Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Shas Sheehan talks to the heroes of Calais and Dunkirk

By The Voice | Sun 20th March 2016 - 12:25 pm

Baroness Shas Sheehan went to Calais and Dunkirk with some supplies a few weeks ago. She is going again this week and invites you to help her get supplies together.

On her last visit, she spoke to some of those heroic volunteers who have given up months of their time to help the refugees survive the Winter. Here’s the video she made.

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The Voice

Bold and ambitious childcare plans on offer from Lib Dems in London and Wales

By The Voice | Sat 19th March 2016 - 8:55 am

The cost and availability of childcare is one of the most important things affecting working parents these days. This week, Liberal Democrats in London and Wales have launched plans to improve affordability and choices.

In London, Caroline Pidgeon has said it’s time to “end the brain drain of talented young women from London’s workforce.” Her plan includes:

  • The GLA and other organisations in the wider GLA Group (TfL, Metropolitan Police Service and London Fire Service) should offer interest free loans for employees to meet the initial costs of childcare registration at a nursery which can cost up to £1500. The adoption of this policy should become an example of good practice amongst businesses across London.
  • When GLA land is released for schools it should be standard practice that nursery provision is also provided
  • London Boroughs should be encouraged to extend business rate relief to childcare providers
  • The Mayor of London should establish a Childcare Fund with support targeted at improving wraparound and childcare options covering the longer hours many London employees have to work. One potential way of financing the fund would be through a hotel levy.
  • More childminders should be trained to help support families with wraparound flexible childcare.

Caroline said:

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The Voice

Good news: Another Lib Dem by-election gain from the Tories

By The Voice | Thu 17th March 2016 - 11:27 pm

It’s Thursday night, so this means we’re awaiting by-election results with bated breath.

Liberal Democrats were hopeful of a gain in the Aylsham ward of Broadlands Council in Norfolk – and they did it!

A Labour vote well squeezed.

Here’s the vote numbers:

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The Voice

WATCH: Tim Farron’s response to the “sweet and sour” budget

By The Voice | Wed 16th March 2016 - 9:00 pm

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The Voice

Lib Dems respond to the budget

By The Voice | Wed 16th March 2016 - 2:21 pm

As Lib Dems respond to the Budget, we will update this post:

Kirsty Williams was first off the mark as she slammed Osborne’s halving of the Severn Bridge tolls as “pathetic.”

Frankly, the proposed cut in the tolls is pathetic. Once back in public ownership, there is no need whatsoever for there to be tolls on these bridges. The Chancellor is cynically acting as if he is doing commuters a favour, but the fact is that he wants to keep this unfair tax on entering Wales. Only the Liberal Democrats will completely scrap these tolls.

The lack of any real progress on the Swansea Tidal Lagoon is yet another nail in the coffin of the Tories’ green credentials. The Liberal Democrats ensured that the Coalition Government fully backed the Swansea Tidal Lagoon project. With the Tories on their own, all we have seen is minister after minister talking this project down. The Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon must go ahead. It will lead to thousands of new green jobs and supply energy for 120 years – over three times as long as a nuclear plant.

The Port Talbot enterprise zone is good news and I hope will go a long way in helping rejuvenate the area. The Labour Government must pull its weight and set up an urban regeneration company for Port Talbot to help counter the impacts of the decline in heavy industry and manufacturing.

It’s clear for all to see that North Wales has been neglected for too long and has not been getting its fair share of infrastructure projects. I welcome any progress in improving transport links in the area, however the people of North Wales need more than a sentence of warm words ahead of an election.

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The Voice

York’s best pubs for Conference attendees

By The Voice | Thu 10th March 2016 - 4:02 pm

Nick Love, the former Parliamentary candidate for York Central, has put together an indispensable guide to the best watering holes in York.

You can download his recommendations and a useful map:

York Pubs for Lib Dem Conference 2016

York A-Z Pubs Map

 

 

 

 

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The Voice

LibLink: Olly Grender on protecting tenants from wrongful eviction

By The Voice | Thu 10th March 2016 - 1:01 pm

olly grenderOlly Grender has been writing on this subject on Huffington Post. She writes:

The Lib Dems have a good track record on fighting for tenants against wrongful evictions. Sarah Teather successfully pushed for legal protections against ‘revenge evictions’ when we were in Government, to stop tenants losing their home if they asked for safety repairs to be done.

We got that law passed despite determined attempts from Tory backbenchers to keep the power firmly in the hands of landlords.

Now there is another opportunity to protect tenants. The Government is attempting to give landlords the power to evict tenants on the basis that they have ‘abandoned’ the property, if they have not paid rent for eight weeks or responded to three notices. If those conditions are met, the landlord could reclaim possession within 12 weeks.

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The Voice

WATCH: Why we are #INtogether this International Women’s Day

By The Voice | Tue 8th March 2016 - 5:45 pm

Liberal Democrat women explain why women are better off in the EU

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The Voice

Alison McInnes’ speech in the Scottish diversity debate: Positive action is a realignment to break the mould that society has been using for too long

By The Voice | Tue 8th March 2016 - 4:45 pm

This is the speech that Alison McInnes gave to the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference. It’s quite direct and points out our own failings, saying that we have to take action to resolve our lack of diversity.

I’ve been a member of our party for a quarter of a century.  One disappointing constant has been the gender imbalance in our parliamentary groups.

I have had plenty of opportunity to observe the dynamics of our party, locally and nationally, and to identify through the party’s own myriad actions what it actually values and honours.

Despite being the party that claims it cherishes equality and women’s rights, its actions often reveal a clear preference for adherence to a single, male patent pattern.  And that creates a feedback loop that means members when asked to choose are most  likely to opt for what they know the party values above all, and so it goes on.

There is a societal, ingrained implicit bias that leads us all, women and men, to value a particular set of attributes above others. There is no need to be outraged or defensive – no one is saying it is deliberate or malicious, but it is real.  

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The Voice

Willie Rennie’s message for International Women’s Day: We will give women the same advantages that men have had for generations

By The Voice | Tue 8th March 2016 - 8:55 am

On International Women’s Day it is right that we celebrate the achievements of all those who have broken through the glass ceiling that still restricts opportunity.

We have made big strides towards gender parity in recent years. We have a female First Minister and I am in a minority of one as the only male leader of a larger Scottish political party. But the hard fact is that women are under-represented at the top level in business and politics alike. This needs to change. Scotland cannot be the best if the life chances of half of the population are restricted.

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The Voice

Tim Farron is on the Agenda tonight

By The Voice | Mon 7th March 2016 - 5:40 pm

Tim Farron on HIGNFYWe know from Have I Got News for You and  Russell Howard’s Good News that Tim Farron can do very well on the telly.

Tonight at 10:30 (11 in Scotland), he’ll be on ITV’s The Agenda.

Enjoy.

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The Voice

Catherine Bearder: Europe has led to great strides forward for women

By The Voice | Mon 7th March 2016 - 4:31 pm

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder, who sits on the European Parliament’s Gender Equality Committee, has spoken about the benefits of the EU for women ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow,

She said:

Being in Europe has led to huge strides forward for women.

Together we have banned gender discrimination in the workplace, given mothers across Europe at least fourteen weeks maternity leave and ensured victims of domestic violence are protected when abroad in the EU.

UKIP and others who want to leave the EU have made it clear they want to scrap rules that protect pregnant women and prevent discrimination.

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The Voice

Which shaggy dog story made you laugh the most?

By The Voice | Sun 6th March 2016 - 1:20 pm

On Friday, we couldn’t resist boosting the signal of Ben Rathe’s hilarious post about how he ended up unknowingly arranging a visit at what by night is a notorious dogging site in Glasgow.

A fair chunk of the country’s press found Ben’s article worth reproducing, from The Sun, to the Herald, to the Metro, the Huffington Post, the Spectator and the Daily Record. Some of the accompanying photos of Nick are hilarious.

Again, there’s more reason to love our press team:

A spokesman for the Lib Dems said: “As media coverage of the event shows it was the perfect spot, being a well-known nature reserve, to launch our policy.”

He added: “Whatever people get up to in their own time, is up to them.”

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The Voice

Lib Dems call for Syria action update

By The Voice | Thu 3rd March 2016 - 2:30 pm

Yesterday in the House of Commons the Liberal Democrats demanded an urgent update on the military situation in Syria and the ability for MPs to hold the government to account.

As part of the debate last year on military action in Syria, we said that we wanted to see regular updates to the House of Commons. The Prime Minister agreed to give quarterly statements. Three months on, it is time for David Cameron to stick to his promise.

Parliamentary questions have uncovered the UK military airstrikes in Syria have totalled 43 targets in Syria in three months and 319 Daesh targets in Iraq.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tom Brake said:

It is critical that wherever our Armed Forces are in active combat that the government is as open as possible about the progress of that activity. Parliament voted to support the extension of airstrikes to Syria on the basis that we would be provided with regular updates, and 3 months on from that vote it is time for the government to deliver that promise.

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The Voice

Tim Farron writes: the local community comes together in Cologne

By The Voice | Tue 1st March 2016 - 3:20 pm

Part 1 – Thursday 18th February

Part 2 – Friday 19th February

Friday began with a short taxi journey to the headquarters of Islamic Relief, the charity who would be showing us around.

Tim Farron and Catherine Bearder

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The Voice

In full: Tim Farron’s speech to Scottish Liberal Democrat Democrat Conference

By The Voice | Sun 28th February 2016 - 8:11 pm

Here is Tim Farron’s speech to Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference:

It is only a couple of weeks since I was out on the doorstep with Alex Cole Hamilton in Edinburgh West. I have to tell you, Alex has got some serious staying power. Not even his trip to A+E after he was attacked by the Hound of the Baskervilles, well a dog in Corstorphine, could stop him getting out on the stump that same evening with me.

We returned to the office after a night out on the doorsteps, for a pizza and politics event… which was great, although whilst I was doing the politics, everyone else ate all the pizza. So, I’m not staying over this time, I’m getting the last train home. I’m not risking falling victim to a repeat of the Edinburgh vegetarian pizza crisis. Those SNP cuts are hitting hard!

But our team in Edinburgh West had earned their pizzas… because they are making an incredible effort and Alex embodies the Liberal spirit for which we are the only standard bearers in Scotland. And it is clearly paying dividends.

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The Voice

LDV’s Sunday Best: our 7 most-read articles this week

By The Voice | Sun 28th February 2016 - 3:55 pm

7 bestMany thanks to the  11,700 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Tim Farron: Boris has had more positions on Europe than the Kama Sutra (63 comments) by Paul Walter

In which I get a letter from the Leader of the Scottish Tories that tells a blatant lie (11 comments) by Caron Lindsay

Fear and loathing at the coalface: how to combat it (72 comments) by Katharine Pindar

Clegg says Tories are squandering our legacy but it wasn’t tuition fees that lost it for us (36 comments) by The Voice

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The Voice

In Full: Willie Rennie’s speech to Scottish Conference: We stand with the weak against the strong, and will use the power of government to tackle the social and economic injustices that limit freedom.

By The Voice | Sun 28th February 2016 - 2:26 pm

Willie Rennie must have been reading Lib Dem Voice because he opened his speech by quoting from Becca’s blog which we featured 10 days ago. He got in touch with her and she gave him permission to share her story.

He argued that it was time to see major investment in mental health and for it to be given party with physical health.

He also set out what the party would do with the £475 million generated for nurseries, schools, colleges and a pupil premium.

I want to talk to you about a new member of our party.

Becca Plenderleith.  She is a bright, intelligent and brave young woman.  We are fortunate to call her a fellow Liberal Democrat. She has given me permission to tell you this story.

What she did was something simple.  She told her story.  She wrote about her experience of the health service.

Only a few years ago she was suffering from depression and following a break up from her boyfriend she considered suicide.

What happened next is something that must be condemned to the past.
She was told by a doctor at accident and emergency that she was a drain on the NHS.

No support, no treatment, just a lecture.

But Becca is making a difference.  Making a difference by speaking out.

And the response is encouraging.

Every time I now mention mental health on a public platform the silent nods around the room fill me with hope.

Hope that the stigma is fading, hope that there is a growing demand for change, hope that this will lead to the unstoppable change to our NHS so that mental health is given the equal support it deserves.

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The Voice

Jo Swinson: Why I now back all women shortlists

By The Voice | Sun 28th February 2016 - 1:18 pm

12496325_10207909151261642_614223791405517749_oBelow are the two speeches Jo Swinson made to Scottish Conference yesterday. The Diversity Debate took place in two halves. The first was on a constitutional amendment which would allow the Scottish Party to implement arrangements on gender balance which had been approved by conference. One amendment to that was submitted, and supported by the movers, changing gender balance to the much wider “diversity”. The risk of such an approach was that a 2/3 majority was needed for it to pass, but the working group had been advised that a constitutional amendment was vital to enable any new arrangements to be implemented.

It’s worth pointing out that in the intervening period, Jo has done so much to encourage and support women candidates, running training events and supporting so many as they embarked on selection campaigns.

Here is her speech proposing the constitutional amendment:

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The Voice

Tim Farron writes: ‘renegotiation not a game changer’

By The Voice | Fri 26th February 2016 - 5:30 pm

Thursday 18 February

Arriving at St Pancras for the Eurostar early on Thursday morning, I found myself amongst a small gaggle of lobby journalists, all clutching tickets to the same destination – Brussels, presumably with ‘open returns’ with no one being sure how long the negotiations would take.

We were, of course, heading to Brussels ahead of the summit at which David Cameron would try and thrash out the last minute ‘grand deal’ that would allow him to campaign for Britain to stay in Europe.

The substance of the deal has been held up as the greatest political settlement of our time by his more loyal supporters and dismissed as entirely irrelevant by the usual Eurosceptic suspects in the Conservative party.

Neither styling is fair. The renegotiation is not a game changer, but it shows that our European partners are open to working together to achieve reform in Europe.

I was heading to Brussels to talk to the liberal leaders and Prime Ministers from across Europe at the ALDE Pre-Summit meeting.

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The Voice

Razing half a camp with bulldozers is not a solution

By The Voice | Fri 26th February 2016 - 1:02 pm

Dunkirk refugee camp

Razing half a camp with bulldozers, flanked by riot police is not a solution Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said as the French government was given the green light to plan to clear part of the Calais migrant camp known as the ‘Jungle’.

This situation is a heart-breaking symptom of a wider human humanitarian disaster in the Middle East. Razing half a camp with bulldozers, flanked by riot police is not a solution.

Moving people from a tent to a shipping container will have very little impact.  The families I met in Calais were people and families from places like Iraq and Syria fleeing war and instability.  These people are trying to look for a place of peace where they can make a new life for them and their family, at least until it’s safe enough to return home. These measures will not help one jot to deal with the issue.

In the camp it is estimated that there are around 300 unaccompanied children. The UK government should do the right thing and urgently act to identify children with family in Britain and offer them refuge immediately.

I call for assurances that these refugees will be treated humanely, rather than as criminals, and for the French authorities to set out a long term, sustainable plan for them. Without these answers it is more likely these desperate people will head back to the channel tunnel and attempt deadly crossings once again.

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The Voice

Boundary Review is a cynical calculation 

By The Voice | Fri 26th February 2016 - 11:40 am

House of Commons. Crown Copyright applies to this photo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/4642915654/

Reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600 without also looking to cut ministers and a review of the House of Lords means the boundary review is being conducted on a fatally flawed basis.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Constitutional and Political Reform Paul Tyler said: 

This boundary review is being conducted on a fatally flawed basis. The Conservatives have knocked 2 million people office the electoral register, mainly in densely populated areas, as part of a cynical calculation that the boundary review will produce fewer urban, Conservative-hostile constituencies.

Reducing the number of MPs without also reducing the size of the Executive is a mistake. With the pay-roll vote approaching half the membership of the government side of the Commons, the power of government to control Parliament is increased. And with no prospect of democratic reform of the Lords, we are edging towards a dangerous lack of democratic legitimacy in parliament.

The Conservatives are blatantly attempting to fix the system to keep themselves in power.

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The Voice

Clegg says Tories are squandering our legacy. But it wasn’t tuition fees that lost it for us

By The Voice | Fri 26th February 2016 - 10:20 am

clegg cameron rose garden

Nick Clegg has used his first major interview since stepping down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats to take a swipe at his former Coalition colleagues for ‘squandering’ their legacy. In today’s Independent he states:

The rhetoric at the beginning from David Cameron was good. I held my tongue. But I am afraid the very thin gruel the Prime Minister has announced, and the deeply regressive steps taken by his Chancellor, means it is insecure, hollow double-speak.

He has drawn up a long ‘charge sheet’ about the current Government: …

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The Voice

‘Ofcom have bottled it over Openreach’ – Farron

By The Voice | Fri 26th February 2016 - 9:42 am

 

 

Tim Farron by Paul Walter

Tim Farron has commented over Ofcom’s decision over the future of Openreach:

Ofcom had a chance to make a massive change in the sector and have bottled it. I am now calling on the Government to be bold and bring forward plans to break up Openreach and BT, and inject real competition into internet provision. If they won’t, we will, and I will challenge them to back it. Are they on the the side of entrepreneurship or not?

Most of my constituents count themselves lucky if they can

…

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The Voice

Willie Rennie to announce help for disadvantaged pupils in Scottish schools

By The Voice | Fri 26th February 2016 - 8:55 am

Willie and ACH on nursery visitWillie Rennie will give key details of how the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ plan for a Pupil Premium will help children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Scottish schools when he delivers his keynote speech to conference this afternoon.

He’ll also outline how the whole £475 million raised from a 1p rise in the basic rate of Income Tax to pay for investment in education would work.

Willie will commit £170m a year of that investment towards a pupil premium in Scotland. £1,400 will be available for every primary pupil …

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The Voice

Government finally bows to pressure from Tim Farron on EU flooding help

By The Voice | Thu 25th February 2016 - 4:11 pm

At around 50 minutes to the 11th hour, the Government finally agreed to Tim Farron’s request that they apply for EU funding to help with the aftermath of the flooding that hit Cumbria and other areas of Northern England as a result of Storm Desmond on 5 December. The EU Solidarity Fund is there to help out when natural disaster strikes.

Accountancy firm KPMG has estimated the total cost of the flood damage at £5bn, which means that the UK could be eligible for up to £125 million of, of which 10% would be made available immediately. In 2008, the UKreceived £134 million from the fund to help deal with the aftermath of major floods the previous year.

In order to qualify the Government must apply within 12 weeks of when the natural disaster first hit. As Storm Desmond struck Northern England on 5th December, the deadline to apply is Saturday 27th February.

A week ago, Tim Farron handed over a petition signed by 2063 constituents calling for a grant for the EU Solidarity Fund to MEPs from the Regional Committee, which would have to approve any application.

And today, the Government has finally agreed to apply for the money.

Tim said:

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The Voice

Tim Talks Europe 2 – visiting Cologne

By The Voice | Thu 25th February 2016 - 2:45 pm

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The Voice

Fit for the future: The new Scottish Party Political Broadcast

By The Voice | Wed 24th February 2016 - 6:25 pm

The new Scottish Party Political Broadcast is going out right now. It’s focused on the idea of putting a penny on tax for education and features parents from across Scotland talking about their experience of parenting, the challenges they face and their hopes for their children’s futures. Enjoy!

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The Voice

Tim Talks – The European Referendum

By The Voice | Wed 24th February 2016 - 12:51 pm

Tim Talks – The European Referendum

In the latest Tim Talks, Tim Farron focusses on Britain's place in Europe following his meeting in Brussels with other liberal leaders and Prime Ministers from across Europe. Join the fight to keep us #INtogether now: www.libdems.org.uk/europe

Posted by Liberal Democrats on Monday, 22 February 2016

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The Voice

Norman Lamb: Junior doctors can’t all be dismissed as militants

By The Voice | Wed 24th February 2016 - 11:28 am

 

Junior doctors are to hold three more one-day strikes. The British Medical Association, which represents the doctors, has also announced that it is seeking a judicial review into the imposition of the new contract because the government failed to carry out an equalities impact study.

Norman Lamb has added his voice to the debate:

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