The town's newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde never misses a chance to repeat his claim that Eastbourne is the sunniest town in the UK.So it's a shame that Talking Pictur… Read More
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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
Here's a pilgrimage I should make myself one day. Richard Jefferies is buried at Worthing because he spent his last days near the Sussex coast. It was hoped that the sea air would ease his t… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesI just hope this piece in Big Issue doesn't go to her head:The most popular newcomer in parliament knows I’ve been eating bacon and sausages. Jennie leans on my… Read More
The new voter ID rules rolled out in this month’s General Election may have prevented 370,000 people from casting their ballots, disproportionately affecting women and people of colour… Read More
When Bob Appleyard died in 2015 I wrote a tribute to him. I'll quote most of it below, but the reason for this post is that I have found a clip of him bowling. I can't embed it here, so hurr… Read More
And it was taken by Danny Chambers, who is now the Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester.When @rthonjennie clocked @Number10catHoping not to have to put my veterinary training to use. pic.twitt… Read More
This is a wonderful compilation of footage showing some of the last t rains to serve Nottingham Victoria station - the last of all ran on 4 September 1967 - and then its demolition.Victoria… Read More
Stretch your mind back to the early-to-mid 1970s. If you can't, just ask your grandparents.In those years, Close Up toothpaste was a big seller in this country. It was a clear red jelly with… Read More
Politics Home has an article on Pippa Heylings, the newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire:Heylings was recognised on the first ever ENDS Power List of political environm… Read More
BBC News wins our prestigious Headline of the Day Award.And there's a local angle to the story below:A grandmother who climbed on top of a freight train as part of a climate protest has esca… Read More
Graeme Hayes and Steven Cammiss argue that the harsh sentences imposed on Just Stop Oil protestors are the logical outcome of Britain’s authoritarian turn against protest."In the… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesI have my doubts about Sherlock Holmes’s method of reasoning. Take what is probably his most famous formula:“When you have eliminated the impossible, whate… Read More
David Minnery, who represents Market Drayton West on Shropshire Council, has joined the Liberal Democrat group on the authority. Cllr Minnery, was leader of the Independent group… Read More
I remember new wave, but since then many new genres have whooshed over my head without me noticing them.In 2018, Pitchfork nominated its 30 best dream pop albums, including Mazzy Star's She… Read More
Good news: you can watch the 1948 film No Room at the Inn online. And it's the 90-minute version that Talking Pictures TV has shown - there used to be a shorter version online, but that disa… Read More
Today's Guardian has an article on the last hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.Very interesting, but my eye was caught by a note at the end:This article was amended on 20… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesWell, Jo Swinson certainly proved a more forceful witness than Ed Davey, who seemed to fall back on a masochism strategy from the start.The first sentence of Nick Wall… Read More
I saw a butterfly this morning. It was only a cabbage white but, as it's the first I've seen this year, still worthy of celebration.Many people have noticed the lack of butterflies and bees… Read More
Alistair Carmichael argues that 'popular Conservatives' are killing their party: "It takes a special sort of intelligence to see an election in which you have lost hundreds of seats to liber… Read More
Here are the videos of the Lib Dem leader's appearance before the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry today.He began to give evidence shortly before the lunch break - that's the video above… Read More
Of course they do. Every former politician now has a podcast.And, no, I've not listened to it.If you want to - and it's your right in a free country - you will find the pair of them on YouTu… Read More
You may know the story of Mary Whitehouse's fellow campaigner John Smyth QC. The new Private Eye reminds us:In a purpose-built garden shed at his home in Winchester, Smyth administered sadis… Read More
The new Private Eye has an article on Lucy Letby that the magazine was unable to publish at the time of her second trial.I don't know if there's anything in it that hasn't appeared in the pr… Read More
If you force someone to swear an oath, you are not trying to change their mind but humiliating them.It was, I believe, Conor Cruise O'Brien who said that, in his biography of Edmund Burke… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesLady Maud Montgomery, nee Farrar, wife of Bishop Montgomery and mother of Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, out shopping in Moville, Ireland. A barefoot young boy… Read More
Our Headline of the Day Award sees a rare victory for the Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser, which has pictures of the stain.The judges advise everyone to be careful when drinking tea as… Read More
Jane Ashdown, the widow of the former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, has been talking to Somerset Live about her delight at the general election result:"I can't wipe the grin off my… Read More
"Travelling to Russia to meet the head of a government under EU sanctions, which has disregarded the territorial integrity of another state, is unprecedented. Doing so in the week Hungary ha… Read More
Salisbury Cathedral's foundations are so shallow that it effectively rests on a bed of gravel and water. If the water gets too low, it has to be topped up to keep the building up.Which is wh… Read More
Northampton's history doesn't get the attention it deserves, says Mike Ingram, plugging his book in an interview with Northants Live. The building he talks about in particular is the wo… Read More
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, will appear before the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on Thursday.Two former leaders of the party are also about to give evidence to the i… Read More
Stuart Whomsley on how voting Liberal Democrat last Thursday has changed his life.I voted Liberal Democrats, for the first time, for three reasons: Through my union membership I got to… Read More
In all my excitement at the rise of Talking Pictures TV, I've been guilty of neglecting my first love ITV3.But I did watch an episode of Heartbeat on ITV3 the other day, and it provided me w… Read More
"The party’s organizing basis since the first day Trump took office has been to treat him as a civic emergency. This is the basis for demanding donations, volunteering, and sacrifice… Read More
Jago Hazzard eschews (hem hem) his usual subject of railways and shows us instead a secret road in the West End.To explain Lower Robert Street's existence and obscurity, he reveals the inter… Read More
I've not finished with Worzel Gummidge yet, because I've discovered that The Laughing Stock YouTube channel has most of the episodes from the four series that Southern made between 1979 and… Read More
Favourite interview of the week - new Lib Dem MP Steve Darling on his guide dog Jennie stealing the show in the Commons.More on the pod, inc @GraemeDogfather on what dog Starmer should get … Read More
With the open web under threat in Britain, Laurence Warner argues that it may be time to make it a child-free zone. Last year I warned Lib Dem Voice not to follow Iran in banning e… Read More
Richard Kemp says the Liberal Democrats must be a party of the major cities as well of the shires and suburbs: "We will only be a truly national party when we represent people in all areas a… Read More
Remember this? Sadly the claim that barking dogs deter drones seem no to be true, as we still have a problem with drugs, phones and other illicit good being smuggled into prisons that way,Fr… Read More
Starring nine-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, who's just been selected for the England women's team, the annual ChessFest event attracted 23,000 people to Trafalgar Square on Sunday. That's an… Read More
Frank Duckworth, Co-deviser Of The Duckworth Lewis Method, Lodged With John Lennon And His Aunt Mimi
Embed from Getty ImagesLiberal England's Trivial Fact of the Day is taken from the Guardian obituary of the mathematician Frank Duckworth.It was he who, together with the cricket statisticia… Read More
How can the Lib Dems continue to grow after last week's historic advance? Anselm Anon argues that, to do so, we must meet the challenge of the Greens.There is plenty for liberals to celebrat… Read More
John Rogers's blurb on YouTube:A Walk following the Mardyke Way from Purfleet, Essex through the countryside on the edge of Greater London to the village of Bulphan. The Mardyke is an ancien… Read More
And this story's from Leicester too! No wonder it's our Headline of the Day.Well done, BBC News Read More
Alex Folkes looks at the performance of Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens in last week's general election.The main attack line being levelled at Labour following their success on Thursday… Read More
To celebrate the 105th anniversary of Jon Pertwee's birth, here's a clip from Worzel Gummidge.Geoffrey Bayldon is the Crow Man, the benign god of the scarecrows, and the children are Charlot… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Liberal Democrats' targeting strategy was an extraordinary success. I believe Jeremy Hunt's Godalming and Ash was the only seat to evade us.Those who devised the s… Read More
It's strange how some music dates and some doesn't. You still hear the Spencer Davis Group singles Gimme Some Lovin' and I'm a Man in television commercials, and they're used to convey moder… Read More
"Lots of people left that meeting thinking: 'Fuck him. Fuck the PM. Fuck all this. I’m going to go look for a job.'" Emilio Casalicchio has talked to the people who watched the Conserv… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesMichael Mullaney, who was our candidate in Hinckley and Bosworth on Thursday, has tweeted a list of the Liberal Democrat near misses at this election. They form a hand… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesBREAKING... Drew Hendry has conceded that the Lib Dems will win the seat after the recount, so 72 it is.One general election result remains to be announced: it's the o… Read More
Yesterday was an extraordinary day. We now have the largest Liberal or Liberal Democrat representation in the Commons since the brief revival of 1923-4. A total of 71 Lib Dem MPs were electe… Read More
The Bailey Head in Oswestry is the new Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) West Midlands Regional Cider Pub of the Year, says a press release from the British Guild of Beer Writers.Well done to th… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesIn an article posted on the Guardian's website this afternoon, Ed Davey describes tomorrow's election as "a once-in-a-generation chance to put an end to years of Conse… Read More
The media must start holding Reform and Nigel Farage to account, says Hardeep Matharu. The normalisation of racism and dog-whistles will only get worse if the press continues to treat F… Read More
If you believe Reform's leaders, then its activists and candidates are either plants or actors. At least, that's the leadership's defence whenever a new piece of controversy about the party… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesFrom the Guardian:She is a nine-year-old British prodigy, who has already caused a commotion in the chess world with her fearless play and string of spectacular victor… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesThe England selectors have included the uncapped Nottinghamshire seamer Dillon Pennington.in their 14-man squad for the first two tests against the West Indies this su… Read More
Southwell Minster is at once one of England's least known cathedrals and one of its finest.Its glory is the wonderful medieval stone carving of leaves, green men and more in the chapter hous… Read More
If there is a seat where anything could happen on Thursday, it's Leicester East. There, two former Labour MPs for the patch (Keith Vaz and Claudia Webbe) are taking on the party's… Read More
"The ABC shared its findings with disinformation experts, who said the network's activity had the hallmarks of a Russian influence operation." Michael Workman and Kevin Nguyen reveal th… Read More
A couple of weeks ago I went to see the film Wilding, which was inspired by Isabella Tree's book on the remarkable transformation of the Knepp Estate.This short film tells the same story, th… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesI don't want to spread false optimism, but a remarkable story went up on the Guardian website this afternoon:The Liberal Democrats are increasingly confident they can… Read More
Rather to his surprise, Augustus Carp finds himself offering an update on the latest trends in councillors changing party.I am not particularly good at political forecasting. I had exp… Read More
This is a brilliant record, and one I thought I'd always known. But why I know it is a bit of a mystery, as it wasn't a hit in the UK or even the US.If It Feels Good, Do it was first r… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesChloe Keedy from ITV News filed a report from Yellow Hammer 1, Ed Davey's election battle bus, as it began a final five-day tour of Liberal Democrat prospects from&nbs… Read More
Ben Maguire is the Liberal Democrat in the North Cornwall constituency. Today he tweeted this endorsement from John Pardoe.A sweet young thing asks: Who is John Pardoe.My early Liberal heroe… Read More
"Between 2012 and 2019, austerity was responsible for an estimated 335,000 excess deaths. The rate of prescription of antidepressants in England has doubled since 2011: nearly 20 per cent of… Read More
Following my visit to Brixworth last week, here's a video about the village's remarkable Saxon church Read More
More about the JCPCP on the Egalitarian Publishing site. I've slightly lost the thread of which issue which column has appeared in, but this one has certainly been published. In fact, I don'… Read More
He has not, God knows, been much of a leader, and it's not even certain that he will be returned for Richmond and Northallerton next week, but Rishi Sunak should not resign the Conservative… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesAn extraordinary story from the Guardian:Labour has been accused of "not putting up a fight" against Nigel Farage in Clacton after the party’s candidate was inst… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesLiberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has been interviewed by Greg Barradale for the Big Issue in a way that skillfully combines the personal and the political.You mention… Read More
"Along with a shortage of GP appointments and an excess of potholes in the roads, the issue exercising Henley’s well-heeled voters above all else is the state of the famous waterway sp… Read More
Sir Peter Soulsby, Leicester's elected Labour mayor, is not happy, reports the Guardian:Keith Vaz could be re-elected as an MP because Labour is failing to highlight that he was disgraced in… Read More
Conservative fears of an electoral wipe out next Thursday will be deepened by analysis in the Financial Times suggesting that Labour is diverting its activists from Liberal Democrat targets… Read More
Zoe Crowther has been to North Norfolk for Politics Home and found that some of the people out canvassing for the Liberal Democrat candidate Steffan Aquarone are Labour supporters:"I would d… Read More
Says who? Says a practising barrister, that's who.Following the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry has introduced me to the world of legal vloggers. And one of my favourite is Alan Robertshaw, w… Read More
"There is no disguising the fact Sunak well knows when Williams, his ex-PPS, first learnt of the election date. The same, unsurprisingly, can be said of his director of campaigns, Tony Lee (… Read More
It's tempting to say that Brixworth is dominated by its Saxon church, but really you have to go looking for it. As is common in Northamptonshire, the ancient village centre was bypassed by t… Read More
Just as it's not Christmas until we have seen a news story about a crap Santa's Wonderland, so it's not summer until the first boy has gone to school in a skirt as a protest against not bein… Read More
I liked this when it was in the charts in 1973, but I never grasped what it was about.Wikipedia says:The song tells a story about a rock and roller whose guitar is shipped to Oriole, Kentuck… Read More
BBC News wins our Headline of the Day Award.As you can see from the video, the donkey is not, as I first thought, sharing a flat with an individual elk, but running free with a whole herd of… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesI don't look at the Spectator much these days, but Stephen Daisley makes an important on Just Stop Oil's stunts:It is not true that spraying orange cornflour on Stoneh… Read More
Yesterday the Liberal Democrats held two council seats in Oxfordshire. Because of ill health, Richard Webber had been forced to resign both the seats he held. They were the Sutton Court… Read More
Embed from Getty ImagesEven now, the Conservatives have not understood that Ed Davey is a far bigger danger to their majority than Nigel Farage.So says Martin Kettle in today's Guardian, and… Read More
As we end our week at Bonkers Hall, his lordship turns his mind from the general election to the thorny question of what to do about Earl Russell's Big Band.This is an opportunity to say tha… Read More
The latest edition of the Writers on Film podcast is well worth a listen:Roger Lewis comes back to the pod to talk about his small masterpiece of biographical investigation, and fitting test… Read More
The old lead mine at Snailbeach has cropped up here a few times, but it really is a remarkable site.I'll be exploring it again myself later this summer, but for the time being here's a good… Read More
"The UK and EU cannot help but matter to each other. Regardless of the formal terms of the relationship, developments on one side of the Channel do affect what happens on the other." Brexit… Read More
This is more on message from the old boy, and I think he's safe from Freddie and Fiona - they would never read Liberator, where his diaries first appear.You, however, look just the sort. It'… Read More
It occurs to me that the last three films I have seen at the cinema have all been documentaries: Eric Ravilious - Drawn to War, Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger and - tod… Read More
George Parker and Anna Gross have been to Yeovil for the Financial Times, and who should they meet there but the leader of the Liberal Democrats?Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat leader, has cl… Read More
Many thanks to the reader who nominated the Telegraph for this blog's Headline of the Day Award. The story may be behind a paywall, but the headline is in plain sight.I had some clear-the-ai… Read More
I'm loath to criticise my employer, but I'm not sure this is Terribly Fair. After I gained Market Harborough North in an historic by-election, I became quite friendly with my Labour opponent… Read More
This is a wonderful discovery, and a reminder that even a chocolate-box estate village like Lamport - which I know so well it has its own label on this blog - has an industrial history.Many… Read More
Anna Tarrant praises Ed Davey's celebration of fatherhood and says we are all better off when men do more of the caring."Looking back to that December morning in 2019 I don't think any… Read More
Well done to the Mirror for winning our Headline of the Day Award.The judges have again recommended a video to accompany this post. It's not that it's a bad choice, it's the principle of th… Read More
Lord Bonkers pretends he doesn't read this blog, but I see he's picked up my interest in the idea that there are big cats living wild in the English countryside. And I hadn't heard of the Gl… Read More