Welcome to the start of a new week here at Liberal Democrat Voice. Our Party press release coverage appears to be quite successful, but I find myself wondering if it might not be more useful first thing in the morning, rather than last thing at night, so here it is in the early morning slot. Do let us know what you think…
- Cable: Corbyn must work with opposition leaders to secure a people’s vote
- Fox must come clean on failure to secure trade deals
- Moran: Govt must be more ambitious to end period poverty
- Corbyn must confirm people’s vote support
Cable: Corbyn must work with opposition leaders to secure a people’s vote
Today the Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable has written to Jeremy Corbyn calling on him to join the campaign to secure a people’s vote.
The letter co-signed by the Westminster Leader of the SNP, Ian Blackford, and the Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts, will invite Jeremy Corbyn to join a meeting of opposition leaders and people’s vote campaigners.
The meetings are seen as an important opportunity for party leaders to coordinate and have been integral to the people’s vote campaign.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:
Opposition Leaders have been meeting for several months working together to secure a people’s vote.
Now that Labour has decided to support giving people the final say, Jeremy Corbyn should join us, so we can work together and stop Brexit. For a people’s vote to be secured it must be truly cross party, with support form Labour and Conservatives MPs.
I hope Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t waste any more time. He must do the right thing and join the Liberal Democrats in offering the people an exit from this Tory mess.
Fox must come clean on failure to secure trade deals
Responding to comments from Liam Fox that revealing the current status of trade negotiations is commercially sensitive, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:
People are likely to be incredibly angry and exasperated that Liam Fox refuses to provide more information about key trade deals.
Fox says that revealing the status of trade negotiations with key global allies is commercially sensitive, but in reality his inability to secure trade deals is professionally sensitive; when the truth comes out it could cost him his job.
The only way to guarantee trade relationships is by taking no deal off the table and offering people the final say on Brexit, with a people’s vote and an option to remain in the EU.
Moran: Govt must be more ambitious to end period poverty
Responding to the news that sanitary products will be available for free in hospitals, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said:
This is welcome news for girls and women across England in the fight to end period poverty.
It is a scandal that 1 in 10 girls in the UK are unable to afford basic sanitary protection. That is why Liberal Democrats believe there must be a provision of free sanitary products in schools as well as hospitals.
We must continue to demand better for girls and women, Government across all departments should work together and be more ambitious to end period poverty.
Corbyn must confirm people’s vote support
Responding to Rebecca Long Bailey’s mixed message this morning
concerning Labour’s support of a people’s vote, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:
Labour voters and members will be deeply concerned by Rebecca Long Bailey’s comments today that have muddied the water on Labour’s Brexit position.
The mixed message from senior Labour figures is leading to more, not less uncertainty and could help to deliver a damaging Tory Brexit.
Jeremy Corbyn must urgently confirm that Labour will back the Liberal Democrat campaign for a People’s Vote, with the option to stay in the EU.
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12 Comments
This is a really useful service and thank you! But why isn’t the party officially doing this? What what be helpful is if there was a individual permalink to each press release (from the party, not clogging up LDV) so they could be easily shared to answer questions on party positions in real time.
LibCync makes a a good point. The vast majority of non-members, journalists and others interested in the Lib Dems will visit the Party’s website for information first, and the ability for them to see readily that we have policies and ideas across a wide range of subjects (not just B****t) might be valuable in attracting support and good publicity.
Still no announcement of a Lib Dem candidate for the Newport West by-election on 4 April? I know it’s not exactly a promising seat for us – but, with just one month left until polling day, it’s beginning to look like it may have been decided to sit this one out. Otherwise, why the continuing delay?
@ LibCync. @Yeovil Yokel
Agreed, but we first need better quality Press Releases, and possibly fewer of them.
There are many guidelines published, and we should select the guidelines most suitable for a political party.
A good start is the following guideline: (Have we identified who our prospects are?)
Only issue press releases that are newsworthy. What is a newsworthy press release? In general, a newsworthy press release addresses issues that your prospects or customers are grappling with and demonstrates why they, as well as the press, should care about the press release as well as your company.
Following from Sean Hagan’s comments I find it worrying that we have no indication of what approach is being taken to fighting the by-election in Newport West. We don’t deserve to be taken seriously if we duck this one. Paul Flynn was an exceptional MP: liberal and independent minded. I therefore find the negative assessments I’ve read here earlier unconvincing as we don’t know how significant his personal vote was. Clearly the timing is inconvenient as activists will be pre-occupied by local election etc..
TIG become a party this week. Whatever happens we do not want to fight each other. Should be clear by Friday, what is going to happen. I hope.
@theakes
Even if they start calling themselves a political party they cannot stand candidates under the party name until it is properly registered with the Electoral Commission and the commission is satisfield that it complies with PPERA. That takes time.
@theakes: I understand that TIG have an initial meeting with the Electoral Commission tomorrow, to discuss potential registration as a political party. Perhaps it will become clear by Friday, as you suggest, what’s actually happening behind the scenes. In the meantime, it’s all highly intriguing!
The spokesman for TIG, Chuka Umuna, writes in the Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-independent-group-conservatives-labour-chuka-umunna-a8806766.html
“Both main parties are deeply divided, the supposed broad-church coalitions falling apart under our antiquated, outdated first-past-the-post electoral system – a system which should be abolished and replaced with a fairer, more democratic system of proportional representation. They contain parties within parties which are so busy fighting each other that they cannot focus on the national interest. These internal civil wars literally take up hours of people’s time – time which should be devoted to your constituency and matters of state, particularly when we are faced with the biggest issue since the Second World War: Brexit.”
He goes on to say “The truth is that the Labour Party as we knew it before Jeremy Corbyn became leader in September 2015, no longer exists which is why – if you have progressive, centre-left Labour values – the only option is to leave and build an alternative.”
“…the Tory party has become nasty and nationalistic, run by a party within a party called the European Research Group, chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg. If you are sympathetic to the ERG cause the PM allows you to get away with all manner of things because she is terrified of them. What other reason can there be for Chris Grayling – very much of the ERG – being kept in post as transport secretary when he is clearly an utterly hopeless minister? This is no way to govern.”
Hard to argue with any of that.
@John Payne
I am an approved Parliamentary candidate. I have not received the usual notice of the Newport by-election with dates and deadlines.
Suggests to me we’re not fighting it.
As obvious as anything, and what reason people might think otherwise goodness, knows, Chuka is a Liberal Democrat, ages ago I said on here, it is he who is a staunch voiece for pr, it is he who rarely criticises this party, it is he who opposed the farther right version of austerity, it is he who has been really brave on antisemitism, it is he who has made a peoples vote his strong emphasis recently , and was terrific in the referendum.
Sir Vince, colleagues, The Independent Group, get your act together and let us all join in a movement to change this great nation.
Following Mick Taylor’s comment, it looks increasingly likely that some sort of a deal has been struck with TIG regarding Newport West. Assuming that their registration as a political party can be approved by the Electoral Commission within the next few days, has it been agreed that the Lib Dems will stand aside? When will all be revealed?