Our voting system isn't just unfair. It's becoming dangerous.Soon after I was elected in July 2024, I was approached by a man in Cirencester Market Place who congratulated me on my win. He'd voted in every general election since 1974, he said, and this was the first time he had ever voted for a winning candidate. For most of that time, he told me, he had barely bothered looking at the names on the ballot paper. He already knew who would win, but had voted out of habit – "or maybe just stubbornness" – but knew that it would, in effect, be a wasted vote. South Cotswolds is ... (more) |
How four bison brought new life to ancient woodland in KentHere's a video from Dr Edmund Hale that makes rewilding seem not a wild flight of fancy but common sense: Bison reintroduction in England began in 2022 when four European bison were released into West Blean Woods near Canterbury, Kent - the first wild bison in Britain for thousands of years. This rewilding experiment had one goal: save a dying ancient woodland that conventional conservation, chainsaws, and machinery had failed to fix. What these ecosystem engineers did next with bark, hooves, and pure instinct stunned the scientists monitoring them. Within weeks, the bison tore open the sealed forest canopy, stripped ... (more) |
Andy Burnham's transport record: Who benefits and who gets left behind?Transport has become one of Andy Burnham's defining issues as Mayor of Greater Manchester. He has championed the Bee Network, argued for London-style powers and made public transport central to his vision for the city region. There have been real achievements. Greater Manchester has introduced bus franchising, giving local leaders more control over routes, fares and standards. The region is also moving towards a more integrated transport system. However, the key question is not who controls the network. It is whether people can get where they need to go quickly, reliably and affordably. For many residents, the answer is yes. ... (more) |
The street in Australia named after my great great grandfatherMy family history stuff is put away and I'm far too hot to go and look for it, so this is written from memory, but I think it's right. I've posted a lot about my great great grandmother's brother Sandy Campbell and also about her sister Johanna Robertson Campbell. Both were senior members of Queen Victoria's staff at Balmoral. But what about my great great grandmother Jane Clark Campbell? She died aged only 22, having already had an illegitimate son with a man called Alexander Calder. The boy, my great grandfather, was brought up by the Campbell family in Scotland, ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another. Jay Cooper, Sefton: declared "not welcome" by Nigel Farage following reports of him calling the Holocaust a hoax and then resigned from the party (May 2026). Stuart Prior, Essex: expelled by Reform and resigned as a councillor after "he was accused the week before the ... (more) |
The rigged system Freda Jackson overcame to become an actress in the 1930sI wrote about the actress Freda Jackson's background on Central Bylines: Jackson was born in Nottingham in 1907, the daughter of a railway porter. She was educated at High Pavement School and the city's University College. In 1933 she was teaching English and Drama at Haywood School, Sherwood, and spending her evenings acting with a local theatre group, when a letter to the director of its repertory company won her an audition at Northampton's Theatre Royal. Yesterday's purchase Repertory at The Royal: Sixty-Five Years of Theatre in Northampton 1922-92 tells us what happened after that successful audition: Miss Jackson's status ... (more) |
Farewell to the Fabulous Flick Rea, MBEAt most funerals you go along with your slither of the story and learn so much more about the person, that you never previously knew. At most funerals the family have been busy organising and deciding readings and hymns. At most funerals... Let's be honest, the funeral of Flick Rea was never going to be like other funerals... First, it was the hottest day of the year, decade... ever and heck did we sweat under the relentless sun. Second, the funeral was planned in detail by Flick herself, the readings, who should read them, the hymns, even the photos for ... (more) |
Liberals and the unions: time to talk again"But you're a Lib Dem, I thought your party didn't like unions." I've had that said to me more than once when I mentioned that I'm a member of both the Liberal Democrats and UNISON. I understand why people assume it: trade unions tend to get filed alongside Labour and the politics of the left. But it misses a long shared history between the unions, labour relations, and British liberalism. The history is real, not a footnote. William Gladstone gave unions legal recognition and protected their funds in the Trade Union Act of 1871. Winston Churchill, as President of the ... (more) |
Lib Dems pick Richard Kilpatrick as candidate for the Greater Manchester Mayoral election[IMG: Richard Kilpatrick] A press release from the Liberal Democrats brings the news: Richard Kilpatrick has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Greater Manchester in the upcoming mayoral election to replace Andy Burnham. Richard has pledged to tackle the cost of living crisis, improve public services and deliver desperately needed housing for the region. Richard is deeply embedded in the Greater Manchester community, having lived and worked in the area for over 10 years, as well as serving as a councillor in Didsbury West since 2018 where he currently lives. Formerly in teaching, Richard has more recently spent ... (more) |
Andy Burnham's NHS record: Devolution, delivery and the limits of local powerAndy Burnham often describes health and social care devolution in Greater Manchester as one of the most important reforms of his political career. Few politicians have invested more effort in the idea that local leaders can improve public services by bringing decisions closer to the people they serve. Yet ten years after Greater Manchester became the first English region to take control of a devolved health and social care budget, an important question remains: has the experiment delivered the improvements its supporters promised? Since 2016, Greater Manchester has exercised significant influence over the planning and integration of NHS and social ... (more) |