LibDem Blogs - Archived!

What a wonderfully complex set of folks we British can be. Norman Kember is freed from captivity in Iraq and one would expect there to be general rejoicing at this. But, no, instead the story turns into a row about who thanked whom for what. I listened to a radio programme today where callers [...]

I see that Matt Sellwood of the Oxford City Green Party beat me to it with the news that UNISON suspends Labour support over the Local Government Pension Scheme dispute. He says: As far as I know, the Green Party is the only political party to explicitly support the LGPS strike on Tuesday (I guess that the Respect coalition does too, but I've not heard anything from them about it). I'll be on the picket line - I hope that some of the few remaining 'progressive Labour' elected representatives will be too! I don't know if ...

I was out door-knocking today, and one local resident told me that the Council does nothing for Chessington. I can remember years ago when it really did feel as though this was the forgotten end of the borough - indeed I may have played a part in inventing that phrase myself. But all that has changed dramatically and so I reminded him of three current high value...

Apropos of nothing, I thought I’d mention one of those passing (and very tenuous) Doctor Who/Liberal Party connections that one comes across from time to time. Henry Ainley was well known on the London stage at the beginning of the twentieth century. He made a few early ilms, including a silent version of The Prisoner of [...]

White stilettos.

To the centre of town today for my first meeting as a board member of Common Ground sign dance company. Its an organisation run by deaf people.. i think i am the only "hearing" member of the board. The sign language interprters were there for me because everyone else knew BSL.It's going to be a steep learning curve.. but i'm really glad to be involved as i suspect deaf and disabled arts deserve a lot more support.

It's wonderful what a browse of the Internet Movie Database reveals. You probably know that James Aubrey, who played Ralph in Peter Brook's famous 1963 film of Lord of the Flies, became an actor when he grew up. He has been appearing regularly in films and on TV ever since. What you may not know is his most recent role. He played David Chidgey (former Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh) in The Government Inspector - last year's TV drama about Dr David Kelly.

The BBC are currently reporting that ex-hostage Mr. Kember has now thanked his liberators, having previously failed to do so. It is possible that he did snub an opportunity to do so, but reading the BBC report it is hard to believe this isn't an orchestrated attempt to discredit a peace activist who now has a big platform to speak from. Or am I just getting too cynical? And am I imitating Guido too much by using italics?

I don't want to be flippant or dismissive about this news: Cocaine floods the playground: The Times ...because it is very serious in many ways, including many that are not being questioned in this latest bit of moral panic on drugs, but I thought it was an interesting contrast with some of the policies of South American leaders and would be leaders who want to feed coca to school children for the good of their health. Now, it should be said that, as President Morales of Bolivia claims, himself a former coca farmer, coca is not the same ...

If you didn't believe that Orwell's 1984 was inexorably becoming a reality you should read this: BBC NEWS | England | Kent | Local groups discuss terror signs: Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators across Canterbury have been finding out how they can prevent terrorism.It was one of the main issues discussed at an annual conference held at the Kent city's Christ Church University. Co-ordinators were told how to spot signs of bomb-making and other preparations for terrorist acts. What an awful prospect. If this is even necessary, which I frankly doubt, the best way to be watchful in our ...

In Icelandic banks refused extensions on loans, Tom Bawden reports that: ICELAND’S three biggest banks had their finances called into question last night, after US institutions refused to extend some of their loans to the banks. A group of US insurers and mutual funds yesterday decided not to roll over $600 million of so-called short-term extendable notes they had made to Kaupthing, the icelandic bank. Just a bank with a few cash flow problems you might say. Right. But there are some messages for all of us in this about how money is created ...

Steve Coppell is quoted as saying "We did have a great start to the season, but when you go to a restaurant and have an excellent starter it doesn't guarantee the rest of the meal will be good" Well the starter was excellent so was the main course and the pudding the coffee is being drunk and we just want to know how good the wafer thin mint is! By 5pm Reading fans may know. Those of us who

So - Labour are backing away from setting any green targets for business. Surprise, surprise. We will see on Tuesday when their much vaunted Climate Change Review is published just how genuine their green credentials really are.

About a week ago the price list for operations in the Health Service was finally released. I have not managed to review it as yet, but is seems substantially lower than the previous one. This implies deficits in the Hospitals. The big issue at the moment is to find out at the end of the Financial Year (next Friday) when the "music stops" what the real NHS deficits are. One problem is that

Rhodri Morgan will set out Labour's stall for the next Assembly elections during his party's Welsh Conference in Swansea today - 'vote for us because we are not the Tories'. Has anybody told Tony Blair that?

The permutations in full (with credit to the Reading FC official site) If Reading win then Watford and Leeds cannot catch them and they will be promoted. If Reading win and Sheffield United lose then Reading will be champions. If Reading win and Sheffield United draw then Reading would be 18 points clear with only 18 more available. Reading would also have a goal difference of at least 33 better than the Blades, but even so would not be mathematically champions. If Watford win, Reading have to win in order to go up. A draw for Reading would not be ...

The Tories' refusal to name their secret lenders before the last election is mighty suspicious. They can protest all they want that they don't have the same power of patronage when in opposition, but it's unsurprising that they're expected to behave as they preach Labour should. Cameron's now been so stringent in refusing to name the donors that he must have something to hide. There can be no legitimate fear of government prejudice against his party's backers when scrutiny of Blairite cronyism is so public. Guido (and hence every diary columnist) would be crawling all over the decision chain within ...

(Apologies for posting it here, but since the Darbyshires saw fit to disable comments on their own blog, it apparently doesn't stop them commenting on other peoples) Dear Darbyshires I'm not sure why you felt the need to unload a whole heap of your bile on me. I think I was one of your more restrained critics. I also think you'll find some of your harshest critics were not Lib Dems at all. My disquiet at your blog arose more from the comments you were arousing on Tory and New Labour sites - and my fear that you ...