The man in a coracle who retrieved the ball from the Severn for Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury Town's old ground at Gay Meadow stood beside the Severn, so loose shots could end up in the river. This Nationwide report from 1975 is about the man who retrieved the ball when they did. (more) |
Lib Dem replaces Labour as leader of Luton CouncilThe BBC reports news of another council getting a Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Amjid Ali: The Labour leader of Luton Borough Council has lost a no-confidence vote after being in the role less than four months. Tahmina Saleem was appointed in May to replace long-serving Hazel Simmons, but has faced a leadership challenge which puts Liberal Democrat Amjid Ali in charge of a coalition-led authority. Luton Liberal Democrats add: Congratulations to Cllr Amjid Ali on becoming the new Leader of Luton Borough Council. A significant moment for Luton, with its first Kashmiri Leader who is proudly Luton-raised. [IMG: Amjid Ali ... (more) |
Work, play and creativity: Another column for the JCPCPThis is another of the quarterly 'Sighcology' columns I contribute to the Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy. Work, play and creativity An overexcited website selling business courses tells us: It's easy to play it safe. To follow the rules and optimise what already exists. In a world of constant change, sensible can feel smart. Until it stops working. You see, logic will get you to the starting line - but only creativity will win you the race. That's why we believe creativity is the most valuable capability for growth. And it's something that you can learn, practise and ... (more) |
GUEST POST Like a challenging computer game? Try the Government Digital ServiceMark Valentine tried hard to prove his identity, and the Government Digital Service tried hard to prevent him. The other day I had to do business with the Government Digital Service (GDS). This is one of those jolly three-word English phrases that make the heart sink, like Family Fun Day, Rail Replacement Service, Celebrity Game Show and Andrew Lloyd Webber. I suspect I don't need to issue a spoiler alert to tell you that the weakest spot, in a weak line-up, was in the word "service". There isn't any. This claims to be a "beta" service. Apparently, this is IT ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors on principal authorities elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another. Jay Cooper, Sefton: declared "not welcome" by Nigel Farage following reports of him calling the Holocaust a hoax and then resigned from the party (May 2026). Stuart Prior, Essex: expelled by Reform and resigned as a councillor after "he was accused the ... (more) |
Britain has too much government and too little democratic powerBritain has accumulated government without accumulating democratic power. A citizen trying to discover who is responsible for a major decision can now encounter ministers, councils, combined authorities, mayors, regulators, agencies, commissioners and public-private partnerships—often with overlapping responsibilities and no obvious person whom an election can remove. This is not simply a problem of having too much government. It is a problem of power becoming difficult to see and therefore difficult to control. The liberal answer is neither centralisation nor another wave of institutional invention, but to make the state smaller where possible, stronger where necessary, and democratic wherever public power ... (more) |
LibLink: David Howarth - How to stop billionaires buying our politics[IMG: David Howarth] Over on the Democracy For Sale site, former Lib Dem MP for Cambridge and electoral commissioner, David Howarth writes about the problem of big money in British politics and suggests three ways to combat it: The £72 million donation by two crypto-billionaires to Reform UK, a party that just happens to have promoted tax cuts for crypto-billionaires, has prompted some previously complacent political commentators to notice the enormous flaws in Britain's political funding regime. Those flaws are long-standing and simply stated. No cap exists on donations to political parties and existing controls on political spending are riddled ... (more) |
LibLink: Anna Sabine, the 'Whispering' Lib Dem MP -"Do I seem weak now?There's the heartrending story of Anna Sabine MP over on PoliticsHome's The House section. Anna tells their Ben Gartside how emergency surgery led to the loss of her voice. The Frome and East Somerset MP says she is returning to Parliament more determined than ever to be heard: When Anna Sabine finished a routine media appearance on Politics Live in the spring, she returned to her office and received an email that would prove life-changing. Her parliamentary assistant warned her that they had been sent a "really weird" email, and they couldn't be sure it was legitimate. "It wasn't even ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2026-2027Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2026 and the May 2027 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [11] +1 (+1/0) +1 (+3/-2) -3 (0/-3) -6 (+3/-9) -1 (0/-1) – +2 (+3/-1) -6 Lab -1 (0/-1) [11] -1 (0/-1) -1 (+2/-3) -4 (+4/-8) +1 (+1/0) – 0 (+1/-1) -6 Lib Dem -1 (+2/-3) +1 (+1/0) [17] +1 (+1/0) +2 (+2/0) -1 (0/-1) – +1 (+1/0) +3 Grn +3 (+3/0) +1 (+3/-2) -1 (0/-1) [7] – +1 (+1/0) – – +4 Ref +6 (+9/-3) ... (more) |
Focus delivery, Mexican styleGateshead and Durham Lib Dems held a join action day on Saturday. On the Gateshead side we delivered 1000 Focus on Barley Mow newsletters. On the other side of the border, Durham delivered their latest edition of their North Lodge Focus. We are used to action day lunches consisting of sandwiches. North Lodge Councillor Craig Martin had other ideas. It turns out he is a keen cook and (more) |