Write a guest post for Liberal EnglandI love publishing guest posts here on Liberal England. Why not try writing one yourself? It could be on how the Liberal Democrats should respond to the changed political landscape, on politics more generally or... anything really. Why not an article about a local campaign or quirky piece of history? Please drop me an email if you'd like to discuss your idea first. I'd hate you to spend time on a piece I really wouldn't want to publish. Here are the last 10 Liberal England guest posts:In the cause of duty: Walter Stolworthy is remembered at Wymondham station - Neil ... (more) |
Farage and the gifts from crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraudI really am trying not to keep writing about the Reform UK leader but so much stuff is coming out about Farage at the moment that it is inavoidable. The latest outrageous revelation is that the Clacton MP did not declare gifts and benefits provided by a crypto entrepreneur who has previously been convicted of fraud. The paper says that Reform MP, Robert Jenrick has admitted that the his leader had accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell, but claimed they were personal gifts provided before he became an MP and so did not need to be declared: Jenrick's ... (more) |
Call for the Rutland Water Monster to be displayed in OakhamMore than 2000 people have signed a petition calling on Rutland County Council to acquire the fossil ichthyosaur found at Rutland Water in 2021 for display in the county museum at Oakham. Writing on Oakham Nub News, Lawrence Fenelon, chair of the Friends of Rutland County Museum and Oakham Castle, says: At March last year RCC's accounts showed over £39m of usable capital reserve. Why can't a small bit of it be used to get the Sea Dragon back in Rutland? If it is not spent by March 2028 it will go to the new combined authority and be lost ... (more) |
The Jenkinsite Policy Network present a new vision for British liberalismIn March this year we announced the Jenkinsite Policy Network after a members vote, and though it has taken longer than any of us expected, we have finally gotten to the stage where we can announce our statement of intent! The statement was drafted by myself, Andy Chandler and Mathew Hulbert (of Matthew on Monday fame) and is intended to set out the principles of Liberal Social Democracy that will inform the policies we intend to push going forward. We have done this with the aim of broadening debate within our party. We recognise that despite election successes of the ... (more) |
Yi-Pei Chou Turvey MSP first UK "rising star"[IMG: Hi-Pei Chou Turvey speaks after receiving ALDE's Rising Star Award] I had a tear or too yesterday when I saw Yi-Pei Chou Turvey MSP become the first British politician to receive the European Liberal Forum's "Rising star" award. It is fantastic to see her recognised for her work on Aberdeenshire Council at the start of her term as the North East's Lib Dem MSP. Sal Brinton was there and sent me this video of the event and Yi-Pei's speech. Yi-Pei said: I am humbled and honoured to receive this award on the 50th anniversary of ALDE. More than ever ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1543"In many cases, lack of coordination and administrative errors in the Home Office cause failed removals. Complications around booking flights, arranging escorts and other practicalities have all been found to prevent deportations, as well as procedural issues such as lack of travel documents. But continued misrepresentation in the media and political rhetoric means the ECHR has continued to be a scapegoat."Sarah Singer argues that the government's new immigration and asylum bill won't work. "'I'm Northern Irish', I would say with indignation, every time an English person referred to me as Irish. Growing up in Newtownards in the 1990s there was ... (more) |
Penguin Cafe Orchestra: Perpetuum MobileI can remember studying Penguin Cafe Orchestra CDs, intrigued by their artwork, but I never bought one. I wish I had. Borderless explains what inspired the band's formation by the classically trained guitarist and composer Simon Jeffes: In 1972, food poisoning confined Jeffes to bed where he dreamed of a Kafkaesque residential block full of people with empty lives. The following day a voice in his head said distinctly, "I am the proprietor of the Penguin Cafe. I will tell you things at random." Jeffes tried to imagine what the house band of that cafe might sound like. When he ... (more) |
Tom Arms' World ReviewJuly 4th America is so divided that it cannot even decide how best to celebrate the country's 250th birthday. Ten years ago Congress set up a bipartisan committee to organise America's 250th birthday celebrations. The committee- which was called America 250—would have a budget of $100 million. But almost as soon as he started his second term, Trump, decided to set up a rival organisation which he called Freedom 250. It was part of his anti-woke, anti-DEI and white nationalist campaign. Trump did not like the way America 250 told the American story. The bipartisan committee focused on the story ... (more) |
Tackling a loophole in lobbying regulation, and a small win on WhatsAppThe latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords, this time a longer speech of mine digging into why we need to improve the regulation of lobbying and also a welcome update on 'government by WhatsApp'. The regulation of lobbying needs improving The current transparency regime for lobbying in the ... (more) |
Not in our nameThe Guardian reports on yet another failure from a Reform-run council in which their £75,000 scheme to hang union flags at sites across the county, which the party said would "not cost the taxpayer a single penny" as it would be sponsored by local businesses, has failed to attract a single sponsor, it has emerged. The paper says that the plan to attach the flags to brackets on about 180 lamp-posts and other places was agreed in the autumn by Nottinghamshire's council, won by Nigel Farage's party in last year's May elections. They add that a report by the authority ... (more) |