We had a Lib Dem action day in Saltwell ward on Sunday. The aim was to get most of the ward delivered with the latest Focus newsletter (achieved). And the other aim, of course, was to eat lots of sandwiches! (Achieved.)
Last week we headed out as a group to canvass my ward of Whickham South and Sunniside in Gateshead. We chose the area that used to be the most Conservative area of the ward. We found only one person voting Conservative locally. No one was voting for Reform in the local elections though we identified some who will vote Reform at the next general election though I suspect the don't knows and
This is a great video that tells you a lot about railway politics and engineering in 19th-century Wales and also finds some atmospheric remains. Why not subscribe to Bob's Rail Relics on YouTube? And if you like industrial history from South Wales, have a look at my post The Glamorganshire Canal in 1945, which takes you of a film of it lying derelict but complete after its abandonment.
I was passing through Gateshead Civic Centre today and was pleased to see Gateshead flying the flag for our country, for our friend Ukraine, and for diversity. Let's hope no one stops us from continuing to fly the flag.
There was a by-election in Severn ward of Stroud Council recently. Congratulations to the winning Green candidate who took the seat from Labour - they collapsed from first to fourth place. That is not the only interesting feature of this by-election. The winning Green got just over a quarter of the votes cast. In recent elections, many winning candidates got in with a miniscule share of the vote.
Let me start by welcoming the money that has been made available for new social housing in the Spending Review. As ever it is shrouded in mystery, and we have little idea how much has been already committed and how much is new. In fact it comes to £3.9 billion a year which is only £1.6 billion a year more than put in by the Tories. But I think it is a positive and there will be some new money contained within it. The question for us all is, "Can we spend it properly?" The sad fact is that in ...
In the afterglow of Rachel Reeves' Spending Review, Labour's press machine was quick to declare victory. Behind the slogans, the figures, and the bumptious cheers from the Labour benches, reality reared its head — fast and unflinching. Yes, the NHS has gotten a financial uplift. Day-to-day spending is to increase to 3% per year. A welcome move. But let's not uncork the bubbly just yet - since 1999, most parliaments have averaged a 4% increase. And anyone who's ever tried to buy medical equipment knows, health inflation tends to swagger above consumer average. And behind the figures and planted slogans; ...
In a recent article on Liberal Democrat Voice (What Rachel is Doing Right, 9th June) Sir Vince Cable, who was Business Secretary in the Coalition Government, describes the present Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, as "competent, decent and economically literate." He itemises three reason for praising her. 1. 1. She has succeeded in persuading the Treasury to regard government expenditure for investment purposes as separate from current expenditure. This it has been traditionally reluctant to do. Gordon Brown circumvented the prohibition by the expensive PFI scheme, for which we are still paying dearly. Serious proposals for public investment during ...
Some Conservative MPs could be tempted to defect to the Liberal Democrats over their leadership's opposition to the European Convention on Human Rights, says a story on Politics Home this morning: Several Lib Dem figures told PoliticsHome that there have been informal discussions with Tory MPs on the 'left' of their party who are uneasy with shifting further to the right to combat the threat of Nigel Farage's Reform UK. One Lib Dem MP involved in talks said: "Doors are not being slammed in our faces." Another told PoliticsHome they have spoken to at least two Conservative MPs who are ...
In what I think is a Liberal England first, the Financial Times wins our Headline of the Day Award. The photograph shows a branch of the chain in Lincoln. The Lost Pubs Project says:The Lion Hotel was situated at 169 High Street. This pub was present by 1826 and closed in 1988. It was also known as The White Lion. It is now used as a branch of Poundland. At one time it contained a cattle pound for cattle that grazed Holmes Common.
When you work for someone else, you play by their rules. You work the days they want you to work. You turn up at the office when they tell you to and go home when they say you can. You take your holiday when they let you. You do what you're told. Day in, day out. And then you retire. When you work for yourself, though, these rules no longer apply. Consequently, when you're starting up or growing your solo consulting practice, you get to think beyond simply what clients you'll work with and what services you'll provide. You also ...
This past week, Nigel Farage took to Wales Online to outline his vision for Wales, ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. His article, published on Sunday, June 8th, at 10:30 PM, bears all the hallmarks of what is to be expected from a regressive, right-wing populist voice such as Mr Farage. Firstly, his first reference to Wales isn't of the 20s, the 10s, the 00s, or any time in modern history; it's 1851. Mr Farage's entire argument relies upon the 1851 census to justify Reform's manifesto, citing the number of people in industrial jobs rather than agricultural ones, and even ...
This is why I stay working for Lord Bonkers despite everything: these precious snippets of Liberal history that somehow never make it into the textbooks. Thursday Those bad hats who chopped down the tree at Sycamore Gap are, by all accounts, in for a stiff sentence without the option. I am reminded of the tales told me by colleagues who had been in the House in Mr Gladstone's day. When the Grand Old Man wasn't rescuing fallen women or scourging himself, he was to be found felling trees. The problem was that he didn't confine himself to the woods at ...
We are holding a Thursday street surgery tonight to speak with residents on any local issues or concerns they may have. Should you have an issue you wish to discuss with us, e-mail us at westend@dundeelibdems.org.uk or call Dundee 459378 and we will be pleased to meet you - many thanks.
The Mirror reports that the UK Government will finally tear up the "shameful" 200 year old laws criminalising rough sleepers. They say that deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has announced she will abolish the Vagrancy Act, which makes rough sleeping illegal in England and Wales: The 1824 legislation has long been criticised by homelessness charities, and the move has been branded a " landmark moment that will change lives". It will be included as an amendment to the flagship Crime and Policing Bill - with new laws instead targeting organised begging by gangs and trespassing. The Act will be scrapped ...
