By-Election Report 01.10.26[IMG: 4 parallel white vertical lines on orange background ALDC logo] Six principal authority by-elections took place across Scotland and England on Thursday 1st October. Reform UK were defending two seats in Northumberland (Amble and Hirst), the Conservatives were defending two seats (in Stirling and North West Leicestershire), Labour defended one seat in Blackpool, and an Independent seat was contested in Highland. The headline story of the week was a sensational Scottish Liberal Democrat gain in Highland Council, where Julie Calder stormed to victory with over 50% of first-preference votes in the SNP Council Leader's own ward. Across the border ... (more) |
State of Play: a classic BBC political drama revisitedThe latest edition of the email newsletter for my podcast, Political Fictions, 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: Get the books As well as covering some books in the podcast, we also mention others in the newsletter's bonus content. You can browse all the books mentioned and get them for yourself via my Bookshop.org page (affiliate link). State of Play, episode 1 [IMG: Montage of the main actors in State of Play] We're heading ... (more) |
Picking our allies, a perspective on Israel/PalestineThere's been a lot of noise recently about applying international law. What exactly does this mean? Statutes on human rights were formalised as international law following the atrocities committed during the Holocaust in which at least twelve million were killed, six million of them Jews. But over the years these laws have seemingly been applied indiscriminately with Western powers left off the hook time and again. Questions around British and American actions in places like Iraq linger, but in recent years the heat has been turned up. Israel, traditional ally to many Western powers, has been the subject of case ... (more) |
Lib Dems make another by-election gain in HighlandsSix principal authority council by-elections this week and all back to being on a Thursday. One thing remains the same with by-elections though, a steady flow of Liberal Democrat gains – with this week's gain once again coming on Highland Council: [IMG: Julie Calder by election image 2026] Wick & East Caithness (Highland) Council By-Election Result [1st Prefs]: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 50.4% (+20.6) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 23.6% (New) [IMG: 🎗] SNP: 14.0% (-11.3) [IMG: âž¡] RFM: 9.4% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 2.6% (-12.5)No Inds (-12.8, -10.5) as previous.Liberal Democrat 'Gain' from Independent – Stage 1.Changes w/ 2022. — Election Maps ... (more) |
Burnham is right to reform the triple lock; the Lib Dems should support itIn his conference speech this week, Andy Burnham made a brave political decision to reform the triple lock on the state pension. The reformed triple lock will increase the state pension by either inflation or 2.5% every year. If there is sustained growth in average wages over several years - enough to outpace the inflation and 2.5% locks - then the pension will rise to match that wage growth. This ensures that every year the state pension will be protected, or increase, in real terms, and it retains its value relative to wages. This is a sensible reform; similar proposals ... (more) |
Why I won't Wayve goodbye to Black CabsSince September 3, Uber and Wayve have been operating a small number of self-driving cars in London. Passengers can travel in electric Ford Mustang Mach-Es equipped with Wayve's AI driving system. For now, these are supervised autonomous journeys: a trained, TfL-licensed private-hire driver remains in the vehicle to monitor the system and intervene if necessary — which, incidentally, seems to defeat the point of a driverless vehicle. The initial service operates across the capital, excluding airports, and is being expanded gradually. The UK government forecasts a self-driving market worth up to £42 billion, creating up to 38,000 jobs by 2035. ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1585"Burnham's speech was, in some ways, an exercise in calling the electorate's bluff. 'I have given you what you often say is missing from politics,' Burnham concluded. "Honesty, ideas and a clear direction for the country we all love.' The message was thus: You say you want change and are sick of politicians who dodge difficult decisions and offer little beyond managerialism. So here are some difficult decisions — will you back me?"Zoe Grunewald was in Liverpool for Andy Burnham's speech. Chris Grey looks at the the speech's effect on the Brexit debate: "In personal life, we rarely regard terrible ... (more) |
Has Ed Davey got it wrong on the triple lock?The Mirror reports that the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon has clashed with his own party leader in defence of Andy Burnham's plans to overhaul the pensions triple lock to fund a National Care Service. The paper says that Tom Gordon said he thought Sir Ed Davey had "missed the point" and that it was "for the birds" that the state pension trip lock helps millennials: Lib Dem leader Sir Ed earlier today said changing the triple lock would mean millennials, those aged 30 to 45, would have a "very poor pension" when they retire. In ... (more) |
Now We Are Severn released by Shrewsbury's Up Sewage CreekThe Shrewsbury river campaigners Up Sewage Creek have released a 10-minute film about the River Severn and their work to protect it: We Are Severn. Shropshire Live says: The film, which has been produced by award winning Shropshire arts organisation MediaActive Projects, is a collaboration between local people and creative practitioners designed to raise awareness about the state of the Severn. It features video footage, animation, and interviews with local river campaigners talking about the Severn and why it is so important to Shrewsbury. Up Sewage Creek won't allow the video to be embedded on other sites - good luck ... (more) |
The death of Dennis O'Neill and expertise in a narrow subjectBecoming very knowledgeable about a niche subject is worrying, because you find much that has been published about it is wrong. And then it become more worrying, because you suspect this is true of every subject if only you knew. One of my niches of expertise is the death of Dennis O'Neill in 1945. He had been fostered by a couple on a farm in the Stiperstones (that's why I first came across the case) and the trial of his killers shared the front pages with news of the last days of the war in Europe. Now I've come across ... (more) |