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Local elections: crumbling pillars of democracy?

January 22, 2026  |   Jason Manning

Elections are central pillars of democracy. Citizens have the inalienable right to elect councillors, holding them to account if they fail to act in their interests. So, it is concerning to see so many local elections being postponed across England this year. The deferral of elections stems from the reorganisation of local authorities into a series of unitary ones, starting from 2027. These changes aim to improve local democracy: representing citizens better and improving the efficiency of local services.
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What was and is liberalism?

January 19, 2026  |   Robert Turner

For a society whose sole ideological commitment is to liberalism and is affiliated with a liberal political party, I must say that we spend far less time that we ought to on articulating what this particular term actually means in practice. I assume most of you will have a general idea of what liberalism broadly encompasses: liberty, personal freedoms, rights, private property, open and democratic institutions, government accountability, free and fair elections, etc.
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The ECHR: Walking Corpse or Final Safety Net?

November 20, 2025  |   Thomas Dorey

In my spare time, like many others, I watch some YouTube. As I peruse my captivating collection of rugby compilations and TLDR news, I spot a report of Kemi Badenoch speaking at a half-empty convention centre. Declaring that the Conservative party would leave the European Convention of Human Rights if they won the next election.

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Tax the Land: A Fair Future for Britain’s Public Finances?

November 10, 2025  |   Robert Turner

We keep being told that we lack the funds to do anything ambitious with our country’s future. Boris Johnson failed to deliver on ‘levelling up’. Rishi Sunak cancelled HS2. And now the Labour frontbenches tow the same line.

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Is the Lib Dems’ Lack of a Plan Actually a Clever Strategy?

November 2, 2025  |   Ava Doherty

People often ask me over coffee or at events what the Liberal Democrats plan to do in office. My honest answer is simple: I do not know.

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Two Parties, Both Alike in Ideology: Why Moderate Conservatism and Social Democracy are so similar

October 21, 2025  |   Robert Turner

Britain’s adversarial parliamentary system has been conducive to a framing of our party politics as a clash between two rivals. The Conservative Party, the broad church of the right, and since the 20th Century the Labour Party as the representative of the left. Each with their own dissenters, but ultimately coalescing around a set of shared values.

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My Journey into the OSLA Archives

October 13, 2025  |   Harry Morgan

I recently visited the 3 boxes full of old term cards, event posters, and Lib Dem propaganda that together form the Liberal society archives, held by the Bodleian Library’s John Johnson Collection of Ephemera.

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Say No to BritCard and State Surveillance

September 27, 2025  |   Robert Turner

In yet another blunder from the Labour Government of Keir Starmer, compulsory digital ID has been announced for the UK.

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Brexit: What Did We Lose as Students

September 10, 2025  |   Harry Morgan

Like any good Lib Dem, I have spent the summer pondering the question of what we as students and young people have lost since leaving the EU.

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