Ed Davey launches local election campaign with hourglass stunt SEPA log thousands of complaints about state of Scottish waterways Welsh Lib Dems raise concerns over future of dentistry in Wales "Communities must benefit from new grid developments" – Welsh Lib Dems Ed Davey launches local election campaign with hourglass stunt Lib Dem Leader unveils hourglass stunt in Blue Wall Hertfordshire, declaring "Time's running out for Rishi Sunak" Ed Davey focusses his party's campaign on local health and social care services, sewage pollution in rivers and the cost of living crisis. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has launched his party's English ...
I've been prospecting in Shropshire. Much Wenlock? Yes, there are always women around the camp. Exciting news from the Guardian: A metal detectorist in Shropshire has unearthed England's largest ever gold nugget worth £30,000 - despite turning up an hour late for the dig with a faulty metal detector. Richard Brock, 67, travelled three and a half hours from his home in Somerset to join an organised expedition on farmland in the Shropshire Hills last May, and ended up arriving late. He also had problem with his metal detecting kit, and was forced to use an older machine that was ...
Chris Grey on the right's desire to recover a past that never was: "This is also almost invariably what lies behind contemporary demands to 'get my country back', with Allison Pearson writing that "our nation is being abducted by aliens" (though also, inadvertently, demonstrating the endless recurrence of these claims by opening her article with a mournful lament for England written by Philip Larkin in 1946)." Using the government's new definition of extremism, argues Nafeez Ahmed, Michael Gove is an extremist. "'If you ask young people, would you like a job where you won't see daylight in the winter, digging ...
Good coverage for Ed Davey on the BBC as he launched our local elections campaign in Hertfordshire this morning. Our campaign geniuses came up trumps again with an hourglass which revealed a message for Rishi Sunak. Ed said: Time's running out for Rishi Sunak. He might have bottled a May General Election He might hope the tide will turn, squatting in Downing Street for a few more months But even the Prime Minister can't deny people across England the chance to have their say in local elections on the Second of May. When I speak to lifelong Conservative voters, they ...
Lib Dem London Mayoral Candidate, Rob Blackie, launched his campaign yesterday with a pledge to 'fix the Met'. Credit: Sillett Photography The event took place at Pop Brixton, located in the neighbourhood where Rob has spent much of the past 20 years raising his family. Rob told the media and a group of close supporters that Sadiq Khan does "not deserve" a third term due to his record on crime. He also dismissed the Conservative chances, accusing the party of giving up on London after selecting a Trump-backing candidate. He added that Sadiq Khan's failure on crime is the reason ...
Here's an unexpected sight in our local outlet for remaindered books. For, as well as being a prolific author and publisher of volumes on esoteric subjects, Rupert Matthews is the Conservative police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Leicestershire. I can't accuse him of neglecting his duties here to pound the streets of Whitechapel as I'm pretty sure this is a reissue of a book he first published in 2013. But it may explain where he got his funny idea of installing Victorian 'Police Station' signs even where there is no police station. This may be a good week to say ...
On Sunday morning, Alistair Carmichael gave his keynote speech to Conference. It was as funny, liberal and hard=hitting as you would think. Governments and babies' nappies need changing often, much for the same reason, he said. Liberal Democrats will have no truck with the demonisation of desperate people. We will crush the people smuggling market by giving people safe and legal routes to get here, he promised. He said that Liberal Democrats mustn't just tell people what we're against. We must say what we are for. We champion the rights of the individual to do what they like as long ...
I'm now back from York, having stayed on for a bit of a tourist break. I've spent so much time in the city over the years, but have rarely deviated from the Golden Triangle of the Barbican, Novotel and Mason's Arms. I did not know until Monday that I had walked past the grave of Dick Turpin many times. Thursday and Friday I am writing this in York on Friday morning in an exceptionally comfortable and cosy room, propped up in bed with lots of plump and luscious pillows. A cup of Earl Grey at my side. It is always ...
Blogging about the Church Langton Chappie, I mentioned St Mary and St Hardulph at Breedon on the Hill elsewhere in Leicestershire. This video shows that church, and in particular its remarkable situation. St Mary and St Hardulph is on a hill - in fact Breedon on the Hill means 'Hill Hill on the Hill' - above the village and above the surrounding countryside. You get good views of planes taking off from and landing at East Midlands Airport. And, as you will see, that hill is still being quarried away. If you google videos of Breedon, the first that comes ...
There were some very interesting nuggets from Ed Davey's speech on Saturday. At last we seem to be showing a bit of what we're about. And what better a place to start than with sorting out our democracy by showing people the harm the current system does to them: It distorts democracy. It leaves millions of people feeling powerless and excluded. Unable to hold those in power properly to account. Conference, we know proportional representation would be so much fairer... So much better for our politics and our country. And a majority of the British people now back electoral reform. ...
This evening, at 6 p.m., the ALDE Party and other members of the "Renew Europe Now" platform kick-off their European Campaign, and you can watch from the comfort of your own home... Hear from inspiring Liberal leaders from around the EU like Prime Ministers Alexander De Croo, Kaja Kallas, European Commisioners Margrethe Vestager, Věra Jourová, Thierry Breton, Didier Reynders and Kadri Simson and other speakers. Meet the Renew Europe Platform lead candidates from ALDE Party, Renaissance and EDP, and find out their plan for Europe. Discover the next wave of Liberal leaders who will fight against the artisans of European ...
The Mirror reports that half a million pounds was wasted on barges that couldn't be used to house migrants as there were no ports to put them: Bungling officials also spent £3million on refurbishing an RAF based before plans to use it as accommodation were dropped. Tory ministers claimed they would save money by moving migrants out of hotels and into alternatives such as barges, military bases and former student accommodation. But overall the National Audit Office found it had worked out at £46million more expensive. The Home Office had hoped it would cost £5million each to refurbish RAF Wethersfield ...
I wasn't in the hall for this but you can tell the quality of a speech from people's faces as they came out. They were full of admiration for Layla, whose wisdom and compassion has impressed people across not just the UK but the world. Layla's Mum Randa was in the audience to watch her. She described her family's pre 1948 life in Palestine and the catastrophe that followed. She said that the war was serving the wicked fusion of Netanyahu's government, calling their rhetoric genocidal. Just as Hamas can't remain in power, she said, Netanyahu and all who back ...
Chamberlain to lead debate on electoral fairness and calls out attempts to "rig the rules" PAC report on Social Care: Too many vulnerable people struggling to get the care they need McArthur sets out response to embargoed climate report Rennie comments on new claims from Pregnant Then Screwed Chamberlain to lead debate on electoral fairness and calls out attempts to "rig the rules" Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain MP will lead a debate in Westminster Hall on Wednesday about strengthening electoral fairness and preventing parties from "rigging the rules," following recent moves by the Conservative Party to introduce ...
Many thanks to the residents who contacted us recently about potholes and deterioration of the road surface at Kelso Place and Jedburgh Road - see photos. We contacted the roads maintenance partnership requesting repairs and were assured these would be done.
I had planned to go to Lib Dem conference on Friday last week but a request for a goat meant a change of plan! I am often invited by Whickham Library to bring animals to their fairs. Unfortunately the Library's Easter fair coincided with Lib Dem spring conference so I took the decision to take a couple of goats to the fair on Saturday morning and then head down to York. Ant and Dec, our two
