LibDem Blogs - Archived!

The latest batch of polls are going to be very grim reading in Conservative Central Office- the Newsnight poll showed the Tories down to 27%, with strong momentum to the side of the Liberal Democrats. The team canvassing on Amersham Hill today were getting the same tremendous reception that we have received throughout the whole campaign- and the canvass numbers were so good that I hesitate to believe them! Reports are coming to us from across the country of the prospects for significant gains. As Charles said at the London Rally this evening: the Liberal Democrats are on course for ...

Nick Barlow reminds us of how fleeting fame can be by asking if anyone remembers Rodney Hylton-Potts, the winner of ITV's Vote For Me.

So this is what Keighley's conservative candidate looks like - Charles Kennedy's evil nephew perhaps? (From an Ilkley blogger- who has lots of interesting stuff about the people who almost make me want to give up my nationality.)

An amusing concept...

In response to In a Skipton Armchair: "Charles Kennedy has one of the lowest blink rates in the world. " one fo my commentators has asked what it means - to be honest, I don't think the expert mentionned what it meant, or it must has passed me by. Rapid blinking means (in some people) that they're lying (example was Anne Widdecombe praising Michael Howard) - so hopefully it means that our Charles is a honest guy :-)

BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Weblog: "How could a leader who preaches the virtues of playing by the rules ride in a vehicle with no valid tax disc? "

An interesting item this morning on Radio Wales in which they discussed the issues that the politicians have so far resisted talking about. Residents of Wrexham were interviewed and asked for their contribution to this debate. Amongst the issues raised were Europe, the Countryside, hunting (where have the Countryside Alliance and their threat to hound Ministers got to?) energy policy, nuclear power and Education. Although not entirely fair the list was useful as a guide to the way that political parties approach elections. All of the main parties will have taken soundings, opinion polls and conducted focus ...

A useful but important distraction from the General Election campaign came this morning with the launch of the Assembly's Education and Lifelong Learning Committee's report on School Transport. I had the privilege of launching it, the culmination of a year of taking evidence on the part of Committee members. The main recommendations are below: · Safety is of paramount importance. The main reason for carrying out this review was to improve the safety of school buses, and we believe much can be done to achieve this goal;· ...

For those of us who are partial to the odd piece of confectionery, this chocolatiere is the perfect accessory for the office. As the blurb says this device enables you to create chocolate covered strawberries, peanuts, raisins, coffee beans, or even cover your ice cream in chocolate for a homemade ice cream bar. Make truffles, or simply melt chocolate into a variety of shapes and sizes, including hearts, Christmas trees, stars, and more. The best antidote to campaigning!

Can anyone explain to me why it is that we believe that we have the right to go around the world condemning other countries for developing nuclear weapons, while all the time we are planning a replacement for Trident? I'm possibly out of step even with my own party on this one, but I think countries like Iran must think we're guilty of rank hypocrisy.

Am about to go and meet a group of the NFU at a farm near Loughborough. Yesterday, went to the Leicestershire show, and met a few people. Then went canvassing, and got caught in a downpour of EPIC proportions. Noah's Ark, eat your heart out. Still, the canvassing was really positive... First door ... "HAve you decided who you're voting for on Thursday?" "You. I've been Conservative all my life, but not this time." Second door ... "Have you deci ..." "I'll save you the time. My wife and I have been ...

I very quick post, on the wing as it were. The interviews this morning went well- both Polish and Estonian TV crews expressing surprise at how many people remain undecided. I must say that my fear is that many of these people will not vote. I am frustrated at the level of apathy, especially amongst the young. Elections are important and they can and do make a difference. There are very clear differences between the three parties. It worries me that the media continue to talk down to "ordinary voters". I think we would all benefit if, like the Poles ...

Scarborough and Whitby Labour Party (which has a sitting MP) have sent a letter to local supporters directing them to a tactical voting website. Did we all go though the looking glass at some point in the last 24 hours?

I think it was Caligula who once said of the people of Rome "let them hate us, so long as they fear us". With the continuation of the attacks on the Liberal Democrats this morning, it is pretty clear that Labour does now fear the Liberal Democrats. This nonsense that a vote for the Liberal Democrats lets the Conservatives in "by the back door" (horrid cliché, I know) can be demolished by the briefest look at the polls: the growth in support for the Liberal Democrats seems to have come at the expense of the Conservatives- who continue to poll ...