Author Archives: The Voice

One of the things we can be most proud of is that we ensured that this country was committed in law to providing 0.7% of GDP in foreign aid to provide things like food, humanitarian aid, water, schooling and protection for women and girls at risk of abuse to the poorest places on the planet.

Now it seems that the Brexiteers in government plan to divert some of that money to EU countries to advance our position in the Brexit negotiations. That doesn’t strike us as being what it’s for.

Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesperson Tom Brake has called the plans a disgrace:

Over the weekend, Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton went to his second protest of the week against Donald Trump’s travel ban in Edinburgh. This time, he spoke to the 1500 strong crowd. Here’s what he said:

Edinburgh I’m proud to know you.

You’re in great voice and that matters because we are here, we are unified and we are part of a global resistance to the biggest threat to humanity since the Second World War.

Now I don’t know about you but I settled down to watch the US election results with hope in my heart. Hope that I could look my two year old daughter Darcy, who’s here today, that I could look her square in the eye and say Darcy, let there be no limit to your ambition, let there be no limit to your feeling or self worth or your position and safety in our new society. (At this point Darcy  clambered on stage and into his arms)

But as the night wore on, I had to drastically rethink what I would say to her. A cold misogyny, a new paradigm of racism and homophobia was taking hold of a country that I have long admired and I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t.

So, I got out of my chair and I stood up. Like all of you here, I stood up. In the months before Inauguration when Trump took shots at the freedom of the press, I stood up. When he started to fill his White House with white male bigots I stood up and when he closed the border to families from Syria on their knees in search of sanctuary, I stood up. I’m proud to stand with you today Edinburgh, we are part of a global movement and we will not sit down, let me hear you!

Liberal Democrat MPs have tabled amendments to the Article 50 Bill demanding a people’s vote is held on the final Brexit deal, that the government must commit to securing Britain’s membership of the Single Market and that EU nationals living in the UK are guaranteed the right to remain.

The first requires a referendum on the final deal, the alternative being to remain a member of the EU. This is the “reality v reality” referendum, as opposed to the “reality v fantasy” that we had. It doesn’t address the question of whether Article 50 is unilaterally revokable – if it turns out not to be, the EU would have to agree to our remaining members.

The Liberal Democrats have set up a branch in France. Until now, members in France had been part of the Brussels and Europe branch, but, as an article in the English language French  newspaper Connexions shows, new member Paul Fisher has created a French branch which has its inaugural meeting this week. He told the paper:

“We want to ensure that the voice of British citizens living in France is heard back home,” Mr Fisher said.

The branch includes among its aims campaigning to support and enhance the rights of Britons in France and “supporting and campaigning for UK Liberal Democrat

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Dr Zulfiqar Ali will be the Liberal Democrat candidate for next month’s Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election.

Dr Ali is a consultant cardiologist who has lived in Stoke with his family since 2001. He was born in Kashmir, Pakistan, and has three children.

He served as a Cllr from Hanley West / Shelton ward in 2008 to 2011 and was Deputy Group Leader 2009 to 2011.He was the party’s candidate in Stoke-on-Trent Central in 2015.

His campaign will focus on why it is vital for Stoke’s prosperity that we remain in …