Author Archives: Helen Duffett

Helen Duffett

LibLink | Paddy Ashdown: Somalia’s ‘children’s famine’ has been ignored

By Helen Duffett | Thu 21st July 2011 - 6:53 pm

Paddy Ashdown writes today at Comment is Free on the urgent need to help famine-stricken Somalia – a situation which has been overshadowed in the news by more sensational events.

The problem when a child is dying from starvation is that they can’t wait. They can’t put their hunger on pause until the glare of the media decides to turn its spotlight on them and help spread the word that children are dying. Instead, they will slowly starve to death.

This is exactly what is happening to nearly 2 million children in Somalia right now. Nearly half of these children are

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , and | 1 Comment
Helen Duffett

Today’s by-election: Excepted hereditary peers

By Helen Duffett | Tue 19th July 2011 - 8:15 pm

A by-election took place today in the House of Lords, to fill the vacancy among the excepted hereditary peers, created by the death of Lord Ampthill on 23 April. The ballot (under AV) was held between 10am and 8pm today in the Queen’s Robing Room, and the count will be conducted tomorrow by Electoral Reform Services.

Lord Ampthill was one of the 15 hereditary peers elected by the whole House, as part of a compromise in the House of Lords Act 1999, which retained 92 hereditaries in the House of Lords. His successor is also elected by “all …

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Posted in Parliament | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Helen Duffett

LibLink | Andrew Stunell: Social housing to get first boost in 30 years

By Helen Duffett | Mon 18th July 2011 - 2:17 pm

Andrew Stunell, the Communities and Local Government Minister, has an article in the Huffington Post today, announcing Government plans to increase social housing after decades of declining numbers and soaring waiting lists:

Liberal Democrats in government are ensuring this trend is reversed. We fought hard to make sure that the Comprehensive Spending Review last October included money for a social housing building programme of 150,000 new social and affordable homes to be built up to 2015. A key part of this was the new Affordable Rent model that we introduced, with an invitation to social housing providers to bid for

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 12 Comments
Helen Duffett

Peer told to “cease and desist” claiming he’s a member of the House of Lords

By Helen Duffett | Mon 18th July 2011 - 12:43 pm

Lord Monckton, climate change sceptic and UKIP’s head of research, has been told to stop claiming to be a member of the House of Lords, in a letter sent to him personally and also published on the House of Lords website.

In his letter, David Beamish, Clerk of the Parliaments, makes the distinction:

No-one denies that you are, by virtue of your letters Patent, a Peer. That is an entirely separate issue to membership of the House… I am publishing this letter on the parliamentary website so that anybody who wishes to check whether you are a Member of the House of Lords can view this official confirmation that you are not.

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Posted in Election law and Parliament | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
Helen Duffett

LibLink | Vince Cable: I declared war on Murdoch… now everyone agrees with me

By Helen Duffett | Sat 16th July 2011 - 5:56 pm

Business Secretary Vince Cable has an interview in the Evening Standard, in which he discusses his declaration of “war” on Rupert Murdoch, his referral of the BSkyB takeover bid to Ofcom and Murdoch’s role in the phone hacking scandal:

…the Business Secretary also reveals for the first time that he considered resigning from Cabinet during the furore when he said he was “at war” with the media tycoon.

“I certainly felt rather low at the time because I was heavily criticised,” he said at the end of a week that has seen the tables comprehensively turned between the two men.

“And I

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , and | 26 Comments
Helen Duffett

End of term report for Lib Dem MPs’ Class of 2010

By Helen Duffett | Sat 16th July 2011 - 10:51 am

As the House of Commons rises this Tuesday, the BBC’s Gavin Stamp gives new MPs of all parties his end-of-term report.

Here’s what he has to say about the new Lib Dem intake:

New entrants were small in number but still accounted for almost one in six of the Parliamentary party.

No new MPs made it into the ranks of ministers or were asked to head up a series of backbench committees designed to help the party retain an independent voice on issues outside the coalition.

However, Gordon Birtwhistle and Duncan Hames became parliamentary private secretaries, the latter also finding time to

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Helen Duffett

Nick Clegg’s reply to party members’ emails on phone hacking

By Helen Duffett | Fri 15th July 2011 - 7:37 pm

Last week, Nick Clegg emailed Lib Dem members to appeal for their views on next steps following the allegations of widespread phone-hacking by the News of The World.

Over at Richard Morris’s blog, you can find a copy of Nick’s reply:

This is clearly an issue that so many people in our party – myself included – feel strongly about. I received over 1000 emails within just 24 hours of my request and I think this is testament to our party’s democratic culture and willingness to engage with the issues that really matter. As you know, events are moving very

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 6 Comments
Helen Duffett

Council by-election result: 14 July 2011

By Helen Duffett | Fri 15th July 2011 - 3:48 pm

Norfolk CC, Old Catton
Con 664 (40.6; -8.2)
LD Bob Fowkes 414 (25.3; +11.8)
Lab 377 (23.0; +12.2)
UKIP 107 (6.5; -9.7)
Green 75 (4.6; -6.0)
Majority 250
Turnout 25.7%
Con hold
Percentage change is since June 2009.

Full by-election info and commentary at the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors.

Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Helen Duffett

How to get Lib Dem Voice by email

By Helen Duffett | Fri 15th July 2011 - 12:53 pm

Why not get our latest headlines by email? Hundreds of Lib Dem Voice readers already do.

Some people like regularly visiting Lib Dem Voice to see the latest stories. Others like to look out for us on Twitter. And some like to subscribe to our RSS feed and check that way.

But if you prefer email, you can sign up for our daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day’s posts from Lib Dem Voice. It has convenient links to click through to the full article, and a note of how many comments each post has got.

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Helen Duffett

Police and Crime Commissioners: Lib Dem candidates start here

By Helen Duffett | Fri 15th July 2011 - 9:26 am

The Liberal Democrats are inviting potential candidates for the new Police and Crime Commissioner posts, which, if the legislation is passed, are expected to be elected in May 2012.

The party wants to encourage the widest possible range of applicants so the membership can select from the best possible choice of candidates.

So if you’re interested in applying, you need to be an approved Parliamentary candidate:

The Bill to create directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners is currently before Parliament. The first elections of Police and Crime Commissioners are expected in May 2012.

The English Regional Parties will be inviting applications to be candidates

…

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters and Selection news | Tagged , and | 19 Comments
Helen Duffett

LibLink | Reforming public services puts power with the people – Alexander and Letwin

By Helen Duffett | Wed 13th July 2011 - 2:35 pm

After Nick Clegg’s HuffPo debut yesterday, Danny Alexander has co-written a piece with the Conservatives’ Oliver Letwin on the Government’s Open Public Services White Paper:

Our society is blighted by the persistent failure to extend equal opportunity, dignity and worth to all. Inequalities in access to good schools, high quality healthcare, safe places to play, culture, sporting opportunities, decent homes and so much more leave our society less free, less fair and less united.

In order to ensure that every citizen is given the opportunities they deserve this Coalition Government has already moved quickly to lower taxes for the

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Helen Duffett

The cheque bounces back

By Helen Duffett | Wed 13th July 2011 - 8:54 am

The government said yesterday that it would scrap plans to abolish cheques after strong opposition from a variety of groups representing tradespeople, the elderly and disabled, and charities.

From the FT:

A controversial plan to abolish cheques has been scrapped, after banks were warned in parliament that they had “scared the pants off middle England”.

Worried members of the public sent more than one thousand letters and emails to MPs after it was announced that the 350-year-old payment system was to be phased out by late 2018.

The U-turn came after the government indicated it would intervene unless a suitable alternative was found.

The

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 6 Comments
Helen Duffett

Hughes, Farron and Foster write to Rupert Murdoch – full text of letter

By Helen Duffett | Wed 13th July 2011 - 6:53 am

Simon Hughes, Tim Farron and Don Foster have written to Rupert Murdoch about the proposed take-over of BSkyB by News International.

They ask Murdoch to respond to public opinion by changing his commercial strategy in the UK: withdrawing his News Corporation bid for BSkyB and concentrating all his efforts on cleaning up News International.

The letter in full:

Proposed take-over of BSkyB by News International

Ever since the report of our Information Commissioner ‘What Price Freedom?’ and the conviction and imprisonment of Goodman and Mulcaire in 2006, there has been growing concern about the policy and practices of UK newspaper titles owned

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Helen Duffett

LibLink Nick Clegg: Regulating media, empowering citizens

By Helen Duffett | Tue 12th July 2011 - 4:37 pm

Nick Clegg has a piece in Huffington Post UK today, on media regulation, responsible reporting and replacing the Press Complaints Commission.

He calls new news outlets, such as the newly-launched UK version news and comment website Huffington Post, “a welcome breath of fresh air” at a time when public confidence in the media establishment is being rocked by phone-hacking allegations.

Here’s an excerpt:

The hacking scandal throws up an array of insights. But one in particular stands out to liberals: information is power. It always has been. When elites deploy secretive and opaque practices, it is nearly always to protect their own

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , , and | 7 Comments
Helen Duffett

London Mayoral candidate shortlist and revised timetable published

By Helen Duffett | Tue 12th July 2011 - 12:18 pm

London Region Liberal Democrats have announced the shortlist of four for the selection of the party’s Mayoral candidate for 2012:

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Posted in London and News | Tagged , , , and | 10 Comments
Helen Duffett

Vince: Liberal Democrats will approach BSkyB takeover deal “without fear or favour”

By Helen Duffett | Mon 11th July 2011 - 5:47 pm

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 7 Comments
Helen Duffett

The News of the World and giving readers what they want

By Helen Duffett | Sat 9th July 2011 - 5:54 pm

No, not a trailer for your super soaraway Lib Dem Voice on Sunday, but a quick quirk-alert on reader figures at our site this week.

It’s one of my jobs at Lib Dem Voice to keep an eye on the stats, including visitor numbers, popular posts, search terms and lots of other data.

These give us blogging ideas, help us to plan (and sometimes crow), and are another strand of audience feedback – alongside the comments threads, survey responses, emails and phonecalls, and of course the articles themselves that people submit.

So I thought I’d briefly share a surprising finding from …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 8 Comments
Helen Duffett

Consider the impact of cuts on women, warns Lynne Featherstone

By Helen Duffett | Sat 9th July 2011 - 8:49 am

From the Guardian:

In an interview with the Guardian, Featherstone issued her reminder that any public sector job cuts or other deficit reduction plans that failed to consider equality rules would fall foul of the law.

Under the Equality Act 2010, a new equality duty was introduced in April dictating that any public body must have regard to the equality implications of its decisions.

She said: “The equality duty means that the public sector will have to look at who is losing jobs and how those jobs are being lost because there is a duty to do so with regard to the

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Helen Duffett

Council by-election results: 7 July 2011

By Helen Duffett | Fri 8th July 2011 - 2:26 pm

Derbyshire CC, Sawley
Lab 1351 (41.7; +30.9)
Con 1197 (36.9; +12.8)
LD Fiona Aanonson 692 (21.4; +10.7)

Majority 154
Turnout 30.56%
Lab gain from Ind
Percentage change is since June 2009.

Wakefield MBC, Horbury and South Ossett
Lab 1776 (51.5; +2.4)
Con 1061 (30.8; -10.6)
UKIP 232 (6.7; +6.7)
LD Mark Goodair 200 (5.8; -3.8)
Horbury Independent 93 (2.7; +2.7)
Ind 88 (2.6; +2.6)
Majority 715
Turnout 28.6%
Lab gain from Con
Percentage change is since May 2010.

Purbeck DC, Lytchett Matravers
Con 669 (52.8; +5.4)
LD John Brian Taylor 599 (47.2; -5.4)
Majority 70
Turnout 41.8%
Con gain from LD
Percentage change is since May 2010.

Southwark LBC, Peckham
Lab 1754 (70.1; +7.7)
LD Jennifer Blake 554 (22.1; +4.4)
Con 86 (3.4; -5.1)
Trade Unionists and Socialists …

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Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged , , , , and | 19 Comments
Helen Duffett

News of the World to close on Sunday

By Helen Duffett | Thu 7th July 2011 - 4:58 pm

BREAKING: The News of the World, the paper at the centre of the phone-hacking scandal, is to publish its final edition this Sunday.

The BBC reports:

This Sunday’s issue of the News of the World will be the last edition of the paper, News International chairman James Murdoch has said.

In the past few days, claims have been made that the paper authorised hacking into the mobile phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and the families of 7/7 bombing victims.

Mr Murdoch said proceeds from the last edition would go to good causes.

Downing Street said it had no role or involvement in the

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 16 Comments
Helen Duffett

Adrian Sanders MP compares the PCC to a “fishnet condom”

By Helen Duffett | Thu 7th July 2011 - 9:26 am

Enduring image of the day, and, I’ll warrant, its first entry in Hansard*, goes to Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders for his contribution to yesterday’s emergency debate on phone hacking at the News of the World:

…when one considers the Press Complaints Commission, the phrase “chocolate teapot”, or indeed the phrase “fishnet condom”, comes to mind.

Our 2007 inquiry had elicited a response from News International that it had carried out a full inquiry itself and was satisfied that the Mulcaire-Goodman case was isolated. That was patently untrue. Our second inquiry encountered more obstacles: Goodman and Mulcaire refused to present

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
Helen Duffett

Lib Dem Aled Roberts reinstated to Welsh Assembly

By Helen Duffett | Wed 6th July 2011 - 7:24 pm

Aled Roberts, one of two Welsh Assembly members disqualified shortly after May’s election because they belonged to proscribed public bodies, has been reinstated after a vote by AMs today.

The BBC reports:

Members voted to reinstate Mr Roberts after an investigation found he was misled by out-of-date guidance for election candidates published in Welsh.

He said it had been a difficult period and he now wanted to represent voters.

AMs lifted his disqualification by 30 votes to 20 in the Senedd on Wednesday, with three abstaining after a near 50-minute debate.

Mr Roberts, elected for the North Wales region, was disqualified when it

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Posted in Election law and News | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Helen Duffett

Nick Clegg emails Lib Dem members about phone hacking

By Helen Duffett | Wed 6th July 2011 - 5:37 pm

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has just emailed party members, appealing for their views on next steps following the allegations of widespread phone-hacking by the News of The World:

I’m sure like me you have been shocked and appalled by the allegations of widespread phone hacking by the News of the World. As I made clear at Deputy Prime Minister’s Question Time in the House of Commons yesterday the behaviour of those involved is grotesque and beneath contempt.
 
The PM and I have agreed, as he announced today at PMQs, that there will be inquiries into both the original police investigation and

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 23 Comments
Helen Duffett

Lib Dem John Dixon will not return to the Welsh Assembly

By Helen Duffett | Tue 5th July 2011 - 7:38 pm

John Dixon, the Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly member who was disqualified in May, will not be reinstated after an investigation said he had not read the relevant rules for candidates.

He will be replaced by the next candidate on the party’s regional list: Eluned Parrott.

From the BBC:

Liberal Democrat John Dixon stood down after May’s election when it emerged he was a member of a public body to which AMs cannot belong.

On Wednesday AMs will decide whether to reinstate fellow Lib Dem Aled Roberts who fell victim to out-of-date advice.

Mr Dixon was elected for the South Wales Central region, but had to stand down because he was still a member of the Care Council for Wales, which regulates social care workers.

On Tuesday, a report by assembly standards commissioner Gerard Elias QC said Mr Dixon had not read the regulations on proscribed organisations for candidates.

“Perhaps because he was lulled into a false sense of security by his experiences in earlier elections, he honestly believed that he was eligible to be a member of the National Assembly,” the report says.

Mr Dixon, 46, a graphic and web designer, has been a Cardiff councillor for 12 years and had been an assembly candidate at two previous elections.

The report states:

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Posted in Election law, News and Wales | Tagged , , , , and | 3 Comments
Helen Duffett

Lib Dem Welsh AMs await their fate as report delayed

By Helen Duffett | Tue 5th July 2011 - 8:53 am

John Dixon and Aled Roberts (the ‘dangling’ Lib Dem Two) may have to wait until next week to find out whether they will be reinstated following their disqualification in May.

WalesOnline reports:

Members of all parties were due to receive a copy of an Assembly report yesterday afternoon into the case of Aled Roberts and John Dixon, who are accused of breaching rules by remaining affiliated to organisations whose members are barred from standing for office.

The report, by Gerard Elias QC, the Assembly’s Commissioner for Standards, was sent to party leaders over the weekend, and was due to go

…

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Posted in Election law, News and Wales | Tagged , , and | Leave a comment
Helen Duffett

Lord Speaker election: Two Liberal Democrat peers standing

By Helen Duffett | Fri 1st July 2011 - 12:59 pm

Two Liberal Democrat peers are among the six candidates standing for election as Speaker of the House of Lords.

Baroness (Angela) Harris and Lord (Rupert) Redesdale have entered the contest following the announcement that the current Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, will not be seeking re-election.

On Tuesday evening, the Hansard Society held a hustings in which the candidates set out their reasons for standing and answered questions from the audience of peers.

You can listen to their speeches here, including Baroness Harris’ (Lord Redesdale had a prior engagement).

You can also watch full coverage of the Lord Speaker …

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Helen Duffett

Labour holds Inverclyde with reduced majority

By Helen Duffett | Fri 1st July 2011 - 6:32 am

From the BBC:

Labour has won the Inverclyde by-election for the UK parliament but its majority has been more than halved.

Iain McKenzie took the Westminster seat with 15,118 votes over the SNP’s Anne McLaughlin on 9,280. Labour’s majority fell from 14,416 at the 2010 general election to 5,838.

The Conservatives took third place with 2,784, the Liberal Democrats polled 627 votes and UKIP was fifth with 288.

The by-election was held after the death of David Cairns in May, aged 44.

Read the full story here.

In local council by-election news:

Wandsworth LBC, Thamesfield:
Con 1497;
Lab 1022;
LD Lisa Smart 545;
Green 202.
Con HOLD.
Turnout 28.1%

Broxbourne BC, …

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Posted in Council by-elections, News and Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged , , , , and | 27 Comments
Helen Duffett

Young people must get the facts on Higher Education – Hughes

By Helen Duffett | Tue 28th June 2011 - 3:29 pm

Simon Hughes MP, the Government’s advocate for access to Higher Education, has a piece over at Left Foot Forward today, on the confusion surrounding student finance.

He cites the Sutton Trust’s findings that more than a fifth of 11-16 year olds believe their families will have to pay for the cost of university tuition, while a further 10 per cent believe students paid for university with money they earned before and during their studies:

This situation is clearly unacceptable. And now as we start a month where higher education is again back on the agenda, with today’s publication of the

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 18 Comments
Helen Duffett

“It was a virtuoso performance” – Viscount Astor on Lord Ashdown on Lords reform

By Helen Duffett | Tue 21st June 2011 - 11:17 pm

Reading tonight’s Lords Hansard at bedtime (as you do), I’ve just found Paddy Ashdown’s speech from this evening’s debate on the House of Lords Reform Draft Bill.

Viscount Astor (Conservative), who spoke next, said:

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Ashdown, has just given a speech that I am sure will be used by every Liberal Democrat candidate who wishes to stand at an election to this House in the future. It was a virtuoso performance. I am afraid that my contribution will be somewhat more modest.

If you do wish to stand at a future election to the House of Lords, I’m reproducing Paddy’s speech below so you can get memorising right away.

What did Baroness Boothroyd say that Paddy found so bloodcurdling? Why would he happily exchange wisdom for legitimacy? How would history have been affected if the House of Lords had been constructed differently?

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged , , , , , and | 16 Comments
Helen Duffett

Julian Huppert MP calls for Digital Economy Act rethink

By Helen Duffett | Fri 17th June 2011 - 8:25 am

This week Julian Huppert tabled Early Day Motion 1913: Disconnection of Users from the Internet, which calls for a rethink on last year’s Digital Economy Act.

From the Register:

A Liberal Democrat MP is demanding a repeal of the Digital Economy Act having tabled an early day motion in Parliament yesterday, which so far has gained nine signatures from across the political spectrum.

Julian Huppert wants the UK government to debate the issue in the House of Commons. Signatories include Labour MPs Tom Watson and Eric Joyce as well as Tory backbencher Peter Bottomley.

The Lib Dem MP has made similar

…

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