A dawning realisation that I don't really fit, but that's fineOccasionally, someone revisits the idea that the Liberal Democrats consist of a number of tribes, and writes (usually quite thoughtfully) about how the interaction between the various groups impacts the way that the Party operates. And, as a long-term member whose history includes a variety of roles at every level of the voluntary party, I naturally read them with a degree of informed interest. This year, the version that caught my attention was from James Baillie. James is a relative newcomer (admittedly, dinosaurs are relative newcomers compared to me these days) but his background as a historian offers a interesting ... (more) |
For World Monkey Day: The death of King Alexander of GreeceEmbed from Getty ImagesToday is World Monkey Day and to mark it here's the sad story of King Alexander of Greece. Alexander came to the throne in 1917 after his father (Constantine I) and elder brother (Crown Prince George) were deposed by the Entente Powers and the Liberal statesman Eleftherios Venizelos. Alexander became a puppet king under the control of Venizelos, and Greece continued to fight the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. In 1919 Alexander married Aspasia Manos, a commoner. This became a major scandal. and the couple were forced to leave Greece for several months. Soon after their return to ... (more) |
Lib Dems get five new peers and drop opposition to government billPhoto by Martina Jorden on Unsplash I can't see behind its paywall, but the Telegraph is convinced that the Liberal Democrats dropped their opposition to the government's workers' rights bill in return for being granted five peerages. Whether there's anything to this theory I can't say, but I'm pleased by both its elements. We Lib Dems have been short of new peers since the debacle of 2015, so it's good to see three being appointed - working for the leader now seems to be the highway to ermine. In fact we were granted five peerages, but two of those went ... (more) |
LibLink: How can abuse openly take place in a nursery by Munira WilsonIn a Guardian article this week, Lib Dem Education spokesperson Munira Wilson called for mandatory CCTV in nurseries to respond to a number of horrific abuse cases taking place in nurseries. She highlighted the structural failures in the childcare sector because of improperly managed implementation of childcare entitlements. She set out the problem: Yet the harrowing case of Vincent Chan, a former nursery worker in Camden, north London, who pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual assault and 17 counts of taking or making indecent photos of children, hit the headlines last week, leaving parents with young children across the ... (more) |
Have people become too critical of Labour's 2024 general election campaign?Two of the authors of a new book, The British General Election of 2024, joined me for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. Among the topics we discuss are whether Labour's post-election slump has made people too critical of their election campaign, whether the Conservatives could have saved themselves and lessons for the Lib Dems. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes The graph we discuss showing public opinion on tax and what people thought Labour and the Conservatives would do to tax. Mythbusing Liz Truss ... (more) |
Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore: Tragic MagicThis is a track from Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore's new album Tragic Magic. An advertisement on Lattimore's Bandcamp page says: Tragic Magic brings together Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, two of contemporary ambient, experimental and electronic music's most celebrated composers, for a unique collaboration at the Philharmonie de Paris, with extraordinary access to the Musée de la Musique's instrument collection, in partnership with the French label InFiné. The album features seven immersive, evocative compositions guided by the human spirit - intimate, grounded in friendship, both earthly and cosmic - and part of a greater continuum, reflecting the solace and ... (more) |
Do Most Americans know where Europe is?Sometimes I think that I can never again be shocked by anything that Trump says. However, he then comes out with something even dafter! His latest plan is to cause four nations to leave the EU and form a new political bloc which would be more supportive of the USA. I suspect that such an attempt is doomed to fail. We in Europe have close ties going back hundreds of years. Sometimes we have fought each other but most of the time the Western part of Europe has stood together against threats of tyranny and oppression from the East. We ... (more) |
Scottish internal election resultsThe federal and all the State parties have been having internal elections. The Scottish Party announced its results on Friday with a brilliant mix of people being elected to office bearer roles and committees. Except the President – watch out for her, she's bound to be trouble. Returning Officer John Lawrie emailed all members: President – Caron Lindsay Convener – Jenni Lang Policy Convener – Neil Casey Conference Convener – Fraser Graham Campaigns & Candidates Convener – Charles Dundas Treasurer – Mike Gray Executive Committee Members (12 Members) – Willie Wilson, Alan Reid, Jill Reilly, David Evans, Stephen Harte, Amanda ... (more) |
Lochee Road #dundeewestendGreat historic photograph of the long-gone tenements in Lochee Road opposite Logie Cemetery. (more) |
Labour under fire over tackling violence against womenThe Guardian reports that leading organisations have criticised the development of the government's flagship violence against women and girls strategy, calling the process chaotic, haphazard and "worse than under the Tories". The paper says that important voices in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector have privately accused ministers of sidelining first-hand expertise and expressed concern that the strategy will not be sufficiently radical to achieve the government's flagship manifesto promise to halve the rate of VAWG in the UK in a decade: Initially expected in spring, the VAWG strategy was delayed until summer and then autumn. On Friday ... (more) |