Author Archives: Spencer Hagard

Our values and the Brexit crisis

We must quickly learn to cope with the new reality, and respond imaginatively, rationally and practically.  I applaud Tim Farron for doing so, and doing it well.

With a trickle of enquiries about whether Tim is acting ultra vires, party members will need reassurance that approved constitutional arrangements for policy making in emergency situations are being scrupulously observed. Federal Policy Committee should quickly provide reassurance, and should also circulate its plans to organise and channel the party membership’s central role in policy making during the crisis.

Meanwhile, back at the inferno, many established aspects of UK governance are under challenge, with new challenges arising constantly. Liberal Democrats need to seize the hour, to strongly re-emphasise the party’s radical political and constitutional reform agenda, developed over many decades, but corroded by the 2010 coalition agreement, and then undermined by the frustrating processes and unsatisfactory outcomes of the 2012-13 policy working group (of which I was a member).

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 22 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • James Hill
    Nick Baird is correct that there is no link between the amount of national insurance you pay and your state pension entitlement - aka state pension entitlement ...
  • FSPeople
    Pete Roberts The legal system has resolved how you address many of these situations but the LibDems just decided the law didn’t apply to them. That seems a p...
  • Jana
    @Nick Baird “ There is zero link between what you actually pay in, and what you get out” Clearly a false claim. For example, someone who leaves the UK i...
  • Ruth Bright
    Hi Jana that is a very fair point. I always pay careful attention to your comments. However, the use of barracks and other MoD property seems preferable to hote...
  • Nick Baird
    To add to Jenny's comment, you can build entitlement to a state pension without paying a penny. You can get NI credits if you are claiming benefits for being i...