I've long been fascinated by the figure of Huey Long. The Governor of Louisiana and a US Senator, he was a left-wing populist who was planning to run for President in the 1936 election when he was assassinated. He had a short way with the state constitution, but - unlike those of Donald Trump - his policies did help the poor. The Democrats saw him as posing a threat to Roosevelt in the Presidential election. This is the most balanced video about him I can find on YouTube.
Somewhere I have made it to recently is Leicester, a city where I studied as an undergraduate and became a political activist, and which thus had a defining influence on my life. My appetite for election campaigning was much influenced by Chris Rennard, who at that time was East Midlands Area Agent and a rising star of the then Liberal party, and my political thinking by the late Professor Robert Pritchard, a polymath who led the Genetics Department that developed DNA fingerprinting and who then became leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Leicester City and then Leicestershire County Council. ...
The current state of politics can be seen as a turn off for many young people, as policies and government decisions are often skewed towards older generations. The Conservative Party at the last election ran on a policy of national service while improving the triple lock; and Labour, whilst taking some steps to improve the youth minimum wage, still made important services for young people, like bus travel, more expensive so they can pay for another increase to state pension. It's no wonder voter turnout and interest is only decreasing, and more and more people today are turning to the ...
Gateshead Lib Dems held an action day in Saltwell ward yesterday. It was a "mopping up operation" to deliver the remaining bundles of Focuses. Most of the ward had already been delivered earlier this month but by the end of the action day, I'm pleased to say that no bundles were left. Job done.
What should Lib Dem strategy be in this brave new world? Is there a policy you would like to see us adopt? Any heretical thoughts you want to confess? You're welcome to share your ideas in a guest post for Liberal England. I'm happy to entertain a wide variety of views, but I'd hate you to spend your time writing something I wouldn't want to publish. So do get in touch first. And, as you may have noticed, I'm happy to cover topics far beyond the Lib Dems and British politics. These are the last ten guest posts on Liberal ...
The fingers of grace slide softly across your smooth pale skin, their touch enough – designed – to stimulate... ...as they trace the barest wrinkle between your navel and your groin toward the musky shaft of life, your complex valleyed honeyed hive which I am privileged to kiss
It was a very moving and poignant moment for all who attended the Remembrance Sunday services, which are held across the country in the last week or so. As an EU national, who has lived abroad for more than 20 years, it is quite an important month for us too as Poland celebrates re-gaining its independence on 11 November. As I was walking back to my car, I bumped into a former Councillor, who stood down at the last elections. Although we sat at the opposite benches of the Council Chamber, I also had a lot of time for him. ...
Scottish Lib Dems met in Perth for their Autumn Conference on Saturday. Alex Cole-Hamilton was in buoyant mood after a stonking by-election win on Thursday in Colinton/Fairmilehead in Edinburgh. We took the seat of new Labour MP Scott Arthur, going from fourth to first place. Winning 36% of the vote was incredible. Alex also had another by-election win in Perthshire itself to gloat about. A few weeks ago, Alan Watt had a similar meteoric rise after a superb and intense campaign. We will have more about the Conference later. There were some brilliant and highly controversial debates, possibly some of ...
Robert Key, who died last year, was the Conservative MP for Salisbury between 1983 and 2010. On 17 March 2010 he gave his last Commons speech, and it was one of the most remarkable ever given there. It was on the second reading of the Gordon Brown government's Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill, which passed into law before the general election of that year. Early in Key's speech, he said: The hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Lembit Öpik) referred to the question of far-off lands, saying that if mines exploded around our shores or in our country there would be immediate public ...
Lib Dem Women and Equalities spokesperson Christine Jardine has issued a message for Trans Awareness Week which runs until Thursday. She said: Today is the beginning of Trans Awareness Week. It's an opportunity for us to celebrate trans people, acknowledge the challenges they face, and reflect on how we as a society can work together to improve trans people's lives. In decades past, the UK has led the world in advancing equality for all LGBT+ people – with the Liberal Democrats playing a particularly key role in driving that progress forward. However, too many trans people still face discrimination and ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2024 Menzieshill Road (No 17) - closed until Wednesday 13 November for Scottish Water work. Seafield Road, Dundee - closed from its westmost end (in cul-de-sac) extending for a distance of no more than 20 metres in an easterly direction to facilitate a site access for a new housing development until November 2025. Blinshall Street (Douglas Street to 50 metres south) - closed until December 2024 for construction works. Douglas Street (Blinshall Street to Brown Street) - temporary traffic lights until ...
A report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales concluded at the beginning of this year that London has become a "money-laundering haven. They highlighted contributing factors such as "golden visas" - which granted fast-track residency to foreign entrepreneurs investing at least £2 million in UK projects but were later scrapped in 2022 - and a buoyant property market in London coupled with low regulations. Transparency International estimates that £1.1 billion worth of properties in London are owned by individuals tied up in money laundering. Now, leading political campaigners have said that the UK's offshore financial centres ...
