Liberal England

Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year 2014

"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall
"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman
"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today; "One of my favourite blogs" - Stumbling
and Mumbling; "Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife

Monday, August 09, 2010

An evening in Oxford

Yesterday afternoon I wandered into the Lamb & Flag, an Oxford pub that has connections with Tolkien and C.S. Lewis - though not such st...

Isley Brothers: Behind a Painted Smile

This Motown classic reached number 5 in the UK singles chart in 1969, though the recording dates from 1967. It was meant to be my Sunday mu...

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Halls Oxford & West Brewery Company Limited

Talking of defunct brewery liveries , this rather lovely tile is on the front of a house (and presumably former pub) in Jericho.

Revd Andrew Wingfield Digby

I was wandering the pleasant streets of North Oxford this morning looking for the house where J.R.R. Tolkien used to live. I found it - and ...

How the Guardian reports increases in public spending

We know what the Guardian thinks of the Coalition's spending cuts. But how does it report the news when we decide to spend more on some...

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Belle and Sebastian, White Horses and Robinson Crusoe

The French actress, writer and director Cecile Aubry died recently. She had a short acting career after the war and during the shooting of ...

Friday, August 06, 2010

William Hague to address next month's Lib Dem Conference

Or so tomorrow's Daily Mail (I know, I know) reckons: Tory sources suggest Mr Hague will give a 'witty' address, rather than fo...

What is so radical about massive public debt?

Why has political radicalism become synonymous with wanting to see a permanent and massive public debt? As I have argued before, radicals ca...

Wheatsheaf Works, Leicester

This is part of the colossal former Co-operative Wholesale Society boot and shoe factory in Knighton Fields Road East. According to the Heri...

Diamond Geezer in Much Wenlock

Everyone's favourite London blogger visits Shropshire in this post on Much Wenlock and its place in Olympic history. It is customary fo...

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Queen drummer Roger Taylor's first gig was organised by Truro Liberals

Or very nearly his first gig at least. Trawling the net I came across the blog Queen in Cornwall , which tells us: Prior to joining 'Smi...

Liberal Democrats looking forward to their biggest ever Conference

The Independent writes about our Conference in Liverpool next month: One thousand extra pass applications are being processed for next mont...

CCTV in Leicester

So there we were by the graffitied sign at the thin end of the wedge that is Wash Brook Park . At the far end, if you emerge at one corner...

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Six of the Best 82

Disgruntled Radical details Labour's long history of gerrymandering. He also provides our illustration, which I take to be a gerrymande...

1066 is not all that

The prospect of a television series on The Normans reminds me of a fascinating interview with Dr David Starkey I heard a few years ago. It ...

RAF Market Harborough Battle Headquarters

RAF Market Harborough was a World War II airfield to the north of the town. Its site is now partly occupied by Gartree Prison. The Airfield ...

Floella Benjamin to be Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor?

Today's Daily Mirror includes the striking headline: FLO-BO IN LOW BLOW FOR BO-JO The story beneath it, by James Lyons, suggests that t...

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

This was Leicester

Your browser does not support iframes. A newsreel from the 1950s. The Savoy Cinema shown at the end is the recently demolished ABC on Belgra...

Defunct brewery liveries

The Brewery History Society has a database of current and former pubs and off licences that still display advertising for defunct breweri...

Monday, August 02, 2010

Wash Brook Park, Leicester

After the cricket finished on Saturday, I set off to walk back into the city. On the way I came across this sign and so discovered a new Le...

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