This is a tremendous video by Rediscovering Lost Railways that blends archive and contemporary footage. It shows us the 19-mile Lynton & Barnstaple Railway under operation and what remains of the route today, including a short restored stretch. I dream that the whole line will be restored one day by the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust. It was closed by the Southern Railway in 1935. A few points: I once posted my photo of Barnstaple Town station standing derelict in 1962.The prime mover in the building of the line was Sir George Newnes, who was Liberal MP for Newmarket between ...
We sang Auld Lang SyneYou smiled, and drank her poisonI never left you
The video of Ed's keynote speech to Conference starts at around one hour, 32 minutes. Enjoy. The text is below: Thank you friends. I'm afraid I have to start this afternoon with an apology. You might remember, after our incredible victory in Somerton and Frome in July, when the amazing Sarah Dyke overturned a Conservative majority of 19,000, I said it's time to get these clowns out of Number Ten. We even wrote it on the side of a big blue cannon. Do you remember? Well, a party member got in touch afterwards, to say he is an actual clown. ...
As someone who was brought up under communism in Poland, I never dreamt that Eastern Europe could change so much in such a relatively short period of time. I never thought that I would be able to travel or work freely in another European state. I never knew what diversity is. I rarely had an opportunity to talk to people from other countries or nationalities. But I remember that I always had a strong desire to meet people of other ethnic or faith origins. I remember that as a teenager back home, I participated in various events which marked the ...
I'm a massive fan of growing my own food. And so I take great pleasure in the small part of our garden that I've taken to calling the 'microfarm'. It not only provides us with delicious fruit and vegetables throughout the year, but also connects me with nature and with the passing of the seasons. The microfarm really is quite 'micro'; just a few dozen square metres. But it has several raised beds, a few small trees, a selection of edible perennial plants, a greenhouse, some cold frames, a shed and a series of carefully-tended compost bins. And I absolutely ...
Embed from Getty ImagesPeter Walker in the Guardian has more details of the Liberal Democrats' plans to 'use the by-election playbook across the Blue Wall' - see my Liberator article on For a Fair Deal. He writes: The Lib Dems' approach is, at its heart, to worry much less about winning votes and focus entirely on winning seats. If you are a Lib Dem candidate and your constituency is not on the target list? Basically, you're on your own. Walker presents this as a reaction to the disappointment of the 2019 election, though that had its roots in Jo Swinson's ...
Wed 27th
10:48
Bake Off: Shropshire's Nicky into next round even after her chocolate beaver fails to impress
UNIMPRESSED: Prue Leith As it does so often, the Shropshire Star wins our Headline of the Day Award.
We all know that one of the topics the leadership don't want us to talk about is the EU. But there is another very important matter to voters that we say almost nothing about either, taxation. There was a time, when I was a young Liberal and just starting out on the employment trail when we proudly supported a progressive income tax system as both fair and certain. When I started work, basic rate was 33% and the top rate was 98%. We told people, quite rightly, that the tax was necessary to pay for public services. Then along came ...
On the final day of the Liberal Democrat Federal Conference in Bournemouth, I had the pleasure of giving our some Party Awards.
Having spent four days participating in intense debate on key issues at Liberal Democrats conference, including a highly controversial discussion about housing targets in which members asserted their authority over the leadership, it comes as no surprise to find Labour rejecting such democratic participation in favour of its normal control freakery. The Guardian reports that a series of rule changes by the Labour National Executive Committee has effectively squashed debates sought by local activists at the party's future annual conferences if the leadership considers that they are not relevant to current policy platforms. The paper says that the NEC voted ...
All residents are welcome to join the team at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden this Friday at 7pm - 29th September - for a talk and walk exploring the garden and listening for the wildlife.
