Mathew on Monday: Serious Times Demand Serious Leadership - Ed Davey needs to stop with the clowning aroundThese are not normal political times. These are not easy times. And they are certainly not times when large swathes of the electorate is crying out for gimmicks, distractions, or anything that looks remotely unserious. They are times of international instability, economic uncertainty, pressure on public services, and a deep distrust in politics. In moments like these, what voters are looking for above all else is seriousness, serious ideas. Serious tone, serious leadership. Which is why, for many of us watching Ed Davey's speech at Spring Conference in York yesterday, there was such deep frustration. Because there were good things ... (more) |
NullWide gunmetal skies. Plans reach an end. Nemesis falls in flakes like snow. (more) |
Sign up to be informed each time a new issue of Liberator dropsThe next issue of Liberator - "The magazine for all Liberals"- will drop in a couple of weeks. If you'd like to be notified as soon as it's posted on the magazine's website, then add your email address to the magazine's mailing list. Liberator publishes six issues a year. Once you're on the list you will receive an email each time a new one appears. You can download issues from the magazine's website as a pdf free of charge. There's also a large archive of back numbers of Liberator to explore there. See the recent issues and the archive of ... (more) |
Nuclear deterrent?It's the wrong time for any serious party leader to advocate getting rid of our nuclear weapons. Yesterday, Ed probably said the most sensible thing anyone could say. If we're going to keep nuclear weapons, there is now a pressing need for them to be British. It's been said that it might be possible to jailbreak an F35. It's also been said it doesn't work like that. I don't know if you can jailbreak a nuclear missile, but maybe we should have somebody working on it.* But there is a substantial argument that our nuclear weapons will soon be useless ... (more) |
Apply for a postal voteThe local elections in May will elect an entirely new Council. If you are going away on Thursday, 7th May and don't have a Postal Vote, your voice will not be heard. You can apply for a Postal Vote here: really important that everyone has a chance to have their say so if you are going to be away please do apply for a (more) |
Gateshead Lib Dems at conferenceOver the weekend, Lib Dem spring conference was held in York. 5 of us from Gateshead attended: me, David Randall, Daniel Duggan, Amanda Wintcher and Jamie Rickelton. Amanda and Jamie attended as stewards but were given time off to take part in debates (Jamie made his maiden speech) and to meet up with us for a Gateshead Lib Dem dinner. Here are the first photos. Some more to follow (more) |
Reuniting with Europe: Rebuilding What Brexit BrokeSix years after Britain left the European Union, the promise that we would "take back control" rings hollow. The truth is painful: Brexit has weakened our country. It has diminished our prosperity, our standing, and our confidence. What was sold as liberation has instead become a slow estrangement from our closest allies and from the European identity that once helped define us as an open, confident nation. For Liberal Democrats, the damage goes deeper than trade or economics. Brexit was a rejection of something essential: our belief that Britain's strength lies in cooperation and shared purpose. It narrowed our horizons ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1489Searchlight has the measure of Reform UK's leader: "It's a script Nigel Farage knows well. Candidates or causes closely linked to him, perhaps even bearing his name and his photograph, make large, attention-grabbing promises. Votes are won on the strength of them. Then, once the votes are counted the promises are declared - with an air of wounded innocence - to have never been made, and certainly not by him." AI fakes spread disinformation but, asks Anna Merlan, is the distrust they create even worse? "Julie Critchlow, one of the mums involved, told The Times in 2006 that much of ... (more) |
Read and watch: Ed Davey's speech to ConferenceEd Davey's speech to Conference yesterday is already proving controversial within the party. His announcement that we are now calling for the country to develop its own independent nuclear deterrent had one member in tears and others mystified. Given that we will be debating a paper on international security in Autumn, people were wondering why that proposal could not have been properly announced as part of that process. Anything to do with nuclear weapons has long been an emotive issue for the party. Over dinner the other night, we were talking about the (before my time) leadership defeat on its ... (more) |
Welsh NHS and schools underperforming despite funding increaseFollowing on from yesterday's post about the limited funds that might be available to the next Welsh Government with which to effect change, the BBC report on other aspects of the IFS analysis that suggests that spending more may not be the answer anyway. The broadcaster says that the Institute for Fiscal Studies has concluded that Wales' health and education systems are underperforming compared with England despite significant increases in spending. The IFS report concludes that despite recent falls waiting lists remain far higher than before Covid struck, and school absences remain 50% higher than in 2019: David Phillips of ... (more) |