A quartet of Lib Dem wins in council by-electionsA bumper set of ten principal authority council by-elections this week. Nine of them had Liberal Democrat candidates, up from six the last time these wards were up. Let's start with a successful Lib Dem defence with a North Korean style vote share: Botley & Sunningwell (Vale of White Horse) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🔶] LDM: 71.5% (+7.9) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 15.8% (-1.8) [IMG: 🌍] GRN: 12.7% (+11.2)No LAB (-17.4) as previous.Liberal Democrat HOLD.Changes w/ 2023. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2025-07-10T23:01:55.525Z Connor Stallard was the Lib Dem candidate here – thank you. Finally the contest in Sussex without a ... (more) |
Corso Street event tomorrow! #dundeewestendThere's a table top sale in the Corso Street sheltered lounge tomorrow - Saturday 12th July - 10.30am to 2.30pm - all welcome! (more) |
Details needed on Welsh rail investmentWales may not be getting the money it is entitled to for railway investment, nor is much, if any of the money being spent west of Cardiff, but there still remain unanswered questions as to the timetable for delivering the earmarked projects. Wales-on-line reports that there is currently no date for when rail improvements promised by the UK Government will start, nor any indication of where the first works will take place. The Treasury's paperwork said the following was being promised: "£300m for rail investment in Wales, including for the Burns Review stations, North Wales Level Crossing, Padeswood Sidings and ... (more) |
Council by-election results scorecard 2025-2026Here's the tally of seats changing hands in principal authority council by-elections held between the May 2025 and the May 2026 local elections: Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform SNP Plaid Ind/ Other Net Con [3] +1 (+1/0) -3 (0/-3) – -5 (+1/-6) – – -1 (0/-1) -8 Lab -1 (0/-1) [5] -1 (0/-1) -2 (0/-2) -11 (0/-11) – – – -15 Lib Dem +3 (+3/0) +1 (+1/0) [15] – +1 (+1/0) – – +1 (+1/0) +6 Grn – +2 (+2/0) – [1] – – – – +2 Ref +5 (+6/-1) +11 (+11/0) -1 (0/-1) – – – – +6 ... (more) |
GWR's trial of a battery-powered train on the Greenford branchThis time Jago Hazzard is not looking at the railways' past but their future. He reports on GWR's trial of a battery-powered train on their Greenford branch in West London. The results look encouraging and, as Jago says, this could be a cheap method of electrification for such lines. You can support Jago's videos via his Patreon page. And why not follow his YouTube account? I know I do. (more) |
Public sector procurementBoth Peter Black and Lord Bonkers have referred to the problems of public procurement. It is a major problem and one that would have had our Victorian and Edwardian ancestors scratching their heads in bewilderment. Whenever they wanted to build say a railway, they would get an Act of Parliament passed authorising all the necessary work, the finance and land acquisition, appoint contractors and get on with it. This didn't only apply to new undertakings. A recent TV documentary based round Leeds told us that a local building contractor was appointed to sort out the land and tracks round Leeds ... (more) |
Christine Jardine's response in fullFollowing on from yesterday's report of her sacking as the Party's Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, and Scotland, Christine Jardine has published what can only be described as a classy response... Dear Ed, It is with sadness I am responding to your decision to remove me as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, and Scotland following the Welfare Bill votes. I wanted to thank you for all the support you have given me over the past 8 years. Please know I wish my successors all the best, and I will do anything I can to aid them in ... (more) |
Diary of a Returning Officer: Week 3 - why diary planning isn't necessarily easy...There was a simpler time, when a Returning Officer turned up, ran a contest between whoever had put their name forward, and the members who had bothered to turn up made the decision. The administration was more onerous, given that things had to be posted to people, and more expensive to Local Parties as a result, but it was at least simple. It wasn't necessarily fair, or consistent, and more often than not the prize for winner was to come a distant third in the subsequent General Election, so there wasn't much harm done. Now, it can be technically more ... (more) |
An apology to Chris WhitingIn April of this year, I wrote an op-ed responding to Chris Whiting on the need for liberals and socialists to work together. At the time, I opposed this idea, citing the ideological differences between socialists and liberals, and how we should reject cooperation. In the following months, I've come to realise that I was wrong. In today's political climate, cooperation is essential to combating extremism. The likes of Farage and Badenoch thrive on division among progressives, and my opposition to working with socialists only feeds into their desires. I've also gone on a political journey, similar to Chris. The ... (more) |
The 'elevator pitch' for solo consultantsAs a solo consultant, you've probably heard of the 'elevator pitch'. The idea that, if you have thirty seconds in a lift with a potential client to convince them to hire you, you have a natty spiel that will seal the deal. It's also a comon feature of networking events and such like. And it's something that people can agonise over to a degree that is probably bordering on the unhealthy. You should, of course, be confident in talking to people about who you are and what you do. But the idea that we need a perfectly phrased, one-size-fits-all elevator ... (more) |