Author Archives: Mark Valladares

Osborne discovers that rich people dodge their taxes, bears seen looking for a quiet tree
 
In an interesting turn of events, following an instruction to HM Revenue & Customs, a review of a collection of anonymised personal tax returns reveals that the twenty biggest personal tax avoiders have reduced their liabilities by a pretty staggering £145 million (a prize to the first person to calculate the number of nurses/council houses/subsidised bus routes this would pay for).
 
And whilst the notion of a ‘tycoon tax’ was derided by many, including some Liberal Democrats, as a bit of a gimmick when Nick Clegg announced …

With the Lords having packed in so/too (delete as appropriate) much business before the Easter recess, the Commons will return a week earlier than their ermine-clad colleagues, so this is a shorter than usual report.

Ironically, the biggest event of the week will not take place in the Chamber, or even in the Committee corridors. It is, of course, the publication of the much-leaked report of the Joint Committee on the draft House of Lords Reform Bill. I don’t expect it to be particularly satisfactory to anyone, if the …

Welcome back to Liberal Democrat Voice’s coverage of the House of Lords, where the denizens of the red benches are now at the sharp end of the legislative agenda for the parliamentary session. With sixteen votes taking place last week, Peers can expect no let up in the race to complete the Government’s programme for its first session. And with the Queen’s Speech now scheduled on 9 May, and the Lords due to go into recess for three weeks after business ends on 28 March, time is running …

And we go to our commentary team at Liberal Democrat Conference as kickoff approaches…

Thank you, and welcome to the Sage, here in Gateshead. As the home supporters take their seats for this afternoon’s critical six-pointer, I can confirm that controversial midfielder, Vince Cable will be taking his usual place in the line-up this afternoon.

So, settle down with a cold beer (priced accordingly to combat binge drinking), for our live commentary on this Premier League fixture, Liberal Democrats versus the Undeserving Rich…

And as a warm-up, I can confirm that the Saving the NHS – Shirley Williams motion has been taken up …

Welcome back to Liberal Democrat Voice’s coverage of the House of Lords. Or not, as the case may be, because, as you read this, they haven’t gone away yet. Confused? You see, this column covers the programme for the two weeks to come, and they’re not sitting next week, as they take a short recess to draw breath. But I digress (I’ve obviously spent too much time with some the Conservative backbenchers)…

Refreshed and relaxed after the break, the Lords returns to an increasingly hectic programme of Bills. Days …

Despite escaping one major ambush, Lord Freud cannot have been looking forward to Amendment 59, moved by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds. A short amendment;

Clause 94, page 63, line 25, after “benefits” insert “with the exclusion of child benefit”

it addressed issues of child poverty, as the Bishop noted,

The Government’s assessment of the impact of the cap is that some 67,000 households will be affected. The Minister spoke of that earlier as not a massive number. It is pretty massive for those involved, but the fact that it

…

Our apologies for being a little behind with this, but news has reached us of Diana Wallis’s attempt to become the President of the European Parliament, a job that, traditionally, has been stitched up by the two dominant Groups within the Parliament, the Socialists and Democrats, and the European People’s Party. Indeed, the Presidency has been held during the first half of the 2009-2014 term by Jerzy Buzek from the European People’s Party as part of a deal whereby he would stand down part way through to be replaced by a Socialist MEP.

The catch is that a by-election must take …