LibDem Blogs - Archived!

I feel a bit aggrieved as a qualified sailor (not that I can remember which qualification I have) that inexperienced seafarers are called the "Birmingham Navy". I must admit that I did spend some summers with my family and various coastal locations with a boat. I feel there is a case for experienced seafarers living in Birmingham to challenge the singling out of Birmingham as a city which puts

by Jabez Clegg Speaking to the Sunday Times, Ken Clarke inform us that the Lib Dems are terrified of me. Yet, later on in the same article he indicates that "he would even consider a coalition with the Liberal Democrats" in order to get his hands on the red box. Given the divergence of his views from most of his colleagues', we suggest the Member for Rushcliffe might concentrate on establishing a coalition with his own fellow MPs first.

and would add Gough Whitlam, conductor Sir Charles Mackerras (whose cycle of Beethoven symphonies with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are astonishingly good, and the 5th and 7th runs close those recorded by the late Carlos Kleiber) and Peter Carey (whose books are so impenetrable they must be good) to the list of great Australians. The brevity of the list was something to do with my 160+ heart rate after the climax of that match. And yes, respect to Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who has had the spine to tell Murdoch and the Australian Cricket Board ...

Right-wingers and other assorted establishment figures in the Liberal Democrats are very fond of stigmatising their party conference in terms of being dominated by a "lunatic fringe" or "wacky ideas". But one wonders who the real fringe elements are when one sees the motion titled "Future of Europe" submitted by the party's Federal Policy Committee to the forthcoming conference in Blackpool.

This must be the only recorded instance of a front bench Tory spokesperson actually wanting Tony Blair to resume the role of Prime Minister. Rumours that Mr. Blair has asked the former members of 'Typically Tropical' to take the Bono spot and address this year's Labour Party Conference are unfounded. These lyrics though could well have been written for him: Far away from London Town and the rainIt's really very nice to be home again.Mary Jane met the Coconut Airplane.Now I know she loves me so. Update: Any similarity between this post and that on John ...

Not long to go now until the 2005 'Elvies' and Porthcawl Elvis Festival. However, I am not convinced that the introductory music on the website is, in fact, Elvis.

The link is to the BMA Consultants' Committee's press release about health funding. The issues here are that 15% of funding is going outwith the NHS, the costs have been increased by the Constultants Contract, PbR (Payment by Results) is causing constraints on PCT budgets, the PCTs are being merged. I had a case reported to me where someones blindness could not be treated because of a reported

Last Saturday was the first day we started delivering 'Charles Kennedy's Resident Survey' in Livingston. I read this morning a comment written by one of the Nationalist Councillors saying that we'd been doing it for months. Now I know a week is a long time in politics but can 9 days of deliveries seem so long to the opposition? Maybe so.