I remember passing through Ilfracombe while walking the coastal path in the summer of 1988. Every bed-and-breakfast establishment had its prices in the window, trying to undercut the place next door. It was great for a walker on a limited budget, but not a sign of a prosperous resort. My theory at the time was that the town had not recovered from the closure of its branch railway from Barnstaple. Certainly, reading about it now, I find that line generated lots of holiday traffic almost to its closure in 1970, but attracted too few passengers apart from that. The last ...
I'm just home after a day of slogging my way through Bridges ward for the by-election. I will be back to Gateshead Civic Centre later this evening to attend the count. Unlike many elections, I find this one rather difficult to predict as there are a number of knowns. Reform are standing for the first time. The Lib Dems have fought the ward hard for the first time (we usually just have a paperless
The Guardian, which tells us that Diana Johnson was giving speech in which she said UK was in grip of an "epidemic of antisocial behaviour, theft and shoplifting", wins our Headline of the Day Award.
The 2024 General Election was the most disproportionate in our history. Or to put it another way, people didn't get what they voted for, not even close! As a result, for a few weeks at least, electoral reform became a real talking point in the media and amongst the public. The door that leads to Proportional Representation, which has been locked shut for more than a decade, is slightly ajar. That's something the Liberal Democrats, who have been campaigning for PR longer than anyone, need to exploit. With a record number of MPs, there are more Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians than ...
So congratulations to the three Lib Dem chairs of Select Committees. But I expect some of you are wondering about the Petitions Committee, now chaired by Jamie Stone. It was only set up in 2015 and its job is to review all petitions submitted to the UK Parliament, either through the Parliament Petitions website or as traditional paper petitions. Paper petitions have to be presented to Parliament by an MP, but e-petitions go straight to the Petitions Committee. An e-petition which reaches 10,000 signatures receives a written response, whilst those that attract 100,000 signatures are considered by the committee for ...
Thu 12th
12:52
Lord Bonkers Diary: The only estate in England with a breeding population of corkindrills
Liberator 425 has been posted on the magazine's website in time for the Liberal Democrat Conference. You can download it free of charge. With more Lib Dem MPs than ever, we have four writing for Liberator about how they see their role and what the party should do next. That's the good news. The bad news is that it's time to begin another week with Lord Bonkers. Monday You find me seated in a deckchair, surveying my gardens and listening to the midsummer hum of insects (and to Meadowcroft grumbling as he works). Life is good: Freddie and Fiona are ...
... and you can download it for free here. With more Lib Dem MPs than ever we have four writing for Liberator about how they see their role and what the party should do next. Come and see us on stall H8 at Brighton. WHAT WE DO NOW To build on the 2024 result, Liberal Democrats must show they are the real opposition party and can challenge Labour authoritarianism, says Paul Kohler. SOCK IT TO ME Sorting out a constituent's socks shouldn't be an MP's work, but the deluge of emails to a new one shows a better induction is ...
The Guardian reports that the UK Government'srenters' rights bill will ban landlords from renting out their properties for more than the advertised price in addition to an immediate ban on no-fault evictions. The paper says that this latest addition to the bill goes further than Labour promised while in opposition, being designed to keep a lid on the rapid increase in rents that has contributed to the housing crisis, especially in the south of England: The bill will also stop landlords barring tenants from keeping pets unless they have good reason to do so, and will force them to give ...
Nine years ago, Nick Clegg's resignation speech prompted a surge of new members to join the party as it reeled from the 2015 general election. Many of those new members, who by then had formed a Facebook group to welcome new members to the party, attended the autumn conference in Bournemouth and met for an informal drink the night before it started. At every in-person autumn conference since (except for last year), the Lib Dem Newbies Pint has been a fixture, the evening before Conference opens. It's been attended by hundreds of members, by MPs, peers, and has even been ...
Michael's ward surgeries take place today and every Thursday during school term time. They are as follows : Thursdays at 5.45pm prompt - West End Campus (come to reception area of St Joseph's RC and Victoria Park Primary Schools) Thursdays at 6.30pm prompt - Harris Academy reception area All welcome - no appointment necessary!
