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) |
And that's a wrap - thanks everyone!Millions of steps taken, thousands of doors knocked on and phone calls made. There will be a lot of very tired Lib Dems this evening. Many of us will have to wait till tomorrow to know the results. Only a few areas are counting tonight and we'll round up those results in the morning. Alex Cole-Hamilton has said a big thank you to the teams who have been out across Scotland today: As polls close I would like to thank all of the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidates and activists who have worked so hard to deliver a positive and energetic ... (more) |
Shropshire Council's Lib Dem leader condemns clearance of natural habitat at ShelveShelve Church, Shropshire Heather Kidd, the Liberal Democrat leader of Shropshire Council, has spoken to the Powys newspaper County Times about the destruction of natural habitat in her large rural ward. The Times says a field has been wholly cleared of gorse and scrub, to the dismay of people in Shelve and Pennerley. Heather Kidd told the newspaper: "No one seems to know who was responsible," said Councillor Kidd. "I spoke to the planning department of Shropshire Council and as the site is not an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) or covered by any other protection, normal enforcement procedures ... (more) |
The unique mice of St KildaEmbed from Getty ImagesHere's something not a lot of people know: Hirta, the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago, once had two unique species of mice and one of them is still thriving. Charles Foster explains in an essay for Aeon: Evolutionary innovation happens at the edge of genetic orthodoxy, at the edge of an established population, and typically at the edge of a landmass: hence the exuberant biological creativity seen on islands, where new challenges are faced and old inhibitions relaxed. Take the St Kilda archipelago, for instance, in the heaving green sea off the outer isles of ... (more) |
Reform plans to scrap net zero will cost Gateshead a fortuneA few notes on the back of a fag packet and Reform call it a "plan for Gateshead". Nevertheless, in that jumble of meaningless slogans, there is one hard policy that will cost Gateshead dearly. Reform claim that by axing net zero, they can save a ton of cash. The reality is something different.Like many councils, Gateshead has taken advantage of the move to net zero. Solar panels on council (more) |
The story behind statuesLast night I chaired the monthly meeting of the Sunniside History Society at Sunniside Club. The speaker was Gloria Dobbin who gave a presentation about statues in the Gateshead/Newcastle area. She explained why the statues were there and the background of the people from history who donated the funds to pay for them. A very interesting talk and it has inspired me to visit all the statues she (more) |