Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: Remember this?

By The Voice | Sun 20th October 2013 - 11:43 am

This week’s Letter from the Leader tells us something that members and supporters really should know already – that Liberal Democrats are responsible for raising the tax threshold, that the Tories in general and David Cameron in particular, trashed it publicly at the time. But now that the idea has turned out to be popular, the Tories are claiming it as their own. Keep this one in your bookmarks to show off who’s really responsible for this significant achievement. 

libdem letter from nick clegg

 

Remember this?

I know I don’t usually send

…

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The Voice

Nick Clegg pledges parental guarantee to tackle poor standards in free schools

By The Voice | Sun 20th October 2013 - 9:04 am

Clegg WatfordThe Independent on Sunday today reports that Nick Clegg is to criticise Conservative policy on free schools. He will pledge a new parental guarantee in the 2015 Liberal Democrat election manifesto.

It makes no sense to me to have qualified teacher status if only a few schools have to employ qualified teachers.

What’s the point of having a national curriculum if only a few schools have to teach it? Let’s teach it in all our schools.

And what’s the point of having brilliant new food standards if only a few schools have to stick to the rules? Let’s have quality food in all our schools.

If the Lib Dems re-enter government, the guarantee will assure parents that their child will be taught by a qualified a teacher. The schools will have to follow the national curriculum and conform to national nutritional standards for school meals.

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The Voice

What’s being debated in our members’ forum this week?

By The Voice | Sat 19th October 2013 - 1:25 pm

LibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you’re reading now. The second is our private members’ forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access.

If you’re a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that’s on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you’ll be included in our regular surveys’ of party members’ views.

Here’s some of the most active discussions this past 7 days:

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The Voice

A good night for Lib Dems at the byelections

By The Voice | Fri 18th October 2013 - 10:45 am

Three cheers to Michael Gee who gained Dalston in Carlisle from the Conservatives last night. The Lib Dems also held local council seats in the South Lakes and Luton. Congratulations to Annie Rawlinson and Clive Mead.

GAIN in Carlisle

dalston

HOLD in South Lakes

levens

HOLD at Luton

luton

 

Posted in Council by-elections and News | 11 Comments
The Voice

Nick Clegg welcomes Milburn social mobility and child poverty report

By The Voice | Thu 17th October 2013 - 3:09 pm

Oliver TwistPresenting a report laid before parliament today, the coalition’s social mobility tsar Alan Milburn said “child poverty is a problem for working families rather than the workless or the work-shy.”

Entrenched poverty remains a priority for action but transient poverty, growing insecurity and stalling mobility are far more widespread than politicians, employers and educators have so far recognised.

The nature of poverty has changed. Today child poverty is overwhelmingly a problem facing working families, not the workless or the work-shy. Two-thirds of Britain’s poor children are now in households where an adult works. The problem is that those working parents simply do not earn enough to escape poverty.

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The Voice

Nick Clegg’s message for Eid-al-Adha – “Countless acts of kindness”

By The Voice | Tue 15th October 2013 - 6:48 pm

Nick Clegg has recorded a message for the festival of Eid-al-Adha, whch ends tonight, in which he says:

The theme of sacrifice and generosity, which defines this festival, works to strengthen the ties between us. It reminds us all – both Muslims and non-Muslims alike – of the obligations we have to each other, especially those who are suffering.

He adds that Muslims will be helping people in their own communities and across the world in “countless acts of kindness.”

He also takes the opportunity to talk about the £100 million extra humanitarian aid which the UK Government has sent to help people forced to leave their homes as a result of the conflict in Syria.

You can watch the message, also available on You Tube,  here:

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The Voice

Carmichael behind in first major test since becoming Secretary of State for Scotland

By The Voice | Mon 14th October 2013 - 10:25 am

We all know that Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael likes a social drink or two, although as he says himself  “please do not take this to mean that I have any sort of addiction issue.” So many of his friends were surprised when he decided to take part in Macmillan Cancer Relief’s Go Sober for October fundraising campaign.

The ante was considerably upped during the first week when his old friend, ace campaigner and party legend Sheila Ritchie, decided on a Twitter whim to take part as well and challenged Alistair to a competition to see which of them could raise the most money.

This, of course, was all before Alistair was promoted to the Cabinet. Imagine having to face Theresa May, Chris Grayling and Iain Duncan Smith without being able to have a wee dram.

We aren’t half way through October yet, but at the time of writing, Sheila is some £300 ahead of Alistair, with £1025 pledged to his £710.

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The Voice

Did Nick Harvey turn down the job of Lib Dem chief whip?

By The Voice | Sun 13th October 2013 - 1:30 pm

nick harvey weaponSir Nick Harvey, summarily sacked as defence minister by Nick Clegg a year ago, was offered a job in government at last week’s reshuffle — at least according to James Forsyth in the Mail on Sunday:

The Lib Dem leader had hoped Nick Harvey would be his Chief Whip. But, to Clegg’s surprise, Harvey turned down the job. ‘Clegg was gobsmacked,’ one Lib Dem tells me. The Deputy Prime Minister didn’t expect him to reject an invitation to join his inner circle. Harvey had been sounded out about taking

…

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The Voice

LDV’s Sunday Best: our 7 most-read articles this week

By The Voice | Sun 13th October 2013 - 12:30 pm

Many thanks to the 18,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

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The Voice

Lib Dem councillor Sarah Brown 27th most influential on Indy’s 2013 Pink List

By The Voice | Sun 13th October 2013 - 11:08 am

Sarah_Brown_(politician)Many congratulations to Sarah Brown, Cambridge Lib Dem councillor, who has been ranked in today’s Independent on Sunday Pink List 2013 as the 27th most influential campaigner making a difference for a more equal society. That, incidentally, puts her one place higher than Eddie Mair…

27. (34) Sarah Brown
Councillor

The Cambridge Councillor is the only out transgender politician in Britain. Representing the Liberal Democrats for the Petersfield Ward, Brown has been made the Executive Councillor for Community Well-Being this year. A member of the LGBT and Liberal Democrats Executive, she is also

…

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The Voice

What’s being debated in our members’ forum this week?

By The Voice | Sat 12th October 2013 - 6:50 pm

LibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you’re reading now. The second is our private members’ forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access.

If you’re a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that’s on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you’ll be included in our regular surveys’ of party members’ views.

Here’s some of the most active discussions this past week:

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The Voice

LDVideo: Vince Cable praises Royal Mail’s “very good launch” onto the stock market

By The Voice | Sat 12th October 2013 - 2:30 pm

Royal Mail shares soared on their first day’s floatation yesterday, prompting inevitable accusations that the company had been priced too low. Here’s Lib Dem business secretary Vince Cable explaining his aim to assure long-term investment irrespective of the froth of the “spivs and speculators”:

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The Voice

Julie Pörksen selected as Liberal Democrat candidate for Berwick

By The Voice | Fri 11th October 2013 - 11:20 am

Julie PorksenJulie Pörksen will be the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Berwick constituency at the 2015 general election.

An agricultural economist, Julie grew up in Belsay, Northumberland. She was selected yesterday evening. Julie stood as a candidate in the Northumberland County Council elections last May, slashing the Tory majority in Amble West with Warkworth to one vote.

Sir Alan Beith is standing down at the next election after 40 years as Berwick’s MP.

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The Voice

Chemical weapons watchdog wins the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

By The Voice | Fri 11th October 2013 - 10:09 am

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has won the 2013 Nobel peace prize.

The Hague-based global chemical weapons watchdog, supported by the United Nations, is currently aiming to help destroy Syria’s chemical weapons capacity by the beginning of November.

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The Voice

Clegg: Guardian’s leaked Snowden secrets of “immense interest to people who want to do us harm”

By The Voice | Thu 10th October 2013 - 8:07 pm

Clegg HeadMI5 chief Andrew Parker spoke out yesterday against the leaking of intelligence secrets by Edward Snowden to The Guardian, claiming it seriously endangered national security and had given terrorist groups like al-Qa’ida “the gift they need to evade us and strike at will”. Nick Clegg was asked if he agreed on his LBC radio phone-in show, Call Clegg. Here’s what he said:

Nick Ferrari: Deputy Prime Minister, do you agree with the Prime Minister, who says that Andrew Parker, the Security Chief’s warning to the Guardian’s publication of those files handed

…

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The Voice

Malala Yousafzai wins European Prize for freedom of thought

By The Voice | Thu 10th October 2013 - 2:45 pm

Malala Yousafzai at Ministerial meeting with Afghanistan in New YorkMalala is known to all as the Pakistani girl shot through the head and neck after protesting  against the Taliban’s closure of girls schools in her region of the Swat valley. Now fully recovered she has been awarded the 2013 European Parliament Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, human rights and democracy.

Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson was the first to put Malala Yousafzai forward as a nominee and led the campaign for her nomination and award in the European Parliament. …

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The Voice

Alistair Carmichael on Sir Menzies Campbell

By The Voice | Thu 10th October 2013 - 11:34 am

Menzies CampbellAlistair Carmichael, the newly promoted Secretary of State for Scotland, added his thoughts about the retirement of his colleague Sir Menzies Campbell to those posted yesterday.

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The Voice

Willie Rennie and Iain Smith praise Sir Menzies Campbell

By The Voice | Wed 9th October 2013 - 6:55 pm

mingWe told you earlier that Sir Menzies Campbell had announced that he’s retiring as MP for North East Fife in 2015.  Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and fellow Fife Parliamentarian Willie Rennie had this to say:

Menzies Campbell’s wise and intelligent counsel has guided our nation through some of its most testing dilemmas.  From Yugoslavia to Iraq to Syria he has been insightful and calm but never feared standing out from the crowd.

For over thirty five years Ming has dedicated himself to his constituency of North East Fife and in return local people have put their trust in him.  He converted a healthy Conservative majority into a healthy Liberal Democrat one.

Ming Campbell excelled in life – from Olympic sprinter to Advocate to political statesman.  To have excelled at one would be remarkable but to have excelled at all three is truly astonishing.

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The Voice

Ming Campbell announces he’s to retire as MP in 2015

By The Voice | Wed 9th October 2013 - 3:39 pm

Ming Campbell, Lib Dem MP for North East Fife since 1987, has today announced his decision to retire from the House of Commons at the next election.

It’s been an enormous privilege to have been an MP for 26 years and to represent such a wonderful constituency as North East Fife. My wife and I have made many friends and have been supported by constituents of all political persuasions and none.

It is always a regret to begin the process of retiring from the House of Commons but I believe now is the time to start. I have written to

…

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The Voice

Simon Hughes re-selected for Bermondsey and Old Southwark

By The Voice | Wed 9th October 2013 - 10:53 am

In news which will surprise nobody, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Simon Hughes has been re-selected by his local party in Bermondsey and Old Southwark to fight the 2015 General Election as reported by the London SE1 community website.

Simon said:

Since I was first elected, we’ve been through a lot. Fighting to have tube stations in Bermondsey and Southwark, unemployment dropping from nearly 20 per cent to 7 per cent, regeneration of our high streets, and many things that matter to local people like better housing and schools, and more training and jobs.

But little compares to the work I have been

…

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The Voice

In Full: Nick Clegg’s speech on Europe: Richer, stronger, safer, greener

By The Voice | Wed 9th October 2013 - 9:19 am

Nick Clegg in DublinHere, for posterity’s sake, is Nick Clegg’s speech on Europe from yesterday:

I am a pro-European – that is no great revelation, I know. But sometimes you need to say it, clearly and unambiguously.

The isolationist forces in Britain are on the rise – UKIP on the doorstep; Conservative politicians at their conference; familiar headlines in some of our newspapers each placing Britain’s ills firmly at Brussels’ door: too much immigration, too much crime, too much red tape. And every time Europe is back in the spotlight, their hostility towards it – this negative reaction to all things continental – drowns out the other voices in this debate.

Pro-Europeans have to take some responsibility for that. The moderate and rational voices have been too quiet up until now. But we cannot afford that silence anymore. We are no longer asking if Britain will have a referendum on continued membership, we are asking when Britain will have a referendum on continued membership.

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The Voice

In full: Nick Clegg’s and Michael Moore’s exchange of letters

By The Voice | Mon 7th October 2013 - 11:28 am

As we reported earlier, Michael Moore is to leave Government and will be replaced as Scottish Secretary by Alistair Carmichael.

When a Minister leaves office, there is always an exchange of letters between them and their party leader. Here is the exchange between Mike and Nick Clegg:

Nick Clegg’s letter to Mike Moore:

Dear Mike

I want to thank you for the vital role you have played as Secretary of State for Scotland over the past three years.

You became Scottish Secretary in 2010 at a critical time in Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the United Kingdom and you have managed the challenges of

…

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The Voice

+++ Carmichael replaces Michael Moore as Secretary of State for Scotland

By The Voice | Mon 7th October 2013 - 10:19 am

From the BBC:

Michael Moore has been sacked as Secretary of State for Scotland and replaced by Alistair Carmichael, another senior Liberal Democrat.

The move comes as a reshuffle of Conservative and Lib Dem ministers in the coalition government is under way.

Mr Moore was a leading figure in the No campaign ahead of the referendum on Scottish independence next September.

Moore had been Secretary of State since he replaced Danny Alexander at the end of May 2010.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie praised Mike Moore’s achievements and welcomed Alistair Carmichael’s appointment. He said:

Mike Moore is leaving on a high after

…

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The Voice

LDV’s Sunday Best: our 7 most-read articles this week

By The Voice | Sun 6th October 2013 - 3:28 pm

Many thanks to the  13,800 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

I need the Liberal Democrats to stand up for me when Conservative ministers denigrate me (62 comments) by Matt

On the Lib Dem conference polling bump (or lack thereof) and what it means for the party (68 comments) by Stephen Tall

Of course, the Daily Mail has form when it comes to smearing party leaders’ families (21 comments) by Stephen Tall

Might some of the welfare changes be a little more helpful to people than Osborne made out? (69 comments) by Caron …

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The Voice

Who will follow in Tom McNally’s ermine footsteps?

By The Voice | Sun 6th October 2013 - 10:25 am

The news Helen Duffett posted this week — Tom McNally to stand down as Leader of the Lib Dem Lords — was rather drowned out by the Tory conference and the row over the Daily Mail’s smearing of Ralph Miliband. But as the BBC’s parliamentary correspondent Mark D’Arcy (no, not the fictional Mr Bridget Jones: different guy) points out here, it’s a role that matters lot these days, especially with the House of Lords here to stay for the forseeable…

The decision of the avuncular Lib Dem Lord to stand down as deputy leader of the House and leader

…

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The Voice

A reply to Matt on welfare by Lib Dem ministers Norman Lamb and Steve Webb: “We believe in standing up for the vulnerable”

By The Voice | Sun 6th October 2013 - 8:30 am

This week, Lib Dem Voice published a deeply personal account by one of our readers, Matt: I need the Liberal Democrats to stand up for me when Conservative ministers denigrate me. It was read by many in the party, including two Lib Dem ministers in the Coalition — Norman Lamb MP (Department of Health) and Steve Webb MP (Department for Work and Pensions) — who have co-authored the following response.

lamb and webb

When we read the article posted on Lib Dem Voice on Wednesday by Matt, setting out very personally the distressing and painful experiences he has faced over the past few years in trying to access the welfare and health support he needs, we felt it was important that we respond properly to what he had said.

As Liberal Democrats, we instinctively understand that divisive rhetoric is both unhelpful and inaccurate, and for both of these reasons we should all remain constantly vigilant in challenging those who use this type of language to denigrate any member of our society. We believe in standing up for the vulnerable and providing support to those who are facing personal difficulties in their lives.

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The Voice

Bob Russell reselected for Colchester

By The Voice | Sat 5th October 2013 - 1:58 pm

sir-bob-russell-mp-in-the-commons-smallSir Bob Russell, MP for Colchester, has been unanimously re-selected in a ballot of Colchester Liberal Democrats.

Sir Bob was elected to the Commons in 1997, and re-elected in 2001, 2005 and 2010, each time with an increased majority. In 2010, he commanded a majority of nearly 7,000 over the Conservatives.

He told the East Anglian Daily Times that  he wants to “quash rumours” that he will be standing down and has announced that he will be seeking re-election in 2015.

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The Voice

What’s being debated in our members’ forum this week?

By The Voice | Sat 5th October 2013 - 1:00 pm

LibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you’re reading now. The second is our private members’ forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access.

If you’re a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that’s on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you’ll be included in our regular surveys’ of party members’ views.

Here’s some of the most active discussions this past 10 days:

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The Voice

Lib Dem equalities minister Jo Swinson backs Elle magazine’s ‘Make Them Pay’ campaign

By The Voice | Sat 5th October 2013 - 10:49 am

jo swinson by paul walterJo Swinson is not only the government minister responsible for employment relations, consumer and postal affairs – she’s also the Lib Dems’ equalities minister. And she appears in November’s issue of Elle magazine backing its ‘Make Them Pay‘ campaign:

Today, we are proud to announce, the government has gotten behind us too. Women and Equalities minister Jo Swinson is urging all women to follow the advice in The Feminist Times and Mother campaign: ‘If he does the same job as you, ask him his salary.’

Praising our initiative,

…

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The Voice

++ Lib Dem membership UP for first quarter in a decade outside elections

By The Voice | Fri 4th October 2013 - 3:55 pm

That’s the news just in from the party’s HQ:

Congratulations to all involved, especially those local parties who’ve successfully retained and/or recruited members. Full speed ahead to elections in 2014 and 2015!

PS: anyone know how the Tories’ membership figures are looking? Ah yes.

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