Tag Archives: alliance

Political breakaways are no easy option

Whichever way any sensible person thinks about Brexit, a disaster looms at the end of March. Nearly three years on from the Referendum and the decision to trigger Article 50 Parliament and the country are no clearer as to what they want from leaving Europe, and why they want it, than they were in 2016. Division is everywhere. Unhappiness, uncertainty and disillusionment are as rife today among electors as they are across the political spectrum.

When asked by the pollsters, a significant majority of UK electors now say they favour not leaving at all. That does not necessarily mean they would …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 12 Comments

Thirsk and Malton: Tory MP Anne McIntosh de-selected, 5-way marginal for 2015?

Interesting news from Yorkshire, where controversial Tory MP Anne McIntosh has been de-selected by her local party following a ballot of local party members.

Ms McIntosh has been in a long-running dispute with local officials about her political future. The MP, chair of the Environment Select Committee, said she still intended to fight the seat. Ms McIntosh, who was first elected to Parliament in 1997, survived a similar vote of confidence before the 2010 election and went on to increase her majority to more than 11,000. The MP is reported to have fallen out with the chair of her

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Congratulations to David Ford

Congratulations go from all at the Voice to David Ford, the leader of Alliance, the Northern Ireland sister party of the Liberal Democrats. The Northern Irish Assembly has voted David in as Justice Minister as other parties failed to find cross-community support.

The BBC reports

Before appointing a new minister, MLAs passed a vote to increase the number of devolved ministries at Stormont, to include the new Department of Justice.

Mr Ford will be in charge of the department with more than 4,000 employees and a budget of nearly £1.5bn.

He is the first Northern Ireland Justice minister since Westminster took policing

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Recent Comments

  • Peter Martin
    @ Simon R @ Mike Peters The National median household income is £34.4k p.a So 60% of this is £20.6 k. After deductions for NI and tax this will be approx ...
  • Peter Davies
    @Peter Martin There is a big difference between your "about 30% of children are living in poverty" and Steve's "20 to 30% cannot afford to feed their children d...
  • Steve Trevethan
    In response to the request for child hunger in the U. K. information, made by Simon R., here is but one website: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/news/quarter-pa...
  • Mike Peters
    @Peter Martin @ Simon R Interest article that describes ‘living in poverty’ as living ‘below the breadline’. Of course, the definition of poverty used ...
  • Mike Peters
    Our first thoughts should be for those who feel such loss at this time. Only after that are thoughts about his successor appropriate. Personally, I would like ...