Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Good coverage for Lib Dems ahead of local elections

By The Voice | Wed 3rd May 2023 - 10:25 am

Voters head to the polls tomorrow in local elections in many places across England. When these seats were last up, we did exceptionally well, gaining an incredible 700 Councillors and 10 Councils.

Then, the Conservatives lost over 3500 councillors and 44 Councils while Labour also had a small net loss.

Those were strange times. Millions turned to us in that election and the European elections a few weeks later and we became the focal point for opposition to Brexit. At that point we still held on to the hope that it might be stopped and we might secure a People’s Vote.

The signs on the ground bode well for further success next week. The Conservatives remain unpopular and we are hoping to gain in the so called Blue Wall seats we hope to win from the Conservatives in the General Election.

Ed did the media round yesterday and set out our stall well, talking first about the cost of living crisis on Good Morning Britain:

He also slammed the Government’s new voter ID requirements.

On Saturday, the Guardian had a piece on the Lib Dem plan to take Berkhamstead:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 9 Comments
The Voice

27 April 2023 – the overnight press release

By The Voice | Thu 27th April 2023 - 7:30 am

Gambling reforms: Stop dithering and implement now

In response to the publication of the long-delayed Gambling White Paper, Liberal Democrat Peer, Lord Foster said:

Reforms to protect people from gambling harms are long overdue. The families and communities affected need real action now, not another round of government consultations.

This Conservatives promised reform all the way back in 2019, but this white paper has been delayed again and again by their chaos and infighting. During that time, hundreds of problem gamblers have committed suicide and many thousands of lives have been devastated.

These proposals are important steps in the right direction, but

…

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

NHS dentistry survey: 1 in 4 delaying or avoiding treatment

By The Voice | Mon 24th April 2023 - 10:45 am

Responding to the survey from the British Dental Association (BDA) showing nearly a quarter (23%) of adults are delaying or going without NHS dental treatment for cost reasons, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Whacking up charges for NHS dental appointments at a time when people are struggling to pay the bills shows just how out of touch this Conservative Government is.

This price hike will do nothing to fix NHS dentistry. All it will mean is fewer people getting the care and treatment they need, with ever more people turning to dangerous DIY dentistry.

The Government needs to

…

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

This week in the local elections

By The Voice | Sun 23rd April 2023 - 5:30 pm

This week in the local elections, Lib Dems across England have been getting a great reception on the doorsteps. This is often, for activists, the toughest weekend of the campaign. You’ve been campaigning all year round of course, but particularly intensively for weeks and you’re starting to get a bit knackered.  It is amazing how quickly you go from “there’s still another 10 days to go” to “oh yikes, I need to get these last eve of poll jobs done” though.

Our teams across the country are doing an amazing job. If you haven’t got elections on your patch, offer to help someone who has. There is so much to gain for us in these elections. The more Lib Dem Councillors we gain, the better and fairer the local services we can deliver.

In Derbyshire Ross Shipman is seeing the benefits of his hard work for his community:

And our councillors in Tunbridge Wells have put out a snazzy video highlighting their work

And there’s a street stall in Portsmouth:

In Worcestershire they are making a LOT of stakeboards

When the Tiverton and Honiton by-election was called, Richard Foord know that local councillors had built a strong foundation for him. Now, he is out trying to get them re-elected.

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

“A dram and a fish supper” Carmichael offers reward for holding Scottish Conservative MPs to account

By The Voice | Sat 22nd April 2023 - 10:14 am

Alistair Carmichael is angry.

He has today offered “a dram of whisky and a fish supper” to anyone who can track down Scottish Conservative MPs missing in action while distillers and fishermen suffer. Not content with supporting a Brexit that has screwed over both industries, the Conservative Government is making it worse by whacking up spirits duty and scrapping a visa system for fishing crew overnight that forced boat owners back to port.

During a key vote this week,  Scottish Conservative MPs including Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack, Andrew Bowie, David Duguid and John Lamont voted against Alistair’s proposal to reverse a hike in spirits duty on distillers, while David Mundell and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross were mysteriously absent.

Meanwhile not one Scottish Conservative MP attended Alistair’s  Urgent Question on fishing worker visas, despite the issue affecting fishermen across Scotland.

Alistair raged:

“This is less “Where’s Wally?” than “Where’s the whole pack of Wallies?”

“Scottish Conservatives love to take election photos by whisky stills or on the quayside. Douglas Ross must have a photo album an inch thick of him swirling drams with Boris Johnson. When it comes to these crunch votes and debates, however, they are nowhere to be found. The Tories jump in front of the camera using local businesses as political props but they are missing in action when it is time to deliver.

“Fishermen, distillers and other businesses will have seen the empty Conservative benches while we challenged ministers on urgent issues this week. They will rightly ask if they are getting value for money from these MIA MPs.

“If anyone can track down Douglas Ross or any other Scottish Tory MP and get them to explain why they are abandoning distillers and fishermen in their time of need then I will gladly buy them a dram of whisky and a fish supper for their trouble. That small investment would be more benefit to local businesses than the parliamentary efforts of the Scottish Conservatives this week.”

Just in case Scottish Tories are reading this, they should watch Alistair’s urgent question on fishing below and hang their heads in shame that they were not there to support Scotland’s fishing crews.

People in rural communities will be wondering what on earth the point of voting Conservative is when their elected representatives don’t bother to help them.

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

Lib Dems launch petition calling for Raab to go

By The Voice | Fri 21st April 2023 - 3:55 pm

The Lib Dems have launched a petition calling for Dominic Raab to go as Esher and Walton’s MP.

You will have seen that the report into bullying allegations against Raab has concluded and Raab has now resigned.

Despite him resigning as a minister, people in Esher and Walton still have him as their MP.

The Lib Dems think Raab is unsuitable to be the MP for Esher and Walton, if you agree please join our campaign to unseat him.

Whatever help you can give will be one more way to give Esher and Walton the MP the area deserves.

Lib Dem …

Continue reading »
Posted in Campaign Corner and News | 51 Comments
The Voice

Dominic Raab and Lib Dem Voice

By The Voice | Fri 21st April 2023 - 12:16 pm

Back in 2015 Lib Dem Voice had an interesting “conversation” with Dominic Raab, which we would like to share with you again.

The trigger for this was a post we published in February 2015 by Roisin Miller: Opinion: An MP who takes me for granted has left me feeling disenfranchised. In it she wrote:

Confession time. I’m a political activist and I’m not currently registered to vote. I have dropped off thanks to individual voter registration and I haven’t sought to redress it.

This is something which I find reprehensible, yet I am lacking the motivation to correct it.

I live in Esher and Walton which since 1906 has only ever returned a conservative MP. The lowest majority was in the 1930s, it was 16%. Dominic Raab got 58% of the vote in 2010, a majority of around 18,000.

I’ve written to Raab on a number of occasions and always got a reply. Often quite half hearted but it’s always come.

Do I feel represented? No. Regardless of party affiliation, he isn’t a particularly good MP. He was not really on local election literature, I’ve had nothing from him since I moved in 3 years ago and I’ve not once been canvassed.

Compare this to my parents in Havant, also a seat where the Conservative gets over 50% of the vote. David Willetts does not have to campaign as if his seat was marginal yet you always get an annual report, canvassing at local elections and a very heartfelt casework service (in fact I would go so far as to say the best of any MP I’ve come across, including worked for). Despite it being a safe seat, I was always compelled to vote, I felt it mattered.

Why the difference?

The answer is clear- it lies in the willing of local parties to engage with the electorate. Despite Havant being true blue Willetts clearly sees the importance of talking to his electorate.

It strikes me however that when someone as politically engaged as myself is left feeling disengaged by the state of my local politics, how must others feel? It comes as little surprise to me that many feel politicians don’t care when I know they do, yet at home I still feel like this.

The following day Dominic Raab added this comment below the post:

I have posted a full response to Roisin Miller’s post on my blog (for the record Liberal Democrat Voice declined to post it):

To which Mary Reid replied:

Dominic – Lib Dem Voice did not refuse to post it. You sent it to the personal email address of one of the editors instead of to the voice email address, so it was not picked up for a while.

As today’s editor I posted it a good 25 minutes before you placed your comment above.

So what was the full response that we received from him?  Here it is in full: Lib Dem Spin Doctor feels ‘Disenfranchised’.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 3 Comments
The Voice

Davey challenges PM on Dentistry, Carmichael asks about fishing visas

By The Voice | Wed 19th April 2023 - 8:30 pm

Lib Dems kept up our challenges to the Rishi Sunak at PMQs today. Two got to ask questions. The videos are below, followed by the text from Hansard.

First up was leader Ed Davey in his regular slot.

He asked about the crisis in dentistry:

Ed Davey

Tooth decay is the No. 1 reason that children over the age of four end up in hospital. Regular dental check-ups could prevent it, but too many parents cannot get one for their child. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, there are now almost 3,000 people per NHS dentist. In places such as Herefordshire and Norfolk, fewer than two in five children have been seen by a dentist in the past year. This is a scandal, so will the Prime Minister take up the Liberal Democrat plan to end this crisis and make sure people can get an NHS dentist when they need one?

The Prime Minister

The NHS recently reformed dentistry contracts, which will improve access for patients. Dentistry receives about £3 billion a year, and there were around 500 more dentists delivering care in the NHS last year than in the previous year. I am pleased to say that almost 45% more children saw an NHS dentist last year compared with the year before.

Next up, Alistair Carmichael said that the only boats Suella Braverman had succeeded in stopping was fishing boats, highlighting a recent change which makes it more difficult to get crews and made crews stop working immediately.

Alistair Carmichael

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

Machete announcement: Conservatives cannot get even the basics of policing right

By The Voice | Tue 18th April 2023 - 7:15 am

Responding to the Government’s announcement that certain machetes and ‘zombie knives’ may be outlawed, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

We all want to see dangerous knives off our streets, but this Conservative government has consistently failed to keep our communities safe.

With crime rates on the rise and so many cases of all kinds going unsolved, it’s clear that this is a party that cannot get even the basics of policing right.

Posted in News and Press releases | Tagged and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Roads ‘plagued’ with potholes taking over 18 months to fix

By The Voice | Mon 17th April 2023 - 8:40 am
  • Single pothole in Stoke took 567 days to fix after being reported
  • Government has slashed road maintenance funding by £500 million
  • Lib Dems call for end to “pothole postcode lottery” and restoring of road budgets for local authorities

Individual potholes are taking over eighteen months to be repaired in some areas, new figures have revealed.

Data obtained by the Liberal Democrats through Freedom of Information requests has revealed that some councils in England are taking over a month on average to fix potholes once they have been reported, with some individual potholes left for 567 days before being repaired.

The Liberal Democrats have criticised …

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

This week in the local elections

By The Voice | Sun 16th April 2023 - 4:55 pm

This week, Lib Dems have been out in force across the country in the local elections.

Ed’s been in Essex

And here’s some of our campaign teams in action from the north, south, east, west and middle England.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 2 Comments
The Voice

Virtual rally for electoral reform this Tuesday

By The Voice | Sun 16th April 2023 - 2:55 pm

Before we start,  we know that many of our readers will be way too busy to do anything other than campaigning on Tuesday or any other nights ahead of the local elections. We assume that this event will be recorded and if we see it online, we’ll post a link so that you can listen at your leisure  while stuffing blue letters, responding to casework emails or doing data entry.

Anyway, you may be aware that a load of pro electoral reform organisations, co-ordinated by Make Votes Matter, are running a mass lobby of Parliament to call for proportional representation on 24 May. You can find out more about the Sort the System event here.

This Tuesday at 6:30 pm, there is a virtual rally with speakers including our own Layla Moran and Unlock Democracy’s director, former Lib Dem MP Tom Brake. You can sign up to attend here.

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

Share Refuge’s advice on how to stay safe next Sunday

By The Voice | Sun 16th April 2023 - 12:38 pm

Next Sunday, at 3pm, the Government will send a test message to every mobile phone in the country to check out its new emergency alerts system.

This is all well and good, but it could alert abusive partners to concealed mobile phones.

With that in mind, domestic abuse charity Refuge has issued advice to anyone affected, and we should all share this with as many of our networks as possible ahead of the test.

Here is their video posted on You Tube:

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

Guardian: “Tories fear blue wall will crumble at local elections over NHS crisis”

By The Voice | Sun 16th April 2023 - 10:45 am

Today’s Guardian lays bare the opportunities for the Liberal Democrats at the local elections because of the failure of the Government to settle nurses’ and junior doctors’ pay claims.

Campaigners in the so-called blue wall seats – where affluent, liberal Tory voters have been drifting away from the party – have already reported their surprise at finding that the NHS has emerged as the main concern on the doorstep rather than more familiar issues in the seats, such as tax cuts.

“The NHS is the most salient issue on the doorstep for 2019 Tory voters, and now their failure to manage it will be on the front of newspapers day in, day out,” said a senior Lib Dem source. “My personal view is that the reason they keep going for immigration/asylum seekers is that they basically think anything is better than the story being the NHS.”

There is no sign that public support for the nurses and doctors is waning. It helps that that their union leaders, including the RCN’s Pat Cullen who has given a very good interview on Laura Kuenssberg, are calm, articulate and persuasive.  It’s a far cry from the angry union firebrands of the 70s and 80s.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 10 Comments
The Voice

The weekend in the Lib Dem Local Elections

By The Voice | Mon 10th April 2023 - 11:09 am

Everyone knows that the Easter Bank Holiday for political activists is not about lying around and scoffing chocolate.

With the local elections three and a half weeks away, activists up and down the country have been delivering leaflets and knocking on doors.

And there’s a lot to play for.

Yesterday’s Observer had a great article on our campaign, showing how our number of candidates has gone up, while the Tories are not putting up a full slate in areas where they have done before:

While the number of Tory candidates registered to stand – 7,512 – is still comfortably the highest, Ed Davey’s party says there are clear signs that it is now in a better position to exploit Tory difficulties at national level than for many years.

Lib Dem officials say that in many councils across the country where the Tories should be strong, from Stockport in the north-west to Lewes in East Sussex, the Tory party is not fielding full slates of candidates.

The Conservative peer and local government expert Robert Hayward said the Tories would be disappointed not to be able to field more candidates, and that it was clear the Lib Dems were making progress. But he said this was partly to do with council reorganisations, which meant that some areas where the Tories were traditionally strong were not being contested this time.

Ed is quoted:

“In councils across the country, the Liberal Democrats are the party to take on the Conservatives, who have failed people for far too long.

“Whether it is the Conservatives’ cost of living crisis, their failure to manage our NHS or the fact they let water companies pump filthy sewage into our rivers, people are ready for change, and the Liberal Democrats are ready to deliver.”

And yesterday’s I has an article on our hopes and aspirations in the Blue Wall:

Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Berkshire are among the areas where Sir Ed Davey‘s team is confident of making gains. Insiders say demographic change has helped their cause: the “Surrey shuffle”, which has seen young professionals move out of London due to rising house prices, is putting pressure on long-serving MPs such as Dominic Raab and Sir John Redwood, both top targets for the Lib Dems at the next general election. Strategists also suggest the passage of time has helped erase lingering bitterness about the legacy of the coalition government, which had long put off many left-leaning voters.

Around the country, campaigners have been out in the sunshine:

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

PAC Report: Perfect storm for holidaymakers

By The Voice | Thu 6th April 2023 - 7:15 am

Responding to the Public Accounts Committee Report showing that hundreds of thousands of passport applicants let down by unacceptable delays, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said:

The Government’s endless track record of incompetence is creating the perfect storm for holidaymakers. Families just trying get away are now being saddled with the misery of passport delays and what seem like eternal queues at Dover.

The Home Secretary should apologise to the countless families she has let down this Easter and get to grips with this shambles. Families should be able to relax instead of having their holidays ruined by bureaucratic

…

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

Sewage dumped on Blue Flag beaches 1,500 times last year

By The Voice | Tue 4th April 2023 - 7:15 am
  • Lib Dem Leader visits Eastbourne beach with local dog walkers amid concerns of sewage harming coastlines
  • Liberal Democrats call on the Government to ban sewage discharges onto Blue Flag beaches to protect swimmers and wildlife

New analysis of the latest Environment Agency data by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that water companies in England have dumped sewage onto England’s Blue Flag beaches 1,504 times last year, lasting an astonishing 8,497 hours last year.

Blue Flag status is an international mark of recognition that a beach is deemed safe and environmentally friendly. However …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Press releases | Tagged and | 81 Comments
The Voice

15,000 children’s operations cancelled last year as bed and staff shortages bite

By The Voice | Mon 3rd April 2023 - 1:10 pm
  • Children left waiting almost three years for an operation
  • Cancelled children’s operations surge by 23% compared to last year
  • Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey calls for NHS rescue plan on local election visit to hospital

Almost 15,000 children’s operations were cancelled at hospitals in England last year, many due to a shortage of staff and beds, figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today urge the government to come up with a rescue plan to bring the health service back from the brink.

The figures show 14,628 children’s operations were cancelled in 2022, up 23% from the previous …

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

Christine Jardine calls for recording of bereaved children

By The Voice | Sun 2nd April 2023 - 5:38 pm

This week in Parliament, Christine Jardine continued her efforts to get the Government to find some way of recording when children are bereaved so that they can get the help and support that they need.

This matters to her. She was an adult when she lost her Dad at the heartbreakingly young age of 20, but her sisters were 13 and 8 respectively. She spoke in the debate about how that experience had affected all three of them to this day. Had they had access to counselling and support to help them navigate through the trauma, it might have made it easier for them.

She is calling for a simple process of recording whether there are children affected when registering a death. The details could then be passed on to organisations who could offer them help. As she said in the debate, there is plenty political will to address this, it’s simply a question of how.

 

Here is the text of her speech in full:

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

++BREAKING NEWS++ Liz Truss revealed as deep cover Liberal Democrat “sleeper” agent

By The Voice | Sat 1st April 2023 - 5:55 am

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned from the Conservative Party after it was revealed that she has been acting secretly as an agent for the Liberal Democrats for thirty years.

In a bizarre series of events, the disclosure that an hereditary peerage was being lined up for Liberal Democrat President Mark Pack, sounded alarm bells which led to Ms Truss’ uncovering as a Liberal Democrat “sleeper”.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 24 Comments
The Voice

A duo of Lib Dems at PMQs highlight GP shortage and medicine issue

By The Voice | Thu 30th March 2023 - 2:13 pm

Lib Dems are doing very well at Prime Minister’s Questions at the moment. Yesterday, we had two questions to Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab in Rishi Sunak’s absence.

First up, Sarah Olney carried through the theme of the day – GP shortages, highlighting the impact:

From Hansard:

In a shocking article in Surrey Live last year, it was reported that staff at a GP practice in Walton were left in tears and “crumbling under pressure” owing to the increased workload caused by staff shortages. Is that any wonder when there are 850 fewer GPs in the country than there were in 2019? What does the Deputy Prime Minister say to patients left in pain and staff left in tears—including some in his own constituency—as a result of the Government’s failed promise to recruit more GPs?

The Deputy Prime Minister

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

Now for a better country – Alex Cole-Hamilton’s pitch for First Minister

By The Voice | Thu 30th March 2023 - 9:56 am

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s speech to Holyrood when he stood for First Minister on Tuesday is below. He knew he would lose, obviously, with only 4 MSPs. However a Birgitte Nyborg moment was not what he was going for. It was a simple choice between getting on the news setting out a Liberal Democrat Vision for Scotland or not. Enjoy. The text from the Official Report is below.

 

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 18 Comments
The Voice

Govt energy announcement: Half-baked plan shows they simply don’t care about cutting energy bills

By The Voice | Thu 30th March 2023 - 7:15 am

Responding to the Government’s embargoed energy announcement, Liberal Democrat Climate Change and Energy spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said:

The fact the Government had to be dragged to court in order to announce this half-baked plan shows they simply don’t care about tackling climate change or cutting energy bills.

This updated Net Zero strategy once more falls far too short. There is no clear pathway to ending our fossil fuel dependency, a de facto ban remains on onshore wind and there is no remit for the regulator Ofgem to have a clear net zero objective.

This is just compounding the Government’s legacy

…

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

Smashing the Blue Wall with a tractor

By The Voice | Wed 29th March 2023 - 12:00 pm

We promised you pictures from the launch of the party’s local election campaign today. Not content with a mallet, Ed Davey smashed the Blue Wall with a yellow tractor.

And this is what Ed said:

People are having to wait hours for an ambulance, weeks for a GP appointment or months for urgent cancer treatment as the NHS crisis spirals out of control. But the Conservatives have failed to deliver the new hospitals they promised and are breaking their pledge to recruit more GPs. It shows this Conservative government is out of touch, out of ideas and out of excuses.

The local elections in May are a chance to send a message that enough is enough: the British people are fed up with being taken for granted by the Conservative Party and want them out of government. From Stockport to Surrey, from Eastbourne to Esher, lifelong Conservative voters are saying ‘never again’ and backing Liberal Democrat candidates instead.

People are turning to the Liberal Democrats because they know we work hard for our communities, we hear your concerns, and we never take you for granted. It’s why we gained more seats than any other party at last year’s local elections – and why I know we’ll have more to celebrate across the country in May.

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

Ed Davey to launch Lib Dem local election campaign

By The Voice | Wed 29th March 2023 - 10:14 am

Ed Davey will today launch the Lib Dem campaign for this year’s local elections, which take place on 4th May.

And he’s already getting some good coverage. The theme for today is health, as that is what people are raising most with us on the doorstep. We are calling for an extra 8000 GPs to fill the massive gaps in coverage and service.

Here’s Ed talking to BBC Breakfast this morning:

From the BBC:

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey called on the government to create a legal right for patients to see a GP within seven days.

May’s council elections are the “final chance” to send a message to the government before a general election, Mr Davey will add.

On 4 May, 230 councils across England will hold an election.

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

Ed Davey’s speech to Scottish Conference

By The Voice | Thu 23rd March 2023 - 10:25 am

We’ve just realised we hadn’t posted Ed Davey’s speech to Scottish Conference on 10th March. It’s a wee bit out of date because it was before the Budget.

Although it’s a bit later than usual, we do like to post speeches to maintain the historical record.

The speech came the day after that historic by-election gain from the SNP in Edinburgh.

Ed was introduced by Aberdeenshire Councillor Yi-Pei Chou Turvey who was elected last year.

So here we go:

Good afternoon Conference!

And thank you Yi-Pei for your kind introduction.

It’s great to be back with you all here in Dundee.

And it was wonderful to be in East Dunbartonshire yesterday, with the fantastic Susan Murray.

Susan is already working tirelessly for her constituents as a Councillor, and I know she’ll be a brilliant champion for them in Parliament too! I can’t wait to welcome her to Westminster.

This morning I had great fun with my good friend and Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain, across the Tay in Saint Andrews.

We got to watch robot golfers swinging their clubs with perfect power and precision.

Wendy agreed that having one of those in the whips office could go a long way to improving discipline among the parliamentary party!

And then it was a joy to meet the newest Liberal Democrat Councillor in Scotland, Fiona Bennett –

Who is quite rightly still celebrating her stunning victory in Edinburgh last night.

Another great by-election success for our party.

Another brilliant Councillor elected to work hard for her community –

Adding to strong gains we made across Scotland last year.

And by the way, I can bear witness to the popularity of Liberal Democrats in Murrayfield.

Not long ago, I was canvassing there with Alex and Christine.

I knocked on one door, and the man who answered said “You’re Ed Davey! I think you’re great!”

Then he saw Alex and said “Oh Alex Cole-Hamilton – we love him!”

And when Christine came down the street he almost burst with affection.

“Christine Jardine! We LOVE Christine!”

I put him down as a “probable Lib Dem”.

Conference, victories like Fiona’s are a testament to the hard work and tireless campaigning of everyone here – 

But particularly to the Leader of our Scottish Party, Alex Cole-Hamilton.

Just a few months ago, Alex launched the ambitious One-Fifty Rising strategy 

To start campaigning now for the next council elections in twenty-twenty-seven –

Right across Scotland. In places where we’re already strong, and places that have never elected a Liberal Democrat before.

To talk to people in the streets and on the doorsteps –

To hear their concerns and show them we care –

To win first their trust and then ultimately their votes.

In other words: community politics.

Conference, community politics is something our party is built on.

It’s what sets us apart from the other parties.

It’s how we’ve won in the past – whether in elections for councils, for Holyrood or for Westminster.

It’s how we’re winning today, from Tiverton and Honiton to Corstorphine and Murrayfield.

And it’s how we’ll win in the future.

Fiona’s triumph shows that Alex’s strategy is already bearing fruit.

But the great thing about Alex is he’s not the sort of general who gives the orders but then lets others do the fighting.

Alex leads from the front.

Criss-crossing the country, knocking on doors, delivering leaflets,

Working hard for every single candidate and every last vote.

I’m sure all of you have seen him out on the doorsteps. He is a force to be reckoned with.

A true campaigner’s campaigner.

SNP + TORY ATTACK

Now, someone was asking me earlier: what’s the difference between my job and Alex’s job?

And I tried to explain:

You see, my job is all about holding to account an out-of-touch Government,

That is too embroiled in party infighting to take on the big challenges facing ordinary people,

That is presiding over a cost-of-living crisis and an NHS crisis,

But focusing instead on its own ideological obsession.

That is taking people for granted, stirring up division, and threatening the very future of our great United Kingdom.

Whereas Alex’s job is taking on the SNP.

OK, so maybe it isn’t all that different after all!

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

Soaring teaching vacancies show Conservatives failing children

By The Voice | Thu 23rd March 2023 - 7:45 am

Responding to a new report by the National Foundation for Educational Research showing that the number of teaching vacancies has risen by 93% since 2019, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:

The soaring number of unfilled teaching posts is yet more proof that the Conservatives are failing our children badly.

Millions of children are being taught by someone who isn’t an expert in their subject, all because the Conservatives are missing their own recruitment targets and driving thousands of teachers out of the profession. It’s just not good enough.

Investing in schools and teachers is vital for giving every child the

…

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

Ramadan Mubarak to all who are observing the month of fasting

By The Voice | Thu 23rd March 2023 - 6:55 am

The Holy Month of Ramadan is underway, and we would like to wish everyone who is observing it Ramadan Mubarak.

Senior Lib Dems have expressed their good wishes:

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

Casey Report: This must be a precipice moment

By The Voice | Tue 21st March 2023 - 7:23 am

Responding to the Casey Report, Liberal Democrat MP and Former Police Officer Wendy Chamberlain said:

This report is an important step towards justice for the Everard, Smallman and all of the other families of women and other victims who have suffered because of the failings evident throughout the Met.

It’s clear that despite repeated reviews and reports that the force’s toxic culture has never been properly addressed. This time, it has to be.

Leadership in the Met and the Home Office must view this as a precipice moment. The Home Secretary must take personal responsibility for this and draw up an urgent plan,

…

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

The Leaders’ Speech: Ed Davey, Spring Conference 2023

By The Voice | Mon 20th March 2023 - 2:32 pm

I never knew my dad was a Liberal. He passed away when I was four – so we never got to talk politics.

To be honest, I’d always assumed he was a Tory because mum told me he used to play snooker at the local Conservative club.

So you can imagine what it meant to me when, years later, I came across this newspaper cutting my gran had kept – I guess from the late 1950s – about a garden party held by the Mansfield Divisional Liberal Association.

With a fancy dress parade and music from something called the “Codas beat group”. The cutting quotes my dad, “Mr John Davey” – as Chair of the Mansfield Liberals – saying that, unlike the Government of the day, “Liberals were not ‘pig-headed and pie-eyed theorists’, but people dedicated to public service. “Their dedication to service was untouched by selfish motives, and that was the mark of the Liberal.” Well, Dad, I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Conference, we’re all here today for the same reason that my Dad and his fellow Liberals were in that garden in Mansfield all those years ago: Because of our deep sense of public service. Because we love our country, we love our communities, and we want to serve them. And not a pig-headed pie-eyed theorist in sight!

So, it seems I might have, unknowingly, inherited my liberalism from my dad. But I do know I learnt a lot from my mum.

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Speeches | Tagged , and | 15 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • expats
    Vince Cable....Gordon Brown introduced formal fiscal rules in 1997 alongside the operational independence of the Bank of England: essentially, a commitment to b...
  • Nonconformistradical
    @Tristan Ward Instead of posting such a long link may I recommend the use of https://tinyurl.com/ ? Which reduced your huge link to https://tinyurl.com/eejs...
  • Tristan Ward
    "‘why can’t social care and NHS spending be treated as ‘investment’’. Of course, that wont wash". It might wash if such spending can wash its face....
  • Tristan Ward
    @ Peter Wrigley "Most of us could live very comfortably even if the government did take, say another 5%-10% of our incomes to repair the public realm" I p...
  • Tristan Ward
    @ Peter Wrigley "Somebody has to tell the truth: that we are not over-taxed, and that Inteligently directed taxation will not impede growth." That is not ...