Scotland update: 5 more MSPs and a narrow missThere's just the Highlands and Islands list left to count now but the Liberal Democrats will not win anything on that because we won 3 constituency seats. So we end the day with 9 MSPs, more than double hte 4 elected in 2021. Since 5:30, we have seen David Green take Caithness, Sutherland and Ross with a staggering 48% of the vote. Then Andrew Baxter won Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch by just around 1000 votes. There was heartbreak when Neil Alexander missed out on Inverness and Nairn by just over 400 votes. He had run a brilliant campaign to come ... (more) |
"Oligarchs" all live in countries we don't likeA footnote from Sami Timimi's Searching for Normal: There is a habit of referring to oligarchs as the super-rich in countries we don't like, but not to extend a similar label to such a stratum in our own countries; on the contrary, individuals like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Bill Gates are often seen in more heroic terms as great innovators. I'm not sure about the gramar, but the point is a good one. (more) |
Friday late afternoon update:Well, I'm back from my count where I saved my deposit and came within a couple of hundred votes of beating the Conservatives. I am beyond exhausted, but I will try and pull together what we know so far. Scotland The bad news is that we have lost Shetland. It will seem like a big shock to everyone to lose a seat that we have represented in Westminster for 75 years and in Holyrood since devolution. I feel for Emma Macdonald, who ran a busy and beautiful campaign. I think there was some worry about Shetland at the start of ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1515"We need to have the courage and vision to support the Jewish community without destroying a fundamental and necessary right. It is Jews who will ultimately be harmed too, as members of the UK population, if the right to protest is further eroded."Jo Glanville argues that banning pro-Palestine protest in the UK is no solution to antisemitism. Glen O'Hara on the government's stealthy culling of Britain's universities: "This way, they get to make the whole sector smaller with little political pain on their part. They can dump responsibility on bad managers, risk-taking, too much borrowing. The dark side of Higher ... (more) |
Is the UK becoming more corrupt? A conversation between Norman Baker and Duncan HamesTwo former Liberal Democrat MPs - Norman Baker (Lewes, 1997-2015) and Duncan Hames (Chippenham, 2010-15) - talk about the growth of corruption in the British political system. Duncan Hames is now the director of policy at Transparency International UK and is married to the former Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson. Norman Baker writes of this conversation on YouTube: The UK has now slipped to 20th in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, a sharp fall from just outside the top ten as recently as 2021, and is sitting at its lowest ever score since the Index was revamped in 2012. Duncan ... (more) |
Friday morning update - Lib Dems gain Stockport and Portsmouth but lose HullSo with only about 10% of the results across the nation in, we are doing ok. We have gained control of Stockport, a success that had Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart dancing on live television. We also gained Portsmouth. The results in the London Boroughs of Richmond and Sutton were almost embarrassing. We took all 54 seats in Richmond and 51 out of 55 in Sutton, wiping out the Tories there completely. While it is a huge endorsement of the good work our Councillors are doing, it's also not healthy in any democracy for any party to have so much ... (more) |
The systematic abuse of the democratic processThe Guardian reports that candidates and political parties have described a climate of abuse in this year's local and devolved elections, including death threats and intimidation while campaigning. The paper says that politicians from a range of parties have reported abuse and harassment in the lead-up to the elections in England, Scotland and Wales, with the Green party describing this year's campaign as the worst in memory: Labour's Dan Jarvis, the security minister, condemned "the rising tide of vile abuse, harassment and intimidation aimed towards elected officials and candidates" online and in person. "Anyone engaging in this sort of behaviour ... (more) |
Let Me Reintroduce MyselfIt has been a while since I last posted here, and I am no longer sure whether blogging is still the best medium. Even so, because my earlier articles and opinions are still here, I am going to post again for a while and see what response it receives. However, firstly who am I and why here. Back in 2005 I first stood for election for the Westminster seat of Linlithgow and Falkirk East for the Liberal Democrats. I had been either a member or keen supporter since my Polytechnic/University days at Kingston. Yes, I am of an age that ... (more) |