tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post8923740500663541970..comments2024-01-23T16:53:02.428+00:00Comments on Mark Thompson: Are the Lib Dems too London-centric organisationally?Mark Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-79281454590021427772010-07-20T14:51:28.826+01:002010-07-20T14:51:28.826+01:00Actually Hebden would be a very good choice. It...Actually Hebden would be a very good choice. It'd be nice to have some stuff in a rural area rather than a city, but at the same time being on the major East-West railway lines means at worst someone would have to change at Leeds or something to get there from anywhere.Andrew Hickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07412263807838661843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-60806366655370124102010-07-20T14:47:24.727+01:002010-07-20T14:47:24.727+01:00I think we should take adnatage of the other offic...I think we should take adnatage of the other offices a party organisation has, that's very central, with very good communication links, close to several motorways and railways.<br /><br />I refer, of course, to the ALDC offices in Hebden Bridge. Not been to the offices yet, but I'm told they're quite nice.<br /><br />That they happen to be ten minutes drive from my current house is random chance, naturally.<br /><br />There's also the Edinburgh option, but that'd be really harsh on the SW members.<br /><br />Yorkshire is as easy to get to as London for most of the country, and a lot easier for Scotland and the north and midlands. In fact, I'd wager Hebden Bridge is easier to get to than Cowley St for some Londoners...<br /><br />(and what has Blogger done to make their comments login section unworkable recently, really annoying me)MatGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02821264556751176639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-63433578906157545032010-07-20T13:20:26.531+01:002010-07-20T13:20:26.531+01:00"For most people outside of London, it is oft..."For most people outside of London, it is often easier to get to London than it is to get to another part of the North or Midlands."<br /><br />What 'most people' would those be? I live in Manchester, and just had a look at train costs. Assuming I wanted to get to London by 6PM on the 27th - an arbitrarily-chosen time - and return the same day, the cheapest I could do that is £51 and the total travelling time (not counting time to and from train stations at each end) 4 hours 16 minutes.<br /><br />The other three towns I listed in my comment (other than Manchester - total cost 0, total travelling time 0) break down as Sheffield - £12/under 2 hrs, Leeds - £13.50/under 2 hrs, Leicester - £31/4h 47. All but one would be quicker, and all are cheaper (which does make a difference as while the FPC pays expenses, many other organisations within the party don't)Andrew Hickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07412263807838661843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-53420719172140291022010-07-20T13:10:25.817+01:002010-07-20T13:10:25.817+01:00In principle, as a Northerner, I would agree. But...In principle, as a Northerner, I would agree. But I know from the point of view of someone who sits on a party committee, that whenever they have moved meetings to other bits of the country the attendance usually goes down. For example, English Council used to alternate between Birmingham and London, but it is now only held in London as more people went (in fact, more people from the West Midlands attended the London meeting than the Birmingham one).<br /><br />For most people outside of London, it is often easier to get to London than it is to get to another part of the North or Midlands.Andershttp://www.andershanson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-3090591574666794362010-07-20T10:26:33.331+01:002010-07-20T10:26:33.331+01:00Agreed. I'd argue against Derbyshire, as the p...Agreed. I'd argue against Derbyshire, as the public transport to it isn't great, but any of the major cities in the counties bordering it would be obvious places - Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Leicester. <br /><br />Or even alternate meetings between London, Cardiff and Edinburgh - after all, it's the Federal Policy Committee, not the English Policy Committee...Andrew Hickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07412263807838661843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-26200692093377707362010-07-20T09:53:11.702+01:002010-07-20T09:53:11.702+01:00From a campaigning tactics point of view also, the...From a campaigning tactics point of view also, there does seem to be the view that what works in one part of the country should work in another, seemingly without regard for regional differences in education, social class,etc. Only theAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com