LibDem Blogs - Archived!

I have to admit that I'm rather looking forward to "March of the Penguins". Having been to visit penguins in New Zealand (fairy and yellow-eyed), and being the sort of person who loves to watch them in zoos, the idea that a movie about them could become a hit is perfectly understandable. Of course, the idea that they all look the same is obviously attractive to a bureaucrat (it's difficult to

The actors' union Equity has voiced its concern about the removal of Jerry Springer: The Opera from the shelves of Woolworths and Sainsburys. They issue is two fold their General Secretary Christine Payne has issued the following statement: "Equity is opposed to the action which Woolworths and Sainsbury's have taken on two grounds. Firstly, Equity strongly supports artistic freedom and equally

What is it with the Bush administration and climate change? First they back out of the promises made by the Clinton adminstration about the Kyoto Portocols. Of course they had to cheat the most environmental minded almost President out of the white house by shutting down the recount in Florida to do so. Then they seem to blindly think that climate change is somehow not going to affect them, as they glibly drive around in their gas guzzling cars, even to the end of the drive to pick up the paper and mail. Now it appears their representatives have walked ...

This week's House Points column from Liberal Democrat News. The Guardian article I mention can be found here. Drugged up This week we are all supposed to be against Punch and Judy politics. So let's look at one of the more constructive elements of Westminster life. Short adjournment debates are held at the close of each day's business. They give MPs the chance to raise any topic. Most confine themselves to constituency interests - on Monday you could have thrilled to "Health Services (West Cumbria)" - but some set their sights higher. Tuesday evening saw Paul Burstow, the ...

There is an irony to all this briefing against Charles Kennedy by Lib Dem MPs with leadership ambitions. At the first hint of a Tory revival they rush around like headless chickens, thus showing that they are not fit to lead the party. A headless chicken writes: I object to that simile. To cheer yourself up, take a look at this article in the Times by Anatole Kaletsky: But isn't Mr Cameron adopting the Blairite political methods just when they are going out of style? Not only is Mr Blair now less popular than his party, but the traits ...

Chicken Yoghurt offers a listing of political blogs that have appeared over the past few months. We didn't have things like that when I started blogging. I was up all night submitting to search engines with my bare hands. But if you tell young folks that, they won't believe you.

by Peter You don't have to sign up to much during a Tory leadership campaign. But once you are in you find yourself re-appointing acres of deadwood to your Shadow Cabinet and then you have to do something about the EPP. what to do? Engage with the mainstream right-wing parties across Europe? Or go and sulk with some polish peasant and Alessandra Mussolini? Over at Thinking Aloud Paul thinks he knows where this is all going to end...

It’s that time again - my favourite bits from the latest Dewey Decimal subject mappings. Longest number: Thermal conducticity of permafrost - 551.384015362012 Geekiest number: Women in computer games - 794.8 Number most likely to be confused with number for David Tennant fan clubs: Tenants’ associations - 333.5406 Number most likely to host gigs: Knebworth House (England) - 728.80942581 White [...]

The phasing out of the last Routemaster bus (route 159) today, one of London's icons, was a passing of an era. The special 'fond farewell' journey starting at Oxford Street (near Marble Arch) and terminating at Brixton Garage - ended 50 years of service. There's been a lot of sentimental twaddle about Routemasters - In my opinion they should have been phased out from Public transport some time ago. They are from a time when there was less chaos and congestion on the road. No buggies ...

Technology now seems to be as integral a part of Christmas as crackers and sprouts (BTW are Brussels sprouts associated with Dec 25th outside the UK?) and this year the must-have new toy is the XBox 360. Though I suspect that many will use the festivities as an excuse to buy that PSP they [...]

According to Ryan, the new shadow cabinet has more Davids than women.

by Peter This is surely the right response and the decision is good news. But once upon a time we took it for granted that torture had no place in our legal system.

So, Davey boy is determined to beef up the Tories’ green credentials and has put new recruit Zac on the working group that’s going to do this. As I suggested earlier, this is good news for greens and concerning news for the Lib Dems. It’s good, because it puts green thinking more into the political [...]

"The Tories say they are scrapping their traditional week-long seaside conferences as they are only attended by "fanatics" and retired people. " Well as far as fanatics.... No arguement there judging by the last Tory Conference, attended by the then shadow cabinet, the leadership contenders, the new shadow cabinet and Cameron himself. And they are looking to withdraw from the European Group, effectively isolating themselves in Europe. Only a few days into Cameron's leadership, what other draconian measures can we look forward to?

Oh, Polly, Polly, Polly… I’m tempted to write a letter to theguardian, but rather than cut my rant down to something short and pithy, let’s do the show right here. Polly wants to see Red Ken given some more powers. Everyone loves good old Ken, so that’s OK. Let’s not have lots different waste authorities for [...]

Andrew Neil’s forecast that Charles Kennedy will resign in the spring makes more sense when you read this article in today’s Guardian. It is clear that a group of Lib Dem MPs are briefing against him, and it was this that Neil picked up on.

Good stuff on localism from Kennedy in his speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research (as widely unreported in the Cameron-obsessed press). We do need to translate this into key policies and even more important perhaps into clear visions to guide ourselves in choosing these. I’d like to suggest a couple of metaphors to help build up that vision. As the famous jingle goes: There was a dachshund once so longIt hadn’t any notionHow long it took to notifyIts tail of its emotions.And so it happened while its eyesWere filled with woe and sadnessIts little tail went wagging ...

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act Q: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to amend section 34 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to permit the courts to draw adverse inferences from the failure to mention facts in post-charge interviews for terror-related offences. (John Hemming) A:A detainee may not be interviewed about an

So Peter Hain and the Labour Party have gone and done it. They have put into their bill a clause to stop people standing for both the regional list and in a constituency. In his justification for this Peter Hain is fond of quoting the statistic that 15 of the 20 regional members have constituency offices in the area they stood for in 2003 and that we are using these offices to help build up support for 2007. Not only is this nonsense but it is not true.My rationale in choosing my office was that it should be accessible to ...

Wednesday was the last Plenary session before Christmas. This was despite pleas from the Liberal Democrats AM for Cardiff Central, Jenny Randerson, that we should keep on going, possibly right up to Christmas Eve if necessary. Jenny and I are both on the same wavelength in this regard: I regret that there is not an oral statement on the Chancellor’s pre-budget statement. It is important that it is known what it will be, it should be timed into the programme, and I do not accept the pressures-of-time excuse, because, as has been said here before, the Welsh Liberal ...

Schoolboy piper Andrew Caulfield has been told he cannot practise his bagpipes at home anymore or he will be landed with an Anti-Social Behaviour Order. It is not that Andrew is a novice piper who totures the air with inexperiences squeaks and squeals but at 13 he has already piped Santa in to lights on for the same council that is threatening him now. He also teaches other aspiring pipers on the canter.After being 2 decibels over the limit on a simulated test his parents bought him a quieter set of pipes but the council have refused to retest the ...

Leah - Yesterday I went to my NHS dentist in Putney. I was delighted to find one so easily as in Newbury finding an NHS dentist with space on his books was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It's not that I can't afford to go private - it's a point of political principle. Even in October when chronic asthma saw me taken into hospital I refused to believe friends who said that the only way to get it cleared was to see a private doctor.Anyway my only surprise at the dentist was to discover that you ...

I am watching This Week on BBC1, and Andrew Neil has just told us he has it on good authority that Charles Kennedy will resign as leader at the Lib Dem Spring Conference next year. I would not bet too much money on that rumour. But an article on the Guardian website last week said that if Kennedy does go soon the two front-runners will be Mark Oaten and Simon Hughes. Come to think of it, I wrote that article. If that were the choice we were presented with, there would be powerful lobbies wanting Ming Campbell to stand and ...