Author Archives: The Voice

The Lib Dem leader was speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning amidst the news of continuing market turmoil. You can hear the interview in full here. And PoliticsHome has a brief transcript here:

The short-term need is for the G7 to show they can work together on the international level, we need global interest rates cuts – and the international leaders must develop a global programme to prevent this from happening again.

“We have to realise we are not talking about a one off adjustment about the way bonuses are being paid – we are entering a

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It’s not just ID cards that Lib Dem MPs are battling – they’re also taking the fight to the EU to stop the introduction of a new system for the electronic tagging of sheep which farmers fear could cost thousands of pounds. The Voice’s favourite read FarmingUK.com has more:

The Westminster debate will give MPs the opportunity to quiz a DEFRA Minister on the plans. A delay in the implementation of the proposals has been secured but electronic identification will be introduced from January 2010.

Commenting, Mark Williams said:

“These plans will be deeply damaging to farmers, and I hope this

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The Lib Dem leader has an article in today’s Independent making clear that the party policy of tax cuts is part of the solution to the current economic crisis. Here’s an excerpt:

These are extraordinary times. Dramatic, even heavy-handed, action is right. It is right to go far beyond what I, as a liberal politician, would dream of proposing in the ordinary course of events. This is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. It needs once-in-a-lifetime action. …

But, outside the financial markets, British families still need the excesses of central government to be reined in. As every family tightens its belt, government must

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The BBC website has the story:

British courts should refuse to act on an EU arrest warrant requesting the extradition of an alleged Holocaust denier, a senior Lib Dem has said. Australian citizen Dr Gerald Toben was remanded in custody after his arrest by British Police at Heathrow Airport. German authorities allege Dr Toben published material online “of an anti-semitic and/or revisionist nature”.

But home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said holocaust denial is not a crime in the UK and he should not be extradited. … The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), acting for the German authorities, argues that agreements signed

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Interviewed for BBC News, the Lib Dem deputy leader and shadow chancellor Vince Cable was asked if the UK is now in recession:

“It does look like it. The figures on manufacturing are particularly worrying. The fact that they are declining shows that we’ve got a serious real economic fall out. We do have a lot of recessionary trends coming into the economy.”

He said that whilst economic slowdown would inevitable lead to arise in unemployment, the impact had so far been cushioned by migrant workers leaving the country, and added that, “unemployment is not such a big issue as it was

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So, what did you make of it? Comment away…

The Daily Telegraph is publishing its top 50, with numbers 41-50 released so far.

From the BBC:

A junior member of the government is out of a job after breaking ranks to call for a challenge to Gordon Brown as party leader.

Government whip Siobhain McDonagh said she wanted to “clear the air” about the leadership issue.

A government spokesman said that if Ms McDonagh has not resigned then she will be sacked. The source said her replacement had already been appointed.

The source said Ms McDonagh had always been “Anti-Gordon”.

Ms McDonagh – who was the only member of the government not to nominate Mr Brown for the party leadership last year

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