Liberal Democrats: PM must not ignore defence concerns about Huawei deal Liberal Democrats: Sacking Northern is just the first step Liberal Democrats: PM must not ignore defence concerns about Huawei deal Responding to reports that Boris Johnson has defied his Defence Secretary by allowing Huawei to help to build Britain's 5G network, Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Jamie Stone MP said: Boris Johnson must not ignore the Defence Secretary's concerns. There are legitimate human rights and security issues associated with this move. Three of our Five Eyes allies, the US, Australia and New Zealand, have already blocked the Chinese firm in ...
Current The Idea of Justice, by Amartya Sen The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow Last books finished This Is How You Lose The Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke The Lost Worlds of 2001, by Arthur C. Clarke The True Queen, by Zen Cho To Be Taught, If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers In Praise of Disobedience: The Soul of Man Under Socialism and Other Writings, by Oscar Wilde Next books The Critique of Pure Reason, by Immanuel Kant Arc of the Dream, by A. A. Attanasio ...
We hope this might now be over. After years of problems with water coming from the Quarry direction across the road towards Wiltshire Ave and Dorset Way - new ditches have been put in to try to prevent water reaching the road. The Local Flood Authority (South Glos Council) have got the quaker to carry out investigations. They identified a lot of water ponds at the top of the hill following use of the dust suppression machines (something we and residents had been pointing out). They are now going to carry out dye tests to see whether the water at ...
Wed 29th
15:40
Bells are set to toll in the UK on Friday but a silent flame can send a gentler message
[IMG: Candle flame by Shan Sheehan] This is a message for all, including those who voted for Brexit. I live in the hope that all can agree with the following sentiments. We have greatly different views on how they can be achieved, but can we all join in, in lighting a candle ( a safe one!) on the evening of January 31st? Bobby McDonagh is a former Irish ambassador to London, Rome and Brussels. In an article in Monday's Irish Times, he suggests lighting a candle in homes, churches – anywhere. Candles can denote warmth or welcome. They can speak ...
One would expect the director of Death of Stalin to have his own particular reading of Charles Dickens, and in that Armando Iannucci does not disappoint, in The Personal History of David Copperfield. As in the book, the central character is confronted with the good, the bad and the ugly in society, refusing to have his buoyant [...]
This month, I have published two contributions to what I hope will be a new debate about the insane and unhumane system that is attempting to manage the world on behalf of those who own it. One is my co-written Radix pamphlet Whatever happened to doing? and the other is my book Tickbox. The great thing about having named a modern phenomenon is that you get sent examples from all sectors. These are now pouring in. Here are three of my favourites from last week... The first is the most obvious, in some ways. It was the BBC news story ...
I need to trust that she knows what she's doing. Which is extremely hard to do when she charges out of sight. Continue reading →
On January 20th, we republished, with kind permission of the author, a moving personal tribute to Bob Maclennan (Lord Maclennan of Rogart) by Andrew Page. The Herald newspaper has published an obituary of Bob by Sam Ghibaldan. The tribute begins: IT is easy to be sceptical about some politicians' values, but with Robert Maclennan there was never any doubt. He put political purpose - pursuing liberty and equality, seeking to tackle poverty, ignorance and conformity - before party. He abhorred personal attacks and avoided tribalism. He was liberal to his core. He once told me that as a Labour MP ...
There are two versions of 2019 which future historians of the Liberal Democrats may write about. One is about a party that was on the road to recovery since 2015, took a big hit in December, but then continued upwards afterwards. It's a story in which the successes of the first half of 2019 were the ones that pointed to the future. Or there is the version in which the Liberal Democrats were in continued decline after 2010, showed brief signs of life in early 2019 but where it was the disappointments of the general election that pointed to the ...
Wed 29th
11:30
How community politics became customer service politics (and then consumed British politics from...
This is the story of how a Liberal pamphlet from 1980 led to the collapse of the British political system.
Over a period of more than 30 years I have attended a lot of conferences including those of the Anti Apartheid Movement, Communication Workers Union, Trade Union Congress, Labour Party and most recently the Liberal Democrats. In my time as a CWU activist I sat for a term on its conference arrangements committee. My first Lib Dem conference was in 2012 and I really enjoyed the experience. I was particularly struck by the democratic nature of it. One delegate, one vote, no executive trying to sway us and no top table packed with party big wigs. However, as we approach ...
Tue, 12:43: Panel at @fnfeurope on Brexit and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales with @StephenFarryMP @europesheila and... https://t.co/1xKEGysyn8 Tue, 12:52: BBC News - Nicholas Parsons: 'Broadcasting legend' dies aged 96 after short illness https://t.co/5KEuTAMfuC Tue, 12:56: RT @pmdfoster: So finally the major business groups are just starting to be consulted on #brexit future EU/UK trade deals. But what do th... Tue, 12:58: RT @hughBXL: So the last ever British 🇬🇧 Minister to attend a 🇪🇺 @EUCouncil meeting was @ChrisPincher. The topic was.... the #FutureofEurop... Tue, 12:59: RT @CFEP_EU: We're having a busy day today: now at the @fnfeurope listening to ...
On Friday Britain leaves the European Union. This will not be marked in any very big or public way, any more than the country's entry into the European Economic Community was in 1973. That reflects the country's ambiguity towards the institution, but I for one will will be sad. I was not old enough to ... Continue reading So farewell then EU
What is the 'Huawei and 5G' mobile internet controversy really all about and why is it important for the UK ? Here's a fly past the detail. The British position has been clear since April 2019, up until now. The National Security Council (NSC) was advised by UK security institutions that there were no security issues with the proposed roll out of 5G mobile internet, using Huawei equipment. This was advice that followed pre-contract negotiations with different UK institutions. A formal decision was expected in May 2019, but has been delayed. Germany has taken a similar line to the UK. ...
Over at the The Times, they report on remarks by the outgoing Director General of the BBC that it's time for presenters to give politicians a break. Lord Hall of Birkenhead, speaking at the launch of the Edelman Trust Barometer, has lent his weight to calls for a fresh approach to political interviews, suggesting that overly aggressive encounters can contribute to public cynicism. He has suggested that journalists should grant politicians a little more space to outline their ideas. "We've got to look at our part in the nature of political discourse," he said during a debate about the erosion ...
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran is urging the Government to adopt her legislation this year and "finally scrap the Vagrancy Act" during a homelessness debate in Parliament today. Ahead of the debate, Layla Moran said: Even one person sleeping rough in this country in 2020 is a disgrace. We need to be taking a more compassionate approach to tackling this crisis. The Vagrancy Act, a Dickensian law from 1824 that criminalises rough sleeping, represents the first hurdle on that journey. According to a new survey commissioned by the charity Crisis, 71% of people think arresting people for sleeping rough is ...
Layla Moran: "Make 2020 the year that we finally scrap the Vagrancy Act" Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran will today urge the Government to adopt her legislation this year and "finally scrap the Vagrancy Act" during a homelessness debate in Parliament. The MP will warn that "even one person sleeping rough in this country in 2020 is a disgrace" as she brings back to Parliament her campaign to scrap the Vagrancy Act. Layla Moran is also expected to warn against the "out of sight, out of mind mentality'" shown in the installation of a new gate close to MPs' and ...
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran will today urge the Government to adopt her legislation this year and "finally scrap the Vagrancy Act" during a homelessness debate in Parliament. The MP will warn that "even one person sleeping rough in this country in 2020 is a disgrace" as she brings back to Parliament her campaign to scrap the Vagrancy Act. Layla Moran is also expected to warn against the "out of sight, out of mind mentality'" shown in the installation of a new gate close to MPs' and peers' private entrance to Westminster tube station. Speaking ahead of the debate, Liberal ...
