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) |
The duty of care for mental health at work is failing. We can change thatA workplace duty of care exists in UK law for mental health. But it is not treated the same as physical health and safety by employers. That duty of care fails too many people. The Whole Person Mental Health motion and policy paper coming to the 2026 Lib Dem Spring Conference in York does not address this. The paper is full of great policy and has my support. There is a gap where mental health at work should be. But we have a great platform. I hope our party can keep building on this paper where the current government which ... (more) |
Trust the people: the Liberal politics of human potentialThere is a deep fault line running through politics today. On one side are those who believe people should be empowered – free to learn, question, create and fulfil their potential. On the other are those who believe society functions best when people are compliant – guided from above and discouraged from asking too many questions. For Liberal Democrats, that divide goes to the heart of our philosophy. Our commitment to liberty, equality and democracy begins with a belief in people. Liberalism assumes that individuals, when given freedom, opportunity and a meaningful voice, are capable of shaping their own lives ... (more) |
The making of Peter Brook's Lord of the Flies (1963)Lord of the Flies was first filmed by Peter Brook in 1963. Gerald Fell, who died in 2021, was the editor of the film and also a sort of auxiliary cinematographer on the set. Here he talks about the making of the film. (more) |
Support WASPI women at ConferenceWhen Liberal Democrats gather at conference, we often debate policy in terms of budgets, systems and reforms. But sometimes an issue comes before us that cuts far deeper than policy mechanics. The injustice faced by women born in the 1950s, or WASPI women, is one of those. This is not simply about pensions. It is about fairness, trust in government, and how we treat the generation of women who helped build the Britain we benefit from today. Millions of women born in the 1950s were affected by rapid increases to the State Pension Age. In some cases, their retirement age ... (more) |
Lib Dem policies on Israel/ Palestine: hidden in plain sightAs we gather in York for Spring conference, and the Middle East is in turmoil, we must not let the war with Iran and its proxies shift our focus away from the need to take concrete steps towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The policy motion on 'Trump and the wider world' rightly reiterates existing Liberal Democrat proposals adopted in conference motions 'The UK's Response to Trump' (Spring 2025) and 'The Israel-Gaza Conflict - an immediate bilateral ceasefire and securing two states' (Autumn 2024). Indeed, as far back as Autumn 2021, the party acknowledged 'that illegal settlements represent a breach of ... (more) |
BBC World Service under threatThe Independent reports that a parliamentary committee has warned that the BBC World Service is in danger of being supplanted by Russian and Chinese propaganda outlets on the global stage because of funding cuts and poor management. The paper says that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a scathing report into the state of the World Service, warning that Britain's soft power on the international stage is being put at risk over "poor decision making": While the service, which is funded jointly by the BBC licence fee and the Foreign Office (FCDO), provided in 43 languages across the world ... (more) |
Latest issue of the Journal of Liberal History publishedThe Liberal Democrat History Group are pleased to announce that the latest issue of the Journal of Liberal History (issue 129, winter 2025-26) has just been published. The Journal is published quarterly and can be purchased here or you can take out an annual subscription here. For those of you who are attending the spring conference, the Journal can be bought from the History Group stand in the exhibition area. You can also subscribe there too. The Journal was first published in 1993 as a newsletter. It has come a long way since then and is read by people from ... (more) |
For Central Bylines: Ed Davey takes aim at the unpatriotic rightI have a new article on Central Bylines this morning: People on the left tend to be uneasy about patriotism - the last refuge of the scoundrel and all that - but it's remarkable how many right-wing politicians and commentators give every impression of disliking their own country. They hanker after the fake past they see online in AI images, but have little love for the country as it really was or is. I wrote this before Ed Davey decided that Nigel Farage is right about badgers being woke and we have to have Churchill on our banknotes. (more) |
Three seats change hands in this week's council by-electionsFive principal authority council by-elections this week, of which three were Liberal Democrat defences. The contests also saw a very welcome full set of Lib Dem candidates, an increase of one on the last time these seats were up. [IMG: Caleb Pell pointing] Prior to this by-election campaign, Caleb Pell already had an impressive pedigree of pointing at things. Abingdon Abbey Northcourt (Vale of White Horse) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 43.7% (+3.3) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 32.5% (-2.1) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 13.8% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 6.8% (-7.3) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 3.2% (-7.7)Liberal Democrat GAIN from Green.Changes w/ 2023. ... (more) |