2024-03-21 22:16
Andrew Pulver has ranked all 19 Ealing Comedies for the Guardian. In the process, he notices some films that even I have not seen. But I've seen most of them, so here are a few thoughts on h… Read More
Blog Directory > Politics Blogs > Government Blogs > Liberal England government Blog >
Liberal England Blog
liberalengland.blogspot.com
Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year 2014"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today programme"Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife
2024-03-21 13:09
Bob Hardy, the late Bishop of Lincoln, once described his diocese as "two thousand square miles of bugger all". But it used to be even bigger. In 1837 it reached as far south as Hertfor… Read More
2024-03-21 11:51
I often retweet Matt Green's videos, but this one is particularly good so I'm blogging it.Reader's voice: You mean you can't think of anything to write. Anyway, don't we stand for office rat… Read More
2024-03-20 23:16
Embed from Getty ImagesI've been prospecting in Shropshire.Much Wenlock?Yes, there are always women around the camp.Exciting news from the Guardian:A metal detectorist in Shropshire has unea… Read More
2024-03-20 21:27
Chris Grey on the right's desire to recover a past that never was: "This is also almost invariably what lies behind contemporary demands to 'get my country back', with Allison Pearson writin… Read More
2024-03-20 17:24
Here's an unexpected sight in our local outlet for remaindered books. For, as well as being a prolific author and publisher of volumes on esoteric subjects, Rupert Matthews is the Conservati… Read More
2024-03-20 11:19
Blogging about the Church Langton Chappie, I mentioned St Mary and St Hardulph at Breedon on the Hill elsewhere in Leicestershire.This video shows that church, and in particular its rem… Read More
2024-03-19 19:04
The conventional wisdom is that house prices are so high in Britain because we do not build enough new houses. It also holds that this is because of restrictive planning laws and self-centre… Read More
2024-03-18 21:38
I loved the Outer Hebrides. When I was there in the summer of 2008, the colours of the sea and sand rivalled the Caribbean and the drowned landscape made it feel like, in the words of the Ru… Read More
2024-03-18 11:46
Closing the educational achievement gap should be a priority for the next government, argues Kevin Latham: "This includes ... making a long-term commitment to funding a national in-school tu… Read More
2024-03-18 10:56
He lives high on the wall of the passage that leads from the chancel to the vestry at St Peter's Church Langton. You have to turn a light on to take his photo - and they ask you to remember… Read More
2024-03-17 22:32
The publicity surrounding Earl Spencer's early memoir A Very Private School, which details his abuse at Maidwell Hall, reminds me of one of the most important posts on this blog, though it's… Read More
2024-03-17 15:57
From the LTM Recordings website:January 1981: hotly tipped for top, Jane Kennaway tapes an all-important Top of the Pops appearance for her debut single IOU, a deserving indie hit now reissu… Read More
2024-03-16 19:14
I went to The Langtons this afternoon. I wanted to try the reopened Bell at East Langton, believed by many to be an inspiration for the Bonkers' Arms, and to pay my respects at the grave of… Read More
2024-03-16 12:23
Helen Salisbury says it’s time to push back against the destruction of general practice in the NHS: "The down-skilling of general practice is often euphemistically referred to as a 'di… Read More
2024-03-16 04:28
Britain's wackiest seat is probably Leicester East. It's represented by Claudia Webbe, who was parachuted in by the Corbynite high command in time for the 2019 election and then thrown out o… Read More
2024-03-15 22:09
After I posted that brilliant Peter Serafinowicz impersonation of Terry Wogan, a reader sent me another example.Though it takes us into the realms of fantasy, this one is spot on too.Ye… Read More
2024-03-15 13:25
I now believe it's likely that Rishi Sunak will put off the general election until the last possible moment, which is 28 January 2025.It's only human for him to hold on to office in the hope… Read More
2024-03-15 11:02
George Dobell is my favourite cricket journalist. He is fair, loves the game and is not afraid to be critical of its authorities.His daily videos during the test series in India were enjoyab… Read More
2024-03-15 00:06
Here's some canal goodness: last summer's Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally.I was at Braunston the day before the rally took place and chatted to the people on board Raymond, who must… Read More
2024-03-14 12:18
The French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has been revealed as the company behind the planned open access railway between Euston, Shrewsbury and Wrexham.An announcement on the company's w… Read More
2024-03-14 11:22
Embed from Getty ImagesLiberal Democrat leader targets senior Tory seats at UK general electionruns the headline on the Financial Times interview with Ed Davey today.Older Lib Dems will imme… Read More
2024-03-13 22:59
There's a story on BBC News about the Trent Rivers Trust receiving a £834,000 grant from the Environment Agency to protect homes and businesses in the eastern side of the city.Pro… Read More
2024-03-13 22:14
There's news of a possible replacement candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the South Shropshire constituency.Matthew Green, who was Lib Dem for the largely identical Ludlow seat between 2… Read More
2024-03-12 23:14
This just in from the Shropshire Star:Charities and private citizens should have the power to take polluting water companies to court because the Environment Agency cannot keep up with the i… Read More
2024-03-12 22:01
Exciting news from the Great Central Railway:Join us for this spectacular weekend as we reunify the Great Central Railway and the Great Central Railway Nottingham for a celebration of the 12… Read More
2024-03-12 12:28
"The erosion of democracy in Hungary took time, and the political takeover came from within, in part, because the pushback by the political opposition was ineffective and at times apathetic… Read More
2024-03-11 22:22
Thanks to the latest number of The Why Don't YouTube Newsletter, here is a parody of Blankety Blank from the 2003 Comic Relief.A skim of the comments on YouTube reveals that the panelists ar… Read More
2024-03-11 19:57
There's disappointing news from Shropshire: Chris Naylor, the Lib Dem due to fight the South Shropshire constituency at the next election has stood down for health reasons.The news comes in… Read More
2024-03-10 22:09
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries canal boats across the River Dee near Llangollen in North Wales. At 336 yards long and 126 feet high, it is the longest and highest navigable canal aqueduct… Read More
2024-03-10 18:06
I've seen it claimed and now I have confirmation from the beast's horse's mouth. The Liberal Democrat peer and former MP Paul Tyler is a direct descendant of the Cornish hero Bishop Jonathan… Read More
2024-03-10 17:41
You couldn't imagine a less dyslexic child than me. When I was eight I had a reading age of twelve and a half, had few problems with spelling and was always starting to write stories - even… Read More
2024-03-10 13:03
Something important happened at the end of the Seventies: singles began to matter again. For most of the decade it had been albums that mattered, while the singles chart was left first to Ch… Read More
2024-03-09 20:45
There's a well-known - and true - story about the Carry On actor Peter Butterworth. As a prisoner of war during the second world war, he was one of the vaulters who helped in the famous Wood… Read More
2024-03-08 20:19
It was 19 years ago today and it was perhaps the best night to be a Chelsea fan since the FA Cup replay of 1970."Two-one down from the first leg, Chelsea were not afraid. They attacked Barce… Read More
2024-03-08 01:52
It's all happening in Oakham at the moment. This weekend will see the Queen Edith Festival, marking the approximate 1000th anniversary of the birth of the woman who was the wife of Edward th… Read More
2024-03-08 00:20
Adam Bychawski on how the Tories have driven local council services into bankruptcy: "Britain is so broke that it can’t afford lollipop people any more. Councils are having to tur… Read More
2024-03-07 22:40
From 1948 to 1961 Aylesbury was the terminus of the Metropolitan's main line, and trains had to change from electric to steam locomotives at Rickmansworth to reach it.Jago Hazzard tells us a… Read More
2024-03-06 23:01
Embed from Getty ImagesI won't say Keir Starmer's Labour Party is right wing, but it's just expelled the Sheriff of Nottingham for being too much of a socialist.From BBC News:The Sheriff of… Read More
2024-03-06 22:34
Back to the Modernist gem I happened across in Belsize Park last week, the Isokon Building, which was known more prosaically as the Lawn Road Flats in its early years.This video gives a brie… Read More
2024-03-06 12:59
Wild Rutland is inviting residents to a public engagement exhibition at Victoria Hall in Oakham, on Wednesday 13 March from 2pm to 7pm, to learn more about its proposed wildlife and British… Read More
2024-03-05 23:14
A great video from the Phil in Cornwall account on YouTube,There the blurb explains:There has been a ferry across the River Fal at King Harry Passage for over 500 years. Since 1889 it has be… Read More
2024-03-05 12:17
There's a Twitter account that's currently retweeting the whole of Bevis by Richard Jefferies. I thought I knew the book pretty well, but Jefferies has still surprised me.The tweeting has re… Read More
2024-03-04 21:44
The Harcamlow Way is a figure-of-eight path through Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. This John Rogers walk follows it from Roydon station in Essex to Ware in Hertfordshire.We visit t… Read More
2024-03-04 11:53
"His other election address, targeting a different demographic, tells another story. It trumpets Galloway’s record of backing Brexit, opposing Scottish independence and supporting fami… Read More
2024-03-04 10:28
Only a former Labour MP could come up with such a repressive measure.From the Guardian:Ministers are considering proposals to ban MPs and councillors from engaging with groups such as the Pa… Read More
2024-03-03 13:25
You can find the history of Herbie's People on a page devoted to the band:Herbies People began their musical career in 1959 when five pupils of Etheridge SM School in Bilston, West Midlands… Read More
2024-03-02 23:16
The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race - in which the nine competitors sailed around the world single handed and non stop - took place in 1968-9. It thus belongs, like the Post Office Tower and… Read More
2024-03-02 13:54
Time to wheel out one of this blog's favourite quotations. This is George Galloway writing in the Daily Record in March 2008:When I first met him 35 years ago Darling was pressing Trots… Read More
2024-03-01 12:58
"There’s not even the tiniest attempt to explain how globalists and socialists and Islamists can all be running Britain. The only coherence is the idea that whoever is running things… Read More
2024-02-29 21:45
Before I found the Isokon Building just down the road, I came across this structure om Haverstock Hill, just south of Belsize Park tube station.I decided it must be for ventilation, but thou… Read More
2024-02-29 19:31
Embed from Getty ImagesAndrew Teale produces a local by-election preview every Thursday, and today's edition also includes the parliamentary contest in Rochdale.His exhaustive history of tha… Read More
2024-02-29 18:02
I've blogged before about Richard Taylor's intention to sue the makers of the film The Lost King over the way he is represented in it. Taylor was deputy registrar of the University of Leices… Read More
2024-02-29 12:41
A few years ago it was the French who had the secret of parenting: their children ate up their vegetables and didn't get ADHD.Now it's the Scandinavians, hitherto envied by the British for t… Read More
2024-02-29 02:07
Good news from Shropshire: the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway will reopen on Monday after being out of use since December 2022.And good news for local residents: they will be able to enjoy free tr… Read More
2024-02-28 12:11
I like to wander the back streets of towns and city suburbs because, or so I claim, you never know what you are going to find. Down in London to see Liberator friends yesterday, I spent… Read More
2024-02-26 23:33
What a find! And what a performance! Here's an hour-long bootleg recording of Joni Mitchell singing at the White Swan in Leicester on 16 September 1967.The White Swan (sometimes called Ye Ol… Read More
2024-02-26 14:31
Gaby Hinsliff reviews Tom Baldwin's biography of Keir Starmer: "The kind of overly simplistic working-boy-made-good stories politicians are coached to tell about themselves on the campaign t… Read More
2024-02-25 23:12
Just a little Shropshire hill porn while I plan my holidays Read More
2024-02-25 18:54
Embed from Getty ImagesNBC News reports on CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), the US event addressed by Liz Truss last week:At the Young Republican mixer Friday evening, a grou… Read More
2024-02-25 12:25
From The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond by Chris Blackwell:I put out several Bob Marley songs and Wailers songs in the UK, where I own had a deal with Leslie Kong to distribute some o… Read More
2024-02-24 21:44
Click on the image above to go to the BBC Rewind website and see a 1964 report by a bemused Christopher Brasher on the Hallaton bottle kicking.This is in essence one of those football games… Read More
2024-02-23 23:16
I remember the phrase "Take this plane to Cuba" from my primary school years in the late Sixties and early Seventies. You would, as I recall, hear it as a punchline in comedy sketches or see… Read More
2024-02-23 17:42
Timothy Garton Ash argues that it’s time for Europe to get serious about a Ukrainian victory: "On their own, countries such as the Czech Republic and Denmark can’t possibly do wh… Read More
2024-02-22 22:29
This was David Gower's first tour as England captain, and he hit upon the novel idea of taking the two best spinners available to him. The selectors took some convincing - Edmonds was too bo… Read More
2024-02-22 13:12
Danny Chambers is the Liberal Democrat PPC for Winchester, where we finished less than a thousand votes behind the winning Conservative at the last election.He turns up in today's Guardian i… Read More
2024-02-21 18:57
Gordon Birtwistle, who was the Liberal Democrat MP for Burnley between 2010 and 2015, has been chosen to fight the seat again at the coming general election.And interviewed for the Burnley E… Read More
2024-02-21 11:47
The Stray Ferret reports that Pat Marsh, a Liberal Democrat member of North Yorkshire Council until she was suspended from the party after tweets she sent came to light, has been released fr… Read More
2024-02-20 17:54
The later careers of child stars can be an interesting, even tragic, study. Outcomes can vary from being a distinguished art historian (Jon Whiteley) to drug addiction and anonymous burial i… Read More
2024-02-20 10:43
"The rule of law is being eroded because parliament is weak. The Executive is able to ride roughshod over political processes because legislators obediently follow the party-line. This major… Read More
2024-02-20 09:45
The King of the Badgers pops up here from time to time. As I've explained before, the name comes from the Revd J.P. Martin's Uncle books, while his character comes most from the badger who a… Read More
2024-02-19 21:23
The disbanded, Northampton-based cult The Jesus Army is back in the news today. The Northampton Chronicle & Echo reports that the compensation to be paid to survivors of abuse within the… Read More
2024-02-19 18:20
Embed from Getty ImagesOne sign the Conservatives think they are going to lose the election is the number of their MPs who have chosen to retire rather than defend their seats.The Guar… Read More
2024-02-19 16:36
However many seats the Liberal Democrats win at the next election, the patchiness of their support and their lack of a clear 'third party' profile will remain a serious problem, argues Ansel… Read More
2024-02-19 11:05
It's not only Lord Bonkers who will be glad of some new characters to write about after the election. Though as to how many there will be...SaturdayAs ever, Christmas here at the Hall was a… Read More
2024-02-18 20:51
The Jordan is Market Harborough's second river. It rises near Desborough, flows through Braybrooke and Little Bowden, and joins the Welland near Market Harborough railway station.In summer i… Read More
2024-02-18 19:09
Embed from Getty ImagesThere is a quotation that gives the best summing up of the Conservative view of the world I have ever come across. I think I saw it first in a tweet or blog post by Ja… Read More
2024-02-18 10:21
This was probably something that would have been kinda popular in 1993says a comment on YouTube. I suspect 1993 is the earliest year the writer can conceive of, because this would have been… Read More
2024-02-18 10:05
The first time I ever met Lord Bonkers he warned me against the Dahrendorf lager, yet it remains a fixture at the Bonkers' Arms. Having seen some of the film he refers to here, I would certa… Read More
2024-02-17 21:16
Back to one of my current rabbit holes: the demolition of Desborough ironstone high street in 1970, which seems inexplicable to us today.This video shows you the buildings that were lost and… Read More
2024-02-17 09:36
Heavens! I've seldom known the old boy so forthright. Freddie and Fiona did eventually relent and allow Ed Davey to apologise, but I doubt that has been enough to quell the passion in the vi… Read More
2024-02-16 18:47
Paul Browne heard Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Ukrainian winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, address the Cambridge Union: "Perhaps the most chilling aspect of Russia’s occupation of Ukraine… Read More
2024-02-16 17:57
Embed from Getty ImagesA gift bag designed for menopausal women working for Avanti West Coast has been denounced, fairly as far as I can see. as "'demeaning" and an "insulting gimmick" by th… Read More
2024-02-16 09:10
There's an intriguing story in Rotten Boroughs in the current Private Eye about two Labour councillors from Brighton, Bharti Gajjar and Chandni Mistry, who have been expelled from the party… Read More
2024-02-16 08:45
Today Lord Bonkers has holts and hangers on his mind.WednesdayThis modern habit of giving storms names does not appear well advised to me: it Gives Them Ideas. The last one that passed over… Read More
2024-02-15 17:24
At lunchtime today Ben Habib, the Reform candidate in the Wellingborough by-election, tweeted a short video to tell us how well polling day was going for him.He commented in particular on th… Read More
2024-02-15 17:17
The protect duty proposed under Martyn's Law will place a heavy burden on churches and other religious buildings, argues Augustus Carp.With the world being the complicated place that it is… Read More
2024-02-15 12:19
Last month I suggested that having a father who played jazz and singing in a church choir were key experiences for the British Invasion generation of musicians.One of the examples of people… Read More
2024-02-15 10:42
The Look at Life film really exists and is online - the young Paddy Ashdown appears at about 6.35 and the comment on the Dayaks at 8.20.Gentle humour at the expense of foreigners again? I pr… Read More
2024-02-14 21:50
Here's something I hadn't heard until today. There is a little ferry in the west of the city that takes foot passengers across the Manchester Ship Canal.The Hulme's Ferry connects Flixton an… Read More
2024-02-14 13:06
Books for Keeps, the magazine about children's books, launched in 1980 and interviewed Malcolm Saville the same year.Saville had only a couple more years to live, and the impression I have i… Read More
2024-02-14 12:12
From BBC News:Worcestershire may have no choice but to move home if water levels continue to rise at New Road, their County Championship base since 1899, chief executive Ashley Giles has war… Read More
2024-02-14 09:51
And so we start another week at Bonkers Hall. The old boy has always been fond of a list, but I think he's on to something here. All these calls for people to resign ignore the fact that man… Read More
2024-02-13 16:44
The new issue of Liberator is out and can be downloaded without charge from the magazine's website - it's issue 421.Lord Bonkers has told me I shall start posting his latest diaries tomorrow… Read More
2024-02-13 11:20
Embed from Getty ImagesWith the arguable exception of Derek Underwood, Graeme Swann is the best English spin bowler of my lifetime. And, a decade after he retired from cricket, the England s… Read More
2024-02-12 20:06
"Who's going to campaign for him in October? Who's going to stuff leaflets, who's going to give old ladies a lift to the polling station, who's going to stand in rainy high streets saying "v… Read More
2024-02-12 18:22
First, an apology. The photograph of Jim Dale's birthplace I posted just before Christmas was nothing of the sort, as I was misled by false information on what looked like an authoritative l… Read More
2024-02-11 21:37
Congratulations to my old friend Phil Knowles, who has been chosen to fight the Harborough, Oadby and Wigston constituency at this year's general election.Phil is the leader of the Libe… Read More
2024-02-11 17:59
Search for a list of the 10 best British films and there's a good chance that both Brief Encounter and Kind Hearts and Coronets will feature in it. In the Empire Online list from a couple of… Read More
2024-02-11 12:14
I never stop tweeting the Cleaners from Venus song Ilya Kuryakin Looked at Me, so I thought it was time I chose another one of their tracks here. Summer in a Small Town comes from the a… Read More
Subscribe to Liberal England
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!