Two earthly halves locked in a downward spiralJeremy Clarkson recently became a climate change believer when he experienced a dry lake in Cambodia. I recently experienced something of the bush fire season in Australia. As well as all-pervasive smoke in most of Queensland and New South Wales, ABC Radio news is a constant stream of news on the bush fires – hundreds of them raging all the time. And it is still their spring. Without trying to rehearse the dangers of climate change, I have one particular fear. There is an extent to which the world is divided into two. I am over-generalising but if you take ... (more) |
Maghull – Town Council's Parks SurveyMaghull's Moss Park photoed a few years back Maghull has quite a lot of parks and gardens and they're all under the control of Maghull Town Council – none are run by Sefton Borough Council. They are:- King George V Park, Glenn Park Whinneybrook Field Moss Park Mersey Avenue Park South Mead Park Round Meade Park Bobby's Wood Ball's Wood Dodds Park Old Hall Park Old Hall Field Moorhey Park Some years ago, during the Blair Government when I both lived in Maghull and was a Town Councillor*, the Town Council had a 'Best Value' report done by an independent ... (more) |
My tweetsTue, 12:16: RT @CrisisGroup: Economic tools can help stabilise Europe's neighbourhood, @apcoworldwide's @nwbrux says, noting the positive role of busin... Tue, 12:16: RT @selinnasi: "Europe will either be a player or a playground...Europe has to learn how to use its economic size to influence internationa... Tue, 12:17: RT @nouraabughris: "Europe takes political problems transforms them to technical problems and ultimately resolves them as procedural" @CH_E... Tue, 12:45: RT @CrisisGroup: "EU soft power" in regional economies is barely mentioned by #CrisisTalks/#CHEurope panelists. @realVickyPryce: Europe is... Tue, 12:56: Lovers in Auschwitz, Reunited 72 Years Later. He Had One Question. https://t.co/sa4RFBFOUv An incredible ... (more) |
This week, fight for our values on social securityAs we enter one last push before the election, it's important to remember why we're doing this. It's tempting to clamp down into an unhelpful, wearying "shut up and deliver leaflets" mode, but really the best way to get motivated and to motivate others in politics is to have something to fight for. For me, the Liberal Democrats' social security policies are exactly such a motivator. A good safety net that liberates people from poverty and the threat of income insecurity is an absolutely crucial part of a liberal society. One of the reasons why coalition-era cuts in this area ... (more) |
Tammy Duckworth and the importance of second chamber reformOne issue that has not come up during this campaign, but should have, is second chamber reform. Firstly, may I say that our House of Lords has many, many fine members and does a fantastic job. But there is a problem. We can't get rid of it. It fails on the five democratic questions that dear old Tony Benn used to repeat endlessly: What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you use it? To whom are you accountable? How do we get rid of you? At the very least we should be ... (more) |
Does Greenland's meltng ice sheet suggest climate change is irreversible?The Guardian reports that Greenland's ice sheet is melting much faster than previously thought, threatening hundreds of millions of people with inundation and bringing some of the irreversible impacts of the climate emergency much closer. They refer to data that suggests ice is being lost from Greenland seven times faster than it was in the 1990s, and the scale and speed of ice loss is much higher than was predicted in the comprehensive studies of global climate science by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As a result it is believed that sea level rises are likely to reach 67cm ... (more) |
Thanks to Quentin Letts, I suddenly have rather more money in my pocket...I used to be a Guardian reader which, given that I'm a Liberal Democrat, might not surprise that many people. And yes, there were annoying aspects to it - Polly Toynbee, for the most part, but I could put up with that. But, about six years ago, I switched to The Times, newspaper of record and all that. Their sports coverage was quite good, and whilst I didn't necessarily feel comfortable with either their editorial line or, to be honest, their ownership, I took the view that I'm enough of a sceptic to consciously filter out their right-wing bias. One ... (more) |
11 December 2019 - the overnight press releasesSwinson: One day left to stop Boris Johnson and stop Brexit Welsh Lib Dems: Put a penny on income tax to transform mental healthcare Swinson: One day left to stop Boris Johnson and stop Brexit Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson will today (Wednesday 11th December) deliver her final speech of the election campaign in Esher and Walton, urging voters to back the Liberal Democrats to stop Boris Johnson getting a majority and stop Brexit. Jo will be attending a series of rallies with activists throughout to the day including in the Conservative-held seats of Esher and Walton, Guildford and Wimbledon. ... (more) |
Harris Education and Recreation Association - HERA new classes #dundeewestendHere's the details of the upcoming evening classes from Harris Education and Recreation Association - together with information about enrolment night. You can click on the images below to enlarge and can also find more details are available here : (more) |
Green business newsletter likes our manifestoThis op-ed from Business Green reminds us of another Liberal Democrat initiative in coalition that was vindictively killed off by the Conservatives when they contrived an overall majority in 2015: the Green Investment Bank. For me, the Lib Dems offer the most compelling manifesto for the green economy. Most experts would agree the 2045 net zero target date is both ambitious and achievable, but crucially there is also a detailed £100bn plan for meeting the goal that centres on urgent action over the next decade. There is a willingness to borrow to invest to go alongside Leader Jo Swinson's genuine ... (more) |