Author Archives: Stephen Tall

Stephen has been Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice since 2007. He also writes at his personal website, The Collected Stephen Tall. He was awarded the inaugural Lib Dem ‘Blogger of the Year’ prize in 2006, was a councillor for eight years in Oxford, including a year as Deputy Lord Mayor, and appears frequently in the media in person, in print and online. Stephen combines his political interests with his professional life as Development Director for the Education Endowment Foundation, though writes here in a personal capacity.

Follow @stephentall

LDVideo: Liberal Democrat peers rebel against coalition plans

By Stephen Tall | Published 9th February 2012 - 12:45 pm

More than 60 Lib Dem peers have rebelled against the Coalition government’s plans during this Parliament. Here Baroness (Susan) Kramer talks about how she and her colleagues attempt always to be constructive in their dissent.

* Warning: the following video contains scenes with Quentin Letts, which some viewers may find distressing.

(Available on the BBC website here.)

Posted in YouTube | Tagged house of lords, quentin letts, susan kramer | Leave a comment

NHS reforms: Lib Dem members opposed by 2-to-1 majority

By Stephen Tall | Published 9th February 2012 - 7:45 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 570 party members responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

LDV asked: The Health and Social Care Bill which will implement radical reforms to the NHS was passed by MPs last September. From what you have seen or heard about the Coalition’s plans for the NHS, do you support or oppose them?

So, by a two-to-one margin, Lib Dem members in …

Posted in LDV Members poll | 9 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: Majority of Lib Dem members back Coalition’s benefits cap

By Stephen Tall | Published 8th February 2012 - 1:20 pm

59% of Lib Dem members back benefits cap at £26,000 or lower

LDV asked: Under the Coalition government’s proposal the cap on benefits will apply to the total sum of all benefits a household receives, including income support, jobseekers allowance, child benefit and housing benefit. The government is setting the maximum at £26,000, the average earnings of a British family after tax. What do …

Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged benefits, house of lords, paddy ashdown | 15 Comments

In other news… the Lib Dems and Alan Turing, Robbie Williams, Todmorden, the royal yacht, perjury and Cornish council tax

By Stephen Tall | Published 5th February 2012 - 5:25 pm

Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past week…

John Leech tables Commons motion calling for Alan Turing pardon (BBC)

Manchester Withington’s John Leech submitted the Early Day Motion and said people should sign an online petition protesting against Turing’s conviction. The gay computer pioneer was convicted for gross indecency in 1952, when homosexual acts were illegal in the UK. Mr Leech said his persecution “by the state for being gay is a scandal that shouldn’t be allowed to stand”. Alan Turing worked as part of the team which cracked the Enigma

…

Posted in News | 5 Comments

LDV Caption Competition: Ed Davey “I’ve got Energy” Edition

By Stephen Tall | Published 4th February 2012 - 5:25 pm

There’s no prize at stake – just the opportunity to prove you’re wittier than any other LDV reader…

(Picture from The Guardian.)

Here’s Nick Clegg welcoming new energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey to the cabinet — what do you think might be being said or thought by or about them?

And the winner of our last caption comp is…

Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, Eds Balls and Miliband “The Early Years” Edition.

Posted in Caption Comp | Tagged ed davey | 19 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: 72% of Lib Dem members backed reshuffle return for David Laws. (But it wasn’t to be.)

By Stephen Tall | Published 4th February 2012 - 2:45 pm

Earlier this week, LibDemVoice started asking party members signed up to our discussion forum a range of questions — the survey is still live, but one of the questions is already a little previous so we’re reporting it early…

We asked: Would you support or oppose David Laws making a return to government at the next reshuffle?

Yes – to a cabinet post 58%
Yes – but only to a non-cabinet post in government 14%
No – he should not return to the government at the next reshuffle 21%
Don’t know / No opinion 7%

In total, then, 72% of Lib Dem members in our sample wanted to see David Laws return to a ministerial post in the Coalition government, with most wanting to see him return to the cabinet 18 months after he was forced to resign.

Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged david laws, nick clegg, paul waugh | 1 Comment

How Lib Dem members rated Chris Huhne and Ed Davey before the reshuffle

By Stephen Tall | Published 4th February 2012 - 10:45 am

LibDemVoice is currently conducting one of our regular surveys of party members to find out views on a range of issues. One of the questions we always ask is how satisfied Lib Dems are with key figures in the party. Though the survey is still open, a couple are now out-of-date — specifically, what members’ opinions were of Chris Huhne and Ed Davey in the jobs they occupied until Friday. So here are their results…

Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged chris huhne, ed davey | 10 Comments

Chris Huhne: the straight talking fighter faces his biggest battle

By Stephen Tall | Published 3rd February 2012 - 11:54 am

It was in May 2011 that the allegation first surfaced that, eight years previously, Chris Huhne had allegedly asked his then wife Vicky Pryce to take the rap for speeding points that would have seen the aspirant Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh lose his licence. It’s a charge Chris has strenuously denied ever since, always saying he welcomes the police investigation as a chance to clear his name. When asked whether he would resign, he has previously only ever had to answer hypothetically, as here when questioned by Andrew Neil:

(Available on YouTube here.)

Posted in News | Tagged chris huhne, featured | 52 Comments

New LDV members’ survey now live: your views on benefits cap, tax, Europe, Scottish independence and life in government

By Stephen Tall | Published 31st January 2012 - 7:20 pm

The new LDV members’ survey is now live. So if you are one of the c.1,300 registered members of the Liberal Democrat Voice forum — and any paid-up party member is welcome to join — then you now have the opportunity to make your views known.

Questions we’re asking this month include:

what you think of the Coalition’s £26k benefits cap;
whether you back the NHS reforms;
your views on Scottish independence;
what you think about Nick Clegg’s speech on tax-cuts for the lowest paid, and about tax-rates for the wealthiest;
how you think Nick Clegg and David Cameron

…

Posted in LDV Members poll | Leave a comment

LDVideo: Danny Alexander – ‘No-one wants bonus culture’

By Stephen Tall | Published 30th January 2012 - 8:00 pm

Here’s Lib Dem chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander interviewed on Sunday lunchtime, defending the Coalition’s decision not to demand RBS chief executive Stephen Hester return his controversial bonus — a few hours before Mr Hester voluntarily forfeited it to defuse the row:

(Available on the BBC website here.)

Posted in YouTube | Tagged banking, danny alexander, stephen hester | 12 Comments

In other news…

By Stephen Tall | Published 29th January 2012 - 4:45 pm

Here’s a round-up of stories we haven’t had time to cover on the site this past week…

Lib Dem MP Tessa Munt is taking on sexism in the BBC: ‘The BBC must ensure there are more women presenters and executives working on its radio network if it is to justify its licence fee, MP Tessa Munt said today after she found that in some cases there were fewer female voices than 25 years ago.’

The FT reports how Danny Alexander, Lib Dem Treasury chief secretary, has highlighted a crackdown on high pay in the public sector: Danny has

…

Posted in News | Tagged andrew stunell, chris huhne, danny alexander, nick clegg, tessa munt | Leave a comment

LDVideo: Clegg on RBS Hester’s pay – “these figures seem like they’re from another planet”

By Stephen Tall | Published 29th January 2012 - 9:40 am

The debate reverberated here on LibDemVoice yesterday: Should Stephen Hester accept his bonus? Here’s what Nick Clegg had to say about it all yesterday:

(Available on the BBC website here.)

And here’s how Jeremy Browne handled the issue on BBC1′s Question Time on Thursday night.

Posted in YouTube | Tagged jeremy browne, nick clegg, stephen hester | 10 Comments

Cam’s Euro U-turn – this is what happens when you fail to negotiate

By Stephen Tall | Published 28th January 2012 - 5:50 pm

Much wailing and gnashing of teeth today on the right as evidence emerges that David Cameron is backsliding on his ‘veto’ preventing the European Union from enforcing fiscal integration among the Eurozone countries. Here’s how The Guardian reports it:

Ahead of Monday’s summit of EU leaders, which is due to finalise “political agreement” on the fiscal compact treaty, the government signalled that it would not challenge a role for the European commission and, more sensitively, would also allow resort to the European court of justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg to enforce new debt ceilings and fines for fiscal miscreants in

…

Posted in Europe / International, News | Tagged david cameron, nick clegg | 9 Comments

LDV Caption Competition: Eds Balls and Miliband “The Early Years” Edition

By Stephen Tall | Published 28th January 2012 - 4:40 pm

There’s no prize at stake – just the opportunity to prove you’re wittier than any other LDV reader…

(Image from The Guardian.)

Here’s Labour top two Eds — the party leader and shadow chancellor — pictured in their salad days, Spadding for the Blair/Brown government. What do you think might be being said or thought by or about them?

And the winner of our last caption comp is…

Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, Michael Gove “May the Lego be with you” Edition.

Posted in Caption Comp | Tagged ed balls, ed miliband | 28 Comments

LDVideo: Clegg – “the Coalition is calling time on our unfair and out-of-whack tax system”

By Stephen Tall | Published 27th January 2012 - 7:45 am

Nick Clegg’s tax cut speech dominated the political headlines yesterday — you can watch a 4-minute snippet below:

(Available on the BBC website here.)

Here’s what my LibDemVoice colleagues had to say about Nick’s call for lower taxes:

Clegg’s call for income tax cuts for the low paid is welcome, but will the Tories back him? by Nick Thornsby

Nick Clegg returns to income tax by Mark Pack

And here’s how the rest of the Lib Dem blogosphere reacted:

How will

…

Posted in YouTube | Tagged nick clegg, tax | Leave a comment

Author Archives: Stephen Tall

59% of Lib Dem members back benefits cap at £26,000 or lower

And the winner of our last caption comp is…

And the winner of our last caption comp is…

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