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) |
123 days in power: putting our new strategy for urban Britain into practiceLast week at Liberal Democrat Conference, I was delighted to pass an amendment to our party strategy making clear that, if we are serious about growing our party, we must become more relevant to people living in urban areas, diverse communities and younger generations. Our recent electoral successes give us an extraordinary platform. But we cannot be satisfied with consolidating our support only where we are already strong. We should be ambitious about winning and governing in cities and diverse communities across Britain too. For Southwark Liberal Democrats, this is not just a discussion about party strategy. We are already ... (more) |
Andy Burnham's speech was good: Here's how Lib Dems can make the implementation betterChris Bowers talked about the lack of a "Yesss" moment at our Conference yesterday. Well, like buses, if you wait long enough, several come along at once – the problem is that they were in the speech of the leader of another party. Andy Burnham's speech yesterday was quite simply one of the best I have ever heard from a UK politician. It had heart and soul and ideas and emotion and mission. I had goosebumps and it's a long time since a speech has done that to me. I'd have to go back to Obama for that. A speech ... (more) |
Farage fails the cool, calm leadership testIf there is one thing we should expect from a future Prime Minister it is that s/he can keep their head in a crisis, that they should be able to assess a situation, gather all the evidence, and then draw up a plan of action, not jump to conclusions on the basis of rumour and incomplete information. When it comes to Nigel Farage's reaction to the arrest of five men on suspicion of terror offences near RAF Fairford, Marina Hyde in the Guardian hits the nail on the head. She says that for a guy who supposedly valorises the wartime ... (more) |
Burnham's PR pledge: Should Lib Dems be optimistic?Andy Burnham (Photo: politics.co.uk) For Liberal Democrats, Andy Burnham's announcement of a National Commission on Electoral Reform deserves a welcome that is both enthusiastic and demanding. Enthusiastic because a sitting Labour prime minister has publicly challenged the electoral system that delivered his party its parliamentary majority. Demanding because we know how easily promises of reform can become commissions, reports and eventual silence. Burnham's warning about a divisive government entering Downing Street on less than 30% of the vote identifies a fundamental democratic danger. We know exactly what he is referring to and that risk is real. His proposed commission, invitation ... (more) |
A Liberal View on Burnham's SpeechIf Andy Burnham really has no intention to call a General Election as he says, then this Conference speech has not made a very convincing show of it, there were a lot of policy announcements for, "The next Manifesto." or 2030. (A year past the next scheduled election.) If he really is going to sit the full mandate Labour were elected on in 2024 then these policy announcements for what will be almost three years in the future ring like hollow attempts to keep his polling in place while in reality continuing the path of not doing nearly enough to ... (more) |
Russia opens criminal case against Lib Dem councillorEmbed from Getty ImagesRussia's spy agency has opened a criminal case against a Liberal Democrat councillor, accusing her of being part of a terrorist organisation. Ksenia Maximova, who was born in Russia, is a Lib Dem member of Ealing Borough Council. She is also the founder of the Russian Democratic Society, an organisation that works to counter authoritarianism and war by empowering democratic voices from Russia. It is designated "undesirable" under Russian law. She told Sky News that being put on Russia's list of terrorists comes as no surprise: "For years everyone was saying it's a bit random that I ... (more) |
How will Burnham "fix social care"?Photo: Institute for Government Andy Burnham's promise to "fix social care" is welcome. His ambition for a system built on NHS principles, in which "everyone contributes, everyone is covered", speaks to a failure that successive governments have acknowledged and then left unresolved. At last, a Prime Minister appears willing to say that England's arrangements are unfair and that a lasting solution will require difficult choices. That is a significant step, but a promise is easier to make than a service is to build. Social care is often discussed as though it were chiefly a question of protecting older people from ... (more) |
Sir Ranulph Fiennes admits he narrowly avoided prison after blowing up Dr Doolittle movie damThis headline dates from 2018, so I'm not putting it to the judges, but the story below it is worth repeating because Sir Ranulph is in the news. SomersetLive reported on the address he gave when he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law at University of Bristol that year:The explorer said: "Unfortunately, while on leave back in the UK in the mid-1960s, I got phoned up by an old Eton friend. "He had moved to a place called Castle Combe in Wiltshire, which had just been voted Britain's prettiest village. "And this beautiful village was being attacked by 20th ... (more) |
Britain should be proud, but never afraid of the stranger[IMG: Anton Georgiou speaks at Conference Rally] Photo credit: John Russell More than 50 years ago, my grandparents, mother and aunts came to Britain as refugees from Cyprus. They arrived in London with just £20. My grandfather took whatever job he could find. My grandmother spent long days in front of a sewing machine. They worked, saved, bought a home and raised their daughters. Britain gave my family something they could not take for granted: the chance to be safe and build a future. That history is personal to me. It also shapes how I think about the debate around ... (more) |