Three years on Federal Council are coming towards an end so, even though I’m not running for re-election, here is a report back… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/fede...

My @libdemvoice.org colleague, @caronmlindsay.bsky.social, speaks for many of us in this post…

It’s official, I’m not running… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/this...

The assassination of Charlie Kirk should be a cause for reflection, but is it likely that this outrage will be any different? I wish it would be… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/if-p...

Nominations for the @libdems.org.uk Party Presidency have opened, and it’s time for a bureaucrat’s eye view of the candidates as currently declared… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/08/part...

Welcome to Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox, the AAA associate of the slightly more famous Boston Red Sox.

A trade deal with India has been reached, and the response has been pretty muted. I do have some thoughts though… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/07/uk-i...

So, @joshbabarinde.bsky.social has thrown his hat into the ring for the Party Presidency. What does it look like from the box seats (that’s me on the left, by the way…)? liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/07/a-pr...

I’ve spent the day taking a strategic view of the Town and Parish Council sector and how @nalc1947.bsky.social can support its work, alongside colleagues from across England and our professional team. The future is both challenging and laden with opportunities…

I attended Jenny Randerson’s memorial service today in Central London, and it was a rather moving affair… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/07/jenn...

So, I attended the AGM of the Suffolk Association of Local Councils today. And here’s the press release… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/07/75-y...

Guest speaker, @baronessros.bsky.social, speaking about the value that town and parish councils offer in terms of community and quality of life…

It’s as hot as Hades today, and I’m on a train to Bury St Edmunds, for today is the AGM of the Suffolk Association of Local Councils and we’re celebrating seventy-five years of serving town and parish councils across the county.

Pride is about celebration and solidarity, but in Budapest, there was even more at stake. @juvelad.bsky.social was at the heart of events… www.libdemvoice.org/budapest-pri...

I thought that this might be useful to my Liberal Democrat readers…

Another reminder of the valuable things that Town and Parish Councils can do for their communities, and thank you @charlotte-cane-mp.bsky.social for taking an interest!

We’re honoured to have Vince Cable offer his thoughts on the forthcoming Spending Review, and he is, perhaps, somewhat generous towards Rachel Reeves and her strategy… www.libdemvoice.org/what-rachel-...

So, the plans for a reorganisation of how the Party approves and selects Parliamentary candidates have hit a speed bump. Here are some thoughts about what this might mean… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/05/cand...

Theatre, a country stroll, it’s been a very pleasant weekend… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/05/enjo...

In other news, Creeting St Peter Parish Council did me the great honour of re-electing me as Chair for the 2025/26 year… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/05/cree...

The speed indicator device looks good, doesn’t it?

Greetings from the London Transport Museum, where I’ve found a fine example of English wartime humour…

All good things have to come to an end… but not yet, as I explore a classic Italian beach resort… #interrail2025 liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/04/inte...

So, Eurostar from Cologne to Brussels (meh!), and now I’m on the last Eurostar from Gare du Midi to St Pancras International, due in just before 10… #interrail2025

If I’m forced to spend two hours in Bruxelles… #interrail2025

So much for best laid plans… RE28522 was caught by a points failure within the first five miles, which means that I’ve missed ICE14 to Bruxelles-MIDI and, excepting a miracle, Eurostar 9159 to London. On the other hand, here’s the cathedral at Köln again…

And so, the sightseeing is over, and it’s time to head for home, sadly. It should take just under ten hours with, as a special treat courtesy of Greater Anglia, a rail replacement bus between Billericay and Colchester… #interrail2025

Apparently, according to Andrew Griffith MP, I should be having lunch here…

And so, we have reached my final stop, Koblenz. In the foreground, the Moselle, in the distance, the Rhine, and, looking down upon it all, the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress… #interrail2025

I think that this must be the smallest train I’ve been on… and it still has a small first class section… #interrail2025

Riechenstein Castle, on the River Rhine, north of Bingen… #interrail2025

“Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!”

Ice cream, octopus and some rather nice wine… yes, I’m still in Italy, but at the other end this time… #interrail2025 liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/04/inte...

RJX860, soon to become RJX890 for reasons best known to ÖBB, leaves Feldkirch thirty-nine minutes late. I think that my connection at Darmstadt might be in jeopardy… #interrail2025

Well, vielen danke, Feldkirch, you were lovely. And now, time for my second train of the day, this time to Darmstadt. But, as a final nod towards my hosts this afternoon, here’s what I think is a castle. It certainly looks like one… #interrail2025

Sculpture…

The River Ill, in the heart of Feldkirch, with mandatory snow-capped mountain in the background… #interrail2025

So, this is why I came to Feldkirch. I have schnitzel at last… and beer, because I am at heart a simple soul… #interrail2025

Feldkirch, Austria. And I’ve come here in search of schnitzel…

Liechtensteiner cows… they probably produce gold top… #interrail2025

Pretty, eh? We’re in Liechtenstein now, although the snowy peaks are Swiss… #interrail2025

This is not a mountain, it’s a Liechtenstein mountain… #interrail2025

Now I know what you’re thinking… this is not a train, right? But how often can you ride a local bus out of one country, through a second, and into a third?… #interrail2025

The Walensee from my train. It’s still lovely out…

The Zürichsee on a sunny Saturday morning…

An overnight ramble across Italy, courtesy of Trenitalia… #interrail2025 liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/04/inte...

There may be Parish Councils and pizza ahead, but not many trains as I reach day 4 of #interrail2025… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/04/inte...

Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana station… simply awesome on a sunny day… #interrail2025

I headed east, but it was time to head for the sun… #interrail2025 liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/04/inte...

It’s morning in Rimini, and time for breakfast before a stroll along the promenade… #interrail2025