LibDem Blogs - Archived!

More wit and wisdom from the incomparable Dave Podmore: You may have heard about "Merlin", the specially developed bowling machine that's been sending down Warney-style leggies to the lads in their pre-match nets. Well, it's no longer a secret that Dave Podmore is the man responsible for fine-tuning the settings, feeding the balls in, lighting its fags etc, and the results were there for all to see by five o'clock on day one. Merlin is probably the most realistic bowling machine I've ever come across. After tinkering with it for just a few days I got it to master ...

George Monbiot writes about patriotism in today's Guardian. His article has been described by one Lib Dem blogger (Chris Ward) as "excellent", but I have to differ. Monbiot sets out to prove that a liberal patriotism is unsustainable, yet he wastes a large part of the article repeating some nonsense that from the Daily Telegraph that no liberal would entertain for a moment. He argues that: When confronted with a conflict between the interests of your country and those of another, patriotism, by definition, demands that you choose those of your own.I am not convinced that your country's interests lie ...

A colleague sent me a link to this Enjoy!

I am a girl (give or take a few decades) I like gadgets So, perhaps it's a by product of having a little more time on my hands during the recess butI have become addicted to the shiny shiny website. Having said that I am not at all sure just who would want to buy a baby gro for their i-pod. But a chocolate fountain is another matter entirely.

For all those who were alarmed by my account of arriving at Waterloo in the middle of an "incident" I think I should provide an update. Follow up has revealed that by the time the train reached the station the panic was over but there is a pecking order for notifying people. SW trains personnel are top of the list so that normal service is resumed as soon as possible and humble passengers are at

On the principle that even a broken clock is right twice a day, the Prime Minister's office has done something sensible. It has shot down in flames Hazel Blears's ridiculous suggestion of an official 'ethnic rebrand', to create hyphenated British people. The recent wave of terrorist attacks has sparked off a wild goose chase to find or rekindle some sort of 'British identity'. As I explained in a

One of the attractions of Dublin of course, is the fact that the City operates a smoking ban in its places of work. This means that I can go into a pub, restaurant, club, shop or railway station and breathe fresh air. In doing so I normally have to hold my breath to get past the smokers gathered on the threshold but that is a small price to pay for a healthy social environment. The downside, I have discovered, is the fact that I cannot adequately take advantage of the good weather. Most cafes, restaurants and pubs have ...

Treason proposal a ‘non-runner’ - I may not be a lawyer, but that’s not a surprise, is it? Once more, Blair’s has grabbed headlines with a spontaneous announcement of some new plan only for the idea to be later dropped.

We saw this film last week, and it's great. Tim Burton has worked the magic of Roald Dahl and Johnny Depp was great as Willy Wonka. The set looked lovely and the Ompa Lompas were classic. My only problem that I had was location. Where was the film set? Half the cast were British the other American. The streets looked Victorian, yet Charlie found a $5 note. If you haven't seen it yet, go and see

…and you can too. I have for a few years been a member of LogoFreeTV but I’d long ago resigned myself to the continued existence of the digital on-screen graphic (DOG) in the corner of my television - or rather, on widescreen TV, floating in the middle of the screen. These DOGs are apparently intended to [...]

An excellent article from George Monbiot of The Guardian: And what, exactly, would a liberal patriotism look like? When confronted with a conflict between the interests of your country and those of another, patriotism, by definition, demands that you choose those of your own. Internationalism, by contrast, means choosing the option that delivers most good or least harm to people, regardless of where they live. It tells us that someone living in Kinshasa is of no less worth than someone living in Kensington, and that a policy which favours the interests of 100 British people at the expense ...

It's just been announced by Islington Council that DisabledGo has come to Islington. Ten million disabled people from across the UK, including thousands of disabled people here in Islington, can now use the internet to check access to hundreds of shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions throughout the borough. Sponsorship is by local authorities and Marks & Spencer - the free internet service DisabledGo is now available at the click of a mouse. DisabledGo was founded by wheelchair user Gregory Burke, who became frustrated never knowing which ...

Whenever a minority group is outraged or perhaps contains elements responsible for an outrage, who do the media turn to for a sound-bite? Why of course to the “Community Leaders”. These self appointed spokesmen have become the voice of minorities, and often reflect the very worst that any group has to offer. But who are these [...]