[IMG: Malaysia celebrates 61 years of independence] Malaysia celebrates Merdeka Day today. Translated into English, it means 'Independence Day'. Pomp and pageantry mark the day every year as it did today in Malaysia. The anniversaries are milestones of the growing number of years since... The post Malaysia celebrates 61 years of independence appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.

Posted by ambitiousmamas on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas

This post first appeared on the Radix blog... I am currently walking along Hadrian's Wall with my family, and very exhausting it is (in a good way), where once an early version of the European Union patrolled its northern border. I feel like I have learned a huge amount also about England and its poor governing system - more on that another day. But I have also been chatting more than normally to my fourteen-year-old - and he asked me this: if I had the opportunity to start a new political party, what would it say? Now fourteen-year-olds, in my ...

Posted by David Boyle on The Real Blog

[IMG: Christopher Hitchens used the word 'irony' in relation to Israel] Came across this while doing some research. Given the present debate about Jeremy Corbyn having used the word 'irony', it does seem like a remarkable coincidence. P/S I am not a member of the Labour... The post Christopher Hitchens used the word 'irony' in relation to Israel appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.

Posted by ambitiousmamas on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas

Gumley, I wrote, is historic and a little mysterious. So I went back there.I found the Motte, which some say is an early Norman castle and others dismiss as a relic of 18th-century landscaping. Either way, it is a low mound with trees growing on it. It is also home to badgers setts. I felt that I had wandered into M.R. James's A Warning to the Curious, but if there were historical relics to be found there, I am sure the King of the Badgers had them long ago. Having tired myself out exploring this landscape, I am not convinced ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Some of you will have received notification of some minor changes to your waste collection arrangements to align with neighbouring Croydon and streamline the service across borough boundaries. This may involve putting some of your waste out on a different day, or presenting a different combination of bins on your usual days. If you are [...]

Posted by jaynemccoy on Diary of a Sutton Councillor

A new Stadler Merseyrail train artist impression The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link below:- A dispute started by politicians has been won by the trade union they took on and eventually lost to. Whilst Merseyrail, the train operator, was in effect dumped on and made to take on the RMT by Merseytravel (the Transport Committee of the Liverpool City Region) the real battle was always with the politicians of the Liverpool City Region. The fact is the politicians lost because they never had the backing of the travelling public who clearly wanted ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

Good news from Shropshire: Labour has lost overall control of Telford and Wrekin Council as a former mayor's defected to the Liberal Democrats. Kevin Guy, who represents Woodside, says, although he supports his local Labour group, he can no longer support the national party and Jeremy Corbyn. ... His decision leaves Labour with 27 councillors - they are still the largest party but with no overall control out of a total of 54 seats.Kevin Guy explained his action on Twitter earlier today:1,2: I have decided to join the Liberal Democrats because I believe Jeremy Corbyn is taking the Labour Party ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

This news in The Times this morning: A new centre party preparing to launch next year has already lost its chief executive, who is now setting up a separate political organisation. United for Change, which promises an "alternative to the divisive and extremist politics we see at Westminster", was founded by Simon Franks, an entrepreneur. His co-founder, Adam Knight, the former chief executive, has left with some of his staff and is running a new outfit.will have come as no surprise to readers of Lord Bonkers' Diary. In June the old brute met Freddie and Fiona at a street market ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Fri 31st
17:25

August Books

An amazing thing happened last Saturday: I was actually up to date with bookblogging for the first time in about two years. Of course, it couldn't last, and I am now behind again. But It was a nice feeling, for about 24 hours. The holiday gave me another respectable total this month. Non-fiction: 7 (YTD 37) The Politics of Climate Change, by Anthony Giddens The Life of Our Lord, by Charles Dickens Huawei Stories: Pioneers, ed. Tian Tao and Yin Zhifeng Wroxeter Roman City, by Roger H. White Fair Trade, by Laura T. Reynolds, Douglas L. Murray and John Wilkinson ...

Rail services Network Rail will shortly be testing and adjusting the overhead electrification equipment they have already installed. They will also be carrying out track and drainage surveys in and around Chipping Sodbury tunnel. There will be a big impact on train services - Bristol Parkway will be closed from Saturday 15 September until the morning of Sunday 7 October, and then again on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October. Buses will be available at Parkway to take passengers to nearby stations. When the railway is closed some trains are diverted, and buses will replace trains on certain routes. Further ...

Posted by Paul Hulbert on Focus on Sodbury, Yate and Dodington
YouGov

The Howard Rule: A Modest Proposal "I'd like to propose a simple test for all proposed Lib Dem policy, one that should be incredibly easy to meet, but which is increasingly difficult to persuade people of: If the proposed policy is less liberal than the one in place when Michael Howard was in the Home Office, the policy gets thrown out." miss_s_b | On Using CWs on Mastodon I posted On Using CWs on Mastodon to my dreamwidth blog Here Is All The Very Important News You Might Have Missed In August Sweary Parrot for Prime Minister! Kuhl's Pipistrelle bat ...

On Wednesday, I had two meetings to attend, both in the evening. The first was the trustees of Whickham Voluntary Library where we discussed ambitions and aspirations for the building. The second was the executive of Sunniside History Society to put final preparations in place for the AGM next week. We also drew up some provisional plans for the year ahead.

Posted by jonathanwallace on Jonathan Wallace
Fri 31st
11:00

My tweets

Thu, 12:56: We Don't Get to Choose Our Traumas https://t.co/whYvwWG6mb @foxyfolklorist: "We can't choose what traumatizes us, b... https://t.co/NMR3aLIpWA Thu, 14:15: I had missed that @EditionsDargaud have started publishing a new epic series by Leo, "Retour sur Aldébaran" - grabb... https://t.co/JJeSvNN8Vs Thu, 16:05: J.R.R. Tolkien's latest posthumous book may actually be the last https://t.co/IerA7auZlI "The Fall of Gondolin", out today. Thu, 17:39: RT @EUTweetup: Reminder: #EUTweetUp is happening from 18.30 tonight at the Wild Geese. No need to register, all welcome & let the hashtag g... Thu, 20:48: RT @BoringEnormous: "if anyone asks, I was here the whole time" https://t.co/OscC8MmdNe ...

It's not even launched yet but already the latest (and richest) attempt at forming a new centre pro-European political party, United for Change, has split: United for Change was set up by LoveFilm founder and entrepreneur Simon Franks, and is reported to have secured more than £50m in funding. But the fledgling organisation's chief executive, Adam Knight, told the Times he had now left the team along with some of its staff to set up a new group. He said that while United for Change shared the "same diagnosis" as his new outfit, dubbed Twelve Together after the number of ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

The Guardian reports: The Liberal Democrats were wrong to agree harsh immigration measures such as minimum income thresholds for families, one of the party's former cabinet ministers has admitted, as the party sets out reforms to "detoxify" the debate. Ed Davey, the party's home affairs spokesman who was energy secretary during part of the 2010-2015 coalition, said imposing a minimum income level for British citizens to bring spouses or family from non-EU countries had been devastating for many people and had split up families. Davey said it had been one of the "trade-offs" of coalition which the party would now ...

Posted by Newsmoggie on Liberal Democrat Voice

Following the welcome news from Tower Hamlets and the promising council by-election result in Kent, comes news of a new Liberal Democrat councillor in Shropshire.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

The decision by Birkenhead MP, Frank Field to resign the Labour whip and, as a consequence, membership of a party he has served for decades, was not that surprising. Field is an ardent Brexiteer, who has defied the whip on a number of occasions, he is under threat of deselection and is experiencing considerable personal abuse from members in his constituency. His decision to call it a day however, underlines a number of issues within Labour, not least the toxicity, the intolerance of anybody who does not offer unthinking fealty to the Leader, the growing anti-Semitism within the party and ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

Should all cyclists be made, by the law, to wear helmets like car drivers are made to wear seat belts? This link to the BBC web site discusses differing views on this issue:- www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45312756 My own view is that for adults the jury is out on this question but for children the matter is very clear, they should always wear a helmet. I always wear one, preferably in a bright colour as it helps other road users see you as well as offering some protection in case of an accident or fall. I've just bought one with a detachable visor ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

It has not been easy to come up with a response to the party's immigration motion and paper. There is much in the paper that we are very happy with; but there are also areas where we feel distinctly let down. We're grateful to the Working Group for their positive attitude in communicating with us and doing what they could to improve the policy. After a lot of soul-searching and discussion, we have come up with four amendments that we feel the motion needs in order to demonstrate the liberal values we share. 1. Means-testing of families The situation now: ...

Posted by Lib Dem Immigrants on Liberal Democrat Voice
Fri 31st
07:02

On Using CWs on Mastodon

So, we've had another influx of new users to Mastodon, looking for a replacement for twitter. And quite a lot of them have buggered straight off again. And many of those who haven't buggered straight off again are confused by some of the norms. Things like #PuttingCapitalsInHashtagsForScreenreaders and habitually image describing photos seem very weird at first, but soon become second nature if you do them from the start. Really, it should be obvious: Masto is not twitter, and therefore things are different there. Surely this is one of the reasons people are looking for a not-twitter in the first ...

eUKhost

From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of BT duct installation works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in West Park Road (northbound between Perth Road and St Johnswood Terrace), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 3 September 2018 for 2 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Perth Road / Glamis Road / Blackness Road. For further information contact 433082. ...

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons has released a report revealing that victims of torture have been detained at Tinsley House immigration removal centre in Gatwick.Commenting on the report, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Ed Davey MP said: "These revelations are shocking but sadly not surprising. We've already heard far too many cases of people being held in detention centres after fleeing torture abroad. "Locking vulnerable people up - without giving them any idea of how long they'll be detained - can cause or exacerbate mental health problems. We've heard harrowing, heart-breaking stories of detainees being traumatised to the point of ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats