Author: Clarke Roberts

Why the proposed changes to the Lib Dem leadership make no sense

You can tell that parliament is currently enjoying its summer holiday as the Liberal Democrats have been making the headlines recently. Not for the reasons you might expect, however. It's nothing to do with the party's controversial stance on Brexit, nor is it to do with any other policy issue; once again, it's the question of the party's leadership. It's been three years since the party lost all but eight of its MPs along with, arguably, its most successful leader. After five years in coalition, Continue reading [...]

Corbynism is yet another example of post-truth politics

Like him or loathe him, there's no denying that Jeremy Corbyn is certainly an interesting politician. The antithesis to almost all UK political leaders of the last decade (perhaps longer), Corbyn has attracted a monumental following across the UK, capturing the hearts of hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised people with a promise of a better country, a fairer society, and a kinder and gentler politics. In his relatively short tenure as leader of the Labour Party, he's proved almost every political Continue reading [...]

Drowning in a sea of blue – why the Lib Dems are failing to make progress in the North

If I stand out and observe the view from my favourite spot in the town where I live, all I can see for miles is a sea of blue. That’s not just because I live in the town of Scarborough, right on the North Sea coast, but also because I live in a part of the world that at the last General Election, once again returned Conservative Members of Parliament in all but one of its eight constituencies. It’s the same story at County Council level too, with the Conservatives holding 55 of the 72 seats Continue reading [...]

Trump is on right on Brexit, which is why we need a people’s vote

Well this has certainly been an interesting week. England crashed out of the World Cup (twice if you count their defeat at the hands of Belgium this afternoon), David Davis and Boris Johnson both resigned, and US president Donald Trump made his first official visit to the UK in his role as apparent leader of the free world. Before he was due to meet prime minister Theresa May on Thursday, Trump gave a rather inflammatory interview in the Sun newspaper, in which he claims that the PM ignored his advice Continue reading [...]

A guide to liberal faith: from a liberal

Most people are surprised when I tell them that I am a man of faith. Not because I'm some sort of deviant who left the rails of righteousness many years ago, but because I've always portrayed myself as a man of reason and logic, and I've spoken about my love and interest of science, in particular, astronomy. Now there may be some of you wondering why those things cause surprise amongst people when they learn of my faith convictions. To be honest, I often wonder the same. But when I attempt to understand Continue reading [...]