The habitués of the Westminster village live in a world where it takes only one Nimby with a petition to stop a housing estate. A story in today's Guardian may have given them a glimpse of what life is like in the world outside:McDonald's has thwarted attempts to stop it opening new outlets by stressing that it sells salad, promotes "healthier lifestyles" and sponsors local children's football teams. Public health experts claim the fast-food firm uses a "playbook" of questionable arguments and tough tactics to force local councils in England to approve applications to open branches. The disclosures, in an ...
Labour's Angela Rayner calls cancelling elections, "a fast-track ticket to drive real change" but Ed Davey rightly calls it, "a disgraceful stitch-up between Labour and the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats made sweeping gains against the Conservatives at the general election, and now failing Tory-run councils are running scared and denying voters a chance to kick them out of office in May." Labour has cancelled the local elections due this May in seven county councils: Essex, East Sussex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey and West Sussex. Also cancelled are the election due for two unitaries: the Isle of Wight and Thurrock. Going ...
On Saturday 1 February, scores of people in the West Yorkshire town of Sowerby Bridge attended a protest rally against a proposed small waste incinerator plant for commercial use. The proposal was approved by Calderdale Council last November despite the previous application having been overturned via judicial review and the granting of the permit overturned by the High Court. If the incinerator were to be constructed, it would have myriad detrimental effects upon the immediate community. With Sowerby Bridge situated in the Calder Valley, the proposed stack's height of 96 metres would mean that pollutants would be emitted at the ...
Here's a good news story from the Leicester Mercury: Universities across Leicestershire are opening up their libraries to everyone in the county. The new scheme means libraries at the University of Leicester, De Montfort University, and Loughborough University will be open to anyone who lives, works, or studies in the area. Anyone aged 18 and older in Leicester, Leicestershire, or Rutland can sign up to the libraries for free and borrow up to 10 books at a time. The new arrangement is part of the Universities Partnership, a group formed in 2022 involving the three universities and Leicester City Council, ...
So, this post is going to be a sort of expectations game one. Predicting the future is a fool's errand, but it's also useful to be able to re-assess what you thought was going to happen, and inevitable that you're going to make guesses anyway, so take this as a British historian and activist's take on some big-picture elements of how the Trump presidency is likely to go. The other thing I want to do a bit here is talk about the sense a lot of people seem to have that this is in some way an epoch-ending event (it ...
As a Liberal Democrat and someone deeply invested in international cooperation, I believe the concept of CANZUK—strengthening ties between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK—deserves serious consideration within our party. This isn't just about nostalgia for a shared past; it's about unlocking practical, forward-thinking opportunities that align with our values of internationalism, economic prosperity, and human rights. I want to explore how a CANZUK alliance could benefit the UK and why the Liberal Democrats should be leading the conversation on this issue. Economic Growth and Trade Expansion One of the most compelling reasons for strengthening CANZUK ties is the ...
"You must not tell people that they have been conned" appears to be an assumption among many politicians. However buyer's remorse is clearly settling in with regard to Brexit and it remains to be seen how long it takes before Republican voters begin to feel the pain that they never contemplated during November's US election campaign. It is worth remembering that none of us gets through life without being fooled by somebody. Our most recent experience was with the bunch of cowboys who moved house for us last year. It all happened because the people who did well for us ...
This pack of two handmade cards feature locally made watercolour that I've hand-dyed to produced bright, textural colours, featuring two little hand-cut hearts. The cards are blank inside for your own personal message. Handmade Valentine's Day Cards
The Guardian reports on the conclusion of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee that Home Office's plans to house asylum seekers revealed a "dysfunctional culture of repeated mistakes and weak internal challenge" that wasted nearly £100m. The paper says the Committee's report found that the department had a "troubling culture that repeatedly wastes public money" after examining the acquisition of the £15.4m HMP Northeye site to house new arrivals: The cross-party committee said senior civil servants ignored expert advice available at the time during its bid to buy the site, in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, and bypassed processes designed to ...
As part of our revised West End ward surgery arrangements, we are holding a street surgery tonight to speak with residents on any local issues or concerns they may have. Should you have an issue you wish to discuss with us, e-mail us at westend@dundeelibdems.org.uk and we will be pleased to meet you - many thanks.
