Author Archives: Nick T

Nick T

Employee ownership: Some thoughts from a former John Lewis partner

By Nick T | Thu 19th January 2012 - 7:27 pm

Nick Clegg’s speech on Monday was a welcome contribution to the debate about the changes we want to make to our economy following the financial crisis. That the economic boom of the decade leading up to the 2008 bust was unsustainable is a proposition that hardly needs putting, yet the broader debate about how to avoid such a situation in the future (if indeed we think it worth avoiding) is a topic that is largely undiscussed. My own view is that we need a serious discussion about how we measure economic health, because if the last few years showed …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 6 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Chris Rennard – Integrity in ensuring that people can vote

By Nick T | Thu 19th January 2012 - 6:28 pm

Over on epolitix, Lord (Chris) Rennard has a piece calling for changes to the electoral registration system to place the burden on individuals rather than households following the news that at least 6 million people are unregistered:

All parties and the Electoral Commission are agreed in principle that the electoral registration system should change to put the responsibility on individuals rather than households.

But the Commission report shows that our existing system is not as good as we thought and there are clearly dangers in making any changes. The biggest dangers to the integrity of the process would be to suggest that

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 3 Comments
Nick T

David Laws: Free schools should focus on education, not profit

By Nick T | Wed 11th January 2012 - 2:28 pm

David Laws is interviewed in the current issue of Attain, a magazine focussed on the independent schools’ sector, where he has the following to say on the issue of whether free schools should be permitted to make profits:

I think it is important that the people who come in and deliver the education should be seen to be doing so for reasons relating to education and delivering an improved quality of education. And I think that the public would be far more suspicious of the free school development if they felt it was about people coming in to make profit out

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 8 Comments
Nick T

“A political trauma, but a policy success” – the FT’s verdict on tuition fees

By Nick T | Mon 2nd January 2012 - 4:27 pm

One year on from what remains, for many Liberal Democrats, the most traumatic decision yet taken by the coalition, the FT (via an editorial in the newspaper) has provided its assessment of the policy.

Here’s what the newspaper says on the policy itself:

Many academics and students continue to grumble about the move to charge undergraduates for their tuition costs. But governments looking for ways to reduce their outgoings should consider raising such charges – so long as they do it fairly, as the UK has.

It is a big concern that high college fees – and the fear of them –

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 32 Comments
Nick T

The BBC reviews the political year for the Lib Dems

By Nick T | Thu 29th December 2011 - 4:26 pm

Over on the BBC News site, Gary O’Donoghue has a decent overview of what 2011 has meant for the Liberal Democrats. The only line I’d really take issue with is this:

A referendum on the voting system was the price Nick Clegg demanded for entering coalition…

Actually, of course, the price Nick Clegg demanded for entering coalition was the implementation of 75% of the Lib Dem manifesto.

Anyway, that’s a relatively minor quibble and the rest of the piece is worth a read.

 

Posted in News | Tagged | 12 Comments
Nick T

Nick Clegg responds as more Labour councillors deride extra money for poor pupils

By Nick T | Thu 22nd December 2011 - 12:27 pm

Following Manchester Labour’s extraordinary attack on the pupil premium – describing the policy as a “sham” – news reaches The Voice via Lib Dem councillor Steve Beasant that a Labour cabinet member on North East Lincolnshire Council has joined his Manchester colleagues in their criticism.

As Paul Walter reported earlier, Nick Clegg was asked about the comments of Manchester’s Labour councillors at Tuesday’s Deputy Prime Minister’s Questions by Lib Dem MP Duncan Hames. Here’s the full exchange:

Duncan Hames (Chippenham) (LD): Wiltshire schools have long felt short-changed by funding allocations for education, so they will welcome the doubling of pupil

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 11 Comments
Nick T

Nick Clegg leads business fightback in Europe

By Nick T | Thu 15th December 2011 - 6:55 pm

The FT reports:

Nick Clegg yesterday made a very public display of engagement with business over Europe as the deputy prime minister convened a business breakfast with Business For New Europe, a pro-single market group. Mr Clegg, flanked by Vince Cable, Danny Alexander, Chris Huhne David Laws, wanted to get the message across that he had dusted himself down and was ready to begin work on rebuilding relations on the continent after a bruising week for Britain.

But beyond the photo shoot and crafted media message lines, was a second, more exclusive meeting between Mr Clegg and the director-generals of key lobby

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Nick T

Opinion: The coalition will now change; the Lib Dems must ensure it does so for the better

By Nick T | Thu 15th December 2011 - 1:26 pm

When, earlier this year, David Cameron sanctioned the Conservative-dominated No to AV campaign to attack his until then unfailingly loyal deputy, he precipitated the end of coalition phase one. It had not meant to happen so quickly, but the Liberal Democrat reaction – the strategy of differentiation – soon followed.

The prime minister’s actions in Europe last week are a similar turning point. By pandering to the extremes in his party – by acting as Tory leader rather than prime minister, as Paddy Ashdown put it – David Cameron has forced Nick Clegg to once again rethink the Liberal Democrat approach …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , and | 23 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Mark Pack – The three stories that really matters – even to Britain

By Nick T | Thu 15th December 2011 - 9:56 am

Over on his work blog, the Voice’s Mark Pack has a post looking at three important stories which have been largely overshadowed by the domestic political ramifications of the prime minister’s veto.

Here’s the first issue Mark identifies:

The actual significance of the summit was the latest, most extensive and more desperate attempt to save the Euro. Judging from initial reactions by economists and the financial markets, this time a Euro summit may just have pulled it off. It has not already been written off as a failure which, compared to other summits on the same theme, already makes it more successful

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
Nick T

Extra £11million funding for disadvantaged pupils is a “sham”, says Manchester Labour Party

By Nick T | Thu 8th December 2011 - 4:54 pm

There’s rather bizarre news from Manchester, where the Council’s ruling Labour group has passed a motion declaring the pupil premium a “sham” and calling for the policy to be scrapped.

The pupil premium – which was a key Lib Dem policy at the last election – has meant a funding boost of almost £11million for Manchester’s schools this year (rising to £20million next year), with the money targeted specifically at pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

As Lib Dem councillor for Gorton North, Jackie Pearcey, says:

I know that in Gorton and Abbey Hey, this money is making a real difference to

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 23 Comments
Nick T

First Jewish ambassador to Israel has divided loyalties, says Labour MP

By Nick T | Thu 1st December 2011 - 7:28 pm

The Jewish Chronicle reports:

A Labour MP has caused outrage by suggesting that Britain’s first Jewish ambassador to Israel has divided loyalties because he has “proclaimed himself to be a Zionist”.

Challenged by the JC to clarify his comments about Matthew Gould, who took up the post last year, Paul Flynn, the Labour MP for Newport West, said ambassadors to Israel had not previously been Jewish “to avoid the accusation that they have gone native”.

Britain needed, he said, “someone with roots in the UK can’t be accused of having Jewish loyalty”.

The Foreign Office and MPs from across the political spectrum

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 27 Comments
Nick T

LDVideo: David Laws interviewed by Mark Littlewood

By Nick T | Thu 1st December 2011 - 5:57 pm

Last week, the Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mark Littlewood, spent an hour talking to David Laws at the IEA’s Westminster headquarters. Before a packed room, Mark and David touched on a whole range of issues – taxation, Europe, the formation of the coalition, just exactly how liberal the Liberal Democrats are, and many more.

The hour-long exchange, which you can see below, is well worth a watch:

Continue reading »
Posted in News and YouTube | Tagged , , , , and | 2 Comments
Nick T

Opinion: How much smaller would Labour’s cuts have been?

By Nick T | Tue 29th November 2011 - 2:27 pm

“Too far, too fast” – until recently you could scarcely switch on a TV without hearing Ed Balls repeating his four-word analysis of the coalition’s fiscal policy. It seems to be a line that Balls and Miliband are no longer sticking to. If I were to give them more credit for economic analysis than they deserve I’d speculate that this might be because they realised it is utter nonsense. More likely, their polling showed them that the public just weren’t buying it.

And the public would be right not to believe it, because, on a key measure, the difference between the …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 43 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: David Laws – George Osborne must stick to austerity Plan A

By Nick T | Tue 29th November 2011 - 9:57 am

Over at the London Evening Standard, Lib Dem MP for Yeovil and former Treasury chief secretary, David Laws, has a piece urging the chancellor to maintain the coalition’s deficit reduction plan to avoid importing the debt-driven eurozone crisis to Britain.

Here’s a sample:

Before the general election, many people said that a coalition would be weak and unstable. They don’t say that any more. By comparison with the eurozone and the US, our Government looks strong, stable and united. It is set to stay that way.

The Chancellor will be able to report that borrowing has been falling as planned. Borrowing from April

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , and | 7 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Mark Pack – The Graph May Be Boring; The Political Message Isn’t

By Nick T | Sat 26th November 2011 - 1:58 pm

Over at the Huffington Post, the Voice’s Mark Pack has a post examining some interesting – and surprising – polling data, complete with a graph (don’t say Mark doesn’t spoil you).

Here’s Mark explaining what the graph shows:

It comes from polling carried out by MORI, asking the same question over the years: “How interested would you say you are in politics?” The graph shows how many people gave one of the two positive answers (“very” or “fairly”) – and so also shows how the public’s interest in politics has been pretty consistent, at a high level. (You can get the

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Paddy Ashdown – Europe’s free ride on the back of Nato is over

By Nick T | Wed 2nd November 2011 - 6:53 pm

In today’s Daily Telegraph, former party leader Lord (Paddy) Ashdown writes on the challenges facing Nato and the future of European cooperation on matters of defence.

Here’s a sample from Paddy’s piece:

These are confusing times for supporters of Nato. On the one hand, the alliance has completed its mission in Libya without a single casualty. On the other, its future looks less certain than ever in the face of fiscal austerity, increasingly uneven burden-sharing between members, and America’s dwindling faith in its utility.

The fact that the US feels this way is understandable. In 2000, America’s share of Nato defence spending was

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , and | 11 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Chris Rennard – The Lib Dems’ three-pronged strategy for success

By Nick T | Fri 28th October 2011 - 2:58 pm

In the House Magazine, Lord (Chris) Rennard – campaigns guru and former chief executive of the party – has set out the ‘three- pronged’ approach that he believes the Liberal Democrats should take over the coming years.

Here’s a sample:

The first of them follows on from Nick Clegg’s first-year priority, which was to show that the coalition government was stable and capable of taking tough decisions. So an early task for Nick Clegg was to show that ‘coalition works’. This test required huge self-discipline in agreeing a four-year Comprehensive Spending Review, and some compromises that were unpalatable to many Lib Dems.

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 4 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Paddy Ashdown – Libya’s path to democracy

By Nick T | Thu 27th October 2011 - 10:28 am

Lord (Paddy) Ashdown recently penned a piece for the Guardian with some thoughts on how Libya should now move towards a functioning democracy following its liberation. The rule of law, in the short term at least, is more important than elections, according to Paddy.

Here’s an extract:

If there is one thing more fraught, more attended by failure and more difficult to do than fighting a war, it is building the peace which follows. Our modern wars are fought in weeks or months – but building the peace is measured in decades. Wars are violent and swift. Building peace is long, painful

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and LibLink | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Paul Tyler – The Lords are listening, but not to rent-a-mob email campaigns

By Nick T | Wed 26th October 2011 - 12:58 pm

Over on the Guardian’s Comment Is Free, Lib Dem peer Lord (Paul) Tyler has a piece on the (not particularly successful) campaign by 38-Degrees to lobby members of the House of Lords over health reform.

Here’s a sample:

As a peer who received many 38 Degrees-inspired communications in the runup to the debate over the NHS bill, I can say with some confidence that their lack of influence was strongly linked to the unduly polarising approach they took to this issue. They picked the wrong battle, and the wrong argument.

Their battle was essentially on whether to

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , and | 12 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Paddy Ashdown – To be stronger, Europe must give away power

By Nick T | Tue 25th October 2011 - 5:28 pm

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord (Paddy) Ashdown has a piece in today’s Times arguing that the European Union must reform if it is to regain public support and fulfil its original objectives.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

The reasons for European integration are not weaker today than they were when this all started; they are stronger. The EU’s founding fathers saw European integration as a means to avoid repeating our past and as the right response to postward turmoil. We should see it as the best means to assure our future and the right reaction to the global turmoil that we

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and LibLink | Tagged and | 1 Comment
Nick T

LibLink: David Laws – Could do better: how to stop our schools failing

By Nick T | Fri 21st October 2011 - 9:56 am

Earlier this week, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil and former education spokesman, David Laws, had a piece in the London Evening Standard defending the government’s record on education policy to date, but also urging a more ambitious programme over the coming years.

Here’s what David has to say on what Michael Gove and his Lib Dem colleague Sarah Teather have done so far:

Our qualifications system was also undermined by Labour – which was determined to “prove” that standards were rising, even if this just meant making exams easier. Targets distorted teaching: too few pupils took key subjects.

Under

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , and | 10 Comments
Nick T

Questions left hanging over Boris’s cable car

By Nick T | Mon 17th October 2011 - 9:58 am

Conservative politicians spend much of their time criticising their Labour counterparts for the often-inefficient way in which they spend public money. This is often quite justifiable: the many billions wasted through disastrous PFI schemes, abandoned IT projects and expensive-but-pointless gimmicks under Labour are a shameful legacy.

But the gap between this Tory rhetoric and reality is often rather stark, and nowhere is this more evident than with the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Take, for example, one of Boris’s pet projects of a cable car to transport people between the O2 arena and the Excel exhibition centre (both Olympic venues). Sounds like …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Nick Clegg – We must stand up to this tyranny on our doorstep

By Nick T | Thu 29th September 2011 - 7:28 pm

Nick Clegg – currently in Poland representing the UK at the EU Eastern Partnership summit – has an op-ed in today’s Independent arguing that more must be done to topple Europe’s last dictator in Belarus. As well as his column, the deputy prime minister will also speak to the people of Belarus over the airwaves via European Radio for Belarus and meet with dissidents and democracy campaigners while in Warsaw.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

Imagine a country where torture and intimidation are reportedly common place. Where peaceful protesters are locked up – sent to maximum security prison colonies – and

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: David Laws – We must tackle the economy and mend our broken society

By Nick T | Fri 16th September 2011 - 3:27 pm

In today’s Sun, David Laws has an op-ed urging Liberal Democrats to resist becoming an internal opposition, and instead maintain our role as “constructive front-seat drivers”, tackling the country’s economic and social problems.

Here’s a sample of what David has to say:

In its first year, the Coalition focus was on unity — agreeing an economic plan and proving to a sceptical country that coalition could work. We have passed both tests.

In its second year, the relationship between the parties has matured.

We don’t pretend that we agree on every dot and comma. There have been differences, including on the NHS.

Lib Dem voters

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged | 11 Comments
Nick T

A different species of politician? Nick Clegg’s biography serialised in the Mail

By Nick T | Thu 18th August 2011 - 2:57 pm

The forthcoming biography of Nick Clegg by Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Bowers was serialised in last weekend’s Mail on Sunday.

Here’s just a brief extract :

For a few terrible weeks, Nick Clegg came face to face with his ultimate nightmare. One after the other, his wife and his little boy had fallen gravely ill — and doctors warned that they might not pull through.

It began when his son, Antonio, then aged two, became feverish and listless. When he was admitted to hospital, Clegg insisted on spending every night at his side.

According to the doctors, Antonio was suffering from pneumonia. But,

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 13 Comments
Nick T

Brian Paddick interviewed in the Guardian

By Nick T | Wed 17th August 2011 - 9:08 am

The Guardian’s ‘Saturday Interview’ last week featured as its subject Liberal Democrat mayoral contender and former Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick.

Unsurprisingly, much of the interview concerns the recent riots and the police reaction to them, but Brian’s political ambitions are also covered.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

Four years retired, Paddick remains remarkably relevant to the Met’s current predicament. The grandson of a policeman, he climbed the ranks to become commander of Lambeth, south London, where he famously initiated a pilot in which officers cautioned, rather than arrested, those in possession of cannabis. Despite falling victim to untrue tabloid

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Simon Hughes – Profits must no longer go to the few at the top

By Nick T | Tue 16th August 2011 - 6:27 pm

Over the weekend, Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Simon Hughes, penned a piece for the Guardian’s Comment Is Free site arguing that Britain needs to become a more equal place both in terms of the distribution of wealth and of opportunity.

Here’s a sample:

We must now focus on the redistribution of wealth. But this will not succeed by means of greater hand-outs. Financial benefits must seek to engage people positively. The redistribution of hope and opportunity means the redistribution as well as the creation of work. Co-operative and mutual businesses and social enterprise should be prioritised. The private sector, like the public

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 16 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Mark Pack – What to watch out for at Liberal Democrat conference

By Nick T | Sun 14th August 2011 - 12:54 pm

Mark Pack has been going through his conference documents and over on the MHP blog he has highlighted the bits that are likely to be most controversial and/or interesting.

Here’s just a sample of what Mark has picked out:

An early chance to catch the mood of the party will be the session on Saturday morning looking back on May’s elections and AV referendum. Unhappiness is to be expected. What to watch out for is who speaks out and where their comments are directed.

A common theme is likely to be the need for the party to present itself as distinct from the

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 8 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Mark Pack – Is it simply a question of politicians and pundits always trying to ban technologies they don’t use?

By Nick T | Sat 13th August 2011 - 12:51 pm

Over on the MHP blog, Mark Pack makes a good point about the calls from some politicians to ban or restrict the use of social networking in response to the riots.

Here’s some of what Mark has to say:

Yet from some commentators and MPs there were immediate demands to suspend, curtail or otherwise regulate social networks. This was echoed today by David Cameron who promised that the government will look into this very question.

However, the number of communication technologies in the firing line is far short of the number involved in the events. Rolling TV coverage gave the events wall-to-wall coverage.

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 6 Comments
Nick T

Tune in to Iain Dale’s Lib Dem night tonight on LBC, featuring Nick Clegg, Simon Hughes and others

By Nick T | Mon 8th August 2011 - 4:54 pm

Iain Dale returns to his evening show on London’s LBC radio tonight with a Lib Dem special. First up is a live Q & A with deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, followed by interviews with a whole host of prominent Lib Dems, including three of the four London Mayoral hopefuls as well as deputy leader Simon Hughes.

Here’s the schedule in full from Iain’s blog:

6-7pm Live Q & A with LibDem leader Nick Clegg
7-7.30pm Interview with Nick Clegg (tbc)
7.30-8pm Reaction to Clegg with Lord Oakeshott, Susan Kramer & Jo Phillips
8-9pm Meet the LibDem London Mayoral Candidates – Brian Paddick, Brian

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Nigel Jones
    @Mick Taylor, I agree we must be concerned about income inequality in current circumstances, though overcoming this is about taxing the rich, better public serv...
  • Nigel Jones
    @Mick Taylor, you are right to focus on strategy since we have plenty of policy, but i think we also need a vision and better messaging. It is easy to have stro...
  • Nigel Jones
    The New Deal graphic is very helpful but of course not perfect. As to preventing Reform from winning, we need to be an anti-establishment party as Chris Bowers ...
  • Nigel Jones
    It is certainly true that community politics is insufficient for long term gain. That was my experience in 13 yrs as a councillor and still active locally; at o...
  • Katharine Pindar
    Splendid stuff, well done Yorkists! 'The New Deal' seems a great idea in itself. Your graphic shows, however, how much work will need to be done to assert ourse...