Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Sal Brinton on how Liberal Democrats helped change law on revenge porn

By The Voice | Sun 26th October 2014 - 3:30 pm

Sal BrintonIf you have half an hour today, make sure you listen to the Week in Westminster, available here on iPlayer.

In it, Tom Brake debates the merits of fixed term Parliaments. The Tory argument against them seems to be more based in self interest and “we are sick fed up of the coalition and these pesky Liberal Democrats” than anything that actually matters.

Sal Brinton is also on talking about revenge porn which was made illegal in moves driven by Liberal Democrats including Sal, Olly Grender, Jonathan Marks and Liz Barker. Presenter Helen Lewis had initially said that the move was part of Chris Grayling’s move to combat internet abuse. Sal put her right, explaining that the impetus actually came from Liberal Democrats on the back of Hannah Thompson’s campaign. She was very diplomatic about the process of getting Government support for the move. You’ll have to listen to see how, in the last few minutes of the programme.

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 26th October 2014 - 1:55 pm

7 ver 4 fullMany thanks to the 15,700  visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Confused Britain (60 comments) by Scott Stables

Linda Jack drops out of race for party president (58 comments) by Mary Reid

Is this the front page of the next Lib Dem manifesto? (88 comments) by Stephen Tall

10 years on from the Orange Book, what should authentic liberalism look like? (78 comments) by Stephen Tall

“Duraàntezmania: that has legs” and other compliments for Miriam (74 comments) by The Voice

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The Voice

In the next month 22 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

By The Voice | Sat 25th October 2014 - 6:00 pm

Lib Dems winning hereHere’s the full list of selection contests in the coming month available for Lib Dems on the approved parliamentary candidates’ list, together with the closing date for applications. They include Taunton Deane, Jeremy Browne’s seat since 2005, and which he held at the last election with a majority of 3,993 (6.9%) over the Conservatves.

The following seats have selections in progress and are currently advertising for candidates:

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Posted in Selection news | Tagged and | 6 Comments
The Voice

Paddy Ashdown on Bosnia and Herzegovina: “These are dangerous times; they are very dangerous times indeed”

By The Voice | Sat 25th October 2014 - 3:55 pm

Paddy Ashdown talks on "The global power shift" in Brussels March 1st 2012 - Some rights reserved by PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE Lord (Paddy) Ashdown, former international High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002 to 2006, led this week’s House of Lords debate on the situation in the country following its recent election. Here’s what he had to say…

Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon (LD): My Lords, a few months before the last election in the last months of 2009, my right honourable friend William Hague and I—well, at least he was not my right honourable friend then, but he is today; he was then the shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—wrote a joint article for the British and foreign press on Bosnia and Herzegovina. We complained bitterly that Bosnia was stuck, that the progress that we had made during the previous 10 years had gone backwards, that the tone of nationalistic rhetoric had risen, that this was dangerous and that Bosnia remained stuck in a mire of dysfunctionality and corruption.

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Posted in Europe / International and Parliament | Tagged and | 9 Comments
The Voice

Nick Clegg’s message for Diwali 2014

By The Voice | Sat 25th October 2014 - 1:25 pm

Here is Nick Clegg’s message for Diwali. The full transcript is below for those who have difficulty with hearing.

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The Voice

A powerful message from Canada’s Liberal leader in response to Wednesday’s shootings

By The Voice | Fri 24th October 2014 - 1:33 pm

Canada flag License Some rights reserved by archer10 (Dennis)What would you want a liberal to say in the wake of shocking and violent events in your country? It must be something pretty close to Justin Trudeau’s words, full of dignity, wisdom and empathy.

Watch the video and see the excerpt below:

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 11 Comments
The Voice

Roundtable talks on new mental health waiting time standards

By The Voice | Fri 24th October 2014 - 12:01 pm

Phrenology head - mental health - Some rights reserved by evansvilleToday Nick Clegg and Norman Lamb held roundtable talks on mental health services in Sheffield.

Representatives from the local NHS discussed the impact of mental health conditions being brought into line with other NHS services, with the introduction of the first ever waiting time standards.

For the first time, from April 2015, most patients needing talking therapies – for conditions like depression – will be guaranteed the treatment they need in as little as six weeks, with a maximum wait of 18 weeks.

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The Voice

Clare Campion-Smith Selected as Lib Dem PPC for Bristol North West

By The Voice | Fri 24th October 2014 - 8:49 am

At a well-attended meeting in St Edyth’s Hall, Sea Mills, Liberal Democrats selected Cllr Clare Campion-Smith to be their prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for the Bristol North West parliamentary seat.

Clare Campion Smith Bristol North West Lib Dem PPC

Cllr Campion-Smith was first elected to represent the Henleaze ward in May 2006. She was re-elected earlier this year, beating her nearest rival by over 500 votes. From February 2009 to November 2012, Clare was the lead member for Children’s Services and she is now the Vice-Chair of the Business Change & Resources Scrutiny Committee. She has previously worked as a mathematics teacher and currently lives with her husband in Redland. They have two children, one daughter-in-law and one grandson.

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The Voice

Horwood and Burstow take part in Westminster Dog of the Year

By The Voice | Thu 23rd October 2014 - 10:02 am

Guide dog puppyThis year’s Westminster Dog of the Year gets underway shortly. The aim is to celebrate that great bond between dog and human and to promote responsible dog ownership.

Last year, the Liberal Democrats were represented by Tessa Munt and Poppy. This year Paul Burstow and Martin Horwood are taking part.

Paul takes part with his dog Indy, who came to them as a rescue dog 4 years ago:

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The Voice

Kirsty Williams questions Welsh First Minister on “lack of ambition” for young people

By The Voice | Wed 22nd October 2014 - 4:52 pm

Kirsty WilliamsKirsty Williams seemed choked with the cold when she questioned First Minister Carwyn Jones yesterday but her fighting spirit was undiminished as she took him to task for what she called his government’s aspiration towards mediocrity rather than excellence in the wake of the annual Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission report which said that poorer children in Wales were significantly less likely to obtain 5 GCSE’s including Maths and English. Even at the age of 3, children in Wales were falling behind those in England and Scotland in terms of vocabulary. While children in England caught up with those in Scotland by the age of 5, children in Wales fell further behind.

In his response, Mr Jones had to point to the “Pupil Deprivation Grant” as being part of the solution.

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The Voice

LDVideo: Vikki Slade on Free School Meals in action

By The Voice | Wed 22nd October 2014 - 8:47 am

In Channel 4’s Political Slot this week, Lib Dem candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole Vikki Slade finds out how the party’s policy of free school meals for 4-7 year olds is having a huge impact locally. You can watch it here.

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The Voice

Conference Speeches: Vince Cable: Liberal Democrats have brought compassion, common sense and competence to Government

By The Voice | Sun 19th October 2014 - 2:45 pm

Continuing our series of Conference speeches, today it’s the turn of Vince Cable. He announced an increase in pay for apprentices, talked about the benefits of migration and spelled out the difference between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. He talked about what the Liberal Democrats have brought to the Government and exhorted us to be proud about it.

You can watch here, and the text is below:

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The Voice

“Durántezmania – that has legs” and other compliments for Miriam

By The Voice | Sun 19th October 2014 - 1:15 pm

Miriam González Durántez by Cabinet OfficeIt seems that Miriam González Durántez’s interview the other day has impressed a couple of Fleet Street columnists.

In the Guardian, Gaby Hinsliff says Miriam is “electrifying.”:

I’ve seen Miriam talking to girls at an Essex comp about raising their sights. She was electrifying. In a world where successful women are regularly portrayed as ball-breakers, lonely, or just underdressed, she makes working motherhood look thrillingly fun and achievable, if not easy. (She’s big on graft). And for teenage girls, she explodes the myth that men won’t want you if you’re clever. She doesn’t rush, surrendered wife-style, to kiss Clegg for the cameras after a party conference speech: she waits for him to come to her – and he does.

In person she’s funny, frank, mischievous, and enviably fearless. She doesn’t care how people judge her: she simply can’t see why she can’t have what men have, professionally and personally (which is of course why a certain kind of man hates her).

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Posted in News | Tagged | 74 Comments
The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 19th October 2014 - 12:30 pm

7 ver 4 fullMany thanks to the  15,700 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

 ++Jeremy Browne to stand down as Lib Dem MP in 2015 (110 comments) by The Voice

Opinion: Generation Y: Why don’t they vote Lib Dem? (114 comments) by Simon McGrath

Opinion: Jeremy Browne deserves our thanks (46 comments) by Ed Fordham

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The Voice

Conference Speeches: Lynne Featherstone: I have been able to do über-Liberal things in Government

By The Voice | Sat 18th October 2014 - 3:25 pm

Lynne FEatherstone 2007 Brighton conference by Liberal DemocratsConference may have been a week or so ago but we still have some keynote speeches to post. Lynne Featherstone spoke about the work she had done to help the most vulnerable people across the world with great humility. She said she had been able to introduce über-liberal policies but was also keen to pay  tribute to Danny Alexander and Nick Clegg for getting the economy on track.

She spoke powerfully about what she’s dong to protect women and girls around the globe and talked with great humility, saying that whenever she meets people in desperate circumstances she’s very aware that that could have been her. “I didn’t choose where I was born” she said. Here is the video and the text is below:

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The Voice

What’s being debated in our members’ forum this week?

By The Voice | Sat 18th October 2014 - 1:55 pm

members forum wordleLibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you’re reading now. The second is our private members’ forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access.

If you’re a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that’s on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you’ll be included in our regular surveys’ of party members’ views.

Here’s some of the most active discussions this past 7 days:

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The Voice

Massive swing from Labour as Liberal Democrat Andrew Waller regains Council seat in York

By The Voice | Fri 17th October 2014 - 11:38 am

There’s some really good news from York today. In a by-election, former Liberal Democrat Group Leader, who lost his seat in the City’s Westfield ward in 2011, regained it in spectacular style, with a 24.8% swing from Labour.

The result in full is:

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Posted in News | 20 Comments
The Voice

Berwick candidate Julie Pörksen seeks views on post-16 transport

By The Voice | Fri 17th October 2014 - 10:58 am

Julie PorksenThe issue of transport so that over 16s can get to school and college is one close to Berwick Liberal Democrat PPC Julie Pörksen’s heart. She told us why earlier this Summer:

In the eighties, being a rural Northumbrian kid, I used to get the school bus to Ponteland, and just stayed on it for sixth form. Those wanting to go to college had to find their own way. Raising the age of participation and encouraging parity between a sixth form and a college education can only be a positive step for the opportunities and career and life choices for our young people.

If we are not to discriminate between 16-18 year olds in urban and rural areas across the whole country we must guarantee their rights to access free state education – and free transport is an integral part of that access.

So let’s be about action not just words – lets change the law and actually enable everyone to get on in life.

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The Voice

Jeremy Browne to stand down as MP: what Lib Dem bloggers have made of his decision

By The Voice | Thu 16th October 2014 - 8:40 pm

Jeremy Browne with beard AD LIBJeremy Browne’s decision to stand down as MP for Taunton Deane at the next election surprised many in the party. Ed Fordham wrote a tribute to Jeremy’s long service for the party on LDV here today — and the Lib Dem blogosphere has also had plenty to say. Here’s a selection…

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The Voice

++ Jeremy Browne to stand down as Lib Dem MP in May 2015

By The Voice | Wed 15th October 2014 - 1:37 pm

Jeremy Browne, Lib Dem MP for Taunton Deane, has announced he will not be standing again in May 2015. Here’s his tweet, complete with resignation letter:

Here’s Nick Clegg’s response to the news:

‘Jeremy Browne has decided that now is the right time to announce he will not stand at the next election and the Liberal Democrats wish him all the best for the future. The Deputy

…

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Posted in News | 110 Comments
The Voice

What makes Nick’s work worthwhile: the Liberal Democrats’ Autumn PPB

By The Voice | Tue 14th October 2014 - 10:35 am

The Autumn PPB film crews spent time following the Cleggster around. It’s not bad, and you can really see what makes him tick:

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Posted in News | 19 Comments
The Voice

28 Lib Dem MPs vote for recognition of state of Palestine, 1 against

By The Voice | Tue 14th October 2014 - 9:10 am

As we trailed here, last night saw the House of Commons debate a backbench motion (which is therefore not binding on the government): ‘That this House believes that the Government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.’

By my count, 28 Lib Dem MPs backed the motion – their names are below – with just one against (Sir Alan Beith). As the BBC notes: “It is convention that ministers abstain when voting takes place on a backbench MP’s motion and those of both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties did so. It is, however, Lib Dem policy to support recognition of Palestinian statehood.”

The debate was a relatively short one, so there was time for only one speech from a Lib Dem: Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood’s contribution is reproduced below. You can catch up with the debate via Hansard here.

Lib Dem MPs backing the motion to recognise the state of Palestine:

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Posted in Parliament | Tagged , , , and | 39 Comments
The Voice

++ BREAKING: Mark Hunter MP steps down as Deputy Chief Whip

By The Voice | Mon 13th October 2014 - 7:43 pm

It’s just been announced that Cheadle MP Mark Hunter has stepped down as the Liberal Democrats’ Deputy Chief Whip.

He told Nick Clegg in his resignation letter that he had never intended to stay in post for the whole duration of the Parliament and that the end of the Conference season was the time to move on:

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The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sun 12th October 2014 - 11:41 am

7 ver 4 fullMany thanks to the 22,400 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

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The Voice

What’s being debated in our members’ forum this week?

By The Voice | Sat 11th October 2014 - 1:20 pm

members forum wordleLibDemVoice has two parallel sites. The first is our public blog, the thing you’re reading now. The second is our private members’ forum, which only current Lib Dem members can access.

If you’re a member and want to chat with fellow party members about any issue that’s on your mind, then why not sign up? In addition, you’ll be included in our regular surveys’ of party members’ views.

Here’s some of the most active discussions this past 10 days:

…

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Posted in Site news | 5 Comments
The Voice

In the next month 27 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

By The Voice | Sat 11th October 2014 - 11:25 am

Lib Dems winning hereHere’s the full list of selection contests in the coming month available for Lib Dems on the approved parliamentary candidates’ list, together with the closing date for applications.

The following seats have selections in progress and are currently advertising for candidates:

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Posted in Selection news | 1 Comment
The Voice

UKIP breakthrough, Labour scrape through

By The Voice | Fri 10th October 2014 - 8:35 am

The overnight news is that Douglas Carswell has been elected as a UKIP MP in Clacton with a majority of 12,068 over the Conservatives and 60% of the total vote. Liberal Democrats lost our deposit in 5th place, the 10th lost deposit this parliament.

Meanwhile in Heywood and Middleton, a Labour seat since its creation in 1983, Labour clung on with a majority of 617 votes over UKIP. This time, however, the Liberal Democrats did a little better, coming 4th with 5% and saving our deposit.

Here are the full results:

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Posted in News | 257 Comments
The Voice

Praise for Norman Lamb’s work on mental health

By The Voice | Wed 8th October 2014 - 7:18 pm

Here is the video shown to Conference showcasing the work that Norman Lamb has done on mental health which was shown before his speech. 

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 6 Comments
The Voice

IN FULL: Nick Clegg’s leader’s speech to conference

By The Voice | Wed 8th October 2014 - 1:30 pm

Clegg SpeechHere’s the text of Nick Clegg’s speech to the Lib Dems’ autumn 2014 conference:

Before I say anything else, I’m sure I speak on behalf of all Liberal Democrats when I say that our hearts and condolences go out to the family and friends of Alan Henning and David Haines for their tragic loss.

These were good men. In the work they did they stood for hope and compassion – the things that everyone in this room believes are more important than anything else. We have to take on the cowards who

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 25 Comments
The Voice

BBC: “Nick Clegg not executed on stage until 1320”

By The Voice | Wed 8th October 2014 - 1:15 pm

That was the rather startling tweet from BBC South-East reporter Louise Stewart:

But it turned out to be a typo rather than a stay of execution:

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Posted in Conference | Tagged and | 7 Comments
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