Welsh Liberal Democrats recommit to supporting children's mental health and wellbeing To mark the beginning of Children's Mental Health Week (4th February - 10th February), the Welsh Liberal Democrats are recommitting to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Wales' children and young people. The Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Minister has taken a number of steps intended to promote mental health and wellbeing in schools. This includes developing a whole-school approach to mental health, connecting schools with mental health expertise, and taking forward curriculum reform with a strong emphasis on mental health and wellbeing. Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh ...

Posted by NewsHound on Liberal Democrat Voice

A slightly disaffected Liberal writes... When I was a teenager first interested in politics and determined to choose the odd party out, I put aside my childish idea that the Conservatives were the odd one out because they did not start with L. I began to suspect that the Liberals might be just peculiar enough for me - but what did they stand for? I used to ask all my older relatives likely to know - I come from a long line of Liberal voters after all - and surprisingly few could answer. But there was one exception: "Don't they ...

Posted by David Boyle on The Real Blog

First published on Liberal Democrat Voice. The Houses of Parliament currently function as the location in which Parliament expresses and exercises its sovereignty. It seems obvious that they no longer fit that function well: archaic logistics, terrible accessibility, lack of office and meeting space, and chambers designed perfectly for the cheap game show otherwise known as PMQs, but not for deliberation or wise governance. Soon the buildings are to have a very expensive makeover during which time MPs and Lords will have to decamp. Perhaps we should make the decampment permanent. Build a site suitable to house the legislative body ...

Posted by Rob Parsons on A comfortable place

The Inland Waterways Association held its first national rally at Market Harborough in 1950. This film was shot there and includes some nice shots of the canal basin. Then the action moves on to Foxton and some unidentified locations. You may also be interested in film of a boat making its way to the rally from Oxford.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

On Saturday the West Indie beat England in little more than two days. On Sunday it was announced that their captain Jason Holder would be suspended for the third and final test in the series because of the team's slow over rate. This is not a joke. Holder and his rejuvenation of the West Indies team is about the best news in cricket at the moment, so I take this ban as the latest move in the authorities' campaign to destroy test cricket. In the words of the saintly Vic Marks: In grim confirmation that the world is indeed prey ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

My favourite newspaper has been getting it in the neck. The Shropshire Star's report on Daniel Kawcynski's lie about Marshall Aid has been attacked on Twitter all day for its failure to say that the MP was wrong. That report has been updated at least once today and now contains both a quote from a history lecturer contradicting Kawczynski and a link to the interview where he put the phone down rather than defend himself. But it's all still a bit BBC - reporting the row rather than stating the truth and balancing the views of an expert with those ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Watch the fun (yet educational) video from CGP Grey, with some tips for rulers - dictatorial or democratic.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

So, some Labour MPs are rumoured to be preparing to leave their Party post Brexit debate. There are talks of six heavily involved and perhaps twenty in total. From my own observations I think that is highly credible but not necessarily guaranteed. There can be no doubt that nationally there are huge fissures in the Labour Party. What precisely those splits are is difficult to discern. That is replicated in Liverpool. Its only partly a joke when I say that if my seven colleagues and I were in the Labour Party here I would probably be the leader of the ...

Posted by Richard Kemp on Liberal Democrat Voice

Drawing on his experiences of post-war Germany, Cllr Mike Gould explains why he is joining others in switching from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats: I am writing to tell you why, as a North Dorset District Councillor, I have resigned from the Conservative party. I grew up in post-war Germany, and have vivid memories of visiting camps housing stateless and displaced people from all over Europe, with my Dad. He told me they were there as a result of an evil dictator's extremist and divisive political philosophy. I didn't understand him then, but I found their plight distressing. It ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

The noble and learned Lord Thomas of Gresford, QC, waded into the debate on "Government investments in communities where Labour MPs might be willing to support the Government" in a letter to The Times on Saturday. PORK-BARREL BRIBES Sir, The offer of cash subsidies to an MP for the benefit of his or her constituents provided the MP votes for the government's withdrawal agreement is a breach of section 1 of the Bribery Act 2010 ("May woos Labour MPs with cash to back Brexit", Jan 31, and letters, Feb 1). The MP party to such an agreement is in breach ...

Posted by NewsHound on Liberal Democrat Voice
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My tweets

Sun, 12:56: How President Trump Is Like A Terrible Poker Player https://t.co/VWXLmix6Y8 Interesting comparison from @FiveThirtyEight. Sun, 14:00: Reputedly the best ćevapdžinica in Bosnia! (@ Ćevabdžinica Hari in Travnik) https://t.co/wQID7J5Cof Sun, 18:02: My non-sf reading friend (male, my age) asks, what are the #3BestSFNovels? Or alternatively for my... https://t.co/hgscCP5xlm Sun, 20:48: RT @youngvulgarian: nothing but love for the woman in this museum who, without missing a beat, responded to her baby's wails with "I know,... Mon, 10:02: RT @davidallengreen: A thread on why the Daniel Kawczynski @DKShrewsbury dishonesty thing matters. 1. Mon, 11:33: I'm at War Childhood Museum - @wcmsarajevo ...

I, like many Remainers, are a little weary about the idea of a second referendum and do not possess the confidence some younger pro-EU campaigners have about victory the next time out. Still, they have been pretty much the only game in town if you hold out any hope that Brexit can somehow be thwarted, so I have been supportive of the campaign even if a little weary of their stated outcome at times. However, having watched them closely, I must say that their biggest mistake has been a doozy. It's that they have expected Corbyn to come around to ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

The cancellation or deferment of the new nuclear power plant at Wylfa in Ynys Mon has brought UK energy policy into sharp focus. The UK Government seem to be prepared to pay the high price of electricity generated by new nuclear power plants, but leaving their construction to the free market has not proved to be so clever, given the huge capital investment required and the long lead-in times before any return on that expenditure comes on stream. What is puzzling is why ministers are happy to sanction high feed-in tariffs for nuclear but not comparable payments for tidal, as ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

When I was a teenager first interested in politics and determined to choose the odd party out, I put aside my childish idea that the Conservatives were the odd one out because they did not start with L. I began to suspect that the Liberals might be just peculiar enough for me – but what [...] The post Here's where we might start to heal our political divisions – in time... appeared first on Radix.

Posted by David Boyle on Radix

The Houses of Parliament currently function as the location in which Parliament expresses and exercises its sovereignty. It seems obvious that they no longer fit that function well: archaic logistics, terrible accessibility, lack of office and meeting space, and chambers designed perfectly for the cheap game show otherwise known as PMQs, but not for deliberation or wise governance. Soon the buildings are to have a very expensive makeover during which time MPs and Lords will have to decamp. Perhaps we should make the decampment permanent. Build a site suitable to house the legislative body of a modern democracy. Some argue ...

Posted by Rob Parsons on Liberal Democrat Voice

From Sheena Wellington of Friends of Wighton : Wednesday 6th February, 1.15pm - 1.45pmLunchtime Recital with SeaTangle Tom and Kayren Hall, the husband and wife duo who make up SeaTangle, have been involved with music for over fifteen years in the East Neuk of Fife where they play regularly. They perform a wide range of music which includes traditional Scottish songs and tunes, and a wide variety of other songs gathered along the way. Tom, a valued member of the Wighton Singers, sings and plays guitar, drawing on a background which includes Sixties pop, amateur operatic shows, and also helping ...

Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Daniel Lewis, Nigel Ashton and Yaso Sathiy, Focus Editor are holding their next advice centre on Saturday 9th February. from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at BoxTree Kitchen for Queenscourt café, Manor Road/Cambridge Road, roundabout, fourth Thursday of every month (except December) from 10:30 to: 11.30 am. We will be there to meet you and discuss any ...

Posted by John Dodd on Meols Lib Dems

https://www.500songs.com/e/episode-18-sh-boom-by-the-chords/ The new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is now up! It's on "Sh-Boom", a song you may know from many 80s films. It's also about racism, copyright law, the medieval origins of doo-wop, and ... Continue reading →

Posted by Andrew Hickey on Sci-Ence! Justice Leak!