Tag Archives: mike crockart

Smith, Crockart, Bruce and Williams win in Great Parliamentary Raffle

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 17th May 2013 - 11:38 am

Well, I learned something I didn’t know about parliamentary procedure yesterday. I had always assumed that the Private Members’ Bill Ballot was an actual ballot, where MPs voted for themselves or their colleagues. How naive was I? The secret is now out, and available on You Tube. It’s actually a big raffle as you can see here:

440 MPs’ names went into the box and just 20 were drawn out. Among them were 4 Liberal Democrats. We had Sir Robert Smith in 9th place, Mike Crockart in 11th, Mark Williams in 13th and Sir Malcolm Bruce in 14th. I …

Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged mark williams, private members bills, sir malcolm bruce and sir robert smith | 7 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes: Quick update on secret courts

By Julian Huppert MP | Tue 5th February 2013 - 1:14 pm

Mike Crockart and I just called a vote to remove secret courts from the Justice and Security Bill, in line with Conference’s motion.

Despite highlighting in the debate that they supported closed proceedings in principle, Labour saw an opportunity to make mischief and eventually backed us. But due to DUP support for the Tories, we lost 10-9.

I’ll give a fuller update to everyone concerned soon. Suffice to say there will be more crucial votes to come on the Committee, and the Government has to move or the Bill will not pass as is.

Posted in News | Also tagged justice and security bill and secret courts | 6 Comments

Featherstone and Crockart slam Page 3

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th September 2012 - 3:25 pm

A petition calling on the editor of the Sun to withdraw the Page 3 feature has gained more than 13,000 signatures in the last 2 days. I’m supporting this campaign because I strongly believe that a national newspaper showing half clothed women is a significant background note in the cultural melody which stops women from being treated as equal citizens. How am I supposed to convince my daughter that she’s an equal member of society when she sees women portrayed as little more than window dressing for the express entertainment of men?

Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Mike Crockart …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged equality, lynne featherstone, page 3 and the sun | 43 Comments

PMQs: Tragedy, comedy and the Continuing Saga of the Family Bone

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 23rd February 2012 - 4:28 pm

I’m not used to learning anything from the weekly pantomime that is Prime Minister’s Questions. Sadly, though yesterday’s session brought me the news of the death of Marie Colvin, the veteran Sunday Times reporter whose often heartbreaking reports from war zones I’ve been reading most of my adult life. Both David Cameron and Ed Miliband paid tribute to her work, the latter calling her brave, tireless and an inspiration to women in her profession. More tragedy followed as Sajid Javid, the MP for Bromsgrove, asked the PM to join in with sympathy for those killed and injured in the bus crash …

Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged alex hilton, david cameron, ed miliband, julian huppert, marie colvin, nick clegg, peter bone and PMQs | 4 Comments

PMQs: Opposition leader asks: “Can I agree with the Prime Minister”?

By Paul Walter | Thu 12th January 2012 - 9:25 am

2012′s first Prime Minister’s Questions started with a bit of a score draw about rail fares. It got rather heated as Ed Miliband said the government had allowed fares to go up by 11%. He said:

The last Labour government saw that the train companies were taking advantage of consumers…we took away that power from them

David Cameron retorted that:

The power (to increase fares well above inflation) was given to them to do that by the last Labour government.

Channel 4 News FactCheck, as usual,has an excellent analysis of this spat, concluding that they couldn’t give either men a “Fact” or “Fiction” …

Posted in PMQs | Also tagged david cameron, ed miliband, greg mulholland, railways and sir bob russell | 1 Comment

PMQs: Tim Farron asks “Question of the week” – Ed Balls signals four runs

By Paul Walter | Fri 4th November 2011 - 7:53 pm

In my ever-earnest toil to prepare this review, this week I have been reviewing web sites which explain cricket umpire signals. I also checked the umpire signals for netball, American football and baseball.

There is no doubt about it. Ed Balls was signalling a four at Prime Ministers’ Questions. His hand was a bit lower than normal, but it would pass to signal a boundary at Morley Cricket Club.

For a change, I’m going to stand this review on its head this week and concentrate on questions from backbenchers, starting with Liberal Democrats.

Question of the week came from Tim Farron:

The world population

…

Posted in Parliament and PMQs | Also tagged alistair darling, caroline lucas, ed balls, simon hughes and tim farron | 3 Comments

Opinion: Criminalising squatting

By Alex Marsh | Tue 1st November 2011 - 4:54 pm

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offender Bill has returned to the House of Commons this week. The problems with the Government’s proposed Legal Aid reforms have been apparent for a while. Some people will see their access to justice seriously curtailed, while the courts are likely to silt up with inexpert litigants-in-person. The chances of any money being saved – when considered in the round – are limited. In this context it is good to see reports that Liberal Democrat MPs Tom Brake and Mike Crockart are tabling amendments to seek to address some of the most …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged crispin blunt, housing, ken clarke, legal aid and tom brake | 4 Comments

Tuition fees: which way will MPs vote on Thursday?

By Mark Pack | Mon 6th December 2010 - 6:36 pm

Today saw a weird piece of media face with an impostor conning several news outlets into reporting that Edinburgh West MP Mike Crockart was going to resign as a PPS and vote against the tuition fees increase. The impostor even got as far as being interviewed by the BBC on the World at One before the hoax was rumbled. His office said that, “Mike is still waiting to see what the final offer will be before he votes and that has always been our line”.

(Ironically just before this took place, I was in Millbank to appear on the BBC’s …

Posted in News | Also tagged charles kennedy, greg mulholland, higher education, Ming Campbell, norman lamb, tuition fees and universities | 76 Comments

PMQs: Moustaches, strawberries and anoraks

By Paul Walter | Thu 25th November 2010 - 10:49 pm

There were signs this week that Prime Minister’s Questions was getting serious and considered at long last.

Ed Miliband asked a very anorakky question about the government taking away “all the funding from the highly successful school sport partnerships”

There followed an almost scholarly exchange of statistics which left me none the wiser. Miliband’s stats said Labour improved school sports. Cameron’s said they ruined it. Was Miliband right? Was Cameron right? It was beyond me. Except I did notice that Cameron seemed to be almost exclusively quoting figures on “competitive sports”. Ah. The old Tory Daily Mail rant. “Schools don’t do races …

Posted in PMQs | Also tagged david cameron, ed miliband, julian huppert and tom brake | 23 Comments

The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Private Secretaries

By Mark Pack | Sat 2nd October 2010 - 11:10 am

The appointments of various LibDem MPs to be PPS to ministers have been rather low-profile, so in case you have missed any here is the complete list:

Gordon Birtwistle – PPS to Danny Alexander
Mike Crockart – PPS to Michael Moore
Duncan Hames – PPS to Sarah Teather
Jo Swinson – PPS to Vince Cable
Jenny Willott – PPS to Chris Huhne

and in addition Norman Lamb as Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser to Nick Clegg is also his PPS.

Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged duncan hames, gordon birtwistle, jenny willott, Jo Swinson and norman lamb | 10 Comments

The 7 retiring Lib Dem MPs (and the 7 candidates hoping to replace them)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 22nd March 2010 - 2:10 pm

Seven Lib Dem MPs have announced they’re retiring at this year’s general election. All seven are men: of their replacements, four are women. Here’s the list in full:

John Barrett (LD) – Edinburgh West

Majority: 13,600 (30%) – second safest Lib Dem seat in the UK.
Reason for leaving: to spend more time with his grand-daughters.
Hoping to succeed him: Mike Crockart.

Colin Breed (LD) – South East Cornwall

Majority: 6,507 (13%).
Reason for leaving: not stated.
Hoping to succeed him: Karen Gillard.

David Howarth (LD) – Cambridge

Majority: 5,058 (11%).
Reason for leaving: “to concentrate on my other life, as an academic.”
Hoping to succeed him: Julian Huppert.

Paul

…

Posted in General Election | Also tagged claire kelley, colin breen, david howarth, john barrett, julian huppert, mark oaten, martin tod, matthew taylor, paul keetch, phil willis, sarah carr and terrye teverson | 6 Comments

Edinburgh, brace yourself: the first Lib Dem Bloggers’ Unconference

By Helen Duffett | Tue 3rd November 2009 - 5:34 pm

Just under three weeks to go now – but there’s still time to register for the feast of blogging talent and advice that is the Lib Dem Bloggers’ Unconference.

I’m pleased to announce that Tavish Scott, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, has agreed to give a Bloggers’ Interview around lunchtime.

Also joining us: Jo Swinson MP, John Barrett MP, Mike Crockart (newly-selected PPC for Edinburgh West), leading Scottish bloggers, Andrew Reeves (prolific blogger and Deputy Director of Campaigns for Scotland) as well as Lib Dem Blogfather Jonathan Calder and members of the Lib Dem Voice team.

Posted in Blogger Interviews and Events | Also tagged andrew reeves, clifton terrace, edinburgh, featured, Jo Swinson, john barrett, jonathan calder, tavish scott and unconference | 2 Comments

Mike Crockart selected for Edinburgh West

By Mark Pack | Sat 31st October 2009 - 7:51 pm

Ex-policeman Mike Crockart has been selected for Edinburgh West, the constituency currently held by Lib Dem John Barrett who is retiring at the next general election. The Press Association reports Mike Crockart as saying, “I’m over the moon to be elected, but I’m taking nothing for granted.”

Best of luck with the campaign Mike.

Posted in Selection news | Also tagged john barrett | 4 Comments

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The Morrissey Report: "No excuses" says Caron Lindsay

Tag Archives: mike crockart

Smith, Crockart, Bruce and Williams win in Great Parliamentary Raffle

Julian Huppert MP writes: Quick update on secret courts

Featherstone and Crockart slam Page 3

PMQs: Tragedy, comedy and the Continuing Saga of the Family Bone

PMQs: Opposition leader asks: “Can I agree with the Prime Minister”?

PMQs: Tim Farron asks “Question of the week” – Ed Balls signals four runs

Opinion: Criminalising squatting

Tuition fees: which way will MPs vote on Thursday?

PMQs: Moustaches, strawberries and anoraks

The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Private Secretaries

The 7 retiring Lib Dem MPs (and the 7 candidates hoping to replace them)

John Barrett (LD) – Edinburgh West

Colin Breed (LD) – South East Cornwall

David Howarth (LD) – Cambridge

Paul

Edinburgh, brace yourself: the first Lib Dem Bloggers’ Unconference

Mike Crockart selected for Edinburgh West

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Nick: "Jobs are right at the heart of the Lib Dems’ agenda"

"Lib Dems set to name 7 new peers for House of Lords"

EU in/out referendum bill - will Lib Dem MPs abstain?

The Morrissey Report: "No excuses" says Caron Lindsay

Tag Archives: mike crockart

John Barrett (LD) – Edinburgh West

Colin Breed (LD) – South East Cornwall

David Howarth (LD) – Cambridge

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