A national care service - questions for Burnham (and us)On the cusp of sixty, having witnessed so many speeches of unconvincing emotion - Thatcher: the tragic King's Cross fire, Blair: "I love this party, it was losing I hated", or various Lib Dem leaders over the years lecturing Liberal Assembly or the early Lib Dem conferences that we weren't "serious about power" – it would be churlish not to recognise the raw power and daring delivery of Burnham's speech about care. Having been both a politician and a worker in the care sector, I for one appreciated the PM's direct apology to camera that the former profession had let ... (more) |
Opportunity at the heart of our vision in local governmentFor too many young people, the transition from education into employment is becoming harder. Employers face rising costs and are understandably cautious about taking on additional staff. Young people without extensive experience then find themselves trapped in the familiar catch-22: they need experience to get a job, but they need someone to give them a job to gain that experience. In Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere, the Liberal Democrats are trying to do something different to solve this problem whilst simultaneously supporting local economic growth. That is why we are calling on the Government to establish a pilot "Special Economic ... (more) |
So many questions over Burnham's agendaFor a Liberal, Andy Burnham's commitment to work closer with EU. possibly by rejoining the single market or even the EU itself, his support of proportional representation and his pledge to bring in free social care is like catnip. However, we should not put all our hopes on the contents of one speech and numerous press briefings without some detail. For a start, what form of proportional representation is being proposed? What is the timescale and will there have to be another plebiscite before we can proceed? Just another commission, no real commitment. And what exactly is being proposed regarding ... (more) |
The disturbing folklore behind Alan Garner's storiesGrim Jim and his disembodied hands are new to me, but this is a good video. Though he talks mostly about Garner and his first two books, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath, there are passing insights into other fantasy writers too. (more) |
The Burnhamites will not hurt them for they are tough as leatherI was impressed by Andy Burnham's speech to the Labour Conference and I hope the Liberal Democrats will sound warmer about his talk of electoral reform, return to the European Union and improvements to social care than they have so far. But that isn't going to stop me the final verse of a song written to celebrate the acquittal of five Tollesbury men charged with piracy in 1894: The Tollesbury men and Mersea men Know how to stand together; The Burnhamites will not hurt them, For they are tough as leather. That comes from an article by Helen Matten in ... (more) |
The geography of Liberal Democrat potential (LDN#214)Liberal Democrat Newswire #214 came out last week 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 #214, which takes a look at the geography of Lib Dem support, includes advice on how to react to stories about hung Parliaments, explains why "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" is bad political advice, and more. First, though, congratulations to the new Lib Dem councillors since last time – Tim Murray, Fred Hulls, James Hartley, Mark Stephenson, ... (more) |
The sun still shines on PM BurnhamThe Labour Party has had a successful Conference, burnished by a very successful speech from Andy Burnham. Next week we shall endure the Tories tarnishing the shine with predictable scorn and cries of unaffordability, unjustified optimism and Death Taxes, with no mention that it is largely their 14 years of misrule that has brought the country to this sorry pass (along with 40 years of multi-party acquiescence to misguided neo-liberal policies . I hope we Liberal Democrats will confine ourselves to constructive suggestions rather than knee-jerk opposition for the sake of opposition. It is refreshing to have a prime minister ... (more) |
Vince Cable writes: Drill, baby, drill...or notNow that the Prime Minister is back from his trip to see Donald Trump and has enjoyed the emotional warm bath of his party conference, he rejoins the world of hard choices. The budget looms. A more immediate question is to decide on whether to proceed with drilling for gas and oil in the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields in the North Sea. The politics are awful. Environmentalists regard the issue as central to the government's credibility on climate change. The Labour v Green battle in Camden provides context. On the other hand, rejection of the developments will send a negative ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1584"The judge told him he did not qualify for asylum and asked the 13-year-old to make a choice: a promise of a $3,000 stipend from the Department of Homeland Security to return to Honduras without his mother and family, or a deportation order. 'I don't know,' Angel said before beginning to cry. 'I have no one. I have nothing.'Julia Conley reports on monstrous US deportation hearings where children are given no legal representation. Steven Beschloss thinks the Republican mid-term candidates now deserting Donald Trump have left it too late. "Feltham was described as the most violent YOI at the time ... (more) |
Vampire Weekend: Cape Cod Kwassa KwassaI heard this late one long ago night on Radio 3's Late Junction and thought I had discovered an obscure band to like. Then I discovered they were the most fashionable new band in the world. (more) |