This electrified line from Sheffield to Manchester closed in the summer of 1981. Note that in those days goods trains still had a guard's van.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Embed from Getty Images The Liberal Democrat manifesto was in no doubt: The Conservatives want to take us back 50 years, to an outdated system of grammar schools and secondary moderns, ignoring all the research and expert advice that show it will damage the life chances of so many children.And Tim Farron was certainly in no doubt after the election result was known: "Even a modest extension of grammar schools is still unacceptable. It is a betrayal of the principle of comprehensive education. It needs to be thrown out of the window. "This election delivered a message to the Conservatives, ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Embed from Getty Images Michael Gove now oversees environmental policy, food, farming and fisheries. His arrival in the cabinet is part of Theresa May's struggle to avert a leadership bid. More than ever, we need an independent government-backed assessor for the environment, biodiversity and wildlife. Politically, we live in curious times with no certainty that the government will be stable or strong enough to survive the Brexit process. Theresa May has reappointed most of her pre-election cabinet, but she moved Andrea Leadsom from Defra to become Leader of the House of Commons. Michael Gove has been brought back to cabinet ...

Posted by Andy Boddington on Liberal Democrat Voice

The question "will Nick Clegg become a member of the House of Lords?" is now a Question To Which The Answer Is No (#QTWAIN): Thanks for the kind petition to put me in the Lords, but I'm afraid an unelected chamber is not for me. Ermine just isn't my thing... 3/3 — Nick Clegg (@nick_clegg) June 12, 2017

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Now the general election is out of the way, people's minds are starting to turn to next year's local elections. Which may or may not happen before the next general election... but as a fixed date in the political calendar they do provide some certainty for planning both party activities and personal decisions about whether or not to stand. Knowing what it takes to be a good candidate and then a good councillor is vital to winning elections - and to then making something out of the opportunity the voters have given you. So here are seven questions to ask ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

 

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Well, last week's UK election result was certainly unforeseen. I spent election week on a long-planned walking holiday in Scotland, cast a postal vote for our local Liberal Democrat before setting out, and took time out from holiday indulgences to watch the exit poll. That the Tories were predicted to lose their over-all majority produced an unexpected surge of euphoria, followed by almost instant disillusion and a disconsolate retirement to bed when the first two results to be declared suggested that the exit poll was inaccurate. Joy returned in the morning on discovering that the exit poll was right after ...

Posted by Peter Wrigley on Keynesian Liberal

The unexpected is happening. In the wake of the late surge in support for Labour that wiped out Theresa May’s majority (and hit the Liberal Democrat vote), a new poll on 11 June shows Labour six points ahead of the Tories. Labour are reporting 150,000 new members in the first three days after the election. On the doorsteps on polling day, and with friends since, the sense is that Labour under Corbyn have caught people’s imaginations. What does this mean for us? My sense is that this is a problem because people’s imaginations have been caught by something unrealistic. If ...

Posted by Mark Argent on Liberal Democrat Voice

In June 1580, my ancestor Sir Nicholas White set off as part of an expedition from Dublin to pacify what is now County Limerick and County Kerry in the wake of the Second Desmond Rebellion. He wrote an account of the expedition which was published in 1872. Since it's the exact anniversary of the expedition over the next few weeks, I'm posting the relevant excerpts daily. The first includes the covering letter to Lord Burghley. Lymericke, July 22, A.D. 1580. MY singular good Lord, — I do here send your Lordship a diary of our late journey in Munster, from ...

Going through my final exams during a general election was heart breaking. I wanted to canvass and I wanted to write, but the only thing I seemed to have time to get involved in were political debates with friends and family, and it always came back the same comment: If you're a student, why would you vote for the Lib Dems? I remember the day that Nick Clegg supposedly betrayed his younger voters well. I was studying for my GCSEs when a BBC news reporter announced that a video of Nick Clegg apologising had gone viral on the internet and, ...

Posted by Anna Pitcher on Liberal Democrat Voice
YouGov

Commenting on the news that the Queen's Speech is delayed as Theresa May tries to hammer out a Tory-DUP deal Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said:"This is an utter humiliation for Theresa May, it is time to stop trying to cling to power and time to admit enough is enough. This is the biggest embarrassment that a Prime Minister can face, she cannot announce her agenda because she has no idea what she can actually get through."The Tories are hanging onto office desperate for a deal from the DUP, turning them into the MayDUP government. This MayDUP coalition has fallen ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40248366 The BBC has the story on its web site – see link above Quote from the BBC posting – 'Without EU nurses, it will be even harder for the NHS and other employers to find the staff they need to provide safe patient care.' So the 52% of electors who chose to vote Out in last June's EU Referendum have caused this! Thanks very much, what on earth were you thinking of? Don't you have to visit an NHS hospital like the 48% of us who voted Remain?

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

One of the strangest things about this last election was how little the economy featured. Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, was unseen. The Conservatives didn't bother to cost their manifesto. Nobody wanted to talk about the Brexit black hole – not even the Liberal Democrats much, I mean couldn't we have promised to fund £60bn of spending by not leaving the EU? It would have made the point. Why? Theresa May and her advisers never really understood the economy, only that it was something that the Conservatives generally get the credit for being sounder on with the larger part of the ...

Posted by Joe Otten on Liberal Democrat Voice

This is not going to be upbeat folks. Nick Clegg is the reason I'm involved in politics. Plain and simple. His view of the world and what is worth campaigning for is extremely aligned to mine. He is the person I'll defend to the hilt most of all when people come at me with various views that aren't liberal. The personal vendetta against him by a large section of society has made me question just how other people can see the same as me but see it completely differently. This isn't just outward looking towards those not voting for (nor ...

Posted by neilmonnery on The Rambles of Neil Monnery

Its June already and certainly feeling summery – in between the showers! So time for an update from your Wallington South Ward Councillors: Ward News High Street Loading Bays The bay outside the KFC has now been changed to goods vehicles loading only, and for the first time in ages we have seen the bay [...]

Posted by jaynemccoy on Diary of a Sutton Councillor

The four freedoms of the EU are quintessentially Liberal in their values. The free movement of goods, capital, services, and labour, are four things that are integral to our diplomatic ties to Europe, our economic prosperity, and our staunchly internationalist principles. They are behind the core concept of the EU, the underlying beliefs of the EU, and the reason that many, even who voted Leave, acknowledge the economic benefits of the EU. They are also the things that I believe we should fight for, before all else. As someone who lives in, campaigns in, and is quite attached to, my ...

Posted by Alex Wagner on Liberal Democrat Voice

I cycled through Lunt and its back lanes the other day and this is the sight that met me. Sadly this is very far from being a new problem and the poor old residents of Lunt Village have had to put up with such illegal activities for many years. Of course Sefton Council is a victim too, as are local land owners, who have to keep clearing it all up. A fellow cyclist was also passing through and he suggested what needs to be done to fly-tippers when they are caught. Of course as a Liberal I do not believe ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus
Mon 12th
12:13

How we lost Southport

Gut wrenching horrible was how it felt to be pushed into third place in a seat we have held for the last twenty years but by way of catharsis I would like to tell you good folks what I think happened.It would be good to have other tales of success and failure here. The election took us as by surprise.Weeks before the Constituency Chair and I had decided that I would announce my retirement from Westminster after what we assumed would be good set of local election results. The snap election forced my hand. But we had ready a great ...

Posted by John Pugh on Liberal Democrat Voice
Mon 12th
11:13

Well Hung

This blog has been a work in progress for a couple of days: I started writing in a delirious haze on Friday morning after no sleep and a lot of gin, so I sensibly held off posting until the fog had cleared. Then the internet went down all weekend, so this post has been a few days in the making! I had gin, fluffy slippers, and my boyfriend and I have been prepping for the zombie apocalypse for years. All bases are covered. Blimey, it was a long night on Thursday wasn't it? And a little bit of a roller ...

Posted by Dani Tougher on More Than Nothing

[IMG: Shepway DC parking permit renewal form 2017] In 2015, I posted about the inability of Shepway District Council to accept an online debit / credit card payment for the renewal of a parking permit. In 2016, I posted about the inability of Shepway District Council to accept an online debit / credit card payment for the renewal of a parking permit. On Saturday, I received my 2017 renewal notice for my parking permit (which is now £60 - a stealth tax rise of £8 or 15%. But I disgress). You still can't pay it online using a debit or ...

eUKhost

Instagram Instagram photo: There's nothing like a nice healthy cycle ride on a Sunday lunchtime [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments

Given the fact that the Lib Dem election campaign had failed to launch right from the start, and that many (myself included) were predicting electoral meltdown for the Liberal Democrats, a net gain of three seats could be viewed as a positive result for the party in context. However, I feel alienated from most Lib Dems' general sense of "hope" arising from this election; I just don't see it. The party lost five seats and gained eight. The national vote share for the party went down even further from the very low 2015 level. Apart from where the party managed ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

If Theresa May needs any examples of a politician that can survive virtually any setback then she need look no further than fellow hard-Brexiteer, Nigel Farage. According to the Independent, Donald Trump's best mate is thinking about resuming his role at UKIP leader for a fourth time. The possible return by Farage comes after UKIP's present leader, Paul Nuttall resigned in the light of his party's disastrous election showing (and presumably to spend time leading the British Lions against the All Blacks): Nigel Farage has said he is considering returning as Ukip leader after Paul Nuttall's resignation. When asked whether ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

"It is crucial to remain ambitious when it comes to citizens' rights; citizens remain at the heart of the EU" declared Charles Goerens, Demokratesch Partei and ALDE MEP, in an address to a meeting that formally established a branch of Liberal Democrats in Luxembourg. This is the Liberal conviction that underlies Charles Goerens' proposal of 'associate EU citizenship' for those who feel and wish to remain part of the European project, but who are nationals of a former Member State. "Putting the interests of citizens first is among the prime concerns of the EU Parliament, which has a decisive say ...

Posted by Martin Bennett on Liberal Democrat Voice

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 12 JUNE 2017 Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) - westbound nearside lane closure for 23 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works. SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal - Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 6 weeks. A85 Riverside Drive - prohibition of right turn from westbound lane of Riverside Drive into Riverside approach and prohibition of right turn from Riverside Approach in to Riverside Drive from Monday 12 June for ...

Yesterday Michael Gove returned to the cabinet as environment secretary. Which makes an article on the Why Vote Leave website dated 14 June 2016 particularly interesting. It begins: Thirteen Government ministers and senior Conservatives have today committed that every region, group and recipient of EU funding will continue to get that money after a 'Leave' vote in the EU referendum. In an open letter, the signatories - who include Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Priti Patel - assure those people and organisations who currently receive money from the European Union that their funding is safe if we Vote Leave. In ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England