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.
MEPs vote against discards and for sustainable fisheries across Europe
On Wednesday, MEPs voted for an ambitious reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) by 502 to 137 votes.
Chris Davies, who founded the cross-party MEP campaign group Fish For the Future, commented after the historic vote:
Today’s overwhelming support for EU fisheries reform from MEPs across all parties and nationalities puts us in a very strong negotiation position with Member States in the Council of Ministers. The Irish Presidency has made clear it wants to complete the reform by June.
It may only be February, but like schools, half-term is approaching fast (don’t forget, Easter is a bit earlier this year). And with the break starting on Friday, there’s still quite a bit of business to squeeze in. Curiously, there are no oral questions or debates initiated from the Liberal Democrat benches all week, but the agenda isn’t without interest.
On Monday most attention will be focussed on the Second Reading of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill. Baroness Stowell of Beeston has the unenviable task of leading …
Congratulations to candidate David Hallam and all of our team in Ashfield on this gain from Labour.
Made slightly more complex by the fact that our beloved site crashed late yesterday evening, we’re another day closer to the Eastleigh by-election. Unfortunately, I can’t get to Eastleigh, but am giving money instead. And if, like me, you’d really like to help but can’t get to Hampshire, you can do so by visiting the …
Attempt to introduce the British model to European railways fails
Germany has succeeded in changing the content of a European Commission proposal on the liberalisation of railways before the proposal was even published. The intention, to introduce greater competition in rail passenger services by separating infrastructure owners from passenger service operators failed after stiff resistance from Deutsche Bahn and SNCF.
Ironically, SNCF is run as a separate entity already but it is intended to merge the two companies once more. Instead, vertically integrated rail companies will have to erect firewalls between their …
Strangely enough, in the absence of a Lords Reform Bill to debate (and who’s sorry now?), things are relatively quiet on the red benches. Quiet, but not exactly dead, I’m delighted to say. And now that Paddy Ashdown has hit Twitter, life is going to be a bit more exciting. And talking of Twitter, don’t forget that our Parliamentary Party in the Lords has its own Twitter feed. And yes, those are real Peers tweeting, in live time. So, what might they be covering next week?
Yes, it’s Friday once again, and whilst it’s a bit early for ‘Crackerjack’ (cultural reference for our older readers), there is some good news to start the day.
Swiss banks have paid HM Revenue & Customs £342 million in the first tranche of a ground-breaking agreement which will deliver around £5 billion of previously unpaid tax to the UK. Under the agreement between the UK and Switzerland, which came into force on 1 January, people with taxable assets in Switzerland have a choice of authorising their financial institution to disclose the …
It is hard to believe that it has been five years since Gordon Brown announced the abolition of the 10p rate band, and I am as surprised that it has taken until now for someone to suggest reintroducing it.
Restoring a 10p rate of income tax, between £9,205 and £12,000, would cost around £6 billion a year according to the House of Commons Library. This is significantly cheaper than raising the personal allowance to £12,500 (which could cost as much as £14.4 billion). It also has the advantage that it would benefit all workers,
Yes, just as late as has been the habit recently, here’s your heads up for events in the upper chamber this week… anyone would think that I didn’t have a day of my own…
It’s another long week for our Parliamentary Party, with a nod to the recent wintry weather, but Monday sees Day 2 of the Committee Stage of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, where Tony Greaves will seek to remove attempts to place further limits on the power to require information with planning applications. Frankly, when I see …
Well, it can’t be said that it was a dull one, with David Ward (and me, to a rather lesser, but no less traumatic extent) trapped in a world of pain over his comments about Holocaust Memorial Day. And, if truth be told, his correction doesn’t address the primary objection, to my mind. It looks like I was wrong, for which I apologise.
Meanwhile, the proposed legislation on same sex marriage has been launched – whilst welcome, it isn’t perfect, as Sarah Brown notes;
There is NO PROVISION to reinstate the confiscated marriages. None whatsoever. It’s as if those of us affected by it simply don’t exist.
In by-election news, congratulations to Helen Groves, for her successful defence of the Highbridge and Burnham Marine ward on Sedgemoor District Council in Somerset.
On a very different note, it would be wrong of me not to highlight your chance to obtain inner peace, courtesy of HM Revenue & Customs;
I’ve started, so I’ll finish. Anyone who’s saved their online #taxreturn half-way through should complete it by 31 Jan bit.ly/etikIF
I’ll end with some music. John Dowland was not known for his political skills, quite the reverse, but he was a wonderful songsmith. Here’s Valeria Mignaco, soprano, with Alfonso Marin on lute, performing “Can she excuse my wrongs?”, for David Ward on this Friday evening…
Proposals for a revised Common Agricultural Policy met with mixed emotions
On Wednesday, the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee (AGRI) voted on reform proposals to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). ALDE MEPs welcomed the votes in general as a major step towards a more sustainable European agricultural model. However, ALDE condemns the possible double payment for greening and agri-environmental measures and rejects a possible return to failed past policies of heavy market interventions.
Commenting after the votes, George Lyon MEP (UK, Liberal Democrat), ALDE team leader on the AGRI committee and shadow rapporteur on the direct payments report, said:
Gentle reader, I appear to have received some flak for writing this – quite possibly merited. So, I’ve tried to edit it for clarity…
A press release from the office of David Ward MP reached Liberal Democrat Voice yesterday;
“Bradford East MP, David Ward, has criticised Israel on the day he has signed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who died during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides.
Sunday January 27th will mark the 68th anniversary of the …
It would appear that these gentle introductions to Fridays have drawn some comment, and that not all of it is friendly. Ah well, c’est la vie…
Due to other commitments, and a very enjoyable dinner yesterday evening, of which more later, today is a little ‘seat of the pants’. So, what can you expect today (in no particular order)?
We intend to have a look at a possible gateway to drug policy reform, as Duncan Stott examines the position of khat. Naturally, with debate on our future in Europe is still bubbling away, Giles Goodall suggests that David Cameron might have done a little more research before raising Eurosceptic hopes, whilst David Thorpe suggests that we might like to turn our attention back to Ireland for some alternatives on economic policy.
Rachel Coleman Finch and her brother Jonny draw our attention to the effects of the 1% increase on some benefits, whilst my gallant colleague, Stephen Tall, has taken a look at Nick Clegg’s ‘mea culpa’ on capital spending.
There’ll also be more stuff on Europe, with bees on the agenda in Brussels, and we’ll be looking at what the Lords will be doing without Lords Reform to debate.
Finally, why the sea otter? We were accused, a few months ago, of having an attack dog and, having considered the matter, and rejected the idea of an attack koala (nasty creatures, in spite of their image), it was concluded that, as a representation of our comments policy, an attack sea otter was probably the best reflection of our philosophy as an editorial team.
And here’s a video for you to watch which might explain why… (skip the advert)
Yes, it’s Friday and we start with the news that, according to Animal Planet, sea otters are the cutest animals in the world (say those last three words as Jeremy Clarkson would, why don’t you?). Hat-tip to Stephen Tall, whose devotion to his Popbitch feed appears to be a thing of beauty (but not as cute as a sea otter, of course).
The overnight by-election news is… unknown as I write this. Hopefully, when daylight comes to Creeting St Peter, I’ll have more news…
Yes, I know that I had intended to write this on Friday, but it was never a pledge, right? But yes, as Liberal Democrat Peers gather from around the country to vote down a piece of Government business, now seems as good a time to publish this…
Yes, Monday will see the Parliamentary Party in the Lords vote in support of Amendment 28A to the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, sponsored by Lords Hart of Chilton (Labour), Kerr of Kinlochard (Crossbenches), Rennard and Wigley (Plaid Cymru), which postpones the changes intended …
The Economic and Monetary Committee has published a report “Banking Union and a Single Banking Supervisory Mechanism“, with some expert opinions from European economists on the European Commission proposals to create a single supervisor for European banks. For those interested in the proposals, their viability and some of the arguments for gradations of supervisions – the 200 largest banks in the Eurozone have approximately 90% of the market in that area – the five opinions will provide a lucid, and brief summary of the key issues, the context in which decisions are being …
It’s very late at night in my icy garret – lucky that I’m clad in particularly warm fur, I suppose, but Liberal Democrat Voice’s attack sea otter never sleeps…
Overnight, news has reached us of the only known by-election last night, in the Stratton-Whiteway ward of Cirencester Town Council. The result;
Mark Harris (Liberal Democrat) 419 votes
UKIP 135 votes
Green 78 votes
Congratulations to Mark, the first Liberal Democrat winner of 2013!
As usual, there is a European flavour to today’s content, with some news on banking reform, especially for one of our readers who wanted it explained, and a response to UKIP’s little local …
Whilst rumours of a list of new Peers swirls around the Palace of Westminster, the Lords returns to work on Tuesday, and a somewhat lop-sided week continues through to Friday in order to fit in the postponed debate on Leveson.
Never let it be said though that the Lords needs a gentle warm-up before asking the difficult questions. Tuesday sees oral questions on airport capacity in London, housebuilding in South East England and the effect of the ‘fiscal cliff’ solution on the UK economy, before the Growth and Infrastructure …
Whilst most of the attention will be on whether or not the Euro can survive, or whether another country will need to be bailed out, there will be much else besides going on. So, for your delectation and delight, here are some of the highlights;
The first half of 2013 will see the Irish hold the rotating Presidency and, at the end of their watch, the Europe of 27 will become the Europe of 28, as Croatia become members of the European Union on 1 July, just as the Lithuanians take over the
Well, given that you (and I) paid for this, it only seems fair that it gets a wider audience. It is in French, but with English subtitles, even where the person on screen is speaking English. Go figure…
Well, I don’t know about you, but it seems as though it has been ages since we were last together, and much turkey has been eaten since then, I guess. Admittedly, not by me, as you’d be amazed at how difficult getting a turkey is when you’re a sea otter.
However, on with the medley, I say… so now that we’ve found love, what are we going to do?…
As usual on a Friday, we’ve got a fair bit about Europe, with a video looking back over last year in the European Parliament, a preview of coming events there in 2013, and …
Yes, it’s the end of the week again, and time once again for the attack sea otter to turn from the mysteries of double entry bookkeeping to the drama of what to publish on our humble website. So, what do we have…
Firstly, just in case you missed it, this week saw a Wednesday by-election, for the Sunbury Common ward of Spelthorne District Council, on the London fringes, where the sitting Liberal Democrat councillor had stood down due to ill health. And, despite the intervention of a UKIP candidate, Brian Spoor successfully …
Here at Liberal Democrat Voice, I have occasionally drawn the attention of readers towards the Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs and its inquiry into the economic implications for the United Kingdom of Scottish independence. And this week, the Committee appears to have obtained an answer to a question which has hung heavy over the debate until now, i.e. would an independent Scotland automatically become part of the European Union.
In response to an invitation from the acting Chair of the Committee, Lord Tugendhat (a former two-term European Commissioner), Jose Manuel Barroso wrote;
Whilst refraining from comment on possible future scenarios,
Today’s an unusual day in this corner of LDV Towers. Away from the site, it’s my final day in a job I’ve been doing for more than eleven years – I start a new job on Monday. So, do forgive me if I’m not entirely on top of my game in terms of comment review…
We awake to news of another by-election gain, from the Conservatives, in Bilton ward, Harrogate, plus the news that Nick Clegg has declared the war on drugs to be lost
Firstly, my apologies for missing a few weeks, mostly due to a rather hectic diary. So, where were we?…
It has to be said that next week is a relatively quiet week for the Liberal Democrats, with no oral questions scheduled, although Monday does see some Liberal Democrat ministerial action, with Jim Wallace taking the Second Reading of the Partnerships (Prosecution) (Scotland) Bill, which is intended to make provision for the prosecution in Scotland of partnerships, partners and others following dissolution or changes in membership. More important, probably, …
Hopes of Europe becoming a world leader in the development of a key technology to combat global warming have been dashed, and more than €1.5 billion of EU funding available to support carbon capture & storage (CCS) projects will now be diverted to new renewable energy schemes. The announcement today that steelmakers ArcelorMittal will not proceed with their Ulcos project in France means that not one single new CCS scheme is set to proceed.
I made the mistake last week of suggesting that it would be a quiet day. Which, I suppose it was, at least until I was reminded that we’d had three pretty poor by-election results overnight and felt obliged to write something about them. It seems that there are still comments being posted…
I’ve checked this week, and there are no parliamentary by-elections to report. There have been six by-elections on principal authorities, however, and the results have been excellent so far, with gains in Vale of White Horse, Brentwood and …
So, we’ve selected our candidates for Europe in England and Scotland, and a pretty good bunch they are too – people who are committed to the concept of a Europe of twenty-seven (soon to be twenty-eight) nations pooling some sovereignty for a greater good. So far, so good. But what are they going to do for the next eighteen months?
Past experience says, “not much to do with Europe”. Yes, they’ll be campaigning to a lesser or greater extent, but what will they be
Alright, that turned out to be as accurate as a Greek government’s balance sheet, didn’t it? Ah well, as we say in the editorial game, you can’t get them all right, can you?
As I write these words, we’re at ninety comments on what was, I felt, a fairly honest appraisal of some fairly rotten by-election results. And, obviously someone beyond those interested in the death/future (delete as appropriate) of the Liberal Democrats was reading it, as I received an unexpected telephone call asking me if I’d go onto a Russian radio show to discuss the …
Lib Dems welcome the launch of free trade negotiations with Japan
UK Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder, the party’s European spokesperson on international trade, today welcomed the Council’s decision to authorise the launch of a free trade agreement with Japan, saying it could deliver additional EU exports to Japan worth €43.4bn (around £35bn). She said:
It is time to tap into the huge potential of a free trade agreement with Japan. It is the world’s third largest economy and crucial export market for the
Now, you have to admit, that isn’t an offer you’re likely to get every day. If I was to add that most of your airfare will be paid (although not your accommodation), you might become a little more wary. “What’s the deal?”, I hear you ask.
It’s like this. The International Office of the Liberal Democrats is responsible for supporting the Party’s delegation to the Spring Council meeting of ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe, formerly ELDR), and making sure that we send a full delegation of fifteen to take part. And, as part of that exercise, and to encourage a more diverse representation, they’ve asked me to invite you (yes, you!) to apply to fill any vacancies that might arise.
Yes, just as late as has been the habit recently, here’s your heads up for events in the upper chamber this week… anyone would think that I didn’t have a day of my own…
A press release from the office of David Ward MP reached Liberal Democrat Voice yesterday;
We intend to have a look at a possible gateway to drug policy reform, as Duncan Stott examines the position of khat. Naturally, with debate on our future in Europe is still bubbling away, Giles Goodall suggests that David Cameron might have done a little more research before raising Eurosceptic hopes, whilst David Thorpe suggests that we might like to turn our attention back to Ireland for some alternatives on economic policy.
Whilst most of the attention will be on whether or not the Euro can survive, or whether another country will need to be bailed out, there will be much else besides going on. So, for your delectation and delight, here are some of the highlights;
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Dysfunctional council to be abolished after years of controversy and "all out civil war"
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Front Street looking great
Jason Connor 
Richard Whelan 
Peter Davies 
Andy Daer 
Mary Reid 