We are holding a Thursday street surgery tonight to speak with residents on any local issues or concerns they may have. Should you have an issue you wish to discuss with us, e-mail us at westend@dundeelibdems.org.uk or call Dundee 459378 and we will be pleased to meet you - many thanks.

Posted by Bailie Fraser Macpherson & Cllr Michael Crichton on Councillors Fraser Macpherson & Michael Crichton - working for the West End | Mute

Lord Bonkers isn't going to like this, because he's convinced that Rutland Water has always been there. How else, he would ask, do you explain the presence of the Monster? But Jay Naylor made this film a month ago, before the reservoir began to fill again. He introduces it on YouTube like this: Today we explore some long forgotten structures, forests and buildings which have laid submerged under Rutland Water for many years, revealed by drought this summer. The remains of the Burley on the Hill fish ponds, the lost buildings of Hambleton and the graves of Hambleton Wood are ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England | Mute

Budget rumours: Reeves must rule out "cloak and dagger" efforts to drag people into paying more tax China case: Lib Dems call for release of all legal advice — including evidence needed for spy case to proceed Angus MacDonald MP calls for common sense on rural helipads Murray presses PM over small business national insurance in East Dunbartonshire Budget rumours: Reeves must rule out "cloak and dagger" efforts to drag people into paying more tax Responding to Rachel Reeves admitting there may be more tax rises in this autumn's Budget, Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, said: Millions of people ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute

This week, tributes to Ming Campbell were made in Parliament. We always knew how well respected he was across the political spectrum and it was quite emotional to see his wisdom and kindness universally recognised. Here is Christine Jardine's tribute: I would also like to pay tribute to Ming Campbell, whom I met personally in later years, but whose political influence has hung over my entire adult life. As an 18-year-old student at the University of Glasgow, I heard about these three great figures of British politics who had studied together and been great friends: Donald Dewar, who became the ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute

Gateshead West branch had its monthly meeting last night in Winlaton. As expected, the local elections were the main point of discussion. We reviewed the action days held in Birtley, Lamesley, Lobley Hill and Bensham, Dunston Hill and Ryton. Further action days are coming to all 3 Whickham and Bridges wards in the next few weeks.The most important decision was the Christmas dinner: my

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace | Mute

Yesterday the House of Commons paid tribute to our former leader Ming Campbell. It was very clear how highly he was regarded by people from across the political spectrum. We'll highlight the cross-party contributions here and publish the Lib Dem contributions in full over the next few day. The Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, kicked off the proceedings: Ming was universally liked and respected across the House, regardless of people's party allegiance. Unflappable, kind, principled, incredibly active and held in great esteem by all parties, Ming achieved success as an Olympian, as a lawyer and as a formidable politician in both Houses ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute

[IMG: Stephen Harte out delivering in the sunshine] As the Scottish Lib Dems prepare on gather for Autumn Conference in Glasgow on Saturday, we have a long campaigning slog ahead of us.....a Holyrood General Election May 2026 and then straight into preparing for the five yearly Council elections in May 2027. And we will be campaigning hard to gain seats in both! That may sound daunting but I'm sure I'm not alone in actually looking forward to it. I joined the party in my late teens (during the merger debate) because I actually want to campaign for a better world. ...

Posted by Stephen Harte on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute

I attended a meeting of Planting Up Sunniside on Monday. They are planning the event to switch on the Christmas tree, the first in the village since 2018. The switch on event is provisionally in the diary for 26th November, subject to confirmation from the mayor. I will be supplying the reindeer (2 of my goats cunningly disguised.) There are lots of details still to sort out but we are

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace | Mute

Editor's Note: In November party members will be voting to elect our next Party President. At Lib Dem Voice we welcome posts from each of the candidates - one to launch their candidature plus a maximum of one per week during the actual campaign. When marginalised communities around the UK are under constant attack by populists looking for easy solutions to complex problems, it is more important than ever for the Liberal Democrats to champion fairness, openness and community. That's why I'll be voting for Josh Babarinde MP to be our next Liberal Democrat President. I first met Josh when ...

Posted by Hina Bokhari on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute

Another Sunday and another action day in Gateshead for the Lib Dems. This time it was in the Racecourse Estate in Bensham. Again, a positive response from residents and a dire performance by Labour. Sadly, I wasn't able to be there myself as I was moving around sheep and goats on my farm!

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace | Mute

Because I don't spend so much time wandering the back streets of Leicester these days, I was surprised to learn that the former Black Boy pub is still standing, but the Leicester Mercury reports that it may yet be saved. Under plans approved by the city council two years ago, the Mercury reminds us: Just the facades of the former public house as it looks into Albion Street and Chatham Street were to be retained and a new five-storey building built behind these. Now, says the paper: That proposal now appears to have been abandoned, however, and a new project ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England | Mute

[IMG: Mathew Hulbert and Carl Cashman resplendent in yellow] This is the final part of my interview with Liverpool Lib Dem Council group leader Carl Cashman. In this instalment, we talk about the sort of city he wants to see. So what is the Carl Cashman vision for Liverpool? One of the first things I want to do is get the Council in the service of people and when you've got Labour Councillors saying 'shouldn't we move to four weekly bin collections' that's a Council that's out of touch with people and for me if you go round Liverpool, it's ...

Posted by Mathew Hulbert on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute

Wales has shown the world what solidarity looks like. We became a Nation of Sanctuary, opened our homes to thousands of Ukrainian refugees, and stood firmly on the side of democracy and the rule of law. Yet at the same time, Reform UK, the party now desperate to present itself as the Voice of Wales, was long represented by Nathan Gill, a former Brexit Party and Reform UK politician who pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery payments in return for pro-Russian statements. This is not some abstract Westminster scandal, but one too close to home, in Wales. It strikes ...

Posted by Jack Meredith on Liberal Democrat Voice | Mute
Wed 15th
08:10

Judy Tzuke: For You

This was Judy Tzuke's first single, issued in the summer of 1978. Interviewed on The Strange Brew podcast, she says it topped a chart for the records with most radio plays, because the DJs all loved it, but was still only a minor hit. I think the DJs were right.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England | Mute

As residents will be aware, we had called for some time for the proposals to improve the Swallow Roundabout arising out of the safety audit to be implemented and this was originally to have happened at the end of August. However, the Western Gateway housing developer Springfield, who has overall responsibility for the roundabout changes, did not obtain necessary permissions in time and we have now received the following update from the company : "We have had confirmation that all required permissions and permits are in place to carry out the remedial items at the Swallow Roundabout. This includes changes ...

Posted by Bailie Fraser Macpherson & Cllr Michael Crichton on Councillors Fraser Macpherson & Michael Crichton - working for the West End | Mute

There was an interesting article in Observer a few weeks ago suggesting that hard-to trace digital transactions could lead to hostile states or criminal organisations secretly making political donations and threatening democracy. The paper says that when Elon Musk appeared on huge screens dotted along Whitehall calling for thousands of attendees at far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally to "fight back... or die", the tech billionaire's image was accompanied by the logos of the event's sponsors. All but one were cryptocurrencies. They say that these images highlighted the arrival in Britain of a global pattern: the embrace by ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black | Mute