Mark Valladares
@honladymark.bsky.social
Your friendly neighbourhood liberal bureaucrat. Come for the Liberal Democracy (Federal Council, Lib Dem Voice), stay for the parish council stuff (Creeting St Peter, Suffolk ALC, NALC), travel and mild eccentricity.
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...
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...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
November 30, 2025 at 11:39 PM
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...
A pleasant dinner, interrupted by someone being murdered…
I’m always open to the idea of a good meal, and when Ros suggested dinner at the Suffolk Food Hall, I warmly welcomed the notion. There was ...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
November 29, 2025 at 11:02 PM
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.
November 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Just spent a fascinating hour listening to @dustshoveller.bsky.social describe the events of the day Parliament burned down in 1834.
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.
November 15, 2025 at 9:14 AM
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.
Reposted by Mark Valladares
📢 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...
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...
November 13, 2025 at 8:48 AM
📢 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...
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...
Right, internal elections ballots cast, and a few surprises there. I’ve tried to encourage a few newcomers, support women and reward achievement. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential ones were the hardest though.
November 11, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Right, internal elections ballots cast, and a few surprises there. I’ve tried to encourage a few newcomers, support women and reward achievement. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential ones were the hardest though.
So, I still have to cast my votes in the various Liberal Democrat internal elections. At least I have a nice setting to ponder my choices…
November 9, 2025 at 4:39 AM
So, I still have to cast my votes in the various Liberal Democrat internal elections. At least I have a nice setting to ponder my choices…
Live from Ipswich, a mobile fish and chip van…
October 31, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Live from Ipswich, a mobile fish and chip van…
I’m on a train again so naturally, I’ve been thinking… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/10/look...
Looking at a polar bear, exit stage right…
To London, for dinner with Ros and a visit to my parents. And that means a trip on newly-nationalised Greater Anglia, with its fairly new, q...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM
I’m on a train again so naturally, I’ve been thinking… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/10/look...
I’ve been for a walk in East Bergholt…
October 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM
I’ve been for a walk in East Bergholt…
I’ve been re-elected, gloriously or otherwise. One down, two to go?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...
The road to power starts with a single step
I have, mostly by dint of being too polite to say no, risen a surprisingly long way in the genteel world of Town and Parish Councils. I repr...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
September 30, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I’ve been re-elected, gloriously or otherwise. One down, two to go?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...
Am I any closer to deciding how I might vote for the Party’s Presidency and Vice-Presidency?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...
The field for President and Vice-President is set - some more thoughts…
So, with nominations closed, Babarinde vs Bray and Collins vs Hussain are the two contests at the top of the “bill”. Time, so think, to star...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
September 28, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Am I any closer to deciding how I might vote for the Party’s Presidency and Vice-Presidency?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...
History tends to repeat itself, so why wouldn’t Labour have another go at ID cards?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/id-c...
ID cards: so remind me, what did you vote Labour for, exactly?
Mandatory ID cards are the latest idea to come out of the Labour brains trust, something so vital that it wasn’t actually in the manifesto t...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:11 PM
History tends to repeat itself, so why wouldn’t Labour have another go at ID cards?… liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/id-c...
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...
Federal Council: not letting the door hit me on the way out...
Three years ago, when I ran for a place on the inaugural Federal Council, my aims were to: Establish the Federal Council as an effective scr...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
September 15, 2025 at 9:19 AM
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…
Some thoughts on Mandelson, political violence and racists in London by @caronmlindsay.bsky.social www.libdemvoice.org/carons-catch...
Caron’s catch-up – a worrying week
There has been much this week to worry us. Israel continues to shock and horrify, not jut in Gaza, worrying escalations of the Ukraine conflict in Ukraine itself and Poland make that whole situation m...
www.libdemvoice.org
September 14, 2025 at 9:33 PM
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...
This is not a manifesto...
It's that time of year when a young man's fancy turns towards getting the nominations required to run for a Federal Committee. And in each P...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:47 AM
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...
If political assassinations are the answer, then I reject the question
Yesterday's murder of the American political activist, Charlie Kirk, is yet another warning to American politicians that, if you keep defini...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:23 PM
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...
Party Presidency: the field begins to emerge
So, the starting gun has been fired, and the process of gathering nominations is underway in earnest. As far as I can tell, we have three ca...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
August 29, 2025 at 6:42 AM
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.
August 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM
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...
UK-India trade deal: perhaps we should be a little more enthusiastic?
On Thursday, Calum Miller was quoted as saying: We support the opening of trade, which is vital in the face of the tariff wars launched by D...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
July 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM
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...
A Presidential campaign kicks off…
I’ll freely admit that I don’t know much about Josh Babarinde, who launched his campaign for the Presidency of the Liberal Democrats yesterd...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
July 26, 2025 at 9:41 PM
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…
July 7, 2025 at 8:29 PM
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...
Jenny Randerson - a memorial
To London, for one of my infrequent visits to the big city. And, on a mildly unpleasantly hot day, it possibly wasn’t the ideal day to don a...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
July 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
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...
75 Years of local empowerment: Suffolk Association of Local Councils celebrates milestone with film premiere and vision for the future
I don't normally print press releases here, but as I'm a member of the SALC Board, perhaps you might forgive me on this occasion... The Suff...
liberalbureaucracy.blogspot.com
July 1, 2025 at 9:15 PM
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…
July 1, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Guest speaker, @baronessros.bsky.social, speaking about the value that town and parish councils offer in terms of community and quality of life…