The newly announced ban on social media for under-16s may be politically popular, but popularity alone does not make good policy. As liberals, we should be deeply sceptical of blanket bans that restrict freedom while failing to tackle the root causes of a problem. There is no doubt that social media can be harmful. Young people are exposed to bullying, misinformation, unhealthy content and algorithms designed to maximise engagement rather than well-being. These are serious concerns and they demand action. But the question is whether an outright ban is the right response. I do not believe it is. First, the ...
We are at a crossroads. Trust in politics is low, and people are right to feel let down. The economy works beautifully for those at the top and barely at all for everyone else. Across the West, that frustration is being picked up by people who offer someone to blame rather than something to fix. Liberals can offer something better. It's in our DNA, but sometimes we get confused about what liberalism is and fail to make the case. So let's say it plainly. Liberalism has one founding fight, and we have fought it in every century - the fight ...
Mon 15th
10:34
We need a long term strategy with vocational education and apprenticeships at the heart
At a time when students face increasing academic pressure, uncertainty about future careers, spiralling debt and challenges related to mental health and wellbeing. Now is a good time to review our post 16 and further education system. In a recent article by Jon Henley, and Senay Boztas titled What can the Dutch teach the UK about how to tackle the youth jobs crisis? The article argues that the Netherlands has the lowest NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or training) rate in the EU, at around 5%. Researchers and policy experts attribute the low youth unemployment partly to the country's strong ...
The notorious gender-fluid London gang boss of the Sixties gets a mention in a post from last year on the Herstmonceux Castle website. BBC's Fake or Fortune here at the Castle On Monday, 21st July, viewers were treated to a fascinating episode of Fake or Fortune, much of which was filmed here at Herstmonceux Castle. We thought Dylan and Claire acquitted themselves brilliantly on camera in the garden and amongst the archives. The episode provided insights into a painting, seemingly by Winston Churchill, of his wife Clementine, as they were staying at Hertsmonceux Castle together with his mother and Violent ...
James Ball argues that Labour's social media ban for teenagers is an admission of total and utter failure to govern online spaces: "The UK government has lots of powers to govern the internet that it simply isn't using. Hosting images of child abuse is a strict liability offence, one that Elon Musk's X platform blatantly breached with its Grok chatbot. The government gave itself extensive powers to regulate social platforms under the Online Safety Act, which it has never even made an attempt to enforce." "This week contained two stories, which dominated the headlines. One took place on the streets ...
Please note that this article has been updated by the author to reflect one key aspect of the events of 6 August 2024. We need to discuss, as a Party, how we are going to put ourselves forward in defence of civil liberties. In March 2024, I, along with my girlfriend, helped a friend move from Wales to London, because we had access to a van and were looking for an excuse to meet up and hang out. On the long drive along the M4, we had several long discussions about my friend's unique experiences, notably in refugee volunteering and ...
So, I ought to declare an interest as a former member of the Party's Federal International Relations Committee, and a member of the Liberal Democrat European Group on and off over the years. You might therefore imagine that I'd be pleased that Ed Davey is finally talking about our future as a member of the European Union. I'd put it more as relieved, though, as it's been an open door that we've rather shied away from in recent years. Now I do get it, in that calling for us to renew our membership too soon was a risk – remember ...
The Independent reports that the government is taking another look at its defence investment plan after John Healey dramatically resigned earlier this week, accusing the prime minister of being "unwilling to commit the resources" needed to keep Britain safe. The paper says that indications of a rethink came after cabinet minister Lisa Nandy suggested that more money would be allocated for defence, saying she did not believe Mr Healey's replacement Dan Jarvis "would have taken the job were he not confident that we could meet the moment": No 10 sources suggested the defence investment plan has been reopened in the ...
In the last few weeks, since the by-election was called in High Fell in Gateshead, residents of the ward must be feeling that they have received more leaflets than in the previous 25 years! And not only have the Conservatives produced a leaflet, out pops a second one.Conservative candidate Mr Flux reports in this latest edition that he is still cleaning road signs. But what is of more interest is
There are so many myths, and so much snobbery, surrounding the result of the 2016 referendum that I've a good mind to post this every week.
Party President Josh Babarinde wrote to all members and on this site this week inviting us to share our views on the development of the party strategy which will be debated at our Brighton Conference in September. The consultation process involves a Typeform which has to be completed by this Thursday and 3 online consultation sessions over this weekend. The final one is tomorrow night at 5:30pm and I can promise you that if you go to it, you will retain your will to live and will feel that your time has been well spent. This is not usually the ...
G.K. Chesterton was a brilliant literary critic and there's an observation of his on Dickens that I've quoted more than once in print:It seems almost as if these grisly figures, Mrs. Chadband and Mrs. Clennam, Miss Havisham, and Miss Flite, Nemo and Sally Brass, were keeping something back from the author as well as from the reader. When the book closes we do not know their real secret. They soothed the optimistic Dickens with something less terrible than the truth.I have an uneasy feeling that Lord Bonkers sometimes soothes me with something less terrible than the truth.
It's 2070 and at a Royal Mail sorting depot in London, staff gather to wish a very special person a Happy 100th Birthday. Mark Pack (no longer a Lord since he helped ensure the abolition of the House of Lords in the late 2040s during the first majority Lib Dem administration in 140 years led by Eleanor Kelly) had become something of a hero to the Royal Mail workers over the years. Back in June 2026, Mark Pack had asked the most Lib Dem of questions in the House of Lords, on one of the party's key obsessions: When the ...
I loved the Outer Hebrides and this music - Mangersta Beach is on the west coast of Lewis - captures the feel of a landscape that somehow feels half Scottish and half Irish. So it's no surprise to find Aidan O'Rourke saying in an interview:My dad plays banjo - he had immersed himself in the Glasgow folk scene of the late 1960s, which was a hotbed of political fervour as well as music. When he left Glasgow and moved to Oban, he brought with him that interest in Irish and Scottish music, and a lot of the political affiliation within ...
Israel's increasingly brazen conduct in Lebanon and the wider region should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. A government that has faced few meaningful consequences for its conduct in Gaza was never likely to become more restrained elsewhere. From repeatedly violating US-brokered ceasefires to advancing the 'doomsday' E1 settlement project despite near-universal international opposition, recent Israeli actions all point to the same conclusion: its leaders have become convinced they can violate international law with impunity. The uncomfortable truth is that, to a large extent, the international community has taught them exactly that. For two and ...
So far we've had polls giving Andy Burnham a three, ten and five point lead, all from established pollsters. We now also have a new poll from a newer polling firm, Convergent, who are a member of the British Polling Council. It has been published in The Sunday Times: [IMG: Convergent poll for the Makerfield by-election] I have not yet seen the data tables for this poll, but other polls from Convergent were carried out online. (Update: thank for to the firm for getting in touch. It was a mix of online and face-to-face.) Convergent was founded by Fintan Smith ...
The Independent reports that eight out of ten of the most flood-prone constituencies are projected to vote in a Reform MP at the next general election, but the party remains sceptical about the climate crisis and net zero policies. The paper says that since its conception in 2021, Reform UK has established itself as the anti-climate change party, with its leader Nigel Farage consistently vowing to scrap net zero targets, describing wind energy as "economic insanity" and calling for renewed drilling in the North Sea oil and gas fields. But that coulc be a major problem for them: Experts have ...