Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

2020 Federal Committee election results

By The Voice | Mon 17th February 2020 - 9:43 am

Back on January 20th, our President Mark Pack told us about opportunities for members to get involved in running the party. It seems there was a very good response to this, with many members putting themselves forward to be on federal party committees and such like.

Those nominated were put forward to the voting Federal Board members, and the following people have been elected to serve:

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged | 21 Comments
The Voice

Election Review team announced

By The Voice | Sun 16th February 2020 - 12:22 pm

A short while ago the Federal Board announced that Dorothy Thornhill would be leading the Review of the recent General Election.

Dorothy was the first directly elected Mayor of Watford, a post she held for 16 years until 2018. Since 2015 she has served as a Lib Dem peer in the House of Lords.

Dorothy has now announced the members of her Review team, and a wonderfully diverse bunch they are:

Carole Ford I joined in 2015 and since then have stood as a council, Scottish parliament and GE candidate.  I am the Scottish spokesperson on Children and Young People,

…

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Posted in News | Tagged | 60 Comments
The Voice

Siobhan Benita launches her campaign to be Mayor of London

By The Voice | Thu 13th February 2020 - 7:23 pm

Today Siobhan Benita has launched her campaign under the slogan “Love London Better”. And what a breath of fresh air she would be in the capital.

As she said:

London dares to be different. It has so far delivered three very different Mayors who have captured Londoner’s hearts and minds in different ways. What could be more different than a Liberal Democrat female mayor? It’s time.

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Posted in London and News | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Our President writes: I’m immensely proud of how we’ve stood up for our values over Brexit

By The Voice | Sat 1st February 2020 - 9:40 am

Our Party President, MarkPack, sent this email to members yesterday evening:

For the last four years, the Liberal Democrats have proudly fought to stop Brexit.

I am immensely proud of everything we did. We stood up for our values. We campaigned so hard. But I also accept that at 11pm tonight, we will no longer be members of the European Union.

Our European story is not over. Tomorrow our fight continues, to make sure Britain has the closest possible relationship with our allies in Europe.

Today, I want to take stock of everything we did achieve in our fight to stop Brexit.

When the results of the European referendum were announced on that sad day in June 2016, we knew that something must be done. Our leader at the time, Tim Farron, did not wait to say that we deserved a vote on the final Brexit deal.

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged | 50 Comments
The Voice

And, as we say au revoir to the European Union…

By The Voice | Fri 31st January 2020 - 10:54 pm

It’s an emotional moment for those of us who campaigned to remain in the European Union, the last moments during which we are part of something more than the sum of its constituent parts, a pooling of some national sovereignty in return for freedoms to live, love and work across twenty-eight nations. It is not a time to celebrate.

It isn’t a time to mourn either. If the United Kingdom is to go its own way, we need to be there, campaigning for a more liberal society, because if we don’t, nobody else is going to do it for us.

So, to …

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Posted in Europe / International | Tagged and | 53 Comments
The Voice

LibLink: Bob Maclennan – An appreciation by Sam Ghibaldan

By The Voice | Wed 29th January 2020 - 2:10 pm

Embed from Getty Images

On January 20th, we republished, with kind permission of the author, a moving personal tribute to Bob Maclennan (Lord Maclennan of Rogart) by Andrew Page.

The Herald newspaper has published an obituary of Bob by Sam Ghibaldan.

The tribute begins:

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Posted in LibLink and Obituaries | Tagged | 1 Comment
The Voice

An update on our troll farmer in Aberdeenshire

By The Voice | Fri 24th January 2020 - 4:30 pm

Day 139 - Worzel Gummage at Birmingham airport - 1982 (14515725233)
Many readers have been intrigued by the post earlier this week with a message to our troll farmer in Aberdeenshire.

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Posted in Site news | Tagged | 7 Comments
The Voice

+++Anton Georgiou wins big in Brent!

By The Voice | Fri 24th January 2020 - 9:04 am


Many congratulations to Anton Georgiou and his team on a stunning by-election win in Alperton ward, Brent!

Anton achieved a stonking 29.5% swing to the Lib Dems, to grab the seat from Labour.

Siobhan Benita, our London Mayoral candidate, campaigned strongly with Anton – this is a great boost for her campaign for London.

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Posted in Council by-elections and Local government | Tagged , and | 19 Comments
The Voice

A message to the troll farmer in Aberdeenshire

By The Voice | Wed 22nd January 2020 - 7:07 pm


Embed from Getty Images

Yes, you!

Just stop it, please.

You’re wasting our time and yours.

Our rules are here and we set out two particularly relevant ones here last weekend.

That is all.

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Posted in Site news | Tagged | 12 Comments
The Voice

Showing her customary resilience, Jo Swinson marks the new decade with a flurry of reflective tweets

By The Voice | Wed 22nd January 2020 - 2:05 pm

Something you may have missed: On 31st December, Jo Swinson reflected on the last decade with a Twitter thread of photos, concluding by looking forward to the new decade with the words:

Whatever the next decade holds, I look forward to meeting it head on.


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Posted in Photo feature | Tagged and | 18 Comments
The Voice

Dorothy Thornhill will chair panel to review into both the General election and the European elections

By The Voice | Tue 21st January 2020 - 12:40 pm

This comes from a post by Party President and Co-leader Mark Pack, on the party’s website, explaining some output from Saturday’s Federal Board meeting:

Election Review

The (Federal) Board has commissioned a review into both the General election and the European elections.

This review will be run independently of those who ran the elections, with a panel of experts who have a broad range of skills from knowing about grassroots election campaigns through to understanding what the very best decision-making processes in organisations look like.

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Two very important parts of our Comments Policy

By The Voice | Sun 19th January 2020 - 6:00 pm

Yes, we have a Comments Policy, which can be found here.

There are two very important parts of it, under the section “Be who you say you are”:

  1. When entering your comment, we ask you to provide a valid email address which belongs to you. This email address will not be published and is requested in case we need to contact you. We may send a test message to the email address given, in order to check its validity. Comments submitted without the provision of a valid email address, owned by the commenter, will not be published.
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Posted in Site news | Tagged and | 8 Comments
The Voice

More warm tributes to Bob Maclennan

By The Voice | Sun 19th January 2020 - 9:36 am

Embed from Getty Images

There have been more touching tributes to Bob Maclennan via Twitter overnight, from across the political spectrum:

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Posted in Obituaries | Tagged | 2 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dems pay tribute to Lord Robert Maclennan

By The Voice | Sat 18th January 2020 - 5:31 pm

The Liberal Democrats have today led tributes following the death of Lord Robert Maclennan.

Lord Robert Maclennan of Rogart, known as Bob Maclennan, was the last leader of the Social Democrat Party before it merged with the Liberal Party. He then became joint interim leader of the new party.

Bob Maclennan was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001. Upon stepping down as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Bob Maclennan was elevated to the House of Lords.

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey said:

It

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 9 Comments
The Voice

Munira Wilson’s maiden speech

By The Voice | Sat 18th January 2020 - 10:45 am

As is traditional, Liberal Democrat Voice is covering the maiden speeches of our new MPs as they happen. In Thursday’s Health and Social Care debate, Munira Wilson, MP for Twickenham, made her first Commons speech:

It is a pleasure—and slightly daunting—to follow so many powerful and emotive maiden speeches. I thought that the hon. Members for Luton North (Sarah Owen), for Vauxhall (Florence Eshalomi) and for Bishop Auckland (Dehenna Davison) made particularly moving speeches. It is an honour to give my maiden speech, and I am especially proud that my five-year-old daughter is in the Gallery to witness this moment. With a record number of female and BAME MPs elected in this Parliament, I hope that I and others will be an inspiration to girls like her and other young women as we strive towards a more diverse Parliament that truly reflects British society.

As the new Member of Parliament for Twickenham, I follow in the illustrious footsteps—or should I say dancing shoes—of the right hon. Sir Vincent Cable. After all, he did get a 10 from Len on “Strictly”! Vince earned the respect of Members of all parties in this House, not just for his economic prowess, but for his dry sense of humour. Who can forget his infamous “from Stalin to Mr Bean” put-down of Prime Minister Gordon Brown?

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Posted in Parliament | Tagged and | 2 Comments
The Voice

LibLink: Our new President/Co-leader on the surprising number of elections coming up in May

By The Voice | Thu 16th January 2020 - 9:40 am

Embed from Getty Images

Over on his blog, Mark Pack, our new party President and co-leader, gives us a timely warning about the magnitude of voting opportunities this May:

This year’s round of local council elections are only in England and are the smallest round of that cycle of elections. Which may make you think that it’s a small set of elections and one in which many or even most parts of the country will not be voting.

But…

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Posted in Local government and Party Presidency | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Wendy Chamberlain’s maiden speech

By The Voice | Wed 15th January 2020 - 2:32 pm

As is traditional, Liberal Democrat Voice is covering the maiden speeches of our new MPs as they happen. Yesterday, Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, spoke in the Education and Local Government debate:

I begin my maiden speech, perhaps unusually, by congratulating the hon. Member for Bury North (James Daly) on his excellent maiden speech. We can certainly agree on ensuring that deprived children and those with additional support needs are supported. I note his work on the board of governors of Hoyle nursery and commend its achievements as well as those of Springfield Primary and Bury College. I commend the hon. Gentleman’s commitment to education. I appreciate his telling us about his cricket-playing career and the fact that perhaps it does not live up to expectations. I play the amateur Scottish sport of shinty and would be happy to tell Members all about it. I do not play particularly well, so stand well back. I look forward to hearing from the hon. Gentleman again during his time in Parliament.

It is a great honour to make my maiden speech as the new Member of Parliament for North East Fife. I pay tribute to my most recent predecessor, Stephen Gethins, who served North East Fife with distinction from 2015. It is clear from my few days here that he was well liked and well respected by Members across the House. I recognise the work of his parliamentary team, both here and in the constituency. It is easy to forget in the heat of an election that when Members lose or resign their seat that has a direct impact on their employees, so I wish all of them the best for the future.

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Posted in Parliament | Tagged , , , and | 6 Comments
The Voice

Daisy Cooper’s maiden speech

By The Voice | Tue 14th January 2020 - 8:59 am

As is traditional, Liberal Democrat Voice will be covering the maiden speeches of our new MPs as they happen. First up, yesterday, was Daisy Cooper in the Queen’s Speech debate, responding to Dominic Raab on the subject of Britain in the World…

It is a great honour to make my maiden speech following many other accomplished and passionate speakers. My constituency of St Albans is very proud of its contribution both to Britain’s history and to Britain’s place in the world. Alban himself is the first recorded Christian martyr and Britain’s first saint. He was executed for giving shelter to

…

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Posted in Parliament | Tagged , and | 22 Comments
The Voice

How you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Sun 12th January 2020 - 12:51 pm

The Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that’s fine, we’re grateful for people taking the time to read the site.

You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are four simple ways:

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Posted in Site news | 22 Comments
The Voice

Opening up party conferences for all

By The Voice | Wed 8th January 2020 - 6:30 pm

If you would like to attend the Spring Conference in York from March 15th – 17th and are worried about the cost of attending, then the Conference Access Fund may be able to help you.

The fund is taking applications up until January 22nd.

If you would like help with the accommodation, travel, childcare, disability or access-related costs related to attending the conference, then please do apply using this form.

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | Leave a comment
The Voice

Ed Davey: We must not allow President Trump to drag the UK into yet another war, like Iraq

By The Voice | Wed 8th January 2020 - 5:05 pm


Embed from Getty Images

Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, has just written to Liberal Democrat members summarising the party’s position on the Iran crisis:

We are living in dangerous times.

The assassination of a key Iranian leader, General Suleinami, ordered by President Trump, has raised tensions across the Middle East.

It’s too early to know if today’s inevitable if unacceptable Iranian response will lead to further US retaliation but huge diplomatic efforts must be made now to de-escalate.

Britain must continue to work with European allies to lead that diplomacy.

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 8 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dems: Raab defence of Trump not in UK’s interests

By The Voice | Mon 6th January 2020 - 8:11 am

Following Dominic Raab’s appearance on the Andrew Marr show yesterday morning, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said:

Dominic Raab’s lapdog defence of Donald Trump’s reckless action against Iran is seriously misguided and not in Britain’s best interests.

The United States’ so-called strategy with Iran and across the Middle East is so incoherent and inconsistent that it is making the search for peace and security far more problematic. So it is a huge mistake for the Foreign Secretary to give Trump a blank cheque of unequivocal support, especially when the Government was not even consulted before this action and this could backfire

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 22 Comments
The Voice

Spare a thought for our poor agents…

By The Voice | Sat 4th January 2020 - 4:08 pm


Embed from Getty Images

While most of us are enjoying a bit of rest and recuperation following the election, spare a thought for our agents.

After ensuring that a “thank you” leaflet went out, most of them are having to knuckle down to sort out the expenses.

They are over-shadowed by a huge pile of receipts and facing a form, the complexity of which makes an HMRC Self-assessment form look simple.

Added to that, they face legal penalties if they don’t do it all correctly and on time.

No pressure then…

So this is a big “thank you” to all our agents for the complex and highly responsible job that you do!

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged | 6 Comments
The Voice

Willie Rennie’s New Year Message

By The Voice | Fri 3rd January 2020 - 8:55 am

This is Willie Rennie’s New Year message:

Around the globe, dark currents have buffeted liberal democracy. Boris Johnson’s Brexit threatens to cut us off from our European neighbours, while Donald Trump’s trade wars and Twitter tirades threaten to undo America’s status as a global leader. Meanwhile from Hong Kong to Xinjiang, protestors and activists face brutal clampdowns. These are the challenges we must face up to over the next twelve months.

Closer to home there are huge challenges too. From long waits for mental health treatment to the bungled rollout of the new childcare entitlement, Liberal Democrats will highlight, debate and scrutinise the government so that everyone can rely on great public services that help them to build a brighter future.

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Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment
The Voice

Ed Davey’s New Year Message – Liberalism in action

By The Voice | Tue 31st December 2019 - 2:35 pm

I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution.

I want to show my community better than ever what liberalism means in action.

So I’ll be working harder than ever in my constituency advice surgeries, helping local people with their financial problems, with their housing issues and working with local people to strengthen our communities, that we’re privileged to serve.

If that sounds like old-fashioned, grassroots, community politics, you’re hearing me.

Last December’s election was, on several levels, deeply depressing.

But flip it over. There’s actually a huge opportunity here for us, the Liberal Democrats.

Of course, we’ve a job to do, continuing to oppose Brexit. To remain Britain’s leading pro-European, internationalist party.

Yet that’s never been our sole purpose, has it? Liberalism is so much more.

We’ve always been a party determined to shake up the system.

Socially. Economically. Politically. Environmentally.

We know Liberal Democrats care passionately about tackling social injustice, creating opportunity, beating climate change.

The question for 2020 is can we show all that to the rest of the UK – our full Liberal purpose?

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Posted in News | 7 Comments
The Voice

Season’s greetings

By The Voice | Tue 24th December 2019 - 1:00 pm

We will be taking a break until later in the week. We won’t be checking emails to the voice address until we return, so please be patient.

And have a great time yourself!

Posted in Site news | 3 Comments
The Voice

Thanks!

By The Voice | Fri 13th December 2019 - 10:36 pm

You viewed Liberal Democrat Voice 25,892 times today.

Thank you for making us the place you come to when the proverbial solids of fate hit the Vent-Axia© of the Electoral Process.

(RIP Humphrey Lyttelton).

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Posted in Site news | Tagged and | 15 Comments
The Voice

Jo Swinson speech following General Election

By The Voice | Fri 13th December 2019 - 2:25 pm

This winter election has been dark in more ways than one.

Leaders evading scrutiny, whether it was Corbyn ducking phone-ins or Johnson hiding in a fridge.

Voters feeling forced to choose the least worst option, squeezing out positivity.

Even before it started, we saw an exodus of MPs, especially women, ground down by abuse, intimidation and threats.

I’m proud that the Liberal Democrats provided a welcoming home for those abandoned by their parties, those who were hounded out, like Luciana Berger.

sadly the results have seen us lose Luciana from Parliament and many other talented MPs such as Tom Brake, Sam Gyimah, Chuka Umunna, Jane …

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Posted in News | Tagged | 28 Comments
The Voice

Bamber Gascoigne supports Sarah Olney in Richmond Park

By The Voice | Wed 11th December 2019 - 6:38 pm

University Challenge legend Bamber Gascoigne has thrown his support behind Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney in Richmond Park.

“It’s very important that we win back Richmond,” says Bamber who presented the hit TV quiz show for 25 years.

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Rob’s Liberal Democrat rap

By The Voice | Tue 10th December 2019 - 11:58 am

Liberal Democrat Rob Castell thought he would be standing against Dominic Grieve in Beaconsfield. However, he stood aside when the election was announced. Dominic Grieve has been an important pro-Remain voice in the Commons, crucial to stopping Brexit. He is standing as an independent and the Liberal Democrats locally and nationally agreed not to oppose him.

Rob has been campaigning with Dominic Grieve, who is picking up much unexpected support.

Rob’s generosity in standing aside is clear. He has been a great and positive presence on social media during the campaign, though. Recently, he was put in touch with the producers of Politix and Chill, a new BBC Sussex podcast for young people. They asked him to write and record a rap about politics. Two others, from the Conservatives and Labour, were also invited to do so and they were judged by talent scouts.

Rob told me that it was a great experience and he hopes it will make politics more accessible for young people.

Watch it here.

The words to Rob’s rap are below:

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 1 Comment
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