Q - I'm sure being at the centre of a parliamentary by-election is impossibly exciting, but also busy, exhausting and overwhelming, with huge highs and lows. What stands out the most for you from the campaign?

A - It really was! But incredibly exciting at the same time. I had seen Liberal Democrats gear up for a by-election before, but until you are at the centre of it you really can't appreciate the extent of the support, the enthusiasm and sheer hard work we do as a team to have these great results at by-election. Seeing Lib Dems come together and campaign together - that is definitely what stands out for me.

'Winning Here' - Guest Speaker - Special LibDem Pint

We are very lucky that Dr. Barbara Gibson has agreed to be our guest speaker at a special LibDem pint on Monday, October 29th at 8pm. Barbara, who is a serving County Councillor and the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Welwyn Hatfield will talk about how best to build on Sophie's success and continue to grow our local party (Barbara's campaigning strategy secured her an unwinnable seat). She will discuss campaigning in leave areas, fundraising and voter engagement across the political spectrum.

The Government's Counter Terrorism Bill has now moved to debate in the House of Lords. The Liberal Democrats opposed the bill in the House of Commons for a simple reason: this bill does little to keep us safe, but a lot to erode the individual freedoms of people in the UK.

In the future we might have a Government who are prepared to ride roughshod over our freedoms as citizens.

Local Matters with Mione Goldspink October 2018

We have learned this week that we will all need to apply for International Driving Licences if we wish to drive in France or Germany after we leave the EU. All our lorry drivers, taking our exports across the Channel, will have to apply as well. Our lorry drivers have the added problem of massive long queues on the Motorway as they line up for the ferry or Tunnel. The Government is preparing to install banks of Portaloos along the hard shoulder, as this huge lorry park is a real probability. Lorries coming into our country will face long delays in France because of Custom checks, and if they are carrying cargoes of fresh food like fruit, vegetables, and salad, these will all deteriorate. A less serious problem, but an annoyance, may be that the charges for using a mobile phone in the EU maybe higher if we are no longer a member.

Local Matters with Mione Goldspink September, 2018.

In spite of the fact that none of the expected difficulties with the 6-storey Car Park at Northgate End has been resolved, the Conservative District Council has given itself Planning Permission for this to be built. So, the Army Cadet Corps and the other users of the Youth Centre will all lose their valued green space. There will be a huge increase in number of pedestrians trying to cross the busy main road - possibly 2 million people per year. Traffic congestion will be dramatically increased, with peak-time delays even worse than those at Little Hadham. Some of the residents of Yew Tree Place will feel badly affected. The Council needs this car park to be built before it can proceed with building a new Theatre on the existing car park. I question the wisdom of the whole of this scheme.

The 2019 Spring Conference is in York. More details are at libdems.org.uk

Will Corbyn stand up to the Tories and their chaotic Brexit? Can Theresa May provide any clarity about what a real Brexit deal might look like?

No, and no.

Labour's Conference was riven with divisions over Brexit. Keir Starmer said he wanted to give the people the chance to remain, John McDonnell says this isn't on the table.

The leader's consultation on proposals for party reforms is still running for the next 2 weeks - and we want to make sure as many people as possible can take part.

That's why we've produced a consultation pack for your local party to use. You can see the pack here:

If you couldn't make the first online consultation session, fear not!

We've recorded the entire thing - and you can cactch up now:

Saying hello is not difficult. And that is all you essentially need to do if you want to engage with diverse communities and open doors. I was determined to make sure I did that when I started campaigning in West Barnes, Merton.

I am the first BAME councillor to win in the ward's 60 year history. Our team worked hard and we followed all the advice we were given by ALDC and HQ. But essentially it was won through hard work and the willingness to say hello and listen to your residents.