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Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past few days… Lib Dem donor Michael Brown to be extradited to UK (BBC News) Convicted fraudster and former Lib Dem donor Michael Brown is facing a hearing in Spain for extradition to the UK. He was flown to Madrid [...]

Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past few days… Confectionery giants ‘not doing enough’ to reduce Easter egg packaging (Daily Mail) Easter egg manufacturers have been criticised for not doing enough to reduce packaging and improve how much can be recycled. Currently, an estimated 3,000 tonnes [...]

Almost exactly a year ago, Lib Dem MPs Jo Swinson and Lynne Featherstone were among those in the party’s Real Women group leading the campaign to “Ban airbrushing in children’s adverts”, a view later endorsed by an independent Home Office report. They’ve been joined in their campaign now by Girlguiding UK, which is today launching [...]

This how today’s Sun reports the story: A LIB-DEM MP has called in cops after an anonymous smear campaign was launched against her. Trouble-makers claiming to represent the East Dunbartonshire Taxpayers’ Alliance have sent letters to hundreds of voters across the region blackening the name of Jo Swinson, who is standing again on May 6. … Ms [...]

2010 marks the fourth year of Jo Swinson’s annual Easter Egg excess packaging report. (You can read LDV’s 2009 posting here). This year’s headline conclusion? “Some Easter egg manufacturers have drastically cut their excess packaging, while others are lagging far behind.” Jo explains her campaign further on her website: Consumers are tired of excess packaging – [...]

A couple of years back, I was moved to write to the BBC complaining about Question Time’s pro-Tory bias, regularly featuring Tory-supporting journalists alongside Tory MPs. Well, that’ll learn me to be careful what you wish for. Because what do we have to look forward to on tonight’s QT panel? The following: an official Labour representative [...]

I mentioned last week that I was speaking at the Government 2010 conference as part of a panel discussion on ‘Blogging, Social Media and New Media’. 45 minutes might be enough time – at least if you believe Tony Blair – for the Iraqis to have launched weapons of mass destruction directed against the UK; but it was enough time  [ Read More ]

Are you spending half your August Bank Holiday Monday stuck in a traffic jam? Well, just think of it as extra vacation. Lib Dem research has revealed that the average British commuter spends the equivalent of 23 working days per year travelling to and from work; a Londoners’ average yearly commute is 1,370 miles. Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson, who  [ Read More ]

That’s the finding of the Hansard Society research paper MPs on Facebook: while over half (51%) of Liberal Democrat MPs have a presence on Facebook, the figures for Labour and the Conservatives are 15% and 9%, respectively. … On a per-party basis, Liberal Democrats MPs appeared more likely to see Facebook as a communications tool (69%) but were the least  [ Read More ]

Remember the Telegraph’s hatchet job on Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson during their series of revelations about MPs’ expenses? (Lib Dem blogger James Graham has followed-up the issue on his own Quaequam Blog! HERE). Well, on Monday evening, as billed here, I had the chance to put these points direct to the Daily Telegraph’s assistant editor, Andrew Pierce, at a  [ Read More ]