A promotional film for Northampton from 1965Judging by the electrification work taking place on the West Coast Main Line at Roade, this film dates from 1965 or thereabouts. Northampton town centre is made to look rather more prosperous in it than it does today. Much else has changed: there is no longer a convent and school in Abington Street, for instance, though the convent's graveyard is still there if you know where to look. I have some photographs of it and will post them one day. (more) |
ALDC by-election report - 5th November 2026This week there was just one principal authority by-election. The Liberal Democrats were defending the seat of Penn Hill on Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. An eight-way contest in a seat that was Conservative until 2023, in which all major parties stood, makes a useful test of how our councillors in power are holding up against both a Conservative comeback and the challenge from Reform UK. The answer in BCP was emphatic! Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Penn Hill - 5 November 2026 The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Jo Clements, who was first elected in ... (more) |
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 21% (nc) 28% (nc) 8% (-2) 13% (+2) 20% (nc) 75 (vs Con) 4/11 GB YouGov ... (more) |
How Liberal Democrats can ride Britain's youth wave on the pro-EU shiftIn the exit polls, 73% of American 18- to 29-year-olds backed Democrats. Not a freak result but rather confirmation of an emerging global pattern - after nearly two years of well-organised student protests, Serbia's Student List took 140 of 250 seats in October and almost two-thirds of Hungary's under-30s backed the winning party, Tisza, in pre-election polling, whilst in Brazil, a self-organised 'Lula's army' of young voters helped the 80-year-old incumbent to a come-from-behind win. India's Cockroach Janta Party, named after a Chief Justice's jibe at activist unemployed youth, has drawn millions of young Indian followers online, helped force out ... (more) |
Christmas gift ideas for your political friendsFive Christmas, birthday, wedding, graduation, driving test pass, citizenship acquisition or candidate selection victory gift ideas for that special person you know. (And more tasteful than some festive options.) A Parliamentary murder mystery [IMG: UK Houses of Parliament] Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay. Ellen Wilkinson was the first female Minister of Education and also wrote a murder mystery set in the worlds of politics and in the Palace of Westminster. The place being what it is, those familiar with the Palace will recognise many of the detailed locations and are likely to have noticed what turns out to be a ... (more) |
Lib Dems win this week's local council by-electionJust the one principal authority council by-election this week and it brought a comprehensive Liberal Democrat win: Penn Hill (Bournemouth, Christchurch, & Poole) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 43.6% (+0.9) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 26.1% (+1.0) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 17.8% (New) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 4.6% (-6.7) [IMG: ◼] RES: 3.6% (New) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 2.2% (-6.5) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 1.9% (New) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 0.2% (New)No PE (-12.2) as previous.Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2023. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2026-11-06T12:48:07.774Z Many congratulations to new councillor Amanda Jellicoe and the team. The result was rather different from what the Conservatives had ... (more) |
Just growth by lowering deadweight losses through taxLike other "advanced economies", we suffer "deadweight loss" from dysfunctional taxes. Why, when we could get up to 30% more economic growth from tax revenue by taxing wealth extractors, such as landowners, rather than wealth creators: workers and entrepreneurs? Deadweight Burden is real and now under review by the Labour Government—a potential game changer for sustainable growth. HM Treasury's Marginal Cost of Public Funds (MCPF) officially acknowledges that 30p in every pound allocated to government capital projects is "lost" through tax inefficiencies. Just 15 years ago, I was told Treasury estimated 20%. No wonder it's under review. Treasury does not ... (more) |
GUEST POST Rediscovering "proper Grimond Liberalism"Paul Hindley from The Grimond Society on the ideas of the Liberal Party leader Jo Grimond and its ambition to put cooperatives and mutuals back at the heart of Liberal Democrat politics. One of the more eye-catching policies to come out of this year's Liberal Democrat autumn federal conference in Brighton concerned addressing the apparent malpractice of the water companies. Following a passionate debate, conference-goers overwhelmingly backed a policy motion entitled Restoring our waters: Britain's water company crisis. It commits the party to converting failing privatised water companies (such as Thames Water) into mutually owned companies, where water customers own ... (more) |
Mixed messages on smart glassesThe Guardian reports that the government is considering placing restrictions on smart glasses amid concerns the technology is being used to surreptitiously film women. The paper says that the safeguarding minister, Satvir Kaur, hinted at a ban on selling the technology "to certain users" in the House of Commons: Kaur said: "The benefits of smart glasses must be weighed against the harms they can cause. The government is already looking into options to restrict smart glasses in certain settings and restricting the sale to certain users." The minister said people who used smart glasses for filming already risked breaking the ... (more) |
James Earl Ray fled to London after he shot Martin Luther KingSunday Express, 9 June 1968 Somehow I had managed to live until yesterday without learning that James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King in 1968, fled to London after his crime and was arrested there by the Metropolitan Police. Thanks to Rob Tyers for enlightening me in the middle of a thread on pubs called The Green Man. There's a comprehensive Wikipedia article on the assassination, and BBC News has published one about Ray's journey to London. the people he met and the crimes he committed before his arrest. You should read those for the full story, ... (more) |