Bobby Charlton and Arnie Sidebottom at Stamford BridgeBobby Charlton played his last game for Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on 2 April 1973. Thanks to a rather flukey goal from Peter Osgood, Chelsea won 1-0. You can see brief highlights and Charlton's exit in the video below, but first take a look at the photo above. Who is the United player looking on as Charlton plays the ball? It's Arnie Sidebottom, who was to play one cricket test for England 12 years later. His son Ryan played many more. Arnie Sidebottom, a centre back, played 16 games for United before joining Huddersfield Town and then Halifax Town. ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 18% (+1) 16% (+1) 13% (+2) 17% (nc) 25% (-2) -9% (4th, vs Ref) 10-11/6 GB ... (more) |
ALDC's By Election Report 11.06.26[IMG: 4 parallel white vertical lines on orange background ALDC logo] Three principal authority by-elections took place this week in Cheshire West and Chester, Dacroum and Slough. Cheshire West and Chester Council - Christleton and Huntington Our first by-election was triggered by the sad passing of the sitting Conservative councillor. At the last election in 2023, Christleton and Huntington was closely contested, with all nine candidates in the two-member ward finishing within 12.5% of each other and extensive split voting across the ward. The two Conservatives edged out the third-placed Green candidate by just 24 votes. The Lib Dem candidates ... (more) |
We need a tax rise to fund additional defence spendingI am an "Orange Book" Lib Dem - I think we should have taxes as low as possible because people make the best decisions about how to spend their own money. That doesn't of course mean that we don't need taxes - there are lots of things the state needs to do to ensure everyone a decent society - and tax as a % of GDP is currently a Post war high. But it's very clear that our failure to adequately fund our Defences is putting our future as a safe, democratic nation at risk. John Healey's resignation letter could ... (more) |
Lib Dems successful in tricky by-election defence[IMG: Lib Dems campaigning for Hugo Hardy] Campaigning in Dacorum. There were three principal authority council by-elections this week starting with a tricky Liberal Democrat defence of a seat where the Lib Dem councillor had been one of eight to leave the Lib Dem group before she then later resigned as a councillor. Apsley & Corner Hall (Dacorum) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 32.9% (-15.6) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 24.5% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 17.9% (-14.9) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 9.5% (New) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 8.0% (New) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 7.1% (-11.5)Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2023. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) ... (more) |
An eye for an eye is not the way forwardIt is not enough to condemn the rioting and violence that has taken place in the wake of Henry Nowak's death, and the horrific knife attack in Belfast. We need to understand why it is happening and look at ways to deal with the root cause. There does seem to have been a rise in the number of violent crimes committed by those that have come to the UK as immigrants or asylum seekers. Certainly if one believes the red-tops, this is the case. However it would need someone with more time and expertise than I have to do an ... (more) |
Putting Liberal values into practice in the heart of LondonFor 16 years, Southwark Liberal Democrats have stood up for residents and held Labour to account. In May, voters sent a clear message: Southwark needed change. The election ended Labour's majority and left the council in No Overall Control. That presented us with a choice. We could stand aside, prop up a tired and failed administration, or work with others to deliver the change residents had voted for. We chose change. For the first time in 16 years, Liberal Democrats have returned to administration in Southwark through a Joint Administration with the Southwark Green Party. Many Liberal Democrats will understandably ... (more) |
Pope Leo speaks for all liberals when he condemns racism, supports migration, and supports UkraineAs many regular readers of this blog will know I am not a person of religious faith. However, I believe that most people in all faiths are good people and some can provide exceptional leadership. Pope Leo XIV the first ever American Pope is one of these. Everything he does shouts integrity and let us face it anyone who is loathed by Donald Trump must have something going for him! Pope Leo visited the Canary Islands, part of Spain on Thursday to draw attention to the plight of migrants who risk their lives every year trying to reach Europe. Leo ... (more) |
Sanctions against Israeli settlers welcome - but inadequateThis week, alongside partners Canada, France and Norway, the UK government announced expanded sanctions against 6 entities and one individual enabling settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The government has also strengthened its business risk guidance to make clear that British citizens and businesses should not conduct any economic or financial activities in Israel's illegal settlements. As noted by Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller in Parliament on Tuesday, the new measures - though welcome - are extremely overdue, with the Dutch Government having issued a similar discouragement notice 20 years ago. Moreover, the notice remains purely advisory ... (more) |
Growing Asylum backlog undermines Government's caseThe Independent reports that the UK asylum appeals backlog has hit a new record high, with new figures revealing it is now more than seven times the level it was a decade ago. The paper says that data released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) shows 87,450 cases were awaiting resolution at the end of March, marking a 72 per cent increase from 50,976 just a year prior. The figure was 11,660 in the same period of 2016, when current records began: Between January and March this year, 40 per cent of appeals were successful, a slight decrease from 43 ... (more) |