Stuart Whomsley reminds us that, though we evolved as a species surrounded by the blue and green stuff, we also have the power to destroy it. Let me start by stating what should be obvious, but it is something that can be lost in the way the discourse on this topic is constructed, humans are part of nature. We are not an entity separate from the rest of nature. We need to break the demarcation of humans as separate from nature, humans vs nature. This includes where the aims are positive, such as nature as a treatment that can be ...
Welcome to the latest in my occasional series highlighting interesting findings from academic research. Today – new research which bolsters the argument that declining public services fuel support for the populist right. As one of the authors, Zach Dickson, explains: We study NHS GP practice closures in England: nearly 1,700 practices closed since 2013, directly affecting 600k+ patients. Using a staggered DID design, we find that closures reduce patient satisfaction AND increase support for populist right parties (UKIP, Brexit Party, Reform UK) by 2-4 percentage points. The effects are immediate, persistent (4-5 years), and replicated across two independent panel datasets... ...
On Sunday Gateshead Lib Dems had the last action day before the election expenses kick in. Again, it was another mopping up day in which bundles of manifesto leaflets were delivered. We split into 4 groups. All deliveries in the morning were in the blocks of flats on or near the Quayside. The final bundles were delivered on a new estate near Gateshead Stadium. The to Tesco (yet again) for
On Saturday Gateshead Lib Dems had yet another action day, this time in Saltwell. The aim was to mop up remaining target letters. Job done and we then headed to Tesco cafe for lunch. Over the past two years of action days, Tesco has been our regular eating place. I dread to think of how much Lib Dems have spent in the place.Promoted by Ron Beadle on behalf of Jonathan Wallace (Liberal
Let me be blunt. Donald Trump wants to pull America out of NATO. And my honest reaction? Let him. I'm not saying it doesn't matter. I'm saying we need to stop acting like heartbroken teenagers waiting for Washington to text back. The special relationship is dead. It's been dead for a while. Trump just had the decency to say it out loud. So what now? We do what Britain has always done when its back is against the wall. We get serious. We get moving. And we stop relying on people who have made it crystal clear they don't care ...
Gateshead Lib Dems held their manifesto launch at the Tynesider on Gateshead High Street on Tuesday. Good to see both the BBC and Chronicle attending.The Chronicle focused on the battle for Gateshead being between Lib Dems and Reform. You can read the write up, and Reform's attack on us, in this link.
The Guardian wins our Headline of the Day Award. As Lord Bonkers remarked, it's probably not wise to let a tortoise that old have a smart phone.
[IMG: The Thick of It Season 1 on BBC iPlayer] The Thick of It is available in the UK on iPlayer. Take an listen to our podcast to see if it is still worth watching. (Spoiler: it is.) The latest episode of Political Fictions is out, taking a look at Malcolm Tucker and his colleagues in a TV show that in no-way bears any relation to any of my own political experiences or memories: Mark and Cory talk about political TV for the first time, and there's nowhere better to start than The Thick of It. After rewatching the first ...
While we are all campaigning in this year's local elections, Liberal Democrats need to be aware of the implications of the 'English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill', which has already passed the Commons and is now close to completing its passage in the Lords. It's designed to complete the project the Conservatives began of imposing elected mayors and 'Combined Authorities' all across England, with larger unitary authorities to replace remaining district and county councils. As the Liberal Democrat group's Cabinet Office spokesman, I had not intended to get actively involved in the Bill beyond its constitutional significance for the governance ...
[IMG: Liberal Democrat winning here election poster in garden] I've forgotten whose home I took this photo at. Let me know if it is yours! At election time, Liberal Democrat members and supporters are often asked to put up a poster in their window or if the local team can put up a poster on stakeboard outside their home. We often treat such requests as if it is obvious why someone should say 'yes'. But we also get people saying 'yes' more often if we treat them respectfully and also explain why putting up a poster is a helpful thing ...
The Guardian reports that two-thirds of hospitality businesses are planning to cut jobs as a result of "suffocating" costs imposed by government, as new business rates and higher wage bills come into force. The paper says that many pubs, restaurants and hotel companies will see their costs increase significantly from today after Rachel Reeves's changes to business rates and an increase in minimum wage thresholds announced in the November budget: An industry-wide survey of 20,000 hospitality businesses has found that as a direct result of the cost increases, 64% of firms plan to cut jobs, 42% intend to reduce trading ...
Here's an inspirational video with John Rogers and Paul Powlesland. John's blurb on YouTube says: A London walk with the brilliant Paul Powlesland of the River Roding Trust, discovering how the forgotten river Aldersbrook near Ilford has been rescued and revived by the local community, saving it from becoming another lost river of London. An ancient branch of the River Roding, the Aldersbrook was buried beneath undergrowth and silt and clogged with rubbish. Volunteers from The Friends of the River Roding worked tirelessly to remove the silt from the riverbed, dispose of hundreds of bags of rubbish and cut back ...
9 in 10 new primary teachers don't have full-time permanent work Cole-Hamilton: We will save small business from SNP rates wrecking ball Welsh Lib Dems urge Government to put small and local firms first in public contracts 9 in 10 new primary teachers don't have full-time permanent work Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has today said that the SNP have "broken promise after promise to teachers and children", as new figures show that 9 in 10 post-induction primary school teachers didn't have full-time, permanent employment in 2025. New figures show that between 2018/19 and 2024/25: The percentage ...
Embed from Getty ImagesThe English Chess Federation is justifiably excited: British chess phenom Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by shooting to the top of the UK chess rankings after a sensational start to 2026, the English Chess Federation is pleased to report. The 11-year-old from North London has rocketed to the number one English female spot. She is rated higher than the top women in all the other UK nations, and she has also broken into the world's top 100 women for the first time, currently sitting at number 72. World chess rankings are compiled by the International Chess Federation ...
The latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: At times the government resembles a recalcitrant teenager unwilling to take the time to tidy up the mess in their bedroom. Sure, doing other things is more fun. Sure, it's a pain to have to spend time tidying up. Sure, there's so much other stuff that's more important. Sure, it's BORING BORING BORING. ...
Free speech is an important principle in Britain. It's one of the things that gets me out of bed in the morning. It's why I so strongly believe we must remain in the ECHR, which protects in law our right to free expression. I am a supporter of free speech because whether I agree with you or not, as a liberal I'm always keen to hear what you think. That applies as much to the vexed question of immigration as it does to anything else. I take a nuanced view on the subject, just like the majority of British people. ...
The Liberal Democrats are planning to abandon the iconic yellow colour scheme in favour of mauve, following a review by a boutique consultancy to "help the party live its best life". The party is also thinking of changing its name to something more "on trend". A spokesperson denied rumours that the party was suffering a midlife crisis. A slide deck, marked "Secret - but we'll have to tell them eventually", recommends a phased transition to a "trust-forward colour ecosystem". "Yellow, in stakeholder sentiment analysis, was described by participants as 'loud,' 'a bit much,' and 'like being shouted at by a ...
Hazel O'Connor is a goddess and - sorry, Bob Holness - this is the greatest saxophone solo on a British pop single.
Party strategists are pondering an offer from the BBC which could have a serious impact on our party's fortunes. Ed Davey has been invited to appear on this year's Strictly Come Dancing. Those in favour of the move argue that appearing on the programme could boost Ed's popularity and, with it, the party's electoral success as well as cheering up the nation. It's ten years since his namesake, former Labour Cabinet Minister Ed Balls, achieved national treasure status after his hilarious efforts on the show, performing Gangnam Style with great aplomb. It's just over fifteen years since our then Deputy ...
A very welcome arrival this week - Paul Spackman's Lloyd George - Welsh Radical, World Statesman, published by Barnthorn Publishing. The first full-length "life" for many years, it is the result of seven years research, and aims to give a more holistic portrait of the politician and the man. Paul's approach is to "explore the specific and distinctively Welsh roots and influences" that shaped Lloyd George. He highlights the social reforms that laid the foundations of the Welfare State, Lloyd George's vital replacement of Asquith in the Great War, his treatment of Germany at Versailles, the Irish settlement, and the ...
[IMG: House of Lords. Photo: Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament] Ninety-two hereditary Peers of the Realm are packing up their ermine and saying farewell to their traditional home from home. As Liberal Democrats we are pleased that Parliament has taken one more step towards the full reform of the House of Lords – although we won't rest until we have a fully elected Upper House. But spare a thought for those departing peers. They are the product of families who have served this country for many hundreds of years, with many lifetimes of experience in ...
[IMG: a person holding a brown envelope] An envelope. Photo by Kerngker Stock on Pexels.com. Focus group questions such as 'if a political party leader were an animal, what sort of animal would they be?' often get mentioned in order to ridicule them. But the reason they are used is the same reason I love them: the answers tease out something useful. As I wrote in my book, Polling UnPacked: If this book were an animal, what sort of animal would it be? That is the sort of apparently absurd question beloved of media coverage of focus groups. But there ...
The Independent reports on warnings by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the UK is facing one of the largest shocks from the conflict in the Middle East, and that Britain's economy is "especially exposed" to spiralling prices because of its reliance on gas‑fired power. They have compared the impact of rising prices to a "large sudden tax on income" for a family, warning that the "de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to regional infrastructure have produced the largest disruption to the global oil market in its history": Writing in a blog post on Monday, it ...
