Nominate someone for the Party AwardsDo you know someone within the party who should be recognised for what they do? Every year at Conference the President presents awards to some very special people within the party. Now is the right time to be nominating people you know for one of the awards. The nominations deadline is 12th August. The awards that will be given at this year's Autumn Conference are: The President's Award: open to any Party Member elected to public office and who has demonstrated excellence and commitment, either in that role or both in that role and other roles for the party. The ... (more) |
Andy Burnham's bounceAndy Burnham has got off to a good start. He's begun on a note of optimism and hope (in contrast to Sir Keir Starmer's telling us, perhaps more truthfully, that things would get worse before they got better,) given a positive promise to abolish homelessness, and maintains momentum with a series of 6am treats (VAT on electricity bills abolished, bus fares capped at £2, and 20% off business rates for pubs and restaurants,. . . .and counting?) Mr Burnham is displaying his common touch. A friend of mine, lifelong Liberal/Liberal Democrat activist and experienced councillor, tells me she's "quite excited." ... (more) |
BirthrightTake it on the chin. We can just get on with stuff. Smile. Somewhat wryly (more) |
Lib Dems should target becoming largest party in local government (LDN#212)Liberal Democrat Newswire #212 came out on Monday and you can now also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Welcome to Lib Dem Newswire #212, which expands on why the Liberal Democrats should set – and then work seriously to hit! – a target of being the largest party in local government. First, though, congratulations to the new Lib Dem councillors since last time – Pat Hackett, Gary Taylor, Colin Millichap, Andrea Pellegram, Naomi Bloomer, Terry Weldon, Oli Leach, Alex ... (more) |
Burnham has left a gap on tax. We should run through it.In his first interview as Labour's presumptive Prime Minister, Andy Burnham told the Sunday Times that one issue kept coming up on the doorstep in Makerfield: the frozen £12,570 personal allowance. He called it a growing issue. Within days of walking into Downing Street he had told the Financial Times there was no commitment to do anything about it. That is a let down for anyone earning near the threshold. It is also a gap in the defence, and we should run through it. He raised the subject, then walked away from it Politicians do not usually hand their opponents ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1552Alice McCool investigates the web of culture-war connections - from the US Christian right to Viktor Orbán's influence network - that lay behind the first British CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) conference. It's all well and good saying we should regulate social media. But social media is already regulated. So why is it failing? And what could we do in response? Chaminda Jayanetti has some ideas. Keyana Sapp explains why American cookware is getting worse: "Once you understand the brand licensing structure, you see it everywhere, and the pattern is always the same: one company owns the name, a different ... (more) |
Trump offended by key Burnham appointmentThe Independent reports that the White House is "deeply concerned" about Ed Miliband's appointment as foreign secretary, with a warning that Donald Trump has not forgotten scathing remarks the former Labour leader has made about him in the past. The paper says that Andy Burnham has been cautioned that Ed Miliband has some "serious diplomatic repair to undertake" in the US, after his promotion to the role on Monday sparked anger from the Trump administration: The former energy secretary has previously clashed with Mr Trumpover net zero and his attitudes to democracy and in 2016 he described the president as ... (more) |
Alexander Mackendrick and Sweet Smell of SuccessAt Ealing Studios, Alexander Mackendrick directed one masterpiece, The Ladykillers, and four more of the best films made there: Whisky Galore!, The Man in the White Suit, Mandy and The 'Maggie'. When Ealing folded he went to Hollywood, where his first film was the noir Sweet Smell of Success. Though it failed in America on its release in 1957, it is now recognised as another masterpiece and is the subject of this superior video masterclass. Mackendrick then suffered the indignity of being taken off two consecutive films and so did not complete another until 1963, when he made Sammy Going ... (more) |
Clear the gallery!Full council last week experienced some disruption. A bunch of Reform supporters were in the public gallery and, rather oddly, also in the well of the council chamber. This area is reserved for councillors, officers and press. The only members of the public allowed to sit in the well (on the edge of it) are those with disabilities which make it difficult to access the public gallery. (more) |
RMT calls three one-day strikes over Midland Main Line safetyThe latest news on East Midlands Rail's unsatisfactory new trains is that the largest railway trade union has called three one-day strikes over its concern that they are unsafe. As BBC News puts it: A union that represents railway staff has announced plans for its members at East Midlands Railway (EMR) to take strike action over "growing safety concerns the company has failed to address". The RMT union said it had been in dispute with EMR since April following the rollout of the 810 fleet (Aurora), which it said had been operating with a "significant number" of faults. It said ... (more) |