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Author Archives: Mark Valladares

I’m a veteran Party bureaucrat, having joined the old Liberal Party at university. And, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, I’ve held a range of positions since then - everything from Secretary-General of the Young Liberals to being a member of the ALDE Party‘s Financial Advisory Committee. Returning Officer, Presidential consort, committee secretary, you name it, I’ve probably done it. These days, I’m the Chair of the Parish Council for a (very) small rural village in Suffolk’s Gipping Valley, and a member of the East of England Regional Candidates Committee.

Brexit: concessions to the left of us, concessions to the right of us…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 19th March 2018 - 3:20 pm

So, a big announcement, with the outline of a transitional deal. The highlights;

The transition period will end on 31 December 2020, three months earlier than sought
EU citizens arriving during the transition period will have the same rights as those already in the U.K. at 29 March 2019
No veto on new EU legislation during the transition period – the “vassal state” clause
Gibraltar excluded unless Spain can be persuaded to reach an agreement
No repatriation of control over fishing quotas

So, what does this mean for the Conservatives or for the United Kingdom? Good deal, bad …

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Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged brexit | 106 Comments

Welcome to my day: 19 March 2018 – the chilly breeze of reality…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 19th March 2018 - 7:58 am

Another difficult weekend of cold weather over, it’s time for me to return to my editorial duties for another week, on the 739th anniversary of the Mongolian victory at the naval Battle of Yamen, which ended the Song Dynasty in China. Also, on this day in 1628, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was granted land for settlement.

Admittedly, this isn’t quite as much of a challenge as it might be, because the stocks of submitted articles are close to non-existent. However, we do have a report from Chris Bowers on the “Reclaiming Liberalism” fringe at last weekend’s Federal Conference, challenging you all …

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Posted in News | Tagged brexit and russia | 3 Comments

Macdonald Report goes back for a rethink – a member of the English Appeals Panel reflects

By Mark Valladares | Mon 12th March 2018 - 8:15 am

The news that the Macdonald Report, and its allied recommendations, had been narrowly referred back came as something of a surprise, as least to this observer. The ground is normally pretty well prepared for changes like this, and whilst the debate about the Party’s internal disciplinary procedures has been going on for some time now, there appeared to be agreement that something needed to be done. And whilst that possibility isn’t ruled out – yet – there must be some doubt as to whether the proposals will, even if amended, be accepted by a Federal Conference at some future date.

Having …

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Posted in Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged macdonald review and review of disciplinary processes | 7 Comments

Welcome to my day: 12 March 2018 – for those of you recovering from Conference, I salute you…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 12th March 2018 - 7:42 am

It’s a long way from Mid Suffolk to Southport. Actually, it’s a long way from Mid Suffolk to any of the Party’s usual Federal Conference venues, which may explain why I didn’t travel up. Conference isn’t, after all, everyone’s cup of warm beverage…

That does mean that I’ve had some time to prepare for today, so what do I have for you?

In light of the decision by Conference to refer back the Macdonald Report on the Party’s disciplinary procedures, I offer some thoughts from the perspective of someone who sits on Appeal Panels. I’ve tried to be reasonable…

For the benefit of …

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Posted in Site news | 1 Comment

Welcome to my day: 5 March – thoughts turn towards a future…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 5th March 2018 - 7:52 am

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that last week’s “Beast from the East” has passed. Whilst here in Mid Suffolk, the snow has now pretty much melted, there are still some of you digging yourselves out, and good luck to you.

But neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night prevents a Day Editor from performing their duties, so what have we got for you today?

We kick off with news of cross-party co-operation to oppose the impacts of Brexit, courtesy of the Party’s press team, and it will be interesting …

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Posted in News | 1 Comment

From our Lords Correspondent: 20-23 February – you might want to think about this… and this… and that…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 26th February 2018 - 10:43 am

Yes, the Lords was back after its usual February recess (think half-term but without the need for childminders), and ready to do battle with the EU Withdrawal Bill. Bearing in mind the agreement on all sides of the House that the intention was not to reject the Bill but to improve it, the Committee Stage has become a marker of the likely problems that will get a thorough airing over the coming weeks.

With three hundred and seventy-one amendments already tabled at the beginning of the week, it was clear that the Government’s …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged eu withdrawal bill and house of lords | 7 Comments

Welcome to my day: 12 February 2018 – it might be a pisco sour kind of a day…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 12th February 2018 - 8:01 am

It was, supposedly, on this day in 1541 that the city of Santiago was founded, and in 1818, the nation it is the capital city of became independent from Spain. And that is a happy coincidence because today is brought to you from Valparaiso, Chile. As you read this, I’m asleep, but that doesn’t necessarily stand between a Day Editor and his/her duty.

But enough of my travel schedule, what have we got for you today?

We kick off with a report of November’s ALDC Kickstart weekend, designed to encourage some of you to attend the similar events that are scheduled for …

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Posted in Site news | Leave a comment

From our Lords correspondent: the Bill cometh, but will the building fall down before it can be passed?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 5th February 2018 - 10:12 am

And so, the EU Withdrawal Bill came to be debated in the Lords over two days. One hundred and eighty-seven speakers, all heard courteously enough but, at the end of it, it was just the hors d’oeuvres before the real work on the Bill begins.

It seemed to be broadly accepted accepted across the Chamber that the House of Lords does not see its role as stopping Brexit – the lack of an electoral mandate hangs heavy on all corners – and as Dick Newby put it, opening for the Liberal Democrats;

I should

…

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged eu withdrawal bill, house of lords and houses of parliament | 10 Comments

Welcome to my day: 5 February 2018 – time to wrap up a little warmer?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 5th February 2018 - 7:45 am

It seems that the forecast for the coming week is for temperatures to drop a bit. So, be like me and make sure that you wrap up warmly, especially if you’re campaigning for the May elections!

This week, I’m hoping for a sign, any sign, that the Government has a clearly stated plan for how it is going to handle negotiations with the European Union. Admittedly, there are a number of potential plans out there, but as there isn’t an apparent majority for any of them, we may have to keep on waiting.

Today …

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Posted in Site news | 5 Comments

You’ve spoken, so what am I planning to do about it?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 29th January 2018 - 2:23 pm

We humble day editors are given a surprising amount of leeway by Caron, and readers will note that I’ve taken the opportunity to think about moderation and content. It’s been… interesting, and from the perspective of a returning member of the editorial team, it’s given me a useful steer in terms of how I might proceed in the months ahead.

So, let’s outline how I’m going to respond.

Firstly, we stopped polling you, partly because it’s all a bit complex technically. And funnily enough, given the radical change in the nature of the Party over the past two years – …

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Posted in News and Site news | Tagged content and moderation | 17 Comments

From our Lords Correspondent: the Government see sense, and the Brexit Bill comes…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 29th January 2018 - 8:05 am

Last week saw the fallout from the previous week’s defeat of the Government over the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill and, all credit to the Minister, Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon, he had returned with a series of amendments designed to remedy the Bill’s original flaws. At the forefront of the cross-Party collaboration were Sharon Bowles and Susan Kramer, both of whom bring vast amounts of expertise to the table. As Sharon Bowles explained;

When we started out with the Bill, there was no policy in Part 2, yet it gave sweeping powers

…

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged brexit, house of lords, money laundering, sharon bowles and susan kramer | Leave a comment

Welcome to my day: 29 January 2018 – is something pecking at you…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 29th January 2018 - 7:45 am

Never let it be said that we’re on message here, but I really ought to remind you that, if you are due to file a Self Assessment tax return, and you haven’t, the deadline is coming up fast…

Public Service Announcement complete, welcome to another Monday of drama and passion. Alright, I may be exaggerating just a bit, but the fun really starts this week, as the EU Withdrawal Bill reaches the House of Lords, where the Government have to find a way of getting the Bill past an unfriendly chamber. Remember, the …

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Posted in Site news | Tagged public service announcement and tax | Leave a comment

A question for our readers. What do you think Liberal Democrat Voice is for?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 22nd January 2018 - 2:02 pm

Liberal Democrat Voice has existed for more than eleven years now but, a bit like the axe of my grandfather, it has seen quite a bit of renewal. The editorial team has changed, the style and content have evolved. As an editorial team, we are scattered across the country, with a range of experience within the Party – organisers, councillors, campaigners, bureaucrats.

And, occasionally, it is good to ask oneself, what draws people to the website, what does it do well, or badly, what is missing or how might it be more effective. So, here’s your chance to let us know …

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Posted in Site news | Tagged reader | 48 Comments

From your Lords correspondent… the Government falls foul of Lord Judge…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 22nd January 2018 - 12:15 pm

As noted earlier, a change to the format, in that I’ll be looking back at the highlights of the last week in the Lords and briefly pointing out the likely big issues in the week ahead. I may not get it all right…

As the noble lord, Lord Greaves, is watching, we’ll start with last week’s major Government defeat on the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, over the issue of ‘Henry VIII powers’. Lord Judge, from the cross-benches, and the former Chief Justice of England and Wales, was ‘disappointed’ to see the Government again attempt to gain the power to create …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged government defeats, house of lords, tom mcnally and tony greaves | 1 Comment

Welcome to my day: 22 January – the experiments continue…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 22nd January 2018 - 7:39 am

Good morning, on the 328th anniversary of the summoning of the Convention Parliament by Prince William of Orange to discuss ruling jointly with his wife Mary – an occasion when the English positively welcomed an intervention from the Continent… And it’s also the anniversary of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, which may feel a bit familiar to those of you who’ve been members for a few years…

So, what have we got for you today? Well, Federal International Relations Committee (FIRC) has concluded that it needs to reach out to the wider membership more effectively (some might suggest ‘at all’), and …

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Posted in Site news | 1 Comment

A progressive alliance for decency in the news media defeats the Government in the Lords

By Mark Valladares | Mon 15th January 2018 - 9:51 am

In writing my preview of last week’s events in the Lords, I rather glossed over the debate on the Data Protection Bill on Wednesday. That will rather teach me to do more research, as it turned out that there was to be an attempt to set up a new Leveson-style inquiry into the nefarious activities of some of our news outlets…

As the noble Lord Greaves pointed out last week, Wednesday saw the Government defeated on a vote to require them to set up and inquiry into issues arising from data protection breaches …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged brian paddick, house of lords, leveson, press regulation and tom mcnally | 3 Comments

Welcome to my day: 15 January 2018 – more experiments in moderation?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 15th January 2018 - 7:28 am

So, I find myself splashing about in the turbulent waters of Liberal Democrat Voice again on another Monday morning. At least this week, the waters aren’t frozen, as I’m back in the country after two weeks in the United States.

On the moderation front, we’re still in mid-experiment as I understand it, so do bear with us. I do find myself wondering whether or not moderation should be more transparent. For example, comments could be edited to take out the off-topic, discourteous or simply rude bits, with some explanation of why. It might …

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Posted in News | 4 Comments

This week in the Lords: 8-11 January – prod, prod, prod…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 8th January 2018 - 11:51 am

Yes, they’re back after all of that leaping, and we’re back to offer you a preview of events in their Lordship’s House.

We start on Monday, with two Liberal Democrat Oral Questions. Floella Benjamin raises the question of an official commemoration of the arrival of the SS Windrush in June 1948, whilst Roger Roberts seeks clarity on post-Brexit arrangements for supporting child refugees.

Most attention though, I suspect, will be on the debate on the Government’s Industrial Strategy and the case for boosting earning power and productivity across the UK with investment in the …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged house of lords | 6 Comments

Welcome to my day: 8 January 2018 – a lifestyle boutique sort of day…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 8th January 2018 - 7:32 am

LDV is brought to you today from Portland, Maine, the home of some of the best small, craft breweries in the United States (these are just some of those that I’ve sampled in the past week or so, and come courtesy of the Maine Brewing Company).

We’re getting back into gear after the Christmas break, and Parliament returns which means another preview of the week ahead in the Lords.

Elsewhere, I’ll be opining on the Toby Young saga, and we may well have an announcement from our Editor-in-Chief.

So, pull up a chair, kick back …

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Posted in Site news | Tagged beer | Leave a comment

It has to be about more than just Brexit in 2018

By Mark Valladares | Mon 1st January 2018 - 10:15 am

2018 is, for the optimists, the year when the wheels come off of the Brexit chariot for once and for all. The process of negotiating “the best possible deal for the United Kingdom” obliges the Government to face up to the brutal reality that the European Union has to hold together at all costs, and that means an outcome for us that is less good than the current arrangements. Then, as rational people, Conservative MPs will look into the abyss and realise how bad things might be.

I’m not so sure. Remember, most of them campaigned, with various levels of enthusiasm, …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged future strategy, policy and public services | 84 Comments

Welcome to my day – 1 January 2018: a (day) editorial thought for a New Year…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 1st January 2018 - 8:00 am

One of the unexpected advantages of being the Day Editor on New Year’s Day is that you can, perhaps, make a resolution for the year ahead. And nobody can stop you…

Mwah, hah, hah, hah…

And it dawns on me that, as the person technically responsible for moderation today, I have the tools at my disposal to actually change a small corner of the Internet, and make it a better place, if only for a little while. Call it “taking a stand for decency”, if you like. Or, as someone is bound to say, “censorship”… (you’re wrong, in the nicest possible …

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Posted in Site news | Tagged courtesy | 34 Comments

Happy New Year to all!

By Mark Valladares | Mon 1st January 2018 - 12:00 am

Yes, it’s time to say goodbye to 2017, and hello to a brand new year. On behalf of the whole Liberal Democrat Voice team, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year, and hope that you’ve enjoyed the festive season so far.

It will be another quiet day at LDV Towers, made more so by the fact that your Day Editor is five hours adrift – I’m off out to dinner in about an hour. But remember, we welcome your comments, contributions and support, so do feel free to let us have your thoughts!

Posted in Site news | Tagged new year message | Leave a comment

Welcome to my day: 25 December 2017 – peace and goodwill to all…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 25th December 2017 - 8:00 am

Welcome to Creeting St Peter, on this Christmas Day – that’s St Peter’s, just before last night’s carol service, by the way. Caron has already said a few very kind words to welcome the day, and my job is to… well… not do very much really.

However, in keeping with my habit of giving you a musical offering, and because it’s been a trying year for liberals, here are the Muppet Chickens…

May I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Posted in News | Tagged christmas | 3 Comments

Welcome to my day- 18 December 2017: putting up the decorations…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 18th December 2017 - 8:23 am

Good morning! Yes, it’s the last Monday before Christmas, and politics is, in theory, winding down towards the transition to peace and goodwill to all. And yet, the DExEU equivalent of Bob Cratchit is probably hard at work preparing for Phase 2 of the Brexit negotiations. Not an enviable task, I suggest… If you’re watching, Bob, here’s a cheery penguin to admire…

We’re expecting a fairly quiet day here at LDV Towers. I’ll be taking my regular look ahead at this week in the Lords – yes, they’re still there – and we …

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11 December – a deal is a deal, or isn’t a deal. Where’s Schrödinger when you need him?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 11th December 2017 - 11:59 pm

How many David Davis’s are there? After all, you never seem to get the same answer from him if you ask him the same question more than once, so it stands to reason that there might be more than one. And how angry will one wing or other of the Conservative Party be when they find out what the actual answer is?

But enough of Brexit, it’s time for tonight’s musical interlude. We haven’t had any suggestions, so what have I got for you tonight?

Confusion seems to be the order of the day, so here’s something from the Beatles…

Enjoy, and I’ll …

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Posted in News | 6 Comments

This week in the Lords: 11-15 December – probing away on Brexit…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 11th December 2017 - 9:05 am

Yes, we’re back, with our regular preview of the week in the upper chamber, following last week’s absence. Apologies to those of you who take an interest in the more elegant end of the Palace of Westminster. No time to hang about though…

The very first item of business after prayers on Monday is an oral question from Robin Teverson, whose will be seeking a Government view on whether UK citizens will be able their EU citizenship post-Brexit should they wish. Whilst this was originally an idea of Luxembourg MEP Charles Goerens, it …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged house of lords | 4 Comments

Welcome to my day: 11 December – it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 11th December 2017 - 7:59 am

As Britain recovers from the chaos that a few inches of snow wrought yesterday, today is brought to you from Creeting St Peter, my small but perfectly formed Suffolk village. We’ve had an inch or so here, mostly yesterday morning, but whilst there’s broadband, there’s hope, I’m told.

Talking of chaos, it seems like Government ministers have spent the weekend queuing up to sabotage Theresa May’s deal with the European Union. One does wonder about the wisdom of publicly talking about how and when the deal might be reneged upon, and with the …

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Posted in Site news | 5 Comments

4 December – perhaps even our friends in Europe think that it’s farewell…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 4th December 2017 - 11:59 pm

Well, it’s the end of another day of Brexit chaos. Who rules our country, one might ask, the Conservatives or the Democratic Unionists, all ten of them? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode of “Sorry, we haven’t a clue”, starring Theresa May and the Conservative Party…

The problem is that our former partners are increasingly convinced that, whilst our Government is probably crazy, they are intent on following this through. What Europe wants now is to end this, so as to be able to move on with its long term agenda.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to write this week’s preview of the week …

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Posted in Site news | Tagged brexit and culture | 10 Comments

@ALDEParty Congress: Days 2 and 3 – the end, in more ways than one…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 4th December 2017 - 11:48 pm

The count had taken place, the results were known. All that was left was to announce them, and that was the point where Congress went wrong for the Liberal Democrats.

In a shock result, Ros Scott was unsuccessful in her quest to be re-elected. It was an outcome that nobody had expected, with the exception of the candidate herself, leaving the ALDE Party Bureau without a British member for the first time in living memory.

Jonathan Fryer, blogging after the event, suggested that;

…it looks as if Brexit was a factor, for which Theresa

…

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Posted in Europe / International | Tagged ALDE congress | 3 Comments