Sanne Dijkstra-Downie's maiden speech in the Scottish ParliamntSanne spoke yesterday in the debate on Scotland's energy. (more) |
Man in Ally McCoist tree dispute takes matter to Scottish GovernmentThe Herald wins our coveted Headline of the Day Award. (more) |
Lord Bonkers' Diary: A nation holds its breathIt's been an eventful week with Lord Bonkers, but let me recover my breath and acknowledge a couple of debts. The idea of Andy Burnham employing a sealed tram came from Andrew Crowther on Bluesky. The list of Labour grandees recalled by Starmer also comes from Bluesky. It was involuntarily contributed by Brynley Heaven, who once wrote a guest post here. I had intended to use the idea but substitute my own choice of names. When it came to it I couldn't improve on his list. Bad writers borrow, darling, but good writers steal. Sunday News reaches me that Labour ... (more) |
Swansea relaunches: a small story about why Young Liberals matterApologies – this post has been removed for further editing by the writer. * Jack Meredith is a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and founder of the Jenkinsite Policy Network, a party political group rooted in the liberal social democratic tradition of Roy Jenkins. His writing focuses on democratic reform, social justice, economic democracy, and the institutional foundations of effective government. He has written for Lib Dem Voice, Liberator, Nation Cymru, Bylines Cymru, and the Morning Star. (more) |
Lib Dems gain seat from Conservatives in Wales[IMG: Beth Rowe leaflet] One of Beth Rowe's leaflets from Swansea. Only the one principal authority council by-elections this week but it extends the Liberal Democrat winning start to this new cycle of by-elections. It came in Fairwood ward on Swansea Council: Fairwood (Swansea) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 29.3% (+19.9) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 22.6% (-9.3) [IMG: âž¡] RFM: 17.0% (New) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 11.5% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 10.3% (-30.3)No PLC (-18.1) as previous.Lib Dem GAIN from Conservative.Changes w/ 2022. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2026-05-28T23:04:15.672Z Many congratulations to Beth Rowe and the Swansea Liberal Democrat team on ... (more) |
Was Farage hacked?The Independent reports that Labour has challenged Nigel Farage to disclose which authorities are investigating an alleged Russian hack linked to a £5 million gift he reportedly received. The paper says that Anna Turley, Labour's chairwoman, has written to the Clacton MP, urging him to publicly confirm whether he has reported the suspected cyber-attack to either the police or the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). She has said that if Farage fails to respond, then the Labour Party intends to make a report itself "in the public and national interest": Farage received £5 million from Thailand-based crypto-entrepreneur Christopher Harborne in ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2026-2027Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2026 and the May 2027 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con – – -1 (0/-1) – – – – +1 (+1/0) 0 Lab – – – – – – – – 0 Lib Dem +1 (+1/0) – [1] – – – – +1 (+1/0) +2 Grn – – – [1] – – – – 0 Ref – – – – – – – – 0 SNP – – – – – – – – 0 Plaid ... (more) |
Grace Dieu: A railway, a canal and a priory in ruinsThis video takes us to Thringstone in west Leicestershire to walk the disused Charnwood Forest Railway, which once terminated at Loughborough Derby Road station. It's a walk I've thought of doing myself. There are glimpses of the short-lived Charnwood Forest Canal, which also ran towards Loughborough, though not quite far enough to reach the River Soar, so it was connected the wider canal system by a wagonway. And then we reach the ruins of Grace Dieu Priory. The Friends of Grace Dieu will tell you all about them. The poet Wordsworth writes:Beneath yon eastern ridge, the craggy bound,Rugged and high, ... (more) |
Mel and Sue and Akbar ShamjiFrom the latest Popbitch email: Patrick Radden Keefe's new book, London Falling, is the buzziest read of the summer so far. (In case you've missed all the column inches, it's the one about the mysterious death of a 19-year-old whose pretence of being the son of an oligarch entangled him in a dangerous underworld.) Akbar Shamji, the baddie on the run who might know what happened to Zac Brettler, has another claim to fame, we're told. He starred in panto at Cambridge Footlights with Mel and Sue, of Great British Bake Off fame. My advice to the police, if they ... (more) |
Sting is right when he talks about employment issues causing male toxicity. We need dirty and dangerous jobs!Thirty five years ago, I spent a lot of time working as a regeneration adviser in Hull, Barnsley, and Doncaster. At the time, all three areas were experiencing elevated levels of male unemployment and particularly young male unemployment. Now Sting has suggested that the lack of manual jobs is one of the causes of disaffected young men becoming toxic for the rest society. I think he has the nail on the head. Of course, there are a lot of causes of toxic young and, to a lesser extent, young girls but the lack of suitable employment, which is hard, physical, ... (more) |