Car firm job losses show Johnson's disregard for British business Welsh Lib Dems: Poll shows we are now third party for Westminster Lib Dems call for urgent action to tackle rising hate crimes Lib Dems table People's Vote amendment to Queen's speech Car firm job losses show Johnson's disregard for British business Responding to the reports that one in three car firms are cutting jobs, Liberal Democrat shadow Brexit Secretary Tom Brake said: It is time Boris Johnson woke up to the fact that the manufacturing sector, and the automotive industries in particular, are suffering badly from Brexit-related uncertainty. Jobs ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Democrat Voice

Gateshead East branch Lib Dem monthly meeting tonight and I attended as group leader. The longest section on the agenda was ward reports. There was much to report on. Central Gateshead wards reported on their Focuses, Low Fell and Pelaw and Heworth wards informed us of their eFocuses as well as their printed Focuses. Action days are planned including in the riverside area (the Staiths Cafe is

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace

Back from the Civic Centre earlier today and I bring news that Labour in Lobley Hill and Bensham ward are selecting their candidate on 22nd October for the local elections next May. The expectation is that Labour Deputy Leader Catherine Donovan will be chosen again to fight the ward. So, in a spirit of good comradely relations, let me wish Catherine good luck. But what's this? An email to

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace

"Civilisation is a hopeless race to discover remedies for the evils it produces." So wrote Jean-Jacques Rousseau, maybe somewhat cynically. Yet, listening to yesterday's Queen's Speech it is hard not to glimpse a thread of truth in Rousseau's words. Longer sentences to make up for increased crime exacerbated by past cuts and the progressive breakdown of social cohesion. More money for the NHS to make up for previous failures. More investment in parts of the UK other than the south east to try to create a small dent in the damage caused by decades of underinvestment. Revisiting the mess of ...

Posted by Joe Zammit-Lucia on Radix Think Tank
Tue 15th
17:26

Tuesday reading

Current Sybil, by Benjamin Disraeli Is There Life Outside The Box? An Actor Despairs, by Peter Davison Be My Enemy, by Ian McDonald Last books finished The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence The Triple Knife, and other Doctor Who stories, by Jenny T. Colgan David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens Next books The Bastard of Istanbul, by Eilif Shafak Frédégonde, la sanguinaire, Tome 1, by Virginie Greiner

Castle Lodge, which sits outside Ludlow Castle and just off the Market Square, is about to get a makeover, if planning permission and listed building consent are granted. For years, this Grade II* building has been a rather curious museum of curiosities. With the main structure of the building dating back to Elizabethan times, it has been waiting for someone with a deep pocket to invest in its future. According to a report in the Shropshire Star, it was sold in 2018 for £650,000. Now, a group of entrepreneurs have come forward with plans for its future. They plan a ...

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington

If Liberal success is to be more than transitory, it needs to be based on a clear vision that can easily be transmitted to and acclaimed by the electorate. On this basis, Yorkshire's Liberal heritage is about to be reborn. The Yorkshire Yellow Book 2019 is bursting with ideas about how a future Yorkshire should develop. Importantly, these ideas are evidence-based and embedded in sound Liberal principles. The theme of the book - a devolved Yorkshire administration – is set out clearly in an excellent Foreword by Chris Haskins (former chairman of Northern Foods). Illuminating comparisons between Yorkshire, Scotland, and ...

Posted by Nigel Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

Philip K. Dick would be proud. Twenty robo-pets have been "installed" in Lancashire care homes. Definitely not AI, but an interesting use of robotics nonetheless. The council's champion for older people is quoted as saying:...Continue Reading The post Do robo-pets dream of electric sheep? appeared first on ten pence piece.

Posted by tim on ten pence piece

Yesterday Boris Johnson had a 93-year-old woman dress up in full fig and read a speech to bolster his political fantasies. But the Queen could and should have said no. Queen Victoria would certainly have told Johnson what he could do. She rarely bothered to attend the state opening. As Queen Victoria's Scrapbook explains: Queen Victoria declined to attend between 1862 (the year following Prince Albert's death) and 1865, and during these years Parliament was opened by Commission. Between 1866 and 1901, Queen Victoria attended the State Opening of Parliament only seven times.In the years that she did not attend ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Tue 15th
11:00

My tweets

Mon, 12:56: One lesson from last week: London finally seems to have realised that patronising Ireland, and continually declarin... https://t.co/xCEhXtnPGa Mon, 16:05: A remarkable thread in which @jthomaspolitics refutes his own earlier tweets. https://t.co/5rLS7piCJp Mon, 17:11: Another great Disraeli quote, about an MP with a bee in his bonnet about foreign policy: "he had only one idea, and that was wrong." Mon, 18:23: Mission to the Unknown https://t.co/yjJEmqd2xY Mon, 19:36: RT @theSNP: The future of #Catalonia should be decided through the ballot box - not in the courts. All of us have a duty to speak up whene... Mon, 21:31: ...

YouGov

Whist there is history of EU negotiations going to the wire and wee-hours of coffee-fuelled (now smokeless) last minute give-and-take, these events tend to be about intra EU matters such as the EU budget or the "musical chairs" argy-bargy of who agreeing who and which country gets which plum jobs within the European institutions. Can a modified deal therefore be agreed between the Johnson government and the Commission in time to put forward to the European Council on October 17-18? On a range of probabilities, yes, but it is a low-probability one. But it would essentially require the PM to ...

Posted by Rupinder Singh on Liberal Democrat Voice
Tue 15th
09:18

National Adoption Week

This week is a national week of action is urging anyone who has ever considered adopting to step forward as the number of children needing loving, nurturing homes continues to grow. A report published by the Government shows that the North West has nearly 3 times as many children awaiting adoptive families as there are adopters. The figures, based on the latest data reveals the region currently has 630 children waiting to be adopted and 240 families approved to adopt. For more information about adoption in Bury, contact Adoption Now on 01204 336096 or visit www.adoptionnow.org.uk More information about National ...

Posted by timpickstone on Tim Pickstone

Bury Council has opened applications for the Community Capital Fund (Previously known as the Social Capital Fund). Applicants for the Community Capital Fund can apply for up to £10,000 for their project or scheme. The Community Capital Fund has been made available to any community group (constituted or none constituted) or voluntary community and faith organisation in Bury that can demonstrate the needs of the criteria are met. Projects and schemes must demonstrate a clear link to improving health and wellbeing of local people in Bury. The full guidance is here. The application form is here. The deadline for applications ...

Posted by timpickstone on Tim Pickstone

After rolling out campaign videos with other people talking about me and my pitch to be Liberal Democrat President, it's time for me to appear in front of the camera.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

If we start from the position that in order to slow and halt the climate breakdown we need a root and branch systems change in the way our economy and society is structured and operates, we need to recognise that responses have the potential to negatively impact the least well off in our society. We know that environmental harms caused by human activity, like air pollution, and that rising energy costs are issues that disproportionately hit the most vulnerable and those with least financial security. Every intervention or systems change aimed at slowing the climate breakdown therefore needs to satisfy ...

Posted by Rhys Taylor on Liberal Democrat Voice

Over in the Independent, Sean O'Grady argues that Boris Johnson's mooted free trade with the EU will add significant bureaucratic burdens on business, and inevitably lead to lower competitiveness, less trade, fewer jobs and less investment. It is effectively a hard Brexit. He says that a free trade agreement expressly does not mean that the UK retains all of the free frictionless access it currently enjoys. The ability for businesses to transport goods across Europe unimpeded and of professional people to practise anywhere within the EU without having to secure new qualifications, will all disappear: The only guaranteed outcome is ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

Last month was the regular meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Corporate Issues and Reform Scrutiny Committee. This month the meeting largely focussed on issues around the Fire Service. Prestwich councillor Tim Pickstone is one of Bury's representatives on the Committee, and is also the Committee Chair this year. Tim reports: Greater Manchester Fire 'Programme for Change' Consultation Outcome Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is at the end of a long process of review which has been called the 'Programme for Change'. The Committee received an update on the main issues coming out of the consultation ...

Posted by timpickstone on Tim Pickstone

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson has slammed yesterday's Queen's speech as nothing more that a "charade." Jo Swinson said: "This Queen's speech is a charade. "'Boris Johnson is pursuing a Brexit deal that will be hugely damaging for our economy, our NHS and our security. "There is nothing in this Queen's speech that will bring comfort to the factory worker set to lose their job, or the families struggling to put food on the table because of his Brexit policy. "The Liberal Democrats want to stop Brexit, and keep the best deal we have as members of the ...

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

Blackley Band are giving a concert at Heaton Park Methodist Church, 275 Bury Old Road, M25 1JA on Saturday 26 October at 7.00 pm. Heaton Park Methodist say: Please come and join us for an evening of musical entertainment with refreshments" Tickets £7 (under 12s free) available from the church on the door. More information on Blackley Band here.

Posted by timpickstone on Tim Pickstone

Responding to reports of racist chants by fans at the Bulgaria vs England match, Liberal Democrat Shadow DCMS Secretary Layla Moran said:"It is appalling to see players subjected to this kind of abuse and discrimination."There is a long way to go in some areas regarding equality and inclusivity, and it is entirely right that tonight our players and staff have stood up for the values we hold here in our society."Both Fifa and UEFA need to take serious action against anyone found to be abusing players, and if necessary, punish countries by playing their matches behind closed doors or banning ...

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

Urgent action needed in mental health and learning disability services – Lib Dems Today the publication of CQC's 'State of Care 2018/19' report reveals a rise of inpatient services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism that were rated inadequate. The report also shows a rise of child and adolescent mental health inpatient services rated inadequate. Responding to the report, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Vince Cable said: It is rare for a public body such as the Care Quality Commission to be so scathing of the effects of Government policy. Their honesty is ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Democrat Voice

The University's annual Culture Day takes place tomorrow - Wednesday 16th October. It is a stimulating mix of talks and presentations across a wide-range of subjects united by a common theme. This year Culture Day celebrates its 15th birthday and like any stroppy teenager it is in a radical mood! From radical politics to radicles in the soil, this stimulating event will definitely challenge the status quo. Admission is free and booking is not essential, but for catering purposes it would help if you could reserve a place via Eventbrite here :