The Chancellor hasn't crashed the economy by reckless unfunded commitments. Perhaps we should be grateful for small mercies (of which Liz Truss's new book helpfully reminds us). Nor were there any damaging measures like Rachel Reeves' big hike in employers' national insurance contributions. There were lots of small, uncontroversial reliefs for consumers and business which are being paid for by raiding the banks (as I previewed in my last Substack article: The Endless Search for Painless Taxes). But as Kemi Badenoch asked, in her rather effective reply to the Budget, 'Is that It?' Much of the budget had been trailed ...
It is occasionally odd to think that, as I've been married to Ros for more than eighteen years now - a fact which astonishes me as much now as it did when I saw her walk up the aisle towards me on that April afternoon - I've been an observer of the Parliamentary Party in the Lords for just as long. In the early years, especially whilst I was still working in London, I would regularly meet Ros after work and attend social events hosted by her colleagues - birthday parties or Christmas gatherings - and so I met some ...
Embed from Getty ImagesHere's the opening of Geoff Mann's essay on prediction markets in the current London Review of Books: In​ the days leading up to Donald Trump's State of the Union address in February, the prediction market Kalshi set up a trade, a wager in all but name, on the Yes/No proposition that the disgraced Republican ex-congressman George Santos would attend. The larger the number of people who bet 'Yes' (or, in the language the prediction markets prefer, bought 'Yes' contracts), the more the value of the bet would rise; if they bet 'No', it would fall. Santos saw ...
In truth, I haven't really engaged with my current Local Party - Ipswich - as much as I perhaps have done in the past. I've attended the odd meeting, delivered leaflets when asked and vaguely offered my services as required. So far, so good, especially as my services haven't been required. But I do take an interest and, when I received an invitation to the Local Party Annual General Meeting, I checked my diary and concluded that I might turn up, if only to see what was happening. Ipswich Liberal Democrats do remind me of many of the Local Parties ...
Following Jane Dodds saying that she will not seek re-nomination as Welsh Lib Dem Leader, the only other person eligible to stand under the current constitution is David Chadwick MP. He has now formally thrown his hat into the ring. He will be confirmed in post and will set out his vision and strategy then. David was elected in 2024 and is the Wales spokesperson in Ed Davey's Shadow Cabinet. He said: Wales is a country with enormous potential. We have talented young people, innovative businesses and communities with the ambition to achieve great things. But too often, that ambition ...
Breaking Us in Two comes from Jackson's 1982 album Night and Day. The railway in the video is the Keighley and Worth Valley. And the station is Oakworth, which was the station in Lionel Jeffries' film of The Railway Children.
"The world's solar power is crossing a threshold. A decade ago, it barely registered on a global scale, providing just 1 per cent of the world's power. In 2026, it will almost certainly increase to 10 per cent of power, and overtake nuclear, a mainstay of electricity since the late 1970s."Jocelyn Timperley on the reasons for solar's success and where it may go from here. David Gauke asks: "What were they thinking of? All those British right-of-centre politicians who had wholeheartedly backed the Ukrainians in their brave resistance to Russian aggression, who then declared their support for Donald Trump's candidacy ...
The Liberal Democrats' Defending Democracy policy paper calls for a codified UK constitution. If democratic consent and self-government matter at home, they must also shape our relationship with Britain's 14 Overseas Territories, ten of which have permanent populations. In 2025, UK and Territory leaders agreed to develop voluntary Partnership Compacts, and in September 2026 the UK published a Charter affirming "devolution and democratic autonomy" and "nothing about you without you". These are welcome commitments, but they must translate into a more equal constitutional partnership. Recognising national identities "Dependent Territories" became "Overseas Territories" in 2002, reflecting a move towards partnership. Yet ...
The Independent reports that an astonishing 80 per cent of donations to Reform UK in the past 12 months have come from donors or companies recently based overseas. The paper says that an analysis of data from the Electoral Commission shows the amount received from donors who were based abroad in the past two years by Nigel Farage's party dwarfs that of other parties amid growing concern about overseas influence in British politics: In comparison, Labour and the Conservatives received just 0.15 per cent and 3.57 per cent of their donations from people or companies based abroad respectively during the ...
This video from Britannia Unconsidered has a little Shropshire hillporn and rather more folklore. It's Wild Edric and his Hunt that Jenny fears she and Peter are seeing in Malcolm Saville's Seven White Gates - see my recent article on Saville for Lion & Unicorn.
Liberal Democrat Newswire #215came out last week 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 #215, which takes a look at when the next general election might take place, the problem with fake number plates, what Lib Dems want to do to the House of Lords, and more. First, though, congratulations to the new Lib Dem councillors since last time – Mac Brown, Julie Calder, Lawrence Gillies and Mary Ryan – along ...
It's now six years since we were starting to get over COVID the summer of 2020 brings back so many memories to me. Some of them were incredibly sad: Her Majesty the Queen sitting alone at the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip. People saying goodbye to their loved ones from the other side of a window with a lot without a last chance of a hug or cuddle. Funerals taking place with a maximum of six people permitted to be present. People being extremely lonely in small, confined apartments whilst trying to work from home and teach the kids ...
David Chadwick, the MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, has announced his bid to become the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. He has set out plans to rebuild the party around economic growth, enterprise and opportunities for young people, reports the Pembrokeshire Herald. Showing a nice appreciation of the Welsh Liberal Democrats' constitution, the paper says: The 35-year-old ... is the only candidate currently eligible to succeed Ms Dodds, meaning the leadership will not be contested provided he secures the required backing from party members. Under the Welsh Liberal Democrats' internal election rules, leadership candidates must gain ...
A politics of power Recent Liberal Democrat proposals for faster GP appointments, better support for rural and coastal schools, and investment in walking and cycling show our commitment to improving public services. These are important ambitions. Yet improving services does not, by itself, challenge the relationships that leave people powerless: an insecure worker dependent on an employer's goodwill, a tenant afraid to challenge a landlord, or a citizen unable to contest decisions made about their care. Liberal Democrats must ask not only whether services are improving, but whether people have the rights, resources and voice to shape their own lives. ...
West Berkshire Conservative Councillor Paul Dick OBE JP DL has joined the Liberal Democrats. For almost 30 years, Mr Dick was headteacher of Kennet School in Thatcham. At one point he was a "Super Head" and his "top earner" salary was highlighted by the BBC in 2010. He appeared on the BBC's Panorama programme, as noted by the Financial Times. He has been a sitting Justice of the Peace since 1994 and is a Deputy Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire. He has represented Cold Ash and Chieveley ward on West Berkshire Council since 2023. Kennet Radio reports: "I ...
Embed from Getty ImagesHere's some good news from the Guardian. David Hemmings' film of David Bowie's 1978 Isolar II tour will be seen next year, thanks to the present-day director Brett Morgen's painstaking remastering of the footage. As the paper explains: Bowie intended for the footage to be released as a concert film that could, according to his associates, play in nontraditional venues such as concert venues in lieu of him touring himself. After the Isolar II tour, Bowie would not tour again until the 1983 Serious Moonlight run. But the always fast-evolving musician soon became busy with other projects: ...
As noted last Thursday, Lord Shipley gave his valedictory speech in the House of Lords Local Government debate. Here is his speech in full: My Lords, I thank colleagues from across the House for the privilege of working with them over the last 16 years in this Chamber on Bills, on Select Committees and on the general work of this House. Having reached the age of 80, I have decided that the time has come to have a retirement. I thank all the staff of the House for their advice, efficiency and constant good humour. I thank my own Whips' ...
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: Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords, which this time takes a look at how HM Treasury have been costing us money by moving slowly to agree a simple increase in fees for vehicle manufacturers. Did someone share this with you? If so, sign up here to get ...
The dates for our Autumn conference at Bournemouth have been announced as follows: Provisional auditorium timings: Saturday 18 September: 09.00-18.00 (Rally 18.30-19.30) Sunday 19 September: 09.00-18.00 Monday 20 September: 09.00-18.00 Tuesday 21 September: 09.00-15.30 (Leader's speech: 14.20-15.30) The latest conference news is here.
Newbury Today brings the news of Paul Dick joining the Lib Dems: A West Berkshire Conservative councillor has defected to the Liberal Democrats. Paul Dick OBE - the ward member for Chieveley and Cold Ash and former long-standing headteacher of Kennet School in Thatcham ... [said]: "I have come to admire the dedication and positivity in the Liberal Democrat administration and am keen to join their forward-thinking team. Sign up to get the latest news and analysis
Rather bizarrely, I have written a number of posts about Torchwood in the past and specifically Ianto's shrine in Cardiff Bay. The latest post was on 8th March, when I reported that the shrine is set to be taken down after nearly two decades. The shrine, which stood at Cardiff Bay, pays tribute to the beloved Torchwood character Ianto Jones, whose untimely death left fans so bereft they created a lasting tribute to him in the location where the series was filmed. Now, Nation Cymru reports that the attraction has been saved - for the time being at least. The ...