Category Archives: News

Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: Escalation

By Tom Arms | Sat 13th January 2024 - 9:30 am

The world’s nightmare – escalation of the Middle East crisis – is moving rapidly towards reality.

Pushing the region to the edge are Israel’s Likud government and Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis.

As of this Friday the death toll in Gaza – according to UN figures – was 23,357. Another 59,410 have been wounded. Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to discuss a ceasefire.

Britain and America publicly back him because they are afraid of losing what little leverage they have. Privately they want a ceasefire; Netanyahu out and talks for a two-state solution.

Meanwhile, 16 missile and drone launch sites have been attacked by British and American ships and planes. They are backed up by an alliance of 42 partner nations dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian.”

The Anglo-American attacks were in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea– one of the world’s arterial waterways. The Houthi’s say their attacks were in support of demands for a ceasefire in Gaza. Both sides have warned of more to come.

The Houthis are one of three Iranian proxies/allies in the region. Like the other two—Hezbollah and Hamas—they are armed to the teeth non-state actors. This means that their best means of influence is through armed disruption.

They started their latest offensive with missile and drone attacks on targets inside Israel less than a week after the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October.  The attacks failed. Israel’s air defences are too good.

So, the Houthis turned their attention to Red Sea shipping. They would hit Israel and its Western backers where it really hurt—in their pocketbooks.

Since November, the Houthis have carried out 27 attacks on Red Sea shipping. Some 12 per cent of the world’s trade – including giant oil tankers and container ships – passes under the gaze of Houthi guns through the Red and Arabian Sea. Nearly a quarter of them have been diverted around the Cape of Good Hope. This significantly increasing costs at a time when Europe, America and Japan are still reeling from the economic effects of the Ukraine War, the covid pandemic and the 2008-2009 banking crisis.

The Houthi attacks have been condemned by the UN Security Council. China and Russia refused to use their veto to block the anti-Houthi resolution, although they did abstain.

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Mark Valladares

12 January 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 12th January 2024 - 10:29 pm
  • GDP stats: Sunak’s talk of turning a corner has not survived contact with economic reality
  • Lib Dems demand retrospective vote on government military action in the Red Sea

GDP stats: Sunak’s talk of turning a corner has not survived contact with economic reality

Responding to the latest figures that show GDP is estimated to have fallen by 0.2% in the three months to November 2023, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, Sarah Olney MP said:

This Conservative government has brought us nothing but stagnation. Sunak’s talk of turning a corner has not survived contact with economic reality.

This no growth Prime Minister has no plan and no

…

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election Report, 11th January

By Charles Quinn | Fri 12th January 2024 - 4:49 pm

The first council by-elections of 2024 were held this week. We began the new year in much the same way that we finished last year – by winning and moving forwards!

The first result declared in 2024 was a brilliant hold for the Lib Dems on Salford MBC. This was one of 4 principal by-elections contested and there were some very interesting results across the board.

The only place to start though is in Salford MBC where Councillor Paul Heilbron won Quays ward for the Liberal Democrats. We first won the ward in 2022 and just missed out in the 2023 local elections. We won on Thursday night with a 17.4% increase in our share of the vote from the 2023 result while Labour were down 12.6% from last May.

Congratulations to Paul and the Lib Dem team in Salford. This result is particularly special for ALDC as Paul is a former member of ALDC staff. His win restores our Lib Dem presence on Salford MBC too.

Salford MBC, Quays
Liberal Democrats (Paul Heilbron): 540 (54.8%, +17.4%)
Labour: 321 (32.6%, -12.6%)
Green Party: 124 (12.6%, +3.4%)

Very unusually the next by-election resulted in the winning Conservative candidate being unable to take up their seat – meaning another election will have to be run in the seat.

On Dorset Council the Conservatives won Littlemoor and Preston ward – holding onto it despite a brilliant performance by Lib Dem candidate Simon Clifford who increased the Lib Dem vote share by 19% and jumped from fourth to a very strong second. However as the winning Conservative candidate is employed by the council he is disqualified from taking up his seat and the seat will now remain vacant until the Dorset council elections in May. Congratulations to Simon and the team in Dorset for moving the Lib Dems forward so much in the seat with local elections just round the corner. The result was:

Dorset Council, Littlemoor and Preston
Conservative: 1,237 (54%, +25%)
Liberal Democrats (Simon Clifford): 833 (36%, +19%)
Labour: 232 (10%, -9.5%)

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Mark Valladares

11 January 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 11th January 2024 - 10:00 pm
  • Lib Dems call for Ofcom investigation on GB News “bias and misleading” reporting of Post Office scandal
  • Double by-election: Conservative majority being whittled away
  • NHS waiting lists soar by 400,000 since Sunak made pledge to cut them

Lib Dems call for Ofcom investigation on GB News “bias and misleading” reporting of Post Office scandal

  • Deputy Leader slams Farage and Conservative MP presenters for “bias, misleading and at times, frankly absurd news reporting”
  • Conservative politicians lining up to host TV shows in election year whilst refusing to criticise their own party

The Liberal Democrats have written to Ofcom to demand an investigation into the reporting of the Post Office Horizon scandal by Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lee Anderson.

The party has noted that the Reform Party Chairman Farage and Conservative MP Rees-Mogg both failed to report on the scandal impartially, after they attacked opposition parties without including the Conservative government’s role.

In a letter to the Chief Executive of Ofcom, Daisy Cooper MP also noted that Lee Anderson cannot be trusted to report without bias on the matter, after non-stop attacks on the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on social media and in the House of Commons.

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Mary Reid

Watch Ian Hislop on the Post Office scandal

By Mary Reid | Thu 11th January 2024 - 12:32 pm

Private Eye and Computer Weekly were doggedly exposing the Post Office scandal for many years. They reported the scale of the problem with Horizon at a time when individual postmasters were still being lied to and told that they were the only person with the problem.

On Peston last night Ian Hislop clashed with Jake Berry MP over the Government’s inertia in dealing with it.

Earlier in the programme he had expressed his profound anger at the long history of the scandal.

Watch this from about 43 minutes in. (Sorry, ITVX won’t allow me to embed this)

Note that Ed Davey is name-checked in the intro, but with the comment that he was just one of 17 PO ministers over the period. Ian Hislop also rubbishes the way in which Ed has been singled out, and proceeds to hit at the real culprits.

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Mark Valladares

10 January 2024 – today’s Welsh press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 10th January 2024 - 10:45 pm
  • “Urgent action needed to beat the clock in climate fight”- Welsh Lib Dems
  • Jane Dodds MS calls for more mental health support for rural Wales
  • “Now’s the time to capitalise on Green energy”- Welsh Lib Dems
  • “It’s time to call an end to child poverty”- Welsh Lib Dems

“Urgent action needed to beat the clock in climate fight”- Welsh Lib Dems

Today, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on both the Welsh Labour Government and the UK Conservative government to get serious on tackling the climate crisis.

According to BBC analysis, the year 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest year on record. And last week, the Met Office reported that the UK experienced its second warmest year on record in 2023.

Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds said:

I was deeply concerned to hear that this past calendar year has been confirmed to be the hottest on record.

If the past few years of extreme weather and soaring temperatures have not been a wake-up call, then this one should surely send alarm bells ringing both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster.

We desperately need urgent action to help us beat the clock in this fight against climate change.

Make no mistake, there is no do over. We can either make peace with our failures or fight not just for our future, but for our children’s and their children’s futures.

So, I ask governments across the globe, not just here in the UK, what will it be?

How will you want to be remembered for what you did during the greatest crisis humanity has ever encountered?

Jane Dodds MS calls for more mental health support for rural Wales

Today in the Senedd, Jane Dodds MS has called on the Welsh Government to improve access to mental health support and substance support for people living in rural areas.

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Mark Valladares

10 January 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 10th January 2024 - 10:00 pm
  • PMQs Horizon scandal: It should never have had taken this long to get justice
  • Minister admits Dowden made ‘mistake’ by failing to sack Vennells from £17,500 government job

PMQs Horizon scandal: It should never have had taken this long to get justice

Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement that the government will be setting forward new primary legislation to overturn wrongful convictions during the Horizon scandal, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael MP said:

The announcement is to be welcomed but hundreds of wrongfully convicted postmasters should never have had to live this long with such appalling injustice.

It has taken more than four years since the landmark High Court judgment exposed the Post Office’s lies.

Lives have been ruined and families have been devastated.

It should never have had taken this long to get justice. It is only to the credit of all those brave postmasters who campaigned to right this wrong that we are finally seeing the start of progress.

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The Voice

Farron: Children are missing school to go abroad for dental treatment

By The Voice | Wed 10th January 2024 - 9:34 am

We all know that NHS dental appointments can be almost impossible to access in many areas of the country.

Liberal Democrats have been highlighting this for months and calling on the Government to do more to ensure people can access this key service.

Yesterday, Tim Farron spoke in an opposition day debate on dental services and said that he had been told that some children were missing school to go abroad for dental appointments because they couldn’t get them locally:

I have heard at first hand from my constituents about the shocking scale of the difficulty of getting access to appointments for children. One attendance officer at one of our primary schools wrote to me earlier last year after she found that families in her school were going abroad for dental appointments. She said:

“Tim, I felt compelled to email you to tell you… We have a high number of children who are regularly missing out on education due to being unable to register with a local NHS dentist. A large number of our children have Polish, Romanian, Latvian and Ukrainian parents and therefore will find it easier to travel back to their parents’ original home country rather than wait for a local NHS dentist who is accepting patients.”

Wow! Let us be clear: she is saying that some children in Cumbria find it easier to get dental treatment travelling to a war zone than to access the NHS dental care that their parents have already paid for through their taxes.

He also highlighted that tooth decay was the number 1 reason for paediatric hospital admissions on his path. That is so shocking. The implications of poor dental health in childhood can last for a lifetime. Tooth decay is preventable and manageable. Free access to a dentist should be a right for children.

Tim said:

In 2022, the BDA found that one in four five-year-olds in my community in Cumbria had tooth decay, and that tooth decay was the No. 1 reason for hospital admissions among young people. Regular dental appointments are vital for preventing tooth decay, and even more so for children, whose teeth tend to decay more quickly. However, fewer and fewer children are able to access those Toggle showing location ofColumn 195appointments because of the negligence of this Government. In Cumbria, the proportion of children seen by a dentist in the NHS each year went from 64% in 2018 to just 50% last year, a drop of 14% in five years. Half of our children in our communities—from Grasmere to Grange, Appleby to Ambleside, Kendal to Kirkby Stephen and Windermere to Warcop—do not have access to an NHS dentist. That is a disgrace.

The situation was worse for adults, with a structural problem in that the NHS Trust only receive half the money it needs to provide services for everyone who needs them.

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Mark Valladares

10 January 2024 – the overnight press release

By Mark Valladares | Wed 10th January 2024 - 7:26 am

MPs vote on blocking water firms receiving tax cuts unless they stop sewage discharges

  • 10 water firms paid no tax last year after government’s previous round of tax cuts on industry
  • Water firms who paid £1.4bn in dividends to overseas owners are now set to receive permanent tax cuts from government
  • Liberal Democrat amendment vows to block “water industry gravy train, where money and sewage flows freely”

Today, MPs expect to vote on a Liberal Democrat amendment to block disgraced water firms receiving a tax cut.

The Government’s Finance Bill allows water firms to fully expense the costs of investment in equipment, handing them a …

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Mark Valladares

9 January 2024 – today’s Welsh press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 9th January 2024 - 10:45 pm
  • “No more tinkering, we need bravery”- Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds sets out her priorities for new FM
  • Welsh Lib Dems urge for clarity over future of Bwndel Babi scheme
  • Welsh Lib Dems criticise Welsh Labour government over “lack of vision” with budget
  • “Communities must feel that they are being listened to when it comes to their safety”- Welsh Lib Dems urge Welsh Government

“No more tinkering, we need bravery”- Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds sets out her priorities for new FM

Today, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds has urged both Welsh Labour leadership candidates to set out a new vision for Wales.

Current Health minister Vaughan Gething and Education minister Jeremy Miles are both in the race to become the new FM following the resignation of Mark Drakeford.

Commenting, leader of the Welsh Lib Dems Jane Dodds said:

The start of a new year brings with it a chance for renewed optimism. And with a new First Minister set to take charge this coming spring, a chance for a fresh approach to how Wales is being run should in theory be just around the corner.

What we have heard from both candidates so far is that they will be taking the same “steady as she goes” approach. More tinkering, more managerialism, and not the vision for the future that people desperately need.

We don’t want to see any more conservatism from Welsh Labour, what we need is a First Minister who is willing to take a bold and brave new direction for our country.

We need a new vision for a thriving economy, a fresh start for our NHS, an innovative democracy, and creating a nation of second chances where everyone has the opportunity to get ahead. We need a fair deal for every corner and every person across our country.

For far too long now the Labour party have stood by and watched as our country, our government, and our parliament has been dragged into the mud by an indifferent UK Conservative government.

We need a Labour party, at both ends of the M4, willing to stand up and demand that Wales gets its fair share.

No more tinkering about and searching for excuses, now is the time for bravery.

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Mark Valladares

9 January 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 9th January 2024 - 10:15 pm
  • Mental Health: Shocking stats show Govt are failing young people
  • Vennells CBE: Now Dowden needs to explain why he failed to sack her as a Cabinet Office Director
  • Surrey oil drilling given go-ahead: A shameful decision. Local MP, Jeremy Hunt must intervene

Mental Health: Shocking stats show Govt are failing young people

Ahead of Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson’s Bill to introduce mental health professionals into schools, statistics show that 61% of those waiting for mental health support had stopped attending school, college, university, or work.

  • 58% missed more than two weeks of school, 42% missed more than a month and 20% missed more than six months
  • A fifth of young people wait more than six months for help. While waiting, 41% said that their mental health got worse

These statistics show the catastrophic impact the lack of mental health provision is having on young people’s lives in both schools and in the workplace, leaving over half unable to attend.

In response, the Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP will be introducing a bill to the Commons today which intends to give all state schools access to a qualified mental health professional.

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Mark Valladares

8 January 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 8th January 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Sunak Connect speech: “An arsonist offering to put out the fire”
  • Welsh Lib Dems demand action in South Wales fire service scandal

Sunak Connect speech: “An arsonist offering to put out the fire”

Responding to Rishi Sunak’s Connect speech in Lancashire this morning, where the Prime Minister urged voters to continue voting for his party, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

Rishi Sunak is like an arsonist offering to put out a fire. This mess is the fault of Conservative Prime Ministers crashing the economy, hiking taxes and letting the NHS crumble.

He is living on another planet. Just how out of touch is he? It’s clear now Rishi Sunak thinks everything is fine and nothing should change.

This chaotic Conservative government has had long enough to get their act together. Enough is enough.

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NewsHound

Liberal Democrats uncover nearly 4,000 cancer operations cancelled in past year

By NewsHound | Mon 8th January 2024 - 1:12 pm

Almost 4,000 cancer-related surgeries have been cancelled in the past year, an 8% rise on the previous year, shocking figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

The figures show that 3,947 cancer operations were cancelled in 2022/23, up from 3,662 the previous year. Of these, 304 were cancelled due to staff being unavailable or sick, 302 due to a lack of beds and 150 because of equipment issues. Over 13,000 cancer operations have been cancelled in the past four years, the research shows.

The figures were uncovered through Freedom of Information requests with data provided by 56 of 137 acute NHS trusts in England. meaning the true figure is likely to be far higher.

The Liberal Democrats said it was shocking that cancer patients were being so “catastrophically let down.” The party is calling for a new legal right for cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, as part of a plan to significantly improve cancer care and outcomes.

North Bristol cancelled 547 cancer operations in the past year, more than any other NHS trust in the country. This was followed by Medway NHS Foundation Trust (347), University Hospital Southampton (258) and the Isle of Wight NHS Trust (254).

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Caron Lindsay

Lib Dem PPC Caroline Voaden calls for “Rape” t-shirt to be withdrawn from sale

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 6th January 2024 - 7:51 pm

Lib Dem PPC Caroline Voaden noticed something horrible online today. One of those design your own t-shirt/hoodie/vest companies had allowed a t-shirt to appear on its website, selling for £18.18, which said, shockingly, Eat, Sleep, Rape, Repeat.

Caroline is a former CEO of Devon Rape Crisis and has called for this t-shirt to be withdrawn from sale.

If you are not on Twitter, you can email the company at [email protected]. I’ve done so, asking them to withdraw this vile product, apologise and put processes in place that stop such designs getting on to their website. Surely this must have been seen by a human at some stage. Why on earth did they not stop it. And if it wasn’t seen by a human, they need some quality control.

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Caron Lindsay

Free to good home – a Liberal treasure from 1969

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 3rd January 2024 - 2:42 pm

From a correspondent:

I have been having a clear-out of my shelves, and among the material which I am not going to keep is three issues of New Outlook – A Liberal Magazine from 1969. They may be of interest to some readers of LibDem Voice (not least, perhaps, for the nostalgic pleasure of reading thoughtful and respectful pieces from Conservative MPs John Biffen and John Hunt).
Free to a good home.
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NewsHound

Jamie Stone and Sarah Dyke share New Year’s Resolutions

By NewsHound | Tue 2nd January 2024 - 4:00 pm

Politics Home has been asking MPs to share their New Year’s Resolutions. Two Lib Dems responded.

Jamie Stone has pledged to offer a second constituency office in the town of Wick:

“After the boundary changes my constituency will be the biggest ever in the UK,” he said.

“Constituents deserve proper representation and support from their MPs and their teams, and that is why in the future there will be not one but two constituency offices in the northernmost mainland constituency in the UK.”

Sarah Dyke wants to “work even harder” on behalf of her constituents. She only officially entered Parliament in September and in just 3 months, she’s already spoken 36 times. That is an impressive start.

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In memoriam Dr Yeow Poon 17 Jan 1956 – 17 Dec 2023

By Chinese Liberal Democrats | Tue 2nd January 2024 - 11:44 am

I believe that when countries and people with different histories, philosophies, religions and cultures collaborate there can be mutual learning to enrich ourselves and develop innovative paradigms for meeting 21st Century challenges as humanity evolves.

Dr Yeow Poon

Dr Yeow Poon

It is with deep sadness that we wish to announce the passing of our Hon President Dr Yeow Poon after a two year battle against pancreatic cancer.  He was a giant of man and will be greatly missed by all, not least his colleagues and friends at Chinese Liberal Democrats.

Born in Malaysia, Dr Poon attended university in the UK and became naturalised as a British citizen. He was the Chair of the Chinese Community Centre – Birmingham, President of England China Business Forum, Chair of Arts in the Yard, Trustee of Chinese Welfare Trust and a core member of the Covid-19 Anti-Racism Group. He was the Business Desk Midlands Leadership Award Winner: Public and Third Sector Leader 2018.

As management consultant he worked primarily in the public and voluntary sectors, on public administration reform, capacity building, management and leadership development projects in the United Kingdom, Vietnam, China, LAO PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, South Africa and Greece. He had particular interest in cross-culture-AI governance, leadership, management and organisation development issues.

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The Voice

Four Lib Dems honoured in New Year Honours List

By The Voice | Fri 29th December 2023 - 11:00 pm

We interrupt our festive break to bring you the happy news that the Liberal Democrats have seen three people honoured in the New Years Honours list.

Jude Godden has been awarded an MBE for her services to local politics, Gavin Stollar has been awarded an OBE for his work within the Jewish Community and Andrew Dixon was awarded an OBE for his work in tackling inequality and for his support to British entrepreneurs.

Jude Godden

Jude Godden has been serving her community for the past 20 years, first running adult education for a large rural area and delivering over 200 courses a year as well as delivering cardiac rehabilitation courses and then more recently, as Head of Casework for Tim Farron MP. During the years she has worked for Tim Farron’s office she has made a massive difference. She has been instrumental in investigating and exposing two major national health scandals by supporting whistleblowers to have their voices heard, one of which was featured on the BBC. She single-handedly repatriated 57 people when the pandemic hit from around the world by working day and night till they were safely home. Recently she has helped refugees who were struggling to get visas to leave Ukraine and faced deportation back to a war zone. Jude has successfully returned over a million pounds to constituents and has acted as an advocate for countless people to ensure social justice is delivered.

Ed Davey congratulated Jude on her MBE

My warmest congratulations to Jude Godden, who’s charitable spirit is so importantly recognised in today’s honours.

Jude is a carer for a family member, as well as a caseworker for Tim Farron and has served her local area tirelessly for over 20 years.

Everyone in the Liberal Democrats is so proud of Jude’s work and this well-deserved accomplishment.

Gavin Stollar

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The Voice

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s Christmas message

By The Voice | Sun 24th December 2023 - 7:30 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s Christmas message is below:

Christmas is a time for reflection, and I think it’s important to look back on the long road travelled since last year.

Just twelve months ago Nicola Sturgeon was the most powerful figure in Scottish politics. Now her reputation lies in tatters.

The SNP in government are badly diminished by scandal, infighting and more than a decade of neglect of public services which has led to record NHS waiting lists and our schools slipping down the international rankings.

Twelve months ago the Conservatives were in utter chaos… so some things don’t change.

While the Conservatives and SNP flounder, Scottish Liberal Democrats have never shied away from making the case for action on the two biggest issues facing our country: the cost of living and the crisis in our NHS.

We have also led the way on other matters, offering considered and constructive solutions to the challenges facing our country.

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Caron Lindsay

Ed Davey’s Christmas message

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 23rd December 2023 - 10:30 pm

I know we said we were disappearing until after the New Year,  but we thought you would like to see Ed Davey’s Christmas Message.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election review for 2023

By Charles Quinn | Fri 22nd December 2023 - 7:32 pm

The final council by-election results of 2023 have been declared. We can look back on a brilliant, and historic year, of Liberal Democrat performances!

In total there were 197 principal council by-elections contested in 2023. The Liberal Democrats won 51 of these elections. Of these 26 were Lib Dem gains from other parties or independents.

That means, of all principal council by-elections in 2023, over a quarter resulted in a Lib Dem win – and one in eight resulted in a Lib Dem gain!

In total we made a net gain of 26 council seats in by-elections and countermanded elections over the course of the year. This is our joint third best performance since the merger in 1988 and comfortably the best of any party this year.

By contrast the Green Party had a net gain of 8, Labour had a net gain of 7, the SNP and Plaid were down a combined 6 seats and the Conservatives were down a net 31 councillors!

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report, 21st December

By Charles Quinn | Fri 22nd December 2023 - 5:28 pm

We finished an outstanding year for Council by-elections on a high this week. We won 2 of the 3 contests and put in a great showing in the third – moving forwards in our vote share everywhere.

There were 2 by-elections in Leicestershire. Firstly on Leicestershire CC we held Blaby and Glen Parva ward (which had previously been won by a Liberal Democrat who became an independent before resigning). Congratulations to Councillor Sue Jordan and the team on holding the seat, and doing so by increasing our vote by 12.5% and increasing our majority to over 650!

Leicestershire CC, Blaby and Glen Parva
Liberal Democrats (Sue Jorden): 989 (61.2%, +12.5%)
Conservative: 320 (19.8%, -13.7%)
Labour: 190 (11.8%, +1.8%)
Green Party: 116 (7.2%, -0.5%)

In the corresponding vacancy on Blaby DC we also held the seat of Glen Parva ward with an increased vote share. Congratulations to Councillor Andrew Savage and the team on winning over 60% of the vote and increasing the Lib Dem vote by 5.4%.

Blaby DC, Glan Parva
Liberal Democrats (Andrew Savage): 438 (60.6%, +5.4%)
Conservative: 140 (19.4%, -3.7%)
Labour: 102 (14.1%, new)
Green Party: 43 (6.0%, new)

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The Voice

‘I’m worried that if it’s not the bullets that kill them, it will be the lack of water,’ says Layla Moran of civilians trapped in Gaza church

By The Voice | Tue 19th December 2023 - 9:06 am

Layla Moran appeared on Channel 4 News last night. “(She said) her relatives are among hundreds of civilians trapped in a Catholic Church in Gaza City as Israeli forces operate nearby.

Over the weekend, the Catholic authority in the region claimed that two women were killed by Israeli snipers inside the Holy Family Parish compound. Israel has denied targeting the church.”

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Caron Lindsay

Layla Moran talks about her family who are trapped in Gaza Church

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 16th December 2023 - 10:13 pm

Layla Moran has been talking to the BBC about the plight of her family members, who remain trapped in a Catholic Church in Gaza. One family member died last month and her fear for the others is clear.

The Liberal Democrat says her family are “days away from dying” without access to water or food.

Her relatives and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem say a mother and daughter were killed inside the Holy Family Church complex on Saturday by sniper fire.

Members of Ms Moran’s extended family – a grandmother, her son, his wife and their 11-year-old twins – are Christian Palestinians who sought refuge inside the church after their home was bombed in the first week of the war.

They have been staying on mattresses along with dozens of others in rooms in the Holy Family Church for more than 60 days.

“I’m now no longer sure they are going to survive until Christmas,” Ms Moran told the BBC.

The conditions sound horrific and terrifying:

The five remaining members say they now no longer have access to food or water, and the last remaining generator – which was pumping water from wherever they could get it – has stopped working in the church.

They say soldiers entered the church compound in the last 24 hours and took over a room in a building.

Earlier in the week, the family heard shots being fired and saw bullet casings in the church compound. They say two men were killed on Tuesday while they were coming and going from the building – a bin collector and a janitor.

Layla said there was no indication why the church had been targeted:

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-Election Report, 14th December

By Charles Quinn | Fri 15th December 2023 - 6:26 pm

We continued our incredible end of the year with one of the best weeks for local council by-election results that we have ever celebrated.

7 principal council seats were being contested across 6 wards this weeks – and we won 5 of them! This included 3 Lib Dem holds and 2 Lib Dem gains. Even the two seats that we didn’t win saw us miss out only very narrowly with a great improvement in our result from last time. There are so many fantastic results to delve into it is difficult to know where to start!

The first of our gains came on North Kesteven DC in Billinghay Rural ward, where newly elected Councillor Adrian Whittle beat the Conservatives by securing over 41% of the vote. This is a great achievement as we did not stand a candidate in the most recent election in this ward. Indeed nobody did as the Conservatives were uncontested here in 2023. This time round with a Lib Dem on the ballot paper we have pulled off a fantastic gain and elected our first Lib Dem councillor to North Kesteven District. Congratulations once again to Cllr Whittle and North Kesteven Lib Dems.

North Kesteven DC, Billinghay Rural
Liberal Democrats (Adrian Whittle): 354 (41.1%, new)
Conservative: 254 (29.5%)
Lincolnshire Independents: 225 (26.1%, new)
Independent: 29 (3.4%, new)

Our other gain came on Rugby BC in Dunsmore ward. There was a double vacancy in this ward caused by two Conservative resignations. Congratulations to Councillor Jonathan Bennett for gaining the top seat from the Conservatives as the Lib Dems topped the poll with 38% of the vote. The second seat was retained by the Conservatives – but well done to our candidate Trisha Trimble who finished so close with 548 votes (just 41 votes off taking the second seat). A brilliant performance all round. Congratulations to the team in Rugby.

Rugby BC, Dunsmore
Liberal Democrats (Jonathan Bennett): 613 (38%, +17.7% LD total)
Conservative: 588 (36.4%, -8.4% Con total)
Conservative: 557 (36.4%, -8.4% Con total)
Liberal Democrats (Trisha Trimble): 548 (38%, +17.7% LD total)
Labour: 299 (18.5%, -7.7% Lab total)
Labour: 256 (18.5%, -7.7% Lab total)
Green Party: 145 (9%, -7.7% Green total)
Green Party: 89 (9%, -7.7% Green total)

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Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems oppose “moral vacuum” Rwanda Bill

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 13th December 2023 - 10:22 am

When there has been so much discussion around the party’s messaging and whether it showcases our values enough recently, it is a relief to see our parliamentarians speak out so strongly against the bizarrely named Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill as though just writing something down makes it so.

Alistair Carmichael described the Bill as showing a “grim and illiberal mentality” and would replace our asylum system with a moral vacuum. Here’s his whole speech:

I say sincerely that it is a genuine pleasure to follow the right hon. and learned Member for South Swindon (Sir Robert Buckland). He gave a characteristically thoughtful speech for Second Reading and, more interestingly, laid down several markers for future stages, should we get to that point. This is a most interesting and unusual Second Reading debate; we are seeing played out in front of us a tripartite discussion between one side of the Government, another side of the Government and the Treasury Bench. It is a remarkable spectacle to observe, albeit not a particularly seemly one.

I was struck by the reliance that the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Sir Robert Neill) placed on the references made by the right hon. and learned Member for Torridge and West Devon (Sir Geoffrey Cox) to proceedings in relation to the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc. ) Act 2004. As the right hon. and learned Gentleman observed, that was where the concept of safe countries was introduced. The list of safe countries included all the EU countries except Croatia, plus Norway, Iceland and later Switzerland. It was another piece of legislation that restricted the access of rights to appeal for those whose asylum claims had been unsuccessful. There are perhaps lessons to be learned for us all in how that line of legislation has developed ever since.

The enduring lesson I take is not that that Act was introduced by a Labour Government—a Government that had David Blunkett as Home Secretary—but that the Bill was opposed, with some controversy at the time, by the then Conservative Opposition. They described it as “clumsy and draconian”. They were absolutely right about that and, many years later, we can see exactly where that sort of legislation has taken us. What is it about the Conservative party of 2023 that now finds that sort of legislation so attractive?

Let us not forget that we are dealing with the consequence of the refusal of this Government to prosecute the case for safe and legal routes. Why do we not find people from Ukraine or Hong Kong trying to cross the channel in small boats? It is because we offer them safe and legal routes. The Rwanda scheme is unworkable—we know that because it has never been made to work—and the barriers are well rehearsed, but every time they are thwarted, the response of this Government is to throw a foot-stamping tantrum. Anyone who ever had any doubt about the depth and scale of Tory self-entitlement can see it laid bare here today. The Bill is not about making the system work or providing an effective deterrent; it is simply about trying to bring together a disparate range of forces within their own party.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC By-Election Report, 7th December

By Charles Quinn | Fri 8th December 2023 - 6:17 pm

The Lib Dems continued our fantastic end to the year with 3 more principal council by-election wins this week. A total of 5 principal by-elections were contested.

All 3 wins came in the East of England. We start on Hertfordshire County Council and a stunning result in Harpenden Rural ward which newly elected Lib Dem councillor Allison Wren gained from the Conservatives with a 33% increase in share of the vote (and over 58% of the vote overall). This gain puts the Lib Dems on 24 net gains in council by-elections this year. Triple that of the Green Party in second place!

Congratulations to Cllr Wren and Hertfordshire Lib Dems on a brilliant win.

Hertfordshire CC, Harpenden Rural
Liberal Democrats (Allison Wren): 1474 (58.3%, +33%)
Conservative: 766 (30.3%, -26.8%)
Labour: 168 (6.6%, -4.1%)
Green Party: 119 (4.7%, -2.2%)

On St Albans DC we also held Sandridge and Wheathampstead ward with over 55% of the vote and 7% vote-share increase on last time. Congratulations to Cllr Simon Johns and the team in St Albans on a great win.

St Albans DC, Sandridge and Wheathampstead
Liberal Democrats (Simon Johns): 793 (55.9%,+7.1%)
Conservative: 480 (33.8%, -4.8%)
Green Party: 78 (5.5%, -1.2%)
Labour: 68 (4.8%, -1.2%)

Our other win of the night came on North Norfolk DC in Briston ward. Congratulations to Cllr Andrew Fletcher and the local team who held the ward for the Lib Dems with just shy of 50% of the total vote.

North Norfolk DC, Briston
Liberal Democrats (Andrew Fletcher): 342 (49%, -2.5%)
Conservative: 274 (39%, -1.5%)
Green Party: 64 (9%, new)
Labour: 15 (2%, -5.9%)

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The Voice

Ed Davey’s message for Hanukkah

By The Voice | Fri 8th December 2023 - 9:16 am

Here is Ed Davey’s message for Hanukkah, wishing Jewish people a happy and peaceful time and referring to the exceptionally tough last couple of months. The Liberal Democrats, he said, are your friends.

On the party website, he wrote:

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The Voice

Earl Russell highlights lack of mental health support for children and young people

By The Voice | Thu 7th December 2023 - 9:00 am

Improving mental health has been a priority for the Liberal Democrats long before it was fashionable.

Our elected representatives at every level raise it whenever they can. Norman Lamb as health minister did so much to improve access to services but it’s been a long 8 years since he was in office.

Recently, our Earl Russell secured a debate in the House of Lords to highlight how appalling provision is for children and young people. Waiting times are horrendous. Imagine the impact on your education if you have to wait a year to even be seen. It’s then a long recovery and before you know it, that’s half your secondary education gone. And imagine the suffering if, like too many, CAMHS won’t even accept your referral.

For parents and carers, watching their young person struggle is one of the worst things to endure. And the anxiety of wondering if they will still be there in the morning, every day, takes its toll.

The debate is covered here on Today in Parliament, from about 20:10 in, and below are Earl Russell’s speeches. We’ll cover the contributions by Richard Allan, Claire Tyler and Mike Storey tomorrow.

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Caron Lindsay

Congratulations to Mick and Joye!

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 6th December 2023 - 2:41 pm

Last weekend I went to Cambridge for a very special event – the wedding of two Lib Dem legends, Mick Taylor and Joye Rosenstiel. Mick is a former Calderdale Councillor and has been a parliamentary candidate in Calder Valley and in other seats in the North West. He’s a great friend of the site and a regular contributor in our comments. Joye was a Councillor in Cambridge for 26 years and Mayor from 1994-95. She has also been Church Warden of Great St Mary’s Church in central Cambridge.

The wedding was a wonderfully relaxed and happy event. There were two ceremonies. They were legally married in a Quaker ceremony. I’d never been to a Quaker wedding before, and I loved the way it combined due solemnity and tradition with equality and the ability of everyone to contribute. In a Quaker wedding, there is no person up the front marrying the couple. They marry each other and everyone present signs the wedding certificate – even children are allowed to if they were awake during the proceedings.  This tradition comes from the 16th century – the long list of witnesses were presented as evidence to the authorities to ensure that the marriage was legally recognised.

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