Kingston Lib Dems lose a councillor

Today saw the departure of one of Kingston's 39 Lib Dem councillors.  More here - but it doesn't make good reading for the current leadership who are political pygmies in comparison with earlier Lib Dem leaders of the Royal Borough.

I moved to Kingston in the 1990s when the party was a bastion of liberal and radical thought.  I was mentored by people like John Tilley and Roger Hayes - campaigners who understood and developed community politics and made it relevant to the well heeled, middle class streets of Kingston, Richmond and Surbiton.

People like John and Roger and the recently sadly departed Brian Bennett - who got 70% of the vote in white working class Chessington by being openly liberal - knew how to both explain the reality of ever increasing centralisation of government (particularly under Labour) but still be creative and radical in local administration.  They introduced neighbourhoods - devolving budgets and opening up decisions to local people - bringing government closer to those it affected most and continuing the radical tradition of the sadly maligned Tower Hamlet Liberals, Eric Flounders and Peter Hughes.

The current administration's pledge to plant 500 trees is a pale shadow of this radical tradition.

Better think

Streets of Edinburgh

Zac Goldsmith claims credit for something that doesn't exist

I always enjoy receiving an occasional email from my former MP Zac Goldsmith.  He has managed to maintain seamless email communication through various guises - Cameroon Liberal Tory, May loyalist Tory, Independent airport campaigner and finally 'Strong and Stable' Brexit Tory - without appearing to trouble those pesky data protection rules at any time.  (Or indeed his own sense of self awareness).

But regardless of this (no doubt Brussels inspired) pettyfogging data protection bureaucracy - I was intrigued to read his claim that: "Here in Canbury, I have worked hard for local residents over the past six years... I campaigned with the Council to deliver free 30 minute parking to help our small shops..."

The thing is there aren't any 30 minute free parking zones in Canbury.   

Now I'm sure this is an honest mistake and not deliberate misinformation on Goldsmith junior's behalf.  Because someone once said, "Deliberately misinforming people is worse than anything that happened in the expenses scandal, because it goes to the heart of democracy. When you're prepared to trick people two weeks before they go to the polls, that is the very lowest kind of politics."

That someone being er... Zac Goldsmith.

Hibs give up the Scottish Cup

It's been a bit of a blast winning football trophies - particularly when it was 114 years between victories.  But as Aberdeen or Celtic will become the 2017 winners later today I thought it would be good to show just how much Hibs win meant to the fans and has transformed the club's future.

This bit of sillyness sums up that day in May 2016.  I give you Sir David Gray.

The Friday favourite to end all Friday favourites...

RT is Russia Today and they and their acolytes in UKIP and the White House will be mortified by this:

Merryl Streep's speech sums up why liberal America lost

Merryl Streep predictably got both barrels on twitter from US president elect, Donald Trump, for her speech at the Golden Globes.  But I get the sense the more the liberal elite in America whinge about Trump and his supporters the more they strengthen him - just like those on this side of the pond who denigrate supporters of Brexit.

The rich elites both sides of the Atlantic who enjoy highbrow culture, foreign travel and an international outlook have never been more remote from the people they claim to look out for. 

Kevin Garside in the Independent nails this elitism far better than I could saying of Streep that she,
"flagged the kind of detached, contemptuous attitude of the elites towards blue collar America that allowed Trump through the White House door"

It's well worth a read.

Two by-elections summed up in two victory speeches

I've been meaning to blog on the Richmond Park by-election and some of the nonsense talked about the Lib Dem victory being a result of a putative 'Progressive Alliance' - whatever that is.  But as usual the estimable Jonathan Calder got there before me.

So instead I thought I'd share the declarations and acceptance speeches of the Richmond Park and Sleaford and North Hykeham by-elections which I think sum up both campaigns and the qualities of the new MPs for both seats.

Bob Roberts is Donald Trunp

Trump is rushed off the stage in a possible assassination attempt, three days out from polling day. Now where have I heard that before...

Three questions for Zac Goldsmith

In what appears to be a series of orchestrated announcements between Zac Goldsmith and the Conservative heirarchy we now have a by-election in Richmond Park without an official Tory candidate.  Goldsmith has been installed as the bookies favourite standing as an independent on a straight anti-Heathrow expansion ticket.

But despite his frequent assertation that he is an independently minded MP he votes with the Tories more than nine times out of ten.  In fact since we had a full blooded right wing majority Tory government in 2015 he has rebelled just five times out of 146 votes - less than 3.5% of the time.

So, I have three straightforward questions to ask:

1. If he wins the by-election will he take the Tory whip and, if not, will he caucus with his pal UKIP MP Douglas Carswell?
2. Will he seek the Tory nomination in 2020?
3. Will he back Theresa May in a confidence vote?