Monday, October 05, 2026
Greens split over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy
They add that the Holborn and St Pancras by-election on Thursday, triggered by Keir Starmer's unexpected resignation as an MP, could well prove to be reckning for the Green Party leader if he doesn't perform as well as expected. And now a vote at their party conference looks like it has added to their troubles.
The Mirror tells us that the Green Party has voted to adopt a policy defining Zionism as racist in a controversial move that has dismayed the party's MPs.
They say that members have backed a motion by 1,022 votes to 813, which states that Zionism, the movement to develop and protect a Jewish state in Israel, will be “treated as any other form of racism”:
It supports the establishment of a “single democratic Palestinian State in all of historic Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital”. Members voted down attempts to add a clause to make clear the motion should not be used to “pressure, proscribe or discipline” party members for their affiliation to synagogues or other Jewish groups that describe themselves as Zionist.
The move plunged the Greens into civil war, as the party leadership rushed to distance themselves from it. Party leader Zack Polanski - who skipped the vote to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election - and his deputies signed a statement saying "there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people". It was also signed by the party's five MPs.
The statement said: "As Green Party leaders and MPs, we will always uphold universal human rights. We will never tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. We will continue to stand in opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and the illegal occupation.
"We will continue to call out the heinous crimes of the Netanyahu government. And we will continue to work to ensure that the Green Party is an anti-racist party in every way. We know there is no conflict between supporting the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Jewish people."
The move sparked a fierce backlash, with two senior Rabbis said the motion was “anti-semitic in its formulation and intention”. Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy said: “By adopting it, the Green Party has made anti-semitism party policy and become a racist party.”
Senior leaders from the Board of Deputies, Community Security Trust and Jewish Leadership Council had written to Green leaders ahead of the conference to warn about the motion.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: "I know the profound hurt and alarm the Green Party motion will be causing to many in the Jewish community. Labour learned the hard way about addressing extremism in its ranks and we took action to rip the antisemitism from our party by the roots.
"I am speaking to friends who are members of the community to let them know they needn't be frightened, that this is an unacceptable position and that there will always be those in power who will continue to tackle antisemitism head on."
The fact that the amendment on safeguarding Jews failed to pass 684 - 1026 speaks volumes. The Greens are in danger of repeating the mistakes of Corbyn's Labour Party, but going further by isolating themselves through their rejection of a two-state solution favoured by most of the rest of the world.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Reform continue to block journalists from doing their job
The paper says that Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell told how an 81-year-old woman won a legal battle with Derbyshire County Council over a garden fence, but Reform UK’s administration, which runs the local authority, now says it will not engage with the journalist after what it characterised as "a prolonged period of concerns":
The decision has prompted a backlash, including from the Society of Editors (SoS), which champions press freedom. SoS chief executive Dawn Alford told the Mirror: “Refusing to engage with a journalist because you object to their reporting sets a dangerous precedent.
"Public bodies must be open to scrutiny, including when the questions are uncomfortable and the coverage is critical. Journalists must be free to investigate, ask questions and hold those in power to account... Cutting off contact with the reporter is plainly wrong and does nothing to resolve those concerns. This matters far beyond one journalist or one story. When a public body shuts out a reporter, it is the public who lose access to answers about decisions taken in their name and money spent on their behalf.
“The Society of Editors urges Reform-led Derbyshire County Council to reverse this decision. Local journalism is essential to democratic accountability, and councils should defend the public’s right to know by engaging openly with those asking questions.”
Mr Bisknell reports for the Derby Telegraph and DerbyshireLive, part of Daily Mirror owner Reach PLC, in a Local Democracy Reporter role funded by the BBC. Derbyshire County Council is majority-controlled by Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage has repeatedly spoken out in favour of freedom of speech. The local authority’s deputy leader Stephen Reed reportedly announced the move in an interview with BBC Radio Derby, followed by a press release.
A copy of the press release seen by the Mirror is headed “Reform UK Administration Ends Engagement with Individual Local Democracy Reporter Following Loss of Confidence”. It is described as a “political statement from the Reform UK administration… not a corporate statement issued by Derbyshire County Council”.
The release says: “The Reform UK administration at Derbyshire County Council has taken the decision to end engagement with an individual Local Democracy Reporter following a prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct. The administration wishes to make absolutely clear that this decision is not an attack on freedom of the press, local journalism or the principle of scrutiny.”
The release claimed the decision had “not been taken because of a single article or individual disagreement”, alleging concerns had “been raised over a longer period”. But in a separate op-ed, Councillor Reed detailed grievances over Mr Bisknell’s reporting on retired teacher Helene Ball’s row with the council.
This sort of behaviour is becoming all too common amongst Reform politicians, it is straight out of the Trump playbook.
Saturday, October 03, 2026
Some of the churches of Gower
The north tends to have more sheep and traditional employment, is home to the area's cockle industry, non-conformist chapels and tends to vote Labour. Of course, these are generalisations but ones that help us to understand the various religious buildings that we can find there.
Mumbles, which sits on the south-eastern edge of the peninsula contains All Saints, a major Church-in-Wales church, Mumbles Methodist Church, which is a Grade II listed building dating back to the mid-18th-century Methodist revival under John Wesley and Our Lady Star of the Sea, a Catholic church as well as a number of other places of worship of all denominations.
Mumbles, which sits on the south-eastern edge of the peninsula contains All Saints, a major Church-in-Wales church, Mumbles Methodist Church, which is a Grade II listed building dating back to the mid-18th-century Methodist revival under John Wesley and Our Lady Star of the Sea, a Catholic church as well as a number of other places of worship of all denominations.
In line with the churches featured below, All Saints also has a famous connection, containing the grave of Thomas Bowdler.
This site lists ten fascinating churches on the peninsula that are worth visiting. It's author tells us that most of them are small, dating from the early medieval (12th and 13th centuries) period, and were built in an area under Anglo-Norman rather than Welsh control.
The author describes St Cadoc Church in Cheriton (pictured above) as the 'humble cathedral of Gower':
This fine 14th-century church may well have been built to replace a church at nearby Landimore, which would have been prone to flooding from the adjacent saltmarshes of the Loughor estuary. It’s built on much higher ground, and serves a tiny village a mile or two east of Llanmadoc, more on which later in the article.
The church is as humble and simple as most other Gower churches. Its one difference is its central tower, between the nave and the chancel. In cathedrals and larger churches transepts would be built to the north and south, but this wasn’t the case at Cheriton.
The church is dedicated to St Cadoc, one of the most prominent early Welsh saints, who founded an important monastery at Llancarfan, 40 miles to the east in the Vale of Glamorgan. What we see today was largely built in the Early English Gothic style, with typical narrow lancet windows. It was restored from 1875 onwards under the auspices of the Rector, Reverend J D Davies, who also served the neighbouring village of Llanmadoc.
Those with an interest in medical history may be intrigued to know that Sigmund Freud’s biographer, Ernest Jones, is buried in Cheriton churchyard. A psychoanalyst himself, he was born in. nearby Gowerton and had a holiday home just up the road in Llanmadoc.
St Mary's Church in Pennard (above) is also a replacement for an earlier, abandoned church:
The original was close to Pennard Castle, overlooking nearby Three Cliffs Bay, which eventually succumbed to the encroaching sand dunes which still threaten what is left of the castle.
The battlemented west tower is tiny, almost a miniature, and anyone climbing it would have to be a lot smaller and slimmer than me to do so!
Inside, the most noticeable feature is the wooden gallery at the west end of the church, with a row of pews either side. This is where musicians would perform in times gone by. There is also a memorial tablet to Vernon Watkins, a renowned Gower poet, and contemporary and friend of Dylan Thomas. His remarkable wife Gwen, who recently passed away aged 101, was one of the Enigma codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War Two.
Last, but not least for this post, there is St Mary's Church in Rhossili, another building linked to a well-known historical person:
It’s a simple medieval church with a saddleback tower, a type common throughout South Wales. It replaced an earlier church built at a lower level closer to the beach, long since lost to the sand dunes.
The oldest part of the church is the late Romanesque south doorway, the sole survivor from this period on Gower. There is also a lepers’ window in the chancel, where sufferers of the disease could observe the service being conducted from outside.
Rhossili Church also attracts visitors keen to see the wall memorial to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, who was born in the village in 1876. He was one of four men who accompanied Captain Robert Falcon Scott in his expedition to the South Pole, which they reached in January 1912, a few weeks after Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his expedition arrived there. He died in the expedition tent, but his body was never found. The plaque was commissioned by his widow Lois.
I propose to do more posts on these churches and chapels over the next few weeks. Another site that may be worth looking at for information is here.
This site lists ten fascinating churches on the peninsula that are worth visiting. It's author tells us that most of them are small, dating from the early medieval (12th and 13th centuries) period, and were built in an area under Anglo-Norman rather than Welsh control.
The author describes St Cadoc Church in Cheriton (pictured above) as the 'humble cathedral of Gower':
This fine 14th-century church may well have been built to replace a church at nearby Landimore, which would have been prone to flooding from the adjacent saltmarshes of the Loughor estuary. It’s built on much higher ground, and serves a tiny village a mile or two east of Llanmadoc, more on which later in the article.
The church is as humble and simple as most other Gower churches. Its one difference is its central tower, between the nave and the chancel. In cathedrals and larger churches transepts would be built to the north and south, but this wasn’t the case at Cheriton.
The church is dedicated to St Cadoc, one of the most prominent early Welsh saints, who founded an important monastery at Llancarfan, 40 miles to the east in the Vale of Glamorgan. What we see today was largely built in the Early English Gothic style, with typical narrow lancet windows. It was restored from 1875 onwards under the auspices of the Rector, Reverend J D Davies, who also served the neighbouring village of Llanmadoc.
Those with an interest in medical history may be intrigued to know that Sigmund Freud’s biographer, Ernest Jones, is buried in Cheriton churchyard. A psychoanalyst himself, he was born in. nearby Gowerton and had a holiday home just up the road in Llanmadoc.
The original was close to Pennard Castle, overlooking nearby Three Cliffs Bay, which eventually succumbed to the encroaching sand dunes which still threaten what is left of the castle.
The battlemented west tower is tiny, almost a miniature, and anyone climbing it would have to be a lot smaller and slimmer than me to do so!
Inside, the most noticeable feature is the wooden gallery at the west end of the church, with a row of pews either side. This is where musicians would perform in times gone by. There is also a memorial tablet to Vernon Watkins, a renowned Gower poet, and contemporary and friend of Dylan Thomas. His remarkable wife Gwen, who recently passed away aged 101, was one of the Enigma codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War Two.
It’s a simple medieval church with a saddleback tower, a type common throughout South Wales. It replaced an earlier church built at a lower level closer to the beach, long since lost to the sand dunes.
The oldest part of the church is the late Romanesque south doorway, the sole survivor from this period on Gower. There is also a lepers’ window in the chancel, where sufferers of the disease could observe the service being conducted from outside.
Rhossili Church also attracts visitors keen to see the wall memorial to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, who was born in the village in 1876. He was one of four men who accompanied Captain Robert Falcon Scott in his expedition to the South Pole, which they reached in January 1912, a few weeks after Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his expedition arrived there. He died in the expedition tent, but his body was never found. The plaque was commissioned by his widow Lois.
I propose to do more posts on these churches and chapels over the next few weeks. Another site that may be worth looking at for information is here.
Labels: lochist
Friday, October 02, 2026
Has Ed Davey got it wrong on the triple lock?
The paper says that Tom Gordon said he thought Sir Ed Davey had “missed the point” and that it was “for the birds” that the state pension trip lock helps millennials:
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed earlier today said changing the triple lock would mean millennials, those aged 30 to 45, would have a “very poor pension” when they retire.
In a post on social media, Mr Gordon wrote: “I listened to Ed Davey on (BBC Radio 4’s Today) this morning, and frankly, I think he missed the point. The idea that we're keeping the triple lock to help millennials is at best for the birds, and at worst downright insulting. I say that as a millennial.
“The case for the triple lock is a worthy one - stopping pensioner poverty. I want that as much as anyone. But pensioners are now less likely to be in poverty than children or working age adults.
“That money should go where it's needed most - to everyone in poverty, not just one group. It could help fund free personal care, a policy that would disproportionately benefit older people.”
He added that “intergenerational inequality is already one of the defining injustices of our time”, highlighting how millennials are locked out of the housing market, paying higher taxes and struggling with spiralling student loans.
He added: "Telling millennials we're keeping the triple lock to help us in 30 years' time is nonsense... I joined this party because I care about fairness and tackling inequality, and that has to include inequality between generations. This line, and this decision, fails on both counts. Ed needs to think again."
Lib Dem MP Tim Farron, a former leader of the party, also appeared to suggest Mr Burnham's policies aligned with the party. He wrote on social media: "Reflecting on the PM’s leader’s speech. It was a cracking piece of oratory. It also included loads of Lib Dem ideas e.g. on social care, Europe and water - this is good news for us as a party and as a country. The task for the Lib Dems is to make sure these are more than words."
Sir Ed, who cares for his disabled son John, has long been a champion of social care, making it a key plank of the Lib Dems’ policy agenda.
Some Labour MPs were left surprised by his negative response to Mr Burnham’s Labour conference speech on Tuesday, in which he vowed to contest the next election on a pledge to create a National Care Service that would be free at the point of use.
And Tom is not the only Liberal Democrat MP who has expressed dissent with the leader's position. Vicky Slade the MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole posted on BlueSky: 'Pensioners will gain more from free social care than a linking rise of state pension to earnings. Proud of triple lock in coalition but we must plan for future not venerate the past.'
The BBC add that a Lib Dem MP contacted them after Sir Ed's interview to say the majority of the parliamentary party would not support opposing Burnham's changes to the triple lock. They continue:
One frontbench Lib Dem MP told the BBC after Burnham's Labour conference speech: "Lots of us [are] struggling tonight with [a] Labour leader articulating Lib Dem values better than we do."
They pointed to Burnham's promises on electoral reform, social care, the water industry, and relations with Europe - all Lib Dem campaign points in recent years.
"I'm honestly utterly despondent with the state of things," another Lib Dem MP said.
Some senior Lib Dems believe Sir Ed's position as leader has been vulnerable for some time, even if they stressed no challenge is imminent.
"A plausible candidate could take him tomorrow in a bloodless coup," one prominent party figure said.
"But that person hasn't yet revealed themselves as far as I'm aware. Nobody is going to blow anything up without a clear plan to put something in its place."
Burnham's proposal is not actually that radical. it will still guarantee a minimum increase of 2.5% each year in the pension, but it will also release money for social care that is much needed. This knee-jerk reaction from Ed Davey is not a good look for the party.
Thursday, October 01, 2026
So many questions over Burnham's agenda
For a start, what form of proportional representation is being proposed? What is the timescale and will there have to be another plebiscite before we can proceed? Just another commission, no real commitment.
And what exactly is being proposed regarding the EU and the single market? How long will it take to make progress on this promise?
The biggest questions though relate to how Burnham is proposing to pay for his new National Care Service. The Times reports that Andy Burnham has admitted there may be a “shortfall” in his plans to fund a new national care service as economists warned he would have to raise taxes to cover the cost.
They say that Burnham told Times Radio he wanted to introduce the new service, which would be free at the point of use, “as soon as possible” even though the savings found by scrapping the triple lock will not be fully realised until 2040:
Speaking after his conference speech in Liverpool, Burnham said: “It will be fully funded. That’s what I was saying today. That when we do introduce it, it will be fully funded, and we’ll obviously make those proposals next year.”
Burnham announced plans to adjust the triple lock from April 2030. Economists said he would still have to raise either income tax or national insurance in the short term to fund the new care service, which will cover the cost of personal care but not residential accommodation or food. The service is expected to cost up to £18bn a year.
Pressed on whether other funding would be needed before the savings built up, Burnham said: “I will put a plan before the country at the next general election, where we say this is our national care service, this is how we will fund it.
“The decision on the triple lock, the adjustment, and it is an adjustment — it’s not getting rid of the whole concept of the triple lock — this releases this much. The NHS truly will be able to make savings … from a better social care system.
“And then if there’s a shortfall, well, we’d have to be honest about that shortfall and say where that money is coming.”
In his speech, Burnham ruled out funding the service through borrowing, leaving him with only the option of tax rises in the interim.
The government said savings from the pension changes would reach about £15bn by 2040, but did not give a figure for the cost of the service.
Burnham said Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s review would examine the options for its design and timing.
Asked how he could guarantee the funding, he said: “There are options to do it. You could, obviously if you wanted, put the time back, the date back by which the service comes in, because the triple lock decision will release billions more money as we go through the next decade. So there’s obviously a timing question there.”
I suppose we are going to have to wait before we get more clarity, but how the uncertaintly and the growing number of questions will hit Labour's ratings will have to be seen.
The biggest questions though relate to how Burnham is proposing to pay for his new National Care Service. The Times reports that Andy Burnham has admitted there may be a “shortfall” in his plans to fund a new national care service as economists warned he would have to raise taxes to cover the cost.
They say that Burnham told Times Radio he wanted to introduce the new service, which would be free at the point of use, “as soon as possible” even though the savings found by scrapping the triple lock will not be fully realised until 2040:
Speaking after his conference speech in Liverpool, Burnham said: “It will be fully funded. That’s what I was saying today. That when we do introduce it, it will be fully funded, and we’ll obviously make those proposals next year.”
Burnham announced plans to adjust the triple lock from April 2030. Economists said he would still have to raise either income tax or national insurance in the short term to fund the new care service, which will cover the cost of personal care but not residential accommodation or food. The service is expected to cost up to £18bn a year.
Pressed on whether other funding would be needed before the savings built up, Burnham said: “I will put a plan before the country at the next general election, where we say this is our national care service, this is how we will fund it.
“The decision on the triple lock, the adjustment, and it is an adjustment — it’s not getting rid of the whole concept of the triple lock — this releases this much. The NHS truly will be able to make savings … from a better social care system.
“And then if there’s a shortfall, well, we’d have to be honest about that shortfall and say where that money is coming.”
In his speech, Burnham ruled out funding the service through borrowing, leaving him with only the option of tax rises in the interim.
The government said savings from the pension changes would reach about £15bn by 2040, but did not give a figure for the cost of the service.
Burnham said Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s review would examine the options for its design and timing.
Asked how he could guarantee the funding, he said: “There are options to do it. You could, obviously if you wanted, put the time back, the date back by which the service comes in, because the triple lock decision will release billions more money as we go through the next decade. So there’s obviously a timing question there.”
I suppose we are going to have to wait before we get more clarity, but how the uncertaintly and the growing number of questions will hit Labour's ratings will have to be seen.
