Author Archives: Mark Valladares

I was told on Saturday that there was going to be an announcement of £20 billion for the NHS, and my first response was incredulity. “Where does that come from?”, was my question.
But sure enough, the announcement has come, and whilst the proposal for finding this sum is, how can I put it, less than entirely concrete still, it has complicated the arithmetic of opposition to Brexit. I’ll take an initial look at the numbers later.

It’s expected that the Lords could be sitting as late as midnight, as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill returns for consideration of Commons amendments. Will …

So, it’s apparently possible that we’ll be reduced to hunting and grazing off of the land within weeks of Brexit, if the Sunday Times is to be believed. I suppose that, as Chair of my Parish Council, I’ll be organising bands of villagers, armed to the teeth, to keep you away from our food supplies… But seriously, whilst the scenario supposedly outlined may be exaggerated for effect, it is a reminder that, in a world of interdependencies, no country is an island, even when it consists of nothing else.

But, of course, no …

Today’s Liberal Democrat Voice is brought to you from sunny West Yorkshire, starting in Brighouse and ending… probably in mid-Suffolk, which isn’t very Northern, I’ll admit.

No promises about today’s content, I’m afraid, although there might be something about Parish Councils again, given what happened last week.

So, sit back with the light refreshment of your choice, as we set off on this Bank Holiday Monday…

* Mark Valladares is Monday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. Sometimes, it’s much easier than it looks…

It’s St George’s Day today, the anniversary of Queen Anne being crowned at Westminster Abbey (1702), and of the chartering of Connecticut as an English colony in 1662. And, coincidentally, on this day in 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria endorsed “The German Beer Purity Law”, which I think we could all support.

I’ve been spending the weekend celebrating a significant anniversary, and clearly you’ve all been outside enjoying the fine weather (except our Scottish colleagues, who’ve been at their Conference), or campaigning for elections, as we’ve got precious little in the kitty …

Another week starts here, and today marks the 165th anniversary of the first passenger train in India, which ran from Bori Bunder (now the site of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly Victoria Terminus) to Thane.

Closer to home, the Battle of Culloden was fought on this day in 1746, whilst in 1963, Martin Luther King penned his Letter from Birmingham Jail, whilst imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama when campaigning against segregation.

For those of you who might be wondering, I’m at home in Suffolk today, which is a good link to our first item today, which comes from a near neighbour on …

Do you know, I’d almost forgotten that I was today’s duty Editor. That’s what a four day weekend does for you. Well, that and the fact that today’s Liberal Democrat Voice is brought to you from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova!

I’m here in part to explore a little known corner of what some describe as New Europe, and also to meet some Moldovan liberals, which should be interesting given the local politics here.

So, moving on, what have we got for you today?

First up is Gordon Lishman, who offers us a report of …

So, the big weekend of pro-Remain parades is over, with a weekend of Liberal Democrat campaigning still to come. And whilst the Government continues to flounder in the face of all of the things it was warned about, there is still no apparent sign that they will do anything other than keep on going, in the hope that it will be alright on the night. Besides, with a Leader of the Opposition almost as committed to freeing the country from the supposed restrictions placed upon us as the Conservatives are, there is little risk of defeat.

Hope springs eternal though, and …

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that last week’s “Beast from the East” has passed. Whilst here in Mid Suffolk, the snow has now pretty much melted, there are still some of you digging yourselves out, and good luck to you.

But neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night prevents a Day Editor from performing their duties, so what have we got for you today?

We kick off with news of cross-party co-operation to oppose the impacts of Brexit, courtesy of the Party’s press team, and it will be interesting …