I remember Scunthorpe. Coming from Doncaster by train, you crossed endless flat Lincolnshire fields until you crossed the Trent at Keadby on a surprisingly high bridge. Then. all of a sudden, you were in a large industrial town of steelworks and railway sidings. Scunthorpe probably isn't what it was in those distant days, but the bridge still carries both road and rail traffic. And as this silent British Pathé video from 1933 shows, it used to be even more remarkable. The National Transport Trust tells its story: The King George V bridge was opened by King George V, the chairman ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

From the Electoral Commission: Timetable for a UK Parliamentary general election on 4 July 2024 The days which are disregarded in calculating the timetable for a UK Parliamentary election are Saturday, Sunday, bank holidays and any day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning. Please be aware that the timetable may change in the event of days being appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning. The writ is taken to be received on the day following the dissolution of Parliament even in the event that the physical delivery of the writ is delayed. Event Working days before poll (deadline if not midnight) ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Why do the Liberal Democrats deliver so many leaflets? Do they work? And is there such a thing as too many leaflets?

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Darren McCaffrey(SkyNews) is forcibly removed from a Rishi Sunak campaign event.#GeneralElection pic.twitter.com/ZnMmhwbd8B — Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) May 22, 2024 What with Sunak's announcement in the rain and this, the Tories have played a blinder today.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Our Claire Tyler has written an essay for a Make Every Adult Matter publication on the next steps for policies to tackle multiple disadvantage. These issues are important to think about as we head into the General Election on 4th July. Claire wrote about the need for local, joined up services alongside a much stronger safety net.She set out the problem: The accepted post-war norm has been for successive generations to experience better lives than their parents. That is not true anymore for the younger generation, as they are experiencing worse outcomes in terms of pay, security and housing. And ...

Posted by NewsHound on Liberal Democrat Voice

Who would have known when I booked my dentist appointment for 5:30 tonight that the Prime Minister would choose 5pm on a wet Wednesday in May to make the most farcical General Election launch announcement I have ever known. It could have come straight from The Thick of It. The Prime Minister standing in the pouring rain, his suit getting shinier by the second, his words drowned out by anti Brexit campaigner Steve Bray blasting "Things can only get better" by D:Ream, Labour's campaign anthem from 1997. Our Press Office tweeted: "Things can only get wetter." Things can only get ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

Everyone is tired of this government. Even Conservatives I know think the party needs a rest. An opportunity to stop this country drifting and underperforming. An opportunity to get back to tackling the climate emergency. An opportunity to end increasing division in our society. And to end the disgrace of our society where the wealthy splash money around and ordinary families, who used to make ends meet, go to the food bank. Build up rent arrears. Get evicted because the landlord can make more money from Airbnb over the summer months. July the 4th is American Independence Day. It should ...

Posted by andybodders on
Wed 22nd
17:07

The Joy of Six 1231

"I was 20 the first time I was prescribed antidepressants. I had gone to the doctors during January in rainy, miserable Manchester complaining of flu. Somehow, I came out of the appointment having been diagnosed with depression and prescribed a course of SSRIs. But in fact I didn't have a mood disorder, and I didn't need to go on medication." Lucy Kenningham on why almost one in four adults are being prescribed antidepressants. Simon Nixon asks how long it will be before Britons wake up to the national disaster that is unfolding in the stock market. "Around the world, stock ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

From LabourList today Labour has approximately 100 general election candidates left to publicly announce ... despite the party twice accelerating its selection process. The fact around one in six Constituency Labour Parties has no candidate, dozens more have only been recently announced and some CLPs have felt left in the dark have all sparked controversy. Many members have voiced their frustration, given the lack of a focal point for campaigning and attacks by the Lib Dems in what Labour has called its "non-battleground" seats. Given that convincing voters that "Labour Can't Win Here" is central to our campaign in target ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Speculation is growing that the Prime Minister is about to call an election on the back of the inflation figures this morning. Jeremy Hunt certainly seemed very smug as he did the media round. This is either everyone getting over excited on the basis of a bit of chatter, or something more substantial. The Sunday Times' Tim Shipman had this to say on Twitter: Once again there are snap election rumours. I have been a sceptic every time so far. More importantly, people I trust who are in the loop have told me it's nonsense. This time, those people are ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice
YouGov

Susan Murray will, we all hope, be the MP for Mid Dunbartonshire in a few months' time. So she was the right person to introduce Alex Cole-Hamilton ahead of his leader's speech to Scottish Conference on Sunday. Alex talked about our future relationship with the SNP Government – working with them in a grown up fashion where we could make a difference for our constituents, but looking forward to being able to get rid of them in an election. He looked forward to replacing them as the third party in the House of Commons too and set out our plans ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice
Wed 22nd
08:51

A virtual black hole

The Independent reports on a new study that suggests that the internet is slowly disapearing down a virtual black hole as web pages and online content is lost. The web is often thought of as a place where content lasts forever. But vast swathes of its are being lost as pages are deleted or moved, according to new research. Of the webpages that existed in 2013, for instance, 38 per cent are now lost. Even newer pages are disappearing: 8 per cent of pages that existed in 2023 are no longer available. Those pages tend to disappear when they are ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

In my visit to Alder Hey I met the rebootable Chief Executives of both the Trust itself and their charity. But look behind the figures and see the building itself which is far removed from the grim building that it ... Continue reading →

Posted by richardkemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?

After extensive feedback from members, the Federal Board agreed this week a plan for our Autumn Federal Conference. It involves amending our normal conference plans so that it can be tailored to the requirements, opportunities and risks of an event so close to a general election. These include making it a 2.5 day event (14-16 September 2024 in Brighton). There is some further information on the party website here, and in addition more details will be published as the plans are worked on. A lot of work has gone into trying to get the balance of risks and opportunities right ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Today - and every Wednesday - sees the "Little Green Fingers" toddlers group take place at Victoria Gardens. All toddlers plus parents/carers welcome from 10am - 301 Blackness Road.

Posted by Bailie Fraser Macpherson & Cllr Michael Crichton on Councillors Fraser Macpherson & Michael Crichton - working for the West End