Liberator 435 is outLiberator 435 is out and can be downloaded free here: https://liberatormagazine.org.uk/ where you can also sign up to be emailed when each new issue of Liberator comes out. This time in addition to Commentary, Radical Bulletin and Lord Bonkers' Diary, Liberator looks at why concern at the May election results is echoing from every corner of the party despite these being spun as progress. In this issue: HOLLOWED OUT AND IN A HOLE James Graham says the Liberal Democrats are losing touch with all but a narrow slice of the electorate and should reconnect with the rest of the country ... (more) |
Observations of an expat: Dangerous diplomatic chessIn the wake of his Beijing sojourn, Donald Trump is embarking on a dangerous and complex game of diplomatic chess with Taiwan as the piece most likely to be sacrificed for the greater American good. While in China, Trump became convinced what the rest of the world has known for some time. China cannot be bullied. Threats of escalating tariffs and civilisational extinction just roll off the Chinese political back. They have been around a long time and have seen it all. Next, China is as much of a superpower as the United States. And, if he is going to ... (more) |
Joe Barratt, former Labour deputy leader, joins Lib Dems in StockportHazel Grove Liberal Democrats brings the news: Cllr Joe Barratt has now joined the Lib Dem team running Stockport Council, after leaving the Labour party last September, when he criticised Keir Starmer for "sleepwalking into a Reform government". In the latest elections, Cllr Barratt campaigned for the Liberal Democrat candidate, Cllr Niki Meerman in his ward in the local election, which saw the Labour party crash to just 5% of the vote down from 47% in 2024. He has formally joined the Liberal Democrats, as the best antidote to "divisive and simplistic politics", whilst also criticising the failure of the ... (more) |
Five arrested in Tameside over allegations of fake independent candidatesThe Mill continues to demonstrate what an important part email newsletters have in a modern healthy local news environment with an update on its scoop about the local elections in Tameside: Four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47 were arrested this morning in the Ashton-under-Lyne area, as a result of what the police are calling 'illegality and criminality' in the run up to the St Peter's ward election on May 7th. The arrests were made on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, and police investigations are ongoing. Our investigation heard that internal messages had been circulated in Labour ... (more) |
How many councillors has Reform UK lost since the May 2026 elections?Given how popular (and lengthy!) my list of Reform councillor departures after the May 2025 elections turned out to be, here is a new list, this time for councillors elected under the Reform banner on 7 May 2026, or in by-elections after that date, who have already departed the party for one reason or another. Please note the slight correction to #1 in the list. Glenn Gibbins, Sunderland: suspended by Reform following allegations of racism and, so far, has not signed his declaration of office in order to take up his seat (May 2026). Jay Cooper, Sefton: declared "not welcome" ... (more) |
Remembering the Mumbles MileWhen I first came to Swansea in 1978 to attend university the legend that was Mumbles was on everybody's lips, and in particular the infamous Mumbles Mile. As this article in Wales-on-Line says, for a lot of people of a certain age, the Mumbles Mile was a legendary night out. The idea was to walk for a mile and drink a pint in each of the ten pubs on the mile before ending up in Cinderellas' night club: The Swansea seafront pub crawl was a long-standing tradition, a coming-of-age ritual, and a rite of passage which was not for the ... (more) |
The Ivanhoe Line west of Coalville is disappearing fast: Here's what's leftEver since I was a councillor in the Eighties, the reopening to passengers of the line from Leicester to Coalville, Ashby and Burton upon Trent has been high on the agenda of transport campaigners in the East Midlands. Which makes this video following the line between Coalville and Burton concerning. No train has run west of Coalville for a couple of years and, as a result, that section of the line is rapidly being reclaimed by nature. This is doubly worrying because, though what people in Coalville want is a train to Leicester, it is this section between Coalville and ... (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% (-2) 17% (+2) 13% (nc) 17% (-1) 26% (+1) -9% (vs Ref) 20-21/5 GB YouGov ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1522"Why, if the homes are unregistered and therefore illegal, are English councils still placing children in them? And how can the system be reformed so this doesn't continue to happen?"Noel Titheradge investigates a continuing scandal. James Meek looked at housing in Andy Burnham's Manchester om the eve of the last general election: "Burnham presides over a scale model of a future Starmer Britain, one where a social democratic leader full of genuine desire to mend the broken, over-marketised public realm is hamstrung by lack of resources and constrained by fear of frightening away the wealth-holders. Like England, Greater Manchester has ... (more) |
Lib Dems get new by-election cycle off to a double winning start[IMG: Chris McSweeny] Winning Lib Dem by-election candidate Chris McSweeny. Four principal authority council by-elections this week to kick off the new cycle. Good to see a full slate of Lib Dem candidates, up one on the last time these seats were contested. Those candidates also scored two important wins for the Liberal Democrats: Alfrick, Leigh & Rushwick (Malvern Hills) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 25.8% (+10.6) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 22.3% (+3.2) [IMG: ➡] RFM: 19.4% (New) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 16.9% (New) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 10.8% (New) [IMG: 🙋] Ind: 4.7% (New)No MHI (-65.6) as previous.Liberal Democrat GAIN from ... (more) |