Newbies, oldies, @LibDems coming home at #ldconfAn influx of 60,000 new members in the past two years has reinforced, not changed, the Liberal Democrats. (more) |
Revisiting Nick Clegg's first conference speech as Lib Dem leaderHaving compared Vince Cable's first speech as party leader to Lib Dem conference with that from Tim Farron, it's instructive also to look back to Nick Clegg's. This was at Liverpool, in the spring of 2008. It was given against the backdrop of a debate over what the party's line should be on Europe. Sound familiar? The full text of the speech still reads well: the backstory, the political positioning tied in to the big issues of the day, a scattering of headline catching ideas and so on. But it also reads badly because although the policies talked about in ... (more) |
Mrs May's Florentine TragedyYesterday, in Florence, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, set out — partially — how and why Britain intends to leave the European Union. She said she chose that location because Florence had played a central role in the Renaissance, "a period of history that inspired centuries of creativity and critical thought across our continent [...] (more) |
Lib Dem Conference highlights - the Universal Credit DebateOn of my highlights of Conference was the debate on the emergency motion on delaying the rollout of Universal Credit because it is turning into a disaster for the people who are forced to claim it. People have to wait 6 weeks or longer for money. Imagine what that is like if you have no savings to get you through – a situation many people on low incomes will face. The idea of Universal Credit is a very good one. It aimed to end the poverty trap which stopped people on benefits from getting work because it cost them to ... (more) |
Care crisis cover-up: vulnerable residents to be asked to pay more to meet the funding shortfall in social careThe Conservative-run County Council is set to ask some of the most vulnerable residents in Hertfordshire to contribute more to social care charges to cover up the Government's failure to fund social care properly. The move comes at a time when demand for social care is growing, but continued cuts to social care budgets imposed [...] (more) |
My tweetsFri, 14:53: RT @JenniferMerode: Same Liam Fox who called Malmstrom's comments "bizarre, stupid, preposterous and ridiculous" when she said no trade ta... Fri, 16:05: Why Sanctions Against North Korea Are Causing Pain in China https://t.co/izoAyRG4Il A local perspective. Fri, 17:29: RT @LaJaOxAn: Julia de Clerck-Sachsse: globalisation is only changing - global and local becoming intertwined @oxfordanalytica Fri, 18:00: A Woman of the Iron People, by Eleanor Arnason https://t.co/Fm1QLLfsLv Fri, 18:42: RT @MichelBarnier: Constructive #FlorenceSpeech by PM May; must be translated into negotiating positions to make meaningful progress https:... Fri, 22:00: RT @BBCFOUR: Guess who? Yes, that's @sawboneshex's assistant @thenicolabryant next ... (more) |
The Blood is the Life for 23-09-2017miss_s_b | The Blood is the Life for 22-09-2017 I posted The Blood is the Life for 22-09-2017 to my dreamwidth blog [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments (more) |
The Eurozone is 'bouncing back'? Tell that to the people of Spain and GreeceEU citizens living under squeezed financial circumstances could be forgiven for wondering whether Commission President Juncker was having a joke at their expense when he spoke recently about how Europe's economy is finally bouncing back. After a tumultuous decade triggered by the global financial crisis in 2007, the Eurozone's growth figures are being compared favourably to America's, with production up 3.2% against last year. However, evidence points to a wide chasm between people's lived experiences and Juncker's message of triumph. It is doubtful that the citizens of Spain and Greece, for example, would agree with his assessment. According to the ... (more) |
Those Brexit bluesPerhaps the most unreal experience following Theresa May's Brexit concession speech in Florence yesterday was listening to all the hard line Brexiteers continue to spout the line that a promised land of milk and honey for the UK economy awaits us once we leave the EU. That well-known champion of the under-privileged and sole saviour of the developing world's falling birth rate, Jacob Rees Mogg even suggested that in a post-Brexit world, the price of essential food stuffs would be lower. He apparently overlooked one of the most marked effects of the referendum result, a falling pound which has put ... (more) |
What I learned at the "Tory Glastonbury"Yesterday, I headed out of London on the M4 to rural Berkshire for George Freeman's "Big Tent Ideas", lazily referred to in the media as the "Tory Glastonbury". Several things to say about it: one, although the focus of the whole thing was undeniably reviving the fortunes of the Conservative Party, particularly amongst young people, there were plenty of non-Tories there; two, I actually had quite a good time, but then again, I am bam within the target audience for a "policy festival", I suppose; three, if the Tories want to revive their fortunes via the ways discussed in Berkshire ... (more) |