Liberal Democrat Shadow First Secretary of State Tom Brake has today asked an urgent question to the government on the imminent execution of fourteen people in Saudi Arabia, including two who were juveniles at the time of their arrests. The group were all arrested in 2012 for allegedly participating in protests. The trials were held by a specialist court, set up to deal with cases of terrorism. Juveniles Mujtaba Sweikat and Salman Qureish were only 17 when they were alleged to have taken part in the protests. Commenting Tom Brake said: "Saudi Arabia's disgusting record of executing minors and protesters ...
Mon 17th
22:48
George Turner uncovers "financial mismanagement" in Lambeth where he stood against Kate Hoey
If ever there was a tenacious embodiment of the Lib Dem spirit that never gives up it is George Turner who stood against Kate Hoey in Lambeth. He increased the Lib Dem vote share through running an outstanding campaign based on giving Lambeth citizens better representation on Brexit issues against Kate Hoey, an arch Brexiter. Lambeth has not seen the last of George. He is part of a group of local residents who have undertaken a 'People's Audit' of Lambeth Borough's accounts and the extent of failings and mismanagement that they have uncovered makes one wonder just how it is ...
South Glos Council is temporarily introducing a 40mph speed limit on the A46 for 450m north of the junction 18 roundabout from 24 July for the duration of the Bromley Heath viaduct works. They have already installed traffic lights to control the B4465 junction during that period.
After watching the cricket at East Langton on Saturday I ended up in Kibworth. The bookshop was closed, but I found that the Old Manor House in Kibworth Beauchamp high street was undergoing pretty far-reaching renovations. Pevsner describes it as C16 to C17, with two symmetrical gables. Stone below with mullioned windows, timber-framed and stuccoed above.But it was clear on Saturday that there is still a lot of wattle and daub involved too.
Today the spotlight is turned on a stalwart member of staff at the Hall. We may not have heard the last of this. Thursday I complain about the prime minister to Meadowcroft this morning as we inspect my gardens. "Did you heaer her tell that nurse there is no magic money tree?" I ask. "It sounded Terribly Patronising. Mind you, I suppose she is right. There is no such thing as a magic money tree, is there?" To my surprise, Meadowcroft replies hotly: "What I have in my greenhouses be no one's business but my own, I'll thank you to ...
Embed from Getty Images This story went up on the Sun website earlier this week: Mr Clegg, who was leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 until the disastrous 2015 election which saw his party lose all but eight seats, said that Labour had hoovered up a lot of university-educated, young voters in the recent snap vote. He said: "It's on a completely false prospectus. But I had members of my own family, my nieces and nephews who stridently voted for Corbyn. "When I pointed out to them he's a Eurosceptic, they said, 'oh, it'll be fine' and carried on ...
The Beach Boys on CD volume 3 is now available. I know some of you have been waiting for it a long time, so I thought I'd let you all know straight away. Note that *I have not yet received ... Continue reading →
Lord Bonkers thinks it was a posse of peers that did for Tim Farron. Radical Bulletin in the new Liberator comes to a different conclusion: It may be that translating his constituency and internal party campaigning talents to the national stage was simply beyond Farron's ability and eventually, rather to his credit, he realised this and resigned.Elsewhere in Radical Bulletin you can read about the row over the Liberal Democrat selection in Bath, about problems with Connect and the targeting of seats the Lib Dems hoped to win and about an unhelpful intervention in Ceredigion by Great George Street. If ...
Our family has been dealing with some difficult news in recent days. My grandfather on my mother's side was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago and passed away in his sleep on Wednesday night. I had seen him for the first time in far too long a few weeks ago, but before the diagnosis. He had already been suffering badly with neurological problems and a recent fall that broke his hip. In some ways I'm happier he's no longer suffering because, brave a face as I put on at the time, seeing his frustration and pain was heartbreaking. I ...
You may have noticed both my blog and (to a slightly lesser extent) my social media activity has been more anodyne of late. There are several reasons for that, but one of them is that, at the end of next month, I will be joining the civil service as a "Generalist" on its graduate Fast Stream programme. In anticipation of that, I have been slowly weaning myself off expressing views of a potentially party political and governmental nature. Call it a "transitional period" in which Graeme and the Statutory Civil Service Code are brought into alignment... My first six-month posting ...
Embed from Getty Images Do not think about whether we should call for another referendum. A referendum is a mechanism, not a policy. Instead, what should we ask our fellow countrymen and countrywomen to support? Seventy years ago some of our forebears put forward the policy, in the ashes of our continent, to exchange the conflicts of nations for the cooperation of peoples. It has been a spectacular success. What, in those dark times, must have looked like a utopian fantasy has largely come to pass. In seventy years no member state, once admitted to the fold, has engaged in ...
Stepping away from politics, I read an interesting piece in The Guardian today entitled Sol Campbell: 'I'm prepared to go to a non-league club and just get a win bonus'. The former Spurs, Arsenal and Portsmouth defender is looking to get on to the managerial ladder but has been disappointed that teams aren't banging on his door to get his attention. Campbell of course is black and this is part of the story. However a bigger part of the story is he is Sol Campbell. 'When Sol, walked up, to lift the FA Cup, I was there, I was there...' ...
Embed from Getty Images The editorial in The Observer yesterday makes for interesting reading. Under the headline "The tide is turning against deceitful and incompetent hard Brexiters" it kicks off cheerfully: What next from the lords of misrule, the Tory hard Brexiters who seem to be enjoying playing party political games with our futures while the world looks on bemused, if not baffled? Day after day, they stumble on, deaf to warnings on every side and blind to hard, objective facts - that delusions and jingoistic illusions do not a plan make. How did we get here? Is this the ...
The Independent has the story on its web site – see link above It seems there is a wing of the Tory Party, if only a small one, that still has some grip on reality. Makes you wonder though how MP's like Sarah Woolaston can remain within a party that seems to lurch further towards fascism each day. With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting.
Embed from Getty Images We may not have a monument to Margaret Thatcher but we do have a monument to "Thatcherism". It is the Grenfell Tower. The foundation of Thatcherism is the minimisation of the state. It plans and proceeds to reduce government regulation and suppress its spending. It does this without the guidance of long term consequence and human cost. Tower blocks, like Grenfell, lack sprinkler systems, alarms and secondary exit routes which, before the "bonfire of red-tape", were the norm. They have been mandatory in New York since 1967. Grenfell proves that they are necessary and yet HMG ...
Embed from Getty Images Many of you will have seem the recent television adaptation of Mike Bartlett's play, King Charles III. Beautifully and movingly written, in Shakespearean style blank verse, the play is set in the near future, when "King Charles III" has just inherited the throne. Charles is asked to sign a piece of legislation that would severely limit the freedom of the press. He refuses to do so. He is portrayed as principled and conflicted. He has no wish to cause a constitutional crisis. His conscience just will not allow him to sign. When Parliament plan to proceed ...
UK expertise in preventing the misuse of chemical weapons should be applied to tackling the alarming rise in acid violence On 13 July, five acid attacks occurred across north London in the space of ninety minutes, causing "life-changing" injuries in at least one case, with others severely injured. Two of the alleged attackers have been arrested, yet little is known about them. This follows several incidents of acid violence in London, including an attack last month against Resham Khan and Jameel Muhktar. Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, has sought to calm the brewing hysteria, stating that "I don't want people ...
Birkenhead Tram No.20 lovingly restored and running last Saturday. An interesting day out last Saturday (with Lydiate photographer Keith Page) at Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society's 80 year anniversary event held to commemorate the passing of all those years since the last public service tram ran in Birkenhead. The modern tramway has been laid in more recent times and runs from Woodside Ferry Terminal to the Society's Tram Shed/Museum at Taylor Street. A modern recreation of a Birkenhead Tram. In fact it's a former Hong Kong Tram in disguise The tramway is run by volunteers and operates at the weekend and ...
I was going to put a picture of the Mayor of Liverpool here then I was reminded that I had promised not to scare any more children!!! Sometimes it's only when you look back that you see the signs that ... Continue reading →
There's been a huge explosion on social media since the reveal of the latest incarnation of Doctor Who yesterday. Much of that is a fuss about nothing, of course - ultimately, it's just a TV show. To many, though, the reality is that it's very much more than that. When something is that much of a fixture in the life of a lifelong fan, that emotional link matters to them. It matters to me, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. People care, and they have every right to care. Still, we should, I think, keep it all in some ...
Embed from Getty Images Federal Conference Committee met again last weekend to select motions that will be debated when we meet in Bournemouth. 41 motions were submitted, and usually selection proceeds in rounds. Motions are first eliminated on the basis of drafting, debatability and other such issues before subsequent rounds trim the agenda further based on time constraints. However, due to the snap general election we received slightly fewer motions than usual for an Autumn Conference so only one round of debate was required. In most cases, the discussion gave a clear consensus and no vote was needed, but I ...
Sun, 12:04: RT @worldcon75: We are happy to report that we have 3319 final ballot voters for the 2017 Hugo Awards! The third highest ever! Sun, 12:56: Brexit: the day the whistling ended https://t.co/PxggtVTBmB Glorious by @DavidAllanGreen. Sun, 16:53: Wimbledon men's final over, so the new Doctor Who is about to be announced!!! Sun, 16:54: RT @DWMtweets: Congratulations to Roger Federer for winning his eighth Wimbledon singles title! And coming very soon on @BBCOne... the Thir... Sun, 17:11: RT @RadioTimes: Congratulations on all the tennis boys! Can we have #doctor13 now? #Wimbledon #DoctorWho https://t.co/QxFTAGcBlM Sun, 17:13: RT @CultBoxTV: Never have ...
A good piece about the Doctor Who casting news Also loving Colin Baker's reactions on Twitter ♡♡♡ [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I have been reading the brave and revolutionary book about public relations by Robert Phillips, called Trust me, PR is Dead. Considering that the author is now an ex-PR man himself, the title is a bit like the old circular contradiction All Cretans are liars, as a Cretan once told me - which so fascinated Alan Turing. There is a fascinating passage where he was asked by one of the rail companies for advice to deal with their unpopularity. But, as Phillips explains, all was exactly as it seemed. "It turned out that its poor standing was well-deserved - the ...
The Brexit debate is moving on. The main issue at the moment is the shape and nature of any transitional deal. Our recent report has put forward what we consider to be a sensible and practicable transition period lasting up to five years. This involves using the existing arrangements that cover the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) [...] The post Why business must take a lead in the Brexit process appeared first on Radix.
The UK is in the midst of a constitutional crisis that isn't being talked about in its essence nearly enough. It landed upon us June 24th, 2016, once the result of the EU referendum was known, and has deepened since. The United Kingdom is governed through an unwritten constitution that had managed to avoid any really difficult questions about its nature for a very, very long time (we can have an argument about when the last real constitutional crisis was, but I'll save you that for now). Sure, you had things like the series of hung parliaments in the 70s, ...
Saturday's Social Liberal Forum conference in London provided much food for thought as speakers challenged Liberal Democrat orthodoxy in various ways. Beveridge Lecture William Wallace kicked off proceedings by giving the annual William Beveridge Lecture. His theme was: Is a Liberal and Democratic society compatible with globalisation. His answer? Well, it disproportionately benefits the super rich and authoritarian states, so we have to change things to ensure that nobody is left out. He started off by quoting Emmanuel Macron, who's said he supported a market economy but not a market society. He said our society was divided between the poor, ...
All the political controversy over the weekend centred on the UK Government's cabinet, which it appears, is disintegrating before our eyes. The Independent reports that the so-called 'strong and stable' Tory Government is tearing itself apart. They say that Chancellor, Philip Hammond lifted the lid on Cabinet feuding by claiming damaging stories about him had come from fellow ministers out to get him because he is pushing for a softer Brexit: Mr Hammond all but admitted a report that he had told the Cabinet that public sector workers are "overpaid" was true - while denying he had said "even a ...
I have again strongly complained to the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership about "unacceptable" road surface dressing with chippings on part of Perth Road west of Harris Academy that left the area covered in a thick dust and led to many residents' complaints. I have requested urgent action to deal with large amounts of dust in the area - particularly on the pavements - nearly three weeks on from the original road surfacing work taking place. I initially raised concerns when the surface dressing took place during the last week of June following numerous constituent complaints. The council's Roads Maintenance Partnership ...
Just to let you all know that the ebook versions of Beach Boys book vol 3 are uploaded to Amazon and Draft2Digital (which will in turn send it through to all the other ebook stores shortly). I accidentally priced the ... Continue reading →
