Tag Archives: richard allan

Lord Allan of Hallam’s maiden speech

By Richard Allan | Published 7th November 2010 - 4:23 pm

In recent months, LDV has been bringing its readers copies of our new MPs’ and Peers’ first words in Parliament, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. Last week, Baron Allan of Hallam, of Ecclesall in the County of South Yorkshire (Richard Allan) made his maiden speech in the House of Lords, during a debate on the Comprehensive Spending Review. His words are reproduced below.

My Lords, I thank all those officials and Members who have helped our class of 2010

…

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Posted in Parliament | Also tagged | 1 Comment

Will technology kill bureaucracy?

By Mark Pack | Published 18th September 2010 - 5:28 pm

Earlier today the Liberal Democrats kicked off the process to revise the party’s policy on information technology and intellectual property with a consultation session at the party’s Liverpool conference. Technology is also a theme explored in the Litmus newspaper jointly produced by Lib Dem Voice, Left Foot Forward and Conservative Home, with pieces from Tom Watson, Stephan Shakespeare and Richard Allan on this topic. We’ve reproduced Richard’s piece below and you can read the full newspaper either via the hard copies in conference registration packs or online at www.litmustest.org.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 5 Comments

Digital Economy Bill: Parliamentarians reply to prospective candidates

By Mark Pack | Published 5th March 2010 - 8:55 am

Yesterday we covered an open letter from 25+ Liberal Democrat prospective Parliamentary candidates (and see also this comment from ex-MP Richard Allan), expressing concerns over the line the party had taken in the House of Lords on a key part of the Digital Economy Bill. The party’s DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) team has now replied in turn with another public letter.

Two things to note when reading it. First, this sort of public exchange of letters is unusual, but very welcome. Although journalists sometimes struggle with the concept of a party that debates policy openly …

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Posted in News | Also tagged , , , | 52 Comments

Twitter and the rise of new media

By Mark Thompson | Published 20th June 2009 - 1:55 pm

Something fascinating happened yesterday. I was browsing through one of the internet forums I regularly visit when I noticed someone posting that people should go to the Daily Mail poll page on their website and vote yes to the poll that asks “Should gypsies jump the queue on the NHS?” in order to mess with them.

When I got to the page and duly voted “Yes” I was astonished to see that the poll was at 93% Yes and 7% No. The forum I refer to has nowhere near enough people to make a dent in the thousands who vote in …

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Posted in News, Online politics | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 2 June 2009

By Helen Duffett | Published 2nd June 2009 - 8:00 am

2 Big Stories

Expenses ‘mistake’ hangs over Darling
The Financial Times reports that not even the Chancellor himself is blameless in the MPs’ expenses controversy:

Alistair Darling’s future as chancellor was looking precarious on Monday after he admitted making “a mistake” over his expenses and Gordon Brown refused to say whether he would be in his job in 10 days’ time.

Mr Darling yesterday paid back £668 he wrongly claimed and apologised “unreservedly” but speculation was growing at Westminster that he could become the first chancellor in postwar Britain to be demoted in the middle of a recession.

Three things must ye know about …

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Posted in Daily View | Also tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Leadership Platform 3: Nick Clegg – Richard Allan writes…

By Nick Clegg Campaign Team | Published 17th November 2007 - 6:52 pm

We all know from experience that election campaigns are 90% perspiration and 10% Riso ink, and this one is no exception. Bu there are always things that keep you going during these marathon efforts.

In Nick’s campaign this has been the endorsements that people have been pouring in on the website. So for today’s campaign update, I thought I’d share what people are saying about Nick – you can add your own endorsement here!

As for what I think about Nick – and why his nickname used to be Grizzly Fish – you can find out in this video by …

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Posted in Leadership Election | Also tagged , , | 18 Comments

Ouch! – red faces at Team Clegg

By The Voice | Published 24th October 2007 - 7:55 pm

Many Lib Dem members – and The Voice was among them – might have been a tad surprised today to discover an email from ‘teamclegg’ signing them up to Nick Clegg’s e-mail list. Perhaps compulsory e-mail conscription is a first step towards moving the party out of its comfort zone, we might have thought.

The truth turns out to be much simpler, and a little more embarrassing. A red-faced and self-flagellating e-mail swiftly followed from Richard Allan, Nick’s leadership campaign director, and his predecessor as MP for Sheffield Hallam:

Sorry. I’m afraid that I have made something of a cock-up today

…

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Posted in Leadership Election | Also tagged | 18 Comments

Campaign Clegg launches today

By the founding editor | Published 19th October 2007 - 8:00 am

Hello, me again. Your regular Lib Dem Voice team are away for the weekend running leadership campaigns or “having a life” and have asked me to stand in. Apparently there’s only so much havoc one can wreak in four days.

Today will see the launch of Nick Clegg’s leadership campaign. Here’s what we’re expecting so far:

  • It will be in Sheffield
  • Former Sheffield Hallam MP Richard Allan is Clegg’s campaign manager
  • Weather permitting, it may be outdoors
  • The web site will be at www.nickclegg.com

As the launch is in Sheffield, I’ll bet you a big slice of cake that an allusion to Nick’s Parliamentary majority …

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Posted in Leadership Election, News | Also tagged | 6 Comments