Mark Valladares

Whose woven bones do you have, Andrew?…

Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism - Hansard - UK Parliament Hansard record of the item : ' Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism' on Wednesday 2 July 2025.

And I offer as evidence the Hansard report of the debate - Lisa Smart was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson… hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025...

Because the Government coupled Palestine Action with two Russian neo-fascist terrorist groups and dared opposition parties to vote all three down. If there had been a choice to approve the two Russian groups and reject Palestine Action, Lib Dem MPs would have done that.

I’m pretty confident that the answer is no. There’s no credible way of making the chamber bigger unless you remove the voting lobbies, if my understanding of the building’s structure is accurate.

No, you’re good, it’s not turquoise…

And, at that point, he was still in the House of Lords…

Thinking about trains again... Professional training takes me to Croydon in a few weeks time which means navigating our official travel provider's website. And clearly, it...

I’m a big fan of trains… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/thin...

Does technology offer a solution to my lack of focus? Ten years ago, I got myself a Fitbit and started walking 10,000 steps each day. And, apart from a brief, food poisoning induced, hiatus in F...

Ten years ago, I felt like my own tamagotchi. Now, perhaps I’m getting more comfortable with the idea of technology as an efficiency tool… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/does...

Creeting St Peter: another year of financial prudence In my capacity as finance portfolio holder for my beloved Parish Council, over the years I’ve been preparing what I tend to think of as caut...

Responsible financial management isn’t perhaps that challenging for a micro-Parish Council. But prudence remains my watchword… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/cree...

If you want to get an early start from London, you might be better off buying a cheap advance ticket to London for the day before and then activating your Interrail ticket when you catch Eurostar.

Fionna, Interrail give you two days, one to get out of your home country, another to get back in.

So, if you travel to London using your Interrail on Day 1, you then can’t use it on Eurostar to get to France on Day 2.

All aboard the Mattapan Trolley! Those of you who know me modestly well will know that I am an aficionado of public transport, or transit as I guess I should call it when ac...

I’ve been exploring the historic part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/all-...

Adventures with Elsa (other princesses are available) One of the unexpected side effects of being a grandparent of a five-year-old girl is exposure to the full array of Disney princesses. And ye...

In an unexpected turn of events, I’ve had rather a lot of exposure to Disney princesses of late… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/adve...

Just checked to see if my X account is dead and hugely reassured to know that it is. X was increasingly a sewer when I left, and whilst I’m astonished that it could get worse, I guess that I shouldn’t be.

As ever, just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should.

That’s 33 per day. I have a funny feeling that you might achieve that, John. And more power to your elbow for the work you already do!

There are mixed feelings about this bargain… When I gave up on The Times a few years ago, I reinvested those freed-up funds into some proper journalism - the Economist and the Washingto...

In a world where your choice of media can speak volumes, I’ve taken the cheap option… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/ther...

Happy New Year, everyone! New Year resolutions are for people with far greater persistence than I have, so I offer my thoughts on what will happen to me next year… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2026/01/2026...

A dawning realisation that I don’t really fit, but that’s fine Occasionally, someone revisits the idea that the Liberal Democrats consist of a number of tribes, and writes (usually quite thoughtfully) ab...

If a Party has tribes, what if you aren’t really a member of one?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/12/a-da...

Depends on the time of year, I think, and what you want to do. There are a few things to see and do - a great castle and some historic sailing ships - but it’s not in itself the most exciting place. The journey there is in some ways the best part. It does tend to be a summer destination.

Alternatively, if you’re not in a hurry, you could take the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry, trains to Stockholm and then the ferry. A short period Interrail would cover the trains and you could meander your way across Germany and on through Denmark…

Stockholm, we did Stockholm to Turku with a stop in Mariehamn on the way. The ferry crossing is fabulous.

Congratulations, Rebecca, and best wishes for your term on FPC!

Yes, but it’s black, or purple, right?

A short history of correspondence with my family… When I was (much) younger, messages to my family were sent on something that looked like this, an aerogramme. They were designed to be light...

It’s 30 November, and my foreign Christmas cards are written and ready to be posted. And why does that matter?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-sh...

Someone has been murdered, but could I work out who by?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-pl...

Just spent a fascinating hour listening to @dustshoveller.bsky.social describe the events of the day Parliament burned down in 1834.

And I can confirm that Josh will be there, as we’re sharing a @firstbus.bsky.social 87 from Colchester Station…

It’s a murky sort of a day, but I’m in Colchester for the East of England @libdems.org.uk Regional Conference, where @joshbabarinde.bsky.social is making what I think is his first speech as President-elect.

📢 We have published our report, ‘Is Working from Home Working?’

We found that hybrid working has the potential to be the "best of both worlds", but only if it is well managed.

committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...

I shall drink a glass of something sparkling in your honour…