Archive for jonathan calder
Each time I hear about Nigel Farage, I puzzle about Caroline Lucas
Nigel Farage is certainly the protest vote leader of choice at the moment. It’s not a surprise that there should be such a person, nor even that it’s not the Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition. After all Lib Dem leaders have often had that role in the past. But that it’s UKIP highlights the failures [...]
The pros and cons of being economically backward: Stamford
Last month I popped over to Stamford for a quick look around a very picturesque place. It’s also an interesting example of the pros and cons of economic development, or more precisely missing out on it. For Stamford’s brief history is that of an initially successful and prosperous staging post on the road north out [...]
Whither Lib Dem blogging? The internal/external dilemma
There’s been an interesting debate over the last few days about the state of Liberal Democrat blogging, triggered by a thought-provoking piece from Jonathan Calder about the Lib Dem Voice Blog of the Year Awards and with a recent contribution from my Lib Dem Voice Co-Editor colleague Stephen Tall, which includes a good round-up of [...]
Federal Executive cancels Interim Peers Panel elections
As Michael Crick and Jonathan Calder have picked up on, the elections due this autumn for the Liberal Democrat Interim Peers Panel have been dropped. The decision was made by the Federal Executive at its last meeting on the basis that it would be rather strange to hold elections for a group of people who [...]
David Boyle’s appointment is excellent news
Under Charles Kennedy’s leadership, the party had a simple and generally popular approach to public services: Kennedy consistently supported higher spending on favourite public services and appointed as party spokespeople those with experience of that service. So in education, for example, it was ex-headteacher Phil Willis leading for the party, promoting costed policies to put [...]
Draft Communications Data Bill: initial Liberal Democrat reactions
Looking round the blogs this evening, these are the responses I’ve found so far to today’s publication of the Draft Communications Data Bill, all of which are well worth reading in full: CCDP First impressions: A bill with too few safeguards – Zoe O’Connell Clause 1 which places the obligations on ISPs to collect data [...]
Ian Liddell-Grainger: the Royal connection
Picking up on my post about the strange behaviour by Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, Jonathan Calder has pointed out a regal connection to the story: Iain Liddell-Grainger, says his Wikipedia entry, is the great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria and is 339th in the line of succession to the British Throne. So it would take only 338 unfortunate [...]
Tim Farron: good speech, but wrong message
Sometimes the toughest speaking gigs for MPs is when they are talking to a friendly audience – but something interesting is happening behind them. So it was a few months ago with Julian Huppert talking to Putney Liberal Democrats. Very thoughtful speech, well received by the members and supporters present – but Julian had to [...]
I want to hear a speech from Tim Farron that I disagree with
Over on his blog Jonathan Calder makes a good point about the speech-making abilities of Liberal Democrat President Tim Farron: My impression of Tim is that he is very good at saying things people agree with. So in Cumbria he is against second homes and in favour of farming subsidies and Kendal mint cake… Now [...]
