Fri 16th
23:34

Nicosia beyond Barriers

Nicosia has a population of little more than 200,000, yet Cyprus's capital contains more complexities and stressful memories than far larger cities. For three decades, from 1974, the city was physically divided, by the euphemistically-named Green Line, that had literally been drawn with a green pen on a map, though the polarisation of the Greek-Cypriot [...]

Posted by jonathanfryer on Jonathan Fryer
Fri 16th
23:10

The Stonehenge Railway

The landscape around Stonehenge was once home to a military railway.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Fri 16th
22:53

Six of the Best 881

If the Conservatives are so keen on 'the will of the people.' why haven't any of them marked the bicentenary of Peterloo massacre? A good question from Chris Dillow. "The caricaturing of English nationalism as inherently reactionary and xenophobic has made the left and centre reluctant to hear what the English really want," says John Denham. Matthew Wills rediscovers the lost US state of Franklin - it now forms part of Tennessee. Josh Jones explains why Joni Mitchell, who wrote the song that defined Woodstock, didn't make it to the festival. "Paul Nash lived in Flat 176, Queen Alexandra Mansions ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Responding to Jeremy Corbyn's comments this afternoon, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:"It would be up to the House of Commons to decide who a caretaker prime minister put in place to stop a no-deal Brexit would be. "This is not about party leaders, but getting a group together to stop no-deal. "It is clear Jeremy Corbyn cannot command that majority in the House. I urge him to do the right thing and confirm that if he cannot, he will support someone who can."

Posted by Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

David Boyle once said his favourite party press release from his time as editor of Liberal Democrat News read 'Liberals storm to second place'. Well something similar happened in Shrewsbury yesterday: Meole (Shropshire) result: CON: 37.6% (-17.8) LDEM: 26.5% (+14.4) LAB: 24.6% (-2.9) GRN: 11.3% (+6.3) Conservative HOLD.— Britain Elects (@britainelects) August 15, 2019

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

International trade as a percentage of GDP soared in the post-war years. In this issue of our Globalization Outlook we ask: was it ever viable that levels of international trade would continue to soar on the previous trajectory or was there always going to be a natural limit?will trade slowdown really 'shipwreck' the global economy? Germany The German economy is stalling and starting to reap the consequences of an economy addicted to exports and the long-standing refusal to stimulate domestic demandYet, Germany has more fiscal space than most to soften the impact of a downturn US-China The US domestic political ...

Posted by Joe Zammit-Lucia on Radix Think Tank

Liberalism has a long and complex history. Sometimes that history has been bloody. This weekend there is a range of events happening in Manchester to mark the 200 year anniversary of one such episode in liberal history, the Peterloo massacre. This was when a large gathering of tens of thousands of people calling for political reform in St Peter's Field in Manchester on 16th August 1819 was forcibly charged by soldiers on horseback. This resulted in 18 people being killed and hundreds being injured. The name of the massacre aimed to mock the British victory at Waterloo that had happened ...

Posted by Paul Hindley on Liberal Democrat Voice

Great coverage in Nursing Times for Ellen Nicholson, who was selected earlier this year as the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for South West Wiltshire.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack
Fri 16th
11:00

My tweets

Thu, 12:00: Gearing up for panel on Flann O'Brien and The Third Policeman, for which I am probably the least qualified and least prepared. Thu, 12:33: RT @Scott_EricH: Flann O'Brien panel at Dublin WorldCon. https://t.co/BEBVGJFMM9 Thu, 12:37: Picture by @Scott_EricH of @Nigellicus, @FrankMcNallyIT, @SlovoBooks and myself (@nwbrux) discussing Flann O'Brien. https://t.co/DszyrXKRC0 Thu, 13:44: RT @wwhyte: @nwbrux "I should never have spent all that time reading about the first two policemen!" Thu, 13:49: How the 'neithers' could decide Northern Ireland's political fate https://t.co/hbR1OyNOML I am quoted by @RoryCarroll22 in today's Guardian. Thu, 14:00: RT @tnielsenhayden: This year's worldcon publications All refer ...

(NB: this does not mean that I am a tory or that I love the tories. Just that Labour are the ones pissing me off today) "SWINSON IS BLOCKING JEREMY FROM BECOMING PRIME MINISTER!!" She's actually said, in writing, that she'll work with him if he can get the numbers, she just doesn't think that he can. He's shown no inclination to disproving that, just set up relentless ad hominem attacks on her. "SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE OUR PARTY'S LEADER!!!" She's not trying to, she's just pointing out that other people might be able to command a ...

Posted on With a melon?
YouGov

There are plenty of rubbish jobs, but surely none as daunting as the Treasury official tasked with telling a desperate new government what is bad value for money. Bless these people with their negative ways, for they are the bulwark between us and a land festooned with Spad-designed roads, science parks without scientists, 5G testbeds [...]

Posted by freethinkingeconomist on Freethinking Economist

Responding to the release from the Office for National Statistics that in 2018 the UK had the highest ever recorded number of people dying through drug related deaths, Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Judith Jolly said:"We are witnessing the highest numbers of people dying through drug-related deaths and still the Conservatives are failing to respond to these ever increasing figures. "Instead of trying to fix the problem, the Conservatives cling to their failing policies on drugs. Policies that have seen massive cuts to adult drug misuse services, policies that criminalise instead of help people, policies that are directly contributing to this ...

Posted by Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

I picked up a copy of a book published in 2001 called 'Glory Days – Transport in Liverpool' not so long ago mainly due to my interest in local railways but on page 93 I saw a 310 Ribble bus with the destination 'Park Lane Lodge' on it. Photo credit Arnold Richardson/Photobus A query to a local bus expert confirmed that the photo was indeed taken in Maghull outside Northway Primary School at the junction of Dodds Lane and Moss Lane Lane. The bus used to terminate (having come from Liverpool) in Ribble days at the junction of Park Lane ...

Posted by Cllr. Tony Robertson on Sefton Focus

This post was first published on the New Weather website... Earlier this month, Indian government ended the devolved powers arrangement they had with Indian-administered Kashmir. As I write, I have no Bidea what the consequences will be. But I do know this is what nationalist governments do. There is a rash of books coming on the market about the phenomenon of populism, and its dangers, but it actually isn't a very good description of Trump, Orban or Brexit. The Populist Party in the 1880s and 90s began as a kind of anti-globalisation movement in the modern mould. I would describe ...

Posted by David Boyle on The Real Blog

We are all the prisoners of history. Our present and much of our future is determined by the sum of our past experiences, both individually and collectively. Europe, for instance, is now a secular continent. But its laws, politics, philosophies and society have Judaeo-Christian foundations. On the other side of the Eurasian landmass, the structures of Communist China owe more to the 2,500-year-old teachings of Confucius than to Marx and Lenin. And, if you are searching for pointers on Hong Kong it is best to do so within the context of China's long-standing religion-cum-philosophy. In fact, Confucianism was China's official ...

Posted by Tom Arms on Liberal Democrat Voice

Just one by-election last night, and it provided a very encouraging result for the Liberal Democrats. In Meole in Shropshire, Adam Feifer slashed the Conservative majority and overtook Labour to finish a strong second. Meole, Shropshire Con 37.6% (-17.8) Lib Dem Adam Fejfer: 26.5% (+14.4) Labour: 24.6% (-2.9) Green 11.3% (+6.3) Thank you @SFejfer for standing and increasing our vote share! pic.twitter.com/IaACK5grNV — ALDC (@ALDC) August 15, 2019 Well done to Adam and his team. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

 

I would trust Jeremy Corbyn as far as I can throw him. So I am pleased that Jo Swinson has said the Lib Dems will talk to Labour but not support Corbyn's appointment as Prime Minister. The last thing we should be doing as a Remain party is to put a Leaver in the driving seat. Corbyn doesn't even command the support of the bulk of his MPs. A National government will need the support of some

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace