LibDem Blogs - Archived!

A heart-warming story from the BBC, appropriate to the season: An animal-loving youngster was so upset after a red squirrel was knocked down on a road outside his home he urged forestry chiefs to erect warning signs. Luke Hodgson, six, wrote to the Forestry Commission after seeing the fate of the creature at Sidwood, near Greenhaugh, Northumberland. They listened to his appeal and installed six warning signs. My first reaction was to wonder if the squirrels would be able to read the signs. (I have written here about education often enough.) But it turns out: The ...

Charles Kennedy says he wants to lead the Liberal Democrats past the next General Election. Can he do it? There are far more switched on pundits out there who can speculate on that one. Should he do it? That is a political question for party members. How can he do it? Here are a few ideas that could keep him going for a while even if it doesn’t take him all the way through to the

"As President and Commander-in-Chief, I have the constitutional responsibility and the constitutional authority to protect our country. Article II of the Constitution gives me that responsibility and the authority necessary to fulfill it." Not quite. Article II confers on the President the position of Commander-in-Chief, but gives him no authority to act outside the law. Will Bush be impeached?

This will be a quick post as we are on our way out to the dinner party we are having in honour of our first wedding anniversary and I apologise if the typing is bad - my nails are still drying! Yes you guessed it we're not having the dinner party at home - neither us nor our flat could quite cater for dinner for ten. The office party last night was a resounding success - I had a fantastic night! So did Robin when he joined me for the last 15 minutes. Really it was staff only but I ...

The links are coming back. Not all of them yet - but a good selection. If you are linking to us and we're not linking back then let us know. As long as you don´t advocate eating babies, we will reciprocate (I mean, we'll link back).

This article makes the phrase “David Cameron: lock up your daughters” less a statement on his sex appeal and more a campaign strategy.

Greetings, and welcome to the final Sportblog roundup of 2005. At a time when standing on the touchline leaves you feeling like a block of ice, here is a roundup of some of the blogosphere's finest sportswriting to make you feel warm and happy right up until Christmas.First, though, I'm inviting you to test your brains out. Dave at Talk Politics has a football-related caption competition - just what is Wayne Rooney thinking?Next, a cautionary tale for sports stars aiming at immortality. The Indianapolis Colts' bid to become only the second team to go through an NFL season undefeated ended ...

by Peter I've only just come across this blog. Here Tory convert explains her political philosophy. And interesting it is. This comment is particularly appealing: Conservative policies which I actually like? Well, as you know we are going through something of a period of transition in giving shape to our policies, so I can't be overly specific - I don't exactly have a checklist in front of me.

by Peter Here is a little early Christmas for SVTaxers out there: Public Finance examining the case for LVT. There have that nice quote from Churchill: "Roads are made," he argued, "streets are made, services are improved, electric light turns night into day, water is brought from reservoirs a hundred miles off in the mountains - and all the while the landlord sits still… He renders no service to the community, he contributes nothing to the general welfare, he contributes nothing to the process from which his own enrichment is derived." All very ...

Right to Buy intoduced 26 years ago today. Christine Hamilton never looked back.

Coming in late, but what is Simon Jenkins on? The implementation of single farm payments is thus critical to more than the fate of British farming. It will decide whether the countryside, at least in southern Britain, remains in a remotely rural form. Not only must the money be sufficient to keep farmers on the land [...]

This blog is on message. You won't find any disloyaly to Charles Kennedy here. That said, I did enjoy the Daily Telegraph's suggestion that, when the time for the Lib Dem leader to stand down comes, it will be "the men in sandals" who go to see him.

After a trying few of days some very good news - Today my brother and his wife legally adopted Emily, so welcome to the Ross Family Emily! This is great news just before Christmas and I look forward to spending a lot of time with Emily over the next weeks, months and years. I am particularly happy, and proud, of Peter and Claire for adopting Emily as I know the process has been long and hard at times - it was all worth it - Congratulations.

I really enjoyed the Beeb’s Bleak House adaption, which ended last week. The finale was a little disappointing - nice characters dying, villains not getting their comeuppances - but perhaps if it had been an entirely happy ending, tying up all of the loose ends, I’d be saying it was unrealistic. There’s a good summary on [...]

by Peter I'd guess that carol singers will find that some people take a lot longer to open the doors this Christmas.

The Guardian has announced its latest ICM poll with great fanfare, declaring what we already new months ago: Cameron is quite popular. But it is also quite good news for the Lib Dems. Standard disclaimers about opinion polls just being a snapshot notwithstanding, I think we should be pleased that the Lib Dems have stayed [...]

On Friday David Cameron visited Hereford and made a plea for liberals and Liberals (small and big L's) to join him in the 'new liberal' Conservative Party. Cameron said the Conservative Party was a "new home" for liberals and that they should combine to beat Labour in marginal seats. He went further and has appealed directly to Liberal Democrat MPs and Councillors to defect to his party. In a speech he said Conservatives stood for "liberal values", including a commitment to green policies, localism and deregulation.

Personally, I quite like Rolf Harris' portrait of 'Her Maj', Queen Elizabeth, however I enjoyed more this gem tucked away in Marina Hyde's Guardian column today: Discussing his similarly reviled cover of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, which featured a didgeridoo solo, Rolf eventually confessed he had never heard the original when he came to record it. "And when I did," he told an interviewer in that familiar half-whisper, "I thought: 'Oh my God ... what have I done?'"

As Christmas gets closer the news flows more slowly, hence the Western Mail this morning leads on a Welsh Development Agency staff party. As the WDA will cease to exist on 1 April it is the last such event before the staff all become civil servants, some hi-jinks are to be expected therefore. In this case though those antics take on a political overtone as a song performed by a a few staff members undermines the claim by Economic Development Minister, Andrew Davies, that morale is high and that everybody is looking forward to the challenges ahead.The words of Newport ...

I've been reviewing some of the cases coming up before the Standards board, Adjudication Panel for UK - Tribunals since a political associate advised me that her case was due to be heard - it's been pending for months. Just noticed this morning it's slated for early in the new year - seems to have taken forever to get the case heard. It's costing her an arm and a leg in lawyers fees but she's determined to fight for her political life. The cases are open to the public but as the venue is so far ...

I can't get along myself but you may like to sing carols in Parliament Square on Wednesday evening. The invitation reads: "You are cordially invited to a public carol service in Parliament Square at 6pm on Wednesday the 21st of December 2005. This inclusive service will contain both Christian and secular verse, and is expected to last no more than an...