Author Archives: The Voice

Charles Clarke speaking into mobile phone, central London, today:

I trust him, but I am not sure about her

Who could he have been talking about?

Here’s a round-up of some of the tributes paid to Ray Michie (Baroness Michie of Gallanach), the Lib Dem peer, and former Argyll & Bute MP, who died yesterday. Please use the comments thread to let us know of any we’ve missed or to pay your own respects.

> Obituary – The Herald;
> Obituary – The Daily Telegraph;
> Tributes as peer loses battle with cancer – The Scotsman;
> ‘Tireless’ Lib Dem stalwart dies – BBC.co.uk;
> Liberal Baroness Michie dies, 74 – The Times;
> Sad news – Fraser Macpherson’s blog.

Congratulations to Dominic McCavish, now the first Liberal Democrat elected to Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council.

Liberal Democrat team in Crewe seems hopeful that there will be one or more Liberal Democrat gains from Labour in the elections in the Crewe & Nantwich constituency. Update: confirmed.

A cheery half-wave to the BBC: gosh, your round-up on News 24 has suddenly found a lot more good news about the Liberal Democrast to report!

Earth calling BBC, Earth calling BBC: Liberal Democrats have gained control of Burnley and Sheffield, but there’s no mention in your regular rolling news round-up, which is still stuck on using …

Wrexham: Liberal Democrats become largest party.

Reading: Liberal Democrats defeated Labour council leader – congratulations to Warren Swaine.

Liberal Democrats making gains in Swansea: up three seats.

Party looks set to be running more councils after these elections than before – gaining Burnley, Sheffield, Hull and St Albans, whilst losing Pendly and West Lindsey.

London Mayor election turnout: BBC says it is looking to be 45%, which would be up 8% on last time. That’s a big increase, but – as mentioned before – not into the league of really high turnouts suggested by some of the more excitable Conservative chatter yesterday.

How to tell …

Although there were some strong BNP results early in the evening, as the results have settled down it’s looking like a mediocre result for them with the BBC reporting that their vote overall is unchanged on last year.

Liberal Democrats defeat Labour leader in Cardiff.

BBC consistently reporting small net gain in seats for the Liberal Democrats now.

Liberal Democrats now largest party in Exeter. Labour have gone from first to third.

And we start with the news of five Liberal Democrat gains from the Conservatives in Stratford, including deputy leader of the council.

Interesting pattern to some of the poor Conservative results – failing to gain control of Hastings and Weymouth & Portland, going backwards in Gosport and expected to lose control of Purbeck when that counts tomorrow. There seems to be something of a south coast pattern here.

Winchester: another of the key Liberal Democrat – Conservative fights in Southern England saw one net Liberal Democrat gain, including Whiteley ward where a Conservative was arrested over proxy vote fraud allegations. Conservatives also made one net gain.

Woking: score draw between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives with each gaining two seats from the other.

Liverpool: Liberal Democrats …

In traditional Liberal Democrat leaflet style, the team at The Voice has three things for you to remember:

1. Don’t stop getting people out to vote until 10pm
2. Make sure our team is on the ball at the count
3. And once it’s all over, this lady would like your assistance

Politics Home reports: “Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable has today written to George Osborne attacking him for encouraging the Government to write blank cheques for the banks at the expense of the taxpayers.”

Here’s an extract of Vince’s letter:

I am pleased to see from your other pronouncements that you have now adopted the proposal which I and the Liberal Democrats have been promoting for a couple of years for bank capital requirements to be managed counter cyclically to reduce the risk of booms of irresponsible lending followed by busts of the kind we are now experiencing. While we

…

BBC has just broken the sad news of her death. Gwyneth Dunwoody was one of those rare MPs who won respect and admiration from members of all political parties.

In Gosport, two Labour Party stalwarts – Mervin Bradley and Paul Keeley – have joined the Liberal Democrats and are standing in May’s elections, along with the area’s former UKIP Parliamentary candidate, John Bowles. Meanwhile, in Shropshire Cllr David Gibbon has switched from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives.

Cast your minds back three months… there was some party disquiet when Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland first proposed that pubs and restaurants should be forced to start selling smaller glasses of wine again. There were suggestions it sounded a little bit illiberal and nanny-state. The point was soon made that Greg was seeking to restore consumer choice which has been largely eroded in recent years – as Greg said:

In the last few years there has been a deliberate move by many bar and pub companies to phase out the traditional standard size 125ml glass of wine, and only

…

News reaches the Voice of the Lib Dems taking a council in unusual circumstances.

Two resignations from independent and Conservative members of Wareham Town Council led to two vacancies intended to be determined by by-elections on 1st May.

Nominations closed on April 4th, and when the dust settled it became clear there were only two candidates nominated for the two vacancies, who were therefore elected unopposed.

The two new Lib Dem councillors give the Lib Dems a majority on the Town Council, so we’ve already won our first council before the polls even open.

The question, as asked by ex-Mirror editor Piers Morgan for GQ magazine, was, “How many women would actually know for a fact if you’re good in bed?”

You can read about that, and many other interview extracts, on Sam Coates’ Red Box blog.

Perhaps it’s time for LDV to start a new poll, hem-hem, asking readers which number they believe?

Courtesy of a forgetful researcher or MP who, whilst using a Parliament photocopier, left behind a document they really shouldn’t have left behind, we in Liberal Democrat Voice Towers can bring you an exclusive preview of the new family policies Gordon Brown & co are working on.

Susan Kramer, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson on family issues, is likely to be kept very busy in the next few months if the draft policy statement – which according to the covering note is about to be submitted to Cabinet for discussion – is anything to go by.

Ed Balls wants to introduce a new …