The latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: This week Sarah Teather, former MP and now member of the Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords, gave her maiden speech. It was excellent – so here it is for you to enjoy too. Did someone share this with you? If so, sign up here to get future pieces sent directly ...
Arriving in York, I was reminded of what a wonderful city this is. To watch the beautiful Ouse meandering amidst some wonderful old buildings, is enough to raise anyone's spirits. On Friday evening, at the historic Mason's Arms, it was great to see old friends and enjoy marvellous food. Today, I did a tour of the exhibition hall and bought my customary LGBT+ badge, signed up for Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform and supported Liberal Democrat Friends of Hong Kong. The "Driving Forward – Road to Access" debate was a reminder that, though we applaud walking, cycling and wheels, driving ...
Welcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 17% (nc) 15% (nc) 11% (+1) 21% (nc) 26% (-1) -11% (4th, vs Ref) 11/3 GB ...
Sometimes I am asked why I, as a Lib Dem councillor in Liverpool, do a lot of blogs about Trump and America. The answer is simple. What Trump's America does affects us all. Two examples. I have friends from Liverpool who went on a 'holiday of a lifetime to the far east who have spent the last ten days worrying about getting home and will arrive at least a week late because of the disruption to transfer. Have you bought any petrol lately? The lowering of pump prices seen at the start of the year has gone into reverse and ...
While the Lib Dem Voice team were having delicious food in the Mason's Arms last night, the loud and raucous Conference rally was taking place. The rally is like Glee Club and marmite and all these things you either love or don't. I'm more on the "don't" side because it just seems a bit like an American convention rather than a British Conference, but others love the fun and spirit and theatre of it. I always feel like you can watch things like this later, but the chance to spend time with friends is precious so that's what I tend ...
On 13th March 1915 Sir George Riddell recorded golfing and lunching with David Lloyd George (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Rufus Isaacs (Lord Reading, the Lord Chief Justice). Isaacs had spent the weekend at Walmer with the prime minister, H. H. Asquith, and told Riddell that Asquith's great responsibilities sat lightly on him "except for two hours dealing with business ... he barely mentioned the war". Riddell asked Lloyd George if he thought the war was being prosecuted with sufficient energy, and was Asquith too easy going. LlG replied "Things are very unsatisfactory in that respect. Winston [Churchill] said ...
Some local lithic goodness from the redoubtable Bob Trubshaw.
Greetings from my very comfy bed in York where I have spent most of my time since I arrived at lunchtime yesterday. I did manage to get out to make sure that the Mason's Arms had an adequate of supply of Black Cherry gin and catch up with Lib Dem Voice colleagues, with more of us in one place at any time since Bournemouth 2019. Mary Reid, Mark Valladares, Paul Walter, Charley Hasted and I are all around so do come and say hello. A Q and A from Ed Davey, speeches from MPs Anna Sabine and James MacCleary and ...
Not many people know that Gladstone once visited Swansea. I first discovered this in 1980 when my new history professor, Richard Shannon took up post in Swansea University. He had built his reputation on his studies of Gladstone, one of which can be found here. His inauguaral lecture, 'Mr Gladstone and Swansea 1887' delivered at the College on 18 November 1980, does not appear to be any longer in print. However, I have found this account of the visit: Gladstone visited south Wales in 1887 to draw attention to the support given for Irish Home Rule in Wales in an ...
