Curiously, only one press release today, so without further ado... 'Nebulous' is but one word to describe the PM Responding to the Prime Minister's press conference, held after EU leaders withdrew sections of its draft conclusions, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said: Having watched the Prime Minister's botched attempt to negotiate with EU leaders, people up and down the country will be more concerned by Brexit than ever before. To come before EU leaders without any documented proposals is galling. Calling the Prime Minister 'nebulous' is just one word to describe her. Brexit will make people poorer and reduce ...
Work to straighten the track through Market Harborough station continues. Here is a photograph of the station back in the early 1980s. It was taken into the sun and through the buffers at the end of a long-vanished siding. You could do things like that on stations in those days. Curving away to the right is the platform that once accommodated trains to Northampton and Rugby. the bridge that took the line over Rockingham Road may still have been in place. When the current works at the station were imminent, I went to photograph what remained of this scene.
This clip comes from the 1950 Ealing comedy The Magnet, which is of most interest today because its star grew up to be James Fox. I last posted it when I blogged about the film in the summer. But who is the other boy in the clip? The younger boy Fox cons into swapping his magnet? He is Michael Brooke, and his IMDB biography describes his later career: Bilingual, he was educated at the Lycée Francais in London and read Law at Edinburgh University and was called to the bar in November 1968. He became a distinguished and well-regarded Barrister, ...
The Scottish Tories could be about to back a People's Vote says the New Statesman's Chris Deerin. He cites a "prominent" Conservative MSP as saying: "When I look at what's going on down south, I feel appalled and embarrassed," one prominent MSP tells me. "I hate the English party. I'm horrified at the support for no deal being expressed by party members. I've stopped reading ConservativeHome." And they might back a second referendum if it is clear that Mrs May's deal can't get through Parliament: Senior Scottish Tories believe the UK is on a trajectory to crash out of the ...
This morning I visited the Woodmans Arms on Fellside Road, not to have a drink(!) but to speak to the owner about a planning application he has to extend the pub. I am helping him with the application as I think it is appropriate for the site and will create 9 new jobs. Currently the planners are recommending refusal. We had a good luck around the site and discussed options. No date has yet
From the 1990s - and featuring a young Lembit Opik, not to mention David Allworthy - this video was produced to encourage Liberal Democrats to recruit more party members.
A few weeks ago I was invited by Christine Jardine MP to visit Westminster as her #AskHerToStand delegate. The event was to commemorate the centenary of the Qualification of Women Act, a defining moment in British politics when women were allowed to stand for parliament for the first time. As Christine's delegate, I think I won the Golden Ticket. Where some guests were only able to spend five minutes with their MP, I was welcomed for the entire day. Christine and her assistant, David Evans, were generous with their time and insight despite having to navigate an ever-changing diary. Filing ...
Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel a little jaded. A feeling of déjà vu overtakes me when I think I am sure that I have done this before and then really remember that I have. 51 years in politics is a ... Continue reading →
FPC had a full and varied last meeting before Christmas on Wednesday night. We started with a broad overview of the overall financial implications of our policy platform: our priorities for spending and how we would find the resources to pay for them. This ranged widely over a number of areas including spending on welfare and health. We had a particularly good discussion of the best way of supporting education. We also reviewed our various tax proposals, with the 1p on income tax for health as the headline commitment, and also drawing together various other proposals on tax recently approved ...
This article was due to appear in September when I asked for a second referendum, but I delayed it as I thought at the time that it would appear as purely academic. Political reflection has evolved since then. The Prime Minister repeats endlessly her political mantra that Brexit will bring a brighter future and happy tomorrows. The student of history knows how costly any secession or independence can be, with usually an array of sweat, tears and too often blood, even with the best plans. This was precisely the sense of my question to FM Nicola Sturgeon at the RSA ...
Thu, 13:47: Read the comments. https://t.co/VImZzSa0AJ Thu, 20:26: RT @sianushka: Toby Young, the man who tweeted about an MP's cleavage, the attractiveness of a film director's daughter, the breasts of var... Thu, 20:45: https://t.co/gIy1WPvhbt Thu, 21:06: RT @Dublin2019: Don't wait until New Year's eve; if you want to nominate in @TheHugoAwards, you need to sign up for membership before the e... Thu, 23:48: Father Ted writer Graham Linehan compares the trans movement to Nazism - https://t.co/EzecpA5niE - Folks, if you ar... https://t.co/FVsXMOVGay Fri, 00:21: RT @pmdfoster: So @theresa_may got a an absolute kicking tonight. She made her pitch to the ...
We seem to be in an age of populists - from Brexiteers in the UK to authoritarian voices in parts of Europe and beyond, to Donald Trump in the US. Wherever there is a problem, there's someone to blame, and it's usually minority groups and the vulnerable – those with the quietest voices – that get blamed. This development has potentially dangerous consequences - populist leaders fomenting an atmosphere of distrust, resentment, and hatred. At home politicians and newspapers see "traitors", "saboteurs", "enemies of the people" and little green men hiding under the bed. We all know where this can ...
Possibly the most shocking outcome of the Theresa May no confidence vote was the reinstatement of the whip to two Conservative MPs accused of sexual misconduct. Although this act of arbitrary forgiveness was entirely predictable in the circumstances, that does not make it any more excusable nor does it help the Tories in their wooing of voters in the #MeToo era. Personally, I agree entirely with Jess Phillips who, as the Guardian reports, raised the matter in Parliament yesterday. She questioned why the Conservative party told Andrew Griffiths and Charlie Elphicke they were allowed to participate in the vote of ...
The good ship Europa is without a helmsman, rudderless, and drifting aimlessly through the stormy seas, dangerous shoals and shark-infested waters of Brexit, immigration, a stagnating economy, Russian aggression, Chinese perfidy, American tariffs and Donald Trump's unilateralism. Ship Europa is in desperate need of a captain who can repair the damage and set the ship back on a course which its bickering crew can agree upon. Traditionally, the role has fallen to the one of the two continental giants—France or Germany—and sometimes, during calm and sunny periods—the former rivals together. Italy and Britain have played roles as first officers, providing ...
This posting picks up on a most bizarre and appalling trend in vandalism – attacking/vandalising ambulances of all things! The vast majority of folks will look upon an attack on an ambulance, or indeed ambulance staff, with utter disbelief yet such attacks are happening and far too often. The link below to the BBC website illustrates the problem:- www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-46511576 With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, was in the spotlight on Monday, in sunny Marrakech. Delegations had arrived from more than 150 countries to endorse a non-binding but highly symbolic text: the United Nations Global Compact on Migration. It aims to build co-operation among nations to organize "safe, orderly and regular migration". The idea was for [...] The post The UN and their fine words on migration appeared first on Radix.
As residents will be aware, Xplore Dundee has unfortunately now confirmed it will press ahead from Sunday 13th January re-routing Service 5 up Glamis Road and Dickson Avenue and away from Perth Road west of Glamis Road. I will continue to press Xplore to think again over this change as it disadvantages a large community in the western end of Perth Road. However, in better news, the Stagecoach Service X54 is now stopping on Perth Road at Millbay Terrace and Clayhills Grove, meaning that - at last - there is a stopping bus service on Perth Road west of Ninewells ...
Fri 14th
06:16
Councillors unanimously agree that Shropshire Council should put more effort into tackling its contr...
Shropshire Council held an unusually good-tempered meeting today in Shirehall. It was a lengthy session with more than four hours in the chamber (we had a break for mince pies and carols). As the meeting neared its end, councillors turned their attention to climate change. A cross-party motion proposed by Green Party councillor Julian Dean, and supported by me along with several other councillors, called for the council to increase its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. An amended version of the motion was passed unanimously. I am very pleased with this. It is important that all of us contribute ...
Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake has written to the Leader of the House demanding Parliament doesn't rise for Christmas unless MPs get a vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal.The call follows the publication today of the business in the House of Commons for next week. The business confirms the Conservative Government has no intention of moving a vote on the Brexit deal before Christmas. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said: "At a time of so much uncertainty caused by this Brexit mess, it is an insult to the British people that Theresa May is happy for MPs to go ...
