Britain should "open its heart" and take in 3,000 child refugees living alone and unaccompanied by their parents in Europe, Tim Farron has said. The Liberal Democrat leader will this week propose a Private Members Bill that would commit the UK to taking in Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan and Eritrean children displaced by conflict and living alone in Europe... "These children have left their home fleeing terror and persecution. I believe Britain must, as it always has done, offer safe haven and open its hearts to those in desperate need," Mr Farron said. "I am urging the government to support my ...
An extract from the film Take Me High. Reel Streets, which has lots of photographs of the film's locations then and now, describes it thus: Tim (Cliff Richard) is a successful ambitious young financier working for a London Merchant bank, but even his happy-go-lucky attitude is severely jolted when he is sent to Birmingham instead of the promised New York for his posting! But comedy reigns when the enterprising bank manager helps an unsuccessful Birmingham restaurant compete with its rivals by introducing a new fast food - the Brumburger!
Welcome to Broxtowe Enews, brought to you by the Liberal Democrats and edited by David Watts, on behalf of the Lib-Dems in Broxtowe. Next week will be the final edition of the newsletter for 2015, and we will resume in the new year. 1. Beeston Town Centre Revamp The Borough councils Beeston Town Centre Advisory Committee this week agreed a guide for developers for the revamp of Beeston Town Square. The guide says that the council, more nightlife and an open piazza space for both visitors and residents. Developing the planning strategy will cost between £400,000 and £450,000, and the total ...
The SNP was forced yet again to defend one of its new MP's as the member for Coatbridge, Chryston & Belshill Phil Boswell admitted using a tax avoidance scheme for his own financial affairs, whilst at the same time launching a hypocritical tirade against those that engage in tax evasion. Coming hot on the... More The 53??
Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie MSP has raised concerns after the publication of a new report by the Scottish Institute entitled: "From Recession to Recovery: Youth Unemployment and Employment in Scotland from 2008-2015" The report suggests that young women are losing out to men on job opportunities and Rennie responded by saying: "The improvement in the... More Rennie's Concern Over Jobs For Young Women
The political debate on Syria has produced a bewildering array of people proceeding from the same premises to opposite conclusions and from different premises to the same conclusions. We have an 'anti-war' coalition which unites Nigel Farage, David Davis, Jeremy Corbyn, the SNP, the Greens and the Mail and the 'pro-war' camp includes the Tory government, a sizeable chunk of the parliamentary Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Financial Times and the Indy. At recent party events I have attended there is disquiet and confusion. I see that two thirds of Lib Dem Voice readers oppose the British air strikes. ...
Been to see them perform today at the Palm House in Liverpool's Sefton Park. What performance venue and a big crowd too; it was standing room only. [IMG: Red Caps] Click on the photo to enlarge it – I call this shot Red Caps It seems I am Jen's Roadie for some concerts! A roadie for a flute player? The photo is also amongst my Flickr shots at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/
From BBC News: A man has been charged with malicious communications following an investigation into Facebook messages sent to an MP, Scotland Yard says. Craig Wallace, 23, who is also known as Muhammad Mujahid Islam, was arrested at an address in north London. He remains in custody and will appear at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Monday. It comes after Labour MPs Simon Danczuk and Neil Coyle reported to police alleged death threats after voting in favour of Syria air strikes.The report goes on to say that the police have not named the MP in question, but he or she does ...
The call went out. Help was needed to get a half tonne of paper to our office in Consett. It had been delivered through the week to the shop of my ward colleague, Cllr John McClurey, in Newcastle. Those with large vehicles normally used for moving goats and beehives were especially welcome to provide transport. So my Land Rover was conscripted to carry half the paper. It may sound an easy job
I was in London from Wednesday to Saturday. This meant I missed the Lib Dem action day in Low Fell and Chowdene. It was meant to take place on the last Saturday in November but a hitch with the printer meant the Focus wasn't ready (we delivered in Dunston Hill, Dunston and Teams instead). Low Fell and Chowdene were rearranged for this weekend but that was after I had sorted my London trip. I
Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 442nd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere ... Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (29 November – 5 December 2015), together with a hand-picked quintet, you might otherwise have missed. Don't forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging. As ever, let's start with the most popular post, and work our way down.1. What to make of the ...
[IMG: 7 ver 4 full] Many thanks to the 18,500 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Tim Farron's email to party members on Syria (94 comments) by The Voice Confirmed: Lib Dem MPs to back airstrikes in Syria (63 comments) by The Voice An open letter to Liberal Democrat MPs on Syria (56 comments) by David Grace Two Liberal Democrat MPs to vote against airstrikes in Syria (39 comments) by Caron Lindsay LDV Members' survey on Syria 67% oppose intervention now BUT (and it's a big but) (25 comments) by Caron Lindsay ...
A few weeks ago some local people got together to raise awareness of the slow destruction of one of Consett's finest landmarks – Grade II listed St Aidan's Church at the heart of the Blackhill conservation area. [IMG: St Aidans Group small] Our aim is to get some action to preserve the fabric of the building because if it is left any longer with the roof untouched it will simply decay beyond repair, lost for ever. The simple fact is that anyone who buys a listed building takes on a lot of responsibility – and a lot of legal obligations. ...
I have got three novels to nominate for the Retro Hugos - The Ill-Made Knight, by T.H. White; Kallocain, by Karin Boye; and Twice in Time, by Manly Wade Wellman; I'm not nominating either Slan or Gray Lensman, though I think they are certain to feature on the list. I'm still looking for a fourth or fifth, having rejected also Henry Kuttner's A Million Years To Conquer. This won't help fill the gaps on my ballot. It's the thirtieth Oz novel, in the series started long long before by L. Frank Baum, but the first by John R. Neill. It ...
If you are over 50 you are invited for a free cup of tea or coffee in the Pop Inn Cafe, Yate in exchange for completing a survey. You don't have to live in Yate itself to answer it, just be a user of the services in the town. All surveys completed before Wednesday 23rd December will be entered into a prize draw. The winner will be advised and all results will be posted online. You can download the survey here.
Currently the Local Government Boundary Commission for England is deciding how to reshape Southwark Council ward boundaries. They've already confirmed that they agree the borough needs to keep its representation via 63 councillors. But the current ward boundaries due to huge changes in local populations mean different councillors have increasingly different numbers of voters they represent. I also submitted evidence which in summary I've suggested East Dulwich remain but add the area bounded by Towny Road – Green Dale – railway line. For Village ward I suggested it relinquish the Herne Hill part in a new 1 councillors ward bounded ...
[IMG: Rain. CC0 Public Domain] You're out on the doorsteps canvassing and there's rain in the sky, on your face and under your feet. Your hands are full with canvass cards (or smartphone with canvassing app), calling leaflets, postal vote forms and more. A hat doesn't keep your bits of paper dry, an umbrella requires an extra hand you don't have and this look really doesn't work: [IMG: Umbrella hat] So what do you do?
[IMG: It'll always be Mandela House to me.] It'll always be Mandela House to me. It feels like barely a day goes by at the moment without some corner of social media getting worked up about something that's happened at a university. The Student Union at the University of West Loamshire fails to pass a motion condemning bad things and suddenly various Tweeters who've not even seen the motion in a form longer than 140 characters are demanding that they repent of their sins, while a part-time student officer at Manchester Dumbledore University says something mildly controversial in the SU ...
I would echo my good friend Caron Lindsay in her congratulations to Sheree Miller for gaining 9% and coming second in a by election in Newham in London, in a Ward where we did not stand at all last time around. Likewise Tim Farron's congratulations to Jane Brophy and her team for their campaign in Oldham. If we do not contest such elections hard then we cannot build for the future. In the same vein the efforts of Hinckley and Bosworth Liberal Democrats deserve recognition. In September their candidate Shani Smith gained a by election contest from Labour in the ...
After speaking with local residents and the City Council's Principal Passenger Transport Contracts and Planning Officer, I can now confirm that the nod has been given to update the bus stop located between Sharma Leas and Salisbury Road, with a bus shelter, something local people have wanted for a number of years. There was some [...]
Not sure if you have spotted it, but the basic state pension is set for its biggest rise in real terms since 2001, reaching a £119.30 a week from April 2016. The reason for the rise is the triple-lock pledge on pensions – introduced by the Liberal Democrats while in coalition government, and means the [...]
It seemed that my luggage had decided that, rather than take any chances with the baggage handlers at Simon Bolivar Airport, it would prefer going to Disneyland, and had redirected to Orange County, California. I'm guessing that it now has more frequent flyer miles than I do. Nonetheless, it arrived in sufficient time so that I could start exploring. And so, what to do in a city with the second highest murder rate in the world (allegedly)? In fairness, Caracas is never going to be in many people's top 100 destinations. Whilst its setting is quite dramatic - a range ...
As you may have read in the local media, a tunnel under the East Coast Main Line at Werrington Junction could be ready by Autumn 2020 which would improve train times and passenger numbers on the King's Cross to Edinburgh line. I'm glad that we are moving more freight back on to the railways and [...]
We've already heard about Tim Farron's tussle with Storm Desmond. Thankfully all was well, but for many in the area, Desmond's effects will last for a long time to come as they struggle with flooded homes and ruined property. Tim Farron has, as you would expect, been helping constituents deal with the storm's aftermath and has written to David Cameron to ask him to ensure that funds are made available for the clear-up operation. He said: It is heartbreaking to see the impact of flooding once more on local people. My thoughts are with all those whose homes and businesses ...
I had drafted a long piece in praise of weakly held beliefs this morning. You may be relieved to know that I've decided to bin it in favour of simply asking this question to the crazy extremists of the political left and right, and of faith and no faith out there in the world beyond my study. I think it's ...
This reached number 4 in the singles chart in 1966, though it was released by the Small Faces' manager Don Arden (Sharon Osborne's father) without their knowledge. Alex Petridis wrote well about the song in the Guardian: It is the Small Faces' equivalent of the Beatles' Rain, the acid initiate staring back at the "straight" world, but while John Lennon sneers from a position of enlightened superiority - "they might as well be dead" - Lane sounds warm and open-hearted, forgiving the people sniggering at his new-found spiritual leanings. The music on Rain sets out to disorientate, but My Mind's ...
The Lancashire Evening Post reports: Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron was among those stranded as Storm Desmond brought havoc to Cumbria. Mr Farron was driving through his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency with four children in the car when he got stuck on a heavily flooded back road. "We were getting our way round the various diversions and basically a river that isn't normally there was there," he told BBC News. "Having been around the patch today talking to people who have been directly affected, I now find myself in the middle of it. But we're all safe, that's the main ...
The Observer speculates this morning that the shadow cabinet is bracing itself for a "revenge reshuffle" in the aftermath of Labour's victory in the Oldham by-election. They say that key senior figures are voicing fears that they will be sacrificed by Jeremy Corbyn so as to kill dissent. This has been coming for some time. However, Corbyn and his allies do not need to rush into multiple reselection battles, and nor will they want to. The prospect of dozens of Labour MPs causing trouble from the backbenches and destabilising the leadership even more, is not a prospect they want to ...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35014613 The BBC web site has the story – see link above Fascinating video; shows what can be done. Trouble is the Tories are taking us in exactly the opposite direction!
The Independent on Sunday has pulled together a good number of quotes from party members who are not happy about the decision this week to support air strikes in Syria. The report quotes Federal Policy Committee member Gareth Epps, who has written a critical piece on the Liberator blog entitled: "Is there any longer a point to the Liberal Democrats?". The blog post includes this: It seems Liberal Democrat MPs have learned nothing of the mistakes of action in Iraq and more recently Libya; nothing of their mistakes from the Coalition Parliament; and have understood nothing of the gaping chasm ...
Sun 6th
09:02
Merseyside has 8,528 empty houses but don't worry Sefton Council will allow even more houses to be b...
[IMG: Campaigners, outside Maghull Town Hall trying to save Sefton Borough's high grade agricultural land from development.] Campaigners, outside Maghull Town Hall trying to save Sefton Borough's high grade agricultural land from development. The Liverpool Echo has the story on its web site – see link above This Echo article really brings home what the local housing crisis is all about and why building thousands of 3 and 4 bedroom houses for sale on Sefton's Green Belt and high grade agricultural land is certainly not the answer. What's more Merseysiders only need a 42% pay rise to enable them ...
Tim Farron will be appearing live on Murnaghan on Sky News this morning. The programme starts at 10 o'clock and continues until noon. No doubt the vote on the Syrian air strikes will come up in conversation. * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist in Newbury and West Berkshire. He is part of the Liberal Democrat Voice team and blogs at Liberal Burblings.
Sun 6th
08:30
West End Christmas Vintage Motor Cavalcade - and Blackness Primary School's Christmas Fair
Yesterday saw the West End Christmas Vintage Motor Cavalcade take place as part of West End Christmas Fortnight. Many thanks to Dundee Museum of Transport for arranging such an excellent vintage vehicles' cavalcade through the West End, Barnetts Mazda for sponsoring it, Ally Bally of Radio Tay for launching the cavalcade and the many folk en route who gave us a wave! Here's a couple of photos : Some of the folk taking part yesterday including Ally Bally (far left), Paul Barnett of Barnetts Motor Group (second right) and Matthew Jackson of Dundee Museum of Transport (to the immediate left ...
What follows below is a bit of a ramble but I have a big personal question to address: whether to stay with the Liberal Democrats. As it turns out, as so often in life, one question evolves into another. Have you ever thought about what the definition of a military superpower actually is? Unless one is a student of either international politics or military global strategy, probably not. I am a student of neither but I have from a young age have always been aware of the effects that superpowers have over us. These are best documented in maps. When ...
Peter Capaldi: 'Sexism in the TV industry is ridiculous' Hear, hear! (tags: doctorwho sexandgenderandsexuality )
A gang rape where the victim was incapacitated by alcohol. Guess how it's reported? Top marks for anyone who guessed it's the five "well dressed middle class" alleged perpetrators we are meant to feel sorry for Childbirth As An Extreme Sport — And Why Its Injuries Can Take So Long To Heal [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
I have called for the Welsh Government to take steps to ensure that Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is available to people who are most at risk of contracting HIV. Following World AIDS Day on Tuesday, I challenged the Welsh Health Minister to show leadership and introduce PrEP on the Welsh NHS. The Minister replied that he was waiting for England to lead on the issue. Over the last 20 years huge steps have been taken forward in helping people with an HIV infection to manage their condition. While this is a way from a cure yet, it still represents huge progress. ...
One of the things about staying in good hotels is that sense that you've shut the real world out, that you have a refuge from the craziness that lies beyond its confines. It's a place to draw breath, or rest between expeditions. Really good hotels do that whilst retaining a flavour of wherever it is you are. This, however, is Venezuela. Things are not quite the same and the outside intrudes in strange and unexpected ways. Outside, the nearby department store has lots of Christmas decorations and children's toys, but no underwear. Whole sections are empty due to the government's ...
The 2003 invasion of Iraq is a poor metaphor for the campaign against ISIS. Our thinking needs to be informed by a wider range of historical precedents. It's not clear exactly who said "he doesn't learn from history is doomed to repeat it" nor in fact whether that's exactly what they said. But the sentiment is clear enough [...]
