Thanks to The Times’ Sam Coates’ Red Box blog for drawing attention to this pithy comment from Danny Alexander, the Lib Dems’ Manifesto Group chair:

In the space of 24 hours we have seen the end of 42-day detention, the scrapping of plans for secret inquests and now the abolition of Key Stage Three tests. Just as banks are desperate to offload their toxic loans, the Government is swiftly ditching its toxic policies. As there are still several days of the week left there should be plenty of time for ministers to add ID Cards, Council Tax and Britain’s continued presence in Iraq to the list.

I guess an economic collapse is as good a time as any to bury bad news.

The Lib Dem PPC for Burton is once again a fully-fledged party member. Lib Dem bloggers Alex Wilcock and Paul Walter have the background.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg - following on from his Independent article last wek - has once again spoken up for the need for the Government to put the needs of ordinary people to the fore. Here’s how PoliticsHome reports Nick’s appearance on BBC Radio 4’s The World At One at lunch-time:

Mr Clegg responded to the news that the government is seeking a promise from the banks to ease lending to small businesses. He said: “Anything that stops loans being called in against small and medium-size enterprises is welcome.”

He also argued that similar guarantees should be obtained in the housing market: “We also want to make sure that repossesion of people’s homes is only ever used as a last resort.”

But the Liberal Democrat leader also emphasised that the government needed to take more action to support consumers in the real economy: “If the government wants to maintain public support for that approach they also need to show they’re taking a proactive apporach to helping people. They need tax cuts….and action to make sure energy bills don’t remain at the very high level they currently are.”

Readers of Lib Dem Voice will well recall the story of Ian Oakely, the Conservative candidate for Watford and Hillingdon councillor*, who appeared in court and pleaded guilty in August to five charges of criminal damage and two of harrasment - LDV covered it here, and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Watford Sal Brinton wrote about it here.

Mr Oakley today appeared before Central Herts Magistrates Court in St Albans, where he received an 18-week jail sentence suspended for 12 months. The BBC.co.uk report gives further details:

At August’s hearing the court heard Oakley had terrorised Liberal Democrat rivals Sal Brinton and Russell Willson. He sent them hate mail, made silent phone calls, and daubed graffiti on Mr Willson’s house.

Sentencing Oakley, chairman of magistrates Barry Northrop said: “Your offences are quite seriously aggravated by a number of factors. They were planned, and you clearly ignored the very obvious distress that would be caused to the victims and others who became involved in your campaign of harassment.”

The court heard Oakley sent gay and lesbian magazines to Ms Brinton’s home and work and made silent late-night phone calls to her. Oakley also daubed graffiti across Liberal Democrat headquarters in Watford, and slashed tyres of local councillors’ cars. His campaign against Mr Willson from February to May this year included sending letters to him and supporters claiming he was a member of a child abuse ring.

The court heard Oakley was caught out when his fingerprints were found on several items in the case.

Mr Northrop described some of Oakley’s abuse as “vile” and said it was a deliberate attempt to “subvert the democratic process”. He said he had taken psychiatric problems revealed by pre-sentence reports into account, as well as Oakley’s early guilty plea and his remorse.

* Mr Oakley resigned as Tory PPC for Watford following his arrest; he continued to serve as a councillor.

Update (14/10/08): the Watford Observer also covers the story, and includes a short CCTV clip of Oakley spray painting LibDem candidate Russell Willson’s wall with ‘Scum Perv Scum’. The CCTV was installed by the Lib Dems at a number of victims’ homes, at their own expense.

Duncan Brack and Ed Randall, authors of the Dictionary of Liberal Thought, have kindly agreed to let us publish extracts on Lib Dem Voice. Before the summer, Conrad Russell; this month Henry George. The entire book is available on Amazon here and can also be bought at the Westminster Bookshop.

Henry George 1839–97

Nineteenth-century America’s most influential radical theorist, his claim that the God-given land, the source of all wealth, had been unjustly usurped by landlords, and that the situation could be remedied by a tax on the unimproved value of land, inspired a generation of radical and socialist politicians in the English-speaking world and Europe.

Key ideas

• Land is the source of all wealth.

• God gave the land to the people, so its appropriation as private property was theft.
• This can be remedied by taxing away the value of rents paid on land and minerals.
• This ‘single tax’ would eliminate the monopoly power of landowners to exploit wage-earners and allow for the abolition of other taxes.

Biography

Henry George was born in Philadelphia on 2 September 1839, the second of ten children in a devout Episcopalian family. At sixteen, he went to sea and spent ten years drifting from job to job until, with a wife and young family, he settled in San Francisco, where he discovered a talent for journalism and, by 1871, became the editor and co-owner of the San Francisco Daily Evening Post.
Read more »

The Lib Dem deputy leader and shadow chancellor Vince Cable has penned an article for the Mail looking on the bright side of the current economic crisis. It’s worth reading in full if you want to cheer yourselves up on a gloomy Monday morning, but here are some extracts:

Today, with the collapse of the vast global pyramid-selling scheme created by international financiers, many people will be experiencing similar emotions. There are potentially millions of victims - those whose pensions depend on share values, those who bought houses on large mortgages at the peak of the housing boom, small businesses whose bank managers are refusing credit, thousands of people losing their jobs.

But in the middle of this frightening drama it is possible to see some positive developments that give us encouragement for the future. I earned the nickname of Dr Doom for predicting the collapse of the debt mountain and property bubble. I now see myself mutating into Mr Hope. …

Most people realise their money is safe in a High Street bank. Even if one of them collapsed, like Northern Rock or Bradford & Bingley, the Government would take over and protect all personal deposits. … And as recession starts to bite, inflated prices will start to fall. Recent anxiety about the rising cost of living should ease, to the relief particularly of pensioners on fixed incomes. The scare about scarce world oil supplies has, for the moment, receded. This is true also of food prices as people tighten their belts. And, as inflation falls, it will be easier for the Government to stimulate the economy and for the Bank of England to cut interest rates.

The cloud of falling house prices also has a silver lining. Of course, families facing the prospect of negative equity are anxious. … The good news is that the next generation of young people will be more able to get on the housing ladder when mortgage lending resumes. … the Government must get involved now in encouraging housing associations and councils to acquire land or empty property to keep up the supply of affordable housing.

The shock many people have experienced will also force them back to more sober and careful management of money. … I suspect that the national mood will be increasingly intolerant of self-indulgent, anti-social behaviour. There will be a strong reaction against binge-lending, binge-spending and binge-drinking. … I hope, and expect, that we shall now develop better priorities in Britain: sustainable wealth creation rather than churning finance. … there is now an understanding among governments that they will hang separately if they do not hang together and that is an important sign of hope.

PS: apologies, we missed this profile of Vince by Melissa Kite in the Telegraph yesterday:

Alan Duncan, the Tory shadow business secretary, has called Mr Cable “the holy grail of economic comment” while Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, with a nod to his love of dancing, refers to the Twickenham MP as a “twinkle-toed economic prophet”. Little wonder then, that the former chief economist for Shell has been inundated with people asking him for financial advice in recent days.

Or so says the Telegraph this morning.

The BBC wesbite reports:

Nominations have opened in the race to become the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Outgoing leader Mike German gave a farewell speech to the party’s autumn conference at Clydach, near Swansea.

Kirsty Williams, Brecon and Radnorshire AM, announced her intention to stand for the post a month ago; Cardiff Central AM today Jenny Randerson declared she would be joining Kirsty in the contest, ensuring the Welsh Lib Dems will soon be led by a woman. Here’s Jenny’s statement: Read more »

If the current US polls are to be believed, the prospect of Governor Sarah Palin becoming the 45th President of the USA has receded in the month since she was unveiled as Senator John McCain’s shock choice for his running-mate. But she has at least made one vital contribution to the world which (with luck) will long out-last her political significance: the word post-turtle. Here’s what it means, according to Ben McIntyre in today’s Times:

Word of the week: post-turtle

A 75-year-old Texas rancher recently explained this term to a country doctor. The conversation turned to the US election, and Sarah Palin’s vice-presidential candidacy, and the old rancher observed: “Well, ya know, Palin is a post-turtle.” The bemused doctor asked what a post-turtle was, and the old man replied: “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post-turtle.” The rancher continued: “You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, she doesn’t know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.”

(Hat-tip: Alice Fishburn at Comment Central).

The Lib Dem leader was speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning amidst the news of continuing market turmoil. You can hear the interview in full here. And PoliticsHome has a brief transcript here:

The short-term need is for the G7 to show they can work together on the international level, we need global interest rates cuts - and the international leaders must develop a global programme to prevent this from happening again.

“We have to realise we are not talking about a one off adjustment about the way bonuses are being paid - we are entering a new era of a relationship between the public and the banks.

“We need to remove short-term bonus incentives all together - which distort their judgments - because they are the ones that set the agenda for the banks.”

It’s not just ID cards that Lib Dem MPs are battling - they’re also taking the fight to the EU to stop the introduction of a new system for the electronic tagging of sheep which farmers fear could cost thousands of pounds. The Voice’s favourite read FarmingUK.com has more:

The Westminster debate will give MPs the opportunity to quiz a DEFRA Minister on the plans. A delay in the implementation of the proposals has been secured but electronic identification will be introduced from January 2010.

Commenting, Mark Williams [Lib Dem MP for Credigion] said:

“These plans will be deeply damaging to farmers, and I hope this debate will be an opportunity to galvanise parliamentary support against the scheme. I am very pleased that there is a strong cross-party campaign in the European Parliament, but it is important that the Government uses its influence in Europe to press the concerns of the UK sheep industry. I look forward to hearing what the Minister has to say on this issue, and I hope as many colleagues as possible will attend to show the strength of feeling against these plans.”

The Lib Dem leader has an article in today’s Independent making clear that the party policy of tax cuts is part of the solution to the current economic crisis. Here’s an excerpt:

These are extraordinary times. Dramatic, even heavy-handed, action is right. It is right to go far beyond what I, as a liberal politician, would dream of proposing in the ordinary course of events. This is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. It needs once-in-a-lifetime action. …

But, outside the financial markets, British families still need the excesses of central government to be reined in. As every family tightens its belt, government must too. Now is the time for tax cuts for people and families on low and middle incomes, to help them pay their bills and mortgages.

Liberal Democrats are committed to lowering taxes for those who need help while raising them for the rich by closing the loopholes that benefit the wealthy. This is what families want and need: a simple, fair tax system that cripples no one. Some say our plans are no longer possible given the crisis. They are wrong – tax cuts are not just possible, they are vital.

During the 1980s recession, the chancellor, Geoffrey Howe, raised taxes and cut spending. Many imagine that such an approach is needed today, but times have changed and it would be madness to raise taxes now. In the short term, we have no choice but to run a deficit, and Liberal Democrat tax cuts will not change that. Tax cuts are affordable without additional borrowing if we trim spending and raise taxes for the wealthiest, as we propose. If we comply with the current fiscal rules over the next couple of years, we would have to decimate public spending or raise taxes to painful, punitive rates that would do far more harm than good.

An unashamed quick plug for a book just published in honour of the Lib Dem peer Richard Holme, who died earlier this year. Here’s the Amazon write-up:

A Liberal Mind in Action - Essays in Honour of Richard Holme is a varied collection of essays gathered and edited by Alison Holmes designed to bring to life the wide-ranging career of Richard Holme in the words of those who knew him well.A new kind of political biography, this book provides the opportunity for those who worked with Richard over many years to offer their views not only on the history of the issues Richard had made his life’s work, but also their ideas of the future. Authors such as Peter Riddell, Shirley Williams, Jim Naughtie and Jonathon Porritt look at their own areas of expertise and put Richard’s work into a broad social/historical/political context rather than simply focussing on the man himself.The book has five sections and, while Richard had determined that he would write an introduction to each, he was unable to complete this task before his death in May 2008. From the opening chapter on liberalism to the closing chapter on constitutional reform, Richard’s two guiding beliefs, and all that lies between, the reader will gain insight and perspective on a liberal mind in action.

You can order it from Amazon here (clicking on the link earns the Lib Dems commission).

The BBC website has the story:

British courts should refuse to act on an EU arrest warrant requesting the extradition of an alleged Holocaust denier, a senior Lib Dem has said. Australian citizen Dr Gerald Toben was remanded in custody after his arrest by British Police at Heathrow Airport. German authorities allege Dr Toben published material online “of an anti-semitic and/or revisionist nature”.

But home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said holocaust denial is not a crime in the UK and he should not be extradited. … The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), acting for the German authorities, argues that agreements signed in 2003 between the UK and other European countries mean that Britain is duty-bound to assist the German authorities.

But Mr Huhne, a former MEP, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that countries could “pick and choose” cases in which they would apply warrants issued by fellow EU member states. The Lib Dem home affairs spokesman said there were good legal grounds for refusing to participate. He cited the case of Belgium, which is refusing to send suspects to Poland on murder charges which related to abortion.

Mr Huhne said: “There is a clear precedent for doing this and I think we should in this case.”

A sad little message arrives in the Voice inbox from the Facebook House of Commons

Ray Khan sent a message to the members of The Facebook House of Commons.

——————–
Subject: Candidates Saught

We currently have no candidates from following parties:
Conservative
Plaid cymru
SNP
——————–

Earlier this week, the High Court ruled in favour of Gurkhas wishing to reside in the UK. You can see some reactions to the judgement in this film from the campaign, which features, amongst others, party leader Nick Clegg.

The petition is online at www.gurkhajustice.org.uk

So, what did you make of it?

Interviewed for BBC News, the Lib Dem deputy leader and shadow chancellor Vince Cable was asked if the UK is now in recession:

“It does look like it. The figures on manufacturing are particularly worrying. The fact that they are declining shows that we’ve got a serious real economic fall out. We do have a lot of recessionary trends coming into the economy.”

He said that whilst economic slowdown would inevitable lead to arise in unemployment, the impact had so far been cushioned by migrant workers leaving the country, and added that, “unemployment is not such a big issue as it was in the last recession.”

He added that: “the case by case approach [to the collapse of high-profile banks] had worked so far. Whatever countries do they have to do in a international context.”

Hat-tip: PoliticsHome.

According, that is, to The Sun (a favourite read of The Voice):

Limelight-loving Lembit has signed up for the show — back next January after a year’s break. Bosses picked the goofy-grinned Lib Dem hoping he’ll reveal all about his doomed affair with Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia. Lembit might even copy fellow MP George Galloway when he was on the show — and don a skin-tight red leotard.

Oddball Lembit, 43, and Gabriela, 25, got engaged after he popped the question in Rome in April, but split a few months later. He’s also had a relationship with TV weather girl Sian Lloyd, 50.

A Celebrity Big Brother insider said: “Lembit is a brilliant signing for us. He’s wacky and funny, but more importantly it’s hoped he’ll spill the beans on his romance with one of the Cheeky Girls. We are all convinced he won’t be able to resist putting his mouth into gear about it — he seems a very outspoken character in general.”

Lembit, who quit his frontbench job in a bid to become the Liberal Democrats’ president, has a long list of entertainment credits to his name. He’s been on Question Time and Any Questions, and hosted satirical BBC quiz Have I Got News For You. He’s also appeared on Al Murray’s Happy Hour, The All Star Talent Show and All Star Mr and Mrs.

Update (14.02, 1/10/08): As mentioned in the comments below, Lembit has denied these news reports, stating:

It is not true. [Channel 4] did ask if I wanted to be on it, but I declined the offer and thanked them for their interest.”

From yesterday’s Guardian:

ID cards for foreign nationals are the thin end of the wedge, whatever they look like – and the home secretary, who unveiled their design today, knows it. Here’s how it goes:

Step 1: Target a weak group who have no political voice in the UK and who benefit from little public backing or support, and make them the guinea pig for a deeply unpopular policy.

Step 2: Once the sacrifice of their rights has embedded as “standard procedure”, pick off the next target – airport workers perhaps – or a group similarly small and likely to fly under the public radar.

Step 3: Involve other public service workers in “sensitive” positions, followed next by students, and so it will go until we have all had our privacy surrendered to Labour’s surveillance state…

The Liberal Democrat petition is at www.libdems.org.uk/noidcards