TinderboxStaring at ash, we cried for rain to wash away the summer's dust but neither cleanse nor sully us. We shrank in our complacency. We danced and called to the domains of mystery and rainmakers pretending to have influence – while pipes ran dry, resources drained. (more) |
Diversity, standards, and the treatment of Professor Jason ArdayAn Open Letter from BLAC Lib Dems The tragic story surrounding Professor Jason Arday has left many of us deeply troubled. Let us be clear: plagiarism is unacceptable. Academic standards matter, and allegations of academic misconduct must be investigated properly and fairly. But we also need to ask a bigger question about the culture in which this controversy has unfolded. There is a growing anti-inclusion movement in Britain — one that has imported much of the American culture war and increasingly portrays diversity, equality, and inclusion as threats to standards rather than essential parts of a healthy society. At its ... (more) |
Horse Nell 'stable' after canal rescuePhoto: Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service I may be in Shropshire, but our Headline of the Day comes from the BBC News Leicestershire pages: Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to Aylestone Meadows after Nell "must have decided to cool-off in the canal near the Packhorse Bridge" but suddenly became stuck in the waterway. A technical rescue team from Southern Station and a crew from Wigston Fire Station were dispatched to the scene on Saturday evening, and working alongside local farmers they lifted the animal out and had her checked over by a vet. A statement from ... (more) |
Labour has the promise on business rates - We have the planWhat just happened The new Prime Minister has put business rates at the heart of his first Budget on 28 October: 20 per cent relief for pubs and clubs, and a promise to "look at business rates more broadly for high street businesses". An uncomfortable truth first: ask on any high street who stands up for the shopkeeper, and few will say the Liberal Democrats. Yet on business rates we have carried the best answer for eight years. Labour is now campaigning on ground that has been ours for years, though the message has never reached most voters. Why this ... (more) |
The climate change dilemma facing BurnhamThe Times reports that Andy Burnham faces a potential showdown with Labour MPs after suggesting faster extraction of North Sea oil and gas could help pay for the transition to clean energy. They are referring to the decision by the prime minister over whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield and Jackdaw gasfield after consultations on both projects closed: Industry sources have told The Times they believe Burnham will approve Jackdaw but may resist calls to go ahead with Rosebank because of opposition from MPs. Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, said on Monday the government had never intended to "turn the ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1563"Toby Young stole his status and career. And in every sinew of his body, he knows that. For most people, imposter syndrome is an irrational insecurity; Toby Young should feel that way. He was an imposter at Oxford, he was an imposter in journalism, an imposter in New York, an imposter in education, and most recently has set himself up as the boss of an imposter 'Union', acting as if anyone can genuinely call themselves General Secretary." Apart from that, Mic Wright has a lot of time for him in this 2020 piece. "Perhaps the most depressing thing of all ... (more) |
Dr Who or TerminatorYesterday I went to the Tyneside Cinema to see the Dr Who film released in 1996. The showing was to mark the 30th anniversary of the film. Back in the 1990s there was a great deal of hope and anticipation about the Dr Who film. Nearly a decade earlier the plug had been pulled on the TV series but Dr Who fans, myself included, hoped the film would kickstart the production of a regenerated TV (more) |
Olly Lambert's The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby FrankeOlly Lambert's three-part documentary The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, which is currently on the BBC website, is a brilliant and horrifying piece of work. It's like a David Lynch film, every frame of which is true. Lambert has written about the making of it in the Independent: Last May, I sat in a Utah coffee shop with Chad Franke, the son of the infamous 'momfluencer' turned convicted child abuser Ruby. Once regarded as 'America's mom', Ruby and her family's former counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt are now both serving up to 30 years in prison for aggravated ... (more) |
Conference agenda now onlineLib Dem conference agenda and directory are now live on the party's website. I will be there for the whole of conference, indeed, for a bit longer still. I usually arrive at conference on either the Saturday or Sunday. This time I will arrive in Brighton on the Friday morning so I can attend an afternoon training session. I've also got a ticket for an event in the evening run by the Social (more) |
GUEST POST Why has the HS2 project been such a disaster?Peter Chambers goes in search of enlightenment about the ironic low-speed train crash that is HS2. Most people I meet have an opinion on HS2. Different opinions. It has been expensive. It goes to Euston. It was a plot by Labour or the Tories. It goes too fast. Or not fast enough. It was a sop to the North or a scheme to divert economic activity to London. What are the most useful points? Was it anything but a muddle? Some acquaintances have advised me to use these new GPT-LLM-RAG machines to produce a summary (AI). However, I know too ... (more) |