Charles Quinn

ALDC By-election Report, 3rd April

By Charles Quinn | Fri 4th April 2025 - 7:50 pm

This has been our most successful week of by-elections for quite some time. There were only 3 contests this week – and 2 of them resulted in Liberal Democrat gains! Quite spectacular gains too. So let’s celebrate some cracking results that will hopefully be just the start of a very successful month for us!

First of all congratulations to Cllr Susan Grounds and the team on Neath Port Talbot Council who gained Ystalyfera and Cwmllynfell ward from Plaid Cymru. Not only did we not stand in this seat in the previous election in 2022 – this is our first principal council by-election gain in Wales since 2019.

From a standing start we picked up 34% of the vote and jumped ahead of both Plaid and Labour whose votes collapsed by 26.5% and 30% respectively.

Neath Port Talbot Council, Ystalyfera and Cwmllynfell
Liberal Democrats (Susan Grounds): 383 (34%, new)
Plaid Cymru: 340 (30.2%, -26.5%)
Reform: 150 (13.3%, new)
Labour: 143 (12.7%, -30.6%)
Independent: 98 (8.7%, new)
Conservative: 12 (1%, new)

We also gained Park ward on City of Lincoln Council from Labour. Cllr Sarah Uldall increased the Lib Dem vote by 28.5% and beat Labour by a solid margin of 84 votes. We finished over 300 votes behind last time. Congratulations to Sarah and the team in Lincoln on a superb gain.

Lincoln City Council, Park
Liberal Democrats (Sarah Uldall): 366 (35.7%, +28.5%)
Labour: 280 (27.3%, -36.1%)
Reform: 180 (17.5%, +17.5%)
Conservative: 87 (8.5%, -9%)
Green Party: 87 (8.5%, -1.8%)
TUSC: 25 (2.4%, new)

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The Voice

Ed Davey’s speech to the Scottish Lib Dem Conference.

By The Voice | Fri 4th April 2025 - 4:41 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, Jamie Greene MSP, Ed Davey MP (Photo: Elaine Ford)

Scottish Lib Dems are delighted that the Conservative MSP, Jamie Greene, has joined the Liberal Democrats.

Our newest MSP, Jamie Greene!

With Jamie on our team, Scottish Liberal Democrats will keep making our voices heard on the issues that matter – getting you fast access to health care, lifting up Scottish education and growing our economy.

#sldconf

— Scottish Liberal Democrats (@scotlibdems.org.uk) April 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM

Ed Davey began his Leader’s speech at the Scottish Conference by welcoming him.

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Mary Reid

Join a Policy Working Group

By Mary Reid | Fri 4th April 2025 - 1:29 pm

Would you like to serve on one of the party’s Policy Working Groups? I have been on two groups in the past and they were a fascinating experience. We interviewed industry experts as well as policy specialists and had many challenging discussions as we put together the drafts of our eventual policy paper and motion to conference. Halfway through the process we consulted with members at federal conference.

If that appeals to you, and you already have some knowledge of the policy areas concerned, here are four new opportunities:

  • A Thriving Economy
  • International Security
  • Defending and Strengthening British Democracy
  • Primary Healthcare

The deadline for all applications is 21st April.

A Thriving Economy

Boosting productivity and getting the economy growing strongly and sustainably is critical for improving people’s living standards and wellbeing, expanding opportunity, and raising money to spend on public services and defence.

A new policy working group will build on our 2024 general election manifesto to further develop our distinctive Liberal Democrat narrative on why the economy has been performing so poorly, how to turn it around, and how to make sure everyone feels the benefits of growth equitably.

Apply here to join the Thriving Economy working group.

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Nick Baird

Trump has set out his tariffs – the UK should respond robustly

By Nick Baird | Fri 4th April 2025 - 10:51 am

So Donald Trump did exactly what he said he was going to do, and put tariffs on imports from all of America’s biggest trading partners. At time of writing, Keir Starmer has acknowledged there will be an impact on the UK economy, but has yet to say how he intends to respond beyond promising to “keep a cool head”. On top of the 25% tariffs on British steel and cars, there is now an additional 10% ‘everything else’ tariff, which interestingly is less than the 20% applied to EU exporters. While this may reflect the lower trade imbalance that the UK enjoys with the US compared to the EU, it is just as likely to be intended as some performative favouritism designed to drive a wedge between the UK and EU.

So how should the UK respond? It’s true that ultimately nobody wins a trade war, and mutual economic damage is always inflicted until a truce is negotiated.  Does this mean that maybe we should just suck it up, avoid any retaliation, and hope that we can dodge the worst of the harm until a new US administration arrives? Or should we respond robustly and hit back with significant tariffs of our own on the US, and risk provoking “retaliatory-retaliation”? Despite the inherent risks I suggest the latter, for three reasons.

Firstly, we know Trump doesn’t respect weakness, and a failure to respond will be seen as weakness by his administration. If you hand over your lunch money to the school bully with no resistance, what’s to stop him coming for your pocket money too?

Secondly, Trump is a very transactional negotiator who seeks maximum advantage with zero interest in right and wrong. Subsequent negotiations will start from the ‘facts on the ground’ at that point in time. Without applying retaliatory tariffs of our own, the question then becomes what does the Government offer to give away in exchange for tariff relief?  Scrap the digital services tax? Allow imports of US chlorine-washed chicken and hormone fed beef? At least if we apply tariffs of our own, first thing on the table is mutual reductions in tariffs before we give anything else away.

Finally, if we apply retaliatory tariffs it will affect US companies that export to the UK. Some of those are large corporations with armies of lobbyists in Washington, and many are political donors. We need those lobbyists and donors pressuring the Trump administration to negotiate tariff reductions, as they have far more influence on a cash-hungry campaigner like Trump than we can hope for.

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Caron Lindsay

Two brilliant by-election gains

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 4th April 2025 - 8:21 am

We have brilliant news to start our day today.

I do love it when GB News blazes that Reform are all out to win three by-elections and then we win two of them, gaining seats from Labour in, wait for it, Neath Port Talbot, and Lincoln.

The most remarkable gain was in Wales, in the Ystalyfera & Cwmllynfell Ward

Susan Grounds – Lib Dem – 383 34%
Plaid Cymru – 340 30.2%
Reform – 150 13.3%
Lab – 143 12.7%
Ind – 98 – 8.7%
Con 12 – 1%

We had never stood a candidate in this ward until this by-election. What a result! A great tribute to the work and profile of Welsh parliamentarians and a dedicated campaign team.

Thirty years or so ago, I spent a bit of time campaigning in Park ward in Lincoln. We did have a councillor there for a while back then. So it was great to see us gain a seat from Labour there last night.

Sarah Uldall, Lib Dem 366 35.7%
Lab – 280 27.3%
Reform – 180 17.5%
Con – 87 8.5%
Green – 87 8.5%
TUSC 25 2.4%

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Mo Waqas

It’s time to buy British – and mean It

By Mo Waqas | Thu 3rd April 2025 - 1:53 pm

President Trump’s new tariffs on British exports aren’t just a bump in the road they’re a direct threat to our economic independence. The Office for Budget Responsibility says they could knock a full percentage point off our GDP by 2026–27. That’s not abstract. That’s real people losing jobs. Real businesses, especially in places like the North East, struggling to survive.

We can’t afford to shrug this off. If we’ve learned anything from recent years, it’s that we need to be more self-reliant, more rooted, and far less dependent on volatile international partners. That starts with something simple: choosing to buy British, not as a token gesture, but as a conscious act of resilience and solidarity.

Backing our own

We’ve got world-class small businesses across the UK, family shops, independent bookshops, local food producers, run by people who care deeply about what they do and the communities they serve. They already make up over 60% of private sector employment. Every time we choose them over a multinational, we’re doing more than supporting a local business, we’re helping keep our high streets alive, our communities stable, and our economy balanced.

For too long, our towns have been hollowed out by the same big chains, offering the same tired products. The money we spend there often disappears offshore. But when we choose local, we keep that money circulating in our economy. We create jobs, nurture pride, and get something better in return, better service, better quality, and a genuine sense of connection. That’s how we build strong communities, not just strong economies.

Real leadership, real partnerships

This isn’t just about reacting to Trump’s policies. It’s about shifting our whole approach. When Ed Davey praised the Prime Minister for backing a military coalition to defend Ukraine, he was absolutely right, but he also called for the same level of ambition to build an economic coalition to push back against protectionism. We need to lead with ideas, with partnerships, with action.

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The Voice

Scottish Lib Dems select Andrew Baxter for top Highland target

By The Voice | Thu 3rd April 2025 - 10:46 am

Andrew Baxter has been selected as the party’s candidate for its key target of Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch at next year’s Scottish Parliament election.

The seat significantly overlaps with the UK Parliament constituency of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire which was won by Liberal Democrat Angus MacDonald at the recent election.

Andrew Baxter is a well-known and hard-working community campaigner in South Lochaber, campaigning tirelessly on issues such campaigning tirelessly for rural communities to get a better deal from Highland Council and the Scottish Government and fighting for long-overdue investment in the Corran Ferry service. He has previously worked as a tour guide and ran his village post office in Kinlochleven for 17 years.

He now works in Fort William as Chief of Staff for Angus MacDonald MP.

At the recent Fort William and Ardnamurchan by-election in November 2024, Andrew was successfully elected with 58.9% of first-preference votes to the SNP’s 25.5%.

The current MSP for the seat is Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes.

Andrew said:

So many people feel like nothing works anymore and that politicians aren’t on their side.

I am committed to listening to the people and communities that make up Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch and giving my all to make sure they have the representation they deserve.

Under the SNP, our NHS has deteriorated, local schools are left in disrepair, and the cost of living has risen, making day-to-day life harder for everyone.

It’s time for change. I want to build on the success of Angus MacDonald in the recent UK parliament election and work to make life easier, fairer and more affordable for everyone who lives here.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

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Samuel Jackson

The Liberal Democrats are more than the new ‘Party of Middle England’

By Samuel Jackson | Thu 3rd April 2025 - 8:51 am

Ed Davey and Lib Dem MPs and activists with many diamonds launch election campaign On Monday, as our leader Ed Davey launched the Liberal Democrats’ 2025 local election campaign in Oxfordshire, he said that he wants our party to replace the Conservatives as the ‘party of Middle England’. This year, elections will be held in nineteen counties and local authorities whose councils are controlled outright by the Conservatives, most of which are located in southern England. These communities last voted for their local governments in 2021, when the Conservatives nationally had been buoyed by the fulfilment of Brexit and the coronavirus vaccination rollout but before Partygate, the mini-budget, the cost-of-living crisis and assorted scandals by their MPs.

We cannot fault Ed for wanting to pursue this strategy: it has a proven track record. Following our by-election gains in Chesham and Amersham, North Shropshire, Tiverton and Honiton, and Somerton and Frome, we got a total of seventy-two MPs elected to the Commons in 2024 by targeting Conservative constituencies primarily in the South of England. The Conservatives’ new leader Kemi Badenoch has done little to reposition the party either as an effective opposition or a government-in-waiting and is under the Damoclesian threat of removal in the face of losses in the local elections. We can understand the rationale behind this, but this should not be the be all and end all of our campaigning.

We must endeavour to extend our party’s geographic reach. As we targeted Blue Wall seats in 2024, eighty-two per cent of our current MPs represent constituencies in Southern England, a lopsided distribution that cannot be tenable in the long term. As there is a huge power and economic imbalance within the UK weighted in the South’s favour, our party may well come to be viewed as out of touch or elitist if we maintain this imbalance within our own parliamentary party.

While there is work to be done in Scotland and Wales – for which I will let more experienced and qualified voices speak – we should  consider the North of England. We have demonstrated our desire and ability to expand in the North. In 2024, we flipped the Conservative-held Westminster seats of Harrogate and Knaresborough, Cheadle, and Hazel Grove, centred on relatively affluent market towns similar to typical Southern Blue Wall seats. Despite the seeming focus on the south during this year’s local election, it is the North where we may bring a boon for our party. Hull City Council Leader Mike Ross is campaigning to become the first metro mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, a position through which we can enact policies on a countywide scale and garner the same visibility and clout as Labour figures like Andy Burnham and Tracy Brabin. As there are local elections taking place in Conservative-controlled Northern authorities including County Durham and Lancashire, should we not be challenging them there as well?

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The Voice

Ed Davey: UK must stand firm against Trump’s attempts to divide and rule

By The Voice | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 11:28 pm

Ed Davey has responded to Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs with various countries.

He said:

Today Donald Trump has launched a destructive trade war that threatens the jobs and living standards of people across the UK and around the world.

We need to end this trade war as quickly as possible – and that means standing firm with our allies against Trump’s attempts to divide and rule. The Prime Minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.

If the Government gives in to Trump’s threats, it will only encourage him to use the same bullying tactics again and again.

On Peston he called for an EU/UK customs union and for an economic coalition of the willing to stand up to Trump. He also said we should work with our Commonwealth allies.

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Caron Lindsay

William Wallace writes..British Politics in a national and global emergency

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 1:55 pm

Martin Wolf, as so often, had it right in the Financial Times the other week.  He argued that in the multi-headed crisis we now face, the proper response of government is to tell the voters that this is both a national and a global emergency and that national economic and fiscal policies will have to take these exceptional circumstances into account.  The impact of Trump’s tariffs on the global economy could plunge us all into a deep recession.

Labour knew when they came into office that Russia’s attack on Ukraine had raised difficult questions about replacing stocks of equipment and munitions and increasing Britain’s defence capabilities.  They also had a good idea of how far the Conservatives in office had run down public investment and juggled financial figures to avoid recognising that state revenues did not match public spending needs.  It seems however that full realisation of the depth of the investment and income deficit only came when they were in office, well after they had boxed themselves in by promising not to raise any of the three main sources of taxable revenue.  And they had not predicted the third shock, which has hit them six months after taking office: the impact of Trump’s second presidency on the global economy, on transatlantic relations and on the conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East. 

These three crises together have undermined Labour’s growth strategy, and are likely to force it to choose unwillingly both further spending cuts and higher taxes.  Yet here, as elsewhere, Labour remains timid and uncertain in making hard choices, let alone in persuading the public to accept them.  Opinion polls show that most voters don’t yet support increased spending on defence, because they don’t yet see the Russian attack on Ukraine as directly threatening Britain.  Most aren’t happy about cuts in welfare, but are content for overseas aid and other budgets to be squeezed to provide some of the funds needed rather than higher taxation.  

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Mike Ross

We can win in Hull and East Yorkshire. But only with your help 

By Mike Ross | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 11:55 am

Lib Dems in sunshine with Mike Ross, Mark Pack and Shaffaq Mohammed

If you were at our recent Spring conference, you will hopefully have heard all about my campaign to become the first Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire. 

Last weekend, we were joined by Party President Mark Pack in Hessle, East Yorkshire, to formally launch our campaign for the mayoralty. 

It was an honour to be joined by Lord Pack and by so many activists, both from across the region and further afield, such as Lord Shaffaq Mohammed and a team from Sheffield. We’ve also had a visit from Ed Davey and many front-bench MPs. 

It’s clear the momentum is with us here, and it’s clear that local people want to send the Labour Government a message on 1st May. 

But we must not be complacent. The region is vast, comprising the city of Hull with the mostly rural East Riding, which spans almost 2,500 square kilometres, with hundreds of thousands of people registered to speak to. We must deliver to and speak with as many people as possible, as many times as possible, between now and 1st May. 

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Mark Pack

Mark Pack’s Monthly Report to members

By Mark Pack | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 9:45 am

Our electoral system cannot cope

Securing 30% of the vote in a general election used to be a general election losing vote share for Labour or the Conservatives. But it is now quite possible that the winner of the next Westminster general election will not top 30%, and that we will have four political parties within 10-15 points of each other. First past the post is really not designed for that…

This comes with two important implications for ourselves. One is the continuing importance of local elections, both in their own right and also as a way of establishing credibility for Westminster Parliament (and indeed Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd, along with Mayor) contests. Even if we finished a long way back on vote share in the previous election, gains at local election level can put us in the race – and show voters that we are in the race.

The other is the continuing importance of bar charts. Tactical voting was not just a one-off to remove the Conservatives from 10 Downing Street last year. As we have seen in council by-elections since last summer, it continues to be important – just as it continued to be so after the 1997 Conservative landslide defeat too. (In fact, anti-Conservative tactical voting was still a big factor in 2005, two general elections and one Iraq war on from 1997.)

So don’t mothball those bar chart templates quite yet.

Speaking of bar charts, here is one that shows how impressively our local campaign teams over-perform in council by-elections:

Federal Conference…

Many thanks to everyone involved in putting on such a well-run Federal Conference in Harrogate. Another impressive team effort by staff and volunteers!

Among the important measures passed were F9, Free to be who you are, which reaffirmed our support for trans rights and F10, about reforming our Parliamentary candidate process. This reached the two-thirds majority required (it looked like it passed about 80%-20%) and so now moves to the stage of state party approval.

I know it is an issue which raised many passions, and people were particularly heartfelt about the need for consultation – an important point for us all as we move on to the next stage.

Much of the debate focused on the two-thirds of constituencies which did not get to select their own candidate in the last Parliament. Helping more of them select, and in enough time to train and support their candidates, is an important task for this Parliament. Helping more of our non-target seats get candidates in place sooner, and then properly supporting and training those candidates, could be a massive step change in how we spread the breadth of our success across the country.

Conference also ratified the new set of election regulations for our big internal elections due this autumn (timetable here). The Board has also reappointed David Crowther to a new three year term as Federal Returning Officer.

If you did not make it to Conference – or did but want to relive any of the moments – you can watch again on the party’s YouTube channel.

Extra thanks to Jeremy Hargreaves, Nicholas da Costa and Daisy Cooper for kindly stepping in to cover things for me after I had to miss the event due to a bout of ill health.

See you all in Bournemouth in September!

Our fabulous Party Awards winners

Harrogate also saw our latest round of Party Awards, with a fabulous quartet of colleagues having their contributions recognised:

Albert Ingham Award

Named in honour of one of our party’s election agent greats, this award goes to Ed Thornley for his work on a cracking by-election win in Edinburgh in November. Thanks to Ed’s dedication, skill and commitment over five long months, we started in fourth place on 12% of the vote and ended up with more than treble that – with nearly double the vote of the second place candidate.

Bertha Bowness Fischer Award

This award is named after the pioneering female Liberal election agent and this time is awarded to someone who has already made their mark despite only recently joining us – Lou Timlin. Lou joined in 2023 but has already been a campaigner, diversity officer, Fleet super user, press officer and elected a councillor too. Following someone’s bereavement, she even stepped in at no notice to be agent in Wokingham for the general election – helping us win the seat on a 19% swing.

Laura Grimond Award

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Jack Meredith

Liberals and socialists – a response

By Jack Meredith | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 7:30 am

Last week, I came across an article by Chris Whiting on Lib Dem Voice, which you can read here. Chris makes a compelling case for why liberals and socialists should collaborate, and I highly recommend it. Nevertheless, I would like to offer an alternative perspective.

I want to focus on a line from Chris’s article in which he states, “If you follow the principles of liberalism to their logical conclusion, you arrive at socialism.” I disagree. Socialism aims to establish a society where private property has been abolished, and the working class owns the means of production. In contrast, liberalism places less emphasis on who owns the means of production and more on issues such as freedom of speech, liberal democracy, freedom of the press, and, most notably, freedom of enterprise.

While socialism is primarily an economic theory, liberalism emphasises individual freedom. Both socialism and liberalism support economic freedom as one of the most critical forms. However, while socialism focuses intently on this area, liberalism views it as merely one aspect of a broader framework.

Another specific issue when rereading this line is the established history of liberalism and socialism. Although I was born in the UK, my cousin’s family is of Polish descent. My cousin’s family were hunted down and executed on Joseph Stalin’s orders. Those who managed to escape fled to the UK and made new lives for themselves. Those who did not were taken into a forest, shot in the back of the head, and buried in a mass grave in a series of mass executions now more commonly known as The Katyn Massacre.

Stalin’s theories, particularly “Socialism in One Country,” came at a significant cost: mass deportations, state-sanctioned murder, and the complete dismantling of civil society. One might argue, “But this is merely an extreme example.” In response, I urge you to consider China, North Korea, Vietnam, or Cuba. To uphold socialism, these nations abolished liberal democracy, committed crimes against humanity, and ignored any semblance of freedom. Where socialism has emerged as the dominant ideology, bloodshed has followed.

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The Voice

It’s just gone 12 noon – were you fooled?

By The Voice | Tue 1st April 2025 - 12:01 pm

We enjoy preparing articles for April 1st each year.

Our “LDV and AI – a new venture” was, as usual, near the knuckle. The AI tool’s name of “Packed” had our esteemed Party President wondering out loud as to whether he should trade mark his name.

In an example of reality reflecting farce, our team editor Mark has now revealed that the article he wrote on Monday morning was in fact AI generated. This went unnoticed by all. Well, it did seem a bit verbose!

In other April 1st news, Christine Jardine MP circulated a draft early day motion as follows:

EDM – The Auld Alliance

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Caron Lindsay

LDV and AI – a new venture

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 1st April 2025 - 6:55 am

Last week, Conference in Harrogate passed a wide ranging science and technology paper, Victoria Collins MP contrasted our approach with that of Labour and Conservatives.

Liberal Democrats take a different approach, one grounded in our values of internationalism, respect for individual rights, and challenging concentrations of power.

One issue the policy paper looked at was how we should deal with AI.

In accordance with those values, our new policy calls for us to develop a legally binding code of ethics and a “Lovelace Oath” which would be similar to the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors.

Recently an author friend of mine posted on social media that the Meta AI had uploaded four of her novels to train its AI. I observed at the time that this seemed more like stealing than training. Our new policy says that we need to

Strengthen rules around copyright so that creators are treated fairly, with record keeping duties and robust, independent auditing of data and content use for AI developers.

In the run-up to the debate in Harrogate, the LDV team mused amongst ourselves about how we could best utilise AI. Running this site takes a phenomenal amount of effort and we decided to harness the potential of this new technology.

To that end, with help of the boffins at the Lib Dem Coders Group, we developed our own AI tool, Packed, which we trained by feeding it:

  • our entire archive
  • all the comments left on the site
  • all the emails LDV has ever received and the replies from the team
  • all the speeches ever made by parliamentarians
  • all policy papers passed since 1988
  • the constitutions of the Federal, Scottish, English and Welsh parties with all amendments since 1988

Someone observed that this was very close to the knowledge of the Party President, hence how our tool got its name.

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Donald McIntosh

Is the tax system shafting Gen Z and Millennials?

By Donald McIntosh | Mon 31st March 2025 - 5:45 pm

The tax system in the UK exacerbates age inequality and puts an increasingly unsustainable burden on Gen Z and Millennials.

A millionaire like Rishi Sunak pays an effective rate of 23% tax on his £2.2m income. And yet, someone in their late 20’s earning, say, £55,000 will pay 51% of every extra £ they earn (40% tax + 2% NI + 9% Student Loans). And we wonder why younger voters are disengaged and demographic time bombs arise.

In percentage terms, the tax burden rises, falls hardest on the struggling middle income, and then reduces, as wealth becomes sufficient to afford tax advisors. Once a level of wealth is achieved, the UK has some of the most generous tax relief schemes in the world. These need pruning.

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Chris Northwood

What Trans Day of Visibility means to me

By Chris Northwood | Mon 31st March 2025 - 12:15 pm

Today is the Trans Day of Visibility. It’s a day I’ve felt cynical about in past years.

The discussion around trans rights gets seen a lot. Whether it’s philosophical or academic debates on “what is a woman”, we’re also seeing the persecution of trans rights currently being seen most visibly under Trump’s government, but also the slow and steady dismantling of trans healthcare (particularly for under-18s) from Labour and Wes Streeting and legal protections in the UK through the courts emboldening transphobia.

But seldom in that visibility are actual trans people. There are a number of names involved in “the trans debate” but very few of those names are actually trans people. What we need is for trans people to be seen too.

What I need is not only to be seen as a hot topic or debate item, but to be seen as a person, messy and imperfect as everyone else. Not as a predator undertaking a shady underhand attempt to erode women’s rights (which as a woman protect me as much as anyone else, why would I try to erode them) who wants to destroy western civilisation or whatever UK broadsheets are accusing people like me of today, but as a human being who loves skiing, sharing bottles of wine with friends, making terrible jokes and turning up at the pub quiz to have a go at winning the prize. A software engineer who got elected to represent her local area, motivated by making the world a tiny bit better every day.

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Suzanne Fletcher

The speech I didn’t make at Conference – Suzanne Fletcher

By Suzanne Fletcher | Mon 31st March 2025 - 9:47 am

With my thinking dulled with pain killers and not properly reading the emergency motion, Restoring International Development Assistance – Liberal Democrats I didn’t put a card in to speak.

The speeches were excellent, and it was one of those times when I was very proud to be a Liberal Democrat.

While increased defence spending is essential to support Ukraine and ensure the UK’s security, it cannot and should not be met through unfair measures like cutting our Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the 0.7% of GDP agreed under The Coalition, to 0.5% under the Conservative Government, to Labour’s proposal of 0.3%. …

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Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 31 March 2025 – reflections on where we are…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 31st March 2025 - 7:30 am

British politics, in its endless ebb and flow, has a way of entangling the most basic human instincts with the intricate mechanisms of power. There’s a sense of theatre to it, a drama that plays out not just on the grand stages of Westminster, but in the quiet corners of pubs, the buzzing of conversations in local shops, the heated arguments at dinner tables. It’s the stuff of everyday life, at once far removed from and deeply connected to the headlines that flood the national consciousness.

It’s hard not to feel, at times, that the British political system is a relic of an era long past, yet somehow still alive, kicking with a tenacity that defies explanation. The parliamentary rituals — those long speeches in the House of Lords, the terse exchanges in the Commons, the speeches that always seem to run a little too long — have a peculiar, almost quaint quality to them. They’re traditions, yes, but also part of a performative aspect of politics that serves as both distraction and diversion. At its best, the system can still produce moments of genuine insight, but more often than not, it feels like a carefully orchestrated dance, the steps known to all, the outcome often preordained.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report 27 March 2025

By Charles Quinn | Sun 30th March 2025 - 2:55 pm

There were 3 principal council by-elections this week. We stood candidates in all of them and achieved some really positive results. We also had success in a number of Town and Parish council by-elections too.  

First of all congratulations to our candidate Howard Evans and the Lib Dem team in Swansea who finished second in the Penllergaer by-election. Despite not fielding a candidate when this seat was last contested, we finished second out of seven candidates beating Labour, the Conservatives, Reform and the Green Party. The seat was held by Swansea Independents. But it is a brilliant achievement by Howard and the team to go straight into second place beating all the major parties. 

Swansea Council, Penllergaer
Independent: 646 (63.9%, -23.9%)
Liberal Democrats (Howard Evans): 138 (13.6%, new)
ReformUK: 108 (10.7%, new)
Labour: 67 (6.6%, -5.6%)
Conservative: 31 (3.1%, new)
Green Party: 18 (1.8%, new)
Gwlad: 3 (0.3%, new)

Next up we go to Maldon DC and the by-election in Maldon North. Here we achieved another second place, missing out from gaining the ward from the Conservatives by just 53 votes. Well done and thank you to our candidate Robert Jones on a fantastic performance in a difficult election with Reform and the Green Party standing when they previously did not. Well done to Robert and the team on a brilliant second place and we’re sure you’ll get them next time. 

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Michal Siewniak

“Microwave society”

By Michal Siewniak | Sun 30th March 2025 - 12:30 pm

Every day is a school day as someone once said to me. And it is very true. Each day gives us a fantastic opportunity to reflect on life, our behaviour and attitude. It is true that it is not always easy to change as we all have a personality and unique DNA, which in many ways defines how we act or conduct ourselves in a wide range of situations.

A week or so ago, I was having a conversation with a few work colleagues. It was nice, informal as one of our staff members was about to start a maternity leave. It was a very positive experience, for a number of reasons. In order to build a strong team, it is really important to find these small moments to create a space where people can freely talk and get to know each other. In addition, not always having an agenda does help!

During our 1-hour long gathering, we covered all sorts of topics; upbringing, the usage of mobile phones, education, mentoring, food and cooking. I found one of the comments particularly striking; do we really live in a “microwave society”?

We rush, we have no time to look after “number one” and one another. The ongoing challenges in relation to finances don’t help. It is becoming impossible to make ends meet. We often work at two places to pay the bills and keep the head above water. It is true that quite a few things around us suffer as a result of it; cooking a meal together is a story of the past. Modern technology doesn’t help either. Everything is ready for us, we don’t have to think but only read a label and put a meal in a microwave, oven or an air-fryer. We want everything, often now. Has it all affected our ability to develop essential life skills? How does it impact our lives and our potential to develop our competence, expertise in some key areas?

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review

By Tom Arms | Sun 30th March 2025 - 8:30 am

Tariffs

There is a major contradiction at the core of the tariffs that Donald Trump announced this week.

Trump says that the tariffs have the dual purpose of revitalising American industry—especially the car industry—and raising billions in tax revenues which will allow him to cut other taxes.

The problem is that one will cancel out the other. If, as hoped, Americans eschew foreign cars to buy American, then other countries will stop exporting their cars (and car components) to the US. Thus the revenue from tariffs will substantially decline.

Trump vs Europe

If Europe wanted more reasons to re-evaluate its relationship with the US, Signalgate has provided them.

Trump has imposed tariffs. Vice President Vance used the Munich Security Conference to attack European values. But that was in public. Sometimes what is said behind closed doors—among like-minded friends—is more revealing.

Vance expressed some blunt opinions on America’s European allies. He said any airstrikes would benefit Europe more than America. He that three percent of US cargo passed through the Suez Canal compared to 40 percent of European goods.

“I just hate bailing Europe out again,” said the Vice President. “Let’s just make sure our messaging is right here.”

Hegseth also was not a European fan. “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading,” he said. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close.”

The two men went on to agree that they should find a way to force the Europeans to pay for the attack on Yemen.

US targets foreign students

Turkish PhD Student Rumeysa Ozturk was on her way to dinner at a Boston restaurant when six people with their faces covered by scarves, hoodies and large dark sunglasses surrounded her.

“We are police, and you are under arrest,” they told the 30-year-old Tufts University student. They failed to show any identification, quickly cuffed Ms Ozturk and bundled her into an SUV. The incident was captured on a surveillance camera.

Ms Ozturk is the latest foreign student to be arrested for protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza. Her specific crime appears to have been writing an op-ed for the student newspaper supporting calls for Tufts University to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Within hours, a Boston judge, issued an order prohibiting her removal from Massachusetts. Sorry, came back the reply from the Department of Homeland Security, she is already in a Louisiana detention centre. Oh, and by the way, her, student visa has been revoked.

The same fate has befallen two other foreign students—Mahmoud Khalil from Columbia University and Bada Khan Suri from Georgetown University. Each of them exercised their right of free speech under the US constitution’s First Amendment and were arrested for doing so. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that there “at least” another 300 foreign students whose visas have been revoked for “anti-Semitic behaviour.”

Foreign visitors—including students—have to abide by American laws. But they are also protected by American law. This includes the right of free speech, legal representation and a fair hearing. But without a student visa they cannot stay in the country to defend themselves.

Taliban talk

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Tom Arms

Observations of an ex pat: More security boo-boos expected

By Tom Arms | Sat 29th March 2025 - 8:30 am

Signalgate–as it is now called—will almost certainly be the first of many security breaches by this second Trump Administration.

There are several reasons for this: Trump’s own cavalier attitude towards secret information; the president’s extreme distaste of government employees (the “deep state”); Elon Musk’s purge of the civil service and the low calibre and inexperience of the people he has appointed to high office.

No one expects political appointments to know all the dos and don’ts of the security business less than two months into the job. They shouldn’t even necessarily know that it is highly dangerous to discuss an attack plan in a glorified What’s App group call.

That is why there are paid officials who have been doing the job for years. One of the main purposes of a civil servant is to handle the mechanics of a meeting. It is the officials’ job to make certain that the right people are invited at the right time and, if classified material is being discussed, to a secure location and that the discussion is conducted so that it is leak-proof. It is important job. Lives depend on it.

I once attended a press conference on weapons procurement at the British Ministry of Defense. Journalise after journalist asked the minister about performance details of various weapons. The minister repeatedly turned to his accompanying civil servant and asked: “May I answer that?” The civil servant politely replied: “No, minister.” He did his job.

The problem is that Elon Musk has fired many of the people who did that sort of job. Or they have resigned in disgust. Or they are too frightened to speak up for fear of losing their job.

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Paul Walter

Review: “Ungovernable: The political diaries of a Chief Whip” by Simon Hart

By Paul Walter | Fri 28th March 2025 - 5:00 pm

Embed from Getty Images

I’ve just finished this book, having ordered it when it was published.

It’s the edited diaries of Simon Hart, who was Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 2010 until 2024. He was Chief Whip under Rishi Sunak, Secretary of State for Wales and Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office under Boris Johnson. He was previously Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance.

The book starts in the heady hours after the 2019 general election victory for Boris Johnson. The Conservatives are returned to office with an overall majority of 40 seats in the Commons, sweeping all before them. There is much jubilation in the Tory ranks.

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Mark Corner

Returning to the Single Market          

By Mark Corner | Fri 28th March 2025 - 2:46 pm

In his recent speech to the Lib Dem Spring Conference, Ed Davey reminded us of one way in which the Lib Dems stand out from other parties. He said the Lib Dems were ‘The only party that has consistently opposed the Conservatives’ damaging Brexit deal from the start. The only party arguing for a new deal with the EU, with a Customs Union at its heart – putting us on a path back to the Single Market.’

In this as in so many other areas of policy, the Lib Dems have the courage that Labour lacks. Returning to the Single Market might seem like too bold a policy, but in fact it is essential to the future of the UK.

It is essential to its economic future. As Rachel Reeves struggles with a terrible economic inheritance from the Tories, Brexit remains a part of that inheritance, though it is one she keeps rather quiet about. The dreams of economic prosperity free of the rules of the Single Market, mopping up lucrative trade deals with Australia, India and the USA (Trump’s America? Really?) and turning the country into some kind of Singapore-on-Thames have faded away. Instead, the UK must struggle with new rules and regulations interfering with the business it tries to do with its nearest neighbours now that it’s out of the EU. There’s a clear cost in terms of growth – just ask Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England and now Prime Minister of Canada.

Returning to the Single Market is also essential to the UK’s political future. The problems managing trade across a land border with Ireland, a country which is part of the Single Market, have not gone away.

Thirdly, a return to the Single Market will help the future of Europe. A larger Single Market will be a more effective negotiator and will be in a stronger position to resist the threat of a present or future tariff war.

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Amanda Clark

Not a typical empty nester!

By Amanda Clark | Fri 28th March 2025 - 11:44 am

Firstly, to introduce myself, I’m Amanda Clark and a proud mum of two adult children. Brooke, 26 and Archie, 22. I took early retirement from teaching three years ago and we moved up to Kinross, Scotland in 2022- returning to my husband’s homeland. He now runs a small manufacturing business in Fife. We love it here.

We really should be ‘Empty Nesters’ – kids independent albeit physically- not necessarily financially…… A bit more disposable income and more time on our hands…we could go to the pub with friends, travel to those bucket list locations and take advantage of cheap last minute city breaks except we’re not TYPICAL EMPTY NESTERS.

Brooke has flown the nest but our lovely Archie has a severe to moderate learning disability, Autism and ADHD and if that wasn’t enough at the age of 16 he developed Epilepsy. Archie needs constant supervision, the right meds and 247 care. Like other brave, selfless Parent Carers we have made the momentous decision to keep him living at home with us for as long as we can.

Trouble is where as much as Archie is mentally disabled, he is very physically able full of energy and bounce! He’s our very own 22-year-old Tigger toddler. Archie thinks nothing of jogging round the Lochs, running flat out on Fife beaches and striding up the Lomond Hills- often with his panting aging parents in hot pursuit. We are fortunate that three days a week he goes up in a minibus to Corbenic Camphill near Dunkeld to the Daycentre.  There they embrace the environment and often take him and his peers on six-mile hikes in the hills. Perfect for Archie during the day but sometimes I feel really trapped and depressed due to the lack of overnight cover for him.

I try not to get too jealous when our neighbours- with kids the same age set off in their camper van for three weeks touring Europe or my American cousins- both retired teachers- post endless pictures of their global tours.

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The Voice

WATCH: Helen Morgan’s speech to #ldconf

By The Voice | Fri 28th March 2025 - 9:47 am

Our Health and social care spokesperson Helen Morgan made a keynote speech to Conference this weekend.

Watch here.

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Caron Lindsay

WATCH: All the fun of the Conference Rally

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 27th March 2025 - 1:41 pm

The quality of my life dramatically improved when I realised i didn’t actually have to sit through the rally. I could go and have a quiet dinner out with friends and then watch it on You Tube later.

Here is Friday night’s event which had a real live member of the Tracy Family from Thunderbirds. Honest.  It wasn’t Wokingham MP Clive Jones dressed up, honest.

Enjoy.

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Alan Grant

Why liberals should back CANZUK

By Alan Grant | Thu 27th March 2025 - 10:24 am

Reading the Financial Times is not for the easily troubled. At once the news it is mission-bound to report is confusing, intimidating, and depressing when the reader becomes aware of just how much money we don’t have and trivialities on which the rest of it is being spent. 

However, amidst the gloom of flicking through the pink ‘un these days, there is the occasional flicker of light, such as the recent article featuring Sir Ed Davey in which the Lib Dem leader endorsed a great idea – a closer working relationship between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and our own United Kingdom. 

The notion has a snappy name, it’s called CANZUK, and liberals should support it.

But, CANZUK has an image problem in liberal minds. The idea has previously been misrepresented as a colonialist retread and championed by those who suggested it’s a better alternative to the European Union. The reality is far from that. 

In fact, it is a drawing together of the nations of the world who have gained the most from the fine tradition of British liberty found in the pages of Mill, Hume, Smith, and Locke and whose lineage disappears into the fog of time on these islands. As for being an alternative to the EU, why think so small? 

A throat-clearing is required here. I believe that Brexit was a huge mistake and has left us poorer, more isolated, less confident, and more exposed to global shocks. I am no Brexiteer and would prefer it had never happened. 

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Chris Whiting

Why I’ve realised I’m a Socialist, and why Liberals and Socialists must work together

By Chris Whiting | Thu 27th March 2025 - 8:30 am

For a long time, I simply considered myself a liberal. I believed in personal freedom, a strong but fair economy, and the power of government to create opportunity. I wanted a system that worked for everyone, but I also thought markets, when properly regulated, could be a force for good. But over the years, I’ve come to realise that these values of equality, fairness, and a society that serves all its people are not just liberal values. They are socialist ones too.

This isn’t about abandoning liberalism. My liberal resolve has never been stronger. But, I have been forced to recognise that if you follow the principles of liberalism to their logical conclusion, you arrive at socialism. If you believe in fairness, then you have to acknowledge that an economy where billionaires accumulate wealth while millions struggle is inherently unfair. If you believe in democracy, then you have to ask why it stops at the ballot box. Why workers don’t have real power in their workplaces, or why people don’t have a say in the essential services they rely on.

For too long, liberals have sought to mitigate capitalism’s excesses rather than confront the system itself. They have pushed for fairer taxation, stronger public services, and better protections for workers. But these are reactive measures that attempt to manage inequality rather than prevent it. And the problem with inequality is that it isn’t just an unfortunate byproduct of capitalism. It’s a feature.

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