Liberator 416 can be downloaded here (click on the 416 icon). This is the free February-March online-only edition of Liberator and we hope you enjoy reading it.
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What’s inside this issue?
Alongside Radical Bulletin, Commentary, Letters and Lord Bonkers’ Diary, Liberator 416 includes:
DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISTS
Liberalism used to be about enabling free thought and giving communities a voice. Has a series of centralising measures in the party stifled that creativity and innovation? Gareth Epps investigates
BUSY DOING NOTHING
The Liberal Democrats have ignored two sets of recommendations on race because other equalities issues are more ’popular’. They will therefore go on losing to Labour in urban areas, says Janice Turner
SEEING RED OVER LABOUR
The Liberal Democrats face peril if they let voters think they are the same thing as Labour and fail to fight Starmer’s party, says Gwyneth Deakins
THE SCANDAL OF THE FOOD BANKS
People in poverty are having to rely on donated food to get enough to eat. Margaret Lally looks at what drives them to food banks and how social security should change
SELLERS’ MARKET.
The Tories are supposed to believe in for markets, so why won’t they let public sector workers secure what they are worth, asks William Tranby
WHAT’S GONE WRONG WITH MATERNITY SERVICES?
It’s groundhog day in hospitals as each maternity scandal inquiry leads to a lack of action and reform, says Nadia Higson
TIME TO GET TOUGH ON TURKEY
President Erdogan is eroding Turkish democracy and allowing terrorists to kidnap and murder civilians in neighbouring countries, says Rebecca Tinsley
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
Does an international system to combat tax evasion help tyrants and jeopardise LGBT communities, ask Grahame Jackson and Harriet Brown
OBITUARY: ROBERT WOODTHORPE BROWNE
Phil Bennion pays tribute to a pillar of international liberalism
Reviews
Partnership & Politics in a Divided Decade
By Vince Cable and Rachel Smith
Pandemic Diaries
By Matt Hancock
Show Me The Bodies; how we let Grenfell happen
By Peter Apps
Invasion: Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival
By Luke Harding
Russia’s War on Everybody, and What it Means for You
By Keir Giles
Ted Kennedy, A Life
By John A Farrell
The Dragon Daughter and other Lin Lan Fairy Tales
Edited and translated by Juwen Zhang
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Councillor Samantha Williamson joins Lib Dems in Bolton
Senedd bans poem by Wales National Poet
"A little heaven here on earth": Launde Abbey in Leicestershire
Chris Nicholson
Pete Roberts
Peter Davies
theakes
Chris Moore
3 Comments
David Green from Southport has made an interesting contribution via the letters section where he raises the question of the current lack of a democratic route to independence for voters in Scotland and suggestion a mechanism by which this could be resolved. As I say, an interesting contribution, and not just for the suggestion itself – also for the fact that a unionist political party, that prides itself on believing in democratic values, is willing to consider the need for a democratic route to independence even though they would campaign against that option. Thanks for the contribution to this important debate.
‘Ted Kennedy: A Life’ That sounds interesting. Be interested to see how it is possible to spin that Ted was in any way a worthwhile human being.
I was surprised by the news item about David Campanale, and I remember quite a heated discussion on this site over a year ago (https://www.libdemvoice.org/focus-on-tories-in-sutton-and-cheam-69599.html). The controversy reminds me of Tim Farron’s “sin-gate”.
Is it difficult to be both a Christian (or member of any religion) and a Lib Dem? Would one have to compromise the ideals of one of those two clubs?