Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 17% (nc) 15% (nc) 11% (+1) 21% (nc) 26% (-1) -11% (4th, vs Ref) 11/3 GB ... (more) |
Trump's ill-thought-out imbecility affects us all - even in Liverpool!!Sometimes I am asked why I, as a Lib Dem councillor in Liverpool, do a lot of blogs about Trump and America. The answer is simple. What Trump's America does affects us all. Two examples. I have friends from Liverpool who went on a 'holiday of a lifetime to the far east who have spent the last ten days worrying about getting home and will arrive at least a week late because of the disruption to transfer. Have you bought any petrol lately? The lowering of pump prices seen at the start of the year has gone into reverse and ... (more) |
All the fun of the rallyWhile the Lib Dem Voice team were having delicious food in the Mason's Arms last night, the loud and raucous Conference rally was taking place. The rally is like Glee Club and marmite and all these things you either love or don't. I'm more on the "don't" side because it just seems a bit like an American convention rather than a British Conference, but others love the fun and spirit and theatre of it. I always feel like you can watch things like this later, but the chance to spend time with friends is precious so that's what I tend ... (more) |
13 March 1915 - intimations of December 1916On 13th March 1915 Sir George Riddell recorded golfing and lunching with David Lloyd George (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Rufus Isaacs (Lord Reading, the Lord Chief Justice). Isaacs had spent the weekend at Walmer with the prime minister, H. H. Asquith, and told Riddell that Asquith's great responsibilities sat lightly on him "except for two hours dealing with business ... he barely mentioned the war". Riddell asked Lloyd George if he thought the war was being prosecuted with sufficient energy, and was Asquith too easy going. LlG replied "Things are very unsatisfactory in that respect. Winston [Churchill] said ... (more) |
Standing Stones of Leicestershire and RutlandSome local lithic goodness from the redoubtable Bob Trubshaw. (more) |
What's on at Conference today?Greetings from my very comfy bed in York where I have spent most of my time since I arrived at lunchtime yesterday. I did manage to get out to make sure that the Mason's Arms had an adequate of supply of Black Cherry gin and catch up with Lib Dem Voice colleagues, with more of us in one place at any time since Bournemouth 2019. Mary Reid, Mark Valladares, Paul Walter, Charley Hasted and I are all around so do come and say hello. A Q and A from Ed Davey, speeches from MPs Anna Sabine and James MacCleary and ... (more) |
When Gladstone visited SwanseaNot many people know that Gladstone once visited Swansea. I first discovered this in 1980 when my new history professor, Richard Shannon took up post in Swansea University. He had built his reputation on his studies of Gladstone, one of which can be found here. His inauguaral lecture, 'Mr Gladstone and Swansea 1887' delivered at the College on 18 November 1980, does not appear to be any longer in print. However, I have found this account of the visit: Gladstone visited south Wales in 1887 to draw attention to the support given for Irish Home Rule in Wales in an ... (more) |
Why we should not leave TwitterThere is a tendency among liberal-minded people to leave Twitter, saying they cannot justify being in such a toxic environment any more, it has become too right-wing, too Musky. Off to Bluesky, or for a brief time before that, Mastodon, they go. I'm on both, as well as Twitter. But I don't see me making either my primary venue for mumbling into the aether. Not only because some of the most interesting people are still on Twitter, but there is anothe rreason. I think it's a mistake to leave - and worse, I think it is playing into the hands ... (more) |
ALDC's by-election report - 12 March 2026There were five principal council by-elections this week, of which all had a Liberal Democrat candidate on the ballot. Three council seats were being defended by us. We held this seat in the Cotswolds with a solid lead while the right‑of‑centre vote splintered, leaving Reform as the nearest challenger and the Conservatives slipping to third place. Congratulations are due to Councillor Paul Evans and the local Liberal Democrat team for ensuring that this seat remained Liberal Democrat. Cotswold District Council, The Beeches Liberal Democrats (Paul Evans): 390 (52.7%, -3.0) Reform UK: 168 (22.7%, new) Conservatives: 122 (16.5%, -17.9) Green: 53 ... (more) |
Gas panic: Have we learnt the lessons of 2022?The threat of another energy crisis raises a simple question: did we actually learn the lessons from the last one? Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a surge in energy prices that drove household bills sharply higher. The shock had a profound impact on the UK economy and on household finances. Government support reportedly cost around £80 billion, and without emergency intervention typical household bills could have reached over £4,000 a year. Even now, prices remain more than a third higher than before the war. But the crisis was not just economic. It was also a public health issue. New NHS ... (more) |