Places where I spent the night away from home this year. As usual, places where I spent more than one non-consecutive night are marked with an asterisk. Paris London* Loughbrickland* Dublin The Hague Buxton Six places in four countries, the lowest since I started tallying in 2005. (Last year I had been to five places in three countries before 1 March, and fitted in another three in three more countries before the end of the year.) Let's hope for better in 2022. (I said something similar a year ago.) Previous years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, ...
Responding to the readout of Liz Truss' first call with Maros Sefcovic, which claimed that 'the UK position has not changed' and reiterated threats to trigger Article 16, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP commented: "When this brief was given to the Foreign Secretary, we hoped it was time for a more diplomatic approach. Instead, it's like Lord Frost never left. Triggering Article 16 will only lead to a ruinous trade war - harming British businesses just at the moment when they need support. "The reality is that Truss cares more about her reputation with the Tory party ...
Second paragraph of third story ("My Mother's Dream"):My mother looked out from a big arched window such as you find in a mansion or an old-fashioned public building. She looked down on lawns and shrubs, hedges, flower gardens, trees, all covered by snow that lay in heaps and cushions, not levelled or disturbed by wind. The white of it did not hurt your eyes as it does in sunlight. The white was the white of snow under a clear sky just before dawn. Everything was still; it was like "O Little Town of Bethlehem" except that the stars had gone ...
If I don't control my schedule, then my schedule is going to control me. Continue reading →
Two poll results in so far since the North Shropshire by-election: That's the highest rating @RedfieldWilton has ever scored for the Lib Dems. https://t.co/I5OZVInxxY — Mark Pack [IMG: 🔶] (@markpack) December 20, 2021
Former Liberal Democrat. pro-European and one-time anti-monarchist, Liz Truss may well be enjoying a meteoric rise at the moment, with her being given the additional responsibiloity of taking on the EU, but her record as a trade negotiator is not as great as she would like us to believe. The i-paper reports that the deal she secured with Australia, when she was Trade Secretary, may well have dire consequences for our own farming, forestry and fishing industry. The paper says that the government's own impact assessment shows that this sector will take a £94m hit, with an additional expected £225m ...
Lib Dem Newswire #155 takes a look at the lessons for the Lib Dems from Helen Morgan's stunning victory in North Shropshire.
Mon, 18:49: Ann Veronica, by H. G. Wells https://t.co/sg6mfHWh7I Mon, 20:46: Oud-burgemeester van Amsterdam en PvdA-coryfee Ed van Thijn (87) overleden https://t.co/CsM9klNydO via @NUnl Sorry to hear this - I did a bit of work with him 15 years or so ago, and I was in touch again five years ago when he told me he was already rather ill. Tue, 10:45: RT @PoorlyAgedWho: Season 18 is just the story of two people entering the rocky years of their marriage before inevitably splitting, one of...
The Liberal Democrats have warned that farmers are being "sold down the river" by the Conservatives, after it emerged the government's own impact assessment found the Australia deal will cause a £94m hit to the farming and fishing industries. The Department for International Trade's impact assessment of the agreement, published alongside the final text of the trade deal on 17 December 2021, refers to "a reallocation of resources away from agriculture, forestry and fishing" of £94 million. There is also an expected £225 million hit to the semi-processed food sector, such as tinned foods. The report also warns of "adjustment ...
Helen Morgan, the new MP for North Shropshire, started her first working day since the by-election win by demanding action on local ambulance waiting times. Helen Morgan, along with Lib Dem health spokesperson Daisy Cooper yesterday called for an urgent review into the ambulance crisis which leaves thousands in Shropshire waiting too long for emergency treatment. The letter to the Health Secretary calls for a Care Quality Commission (CQC) review into ambulance services in England, with all ambulance services across the country now at REAP level 4 - the highest level meaning that ambulance services are under "Extreme Pressure". With ...
I've always had a soft spot for Prescot, the stamping ground of the near-legendary (to me anyway) Cllr. Ian Smith whom I've heard referred to as 'Mr Prescot' and we're not talking '2 Jags' here! The steeple of Prescot Parish Church just as the sun was going down. I'm also a fan of 'The Post' a new online newspaper for Merseyside which has just published an in-depth article about Prescot's soon to be Shakespeare Theatre. The link below is to The Post article, by Robin Brown, which is well worth a read:- www.livpost.co.uk/p/whats-past-is-prologue-how-shakespeare I decided to ask 'Mr Prescot' for ...
Congratulations to Daisy Cooper who has been named as one the more influential backbench MPs in the House of Commons by communications consultancy Pagefield. The company is running a vote to select the top backbench MP. Vote here for Daisy. Voting is open until Friday 7 January. Pagefield says: Many expect Cooper to make her own bid for the party leadership, especially if she can help lead the strategic growth of the party within the southern Conservative 'blue wall'. With over 700 parliamentary contributions... she displays a wide range of expertise and an oratorical talent that reflects her increasing ambition ...
Residents contacted me about the overgrown foliage on the west side of the part of Riverside Drive going northwards from the roundabout at the Riverside Inn towards the Botanic Garden. I raised this with the City Council and am most grateful for the work that was subsequently carried out.
Richard Sears examines research suggesting that the overuse of psychiatric drugs is worsening public mental health in America. "Each day on Twitter someone is held up for widespread public ridicule, and you want to make sure that it's not you, because your job in life is never to do anything that might result in you getting made fun of by others." Freddie deBoer suggests we should not spend all day ridiculing others from afar on social media. In the post-war era, Coventry was rebuilt as an optimistic, modernist city. But the selling off of the city centre since the 1980s ...
