Embed from Getty Images If the Conservatives were trying to ensure that Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister, it is hard to see what they would have done differently since he became leader of the opposition. Yet the Conservatives remain neck-and-neck with Labour in the opinion polls. The question "Should Jeremy Corbyn be doing better?" is beginning to be heard. Some of his supporters will laugh at this. Weren't they told that Corbyn would be a disaster? And didn't he surprise everyone at this year's general election? They were and he did. In part this was because some of the factors ...
Second paragraph of third section: The accompanying map (fig. 1) shows the downtown area's original streams and shorelines, to the extent that I have been able to locate them. The original boundaries and features of figure 1 are based on the maps of A. Boschke (1856-58), James Kearney and others (1838), A. C. Harmon (1931), James R. Dermott (1797), Joseph M. Toner (E. F. M. Faehtz and F. W. Pratt, 1874), Arthur B. Cutter (1952), Campbell Graham and S. T. Albert (1849), William T. Partridge (1895?), And. Ellicott (1792; Upper Anacostia), the map accompanying the Commissioners Proceedings of 1793, on ...
Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake has accused Theresa May of "extraordinary naivety" over Russian interference in the EU referendum. He today submitted a bid to the Backbench Business Committee supported by all political parties for a debate on Russian Interference in UK Politics and Society. He has the backing of over 25 MPs. Tom Brake said: "I was the first to call for Russian interference in the EU referendum to be referred to an urgently reconstituted Intelligence and Security Committee and now the evidence of Russian involvement is overwhelming, this must be done immediately. "Theresa May has shown extraordinary ...
Following news that annual retail sales have fallen for the first time since 2013, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said: "High inflation is hitting people's pockets. With food prices soaring, the weekly shop has become a source of trepidation for families across the country. The uncertainty caused by Brexit is hurting the economy and British businesses. "Strained finances mean the Chancellor has little room for manoeuvre in next week's Budget, but he can ease the burden on the most vulnerable through implementing our plans, such as reversing cuts to Universal Credit and ending the public sector pay cap, so wages ...
So, let's talk about this Leonardo painting that sold for $450 million. The painting was bought from Dmitry Rybolovlev, a name that will be familiar to anyone following the Trump-Russia story over the past year and a half. Rybolovlev bought a house from Donald Trump for $95 million, a couple of years after Trump had ... Continue reading Salvator Mundi: a record price for a priceless work?
Clowbridge Reservoir is in Coal Clough and Deeplay ward - photo © Pete Chapman The only high point of the resignation from the party of four Burnley Liberal Democrat councillors is that it has revealed the name of the ward represented by the group's leader. Gordon Birtwistle, who is also the town's former Lib Dem MP, sits for Coal Clough with Deerplay. And Coal Clough with Deerplay is our Ward of the Week.
Cllr. Allan Knox and the Liberal Democrats have accused the government of "kicking the can down the road," after it was announced a long-awaited Green Paper on tackling the social care crisis will be delayed until next Summer. Leader of the Lib Dem's in Ribble Valley Cllr. Allan Knox said: "This Government is completely failing to address the social care crisis which has left over a million vulnerable older people without the support they need. "It is outrageous that they are now kicking the can further down the road, leaving the social care sector in a state of uncertainty. "In ...
Thu 16th
18:03
Maghull – Powers that be start communicating with nearby residents over Maghull North Station ...
The construction site on 11th November I have covered the planning and construction phases of the new Maghull North Station many times before on this blog site. Sadly, within weeks of the construction starting there was conflict between the work the contractors were doing and the nearby residents living in Mersey Avenue. Noise, intrusive lighting, night working and the lack of consultation/communication with residents over the detail of the build process were the major issues. Action was promised to residents and Independent Sefton Cllr. Matt Gannon who lives nearby himself and represents the residents. From this the 1st of a ...
I am launching a group called 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance' with the backing of Compass on Saturday 18 November in Central London and am inviting Lib Dem members to attend to contribute to the discussion. The concept of the Progressive Alliance gained prominence during the Richmond Park by-election in 2016 when Sarah Olney won the seat from Zac Goldsmith. Parties, campaigners and voters came together to work for Sarah Olney's success. It was an example of what can be achieved when political conflict is set aside for something bigger. The Progressive Alliance is a stepping stone to achieving a ...
Embed from Getty Images Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder has put pen to paper in a letter to MIchael Gove MP, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This joint letter to Mr Gove was also signed by Seb Dance MEP, Keith Taylor MEP and Julie Girling MEP. Together, these MEPs form a cross-party group of UK MEPs who sit on the European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee. The letter follows the successful vote on November 15th in Strasbourg on the EU Parliamentary Motion calling for EU governments and the Commission to properly ...
So Awkward Squad has been going for a couple of months now, and we're just about covering costs, which is pretty amazing. One thing you might not have noticed is that there is now a "custom" category, and if you look on that page you'll find there are now 3 designs that were not done by me live on the site. If you fancy having a design of your own? Drop me a line. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Earlier this year I said I would scale back my twice-weekly postings in order to give me time for reflection. I was profoundly disturbed by the world around me. I used the word "depressed", and though this sparked worries by friends about my mental health, this was, and remains, a good word to describe my ... Continue reading Time for another pause for reflection
I attended a talk given by Dan Rogerson (ex-DEFRA Minister and ex-MP for North Cornwall) at a St Austell & Newquay Lib Dems meeting. Dan was extremely interesting regarding the vote in Cornwall - we used to have six MPs out of six constituencies, but now there are six Tories - as to how to rebuild our vote. Firstly, the historical Cornish nonconformist Liberal vote has shrunk as more incomers arrive bringing two-party politics Secondly, we have done well in the past when the Tories are weak, building up to sixty MPs during the Blair years when the Tories were ...
Searching for new ways to stop the spread of false information is an understandable response to recent political developments, but proponents of the strategy are picking the wrong battle if they want to win this vital war Recent revelations in the UK's traditional media on Russian attempts to spread mis- and disinformation have been met ... Continue reading Fixing Misinformation is a Misguided and Insufficient Strategy
Delivery of our Dunston Focus is newsletter is just about completed so without more ado, here is what we have been putting through letterboxes.
Wed, 12:56: As the Tory Brexit fight club slugs it out, do they even care about Ireland? https://t.co/JbmETZgOti Short answer: no. Wed, 18:08: A Crocodile in the Fernery: An A-Z of Animals in the Garden, by Twigs Way https://t.co/M1ACnDXbv5 Wed, 20:48: Brexit means we are bordering on the absurd https://t.co/pzMDgHjMHG Fintan O'Toole on the bad old days. Thu, 10:45: Boris Johnson might find his Irish cake hard to digest - "British foreign secretary is either clueless about Border... https://t.co/09PELEcuvX
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has been writing about his green vision for finance, with London at the centre. This is a welcome this initiative. The more we can green all aspects of our policy, the better. We have a good record from setting up the Green Investment Bank in coalition, and funding renewables. Vince begins, The prospect of Brexit threatens to cause serious damage to the UK's financial services industry. Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin and even Luxembourg are circling like hungry jackals waiting to pick off the weakest members of the herd. London will need to develop a distinctive ...
It's been another period of rapid growth for the readership of Lib Dem Newswire, with subscriber numbers nearly doubling already since January 1st.
Nominations are now open for The Chair's Community Awards 2018. If you know a volunteer or group who has gone the extra mile to help your community, please nominate them using the forms available on this page by 5th January. Suggested areas of contribution include community development, promoting equality, arts, sports, play, environment, working with older or young people, advice and advocacy and being a good neighbour. The chosen nominees will be notified in February and invited to a prestigious awards evening on 7 March to receive their awards. The Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter, attends the awards ...
This blog is also posted on the CityMetric pages... Around England, new mayors of various political creeds are settling into their new roles, and figuring out how to start making their mark. As they do so, they would be well served to look across the Atlantic for inspiration. But they should raise their eye line [...] The post Why every UK mayor should steal this campaign appeared first on Radix.
We will have to wait for the budget of course, before we can fully evaluate whether Theresa May's promise to personally solve the UK's housing crisis is going to deliver, but proposals hinted at in this article appear to me to fall well short of what is needed. The Independent say that the chief measure will be the Chancellor will free up housing associations to borrow millions of pounds more for housebuilding. He will do that by taking housing associations' debt off the balance sheet, with the goal being that they have a stable investment environment to build more homes. ...
Thu 16th
08:34
Disgraceful Scenes at Liverpool Town Hall as Labour vote down motions on Academic Freedom; sodium va...
Liverpool Town Hall was again seen as part of a 'demockery' than a democracy as Labour voted down very reasonable Lib Dem motions and the Mayor used sexist language There were disgraceful scenes in Liverpool Town Hall last night as ... Continue reading →
As today is an in-service day at local schools, my usual ward surgery at Blackness Primary School does not take place but I can be contacted at any time at home on 459378 or by e-mail at surgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. My surgeries resume again next Monday. Details are available here.
Long time Maghull resident and former Maghull Town Mayor, Councillor Merrick Stott has sadly passed away at the ripe old age of 93. Merrick had lived on Melling Lane in Maghull for as long as I had known him, he was a regular attender at St. George's RC Church and had been a bank manager prior to his retirement I understand. He was always smartly dressed and rarely seen without his suit on, you might call him an old fashioned gentleman. He was elected to serve on Maghull Town Council in May 1987, was Town Mayor in 1990/91 and was ...
"Follow the money" has always been a good tip for an investigative journalist or politician. In recent weeks and months there have been plenty such trails to follow. In reverse order: "Arron Banks faces EU referendum finance investigation" (BBC 1/11/2017); "Trump, Assange, Bannon, Farage ... bound together in an unholy alliance" (Observer 30/10/2017); "Who paid for the leave vote?" (Guardian 28/6/2017); "Labour MP calls for probe into Tory use of voter data" (Guardian 27/5/2017); "Watchdog can't stop foreign interference in election" (BBC 17/5/2017); "No Conservative election charges from 14 police force inquiries" (Guardian 10/5/2017); "The great British Brexit robbery: how ...
[IMG: Launch of 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance'] 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance' is being launched by Compass and Jane Chelliah, the blogger 'ambitiousmamas,' to push for those issues that affect mothers to be adopted as a cross-party effort. 'Mothers for a Progressive... The post Launch of 'Mothers for a Progressive Alliance' appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.
Ten years ago, there was excitement about the prospects for science and innovation across the Islamic world. Was this optimism misplaced? Last week, almost 3,000 scientists and policymakers from 120 countries gathered on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan for the 2017 World Science Forum. It was a landmark moment for Jordanian science, and a tribute to the vision of Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, president of Jordan's Royal Scientific Society, who is in the vanguard of a new generation of leaders championing science and innovation in the region. Jordan is also home to the Middle East's first ...
Emanuel Derman's My Life as a Quant: Reflections on Physics and Finance is a gentle amble through a career that took in physics and then taking mathematical analysis to Wall Street.
Echoing Tim Farron's comments when he was running to be Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable has said of former Chief Executive Chris Rennard: He has no role whatever advising me or as a spokesman for the party – and I have no intention of going down that road... I have no intention of bringing him back into a leadership role or a spokesmanship role. The background to this is that a Liberal Democrat inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment found them to be "broadly credible" but also concluded that it was "unlikely that it could be established beyond reasonable doubt ...
TL:DR — Don't worry about Mastodon instances, you only need one account to talk to anyone on any instance. Now read on. Some of you may recently have become aware of a social network called Mastodon. It's an alternative to ... Continue reading →
