Three by-elections this week, two for local councils and one for the Scottish Parliament. Radcliffe West, Bury Kingsley Jones stood for the Liberal Democrats to contest this Labour-held seat. A nice little step forward in the Lib Dem vote was secured in a contest that saw Labour hammered and the Conservative vote slump: Radcliffe West (Bury) result: RADF: 40.9% (+40.9) LAB: 35.2% (-25.3) CON: 14.1% (-11.0) LDEM: 5.9% (+2.8) UKIP: 4.0% (+4.0) Radcliffe First GAIN from Labour. — Britain Elects (@britainelects) August 29, 2019
WHAT'S THE PLAN? Lots of things have happened in the last month, but nothing's really moved on. We're still none the wiser about the answer to any of these questions... Is Boris Johnson genuinely intent on a no-deal Brexit? Or is the rhetorical ramping up merely a ploy to try and force a showdown with the Remoaner Commons, giving the PM cover to call a snap general election, shaft Nigel Farage and win a hefty majority against the split Remain Alliance, ditch the DUP, and adopt a Northern Ireland-only backstop? Or does he think, as 31 October looms, he can ...
Good evening all it has been a while!! I have taken a bit of a break since my last post but on the subject of Brexit nothing seems to have changed!! We are still stuck in as much deadlock as we were when I last broached the subject, and parliament is gridlocked!! The problem I [...]
Nothing should surprise us about the state of democracy in our Country today but yesterday's news of the prorogation of Parliament startled all of us because it has basically reduced us to the level of a banana republic. When Johnson ... Continue reading →
... and I think I'm a conchie. Brexiteers are fond of invoking the spirit of the Second World War for their all consuming mission. They assemble a war cabinet, Boris Johnson dons the mantle of Winston Churchill and strikes a pose as heroic saviour of the nation. No doubt a spitfire flypast is planned for November 1st. Yet if we insist on military comparisons, in truth the atmosphere resembles more the run up to World War One. In the summer of 1914, as the Guardian columnist Rafael Behr puts it, "martial drums grew louder, pacifist voices grew fainter, a fog ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: Francis M.N. Cleary is confused, but that's nothing new. By way of example, just last week, dressed in pyjamas, he walked out of the nursing home, babbling something about losing a door. Three weeks ago, for most of a day, he said he was sure he was in France, and possibly a Frenchman. He threw an onion at the communal television. Many of the staff at the nursing home can't stand him. Sometimes he's just too much work. I picked this up back in 2011, encouraged by the front cover's description of the author as ...
On a day on which Liberal Democrat membership is surging nationally, Bristol Liberal Democrats have announced the recruitment of Councillor Sultan Khan.
When I first heard the words "MPs don't get to choose which votes to respect" (repeated loyally by the PM and Party Chairman) my first thought was that someone is going to mention Burke. No doubt many of you had that same thought. And Sunder Katwala had it first and best, and wrote a splendid [...]
There comes a time when even the best of us decide in is time to exit stage left. We saw that this week with both Norman Lamb and Vince Cable announcing that they will be standing down from parliament at the next General Election. I am sure many will agree with me when I say they will be sorely missed. It was my pleasure to meet Norman at a Lib Dem conference during his time as a Health Minister. In fact he might have thought I was stalking him given the fact that I attended and spoke at four fringe ...
I did enjoy the film Yesterday, not least because the songs of the Beatles have threaded through my life. But I was struck by one thing - the fact that the lead actor was BAME even though the part did not call for it. That is still quite rare in film these days. Danny Boyle has said that he chose Himesh Patel because he could both act and sing, and his voice had soul. "I wouldn't have cast him if I had found someone better". I go to the theatre a lot and these days it is so refreshing to ...
Well you can't miss it – it's big, green and very long:- My previous posting of a few days ago refers:- My first thought having seen it in place was that when walking across it you will not be able to see anything as the walls are so high. This must be a Network Rail specification but of course the good people of Croston (see link below) recently protested about another Network Rail slab-sided bridge which they feel is poor architecture:- But as mentioned in my original posting this bridge seems to have been replaced by Lancashire County ...
Wed, 12:05: Artificial Intelligence and the Global Policy Landscape - by my @APCOWorldwide colleagues https://t.co/izbZxI55ZK Wed, 12:56: Johnson's Brexit plan has a hole so big you can swim through it https://t.co/NpAGuyBkpj Penetrating the metaphor. Wed, 14:49: RT @FabianZuleeg: Brexit suspicions confirmed: 1) BJ is going for exit before GE 2) EU won't renegotiate so BJ will go for no deal 3) only... Wed, 19:55: Second Generations, by Mary Tamm https://t.co/LYwLySONBk Wed, 20:19: RT @moylato: I've got four-twenty-ten-nine problems and counting in French is one of them. Wed, 20:23: RT @Sandbach: Just a quick reminder of what Boris Johnson said to ...
Responding to the report that the Queen has acceded to the government request to suspend Parliament from mid-September, Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson said:"Shutting down Parliament would be an act of cowardice from Boris Johnson. He knows the people would not choose a No Deal and that elected representatives wouldn't allow it. He is trying to stifle their voices."By suspending Parliament to force through a No Deal, Boris Johnson and the Government would remove the voice of the people at the most important time. It is a dangerous and unacceptable course of action which the Liberal Democrats will strongly oppose. ...
The petition calling for Parliament not to be prorogued has, at the time of writing this, about 1.3 million signatures. I've just added mine. I urge everyone reading this post to do the same. The petition is on this link.
Slowly Boris Johnson, Britain's prime minister, is revealing his plan. He has asked the Queen to suspend ("prorogue") Parliament for an unprecedented four and a half weeks, from early September to mid October. This leaves parliament just three weeks before the Brexit deadline of 31 October (next week before the suspension, and two weeks after ... Continue reading Understanding Britain's prorogation row
Leanne Brand, Lib Dem campaigner in Bensham, was invited on to BBC Radio Newcastle yesterday morning to talk about fly-tipping in the area. One of the presenters had been to Bensham to see for himself the problem and he interviewed local residents who were fed up with the problem. Leanne did a great interview, highlighting the problem and talking about the need for rapid action to tackle the
With the terrible twins Johnson and Cummings in charge, this country is in the most dangerous situation since the start of World War Two. They are planning a right wing coup, with neither of them elected by the British public. Johnson was elected by a handful of elderly right-wingers in the Tory Party and Johnson elected Cummings, who is contemptuous of our democratic process The news changes every day, and the likelihood is that we are approaching a democratic and economic disaster. Lib Dems now have a higher profile than for some years, and we can expect more interest in ...
In Prelude to War, the first part of Frank Capra's 1942 Why We Fight film series, the narrator John Huston explains to his American audience the moral and political imperative for the involvement of the United States in the Second World War. He shows two globes side by side, one in light representing the free democracies and the other shrouded in the darkness of totalitarianism. Key tenets of Capra's world of light are constitutional law, free speech, a free press, independent judges and the right to join a union. A counter theme from the world of darkness and militaristic imperialism ...
There are varying interpretations of the decision by Prime Minister Johnson to prorogue Parliament until after the party conference season, most of them unfavourable. There is already a million plus signature petition calling for the prorogation to be reversed, whilst in the Guardian, the Shadow Attorney General, writing from her privileged and unelected position in the House of Lords, argues that the shutdown is unconstitutional. What is certain is that this five week hiatus will aid and abet those who want to reinterpret the outcome of the 2016 referendum by crashing us out of the EU without a deal. It ...
From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of BT cabling works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Lochee Road (eastbound from Polepark Road to Gardner's Lane), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 2 September 2019 for 1 night (9pm to 6am). Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes are available via Polepark Road / Brook Street / Guthrie Street / Horsewater Wynd / Hawkhill / West Marketgait. ...
Responding to the reports that the Treasury has confirmed the government's fast-tracked Spending Round will take place on 4th September, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Ed Davey said:"This won't be a spending review, it'll be Johnson's election rehearsal. This is nothing more than a transparent move to butter up the British public for a snap General Election before the Tories unleash the catastrophic consequences of a no-deal Brexit. "However, they cannot hide the damage Brexit has already done to our economy and we have not even left the EU. Brexit is damaging our businesses, costing us jobs and tanking our economy. ...
