Author Archives: Sam Cannicott

Opinion: LibDems should run a big-spending department

By Sam Cannicott | Mon 9th January 2012 - 12:53 pm

Writing in The Times, Danny Finkelstein (here for subscribers) predicts that the Coalition Government will stick together in 2012 and that those who think there will be a general election this year are wrong.

I agree. The coalition will survive and there will not be a general election. But I hope that the coalition will look rather different. The Liberal Democrats need to be running a big spending department responsible for a key public service. A problem that the party faces is that it struggles to explain to non-politicos what the Liberal Democrats actually do. …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged coalition | 7 Comments

Opinion: Lib Dems must prove coalitions work

By Sam Cannicott | Mon 9th May 2011 - 4:26 pm

So what next for the Lib Dems? The next general election and probably many more will be fought using the flawed and unfair first past the post system. We can vent some steam and complain about the poorly executed Yes campaign. Or look like sore losers and blame Cameron and the No campaign’s underhand tactics. But the fact is electoral reform is not on the cards any time soon.

The challenge for the Liberal Democrats is now prove to the country that coalition government works. Our party needs to provide the country with strong, stable government …