Author Archives: NewsHound

Kirsty Williams launches the 2012 Welsh Liberal Democrat campaign

By NewsHound | Tue 17th April 2012 - 2:52 pm

Under the slogan ‘Wales CAN do better’, Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, launched the campaign for the 2012 local government elections in Cardiff yesterday.

I am extremely proud of our record in local councils all across Wales. When you vote for a Welsh Liberal Democrat councillor on May 3rd, you will be voting for a councillor who will work hard for you and your community and a councillor that will go that extra mile.

When people in a local authority put their trust in Welsh Liberal Democrat councillors,

…

Posted in Local government, News and Wales | Tagged kirsty williams, Local government, rodney berman and Wales | 2 Comments

LibLink: Tim Leunig – I’d pay extra to fill my little girl’s paddling pool

By NewsHound | Mon 16th April 2012 - 7:35 am

In the Telegraph, Tim Leunig argues that the hosepipe ban falls unfairly on domestic users, and that there are other ways to use less water:

We are among the 20 million people in southern and eastern England affected by a crude prohibition that falls unfairly and disproportionately on domestic users. Drought orders are about to be extended to the Midlands and the South West. Yet there is a better alternative: why can’t those of us who want to fill up our children’s paddling pools, or turn on

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged hosepipe ban and tim leunig | 33 Comments

LibLink: Pauline Pearce – After the riots, the Liberal Democrats stood by me

By NewsHound | Mon 9th April 2012 - 12:35 pm

As we reported last month, Pauline Pearce – the ‘Hackney Heroine’ – standing as Lib Dem candidate in May’s elections. And last week she explained to The Guardian exactly why she is standing for the party: “because I discovered their commitment to poor communities is genuine”. Here’s an excerpt from Pauline’s article:

I announced earlier this month that I am planning to stand for election as a Liberal Democrat councillor in Hackney, yet I’m still posed a common question by journalists and friends alike: why the Lib Dems? Following the riots, all the major political parties courted me. But when

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged hackney council and pauline pearce | 1 Comment

Clegg faces revolt over ‘putting identity of party at risk’

By NewsHound | Sat 7th April 2012 - 7:24 am

So reads the headline on the front page of today’s Independent, reporting a letter to Tim Farron, Lib Dem party President, revealed here yesterday:

More than 150 Liberal Democrat activists have warned Nick Clegg he could destroy the party’s liberal identity if he backs government plans to allow the authorities to monitor online activity.

The unprecedented grassroots protest, in which some members have threatened to tear up their party cards, will put the Deputy Prime Minister under pressure to extract more concessions from David Cameron over the controversial “Big Brother” proposals.

You can read Tim Farron’s reply to the letter …

Posted in News | Tagged interception modernisation programme | 8 Comments

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Don’t dally, I want big money out of politics fast

By NewsHound | Mon 2nd April 2012 - 1:54 pm

Writing in yesterday’s Sunday Times (£), Nick Clegg says:

Politics in this country was left in the gutter by the expenses scandal of the last parliament. Even with this government’s ambitious programme of political reform, it will take a long time for us to climb out. Unless we reform our discredited and distrusted system of party funding, we may never restore that public confidence and trust that is the lifeblood of our democracy.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged party funding | 42 Comments

LibLink: Norman Lamb – Business can be a powerful force for good

By NewsHound | Sat 31st March 2012 - 9:50 pm

Over at PoliticsHome, Lib Dem business minister Norman Lamb says business can be a powerful force for good in society, and insists responsible practice is central to his vision. Here’s an excerpt:

Business is not just about turning a profit and creating wealth. It can, and should also be a powerful force for good in our society. Through responsible behaviour, business can help regenerate communities, develop people’s skills, and produce the innovative products and services that improve our wellbeing.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged norman lamb | 6 Comments

LibLink: The Lib Dems’ policy shortage

By NewsHound | Fri 30th March 2012 - 12:06 pm

Lib Dem Voice’s ubiquitous co-editor, Mark Pack, has been writing for Total Politics.

He says:

Performers who make the leap from stage show to the TV very often run into a simple problem: TV eats up material at a fearsome rate. A stage show can be repeated around the country for months with only a few tweaks as events or audience feedback requires it. TV, however, requires completely new material each week.

A similar problem has befallen the Liberal Democrats when it comes to policy. In opposition sticking to saying only a few things repeatedly was an advantage;

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged Mark Pack and policy making | 9 Comments

Federal Policy Committee welcomes careful thinkers

By NewsHound | Tue 27th March 2012 - 9:53 am

It is almost certainly a complete coincidence but, having published some thoughts on how the Party might develop policy in future, news reaches us that Federal Policy Committee are looking for volunteers (Party members only, I’m afraid) to form Policy Working Groups on the following subjects;

One might almost suspect that work on the 2015 Manifesto has begun…

For an application form for these working groups, please contact the Party’s Policy Unit on 020 7340 4989, or e-mail lucymcdonaldlibdemsorguk.

The deadline for applications is …

Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged federal policy committee | 6 Comments

Tax controversy and flash cars – that’s life in the modern Labour Party

By NewsHound | Thu 22nd March 2012 - 10:25 am

We’ve heard lots about Labour mayoral candidate “Red Ken” Livingstone’s tax affairs recently, as this Telegraph article reports.

Then we have Labour leader Ed Miliband turn up in a Rolls Royce to a football match. Leaving aside the clear communications ineptitude about his diary for that day, it’s not the best look for the leader of a party which claims to be all about social justice.

Especially when he has such a strong record of standing up to rich and powerful media moguls whose operations are under investigation at the moment.

Posted in News | Tagged ed miliband, ken livingstone, labour party and tax mayoral election | 2 Comments

‘Quad’ finalises Budget details

By NewsHound | Mon 19th March 2012 - 6:20 pm

PoliticsHome reports:

The Prime Minister and Chancellor have held final meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander to finalise the Budget.

Footage of the meeting of the ‘quad’ was released this afternoon amid reports that the Chancellor will scrap the 50p top rate of tax from next year and replace it with a new 45p rate.

George Osborne hopes the new rate, which will take effect from April 2013, will raise more money and encourage

…

Posted in News | Tagged budget | 15 Comments

LibLink: Mark Pack – I was wrong about the Budget

By NewsHound | Mon 19th March 2012 - 5:50 pm

Writing over on his work blog, Lib Dem Voice’s Mark Pack withdraws one Budget prediction and offers us three others instead:

Cunning negotiating strategy or basic mistake? Whatever the view you have of the tax motion at Liberal Democrat conference and Stephen Williams’s speech moving it, my interpretation of it was wrong.

Far from signalling the determination of the party’s leadership to see the 50p tax rate remain, it was in fact a sideshow and the rate will go. A kind interpretation is that standing by the 50p rate so publicly was part of a negotiating strategy to extract greater concessions

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged budget and Mark Pack | 3 Comments

‘Osborne to reduce Top rate of tax to 45p’

By NewsHound | Mon 19th March 2012 - 8:23 am

From the Telegraph:

The 50p top rate of income tax will be scrapped next year under plans to be unveiled in this week’s Budget…George Osborne, the Chancellor, will say that the tax is undermining the British economy by deterring investors and entrepreneurs.

It will be replaced with a 45p rate from April 2013, which Treasury officials believe will raise more money because fewer people will avoid it.

By the time of the election Mr Osborne hopes to scrap the higher rate entirely, with Britain’s highest earners paying 40p in the pound.

The decision is likely to prove highly controversial and will be attacked

…

Posted in News | Tagged tax | 19 Comments

LibLink: Cllr Alex Folkes takes on the tobacco industry

By NewsHound | Fri 16th March 2012 - 2:56 pm

On the Local Government Association blog, Cllr Alex Folkes writes:

At a time when all councils are trying to save money, why should an authority be funding both sides of an expensive battle? That’s the case in Cornwall, and many other councils, in terms of the tobacco industry.

On the one hand, in our public health role, we have a duty to work to cut smoking rates. On the other we have pension funds, which are invested for the benefit of our former and current staff and for which members are trustees

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged cornwall council and tobacco | 1 Comment

LibLink: Mark Pack – Public Budget disagreements are far better than the secretive norm

By NewsHound | Fri 16th March 2012 - 2:33 pm

Writing for Total Politics, The Voice’s Mark Pack welcomes public arguments over the Budget:

What would you do if you have a really important set of decisions to make? Decisions that will have a direct impact on the lives of millions of people, on the future of the country and – although of course you are too saintly to think of this – on your own future career prospects.

Locking yourself away in secret and deciding all the key decisions on your own before presenting them to the rest of the world as a fait accompli is not the route you will

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged budget and Mark Pack | 6 Comments

LibLink: Nick Thornsby – The coalition was the best option in May 2010, and it’s the best option now

By NewsHound | Sat 10th March 2012 - 2:58 pm

Over at the New Statesman, Lib Dem blogger and Voice day editor Nick Thornsby has a piece setting out why he thinks the arguments for going into coalition remain as strong today as in May 2010.

Here’s an excerpt:

A coalition with Labour and a number of the smaller parties in Parliament was never a serious proposition, both because of the numerical difficulties and because of Labour’s intransigence. In hindsight it’s clear that most in the Labour party weren’t interested in joining a coalition. They’d rather be in opposition.

A confidence and supply arrangement was another option, but in my view those who

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged coalition | 2 Comments

Clegg hint on child benefit changes

By NewsHound | Mon 5th March 2012 - 9:18 am

From PoliticsHome:

Nick Clegg indicated this morning the Government was ready to back down new rules on child benefit.

Speaking to BBC News this morning, the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged there were “anomalies” with two lower-rate payers still able to receive the benefit, and that was “the kind of thing that we’ve always said we’re prepared to look at”.

Chancellor George Osborne is expected to reveal in his forthcoming Budget that the cut-off threshold for receiving the payment will start at £50,000, rather than the £42,475 originally planned.

Posted in News | Tagged child benefit | 6 Comments

Vince Cable defies Tories to to appoint Professor Les Ebdon as university access tsar

By NewsHound | Mon 20th February 2012 - 3:31 pm

From the Telegraph:

Prof Les Ebdon will take up the key role as director of the Office for Fair Access later this year, charged with ensuring that working-class students are not deterred by tuition fees of up to £9,000, the Business Secretary announced.

Leading Tories, including Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, were said to be unhappy at Prof Ebdon’s appointment after he threatened universities with “nuclear” penalties if they missed targets for widening their student intake.

He has also criticised the “patchy” record of leading Russell Group institutions at increasing the number of students they take from state schools and

…

Posted in News | Tagged student finance | 8 Comments

LibLink: James Plunkett – Budget 2012: 20 minutes in, 1-0 Team Clegg

By NewsHound | Mon 13th February 2012 - 12:25 pm

Over at the New Statesman, James Plunkett, who is leading the Resolution Foundation’s Commission on Living standards, looks at what we’ve learned from the recent interventions by Nick Clegg (pushing for a £10k income tax threshold to help the lowest-paid) and Danny Alexander (urging this be paid for by ending higher-rate pension relief) — and what those interventions might mean for George Osborne’s budget this March…

If there’s one thing Alexander’s intervention confirms it’s this: the key question for the 2012 Budget is no longer whether the Lib Dems will get anything on personal allowances but how the next

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged Danny Alexander, james plunkett, nick clegg, pensions and tax cuts (Lib Dem) | 3 Comments

LibLink: what to look out for at Lib Dem Spring Conference

By NewsHound | Sat 11th February 2012 - 12:00 pm

The Voice’s Mark Pack has a post over at Total Politics, discussing the issues likely to dominate the upcoming Lib Dem Spring Conference in Gateshead.

The first thing to note, says Mark, is that some of the most contentious political issues of recent weeks such as the reforms to the NHS and to the welfare system don’t appear on the conference agenda as it was drawn up some time ago:

There is a slot for emergency and topical issues to cover this eventuality, but with only time for one motion, not all of the controversies can be aired. Unless a

…

Posted in Conference and LibLink | Tagged Gateshead 2012 Conference, health and social care bill, Mark Pack, NHS, total politics and welfare reform | Leave a comment

LibLink: how to achieve digital nirvana – inbox zero – by Mark Pack

By NewsHound | Fri 10th February 2012 - 4:08 pm

The Voice’s Mark Pack has published some useful tips on how to get to where every busy Parliamentarian, councillor, candidate and activist wants to be – Inbox Zero.

They include such gems as:

3. Stop using your inbox as a substitute for filing

Quite often there will be an email you have read, responded to but do not want to forget quiet yet. Perhaps you have made an order and don’t want to bury away the confirmation until the goods arrive. That is fine — but do not use your inbox for that. Create a “pending” folder to hold these interim messages.

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged Mark Pack | 2 Comments

£1.5 billion needed to sort out Labour’s PFI mess

By NewsHound | Mon 6th February 2012 - 1:54 pm

The Guardian reports:

Seven hospital trusts struggling with crippling private finance initiative debts are to receive £1.5bn in emergency funding from the government to help them avoid cutting patient services to pay their bills.

The Department of Health is making the £1.5bn available – in grants, not loans – to the seven hospital trusts in England with some of the heaviest PFI debts through a “stability” fund. Trusts will be able to use the money to meet PFI repayments, rather than their usual budgets, as long as they meet four conditions set out by the department.

The move will help trusts such

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Posted in News | Tagged andrew lansley, NHS and pfi | 1 Comment

LibLink: Mr Clegg Goes to Peterbrook

By NewsHound | Sun 29th January 2012 - 5:55 pm

We’ve not often LibLinked through to the ‘Breaking News’ section of Peterbrook Primary School’s website. In fact we never have before. But their report of Nick Clegg’s visit, alongside local Solihull MP Lorely Burt, deserves a wide audience, and here’s a snippet:

Together with Solihull M.P Lorely Burt and an entourage of press and media broadcasters, Mr. Clegg came from London to see us so that we could share with him our curriculum developments using ‘Pupil Premium’ funding to support the learning and personal development needs of all pupils, with a specific focus at times, on those pupils who are eligible

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged lorely burt, nick clegg, pupil premium, schools and solihull | 3 Comments

Lib Dem Councillor Amy Kitcher shows the compassionate side of politics

By NewsHound | Sun 29th January 2012 - 11:00 am

A touching story epitomising the compassionate side of politics reaches The Voice via Dominic Hannigan:

Prompted by Merthyr councillor Amy Kitcher, wellwishers from all over the borough have come to the aid of Paul Thomas, who was living in a flat in conditions he described as a “living nightmare”.

And the dad-of-two, who is battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, admits that, if it wasn’t for the help of local people, he might even have considered taking his own life.

“If it wasn’t for Amy Kitcher and if I wasn’t such a strong person, I could be dead by now,” the 34-year-old

…

Posted in News | Tagged armed forces | Leave a comment

Vince Cable announces measures to combat excess executive pay

By NewsHound | Mon 23rd January 2012 - 5:20 pm

PoliticsHome reports:

Vince Cable has unveiled a raft of measures to combat excess executive pay, including binding votes for shareholders and a ‘clawback’ of salaries of failed bosses.

In a surprise move, the Business Secretary told MPs one day earlier than expected that the Government will require firms to provide a single figure for each director’s pay.

Dr Cable admitted is was “not the Government’s role” to micro-manage company pay but there were steps that could be taken to tackle the “clear market failure”.

Setting out the measures, he said: “First greater transparency so that what people are paid is clear and

…

Posted in News | Tagged boardroom pay | 13 Comments

Vince Cable to boost shareholder power over boardroom pay

By NewsHound | Mon 23rd January 2012 - 12:54 pm

PoliticsHome reports:

Vince Cable will tomorrow announce shareholders are to be given binding votes on boardroom pay. A Written Ministerial Statement from the Business Secretary lays out plans for a legally enforceable veto on future pay arrangements for executives. But shareholders will not be able to vote down bonuses already awarded, and the Government has stopped short of giving employees seats on remuneration committees.

You can read a full report on this on the FT website, which requires registration.

Posted in News | Tagged boardroom pay | Leave a comment

LibDem MEP retains influential European economic role

By NewsHound | Thu 19th January 2012 - 8:24 pm

Darren Ennis on MHP reports good news for the UK from the European Parliament:

British Liberal Democrat Sharon Bowles is expected to keep her role as chair of the European Parliament’s influential economic and monetary affairs committee, MHP Sources Say.

Despite winning cross-party praise for her increasingly high profile role during the economic downturn, Bowles risked losing the coveted position following British Prime Minister David Cameron’s EU veto and the decision by her UK Liberal Democrat colleague Diana Wallis to stand in this week’s election of a new President of the European Parliament.

Wallis infuriated Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt by standing as an independent, putting at risk a political pact he had negotiated with the Parliament’s two largest groups – the centre-right EPP and the Socialists – designed to keep Bowles as head of the Parliament’s most important committee.

Posted in News | Tagged economics and european parliament | 11 Comments

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Author Archives: NewsHound

Kirsty Williams launches the 2012 Welsh Liberal Democrat campaign

LibLink: Tim Leunig – I’d pay extra to fill my little girl’s paddling pool

LibLink: Pauline Pearce – After the riots, the Liberal Democrats stood by me

Clegg faces revolt over ‘putting identity of party at risk’

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Don’t dally, I want big money out of politics fast

LibLink: Norman Lamb – Business can be a powerful force for good

LibLink: The Lib Dems’ policy shortage

Federal Policy Committee welcomes careful thinkers

Tax controversy and flash cars – that’s life in the modern Labour Party

‘Quad’ finalises Budget details

LibLink: Mark Pack – I was wrong about the Budget

‘Osborne to reduce Top rate of tax to 45p’

LibLink: Cllr Alex Folkes takes on the tobacco industry

LibLink: Mark Pack – Public Budget disagreements are far better than the secretive norm

LibLink: Nick Thornsby – The coalition was the best option in May 2010, and it’s the best option now

Clegg hint on child benefit changes

Vince Cable defies Tories to to appoint Professor Les Ebdon as university access tsar

LibLink: James Plunkett – Budget 2012: 20 minutes in, 1-0 Team Clegg

LibLink: how to achieve digital nirvana – inbox zero – by Mark Pack

£1.5 billion needed to sort out Labour’s PFI mess

LibLink: Mr Clegg Goes to Peterbrook

Lib Dem Councillor Amy Kitcher shows the compassionate side of politics

Vince Cable announces measures to combat excess executive pay

Vince Cable to boost shareholder power over boardroom pay

LibDem MEP retains influential European economic role

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A strange but welcome feeling

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