Embed from Getty ImagesMary Dickens writes of her father Charles: On account of our birds, cats were not allowed in the house; but from a friend in London I received a present of a white kitten - Williamina - and she and her numerous offspring had a happy home at "Gad's Hill." She became a favorite with all the household, and showed particular devotion to my father. I remember on one occasion when she had presented us with a family of kittens, she selected a corner of father's study for their home. She brought them one by one from the ...
You know what happened a month ago today? Tens of millions of us got a powerful chance to have our views about politicians, policies and politics. People claiming their views are ignored had their chance. It just turned out millions of the rest of us don't share their views. (Of course, our electoral system isn't perfect. But the Holiday Inn Express, Rotherham is an odd venue to choose if that's what you want to protest against.) And as Ed Davey put it: pic.twitter.com/GRAsO0eWw7 — Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) August 4, 2024
I recorded this video on the evening before polling day last month. In it I said that the suggestions from opinion polls that the Lib Dems could become the official opposition were highly unlikely to happen. Our realistic aim should be to regain our position as the 3rd party in the Commons, taking back the position lost to the SNP in 2015. My expectation was for a total Lib Dem MP count of
The latest edition of my weekly political polling round-up, The Week in Polls, is out. As it says: A smaller party trying to buck national trends by concentrating heavily in target seats – that's a long-running, familiar part of the British electoral system. So too is a party winning Parliamentary by-elections on huge swings and then trying to keep them at the succeeding general election. And at 72 MPs, with more than 1-in-10 of the House of Commons, it is a problem if MRPs are so imprecise that they cannot track accurately the fortunes of a party of that size. ...
The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts discusses a great new book about the geography of British elections with its two authors, Jamie Furlong and Will Jennings. Why do the Conservatives underperform on Merseyside yet overperform in Lincolnshire, and how much of electoral geography is really about individual campaigners? Take a listen to find out... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Get The Changing Electoral Map of England and Wales by Jamie Furlong and Will Jennings: Amazon, Bookshop, Waterstones. (Affiliate links.) Get Putting Voters in Their ...
Great to see William Wallace's recent critique of the elected Mayoral system This creeping assault on local democracy by the usual unholy Labour-Conservative alliance is now gathering pace, with the new Labour government committed to its expansion. William is right that the Mayoral system is a mess, but so too is local government as a whole, weakened by decades of underinvestment, now undermined further by the mayoral expansion process. England currently has a chaotic patchwork, with largely the north being used as a 'test bed' for the mayoral system. I use the term advisedly, and note Liz Kendall's call last ...
As someone who first got involved with the Liberals at the General Election of February 1974, I suppose I might be described as a veteran of election campaigns. At various times over the decades I have been a candidate (national and local), an agent, and a foot soldier. Last month I was excited to be able to help out in three target seats, two of which were fairly close to my home, and one which involved a lengthy journey. Some health issues prevented me from doing as much as I did 50 years ago, but I am of course delighted ...
This is the Spencer Davis Group, before they were called the Spencer Davis Group. They're auditioning for Decca in late 1963 or early 1964. Steve Winwood must be 15 here, and I believe this is his earliest recording. The instrumentation is interesting too: drums (Peter York), bass guitar (Muff Winwood) and two harmonicas (Spencer Davis and, when he's not singing, Steve Winwood). Nothing else. Decca wanted to sign the band, but Chris Blackwell persuaded the band to go with his Island Records instead. And the really good news is that this is the first Sunday music video from a YouTube ...
Donald Trump is the "Great Obfuscator." When asked to clarify his outrageous claims he muddies the political waters even more in an attempt to be all things to all people. Last Friday he told the Christian political pressure group Turning Point Action that if they voted for him in November they wouldn't have to vote again. He would "fix it." Liberals immediately raised the anti-democracy hue and cry. Donald Trump, they said, planned to either abolish elections or rig the system so that conservative Republicans would stay in power forever. No, no, no, say the MAGA people. That is not ...
You know what? I bet Josh Reynolds has never heard someone make a joke about his name and the great painter before. He's going to be so amused! In his maiden speech Josh admitted he couldn't paint to save his life, but went on to point out that Stanley Spencer's Cookham is in his constituency. Lord Bonkers once asked Spencer to paint one of his barns, but it turned out to be an unfortunate misunderstanding. Friday One advantage that my political experience brings is the ability to spot talent, so I have been running my eye over our many new ...
We are pleased to see the recent upgrades of tennis courts across Dundee that includes Victoria Park - where Michael is pictured beside the resurfaced courts. The work and reopening of the courts seemed to take an age and we are grateful for residents' patience - the upgrade was part of a Scotland-wide project by the Lawn Tennis Association that required a lot of co-ordination but we are grateful to the LTA for its investment in tennis at both Victoria Park and across Dundee. You can book a free place at the courts at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/TennisInDundee - there is also a ...
One of the nore significant pledges of the new Labour government is their target building 1.5 million homes in five years, with new mandatory building targets being imposed on local authorities across England. But hao realistic is this target and is it achieveable? The Independent reports that the boss of a major housebuilder has warned ministers of the real cost of achieving their ambitious housing targets. The paper says that Rob Perrins, the chief executive of Berkeley Group, said his organisation welcomed the government's plans to build 1.5 million new homes in five years, but in an article for the ...
