Welsh Labour in denialThey say that the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance and it seems that the Secretary of State for Wales is still at stage one. Nation Cymru reports that Jo Stevens has been strongly criticised for refusing to admit that the unpopularity of Keir Starmer was a major factor in Welsh Labour's Senedd election defeat. Instead, she used an article published in WalesOnline to put the blame for the defeat on the outgoing Welsh Labour government: Echoing campaign positions taken by Reform UK, Ms Stevens criticised policies like the 20mph default speed limit in urban ... (more) |
A Sense of Carol Reed (2006)A short documentary on the great British film director Carol Reed, focusing on his trilogy of great films of the late 1940s - Odd Man Out, The Fallen Idol and The Third Man- and Oliver!, for which he won an Oscar late in his career. Bobby Henrey, the boy from The Fallen Idol, is still with us and can be heard talking about his experience of making the film on an edition of the Soho Bites podcast. (more) |
11 May 2026 - today's press releasesLib Dems – Starmer's reset speech tone deaf on Wales Cole-Hamilton responds to Swinney writing to opposition parties Lib Dems – Starmer's reset speech tone deaf on Wales Commenting on Keir Starmer's 'reset speech', Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said: Keir Starmer's speech today showed just how out of touch Labour has become with communities in Wales. Despite years of Labour failure in Cardiff Bay and last week's election results, the Prime Minister did not even mention Wales, let alone offer the fresh thinking people are crying out for. To make matters worse, Labour has rubbed salt ... (more) |
Lib Dem MSPs arrive at Holyrood[IMG: Lib Dem MSPs arrive at Parliament] I headed to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh this lunchtime to see the much bigger group of 10 Lib Dem MSPs arrive in the company of Wendy Chamberlain, our Scottish Deputy Leader who chaired our Scottish Election campaign. I somehow managed not to make a complete idiot of myself and cry all over them, but it did feel quite emotional to see the hard work we had put in pay off. I also felt for those who had narrowly missed out. The new MSPs have three days of induction. I think ... (more) |
One of these things is not like the otherWe Lib Dems have some reflecting to do after this week's local and devolved elections. Yes, we made gains for a record eight years running – so yes, we now have more devolved parliamentarians and councillors, and run more English councils than we did before. But for the first time in a few years, our gains were not spectacular: we flirted with Labour, but ultimately they pulled ahead of us on numbers. We once again toyed with oblivion in Wales. And both the Green Party and Reform UK outperformed us on gains. Why? The two "insurgent" parties are poles apart ... (more) |
Frank reaction today to the Lib Dem election performance"Am I alone in thinking our response to the local election results is a little too self-congratulatory?" asked David Vigar on Liberal Democrat Voice this morning. We can safely say he is not alone, judging by comment on that blog and further afield. Next up on Lib Dem Voice was Shaun Ennis: No one has ever asked me to devise an idea for Ed Davey's next stunt. But if I was approached from on high, I might suggest having him wade through a river of treacle. That's how it feels trying to spread the Liberal Democrat message in the North ... (more) |
Mathew on Monday: Starmer's time is up - Labour needs a new Leader and a new directionThere are moments in politics when you can see the tide has irreversibly turned. Keir Starmer's much-hyped speech this morning was one of those moments – not because it miraculously reset his premiership, but because it confirmed just how exhausted and politically diminished it has become even after less than two years. Some Labour MPs are today saying it is "too little, too late" and the number calling for him to set out a timetable for his departure grows by the hour. The problem for the Prime Minister is not merely that Labour has suffered very bruising electoral setbacks (to ... (more) |
"Politically Stagnant" - Local Elections 2026 reflectionsThis election has revealed issues with the Party's messaging approach, policy approach, and electoral distinctiveness. These need to be reckoned with very soon if the Party is going to remain relevant. This election cannot be regarded as a victory Many senior figures are calling this a victory. That we have "held off Reform, won more councillors than the Greens, and trounced the Conservatives." - quoting directly from Ed Davey's Instagram page. This take feels detached from reality. We haven't held off Reform; despite only gaining overall control of a handful of councils, they've elected over 1000 new councillors. We haven't ... (more) |
The end of the United Kingdom?The latest election results have predictably consumed Westminster's commentariat. Much of the focus has been on Nigel Farage, his rhetoric, his appeal and his ability to reshape the political battlefield. But in that fixation something far more significant is being overlooked. We are no longer debating the future direction of the United Kingdom. We are confronting the real prospect of its end. Two political forces have collided and together they create a moment of genuine constitutional crisis. This is not another cyclical shift in British politics. It is a structural break that challenges whether the union can continue in its ... (more) |
Decent results, but we need to learnOn the 7th May, while we made some good gains in Scotland, and held strong in some areas in England, there are many who have left these elections feeling dissatisfied with their current results. While our results show stability and consolidation, this simply doesn't cut it in regions we were expecting major gains. Where this can be shown is through London, and as I have been campaigning across London, I have been feeling the dichotomy of jubilation and disappointment many are facing. In spite of a great ground game across London, we fell short in key target areas and this ... (more) |