The Observer's Rachel Cooke interviews the great man.
Though I can't claim to be a founder member, I have been a keen supporter of the Oscar Wilde Society for many years, and am proud to be one of its Patrons. Not only has it filled a lacuna in the academic market with its scholarly publication, The Wildean, but it also puts on extremely jolly [...]
June 2017: The General Election has returned an entirely predictable result. It is the Liberals—yet again—who emerged as the dominant force. Prime Minister Nick Clegg, seemingly secure in office for a second term, has now entered the familiar round of coalition negotiations with the third party—Labour. The oddly popular socialist maverick Jeremy Corbyn, no natural soul mate of the PM's, leads a party with 85 seats. The leading radical left Liberal, deputy leader Yvette Cooper, is leading the coalition negotiations with Corbyn, with defence and welfare policy expected to be the biggest sticking points. But no one doubts that in ...
A near miss, with compensation in loot: The seventeenth we marched towards the foot of the mountayn of Sleavloghra, which beginneth at Bally-McAuley, and is fourteen myles over to the playnes of Kerry, in which passadge our carrages and horses stucke in, by the continual rayne which we have had, and that evening we descended from the mountayn into Kerry, we looked for and pitched our campe at a place within three myles of the Island of Kerry called Kilcushny. The horsemenne, which were in the northward, discovered a prey dryving from the pleyn betwixt the Island and Traly to ...
I'm going to close the survey of Liberal Democrat members about the party's leadership election at midnight tonight (Saturday). I will then report back on the results in a special edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire tomorrow morning. So: If you are a member, you've still got time to take part in the survey here. Whether or not you are a member, sign up to be among the first to receive the results here, including whether or not members think Tim Farron was right to resign and who they want to see succeed him.
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that the neurotypicals are at it again. Tomorrow is Autism Pride Day, so of course today Twitter has been dominated by responses to a stupid tweet from a neurotypical journalist ... Continue reading →
There is a clear irony in this car-crash. Prejudice against Tim's supposed prejudices appears to have led to his resignation. Since he neither expressed such prejudices, nor, if he had them, allowed them to influence in the slightest his work as Liberal Democrat MP and Leader, what he has experienced is itself prejudice, an attack on his freedom of thought. It seems a disgrace that he should have been confronted by senior party figures and asked to resign, apparently because of the supposed views which he has not expressed. It was unfair, and the more so since the delegation to ...
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 16-06-2017 I posted The Blood is the Life for 16-06-2017 to my dreamwidth blog Instagram Instagram photo: Pippin pupdate, for those who were worried. He is now sans bucket. Twitter Instagram photo: Pippin pupdate, for those who were worried. He is now sans bucket. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Three days on and I'm still utterly livid at the way in which Tim Farron was forced to resign on Wednesday. His own searingly heartfelt and at times confusing resignation statement has raised more questions than it answered and I know that some LGBT people in the party, particularly LGBT Christians in the party are bewildered and upset by that. Tim doesn't have a homophobic bone in his body. He loves people, all people and cares deeply about the issues which affect their life chances. He has argued for the fight for LGBT rights to be advanced in various ways ...
Can we all calm down a little please? Tim Farron has announced that he is standing down at the start of the summer recess, he has put in place a shadow cabinet containing many talented MPs and will continue to provide a constructive opposition to the government. The party has not yet put in place a timetable for the leadership contest and yet already the various camps have started to brief against each other. Closed Liberal Democrat groups are awash with confused members asking whether such and such a rumour about a particular candidate is true or not. Newspapers are ...
That a thoroughly decent man has been forced from public office is a given and I say that as an atheist. Yes I was very uncomfortable watching Tim contort himself into knots when asked about his religious views and yes the media were out to do him harm over his religion. Just think about it, how many other leading politicians have strong religious views and how many of them have been hounded out of office for holding them? Blair got some stick because he was Roman Catholic but I struggle to think of many others in recent times. Did Tim ...
Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats heartily congratulate Peter Black, for so long our regional AM, on the CBE awarded in Her Majesty's birthday honours. The BBC reports:recognised in the birthday honours list is Swansea councillor Peter Black who will be appointed CBE for services to politics and public life in Wales.Mr Black was a Liberal Democrat AM between 1999 and 2016 and has represented the Cwmbwrla ward as a councillor since 1984. [IMG: Peter Black] Image captionPeter Black lost his assembly seat in 2016
Major electrification work will be taking place in our area from 19 August to 15 September, night and day. Some of the work will be noisy, and deliveries to Network Rail compounds along the route (e.g. Shire Way access point) will be made by road, so nearby roads will experience an increase in traffic. The work will be on the main line from Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, to Patchway/Filton junctions, via Old Sodbury, Chipping Sodbury and Yate to Westerleigh Junction. In addition, from 2 September to 15 September 2017, the work area will extend to include Westerleigh Junction towards Yate ...
We have spotted a couple of Lib Dems in the Birthday Honours list – congratulations to them! If we have missed anyone please add in the comments and we will include them in the post. Peter Black has been awarded the CBE for services to Politics and Public Life in Wales. Peter was an inaugural member of the Welsh Assembly and held his seat, representing South Wales West, until last year. He is currently a Councillor for Cwmbwrla Ward, Swansea City Council and the Welsh Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Local Government, Heritage and Housing. Peter has been writing a substantial ...
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 : SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of BT manhole repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Guthrie Street (between Horsewater Wynd and Blinshall Street), Dundee This notice comes into effect on Sunday 18 June 2017 for 1 day. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes are available via Horsewater Wynd / Hawkhill / Brown Street. For further information contact (01382) 433082. Executive Director of City DevelopmentDundee City ...
The Liberal Democrat Federal Board (FB), of which I'm a member, is meeting a week today to discuss the timetable for the Liberal Democrat leadership election. The rules for the leadership contest are agreed by party conference but there is some leeway over what the Federal Board can decide on for the timescale. The rules set down a normal timescale of between 8 and 13 weeks. The lower figure is as high as it is because once you allow for a nomination period and then time for a good number of hustings around the country, followed by enough time for ...
