Liberal Democrat Voice

Simon Hughes MP writes…My vote on the Same Sex Marriage Bill

By Simon Hughes MP | Fri 24th May 2013 - 11:53 am

I want to say a few personal words to my party friends and colleagues, straight and gay, after this week’s debates and votes on the same-sex marriage bill.

I voted for the second reading of the bill but abstained at third reading. I tried to make clear my reasons in my three speeches on the bill in February and this week. Please read them carefully. Some of you may be pleased or relieved that some Liberal Democrat MPs, including me, voted for amendments and against third reading or abstained on third reading. You may share our beliefs on this issue or …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged same sex marriage bill and simon hughes | 19 Comments

Opinion: Building a stronger economy by supporting Research and Development

By Tad Jones | Fri 24th May 2013 - 10:58 am

As slogans go, ‘Stronger economy. Fairer society’, is a pretty good one. But I can’t help thinking that we have a bit of an imbalance in favour of the latter. Pupil premium, raising the income tax threshold to £10,000, pension triple lock – great policies for a fairer society. What are the equivalent policies for a stronger economy? You might be able to think of a few, but they’re certainly not as prominent, and some positions, reducing the deficit for example, are not exactly unique to the Liberal Democrats.

Perhaps that’s alright though, there are probably many in the party more …

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Posted in News | Tagged julian huppert and science | 4 Comments

Report on internet pornography highlights need for education, not restriction

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 24th May 2013 - 10:28 am

One of my biggest concerns in recent years has been the effect of access to easily available internet pornography on the next generation of young people. Every time I ask an expert in the field to reassure me and tell me that I’m panicking too much, they shake their head and tell me that my fears are spot on.

It just takes a couple of clicks to arrive at free videos which depict women in a subjugative role, as little more than receptacles. The language used about those women is demeaning and deeply misogynistic. The expectations of a generation of boys …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged children's commissioner, education, internet pornography, iSPs and sex education | 1 Comment

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore MP | Fri 24th May 2013 - 8:56 am

Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore MP, writes a regular column for newspapers in his Borders Constituency. Here is the latest edition.

Apprenticeship Week

Last week was Apprenticeship Week in Scotland, which is a week to recognise and celebrate the commitment of employers and the talent of apprentices from all over the country. The Week also helps raise the profile of apprenticeships and encourage young people and local businesses to get involved. They are a vital way for young people to gain the skills they need to break into the job market and it has been good to see …

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Posted in Op-eds, Parliament and Scotland | Tagged Michael Moore and Westminster Notes | Leave a comment

Opinion: Could Nigel Farage’s success lead to cross-party support for proportional electoral reform?

By Alan Wager | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 5:35 pm

The pain has almost ceased, yet it is clear many in the Liberal Democrats feel it is an opportunity lost for a political generation. Mark Pack’s five point plan for the next Liberal Democrat manifesto was clear in its advocacy of wholesale local election reform- a change to the way we elect our MPs to Westminster is no longer on the table. Yet if the political landscape on the right has shifted to the extent many believe, the opportunity may come sooner than expected.

Nigel Farage has become many things to many people: a crusader reliant on a

…

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Posted in News | Tagged electoral reform and ukip | 12 Comments

Opinion: The media have failed the public over the Woolwich atrocity

By Ewan Hoyle | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 4:03 pm

At least two brutal and disturbing hate crimes have been carried out this month. Each of the two I will draw your attention to left an apparently innocent man dead from knife wounds. And each victim was apparently selected on the basis of what they were wearing (a Help for Heroes t-shirt) or what they looked like.

These attacks differed in only one important feature, in that one of the attackers had something to say and sought help from passers by in order to communicate his message to as many people as possible.

Without the assistance of others, the ambitions at …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged hate crime, terrorism and woolwich attack | 43 Comments

Laws vetoes plan to turn teachers into part-time border agents

By Nick Thornsby | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 2:56 pm

From yesterday’s Guardian:

A proposal to require schools to check on the immigration status of their pupils has been shelved after the Liberal Democrat schools minister David Laws decided the idea would be bureaucratic and difficult to implement.

In a sign of the Lib Dems’ determination to assert themselves in the coalition, Laws told the education secretary Michael Gove the proposal was a “non-flyer”.

According to Whitehall emails leaked to the Guardian in March, Laws asked officials earlier this year to carry out a “cost-benefit analysis” of carrying out checks

…

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Posted in News | Tagged david laws | 6 Comments

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP writes…An EU-US trade deal would be good for Europe and for Britain

By Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 1:23 pm

Today the European Parliament gave the go-ahead to negotiations for an ambitious comprehensive EU-US ‘transatlantic trade and investment partnership’ agreement – or T-TIP in the jargon. The EU and US combined account for over half the global economy, making this by far the biggest free-trade agreement in history. Existing protectionist restrictions in America as well as in Europe mean that the full potential of our economic relationship is not realised. While the abolition of remaining tariffs on goods will bring worthwhile gains, the greatest benefits will be in removal of non-tariff barriers to achieve a much more integrated transatlantic marketplace.

…

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged free trade and transatlantic trade and investment partnership | 7 Comments

“Cameron may be the more natural communicator, but it was Clegg who sounded more like a statesman”

By Nick Thornsby | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 12:12 pm

Writing in today’s Guardian, Martin Kettle has a good piece looking at the defence of the coalition made by the prime minister and deputy prime minister yesterday.

Clegg’s speech, in particular, impressed – for two reasons:

First, it was a firm defence of the coalition government against its enemies on the Tory benches. In fact it was a much firmer defence of the coalition than Cameron, stylishly ducking and weaving in his radio interview, would now dare to make. Cameron may be the more natural communicator, but it was Clegg who sounded more like a statesman.

Second, and even more interestingly, it was a

…

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Posted in News | Tagged martin kettle. coalition | 5 Comments

Opinion: An EU exit would be bad for Britain; it is our job to explain why

By Richard Davis | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 10:59 am

When Lord Lawson argued in The Times for a UK exit from the EU (reported in the Guardian; no pay wall! ), he said his arguments had nothing to do with being “anti-European”, but it appears they were nothing but. Filled with emotion and political zeal there was little relevance or fact based on economic evidence. Which is extremely disappointing from an ex-chancellor.

He stated that UK exports to the EU have risen by 40% while exports to the EU from countries outside of it have risen by 75%. If we were to leave the EU we would have to start paying …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged europe and nigel lawson | 13 Comments

Willie Rennie calls for international relations review after Humza’s howler

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 9:57 am

The Scottish Government has a Minister for External Affairs, whose job it is to represent the Scottish Government on the international stage. This role is currently undertaken by SNP rising star Humza Yousaf.

Humza has spent this week in Doha at the International Forum there. This is an event which discusses key international issues as they affect the Middle East. He has been caught on video telling this international audience of academics, political leaders and intergovernmental organisations that the UK Government wants to leave the European Union. Unfortunately for him, he was caught on video doing it. Have a look at …

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Posted in News | Tagged humza yousaf, snp and willie rennie | Leave a comment

Opinion: Some thoughts on the NHS from a recent patient

By William Hobhouse | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 9:12 am

I’ve just spent 3 weeks on a trauma ward in a northern hospital after a nasty accident, and coming from an industrial background, here are some thoughts on the NHS and a Lib Dem approach.

First and most importantly, hospitals are large, high tech and high skill businesses. They are continually investing in equipment, and the best hospitals will have motivated doctors, nurses and managers who take ownership of their jobs and are part of the process to continually improve the clinical excellence and effectiveness of the hospital. Hospitals share many of the challenges of excellence with manufacturing businesses.

What are the …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged NHS | 3 Comments

This week in Europe: 20-23 May

By Mark Valladares | Thu 23rd May 2013 - 8:25 am

As attention turns towards next year’s European Parliamentary elections, Liberal Democrat MEP’s continue to work for jobs and growth, and against some of the more ludicrous bureaucratic excesses…

“EU must get tough on tax” says Sharon Bowles MEP

Ahead of yesterday’s EU Summit in Brussels, the European Parliament backed a common European strategy to combat tax fraud, evasion and havens.

UK Liberal Democrat MEP Sharon Bowles, who chairs the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, said:

It is totally unacceptable that corporate tax avoidance is now the norm in Europe, aided and abetted by aggressive tax planning and tax consultancy firms.

I have been fighting

…

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Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged chris davies, energy, fiona hall, george lyon, sharon bowles, stupid bureaucracy and trade | 5 Comments

Hinckley and Bosworth Cllr John Moore leaves Conservatives to join Liberal Democrats

By NewsHound | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 7:19 pm

The Liberal Democrat Group on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council in Leicestershire is tonight welcoming a new member, Cllr John Moore, who has decided to leave the Conservative Group and join the Liberal Democrats.

Group leader Cllr Stuart Bray expressed his pleasure at Cllr Moore’s decision:

We are delighted to welcome John to the Lib Dem Group. I have worked with him over the past 6 years on Burbage Parish Council and latterly the Borough Council and have always found him a man of great integrity who cares passionately about Burbage

…

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Posted in News | Tagged cllr john moore, cllr stuart bray, hinckley and bosworth borough council and Local government | 3 Comments

Nick Clegg says coalition “staunch opponents” will work together till 2015

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 6:30 pm

Much attention has been given in the news to Nick Clegg’s and David Cameron’s remarks on the future of the Coalition. Both were keen to emphasise that the Government would stick together until 2015. I’m never sure it’s wise to assert these things so strongly when there was never a realistic prospect of a split anyway. The attempts of some in the Conservative Party to deflect attention from their own torrid internal relations by spreading nonsense about a plot to unseat Nick Clegg, or suggesting his jacket is on a shoogly peg if the European elections don’t go well are …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged coalition, economy and nick clegg | 5 Comments

Opinion: Referendum debate is a sideshow: the countdown to Britain’s real EU vote starts today

By Giles Goodall | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 4:18 pm

In or out? With or without? Will they, won’t they? The sound and fury over a referendum on Britain’s EU membership has become almost deafening over the past few days. It is a confused debate driven by a small and virulent band of anti-Europeans. Their success lies in a dual strategy of shackling the issue to others of much wider public concern (such as immigration), while simultaneously blackmailing one of Britain’s great pro-European parties (the Conservatives) into adopting ever more anti-European positions – against their own traditions, intuition and better judgement.

Around Europe, the ‘British question’ is also furrowing brows – …

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged european elections 2014 | 23 Comments

Opinion: Could there be a “Tory SDP?”

By Andrew Chamberlain | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 2:28 pm

The right of the Conservative party, who have protested so destructively over gay marriage, might do well to remind themselves that their party itself is a marriage and marriages sometimes split up.

The damage that has been done to the Tories’ standing in the country over this issue can be seen in the latest Survation poll that has UKIP on 22% of the vote. This is only two per cent behind the Conservatives and if repeated at the next general election would result in a loss of around a hundred Tory seats.

UKIP would be unlikely to elect more than one …

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Posted in News | Tagged conservative party and ukip | 10 Comments

A victory for equality: 3 pieces of news about the same sex marriage bill

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 12:40 pm

I thought it might be useful to do a quick catch-up on various aspects of the parliamentary debate on same sex marriage which took place on Monday and Tuesday.

How did Liberal Democrat MPs vote on the Third Reading?

There were no huge surprises – and given that 11 had voted on an amendment, which was defeated, to give registrars an opt out from marrying same sex couples on religious grounds, the fact that only 4 actually voted against the Third Reading was better than some had expected. Simon Hughes and Tim Farron were two high profile abstainers. They clearly struggled with …

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Posted in News | Tagged julian huppert, lgbt+ lib dems, Parliament and same sex marriage bill | 12 Comments

Only one week left to vote in the Liberal Youth elections #lyelects

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 11:30 am

You only have a week left to vote in elections to elect the Liberal Youth Executive for next year. All members of the party under the age of 26, or who are students and those between 26-30 who aren’t students but who have opted to stay as members of LY have the chance to vote. You must cast your vote online, or it must have been received by post, by 12 noon on Wednesday 29th May.

If you fall into these 3 categories you should have received:

a) An email from me telling you about the elections and where you can find …

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Posted in News | Tagged liberal youth and liberal youth elections | Leave a comment

The Independent View: An invitation to ORGCon 2013: the UK’s leading digital rights conference

By Peter Bradwell | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 10:28 am

It becomes clearer every year how technology affects our rights and civil liberties in all sorts of ways. Businesses or governments try to block access to more information online. States make ever more demands for powers to surveil their citizens. Some of the laws governing what we can say on the Internet are too strict, with people punished severely for saying something online that would not be an offence if it was said in the local pub.

Open Rights Group’s national conference ‘ORGCon’ is the place to learn about, discuss and debate how technology affects our freedoms and democracy in these …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged digital rights, open rights group and ORGCon | Leave a comment

Nick Clegg and Paddy Ashdown win the argument on Afghan interpreters

By NewsHound | Wed 22nd May 2013 - 8:00 am

The BBC reports:

Up to 600 Afghan interpreters who worked alongside British troops are to be given the right to live in the UK, government sources have confirmed.

The plan marks a climbdown from ministers who had decided they should not get the same UK resettlement rights as interpreters in the Iraq conflict.

Afghan interpreters who worked on the front line for a year or more will initially be offered a five-year visa.

This is something, as we reported 3 weeks ago, that Nick Clegg and Paddy Ashdown have been arguing for.

Earlier this week, Paddy Ashdown said that it was Downing Street …

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Posted in News | Tagged afghan interpreters, afghanistan, nick clegg and paddy ashdown | 8 Comments

Same sex Marriage: another Liberal Democrat victory

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 21st May 2013 - 8:52 pm

The House of Commons has passed the Marriage (Same sex couples) Bill at Third Reading stage with a whopping majority of 205.

Next stop for this measure is the House of Lords after the recess on 3 June.

There will certainly be challenges to it there but the momentum from the last two days of debate and the fact that it was passed by such a large majority bodes well.

We can be sure that without the Liberal Democrats, the measure would not have made it even on to the Commons agenda, given the opposition from within Conservative ranks.

The co-operation across …

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Posted in News | Tagged same sex marriage | 45 Comments

LibLink…Paddy Ashdown: Let us not leave Afghanistan with this final gesture of betrayal and dishonour

By NewsHound | Tue 21st May 2013 - 2:29 pm

Paddy Ashdown has written a hard-hitting article for the Yorkshire Post in which he implores the Government to give Afghan interpreters who have helped UK troops the right to come to the UK.

The interpreters and their families live under threat from the Taliban:

These men are different from our troops in this sense: our troops can be sure that their families are home, secure and safe, in Britain, whereas they cannot.

Their families live, day in and day out, threatened by mortal threat from the Taliban in Afghan society.

Our troops come home every six or nine months, whereas they do not. They

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged afghanistan, interpreters, paddy ashdown and yorkshire post | 1 Comment

Opinion: Nationalists want to monitor the BBC!

By Andrew Tibbs | Tue 21st May 2013 - 12:58 pm

A group of MSPs have declared that they’re going to start monitoring BBC Scotland because they don’t think they can deliver on their obligations! That should ring alarm bells!

The SNP controlled Scottish Parliament Education & Culture Committee has published a report, critical of cuts at BBC Scotland, with the implication that the Scottish arm of the Corporation would be unable to produce adequate coverage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the independence referendum.

The Committee forgets that BBC Scotland is one part of …

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Posted in News | Tagged bbc, broadcasting, Scotland and Scottish independence referendum | 6 Comments

How Liberal Democrat MPs voted on same sex marriage amendments

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 21st May 2013 - 11:43 am

The only vote which had been published before I went to my bed last night was that on freedom of conscience for registrars. I’ve now had a look at some of the others in Hansard.

In addition to the 11 who voted in favour of registrars being able to exempt themselves from conducting same sex marriages, there were two abstentions, from Vince Cable and Mark Williams. We had 36 voting in favour and Sir Bob Russell was telling.

The next vote was on whether marriage between a man and a woman should be made a protected characteristic of a religion …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged same sex marriage bill | 11 Comments

Opinion: Have we changed our policy on an in-out referendum?

By David Howarth | Tue 21st May 2013 - 10:28 am

In Andrew Neil’s Sunday Politics interview with Danny Alexander, Neil asserted that we have changed our policy on an in-out referendum. Is he right?

Our position in 2008, when we walked out the Commons after being refused a debate on an in-out referendum, was that we wanted a referendum to decide whether the UK should stay in the EU in the light of the Lisbon Treaty. The Conservative position was that a referendum should decide the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty itself. The difference was perhaps subtle, but it was important. If the public voted no in the Conservative referendum, …

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Posted in News | Tagged bbc, Danny Alexander and eu referendum | 12 Comments

Opinion polls yadda yadda. OR “Does Nate Silver mean nothing to you? Did he write in vain?”

By Stephen Tall | Tue 21st May 2013 - 8:45 am

Two new polls last night: the daily YouGov tracker and the first post-local elections poll from Survation. The spread is interesting:

Labour:

Conservatives:

Lib Dems:

Ukip:

As Anthony Wells points out, Survation asks whether people will vote Ukip (most other firms just ask about the main three parties and ‘Others’) so usually gets the highest Ukip poll numbers. This latest survey is in line with the bounce other firms have shown and which the perceived winner of an election often records.

Unsurprisingly, it’s Survation’s poll which has attracted most interest because it shows a gap if just 2% between the Tories and Ukip. Cue cries of ‘Tory meltdown!, ‘Cameron in crisis!’ and every other journalistic cliche.

At the risk of precipitating on the parade of those who love nothing better than to indulge in over-excited hyper-speculation, can I make the following point. Or rather can I ask the following question: Does Nate Silver mean nothing to you? Did he write in vain?

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Posted in Op-eds and Polls | Tagged featured, nate silver, survation, ukip and yougov | 20 Comments

11 Liberal Democrat MPs vote for registrars to be exempt from marrying same sex couples

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 20th May 2013 - 10:55 pm

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill has made fairly easy progress through the Commons tonight. After a Government/Labour compromise on a review for extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples, and the heavy defeat or withdrawal of amendments, including “son of Section 28″, it looks as though many of the barriers to this Bill’s passage have been removed.

There is still a further day of debate tomorrow, though, and further amendments to be debated.

One of the amendments discussed today, defeated by 340 votes to 150 in favour, was to allow registrars to exempt themselves from marrying same sex couples. Eleven Liberal …

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Posted in News | Tagged alan beith, andrew george, duncan hames, gordon birtwistle, john pugh, norman baker, paul burstow, same sex marriage bill, sarah teather, simon hughes, steve webb and tim farron | 68 Comments