Over 2.5 million disposable coffee cups have been purchased by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the past five years, figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. This is equivalent to almost 1,400 a day. The Liberal Democrats said the figures showed Michael Gove "needs to get his own house in order," after he vowed yesterday to tackle plastic pollution. 516,000 disposable coffee cups have been purchased by DEFRA's catering and facilities providers in the last year alone, for use in restaurants and cafés across the Department's offices. The catering contractors did not previously provide ...
For decades, in the post-war era, there was not a budget day when the Liberal Party did not move an amendment to promote employee ownership and industrial democracy. Jo Grimond and Richard Wainwright were always looking for opportunities to make the case for the redistribution of ownership. Not only did they believe that this would lead to a fair distribution of wealth and influence they saw that it would contribute to productivity improvement-but more of that later Donald Wade, (who for younger readers, was the MP for Huddersfield West,) lays out the argument in his pamphlet Our Aim and Purpose ...
Yes, yes, I know, Spring conference is AAAAAAAAGES away, however, the deadlines? The deadlines creep ever closer. The deadline for drafting advice is December the 27th* at 13.00 hours. As one of the poor benighted souls who has to go through each and every motion can I please exhort you to go through the drafting advice service before submitting your motion? Please? We get so many that are spoiled by daft typos or imprecision, and in extreme cases this can get your motion ruled out of order before it's merits are even considered. The deadline for submission is January 10th** ...
Tomorrow, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, will present his Budget to the House of Commons. He promises that housing will be the "number one priority", but will he put the money where his mouth is? People's lives can no longer be dictated by a lack of affordable housing; whether to take a job, whether to start a family – many of these life-changing decisions are now overshadowed by the housing crisis. Access to housing is not a luxury, it is a human right. To address the housing crisis, Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to include five ...
Tonight's lovely almost Christmas gridlock on Pride Park, Derby. A merry bah humbug to you all. The post It's almost Christmas on Pride Park appeared first on ten pence piece.
Trigger warnings on this post for ableism and suicide. I've recently been drawn into a number of arguments about the idea of whether autistic people need to be cured or not. Now, before I start writing about this, let me ... Continue reading →
Second paragraph of third chapter: The best of his novels about men seeking to understand what was wrong with contemporary society, and to find some useful role for themselves in it, was Tono-Bungay, published in 1909; in fact he regards it as his best novel of any kind, judged by normal literary criteria. The novels that followed were more polemical and discursive, and, with the exception of Ann Veronica, which was centred on its heroine, their heroes were so humourlessly high-minded that he privately referred to these books as his 'prig' novels. The New Machiavelli, Marriage, The Passionate Friends, The ...
The annual obsession of Britain's political and chattering classes with the government's budget is both unhealthy and unrealistic. Unhealthy because it is simply not true, for the vast majority of us, that a little bit more or a little bit less income or spending power is going to make much difference to the quality of our lives and our happiness. Yet on Thursday (the budget is tomorrow, Wednesday) the papers will be full of charts and columns showing how the budget will affect the incomes and spending of various groups: single people; single mothers with one, two or three children; ...
The extreme Brexiteers' dream of a Britain freed from the EU to stride the world as a colossus, making people listen to us, our influence reaching the parts of the globe that of EU-member Britain cannot reach. The reality is a weakened Britain that is seen abroad as inward looking and is walking away from membership of one of the most important international organisations on the planet. Note the
I still remember all the feelings of being bullied at school - the constant attacks while the teacher wasn't looking; the general low-level nature of the abuse, so that any reaction was viewed as extreme, but with some peaks where fights break out. All the time you feel powerless. No-one seems to do anything to [...]
In an inspiring speech in Caewern boostingSheila Kingston-Jones' by-election campaign in Bryncoch South [polling on Thursday 23rd November], the newly-elected Welsh Liberal Democrat party leader spoke movingly about her Welshness and the other passions in her life. She highlighted theenvironment, Europe and equality as key concerns. More had to be done to combat climate change and she singled out the Trump administration for its retreat from Obama's pro-environment policies. She felt that Wales could show the way. She criticised the Conservative government, with the support of the Labour opposition, for embarking on the Article 50 process on the basis of ...
Emmerson Mnangagwa and Robert Mugabe (Photo: Zambian Observer) Let me be perfectly clear from the outset: the events of the last seven says are truly extraordinary. They represent a significant opportunity for Zimbabweans, and also a pivotal moment in African politics more generally: 2017 has now seen the fall of both Robert Mugabe and the Gambia's Yahya Jammeh - both who seemed utterly unassailable. The real question, however, is what happens next. It's clear this is the end of the road for Mugabe, who overreached himself when he ousted vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa - apparently in order to pave the way ...
There is just one great argument left for Brexit. We voted for it, and the government is delivering the will of the people. I hear this argument over and over again in parliament. It even comes from the awkward squad on the Tory benches like Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve, or from Labour front bench MPs like Keir Starmer or Emily Thornberry. All of them are saying, in their own words, Brexit means Brexit. They want their version of Brexit of course, but the destination is fixed. They have a point. 33 million people voted in the 2016 referendum and ...
Issue 387 of Liberator is on its way to subscribers. Find out with our two free articles from this issue why Paul Hindley thinks the Lib Dems have chosen irrelevance over outspokenness despite being on only 7.4% of the vote, and Tony Greaves' explanation of why Liberalism needs its capital L. Also in this issue: Peter Harvey gives a resident's take on why the move for Catalan independence is an elite defending itself. Claire Tyler looks at how to turn round the inequality that led to the Brexit vote. Peter Black explains what's gone wrong in Wales after the recent ...
When a slim majority of the UK electorate voted in June last year in favour of leaving the European Union it became inevitable that Britain would lose the two European agencies that it has been hosting, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Agency (EBA). Sure enough, yesterday it was announced that the [...]
Mon, 12:02: RT @DaveKeating: Barnier, speaking at #CERFutureEU, says Northern Ireland needs a separate status to rest of UK to prevent a hard border on... Mon, 12:02: RT @FHeisbourg: Barnier @CER_EU in Brussels: we need to avoid Ireland hard border. NI already has specific rules. UK as co-guarantor of Goo... Mon, 12:56: The Brexit Vote, Inflation and UK Living Standards https://t.co/APew4PSH3M It's "cost the average worker one week's wages due to higher pr... Mon, 13:01: RT @NIAEUMatters: Speaking at Centre for European Reform today, Michel Barnier refers to #Brexit and Northern Ireland and all-Ireland areas... Mon, 13:04: RT @JP_Biz: The ...
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What a start of a new coalition! D66 both the biggest (Dutch) progressive and the biggest Liberal pa...
In my previous postings about the D66 contribution on entering the new Dutch coalition government (here and here), I noted that D66 surprised everybody in Dutch politics by being able to have some profiling, and indubitably progressive programmatic points in the coalition agreement. Also, D66 was the main provider of women (cabinet) ministers; and they are highly qualified women politicians! A brief "tableau de la troupe" of the new Dutch government... It consists of two Liberal parties: the progressive, pro-European D66 and the more eurosceptical, car-owner oriented VVD (with prime minister Mark Rutte); and two Christian Democrat ones: the CDA, ...
Instagram photo: Oops. Accidentally fallen in love with the @kawasakinewsuk Ninja 400 LGBT+ Liberal Democrats commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance This was my official press release for TDoR A message from the Chair of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats This was my officially unofficial TDoR piece 'More work to be done' on driverless car technology after test drive fails to kill Jeremy Clarkson Mightygodking explains some of the downsides of Mastodon As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops miss_s_b | Bike Show I posted about me and my dad's annual pilgrimage to then Bike Show Brexit: John McDonnell joins ...
Like all strategists, I am fascinated by the past. The future is often seen as growing spontaneously out of nowhere, a sort of ever present, but in reality there is a continuum between past, present and future, and a sensible balanced view of the past is a good framework for thinking about how the future [...] The post Getting a clearer steer from UK history appeared first on Radix.
Vince Cable MP has used his pre-budget speech to set out the alternative Liberal Democrat approach to the budget, with investment in infrastructure, homes, the NHS and young people's learning. In a speech to entrepreneurs last week, Vince Cable set out a Lib Dem economic strategy to deliver a modern, forward-looking, outward-facing economy which will offer opportunities to young people and higher living standards for everyone. A Liberal Democrat budget would commit to the following: Increase capital spending, particularly on transport infrastructure and large-scale housebuilding. Borrowing to finance productive investment at very low-interest rates is financially responsible and good for ...
The ten Greater Manchester Councils have published the consultation comments received on the 'Greater Manchester Spatial Framework' published last Autumn. This is the controversial plan to build 227,000 new houses in Greater Manchester over the next 25 years. More than 27,000 responses were received as part of the initial consultation into the first draft of the framework. Concerns about the amount of greenbelt land allocated for development was the single biggest issue which was raised during the consultation process. You can search all 27,000 responses here (though not easy to search given how many responses there were!). The next draft ...
Almost 40 per cent of battery-powered smoke alarms failed to activate in residential fires in England in the past year, latest figures show, prompting a warning from councils and fire authorities in the run-up to winter when serious fires typically increase. Latest figures show 21 per cent of mains-powered smoke alarms failed to operate in a residential fire in 2016/17 - but this "failure rate" is almost double (39 per cent) for battery-operated alarms. With industry statistics showing that more than a fifth (22 per cent) of households never test their smoke alarm, local Liberal Democrats are urging the one ...
The 4th annual Abbotswood Christmas Event takes place on Saturday 25th November in the Abbotswood shopping centre starting at 4pm. The attractions include: Dodington parish brass bandChristmas bazaarFather Christmas Street magician Face painting Living nativity with live donkeysLocal school choir Big Christmas Lights switch-on by the Mayor of Yate
Bury residents who have accessed gastrointestinal services are being asked to share their views and experiences in a confidential survey. NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is gathering feedback from local people who have been referred by their GP for specialist services (hospital care) for gastrointestinal symptoms and conditions such as (but not limited to) inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones and pancreatitis. Feedback from patients and carers will help the CCG to plan and improve these services along with individual experiences for the future, ensuring the best possible outcomes for local people. The survey can be ...
Hightown Beach I have been aware of this project to create a coastal path along the whole of the English coast for some time but had not looked at it in any detail for a while. However, at a recent meeting of the Sefton Rights of Way Liaison Group the project came up and I decided to delve into it again. I'm told by those in the know that the whole project is due to be completed by 2020, so that's not long at all is it. I also understand that details of the proposed north west stretch of the ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Our celebrations of the centenary of D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form continue on Wednesday 22nd November at 6pm with a free public lecture by renowned science writer and broadcaster Philip Ball in the D'Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tower Building, entitled From Natural Patterns to Self-Organisation. Patterns, regularities and order appear spontaneously in the universe over an immense range of scales in space and time. Not only does such organisation seem to challenge the universal thermodynamic tendency towards an inexorable increase in entropy and disorder, but these patterns ...
The Independent reports that John McDonnell and fellow Opposition frontbenchers joined with the Government to vote down a Labour backbench Brexit proposal designed to protect the customs union. They say that the Shadow Chancellor was among the 18 Labour MPs, 283 Conservatives, eight DUP and two independents who defeated an amendment to the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill, which aims to put in law a new post-Brexit customs regime: MPs heard the Bill will pave the way for domestic legislation that will enable the UK to charge customs duty on goods - including those imported from the EU - and outline ...
Last week was the regular meeting of Bury Council's 'Health Scrutiny' Committee. Councillor Mary D'Albert reports: Delayed Discharge from Hospital Delayed discharge is a high profile issue within the health service with significant knock on effect to other hospital services (e.g. lack of beds to transfer people from A&E). There is also a cost implication. It is reported that it costs over £1000 per night to keep a patient in hospital. The two main hospitals that serve the residents of Bury - Fairfield and North Manchester - have introduced a new way of working. Both now have an IDT (Integrated ...
I wonder how many of my younger readers will get the joke here? The worry is not that Lord Bonkers will get too old, but that I will get too old. Tuesday Down at Cowley Street or whatever it calls itself nowadays, I congratulate the bright young things of the use they are making of the electric interweb and wireless Twitter. As I tell them, the Liberal Party, Herbert Asquith in particular, adopted cinematography with enthusiasm in that technology's early years. Asquith starred in a rather fruity comedy named Confessions of a Cabinet Minister, which was followed (with diminishing returns, ...
