I wrote the other day that Most of the people I was on the council with have died and had roads named after them.But I did not expect to come across two of them in the churchyard at Kelmarsh on Saturday. Joan and Eric White were the power couple of Market Harborough politics. Conservative councillors, they were the last survivors of an era in which the interests of its shopkeepers had dominated the town. My experience of them was the opposite of the general perception. I found Joan frosty and soon concluded that she did not approve of Liberals or ...
Earlier today it was announced that the Tory-DUP deal had finally been settled, more than 2 and a half weeks after the election which saw Theresa May lose her majority. The Tories have decided to give Northern Ireland £1 billion, in exchange for the DUP's support on matters, such as the 'exit from the European Union' and 'national security'. Clearly ... Continue reading The Tory-DUP deal
Embed from Getty Images Political parties can wither and die. It is important for any analysis of our general election performance to bear that in mind as we plot our strategy, because frankly the signs do not look all too healthy. We have lost our second place position in historic heartland seats such as Birmingham Yardley, Southport and Newquay and St Austell. It is more than possible that we could fall even further at the next general election. Without a radical and liberal appeal to young people our party will not survive. This general election should have been our moment ...
#DUPCoalition I'll just leave this here....... pic.twitter.com/rY6IRSvJ1u— DW (@dalkey04) June 26, 2017
Embed from Getty Images Gerontophobia unites Borisites concerned for Davis's wellbeing and Brexit-minded haters of "senile dinosaur" Michael Heseltine, with progressive young humorists and their below-the-line supporters, for whom ("fat" and "ugly" being trickier to deploy these days) the insult that cannot be improved by the prefix "old" has yet to be invented.says Catherine Bennett in a rambling defence of the idea that Vince Cable should stand for the Liberal Democrat leadership. Or as I wrote in Liberal Democrat News after the resignation of Ming Campbell from that post:It must also be admitted that Ming could sometimes appear a rather ...
This October, I will have been associated with the Liberals and the Liberal Democrats for some 45 years. In 1972 I joined the Liberal Students at Manchester University Medical School where my best subjects were Psychology and Psychiatry so it is unsurprising, perhaps, that I have not only pursued the interests of the NHS as a whole but have also retained a special interest in Mental Health matters. One of the much-trumpeted achievements of the Llib Dems in Coalition was to raise the profile of mental health within the NHS and Norman Lamb in particular pushed the need for an ...
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Why the Conservatives lost their majority in 2017 - fascinating account from a 2015 insider
Steve Parker, Planning Director of M&C Saatchi, gives his perspective on the differences between the 2015 and 2017 Conservative Party general election campaigns and suggests reasons as to why they lost their majority.
The fact that Brexit will be a total disaster brought about by deceitful propaganda and an illegitimate, undemocratic procedure, is now firmly established. Brexiteers, if you are not yet ready for reality: print and read in 2 years. The election has produced a bigger remain-majority in Parliament: "Hard Brexit" is a logically consistent, albeit disastrous, course of action. "Soft Brexit" is a nonsensical placeholder for the other logically consistent and only sensible course of action (until that becomes permissible to think and speak): "Stop Brexit". Interpreting Labor-votes as endorsing "Hard Brexit" is ridiculous and desperate. "Soft" is the tactically smart ...
In case you were wondering, there is no diary entry for 25 June 1580. The twenty-sixth, after storing of Castle-Magne with victuals, we marched thence towards Corke, through part of Desmond, the Erle of Clancartie's contrie, and camped that night by the fayre river of Lawyn (Laune), tween "The Palace," one of Clancartie's chiefe houses and Downelow (Dunlogh) a house of O'Sullivan-More's rased by the Erle of Ormond in the last warre of James Fitz-Maurice. The river hath in it many big muscles, where in are found many fayre perles. The two castles took me some effort to identify. "The ...
I'm not a gambling man, but a few months ago I placed a bet for the first time in my life. It was that Emmanuel Macron would win the French election. It was an expression of hope, which paid off. Today I am betting on the success of a second referendum on Europe - either staying in the EU or re-joining it, preferably the former. My hope is that the dice will roll in our favour and the people will get it right next time round. Not that I'm any great fan of referendums, as readers of my previous posts ...
The timetable for the election of a new Leader for the Liberal Democrats has been announced. Here are the key dates: Opening of nominations: 26th June (today) Deadline for nominations: 20th July Despatch of ballot papers to members: 16th August Close of ballot: 11th September Verification, count and declaration: 13th September All members will have a vote and they will be able to vote online or by post. I understand that hustings may start before the close of nominations, provided the candidates have obtained the necessary support from two MPs. You can see more detailed information here. * Mary Reid ...
The gay-hating, abortion-banning, creationist-believing DUP have done a deal with the Conservatives which they say, will last 5 years but with a review in 2 years' time. There will be some in the ranks of the Conservatives pleased that the like-minded DUP have Theresa May in a cage. There will however be many liberal Conservatives who will be very unhappy at the state of affairs. As long as
Tim Farron has responded to the deal between the DUP and the Conservatives. He said: The public will not be DUPed by this shoddy little deal. The nasty party is back, propped up by the DUP. While our schools are crumbling and our NHS is in crisis, Theresa May chooses to throw cash at ten MPs in a grubby attempt to keep her Cabinet squatting in No 10. It would be better for the people of Northern Ireland for the DUP to buckle down and focus on the talks process to restore devolved Executive at Stormont, to bring the political ...
Embed from Getty Images The 2017 General Election was a strange one for the Liberal Democrats. Up in seats, down in votes, another leader now out the door. The state of the party in Wales, however, is less questionable. We are in a bad place. Losing our remaining MP in Ceredigion, losing ground in other seats, hammered into third in Cardiff Central. The party has been in decline for some years now and, unlike in England and Scotland, where seeds of recovery are more evident, here in Wales things don't seem to be getting any better. Decline is not inevitable, ...
What would a telephone conference call be like if we were all in the same room? Here's the answer....
Do you have neighbours you've never met? Have you ever thought it would be nice if someone organised a community get-together near where you live? Perhaps you (with help) could organise s neighbourly picnic! Abbotswood Action Group is encouraging people from the lcal area to host a "bring and share" picnic with games and activities on your nearest green space or tarmac play area. AAG will be happy to help with invites, encouragement and advice. They also have a small fund to help with purchases of play equipment if needed for your picnic (first come first served!) All the picnics ...
The Liberal Democrat vote fell in June because too few voters believed we were the party on their side and fighting for them on the issues they cared about. That wasn't the only reason of course, but it was the main one. So what next? Forget talk of a progressive alliance. Labour will use it to beat us up. Caroline Lucas championed a progressive alliance and for her troubles the Green vote more than halved. Labour are always happy to take Lib Dem votes lent to them in the cause of beating the Tories, but in Lib Dem/Conservative marginals Labour ...
Sun, 12:31: In the woods. @ Heverlee Bos https://t.co/Go3jJG3KcA Sun, 17:19: Two Professor Bell comics by Joann Sfar https://t.co/XfpqXwLvYd Mon, 01:13: RT @LettersOfNote: Blade Runner is 35 years old today. After seeing his first glimpse of the film, Philip K. Dick wrote this letter: https:... Mon, 09:08: Thread. https://t.co/llPiACqKCK
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 25-06-2017 I posted The Blood is the Life for 25-06-2017 to my dreamwidth blog [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The Liberal Democrats have called on Labour to come off the fence and make clear whether they would end the benefits freeze that will see the incomes of millions of families slashed in the coming years. Labour Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Debbie Abrahams on Sunday said she was "looking" into the issue but admitted ending the freeze had not been costed in the Labour manifesto. It comes as research by the charity Shelter has warned over a million households living in private rented accommodation are at risk of becoming homeless by 2020 because of the benefits freeze, rising rents ...
[IMG: Kent Police Open Day 2017 poster] All are welcome to the annual free Kent Police Open Day this summer. Join Kent Police on Sunday 2 July 2017, 10am-4pm at Kent Police College, Coverdale Avenue ME15 9DW for a fun day out for your whole family. Watch our live police dogs, public order and roads policing displays. See how we work with other emergency services at the scene of a crash. Check out the latest job opportunities to see if a career in policing is for you. Meet the National Police Air Service team and take a look inside their ...
I have been writing less of late, blog-wise. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which has been the birth of my son this past week, but I have to admit there are more than simple pragmatic considerations standing in the way of my standard verbosity. It has to do with the general election, or rather, one particular element of the result. I was sure of a Tory landslide right up until the exit poll came out. Certain that not only would the Conservative Party win, but win big. The reason for this came down to one, ...
The latest news that sixty tower blocks across England have been found to have unsafe cladding is deeply disturbing. At the time much of this cladding was installed it complied with fire regulations. It appears that this is not the case now. But what about Wales? In my view there needs to be an urgent review of building regulations so as to ensure that they are fit for purpose and to take account of new construction methods. That is a devolved function so why has the Welsh Government not announced that it is doing this work, or at least given ...
The story so far, as it turns out. The Department of Transport chose Govia Thameslink to run services to Surrey and Sussex not despite their plans to maintain driver levels at 20 per cent below the level they need to run a reliable service - but because of them. The result, confirmed in the long-awaited Gibb Report - kept secret by the government for the last six months - has been an increasingly unreliable service. What Gibb did not say was that, when the service collapsed last summer, the strain on the remaining staff emerged as high levels of sickness ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 26 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 8 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 for 24 weeks ...
In a victory for the Liberal Democrats and allotment holders the ruling Conservatives have been forced to shelve their plans to increase allotment fees by 400%. 'Liberal Democrat councillors and allotment holders were astounded by the attempt by the Conservative council to balance the books on the back of City Centre allotment holders," noted Clarence [...]
