My mother died over last weekend. I say that partly to explain that, this time at least, my failure to meet deadlines has a reason. And partly to say something about the passing of an amazing generation. In fact, as I understand it, the life expectancy of people born in 1931 took its biggest leap in history compared to those born in the previous year. My mum nearly made it to 90, so that very individual experience bears out the statistics. Something about those born around the political crisis that led to a national government under Ramsay MacDonald seems to ...

Posted by David Boyle on The Real Blog

The Tories have just announced a new "free speech champion" and have set new demands on student unions to guarantee a platform to any visiting speaker. Layla Moran, calling this out as a distraction on Question Time, was immediately attacked by the libertarian press (see Spiked Online's take) as "proof" that Liberals aren't truly Liberal. The attack was so swift and loud that Lib Dem HQ deleted their tweet of the clip, much to the glee of right-wing blogs. It's a shame to see Liberals running from a fight (even if the phrasing was a little clumsy). There is a ...

Posted on justLiberals

Rates in the south west Shropshire remain low but are stubbornly refusing to fall due to an outbreak in a Bishop's Castle care home and a small rise in cases in Ludlow. Across England, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin there is a steep decline in positive tests for Covid-19. But locally we still have a little way to go. The accelerating pace of the vaccination programme, the huge efforts by our GPs, health professionals and volunteers, and the abundance of caution that most people are displaying will get us there. Let's not miss the good news. The government met its ...

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington
Sun 21st
15:30

April 2010 books

This is the latest post in a series I started in late 2019, anticipating the twentieth anniversary of my bookblogging which will fall in 2023. Every six-ish days I've been revisiting a month from my recent past, noting work and family developments as well as the books I read in that month. I've found it a pleasantly cathartic process, especially in recent circumstances. If you want to look back at previous entries, they are all tagged under bookblog nostalgia. The highlight of April 2010 for me personally was a school reunion in Belfast, 25 years on from our A-levels. I ...

"It's getting better every day" as Cass Elliot once sang. There is certainly more cheer than fear as I gaze out from my nest on the radiators of LDV Towers this weekend. With the weekend's papers spread before me for later use, Newsmoggie learns that there has been an outbreak of butt nipping. Maybe that's Tories frustrated on not being able to comment on Conservative Home. The Chinese are too busy to solve anything as they are engaged in a dastardly communist plot to take over our schools. Or is that a fantasy like the Boris Roundabout under the isle ...

Posted by Newsmoggie on Liberal Democrat Voice

It was very disappointing that a motion calling for a Proportional Property Tax (PPT) to replace Council Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax and "Bedroom Tax" was rejected for debate a second time at this Spring Conference 2021. It represents a big step towards Land Value Taxation (LVT), which ALTER helped Sir Vince Cable retain within the last three Tax Commission policy papers - all passed overwhelmingly. It has a much greater chance of gaining cross-party support than LVT. Under this Government, it might even see the Statute Book, since most support seems to come from "Red Wall" Tory MPs in ...

Posted by Tony Vickers on Liberal Democrat Voice

The Republican Party is splitting. On one side you have the populists of ex-president Donald Trump and on the other you have the Grand Old Party (GOP) of Senator Mitch McConnell. Trump, of course, lost the election which he claims he won by a landslide. However, he has kept his base intact by continuing to feed them a diet of lies and conspiracy theories. Mitch McConnell is the leader of the Senate Republicans who has proved himself a master of hunting with the hounds and running with the hare by voting to acquit Trump while at the same time branding ...

Posted by Tom Arms on Liberal Democrat Voice
Sun 21st
11:00

My tweets

Sat, 12:56: RT @Mikepeeljourno: A striking image. Session on "A New transatlantic agenda" at the Munich security conference - with the leaders of the U... Sat, 15:23: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and the books https://t.co/o8vJ3YJWq5 Sat, 15:56: Pattern Recognition by William Gibson Enjoyed the central character's unrooted, cosmopolitan, thoroughly *wired* existence, as she tracks down the reality behind a mysterious set of internet postings. #nwbooks https://t.co/ayKIDqNZRW https://t.co/k1XaOxyO7Y https://t.co/NmVguEGbBF Sat, 16:19: Theft of A Nation: Romania since Communism, by Tom Gallagher [2005] For what it's worth I think he's right to be very worried about the consequences for the EU of ...

While in the midst of a global pandemic, it's nice to think back to the things we used to get worked up about when society was still a thing. Like "Game of Thrones", Season Eight. We all loved the show for almost a decade leading up to the final series, having had to wait two years to see how it was all going to end. "Game of Thrones" was to the 2010s what "Seinfeld" was to the 1990s. Unfortunately, just like with "Seinfeld", the way it finished was a huge let down. I think there are three big problems with ...

Posted by Nick on nicktyrone.com

If the first duty of opposition is to oppose, its seccond duty is to hold the government to account through effective scrutiny. It is entirely bizarre therefore, to find this article in the Guardian, which reports that Labour MPs are being asked by the party's high command not to focus on problems caused by Brexit when asking questions in parliament, dealing with the media, or posting on social media. After a week in which Labour leader Keir Starmer delivered a major speech on how the country should rebuild the economy and reduce inequality without once mentioning Brexit, relations with the ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black
YouGov

i) births and deaths 21 February 1981: death of Ron Grainer, who composed the Doctor Who theme tune. According to the lore, he was so gobsmacked by Delia Derbyshire's electronic arrangement of the music that he asked her, "Did I really write this?" "Most of it," she replied. Of course he got the on-screen credit and she didn't. This is maybe how he would have expected it to sound: 21 February 2012: death of Michael Hart, who directed The Space Pirates (Second Doctor, 1969). 21 February 2013: death of Raymond Cusick, who designed the Daleks. ii) broadcast anniversaries 21 February ...

This magnet-like slopes illusion was a deserving winner of the Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest 2010.

Posted by Pink Dog on Mark Pack

There have been too many victims of Covid-19. People for whom coronavirus was the primary cause of death. Many others whose death was accelerated or whose recovery from other diseases was cancelled through catching Covid. Truth has been a victim too. Conspiracy theorists and populists have been promoting a distorted review of reality. Uncertainty, crisis and threat have always been fertile grounds for conspiracy theories. But has never been so important to get the truth right. A "truthpaper" is currently been pushed through doors around the country. Truth? Not in my book. The coronavirus epidemic has been a killer. Two ...

Posted by Andy Boddington on Liberal Democrat Voice

FRAMEWORK FOR EASING LOCKDOWN The Scottish Government is currently preparing a revised strategic framework for easing the lockdown. It will be published on Tuesday. SCHOOLS The majority of primary and secondary school pupils will continue with remote learning until at least mid-March while children in early learning and childcare and primaries 1 to 3 will return full-time to classrooms from Monday 22nd February. Very limited numbers of S4 - S6 pupils who require to complete practical work in order to achieve an SQA certificate will also return from Monday. Pupils currently in classrooms - primarily the children of key workers ...