The Shortest History of Ireland by James HawesThis review appears in the new Liberator - issue 435. You can download it free of charge from the magazine's website. The Shortest History of Ireland James Hawes Old Street, 2026, £15 Teachers tried to tell you many things when you weren't listening properly, but here's some history they really didn't teach you at school. James Hawes tells the story of Ireland from the earliest times to the present day in a way that is constantly surprising and enlightening. I shall first urge you to read this book and then share a few of its most startling insights. One of ... (more) |
Could Burnham do it?My previous comments on the Makerfield by-election were made public recently. It seemed that the by-election was a gift to Reform. They had won every ward in the constituency in the recent local elections. People don't take well to unnecessary by-elections. Reform were chucking everything at it. But after a week of campaigning, it is becoming less of a Reform certainty. Doubts have crept into my (more) |
First surgeryYesterday, along with my Lib Dem councillor colleagues from the Whickham area, we held our first advice surgery for residents outside Whickham Library. Our thanks to the people who stopped to speak to us and especially to those who congratulated us on our re-election. Here are a few photos of the event. (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewThe Thucydides Trap There has been much talk recently about the "Thucydides Trap". China's President Xi Jinping is reported to have warned Donald Trump during his recent trip to Beijing that China and America were heading straight for the "Thucydides Trap." So what is it? It is a term coined by the diplomatic historian Graham Alison in his book "Destined for War." Allison uses Thucydides' history of the disastrous Peloponnesian War between Sparta (the established power) and Athens (the rising power) to argue that when one power becomes to challenge the hegemony of an existing power then war is inevitable. ... (more) |
Lord Bonkers' Diary: In return for a chunky donationAnother day with Lord Bonkers. Do I detect The Plot here? Tuesday In answer to an appeal for material for the Beltane bonfire, I call at a publisher's warehouse that is simply choked with hardback copies of Boris Johnson's memoirs. They are only too pleased for me to take them off their hands - in return for a chunky donation to the Home for Distressed Canvassers at Herne Bay, of course. I shall add them to the usual Liberal Democrat policy papers and some Morello trees that have been felled in my orchards. That should make a jolly blaze! The ... (more) |
Aiye-Keta: Afro SuperHere's Steve Winwood in 1973 playing what came to be called "world music" more than a decade later. "Aiye-Keta" (which means "the third world" or "the third life" in Yoruba) was a collaborative project between Winwood, who plays guitar and keyboards, the percussionist Remi Kabaka and Abdul Lasisi Amao, who plays saxophone and flute. Remi Kabaka, who died last year, played with John Martyn, Hugh Masekela and, on Rhythm of the Saints, Paul Simon. He is the father of Remi Kabaka Jr, the drummer and producer of Gorillaz. Abdul Lasisi Amao died back in 1988. He was a founder member ... (more) |
A kinder, gentler politicsEvents this week has had me thinking about Jeremy Corbyn's call for A kinder gentler politics ten years ago. A noble aim, sadly not followed by many of his own supporters. ( ask many Labour members to the right of his supporters) The first event was some posts on David (son of John) Prescott's Facebook page. David stood for the Greens this year in Hull, got a respectable amount of votes, and arguably split the vote to allow a reform member to unseat the sitting Lib Dem Councillor. David, who ran a very good social media campaign during the election, ... (more) |
#interrail2026: day 3 - I'm sure that Denmark's lovely, but...Flensburg lies at the head of an long inlet of the Baltic Sea, just south of the Danish border with Germany, and is probably most famous for two things - rum, and for being where the Third Reich took its formal dying breath. It's probably less famous for being twinned with Carlisle, but that's how the cookie crumbles, I guess. I had about three hours to look around - I had a train to catch, oddly enough - and so I set off into the bright sunshine of a lovely day to walk around the harbour and take in some ... (more) |
First Makerfield by-election poll gives Labour 3 point leadSurvation has given us the first constituency opinion poll for the Makerfield Parliamentary by-election, published in The Sunday Times: [IMG: Survation opinion poll for the Makerfield by-election] The Green candidate, Chris Kennedy, has since pulled out following media coverage of his social media activities. That sample size is a little on the low side but constituency polling is tough and it's large enough to give reasonable confidence that if there is something off with the poll, it isn't due to the sample being too small. Survation's press release about the poll adds that: On a generic Westminster ballot, with no ... (more) |
Richard Rhys O'Brien at the National Museum of Wales, CardiffRichard R. O'Brien, friend of the Lloyd George Society, will be continuing his series of talks on Margaret Lloyd George, the subject of his two acclaimed books The Woman Who Helped Win the War and The Campaigns of Margaret Lloyd George. Richard will be making a personal appearance at the National Museum of Wales in Cathays, Cardiff. The talk is entitled The Campaigns of Margaret Lloyd George. The talk will take place on: Saturday 6th June 2026 at 10.30am Reardon Smith Lecture Theatre, NMW, Cathays Park, Cardiff 'Richard will bring to life the remarkable achievements of Margaret Lloyd George during ... (more) |