Liberal ActionJust like so many people, I went through much of my life following the politics I grew up with. Growing up in Wales, this was nationally Labour. After years of following the Labour ideology without questioning it and spending many years involved with student politics, it was the Brexit vote that made me think. The morning the Brexit result was announced, my young daughter turned to me and said, "That's rubbish, what are you going to do about it?" This was my turning point. I soon found out that my political home was not Labour, and the personal views I ... (more) |
When they ran special trains for us(Editor's note: The above photo merely gives a flavour of the 1906 election and is unrelated to the specifics of the article below.) It's a torn and faded paper poster in a nondescript frame; no illustrations, just 30 or so lines of red-printed text in a wide range of sizes. But it's a strong contender for the treasured item I would rush to save from a fire. "We are seven!" it begins. Then in huge type, "Great Liberal DEMONSTRATION" followed by the much smaller but far more interesting line: "To celebrate the return of a Liberal MP for every constituency ... (more) |
Matthew Green to fight South Shropshire againAt the last election Matthew Green and his team in South Shropshire achieved a remarkable 23 per cent swing from the Conservatives, finishing only 1,624 votes short of victory. Matthew was MP for the old Ludlow constituency, which covered much the same area, between 2001 and 2005. Today comes news that Matthew has been reselected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for South Shropshire. He writes on his Facebook page: In South Shropshire with the continued rapid collapse of the Conservative Party, at the moment it appears the next general election will be between the Liberal Democrats and Reform. We need ... (more) |
Councillor quits Reform for second time in 2 weeksBBC News wins our Headline of the Day Award. The judges wonder how our regular guest blogger Augustus Carp will cope with this when he posts his next survey of councillors changing parties. Mark Pack will love it though. (more) |
Matthew Green re-selected for South Shropshire[IMG: Matthew Green] Matthew Green posted on Facebook: I can now confirm that that I have been selected by South Shropshire Liberal Democrats to stand again in the next general election (probably 2029). I was very much encouraged to stand again by the response I received from South Shropshire voters in last year's General Election. In July 2024 despite becoming the candidate at very short notice, the fabulous team around me help produce a stunning 23.4% swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat, almost regaining the seat. Short by only 1,624 votes. The next general election, although probably in 2029, already ... (more) |
Camden says thank you to Elizabeth Stanton-JonesMost people who join a political party at some point or other seek to gain elected office. First to be elected as a councillor, sometimes as a Member of Parliament and occasionally as Police and Crime Commissioner, or elected Mayor or even Member of the European Parliament (in the olden days of yore!). These were not the aspirations for Elizabeth Stanton-Jones, who has recently passed away and whose funeral takes place today. Instead, she sought to work for the local Liberal Democrats where she lived and delighted in seeing others getting elected (she did, of course, dutifully stand as a ... (more) |
Learnings from a term on Federal Council, and advice for the nextI don't think Federal Council ever fully found its feet. And I think one of the fundamental reasons for this is that we never really understood what it was for. Was it intended only as an emergency brake for bad decisions made by a reduced size Board, or was it intended more of a broader Overview and Scrutiny function, equivalent to local government? My interpretation of the constitution was that it was the latter, but much of the discussion in Council focussed more on the former – which decisions should we call-in? This fundamental tension is one the party must ... (more) |
West End weekly ward surgeries tonight #dundeewestendOur joint weekly ward surgeries take place tonight. This week they are as follows : Blackness Library (Tuesdays 5pm - every week during school term time) Harris Academy reception area (2nd Tuesday of each month at 5.45pm during school term time) All welcome - no appointment necessary! (more) |
Labours energy price cut could be swamped by rising costsThe Independent reports that Rachel Reeves' pledge to take £150 off household energy bills could be wiped out because of the costs of nuclear energy, hidden green levies and new levies being introduced by the energy regulator. The paper says that in her Budget last week, the chancellor promised to take £150 off household bills by scrapping the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, but the former Labour donor and green entrepreneur Dale Vince has now claimed that the impact of paying for building nuclear energy capacity will largely wipe out the £150 because of the £1bn cost in the first ... (more) |
Blast from the pastWhile sorting some papers in my office at home recently, we came across this blast from the past. It was my election leaflet from April 1992 when I stood in Hexham, then the neighbouring constituency to where I lived in Gateshead. The haircut with a left parting did not survive the election for long. The parting shifted to the middle. A few years later, the whole style changed again (more) |