Category Archives: Politics

Young MPs

Discussion on a private Lib Dem forum on Cix reveals the following facts about the 2005 Parliament.

The five youngest Lib Dem MPs in the House are:

  1. Jo Swinson, East Dunbartonshire (05/02/1980)
  2. Julia Goldsworthy, Falmouth and Camborne (10/09/78)
  3. Dan Rogerson, Cornwall North (23/7/1975)
  4. Sarah Teather, Brent East (01/06/1974)
  5. Jenny Willott, Cardiff Central (29/05/1974)

Four of the five are women.

We have the youngest MP in Scotland (Swinson), Wales (Willott), and Cornwall (Goldsworthy). All are female.

Sarah Teather, who became the youngest MP when she won the Brent East by-election in 2003, is just pipped at the post from being the youngest English MP by Andrew Gwynne who is three days younger. Goldsworthy and Rogerson are younger than Gwynne, but would they consider themselves English MPs?

Rogerson’s date of birth is given on Wikipedia as 23/7/75 but 26/6/70 in a less public place.

This evening

I have mostly been stuffing envelopes.  Members’ newsletter.  Absolutely has to go out NOW because it includes details of Regional Conference on Saturday, and unless I get these envelopes in the post tonight, it will be too late by the time people receive it.  Luckily, in Nottingham, I have discovered from previous mailshots, that putting 200 envelopes in the main sorting office post box before 7pm means almost all of the ones with Nottingham addresses will get there by noon the next day, even if you use a second-class stamp.

Hemm, hemm.  Posting them after midnight won’t have the same effect, so it won’t be collected til Thusday night and delivered on Friday.  I don’t think many people from Nottingham Lib Dems will make it to conference in Northampton this time round.  I know there will be a few, because I’m driving them.  (Have you ever tried to get to Northampton by rail?  It’s very difficult from most other places in the East Mids. The Midland Mainline bypasses Northampton entirely, because the Victorian town fathers thought that a messy noisy railway was the last thing they needed.)

Group meeting helped, because I could get fellow councillors to help with the stuffing.  I’m very grateful for their efforts.  Unfortch, I forgot to take the postage with me, so had to bring the stuffed envelopes home to stamp myself.

It takes about 40 minutes to stamp all those envelopes. Co-incidentally, the length of time it takes to watch an episode of 24.  Another Incident at CTU. Oh, dear.

Checking my post at the Council, there was a letter and an invite from Ed and Russell, who are fighting council elections this year, and wondered if I’d like to help.  They put it a little more forcefully than “wonder.”  They included an invite to a swanky party and a reply form that gave various options from “I’ll dedicate my life to seeing you elected” to “Here’s a book of stamps, now F off.” I was in two minds — there’s a certain chutzpah in asking people to help with your election when many of the people you ask will be busy with their own.  But, don’t ask, don’t get.  I sent them the leftover stamps from the members’ mailing, and I’m seeing if I can make it down for the 11th/12th April for a few hours of off-peak time.  Maybe, maybe not.

Right.  Off to the post office with this huge stack of envelopes.

Baron Niles

A new Lib Dem peer!

The “Elect the Lords” campaign is highlighting some dodgy statistics concerning new Labour and the House of Lords:

“17 out of the 22 individuals who have donated more than £100,000 to the Labour Party in the past few years have received an honour; all but one of the individuals who have donated more than £1m have received a peerage. This is unacceptable in a modern democracy.”

“In nine years, Tony Blair has appointed more than 300 life peers – 50% more than any other Prime Minister in history. “

At electhelords.org.uk they are selling virtual peerages at bargain basement prices in order to fund their campaign.

I am now Baron Niles of Nottingham. I’m still thinking about what my baronial motto should be. Any suggestions?

Copy

We are desparately trying to headline copy in the office.

“We’re all Mingers Now!”

“You’ve got to be Ming it to win it!”

“It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that Ming”

All across the country

Little groups of Lib Dems are gathered in huddles around their radios and TVs.  We’ve just tuned into the dying gasps of the Afternoon Play on Radio 4, and any minute now we’ll hear who’s going to lead us for the next.  Who will it be?