Tag Archives: newbury

Paul Walter

Lee Dillon elected prospective parliamentary candidate for Newbury

By Paul Walter | Sun 28th July 2019 - 11:55 am

Councillor Lee Dillon has been chosen as Prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Newbury Constituency.

Local members overwhelmingly elected Councillor Dillon to win back the seat from the Tories.

Lee is a local family man who has been an activist in the party since he was 15 years old in Thatcham. Both Lee and his wife both work locally and their children go to local schools. Lee’s wider family is long established in the area.

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged | 2 Comments
Paul Walter

#LibDemFightback campaigners busy on the streets this weekend

By Paul Walter | Sat 29th April 2017 - 9:32 pm

There are some fantastic, smiling action photos coming out from Lib Dem campaigners this weekend!

Victor Chamberlain has been out twice, campaigning for Simon Hughes with colleagues at the Elephant and Castle:


…and at Borough and Bankside:

Tim Farron visited Leeds – and Leeds Young Liberals captured their excitement at the leader’s arrival:

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Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Paul Walter

David Rendel memorial event will be held on 4th July

By Paul Walter | Thu 19th May 2016 - 10:45 am

David Rendel at Anti-Iraq war demo 15th Feb 2003 Some rights reserved by Paul WalterEarlier this week, we reported the sad death of former Liberal Democrat MP David Rendel.

David’s funeral will be attended only by members of his family but all will be welcome at a memorial event to be held on Monday 4th July at the Corn Exchange, Market Place, Newbury, starting at 1.00 pm.

There will be an opportunity to make a donation to charity in David’s name – details will be announced in due course.

It is particularly fitting that the memorial event is being held at the Corn Exchange. It is an historic and striking building in the centre of the town he loved, Newbury. David led the campaign to save the Corn Exchange from closure and revitalize it as a modern arts and entertainment venue.

My photo above shows David, with the Houses of Parliament in the background, on the anti-Iraq war demonstration with other Liberal Democrats on 15th February 2003.

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Posted in Obituaries | Also tagged and | Leave a comment
Paul Walter

Newbury by-pass – memories 20 years on

By Paul Walter | Mon 11th January 2016 - 9:54 am

In January 1996, protestors took to trees and tunnels just outside my home town of Newbury, trying to stop the building of the by-pass.

It was a bit of surprise to be at the centre of such national furore over our by-pass.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 9 Comments
The Voice

Obituary: Brian Niblett – Liberal Democrat ‘force of nature’

By The Voice | Tue 5th January 2016 - 9:54 am

Brian NiblettVeteran Liberal Democrat campaigner, Brian Niblett, sadly passed away on 10 December following a year-long battle with cancer.

Brian Niblett came from modest beginnings, growing up in Filton, South Gloucestershire, the youngest of four children. Brian joined British Gas as an apprentice and went on to become a chartered engineer and enjoy a 22 year career with the company. His final role was as head of public relations for the Middle East and Africa before he left in 1996 to focus on politics and to set up his own PR and marketing consultancy with his partner, Lisa.

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Posted in Obituaries | Also tagged and | 8 Comments
Stephen Tall

David Rendel selected as Lib Dem PPC for Somerton and Frome

By Stephen Tall | Sun 7th September 2014 - 10:00 am

David Rendel - Some rights reserved by Martin TodCongratulations to former Lib Dem MP for Newbury, David, Rendel, who was last night selected by Lib Dem members in Somerton and Frome as the party’s parliamentary candidate for the May 2015 general election. David will be attempting to retain David Heath’s seat, won in 2010 with a majority of 1,817 over the Tories.

The party has previously selected a PPC for the seat. Sarah Yong was selected in February this year, but stood down five months later. There had even …

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Posted in News and Selection news | Also tagged , , and | 12 Comments
Paul Walter

Newbury by-election: 20 years on

By Paul Walter | Mon 6th May 2013 - 12:53 pm

Newbury calamity and catastropheToday is the twentieth anniversary of the Newbury by-election victory for the Liberal Democrats on May 6th 1993.

It seems appropriate to thank all the Liberal Democrats who came to help in that campaign, to pay tribute once again to the party’s by-election machine, to its driving genius, Chris Rennard, and to David Rendel. David was, for twelve years, a first class MP for Newbury. He continues to be an inspiration as a model of liberalism and selfless integrity.

It seems a good day to report that the flame of …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

In other news… Hemming “resignation threat”, Rogerson on second home tax, Russell on Israel & more

By Stephen Tall | Sun 4th November 2012 - 6:15 pm

MP John Hemming’s fury over ‘cover-ups’ (Daily Express)

A LIB Dem MP threatened to resign the party whip last night and sit as an independent unless child protection was treated “more seriously”. John Hemming said the Government was “dangerously complacent” about the level of cover-ups at ­children’s homes and in the ­wider family justice system. He said if ministers did not demonstrate “a change of attitude”, he would withdraw his “personal support for the Government”.

Mentally impaired people ‘exploited by court-appointed deputies’ (BBC News)

Action is needed to prevent vulnerable people being ripped-off by those appointed by the courts to manage

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 3 Comments
Paul Walter

Opinion: A refreshing exercise in transparency

By Paul Walter | Mon 13th December 2010 - 4:19 pm

A couple of years ago I made a complaint about my MP, Richard Benyon. I feel a shiver of guilt even writing the word “complaint” now. I suppose I am very English about complaints. I don’t like making a fuss. I have bumped into Richard off and on since 1992 and always found him to be “a nice enough cove”, as P.G. Wodehouse might put it. Making a “complaint” about such a harmless fellow just didn’t seem British. But occasionally I feel I must put pen to paper, as I did in this case.

What I thought were political comments …

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Posted in Op-eds and Parliament | Also tagged , and | 5 Comments
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