Blur: Blue Jeans

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Wed 25th Mar 26 - 10:22

Blur were better than Oasis. Modern Life is Rubbish was better than Parklife. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. (more)

Liberator 434 is out!

Posted by The Liberator Collective on Liberal Democrat Voice
Wed 25th Mar 26 - 09:25

Liberator 434 is out and you can download it for free here. You can also sign up for an email when each new Liberator comes out here. What's in this issue? There's Commentary, Radical Bulletin, Letters, Lord Bonkers' Diary and: WHY AREN'T THE LIB DEMS DOING BETTER? Pursuing remaining Tory seats puts a ceiling on Lib Dem ambitions when greater opportunities lie among left-leaning voters, argues Paul Hindley SPREADING POWER Radical change is needed to defend what we value most, says Roz Savage MP FIX THE NHS FRONT DOOR An over-stretched health service must be rebuilt from community level, says ... (more)

Elections kick off - six exhilarating weeks ahead

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice
Wed 25th Mar 26 - 08:36

It's that time of year again. My social media feeds are all full of pictures of groups of people out canvassing or leafletting, of people handing in their nomination papers. It must be the start of the "official" campaign for the huge array of national and local elections coming up on May 7th. The Scottish Parliament, the Senedd in Wales and every Council seat in London is up for grabs along with local elections around the country from Liverpool to some places where they didn't know until a few weeks ago that the elections were back on again. I have ... (more)

Was the cones hotline an innovation before its time?

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black
Wed 25th Mar 26 - 06:00

Stephen Bush, in his newsletter on the Financial Times website, makes an interesting point, suggesting that John Major's much-maligned 1990s 'cones hotline' was both a) an idea ahead of its time and b) illustrates why our electoral system is under growing pressure. He quotes a recent speech by Major in which the former Prime Minister argued that recent General Elections have thrown into doubt the continuing validity of the "first past the post" system of voting, and that as voting preferences spread more widely it provides distorted results. Major argued, quite correctly that the democratic case for examining this is ... (more)

Thredling - a warning of things to come?

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Bureaucracy
Tue 24th Mar 26 - 22:59

The late breaking decision to reinstate the County Council elections in May means that the new boundaries for Suffolk County Council kick in. And yes, the elections should be taking place but, for Creeting St Peter, it comes with a bit of a sense of loss. I don't tend to be too kindly towards non-Liberal Democrat councillors - for obvious reasons - but the new boundaries mean that our current County Councillor will be fighting a division that doesn't include us, and it must be said that he has, from our perspective, done a very good job, attending as many ... (more)

24 March 2026 - today's press releases

Posted by Mark Valladares on Liberal Democrat Voice
Tue 24th Mar 26 - 22:30

Cole-Hamilton responds to embargoed A&E analysis Cole-Hamilton comments on drops in cancer survival Cole-Hamilton comments on avoidable mortality Cole-Hamilton responds to SNP missing key health target Welsh Lib Dems respond to RCEM report – nearly 1,000 deaths linked to long Emergency Department waits in Wales in 2025 Greene responds to Malcolm Offord homophobia report EU-Australia deal: a strategic milestone for Europe's security and prosperity Cole-Hamilton responds to embargoed A&E analysis Responding to new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which reveals that it could take more than 200 years to reduce the number of people waiting 12 hours ... (more)

New Lloyd George book

Posted by noreply@blogger.com (A Rambling Ducky) on A Rambling Ducky
Tue 24th Mar 26 - 19:53

G. H. Bennett's Lloyd George and the Coalition Liberal Party - The Papers of Lieutenant-Colonel Scovell, General Secretary of the Party, 1919-1922 arrived at Ducky Towers yesterday. It's a welcome addition to the literature, looking at the role played by a much-neglected figure in the working of the Coalition Liberals, and giving a fuller picture of the workings of the party leading up to the 1922 general election. Dr Harry Bennett is Associate Professor in History at the University of Plymouth. His previous books include Hitler's Admirals, Hunting Tirpitz, and Destination Normandy: Three American Regiments on D-Day. Of particular interest ... (more)

Shropshire ley line quest: Bronze Age stones to Medieval fortress

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Tue 24th Mar 26 - 19:48

Don't believe in ley lines? I'd like to, but I don't either. So let's just enjoy this as Shropshire hill porn. This is freely adapted from the blurb on YouTube: On the final part of the quest, we trek six rugged miles from the ancient Mitchell's Fold stone circle across windswept hills to the mysterious ruins of Simon's Castle, perched just east of Churchstoke. Along the way, we follow the straight-line path of a 14-mile ley line that links Caus Castle near Westbury and Simon's Castle. Expect stunning Shropshire scenery, hidden historical gems, medieval fortress vibes, and plenty of on-the-ground ... (more)

How Harold Godwinson got to the Battle of Hastings and all that

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Tue 24th Mar 26 - 18:16

What if historians have got one of the most crucial assumptions about one of England's most pivotal battles completely wrong? asked the Guardian the other day. Its report continued: That's the claim of one British academic, who argues that the notorious "forced march" of the English army to Stamford Bridge - interpreted for centuries as a sign of Harold's recklessness and a key factor in his defeat - in fact never happened at all. What's more, he believes that as well as their clash on land at Hastings ... Harold also attempted to resist William's invasion by sea, sending ships ... (more)

Reform suspends candidate Chris Parry over offensive comments

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack
Tue 24th Mar 26 - 18:11

Another day, another Reform candidate suspended. This time it is Rear Admiral Chris Parry CBE who had already been in the news over controversial and unpleasant comments. Although Reform kept him as their candidate during the earlier controversy, this time he's gone as their Mayor candidate for Hampshire and the Solent. The Hampshire Chronicle reports: This comes after Dr Parry described a Jewish community group as "Islamists on horseback" and "cosplayers" in the wake of the North London arson attack. Liz Jarvis, Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh, had called for Reform leader Nigel Farage to sack Dr Parry following his ... (more)