Trying To Connect You

Conservatives sack their Southport Chairman

2010-09-29T17:04:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in January 2010

Jackie Glover has been removed as chairman of Southport Conservative Association. The Conservative Party issued the following press release on Tuesday 26th January 2010:

"Mrs Jackie Glover has been removed as chairman of Southport Conservative Association by the Board of the Conservative Party for failing to properly support the general election campaign. Carl Cross, the Merseyside Area Chairman of the Conservative Party, has been appointed as acting chairman of the Southport Association with immediate effect."

Southport's Lib Dem MP, John Pugh said "It's really a pity that local Conservatives cannot sort out their differences without suspending, expelling or removing people.

"I don't like to see bitterness in politics and genuinely would prefer it if my opponents kept a sense of proportion, shared a pot of tea or a drink together and accepted that people in a political party don't have to agree all the time."

A record of action, and a promise of more.

2010-07-07T00:21:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in June 2009.

The North West's Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament, Chris Davies, has an impressive record of action. Electing more Lib Dems to Europe will lead to even greater action on issues that matter.

1. Leading the fight for tougher environmental action: Chris Davies MEP is a European leader for better environmental legislation. By speaking out for legislation to improve car emission standards Chris Davies has made sure that cars do less damage to the environment and also do more miles to the gallon, saving British people on their fuel bills.

2. Winning the fight for tougher health warnings on tobacco: Chris Davies MEP took up the cause of parents everywhere by successfully writing laws that put better warnings on cigarette packets to stop children taking up smoking. Across the EU cigarette packs now carry graphic images showing people the consequences of smoking so they don't even start the habit in the first place.

3. Standing up against expenses fiddles: Chris Davies MEP is standing up for taxpayers by exposing expenses fiddles by a few MEPs. Most MEPs work hard and claim the minimum needed but Chris blew the whistle and leaked a secret report that exposed the wrongdoing of the few. Some newspapers have said Chris has personally refused to claim £2 million in expenses in 10 years.

The Liberal Democrat candidates for the North West European Parliament election on June 4th 2009 are Chris Davies, Helen Foster-Grime, Sue McGuire, Qassim Afzal, Neil Corlett, Mark Clayton, Stephen Cooke, Peter Hirst. Polls are open from 7am to 10pm. The results will be announced on Sunday 7th June.

Bootle Labour councillor joins Lib Dems

2010-07-06T00:23:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in May 2009.

A Labour councillor in Sefton has defected to the Liberal Democrats.

The Liverpool Daily Post have reported that Cllr Paul Larkin of Derby Ward, Bootle, has left the Labour Party and joined the Liberal Democrats. Cllr Larkin says that Sefton's Labour leadership is 'deaf' to the concerns of voters.

In a statement carried by the Daily Post, Cllr Larkin said: "The local leadership of the Labour Party has failed to listen to the community concerns with regard to poor quality housing and the lack of regeneration across Derby ward and although I have tried for five years to get the local Labour Party to listen to the community's concerns, they continue to tell the community to 'struggle on'.

"I believe this community cannot struggle on any more. While people are living in fear of leaving their children to play in the streets and the elderly are prisoners at night in their homes, the Labour party refuse to listen."

Councillor Paul Larkin was also election agent to Crosby's MP, Claire Curtis-Thomas, at the last general election.

The composition of Sefton Council is now Lib Dem 28, Lab 21, Con 17 - leaving the Liberal Democrats just six seats short of an overall majority on the Council.

No change in Southport in local elections

2010-07-06T00:20:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in May 2008.

No council seats changed hands in Southport in the local elections on 1st May 2008, with all seven wards re-electing their sitting councillors. The Liberal Democrats won four seats to three for the Conservatives. Overall, Southport continues to have fourteen Lib Dem councillors to seven Conservatives, with no other parties having representation. The Liberal Democrats will continue to have control of the Southport Area Committee.

Elsewhere in Sefton the Liberal Democrats had a dramatic victory in Manor Ward, gaining a seat from the Conservatives by 68 votes after a recount. Sefton Council remains in 'No Overall Control' with the Liberal Democrats remaining the largest Party. The Lib Dems now have 27 councillors, Labour 21, and the Conservatives 18.

The full local election results for Southport on May 1st 2008 are:

AINSDALE WARD
Brenda Porter (Conservative) 2,903 (67.8%)
Pauline Collier (Liberal Democrats) 986 (23.0%)
Frank Warner (Labour) 223 (5.2%)
Bryan Leech (UKIP) 168 (3.9%)

BIRKDALE WARD
Richard Hands (Liberal Democrats) 1,702 (49.9%)
Cath Regan (Conservative) 1,105 (32.4%)
Terry Durrance (UKIP) 394 (11.5%)
Frank Robinson (Labour) 213 (6.2%)

CAMBRIDGE WARD
Tom Glover (Conservative) 2,076 (49.5%)
Aidan McGuire (Liberal Democrats) 1,889 (45.0%)
Muriel Langley (Labour) 229 (5.5%)

DUKES WARD
David Pearson (Conservative) 1,979 (55.5%)
Joan Shavaksha (Liberal Democrats) 790 (22.2%)
Harry Forster (Southport Party) 497 (13.9%)
Catherine Cookson (Labour) 297 (8.3%)

KEW WARD
Maureen Fearn (Liberal Democrats) 1,404 (47.3%)
Anthony White (Conservative) 809 (27.2%)
John Lee (Southport Party) 455 (15.3%)
Steve Jowett (Labour) 203 (6.8%)
Val Pollard (UKIP) 100 (3.4%)

MEOLS WARD
John Dodd (Liberal Democrats) 1,714 (48.9%)
Mike Swift (Conservatives) 1,134 (32.4%)
Margaret Brown (Southport Party) 277 (7.9%)
Nigel Cecil (UKIP) 209 (6.0%)
Maureen Stoker (Labour) 168 (4.8%)

NORWOOD WARD
Ronnie Fearn (Liberal Democrats) 1,735 (54.3%)
Tony Crabtree (Conservative) 744 (23.3%)
Michael Nolan (Labour) 290 (9.1%)
Graham Taylor (UKIP) 243 (7.6%)
Margaret McEllenborough (BNP) 184 (5.8%)

Nick Clegg elected Leader of the Liberal Democrats

2010-07-06T00:09:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in December 2007.

Nick Clegg has been elected as the new Leader of the Liberal Democrats. The result of the ballot of all Lib Dem members was announced by the acting Leader, Vince Cable, in London on Tuesday 18th December. Nick Clegg won by a narrow margin, gaining 20,988 votes to Chris Huhne's 20,477 votes.

Nick Clegg is the Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam and was previously a Member of the European Parliament. He has worked as a journalist and as a senior aide in Brussels.

Speaking after his election, Nick Clegg said "Under my leadership the Liberal Democrats will be ambitious. Ambitious for ourselves and ambitious for Britain."

"I want to thank you for giving me the chance to lead our great party. It is a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Paddy Ashdown, Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell, who have all contributed so much to our party. I look forward to working with them all during my leadership."

"I would also like to pay tribute to both Vince Cable and Chris Huhne. Vince has been an inspiration as stand-in leader with both his forensic questioning and his memorable put downs. Chris and I saw a lot of each other during the leadership contest. Now we will be working together as close colleagues to ensure that our party goes on to further electoral success. I am delighted that both Vince and Chris are going to be part of my top team over the coming years."

"We have a golden opportunity for our party. Gordon Brown presides over an increasingly stale, incompetent, and desperate government. David Cameron and the Tories don't know what they stand for any more."

"We know what we stand for - a more Liberal Britain. I am confident that with hard work and dedication we can turn our beliefs into reality and change our country for the better."

"Under my leadership our party will be a self-confident, radical, and energetic party. Together we can break the stifling two-party system and change Britain for good. That is my aim. I hope you will join me in making it a reality."

Ming Campbell resigns as Leader of the Liberal Democrats

2010-07-06T00:07:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in October 2007.

Sir Menzies Campbell has resigned as Leader of the Liberal Democrats. The news came in a statement issued jointly by the Party President, Simon Hughes, and Deputy Leader Vince Cable. Simon Hughes said that Ming Campbell had resigned as Leader with immediate effect in the interests of the Party. Vince Cable has taken over as acting Leader with immediate effect. There will now be a leadership election and the timetable will be published tomorrow. Ming Campbell did not make any immediate statement.

The official statement on the Liberal Democrats national website reads:-

President of the Liberal Democrats, Simon Hughes MP said today: "Ming Campbell has this evening submitted his resignation as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats with immediate effect.

"Over the past two years, Ming has given stability and purpose to our Party. He has hugely professionalised the working of our Party and led its very successful preparations for the next general election.

"Ming has made this decision - as all his political decisions - in the interest of his Party and Liberal Democracy throughout Britain. Every Liberal Democrat owes Ming a huge debt of gratitude.

"Vince Cable, our Deputy Leader will take over as Party leader until a new leader is elected according to our rules. The detailed election timetable will be announced tomorrow."

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable MP said: "During his time as Leader, Ming has earned the respect, affection and gratitude of the Party. This was reflected in the warmth with which his speech was received by the Party conference three weeks ago. The key message of that speech was that the Liberal Democrats are the only Party with the distinctive, positive vision of a fairer and greener Britain.

"Throughout his political life Ming has campaigned for liberal values and social justice and we will ensure that we build on that legacy."

Michael Meadowcroft joins Lib Dems

2010-07-06T00:03:00.001+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in October 2007.

Michael Meadowcroft has joined the Liberal Democrats. Michael is the former Liberal MP for Leeds West and has over forty-five years experience of Liberal politics at all levels. He is a former Chair of the Electoral Reform Society and has led, or been a member of, missions to thirty-five different countries, assisting in the transition to multi-party democracy.

Describing the current situation as 'critical', Michael said "The political situation now is very different to what it was twenty years ago. Today three issues amongst many seem particularly to demand attention and involvement."

"The consequences of the US and UK invasion and occupation of Iraq continue to make life horrendous for the Iraqi people."

"The Government's determination to use identity cards as the main means to create a massive database on every citizen is a huge threat to our privacy and to our essential civil liberties."

"The bright vision of a united Europe is under serious threat from xenophobes and conservatives of Right and Left who believe that somehow the British Isles can be floated off into the Atlantic in contradiction and defiance of its geographic location and its European heritage."

"Realistically, to play any role in influencing these issues one has now to be in the mainstream of politics."

Michael Meadowcroft's involvement with Liberal politics began in 1958 when he joined Southport Young Liberals. In 1962 he joined the staff at Liberal Party headquarters, shortly afterwards becoming the party's Local Government Officer.

In 1967 he moved to his home county of the West Riding of Yorkshire and, the following May, was elected to the Leeds City Council - the first Liberal success there for thirty years. He continued to be involved with the party organisation regionally and nationally until his election as MP for Leeds West in 1983.

Michael opposed the merger of the Liberal Party and the SDP in 1988 and he was instrumental in maintaining an independent Liberal Party, albeit considerably attenuated and marginalised.

For over forty years Michael has written articles, pamphlets and booklets on a wide range of aspects of Liberalism. He has appeared on both BBC television's Question Time and BBC Radio 4's Any Questions. He is a regular columnist in the Yorkshire Post and writes for Liberator magazine.

Michael Meadowcroft's personal website is at
http://www.bramley.demon.co.uk

Lib Dem vote up dramatically in Manor Ward

2010-07-05T23:57:00.000+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in October 2007.

The Liberal Democrat share of the vote went up dramatically in the Manor Ward by-election yesterday. Lib Dem candidate John Gibson increased his share of the vote from 20% in May to almost 34% in the by-election, pushing Labour into a poor third place. The election for a seat on Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council was caused by the resignation of a Labour councillor.

When all three seats in Manor Ward were up for election in 2004, Labour won two seats and the Conservatives won one, with the Liberal Democrats trailing in third place. The Conservatives had a convincing win over Labour in the regular election in May this year, which makes the Lib Dem performance yesterday all the more impressive. The Liberal Democrats are now in a strong position to gain a Manor Ward seat next May. Manor Ward is in the Labour held constituency of Crosby.

The full result of the by-election for the Manor Ward of Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council on Thursday 25th October 2007 was as follows:

David McIvor (Conservative) 922 votes (40.5%, -7.6%)
John Gibson (Liberal Democrat) 769 votes (33.8%, +13.4%)
Sue Hanley (Labour) 419 votes (18.4%, -13.1%)
Micheal McDermott (BNP) 94 votes (4.1%, +4.1%)
Peter Harper (UKIP) 71 votes (3.1%, +3.1%)
Conservative gain from Labour.

The composition of Sefton Council is now Lib Dem 26, Labour 21, Conservative 19.

Southport 2007 local election results

2010-07-05T00:48:00.001+01:00

Note: This is a repost of an article originally written in May 2007.

Southport Liberal Democrats celebrated late into the night after their stunning results in the local elections on May 3rd. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Carmel Preston gaining a seat in Cambridge ward from the Conservatives, unseating the sitting Mayor of Sefton in the process. In the four seats retained by the Lib Dems their majorities ranged from 584 to a whopping 1,128.

Sefton Cabinet member Cllr David Tattersall increased the Lib Dem majority in Meols ward from 668 to 827. This was despite a cynical last minute attempt by the Tories to spread disaffection over the introduction of alternate weekly collections for the bins.

Veteran councillor Brian Rimmer increased the majority in Norwood Ward from 681 to 1,128. In Kew ward, new Lib Dem candidate Mike Booth successful defended the seat of retiring councillor Terry Francis. Simon Shaw successfully defended his Birkdale seat.

Across the Southport Parliamentary constituency the Lib Dems won five seats to the Tories two. The total votes cast in this marginal Lib Dem / Tory constituency were Liberal Democrat 10,483 to Conservative 9,123.

The full local election results for Southport on May 3rd 2007 are:

AINSDALE WARD
Terry Jones (Conservative) 2,484 (64.5%)
Ann Hindley (Liberal Democrats) 1,078 (28.0%)
Frank Warner (Labour) 292 (7.6%)

BIRKDALE WARD
Simon Shaw (Liberal Democrats) 1,604 (48.6%)
Janet Rowell (Conservative) 1,020 (30.9%)
Terry Durrance (UKIP) 406 (12.3%)
Frank Robinson (Labour) 270 (8.2%)

CAMBRIDGE WARD
Carmel Preston (Liberal Democrats) 1,939 (47.0%)
Tommy Mann (Conservative) 1,542 (37.4%)
David Cobham (Southport Party) 447 (10.8%)
Muriel Langley (Labour) 200 (4.8%)

DUKES WARD
Les Byrom (Conservative) 1,742 (51.3%)
Bill Hibbard (Liberal Democrats) 845 (24.9%)
Harry Forster (Southport Party) 481 (14.2%)
Catherine Cookson (Labour) 326 (9.6%)

KEW WARD
Mike Booth (Liberal Democrats) 1,405 (51.1%)
Adam Kennaugh (Conservative) 678 (24.6%)
John Lee (Southport Party) 468 (17.0%)
Steve Jowett (Labour) 201 (7.3%)

MEOLS WARD
David Tattersall (Liberal Democrats) 1,899 (53.1%)
Mike Swift (Conservative) 1,072 (30.0%)
Margaret Brown (Southport Party) 435 (12.2%)
Maureen Stoker (Labour) 171 (4.8%)

NORWOOD WARD
Brian Rimmer (Liberal Democrats) 1,713 (54.4%)
Jaine Chisholm Caunt (Conservative) 585 (18.6%)
Mike Nolan (Labour) 318 (10.1%)
Jim Ford (Southport Party) 317 (10.1%)
Carol Atherton (BNP) 214 (6.8%)

2007 VOTE TOTALS FOR SOUTHPORT CONSTITUENCY
Liberal Democrats 10,483 (43.4%)
Conservative 9,123 (37.8%)
Southport Party 2,148 (8.9%)
Labour 1,778 (7.4%)
UKIP 406 (1.7%)
BNP 214 (0.9%)

About this blog

2010-07-04T19:02:00.000+01:00

I've had a website for several years that I've used to post general Lib Dem stuff, but I've felt the time has come to be a bit more creative with my opinions. I tended not to post very often on the previous site as I wanted to carefully craft what I said.

I'm still going to put semi-official stuff on here, such as election results and conference notifications. But, I want to be able to post short comments on topical issues without having to think too much about their precise formulation.

Before starting to post here contemporaneously, though, I'm going to load some old articles from the previous site. These might be of some historical interest, at least to me, and I want to preserve online the one article I've written that's linked to from Wikipedia.

I'm sure it'll be obvious when I move from historical to contemporary posting. Eventually I hope to build up a small but loyal following, possibly even extending beyond this household.

Anyway, if you do read this far you're either a) sad, b) a bot, or c) a friend - whichever it is - thank you!