Tag Archives: liberal youth

Opinion: Postcards to Political Prisoners and the disturbing case of Mikael Nabil

By Harriet Ainscough | Published 12th January 2012 - 2:28 pm

On 14^th December, the decision of Egyptian student and pro-democracy activist Mikael Nabil’s retrial was announced; his sentence was reduced from three years to two. The result of this retrial, leaving little room for further appeal, shows a serious miscarriage of justice, particularly when considering that despite being a civilian, Mikael was sentenced by military tribunal.

Even before the Arab Spring began, Mikael was taking an active role in promoting democracy in Egypt. He was part of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) delegation to the 2009 Liberal International congress in Cairo. Since 2006, Mikael has used his blog to …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged arab spring, egypt, mikael nabil | 3 Comments

Can’t host the Olympics? Host Liberal Youth Conference instead!

By Harry Matthews | Published 2nd December 2011 - 10:25 am

It’s an exciting time for political activists. The Eurozone is melting down, the economy is stagnating and people are getting angry about pensions. Well, that last one perhaps doesn’t affect Liberal Youth members as much, but Liberal Youth Conference is a chance for young people to meet up, discuss policy and (perhaps most importantly) have fun along the way!

Hosting Liberal Youth Conference is a great opportunity for your local party: 30, or even more, willing young activists to get out there and help you on a delivery round (at the last Liberal Youth Conference in Colchester, delegates delivered 2000 …

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged graham watson, helen duffett | 3 Comments

Opinion: Why Liberal Youth is worth funding

By Tom Wood | Published 25th November 2011 - 4:53 pm

On Saturday morning the English Council will debate their budget for the year ahead which, for the first time in at least ten years, will not include a rebate for Liberal Youth membership.

The English party is the Youth party’s single largest source of funding. Immediately cutting off this funding with such short notice will leave our organisations unable to meet its most basic operating costs and permanently cripple our youth party.

I know, like everyone else, these are tough times financially for our party; however Liberal Youth performs a vital role for young people and for the party

…

Posted in Op-eds, Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged english council, jo swinson, nick clegg, tim farron | 16 Comments

Join the Liberal Youth invasion

By Harry Matthews | Published 30th September 2011 - 12:26 pm

After a very successful Federal Conference earlier this month, Liberal Youth will hold its Autumn Conference on 22nd & 23rd October. It’s in the Roman town of Colchester* (home to the UK’s oldest market on record).

Conference, as all Liberal Democrats know, is a fantastic opportunity for party members to shape policies and hold elected officers to account – and Liberal Youth is no different.

Along with all the usual reports from officers (and the odd constitutional amendment), there will be policy debates on the Arab Spring, MMR jabs, Women’s Rights & Bank Shares. As we have seen from this year’s conference with the Employment and Support Allowance motion, Liberal Youth policy can become federal policy – and might now even become Government policy. This is a brilliant opportunity for young Liberal Democrats to get involved with policy making and gain experience in public speaking!

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged bob russell, colchester, evan harris, graham watson, helen duffett, liam burns | 1 Comment

Opinion: Votes at 16 – let’s follow the Isle of Man’s example

By Harry Matthews | Published 29th September 2011 - 2:29 pm

It is great news to hear that, after extending the franchise to 16 year olds in 2006, the Isle of Man is going to the polls today – and for the first time including 16 & 17 year olds!

However, (and it seems almost always) we are rather slow in enriching our democracy, whether it be changing the voting system, reforming the House of Lords, or extending the franchise to 16 & 17 year olds.

It is something both Liberal Youth & the British Youth Council have campaigned hard for. Even our Leader, Nick Clegg, who holds special responsibility for …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged isle of man, nick clegg, votes at 16 | 5 Comments

Observer spots Lib Dem teen talent

By Helen Duffett | Published 12th September 2011 - 4:43 pm

Yesterday’s Observer had a piece on future stars from the youth wings of the three main parties: Liberal Youth, Conservative Future and Young Labour.

The young people from all the parties are an inspired and inspiring bunch, but it’s striking from the magazine article’s photos that Liberal Youth are the huggiest and most diverse. Ranging from “crisp-shirted” to “he of the elongated fringe”, the Liberal Youth contingent are a mixture of ages and backgrounds. Sadly the Liberal Youth photo only made it into the print edition (magazine front page, no less) so the online version features the …

Posted in News | Also tagged conservative future, elongated fringe, harry matthews, maelo manning, matt downey, young labour | 10 Comments

Opinion: ‘Activate’ – Liberal Youth’s annual renewal

By Tom Wood | Published 7th July 2011 - 6:52 pm

This weekend was Liberal Youth’s Activate event which, as the new chair of Liberal Youth, meant a weekend of hard work and no sleep; but one stuffed full of inspiration.

Although on paper Activate is our simply our annual training event for young Lib Dems in actuality it’s much more than that.

I see Activate as the annual renewal of our movement, firstly because it’s when our newly elected executive will meet face-to-face and begin setting priorities for the year ahead, and secondly (and most importantly) because this is when we welcome all our newly recruited members to the organisation and give them the skills to become real activists for the party.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged tim farron | 5 Comments

Opinion: Liberal Youth promote intergenerational fairness for Bank Shares

By Tom Wood | Published 23rd June 2011 - 3:52 pm

Nick Clegg’s innovative proposal to give the public shares in Lloyds and RBS is enthusiastically welcomed by Liberal Youth: but we believe that these reforms can go even further. Young people are bearing the brunt of the recession caused by the banks both in a lack of jobs and lost funding for education, and because it is the next generation that will be paying off the government’s debt for years to come. It is only right the government should give something back to them.

While Nick’s proposal represents exactly the kind of fairness that Liberal Democrats seek to bring to …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged banking, nick clegg, stephen williams | 22 Comments

Opinion: Talking about my generation

By George Morris | Published 6th June 2011 - 2:48 pm

Today something a little bit interesting will happen to me. I will become a member of a new generation of Liberal Democrats. Because from today, I will have spent longer as a member of the Liberal Democrats while they have been in Government than when they were simply the ignored party in opposition. When I first became involved in April 2009, a Liberal Democrat Government was unthinkable. Today it is reality. And it is a reality that some of us are now getting used to.

Many of the older members of the Liberal Democrats will have spent decades being ignored …

Posted in Op-eds | 29 Comments

Liberal Youth elects new Executive Committee

By Helen Duffett | Published 4th June 2011 - 3:53 pm

This week Liberal Youth elected its Executive Committee for 2011-2012.

The new Executive Committee is as follows:

Chair: Tom Wood
Vice Chair: Charlotte Henry
Financial Officer: Chris Jenkinson
Campaigns Officer: Cath Smith and Chris Ward
Communications Officer: Bobby Dean
Events Officer: Thomas Hemsley
International Officer: Sam Fisk and Harriet Ainscough
Policy Officer: Sarah Harding
Non-Portfolio Officers: Robson Brown and Aidan Flood
England Convenor: Harry Matthews

The following have been elected for the Regions:

Regional Chairs:

North East: Hannah Claytor
North West: Neil Darby
East Midlands: Keiran Harley
West Midlands: Rory Roberson
South East: Jon Bates
South West: Dave Cope
Scottish

…

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | 8 Comments

Liberal Youth: appealing to Lib Dems everywhere

By Thomas Hemsley | Published 30th May 2011 - 5:23 pm

Conferences are a foundation stone of being a Liberal Democrat. There have been some really huge and important ones – Brighton, 2002, where we laid out a principled position on Iraq; Llandudno, 1981, where Shirley Williams and David Steel spoke passionately in favour of an alliance; Sheffield, 2011, when we opposed the NHS reforms. Conference is the best way for the membership to exert their influence over the leadership. Past leaders, from Steel to Ashdown, from Kennedy to Clegg, have often feared Conference for the skill and passion with which it has put its arguments. And so the tradition of …

Posted in Conference, Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged bonnie greer, charles kennedy, david steel, nick clegg, paddy ashdown, shirley williams, tessa munt | Leave a comment

Sarah Harding writes… Fairer Votes: young people are leading from the front

By Sarah Harding | Published 19th March 2011 - 11:55 am

On the 5th of May, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to effect a change 100 years in the making.

This is our chance to finally fix the broken system that has failed the people of Britain. And Liberal Youth will not waste it.

Young people are leading from the front in the fight for fairer votes. University and college campuses across the country are coming alive with a new wave of political participation. Young people from all political parties and none are uniting to fix our political system, and to give us a electoral system fit …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged #LibDemYES, av referendum, sarah harding | 8 Comments

Don’t let Liberal Youth get away with murder

By Helen Duffett | Published 2nd March 2011 - 7:21 pm

Liberal Youth have sent the Voice news of Spring Conference’s most intriguing fund-raiser: a Murder Mystery evening.

All actors are Liberal Youth volunteers and funds raised will be invested in on-the-ground youth campaigns:

No one knows it yet, but murder is afoot.

Donald Trevithick, MP for Crapstone-under-Tamar, is holding a birthday party for his wife, Mary at their home in Drake’s End, Devon. John Maldon, the MP for Scruffton and Lairy North, however, is late…

Inspector Timothy Farron, of the Devon and Cornwall constabulary, has been notified and is on the case, but can you get the bottom of the matter first? Before tragedy

…

Posted in Conference | Also tagged tim farron | 8 Comments

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