When I was over in Barnet today for another canvass training session, I thought I saw Alastair Campbell in the background.
We were in Birtley today to deliver Blaydon constituency Lib Dem leaflets. Lots done but lots more still to do. I particularly liked Vicky Anderson's t-shirt!
Just published this evening, the Whickham area eFocus, edition 126. Contents include: Remembering the fallen at Remembrance services in Whickham, Dunston, Swalwell and Marley Hill. Whickham Christmas lights switch on 26th November. Clean air zone consultation ends on 25th November. Church Green has been planted up by volunteers. Swalwell fair on 30th November. Your Lib Dem Parliamentary
Taken - seven years ago tomorrow - on 25 November 2012. We don't get so many ducks here these days.
The latest edition of eFocus on Low Fell was published last week. The key stories included: Low Fell's Christmas lights 'switch on' Residents pay their respects at Low Fell remembrance service Peter Maughan runs to be Gateshead's MP Low Fell Business survey - results are in! Well done to St Peter's RC Primary School! Focus Team meet with Police You can read eFocus on this link.
It rained all day on Saturday. It rather ruled out leaflet delivery. Nevertheless, after our Whickham advice surgery in the morning, Vicky Anderson and I were able to get to Swalwell for the Community Centre's Christmas fair where Cllr Sonya Hawkins was helping out. I recommend the corned beef pie. From Swalwell we headed to Sunniside for the Whinnies Community Garden Christmas fair. This
I had one patch to deliver in Rowlands Gill and an opportunity arose on Friday in the late afternoon to get it down. It was getting dark when I arrived. The patch was done in an hour. Fortunately the rain stayed away!
It is easy to be too busy admiring Detectorists to recognise what a fine song its theme is. Johnny Flynn is the half-brother of Jerome Flynn, who had hits as half of Robson and Jerome, though how much of the singing he did on them has always been a topic for discussion. He is also an actor, though he was far too handsome for Captain Dobbin, whom he played in ITV's Vanity Fair last year. Back to admiring Detectorists... Mackenzie Crook's writing there gives me great hopes that he will find the right tone - at once comforting and disconcerting ...
Following up my guides for canvassers and leaflet deliverers, there's now one available for telephone canvassers. As with the other two guides, it's a one-sider designed both to introduce new helpers to the key basics and also to remind more experienced helpers of tips and tricks to make the most of their time. Feel free to reproduce them and share them around. The more people who see these guides, the better! If you sign up for my blog posts digest you'll get a handy one-a-day email with links to all the latest posts. You can also sign up for a ...
Hello! I'm Mark Pack, author of 101 Ways To Win An Election, and the maintainer of the largest database of national voting intention polls in the UK, stretching back to 1943. Welcome to a round-up of the latest general election voting intention figures from each of the polling firms currently active in the UK. Below the table, you'll find the option to sign up to email updates about new polls and also a set of answers to frequently asked questions about political polling. Although there were some quite wide variations between the pollsters only a few weeks back, they are ...
There's an instructive detail in the latest poll from YouGov about the very different reactions of Remain and Leave voters to Jo Swinson during the general election. Has the election campaign so far made you think better or worse of Jo Swinson, or has it made no difference? Leave voters Made me think better of her: 5% Made me think worse of her : 24% Net: -19% Remain voters Made me think better of her: 19% Made me think worse of her: 17% Net: +2% Given how firmly the Liberal Democrat pitch is being made at Remain voters, it's the ...
Responding to Nigel Farage's comment that "perhaps we can have a genuine debate about who a refugee really is", Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Christine Jardine said:"If Nigel Farage doesn't know who a refugee is, I'll tell him. It's someone who has been forced to flee their home for fear of persecution."We must do all we can to protect people in that awful, vulnerable position, and the UK has a proud history of providing sanctuary to those in need."The Liberal Democrats will not let Nigel Farage or his ally Boris Johnson undermine that commitment. We will treat all seekers of ...
Sun 24th
13:01
The Highgate Horror, by Mark Wright, David Roach, Mike Collins, Jacqueline Rayner, Martin Geraghty
Second frame of third story (the title story, "The Highgate Horror", by Mark Wright with art by David A. Roach - NB the character here is not Bill as portrayed by Pearl Mackie, though there are obvious similarities): The comics from Doctor Who Monthly covering more or less the second Capaldi season, with Clara as the companion in all but the last ("The Stockbridge Showdown", by Scott Gray and a host of artists, which takes the Twelfth Doctor back to Stockbridge for a huge amount of comics continuity which I found gratifying despite not seeing myself as deeply into the ...
Sat, 12:56: RT @Noelle_OC: Much commentary online re: @anandMenon1 thought provoking piece in @FT on EU's approach to #Brexit negotiations - some tho... Sat, 14:48: terrible bosses: the boss sending stripper pics, the bully boss, and more https://t.co/lpONoxFXNx Grimly fascinatin... https://t.co/9FqdhuxhJK Sat, 15:11: January 2004 books https://t.co/A3He7l6eI0 Sat, 15:50: RT @BBCArchive: #OnThisDay 1983: Davison! Pertwee! Troughton! Hartnell-alike Richard Hurndall! A Mannequin of Tom Baker! The BBC pulled out... Sat, 19:54: RT @MatthewOToole2: I've spent a career in London being told by nice people in Whitehall and the media- who probably think of themselves as... Sat, 20:01: My week on Twitter ...
Turnout in the forthcoming General Election looks like it can be low. A combination of factors - poor weather, dark wintery nights, disillusionment with the political class, uninspiring leaders - in my view will cause many people to stay at home. Contrast that with Hong Kong, where the democratic process is effectively a sham, and whose citizens are currently involved in elections for powerless district councils. According to the Independent, record numbers of people have voted, with the total surpassing the 2015 turnout by lunchtime. The lesson here is obvious. In the UK we take our democracy for granted and ...
The UK must lead the world in tackling the climate emergency. That's the message from the Lib Dems as we head for the 12 December election. We are the first generation to know that we are destroying the environment and the last generation with the chance to do anything about it. Climate change and the collapse of natural systems are huge crises but they also represent a massive opportunity to create a different future, where people breathe clean air, drink clean water and use clean energy, where communities and industries live in harmony with nature, not at its expense. We ...
Sarah Wollaston has been another wonderful addition to the Liberal Democrats. A former GP, whose passion for the NHS is matched by her knowledge and authority on it, she's fighting to retain her Totnes seat as a Liberal Democrat. She was on Any Questions? on Friday night. Listen here. And the feedback on Any Answers? yesterday about her and the Lib Dems was very good. * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.
The Friends of Victoria are having a Christmas Fair on Saturday 30th November from 1.30pm until 4pm at Royal Victoria Hospital. There will be stalls and all proceeds go towards the patients' comfort fund. All welcome!
