The Mail reports that Chris Myers was quite qualified for his Foreign Office job after all, because he went on quite a few foreign trips with William Hague when he (Hague) was Shadow foreign secretary. Oh, and William Hague was pursued by quite a lot of "horsey" women at Oxford, including one "Ann Widdecombe lookalike" from whom Hague took refuge under a table at a party. Oh, oh, and, and SHOCK! HORROR ! – the considerable investigative resources of the Associated Newspaper group have been focussed on solving the mystery of the "B" on Hague's baseball cap. It relates to ...
This surely must be the final nail in the political coffin of Andy Coulson – from today's Observer: John Prescott tonight demanded the Metropolitan police reopen its investigation into the News of the World phone-hacking scandal as the Observer revealed that Scotland Yard holds News International documents suggesting that he was a target when deputy prime minister. Two invoices held by the Met mention Prescott by name. They appear to show that News International, owner of the NoW, paid Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator at the heart of the scandal, for his help on stories relating to the deputy PM. ...
An interesting day with fellow activists in the Lib Dems as we did training and campaigning for future elections. Some are predicting an early demise of our party. Well you might be having a very long wait !!
At some point along the way i picked up some sort of snobbish aversion to blogging about my real life, as if a day to day journal of my activities had no place in a Real Blog. This is, I am perfectly aware, absurd. Particularly as it is the personal events and journalling I like so much in the blogs I choose to read. I have some strange ideas, don't ask. Anyway, life's been such that I haven't really sat down to blog, really. I've been Doing Stuff, and when I haven't been Doing Stuff I've been staring into space ...
Sat 4th
21:42
DALBY SQUARE THE FACTS - Tory Council throws away your money and Labour say stuff the homeless
Sorry that's just an attention seeking title, but in reality I'm writing this without letting too many facts cloud the issue, Labour councillors have invested a lot of effort in tarting up Dalby Square, which has become a diverse neighbourhood and home for people from across Europe seeking a better life. However despite the efforts of Labour activist, who I'd say have been prime movers in improving the area, one area in need of sorting out has been the Warren Court Hotel site which is currently I guess only occupied by rodents on self catering holidays. Moving on, Town and ...
(From the Doctor Who Annual 1974, published of course in 1973 and available on the DVD of The Time Warrior which is next in my rewatchathon; sadly, the identity of the writer of this piece of filler about how Christmas will be celebrated in 2003 has been lost in the mists of time...) Even with all the super-automated, mass-produced, computer-controlled technology we are evolving every day there is still no reason why our age-old traditions should ever disappear. And so Christmas in the year 2003 might not be that much different from the festival we all enjoy today. But though ...
Gordon Thomas is to be congratulated on a superb article here in the Telegraph: Despite his widow's-peak haircut and geeky smile, [Gareth Williams] worked at the cutting edge of computer technology. His mathematical brain made him a vital tool in the fight against terrorism and cyber warfare. Yet the security services are anxious to play down his role, so as not to alarm the world over his importance to anyone involved in his murder. What I found very strange, and, in a gallows-humour sort of way, amusing, was that it was two weeks before Gareth Williams' employers reported his absence ...
From Stockport Council: Traditional pie-tasting and intriguing Town Hall tours are just some of the new events on offer in Stockport for this year's Heritage Open Days, from Thursday 9th - Sunday 12th September. A pie-tasting event will take place at Stockport Tourist Information Centre on Saturday 11th September. John Titterton and his father Tom are part of a distinguished family of master butchers dating back to 1875, when John's great-great grandfather founded the business. The current shop was opened in the 1920s and Tittertons has been a feature of Stockport Town Centre ever since. Stockport Town Hall will also ...
[IMG: Sydney Harbour Bridge at dawn] [IMG: Creative Commons License] photo credit: Narwee I occasionally do a Google news search for "Gillard" to see if any kangaroos are hopping up down under in the race, or should I say, stumble for someone born in the UK called Gillard or Abbot to become Prime Minister of Aussieland. At last it seems that Labour leader Julia Gillard, born in Barry, South Wales, has managed to outwit (il)Liberal (see Russia and Japan) leader Tony Abbott, born in London. And, surprise surprise (and for this she deserves great quodos) she has managed to get ...
Last month, I reported upon a useful and productive meeting I had with the Chair, Chief Executive and Head of Pharmacy at NHS Tayside about the transportation of drugs issue. I had previously raised concerns about this matter. As reported in today's Courier, the issues have been resolved and I pay tribute to NHS Tayside for its willingness to discuss my concerns and react positively to the points I made. Here is the letter that I have received from the NHS Tayside Chief Executive : Dear Councillor Macpherson SERVICE 333: PERTH ROYAL INFIRMARY/NINEWELLS - TRANSFER OF DRUGS VIA HOSPITAL LINK ...
This week a documentary on BBC1 includes interviews about a bomb that fell on the air raid shelter in Kennington Park on 15th October 1940. This was the largest loss of life from a single bomb in Lambeth during the war, with an estimated 104 fatalities. Since 2006, the site of the air raid shelter in Kennington Park has been marked by a long-overdue memorial. Local Lib Dem councillors supported local residents in their campaign for the construction of a fitting memorial. The programme can be watched on BBC iPlayer, at: For more information about the history of the ...
Last Sunday I wrote Clinton Cards - homophobic or just plain lazy? and had also contacted them, their auto response email stated my email would be responded to within 48 hours. Almost a week later, my email still remains unanswered. I know they have read the blog post as well. I have emailed them again today using the contact form HERE. I am somewhat disappointed (although not shocked) that I have received no reply but maybe I have discovered Clinton Cards flaw, they haven't worked out how to deal with civil partnerships, or worse the Board of Clinton Cards is ...
Further to my recent item about the blaze affecting the front of 97 Peddie Street, it appears that a mattress stuffed in a wheelie bin sitting outside the tenement was set alight, possibly by a discarded cigarette. It absolutely highlights the need to get rid of the bins that sit permanently on the pavement - this blaze could have had very serious consequences. The Head of Waste Management at Dundee City Council has replied to me in the following terms : " ... we have arranged to meet the City Engineer regarding the installation of street bins at the above ...
I return after an 18 month 'break' from this blog in a rather melancholic frame of mind. But then, I'm a Welsh football fan, what else should you expect? So, feeling under the weather as I am today and having opted for a quiet night in to recuperate, what better way to spend my time than by venting my deeply held frustration at what has been a lifetime of anguish in following Wales with the round ball? The catalyst of course was a certain scoreline last night that read Montenegro 1-0 Wales but this is merely the most recent chapter ...
From Stockport Council: By the end of September, six people will have successfully completed the business training provided by Market Start and started a new life as a trader on Stockport's fabulous and historic market. By Friday 4th September (the day before the Historic Street Market family event on Saturday 5th September) we will have:- · Nicola, trading in cupcakes, tray bakes and wedding favours · Irene, trading in fashions for the mature woman · Caroline, trading in children's formal wear, occasion wear and fancy dress outfits · Shilpa, trading in scented candles, soaps, bath bombs and all the mini ...
Given that I'm a member of the Management Board and Council of 'Unlock Democracy', this might seem like an odd question to ask. And yet, as a Liberal Democrat campaigner (never thought I'd use that phrase as a self-description but there you go...), I am caught in something of a quandary. You see, the referendum is due to take place on 5 May next year. As are District Council elections in Mid Suffolk. Hmmm... which one is more important to me? Easy really, the District Council election, because I'd rather like to do something that might help the two thousand ...
An intriguing consultation paper has come out of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). It proposes that if a council wishes to raise council tax above the level that the Secretary of State caps it at then they can ask the people if they want to increase it that much in a referendum. This is interesting in a number of ways. Firstly, it is good to see that the government is considering applying a local ability to circumvent capping of council tax rises. It is wrong, in my view, that the government can cap council tax rises. I ...
Over at The Guardian's Comment is Free website, Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley John Hemming argues that the Institute for Fiscal Studies made a number of mistakes in its analysis of the Coalition's budget plans. Here's an excerpt: Labour politicians seized on an Institute for Fiscal Studies report last month which described the emergency budget as "clearly regressive". Unfortunately, some of the IFS's conclusions and the reporting of them were misleading and inaccurate. ... the IFS has made a number of important errors in its report, which tends to exaggerate the effect of the cuts on the poorest households. ...
I first began to get worried about some Lib Dem sound bites during the closing stages of General Election campaign. Nick Clegg was on Radio 5 I think. He was asked a question about the economy and kept repeating the phrase "Greedy Bankers" in the answer. It took the radio presenter to point out that ...
Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer is starting to develop a Palinesque quality as the gift which keeps on giving. Earlier this summer she said in a televised interview: ...our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert, either buried or just lying out there, that have been beheaded This beheaded bodies claim was entirely false. At a televised debate with her opponent, when repeatedly asked to recant on her error, the governor changed the subject. After the debate, reporters repeatedly asked her to recant but she sort of froze, then changed the subject, then froze again, then thanked everyone for ...
Amid early doors media hornswoggle about impending Lib Dem conference splits, which seem quite at odds to how the party feels, I wondered how we might want to project ourselves above and beyond the "sold-out" hacks - to the wider population and therein to explain where we are at, and where we are going, in terms of our own. Of course, the conference will likely have a well meaning, if transient, slogan like 'Fairness for All' but that will probably be lost in the cynical media din especially amidst the tabloids; from there to be picked up by the TV ...
I refer, of course, to the recent news story (via Stephen's Liberal Journal blog), a Guardian article: 'Labour condemns UK 'opt out' from EU directive against sex trafficking - Denis MacShane appeals to Lib Dems, as coalition invokes its right not to sign up'. Whilst it appears that this fairly outspoken Labour MP is doing some spinning, and that this directive succeeds one which has been open to signature since 2005 (here), the coalition's response from the Home Office, nevertheless, requires more explanation. The Home Office reportedly talks of human trafficking as being "a brutal form of organised crime". No ...
We'll see if it gets published on Monday... Sir, Roy Roebuck is right to point out that we live in a Parliamentary democracy and MPs could have stopped Britain's role in the invasion of Iraq. However, he is wrong to blame "many Liberal Democrats", because in fact every single Liberal Democrat MP voted against Britain invading Iraq. Yours sincerely, Mark Pack Roy Roebuck is not a particularly common name, and his letter gives his address as "London N1", so I wonder if he is the Roy Roebuck who was Labour MP for Harrow East many years ago?
It's been a wee while since I've done one of these round ups of good blog posts I've read, and this one is primarily going to welcome some new blogs onto the scene. First of all, I hope that the transfer window for Scottish bloggers is now closed and we won't be seeing any more of our number moving away for the time being. The last star blogger to leave these shores has now helped set up the Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland blog. Stephen has blogged passionately about the refusal of the Government to sign the latest EU Human ...
One crucial element to Assembly elections in Northern Ireland is the question of how many candidates to run in each of the constituencies. On the face of it, this should be a fairly simple calculation, based on the following steps: 1) defend all seats won in the last election 2) if the party's likely vote share multipled by seven exceeds the number of seats won in 2007, run an extra candidate 3) that's it. The problem is, of course, to get a good feel for the vote share, given that there has only been one election since 2007 using the ...
[IMG: Coolidge Painting] Image Source: Wiki - Dogs Playing Poker In the past few weeks there has been one animal related story that has dominated the press and the Internet and one that has just trickled a long quietly. In case you missed it; the first story is about Mary Bale or "Evil Cat Woman" as she is known all over the Internet. She gained this name due to CCTV footage that records her placing a cat in a wheelie bin. It is an act of senseless cruelty that deserves condemnation. Mary Bale received more than condemnation and ended up ...
From the Council: Stockport Council is encouraging residents and businesses throughout the borough to save money whilst reducing their carbon footprint. The CarbON-CarbOFF initiative has been launched to help everyone in Stockport reduce the amount of carbon they produce, save money by being more energy efficient and become more environmentally friendly. One of the simplest ways to reduce carbon emissions, as well as save money on energy bills, is to get loft and cavity wall insulation. To help all Stockport residents do this, the CarbON-CarbOFF initiative sees the Council team up with the Greater Manchester Energy Saving Trust advice centre ...
There's no prize at stake - just the opportunity to prove you're wittier than any other LDV reader ... (Credit: The Independent.) Here's Tory spin chief, and David Cameron's Director of Communications, Andy Coulson doing what he does best: getting up close and personal with a mobile phone – what do you think he might be saying, hearing, or thinking? The winner of our most recent caption competition, the "It's Sarah Teather by a head" edition - according to The Voice's judging panel of one - was this one by Cheltenham Robin. Got a photo of a prominent Lib Dem ...
[IMG: Archway Station. Photo credit: OliverN5 on Flickr] Islington Council wants to know what residents think of the work it's done in the area and has this online survey asking for our views. It only takes a few minutes to complete, so why not add your views too? For me the big issues for the area are the progress that still needs to be made on keeping it clean, particularly graffiti on derelict buildings, and the way the road layout makes it hard to be a pedestrian moving around near the tube station. On the up side, it's great to ...
There are many people who are far better qualified to talk about Cyril Smith's life and career than myself so I shall just restrict myself to this one thought. Without people like Cyril and the small number of people in the Liberal (Democrat) party from the 1940s-90s the flame of Liberalism would have been extinguished a long time ago. The basis of our current strength in many parts of the country like Hull is owed to the small band of Liberals like him who kept the party going until better times came around. When some in the party start whining ...
Numerous tributes have been paid to Cyril Smith since his death was announced yesterday. In a comment on Liberal Democrat Voice, Chris Rennard reminds us of his importance to the Liberal Party in the early 1970s:Cyril Smith was one of only four Liberal candidates who increased their share of the vote substantially in the 1970 General Election. All four of those candidates (the others were Ronnie Fearn, Cyril Carr and Wallace Lawler) were popular local Councillors who were effective community campaigners. Their relative successes helped to give me and others some of our inspiration for how an electorally successful Liberal ...
Well, a clear gap of policy has opened between the two candidates for the UUP leadership, with Tom Elliott, generally considered the front-runner, clarifying that he will not attend GAA matches or gay pride parades, though in a burst of tolerance he will apparently "hold no issue with any of those who would". His opponent, Basil McCrea, has indeed attended both such events in the past. Gerry Lynch aptly characterises Elliott as posing as Lord Brookeborough's reincarnation. Ian Parsley is appalled. Elliott's cheerleader, Mike Nesbitt, seems to have been told the opposite by the candidate. 'Chekov' mocks Elliott's apparent inconsistency; ...
Just as I was planning to announce an Exciting Development for this blog, my laptop has fallen ill. This morning I took it into Computer Solutions of Market Harborough for repair - and the shop turns out to be run by Andy Manning, a former Overseas Vice Chair of the National League of Young Liberals. We spent a happy time thinking of people we both remembered, an alarming number of whom (Harriet Smith, Mike Harskin, Dave Senior...) are now dead. Anyway, I may be spending the next week haunting the internet cafes of Leicester, but I hope to keep up ...
Lib Dem Voice reported yesterday the sad passing of Sir Cyril Smith, one of the party's best-known figures, who served as Rochdale's MP for two decades. Tributes have been pouring in as a mark of appreciation for Cyril's life. Nick Clegg issued the following statement: "Cyril Smith was a larger-than-life character and one of the most recognisable and likeable politicians of his day. I am deeply saddened to hear the news of his death today, and offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends. "Everybody in Rochdale knew him not only as their MP but also as a friend. ...
Sat 4th
12:04
Welsh Liberal Democrats call for the reopening of the Boundary Commission Review for Newport
Ed Townsend, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader of Newport council and Regional Assembly Member, Veronica German have both called for for a boundary commission report into electoral arrangements in the City to be scrapped after some submissions sent to it went astray. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales this week published a report on electoral arrangements in Newport in which changes to ward boundaries were recommended, as well as a reduction in the number of councillors from 60 to 56. But submissions from local Conservatives and Liberal Democrats went astray and were not considered by the team of Commissioners. ...
The Daily Telegraph reports that Tony Blair had a hostile reception when he attended a book signing in Dublin yesterday. They say that shoes and eggs were thrown at the former British Prime Minister by anti-war protesters as he arrived at a bookshop in the Irish capital. However, the missiles did not hit him: Activists clashed with Gardai as they tried to push down a security barrier outside the Eason store. Campaigners, who turned out in the pouring rain, were chanting: "Hey hey Tony hey, how many kids have you killed today?" They also shouted: "Tony Blair war criminal" and ...
There were two famous musicians that shared my given names one was Stephen Patrick Gately, the other is Morrissey. It is the latter who is letting down the Stephen Patrick's of this world today. He has called the Chinese a 'subspecies' of the human race! No I know that Morrissey is a long-term radical vegetarian and animal-rights campaigner. Remember 'Meat is Murder' the single and the T-shirts. It's a catchy slogan and one that has been taken up by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) see the image to the left. However, the ethical treatment of animals mustn't ...
The death of Cyril Smith yesterday marks the passing of an era in Liberal politics. Cyril was a maverick, but that is not a bad thing. He was Mr. Rochdale, but he was also a politician who was not afraid to speak his mind irrespective of the consequences, and who wore his principles on his sleeve. To me that is the mark of a good liberal. Skimming through David Steel's autobiography again, just now I was struck by just how awkward-squad Cyril was. He opposed the Lib-Lab pact in the 1970s at every opportunity, speaking and voting against it at ...
The recent "proper" winter showed that there were some real problems with local authorities preparedness. In particular, roads and pavements were not treated and although people wanted to get to school and work, they simply couldn't get there. After the chaos, questions had to be asked. In Mid Sussex a Snow Summit was convened to consider responses to the bad weather. Graham Knight, the Lib Dem group leader at MSDC asked for a report on the current state of preparedness for major incidents. The report was presented to the Performance and Scrutint committee last week. You can read the report ...
From Stockport Council: Central Library will be partially closed from 4.00pm on Saturday 11th September and will reopen at 10.00am on Monday 20th September. The closure will allow the Information Library to be incorporated into the Lending Library on the ground floor of the building, which will provide easier access for customers to a wider range of materials. This is made possible by the growth in digital information and reference resources and decreasing reliance on paper and print materials. The vacated Information Library will then provide much needed additional space for the ever expanding local history collections of books, maps, ...
You know those children's alphabet posters: a for apple, b for banana, that sort of thing? I recently came across an old Victorian example which, amongst some entries that would seem a little odd today ("V is for vulcan") had the charming I is an Irishman who climbs up the walls Have we really moved on from the days when young children could be taught that an entire nation could be judged by a particular stereotypical activity, and not in an especially nasty way, but just as a statement of fact. Yes, I think we have. The Daily Express might ...
[IMG: Man all alone in large room] That's the title of a training session I'm doing at Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool with Tim Prater. We will be discussing the key website optimisation tips and good practice to ensure your online campaigning is well indexed by search engines. I was really pleased when Tim floated the idea of doing this session as people still often find it quite hard to move from having set up an online presence to getting useful traffic to it. These days the setup is pretty easy; a few minutes at Facebook, Twitter, Blogger or one ...
Sat 4th
09:55
'Resignations mark growing LibDem revolt over coalition' - alleges the Indie. Revolt? My elbow
From the Independent: Nick Clegg is facing a growing grassroots revolt as Liberal Democrat councillors quit the party in protest at the decision to form the Coalition with the Conservatives. Eight councillors in four areas have already resigned and the party's high command is braced for more resignations as the full impact of the public spending cuts becomes clearer. Town halls face a severe budget squeeze despite the Government's pledge to devolve power. It would be surprising if there were not some sort of resignation wave after the coalition agreement, particularly from councillors in councils facing severe spending regimes (aren't ...
Excellent to see this new initiative, which is over at http://libdemsni.wordpress.com. Reading through the posts there so far I'm struck by how streaks of similarity poke through the many differences in Northern Irish politics compared to those of England, Scotland or Wales. The blog got off to a good start with its star signing; let's hope it prospers in the coming months.
Seventy-Seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler is a detective mystery featuring his regular pairing of policemen Arthur Bryant and John May. Without giving too much of the plot away, at its heart are seventy-seven clocks deployed in an extravagant burst of megalomania which is redolent of James Bond villains at their very best. Credibility is certainly stretched by the conceit which powers the book's crime wave but it is a mystery book of the tradition that does not rely on magic or superstition to explain away apparently impossible situations. It is, however, a mystery in the Sherlock Holmes rather than Ellery ...
Good luck to Hilary Clinton in her attempt to progress peace between Palestinians and Israel. Nobody gives this any chance of success at this time but that is often the time that you achieve breakthrough. Too often the players in this saga have been accused of "never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Both sides could do a lot worse than learn from the Northern Irish experience. In spite of occasion incidents we have had peace for a number of years and the impressive thing about Ulster politics at the moment is just how boring it is! This has ...
There's all sorts of questions being asked about whether Andy Coulson was aware of phone tapping being carried out by journalists working for him when he was editor of the News of the World. However the Scotsman reports that it's another investigation carried out by the paper during his tenure which might lead to him appearing in a Scottish Court as a witness in Tommy Sheridan's perjury trial. One of the shocks of 2006 was then Scottish Socialist leader Tommy Sheridan winning £200,000 in libel damages from the News of the World. He and his wife were subsequently charged with ...
The EU and the international community should look at the benefits of restructuring Pakistan's debt to stop flood aid donations being swallowed up by rising interest payments, says West Midland Liberal Democrat Euro MP Liz Lynne.
Or when is a revolt not a revolt? Brace yourselves for a rollercoaster media ride over the coming weeks as we prepare ourselves for an onslaught of press rumour and speculation about revolts and splits in the party. With less than two weeks before conference kicks off in Liverpool today in The Independent we get a story to whet our appetites for what to expect in a piece headlined "Resignations mark growing Lib Dem revolt over Coalition." Now in fairness they do cite the three defections in Halton this week as justification for their scaremongering and that a total of ...
Cookies are always popular with most people. Makes approximately 24 cookies. 400g plain flour ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp baking powder pinch salt 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 160g unsalted butter (at room temperature) 85g light soft brown sugar 85g caster sugar 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten 120g milk or plain chocolate chips 80g hazelnuts broken into ...
The Independent this morning reports: Nick Clegg is facing a growing grassroots revolt as Liberal Democrat councillors quit the party in protest at the decision to form the Coalition with the Conservatives. This follows the news that three Lib Dem councillors in Cheshire have resigned, apparently in protest at the cuts being introduced by the Coalition Government. This brings to a grand total of eight (8) councillors who have defected from the Lib Dems since the special conference in Birmingham, where activists voted by an overwhelming margin to approve the Coalition deal. Or to put it another way, 99.8% of ...
A nice story of redemption in the English countryside, with the nice characters getting their reward and the nasty characters getting what was coming to them. A quick but satisfying read.
i) births and deaths 4th September 1975: birth of Kai Owen, who plays Rhys Williams in the first three seasons of Torchwood. ii)broadcast anniversary 4th September 1976 - broadcast of first episode of The Masque of Mandragora, starting Season 14. The Doctor and Sarah find an older console room in the Tardis, and then find themselves in a part of Renaissance Italy which looks just like a set from The Prisoner. Inevitably they are captured by the bad guys and the Doctor is made ready for the executioner's axe...
On the night of the 6-7 October 1998 Matthew Shepherd, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was out for the night in Laramie. Shortly after midnight he met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at the Fireside Lounge. They offered him a lift but they drove him to a rural area once they heard he was gay and pistol whipped and robbed him then tied him to a fence (below). It was not until 18 hours later that Shepherd was discovered, after initially being mistaken for a scarecrow in a coma, suffering major head injuries. He died 5 days ...
A little warning to all football players out there. Brazilian referee stabs player to death. Brazil police are searching for a referee after he allegedly stabbed a player to death during a soccer match in Barreira in Ceara state. Apparently the referee, Francisco Chaves, was attacked by a player, Francisco da Silva, after blowing for a foul against the visiting Boa-Fe team. Francisco da Silva kicked the referee who pulled out a knife. When Francisco's brother Jose da Silva went to his sibling's aid, he was stabbed in the chest and killed. Francisco da Silva is in hospital with knife ...
I was sorry to hear of the death of Cyril Smith yesterday. I have been active in politics all my life and I heard Cyril speak three or four times. I never heard him say anything with which I disagreed and I was able to tell him this a few years ago. He was respected by almost everyone. In fact I was speaking about him two days ago to someone who was from Rochdale and she had only good memories of him. I say almost everyone because I wrote a blog last November about a former Labour supporter who thought ...
