Tag Archives: susan kramer

Next week in the Lords: 4-7 March

By Mark Valladares | Fri 1st March 2013 - 1:21 pm

Yes, we’re back, after this column’s regular late winter break to study comparisons between government systems in the Caribbean. And whilst the House of Lords and the Cuban leadership do have some similarities – having octogenarians in prominent positions, for example – you would probably want to see more of Eric Avebury than you would Fidel Castro…

So, on with the motley…

Monday kicks off the week with the main business being Day 2 of the Report Stage of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. Amongst the …

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Posted in News | Also tagged Celia Thomas, eric avebury, hugh dykes, meral ece, mike storey, navnit dholakia and tony greaves | Leave a comment

Mark Pack to appear on Question Time as @BBCExtraGuest

By Stephen Tall | Wed 13th February 2013 - 4:15 pm

Congratulations and good luck to Mark Pack, my co-editor here for another fortnight, who’s in the virtual hot-seat as this week’s @BBCExtraGuest, tweeting opinions and answering questions before and during this week’s edition of BBC1′s Question Time (Thursday, 10.35 pm):

Full panel this week – Maria Miller, @marycreagh_mp, @susankramer, @georgegalloway, @frasernelson and @bbcextraguest @markpack. #bbcqt

— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) February 13, 2013

You’ll be able to follow Mark’s tweets as @BBCExtraGuest here.

Congratulations, too, to Lib Dem blogger Richard Morris, whose open letter maybe reminded the BBC …

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Posted in News | Also tagged bbc question time and Mark Pack | Leave a comment

Baroness Kramer: Focus on small businesses to get the economy moving

By Nick Thornsby | Thu 31st January 2013 - 9:17 am

I have previously highlighted some of Baroness (Susan) Kramer’s excellent House of Lords speeches on the economy here on Lib Dem Voice. There follows, courtesy of Lords Hansard, an extract from another speech she gave on Tuesday to the House in a debate on economic growth, urging the government to focus on small and medium size businesses, by whom the vast majority of people are employed:

I would like to add something slightly different to this debate, because as a doer and deliverer I am going to ask him if he might

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This week in the Lords: 28 January – 1 February

By Mark Valladares | Mon 28th January 2013 - 8:58 pm

Yes, just as late as has been the habit recently, here’s your heads up for events in the upper chamber this week… anyone would think that I didn’t have a day of my own…

It’s another long week for our Parliamentary Party, with a nod to the recent wintry weather, but Monday sees Day 2 of the Committee Stage of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, where Tony Greaves will seek to remove attempts to place further limits on the power to require information with planning applications. Frankly, when I see …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged bill bradshaw, david chidgey, john lee, mike storey, phil willis, ros scott, shirley williams, sue miller and tony greaves | Leave a comment

Next week in the Lords: 8-11 October

By Mark Valladares | Fri 5th October 2012 - 8:52 am

Yes, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the House of Lords is back! And whilst I get to spend less time with my wife, legislation awaits. Will the death of Lords Reform change anything on the red benches? Just what are they going to discuss without it?

There are three Bills carried forward from before the summer recess;

As a gentle loosener after a summer of grouse shooting, light naps and memoir writing, Monday sees Day 6 of the Committee Stage of the Financial Services Bill, perhaps now …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged andrew phillips, defamation bill, dick taverne, financial services bill, john alderdice, local government finance, margaret sharp and qurban hussain | Leave a comment

Who Lib Dem members think are the most effective non-MPs at promoting the party

By Stephen Tall | Tue 14th August 2012 - 7:55 am

Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 500 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Oakeshott, Ashdown and Pack top your list

LDV asked: Which prominent Lib Dems who are NOT MPs (eg, peers, campaigners) are doing an effective job of promoting the party to the public? Please write-in.

…

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged brian paddick, Caroline Pidgeon, chris davies, chris rennard, evan harris, kirsty williams, lord mcnally, Mark Pack, matthew oakeshott, paddy ashdown, ros scott, shirley williams, stephen tall, tony greaves and willie rennie | 6 Comments

A longer read for the weekend: Baroness Kramer on how to kick-start economic growth

By Nick Thornsby | Sun 24th June 2012 - 9:45 am

Earlier this week, Baroness (Susan) Kramer moved a debate in the House of Lords on UK economic growth. Her speech covered the background to the UK’s current economic position as well as a number of suggestions of what the government can do to encourage growth. Below is a slightly edited version of the speech.

In 2010 the coalition inherited a badly damaged economy. The previous Government had built their boom on the back of tax revenues pumped up by false profits from the banks – …

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Posted in News | Also tagged economy and housing | 12 Comments

Dan Rogerson MP writes… Tackling disadvantage must start before school

By Dan Rogerson MP | Wed 30th May 2012 - 12:53 pm

Today Nick Clegg announced that the Government was extending the roll out of free Early Years education for all families who meet the free school meals criteria.

This means that the children of parents who are struggling to make ends meet and who rely on state benefits like Income Support or Child Tax Credits will now be entitled to free Early Years education from the age of two.

Sound familiar? That’s because Liberal Democrats in government have been consistently ensuring that one of the Coalition Government’s main priorities is closing the attainment gap between the poorest children and the better off.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged education, free school meals, nick clegg and pupil premium | 5 Comments

LDVideo: Liberal Democrat peers rebel against coalition plans

By Stephen Tall | Thu 9th February 2012 - 12:45 pm

More than 60 Lib Dem peers have rebelled against the Coalition government’s plans during this Parliament. Here Baroness (Susan) Kramer talks about how she and her colleagues attempt always to be constructive in their dissent.

* Warning: the following video contains scenes with Quentin Letts, which some viewers may find distressing.

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Posted in YouTube | Also tagged house of lords and quentin letts | 1 Comment

Opinion: Delivering local citizens’ initiatives

By Carl Quilliam | Wed 19th October 2011 - 2:50 pm

Five years ago, back in the final throws of the Blair government, when Cameron was still hugging hoodies and Ed Miliband was just a twinkle in the unions’ eyes, I worked for an organisation called Our Say.

Our Say campaigned for the introduction of citizens’ initiatives in the UK, referendums that can be instigated by a petition of a certain percentage of citizens in a given area.

The campaign wasn’t active for very long but it received cross party support, primarily from backbenchers. Overall, Conservative MPs more than Liberal Democrats or backbench Labour MPs received it better. In fact the Lib …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged dan hannan, douglas carswell and localism bill | 3 Comments

Tune in to Iain Dale’s Lib Dem night tonight on LBC, featuring Nick Clegg, Simon Hughes and others

By Nick Thornsby | Mon 8th August 2011 - 4:54 pm

Iain Dale returns to his evening show on London’s LBC radio tonight with a Lib Dem special. First up is a live Q & A with deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, followed by interviews with a whole host of prominent Lib Dems, including three of the four London Mayoral hopefuls as well as deputy leader Simon Hughes.

Here’s the schedule in full from Iain’s blog:

6-7pm Live Q & A with LibDem leader Nick Clegg
7-7.30pm Interview with Nick Clegg (tbc)
7.30-8pm Reaction to Clegg with Lord Oakeshott, Susan Kramer & Jo Phillips
8-9pm Meet the LibDem London Mayoral Candidates – Brian Paddick, Brian

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged brian haley, brian paddick, iain dale, jo phillips, lembit opik, london mayoral selection, matthew oakeshott, mike tuffrey, nick clegg and simon hughes | Leave a comment

Mike Tuffrey writes… My kinda campaign … working towards success in 2014

By Mike Tuffrey | Wed 13th July 2011 - 11:53 am

Ol’ blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, used to sing about “My kinda town…” Rest assured, I won’t be singing. But let me tell you about London – my town – and the kind of campaign I intend to run as our candidate to be Mayor of London.

The test of success in the 2012 campaign isn’t just the number of votes we win in the Mayor contest – it is how many Assembly members we get elected and how many councillors, councils and MEPs we get elected in 2014.

Our very best London-wide campaigning in the past – such as that led …

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Posted in London and Op-eds | Also tagged Caroline Pidgeon and lynne featherstone | 4 Comments

Tim Farron’s speech at the Liberal Democrat conference rally

By The Voice | Fri 11th March 2011 - 7:05 pm

So this is the Sheffield Rally. And you know what normally happens when a party holds a Sheffield rally? Well, traditionally, some ginger bloke gets on stage, makes an absolute prat of himself, and completely wrecks his party’s election chances. And I’m a great believer in tradition, so here goes…

Ros has been an outstanding President. A baroness who is also a pavement politician, approachable, effective and one of us. Ros led us internally to an election result and aftermath that was beyond historic. And I am certain that we all want to show our appreciation. On a personal note she …

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Posted in Conference | Also tagged jo grimond, nick clegg, ros scott and tim farron | 19 Comments

Lib Dem Erin Harvey wins Parliamentary Researcher of the Year

By Helen Duffett | Mon 21st February 2011 - 4:53 pm

Photo credit: Paul Heartfield, Federation of Small Businesses.

Erin Harvey, researcher to Liberal Democrat MP Gordon Birtwistle, scooped three prizes at last week’s Dods Parliamentary Researcher of the Year Awards.

From ePolitix.com:

Erin Harvey, the Liberal Democrat researcher who previously worked for Susan Kramer before joining the Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle in May, stole the show where she won three of the seven awards; Liberal Democrat Researcher of the Year, the Federation

…

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Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged burnley, erin harvey and gordon birtwistle | 5 Comments

Baroness Susan Kramer’s maiden speech

By Susan Kramer | Sat 22nd January 2011 - 1:51 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. Yesterday, Baroness Kramer made her maiden speech in the House of Lords during a debate on the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Amendment) Bill . Her words are reproduced below. Baroness Dee Doocey also made her maiden speech in the Lords yesterday; we will be featuring it tomorrow.

My Lords, as I rise to make

…

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Posted in Parliament | Also tagged maiden and Rehabilitation of Offenders (Amendment) Bill [HL] | Leave a comment

Susan Kramer for Mayor of London – the 2000 party political broadcast

By Mark Pack | Sun 16th January 2011 - 4:15 pm

Back in 2000, Susan Kramer was the first (and in many ways most successful) Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London. Here is her party political broadcast from that campaign, featuring several familiar faces including a young Mike Tuffrey and also Susan’s husband, John, who died tragically early in 2006:

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged lembit opik, mike tuffrey and party political broadcast | 2 Comments

Fifteen new Liberal Democrat Peers appointed

By Helen Duffett | Fri 19th November 2010 - 11:33 am

Fifteen new Liberal Democrat working peers have just been announced…

Dr Sarah (Sal) Brinton – Executive Director of the Association of Universities in the East of England

Dee Doocey OBE – Chair of the London Assembly

Qurban Hussain – Deputy Group Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Luton Borough Council

Judith Jolly – Chair of Executive Committee of Liberal Democrats in Devon and Cornwall

Susan Kramer – former Liberal Democrat MP

Raj Loomba – businessman and campaigner for widows’ rights

Jonathan Marks – commercial and family law QC with specialist interest in human rights and constitutional reform

Monroe Palmer OBE – Liberal

…

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Posted in Parliament | Also tagged ben stoneham, claire tyler, dee doocey, featured, house of lords, interim peers panel, jenny randerson, john sharkey, jonathan marks, judith jolly, mike storey, monroe palmer, nicol stephen, paul strasburger, qurban hussain, raj loomba and sal brinton | 77 Comments

Lib Dem Presidential Contest: Result

By Helen Duffett | Sat 13th November 2010 - 12:19 pm

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Posted in News and Party Presidency | Also tagged featured and tim farron | 26 Comments

LDV survey: The qualities members want from the Lib Dem party president (and whose campaign reached most members)

By Stephen Tall | Sat 13th November 2010 - 11:15 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’re currently publishing the full results.

As today is the day the result of the contest to become party president is declared, here’s a Wordle illustrating what party members feel are the most important qualities whoever is successful should bring to the role (click on the image to enlarge)…

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Posted in LDV Members poll, Online politics and Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | 6 Comments

Lib Dem Presidential contest: result due early this afternoon

By The Voice | Sat 13th November 2010 - 10:00 am

The results of the election for president of the Lib Dems will be announced today, soon after 12pm, and Lib Dem Voice’s Helen Duffett will be reporting back live from the count. A reminder, as if you needed one, of the two candidates standing for the post:

Susan Kramer

If you’re interested in looking back at the coverage of the race that’s appeared here on LDV, then click here.

The results for the party committee elections and Peers panel are also expected early this afternoon, so watch this space.

Posted in Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | Leave a comment

EXCLUSIVE: Tim Farron set to win contest for party presidency

By Stephen Tall | Thu 11th November 2010 - 10:15 pm

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results over the next few days.

First, we asked what party members thought of the campaigns of the two presidential candidates, Tim Farron and Susan Kramer:

Regardless of how you intend to vote, which of the two candidates do you think has run the best campaign to become party president?

50% – Tim Farron

…

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Posted in LDV Members poll and Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | 20 Comments

Wanted: a hyperactive online MP

By Mark Pack | Thu 4th November 2010 - 8:55 am

Last week I talked about the role reversal facing the Liberal Democrats, with the party’s traditional stronger record at political tactics than strategy having been flipped around. In that, and the subsequent post Part 2 of the Nick Clegg reshuffle, I highlighted some tactical communication needs the party must get better at. Given my own habit of pointing out that people should not just criticise but should also offer solutions, here are my own suggestions.

Middle-ranking ministers need to communicate more

The large majority of Liberal Democrat ministers are not in the Cabinet. However, the departmental communication structures are set-up to …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged nick clegg and tim farron | 4 Comments

Kramer versus Farron: what sort of President does the party want?

By Mark Pack | Tue 2nd November 2010 - 7:27 am

Party members are unusually lucky with the current contest for President of the Liberal Democrats. It is rare for there to be two credible, high-profile candidates standing at the same time but this time there is a real choice between two such people.

Some differences between Susan Kramer and Tim Farron were obvious from the start of the campaign and are swaying some voters, depending on their views on matters such as how important (or not) it is for one of the party’s most prominent posts to be held by a woman, whether an MP has enough time to do the job, whether a current MP from outside London or an ex-MP from London is more outside the Westminster bubble and so on.

However, two further differences between the candidates have come out clearly during the campaign.

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Posted in Party Presidency | Also tagged featured and tim farron | 18 Comments

Susan Kramer answers 10 questions about her campaign for Party President

By Mark Pack | Tue 2nd November 2010 - 7:26 am

Susan Kramer and Tim Farron were both asked the same ten questions about their bid to be LibDem President and given the option to reply in whatever format and at whatever length they wished. Susan’s answers are below and you can find Tim’s answers here. My own commentary on the answers and race more generally is here.

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Posted in Party Presidency | 3 Comments

Farron and Kramer: party should retain long-term aim of abolishing tuition fees

By Mark Pack | Mon 1st November 2010 - 8:55 am

Both of the candidates to be the next Liberal Democrat President have expressed their support for the party retaining a long-term aim of abolishing tuition fees.

Tomorrow Liberal Democrat Voice will publish in full the answers from Susan Kramer and Tim Farron to a set of questions Lib Dem Voice has posed them. Their answers paint two different views on what the role should be of the Party President and how they would approach it. But on several issues they both agree, including on tuition fees:

Do you believe the party should have a long-term commitment to the abolition of tuition fees?

Kramer: …

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Posted in News and Party Presidency | Also tagged higher education, tim farron, tuition fees and universities | 4 Comments

Liblink: Liberal Vision grills Kramer and Farron

By Iain Roberts | Tue 26th October 2010 - 5:34 pm

Liberal Vision have published interviews conducted with each of the candidates for the Liberal Democrat presidency: Susan Kramer and Tim Farron.

Read the Farron interview here and the Kramer interview here.

As a taster:

Liberal Vision: In one sentence why should people who read our blog back your campaign?

Susan Kramer: Overwhelmingly it’s to be the voice for the grass roots of the party, creating that two-way connection between the grass roots and the leadership, and keeping us unified. We shouldn’t let other pull us apart

Tim Farron: Because they want the Liberal Democrats to win, and because

…

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Posted in LibLink and Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | 4 Comments

Liblink: Liberator interviews the presidential hopefuls

By NewsHound | Tue 26th October 2010 - 11:15 am

Liberator magazine has asked the two Lib Dem presidential contenders those tough questions – read their responses here.

A taster to whet your appetite:

Q5: How will you ensure that you gain regular and meaningful access to the party leader?

Farron: He won’t be able to get rid of me. Being an MP gives me direct access to the media to get our message across and it also gives me close access to Nick. I’ll be a critical friend to the coalition and a candid friend to Nick. As President, I would carry a mandate from the members to ensure that the

…

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Posted in LibLink and Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | Leave a comment

LDVideo: Susan Kramer and Tim Farron’s online Presidential hustings

By Helen Duffett | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 3:41 pm

Tim Farron and Susan Kramer took part in an online hustings this week, taking questions from a live and online audience. Play the video below to watch the two candidates explain why they want to be Party President and discuss what they would do in the role.

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Posted in Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | 3 Comments

Farron and Kramer: their email pitches for President

By Mark Pack | Mon 18th October 2010 - 6:05 pm

Party members have been receiving emails today from Tim Farron and Susan Kramer setting out their pitches for party president. Of course, the emails can only go to party members for whom the party has an accurate email address. So I’ve reproduced the emails below – and if you’ve missed out but would like to get future party emails, get in touch with Membership Services on [email protected]

If reading these messages moves you to want to ask the candidates a question, don’t forget the online hustings coming up.

Susan Kramer

Dear Mark,

We in the Liberal Democrats are facing a time of …

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Posted in Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | 10 Comments

Online presidential hustings this week: send in your questions

By Helen Duffett | Mon 18th October 2010 - 2:49 pm

This Wednesday the two candidates for Liberal Democrat President will take part in the official Federal online hustings at party headquarters in Cowley Street, London.

Susan Kramer and Tim Farron will answer questions which have been submitted online, and a video of the event will be posted afterwards on YouTube for all party members to refer to.

I’ll be chairing the hustings, so please submit your questions via email to [email protected] or in the comments thread below by 5pm Wednesday.

If you’d like to attend in person, a limited number of places are available. It’s on Wednesday 20 October at 7pm. …

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Posted in Party Presidency | Also tagged tim farron | 6 Comments