I was in the office this afternoon to print a calling leaflet for a canvass session in my ward tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to getting out onto the doorsteps again.
More than 90% of standard-rate PIP claimants could be at risk of losing support in some areas UK-Gulf trade deal: Govt must not sell out farmers and undermine high standards Cole-Hamilton: Scottish Water plan must ensure no more disappointments More than 90% of standard-rate PIP claimants could be at risk of losing support in some areas 55 constituencies in England could see 90% of those claiming the standard rate of Personal Independence Payment for daily living activities lose at least some of the benefit following the Government's cuts, a Written Parliamentary Question by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Under the ...
I went to the pictures today. It's sign of the time that the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre in Leicester is now closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but it was buzzing today. There was a bigger audience for The Salt Road than my choice, The Phoenician Scheme. It's a funny film, much funnier than the reviews had led me to expect. Maybe the problem was that critics found it natural to compare it with Wes Anderson's other films and find it wanting. But the only other film of his I'm certain I have seen is Moonrise Kingdom. Yes, there was ...
Neal Lawson offers seven reasons the left keep losing. Two British journalists have recently been taken off the air, apparently for questioning foreign politicians in a manner that displeased them. Ann Moody reports on the strange disappearance of Belle Donati and Sangita Myska. Futurism on fears that AI may eat itself: "As CEOs trip over themselves to invest in artificial intelligence, there's a massive and growing elephant in the room: that any models trained on web data from after the advent of ChatGPT in 2022 are ingesting AI-generated data — an act of low-key cannibalism that may well be causing ...
Fri 30th
18:25
Scantily-clad barrister who appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court hearing in no trousers gets stern tel...
The Shropshire Star wins our Headline of the Day Award. Many thanks to the reader who nominated this one. You know what I like.
Four principal authority council by-elections this week. Three have a Lib Dem candidate, which is one up on the previous time these seats were up. Let us start with another contest that ended up being a Lib Dem versus Reform contest, and – as with last week – it was the Lib Dem versus Reform with Lib Dems winning: Newhaven North (Lewes) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 51.7% (+4.1) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 28.9% (New) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 9.1% (+1.8) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 4.4% (-14.2) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 4.2% (-22.2) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 1.7% (New)Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2023. — ...
This week saw 4 by-elections, with 3 Liberal Democrat candidates. We get to celebrate one hold, one gain, and one ward having a Lib Dem candidate where there was none last time around. In Lewes, the Lib Dems have held Newhaven North, where the outgoing councillor had previously switched to independent. Congratulations to Cllr Corina Watts and the team, who increased vote share, whilst holding off a Reform challenge. Lewes District Council, Newhaven North Liberal Democrats (Corina Watts): 697 (51.7%, +4.1) Reform UK: 389 (28.9%, new) Green Party: 122 (9.1%, +1.8) Conservative: 59 (4.4%, -14.2) Independent: 57 (4.2%, -22.2) Labour: ...
The AGM season is over, we now know the control and leadership status of every council involved in the 2025 Local Elections. How did the Lib Dems do? The party can be rightly proud of itself, it won more seats than both the Conservatives or Labour for the first time since our merger in 1988 and we now lead/control more councils than the Conservatives nationally. The Lib Dems gained seats across the country, only suffering reverses Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and significantly upgraded our status in places we weren't expected to feature. As the years go by the Lib Dems' micro-targeting ...
Those of you who have read the Party President's latest missive will have discovered that, last Thursday evening, English Council was invited to ratify the changes needed to enact motion F10 "Constitutional Amendment: Implementing the Lessons of the General Election Review", as required by the last four lines of the motion: Conference further notes that implementing these changes will require agreement by the State Parties under Article 2.10(c) and encourages them to give their assent as soon as practical this year. It didn't exactly go to plan though as, whilst English Council delegates voted in favour of granting assent, the ...
After 14 years of misgovernance, turmoil, and ongoing reductions to public services, the Conservatives have lost power, allowing the Labour Party to reclaim Number 10. Nevertheless, recent actions suggest that the Tories' influence lingers. The decision to eliminate the Winter Fuel Allowance and reduce benefits aligns with Conservative policies that prioritise a "balanced budget" over the welfare of the most vulnerable in society. Conversely, Labour has historically prided itself on advocating against poverty and social injustice, exemplified by its efforts to legalise abortion, decriminalise homosexuality, repeal Section 28, and lift millions from poverty. However, this has shifted. During the 2024 ...
Residents will recall our most recent post about Stagecoach buses using Hyndford Street back on 4th May and the good news that the bus company had agreed to move buses away from this highly residential street where buses did not even stop. We have now received a further update from the Commercial Director of Stagecoach East Scotland to confirm the date from which buses will stop using Hyndford Street and the new route, as follows : "The paperwork for registration was submitted last Friday and this would be with a start date of 7th July to meet necessary timescales. The ...
The Guardian reports that former military leaders are urging the UK government to widen its definition of national security to include climate, food and energy measures in advance of a planned multibillion-pound boost in defence spending. The paper says that with the defence budget rising to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 - three years earlier than planned - and an ambition to reach 3%, the government is being urged to broaden its definition of what constitutes "national security" to include food, energy and water security as well as measures to protect communities from flooding, extreme heat and sea level rises: ...
