Category Archives: LibLink

For highlighting articles by Lib Dems that have appeared elsewhere in the media.

Liblink: The party unites against ‘Help to Buy’

By NewsHound | Mon 30th September 2013 - 1:10 pm

The Guardian is reporting the following joint letter by Liberal Democrat grassroots groups including the Social Liberal Forum and Liberal Reform representing different perspectives within the party, protesting against ‘Help to Buy’.

Sir – We write as Liberal Democrats who share deep concerns over the second element of the government’s Help to Buy scheme, the implementation of which has just been accelerated as a Conservative demand within the coalition.

The UK housing market is to all intents broken, with chronic shortages of supply having combined with an out-of-control financial system to create a house price bubble

…

Tagged help to buy | 53 Comments

LibLink… Chris Davies: It’s time to kick-start carbon capture

By Joe Otten | Mon 30th September 2013 - 9:02 am

In the Huffington Post, Chris Davies MEP highlights the lack of progress on carbon capture, despite early enthusiasm and promises of funding for trial projects.

Yet now, there is little to show for the initial enthusiasm. Thirteen significant projects applied for the first phase of funding, but most could not meet the strict and inflexible requirements. In the second phase only one project, the ‘White Rose’ in the UK, is in the running for €300m support, Even so the odds are against it securing the necessary government commitment within the given deadline. Of a further €1 billion of EU

…

Tagged carbon emissions | 19 Comments

LibLink: Caron Lindsay – Why home rule would be better for Scotland than independence

By Nick T | Thu 26th September 2013 - 1:52 pm

Our very own Caron Lindsay has been moonlighting over at The Herald, with an excellent piece on the relative merits of independence and home rule.

Here’s a sample:

First and foremost I’m a mum. I want my daughter and her children beyond her to live in a prosperous, inclusive, progressive, liberal, Scotland.

That word liberal is a bit of a giveaway, however. I’ve been active in Liberal Democrat politics for 30 years, since joining as a curious 15 year-old during the 1983 election. I’m a federalist and my views on how Scotland’s governance should work were very neatly summed up by

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LibLink: Christine Jardine: Privatised Royal Mail might prosper

By NewsHound | Thu 26th September 2013 - 10:55 am

Former special adviser and Liberal Democrat candidate Christine Jardine writes in today’s Scotsman about the prospects fora privatised Royal Mail.

She first talks about her shock when she heard that our government was going to take this step:

Were they really going where Peter Mandelson had failed and Margaret Thatcher had not dared?

But gradually as I researched beyond the tabloid headlines and thought about it in detail it began to make sense.

After all, when was the last time I ordered a delivery and expected it to arrive in the daily post?

That same daily post that arrives after I’ve left for the day,

…

Tagged christine jardine, royal mail, scotsman and sir bob smith | 20 Comments

LibLink: Stephen Tall – “The Lib Dems are still suffering the hangover from hell”

By NewsHound | Tue 17th September 2013 - 4:05 pm

Over at Total Politics magazine, Stephen Tall’s ‘The Underdog’ column focuses on the Lib Dem conference and how the party has been suffering the hangover from hell ever since the Coalition was formed:

My party is still suffering the hangover-from-hell that we woke up to on the morning of 7 May 2010. Until then, we’d been able to maintain the pretence, at least for our own benefit, that we would form a majority government and introduce our manifesto wholesale. And if that didn’t happen in one bound, we’d wangle it so that electoral reform guaranteed us our fair share of MPs

…

Tagged stephen tall and total politics | 2 Comments

Liblink: Chris Huhne on being despised

By Joe Otten | Mon 9th September 2013 - 10:36 am

Chris Huhne is in apologetic-but-fighting form in the Guardian, taking on wider reasons than himself for the negative public perception of politicians.

Chris is careful to apologise for and explain without excusing his conduct, but goes on to argue –

Maybe it was coincidence, but that summer I was the only frontbencher who, with Nick Clegg’s brave backing, called for the Metropolitan police to reopen the voicemail hacking inquiry into Rupert Murdoch’s empire.

Given that I was falling in love with someone who was not my wife, you might think that it was an act of folly to court Murdoch’s hostility,

…

Tagged chris huhne and rupert murdoch | 28 Comments

LibLink: Nick Clegg says High Speed 2 is good for London

By NewsHound | Fri 6th September 2013 - 9:41 am

Writing in today’s Financial Times, Nick Clegg reasons that HS2 is good for London as well as the north.

He says that the capital’s long-term status as an economic global powerhouse will be threatened if housing and transport infrastructure inside London are not upgraded, and the links to and from the city are not improved. He cites Germany and Japan where good transport links have allowed prosperity to “flow from one part to another”. If we want to keep Britain among the world’s largest economies, Clegg argues, we must find a better way to link London to the rest of the UK.

There are forces who have always opposed doing anything big beyond London. They seem content to see the bubble blow up in the capital without providing any sort of valve for release. It has been going on for years, it has got to change and under this government it is.

Tagged high speed 2 | 11 Comments

LibLink: Lorely Burt on Syria and the vote

By NewsHound | Thu 5th September 2013 - 6:39 pm

Writing in today’s Solihull Observer, Lorely Burt, Lib Dem MP for Solihull explains why she abstained in last week’s vote.

Personally I could not support the government’s position. I will not support any more foreign war adventures: no more putting British lives at risk without broad international support and a direct threat to this country or our people.

We have all been sickened by the pictures of rows of dead Syrian children, and people dying so painfully from gas poisoning. But even so, getting involved in another war is an unpalatable option for most of us.

Tagged syria | 9 Comments

LibLink…Tim Farron: From Whitehall to the Town Hall, why we must say Yes to Homes

By NewsHound | Wed 4th September 2013 - 10:52 am

This week the National Housing Federation is running a Yes to Homes week to encourage councillors to allow more homes to be built within their areas. From their website:

Just a small handful of people can block the new homes that are a lifeline for many. When they are the only people putting pressure on local politicians their views are heard loud and clear.

All too often the people who actually need homes are missing from local debates. That’s why we have launched the Yes to Homes campaign. We want to make sure people who do support more housing are included

…

Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged featured, housing, national housing federation, tim farron and yes to homes week | 25 Comments

Clegg, Ashdown, Williams & Hughes set out case for action in Syria

By NewsHound | Thu 29th August 2013 - 9:00 pm

Writing in tonight’s London Evening Standard, Nick Clegg, Simon Hughes, Paddy Ashdown and Shirley Williams set out the case for international action in Syria.

After describing the horrors of chemical weapons, they declare:

We four believe a strong response from the international community is now necessary.

Also posted in News | Tagged nick clegg, paddy ashdown, shirley williams, simon hughes and syria | 18 Comments

Liblink: Nick Clegg “I share the concerns about David Miranda’s detention”

By NewsHound | Sat 24th August 2013 - 11:57 am

You can’t accuse Nick Clegg of hiding away. Now that he’s returned from holiday, his first direct public comment on the Miranda detention and Guardian files controversy comes in a column in that paper.

First, where the Liberal Democrats are coming from:

Liberal Democrats believe government must tread the fine line between liberty and security very carefully, and are not easily persuaded by a government minister asserting: “Just trust me.” So now that we are in government, we have been vigilant in ensuring the right decisions are made: scrutinising and challenging the assumptions of security experts, even as we give them our

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Tagged civil liberties, david miranda, nick clegg and the guardian | 8 Comments

LibLink: Anuja Prashar – At the heart of why Europe matters

By Nick T | Thu 22nd August 2013 - 11:38 am

Operation Black Vote has an interesting interview with Anuja Prashar, Lib Dem Euro candidate in London, covering a whole range of issues, including her views of the future of the European Union.

Here’s a sample:

Prashar, an OBV graduate from the 2011 Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme, is rapidly making her political presence be felt. Having shadowed Baroness Ros Scott, former President of the Liberal Democrats with who she has maintained a relationship, Prashar feels she was given a unique and exceptional opportunity on OBV’s scheme and was surrounded with like-minded people.

During my time talking with her she consistently reiterated the need for our

…

Tagged anuja prashar and operation black vote | 4 Comments

LibLink: Paul Marshall – England should run football the German way

By Stephen Tall | Sat 17th August 2013 - 9:55 am

Today is the first day of competitive action in the Premiership. To mark the occasion, The Times has published an article by Paul Marshall, ‘England should run football the German way’.

Paul is well-known in Lib Dem circles as chair of the liberal CentreForum think-tank and co-editor of The Orange Book. He’s also a passionate Manchester United supporter and was one of the so-called ‘Red Knights’ who fought for a supporter-based buy-out of the club. And his article sets out what English football needs to learn …

Tagged centreforum, football, paul marshall and sam tomlin | 12 Comments

LibLink | Maajid Nawaz – ‘Education. For me it’s personal.’

By NewsHound | Sat 3rd August 2013 - 2:25 pm

We reported here 2 weeks ago that Maajid Nawaz has been selected as the Lib Dem candidate for the ultra-marginal three-way Hampstead and Kilburn seat. This week sees him write for the local Camden New Journal newspaper, focusing on education. Here’s an excerpt:

If we desire a society in which every child is given the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their economic background, the development of an education system capable of supporting this is crucial.

This is why I’m so proud that the Liberal Democrats in government have fought hard to

…

Tagged camden, education, hampstead and kilburn, maajid nawaz and pupil premium | 2 Comments

LibLink… Jo Swinson: Our children shouldn’t grow up thinking looks are the most important thing in life

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 31st July 2013 - 2:39 pm

I remember the genuine distress suffered by a teenage friend of ours. Her hair straighteners had broken and we don’t possess such implements. She was actually frightened and anxious at the thought of leaving the house and being seen by her peers with unstraightened, but perfectly tidy, hair. I had to source another set of straighteners before I could get her to school.

That, sadly, is the tip of the iceberg. The pressure on particularly girls to conform to a very narrow standard of beauty, dictated by the likes of Heat magazine and the pornography industry, is excruciating and can lead …

Tagged beyonce, campaign for body confidence, huffington post, Jo Swinson, page 3 and the sun | 7 Comments

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Celebrate the arrival of equal marriage

By Mary Reid | Tue 16th July 2013 - 3:34 pm

Nick Clegg, writing in Pink News, said:

We’re almost there. We’ve almost made it. With the Third Reading of the Equal Marriage Bill complete, we’re just a few final steps away from the equal right for gay couples to marry becoming law.

I know you’re saving the champagne for when it actually happens. And that’s right. But it’s also important for us to recognise how much your commitment to this cause has transformed people’s attitudes to equal marriage in this country.

Tagged equal marriage, nick clegg and pink news | 9 Comments

LibLink: Danny Alexander – The Highlander

By Mary Reid | Tue 16th July 2013 - 8:56 am

The House magazine features a smiling Danny Alexander on the cover, and a lengthy interview inside.

On the Comprehensive Spending Review:

Now that the dust has settled on the Spending Round, he has a rare moment to catch his breath and reflect on how it went. He says things went “more smoothly than many people outside this room thought when we started out on it”, but admits it was at times not easy.

“You are dealing with finding £11.5bn of savings. Of course those discussions are going to be difficult, they

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Tagged Danny Alexander and the house magazine | 19 Comments

LibLink…Lynne Featherstone: Hope and HIV in Malawi

By NewsHound | Sat 13th July 2013 - 3:25 pm

Lynne Featherstone has been writing at the Huffington Post about her visit to Malawi. She talked about sitting with a father just after he found out he had HIV. She explores in the article how that man and others can be helped by intitiatives she is responsible for:

There was little hope in the eyes of the father I sat with shortly after he learnt he was living with HIV. Cradling his son in his arms, together they faced the agonising wait for the boy’s test results.

While 68,000 people die of AIDS-related illnesses here every year, HIV/AIDS no longer needs to

…

Tagged HIV, huffington post, lynne featherstone and malawi | Leave a comment

John Kampfner: “Clegg is set to be kingmaker again in 2015”

By Stephen Tall | Fri 12th July 2013 - 4:45 pm

John Kampfner, one of the few progressive voice from the centre-left who defected from Labour to the Lib Dems in the run-up to the 2010 election and has continued to give the party a sympathetic hearing during the Coalition, writes in today’s Times about Lib Dem prospects post-2015: Clegg is set to be kingmaker again in 2015 (£).

5 points in particular are worth highlighting (ie, I agree with them):

The Lib Dems will more than likely remain a force to be reckoned with:

… the Liberal Democrats head towards 2015 knowing they can target their meagre resources on just

…

Tagged john kampfner, nick clegg and ryan coetzee | 49 Comments

LibLink…Jo Swinson: Only women can help us now

By NewsHound | Tue 2nd July 2013 - 1:25 pm

Jo Swinson has been writing for Management Today about the importance of ensuring that businesses ensure that women have equal opportunity to reach senior and board levels of companies.

Women are vital to Britain’s economic recovery and we need to ensure we are making full use of their talents. That’s why the government is focused on removing the barriers that prevent women from getting ahead and achieving their full potential. We simply can’t afford to lose out on the talents and skills of over half the population.

She acknowledged progress on this but said that there was more to be done, outlining …

Tagged equality, Jo Swinson, management today and women | 5 Comments

LibLink: Lynne Featherstone on successes in campaign against FGM

By Mary Reid | Tue 2nd July 2013 - 9:13 am

Over on Huffington Post, Lynne Featherstone has written an article about the heartening early successes in the campaign against female genital mutilation. She writes:

“I wanted to save lives not put them at risk.”

That’s what a former female genital cutter told me during a visit to Kenya last week, as she explained why she downed her tools and instead became a birth attendant.

I believe this woman should be celebrated for taking such a brave stance against the centuries-old tradition of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Tagged female genital mutilation and lynne featherstone | 1 Comment

LibLink | Nick Clegg: Celebrate Pride but don’t forget the countries that discriminate against LGBT people

By NewsHound | Fri 28th June 2013 - 10:55 am

Nick Clegg has an article over at PinkNews.co.uk, in which he highlights how the forthcoming same-sex marriage legislation means this weekend’s Pride in London celebrations will be a “landmark” event. However, he contrasts the strides of progress made here with continuing repression against LGBT people around the world. Here’s an excerpt:

Civil partnerships were a huge stride forward, but only the right to marry – if you choose – is real equality. This isn’t just a ‘gay issue’. It’s about the kind of society we want to be.

This year we are flying

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Tagged LGBT rights, london pride, nick clegg, pink news, russia, same sex marriage and yemen | 1 Comment

LibLink..Lembit Opik: We are not alone

By NewsHound | Sat 22nd June 2013 - 8:54 am

This article deviates from our normal style of LibLink, but I thought that the fact that it’s the weekend, and Solstice Weekend at that, permitted it.

The UFOlogist at The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena, that’s The Artist Formerly Known as Lembit Opik to you and me, has been writing over at the Huffington Post on the occasion of the closure of the Government’s desk dealing with claimed alien encounters. Could there, he asks, be other life forms across the galaxies. He seems to think so:

We live on a single planet in a galaxy which may have about

…

Tagged huffington post and lembit opik | 12 Comments

LibLink…Tavish Scott: Courting election woe with party first

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th June 2013 - 9:53 am

Nobody ever goes near a court without there being severe stress involved. Whether it’s for a criminal matter, because you’re in debt or going through a horrendous family situation, being able to access the justice system easily is critical. The SNP Government in Scotland seeks to centralise court proceedings, meaning long journeys and increased pressure on already over capacity city courts. Last week a Holyrood committee, with a majority of SNP MSPs, backed the Government’s approach. What was striking was that they all spoke up for their own local facilities before voting to close them.

Tavish Scott used his Scotsman column …

Tagged court closures, Scotland, tavish scott and the scotsman | 3 Comments

LibLink: Lynne Featherstone – Gender equality and empowerment are crucial in the fight against world poverty

By Mary Reid | Tue 11th June 2013 - 10:46 am

Lynne Featherstone, the International Development Minister, has written an article for The Herald, reflecting on progress since the G8 in Gleneagles in 2005.

She writes:

In 2005, Scotland hosted the G8 in Gleneagles where world leaders made the historic pledge to “Make poverty history”.

Eight years on, the UK is again hosting leaders, this time in Northern Ireland, so it seems appropriate to reflect on how far we’ve come in reaching that goal.

I am particularly proud that we have helped 5.3 million children have a primary school education and will have improved access to

…

Tagged dfid, G8 and lynne featherstone | 2 Comments

LibLink: Charlotte Henry – How can the Liberal Democrats cure its ‘woman problem’?

By NewsHound | Sun 9th June 2013 - 5:30 pm

Over at the Telegraph, Lib Dem blogger and former London Assembly candidate Charlotte Henry takes a look at the Lib Dems’ ‘woman problem’ in the light of the recent publicity concerning allegations against Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock and former party chief executive Lord (Chris) Rennard. Here’s an excerpt:

The Lib Dems need to get more women elected at every single level, of that there is no doubt. It is galling to still walk into party meetings with barely any women, or to still see male dominated panels at party conference. … All that said, it should be noted that the

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Tagged charlotte henry, chris rennard, mike hancock and women liberal democrats | 8 Comments

LibLink…Ed Davey MP: I want to see a community energy revolution in the UK

By NewsHound | Fri 7th June 2013 - 11:53 am

Ed Davey has been writing in the Guardian about grassroots energy projects.

He tells us the Government has commissioned research to find out what encourages people to get involved in community energy projects in the hope of generating more across the UK. So, what are these projects?

People across the country are coming together to change the way we think about our energy system and their relationship with it. From a community-run advice service in Hampshire that promotes energy efficiency to a community-owned windfarm just north of Swansea, to a renewable heat project in Herefordshire that replaces fossil fuels with locally grown

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Tagged community energy projects, ed davey and the guardian | 5 Comments

LibLink… Willie Rennie: The fear in a continental drift

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 5th June 2013 - 3:59 pm

The last time I heard the phrase continental drift used was when I was half asleep in a Geography class more years ago than I care to remember.

Willie Rennie uses it in today’s Scotsman to talk about the problems which he thinks would ensue an independent Scotland joined the EU and the rest of the UK left it. I certainly have been susceptible to thoughts that, although far from my first choice, an independent Scotland in the EU would be preferable to a …

Tagged eu, Scottish independence referendum, the scotsman and willie rennie | 7 Comments

LibLink…Robin McGhee: Can UKIP handle the trials of local government?

By NewsHound | Thu 30th May 2013 - 9:55 am

This article appeared a few weeks ago, but we’ve held it back because its author was standing in the Liberal Youth elections. It is worth sharing, though, because it illustrates accurately the dilemma that UKIP now faces. How does it build a local government base when its councillors are inexperienced, anti politics types who don’t really know who their supporters are.

Robin McGhee is an organiser for the party in Norfolk. He describes the UKIP representatives at the count in Cromer:

Perhaps nine in ten were men, nearly all (very) elderly, and with the same expression of stubborn bafflement as a tortoise

…

Tagged independent, local elections 2013, norfolk, robin mcghee and ukip | 17 Comments

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Vince Cable writes…Labour and Fiscal Rules (Vince Cable)
Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy (Josh Babarinde)
Mathew on Monday: “We need to be bold” (Mathew Hulbert)
As a party we must be better defined for the 2029 general election (Chris Bowers)
From national averages to local realities: inequality in our communities (Tom Walker)

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Category Archives: LibLink

Liblink: The party unites against ‘Help to Buy’

LibLink… Chris Davies: It’s time to kick-start carbon capture

LibLink: Caron Lindsay – Why home rule would be better for Scotland than independence

LibLink: Christine Jardine: Privatised Royal Mail might prosper

LibLink: Stephen Tall – “The Lib Dems are still suffering the hangover from hell”

Liblink: Chris Huhne on being despised

LibLink: Nick Clegg says High Speed 2 is good for London

LibLink: Lorely Burt on Syria and the vote

LibLink…Tim Farron: From Whitehall to the Town Hall, why we must say Yes to Homes

Clegg, Ashdown, Williams & Hughes set out case for action in Syria

Liblink: Nick Clegg “I share the concerns about David Miranda’s detention”

LibLink: Anuja Prashar – At the heart of why Europe matters

LibLink: Paul Marshall – England should run football the German way

LibLink | Maajid Nawaz – ‘Education. For me it’s personal.’

LibLink… Jo Swinson: Our children shouldn’t grow up thinking looks are the most important thing in life

LibLink: Nick Clegg – Celebrate the arrival of equal marriage

LibLink: Danny Alexander – The Highlander

LibLink…Lynne Featherstone: Hope and HIV in Malawi

John Kampfner: “Clegg is set to be kingmaker again in 2015”

LibLink…Jo Swinson: Only women can help us now

LibLink: Lynne Featherstone on successes in campaign against FGM

LibLink | Nick Clegg: Celebrate Pride but don’t forget the countries that discriminate against LGBT people

LibLink..Lembit Opik: We are not alone

LibLink…Tavish Scott: Courting election woe with party first

LibLink: Lynne Featherstone – Gender equality and empowerment are crucial in the fight against world poverty

LibLink: Charlotte Henry – How can the Liberal Democrats cure its ‘woman problem’?

LibLink…Ed Davey MP: I want to see a community energy revolution in the UK

LibLink… Willie Rennie: The fear in a continental drift

LibLink…Robin McGhee: Can UKIP handle the trials of local government?

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Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

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What’s going on with party strategy?

A strange but welcome feeling

Category Archives: LibLink

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