Category Archives: News

NewsHound

Vince: Exit from Brexit very much on the cards

By NewsHound | Thu 9th November 2017 - 10:33 pm

Lord Kerr, who wrote Article 50, has said many times that it is revocable. We could get out of Brexit if we wanted. People are resigned to it because they don’t know that we could get out of it. So spread the news far and wide whenever you see it.

He’s reportedly making a speech tomorrow in which he emphasises that point. Vince Cable had this to say:

The author of article 50 revealing that the process can be revoked is a significant development.

There is no longer any refuge for brexiteers who argue that this whole process can’t be revoked.

The possibility of an

…

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , and | 17 Comments

£18,000 Education Pot – a good idea?

By Kirsten Johnson | Thu 9th November 2017 - 5:28 pm

The papers today have been full of Vince Cable’s proposal that all 16-year olds should have access to an £18,000 endowment for education.

Here is an extract from The Sun:

Teenagers should get £18,000 to spend on further education to re-balance inequality between the generations, Sir Vince Cable has said.

The Lib Dem leader today unveiled his plans for an “endowment fund” which would be used for young people to spend throughout their lives.

And from the Daily Telegraph:

A new wealth tax could extract some of the housing value owned by older Brits, which Cable wants to use to give all 18-year olds

…

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , and | 18 Comments
News Meerkat

News from the Liberal Democrats International Office

By News Meerkat | Thu 9th November 2017 - 10:45 am

The Liberal Democrats took an active part in the 199th Liberal International Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg in October. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Better Governance: Liberal Answers to Twenty-first Century Challenges”.

Delegates adopted resolutions on freedom of belief, tackling the persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya, and the rise of authoritarianism in Cambodia. The delegates elected a new Secretary General of LI, Gordon Mackay. He is a Member of the South African Assembly for Democratic Alliance.

Liberal Democrat Party President Sal Brinton held a number of meetings with key individuals at Liberal International, ALDE and …

Continue reading »
Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged and | 3 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Sir Ed Davey: Chancellor must properly fund community policing

By NewsHound | Wed 8th November 2017 - 1:53 pm

Ed Davey has written for Politics Home about the need for proper funding of community policing.

He outlined what has been happening in recent years:

We are seeing the police disappearing off our streets, clearing the way for criminals. After years of falling crime rates the latest statistics show a 13% increase recorded crime across England and Wales, and even steeper increases for violent offences including knife crime. That is why I am leading a debate in Parliament on the issue of police funding ahead of the Budget.

It also leads to the Met Police saying they aren’t going to investigate so-called “low …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 8 Comments
The Voice

Willie Rennie’s speech as Nicola Sturgeon apologises to gay men for historic convictions

By The Voice | Wed 8th November 2017 - 10:25 am

It was an emotional day in the Scottish Parliament yesterday. In the balcony, men openly wept as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivered a heartfelt apology to gay men for historic convictions as the Scottish Parliament prepared to pass legislation that would pardon them.

All the Scottish party leaders joined in to add to the apology. Here is Willie Rennie’s speech:

Can I start by thanking the First Minister for making her statement and her apology on behalf of the Scottish Government.

It is an important thing to do.

For many gay people the idea of a pardon carries with it connotations of forgiveness for a wrongdoing

The apology today from the First Minister makes it clear that it was the law, the enforcement of that  law and the attitude of those in authority, in our country’s past, who were wrong.

Today we are all adding to that apology by reflecting on the wasted potential and lost achievements of those men whose lives were limited or tragically cut short because of this injustice.

People were imprisoned and fined.

Their lives and families were in many cases ruined.

Men became outsiders from their families and their communities.

Our country is poorer for the limits we placed on those men’s freedom.

It is right that Parliament stands together to apologise for that.

It is easy today, to imagine that this is all ancient history.

Certainly when we see Alan Turing we see photographs in black and white.

But the estimates are that most prosecutions were in the 1980s.

Within easy memory.

With many of those arrested and prosecuted, and those who made the arrests and led the prosecutions still with us.

In the summer the BBC showed their dramatised documentary “Against The Law” which commemorated fifty years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality.

One of the testimonies was from Professor Roger Lockyer, who lived with his partner, later his husband, for more than fifty years. He described with great humour, but also great poignancy the struggle, the secrecy and the injustice of the law of this country over those fifty years and the decades before.

Continue reading »
3 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Vince: Lib Dems want a fair deal for young people

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 7th November 2017 - 10:30 pm

Two weeks ahead of the Budget, tomorrow Vince gets his retaliation in first. Of course, as a former business secretary and the man who predicted the financial crash, he has a whole load of economic credibility. In comparison, when the Chancellor delivers his speech on 22 November, he’s going to look pretty amateurish compared to Vince.

He will outline the major challenges facing Phillip Hammond in  light of the expected downgrades in Britain’s projected future growth, the threat posed by Brexit to any attempt to fix our economy, and what needs to be done in the budget to begin to solve these problems. He will include the Liberal Democrat long-term vision for the economy. And I’ll be very surprised if the Paradise Papers didn’t get a mention.

He will emphasise the need for a Government with economic competence and how important it is to have a fair deal for young people.

I’m kind of hoping that the main speech is slightly less heavy than the extracts released tonight.  It will definitely be a credible, authoritative speech and not a wild oration, though.

 

The Liberal Democrat focus is on freeing up capital spending to build the homes and infrastructure the country needs; on reviving the NHS with a targeted injection of cash; and on giving a leg up to young people with an endowment in the form of a learning account as they begin their working lives.

To do all this, we need a Government which prioritises economic competence over political dogma.

A ‘no deal’ Brexit hangs over forecasts. An environment of radical uncertainty is already spooking business investment and depressing growth in government revenue.

Neither the ‘no deal’ Brexit extremism of the Conservative Party nor the ‘socialism in one country’ dreamed of by Labour will deliver a successful economy.

He will look at solving the inequality facing young people in more detail:

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 15 Comments
Chris Key

An open letter to Liam Fox about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

By Chris Key | Tue 7th November 2017 - 6:40 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Dear Mr Fox/Liberal Democrat Voice

As a Cabinet Minister I am astonished that on the Today program you have claimed that we must be careful not to “over-react” about Boris Johnson’s comments over Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. If your wife was stuck in jail on trumped up charges I don’t think you would be saying that.

Nazanin has already appeared in court since the careless comments of the Foreign Secretary.

Comments that are now being used against her. As a consequence she may face another five years in prison.

One of the primary duties of the Foreign Secretary is to help protect British citizens abroad. If Mr Johnson is unable to do that then he has failed in the basic part of his job description.

Continue reading »
9 Comments
MIchael Atkins

We are not a party of the centre

By MIchael Atkins | Tue 7th November 2017 - 4:30 pm

There is a frequent claim on these pages and wider commentary: as a party of the centre or centre-left, with Labour and the Tories pulling away from the centre, the Lib Dems should be polling a good deal better than 5-7%. This failure to transform an advantageous position into wider support is ascribed to a lack of vision, distinctiveness, or messaging etc.

I consider this analysis is flawed, and that the ‘solutions’ that follow are unlikely to improve our situation. My contention is as the article title states – we are not a party of the ‘centre’.

Continue reading »
76 Comments
Rebecca Taylor

Addressing the mid-level skills gap and improving opportunities for low paid workers

By Rebecca Taylor | Tue 7th November 2017 - 3:13 pm

It is widely recognised that the UK has a mid-level skills gap, which means employers can struggle to recruit for medium skilled occupations. At the same time, it can be hard for established workers (those over 25) to retrain or upskill if they aren’t supported by their employer or can’t self-fund.

In my day job at University College London working on a cross-disciplinary research programme addressing issues of justice and equality, I commissioned a researcher to prepare a report investigating this topic. Specifically, the report looks at the non-university skills gap many employers face and the routes to undertaking technical and vocational education for the over 25s in England.

The report “Routes to Opportunity – Addressing the non-university skills gap” reveals that while employers face a well-documented mid-level skills gap, established workers face barriers to upskilling and retraining to undertake medium skilled occupations.

To me it seems crazy that we’re failing to address the mid-level skills gap and failing to provide low paid workers with opportunities to upskill/retrain to improve their employment prospects and earning potential. Solving the latter will go some way to solving the former!

Continue reading »
14 Comments
Mark Valladares

This week in the Lords (6-7 November) – the preview

By Mark Valladares | Mon 6th November 2017 - 11:32 am

Yes, another week, albeit a short one, and I can’t honestly say that it will be a gripping one.

Monday sees the second day of the Committee Stage of the Data Protection Bill. This stage doesn’t usually see anything more than probing as to the Government’s intent, plus the airing of Opposition concerns, but it will be interesting to see what Lords Clement-Jones and Paddick have to raise.

On Tuesday, Brian Cotter has an oral question on digital resilience programmes and young people. There is plenty of concern in the Lords about the issue …

Continue reading »
Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 6 November 2017…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 6th November 2017 - 7:57 am

When I returned to Liberal Democrat Voice, I expected it to be fairly quiet, given that the key issues were Brexit, Brexit and, oh yes, Brexit. The events of the past week have been depressing to say the least, and it isn’t going to get any better this week, given the accusations that are flying around concerning individuals in most political parties.

Liberal Democrat Voice will continue to cover these issues as far as is possible, and moderation will be automatic, and cautious, on all articles linked to such events. To be blunt, gentle readers, we don’t want to fall into …

Continue reading »
4 Comments
The Voice

Laura Gordon selected as PPC for Sheffield Hallam

By The Voice | Sat 4th November 2017 - 10:10 pm

Nick Clegg’s successor as Lib Dem candidate in Sheffield Hallam has been chosen.

Laura Gordon won the selection contest last night.

The Star has more details.

Following her selection by Lib Dem party members on Friday, Ms Gordon said: “I am really honoured to be selected by the Liberal Democrats to be the candidate in Sheffield Hallam. “The Liberal Democrats have a long history in Sheffield Hallam

…

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 6 Comments
NewsHound

Christine Jardine: Politicians must live up to their honourable titles

By NewsHound | Sat 4th November 2017 - 2:55 pm

Here’s Christine Jardine MP talking on Politics Scotland about the need for all parties to take action to protect staff and volunteers from harassment.

An independent body is all very well, she says, but political parties can’t abrogate responsibility and say it’s nothing to do with them.

Then in Friday’s Scotmsn she said that the current harassment scandal might be the “lightning rod” for “cultural change”

Continue reading »
Tagged | 1 Comment
Tom Brake

Tom Brake MP writes…If you care about Brexit, read this…

By Tom Brake | Sat 4th November 2017 - 8:55 am

Some of you might have received an email from me on Thursday night about the EU Withdrawal Bill. If you didn’t, then please continue reading.

When people voted in the EU referendum last year, nobody really knew what a future deal with the European Union might look like.

16 months on it is now clearer than ever that no deal will be anywhere near as good a deal as the one we have now. To top that off, a catastrophic “no deal” scenario is becoming likelier than ever.

The chaos and uncertainty are leading to job losses and higher prices across the UK.

That is why the Liberal Democrats believe the people deserve the final say on any Brexit deal in a referendum. And if the public doesn’t like it, we should have the option to remain in the European Union.

In two weeks’ time, MPs will be debating amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill. The Government’s majority is wafer thin – and if MPs from all parties work together, there’s a real chance we can defeat them and at the very least, stop them from pursuing a hard Brexit.

Continue reading »
Tagged , , and | 44 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Jane Dodds is the new leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 3rd November 2017 - 7:33 pm

Congratulations to Jane Dodds on her election today as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. She won 53.15 of the vote over Ceredigion’s Liz Evans.

Jane tweeted:

Jane told the County Times:

It is an honour to have been elected as the next leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats – to focus my energy on bringing like minded people together to rebuild our party and to re-establish the Welsh Liberal Democrats as the radical, progressive force of Welsh politics.

“I’d like to thank Liz Evans for running an excellent campaign and giving members a vital opportunity to discuss our next steps as a party.

I”’d also like to pay tribute to Mark Williams and Kirsty Williams for their unwavering commitment to our party.

“Wales needs the Welsh Liberal Democrats now more than ever.

Wales needs the progressive, pragmatic, and reforming voice of Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Assembly and in Westminster to give us an exit from Brexit, a fresh look on creating more and better paid jobs, protecting our environment, and delivering on Kirsty Williams’ education reforms.

“We have been down, but we aren’t out, and I’m confident of what lies ahead for my party.”

Good wishes have been coming in:

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 3 Comments
Edward Morello

Take less from the rich

By Edward Morello | Fri 3rd November 2017 - 4:30 pm

According to The Equality Trust the UK has the 7th most unequal distribution of income amongst OECD countries. Earlier this year The Resolution Foundation estimated that the richest 1% of the UK population owns 14% of the nation’s assets (some £11 trillion worth), while the poorest the 15%, or nearly 7.3 million people, own no assets or are in debt.

Understandably given this massive inequality in the distribution of wealth there are often calls for the rich to be taxed more. After all, clearly they can afford it, right? And yet the richest 1% of taxpayers already generate nearly 30% of all the income tax raised, while only 10% comes from the poorer half of the population. Clearly it is only right that those who have more contribute more, but it is also true that simply pursuing the cause of demanding more from them does less for us as individuals than raising more from the rest of the population by increasing household income.

The problem is the real-term stagnation in household income since the 2007 crash. As Mark Carney, Governor of the  Bank of England, observed:

Real income growth has not been as weak in the UK since the middle of the 19th century.” In fact average earnings are not forecast to return to their pre-crisis peak of 2007 until 2022, until then average working households will continue to have less disposable income than they did in before the crash.

 

Research now suggests Millennials will be the first generation to be poorer than their parents, and homeownership has slumped to 63.5%, it’s lowest since 1987.

Based on the government’s own definition some 13 million people in the UK are living in poverty, at a cost to the public purse (according to The Joseph Rowntree Foundation) of around £78bn a year.   To paraphrase one wit – It is very difficult to believe in capitalism if you don’t have any capital, or at the very least believe one day you might.

Continue reading »
51 Comments
Flo Clucas

More women in elected office will help tackle harassment and bad behaviour

By Flo Clucas | Fri 3rd November 2017 - 1:30 pm

Women have faced sexual exploitation and harassment since time immemorial. But today, something different is happening. Sex pests, gropers, untamed rapists, physical and mental abusers are being ‘outed’ and exposed by media outlets as they are named and shamed.

So, Michael Fallon has fallen on his sword. If all of the gossip is to be believed, then more will follow. It brings not only the individual into disrepute, but the system too, that allows those individuals to behave as they do, with impunity.

He says his behaviour of ten years ago is not acceptable today. I have news for him. It wasn’t acceptable then, either.

The abuse of women is a deep seated problem in our politics and our society. It is no wonder that so few women choose to stand for elected office at any level, as a recent report by the Fawcett Society pointed out.

Parliament, the centre of law making designed to protect the innocent, the young, the vulnerable from sexual  abuse, has shown itself incapable of protecting those within its own walls. The Westminster Village, where power and access to power seems able to protect perpetrators and where  party whips seemingly refuse to take action to curtail inappropriate and sometimes criminal, behaviour, has to change.

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 13 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Scottish Conference to discuss WASPI women, Exit from Brexit, mental health and gender neutral school uniform

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 3rd November 2017 - 8:55 am

Scottish Lib Dem Autumn Conference takes place next Saturday, 11th November, in Dunfermline.

There are keynote speeches from Willie Rennie and Jo Swinson and a dazzling array of debates and policy motions.

The Scottish Young Liberals have provided some excellent motions on getting young people more involved in shaping public services and on civil education. Also, a young member has independently put forward a motion calling for gender neutral school uniform.

Christine Jardine MP and Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP put forward West Edinburgh’s motion to support women affected by changes to the State Pension age.

Housing standards and mental health provision for rural areas will also be debated. 

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 1 Comment
Caron Lindsay

Former MP Pugh elected to Council in a night of Lib Dem gains and holds

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 2nd November 2017 - 11:56 pm

Congratulations to Cllr John Pugh. Southport’s former MP who retired from the Commons at the General Election has had a cracker of a win in a by-election for the Dukes Ward of Sefton Council.

That great result was upstaged by a 25% swing from the Tories in Arun.

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 26 Comments

5p Cup Charge Might Just Happen

By Kirsten Johnson | Thu 2nd November 2017 - 12:48 pm

Lib Dems led the way with hugely successful plastic bag charge, leading to a reduction of over 85% in plastic bags, and followed last year with policy to introduce a small charge on disposable coffee cups.

The plans were rejected by government last year, but there appears to have been a U-turn.

Yesterday, Environment Minister Therese Coffey told the environmental audit committee that the government will consider introducing a coffee cup charge to tackle the 2.5 billion disposable cups thrown away each year.

Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron commented

It is good to see

…

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Helen Byrne

Both Houses Debate Calais Today

By Helen Byrne | Thu 2nd November 2017 - 8:05 am

Ahead of the today’s debate in the House of Commons on “Calais and unaccompanied child refugees in Europe”, and in the House of Lords on “Government assessment of the condition of refugees and migrants still in Calais and the surrounding area” (led by Lib Dem peer, Lord Roberts of Llandudno) Lord Robert’s parliamentary researcher writes:

As anyone in the vicinity of Parliament Square last Tuesday will likely have gathered, given a well-attended protest in its recognition, October marks a year since the demolition of the Calais ‘jungle.’

Outside Ronnie Scott’s on Friday, where I was singing as part of the Citizens …

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 1 Comment

Benefit Cuts Will Increase Child Poverty

By Kirsten Johnson | Thu 2nd November 2017 - 7:34 am

A new report just released by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that benefit cuts will increase child poverty, especially in the North East and in Wales.

Absolute child poverty would increase by 4%, and three-quarters of that would be linked to the freeze to most working-age benefits and limiting of tax credits and universal credits to two children. Using forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, combined with current benefit plans, the study shows child poverty will increase in each English region and nation of the UK.

Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions Spokesman, Stephen Lloyd MP, says

These figures from

…

Continue reading »
Tagged , , and | 11 Comments
ALDC

Lib Dem Job Watch Special – ALDC seek Fundraisng and Sponsorship Officer

By ALDC | Wed 1st November 2017 - 10:32 am

ALDC are currently hiring for a new Fundraising and Sponsorship Officer, a Full-time role, based in Manchester. SO1-SO2 (£25,951 to £30,153)

This is an exciting opportunity to work with the leading campaigning organisation within the Liberal Democrats.

We are looking for someone who can help us deliver on our ambitious plans to grow our organisation through increasing our income from fundraising, sponsorship, grants and commercial activities. We are looking for someone who has experience of working in these areas who can bring their own ideas to help us grow our income.

A Job Description and a Person Specification are included in the Application Pack.

Continue reading »
Leave a comment
The Voice

Vince: CBI survey shows small businesses losing confidence in Government over Brexit

By The Voice | Wed 1st November 2017 - 8:38 am

Optimism amongst small and medium-sized manufacturing firms has fallen for the first time in over a year, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly survey published today.

Vince Cable, unsurprisingly, talked about the need for that exit from brexit referendum.

Small businesses in the manufacturing sector appear to be losing faith in the Government’s ability to negotiate a Brexit deal that serves their interests.

Lacking anything resembling a strategy, the Conservatives’ willingness to entertain the foolishness of no deal is killing business confidence by the day.

The promise that a weaker pound would boost manufacturing exports has largely failed to materialise; the same will almost certainly

…

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 7 Comments
Paul Walter

Update on that Australian constitutional crisis sparked by the blog of a former Lib Dem candidate…

By Paul Walter | Tue 31st October 2017 - 10:19 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Further to my blog this morning, many thanks to William Summers, who has got in touch from Melbourne. He’s sent us the link to the original blog post which led to the Australian Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, being ruled as ineligible to hold office, turning the Australian government into a minority one. Here is the link to the post.

As a recap, William Summers was the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Norfolk North West in 2010, and worked for Norman Lamb as an assistant. He now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Continue reading »
Tagged | 8 Comments
Mark Valladares

Burns Commission proposes a smaller House of Lords, and how to get there

By Mark Valladares | Tue 31st October 2017 - 4:30 pm

It’s time, once again, for another attempt at House of Lords reform. Late last year, the House debated a motion aiming to reduce the size of the House from its current 800-plus, and the Burns Commission, chaired by Crossbencher Lord Burns, a former mandarin, set to work. So, what are the proposals, and what are the potential issues?

Size

Six hundred peers is the figure that the Commission have alighted on, equivalent to that of the Commons if Boundary Commission proposals are adopted but, in any event, no more than the number in …

Continue reading »
Also posted in Parliament | Tagged | 17 Comments
News Meerkat

Cable: Comments from Goldman Sachs boss shows threat of Brexit to our financial sector

By News Meerkat | Tue 31st October 2017 - 11:15 am

Embed from Getty Images

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, is turning out to be a bell-weather of the London banking community regarding Brexit. He doesn’t tweet very often, but when he does, his tweets cause quite a kerfuffle.

Recently he made interesting comments about Frankfurt:

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 12 Comments
Paul Walter

Australian constitutional crisis triggered by former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate

By Paul Walter | Tue 31st October 2017 - 9:45 am


Australia satellite plane
This is all a bit bizarre.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Barnaby Joyce, together with four senators, has had his election declared null and void by the country’s High Court. There will be a by-election to fill the Deputy PM’s seat, which has been vacated by this ruling. There will also be recounts in the four senate seats.

All this was due to infringements of rules pertaining to dual citizenship. Australia’s constitution bans anyone holding dual citizenship from sitting in parliament. Mr Joyce discovered that he had joint New Zealand citizenship by descent from his father. He has since renounced this status and will fight the forthcoming by-election.

Continue reading »
5 Comments
Mark Valladares

Meanwhile, in liberal Europe… October’s election results…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 30th October 2017 - 2:20 pm

Whilst British politics is dominated by Brexit, elsewhere in Europe, life goes on. And yes, the question of “what Europe?” is playing a key role in the changing scene, but it is not the only issue.

Earlier in the month, the Austrian Parliamentary elections saw the triumph of the shiny new leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), Alexander Kurz, aged just thirty-one. Talk of a coalition with the far right Freedom Party (FPÖ), led by Heinz-Christian Strache, was somewhat curtailed when, once all the votes were counted, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) limped into second place by less than 1%. Putting …

Continue reading »
Tagged and | 11 Comments
Mark Valladares

This week in the Lords (30 October – 2 November) – the preview…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 30th October 2017 - 10:32 am

Welcome, once again, to Liberal Democrat Voice’s preview of the week in Parliament or, to be more precise, the (usually) more dignified end of the Palace of Westminster.

It feels a bit like a phony war at the moment, with the Lords to some extent killing time until the EU Withdrawal Bill finishes its passage through the Commons, but there is still plenty to interest the connoisseur.

Diving straight in, Monday sees the first day of the Committee Stage of the Data Protection Bill. Leading for us will be Tim Clement-Jones, accompanied by Brian …

Continue reading »
Also posted in Parliament | Tagged and | 6 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • David Allen
    Steve Trevethan: Might we hope that our next PM is rather more willing to tell the Donald when to take a running jump?...
  • Simon Mcgrath
    Surely the answer is in the article. faced with a loathed labour administration which has presided over a failing NHS and a huge decline in standards in educati...
  • cassie
    Why? 1. Because the whole election was framed as Plaid vs Reform, and a LOT of people voted tactically for the former. I couldn't hold my nose to do so in the ...
  • Jana
    “ Internal party messaging attributes our underperformance to the “tough new electoral system” under the new d’Hondt system” When a political party...
  • Andrew Ducker
    Parliamentary majorities are only really sufficient under Proportional Representation....