Wednesday's big job was to get the freepost leaflet into the hands of the printer (or rather into his inbox). The Royal Mail had already approved it and it was just a case of making the file into something that the printer can use. It was a job meant for the evening. Matters did not go to plan. I was called at 5.30pm by St Bede's Hospice where my Dad is. I was warned that it would be better for
Labour's draft manifesto was leaked just after my post last night, which means people have had twenty-four hours to make all the jokes they want about it before I got a chance to do anything about it here. However, it does reveal something interesting about political behaviour that people – especially those involved in politics – don't often understand. Taken individually, a lot of Labour's policies like rail and energy renationalisation, or banning zero hours contracts are very popular, but Labour still trail in the polls and Corbyn – closely associated with a lot of these popular policies – isn't ...
Please support this petition to make Jean Alexander the first individual women to be given the Freedom of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton. Follow this link to SeftonSays to sign the petition.When I became Mayor of Sefton a year ago I had a little list of things I wanted to do. I had a vision that the Mayoralty could reach out and confer civic recognition and thanks to people in our community who have often been excluded. I was delighted to be the first Mayor to visit the Mosque, to host the first civic reception for the LGBT+ people, visit ...
There's a huge swathe of stories political scientists could - and should - be researching, but instead miss out on because the profession huddles so closely around a relatively small island of knowledge.
Responding to David Cameron's suggestion that Theresa May needs a large majority "to stand up to people who want an extreme Brexit", Liberal Democrat Allan Knox said: "Saying Theresa May needs a landslide to stop an extreme Brexit is like saying a bank robber needs the keys to the safe to look after the cash. "Nigel Farage told you everything you need to know about Theresa May's Conservatives. "On 7 May, Farage tweeted: 'Theresa May is using the exact words and phrases I've been using for 20 years.' "A Conservative landslide will be bad for jobs, the NHS and schools. ...
[Original post from https://www.facebook.com/martinveartedin/]My papers are in and, in the eyes of the law, I am now your Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith for the general election to be held on the 8th of June, 2017.While campaigning over the past few years, and living in Edinburgh from 2008, I have come to know and appreciate this city and the people. Perhaps it is naïve of me, but we are often told that the public, us, demand a new type of politics. I'm ready for that. I'm listening.I know that the constituency has many concerns. In West Pilton ...
And so, with polls closing in the last set of elections less than a week ago it is time for another election – 4pm today was the deadline for candidates in the upcoming General Election to get their nomination papers in. This year's local elections saw relatively few openly trans candidates with only three people putting their names forward, and no winners. That might seem relatively few, but county elections often produce a different crop of candidates to district councils and three was at least an improvement on the last set of council elections, 2013, in which no known trans ...
Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats, tapping into something that has been a proud part of Britain's past and something other countries have often praised us for.
It's time to have your say - again - on the latest ideas for the Tern Inn and car park. The developers still want to build flats on the whole site, but now they are offering a community cafe as an alternative to the pub. The cafe idea is sketchy, to say the least. It would not provide the community functions that the Tern Inn currently hosts. No evidence is provided that such a cafe would be viable, and there is no analysis of how the various activities currently hosted by the pub could realistically be run in a cafe ...
Yet more proof of how most voters know as much about the basics of politics as I do of women's hockey.
Second frame of third page:
Good news from Swindon Link. The Richard Jefferies Museum at Coate has receive a donation of £55,000 from the Arts Council towards a programme of arts and heritage activities. The website quotes a couple of reactions: Hilda Sheehan, who organises most of the museum's events as well as being a poet and mainstay of the Swindon Poetry Festival, said: "This is such good news for us. We are a tiny museum and really want to reach as many people as possible. Having a grant from the Arts Council means we can bring in really good artists and internationally renowned poets ...
Embed from Getty Images What makes a government weak and unstable? Tensions between the prime minister and the chancellor that's what. It was when Margaret Thatcher fell out with Nigel Lawson in 1989 that she started to look vulnerable. She did not last much longer. Which is why the most important political news today is this one behind The Times paywall: Relations between the chancellor and Theresa May's top team have deteriorated following a series of clashes over policy and presentation. Philip Hammond infuriated senior Downing Street aides by effectively committing the prime minister to ditching a promise not to ...
What's this about then? Analysis of the Peterborough population indicates an increase of 17% by 2021, of which people aged 85 and over are expected to increase by 40% and those aged 55 and over by 26%. So what's the concern? Well as life expectancy increases older people are living with multiple long-term conditions associated [...]
This (above) is a slide show courtesy of Getty Images. Click on the arrows to see all five photos of Tim's glorious descension into Burnham-on-Sea yesterday Well, you have to admire the pluck of Tim Farron. As a keen student of Liberal History, I am sure he is aware of the intimate details of Jeremy ... Continue reading Tim gets aboard a hovercraft. What could possibly go wrong?
Through the miracle of YouTube, here is the 1970 Nimble advert with the girl lifted up by a hot air balloon, to the song "I can't let Maggie go": And here's the original single "I can't let Maggie go" by Honeybus from 1968:
Kate Hoey must be feeling threatened by her local Lib Dem candidate George Turner. As one of the most prominent advocates of Brexit in a heavily Remain voting constituency, (not to mention having to campaign on Jeremy Corbyn's manifesto), her jacket is, shall we say, on a shoogly peg. The other day, she tweeted a photo of an event at a school in her constituency. If you look in the back row, you will see Sarah Olney. Next two Sarah Olney is a pair of legs without a head. They belong to George Turner who has been airbrushed out. Wonderful ...
Do you like white outfits? Do you love male-female duets? Do you crave male-female duets where they're both dressed in white? Then semi-final two has been made for you! After some upsets on Tuesday – Finland being the biggest expected qualifier knocked out – tonight it's the second set of songs vying for places in Saturday's final. And they are these. Serbia If the opening part of this song seems strangely familiar, I reckon it's because it's the Sugababes' About You Now. Unfortunately, it's not as good as that. There's a white dress, a shirtless dancer doing a cool/weird backwards ...
The number of people waiting longer than they should for hospital care have hit a five-year high in England, figures show. NHS England data for 2016-17 reveals 2.5 million patients waited over four hours in A&E - up from 725,000 in 2011-12. Those waiting
Thu 11th
13:10
Our Liberal "Internationalism", born in a period of party fragmentation, is now our uniting and uniq...
When you consult books about Liberal and Liberal Democrat party history about the birth of our "Internationalism", European "Federalism" and our thesis that stand-alone nationstates (and "narrow nationalism") become more and more obsolete, you discover a surprising fact. According to Michael Steed's chapter "Liberal Tradition" in Don MacIver's bundle "The Liberal Democrats" (from 1996), it was in the comprehensive policy survey "The Liberal Way" of 1934, that we stated that in future, "narrow nationalist" parties everywhere would face parties, the Liberals firmly among them, supporting the growing, factual interdependence as best policy basis. Philip Kerr, marquis of Lothian, said (1935): ...
Thu 11th
12:54
Maghull – Volunteers requested to assist Sustrans on Cheshire Lines Path/Trans Pennine trail a...
Time for a sit down. Theses seats were put in in the past few weeks, by volunteers, on the Meadow Site behind Sefton Drive on the Cheshire Lines Path in Maghull. Call for assistance from volunteer group:- On Sunday the 14th May 2017 Staff and volunteers of Sustrans and the Trans Pennine Trail will be attending the Meadow site in Maghull. There are various activities taking place through the day and you are invited to come along to the project site. We have been awarded funding to transform this area of land from a misused, overgrown stretch of path into ...
This morning I was contacted by a lady living in France who is registered to vote in the UK constituency of Dagenham & Rainham where I am standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate in next month's general election. I suspect she will be the first of many, as hundreds of thousands of British expats on [...]
There isn't going to be a free trade deal before we leave the EU. Theresa May was advised as much by the civil service back in November when it became clear that there is no-where near enough time to negotiate a deal. In any case it is not in the EU's political interests to come to an agreement until after we've actually left the club so as not to encourage further euro-scepticism on the continent. Ending free movement will not reduce migration to the tens of thousands. The government will still have no control of the number of people leaving ...
I am currently reading Vince Cable's book 'After the Storm' which is excellent, if a bit technical. Although the book was written before the vote to leave the EU, the chapter on housing is as pertinent now as it was then. In particular, the former Business Secretary's analysis of where we are now in the housing market and how successive Governments have failed those wanting an accessible and affordable home is excellent. Vince argues that the UK has just emerged from the aftermath of a financial crisis that had a housing boom at its heart. He says that there was ...
Channel 4 - Producers Handbook - Guide to Media LawLook, I know you're not a big broadcasting organisation, you're just a blogger (or a tweeter, or a Facebooker, or whatever) but all this stuff still applies to you and is worth bearing in mind. HIV-Preventing Drug PrEP Should Be Available On NHS, Say Lib DemsIt is in Scotland. It should be everywhere. miss_s_b | As on Twitter, so on DW: regarding the CPS decision on the Tory Election Expenses ScandalIn which I discuss the CPS decision on the Tory Election Expenses and how it's best to be very careful what ...
Following a long investigation by your local Councillors, the Council has confirmed that two major 20mph schemes in Holyrood Ward are now NOT going ahead. Five years ago Bury Council's Labour administration announced that all residential roads in the Borough would be made 20mph in it's "Streetsafe" scheme. Since then only one scheme in Holyrood Ward has been completed – St Margaret's Road and (part of) Polefield Road. Last year the Council undertook two major consultation for two additionl schemes: – "Poppythorn Road Area" (Nursery, Poppythorn, Glebeleands, Langley etc) – "Heaton Park Area", the entire area between Bury Old Road ...
Since his election as leader in 2015, Tim Farron has been one of the strongest voices arguing that we should offer sanctuary to those fleeing the appalling, brutal war in Syria. He has made several visits to places like Calais and Lesvos to talk to refugees. On his agenda today is a visit to a refugee charity in Gloucestershire where he will announce an ambitious manifesto commitment for refugees. The manifesto sets out a plan to take 50,000 refugees over five years from Syria in the next parliament, as well as reopening the Dubs programme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children ...
Thu 11th
10:14
Why the "Monsieur Zen" routine is causing long-term damage to the Labour brand (plus, why I'm so mea...
I live in Camberwell, in what could be described as Camberwell-Peckham borders (in other words, when I'm applying for a bank account in live in Camberwell; when I want to seem edgy, I live in Peckham). It is, as most of you will know already, an incredibly diverse area, both ethnically and socio-economically. It is also core Labour territory; in fact, post-losing Scotland completely and on the cusp of losing the north of England and Wales, my part of south London may be one of the few parts of the country than can claim to be core Labour territory any ...
The Liberal Democrats have today announced that £1 billion of the party's additional health funding would be spent tackling the "historic injustice" faced by people with mental ill health. Last weekend, Liberal Democrat Leader Tim Farron and Shadow
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week – a national campaign that takes place every year organised by the Mental Health Foundation (MHF). This year's campaign theme is 'Surviving or thriving' and it asks why so many people are living with mental health issues rather than enjoying good mental health. It asks why so many of us struggle to cope with the demands of modern life, and in some cases just get through the day.The campaign also looks at steps we can all take to look after our mental health, build resilience and cope better with the demands of modern ...
Five volunteers are needed to become part of a "Shetland Murder Mystery" held at a local library in June. The event is inspired by crime writer Ann Cleeves, and participants are being asked to take on the roles of providing witness statements, forensic reports and, of course, guessing whodunnit! A prize will be awarded to the audience member closest to solving the murder and copies of Cleeves' books will be available to buy on the night. The event will take place on a Thursday evening in June, the final date to be confirmed. There are no auditions and no need ...
Free legal advice for people with dementia and their carers is being offered in local libraries during Dementia Awareness Week (14-20 May). The pop-up legal clinics have been organised by the Dementia Action Alliance and will give advice on a range of matters including Lasting Power of Attorney, Court of Protection, Wills and discretionary trusts. The clinics are held as follows, and no appointment is necessary: – Radcliffe Library – Tuesday 16 May (10am to 2pm – Ramsbottom Library – Thursday 18 May (11am to 1pm) – Whitefield Library – Friday 19 May (1pm to 3.30pm) For more information, email ...
At no other time during a 10 year teaching career has the horizon appeared so dark and bleak over the educational landscape. Retention is low and recruitment equally as poor within the sector, begging the question "Why is it so hard to find teachers?" Even now as I type, I find myself questioning if this is what I want for my future. The truth is that the profession is built on people with a passion for their career, people who believe in the importance and the worth of educating and guiding future generations. And it is the good will and ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Our next free talk in the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum will be on Tuesday 16th May at 6pm, when Georgia Carr and David Lampard will be speaking on Garden Tigers, Gold Spangles and Burnished Brass: Digitising the Kenneth Tod Moth Collection. Did you know there are over 2 500 species of moths in the UK compared to 59 species of butterfly? Or that not all moths fly at night? Some moths have ears, some don't have mouths! Little is known about moths in Angus and Dundee yet there ...
Thu 11th
08:25
"I once led a huge protest against the Lib Dems - but this general election, I'll be voting for them...
So writes Rahul Mansigani in The Independent: In the autumn of 2010, over 50,000 students marched through the streets of London to protest against a trebling of tuition fees proposed by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government - and as the then-President of the Cambridge University Students' Union, I led a huge number of them... I would never have thought that I would ever encourage people to vote Liberal Democrat again. But in 2017, I am a fully paid-up member of the Lib Dems, and proud of it. Last year's Brexit referendum result was a catastrophe for Britain's young people, with ...
Liberal Democrats have stated that £1 billion of the party's additional health funding would be spent tackling the "historic injustice" faced by people with mental ill health. Last weekend, we unveiled a Five Point NHS and Care Recovery Plan to increase funding for health and social care services, including a penny on income tax to provide a £6 billion funding boost. Today we are saying that £1 billion of this extra money would be ring-fenced as dedicated funding for mental health services. This would help to deliver on 12 key priorities, including improving waiting time standards for mental health care ...
Hackers Came, but the French Were Prepared How to do it. (tags: france hacking russia )
Over on my Patreon, for backers only, a 3000-word post on the 2008 superhero comic Final Crisis, which as is the way with these things touches on other stuff too. A brief excerpt: And "on fire" is appropriate Depression, and ... Continue reading →
