3097 votes were cast for the final ballot, 3089 online and 8 by paper ballot - higher than the number of votes cast in 2018, or in any year up to 2013, but lower than the years 2014-2017. All but two of the winners had the most first preferences in their categories. The exceptionsBest Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: The Good Place: "Janet(s)" came from third place to overtake Dirty Computer and The Expanse: "Abaddon's Gate".Best Graphic Story: Monstress, Volume 3: Haven started in second place but got enough transfers to overtake Black Panther: Long Live the King.The only category where ...
If you're interested in the Liberal Democrats and you're into Twitter, here are three lists to help you get the best out of the social network: Liberal Democrat MPs (15 currently) Liberal Democrat peers (51 currently) Liberal Democrat MEPs (16 currently) (Note – there are other versions of these lists maintained by others, but I usually find, ahem, that my three are more accurate and complete. That's not to say they're always perfect so do let me know if you spot any errors or omissions. Thanks!) There is also a collective Twitter account for the MEPs – @LibDemMEPs – and ...
A Labour councillor, reports the Leicester Mercury, is arguing that the city needs a rapid transit system and proposing trolleybuses as a cheaper alternative to trams. Trolleybuses have rubber tyres and use the roads like any other vehicle, drawing their power from overhead wires. I don't know if anything will come of the idea, but it does give me an excuse to post this footage of the last trolleybus system in the UK. They were running in Bradford until 1972.
It's a while since we had news of the former Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire. So I am pleased to report that Lembit Opik now presents the mid-morning show on BBC Radio Kent every Friday and sometimes fills in for the regular presenter on other days too.
[IMG: UK passport] When as Home Secretary Sajid Javid attempted to strip British-born Shamima Begum of her citizenship, he highlighted how the Home Office has come to possess powers to revoke citizenship that did not exist a generation earlier. These new powers are nothing short of racist, allowing the Home Secretary to strip Brits of citizenship by dint of their ancestry. According to Javid's interpretation of the new laws, so long as a person can claim citizenship elsewhere - such as by having foreign ancestry in Shamima Begum's case, or by virtue of laws such as Israel's and Ireland's allowing ...
Two tips missing from most of the advice online for authors - as they're specific to Britain and that advice is often US-centric.
So, what should we make of today's report from IPPR North about projected spending on transport in the North of England up to 2033? Lets first look at those figures: The north of England is set to receive £2,389 less ... Continue reading →
Responding to Jeremy Corbyn's speech this morning, in which he said he would do "everything necessary to stop a disastrous no-deal Brexit", Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:"Jeremy Corbyn must now deliver and prove this is not just an empty promise. If he truly wants to stop a no-deal, he must accept that he must not be prescriptive about how we ensure that happens."This is not about party leaders, but about stopping Boris Johnson from dragging us off the cliff-edge."It is clear Jeremy Corbyn cannot command a majority in the House. He must do the right thing and confirm ...
Mon 19th
12:30
Andy Kelly writes: Help me spread my message of hope and radicalism to Greater Manchester
I am over the moon to confirm that you the members have selected me to be your candidate for the Greater Manchester Metro Mayor elections in 2020. As a Liberal Democrat council leader in the region I know what it takes to fight against the odds, but this time I really feel the tide has changed - This is now OUR time. The Tories are playing parlour games with people's lives and Labour are betraying those they profess to represent I felt the need to step up to the plate. Greater Manchester voters deserve better representation, we need someone who ...
As a new member (I joined in June) Brexit, or rather stopping Brexit, was one of the reasons I joined. Yet this wasn't the sole reason. Likewise my new colleagues have no doubt been pushed 'over the line' by our strong Anti-Brexit stance. Yet, what happens post Brexit? I've been a regular LibDem voter for some time before joining, coupled with this, Brexit and a growing dissatisfaction with the 'big two', I found myself increasingly agreeing with LibDem policy, on a variety of issues. Indeed I found that there was very little I disagreed with and that was true for ...
Sun, 13:25: I don't mind losing, but I prefer to lose fairly. https://t.co/Ajbyov0moJ Sun, 14:22: RT @JohnnyPixels: No. 10 sticking to the line that the EU couldn't possibly know anything about how the UK operates and trades, despite the... Sun, 14:48: RT @davidschneider: Government's own report: Food shortages, fuel shortages, running out of medicines, meltdown at borders and airports, so... Sun, 21:00: The night begins... @Dublin2019 #TheHugoAwards https://t.co/7wxVqBD1qj Sun, 21:28: RT @Dublin2019: The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer goes to Jeannette Ng (@jeannette_ng). #HugoAwards #Dublin2019 Sun, 21:29: Fantastic speech by @jeannette_ng! https://t.co/7Z8FuDOMUe Sun, 21:29: RT @Dublin2019: The ...
Mon 19th
09:39The thin blue line is too thin and we do not sufficiently punish those who attack the police
I'm going to sound like a misty-eyed old fossil now, but often I find my base reference point, with respect to the police, was the actor Jack Warner playing "Dixon of Dock Green". Yes, I know most people under 60 years old won't remember him. Yes, I know "Dixon of Dock Green" probably gave an idealised version of law and order even when it was broadcast from 1955 until 1976. But many of us watched "Dixon" for decades. The series was created by the great TV scriptwriter, Ted Willis. You can see an example episode below from BBC4. There was ...
There is a lot of smoke surrounding the prospect of a no-deal on 31 October. The bookies' odds are shortening for a no-deal exit. But I still have faith that MPs in our government won't let a no-deal go through. How they do that (through a no confidence vote, or forming a new government of national unity), who knows? With Parliament on holiday, no one is really saying what they are going to do, including Boris. According to the Fixed Term Parliament Act, Boris would need Corbyn to agree to call a general election anyway because they need two thirds ...
I love museums and always have done but I must say this one in Manchester disappointed me. The day did not start well when we arrived at Ladywell Park and Ride to get a tram into Manchester only to find that on this particular line last Saturday the trams were being replaced by buses as maintenance work was being done. Obviously I've heard the dreaded words for rail travellers before 'rail replacement buses' but tram replacement buses was a new one on me, although sadly just as depressing in practice I have to say. It took forever to get into ...
I don't make a habit of writing about what I did on my holidays, but my recent experience in San Francisco causes me to post a brief commentary on some of the social issues we observed there. Of course the UK is not exempt from similar issues of homelessness, mental ill-health and drug abuse, and in fact many cities here have seen an increase in these problems, but the scale of the problem in the United States is not just daunting, it is frightening. I love San Francisco, I have now been there three times. I have read numerous books ...
The new episode of "A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs" is now up. This one looks at "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" by the Chuck Berry Combo, and how Berry tried to square the circle of social commentary and ... Continue reading →
