Liberal Democrats cannot afford to be absent from Britain's citiesThe Liberal Democrats have a growing urban problem and pretending otherwise will only make it worse. Last week's local election results exposed something many campaigners in cities have felt for some time: our local organisation is often far stronger than our national political message. In too many urban areas, particularly diverse cities, voters simply do not hear a compelling Liberal Democrat case for why we matter to modern Britain. Politics today is increasingly shaped nationally, even in local elections. Voters consume politics through social media, online debate, podcasts and national narratives. Parties that succeed understand this and communicate with clarity ... (more) |
There is a fundamental break down of trust between elected representatives and the electorate in many Western democraciesLast night, at Liverpool City Council's AGM on behalf of Liverpool's Liberal Democrat Group I moved a motion to create 13 new District Committees within the City. This was as the first part of an attempt to involve people more in the running of the city by dealing with local issues at a level where the council and other partners can involve local residents and local businesses in not only jointly understanding better the problems but also helping co-create solutions. This was the motion: Creation of District Committees Council requests that the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Housing provide a ... (more) |
Let's stop tiptoeing around it: we belong in EuropeThere is a speech I keep coming back to. In the run-up to the 2014 European Parliament elections, Charles Kennedy told the party conference something that cut right to the heart of our political identity. Europe, he said, was in the Liberal Democrats' DNA. But for too long, he added with characteristic wit, that had stood for "do not acknowledge." It was time, he argued, to be front-footed, unapologetic and proud in our pro-Europeanism. Charles was right then. He would be even more right now. Our current framing on Europe, centred on a customs union, is not just insufficient, it ... (more) |
Farage under investigationThe Guardian reports that Nigel Farage is facing a formal investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog over a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. The paper says that Farage, who received the money weeks before announcing he would stand as a candidate in the 2024 general election, has said the gift was intended to cover his personal security costs and therefore did not need to be declared. However, other parties argue that the money from the Thailand-based businessman falls within rules requiring MPs to declare any potentially relevant gifts or donations received in the 12 months before entering ... (more) |
Leicestershire and Rutland's holy wellsBob Trubshaw is our guide. He says in his YouTube blurb: As with all areas of Britain there are certain wells in Leicestershire and Rutland known as "holy wells" and several dedicated to saints. Almost invariably such holy wells have reputations for clean water and for never running dry. Leicestershire and Rutland once had over thirty documented wells called "holy well" or dedicated to saints. But few survive. In addition there are some wells that were probably once thought of as holy but aren't reliably documented as such. Here is my own photo of the well at Beeby. (more) |
There's more than one Reform politician who believes in UFOsThis video has received a lot of attention today, but don't mock Councillor Kieran Lay too hard. Because he's not the only Reform politician to believe in aliens and their UFOs. Regular readers will be familiar with Rupert Matthews, the police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire. He was elected as a Conservative but later joined Reform UK. And Matthews once told an American interviewer: "The evidence for UFOs and for the humanoid creatures linked to them is pretty compelling." Less amusing are Matthews' current plans for Market Harborough town centre. Rather than spend the money on more properly trained police ... (more) |
A review of Terry O'Neill's life story in a social work journalTwenty years ago, every branch of Waterstones had a section called "Painful Lives" that carried memoirs of abuse in childhood. The success of Dave Pelzer's A Child Called It in 1995 had awakened a public appetite for such literature, and publishers were happy to satisfy it. It was in this climate that Terry O'Neill, the younger brother of Dennis O'Neill, whose death I have often written about, posted his life story on the website Authonomy under the title Never Againin 2009. This was a site where authors could post their manuscripts in the hope that its owner Harper Collins or ... (more) |
The UK's political leadership deficitPolitical leadership is about changing the public agenda. Keir Starmer has failed to sway public opinion on major issues. Nigel Farage has been a much more effective political leader, albeit for a fraudulent project. He successfully made the argument for leaving the EU against the conventional wisdom of the majority of the British political elite and political commentators. Margaret Thatcher was in this sense also a highly effective leader. She defied the civil service, many within her own party and Cabinet, and wide sections of the public, and drove through a deliberate shrinking of the size and functions of the ... (more) |
Building Lib Dem groups that work for all membersThe last few years have been extraordinary for Liberal Democrats in local government. We have taken control of councils we hadn't held in a generation, broken Conservative dominance in places that looked permanent, and built a base of councillors larger than at any point in recent memory. The May 2024 general election was the visible peak, but the local story has been running longer and deeper. Now comes the harder part. Winning is one thing. Running things well, year after year, in a way that makes residents glad they voted for us and councillors proud of what they've built, takes ... (more) |
2026 Local Elections review: A Liberal perspective" Boys on the corner looking for their supper Boys round the green looking for some slaughter – We used to chase dreams now we chase the dragon Mine is the semi with the Union Jack on" Come to Milton Keynes - The Style Council I start this blog with the lyrics to a hit from 1985 that could very easily apply today. How many flags have been raised in your local area? My corner of Kent was plastered with them in the Autumn, some remain on higher lamp posts as the local admin body is too cowardly to take ... (more) |