Voted!I am signed up for a postal vote so although polling day is on Thursday 7th May, I've already completed my ballot paper. It will go into the post tomorrow.This is probably the longest ballot paper I've ever had. We have the unusual situation of all seats on Gateshead Council being up for grabs plus there are lots more parties contesting elections. Hence the reason for the ballot paper doing (more) |
Geography: She does well to find her way home - EStamford, Lincolnshire: Nowhere near Newcastle upon Tyne Watch a few TV quiz shows and you will realise there are that two subjects the British public knows nothing about. More than that, they think it's funny if they are expected to know anything about them. Those subjects are British politics and British geography. Kemi Badenoch is bound to know more than most of us about politics - she's heard of Kemi Badenoch, for a start - but she's no better than the rest on geography. Over to John Crace and his Guardian sketch on her series of short interviews today with ... (more) |
Owen Hart deserved better: The Liberal Democrat case for fairness, safety, and dignity in professional wrestlingFor as long as I can remember, I have loved professional wrestling: the pageantry, the storylines, the ability to suspend reality, even for an hour, and immerse myself in the world of powerhouses and body slams. But as I've gotten older, I've begun to appreciate the pressure that professional wrestlers are under to perform, night in and night out. For many people, wrestling is simply "fake", but it's more than that. The family of Owen Hart knows all too well about the human cost of the industry, as do thousands of other families. In 1999, during the WWF pay-per-view "Over ... (more) |
Police watchdog investigates Northamptonshire force over allegations of perverting the course of justiceBBC News has reported the extraordinary story of Nadine Buzzard-Quashie's arrest by Northamptonshire police:Body-worn video of a woman's "degrading" arrest, which police falsely told a court did not exist, has been shared exclusively with the BBC. It shows officers in Northamptonshire throw metal spikes in front of Nadine Buzzard-Quashie's car and force her to the ground after responding to a concern for her welfare, whereupon she says her face was pushed into stinging nettles. The Chief Constable of Northamptonshire, Ivan Balhatchet, was found guilty of contempt of court in November and fined £50,000 for failing to release the body-worn videos ... (more) |
Is it time to reinvent the Big Society?At the heart of British liberalism lies a steadfast commitment to the individual their dignity, their rights, and their potential. We believe that by empowering individuals, we can enable people to lead richer lives while building a stronger, more cohesive society. But liberalism is not simply about individual freedom. It is also about community – the relationships, institutions, and shared responsibilities that bind us together. Indeed, it is the politics of community that has underpinned Liberal Democrat success in places like Sutton, Three Rivers, and Watford, where local leadership has demonstrated the power of collective action electorally. Yet when we ... (more) |
6 ways to judge the Liberal Democrat election results (LDN#209)Liberal Democrat Newswire #209 came out yesterday and you can now also read it in full below. The version below includes a correction, with thanks to the reader who pointed out the error. If you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Welcome to Lib Dem Newswire #209, which is a special edition ahead of the May elections, looking at six key yardsticks for judging the Liberal Democrat election results. Chances are you know others who will enjoy reading such news about the Lib Dems too, so please do ... (more) |
Farage and the £5 million giftThe Guardian reports that Nigel Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election. The paper says that Farage had stated he did not intend to stand as a prospective MP but U-turned in June 2024, within weeks of receiving the personal gift from the Thailand-based businessman: After being approached by the Guardian about the gift, neither he nor Harborne provided a comment - instead lawyers for Reform UK and Harborne pleaded for more time. Farage then confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that he had received the ... (more) |
Vaughan Wilkins gives Queen Victoria's wicked uncles both barrels and Private Eye has more on HakluytThe spooky "strategic advisory" firm Hakluyt that occasionally features in Private Eye. That was me blogging the other day. And today I bought the new Eye and found that it has featured again: One of Keir Starmer's first appointments as prime minister in July 2024 was that of Varun Chandra, head of the Hakluyt intelligence consultancy, as investment and trade adviser (while he retained a stake in the firm, as revealed in Eye 1629).and: As Mandelson's appointment worked its way through the clearance procedure, with everything hanging on the Foreign Office permanent secretary, who should arrive in this role? One ... (more) |
What went wrong with the vetting of Peter Mandelson?The latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: [IMG: The House of Lords] The chamber was not quite this full when I spoke. Photograph © House of Lords 2025 / photography by Roger Harris. I responded on behalf of the Liberal Democrats to two government statements in the House of Lords this week. I'll write more about the one on Capita ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1511"Opinion polls consistently suggest that after the elections on 7 May, England will be flanked by countries run by restless centre-left nationalist parties - Plaid Cymru in Cardiff, the Scottish National party in Edinburgh and, in Belfast, Sinn Féin, which shares power with the Democratic Unionists." Severin Carrell and Bethan McKernan say next week's elections could reshape UK. "Real names becomes a tool for bullies online - and will force victims either to accept the bullying or avoid using the internet. This, of course, is not just true for bullies, but for overbearing parents, sadistic teachers and much worse. It ... (more) |