Tue 5th
23:43

Entebbe *****

The Israeli raid on Entebbe airport in July 1976 is often hailed as a great tactical success in what would later become known as the War on Terror. The vast majority of the hostages who had been on an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris were rescued unharmed (a significant number having already [...]

Posted by jonathanfryer on Jonathan Fryer

On Monday I gave a speech at the Westminster Social Forum, and my topic was on how trans people currently experience the British media. Here is the speech: Trans people currently find ourselves at the centre of two debates rumbling around the British media. The first is whether trans women are women and should be [...]

Posted by Helen Belcher on Challenging Journeys (Phase 2)

Shardlow is not quite where the Trent and Mersey Canal meets the River Trent. The junction is about a mile east of the village. The canal joins the river on the outside of a wide bend, The Derwent, which has journeyed from the Peak District through Cromford and Derby joins the Trent there too, Just upstream, there is a bridge across the Trent,

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Two of the WSFS Young Adult Award finalists now, both of them fantasies, both rather good. Summer in Orcus, by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) Second paragraph of third chapter: "There you are," said Baba Yaga. She was sitting in a rocking chair in front of the fire. There were a few coals in the fireplace, giving off a little red light. This is a nice quest narrative / portal fantasy, with eleven-year-old Summer transported by Baba Yaga to the world of Orcus where there are aristocratic birds, untrustworthy antelope women, and a shape-changer who inconveniently alternates between wolf-form and being ...

[IMG: Vince Cable's Twitter blooper] The post Vince Cable's Twitter blooper appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.

Posted by ambitiousmamas on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas

In the recent Social Liberal Forum book, David Boyle asserts that "free trade and anti-trust lay at the heart of Liberalism and Liberal economics from the start of the party". His essay overlaps with David Howarth's contribution in returning Liberal and LibDem economics to its roots, rejecting the false claim that "neo-liberalism" in any way represents the liberal tradition. David writes that: "The original Liberal idea of free trade was not a simple license to do whatever you want, if you were rich and powerful enough. It was thoroughly aware of Adam Smith's original warning that collusion between entrenched businesses ...

Posted by Gordon Lishman on Liberal Democrat Voice

An under-reported part of Vince Cable's first conference speech as Leader of the Liberal Democrats was his announcement of an independent commission on lifelong learning. Being a lifelong learning geek, this announcement thrilled me far more than anything else he said that day. Lifelong learning has shamefully been political tumbleweed for far too long. It's not a topic that the ... The post Vince Cable's lifelong learning commission – a missed opportunity? appeared first on ten pence piece.

Posted by tim on ten pence piece

Embed from Getty Images Available for the next 17 days on BBC iPlayer, there's a very interesting documentary produced by BBC Northern Ireland. It chronicles the public service television adverts that were commissioned by the Northern Ireland office between 1988 and 1998. This is obviously a genre of adverts which are relatively unknown in Great Britain. They range from toe-curling to powerful. It seems that, as the series progressed, the advertising people carried out research and there was a sophisticated effort to play on feelings about family and the opinions of women. Anyway, see for yourself. This is an excellent ...

Posted by Paul Walter on Liberal Democrat Voice

There are many in Westminster questioning Theresa May's decision to hold one day of debate, with all of the votes inclusive, on the 15 Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill – and many feeling sure they have the answer to that question. Here are the only possible reasons she is doing it this way: She figures Corbyn will either abstain or vote against almost all of the amendments and wants to strike while the iron is hot. A lot of attention has been focused over the last couple of days on Tory rebels, but if Corbyn whips an abstention ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

Speaking ahead of the emergency debate today in the House of Commons on Northern Ireland's abortion law, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said: "Women in Northern Ireland are now the only women across the UK that are denied their fundamental right to choose. It is simply appalling that abortion is still treated as a criminal rather than a medical issue in 2018. "In the absence of a government in Northern Ireland, Theresa May has a responsibility to act for these women. She cannot remain silent. "If she is indeed a feminist, the Prime Minister would ensure women across the UK ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats
YouGov

How Ireland Beat Dark Ads in the recent referendum This is really interesting The railway ticketing and fares consultation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change fares for customers. The Government must act on its recommendations. miss_s_b | Report Back from FCC Saturday the 2nd June - UPDATED! In which I report back from FCC miss_s_b | Lib Dem Federal Conference 101: Timings One of an occasional series in which I explain bits of lib dem conference, in probably still too jargon-filled and wordy a manner for most people. UK Brexit proposals nominated for Hugo Award in Fantasy category miss_s_b | ...

Tue 5th
11:51

Kick USA out of the G7

Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake has called for the USA to be kicked out of the G7 if they continue to behave like a 'rogue state'. Brake made his remarks in the House of Commons yesterday in response to a government statement on the US-imposed tariffs on the EU. Brake later said: "Mr Fox warns against a trade war, and yet he refuses to recognise that a post-Brexit UK may well be rebuffed by a protectionist Trump administration uninterested in striking a fair trade deal. "Our EU partners, fellow members of the largest trading bloc in the world, are ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats
Tue 5th
11:00

My tweets

Mon, 12:56: Looking for Life on a Flat Earth https://t.co/oVw9EF3EGu OK, this really is bizarre. Mon, 16:05: The secrets of a diary written on castle floorboards https://t.co/PbzHfc9K2h Fascinating! Mon, 20:29: Monday reading https://t.co/c1MDGtsvGy Mon, 20:34: RT @er1cmau: Former EU Parliament president Josep Borrel to be #Spain's new foreign affairs minister. Also strong opponent of Catalan separ... Mon, 20:48: Andrew O'Hagan · The Tower https://t.co/wYGNRq9DwW Grenfell. See also corrective tweets by @LukeWBarratt https://t.co/61gzI14RPT Tue, 10:45: New leader in Spain: How an unlikely no-confidence motion was won https://t.co/OTw4K3tHJ4 Great blow-by-blow account.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable has today slammed the Tory Government's decision to expand Heathrow as an "expensive folly". He said: "Expansion at Heathrow is an expensive folly that will badly hurt the environment both locally and globally. "The Conservatives are taking an old fashioned view of aviation that will end up hurting rather than helping regional economies, with a reduction of jobs and slower growth at many airports outside of London. "The Liberal Democrats will work with Heathrow's many and diverse political opponents within Parliament to finally put an end to this project once and for all." ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

Responding to the news that the Government lost the taxpayer £2.1bn on the RBS share sale, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:"There was no need to sell these shares now. There was no need for the Conservatives to cost the taxpayer more than £2bn."There is continuing uncertainty on a number of RBS' legacy issues. Ministers should instead have been using their position as the biggest shareholder to make sure management put the bank in order so that the share price recovered before selling any of the stake."

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

Right from his first conference speech as leader of the Liberal Democrats (and indeed before that too), Vince Cable has talked of the need for a post-18 education policy which isn't just about the minority who go to university but which is also about the majority who don't: As a country we have systematically undervalued and disrespected the 60% of young people who do not go to university, and the 80% of adults who never went. That is why I have been working with the National Union of Students on a programme to help all young people. Many will go ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack
Tue 5th
09:21

A Very English Scandal

There are two incontrovertible facts concerning the Thorpe saga. First, that the dog Rinka was shot dead. Secondly, that Norman Scott wasn't. Everything else depended upon the various and varying accounts of a number of highly unsatisfactory witnesses. The BBC theme music swings with a jauntiness which matches Jeremy's brown titfer. The story is based upon Peter Bessell's discredited account in court. Bessell was extracted from California to give evidence on the promise of an immunity from arrest for fraud, and with £25,000 in his pocket from the Telegraph plus the promise of a further £25,000 if Jeremy were to ...

Posted by Martin Thomas on Liberal Democrat Voice

Front Street, Consett, will be closed for four nights between 7.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. to enable resurfacing work. The work starts on 27 June 2018.

Posted by Owen Temple on Owen Temple & Margaret Nealis

Meadow Community Wildflower Garden behind Sefton Drive on the Cheshire Lines Path in Maghull. The link above is to a short time lapse video of scything being undertaken at the 'Meadow' behind Sefton Drive in Maghull on the Cheshire Lines Path. It's worth watching to see how this old and environmentally friendly grass cutting method actually works. It's being done by volunteers from the Merseyside North Volunteers Group.

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

Over at the Guardian, Simon Jenkins raises some very serious doubts around the extraordinary proposal by the Home Secretary this week that personal information possessed by MI5 on some 20,000 British "suspected" citizens should be declassified and shared with local authorities, police "and others" in order to "counter terrorism". He makes the point that in these circumstances there is no way such material can possibly stay secret: Since no one knows if they are on this list, they have no way of countering or correcting false identification or information. No one giving information to the state, including possibly the identity ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black
eUKhost

After many vicissitudes, the America-North Korea summit seems to be happening on Tuesday, June 12, in Singapore. Diplomats from both countries are already on hand to prepare the historic discussions between the two leaders who, a year ago, were still exchanging names of birds by Tweet or official communiqués. If Donald Trump manages to achieve [...] The post The American paradox of Donald Trump appeared first on Radix.

Posted by Renaud Girard on Radix

[IMG: Indian Nationalism which disregards rape culture shakes my Liberal self] I was watching the Newsnight interview with Arundhati Roy regarding her views on how nationalism has been a potent force in encouraging the Indian rape culture. The brand of nationalism that is practised in India... The post Indian Nationalism which disregards rape culture shakes my Liberal self appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.

Posted by ambitiousmamas on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas

Details of the next meeting of Community Spirit Action Group taking place tomorrow night - the community group for the "north" part of West End Ward, covering Pentland, Tullideph, Ancrum, Forest Park and the Cleghorn area - all very welcome :

With the reorganisation of the committee structure at BTC there are only two meetings scheduled for June Tuesday 12th June Community Development Thursday 21st June Governance Both are scheduled to start at 6:30 pm at Blyth Evertyne House As of today ( 5/6/18 ) no agendas are available, but it will be interesting to see how the new structure is working out

Posted by Alisdair Gibbs-Barton on Alisdair Gibbs-Barton
Tue 5th
04:53

Home Ales

I lived in Nottingham in the late 1970s and early 1980s.At the time there were two breweries in Nottingham ( Home Ales and Shipstones) and one in nearby Kimberley ( Hardy Hanson's ) . All produced decent ales ( although Shippos didn't travel well ) but ceased to brew due to takeovers etc. On Monday I discovered that Home Ales name has been re-used , and that their beers are being brewed in a small way. They are not exactly the same, but their Robin Hood Pale Ale , pulled by a hand pump , was absolutely delicious !

Posted by Alisdair Gibbs-Barton on Alisdair Gibbs-Barton