I'm now a Liberal Democrat Candidate

You don’t often get a chance to stand up and actually do something about the direction things are heading.

So I’ve taken it.

I’m standing as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Horbury and South Ossett ward, Wakefield, for the local elections on May 7th 2026.

And yes, I know what that means.
No big campaign machine.
No expectation of winning (if I get 10 votes I'll be happy)
No grand illusion that I’ll be walking into the council chamber any time soon.

But that’s not really the point.

I actually started this as a paper candidate. Just a name on a ballot paper. But once I realised that ballot paper was for Horbury and South Ossett, I took a proper look at the area. I spoke to people. I listened.

What I heard surprised me. A lot of locals felt their councillors weren’t doing enough for the area, so I started doing small things. Reporting potholes. Flagging dangerous paving. Raising fly-tipping issues.

Nothing big. Nothing glamorous. But real things.

At that point, I stopped being a paper candidate. I became someone who actually wants to see things improve.

Where this all started

Politics has always been there in the background for me.

I used to argue with my grandad about it when I was younger. Not in a hostile way. We just enjoyed the back and forth. The ideas, the principles, the “what ifs”. It was never about shouting louder. It was about thinking harder.

When I was old enough to vote, I did what most people should do but many don’t. I looked around properly.

What do I actually believe?

I landed on a set of values that felt consistent and grounded.

Social justice matters.
We should be working with Europe, not turning our backs on it.
Power should be pushed down, not hoarded at the top.
The NHS should be protected and strengthened, not chipped away at.

Over time, those views lined up most closely with the Liberal Democrats.

So why stand if you’re not going to win?

Because doing nothing guarantees nothing changes.

Standing puts a name on the ballot. It gives people a choice. It keeps the Liberal Democrats visible in an area where that choice might otherwise disappear.

And it gives me a platform to say what I believe in.

Not a big one.
Not a polished one.
But a real one.

I’ve already started doing practical things locally. Reporting issues. Paying attention to what’s actually happening on the ground.

It’s not glamorous, but it matters.

The bigger reason

There’s a shift happening in parts of the UK. You can see it, hear it, feel it. The tone is getting sharper. The divide feels wider.

Alongside that, something else has crept in. More hostility. More blame. More language that pushes people apart rather than brings them together. And that worries me.

Now I’ll be clear. Not everyone flying a St George’s flag means anything negative by it. Of course they don’t. But when symbols start appearing alongside language that excludes and divides, it changes how they come across. It changes what they signal.

I don’t think we should just ignore that.

If you believe in a fair, open, outward-looking country, you don’t stay quiet while that grows. You push back.

Why this matters, even if it’s small

This isn’t about winning a seat. For me now, it’s about putting a marker down.

It’s about saying there are still people who believe in cooperation over division. Evidence over noise. Fairness over blame.

I’m a Yorkshire lad, born and bred. I see how some councils lose touch with the people they’re meant to serve, and in a small way, I want to help change that.

I’ve also seen how a good local councillor can make a real difference to a community. Knottingley Lib Dem councillors, I’m looking at you.

It’s about reminding people that there are alternatives.

Even if only a handful of people see my name on that ballot and think, “That’s closer to what I believe,” then it’s worth it.

Because change doesn’t always start with a landslide. Sometimes it starts with one extra name on a ballot paper.

Progress

It’s been an eye opener for me, this short journey. It really has.

Horbury is less than 30 minutes away from me, so I’ve been able to get over there most evenings and weekends.

I’ve spent time talking to residents and local business owners, reporting potholes, broken pavements, immigration, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping etc. These are some of the typical concerns people have raised with me.

And some of those potholes have already been assessed by Wakefield Council and are now scheduled for repair.

I’m starting to understand what people mean when they say politics should be local. It’s not speeches or big promises. It’s turning up, listening, and getting basic things sorted.

If you’re reading this because you searched “who should I vote for in Horbury”, I won’t pretend I’m the perfect answer, but I have shown up. I’ve listened. I’ve reported local issues, and some are already moving through the system.

If you want councillors who turn up, listen, and get basic things sorted, I hope you’ll consider voting Liberal Democrat in Horbury and South Ossett.

And finally...

I’m not a career politician.
I’m not trying to be one.

I’m just someone who still thinks this stuff matters enough to show up.

And right now, that feels like the least I should be doing.

Post-Election Update

So... the results are in.

I didn’t win.

The three Reform UK candidates took the seats in Horbury and South Ossett, which probably says a lot about the wider national mood around politics at the moment.

I ended up with 156 votes, which if I’m being honest, is far more than I expected when this whole thing started.

I originally agreed to stand as what politics calls a “paper candidate”. Basically, someone to make sure the party had a name on the ballot paper.

But once I started speaking to residents, seeing local issues first-hand, and actually getting involved, I found myself getting surprisingly competitive.

I reported potholes, spoke to local businesses, discussed Cedar Court with residents, and spent far more time wandering around Horbury than I ever expected to.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped feeling like a paper candidate and started feeling like... well... an actual candidate.

The biggest thing I learned is that local politics and national politics are now heavily blurred together. People absolutely care about roads, fly tipping, healthcare, and anti-social behaviour, but many votes are still driven by national mood and national frustration.

Still, I genuinely enjoyed parts of it.

I met some good people, had some interesting conversations, and got a proper insight into how local campaigning works.

And for a first-time candidate standing in a Ward 30 minutes from home with no political background or political support whatsoever... I’ll happily take 156 votes.

A short, but fulfilling political career 🙂

From Marketing Agency to Digital Garden

The Pivot: From Marketing Agency to Digital Garden

For over a decade, this corner of the internet has been my "office." It was a place for all things Marketing,  SEO tips and professional advice designed to help businesses rank, grow and thrive. It served its purpose, but lately, the walls have started to feel a bit thin.

The truth is, the internet has changed, and so have I. We’ve moved into the era of the "infinite scroll", a noisy stream of algorithmic drivel from people I don't particularly like and opinions I didn't ask for.

Take LinkedIn, for example. It used to be a place to actually learn and grow professionally. Now? it’s a performative circus. It’s become a race to the bottom of "thought leadership" and engagement bait. I realised I’m done contributing to that noise. I missed the old web, the one where personal blogs felt like actual conversations instead of polished sales pitches or desperate grabs for a "like."

Why I’m Clearing the Deck

I’m moving away from the "Marketing Agency" template, both literally and figuratively. This site is now a Digital Garden. It’s a personal social site without the social pressure or the ego-driven metrics.

It’s a place for things that don't necessarily "scale" or "convert," but actually matter to me:

• The "Now": A simple log of what I’m actually doing, reading, and thinking today.
• Consumer Rights: Ranting with a purpose when the system fails.
• Beer Reviews: Because life is too short for bad pints and even shorter for bad reviews.
• Rants: I like a rant, I've proud that I've finally become a "grumpy old man".
• Politics: I used to argue about politics with grandad, not that we had different opinions, we just enjoyed it - I can do it here now.
• Contract Shenanigans: The real-world headaches from me where I've taken on all sorts of businesses - and won! 

The Benefits

By stripping away the professional "armour," I get to write more honestly. You get a feed that isn't trying to sell you a consulting package or a "proven framework."

I saw Bear Blog, and it's a good looking platform, but I had so nuch stuff in Blogger I really didn't want to lose any of it, but I liked the styling of it, I liked the minimalistic look and feel of it, then I started reading about Digital Gardens, and I thought that was me. So, I’ve moved to a much leaner, minimalist Blogger setup. No tracking cookies, no "suggested posts", no comments, or Like buttons; just text (and the occasional pic), it's me, the real me.

The old marketing archives are still here if you need them, but the new growth is going to look a little different. It’ll be shorter, more frequent, and significantly more human.

Thanks for sticking around for the rebrand. I’m looking forward to screaming into the void again, only this time, without the LinkedIn "influencers" screaming back.

— Andy

Private Dublin: Couldn’t Put It Down

I’m not a typical reader of books. In fact, I generally only read when I’m on holiday.

I actually forgot to pack a book this time, so I picked one up at the airport. Mainly because the cover art caught my eye. Luckily for me, it turned out to be Private Dublin by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy.

I’ve never read a book from the Private series before, nor anything else from these two authors, but this was an excellent story. What a page turner.

I couldn’t put it down. As someone who rarely finishes a book on holiday, I had this finished after a touch over a day by the pool. Page turner is an understatement.

Being number 20 in the series, I was worried I’d miss out on the back story of the characters. But they are painted in such a realistic way that I felt I knew them almost immediately.

Yeah a few plotholes and a little unrealistic action, but it is fiction after all!

The plot is fast paced and intense, and while this is part of a long-running series, it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone read.

I enjoyed it so much that, after Amazon wouldn’t deliver more of the series to our hotel here in Spain, I spent a few hours trying to find more in local bookstores. Alas, I didn’t find any.

Score: 9/10

Others in the Private series I have read and reviewed:

#1 Private
#2 Private London
#22 Private Dublin