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) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2026-2027Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2026 and the May 2027 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [1] – -1 (0/-1) -1 (0/-1) -1 (0/-1) – – +1 (+1/0) -2 Lab – – – – – – – – 0 Lib Dem +1 (+1/0) – [2] – – – – +1 (+1/0) +2 Grn +1 (+1/0) – – [1] – – – – +1 Ref +1 (+1/0) – – – – – – – +1 SNP – – – – – – ... (more) |
Brechtian television: Leo McKern in Galileo (1964)"Has anyone ever produced Brechtian television?" I asked when writing about The Exorcism. To an extent, they have. Because here are the first eight minutes of a 1964 television production of Brecht's play Galileo, and it begins with a shot of the cast arriving with a microphone boom and its operator purposely in shot. This production was shown on BBC1 on Wednesday 29 April 1964 and the translation of the play is by Charles Laughton. It's a shame that only this short section of this production is to be found online, because Leo McKern's performance looks very promising. The boy ... (more) |
Protecting children shouldn't mean abolishing their right to privacyAn alarming shift has been taking place within the Lib Dem Parliamentary Party over the last few months. Spearheaded by MPs such as Munira Wilson, Danny Chambers, and, most alarmingly for me, Vikki Slade, we are apparently now back to advocating for a ban on social media for children and supporting a ban on images depicting nudity being stored on their devices. I am very worried that the Party has not thought about how this could plausibly be implemented. I fear that once this dam breaks, once we move past a "think of the children" argument over a moral panic, ... (more) |