The Mere puts the mere in EllesmereThe Mere at Ellesmere is the largest of nine glacial lakes in the north of Shropshire. Follow the canal south from the town and you will come across some of the smaller ones. When you find The Mere on the edge of town, it is set in a park complete with a cafe and ice cream kiosk. The walk round the whole lake is a little over two miles. Me? I just had a cup of tea. (more) |
Support to enable Disabled People to live IndependentlyI welcome Gordon Lishman's article on Social Care and the Triple Lock. One of the issues though that many people overlook when it comes to Social Care is how to help those disabled people who are fit and healthy and need Personal Care as a wider package of support to enable them to lead an independent life. These are disabled people who need Personal Care as a means to an end but need so much more besides. Being taken to work, for example, and the administrative support at work in order to succeed. Support as a Council or Parliamentary Candidate ... (more) |
You don't need to be a hero to fight fascismThe normalisation of fascism is becoming a common occurrence. In Britain alone, from cowards wearing balaclavas protesting in Dover to Reform UK's Suella Braverman referring to the actions of anti-immigrant agitators in Gosport as "people power", we are seeing this all too often in our electoral politics and on our streets. It is not going unchallenged, however, with anti-fascist protests taking place across the country in places like Bristol and London, with fascists like "Young Bob" being cuffed and led away by police for aggressive behaviour towards an abuse survivor. Meanwhile, ITV is exposing just how deep the rot has ... (more) |
Write a guest post for Liberal EnglandI love publishing guest posts here on Liberal England. Have you thought of writing one yourself? It could be on Liberal politics or culture or... anything really. Why not an article about a local campaign or quirky piece of history? Perhaps you have a book to promote? Please drop me an email if you'd like to discuss your idea first. I'd hate you to spend time on a piece I really wouldn't want to publish. Here are the last 10 guest posts on this blog:Councillor defection scores on the eve of polling day- Augustus CarpWhy have the Lib Dems given ... (more) |
Welcome to my day: 19 October 2026 - so much for that rebellion...There will doubtless be those who are disappointed that the rebellion against Ed Davey's leadership turned out to be big on pitchforks and flaming torches but not so hot on turnout. A couple of seemingly uncoordinated resignations, talk of a "spicy" Parliamentary Party meeting but, at the end of it all, we are where we were in terms of the Leader. Whether that means that there will be some changes in approach in response to criticism is yet to be seen, but it is clear that whilst there might be unhappiness in some quarters, the mood favours evolution rather than ... (more) |
Green leader doubles down on Zionism is racism policyThe Guardian reports that Zack Polanski has said Zionism in its current form is racist, that no country has a right to exist, and that the Green party motion on the issue was not controversial. They add that Polanski did not attend the vote, prompting accusations of a lack of leadership, but he made clear he agreed with the broad thrust of it even if he felt it was unhelpful to have what he called a "debate about semantics": Asked by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg whether he thought Zionism was racist, Polanski said: "I don't think this is actually controversial. ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1593"Reform's problems today, reflected in its diminished polling, stem in large part from the difficulties and limits of professionalisation. The attempt to derive discipline from insurgency has exposed, rather than resolved, the tensions at the heart of the Reform project. And the fallout risks turning latent vulnerabilities into permanent liabilities for the party's brand."Josh Self asks if the Reform project is unravelling. "Just as David Tennant's character bemoans the lack of training or education for young men in custody, so do prison staff across the country. They know what is blindingly obvious: angry people don't come out of prison less ... (more) |
Rodney Berman and Joe Carter selected for Cardiff Westminster seatsThe Welsh Liberal Democrats have selected former Cardiff Council leader Cllr Rodney Berman (left) for the Westminster seat of Cardiff East, and Cllr Joe Carter (right) has been selected for Cardiff North. Cardiff as a key battleground in the Lib Dem fightback in Wales and selecting these big hitters is a signal that we offer voters a real alternative to Labour in the capital. Rodney led Cardiff Council between 2004 and 2012 and has a long record of standing up for the city. He said: I'm proud to be standing again for the people of Cardiff East. Labour keeps telling ... (more) |
Do shouty politicians gain long term votes?Earlier this week an event occurred within the Liberal Democrats that most people might have missed altogether. Two relatively inexperienced Lib Dem MPs, one of who was Chalie Maynard, who I must confess I had never heard of, tried to create a revolt within the parliamentary party which would have led to the replacement of Ed Davey as Leader. The attempt was unsuccessful with the parliamentary party having the usual Lib Dem courteous disagreements in some cases what's Ed came through wholly unscathed. Ed, of course is the most successful Liberal Democrat leader for more than 100 years leading us ... (more) |
The defence of International Law in an age of impunityIn October 2026, the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), the latest escalation in its campaign to undermine and "dismantle" the Court. The US objects to the ICC investigating or prosecuting American nationals and has also opposed its investigation into senior Israeli officials over war crimes in Gaza. The sanctions are troubling not only because they threaten the Court's ability to operate independently, but because they expose a deeper question: does international law apply to everyone, or only to those without power? International law has never been free from hypocrisy. Great powers have often defended ... (more) |