Author Archives: Mary Reid

Mary Reid

Lib Dem success – huge reduction in one-use plastic bags

By Mary Reid | Mon 1st August 2016 - 10:59 am

 

When did you last pay 5p for a plastic bag to carry home your shopping from a supermarket?

When I went food shopping yesterday I selected from the pile of heavy duty bags that sit in the boot of my car. I can choose from bags that bear the logos of Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, M&S or Lidl and for some time I’ve gone beyond feeling embarrassed if I use the ‘wrong’ bag in a shop. I very occasionally pay for a bag if I forget my own but it’s interesting that my reaction is one of guilt rather than annoyance, which I usually assuage by paying extra for a more expensive but reusable one.

And yet it is only last year that the 5p charge was introduced in England, although Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had got there earlier through their devolved legislatures. We can thank the Lib Dems in Government for the charge in English supermarkets, even though some Tory ministers at the time hated it. In the first 6 months of the scheme the usage of thin plastic bags dropped by an amazing 83%, which equates to around 6 billion fewer bags each year.

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Mary Reid

Vince Cable’s talk at the Social Liberal Forum Conference

By Mary Reid | Mon 18th July 2016 - 4:32 pm

Joe Otten recorded the William Beveridge Memorial Lecture given by Vince Cable at the Social Liberal Forum Conference on Saturday. And here it is:

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Mary Reid

Heathrow, Gatwick or anywhere else?

By Mary Reid | Mon 18th July 2016 - 12:34 pm

 

The decision about whether to expand Heathrow is imminent. In fact, it has been imminent for quite some time.

A year ago the Davies Commission recommended that a third runway should be built at Heathrow, not at Gatwick, the only other contender at the time.

We were expecting to hear an announcement from Government before Christmas, but then the Department of Transport said that the decision would be delayed until summer 2016, conveniently after the May elections. This delay was not unconnected with the fact that Zac Goldsmith was the Tory candidate for London Mayor. Zac has famously declared that he will resign as MP for Richmond Park if Heathrow is chosen. He has now said he regrets this but will still stick by his plan to resign as an MP.

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Mary Reid

Getting the picture

By Mary Reid | Mon 4th July 2016 - 1:40 pm

 

You may have noticed that we haven’t used many photos on Lib Dem Voice since 23rd June.

We have all been ridiculously busy just dealing with the posts that have been streaming in – dozens every day. It does takes a while to set up a new user, prepare a post for publication, and correspond with the contributor if a post needs editing. On the days when I am editing LDV I spend several hours on my laptop scheduling posts and dealing with the ones we can’t publish.

As I wrote last week we haven’t been able to publish everything that has been sent in, and we have had to turn down some perfectly decent posts. Sourcing and adding photos to the posts would have stretched me, and my colleagues, too far, so they have been one casualty of Brexit.

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Mary Reid

So many posts!

By Mary Reid | Mon 27th June 2016 - 11:00 am

Since Thursday we have been overwhelmed at LDV with posts from very many readers, and they are still arriving. Thank you to all of you!

I was in the editor’s chair yesterday and again today, and have been working my way through the submissions. It is clear that we simply can’t publish all of them because of the sheer volume.

So I thought I would explain how I am choosing the ones that will appear. First I am looking for posts that bring something new to the debate. And second, I am giving priority to members who have not contributed to Lib Dem Voice before. I hope you think that is fair, and are not too disappointed if your post is not used.

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Mary Reid

Is there a petition for a second referendum?

By Mary Reid | Sun 26th June 2016 - 1:07 pm

It seems a lot of people think that there is such a petition, have signed it and have asked me to support it. They refer me to a petition on the Government site with the headline  “EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum“.

When you read the text of the petition, you will see that it is not asking for another referendum at all. What it was asking – ahead of the vote – was for a change in the rules that governed the European Referendum, to bring it in line with (I believe) the protocol in Ireland. It says:

We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum.

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Mary Reid

LibLink: Jeremy Browne on why Europe fears Brexit

By Mary Reid | Mon 20th June 2016 - 2:19 pm

Jeremy Browne - Some rights reserved by Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeOn City AM, Jeremy Browne has been explaining that Europe fears Brexit because it would unleash forces that could prove impossible to control. He writes:

In Britain, we inevitably focus most on how our departure from the EU would affect the UK. What the other countries in the EU mainly worry about, however, is how it would affect Europe. They are standing back, nervous that any intervention could be open to misinterpretation and be counter-productive, but they watch our referendum with trepidation.

The

…

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Mary Reid

LibLink: Mark Williams on happiness, which is still ground for punishment in Iran

By Mary Reid | Mon 20th June 2016 - 12:45 pm

 

Mark Williams has written an article for The Hill, the Washington based news source. Under the eye-catching headline “Happiness is still ground for punishment in Iran” Mark writes:

A couple of years ago, Western audiences were noticeably shocked at the news that several Iranian youths had been arrested for the “crime” of dancing together and posting a video of themselves celebrating life to the strains of an American pop song called “Happy.” It was one in a long series of vivid reminders of repression in Iran. But unfortunately it was one of only a few that have gained significant traction in the Western media. It left the European and American public with the right idea about the Islamic Republic, but also with a potentially incomplete picture of how serious and how pervasive the problem is.

He explains that the incident took place soon after the reportedly moderate Hassan Rouhani had taken over as President, and there was hope that things would change under his leadership.  But hopes were dashed.

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Mary Reid

Alex Glassbrook on the by-election this week in Tooting

By Mary Reid | Mon 13th June 2016 - 2:09 pm

This Thursday we are fighting a by-election in Tooting, caused by the resignation of Sadiq Khan as MP and election as Mayor of London. Our candidate in Alex Glassbrook, and here is a video of him talking about his campaign – with BSL signing.

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Mary Reid

LibLink: Alistair Carmichael on divided refugee families

By Mary Reid | Thu 9th June 2016 - 5:42 pm

 

Alistair Carmichael has written a post on PoliticsHome with the title: Refugee families divided by lines of Home Office rule book. He starts:

Imagine that you have had to flee your home because of a repressive government. Imagine that you’ve then faced a long, life-threatening journey to reach a country where you are able to apply for asylum. Imagine going through an extensive, bureaucratic asylum system and eventually experiencing elation at being granted refugee status.

Then imagine being denied the right to bring your family members to come and join you, or facing the invidious choice of only being able to be joined by some of your very closest relatives, but not others.

This is exactly what the current refugee family reunion system operated by the UK Government is doing. Just when family members need each other the most, they are kept apart, divided by a few lines in the Home Office’s rule book.

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Mary Reid

Inequality Street

By Mary Reid | Tue 31st May 2016 - 8:43 am

inequality street 4Six years ago my ideas about inequality in society were given a jolt by the publication of a book with the intriguing title ‘The Spirit Level: Why equality is better for everyone‘, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. The authors – both academics – drew on research from many sources to show that societies in which there are huge variations in income are bad for everyone, rich or poor, and that more equal societies benefit all their members.

We might expect inequality to have an impact on factors such as life expectancy and educational performance, but the authors observed its effects in some surprising areas of life, from obesity (‘wider income gaps = wider waists’) to teenage births. And in each case the effect was seen right across the income spectrum. The sobering truth is that, amongst the developed nations, the UK is one of the more unequal countries.

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Mary Reid

Don’t forget to apply to the Conference Access Fund

By Mary Reid | Mon 30th May 2016 - 10:12 am

This is a reminder that the Conference Office will start allocating grants from the Access fund later this week.

If you are thinking about applying, then read our post about it here and refer to the Conference Access Fund web page here.

 

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Mary Reid

The Conference Access fund is up and running for Brighton …

By Mary Reid | Mon 16th May 2016 - 5:08 pm

 

… but would like to help even more people this time. The Conference Access fund was set up at the beginning of the year to provide financial support to people who otherwise might not be able to afford to attend Federal Conference.

The fund supported 19 people at the Spring Conference in York.  A good proportion of these were first-timers, one of whom wrote about the experience here on Lib Dem Voice.

Registrations for the Autumn Conference in Brighton are well underway. Once again, when you register you are asked whether you would be willing to make a donation to the fund, and a good number of generous people have already contributed. Watch out for the request if you haven’t yet registered – the more money donated, the more people can be supported.

So how do you apply for a grant?

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Mary Reid

Under Hitler, Europeans were killing each other; now they are arguing over Eurovision

By Mary Reid | Mon 16th May 2016 - 2:56 pm

 

Tim Farron has strongly condemned Boris Johnson’s extraordinary comparison of the EU with Hitler.

Tim said:

Under Hitler, Europeans were killing each other, now they are arguing over Eurovision.

The European Union is what happens when countries seek to learn from the past and work together. Boris Johnson’s latest intervention is what happens when people refuse to learn the lessons of the past and seek to spread discord by inventing conspiracies.

The EU has helped secure peace; Hitler destroyed peace and killed millions of innocent people. It is extraordinary that anyone even needs to point this out to him.

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Mary Reid

Is something happening on 23rd June?

By Mary Reid | Tue 10th May 2016 - 10:12 am

 

It seems a lot of events are happening around the country on June 23rd – Glastonbury for one.  The clash with the Referendum is of some significance, because festivals attract younger people who are more likely to vote to Remain. So it is good to learn that the organisers have emailed all ticket holders encouraging them to apply for postal or proxy votes and telling them how to do just that.

It is also the time of year when many people who are not tied to school holidays are away from home – far more than in early May. Which means that a lot of people will realise too late that they won’t be able to vote in the European Referendum.

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Mary Reid

Caroline Pidgeon elected in London …

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 11:52 pm

Caroline Pidgeon… but not as Mayor of London – that will be Labour’s Sadiq Khan, although it has yet to be announced officially.

Instead she has won a seat on the London Assembly from the party list. Sadly she will be our only Assembly Member.

The constituency seats have been shared between Labour (9) and Conservatives (5). The final result for the London Assembly, including the seats allocated from the party lists, is:

Labour – 12

Conservative – 8

Green – 2

UKIP – 2

Lib Dems – 1

The names of all 25 Assembly members can be …

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Mary Reid

Kirsty Williams stands down as Leader of Welsh Lib Dems

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 5:47 pm

Kirsty WilliamsKirsty Williams has announced that she is standing down as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, following the bruising results in the Assembly election. She explained here:

I can’t tell you how much of a privilege it has been to serve this party as leader over the last eight years, but with that privilege comes responsibility. Despite our best efforts, and a positive campaign, it has not been enough.

And for that, I must take responsibility.

In these new circumstances, the party will want to reflect and consider the way

…

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Mary Reid

Update on London results

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 4:59 pm

Sadiq Khan’s victory as London Mayor seems inevitable.

Four of the constituencies have declared so far, with two electing a Conservative Assembly member and two Labour.

Update: make that three Conservative and four Labour.

Our eyes are still on the London-wide lists, and here Green, UKIP and Lib Dems are in competition for the last six or seven places. It now looks likely that we will get two, as last time.

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Mary Reid

Follow the London count on London Elects

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 12:46 pm

 

The interim figures for the London elections are being declared throughout the day on London Elects.  Counting is being carried out electronically.

In the contest for Mayor of London around 50% of the votes have been counted and verified. Progress in counting is being revealed in each of the large Assembly constituencies. The bar chart (which tantalisingly does not show the percentages – where did they get that idea from?) indicates that Sadiq Khan is substantially ahead of Zac Goldsmith on first preferences at the moment. Caroline Pidgeon is lying fourth just behind the Greens, but ahead of UKIP. Of course, this may change as the constituencies level up in their counting progress.

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Mary Reid

Final results for Welsh Assembly

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 12:10 pm

Whilst I was catching a few hours sleep – I find 24 hours with no sleep is pretty much my limit – the results were declared for all but one of the regional lists. Sadly we lost out, mainly to UKIP, in four of the regions and our hopes were pinned on Eluned Parrott gaining a seat in South Wales Central. But once again we came fourth behind UKIP and missed out.

So the final position is that we only have one Welsh AM, Kirsty Williams, who bucked the trend, got 52% of the vote and increased her majority in the constituency seat of Brecon & Radnorshire. Warm congratulations to her, and commiserations to those who lost.

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Mary Reid

Kirsty Williams holds her seat

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 4:30 am

And with a big majority of 8170.

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Mary Reid

Liberal Democrat GAIN Edinburgh Western from SNP

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 4:08 am

With a great result…

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Mary Reid

Best news of the night! Willie Rennie gains North East Fife from SNP

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th May 2016 - 3:26 am

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Mary Reid

Wales: The Results – another open thread

By Mary Reid | Thu 5th May 2016 - 11:32 pm

 

Like Caron in Scotland I will be trying to track results, this time for the National Assembly of Wales. I have to admit that here at Lib Dem Voice we are at a bit of a disadvantage because none of us lives in Wales nor are we fully conversant with all the issues (although I can sing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau rather better than John Redwood, having learnt Welsh for a couple of years at primary school).

So be gentle with us, and help us out. We would very much welcome input from readers in beautiful Wales on @libdemvoice, or [email protected], or in the comments below.

But before the results start appearing on @britainelects, or your channel of choice, here is some essential background information.

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Mary Reid

Voting in the London elections – after 16 years voters are still confused

By Mary Reid | Mon 2nd May 2016 - 12:49 pm

Caroline-Pidgeon

The Guardian has an interview with Caroline Pidgeon, the Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor.  After disclaiming any responsibility for the cold that has afflicted all the candidates, she says this about her campaign:

Overall, it’s gone well. Ordinary people are saying they like what I’m saying on childcare and cheaper fares that are affordable. And that’s not just in places where we are strong, like Sutton, or in Bermondsey, where I’m known.

She says this of her two main rivals, Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan and the dirty campaign they have been running:

I think both of them, but particularly Zac, will wish they hadn’t done it. It’s damaged their reputations. Zac has always been seen by most people as a decent kind of guy.

On the doorstep voters are still confused about the voting processes for the London elections – and that is not surprising because they will be presented with three ballot papers, each using a different voting system.

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Mary Reid

Demo for Democracy on 7th May!

By Mary Reid | Mon 25th April 2016 - 9:00 am

make votes matterOur friends at Make Votes Matter have organised a demo for proportional representation – Demo for Democracy – just after the May elections, while the fiasco of inconsistent, variable and non-proportional voting systems will still be fresh in our minds.

Party President Sal Brinton will be leading the Lib Dem contingent and you can join her at 11.30am on Saturday 7th May outside Lib Dem HQ at 8-10 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AE. You can sign up on Facebook or on the Lib Dem website.

We are the party that has spoken loudly for electoral reform for many years, so let’s have a good turnout on the day.

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Mary Reid

GCHQ apologises to gay people

By Mary Reid | Mon 18th April 2016 - 4:53 pm

 

The boss of GCHQ has apologised for banning gay people from working for the organisation right up until the 90s. Robert Hannigan was speaking at a conference run by Stonewall, when he referred to a spy called Ian who was sacked in the 1960s for being gay.

After seven years of exemplary service, with very strong prospects for the future, he was interrogated on suspicion of being homosexual, he was summarily dismissed and escorted out of the building. He got no support from anyone in authority at all, even his union, and no-one ever followed up to check on his well-being or to show any compassion. Not surprisingly, his health suffered and the psychological effects of that humiliation were long-lasting.

… Their suffering was our loss and it was the nation’s loss too because we cannot know what Ian and others who were dismissed would have gone on to do and achieve.

Whenever a group of people are excluded from areas of employment and expertise for reasons that have nothing to do with their competence, then we have to ask what could have been achieved if they had been included in the pool of talent. There is always the question about ‘what might have been’ if the organisation had been completely free to choose the best candidates for a job.

What caught my eye, though, were the references to Alan Turing in Hannigan’s speech:

But in our building he is revered as a genius, as a problem-solver who was not afraid to think differently and radically – an example to others. And in the horrifying story of his treatment, a small ray of light is that he was not abandoned by all of his colleagues at GCHQ – many stood by him and our then Head of Cryptanalysis – chief code breaker – testified at his trial.

… We did not learn our lesson from Turing.

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Mary Reid

Ethnic minority pupils outclass white British pupils

By Mary Reid | Mon 4th April 2016 - 3:26 pm

 

There are some interesting nuggets of information in CentreForum’s Annual Report on Education which was published today.  Amongst other things, it identifies a north/south divide in attainment at secondary school and notes that there is still a significant gap between the achievements of disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

I am particularly pleased to see how well London pupils are doing. It wasn’t that long ago that London secondary schools were seen as failures. The London Challenge was an ambitious programme set up in 2003 to combat this and as a result some inner London local authorities went from being amongst the worst performing to the best performing nationally.

But the finding that has been picked up by the media relates to the performance of white British children. It seems that when they start school these children are ahead of their fellow pupils, but by the time they reach 16 they are well below average compared with other ethnic groups.

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Mary Reid

From the Rip of Olla

By Mary Reid | Fri 1st April 2016 - 12:28 pm

We hope you enjoyed our bit of fun this morning. For your delectation we’ve now released all the comments that were held in moderation, although we did publish some during the morning from senior members of the Federal Conference Committee.

And we weren’t the only Lib Dems at it.

Lib Dem Hame gave us this rather worrying image: Lembit Opik To Front British Eurovision Entry.

Mark Pack celebrated the launch of a new  PR outfit: Walking Stick PR firm launched – a firm for an ageing country

Then there is this one from Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats:  LibDem MPs should resign in favour of women, says Neath candidate. Well, I think it is meant as a joke …

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Mary Reid

Deadline for responses to second consultation on the governance review

By Mary Reid | Mon 28th March 2016 - 3:33 pm

You should have received an email from Sal Brinton last week inviting you to give your views on the consultation paper on the governance review. The deadline is TODAY!! So if the weather is keeping you at home you could do worse than spend a few minutes reading the consultation document and sending in your views on it.

You do need to click on the button on the email that you received, so we can’t direct you to the survey from here.

The feedback at this, the second stage of consultation, will help to determine the proposals which will be put to …

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