Govt risking public safety with plan to bring back Parliament Davey presents bill to extend transition period Lib Dems: Govt has serious questions to answer over app delays Lib Dems condemn failure to properly recognise contribution of foreign nationals working in NHS and care Lib Dems: Charities need a multi-billion pound package to survive Govt risking public safety with plan to bring back Parliament The Liberal Democrats have accused the Government of risking public safety and warned "everyone deserves equal representation, including those who are shielding and those with family responsibilities." Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael MP raised these ...
So many press re;leases today... Lib Dems announce digital conference and fresh timetable to elect next leader Govt must drop 'dog ate my homework' approach to Prevent review PM backs Lib Dem calls for COVID hero honours round Govt has no answers for Brexit border issues for Northern Ireland Lib Dems announce digital conference and fresh timetable to elect next leader The Liberal Democrats have announced a fresh leadership election timetable and plans to hold an online Autumn Conference – the first for any major political party – in response to the coronavirus pandemic. At a meeting of the party's ...
Wed 20th
21:57
PODCAST - Why good pollsters are filled with doubt: interview with YouGov's Chris Curtis
I often talk about opinion poll data with guests on Never Mind The Bar Charts, so this time to talk about what we can read into the polls - and what we shouldn't - I was joined by a pollster, YouGov's Chris Curtis. We started off with discussing what a pollster actually does all day... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes One of those quirky YouGov polling questions. British Polling Council. The great Yes, Prime Minister sketch on leading poll questions. Research that shows the accuracy of political ...
I bought the 45 rpm "Ire Feelings (Skanga)" by Rupie Edwards in 1974 at Woolacotts, Bude, Cornwall. I have just re-listened to it, perhaps after 46-odd years, and realised what a gorgeous, joyful record it is. It is absolutely wonderful! But, I have to say, it was a bit weird buying at the time. It ... Continue reading A joyous record – rediscovered – from Rupie Edwards in 1974
There's been lots of talk of levelling up between regions, but what of levelling up between the generations? After the coronavirus crisis is over, we are likely to see a worsening of the intergenerational inequality our young people already suffer. We must look at putting this right. We all know that younger millennials and generation Z have on average been dealt a difficult hand in life. Housing costs are eye-watering and home ownership seems a distant prospect for most. Wage growth has been largely stagnant for many years (with a small uptick lately). There's no prospect of a career for ...
Second paragraph of third chapter:The troopship was a converted "cattlewagon" made to carry two hundred colonists and assorted bushes and beasts. Don't think it was roomy, though, just because there were half that many of us. Most of the excess space was taken up with extra reaction mass and ordnance.When I last read this in 2003, I wrote (WARNING - SPOILERS):William Mandella is a physics graduate, drafted in the year 1997 to fight an interstellar war against the unknown Tauran enemy. Because the battlefields themselves are light-years away, Mandella spends most of the book slipping forward into the future thanks ...
I was finally brave enough to cut my husband's hair. My first attempt was not good – clumpy might be a good word for it. So I looked up some how-to videos made by bored (but very helpful) hairdressers during lockdown. I then wielded comb and clippers with some confidence, with the result above. He seems happy with it. I won't let anyone have a go at my hair though. My hairdresser is hoping to open again on 4th July, but I don't imagine that shielding will be over by then, so I won't be getting an appointment for quite ...
A press release from the Liberal Democrats brings the news... Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has put forward a bill which, if passed, would force the government into a two year extension of the Brexit transition period. An extension to the transition period is essential, ensuring that the government could focus its full attention on tackling the spread of coronavirus. Speaking ahead of the Bill's presentation, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said: It is clear the government have not made nearly enough progress on the Brexit trade talks. To choose a No Deal Brexit and crash ...
[IMG: 30mph] According to police sources, a major operation has been launched in Lancashire to target speeding on the county's road network. The majority of people within the county are staying at home and, if they need to go out, are continuing to stick to the speed limits - but we have unfortunately seen an increase in vehicles travelling above the speed limit in the last few weeks. Operation Manta Ray will focus on high profile enforcement and education to road users and will target the main causes of road accidents – speed, driver impairment through drink or drugs, use ...
I've been looking forward to finally having a review of the 2019 General Election to work through. It's clear that we have many lessons to learn – and that learning must start with a clear and dispassionate statement of the facts, the opinions and the unknowns leading up to our defeat on December 12th. This review is not that. The review published yesterday has very little in the way of citations. In multiple places, figures are stated as facts – but we have no way of reviewing those facts. The one place I did find a citation (p43, "The specific ...
At South Glos Council's first virtual Cabinet meeting Claire Young asked the ruling Conservatives about introducing measures to help cyclists and pedestrians maintain social distancing and avoid accidents like other councils have done. At the time we were told no, it was up to individuals to pay due care and attention.Since then we have had an announcement from Government about the action councils should be taking and Claire has spoken to a senior transport policy official. The council now say that they are looking at this and a cross departmental group has been set up to co-ordinate appropriate proposals and ...
Wed 20th
13:47
Bradford Liberal Democrats call for detailed plans for schools opening to be scrutinised
The current debate about when and how schools should "re-open" has already developed entrenched positions. It started from a Government-led position of expecting the re-opening of schools for certain groups from June 1st. A growing opposition of "no to that" has developed with Trades Unions and some Local Authorities leading the charge. The two camps are sat facing each other and there seems to be no basis for discussion. A recent report by the Children's Commissioner suggests that children deserve better. One thing that seems to be missing from the debate is the obvious point that schools are open and ...
I welcome the Election Review and most of its analysis and recommendations. That's not surprising: I decided last year that I could no longer stand the frustration of being involved with the Party's governance bodies and stood down (after, believe or not, 50 years of pretty constant engagement). My main concern about the Review is that it sees governance in terms of formal structures. That's a mistake - most organisations function reasonably with almost any structure as long as they get right the other elements of governance. Just look at the NHS! That's why, writing 9 months ago in Liberator, ...
I'm not a member of the Planning Committee in Gateshead but it met virtually today and one of the applications that was approved was the revised plans to demolish the derelict Whickham Social Club and replace it with 14 flats for older people. All the flats will be wheelchair accessible. It is hoped that the new flats will allow individuals or couples to move out of family homes in the area,
Tue, 12:56: Crooked Timber — Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made https://t.co/k7dY8XraNm Wha... https://t.co/rEuCwJnSl8 Tue, 16:05: RT @DimitarBechev: Disinfection at the Serbian-Ottoman border - courtesy of the Petit Journal. https://t.co/to637mFhMm Tue, 17:11: Europe's supercomputers hijacked by attackers for crypto mining https://t.co/92p0EDlcMW The selfishness of some people! Tue, 18:16: A Sacred Cause: The Inter-Congolese Dialogue 2000-2003, by P. E. Winter https://t.co/RtKzgsRajr Tue, 19:10: RT @carneross: 16 years after founding it, I will be stepping down as Executive Director of Independent Diplomat @IDiplomat in June. I'm d... Tue, 20:35: RT @davidallengreen: This is an utter ...
My mother tells me that I watched England's victory in 1966 but given that I was only two years old I don't remember doing so. Ten years later the BBC screened a replay which I watched with my late father and enjoyed greatly. Over the weekend the same broadcaster revived its recording of the General Election night in 1964 and I was able to feed one of my other passions politics. The broadcast followed a similar one last week from 1959 and for amateur historians like me they are fascinating. A lot changed in that five year period, MacMillan the ...
If you've seen the recent Election Review, you'll have read that the Lib Dems have obscure processes and committees that seem to get in the way of democracy and/or effectiveness. In this, we're probably not much different to many other parties and groups but if we want liberalism to flourish we should probably aim to liberate our party from such things where possible. As a new member, I thought I'd try to work out the makeup of the party and hit a wall: the English Party. What is it? Who runs it? What do they do? Google indicates that the ...
Cllr Richard Kemp, the Liberal Democrat Leader in Liverpool welcomes the ban on child-friendly menthol favoured cigarettes as new figures show 951 Liverpool children taking up smoking each year. Newly published figures show that in a year according to Action ... Continue reading →
Last week, we published the frank independent review into the 2019 general election. It rightly received plaudits in the media for its candour. This review challenges us to change as a party and to change the country for the better. We now need to get on with that work – and that's what we've done with a set of key decisions by your Federal Board. We've set a timetable for electing our next party leader – running from June through to August. With the widespread use of online hustings and online voting, we can make this work even if some ...
A big day for some people, and definitely an interesting one, to look forward to, and we'll be covering that in half an hour, but in the meantime, the debate over the General Election Review rumbles on, and we have some history, and some local politics to offer you during the day, with some thoughts on inter-generational fairness in the evening. So, on with the medley! 2 big stories (apart from that one!) So much for schools reopening on 1 June. It's already clear that parents aren't keen, and that the teaching unions are wary, but when Conservative councils (Essex ...
A great video from Making Dundee Home which is doing such wonderful work. If you can help to support the work (food and financial support really welcomed) please contact Gordon Sharp at gordonsharp264@gmail.com - many thanks!
Here's the email going out from me to party members today: Last week, we published the frank independent review into the 2019 general election. It rightly received plaudits in the media for its candour. This review challenges us to change as a party and to change the country for the better. We now need to get on with that work – and that's what we've done with a set of key decisions by your Federal Board. We've set a timetable for electing our next party leader – running from June through to August. With the widespread use of online hustings ...
It appears that the concerns of the Parliamentary joint committee on human rights regarding the data captured by the NHS Covid-19 contact-tracing app are well-founded. The BBC reports that wide-ranging security flaws have been flagged in the Covid-19 contact-tracing app being piloted in the Isle of Wight. They say that security researchers have warned that the problems pose risks to users' privacy and could be abused to prevent contagion alerts being sent. The researchers suggest a fundamental rethink is required: Specifically, they call for new legal protections to prevent officials using the data for purposes other than identifying those at ...
