Author Archives: The Voice

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The LDV Friday Five: 14 January 2011

By The Voice | Fri 14th January 2011 - 8:53 am

It’s Friday, so here’s a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week:

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

Those Oldham East and Saddleworth polls: what do they mean? (94 comments) by Stephen Tall
By-election polls: Labour 17% ahead – or 1% (71 comments) by Mark Pack
The Times’ advice to voters in Oldham: “They should vote Lib Dem.” (43 comments) by Stephen Tall
Opinion: One good reason to vote Lib Dem (49 comments) by Richard Clare
Vincent McKee suspended from the Liberal Democrats (43 comments) by The Voice

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

5 from the LDV archive

(14th January, 2007-10)

First-Past-The-Post: the ‘safe seats’ system that breeds lazy, corrupt MPs (21 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2010
Opinion: Why not try democracy for a change? (3 comments) by Stephen Marshall, from 2009
PMQs: banks, boom and bust (9 comments) by Alix Mortimer, from 2009
Gareth Epps reviews manifesto conference (16 comments) by Gareth Epps, from 2008
More on Rochdale: Lib Dems take overall control of council (0 comments) by The Founding Editor, from 2007

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

(excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

Posted in Friday Five | Leave a comment

Oldham East and Saddleworth results thread

By The Voice | Thu 13th January 2011 - 11:27 pm

Comment away… and whilst we await the result there is new of a likely third Parliamentary by-election in 2011 in addition to the one expected in Barnsley Central. This one is Leicester South.

2am update –

The result of the Oldham East and Saddleworth Parliamentary by-election:

Labour 14,718
LD Elwyn Watkins 11,160
Conservatives 4,481
UKIP 2,029
BNP 1,560
Green 530
Monster Raving Loony 145
English Democrats 144
Bus Pass Elvis 67
Pirate 96

48.06% turnout

Labour HOLD.

Debbie Abrahams is the new MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Vincent McKee suspended from the Liberal Democrats

By The Voice | Wed 12th January 2011 - 3:53 pm

Following today’s story on Sky News alleging that Dr Vincent McKee has committed fraud,

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said:

With the support of the Federal party, the regional party launched an immediate investigation.

Mr McKee has been suspended from the party, pending the outcome of further investigations. The party will work with all other authorities involved in this matter.

Posted in News | Tagged sky news and vincent mckee | 42 Comments

Clegg points to “clear liberal direction” of government, as Lib Dems highlight Labour’s economic woes

By The Voice | Mon 10th January 2011 - 8:27 pm

Nick Clegg used a prime-time slot on this morning’s Today Programme to make clear his view that the public will take a “more rounded view” of the Lib Dems’ achievements in government by the next election. As BBC News reports:

said the effect of the spending cuts would be “difficult”, adding: “But I think at the same time there are signs that the repair job we are doing on the government finances and the general creation of greater confidence in the economy might also start showing itself as well.

“I think it will be a crucial year – a crucial year, yes, of some very challenging circumstances for millions of people in this country, but I hope the beginning of a real turnaround as we move forward and as we successfully implement the repair job on the economy.” …

Asked whether the Lib Dems had been unsuccessful in implementing their manifesto commitments since forming the coalition, he replied that they had gone into the arrangement with the Conservatives “with our eyes wide open”. He said policies such as electoral reform, raising the point at which people pay basic-rate income tax and introducing a “pupil premium” to help children from the worst-off families had been largely due to his party’s efforts. Mr Clegg added: “I think this shows a clear liberal direction to this government, on the whole.”

He said: “These are the big benefits in British life which I acknowledge in a sense don’t present themselves immediately to people. Over the course of this parliament I believe people will take a more rounded view of what this government is doing.”

You can listen to a brief excerpt from Nick’s interview here:

Posted in News | Tagged alan johnson, ed miliband, lorely burt, nick clegg and stephen williams | 21 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #203

By The Voice | Sun 9th January 2011 - 7:00 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 203rd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (2nd – 8th January, 2010), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

Posted in Best of the blogs | Leave a comment

The LDV Friday Five: 7 January 2011

By The Voice | Fri 7th January 2011 - 5:00 pm

It’s Friday. It’s five o’clock. Here’s a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week:

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

NEW POLL: Who is your Liberal Voice of the Year? (34 comments) by Stephen Tall
Why Cameron’s a credible candidate for 2010’s Liberal Voice award (62 comments) by Stephen Tall
The VAT rise: a refresher course for Labour (89 comments) by Stephen Tall
Why I support the Coalition: in praise of compromise (54 comments) by Iain Roberts
The Independent. It isn’t. (41 comments) by Stephen Tall

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

5 from the LDV archive

(7th January, 2006-2010)

Britain’s best MP competition: the results (10 comments) by Keith Halstead, from 2010
Happy 42nd birthday, Nick! (2 comments) by The Voice, from 2009
Opinion: Why I am so passionately pro-European (13 comments) by Professor Patricia Leighton, from 2009
Jeremy Clarkson changes gear on privacy (10 comments) by Richard Huzzey, from 2008
Hemming threatens to name social workers in Parliament (120 comments) by The Founding Editor, from 2007

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

(excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

Posted in Friday Five | Leave a comment

Nick Clegg: “A liberal approach to freedom, a British approach to freedom”

By The Voice | Fri 7th January 2011 - 1:25 pm

Nick Clegg today set out the principles which will drive the Coalition’s plans to uphold civil liberties while protecting national security, and outlined reforms to Freedom of Information laws and English libel laws. You can read the full speech below — here’s the conclusion:

So, to sum up: the restoration of every day liberties; counterterrorism measures that uphold liberty while protecting security; free citizens able to see into, and speak out about, the organisations that affect their lives. It is a liberal approach to freedom; a British approach to freedom. It forms an important part of our programme to rebalance the relationship between the state and its citizens. Our Labour predecessors will be remembered as the government who took your freedoms away. We want to be remembered as the ones who gave them back.

And here’s the BBC News report in which Nick talks about the ‘dilemma’ the Government faces in working through how to replace Control Orders:

Posted in News | Tagged civil liberties, control orders, nick clegg and terrorism | 33 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 12)

By The Voice | Wed 5th January 2011 - 6:55 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV has been offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The top most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by former contributing editor (and former party member) Richard Huzzey, and originally appeared on 9th December …

Opinion: Richard Huzzey – “I resign”

Vince Cable and Nick Clegg have pursued a strategy that has resembled a poorly-scripted comedy as much as a bitter tragedy in the past month.

This week we have reached the final act of a farcical and disastrous …

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

Welsh Lib Dem councillor defects to Labour

By The Voice | Wed 5th January 2011 - 3:25 pm

Some sad news for Welsh Lib Dems today, with Lib Dem county councillor John Warman defecting to Labour. The BBC’s Betsan Powys reports:

John Warman, a Neath County councillor has “come home to Labour” after 30 years as a Lib Dem. It’s clear he always very much felt and sounded like a Labour politician anyway and his is hardly the high profile defection Labour might have hoped for.

But if politicians who defect tend to be seen as opportunists, it has to be said Mr Warman didn’t much look like one this morning. He just looked fed up and too unhappy

…

Posted in News and Wales | Tagged defections and john warman | 37 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 11)

By The Voice | Tue 4th January 2011 - 6:55 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The second most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Stephen Tall, and originally appeared on 8th May …

Deal or no deal? Here’s what I think

Who would want to be in Nick Clegg’s place today? For all the talk during the campaign that the Lib Dem leader would end up as ‘Kingmaker’, that now looks the least enviable position imaginable.

I’ve read and absorbed lots of …

Posted in Op-eds | 6 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 10)

By The Voice | Mon 3rd January 2011 - 6:55 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The third most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV contributing editor Iain Roberts, and originally appeared on 13th May …

Confusion reigns over 55% – the reality is rather different

Labour activists are up in arms – apparently the Lib Dems and Conservatives are going to change the law so the government can only be brought down if 55% of MPs vote against it.

They’ve got a point – …

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 9)

By The Voice | Sun 2nd January 2011 - 8:15 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The fourth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Mark Pack, and originally appeared on 18th June …

The easy, progressive way to cut £44 billion without harming worthwhile public services or the least well off

It may sound a challenge, cutting £44 billion from public spending.

But actually, it’s easy.

Not only that, it can be done without hitting the least well off. Without cutting worthwhile public services.

…

Posted in Op-eds | 8 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #202

By The Voice | Sun 2nd January 2011 - 6:58 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 202nd weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (26th December 2010 -1st January 2011), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

Posted in Best of the blogs | Leave a comment

How you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Sun 2nd January 2011 - 1:25 pm

The Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that’s fine, we’re grateful for people taking the time to read the site.

You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are three simple ways:

1. Let us have your tips for stories. Perhaps there’s something outrageous going on in your local council? Or you’re an expert in a particular area and have spotted a story other people have missed? Or you’ve seen …

Posted in Site news | Leave a comment

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 8)

By The Voice | Sat 1st January 2011 - 6:45 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The fifth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson, and originally appeared on 3rd November …

Jo Swinson MP writes on tuition fees

Today the Government has outlined its response to the Browne review, and the future of higher education funding. This is arguably the most challenging issue for Liberal Democrats in the coalition so far.

Our party has long prided …

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 7)

By The Voice | Fri 31st December 2010 - 6:45 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The sixth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by a long-standing Lib Dem member who preferred, for professional reasons, to remain anonymous, and originally appeared on 22nd January …

Opinion: UK Border Agency plunges colleges into crisis

I wrote recently about the train-wreck that is happening before our eyes with the new student visa rules. Well, there has been a new development. The UK Border Agency has …

Posted in Op-eds | 1 Comment

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 6)

By The Voice | Thu 30th December 2010 - 8:58 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The seventh most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Nick Perry, and originally appeared on 7th July …

Opinion: I admit it, I am shocked by Labour’s hatred

Call me naive, but I have been genuinely shocked by the bilious and unbridled hatred that has been pouring out from every Labour orifice you could care to mention.

Not just from the Labour leadership contenders. Not just in the press. But even here in sunny Hastings, Labour is looking to knee-cap a Lib Dem or two.

It’s bewildering. It’s so far removed from the kind of national political culture that I want to be part of.

My sense of the Lib Dems is that we wear our political hearts on our sleeve a bit. We are passionate about social justice, civil liberties, political reform. And maybe that’s why the first 50 days of the Coalition have been so difficult to come to terms with.

Coalition policies are, de facto, not Lib Dem policies, despite our party having influenced (for the better) the policies that are now being brought forward.

Posted in Op-eds | 12 Comments

Sonja Jenkins RIP

By The Voice | Thu 30th December 2010 - 7:25 pm

The Slough Borough Council website reports the sad news:

Councillor Jenkins, 72, died yesterday (29 December 2010) following a fall at her home. She had been a Liberal Democrat councillor for Foxborough ward since being elected in 2004.

Councillor Robert Plimmer, fellow Liberal Democrat councillor for Foxborough, said: “Sonja was a much loved and hardworking member of the local community in Langley. She was known by everyone in Foxborough and was regularly stopped in the street by people looking for help. As well as being a councillor she served

…

Posted in News | Tagged slough council and Sonja Jenkins | 1 Comment

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 5)

By The Voice | Wed 29th December 2010 - 6:45 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The eighth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by new party member Chris Jones, and originally appeared on 12th May …

Opinion: I’ve joined the Liberal Democrats

Last night I watched as the helicopter above central London followed and filmed the new Prime Minister David Cameron’s car as it drove from Buckingham Palace back to Downing Street. I watched as Mr. Cameron arrived at number 10, made a speech …

Posted in Op-eds | 5 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 4)

By The Voice | Tue 28th December 2010 - 6:45 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The ninth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Stephen Tall, and originally appeared on 7th May …

The morning after the night before: 10 questions we need to answer (but maybe not today)

Here’s a few to ponder … Or perhaps best to sleep on them.

1. What happened to the predicted Lib Dem surge? Did people change their mind at the last minute? Did young people not turn out? Did floating voters turn their back on us?

2. How did the opinion polls get the Lib Dem share of the vote so badly wrong? They were pretty accurate in terms of the Labour/Tory vote, but all nine of the final polls put the Lib Dems in the 26-29% range when in fact we scored 23%.

3. What happened to our targeting strategy? Given our share of the vote was higher than in 2005, how did we lose so many seats? Did we over-reach ourselves? Or did we underestimate the residual Labour/Tory vote?

4. Why were there such differences between results in individual Lib Dem seats, sometimes making gains against the Tories (eg, Wells, Eastbourne), sometimes suffering horrendous swings (eg, Oxford West & Abingdon, Montgomeryshire). Incumbency seems to have helped in some places, not in others: why?

5. Should Nick Clegg have ruled out any form of coalition before the election to avoid a week of the campaign getting bogged down in the usual hung parliament media process stories? Was it a mistake to state openly the party wouldn’t work with Gordon Brown if Labour came third?

Posted in Op-eds | 2 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 3)

By The Voice | Mon 27th December 2010 - 7:45 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 20109. The tenth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by party member Mat Smith, and originally appeared on 15th November …

Opinion: Clegg has not betrayed us!

Many left-leaning liberals in the media are outraged at what they consider to be broken pledges on the part of Nick Clegg.

Johann Hari writes in The Independent, “In just a few days after the election, he cleared a space in his …

Posted in Op-eds | 6 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 2)

By The Voice | Sun 26th December 2010 - 8:55 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The eleventh most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Mark Pack, and originally appeared on 17th April …

Poll surge continues: is this 2003 or 1974?

“I will only really believe it when I see it in print!” – so read a text message to me from one of the party’s senior campaign strategists after news started spreading about the latest poll:

BPIX/Mail on Sunday: Lib Dem …

Posted in Op-eds | 9 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 1)

By The Voice | Sat 25th December 2010 - 5:45 pm

Throughout the festive season, LDV is offering our readers ~~a load of repeats~~ another chance to read the 12 most popular opinion articles which have appeared on the blog since 1st January, 2010. The twelfth most-read LDV op-ed of 2010 was by LDV co-editor Stephen Tall, and originally appeared on 1st September …

Half a defence of Paul Staines (aka @guidofawkes)

My Voice colleague Iain Roberts has already blogged about this afternoon’s big political news that William Hague’s special advisor Christopher Myers has quit his post following allegations — vehemently denied by both — that they might be having an affair. …

Posted in Op-eds | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas!

By The Voice | Sat 25th December 2010 - 8:00 am

Christmas tree

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Mike Hancock: police drop investigation over allegations

By The Voice | Thu 23rd December 2010 - 7:22 am

A news release from Mike Hancock MP says:

MP welcomes dropping of police action over allegations against him

Hampshire Police have today confirmed that after consultation with the Criminal Prosecution Service (CPS) that they are dropping any further action against Mike Hancock MP (Lib Dem – Portsmouth South) over allegations made against him in August.

Mike Hancock said: “I have always maintained my innocence over this. I have co-operated fully with police at all times and at all times vigorously contested these allegations. They have now been fully investigated and I am obviously pleased that the CPS and Police have concluded that there …

Posted in News | Tagged mike hancock | 6 Comments

Newsagents call on Cable to think again on tobacco display ban

By The Voice | Sun 19th December 2010 - 11:27 am

An open letter to Vince Cable from the National President of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents:

Dear Mr Cable,

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) would like to express the views of Britain’s small businesses, those at the heart of their local communities, in response to the UK’s proposed tobacco display ban. We do so with the firm support of over 60 backbench MPs who have called on you personally to look again at the proposed ban, as well as 33,000 small family businesses across every town and village in the UK.

These MPs who have signed the open letter understand that the display ban is not a health vs …

Posted in News | Tagged national federation of retail newsagents, parminder singh, smoking and vince cable | 39 Comments

Register for conference – deadline approaching

By The Voice | Mon 13th December 2010 - 10:39 am

Just a quick note to remind party members intending to come to Lib Dem conferences in 2011 that the first deadline is fast approaching.

The cheapest registration is early joint registration for both conferences.

The deadline for getting the lowest possible price is 5.30pm on 16th December, so not much time remaining.

You can register for conference here.

Posted in Conference | Leave a comment

How you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Mon 6th December 2010 - 3:58 pm

You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are three simple ways:

Posted in Site news | 3 Comments

Hancock denies member of staff is a Russian spy

By The Voice | Sun 5th December 2010 - 11:24 am

From the BBC:

A Liberal Democrat MP has denied that his Russian-born parliamentary aide is a spy.

However Mike Hancock, who is a member of the Commons Defence Select Committee, has confirmed his assistant has been arrested and is now fighting deportation.

According to the Sunday Times, Katia Zatuliveter, 25, was detained on the orders of MI5 over espionage claims.

Posted in News | Tagged katia zatuliveter and mike hancock | 48 Comments

Opinion: A letter from students to Lib Dem MPs

By The Voice | Fri 3rd December 2010 - 2:44 pm

LDV has had sight of this letter, written by a group on facebook, and sent to Lib Dem MPs.

Dear Liberal Democrat MPs,

We, the undersigned students, recognise the benefits of tuition fee reform and urge you to vote for it.

We see that our annual loan repayments will fall due to the substantial rise in the loan repayment threshold, and that the grants system will become more generous. We see that part-time students will no longer be forced to pay up-front fees and that poorer graduates will benefit from a rise in the repayment threshold.

We feel that the NUS, by spreading …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged higher education, students, tuition fees and universities | 112 Comments

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Author Archives: The Voice

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

5 from the LDV archive

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

5 from the LDV archive

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

Opinion: Richard Huzzey – “I resign”

Deal or no deal? Here’s what I think

Confusion reigns over 55% – the reality is rather different

The easy, progressive way to cut £44 billion without harming worthwhile public services or the least well off

Jo Swinson MP writes on tuition fees

Opinion: UK Border Agency plunges colleges into crisis

Opinion: I admit it, I am shocked by Labour’s hatred

Opinion: I’ve joined the Liberal Democrats

The morning after the night before: 10 questions we need to answer (but maybe not today)

Opinion: Clegg has not betrayed us!

Poll surge continues: is this 2003 or 1974?

Half a defence of Paul Staines (aka @guidofawkes)

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