In an extract from his Back to the Land, David Boyle looks at the emergence of Distrbutism as an ideology. By 1918, and G. K.'s brother Cecil Chesterton's death, and the reorganisation of his paper as GK's Weekly, a Back-to-the-land ideology had begun to emerge among the new Distributists. They had backed allotments against town councils, backed tea parties in the street against officials or market stalls selling the produce of small farmers. Hilaire Belloc was especially incensed by the growing power of Wall Street - forcing the defeated Germans to repay their war debts when the British had repudiated ...
To quote our party's anthem "Why should we beg for work and let the landlords take the best? Make them pay their taxes on the land; we'll risk the rest". Aside from voting reform, no one policy is as central to the Liberal Democrats as a land value tax. This should be a key policy for any platform our party promotes. As of 2018 half of the UK 's net worth is tied up in land, amounting to some £4.9 trillion of wealth. More so than in many rich democracies. Given the large-scale wealth inequalities facing the country today, the ...
A mock-up of a Class 777 – The new Merseyrail trains that will soon replace the Class 507/508 EMU's For those wondering what the new trains look like for real, as opposed to the mock-up one (see photo above) that was on show in Liverpool & Birkenhead, the link below shows the first one being delivered to Merseyrail's Kirkdale Depot on 15th January:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9-nCbxiHA My thanks to Kevin Duggan for the lead to this posting
Second paragraph of third chapter (a long one, I'm afraid):The best accounts agree that Patrick was a native of Gaul, then subject to Rome; that he was carried captive into Erin on one of King Nial's returning expeditions; that he became a slave, as all captives of the sword did, in those iron times; that he fell to the lot of one Milcho, a chief of Dalriada, whose flocks he tended for seven years, as a shepherd, on the mountain called Slemish, in the present county of Antrim. The date of Nial's death, and the consequent return of his last ...
We're keeping under close review our plans for the York conference in the light of the spread of coronavirus. Based on the health advice from the NHS and government, along with that from York Council, there are no current plans to cancel the conference. We will, however, be ensuring that those coming to conference are reminded of health advice, such as the need for regular hand washing and the circumstances under which people should self-isolate. Hand sanitizers will also be made widely available. Obviously if the advice we receive changes, we may have to revisit these decisions as the health ...
The Liberal Democrats have called for the Six Nations to remain on free-to-air TV as speculation mounts Sky will win the rights to show the tournament beyond 2021.Liberal Democrat Scottish affairs, Welsh affairs and Northern Irish affairs spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain MP has appealed to the UK Government to add the Six Nations to it's 'A list' of sporting events that must be available live on free-to-air TV.Rules stipulate that the BBC and ITV are unable to jointly bid for the rights, which is how they hold the current rights.Wendy Chamberlain said:"The Six Nations is an annual highlight for millions of ...
Just as we saw in the first half of last year, recovery for the Liberal Democrats has to start with our grassroots. That's the route to building a sustainable and broad political force that can effectively battle for liberalism. As American politics is particularly in the news at the moment, the example of Marco Rubio of what happens when you try to be a star on the national stage without the right grassroots support, is a good one to remember. Which makes it particularly good news that an excellent new guide for Liberal Democrat local parties on getting more members, ...
This post first appeared on the Radix UK blog... I have an unproven and probably unprovable theory about new movements - political or otherwise - which is that they usually involve reaching back into the past, borrowing an idea and reshaping in a modern way. That would, for example, explain slow food, a movement that emerged from Italy in the 1990s - reaching into the past is how we give radical ideas a sense of authenticity. Without that historic edge, it can appear too glitzy; without the modern edge, it is liable to collapse into a morose and deeply conservative ...
School toilet access in lessons is an issue that I, as an individual, am very passionate about. Not being allowed to go to the toilet, due to a teacher saying no as a blanket school policy; is something that I have spoken out about publicly on my social media platforms, as seen here. Not only am I a member of the party, but I also hold a role at Centre Think Tank and have been researching this issue as part of my work. While I do have some questions about the origin of this campaign, this isn't the reason as ...
My 2nd posting about the excellent Liverpool on Wheels exhibition, curated by Sharon Brown, at the Museum of Liverpool concerns Vulcan vehicles. Here are the photo's I took at the exhibition relevant to the company:- Below there's a link to a Wikipedia page giving more information about Vulcan vehicles:- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_(motor_vehicles) As an aside I've always felt that the car should actually be permanently on display in its home town of Southport. Click on the photos to enlarge them
The photo above was widely used in the media. It features two of our MPs, Munira Wilson and Sarah Olney, plus our London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, celebrating Royal Courts of Justice in London last Thursday, after a decision by the Court of Appeal on legal challenges to the UK government's approval of plans to expand capacity at Heathrow airport. The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of green campaigners who oppose a third runway at London's Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest. The court said the UK government that had given the Heathrow extension the green light in 2018 had failed ...
Some news. Earlier this week we blogged about flooding in the MIU car park. One resident asked Focus for an update on the terrible problems with flooding at the pedestrian lights from Morrisons to the Armadillo. Waiting at Morrisons to cross when it has been raining you get soaked by passing cars and then often the pool of water is so deep it gets into people's shoes as they try to cross. This has been going on for years -and the Focus Team have raised it any number of times with officials. South Glos has had various attempts to find ...
Tue, 12:04: RT @BigStealPodcast: We are live! Listen now to episodes 1 and 2 of the #BigStealPodcast with @gavinesler here: https://t.co/lQEKHSyKi6. Do... Tue, 12:56: A response to some peoples' response to The Timeless Children https://t.co/yL4jwM1Ywd How the new Doctor Who contin... https://t.co/HiqoP5xU8q Tue, 15:02: Arc of the Dream, by A.A. Attanasio https://t.co/Xt1bOjHuD5 Tue, 16:05: RT @DavidHenigUK: In the context of UK-EU talks the UK-US trade deal document published today is distinctly odd. An economic case where non... Tue, 18:35: Info sign at @delijn Perron 14, Leuven, still broken after more than two weeks. (Though its info is usually wrong a... ...
Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Daniel Lewis and Yaso Sathiy, are holding their next advice centre in Crossens. Crossens Saturday, 14th March, St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens, from 11am to 12 noon. We will be there to meet you and discuss any local issues or problems you may have. No appointment necessary, just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at Botanic gardens cafe (Settle Inn), fourth Thursday of every month (except December) from 10.30 to 11.30am. We will be there to meet and discuss any local issues or problems you may have. No ...
Wed 4th
10:05
Why the Bernie Sanders campaign sucks - and what that means for politics in the US, the UK and aroun...
Super Tuesday did not go as planned for Bernie Sanders. The results are still coming in as I write this, but it looks like he'll only win California, Colorado, Utah and Vermont, with Biden sweeping the rest. It's still a decent set of results for Sanders in the abstract, but he was looking to emerge as the undeniable frontrunner. Instead, Biden has stormed ahead of the pack. Supporters of Sanders are already attempting to blame anyone but themselves and their guy for this relatively poor result. Elizabeth Warren splitting the "progressive" vote is one doing the rounds. Instead, they need ...
This information is from NHS Bury. On Sunday 1 March a coronavirus case was confirmed in Bury. Two further patients in Bury have tested positive for COVID-19 infection yesterday (3 March 2020). As a result of contact tracing we know that these two cases are residents of Bury who are known contacts of the confirmed case announced on Sunday 1 March. Our local NHS and Council are working closely with Public Health England, and all our health and care partners to prevent further spread of the virus. In the meantime, it is important for us all to follow good hygiene ...
The Happy Festival, inspired by the legacy of Bury's own Victoria Wood, is launching New Faces to find and develop talent in Bury. Named after the ITV show that made Victoria's name in the 1970s, New Faces is open to people of all ages. All you need is the desire to improve your skills, try something new or make that dream come true! The Happy Festival launches over Friday 15 to Sunday 17 May with performances at Bury Art Museum, The Met and at sites across Bury town centre. There will also be a special outdoor summer celebration the Happy ...
Bury Council are asking us to join the reading revolution by taking part in World Book Day and pledge to Share a Million Stories. This is a nationwide campaign to help change children's lives, by making story-sharing a habit of a lifetime and creating readers for life. It aims to boost reading for pleasure and spark millions of imaginations. To register, visit https://www.worldbookday.com/share-a-million-stories/ and you could win book prizes every week from 27 February to 29 March including £1,000 worth of books for schools and nurseries, £100 National Book Tokens and an exclusive signed Rob Biddulph print. You will also ...
Details of the more serious roadworks for March below. For the full list see the GM Roadworks site here The second phase of resurfacing the M60 near to Prestwich starts on 9 March 2020. The surfacing work is planned to take place on both sides of the carriageway and will include replacement of road markings between junctions 15 and 18. Work is due to start on or shortly after 9 March for approximately four weeks. This will take place Monday to Saturday, between the hours of 9pm and 5am (extended to 7am during the weekend), subject to traffic flows. For ...
Just to report back on some of the responses to some of the formal Council Questions that have been submitted by your team of Liberal Democrat councillors: Councillor Steve Wright asked about the current trend of free to use cash machines being withdrawn: Can the Leader inform members about any work the authority has done to ascertain how many free-to-use cash machines have been lost from Bury in recent years? What proportion of residents do not live within walking distance of a free-to-use cash machine? Answer: An analysis of the Link website has shown that within the Borough of Bury, ...
David Hughes died suddenly at a Party meeting last Saturday. David spoke with his usual with passion, eloquence and good sense. But there was far more to my old friend. In 1973 the St Paul's School pupil left London for Lincoln. Labour MP Dick Taverne had resigned to fight a by-election as a pro-European, Independent Social Democrat. Taverne won, and David's lifelong commitment to liberalism began. In 1975 he was elected Student Union President, one of only four Liberal Presidents. I was one of the others. As Presidents-elect, we sought each other out. A lifelong and deep friendship was forged. ...
I was intrigued by reports of a faux pas by the MS Society yesterday, who are currently running an important campaign to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis. As the BBC reports, the Multiple Sclerosis Society used twitter to ask people to wear orange, the charity's brand colour. However, the charity has apologised after the tweet calling on people to "turn the streets of Belfast orange" drew comparisons to Orange Order parades. That tweet has since been deleted: It said it understands how the tweet might be interpreted, according to charity news magazine Third Sector. The charity said the tweet was ...
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : Ellis's O'Connor's dramatic paintings of North Uist currently on show in the Tower Foyer Gallery are the perfect complement to all this stormy weather! On Friday 6th March at 6pm, Ellis will be returning to Dundee to give a free talk about her work and about the extraordinary places she has visited on artist's residencies, including Iceland, Norway and the Svalbard Archipelago. Ellis's talk, Drawing North, will take place in the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum, Carnelley Building. Please enter by the main front entrance of the building. Refreshments ...
Ahead of International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March, the Liberal Democrats will today introduce a Bill to hold the Conservatives to account on their commitment to tackle global period poverty. If passed, the Bill will ensure the Government is held to account on Penny Mordaunt's 2019 pledge to end period poverty around the world by 2030. Wendy Chamberlain, Lib Dem MP for North East Fife, is calling on Government to "show leadership" by taking forward the legislation. The Bill builds on measures taken to end period poverty within the UK, with the recent roll out of free sanitary products ...
