Lib Dems oppose Johnson's Parliamentary agenda Fall in retail sales demands a radical rethink PM should seek to bring the country together Lib Dems oppose Johnson's Parliamentary agenda The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen's Speech for debate on Monday 19 January. The amendment details the key reasons why Liberal Democrat MPs will oppose Boris Johnson's agenda for government, including: failure to introduce ambitious plans to tackle the climate emergency; failure to set out measures to tackle poverty and inequality; failure to protect human rights or to strengthen the voice of citizens. The amendment also urges Government ...
I was very sorry to hear of the death of Derek Fowlds. His selflessness as an actor was central to the success of Yes Minister, but as a working-class lad he was worried about playing a Whitehall high-flyer. So he turned up to rehearsals with a pair of glasses and a posh accent. When he saw this Paul Eddington said: "Just talk to me the way you used to talk to Basil Brush." And here is Derek Fowlds with Basil Brush. Together they produced some of the happiest television moments of my childhood.
With the dust still settling from the December 2019 General Election, it is necessarily a time for the Liberal Democrats to regroup, refocus and plan for the coming years. One question which I hear being asked is how the Party can appeal to working-class voters, as part of a strategy to make it more inclusive, representative and, of course, electable. However I believe we need to first take a step back and ask whether the underlying assumption here is valid in 21st Century Britain and, moreover, is it liberal? With our political rivals in opposition currently locked in heated internal ...
The news, as broken by the Washington Post, that the Trump Administration threatened to levy a 25% tariff on British car exports to the US unless Britain warned Iran of violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a deal in which Iran would accept strict rules and oversight of its nuclear activity in exchange for being allowed back into the international community, should concern us all. Of course, it wasn't just Britain – the French and Germans were threatened too. But the difference between us and them is that the French and Germans are part of a bigger group, ...
Jonathan Fryer has blogged about this week's presentation at the National Liberal Club by Sir John Curtice entitled: "The 2019 Election: A Tale of Hope and Disappointment". Jonathan notes the following points about the drop-off of Lib Dem support during the election campaign itself: Many commentators at the time also attributed the fall in LibDem support to (1) Jo Swinson's call to Revoke Article 50, rather than pitching wholeheartedly for a second EU Referendum, and (2) her claim to be a potential PM in waiting, despite the modest number of LibDem MPs (albeit supplemented by both Labour and Conservative defections). ...
I started the month in Portugal, and also went to Washington, New York, Utah, Boston, and London. At work, we published a report on Armenia. (Anne and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary, but I was in Portugal on the day itself.) Somewhere in the internets there is video of me giving evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in London on 26 October, but you'll have to settle for the minutes, here and here. Misha Glenny and I emerged from Westminster to see the sad news that John Peel had died. Here I am speaking at Brigham ...
Well done to Tara Murray and team (above with Ed Davey) for an impressive vote share increase in the Brislington East by-election in Bristol yesterday. The result was: In percentage/change terms that was: Labour HOLD Brislington East (Bristol) with 40% (-1) of votes. CON were 2nd on 30% (-6), LDM 3rd on 22% (+12) & GRN 4th on 8% (-5). pic.twitter.com/zI1xV6pU1U — Election Maps UK (@ElectionMapsUK) January 17, 2020 * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist. He is one of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
Asked by Laura Kuenssberg if he had any friends who were Tories, Keir Starmer answered: "Yes, of course I do." He went onto explain that when his father died in 2018, at the height of some of the Brexit battles in parliament, several Tory MPs spoke to him about the loss of his father, trying to help him through the grieving process. Starmer said the experience helped him further understand something that he already knew: that people from all political backgrounds can be decent. This shouldn't be controversial in 2020. And yet one only needs to look at Laura Pidcock's ...
The resounding defeat of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has revived the cries for "Responsible Capitalism." Corbyn is a not so thinly-disguised old style socialist. He and his supporters believe that the only route to a fair society is through socialism based on public ownership. The problem is that historical experience says otherwise. There have been successful mixed economies, but every attempt at full-blown socialism has ended in political, economic and social disaster. In every instance they have hit the brick wall of human nature and its hand maiden the survival instinct. Humans are greedy. That greed has dragged us out ...
Thu, 18:04: I Love the Bones of You: My Father And The Making Of Me, by Christopher Eccleston https://t.co/lNKHPwxiR7 Thu, 19:04: RT @TolkienSociety: Christopher Tolkien has died at the age of 95. The Tolkien Society sends its deepest condolences to Baillie, Simon, Ada... Thu, 20:48: The EU Is Going to Miss the U.K. When It's Gone https://t.co/lvo4VSJ2rq Good piece. I agree. Fri, 07:50: RT @clarkesworld: Our statement on Isabel's story. https://t.co/f8NUNlrCim Fri, 10:45: RT @simonjhix: The last day of UK MEPs in the EP in Strasbourg. I was an intern in the EP during my PhD in 1994, and got ...
The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen's Speech for debate on Monday 19 January. The amendment details the key reasons why Liberal Democrat MPs will oppose Boris Johnson's agenda for government, including: failure to introduce ambitious plans to tackle the climate emergency; failure to set out measures to tackle poverty and inequality;failure to protect human rights or to strengthen the voice of citizens. The amendment also urges Government to introduce a system of proportional representation. Speaking ahead of Monday's debate, Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader, said: "The Liberal Democrats are determined to hold Boris Johnson's government ...
Fri 17th
10:22
An economy which has to give welfare to those in work effectively subsidies rich corporate companies...
If you feel that our economy is failing the poorest in our society and underinvestinging in our vital public services then read on and have a look at the link below to a video from the Tax Justice Network:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcWr3Yad2WY&feature=youtu.be If you think our economy reasonably and fairly distributes wealth, provides excellent public services and looks after those who are less fortunate then surely you'll not have read this far. But if you hold such views and have got this far and even looked at the video you'll probably be spitting feathers by now! Now you may be not be ...
Fri 17th
09:55
Planning application submitted for Ironbridge Power Station - 1,000 homes and 1.9 million tonnes of ...
I don't usually cover planning matters beyond the Ludlow area but this is one of the biggest applications in our county. An application this size will have a widespread influence across the east of the county and beyond. There are two applications. The first sets out plans for 1,000 homes; a retirement village; a new local centre with leisure, commercial, retail and health facilities; a primary school; nature corridors; and public open space across around 140 hectares. The pump house will be refurbished to support either retail, community or river-based uses. The second application is to dig gravel over five ...
Ever since she was a puppy, Molly has enjoyed sitting up-close to me, her forehead pressed against mine, as I scratch her ears and tell her how good a girl she is. Continue reading →
Each new Federal Board elects someone to Chair the campaigning and communications function of the Party and having been re-elected for a cumulative period of 10 years in the role, I shall not be standing for a further three when the Federal Board elects the next Chair. I was first elected as Chair of the Campaigns and Communications Committee (CCC) - the precursor to the current Federal Communications & Elections Committee (FCEC) - in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 General Election. Half the time since that the Party has been in Government in Westminster ... and the other half ...
I hope you like my attempt at a tabloid-style headline. I rarely reference the Telegraph, largely because it sits behind a big blue firewall, but the latest lead article is irresistible if only because it is so funny. The paper reports that battle for Big Ben to bong on Brexit night has 'descended into farce after it emerged that a six-figure sum donated by Brexiteers cannot be used to fund the chiming of Parliament's Great Bell.' I am laughing so much I can barely type, not just because the whole idea was ludicrous, divisive and downright insulting, but, as with ...
This year's council by-elections kicked off with a relatively quiet week: just the one contest in Bristol. A contest, however, with a Liberal Democrat candidate so the year starts off with a 100% contestation rate for the party.
