Reform UK Leicestershire councillor blames immigration for low water level at county reservoirIf you're short of a blog story, Reform UK in the East Midlands will always come through for you. Sure enough, Michael Squires, a Leicestershire county councillor, has blamed "mass immigration" for the low water level at Cropston Reservoir. He made the claim on X after visiting the nearby beauty spot Bradgate Park on Sunday, reports Leicester Gazette. A glance at Squires' account, particularly the Replies tab, reveals him to be very online. (more) |
Write a guest post for Liberal EnglandThe new political season is well underway, so why not have your say by writing a guest post for Liberal England? I'm happy to entertain a wide range of views, but I'd hate you to spend time writing something I really wouldn't want to publish, so please get in touch first. Or you can talk to me at the Liberal Democrat Conference, where I'll be for the first time in far too many years. These are the 10 most recent guest posts on Liberal England - you can see that I'm publish posts on subjects outside politics:256 local councillors have ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since May?Reform has shed the following councillors so far: Donna Edmunds (Shropshire, suspended by Reform UK and then quit the party) Luke Shingler (Warwickshire, now an independent) Desmond Clarke (Nottinghamshire, resigned as councillor) Andrew Kilburn (Durham, resigned as a councillor) Wayne Titley (Staffordshire, resigned as a councillor) Mark Broadhurst (Doncaster, expelled by Reform) Adam Smith (West Northamptonshire, suspended by Reform and then expelled) John Bailey (Durham, resigned as a councillor) Daniel Taylor (Kent, suspended by Reform UK) Sam Booth (Doncaster, resigned as a councillor) Ed Hill (Devon, expelled by Reform) David Maclean (Isle of Wight, resigned as a councillor) Robert Bloom ... (more) |
Time for English members to vote on their representativesA week ago, Party members in England received an email that may have left some of them puzzled. It asked if they wished to nominate candidates for an election for the English Party representatives to various Federal Party Committees, such as the Federal Policy Committee and the Conference Committee. The unusual thing is that while they can nominate candidates, they don't get a vote. Ten years ago, as the Party confronted a disastrous general election result, the Autumn Conference made a significant change to who could attend our twice-yearly Conferences and how people were elected to the Federal Committees that ... (more) |
The Lib Dems have a rare opportunity to make the case for migrationThe Lib Dems have a rare opportunity to make the case for migration Rarely has there been so much space on the political spectrum for the Lib Dems and so little appetite on their behalf to fill it. Ok, that maybe a little harsh: Ed Davey's refusal to attend the banquet with Donald Trump is more than a stunt but by tying it to Gaza alone it has become a tactical weapon with which to outflank Keir Starmer, rather than a wider statement about the threat of authoritarianism and the corruption of democratic norms embodied by the US President. It ... (more) |
Keep calm and carry on urgently re-armingIs our Party facing up better than others to the high cost of the UK re-arming? l have recently seen senior Lib Dems whom I rate highly, saying (in their own words but probably echoing the similar thoughts of many senior Lib Dem colleagues) :- 'We support the aim, demanded by Donald Trump, of spending 3.5% of our GDP on defence, with an additional 1.5% on ancillary spending – but that is as long as we can have until 2035 to achieve this – and as long as we won't be required to reduce spending on the NHS or welfare ... (more) |
Capital punishment: how can we get national government to love London again?[IMG: Shard in the distance taken from the Embankment] In many ways, London represents a triumph of liberalism. London is a city where people from all backgrounds come to make their home. A city of dynamism and enterprise, closely intertwined with the global economy. A city of remarkable history and forward-thinking culture. A city thriving as a cosmopolitan melting pot, with strong communities and individuals free to be themselves. It is for precisely these reasons that certain politicians denigrate the capital, portraying it either as a suspicious, crime-ridden hellhole or an effete hub of snooty, overprivileged elitism. Or sometimes all ... (more) |
The first freedom: Autonomy of the BodyThe First Freedom: Autonomy of the Body If you cannot respect another person's right to do with their body as they please, liberalism has no place for you. Most people who consider themselves liberals will consider a (usually unspoken) list of rights they hold sacred. Freedom of speech is usually the first to come to mind. But what about the others? The right to a fair trial? The right to privacy? The right to own property? While often rarely cited, we passionately believe bodily autonomy is the right that is foundational to all others, thus we, as liberals, have a ... (more) |
Peter Gabriel: Here Comes the FloodPeter Gabriel wrote Here Comes the Flood soon after he left Genesis in 1975, and it appeared on his first solo album. This stripped-down version comes from a 1979 Kate Bush Christmas special. (more) |
Lord Bonkers' Diary: Those two will have to be Dealt WithIf I were Freddie and Fiona, I would be looking to spend less time in Rutland in future: this is starting to sound ominous. At least the old boy got Meadowcroft out of clink. Saturday What a way to start the day! I am summoned to Oakham nick to stand bail for Meadowcroft, who has spent the night in the cells. It transpires that he was arrested in the village yesterday afternoon for carrying a dangerous weapon; this turns out to be the Japanese pruning sickle that Freddie and Fiona gave him the other day. (To be fair to the ... (more) |