Author Archives: Newsmoggie

Independent: Liberal Democrats’ “major and under-rated contribution” to Budget success

By Newsmoggie | Sat 22nd March 2014 - 9:20 am

Yesterday’s Independent editorial had some very complimentary things to say about the Liberal Democrats’ influence on the Budget:

It is widely said that George Osborne had a decent Budget this week, aided in no small part by Ed Miliband’s curiously weak response. But the Liberal Democrats, as has frequently been the case during this parliament, made a major and underrated contribution to its success.

Posted in News | Tagged budget, Danny Alexander, steve webb and the independent | 5 Comments

LibLink: Danny Alexander: We ignored siren voices in the Tory party on 40p tax rate to give £100 tax cut for all

By Newsmoggie | Wed 19th March 2014 - 8:31 pm

To write for the Mail once might be considered unfortunate. To do so twice in three days has to be considered careless. Mind you, Lady Bracknell would no doubt have read that paper.

Danny Alexander follows on from Sunday’s article with this piece on how the Liberal Democrats stopped the Tories from confining tax cuts to the rich alone. First, a little differentiation:

We’ve forced it onto the agenda at every Autumn Statement and Budget and by April this year will have delivered a tax cut worth £700 to 25 million working people.

Posted in LibLink | Tagged budget 2014 and daily mail. danny alexander | 15 Comments

Rose Garden love in “sick inducing” but necessary says Julia Goldsworthy

By Newsmoggie | Mon 17th March 2014 - 4:15 pm

In an interview in yesterday’s Independent on Sunday, Julia Goldsworthy, former MP for Falmouth and Camborne and ex Special Adviser to Danny Alexander, had this to say about the Rose Garden love-in on the day the Coalition was formed:

I sat at home watching Nick and David in their first press conference in the Rose Garden. I think probably for a lot of political activists it was quite sick-inducing, but it was absolutely necessary because of the economy and national interest. Coalition was a fairly new thing to get our heads around. It was fairly important to demonstrate that this was a relationship that could work. It was fairly important to ham it up at the start, to show that this was something that was going to last.

Posted in News | Tagged independent on sunday and julia goldsworthy | 38 Comments

Clegg acts to ensure opportunities for all young people

By Newsmoggie | Thu 27th February 2014 - 12:19 pm

Nick Clegg is spending today announcing new initiatives to help young people with their career choices by improving career advice in schools, allowing job centre plus to give advice to 16 and 17 year olds and to improve opportunities for work experience. There will be a UCAS style “one-stop shop” to help those young people.

From today’s Independent:

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, will pledge to “end the snobbery surrounding vocational education” that limits the prospects of those who do not go to university, and promise them “an equal shot” by helping them to make the right choice after taking

…

Posted in News | Tagged bbc breakfast, rbs, young people and youth unemployment | 4 Comments

LibLink: Stephen Tall: What Clegg was really up to last week

By Newsmoggie | Wed 26th February 2014 - 8:55 am

In his regular Conservative Home column, Liberal Democrat Voice co-editor Stephen Tall looked at the rationale behind two things that Nick Clegg had done last week, the debate challenge to Farage and his comments on Steve Richards’ programme which were interpreted as showing willing for a coalition with Labour.

So what does Stephen think it’s all about. Firstly, about getting the best deal in 2015 if there’s another hung Parliament:

In part, he’s preparing the ground for what may be. In part, he’s reaching out to those 2010 Lib Dem voters who’ve peeled off to Labour. And in part, he’s laying down

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged 2015 general election, conservative home, david cameron, ed miliband, nick clegg, nigel garage and stephen tall | 13 Comments

Two Liberal Democrats on holiday together. They MUST be plotting to overthrow Nick Clegg

By Newsmoggie | Sun 23rd February 2014 - 4:13 pm

Today’s Mail on Sunday has a story which reaches all sorts of wild conclusions from a few raw facts. Of course you could argue that that’s the rule for virtually all stories in that publication. And you’d be right.

The headline screams: Cable holds “secret ski summit” in French Alps with peer plotting to oust Nick Clegg.

It doesn’t take you very long to realise that this wasn’t some great plotting session, but, in fact, a holiday during the Parliamentary recess.

The piece also contains the revelation that their hotel boasted a gym, jacuzzi and swimming pool. How very unusual that is …

Posted in News | Tagged mail on sunday, matthew oakeshott and vince cable | 17 Comments

Lorely Burt: Liberal Democrats offer best of both worlds

By Newsmoggie | Wed 19th February 2014 - 12:58 pm

Lorely Burt has given an interview to the Huffington Post. The lengthy report is dominated with discussion of the Liberal Democrats’ attitude towards women in the wake of her defeat by Malcolm Bruce in the Deputy Leadership election. She said that the party was desperately trying toe how that it was welcoming to women:

At the last general election we had women in 40% of our most winnable seats,” Burt explains. “We just didn’t win them.” Which is a bit of a problem. “At the next election there are eight Lib Dems who are standing down, of those six selections have

…

Posted in News | Tagged huffington post and lorely burt | 3 Comments

LibLink: Stephen Tall: It’s 8 May 2015, Cameron’s won a majority and here’s some advice from his Chief Whip

By Newsmoggie | Fri 14th February 2014 - 11:52 am

Our Stephen Tall has been turning his hand to fiction in his regular column for Conservative Home. As he says on his own site:

It’s a piece of fiction, not least because it imagines a scenario in which the Tories have won an outright majority. That starting point appeared to confuse ConHome’s Ukip-infused readers, who didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in the comments.

You do actually have to read the whole thing to see all the well-crafted little digs in there, and you can do so here.

Here are some of the highlights:

The first piece of advice – keep …

Posted in LibLink | Tagged conservative home, fiction and stephen tall | 8 Comments

“Lib Dems veto Pickles’ Council Tax cuts”

By Newsmoggie | Wed 5th February 2014 - 10:58 am

From the FT:

One of the government’s main tax-cutting drives has been to encourage councils to keep tax rises to a minimum. Ministers have done this in two ways: firstly, by giving councils a cash incentive to freeze council tax; and secondly, by forcing any council that wants to raise tax by 2 per cent or more to put it to a local referendum.

Of course, any self-respecting council is going to set a rate that’s just below the threshold. Eric Pickles was not chuffed and wanted to lower that threshold to 1.5%.

He did not get his way, thanks to the …

Posted in News | Tagged eric pickles and local government finance | 28 Comments

Allan Massie: Lib Dems deserve praise not censure

By Newsmoggie | Thu 30th January 2014 - 11:45 am

In the past four days, we’ve seen two articles from journalists saying good things about the Liberal Democrats. On Sunday, Jane Merrick said that we could all stop worrying and learn to love the Lib Dems. Now, Allan Massie has written in the Scotsman that Liberal Democrats deserve praise, not censure.

So, why? First of all, for simply putting the country’s needs first.

In politics, the Duke of Wellington did not match his achievements in war, but he held to one sound and important principle: the Queen’s government must be carried on. This means that you must have an administration

…

Posted in News | 16 Comments

LibLink: Tim Farron: European Arrest Warrant is a vital weapon in the fight against crime

By Newsmoggie | Wed 15th January 2014 - 4:48 pm

Farron the Ubiquitous (he is, but that’s not a complaint) has been writing for the Huffington Post again, this time, as befits the man in charge of the European Election campaign, on the European Arrest Warrant.

First, he reminds us of the high profile cases where the warrant has brought British criminals back to justice.

Hussain Osman fled to Italy after the failed 21 July 2005 London bombings, during which he placed an explosive at Shepherd’s Bush tube station. Just one week later, he was tracked down and arrested by Italian police on a euro-warrant issued by a British court before

…

Posted in News | Tagged european arrest warrant, european elections 2014, huffington post and tim farron | 10 Comments

Vince Cable raises fine for failing to pay minimum wage to £20,000 per worker

By Newsmoggie | Wed 15th January 2014 - 1:17 pm

We’ve known for some time that the Coalition has been intending to raise the penalty on rogue employers who don’t pay the National Minimum Wage. What we didn’t know is that Vince Cable is actually making the proposed £20,000 fine payable for every single worker who doesn’t receive the legal amount.

Vince is quoted in today’s Guardian:

Anyone entitled to the national minimum wage should receive it. Paying anything less than this is unacceptable, illegal and will be punished by law. So we are bringing in tougher financial penalties to crack down on those who do not play by the rules.

…

Posted in News | Tagged national minimum wage and vince cable | 6 Comments

Farron: Tories are “nimby” over garden cities

By Newsmoggie | Sat 11th January 2014 - 12:08 pm

From today’s Telegraph:

A secret Whitehall report recommending that two new cities are built in southern England to combat the housing shortage is being suppressed by David Cameron, The Telegraph can disclose.

The document was drawn up after the Prime Minister gave a speech supporting the idea nearly two years ago. It was described this week by Nick Clegg, his deputy, as a “prospectus” for future developments.

Posted in News | Tagged coalition government, garden cities, housing, nick clegg and tim farron | 16 Comments

Alistair Carmichael reselected for Orkney and Shetland

By Newsmoggie | Wed 8th January 2014 - 3:50 pm

In news that will surprise nobody, but is worth recording anyway, the Orcadian reports Alistair Carmichael’s unanimous reselection to fight Orkney and Shetland in next year’s General Election:

I am delighted to be reselected as the Liberal Democrat candidate to stand as MP for 2015. I expect it to be a lively contest and I do not take continued support for granted.

I have been an MP for 12 and a half years and in that time the Northern Isles has truly become home. My wife and I have raised our family here and we have many roots in the community here in Orkney.

Posted in News | Tagged Alistair Carmichael and general election 2015 | Leave a comment

Ming Campbell says Coalition should be broken up “without recrimination” ahead of the 2015 election

By Newsmoggie | Sat 4th January 2014 - 2:18 pm

Sir Menzies Campbell MP has given a wide-ranging interview to Total Politics magazine in which he says some pretty controversial stuff.

A civilised dissolution

The first is that he wants to see the Coalition break up in a civilised manner ahead of the 2015 election to avoid acrimony and recrimination:

The ministers will have to keep going to the very end. Why? Because the country has to be governed. But I think we should accept that the point’s going to come at which politically we may be together governmentally, but politically we’re going to start – well it’s started with differentiation – moving away from each other. And we should do that without recrimination or acrimony or intimidation or anything of that kind. Why? Because it is very damaging for both parties if it breaks up in a row, or a series of rows.

But more to the point, it would have a considerable impact on the creditability of coalition. If people enter into it and then by the end of it get at each other’s throats, that would be the worst possible outcome, in my view. So I adhere to my view, six wise men and women, in a closed room, with instructions not to come out until they have a solution.

Posted in News | Tagged Ming Campbell and total politics | 32 Comments

LibLink: Stephen Tall: Where the parties are at the end of 2013 and what they face in 2014

By Newsmoggie | Thu 19th December 2013 - 11:15 am

Stephen has been writing over at Conservative Home again. This time, he’s done his end of year report for each of the main parties. The Telegraph’s Toby Young even complimented it. Here are some snippets:

Labour

With economic growth returning, Labour has deftly segued their economic attack. The assault on public spending cuts that go “too far, too fast” has been ditched, and in its place is a new refrain, “the Tory cost-of-living crisis”. It’s an ingenious line, tapping into the lag between the nascent recovery and people’s wages, with Ed Miliband’s populist pledge to freeze energy prices for 20 months

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged conservative home, stephen tall and Toby Young was even nice | 15 Comments

Peter Black wins Assembly Member of the Year award

By Newsmoggie | Sat 14th December 2013 - 3:39 pm

At the time of writing, Peter Black, Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, has been way too modest to tell us on his blog that he was awarded Assembly Member of the Year at the Welsh Political Awards. He is the first member of the Assembly to get an Act onto the statute book, giving residents of mobile homes parks more protection. You can watch his speech at the Report stage of that bill here.

Thankfully, the awards ceremony has been recorded for posterity. You can see him accept his award here at around 19 minutes.

Posted in News | Tagged peter black and welsh political awards | Leave a comment

Danny Alexander’s passion for Irn Bru and admiration for Lyndon Johnson revealed in Guardian Q & A

By Newsmoggie | Sat 7th December 2013 - 2:03 pm

Danny Alexander is featured in today’s Guardian Q & A. It’s a strange feature that is sometimes contradictory, sometimes very revealing and sometimes just a little too on message for comfort. But then, he’s not talking to Liberal Democrat members, he’s talking to the wider public so if there was no mention of a stronger economy or fairer society, it would probably be a bit of a missed opportunity. When we are sick of hearing something, it’s only just starting to get through to the wider public. He even recognises himself, though, that he might over-use “The mess Labour left …

Posted in LibLink | Tagged Danny Alexander and the guardian | 3 Comments

“Hipster” Huppert and Thurso make Parliamentary Beard of the Year shortlist

By Newsmoggie | Sat 30th November 2013 - 11:58 am

The Liberal Democrats have 2 entrants in this year’s Parliamentary Beard of the Year shortlist.

Julian Huppert is described as the “rising star of hirsuteness”:

University lecturer. One of the few people in the Commons who has a clue about science. Supporter of real ale pubs. We’d be dissapointed if the MP for Cambridge didn’t have facial hair.

Flett tells us: “The Lib Dems have got the rising star of hirsuteness in Julian Huppert – it’s a

…

Posted in News | Tagged john thurso, julian huppert and parliamentary beard of the year | 1 Comment

Shirley Williams on green taxes, war, crime and Theresa May’s Prime Ministerial ambition…

By Newsmoggie | Sun 10th November 2013 - 4:30 pm

Shirley Williams was reviewing the papers with the Spectator’s Fraser Nelson on this morning’s Andrew Marr show.

Remembrance Sunday was obviously discussed. Shirley described a story of a boy of 12 sent to Somme after lying his way into the Army and his mother got him sent back. Of course, by that time, he had seen so many horrors.

She also added that it’s not just the lives lost we have to commemorate:

Many get a life sentence as those injured suffer for the rest of their lives.

She described the use of IEDs as “colossally effective but deeply cruel”, a weapon that’s inexpensive but devastating.

Posted in News | Tagged shirley williams and the andrew marr show | 5 Comments

Headline of the week: “Elton move over for Huppert the Rocket Man”

By Newsmoggie | Fri 8th November 2013 - 4:55 pm

Now what could this, from Business Weekly, possibly be about?

And he actually had to do some work:

Posted in News | Tagged julian huppert | 2 Comments

Jo Swinson launches size 16 mannequins

By Newsmoggie | Wed 6th November 2013 - 7:03 pm

Jo Swinson today went along to Debenhams to welcome their size 16 mannequins which have been brought in to reflect the average women. It has been intensely annoying to hear these discussed across various media, including the BBC and the Independent, as “plus size” mannequins. If your view of what a woman should look like comes from airbrushed magazines and porn rather than opening your eyes and looking at the real women around you, then, yes, you might think that size 16 was plus, but you would be wrong.

Women come in all shapes and sizes and girls should be …

Posted in News | Tagged bbc, body confidence, debenhams, fashion, independent and Jo Swinson | 56 Comments

Vince Cable’s £10 million boost for biology business

By Newsmoggie | Wed 6th November 2013 - 1:17 pm

Vince Cable has shown a consistent commitment to investing in science and the latest plank of that is unveiled in today’s Telegraph:

Vince Cable has raised £10m of investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council to help entrepreneurial scientists working in synthetic biology to establish their business.

Access to funding is seen as the greatest threat to the survival of small companies operating in these fast-growth markets, said Mr Cable.

“The banks have walked away from SMEs. They’ve been badly hit,” the Business Secretary said. “I want to help these firms through the so-called ‘valley of death’.

This is part of

…

Posted in News | Tagged research and development, science and vince cable | 2 Comments

Kirsty Williams interview: “Scary” Paddy, women in the Cabinet and the reality of a Labour government

By Newsmoggie | Wed 30th October 2013 - 12:55 pm

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has given a lively and often funny interview to Total Politics magazine in which she talks about everything from her success in persuading the minority Labour government in Wales to implement the Pupil Premium.

What happened to the last person who said no to Paddy?

Anyone who knows Kirsty will know how down to earth she is and that comes across very much in the interview. She’s asked about whether she would move to Westminster and said that Paddy Ashdown has already asked that question:

Paddy says I should think about going to London,” Williams reveals. “He’s

…

Posted in News | Tagged featured, kirsty williams, labour, nick clegg, paddy ashdown, pupil premium, Wales and women | 13 Comments

Stephen Gilbert’s quick thinking helps rescue woman from Thames

By Newsmoggie | Wed 23rd October 2013 - 9:47 am

Liberal Democrat MP for St Austell and Newquay Stephen Gilbert has been involved in the rescue of a woman from the Thames while he was attending an event on the House of Commons terrace last night.

Last night he tweeted:

shaken after seeing a body float past House of Commons terrace – she moved, I threw a life-buoy and she’s now been rescued! #Result

— Stephen Gilbert MP (@stephen_gilbert) October 22, 2013

The BBC takes up the story:

The Liberal Democrat said: “What looked like a body

…

Posted in News | Tagged featured and stephen gilbert | 5 Comments

The glamorous life of the Secretary of State for Scotland

By Newsmoggie | Sat 19th October 2013 - 5:15 pm

The Guardian reported last night that there were rumours that Alex Salmond is staying at the luxurious Gleneagles Hotel during the SNP’s conference in Perth. True, it’s only rumours, but I’m unable to find any SNP denial and you think that they would have done. I mean, rather than stay in any of Perth’s fine hostelries, it’s being said he’s travelling half an hour down the road to the playground of the rich and famous. Surely they’d want to make him sound more like a man of the people than that.

Wherever the First Minister is laying his head, it’s unlikely to be too uncomfortable. If he is staying at Gleneagles, he could be dining in Andrew Fairlie’s restaurant on roast fillet of turbot, seaweed butter, baby fennel and clam veloute. Compare and contrast with the not entirely jet set lifestyle of Alistair Carmichael, our new Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland.

Newsmoggie knows what he did last Wednesday. He’d been to the Royal National Mod (a national, annual festival of Gaelic language, music and culture) in Paisley. He and his team then dined in the splendour of McDonalds in Bishopbriggs in the heart of Jo Swinson’s constituency. He then spent the night in the humble surroundings of the Travelodge in Stirling before heading to Aberdeenshire for a day of engagements on Thursday.

Posted in News | Tagged alex salmond and Alistair Carmichael | 3 Comments

On Global Handwashing Day, Featherstone launches scheme to give 4 million access to clean water in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Newsmoggie | Wed 16th October 2013 - 2:59 pm

It’s easy to take our access to clean, safe water for granted. Whether it’s water to brush our teeth, drink or wash our hands after we’ve been to the toilet, free availability saves lives.

If you live in sub-Saharan Africa, on average, only 60% of people, not much over half, have access to safe water supplies. In the Democratic Republic of Congo the average is 46%, but in rural areas can be as little as 20%. It’s hardly surprising they’ve recently had a major Cholera epidemic to deal with. This …

Posted in News | Tagged inernational development, lynne featherstone and water | Leave a comment

Nick Clegg celebrates 40 years of LBC and asks for a forty year contract

By Newsmoggie | Fri 11th October 2013 - 3:33 pm

It begins with a tongue in cheek moan. Where’s the caviar and red carpet? It ends with Nick Clegg recording a heartfelt tribute to LBC’s 40 years of broadcasting. And in the process Nick asks the broadcaster for a forty year contract.

Posted in News and YouTube | Tagged nick clegg | 1 Comment

Vote for the Westminster Dog of the Year

By Newsmoggie | Tue 8th October 2013 - 1:38 pm

Call the Feline Rights Commission! How, in these equality sensitive times, did anyone think it appropriate to set up a beauty contest for MPs’ dogs whilst ignoring all the much-loved cats in MPs’ homes?

Last year’s winner of the Westminster Dog of the Year even got interviewed by Andrew Marr! Where’s the fairness in that? When did you last see him talking with a cat?

Of course, while dogs are owned by their humans, cats own people. So getting my fellow moggies to express our collective opposition to such undeserved canine fame is like – well – herding cats. But a tactical Early Day Motion from a cat-loving Parliamentarian would not go amiss (can you hear me, John Hemming?)

But – I am a Liberal Democrat cat, so I am used to forcing my political loyalties to overcome my distaste. I therefore feel obliged to draw your attention to two of the entries.

Posted in News | Tagged martin horwood, tessa munt and westminster dog of the year | 4 Comments

LDVideo: Nick Clegg playing table tennis

By Newsmoggie | Fri 4th October 2013 - 4:45 pm

During the Federal Conference, Nick Clegg went on a visit to Drumchapel Table Tennis club in Glasgow and ended up actually playing a game. I suspect the collective blood pressure of his entourage was a bit on the elevated side while he was doing it. After all, they usually make sure that their principals never get into any situation that could cause embarrassment.

Thankfully, though, Nick is pretty good at table tennis and acquitted himself well.

The club filmed the proceedings and put it up here on You Tube.