Observations of an ex pat: KompromatDonald Trump has undermined history's most successful defence alliance. He is engaged in an all-out trade war with America's closest neighbour and ally. He is threatening to take control of the territory of another ally. His tariffs have destabilised the world trading system. His repeated attacks on American elections have damaged confidence in one of the cornerstones of US democracy. He is crude, rude and politically divisive. He has cut support for democratic Ukraine while repeatedly accommodating authoritarian Russia. And finally, he has embroiled the United States in a Middle East war that is pushing up energy and food prices ... (more) |
What's on at Conference today?I'm feeling quite sad this morning. I'm mot able to be at Conference this year as my husband and I get to grips with our new normal following a life-changing diagnosis a couple of months ago. I'm missing everyone, but at least being at home means I'm not in the whirlwind so I can keep up with what's going on and let you all know about it. Also I can watch the Strictly launch show. So what can everyone in Brighton look forward to today? In the main hall, I'd be wanting to speak on the heartbreaking and disgraceful situation ... (more) |
Torchwood, Dr Who and centuries of history at the edge of GowerRhossili is one of the most spectacular bays in Gower, its sweep of unbroken golden sand stretching from Worm's Head to St Cenydd point, with just the one solitary building standing on Rhossili Down Commons above it. Overlooking the beach, which is a popular destination for surfers, is the highest point on Gower, rugged cliffs that are often used as a launch point for hang gliders. Rhossili Down and Cliffs are among the larger of the commons on Gower covering 354 hectares in total and also boast prehistoric stone circles, cairns and burial chambers.. Rhossili Down is predominately composed of ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1578"In the days that followed RNLI crew members found pictures of themselves strewn across social media. Online posts described the search and rescue workers as 'traitors', falsely alleging that they had housed asylum seekers and were moving them to secret locations. Some posts included volunteer's addresses and phone numbers, putting them and their families at heightened risk."Nicola Kelly says the RNLI are heroes, not traitors. Sian Norris brings us a shocking story: "Domestic abuse victims in England and Wales are facing arrest when calling the emergency services for help, according to new data published by Women in Prison. The charity ... (more) |
A different story of hope for Liberalism in the 21st CenturyThe failures are plain to see. Rivers are treated as drains. Homes are left exposed to floods and heat. Public services are forced to pay tomorrow for damage that should have been prevented today. Families face higher bills, weaker services and a natural world in retreat, while Westminster still asks its narrowest question. Has GDP gone up? GDP is not the enemy. It measures economic activity, and that still has value. The mistake is treating this narrow measure as the test of national success. A business would not sell its factory roof to flatter this year's accounts while exposing its ... (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 Find Out Now 18% (nc) 25% (-1) 11% (-1) 12% (nc) 23% (nc) 2% (vs Ref) 16/9 GB YouGov ... (more) |
A Week in Politics #6An RNLI lifeboat (Photo: Liverpool Echo) Ahead of the Lib Dem conference in Brighton, may I wish all my friends and fellow party members a productive and enjoyable conference. I love conference and used to attend annually, but things have changed since my children started school. It can be challenging to be both a parent and a political activist, and spending four days in Brighton isn't realistic. Anyway, I am returning to my weekly political updates, which I started earlier in the year. I aim to ensure this becomes a regular feature and will certainly appear on most weekends going ... (more) |
Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everythingThere's a moment every candidate remembers. Not the selection meeting, not the count on election night but the moment before when someone else believed in you, when someone asked you to stand. For most of us, we'd never have got there on our own. Someone else saw it first. That's the thread I kept coming back to recently, when the Joint Candidates Sub Committee brought together our Diversity Affiliated Organisations and Campaign Groups to talk about candidates. We heard a lot of honest, thoughtful feedback about our approvals and selection process – what's working well, and where we must keep ... (more) |
Fifty yearsOn a random afternoon, one Saturday we took the tube and blinked into the light, through cash turnstiles and up steep flights to concrete terracing and unexpected levels standing among the best of crowds; a step, little enough, that opened doors onto an avenue of decades with twists and turns and not a few dead-ends – but gathering new lives and shaping, being shaped by, them in endless reinvention, while the cycles turn and VCC delivers us, sometimes. On and on and always there we travel. Up the Gun!! (more) |
The Independent View: To get Britain growing again, we must cut the cost of doing businessAs the Liberal Democrats gather in Brighton, some of the discussion will focus on how to build a stronger, more productive and increasingly inclusive economy. The Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce argues that at a key component of this debate should be consideration of how to cut the costs of doing business. On a recent visit to Lancashire, I met some incredible businesses from the manufacturing, construction, retail, and hospitality sectors. They all told me how squeezed they felt by rising cost pressures. But the picture that emerged from our conversations, wasn't just of the pain businesses ... (more) |