Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Lessons of Coalition (3): what do the Lib Dems need to learn from the first 3 years?

By The Voice | Thu 1st August 2013 - 8:03 am

ldv coalition lessonsLibDemVoice is running a daily feature, ‘Lessons of Coalition’, to assess the major do’s and don’ts learned from our experience of the first 3 years in government. Reader contributions are welcome, either as comments or posts. The word limit is no more than 450 words, and please focus on just one lesson you think the party needs to learn. Simply email your submission to [email protected]. Today Gareth Epps shares his thoughts …

Government: What’s Occurrin?

A couple of years ago I took a trip to Barry Island and went on one of the …

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The Voice

Lessons of Coalition (2): what do the Lib Dems need to learn from the first 3 years?

By The Voice | Wed 31st July 2013 - 8:15 am

ldv coalition lessonsLibDemVoice is running a daily feature, ‘Lessons of Coalition’, to assess the major do’s and don’ts learned from our experience of the first 3 years in government. Reader contributions are welcome, either as comments or posts. The word limit is no more than 450 words, and please focus on just one lesson you think the party needs to learn. Simply email your submission to [email protected]. Today Mark Valladares shares his thoughts …

Better party communications responding to the realities of governing

My lesson of coalition is the importance of building a Party …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 17 Comments
The Voice

Know someone in local government who deserves an award?

By The Voice | Tue 30th July 2013 - 1:52 pm

The ALDE Group in the Committee of the Regions has launched the third edition of the awards for key liberal players at regional and local level. This year’s awards ceremony will be held on 4th of December in Brussels.

Both the national board of ALDE and EDP member parties as well as their local branches can submit nominations of persons that are considered to be suitable candidates for such an award, accompanied by a small motivation. Nominations need to reach the ALDE Secretariat by 30th September 2013.

There will be 2 categories of awards:

  • Local Leader of the Year
  • Regional Leader of the Year

Each …

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Posted in Europe / International, Local government and News | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 28th July 2013 - 2:30 pm

Many thanks to the  15,000 unique visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Opinion: Cameron’s porn ban – what does it mean? by Iain Roberts (42 comments)

POLL EXCLUSIVE: What Lib Dem members think will happen in 2015 and what we want to happen in the event of a hung parliament  by Stephen Tall (47 comments)

Labour MP for Tottenham tells residents: wait until September for help by Mark Pack (15 comments)

The good news on university applications in 5 graphs by Stephen Tall (29 comments)

Exclusive: Liberal Democrats: “Go home” poster vans “disproportionate, distasteful and …

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The Voice

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: It’s Summer – back to work

By The Voice | Sun 28th July 2013 - 10:40 am

This week, Nick’s focus is on the Liberal Democrats’ Million Jobs campaign. He talks about his experience shadowing an apprentice in a pharmacy in his Sheffield constituency. We’re glad he reassured us that his work was carefully double and triple checked. Find out what other Liberal Democrat MPs are up to in their areas…

libdem letter from nick clegg

This summer, Liberal Democrat MPs and Peers are going back to the shop floor and finding out what it is like to be an apprentice.

For my part, I spent some time last week

…

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sat 27th July 2013 - 2:55 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

Mixed by-election results – joy in Maghull, commiserations in Kingston

By The Voice | Fri 26th July 2013 - 11:20 am

So, who says the Liberal Democrats can’t take seats off Labour in the north?

Actually, we can. In Maghull, just north of Liverpool, two wards of the town council turned from red to gold and another came within 9 tantalising votes of doing the same.  Our vigorous campaign won a 20% swing from Labour.

And, it seems, those fabulous Liberal Youth people were on the case, too.

Well done …

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Posted in Local government and News | Tagged and | 12 Comments
The Voice

Got some spare time? Can you help out in Kingston today?

By The Voice | Thu 25th July 2013 - 12:51 pm

There’s a whole crop of by-elections today across the country. ALDC have the details here over three pages. Have a look for details of one near you and do what you can to help your local campaign.

However, there is only one Liberal Democrat defence, in Edward Davey’s Kingston constituency, so here at the Voice we are asking Liberal Democrat supporters reading this to concentrate their efforts there.

Lesley Heap is our candidate in Beverley ward. She’s a former NHS worker who’s now a swimming coach. She’s lived in the ward for 12 years.  And she needs you to ring her supporters …

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Posted in Local government, London and News | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Last chance to book for conference at reduced rates

By The Voice | Thu 25th July 2013 - 10:02 am

Tomorrow – 26 July – is the last day on which it is possible to book to attend conference at reduced rates. A full week at full price is, until tomorrow, £96 – after that the price rises to £134.

You can book here.

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The Voice

Lib Dem MP Sir Bob Russell slams Israeli parliament for “ethnically cleansing between 40,000 and 60,000 Bedouin”

By The Voice | Wed 24th July 2013 - 8:05 pm

bob russell_2Lib Dem MP Sir Bob Russell launched a broadside in the Commons last week against the Israeli parliament for approving (in his words) “what can be described only as ethnically cleansing between 40,000 and 60,000 Bedouin”.

He went on to attack the US Government and the European Union for their inaction and the British media for its silence — but singled out for praise Jewish Voice for Peace, which is campaigning against what it terms “this massive violation of human rights”. His call was echoed by the Conservative …

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The Voice

Nick Clegg on the Royal birth: “Good news to make the whole country smile”

By The Voice | Tue 23rd July 2013 - 8:45 am

Here’s how Lib Dem MPs responded to the news of the new addition to the Royal Family…

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The Voice

The Royal Baby: the Liberal Democrat Voice non-rolling coverage

By The Voice | Mon 22nd July 2013 - 11:45 am

We at the Voice obviously wish the Duchess of Cambridge, and anyone else giving birth today, all the very best. However, you will be relieved to know that we won’t be dispatching any members of our team to West London to hang around outside St Mary’s Hospital and write copious amounts of rather hilarious speculation about what might be going on inside. We recognise that we might be missing a trick, and that, actually, people do want to hear men speculate about what Kate might be feeling, but we reckon we’re on pretty safe ground with our readers.

Two things that …

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The Voice

LibLink… we’re still fighting the cold war

By The Voice | Mon 22nd July 2013 - 10:56 am

The UK does not need a hair-trigger nuclear weapons system to keep it safe. To suggest otherwise is Cold War thinking at its most outdated – and last week it was a shame to see both the Conservative and Labour parties in denial…

…writes Danny Alexander in the Independent.

Danny goes on to argue that the level of alertness of a weapons system should be justified by a threat level – a doctrine that is accepted for conventional weapons. He points out that we have an opportunity to take a positive step towards disarmament, and that this debate should not be …

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 21st July 2013 - 12:30 pm

Many thanks to the 11,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

…

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The Voice

LDVideo: Graham Norton meets Lib Dem councillor Paula Belford and her husband’s “little chappie”

By The Voice | Sat 20th July 2013 - 6:25 pm

Here’s Islington Lib Dem councillor Paula Belford starring on Graham Norton’s chat-show, with Steve Carrel among others looking on…

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The Voice

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “Trident: we need to protect ourselves from the threats of the future not the past”

By The Voice | Sat 20th July 2013 - 2:55 pm

libdem letter from nick clegg

Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, divides opinion. That was apparent this week when the Government published the results of a two-year, detailed study of the alternatives.

Some people say Britain should surrender our nuclear weapons tomorrow, regardless of what threats we face. While others seem to believe it’s unpatriotic to even consider anything other than the full-scale Trident system we built for the Cold War threats of yesterday.

Personally, I think the world has changed. I am not, and never have been, a believer in unilateral disarmament. But I

…

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The Voice

David Ward has party whip withdrawn over “Jews” comment

By The Voice | Thu 18th July 2013 - 1:45 pm

The BBC reports on the outcome of a meeting between David Ward, MP for Bradford East, Nick Clegg and Alistair Carmichael:

Liberal Democrat MP David Ward has had his party’s whip withdrawn over controversial comments he made in the lead-up to Holocaust Day in January.

Mr Ward said “the Jews”, who had suffered during the Holocaust, had inflicted “atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel” within a few years.

He also posted a tweet at the weekend, calling Israel an “apartheid state”.

Mr Ward is said to be “disappointed” by the Lib Dem leadership’s decision.

The MP for Bradford East wrote

…

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The Voice

RIP Pratap Chitnis

By The Voice | Mon 15th July 2013 - 8:47 am

In memory of Pratap Chitnis, we reproduce below Mark Pack’s tribute to an unjustly forgotten Liberal Hero. The Guardian’s obituary is here.

Pratap (later Lord) Chitnis was the post-war Liberal Party’s first grassroots campaigning mastermind, whose pioneering activities laid the groundwork for the later work of better known people such as Trevor Jones and Chris Rennard.

Born in 1936 to a family with a history of Liberal politics (his grandfather stood and lost in 1906), he was inspired by Jo Grimond to join the Liberal Party himself in 1958. Chitnis first worked in the National Liberal Club’s library and then …

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 14th July 2013 - 5:35 pm

Many thanks to the 14,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

…

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sat 13th July 2013 - 5:25 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 10 days:

…

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The Voice

Liberal Reform comment on Royal Mail privatisation

By The Voice | Fri 12th July 2013 - 2:15 pm

In the wake of Vince Cable’s announcement that the Royal Mail would be privatised, we asked Liberal Reform and the Social Liberal Forum for their comments. We haven’t received anything from SLF yet, but here is what Liberal Reform co-chair Alan Muhammed had to say:

Liberal Reform welcomes the floatation of the Royal Mail, an organisation that has long required reform.  These moves will generate the biggest employee share scheme for 30 years and enables greater access to capital, crucial for sustaining the Royal Mail as a successful commercial business, delivering a vital service that the nation values.
There’s a substantial amount

…

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The Voice

Vince Cable announces Royal Mail privatisation

By The Voice | Wed 10th July 2013 - 2:29 pm

Today Vince Cable announced, to no surprise whatsoever, that the Royal Mail is to be privatised.

Key points

  • This does not affect the Post Office – although options on mutualisation will be considered. No Post Offices will close.
  • A majority stake will be floated on the stock exchange
  • The 6 day a week flat rate service is set in stone.
  • 10% of shares available for employees, free to the employee, to either give them a cash windfall or a say in how the company is run.

Why privatise?

Under public ownership there is simply not the freedom to raise capital in the markets. A share sale will

…

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The Voice

Nick Clegg’s message for Ramadan

By The Voice | Mon 8th July 2013 - 8:47 pm

The values of peace, empathy and charity are an essential part of this holy month of Ramadan and evident within the invaluable contribution of British Muslims to strengthen communities across the UK.

So said Nick Clegg in his video to mark the start of Ramadan, also available on You Tube here.

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 7th July 2013 - 1:20 pm

Many thanks to the 10,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

…

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The Voice

Lynne Featherstone re-selected in Hornsey and Wood Green

By The Voice | Sun 7th July 2013 - 11:17 am

Not that there was ever any doubt, but the process has been done and Lynne Featherstone has been reselected to stand for Hornsey and Wood Green at the 2015. She said on her website that she was delighted at the decision:

I am simply delighted by the confidence the local Liberal Democrat members have shown in me. It was a fantastic evening, and I’d like to thank the members, the local party, and fellow Lib Dem MP Ed Davey for making such a great speech.

It was also so special to have my political heroine, Baroness Shirley Williams, in attendance supporting

…

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The Voice

Schools for profit? Not on my watch, says Nick Clegg

By The Voice | Wed 3rd July 2013 - 8:38 am

From today’s Independent:

Nick Clegg vowed today to veto any move by the Conservatives to allow academies and free schools to become profit-making businesses.

The Deputy Prime Minister intervened after The Independent revealed that Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, is considering plans to redraw the rules to allow the schools to use hedge funds and venture capitalists to raise money.

The Liberal Democrats will block any moves to change the rules before the 2015 general election.  During the election campaign, Mr Clegg’s party will claim that they acted as a brake on the Tories inside the Coalition.  “We will say we stopped

…

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The Voice

LDV’s Sunday Best

By The Voice | Sun 30th June 2013 - 10:00 am

Many thanks to the 12,000 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

…

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The Voice

Lynne: Police should target “cutters” who perform genital mutilation on girls in Britain, not their parents

By The Voice | Sat 29th June 2013 - 9:20 am

Lynne Featherstone in Zambia. Photo: some rights reserved by DFID http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/8220719712/The London Evening Standard reports:

Police should target “cutters” who perform genital mutilation on girls in Britain, rather than the parents who pay for it, International Development minister Lynne Featherstone says.

The minister, who this week visited Kenya to see how female genital mutilation is being stamped out there, said Britain needs to speed up the first prosecution here to send a warning that the practice will not be tolerated. FGM has been illegal in the UK since 1985 but nobody has

…

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The Voice

EU funding helps UK punch above its weight on science

By The Voice | Wed 26th June 2013 - 10:51 am

Yesterday, MEPs and national ministers in Brussels agreed on the new EU research and innovation programme “Horizon 2020”.

Horizon 2020 is structured around three ‘pillars’;

  • ‘Excellence in the science base’ – aims to strengthen the EU’s world-class excellence in science, particularly through a significant strengthening of the European Research Council, which mainly focuses on frontier research
  • ‘Creating industrial leadership and competitive frameworks’ – aims to support business research and innovation. Actions will cover: increasing investment in enabling industrial technologies and support for innovation in SMEs with high growth potential
  • ‘Tackling societal challenges’ – aims to respond directly to challenges identified in Europe

…

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The Voice

Vince vs Danny and Osborne?

By The Voice | Sun 23rd June 2013 - 1:46 pm

From the Observer:

Vince Cable is refusing to accept deep cuts to his departmental budget without a guarantee of billions in funding for job-creating capital projects, as arguments over this week’s spending review reached a new pitch.

With just three days before George Osborne is due to announce £11.5bn of cuts for 2015-16, the business secretary was said to be in no mood to back down in a dispute he regards as crucial to the government’s economic credibility.

Cable is arguing, in talks with Treasury ministers and officials, that the coalition must have “a strong story to

…

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