Breaking Britain returns, this time it’s the schools
Why is so much of Britain’s infrastructure literally falling apart?
13 Sep 2023
News
Press release on the Autumn Statement.
Lib Dems condemn “chaotic and incompetent” budget
17 Nov 2022
Sewage in our Rivers
The sheer quantity of raw sewage being dumped into Britain’s rivers and coastal areas is a scandal and a disgrace.
14 Sep 2022
Joan Walmsley writes…Planning for a healthy future
Hooray for Sir Simon Stevens, Head of NHS England, for putting into practice what I was proposing at last year's Party Conference! In my keynote speech I maintained that the NHS cannot tackle the country's current and future health problems by itself and we need a "whole government" approach. The Department of Health must be supported by policies from the Department of Communities and Local Government, the Department of Education, the Department of Transport, The Department of Culture, Media and Sport and, of course, local authorities, since it will not be able to tackle the increasing demand for healthcare by itself. Prevention of avoidable illnesses should be the responsibility of every Government department.
4 Mar 2016
Nick Clegg: We’ve made progress on mental health but there’s still work to do
It's time for proper training for GPs and teachers, a new funding model and nationwide awareness of the issue Eight years ago, when I became leader of the Liberal Democrats, I used one of my first opportunities at Prime Minister's Questions to ask Gordon Brown about mental health services. The House of Commons chamber, usually a hostile wall of sound, became quiet. Afterwards, a number of MPs told me I was "brave" to raise the issue.
NCMP
4 Mar 2016
Internationalism - a key Liberal Democrat value
The Liberal Democrats are an internationalist party. Our outlook is embodied in the preamble to our party constitution, which...
4 Mar 2016
No Lib Dem gains, but a full set of candidates
Unlike last week, there was a full set of Lib Dem candidates. There was a gain from Labour in a Town Council by-election in...
4 Mar 2016
Key conference deadlines coming up
In just 8 days' time, Liberal Democrats will be gathering in York for Spring Conference. The agenda is available here.
4 Mar 2016
More carrot, less stick in improving diversity
I'm generally supportive of the diversity motion introducing all women shortlists (AWS) at the next federal conference in York, (this argument is particularly persuasive), but will AWS permanently solve the problem of our party being too male and pale? If the proposals are passed and are successful, we might look in the Westminster bubble like we have addressed the gender disparity, however, as a party that relies on its local activists and councillors we ought to embed this cultural change more broadly. As Mark Pack has pointed out, we don't have enough women councillors, council candidates and local party officers (all about a third of total). And, as noted in one of the reports to conference, the percentage of female approved candidates is 27%. The motion doesn't address this except to say-
TJNC
4 Mar 2016