I am reminded this week of one of the more quirky items on my political CV, something I did at a time when I was rather (incorrectly) more confident in my views than perhaps I am now. Back in the days when I was a young Liberal Democrat, indeed Secretary of the Young Liberal Democrats, our then International Officer concluded that, in order to protect his budget, it was a good idea to send the organisation's Chair and Secretary to a LYMEC (Liberal Youth Movement of the European Community) seminar entitled "Youth Culture in a Coca-Cola World" in Aarhus, Denmark. ...
Do you know someone within the party who should be recognised for what they do? Every year at Conference the President presents awards to some very special people within the party. Now is the right time to be nominating people you know for one of the awards. The nominations deadline is 12th August. The awards that will be given at this year's Autumn Conference are: The President's Award: open to any Party Member elected to public office and who has demonstrated excellence and commitment, either in that role or both in that role and other roles for the party. The ...
Andy Burnham has got off to a good start. He's begun on a note of optimism and hope (in contrast to Sir Keir Starmer's telling us, perhaps more truthfully, that things would get worse before they got better,) given a positive promise to abolish homelessness, and maintains momentum with a series of 6am treats (VAT on electricity bills abolished, bus fares capped at £2, and 20% off business rates for pubs and restaurants,. . . .and counting?) Mr Burnham is displaying his common touch. A friend of mine, lifelong Liberal/Liberal Democrat activist and experienced councillor, tells me she's "quite excited." ...
Take it on the chin. We can just get on with stuff. Smile. Somewhat wryly
Liberal Democrat Newswire #212 came out on Monday and you can now 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: Welcome to Lib Dem Newswire #212, which expands on why the Liberal Democrats should set – and then work seriously to hit! – a target of being the largest party in local government. First, though, congratulations to the new Lib Dem councillors since last time – Pat Hackett, Gary Taylor, Colin Millichap, Andrea Pellegram, Naomi Bloomer, Terry Weldon, Oli Leach, Alex ...
In his first interview as Labour's presumptive Prime Minister, Andy Burnham told the Sunday Times that one issue kept coming up on the doorstep in Makerfield: the frozen £12,570 personal allowance. He called it a growing issue. Within days of walking into Downing Street he had told the Financial Times there was no commitment to do anything about it. That is a let down for anyone earning near the threshold. It is also a gap in the defence, and we should run through it. He raised the subject, then walked away from it Politicians do not usually hand their opponents ...
Alice McCool investigates the web of culture-war connections - from the US Christian right to Viktor Orbán's influence network - that lay behind the first British CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) conference. It's all well and good saying we should regulate social media. But social media is already regulated. So why is it failing? And what could we do in response? Chaminda Jayanetti has some ideas. Keyana Sapp explains why American cookware is getting worse: "Once you understand the brand licensing structure, you see it everywhere, and the pattern is always the same: one company owns the name, a different ...
The Independent reports that the White House is "deeply concerned" about Ed Miliband's appointment as foreign secretary, with a warning that Donald Trump has not forgotten scathing remarks the former Labour leader has made about him in the past. The paper says that Andy Burnham has been cautioned that Ed Miliband has some "serious diplomatic repair to undertake" in the US, after his promotion to the role on Monday sparked anger from the Trump administration: The former energy secretary has previously clashed with Mr Trumpover net zero and his attitudes to democracy and in 2016 he described the president as ...
At Ealing Studios, Alexander Mackendrick directed one masterpiece, The Ladykillers, and four more of the best films made there: Whisky Galore!, The Man in the White Suit, Mandy and The 'Maggie'. When Ealing folded he went to Hollywood, where his first film was the noir Sweet Smell of Success. Though it failed in America on its release in 1957, it is now recognised as another masterpiece and is the subject of this superior video masterclass. Mackendrick then suffered the indignity of being taken off two consecutive films and so did not complete another until 1963, when he made Sammy Going ...
Full council last week experienced some disruption. A bunch of Reform supporters were in the public gallery and, rather oddly, also in the well of the council chamber. This area is reserved for councillors, officers and press. The only members of the public allowed to sit in the well (on the edge of it) are those with disabilities which make it difficult to access the public gallery.
The latest news on East Midlands Rail's unsatisfactory new trains is that the largest railway trade union has called three one-day strikes over its concern that they are unsafe. As BBC News puts it: A union that represents railway staff has announced plans for its members at East Midlands Railway (EMR) to take strike action over "growing safety concerns the company has failed to address". The RMT union said it had been in dispute with EMR since April following the rollout of the 810 fleet (Aurora), which it said had been operating with a "significant number" of faults. It said ...
The BBC and The Guardian have both recently reported that Sir Keir Starmer was the first serving British PM to receive the French Legion of Honour. Both are wrong. The Times 15 January 1920 David Lloyd George was invested as Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour in 1920. Grand Cordon was the secularist Third republic's name for the Legion's highest grade, today's Grand Cross. The investiture was carried out by Richard-William Martin, the French Chef du Protocol and Olympic silver medallist. Richard-William Martin The post The first serving PM to receive the Legion of Honour? appeared first on Cymdeithas ...
Being a DJ? Turns out it's a less than poptastic business. Aided by heavy rotation on Radio 1, with whose DJs it must have struck a chord, this reached no. 34 in the UK singles chart in 1973. Harry Chapin, a talented singer-songwriter, died in a car crash at the age of 38.
'Idiot' or assorted synonyms for 'stupid' have been used to criticise those who do not vote. 'Idiot' itself is derived from the Greek 'ἰδιώτης' referring to anything personal or 'private' individuals who were not political officeholders or professionals, being retroactively applied to those who forwent public engagement in Athenian democracy. In this sense, the first 'non-voters' were considered 'idiots'. However, in our current political climate, we must question this assertion. We are living in a time where faith in democracy and trust in institutions is at record lows, manifesting itself in low voter turnout and increased support for populist disruptor ...
Speculation about a general election was one of the most expected outcomes of the change of Prime Minister. I can't however see an early election happening. Burnham inherits a Parliamentary party of over 400 MPs. The current Parliament has run for only 2 years and has 3 years left to go. Burnham has committed to following the key points of the Labour general election manifesto. Labour's poll
Extending the school day represents far more than an educational reform; it constitutes a strategic economic investment capable of substantially increasing national productivity. In modern economies, where dual-income households have become the norm rather than the exception, the traditional school timetable – often ending between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. – is increasingly incongruent with standard working hours. This temporal mismatch imposes significant constraints upon parents, particularly mothers, who disproportionately bear responsibility for childcare. Consequently, extending the school day would not merely improve educational opportunities for pupils but would also liberate human capital currently underutilised due to caregiving obligations. By enabling ...
BBC News wins our Headline of the Day Award for this story from Korea. The judges decided to have the trifle.
Something has changed in Wales. The 2026 Senedd election saw the end of Welsh Labour's uninterrupted rule since 1999, Plaid Cymru take over the reins of power, Reform settle into its position as the official opposition, and a brand new voting system, to boot. But while so much has changed, there remains one constant: the Liberal Democrats still have only one MS. We could be forgiven for keeping our heads down to focus on "rebuilding" the Welsh Liberal Democrat base, but I believe this would be a mistake. While Welsh nationalists run the government, British nationalists are at the gate. ...
Andy Burnham may have hit the ground running with a revamped cabinet and an announcement that he will be getting rid of VAT on electricity bills, but he can't claim to be properly settled in place until he has received the approval of number ten's most famous resident. As the Independent reports, Andy Burnham will be Larry the cats seventh Prime Minister: At 19 years old, the venerable Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office has become a beloved fixture of British public life. During his 15-year tenure, he has frequently appeared outside the Prime Minister's central London residence, often providing ...