LibDem Blogs - Archived!

I didn't realise it at the time - chiefly because I did not know the word - but I have a strong claim to have written Britain's first political blog. In the 2000 London Mayoral candidate I contributed a diary on behalf of her cat Whittington to the website of the Liberal Democrat candidate Susan Kramer. That website is long gone, but thanks to the wonders of the Wayback Machine you can still read Whittington's Diary. Reading it today I suspect that one of us had been at the catnip. Certainly, when it became clear that Ken Livingstone was going ...

My baby brother got his passport today, even though he is only 1.5 months old. Can't wait for him to go through Passport control. Passport Officer: (takes brother's passport. Looks at it intently) I'm sorry sir, could you take off your baby bonnet please? Baby Brother: (gurgles) Goo-gah Passport Officer: No excuses sir. Take off the bonnet. Baby Brother: (farts) Passport Officer: Ok

This week's moral panic is about alcohol. It has become a headline story again because judges and police chiefs have declared that the imminent change to Britain's licensing laws will increase violent crime. In the wake of these claims, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have quickly leapt on the (band)wagon by demanding a halt to the implementation of the new law. The law in

Readers Wifes save pop (and promote their single in the process). I should probably have mentioned before that the video for Nostalgia was directed by Bryan Bartlett who works for none other than The Mill (yes, that Mill).

Possibly one of the oddest things the Beeb have ever put online: the life and death of Jamie Kane. Does this link to a new TV show or is it completely random? (Via.)

High Oil Prices are "here to stay" according to a Lib Dem MP. John Hemming, Member of Parliament for Birmingham (Yardley) is calling together a summit of geologists and campaigners to review when oil production globally will peak. "The issue", he said, "is not 'when we run out of oil', but when the global production of oil peaks. After that point oil will no longer be priced as something

by Steve Travis Discussion today over on Mike Smithson's incomparable Political Betting has turned to the implications of a Brown vs Davis contest in 2009. In particular, there has been much talk of the "English Question", or the impact of a Scots PM presiding over a Westminster parliament in which Labour does not have a majority of English MPs. Conservative contributor Blue 2 Win highlights that this potential democratic deficit could be one of the sleeper issues that ignites widespread concern about the role of the state: Europe as such, is yesterday’s issue and has, in any case, ...

Since the death of James Doohan there has been speculation regarding his character Montgomery Scott's birthplace. As reported on this blog and elsewhere Linlithgow was first to declare but since then Edinburgh, Elgin and Aberdeen have all tried to snatch his birth away from the Royal Burgh. In this week's Linlithgow Gazette a new authority gives his opinion on the matter, none other that Doohan

This will be quite an interesting dispute. There has been a growing tendency in the civil service to move away from using systems of rules and formal decisionmaking towards being subjective and following the ad hominem fallacy for determining the validity of statements. ODPM are not commenting on the issue because of the legal nature of the dispute. I am told that a pre-emptive order for costs

This article in the Western Mail underlines what we have been saying for some time, there simply is not enough money in the system to meet the Welsh Assembly Government's 2010 target of every school being 'fit for purpose'. WAG argue that they have exceeded their 2007 target of putting £560m into the system 'with investment already standing at £629m', however this is not strictly true. The actual amount of public money going into schools is less than £560m with the difference made up of PFI schemes, many of which have still not got off the ground. Furthermore ...

The stretch of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh from the Tron up past St. Giles to the top of The Mound is usually a hive of activity and excitement at this time of year, as the Fringe is in town. However, this afternoon it is expected to fall silent and respectful for the funeral of Robin Cook. Robin's political career started across the road from the Cathedral in Edinburgh City Council Chambers. It

I was rather amused when I found out that Dennis Paul had decided to once again bless the town of Guildford with his “interesting” views. I wonder if Mr Paul has actually met any convicted criminals, or indeed, the reformed criminals that are now working and setting examples as decent citizens - the result of which I hope we all agree with, regardless of party politics. I find it interesting that he brands any views that suggest prison is not a viable form of crime prevention as “neo-liberal”. What is perhaps more farcical is his presumption that people ...

How's this for a novel idea? Go to one of the iPlus street information points scattered around the Borough, use the built-in webcam to make a 30 second video, enter it in the Kingston Webcam Film Festival and maybe win a video camera. Closing date is Friday 19th August. More details and locations of information points.

We learn from today’s Slashdot that Fedex sent legal ‘nastygrams’ to a young artist whose latest project was to make items of household furniture from redundant FedEx shipping containers. These shipping containers are given away free, and were obtained legally, so why was this young man threatned with entirely bogus leagal action? Apparantly FedEx [...]