The latest offer from the council to Durham's TAs is to be put to the council meeting on Wednesday. Most unsatisfactorily the report is extremely last minute (issued tonight for a Meeting at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday) and still short on precise detail, but at least it does two things I and my party have been calling for: Unconditionally withdraw the dismissal notices issued to hundreds of Teaching Assistants in October 2016 Increase to two years the protection for all teaching assistants who will lose income under the new proposals We are also told that the new arrangement, rather than ...
For many years, Liberal International British Group (LIBG) hosted a winter reception for London's diplomatic community at the National Liberal Club, but the cost of this became increasingly difficult for such a relatively small organisation to bear, despite occasional welcome sponsorship. So it was with huge relief all round that the National Liberal Club (NLC) [...]
I once blogged about the Derwent Valley Railway (DVR): When I was an undergraduate at York, the bus from the university into the city used to cross a bridge over an overgrown single-track railway. This was the Derwent Valley Light Railway, which in those days ran from Layerthorpe in the city for four miles out to Dunnington. When it opened in 1913 it had run almost to Selby: in 1981 it was to close altogether. One day I walked the line to Dunnington and back. Though it shows track that had long gone by then, the video above gives a ...
Different day, different polling method, different question wordings but same conclusion as before: there are enough voters who support the Lib Dem line on Europe to have fuelled a very successful general election.
We have had an unexpectedly long political season. That's got in the way of routine but important transport matters in and around Ludlow. In and Out of Ludlow (IOL) will resume on Thursday evening - The Writing Room, Feathers Hotel, 5pm, 22 June. Top of the agenda will be election of a chair and vice-chair. We also need to discuss how these meetings are run, including giving adequate notice and ensuring that issues are followed through from meeting to meeting. Agenda 22 June 1) Election of Chair. 2) Election of Vice-chair. 3) Discussion of management of future IOL meetings, to ...
This sounds fun in a gentle sort of way: A fun filled family day to celebrate wildflower meadows and their wealth of wildlife. FREE ENTRY, everyone welcome! We have a packed programme of activities planned. These include guided meadow walks, family bug hunts, and the launch of the new Stiperstones Butterfly Trail. Try your hand at scything, or show off your scything skills in the competition arena, along with hay bale lobbing and hayrick building. Alternatively, head for the arts & crafts tent where you'll find lots of hay to play and create with.Full details on the Stiperstones & Cordon ...
The decision by the Liberal Democrats in 2010 to include as part of its manifesto, and subsequent coalition negotiations, the raising of the income tax threshold was the culmination of years of debate in the party about whether to cut taxes or increase public spending. Because tax cuts are more often associated with right wing parties, there is a tendency to view them as profoundly illiberal. But actually cutting taxes enforces a profound liberal principal, that of devolving power, the power to spend their slice of the wealth in the economy, down to the lowest possible level, that of the ...
Without doubt, this was a tough election, and I wasn't even in a lead campaigning role, let alone running. (I thought about the latter, and was approved; but I then campaigned in my home constituency of Sheffield Hallam.) Gutted about our loss of Nick Clegg, I took to the blogs and comments on Liberal Democrat Voice over the past week to see how our national results were perceived across the party. Despite some celebration, they also demonstrate that there is much discontent, with rallying cries for radical centrism to "so long, liberals" alike. Evidently, tough Liberal love is in order. ...
Paddling: The nineteenth, in our journey from Castel-Magne to the Dingell, which is xx miles off, we camped at a place which is near the Bay of Dingle, called "The Inch," where my Lord Justice and I did practyse our best skyll to gather cockles for our supper. Inch Strand remains one of the spectacular places of Dingle. It is rather disarming to think of the viceroy and his senior Irish adviser paddling in the shallows for shellfish to augment their supplies. I suspect that they did not gather enough to feed the whole army.
Mon 19th
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The Conservatives and Labour are not finding life easy in the world of two-party politics
First, an apology. For the last two weeks I have been on holiday, and taking a break from blogging. So an incredible two weeks, featuring not just the election, but a terrorist attack in a place that I frequent, and the Grenfell Tower disaster, has passed without comment. Never mind the continued ascent of Emmanuel ... Continue reading The Conservatives and Labour are not finding life easy in the world of two-party politics →
After the UK voted to leave the EU, by only a slim majority, May's Conservatives (and to a certain extent Corbyn's Labour) failed to understand that a compromise needed to be made between Leave voters and Remain voters. As I write this, I feel as though I will probably be branded as a 'remoaner', as 'anti-democratic' or as 'against the will of the people'. The truth is that I am none of those. Even many Leave supporting politicians in the lead up to the referendum, last year, supported the prospect of a Britain outside the EU, but inside the single ...
Embed from Getty Images The Kensington disaster, along with the referendum that voted for Brexit, demonstrates the pressing need to tackle inequality. Corbyn's success was due to him offering hope. It is time for Lib Dems to step up and offer radical solutions, as we have seen in France. Every candidate for the leadership must be asked what he or she will do to tackle this issue. Here are some ideas, though not exhaustive. Government priorities With a lame duck PM and a government in chaos we cannot expect to see too many balls in the air. We are not ...
This is a reminder to self, because the heat is destroying my short-term memory even by my standards. I have a lot of ideas for things I need to write at the moment, but I'm also currently doing freelance work, ... Continue reading →
South Glos Council currently subsidises a number of bus services in our area. They are now asking for your views on these in an online survey. Printed copies will be available at all South Gloucestershire libraries and One Stop Shops and there will also be roadshow events: Saturday 24th June, 11.00-14.00, Yate Shopping Centre Tuesday 27th June, 10.00-14.00, Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke Friday 30th June, 10.00-14.00 The Mall, Cribbs Causeway Thursday 6th July, 11.00-14.00 St Mary's Shopping Centre, Thornbury Wednesday 12th July, 08.00-10.00, Bristol Parkway Station The consultation runs until 3rd September.
How long Theresa May will remain in Number 1o has become the million pound question in British politics. It is a genuinely perplexing one for which no one has the answer. I don't either, incidentally – but I think going over the possibilities is worth the time. One is that she stays on until spring/summer of 2019. In other words, for the whole of the Brexit negotiation period (or at least, what could become known as the initial Brexit negotiation period). This option has several advantages: one, it steadies the ship and gives the Tories time to recover and for ...
Embed from Getty Images Nationally it might be argued that the General Election was a moderate success for the Liberal Democrats and, maybe, even baby steps towards a revival. A net increase of 4 seats on 2015 with a marginal decrease in the national share, which could arguably be put down to significant tactical voting, could provide some evidence of this. However I would argue this masks disastrous performances regionally which should be of massive concern to the national party going forward. I'd like to focus on my own region, Yorkshire. Yorkshire contains 51 seats. Going into the 2017 election ...
Sun, 12:56: Memo to Theresa May: your new Brexit options https://t.co/vNc1X1maOz Biting, from the @ft. Sun, 14:55: RT @jeremycorbyn: I have written to @Theresa_May regarding the decision to hold a full and independent public inquiry into the fire at #Gre... Sun, 15:19: Little U showing solidarity. #GreatGetTogether #Brussels @ Leopold Park https://t.co/nni6gD4v0s Sun, 16:05: Grenfell Tower fire: Italian couple called parents from 23rd storey flat as they watched flames rise towards them https://t.co/LWaINde41k ... Sun, 17:38: RT @MSmithsonPB: Betting favourite for LD leadership, Jo Swinson, says she won't run. https://t.co/lH2oBXlKJq Sun, 17:50: I'm 4 out of 5 - voted for ...
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 18-06-2017 I posted The Blood is the Life for 18-06-2017 to my dreamwidth blog [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
A listing of seats purely by swing to win is not the same as a listing of future target seats as other factors come into account too. It does however give a good overall picture of the territory over which the next election will be contested.
With the news that Jo Swinson is running for Deputy Leader, not Leader, my enthusiasm has hit a low point. We've been through some hard times as a party, and in areas, particularly Wales, we are still facing them, and the road ahead is not easy. At the moment I see no potential candidate that can spark my enthusiasm and take us forward. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. We need someone that can win people over, winning over party members is one thing, but winning over the general public when we are seen as toxic or an irrelevance is ...
Negotiations for Britain's leaving the EU begin today. It is perfectly obvious and cannot be said too often, that any Brexit deal, be it hard, soft or somewhere in-between, cannot possibly be as good for the UK, our economy, our international standing, our independence, our culture or whatever, as the deal we already have if we remain members. Generous European leaders have made it clear that that option is still open to us. If we had any sense at all we should take it. Not a single one of the claimed advantages of leaving the EU stands up to serious ...
An excellent piece from Helen de Cruz, an academic at Oxford Brookes University, has been doing the rounds. The article explores the reasons why so many pro-EU voters ended up choosing Labour, despite the party's evident "hard Brexit" stance. This is based on data from surveys conducted by de Cruz in pro-EU groups on Facebook. It ... Continue reading The Manifesto Problem
Following the hearing sessions on the Policies Sites and Places Plan (PSP Plan), a number of Main Modifications to the plan are now being released for public consultation. You have until 24th July 2017 to have your say using the official response form. You can only make comments on the Main Modifications, not on any other part of the PSP Plan. The Schedule of Main Modifications, a response form, along with supporting information are available to view online here. The Planning Inspector for the examination will consider comments received on the Main Modifications, before publishing her Report on the overall ...
Those watching the East Midland segment of Sunday Politics yesterday lunchtime will have seen a debate on the lessons of Grenfell Tower between Heather Wheeler (Conservative MP for South Derbyshire) and Toby Perkins (Labour MP for Chesterfield). When Perkins suggested that the disaster has something to do with cuts to local authority spending Wheeler was outraged. And when Perkins started to quote figures from the Fire Brigades Union, we were treated to this outburst: "Well they would. The word is in the clue (sic) 'union', mate. That's the clue."Note that Wheeler was so angry at the mention of the firefighters' ...
Further to the Temporary Traffic Order for a temporary road closure from tomorrow in Roseangle to properly restore the setted road surface following temporary repairs, I asked the City Council if special arrangements to ensure the 204 bus can run along most of its route [as was done during the last temporary closure] could be undertaken again. The Transport Controller in the council's Sustainable Transport Team advised me as follows : "The same diversion will be in place for this closure as the last. Travelling towards Ninewells, service 204 will omit Rosenangle, Magdalen Yard Road and Windsor Street. Travelling towards ...
Can Theresa May's Conservative/DUP Government be any more incompetent? Well, according to a report from independent consultancy RepGraph, featured in the Independent, the Prime Minister's pursuit of her unrealistic immigration targets could well cause major problems for the economy unless they are abandoned. Their detailed study of EU nationals has found that the Prime Minister's post-Brexit plan to slash immigration will have a devastating "double whammy" impact. They say that May's stubborn refusal to dump her "tens of thousands" cap on net migration would not only cut off a vital supply of labour, but deepen existing shortages in key sectors. ...
Sir Vince Cable has seized on Philip Hammond's admitting that the public are "weary" of austerity by calling for an end to the public sector wage cap - which will see fire fighters an estimated £1,423 worse off in real terms by 2020/1. Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Sir Vince Cable said: "The public pay cap was necessary to tackle the massive deficit but firefighters such as the heroes of the Grenfell Tower disaster cannot be expected to suffer real falls in living standards indefinitely. "They are already suffering a Brexit squeeze with rising prices and a falling pound. The challenge ...
