What if historians have got one of the most crucial assumptions about one of England's most pivotal battles completely wrong? asked the Guardian the other day. Its report continued: That's the claim of one British academic, who argues that the notorious "forced march" of the English army to Stamford Bridge - interpreted for centuries as a sign of Harold's recklessness and a key factor in his defeat - in fact never happened at all. What's more, he believes that as well as their clash on land at Hastings ... Harold also attempted to resist William's invasion by sea, sending ships ...
Another day, another Reform candidate suspended. This time it is Rear Admiral Chris Parry CBE who had already been in the news over controversial and unpleasant comments. Although Reform kept him as their candidate during the earlier controversy, this time he's gone as their Mayor candidate for Hampshire and the Solent. The Hampshire Chronicle reports: This comes after Dr Parry described a Jewish community group as "Islamists on horseback" and "cosplayers" in the wake of the North London arson attack. Liz Jarvis, Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh, had called for Reform leader Nigel Farage to sack Dr Parry following his ...
The Liberal Democrats have long prided themselves on being upholders of the rule of law and defenders of legal principles – a David standing against the philistine Trump in defence of the rules-based international order. This plays well within the party, but it is worth asking whether this framing is as effective with the electorate as we assume. We risk misreading the national mood and how international law is understood by many voters. More importantly, our own policy positions do not always reflect the consistency that this stance implies. Take illegal immigration, one of the most emotive issues in British ...
On Friday, 30 January, my piece introducing the Jenkinsite Group was published. At that time, we had been active for roughly a fortnight and boasted 94 members. Since then, some things have certainly changed. For one, we now have 203 members, a welcome increase. We also have more regular discussions about our party's history, book recommendations, and deep dives into what the party is doing well and what it could do better. But the biggest development is arguably the most exciting. Following a membership consultation period, we have decided to add a new dimension to the group's purpose: we will ...
At his first inauguration as US President, back in 1933, Franklin Roosevelt famously said "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.". Over 90 years later, that phrase could be applied to the Palestine/Israel conflict or, more precisely, to Palestinians and Israeli Jews. The biggest driver in preventing a solution is that Palestinians fear Israelis and Israelis fear Palestinians. Of course, many individual Palestinians and Israelis have friends, good friends, on the "other" side but there are also many more who do not have any contact across the divide except through the ongoing violence as participants, as victims, ...
This review appears in the latest issue of Liberator - no. 434. You can download it free of charge from the magazine's website. A Shellshocked Nation: Britain Between the Wars Alwyn Turner Profile Books, 2026, £25 The most startling thing about Britain in the inter-war years is what didn't happen. Across Europe, Communist and Fascist regimes took power, but neither force ever came close to it here. George V's verdict on the General Strike was "That was a rotten way to run a revolution, I could have done it better myself," but few on the left had revolutionary ambitions and ...
I have a shrewd suspicion that Lord Bonkers has his eye on the Liberal Democrat presidency himself, but maybe we should be asking his television repair man to stand? Tuesday The television repair man arrives. "Chris Mason been on, your lordship?" he asks, assuming I have fired my shotgun at the set again. But I have quite another problem: "Josh Barbarinde's supporters told us he has an unequalled ability to attract the media and that we should therefore elect him as President of the Liberal Democrats. Yet I can't remember seeing him on here once. Do you think I need ...
In early November 2021 as a brand new Regional Development Officer still trying to find my feet and figure out who everyone was, the party was suddenly swept up in a huge by-election on my patch. "The little by-election that could" was a phrase one member used to describe this period where a small dedicated team convinced the party that against all odds their seat was winnable. The party gave them a chance and before long their lovely local council candidate became Helen Morgan MP. North Shropshire had a brilliant candidate, a small but hard working team, and an opportunity. ...
The Guardian reports that MPs have urged the government to halt its latest contract with Palantir after the paper revealed that the US spy-tech company is to gain access to a trove of highly sensitive UK financial regulation data. The paper says that the Financial Conduct Authority, the watchdog for thousands of financial bodies from banks to hedge funds, has hired Palantir to apply its AI systems to two years' worth of internal intelligence data to help it tackle financial crime. They add that the Liberal Democrats on Monday called for a government investigation into the contract, which the party ...
We've been having a few problems with these of late – a technical problem with HQ Press Office and e-mail bouncing appears to be at fault. Whilst we continue to try to solve this... Greene responds to Findlay's cost-of-living claims Slovenian election interference allegations: European democracy is not for sale Greene responds to Findlay's cost-of-living claims Responding to Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay's claim that his party will put Scotland's cost-of-living crisis front and centre of its campaign, Scottish Liberal Democrat Jamie Greene MSP said: The Tories' fiscal plans seem to be centered around making poorer people worse off to ...
The Leicester & Swannington was one of the first railways of the steam age, built to bring coal to Leicester from the mines in the north west of the county. This amateur film shows the last days of the line from Leicester West Bridge to Desford Junction. The Wikipedia entry for the Leicester & Swannington reckons it closed in 1966, not 1964 as the commentary says. Passenger trains to Leicester West Bridge had ended as early as 1928.
On 11 March, as some of us were making our way towards York, the former MP for Brent East, and subsequently, Brent Central, Sarah Teather, was getting to her feet during a debate on the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill... My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to make my maiden speech here during this Second Reading debate. Supporting children and tackling the impact of poverty and disadvantage have been core themes of my work, both in the other place and in my charity and NHS board roles since. I will turn to the substance of ...
"Australian politics is beautifully, exquisitely, delightfully boring. It is boring in the way it used to be back home - sane, predictable, restrained, broadly rational, and consisting mostly of retail offers to voters rather than screeching rhetoric about identity and culture war."Ian Dunt says Australia can teach Britain how to kill populism. Rose Runswick fears the Liberal Democrats have accidentally voted for a surveillance state: "Let us be clear, the tech lobby wants this ban to happen so they can have more data to push their agendas. We have seen this with Peter Thiel, an American plutocrat who claimed, "I ...
There are moments in politics when silence is not neutrality, it is complicity. As Honorary Chair of the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel, and as a Jew, I know what those moments look like. We have just witnessed one. In north London, Jewish ambulances – volunteer-run, life-saving services – were burned outside a synagogue. Not vandalised. Not graffitied. Burned. Deliberately. Because they were Jewish. This does not sit in isolation. We have seen attacks in Bondi. We have seen the murder of Jews at synagogues in Manchester. We are seeing a pattern – one that crosses borders and contexts but ...
The new issue of Liberator has dropped - it's issue 434 and you can download if free of charge from the magazine's website. And that means that it's time to begin another week in the company of Rutland's most celebrated fictional peer. The Guardian report with the "it feels a bit like gruel" comment is to be found here. Monday Such was our success at the general election a couple of years ago that not even I can find room for every Liberal Democrat MP these days. So when, as is traditional, the parliamentary party met for a weekend of ...
Mon 23rd
17:00
Mathew on Monday: hatred against Jewish People and Muslims must be confronted - together
The shocking attack overnight on a Jewish volunteer ambulance service in London should horrify anyone who believes in a decent, civilised society. Four vehicles belonging to Hatzola, an organisation providing lifesaving emergency care, were deliberately set on fire in what police are treating as an antisemitic hate crime. Let us be absolutely clear about what this represents. This was not just vandalism. It was not just criminal damage. This was an attack on a community, on people trying to save lives, on the very idea that we can live together in mutual respect. It must be condemned without hesitation or ...
Elizabeth Shields was born back in 1928 (1928!), and when elected as a Liberal MP in the 1986 Ryedale Parliamentary by-election she became the first female Liberal MP since Megan Lloyd George. So it was lovely to see her get a special award at the party's Federal Spring Conference in York: [IMG: Josh Babarinde and Elizabeth Shields] Josh Babarinde and Elizabeth Shields. Photo copyright John Russell johnrussell.zenfolio.com. Sign up to get the latest news and analysis "*" indicates required fields PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Email* Enter Email Confirm Email Name* First Last What would ...
Ealing News reports: Kate Crawford, who has been a councillor for East Acton ward since first being elected in 1998, has resigned from the Labour Party and joined the Ealing Liberal Democrats. The move follows discussions with the party's local group leader, Gary Malcolm, and comes ahead of May's local elections... Councillor Malcolm said: "We are delighted to welcome Councillor Kate Crawford as a member of the Liberal Democrats. I have known Kate for more than two decades as a hard-working and conscientious councillor and a consistent carers' champion. She has always advocated for the people of Acton." Sign up ...
A social media ban for under-16s is a controversial topic, it's a measure many consider authoritarian, but some see the potential value; after all, social media has been linked to declining mental health in children. But a ban would be the worst solution, not only due to the fact it could disconnect vulnerable children from their communities as others have already warned, but because it is in fact a potential national security risk. Banning Social Media for under-16s could only work in one way; through the establishment of mass-surveillance. As we have already seen with the need for ID to ...
I arrived in York late on Friday night after a long drive up from Devon, tired but excited. By Saturday morning, that excitement had to do some heavy lifting, the journey had taken its toll. But a gentle drive through the Yorkshire countryside, past Selby and into the city, was enough to reset my energy. Conference weekend had begun. Walking into the Barbican, I was immediately struck by the scale. Having attended Welsh conferences before, I thought I knew what to expect, but this was something else entirely. Busier, louder, and full of excitement. I started in the exhibition hall, ...
We're getting close to the end of the Parliamentary cycle now, as the Labour Government strives to get as much of its legislation through as it can before the House rises in anticipation of a King's Speech in early May. And there's much to keep Peers busy this week. Bills Today sees Day 3 of the Report Stage of the Pension Schemes Bill. Monroe Palmer will seek an amendment requiring the Government to report on the impact of market consolidation on competition and new market entrants within a year. Also, John Thurso seeks to make provision for lump sum payments ...
Ed Davey has chosen his favourite books for This Week. I don't know what the precise brief was, but he came up with a list of six novels. Middlemarch by George EliotEnduring Love by Ian McEwanWaterland by Graham SwiftThere Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif ShafakThe Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoWild Swans by Jung ChangTony Blair would have had a team working on his choices for weeks to make sure he didn't sound too posh or display any biases, but this looks like an honest list for a man of Ed's generation. I've read three of them ...
A good news story at last. West Northamptonshire Council has installed a blue plaque outside Stanley Unwin's old bungalow on Long Buckby's High Street, reports BBC News. Unwin lived there for decades, having worked at at the Borough Hill transmitting station in Daventry during the war along with another hero of the English nonsense tradition. After the war he joined the BBC as a sound recordist, until illness among the cast of a show led him to do his doing his party piece in front of the microphone. His act involved speaking nonsense in a way that made it sound ...
Imagine a classroom where every student is learning something different, guided by technology that adapts instantly to their needs. Some collaborate with peers across the world, while others receive tailored support from artificial intelligence tutors. The teacher is no longer delivering a single lesson to the whole class, but acting as a mentor, supporting creativity, discussion, and critical thinking. This is not a distant fantasy, but a realistic picture of education in 2050. The schools of the future will look very different from those many of us remember. Traditional models: rows of desks, fixed timetables, and a heavy reliance on ...
It's been a long time since I last wrote one of these. In truth, I've not been entirely in the right frame of mind to do so, not quite as engaged as I might be. But there's a lot happening in the world, and Liberal Democrat Voice is the place for Liberal Democrats and others of similar mind to discuss them, so here I am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on a springtime Monday morning. I guess that the most pressing order of business is whether or not the United Kingdom is being drawn irrevocably into a war not of our making. ...
Alan Rusbridger in the New World magazine writes that GB News has essentially become Reform TV with the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, more or less giving up the ghost and Nigel Farage laughing all the way to the bank. He says these are the only conclusions one can reasonably draw from the first-ever exercise in commissioning experienced professional journalists to watch multiple hours of output from GB News: Most of our 20 reviewers had never watched GB News before. Most of them came away appalled - not by the political views that dominate the station's output, but by the way the ...