The latest data from the British Election Study - the 'gold-standard' set of research for each general election - shows that Brexit was top of voters' concerns ahead of the election.
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I couldn't attend the meeting of the South Planning Committee this afternoon. Here is a quick summary of the decisions made for applications to build ten bungalows in Ludlow. Only four were approved. I have mixed feelings on the decisions. Rock Lane (17/01199/FUL). Plans for four social housing bungalows were approved unanimously. I would have voted for this scheme. There are no material planning objections to the plans. The proposal brings our town four very much needed bungalows. It will remove garages that have become an eyesore and a focus for antisocial behaviour. Poyner Close (17/01372/FUL). The proposal for a ...
I've just been to Wales to the beautiful, and more than slightly damp, valley which stretches between Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye. I've written about what I concluded about agricultural subsidies in a blog on the Radix website. But one thing stood out for me since and I wanted to set it out here. I have been closely involved in the RSA's Inclusive Growth Commission, and in the inclusive growth debate which has followed, but I believe that one linked question is now the most urgent and important question in economics. You wouldn't think that from the timidity of so many economists, ...
We took a few days in London at the end of last week to celebrate F's 18th birthday, renting an AirBNB on Bedford Street between Covent Garden and the Strand; you can't do much better than that really in terms of localtion. I had to work Wednesday and Thursday, but Anne and F went to Bletchley Park and enjoyed it. We went to the Clarke Award ceremony on Thursday evening - I was pretty tired and didn't get around to talking to everyone I wanted to (sorry to those I missed!), but I was rooting for Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad ...
Vauxhall was an opportunity for the Lib Dems in the 2017 General Election. Traditionally about as safe a Labour seat as you can get, it had a hard Brexiteer MP in an area that voted heavily to Remain. When Theresa May stepped out on to Downing Street that Monday morning to announce that she was going to the country, this was the type of seat that no doubt had a big ring around it at Lib Dem HQ. Labour would of course go on to win by over 20,000 votes but that doesn't tell half the story. George Turner was ...
Apologies for the swear words contained in this post. I am mainly quoting what the White House staff have said. The extreme levels of hyper masculine toxicity emanating from the White House would register danger levels if there was some sort of monitoring system in place to warn people about dickheads. Donald Trump has turned out to be a, metaphorically speaking, radioactive leader who leaves a trail of damage and destruction in his path. The word 'bizarre' can't be used enough to describe the behaviour and actions of Trump and of those around him, predicated on some sort of ...
I was saddened today to learn of the sudden death on 20 July of Professor Stephen Haseler, whom I often encountered at Federal Trust events and other pro-European occasions. He was a forthright speaker, whether as an academic or a broadcaster, and recently hoped that opposition to Brexit could lead to the realignment of British [...]
In the Guardian today, Peter Wilby speaks to ex Liberal Democrat schools minister David Laws about his life and careers so far and his work at the new Education Policy Institute. Like the IFS, Laws's institute will, he tells me, be "data-driven, influencing debate by the quality of its analysis and its quantitative skills". The quality of education policymaking is poor, Laws argues, and the institute wants to make it better. Was policymaking poor when he was schools minister? "Yes. A lot of decision-making is not based on evidence but on hunch. I had little coming to me from civil ...
The left loves to frame politics in terms of abstract nouns. And as is the human way, they are happier talking about what they are against rather than what they are for. Two abstract nouns in particular are top of the left's hate list: "austerity" and "neoliberalism". For the left's challengers, it is usually best ignore this war ... Continue reading The rise and fall of neoliberalsim →
After my surgery I dropped in on the wonderful Kendal People's Cafe. Open Saturday 11-4 at the Foyer, Blackhall Rd. pic.twitter.com/l7ewum6pwR — Tim Farron (@timfarron) July 29, 2017 Tim Farron took over our party after we had fallen off a cliff and landed amongst particularly dangerous rocks underneath with a team of crocodiles having a good chew at our ankles. He was exactly what we needed at that time. A passionate liberal and Liberal. A fighter. Someone with bags of energy and a great, charismatic speaker. He is also a man of great honesty and integrity. You have to remember ...
Mon, 12:56: just see me (1963-2017) https://t.co/j4xQoEpW7K Another great Doctor Who fanvid, about regeneration and renewal. Mon, 16:05: Senior European Experts https://t.co/CuGh11VMxY Lots of useful info and analysis about Brexit. Mon, 18:48: Blink back https://t.co/xr73qMzE2p Mon, 20:33: RT @djmgaffneyw4: Things that, as far as I am aware, the EU is under no obligation to offer the UK: 1 any transition period 2 any free trad... Mon, 20:57: BBC News - Scaramucci out as Trump media chief https://t.co/oI2cWa1I0J Mon, 21:23: Awww, University Challenge team trying to work out where the Atomium is... Mon, 21:43: July books https://t.co/SSDjXB2yZY #animateeurope Tue, 10:03: RT ...
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 31-07-2017 I posted The Blood is the Life for 31-07-2017 to my dreamwidth blog [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Investigations by Liberal Democrat councillors have revealed a shocking 265% increase in the number of class sizes over 30 in Bury's secondary schools in just one year. Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Pickstone asked: "Could the Leader update members on the number of secondary school children in Bury who are taught in classes of more than 30 children, and how this compares to previous years? The answer was: "There are a total of 63 classes of thirty or more pupils spread across all but two of the boroughs secondary schools. There is no statutory limit on KS3/4 class sizes and it ...
Dawn broke, somewhere near Stansted Airport. It was fearfully early, not a time of day I am familiar with, but the flight was scheduled for a 7 a.m. departure, and there really wasn't an option of taking a later one and having a lie-in. And so, I hauled myself somewhat unenthusiastically out of bed, into (and out of) the shower and into some clothes. Thanks to Ros's enthusiasm for being early, we took a gentle stroll around the hotel to ease my daily quest for my ten thousand steps, before boarding the coach to the Inflite Corporate Jet Terminal, tucked ...
David Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, was recently challenged at a Council meeting by Paul Zukowskyj, Lib Dem shadow cabinet member for resources, about the loss of constabulary staff, including significant numbers of police officers and PCSO's, since Mr Lloyd was first elected in 2012. Government data clearly show a fall in constabulary [...]
Embed from Getty Images For me, the little exchange of barbs between Vince and Boris Johnson, over the weekend, is an early sign of what a great leader Vince will be for our party. It was a bit like tennis. Vince served brilliantly with: There is no cabinet consensus for moderation, and the rumours of Boris Johnson being about to resign fuel the uncertainty. Boris Johnson returned the ball through a spokesman, as reported by the Guardian: In response, a spokesman for Johnson said Cable was "making stuff up" and instructed the Lib Dem leader to focus on devising his ...
Bury's 10K run is back for a second year this September and entries are now open. Entry is £24.50 – more information here. . "Run For All encourages people of all abilities to take part in the Asda Foundation Bury 10K.Entrants must be 15 years or over on event day."
A Summer Camp is taking place through August at the Longfield Suite and in local parts (subject to weather). All activities suitable for 8 - 14 year olds Every Thursday in August 12.30 - 4.30pm £9.50 per person per session (book 2 places for £18) BOOKING: http://burysapas.yapsody.com 0161 253 7227
The Sun is not happy with Philip Hammond. Not one bit. For his intervention in telling the nation the obvious, namely that we'll need some sort of transitional deal after spring of 2019 in order to stave off crisis, he has been given a black mark. The most interesting aspect of the Sun article about this, however, is the following line: "The Prime Minister must tell him to belt up". It is a beautiful example of a fantasy the political press is indulging in, hard, at present. After the 2017 general election went the way it did, pundits predicted that ...
With the current chaos surrounding the Government's approach to Brexit negotiations it would be hardly surprising if it all ends badly. Not only are the lies and false promises put out during the referendum campaign coming back to haunt Ministers with a vengeance, but it is becoming clear that those who called this referendum in the first place had no idea what to do with it if the result went against them. The Independent reports on the views of the Europe-wide economic consultancy Oxera that the UK could be hit with post-Brexit customs chaos that would cost the economy more ...
Free advice sessions are being held in Bury next week during World Breastfeeding Awareness Week. Residents are invited to drop in and talk to a health visitor about the benefits to mother and baby of breastfeeding and also to talk about any concerns they may have. The sessions are: Wednesday 2 August – Bury West and North Children's Centre Hub, Woodbank Primary School. 10am to 2pm, and again from 2pm to 4pm Thursday 3 August – Whitefield Children's Centre Hub, Ribble Drive Primary School. 9.30am to 11.30am, and again from 2pm to 4pm Monday 7 August – Bury East Children's ...
Last week Sheila and I decided to do what tourists do when they visit Liverpool and the day we chose (by chance) happened to coincide with the huge cruise liner Caribbean Princess calling into Liverpool. There were unsurprisingly a lot of foreign visitors around Albert Dock when we met our City Explorer tour bus (run by Maghull Coaches) in Gower Street and they were also boarding it like us. We went to sample the tour because our friend Phil Marshall is a qualified tour guide on this fleet of buses. Phil is a partially sighted chap from Maghull who has ...
I have spent the last few days in the picturesque valley that wends its way between Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye, which has to be one of the most beautiful spots in the country, if not the planet. It was extremely wet. But as well as being lovely, the plight of agriculture in places like that – [...] The post Should we subsidise farmers? Here's the touchstone... appeared first on Radix.
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We'll never tackle climate change if academics keep the focus on consensus | Warren Pearce
Media and political attention is being wasted on boosting the public's notion of scientific consensus, crowding out more important discussion and action In a democracy, we hope that science helps to inform the public about its problems. In the case of climate change, believe it or not, the evidence suggests this is going relatively well. Climate science is a vast, sprawling field of knowledge that has achieved great success in occupying the public consciousness. According to Yale University's Climate Change in the American Mind project, six in ten Americans are worried about global warming, seven in ten think global warming ...
This is Vince's speech to Lib Dem members at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle on 30th July 2017.
