Author Archives: The Voice

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

By The Voice | Sat 19th April 2014 - 3:45 pm

LibDemVoice 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:

…

Posted in Site news | 2 Comments

Bath Lib Dems choose short-list to succeed Don Foster

By The Voice | Sat 19th April 2014 - 8:45 am

The Bath Chronicle reports the news of the contenders seeking to succeed Don Foster as Lib Dem MP for Bath:

The party has this week decided on a shortlist of contenders who will battle it out for the Lib Dem nomination. Mr Foster announced in January that he would be standing down from the seat he has held since 1992.

Several hopefuls turned to Twitter to announce they had made the shortlist including Chris Lucas, Steve Bradley, former Bath City chairman Councillor Manda Rigby (Lib Dem, Abbey) and former mayor Councillor

…

Posted in Selection news | Tagged andy furse, chris lucas, don foster, manda rigby and steve bradley | 16 Comments

Commenting on Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Fri 18th April 2014 - 4:13 pm

xkcd sums it up:

Posted in Site news | 28 Comments

Two Easter quiz questions from Olly Grender and Ed Stradling

By The Voice | Fri 18th April 2014 - 1:00 pm

First up, from Olly (former communications chief for the Lib Dems and Shelter, now a Lib Dem peer)…

Easter Hols quiz: can anyone guess the election this passage is referring to? pic.twitter.com/4TFZl26WB9

— Olly Grender (@OllyGrender) April 15, 2014

And then from Ed (TV producer/director, the mastermind behind the excellent video The Lost Liberal Democrat Votes)…

Posted in News | Tagged ed stradling and olly grender | 21 Comments

Better Together lets some of Willie’s “sunshine strategy” burst through

By The Voice | Thu 17th April 2014 - 2:00 pm

Better Together, the cross-party campaign for retaining the United Kingdom, must have been listening to LDV’s co-editor, Caron Lindsay (always a sensible precaution, we find…). Just a few weeks ago she cautioned against the deluge of negativity that seemed to be the No campaign’s main message:

Charles Kennedy was bang on last week when he said that the pro-UK campaign needed to be more positive. He could do with being a bit more explicit about what he thinks they should be saying. And then he needs to sit Alistairs Darling and Carmichael, Danny, Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader and Nick down and tell them. For the sake of the UK, they need to listen. Better Together is in desperate need of an injection of wit and warmth and not much time to do it in.

Here, then, is the new Better Together advert. Maybe not much wit, but a whole lot more warmth:

Posted in Scotland | Tagged better together, caron lindsay, charles kennedy, scotland independence referendum and willie rennie | 12 Comments

How you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Thu 17th April 2014 - 9:44 am

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:

Posted in Site news | Leave a comment

Steve Webb on working with IDS: “When it comes to pensions I think he trusts my judgment.”

By The Voice | Wed 16th April 2014 - 1:50 pm

Pensions minister Steve Webb is one Lib Dem minister who has emerged from Coalition with his reputation enhanced, praised even by such diverse admirers as The Sun, The Guardian and Quentin Letts. Today’s Daily Mail features a warm profile of him talking about his passion: pensions. Here are a couple of excerpts that give a flavour…

On working with Iain Duncan Smith

Today, he and Work & Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith have become Westminster’s odd couple. IDS is renowned for his Right-wing stance on benefits and welfare, and Mr Webb

…

Posted in News | Tagged iain duncan smith, pensions and steve webb | 11 Comments

Danny Alexander: More people in work than ever before, earnings now rising in line with prices

By The Voice | Wed 16th April 2014 - 12:00 pm

Two pieces of good economic news today, as the BBC reports:

UK unemployment falls to five-year low of 2.2m

The number of people out of work in the UK has fallen by 77,000 to a five-year low of 2.24m in the three months to February, official figures indicate. The unemployment rate now stands at 6.9% of the adult working population, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

After six years, wages finally overtake inflation

After nearly six years of falling real wages, weekly earnings have finally edged above inflation. Weekly wages, including bonuses, rose by 1.7% in the year to February, up from 1.4% in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Earlier this week, inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), fell to 1.6%. It is the first time that earnings have been higher than inflation for six years, apart from two months in 2010.

Here’s what the Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander had to say:

Posted in News | Tagged cost of living, Danny Alexander, employment, inflation and unemployment | 26 Comments

A message from Nick Clegg for Passover

By The Voice | Tue 15th April 2014 - 2:36 pm

Posted in News | Tagged nick clegg and passover | 31 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #371

By The Voice | Mon 14th April 2014 - 7:00 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 371st weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (6th-12 April, 2013), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

Posted in Best of the blogs | 2 Comments

Clegg announces three new garden cities to be built

By The Voice | Mon 14th April 2014 - 2:00 pm

The BBC reports:

Up to three garden cities, each with more than 15,000 homes will be built to help deal with a “chronic” housing shortage, Nick Clegg has announced. The deputy prime minister promised “high-quality homes in thriving new communities”, on potential sites yet to be identified.

Funding from an existing £2.4bn pot will be made available for developments being built up to 2020. Councils will be asked to raise any concerns over the schemes.

Last year 109,370 new homes were completed in England, …

Posted in News | Tagged garden cities, housing and nick clegg | 17 Comments

#SelfEU: the way to win a day with ALDE’s Guy Verhofstadt*

By The Voice | Sun 13th April 2014 - 3:45 pm

Yes, the #selfEU is actually a thing, as ALDE’s Guy Verhofstadt promotes his campaign to become the next President of the European Commission:

THE ONE AND ONLY “SELF-EU” CONTEST
It’s simple, just send us an EU selfie or a #selfEU, and you could win a day with Guy Verhofstadt.

The EU is about more than rules and regulations. Show us your favourite thing about the EU. Did you just board an airplane on a cheap flight, cross a border without having to use your passport or change currencies, or

…

Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged #selfEU, ALDE, guy verhofstadt and hannah bettsworth | 4 Comments

Lib Dems: “Cyril Smith’s acts were vile and repugnant and we have nothing but sympathy for those whose lives he ruined”

By The Voice | Sun 13th April 2014 - 3:15 pm

We reported here yesterday the latest revelations of extensive alleged paedophile abuse by former Liberal MP, Cyril Smith, in a new book co-authored by his Rochdale successor, Simon Danczuk. Today’s Observer highlights the party’s response, and the responses of two current Lib Dem MPs, John Pugh and John Hemming:

In a statement the party said: “Cyril Smith’s acts were vile and repugnant and we have nothing but sympathy for those whose lives he ruined. His actions were not known to, or condoned by the Liberal Party or the

…

Posted in News | Tagged cyril smith, john hemming, john pugh and simon danczuk | 43 Comments

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

By The Voice | Sun 13th April 2014 - 1:00 pm

Many thanks to the 15,500 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Jeremy Browne and his plan for the privileged (106 comments) by Caron Lindsay

Book review: Jeremy Browne’s ‘Race Plan’ (86) by Nick Thornsby

Jeremy Browne’s liberal regime to get Britain fit for the global race (86) by The Voice

What Jeremy Browne did – and DIDN’T – tell The Times about the Lib Dems (35) by Stephen Tall

UPDATED: Full list of Lib Dems standing in our held seats and

…

Posted in Site news | 1 Comment

Tim Farron reveals all about the day he impersonated Nigel Farage

By The Voice | Sun 13th April 2014 - 11:27 am

Here’s how Lib Dem party president Tim Farron recounted to his local paper, The Westmoreland Gazette, his assistance to Nick Clegg for the second Nick v Nigel debate:

In an empty central London theatre, the Lakes MP donned the trademark purple tie of the Euro sceptic for a practice debate with the Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister ahead of the real thing.

Aides revealed that to prepare for the role as the UKIP leader, Mr Farron watched recordings of his public speaking with Farage winning plaudits for his man-of-the-world directness.

Mr Farron’s aides

…

Posted in News | Tagged nick v nigel and tim farron | 14 Comments

In the next month 6 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

By The Voice | Sat 12th April 2014 - 5:10 pm

Here’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 Bristol North West, on paper the 26th most winnable seat for the Lib Dems, needing a swing of 3% from the Tories.

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

Posted in Selection news | Tagged general election 2015 | 2 Comments

Jeremy Browne responds on Twitter to Times’s ‘pointless’ front page headline

By The Voice | Sat 12th April 2014 - 10:00 am

Three weeks ago, Lib Dem MP Jeremy Browne joined Twitter. He’s been putting it to use this morning to refute The Times’s front page headline that claims he said the Lib Dems are ‘pointless’:

Read The Times interview, which is what I think, rather than The Times headline, which I didn't say and don't believe.

— Jeremy Browne (@JeremyBrowneMP) April 11, 2014

As for those imagining that he’s about jump ships, Jeremy couldn’t be clearer:

Posted in News | Tagged jeremy browne and twitter | 37 Comments

Daily Mail serialises ‘The Double Life of Cyril Smith’

By The Voice | Sat 12th April 2014 - 9:50 am

Today’s Daily Mail begins the serialisation of a new book, Smile for the Camera: the Double Life of Cyril Smith, co-authored by Rochdale’s Labour MP, Simon Danczuk, who went public with allegations of sexual abuse by his Liberal predecessor in 2012:

The book, co-written by Matthew Baker, reveals that as far back as the 1950s, Rochdale police had their suspicions about the politician. Smith, MP for Rochdale between 1972 and 1992, was governor of almost 30 schools. In the 1960s, he helped to open Cambridge House children’s

…

Posted in News | Tagged cyril smith, sex abuse and simon danczuk | 14 Comments

How to get Lib Dem Voice by email

By The Voice | Fri 11th April 2014 - 5:00 pm

Why not join hundreds of other Lib Dem Voice readers in getting our latest headlines by email?

Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there’s new stories of interest. Some people like subscribing to its news feed (RSS) and checking that way. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day’s posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want to take a read.

Posted in Site news | 1 Comment

Ben Nicholls selected to re-gain Romsey and Southampton North for the Lib Dems

By The Voice | Fri 11th April 2014 - 3:30 pm

We’re a bit behind the times with this one, but better late than never… Ben Nicholls was selected as the Lib Dem candidate for Romsey & Southampton North – the seat which Sandra Gidley won in a famous 2000 by-election – at the next general election. Here’s how the local party reported the news:

At a packed meeting in Romsey’s Crosfield Hall , Romsey and Southampton North Liberal Democrats selected Ben Nicholls to be their prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC). The General Election will take place in May 2015.

Ben, 26, is a

…

Posted in Selection news | Tagged ben nicholls, romsey and southampton north and sandra gidley | 2 Comments

So where exactly were the UKIP peers during the Immigration Bill?

By The Voice | Thu 10th April 2014 - 9:47 pm

Noticeable by their absence during the Lords debates on the Immigration Bill were the three Peers who are members of UKIP. A cross-party group of peers, including our Shirley Williams, Roger Roberts, Bob Maclennan, Jonathan Marks, Alex Carlile, Nigel Jones, David Chidgey and Mike Storey thought this was worth mentioning in a letter to the Standard. This is what they said:

The report stage of the Immigration Bill concluded in the House of Lords on Monday April 7.

Posted in News | Tagged roger roberts, standard and ukip | 20 Comments

The Immigration Bill: 23 Liberal Democrat Lords rebel on “stateless” power, 12 on child trafficking guardian

By The Voice | Wed 9th April 2014 - 7:00 pm

The Immigration Bill was back in the Lords this Monday where the Government suffered two defeats. The first was to overturn the power of the Home Secretary to deprive terror suspects who had acquired British citizenship (note, suspects, not anybody who has been convicted of anything) of that citizenship even if so doing would render them stateless.

Of the 242 peers supporting Lord Pannick’s amendment, 23 of them were Liberal Democrats. And their ranks included more than the usual Awkward Squad.

Posted in News | Tagged eric avebury, house of lords, immigration bill, meral hussein ece, robert maclennan, roger roberts and shirley williams | 16 Comments

Danny Alexander tells Bloomberg of Liberal Democrat contribution to fair recovery and plans for Mansion Tax

By The Voice | Wed 9th April 2014 - 2:22 pm

Danny Alexander gave a big speech at Bloomberg this morning. Interestingly, he mentioned several times that he was from the Highlands and credited his upbringing in a small community with forming his commitment to fairness and managing resources wisely.

It was a wide-ranging speech, which looked back at the almost four years since he entered the Treasury. He said that some of the detail of getting to grips with the economic crisis would have to wait for his memoirs which he hoped would be “some way off”. His main theme was that the Liberal Democrats were, uniquely, capable of managing the economy fairly. It was another variation of the “stronger economy, fairer society” melody.

Posted in News | Tagged Danny Alexander, economy and keynote speeches | Leave a comment

Jeremy Browne’s liberal regime to get Britain fit for the global race

By The Voice | Tue 8th April 2014 - 9:58 am

As we reported last month, Jeremy Browne has been using his time since he left government last October productively, writing a book on what he sees as the challenges facing Britain over the decades ahead, and the liberal approach that her believes is necessary in response to them. The book, Race Plan: An authentic liberal plan to get Britain fit for The Global Race, is published today by the think tank Reform.

The conundrum facing Britain is outlined neatly in the book’s first few chapters and can be summarised thus: world power and economic strength is shifting, from the Western powers that dominated the last century, primarily east, to Asia, but also south, to South America and Africa. On a whole range of indicators — productivity, educational attainment, global influence — Britain is losing out or is danger of doing so to these ambitious, focussed countries.

How do we respond? Do we accept relative decline as an inevitable consequence of globalisation? Or do we rethink our approach and seek to maintain the competitive advantage and influence on the world stage that we have grown used to? Browne’s answer is emphatically the latter, and he is clear on what form that response should take: it should be distinctly, “authentically” liberal.

Posted in News | Tagged global race, jeremy browne and reform (think-tank) | 87 Comments

In full: Nick Clegg’s speech to Welsh Conference

By The Voice | Tue 8th April 2014 - 8:55 am

“We meet on the eve of a new tax year” is no conventional beginning to a political speech. However, Nick Clegg spoke to Welsh Liberal Democrats as taxpayers were about to get a Liberal Democrat tax cut which they’ll notice in their pay packets in 3 weeks’ time. He went on about it for quite some time, as you would expect, given that it was a major pledge on the front of OUR manifesto. He said that Cameron and Osborne, who are …

Posted in News | Tagged keynote speeches, kirsty williams, nick clegg and welsh liberal democrats conference | 1 Comment

The three things Nick Clegg would change about the EU

By The Voice | Mon 7th April 2014 - 1:17 pm

13 hours after leaving the debate stage last Wednesday night, Nick Clegg was back on his regular Call Clegg radio show. The show had been nominated twice in the Radio Academy Awards to be presented next month.

The first caller, Caron from West Lothian, (who might she be, I wonder?) made the point that she was highly amused by David Cameron trying to pretend that he was the voice of reason on Europe when his plan was to sell all our employment rights down the river and then give us a referendum. Her question to him was that although he’s a powerful advocate of the EU, he acknowledges that it’s not perfect,

Posted in News | Tagged call clegg, eu and nick clegg | 16 Comments

Norman Lamb: “As a Lib Dem, I want to eradicate gay conversion therapy”

By The Voice | Sun 6th April 2014 - 6:41 pm

Norman Lamb has told the Guardian that he will do all he can to eradicate referral to gay conversion therapy in NHS England:

Gay conversion therapy is abhorrent and has no place in a modern society, according to the health minister Norman Lamb, who has asked for assurances from NHS England that GPs do not make any referrals for such treatment.

Posted in News | Tagged gay conversion therapy and NHS | 5 Comments

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

By The Voice | Sun 6th April 2014 - 3:35 pm

Many thanks to the 14911 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here’s our 7 most-read posts…

Nick v Nigel: the polls call it for Farage. Disappointing, but don’t panic! Here’s 3 reasons why you shouldn’t… (56 comments) by Stephen Tall

Nick v Nigel Round 2, My second thoughts (39 comments) by Stephen Tall

UKIP’s success masks its existential crisis (40 comments) by Caspian Conran

Posted in Site news | Leave a comment

Stephen Lotinga appointed as Nick Clegg’s new Director of Communications

By The Voice | Sun 6th April 2014 - 12:45 pm

Readers may recall the rather brief tenure of Emma Gilpin-Jacobs as Nick Clegg’s Director of Communications – she left after a few weeks in the job “because my strategic global, corporate-focused communications experience will be better utilised in a less day-to day-political operational role”.

Her replacement has now been appointed. Here’s how Nick’s chief of staff, Jonny Oates, announced the news:

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged Bell Pottinger, director of communications, edelman, emma gilpin-jacobs, james mcgrory, jonny oates and stephen lotinga | 18 Comments

Liberal Democrat peers support asylum seekers’ right to work

By The Voice | Sat 5th April 2014 - 1:33 pm

The Immigration Bill is currently going through its final stages in the House of Lords. On Thursday, Liberal Democrat peers, led by Roger Roberts, tried to amend it by inserting a clause which would have entitled asylum seekers to work after 6 months.

Roger told me that he was not able to press the amendment to a vote because it received no support from either Labour or Conservative front benches. This, he felt, was grossly unfair given George Osborne’s desire for full employment and Labour’s …

Posted in News | Tagged asylum seekers, house of lords, immigration bill and roger roberts | 3 Comments

Actually, this Summer of Strategy could be quite good…

Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

Alison Suttie writes: Thank you to our volunteers

What’s going on with party strategy?

Author Archives: The Voice

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

Bath Lib Dems choose short-list to succeed Don Foster

Commenting on Liberal Democrat Voice

Two Easter quiz questions from Olly Grender and Ed Stradling

Better Together lets some of Willie’s “sunshine strategy” burst through

How you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

Steve Webb on working with IDS: “When it comes to pensions I think he trusts my judgment.”

On working with Iain Duncan Smith

Danny Alexander: More people in work than ever before, earnings now rising in line with prices

A message from Nick Clegg for Passover

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #371

Clegg announces three new garden cities to be built

#SelfEU: the way to win a day with ALDE’s Guy Verhofstadt*

Lib Dems: “Cyril Smith’s acts were vile and repugnant and we have nothing but sympathy for those whose lives he ruined”

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

Tim Farron reveals all about the day he impersonated Nigel Farage

In the next month 6 seats will short-list their wannabe Lib Dem MPs

Jeremy Browne responds on Twitter to Times’s ‘pointless’ front page headline

Daily Mail serialises ‘The Double Life of Cyril Smith’

How to get Lib Dem Voice by email

Ben Nicholls selected to re-gain Romsey and Southampton North for the Lib Dems

So where exactly were the UKIP peers during the Immigration Bill?

The Immigration Bill: 23 Liberal Democrat Lords rebel on “stateless” power, 12 on child trafficking guardian

Danny Alexander tells Bloomberg of Liberal Democrat contribution to fair recovery and plans for Mansion Tax

Jeremy Browne’s liberal regime to get Britain fit for the global race

In full: Nick Clegg’s speech to Welsh Conference

The three things Nick Clegg would change about the EU

Norman Lamb: “As a Lib Dem, I want to eradicate gay conversion therapy”

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

Stephen Lotinga appointed as Nick Clegg’s new Director of Communications

Liberal Democrat peers support asylum seekers’ right to work

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Actually, this Summer of Strategy could be quite good…

Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

Alison Suttie writes: Thank you to our volunteers

What’s going on with party strategy?

Author Archives: The Voice

On working with Iain Duncan Smith

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