Lib Dems: Govt must improve testing and tracing or they risk a second wave Wasting money on Britain's borders just more incompetence from Johnson's Govt Lib Dems: Govt must improve testing and tracing or they risk a second wave Responding to Michael Gove's comments this morning on the public returning to work and whether wearing face coverings should be mandatory in shops, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: Face coverings should be worn in enclosed public spaces, and it is important that any government guidance on the issue is clear on exactly when and where they are recommending the ...
Tim Farron (Photo: Andrew Page) It's the story that never, ever seems to go away: Tim Farron's associations with evangelical groups opposed to LGBT+ rights. I've been saying the same things for a decade and I don't really need to repeat them again. People can privately believe what they like but we have to be very careful who we publicly associate ourselves with - especially when gifts and donations are concerned. The Independent has tonight run a story on Tim Farron accepting £75,000 from Faith in Public, an evangelical Christian organisation whose director "tweeted an article protesting against plans to ...
With the merits of the single transferable vote (STV) back in the news, now seems a good time to rerun this educational but fun video from CGP Grey explaining its virtues.
Michael Meadowcroft has written an obituary of the Liberal Democrat peer Diana Maddock, who won a famous and unlikely by-election victory at Christchurch in 1993. He writes:Maddock ... had considerable organising ability and a great skill in recruiting party workers, as well as in persuading others to take on jobs. It was this proficiency that almost kept her in a backroom role rather than becoming the byelection candidate. Following the death of the Conservative MP for Christchurch, Robert Adley, in May 1993, the Conservative party moved the byelection writ almost immediately and Maddock was quickly engaged in telephoning potential candidates. ...
This post will be regularly updated with links to recordings of Ed and Layla at the many hustings events that are taking place. I'll update it and re-post it whenever there is something new to add. First up, the very first formal hustings, with the Social Liberal Forum on Saturday 11th July. You can find links to upcoming events here.
Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has muddied the water over whether people in England should wear face masks in shops or not, declaring today that no law would be introduced (unlike in Scotland), and that the matter should be left to the public's "common sense". This is typical of the laisser faire [...]
I don't know much about art, but I know what I like. Here are my favourite pieces from the artists on this year's Hugo and Retro Hugo ballots - for 1945 artists, I'm giving two full pieces each, and for 2020 artists, it'll be a part of one favourite work, 1945 Retro Hugo finalists, Best Professional Artist Earle K. Bergey - specialises in impressively cleavaged ladies being defended from horror by dynamic chaps. Margaret Brundage: her only work this year was in the May 1944 Weird Tales, cover and some internal art. Boris Dolgov: also mostly Weird Tales, quite atmospheric, ...
One of the highlights of Conference used to be the Liberal Revue, a tour de force of satire. Some of the old ones have made their way on to YouTube and you can see them here. I can only remember going to one, back in 1992 in Harrogate. And it's here. I also took part in a mini version at the 1986 Paisley Conference which, thankfully, was never filmed. However, we did get Bob Maclennan to make fun of Charles Kennedy. It was a special moment. Enjoy. Those were the days...... * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice ...
One of the things Federal Conference needs to do this year is to approve candidates for the Federal Appeals Panel. This is basically the Supreme Court of the Lib Dems, the end point of our internal judicial process. I don't remember the recruitment process being quite so open before and it's great to see it being more widely advertised. The advert is below and if you feel that this is something you can do, particularly if you are from an under-represented group, please apply: Appointments: The Liberal Democrat Federal Appeals Panel The Liberal Democrats – Britain's voice for a truly ...
The Northern Ireland Assembly had an election in March 2007, the last one for which I did not do TV commentary, though I went over a few days later in the wake of P-Con and delivered a lecture about voting (powerpoint preserved here): Apart from that, I had a day-trip to the Hague, and a longer trip to Vienna and Prishtina, all for work. Only 14 books this month: Non-fiction 3 (YTD 19) Independent Diplomat: Dispatches from an Unaccountable Elite, by Carne Ross Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower, by John Brady Kiesling 1599: A Year in the Life ...
Siren voices are already shouting alarm about the additional government expenditure necessary to keep the economy alive and kicking during and after the pandemic. Shock, horror, we are warned: "The Debt to GDP ratio is now over 100%, something that it hasn't been since 1963." Well, I was in my mid-twenties in 1963 and I can assure them that it was a very good time to be alive. Not quite as seminal, perhaps, as Philip Larkin's famous poem claims: Sexual intercourse began In nineteen sixty-three (which was rather late for me) - Between the end of the "Chatterley" ban And ...
It feels as though from the minute that Scotland voted No to independence in 2014 the SNP have been seeking "IndyRef2". The independence debate in Scotland isn't just whether you want to be part of the UK anymore, it is whether Scotland will re-join the EU if they become independent. Although revoking article 50 was a part of SNP's 2019 General election manifesto, their party isn't united on the Brexit front. In fact over a third of SNP voters voted for Brexit. I suppose they are staying true to the party's isolationism. The reason I'm mentioning this is it now ...
Michael Heatley told the story of Badfinger in Classic Rock:The story of Badfinger is probably one of the most tragic in rock'n'roll. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong - twice - while their occasional triumphs over adversity never seemed to bring them their rightful reward. When Harry Nilsson first heard Without You (his future worldwide No.1 hit single), written by Badfinger's Pete Ham and Tom Evans, he assumed it was a Beatles song. It was an understandable mistake, given that Paul McCartney had taken the band under his wing, signed them to The Beatles' Apple label, and even ...
Sun 12th
11:47
Westerleigh Road BRIDGE CLOSURE DEBACLE As we previously reported , from this week Westerleigh Road ...
Westerleigh RoadBRIDGE CLOSURE DEBACLEAs we previously reported , from this week Westerleigh Road has been closed at the bridge over the M4 near the Folly pub.Unfortunately despite residents warning in advance about the dangers of HGVs ending up on inappropriate narrow country lanes, Highways England did not do enough to make sure drivers used the diversion route. As a result large articulated lorries have been trying to navigate Coalsack Lane, which is single track in places. Thanks to their failure to put up a sign at the Ruffet Road/Badminton Road junction saying no access to the ring road, drivers who ...
Sat, 12:56: RT @Popehat: If the Harper's Letter is meant as a statement of principles, fine. If it's meant to persuade, I'm not sure how effective it... Sat, 14:48: RT @hiddeninabook: 'Cancel Culture' Is How the Powerful Play Victim by @JessicaValenti in @genmag https://t.co/Fps48YR4sR Sat, 15:29: Young Frankenstein (1974) https://t.co/H2YBBg3S3f Sat, 16:05: Ronald Reagan Wasn't the Good Guy President Anti-Trump Republicans Want You to Believe In https://t.co/8ejxdhJ5ed It's a fair point. Sat, 18:21: 2020 finalists for the Lodestar Award for Best YA Book https://t.co/0vKhpp50BE Sat, 20:48: Trump lied to me about his wealth to get onto the Forbes 400. Here ...
I spent most of yesterday glued to various screens. I went to Social Liberal Forum's leadership hustings in the morning and in the afternoon, we had the Scottish Lib Dems' virtual special conference. Thanks to Paul McGarry for the screenshots. Here, Willie Rennie and Alistair Carmichael are interviewed by Environment spokesperson Rebecca Bell, watched by convener Sheila Ritchie: Chair Jenni Lang watches while LGBT+ Exec member Fraser Graham speaks on the diversity motion: And here are John Ferry and Katy Gordon putting Layla and Ed through their paces: We had a couple of items of actual business – a motion ...
Just when we thought that the government could not shock us any further, we learn from the Guardian that the Cabinet Office has awarded an £840,000 contract to research public opinion about government policies to a company owned by two long-term associates of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings, without putting the work out for tender. They say that Public First, is a small policy and research company in London, run by James Frayne, whose work alongside Cummings - the prime minister's senior adviser - dates back to a Eurosceptic campaign 20 years ago, and Rachel Wolf, a former adviser to ...
The next Scottish Parliament election on 6 May 2021 will be a major test for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. With some recent polls suggesting increased support for Scotland leaving the United Kingdom the stakes could not be higher. We opposed Brexit and oppose Scotland leaving the United Kingdom. Another independence referendum would be a massive distraction from sorting out the problems Scotland faces. We must continue to make the passionate, emotional and economical case for a reformed United Kingdom. People want to vote for success, for hope of a better future and for people who aspire to make a difference. ...
i) births and deaths 12 July 1928: birth of Frank Windsor, who played Ranulf Fitzwilliam in The King's Demons (Fifth Doctor, 1983) and Inspector Mackenzie, who ends up in the soup in Ghost Light (Seventh Doctor, 1989). He was better known for playing policeman James Watt in various BBC dramas from 1962 to 1976 - Z-Cars, Softly Softly and Softly Softly Taskforce. NB that https://tardis.wikia.com gives his year of borth as 1927, but other sources give 1928. Happy ninety-somethingth birthday, Frank! 12 July 1933: birth of Brian Cant, who I knew as one of the great BBC children's presenters of ...
Sun 12th
08:24
Former cat rescue shop on Old Street, Ludlow, could be converted into a café with flats above
Woodspace Partners Ltd has applied to use the ground floor of 5 Old Street as a café. The space above will be converted into four flats. The former Cat Protection League charity shop has been vacant since 2018 when it was put up for sale. It is an elegant building in a prominent position on the edge of the town centre. It has a long garden which stretches 34 metres to the historic town wall. Although some details about tree removal need to be examined, this a good proposal that will bring a prominent empty retail unit back into use. ...
With thanks to Suzy Scott, there's an update to bus services in Dundee and across the wider region. Changes take effect today and you can read this here. Key changes that affect the West End are : • Service 9/10 Outer Circle will see minor timetable changes every day (as a result of the 5 changes), including one extra early morning bus (06.24) from Barnhill to the City Centre and Ninewells Hospital. • Services 15/17 will now combine to provide buses every 12 minutes Monday-Friday daytime (combined), with 15 running 3 buses an hour and 17 running twice an hour. ...
