Tag Archives: david heath

Adrian Sanders is still right

By Mark Pack | Published 14th September 2011 - 12:22 pm

With the reduction in number of MPs back in the news, so too is the question of how many ministers there are. As I wrote in October last year:

I agree with Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs
Yesterday in Parliament Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs voted to reduce the maximum number of ministers allowed in the Commons in line with the forthcoming reduction in the number of MPs

Without a cut in the number of MPs on the government payrolls, reducing the number of MPs will increase the government’s power over Parliament when the whole thrust of other reforms is, rightly, that …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged adrian sanders, shirley williams | 11 Comments

I agree with Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs

By Mark Pack | Published 26th October 2010 - 10:27 am

Yesterday in Parliament Adrian Sanders and 22 Conservative MPs voted to reduce the maximum number of ministers allowed in the Commons in line with the forthcoming reduction in the number of MPs:

If the number of constituencies in the United Kingdom decreases below 650, the limit on the number of holders of Ministerial offices entitled to sit and vote in the House of Commons referred to in section 2(1) must be decreased by at least a proportionate amount.

Reducing the number of ministers is something I’ve supported …

Posted in Op-eds, Parliament | Also tagged adrian sanders, anthony king, charles walker, featured, john major, lord norton, lord turnbull, nick clegg | 10 Comments

Dear Nick Clegg…

By Mark Pack | Published 11th September 2010 - 9:26 am

Dear Deputy Prime Minister,

I read your speech from Thursday to the Committee on Standards in Public Life with interest. It is good to see the progress being made in many areas of political reform, including the commitment made in the speech that, “in the New Year we will produce draft legislation to complete the modernization of the House of Lords”.

Much else too in the speech was good to read, but I think you are missing an important issue about how the changes to election expense rules introduced for the 2010 general election are driving political parties in the wrong direction.

To …

Posted in Election law, Op-eds | Also tagged election expenses, nick clegg | 5 Comments

Has something gone wrong with political reporting in the UK?

By Stephen Tall | Published 8th June 2010 - 9:30 am

That’s the question asked today by Lib Dem blogger Andy Hinton in an article titled, If you want to keep something secret…

Andy highlights the mangled reporting of the BBC in claiming that Nick Clegg is back-tracking on the coalition government’s commitment to fixed-term parliaments by fleshing out further details on the proposed 55% dissolution rule – as he points out, Nick was simply repeating what the Lib Dems’ deputy leader of the house David Heath had said a fortnight ago in the House of Commons. This chimes with the general media reporting standard that unless something is said …

Posted in News | Also tagged andy hinton, house of commons, media, nick clegg | 28 Comments

How to get your hands on your David Heath action figure

By Stephen Tall | Published 12th April 2010 - 7:45 pm

Here at the Voice we get sent many promotional emails from companies looking for some free publicity. Generally we ignore them. But, just occasionally, they’re too creative, inventive and fun to ignore.

Congratulations then to designers and developers Fancy for coming up with the David Heath action figure, inspired by their local MP for Somerton and Frome. As they explain:

Nailing our colours to the mast, we thought we’d produce a line of action figures extolling his many virtues and capturing the essence of our hard-working local MP

…

Posted in General Election | 4 Comments

New MPs’ expenses rules published – the end of second homes and first class travel

By Helen Duffett | Published 29th March 2010 - 3:04 pm

New rules published today by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority mean that MPs will no longer be able to profit from taxpayer-funded second homes, nor claim for gardening, cleaning or first-class travel.*

However, the scheme has stopped short of a ban on MPs employing family members. Instead, no more than one “connected party” (i.e. close family member, spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner) may work for each MP, within approved salary and job description guidelines.

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, Chair of the IPSA said,

No longer will MPs benefit from a slack allowances system. This system brings MPs’ expenses into line with those in most other areas of life. Expenses will be reimbursed only for legitimate costs, backed up by receipts.

There will be complete transparency, so that members of the public will see, in detail, expenses claimed by MPs. The rules will be backed up with tough new measures and abuse of the system will not be tolerated.

The new system is fair, workable and transparent. It will enable MPs to carry out the job we ask them to do and will provide reassurance and value for money to the tax-paying public.

Key components include:

Posted in News, Parliament | Also tagged ian kennedy, independent parliamentary standards authority, mps expenses | 6 Comments

The LDV Saturday caption competition – the “Why David Heath’s not bitter” edition

By Stephen Tall | Published 27th March 2010 - 11:45 am

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

Here’s Lib Dem MP for Somerton and Frome David Heath promoting the ~~Lib Dems’~~ campaign to axe the beer tax. What do you think David, or his companion, might be saying to each other, or thinking about each other?

The winner of our most recent caption competition, the “Lembit pops his cork edition” edition last month – according to The Voice’s judging panel of one – was this one …

Posted in Caption Comp | 23 Comments

Like a yeti in a barber shop?

By Mark Pack | Published 23rd March 2010 - 10:58 pm

With that unconventional question, Liberal Democrat MP David Heath has joined the ranks of blogging MPs (having previously tried out a few posts that were simply his newspaper column reproduced):

I’m not sure the resemblance is that obvious, but that’s what Ann Treneman called me in the Times this morning. I guess it’s better than “like a Tajik with toothache”, which is what her predecessor Matthew Parris once came up with.

You can enjoy the rest of David’s blog at http://davidwsjheath.wordpress.com/

Posted in Online politics | Leave a comment

Daily View 2×2: 23 March 2010

By Alex Foster | Published 23rd March 2010 - 7:45 am

In history, March 23rd was the day in 1903 the Wright Brothers applied for a patent on one of the earliest aeroplanes – and the day in 1933 Adolf Hitler became dictator of Germany.

It’s birthday to Joan Crawford, Wernher von Braun, José Manuel Barroso, Marti Pellow and Russell Howard.

Today in history, two people who underwent pioneering surgical procedures died: Britain’s youngest ever liver transplant patient died, aged three, and in 1982, the recipient of the first ever artificial heart died, aged 61.

2 Big Stories

All yesterday, two huge political stories raged through the online world: the farce of a Tory attempt to use social media, #cashgordon, and foreshadowing of last night’s Dispatches, which showed three Labour former cabinet ministers in a very bad light.

The newspapers catch up with the latter, but don’t seem to be covering the former.

Byers, Hewitt and Hoon suspended over lobbying allegations

The Telegraph reports:

Three former Cabinet ministers, Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon, have been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party over allegations they tried to sway policy decisions by lobbying the Government.

The Lib Dem party line on this horrid mess which embarrasses Parliament?

Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House, David Heath said, “MPs should not be using their positions to further their own interests over those of the people they should be representing. Liberal Democrats brought forward measures to restrict the influence of lobbyists in Parliament. Sadly, Labour voted them down while the Tories failed to show up. Labour and the Tories claim they want to clean up politics but the reality proves different.”

Posted in Conference, Daily View | Also tagged #cashgordon, aeroplanes, chris huhen, geoff hoon, hitler, joan crawford, john morgan, jonathan calder, jonathan wallace, josé manuel barroso, liberal england, marti pellow, patricia hewitt, qwghlm, russell howard, stephen byers, wernher von braun, wright broters | 1 Comment

MPs vote to reform Parliament – and reject Tory/Labour plan to water down plans

By Mark Pack | Published 5th March 2010 - 11:10 am

From the BBC:

MPs have backed a series of reforms aimed at beefing up the ability of backbenchers to create new laws and hold the government to account.

Proposals backed include a creating a backbench committee to set a timetable for Commons business.

A bid by the Labour and Tory front benches to restrict the committee to setting a timetable for just 15 days per session was rejected by MPs…

The reforms were drawn up by Labour MP and chairman of the public administration committee Tony Wright in the wake of last year’s expenses scandal…

MPs also agreed to back proposals ensuring the chairman

…

Posted in Parliament | Also tagged evan harris | 3 Comments

Lib Dem MPs split on Euro referendum?

By Stephen Tall | Published 21st January 2010 - 9:50 am

Almost two years ago, in the early weeks of Nick Clegg’s leadership, the Lib Dem parliamentary party managed to tie itself in knots over the question of whether to support a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. In the end three frontbenchers, David Heath, Tim Farron and Alistair Carmichael, quit after defying the party’s three-line whip to oppose a referendum.

Well, Sky News has the interesting story that the party still hasn’t managed to get its line straight and agreed, re-opening that split:

Now it seems to be deja vu all over again, with a new Lib Dem split in voting

…

Posted in Europe / International | Also tagged alistair carmichael, ed davey, john hemming, lembit opik, lisbon treaty, mike hancock, referendum, tim farron | 9 Comments

Jackie Ballard appointed to Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority despite Tory opposition

By The Voice | Published 3rd December 2009 - 2:20 pm

The House of Commons has confirmed the appointment of Jackie Ballard, Lib Dem MP for Taunton from 1997-2001 – and who stood to be leader in 1999 – to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the new independent body which will now run the MPs’ expenses system. Jackie is currently Chief Executive of the RNID.

Her appointment was not without its controversy, though, as the BBC reports:

… some Tory MPs were unhappy at the choice of Jackie Ballard saying she had not been an MP for long enough. … Sir Nicholas Winterton and Christopher Chope … tried to introduce an

…

Posted in Parliament | Also tagged jackie ballard, nicholas winterton | 1 Comment

Video: Simon Hughes on the Liberal Democrats’ 10:10 campaign motion

By Helen Duffett | Published 21st October 2009 - 3:01 pm

The 10:10 campaign is calling for a commitment to a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010. It’s aimed at individuals, businesses, schools, politicians – in fact, everyone in the UK.

At 4pm today, Parliament will be debating the following motion, submitted by Simon Hughes MP, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy & Climate Change Secretary:

Posted in News | Also tagged 10:10 campaign, climate change, nick clegg, paul burstow, simon hughes, vince cable | 4 Comments

#Trafigura – the Hansard transcript

By Stephen Tall | Published 14th October 2009 - 10:15 am

Astute readers may have noticed one or two mentions on the site yesterday concerning Trafigura, its lawyers Carter Ruck, and their attempts to impose a gagging junction on The Guardian preventing the reporting of Parliamentary proceedings.

Not only was the issue promptly picked up by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, but two of the party’s MPs, David Heath and Paul Burstow, were also quick off the mark in pledging to ask questions in the House of Commons – an action which, as Alix Mortimer has remarked, was perhaps decisive in forcing Trafigura to back down.

So here for your delectation is the Hansard transcript of the Commons’ exchanges which took place yestrday afternoon, starting with the Labour MP whose question sparked the whole farrago:

Posted in Parliament | Also tagged #carterruck, #trafigura, evan harris, hansard, paul burstow, paul farrelly | 13 Comments

Heath and Burstow table urgent Commons questions about Guardian injunction #Trafigura #CarterRuck

By Stephen Tall | Published 13th October 2009 - 11:48 am

The Lib Dem press office has just issued the following news release:

In light of the injunction against the Guardian featured on its front page today, the Lib Dems have this morning requested an Urgent Question and debate on the reporting of parliamentary proceedings. My understanding is the Speaker will decide after midday today if he is happy to allow these to proceed. If this were to happen, the question would be asked this afternoon and the debate would take place tomorrow.

UQ – David Heath
I would be grateful if you would give consideration to the following Urgent Question to

…

Posted in News | Also tagged #carterruck, #trafigura, paul burstow | 6 Comments

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