The liberalism we need: a platform for people to thrive and live their version of a best lifeWe need a single guiding point that policy, communication, and a revitalised brand can flow from. Without losing the breadth of values that makes us strong Most liberals and Liberal Democrats have instincts - and often detailed, powerful, personal articulations - for why they are liberal and/or Lib Dems. Our constitution is also an impressive illustration, as is the history of liberal ideas and achievements. We have many pillars: internationalism, environmentalism, liberty, equality, community, and more - all working together. But that breadth which is so often a strength also presents a struggle: communicating a single, clear vision or "north ... (more) |
Connie Converse: Roving WomanFrom an article on the BBC website by Thomas Hobbs: Centring on an edgy, city-dwelling female protagonist unapologetically owning her sexuality, the brilliant song Roving Woman sounds like the work of a millennial musician. Evoking the smoky, airborne notes of a late-night Brooklyn bar, it contains lilting guitar harmonies that float in and out of focus like cascading cigarette smoke, while its melancholy vocal is reminiscent of popular contemporary folk musicians like Weyes Blood, Jessica Pratt and Angel Olsen. "Someone always takes me home!" the lead singer swoons. Yet the truly remarkable thing about this track is it was actually ... (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewSaudi Arabia Since the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, Saudi Arabia has increasing amounts of its oil through a pipeline to its oil terminal in Yanbu on the Red Sea. This way they can transport their Asian-bound products through the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean and beyond. That route goes past Yemen and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait which is another one of the sea-going world's chokepoints. On Thursday it was announced that the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have taken control of the city and seaport of Mocha and much of the shoreline of the Red Sea near the Bab ... (more) |
Austerity revisitedThis article in the Guardian is thirteen years old, but as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer considers his first budget, it is worth revisiting. The paper says that the theories on which chancellor George Osborne based his cuts policies in the 2010 coalition government have been shown to be based on an embarrassing mistake. The error was in a spreadsheet that could have been easily overlooked, a few rows that were left out of an equation to average the values in a column: The spreadsheet was used to draw the conclusion of an influential 2010 economics paper: that public ... (more) |
Private school that suddenly closed after 'misconduct' allegations burns downThe Scotsman wins our Headline of the Day Award, though the judges said that in their day a school would have carried on regardless. (more) |
The Grimond Society and economic democracyThe Grimond Society, a Liberal Democrat group that aims to build support for economic democracy and a more cooperative and mutualistic economy, gets a good write up on the Co-op News website. It quotes the society's founder, Jack Meredith:"The Liberal Democrats have always stood for the idea of liberty and freedom from poverty, from homelessness, from what Beveridge called the evils of society. And why would we stop at the ballot box? Clearly it makes sense that if we want to try and enrich people's lives, and help them find meaning, why aren't we supporting co-operatives more and being more ... (more) |
Observations of an Expat: West Bank Settler SanctionsCompeting demographic trends inside Israel and its Western traditional supporters in are stacked against the Jewish state. This week's round of British-led sanctions against goods produced by West Bank settlers is a recognition of changing Western attitudes towards Israel. Democracies by their very nature are dominated by short-term electoral cycles of two, four or five years. Demographic attitudinal changes, on the other hand, run over decades. Governments can postpone responding to the demographic realities because the electoral penalty is initially small. Then, quite suddenly, the accumulated change becomes impossible to ignore. Especially if there is a catalyst such as Gaza ... (more) |
A stone out of place and timeWhether you are interested in neolithic graves or not, the trip to Arthur's Stone is worth taking for the view if nothing else. Right at the top of Cefn Bryn, the backbone of Gower, you can see Oxwich Bay to the south and the Loughor Estuary to the north. To the west is Rhossili Bay, boasting the highest point on the peninsular, once a favourite haunt of hang gliders, though I can't recall seeing many for some time. As the Discover Britain website tells us, the stone is easy to miss from the road and not marked on many maps, ... (more) |