Second paragraph of third chapter:For nearly 500 years the postal service was an important part of our national infrastructure The cost of sending a letter was the same, regardless of whether it was sent to someone a few streets away or whether it went from the coast of Cornwall to the highlands of Scotland. This strengthened our sense of geographic identity because, in the eyes of the Royal Mail, we were all equal. Their postcode system unified the country.This was an impulse purchase as a Christmas present to myself. I had a phase when I was about nine or ten ...
Tue 16th
15:21
Conviction following forgery of signatures on Conservative candidate's nomination papers
The BBC reports: A woman has been given a suspended sentence for forging a council candidate's election nomination papers. Amanda Wycherley added eight people's names without their knowledge and forged their signatures so Conservative Jonathan Liam Jones could stand in a Neath Port Talbot council by-election... Mr Jones finished fourth in the May 2019 Resolven by-election, securing 34 votes in an ballot won by independent candidate Dean Lewis. Wycherley later pleaded guilty to offences under Section 65 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered ...
A group of Liberal Democrats from diverse communities has come together with one simple message: get the coronavirus vaccine.
The Social Liberal Forum's highly successful online programme continues on Monday 22nd February with Britain in a Post-Trump, Post-Brexit World. Our two guests are William Wallace-well known to Lib Dem Voice readers- and Professor Anand Menon. You can register for free by following this link to the SLF website: Britain in a Post-Trump, post-Brexit World . Professor Anand Menon is the Director of the UK in a Changing Europe and Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College, London. This will be a wide ranging discussion about the UK, its foreign policy and relations, the projection of its ...
Ed Davey has welcomed the decision to review the planning permission of a new coal mine in Cumbria: The Liberal Democrats have long called for a rethink on plans on for a new coal mine in Cumbria and I am delighted that's exactly what has happened. If Boris Johnson is serious about climate action he will call on Cumbria county council to scrap the mine Cumbria County Council now need to do the right thing and throw these plans out, or the Prime Minister must intervene to make sure the coal mine is scrapped. It's astonishing that a new coal ...
Mike Dixon, the Chief Executive Officer of the Liberal Democrats, has recently written to activists about campaigning in the pandemic, as follows: In the last few days, anger has been growing about the Tories' brazen attempt to skew the May elections and stop elected councillors and volunteers doing their jobs by safely delivering literature. Independent councillors and other parties have now joined us. We have spoken with the Electoral Commission and National Police Chief's Council at the highest level. In some circumstances it is legal and permissible for volunteers to deliver leaflets. We have therefore issued updated guidance to local ...
Mon, 12:25: Decimalisation, 50 years on; with bonus picture of my grandfather. https://t.co/jQeUKgqz0A Mon, 12:56: Archaeologists unearth world's oldest known beer factory in Egypt https://t.co/kyNlcAsPOh Cheers! Mon, 13:48: RT @davidallengreen: A Guided Tour of the Northern Irish Protocol and Article 16 New @FT video by me and @tomhannen YouTube: https://t.c... Mon, 16:05: General Unstructured Thoughts On "Being Cancelled" https://t.co/HB0pKIAq3H @Scalzi on celebrities who find that their views are n longer welcome. Mon, 17:11: Georgia 'doesn't care about me': LGBTQ struggles worsen under lockdown https://t.co/Ywt4SZrvLe Grim in Georgia. (The real Georgia, that is.) Mon, 18:17: March 2010 books https://t.co/zGuHhrfPvT Mon, 19:19: ...
Liberal Democrat Newswire #146 came out last week, this time taking a look at the leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer.
Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats mourn the passing of Dr Hywel Francis, historian and former member of parliament for Aberavon. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. Ian Sherwood writes: Very sorry to have just read about the passing of Hywel Francis . {When I was a local councillor and later mayor of Briton Ferry] and he was Labour MP, we had lively political conversations and political difference but he was a man of principle and he deeply cared about the people he served. I could also go and ask him anything . He was instrumental in the ...
Further developments today around allegations of cronyism in the awarding of government contracts during the pandemic with the Guardian reporting on court documents that suggest Dominic Cummings was instrumental in the process of awarding a government contract without tender to a company run by his "friends": The documents reveal the central role the prime minister's former chief adviser played in the awarding of the contract to Public First, a research company owned and run by two of his longstanding associates. Public First was paid £564,393 to research the public's understanding of the coronavirus and the government's messaging around the pandemic, ...
I made myself some ground rules for this. One is that I would only count speeches made by Members of Parliament in parties that had at least two MPs in the House of Commons when the speech was delivered. Otherwise, I'd get lost in the weeds – there are loads of terrible speeches given by local councillors, for instance, ones that are several degrees worse than anything on the list to come in strictly aesthetic terms. Smaller party politicians have given some shocking lectures over the years as well. What I'm after are the worst speeches delivered by people at ...
18 years after the Iraq War protests we remember and honour our former leader, Charles Kennedy. Charles was an outspoken and principled leader – may his example continue to inspire us in an uncertain and tumultuous world. pic.twitter.com/C3oNRvwlE2 — Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) February 15, 2021
i) births and deaths 16 February 1926: birth of Rex Robinson, who played Dr Tyler in The Three Doctors (Third Doctor plus guests, 1972), Gebek in The Monster of Peladon (Third Doctor, 1974) and Dr Carter in The Hand of Fear (Fourth Doctor, 1977). All three of his appearances were directed by Lennie Mayne. 16 February 1945: birth of Jeremy Bulloch, who played Tor in The Space Museum (1965), Hal in The Time Warrior (1973-74), and is best known as Boba Fett in the first two Star Wars films. 16 February 1964: birth of Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth ...
Here's a clip of Councillor Rabina Khan on BBC's Newsnight discussing the steps we need to take to tackle vaccine disinformation. You can see Rabina and her husband going into their community, in a socially distanced way, to support local residents – addressing their concerns directly. Rabina Khan – Vaccine Disinformation from Liberal Democrats on Vimeo.
Towpath north of Jackson's Bridge The towpath of the Leeds Liverpool canal through Lydiate leaves a lot to be desired; a subject I've blogged about before I might add. Here's a couple of links back to previous postings in October 2015 and June 2019 :- October 2015 – June 2019 – The worst section of towpath is probably that which is north of Lollies Bridge (Southport Road Bridge) up to and past Lydiate Hill Bridge (also known as Billy's Bridge) where the land and fields adjacent to it is higher. This causes water run-off onto the towpath with ...
Residents with fairly long memories may remember the "Dundee Decides" participatory budgeting consultation in early 2018. In the West End, one of the successful projects covered the Perth Road district shopping centre. Some of that - for example the "Perth Road" seating at the entrance to the Miller's Wynd car park - has been long completed but there have been repeated delays with the Sinderins Beacon, the proposal for a entrance structure at the west end of the shopping area at Sinderins. I am pleased to say that there is finally some progress towards completing this. The council's Public Art ...
Another engaging video from Jago Hazzard. He has a Patreon, you know. I have clear memories of the original Island Gardens station from delivering for the Liberals in a controversial Isle of Dogs by-election.
