You can find this ventilation shaft in a field just to the edge of Great Oxendon village. It served the twin Oxendon tunnels on the Market Harborough to Northampton railway line. That line closed in 1981 (I was on the last train), and today you can walk and cycle through one of the tunnels on the Brampton Valley Way. I was also taken with an old metal gate post that stands by the shaft.
The latest trend I'm seeing from Conservative representatives is that if poor people knew how to cook properly they wouldn't be facing the cost of living crisis. The Tories that are saying this are clearly living in a High Looking down on the plebs with displeasure. They have clearly never been in a situation where when you are paid the bare minimum you can get towards the end of a month and face a regular panic. You scrape together all the change you can find to maybe buy enough food, and basic provisions at that, to last until pay day. ...
At the weekend Daisy Cooper was interviewed by Matt Frei on LBC about the local election results. Daisy was fluent and informative until Matt asked her to spell out the Liberal Democrats' big idea. Matt did not accept Daisy's answer about dealing with the cost-of-living crisis. He rightly pointed out that the electorate were looking for more than another politician's solution to another problem. They want to feel a vision, something that defines the Party and sets it apart from the two tired, rival beasts in the room. Daisy had no answer, except to say that any big idea would ...
We British people, along with those in most countries, face three serious threats to our security. Two are immediate: the possible escalation of the Russia/Ukraine war into a Europe-wide and potentially nuclear conflagration, and a "cost of living" crisis. The third, global heating, is more long term but requires immediate action. The Prime Minister likes to pretend that he is playing a leading role in averting war and is today visiting both Finland and Sweden, presumably to acquaint them of the joys of being members of NATO. In fact his interventions, along with the bellicose utterances of our Foreign Secretary, ...
Every day without an emergency budget costs the squeezed-middle £38 million extra in taxes Households pay extra £1.6 million in tax for every hour Parliament debates Queen's Speech Lib Dem MP calls the debate "the most expensive waste of time by Parliament I have ever known" Analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found the additional tax hikes introduced by this Conservative Government is costing households £38 million a day. The figures come as Michael Gove denied the Government would be introducing an Emergency Budget this week despite hints from the Prime Minister in Parliament yesterday. Today, Parliament will be debating ...
West Midlands Liberal Democrats bring the news: Midlands-born Jenny, a chartered accountant who specialises in tackling fraud and corruption, brings a wealth of experience to the south Warwickshire constituency. She stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for West Midlands Mayor in 2021 and was previously a Parliamentary Candidate in Sutton Coldfield. Outside of politics, she is a mum to three boys and is actively involved in the community as a charity trustee and school governor. Commenting on her appointment, Jenny said, "I am delighted to have been selected to represent the Liberal Democrats in Kenilworth & Southam. I am already ...
I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Memorial Service for Shirley Williams in Westminster Cathedral yesterday. I should point that I really did mean Westminster Cathedral, not Westminster Abbey. The Cathedral is the mother church of Roman Catholics in England and Wales and is located near to Victoria Station. I arrived early, and as I hadn't visited it before took the opportunity to look around. It is a large, handsome building with extensive use of decorative brickwork, typical of the late Victorian period when it was designed. The inside is lined with a series of chapels dedicated ...
Wed 11th
09:55
Lib Dem questions and proposals to deal with the Crisis in Liverpool Council's finances
Another week - another crisis at Labour controlled Liverpool City Council. A total failure of the Council to do what every householder has done - to seek a good electricity tariff whilst costs soar – means huge problems for the ... Continue reading →
The publication of the joint Labour/Plaid proposals for Senedd reform fall down on a number of grounds in my view, but the two main ones are democratic accountability and practicality. I am a reluctant supporter of expanding the Senedd. It has been clear for some time that there are insufficient members to properly scrutinise the government and all the primary and secondary legislation that Ministers propose. But any increase in numbers must be proportionate to the workload, affordable and enhance the democratic process. Today's Telegraph column by Philip Johnston, in response to the Queen's speech, suggests that 'Politics has become ...
