So wrote John Curtice after the latest record-breaking Parliamentary by-election by the Liberal Democrats.
Embed from Getty ImagesJohn Russell after making his maiden speech yesterday (Are you sure about this? Ed.) As Mark Valladares says on Lib Dem Voice, until yesterday, it was a long time since there had been a maiden speech by a Liberal Democrat peer. That changed thanks to John Russell, the younger son of Conrad Russell, who now holds the title Earl Russell and recently won one of those odd by-elections for hereditary peers they hold in the upper house. Here are a few highlights from his speech: "Thank you for the kind words I have received about my father, ...
The Liberal Democrats have selected Claire Young to fight the Thornbury and Yate parliamentary seat at the next election.
Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat leader of South Gloucestershire Council, has been chosen to fight Thornbury and Yate for the party at the next general election, reports the Gazette. Thornbury and Yate covers much the same area as the old Northavon constituency, which Steve Webb held for the party between 1997 and 2010. Claire, a Cambridge mathematics graduate who has worked in the software industry, told the Gazette: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to stand at the next election and win this seat for the Liberal Democrats. "I know local people are really fed up with this government's ...
I noted a few weeks ago that it has been a very long time since there was a Liberal Democrat maiden speech in the Lords but, following the recent hereditary Peer by-election, John Russell took the opportunity to make his maiden speech during a debate on climate change yesterday evening... My Lords, I rise to speak very aware of the history of this great Chamber, and very aware of my small part in the narrative. I am honoured to be a Member of this House and I wish to thank everyone, particularly the doorkeepers, who have made me so welcome. ...
A staggering 213,279 burglaries went unsolved across England and Wales in the 2022/2023 financial year - an average of 584 a day, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats of Home Office statistics released last week has revealed. The figures show that in 2022/2023, a grand total of 213,279 burglary investigations across England and Wales were closed without a suspect being identified, accounting for 76.8% of all cases. The South Yorkshire force recorded the worst outcomes, with a staggering 84.4% of all recorded burglaries going unsolved. They were followed closely by Hampshire Police (83.1%) and the Met (81.6%). The Liberal Democrats ...
Marcus Trescothick retired in 2019 after a remarkable 25-year career with Somerset and England. But when I first mentioned the Well-Behaved Orphans' summer holiday in the pages of Liberator, he was a 14-year-old playing alongside his father for the Keynsham club in Bristol. In those days the WBOs went to a different Cornish resort: Trebilcock Bay. A prize (in a very real sense) for the first Liberal England reader to tell me where that name came from. Anyway, this entry brings us to the end of another week with Lord Bonkers. I see the old boy was right about Somerton ...
By-election winner Richard Foord's constituency gets chopped up with the new Parliamentary boundaries. So as the Midweek Herald reports: Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord has announced he will stand for the new 'Honiton & Sidmouth' constituency at the next election, promising to make local health services his main focus if re-elected. His current constituency, 'Tiverton & Honiton', is being abolished at the next election, with Tiverton and Bampton becoming part of the new 'Tiverton & Minehead' constituency. Most of the current constituency, roughly 60 per cent, will become part of the new 'Honiton & Sidmouth' constituency, uniting Honiton, Cullompton, Seaton, ...
Ed Davey is widely respected for his compassion, integrity and honesty. He is uniquely placed to lead us forward to unprecedented electoral success. Something niggled me on the day that I went to my first stint at the Somerton & ... Continue reading →
The Guardian reports on the view of crossbench peer, Richard Denison, that the House of Lords could be replaced by bots with "deeper knowledge, higher productivity and lower running costs". The paper says that Lord Denison hypothesised that AI services may soon be able to deliver his speeches in his own style and voice, "with no hesitation, repetition or deviation": He quoted the example to raise the wider issue of AI's potential effect on the UK jobs market. In May, IBM put the brakes on nearly 7,800 jobs that could be replaced by AI and automation over time, shortly before ...
Our friends at The Little Green Larder are hosting the first of our monthly Little Green Larder community Soup Kitchen days on Sunday 30th July between 12 noon and 2pm at the shop at 272 Perth Road. The team will be transforming surplus food from local businesses into soup and sandwiches, which anyone in our community is welcome to drop in and collect for free. Find out more at www.facebook.com/events/582338770721084
Love them or loathe them - those victory stunts should teach Lib Dem campaigners one thing: clear, simple communications will be key to success at the next election. There seems to be a new dividing line in Lib Dem WhatsApp groups: between those who are excited for each new stunt, and those hiding behind the sofa, wondering when they are safe to emerge. Whichever camp you might be in, there is a serious point we all must take from these stunts. They cut through. But why? Money-can't-buy coverage I hate to be the one to break it to you, but ...
