Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 2 December 2024 – is Elon Musk coming for us all?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 2nd December 2024 - 7:30 am

If, like me, you’ve been an observer of American politics over the decades, one thing that is glaringly obvious is the amount of money that washes through the system, paying for advertising, cadres of professional staff and all of the paraphernalia that make electoral politics increasingly a game for the wealthy or those with access to the wealthy. One candidate in a Senate or Gubernatorial race can, if they’re unlucky, spend as much as the British political parties combined in a General Election campaign.

We already have cause for concern over the influence of a small number of multi-millionaires on our politics. The Conservative Party has become increasingly dependent on a small number of people to finance its campaigns, leading to suggestions of Russian influence and interference. And, of course, there have been plenty of accusations made regarding Nigel Farage’s links with senior Russian officials. But the cost of campaigns has increased, and with party memberships in historic decline, relying on membership fees is a one way journey to financial, and thus political, oblivion.

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Mark Valladares

30 November – 1 December – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 1st December 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Pat McFadden: government’s targets will be meaningless unless they reverse disastrous mistakes
  • Scot Lib Dems reveal 27,954 empty homes across Scotland
  • Key mental health targets breached for 168,000 people

Pat McFadden: government’s targets will be meaningless unless they reverse disastrous mistakes

Responding to Pat McFadden on the Laura Kuenssberg show on the government’s plan for change, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The government’s targets will be utterly meaningless unless they reverse the disastrous mistakes made so far.

Scrapping the Winter Fuel Payment will force vulnerable pensioners to choose between heating and eating and their family farm tax risks a lost generation of farmers.

Ministers must swallow their pride, recognise the damage that these proposals will do and scrap the family farm tax and reinstate Winter Fuel Payments.

Scot Lib Dems reveal 27,954 empty homes across Scotland

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Paul McGarry has today accused the SNP of a “massive failure” to tackle the housing crisis after new research by his party uncovered that almost 28,000 homes are lying empty across Scotland.

A freedom of information request submitted by Scottish Liberal Democrats asked all 32 of Scotland’s local councils how many homes were classed as long-term vacant, meaning they have been empty for longer than 6 months.

The request found that:

  • Across the 30 councils with data on how many homes are long-term vacant, there are 27,954 long-term vacant properties.
  • There are 3,093 long-term vacant homes in Edinburgh, 2,929 in Aberdeenshire, 2,801 in Glasgow and 2,584 in Argyll & Bute.
  • Of the councils with data for how long they had been vacant, 1,420 had been vacant for longer than a year, while 2,609 had been vacant for more than 5 years and 5,937 more than 10 years.
  • In 2023/24, only 579 properties were brought back into use in Glasgow- just 20% of the number of long-term vacant homes.
  • In 2023/24, just 71 properties were brought back into use in Dumfries & Galloway, despite the number of long-term vacant properties being 1,211.
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The Voice

Obituary for former Essex Lib Dem Councillor Derek Hardy

By The Voice | Sun 1st December 2024 - 6:53 pm

Former Essex Lib Dem Councillor Derek Hardy died earlier this year. His daughter Janet Hardy-Gould wrote an obituary for the Guardian which appeared online in October but has only recently been published in the paper itself.

Of his political work, Janet writes:

Having joined Ilford Young Liberals in 1945, Derek retained an interest in politics, and first stood for the London county council as a Liberal candidate in the early 1960s. Moving out of the capital in 1967 to Kelvedon Hatch, near Brentwood, Essex, he stood as a Liberal then a Liberal Democrat candidate in many local elections.

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The Voice

Lib Dems mark World AIDS Day

By The Voice | Sun 1st December 2024 - 3:47 pm

Today, 1st December, is World AIDS Day. Senior Liberal Democrats have been marking the occasion.

The party itself posted on social media:

Today we remember those who’ve lost their lives, and commit to ending deaths by AIDS.

We must:
☑️ Ensure everyone has access to HIV prevention and treatment.
☑️:End stigma and discrimination around HIV.
☑️:Make testing the norm.

Christine Jardine MP, our Women and Equalities Spokesperson said:

Today we remember everyone we have tragically lost to AIDS. For the UK to reach zero new HIV diagnoses by 2030, it is vital that we expand testing, provide compassionate support to those living with HIV/AIDS, and end the stigma surrounding the disease.

 

LGBT+ Lib Dems said:

World AIDS Day is a moment to remember those we’ve lost, stand in solidarity with everyone affected by HIV, and renew our commitment to ending AIDS-related deaths and eliminating HIV transmission by 2030.

The Lib Dems have consistently championed evidence-based solutions to tackle HIV, AIDS, and improve access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). We continue to push for increased funding, free access to PrEP, and wider HIV testing, including opt-out testing in A&E settings.

We held the Conservative govt accountable for its failures in HIV policy, pushed for better investment in sexual health, and noted rising diagnoses among young people. We will continue to demand action and hold the new govt to account and work together to meet our shared goal.

We thank our vocal campaigners and champions like Baroness Liz Barker who plays a proactive role on the All Party Parliamentary Group for HIV and AIDS
and has long advocated and pushed for opt-out HIV testing in A&E settings, helping thousands know their status and receive advice and support.

On Wednesday last week, Helen Morgan represented the party in the House of Commons debate for World AIDS Day:

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review

By Tom Arms | Sun 1st December 2024 - 9:21 am

Israel

Israel has won the war with Hezbollah. That is if the ceasefire recently announced takes effect as planned.

If Hezbollah has lost then so have backers Iran and the Palestinians in Gaza and on the West Bank. Hezbollah was the keystone in Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.” It effectively turned Lebanon into a buffer state between Israel and Iran.

As for the Palestinians, the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah ordered the rocket attacks on northern Israel with the promise that they would continue until there was a ceasefire in Gaza.

The ceasefire agreement makes no mention of Gaza. Israeli forces continue to fight there. Benjamin Netanyahu has severed the link between Hezbollah and Gaza and between Iran and Gaza. This has in turn given him a free hand in dealing with the Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank.

He is further aided by the re-election of Donald Trump. The president-elect has been vague about his Middle East policy. He is known for his unpredictability. But the appointment of Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel provides some hints. Huckabee is opposed to the two-state solution and has hinted that he supports Israeli annexation of the West Bank and northern Gaza.

Surprisingly, opinion polls indicate that only about half of the Israeli population support the ceasefire agreement. Why is unclear.

The agreement says that Israeli and Hezbollah forces must withdraw from territory between the Israeli-Lebanese border and the Litani River which is roughly 30 miles north of Israel. Hezbollah would completely disarm. The buffer zone would be occupied by 10,000 UN troops and 10,000 troops from the official Lebanese army with financial backing from the US and France.

Israel cannot launch offensive operations against Lebanon, but it has the full backing of the US to launch “defensive” operations. “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself,” said Netanyahu, “we will attack. If it tries to rebuild the terrorist infrastructure near the border we will attack. If it tries to launch a rocket. If it digs a tunnel. If it brings in a truck carrying a rocket, we will attack.”

Israel has clearly abandoned the search for a political resolution and put all of its hopes and dreams into the military option.

United States

The threatened 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada will hit them hard. Eighty percent of Canada’s exports are to the US. The same figure applies to Mexico.

But they will also damage the American economy. America needs Mexico’s $19 billion of machinery, electrical equipment and fruit and vegetables. About half of US fruit imports come from Mexico. And if you fancy avocados, 90 percent of America’s avocados are grown in Mexico.

Transferring that production to the U.S. would be difficult, especially since about half of the 2 million agricultural workers in the U.S. are undocumented Mexicans. At the moment they are protected by a visa system that gives legal status to agricultural workers. But Trump has vowed to end that which would seriously impact the $1.5 trillion American fruit and vegetable industry.

Undocumented workers also make up 60 percent of the work force of the construction companies in the southwest. One construction official complained that deporting them “would devastate our industry, we wouldn’t finish our highways, we wouldn’t finish our schools. New housing would simply disappear.”

Canada exports a wide range of products to the U.S., including up to 30 percent of the oil consumed by America. Refineries in the mid-west and Pacific Northwest are especially reliant on oil pipelines from Canada. GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan, reckons that a 25% tax on Canadian crude oil would increase gas prices in the Midwest and the Rockies by 25 cents to 75 cents a gallon,

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Caron Lindsay

Love is Enough surges into iTunes top 10

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 30th November 2024 - 3:11 pm

So the first chart announcement since Love is Enough,  the song by young carers featuring Ed Davey was released is out.  It would melt even the most permafrosted heart.

And they’re at……

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Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: Fentanyl

By Tom Arms | Sat 30th November 2024 - 10:08 am

Fentanyl is a nasty synthetic opioid. It is 100 times more potent than heroin and 50 times more potent than morphine. It is, not surprisingly, also many times more addictive.

In 2023 an estimated 75,000 Americans died of fentanyl overdoses. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl—roughly equivalent to a few grains of salt—can kill you. A large number of the 2.5 million US opioid addicts are fentanyl users.

Because it is highly addictive, Fentanyl is replacing—some say has replaced—cocaine and heroin as the product of choice of the drug cartels. Heroin exports are also being laced with a grain or two of fentanyl to increase the user’s dependence on the drugs.

All of the above goes some of the way to explaining why President-elect Donald Trump has linked the totally separate issues of immigration and fentanyl exports and threatened to slap a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada and a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports unless they close down the fentanyl-producing laboratories and the smuggling operations. Of course, life is never that simple.

Let’s start with Mexico. The Mexican drug cartels are the major culprits. In the first nine months of this year, US Customs seized 16,000 pounds of fentanyl at America’s southern border. That is 7.24 billion lethal doses.

The illicit trade is dominated by the Sinalo and Jalisco New Generation cartels. They have taken the billions they have earned from drugs to invest in mining, agriculture and, of course, political respectability. They have become an integral part of the Mexican business and political establishment with legal and illegal operations in 40 countries. They will be difficult to root out. To complicate matters they operate a franchise system so that each production and smuggling operation functions separately from the centre.

The Chinese were targeted by the Biden Administration, and since 2019 illegal exports of fentanyl to the US and to Mexico for transhipment to the US have dropped dramatically. But the chemical components that comprise the synthetic drug are still being shipped to Mexican Laboratories for assembly. As each of the components is completely legal it is difficult to prevent their production and export.

It is a bit of a mystery as to why Trump has included Canada on his list. In the first nine months of 2024 US Customs sized just 40 pounds of fentanyl heading south from America’s northern neighbour. It is also an enigma as to why Trump included Canada in his target list for illegal aliens. In 2023, US border control stopped 12,200 illegal aliens from crossing the US-Canada border. This compares to 2.48 million from Mexico. It is more likely that Trump is trying to undermine liberal icon Justin Trudeau before next year’s federal elections.

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Mark Valladares

29 November 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 29th November 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Bank of England: Ministers need to set out steps to Trump-proof economy
  • McArthur urges MPs to back assisted dying bill
  • McArthur expresses delight as UK Parliament backs Assisted Dying bill

Bank of England: Ministers need to set out steps to Trump-proof economy

Responding to the Bank of England’s fiscal stability report which warned of the potential impact of the impending Donald Trump Presidency on the economy, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

After years of Conservative economic vandalism our economy has seen sluggish growth and people have been hammered by spiralling mortgage rates.

The incoming Trump administration could cause yet more damage and the new government needs to urgently act to prepare our economy to prevent this.

Ministers need to set out the steps they are taking to Trump-proof our economy and ensure that people will not be hit with another round of financial hardship.

McArthur urges MPs to back assisted dying bill

Speaking ahead of the debate and vote on Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill in the UK Parliament, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur has urged MPs to back the bill in the first debate and vote on end-of-life choices in the UK Parliament since 2015.

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Matthew Ma

ALDC’s by-election report – 28 November 2024

By Matthew Ma | Fri 29th November 2024 - 7:51 pm

It was a long list of holds for this week’s by-elections as only 1 out of 10 seats switched hands, where Lib Dems snatched a seat out of Labour in Sheffield City Council. Labour defended their other 7 seats, albeit losing a hefty amount of votes in almost all seats; the Lib Dems also defended the 2 remaining seats.

For the only gain this week, the young Cllr Willis Marshall brought the Lib Dems from fourth place to first in the Woodhouse ward in Sheffield City Council. Coming from the single digits, Willis and the Sheffield team more than quadrupled the Lib Dem vote share to 33% this time around and won the seat! Congratulations to the Willis and the team for the hard work put in to achieve this momentous result.

Sheffield City Council, Woodhouse
Liberal Democrat (Willis Marshall): 1018 (33.0%, +26.8%)
Reform: 1008 (32.7%, new)
Labour: 650 (21.1%, -36.8%)
Conservative: 168 (5.0%, -9.5%)
Green Party: 153 (5.4%, -4.5%)
TUSC: 56 (1.8%, -1.0%)
The Social Democratic Party: 33 (1.1% , new)

In the nearby City of York Council, the Lib Dems comfortably defended its seat with 64% of the vote, towering the second place Conservatives. In the Haxby & Wigginton ward, Cllr Richard Watson and the team grew the vote from just over one-half to almost two thirds of the voting base. Congrats and thank you to Richard and the local team for the tremendous win!

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Mary Reid

Wendy Chamberlain wins an MP of the Year award

By Mary Reid | Fri 29th November 2024 - 4:25 pm

Congratulations to Wendy Chamberlain who has won one of the MP of the Year awards from the Patchwork Foundation.

The Patchwork Foundation describes itself thus:

We promote, encourage and support the active participation of young people from disadvantaged and minority communities in British democracy and civil society.

Here is a useful video from 2020 which explains what the awards are all about.

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Joe Otten

Stunning victory in Sheffield

By Joe Otten | Fri 29th November 2024 - 1:56 pm

Christmas came early for Sheffield Liberal Democrats yesterday with Willis Marshall’s win in Woodhouse – site of much of the battle of Orgreave – by 10 votes ahead of Reform, gaining the seat notionally from Labour.

The vacancy was brought about by the sad death of Councillor Paul Wood of Sheffield Community Councillors, the group that split from Labour after defying the whip on a vote on the local plan, but was largely made up of the previous Labour leadership, ousted by a Campaign Improvement Board against the wishes of local Labour members.

Willis and the team put in a tremendous campaign, backed by our position as the main alternative to Labour on Sheffield Council (27 seats to their 36, no Reform) but it is clear that Reform also had a compelling offer to the voters. My sense of the campaign is that there was a substantial ex Labour now anti Labour vote up for grabs. Our campaign on the winter fuel allowance was very popular. Woodhouse has sent a message to Keir Starmer. But clearly many voters felt a Reform vote was the way to send that message.

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Mary Reid

Is Love is Enough enough?

By Mary Reid | Fri 29th November 2024 - 9:32 am

As Caron reported on Wednesday, Ed Davey is performing on a Christmas single by Bath Philharmonia and its Young Carers’ Choir.

We can now reveal it in all its glory.

We held it back because downloads only count from today.

The BBC has some words to say about it:

As far as we can tell, Sir Ed is the first leader of a major political party to release a Christmas single (although in 2017 Lord Buckethead put out his festive song, A Bucketful of Happiness).

…

Those hoping to hear Sir Ed on lead vocals in the new single may be disappointed.

In Love is Enough, Sir Ed perhaps wisely leaves the bulk of the singing to the members of the Bath Philharmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir.

He joins in at the bridge around three quarters of the way through the song and during the chorus – but there is no big show-stopping solo.

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Mary Reid

Apologies to our commenters

By Mary Reid | Thu 28th November 2024 - 9:42 pm

We seem to have had a technical glitch on Lib Dem Voice this week. All comments were being put into moderation, which must have been as frustrating for our readers as it was for us on the the editorial team.

I’m pleased to report that the problem has now been fixed, so you normally won’t have to wait to see your comment published.

There are two exceptions to this, of course.

  1. Some comments contain trigger words which place a comment into the pending folder for manual approval.
  2. Sometimes we set up posts deliberately with pre-moderation of comments. We do this when the subject is sensitive and may attract trolls.

These two processes are designed to make our blog a safe place for commenters and to encourage decent and courteous debate on political issues. As you know that is pretty rare elsewhere on the web.

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NewsHound

Lee Dillon MP’s explanation to constituents about the assisted dying vote

By NewsHound | Thu 28th November 2024 - 9:15 am

Newbury’s MP, Lee Dillon, has written constituents an open letter about his position on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which receives its second reading vote in the House of Commons tomorrow (Friday).

The Bill, which proposes allowing terminally ill adults to choose to end their life under strict safeguards, has generated significant public debate. Lee Dillon has expressed his gratitude to the many constituents who have shared their views, noting the thoughtful and respectful nature of the discussions.

In his open letter, Mr Dillon explains his decision to vote in favour of the Bill’s second reading, highlighting both the importance of individual choice and the need for rigorous protections for vulnerable individuals. He also discusses the next stages of the Bill and the opportunities for further scrutiny and amendments.

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Caron Lindsay

Ed Davey aims for Christmas Number 1

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 27th November 2024 - 10:30 pm

Well that headline is a sentence I never thought I’d write.

And I have to admit that when I first saw the press release announcing it, I rather involuntarily invoked the name of the person we celebrate at this time of year at volume. Then I thought “No, please, not Sweet Caroline.”

However, I remembered that generosity is key to the spirit of Christmas and when I looked into it some more, I discovered that, actually, Ed’s collaboration with Bath Philarmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir is pretty decent. “Love is enough” falls into the category of heartwarming Christmas songs rather than the crazy ones. Though given some of the things Ed did during the General Election, I could be forgiven for fearing it would be the latter.

The song has been written by the young carers themselves to celebrate the bond between themselves and those they care for.

The single aims to raise money for Bath Philarmonia and  Carers’ Trust.

Here’s a wee preview:

We’ve stuck to the time on the embargo, but the Guardian got the story early.

The result is uplifting and festive, and perhaps just the right side of saccharine to appeal to Christmas listeners. It does not, however, feature much audible input from Davey, whose contributions are slightly buried in the glossy mix.

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Caron Lindsay

Starmer faces FIVE Lib Dems at PMQs

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 27th November 2024 - 8:42 pm

This Parliament, anything less than 3 Lib Dems at PMQs is a disappointment – a benefit of having 72 MPs.

For the third time since the General Election it was a Lib Dem who kicked off proceedings. Daisy Cooper took the opportunity to ask the PM about her local hospital:

West Hertfordshire teaching hospitals NHS trust has eliminated 65-week waits and has now met all three national cancer standards. Those remarkable achievements by the staff are happening despite their working in terrible buildings that are life-expired and crumbling. If the Government are looking for a project that is high-performing and shovel-ready, that is it. Will the Prime Minister give our trust the green light to build a new hospital without further delay?

The Prime Minister
I thank the hon. Lady for raising that issue, which is of importance to her constituents and beyond. The new hospital programme we inherited was a failure of the previous Government. We are committed to delivering, and we are reviewing to ensure that we can deliver. The Health Secretary will set out further details, but I am very happy for her to have a meeting with the relevant Minister if she wants to follow up on the specifics.

Then came Ed Davey with two hard-hitting questions on ending the Winter Fuel Payment and the hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions for hospices:

May I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks about the terrible impact of Storm Bert and all the flooding? Our thoughts are with all those affected, with thanks to our amazing emergency services.

Christine’s father was told that he needed end of life care, but after a few days it was removed due to funding cuts. He was told that he would not get it, and he died a few weeks later in excruciating pain. Christine says that it was terrible to watch him suffer. Does the Prime Minister agree that, whatever the House decides on Friday, it is urgent that we improve access to high-quality end of life care? Will he make that a key focus of the 10-year NHS plan, and will he now commit to protect hospices from the national insurance rise?

The Prime Minister
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising that case, and I am sure the thoughts of the whole House are with the family involved. Obviously there is a very important vote on Friday, but whichever way that vote goes, we must invest properly in care across our health service. That is why, in addition to putting the NHS back on its feet, we are putting forward a 10-year plan to make sure that the NHS can give the care that everybody would expect across the spectrum, including end of life care.

Ed Davey
I thank the Prime Minister for his reply. I hope that we will hear more from Ministers, particularly on hospices and national insurance, in the days to come.

I turn to the cost of living crisis. On Friday, Ofgem said that energy bills will go up again in January, after last month’s 10% rise. Millions of people are really worried about how they will make ends meet this winter, not least hundreds of thousands of pensioners who are in poverty but above the pension credit limit, who will now lose winter fuel payments. With energy bills going up again, will the Prime Minister reconsider and restore winter fuel payments?

The Prime Minister
Obviously the whole House is concerned about energy bills, which are actually lower this year than they were last year. The long-term way to deal with this issue is to have clean power by 2030, to make sure that we drive energy bills down on a permanent basis, and that is what we will do. On the winter fuel allowance, the right hon. Gentleman knows very well what the Government’s position is; indeed, I have rehearsed it with him many times.

The fact that Keir just can’t be bothered defending himself any more makes Ed’s repeated returns to this issue all the more potent.

Mext up, Manuela Perteghella made her PMQ debut by raising the issue of a constituent of hers who is campaigning to end knife crime after her son was killed:

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The Voice

How did Lib Dems vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill?

By The Voice | Wed 27th November 2024 - 12:24 pm

Last night the House of Commons passed the Bill which would introduce a smoke free generation by prohibiting the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2009.

This is one of those issues where you can reach either conclusion from Liberal principles. This is why it was a free vote in Parliament.

So how did Liberal Democrat MPs vote?

38 voted in favour, 7 voted against and 27 did not vote.

Those in favour: Steff Aquarone, Alison Bennett, Jess Borwn-Fuller, Charlotte Cane, David Chadwick, Danny Chambers, Victoria Collins, Daisy Cooper, Adam Dance, Steve Darling, Lee Dillon, Sarah Dyke, Richard Foord, Andrew George, Marie Goldman, Monica Harding, Wera Hobhouse, Christine Jardine, Liz Jarvis, Ben Maguire, Mike Martin, Brian Mathew, Calum Miller, John Milne, Layla Moran, Edward Morello, Helen Morgan, Tessa Munt, Sarah Olney, Manuela Perteghella, Ian Roome, Vikki Slade, Jamie Stone, Luke Taylor, Cameeron Thomas, Max Wilkinson, Martin Wrigley and Claire Young.

Those against: Gideon Amos, Josh Babarinde, Bobby Dean, Tim Farron, Will Forster, Rachel Gilmour and Charlie Maynard

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The Voice

Vacant party posts: Volunteer Vice-chair, Racial Diversity Campaign (two slots)

By The Voice | Tue 26th November 2024 - 7:10 pm

Over on the party website, there’s an advert for the vacant role volunteer vice-chair of the Liberal Democrat Racial Diversity Campaign.

There are two casual vacancies to be filled by the Federal Board by election.

This is your opportunity to play a pivotal role in the Party’s work on diversity in a volunteer position. You will play an important role in ensuring the Party is an effective, supporting and inclusive organisation.

The Racial Diversity Campaign (RDC) is the vehicle within the party which finds, trains and supports ethnic minority candidates through to …

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Callum Robertson

Assisted Dying is emotive – remember the key liberal principle of choice

By Callum Robertson | Tue 26th November 2024 - 5:41 pm

Ultimately liberalism is about the individual and helping the individual empower themselves. To deny someone that empowerment strikes me as fundamentally wrong.

When it comes to formulating our own views on the thorny issue of assisted dying, all of us will have stories we can share of those who suffered, and each story will come with a distinct and unique perspective that the person writing or speaking about, knows on an all too personal level.

Equally, as human beings many of us will look at the same set of facts, apply our own moral codes and come to different conclusions. Assisted dying is an issue where your personal experiences will inform your view more than most issues and rightly, it is being treated as a free vote.

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The new edition of Liberator is out now

By Liberator Collective | Tue 26th November 2024 - 12:26 pm


New issue of Liberator is out

 

Liberator 426 is out and you can download it for free here: https://liberatormagazine.org.uk/recent-issues/

 

You can also sign up to be notified when each new Liberator comes out:  https://liberatormagazine.org.uk

 

In addition to Commentary, Radical Bulletin and Lord Bonkers’ Diary, we have in this issue:

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Time to talk about social housing

By Rachel Bentley and Simon McGrath | Tue 26th November 2024 - 10:26 am

There are around 3.8million homes available for social rent in  England – around 60% are owned by Housing Associations and the rest by Local Authorities.

There is plenty of talk among Lib Dems about the need for more social housing – access to safe, warm and affordable homes is a key part of happy and healthy lives but the reality for many social housing tenants is very far from those ideals. Damp, mould, huge bills to heat draughty homes and bodged repairs are frequent complaints.  Our Councillors and MPs often receive large numbers of complaints from social housing tenants and while it would be nice to think that local authorities gave a more responsive service than Housing Associations, that is very much not the case. The London Borough of Southwark, London’s largest social landlord, has an appalling record of leaving tenants in shocking conditions with the third highest number of Housing Ombudsman complaints in the UK.

Given how many people live in social housing, it is surprising how little attention is paid to them. It’s striking for example that in Parliament, despite MPs’ inboxes being full of emails about problems with social housing, there are All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG)  for MPs and Peers interested in everything from AI to Autism and Fisheries to Fusion Energy but those dedicated to social housing appear defunct.

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Mark Valladares

25 November 2024 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 25th November 2024 - 10:13 pm

IFS family farm tax: Government needs to swallow their pride and axe the tax

Responding to the IFS suggesting that the Government changes its proposals to farmland inheritance tax, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

The Government hid behind the IFS to try and justify this disastrous policy. That very same organisation is now telling them that their own proposals need an overhaul.

It would be beggars belief for the government to continue to push forward with these stupid plans.

They need to swallow their pride, realise the damage this family farm tax will do and axe the tax.

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Caron Lindsay

16 days of activism against gender based violence begins

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 25th November 2024 - 9:07 pm

Today is the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls which kicks of the annual 16 days of activism against gender based violence which goes through until International Human Rights Day on 10th December.

The theme this year is #noexcuse. Because there is no justification, ever.

One of the good things about this Labour Government is that Jess Phillips, who has been fighting against violence against women and girls for her entire life, is now a minister and there has been a definite positive change in the tone of communications from the government and its view of the importance of these issues than we have seen in the past five years. To give Theresa May her due, she was key to getting the Domestic Abuse Bill through when she was Prime Minister.

In the Commons today, two Liberal Democrat MPs questioned Jess Phillips. Monica Harding asked about coercive control:

The text is below:

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Caron Lindsay

Thinking of Charles Kennedy on what would have been his 65th birthday

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 25th November 2024 - 5:49 pm

The last week in November is, for me at least, packed with signifiant anniversaries and birthdays. Doctor Who and occasional Lib Dem Voice contributor Stephen Harte (come to think of it has anyone actually seen them in the same room together?) on 23rd, Christine Jardine on 24th and, on 25th our much missed Charles Kennedy.

Today would have been Charles’ 65th birthday. So many of us will have memories of him that are special to us. He was someone who the people of this country respected and listened to. He was one of the few calming voices during the torrid Scottish Independence Referendum a decade ago and it’s so sad that he wasn’t around to influence the Brexit vote.

He had the political courage to stand firm against the Blair Government’s actions in Iraq.  And all the while he still remained firm friends with Blair’s right hand man Alastair Campbell.

A few weeks ago, I chanced upon his voice, sampled on Liberate, a Valtos and Project Smok production inspired by him. His words sum him up: “Ive always believed you have to put the people first”  “the independence of spirit which has to be highland tradition:”.

Valtos, a duo who fuse electronic and celtic music, come from Skye, which Charles represented for most of his years in Parliament, was formed in 2021. They released Liberate last year, as Radio Skye announced at the time:

Scottish electro duo Valtos, comprising Skye natives Martyn MacDonald and Daniel Docherty, have teamed up acclaimed neo-trad trio Project Smok for the new single ‘Liberate’ which will be released on Friday 3rd February.

The upbeat record celebrates the independent spirit of Highlanders, using vocal samples from the late Charles Kennedy to drive home the poignant message.

Mr Kennedy who died in June 2015, served as member for Ross, Skye, and Lochaber for 32 years and was much loved by his constituents.

In the single the Highlander can be heard passionately speaking about championing Scottish tradition and putting the people first.

This is fused with the unmistakably skilled and infectious whistle-playing of Project Smok’s Ali Levack and driving guitar rhythm and a banging electronic beat on the track, which brings a late-night club sound to music rooted in place and traditional.

I’ve had this on repeat a lot recently. It makes me smile. Enjoy.

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Samuel Jackson

Should we be planning for a General Election this early?

By Samuel Jackson | Mon 25th November 2024 - 3:42 pm

On the UK Parliament e-petitions webpage, a petition has been created calling for an early general election to be called, with its creator stating that:

I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.

At time of writing, it has garnered more than five times as many signatures than the 100,000 required for a parliamentary debate to be held on the subject, with the UK Government not yet issuing a response.

Following the repeal of the 2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the prerogative power to call general elections was effectively restored to the Prime Minister. As Labour won a Commons supermajority in 2024, albeit due to the distortive effects of the First Past the Post system, Keir Starmer is more likely to push the next general election as far back as possible until (perhaps) his government’s actions are only memories.

However, if another general election were to happen about four years ahead of schedule, what would happen and how would our party respond?

The 2024 election ended nearly a decade of chaos under the Conservatives. Following austerity, a botched Brexit deal, the mismanaged COVID-19 response, corruption and sleaze, the mini-budget and the cost-of-living crisis, the British people voted to get them out of office, which by default got Labour into power. It also witnessed increased fortunes for third parties. Whilst we won 72 seats, near-proportionate to our total vote share, the three highest-polling third parties – the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party of England and Wales – won a combined vote share of one-third, comparable to Labour’s. The UK election was one of many in 2024 that followed a worldwide anti-incumbency trend, and the failed delivery of meaningful change has prompted this call for a new election.

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Jack Nicholls

Young people need liberal listening, not authoritarian threats

By Jack Nicholls | Mon 25th November 2024 - 12:27 pm

Young people, so says the DWP Secretary, must ‘learn or earn’ or lose benefits. Be warned, dear reader, this is an angry post.

This announcement by Liz Kendall has put three things in my mind. Firstly, never underestimate the excessive power of rhyme in policy creation. Secondly, the authoritarian parties will never resist the temptation to hammer young people with a mixture of higher expectations and the threat of less money. Thirdly, it reminded me of one of the formative experiences for my liberalism.

I have worked with young people during a couple of periods in a varied career. The young people …

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Mark Valladares

25-28 November 2024 – this week in the Lords

By Mark Valladares | Mon 25th November 2024 - 9:42 am

There are three Bills before their Lordships’ House this week:

It’s a good week for Liberal Democrat Oral Questions, with one on each day;

  • On Monday, John Russell asks the Government for its plans to increase the number of homes fitted with solar panels
  • Jonny Oates asks what representations are being made to the Israeli Government of visa restrictions on international aid workers to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on Tuesday
  • Wednesday sees Dorothy Thornhill ask what is being done to encourage landlords back in to the long-term private rental sector
  • and on Thursday, Mike German will be seeking clarity on the Government’s plans to close the controversial Wethersfield site currently used to house asylum seekers

There’s an interesting debate on Thursday, on the case against politicisation of the Civil Service, at the behest of former Cabinet Secretary Lord Butler of Brockwell. Tom McNally, Claire Tyler and William Wallace are currently expected to speak from our benches, whilst David Frost will utter some idiocy or other from the Conservative benches. I suspect that the masses ranks of former mandarins might have a thing or two to teach him still…

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Mark Valladares

23-24 November 2024 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 25th November 2024 - 7:30 am
  • Three in five Brits expect food prices to rise because of family farm tax
  • Wendy Chamberlain appointed carer’s charity Vice President

Three in five Brits expect food prices to rise because of family farm tax

Shocking new research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats reveals that almost 60% of Brits expect food prices to rise because of the Family Farm Tax announced in the Budget. The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to reject the government’s Finance Bill, given the impact of the budget on family farms.

The ways in which Brits are planning to cope with the price increase are even more worrying, with almost half (44%) of those expecting rises admitting they will buy cheaper alternatives if food prices do rise.

A further 35% of those expecting rises reveal that they will cut back on the food they buy as a direct result of the tax hike revealed by the government in the budget.

The poll reveals the serious effect food price rises could have on people’s health. With 18% of those expecting rises revealing they are likely to buy less fresh fruit and vegetables if prices go up because of the family farm tax.

The impact on small businesses and the high street is also apparent, with 20% of this group saying they will look to shop from bigger supermarkets. This is another hit to small businesses already concerned about the rise in employers’ NIC increase, and the impact the bus fare cap may have on people visiting their local high street.

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review

By Tom Arms | Sun 24th November 2024 - 10:41 am

COP 29

COP 29 is in trouble. It was inevitable. This year’s climate change conference is in oil-producing Baku, Azerbaijan, and host president Ilham Aliyev is using the conference to push oil and gas as “a gift from God.”

This is encouraging the Saudis who are working hard to strike the phrase “transition away from fossil fuels” from previously agreed communiques.

Then there is the question of the transfer of money from the developed to the developing world; partly to compensate them from the effects of climate change problems created by the industrial north and partly to help them transition away from fossil fuels to clean, green energy.

Previous communiques talked about $100 billion. Now it is generally agreed that $1.3 trillion is a more realistic figure. A big fine, global figure which is facing the problem of devilish detail. What for instance, constitutes a developing country. Officially Saudi Arabia, China and India are all developing countries. The Saudis are as rich as Croesus, China has the second largest economy in the world and India the fourth and will soon be third.

And how will this transfer of $1.3 trillion be organised? Will it be hand-outs which might well end up in some dictator’s Swiss bank account? Will private investments which can create a return for the Western investor be counted in the $1.3 trillion, or research and development grants? All this is being negotiated as I type and will probably be unresolved long after the conference ends.

In fact, the protracted negotiations are proving to be an insurmountable hurdle for the understaffed Azerbaijani diplomatic service. They have been forced to turn to the British and Brazilians to help sort out the muddle and—hopefully—produce a communique.

Any real progress is likely to have to wait until the next COP summit. But that is unlikely to achieve anything because the world’s second largest polluter and the world’s largest per capita—the United States—will not be attending. Donald Trump has promised to withdraw from the COP summits and “drill, baby, drill.”

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his sacked defense minister Yoav Gallant this week had arrest warrants issued for them by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Hamas leader Mohammed Deif has also been charged but he is unlikely to ever appear in court simply because he has been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces.

There are 123 countries who are signatories to the ICC. This means, according to international law by which they have pledged to abide, if Netanyahu, Gallant or the ghost of Mohammed Deif, step on their territory, they must arrest them.

Britain and the Netherlands have confirmed that Netanyahu faces such a fate if he dares to visit them.

America has condemned the arrest warrants as “outrageous” and said that the Israelis are safe with them. Well, they have a legal out. The Clinton Administration signed up to the ICC and its obligations but George W. Bush “unsigned”, so the US is under no legal obligation to work with the court. Other countries which are not signatories are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and China.

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Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: One Down

By Tom Arms | Sat 23rd November 2024 - 9:36 am

One down. A lot more to go.

The infamous and totally unsuitable Matt Gaetz on Friday withdrew his name for consideration as Donald Trump’s Attorney General.

The world heaved a sigh of relief. Trump must have been furious. Gaetz was just the sort of MAGA loyalist he wanted as the nation’s top cop. As Gaetz has demonstrated repeatedly in the past, he would do whatever Trump told him to do.

The demise of former Congressman Gatez wasn’t a real surprise. He is one of the most unpopular lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He is regarded as a bombastic egotist tainted with allegations of drug abuse and under-age sex.

He resigned his seat from Congress in order to prevent publication of the Congressional Ethics Committee report which detailed his nefarious activities. The committee is not supposed to publish reports on former members of Congress. He withdrew from the Attorney General’s job when he heard that old and new allegations were about to surface anyway.

Gatez, however, is only one of many potential Trump appointees who expose the president-elect’s contempt for social norms and the rule of law. He sees his election as a mandate to disrupt the American government and then rebuild it again in his image. His choice of appointments reflect this.

Total control of the Department of Justice and the FBI is a top Trump target – Gaetz as Attorney General would have been in charge of both institutions who by convention work independently of the executive branch. The Department of Defense is another because he wants a loyal military to be used – if necessary – for domestic security.

That is why he has nominated Peter Hesgeth, a Fox News presenter, whose two qualifications for the job was that he served as a National Guard officer in Iraq and Afghanistan and – more importantly – he is a far-right Trump loyalist.

Donald Trump had problems with the military during his first term. They refused to become embroiled in politics. The generals, admirals and other senior officers, argued that their loyalty was to their personal oath to the US constitution rather than to an individual.

Hegseth wants to change that. He has proposed sacking generals who are not right-wing enough. In the Hesgeth playbook everyone who is not a Trump loyalist is a “Marxist” and must be “annihilated.” In his book American Crusade Hesgeth wrote chillingly: “The hour is late for America. Beyond political success, her fate relies on exorcising the leftist spectre dominating education, religion, and culture – a 360-degree holy war for the righteous cause of human freedom.”

And as for democracy, well Hegseth claims that the founding fathers did not want the United States to be a democracy and their views – or his interpretation of those views – should be respected.

Like Trump and Gatez, Hegseth has a sex charge allegation hanging over him. In 2017, a woman accused a drunken Hegseth of sexually assaulting her. She dropped the charges after being paid $10,000, but rest assured the issue will be raised during his Senate confirmation hearings.

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