LibDem Blogs - Archived!

The Welsh Assembly's Smoking in Public Places Committee pay homage to James Joyce whilst on a fact finding trip to Ireland last February. From left to right: Jane Westlake, Committee Clerk, Dai Lloyd AM, Peter Black AM, Val Lloyd AM and Jeff Cuthbert AM. So would Joyce have approved of the smoking ban? I think not.

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We were all paged this afternoon to be informed that Sarah had been taken to hospital and was fine and that CK had returned to London to be with her. Oh - and the manifesto launch had been postponed. We are all wishing them both a safe delivery and the best of luck.

Sally collapsed into giggles today as she read out the note attached to a donation. A couple of weeks ago I visited Stockbridge School but apparently one child went home and informed her parents that Maggie Thatcher had visited! I hasten to add that I did not wear a blue suit, a pussy-bow blouse or carry a handbag over my arm. Also - my hair is a rather different colour. Made me wonder if all

To Whiteley with the two Johns (Redwood and Denham). Original aim was to base discussion around what had hit the newspapers but as most of the Sunday press seemed obsessed with the frocks that had been worn at the Royal Wedding then it was clear that we were scrabbling for subject matter.

This, from the Chinese Media, seems to be the nub of the current debate. The plan from China was not that SAIC would buy MG Rover, but that there would be a joint venture. The problem for the Chinese was the stability of MG Rover (because if you have a joint venture with someone who goes bust then you have the problem that either the joint venture goes under and you lost the funds invested or

One new project Richard Allan has already become involved with is setting up a campaign blog for Charles Kennedy.

I have finally seen the TV coverage of the Tory manifesto launch. As Elinor Goodman said on Channel 4 News, it was "almost beyond parody". The only thing missing was a chorus of nuns singing "climb every mountain"- and all for a document of almost unbelievable banality. The Conservatives were once feared, even if grudgingly respected- this farrago is a spectacular own goal. They have made themselves ridiculous. The policies as thin as they are contradictory. Meanwhile Sarah Kennedy has gone into hospital. I hope that all is well- fingers crossed. The pity is of course that we have had ...

Helen Rumbelow, writing for The Times' election log (as they call it), describes the scenes as MPs leave Westminster, some of them for the last time. Not all of them will know tonight that it is for the last time, of course. Rumbelow writes: for the ones standing down, today is a day full of sentiment. It felt historic to meet Gillian Shephard, almost in tears as she took her final goodbyes to the place, and Virginia Bottomley in most nostalgic mood. Before I get carried away, Tony Banks, that retiring firebrand Labour MP, was rushing to his car with ...

Every time I hear Michael Howard bang on about immigration it makes my blood boil. The sad thing is that his nasty tactic is actually fooling some people. The Mirror/ICM survey published today reveals the extent to which people are being brainwashed by this poison. People were asked, "How many East European immigrants to the UK last year are on benefits?" The public though "between 50,000 and 70,000" - the true figure is just 23. A majority of those surveyed thought that the number of asylum seekers coming to Britain over the last 2 years had doubled. The truth is ...

Thanks to a stroke of editorial genius, House Points has been rechristened Election Points for the duration of the campaign. Here is Friday's column from Liberal Democrat News. Inspiring hope The 2001 general election campaign began with something close to a whimper. The saturation coverage of the Pope’s death and funeral, together with the lull before we all show an unprecedented lack of interest in the royal wedding, quietened everybody down. The most significant event of the week has been the verdict of the election court in Birmingham. What matters is not that Labour was guilty of ...

The Addams Family

Sunday is a day of rest, except my team would not let me have one - so it was out delivering in Clevedon and Yatton all day followed by a campaign meeting in the evening. Memories of the campaign so far: my first half-naked householder - startled in his kitchen as I arrive to knock on his door; a member of my team trying to give a leaflet to the Green candidate in Portishead High Street (she

I had a very interesting lunch with a very old friend, Nicholas Vardy. He is an American who lives in London. He is also the Moderator of the London Junto Society. The original Junto Society was set up by Ben Franklin in 1727 as an intellectual discussion group in America- it is the precursor to the American Philosophical Society. Nick is one of the brightest people I know- two degrees from Stanford and a law degree from Harvard, he was also a Fulbright scholar and speaks native Hungarian and fairly fluent German and Italian. The London Junto attracts some extremely ...

"LONDON (Reuters) - China's biggest carmaker said it was highly unlikely to agree a rescue deal for MG Rover, as administrators battled on Monday to find a buyer for the UK firm which is losing up to 25 million pounds ($47 million) a month. " This is the key issue. Unless there is a stable business (which has to be profitable) in the UK for the Chinese to have as a partner they won't want to

So, we finally get our 300 page bundle and claim form N461 to the Court. We have paid our Court Fees and they say: "Sorry you cannot sue the Prime Minister, you have to sue the Department for Constitutional Affairs and by the way you should tell us which statutory instruments you wish to change" So we change the form and put in the SI references and are told: "Sorry we cannot check the form

I shouldn't have stayed up to watch the Masters golf last night! Tiger Woods eventually won in a play off and it was turned one o'clock when I climbed into bed. Not very sensible when I had to be in Stafford by nine this morning! The reason was to attend the Press Launch of the County Council Group's election manifesto. It is an extremely well thought out document and, judging by the questions

Over at Whittingon's Diary, Susan Kramer's cat is doing his best to write a satirical diary of what is, so far, a very dull election campaign. Please drop by and cheer him up.

It isn't the end of the road today for Rover as a Brand. The difficulties at Longbridge could spread across the country to dealers and suppliers, but it is possible to pull a rabbit out of a hat. I am aware of two attempts to generate a rescue other than the government. One is where a business consortium (which is anonymous at the moment) is working with the workforce. There is a second

I can't ever remember a time when an election campaign was more exciting or the outcome more difficult to predict. You'll forgive me if I get "Wycombe Centred" for a moment, but the logic applies to many other "safe" Tory seats. Wycombe has been Tory for as long as anyone can remember, and during the Blair years, Labour have managed to be comfortably second. But this has already proved that in a seat like this, Labour can never unseat the Tories. If they couldn't do it in 1997 or 2001, when they were riding high - they never will. Liberal ...

That Michael Howard has played the race card so early and invoked the spectre of immigration is no surprise. At the moment the Tories are prepared to jump on any popularist bandwagon if it attracts votes and gets people talking about them. Their problem however is twofold. Firstly, that this policy is unworkable, because the imposition of a strict quota may well lead to Britain being in breach of international treaty obligations as it turns away genuine victims of oppression. Secondly, that Howard's own record as Home Secretary does not stand up to scrutiny. Furthermore, the careful language that Howard ...

I have heard from Strategic Voter- an independent pressure group that opposes the war in Iraq. They commissioned a nationwide opinion poll from ICM. It appears from their latest figures that the Liberal Democrats have already overtaken Labour in the Wycombe constituency! Obviously this is a good start to the campaign proper. I don't know what value to put on the poll, but it certainly cheers me up! The next phase- trying to overhaul the Conservatives- will be harder, although the first poster displays along London Road are quite encouraging- No Labour, No Tory, five Liberal Democrats.

Nick Barlow and friends have set up a new blog with the objective of rounding up General Election coverage on blogs as well as providing links to the latest news and developments. It is called 2005 UK General Election and is well worth a daily visit. Meanwhile, my post on Mugabe and Candid Camera has featured in Tim Worstall's Britblog Round-up number 8. Another blog of interest is the one now being run from the Charles Kennedy campaign bus. I have linked to it on my blogroll. We will see how it develops and what insights, if any, will be ...

An interesting postscript to my posting yesterday regarding Peter Hain's attack on "dinner party critics who quaff shiraz or chardonnay". Simon Hoggart demolished Hain comprehensively (and entertainingly) on Radio 4's Today programme this morning: "I thought there was something oddly old-fashioned about his remarks... the idea that only snobs and rich people drink chardonnay and shiraz struck me

I was just listening to the Today programme on Radio 4. The Conservatives, apparently are launching their manifesto today. It is described as very short and a member of the Shadow Cabinet is quoted as saying "If you want philosophy, read Descartes". I am astonished. That is the basic problem now for the Tories- no coherent philosophy, just a rag bag of opportunist policies where the costs don't add up. Michael Howard has got to explain how he can increase expenditure, cut taxes and keep government borrowing under control- and he can't. By contrast Liberal Democrat policies are very clear- ...

I spoke to a nice journalist from the FT today about the issues of asylum and immigration in this election in Enfield North. The Conservatives are clearly determined to push these issues hard. At a rally in Telford, Howard today claimed immigration is now the primary concern of voters around the country regardless of race or religion. Howard persists in claiming he is being attacked and accused

I now turn my attention to our neighbouring constituency - The lovely South-West Surrey, which encompasses one of my favourite rural towns, Godalming.The rather well-known Virginia Bottomley is standing down from this (extremely) marginal seat in Surrey, and with only 861 votes to go for Lib Dem candidate Simon Cordon, it is almost certain that this seat will be shown as a "LD GAIN" in the late hours of May 5th.But, in true "Election-time party politics" style, I spent a few minutes today reading about the new Conservative Candidate, and what he may have to offer (or not) for the ...

Here's why we "woolly liberals" won't be voting for Blair. Read this deeply depressing article by Eliot Weinberger.