Sunniside street surgery photoThis photo of our street surgery in Sunniside on Saturday arrived a bit too late for inclusion in an earlier post but here it is now, in all its splendour! Our next surgery is Saturday 28th March 2026 at Whickham Library. (more) |
Conference agenda has arrivedLast week, the agenda for Lib Dem spring conference arrived. Conference is again being held in York, a favourite for the March gathering. Back in 2012 it was held at the Sage, Gateshead, which made attendance much easier. York however is only an hour on the train. I've had a quick look through the agenda. Most of what interests me is the training and there are plenty of sessions from which to (more) |
Mathew on Monday: What a Liberal Response to the Middle East crisis actually looks likeThis morning I appeared on BBC Radio Leicester about the escalating situation in the Middle East. As ever with the region the headlines move fast, the rhetoric moves faster, and the human cost is felt fastest of all. For me, this is not abstract. I have family members who live in Dubai. When tensions rise across the region, when missiles are launched, when airspace closes, and you read of security warnings flashing up on phones, it stops being a matter of general interest and becomes something deeply personal. You find yourself not as a commentator, but as a relative. You ... (more) |
If only women ruled the world!!What have Putin, Stalin, Donald Trump, Adolf Hitler, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ayatollah Khomeini got in common? Race? No. Religion? No. Intelligence levels? No. Gender? Yes, they are all men. This list could have gone on and on because too many leaders in history and still in our present time are men which means that not enough of them are women! As 52% of the population of the UK are female you might this that this blog is a shameless attempt to procure their vote for the Lib Dems but that would not be the case. I say this, and have been ... (more) |
Can we prevent Middle Eastern conflict dividing British politics and society?Immediate domestic reactions to American bombing of Iran have displayed how divided British political parties are on Israel, Iran and US approaches to Middle Eastern politics. Priti Patel as Conservative shadow foreign secretary was firm in her support. Nigel Farage was even more enthusiastic and uncritical. Liberal Democrat MPs have been critical, and insistent that the UK should not become directly involved. Labour has been cautious, contributing only to 'defensive' operations against Iranian responses. The Greens have condemned the American attack. The old idea that politicians of all parties should stand shoulder to shoulder when international crisis threatens has long ... (more) |
Lessons from SpartaBack in the Brexit years, the European Research Group of hard-line Conservative MPs christened themselves the "Spartans". Perhaps they were drawn to the image of an elite warrior brotherhood, standing firm against overwhelming odds. Or perhaps they admired Sparta's reputation as one of the most austere and uncompromising societies of the ancient world. Either way, they might have profited from a closer look at how Sparta's story actually ended — and why. Sparta guarded its citizenship with exceptional rigidity. Full political membership was reserved for those born to two Spartan parents, and even then only after passing through an unforgiving ... (more) |
Courts grant Reform legal relief over missing imprintA reminder of the importance of ensuring that political leaflets have imprints on them: Reform had to go to court (at their own expense) to secure legal relief for a missing imprint on some of their literature in the Gorton and Denton Parliamentary by-election: I've been in the Rolls Building this morning, where Justice Christopher Butcher granted an application on Goodwin's behalf to formally exempt him from any actionThe judge said he was satisfied that the evidence met these requirements because it "arose from inadvertence" via an error by printers — Lizzie Dearden (@lizziedearden.bsky.social) 2026-02-25T12:28:28.316Z (more) |
Multiculturalism at its finestThere is so much talk these days about integration, multiculturalism and ways in which people settle in after moving to a different area, country or a continent. The narrative, driven by a number of politicians and media outlets, is most of the time negative and selective. It is not created for a reasonable debate, rational discussion, but rather to steer division and hatred. Now...I am saying that the multiculturalism doesn't bring social, cultural and economic challenges. I am also not saying that I naively believe in open borders and building "happy-clapping" society. I am talking about finding a balance, pragmatic ... (more) |
Keir Starmer's 10 pledges from his leader leadership campaignIt's clear Keir Starmer never believed in much of what was contained in these pledges. They were written for him so he would appeal to Labour members in the party's last leadership election. More and more, I favour Neal Lawson's account of how we ended up with a prime minister who possesses so few of the qualities you look for in a political leader:Wes Streeting was always meant to be their Labour prime minister. The plan, hatched by a tiny clique of right-wing faction fighters, was this: find a candidate on whom they could fake a continuation Corbynism project to ... (more) |
John Rogers explores Acton Town, Turnham Green and Chiswick House ParkTime for another London walk with John Rogers: A walk from Acton Town Tube Station down Bollo Lane looking at the changes taking place there, then across Turnham Green where I talk about the Civil War battle that took place there in 1642. The video ends at the beautiful Chiswick House Park. This walking tour explores West London history, urban change, and hidden landscapes, moving through Acton, Bollo Lane, Turnham Green, and Chiswick. Along the way it touches on London regeneration, psychogeography, Civil War history, grand houses, and the last industrial London. Most signs of the Acton Town to South ... (more) |