Conference or What?Who can actually afford to take part in Liberal Democrat democracy? A conversation with Donna Harris about her campaigning on childcare got me thinking. Donna's work is fundamentally about removing barriers. Barriers that prevent women from participating fully in society, work and public life. It made me wonder whether we sometimes overlook the barriers within our own party. Because there is a slightly uncomfortable question we should be asking after Brighton 2026: Who actually gets to participate in Liberal Democrat democracy? The Liberal Democrats proudly say that conference is where the party makes its decisions. Every member has an equal ... (more) |
Where next on the Triple Lock?At conference this weekend, there was a rare - and welcome - moment of controversy in the hall. During Ed Davey's Q&A, journalist Carolyn Quinn asked for a show of hands. Should the Liberal Democrats continue supporting the triple lock pension? It was close. The triple lock survived the straw poll, but only narrowly. For a party which proudly introduced the triple lock, that tells us something. There is an appetite among Liberal Democrats for a serious conversation about intergenerational fairness. We should have it. The triple lock was the right policy for its time. When Liberal Democrats entered government ... (more) |
I watched Ed Davey's speech. Here's why it mattersWhilst those in the media world and the Westminster bubble speculate about the future of our party leader, Ed Davey, Ed focused on what matters most – a plan to end the squeeze on middle-income earners, put hundreds of pounds back in the pocket of millions of people, and take ordinary workers out of paying the higher tax rate that was designed for stockbrokers. Ed announced that the Liberal Democrats would raise the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 and increase the higher rate threshold from £50,270 to £56,000. He said that would mean taking two million more people out of ... (more) |
Citizens abroad and party strategyThere were many things to support in the party strategy motion. It includes confident liberalism, modern campaigning, and reaching new communities. However, there is one notable exclusion. In fact, around five million notable exclusions: citizens abroad. The strategy talks about reaching out to all communities in our country. These five million people are not in the UK, but they are served by our democracy. I live in Switzerland now, having moved for a job. Yet decisions made in Westminster continue to affect my life. The starkest of those in recent years was of course Brexit. Many of the million British ... (more) |
Children and their parents need holidaysTwo weeks ago, I was relaxing in Spain on what I consider to be a well-deserved holiday, and I started thinking about my life and how I shared that with my parents and sister, with my children, and now with my grandchildren. I quickly concluded the holidays had been important points in the whole of my family life. I can vividly remember holidays in the Isle of Wight, Tenby, and the Lake District with my mum, dad, and sister. I remember playing with my oldest grandchild in the warm sea pool on Crete as we tried to catch the little ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1581Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, argues that we must stop avoiding the subject of student finance if we are to win back younger voters. Margaret Hartmann reports that Trump's interference in the plans for his White House ballroom has produced a design that is a menace to public safety: "McCrery informed the White House that Trump's ballroom design did not meet fire safety codes, which require the majority of guests to be able to quickly exit through the main entrance during an emergency ... The architect also pointed out that alternative emergency exit routes out of ... (more) |
Jeremy Clarkson left red-faced over 'stolen' sheep that were never even missingSome sheep yesterday. The Mirror wins our Headline of the Day Award. In an outbreak of judicial witticism, the judges suggested that Clarkson fell asleep before he had finished counting them. (more) |
New party political - with the orange bench(more) |
Lib Dems come from third to win by-election in Katie Lam's constituencyWe had a rare Wednesday council by-election this week, in the constituency of high-profile Conservative MP Katie Lam. It's a multi-member ward where the Conservatives have topped the poll twice in a row, but the seat up in the by-election had been held by the Tunbridge Wells Alliance. Not any more though: [IMG: 🔔] Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden, Tunbridge Wells BCLiberal Democrat GAIN from Tunbridge Wells Alliance [IMG: 🔶] LDM – 697, 37.4% (+22.9) [IMG: 🔵] CON – 590, 31.6% (-14.6) [IMG: âž¡] RFM – 392, 21.0% (-4.4) [IMG: 🟢] GRN – 188, 10.0% (-3.9)Congratulations to Cllr Harry Wormington and ... (more) |
Brexit was a 'unilateral declaration of political impotence'Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats calling on the UK to rejoin the European Single Market at their recent conference, now a former Labour heavyweight has joined in to put pressure on Andy Burnham to reverse the insidious impact of Brexit on the economy and social policy. The Mirror reports that former Foreign Secretary, David Miliband has said Brexit was a "unilateral declaration of political impotence" adding that he has called on Andy Burnham to reverse the decision to leave the EU. The paper adds that Miliband said that Brexit has reduced the UK to "a bobbing cork in the ... (more) |