Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Should the SNP and Greens be included in leaders’ debates?

By The Voice | Thu 15th January 2015 - 1:15 pm

Welcome to another of our occasional series of posts where two writers offer an alternative view to one of the issues of the day. Today, it’s whether the SNP, Plaid and Greens should be invited to take part in leaders’  debates. 

Jonathan Waddell says there is a case for the Greens to be included on a UK basis but not the SNP and Plaid:

Earlier this week, Wings Over Scotland claimed that to exclude the SNP from UK-wide election debates would be to subjugate Scots to second-class citizens. Website owner and frequent contributor, Stuart Campbell, argued:

the only reason to bar them is that they’re Scottish. In other words, Scotland’s MPs are worth less than MPs from other parts of the UK, and therefore by extension Scottish votes are worth less than other people’s votes.

Speaking as a Scot who believes in giving a platform to a plurality of parties at any given election to encourage a representative debate of the issues and views affecting the country, surely the more obvious reason is that over 90% of the electorate can’t vote for them; or at least a question of electoral logistics rather than anti-Scottish sentiment?

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The Voice

Featherstone and Hughes defend Coalition record on civil liberties in letter to Independent on Sunday

By The Voice | Sun 11th January 2015 - 8:30 pm

The coalition’s record on civil liberties took a bit of  a pasting in last week’s Independent on Sunday. Today, Justice Minister Simon Hughes and Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone defended the Liberal Democrat record in a letter to the paper. Their missive rather felt the sharp edge of the editor’s pen, but the full version (via the party website) is below. They have a good go at both the Tories and Labour.

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 11th January 2015 - 2:35 pm

7 ver 4 fullMany thanks to the 19,100 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Êtes-vous Charlie? (100 comments) by The Voice

Ming Campbell’s response to the Charlie Hebdo shootings worries me (95 comments) by Caron Lindsay

Could there be a National Government by the end of the year (42 comments) by Sally Pearson

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The Voice

Farron: Publish Chilcot Report within a week

By The Voice | Sat 10th January 2015 - 9:22 am

On Thursday, Tim Farron, writing for this site, said that Liberal Democrats must continue to push for the Chilcot Report to be published.

In the same way, we must push for the UK’s Chilcot report into the Iraq war to be published. The delay has gone on long enough – key actors like Tony Blair and former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw must be held to account. Jack Straw steps down as an MP in May – it is vital that the truth about Iraq comes out long before that!

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The Voice

Êtes-vous Charlie?

By The Voice | Fri 9th January 2015 - 11:31 am

There was a bit of a discussion on Twitter yesterday about the use of the hashtag “Je suis Charlie.” Some people are uncomfortable about being seen to endorse a publication whose views they did not agree with. Here are two opposing views from George Potter and Caron Lindsay:

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The Voice

Je suis Charlie

By The Voice | Thu 8th January 2015 - 7:22 pm

Charlie front page

We have made an extraordinary change to our home page. We have four “featured post” windows at the top of it. They contain a photo accompanied by a headline. Today we have changed all the photos to show a “Je suis Charlie” image. The headlines then link to articles, on the subject, which we have published so far.

This is a small act, to underline a few things.

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The Voice

Christmas in Bermondsey the Simon Hughes way: “Our big city is made up of little villages, little communities and we all have to look after each other”

By The Voice | Thu 8th January 2015 - 3:30 pm

Do you have those inevitable first week of January blues? This will warm your heart because it’s really what politics is all about. It’s about making people’s lives better. It’s a short film showing Simon Hughes going around various community events in his constituency on Christmas Day. As he said, the big city is made up of villages and we all need to look after each other. Enjoy.

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The Voice

Nick Clegg on the Charlie Hebdo horror: “barbaric attack on freedom of speech”

By The Voice | Wed 7th January 2015 - 4:10 pm

Nick Clegg has responded to the news of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris:

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The Voice

Charlie Hebdo – in sympathy and solidarity

By The Voice | Wed 7th January 2015 - 2:40 pm

The news from Paris today is deeply shocking. There are twelve people who are reported dead and four reported injured by the attack at the offices of satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. Four cartoonists and the editor-in-chief of the magazine are reported to be among the dead. We express our sincere sympathy to those who have lost loved ones and those affected by the tragedy. We also express our solidarity with the French people and Charlie Hebdo magazine in standing for free speech and against such mindless acts.

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The Voice

While we’re talking about deadlines….

By The Voice | Tue 6th January 2015 - 7:08 pm

We told you about the secret elections earlier, but there’s something else you might want to think about. The deadline for submitting motions for the Spring Conference in Liverpool is less than 8 days away. It’s 1pm on Wednesday 14th January so if you are keen to see a change in policy, now is your chance. Get it drafted and get 10 voting representatives to sign it.

The party website has some tips for writing motions here.

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The Voice

You’d think these important party elections were a secret or something

By The Voice | Tue 6th January 2015 - 11:55 am

 

Chances are you don’t know this unless you’ve been unusually geeky about the party website over the Christmas period, but some very important elections are taking place and the closing date for nominations is this Friday, 9th January, at 5pm.

The electorate is very small – the 30 or so members of the Federal Executive. However, there are several positions, such as the Chair of the influential Campaigns and Communications Committee, that are open to any party member. Here’s the call for nominations which is hidden away in the members’ section of the party website. In fact, you actually have to download the papers to get it. Here’s the posts available:

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The Voice

Clegg says Lib Dems would spend extra £8bn on NHS

By The Voice | Tue 6th January 2015 - 10:25 am

nhs sign lrgNick Clegg has set out how the Liberal Democrats would invest in the NHS in government for the next five years.

From the Guardian:

Fleshing out the figure released by the deputy prime minister at a press conference, the Lib Dems said they would increase the NHS’s funding by £8bn a year by 2020-21 in three stages. They would make permanent the coalition government’s extra £2bn a year – which was announced in the autumn statement – by 2015-16.

In addition, Clegg said the party would find another £1bn a year in real terms in 2016-17 by capping pension tax relief for the wealthiest (which the Lib Dems said would save £500m), aligning dividend tax with income tax for those earning more than £150,000 (saving £400m) and scrapping the shares for rights scheme, which allows employees to forfeit certain employment rights in return for company shares (saving £100m).

Once it had reduced the deficit in 2017-18, Clegg said that the party would increase health spending in line with growth in the economy. He said: “It’s a combination of change plus more money and the reason we can do that, and no other party will be able to do that, is firstly, as we explained at our party conference, is we are going to introduce some tax changes which only affect the very wealthiest, to put in an extra billion pounds into the NHS, and next year and the year after that.”

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The Voice

The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 12)

By The Voice | Mon 5th January 2015 - 2:45 pm
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Nick Clegg’s press conference today

By The Voice | Mon 5th January 2015 - 2:15 pm

Nick Clegg Glasgow 2014 Liberal DemocratsAt the press conference this morning Nick Clegg said:

We, as a country, have come a long way since the great crash of 2008. Those long nights in May 2010 when we negotiated the coalition as riots took place on the streets of Athens and our economy teetered on the brink seem ages ago now.

It’s been a hard slog – for everybody – but one that is beginning to pay off. The economy is recovering, the deficit is coming down, more people are in work and wages are starting to overtake inflation.

The central question in this year’s election is simply this: who is best placed to finish the job and do so fairly?

There are two huge risks which now loom large: the threat from those whose plans would undo the economic repair job; and the threat from the populists who want to put their own narrow interests ahead of the interests of the country.

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The Voice

What’s on in our parliaments this week? 5-9 January 2015

By The Voice | Mon 5th January 2015 - 8:22 am

While AMs in Cardiff have another week off, it’s back to business at Holyrood and Westminster. So what will MSPs and MPs be debating this week?

Holyrood

Mental health is starting to really matter on the political agenda and although the Scottish Government is lagging behind Norman Lamb and Nick Clegg in terms of improvements to service, at least the Parliament will be debating a Scottish Government motion on mental health on Tuesday.

There will also be debates on boosting the economy, active travel and Winter Festivals.

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The Voice

Christine Jardine attracts cross-party support in her quest to become MP for Gordon

By The Voice | Sun 4th January 2015 - 8:00 pm

Christine jardineLiberal Democrat PPC for Gordon is receiving offers of help from people who campaigned for a No vote in the independence referendum last September. These include supporters of both Labour and Conservative parties who are prepared to vote for her to stop Alex Salmond’s return to Westminster.

There will be no official pact between the parties but Christine won a lot of friends during the referendum campaign with her infectious enthusiasm and endless energy so it’s hardly surprising that they think she’s more than a match for Salmond.

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The Voice

The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 11)

By The Voice | Sun 4th January 2015 - 2:45 pm

Throughout the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you the 12 most-read posts on this site of 2014. Here’s today’s offering…

Not everything you read on the internet about UKIP and Nigel Farage is true – Caron Lindsay | Tue 20th May 2014

There is no need to make stuff up about Farage and UKIP – there’s more than enough crazy stuff out there that is directly attributable to them. This has always been the way. Five years ago, just before the European election, I wrote about how they are really bad news. I could have written the same things today:

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 4th January 2015 - 1:34 pm

7 ver 4 fullMany thanks to the 10,400 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

The General Election year is here. Let’s make it a good one (100 comments) by Caron Lindsay

Craig Murray rejected by SNP as parliamentary candidate for saying he would defy whip to vote against Bedroom Tax  (37 comments) by Caron Lindsay

Nick Clegg’s New Year Message 2015: a year of hope and optimism for all (33 comments) by The Voice

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The Voice

Crockart: Liberal Democrats have recalibrated the tax system in favour of low and middle income earners

By The Voice | Sun 4th January 2015 - 8:55 am

Edinburgh West MP Mike Crockart has been poring through tax data and has concluded that Liberal Democrats have successfully recalibrated the tax system so that low and middle earners are paying less tax and big companies are paying more tax. He cites figures which show that tax collected from low and middle income earners has fallen from £3170 million to £2720 million over the last 4 years at the same time as £16 billion more was collected over the last two years from larger companies as a result of HM Revenue and Customs’ enforcement activity.

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The Voice

The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 10)

By The Voice | Sat 3rd January 2015 - 2:45 pm

Throughout the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you the 12 most-read posts on this site of 2014. Here’s today’s offering…

The Economist’s political map of the UK: the north/south divide revealed – Stephen Tall | Sun 21st April 2013

Four points:

  • The Economist map only shows results under first-past-the-post: it therefore exaggerates the extent of support for both Labour and the Conservatives.
  • The map nonetheless highlights the retreat of the Tories from the north and Labour from the south. This is dangerous for both parties, as there is a likely spiral effect, with each becoming more remote from the concerns of the

    • …

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    The Voice

    The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 9)

    By The Voice | Fri 2nd January 2015 - 2:45 pm

    Throughout the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you the 12 most-read posts on this site of 2014. Here’s today’s offering…

    We should support Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Maajid Nawaz in the face of death threats – Stephen Tall | Tue 21st January 2014

    The Archbishop Cranmer blog has a good account of Maajid’s motivations:

    The fact that the BBC chose to censor a T-shirt depicting this cartoon rather upset Muslim Maajid Nawaz, who was a guest on the show. He proceeded to tweet out the image to his followers with the message: “This is not offensive & I’m sure God

    …

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    The Voice

    Cadan ap Tomos selected to fight Cardiff West in the General Election

    By The Voice | Fri 2nd January 2015 - 8:45 am

    Cadan ap ThomasWelsh Liberal Democrat Cadan ap Tomos has been selected to fight the seat of Cardiff West at the General Election.

    Wales Online has the details:

    Fluent Welsh speaker Cadan grew up in Ceredigion and now works in the National Assembly for the party.

    The University of York graduate said: “I’m delighted to have been selected to fight Cardiff West for the Welsh Lib Dems. Labour has been taking our communities for granted for far too long, and I look forward to running a strong campaign in the run up to next May.”

    Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams congratulated Cadan on his selection.

    She said: “He is a terrific candidate with a breadth of experience who I know will work tirelessly for the people of Cardiff.”

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    The Voice

    The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 8)

    By The Voice | Thu 1st January 2015 - 2:45 pm

    Throughout the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you the 12 most-read posts on this site of 2014. Here’s today’s offering…

    Politics is losing people, especially young people – what do we do about it? – Andy Boddington | Tue 10th September 2013

    This is not just a question of one generation being more interested in politics than those that came after it. A detailed look at the data shows three effects. Firstly, people across all age groups have become less politically aligned – again in the sense of “I’m a Tory” – and less interested in politics in recent years

    …

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    The Voice

    Willie Rennie’s New Year Message

    By The Voice | Thu 1st January 2015 - 11:48 am

     

    Here is Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie’s New Year Message in full:

    It’s hard to imagine that this year could match last year. I suspect on the sporting front it will certainly be difficult.

    In politics, experts often underestimate the strong minds of voters to do what they want, rather than what those experts predict.

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    The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 7)

    By The Voice | Wed 31st December 2014 - 2:45 pm

    Throughout the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you the 12 most-read posts on this site of 2014. Here’s today’s offering…

    Ukip examined: who they are, what they stand for, and what it all means for British politics – Stephen Tall | Mon 28th April 2014

    There is one off-note in Revolt on the Right. Ford and Goodwin dismiss the 1980s’ insurgence of the ‘radical centre’ when the SDP, albeit briefly, looked poised to win the popular vote: “in the end the SDP fell flat, barely denting the mould on the party system they had set out to break”. Except,

    …

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    Congratulations to Liberal Democrats in the New Year honours list

    By The Voice | Wed 31st December 2014 - 9:24 am

     

    We’ve already mentioned Paddy Ashdown’s great honour in the New Year list:

    ORDER OF THE COMPANIONS OF HONOUR (CH)
    The Rt Hon Jeremy John Durham Baron Ashdown Of Norton-Sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE. For public and political service.

    Sincere congratulations go to:

    CBE – Councillor Erica Kemp. Lord Mayor of Liverpool. For public and political service. (Liverpool, Merseyside)

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    +++New Years Honours 2015: Paddy Ashdown becomes a Companion of Honour

    By The Voice | Tue 30th December 2014 - 10:58 pm

    We’re having our annual look down the New Years Honours list and we didn’t get very far before we saw a name we recognised:

    Screen Shot 2014-12-30 at 22.51.46

     

    For political and public service.

    He joins fellow former Liberal Democrat Sir Menzies Campbell who became a Companion of Honour last year.

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    The 12 most-read LDV posts of 2014 (Day 6)

    By The Voice | Tue 30th December 2014 - 2:45 pm

    Throughout the 12 days of Christmas, we’re bringing you the 12 most-read posts on this site of 2014. Here’s today’s offering…

    Opinion: Why I was persuaded to back LibDems4Change – George Potter | Sat 24th May 2014

    … I’m now backing LibDems4Change and have signed their open letter calling for a leadership contest. I’m not naïve. I don’t think electing a new leader would mean a clean break. I don’t think it will magically win us back loads of lost votes. But a new leader won’t start with the same trust deficit that Nick Clegg has. A new leader will be

    …

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    Daniel Coleman selected to fight Dundee West for the Liberal Democrats

    By The Voice | Tue 30th December 2014 - 1:55 pm

    Daniel ColemanDaniel Coleman will be one of the youngest candidates in the country when he fights Dundee West for the Liberal Democrats in May. Last year, while still at school,  he was recognised by Dundee City Council as being truly community spirited when he was awarded the McManus Citizenship Award.

    Daniel is a qualified football referee and has chaired Dundee Youth Council. He also represented the city in the Scottish Youth Parliament.

    He’s also been the sole Scottish representative on the British Youth Select Committee at Westminster .

    From the Dundee Liberal Democrats’ website:

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    The Voice

    Nick Clegg’s New Year Message: 2015: a year of hope and optimism for all

    By The Voice | Tue 30th December 2014 - 5:54 am

    Nick Clegg has published his New Year message for 2015. Here it is in full:

    The text appears below.

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