Thomas Gravatt selected by Lib Dems for Romsey and Southampton North[IMG: Sandra Gidley and Thomas Gravatt] Sandra Gidley and Thomas Gravatt A Liberal Democrat press release brings the news: The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Thomas Gravatt has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Romsey and Southampton North constituency. The Liberal Democrats came within just 2,191 votes of defeating Conservative MP Caroline Nokes in the 2024 General Election. That makes the seat one of the most marginal in southern England. Thomas is a local councillor for Swaythling in the south of the constituency and he works as a charity fundraiser for the University of Southampton, ... (more) |
Reform in local government guilty of attacks on those with the leastNo one should be trapped in poverty. That's a principle that is core to our identity as Liberal Democrats. Another is trust—trusting people to manage their own lives, with the government stepping in only when necessary to help. That's why we champion universal credit for those who need support and an NHS free at the point of use. These principles drove us in government: when we raised the personal tax threshold, taking millions out of paying income tax and enabling people to keep more of what they earned. We also did it when we introduced targeted help like the Pupil ... (more) |
Ed needs to up his game and take lessons from the Dutch Liberals' sense of insurgencyIt was buried in the depths of The Economist's '2026 Outlook', and I almost missed it. Could there really be a Liberal Democrat leadership election in 2026? It feels an odd thing to say, 17 months after the party went from 15 to 72 seats, albeit far more off the back of the abject performance of the Conservatives than from our own good works. The Economist said, "Yet not all in Lib Dem land are content. A private discussion about Sir Ed's suitability will become a public one. Some MPs are fed up that the party continues to plod along, ... (more) |
West End weekly ward surgeries tonight #dundeewestendOur West End surgeries take place later today. This week, they are as follows : Blackness Library (Tuesdays 5pm - every week during school term time) West End Campus (come to reception area of St Joseph's RC PS and Victoria Park PS) - (3rd Tuesday of each month at 5.45pm during school term time) All welcome - no appointment needed! (more) |
TUC brand Reform as a threat to Welsh industryThe Mirror reports that the TUC has alleged that Nigel Farage's party poses a threat to Welsh industry, risking thousands of jobs. The paper says that the TUC believe that thousands of jobs in Wales are at risk under Reform and Tory policies that could revive Margaret Thatcher's "industrial destruction": Ahead of crunch Senedd elections next year, analysis for the TUC found Nigel Farage's party poses the biggest threat to Welsh industry. Reform has vowed to scrap net zero and proposed cutting renewable subsidies, which risks making clean industrial upgrades unviable. Analysis found this could starve Welsh industry of investment ... (more) |
The pitch meeting for Love ActuallySorry if this is your favourite Christmas film. There are lots more such videos on the Pitch Meetings YouTube channel. (more) |
Lib Dems beat Labour on penalties in CamdenOn Friday evening Camden Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners took on their Labour counterparts at football. At full time the scores were level at 6-6, but the Lib Dems won on penalties to repeat their victory from last year. Richard Osley, our man on the press box with a mug of Bovril, reports for the Camden New Journal: As usual when these two teams meet, it was not a match light on controversy. The Lib Dems say a late equaliser by Labour housing chief Sagal Abdi-Wali to make the scoreline 6-6 was netted in "Eddie time". Mayor of Camden Eddie ... (more) |
Mathew on Monday: a year that revealed the limits of old politicsAs this political year draws to a close, it has revealed something fundamental about the state of our country: Britain is crying out for change, but all too often is being offered more of the same. After years of Conservative failure, voters rightly demanded competence and decency. Yet while the Conservatives have continued to implode-trapped between ideological exhaustion and an inability to reckon honestly with the damage they have done-the change on offer from Labour has too often felt cautious, managerial and constrained by self-imposed limits. Stability matters, of course. But stability without ambition risks becoming stagnation. This has been ... (more) |
From Hong Kong's Tai Po fire to Jimmy Lai's political persecution end impunity for crimes against journalistsFor the past two years, my father (Jimmy Lai) has been on trial under Hong Kong's arbitrary and draconian national security law.... His skin is drying up, his nails are changing colour before falling off, and his teeth are decaying. His eyes are often dry and bloodshot. – Claire Lai, The Washington Post, 9th December 2025 Lai was the owner of Apple Daily, the largest pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong. Mere words of concern from the UK government are not enough when it comes to his political imprisonment in Hong Kong. The UK Government needs to take action to end ... (more) |
Why Australia is right in dealing with gun crime and the USA is not.Those slaughtered at Sandy Hook should have meant that gun laws would be changed in the USA. Instead they became victims of political controversy about false flags and untruths Every now and then a debate will arise in the United Kingdom about whether or not the Police should routinely carry guns. The people who are most clear that they do not want this to happen are the police themselves. Of course, the police do sometimes carry arms. About 20% of the police have gun training and are occasionally part of specialist squads that are highly trained and highly disciplined. If ... (more) |