Liberal Democrats

+++ OFFICIAL: Lib Dems cleared by Electoral Commission over Michael Brown’s £2.4m donation

Liberal Democrat Voice (Free subscription) | yesterday

Here’s the full statement just released by the Electoral Commission: Donations by 5th Avenue Partners Limited to the Liberal Democrats: statement 20 Nov 2009 The Electoral Commission, the independent elections and party finance watchdog, today announced the outcome of its investigation into donations made by the company 5th Avenue Partners Ltd to the Liberal Democrats. Donations totalling over...

• Lib Dems cleared by Electoral Commission over Michael Brown donation - Andrew Reeves' running blog
• Watchdog unmoving on Lib Dems' £2.4m donation - Politics.co.uk

European Liberal Democrats Back Turkey’s EU Accession

Jonathan Fryer (Free subscription) | yesterday

European Liberal Democrats, meeting at the annual congress of the ELDR in Barcelona, this morning passed a resolution (which I proposed) stating clearly our support for Turkish accession to the European Union, providing Ankara fulfils all of the so-called Copenhagen criteria for membership. This is in sharp contrast to the negative comments about Turkey´s EU [...]

Lib Dems can keep £2.4m donation

BBC News (Free subscription) | yesterday

The elections watchdog rules that the Lib Dems can keep £2.4m in donations which, it had been suggested, came from a fraudster.

Welsh Lib Dems lead Assembly into cross party consensus on Copenhagen

Liberal Democrats (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009

“There is only a small window of opportunity to stop dangerous climate change," said the Shadow Minister for the Environment and Sustainability.

Michael Brown donation: we got lucky

Quaequam Blog! (Free subscription) | yesterday

So the Lib Dems won’t be handing back the £2.4m donation from 5th Avenue Partners Ltd after all. Yay. I do hope however (against all the evidence?) that this won’t now result in large numbers of Lib Dems crowing about how the party’s actions have been vindicated and that the was never any question that [...]

So who has the X factor then

Valleys Mam (Free subscription) | yesterday

A poll of AMs from all parties identified Edwina Hart as the Assembly’s top performer, just ahead of Rhodri Morgan.She gained 25% of the poll, while Rhodri Morgan attracted the support of 22% of AMs. Carwyn Jones and Huw Lewis tied with Conservative David Melding on 5%. Only half of the AMs were polled , wonder who they were?The survey says nine Labour AMs, nine Conservatives, seven from Plaid...

MP opposes 10:10 for petty party reasons

Always win when you're singing (Free subscription) | yesterday

A month ago, I emailed my MP Claire Ward, asking her to support the Liberal Democrats’ Opposition Day debate to support the 10:10 campaign and commit the government to sign up to the campaign and cut greenhouse gas emissions from its estate and the public sector by 10% in 2010. With a government three line [...]

Free councils from Whitehall’s costly straitjacket

Les Bonner (Free subscription) | yesterday

“Putting more responsibility in the hands of local people makes for better decisions and saves money,” said Julia Goldsworthy, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary. Commenting on today’s LGA report outlining measures to save £4.5bn of public money without cutting back on frontline services, Julia Goldsworthy said: “This report confirms...

There's one law for them and another law for us (Part 94)

Mark Wadsworth (Free subscription) | yesterday

From the BBC : The elections watchdog has ruled that the Liberal Democrats can keep £2.4m in donations which it had been suggested came from a man convicted of fraud. Michael Brown was convicted of stealing more than £30m from clients last year. The court case heard he channelled money through a company called 5th Avenue Partners to the Lib Dems. But the Electoral Commission said there...

Labour government guarantees funding for Brent’s Crest Academies

Labour Matters (Free subscription) | yesterday

At the Council meeting in September the Liberal Democrats and Tories who run Brent Council rejected a Labour motion to pursue the compulsory purchase of land adjoining the new Crest Academies (formerly John Kelly schools) to ensure outdoor sports facilities. They rejected the motion on the basis that further delay would jeopardise government funding. The Council's failure to pursue the purchase of...

The Tories’ plan to politicise control of police is dangerous

Les Bonner (Free subscription) | yesterday

“The last thing British police need is an elected Sheriff leading the shootout at the O.K. Corral,” said the Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary. Commenting on Sir Hugh Orde’s warning that chief constables may resign if a Tory government tries to place forces under the control of directly-elected local commissioners, Chris Huhne said: “Sir Hugh [...]

Good Hair Review

Film Junk (Free subscription) | yesterday

Good Hair Directed by: Jeff Stilson Starring: Chris Rock, Nia Long, Ice-T, Al Sharpton, Maya Angelou, Eve, Tracie Thoms I have more rap albums than I have black friends on Facebook, and I don't have that many rap albums. There is and has always been a lot of black culture that I can only understand so much, but I never really thought about hair's role. It seems so simple - you grow it, you dye it,...

Appointments give the lie to Eurosceptic deceptions says Davey

Liberal Democrats (Free subscription) | yesterday

“European leaders have shown great sense in choosing such high calibre people," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary.

Cost-cutting in the ancient world

kalebeul (Free subscription) | yesterday

Hera can no longer afford the dragon and has installed security cameras to stop the Hesperides stealing her golden apples. (Pomegranates, actually, which I believe some people also view as possible candidates. On this walk.) See also:St George and the pigeon Merchant of Texas Filth: progress Introducing the Aragonese albino dragon slug Is Michael Moore a resurrected Saracen monster?

We Need Your Help -- By: Jonah Goldberg

National Review Online (Free subscription) | yesterday

H ow much would you pay to watch Sarah Palin beat the stuffing out of Andrew Sullivan? What would Barack Obama’s official Kenyan birth certificate be worth to you? How about a videotape proving that Bill Ayers not only wrote Dreams from My Father , but also translated it from the original Russian? How about a new Christmas CD with Robert Byrd singing all of his Yuletide favorites (“I’m...

Sideshow: Much praise for Moore's new film

bsalmons | 07/09/2009

Michael Moore says his film Capitalism: A Love Story is dedicated to "good people . . . who've had their lives ruined" by the quest for profit. After success at Cannes, Moore's film was to premiere yesterday in his first appearance at the Venice Film Festival. It was warmly received at a press showing Saturday and won positive reviews. Variety called it one of Moore's "best pics."

Norwich North By-Election - Calling The People Of Norwich

boatangdemetriou | 23/07/2009

Today is the day the Teddy Bears get shafted. That is the hope of millions of people around this country and it falls to the people of Norwich to deliver. No pressure. So, if you are a person in Norwich and are reading this during your break, please do the right thing and vote Libertarian. Here is a list of the candidates and as you can see, they are all useless bar one. Thomas Burridge . Many people