Author Archives: William Dyer

Six questions for London Region candidates

 

As voting quickly approaches for the London regional executive, I fell that there has been very little time to scrutinise the candidates and quiz them on key issues that affect London Liberal Democrats. So, I have complied a short list of questions for candidates to answer (preferably in the comments).

  1. Which seats to target?

What criteria should a seat or council have to pass in order to make them a target seat? Should this just be restricted to the seats we have held previously? Should seats have to meet certain targets to remain on the target list?

  1. Diversity?

Diversity within the London Lib Dems has improved, but it is nowhere near as extensive as it needs to be. What would your plans be to improve diversity across the capital?

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 6 Comments

Can the Lib Dems learn from the Church?

One of the obligatory truths of being a university student is that you become nocturnal. Staying awake until the small hours of the morning and rising just in time to get to your next lecture, even if that lecture is in the afternoon. It was on one of these nocturnal sessions that led me to watch ‘The Battle for Christianity’, written and presented by Professor Robert Beckford currently Professor in theology at Canterbury Christ Church University. This documentary took a look at where the heartbeat of Christianity is today, debunking the myth that church is still uniformly done to the keys of an organ.

As a practicing Christian, I have often perched myself on an uncomfortable pew, listened to the preacher, sat back and thought to myself, ‘the church and the Lib Dems are incredibly similar.’ This thought has occurred to me far too many times for me not to share it. Using ‘The Battle for Christianity’ and my own experience within the Liberal Democrats, I will seek to explain how to church has changed over my (relatively short) lifetime and what the Lib Dems can learn from this.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 22 Comments

Lib Dem Christian Forum membership doubles in 2015

It is not just the national party that has had a membership boost over the last year. Liberal Democrat Christian Forum has doubled its membership in 2015. We too (like the party) had the majority the of membership boost in the 3 months after May. However are membership has been growing steadily throughout 2015.

LDCF does many events throughout the year, both on this own (such as prayers in parliament and fringes at conference) and with other organisations, such as charities and Christians in Politics. It was great to see so many LDCF members at the Show Up Weekend (6th – 8th Nov), which were certainly representing, with over 100 Christians involved in politics (whether that be as a member, as an activist or working in politics) in Sunningdale, Surrey. We were hit with great talks, great company and a breaking down of political tribes.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 6 Comments

Opinion: The assessment boycott and the need to protect students with disabilities

I have just started university and all is going well, except in one particular area. I have not received a single piece of work back from my university tutors since my course began. This because of a assessment boycott instigated by the University and Colleges Union (UCU). They are is a dispute with the group that represents the heads of most universities in the UK (UUK) over pensions. I am in the same boat as thousands of other university and college students in the UK. this is not only very annoying it is also very disruptive the my university education. As a student with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), this includes myself as I have Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. This is putting a massive amount of undue extra pressure on me and many others at the beginning of our university lives. I have made a brief video which explains this further:

Posted in News | Tagged , and | 29 Comments

Liberal Youth Elections 2013… Policy Officer: Will Dyer

Over the last twelve months, as Liberal Youth’s Policy Officer, I served under four different Liberal Youth Chairs, on two Federal Policy Committee terms,  though 3 different sets of Liberal Youth elections and worked with over 20 different executive officers.

It is fair to say that Liberal Youth has been through a turbulent time over the last 12 months but look what we have achieved.

Our increased involvement in major by-elections and the up-coming local elections, (which has not gone unnoticed by our minsters in government), an increased turnout at Liberal Youth elections and for the first time since I have been …

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Influencing Liberal Democrat policy through Liberal Youth

Over the last few years, Liberal Youth has been lobbying and consulting on issues that matter to our members with Liberal Democrat MPs, peers, MEPs, federal party committees, working groups and HQ staff.

Examples of this process are our campaigns to try to stop the proposed cut to Housing benefits for the under-25s and to make sure that more internships are being created in this government than in any other, so that opportunities can be widened for young people.

Liberal Youth is also sticking up for human rights all around the world, such as our Bears for Belarus campaign.

As Liberal …

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