Author Archives: Paul Walter

Paul Walter

Questioning newsagents about Charlie Hebdo sales – the police need to sort themselves out

By Paul Walter | Wed 11th February 2015 - 12:10 pm

The Guardian reports that police from several UK forces have questioned newsagents about sales of the Charlie Hebdo post-massacre issue. It’s a patchy phenomenum. Police in Wiltshire have apologised for doing it. There was a phone call from a Cheshire police person. And in Dyfed-Powys a newsagent reports being questioned for half an hour by police in her shop. A police spokesman there said:

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Paul Walter

Easing the trauma of care home finance

By Paul Walter | Wed 11th February 2015 - 11:04 am

Last week the government started a consultation, flowing from the Care Act 2014, on the draft regulations and guidance to implement the “care cap” and policy proposals for a new appeals system for care and support. You can read the consultation document here.

That may sound as dry as toast, but, trust me, these things are really important. I happen to believe that the Care Act 2014 is one of the most significant pieces of legislation we’ve seen for many years. It goes a very significant way towards easing the human trauma of self-funding care home provision.

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Paul Walter

What will the electoral fruit machine* come up with on May 7th?

By Paul Walter | Wed 11th February 2015 - 9:45 am

This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. “Infrequent” is defined as having posted less than five comments in the last month.

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Paul Walter

Our next post will be for new and infrequent commenters

By Paul Walter | Wed 11th February 2015 - 9:15 am

Happy hump day and Happy Birthday to Denis Skinner MP

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Paul Walter

Nick Harvey: ‘If you think we are going to spend another five years being shafted (this time) by Labour, you’ve got another think coming’

By Paul Walter | Sat 7th February 2015 - 10:55 am

The Liberal Democrat coalition negotiation team leave Cowley Street HQ for the fourth day of discussions with the Conservatives May 10th 2010.

Earlier this week we highlighted Nick Harvey MP’s report “Beyond the Rose Garden”. In it, he recommends a range of changes in arrangements for any future coalition governments.

In the wake of his report’s publication, Nick has now given an extensive interview with Huffington Post

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Paul Walter

It was a Monday in November 2000…#timetotalk

By Paul Walter | Thu 5th February 2015 - 11:20 am

Time to talk 2015It was a Monday in November 2000 around 11am at work. My boss put his head round the corner:

“Have you got a moment, please Paul?”

“Yes, sure”, I replied.

I followed my manager, another Paul, to a room where a member of our Human Resources group was sitting. The long and the short of it was that they wanted me to take a week off work as paid leave and arrange for free counselling for me. I agreed. Boss Paul, bless him, drove me home in his posh BMW and waited around for my wife to come home so he could explain the situation to her, so she wasn’t “spooked”. (Her first reaction was that I was being sacked, but fortunately he was able to reassure her).

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Paul Walter

BBC Newsnight: ‘Innocent people’ on police photos database

By Paul Walter | Wed 4th February 2015 - 1:41 pm

A special BBC Newsnight report says:

Police forces in England and Wales have uploaded up to 18 million “mugshots” to a facial recognition database – despite a court ruling it could be unlawful.

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Paul Walter

LibLink: Brian Paddick – Tackling terrorism without compromising the privacy of law-abiding citizens

By Paul Walter | Wed 4th February 2015 - 12:10 pm

Writing on the Liberal Democrat website, Lord Brian Paddick talks through the recent attempted jiggery-pokery in the House of Lords which could have seen the Snoopers Charter

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Paul Walter

Miss Trunchbull to play Nick Clegg

By Paul Walter | Wed 4th February 2015 - 10:50 am

Well, I thought that was a good headline. So much better than “The actor who played Miss Trunchbull is to play Nick Clegg” or “Actor Bertie Carvel to play Nick Clegg”, both of which would have been less misleading.

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Paul Walter

Our general election campaign in the last week – a strong start?

By Paul Walter | Wed 4th February 2015 - 9:25 am

This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. “Infrequent” is defined as having post less than five comments in the last month.

A cursory scan of LDV’s posts over the last week confirms that the general election campaign is firing on all cylinders, both on the ground and “in the air”:

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Paul Walter

Our next post will be for new and infrequent commenters

By Paul Walter | Wed 4th February 2015 - 9:15 am

Happy hump day and happy birthday to Alice Cooper who is 67 years old today.

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Paul Walter

Oops! 15 Ashcroft Scottish polls published early by mistake

By Paul Walter | Wed 4th February 2015 - 7:31 am

With a hat-tip to Mark Pack, LDV alumnus.

We were expecting Lord Ashcroft’s Scottish polls today.

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Paul Walter

LibLink: Vince Cable – Why is Labour planning changes to tuition fees that benefit higher earning graduates before lower earners?

By Paul Walter | Tue 3rd February 2015 - 10:14 am

Writing on the Guardian’s Comment is Free, Vince Cable takes Labour to task on their developing plan to reduce the tuition fees cap to £6,000. He culminates with this question:

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Paul Walter

++ LibDems block Snoopers’ Charter – again

By Paul Walter | Mon 2nd February 2015 - 8:45 pm

Lib Dems in the House of Lords have, once more, blocked the Snoopers’ Charter.

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Paul Walter

Sal Brinton: “We aren’t dead”

By Paul Walter | Wed 28th January 2015 - 11:55 am

Sal @ Crohns & Colitis Rec _2 CROPPED Nov 13
New Statesman carries an interview with Liberal Democrat President, Sal Brinton. It’s wide-ranging discussion, with Sal in upbeat mood:

The key message is, if I talk to a candidate or other senior people do, make sure that you pass the word on. It’s like handing a torch on to say, ‘actually we aren’t dead, there’s a lot happening, there’s a lot good that we’ve got to talk about in government, and yes there have been things that have been very difficult for us’. But if people only hear about the bad side, and the side that the other parties want you to hear about, we will be missing a real trick.

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Paul Walter

Our next post will be for new and infrequent commenters

By Paul Walter | Wed 28th January 2015 - 9:15 am

Happy hump day*!

We have two cheery photos for this morning.

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Paul Walter

A quiet word in defence of Alex Carlile

By Paul Walter | Wed 28th January 2015 - 8:05 am

alex carlile2 from bells yard
I fully support the decision of my friend and colleague Caron Lindsay, Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, to initiate a debate on the actions of Lord Carlile in connection with the Counter Terrorism Bill and an amendment (which apparently is still hanging over parliament like the sword of Damocles) which would effectively bring in the Communications Data Bill (or “Snoopers’ Charter”) by a back door/shoe-horn.

I strongly disapprove of those actions, taken by Lord Carlile and a few other peers.

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Paul Walter

++ Tessa Munt quits as Vince Cable aide over fracking

By Paul Walter | Tue 27th January 2015 - 10:10 pm

Tessa Munt photo by Keith EdkinsBBC News reports:

Lib Dem MP Tessa Munt has resigned as a parliamentary aide to Business Secretary Vince Cable after voting against the government on fracking.

Ms Munt defied the party whip to support a rebel amendment calling for a moratorium on the extraction technique.

The Wells MP initially said she intended to remain in her role

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Paul Walter

LibLink: Baroness Claire Tyler – Mental health matters

By Paul Walter | Wed 21st January 2015 - 3:05 pm

Writing on the Liberal Democrat website, Baroness Claire Tyler sets out detailed ways in which government can radically improve the treatment of mental health problems:

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Paul Walter

LibLink: Baroness Sally Hamwee – Sending overseas students home is “economic nonsense”

By Paul Walter | Wed 21st January 2015 - 12:15 pm

Writing on PoliticsHome, Baroness Sally Hamwee, describes the recently mooted Conservative plans to send overseas students home as “economic nonsense”, which risk the good reputation of the UK:

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Paul Walter

The Green party – should we be panicking?

By Paul Walter | Wed 21st January 2015 - 9:25 am

This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. “Infrequent” is defined as having post less than five comments in the last month.

Yesterday, a poll showed the Green party ahead of the Liberal Democrats by two points. Last week, figures showed that the Green party overtook the LibDems (and UKIP) in terms of membership numbers.

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Posted in For new & infrequent commenters, News and Op-eds | Tagged | 31 Comments
Paul Walter

Our next post will be for new and infrequent commenters

By Paul Walter | Wed 21st January 2015 - 9:15 am

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday on Liberal Democrat Voice!

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Paul Walter

The Hughester gits dan wiv da kids

By Paul Walter | Thu 15th January 2015 - 5:35 pm

Well, not really, the title above is rubbish, but Simon Hughes seemed to score a “street cred” point yesterday when an interview with him was carried on Buzzfeed.

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Posted in Humour and News | Tagged , and | 10 Comments
Paul Walter

Pub landlord to call time on Farage

By Paul Walter | Wed 14th January 2015 - 7:21 pm

Oh joy! Oh rapture!

At last the prospect of some fun during the election campaign!

All hail to the ale!

The Guardian reports:

Comedian Al Murray has announced he plans to stand against Nigel Farage in the seat of South Thanet in May’s general election.

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Paul Walter

Nick Clegg – hero or villain?

By Paul Walter | Wed 14th January 2015 - 9:23 am

This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. “Infrequent” is defined as having post less than five comments in the last month

Nick Clegg is someone who evokes strong opinions – for and against. Last week we wished Happy Birthday to him and listed 48 (to match his age) good things he has done.

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Paul Walter

Our next post will be for new and infrequent commenters

By Paul Walter | Wed 14th January 2015 - 9:13 am

Last Wednesday, we ran an experiment. We reserved the comments thread on one post for new and infrequent commenters.

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Paul Walter

Je suis encore Charlie

By Paul Walter | Sun 11th January 2015 - 12:54 pm

It was a “you’ll remember where you were when you heard the news” moment.

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Paul Walter

Shirley Williams talks about the new film based on the life of her mother, Vera Brittain

By Paul Walter | Wed 7th January 2015 - 11:54 am

Baroness Shirley Williams has been speaking to the Telegraph on the occasion of the release of a film based on her mother, Vera Brittain’s memoir, Testament of Youth:

Baroness Williams has praised her mother Vera Brittain’s lifelong efforts as a pacifist, saying her only regret is that “she wasn’t here when we fought against the Iraq war.”

The 84-year-old Lib Dem grandee spoke about her mother at the premiere of the film adaptation of Brittain’s First World War memoir, Testament of Youth.

She said of the writer, feminist and campaigner who died in 1970: “She never gave up. She was as much against the Vietnam War as she was against the First World War.”

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Paul Walter

Offering “heart and spine” – should we be mentioning the “c” word in the election campaign?

By Paul Walter | Wed 7th January 2015 - 9:54 am

 

As an experiment, comments for this post will be moderated and confined to new and infrequent commenters on this site. “Infrequent” is defined as having posted less than five comments in the last month. We have 40 posts a week where our frequent commenters have more than enough space to express their views. This post is reserved for new and not-so-frequent commenters.

We carried Nick Clegg’s Monday press conference speech in full. It was a very well-written and compelling narrative.

He said that the 2015 election will be about:

Who is best placed to finish the (recovery) job and do so fairly?

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Paul Walter

Our next post will be reserved for new and infrequent commenters

By Paul Walter | Wed 7th January 2015 - 9:44 am

 

A very good morning from your Wednesday editor.

Our cheery morning photo (above) shows Stephen Fry and Elliott Spencer. Many congratulations to them both on their forthcoming marriage, the plan for which became public yesterday.

We’re going to try something a bit different today.

As an experiment, comments on the next post, to follow in ten minutes’ time, will be moderated and reserved for new and infrequent commenters on this site.

“Infrequent” is defined as having posted less than five comments in the last month.

We have 40 posts a week where our frequent commenters have more than enough space to express their views. We welcome those views but we’d like to try giving a little breathing space especially to people who haven’t commented here before or have done so only a little recently.

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