Tag Archives: winston churchill

David Cameron says trust Winston Churchill – but only when it suits

By Mark Pack | Published 8th April 2011 - 1:56 pm

Earlier this week, David Cameron made a speech against AV in which he invoked Winston Churchill’s views on electoral systems – and saying, “If in doubt, trust Winston”.

Now it’s true Winston Churchill didn’t like AV. But can you guess what electoral system this quote from Churchill was about?

The present system has clearly broken down. The results produced are not fair to any party, nor to any section of the community. In many cases they do not secure majority representation, nor do they secure an intelligent representation of minorities. All they secure is fluke representation, freak representation, capricious representation.

Yup, that …

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Posted in News | Also tagged , | 13 Comments

Forgotten Liberal heroes: Clarence Henry Willcock

By Mark Pack | Published 16th February 2011 - 10:25 am

Listen to Liberal Democrats make speeches and there are frequent references to historical figures, but drawn from a small cast. Just the quartet of John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, David Penhaligon corner almost all of the market, especially since Bob Maclennan stopped making speeches to party conference. Some of the forgotten figures deserve their obscurity but others do not. Charles James Fox’s defence of civil liberties against a dominating government during wartime or Earl Grey’s leading of the party back into power and major constitutional reform are good examples of mostly forgotten figures who could …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Labour Election Campaign Quotations

By Iain Roberts | Published 21st February 2010 - 11:39 am

A few quotes from Labour’s Campaign Quotations book from the 1951 General Election.

Back in the days before the Internet (yes, young people, it didn’t always exist), Labour published this 300 page book of quotes from friend and foe to help its eager activists.

Socialism is a system of national co-operation. It is based upon the principle of co-operation, as opposed to the principle of competition. It is based on the principle of collectivism as opposed to the principle of individualism. It is union as against disunion, order as against anarchy. It means each for all and all

…

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Posted in The way we were | Also tagged | 5 Comments

Book review: Saving the European Union

By Mark Pack | Published 14th February 2010 - 4:50 pm

Andrew Duff’s book Saving the European Union: The logic of the Lisbon Treaty, written early in 2009, has an endearingly open comment about his own political views compared with those of his colleagues:

My party, the UK Liberal Democrats, and group, the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), have been amazingly tolerant of finding a militant federalist in their midst.

Although an enthusiast for a closer European Union, Andrew Duff recognises the need for pro-Europeans to make their case and starts with the roots of the EU in the ruins of post-1945 Europe. He quotes Winston Churchill saying:

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Posted in Books, Europe / International | Also tagged , , | 2 Comments

Winston Churchill: your Lib Dem Voice reader

By Mark Pack | Published 8th December 2009 - 11:20 am

Unsuspecting reader, you may be thinking that Winston Churchill was a fine Prime Minster, a great wartime leader, a patriotic Englishman and an inspiration to millions of Britons and generations of tabloid newspaper editors.

You would, of course, be quite wrong.

For if we apply the standards of tabloid newspaper editors to Winston Churchill, you find that the shocking truth is:

Churchill disgracefully insulted wartime heroes (by not dotting the letter i properly – just as The Sun criticised Gordon Brown for).

Churchill outrageously mocked our history (by removing any trace of Christianity or winter from the cover of his Christmas cards).

And, …

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Posted in News | 5 Comments

Prime Minister removes all Christmas imagery from official Christmas cards

By Mark Pack | Published 26th November 2009 - 12:53 pm

In a move sure to get Christians and tabloid newspaper journalists up in arms, the Prime Minister has removed all Christian imagery from his Christmas cards.

The picture on the front of his cards does not contain any sign of angels, crosses or any other Christian imagery.

But it’s not only Christianity that has been removed, so too has all trace of winter. In a move some will suspect is making the cards a tool in the political battle over global warming, the “Christmas” cards paint a picture of a spring or summer day.

“This is an appalling case of political correctness gone …

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 13 Comments