About 20.5 years ago, I was part of the campaign which beat Labour to win the Holmebrook ward in Chesterfield in a council by-election. A certain Keith Falconer won. Later on, Glenys Falconer also represented the ward. Anyway, that campaign was a really good springboard for the General Election. If I remember rightly, there was a newspaper which screamed "Poll sensation for Tony Rogers" on its front page. 20 years on, the Liberal Democrats have taken a fair few knocks in the Derbyshire town. They may be down but they sure as hell aren't out – and they are still ...
Major renovation work on Whickham's historic Chase Park has now been completed. To celebrate the £1 million refurbishment, Friends of Chase Park are holding a re-opening event on Saturday, 23rd September, from 11am to 3pm.The Mayor of Gateshead, Cllr Pauline Dillon, will lead the re-opening ceremony. There will be lot of entertainment, activities and a fair.Everyone is welcome to join in the
Poor Vince. He was in Bournemouth on Saturday cos he spoke at the Lib Dem Voice fringe meeting on adult education. Then he had to go back to London for Marr on Sunday morning. Then back to Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon for his Q & A, home on Tuesday and then back to the west country tonight to appear on Question Time. Here's the whole panel – join us on Thursday evening! #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/aoPuPeiBRn — BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) September 20, 2017 So, some bits of that programme will actually be bearable for a change. Watch on BBC at 10:45 ...
Opened in 1862, Much Wenlock station stood on the line between Wellington and Craven Arms. The line to Craven Arms closed in 1951, but trains continued to run between Much Wenlock and Wellington until 1962. Today the old station building is a private house. I have previously posted four videos by Holden Webster that follow the line from Wellington to Craven Arms today: Wellington to Craven Arms disused railway 1Wellington to Craven Arms disused railway 2Wellington to Craven Arms disused railway 3Wellington to Craven Arms revisited
I've seen people go through the pain of losing someone they love because a transplant didn't happen in time. I've seen people, in shock at having lost someone suddenly and tragically being put under the added pressure of deciding whether their loved one's organs should be donated. Maybe they hadn't even had the conversation and didn't know what their wishes would be. Maybe it was pain too far. I've always made it clear to my family that should it be me, anything that would make anyone else have a chance of improved life should be used. I've signed up to ...
And so another week with Lord Bonkers draws to a close. If I come across the notes from this discussion I shall certainly post them here. Sunday Yesterday evening we held a 'Question Time' at the village hall. (The building, complete with a library and billiards room, was erected by my grandfather and the front boasts a modest statue of him accepting the tribute of the grateful widows and orphans of Rutland.) What a panel we had! There was our own Vince 'High-Voltage' Cable; the Wise Woman of Wing; the High Queen of the Elves of Rockingham Forest; and the ...
Vince Cable has called on Theresa May to use her speech in Florence tomorrow to make a bold offer on EU nationals' rights, as new figures reveal that almost 10,000 EU workers quit the NHS in the year after the Brexit vote. 9,832 EU nationals left the NHS between 30 June 2016 and 30 June 2017, figures published by NHS [...]
I've been quite quiet on here in recent weeks. I've been saving up my brain power as, as of today, I am once again an official student! Enrolment Day at KCL I'm already a little bit exhausted, and I definitely chose the wrong shoes, but I'm also exhilarated after meeting the others on my course and the inspiring professors who will be guiding us throughout the year. We've been laden down with course materials, and I will be spending every extra penny I can scrape together on books from the Recommended Further Reading lists. Getting Started I've made a start ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:Take generous: the word originally meant well-born, and because it was obvious that well-bred people were magnanious and peasants were stingy, it came to mean munificent. Indeed, the well-bred gentleman established such a reputation for himself that the word gentle, meaning soft, was named after him. In fact, some gentlemen that the gin in gingerly is probably just another gen lurking in our language. Gingerly certainly has nothing to do with ginger.A somewhat rambly book of etymologies, with some interesting nuggets (eg usages from Coverdale's Bible) but priding itself on having no real overall structure. Probably ...
The Leicester Mercury wins our Headline of the Day Award by a distance.
This is crossposted from the Radix blog. I set out five different ways in the Guardian on Monday that we might kick start politics from a broad radical centre in the UK - by which I mean almost anything except the conventional, conservative Left and Right. I made what might have been the mistake of starting with Vince Cable's assertion that he might be prime minister, explaining that politics is in such flux and we might any of us. Unfortunately, the editors started their headline with the words 'Sorry, Vince', which made it look a little like a slapdown. All ...
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has said the Brexit bill will soar way above the £20bn that Theresa May is reportedly going to offer the EU27 in her Florence speech. Vince Cable said: "Be warned, the £20bn that Theresa May is reportedly about to offer as the biggest divorce settlement in history would simply be the down payment. Brexit will cost a lot, lot more than this. "This government is being utterly reckless with the public finances by preparing to spend an absolute fortune simply to get out of Europe. "This £20bn does not cover liabilities such as pensions and ...
Shalom alechum, alsalam ealaykum, peace be with you. Peace, Peace in the land between the river & sea is what we should be working for. And, to put it mildly, the motion we passed at Conference on Sunday does not do that. Indeed, by passing it, it means we probably won't get another chance to debate the Palestine/Israel conflict again for some time. I tried to get the motion referred back to the FPC and to ask them to bring back a better, more comprehensive motion next year as the one we passed today is the lowest common denominator that ...
The latest monthly poll from Ipsos-MORI shows Vince Cable with the best net satisfaction rating amongst the main party leaders.
I joined the Liberal Democrats in April 2017. This was my first party conference. I also voted Leave in the EU the referendum. Should I be in this party? Absolutely. Europe I sensed that many members didn't truly understand Leave voters. Nick Clegg seemed a bit more in tune: "why wouldn't you vote Leave after all you were promised by the Brexiteers?". Remain is one thing that undoubtedly keeps the party unified. But Remain in what? Jean-Claude Juncker's vision of a more federalised EU with power centralised? Seems profoundly un-Lib Dem to me. Nick Clegg convinced me on Remain when ...
I am sitting in a conference listening to a presentation by Luc Tissot, the current CEO of the Tissot watch company in Switzerland. He points out that his company is in the middle of 'watch country' in the canton of Neuchatel in Switzerland. "When the electronic watch appeared on the market, our industry was devastated. [...] The post Why companies actually care about their communities appeared first on Radix.
Liberal Democrats left sunny Bournemouth this week buoyed by the camaraderie and intellectual stimulation of autumn conference. It was make or break time for new Leader, Sir Vince Cable, who gave us all a rousing send-off with a speech full of meaty political content and a smattering of good jokes. Vince is a serious player; [...]
The Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party are two parties that historically have had many things in common. The birth of the Liberal Democrats stems from a splinter section of the Labour Party joining with the Liberals. Therefore, whilst the two parties are further apart than they ever have been in their histories they both share a common history of social justice and a willingness to oppose the Conservatives. Given that we are once again in a Hung Parliament it is more important than ever for Labour and the Liberal Democrats to work together to ensure that Britain gets the ...
Wed, 12:08: RT @KenRoth: Nobel Prize for Feigned Ignorance: Aung San Suu Kyi pretends not to know why Rohingya Muslims are fleeing homes. https://t.co/... Wed, 12:56: Why serving wine at room temperature is a myth https://t.co/xW0ZLyufQC Interesting. Wed, 16:05: The great nutrient collapse https://t.co/Ruuv95Wrgi This is really frightening. #fb Wed, 17:12: RT @BradStaples: Excited to speak @oxfordanalytica today & debating social media with @SteveMcGookin @AngelaELL, & Shelby Coffey #GlobalHor... Wed, 18:01: RT @LaJaOxAn: @SteveMcGookin @BradStaples following up: it equalises weak and powerful voices - consumers hold firms to account @oxfordanal... Wed, 18:06: RT @apcoworldwide: Our CEO @BradStaples on how social ...
miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 20-09-2017 I posted The Blood is the Life for 20-09-2017 to my dreamwidth blog [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
The battle over the "McDonnell amendment" ends not with a bang, or a punch up at conference or talk of potential splits, but with a profound whimper. The political press have barely even commented on a change waved through the newly shifted further to the left National Executive Committee taking the need for 15% of the PLP (and Labour MEPs although that will soon be irrelevant) down to 10%. And it's been done during the run in to Labour conference as well. Last year, we would have seen great drama around this issue; now, it is barely noticed by anyone. ...
Liberal Democrats should be leading the fight in both Houses of Parliament by demanding that a proper legislative process is followed which assesses the benefits, costs and risks of Brexit but also ensures that Brexit, if there has to be one, can only occur if, concurrently, the pitfalls in the constitutional framework exposed during the last 18 months are satisfactorily addressed. A specific set of overarching rules would need to be put in place ideally before any Brexit can reasonably be implemented. We should explain to the general public that Brexit is not only bad for the economy, our jobs ...
Along with the introduction of a proportional voting system the creation of an elected second chamber to complement the House of Commons is the missing link in UK constitutional reform that needs to be addressed. There are currently about 800 members who are eligible to take part in the work of the House of Lords. The majority are life peers and have therefore been appointed as a result of political patronage. That is an unwieldy and unworkable body. It is little wonder that a large number rarely, if ever show their face in the chamber. According to the Independent, Peers ...
Well I would like to think so as it could build on the work of Lydiate Parish Council which created the lovely garden area at Southport Road/Nedens Lane and the grassed/planted area outside St. Gregs Church on Liverpool Road. My previous blog posting about the gardens at Nedens Lane refers at:- And here's a shot of the flower beds outside St. Gregs Church:- Of course Lydiate Parish Council also used to provide beautiful hanging baskets along Southport Road and outside the Coronation Road shops but it stopped them a couple of years ago due to the cost implications. If ...
Recently, an event was held in London, to discuss Brexit, and its effect on the rights of women and what might change following its implementation. As a participant, I had arrived with the view that it would be difficult to change the law as it stood, but new laws might be affected. For the last 43 years, most if not all of our Equalities legislation has come through the European Union. For women in particular, that has changed both their entitlements and rights as matters from equal pay to maternity leave have been secured by that route. It is astonishing ...
Further to my recent update about residents' concerns about a poor quality of pothole repair in Dunmore Gardens, I have also had similar complaints in Hillside Drive. I raised this with the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership and have been advised : 'Similar to Dunmore Gardens, the repairs were inspected and I note that these pothole repairs do not have a film of bond coat painted on the existing road surface prior to filling which will affect the long term adhesion and therefore durability, and I will take this matter up internally. DCC Actionable Pothole Definition: "A surfacing defect will ...
The Daily Mirror has the story on its web site – see link above. As the UK seeks to isolate itself within Europe whilst at the same time hawking its suitcase of trading products door to door around the planet you can't help but think that humouring and ignoring us has become the way of the world. What a sad state we are in! With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting
From this to electrically powered HGV's? www.flickr.com/photos/mwmbwls/36419388584/in/contacts/ The link above is to a photo together with a short write up on Flickr but it's really worth looking at as it could just be a possible future without diesel pollution. Thinking of the air pollution in and around Bootle due to HGV's accessing the Port of Liverpool (and of course HGV pollution everywhere else too) this must be looked at as a serious alternative to us all being poisoned by traffic pollution. My friend Bob, who provided the lead to this posting says – I think the point to stress is ...
New forecasts by the OECD today that predict UK growth will slow to 1% in 2018, the lowest growth in the G7. It comes as a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has found the number of small businesses planning to close or downsize is the highest since records began, while optimism amongst small firms has fallen to its lowest level since the EU referendum. Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable commented: "Brexit is set to turn Britain into the sick man of Europe again. "One in eight small businesses now plan to close or downsize, the worst level ...
The meeting of the Blyth Town Council Full Council tonight ( Thursday 21st September ) will now take place at the Briardale Centre , Briardale Road, Blyth, NE24 5AN This is due to problems with the lift at Arms Evertyne House/ The meeting starts at 6:30, and will be preceded by Public Question Time from 6:00
