The Joy of Six 1492"It's a well-worn tactic: Say something obviously offensive and watch as the media debates whether you were right, actually. The result is that the state of general discourse moves further to the right, the ratchet effect in action." Don't fall into the Nick Timothy trap, warns Mic Wright. Helen Maguire exposes planners' failure to consider women's safety: "Simple issues like lighting dictate who feels able to use public space after dark. Many women plan their routes based on lighting, avoiding dark shortcuts or taking longer paths home simply to stay on well-lit streets. Some pay for taxis to avoid walking ... (more) |
Suzanne, replicantShe has not tasted tea and oranges; no wind has blown around her long brown hair. She may be a prism and a mirror, a humble learning from a smart array shifting an alchemy of inputs, so I share my flaws and flotsam with no shame; a mirage refracted, half-imagined; old Loki manifest through open code; or life outside the growth of hollow men... (more) |
Lib Dems in the top 100 Women in WestminsterFrom the Archbishop of Canterbury to journalists and broadcasters to civil servants and political advisers to MPs and Peers, Politics Home announced its 100 Women in Westminster for 2026 which you can find here. Three Liberal Democrats made it in: Wendy Chamberlain, Daisy Cooper and Caroline Pidgeon. Here's what was said about them and you can see the entire 100 here. Wendy Chamberlain "Wendy is a considerate and hardworking constituency MP who combines genuine care for the people she represents with tireless dedication at Westminster," one nominator told us. "Her thoughtful leadership as Chief Whip, her commitment to modernising Parliamentary ... (more) |
Creeting St Peter: keeping the finances on an even keelAs my glorious leadership of Creeting St Peter Parish Council nears its end, I am beginning to reflect on what I've achieved during the nearly eight years that I've been its Chair. It would be self-indulgent to take too much credit - I've been lucky enough to have had the support of two good Parish Clerks whom I could trust to handle the administrative stuff and keep the show on the road, and fellow councillors who have both placed their trust in me and shared the load in terms of tasks performed. But there are some things that have been ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and 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 Find Out Now 17% (nc) 16% (+1) 11% (nc) 19% (-2) 25% (-1) -9% (4th, vs Ref) 18/3 GB ... (more) |
President Bola Tinubu 's state visit to the United Kingdom, a Nigerian Liberal Democrat's take on it.President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria came to the United Kingdom for a State visit from 18th to 19th March. This is a historic event as it is the first state visit by a Nigerian leader since 1989, when then military head of state Ibrahim Babangida was received by late Queen Elizabeth II. President Tinubu is the first Nigerian president to receive a state visit since the return of democracy to Nigerian in 1999. Considering the historic relationship of Nigerian and United Kingdom as Nigeria is a former colony, and Nigeria itself as a key player in the African continent and ... (more) |
Rape cannot depend on politics - a liberal lesson from 7th OctoberLiberal Democrats believe in universal human rights. The response to evidence of sexual violence on 7th October should be straightforward. Yet too often, when the victims are Israelis, the instinct to "believe survivors" suddenly becomes contested. If rape is used as a weapon of war, liberals should have no difficulty condemning it. That should be true whether the victims are in Bosnia, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo – or Israel. And yet, in the aftermath of the 7th October attacks, a disturbing double standard has appeared in parts of Western political debate. Evidence that women were sexually assaulted during ... (more) |
The tragic link between Mumbles and ChileSwansea is often referred to as Copperopolis because of its 18th and 19th-century role as the world's leading copper smelting center, producing up to 90% of the world's copper at its peak. It was this connection that forged an unlikely link between the city and Santiago in Chile. The Swansea Scoop website takes up the story: On December 8th, 1863, over 3,000 worshippers packed into the church of La Compañía de Jesús in Santiago, Chile, for a religious festival. The church was filled with thousands of candles, oil lamps, and other flammable decorations. When a ceremonial candles accidentally ignited the ... (more) |
Father of the HouseYesterday, at the full council meeting, tributes were paid to Jim Turnbull, Gateshead's longest serving councillor who passed away earlier this month. Jim was also the oldest member. He was 85 when he died. I paid tribute to Jim at the meeting on behalf of the Lib Dem group. I was the one who had served the longest with him. He had first been elected in 1982. I was first elected in 1987. It was (more) |
The conference shopLast photos from conference (I promise). In the olden days when we had only 11 MPs, getting a full set of MP mugs was affordable. Now, with 72 MPs, the cost if a bit more challenging if buying the full set!Guaranteed to be seen from a considerable distance (and probably from low earth orbit, Lib Dem must have fashion accessories were on sale at the conference shop. Put on one of those sweat (more) |