Category Archives: General Election

Stephen Tall

Clegg launches five point plan to bring bankers’ bonus culture under control

By Stephen Tall | Tue 13th April 2010 - 9:55 am

A lot of people don’t enjoy election campaigns – but here’s one reason I do: the quality of Lib Dem press releases sky rockets. Today’s announcing Liberal Democrats’ five point plan to tackle bankers’ bonuses is a case in point: punchy but detailed. So good, in fact, I’m simply going to hit the copy ‘n’ paste key …

    Background

    The UK banks owe their very existence to the British taxpayer. Some banks such as RBS, Lloyds-HBOS and Northern Rock have received direct taxpayer bailouts, yet all have benefited from the explicit guarantee that none of them will be allowed to

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Stephen Tall

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (13/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Tue 13th April 2010 - 9:30 am

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads …

Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, who works as an international lawyer and has barely been seen on the campaign trail, spoke out in a documentary about her husband.

“It is a bit frivolous, there is an element of frivolity obviously on knowing where your clothes come from,” she told ITV’s Tonight programme. “I wouldn’t look on it as whether it’s frivolous in relation to the women – I think (it) is frivolous in relation to the voters.

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Stephen Tall

Pollwatch Days 6-7 #GE2010 – Lib Dems at 20%, Lab 30%, Tories 38%

By Stephen Tall | Tue 13th April 2010 - 12:05 am

Five new polls over the last 2 days of the campaign:

    YouGov in the Sun … CON 39%(+2), LAB 33%(+2), LIB DEM 20%(nc)
    ComRes for the Independent/ITV … CON 37%(-2), LAB 30%(-2), LIB DEM 20%(+4)
    ICM in the Guardian … CON 37%(-1), LAB 31%(+1), LIB DEM 20%(-1)
    Opinium in the Express … CON 39%(nc), LAB 31%(+2), LIB DEM 17%(nc)
    YouGov in the Sun … CON 37%(-3), LAB 31%(-1), LIB DEM 20%(+2)

After the small uptick in support registered by Anthony Wells’ UK Polling Report ‘poll of polls’ over the weekend, today sees the Tories dropping down 1%, with Lib Dems and Labour both unchanged …

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Stephen Tall

The #GE2010 Golden Half-Dozen: pick of the Lib Dem blogs (12th April)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th April 2010 - 10:00 pm

During the election campaign Lib Dem Voice is each day highlighting six blog-posts from the Lib Dem Blogs Aggregator which we think are well worth reading.

Here’s our pick from 12th April …

  • National Insurance: are the Tories this useless? (Mat Bowles)

    • Haven’t had your fill of the NIC debate yet? Mat takes a fair and balanced look: “Note that when Vince has attacked the Tories on this, he’s not argued with them too much over the NI stuff; he’s argued with them over how they’re going to pay for it; he’s right to say that the money they’re

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Stephen Tall

3 reasons to be pleased with Nick Clegg’s Paxman interview

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th April 2010 - 9:20 pm

I’ve just finished watching Jeremy Paxman grill Nick Clegg live on BBC1 (presumably on iPlayer later). There are three reasons Lib Dems can be pleased with Nick’s performance:

1. Most importantly, Nick acquitted himself very well. In spite of some tough questions, combined with Paxman’s trademark habit of never allowing an interviewee to finish a sentence, Nick handled the detail well, but never forgot to paint the bigger picture. The impression left was a of a politician well in command of policy, and firm in his principles.

2. Then there’s the fact that Nick actually dared to take the Paxman challenge – …

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Stephen Tall

How to get your hands on your David Heath action figure

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th April 2010 - 7:45 pm

Here at the Voice we get sent many promotional emails from companies looking for some free publicity. Generally we ignore them. But, just occasionally, they’re too creative, inventive and fun to ignore.

Congratulations then to designers and developers Fancy for coming up with the David Heath action figure, inspired by their local MP for Somerton and Frome. As they explain:

Nailing our colours to the mast, we thought we’d produce a line of action figures extolling his many virtues and capturing the essence of our hard-working local MP

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Stephen Tall

Jo Swinson target of anonymous smear campaign

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th April 2010 - 6:50 pm

This how today’s Sun reports the story:

A LIB-DEM MP has called in cops after an anonymous smear campaign was launched against her. Trouble-makers claiming to represent the East Dunbartonshire Taxpayers’ Alliance have sent letters to hundreds of voters across the region blackening the name of Jo Swinson, who is standing again on May 6. …

Ms Swinson said: “I’ve reported it to the police and they are investigating because the anonymous nature of this makes it illegal. It is clearly designed to damage my chances but I think a lot of people have seen through it.”

She saddedd : “This is

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The Voice

BBC: ‘Lib Dem candidate withdraws amid police probe’

By The Voice | Mon 12th April 2010 - 4:30 pm

The BBC reports:

A Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate has withdrawn from the general election amid a police investigation, the party said. David Murray was standing for The Wrekin seat in Shropshire.

A Lib Dem spokesman confirmed he was no longer contesting the seat but said he could not comment further “due to an on-going police investigation”.

West Mercia Police said it could not comment or confirm if Mr Murray was being investigated.

The Lib Dem spokesman said: “Mr Murray, on the advice of the party, has withdrawn as the candidate in the forthcoming election. We are unable to comment further due to

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Stephen Tall

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (12/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th April 2010 - 3:45 pm

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads …

Tax is the issue of the day for the Lib Dems, with the party launching an attack on Labour for increasing taxes on the poor over the last 13 years:

According to party analysis of Treasury figures, the poorest 20% of people are losing more of their income in tax than they did in 1997, while the richest 20% are paying less. …

Clegg will say: “On the day Labour launches its manifesto,

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Stephen Tall

Lib Dems on Labour’s manifesto: “Every Labour manifesto since 1997 has been full of promises they have broken”

By Stephen Tall | Mon 12th April 2010 - 3:20 pm

Here’s Lib Dem manifesto author Danny Alexander’s first take on the launch of Labour’s manifesto:

Every Labour manifesto since 1997 has been full of promises they have broken. They simply can’t be trusted to do a single thing they say. The tax system is less fair than when Labour came to power. The only party that is committed to making Britain fairer is the Liberal Democrats.”

And to support Danny’s comments, the party has today issued a report card self-explanatorily titled Labour’s Broken Promises comparing Labour’s 2001 manifesto pledges with the reality almost a decade on. Here’s what it says:

    1. Long-term economic stability – FAILED
    • Britain has suffered the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s.
    • 1.3 million jobs have been lost since the beginning of the recession.
    • Britain’s deficit for the 2010-11 financial year stands at £167bn.
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Stephen Tall

Don’t take it out on Vince, guys, just ‘cos you’re stuck with George

By Stephen Tall | Sun 11th April 2010 - 8:30 pm

I’ve been amused to see the rush-to-rubbish Vince Cable today among some right-wing bloggers following his appearance on BBC1’s The Politics Show.

Iain Dale (but of course) was first up to tweet: “Well done Jon Sopel for finally exposing Vince Cable as the overrated flipflopper that he is.” He was soon followed by ConservativeHome’s Tim Montgomerie, and Wall Street Journal’s Iain Martin, who has a pet-obsession with Vince’s popularity.

Having missed the show at lunchtime, I sat down nervously to catch up on iPlayer (Vince’s inteview begins about 3 minutes in) fully expecting him to be eviscerated by Jon Sopel.

In fact, what I watched was a robust interview in which Vince more than held his own, and made the key points that (1) the Labservatives have consistently opposed Lib Dem attempts to clean up our politics, and (2) the Tories need to explain how they’re going to fund their various tax-cuts if not through raising VAT.

Why have the Tories got it in for Vince?

Which left me wondering: what got Iain, Tim and Iain so excited that they dashed into the twitblogosphere to try and swing the media narrative against Vince? (Besides the inevitable election-time partisan point-scoring, that is).

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Stephen Tall

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (11/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Sun 11th April 2010 - 1:30 pm

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads ….

As the Tories launched their tax-war on widows, working couples and jilted wives, Nick Clegg was spelling out his priority: “We will cut taxes for all working families on low and middle incomes, not just a select few.” Launching the party’s policies for families – focusing on fair taxes, high-quality child-care, flexible working, care for older people, and affordable homes – Nick commented:

Modern families come in all shapes and sizes. One-size fits all policies

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Stephen Tall

Pollwatch Day 5 #GE2010 – Lib Dems at 20%, Lab 30%, Tories 39%

By Stephen Tall | Sun 11th April 2010 - 12:00 pm

Three new polls today:

    ICM in the Sunday Telegraph … CON 38%(+1), LAB 30%(-3), LIB DEM 21%(nc)
    YouGov in the Sunday Times … CON 40%(nc), LAB 32%(+2), LIB DEM 18%(-2)
    ComRes in the Independent on Sunday/Sunday Mirror … CON 39%(+2), LAB 32%(+2), LIB DEM 16%(-4)

(There is also a poll in the Mail on Sunday – but, as it’s by the dubious BPIX, we’re not giving it house-room here on LDV).

There is for the first time in this campaign a small shift in Anthony Wells’ UK Polling Report ‘poll of polls’, with the Tories nudging up 1%, and Lib Dems and Labour …

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Ryan Cullen

Labour and their big databases

By Ryan Cullen | Sun 11th April 2010 - 9:22 am

People often wonder why the Liberal Democrats are opposed to having large centralised databases containing every piece of information about you that you may have once mentioned.

However today’s Sunday Times leads with this story:

Labour hit by cancer leaflet row

LABOUR has become embroiled in a row about the use of personal data after sending cancer patients alarmist mailshots saying their lives could be at risk under a Conservative government.

Cards addressed to sufferers by name warn that a Labour guarantee to see a cancer specialist within two weeks would be scrapped by the Tories. Labour claims the Conservatives would also do

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Stephen Tall

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (10/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 1:55 pm

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads ….

Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable has called for a cross-party “Treasury of national unity” in an interview with the Graunad today – but it’s his onslaught on the business leaders who last week paraded in favour of the Tories’ unfunded NIC tax-cut that’s grabbed the headlines:

“It is a sideshow, a diversion from the central issues. I think we went into this election with general agreement that there

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Stephen Tall

Pollwatch Day 4 #GE2010 – Lib Dems at 20%, Lab 30%, Tories 38% (still)

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 12:20 pm

(Actually Saturday is Day 5, so please pretend I remembered to set this live on Friday night as intended).

Three new polls today, all with positive news for the Lib Dems:

    YouGov in the Sun … CON 40%(nc), LAB 30%(-1), LIB DEM 20%(+2)
    Harris in the Daily Mail … CON 37%(nc), LAB 27%(-1), LIB DEM 22%(+2)
    Harris in Metro … CON 37%(nc), LAB 28%(+1), LIB DEM 20%(+1)

All moves are within the margin of error, so it would be rash to read too much into them. But that said, it’s notable that seven of the last 10 polls have shown the Lib Dems at 20% …

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Stephen Tall

Lib Dems attack Tories’ tax-war on widows, working couples and jilted wives

By Stephen Tall | Sat 10th April 2010 - 10:50 am

A tax-break for married couples, is how the Tories are trying to spin it. The reality could scarcely be different – here are the groups of people the Tories are now officially classifying as undeserving:

  • Two married teachers bringing up a child.
  • A co-habiting couple who have lived together for years but not married.
  • People whose partners have abandoned them and their children.
  • A widow whose husband has died in Afghanistan.

But perhaps I’m being unfair … after all the Tories will reward some people at the expense of those clearly undeserving groups:

  • Those happily married for 50 years.
  • Over a million people in Britain who have separated but are still legally married.
  • Somebody who abandons their partner and children and then remarries.

The Tories’ feeble defence of their Edwardian tax-war on groups in society they regard as unworthy is that it their £150 a year will help solve the much-talked about ‘Broken Britain’ – so what will the Tory policy do for those living in poverty?

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Antony Hook

Opinion: Debates – the first two questions count most

By Antony Hook | Sat 10th April 2010 - 10:20 am

Amongst the plethora of writing on the 2008 US Election, I came across this observation:

“After every debate the media narrative was determined by the first two questions and answers.”

(J. Heilemann & M. Halperin, “Race of A Lifetime: How Obama Won the White House”, Penguin Viking).

I decided to see if that hypothesis holds true for the recent Chancellors’ Debate as a clue as to whether it will apply to our forthcoming Party Leaders’ Debates.

The first question, asked by a trainee solicitor, in the Chancellors’ Debate was,

“This is a job interview; what personal qualities do you have that make you better …

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Mark Pack

Missteps on the online campaign trail

By Mark Pack | Sat 10th April 2010 - 9:50 am

Although I’m an enthusiast for the possibilities for sensible use of the online world in political campaigning, it doesn’t always go right for people:

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Stephen Tall

The #GE2010 Golden Half-Dozen: pick of the Lib Dem blogs (9th April)

By Stephen Tall | Fri 9th April 2010 - 11:30 pm

During the election campaign Lib Dem Voice is each day highlighting six blog-posts from the Lib Dem Blogs Aggregator which we think are well worth reading.

Here’s our pick from 8th April …

…

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Mark Pack

TV debates: some clues to likely political impact

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 4:20 pm

The latest ICM poll for The Guardian gives some pointers:

  • Very high viewing figures: 29% say they will watch all three and a further 31% say they will watch one or two
  • Even higher viewing figures amongst older people (and older people are more likely to vote): 23% of 18-24 say they will watch all three, but this rises to 40% of the 65+
  • Women are less likey to watch the debates (important as Lib Dem swing voters are usually disproportionately female): 42% say they will watch none compared to 35% of men

The last point may be influenced by childcare responsibilities as …

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Mark Pack

Labour campaigning takes an unusual turn

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 3:19 pm

Across the country, election address leaflets from the Labour Party have been dropping through letterboxes – even though the general election campaign has not yet formally started.

These leaflets – delivered free for candidates by the Royal Mail – usually only appear during the campaign itself as candidates make use of the free service which delivers one leaflet from each candidate to each voter.

However, Labour has made use of the special provision which allows leaflets to be delivered earlier, provided the party commits to paying the postage if the candidate in them ends up not being the party’s candidate at the …

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Mark Pack

Brown: Vote Lib Dem where Labour can’t win

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 3:11 pm

That’s the headline over on Politics.co.uk:

Voters should support the Liberal Democrats in constituencies where Labour cannot win, Gordon Brown has indicated, further fuelling speculation that Labour expects to be unable to form a majority government after polling day.

In an exclusive interview with politics.co.uk the prime minister gave his strongest signal yet that voters should consider tactical voting in order to prevent the Conservatives forming the next government…

“I want everybody to vote Labour and I want people to vote for our party, and I want our vote to be the highest and I want our number of seats to be

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NewsHound

LibLink: Chris Rennard – It’s Lib Dems v more of the same

By NewsHound | Fri 9th April 2010 - 1:45 pm

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website, former Lib Dem chief exective, Lord (Chris) Rennard – not masterminding the party’s campaign for the first time in the modern party’s existence – has an article analysing the Lib Dems’ poition on the key election themes of tax, trust and reform. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s often said that there are really only two political messages in any election. Opposition parties say “it is time for a change”, while governing parties say: “Don’t let the others wreck it.” Liberal Democrat strategy in the first week has aimed to bracket Labour and the Conservatives

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Iain Roberts

Top bankers want a Cameron victory

By Iain Roberts | Fri 9th April 2010 - 12:15 pm

Remember those bankers who took us into the worst worldwide recession in decades by putting their own desire to make pots of cash over the need for financial stability? Well, they’re keen on David Cameron’s Conservatives winning the election. Wonder why?

I guess the Lib Dem proposals to put the interests of ordinary people above those of wealthy bankers were never going to go down well with them.

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Stephen Tall

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage (9/4/10)

By Stephen Tall | Fri 9th April 2010 - 10:00 am

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads ….

Cameron adviser discloses cuts detail (FT.com)
Anyone who heard David Cameron’s BBC Radio 4 Today Programme interview today will have heard him squirming when asked to confirm the report in the Financial Times today that the Tories’ tax-cuts could lead to the loss of 40,000 jobs.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Sir Peter Gershon, the former government adviser who has provided the blueprint for the Conservative leader’s efficiency plans, disclosed for the first time how the party’s proposed £12bn savings should

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Mark Pack

Dear Nick Robinson…

By Mark Pack | Fri 9th April 2010 - 9:20 am

Dear Nick,

Sorry to be boring and quote things like numbers and evidence.

But on the 10pm news you said, “I think both sides agree the Tories have won the politics of the first week”.

I’d have thought the public should get a look in on this and you know what the public’s verdict is?

By a slim lead (within the margin of error, to be fair) the public says that the Liberal Democrats have run the most impressive campaign so far (see http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/2566).

Makes the idea that the Tories have won the politics look a bit different, I’d have thought?

Yours,

One of those horrible …

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Stephen Tall

Tory VAT tax rises and Michael Caine … the spoof posters collection

By Stephen Tall | Fri 9th April 2010 - 8:20 am

On the day that the Lib Dems tried to smoke out the Tories’ true position on whether they’ll jack-up VAT by 3% – annual cost to the average household, £389 – to pay for their unfunded tax-cuts, David Cameron was joined by a man worth £45m who rather likes the Tories’ promise to cut taxes for the wealthiest at the expense of everyone else.

Full marks to Lib Dem HQ who were smartly on the case to splice the two stories memorably together:

Lib Dem blogger Mark Thompson had his own pithy take on it:

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Stephen Tall

Pollwatch Day 3 #GE2010 – Lib Dems at 20%, Lab 30%, Tories 38% (still)

By Stephen Tall | Thu 8th April 2010 - 11:10 pm

Just one new poll tonight:

    YouGov in the Sun … CON 40% (+3%), LAB 31% (-1%), LIB DEM 18% (-1%)

All moves are, of course, within the margin of error. So, yes, it could be the Tory lead has widened. Or it might have not. That’s the joy of polls – read into them what you choose.

This latest survey hasn’t yet made it into Anthony Wells’ UK Polling Report ‘poll of polls’, but it’s not going to make a huge difference, I don’t think, so here’s the score as of 8th April:

    Con 38% (n/c), Lab 30% (n/c), Lib Dem 20% (n/c)

Very …

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Mark Pack

‘Great wife, not so sure about my Chancellor’: what we learnt today

By Mark Pack | Thu 8th April 2010 - 8:20 pm

So, what did seeing the General Election campaign on TV today teach us?

1. David Cameron likes being seen with people behind in – continuing the pattern of events “in the round” with audience all around.

2. Gordon Brown likes being seen in front of a plain purple wall – that’s the common Labour backdrop at speeches and press conference, though some wheat got a look in once.

3. Samantha Cameron is doing more campaigning for the TV cameras than George Osborne – a case really of “Great wife, but not so sure about my Chancellor chap” from Cameron’s team.

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