LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League: the final table
by Stephen Tall on May 30, 2015
Today marks the traditional climax to the English football season, the FA Cup Final. It also brings to a close this season’s LibDemVoice Fantasy Football League. Congratulations to George Murray, whose Marauding Fullbacks have taken the trophy, accumulating an impressive (…)
My must-reads this week May 29, 2015
by Stephen Tall on May 29, 2015
You can read all the articles that have caught my attention this week here: https://delicious.com/stephentall Below are a selection… This is what would happen if TripAdvisor users were in charge of Welsh tourism – Wales Online “This is what would (…)
Review: The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach
by Stephen Tall on May 28, 2015
The Collini Case, Ferdinand von Schirach (trans. Anthea Bell) Not many novels are cited by a government-appointed committee to reappraise the mark left on the German ministry of justice by its Nazi past. What is as remarkable is that, for (…)
Review: The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
by Stephen Tall on May 27, 2015
The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters Sarah Waters is my favourite British novelist, even if (maybe because) she’s never quite pulled off the trick of convincing the Lit-Crit Establishment that there’s a whole lot more to her than accomplished Victorian (or (…)
Why I’m supporting Tim Farron for Lib Dem leader
by Stephen Tall on May 22, 2015
I have a pretty appalling record when it comes to voting for party leaders. So you may be best to note the headline, which is after all the nub of what follows, and read no further. The first time I (…)
My must-reads this week May 22, 2015
by Stephen Tall on May 22, 2015
Here’s some of the articles that have caught my attention this week… Theresa May's plan to censor TV shows condemned by Tory cabinet colleague | World news | The Guardian Here’s Sajid Javid being a free speech dude, vetoing Theresa (…)
The Economist is right. Liberalism is winning. Which could be bad news for the Lib Dems in 2020
by Stephen Tall on May 19, 2015
“Mr Clegg lost not because liberalism is under threat but because it has become mainstream.” That’s the striking, counter-intuitive conclusion of this week’s Economist, examining the reasons for the massacre of Lib Dems at the polls: Another explanation for the (…)
The 8 (rather dispersed) Lib Dem MPs, mapped by first name
by Stephen Tall on May 19, 2015
Map from the House of Commons research briefing, General Election 2015: And here’s the research paper’s blurb on the party’s performance: Liberal Democrats lost 49 of their previous 57 seats The Liberal Democrats have eight MPs in the House of (…)
The ‘liberal’ in ‘liberal centre’ is not silent: a reply to the estimable David Boyle
by Stephen Tall on May 18, 2015
I’m discovering a new affinity with the word ‘gnosis’ – not so much the spiritual side as that the ‘g’ is silent. And similarly, whenever I talk about the ‘liberal centre’, it appears only the word ‘centre’ is heard. I (…)
Review: The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope
by Stephen Tall on May 18, 2015
The Prime Minister, Anthony Trollope A reluctant Prime Minister, Plantaganet Palliser, is called upon to lead a Liberal/Tory coalition ministry, a mission he accepts with great reluctance and performs with distaste. Meanwhile, the loving, eligible Emily Wharton is successfully wooed (…)
