Here are a few of my favourite articles from the Sunday papers to challenge, infuriate and inform.
First of all, the Scotsman reports that support for independence has fallen in the last four months, with barely a third of those now in favour. Women’s support for leaving the UK is also dropping like a stone, down 8 points in a month. No room for complacency, though. The polls are generally all over the place and every vote needs to be fought for.
The Sunday Times (£) previews a report from the Fawcett Society to be published this week which shows that sexism is a big problem in local government.
Also in the Times (£), a report, with entirely unattributed sources, suggesting a plot to remove Nick Clegg if the elections go pear shaped this week and replace him with either Danny Alexander or Vince Cable. Paddy is apparently trying to keep everyone in line.
Allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual assault at Yarl’s Wood and a legal battle with Serco over publication of their internal report are reported in the Observer. After allegations of sexual abuse within prisons a few weeks ago, you have to wonder how safe custody is for women and vulnerable people.
Interesting article in the Financial Times, although it brings up this party of protest nonsense, suggests that the differentiation strategy from the Tories is a mistake and the Liberal Democrats have much to be proud of from our record in Government:
Anyone reflecting on the outcome of the 2010 election can be in little doubt that the Lib Dems acted responsibly by entering a coalition with the Conservatives. A minority Tory government would not have lasted and a tie-up with Labour was not mathematically viable. Either course would have risked adding a political crisis to an already raging economic one.
Nor, having made that choice, can the Lib Dems be accused of capitulating supinely to Tory demands. Lib Dems who fret at their party’s supposed lack of influence in government should remember that Mr Clegg has blocked countless Tory policies (including, sadly, some good ones) and secured a dramatic rise in the income tax threshold to £10,000.
How many female scientists could you name? is the question posed in the Independent
“The Stalinist Mr Clegg” is not a phrase you often see, but Tom Conti uses it in the Telegraph’s Money section because he doesn’t like the idea of the Mansion Tax.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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4 Comments
The stories in the Observer regarding Yarl’s Wood are incredibly depressing and also infuriating. These detention centres are run with little or no transparency – journalists are not allowed in – and the UK is unique in Europe as the only country that looks people up indefinitely. There much to commend on these points in the immigration policy paper passed at Spring conference – those policies need to now make it into our manifesto.
Re. the “Times” story about replacing Clegg, I thought he did extremely well indeed on the Andrew Marr show this morning and I found myself nodding so vigorously in agreement with much of what he said, I must have looked like those toy dogs people used to have on the rear shelves in their cars! His comments about “Farage’s mask slipping”, “many Conservative MPs really want to join UKIP (but do not have the guts to do it)” and also “LABOUR likely to be slaughtered (by defections to UKIP) in their heartlands” on 22nd were all precisely what I have been saying to anyone who would listen in the past days. (Only subjective, but here in West Yorkshire, I think there is a UKIP tide coming which is going to kick the stuffing out of Labour which has simply just treated thousands of its lifetime supporters as voting fodder or (even more so) just ignored them completely). This could be THE headline story on 22nd (and be a major nail in Milliband’s coffin. He is likely to go down as another Michael Foot (or, his master/creator, Gordon Brown) in the history of Labour.
Charles Rothwell
Well I saw the interview and it made me even more unlikely to vote LD – as I am a lifelong voter then that surely does not bode well? You, as a member, may strongly support your party leader but in the end we have the same vote
I also live in West Yorkshire and so not see the complete collapse of Labour you are talking about – there is a protest vote towards UKIP but I find this profoundly sad that people from a less affluent background see the party of wealthy conservatives as the best way to show a protest against the status quo
I am also a little perplexed that you are so happy that these Labour voters are all running towards UKIP – surely your party, as the so-called member of the ‘big three’ parties are hoovering up these votes. If these voters find the LD not to be a good option at this election, what will make them come over to you at the GE?
I find more and more the approach of LD members extremely odd
I, too thought this was an excellent interview – probably the most convincing interview I have ever seen from Clegg. This was not for all of what he said – I am a resolute opponent of what I see as the fantasy of the nation needing to be saved economically in 2010 (“another Greece”). But I felt, especially on Europe, he started to cover the whole field of the need for a European Union, rather than the hopelessly skewed case for economic benefit he argued against Farage, which led to his “loss” against the latter