Political

Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2024!

Christmas is nearly upon us, so it’s time once again for one of my animated Christmas cards. As has now become traditional, some frontline politicians have kindly agreed to take part in the filming. In the festive spirit of goodwill, I’ve reached across party lines for the cast…

Christmas card screenshot

At the start of the year I was kindly re-elected by party members to a second (and final) three-year term as Liberal Democrat President. If nothing else, I hope that by the end of six years of being our first non-Parliamentary President, it’ll have become a seemingly normal enough option that it’ll frequently be repeated in future.  

The party does of course have many great Parliamentarians and will have more in the future, one of whom I was really lucky to get to interview for what turned out to be by far the most popular episode of my podcast this year. If you ever feel worried about the future of our country or our political system then, whatever your own political views, take heart from the fact that there are people like Josh Babarinde who want to be part of it. He’s an inspirational figure with a moving personal story behind his interest in politics. 

This year has also been the first full year of my new weekly newsletter about political polling, The Week in Polls.  I hope it can grow to be my main activity when being President comes to an end, as after so many years away from a ‘normal’ Monday-Friday office job, the idea of returning to one isn’t pulling at my heart strings… (and to think I used to enjoy commuting in a squashed Tube train, believing it was a great time to listen to podcasts. Which it was, but you don’t have to be pushed into someone else’s armpit while paying for a peak price ticket to listen to one. Podcasts can even be listened to sitting down or in the fresh air.)

I’ve also had the good fortune this year to discover the Spybrary online community for fans of espionage novels. It’s founder, Shane Whaley, has done a great job at creating a friendly atmosphere which reminds you of the good that the internet can do at times – in this case bringing together strangers from around the world to share a common interest, learning from and being entertained by each other. Thank you Shane! And he’s really added to the size of my reading wish list for 2024…

Whatever your own plans for the future, I hope 2024 sees them prosper and I hope you manage to get a good break over Christmas.

Very best wishes to you and your family,

PS For a bit of extra fun, don’t forget those Christmas carol quiz questions, as written by lawyers. Good luck!

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