Author Archives: Lisa Harding

Opinion: sometimes Liberal Democrats just can’t win, but we won’t stop trying

By Lisa Harding | Tue 27th March 2012 - 1:30 pm

Everyone this week has pretty much agreed that the Liberal Democrats did a good job on tempering the worst of Tory excesses in the budget last week. There is also universal agreement that we did well in getting our message out and I was particularly pleased with the splash page on the homepage of the national site.

But if you read Deborah Orr in the Guardian on Saturday, it is quite clear that in the eyes of some we will never get it right. Deborah started off her article by bemoaning leaks from the budget and laying the blame squarely …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged budget 2012 and guardianistas | 27 Comments

Opinion: A day in the life of a first time candidate

By Lisa Harding | Sat 16th April 2011 - 2:07 pm

Friday – 4 weeks before Election Day. Mood: Dazed and confused, tired but determined

7am: Woke with a horrible sensation in my gut that I had forgotten to do something. This is happening way too often now.

7.30am: At the laptop in pyjamas, armed with max strength coffee. Writing Focus articles. Spent 3 hours on the doorstep yesterday, so have catching up to do. Whole Focus needs to be rewritten by the end of today. Big story broke in the press. Changing lead story to reflect residents’ anger on …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged bloggers takeover, guest editor and paul walter | 7 Comments

Opinion: Baroness Williams shows how to disagree with coalition policy with grace

By Lisa Harding | Tue 1st March 2011 - 4:49 pm

One of the very reasons I became a Liberal Democrat in the first place was be cause of strong women within the party who held similar beliefs to my own. Baroness Williams is one of those women, but she has something else which is equally important in these times of coalition government.

Shirley Williams has a wonderful way of saying that she disagrees with the coalition without it being dramatic or overly sentimental. In her opinion piece in The Times she lays out her thoughts as to why she cannot support the coalition and its proposals for the National …

Posted in News | Tagged andrew lansley, NHS and shirley williams | 11 Comments