[IMG: House of Lords. Photo: Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament] The Guardian reports: Boris Johnson's Brexit deal has received a setback in the Lords after three amendments to the bill were passed. In the government's first parliamentary defeat since the general election, peers voted for EU citizens to have the right to be given official documentation if they lawfully reside in the UK after Brexit. They backed a cross-party amendment to the withdrawal agreement bill allowing for physical proof of status. The second defeat was over the power of British courts to depart from European ...
Readers with a good memory will recall that I had begun showing you photographs from my days out during last summer's holiday. I had got as far as Repton, with its Saxon crypt and stamp machines, when my Photobucket account went tits up. That was five weeks ago and only today have my photos started to reappear. It all seems very fragile at present, but let's hope that soon improves. Repton is one of the folders that has come back, so I can carry on with my visit. St Wystan's does not just have a Saxon crypt to boast. It ...
Today Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, spoke at a rally for child refugees in Parliament Square, organised by the legal charity Safe Passage. Commenting ahead of the crucial vote in the House of Lords to protect child refugees tomorrow, Ed Davey said: "Today the Prime Minister said he wants to put people before passports, but he is wantonly taking rights away from refugee children. It is time Boris Johnson put children above politics. "The Conservatives are preventing child refugees from being reunited with their families in the UK, turning away from our country's proud history of offering ...
This afternoon, the Liberal Democrats defeated the Government on a vote in the House of Lords to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK. The Lords passed an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, moved by Liberal Democrat peer Jonny Oates, by 270 votes to 229. It would give EU citizens in the UK the automatic right to stay, rather than having to apply to the Home Office, and would ensure they can get physical proof of their rights. Following the vote, mover of the motion and Liberal Democrat Peer Jonny Oates said: "This amendment simply seeks ...
[IMG: Brexit Party MEP wakes up] The post Brexit Party MEP wakes up appeared first on Ambitiousmamas.
Maybe moving the House of Lords to York isn't practical. Maybe it's the sort of idea that good for a newspaper column but can't survive in the real world. Still, Britain does have a bad case of overcentralisation. London is our political, commercial and cultural capital. Other countries manage to spread the jam more fairly. And shouldn't the Liberal Democrats be full of exciting, radical idea for solving this problem? What I have heard today is us speaking up for the status quo. I admit I am biased: I love York and went to university there. But I would like ...
A party press release brings the news of a welcome vote in the House of Lords: The Liberal Democrats defeated the Government on a vote in the House of Lords to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK. The Lords passed an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, moved by Liberal Democrat peer Jonny Oates, by 270 votes to 229. It would give EU citizens in the UK the automatic right to stay, rather than having to apply to the Home Office, and would ensure they can get physical proof of their rights. Following the vote, mover ...
What is tickbox? When I published a book with that title it was strange how obscure this was for some people - and how others knew immediately what I was talking about. Here, for the sake of argument, are some dfefinitions: tickbox (noun) The phenomenon where organisations are able to dodge the letter of what is demanded from them by a simple tick (as in A tickbox exercise). To tickbox (verb) Ticking a box rather than taking personal or human responsibility. Tickbox (noun) A system for taking automated decisions of the kind that used to be taken by bureaucrats, managers, ...
Second paragraph of third story ("What's Expected of Us"):By now you've probably seen a Predictor; millions of them have been sold by the time you're reading this. For those who haven't seen one, it's a small device, like a remote for opening your car door. Its only features are a button and a big green LED. The light flashes if you press the button. Specifically, the light flashes one second before you press the button.Ted Chiang has published very few short stories, but they are all good and most of them have won awards. This is a collection of his ...
[IMG: Bury Town Hall] Many congratulations to Tim Pickstone on being named as the next Mayor of Bury, in Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Tim leads Bury Council's four Lib Dem councillors. There are 29 Labour, 16 Conservative and two Independent councillors. So Tim's election is a sign of the respect in which councillors of other parties hold him. Bury Times reports: HOLYROOD ward councillor Tim Pickstone has been named as the next Mayor of Bury. Mr Pickstone will take over the chains of office for the next municipal year from Councillor Trevor Holt in May. His partner, Wayne Burrows, will ...
Northumberland County Council have publicised the following road closure: A1061, B1523 South Newsham Road Blyth The road closure has been requested by TMS Ltd on behalf of Network Rail for level crossing works. The closure is from 22/02/2020 to 23/02/2020. It is expected that the road will be closed from 22:00 on 22/02/2020 to 08:00 on 23/02/2020. No access will be available. There are several alternative routes depending on your destination. Details of the disruption can be viewed here https://one.network/?tm=116029940
Mon 20th
14:30
Our President and co-leader writes: How you can get involved in helping to run the party
The Liberal Democrats are about to fill nearly 50 important posts, responsible for everything from oversight of our campaigns through to improving our record on diversity and making sure our finances are in good shape. Please do both think about going for one of these posts yourself, and also who else you might want to encourage to put their name forward. We need the best team possible - which means people with brilliant skills, time to do the job properly and a much greater diversity than we often manage with such exercises. If anyone would like to know more about ...
The BBC has the article on it website – see link below:- www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51178628 I often think of Gordon Brown in a similar way to ex-US President Jimmy Carter, far more impressive out of power than when he was in it. But seriously this is a big issue and Brown, if belatedly, is hitting the right nail on the head. Regionalism has been at the heart of Liberal thinking for generations so of course he is right to start to champion it in England. This, a direct quote from the BBC article, is pure Liberalism – "We have to give more ...
Lord Robert Maclennan of Rogart, known as Bob Maclennan, was the last leader of the Social Democrat Party before it merged with the Liberal Party. He then became joint interim leader of the new party. Bob Maclennan was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001. Upon stepping down as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Bob Maclennan was elevated to the House of Lords. Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey said: "It is with great sadness that we learn our friend and colleague Bob Maclennan has died. "Bob was the kind of politician we all strive ...
Responding to a Government report, seen by the Financial Times, which warns HS2 could soar to £106bn alongside the West Midlands to Manchester and Leeds link being put on hold for six months, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: "HS2 is a vital project for reducing our carbon emissions and unlocking the economic potential of the North, but Ministers should not be given a blank cheque. "Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent, but the suggestions of a 'pause' or cancellation of the northern section is exactly the wrong thing to do. Liberal Democrats will not ...
Last week, the Chancellor Sajid Javid sat down in the Pickles sandwich bar, Westminster, for an interview with the Financial Times. You can read the interview in full here, but you may have to subscribe or join the FT's trial membership scheme. In it, he talked tough about the UK post-Brexit trading scenario. Hopefully, this is pre-negotiation chatter, but what he said was alarming nonetheless: There will not be alignment, we will not be a ruletaker, we will not be in the single market and we will not be in the customs union — and we will do this by ...
New ' Happy to Chat' signs are springing up on benches around town. The first ones are at St Mary's Green and Kingsgate Park. Sit there if you are happy to chat to others. Done by Yate Town Council following an idea from the police to combat loneliness. If you know of a bench that should have a sign please tell the Focus Team.
Draconian changes to immigration rules are utterly unworkable Responding to reports the Conservative Government could remove a temporary extension of the current immigration rules until 2023 and impose new restrictions on low-skilled migrants moving to the UK after Brexit, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: Decisions like this make it loud and clear that this Conservative Government has no intention off ending the hostile environment. It's a national embarrassment. For business and our economy, such draconian changes to immigration rules is utterly unworkable. To think the Home Office could implement the changes in the time given is a ...
Sun, 12:56: RT @RobinWigg: This is hilarious. A Norwegian TV programme pitted some professional stock-pickers against an astrologist, some beauty blogg... Sun, 15:37: BSFA 2019 Best Art: my nominations https://t.co/MTZo1oWJeK Sun, 20:48: Interesting revisionism! https://t.co/JabNoMjPc0 Mon, 10:45: Buttigieg's powerful new argument two weeks before Iowa : When the Dems choose an old insider they lose... https://t.co/ldIZ0FW2JD
Mon 20th
10:41
A guide to why most voters think Boris is doing a good job thus far for all the Boris-haters out the...
Most Remainers on my social media timelines are stunned that people are reacting so positively to Boris Johnson and the Conservative party since the general election came and went. "He went on a posh holiday for a fortnight!" you all bellow. "Surely people can see what a charlatan he is!". Evidently not. There hasn't been much polling since December 12th, but what there is out there is almost manically pro-Boris and his party. I'm going to explain why for those of you not fond of BJ/the Tories in general because objectively speaking, it's fairly straightforward. First of all, no one ...
The Liberal Democrats are about to fill nearly 50 important posts, responsible for everything from oversight of our campaigns through to improving our record on diversity and making sure our finances are in good shape. Please do both think about going for one of these posts yourself, and also who else you might want to encourage to put their name forward. We need the best team possible – which means people with brilliant skills, time to do the job properly and a much greater diversity than we often manage with such exercises. If anyone would like to know more about ...
In politics there is a technique known as throwing a dead cat onto the table, entirely metaphorical of course, the objective of which is to distract people from more important matters. Boris Johnson is a past master at this, or at least that is the charitable view of some of his madcap schemes, so one should be forgiven for thinking that the proposal to move the House of Lords to York is one such instance. According to the Independent, the prime minister is believed to be keen to take advantage of plans for the restoration of the crumbling Palace of ...
Note from the Editorial Team: This touching personal tribute to Bob Maclennan was published over the weekend on "A Scottish Liberal" – the blog of Andrew Page. We liked it so much that we asked Andrew if we could reproduce it here, and he kindly agreed. Today I discovered that my friend, one time mentor and godfather to my daughter Xanthe has passed away at the age of 83. Robert Maclennan, Lord Maclennan of Rogart (but always "Bob" to me) was the son of a gynaecologist (Sir Hector Maclennan) and a forward-thinking doctor with interests in public health (Isabel Adam), ...
The Labour Party leadership election is underway, with Keir Starmer the current front runner. This particular election is the first where candidates require not just nominations from their fellow MPs but also constituency parties, trade union and other affiliated bodies. The nomination process has already demonstrated that Stalinist political practice is alive and well in the 'people's party' with the UK's largest union, Unison, backing Starmer without any consultation with its membership. Transport union TSSA have proudly announced that they will give their members a say but only offer a choice between two candidates, Sir Keir and Rebecca Long Bailey. ...
[IMG: The 60 Minute (a week) Mother] It maybe rather late to wish everyone a 'Happy New Year' but I am restarting this series of weekly posts to encourage mothers to spend... The post The 60 Minute (a week) Mother appeared first on Ambitiousmamas.
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2020 Marketgait - various off peak lane closures from Monday 20 January for one week for street lighting lantern replacement works. Perth Road (at River Crescent) - temporary traffic lights for one week from Monday 20 January for Scottish Water work. Nethergate (West Marketgait to Queens Hotel car park entrance) - closed westbound from Monday 20 January for 5 working days for Virgin Media duct installation works. Blackness Road (at Peddie Street) - temporary traffic lights on Sunday 26 January for Scottish ...
