At least, the work week starts for me today…

As a Luton Town supporter living within earshot of Portman Road, here are my thoughts on the misjudgment of @ipswichtown.bsky.social’s Chairman and CEO… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/03/mark...

Not one, not two, but three new Unitary Councils for Suffolk. Let joy be unconfined?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/03/loca...

Thredling - a warning of things to come? The late breaking decision to reinstate the County Council elections in May means that the new boundaries for Suffolk County Council kick in...

A new County Council, a new County Councillor for Creeting St Peter and why Saxon hundreds are still relevant… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/03/thre...

Is he childproof? If so, could be challenging…

Representation and lobbying is an important part of our work as Town and Parish councillors, and the better we are at it, the better off the communities we serve will be.

I’ve spent the morning representing Suffolk at the National Assembly of the National Association of Local Councils, looking at how our sector can effectively lobby Parliament and the role of member councils in that.

This week in the Lords - 23-27 March 2026 We're getting close to the end of the Parliamentary cycle now, as the Labour Government strives to get as much of its legislation through as it can before the House rises in anticipation of a King's S...

Meanwhile, in a Parliamentary chamber far away… www.libdemvoice.org/this-week-in...

This week in the Lords - 23-27 March 2026 We're getting close to the end of the Parliamentary cycle now, as the Labour Government strives to get as much of its legislation through as it can before the House rises in anticipation of a King's S...

As we get ever closer to the end of the Parliamentary session, the work of the House of Lords intensifies. Our Lords Correspondent, @honladymark.bsky.social, looks forward to the week ahead… www.libdemvoice.org/this-week-in...

Welcome to my day: 23 March 2026 – a gentle tip of a toe into the icy water? It’s been a long time since I last wrote one of these. In truth, I’ve not been entirely in the right frame of mind to do so, not quite as engaged as I might be. But there’s a lot happening in the worl...

What is with this sudden outburst of enthusiasm? Yes, I have set quill to screen again, this time at @libdemvoice.org… www.libdemvoice.org/welcome-to-m...

Creeting St Peter: keeping the finances on an even keel As my reign of terror glorious leadership of Creeting St Peter Parish Council nears its end, I am beginning to reflect on what I’ve achieve...

It’s been an astonishingly long time since I last blogged, but Creeting St Peter Parish Council met on Monday, and I’ve come over all nostalgic… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/03/cree...

I suspect that @lordbonkers.bsky.social might have more to say on that point…

It apparently used to be said that the only conference that outdrank the old Liberal Party was the Licensed Victualers…

Whose woven bones do you have, Andrew?…

Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism - Hansard - UK Parliament Hansard record of the item : ' Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism' on Wednesday 2 July 2025.

And I offer as evidence the Hansard report of the debate - Lisa Smart was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson… hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025...

Because the Government coupled Palestine Action with two Russian neo-fascist terrorist groups and dared opposition parties to vote all three down. If there had been a choice to approve the two Russian groups and reject Palestine Action, Lib Dem MPs would have done that.

I’m pretty confident that the answer is no. There’s no credible way of making the chamber bigger unless you remove the voting lobbies, if my understanding of the building’s structure is accurate.

No, you’re good, it’s not turquoise…

And, at that point, he was still in the House of Lords…

Thinking about trains again... Professional training takes me to Croydon in a few weeks time which means navigating our official travel provider's website. And clearly, it...

I’m a big fan of trains… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/thin...

Does technology offer a solution to my lack of focus? Ten years ago, I got myself a Fitbit and started walking 10,000 steps each day. And, apart from a brief, food poisoning induced, hiatus in F...

Ten years ago, I felt like my own tamagotchi. Now, perhaps I’m getting more comfortable with the idea of technology as an efficiency tool… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/does...

Creeting St Peter: another year of financial prudence In my capacity as finance portfolio holder for my beloved Parish Council, over the years I’ve been preparing what I tend to think of as caut...

Responsible financial management isn’t perhaps that challenging for a micro-Parish Council. But prudence remains my watchword… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/cree...

If you want to get an early start from London, you might be better off buying a cheap advance ticket to London for the day before and then activating your Interrail ticket when you catch Eurostar.

Fionna, Interrail give you two days, one to get out of your home country, another to get back in.

So, if you travel to London using your Interrail on Day 1, you then can’t use it on Eurostar to get to France on Day 2.

All aboard the Mattapan Trolley! Those of you who know me modestly well will know that I am an aficionado of public transport, or transit as I guess I should call it when ac...

I’ve been exploring the historic part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/all-...

Adventures with Elsa (other princesses are available) One of the unexpected side effects of being a grandparent of a five-year-old girl is exposure to the full array of Disney princesses. And ye...

In an unexpected turn of events, I’ve had rather a lot of exposure to Disney princesses of late… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/adve...

Just checked to see if my X account is dead and hugely reassured to know that it is. X was increasingly a sewer when I left, and whilst I’m astonished that it could get worse, I guess that I shouldn’t be.

As ever, just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should.

That’s 33 per day. I have a funny feeling that you might achieve that, John. And more power to your elbow for the work you already do!

There are mixed feelings about this bargain… When I gave up on The Times a few years ago, I reinvested those freed-up funds into some proper journalism - the Economist and the Washingto...

In a world where your choice of media can speak volumes, I’ve taken the cheap option… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/ther...

Happy New Year, everyone! New Year resolutions are for people with far greater persistence than I have, so I offer my thoughts on what will happen to me next year… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/2026...