In which I praise buses and largely tolerate rail travelI can't remember a single bus turning up late during my 10 days of outings in Shropshire, which is an impressive record. And let's hear it for concessionary travel for pensioners. Family legend has it that I learnt to read from the West Hertfordshire bus timetable, and I can't help thinking how wonderful getting a card that gave you free travel on any bus would have seemed when I was six. Well, now I have one. My train to Newport was seriously late because of a track fault north of Shrewsbury, and faced further delay between Ludlow and Leominster. But ... (more) |
Observations of an Expat: CanadaWhat is the British government doing to support Canada? It is one of our closest allies. Our relationship with Canada is more special than that with the US. King Charles is their head of state. Canada is a fellow member of NATO, the G7, Five Eyes, the Commonwealth and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This question should be asked on the floor of the House of Commons. And the person to ask it is Lib Dem leader Ed Davey. He has made his opposition to President Donald Trump crystal clear. The US-Canada trade war is an ... (more) |
The Church at the heart of MumblesIf you walk down Mumbles Road towards the pier, past the White Rose pub, the former watering hole of Hywel Bennett, and past the famous Joe's Ice Cream Parlour, where the now Prince of Wales insisted on being served chocolate ice cream, you will come to an arched entrance through which are some steps and a path leading to the medieval church that is at the centre of Mumbles life. All Saints' Church, Oystermouth, is a Grade II listed Anglican church, described as "a large church with substantial medieval fabric and good interior detail, including early medieval piscina, font, and ... (more) |
28 August 2026 - today's press releasesGreen responds to independence bill Almost 500 repairs needed in Scottish police buildings Cole-Hamilton responds to SNP's first 100 days failure Chamberlain responds to serial rapist police officer passing vetting checks Green responds to independence bill Responding to the Scottish Government publishing a draft referendum bill on independence, Scottish Liberal Democrat public service reform spokesperson David Green MSP said: Yawn. Almost 500 repairs needed in Scottish police buildings Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP has today urged the SNP to "wake up" to the pressures facing the justice system, as she revealed that there are almost 500 ... (more) |
Leapfrogging in styleYesterday there was a by-election in the Newcastle City Council ward of Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn. Yet again, it was another Reform resignation after just a few weeks in the role of councillor. The ward itself was comfortably held by Labour until their near wipe out in Newcastle. From a council Labour had run with a significant majority, they were reduced to two. But with the Burnham (more) |
North Lancashire Lib Dems call for county police to reveal dealings with PalantirEmbed from Getty ImagesHere's a heartening story from the Lancaster Guardian: The North Lancashire Liberal Democrats are calling for Lancashire Police to reveal the full extent of its dealings with controversial US tech firm Palantir. It comes after an investigation by Computer Weekly and the Good Law Project revealed the force is one of six across the country testing Palantir's AI tools in contracts worth a total of £7.8m. Reportedly, no minutes were kept from Lancashire Police meetings about the procurement of Palantir AI tools. The newspaper reports comments by Rowan Fitton, a Lib Dem campaigner from Morecambe, who has ... (more) |
Protesting again a greenbelt developmentPlans by Banks Group to build 210 houses on the fields to the south of Sunniside are not going down well in the village. The planning application is not yet submitted to Gateshead Council but it is expected later this year. I organised a photo op for the Evening Chronicle on Thursday for residents to protest against the proposals. With only a couple of days' notice, 30-40 came along, having (more) |
Come and see Basil and Dandelion tomorrowTomorrow I will be taking two of our goats to another local fair, this time in Dunston Park, Gateshead. I will be taking dandelion (see above) one of our young nannies and Basil (see below), a billy kid born earlier this year. The fair is open 11am to 3pm. (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Survation 19% (+1) 27% (+1) 9% (-1) 10% (nc) 24% (-2) 3% (vs Ref) 26-28/8 UK Find Out Now ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1568Tom Perry links to a review of the duty to report child sexual abuse brought in by the Crime and Policing Act 2026. It finds that because of the way the law is framed, this new duty will have little effect. Anand Kumar is part of the team writing the next edition of psychiatry's bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This edition will, for the first time, attempt to draw on findings from neurobiology - a reminder of how little we currently know about the biology of mental health and neurodevelopment. "In Idaho, parents who say their ... (more) |