Last night, instead of delivering Focus newsletters, Gateshead Lib Dems met up in the Tynesider bar/restaurant to eat, drink and be merry. Good to see some of our new candidates there as well. A great night had by all.
Another week and another visit to the Whinnies Wanderers Parent and Toddler group in Sunniside where I take along a goat to be petted by the children. Yesterday it was the turn of Dandelion to make an appearance. I will be back again next Wednesday.
Having found many Bishop's Castle businesses closed on Tuesday, I went back today and was able to visit both the Poetry Pharmacy and Yarborough House. The former has opened since I last visited the town a few years ago, but the latter was going strong when I first went there in 1989. I broke the journey back to Shrewsbury at Pontesbury, and came across this Listed cast iron monument in the churchyard. Its page on the Church Monuments Society site says it was cast at the Baldwin Foundry in Madeley.
A walking tour around the London district of Marylebone, made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, in the company of John Rogers. His blurb on YouTube says: The fictional detective lived at 221b Baker Street and we visit the address, now home to the Sherlock Holmes museum. But our historic London walk starts The Langham where Conan Doyle dined with Oscar Wilde in 1889. We then turn into Wigmore Street and pick up Marylebone Lane where the buried River Tyburn runs beneath the street. This ancient thoroughfare recalls the time when Marylebone was owned by the Knights ...
Along the Island, roads stretch out past people's lives; Hers is a knock-off, hers a steal while hers just doesn't fit and hers is only digital, where everything is shared but nothing may be touched...
"The general intention of the Act's drafters is clear: they wanted those who supported terrorist groups to be given long jail terms; they wanted those who campaigned against proscription to remain free. But this is another line that the police are now crossing. Among those arrested in London on 19 July were protesters carrying placards which read 'Ban Starmer not Palestine Action', although saying that Palestine Action should not be banned is the one speech act the Act expressly permits."David Renton on the challenge to the banning of Palestine Action. Liberal Democrat Women responded to the Women and Equalities Committee ...
In Barnstaple, we secured victory, successfully defending the seat. Well done to Josh Rutty and the local team for ensuring this seat remained in Liberal Democrats' control. North Devon DC, Barnstaple with Westacott Liberal Democrats (Josh Rutty): 505 (40.5%, +0.5) Reform UK: 383 (30.7%, new) Conservative: 205 (16.4%, -6.1) Green Party: 154 (12.3%, -2.4) Liberal Democrat HOLD Turnout: 22.27% In Warrington, there was a close-fought battle between Reform UK and Labour, with the former coming out on top. Thank you to David Crowther and the local team for flying the Liberal Democrat flag. Warrington BC, Bewsey & Whitecross Reform UK: ...
The economic concept of 'demand' was developed in the 19th century but merging our wants with our needs has its roots in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nation (1776). He observed that people were highly motivated to improve their own lives, spurring social progress. Yet the mechanics of supply and demand mean that poor people lose out. Smith believed that self-interest, combined with specialisation from a more complex division of labour, would unleash so much productivity and innovation that even the poorest benefit. He claimed that markets are just because they advantage everyone, giving us permission to pursue our wants irrespective ...
The Lib Dem Conference Agenda is out for Bournemouth 2025. It includes this important part of a motion: [IMG: Conference further believes in neatness and tidiness and therefore agrees to:] Also published is the Reports to Conference booklet. Keep up with news about Lib Dem conference If you'd like to be notified by email when further posts about Liberal Democrat conference appear on this blog, just sign up here. (Note: if you're already signed up for a daily email alert with all my new blog posts, then there's no need to sign up for these alerts too as the stories ...
On Wednesday the City Council were presented with two so-called strategic documents which frankly were the pits! Our requests to move reasoned and purposeful amendments to them both were rebuffed by the Labour controlled council meaning that that was no effective debate on items which could affect our City for 15 years. These were an absolute mockery of a council strategy which we could do anything about other than vote against. We had lots of good ideas about improving the 2040 strategy to create a document that was vibrant, owned by the people, businesses and organisations of Liverpool but were ...
Three principal authority council by-elections this week and let's start with a successful Lib Dem defence, once again seeing off Reform: Barnstaple with Westacott (North Devon) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 40.5% (+0.5) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 30.7% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 16.4% (-6.1) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 12.3% (-2.4)No Ind (-11.6) or LAB (-11.0) as previous.Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2023. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-08-01T06:33:36.903Z For what all this means for the running total of council by-election results since the last May elections, see my council by-elections scorecard here. These by-election results round-ups cover principal authority by-elections as it's ...
The City Road Allotments are holding an open day tomorrow - Saturday 2nd August - between 11am and 3pm - all welcome!
The Independent has a nice little story about an encounter between Nigel Farage and a Democrat politician. The paper says that a heated confrontation took place in London between US Representative Jamie Raskin and Reform Party leader Nigel Farage during a US congressional delegation visit: The dispute began when Raskin, a Democrat, made remarks critical of the Trump administration's approach to the First Amendment. Farage, a vocal supporter of Trump, reportedly became furious, telling Raskin they were "not here to talk about Donald Trump" and calling him "pig-headed." Raskin responded to Farage by referencing the American Revolution, stating, "This is ...
