After producing benign images of Freddie and Fiona and of the Elves of Rockingham Forest with Canva, I turned to Grok to help me generate one of the Well-Behaved Orphans. It came up with this - don't have nightmares. When I tweeted it earlier this evening, someone suggested: Maybe Musk's Boring Company never had real tunnelling machines, and were in fact metal tubes full of orphans.
I knew Paddy Logan had given a village hall to East Langton and maintained an orphanage there for the children of men killed on his works, but a Liberal in the village is news to me. This report is from the Market Harborough Advertiser and Midland Mail for 8 January 1889 - two years before Logan was elected to the Commons in a by-election: East Langton: Opening of the Liberal Club On Thursday last the opening of the new Liberal Club at East Langton was inaugurated by a dinner provided by the members. Over 50 sat down to the spread, ...
I take a further turn into obscurity today, albeit again with an artist who really deserves to be much better known. In many ways the best songwriter you've never heard of. Vigilantes of Love, whose name was taken from a New Order song, was a vehicle for singer-songwriter Bill Mallonee. He at least started out under the alternative Christian music label and the lack of commercial success might stem from him having been too secular for the Christian market and yet too Christian for the secular market. And yet he has clearly had some mainstream affirmation, Emmylou Harris contributed vocals ...
"The safety net once provided by the social security system and council services has been outsourced to a patchwork of grassroots groups, to the point where meeting basic human needs - being fed, clothed and housed - relies on fundraising in December as well as taxation in April."Frances Ryan welcomes us to Britain's Victorian Christmas, where volunteers in Santa hats fulfil the basic functions of the state. Keith Edwards argues that the US Democrats need to give youth its head: "Americans are some of the youngest people in the rich world. Yet our elected leaders are easily the world's oldest." ...
A press release from Survation reports: 55% of the British public support a ban on wealthy foreign nationals donating large sums of money to British political parties, while 28% oppose such a measure. 66% believe that Elon Musk should not be influential in British politics while 19% believe that he should. Opposition to Musk having influence in British politics includes 51% of those who voted Reform in the July General Election. The reason for asking these questions of course is the talk of a mega-donation from Elon Musk to Reform. That 51% for Reform voters compares to 35% of them ...
One evening during the Christmas holidays, after my first term as a student at Oxford, I rushed down the stairs with a brand new idea, eager to tell my parents. As someone with raging ADHD, this is not an unusual occurrence- but this idea was slightly different to all the others; I was suggesting that I resurrect a 100 year old institution that had unfortunately been defunct for over a year – the Oxford University Liberal Democrats. It was also unusual in the sense that I actually followed through on this idea, and I write this almost a year later, ...
The relationship between the United States and Pakistan has undergone significant shifts over the decades, from being close allies during the Cold War to the current state of growing estrangement. The US's recent sanctions on Pakistan's ballistic missile programme highlight this growing divide. These sanctions reflect not only immediate concerns about nuclear proliferation but also broader challenges in the US-Pakistan relationship, shaped by history, strategic divergences, and emerging global alliances. Yet, losing Pakistan as an ally could have serious strategic implications, especially given the strength and professionalism of the Pakistan Army compared to other militaries in the Muslim world. For ...
Wise words from an 1890 Conservative election guide (A Practical Manual on the Conduct and Management of Parliamentary Elections by WH Rowe): It is in our opinion an error of judgement for a candidate to circulate a long and complete exposition of his opinions on every current subject of political and social controversy ... An election address should be short, clear and incisive... By adopting this style, a candidate will be more likely to arrest the attention and awaken the interest of the large class of electors who are indifferent to politics. This advice, in line with similar advice in ...
As if it was not bad enough that the UK Labour government has ruined Christmas for thousands of poorer pensioners by cancelling their winter fuel payment, it seems that even their backstop of encouraging people to take up pension credit is failing to offer sufficient comfort. The Independent reports that pensioners are facing waits of more than 100 days to secure their winter fuel payment as Labour reforms put a major strain on the Department for Work and Pensions. The paper says that their investigation has uncovered dozens of cases where pensioners face a wait of more than three months ...
`Love is Enough' is a wonderful song. Well done to Ed Davey and the Bath Philharmonia Young Carers Choir on having targeted the target Christmas Number 1 spot. As a sentiment, though, it only reflects one side of the essential components that make us who we are as a political movement and segment of British society. At Party Conference in Bournemouth in 2023, I helped found a new Affiliated Organisation called Liberal Democrat Friends of Ukraine, focusing primarily on the bellicose military objective of helping Ukraine to defend itself against Putin's aggression. Humanitarian support and reconstruction aid are our other ...
Christmas is nearly upon us, so it's time once again for one of my animated Christmas cards featuring some political faces you may recognise. Of course, after the year that was 2024, there was really only one person to include... (He's been doing something else musical at the moment too, as you can stream and download to your heart's content here.) Next year will be my final year as Liberal Democrat President and, most wisely, I am term-limited so that is definitely it come 31 December 2025. Having been in the post this year, I was therefore exceptionally lucky to ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL- WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - PERIOD FROM MONDAY 23 DECEMBER 2024 - FRIDAY 10 JANUARY 2025 Perth Road (at Grosvenor Road) - temporary traffic lights for one week for Scotland Gas Network 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 April 2025 for construction works. Douglas Street (Blinshall Street to ...
