Tag Archives: mike german

Opinion: What price authenticity in our policy making?

By Nick Perry | Published 11th January 2012 - 6:55 pm

As a mental health social worker, I have been trying to keep up with the debate, both within and without the party, on the progress of the Welfare Reform Bill.

There are many commentators far more expert than I able to say how many different aspects of the legislation accord with party policy, or wider liberal views about the freedom and agency of the individual, or how far it falls short in respect of protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.

This post is not about the detail of that.

I want to pose a question to LDV-reading colleagues as to how …

Posted in News, Op-eds | Also tagged policy making, welfare reform bill | 4 Comments

Rolling news from conference: Saturday morning

By Mark Pack | Published 12th March 2011 - 10:31 am

Richard Kemp summates on motion, asking people also to back both amendments; i.e. cooperation rather confrontation to improve bill. Some MPs vote for amendment 1, some abstain. Amendment overwhelmingly carried. As is amendment 2. Lines 6-15 deleted from motion, amended motion carried. All MPs can spot voted for.

Evan Harris summates on amendment 1. “It is unusual for me to summate on a debate where there have been no speeches against my amendment”. Says government ministers must work hard to change the bill radically. Amendment 1 lays out how it should be improved – and Liberal Democrats in government “should follow …

Posted in Conference, News | Also tagged benefits, evan harris, fpc, john pugh, lembit opik, lord alderdice, NHS, norman lamb, richard kemp, welfare, welfare reform, welfare reform bill | 1 Comment

Lord Mike German’s maiden speech

By Mike German | Published 18th July 2010 - 3:30 pm

In recent weeks, LDV has been bringing its readers copies of our new MPs’ first words in the House of Commons, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. Alert LDV reader and bureaucratic blogger Mark Valladares, himself a husband to a Lib Dem Peer, our party’s president Ros Scott, has drawn to our attention that we have more new parliamentarians in the Other Place, who are also making maiden speeches. Earlier today we brought you the words of Baroness …

Posted in Parliament | Also tagged maiden, prison reform, prisons | Leave a comment

Our starters for 2008 – how did we do? (Part II)

By Stephen Tall | Published 29th December 2008 - 10:20 am

A year ago, Lib Dem Voice posed 10 questions, the answers to which we believed might shape the Lib Dem year – time to revisit them, wethinks. To read Part I dealing with Qs 1-5, click here.

6. Will Nicol Stephen’s leadership of the Scottish Lib Dems continue to bounce back?

No, it didn’t, though this was in large part due to Nicol’s decision to resign the party leadership at the beginning of July, in order to put “the health and wellbeing” of his family first. The Scottish party has had a tough time, playing third fiddle to …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged alix mortimer, james graham, jonathan calder, kirsty williams, lembit opik, nicol stephen, ros scott, simon hughes, tavish scott | 2 Comments

Kirsty unveils new Welsh Lib Dem shadow cabinet

By The Voice | Published 12th December 2008 - 11:22 am

Via NewsWales.co.uk:

New Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams today announced her team for the Welsh Assembly .

She said, “The Welsh Liberal Democrat team is the most experienced in the Assembly, and we will be bringing that accumulated knowledge to the table on all our committee work and in the chamber.”

The Shadow Cabinet:

Kirsty Williams: Leader, Shadow Minister for Finance, Children and Young People.

Peter Black: Business manager, Shadow Minister for Health and
Wellbeing and Local Government (including housing). Assembly
Commissioner.

Jenny Randerson: Shadow Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Education.

Mick Bates: Chair of Committee for Sustainability, Shadow Minister for the Environment and Rural Affairs.

Eleanor Burnham: Shadow Minister for Communities, Culture and Equalities.

Mike German: Chair of Legislative Committee. Spokesperson on Europe. Member of sub-legislation, petitions committee.

Committee places are as follows:

Posted in News, Wales | Also tagged kirsty williams | Leave a comment

Kirsty’s win – what folk are saying

By Stephen Tall | Published 9th December 2008 - 11:36 am

Congratulations from all at Lib Dem Voice to Kirsty Williams on becoming the first elected female leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. There’s more coverage over at the Welsh Lib Dems website, but here’s a few brief snippets from today’s papers:

Kirsty Williams makes political history (WalesOnline.co.uk)

KIRSTY WILLIAMS made history yesterday as she won the battle to become the new leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats – and with it the first woman ever to lead a major party in Wales.
She defeated former acting Deputy First Minister Jenny Randerson by 910 votes to 612 to succeed Mike German.

Ms Williams, 37, responded to her victory by vowing to fight all three of the Lib Dems’ rival parties. The Brecon & Radnorshire AM said: “My message to the other political parties is ‘Watch out – we are coming to get you’.”

Williams election ‘breaks mould’ (BBC.co.uk)
Kirsty Williams said she had “broken the mould” after being elected Wales’ first female party leader in the Welsh Liberal Democrat leadership contest. … Ms Williams, aged 37, launched her leadership bid saying she wanted to embrace the party’s talent to achieve success “in all parts of Wales”. … She said her party had to reach out to people who felt let down by politics and the assembly and she had “something unique to offer the people of Wales”.

“As a party we have broken the mould today by electing a woman,” she said. “If you have been turned off by politics, by the way the Labour Party has let Wales down, or the Conservatives’ attitude, or Plaid’s abandonment of principles, then come. We will re-ignite the flame of liberalism that once burnt so bright in this country. I am determined as leader of this party that the Welsh Liberal Democrats will blaze a trail for a new politics in Wales.”

Posted in Leadership Election, Wales | Also tagged kirsty williams | 3 Comments

Mike German writes… my time as Welsh leader

By Mike German | Published 3rd November 2008 - 2:40 pm

Nominations to succeed me as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats close today (Nov 3), and in the morning, the first all-female leadership contest in British political history will start in earnest.

Very few are the leaders who get to leave in a (mostly) dignified way, and I am grateful to my colleagues – both supporters and otherwise – for allowing me this luxury.

Looking back, the highlights of the last decade are obvious. I’ve made no secret of the fact that the highlight of my time as leader has been the time we spent in government. For three years, we were …

Posted in Wales | Leave a comment

Race officially starts for Welsh Lib Dem leadership

By The Voice | Published 11th October 2008 - 7:00 pm

The BBC wesbite reports:

Nominations have opened in the race to become the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Outgoing leader Mike German gave a farewell speech to the party’s autumn conference at Clydach, near Swansea.

Kirsty Williams, Brecon and Radnorshire AM, announced her intention to stand for the post a month ago; Cardiff Central AM today Jenny Randerson declared she would be joining Kirsty in the contest, ensuring the Welsh Lib Dems will soon be led by a woman. Here’s Jenny’s statement:

Posted in Leadership Election, Wales | Also tagged kirsty williams | 19 Comments

Conference: Make It Happen debate… the live-blog

By Stephen Tall | Published 15th September 2008 - 3:16 pm

Yes, it’s the day of the Big Debate on Make It Happen, the party’s policy and consultation document, and there’s keen anticipation here in the conference hall. Over 100 members have applied to speak so far, so we can expect some fiery views on both sides of the should-we-cut-the-tax-burden debate.

The party’s manifesto chief Danny Alexander has introduced Make It Happen – plenty of warm applause, including for the line that tax cuts for ordinary people are very much part of a social justice agenda. He urges conference to vote down Paul Holmes’ and Evan Harris’s amendment, arguing it will …

Posted in Conference, Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged evan harris, graham watson, jo swinson, make it happen, simon hughes | 143 Comments

Newsflash: Kirsty Williams to announce Welsh leadership bid

By The Voice | Published 10th September 2008 - 10:45 am

News reaches The Voice that Kirsty Williams, the Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, will announce in the next hour or two that she will stand for the leadership of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

The current leader, Mike German, is expected to stand down after the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ autumn conference.

The BBC have heard the rumour too.

Posted in News, Wales | Also tagged kirsty williams | 14 Comments

Lib Dems can conquer Wales!

By Bob Innes | Published 5th September 2008 - 3:52 pm

On the streets of West Wales there are a lot of people disaffected with New Labour. Indeed, that’s something that people like to emphasise to me: the ‘New’ part. Whether people hark back to a Labour under Attlee or Wilson., I’m not sure, but I catch their drift.

Maybe there will be a Tory government after the next general election, or maybe not. No-one knows for sure. But one thing of which I’m certain is that the Tories will not make much headway here in Wales. Only in the pockets of Monmouth, South Pembrokeshire and Clywd West are they strong, together …

Posted in Wales | 3 Comments

Peter Black AM: Welsh Liberal Democrat leadership race to begin soon?

By Peter Black AM | Published 27th August 2008 - 5:51 pm

At some time on the weekend of the 11th to 12th October the current leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Mike German, will stand up to make a speech to our national conference and conclude it by announcing that he is to stand down from that position with immediate effect.

Although Mike only assumed the mantle of party leader just under a year ago, he has led the Welsh Assembly Liberal Democrat group from day one. He will therefore have served nine years in the post, ten if you count the leadership role he was elected to in the run-up to …

Posted in Op-eds, Wales | 12 Comments

German announces resignation as Welsh Lib Dem leader

By Stephen Tall | Published 8th May 2008 - 9:41 am

And in more LDV news from Wales… Mike German has announced he will stand down as leader of the Welsh Lib Dems after the party’s autumn conference in October. BBC.co.uk has more here.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Mike German on postcode lotteries

By Mark Pack | Published 29th January 2008 - 2:15 pm

Today’s Western Mail reports:

POLITICIANS need to feel comfortable with the much-maligned idea of “postcode lotteries” in public services, Welsh Lib-Dem leader Mike German says today.

The idea is the inevitable consequence of more “localised” education and health provision, he says – ideas that are gaining ground within the party and enthusiastically talked up by new UK leader Nick Clegg.

Leader article: 2008 for Liberalism in Wales

By Mike German | Published 3rd January 2008 - 7:41 am

2008 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Welsh Liberal Democrats. May’s local government elections will offer a real test of Labour’s unpopularity. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the main challengers to Labour in all our largest urban areas. While the first-past-the-post system remains in place, we will be pushing to strengthen our position in Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Bridgend – where we already lead the councils. Look out for Newport too, where – if as expected Labour lose overall control of the council – then all of Wales’ cities will have rejected their style of we-know-best politics.

It …

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

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