Ed Davey speaks up for the BBC: Why won't Keir Starmer?The BBC is under attack as never before. Donald Trump and his cronies have it squarely in their sights - and there are no prizes for guessing why. The BBC is the world's number one source of trusted news, so of course snake-oil salesmen such as Trump see it as their enemy. If your power is built on conspiracy theories and distortions of the truth, the last thing you want is respected, independent journalists exposing that and holding you to account. Ed Davey speaks up for the BBC in a Guardian article today. Later on he says that Robbie Gibb, ... (more) |
LibLink: Ed Davey - The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the boardEd Davey has written an article for the Guardian continuing his uncompromising support of the BBC: The BBC is under attack as never before. Donald Trump and his cronies have it squarely in their sights - and there are no prizes for guessing why. The BBC is the world's number one source of trusted news, so of course snake-oil salesmen such as Trump see it as their enemy. If your power is built on conspiracy theories and distortions of the truth, the last thing you want is respected, independent journalists exposing that and holding you to account. You can read ... (more) |
What exactly is the BBC biased against?The furore over the BBC's alleged bias against Donald Trump is starting to get out of hand, not least through Trump's own actions in threatening to sue the UK's national broadcaster in a Florida court for $1 billion. The Guardian reports that Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, and the head of BBC News, Deborah Turness, have resigned after a former adviser to the corporation accused it of "serious and systemic" bias in its coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights. They add that the BBC chairman, Samir Shah, is also expected to apologise for the way ... (more) |
Charles Kennedy's belief in people can save liberal democracyAt this critical juncture, liberal democracy is facing a profound global crisis. Populists, masquerading as the voice of 'the people', are gaining traction, while liberals are often perceived as mere mouthpieces for institutions. However, as Charles Kennedy eloquently articulated two decades ago, liberalism is not elitist; it is the most valid form of democracy, deeply rooted in compassion, honesty, and trust in ordinary people. It's time to reclaim populism for liberal democracy, wresting it from the grip of extreme factions. This could be a pivotal strategy in our efforts to revitalise liberal democracy, and it's a task that cannot be ... (more) |
The Nasty TwentiesSome decades are characterised by a name. The last of the nineteenth century was "the Naughty Nineties," though by current standards I suspect they were very straight-laced. The second decade of the twentieth Century was the "roaring Twenties" when people enjoyed the relief of the end of the First World War. I suspect most of the "roaring" was done by the better better-off. There followed the "Swinging Sixties." I lived though these. There wasn't much swinging in my life-style, but I do recollect a tremendous amount of optimism and hope. We really thought we could "Build the New Jerusalem in ... (more) |
Our weekly ward surgeries tonight #dundeewestendOur joint weekly ward surgeries take place tonight. This week they are as follows : Blackness Library (Tuesdays 5pm - every week during school term time) Harris Academy reception area (2nd Tuesday of each month at 5.45pm during school term time) All welcome - no appointment necessary! (more) |
Jago Hazzard celebrates the gothic history of St PancrasJago Hazzard posted this, his thousandth video, a couple of weeks ago. And he found a fitting subject for it. Iain Sinclair once referred to "the bat-chewed pinnacles" of St Pancras, which struck me as exactly right. Old St Pancras church and its churchyard are well worth visiting if you have time to kill at the station. The Beatles went there on their Mad Day Out. Jago is right to sound a little sceptical about the myth of the Hardy Tree though. (more) |
Internal Elections update - Federal Appeals Panel, statements from official party organisations and presidential candidatesThis afternoon, the party's highest dispute resolution panel met to discuss the ruling issued by the Returning Officer on 27th October, prior to the ballots opening in the federal party elections. Lucas North had appealed to the Federal Appeals Panel and after the hearing this joint statement was issued: We were pleased to attend the FAP hearing today on the rules around the internal elections. The FAP made clear that the rules as written in the constitution need to be reviewed by members as they can no longer be implemented as originally intended following the Supreme Court ruling in For ... (more) |
There's good news about the Crystal Palace dinosaursCrystal Palace Park is undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration project, reports News Shopper, which is particularly good news for its most famous residents: The restoration of the iconic dinosaur models, a staple of the park since the Victorian era, is now underway with specialist steam cleaning and repair work revealing their original look. Scaffolding has been erected around larger models on Dinosaur Island to allow targeted work on their upper sections. This gives me the excuse to post a clip from Our Mother's House, which was one of my 10 British films that should be better known. (more) |
Mathew on Monday: In defence of the BBC even in its hour of turbulenceThe BBC is far from perfect. At times we in the Liberal Democrats have been among its sharpest critics, rightly pointing to its uneven decision-making, occasional failure to challenge populist narratives, and its choice to give disproportionate airtimes to parties such as Reform UK whose parliamentary representation remains limited. Yet, as the Corporation faces one of the most serious crisis in its recent history, we should step back and recognise that, despite its flaws, it still stands as one of the last bulwarks against the malign forces corroding our politics and media ecosystem. Yesterday the BBC's Director General, Tim Davie, ... (more) |