1 June 2020 - today's press releaseDavey – Govt must stick to science based approach Responding to the Health Secretary's press conference in number 10, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: It is concerning that the government has decided not to make the usual test, trace and isolation data available to the public. The government claims to be 'led by the science' but with members of SAGE publicly warning against the government's policy and little access to data about test, trace isolate, a science led approach is looking like a threadbare claim. The press conference today raised even more concerns about lockdown beginning ... (more) |
Lord Bonkers' Diary: "It's like a peach, dearie"You join us for another week at Bonkers Hall. When Lord Bonkers wrote this entry it was not publicly known that Brian May had been seriously ill. But I should report, in fairness to the old boy, that he remarked at the time: "Buttock injuries can be awkward things. You should always take a buttock seriously. Monday Ever since Dr Brian May, lead guitarist of The Queen, caused terrible damage to his glutei maximi in what has been described as a "bizarre gardening accident" I have been inundated with letters enquiring after the health of my own gardener Meadowcroft. Is, ... (more) |
Candid portraits of West Midlands Liberal and Lib Dem candidatesResearching my post on Wallace Lawler and the Birmingham Ladywood by-election, I came across a remarkable document online. Liberal/Liberal Democrat candidates in parliamentary elections in the West Midland Region 1945-2015 was compiled Lionel King. It gives a brief biography of each candidate in Who's Who style, but also a character sketch. These are often bracingly candid - so much so that I would hesitate to quote some of them here. Among those I can quote is my former landlord in Sutton Coldfield, Jim Whorwood. He is described as a "party stalwart from 1950s; meticulous keeper of records and election information; ... (more) |
Derry GirlsThis week I'm going to write about the media we've been watching during lockdown. First off, Derry Girls, whose two series so far are set in the early and mid 1990s, and feature five girls (one of whom is actually a boy) attending a Catholic school run by nuns in Derry, at the tail end of the Troubles. It hit home very hard for me. I went to a Catholic school run by nuns, and I am about ten years older than the Derry Girls, but that moment in the mid 1990s was an important one for me - I ... (more) |
Action Promised on Lower Leas Park Chaos[IMG: Lower Leas Coastal Park Sign] We all know that the position in the Lower Leas Park this weekend (and in previous weekends) has not been acceptable, and was not sustainable. I've been pushing Council Officers and the Leader for radical action, and I was promised an update today. I'm really pleased to say I've had that response from Head of Paid service Susan Priest tonight, and it really is a big step forward, with a massive increase in bin capacity, the banning of BBQs, closing of the Coastal Park Car Park (accessed from Radnor Cliff) overnight and a number ... (more) |
Isolation diary: Going out again?It's Happy Monday. Lockdown is, apparently, over – at least that seems to be the way many people have interpreted a gentle easing in the restrictions. There is even some good news for those of us practising shielding. We are now allowed to go outside the home once a day, either with a housemate or for a socially distanced walk with someone else if we live alone. We can't go to the shops, or go to work or visit others in their homes. I was quite excited when this was first flagged up on Saturday, but am now having second ... (more) |
Government must urgently scrap Vagrancy Act as part of plan to end rough sleepingFollowing yesterday's announcements from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary and Dame Louise Casey relating to support for rough sleepers, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said: "After years of prevarication it took a crisis to get the Tories to house thousands who were sleeping rough at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's vital that this support continues in the months ahead, to ensure we don't go backwards when such progress has been made."Ministers must now show they are completely committed to tackling this issue head on."That is why the Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to commit to ... (more) |
Blue and GreenIt is remarkable how quickly the reduction in road traffic in the current emergency has cleared the air. Even places like Skewen, not far from woods and green fields anyway, has seen bluer skies than any time since probably the petrol rationing following the Suez adventure. At night, we have been able to see clear views of the stars and planets only normally available to people in places like mid-Wales with dark skies. Given a glimpse of what a Britain free of photo-chemical haze can be like, it would be a shame to deny it to our children and grandchildren. ... (more) |
Going back to GrimondThe party's General Election Review has certainly generated plenty of debate and goes on to make a number of useful recommendations which I hope will be followed. However for me a key issue is that we are coming out of a long period where we abandoned our radicalism and we need to rediscover it. At the 2010 General Election we fought on a manifesto that could attract a wide range of voters either disillusioned with New Labour or sceptical of David Cameron's Conservatives. This was a continuation of the strategy adopted by Paddy Ashdown and it resulted in a 23 ... (more) |
The United States of America - A pariah nationEleven and a half years ago I, along with millions of people in the UK, stayed awake to hear who had become the President of the USA. At about 3 a.m. I was delighted to hear that it was Barack ... Continue reading → (more) |