At last, a Liberal Democrat policy everyone can support. When he visits a small brewery in Sunderland tomorrow Ed Davey will call for a bailout for small breweries which have suffered as a result of pubs and bars being forced to close during lockdown. According to the Irvine Times: The party is calling for the Government to compensate small breweries losing high levels of revenue up to 80% of their rent costs over the next six months. It also urged for a brewers' support fund to be established, in line with calls made by the Society of Independent Brewers (Siba) ...
I am, perhaps unsurprisingly, not a huge fan of Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Setting aside the suggestions that his integrity might not be wholly unsullied, my problem is that he doesn't necessarily understand how local government works. As a small (but perfectly formed) Parish Council, we have been permitted to hold our meetings online, and it has gone fairly well so far. I am, admittedly, somewhat uncomfortable about the fact that online meetings effectively exclude those who either don't have, or don't want, the required technology. But, if you can't meet anyone ...
In my two previous posts on this year's BSFA shortlists (here and here), I remarked that it was very difficult to select preferences between the various nominees. For Best Non-Fiction, unfortunately, there are a number of nominees which I feel are too insubstantial or weak, or in one case too damn expensive, to be really suitable winners, and I had no difficulty in ranking the candidates. Obviously (and rightly) who ends up on the the short-list is determined by nomination votes rather than by any quality control process, and usually we get away with that, but I feel that this ...
This post first appeared on the Radix blog. When I first joined the Liberal Party (1979), and particularly when I started going to their assemblies (1982), the television cameras used to linger on those of us sporting beards or sandals. There was one large fellow in both who used to sit at the front. I never discovered who he was. It is hard to be precise about what sandals and beards used to mean in politics. I wrote about this in the Guardian after the first modern sandals went on display - and the peculiar way that genuine radicals seemed ...
Bus services have been disrupted in recent weeks to give priority to the shuttle bus between Ludlow and the Racecourse vaccination centre. From Thursday, the 701 and 722 will revert to their previous timetables, with each running every half an hour from Ludlow Assembly Rooms. The vaccination programme at Ludlow Racecourse is due to slow due to a reduction in vaccine supplies in April. The vax shuttle will be suspended. It might be reinstated later but it has been little used. It was the right idea but there was little demand. I am not convinced it should be reinstated at ...
Responding to China imposing sweeping electoral changes in Hong Kong, Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Layla Moran MP said: "This amending of the Basic Law by China's rubber-stamp legislature is a clear breach of the Joint Declaration. The Government must respond with firm action, as it has done elsewhere - words of condemnation have done nothing to protect Hong Kong's democracy. "The UK is failing in its duty under the Joint Declaration and international law to preserve Hong Kong's institutions and human rights. Any red line has been crossed. If Dominic Raab won't stand up now and act, when? ...
Seventy-one Liberal Democrats MPs, Peers and Council Group Leaders have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to oppose the Government's plans to gut a critical scheme allowing energy inefficient homes to access grants. The Government is poised to remove social housing and rented accommodation from eligibility for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and impose prescriptive measures on how improvements must be carried out. This means that even fewer homes are likely to be upgraded, particularly given the failure of the Green Homes Grant. The Liberal Democrats are calling for the cancellation of these ...
Tue 30th
15:15
The strong Christian grounds for disestablishing the Church of England (as well as the democratic/fa...
The Humanist and Secularist Liberal Democrats held a very interesting fringe meeting at the Spring Conference, entitled "Is it time to disestablish the Church of England?" I was very pleased to hear from Simon Barrow from the website Ekklesia, which has always struck me as a very progressive-thinking website, with its "roots in Christians social thought" but "vital" partnerships with people of other convictions (both non-religious and religious). Simon is remarkably knowledgeable and thoughtful on the subject of the disestablishment of the Church of England. He says he is an "Anglican" like myself, but nonetheless argues for disestablishment both on ...
Low Fell Lib Dems have recently published another edition of eFocus, no. 87. Issues covered include:Daniel Duggan chosen to be Focus Team's candidate in Council electionsKells Lane Park to get makeover!Council promises to open some services, but not Gateshead Leisure CentreWhat's happening with the proposed Anderson Green housing development? Thank you to those who have signed up to our litter
The £2.6 million Downing Street media room made its debut yesterday with a few tweaks to its design. As the Independent reports, preview images of the room sent out by broadcasters were widely mocked on social media earlier this month. The podium had featured the words "Downing Street" with an HM government logo superimposed over it, but the logo blocked the middle letters of the text - so that only "DOWN REET" was visible. This has now been rectified with the text now removed and only the coat of arms visible. The number of flags positioned behind to the rear ...
Liberal Democrats are right at the forefront of campaigning for a Basic Income – an idea that Christine Jardine called "our generation's NHS", and potentially the foundation of a new, post-COVID social contract. The Lib Dems for Basic Income campaign group has been working since the very early days of the pandemic to build energy in the party, and throughout that work has been supported by a small organisation called the Basic Income Conversation, hosted by the progressive thinktank, Compass. For example, we're working together to host an event with Michael Tubbs, the man who as Mayor brought a Basic ...
Tue 30th
11:52
Harborough Labour try to disguise photo of their parliamentary candidate who joined the Tories
Top Harborough tweeter Solar Pilchard has shared this corner of a Labour election leaflet. Look closely and you will see that they have tried to hide one of the people in the photo - he's the one wearing the red rosette. Who is the mystery man? Step forward Sundip Meghani, who was the Labour candidate for Harborough at the 2015 general election but has since joined the Conservative Party. You can see the original photo below. When he left Labour Meghani said: After 20 years of activism and public service, I resigned recently as a Labour member. I could no ...
Mon, 12:56: Escape from Kalbajar, now de-occupied but decimated, and my dreams of return https://t.co/Gg0yW87K2J Testimony of the effects of occupation. Mon, 13:32: Brexit forces bitter British couples to flee EU holiday homes #nothingbutaconsiderableupside https://t.co/d6OnY9LBcJ Mon, 14:58: Some very tough choices today. https://t.co/4unikoXSqW Mon, 15:01: Ah, nostalgia. https://t.co/hzUOFhdCiI Mon, 16:05: Alex Salmond's Alba already exists: it's called the Scottish Green Party, by @stephenkb https://t.co/VvMKUUazp4 I must say that was my own reaction, and the reaction of anyone I know who knows anything about Scottish politics. Mon, 16:15: RT @Feorag: @nwbrux @stephenkb The Greens aren't a bunch of reactionary creepy old ...
I've blogged a number of times previously about how Lydiate Parish Council is upgrading its sports/fitness/football facilities at Sandy Lane Playing Field. The works include new additional changing rooms (which should be put in place towards the end of May) and a big refurb' of the existing changing rooms. Additionally, outdoor fitness equipment has been relocated from LPCs Village Centre Site in Lambshear Lane and land drainage under the football pitches is actively under investigation with a view to resolving water-logging issues as far as possible. The project is complex and is being supported financially by the Football Assn. One ...
[IMG: Folkestone Story Map Poster] Do you have some special memories of Folkestone you'd like to share for a new community project? Perhaps you used to visit the Rotunda regularly and met your partner there. Did you gaze in wonder at the rock being made in the Old High Street? Maybe you used to have a secret den in the Warren? Or maybe you know someone in your family, or a friend who likes to wax lyrical about their memories or has some funny anecdotes? Hand of Doom Productions, a Folkestone-based community interest company, would love to hear your memories ...
Three seasons of Old Who ended today i) births and deaths 30 March 1922: birth of Peter Welch, who played Sergeant Klegg in The Highlanders (Second Doctor, 1966-67) and Morgan the pub landlord in The Android Invasion (Fourth Doctor, 1975). 30 March 2007: death of Dave Martin, who co-wrote The Claws of Axos (Third Doctor, 1971), The Mutants (Third Doctor, 1972), The Three Doctors (Third Doctor and guests, 1973), The Sontaran Experiment (Fourth Doctor, 1975), The Hand of Fear (Fourth Doctor, 1976), The Invisible Enemy (Fourth Doctor, 1977), Underworld (Fourth Doctor, 1978) and The Armageddon Factor (Fourth Doctor, 1979) with ...
Tue 30th
08:24
We can't go back to district councils but we can regain local control of decisions and make our rura...
The decision for Shropshire to become a unitary council from May 2009 is still resented here in south west Shropshire. Under Shropshire Council's first leader, it led to a huge centralisation of control in Shropshire and the sucking of rural resources into Shrewsbury and Oswestry. It was not going unitary that was the problem. It was the transfer of power from rural Shropshire to Shrewsbury. That was never a requirement of going unitary. We can't go back the local governance arrangements we had before 2009. But we can strengthen local democracy across the county by setting up powerful area committees ...
I recently received residents' concerns about the faded white road lining in Clovis Duveau Drive. I raised this with the City Council's Road Maintenance Partnership and have now been assured as follows : "An order for refreshing the road markings has been raised." I also asked that the road is swept given the loose gravel and grit on it that residents also reported.
The other day I blogged about proposals to reopen the railway line between Ironbridge and Bridgnorth. This video shows you the state of the line today, though it does not mention the new housing that has been built across the route near Bridgnorth golf course. It is this that makes people sceptical about the idea - well, that and the unstable geology around Jackfield. Still it makes a nice walk - I have done it myself between Ironbridge and Coalport. And a Shropshire Star article from last year suggests that the route all the way into Bridgnorth could have been ...
