Lib Dems: Govt must listen to police chiefs' warning Responding to a warning from five former Met Police Commissioners that the police service "has had its resources drained to dangerously low levels", Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Ed Davey said: When even former police chiefs are talking about a 'feeling of lawlessness' it's clear that urgent action is needed. Will the Government listen now? Unnecessary Conservative cuts have taken 5,000 police officers off our streets since 2015, contributing to the rise in violent crime and making our communities less safe. Far too many crimes go unsolved and too many young ...
I once saw Count Arthur Strong live at the Leicester Comedy Festival. For my money, he is better on stage than on television or radio. It is these scrambled memories of a showbiz past that make him great.
Phil Bennion, newly returned as a Liberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands, was the guest speaker at a Bishop's Castle Lib Dems lunch today. Naturally, it was held at the Three Tuns. The Shropshire Star tells us what he said: "Leaving the single market would have profound consequences. Most of our economy has been built around the single market for 30 years, from manufacturing to farming. "Losing our biggest market will cause a glut of lamb, so the price will collapse, meaning sheep farmers will soon go bankrupt. Dairy will also be severely affected. "Farmers will not be able ...
Probably the most famous, even infamous, version of Liberator magazine came out during 1984 and featured speculation about the future of David Steel.
"Somewhat to my surprise, I've voted for Ed Davey to be the next leader of the Liberal Democrats." Tim Holyoake explains why. Ruby Chow attended the ALDC's three-day Kickstart event in Staffordshire. Jennifer Williams is a superb writer: "It is a place where a strong identity fights to flourish under layer upon layer of economic bad fortune. Consequently, Oldham's experience can tell us an awful lot about the ferocious currents swirling through our national politics." "Massive reforestation isn't a pipe dream and it can have real benefits for people," say Mark Maslin and Simon Lewis. "The value of play is ...
News from South Ribble Liberal Democrats: Former Southport councillor, Jo Barton has been selected as Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the South Ribble constituency at the next General Election. The decision was taken at a packed meeting of Local Party members in the Penwortham Community Centre... The best attended Local Party for many years shows the high level of interest in the future of the Party following our success in the Local and European Elections. On being selection, Jo Barton said: I am very honoured to have been selected to be your Parliamentary candidate and I would like to ...
This post first appeared on Lib Dem Voice... "We must be more than a political party or we will cease to be one," said the great writer G. K. Chesterton, when he was a Liberal. "Time and again historic victory has come to a little party with big ideas: but can anyone conceive anything with a mark of death more on its brow than a little party with little ideas," I am writing about the man at the moment and I believe he was right, and especially perhaps in the first of the two sentences. Nor are we such a ...
Fri 5th
19:19
Who is ahead in the Lib Dem leadership race? Read survey results in Lib Dem Newswire #126
Liberal Democrat Newswire #126 contains the results of a survey of party members on who they are going to vote for as the next Liberal Democrat leader and why.
This was the state of the Cheshire Lines Path/Trans Pennine Trail through Great Altcar Civil Parish in the winter of 2017 – it's not got any better. www.youtube.com/watch?v=niTXh9NLJg0 The video accessible via the link above is worth watching. I recall the original efforts to establish the Cheshire Lines Path (which forms all of the Trans Pennine Path through West Lancashire and part of it through Sefton) led by the Rev. Smout from Aughton. It's so sad that the parts of the West Lancs section, particularly through Great Altcar, are in such poor condition.
Last week I did several tweets about events I had been to in connection with Armed Forces week. On Monday I went to the raising of the flag at the Town Hall and on Saturday I went to a 'drumhead' ... Continue reading →
The River Wye near Builth Wells in the Brecon and Radnorshire Counsituency The BBC reports that there are six candidates standing at the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election. As expected, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Green Party have, admirably, agreed not to stand candidates in order to have a united "Remain" candidate in the shape of Jane Dodds. The six candidates are: Welsh Conservatives: Chris Davies Welsh Labour: Tom Davies Welsh Liberal Democrats: Jane Dodds Brexit Party: Des Parkinson UKIP: Liz Phillips The Official Monster Raving Loony Party: The Pink Lady Lily We can win this by-election, but we need your ...
It's the time of year when people start to think about ways in which the Hugo process can be improved. I have two small tweaks to propose, one of which is really technical and the other intended to make the award a bit more special. If I can get a co-sponsor or co-sponsors for either of them (needs to b a member, but not necessarily an attending member, of Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon) I will put them forward to the WSFS Business Meeting this year; if passed there, they will still need to be ratified at next year's Worldcon, ...
Jane Dodds (Photo: Mark Pack) A lot has been made of a decision, announced today, that both the Green Party and Plaid Cymru will not stand candidates in the forthcoming Brecon and Radnorshire by-election. The two parties will instead endorse Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrat candidate. The by-election was called after over 10,000 constituents signed a recall petition. Incumbent Conservative MP Chris Davies, with a majority of 8,038, had been found guilty of expenses fraud. Jane Dodds has understandably hailed the decision as "historic and courageous" and in the interests of a "progressive cause". Indeed she should - while I ...
Somewhat to my surprise, I've voted for Ed Davey to be the next leader of the Liberal Democrats. At the start of the contest, even though undecided, my expectation was that I'd probably vote for...Continue Reading The post I've voted for Ed – here's why appeared first on ten pence piece.
Just published - edition 119 of eFocus for the Whickham area. The main stories include marking D-Day, the PCC by-election, green-fingered volunteers plant out Church Green, resurfacing work to take place in Sunniside, opinion poll predicts Lib Dem win in Blaydon, new bus shelter for Streetgate and Whickham Comunity Fayre tomorrow. You can read eFocus on this link.
Putin has paid us a compliment. He's defined politics as a conflict over values, with liberal values as the enemy that authoritarian regimes like his define themselves against. He's full-throated in defending autocracy against democracy: government by diktat, authoritarian leader as father figure, leaning on nationalist myths and 'traditional' values for legitimacy. A regime underpinned by force, disguising huge gaps between the privileged rich, close to power, and the poor. Viktor Orban (in Hungary) and other rising authoritarians haven't yet gone quite so far: he defines his style of government as 'illiberal democracy', retaining some of the outer structures of ...
Thu, 12:56: RT @jessnevins: Good morning! As promised, my Twitter thread on the first lesbian detective in mystery fiction. (cc: @jeannette_ng & @laura... Thu, 14:52: RT @pmdfoster: The big, fat fallacy in @BorisJohnson interview with @JGForsyth @katyballs: that the solutions to the Irish border = same as... Thu, 16:05: RT @patrickkmaguire: It isn't Nigel Farage's showing in the European elections that should worry the next Tory leader. It's Naomi Long's. h... Thu, 16:19: The End of the MADness https://t.co/d1Zc75j2ZR via @art4mad Sad news. Thu, 17:11: The next Prime Minister faces a fight with the DUP on equal marriage https://t.co/FHlUHsfR4N One ...
The joke of Conservatism in Britain today being defined by Boris Johnson is not much funnier than the joke of Socialism being represented by Jeremy Corbyn. Hence the fractures in both main parties, and the gap left for Liberalism in the shape of the Liberal Democrats. Yet when the constitutional crisis is resolved, whether in the way we want or otherwise, can the Liberalism we represent flourish and our party continue to grow? For we will then be up against parties, even if diminished, representing the great traditions of Socialism and Conservativism, which will most probably be led by men ...
Over the past four years, I have occasionally been scathing towards the Lib Dems. Some have interpreted this as a hostility in regard to the party's lurch to the left post-2015 – this only a small part of it. Mostly, I have felt angered by the fact that in the midst of Brexit and Corbyn, the Liberal Democrats seemingly wanted to retreat into a cosy shell; we tried being grownups, appeared to be the collective message, and that didn't work out for us. We want to be left alone to do our own thing in peace. This seemed callous to ...
There was a minor kerfuffle yesterday on twitter, when the main Lib Dem twitter account put out a tweet saying we would "tackle the obesity crisis by extending the sugar tax". Presumably they did this because they saw it as an easy win, opposing something Boris Johnson had said, and were possibly unprepared for the howls of protest from many Lib Dems. The only mention of sugar at all in any policy document passed by conference since 2005 is in 2012, where we say "Conference therefore calls for policies and measures aimed at promoting healthier and more sustainable diets, including ...
The latest round of data from YouGov is out showing whether people have a favourable or unfavourable view of different parties. The Lib Dems have sustained their recent sharp recovery on this measure, putting the party ahead of Conservatives, Labour and the Brexit Party: Green Party +9 Liberal Democrats -12 Brexit Party -21 Conservative Party -35 Labour Party -36 That Liberal Democrat figure is much better amongst those who voted Remain at the European referendum (+27) than amongst those who voted Leave (-55). Get polling news and analysis by email Sign up here if you would like to receive the ...
Modern politics is all about money, and with a fairly toothless Electoral Commission, devoid of the necessary powers and, in some cases the gumption, to prevent abuses, the political party that can raise the most cash always has an advantage. Without doubt that party has always been the Conservative Party, and with the decline in membership and influence for the Trade Union movement, their fundraising advantage has been magnified over recent elections. But, apart from tapping some mega-rich people for huge donations, how does the Conservative Party fill its coffers? This article in the Guardian may provide a clue. The ...
Immediately following the Euro elections I wrote: "Given the success of the Brexit Party, the likelihood is that the Tories might feel compelled to move to try to occupy some of that space. They may choose to elect a no-deal leader and pursue the mantra that, whatever happens, the UK will exit the EU by October [...] The post Is there a way back for Labour? appeared first on Radix.
Fri 5th
08:55
LibLink: Chuka Umunna: London's young people know how to stop the knife crime epidemic - here's what...
Chuka Umunna used his Independent column to talk about knife crime. He described how he visited at least one school in his constituency every week and discussed the issue with young people. They identify a huge variety of things that need to happen in order to tackle a problem that is ruining so many lives: Unsurprisingly, one of the boys told me his mum wanted his family to move as they did not feel safe on his estate - many parents come to my constituency surgery asking for help to do just that. Another described how he had found drugs ...
The next Friends of Riverside Nature Park event - a Wild Flower Wander at the park - will be on Sunday 7th July from 1pm to 3pm. Come and enjoy this visual delight and see what other wildlife is living in the park :
Fri 5th
03:14
New road safety work will include a calming scheme outside Ludlow Infants School in Sandpits
Shropshire Council intends to carry out fifteen road safety schemes around the county this year. The list includes long needed traffic calming outside Ludlow Infant and Nursery School in Sandpits Road. The decision follows site meetings where parents, governors and councillors have pressed the case for action to reduce the risk of accidents on this busy road. It is hoped that the work will take place in the autumn. Another scheme to provide a crossing on Old Street for children and parents at St Laurence's School is not yet scheduled and is likely to be some way off. A surprisingly ...
