Welcome to the Sunday outing for our Daily View. As it’s a Sunday, today it comes with a moving, talking, full colour Hugo Chavez.
2 Big Stories
Gordon Brown – too popular for Labour’s own good
Yes, you read that right. In amongst all the speculation and rumour, the one substantive piece of news is the YouGov poll for Channel 4 of Labour Party members. Although the reporting has hyped up how unpopular Gordon Brown is with party members, the real problem for Labour is actually how much popularity he still retains:
Gordon Brown should step down immediately 21%
Gordon Brown should stay for the time being but step down before the general election 26%
Gordon Brown should lead Labour into the next general election 46%
So 46% want him to stay and fight the next general election, and 47% want him to go before the next general election. It’d have been better for Labour if Brown was less popular with members, as that might have given the dithering rebels the prod to dither less and rebel more. But with that split, it’s just a recipe for more dithering.
D-Day anniversay
The other big story in the news is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. It’s already been covered extensively elsewhere, so here instead is Vera Lynn singing at the 50th anniversary:
The Royal British Legion continues to do a fantastic job helping veterans. You can donate to their D-Day appeal here.
2 Must-Read Blog Posts
Himmelgarten Cafe on the local election results
Three measures have been used by the pundits to judge the parties: seats gained or lost, estimated national percentage of the vote and total seats won. What, if anything, do they really tell us?
Find out here.
Peter Black on Peter Hain
So much for a game-changing reshuffle that would put the MPs and money problems behind him. Gordon Brown instead brought back Peter Hain, he of the deputy leadership campaign that failed to declare £100,000 in donations. Not so much a break with the past as more of the same. LibDem Welsh Assembly Member Peter Black ain’t too impressed either.
Sunday Bonus
While you’re waiting for the European election counts to kick in, here’s some of Hugo Chavez’s political rhetoric to enjoy. Sadly, YouTube doesn’t allow 8 hour uploads, so rather than getting that titan of a speech, you’ll have to settle for these few minutes on another occassion on the subject of George W Bush:
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Road hauliers will soon need a permit to enter Kent
Listen to the Moon, by Michael Morpurgo
Let Them Eat Kale
Lib Dems back calls for Magnitsky-style sanctions against Hong Kong human rights abusers
Another embarrassment for Johnson's Brexiteers
The vote on Sainsbury's - most of you want it built but a third think it will be bad for Ludlow
Getting things done - Seabraes #dundeewestend
tim rogers
brothertony
David Raw
Martin Smith
Max Wilkinson
Michael BG
2 Comments
Labour sources suggesting in the Sunday papers that they may fall to fourth place in share of the vote in the Euros. I take it that this is expectation management and they will in fact come third and proclaim a great success.
The 65th D-Day Landings Anniversary will be the last major collective dedication held by the Normandy Veterans Association, to mark the courage of the British,Canadians and Americans, in the van, of the liberation fight on Juno,Gold,Omaha,Utah and Sword beach heads.
I make these comments:
1.I was disappointed that H.M. the Queen was not formally invited, as she was a WW2 uniformed military driver and has done a great deal to boost the `Entente Cordiale’ and speaks French.
2.The BBC coverage was brilliant with the first showing of the film `D Day to Berlin’ made by Don Stevens, whom was asked by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to cover the Allies march from Normandy to Berlin until the armistice.This film is perhaps the most accurate portrayal of the Allied liberation of Paris and Dachau.
3.The oath sworn by the young generation to the Normandy Vets.that they will always remember what happened on June 6th 1944.and tell their friend was symbolic.
4.The Speech by President Obama in Normandy is the best one I have heard him make, when he stressed the team work of free Nations, in working together, to liberate Europe, from the Nazi Fascists.
It is alarming to wait today for the EU Election results to find out, if a BNP MEP is elected by `default’: that if it occurs will put back race relations,over decades, in the UK.
D-Day behoves three great instuments of democratic freedom that are Liberal Democrat core values and beliefs.
1.The free right to hold open democratic and timely Elections.
2.Post 1944 Europe should never revisit those darkest hours in Normandy.
3.Liberal internationalism must continue to be dominant in upholding equality for all law abiding citizens, to live lives free from racial prejudice.