1 September 2026 - today's press releases (part 2)McArthur sets out opposition to SNP's food price consultation Rennie responds to CalMac ferry costs rising by £20 million Cole-Hamilton responds to Programme for Government "What happens when the second fire starts?" – Baxter challenges Scottish Government over wildfire readiness McArthur sets out opposition to SNP's food price consultation Responding to the Scottish Government launching a consultation on capping food prices, Scottish Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: Farmers are warning that this will push them out of business, while retailers say it could lead to job losses. The SNP love populist policy ideas which sound plausible and ... (more) |
1 September 2026 - today's press releases (part 1)A big day in Scottish politics today, and the day's press releases reflect that... Cole-Hamilton: Programme for government must match Scotland's talent Chou Turvey responds to police officer illness and injury Chou Turvey responds to SNP ministers failing to fund sexual offences court Harley: Swinney must deliver for NHS in programme for government Cole-Hamilton: Programme for government must match Scotland's talent Speaking ahead of John Swinney's Programme for Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: The SNP's programmes for government often read like a wish list to Santa that never got posted, leaving us to think of all ... (more) |
Severn Valley Railway sees eight-week trial of commuter trainsFrom BBC News: The Bewdley Express is an eight-week trial taking travellers from Bewdley to Kidderminster on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, where they can change to a Birmingham service. The trial, run by the Severn Valley Railway and West Midlands Railway, is intended to test demand for a regular rail connection between Bewdley and the wider West Midlands network. (more) |
Former Reform UK councillor joins the Lib Dem group on West NorthamptonshireJonathan Harris (left) and Kathryn Shaw. Photo: West Northants Lib Dems NN Journal reports some unexpected news from Northamptonshire: A former Reform UK cabinet member on West Northamptonshire Council has now joined the Liberal Democrat group. Cllr Kathryn Shaw previously stepped down from her role as portfolio holder for children, families and education at the start of 2026. In March, she later quit the Reform UK group completely, becoming an independent. Cllr Shaw told NN Journal: "Over the past eight months, I've had a lot of time to reflect on what matters most to me, both as a councillor and ... (more) |
An afternoon at Foxton locks (with added alpacas)I went to Foxton Locks this afternoon. I met these charming alpacas, and there were boats, locks, the remains of an Edwardian inclined plane and stuff too. (more) |
Councillor joins Lib Dems in West NorthamptonshireCllr Kathryn Shaw has joined the Liberal Democrats as NLive Radio reports: A former Reform UK cabinet member on West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has now joined the Liberal Democrat group. Cllr Kathryn Shaw previously stepped down from her role as portfolio holder for children, families and education at the start of 2026. In March, she quit the Reform UK group completely, becoming an independent. The political shift will now make the Liberal Democrats joint second-largest opposition group ... Speaking about her decision, Cllr Shaw said: "Over the past eight months, I've had a lot of time to reflect on what ... (more) |
Interview with Paul Spackman, biographer of David Lloyd GeorgePaul Spackman Paul Spackman, the author of a recently published biography of David Lloyd George, has kindly answered some questions about his book David Lloyd George – Welsh Radical, World Statesman. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be an author & biographer? I have always been fascinated by History, the endless insights it gives into other lives and our own existence, and I studied History with Associated English at King Alfred's College, now the University of Winchester. I felt drawn to make my own contributions to such studies, often approaching historical subjects through ... (more) |
AI has moved from future threat to present realityThere is a temptation to treat the latest warnings about artificial intelligence as another round of technological alarmism. We have heard predictions about AI transforming society before, and some have proved exaggerated. But two very different developments over the last three months suggest that we need to pay much closer attention. The first is Bill Gates warning that AI could fundamentally reshape employment, cybersecurity, biological security and the relationship between humans and machines. The second is an extraordinary cyber incident involving an autonomous AI agent being tested by OpenAI that ultimately compromised infrastructure belonging to Hugging Face. Taken together, these ... (more) |
Where next for the Lib Dems in London?Many of us in the capital woke up on the 8th May with mixed feelings. We made significant gains in boroughs like Ealing, Brent and Sutton, but felt short of our ambitions in other boroughs, with the Greens upsetting our momentum and the Labour and Conservative vote proving more resilient than expected. So what does this mean for our next election? Recent polling shows us at 10% in the mayoral race – one of our best results in decades, yet still last among the major parties. But our success in London shouldn't be judged on our mayoral results, it should ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1570"This is a staggering death rate of 130 per 100,000 care leavers, a figure at least three times higher than the general population. It is hard to overstate the magnitude of the failure that has led to this point. There are a range of causes of death, but the single largest cause is suicide."Michael Sanders looks at a new government report that lays bare the tragedy of care-leaver deaths. Keenan Malik says the Grenfell Tower fire has "exposed a social and legal landscape shaped by an exaggerated contempt for ordinary people. It is the story of a corporate world displaying, ... (more) |