The death of Dennis O'Neill and expertise in a narrow subjectBecoming very knowledgeable about a niche subject is worrying, because you find much that has been published about it is wrong. And then it become more worrying, because you suspect this is true of every subject if only you knew. One of my niches of expertise is the death of Dennis O'Neill in 1945. He had been fostered by a couple on a farm in the Stiperstones (that's why I first came across the case) and the trial of his killers shared the front pages with news of the last days of the war in Europe. Now I've come across ... (more) |
Peer says his name should not be used in legal letter in island cafe dog snub rowAfter commending the slugs of Stretford, the judges gave our Headline of the Day Award to The Scotsman. Our picture shows Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, where the cafe in the island cafe dog snub row is to be found. (more) |
A fair pension for every generation: a Liberal Democrat case for reform(Image: The Guardian) I was 18 years old when I opened a bank account with the Royal Bank of Scotland. It was my first experience of aggressive salesmanship. I thought all I was doing was taking in some pieces of identification, confirming some information and opening a bank account. But no. I had a half-hour appointment with an advisor who was keen to offer me pretty much every other product the bank had available. Inevitably the conversation came round to the subject of pensions. He asked me whether I had thought about pensions. I'd just turned 18 years old a ... (more) |
Keep the earnings link: don't repeat the mistakes of the 80sThe triple lock was introduced in 2010 by David Cameron's Coalition Government when Steve Webb (Lib Dem) was Minister of Pensions, to restore the erosion which had taken place since the earnings link was replaced with a prices' link in the 1980s. To replace the triple lock with a prices' link or 2.5%, as was proposed today, will reverse the progress of the last sixteen years. Clearly it has been proposed to save money, as it was in the 1980s, which means a reducing state pension at the very time Government should have been looking to increase it to reduce ... (more) |
Where have we heard this one before? Labour and electoral reformA Labour Prime Minister has announced a commission on electoral reform. Where have we heard this one before? For those who remember, or, like me, are interested in political history, you would know that Andy Burnham isn't the first Labour leader to announce the creation of a commission on electoral reform; that accolade belongs to Tony Blair. Time for a quick crash course: as part of their 1997 election manifesto, New Labour committed to holding a referendum on an alternative voting system to First Past the Post. After entering office, Blair asked Lord Jenkins to head a commission on electoral ... (more) |
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 soon 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 ... (more) |