[IMG: Jane Dodds being interviewed for Lib Dem conference] Senedd member and former MP, Jane Dodds. Jane Dodds is standing down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Earlier today she said: I have decided to stand down as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Leading this party has been the honour of my life. When I was elected leader in 2017, I said I wanted to bring like-minded people together and make the Welsh Liberal Democrats a radical, progressive force in Welsh politics again. Nearly nine years on, I hope we've done that together. We've won councillors in every ...
Our History Underfoot takes us to the site of the once-massive Steveley Ironworks. He searches for a railway footbridge, because legend persists that the path crossing it leads to Marzipan Tunnel.
[IMG: Jane Dodds on Conference stage in front of banner saying "none shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity"] For nine years, Jane Dodds has led the Welsh Liberal Democrats through some very challenging times. By the time she took office, the party had been brutally punished at the ballot box for its role in the Coalition and the ensuing decade has not provided the most fertile of territory for us. However, Jane has stood up consistently for our values in that challenging environment. She has always stood up for human rights, proposed ways to alleviate child poverty, including ...
Embed from Getty ImagesJane Dodds has announced she is standing down as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, saying the work to increase its presence in Wales's parliament "should be led by a new generation", reports BBC News. She will remain as the party's only Member of the Senedd. BBC News goes on to say: "Leading the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been the honour of my life," she said in a statement on Tuesday, adding "now is the right time" to hand over the role. Only Welsh Lib Dem MP David Chadwick is eligible to seek nomination to replace Dodds ...
I wrote on the subject of ME back in February 2025. Sadly no progress seems to have been made, questions to the government receive "dead bat" pro-forma answers and still the silent scandal of 1.35 million people in the UK suffering from ME/CFS (or Long Covid with ME-like symptoms) continues. That's about 2,000 on average per UK parliamentary constituency. Some figures: The average lifetime costs per patient with ME are £4.7 million on average. There are £20 billion per year costs to the economy due to ME - and this is rising. (This includes loss of productivity and the fact ...
It is no secret that the party is narrowly focused on retaining the 72 seats we won at the last general election and expanding further into triple digits. Local election results in those constituencies are a sign that it seems to be working. Recently, the Guardian published a sensible editorial pointing out that it is imperative for the Lib Dems to achieve this goal to keep an unholy Tory-Reform alliance at bay in the next general election. Furthermore, it will maximise our influence over a Labour minority in a potential hung parliament. So yes, in our FPTP system, and facing ...
Today, a Liberal Democrat friend suggested that perhaps the best way forward for our party would be to enter into a coalition with Labour. It was an interesting proposition. Could the two parties work together? What might they achieve? What compromises would be necessary? And what would happen to our political identity? But as I explored these possibilities, I realised that a much more fundamental question had emerged. Before we decide whom we might govern with, shouldn't we first be absolutely clear about what we want to govern for? This is not an argument against coalition government. It is an ...
"Trump's early business ventures reveal ties to individuals with connections to Soviet intelligence. In 1976, Soviet immigrants Tamir Sapir and Sam Kislin sold televisions on credit for Trump's Commodore Hotel. Tamir Sapir had previously studied at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the USSR, while Kislin's electronics business served as a cover for KGB operations, according to former KGB spy Yuri Shvets." Zarina Zabrisky reveals the long history of Donald Trump's connections to Moscow's intelligence operations. Leilani Farha argues that the housing crisis shows democracies have ceded too much power to the financial sector. Restraint can leave mental health patients ...
Nation Cymru reports that transport campaigners have criticised Welsh Labour's renewed support for an M4 relief road, warning that the financial and environmental concerns behind its cancellation have not gone away. The news site adds that Transport Action Network (TAN) Cymru said public transport improvements should take priority in tackling congestion around Newport, ahead of a Senedd debate tomorrow. Labour's motion calls on the Welsh Government to begin work on a new relief road and rule out closing junctions 25, 26 and 27. Given their record on this issue it feels like opportunism on their part: Welsh Labour leader Ken ...
Ed Davey posted earlier today: I am ruling out our party entering into a national partnership with any party that is committed to a dangerous and antisemitic policy like the Green Party's. Here is my letter to the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews Here is the letter: [IMG: Ed Davey letter re Greens page 1] [IMG: Ed Davey letter re Greens page 2] Sign up to get the latest news and analysis "*" indicates required fields X/TwitterThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Email* Enter Email Confirm Email Name* First Last ...
Back to Stratford East. Murray Melvin, who died in 2023, shares his memories of the original Theatre Workshop production of Oh! What a Lovely War and describes Joan Littlewood's working methods.
The Mere at Ellesmere is the largest of nine glacial lakes in the north of Shropshire. Follow the canal south from the town and you will come across some of the smaller ones. When you find The Mere on the edge of town, it is set in a park complete with a cafe and ice cream kiosk. The walk round the whole lake is a little over two miles. Me? I just had a cup of tea.
I welcome Gordon Lishman's article on Social Care and the Triple Lock. One of the issues though that many people overlook when it comes to Social Care is how to help those disabled people who are fit and healthy and need Personal Care as a wider package of support to enable them to lead an independent life. These are disabled people who need Personal Care as a means to an end but need so much more besides. Being taken to work, for example, and the administrative support at work in order to succeed. Support as a Council or Parliamentary Candidate ...
The normalisation of fascism is becoming a common occurrence. In Britain alone, from cowards wearing balaclavas protesting in Dover to Reform UK's Suella Braverman referring to the actions of anti-immigrant agitators in Gosport as "people power", we are seeing this all too often in our electoral politics and on our streets. It is not going unchallenged, however, with anti-fascist protests taking place across the country in places like Bristol and London, with fascists like "Young Bob" being cuffed and led away by police for aggressive behaviour towards an abuse survivor. Meanwhile, ITV is exposing just how deep the rot has ...
I love publishing guest posts here on Liberal England. Have you thought of writing one yourself? It could be on Liberal politics or culture or... anything really. Why not an article about a local campaign or quirky piece of history? Perhaps you have a book to promote? Please drop me an email if you'd like to discuss your idea first. I'd hate you to spend time on a piece I really wouldn't want to publish. Here are the last 10 guest posts on this blog:Councillor defection scores on the eve of polling day- Augustus CarpWhy have the Lib Dems given ...
There will doubtless be those who are disappointed that the rebellion against Ed Davey's leadership turned out to be big on pitchforks and flaming torches but not so hot on turnout. A couple of seemingly uncoordinated resignations, talk of a "spicy" Parliamentary Party meeting but, at the end of it all, we are where we were in terms of the Leader. Whether that means that there will be some changes in approach in response to criticism is yet to be seen, but it is clear that whilst there might be unhappiness in some quarters, the mood favours evolution rather than ...
The Guardian reports that Zack Polanski has said Zionism in its current form is racist, that no country has a right to exist, and that the Green party motion on the issue was not controversial. They add that Polanski did not attend the vote, prompting accusations of a lack of leadership, but he made clear he agreed with the broad thrust of it even if he felt it was unhelpful to have what he called a "debate about semantics": Asked by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg whether he thought Zionism was racist, Polanski said: "I don't think this is actually controversial. ...