LibDem Blogs - Archived!

I am watching Question Time from Moscow, and it is worth pointing out what a remarkable man Garry Kasparov is. He has a strong claim to be called the strongest chess player ever: certainly, he dominated the game for two decades from the mid 1980s. Now he has given chess up to enter Russian politics on the side of the angels. This article gives his account of that decision: Russia is in a moment of crisis and every decent person must stand up and resist the rise of the Putin dictatorship. Russia boasts too many generals and colonels in politics ...

The leader in today's Guardian.... The government has been so preoccupied with admissions of missed targets recently - such as climate change, lifting children out of poverty and social care that it has also missed out on a bit of rather good news this week. The spin doctors must have been caught off their watch for once. The UK has come 10th out of 115 countries ranked in terms of...

In times of crisis a government relies on its junior Ministers and backbenches to offer it support in the chamber. Often this can take the form of helpful interventions on opposition members, pointing out inconsistencies in their argument. At other times it will be speeches or questions. Occasionally, however this helpfulness can overstep the line and come across as just plain sycophancy. Now, nobody would ever accuse Huw Lewis of sucking up to Ministers. He is after all an intelligent and independently minded politician. Nevertheless, his question to beleagured Culture Minister, Alun Pugh, yesterday did more to undermine the ...

So, another by election. Moray is indeed a lovely place, an ideal retreat from city life. Very tempted...

A thousand children each week will be using Dinton Field in North Kingston for sports from now on, thanks to the determination of the Liberal Democrats. Today the Mayor opened this wonderful facility. Some years ago the Conservatives wanted to build on this playing field, and I led the opposition to their plans. I also proposed that we dedicate...

Since the opening of the new ASDA/Walmart superstore in Livingston a few years ago. Access from the west end of Almondvale Boulevard has been a nightmare. Why the place was allowed to open with one access and exit road at a roundabout junction just behind West Lothian House remains a mystery. However, there is hope. There is a new proposal to use Almondvale East Road which currently runs along

After a fortnight of having a million things to do, I am out of London and now sitting at the computer with a pint of tea and sweet FA left to do; except get hammered tonight, and continue touring the alehouses of North Somerset in the coming days. On leave this week, so spent the past couple days doing work experience at the Grauniad. Managed to squat at a spare desk in the press gallery, which was a learning curve. I learnt that journalists really do have potty mouths, and that Simon Hoggart never says anything that isn't witty. ...

So ID Cards will be compulsory by 2010, and our government are acting like they have made an enormous and magnanimous concession to the majority of the House of Lords who remain skeptical of this ill-conceived notion. It is just an act; This is a complete victory for the government. Work has not yet begun on the [...]

Over the last few years I have reported on the campaign to introduce traffic calming & speed reduction measures for the B4363, Hermitage Hill in Bridgnorth. In 2002 options for introducing a speed limit were consulted on. After deliberation as local member I signed of on the scheme full expecting the immanent arrival of the [...]

Edward Lucas, the Economist journalist, now has a blog. I wasn't going to mention that he used to be a Young Liberal, but his latest article begins: Sanctions are a wonderful substitute for real politics. In my dim and distant youth, I belonged to the Young Liberals, a British political organization that specialised in campaigning for a complete trade and cultural boycott of 'Apartheid South Africa'. That usually meant harassing some hapless supermarket manager for daring to stock South African sherry or oranges. We got a tremendous glow of righteous self-satisfaction, but the effect on the creepy old racists ...

I am pleased to reported that the speed reduction proposed for the A442 through Quatford is out to consultation with the Police. Once Shirehall have received the views of the Police they will make any required modifications and then go out to formal public consultation. Although this is somewhat later than I had anticipated. Recent accidents [...]

BBC News: Pet Shop Boys protest at ID cards: A spokesman for the Pet Shop Boys told the Evening Standard: “Neil has always been a Labour Party supporter, but at the last election he voted Liberal Democrat because he is completely against the idea of ID cards.” (This story’s about a month old, but I missed it [...]

Have Working Lunch on in the background whilst I work, not sure why, and I've got a polite request for Adrian Chiles. When somebody else is talking, stop saying "yeah" every two seconds. There is absolutely no need.

A British banger binned in an Irish marina has to be treated as toxic waste, according to local rules. The offending article must be notified to the marina manager, who in turn has to has to alert the local authority Toxic Sausageline, who send a suited and booted team with special container for the lethal object to be taken away and buried in a designated toxic landfill. (Quick, start a

Well the Conservatives have let me down and I'll no doubt be arrested, convicted and sent to prison. Yes that is right the Conservatives in the House of Lords have allowed the ID Card legislation to pass by supporting a so-called compromise that will ensure I still end up in prison. Only the Liberal Democrats voted against the Government.

Yesterday I visited the New Art Gallery in Walsall. This is one of those white elephants, built with Lottery money, which dot provincial England. But the collection it houses is special and worth going to see. It is easy to find as it stands in the centre of town beside the canal basin. It looms over the water like a dreadnought where the narrow boats used to load. There was a family of swans in the basin. The cygnets were very adolescent - their feathers, turning from grey to white, looked like drifted snow with highways department salt dumped on ...

When Council Tax was first created the government had a figure called "Council Tax at Standard Spend" which was the figure they assumed would be the average Council Tax at Band D. This was replaced by the Assumed National Council Tax for 2003/4. One of the problems for the government with these figures is that they make it quite clear that the government is financing local authorities on the

So we've had the elections for Liberal Democrat leader, deputy leader and chief whip. If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from internal party elections, go to politicalbetting.com where they are already discussing who will succeed Ming: Like Tony Blair and David Cameron the top four in the betting have a lot in common: They are all male; They are all white; They all went to public school; They all went to either Oxford or Cambridge.

The Policy Exchange, a right-of-centre think tank, have said that the move to create one police force for Wales is based on misguided and misleading analysis. The report, 'Size Isn't Everything: Restructuring Policing in England and Wales', says big forces are no more efficient than small ones - even on serious cross-border crime. It recommends that instead the Government should allow forces voluntarily to federate where necessary, extend the remit of national policing agencies, give more power and responsibility to Basic Command Units, and modernise policing practices and working structures. "By forcing through traumatic and counter-productive mergers in ...

The elections are on Sunday and then it looks as if we will be in uncharted waters. The opposition boycott means that the elections could be declared unconstitutional so what happens then I don't know. The Peoples Alliance for Democracy has already asked the Election Commission to disqualify the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from Sunday's election. I have attempted to read the parts of the constitution to see what might happen but I can't work it out. Research on the internet so far has not turned up the answer. Some of the opposition seem to be suggesting that the King ...

The existence of this post says much about me... I touched down in New York three hours ago, it's currently 4.30 am BST (as both my body and computer clocks are telling me), and I'm writing about the result of the Liberal Democrat deputy leadership election. So I'm going to confine myself to three quick points: 1. Well done, Vince. He deserves to win for this article alone - one of the best

First David Miliband writes a blog, then he starts a online discussion forum. I can't wait for the Cabinet webcasts...