It's been a good day today. Not only has it been much cooler, but I have discovered a second song about the trial of Jeremy Thorpe. Rex Barker And the Ricochets is a pseudonym for the artist also known as Doc Cox and Ivor Biggun. Under the last name he released records that he calculated would be banned by the BBC and thus become irresistible to 13-year-old boys across the country. In my day we had Judge Dread. Let's be honest: Jeremy is Innocent is not a patch on the similarly named Jeremy Thorpe is Innocent by The Surprises. But ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

You will all have learnt by now that Liz Truss was a member of the Lib Dems when she was a student. So we would like to invite our readers to share their memories of her time as a party member. To kick us off, here is a piece from Liberator Magazine 411 – February 2022 (download it here): TRUSSED UP Could the new darling of the Tory right Liz Truss be the first former Liberal Democrat into 10 Downing Street? Truss understandably draws little attention to her Lib Dem past and several readers who still come across her noted ...

Posted by Mary Reid on Liberal Democrat Voice

There are several parallel realities in politics. But Boris Johnson lives in a bubble of his own making. Having taken a few days off for goodbyes, a flight on a Typhoon and a visit to Farnborough Airshow, along with missing things of no consequence to his future like a Cobra meeting on the heatwave, he trounced out of PMQs today in true theatrical style. "Hasta la vista, baby". Johnson is ever the performance artist. Ever the man who triumphs style over substance. I am sure he wants to be a movie star. Boris Johnson has done more to develop the ...

Posted by Andy Boddington on Liberal Democrat Voice

So the contest will be between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. The votes for Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt were very close, with only 8 between them. And now we know that the next Prime Minister is going to be chosen by 160,000+ people who worship the memory of Margaret Thatcher. Ed Davey used his slot at Prime Minister's Questions to demand a general election once the leadership election is over. Every candidate scrambling for the Prime Minister's job is claiming a 'fresh start' and a clean break from his Government. Does he agree a fresh start needs a fresh ...

Posted by Mary Reid on Liberal Democrat Voice

As a group, Liberal Democrats pride themselves on their commitment to equal rights and opportunity. Indeed, the very first line of the preamble to the Constitution talks about a free and fair society and, as a member, I am proud of the work we do to advance these goals in government and beyond. That being said, privilege is something that pervades the governance structures of the Liberal Democrats. From the Young Liberals to Federal Board, it is still far too often about who you know rather than what you can give to the party that decides how far you advance ...

Posted by Oliver Clark on Liberal Democrat Voice

I am not surprised but I am saddened by the fact that my motion to move a 'Vote of No Confidence' in the Mayor and Cabinet has been blocked by the Lord Mayor. This is, course, an almost exact mirror ... Continue reading →

Posted by richardkemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?

I was in The Goat Hotel, Llanfair Caereinion, a few summers ago and overheard an old boy reminiscing to his wife about an Army friend who was given to labelling notices "Top Secret: Burn Before Reading." She had probably heard the story before, as I think you've heard this one before, but I thought it was rather good and noted it down... Wednesday In the days when those jolly Pankhurst girls were chaining themselves to railings and the first Lady Bonkers was busy rugby-tackling Derby favourites, there were those who warned of the dangers of "petticoat government". That always seemed ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

A listed building application published yesterday proposes removal of the ATM at Barclays on King Street (22/03177/LBC). This is one of the most popular ATMs in town and there are often queues at weekends and during festivals. It will be a shame to lose it but its loss is inevitable with Barclays closing on 26 August. Removal of the ATM is part of a refurbishment of 3 King Street to return the building to its previous pre-bank condition. The ATM was inserted through a window which will be reconstructed once the ATM is removed. We will still five external cash ...

Posted by andybodders on Andy Boddington

At an extraordinary meeting of Liverpool City Council later today I will formally propose, on behalf of the Liverpool Liberal Democrats, that Jurgen Klopp be made a Freeman of our City. I will start in exactly the same way as ... Continue reading →

Posted by richardkemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?
Wed 20th
11:00

My tweets

Tue, 12:43: RT @DavidTWilcock: As someone else who worked at McDonalds in the mid-late 1990s, there was no burger flipping as grills were double-sided,... Tue, 12:43: RT @damonwake: @DavidTWilcock She's almost exactly the same age as me and yeah, minimum wage didn't come in till '99. If you were on a part... Tue, 12:56: RT @Tom_deWaal: A poorly written speech by Ursula van Leyen in Baku not mentioning the words "democracy" or "peace" --surely essential to l... Tue, 16:07: RT @paulwaugh: BREAKING 4th round of Tory leadership (Last round in brackets) Badenoch 59 (58) Mordaunt 92 (82) Sunak 118 (115) ...

YouGov

The Conservative leadership campaign has been a competition to demonstrate the best small-state tax-cutting credentials, with little concern for what that means for public services or investment. Even Rishi Sunak seems to have forgotten the generous promises of the 2019 manifesto, which helped to win those 'Red Wall' seats. 'A Conservative Government', it declared, 'will give the public services the resources they need, supporting our hospitals, our schools and our police.' There would be 'millions more invested every week in science, schools, apprenticeships and infrastructure... [and] to underpin this national renewal, we will invest £100 billion in additional infrastructure spending ...

Posted by Lord William Wallace on Liberal Democrat Voice

From the City Council : THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1) THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of City Fibre duct installation works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Douglas Street (at its junction with Ash Street), Dundee. This notice comes into effect on Monday 25 July 2022 for 2 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Ash Street / Park Street. For further information contact 433082. Executive Director of City DevelopmentDundee ...

The Mirror reports that MPs have been warned that unresolved disputes between the Government and suppliers of poor-quality PPE could cost the taxpayer £2.7 billion. The paper says that tDepartment of Health's "significant failings" in handling PPE contracts during the pandemic have also led to a surplus of four billion unneeded items, some of which will be burned: A new report by the Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises Government spending, criticised the department for taking little action against potentially fraudulent suppliers. This was despite an estimated 5% of PPE expenditure involving fraud. The MPs claimed the DHSC was paralysed from ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black