Jonathan Calder's blog is Liberal England, and his New Statesman column is Calder's Comfort Farm What made you decide to start blogging? It was because I wanted somewhere on the web to publicise my writings, including my weekly column on Westminster for Liberal Democrat News. I did have a website before I started Liberal England, but it was in the name of my alter ego Lord Bonkers. But I...

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free blog, Liberal England’s Jonathan Calder argues ‘of course policy on faith schools is a compromise – that’s how social institutions are most often made to work’. Here’s an excerpt: … if, in a surge of Jacobin purity, the party had voted for an outright ban on faith schools, it

Last week the New Statesman included a supplement on Politics and the Internet Age. In it the editor of the magazine's website offered a list of his 10 favourite political blogs and (hem, hem) Liberal England is one of them. Ben writes: Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere. A one-time speech writer for Paddy Ashdown and Liberal Democrat councillor,...

Jonathan Calder has the welcome news that Liberal Democrat run Islington Council has stepped in to the controversy over Labour run Hackney Council’s decision to ban the launch of a book by Iain Sinclair from one of its libraries because the book expressed, “controversial or political opinions”. This excuse has been given very little credence by

You can see the full list over at Iain Dale’s blog, but here’s the top 10: 1. Liberal Democrat Voice 2. People’s Republic of Mortimer (Alix Mortimer) 3. Norfolk Blogger (Nich Starling) 4. Quaequam Blog! (James Graham) 5. Liberal England (Jonathan Calder) 6. Lynne Featherstone MP 7. Millennium Dome, Elephant 8. Peter Black AM 9. Love & Liberty (Alex Wilcock) 10. Liberal Burbl...

A column from today's Liberal Democrat News. Turbulent times There are two certainties about the Liberal Democrat Conference. The first is that the weather will be good. In fact, if I weren't a Lib Dem I would always choose mid September for my holidays. It's just that, because of the second certainty, your house might not be there when you got back. Because you can also be sure the...

Over on his blog Jonathan Calder makes a good point about the speech-making abilities of Liberal Democrat President Tim Farron: My impression of Tim is that he is very good at saying things people agree with. So in Cumbria he is against second homes and in favour of farming subsidies and Kendal mint cake… Now

Over at the New Statesman’s blog, Jonathan Calder looks at Bryan Ferry’s position as a ‘political prisoner’, while looking at Lembit’s long-term ambitions: Will we see more of him? I hope so. Lembit has a Westminster seat to defend and could no doubt return to the Lib Dem front bench if he chose. Besides, the alternative for

Jonathan Calder draws our attention to an article in the Liverpool Daily Post in which Liberal Democrat Councillor, Richard Kemp is calling on Liverpool City Council to use its financial muscle to set up new credit unions, region-wide building societies and other financial institutions. Richard is quoted by the paper as saying: “Frankly, my cat could run a better bankers than the London-base...

Lord Bonkers’ attempts (published courtesy of Jonathan Calder’s Liberal England blog) at listing his favourite XI cricketers inspired me to have a slightly more serious crack at coming up with a XI who represent the finest liberal traditions in the finest sport: Mike Brearley (Captain) Maybe not the first person from within the game to back the