We are in the fight of our lives: Ed DaveyHere is the full text of Ed Davey's closing speech at the 2026 Liberal Democrat autumn conference in Brighton: Something big and dangerous is happening in our country. Hundreds of thugs, in black shirts and balaclavas, are marching on our streets. First Dover. Then Portsmouth. Their aim? To intimidate. To spread fear. To stoke racism. They may call themselves patriots, but they would tear our country apart. We must not let them. Conference, we have seen this before. Racism on Britain's streets is sadly nothing new. Even though the vast majority of our fellow citizens share our values of decency, ... (more) |
Councillor defies council to install hedgehog signBBC News wins our Headline of the Day Award. The councillor is Christian Vassie, a Liberal Democrat member of City of York Council, and the sign has gone up in the village of Wheldrake. Britain's hedgehogs salute him. (more) |
The Joy of Six 1580"Later he announced that the party are now in favour of cutting fuel duty by 10p, a policy that has not been agreed by conference and one that flies in the face of our commitment to tackling climate change. The Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper also launched a new economic policy in her speech, which, once I had got hold of it, appears to be largely sensible, however, that too has not been approved by conference and it also talks about tax cuts."Peter Black reports from the Liberal Democrats' autumn conference in Brighton. George Monbiot asks why lawbreaking on our roads ... (more) |
What does a Lib Dem "trans activist" look like?Yesterday afternoon, Lib Dem Conference passed a motion calling for the EHRC's Code of Practice to be withdrawn and for work to be done on a cross party basis to work out what changes in the law were necessary to ensure that everyone, women, trans people, everyone can go about their lives in dignity and safety. It is not beyond the wit of people to find a way of doing that, and it is something that can be relatively easy given the political will. The motion was passed overwhelmingly, as these things usually are. In fact, it looked to me ... (more) |
Lord Bonkers' Diary: Very much against buttocksI tried telling the old boy that the Port of Dover has its own police force, whose relations with the Kent force has at times been opaque, but he was determined to give it both barrels this time. Saturday I am disgusted at the events in Dover. We used to know how to deal with these Blackshirt types - come to think of it, I believe there's still a Wellington bomber in an outbuilding of some farm or other on my estate. I shall have it serviced, repainted and put at the disposal of the Chief Constable of Kent, who ... (more) |
Paul's conference diary (4) - Why I care, Simon Hughes at church and Glee Club photosMy last day before I disappear on five buses. I had a run along the promenade and noticed a police operation. I take my hat off to the police. We should remember that they spend an awful lot of time and care following up "concerns for safety". Often they are like emergency social workers. Full marks to them. Hove Plinth is a thing. At the moment it has a beautiful sculpture called "Flight of the Langoustine" on it (pictured). While having breakfast I watched the debate on A Liberal Vision for primary health care. It was good to see our ... (more) |
My view on a bland Lib Dem conferenceIt maybe that I have been spoilt by nearly 40 years of attending Liberal and Liberal Democrats conferences.. I was in Llandudno in 1981, when conference voted by 1,600 to 112 to form an electoral alliance with the SDP and David Steel told us to go back to our constituencies and prepare for government. I was one of the 112. I was present in Eastbourne in 1986 for the defence debate when the representatives defied the party leadership and unconditionally rejected the compromise on defence agreed with David Owen. I saw the electrifying speech by Simon Hughes MP for the ... (more) |
The ruins of Derwent church emerge from Ladybower ReservoirAs is traditional in a dry summer, Our History Underfoot has been to Ladybower Reservoir to see what remains of Derwent village have been revealed by the receding waters. In a second video, he wonders at the many people who claim to have seen the steeple of Derwent church standing proud above the waves when they are not old enough to have done so. It was dynamited in 1947, partly because visitors had taken to swimming out to reach it. Proof that the historical record is wrong? No, just another reminder of the fallibility of human memory. (more) |
Fascism?The weekend's Guardian (Saturday 19th September) contains a review by Daniel Trilling of a book by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor called "End Times Fascism." According to Trilling the purpose of the book is to warn us of a convergence of three interests which are in effect encouraging the climate crisis rather than working to prevent it. The book focusses chiefly on the United States and identifies the three interest as the "Religious Fanatics" ( the Christian Right who look forward to the Rapture and the end of the World, when the righteous will be "caught up to meet the ... (more) |
Winning back a generation starts with fixing the broken student loan systemFor too long, student finance has been the subject our party would rather avoid. I understand why. It is uncomfortable territory. The scars of the coalition run deep, and many of us have heard about them on doorsteps ever since. But we cannot keep kicking the can down the road. Millions of graduates are paying the price. If we want to win back the trust of my generation – the graduates who signed up to Plan 2 loans between 2012 and 2023, and the growing cohort on the new Plan 5 loans – we have to offer them a solution. ... (more) |