Another slightly startling day, with today's BMG Research poll showing the Liberal Democrats with 18% if a General Election were to take place today, up ten percentage points in just five weeks... Don't get vertigo, everyone... Lib Dems call for EU-wide fracking ban Lib Dems call for creation of youth council Chris Grayling botched his probation reforms just like he botches everything Brexit threatens UK's ability to monitor climate change Welsh Lib Dems condemn praise for Tommy Robinson Lib Dems call for EU-wide fracking ban The Liberal Democrats have today committed to campaigning for an EU-wide ban on fracking because ...
It is mental health awareness week and I was invited by Whickham School to take some of our goats in today for the children to pet, stroke, feed and generally enjoy the company of. The conclusion was that such activities with animals are good for children's mental health. This is the second year running we have taken in the goats. It looks like it was become an established event in the school
Here's why I was on the march against Brexit earlier this year, and why I'm campaigning so much for the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament elections.
Below is the news release published by Gateshead Lib Dems tonight - tomorrow at the Council annual meeting we will be nominating Cllr John McClurey to be the first every non-Labour mayor of Gateshead. Lib Dem Councillor proposed as first non-Labour mayor in Gateshead Following on from the success of the Liberal Democrats in the local elections in Gateshead, the party will be proposing Cllr
In 1953 Bill Field, the Labour MP for North Paddington, was convicted of "importuning for immoral purposes". When he failed to overturn that conviction on appeal, he resigned his seat. The resultant by-election saw the seat being held for Labour by Ben Parkin. Here his Conservative rival John Eden, who was to sit for Bournemouth West between 1954 and 1983, takes to the Grand Union Canal to address some voters.
.@vincecable REALLY needs to stop saying that "No deal" should be on the ballot paper in another referendum. No responsible politician could allow that to be on the ballot paper as the outcome would be catastrophic. We cannot allow this option to become seen as acceptable— James Harrison 🇪🇺 (@JamesWHarrison) May 15, 2019James is right. A referendum with 'no deal' on the ballot paper was ruled out by the policy motion the party passed at its spring conference. More than that, it is likely that people attracted by the Bollocks to Brexit on the Lib Dem tin will be put ...
So we're doing the sensible thing and going after the votes of Labour voting Remain supporters in the next few days. We have the help of numerous actions and comments by senior Labour figures over the past three years, most especially Bailout Barry himself. You haven't been allowed to forget that Labour Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner told Tory Minister James Cleverly that Labour were trying to bail the Tories out on Brexit. Just in case it has slipped your mind for a nanosecond, here is the actual clip: The Huffington Post reports that candidates and campaigners will be ...
The Liberal Democrats gained nine seats in York at the council elections, with the result that they and the Greens between them had a majority on the council. A new administration has duly been formed with the Lib Dems' Keith Aspden as leader and the Greens' Andy D'Agorne as his deputy. Aspden told The Press: "Over the coming months and years, we will increase the Council's focus on improving the city's frontline services and create the capacity to deliver for our local communities. ... Our team will work on building confidence in the Council by giving residents a greater voice."The ...
Thu 16th
19:50
Christine Jardine on Question Time tonight...how you can join in the fun and spread the Lib Dem mess...
We have a Lib Dem MP on Question Time tonight! Excited to be on the panel in lovely Elgin for @bbcquestiontime tonight. Tune in at 10.35pm on BBC1! pic.twitter.com/hty4ipNV9C — Christine Jardine MP (@cajardineMP) May 16, 2019 There are several ways you can help cheer Christine on tonight: Using the hashtags #StopBrexit #BBCQT, retweet posts from @cajardineMP, @caronmlindsay and @LibDems; Encourage everyone you know, whether you like them or not, to pledge their vote to the Liberal Democrats in the European elections here Encourage people to join the Liberal Democrats – thousands have done so since the local elections two ...
The chairman of Leicester Conservatives has resigned over the party's tactics in the local elections held earlier this month. Leicester Tories lost their only city councillor and failed to come anywhere winning the mayoral election despite choosing a former government minister as their candidate. You might think the chairman would have had something to do with developing the party's tactics, but when that chairman is this blog's old friend Jack Hickey anything is possible. Here's what he told the Leicester Mercury: "We had an awful election. "Our campaign was low energy, there was no strategy and we did nothing on ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: A group of men passed him, trudging along the road towards the docks. A vegetable cart passed the other way, piled with carrots and greens of one sort or another, and a few ripe apples. Honestly not sure why I picked this up. It turns out to be 18th in s series of 24 (so far) novels about a Victorian detective, William Monk, who here gets sucked into an 1864 London murder, linked to the government's involvement in the opium trade. I bounced off a number of points. The nicer characters have much too sympathetic ...
There is still time to catch the Art Trail in Street, running until the 18th May 2019. With large scale installations at the Grange and in the Shopping Village, plus residencies in several venues around the town. This week Emma Housley is the artist in residence at Strode Theatre, where you can see her at work creating her beautiful contemporary abstacts full of colour and form. The workshop is open from 11am-4pm. More information and details are on the Strode Theatre website. Debs Butterfield is in residence at The Shoe Museum on the High Street Street on Thursday 16th and ...
The UK is at risk of losing the ability to monitor climate change if a Brexit deal is not agreed the Liberal Democrats have warned today.If the UK leaves the EU then we will no longer be able to participate in the Copernicus* programme as a member state and will have no role in how it is run. This is the most ambitious Earth Observation programme to date and provides accurate information to improve the management of the environment in order to tackle the effects of climate change.The Copernicus programme is not the only satellite programme the UK could lose ...
Thu 16th
11:55Scottish Lib Dems' PEB: A vote for the Lib Dems is a vote to stop Brexit and against independence
The Scottish Lib Dem version of the European Elections PEB is a thing of beauty. Narrated by Party Manager Jenny Wilson, it features Willie Rennie, Vince Cable, Borders candidate Jenny Marr and European candidates John Edward and Vita Zaporozcenko. Enjoy. Share everywhere.
Hello! I'm Mark Pack, author of 101 Ways To Win An Election, and the maintainer of the largest database of national voting intention polls in the UK, stretching back to 1943. Welcome to a round-up of the latest voting intention figures from each of the polling firms who are currently active in Britain. The Lib Dem rise is continuing, with general election polls based on fieldwork in May putting the party on between 11% and 18%, a range well above anything seen since the early part of the coalition years. (Scroll down to the end of this post if you'd ...
Every political groupie will tell you never to attach too much importance to a single opinion poll, while at the same time moving from ecstasy to agony and back again at a two-point swing. It is hard to remember a time when the opinion polls have been more volatile and more confusing, so the advice [...] The post Might we see a dawning of the yellow-greens? appeared first on Radix.
Wed, 12:38: RT @carolinepennock: While we're gaping in horror at Alabama, don't forget that abortion is almost entirely illegal in Northern Ireland, in... Wed, 12:56: RT @AndrewDuffEU: The thing that happens when one Brexiteer beats up another (and even worse) Brexiteer. https://t.co/20ddVH970m Wed, 14:25: Great shot of my bald patch there on the left. https://t.co/MxpbWFvGH1 Wed, 15:34: I agree with this thread. https://t.co/Ml0SvI9edS Wed, 16:05: RT @dsmooney: This week's @broadsheet_ie column: Remaining Resolutely Neutral The scaremongering about #EUarmy from the left and right is... Wed, 17:08: RT @sirgrahamwatson: Very sorry to learn of the loss of Richard Moore, a stalwart ...
The growth of Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party has been extremely frightening to watch. We may not want to think it, but many in the country are deeply disenfranchised from the Westminster establishment, and want Brexit 'over and done with'. They voted for for something, therefore they want it delivered. Brexit may well be the gross national soliloquy that has destroyed Britain's political respectability, but democracy certifies that the government must enact the decision that the country supported. We all want a second referendum, but without one Brexit cannot be discarded. The consequences for trust in democracy in Britain would ...
Thu 16th
08:55LibLink: Christine Jardine We all deserve the same quality of mental health care as my late husband
Christine Jardine's column is a bit different this week. She writes about how her late husband, Calum, was affected by Bipolar Disorder. Calum Macdonald was a brilliant journalist, working for the Herald in Glasgow for many years. Although they were separated at the time of his death from a heart attack during the 2017 election campaign, they remained close. Christine described how the quality of care Calum received helped him so much. Sadly, others aren't so fortunate. When we needed it, our GP was there straight away and offered daily support. Calum had a consultation within 24 hours and the ...
As if it were not bad enough that we are leaving the EU and all the advantages that brings us through trade, employment and funding, it seems that the Home Office is behaving as if we have already left, failing to draw down money intended to help in the fight against poverty. The Guardian reports that a catalogue of errors by the Home Office has led to a loss of access to £600,000 of EU funds earmarked for the most deprived people in Britain and has put a further £2.9m at risk. The paper says that the government had tried ...
Thu 16th
08:00
Politicians who evade or fear scrutiny are not the kind of people we should be electing
The Scotsman has the article on its website – see link below:- Scrutiny of those in power whether they be running a Parish Council or the UK Government is crucial in a healthy functioning democracy. If you ever notice a politician trying to evade scrutiny then alarm bells should be ringing whomever they are. With thanks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting
Dr Sarah McKim will discuss how genes control barley development, and how this knowledge can be used. Cereals provide more calories to the human diet than any other source. They are also critical for brewing and distilling whisky, our most valuable export. However, we are only just beginning to understand how cereal crops grow and develop, and how this can affect the quality and amount of grain produced. Dr. Sarah McKim will talk about how knowledge gained from new genetic research developed at Dundee can help improve barley crops. Café Science events are free and everyone is welcome. There is ...
Celebrity endorsement for the Lib Dems in the European elections: Vote LibDem on May 23rd if you want to defeat Farage and his Brexit Party. It's not over yet. https://t.co/spe2p6NRhK — Katy Brand (@KatyFBrand) May 15, 2019 This comes on top of the lead candidate for Change UK in Scotland choosing to back the Lib Dems. From the BBC: Speaking alongside Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie outside Holyrood, Mr Macdonald – an independent councillor in East Renfrewshire – said it had been "an honour" to be Change UK's lead candidate in Scotland. He said the new party was "genuinely ...
