The Thatcher legacyHad she lived Margaret Thatcher would have been 100 yesterday. A dinner has been held for the Great and the Good of the Tory Party, along with the odd member of Reform, to mark the occasion. Apparently the Tories and Reform are competing to inherit her legacy. There can be little doubt that Clement Attlee wins the accolade as the UK's best post-war prime minister, and that the worst (so far) has been Liz Truss. However, in determining which post-1945 prime minister has done most harm I believe historians will decide it is a close-run thing between Margaret Thatcher and ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1421Nathan Gill, the former leader of Nigel Farage's party in Wales, admits taking bribes to help Putin. And his Russian connection - the Ukrainian politician Oleh Voloshyn - in turn has links to a key figure wanted by US authorities over election interference, reports Carole Cadwalladr. Luvell Anderson explains why authoritarians like Donald Trump are afraid of satire: "Although humour can seem trivial to some, we should not underestimate its power to shift cultural agendas. Contempt toward elites in the form of satirical mockery can be cathartic and a demonstration of solidarity for those of lower status. Humourists can have ... (more) |
Challenges for youth campaigners against authoritarian regime: from today's Georgia to yesterday's Hong Kong umbrella revolutionDemocracy movements are getting younger. But youthful energy alone isn't enough. Movements for freedom can be hijacked by malign influence or twisted into populist causes. The real challenge is keeping them liberal, disciplined, and resilient. Take Georgia. With intensifying demonstrations from Presidential elections to local elections earlier this month. The ruling Georgian Dream party — aligned with Moscow — was accused of manipulating the process, prompting opposition parties to call for a boycott and mass protests in Tbilisi. While the protests unfolded, the Atlantic Council (23 October 2024) published a report detailing Russia's interference in Georgian society. The findings were ... (more) |
Kamran Hussain writes: Representing people from all walks of life, not just "Middle England"Editor's Note: In November party members will be voting to elect our next Party President and Vice-President. At Lib Dem Voice we welcome posts from each of the candidates - one to launch their candidature plus a maximum of one per week during the actual campaign. I grew up in a community with people who do the early starts and the late finishes: the shift workers, the carers, the shop staff who smile even when the till doesn't balance at home. For far too long, they've been told to "tighten belts" whilst the government loosened its grip on the basics ... (more) |
Our West End Ward Tuesday Surgeries #dundeewestendJust a reminder that, with the schools closed for the October holidays, our usual weekly ward surgeries do not recommence until after the school holidays, but will be back next week. However, we can still be contacted on any local issues or concerns - just e-mail westend@dundeelibdems.org.uk - many thanks! (more) |
Farage seeks to distance Reform from the RussiansWales-online reports that Nigel Farage has falsely claimed he is the only current senior figure in Reform to have ever met Nathan Gill, the party's disgraced former leader in Wales. The claim comes after Gill admitted eight charges of taking bribes to speak in favour of Russia when he was a Ukip and Brexit Party member of the European Parliament. The website says that Farage - who led both of those parties - told the BBC on Friday: "I'm the only person in the senior management team of Reform who's ever even met him", however, Reform's current deputy leader Richard ... (more) |
Patricia Routledge and Michael Caine in Hobson's Choice (1962)A wonderful find on the Classic British Telly YouTube channel - everybody like and subscribe, please. Patricia Routledge was born to play Maggie Hobson, but Michael Caine's Northern accent is very much a work in progress. Click on the video above for a short scene that features them both. You can see more early Michael Caine on this blog in The Ship That Couldn't Stop. (more) |
ChangelingFace-guarded changeling fighting youth, hiding consent; keeper of the flame (more) |
The Conservative Party: A warning from historyNick Cohen's guest on the latest edition of his podcast The Lowdown is the novelist and historian James Hawes, who reminds us that history has shown that there are no lengths the Conservative Party will not go to in pursuit of power. Hawes forecasts a pact or even a merger between the Conservatives and Reform UK, and Cohen points out that no Conservative leader since David Cameron has mounted a serious attack on Nigel Farage and his parties. If these is hope of keeping the far right out of power in Britain, Hawes concludes, is lies in the Liberal Democrats ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since May?Reform has shed the following councillors from the May local elections: 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 ... (more) |