Category Archives: News

Daisy Cooper: Close primary schools for two weeks to build Covid-safe plan

By The Voice | Sun 3rd January 2021 - 12:21 pm

Lib Dem Deputy Leader and Education spokesperson Daisy Cooper has called on the Government to close all primary schools until 18th January to enable the development and implementation of a Covid safety plan.

We are calling for four things:

All primary schools to move to remote learning until Jan 18th, except for vulnerable children and children of key workers.
A review of Government plans for Covid testing strategies in schools.
A move to single-school transport.
A new pupil bubbling strategy to tackle the new Covid strain.

Daisy said:

With the government’s own scientific advisors saying that they cannot provide any analysis on what is required to control the new strain of the virus until mid-January, the Government must think again and adopt a plan to get ahead of the virus.

Time and time again, this Government has squandered opportunities to get ahead of the virus in schools and left pupils, parents and teachers understandably anxious if not terrified about returning next week.

For months, Liberal Democrats have been calling on the Government to come up with a proper plan to keep schools open safely. Instead, this latest botched decision and the Tories top-down attitude has once again led to last minute and inconsistent decisions that are wreaking havoc on people’s lives.

Tagged Covid-19, daisy cooper and education | 10 Comments

Ed Davey calls on Government to make it easier for retired health professionals to work

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 2nd January 2021 - 1:21 pm

We’ve all seen some pretty scary things on social media and the news about the strain that some hospitals, particularly in the South East, are under.

Critically ill Covid patients in Kent are being transported by ambulance and helicopter as far as Bristol, Leeds, Southampton & Portsmouth.

Oxygen is running out.

ICU nursing has gone from 1:1 to 1:4.

Please, everyone, take Covid seriously.

PLEASE 😔https://t.co/NFc3nqVuSH

— Dr Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) January 1, 2021

Just finished another night shift

Feels like its getting worse

We’re having to put 2 people per cubicle in our A&E

Yet we still have ambulances queuing up waiting to off-load

If admissions continue at this rate
We will not have the staff, capacity or actual space to manage
1/

— Dr Sonia Adesara 💙 (@SoniaAdesara) December 31, 2020

In the past few days, I’ve seen accounts of a friend’s relative waiting hours for an emergency ambulance and then spending more than a day in A & E before a bed could be found in a ward.

Just on my social media, I am seeing several people each day testing positive. I’m aware of people having the virus, too, although, thankfully, nobody I know has been seriously ill with it. However, the so called “mild” version is extremely unpleasant.

With all this in mind, you can just imagine the stress that front line health workers must be facing. Exhausted already by the first wave and the race to catch up with the backlog of things that didn’t happen during it, the intensity of the second wave is at times overwhelming for them.

And that’s before any of them catch the virus and have to take time off themselves.

They need reinforcements, so it would help if retired health professionals could take some of the strain, even if it is covering things away from the front line.

But apparently the system makes it difficult for that to happen seamlessly.

Our Ed Davey has got himself into the Sun today, calling on Matt Hancock to sort this out. He said:

Tagged Covid-19, ed davey, media coverage, press and the sun | 21 Comments

New Year Honours?

By Mary Reid | Thu 31st December 2020 - 12:57 pm

The New Year Honours list published last night has a strong focus on all those wonderful people who have supported their communities during the pandemic.

Do you know any Lib Dems who have been honoured in this way? If so, we would love to congratulate them. Please let us know in the comments below.

Updates

From Chris Rennard:

Congratulations to Nigel Priestley, former candidate for Colne Valley, awarded the MBE for services to children and families.

From Paul:

Congratulations to Helen Williams, wife of Mark Williams former MP for Ceredigion who has been awarded a BEM for services to Vulnerable Young Parents and to the Elderly in Borth during Covid-19.

Helen is the Centre Manager at the Borth Family Centre in Ceredigion.

Tagged new year honours 2021 | 3 Comments

Willie Rennie’s New Year Message: Lib Dems will put recovery first

By Willie Rennie | Thu 31st December 2020 - 8:55 am

2020 has been a year like no other. The stresses and strains of it will be etched in our memories for many years to come.”New Year is usually a point to reflect on a year that’s passed and set new goals for the year ahead. This year that feels different. We have to pause to take stock of the enormity of our loss. The virus has devastated so many families and ripped the fabric of our liberal society apart too.

However, we can be proud, proud of the effort we’ve made as …

Tagged Scotland and willie rennie | 2 Comments

Kirsty Williams breaks ranks with Welsh Government to oppose Brexit trade deal

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 30th December 2020 - 8:05 pm

We’ve brought you reports from the Commons, the Lords and Holyrood debates on the Brexit trade deal today already.

In Wales, Lib Dem Education Minister Kirsty Williams broke ranks with her Labour colleagues to support an amendment to the government’s own motion which reaffirms the longstanding Liberal Democrat policy to vote against the deal. The amendment which Kirsty specifically voted for stated that she:

Does not support the UK Government’s deal and calls on Wales’ representatives in the UK Parliament to vote accordingly.

Labour dodged making a decision on this and abstained. But Wales’ sole Liberal Democrat voice stood up for her convictions,

…

Tagged brexit, kirsty williams and Wales | 2 Comments

Willie Rennie: Our children will be astonished that this Government pursued big bang Brexit in the middle of a pandemic

By The Voice | Wed 30th December 2020 - 6:52 pm

The Scottish Parliament debated whether to give legislative consent to the Bill putting the new trade deal with the EU into operation.

Liberal Democrats voted against, and Willie Rennie explained why:

This debate needs a bit of realism. The deal is going through. It’s going to go through because Boris Johnson has an eighty-seat majority, he has his Euro Sceptics on board and even the bulk of the Labour Party is backing it.

So no deal has, finally, been taken off the table.

But just because we accept Brexit is happening, that there is a deal and it is going through does not mean we have to like it.

We are realistic but we won’t swallow all our deep reservations about Brexit and especially this deal.

In no way is anyone compelled to vote for something they think will be bad for the country.
And after all the Brexit chaos this Conservative Government have inflicted on millions of people for years and after the Scottish Conservatives promised they would never back a deal that gave separate treatment to Northern Ireland, that party is in no position to lecture anyone else today.

There should be no surprise that we can’t support the Conservatives on Brexit today because our support for Europe has been resolute for decades.

From the liberals support for yes in the ‘75 referendum, the Gang of Four in the 80s and Paddy Ashdown bailing out John Major to support the Maastricht Treaty in the 90s to our enthusiastic support for remain in 2016 and our advocacy of a people’s vote for the last four years.

People who believe in a strong relationship with Europe can count on us.

We do not use Europe as a weapon in another battle, to be discarded when no longer useful.

We believe in international partnership and cooperation especially with our closest neighbours.

It is why we support keeping the UK together and believe the lessons from Brexit should be the lessons for those who advocate independence.

This is a bad deal. The Prime Minister ran down the clock in the most cynical fashion to give parliamentarians just three working days to read, analyse, scrutinise and vote on 1246 pages of complex legal text. That is not good government.

Giving companies just a week to get ready is not good business. Where is the sensible easement arrangement?
We will be the first country in the world to put trade barriers up as a result of a trade deal.

The Prime Minister claims no quotas or tariffs on goods. But if the UK diverges, and that was the point of Brexit was it not, there will be heavy punitive tariffs and quotas. Those quotas and tariffs will hang around like a bad smell for years.

Tagged brexit, Scotland and willie rennie | 2 Comments

Lib Dems to vote against Boris Johnson’s “threadbare” EU trade deal

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 29th December 2020 - 8:09 pm

Ed Davey has announced tonight, in news that will surprise few people, that the Liberal Democrats will be opposing Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade deal because it fails to deliver on the promises the Brexiteers made to the electorate and it makes the country so much worse off.

It’s not about tariffs. The whole point of being in the single market was not to have to bother with bureaucracy and red tape. Businesses who have been watching these ads saying that things are changing on 1st January (but we have no idea how) are going to find out for the first time in almost 30 years what a pain in the backside it is to have to fill in paperwork to trade with our closest neighbours.

We will no doubt be attacked for our stance as we will be told that the alternative is no deal and we’re against that. However this is going to to through tomorrow whether we like it or not given that most Tories and Labour MPs will vote for it. It is entirely consistent with our approach to Brexit.

There was a coherent case to be made for abstention on the grounds that it was at least better than no deal and it puts distance between us and the ultra nationalists both north and south of the border. Having said that, we’ve spent all my political life fighting off accusations of fence-sitting and being wishy-washy so do we really want to just sit on our hands? I’ve seen other people argue well that we should vote in favour, rather than abstain, for the same reason. However I think it is important that the Brexiteers are made to own this. When it all goes wrong, I don’t want them saying “but you voted for it.” We’ve come too far on our internationalist and open values to suddenly become shields for those who have taken us to this place.

Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged brexit, featured, lib dem mps, lib dem msps and trade | 99 Comments

The curious tale of a 5G mast in Bath

By Mark Valladares | Tue 29th December 2020 - 8:56 am

There was a curious, and rather unlikely piece, in the Guardian on Boxing Day, courtesy of that well-known friend of Liberal Democrats, Nick Cohen, suggesting that Liberal Democrat councillors in Bath had opposed a new 5G phone mast for reasons linked to the theory that 5G was responsible for occurrences most politely described as conspiracy theories.

Naturally, proper research was not involved, nor did he actually speak to anyone linked to the decision to refuse planning permission.

It always puzzles me that so many people, including Liberal Democrats, claim to be sceptical about our media, yet seem willing to believe unreservedly anything …

Tagged bath and north east somerset and press coverage | 46 Comments

Third extension for Welsh Pacer trains is a ‘disgrace’ say Welsh Lib Dems

By The Voice | Mon 28th December 2020 - 9:00 pm

These trains are on display in the National Rail Museum and Iran has ditched them, yet Welsh passengers will continue to use them daily.

Following the announcement today from the Department for Transport that Class 142 trains have been given their third dispensation in just over a year to continue in service, Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Transport for Wales and Ken Skates to apologise to travellers across South Wales.

Pacer trains were built by British Rail in the early 1980s with a planned lifespan of 15-20 years. Following decades of under-investment in rolling stock, they were given extension after extension but were finally due to be disposed of last year as they did not meet disability regulations that came into force on 1 January 2020. Yet passengers in South Wales face many more months of travel on these unsuitable trains.

Tagged rodney berman, rolling stock and Wales | 10 Comments

Love from the Lib Dem Voice team

By The Voice | Wed 23rd December 2020 - 10:44 am

11 Comments

LDV’s Christmas Break

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 20th December 2020 - 10:23 am

We will be doing our best to take a Christmas break this year. We have all had a tough year, including the LDV team, so we need some down time.

We will be taking a festive break between 23 and 27 December.

Of course, there are things that may crop up that will inspire us to put digital pen to paper. After all, who knows what the situation will be with the Brexit trade deal?

If you are inspired to send us pieces, please do, and we will deal with them from 28th December. Mark Valladares would be delighted to come back to a full inbox.

To be honest, my plans for Christmas have not been changed at all, nor have they been affected by Scotland’s national lockdown. We continue to avoid as much human contact as possible until we can get vaccinated. I am fortunate though, to be able to spend it with people I love and a massive pile of unread books. And an even more massive pile of beautiful new Focus leaflets to deliver, so long as the guidance permits it.

My heart breaks for those who are stuck on their own when they didn’t want to be, who have been trapped by circumstance in the middle of a Tier 4 area or who can’t have the guests that they had hoped. Let’s all look after each other by picking up the phone and making sure our loved ones are ok.

Tagged christmas, Covid-19 and site news | 11 Comments

Lib Dem legend Frances Alexander remembered in the Guardian

By The Voice | Sat 19th December 2020 - 2:14 pm

You may remember that former Lib Dem Mayor of High Wycombe sadly died in September. Members of her family wrote a beautiful obituary for us.

Today, her daughter Louise writes in the Guardian about her mother’s life.

While listening to the debate on the 1967 abortion bill in the House of Commons, Frances heard only men’s voices. No one was telling the stories of the botched abortions that she had seen the results of as a nurse and she knew that parliament needed more women. She joined the Liberal party and stood for parliament three times between 1974 and 1979. She was a founding member in 1980 of the 300 Group for equal numbers of female MPs.

The family had moved to Wycombe in 1970, after which Frances taught first aid, health education and childcare at a local secondary school, Wellesbourne, and went on to be a careers adviser.

In 1991, she was elected to Wycombe district council, going on to become chairman of the council (1997-98) and mayor of High Wycombe (1998-99). Her achievements on the council included pedestrianisation of the high street, protecting a local nature reserve and setting up a charity that gives furniture to recently homed families.

Tagged Frances Alexander and obituaries | 1 Comment

Shirley Williams Lectures launched to promote ideas exchange

By Tom Morrison | Fri 18th December 2020 - 10:02 am

Liberal Democrat members and other progressives can now join an exclusive lecture club to challenge and engage with some of the most original and innovative thinkers of our time.

Launched today, The Shirley Williams Lectures will offer a platform to specialists from a range of fields to share their ideas and vision for the future. Club members will be given the opportunity to consider and discuss how we can tackle some of the biggest questions facing the world.

Whether it is concepts for a new style of politics, views on the UK’s business outlook, the future of international sport or matters of global ethics, the lecture themes will offer fresh, thought-provoking and contemporary insight.

The lecture series will be delivered online and comprise one event per month during 2021. Party leader Sir Ed Davey will be kick-starting the programme by outlining his thoughts on the post-COVID economy at the inaugural lecture on 28 January.

Other confirmed speakers include Juergen Maier CBE, who, on 26 February will be taking a deep dive into post-Brexit trade, Baroness Benjamin DBE DL, Olympic medallist and track cyclist Callum Skinner, and Sir Nick Clegg.

Tagged callum skinner, ed davey, floella benjamin, juergen maier, nick clegg and shirley williams lectures | 14 Comments

Roger Roberts writes: Upgrading the port of Holyhead?

By Lord Roger Roberts | Wed 16th December 2020 - 7:12 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Johnson’s government deserves no applause. In so many instances it has shown itself unable or unwilling even to recognise that problems exist. One of the issues that show how incompetent they are is that of the port of Holyhead. It is expected that, with the UK’s departure from the European Union that trade between the Irish Republic and the UK will be very different and with far more documentation required.

It is already announced that, in an attempt to avoid tariffs and time consuming form filling, one ferry line will be sailing directly from an Irish port to mainland Europe.

I asked the government how many vehicles were involved – the answer – HMG has not required any such estimate! Have they done something as simple as checking how many lorries are carried on ships arriving in Holyhead ?

On March 2 2020 the minister replied “The ports that are best prepared will have competitive advantage”. Was this a little hope? At that time Dublin had spent £30 million upgrading its port with extra warehousing, animal accommodation and so on. I contacted folk at Holyhead – not a penny spent on upgrading on this side of the Irish sea!

Tagged brexit and holyhead | 18 Comments

15 December 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 15th December 2020 - 10:45 pm

Government’s failure to secure land at Holyhead for border checks is a shocking show of unpreparedness say Welsh Lib Dems
Labour’s failure to stand up for Wales and devolution in key amendment during Internal Market Bill is shocking say Welsh Lib Dems

Government’s failure to secure land at Holyhead for border checks is a shocking show of unpreparedness say Welsh Lib Dems

With just 16 days until the end of the transition period the UK Government has admitted it has failed to secure land at Holyhead to carry out the extra checks on vehicles entering the country leading to fears of gridlock in the area.

In answer to a question from Lib Dem Peer Roger Roberts the UK Government admitted that “No land has yet been purchased two potential sites have been identified in partnership with the Welsh Government and commercial discussions are under way.”

Also posted in Press releases | Tagged brexit, chris twells, devolution, mike german, roger roberts, state aid and Wales | 4 Comments

Ed Davey’s message for Hanukkah

By The Voice | Sun 13th December 2020 - 9:32 am

This year’s Hanukkah started on Thursday and goes on until next Friday.

Celebrations will be very different this year, as families can’t be together as they would normally.

Here’s Ed Davey’s message for all celebrating:

I'd like to wish a Happy Hanukkah to everyone celebrating today, from all the Liberal Democrat family.

Chag Sameach pic.twitter.com/Kf4bpZME0V

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) December 10, 2020

Tagged ed davey and hanukkah | 2 Comments

Your last chance to get drafting advice for Conference motions…

By The Voice | Sat 12th December 2020 - 12:35 pm

The dates for the Scottish and Federal Spring conferences have been set as we reported last week.

Scottish Conference will meet virtually from 5-6 March and Federal Conference will meet virtually two weeks later 19-21 March.

The great thing about our Conferences is that even in their virtual form, members have been able to submit policy motions and amendments for debate. In our party, we give our members actual power to make policy and set the direction of the party.

This is your reminder that if you want any of the nice people from the respective Committees to help you draft a policy motion, you only have until Tuesday (Scotland) and Thursday (Federal) to request it.

You don’t actually have to get drafting advice and you will still be able to submit motions by the deadlines of 6th January (federal) and 8th January (Scotland).

The Scottish LIb Dems have a really useful guide on how to draft a well-structured motion which you can see here.

1. What does the Committee look for?

A motion should be easy to understand, logically argued and well presented. If the Committee finds it difficult to understand the purpose of a motion or to follow the case it argues, it is likely that conference will also have problems. Equally – though this is harder for anyone drafting a motion to predict – the motion should be in a subject area where it is desirable for the party to develop new policy or make its existing policies or achievements known. Other things being equal, a shorter motion usually has an advantage over a longer one.

2. What features will reduce the chances of a motion being chosen?

Tagged featured, Scottish spring conference 2021 and spring conference 2021 | Leave a comment

Christine Jardine introduces her puppy, Brora

By The Voice | Sat 12th December 2020 - 10:29 am

It is a miserable December morning and we need something to cheer us up.

Step forward Brora, Christine Jardine’s incredibly cute 10 month old puppy. She’s featured in a Politicians and their Pets article in this week’s Holyrood magazine.

Here she is on a Highland beach:

In lieu of a hot take on the US Election nobody wants or needs, here is a cute video of Brora on a beach. You’re welcome xo pic.twitter.com/naoDnNXutx

— Mhairi Macdonald (@mhairijanemac) November 4, 2020

It’s very clear that from the article that Brora is a Very Good Dog indeed:

What can she do?

That’s quite a difficult one, but she does basically what she is told and is incredibly agile

What do you love about her?

She is a very happy dog who loves people and, it turns out, other dogs. Her coat is lovely and soft and lots of people say she is just like a teddy bear.

What special talents does she have?

She somehow manages to make people laugh at what she does. She is hugely entertaining and the way the curls around her mouth sit, she looks as if she is smiling.

Tagged brora, christine jardine and dogs | 8 Comments

Compass launches a new Liberal Democrat network

By The Voice | Fri 11th December 2020 - 2:27 pm

Many of you will be aware of Compass, the progressive organisation headed by Neal Lawson. Although its origins lie in Labour, for many years it has been positioning itself as centre-left and cross-party.

Introducing themselves, the Compass Liberal Democrat Network writes:

Liberal Democrats are natural pluralists, our core liberal values demand nothing less. We are open, empathetic, curious and inquiring. But we are also social. We believe everyone should be able to fulfil their potential and it is the job of the broader society, and through it the democratic and devolved state, to ensure this happens.

These two values combine to point our party in a clear direction, and that is towards a cross-party dialogue on the Centre left. This is not just a desirable outcome but is increasingly feasible and necessary.

At this stage it is not proposing any specific collaborations between parties at national or local level, since these will “vary in relevance from place to place”. Instead:

Compass is focused on building cross-party alliances around values, policies, and action, and welcomes progressives from all parties and none.

The formation of the network has been inspired by this report: We Divide. They Conquer: If Labour struggles to win alone, what is to be done?

29 Comments

What can the Lib Dems learn from the Tories digital campaigning?

By Jon Alexander | Wed 9th December 2020 - 4:00 pm

During last year’s election, I took a brief secondment from my usual role to join the team at the political consultancy Datapraxis – this is where the relationship started that resulted in the Winning For Britain report I co-authored with Ian Kearns earlier this year, and that I know many in the party have found useful.

Another of the organisations I got to know during that time was Valent Projects and in particular its Director, Amil Khan. An investigative journalist and social media strategist, Amil was digging into what the Conservative Party was doing online – and what he was finding was fascinating, in two ways. First, there was some seriously questionable activity going on, which will surprise very few people. More importantly, though, they were using digital in some very different – and very smart – ways.

Also posted in Op-eds | 28 Comments

A speech by Lord Thomas – 8th December

By Martin Thomas | Wed 9th December 2020 - 12:00 pm

I don’t mind mistakes. Everybody makes them and the helter-skelter of regulating the statute book in time for our leaving the EU has no doubt led to many errors in the wave of 2019 regulations which were put before us. If they could not be spotted at the time by government lawyers, perhaps the opposition parties can be forgiven for letting them through. I understand another SI similar to this to amend mistakes is in the pipeline, and I would expect others to follow.

First, the 2019 Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Regulations, inadvertently broadened the special jurisdiction rules with the effect that a larger group of employees would be able to sue employers in UK courts than the government intended.

Secondly, the jurisdiction and judgments family rules contain two minor errors; the first are references to “actions for adherence and aliment” concepts which have been abolished in Scots law and the second, Inadvertently taking away jurisdiction from the Scottish court to hear claims for aliment not connected to divorce or other proceedings.

3 Comments

How to get involved with Scottish and Federal Spring Conferences

By The Voice | Tue 8th December 2020 - 2:55 pm

Both Scottish and Federal Conferences will be taking place virtually in March. Often, pre-election conferences aren’t so well attended as people prioritise their local campaigns. This time, it’s easier for everyone to take part in at least some of it and not miss out on that all-important leaflet delivery and door-knocking. Here’s how you can take part:

Scotland (and members from all across the UK are welcome)

Scottish Conference Convener Paul McGarry announced the Scottish event, from 5-6 March, in an email to members:

Spring conference will be taking place on FRIDAY 5th and SATURDAY 6th MARCH 2021.

Like our autumn and special conferences, this conference will be taking place on the online platform HopIn.

We have decided to do conference registration a little differently this time. To register for a general early bird ticket, click here. The early bird tickets are only available until 2nd February 2021. If you would like to purchase an early bird concession or first timer ticket, you will need to fill out this form.

Key dates to note:

Deadline for feedback on motions: 15th December 2020 at noon.
Deadline for submitting motions: 8th January 2021 at noon.

That motions deadline is eye-waveringly close to the Christmas holidays so if you have an idea for a motion, get thinking about it now.

Federal Conference

Federal Conference Committee Chair Geoff Payne wrote to members to announce the details of the federal event taking place two weeks later, from 19-21 March:

Registration is open for Spring Conference 2021. Following the success of our online conference in Autumn, Spring conference will again be 100% online.

At our conference you can shape party policy, virtually meet MPs, councillors and members from across the country, hear from experts on a range of topics at our fringe events and learn new skills at our training sessions.

Tickets start from £40 until 13 January, or £10 for full-time students and those claiming benefits.

You can register here.

Tagged spring conference 2021 | 3 Comments

Meet the candidates: Molly Nolan

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 8th December 2020 - 10:02 am

I’ve been catching up with some of the candidates in next year’s key elections to find out about their campaigns, what brought them into politics and how you can help them.

We head north h first to speak to the brilliant Molly Nolan, the Scottish Parliament candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.

Tagged meet the candidates and molly nolan | 1 Comment

Jamie Stone and the Runaway Pea

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 6th December 2020 - 1:00 pm

Winter has hit this week, the best case scenario on future trade with the EU is that our Government is going to agree to something that destroys the beautiful castle we have become used to and leaves just a rickety drawbridge over a shark infested moat and 25000 jobs are to be lost with the collapse of just two retail giants. It’s been a grim few days and we know there’s worse to come in this most anxious of Decembers.

Across the country people are trying to cheer themselves up. Christmas lights have been going up here since mid November in an attempt to brighten the gloom.

Something guaranteed to bring a smile is LIb Dem MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross reads a story on Twitter to the primary 4 (Green) class of Noss Primary School in Wick. Enjoy.

During lockdown, I was sent some lovely poems by Class Four Green in Noss Primary School in Wick.

They really cheered me and my team up during a difficult time.

To say thank you, I’m sending this delightful storybook about a runaway pea to Class Four Green.

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/Zmz00mPDyw

— Jamie Stone MP (@Jamie4North) December 5, 2020

Tagged humour and jamie stone | 1 Comment

Have the Government handled the Covid-19 pandemic well?

By Gillian Douglass | Wed 2nd December 2020 - 12:00 pm

It’s a difficult question, and the Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge for governments worldwide. The fact is that, while the government has done well in terms of an initial lockdown, there have been serious failings. It will be interesting to read the review when it’s published.

Firstly, the government, with SAGE’s advice, took the position that they did not want to lockdown too early as people may not accept it. This was obviously an error as thousands of lives could have been saved by locking down a week earlier. Later in the year, the government has again delayed a lockdown, going against the advice of SAGE who called for a short, sharp circuit breaker. I assume that they wanted to prove to their supporters that it was entirely necessary, but, again, it will have led to unnecessary deaths.

Tagged Covid-19, Government contracts and PPE | 28 Comments

Philip Green and bad business – Lib Dems must act firmly

By Nigel Lindsay | Wed 2nd December 2020 - 9:00 am

The collapse of Philip Green’s retail empire, Arcadia is a sad case of history repeating itself. It is only 4.5 years since BHS went into administration, and whilst Green was no longer the owner then, having sold it for £1 in 2015 to the serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell, it was under Green’s ownership in the previous 15 years that the under-investment and plundering of profits led to the situation where the chain was no longer viable.

Retail analysts are commenting that a similar set of circumstances mean Arcadia is now not fit for purpose. The shops look tired, and there has been a failure to embrace online technology at a time when going to physical shops is difficult for many customers. Additionally, Green is reputed to have taken huge dividends out of Arcadia – £1.2billion in 2005, all of which is safely secured in his wife’s name in the tax haven of Monaco.

Tagged Arcadia Group, consumers, high street business and philip green | 28 Comments

30 November 2020 – welcome to my day…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 30th November 2020 - 8:04 am

I thought that I’d start the day with music, and this seemed to be perfect, the first of the Tunes for Archbishop Parker’s Psalter, written by Thomas Tallis in 1567. The words seem most appropriate for the joys of a Day Editor…

Man blest no doubt who walk’th not out
In wicked men’s affairs,
And stand’th no day in sinner’s ways
Not sit’th in scorner’s chairs;
But hath his will in God’s law still,
This law to love aright,
And will him use, on it to muse,
To keep it day and night.

3 Comments

Cllr Liz Barrett: How I won Perth City South

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 29th November 2020 - 7:52 pm

You can imagine how much I enjoyed writing Cllr Liz Barrett in the ehadline. I am still ridiculously excited about Cllr Barrett’s victory in the Parth City South by-election on

Congratulations to Liz Barrett @scotlibdems new councillor for @PerthandKinross Perth City Centre ward a fantastic result and thoroughly deserved pic.twitter.com/rLchGGcSMy

— Peter Barrett (@CllrPeterBarret) November 27, 2020

Liz is the second person in her household to be elected a Councillor. Her husband Peter has represented Perth City Centre ward since 2003. We will let him away with getting Liz’s ward wrong in his tweet.

Liz has written an email to party members about how she won:

Subject: Here’s how I WON in Perth South

Three years ago I missed out on becoming Perth City South Councillor in a by-election, but last Thursday I WON! We came from third place, beat the Tories, and took a seat off the SNP.

It’s no secret the last few years have been tough for our party. Couple that with a global pandemic and associated restrictions, it’s easy to get caught up in a campaigning black hole.

But, I can tell you, working hard locally really does put you in pole position to reap the rewards.

We have been campaigning non-stop through surveys, petitions, street letters and regular Focus leaflets ever since I lost that day three years ago. Since lockdown, we’ve been sending e-news to over 350 residents, and growing.

In July, we stole a march on both the Conservatives and SNP by getting two leaflets out in quick succession after deliveries were authorised by the Party.

We also knew we had to get our message across the doorsteps in person, so, when rules have allowed, a team of us have been out pounding the pavements, talking to residents and hearing their concerns.

Tagged cllr liz barrett, featured and local government by-elections | 3 Comments

The ultimate campaigning smorgasbord: 1000 people at ALDC’s Kickstart

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 28th November 2020 - 5:34 pm

This weekend, ALDC’s Kickstart event is taking place online. Hundreds of LIb Dems have been taking part in panel discussions and training sessions. There are separate streams for councillors and campaigners, future campaign leaders and leaflet designers. I have never actually been to a UK wide Kickstart event so it’s fantastic to be able to take part virtually in this one.

https://twitter.com/ALDC/status/1332678884324745221?s=20

I have been there as a volunteer helping to deliver a training session (on good photos, used well) and to mentor a small group.

There has been training for agents, organisers and campaigners on everything from the finer points of electoral law to writing good copy for your leaflets and building your teams. There were two slots of 8 simultaneous training sessions, an opening plenary session with Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper and a choice of two keynote speeches at lunchtime. And there is much the same tomorrow. And that’s not counting the 45 separate mentor groups and the panels for Councillors.

I understand that both of today’s keynote speeches have been recorded. My highlight of the day was Alliance Party Leader and Northern Irish Justice Minister Naomi Long. Her knights on politics and campaigning were fascinating – so grounded in making things better for people. She described how John Alderdice sorting out a problem for her when she was a student left a lasting impression and led to her joining Alliance and then standing for elected office. Her focus on being honest with voters and not trying to equivocate on issues that matter was for me really important. It is well worth listening to if you get the chance.

The other keynote panel event was with former Lib Dem MEPs.

Brilliant to hear from @LuisaPorritt @shaffaqmohd @CarolineVoaden @MartinChelt @europesheila @LNethsingha and @PrueBray! Great to hear about their campaigning in regions across the UK! #KickstartOnline pic.twitter.com/5qKT9pn8ip

— ALDC (@ALDC) November 28, 2020

The amount of organisation that has gone into this event is huge. With over 1000 people expected to attend, spreadsheet Queen Abi Bell had organised every tiny detail and made sure that everyone had the right information to get to where in the ALDC Zoomiverse they needed to be.

This was ALDC’s back office where a tech team made sure that we didn’t break Zoom:

Tagged abi bell, aldc and kickstart | 3 Comments

Young Liberals demand cancellation of deportation flight – how you can help

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 28th November 2020 - 1:16 pm

From the Independent:

The Home Office has scheduled a deportation flight to Jamaica on the day England’s month-long coronavirus lockdown lifts, sparking outrage and accusations of institutionalised racism.

Speaking with The Independent, Zita Holbourne, the national co-chair of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts UK and the organiser of a long-running petition calling on the Home Office to end “mass deportations” to Jamaica, said it was a dangerous step to deport people during a pandemic.

She said she was disturbed to learn the government had planned the deportation flight for 2 December, the day England’s nationwide lockdown aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 lifts.

We shouldn’t be surprised at our Home Office’s callous disregard for people’s health.

But nor should we stand by.

Young Liberals are writing to the Home Secretary to ask her to stop this deportation.

🚨URGENT🚨
We're writing to the Home Secretary regarding the scheduled deportation of 50 people to Jamaica.

Please add your voice to ours and sign our letter before we send it: https://t.co/ofBpNMKaRI

— Young Liberals 🏳️‍⚧️ (@YoungLiberalsUK) November 27, 2020

Their letter says:

Dear Home Secretary,

The Young Liberals write to you, with support of the wider Liberal Democrat membership and those with other political affiliations, with our concerns regarding the scheduled deportation of up to fifty people to Jamaica on Wednesday 2nd December 2020. We wish to add our voices to those of esteemed organisations such as BARAC UK & BAME Lawyers for Justice, who are urging the Home Secretary to reconsider the proposed action in line with legal and moral considerations.

We note with significant alarm the Home Secretary’s lack of confirmation that a review of Home Office policies will take place to ensure that the Home Office’s current practices comply with equalities legislation.

The ‘deport now and appeal later’ principle underpinning the Home Office’s ongoing Hostile Environment Policy preys on minority ethnic individuals without sufficient money, connections, or support in the UK, acting in a highly discriminatory way.

We wish to reiterate ongoing concerns about the systematic prejudices of the Home Office, with the Home Office failing to implement the total findings and recommendations of the ‘Windrush Lessons Learned Review’, the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ Report on ‘Black People, Racism and Human Rights’, or the 2018 Shaw Report which recommended that the Government should not deport those born or brought up in the UK.

Tagged home office, human rights, immigration and young liberals | 1 Comment

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