Excellent news from Leicestershire tonight where Angela Williams became Church Ward Earl Shilton's first ever Lib Dem Councillor with a whopping 68% of the vote. And there's more good news from that Yorkshire: Lib Dem gain from Labour on Hebden Royd Town Council in Caldene ward. Lib Dem 156 to Labour 133. — James Baker (@Jamesdbaker1) November 23, 2017 Well done to Jeanie Falconer for a very strong result. More news as it comes in.... * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
In which a former deputy prime minister enjoys a narrow escape. Thursday Whom should I meet in a London street but our own Nick Clegg? As so often, he has Freddie and Fiona in tow. Clegg is full of his new book, telling me brightly: "It may seem odd for a former leader of the Liberal Democrats - and someone who has fought against the illiberal habits of Labour all my political life - to advocate joining the Labour party." "Not a bit," I reply, "it's just the sort of tomfool idea I would expect from you." Having foolishly travelled ...
Wheat Street is a canyon between two old factories closed off by two modern units. But it is older than the many 19th century streets that once surrounded it and have now gone without trace. Because Wheat Street, which was once much longer, marked the northern extent of Barker's Ground - the celebrated cricket ground that vanished under the new houses in 1860.
What strikes me most about this budget, it that it does not seem to consider the importance of a sustainable future. High tech jobs might be a good thing, but it is increasingly clear that the economy of the future must be low impact.
The EU programme of designating cities as European Capitals of Culture has brought new life, the Arts and increased tourism to places throughout Europe, including in Britain. Liverpool was a notable beneficiary, transforming the run-down port city into a vibrant cultural centre. Three UK cities were in the running to be chosen for the accolade [...]
If you're an artist, ready your comments about how art can epitomise and challenge the modern angst with the state of our society.
Iain Brodie Brown on a gap in modern Liberal thinking: "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." "It is far more likely that leave voters will accept the proposition that they were fooled by politicians - as indeed they were - than that they fooled themselves." Chris Grey considers whether public opinion will turn against Brexit. Frances Coppola summons the aid of Jane Austen to explain the amazing conversion of James Dyson on Europe. Matthew Scott argues that Rolf ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:Sygtrygg was glad to be getting back to what he understood best: the organisation of a vik. The like of his mood hadn't been seen since before Orm's death. With the responsibilities of lord had come the grim business of settling troubke instead of starting it, and Sygtrygg has never been stellar in that role. Now that he was busy outfitting the ships, he made jokes, displayed unaccustomed largesse to his thanes and thralls, and once burst into song in the hall, startling everyone into a silence so awful you could hear the thatch mice moving ...
Well, that is exactly what happened to US Democrat party strategist Donna Brazile in November 2016. She told Joe Madison: We had so much shit in our entire technology ecosystem that we couldn't clean it up. Oh man, those Russians were on us like white on rice. I mean, they were, Joe, they were destroying data, critical data, Joe. I had a walking list for precinct 89 in Washington, D.C. I know precinct 89, right? And the Russians went in there and corrupted all of our critical data. All of our critical data. So, I no longer trusted this damn ...
Think of Africa, and you think of elephants. But sadly, these glorious and magnificent animals are under serious threat from poaching. It is estimated that one elephant is killed every fifteen minutes by poachers who are part of a chain of criminal activity that makes immense profits from selling ivory tusks onto the global market. This illegal ivory is distributed all around the world with routes mirroring those of drugs, guns and trafficked people. It is shocking to find that more raw and carved ivory is traded through the EU to the world than anywhere else, and the UK is ...
He was both a shocking throwback to Europe's dark past and a disturbing herald of the power ethnic grievance still had in the continent "People are not little stones, or keys in someone's pocket, that can be moved from one place to another just like that.... Therefore, we cannot precisely arrange for only Serbs to [...]
The last few years has seen a spate of "scandals" about the use of off-shore tax havens. The hacking and subsequent leaking of data about who does and does not hold assets in off-shore jurisdictions has become an old perennial in the British press, rather like the "COLD weather happens in winter and QUITE HOT weather happens in summer", whose alarmist capital letter laced headlines are such a lazy part of contemporary "journalism". The increasing sophistication of the hackers, whether Russian-inspired or not, has resulted in a steady trickle of information becoming a torrent. After the relatively filleted release of ...
Instagram Instagram photo: Spike does zombie eyes (apols for tiny flash of my belly) FCC will also order states to scrap plans for their own net neutrality laws Reminder, this is American Federal Communications commission, not Lib Dem Federal Conference Committee [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Britain is on course for the longest period of falling living standards since records began in the 1950s, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation. The think tank found that under plans set out by Philip Hammond in the Budget yesterday, the poorest third of households are set for an average loss of £715 a year by the end of the Parliament, while the richest third will gain an average of £185. Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable commented: This analysis exposes the reality of Britain's economic future under this Conservative government. The squeeze on pay and living standards is ...
There is a by-election today in the Grumbolds Ash with Avening ward of Cotswold District Council. And Grumbolds Ash with Avening wins our Ward of the Week Award, given to local government divisions with pleasing names.
Britain is on course for the longest period of falling living standards since records began in the 1950s, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation. The think tank found that under plans set out by Philip Hammond in the Budget yesterday, the poorest third of households are set for an average loss of £715 a year by the end of the Parliament, while the richest third will gain an average of £185. Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable commented: "This analysis exposes the reality of Britain's economic future under this Conservative government. "The squeeze on pay and living standards is ...
The government has announced today that growth in business investment is down again to 0.2% in Q3. It was 0.8% in Q1, 0.5% in Q2, and now 0.2%. Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said: "This is a further blow to our hopes of lifting Britain's flagging productivity. One of the major reasons British productivity is stagnating is because of lack of investment. It is particularly worrying that there has been a fall in investment in IT equipment and machinery. "While growth and productivity are improving across most of the EU27, Britain has fallen to the bottom of the growth league ...
Martin Thomas attacked the government over their poor planning for devolution around Brexit. This is the speech Lord Thomas gave in the House of Lords. Paragraph 20 of the Memorandum of Understanding of October 2013 states: The UK Government will involve the devolved administrations as fully as possible in discussions about the formulation of the UK's policy position on all EU and international issues which touch on devolved matters. The annexed Concordat on Co-ordination of European Union Policy issues - Wales reads: B2.5 ..the UK Government wishes to involve the Welsh Ministers as directly and fully as possible in decision ...
Responding to John McDonnell's refusal to state how much Labour's borrowing plans would cost on the Today programme this morning, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said: "It's worrying that the Shadow Chancellor hasn't done his sums. Or perhaps he has done his sums and he realises they're so horrendous that he's unwilling to acknowledge that his version of a Labour government would put the country into financial difficulties. "We start from a bad position. The Budget warned of increased borrowing, dependent on the 'kindness of strangers'. A Labour government focused on massive nationalisation would make things even worse."
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,) laid out the argument in his pamphlet Our Aim and Purpose ...
The Chancellor announced yesterday that the North of Tyne devolution deal is to go ahead. Instead of a strong devolution deal for the North East, the three authorities north of the River Tyne - Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside - are to break away to form their own mini fiefdom which will split the region and leave us all weakened in the face of stronger devolution deals elsewhere. I
I will break my self-imposed silence because yesterday's British Budget is one of those great set-piece occasions which can be used as a moment of reflection. Predictably, most in the news media squander this in a silly game of speculation about the short-term prospects of political leaders. But the Budget poses more profound questions. The ... Continue reading The Budget shows that the Tories are in a political cul-de-sac
That was some heavy rain we had last night and cycling around Maghull and Lydiate this morning I ran into the consequences of it. The first shot is of Millbank Lane, the unadopted road/public right of way that runs from the junction of Dodds Ln/Kenyons Ln/Park Ln to the boundary with Aughton. The surface has been breaking up in the latter 3rd of it for some time now (my previous posting refers – linked below) but today it was impassable for cyclists and pedestrians. I had to turn back and find an alternative route into Aughton. The second shot ...
A popular symbol of contentment...and Kezia Dugdale (Photo: Sky) The former leader of Scottish Labour, Kezia Dugdale, will be going into "the Jungle" today. Yes, for some reason Kezia wants to go to Australia to appear in the utterly dreadful "reality" TV show known as I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here! (which should, frankly, be renamed I used to be a Celebrity - Get me back on TV!). I don't really understand her reasons either, but that doesn't matter. I honestly couldn't care less about Celebrity! and genuinely don't understand how this excuse for entertainment is now ...
Wed, 12:56: Historically, men translated the Odyssey. Here's what happened when a woman did it. https://t.co/T3kAFC5Ffl Fantastic. Wed, 13:24: RT @apcoworldwide: .@nwbrux expects the future #UK - #EU trade agreement to look similar to the Canada deal. https://t.co/zI6pU3omr9 #Brexit Wed, 16:05: The Irish border bites back https://t.co/zHy2a2O9gI Clear from @BrigidLaffan. Wed, 16:44: RT @APCOBXLInsider: Where are we on #Brexit? @nwbrux will bring you up to speed with this short #ThreeThings video https://t.co/jDzeWoTMeO Wed, 19:03: Isaiah Berlin, by Michael Ignatieff https://t.co/mNQE3wEXpA Wed, 19:06: RT @APCOBXLInsider: Excited about tonight's #EuroPAwards - @apcoworldwide is nominated for 5 awards in 4 different categories. Wed, ...
The Lib Dems have been hot off the mark with what this Autumn Budget doesn't do. Here are 7 failures. And leading Lib Dems have been speaking out about what the budget really means: Leader of the Lib Dems Vince Cable MP says Each person in Britain is set to be £687 worse off per year compared to forecasts before the election. And as living standards are squeezed, the Government is setting aside £3.7bn to cover the cost of a 'no deal' Brexit. The Chancellor found more money in the Budget to plan for Brexit than he did for our ...
I spent the first 18 years of my life in Manchester, the last eight of which involved a one-hour term-time daily commute from the (adopted family's) house in which I grew up in Eccles right across the city to school. Hating both "home" and the school (as described in my childhood memoir Eccles Cakes), I endured [...]
We are fortunate in the borough as we rarely record more than ten rough sleepers at any one time. The council has a multi-agency approach to addressing rough sleeping involving the police, the council, the NHS and the voluntary sector. The first service to contact if anyone comes across a rough sleeper is StreetLink. This [...]
The most striking part of yesterday's budget speech was not the abolition of stamp duty for properties selling at less that £300,000 as some Tories hoped, but the news that growth forecasts for the next five years are on the critical list. As Vince Cable pointed out in his response, each person in Britain is set to be £687 worse off per year compared to forecasts before the election. And as living standards are squeezed the Government is setting aside £3.7 billion to cover the cost of a 'no deal' Brexit. In other words the Chancellor found more money in ...
In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to visit Bournemouth twice. The story from my taxi drivers and people I spoke to in the street has a remarkable consistency: Bournemouth has been revitalised by its university. It attracted young and talented people, created jobs well beyond the university itself, and transformed the [...] The post Using the regenerative powers of universities appeared first on Radix.
As we reported last January, South Glos Council is consulting on banning U-turns made by east bound traffic on Rodford Way betwwen the Abbotswood junction and the Scott Way / Heron Way roundabout. The restriction anticipates that eastbound traffic would use the roundabout junction with Scott Way to return in a westbound direction. The reson for this is that 10 collisions resulting in injuries have occurred along Rodford Way in this stretch since 2011. Seven of them resulted in injuries to bike riders. The main factor is that vehicles were turning right - doing U-turns at junctions - across the ...
Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake commented: "Instead of a bright future for Britain, Conservative plans will see a £65bn hit to tax receipts, slashed wages and higher borrowing. The Government found £3bn to spend on Brexit, but nothing for our police or social care. The Chancellor has completely failed to show the ambition needed to tackle the housing crisis, build the infrastructure the country needs or fix Universal Credit." And here is the breakdown of the economic costs: 1. £65bn hit to tax receipts: Tax receipts have been downgraded by £65.4 billion over the five-year period compare to previous ...
In September, I highlighted that, at the request of residents, I had asked the City Council to add a short extension to the handrail down the east side of the pavement of Pennycook Lane - at Pennycook Court sheltered housing - so the rail would go right down to the flat pavement of Perth Road. I am pleased to say this was agreed to. I have now been advised of timescale : "It should be done by the end of November/start of December."
I was a Maghull Town Councillor for 30 years (until 2015) and in my experience residents would just turn up at a Council meeting to vent their concerns etc. But the other day it came to my attention that the Town Council now expects residents to give 8 days notice if they want to speak during the public participation part of any meeting or if they wish to address a matter that is on the agenda of a Town Council meeting. So what's that all about? Why 8 days notice? Why can't residents just turn up when they want to ...
Plymouth Rock Take a moment to be thankful. For your job, your friends, that you have food to eat and a place to sleep, for the air we breathe and the freedom we have. Be thankful. The North American holiday of Thanksgiving was born of tragedy. The Mayflower, filled with settlers from England, docked in Plymouth, Massachusetts in December 1620. Of the 102 passengers and around 30 crew on board, only five women of eighteen survived the winter, and around half the men and crew. The following spring, the Wampanoag, a native people, taught the incomers which crops were endemic ...
Responding to the Budget announcement on Universal Credit yesterday, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesperson Stephen Lloyd said: "The government's U-turns are welcome but beg the question: why have they taken this long? "The overall system is still not fit for purpose. It must be paused before even more of our most vulnerable citizens are made to suffer on the ideological anvil of this Conservative government. "Why is it that this government insists on rolling out Universal Credit, instead of just stopping and fixing it?" "The Chancellor ignored the £3 billion cut that was taken out of UC by George ...
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable has seized on the Chancellor's admission that the UK economy will be smaller by a huge £45 billion than was estimated as recently as March. Vince Cable said: "The economy will be £45 billion smaller in 2021 than predicted as recently as March. And that is the least worst case scenario. "Philip Hammond might as well have sat down and stopped talking once he announced this slump in growth figures. "Britain has gone from top of the growth league to deep into the relegation zone, with each person set to be £687 worse off per ...
Philip Hammond has announced he will consider charges on single-use plastic items to reduce waste. It comes following a Liberal Democrat campaign to introduce a charge on disposable coffee cups, to reduce the billions of cups thrown away in the UK each year. Tim Farron MP, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, said: "This is a major victory for the Liberal Democrats, who have long been demanding action to tackle plastic waste."We now need to make sure this consultation leads to real action and isn't just kicking the cup down the road."Our environment and wildlife cannot wait any longer for tough measures ...
