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:

Thanks for the loving,affectionate messages.For the last 50yrs I’ve pushed for diversity&inclusion,so you can’t imagine what it means to me for it to be one of the last wishes of the late Queen to have a diverse Order of Merit list. #NeverGiveUp #Smile ❤️
https://t.co/CgLzFeuDtC

— Floella Benjamin (@FloellaBenjamin) November 12, 2022

One such message was from Joan Armatrading:

Thank you for your kindness,much appreciated, so happy. @ArmatradingJoan https://t.co/LiHHn2TyII

— Floella Benjamin (@FloellaBenjamin) November 12, 2022

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged floella benjamin | 2 Comments

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:

He will be remembered by us for his kindness and thoughtfulness, and his dry sense of humour. He will be greatly missed. 2/2

— Lib Dem Lords (@LibDemLords) November 11, 2022

Posted in News | Tagged nigel jones | 2 Comments

“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 …

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

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 …

Posted in Europe / International, Events and News | Tagged china and uk-china relations | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in News | Tagged Scotland, violence against women and girls and wendy chamberlain | Leave a comment

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:

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton and speeches | 1 Comment

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.

I was very struck by Emily's courage, energy and determination to use her own situation to highlight the plight thousands of others are also experiencing.

“I’m not the only one. People want to get back to where they were, but they need the tools.”

— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) November 1, 2022

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:

Posted in News | Tagged ed davey, emily davey and featured | 1 Comment

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.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged featured, helen morgan and women in politics | Leave a comment

Our new party political broadcast

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

And here it is:

More and more people are turning to the Liberal Democrats because we work hard for your community and never take you for granted.

Join the Liberal Democrats today and help us win the fair deal the British people deserve. pic.twitter.com/1qnvHamxjm

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) October 19, 2022

Posted in News | Tagged ed davey and party political broadcast | 2 Comments

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

…

Posted in News and Press releases | Tagged budget 2022 and Conservative chaos | 7 Comments

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;

Posted in News and Press releases | Tagged brian paddick, conduct and discipline, metropolitan police and wendy chamberlain | Leave a comment

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

…

Posted in News and Press releases | Tagged tax cuts | 24 Comments

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:

Posted in News | Tagged black history month 2022 and hina bokhari | Leave a comment

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.

New Lib Dem ad just droppped on social media ahead of Conservative Party conference. pic.twitter.com/W8gfZ2cQpE

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) September 30, 2022

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.

Posted in News | 10 Comments

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?

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged constitutional reform, labour and proportional representation | 30 Comments

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.

Posted in Selection news | Tagged brecon and radnorshire, david chadwick and jane dodds | 13 Comments

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 …

Posted in News and Wales | Tagged jane dodds, senedd and Wales | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged Queen Elizabeth II, tributes to the Queen and william wallace | 1 Comment

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.

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged Joan Walmsley, Queen Elizabeth II and tributes to the Queen | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged brian paddick, Queen Elizabeth II and tributes to the Queen | 1 Comment

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:

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged jane dodds, Queen Elizabeth II and tributes to the Queen | 1 Comment

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:

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged christine jardine mp, Queen Elizabeth II and tributes to the Queen | Leave a comment

Refunds for Autumn Conference

By The Voice | Tue 13th September 2022 - 2:24 pm

Everyone who has registered for Conference should have received an email from Nick Da Costa, Chair of the Federal Conference Committee.

Here is an updated version of his email:

Dear All,

Rail and Accommodation update

Those of you registered from Conference will shortly receive the below email following updates from National Rail and Visit Brighton. Visit Brighton have also reached out directly to people who have booked hotels.

The Conference Team will also be reaching out soon regarding registrations, but I wanted to give you an update on this items in the first instance. There will be more updates from the team when we can

…

Posted in News | Tagged 2022 Autumn conference | 1 Comment

Alistair Carmichael recounts being told off by the Queen over horse show clash

By The Voice | Sun 11th September 2022 - 11:47 am

Next up in our Parliamentarians’ tributes to the Queen is Alistair Carmichael who has some very funny stories to tell about the Queen, including the time when she expressed disapproval about the State Opening of Parliament clashing with the first day of the Windsor Horse Show:

The text is below:

Posted in News | Tagged alistair carmichael mp, Queen Elizabeth II and tributes to the Queen | Leave a comment

Tim Farron tells of the top tip the Queen gave him

By The Voice | Sat 10th September 2022 - 11:19 am

MPs and peers have been paying tribute to HM the Queen. We’ll post the videos and text over the next few days. Here is Tim Farron’s in which he tells of a good piece of advice the Queen gave him when he was a new MP.

The full text is below:

Posted in News | Tagged Queen Elizabeth II and tributes to the Queen | 1 Comment

Ed Davey’s tribute in the House of Commons today

By The Voice | Fri 9th September 2022 - 3:45 pm

Ed Davey spoke movingly in the Commons today.

We are mourning a profound loss.

The Queen was a formidable monarch, who faithfully served our country for all her life and was loved the world over. pic.twitter.com/LvR5toRrDk

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) September 9, 2022

Posted in News | Tagged ed davey and Queen Elizabeth II | 2 Comments

HM Queen Elizabeth II 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022

By The Voice | Thu 8th September 2022 - 6:55 pm

It is a moment that we all knew was going to come at some point in the not too distant future. Even so, the announcement of the Queen’s passing comes as a shock. It’s hard to take in that someone whose face you have seen every day of your life in some form is no longer with us.

Senior Liberal Democrats have remarked on her passing.

Ed Davey said:

We are all deeply mourning the profound loss of a great monarch, who served our country so faithfully all her life and who was loved the world over.

“For many people, including myself, The Queen was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world changed around us and politicians came and went, The Queen was our nation’s constant.

“The Queen represented duty and courage, as well as warmth and compassion. She was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.

“My thoughts and prayers today go especially to the Royal Family. And they also go to people in every corner of the world whose lives she touched. Today our family of nations is in mourning, as we also remember the steadfastness, resolve and love Queen Elizabeth brought to the world.”

Welsh Lib Dem Leader Jane Dodds said:

I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. My thoughts are with the King, her majesty’s other children, grandchildren and all those close to her at this difficult time.

“Her Majesty’s passing, without a doubt, does mark the end of a very long, and indeed a seminal chapter in the history of our nations and for most people her presence has been one of the few constants throughout their lives.

“Throughout her life, Her Majesty served the country with the absolute greatest dedication, honour and dignity. From serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War Two, to taking the time to speak to local schoolchildren at the opening of the Senedd last year, she never once shied away from public duty.

“Her life will forever be interlinked with that of a period of great change within the UK and although many today would struggle to recognise the world she had been born into, she always seemed to belong very much here today in the present.

“Her Majesty was always a great friend to Wales and she will be deeply missed within the UK, the Commonwealth and further afield. I pray that her journey into the next stage has been peaceful and that she is at rest.”

Scottish Lib Dem Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Queen Elizabeth II represented perhaps the greatest life of public service in the history of our country. Our family of nations is in mourning.

“For seven decades she has been our country’s most recognisable ambassador. Whether it be her wartime service, her patronage of more than 600 charities or her Covid-19 broadcast to the nation, she has been a beacon for so many people. The Queen was loved and touched lives the world over.

“She will be remembered not only as the longest reigning monarch these isles have ever seen but as a steadfast and loyal sovereign, devoted to the wellbeing of her people,

“In 1947, the 21-year-old Princess Elizabeth declared to the British Commonwealth that her whole life, whether it be long or short, would be devoted to its service. By any measure that promise has been more than fulfilled.

“The thoughts of myself, my family and all of the Scottish Liberal Democrats are with the Queen’s family and friends at this time.

Posted in News | Tagged featured and Queen Elizabeth II | Comments Off

Liam McArthur lodges Assisted Dying Bill

By The Voice | Thu 8th September 2022 - 8:37 am

Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, will today lodge a final proposal in the Scottish Parliament for his Members Bill which would enable assisted dying in Scotland if passed.

A report detailing the responses to the public consultation on the bill’s proposals will also be published. In total, 14,038 consultation responses were received – the highest number of responses received to date for a consultation on a proposed Members Bill.

The report’s findings include:

A clear majority of respondents, 76%, were fully supportive of the proposal, with a further 2% partially supportive.
Many respondents gave first-hand experiences of living with, and caring for, family, friends and patients with a terminal illness who had experienced great pain and suffered what was often described as a “bad death”.
The majority of respondents believe that assisted dying should be available for terminally ill people in Scotland, as it is in other parts of the world, and that a humane society should make provision to spare its dying people from unbearable pain and suffering and allow them the autonomy to legally choose to end their lives in a safe and regulated manner.
Many supportive respondents believe the proposal is an improvement on previous attempts to legislate for assisted dying and are fully satisfied with the proposed safeguards. Many believe that the proposal successfully balances the provision of a right to assisted death for competent terminally ill adults with a clear and appropriate set of safeguards built in to every step of the process, together with a right for health professionals involved to conscientiously object.

Liam said:

The public consultation received an overwhelming response and I am grateful to everyone who took the time to engage in this vitally important process.

It is clear that a majority of people who responded are in favour of a new assisted dying law in Scotland and that the choices we have around how we die is an issue that needs addressing.

As well as thoughtful perspectives on how an assisted dying law would work in Scotland, I have heard from dying people who would very much like to have this choice available to them as their illness progresses. People who, right now, face a series of unimaginable choices and would have peace of mind in their final months knowing that if they need it when the time comes they can have a peaceful death that is right for them.

Posted in News | Tagged assisted dying, liam mcarthur msp and Scotland | Leave a comment

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