote share rose by 7%. The Greens gained 6%, partly through fielding more candidates. The Conservatives now have 49 seats (up 3). The Liberal Democrats 12 (down 1). Labour 8 (down 1). Independent 4 (down 1). Green 1 (lost one, won one). Vote Share The Conservatives increased their overall share of the vote by 7% and the Greens by 6%. UKIP's share fell by 10%. A slightly different picture emerges if we examine the vote share per candidate. This adjusts for the different ...
When is it a BAD idea to clear a minefield? In the Falkland islands, penguins who are too light to set off mines have been enjoying a de facto nature reserve since the Falklands war. Unfortunately, because we signed up to the Ottawa Anti-Landmine conventions, we have to clear the minefield, even though nobody has ever been blown up, and not disturbing the penguins would be good... Tripoints: A General Election prediction competition This is the geekiest general election prediction competition yet :) There's a Dangerous Racial Bias in the Body Mass Index (warning; autoplaying video) More evidence that BMI ...
The Liberal Democrats have made a commitment to reinstate post-study work visas for graduates in STEM subjects who find suitable employment within six months of graduating. The manifesto commitment aims to tackle Britain's chronic shortage of workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths. The current system has driven away talent with global students choosing to study in America, Australia and Canada who have programmes to retain talent post-study. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "It is ludicrous that we take in international students, train them, and then as soon as they are skilled and ready to work, ...
Interesting to see the Progressive Alliance are actively promoting Lib Dem votes in Richmond Park, like the garden poster below. I have never seen this before, and it's powerful stuff.
Last night I attended the meeting of Lighting Up Whickham, the group of volunteers who raise money for the Village's Christmas tree. We are in the middle of drawing up plans for the next Whickham Community Festival. We have now settled on a date - Saturday 22nd July, 11am to 3pm. Local musicians and entertainers are being lined up. There will be lots of craft stalls. Someone not a million miles
Drawing on American football annals for an analogy that works for British politics may seem a stretch for some of you, but stay with me here. In 1916, Georgia Tech faced a college from Tennessee called Cumberland in a football match that lives on in infamy. It will become clear why this is. Cumberland had beaten Georgia Tech in a baseball game the previous year, 22-0. For those who don't know anything about baseball, that's a bit like beating someone 22-0 in an association football match. Georgia Tech wanted to get even and challenged Cumberland to a rematch on the ...
Three weeks after Theresa May announced a snap General Election in the UK, the Conservative dominance shows no sign of abating. Mrs May looks as if she will achieve a majority for her party of between 150 to 200, with over 400 seats, compared to about 150 for Labour. Tory success is primarily a product ... Continue reading Must democratically-run political parties be lousy at elections? →
I have today launched my May 2017 Update to West End Community Council. Subjects covered include: • Bus Services in the West End• Utility Works - Blackness Street • Pavements - Magdalen Yard Road The Community Council meets tonight at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all residents welcome. You can download my Update here.
From the excellent Chris Cook, the Peter Snow of a new generation, a graph showing where Theresa May and Tim Farron have been visiting for the 2017 general election: Here's another battleground for you, nerds. Unlike Lab/Tory charts, @timfarron/@theresa_may are fighting over the same seats. pic.twitter.com/Mavgu2p9wh — Chris Cook (@xtophercook) May 8, 2017 As he rightly highlights, tracking where party leaders visit is a good insight into what a party's strategy is (or at least what it is comfortable to be seen in public as having as its strategy). The academic evidence about the electoral impact of a party leader's ...
Regular readers will know that over the past twelve month I have been presented with all manner of cakes. I have been greatly impressed by the range of home baking that local Congratulations to Eileen Saunders and her team, pictured above with their star baker, they produced an amazing spread. There were cakes from all over Europe. The quality and diversity of baking eclipsed all other events. Students from Edge Hill University helped put on the event and they have promised me some of the photographs they took which illustrate the brilliant bakes and which I will put on the ...
Responding to an admission yesterday by Theresa May that she would have to renegotiate the Le Touquet border treaty with newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, Lib Dem Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Brake said: "Theresa May has adopted UKIP's rhetoric, and now she is adopting their incompetence too. "The Conservatives have repeatedly claimed that Brexit will have no impact on border agreements with France, but now the Prime Minister has admitted that they are up for negotiation. "Changes to Le Touquet will mean an upheaval for people travelling across the Channel, and risk making our country less secure." Theresa May's ...
News from the Blaydon campaign - the Conservatives have a candidate! He's called Tom Smith and he's local - to Camden (450 km down the road from Blaydon). I'm thinking of sending him a welcome pack and a map along with the "How to Survive Up North" manual. Tom was candidate in neighbouring Gateshead constituency in 2015. I'm not sure whether Tom's attraction to the borough of Gateshead is as a
