West Country Voices

17/07/2025

So far, so good, but Labour need to go further and give us PR!

Today [July 17 2025] marks a historic moment for British democracy. The Government has published its long-awaited Strategy for Elections, announcing the most significant package of democratic reforms in a generation. There’s genuine progress to celebrate, but also a glaring omission that we cannot...

17/07/2025

Voting age to be lowered to 16 in UK by next general election

16- and 17-year-olds will be given right to vote in all elections as part of changes including easier voter registration

16/07/2025

Everyone needs to read Rob Hopkin's book! Seriously!

Let me start by saying straight off that I think everyone should read this book. If you are feeling bleak and despairing about the future of the planet, or utterly disgusted about the seemingly inexorable rise of the far right or just plain fed up with the way things are, then you definitely need th...

13/07/2025

Who calls the shots when it comes to suppressing peaceful, non-violent protest?

13/07/2025

Just your regular reminder that public ownership is hugely popular in the UK.

Join the fight to take back control of our public services and run them for people not profit.

Sign up to our newsletter. Link in comments 👇

13/07/2025

📊 New YouGov polling: Brits prefer closer ties with France over the US.

The British public knows: We can’t rely on Trump’s America.

It’s time to build stronger ties with France and the EU. 🇪🇺

12/07/2025

It's boomtime for ticks...and so the risks of being infected with devastating Lyme Disease are high. Thank you to nature photographer .bsky.social for sharing his story and issuing a very timely warning.

Today I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I was bitten by four ticks 30 days ago, and had a red rash come up around one of the bites that soon started spreading… As there was no ‘bullseye’, I didn’t think it was Lyme, I assumed it was just a reaction, especially as the rash wasn’t […]

12/07/2025

We will be writing about Hands Up. This was a very simple but powerful event that could not fail to move.

Welcome to Gaza at the last night. What a powerful, moving, harrowing piece of theatre.
But also uplifting, hearing the voices of hope and optimism in the plays written by children in Gaza.
Amazing work by the Hands Up Project and director Peter Oswald, and particularly moving to watch the two young actresses who have made it out of Gaza and will now perform the play elsewhere in the UK including the Edinburgh Fringe.
Thank you for bringing this to Totnes and for using theatre as a very powerful way to convey the horrors of Gaza.

12/07/2025

Totnes today 80 minutes..

11/07/2025

"It takes no courage to taunt the voiceless, no principle to kick the powerless. What we saw was not tradition, but hatred dressed up as community expression."

What happened in Moygashel, Northern Ireland on July 10, was a disgrace. An effigy of a migrant boat was paraded and set alight as part of a so-called celebration. It wasn’t just the model of a vessel that burned, it was a grotesque caricature of human suffering, complete with mannequins in lifeja...

09/07/2025

I’m so excited to announce that next Saturday evening I’ll be talking about my first year as an MP at Totnes Civic Hall.

It’s been such a busy, invigorating 12 months. I’ve assisted over 11,000 constituents across a range of political and personal issues, sent nearly 26,000 emails or letters to them or on their behalf, and spoken numerous times in parliament about issues including rural pharmacies, SEND, farming, fishing, and so much more.

I’m so proud to represent you all in Westminster. I’ll be reflecting on the past year and the work I’ve been doing locally and nationally. There’ll also be time for a Q&A at the end.

If that sounds of interest, and if you’re free on Saturday 19th July at 7pm, then make sure to get your ticket via the link below.

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/totnes/totnes-civic-hall/an-evening-with-caroline-voaden-mp/2025-07-19/d-rqllbwteroewa

08/07/2025

If you still believe the private sector will fix our broken water sector, you're probably either a water company shareholder or a government minister!

Everyone else can see the obvious solution is PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.