Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

“A Liberal believes in the raucous, unpredictable capacity of people”

By The Voice | Fri 5th February 2010 - 7:20 am

That’s the striking quote from Nick Clegg which opens The Power of Creativity, a set of new proposals for the arts and creative industries published today by the Liberal Democrats. The paper goes on to make the point that,

The first chairman of the Arts Council was that great Liberal John Maynard Keynes. His vision as set out in 1946 remains ours in 2010: “to create an environment, to breed a spirit, to cultivate an opinion, to offer a stimulus to such purpose that the artist and the public can each sustain and live on the other in that union which

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , , and | 2 Comments
The Voice

Clegg pledges “A fair start for every child”

By The Voice | Tue 2nd February 2010 - 7:10 pm

Plenty of media coverage today of Nick Clegg’s announcement that the Lib Dems will pledge to give every child a fair start in life by investing an extra £2.5bn in schools which could be used to cut class sizes, offer one-on-one tuition and provide catch-up classes.

Once again we see the renewed Lib Dem emphasis on that f-word, Fairness; and in this case, a policy which has long been championed by Nick, the ‘pupil premium’. Here’s Nick describing it in ‘just a minute’ in a BBC interview:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | Leave a comment
The Voice

Three Lib Dem MPs fighting Legg’s expenses judgement

By The Voice | Sun 31st January 2010 - 10:20 pm

Three Lib Dems are among the 70 MPs who lodged appeals after being told to pay back some of their taxpayer-funded Commons expenses by Sir Thomas Legg, reports today’s Telegraph:

At least 35 Labour MPs and former Labour MPs have appealed against Sir Thomas’s findings, as well as 30 Conservatives, three Liberal Democrats and two independents. Among them are MPs who made some of the highest-profile claims exposed by the Telegraph investigation, including £1,645 for a duck house.

Sir Thomas’s 30-page report is thought to identify more than 300 MPs — nearly half of those in Parliament — whom he found

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Jeremy Browne wins expenses appeal – acted “openly and honestly”

By The Voice | Thu 28th January 2010 - 8:58 pm

The BBC has the story of how Lib Dem MP Jeremy Browne has won his appeal against repaying £18,000 of expenses.

Taunton MP Jeremy Browne complained after auditor Sir Thomas Legg ruled he must repay the cash claimed for mortgage interest on his second home.

Sir Paul Kennedy, who was appointed to hear appeals, said he had acted “openly and honestly” when making his claim.

Mr Browne said he felt “relieved” and “vindicated”, but “not elated”.

He is the first of the 80 MPs who challenged Sir Thomas’s requests to repay money to make the results of his appeal public.

Labour’s Frank Cook, Frank

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
The Voice

Lamb urges tighter rules for foreign doctors

By The Voice | Thu 28th January 2010 - 6:45 pm

The Telegraph reports Lib Dem shadow health secretary Norman Lamb’s proposals to tighten rules on the employment of foreign doctors after the death of a 70-year-old man treated by a doctor from Germany:

Norman Lamb, the party’s health spokesman, called for a series of reforms including a national language and competency test for every doctor wishing to work in Britain.

The demand comes after David Gray, from Manea, Cambridgeshire, died after he was given more than 10 times the recommended daily dose of diamorphine by Daniel Ubani, a locum doctor from Germany.
Dr Ubani, 67, had been on his first

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 7 Comments
The Voice

Lester QC vs Goldsmith QC: Lib Dem peer says “He didn’t give the correct legal view”

By The Voice | Thu 28th January 2010 - 6:10 pm

Channel 4 News asked top lawyer and Lib Dem peer Lord Lester for his view on former Labour attorney general Lord Goldsmith’s evidence to the Chilcot inquiry into the war against Iraq. You can see the eight-minute video below, together with C4’s news report:

Lord Lester QC, a leading human rights lawyer and expert in international law, believes Lord Goldsmith failed in his responsibilities on Iraq. “He didn’t give the correct legal view,” says the Lib Dem peer.

As Britain went to war in March 2003, 16 out of

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 7 Comments
The Voice

Baker: time to refund passengers forced on to rail replacement buses

By The Voice | Wed 27th January 2010 - 6:50 pm

Ah, the joy of train travel – you buy your ticket, possibly costing you a small fortune unless booked in advance, only to discover you’re chucked off the train and onto a bus if there are repairs being made to the line. Well, no more, says Norman Baker, the Lib Dems’ shadow transport secretary.

Stormin’ Norm is proposing that the Lib Dems would radically overhaul Network Rail, replacing its executives with a ‘Public Interest Board’ made up of representatives of customer watchdog Passenger Focus, the Local Government Association and independent experts. They would be charged with putting the interests of passengers …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Clegg on suppressed Iraq documents: “this has all the hallmarks of a cover up”

By The Voice | Wed 27th January 2010 - 6:25 pm

Sir John Chilcot, who is chairing the inquiry into the Iraq war, today expressed publicly his “frustration” that the Government has refused to declassify certain information. The BBC reports:

The Lib Dems have accused the government of trying to “gag” the inquiry by refusing to publish them.

The documents include letters between Mr Blair and President Bush. The Cabinet Office said no documents had been withheld from the inquiry but some needed legal clearance before they could be released to the public.

Nick Clegg has called – once again – for those documents requested by the Chilcot inquiry to be published, and …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Oaten reduced to tears in new Channel 4 documentary

By The Voice | Tue 26th January 2010 - 9:50 pm

The Sun reports today, with unsubtle snideness, on a new Channel 4 documentary, Tower Block Of Commons, in which ‘four pampered MPs were reduced to tears and tantrums when they swapped their grace and favour lifestyles for eight days living on a council estate.’

One of the MPs who took part is Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten, who is standing down at the next election. Here’s how the paper reports his experience:

In the first of the four-part series, the programme begins with Winchester MP Mark Oaten cleaning out his pool at his Hampshire pile and musing about what life on

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 31 Comments
The Voice

Vince on 0.1% growth: “We are not out of the woods yet”

By The Voice | Tue 26th January 2010 - 11:03 am

So, it’s official: the UK has at last emerged from the most sever recession in 90 years … just. Figures released today show the economy grew by 0.1% in the last three months of 2009, lower than many analysts had predicted, says the BBC.

Here’s what Lib Dem shadow chancellor Vince Cable had to say:

The markets will be surprised that growth has been markedly slower than expected. Far from the quick recovery the Chancellor has been praying for, the economy is only just staggering back into growth.
 
“The British economy has had the economic equivalent of a heart attack

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | Leave a comment
The Voice

Vince: Lib Dems are the only party of genuine economic reform

By The Voice | Mon 25th January 2010 - 2:08 pm

Here’s what Lib Dem shadow chancellor Vince Cable had to say today when speaking to the think-tank Demos, launching their Politics 2010 series …

What do LDV readers think of Vince’s speech?

I want today to set out how the Liberal Democrats plan to deal with the aftermath of the credit crunch and recession and the pillars of the manifesto that we will be putting to the British people in the future.

The British economy had a massive heart attack when the arteries of the banking system seized up. The good news is that the patient is still alive, albeit in

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 8 Comments
The Voice

Should you buy up opponents’ domain names?

By The Voice | Sat 23rd January 2010 - 7:20 pm

That’s the question posed by the actions Lib Dem candidate for Bishop Auckland:

One of the contenders for the Bishop Auckland seat, sitting MP Helen Goodman, accused Liberal Democrat opponent Mark Wilkes of aggression after he bought the rights to use helengoodman.org.uk as a website address.

Mr Wilkes, a Durham county councillor, also bought two domain names relating to independent liberal Sam Zair and on Friday added one for Tory Barbara Harrison.

Mr Wilkes said he had not decided how to use the site names, and added: “We have bought four names. They cost next to nothing – two or three pounds a

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Online politics | Tagged | 6 Comments
The Voice

Lancashire Lib Dem PPC quits to spend more time with Rochdale Council

By The Voice | Sat 23rd January 2010 - 6:20 pm

The Lancashire Telegraph has the story:

Rochdale Council’s deputy leader, Dale Mulgrew, has withdrawn from the race to become MP for Rossendale and Darwen a week after declaring Rochdale was his first priority.

The son of comedian Jimmy Cricket drew widespread criticism from both Labour and Tory politicians after his comments following his promotion within Rochdale Council.

Speaking after his resignation, Mr Mulgrew said: “This is a decision I have not taken lightly, but clearly my priority from now on has to be on Rochdale.

“There are a lot of challenges, and what remains upmost in my thinking is continuing to represent the people

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Ex-Tory MP pledges to back Lib Dem candidate in Eastbourne

By The Voice | Sat 23rd January 2010 - 3:45 pm

There’s good news for Lib Dem candidate Stephen Lloyd in his campaign to win the Tory seat of Eastbourne – one of his residents, a former Tory MP, has pledged to vote for Stephen declaring the Lib Dem “will prove to be a dedicated, open and hardworking member of parliament for the Eastbourne constituency”.

The Rye and Battle Observer has the story:

A FORMER Conservative MP and Eastbourne voter has publicly vowed not to vote for Tory Nigel Waterson at the forthcoming General election. Ernle Money, a Conservative MP for Ipswich in the 1970s who lives in Furness Road, said

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Cowley Street shuts Plymouth Lib Dem branch

By The Voice | Fri 22nd January 2010 - 7:10 pm

ThisIsPlymouth.co.uk has the story:

THE Liberal Democrats have suspended their Plymouth branch after an extraordinary spell of in-fighting among members. After losing two chairmen in five months, the party’s London headquarters stepped in yesterday and shut down the branch.

The first sign of turmoil in the local party came last summer when chairman Steve Barton resigned after a dispute with Dr Judy Evans, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Sutton and Devonport.

In a heated exchange of emails Mr Barton accused Dr Evans of making “negative and destructive comments” and of misusing electoral data software, the Election Agents Record System (EARS). He

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 5 Comments
The Voice

Opinion: UK Border Agency plunges colleges into crisis

By The Voice | Fri 22nd January 2010 - 2:20 pm

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 abruptly suspended the visa-sponsoring licences of more than 50 private colleges without giving reasons. All over the place, crisis talks are taking place in the colleges affected, as people try to work out what on earth is happening. Is this more of the deep-rooted incompetence that we have all come to expect from the Home Office, or has a political decision been taken to expel lots of dark faces and …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 34 Comments
The Voice

What will Cameron do next – as Polish friends show their prejudice once more?

By The Voice | Thu 21st January 2010 - 3:40 pm

Last week, LibDem Voice brought the news of Nick Clegg’s commitment to full rights and equality for gay, lesbian, transexual and transgendered people. In an article entitled ‘Clegg calls for full gay equality – what will Cameron do?’ it explained how Nick Clegg had ‘laid down the gauntlet to the Tory leader David Cameron to justify his ‘liberal Conservatism’ by following suit’.

Today comes another opportunity for Cameron to demonstrate his liberal conservative values. Twenty seven members of the Conservatives’ European Parliamentary allies, the Polish Law and Justice Party, are yet again targeting gays as they demand a government clampdown on paedophiles. Cameron …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Nick Clegg calls for reform of UK libel law

By The Voice | Mon 18th January 2010 - 6:45 pm

Nick Clegg has taken the opportunity of a speech today to the Royal Society – on the relationship between science and politics – to press for reform to the UK’s “stifling” libel laws. Here’s how the Press Gazette reports it:

There appears to be a growing political consensus that Britain’s libel laws are too waited in favour of rich claimants and money-grubbing lawyers. Today Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is set to use a speech to the Royal Society to call for libel laws to be reformed, The Independent reports.

“Libel tourism is making a mockery of British justice,” Clegg

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
The Voice

One-third of Cameron’s shadow cabinet opposed to gay rights

By The Voice | Sat 16th January 2010 - 6:20 pm

Nick Clegg made some waves this week by calling for full gay equality, and challenging the Tories and their leader David Cameron to follow his example. Well, now Lib Dem research has shown what an uphill battle the Tory leader will have on his hand even convincing his own shadow cabinet to back such moves – let alone his even more right-wing backbenchers – as The Guardian reports:

Nearly a third of David Cameron’s shadow cabinet voted against gay rights legislation at some point over the last two parliaments, demonstrating their “shameful” record in tackling discrimination, according to the

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Tory councillor’s racist comments censured

By The Voice | Sat 16th January 2010 - 4:28 pm

Here’s what a Conservative borough councillor Smith Benson said at a public meeting in Colne, Pendle, last year:

The problem with Colne is that there are too many takeaways. And too many Pakis, that’s why people don’t come to Colne.”

His comment to the Colne town centre regeneration forum – and which he repeated in the meeting when asked to clarify his remarks – led Lib Dem councillor Tony Greaves to complain that Cllr Benson had breached the local authority’s code of conduct: this has been upheld, and the matter has now been referred to Pendle Council’s standards committee.

The BBC reports:

The

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Local government | Tagged , , , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

MPs rally to Hemming’s cause over “intimidating” solicitor’s letter

By The Voice | Sat 16th January 2010 - 2:20 pm

LDV reported on Wednesday that Lib Dem MP for birmingham Yardley John Hemming had been granted an emergency Commons motion to debate what he termed an “intimidating” email received from a firm of solicitors Withers LLP.

A brief update, courtesy of the BBC report:

MPs have rallied round one of their number who said he was being “intimidated” and prevented from exercising his right to freedom of speech in the Commons by a firm of solicitors.

On 14 January 2010, they backed a request from Liberal Democrat John Hemming to refer the matter to Committee on Standards and Privileges, who will

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Parliament | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
The Voice

£1 billion a month added to Council pension deficits

By The Voice | Fri 15th January 2010 - 9:20 am

Lib Dem pensions spokesman Steve Webb has claimed the total pension deficit of local authorities in England and Wales is likely to hit £60 billion this year.

If true, it would mean the deficit has increased by nearly a billion pounds a month since 2007.

As the BBC reports:

Using the Freedom of Information Act, Mr Webb obtained internal estimates from some councils, which showed:

  • 83 of 87 local authorities were in deficit at their last official valuation in 2007 before the stock market slump and recession.
  • Since then, 10% of funds have conducted their own valuations which showed

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 4 Comments
The Voice

The Economist: “the Liberal Democrats have the most mature position on the deficit”

By The Voice | Fri 15th January 2010 - 7:45 am

Here’s the verdict of The Economist’s columnist on British politics, the pseudonymous Bagehot:

In some ways, miraculous to report, the Liberal Democrats have the most mature position on the deficit. Nick Clegg, their leader, this week demoted some of the party’s spending pledges (for example, on pensions and university funding) to aspirations, pre-emptively narrowing his manifesto to a few, affordable core themes. He has not promised to protect any departmental budgets. Vince Cable, his Treasury spokesman, has a longer list of items for the chop than Mr Osborne, including some cherished defence projects, but accepts that the axeman’s hand should

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
The Voice

DNA profiles removed at rate of only one a day

By The Voice | Thu 14th January 2010 - 2:44 pm

So the Independent reports figures unearthed by Paul Holmes MP:

Innocent people’s DNA profiles are being removed from the national database at a rate of barely one a day, figures showed today.

Home Office minister Alan Campbell said just 377 profiles were deleted in 2009 after appeals to police chiefs.

Liberal Democrat policing spokesman Paul Holmes, who uncovered the figures through a written parliamentary question, described the situation as a “disgrace”.

Mr Holmes said chief constables were being discouraged from removing the genetic fingerprint of innocent people until new legislation is passed, which he insisted would not happen before the general election.

The DNA

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Big mad database and News | Tagged and | 8 Comments
The Voice

Clegg calls for full gay equality – what will Cameron do?

By The Voice | Wed 13th January 2010 - 8:45 pm

Nick Clegg has taken the opportunity of an interview with The Independent’s Johann Hari for Attitude magazine to lay out a comprehensive range of measures to promote gay equality – and has laid down the gauntlet to the Tory leader David Cameron to justify his ‘liberal Conservatism’ by following suit.

Here’s how the paper summarises Nick’s proposals:

* Force all schools – including faith schools – to implement anti-homophobia bullying policies and teach that homosexuality is “normal and harmless”.

* Change the law to allow gay men and women the same marital rights as straight couples, including the symbolic right to use

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , and | 55 Comments
The Voice

Emergency Commons debate after Lib Dem MP John Hemming “intimidated” by solicitors

By The Voice | Wed 13th January 2010 - 5:00 pm

The BBC reports:

Commons Speaker John Bercow has granted MPs an emergency debate after one Member claimed he had been “intimidated” by a firm of solicitors.

Liberal Democrat John Hemming, who represents Birmingham Yardley, complained about an e-mail he had received from Withers LLP.

Mr Bercow said the MP believed it amounted to a “contempt of the House” and ordered a debate for Thursday. It was a matter “to which I should allow precedence”, he told the Commons.

Full story here.

Posted in Parliament | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
The Voice

Liberal Youth … the story continues

By The Voice | Tue 12th January 2010 - 2:32 pm

LDV yesterday reported that Elaine Bagshaw has resigned as Chair of the party’s Liberal Youth organisation. Well, two quick updates to that story:

First, the Liberal Youth executive has issued a statement thanking Elaine for her contribution as Chair since 2008. You can read it in full here.

Secondly, James Shaddock, Liberal Youth’s Vice-Chair Communications, has today followed Elaine in resigning his post. You can read his statement here.

An eventful 24 hours in the life of Liberal Youth. Feel free to contribute your informed speculation below …

Posted in News | Tagged , and | 27 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dem PPC resigns over blog comments

By The Voice | Tue 12th January 2010 - 11:21 am

Greg Stone yesterday resigned as Lib Dem PPC for Newcastle East, a month after revelations over comments he posted anonymously on Guido Fawkes blog.

Reporting the story on 19th December, the Telegraph wrote:

Using the pen-name Inamicus, Mr Stone left his comments on the Guido Fawkes website as part of a weekly live discussion of Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, in which many contributors make personal criticisms of MPs.

Among Mr Stone’s targets were David Miliband, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, the justice secretary, and Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary.

He twice attacked Hazel Blears, the communities secretary, once asking

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged | 28 Comments
The Voice

Elaine Bagshaw resigns as Chair of Liberal Youth

By The Voice | Mon 11th January 2010 - 1:23 pm

The news has just this moment broken – via Twitter, where else? – that Elaine Bagshaw, chair of Liberal Youth, has resigned her post. The website carries Elaine’s resignation letter in full. Below is an excerpt:

Dear all,

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have to inform you that I will stepping down as your Chair, effective immediately.

This is not a position I wanted to be in, but unfortunately recent events have meant that I’m no longer able to give this position the attention it deserves, and to give all of you the Chair that

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 6 Comments
The Voice

Nick sets out Lib Dem election principles: “Four steps to a fairer Britain”

By The Voice | Mon 11th January 2010 - 11:15 am

Nick Clegg has been outlining the principles behind the Lib Dems’ general election manifesto this morning. Below is Nick’s speech, and below that are this morning’s BBC Radio 4 Today Programme interview, and a video excerpt from the launch …

Last week’s phoney election campaign was a depressing experience.
The other parties managed to produce a greatest hits compilation of almost everything that has turned people off politics.
Airbrushed posters, meaningless slogans.
All set against the spectacle of the Government turning in on itself when the country is crying out for leadership.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 23 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • James Dennison
    Thanks David. I certainly didn't mean to imply that the UK begins and ends with England — rather, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have substantia...
  • James Dennison
    Thanks Jana. My instinct would be to approach this from the other direction: rather than create a new English Parliament to exercise the powers currently exerci...
  • Jana
    “ Give England institutional expression” Just ‘institutional expression’? Unless it is viewed as acceptable that criminal laws in England, for exampl...
  • David Raw
    Professor Dennison write, "England does not need another large parliament or bureaucracy"..................... and goes on continually refer to England. Writ...
  • Jana
    We don’t need a cap on donations - we need a cap on total spending by each political party, both on routine running costs each year and on specific election c...