Standing StillNo one has ever asked me to devise an idea for Ed Davey's next stunt. But if I was approached from on high, I might suggest having him wade through a river of treacle. That's how it feels trying to spread the Liberal Democrat message in the North of England these days. It's been an underwhelming set of elections in our part of the country. Despite some notable and very important exceptions such as Stockport, Preston and Sefton, the Liberal Democrats have failed to cut through with what has been a predominantly nationally motivated electorate. And we've lost some great ... (more) |
The far-right nightmare looms. What are we doing about it?Am I alone in thinking our response to the local election results is a little too self-congratulatory? Of course we should broadcast our success in increasing our councillor count yet again and congratulate everyone who worked hard to make it happen. But for me, the main message of the elections is that Britain now faces the nightmare prospect of a far-right totalitarian government. William Hill now has Reform 11-10 on to win the most seats in 2029. The next takeaway is that we, the Liberal Democrats, have a critical role in stopping it. Almost exactly a year ago, Lib Dem ... (more) |
Write a guest post for Liberal EnglandI love publishing guest posts here on Liberal England. Why not try writing one yourself? It could be on how the Liberal Democrats should respond to the new political landscape, on politics more generally or... anything really. Why not an article about a local campaign or quirky piece of history? Please drop me an email if you'd like to discuss your idea first. I'd hate you to spend time on a piece I really wouldn't want to publish. Here are the last 10 Liberal England guest posts:Reform are still gaining councillors and Labour and the Tories are still losing them ... (more) |
Welcome to my day: 11 May 2026 - and now that I'm back, what did I miss?I've been away for the past fortnight, mostly riding on trains, occasionally walking around small, but interesting, towns, many a bit off of the beaten path. This rather lovely piece of local government architecture is Tartu Town Hall, which has a carillon in its bell tower. if you're in the area, I recommend dropping by. What that meant is that I missed our reinstated local elections here in Suffolk, unlike so many of you out there across the country. Were the results good ones for the Liberal Democrats? Well, after my esteemed colleague, Caron Lindsay, offered us her streams of ... (more) |
'Extremist' Reform candidates elected to councils across the countryThe Observer reports that the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate (HNH) has warned that a dozen new Reform councillors, including one was elected to both a district and county council, who have allegedly expressed white supremacist, antisemitic or anti-Muslim views have been elected to councils across the country. The paper says that social media posts logged by the campaign organisation ranged from the use of neo-Nazi symbols to antisemitic conspiracy tropes and references to Muslims as "rats": Among them was Stuart Prior, who won two seats; one on Rochford district council and one on Essex county council. He won despite ... (more) |
The March of the Elephants: A Bishop's Castle art trailThe March of the Elephants is a project to create a trail of varied elephant-inspired artworks around the town of Bishop's Castle in Shropshire. Why elephants in Bishop's Castle? Visit Shropshire explains one reason: During the 18thcentury it was home to Robert Clive, better known as Clive of India, infamous for his exploits and an Indian elephant became his emblem. In 1781 Robert Clive's eldest son Edward built a Market Hall for Bishop's Castle. The Hall was a two-storey building with a 'Venetian' or three-part window on the front elevation, above which stood the carved Clive family coat of arms. ... (more) |
Waiting for the BarbariansWhat are we waiting for, assembled in the forum? The barbarians are due here today. Why isn't anything going on in the senate?Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? Because the barbarians are coming today.What's the point of senators making laws now?Once the barbarians are here, they'll do the legislating. Why did our emperor get up so early,and why is he sitting enthroned at the city's main gate,in state, wearing the crown? Because the barbarians are coming todayand the emperor's waiting to receive their leader.He's even got a scroll to give him,loaded with titles, with imposing names. Why have ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1516"The scale of the beating handed to Labour in these local elections is difficult to convey just in words. You need to see numbers and maps, showing seas of red replaced by turquoise and green and yellow; you perhaps need to see the tears and feel the desolation longtime servants of the party are feeling this evening. That this defeat has been suffered in the heartland of the modern Labour Party - the stronghold atop which names like Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Lisa Nandy and Lucy Powell have built their reputations - is all the more harrowing."Lucy McLaughlin and Joshi ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another. Glenn Gibbins (Sunderland): suspended by Reform following allegations of racism. Jay Cooper (Sefton): declared "not welcome" by Nigel Farage following reports of him calling the Holocaust a hoax. Note: Daniel Devaney (Bradford) said he was pulling out before polling day but got elected anyway. It ... (more) |
Another stream of consciousness on the election results - England this timeSo we're up 155 councillors in England. We can give ourselves a big pat on the back, right? Well, maybe not. Let's look at London. A tale of two cities in one if ever there was one. In the leafy southern areas, our heartlands, our results were, to be honest, unhealthily good. While it is a testament to how well our councils in Richmond, Sutton and Kingston are doing and are regarded by local people, holding virtually all the seats just isn't conducive to good, inclusive government. Even though it would disadvantage us, perhaps we should really be pushing for ... (more) |