Cole-Hamilton: Crisis-hit care sector deserves better than a dog's dinner More than 300 drug deaths in first quarter of 2025 Welsh unemployment rise: Labour must scrap their Jobs Tax Fraud and computer misuse make up two fifths of all crime Greenhouse gas stats show Scottish Government has "consistently failed" Greene calls for urgent national review of rural transport Cole-Hamilton: Crisis-hit care sector deserves better than a dog's dinner Ahead of a final vote in the Scottish Parliament on the Care (Reform) Scotland Bill, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today said carers deserve better and that the SNP ...
Workforce figures: clear the Government must change course Spending Review must deliver progress on social care "Conveyor belt of Trump sycophants" rolls on as David Bull appointed Reform Chairman Spending review: Home Office at risk of £500 million shortfall as Home Secretary on 'resignation watch' Ben-Gvir and Smotrich: Davey welcomes sanctions and calls for recognition of Palestine £3 Bus cap extension: Labour clearly isn't listening Workforce figures: clear the Government must change course Responding to the latest workforce figures which show unemployment and the number on jobless benefits rising, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: These figures could ...
Now here's a find: a 1963 report on the satire boom by this blog's hero Bryan Magee. We see John Bird, Jeremy Geidt, Peter Cook, Bernard Braden, Willie Rushton, Jonathan Miller and Michael Frayn. I can't recall Braden being discussed as part of the satire boom before, and the most obscure name now is Jeremy Geidt, who is seen in the sketch with John Bird. He went to have an influential career in American theatre and his background was more establishment than that of anyone else in the programme. Peter Cook is notable bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, while Frank Muir describes ...
As Liberal Democrats, we know the climate crisis is one of the defining challenges of our time. Councils have a crucial role in meeting it, whether it's retrofitting homes, investing in active and public transport, supporting the green economy, or leading local partnerships to build resilience and cut emissions. But too often, we are expected to lead on climate without the tools or powers to do so. In my role as Deputy Chair of the LGA's Local Infrastructure and Net Zero Board, I've been working to change that. Last November, I called for the Board to explore how a statutory ...
"The conveyor belt of Trump sycophants appointed by Nigel Farage rolls on. "Reform is more interested in advancing Donald Trump's agenda over here, not standing up for the communities that they are supposed to represent. "This elevation of yet another Trump lapdog is just further evidence of this." Daisy Cooper gave Reform UK and their new chair a well-deserved hoofing today. The Guardian says she offered as evidence the tweet above and a photo of his television appearance with a bandaged ear in solidarity with Trump after his narrow escape last year. As the Guardian observes: With Labour reluctant to ...
[IMG: A close up shot of a dog being lethargic] A lethargic dog models Whitehall government. Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com. Welcome to the third of what may turn out to be, in decreasing order of likelihood, an occasional set of blog posts, the start of a regular series of blog posts, the birth of a new email list or the emerging first draft of my next book: some first impressions from the House of Lords, which I joined in February 2025. I previously wrote about how much money gets spent on poll cards, election after election, even though ...
"In 2025 so far, the BBC has published around 47,000 articles or pages that mention Reform UK. Forty-seven thousand. Let that rattle around your skull for a minute. By contrast, Labour - the actual government, the people technically running the country- clock in at about 12,000 mentions."Rebelius Black on the BBC's extraordinary obsession with Reform UK. "A massive amount of money, intended for buying land which was to be free to access for anyone in the country, and creating youth hostels to help them do this, was now predominantly being used to prop up the aristocracy and their minority culture. ...
Tue 10th
11:30
The Lib Dems must be the party that listens to what local people need and reflects that in the next ...
This series of articles sees me exploring the options available to the Welsh Liberal Democrats ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. You can find the first instalment here and the second here. In this article, I aim to explore an alternative approach that fully embraces the principles of community politics. Many thanks to the numerous Lib Dem Voice commenters who suggested this idea throughout the various discussions generated under my articles. Without the support of our community, these articles would still be sitting in my drafts folder! We must examine how the Liberal Democrats have performed across the UK in ...
The old brute doesn't seem very keen on party policy here. but I'm confident that he was fully signed up to our campaign to restore the Winter Fuel Allowance to all pensioners. Tuesday When the Liberal Democrat campaign against the 'Family Farm Tax' was launched, I was not greatly interested even when I discovered that we are also opposing inheritance taxes on great landed estates like my own. You see, long ago a leading tax accountant told me that the surest way of not copping for such levies is to avoid dying. Ever since, I have made the annual trip ...
As I write, Greta Thunberg and eleven other pro-Palestine activists intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters are being transported to Israel, where they will be shown videos of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th 2023. What this is intended to achieve is a mystery, but maybe the Israeli authorities think Greta and her fellow peace campaigners will decide that Israel has a right to tear up humanitarian law while it takes its revenge on Gaza, and stop complaining. Events may have moved on by the time you read this, but I don't think we will have seen ...
Daniel Taylor, also known as Dan Taylor, was elected as the Reform UK county councillor for Cliftonville ward on Kent County Council last month. But Daniel Taylor is now listed as an independent councillor on the council's website. BBC Radio Kent political reporter Michael Keohan reports that, I have now seen official information that tells me Reform have suspended the whip from Daniel Taylor. Reform insiders called it "sensitive circumstances". UPDATE: Michael Keohan now adds, "Reform respond and indicate the reason the whip has been withdrawn is a 'police issue'." How many councillors has Reform UK lost? Overall, Reform UK ...
Our joint weekly ward surgeries take place tonight. This week they are as follows : Blackness Library (Tuesdays 5pm - every week during school term time) Harris Academy reception area (2nd Tuesday of each month at 5.45pm during school term time) All welcome - no appointment necessary!
The Mirror reports on warnings by a major food bank charity that tens of thousands more people will be pushed into poverty by the Government's welfare cuts than previously feared. The paper says that the Trussell Trust has claimed that 340,000 people in disabled households will be forced into severe hardship by the end of the decade: Keir Starmer faces a rebellion from his own party over a string of measures, including cutting access to the personal independence payment (PIP) and sickness-related elements of Universal Credit. The Government's assessment found 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will fall into relative poverty ...
