Chris Huhne's resignation is a loss to the Liberal Democrats and the countryIt's completely unsurprising that there will be many people in the country tonight who will certainly not be mourning the loss of Chris Huhne from the government. What is more surprising is that some of those people will be Liberal ... Continue reading → (more) |
Come on Davey light my fireThe Liberal Democrat blogosphere has been an odd place over the past few days. There has been talk of "betrayal and loathing in the Lib Dems," our MPs have told to hang their heads in shame and someone appears to have declared war on the leadership. I have never been an enthusiast for conducting politics in this slightly paranoid language. That distaste is one of the many reasons I have never been attracted to the Labour Party. It reminds me of poor old Michael Foot waving his arms and talking about treason. Nor do I have any sense that the ... (more) |
The Boring GodToday I stumbled across the blog of Shiraz Socialist, on which is a fascinating post about the mini-controversy surrounding Terry Eagleton's review of Alain de Botton's Religion for Atheists. The post is a review of de Botton's response to Eagleton's review, achieving a level of nested meta that Tarski would appreciate. It is well worth ... (more) |
Nick petitions to keep St Mary in the Castle as an arts centrePlease sign our petition here: (more) |
Losing my temperAhem. As my regular readers will know, I'm renowned for my considered, well-tempered and cautious approach to events. Okay, so that's a lie. But I do try not to lose my temper in debates as it just undermines the argument. And I also try, despite how passionate I feel, not to come across as too abrasive or insulting. Unfortunately, given the number of times I've seen people been told lately, or been told myself, that concerns and dismay about the impact of the Welfare Reform Bill (passed thanks to Lib Dem MPs) is actually nothing more than "hyperbole" or "exaggeration" ... (more) |
Nick blasts Labour and announces intention to run for CouncilNick Perry, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Hastings & Rye, has announced that he intends to run for election to Hastings Borough Council on 3 May this year. Nick, who was his party's candidate at the 2010 General Election said to The Observer, "There are local and national reasons for wanting to be selected ... (more) |
No Knives, Autism Discussions and Drumbrae hub Opens for BusinessIt has been another pretty intense week. My posting has not been as frequent as I would have liked. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what to post about out of so many issues going on at once. This afternoon I took part in the launch of the next phase of the No Knives Better Lives anti knife crime campaign. The No Knives campaign was trialled in Inverclyde with great results and we have rolled it out in the North of the city. Today it was extended to the Gorgie, Sighthill and Wester Hailes areas. We do not have huge ... (more) |
Charles Dickens, Mr Dick and mental illnessThere was a discussion of mental health on last night's This Week. Alastair Campbell was impressive, but I am not sure that Ruby Wax's insistence that poor mental health means that there is something wrong with your brain and you need drugs reflects the most enlightened view. Because other ways of understanding mental illness are possible, and I have come across a particularly interesting one in my day job. The clinical psychologist Caroline Cuppitt writes about Charles Dickens' view of the topic and the character of Mr Dick in David Copperfield in particular: There is no suggestion that Mr Dick ... (more) |
John Stuart Mill proved right ! (but not Right)The Mail Online carries a story that Canadian academics have shown that right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers,thus proving John Stuart Mill right."I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will (more) |
Well I never! A Bloody Sunday troll!Extraordinary. (more) |