National debt: The Conservatives trashed the economy McArthur responds to health committee's summary of assisted dying consultation responses Cole-Hamilton: We should empower communities to help tackle antisocial driving National debt: The Conservatives trashed the economy Responding to the national debt reaching 100% of GDP for the first time in decades, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: Today's figures are yet more proof of the terrible state in which the previous Conservative government left our public finances. Even though the Conservatives trashed our economy, the government can't use that as an excuse to make the wrong decisions, such as ...
The news that an incoming government has decided to cancel the proposed devolution deal for Suffolk is not entirely a surprise. After all, we've been here before... In 2009, a rather rushed attempt at creating Unitary Authorities ran hopelessly into the sand, partly because Hazel Blears, the then Minister, couldn't stick to a consistent line on what the requirements for a coherent Unitary authority might be, and partly because the then mostly Conservative-led Districts were loathe to give up their positions and powers. Having tossed the whole mess back to local politicians, the incoming Coalition government shot the whole thing ...
There have been 10 principal council by-elections this week. It's been a triumphant week for the Lib Dem as we registered our first by-election gain since the General Election (against Labour). We also stood in all 10 vacancies and increased our vote-share in a number of places to score some excellent second place finishes. Overall the results saw a lot of chopping and changing with seats changing hands in almost every direction. The only constants were the Lib Dems not losing a seat (but gaining one) and Labour not gaining a seat, but losing 3! We start in Bromsgrove DC ...
Fifteen of the boys from Highgate School who sang on the first recording of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem have held a reunion, reports BBC News: The recording, made in 1963, sold 200,000 copies in just five months (almost unheard of for a classical work) and won Britten two Grammy Awards - but the choristers, from London's exclusive Highgate School, were never listed in the credits. Last year, Decca Records launched a search for the surviving members, with a notice in London's Ham & High newspaper. Fifteen of them were able to reunite in Soho on Thursday, to hear a cleaned-up ...
Welcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls – indicates that party didn't feature in the polling questions separate from 'Others' or that the data is not yet available. Numbers in brackets show change ...
When lockdown hit us we all turned to Zoom or one of its online rivals to maintain our working and social lives. Local Councils worked out ways of carrying out essential business online, and that included formal Council meetings, although it did require emergency government legislation. In fact, all levels of Government, from Westminster to Parish Councils, met online, or held hybrid (mixed virtual and in-person) meetings, during the pandemic. The House of Commons adopted hybrid meetings as soon as the technologies for viewing and voting were in place. In May 2021 Councils were told the emergency legislation no longer ...
This review appears in the Conference issue of Liberator (Liberator 425), which you can download free of charge from the magazine's website. Despotism Renewed? Lord Hewart Unburied Neil Hickman £24.95 from Amazon UK Gordan Hewart is a figure from those Dark Ages of the Liberal Party between the end of the First World War and the revival under Jo Grimond. Born in Bury in 1870, Hewart came to prominence as a radical journalist in the North West before becoming a barrister. He was elected for the two-member seat of Leicester in a 1913 by-election and, with the help of the ...
Brighton Lib Dem conference is behind us and so we now look ahead to next year. I haven't heard anything about the venue for Autumn but in Spring, we are heading to Harrogate. I am a bit disappointed that we are not in York, a city that is only an hour away by train for me. I also love the history of York and often use conference in the city as an opportunity to explore it. Nevertheless,
I didn't have time to sort the following photos taken on polling day last week in the Bridges by-election in Gateshead. So here they are a few days late. They were taken on polling day.Cllr Paul Diston near one of the main roads in the ward. The diamond posters were seen by hundreds of people.It rained in the afternoon. Fortunately, the shower did not last long though it was long enough to give
It looks as though Steve Darling, the Party's newly appointed spokesperson for Work and Pensions, is going to have an early baptism in his new role, with an Employment Rights Bill expected to come before Parliament sooner rather than later. As a reminder, this was what our manifesto said: Modernise employment rights to make them fit for the age of the 'gig economy', including by: Establishing a new 'dependent contractor' employment status in between employment and self-employment, with entitlements to basic rights such as minimum earnings levels, sick pay and holiday entitlement. Reviewing the tax and National Insurance status of ...
Many thanks to the residents who highlighted to us last week that a fence near the Rose Garden in Victoria Park had fallen. We therefore reported this to the City Council to ensure repairs take place.
The Welsh Government may not be responsible for the cut in winter fuel payments, but there is little doubt that their objective of reducing fuel poverty is going to be severely set back by the actions of the UK Government. In these circumstances, surely it is reasonable for Welsh Ministers to at least express some regret or remorse for those pensioners in Wales who will be struggling to heat their homes this winter. However, the general reaction of Labour MSs when asked to condemn the means testing of the winter fuel payments very much looks like one of denial. The ...
