LibDem Blogs - Archived!

Of course, Norman Lamb's splendidly liberal proposal to save the Post Office was widely expected to be defeated. And so it came to pass. Or rather didn't. The party still has a little growing up to do, it seems, before we reach economic puberty; let alone maturity. Here in my council ward in Headington, Oxford, the postal service has become a joke. Bags of mail are lost or stolen by posties with

A story about the leadership, policy or fringes? Nope, the best freebie so far. Blackpool Pleasure Beach, courtesy of Meridan TV. With nothing for them to film at Conference, they opted for soundbites from young people whilst going on themepark rides. First was the Pepsi Max Big One which we needed to go on twice in a row for the cameras. Next was a ride called Spin Doctor, not sure why they

BBC Radio 4's voice of astringent good sense has an article in today's Times on the subject: it is reported that prescriptions of the drug Methylphenidate - commonly sold as Ritalin - have risen sharply in a decade. Last year in England there were 359,000, the vast majority to children under 16. This is a mind-altering drug, described by its most bitter opponents as "prescription crack"; in the United States 6 per cent of all children take it. Here it is less than 1 per cent, but rising fast: for this is the cure-all for the fairly newly defined ...

While cricket fever lasts and you can still see children playing informal games in the park, let me plug The Surfer. It is a blog which offers a digest of the cricket articles from around the world, and is run by the excellent Cricinfo site.

Yesterday I wrote about Paul Leake's resignation from the Lib Dem group on Durham City over attempts by the party leadership to censor his blog. Paul writes his blog as part of the ReadMyDay project, and Geoff Wigley is its "weblog coach". ("Come on, type faster! How much do you want it?") Geoff writes about Paul's experience on the Civic Leadership Weblog Project site. He notes: My state legislative client, Ray Cox, knows that some of his most avid readers are members of the opposing party, scouring his blog for words that can be used against him. So he's ...

says this story from the BBC. So our eejit BBC disliking Prime Minister probably won't believe it. What? He supported the teaching of creationism in Britain's schools during Prime Minister's Questions? OK. No, actually, its not ok, it's obscurantism, its lying to kids and its putting 4,000 year old superstition above science and we should expect better from the Prime Minister of a supposedly

Loganlee is a snall former mining village to the South West of the Livingston constituency. It regularly holds hustings meeting prior to Parliamentary elections. Last night it held its postponed hustings for the by-election. Eight of the Ten candidates turned up but for the second time this year the Labour candidate did not give the people of Loganlee present in the Miners' Welfare the courtesy

It's been a week, lost the ashes and then decided to cheer my self up by going to conference. More when this meeting is over.

Coombe Girls' School has just launched its new website as part of a double celebration to mark its 50th Anniversary. And just a couple of hours after the event the website already carries pictures of the other celebration today, when Princess Alexandra opened the new sports hall and performing arts centre. This is a school that fizzes - the young people are so positive, confident and clearly happy. They put on a lively pageant representing all aspects of the school life - and they did it with energy and charm. The website also refers to ...

by Jabez Clegg (From the Telegraph). You read it here first: Hogwarts-style school discipline backed Proposals for a Hogwarts-style house system to boost discipline in comprehensive schools have been unanimously backed by Liberal Democrats. Ed Davey, the education spokesman, said the system - which features prominently in the Harry Potter books - would help break down "soulless" comprehensives, giving schools a "village" feel and promoting a sense of belonging. Creating "schools within schools" would promote better mentoring of younger children by older pupils and encourage pupils to identify with their schools and behave better. Smaller class sizes, a more ...

I was quite pleased that the Lib Dem Conference today derailed the "Orange Book" juggernaut. It quite winds me up that people put forward motions that clearly do not stack up. I am someone who is involved in the private sector, has been a director of a publicly listed company, still has declarable interests in at least one company. However, the party heirarchy decides that creating a private

by Peter Jonathon Calder didn't mention us. Peter Black did. We're now considering defecting to Liberal Wales... Seriously Peter Black's blog, the blogs he mentioned, and some other essential reading will all be joining the links, well, just as soon as one of gets around to it...

by Peter There was much to admire in the motion on Overseas Aid debated at Lib Dem conference this week. It called for successful conclusion of the Doha trade round - and that it is important. It also called for protection for Third World countries. There may sometimes be a case for this (although it is hard to draw up a list of convincing examples). But it would have been worth recognising that it is through opening themselves up to world markets that India and China have begun to develope significantly. Even Africa has (according to theguardian gained more from ...

From the wild and windy Blackpool coast straight into a "storm in a teacup", if the Western Mail is to be believed this morning. It seems that a mini-coup has been in the making over the summer with the objective of deposing Mike German as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Assembly Group.The details of this abortive conspiracy were apparently contained in an e-mail that Mike German inadvertently posted on a Liberal Democrats internet forum and which was subsequently handed over to HTV Wales. In his e-mail Mike reported:"KW (Kirsty Williams) wants to be leader but sometime in the future ...

Regional theatres have pooled their resources to enable the nationwide tour of Jerry Springer: The Opera to go ahead. Hurrah - and bad luck to Christian Voice and their ilk who can take heart that God moves in mysterious ways. More from the BBC, or head to the official site for tour dates and to book [...]

This is my first full Autumn Conference - and as such it can be a bewildering experience. As you enter the Winter Gardens, you have to file past lines of people who want your attention. There are fifteen or twenty fringe meetings all vying for your attention (some with the promise of free refreshments- note to the Hilton - the coffee you supplied for the IPPR fringe yesterday was the worst I have tasted thus far). At any one time, you have to try to decide what to give your attention to, knowing you'll miss at least two other fringes ...

This optical illusion is just plain weird. (Via.)

Another year, another Lib Dem conference and another "Left or Right" debate. The Guardian's Jackie Ashley unsurprisingly cautions against a "lurch to the right" (why are moves to the right always "lurches"? Answers on a postcard please!). But, upon reading her article it becomes clear that she is basing her arguments on some quite shoddy reasoning. Consider: Of all the burblings of hokum the Liberal Democrats have been guilty of, none is as silly as the doctrine that they don't have to change direction, or define themselves against the other parties. All they have to ...

Several LibDems, including Adrian Sanders MP, are jointly documenting this year’s autumn LibDem conference. See http://libdems2005blackpool.blogspot.com/. As I’m not in Blackpool, I’ll be reading this (and others from LibDem Blogs) to keep up.

Monday 19th Septemeber 2005 - I was delighted as Chair of the North West Region to join Party President Simon Hughes MP and Lord Tom McNally of Blackpool, Lib Dem Leader in the House of Lords, during the official opening of our Autumn Conference in the Winter Gardens on Monday by the Mayor of Blackpool. We have been lobbying the Federal Conference Committee for a number of years to get Blackpool

I've seen that there's a lot of controversy in the US about a proposed memorial to the victims of flight 93. which crashed during the 9/11 attacks. The design is of a crescent of red maples, indeed its official name is "The Crescent of Embrace" and some observers think that, however beautiful it may look, it has too close a resemblance to a symbol of Islam to be appropriate. Some people are

I am dismayed by the treatment handed out to a fellow Lib Dem blogger by his colleagues. Paul Leake has been writing a lively and down-to-earth blog about the issues facing his residents in Durham, as part of the ReadMyDay project. But he has now been told by the Council Leader that his blog should be vetted by the press secretary! Not surprisingly, he has removed himself from the political group and now sits as an Independent. I think I would do the same in his shoes. This is a blow for the ReadMyDay project ...