I’ve long been one with a penchant for fighting Labour.
I grew up on Lincoln’s famed Tower Estate. Growing up I was surrounded by real poverty, and the consequences of that poverty. I remember the fire engine arriving to extinguish a car that had been set alight just a few doors down. Our neighbours (who’s children I played with) disappeared one day – they’d been operating a cannabis farm from their council house and got caught (my bedroom wall had been occasionally warm to touch…).
Our Labour district council had long withdrawn from the estate. Crime was high, deprivation everywhere, …
Despite the lack of publicity and opportunity for discussion, toward the end of 2023 we became aware of possible closure of pharmacies in Newcastle.
First, Lloyds announced their closure of several branches including a busy one inside a large Sainsbury’s, which was popular with wheelchair users due to flat access.
Then Boots announced closure of five local branch pharmacies, affecting several neighbourhoods. I and dozens of my Ward residents would be personally affected by at least one of these closures and, as word spread about them, residents began voicing their concerns via local social media. They were not happy at being directed to other venues either a twenty-five minute walk or a bus ride away, and, even more difficult for those pushing a pram or using mobility aids.
In Kenton, the Boots pharmacy backed onto the local Health Centre, so was the first choice for residents. The nearest alternate was a mile away, dreadful news for the many elderly and disabled users. In this Ward, we fortunately had a keen young member, so decided to mount a petition and, despite the bitter winter weather, Rob stood outside collecting signatures and listening to the concerns of residents. Those of us who braved the elements to help, also stood round, gave advice and picked up casework. Soon the numbers were building up, and we opted to submit the petition to the next full Council meeting.
The amount of unclaimed benefits in the UK is estimated by Policy in Practice to be £22bn – the largest unclaimed benefits being Universal Credit (£8.3bn), Council Tax support (£3.4bn) and Carers Allowance (£2.3bn).
Councils have an important role to play in helping people claim benefits to which they are entitled but do not claim and so Merton Liberal Democrats proposed a motion at a recent council meeting to ask the Council to take some simple and inexpensive actions to ensure Merton residents claimed what they are due.
Proposing the motion, Cllr John Oliver highlighted an estimate of …
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;
The General Election campaign in Wimbledon (the closest LD/Con seat in the country) got off to a cracking start at the weekend.
On Friday we heard that one of our longest running campaigns – for step free access at Raynes Park station (used by 4.3 million people a year) has succeeded in getting funding from the ‘Access for All’ fund for feasibility works on making it step-free. Key to this was our Raynes Park Councillors meeting with the rail companies and co-ordinating letters of support from the public.
The Local Government Association has issued a new ‘safer canvassing guide’ for councillors and political parties to follow in the run up to the local election and an anticipated general election.
The guide outlines seven principles for safe canvassing and builds on those to offer some helpful, practical hints for canvassers.
I have spent exactly 24 hours door-knocking since the elections in 2022. I still absolutely love it and if I could, I would do it for a living! As I am standing again this year (one of my fellow councillors had to stand last year on health grounds), my campaign has intensified in recent weeks. The mood on the door-step has changed. Last year, some of the national and international topics dominated some of my conversations; war in Ukraine, end of the pandemic or a wide range of post-COVID government scandals.
I am pleased that this year, as candidates and councillors we have been campaigning on issues that we can actually influence; Local Plan, the state of our Town Centres, investment, infrastructure, potholes or transport provision.
The “toxicity” of campaigning has not gone away though. Has it got worse? It is hard to tell. I was “accused” by one of the other candidates of not living in my ward (I live 15 minutes walking distance from it). In many cases the literature of our opponents is quite repetitive and instead of suggesting new solutions, which could help to improve the effectiveness and functionality of the Council, it frequently “offers” scare-mongering and too often(?) a wide range of negative stories.
Yesterday I took the train to Tiverton to help Richard Foord in the Tiverton and Honiton by-election.
I helped to deliver the blue letters from Richard in time for the postal ballots which started arriving the day after.
The Tiverton sub-HQ is very well located near the centre of town, next to Morrisons. It is a very spacious and modern facility with one of the best loos I have ever seen at a by-election office. And I’ve seen a few! There was also a great range of soft drinks, teas and coffees on offer. It all seemed very organised and busy. The HQ itself is at Honiton.
We are most fortunate to have an excellent candidate in Richard.
The letter from Richard emphasises the cost of living crisis that is causing real hardship across and people being continuously let down by this Conservative government.
We’ve a real chance to win Tiverton and Honiton. Please do what you can to help Richard and his team.
I want to encourage all Liberal Democrat candidates in the local election to sign this pledge of support for trials of universal basic income (UBI). If you are a candidate in London you can sign a London-specific pledge.
This initiative is being promoted by the UBI Labs Network, one of the leading organisations campaigning for UBI in the UK.
The Liberal Democrats made UBI official party policy in 2020 and this is a great opportunity to show that party members up and down the country support UBI.
It may seem like a small thing to sign a pledge like this. After all, councils by themselves could not put such an initiative into action: they cannot raise the revenue to pay for it or change the tax code in ways that support it. So why bother?
And yet, and yet… every big journey begins with a single step.
As I am writing this article, there are thirty-two days until the next local elections. As someone who is standing, we are entering the last stages of the campaign. The finish line is quite close!
This year, in order to know how much time, effort and energy I invested in campaigning, I decided to create a simple timesheet. It is nice to see that since October 2021, I have spent twenty-five hours door knocking, more than twenty-five hours delivering our leaflets and another ten meeting our delivery network. I hope that the outcome will be positive for me and our local Welwyn Hatfield Liberal Democrat team.
I’ve said it a few times but I really enjoy door knocking. I like meeting people, discussing current local and at times, national and global matters. I am learning to become a better listener. Without being judgmental, it is good to find out why people vote in a certain way or why they support a particular policy.
With the May 2022 local elections on the horizon, it is paramount the Lib Dems build up momentum going into the spring by ending the year strong and we did just that!
First and foremost, we want to thank all our valued candidates, local parties and an army of steadfast volunteers that gave Lib Dem supporters ample opportunity to support Liberal Democrat Councillors all over the country.
There were two gains in Lancaster, one loss and one gain in Hailsham, a heartfelt loss in North Norfolk and in Breckland.
The North Shropshire by-election is two weeks’ today. Yesterday, I spent half-a-hour talking to the Lib Dem candidate for North Shropshire, Helen Morgan. I was impressed by her determination, her grasp of the issues from farming to public transport, and of the biggest issue, health. The first article discussing how the campaign is going was published earlier today.
Helen spoke of the difficulty in getting to see a GP and the queues of ambulances outside the county’s A&E’s. In a very rural part of England, farmers are struggling in the transition from basic farm payments to the new Environmental Land Management System (ELMS). There is space in rural areas for some solar farms and for microgeneration of renewable electricity.
Public transport is a major issue, especially the infrequency of buses. The difficulty in getting housing people can afford is also high on the agenda.
Yesterday, I spent half-a-hour talking to the Lib Dem candidate for North Shropshire, Helen Morgan.
In this first of two articles, Helen tells us how the campaign is going with just two weeks to go. Sleaze is not a big topic on the doorsteps but trust in politicians is very low. People in Shropshire are fed up with politicians who appear for a photo call during an election but don’t try to solve local problems in between. Helen wants to help restore that trust.
The Conservative vote is very soft. A lot of people are thinking about switching their votes, or maybe even not voting at all, because they are disillusioned with the way they’ve been treated over many decades by their Conservative representatives. A lot of people say that it’s time for a change in North Shropshire.
The canvassing of the postal voters has given really good results:
We can win if we get enough boots on the ground to come and put the leaflets through the door.
There is the clatter of the letter box. Among the bills and magazines is a white envelope that contains the postal voting form. That is happening right now in North Shropshire. Postal votes are critical to us winning this by-election. And we can win this by-election. We have the right candidate. The right team. But in this huge constituency, we need people on the ground and on the phones to persuade people that this does not have to remain a true blue seat.
There is a lot of talk about the Lib Dems having to climb a mountain to win this by-election. A mountain is a challenge but not an impossibility. If we win this by-election, we will change the political dynamics of the Welsh Marches. We are a Tory leaning area with a huge streak of Lib Dem support. Winning here means that we can win so many other wards, councils and constituencies.
We need to tell the world that the Lib Dems are back.
Just four weeks today, voters will go to the polls across North Shropshire. More than 83,000 voters will have the chance to cast their vote. We can win that vote. Even the bookies think so – odds on Helen Morgan winning have shortened this week with William Hill now offering 2:1.
The previous incumbent, Owen Paterson, held a majority of 22,949. Despite that, the Tories are not invincible in North Shropshire. They have presided over the decline of local NHS services. Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust was rated as inadequate for the third time today. There are long waits for ambulances and long waits to be transferred into A&E. The reform of Shropshire’s health provision, known as Future Fit, has stalled after years of dithering. Farmers and small businesses are angry at the bureaucracy they must negotiate to export to the EU. People are concerned about climate change and the slow progress locally and nationally on tackling it. Underfunded schools. The lack of rural transport. Low wages. The state of the rural economy.
We have everything to win in North Shropshire. We have a great candidate in Helen Morgan and a great team backing her. We need as many feet on the ground, as many people stuffing envelopes and as many people on the phones as we can get. If you can’t do any of those, please donate. Campaigning details for Saturday are below.
The campaign to take the North Shropshire seat from the Conservatives got off to a flying start last weekend, including a visit from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey. The North Shropshire team supported by campaigners across the country have been leafleting and talking to voters since last Saturday.
The betting odds on the Lib Dem candidates winning this seat have been slashed from 10:1 to 4:1. That’s good when we are trying to overturn a majority of nearly 23,000. I am not suggesting you gamble but if you can get to North Shropshire, please to so and help win the seat whatever the bookies’ odds. There are also other ways you can help if you can’t get there.
Ed Davey and Daisy Cooper are campaigning in Wem on Friday afternoon. Saturday lunch, Tim Farron and Sarah Green will officially launch the campaign just outside Wem at 1pm. Campaigners will also be out in Oswestry, Market Drayton and Whittington over the next few days.
During this terrible pandemic, our carers have been more important than ever. Yet carers are still often forgotten or ignored by those in power.
Back our campaign to stand up for carers – starting by raising the Carer’s Allowance by £1,000 a year 👇
Carers – paid and unpaid, young and old – do a remarkable and important job.
They deserve our support but are far too often forgotten and ignored. Liberal Democrats will stand up for carers and lead the way to a more caring society as
Many councillors and campaigners will be familiar with ALDC’s Local Election Appeal, which supports Liberal Democrat candidates in seats we’re aiming to gain from the other parties.
It’s vital that our party makes gains in the major series of local and national elections scheduled for Thursday 6 May. Here at ALDC, we’re aiming to raise £40,000 for the 2021 Local Election Appeal – 100% of this fund will be spent on additional direct mail to key groups of voters in our battleground wards, especially postal voters.
At the last local elections in 2019, 75% of the candidates who received funding from ALDC were from groups underrepresented in local government – women, BAME, LGBT+, young people (under 26) and people with disabilities. ALDC are committed to making our councillors more representative of the communities we represent and we will be supporting a similar proportion in 2021.
As I write this, I have never thought I would be so pleased to see the back of a year as I did 2020. At the same time, I have never felt so apprehensive about what 2021 and the next 12 months holds for our families, our communities and our country.
Since New Year there has been loads of speculation about the elections in May. We simply don’t know as I pen this. If I was in government, I’d want to keep the option open of May elections until the last possible moment.
What we do know is the Government (in the most recent case via Local Government Minister Chloe Smith) are saying they will go ahead in May, with the bar for delaying being set “quite high”. So that is as clear as mud then!
For the past six months, while liberals everywhere were biting their nails, the LDO North American Branch were analysing data sources and talking to anyone they could to gain useful insight into the US Elections.
So, what are the insights and lessons learned? The LDO report distills it all down to 7 key insights.
1. The ‘non-campaign’ campaign: Virtual campaigning comes of age
While Trump repeated his 2016 strategy, relying heavily on big rallies and live cable news coverage, the Biden team relied on virtual campaigning tactics. Democrats had to completely rethink how to connect with voters, finding new, imaginative ways of re-creating the emotional connection over the phone, text, Facebook message, and Zoom. In fact, virtual campaigning turned out to be more efficient, greatly extend reach, and be as impactful as traditional in-person events and door-knocking operations.
Of late there has been a surge of Right-wing media, twisting and distorting facts or even just blatantly lying, clearly hoping that the old adage attributed to Mark Twain “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” still holds some weight.
As Conservatives push their message, the opposition parties must be smarter, there is no point in responding directly to try to put right their ceaseless mantra of misinformation, little point in reacting or name-calling. Instead, we must be faster, more cautious, and cleverer.
I wanted to let you know about my experience door knocking over the last couple of weeks. Over the last fortnight, I’ve spent two evenings a week knocking on doors in Portsmouth, where I’m the Lib Dem Leader of the Council.
The feedback from voters here in Portsmouth has been brilliant, they were very pleased to see us.
I’ve been out in small groups, each of us in masks, keeping 2 meters from anyone. If people weren’t in, we posted leaflets through letterboxes to let them know we’d been.
It was great to be back talking to residents, as …
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms all allow you to create Live videos. The time people spend watching Facebook Live videos has quadrupled in the past year and generate more engagement than pre-recorded videos.
Around one in five videos on Facebook is a Live video and across all social media channels Live video is expected to grow 15-fold by 2022, making up around 17% of all internet traffic.
So how do you incorporate live streams into your social media campaign?
Vikki Slade, Leader of BCP Council and Liberal Democrat Councillor for Broadstone Ward, is not only a big believer in the power of social media, but has found engaging ways to make Live video part of her social media strategy. She says:
Regular involvement in our local communities meant we could respond quickly to pull local partners together before lock-down was announced. Our Parish Church offered to provide a base for a ‘Community Response Hub’, the Church Secretary took on the role of co-ordinator and other volunteers from the congregation stepped up to run social media. This gave us a flying start in organising a grass-root team offer to local people into which representatives from the Police, a Council Officer and other representatives from local groups met and worked together. We met every day for the first 16 days to make sure …
News of the delay in this May’s local elections by a year is a sign of just how serious the coronavirus outbreak is.
It also means that for many candidates, agents and campaign teams who were gearing up for May, there’s now an unsettling vacuum in their political lives. What was going to be a peak of effort, with big impacts on the lives of people who are or aren’t elected, is now suddenly put off.
There’s also the weird situation that some councillors – along with their families – find themselves in. Those who were expecting to retire in a few weeks, sometimes after many years of voluntary public service, instead face an extra 12 months before they get to stand down.
ALDC (Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners) has updated its advice for canvassers and campaigners in the light of the Government’s announcement yesterday.
CAMPAIGNING ADVICE
A lot of members have asked us for advice about campaigning in the light of the COVID-19 virus. This is our current advice. This may change if Government, NHS and professional guidance changes at which point we will issue new guidance.
DO – KEEP CAMPAIGNING
Our current advice is that we should keep campaigning the normal ways that Liberal Democrats campaign, including delivering leaflets and knocking on doors.
We need to make the most of that – and now is a great time to build up your local party by activating more of your members.
That’s why we’re releasing the Boost Guide. We’ve worked with and learnt from some of our most successful local parties and activists. We’ve taken their best ideas and top tips, and distilled them into a handy guide for you.
From the mechanics of how to find your member data, through to running better events and more,it’s a definitive manual on how to broaden your engagement and activate more members. The guide has tips and strategies that will work for every size of local party.
Tristan Ward @Mick Taylor
From Kropotkin's "The Conquest of Bread (1892):
"It is high time for the worker to assert his right to the common inheritance and enter into...
Peter Watson @Richard "I suspect that saying, for example, that we would add four pence to price of a litre of petrol to fund the lifting of the “education tax” would be...
Steve Comer David Allen has already expressed a lot of comments I would wholheartedly agree with.
The debates on philospohy have been interesting, but the original post ta...
Tristan Ward @ David Raw
I am indeed not familiar with Elisabete Mendes Silva's work, but I have gone back to my copy of On Liberty, where, in Chapter 5, Mill and Taylor ...
Mick Taylor @TristanWard. Anarchism is the polar opposite of communism. Communism believes that the state should do almost everything, whilst anarchism rejects the state in...
In Kenton, the Boots pharmacy backed onto the local Health Centre, so was the first choice for residents. The nearest alternate was a mile away, dreadful news for the many elderly and disabled users. In this Ward, we fortunately had a keen young member, so decided to mount a petition and, despite the bitter winter weather, Rob stood outside collecting signatures and listening to the concerns of residents. Those of us who braved the elements to help, also stood round, gave advice and picked up casework. Soon the numbers were building up, and we opted to submit the petition to the next full Council meeting.
The General Election campaign in Wimbledon (the closest LD/Con seat in the country) got off to a cracking start at the weekend.
As I write this, I have never thought I would be so pleased to see the back of a year as I did 2020. At the same time, I have never felt so apprehensive about what 2021 and the next 12 months holds for our families, our communities and our country. 
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Michael's weekly ward surgeries today! #dundeewestend
The true cost of the Rwanda farce
Call for Southwell's importance to Byron to be recognised
Tristan Ward 
Peter Watson 
Steve Comer 
Mick Taylor 