The Joy of Six 1497"A child who grew up in the United Kingdom, attended British schools, made British friends, and considers this country their home will find, at the threshold of adulthood, that the system treats them as a temporary guest. That is a remarkable way to build community cohesion." Labour's plans on earned settlement are a social policy disaster in the making, argues Colin Yeo. Alan Rusbridger asks if Britain has stopped believing the freedom to protest: "The police burst in, broke up the gathering and arrested everyone involved. They carted them off to the cells, confiscated their phones and, in at least ... (more) |
Council by-elections results: the quarterly statsHere are the scores on the doors for the latest quarter of principal authority council by-elections. (more) |
Birtley South action dayI missed the Birtley North and Lamesley action day last week as I was at the Whickham Library easter fair. I was however able to make it to the Birtley South event the following day. 13 of us finished the delivery of target letters in the ward.Birtley South is an interesting ward. We first won a seat in the ward from Labour in 2023. A year later we won another seat from Labour but this time (more) |
Labour's council tax rise in Gateshead(more) |
My existence is not an ideologyI don't usually write in the first person like this. But some arguments are better made from inside the experience than at a careful analytical distance. This is one of them. There's a phrase that's been circulating in certain corners of British public life for a few years now. You'll have heard it. Gender ideology. Sometimes trans ideology. It gets deployed with a specific kind of confidence: the confidence of someone who believes they are simply describing reality, neutrally, accurately, from nowhere in particular. I am, apparently, an ideology. I've tried to sit with that rather than immediately reaching for ... (more) |
Davey: Lib Dems have the wind in our sailsScottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey yesterday declared that the wind is in the party's sails as they took to the water on a visit in Edinburgh. After sailing a boat under the iconic Forth bridges, the party leaders set out their desire to "smash the Scottish Conservatives and dismantle the acid yellow wall of the SNP" to a horde of party activists. The party is targeting ten constituency seats across Scotland having proven that it can gain seats from the SNP, while taking seats on the peach regional ballot paper by targeting moderate ... (more) |
Reform's disastrous vetting processNation Cymru reports that a Reform UK whistleblower has described the "expensive, flawed and unprofessional vetting process" used by the party to select Senedd election candidates. The news site says that the key member, who does not wish to be named, said they took part in Reform's "full candidate assessment and training process" for the upcoming Welsh election, and has accused the party of a "lack of transparency" and criticised the "calibre of some of the people now being placed in winnable positions": The insider told us: "What I witnessed was not a merit-based system designed to find the best ... (more) |
30 March 2026 - today's press releasesTeacher numbers in STEM subjects fall by 900 606 fewer modern language teachers than when SNP came to power Greens scrapping road projects will kill Highland communities Greene: Calamity Kemi should apologise for cheerleading Iran War which is sending prices soaring If you've been to A&E, you shouldn't trust Swinney Teacher numbers in STEM subjects fall by 900 Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has accused the SNP of "playing fast and loose" with Scotland's economic future, as new figures revealed there are 900 fewer teachers in STEM subjects than when the SNP first came to power New ... (more) |
Minsters Rail campaigns to reopen the line from York to BeverleyA story in York's daily paper The Press covers Minsters Rail, a group campaigning to reopen the railway line between the city and Beverley: The group's primary aim is to see the rail route between restored as a modern heavy rail line, providing a fast, resilient alternative to the "congested A1079" and the existing rail corridor along the Humber. Reinstatement of the railway route would provide an alternative means of transport for residents of York Pocklington, Stamford Bridge and Market Weighton, the campaign added. They argue the route would reduce car dependency, cut emissions, support new development and dramatically improve ... (more) |
We'll be backGateshead Lib Dems meet for a monthly social gathering at the Tynesider on Gateshead High Street. The last gathering was on Thursday last week. We are however returning tomorrow. We will be launching the Gateshead Lib Dem manifesto "Get Gateshead Going". There is a 6pm kick off. I will be there with cameras! (more) |