Government needs to "put Thames Water out of its misery" with special administration Lib Dems demand new measures to cut Russian oil and gas profits as "drop in the ocean" oil cap cut falls short Davey responds to latest on Rayner stamp duty Rennie drags ministers to Parliament over their Gupta deals Cole-Hamilton comments on PVG checks for politicians Calls for new Dŵr Cymru CEO to rule out supporting water privatisation in Wales Government needs to "put Thames Water out of its misery" with special administration Responding to the announcement by Thames Water creditors of rescue plans to bring in ...
Not of this blog.., but the last two days to respond to the Lloyd George Society questionnaire. It's to help us plan the 2026 weekend. If you are interested in attending please do take a couple of minutes to answer the questions. You can find the questionnaire on the Society website at this link
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton took part in the Scottish Parliament debate on Palestine. Here is his speech in which he spoke of our calls for recogniton of the State of Palestine, targeted sanctions against the most egregious members of the Israeli cabinet and an arms embargo. Here's his speech in full: I am grateful to the Scottish Government for making time for this very important debate. The debate takes place against the backdrop of immense humanitarian suffering and our historical culpability, which I raised with the First Minister in response to the statement earlier. In Gaza, what families ...
The Three Tuns in Bishop's Castle is currently closed, as I found when I visited the town on holiday. I also found that this blue plaque has been put up on the outside of the pub since I was last there. Jerry Lordan, who died in 1995, was obviously a regular customer. Lordan, who had three hits himself as a singer, wrote the classic Shadows tunes Apache, Wonderful Land and Atlantis. Like the Tornados' Telstar, they capture the optimism of their era, though you suspect the wonderful land he had in mind was America. Seeing as I suggested a few ...
Wed 3rd
13:30
Occupation, imprisonment and injustice: the case of Marwan Barghouti and the global silence on Pales...
You are likely to find some of the details in this piece distressing On 14 August, a video was released showing Minister for National Security Itamar Ben Gvir storming the prison cell of Marwan Barghouti. A former Fatah leader often referred to as the "Palestinian Mandela," Barghouti is seen as a potential unity figure, historically polling above both Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas among Palestinians. He is also a known advocate for a two-state solution. The footage marked his first public appearance in years; he appears gaunt and almost unrecognisable. Barghouti was imprisoned in the early 2000s during the Second Intifada, ...
Back in the 2000s, the Liberal Democrats led the fight against the Labour Government's plans for compulsory ID cards and a vast, centralised database of personal information. The scheme was expensive, invasive, and fundamentally illiberal, and we were absolutely right to oppose it. The values that guided us then still underpin our work today. We remain firmly committed to protecting privacy and civil liberties, and to limiting the power of the state. But the tools now available to both invade and protect privacy have evolved dramatically. In this new information age, it is only right that we take a fresh ...
Arthur Snell says the post-American world order is being created in front of our eyes. "A Liberal choice exists, one that involves cooperation with other countries and sharing burdens. Labour seems so frightened of its own voters that it dare not even admit that this choice exists. Liberals should be braver."David Howarth has noticed the absence of Liberal (and Liberal Democrat) voices in the small boats debate. Alexandra Hall Hall on the growing threat to US democracy: "A US President can declare a national emergency at any time, without approval from Congress, and without any legal definition as to what ...
Asked by the late David Boyle, who used to do freelance shifts on the newspaper's comment desk, I once wrote a piece on children's loss of freedom and its implications for children's literature for the Guardian website. David later told me that it had nearly made the printed newspaper. In it, as any good Malcolm Saville fan would, I took the opportunity to take a few pot shots at Enid Blyton: Her characters were wooden, her plots slapdash and her settings - generic ruined castles and spooky old houses - were like a Hollywood set; look round the back and ...
In her column for the Scotsman this week, Christine Jardine tackles the issue of immigration head on. She starts by talking about the issue of the protests at the hotels where asylum seekers have been accommodated and the court action surrounding the use of those hotels: igger now than before the break, with a legal ruling in England which cast doubt on the future of asylum hotels and added to Nigel Farage's ramping up of the rhetoric to push his party's case. The Home Office successfully challenged the ruling, but there had already been protests and the espousal of anti-immigration ...
Wed 3rd
08:55Conference Countdown: The UK Government must provide stability to Ukrainian children in the UK
For over three years, the people of the UK have opened their homes to Ukrainian families and welcomed them into our communities. Offering them safety in the face of Russia's indiscriminate shelling of cities and the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory. However, at no point over these three years has our government provided Ukrainian families with certainty or stability. So far, the UK government, first under the Conservatives and now under Labour, has refused to grant any permanent status to Ukrainians residing in the UK. The current visa system is strictly temporary and requires extending each time. Which means that ...
This is Dobie Gray after he was in with The In Crowd but before he was Out on the Floor.
Over a lengthy period, residents have contacted us about the deteriorating state of the road surface in Shaftesbury Park - see photos. Although, at our request, localised repairs have taken place over time, we asked the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership if resurfacing could be considered in a future roads capital programme. The partnership's manager recently advised us that it was piloting a thin overlay solution elsewhere in the city and if successful, it would allow for resurfacing of Shaftesbury Park during September. He has now advised us : "We were successful in our thin overlay scheme elsewhere in the city. ...
The Independent reports that leading female politicians, campaigners and cultural figures have signed an open letter criticising attempts from the right to link sexual violence in Britain to the arrival of asylum seekers. The paper says that the letter - signed by musicians Paloma Faith, Charlotte Church and Anoushka Shankar, as well as Labour, Green and independent MPs including Kim Johnson, Ellie Chowns, Diane Abbott and Zarah Sultana - says they "reject the far right's racist lies about 'protecting' women and girls": "They are not defenders of women - they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division," reads ...
