New start new website
As rebels, we should set up a new website for the party. We have a team here me included that could set up an official mainstream website, and I will take the flack as an NEC member. So can Alex come up with a model, that we can use for a new site? Karl-James Langford

In the meantime, I'm still trying to find out how we can get some modest updates made to the main website straight away. I have some ideas I'm following up now. Karl-James (if I may), I know you've been trying to get the Welsh Liberal contact details updated. Could you possibly tell me exactly the way they should look? Then if I do succeed in getting an update made we can include your new details.

details for Liberal party in Wales
Here are the details Liberal Party in Wales: Karl-James Langford (Chairman) www.liberalpartywales.com contact: 07955726128 address: James Lewis (Treasurer) 20 Tair Onnen Tair Onnen Welsh St. Donats Cowbridge Vale of Glamorgan To join send a cheque for £10 payable to 'the Liberal Party in Wales' Our website is being relaunched, should be back up in the next 2 weeks.

Okay, finally some encouraging news re. website updates. :D Looking through some old numbers of Liberal News on the main website, I read that way back in about 2001, the party's webmaster was John Hein. I emailed him asking if he was still in charge of the website and offering to help with updates. He replied today to say that the only person who knows how to get the site updated has just had a major hospital operation. (Steve Radford had already said this, of course). John felt that it would be quite wrong to contact this chap at this moment about updates or access codes, because of his serious health situation. John made clear that he was just as frustrated about this as some of us here have been, but felt that nothing could be done about the situation at present. I was about to post this news back here, when I received a second email from John Hein a short time ago. He says that the website chap is back in circulation and is instructing changes to the site! (I assume this means that he doesn't make the changes himself but has somebody doing it for him). I think it is great given his recent health situation that the web guy is trying to sort out some sort of update, however minimal, so well done to him. By the sound of it, the best thing we can do is just to leave him to it for the moment. I hope he can put something up this week (just in case the Liberal Party makes a newsworthy breakthrough on Thurs and potential members come flooding to the website to find out about the party!). Once the election is over we can try to establish direct contact with him to talk about redesigns etc. I do think this problem has shown very clearly the need for the sort of Content Management System that Alex was talking about. I would think that everyone involved will be interested to learn more about that after May 1st.

Excellent news. I'm really glad that their chap is recovering and is seeing to an update. I'd be happy to give some free advice on CMS. :) Alex

don't agree
However much as I like, X X X who is ill, and trying to update the website, I feel however, this has gone too far and we should also go for an alternative site anyway. What if this happens again? I'm sick of these petty excuses coming from our leadership. They should have supported X X X X with this months ago, he is just a 'fall guy' in all this, and I'm sorry, we have to face reality. Or and one major point, what if suddenly X X X decided to join another party, what then, our site could never be updated as he has all the access codes. What if the Webmaster had been Meadowcroft, a trusted supporter of Liberalism, then suddenly he joins the Liberal Democrats. Other political parties relish what has happened to our website, and have no sympathy for anybody that is in hospital. What ever it takes, this party will have a shake up at its next NEC meeting. Karl-James Langford Chairman Liberal Party in Wales Member of the Liberal Party National Executive Parliamentary Spokesperson Liberal Party in Wales

A new website is needed the sooner the better for the Liberal Party. It would need a way to donate and join online, not just downloading forms. It also needs a regular source of news. With 30 council seats on 12 different councils, they must be doing something so news shouldn't be in short supply. Then there should be links to the local party websites (some of which also need a revamp). After that perhaps some kind of blog by the party leader could be good. There could also be videos uploaded, simply doing one of those once a month would be decent. Perhaps putting them on YouTube on a specially dedicated Liberal Party channel (Respect have their own YouTube channel), will help to reach a wider audience.

progress
On your points I agree.

Alex any news
Alex have you any news on the new un-official website for the Liberal party please? Karl-James

I have registered the domain name and got the hosting configured.

full support
What ever happens, Alex you have my full backing on this one. Karl-James

One thing I realised I left out of what a new website should include is a forum...*looks around*...should it ever come to it and the right people (people incharge of the website and forum), this one could do ;)

Website
Any updates on this Alex ? :D