How long can Starmer last after Mandelson revelations?The Independent reports that Keir Starmer's leadership has been plunged into turmoil after furious Labour MPs forced him into a humiliating climbdown over the release of full vetting documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as the UK's ambassador in the US. The paper says that Starmer's dramatic U-turn followed intense pressure, led by former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, just hours after he admitted that he knew about Lord Mandelson's continued friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - but appointed him as US ambassador anyway: Sir Keir Starmer's leadership has been plunged into turmoil after furious Labour MPs forced him ... (more) |
Howard Sykes retiring as a councillorA press release brings news of the end of an era: Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Oldham Borough's longest serving councillor, is to retire from Oldham Council and has announced he will not be standing in the Council elections this May. Standing in Howard's place for the Liberal Democrats will be his colleague, councillor Tom Penketh, who has served on Shaw and Crompton Town Council for the past three years, and who was the youngest councillor in the country when elected. Councillor Sykes was first elected in 1987 and was Oldham's youngest councillor at the time. He has always championed Oldham ... (more) |
Carl Cashman on the BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! podcastSlightly left field interview here with Carl Cashman, Leader of the Lib Dems on Liverpool City Council. Is he correct? View this post on Instagram * Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems. (more) |
What charges might Peter Mandelson face in court?Barrister at law Alan Robertshaw is our guide to the complexities of the law on insider trading and misconduct in public office. (more) |
UnprotectedA skater dress, a teenage look on fifty-plus maturity; a knowing glance, seductive eyes, excitement springs eternal! Seeking the surge of ecstasy then succour, held tight in their arms... (more) |
Tactical voting is a tool, not an instructionBy-elections invite panic. Turnout drops, narratives harden fast, and parties start talking as if politics is a single emergency in which only one "responsible" outcome is acceptable. The coming Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester is already being framed that way. In the i paper, Vince Cable is reported urging Liberal Democrat supporters to vote Labour, and leaning into an "Operation stop Farage" style argument. I understand the instinct. First Past the Post encourages defensive voting, and Reform thrives when an election is reduced to a binary contest. Many liberal voters will look at the race on polling day ... (more) |
"A man of profound faith and exceptional talent": Alistair Carmichael pays tribute to Jim WallaceEmbed from Getty ImagesAlistair Carmichael has written a tribute to Jim Wallace - "a man of profound faith and exceptional talent"- for The House magazine. You can find it on the Politics Home website: At a time when our political debate is often ill-tempered, Jim's career is a reminder that to be productive our politics should allow parties to cooperate where they agree. He led the Scottish Liberal Democrats into and through the Scottish Constitutional Convention that eventually produced the blueprint for the Scotland Act of 1998. He then led us into a coalition with Scottish Labour in the first ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1471"Without doubt, information provided during the height of the global financial crisis by a senior Member of the British Government, will have been operationally beneficial to a hedge fund manager, international financier and broker like Jeffrey Epstein. Without doubt, Mandelson will have known this when he was sending this information."Gareth Roberts makes the case for charging Peter Mandelson with misconduct in public office. Catherine Barnard and Denzil Davidson ask if Greenland can join the European Union: "Whether Greenlanders decide that it should be attempted, and how such an attempt would be received in Washington, will be an important question for ... (more) |
Have you heard the one about...... the Three Politicians who walked into a bar? "Mine's a pint of Red!" declaimed the Socialist. "For Society, Fairness and Solidarity. With Labour in charge, of course!" "Beg pardon" said the Liberal "but I don't like your coarse chumminess. Individual Liberty must come first. I am the Captain of my Soul. A glass of Yellow, if you please!" "While you two are fiddling" declared the Green "The planet is burning. We only need buckets of water!" "I don't understand you people!" said the Barmaid. "Isn't it obvious that we all need to be free, happy, thriving individuals, living in ... (more) |
It's the Fifth of February!Which means it's time for this song, courtesy of the ever excellent John Finnemore Souvenir Programme: Lyrics by John Finnemore, music written and played by Susannah Pearse, performed by Simon Kane, with Carrie Quinlan and Margaret Cabourn-Smith. (more) |