Author Archives: The Voice

“Lost” emails found in News International phone-hacking case

Via The Independent:

A “lost” hoard of emails sent by senior executives in Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire at the height of the phone-hacking scandal has been found, The Independent has learnt.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police are now expected to examine the database of emails in their renewed search for News of the World journalists who may have hacked into mobile phone messages or hired private detectives to do so in breach of privacy laws…

The claim that emails had been lost was made by the News of the World’s Scotland editor Bob Bird during the perjury trial of the former Scottish

…

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #206

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 206th 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 (23rd -29th 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 | 2 Comments

The LDV Friday Five: 28 January 2011

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

  1. ID cards to be scrapped at midnight tonight (8 comments) by Helen Duffett
  2. Economy shrinks by 0.5% (67 comments) by Iain Roberts
  3. Labour’s plan to scrap the EMA (71 comments) by Iain Roberts
  4. Lib Dems GAIN Marl, Conwy (and other by-election results from Jan 20) (29 comments) by Helen Duffett
  5. Anti-terrorism review: 6 questions to judge the government by (38 comments) by Mark Pack

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

  1. Of mergers, pacts, alliances and secret deals
  2. Equalising constituency sizes
  3. Tax evasion/avoidance
  4. Which Hat do you wear normally?
  5. Anyone for the EU?

5 from the LDV archive

(28th January, 2006-2010)

  1. New Lib Dem members’ site goes live (7 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2010
  2. Three “disgusting, eco-fascist, bullying” questions for Conservatives (3 comments) by Alex Foster, from 2010
  3. If Gordon’s a “glum optimist” and Dave’s a “perky doom-monger”, can Nick be the “honest optimist”? (4 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2010
  4. Who has more power? A council chief exec, council leader or a local MP? (8 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2009
  5. Thorpe’s advice to Clegg: don’t go into coalition (9 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2008

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

(excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

Posted in Friday Five | Leave a comment

Clegg signals Coalition to emphasise growth over cuts in coming years

Today’s Financial Times carries an interview with Nick Clegg in which he signals the Coalition is shifting its attention towards promoting growth after the last eight months’ focus on cuts:

The deputy prime minister admitted the 0.5 per cent fall in economic output at the end of last year was “very disappointing” but said that rebuilding the public finances was an essential plank of restoring growth.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Clegg said he would tell world financial leaders at Davos that the coalition would not be deflected by increasingly strong Labour attacks on its economic policy. “We will maintain

…

Posted in News | Tagged and | 49 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #205

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 205th 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 (16th-22nd 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

The LDV Friday Five: 21 January 2011

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

  1. Oldham East and Saddleworth results thread (79 comments) by The Voice
  2. After Oldham: what does the result mean for the party’s targeting strategy? (82 comments) by Stephen Tall
  3. Tim Farron writes… Oldham proves rumours of the Lib Dems’ death have been greatly exaggerated (71 comments) by Tim Farron MP
  4. The Independent View: Confusing, exciting and terrifying times for those on the liberal left (97 comments) by Neal Lawson
  5. “By-election was a hard-fought contest” – Clegg (61 comments) by Helen Duffett

5 from the LDV archive

(21st January, 2006-10)

  1. When should the state intervene? RBS, Kraft & Cadbury and the Eternal Liberal Dilemma (11 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2010
  2. Mass gathering in defence of street photography #phnat (2 comments) by Helen Duffett, from 2010
  3. MPs expenses – yes we can! (4 comments) by Alix Mortimer, from 2009
  4. Coalitions and minority government across Britain (0 comments) by Centre Forum, from 2008
  5. Confessions of a ‘Newbie’ (4 comments) by Mark Thompson, from 2009

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

  1. Party strategy paper and more at Spring Conference
  2. Lesson to be learnt from Oldham East and Saddleworth
  3. Hidden speed cameras
  4. A letter? To me? From Nick Clegg?
  5. Putting Lib Dems at the forefront of drug policy debate

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

(excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

Posted in Friday Five | Leave a comment

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #204

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 204th 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 (9th-15th 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

The LDV Friday Five: 14 January 2011

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

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

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

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

  1. STV Software
  2. Barnsley Central by-election
  3. 2011 registrations and security information
  4. Putting the Coalition into a Manifesto
  5. New HQ?

5 from the LDV archive

(14th January, 2007-10)

  1. First-Past-The-Post: the ‘safe seats’ system that breeds lazy, corrupt MPs (21 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2010
  2. Opinion: Why not try democracy for a change? (3 comments) by Stephen Marshall, from 2009
  3. PMQs: banks, boom and bust (9 comments) by Alix Mortimer, from 2009
  4. Gareth Epps reviews manifesto conference (16 comments) by Gareth Epps, from 2008
  5. 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

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.

Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged , and | 79 Comments

Vincent McKee suspended from the Liberal Democrats

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 and | 42 Comments

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

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 , , , and | 21 Comments

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

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

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

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

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

  1. Times endorses Lib Dems in OES
  2. Tips wanted for phone canvassing
  3. What next after PagePlus 11?
  4. Net Neutrality
  5. PPCs for the next General Election

5 from the LDV archive

(7th January, 2006-2010)

  1. Britain’s best MP competition: the results (10 comments) by Keith Halstead, from 2010
  2. Happy 42nd birthday, Nick! (2 comments) by The Voice, from 2009
  3. Opinion: Why I am so passionately pro-European (13 comments) by Professor Patricia Leighton, from 2009
  4. Jeremy Clarkson changes gear on privacy (10 comments) by Richard Huzzey, from 2008
  5. 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”

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 , , and | 33 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 12)

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

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 and | 37 Comments

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 11)

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)

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)

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

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

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)

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)

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)

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

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 and | 1 Comment

The 12 Op-Eds of Xmas (Day 5)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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
Advert

Recent Comments

  • cim
    @Peter Davies I'm not talking about young people in general, though - according to the polls, 10% of younger voters support the Lib Dems, same as any other age...
  • PM
    @Tom, You're not the only one who's suffered from writers block when it comes to describing the recent social unrest in France and other EU countries. No-one...
  • Kevin Hawkins
    Here is my usual monthly summary of the last fifty local by-elections. It does not include the by-election on the 5th November as I like to give summarise at m...
  • Peter Davies
    @cim You are massively over-generalising about young people. The proportion that believe we were wrong to declare war against Germany in 1939 is tiny. So is the...
  • Peter Wrigley
    If the history o Palestinian involvement in the politics of Israel has been covered in the "mainstream media" I have missed it so an very grateful for Mr Arnold...