Tag Archives: federal conference committee

Lib Dem conference to vote on whether it can ‘no-con’ the party leader

By Stephen Tall | Thu 7th February 2013 - 8:15 am

9.30 am on Saturday morning may not be a prime-time slot, but on 9th March there will be more than usual interest in a constitutional amendment tabled to the Lib Dem spring conference.

Why? Because the amendment will make it possible for the Lib Dem federal conference to pass a vote of no confidence in the party leader to trigger an election.

Here‘s the proposed amendment:

‘An election for the Leader shall be called upon a vote

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged 2013 brighton spring conference and constitution | 41 Comments

Opinion: Halfway to 2015 – three bits of advice for new Lib Dem Federal Party Committees

By Chris Richards | Mon 7th January 2013 - 5:23 pm

The beginning of 2013 not only marks the start of the second half of the Coalition, but also the start of the newly elected Federal Committees. Here is some advice for the three crucial ones, Federal Policy Committee (FPC), Federal Conference Committee (FCC) and Federal Executive (FE).

For FPC: Radical policy is required for 2015
Common sense says the 2015 manifesto should play it safe, yet common sense is often wrong.

A study of policy positions in party manifestos since 1971 in Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK shows: Parties in Government who adopt relatively extreme ideological positions do …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged federal executive and federal policy committee | 10 Comments

Federal Committee Election results 2012

By Helen Duffett | Sat 10th November 2012 - 9:43 am

Liberal Democrat Federal Conference reps have voted for members of party committees for 2013-2014; the results are as follows:

Federal Executive committee
Places: 15
Candidates elected:

Qassim Afzal
Elaine Bagshaw

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged eldr council delegation, featured, federal executive, federal policy committee and international relations committee | 20 Comments

Lib Dems’ internal elections: your guide to where we’re at (UPDATED)

By Stephen Tall | Sun 7th October 2012 - 4:50 pm

Every couple of years the Lib Dems hold internal elections in which conference representatives choose members of key party committees. As one of the seemingly few Lib Dems neither standing for election nor with a vote, I thought our readers might like an update on where we’re at…

Federal Executive

What does it do?
The formal answer: ‘The Federal Executive is an elected committee responsible for directing, co-ordinating and implementing the work of the Federal Party.’ (From the party website.)
The informal answer: What does the Federal Executive do? by Alison Goldsworthy
Who’s standing?
There are 36 candidates (26 men, 10 women) competing for …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters and Party Presidency | Also tagged colin rosenstiel, eldr council delegation, featured, federal executive, federal policy committee, interim peers panel, international relations committee, party presidency and tim farron | 4 Comments

Baroness Brinton writes… Standing for Federal Conference Committee

By Sal Brinton | Tue 25th September 2012 - 1:53 pm

I believe that the Liberal Democrats’ Federal Conference Committee performs a unique role amongst the main political parties in the UK. As a Committee elected from amongst its members, it plans and delivers the Liberal Democrat Conference, and selects motions and amendments for debate and decision by members of the party at conference.

It is this dual function (the utterly practical alongside the vital policy debates) that makes our Conference stand out from the other party conferences which are becoming more and more sterile showcases for senior people. There are three main sub-committees: GPSC (covering the practical and financial) CCG (looking …

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Posted in Conference and Party policy and internal matters | Leave a comment

FFAC chair Greenland acknowledges LDV accreditation article was “unhelpful”

By NewsHound | Wed 19th September 2012 - 10:55 am

The chair of the Federal Finance and Administration Committee, Duncan Greenland has written an article in the Conference edition of Liberator on the highly controversial issue of Conference accreditation. A Liberal Democrat Voice poll in June, consistent with every other test of party opinion on the issue, showed that a majority of respondents opposed the system, which requires conference attendees to undergo police checks.

Mr Greenland felt that the Liberator coverage on the issue had been “misleading” and wanted to put the record straight about the process by which accreditation was approved. He stated that FFAC had become involved after …

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Posted in Conference and News | Also tagged andrew wiseman, conference accreditation, duncan greenland, federal executive, federal finance and administration committee, liberator and tim farron | 7 Comments

Reports to party conference: two good things

By Mark Pack | Tue 4th September 2012 - 11:50 am

In amongst the paperwork for the Autumn 2012 Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton is the bundle of reports from various party committees and bodies. The idea of the reports, and the ability to question them, is a great one. The content of the reports can have a tendency to be a little too banal or general to make for a meaningful report back from committees to people who elected them.

Take this shock news from the FCC report, for example:

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Posted in Conference and Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged Federal Appeals Panel, federal executive and tim farron | 2 Comments

Federal Committees approve Conference accreditation

By Andrew Wiseman Duncan Greenland and Tim Farron | Mon 21st May 2012 - 8:48 pm

We are writing to confirm the decision of FFAC, supported by FE, that there will be a system of police accreditation for members attending this year’s Autumn Conference.

This decision follows an extensive member consultation and debate by the Federal Conference Committee, Federal Finance and Administration Committee and the Federal Executive.

As Liberal Democrats we would prefer it if accreditation were not something we had to consider. Many of us have concerns surrounding individual privacy and personal freedoms and none of us want to put any member who …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged federal executive and federal finance and administration committee | 118 Comments

Two useful steps forward in party business at conference

By Mark Pack | Sat 10th March 2012 - 10:05 am

Despite a resurgence in recent years, the tabling of questions to party committee reports at Liberal Democrat conference is still very much a minority sport. So much so that 100% of questions to the Federal Policy Committee came from a certain North London Doctor with an penchant for chocolate…

The questions do however provide a good opportunity to ferret out information or push for a decision where you know the door is half-open. In my case this morning at Gateshead that resulted in questions to both the Federal Conference Committee and the Federal Policy Committee asking them to start publishing reports …

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Posted in Conference and Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged andrew wiseman, federal policy committee and jeremy hargreaves | 2 Comments

Breaking News: Federal Conference Committee announce details of the emergency motions ballot

By Andrew Wiseman | Fri 9th March 2012 - 7:59 pm

Federal Conference Committee has just met, and the following emergency motions met the Standing Order criteria and will go into the ballot:

1) Violence in Syria
2) Withdrawal of the Health and Social Care Bill
3) Protecting our NHS – the Shirley Williams motion
4) Behind closed doors – Justice and Security Green Paper

These motions will all be on a ballot paper at the back of Saturday’s Daily Announcements. To vote (by STV), please take your completed ballot paper and your Voting Rep badge to the Steward with the ballot box by the Stewards Table in the Hall, between 9 and 1pm. The announcement …

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Posted in Conference, News and Party policy and internal matters | 17 Comments

Andrew Wiseman writes… How FCC and voting reps select emergency motions to conference

By Andrew Wiseman | Fri 9th March 2012 - 1:25 pm

Federal Conference Committee meets this afternoon to select amendments and separate line votes on the policy motions already published, and also to look at the emergency motions submitted.

Over the last 24 hours, there seems to have been some confusion on Twitter and other Social Networking sites about this process, which is still firmly in the hands of Liberal Democrat voting representatives. I thought it might be helpful just to set out what will happen when.

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Should the way members of federal committees vote be public?

By Mark Pack | Mon 31st October 2011 - 12:57 pm

At the end of my post on the Federal Executive’s decision that the Liberal Democrats should (mostly) not fight police commissioner elections, a decision at odds with the views of party members we surveyed, I made reference to the fact that the details of such votes are not published and usually remain confidential. Sometimes news of who voted which way seeps out but, for example, you’re not officially meant to know that three members of the FE voted against that decision or who the three were.

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged federal executive and federal policy committee | 12 Comments

Chris White writes: Spare a thought for the Federal Conference Committee

By Chris White | Thu 15th September 2011 - 8:53 am

I really never thought I would say that.

They can appear somewhat cliquey – the only Federal Committee to publish its mugshots in the conference agenda (apparently conference representatives aren’t interested in who looks after their interests on the Federal Executive or the Federal Policy Committee).

They can be a bit insensitive: not the cleverest idea to select a business motion which would increase their powers over emergency motions at a time when representatives are feeling restless. And a tad cynical to have it at 0900 on Tuesday morning when many will still be at breakfast. (Yes: I know you will have …

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Posted in Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | 26 Comments

More results: party committees and interim peers panel

By Helen Duffett | Sat 13th November 2010 - 1:20 pm

Liberal Democrat Federal Conference representatives have voted for members of party committees for 2011-2012 and members of the panel from which future Liberal Democrat nominees for the House of Lords will be drawn.

The results are as follows:

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Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged eldr council delegation, featured, federal executive, federal policy committee, interim peers panel and international relations committee | 6 Comments

How much will coalition change Liberal Democrat conference?

By Helen Duffett | Wed 28th July 2010 - 9:20 am

Party conference rumour season is well underway, with more special guest speculation than last month’s Glastonbury. But whoever’s doing the briefing, it doesn’t seem to be coming from the Liberal Democrat side.

The story that David Cameron might address Lib Dem conference seems to have originated from the Independent:

David Cameron and Nick Clegg are drawing up plans for closer links between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and senior figures from the two parties will address each other’s party conference this autumn.

The two leaders are keen to cement the coalition and a special meeting of the Cabinet next month will discuss a joint approach to the party conference season, including co-ordinated policy announcements. One option is for Mr Cameron to address the Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool and Mr Clegg the Tories in Birmingham. More likely, at present, is that other Cabinet ministers will “change places” and speak at their coalition partner’s event.

The Guardian also ran a similar story the same day: David Cameron could speak at Liberal Democrat conference.

- Well, yes he could,* but here are some things to consider:

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Posted in Conference | Also tagged coalition, david cameron, glee club, nick clegg, ros scott, samantha cameron and Special Conference May 2010 | 11 Comments

Duncan Brack stands down as chair of Federal Conference Committee

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th June 2010 - 9:20 am

Following his appointment as a special advisor to Chris Huhne, Duncan Brack has stood down as chair of the party’s Federal Conference Committee (FCC). A key figure in the organisation of party conferences for many years, first as the party’s Director of Policy and then on the FCC, Duncan was Chair for seven years.

This extends a neat chronological sequence of Federal Conference Committee chairs serving for four, five, six and now seven years.

Duncan will be continuing as a member of the Federal Policy Committee (FPC) which I think will provide a welcome extra link between the party’s policy processes and …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged duncan brack | 2 Comments