LibDem Blogs - Archived!

Quote of the day from one of the women who met Charles. "He is really nice. I can imagine sitting down and having a nice chat with him. He's really nice - like chocolate!" We never did quite work out where the connection came from

Had a visit from our leader today. We had already started organising an event in the town hall, aimed at finding more about the views of local women from all walks of life, when we knew that there was the possibility of a visit so we decided that Charles could fit around that. The net result was that we were trying to co-ordinate a walk about/meet and greet with the event in the Town Hall (and

Spent a morning with the local RSPCA uniformed officer and very interesting it was too. Visited some ponies, a man and a dog and a boy and a dog! She also showed me some pictures of some of the things that she has to deal with - and some pretty shocking pictures which did not result in a prosecution. It saddened me that in some of the cases the person involved did not realise that they might be

Here is today's House Points column from Liberal Democrat News. Ayes down Casino Royale, the first James Bond book, begins: “The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning. Then the soul-erosion produced by high gambling – a compost of greed and fear and nervous tension – becomes unbearable and the senses awake and revolt from it.” The government has reached the 3 a.m. stage with its gambling bill. At first ministers were excited by their plans to revive moribund resorts with casinos. No more sitting ...

The Labour Party has been accused of anti-semitism after publishing a poster that portrays Michael Howard and Oliver Letwin, who are both Jewish, as flying pigs. I have my doubts about accusations of anti-semitism but clearly the people who designed this poster and those who authorised its distribution are experts at putting their foot in it. They have certainly succeeded in alienating a sizeable community whilst giving the Tory Leader some unexpected good publicity. The other controversial poster is the one portraying Michael Howard as a Jewish miser. This one has really overstepped the mark and, as Guy ...

This story definitely needs a rewrite: "A man has been arrested after farm manure was thrown over Robert Kilroy-Silk in Manchester. The former MP and current MEP was attacked outside Manchester High School for Girls last month as he prepared for a BBC Radio 4 show. Greater Manchester Police detained a 37-year-old man, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, on Thursday in order to give him a medal and

Enfield Council has announced sweeping cuts to voluntary groups in the area, and many that serve some of the most desparate people in our community. Local groups such as Age Concern, Victim Support (from a party that says it is on the 'victim's side'?!), and MIND- as well as many others- are severely affected. Needless to say, this is a disgrace and will severely erode the cohesion and vitality

It's not often that the Tories have a good idea. However I think they are right that young people should study more history, but not, largely for the reasons they give. I studied history at GCSE and A-Level, and a fair bit of my degree had a historical basis. The Tories say that children should study to gain an understanding of British heritage, however having knowledge about the past does not make you a historian. The most valuable skills I gained through studying history was analysing a source, judging how relevant a piece of information, who ...

Dominic Tristram is quite right. When even the anti-terrorist police start to raise concerns about Britain becoming a Police State then things really must be getting bad. The Home Secretary does not seem inclined to listen to opposition politicians or the press, perhaps he will take notice of this: George Churchill-Coleman, who headed Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad as they worked to counter the IRA during their mainland attacks in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said Mr Clarke's proposals to extend powers, such as indefinite house arrest, were "not practical" and threatened to further marginalise minority communities. ...

You know that things are getting bad when even the anti-terrorism police are worried about the emerging police state. It is just bizarre that people don't seem to care more about this. It seems that the fear and lies spread by the government and right-wing media have duped people into thinking that somehow losing fundamental rights, such as not being locked-up without trial, will somehow save them from some fictional terrorist threat which they have yet to see any evidence of at all. It's funny how terrorists that actually did plant bombs and kill people never made us give up ...

The remembrance of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz has been one of the most important and thought-provoking events this year. The personal stories that have come out through this process have moved me to tears on many occasions. What has struck me more and more is the ...

Yep, I have a DVD set of all 4 Monty Python movies (although I don't think "And now for something completely different" can be counted as a movie, exactly). I haven't watched The Meaning of Life yet. I've only ever seen The Holy Grail before (which convinced me I liked Monty Python) so the rest of the stuff has been an experience. Interesting just how much has got into the public consciousness (and how sophisticated Monty Python is compared to Little Britain - a series of repetitive sketches with oft repeated catchphrases). The Life of Brian contains some ...

The consequences of the Labour Party's obsession with top-up tuition fees are starting to haunt it with the impending publication of an authorative report, which predicts the trebling of student debt. The research, published in the National Institute Economic Review, also suggests that disabled students, and students who do not receive help from their family, will be hit more severely. The study, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, looked at the effect of fees on debt, term-time working and students' satisfaction with university. It found that tuition fees have been passed directly into debt: with average debt rising similarly to ...

Something I've been arguing in favour of for years (along with my colleagues in LDYS) is to happen. The minimum age someone can stand for public office will be dropped from 21 to 18. I doubt we'll actually see many under 21's getting elected, but the choice will be down to where voters put their 'X', rather than arbitary, bureaucratic rules. Now that's democracy! This decision follows recommendations by the Electoral Commission. I was one of the many people who made submissions on this issue while a Trustee of the British Youth Council and it ...

How could the Tories do this to this man who had been a loyal member supporter for many years?

This is the title of a debate I was chairing at Southampton University this evening. It was a lively discussion and the students had plenty to say - which meant the whole thing went with a swing. Chatting to some of the students afterwards was a very pleasurable experience as it is always good to meet young, lively people with an optimistic view of life. At the end of the meeting I took a vote