Author Archives: Mark Valladares

I spent part of my weekend in strangely familiar territory, with leaflets in hand. Honiton feels a bit like Stowmarket, my neighbouring town here in mid-Suffolk. For, whilst the surrounding countryside is agricultural, the town itself is not obviously prosperous – we’re not talking “touristy” here. Indeed, a bit like mid-Suffolk, any tourists are likely to heading onwards.

And, whilst the Guardian has discovered that a campaign has already broken out – really, guys, was that a surprise? – Liberal Democrat social media is abuzz with people either in Tiverton and Honiton or working out how to get there and when.

I’m on my way back from an event at the University of Bradford, which might explain today’s very slow start today. And, for those of you who know Bradford, you’ll have recognised the picture. For those of you who don’t, the statue of J B Priestly stands in front of the National Science and Media Museum.

Universities have suffered rather badly under recent Conservative administrations. Brexit has impacted on students coming here via the Erasmus programme, and research has been impacted by arguments over our participation in the Horizon 2020 programme. Throw in the impact of culture warriors with blue rosettes, and it’s been difficult to balance budgets and attract talent from beyond our shores.

It is sometimes hard to appreciate just how broken our politics is. With a Government determined to remove or destroy all of the guard rails that protect us – independent supervision of our elections, an unbiased state broadcaster, limits on campaign spending that prevent the wealthy from buying their way to power – and seemingly able to lie without restraint or conscience about anything and everything, it is perhaps unsurprising that they seem capable of defying what we traditionally thought of as political gravity.

It is as though Wilkins Micawber was not only justified in his belief that “something would come along” but that it always did.

And now, a war somewhere far enough away to not risk our direct involvement but close enough to justify an effort to look relevant has come along just when the Conservative Party was breaking into mutually hostile factions over the lies and evasions of the Prime Minister over events at 10 Downing Street. It is an excuse to persuade us that a man who has had more chances than an English slip cordon puts down in an average year should be given another.

I hope that everyone, or at least those of you who took part, enjoyed Spring Conference online. And yes, I know, it isn’t the same without the social interaction but it’s better than the alternative.

There’s a lot to be said for niceness and, in what is often (and especially now) not a particularly nice world, it is important to remember that those who don’t wholly agree with us are worthy of our respect nonetheless. As Dame Edna Everage puts it;

* taps microphone *

Is this thing on?

* taps microphone a bit harder *

Right, yes, now where was I?…

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, here at Liberal Democrat Voice, the online home of liberal comment on the questions that face us all.

So, the Government is still an utter shambles, with the possible exception of the Ministry of Defence, pursuing what the Economist describes as “the rise of unpopulism”, pursuing causes that don’t resonate beyond the Westminster bubble – the BBC, the National Trust – are contrary to their promises – NIC rises – or simply spouting slogans without any apparent intent to make them come true – levelling up.

And yet they’re still there. In Bolivia, they’d be preparing the lampposts by now…

Good morning, everyone, and welcome!

Your day editor is a slightly wounded one today, as my right shoulder doesn’t appear to have taken kindly to being fallen on three weeks ago. A sign of increasing old age, I fear. But the show must go on, and so it will…

As the Government finds itself in a “cost of living” crisis, a series of decisions already made look like making matters worse. Freezing the personal allowance and tax rate thresholds will bring more people into the income tax bracket, and more into the higher rate bracket too, as noted previously.