Emily Thornberry listens to the personal tales from the Burma Campaign UK

Dodgy Lib Dem bar charts are making a comeback

The Lib Dems have been a bit more sheepish about campaigning in the past few years, but with local elections in May, their questionable bar charts were always going to return. This one is a corker… (h/t: Richard Osley) If you’ve seen any of these in your local area, share them with us on Twitter…

Is the debate on party reform missing the point (again)?

By Mark Ferguson

The deadline for submissions to the Collins Review is less than two weeks away, the process – most likely to end in some form of complex compromise – is coming to a close. That’s no bad thing. There’s little to be gained here from one section of the party trampling over another just a year before an election. Compromise isn’t a dirty word. But there’s been a lack of debate within the party about what party reform should actually look […]

Sexism still lies at the heart of all aspects of public life

By Emma Burnell

Here are some things that have happened over the last week: On Sunday, news broke of the list of people who had been prepared by Spencer Livermore and Douglas Alexander to be consulted about how to win the next general election. I have written elsewhere about some of the problems inherent in this list, but absolutely key is that it contained no women. None of the people deemed worthy of meeting are female. And no one picked up on this. […]

Ed Balls votes in the Commons dressed as Santa

This year (as every other year), Ed Balls was appearing as Santa in Parliament for the Christmas party for the children of MPs and parliamentary staff. But this year he went one step further – voting in the chamber dressed as Santa. Photo courtesy of Pamela Nash MP (she’s on the right)

Collins Review – opportunities to be seized and traps to be avoided

By James Plaskitt

Ray Collins has a tough assignment.  But, based on my consultations with party and trade union members across the West Midlands region over the last month, there are opportunities to be seized – as well as traps to be avoided. The risks are easily identified.  The party coffers may take a hit, as large trade union donations dwindle.  Too few trade unionists paying the levy will take up the membership offer.  The historic link between party and unions will weaken. […]