George Dobell: We're losing in Australia because of the way cricket is organised in EnglandGeorge Dobell argues that England have not been competitive in Australia because the domestic cricket season here is now geared to making a quick buck rather than producing test players. He mentions Ashley Giles's comments after our Ashes defeat four years ago - you can read them in a Guardian report from the time: "Unless we look at more systemic change, a collective responsibility and collective solutions, we can make whatever changes we want - you can change me, the head coach, the captain - but we're only setting up future leaders for failure. That's all we're doing. We're only ... (more) |
ALDC by-election report, 18th DcemberThis week, there were five principal council by-elections. All of this week's contests were in England, stretching from Blackpool, where the Christmas season is marked by the glow of the famous Illuminations, down to the Cornish coast at Newquay, and across to the eastern edge of the country at Lowestoft. We start on the south bank of the River Ribble in Penwortham. We held this seat, pushed our vote share up and left Reform a long way behind. With Preston just over the bridge, and with us as the official opposition there, this is an area where visible local work ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1451"Almost a quarter of pupils say they 'never' feel safe or 'only on some days'. ... Half of all secondary school pupils say they 'only sometimes' or 'never' enjoy school, and parents aren't always aware - they underestimate this figure by a factor of three."Cara Cinnamon on the Department for Education's newly published pupil experience data. Prem Sikka states the bleeding obvious - to tackle child poverty the government must deal with parental poverty - but isn't it rare to see it stated? Is your car journey suspicious? Police forces are trialling AI technology that enables them to identify and ... (more) |
Mark Pack's final report to membersHappy Christmas and a Happy New Year Once again, we end a year with more Liberal Democrat councillors than at the start, with more Lib Dem council leaders than at the start and with a greater spread of Lib Dem candidates across the country outside target wards. Both in the areas where we can most immediately win, and across the country more broadly in terms of candidates, canvassing and delivery, we've taken big steps forward. We have now made net gains in the May rounds of local elections seven times in a row, the best winning streak in our party's ... (more) |
The final council by-elections of 2025Five principal authority council by-elections this week to round off the 2015 contests. Good to see the year end with a full slate of Lib Dem candidates, one up on the last time these seats were contested. [IMG: Clare Burton-Johnson council by-election leaflet 2025] Broad Oak (South Ribble) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 65.9% (+0.4) [IMG: âž¡] RFM: 21.4% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 7.7% (-9.5) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 5.0% (-12.2)Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2023. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-12-19T00:35:33.131Z The Lib Dem here was Chris Thomas – thank you. For what all this means for the running total ... (more) |
From Clay to Kiln - Celebrating the Evolution of Ceramics at DJCAD #dundeewestendFrom the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : From Clay to Kiln - Celebrating the Evolution of Ceramics at DJCAD Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee Now on and until 30th January 2026 (Open Monday-Friday, closed for Christmas 22nd December - 2nd January) From Clay to Kiln brings together pieces from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design collection along with key works from recent graduates whose practices have shaped - and continue to shape - the history and legacy of ceramics at DJCAD. The exhibition has been curated by recent DJCAD graduates ... (more) |
Keir Starmer's democratic deficitLabour have never been natural democrats in my opinion and that has once more been borne out by their record in office since the last general election. They are in the process of restricting the right of people to demonstrate, proscribing protest groups like Palestine Action, proposing a crackdown on what demonstrators can chant, ramping up the use of facial recognition, introducing compulsory ID cards, and doing away with jury trials. Now, as the BBC reports, elections in some local councils are facing further delays, amid an escalating blame game over Labour's planned overhaul of local government in England. The ... (more) |
Anger in Shropshire as Bentlawnt loses its post box and mice take over the nearest alternativeThis just in from Shropshire Live: Anger is mounting in the small Shropshire village of Bentlawnt as residents remain without a post box, months after its sudden removal, with Royal Mail failing to respond to repeated pleas for its return. The essential village service was removed from its position outside the old shop without any community consultation. Despite persistent lobbying, local residents and politicians say they have been completely ignored by the postal giant. Bentlwant's councillor happens to be Heather Kidd, the Liberal Democrat leader of Shropshire Council. She is quoted in the story: "What worries me is that the ... (more) |
Bunny councillor hops away from the ConservativesAndy Edyvean, a former deputy leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, has left the Conservative Party and now sits as an Independent, reports BBC News: In an email to colleagues, Edyvean said he took the "difficult decision" over a "worrying decline in the standards" at a council he "was proud to serve". One point of interest here is that Edyvean is the councillor for Bunny ward, which wins our Ward of the Week Award. Bunny is a village a few miles south of Nottingham. I have a memory that the conversation between Brian Clough and the chairman of Nottingham Forest, in ... (more) |
Erasmus+ ProgrammeStudying abroad, ability to learn another language, facing quite a few challenges, trying to fit into a new cultural environment, enhancing my identity and appreciating my own heritage, the list is long and it is hard to put it into words, I know that I have benefited hugely from being able to study in Croatia and Italy. Although I am often very critical of the Labour Government, I am actually pleased that they are looking into re-establishing the Erasmus+ scheme. I strongly disagree with quite a few opposition politicians e.g. Priti Patel, who calls it a "Brexit betrayal". Let just ... (more) |