Interviewed here on The News Agents podcast, Layla Moran calls on the government to take a stand against Donald Trump's plans for the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza. She wants Britain to recognise the state of Palestine and to call for an immediate meeting of the United Nations security council. Her point that Trump respects strength, and certainly won't respect the government's current timidity, is well made.
An email from Liberal Democrat HQ brings the news: The Federal Policy Committee is seeking applications from party members who wish to serve on two new policy working groups. This is a real opportunity to help shape the party's policies. You can learn more about how Liberal Democrat policy is decided, and the role of working groups, here. The working groups will take evidence and prepare policy proposals to submit to Spring Conference 2026. Working group members are expected to attend meetings (in person or remotely), input their ideas for policy, and play a role in drafting the policy paper. ...
When I was 12 I could recite the Romanov Tsars of Russia in their correct order. My enthusiasm for Russian history was kindled by Robert Massie's book Nicholas and Alexandra and the film that was made of it. Sadly, that knowledge has long gone. But I was still chuffed to see this photograph and caption in The Sphere: SANDY CAMPBELL LOOKING OUT FOR DEER ON LOCHNAGAR These field-glasses were presented to Mr. Campbell by the Czar when his Imperial Majesty visited Glassalt Shiel Sandy Campbell, who was the brother of my great great grandmother, now has his own label on ...
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 Techne 23% (nc) 25% (-1) 13% (+1) 7% (nc) 25% (+1) 0% (vs Ref.) 5-6/2 GB Find Out Now 18% (-3) 25% (+2) 13% ...
Lib Dem members decide on policy at Conference. Some of the policy motions are submitted by members or by local parties, but some of motions are the result of a quite long drawn out process carried out by Policy Working Groups. Typically these working groups spend around 18 months gathering evidence and ideas and then carrying out informal consultations, before putting together a detailed report and Conference motion. There is more information about how all this works here. Every so often the Federal Policy Committee puts out a call for members of new Policy Working Groups. They are looking for ...
Very sad and shocked at the death of Dafydd Elis Thomas today. I first met him when I was a student in, I think, 1980, at an NUS Wales conference, where he confessed to a table of us that he couldnt understand the logic of nationalists burning holiday homes when so many people were homeless. We worked closely together on the Assembly Commission for a number of years, where Dafydd carved out an independent role for the parliamentary side of the Assembly, creating a separate identity for the organisation with its own chief executive and branding. His role in developing ...
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film of Mary Webb's novel Gone to Earth was released in 1950. The Stiperstones shot in Technicolor makes just about the ultimate Shropshire Hills porn. This behind-the-scenes footage comes from Michael Powell's own collection. We see the starts Jennifer Jones and David Farrar and Powell himself, as well as many locals in and out of period costume. Malcolm Saville fans should have a look at 3:00, where we see Gypsies. This is what Reuben, Miranda and their van would have looked like. What strikes me most here is how cumbersome the film equipment looks. It's ...
Six seats, across five wards, were up in the principal authority council by-elections this week. First off, a by-election in Clive Jones's constituency which the Lib Dems needed to win in order to retain control of the council on the Mayor's casting vote: Winnersh (Wokingham) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 52.7% (-7.2) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 37.3% (+10.7) [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 5.6% (-5.1) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 4.4% (New)No TUSC (-2.9) as previous.Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2024. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-02-07T00:21:14.155Z
You can't keep a good cat down. Just when we though that foreign office mouser, Palmerston had gone into retieement, he resurfaces in Bermuda of all places. The Independent reports that the former chief mouser has come out of retirement for a new, "purr-fect" job. The paper says that the news, posted on Wednesday on Palmerston's official DiploMog account on social network X, comes more than four years after it was announced that he was retiring from public life to a "quieter and easier" life in the countryside: Palmerston had been adopted by Foreign Office diplomat Andrew Murdoch when he ...
We have received requests for the council to look at the viability of an additional pedestrian crossing in the Perth Road shopping area. The school catchment areas in the West End were altered in 2022 meaning that this area was moved from Victoria Park's catchment area to Blackness's. As a result a stream of additional children and their parents/carers walk along the south side of Perth Road to eventually cross at Sainsbury's. The problem is navigating the south side of Perth Road's pavements with young children - the pavement is very narrow indeed. We therefore asked the council's road safety ...
