I suppose that I ought to be wary when I see Liberal Reform pushing something supported by the Adam Smith Institute, but the suggestion that individual streets should be allowed to come together to build up to six stories high ranks as one of the more challenging ones. In theory, building taller buildings for people to live in would increase housing density in areas of high demand. It would also create, if successful, a collection of 'concrete canyons' which would be pretty unfriendly and dark. But, let's take a look at this more closely, and I'll take as an example ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Bureaucracy

I have blogged before about how little most people know about politics. Even so, I find this quotation remarkable: "I didn't understand things like when elections are fought for example in Northern Ireland - people who are nationalists don't vote for unionist parties and vice-versa. "So, the parties fight for election within their own community. "Actually, the unionist parties fight the elections against each other in unionist communities and nationalists in nationalist communities."Remarkable, because the speaker is Karen Bradley, the current Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Four council by-elections took place this week with, unusually, the same party defending all four seats: the Labour Party.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Important news from the Shropshire Star: The price of beer across the UK differs by more than £1 a pint - with Shropshire and Herefordshire having the cheapest drinks. A pint in Shropshire costs less than £3.40, compared with £4.44 in London, the most expensive area for pub-goers.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Suddenly the Liberal Democrats are in the news again. Business Insider has been told by someone they various style "a senior Lib Dem source" and "a Lib Dem grandee" that Moderate Conservative and Labour MPs have been in talks about splitting from their party whips "in the next six months" and forming a new centrist bloc in Parliament centred around the Liberal Democrats.I have heard this story elsewhere recently, with a much sooner date mentioned, but I wonder about that claim that the new party will be "centred around the Liberal Democrats". Remembering the measureless hours consumed by seat negotiations ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Friday is the day of Vince Cable's speech on how he wants to see the Liberal Democrats change. Friday is also the day of the next edition of Liberal Democrat Newswire which will cover the strategy behind the speech, what inspired the ideas in it and what will happen next (including how members will be further* consulted). If you're not one of the 12,231 subscribers to Lib Dem Newswire, then just fill in the form below to join the list for free. Long-term readers got to hear about the merits of a registered supporters scheme in a pamphlet I wrote ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Anyone interested in mental health - and the way mental health problems are to be explained and understood - will be interested in a new website that launched today. Mad in the UK (MITUK) is a sort of younger sister of the well-established Mad in the USA site. As its first post explains, acting in concert with Mad in the USA it will: carry UK specific content and provide a voice for UK professionals, service users/survivors, peer activists, carers, researchers, teachers, trainers, lawyers, journalists, volunteers and others who are working for change in the field of what is usually referred ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Roll up, roll up - take your seats. Monday afternoon of conference week in Brighton brings a debate on proposals for creating a new economy, one that really works for everyone in Britain. As the party "demands better", this forward-looking plan shows how we can tackle the root causes of our current dysfunctional economy and to provide real content to our campaigning on that central political issue of "the economy, stupid" (as Bill Clinton's campaign strategist inelegantly put it). The debate on Motion F28 - Good Jobs, Better Businesses, Stronger Communities - is your chance to accept, reject, amend or ...

Posted by Mike Tuffrey on Liberal Democrat Voice

Second paragraph of third chapter ("Pulling Ourselves Out of the Mud", by Yao Yiyu):In 2001, we managed to develop and launch our next-generation switch, iNET, in a stunningly short time. What awaited us was not ovation or praise, but harsh reality: the customer did not want our product in their network.A couple of weeks ago I read the companion volume to this, Huawei Stories: Pioneers, which looked at the geographical challenges faced by a Chinese company on its way to becoming a global phenomenon, and really enjoyed it. This volume concentrates on the technical challenges that have faced Huawei, and ...

Inertia at work (picture from MUSA)I was thinking I might make it all the way to Conference before I found myself blogging about Lib Dem things again, but just when I thought I was out, the anonymous briefings drag me back in. Yes, the world's most inept performers of political mood music are back, and still pushing their 'vision' for the future of the party. It's a struggle to work out which is the most depressing moment of the story, but I'm going to pluck for the realisation that if someone other than Vince is leaking 'Momentum for Moderates' it ...

Posted by Nick Barlow on Stories by Nick Barlow on Medium
YouGov

Large, far-reaching constitutional changes can be an important way to revitalise a political movement, refashioning it for new challenges and to bring in more people or engage members better. They can also be embarrassing, gimmicky wastes of time and money that at best are never spoken of again and at worst consign political careers to [...]

Posted by jubalbarca on Thoughts of Progress

Norman Lamb has written for Politics Home about the dangers to science from Brexit. He's holding a debate today on the issue: In today's House of Commons debate, I want to get answers from the Science Minister on whether an accord on science and innovation is going to be struck, and whether the groundwork can be laid so that we can keep vital science collaboration afloat in a no-deal scenario. I also want to hear about whether he is making progress to strike a deal on participation in Horizon Europe—the 100 billion euro programme that will replace Horizon 2020. The ...

Posted by NewsHound on Liberal Democrat Voice

Lib Dem Focus Team Councillors, Yate Town Council staff and contractors celebrating work starting work on extending the changing rooms for all the sports users of Sunnyside Lane and Yate Common using grants they worked hard to get.

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

A 507/508 EMU Merseyrail unit at Crescent Road level crossing – Birkdale, Southport. So the RMT guards dispute is finally over and the near end result seems to be about the best that could have been hoped for by the RMT trade union and indeed the travelling public who backed them in their quest to have a 2nd member of staff on every Merseyrail Train when the new Stadler trains are introduced. BUT, and its a big but, of course the new train fleet ordered by Merseytravel (the Transport Committee of the Liverpool City Region) was the cause of the ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

I have had a few experiences of representing people who are being pursued by their local council for money and in my experience the conclusion of the National Audit Office (NAO) that local councils and government departments are viewed as worse than payday lenders for the heavy-handed way in which they collect debts and manage people in arrears is spot on. As The Times reports, the NAO has criticised the government for its limited understanding of how problem debt feeds into the economy. They have concluded that: "The government lags behind the retail lending sector in following good management practice," ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

For a very long time, I considered a second referendum on Britain's membership of the EU to be a complete impossibility. Neither major party has ever endorsed the idea, which is pretty fatal as these things go. However, I think it is starting to look ever more likely to happen due to a strange, in most cases unconscious, alliance that is converging. May's battle to get a deal with the European Commission could rage on for some time yet. The deadline keeps getting pushed back, now to mid-November – and that could easily slide further. Imagine that an agreement isn't ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

The report, titled "Negotiating Brexit: policing and criminal justice', says the failure to secure a new agreement on policing and criminal justice after Brexit will make it harder to extradite dangerous criminals from the UK and reduce the number of people brought back to Britain to face justice. The report highlights 3 main dangers even if Theresa May's current position is accepted by the EU: Extraditing dangerous criminals from the UK would be slower and morebureaucratic. Currently the UK extradites more than 1,000 people a year to the rest of the EU, using the European Arrest Warrant (EAW). Reverting to ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

Just to the left of the terrace is a beautiful horse chestnut tree. The leaves are on the turn and it has a bumper harvest of conkers ready to be collected soon. Squinting into the distance, it looks as if the whole of the hospital campus is ringed by them. Security must have a nightmare keeping local youths (and somewhat ... The post Transplant -6: Horse Chestnut – all your conker are belong to us appeared first on ten pence piece.

Posted by tim on ten pence piece

When is Doctor Who back on TV? When is Jodie Whittaker's first episode? SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! I survived the Warsaw ghetto. Here are the lessons I'd like to pass on EU and national funders launch plan for free and immediate open access to journals God, this would be amazing. Why everywhere in the UK outside London has a shit bus service (article is 2 years old. Sadly the hoped for changes have failed to materialise) BBC iPlayer - Danger Mouse - Danger Never Dies NEW DANGER MOUSE ON SEPT 17th!!!! Scholarship to counter 'unconscious bias' in physics - BBC News Prof Dame ...

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My tweets

Wed, 12:56: How likely it is that the Sweden Democrats will be the most-voted party in Sunday's election?... https://t.co/KcMmJum2Bi Wed, 13:39: RT @ByTomWells: One of the more remarkable things about today's #Salisbury briefing is that the two alleged Russian hitmen relied on a Sund... Wed, 15:09: The latest Brexit bulletin from @APCOBXLInsider @APCOWorldwide, featuring some words from me. https://t.co/jrDRAEbZJI Wed, 16:05: You can't give blood in Belgium if you spent more than 6 months in the UK (including Gibraltar and the Falklands) b... https://t.co/bjee4HTrGx Wed, 18:31: The Laertian Gamble, by Robert Sheckley https://t.co/Db5azKCENu Wed, 20:48: RT @Dublin2019: "Who's coming to ...

eUKhost

The Lib Dems website has had a bit of a makeover to update it with he new "Demand Better" strapline. I was quite surprised by these clever cookies... The for Caron bit changes to all sorts of things – for schools, for the world, than climate change, for Scotland, for Wales, from the economy. A revamped policy section sets out what "better" actually looks like. Go and have a look around and share with all your friends. And see if you can spot yourself in the video bit at the top. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

In a joint announcement issued today with Herts County Council, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd agreed to abandon his proposal to take control of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, leaving the service under the governance of the County Council. Responding to the news, Liberal Democrat Councillor and Opposition Spokesperson for Fire [...]

Posted by chriswhite on Chris White

The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link below:- I've covered the demise of the RBS Maghull branch previously. My blog posting of August 2017 refers – see link below:- What's surprised me about the latest announcement that the RBS is going to pull out of Maghull completely is that only a few weeks ago I had need to go into their Ormskirk Branch, indeed it was just after the previous list of RBS branches to close had come out. I recall asking the person serving me how they were going to be ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

Last night the bill aimed at stoping upskirting passed its final Commons stage and now goes to the Lords. Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who initiated the legislation back in February. It then looked like it was going to fall after Christchurch MP Christopher Chope objected to it. The Government then took it on board so that it would be debated and become law. Wera said: I want this Bill to stop the vile practice of 'upskirting'. It should be a successful tool for prosecution, but it should also act as a deterrent. Zero tolerance, no loopholes. This Bill has ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

[IMG: It is alright to cry on your child's first day of school] There is a certain game of Darwinism played within the circle of mothers which seeks to shame those perceived as being weak and sentimental. Crying at the school gates is one. Mother shaming takes many... The post It is alright to cry on your child's first day of school appeared first on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas.

Posted by ambitiousmamas on FeministMama @ambitiousmamas

President Macron was elected on the promise of bringing radical change to France while operating from the centre of the political spectrum or, as he put it 'neither right nor left.' Living up to the hype and the promise was always going to be difficult – especially so in a France that seems so resistant to [...] The post Where is the Macron radicalism? appeared first on Radix.

Posted by Joe Zammit-Lucia on Radix

 

Speaking after the Tenant Fees Bill progressed through the House of Commons last night, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: "Tenant fees are often unreasonable, lack transparency and make the upfront costs of moving extortionate. People should not be punished for moving home. That is why Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for a ban on tenant fees."While Government amendments did attempt to close the loopholes in this Bill, the language remains ambiguous on what constitutes a "reasonable cost". Moreover, without sufficient funding, local authorities will struggle to enforce the ban. "Progress can and must therefore be made on tenant ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey MP has warned that Brexit will "remove the tools our police need to keep us safe" following the publication of a report today by the Institute for Government.The report, titled ''Negotiating Brexit: policing and criminal justice', says the failure to secure a new agreement on policing and criminal justice after Brexit will make it harder to extradite dangerous criminals from the UK and reduce the number of people brought back to Britain to face justice. Ed Davey said: "The Institute for Government is absolutely right to raise the alarm about Brexit's effect on ...

Posted by LD Neath on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats