Liberal England in 2014: Part 1

January

I wrote about Sarah Teather and her magic carpet: "Whatever its motivation, a decision to walk away from party politics voluntarily is rarely the sign of a bad person."

The Coalition's Annoyance Bill annoyed me, but at least I discovered the site of Leicester's first railway station - see the picture below.

Liberal England reached the milestone of 10,000 posts.

I published a guest post remembering childhood days among the lead-mining waste of Snailbeach: "The white hillocks presented endless scope for playing. Can't have been very healthy when you think about it!"

Mike Hancock's worrying attitude to human rights in Eastern Europe was dissected and a power ballad marked the retirement of Graeme Swann.

February

I argued that England's dropping of Kevin Pietersen was a sign of weak management.

The loss of the sea wall at Dawlish revived interest in the idea of an inland railway route to Cornwall.

Nigel Farage went to see the flooded Somerset Levels and I offered some literary maps for a drowned England and reread William Mayne's The Member for the Marsh with the floods in mind.

And I recalled Liberator's finest hour - the Runner and Riders spread in our 1984 Liberal Assembly issue.

March

I discovered Tristram Hunt's past in the Cambridge Footlights and considered Malcolm Saville and the pubs of Leintrwardine.

The government gave £1m for the historic buildings around Richard III's grave - there's one of them below.

Liberal England visited Holy Trinity in the Hope Valley in Shropshire and celebrated its 10th birthday - "It will spend the day climbing trees, shooting up, swatting for SATS or whatever it is 10-year-olds do these days."

I discovered the case of the MP who was swept away in a balloon and never seen again and also discovered Big Mama Thornton - the Peggy Mount of the blues.

Vince Cable gave a Commons master class and I explored the Melton Mowbray edgelands.