Only the one council by-election this week: a Conservative seat in north east England: Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough.
Largely because of recent foreign travels I hadn't got round to seeing Sam Mendes's flm 1917 until this evening, but pleasure is often heightened when delayed. "Pleasure" might seem an odd word to use when talking about an epic portrayal of the hell of the First World War trenches and their devastated environs, but the [...]
"The branding is painfully dated. That awful yellow 'bird of liberty' that was adopted in 1989 as the party logo should have been put down a long time ago." Otto English considers the Liberal Democrats' continuing lack of success. Ferdinand Mount puts the 'low-tar fascism' of the new Conservative government in historical context. Nick Tyrone says does not want to see any more referendums on anything at all. He is right (and right about the plural of 'referendum'). Emma Bartholomew listens to East End residents' memories of work and leisure by the Regent's Canal, Seven years ago part of Ludlow's ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:Beneath the canvas awning which shaded the deck aft of the second-class cabins and lounge, Kenneth Clouston sheltered from the sun's burning rays. Reclining in a cane chair he looked out over the discoloured water with no great enthusiasm. His white shirt, open at the neck, clung wetly to his back and more so to his armpits. His white duck trousers remained a little less intimate to his skin, thanks to his woollen underwear, the wearing of which was virtually regulation in Malaya. The jacket of the tropical day-suit hung from the back of his chair, ...
Over the last week the Johnson government's narrative approach to reforms in the UK has become more clear. Johnson's personal views on eugenics and poverty are a matter of record. 'The poor being poor due to low IQ' brings psychological comfort to those born into the luxuries of inherited wealth and private education. So blaming everything on Cummings might be unwise. Policy more than personal views are however, our subject of concern. At last, the government's underlying propositions can be clearly stated, as follows: 1. The UK's low productivity problem is caused by a surfeit of unskilled migrant workers from ...
When I wrote another Lib Dem Voice article a couple of months ago to share some thoughts following the General Election, I had one line in it that said we need to come up with Liberal answers to some people's genuine concerns about how immigration has affected them, beyond calling them racist. Following that I was called racist myself and told that I shouldn't be welcome in the Lib Dems. So before this article I feel it necessary to say strongly, I support the free movement of people, and we should fight tooth and nail for it. In fact if ...
Led by the Focus Team, Yate Town Council has launched a new, FREE graffiti removal service to residents. Call 01454 856506 Lead Councillor on graffiti, Alan Monaghan has made it clear that graffiti is not something the Town Council or residents are willing to accept in Yate. The Council is proud to launch our own Zero Tolerance Scheme offering FREE graffiti removal for householders - any resident in Yate can use this service. The Town Council has purchased specialised steam cleaning equipment and has introduced a 'One Stop' graffiti reporting service. To try to prevent the problem, the council is ...
[IMG: Princes Parade] At the Folkestone and Hythe District Council Full Council meeting on 19th February, an amendment to the General Fund Medium Term Capital Programme proposed by Lib Dem Group Leader Tim Prater and Green Group Leader Lesley Whybrow missed stopping the development of Princes Parade by ONE vote. The amendment, which fell 14-15, would have removed the required £29m funding for Princes Parade Development from the Council's Capital programme. The vote was lost after two members that voted to stop Princes Parade development in June - Labour's Ray Field and UKIP's Terry Mullard switched sides and backed the ...
[IMG: African Elephant (Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0))] At the Folkestone and Hythe Full Council meeting on 20th February the Liberal Democrat group of Tim Prater and Gary Fuller declined to support the Conservative budget, both abstaining in the vote on General Fund Budget and Council Tax 2020/21 which increased average Band D council tax by £5.04 (1.91%) to £268.38. Speaking on the Council Tax increase at the meeting, Tim Prater said: "There is a lot to be impressed by in this budget. I'd like to commend the work of members and officers, especially Charlotte Spendley, on ...
Wed, 12:56: Dems Beware: Don't Be Like Mitt in 2012 https://t.co/O5yrb66v3J Very interesting analysis. Wed, 13:06: RT @pmdfoster: Stunned off my ski lift by this No 10 tweet - not just because of its brazen disingenuousness, but because of what it says a... Wed, 14:42: RT @nick_gutteridge: It's SLIDE WARS! Michel Barnier's team has created this new slide in response to David Frost's speech on Monday and th... Wed, 16:05: A college with secrets https://t.co/SnTvYNv35x Chilling account of Trinity Hall's failure to deal with sexual haras... https://t.co/wDK1Ex0grR Wed, 17:11: Does Sanders Have A Ceiling? Maybe. Can He Win Anyway? Yes. ...
Leader of Portsmouth Council, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, has been elected the new chair of the English Liberal Democrats.
Late last year members elected the majority of members to our Federal Committees, included the Federal Board. More recently nominations were invited for a range of other positions, and the elected members of the Federal Board held a min-election to fill them. On Monday we reported the results. One late announcement is that of the Vice-President of the party. Congratulations to Isabelle Parasram! She was re-elected having previously been elected last March to that role when it was first created. Caron Lindsay shared that news with us then. Isabelle is a PPC and a Barrister. Two years ago she did ...
Thu 20th
09:56
Liverpool to Chester by train – It demonstrates why passengers think our railways are dysfunct...
Having heard about the new(ish) train connecting Liverpool to Chester (via Liverpool South Parkway, Runcorn, Frodsham and Helsby) I decided I needed to try it out. My TfW Liverpool – Chester train (via Frodsham) Did you know Liverpool to Chester (and back) is now served by 5 daytime trains each hour – 4 Merseyrail and 1 Transport for Wales. You may not even know that Transport for Wales runs a train between the two destinations because if you use the internet to call up Liverpool – Chester trains invariably it will default to the Merseyrail Service. Certainly if I had ...
Thu 20th
09:36
Why Boris Johnson isn't as safe in Number 10 as most presume - here's a way he could be out within a...
I know, I know – wishful thinking, right? And before some of you out there get your hopes up that what my headline refers to is a change of government, i.e. Keir Starmer might be prime minister this time next year, think again – the Tories aren't being removed from power anytime soon. Yet Boris isn't as safe as the stonking general election victory makes it seem. He's not going in the next couple of months, but I think his period of invincibility could turn out to be shorter than currently assumed. For a start, there is Brexit. Increasingly, it ...
Into the Light - Spring Exhibition Featuring Local Artists and Artisans: Monday 17th Feb. to Saturday 29th Feb. 2020 at the Crispin Centre, Street, BA16 0HP.
I think we are all used to government being opaque and unaccountable at every level, without exception, but there is a special category for PFI and outsourced services, simply because they are able to hid behind the cloak of commercial confidentiality. As a result, huge sums of public money are being spent with minimal scrutiny and little chance of us being able to assess whether we are getting value for money, or whether those receiving and using the service are getting the high quality and responsive attention they deserve. This has been highlighted by new research by the University of ...
Following concerns from residents last week about the muddy state of the path that runs from Rosefield Place to Bankmill Road, I took this up with the environment manager for the West End. I am grateful for his swift action in arranging getting this cleaned up.
Ludlow Town Council has called an extraordinary meeting on Monday evening to discuss Storm Dennis and funding for youth services. It begins at 6.30pm in the Guildhall. As always, there will be 15 minutes at the beginning of the meeting for members of the public to speak. Those speaking will be allowed a maximum of three minutes. Members of the public cannot speak during the meeting. The agenda is here.
Thu 20th
05:41
Storm Dennis - call from Shropshire Council for residents and businesses to register for flood relie...
Yesterday, I wrote about government funding for flood hit properties. Shropshire Council is now asking people to call if they have been affected. I would advise any household or business to call the council to register their needs. I don't know anything about how the funding will be awarded, other than the details I published yesterday. Shropshire Council officers have been working absolutely flat out. We will need to wait a few days for the details. I would, however, advise those affected to register by ringing Shropshire Council. 0345 678 9006. I hope there will more online information in the ...
