Stuart's failure to call out racist Hester comments "jaw-dropping" 1,197 suspected drug deaths in 2023 Firefighters face risks as government fails to deliver RAAC register Welsh Lib Dems call for more support for childcare sector in Wales Care leavers shouldn't be forced to "bear burden of proof" when it comes to accessing housing support Blackie calls on Susan Hall to disown racist Frank Hester remarks Stuart's failure to call out racist Hester comments "jaw-dropping" Responding to Graham Stuarts' comments this morning on Times Radio where he refused to say Frank Hester's alleged comments were racist and refused to say the ...
McArthur looks to include cruises ships in visitor levy bill Prison exec admits no plans to bring back rehabilitation services Yousaf's economic credibility is down the drain McArthur looks to include cruises ships in visitor levy bill Orkney's MSP Liam McArthur has lodged amendments to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill to allow a debate on the inclusion of cruise ship visitors within the scope of the legislation. In light of concerns raised by local tourism businesses in Orkney, as well as Orkney islands Council, Mr McArthur is seeking to ensure the bill is both more flexible and fairer in the ...
This just in from the Shropshire Star:Charities and private citizens should have the power to take polluting water companies to court because the Environment Agency cannot keep up with the industry's rule-breaking, the Liberal Democrats have said. The party is calling for the creation of "citizen regulators" as part of efforts to combat sewage discharges into Britain's rivers.The Lib Dem proposals call for a radical overhaul of the water industry. The regulator Ofwat would be abolished and water firms turned into public benefit companies that put the environment before profit. Tim Farron, the party's environmental spokesperson, is quoted in the ...
In apologising for attacking an innocent student on X, Baroness Foster introduced me to a concept that I had previously been utterly unaware of, that a blue octopus is a known antisemitic trope. Now, I have to admit that, as a non-practicing Catholic, living in the county town of rural Suffolk with its very small Jewish population (there is a Suffolk Liberal Jewish Community, formed comparatively recently), this might well have passed me by. I did attend synagogue for a number of years, and perhaps it came up and I forgot about it. But one of the things about Ipswich ...
Tue 12th
22:01
Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire preserved lengths of the Great Central Railway to be reunited thi...
Exciting news from the Great Central Railway: Join us for this spectacular weekend as we reunify the Great Central Railway and the Great Central Railway Nottingham for a celebration of the 125th opening of the GCR London Extension. Our Rail Replacement Bus Service will reunify the two halves of our railway with a service between Quorn and Woodhouse Station and Ruddington Station to allow you to explore all of our attractions with one inclusive ticket that is valid for entry to all sites and includes train travel and the reunification bus service. Kids go for a Quid (aged 3-15 inclusive) ...
We have had a few wall collapses in Ludlow, as would befit any ancient town. The collapse of the town wall behind St Laurence's church is in a league of its own for the procrastination over responsibility and costs. The collapse of the lower section of the boundary wall for Dinham House is a far more straightforward affair. This is not, as some people have assumed, a section of the town wall. It is wall bounding the garden of Dinham House. The house is listed Grade II*. The wall is listed by virtue of being in the curtilage of the ...
Earlier today I had the privilege of my first in-person appearance before a Select Committee – Business and Trade interviewing me, George Dibb, Geoff Owen and Paul Swinney on Industrial Policy. I inevitably found myself confronting a question I was not prepared for: "has the UK lost its competitive edge?". Thankfully, George's tweet broadcasting theContinue reading "Is "competitiveness" the point – and is it getting worse?"
Why we need more council candidates When we debate party policy, strategy or election tactics, questions about what might attract or put off voters often - and rightly - come up. But there's one sure-fire, 100% guaranteed, rock-solid way of repelling voters from us, and it's one we use far too often. It's not having a Liberal Democrat on the ballot paper. Zero votes for the party guaranteed. Both Labour and the Conservatives, for example, get very close now to having a full slate of candidates in local elections. We don't. But, since we've collectively started focusing on really raising ...
"The erosion of democracy in Hungary took time, and the political takeover came from within, in part, because the pushback by the political opposition was ineffective and at times apathetic. Recent protests in Hungary in support of LGBTQ+ rights are an indication that the Hungarian people are beginning to push back against Orban, but this effort must be expanded and sustained if it is to succeed. Much damage has been done already." Viktor Orban's Hungary shows how democracy dies, argues William Danvers. Andrea Coomber reminds us that there are twice as many women in prison as there were 30 years ...
Pam Brown's death on 2nd March at the age of ninety-nine means that Hastings Liberalism has lost one of its greatest campaigners and advocates. Pam was first elected to Hastings Borough Council (with its much greater powers over education and other services in those days) in 1968 by a margin of five votes and remained there until her retirement from the Council in 2006. Housing was her main political interest and she served several terms as Chairman of the Housing Committee. Pam became Leader of the Council in 1986 when the Liberals became the largest party. We had something of ...
Tue 12th
10:18
Council Cuts: Chester University to leave Shropshire after councils officers tell it to leave Guildh...
What have the Conservatives done for Shropshire? Not much, I would have said, but at least they brought a university to our county. Now even that is not true. The University of Chester is leaving its base at the Guildhall in Shrewsbury Frankwell at the end of term. The University is looking for a new home in Shropshire but it doesn't sound committed to remaining. The Conservatives are talking about moving the council into the Guildhall so that it can flog off the Shirehall site for housing and use the money to pay for its pet projects around Shrewsbury town ...
'Democracy', Boris Johnson wrote in his weekly Daily Mail; column on March 8th, 'is always more fragile than you think.' But what are the most direct threats to British democracy which we face at present? For the Prime Minister, Michael Gove, many other Conservatives and the right-wing press, the most urgent threats come from Islamist terrorism and disorder on the streets. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London may have been non-violent but are seen to be intimidating; climate-change activists have blocked streets, and put banners on the Prime Minister's constituency home. Gove will be issuing a new definition of extremism later this ...
The Welsh media (and indeed some of the UK media) is full of news about Vaughan Gething's evidence to the Covid inquiry yesterday with representatives of the families livid over the way he answered the questions posed to him and the inadequate time made available for a deep dive into the issues. The Guardian reports that bereaved families who lost loved ones to Covid came out of the meeting accusing the former Welsh health minister of incompetence and arrogance after he revealed that all his WhatsApp messages from the time had been lost: Vaughan Gething, who is standing to be ...
Fraser's weekly ward surgeries take place later today and every Tuesday during school term time. They are as follows : Tuesdays at 5pm prompt - Blackness Library Tuesdays at 5.45pm prompt - Ancrum Road Primary School All residents welcome - no appointment necessary.
