Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Wera Hobhouse’s bill to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace passes Committee stage

By The Voice | Sun 27th November 2022 - 11:14 am

We’re now into the annual 16 days of activism against gender based violence which runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November through to International Human Rights Day on 10th December.

We will be bringing you a series of articles to mark this important annual event, including a horrific story of the death of a young woman in Scotland after she was let own by all of the services who should have been there to protect her.

Today we report on the Committee Stage of Wera Hobhouse’s Bill to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace, which took place on Wednesday. It would make employers liable for sexual harassment of their employers by third parties, eg contractors, as well as their co-workers.

Introducing the Bill, Wera said:

Workplace sexual harassment is a blight on our society. It remains widespread and vastly under-reported. Half of British women and a fifth of men have been sexually harassed at work or a place of study. Too many people have been left to suffer for too long. The question of whether employers have taken adequate steps to prevent sexual harassment arises only as a defence if an incident of sexual harassment has already occurred. Employers are therefore not required to take actions to prevent sexual harassment. That leaves individuals with the burden of challenging it.

The Bill, which passed its Second Reading last month, introduces two new measures to strengthen protections for employees against harassment. The first is the introduction of explicit protections for employees from workplace harassment by third parties, such as customers and clients. The second is the introduction of a duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent their employees from experiencing sexual harassment.

Fellow Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine emphasised why the Bill was needed:

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The Voice

Rodney Berman announced as Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Cardiff Central

By The Voice | Fri 25th November 2022 - 7:15 am

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have announced Rodney Berman as their candidate for Cardiff Central for the next General Election.

Cardiff Central is currently held by Labour but was previously held by the Liberal Democrats from 2005-2015.

Rodney Berman is a Cardiff Councillor in Penylan and served as Leader of Cardiff Council for eight years between 2004 and 2012, during which he oversaw a massive increase in the recycling rate and the money given to schools. He is proud to have been awarded an OBE for his services to local government and the community in Cardiff in 2013.

Rodney has lived in Cardiff for most of his life after taking up a research role at the university in the early 90s.

Currently working in health policy, Rodney represented the interests of doctors during Covid-19 and provides advice on public health issues and is passionate about reducing health inequalities.

Rodney Berman and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated that Labour has taken Cardiff for granted over recent years at all levels, presiding over failures in the healthcare system, the cladding crisis and public transport. The party believes that it can offer a positive alternative to both a Labour-dominated Wales and the chaotic mismanagement of the economy by the Conservatives.

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The Voice

The Party in England Responds to the Change in the Party’s Definition of Transphobia

By The Voice | Thu 24th November 2022 - 4:43 pm

No regular visitor to LDV can have missed the growing debate over trans gender issues. Here we publish the response from the English Party to recent events in full. Given the sensitivity of the subject we will be pre-moderating all comments in line with our editorial policies.

The English Council Executive, meeting last weekend, have agreed two motions in support of trans rights and in response to the Federal Board changing the Party’s definition of transphobia.

  1. A motion of censure for the appalling communications calling for an apology and a plan to make sure nothing like this happens again.
  2. A motion calling on the Board to seek further advice, in consultation with LGBT+ Liberal Democrats, and suspend changing the definition until that advice is received and/or Federal Conference can vote.

The motions were passed with strong support from everyone who spoke, and no one spoke or voted against. This represents a wide consensus from regional chairs and members across the country.

Just under two weeks ago, the Federal Board met for the last time and, with Federal elections still under way, chose to amend the Party’s definition of Transphobia.

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The Voice

Registration opens for Scottish and Federal Spring Conferences

By The Voice | Sat 19th November 2022 - 12:30 pm

It was lovely to wake up to an email from Federal Conference Committee Chair Nick Da Costa announcing that registration was open for Spring Conference which takes place from 17-19 March in York.

It will be the first time the federal party has gathered in person since September 2019 in Bournemouth. Back then, Wendy Chamberlain was the PPC for North East Fife and Jo Swinson had just taken over as leader.

Federal Conference is simply the most fun you can ever have as a Liberal Democrat. It’s intense, passionate, exhilarating and this time will have the added joy of seeing everyone again. We’ll have lots to debate in a beautiful Lib Dem run city.

If you can’t go, you can register to watch and vote online.

All the information you could possibly want about registration is here – and note that there is a hefty discount if you are a first timer.

And the relevant deadlines for submitting items for debate follow.

Drafting advice deadline (motions): 16 December at 13.00

Motions deadline: 11 January at 13.00

Amendments drafting advice deadline (emergency motions and amendments): 14 February at 13.00

Amendments and Emergency Motions deadline and deadline for Appeals against non-selection of motions: 6 March at 13.00

Appeals deadline for Amendments and Emergency Motions: 16 March at 13.00

Yesterday, the Scottish Party announced that Scottish Spring Conference would take place the week before, on 10-11 March in the lovely city of Dundee. You can register here.

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The Voice

Our editorial policy

By The Voice | Fri 18th November 2022 - 2:15 pm

Every so often, the LDV team looks at how we do things. We think about how we want to run the site in a way that we can all be comfortable with.

We’ve had a look at our editorial policy and we have agreed to make some changes which reflect our current practice.

We have never aligned ourselves with any supposed wing or faction of the party, which is a good thing as they change all the time. We’ve published a wide range of articles and viewpoints, many of which we personally disagree with, because we want to facilitate debate within the party and with others outside it. That will continue to be the case..

Much is said about free speech. It’s something that we very much value. It also includes our freedom as editors to run the site in a way that fits with our ethos.

Nobody has the right to have anything they want published on LDV or anywhere else. We will judge articles on their merit and decide whether they will be a good fit for us.

There are some issues, though, which go way beyond the normal rough and tumble of political debate.

We’ve always felt a sense of responsibility that our site should stand up for vulnerable people.  We don’t want to contribute to the often toxic atmosphere that is present in much of the media where groups of people, whether they be, for example, social security claimants, immigrants, disabled people, LGBT people, or followers of one religion or another are demonised.

The way those marginalised groups are treated is not consequence free. Whipping up a storm against vulnerable people on the basis of who they are makes it more difficult for them to live their lives freely without fear and damages their life chances. We want no part in that.

So that means that sometimes we either have to pick a side or be part of the problem.  We will do so when we think it necessary to make our site a kinder, progressive place.

Our revised policy reads (with changes in bold):

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The Voice

Lib Dems amend definition of transphobia – LGBT+ Lib Dems vow to resist

By The Voice | Wed 16th November 2022 - 7:03 pm

The Federal Board announced yesterday that it had amended its definition of transphobia in light of recent legal advice. The new wording can be found here,

However, LGBT+ Lib Dems, the official party body for gender and sexual minorities, has vowed to resist it, saying that the party had been unable to stand by its values when confronted by well-funded and organised transphobia. They said:

Like many reading this, the team at LGBT+ Liberal Democrats are disappointed and frustrated with the recent revisions to the Liberal Democrats definition of transphobia. While some tidying up of it may have been needed to protect against vexatious legal challenges, we are sad that our party has been pushed so far backwards.

As a party, we see ourselves as having the longest and strongest record on advocacy for trans rights and the wider LGBTQ+ community. Only last month our leader, Ed Davey MP, met with trans and non binary activists in the party to talk about trans people’s lives in the UK today. Many, many people throughout our party are staunch trans allies – be that in Parliament, the Council chamber, or party staff. And yet institutionally we remain risk-averse, unable to fully stand by our liberal values (as clearly laid out in the preamble to our constitution) as an organisation when confronted by well-funded and organised transphobia.

This process began earlier in the Autumn, and LGBT+ Liberal Democrats were sought for consultation on these changes. Naturally, we had a strong line on any changes that might be made, but sadly these do not appear to have been reflected in the final version. Key points that we raised in our response included:

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The Voice

Results of internal party elections

By The Voice | Wed 16th November 2022 - 4:26 pm

We have already reported on the re-election of Mark Park as Party President, and the remaining election results have now been announced.

You can read them in full here.

Vice President

  • Amna Ahmad

Federal Board

  • Joyce Onstad
  • Lucy Nethsingha
  • Neil Fawcett
  • Chris White (Councillor rep)

Federal Council

  • Alison Eden
  • Alison Jenner
  • Anton Georgiou
  • Callum Robertson
  • Candy Piercy
  • Chloe Hutchinson
  • Chris Northwood
  • Clare Delderfield
  • Gareth Lewis Shelton
  • Gordon Lishman
  • Hannah Perkin
  • James Gurling
  • Lisa-Maria Bornemann
  • Mark Johnston
  • Sally Povolotsky
  • Sarah Cheung Johnson
  • Simon McGrath
  • Stephen Robinson
  • Terry Stacy
  • Tim Brett
  • Zoe Hollowood
  • Antony Hook (Councillor rep)
  • Alex Warren (Councillor rep)
  • Aidan Van de Weyer (Councillor rep)
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The Voice

Mark Pack comfortably re-elected as President

By The Voice | Wed 16th November 2022 - 11:02 am

It’s a day of internal election results at Lib Dem HQ today.

First to be declared is the Presidential election. which is subject to an appeal.

Mark Pack won a second term easily.

The result in full is:

Mark Pack            4969

Lucy Nethsingha 2194

Liz Webster          1936

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The Voice

Floella Benjamin joins the Order of Merit

By The Voice | Sun 13th November 2022 - 1:30 pm

Many congratulations to Liberal Democrat peer Floella Benjamin on being appointed to the prestigious Order of Merit, one of the country’s highest honours which is in the personal gift of the sovereign. It is particularly poignant that she and the other five people appointed this weekend were chosen by the late Queen in early September just before she died.

The Royal Family’s website gives the history of the Order of Merit:

The Order of Merit, founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, is a special mark of honour conferred by the Sovereign on individuals of exceptional distinction in the armed forces, science, arts, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Appointments to the Order are in the Sovereign’s personal gift. The Order is restricted to 24 members.

Floella responded on Twitter to the many messages of congratulation she received:

One such message was from Joan Armatrading:

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The Voice

Liberal Democrats pay tribute to Lib Dem peer Nigel Jones

By The Voice | Sat 12th November 2022 - 10:23 am

We are sad to learn that Lib Dem Peer and former MP for Cheltenham Nigel Jones died on Monday during heart surgery.

The BBC reports:

During his parliamentary career, he served as the Liberal Democrat spokesman on housing and local government, and later as spokesman for science and technology.

He also served in the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges.

The body was set up by John Major in 1994 after a number of scandals rocked his government, that came to be known as the “sleaze-busters”.

Lord Jones of Cheltenham passed away on 7 November during heart surgery. He is survived by his wife Katy, son Sam and twin daughters Lucy and Amy.

Liberal Democrats have paid tribute to Nigel:

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The Voice

“The Mayor of Kalymnos” – a new novel from John Barrett

By The Voice | Mon 7th November 2022 - 4:00 pm

If you would like to escape briefly from the turmoil of our domestic politics, here is one possible way to do it, in a new light-hearted book by former Edinburgh West MP, John Barrett.

Set on the Greek island of Kalymnos, a former MP settles back in the house he designed for his daughter and her family, where he expected to visit his grandchildren in the future, but after a family crisis the house lay empty. It was now the perfect place to go to recover from illness and to write the story …

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The Voice

President Xi’s next five years – What should Europe’s strategy be?

By The Voice | Sun 6th November 2022 - 4:31 pm

For readers interested in geopolitics, an event organised by the Federal International Relations Committee may be attractive.

The online webinar starts at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday evening (8th November) and will be opened by Lord Jeremy Purvis.

George Cunningham, the panel’s moderator, will welcome:

  • renowned sinologist Prof Kerry Brown of King’s College London;
  • Vera Kranenberg, a researcher at the Clingendael China Centre
  • Reinhard Bütikofer MEP, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with China
  • Ms Meia Nouwens, Senior Fellow for Chinese Defence Policy and Military Modernisation at International Institute for Strategic Studies

Anyone interested is asked to register in advance here.

The Federal International Relations …

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The Voice

Wendy Chamberlain to lead Policy Commission on ending men’s violence against women

By The Voice | Wed 2nd November 2022 - 7:00 pm

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has asked his Deputy Wendy Chamberlain to lead a Policy Commission on ending men’s violence against women and girls. Wendy, as the only former woman police officer in the House of Commons, is best placed to lead this work.

Back in March 2021, in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder, Scottish Liberal Democrats called on the Scottish Government to create such a Commission to look at all aspects of tackling this scourge on our society.

Since then the Government has made little progress.

Alex said:

In 1623 John Donne wrote, “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind”. I’ve always found that to be such a Liberal sentiment.

Well Conference, any woman’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in womankind.

And right now, in the villages and cities of Iran, we see women fighting for their lives against the vicious morality police, fighting against the twisted interpretation of Islam used to justify and normalise the brutality of men.

They are casting off hijabs and cutting their hair in the name and in the memory of Mahsa Amini.

And Conference, whether it is in faraway Isfahan or nearby Clapham Common, that brutality is still far too normal an aspect of modern life.It’s why the phrase, ‘she was only walking home’, has now become an epitaph. 

Conference, we cannot go on like this. I am tired of waiting for the Scottish Government to act on Liberal Democrat proposals, led by Caron Lindsay, to establish a taskforce to better shape our policy response to this grim reality.

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The Voice

Hope rising: Alex Cole-Hamilton’s speech to Scottish Lib Dem Conference

By The Voice | Wed 2nd November 2022 - 5:30 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton gave his first in-person leader’s speech to Scottish Lib Dem Conference at the weekend. He talked about our success in the Council elections and announced his 150 rising strategy for the 2027 elections. He was emotional when he talked about people struggling with Long Covid, in particular his young constituent Anna. Ukraine, and the Scottish Government screwing up its support for refugees, the cost of living crisis, highlighting Lib Dems being the first to call for a price freeze, putting Wendy Chamberlain in charge of a Commission on men’s violence against women and our vision for a federal UK all featured. He set out his optimism for the party:

The flames of liberalism and hope are establishing themselves across Scotland once again.

Change is coming. Lift your eyes to the horizon. The old order of things is falling away and that better Britain is sight, we only have to reach for it.

Our renewal has already started, we should leave this place with growing confidence in our message, our candidates, and in our strategy.

Because 150 rising, is more than just a slogan. It signals the measure of our returning self-belief and our commitment to the people we seek to serve, to that new social contract we will forge in our communities.

Watch here:

Here is the text in full:

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The Voice

Emily Davey talks to the Guardian about living with Multiple Sclerosis

By The Voice | Tue 1st November 2022 - 7:32 pm

The Guardian has just published an interview with Ed Davey and his wife Emily in which they talk to political editor Pippa Crerar about Emily’s Multiple Sclerosis. They have decided to do so now so that they can use their platforms as an MP and Councillor to advocate further for disabled people and their carers.

Emily was diagnosed with the condition in 2012, but she has noticed a deterioration since lockdown, when she was  not able to be as active. She and Ed have decided to talk about this now to highlight how this is affecting other people:

 (Emily) Davey, who ran Kingston council’s public health portfolio during the pandemic, said: “We’ve got a problem here, we have people with mobility problems, including the elderly, who aren’t suddenly going to recover and get better. How do you manage to get people active again on that scale?”

Her husband added: “Here is just another example of the impact Covid had on the nation’s health which is probably not well recognised. We know both from our own personal experience, but also from our constituents and from talking to doctors, there’s a massive issue out there across the country.”

Emily talked about how she her condition is changing:

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The Voice

Nominate top women in Westminster: Helen Morgan “one to watch”

By The Voice | Thu 27th October 2022 - 6:13 pm

The House magazine runs an annual poll to identify the top 100 women in Westminster. To quote from the launch publicity from The House:

There are more incredibly talented women from across politics and public service than ever before, from parliamentarians, to journalists, civil servants, and activists.

Some might say, yes, but there is now a shortage of women in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet.

Putting that to one side, we Lib Dems and liberal thinkers have a lot of talented colleagues in both houses and across the broader Westminster village. Why not spend a few minutes shouting out for Lib Dem women that you admire? You can do so here.

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The Voice

Our new party political broadcast

By The Voice | Thu 20th October 2022 - 10:35 am

And here it is:

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The Voice

Mini-Budget goes down with all hands…

By The Voice | Mon 17th October 2022 - 12:34 pm

The inevitable abandonment of the “Kamikwazi” budget by Jeremy Hunt has been greeted by the derision one might expect, even if there was no easy alternative. No cut in the basic rate of income tax, the withdrawal of IR35 changes and the withdrawal of guaranteed support for energy costs beyond April, none of this will win votes, even as it placates the markets.

Responding to Jeremy Hunt’s mini-budget statement, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:

So much damage has already been done by these Conservatives and they will force millions of struggling families and pensioners to pay for it.

The Conservative

…

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The Voice

Metropolitan Police – a welcome admission of past failings, but what next?

By The Voice | Mon 17th October 2022 - 10:29 am

Following the release of the Casey Report into the Metropolitan Police’s disciplinary systems, Liberal Democrats have been quick to respond.

Wendy Chamberlain, the only former female police officer in the Commons, said:

This devastating report must not be ignored. From decent vetting at the recruitment stage to real diversity, the Met must change dramatically and at lightning speed.

Investigations and whistle-blowing must be also prioritised and concluded quickly.The Home Secretary must come to Parliament and explain how the largest police force in the country has come to this under the Conservative’s watch.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, and now Liberal Democrat Peer, Brian Paddick, was quick to highlight what the report means;

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The Voice

So, no abolition of the 45p rate after all…

By The Voice | Mon 3rd October 2022 - 8:45 am

45p tax cut U-turn: Now scrap corporation tax cut and bankers bonuses too

Responding to Kwasi Kwarteng’s U-turn on abolishing the 45p rate of tax, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

This humiliating U-turn comes too late for the millions seeing their mortgage rates soar because of this botched budget.

The Conservatives must now cancel their conference and recall Parliament, to sort out this mess for the sake of the country.

The corporation tax cut and the bankers bonus rise need to be scrapped and we need a clear plan to help mortgage borrowers cope with eye-watering interest rate rises. It can’t be

…

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The Voice

Lib Dems mark Black History Month

By The Voice | Sat 1st October 2022 - 1:55 pm

Black History Month starts today and this year its theme is “Time for Change: Action not words”

From the Black History Month UK website:

To get to a better tomorrow, we can’t just focus on the past. The past is in the past. We can acknowledge and learn from it, but to improve the future, we need action, not words. We need to come together around a shared common goal to achieve a better world for everyone.

This year’s Black History Month in October is more important than ever. It’s not just a month to celebrate the continued achievements and contributions of Black people to the UK and around the world. It’s also a time for continued action to tackle racism, reclaim Black history, and ensure Black history is represented and celebrated all year round.

For those of us looking to be better allies, the message is clear:

Being an ally means moving beyond short-term or performative gestures and taking real, long-term action. In the workplace, in places of education and learning, and in the public sphere, this means having policies in place that achieve real outcomes.  As an individual, it means actually practising what you preach. In the wake of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, many organisations and individuals committed to tackling racism.

This was done around the world by taking the time to learn about the black experience and additionally, in the UK, this included learning about the historical legacy of colonialism and slavery. That was an important step forward, but it won’t fundamentally change institutional racism today.A number of recent reports have called out racism across a range of sectors, from international aid and education to healthcare and policing. As a society, we all know there is a problem with institutional racism. Now we need to work together to tackle it.

Stonewall have produced a really good guide on being a good ally to black LGBT+ people.

Lib Dem AM Hina Bokhari set out what Black History Month means to her:

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The Voice

Lib Dem social media ad calls on Conservatives to cancel conference and sort out their mess

By The Voice | Sat 1st October 2022 - 10:58 am

On Thursday we reported on Ed Davey’s call for the Conservatives to cancel their Conference and get on with sorting out the mess they have created in the economy. We will all feel the effects of their recklessness in the months and years to come.

The party’s comms teams have backed this up with this social media ad. If you haven’t seen it in your feeds, that’s probably a good thing as party members and supporters aren’t usually the target audience of our campaigns.

Conferences are supposed to be a moment to showcase the best your party has to offer, to make the most of that spot in the media. The sight of Conservatives drinking champagne while people face soaring bills and find it increasingly difficult to get a mortgage will not, we suspect, go down particularly well with voters.

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The Voice

Labour backs PR? Don’t hold your breath

By The Voice | Tue 27th September 2022 - 12:30 pm

Yesterday, Labour’s conference a motion calling for its next manifesto to include a commitment to introduce Proportional representation for parliamentary elections.

On one hand, it’s good to see the Labour conference finally catch up with us. We have long supported giving voters the Parliament they ask for.

Labour have, of course, introduced proportional voting systems before, in the Welsh and Scottish assemblies. Directly elected mayors are also elected by supplementary voting.  However, they have stuck with first past the post for Westminster because why wouldn’t they when it benefitted them.

Yesterday’s vote is significant in that it shows that the voices calling for change are growing. However, Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership have basically made it clear that it has as much chance of appearing in the manifesto as handing out a free unicorn to every 7 year old.

From The Guardian:

Before the vote, a senior Labour source downplayed the prospect of electoral reform even if Starmer wins the next election. “Anyone who thinks this would be a priority for the first term of a Labour government is kidding themselves,” they said.

However, what happens if, after the next General Election, Labour is short of a majority in the House of Commons. Obviously it depends on the exact numbers, but it is something we and the Greens could demand as the price of our support. From the Times Red Box this morning:

But Lara Spirit hears that those behind yesterday’s vote are jubilant. They don’t care, one admitted to her, about PR being in the manifesto, where its likely omission is currently considered fatal.

They wager that, should Labour win without a majority or with a slim and unstable one, Liberal Democrats and/or Greens will demand support for PR. And Labour will be forced to give it. In the eyes of those she spoke to celebrating yesterday, it’s now official Labour policy. In that scenario, how could they not?

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The Voice

Liberal Democrats Select David Chadwick as Candidate for Top Welsh target seat of Brecon & Radnorshire

By The Voice | Sat 24th September 2022 - 10:45 pm
  • David Chadwick selected as the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate in the party’s top Welsh target seat of Brecon & Radnorshire.
  • The Selection follows major gains made by the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Conservative/Liberal Democrat battleground of Powys during this year’s local elections, where the Conservatives were left with just a single councillor in Brecon & Radnorshire

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have selected their first General Election candidate to stand in their top Welsh target seat.

David Chadwick was selected by local party members as the Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire. David currently works as a cyber security consultant and has family ties to Builth Wells. David became interested in politics when his grandfather took him to see the steelworks in Port Talbot to see what it was like to work in a blast furnace stating it gave him an early insight into how politics, industry and communities are intrinsically linked.

In recent months, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have made major gains in Powys, becoming the largest group on Powys County Council and in Brecon and Radnorshire they topped the polls with 15 councillors compared to the Conservatives who were left with just a single councillor.

The seat of Brecon and Radnorshire has long been considered a Conservative-Liberal Democrat battleground with the area’s MPs and Senedd Members coming from one of the two parties since 1979. The Liberal Democrats would need a swing of just 8% to take back the seat.

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The Voice

Jane Dodds: Cost-Of-Living, the NHS and Housing Should Be This Senedd’s Priorities

By The Voice | Thu 22nd September 2022 - 7:30 am

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS has today outlined her key priorities for the Senedd to address during its new term. These priorities are:

  • Addressing the cost-of-living crisis.
  • Tackling backlogs in the NHS and NHS dentistry.
  • Fixing problems in the Welsh housing sector.

Jane Dodds warned that the Welsh Labour-Plaid Cymru partnership in Cardiff Bay was failing to tackle these key issues and emphasised that strong action needed to be taken immediately.

Despite an announcement of an energy price freeze by UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, energy bills are still expected to be double that of last winter for most families and businesses in …

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The Voice

William Wallace: Social change during the Queen’s Reign

By The Voice | Sun 18th September 2022 - 3:15 pm

Next in our series of tributes to the Queen from Lib Dem parliamentarians is from William Wallace. He has a unique perspective. Like Mary Reid, he remembers the death of her father and as a Westminster Abbey chorister sang when his coffin arrived in Westminster Hall and at the Queen’s coronation. He talks about the social change that the Queen helped along during her reign.

My Lords, I am conscious that admitting that I can remember the monarchy before Queen Elizabeth is to admit that I am well over the average age, even in this House. My first image of the monarchy was, indeed, of the Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, who used to come to listen to sermons in Westminster Abbey whenever a particularly radical canon, Canon Marriott, was preaching the social gospel—something which would now be considered far too left-wing for any current bishop to talk about. I learned a little more when, as a junior chorister, I sang when the coffin of George VI arrived at Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state, and rather more about the symbolic importance of the monarchy when, as a more senior chorister, I sang at the Coronation.

People have talked a lot about how much the country has changed since then. When I think back to that period, it is astonishing what sort of change we have been through. As I walked past the abbey this morning, I remembered that it was black in 1952, covered in soot. Outside, a gallery had been built for people to watch from over a bomb site, which is now the Queen Elizabeth II Centre. Inside, nearly a thousand Peers were in the north transept, in their full robes and with their coronets, and nearly a thousand Peeresses were in the south transept. In a few months’ time, when the ballot for perhaps 100 of us who wish to attend the next Coronation arrives, we should remember that social deference has ended and the social order in this country is different from what it was then.

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The Voice

Joan Walmsley: The Queen was on my side and your side

By The Voice | Sun 18th September 2022 - 1:45 pm

The next in our series of tributes to the Queen from our parliamentarians comes from Joan Walmsley.

My Lords, I shall say a few words from these Benches on behalf of myself and my co-deputy leader, my noble friend Lord Dholakia, who is unable to be with us today.

Her late Majesty, like many women, was thrown into a difficult role at a time when she least expected it, yet, like many women, she pulled herself together despite her grief and got on with her job—or her calling, as she saw it. She did it in her own way, as I am sure our new King, King Charles, will also do, adapting her approach as appropriate over the years. As the noble Lord, Lord McConnell, just said, she managed to achieve a balance between consistency and flexibility, and she did it with grace, charm, dignity and dedication. She was at the heart of her family and the nation, and supported us all in good times and in bad. We will miss her among us, as she has so often been.

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The Voice

Brian Paddick: The servant Queen

By The Voice | Sun 18th September 2022 - 12:15 pm

We are publishing tributes to the Queen from Liberal Democrat parliamentarians across the UK in the run-up to her funeral tomorrow. This is from Brian Paddick.

My Lords, I have been trying to make sense of all this, as someone who never met Her late Majesty. My mother was seven years older than Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, but when I lost my own personal life anchor, when my mother died, I felt that I still had Her Majesty the Queen.

Her late Majesty was the safest of a safe pair of hands. She was the most reliable of the people upon whom we relied; she was the greatest example of duty and dedication. I was concerned in recent years that the Queen could not possibly continue to the very end without having to abdicate as old age took its toll, yet she served to the very end—something that I feel sure she would have been very happy to achieve. Our Lord Jesus Christ is sometimes described as the servant king. Her late Majesty was surely the servant Queen. May she rest in peace.

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The Voice

Jane Dodds: She was a stateswoman like no other

By The Voice | Sun 18th September 2022 - 10:45 am

Jane Dodds paid tribute to the Queen in the Senedd.

The text is below:

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The Voice

Christine Jardine: The Queen shared our thoughts, our memories and our pain

By The Voice | Sun 18th September 2022 - 9:21 am

Our parliamentarians paid tribute to The Queen in debates held last weekend. Here is Christine Jardine’s speech:

The text, from Hansard, is below:

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