I'm not one of those people who wish the Labour government ill. I want the country to be better, and whilst I tend to the view that liberal solutions are, by and large, more effective, why would anybody want their country to be poorer, weaker, meaner? But, as a civil servant, I also know that it takes time to initiate lasting change. System failures tend to require investment over extended periods, especially when the missing resources are human ones. You can't just magic up doctors, or police officers or, as the Government are discovering, lawyers. And, as a result, the ...
[IMG: Carl Cashman and Maria Toolan] Liverpool Liberal Democrats have the news: Maria Toolan, a former councillor for Central ward, has joined Carl Cashman's Liberal Democrats in Liverpool. The former Labour Councillor was elected to represent the Central Ward in 2019. In her resignation statement, Toolan called out the Labour Administration for failing the people of Liverpool, as well as a toxic internal culture within the Liverpool Labour Party. She's now joined the Liberal Democrats in Liverpool, bringing her years of experience standing up for the city centre and fighting for social justice across the whole city. Maria Toolan said, ...
Let's see how Oldham Conservatives are getting on. Here's a report on BBC News: The leader of Oldham Council's Conservative group has resigned after police were called following a heated council meeting. The meeting on 18 December had to be adjourned after members of the public and councillors hurled abuse at each other following a debate about housing and planning. Councillor Graham Sheldon, who has stepped down both as leader and as a member of the Conservative group, said he believed "the actions of two members of my group caused the mayhem and deterioration of the meeting". Further down the ...
Here are the scores on the doors for the latest quarter of principal authority council by-elections. The Lib Dem vote share increase is intriguing, as it is mainly coming in areas outside the party's areas of greater recent electoral success. Hence the vote share change 'out performing' the seat number change.
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 PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Opinium 23% (-2) 29% (nc) 11% (+1) 10% (+1) 22% (+1) 6% 18-20/12 GB Techne 26% (+1) 27% (nc) 12% (+1) 7% (nc) 21% ...
If you have a real Christmas tree, you can recycle it. Residents can arrange for a free pick-up of their tree, or take it to your nearest recycling centre. More details are available at https://bit.ly/2RZj6Jh Remember to remove tinsel, decorations or any pots and stands.
The Guardian reports that the health secretary has announced that cross-party talks over the future of social care will begin next month with its final recommendations not due until 2028. The paper says that Streeting wants all parties to "agree on the direction on social care for the long term" and added that the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Reform party ha all said they would work together on it: An independent commission to reform adult social care in England was launched on Friday but attracted criticism for kicking much-needed reforms "into the long grass". Its final recommendations will not be ...
