LibDem Blogs - Archived!

Paul Robinson at Iconoplex has been watching the Parliament Channel's rerun of the BBC's coverage of the night of the 1995 general election. From his account it sounds rather like reading an old newspaper. You are struck partly by how similar things are and partly by how different they are. In the former category, there was a Dimbleby in charge of proceedings even then. Robinson writes: Through the grainy black and white, a rather fat Richard Dimbleby can be made out delivering his patter and fighting his analysts in much the same way as his sons do today.In the latter ...

Lobbied Tom Brake MP today (the Lib Dem Shadow Transport Minister in the Commons) about Crossrail, along with representatives from Spitalfields, Mile End and Romford. He's willing to put some key points up for consideration by the Select Committee. All Bills that go through Parliament have to be compliant with EU directives. Woodseer and Hanbury Residents Association think that Crossrail are not compliant, as Crossrail have not considered alternative routes and because their consultation was so poor. They are trying to get the matter considered again by the Human Rights Committee in the Commons ...

Went to Hilderstone today to meet LC of HALT - the village action group against lorries and speeding traffic. Hilderstone has problems typical of many villages in the Moorlands: quarry traffic shedding dust and aggregate chips, speeding traffic, narrow or non-existant pavements, and a narrow road that was designed for the horse and cart not modern traffic. Hilderstone is a conservation area, but historic houses get damaged by lorries that literally squeeze past each other. We have the same problem in Wetley Rocks. HALT members are admirably well organised and making very good progress with ...

I offer this without comment. Thanks to Claire Smalley for bringing it to my attention.

The Islwyn Constituency Labour Party has revolted against the decision by party bosses to expel a member for speaking her mind. They have voted "overwhelmingly" to fight for Elena Evans - kicked out for criticising party bosses over all-women shortlists and are to lodge a formal protest with Labour's National Executive Committee over Ms Evans's expulsion.If anything this protest underlines the authoritarian nature of New Labour. They cannot stand dissent and will act to punish it whenever it rears its head. Breaking party rules is one thing, but writing a mildly critical letter is quite another. If the way ...

I feel that everyone has overreacted a bit over this naked interviewer. Admittedly it was an... unwise thing to do, but putting him on the sex offenders register? Does he really deserve the same punishment as someone who sets out to sexually assault someone? Regular readers will know how I feel about the British (and [...]

Early this morning I joined Martin Horwood (MP for Cheltenham), Andrew Stunell MP (Hazel Grove) and a number of other cyclists to cycle from Russell Square to the House of Commons. Led by the metropolitan police it was an interesting experience. Meg Munn MP (Sheffield Heeley) was there was well. She told me that she was going to respond to my speech scheduled for later in the day about MG

Just got my papers for next Monday's Cabinet meeting. Included is a proposal to introduce new tests for people applying for taxi licenses. Unlike many places, Durham has no local 'knowledge' test, meaning that the licensing panel can't take into account the ability of an applicant to get from A to B (or C, D, E etc) by the shortest possible route. It should certainly be in the interests of customers, whether local residents or tourists, that they can rely on a driver knowing Durham's main hotels, landmarks and surrounding villages. If the Cabinet consider that ...

We've been here before - but never has the relationship between Britain and France within the EU been more interesting. For Chirac, it hasn't quite gone to plan. I'm sure he would have wanted to enter this period with France looking like good Europeans (having ratified the Constitution), casting Britain in it's traditional role of the sceptical people on the margins of Europe (clinging to their rebate and unable to convince their Eurosceptic people of the advantages of being in the EU). But this time, it's the French who've thrown the EU into disarray, while Tony looks forward to his ...

Although it is entirely possible that new fields could pick up UK Oil production later this year, it sound like a "something will turn up" type of answer.

It seems from The Register that the US is expected to abandon its requirements for passport biometrics for Europeans. The US decision that only EU citizens with biometric passports would be able to take advantage of their visa waiver scheme was seen as a driving force behind the Government's plans for ID cards. The expenditure on including biometrics in UK passports was to have provided the basis for much of the ID card scheme (although the US never required the level of biometric data planned for UK passports). If the US is to be forced to drop ...

What a great article from the always-thoughtful Tristram Hunt. It even includes a jibe at Nial Ferguson, which is worth a few plaudits on its own.

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Did you know that the Liberal Democrats held a leadership election yesterday? Neither did I, until I read this report: Kennedy unopposed as leader Charles Kennedy has been returned unopposed as the Liberal Democrat's leader. Under the party's rules, the leader must be re-elected within 12 months of each new parliament. Mr Kennedy said: "I am delighted to be returned unopposed as leader. This

Ruth Kelly's statement yesterday about the extension of school hours reinforces my view that the chief function of the state school system is child-minding rather than education. Apart from that, Jonathan Calder makes some perceptive comments in his Liberal England blog. I wish I could share Mary Reid's optimism but I fear the government's motives are cynical and economistic. We are not as

As you no doubt lead very busy lives, this press statement from the Liberal Democrats last week may have escaped your attention: Belated recognition for darts welcome - Russell Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, today welcomed Darts' recognition by all the Sports Councils in the UK as a sport. Mr Russell, who has long campaigned for today's change, said: "This is great news for