LibDem Blogs - Archived!

I'm hosting the campaign HQ here in East Dulwich which means, and I have mixed feelings about this, that I'm obliged to stay at home whilst we're open. So, what to do? Ironically, the solution I've found is to tidy the house, which is beginning to have an impact. The kitchen looks like you might be able to prepare food without the risk of getting food poisoning (alright, I exaggerate how bad it

It’s a very Tarzan proposal: showy, populist and silly. Lord Heseltine, head of the Tories’ cities task force, has urged his party to shake-up local government by merging the twin council positions of chief executive and leader. Superficially, it’s a clever and attractive notion. All politicians everywhere – especially in the lead-up to elections – pledge to cut red tape, wage a war on waste,

Can you believe it! The local press think the green manifesto is ok to print but not us! Seems that local bias in the media is rearing its head. They have covered everyone’s manifesto except outs !!!!!!!! Every thing was done right and still no joy, I really have a hard time believing in democracy

First of all, it’s only fair to mention that I do like your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. Now that’s out of the way, let me suggest that you’ve enacted a strategic error by making your branch on the Strand in London part of an easyInternetCafé. This allow me to complain online about your service [...]

I watched David Cameron's speech on the computer. Sadly I mised the last few minutes because one of the twins threw-up (something they never do when Ming speaks). But I had seen enough. Generally Cameron was predictable - but with one big surprise. Cameron was ecstatic about a by-election win in South Ribble - somewhere where they hadn't put up a candidate in twelve years. Iain Dale!!!! (tm) had been quite ecstatic about this too. South Ribble Tories are cock-a-hoop tonight after winning a Council by election in a seat they hadn't contested for 12 years. Result Con 386 ...

Will Howells has injected an interesting meme into the Lib Dem blogosphere: Go to Wikipedia. Type in your birth date (but not year). List three events that happened on your birthday. List two important birthdays and one interesting death. Post this in your journal.Here is my effort for 25 March. Three events 1807 - The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing slavery in the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 1811 - Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for his publication of the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism. 1969 - During their honeymoon, John ...

The old monster's latest diary is now on his website: I then spend the day browsing in the Library. One of the things I turn up is the notorious “Schoolkids” issue of Liberator; this caused quite a stir in its day, and reading it now I can quite see why. It is pretty radical stuff: a ban on Gregory Powder; long trousers at 12; a Royal Commission on bedtimes. Dinner with the Campbells – Ming and the redoubtable Elspeth, who was so memorably played by Sean Connery in A Bridge Too Far. I also hunt down something that I ...

Quite surprised that bloggers still seem to be so interested in the on going saga about Tessa Jowell and her husband David Mills. Bit behind with my blog reading - noticed Guido Fawkes posting "Still in Love" He wrote: The Sunday Mirror reports that, as many suspected would happen, David Mills has again been seen wandering the streets of Tufnell Park wearing his wedding ring. Guido's paparazzi with the telephoto lens in Tufnell Park reports that she is not wearing a ring. Mills is back from America, but he is not back in the family home.When I read Tufnell ...

I was going to put something about the Newsnight election predictions on the Sun-God. But the Mirror has beaten me to it. The Newsnight poll would mean the Tory share of the vote would be down four per cent on the 2004 local elections - a big blow to Mr Cameron's fledgling leadership. The same poll said Labour would be up two per cent, despite losing 130 seats, as would new Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell's party, with gains of 190 seats. Meanwhile, 58 per cent of people said the Tories had not changed at all under ...

If you belonged to a political party that had just been accused by the Leader of HM Official Opposition of being peopled by "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly", what might be your response to show up these remarks for the travesty you believe them to be? Issue a rebuttal, sure. Perhaps threaten a libel suit. And then park an armoured personnel carrier outside the Tories' Spring

There's nothing going for them electorally in the North, so the only reason they can have come is to steal our abundant water.

when the H5N1 virus arrived in France, according to the BBC. Pas de merde. Who'd a thunk it?

Ooh, my first* meme! Spotted over at Will’s: Go to Wikipedia. Type in your birth date (but not year). List three events that happened on your birthday. List two important birthdays and one interesting death. Post this in your journal. I’ve customised this one for October 30th to suit my blog… Three political events: 1270 - The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis end by an agreement between Charles I of Sicily (brother to King Louis IX of France, who had died months earlier) and the Sultan of Tunis. 1905 - Tsar Nicholas II grants Russia's first ...

David Cameron has already discovered how difficult it is to change the direction of a political party. His attempts to remould the Conservatives into a more modern and relevant political force have consistently floundered on the rocks of member willfulness, as they continue to select non-PC candidates and act as if their party was still led by Margaret Thatcher and Norman Tebbit. Now the BNP have hit the same ceiling, with members in open revolt at attempts by their leader, Nick Griffin, to widen their membership base. In 2004 Mr. Griffin, tried to force through rule changes allowing non-white people ...

Ah well, I'm already having trouble finding time to blog, so I'm going to shut down here for the next few weeks. More on web presence shortly...

Having seen this meme via various people who have posted and who feed into Lib Dem Blogs (http://www.libdemblogs.co.uk/) I couldn't resist - You type in your birth date (but not year) and it then comes up with a whole host of events that happened on your birthday. My list includes the following : Events 490 BC - Athens defeats Persia at the Battle of Marathon 1609 - Henry Hudson discovers the

Leicester (currently in 18th place) beat Crystal Palace (currently in 5th Place) 2-0 on Friday night. It now looks increasingly likely that the playoffs will be contested by Watford, Leeds, Palace and Preston. For anything different to happen now would require a phenomenal collapse by probably either Preston or Sheffield United who now look almost certain to secure 2nd spot and automatic