Author Archives: NewsHound

NewsHound

LibLink: Paris Gourtsoyannis – Why I still agree with Nick… sort of

By NewsHound | Fri 17th September 2010 - 8:45 pm

Paris Gourtsoyannis was editor of the Journal, a newspaper serving Edinburgh’s higher education institutions, last year, and is a Lib Dem supporter. In an article for the paper, Paris sets out reasons for continuing to back Nick Clegg and his party — here’s an excerpt:

You only have to listen to the chatter from the right of the Conservative party to understand the effect that the Liberal Democrats are having on the government. Crusty relics like Norman Tebbit and John Redwood speak for the silent majority in rural Conservative safe seats, and they’re aren’t happy. That makes me happy: it’s one

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NewsHound

LibLink: Stephen Gilbert – Why we must be fighting for full same sex marriage equality now

By NewsHound | Thu 9th September 2010 - 6:13 pm

Over at Pink News, Lib Dem MP for St Austell & Newquay Stephen Gilbert writes in support of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) marriage equality and explains why LGBT rights organisations should be fighting for marriage equality now. Here’s an excerpt:

As a society we have set a standard for people who want to show they are in a committed relationship, for people who want to show that they have found love and wish to remain together until death do them part. We call it marriage. Why should we deny that institution to people who wish to show that commitment

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NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg & David Cameron – We will not budge on voting reforms

By NewsHound | Sun 5th September 2010 - 1:14 pm

Over at the Sunday Telegraph, David Cameron and Nick Clegg have jointly penned an article marking the start of the new political year by re-asserting the Coalition’s determination to reform British politics. Here’s an excerpt:

We came together to change our country for the better in every way. And as we go about fixing our economy, society and political system, our government’s purpose will be to make two major shifts in our national life.

First, our decisions will be taken with eyes fixed firmly on the long-term. This is a horizon shift for government, moving away from short-term obsessions towards investment in

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NewsHound

LibLink: John Hemming – How the IFS got it wrong in calling the budget regressive

By NewsHound | Sat 4th September 2010 - 4:25 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website, Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley John Hemming argues that the Institute for Fiscal Studies made a number of mistakes in its analysis of the Coalition’s budget plans. Here’s an excerpt:

Labour politicians seized on an Institute for Fiscal Studies report last month which described the emergency budget as “clearly regressive”. Unfortunately, some of the IFS’s conclusions and the reporting of them were misleading and inaccurate. … the IFS has made a number of important errors in its report, which tends to exaggerate the effect of the cuts on the poorest households.

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NewsHound

LibLink: Evan Harris – The relevance of a doctor’s religion

By NewsHound | Fri 27th August 2010 - 7:45 am

Over at the Guardian’s Comment is Free website, former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris argues that it’s misleading to say atheist doctors are ‘more likely to hasten death’, and asserts that the real issue is adequate patient consultation. Here’s an excerpt:

Read in isolation, the headline of the Guardian’s report into newly published research on doctors’ attitudes and behaviour (“Atheist doctors ‘more likely to hasten death'”) might lead you to think that there are a bunch of humanist physicians poised, with potassium chloride-filled syringes, over the bedside of sick patients. However, the article itself informed us that the problem did not

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NewsHound

Liblink: Nick Clegg on fairness, the Budget and the IFS report

By NewsHound | Thu 26th August 2010 - 9:53 am

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, writing in today’s Financial Times (free registration required), champions the government’s commitment to fairness and explains why he believes yesterday’s IFS report is asking the wrong questions.

Fairness is about every child getting the chance they deserve, regardless of their background. Poverty and deprivation matter enormously but fairness also demands that what counts is not the school you went to, the jobs your parents did, or the colour of your skin but your ability to move beyond the circumstances of your birth.

…there is a bigger problem with the analysis: it measures the impact of

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NewsHound

LibLink: James Graham – Lib Dems must agree to publicly disagree

By NewsHound | Tue 24th August 2010 - 4:29 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website, Lib Dem blogger James Graham argues that Nick Clegg needs to admit the party’s economic differences with the Tories in public – the alternative, he warns, is that the Coalition will become rudderless. Here’s an excerpt:

That the government is embarking on a programme of deep cuts is not in question; but nobody seems to be able to explain what it is all for. The coalition can’t explain because, frankly, the coalition can’t agree. That’s why the government’s “vision” has been dominated by empty flannel such as the “big society”, which can

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NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Judge us on five years, not 100 days

By NewsHound | Wed 18th August 2010 - 8:45 pm

Over at The Observer at the weekend, Nick Clegg anticipated this week’s Coalition anniversary with an article setting out some of the Government’s achievements to date, but stressing that the Lib Dems and our Conservative partners are in it for the long haul:

A coalition can only work if it is upfront about the differences between the two parties and explicit about the partnership it is seeking to create. It requires collective decision-making and a high level of candour as two different parties seek to govern together. … our painstakingly negotiated programme for coalition government all about a five-year plan

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NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg – My vision for a new political map and voting system

By NewsHound | Tue 17th August 2010 - 7:45 pm

Acting Prime Minister… are we allowed to call him that? No, okay then: Holding the Fort Prime Minister Nick Clegg has an article in today’s London Evening Standard setting out how he thinks the way in which people vote can be improved by the next general election, in 2015.

He looks at three issues. First, Nick notes the current unfairness that unequal constituency sizes mean that the votes of 87,000 voters in the East Ham constituency are worth less than the 66,000 voters living 10 miles away in Islington North: “So, if you live in Islington, your voice counts for more.” …

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NewsHound

LibLink: THE shock of election night

By NewsHound | Thu 12th August 2010 - 12:20 pm

The BBC have an interview with Ian Swales, the Redcar MP who turned a 12,000 Labour majority into a 5,000 one for the Lib Dems.

The interview may not be the toughest he’ll face, but it covers the throny issue of a Lib Dem MP in coalition with the Conservatives but representing a traditionally Labour area.

But what about the thousands of traditional Labour voters who defected to him last May?

I didn’t find it too tricky last May to find Swales supporters who felt they hadn’t voted for him to see the Tories in government.

Equally, I found others prepared

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NewsHound

LibLink: Vernon Bogdanor – Change the voting system, change the UK

By NewsHound | Tue 10th August 2010 - 8:15 pm

Vernon Bogdanor, professor of government at the University of Oxford, and David Cameron’s tutor at Brasenose College, looks at the alternative vote referendum in an article in today’s Financial Times, and suggests it could have far-reaching consequences. But first he points out the Alice in Wonderland politics of the referendum:

The Lib Dems, who favour true proportional representation, now back a system that can yield even more disproportional outcomes than first-past-the-post. Labour, the only party to propose a referendum on AV in its manifesto, will oppose the bill providing for it. The Conservatives will oppose change, but in muted fashion, since

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NewsHound

Wallace: “We were the responsible party”

By NewsHound | Tue 3rd August 2010 - 1:15 pm

There’s an interesting interview today in the Scottish herald with former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Jim Wallace, assessing the party’s prospects ahead of next May’s Holyrood elections. Here are some snippets …

On the Scottish Lib Dem experience of power-sharing:

We were told in 1999 when we entered coalition in Scotland with Labour we were going to get whacked and it didn’t happen. We’re not going to sit back. We’ve got an election campaign to fight and we will have to fight it on explaining why we have done things.”

On the UK Coalition between the Lib Dems and Conservatives:

I don’t think people

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Posted in Scotland | 13 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: John Kampfner – Yes, I feel queasy. But I don’t regret backing the Lib Dems

By NewsHound | Mon 2nd August 2010 - 11:45 am

Back in March, former editor of the New Statesman and current Chief Executive of the Index of Censorship John Kampfner publicly came out as a Lib Dem supporter – as reported by Lib Dem Voice here. Fast forward five months, does he have any regrets?

Doubts – yes, citing the Lib Dems’ failure to gain credit for Ken Clarke’s liberalising justice reforms, and the Tories’ zeal for austerity:

… in spite of various opportunities to do so, I have not repudiated my original decision. For sure, a number of attributes and decisions of this coalition government have left me feeling

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NewsHound

LibLink: James Graham – Labour’s accusations of gerrymandering are self-defeating

By NewsHound | Sat 31st July 2010 - 6:20 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website earlier this week, Lib Dem blogger James Graham dismissed Jack Straw’s overblown accusations that the Coalition is ‘gerrymandering’, and urged the voting reform bill to receive the more serious scrutiny it deserves. Here’s an excerpt:

Every time a Labour politician uses the word “gerrymandering” a puppy dies. … Gerrymandering is the act of deliberately fixing a boundary in order to give a political party an unfair advantage. Yet the proposed changes will not to lead to any more political interference in the boundary review process. …

One of the main effects of the

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NewsHound

LibLink: the worst kind of gerrymandering in the world?

By NewsHound | Thu 29th July 2010 - 11:03 am

Writing in the Guardian, Martin Kettle isn’t wholly impressed with Labour’s approach to reform.

It tells you something about today’s Labour party that it is no longer willing to go into the parliamentary lobbies in September to advance the equality of representation for which the Chartists campaigned. Instead it will enter the lobbies with the opposite goals. It aims to block a reform that would equalise parliamentary constituencies. And it seeks to protect an unequal status quo of over-empowered smaller seats of which Labour is the main beneficiary. It will do this, moreover, in the

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LibLink: Phil Willis – We must re-think the role of universities if we want to produce a world-class workforce

By NewsHound | Wed 28th July 2010 - 12:25 pm

Former Lib Dem MP, Phil Willis – or Baron Willis of Knaresborough to give him his full title – has penned a piece for the Yorkshire Post arguing that now is the time for a radical re-think about the role and function of our universities and how they could be re-engineered to provide a world-class workforce to deliver world-class goods and services to a global economy. Until his retirement from the Commons, of course, Phil was chairman of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee.

He has some tough things to say about the Coalition’s emergency budget:

The emergency Budget,

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NewsHound

LibLink: Simon Hughes – Ten weeks that have revitalised politics

By NewsHound | Mon 26th July 2010 - 3:15 pm

(In fact, it’s almost 11 weeks now, as the Voice inadvertently missed the Lib Dem deputy leader’s article when it first appeared …)

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website last week, Simon Hughes launched a vigorous defence of the Coalition Government and its initial achievements … especially the Lib Dem ones. Here’s an excerpt:

In the last 10 weeks we have seen three refreshing changes in the politics of Britain. There has been change from a government which had lost direction and run out of steam, to a government clear about its direction and full of energy. There has been

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NewsHound

LibLink: Paul Burstow – We can democratise health service

By NewsHound | Mon 26th July 2010 - 9:20 am

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website last week, Lib Dem minister of state for health Paul Burstow vigorously defended the Coalition’s health white paper, arguing it frames one overriding principle for the NHS – focusing on what people want, not what politicians prescribe. Here’s an excerpt:

Our consultation, Local democratic legitimacy in health, is a grand title for a simple question: how do we ensure the NHS better serves and accounts to the public for the money it spends and the results it achieves? In other words, how does the government’s localism agenda fit the NHS? …

Last year

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NewsHound

LibLink: Mark Pack – Why AV reform would still be a big improvement on Westminster

By NewsHound | Wed 14th July 2010 - 7:35 pm

Over at the Liberal Conspiracy website, LDV Co-Editor Mark Pack takes a look at the proposed new electoral system, the alternative vote, and points out some of the welcome behavioural changes it might exert on British political culture. Here’s an excerpt:

What really interests me about AV is the change in political culture it can bring about. … Under preferential voting most candidates hoping to win most of the time have to have an eye on appealing to the second preferences of those who cast a first preference for another party. That imposes a significant burden on the style of politics

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LibLink: Clarke fleshes out liberal line on prison

By NewsHound | Wed 14th July 2010 - 1:20 pm

Commentators on Lib Dem Voice are starting to get used to being in agreement with government ministers – sometimes even the Conservative ones.

Such an event occured yesterday, when Ken Clarke spoke to judges at the annual Mansion House Dinner, making the same argument made here a couple of weeks ago.

Crime has fallen in Britain throughout a period of both rising prison populations and throughout the same period of economic growth, with strong employment levels and rising living standards.

“No-one can prove cause and effect. The crime rate fell but was this the consequence of the policies of my successors

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NewsHound

LibLink: Julian Astle – How Lib Dems are being defamed

By NewsHound | Tue 13th July 2010 - 6:45 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website, the director of liberal think-tank Centre Forum, Julian Astle, gives a personal take on what it’s like as a Lib Dem to be taunted as a Tory by Labour’s “deficit deniers”, and parises the Coalition measures he believes should cheer all progressives. Here’s an excerpt:

Deficit denial may have its advantages if you are an opposition politician vying for the leadership of your party. Take that denial into government, however, and the consequences would be catastrophic. … The uncomfortable truth is that, to bring in a lot of money, governments have no

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NewsHound

LibLink: Nick Clegg & David Cameron – We’ll transform Britain by giving power away

By NewsHound | Mon 12th July 2010 - 11:20 am

The Pirme Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, have jointly authored an article in today’s Telegraph setting out their hopes for the coming Parliament. Dealing with the deficit is vital, they say – but the real mission of the Coalition is to give people control over their lives.

On dealing with the deficit:

… for both of us, sorting out the public finances is a responsibility, not a passion. We didn’t come into politics just to balance the books. We are both ambitious for Britain: we want to change our country for the better. We want to

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LibLink: Edward McMillan-Scott – AV is not the only vote

By NewsHound | Mon 5th July 2010 - 3:45 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment is Free website, former Conservative, now Liberal Democrat, MEP Edward McMillan-Scott argues there should be a third option in the coming referendum on electoral reform – the single transferable vote. Here’s an excerpt:

I understand that the Electoral Reform Society and senior Liberal Democrats have concluded that the alternative vote option presented in the coalition agreement is the best that can be achieved at this stage and that any discussion on the issue will cloud the debate. …

Single party advantage has no part to play in what amounts to a change of constitutional significance. Westminster has

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LibLink: Chris Huhne and Vince Cable – The green economy is still viable

By NewsHound | Mon 5th July 2010 - 9:45 am

Over at The Independent today, Lib Dem cabinet ministers Vince Cable and Chris Huhne argue that the Coalition Government’s plans to set up a Green Investment Bank, announced in the Budget, are of huge significance for establishing a successful green economy in this country. Here’s an excerpt:

… there is much to be decided about how this might work. Bob Wigley’s comprehensive review of the issue, published last week, sets out one possible model – a commercially independent bank given clear overarching goals for green investment in new technologies and infrastructure. Innovative green financial products could give an opportunity for individuals,

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LibLink: Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander on the Budget

By NewsHound | Sun 27th June 2010 - 9:19 am

Writing in The Observer Danny Alexander says,

Labour’s approach of denial and complacency would bring higher interest rates, fewer jobs, less growth, more debt. It exposes us to much greater risks of financial irresponsibility – being forced by others to cut harder, with less care and control. That is the position of some European countries – it must never be Britain’s. There is nothing progressive about the consequences of denial and delay.

The coalition has chosen responsibility. We are restoring order to the nation’s finances, credibility to our position internationally, and confidence in our economy that is essential for growth. Having chosen

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LibLink: Lib Dems back cuts to reinvent the state, not to reduce it – Julian Astle

By NewsHound | Sat 26th June 2010 - 4:20 pm

Julian Astle, a Director of CentreForum, has an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph about the party’s attitude towards the state and cuts:

There aren’t many Liberal Democrats who went into politics to shrink the state. It is true that many Liberals, like Conservatives, are sceptical about the ability of big, centralised bureaucracies even to function efficiently, let alone bring about social and economic change. But this scepticism leads them to policy conclusions quite distinct from those advocated by small-government Tories.

The primary goal for Liberals is not to reduce public spending per se, but to devolve public spending and other decisions to

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LibLink: Mike Tuffrey on London air quality

By NewsHound | Thu 24th June 2010 - 8:43 pm

London Assembly member Mike Tuffrey has been writing for The Guardian about Britain’s poor record on air quality:

Your report on Britain being given a second and final warning by theEuropean commission to clean up the capital’s air (Clean up! Europe warns Britain, 4 June) quoted a spokesman for the mayor of Londonsaying that his air quality strategy will help to “address the concerns that triggered this legal action”. I am far from convinced.

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LibLink: Vince on the budget

By NewsHound | Wed 23rd June 2010 - 12:20 pm

Vince Cable writes in today’s Guardian with his thoughts on the emergency budget.

It should be no surprise that this is such a tough budget. Last summer, in pamphlets and speeches, Nick Clegg and I both prepared the ground for these difficult choices…

Now, to put it bluntly, Britain is much poorer than we thought we were two years ago but we have public spending levels that assume we are richer…

For me a key test of the budget is whether it is fair as well as tough. The budget is shot through with commitments my party fought for: a £1,000 rise

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LibLink: Cllr Richard Kemp on the Lib Dem Local Government conference

By NewsHound | Mon 21st June 2010 - 1:07 pm

Lib Dem councillors had their annual conference this week within the confines of Local Government House in Smith Square, London. Co-hosted by ALDC and the Lib Dem LGA group, the conference pulls together colleagues from across the country with our parliamentary team. This year, of course, our parliamentary colleagues have joined many thousands of Lib Dem councillors in actually being in charge of running things. Normally our councillors are more experienced at holding the reins of power than our MPs.

Cllr Richard Kemp has written a review for Total Politics:

Nick pulled no punches in telling us how difficult the decisions

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LibLink: of Tebbit, c*nts and Clegg

By NewsHound | Thu 17th June 2010 - 5:59 pm

Another great blog post from former Tory MP Jerry Hayes over at Think Politics.

Jerry touches on the way the Conservative blue rinse brigade have been a little left behind

It will be some time before the Colonel and Mrs Mads who run the coffee mornings and shepherd’s pie evenings in the Shires will fully come to terms with it all

Then pops up with a rather nice Norman Tebbit anecdote

”You, you little cu*t. I saw you on tv last night asking the government to spend more on pensioners and the Health Service”.

And finishes it off with some remarkably kind …

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