Author Archives: NewsHound

LibLInk: Lord (Paul) Tyler – Just Deserts?

By NewsHound | Mon 11th August 2014 - 7:35 pm

Over at Lords of the Blogs, Lib Dem peer Paul Tyler gives short shrift to the complaints of his parliamentary colleagues complaining that the red benches cannot accommodate the 22 new peers appointed last week:

What a nerve! If on 10th July 2012, having given the Government’s Bill a huge second reading majority, those very same MPs had allowed it to make progress, this alleged problem would have been solved. Egged on by Peers and journalists, they broke their manifesto promises to bring democracy to the Lords by playing party games. Had the Reform Bill passed, political appointments would have ceased by now and we would be preparing for the first election of 120 members representing every region and nation of the UK, next year. The choice was theirs two years ago: popular election or party patronage. They are now getting what they asked for.

Posted in News | Tagged alternative vote, house of lords, paul tyler and robert methuen | 10 Comments

LibLink: Shirley Williams on a role for Europe in solving the Gaza crisis

By NewsHound | Mon 11th August 2014 - 9:16 am

Many thanks to Paul Walter for bringing our attention to this piece, written by Baroness Shirley Williams for the Guardian last week.

In it, she calls for a more activist stance by the European Union, given her view that America is not, and cannot be, an effective mediator between the two sides in the Gaza crisis.

The EU, as the main financier of the Palestinian Authority, is in a position to influence the PLO and to work with the Arab League on a settlement. The US remains Israel’s essential ally, but as a mediator is hobbled by the dependence of its

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged gaza, middle east and shirley williams | 2 Comments

LibLink: Tessa Munt – Why I’m boycotting Israeli goods and services

By NewsHound | Sun 10th August 2014 - 4:15 pm

Tessa Munt, Lib Dem MP for Wells in Somerset, has explained over at her own website why she’s taken the decision to boycott Israeli goods and services:

This summer, the majority of people I meet out and about are disturbed, upset and angry. It’s clear that Israel has crossed a line. It’s not ok to drop bombs on civilians and the sight of parents carrying the remains of their small children in plastic bags is sickening. Bombed hospitals and schools, an entire population stunned and damaged is criminal. It simply cannot be justified.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged gaza, israel, middle east, palestine and tessa munt | 74 Comments

Norman Baker: in profile

By NewsHound | Fri 8th August 2014 - 12:00 pm

The latest Total Politics magazine has a profile of Lib Dem ~~health~~ home office minister Norman Baker. Here’s a snippet:

at the Home Office, Baker’s relationship with his boss Theresa May has developed into one of mutual respect. (May apparently told Baker early on that she didn’t know where the “spitting tacks” comment had come from.) According to one fellow MP: “He probably likes her because she stands up to Number 10. For her part, Theresa May doesn’t suffer fools gladly. It would’ve leaked out if she was unhappy with him.”

Posted in News | Tagged norman baker | 8 Comments

“Homeowners could get payout if house values fall” – Nick Clegg on garden cities

By NewsHound | Mon 4th August 2014 - 4:04 pm

In an unexpected intervention – an interview on BBC’s “Countryfile”, Nick Clegg has suggested that existing homeowners in areas where new garden cities are to be built could be compensated for any fall in value that might be caused by the building work;

We could maybe give deductions on council tax over a period of time during which the garden city is being built, we could possibly also say to those homeowners where they think the price of their homes will be effected, we will guarantee the price of their home, by buying it, if you like, up front.”

The …

Posted in News | Tagged garden cities, housing policy and nick clegg | 20 Comments

LibLink: Norman Baker – I want to see the end of all animal testing

By NewsHound | Mon 4th August 2014 - 12:15 pm

It is, perhaps, unusual for a minister to declare that he or she would like to see the end of part, or all, of their job. But then, Norman Baker isn’t necessarily your average minister. It is ironic that, given his record as an anti-vivisection campaigner, he was given responsibility for the regulation of animal experimentation. In an interview with BBC News, he said that he wants to see an end to such testing, although he understands that it “would not happen tomorrow”.

Unexpectedly perhaps, the number of experiments using …

Posted in LibLink and News | Tagged animal welfare, freedom of information, norman baker and science | 22 Comments

LibLink: Julian Huppert – We can’t tackle revenge porn using existing laws

By NewsHound | Sun 3rd August 2014 - 4:30 pm

Lib Dem MP for Cambridge Julian Huppert has wirtten an article at Politics.co.uk explaining why he’s supportive of a new law to make revenge porn illegal. First, he sets out why the it’s a problem that needs tackling:

These images were typically taken with consent, or by the victim themselves – but there was no consent for them to be broadcast to everyone, but rather an expectation that they would be kept secret. This causes immense harm to the victims – the shame and humiliation of

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged julian huppert and revenge porn | 8 Comments

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Israel must open talks with Hamas

By NewsHound | Sat 2nd August 2014 - 7:35 am

Writing for today’s Guardian Nick Clegg has this to say about the ongoing conflict in Gaza:

The daily images of human torment in Gaza have been harrowing and heartbreaking. More than 1,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed. Were it not for international aid rations, half the population would be without food. Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are seeking shelter in UN schools – and even these offer little safety.

It is difficult to deny that Israel’s military action appears disproportionate and, combined with the Gaza blockade, is resulting

…

Posted in Europe / International and LibLink | Tagged gaza, hamas, israel, middle east and nick clegg | 9 Comments

LibLink: Alistair Carmichael – Independence vote is far too important to shun

By NewsHound | Tue 29th July 2014 - 1:06 pm

Writing in the Scottish Daily Record, Alistair Carmichael praises that paper’s “Missing Million” campaign.

It seems 300,000 people have not registered to vote, and many others will probably not turn out on referendum day. The paper had already been urging readers to exercise their vote, with a 16 page pullout yesterday, and they are now actively tracking people who are not on the roll.

Alistair writes:

The Daily Record. There’s a reason it’s called Scotland’s Champion and the “missing million” campaign shows why.

On September 18, you, I and every other eligible voter will have

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged Alistair Carmichael | 2 Comments

LibLink: Alex Proud – “If you believe politicians are useless, you’ll end up with useless politicians”

By NewsHound | Mon 28th July 2014 - 4:50 pm

In the Telegraph today, Alex Proud — who self-describes as “A lapsed Liberal and a rugged, Gladstonian Liberal who likes free markets and the odd gunboat, but a Liberal nonetheless” — reflects on his recent meeting with Nick Clegg and Simon Hughes:

… sitting between Simon Hughes and Nick Clegg I was reminded for the first time in ages just how inspiring good politicians can be. They force us to think outside the box of our own petty concerns and project ourselves onto a national and even global stage. They remind us that we can change the world for the better. They actually made me feel like a teenager again – raging against Thatcher while still admiring her steeliness and her ability to bend the country to her will. Dare I say it, they even ignited a spark of nostalgia for a time before my birth, when we felt we could stand up to dictators, end war and make the next generation fairer and healthier.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged alex proud, nick clegg and simon hughes | 13 Comments

The Right Hon Norman Lamb MP

By NewsHound | Tue 22nd July 2014 - 2:24 pm

No, that isn’t an error.

Norman Lamb has just been made a member of the Privy Council, which entitles him to be given the Right Hon treatment. That privilege is automatically bestowed on Cabinet ministers, the Leader of the Opposition and senior judges, but other ministers are added from time to time.

From my research (ie a quick look at Wikipedia), I have discovered that the Privy Council advises the monarch, and in the past was the most powerful body in the country. Today, its powers have been transferred to the Cabinet, which technically is a committee of the Privy Council.

Membership is for life and at present there are 600 members of the Privy Council. They only meet in full on the death of a monarch, or, intriguingly, when the Monarch gets engaged, which last happened in 1939.

Posted in News | Tagged norman lamb and privy council | 20 Comments

Baroness Barker: Nicky Morgan’s appointment “disappointing”

By NewsHound | Thu 17th July 2014 - 9:09 am

The appointment of former treasury minister Nicky Morgan to the post of education secretary and minister for women and equalities has come under fire from Liberal Democrat peer Elizabeth Barker given Morgan’s recent opposition to same sex marriage (though it should be pointed out that the responsibility for the implementation of same sex marriage has been given to skills and enterprise minister Nick Boles).

Pink News has the story:

Speaking to PinkNews, Baroness Barker said: “It is good to see equalities firmly within education,

…

Posted in News | Tagged baroness barker, nicky morgan and same sex marriage | 18 Comments

LibLink: Stephen Tall: Early stages of Labour

By NewsHound | Mon 14th July 2014 - 11:45 am

Our Stephen Tall has written a column for Total Politics in which he suggests that the Liberal Democrat manifesto next year will have much more in common with Labour than the Conservatives.

First he sets the scene in the wake of the European and local election results and the Oakeshott coup:

Clegg knows he needs to do more than just survive. Limping towards 2015, acknowledged to be a survival election for the Lib Dems, won’t be good enough. He must inspire the troops that a great liberal victory is possible (or, more realistically, that a truly awful defeat can be avoided).

So Clegg’s sought to re-focus the party’s sights on the 2015 election.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged stephen tall and total politics | 24 Comments

++Ian Swales MP to stand down at next election ‘for personal reasons’

By NewsHound | Fri 11th July 2014 - 4:43 pm

GazetteLive has the details:

Redcar MP Ian Swales is to stand down at the next General Election.

The Liberal Democrat, who was elected in 2010, said the decision was due to personal reasons.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my local area in Parliament,” he added.

Posted in News | Tagged ian swales | 15 Comments

Nick Clegg: £104 million investment is an important day for Hull

By NewsHound | Tue 8th July 2014 - 10:36 am

Who’d have thought Nick Clegg would write for the Daily Mail? Well, actually, not THAT one, but the Hull Daily Mail about the Government’s £104 million investment in local infrastructure which will be spent on transport links, housing and flood defences. It’s a Liberal Democrat initiative to have local councils and communities decide where money is best spent – good old fashioned liberal decentralisation.

He talked about how he has put his vision into practice:

I wanted to see every part of Britain given more freedom than at the start of this

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged decentralisation, housing, hull daily mail, infrastructure and nick clegg | 5 Comments

Tessa Munt speaks out about being sexually abused as a child

By NewsHound | Mon 7th July 2014 - 8:55 pm

The Western Daily Press has the story:

An MP who campaigned for an inquiry into historical paedophile allegations has revealed how she was sexually abused as a child.

Tessa Munt told how she kept silent for decades about the abuse because she feared she would not be believed.

Posted in News | Tagged tessa munt | 6 Comments

LibLink: Tim Farron: Why politicians need to get tech savvy – or get left behind

By NewsHound | Sat 5th July 2014 - 8:53 am

We know that Tim Farron is an early adopter of new technologies. Just look at him on Twitter. He’s written for the Huffington Post about how important it is that policy makers keep up with technological changes. He also outed himself as doing something we’d not really expect of him:

So while catching up with the Margaret Thatcher Conference on Liberty, my ears pricked up during a talk by Joanna Shields, Digital Advisor to the Prime Minister. We live in a world where a three year old can be more

…

Posted in News | Tagged huffington post and tim farron | 4 Comments

LibLink: Tim Farron: Does George Osborne really want to derail the future of our planet?

By NewsHound | Thu 3rd July 2014 - 3:19 pm

Tim Farron was on punchy form when taking on George Osborne’s lack of ambition on climate change in an article in the Independent this week. He did not mince his words:

Osborne’s destructive rationale for overspending on our planned carbon budget is this: without a new strategy agreed, the UK would be ahead of its planned share of emissions cuts within the EU. It can therefore weaken its ambitions and still meet the old targets – there is nothing holding us to the necessary action to tackle

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged carbon budget, climate change, george osborne, independent and tim farron | 9 Comments

LibLink: Danny Alexander: A like-for-like Trident replacement isn’t justifiable in terms of security or cost

By NewsHound | Wed 2nd July 2014 - 8:55 am

Danny Alexander has written for the Guardian in response to yesterday’s Trident Commission report. He continues to make the case that the policy passed at Liberal Democrat Conference last September, which cut the number of submarines was the right one for two reasons.

First of all, we don’t need continuous at sea deterrence because the nature of the world has changed:

During the cold war, there was a credible threat of a surprise massive attack against this country or Nato allies. Our nuclear forces needed to be available within minutes in order to give credibility to our policy of deterrence. This is why we maintained continuous at-sea deterrence; we kept at least one armed submarine on patrol 24/7, 365 days of the year. But the Berlin Wall has been down now for 25 years and the threat of “state on state” attack is much reduced.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged Danny Alexander, nuclear weapons, the guardian and trident | 19 Comments

“The Guardian view on the Lib Dem Orange Book”

By NewsHound | Sat 28th June 2014 - 4:30 pm

As we noted earlier this week, the tenth anniversary of the publication of The Orange Book was marked by a conference hosted by CentreForum on Tuesday. Today The Guardian publishes an editorial reflecting on the book’s impact a decade on. Here’s an excerpt:

The book certainly signalled that the Lib Dems were not – or not only – a party of protest for those who resented tuition fees or the Iraq war. The market-minded emphasis of David Laws, who proposed a social insurance model for the NHS in his essay,

…

Posted in News | Tagged david laws, orange book, paul marshall and the guardian | 13 Comments

LibLink: Jenny Willott – Gender equality is not just for women

By NewsHound | Sat 28th June 2014 - 11:42 am

Jenny Willott has co-written an article at the Huffington Post with Michael Kimmel, a New York Professor of gender equality for the Huffington post. They argue that everybody benefits from a more equal society. They talk about how the evens they attend on gender equality are predominantly female and call on men to do what they can to campaign for equality:

Real equality will only come about with the active involvement of both men and women. The time has come for men to enter this debate, not as outsiders but as

…

Posted in News | 7 Comments

LibLink: Maajid Nawaz on the rise of ISIS and what the UK should do about it

By NewsHound | Sun 22nd June 2014 - 11:25 am

Hampstead and Kilburn PPC Maajid Nawaz has been writing for the Daily Mail in his day job role as Chair of the Quilliam Foundation. He looks at the rise of ISIS, the potential dangers for the UK and how we should respond.

The greatest challenge is how to tackle the growing crisis.

First of all, direct Western military intervention would be extremely unwise in the current climate. That would be the greatest possible clarion call to unite jihadists under the ISIS banner.

Britain has up to 500 citizens

…

Posted in News | 27 Comments

LibLink: Robin Meltzer: Water cannon must not be allowed on the streets of London

By NewsHound | Sun 15th June 2014 - 12:10 pm

Nick Clegg made clear his opposition to the use of water cannon in London the other day on Call Clegg. He said:

Personally I think it rubs up against the long tradition of policing by consent on London’s streets. It creates an embattled sense of how police work and I don’t think it is in keeping with our long tradition.

Now Richmond Park’s Liberal Democrat candidate Robin Meltzer has added his voice to the

…

Posted in News | Tagged civil liberties, london, robin meltzer and water cannon | 14 Comments

LibLink: Norman Lamb: Volunteers play a key role in the health care system

By NewsHound | Thu 12th June 2014 - 2:15 pm

Norman Lamb has been writing for the Eastern Daily Press about the importance of volunteering. He looks at the sorts of things people can do and the difference it makes. He sees spending time with others as a very important part of keeping people healthy.

Last Friday I set off from my constituency office in North Walsham to visit an elderly lady I met through a local volunteering scheme. My job is to take her books from the

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged eastern daily press, health, norman lamb and volunteering | Leave a comment

LibLink: Jeremy Browne – The Lib Dems must define themselves more clearly

By NewsHound | Sun 8th June 2014 - 8:16 am

Former Lib Dem minister, Jeremy Browne, fresh from publishing a book calling for the party to return to ‘authentic liberalism’, has issued a further plea in The Spectator for Lib Dems to get distinctive ahead of the 2015 election. Here’s an excerpt:

The Liberal Democrats will struggle to command support in this marketplace without having a sharp definition. The appeal of cautious centrism is limited. …

Where is the demand for a tepid Milibandism or a watered-down Cameronism? Why buy the low calorie version when the full-flavour

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged jeremy browne and the spectator | 72 Comments

LibLink: Sam Ghibaldan: Clegg needs to be assertive

By NewsHound | Wed 4th June 2014 - 5:51 pm

I’m not going to lie, I bet a lot of you are thinking Sam who? Chances are if you live in Scotland, you’ll be less curious because you will know that he was a Senior Special Adviser to Scottish Liberal Democrat Deputy First Ministers Jim Wallace and Nicol Stephen. As such, his perspective on who the Liberal Democrats should proceed in the run up to the General Election is highly relevant. In a recent Scotsman column, he said that Nick Clegg needs to get out there and shout about our core beliefs.

Some of the headlines faced by Nick Clegg were also seen in Scotland:

Posted in LibLink | Tagged coalition government, jim wallace, liberal democrats, nick clegg, sam ghibaldan and scotsman | 28 Comments

Liblink: Stephen Williams on zero carbon homes by 2016

By NewsHound | Tue 3rd June 2014 - 4:26 pm

The Queen’s speech tomorrow will include a Lib Dem commitment to make every new home built in England from 2016 zero carbon. As Stephen Williams says:

This was one of Nick’s earliest environmental priorities and it has taken the combined guile and will power of Sir Andrew Stunell, Don Foster and myself as well as Nick’s dogged determination to make it a reality.

Posted in News | Tagged featured, stephen williams and zero carbon | 15 Comments

Clegg: I will survive

By NewsHound | Fri 30th May 2014 - 10:01 am

Read the exclusive interview with Nick Clegg on his 'tough week' and his election reaction only in tomorrow's Star pic.twitter.com/1QbK0ZTAEz

— The Star, Sheffield (@SheffieldStar) May 29, 2014

Posted in News | Tagged nick clegg | 40 Comments

LibLink: Danny Alexander: The European Elections are not just a sideshow

By NewsHound | Wed 21st May 2014 - 7:00 pm

Danny Alexander has written for British Influence about the importance of electing MEPs who actually give a damn about making Europe work and making it work better tomorrow.

He compares and contrasts the respective value of UKIP and Liberal Democrat MEPs:

UKIP MEPs have already shown that they are incapable of standing up for Britain in Brussels. Time and again, they have missed crucial votes or opposed key reforms that improve the lives of British citizens. UKIP themselves admit in their manifesto that “we don’t go there to make

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Posted in News | Tagged british influence, Danny Alexander and european elections 2014 | 15 Comments

LibLink: Nick Clegg: UKIP would pull the rug out from under the City

By NewsHound | Wed 21st May 2014 - 11:47 am

In Monday’s Evening Standard, Nick Clegg had this to say about how the diverse, modern capital would be affected if Nigel Farage and UKIP got their way. While Farage’s party offers change, it’s not the sort of change that we want:

But don’t be fooled: it’s change of the worst kind. Behind the crowd-pleasing, pint-swilling banter is a party that wants to turn the clock back. Ukip’s only answer to the complexities of the modern world is pulling up the drawbridge, shunning the outside world and hankering for some

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged london, nick clegg, sarah ludford and the evening standard | 5 Comments

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Author Archives: NewsHound

LibLInk: Lord (Paul) Tyler – Just Deserts?

LibLink: Shirley Williams on a role for Europe in solving the Gaza crisis

LibLink: Tessa Munt – Why I’m boycotting Israeli goods and services

Norman Baker: in profile

“Homeowners could get payout if house values fall” – Nick Clegg on garden cities

LibLink: Norman Baker – I want to see the end of all animal testing

LibLink: Julian Huppert – We can’t tackle revenge porn using existing laws

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Israel must open talks with Hamas

LibLink: Alistair Carmichael – Independence vote is far too important to shun

LibLink: Alex Proud – “If you believe politicians are useless, you’ll end up with useless politicians”

The Right Hon Norman Lamb MP

Baroness Barker: Nicky Morgan’s appointment “disappointing”

LibLink: Stephen Tall: Early stages of Labour

++Ian Swales MP to stand down at next election ‘for personal reasons’

Nick Clegg: £104 million investment is an important day for Hull

Tessa Munt speaks out about being sexually abused as a child

LibLink: Tim Farron: Why politicians need to get tech savvy – or get left behind

LibLink: Tim Farron: Does George Osborne really want to derail the future of our planet?

LibLink: Danny Alexander: A like-for-like Trident replacement isn’t justifiable in terms of security or cost

“The Guardian view on the Lib Dem Orange Book”

LibLink: Jenny Willott – Gender equality is not just for women

LibLink: Maajid Nawaz on the rise of ISIS and what the UK should do about it

LibLink: Robin Meltzer: Water cannon must not be allowed on the streets of London

LibLink: Norman Lamb: Volunteers play a key role in the health care system

LibLink: Jeremy Browne – The Lib Dems must define themselves more clearly

LibLink: Sam Ghibaldan: Clegg needs to be assertive

Liblink: Stephen Williams on zero carbon homes by 2016

Clegg: I will survive

LibLink: Danny Alexander: The European Elections are not just a sideshow

LibLink: Nick Clegg: UKIP would pull the rug out from under the City

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Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

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What’s going on with party strategy?

A strange but welcome feeling

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