I really couldn’t do today’s summary without covering Ed Davey’s adventures in Somerset.

Whilst I’m sure that there are those out there who think that it’s all a bit silly, I’d suggest that it does two things:

• Gets out the message that, actually, Ed is kind of fun, and:

• Allows him to get across two messages in an easy soundbite when he’s got media attention.

And, that attention is spread further, to voters who might otherwise not hear our message, as Shelter have demonstrated:

👀The feeling you get when your party has pledged to build 150,000 social homes per year… https://t.co/U4GpjcnNKo pic.twitter.com/kYIzuTIbwM

— Shelter (@Shelter) May 30, 2024

There weren’t that many press releases today, strangely, but here are the ones we’ve received:

• Conservatives have “legalised littering”
• Cole-Hamilton: Liberal Democrats stand ready to fix broken politics
• Scottish Liberal Democrats welcome Edinburgh Jazz Bar re-opening as social enterprise

Conservatives have “legalised littering”

Responding to the Conservative’s announcement that fly-tippers face driving licence points, Liberal Democrat Local Government Spokesperson Helen Morgan said:

The Conservatives have effectively legalised littering. Under their government, fines for littering and fly-tipping are so low that people are being let off scot-free up and down the country.

The fact that fly-tipping is going unpunished is simply appalling. If people aren’t being fined, it’s no wonder that they think they can dump their rubbish on the streets without consequence.

The Conservatives have had years to get tough on fly-tippers and litterers but have failed at every turn. The Liberal Democrats are calling for real action against fly-tippers by increasing fines and using the profits to crack down on this anti-social crime.

Cole-Hamilton: Liberal Democrats stand ready to fix broken politics

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton today outlined how the party will fix our broken politics, as he unveiled its plan for cleaning up the sleaze and scandal created by both the SNP and Conservatives.

Alex Cole-Hamilton took to the campaign trail in central Edinburgh to unveil the plans to put power into the hands of voters, end the sleaze and cronyism and make politics work for you again.

His party’s plan includes:

• Making every vote count by introducing proportional representation for electing MPs;
• Ending the WhatsApp deletion scandals;
• Reforming the House of Lords;
• A written constitution for the UK;
• A right to recall your MSP.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

People are sick of the constant stream of Conservative sleaze, the SNP’s secrecy and the deterioration of standards.

Good governance is the bedrock to getting everyone faster access to a GP and an NHS dentist, lifting up education and taking the sewage out of our rivers. To achieve that, we need to remove the sleaze, scandal and chaos that has gripped our politics for too long.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would make every vote count and boost transparency so we can end scandals like the Covid WhatsApp deletions. We want to put power back in the hands of people by giving them the right to recall their MSP.

The Conservatives and the SNP have both been in power too long, breaking the rules and taking people for granted. Liberal Democrats stand ready to fix our broken politics. Our local champions will put public service back into the beating heart of that politics.

Scottish Liberal Democrats welcome Edinburgh Jazz Bar re-opening as social enterprise

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today welcomed the re-opening of the Edinburgh Jazz Bar as a social enterprise under new ownership.

In April, it was announced that The Jazz Bar, an iconic music venue in Edinburgh, would close after almost 20 years. Founded in 2005, the venue played host to a huge variety of musicians and was an integral part of the city’s music community.

The venue’s website indicated that the cost-of-living crisis and operational challenges “proved too much” to carry on running.

Today, it was announced The Jazz Bar would be re-opening as a non-profit social enterprise with new owners who have “deep connections” to the bar.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

The Jazz Bar’s closure in April cut deep into the heart of the city’s cultural landscape, so it is a huge relief to see it reopening under new ownership.

Sadly, The Jazz Bar is far from the only cultural venue and initiative, such as the Screen Machine and the Edinburgh Filmhouse, to have come under increasing threat on the SNP’s watch.

The SNP love to masquerade as advocates for Scottish culture. Yet, in reality, they are slashing the culture budget, cutting money from local government and failing to support businesses with the cost of living.

The near closure of The Jazz Bar needs to serve as a warning sign for the state of Scottish culture under the SNP. We need to see the Scottish Government investing for the future to preserve Scotland’s proud musical, artistic and literary history, and working with the UK Government to help ease the strains on businesses struggling to stay afloat.

In September last year, the Scottish Government reimposed a £6.6 million budget cut on Scotland’s chief culture body, Creative Scotland. The body is still facing a funding blackhole of more than £50 million.