Six council by-elections this week, with a full slate of Liberal Democrat candidates (yay!). They split equally between three Labour defences and three Conservative defences. Chestfield, Canterbury The Liberal Democrat candidate was Peter Old, running up a most impressive swing: Conservative HOLD Chestfield (Canterbury) with 46% (-7) of votes. LDM were 2nd on 36% (+19), LAB 3rd on 9% (-7), IND 4th on 5% (+5) & GRN 5th on 4% (-11). pic.twitter.com/wGaPLHbPSD — Election Maps UK (@ElectionMapsUK) September 19, 2019
Further education funding squeeze set to continue Responding to today's report published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, revealing that further education spending per student remains 7% lower than in 2010 in real terms, Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary Layla Moran MP said: Further education and sixth-form colleges have been left underfunded and unloved. Today's report shows that the Conservatives' one-off handout is far short of what is need to reverse historic cuts. Colleges teach more specialist subjects in smaller classes, so why do we pay them less per pupil than secondary schools? Liberal Democrats demand better for our young ...
There was a fascinating discussion on my Twitter timeline with Rob Ford, Will Jennings, Iron Economist and many other distinguished people, triggered by concerns about the Liberal Democrat revoke A50 policy. In short: the concerns expressed by some are that the Liberal Democrats might get the total majority they would need to enact this Revoke [...]
"Swinson's policy has, if nothing else, achieved two things. It has introduced a measure of clarity to our politics that many have been craving, when so many of our politicians still cling to what the late Sir Geoffrey Howe called in his resignation speech the endless search for separating words from meaning. And it has given committed Remainers a clear political home." Joe Zammit-Lucia thinks our new Brexit policy has a lot going for it. Larissa Lockwood argues that London's streets should be for the majority, not a car-owning minority. She's right. "Every year, more than a century after its ...
The universe might be about to implode or something because the Liberal Democrats have been really relevant this week AND one of our number is featured on Question Time. Deputy Leader Ed Davey is on tonight with Labour's Charlie Falconer, Tory crime minister Victoria Atkins and journalists Camilla Tominey and Ash Sarkar. Layla was on a few weeks ago. Here's hoping that, with our surge in number of MPs, unique position on Brexit and rise in the opinion polls, we see more of us on the show.
Thu 19th
19:46
Extinction Rebellion protest at Shropshire Council today forced Tories to leave chamber - that was a...
I have never seen such disgraceful scenes at Shropshire Council since the chief executive illegally confiscated cameras to prevent filming of a debate in 2015. Meeting in full session, the council faced protests on the climate emergency by Shrewsbury Extinction Rebellion. As XR activists tried to address the council in guerrilla action on the behalf of our future, the Tory Speaker who oversees the meeting ordered all councillors out of the chamber. Like lambs being rounded up by a sheepdog, all the Conservative members filed out of the chamber with studied looks of disgust on their faces. Their action was ...
Second and third paragraphs of third chapter of Make Out With Murder: "She might try it a second time." "She might, but there were too many other things she liked better. And if she did try it again, it wouldn't be with a needle. She's terrified of needles. Some nurse had to give her an injection once and botched it, kept stabbing around trying to find the vein, and she still has nightmares about it. Still had nightmares about it. Oh, shit." Secon paragraph of third chapter of The Topless Tulip Caper: I'm taking matters into my own hands and ...
Education Secretary John Swinney (Photo: Sunday Post) The controversial named person scheme, designed to ensure that every child in Scotland had a clear point of contact from birth until the age of 18, has sensationally been scrapped by the Scottish government. Education Secretary John Swinney made the surprise announcement today, telling parliament that the "mandatory named persons scheme for every child, underpinned by law, will now not happen. We will withdraw our Bill and repeal the relevant legislation." While the proposals have met with many difficulties, the surprise is not only that the government has climbed down - but that ...
There are just eleven days left to get your nominations in for the candidates you'd like to see elected to Party committees. If you need a reminder of which roles are up for election, here it is: Top of the bill is Federal President, to take over from Sal Brinton on 1 January and serve for 2020, 2021 and 2022. This is a major role chairing the party's Federal Board, protecting and representing members, and acting as guardian of the party's interests. Hustings will be held throughout the country during the two-month campaign, and candidates may raise and spend £20,000 ...
Yes it is just one poll, but a good sign after people have seen our very clear intention to stop Brexit. Westminster voting intention: CON: 32% (-) LDEM: 23% (+4) LAB: 21% (-2) BREX: 14% (-) GRN: 4% (-3) via @YouGov — Britain Elects (@britainelects) September 18, 2019 Keep working to build this momentum.
Thu 19th
12:30
Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett writes...Why do I want to be President of the Liberal Democrats?
Many of you may be asking the same question and I'm going to be honest. When I came to conference last weekend we only had two candidates Mark Pack and Richard Kemp – two very able, respectable and hardworking members to which I'm not going to criticise in any way shape or form. However, the optics from a diversity and media perspective were awful – no diversity, no women, no ethnic minorities, no visible disability or invisible disability known and with the current furore over our LGBT+ group no candidate standing up for our party as the leading LGBT+ campaigning ...
Thu 19th
11:48
The Lib Dems revoke Article 50 policy has already paid off by causing Caroline Lucas to make an unfo...
Beyond anything else, the Lib Dems switching to a policy to revoke Article 50 if a majority is achieved has meant that the party has been the centre of the political conversation for the past week in a way I can't remember them being since the 2015 general election came and went. For the Lib Dems, this is half the battle. But the policy has paid off in other immediate ways as well. Whatever you want to say about fluffy Remain-centred rainbow alliances, the Greens have been a large impediment to any proper Lib Dem revival. It's clear that a ...
Thu 19th
11:00The Lib Dems now have the most comprehensive plan to tackle climate change of any party in Europe.
For me, Monday was one of the most uplifting days in politics for years. Conference overwhelmingly passed the motion connected to Policy Paper 139, "Tackling the Climate Emergency". This commits the party to a policy of eliminating all greenhouse gas emissions from the UK economy by 2045 (or compensating for any residual emissions with additional carbon removal - what is known at "Net-Zero emissions"). It was great to see Jo Swinson then put our environmental policies at the heart of her leader's speech the following day. Duncan Brack's summation of Monday's debate is also well worth a watch. He deserves ...
Wed, 12:49: I think the @DUPonline are in the wrong column here! https://t.co/TfiMQy7w7l Wed, 12:56: David Cameron and the language of privilege https://t.co/gPBgnRLjde Yep. Wed, 16:05: The Big Breakfast, New Labour, Geri's dress, floating Jacko down the Thames... 10 best PR campaigns of the 1990s |... https://t.co/Ptkd1gTMJQ Wed, 17:11: How Brexiteers Are Destabilizing Ireland's Fragile Peace - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International P... https://t.co/H4RsJYWBw0 Wed, 18:40: The Devil in Amber, by Mark Gatiss https://t.co/709vCPDEO9 Wed, 19:27: RT @davidallengreen: "the expectation in govt might be shifting a bit" I suspect what is moving in Downing Street are various bodily ...
Over history there have been several sieges of Aleppo, Syria's commercial centre, but only the latest, ending in 2016, was broadcast to the world by brave journalists and activists, often transmitting their footage and interviews via mobile phones. One such was Waad al-Kateab, who stayed with her doctor husband and infant daughter in the ever-decreasing [...]
Every fringe meeting I went to or participated in at Conference was absolutely packed. On Monday, I chaired a fringe for Shelter on the need for a massive investment in social housing. 'The lack of social housing is the true fault line in our society.' Shelter's @pollyn1 on how we need to #BuildSocialHousing sooner. #LDConf #LibDemConf pic.twitter.com/LLl0cDnlTY — Shelter (@Shelter) September 16, 2019 The room was packed ten minutes before it was due to start to the extent that Shelter's own Policy Director Chris Wood couldn't get in. Later that day, at another meeting, for the Smith Institute and the ...
For those who were shocked by this morning's news that Wales' dilapidated NHS buildings need £261m worth of work on problems deemed to pose high or significant risks, here is another shocker. I highlighted this precise problem six and a half years ago, when I was Welsh Liberal Democrats health spokesperson. The fact that this problem appears to have go worse speaks volumes for the priority being given to it by the Welsh Government. Back in March 2009. Welsh Liberal Democrats found that it would cost £468m to complete the backlog of hospital repairs held by every NHS trust in ...
There are, said the poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge - the author of Kubla Khan and the Ancient Mariner - "two classes of men". He didn't mean, as W. S. Gilbert suggested, "either a little Liberal or else a little Conservat-ive". Nor did he mean Cavalier or Roundhead, nor Protestant or Catholic - though I will come to them later. He meant Aristotelians or Platonists. "Every man is born an Aristotelian or a Platonist," he said. "I don't think it possible that anyone born an Aristotelian can become a Platonist; and I am sure no born Platonist can ever ...
The Financial Times (on Wednesday, 18th September) carried an article by Martin Wolf " Why rigged capitalism is damaging Liberal Democracy " .He writes "Economies are not delivering for most citizens because of weak competition, feeble productivity growth and tax loopholes" Guy Standing in his 2016 book "The corruption of capitalism" explained how capitalism has been corrupted as the security of the many has been weakened to strengthen the position of those who hold the bulk of society's wealth. He wrote, "we have a rigged system that leaves those without much property with few rights". He borrows from John Maynard ...
Next Wednesday - 25th September - from 10am to 1pm, the community garden's Mosaic Group is meeting. It is a monthly group learning about and making mosaics. It is making a mosaic trail for the grounds of Ninewells Hospital, and attendees also work on their own projects. No experience necessary and all materials, tuition and refreshments provided, though donations are welcome. Booking is essential by emailing facilitator@ninewellsgarden.org.uk or call 0754 074 6075.
