LibDem Blogs - Archived!

Is anyone in the Liberal Democrats thinking seriously about the possibility of a hung parliament? A debate was sparked off today on the Political Betting website by an article in today's Independent on Sunday by Alan Watkins - one of the very few pundits who entertains the idea. A comfortable Labour majority remains the likeliest outcome, as predicted by Peter Kellner in today's Sunday

Why is it always someone else who expresses what the Liberal Democrats should be saying? A leader in today's Observer castigates the Tories and Labour for their "ugly auction" on the issue of immigration. This article says what we all know but are afraid to say - that 'immigration' is code for racism. Both the Tories and Labour justify their stance in terms of "legitimate concerns". Why

Details here.

The Tory MP Jonathan Sayeed is facing suspension from parliament for two weeks, has had the Tory whip withdrawn for a month and is now threatened with deselection in his Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Full details from the BBC. But if you want a really good laugh, visit the website of The English Manner Ltd, the company run by Sayeed's parliamentary aide Alexandra Messervy. In the words of the Guardian : The English Manner's website promised unique travel experiences, courses in etiquette and seminars in social graces. The organiser, Mrs Messervy, promised "once in a lifetime ...

The Sunday Times reports that the Labour party is facing a multi-million-pound shortfall in its election campaign fund amid disillusionment in some trade unions and anger among Jewish donors over its allegedly anti-semitic advertisements. Lord Levy, the party’s chief fundraiser and a leading figure in the Jewish community, has warned that important New Labour donors are “disturbed” at the party’s recent use of anti-semitic images in posters.

Andrew Rawnsley has an excellent column in today's Observer in which he excoriates the puerile and unoriginal quality of the propaganda emanating from the two bigger political parties. He argues that the negative and predictable attacks on personalities, on each other's record and even on each other's policies will turn off voters and undermine further the status of politicians in the minds of the public. He also comments on the incredible sight of a Labour Government, six points ahead in the polls, adopting defensive tactics and negative attacks to deflect attention from its own vulnerabilities: The Labour ...

The Observer reports that Lambit Opik and Sian Lloyd are to appear in another photo spread for Hello magazine. The last time this happened was shortly before a Bridgend Liberal Democrat Dinner at which Lembit was the guest speaker and Sian, his escort. Accordingly I bought two copies and got the couple to autograph them. I then managed to auction off one of the copies for £30. Unfortunately, my attempt to replicate this feat a few months later at a Welsh Liberal Democrat dinner fell flat and I struggled to get to the winning bid of £1.50. ...

The Results of the Iraq Elections from people living outside Iraq are now available. Margaret Thatcher introduced a system whereby people who have left the UK could vote in UK elections so that is not unique. In the UK 28,673 people voted. 62% of those voted for list 130. I have a real struggle reading the arabic script, but I think the name of the party is something about not occupying