Radical, because the Committee usually only meets four times a year, with the first meeting at the Spring Federal Conference, and the newly elected Chairs of Regional Candidates Committees will in some cases have only just taken up their responsibilities. But don’t worry, it’s unlikely that they’ll do anything particularly unexpected.

So, whilst Candidates Office were extremely cagey about what is likely to emerge from their deliberations, here’s what this observer is predicting;

The Selection Rules will not be finalised until English Council meets to approve them, unlikely to be until early June.

There will be a deadline applied to applications for approval as a European Parliamentary candidate, likely to be earlier than that, to ensure that there is time to run sufficient development days.

Applications for candidacy will be formally sought in July, with ballot papers issued in October, and results declared before Christmas.

What this means is that, if you haven’t been approved, and you intend to put yourself forward, now would be a very good time to ask those lovely people in Candidates Office for the application forms.

As we receive confirmation of the formal schedule, we’ll make sure that you find out too and, if you happen to know what is intended in Scotland or Wales, let us know, so that we can pass word on.

The strong preference given, however, is for Liberal Democrats to back independent candidates. As FE chair and Party President Tim Farron wrote to regional parties:

Individual Liberal Democrats may support non party candidates. This is a continuation of the view that Liberal Democrats in government and parliament have been expressing as the legislation has gone through Westminster: that whilst effective accountability of the police is essential, it is imperative that operational policing does not become a political football.

The wording of the Federal Executive decision leaves open the option of helping to fund the campaigns of independent candidates and it has been made clear that, unless there is an official Lib Dem candidate, party members will be free to campaign for any “appropriate” independent candidate.

The use of “appropriate” provides a check against party members campaigning for an extreme candidate, such as one from the BNP, as members so doing could be expelled from the party. It also leaves open the question of whether in some contests different Liberal Democrat members may end up backing different candidates after the same post.

There was a lively debate and vote at the Federal Executive to decide on this policy which, as the party’s democratically accountable senior decision making body, is the right way to do things. But the tradition of such votes is that lists of who voted which way are not published – which means that when it comes to voting for members of the Federal Executive, the voters do not know some basic pieces of information about how the incumbents re-standing have acted whilst in office. However if, in the interests of transparency, any Federal Executive members wish to say which way they voted, by all means post a comment…

The party wants to encourage the widest possible range of applicants so the membership can select from the best possible choice of candidates.

So if you’re interested in applying, you need to be an approved Parliamentary candidate:

The Bill to create directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners is currently before Parliament. The first elections of Police and Crime Commissioners are expected in May 2012.

The English Regional Parties will be inviting applications to be candidates for Police and Crime Commissioners in the autumn. All candidates will be required to be on the Party’s list of approved parliamentary candidates. Therefore anyone who may be interested in being a candidate who is not currently on the Party’s list of approved parliamentary candidates should now apply for approval. Applications for approval should be made by Friday 29th July to enable them to be considered by September.

Application packs for approval can be obtained from the English Candidates Office, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB 020 7227 1204

This advert will also be appearing in this week’s Liberal Democrat News.

Sophie, who’s 20, is studying Psychology at Glasgow University. Sophie has campaigned with Liberal Youth Scotland on issues such as equal marriage, a fair deal for students and increased powers for the Scottish parliament.

Sophie was a key member of Katy Gordon’s campaign team in Glasgow North last year and stood herself in Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn in the Holyrood elections this year.

I’ve known her since she came to Scotland and have found her to be persuasive, intelligent and articulate, with a cool head, and an extremely likeable manner. She’s the ideal person to fight this by-election.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said:

I am delighted that Sophie has been chosen as our candidate for this important by-election and I congratulate her on this achievement.

Sophie is the right choice for Inverclyde. She is a rising star within the Party and I know that she will be a fresh new voice for Inverclyde at Westminster.

Sophie has a brilliant track record, having given her time over to volunteering and working in a care home. It is time for a real change in Inverclyde and Sophie and the Scottish Liberal Democrats will make that change.

Liberal Democrats have real solutions and voters here can put their faith in the younger generation to fight for Inverclyde.

Deputy Leader and East Dunbartonshire MP Jo Swinson also welcomed Sophie’s selection:

Sophie is a bright and able candidate and will be a breath of fresh air in the forthcoming by-election campaign. She has the skills and energy to be an excellent representative for the people of Inverclyde. I’ll be joining her on the campaign trail on Saturday and hope to see fellow Liberal Democrats getting out there to support Sophie too.

If you want to help Sophie’s campaign, please call Jean Hunter on 01475 704735 or Simon Hutton on 07886 626380. Donations, made payable to Inverclyde Liberal Democrats, are welcome. Please send to Sophie at 54 Kelly Street, Greenock, PA16 8TR.

Candidates will be given structured support, development and training all the way through to the General Election, and it is particularly aimed at those wanting to take part in competitive seat selections. Further information and application packs will be available from late June.

So, what’s the hurry, I hear you ask? The catch is, you’ve got to be an approved candidate to get a place, and if you aren’t one already, time is running out. Contact the relevant candidates team for an application pack now!

Alright, commercial over (and I should thank Roxana Cimpeanu for sending the e-mail that provoked me into writing this). This is important, in part because those seats where we have prospects (and yes, I’m aware that things might be tough in 2015), won’t hold off from selection forever. And, if anyone has forgotten the firestorm that broke when David Howarth stood down in Cambridge, you never know when opportunity will knock. Last but not least, some of our existing MPs are, to put it politely, not in the first flush of youth.

And don’t forget, there are European Parliamentary selections looming on the horizon, with my money on applications being sought next summer. You wouldn’t want to miss out, would you?

Many thanks, ladies and gentlemen…

Carman, who last week expressed an interest in standing, now plans to back Mike Tuffrey instead, whom members are lobbying to stand.

Dominic’s comment in fulll:

Given other commitments, I have reached the conclusion that I cannot financially afford to run an effective campaign as the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor. Regrettably, I will therefore not be putting my name forward when the selection procedure formally restarts in May. Having spoken to Mike Tuffrey and others yesterday, I am convinced that he will make an excellent candidate and I will be giving him my support in whatever way I can, should he decide to run, which I sincerely hope he does.

Thank you for your support

Dominic

Commenting, Parmjit Singh Gill said:

Given much reflection and after talking with my family, it is with regret that I have decided to stand down as a candidate for the by-election.

I remain committed to the people of Leicester and am proud to represent the Liberal Democrats, but I have a very young family and I fear the toll that fighting the by-election with all the commitment and dedication it deserves would be too much.

I have decided instead to concentrate on representing the people of Stoneygate as a councillor, as I have been proud to do for the last eight years.

I fully support Zuffar Haq who will not only be a fantastic candidate but a strong, passionate voice for the people of Leicester South in Parliament.

Commenting further, Zuffar Haq said:

It is an honour for me to have this chance to fight for the people of Leicester South, the place where I was born and raised.

I hope my experience as a local businessman and my work with Leicestershire Crimestoppers and standing up for patients’ rights shows I will be a powerful and passionate voice for Leicester.

Labour is taking Leicester South for granted.

Ed Miliband has parachuted in a friend of his who has no ties to the city, showing no regard for the people of Leicester, let alone his own local members and supporters. The people of Leicester South deserve better.

Gill was previously the MP for Leicester South from 2004 to 2005, having gained the seat from Labour in the 2004 by-election.

Current MP Sir Peter Soulsby (Labour) is resigning so that he can stand to be Leicester’s first elected mayor.

Commenting on his selection Parmjit Singh Gill said,

It’s an honour and privilege to be selected to fight Leicester South for the Liberal Democrats. Only last May the Labour MP convinced constituents that he was committed to representing them in Parliament. Less than a year later he has decided that actually he would rather be an elected Mayor for the City.

People living in Leicester deserve more respect than that. We have been taken for granted by Labour MPs and the Labour council for too long. I was born in the Constituency and have lived in Leicester all my life, I would never turn my back on the very people who put their trust in me.

Liberal Democrats won a historic by-election victory in Leicester South in 2004. Once a by-election is called, my team and I are ready to rise to the challenge and do it again. The people of this city deserve nothing less.

Barnsley Liberal Democrats today selected Dominic Carman as their candidate for the March 3 Barnsley Central Parliamentary by-election, at a hustings in the constituency.

Carman, son of the late George Carman QC, and biographer of BNP leader Nick Griffin, previously stood for the Lib Dems in Barking, East London at the 2010 General Election.

The by-election was caused by the resignation of the constituency’s MP, Eric Illsley, who has now been jailed for 12 months for fraudulently claiming more than £14,000 in Parliamentary expenses.

Commenting, Dominic Carman said:

I am honoured to be selected to fight this election for the Liberal Democrats.

I want to be an ambitious ambassador for Barnsley. If elected, you won’t find me with my feet up in Westminster, I’ll be out there fighting to bring jobs to the area.

Labour take places like Barnsley for granted, and parties like the BNP would only make things worse. I’ve spent the last seven years fighting the BNP and I will fight just as hard for the people of Barnsley.

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/dominic-carman-selected-as-liberal-democrat-candidate-for-barnsley-central-byelection-23036.html/feed 22 http://www.libdemvoice.org/london-liberal-democrats-announce-gla-shortlist-for-2012-21683.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/london-liberal-democrats-announce-gla-shortlist-for-2012-21683.html#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:09:37 +0000 Helen Duffett http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=21683 London Region Liberal Democrats have announced the candidates for the London Assembly top-up list for the 2012 election. The shortlist is now final and London members will now be issued with a ballot to place the candidates in order of preference.

The candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

Jeremy Ambache (M)
Steve Bradley (M)
Emily Davey (F)
Merlene Emerson (F)*
Bridget Fox (F)
Stephen Knight (M)
Ajmal Masroor (M)*
Caroline Pidgeon (F)
Marisha Ray (F)*
Nick Russell (M)
Shas Sheehan (F)*

Those marked with an asterisk are Black and Minority Ethnic for the purpose of the ethnic preference rule.

There will not be a ballot for the Mayoral candidate for the time being. Nominations for the Mayoral candidate have been postponed.

Helen Duffett is Membership Development Co-ordinator for London Region Liberal Democrats

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/london-liberal-democrats-announce-gla-shortlist-for-2012-21683.html/feed 24 http://www.libdemvoice.org/willie-rennie-plans-political-comeback-21394.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/willie-rennie-plans-political-comeback-21394.html#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:58:15 +0000 The Voice http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=21394 One of the (many) disappointing moments from the general election was the defeat of Willie Rennie, the Lib Dem by-election victor in the famous 2006 Dunfermline contest. He was subsequently appointed a government special advisor in the Scottish Office.

Well now he’s back in the saddle of elected politics again. Here’s how the Dunfermline Press reports it:

Local members put Mr Rennie in prime position to win one of seven places as a list MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, which covers all of Fife and parts of Clackmannanshire, Perthshire and Stirling.

He secured first place ahead of Fife councillor Tim Brett, Alyth businessman James Taylor and Perth councillor Peter Barrett.

Lib Dem Jim Tolson, the current MSP for Dunfermline West, will contest the new Dunfermline seat in the elections on 5th May next year.

Mr Rennie said, “I am relishing the opportunity that the Scottish Parliament presents.

“As a result of the recession and the poor state of the public finances passed on by the previous Westminster government we have an enormous challenge ahead. Balancing the books, reforming public services and creating jobs will be top priorities in the next parliament. The Scottish Parliament needs to raise its game to address these challenges.”

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/willie-rennie-plans-political-comeback-21394.html/feed 7 http://www.libdemvoice.org/draft-draft-draft-20974.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/draft-draft-draft-20974.html#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:26:19 +0000 Mark Pack http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=20974 Yesterday London Region chair Jonathan Fryer outlined the timetable for selecting the party’s London Assembly and Mayor candidates. But who will be in the running to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London?

As previously covered, Lembit Opik has publicly declared his intention to go for the selection. Regular readers of this site will have seen how controversial that is amongst many Liberal Democrat members (along with other commenters on this site). He has some keen fans along with many ardent critics. The number of fans of his Mayor selection bid page on Facebook has moved up only slightly over the last week, to 185 at the time of writing.

Although no-one else has declared they are running for Mayor yet, there are several other names which frequently come up. Chatting to members around London in the last few weeks, many have said how, were it not for the party being in coalition, they would have liked to see Lynne Featherstone or Sarah Teather be the candidate. With both being ministers that is firmly off the agenda.

Susan Kramer’s run for Mayor in 2000 is the candidature remembered the most fondly by most people who have seen all three Lib Dem Mayor campaigns, but it would be a return to her past. Having been an MP in the interim, Susan Kramer would at least have a reason to argue why she might be a more successful Mayor candidate second time round. That would be a challenge too for Brian Paddick, who has a CV well suited for the role of Mayor and a record of taking on tabloid newspapers which are unpopular with Liberal Democrat activists. (He has sued the Mail for libel successfully and is currently one of those involved in taking legal action against the News of the World over phone hacking allegations.) With a distant third place last time, however, he would have to find a convincing answer to the question, “Why do you think you would do much better this time round?”

Leaving aside Guido’s excitement about Tim Campbell, the more interesting and far more likely high profile candidate would be Floella Benjamin. Recently appointed to the House of Lords, she has an impressive track record in educational and charity work aside from the memories of her as one of the country’s most popular children’s TV presenters. Relatively new to prominence in the party, her main challenge would be to persuade many who know of her TV work that she would also make an effective Liberal Democrat candidate. Many of those who have met her at Liberal Democrat events have come away enthused about her ability.

One question all of the actual runners will face as they emerge is, “Are you serious about trying to win?” For many activists, an enthusiastic “yes” to that question will in fact be off-putting, as the party’s chances of gaining seats on the London Assembly are much higher than those of winning the Mayor contest. But would a campaign whose headline figure isn’t upbeat about winning end up doing even worse?

Either way, the smart candidate will position themselves as an effective member of a team of candidates rather than as someone who is just about wanting to win votes in the Mayor contest.

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/draft-draft-draft-20974.html/feed 38 http://www.libdemvoice.org/team-london-selections-open-21003.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/team-london-selections-open-21003.html#comments Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:27:12 +0000 Jonathan Fryer http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=21003 Applications are now invited from potential LibDem Mayoral and Assembly (GLA) list candidates for London, which will hold its next round of city-wide elections in 2012. Interested individuals can request an application pack from the Returning Office, Patrick Mitchell, at or 6 Palfrey Place, London SW8 1PA. Completed applications must be received by 24 September.

London has benefited from a big influx of new members over recent months – by far the biggest growth of any UK region. Moreover, London Liberal Democrats have moved campaigning and capacity up several notches with the launch of Team London, a new approach to dealing with the challenges of politics in this vibrant, diverse capital city.

At one level, this means more effective targeting of human resources from across London at winnable local by-elections, such as the current Earl’s Court ward contest in Kensington & Chelsea. But Team London will also be swinging into action in the Tower Hamlets mayoral election too (polling date 21 October), where we can really help the resurgence of a local party that made a significant advance in May’s general election.

An important aspect of the Team London approach is the recognition that the London Mayoral, GLA list and European elections are all organised city-wide, which means that in those contests every local party – however strong or weak – can be part of a winning team, in the short-term boosting our GLA members up from the current level of three. We are promoting the idea of a Vote Harvest, in which each local party will be challenged to garner targeted numbers of votes in every area.

But Team London is not just about winning elections, important though that is. It is also about sharing best practice across the region and building local parties’ capacity through training, mentoring and other means. It also must involve making London Liberal Democrats more representative of the multicultural city in which we live. About a third of London’s population belongs to ethnic minorities (BME).

Mirroring the Party’s practices relating to gender balance, we have introduced a measure whereby at least one of the top four GLA list candidates must be BME and two in the top six, which should guarantee greater diversity within our excellent GLA team. But we also want to develop a coherent strategy to embrace and engage all the various ethnic and faith communities across London. That will involve building links, training candidates, recruiting new potential candidates and other steps aimed at ensuring greater awareness, participation and relevance, while strengthening the party across London.

Jonathan Fryer is Chair of London Liberal Democrats

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/team-london-selections-open-21003.html/feed 15 http://www.libdemvoice.org/lembit-opik-london-mayor-3-20915.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/lembit-opik-london-mayor-3-20915.html#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:28:52 +0000 Mark Pack http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=20915 Contradictory news from Facebook about the state of Lembit Opik’s campaign to become the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor. The number of fans of his campaign page is now up to 178. However, although his campaign says the page is “the main point of contact for those involved in the campaign to win the nomination”, the last update from the campaign team on the wall is now looking rather dated, having been posted on 18 July.

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/lembit-opik-london-mayor-3-20915.html/feed 5 http://www.libdemvoice.org/lembit-opik-london-mayor-2-20813.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/lembit-opik-london-mayor-2-20813.html#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:26:01 +0000 Mark Pack http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=20813 Lembit Opik’s plans to run for London Mayor have been widely trailed for some time and the man himself has taken steps such as a lengthy interview on London’s LBC radio station with Conservative blogger Iain Dale. His campaign for the Liberal Democrat selection has provoked many negative responses from Liberal Democrat members (such as in previous coverage on this site). The most vocal are not always the most representative, however, so a relevant extra piece of evidence is how the Lembit Opik for London Mayor Facebook page does.

Lembit’s own campaign describes the page as “the main point of contact for those involved in the campaign to win the nomination of the Liberal Democrat Party”.

So far, it has 9 fans on Facebook. How quickly and how far that number grows will give a good clue as to how much support there is for Lembit’s Mayoral bid.

A good first milestone may be to beat the 15 fans of Pink Dog for Mayor

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/lembit-opik-london-mayor-2-20813.html/feed 25 http://www.libdemvoice.org/edinburgh-northern-and-leith-scottish-parliament-candidate-selection-20589.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/edinburgh-northern-and-leith-scottish-parliament-candidate-selection-20589.html#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:20:39 +0000 Helen Duffett http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=20589 There’s still time to apply for selection as the prospective Scottish Parliamentary Candidate for the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency for the 2011 election.

From a party notice:

The Liberal Democrats won around 11,000 votes across the constituency area during the May 2010 Westminster elections. The constituency also includes part or all of four local government wards, each of which has an elected Lib Dem councillor.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate an ability to motivate a large and growing group of activists, and form and lead an effective campaign team, in a Local Party which has extensive recent experience of full-scale target campaigns.

Applications with full political CV should be received before noon on Wednesday 11 August addressed to the David Harcus, Returning Officer, Scottish Liberal Democrats, 4 Clifton Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5DR or by email to .

Applicants should note that short listing interviews will take place on Saturday 14 August.

Applicants must have applied to be approved at the closing date for applications and must be on the Party’s list of approved Scottish Parliament candidates by the date on which a shortlist is drawn up. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure their application has been received before the closing date.

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/edinburgh-northern-and-leith-scottish-parliament-candidate-selection-20589.html/feed 1 http://www.libdemvoice.org/female-mps-hows-the-party-doing-18315.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/female-mps-hows-the-party-doing-18315.html#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:54:18 +0000 Mark Pack http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=18315 We’ve twice covered the question of gender balance in (Westminster) politics in recent days with the challenge from the Fawcett Society What about women? and Dinti Batstone’s call to Make politics fit women’s lives, not vice-versa.

With party conference in Birmingham about to start, we now have the latest figures on how the party is doing at getting a less male-dominated Parliamentary party. The Campaign for Gender Balance reports:

• Winnable seats: approximately 40% of our most winnable seats have women PPCs.
• Held seats: 4 out of the 8 seats that have MPs standing down have selected women.

The last point is particularly important as, although the party has been moving towards a good record of gender balance in newly won seats (either at general elections or by-elections), the overall balance of the Parliamentary Party has been held back by a history of heavy male dominance and a long sequence of retiring men being succeeded by male candidates.

On these figures, the 2010 election won’t revolutionise the make-up of the party but it will continue the serious progress made over the last 12 years.

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/female-mps-hows-the-party-doing-18315.html/feed 0 http://www.libdemvoice.org/dominic-carman-lib-dems-nick-griffin-barking-18150.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/dominic-carman-lib-dems-nick-griffin-barking-18150.html#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:50:01 +0000 Helen Duffett http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=18150 Dominic Carman, son of the late George Carman QC, and biographer of BNP leader Nick Griffin, is to stand as the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Barking, East London.

From The Times:

He intends to use information from his research into the biography to attack his opponent. It was never released because publishers were unwilling to associate their brand with the BNP leader.

“I will put it to good use in exposing Griffin beyond what’s already been in the public domain,” he said. “It’s very important to fight a strong campaign and it will be critical to challenge Nick Griffin every step of the way. I want to make people think long and hard about voting for him in Barking. It’s very, very important.”

Mr Carman has more than 20 hours of videotaped interviews with Mr Griffin over two years from 2003. He has interviewed Mr Griffin’s family and associates, including the National Front leaders who shaped his views, on numerous occasions.

Dominic Carman said he will campaign on local issues, including jobs and housing:

I will argue Liberal Democrat policies in a normal way. But I’m not going to select Margaret Hodge for special criticism. I am going to select Nick Griffin for that.

Read the full story in The Times.

]]> http://www.libdemvoice.org/dominic-carman-lib-dems-nick-griffin-barking-18150.html/feed 6 http://www.libdemvoice.org/forthcoming-parliamentary-selections-2-17791.html http://www.libdemvoice.org/forthcoming-parliamentary-selections-2-17791.html#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:10:50 +0000 Mark Pack http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=17791 No listing this month as there are no selections currently planned to close during February (except for one which closed at 5pm today).

But for further details on how you could become a Liberal Democrat prospective candidate see http://libdems4parliament.org.uk.

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