Ed Davey opens Liberal Democrat conference Failure on test and trace is putting public health at risk Liberal Democrats back proposals for "world class" mental health support for health and care staff Liberal Democrats urge Government to tackle spread of fake news Time to campaign for Universal Basic Income has come, Liberal Democrats declare Ed Davey opens Liberal Democrat conference Speaking on the opening of the Liberal Democrats' first digital conference today [25/09/2020], Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has warned the coronavirus crisis is taking an "enormous toll on people's lives and livelihoods" and urged his Party to ...
Tue 29th
23:21
It looks like the Government might have a fight on the hands over their planning proposals
I live in a pretty conservative part of the country - Conservative administrations are the norm rather than the exception - and local Conservatives are, generally, pretty supine in the face of Conservative governments. However, the Government's proposals, effectively giving local residents one shot at setting the limits on development and being effectively silenced thereafter, have gone down rather badly here in Suffolk. Now, you might suggest that the reason for that is the expectation that it will lead to more housing being mandated here, and that's probably true, but the strength of the response from my local District Council ...
I've taken a break from the press releases during conference in order to allow the story to tell itself, so to speak. But now it's time to catch up, allowing those of us who didn't attend conference to catch up on the main themes. But first, a piece of unfinished business... Chancellor's Job Support Scheme "falls short of what people need" The Liberal Democrats have warned that the new Job Support Scheme outlined by the Chancellor "falls short of what people need" and are calling on the Chancellor to outline financial support measures for people still excluded from the Government's ...
If I understand Nick Barlow's latest blog post aright, it is a story told round a campfire far into a post-apocalyptic future and inspired by Calder's Sixth Law of Politics. This holds that: All Liberal Democrat leadership elections are reruns of Steel vs Pardoe Nick writes: You know how we have those who are foolish on some days and yet wise on others? They had one such as this. He was said to be an ancient soul, who was one of the Parley-Pardies in the times before the times before, he was said to know the location of the steeper ...
It’s my turn to tell a story, is it?
April 2008 was the month that we applied for Belgian citizenship. A rare month (before this year) when I don't seem to have left the country at all, having arrived home from Ireland late on 31 March and departed for France early on 1 May. This was also the month that B moved from the place near the Dutch border where she had been living since leaving home in October 2007, to where she now is half an hour east of here. I remember also a dinner with George Soros and a few others, at which he told us that ...
In December 1905 Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman (C.B.) became Prime Minister and a month later he led the Liberal Party to a landslide victory. It was by some margin the most radical government to date. 115 years ago C-B still chose the old Liberal campaign slogan of "Peace, Retrenchment, Reform". Over a century later James Oates thinks the future success and prosperity of our country now depends on rediscovering our Radical traditions and has written three articles on translating them into a coherent programme for the future. This is the first essay: "Peace". Peace: The Place of Britain in the ...
Having just spent several hours wading through the final report of the "COVID-19 Social Care Support Taskforce" one wonders how those working in the service will ever find time to read it - let alone implement all 42 recommendations which are designed to make bad practice safer! Care homes are not, and were never intended to be, hospitals. The residents are just as entitled to hospital care, if that is what is needed, as are the rest of us. That so many have been left to die in Care Homes, rather than being admitted to hospital, and thereby denied the ...
On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | Contribute On the official party website: Conference home Ed's first Leader's speech took place not in a packed hall but broadcast as he stood at a lectern in LDHQ. You would have to have an incredibly hard heart not to be incredibly moved as he described caring for his terminally ill mum, his Nana and his 12 year old son John. We know that there are around 700,000 young carers in the UK today, but how much thought have we actually given to the reality of their daily lives. Ed described giving his mum ...
Lord Bonkers has long been at pains to encourage such local craft industries. In this respect, though perhaps no other, he resembles Gandhi. Friday It's an ill wind that blows no good, as the proverb runs, and we have seen the truth of that saw here in recent months. For years the Ladies' Mask Sewing Circle has met every week in St Asquith's church hall to make facial coverings for shy people. There has never been much profit in it: indeed, if it were not for the occasional bulk order from a gang of armed robbers. I doubt they would ...
What with Covid, Brexit and Simon Mann's cricket commentary, the judges thought we needed cheering up. So our Headline of the Day Award goes to CBC.
It is becoming clear that the new ideological crusade being launched by the Tories goes beyond trying to take over the BBC and OFCOM. As the Independent reports, new guidance issued by the department of education for English schools has banned them from using teaching material that calls for the end of capitalism because it is an "extreme political stance". The paper says that this guidance puts groups wanting to replace the economic system on a par with those endorsing racism, antisemitism and violence, or the overthrow of democracy. Even material that is "not extreme" has been outlawed if it ...
On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | Contribute On the official party website: Conference home I am feeling a little delicate this morning. The Conference may have been virtual, but the hangover certainly isn't. At my age, you would think I would know better than to sit up drinking with my friends in a virtual pub until 4am, but it certainly gave an authentic feel to the last night of our virtual Conference. A week ago, I felt really gloomy as Facebook reminded me of Conferences past. I was really sad that I wasn't packing up and heading to Brighton to ...
In a policy motion passed this evening at the Liberal Democrats' Autumn Conference, the Party has condemned "Dominic Cummings' long history of attacking the rule of law". The motion stated "the rule of law is fundamental to our society", calling for the Government to drop plans "to restrict judicial review, weaken the Human Rights Act or undermine the rule of law in any way". Following the motion being passed, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: "This Conservative Government have revealed time and again their disregard for the rule of law. From their recent determination to flout it with the ...
Mon, 12:56: RT @angie_rasmussen: My guiding principles for practicing Twitter pest control: -Nobody is entitled to your time and attention. -It's y... Mon, 16:05: "Only a considerable upside." #takingbackcontrol https://t.co/EfPhWRZYlh Mon, 18:41: The Conqueror's Child, The Sky Road and Distraction: SF award-winners of 2000 https://t.co/IoEzhpUllU Mon, 21:21: RT @Tom_deWaal: New thread. I'm quoted here on the #Karabakh fighting. (There is a lot more nuance if you watch the whole interview) I'm aw... Tue, 07:42: US power vacuum risks escalating violence in Armenia-Azerbaijan - by @tom_dewaal https://t.co/NH1up7HMm0 Tue, 08:44: RT @lowflyingrocks: 2020 SY4, 9m-20m in diameter, just passed the Earth at ...
I am adding my support to this campaign. I have been working as part of a special cross-party taskforce at the LGA set up in response to the Grenfell Tragedy and this campaign reflects the findings and key asks of that group. Statement from Cllr Jayne McCoy, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council Three years on [...]
[IMG: Flood Warden Poster] Flood Wardens are volunteers trained to help and prepare people in local communities that are at risk of flooding. They play an important role in the preparing a community flood plan and putting it in to practice. Kent Resilience Forum are offering FREE online Flood Warden training on Zoom on Thursday 13th October from 7-9pm, open to all members of the public, including: new flood warden volunteers; existing wardens who would like to refresh their training; the voluntary sector; Parish Councillors. ​Modules will include: the role of a flood warden, types of flooding, flood and weather ...
On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | Contribute On the official party website: Conference home Well, we did it; our first online Federal Conference! We had over 3,200 attendees and I am really proud that we managed to offer the full experience usually on offer in the Conference Centre. The agenda ranged from racial justice to the BBC; from COVID-19 to Universal Basic Income and from Europe to the rule of law. We had debates, procedural motions, reports, votes, speeches, and questions - even the (virtual) conference fund raising buckets were passed round - and we were honoured with a visit ...
Tue 29th
08:30
Whoniversaries 29 September: City of Death #1, The Last Sontaran, The Angels Take Manhattan
i) births and deaths 29 September 1933: birth of Clinton Greyne, who played Ivo in State of Decay (Fourth Doctor, 1980), Stike in The Two Doctors (Sixth and Second Doctors, 1985) and the Sontaran commander in In A Fix With Sontarans (Sixth Doctor but disowned, 1985). 29 September 1961: birth of Nicholas Briggs, voice of the Daleks and responsible for so much more in the Whoniverse. We would not be where we are without him. ii) broadcast anniversaries 29 September 1979: broadcast of first episode of City of Death. The Doctor and Romana are in Paris, and get mixed up ...
I am grateful to residents who contacted me about a bad pothole in Eton Street. I reported this to the City Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership and this has now been repaired along with two smaller potholes.
