For this vignette of life in the county, the Northamptonshire Telegraph wins our Headline of the Day Award. Talk of cacti reminds me of Lord Bonkers' entry on Nick Clegg's teenage delinquency.
I spent some time this afternoon talking to some political colleagues about the problems that arise when people disagree. It was an interesting discussion and offered me an opportunity to express some of my concerns about modern politics and how the way people treat each other undermines how political parties function. Unfortunately, that seems to be a problem that gets worse with time rather than better, and it distracts from the cause, whatever cause that may be. For a bureaucrat not generally seen on the front row of political activity, I don't tend to be involved in the competitive element ...
Ed Davey did the Sunday morning media round today. He did look a tiny bit smug, but he's allowed to given Sarah Green's spectacular win in Chesham and Amersham, declared in the early hours of Friday morning. First he appeared on Sky's Trevor Phillips on Sunday: Liberal Democrats have shown that the Conservatives can be beaten. Join our winning team: https://t.co/xOHtAN8CQ2 pic.twitter.com/gjdiOb20eZ — Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) June 20, 2021 However, he did not endorse any sort of progressive alliance. You can see more here. * Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.
A gradual feeling of return to normality. The Belgian COVID numbers are really tumbling at the moment - ICU beds down 29% from a week ago, hospital beds 36%, deaths 37% and infections a whopping 45%. More than haf the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, more than two thirds of those over 18. The government further reduced restrictions on Friday. We are heading towards the ECDC's Green Zone - we won't hit the criteria by next Tuesday, but I think it's quite likely that we will by the Tuesday after. On Thursday we had another work ...
Disappointment, even despair, was the general reaction by Lib Dems to the 2019 General Election results. But some of us saw a different picture. A week or so after that election I wrote a post for Lib Dem Voice under the headline "It's a long game" in which I said: I'm absolutely delighted to see the progress made in so many seats, and it fills me with such hope for the future. Do not give up. What you have done is to lay the foundations for future successes. Keep building your teams and keep targeting Council wards. Get all the ...
Sun 20th
12:06
Federal Policy Committee: Regional powers, Universal Basic Income, natural environment and voters
We held the second in our current programme of meetings focussed on finishing off policy papers for autumn conference, on 9 June 2021. We discussed the future of power structures at regional level within England, Universal Basic Income, the natural environment and how to influence voters. Work continues to finalise motions for the autumn conference. The first of these we discussed was the future of power structures at regional level within England. This arose from last summer's discussions about our aims for a federal UK, agreed in a motion by last autumn conference, and a group led by John Shipley ...
For more than a decade Joe Anderson talked down one of our greatest assets - the World Heritage Status that was gained in the first decade of the century (2004). He said it was just a plaque on the wall ... Continue reading →
Sat, 12:56: Got this as a promoted tweet. Would loved to know what algorithm predicted (incorrectly) that I would find it of any interest, and how much the advertiser paid to get it in front of my indifferent eyeballs. https://t.co/h0fE3HtWKT Sat, 14:48: James Joyce's The Hobbit https://t.co/rtbNQ1JW8i Haha. Sat, 15:58: The Johnstown Flood: a family connection https://t.co/akeIvsCujT Sat, 16:13: Parenthood began 24 years ago today. It's been different! https://t.co/xFdXCxU8gs Sun, 09:30: Whoniversaries 20 June https://t.co/6n22WcYr8m Sun, 10:45: RT @MSmithsonPB: This is potty. Delivering election leaflets is voter suppression! Eh? https://t.co/fBQfBFhOf0
The obvious answer to that question is of course that us taxpayers are paying, but that assumes that the government can find the money in the first place after a fiscal-busting pandemic and facing a war-footing-style out-of-control national debt. Over the last year, all the fiscal rules set down by Gordon Brown, George Osborne and their successors have been smashed as the country struggles to emerge from its covid-induced coma with an intact economy. At some stage we are going to have to either start tightening our belt and paying off the debt, or write a new set of rules ...
In today's briefing from our foreign affairs correspondent, Tom Arms look at congestion, vaccination and schooling in Israel. The NATO summit allowed Joe Biden to stress that the Trump Era was over and "America is back". And Biden is prepared to retaliate for any cyber attacks from Russia. Elections are due in Ethiopia on Monday - they are "worthless". Finally, Tom talks of Donald Trump's new book. Move over the Bible and the Koran, this will be "the greatest book ever." Should this "great" book be called "Trump Through the Looking Glass"? Suggestions on a title are welcome. Israel's new ...
Prelude were a folk group, formed in Gateshead in 1970 and active until recently. This 1974 a capella version of a Neil Young song was their finest hour. It charted around the world, reaching number 21 in the US and number 22 in the UK. What is it about? Wikipedia offers a choice of answers: Dolly Parton (who was in the process of recording a cover of the song along with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt) has said, "When we were doing the Trio album, I asked Linda and Emmy what (the song) meant, and they didn't know. So we ...
One part of the story of the Chesham and Amersham by-election was the complacent low key Conservative campaign, as shown every Sunday morning by the nearly adjacent Lib Dem and Conservative offices in Amersham with their contrasting opening times. But that was by no means the only thing wrong with the Conservative campaign. Very poor political judgement about what the voters were thinking and worrying about played a big role too, as shown by defeated candidate Peter Fleet's very odd take on why he lost. Tories didn't turn out to vote for him because, he says: These stay-at-home Tories want ...
The government has decided that Coronavirus restrictions will not be lifted from tomorrow. That means that social distancing measures across Shropshire will remain in place for another month, or until Boris Johnson lifts the restrictions. In Ludlow this applies to King Street which will be closed during the middle of the day on Fridays and Saturdays. Local infections remain very low. The full scale testing site has been dismantled and Ludlow will now be served by a mobile testing unit based at the Eco Park. Shropshire Council has extended traffic restrictions designed to promote social distancing in the county's market ...
i) births and deaths 20 June 1929: birth of Paul Bernard, who directed Day of the Daleks (Third Doctor, 1972), The Time Monster (Third Doctor, 1972) and co-directed Frontier in Space (Third Doctor, 1983). ii) broadcast and publication anniversaries 20 June 1964: broadcast of "Strangers in Space", first episode of the story we now call The Sensorites. The Tardis lands on a spaceship whose crew have been incapacitated by the mysterious Sensorites. 20 June 1970: broadcast of seventh episode of Inferno, ending Season 7 of Old Who; last regular appearance of Caroline John as Liz Shaw. The Doctor and Liz ...
It has concerned me for some time that as Liberal Democrats we spend an inordinate amount of time discussing pacts and electoral arrangements, and then complain the media is rarely interested in what we stand for, only in whom we will work with in the event of a hung Parliament. The fantastic Chesham and Amersham by-election result will probably fuel this debate further. Before discussing arrangements over who should stand down where, should we not consider what is likely to happen politically were such an endeavour to be successfully undertaken? I have a major concern about the Party going down ...
A resident recently wrote to me : "We were a bit bemused this morning as we walked through the old part of the Balgay cemetery. I know the council is big on keeping things au natural in way of cutting the grass etc but would just about need a machete to sit at this bench" Good point! I raised this with environment management and have received the following and helpful response : "... will get the grass around this bench stimmed as soon as practical."
Embed from Getty ImagesI like this detail at the end of an interesting Guardian article on the likely impact of the Liberal Democrat triumph in Chesham and Amersham:It amused Lib Dem staffers that the boxes that made up their blue wall prop had been delivered by courier from Grantham, birthplace of another true-blue export, Margaret Thatcher..
