Category Archives: Op-eds

Lord Malcolm Bruce writes… Liberalism revitalised

By Malcolm Bruce | Thu 22nd September 2016 - 12:00 pm

I want to respond to the challenges issued by Paddy and Vince during our conference.

Paddy said the party was “intellectually dead.” Vince said our position on another referendum was disrespectful to the electorate.

Let me take on Vince first. We and our predecessors supported UK membership of the European Community from its inception. The SDP was created largely because of Labour’s equivocation over British membership. We campaigned unstintingly for Remain and we remain convinced that the UK ‘s interests are best served by being a key member of the European Union.

Yes, by a narrow margin the country voted Leave but we have not changed our view and, given that there is no clear idea of what kind of relationship people want – in or out of the single market – let alone the hundreds of cooperative agreements built up over the last 43 years.

Continue reading »

Tagged brexit, education, health, liberalism, paddy ashdown and vince cable | 76 Comments

Grammar schools and Brexit

By John Death | Thu 22nd September 2016 - 9:12 am

In England, in the EU Referendum, 53.4% of voters chose Leave. However, in districts with grammar schools, that figure was 56.1%. Imagine, for a moment, that no one at all voted in those areas. It might seem a bit hard on each side to group voters in Kingston and Cheltenham, with some of the highest Remain votes in the country, with those in Lincolnshire and south-east Essex, who recorded the very lowest. Nevertheless, the consequence of their removal would reduce the margin of the Leave victory to just 2%, 51% – 49%.

Obviously, therefore, this is not the full explanation of Brexit, but its implications deserve consideration. The vast majority of voters who had grown up in these districts will not have been to grammar schools. What has been the enduring impact of this division at an early age on their outlooks? Would it be surprising if it made them resentful of the superior life chances that others gained from success in a particular set of tests at the age of 11?

Continue reading »

17 Comments

No, Newsnight, it’s not ok to talk about us when we aren’t there to defend ourselves

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 21st September 2016 - 8:57 pm

We had some absolutely cracking press coverage this Conference.

In her speech yesterday, Sal Brinton read out a newspaper editorial which said lots of nice things about us:

This Sunday, one paper’s editorial headline was ‘Lib Dems’ revival is a blow to sorry Labour’,

and it then went on to say:

‘fair play to the Lib Dems.

under Leader Tim Farron the party has risen from the ashes of electoral oblivion to reposition itself as the only effective opposition…

The Lib Dems have not only capitalised on the fallout from the EU Referendum but also the disintegration of the Labour Party…

They are speaking up for ordinary voters on issues that really matter, such as the NHS and education.’

The Observer on Polly Toynbee’s day off?

The Independent?

No, this, my friends, is the Sunday Express!

I’m delighted that Tim is at last getting the recognition that he deserves, and I suspect that phrase ‘the only effective opposition’ might appear in a few leaflets and tabloids over the next few months.

Tim got loads of coverage, from Buzzfeed to the Guardian to the Standard in the run-up to Conference, and there has been positive coverage of his speech yesterday, too. George Eaton in the New Statesman says:

Continue reading »

Tagged bbc, fair coverage and media | 24 Comments

Unwelcome behaviour at Conference

By Anonymous Conference-goer | Wed 21st September 2016 - 6:55 pm

As a long time conference attendee, I adore the opportunity to meet Lib Dems, old and new, and engage and enthuse with like-minded people. But sometimes behaviour boundaries are pushed and we need to make a note of them to remind ourselves to challenge insidious sexist behaviour.

On the morning of Saturday 17^th September, Lib Dems received a message from the Conference office entitled ‘Conference Guidelines’ which sets out details of what is unwanted behaviour.

Contemplating this, I thought it might be interesting to relate some unwelcome behaviour I encountered. I want to do this anonymously, but am aware others have noticed similar issues and feel it’s important we stand up to and challenge incidents like this when they occur.

On one day I attended the motion on Social Security. Now, it was a strong debate, with lots of opposing views. But when making those views, it should be noted it’s unacceptable to refer to a female speaker as “darlin’”, no matter how well you might know that individual. The language is sexist and patronising. While I believe the comment was made in an attempt at friendliness, it is still derrogatory and quite simply, should be wiped out. It’s on a par to David Cameron’s “calm down dear” episode at PMQs, and where we wouldn’t take the insult from the former Prime Minister, neither should we take it from friends or acquaintances.

Continue reading »

Tagged autumn conference 2016, everyday sexism and sexism | 145 Comments

How Brexit will ruin the British motorsport industry

By Sam Collins | Wed 21st September 2016 - 4:03 pm

Formula 1 motor racing is a major industry in the United Kingdom, and it is kind of something we can brag about. Between 2005 and 2015 every single world champion (bar one) drove a car which was designed, engineered and built in Britain. The Mercedes driven by Lewis Hamilton this season is built in Brackley near Silverstone, its engine and hybrid system comes from Brixworth near Northampton. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the British motorsport industry leads the world, it directly employs tens of thousands of highly skilled people across as many as 4,500 companies (probably more) and brings many billions of pounds into the UK economy.

The technologies being pioneered in Formula 1 have seen fuel efficiency improvements to levels which just two years ago were thought to be science fiction. These are gains which will in the near future be applied to mass market road cars around the world reducing CO2 emissions and pollutants across the board and all of these innovations are British.

But all of this is now under serious and immediate threat. The motorsport industry in the UK could be decimated by Brexit. Brexit you see means a lot more than Brexit (a made up word which first appeared in 2012) it means a substantial change to many areas of life and industry. Right now due to the dithering and indecision of our current leadership nobody really knows what the impact of Brexit will be, but it seems pretty obvious that the EU will take a tough stance against the UK as a lesson to other nations such as France and the Netherlands which are also considering their own futures in the union.

Continue reading »

Tagged brexit, featured, formula 1 and motorsport | 30 Comments

Zambia: one too many close calls for democracy?

By Luke Akal | Wed 21st September 2016 - 2:30 pm

Democracies in the developing world must often overcome a number of hurdles on the road to maturity and development as a stable state. Peaceful elections, a vibrant civil society, regular transfer of power, and fair service delivery are all key indicators of democratic development. No doubt, differences in the maturing of democracies should be considered based on local realities, and a so-called Western roadmap must not be the only lens through which we view this development.

But has the southern African country of Zambia, rich in copper and with plentiful tourism potential, had one too many close calls in its democratic development? Does Zambia and its people need to rethink their political path?

The most recent August 11^th elections certainly give that impression.

This year’s General Elections resulted in the incumbent Edgar Lungu (Patriotic Front – PF) winning the presidential race by just over 2.5%, enough to avoid a second-round run-off. The liberal opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), led by Hakainde Hichilema, also lost the last presidential by-election by a mere 27,757 votes. Those early presidential elections were called after the passing of former President Michael Sata in 2014. On the surface, these results appear to be a sign of political maturity, with an election called upon President Sata’s death and an apparently democratic process in place for political succession.

Continue reading »

Also posted in Europe / International | Tagged africa, democracy, international and Zambia | 6 Comments

Homelessness in 2016 – a fringe event in Brighton and how you can help

By Colin Ross | Wed 21st September 2016 - 12:00 pm

Homelessness Fringe

Following Saturday’s successful motion on tackling homelessness, London Liberal Democrats hosted a fringe event on homelessness in 2016. Despite being up against both Tim Farron and Nick Clegg fringes, the room was packed and it was standing room only at the back!

Alice Ashcroft from Crisis kicked off the debate by outline what is happening in Parliament, particularly focusing on the Homelessness Reduction Bill, more details of which are below. Councillor Jayne McCoy then outlined the problems local government faces when dealing with homelessness especially when facing budget cuts from the Government.

Simon Grainge then described the work of Emmaus which has 28 communities across the UK housing over 750 people. Emmaus believes overcoming homelessness means more than a roof over your head. That’s why Emmaus supports people to work their way out of homelessness, providing meaningful work as well a stable home for as long as someone needs it. Emmaus also helps the state and society as for every £1 spent with Emmaus, there is an £11 return on investment, with social, environmental and economic benefits.

Continue reading »

Also posted in Conference | Tagged autumn conference 2016 and homelessness | 2 Comments

Changing the political culture to be more accepting of women

By Dani Tougher | Mon 19th September 2016 - 5:13 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Prime minister Theresa May has called for “dads to talk to girls about current affairs and politics” in a bid to encourage more women to enter Parliament.

The Liberal Democrat party has a long track record of encouraging, training and mentoring women who have parliamentary aspirations. I have attended Inspiration Days at LibDem HQ and have come away buoyed by the brilliant, erudite, passionate and diverse women I encountered there; and not once has the subject of wishing their fathers spoke to them more about politics been raised.

Continue reading »

Tagged women in public life | 28 Comments

A voice for the voiceless

By Ian Thomas | Mon 19th September 2016 - 12:30 pm

I had written a speech for the European motion at conference, and I wanted to share it with you all:

I was going to tell you about how angry I was.

I was going to talk about how the Leave campaign lied, how they cheated, how they preyed on fear, and how fear won.

I was going to demand we take action.

I was going to implore you to stand fast in your support for internationalism and your support for Britain’s membership of the EU.

But then I remembered that it isn’t just about us, that it isn’t just about the 16 million people who voted for an open and tolerant nation.

It is about our friends and neighbours, the 3 million EU nationals who live and work with us in Britain who never had a voice during the referendum.

Continue reading »

Tagged autumn conference 2016, brexit and eu referendum | 18 Comments

On Iain Dale’s Top 50 Liberal Democrats list

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 19th September 2016 - 10:30 am

Over the weekend, political blogger and LBC presenter Iain Dale unveiled his list of Top Liberal Democrats in 2016. It is generally viewed with amusement by conference-goers. While it may give people bragging rights over certain of their colleagues, it is fairly arbitrary in nature.

I was particularly happy to see some of the most energetic campaigners our party has make it on to the list. Daisy Benson has been a massive factor in galvanising the Lib Dem Newbies into quite a force within the party. Former Presidential candidate and now PPC for St Albans Daisy Cooper is another welcome addition. What is absolutely astounding, though, is that Elains Bagshaw, who has made a name for herself with her incredible campaigning in Tower Hamlets, isn’t there.

Annoyingly, Willie Rennie has leapfrogged Kirsty Williams. He has certainly had a good year with his vibrant and bright election campaign, but Kirsty, for goodness sake, is a Cabinet Minister. Along with Lib Dem Council leaders, she has much more actual power than just about anyone else.

Continue reading »

Also posted in Conference | Tagged autumn conference 2016, iain dale and top liberal democrats 2016 | Leave a comment

LDV Interview: Caroline Lucas talks about The Alternative Part 3

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 18th September 2016 - 8:30 am

Embed from Getty Images

This week I had the chance to talk to Caroline Lucas, newly elected co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, about the book “The Alternative.” She co-edited the book with Labour MP Lisa Nandy and her erstwhile 2015 Liberal Democrat opponent Chris Bowers. The three will be taking part in a fringe meeting at Conference TODAY at 1pm in the Buckingham suite in the Hilton Metropole. The event is organised by the Social Liberal Forum. Part 1 is available here.

I wondered if the sense of solidarity that exists between women across politics, partly because we all have to put up with a fairly sexist political culture, could be developed to help the process of cross-party working along:

In my experience generally speaking women tend to be more interested in working together and and finding that common ground not in scoring points. But one of the crucial things is to have confidence building measures at a local level so that some of the very real mistrust between parties can be addressed and, as much as possible, neutralised.

I’m glad she brought that up because we all have that baggage of bad experiences with members of other parties. Many Lib Dems feel pretty bruised by some of the abuse that came our way during the coalition years, especially when we didn’t agree with what was happening. We do have to get past that, but how do we patch that up?

Continue reading »

Tagged caroline lucas, ldv interview and the alternative | 5 Comments

A sneak peak at the Lib Dem Disco set list

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 17th September 2016 - 8:30 pm

It’s just a couple of hours until the event that’s rapidly becoming the only place to be on Saturday night at Conference: the Lib Dem Disco run by Cambridge Liberal Democrats.

I will brag for the rest of my life about how I beat Tim Farron two years ago. Who would have foreseen that. I was second only to the mighty Alistair Carmichael.

Anyway, tonight’s DJs are include a knight, Sir Simon Hughes, the Lib Dems’ only cabinet minister, Kirsty Williams, a councillor known for her ability to hold off a massive challenge from Labour, Abi Bell and the defending champion Jo Swinson.

Strictly always puts up the dances and music in advance of the show. I asked the disco organisers very nicely if they’d let me have a sneak peak of tonight’s set list.. Ok, I admit it, I had to beg.

It’s coming up under the cut, so if you want it all to be a complete surprise, do not go there.

Continue reading »

Tagged autumn conference 2016 and lib dem disco | 2 Comments

LDV Interview: Caroline Lucas talks about The Alternative Part 2

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 17th September 2016 - 12:06 pm

Embed from Getty Images

This week I had the chance to talk to Caroline Lucas, newly elected co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, about the book “The Alternative.” She co-edited the book with Labour MP Lisa Nandy and her erstwhile 2015 Liberal Democrat opponent Chris Bowers. The three will be taking part in a fringe meeting at Conference tomorrow at 1pm in the Buckingham suite in the Hilton Metropole. The event is organised by the Social Liberal Forum. Part 1 is available here.

Part 1 ended with a discussion on a more collaborative politics. That’s not quite what we see even within the Labour Party at the moment. After what the Tories did to scare people witless of a coalition between Ed Miliband and Alex Salmond, what would they do with anything that involved Jeremy Corbyn, even if he were inclined to be a part of it?

Caroline is clear that this is not something politicians can stitch up between themselves:

Continue reading »

Tagged caroline lucas, ldv interview and the alternative | 5 Comments

The Independent View: Making common ground

By Hugo Dixon | Fri 16th September 2016 - 8:31 pm

We’ve lost a battle. But there are many more to come. We must not lose them all.

To win, we will need to fight more smartly than we did in the past. We must understand why we lost. The government – and Stronger In, which was in Downing Street’s pocket – had no vision for how Britain could help lead Europe. It had no vision for how to make Britain fairer either. It just had a boring case for the status quo.

To understand why we lost, we have to reach out to Leave voters. To understand why many feel left behind and left out. To make common ground with them. Because there is much that unites us.

We can make common ground on the need for a fair society. Where the economy works for all, not just the few. Where migration works for all, not just the few. The vast majority of the British people want that. We are a nation that wants unity not division. We want to share the fruits of progress.

Continue reading »

Also posted in The Independent View | Tagged common ground | 8 Comments

Lord Dick Newby writes…We have more chance of breaking the mould of British politics than we had in 1981

By Dick Newby | Fri 16th September 2016 - 4:57 pm

It was a great honour to be elected Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in the Lords earlier this week. The challenge facing me and my colleagues is straightforward. How do we help the Party occupy as much as possible of the centre and centre left of British politics – ground which is currently vacant?

Obviously we can do our bit by trying to defeat or amend the worst of the Tory legislation. We face a Tory government unrestrained, Labour are not doing their job as the opposition. It is the Liberal Democrats who have to step up to the plate and be the real voice of opposition. We held the Government to account last session on tax credits, trade union reform and refugee children. We will seek to do so in coming months, for example on Investigatory Powers. And if we ever see any legislation promoting grammar schools, we can guarantee it a rough ride in the Lords.

Continue reading »

Tagged dick newby, featured and lib dem lords | 6 Comments

“Devonwall” seat proposal – the government ignore Cornish pride at their peril

By Paul Walter | Fri 16th September 2016 - 2:45 pm

The Strand, Bude by paul walter

The Strand, Bude, Cornwall
On Wednesday I was lucky enough to be in a choir leading the singing of “Trelawny” in an ancient Cornish church. “Trelawny” or “The Song of Western Men” is the “unofficial Cornish national anthem” written by Rev R.S. Hawker. The congregation joined in with the choruses – most enthusiastically – and rapturous applause from “one and all” followed the song. It was a magical moment and reinforced that great feeling of community which one feels amongst Cornish people. There’s a real passion and pride about the Cornish nation.

The Boundary Commissioners and Theresa May should have been present at that church. I have a hunch that witnessing such strength of feeling, they would think again about their proposals for a “Devonwall” seat. The church in question is just south of Bude and part of the proposed parliamentary constituency of Bideford, Bude and Launceston, straddling Devon and Cornwall – or, I should say, Cornwall and England.

Continue reading »

Tagged boundary changes, cornwall, dan rogerson and theresa may | 25 Comments

How long will we continue to ignore the obvious?

By Joe Zammit-Lucia | Fri 16th September 2016 - 1:08 pm

The Brexit referendum was a perfect demonstration of what many of us have known for a long time: emotion trumps reason – every time. In the referendum campaign, the Remain campaign mounted a campaign focused on ‘rational’ arguments – largely about the economy. All the visceral emotion was with Leave. It is not surprising Leave prevailed. What is also clear is that anger trumps fear – every time. Angry people are fired up. They rise up to do things – often destructive things. Fear paralyses. People cower in a corner and hope it all goes away.

The prevailing political mood at the moment is one of widespread anger. How should one handle it?

Last night at a political dinner, the view was expressed that what was needed was to try to dampen that anger, show people that they were being unreasonable and irrational and win them over to the moderate, tolerant, open, reasonable and rational values of liberalism. I cannot think of an approach that is more likely to fail than that one. It’s the equivalent of being faced by a furious spouse and responding with “Calm down dear and let’s be reasonable about all this.” We all know how effective that is.

Continue reading »

Tagged liberal democracy | 14 Comments

The Iraq War must no longer poison our relations with Labour

By George Kendall | Fri 16th September 2016 - 11:48 am

Embed from Getty Images

What would we remember of the Labour government, if Al-Qaeda’s terrorist attack fifteen years ago had never happened? If Labour had listened to the advice of Robin Cook and John Denham, and not engaged in the catastrophe of the Iraq war?

Many of us will remember Robin Cook’s electrifying resignation speech. If only he were alive today. However, he was not the only Labour minister to step down from government office because of the Iraq war. In his prescient resignation speech, on the 18th March, 2003, John Denham said:

If we act in the wrong way, we will create more of the problems that we aim to tackle. For every cause of insecurity with which we try to deal, we shall create a new one.

This summer, I was an observer at the Fabian and Progress summer conferences. I didn’t hear anyone try to defend the Iraq war, and a number agreed it had been a terrible mistake. In fact, if you substituted the word Labour for Liberal Democrat, almost everything that was said could have been said at a Liberal Democrat conference, and probably will be in this coming week.

Continue reading »

Tagged autumn conference 2016, iraq, john denham and labour | 30 Comments

LDV Interview: Caroline Lucas talks about The Alternative – Part 1

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 16th September 2016 - 10:47 am

This week I had the chance to talk to Caroline Lucas, newly elected co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, about the book “The Alternative.” She co-edited the book with Labour MP Lisa Nandy and her erstwhile 2015 Liberal Democrat opponent Chris Bowers. The three will be taking part in a fringe meeting at Conference on Sunday at 1pm in the Buckingham suite in the Hilton Metropole. The event is organised by the Social Liberal Forum.

The first part of the book explores all sorts of ideas, from foreign affairs to social security and public services, where there is significant common ground between those of a progressive nature.The second explores how progressives could work together to beat the Tories. It’s a progressive antidote to the Tory dystopia into which we are currently descending. Though the book sets a lot of hares running, it doesn’t seek to outline a way forward. So, I asked Caroline, what happens next?

In the book there are all kinds of options discussed and explored and absolutely no blueprint not least because what might work in one constituency might not work in another.

Continue reading »

Tagged caroline lucas, ldv interview and the alternative | 10 Comments

The ethics surrounding the nuclear weapons debate

By Jo Hayes | Thu 15th September 2016 - 5:23 pm

Members of the Nuclear Weapons Working Group are presenting their personal views as part of a wider consultation process into the party’s future policy on nuclear weapons. The full consultation paper can be found at www.libdems.org.uk/autumn-conference-16-policypapers and the consultation window runs until 28 October. Party members are invited to attend the consultation session at party conference in Brighton, to be held on Saturday 17 September at 1pm in the Balmoral Room of the Hilton.

The UK’s options for the successor to Trident are (boiled down to essentials):

Same as now – nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, only new.
Keep most or all of the kit but stop continuous nuclear armed submarine patrols, unless circumstances change.
Shift from missiles in submarines to bombs dropped from aircraft.
Don’t keep nuclear weapons but do keep the expertise and the radioactive materials needed to make them, just in case.
No nuclear weapons. Unilateral disarmament. The zero option.

I have been invited to write about these options in the light of ethical and humanitarian concerns.

Nuclear weapons are not really weapons of war. They are beyond war. They are means of annihilating life as we know it on this planet. There are about 15,000 nuclear warheads in the world today, which in a full nuclear conflict could comfortably exterminate us all.

They are so destructive that their use in pursuit of a traditional victory is impossible. They are not made to be used, but to make threats with.

Continue reading »

Tagged nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons policy working group | 11 Comments

William Wallace writes…Taking on the anti-tax movement

By Lord William Wallace | Thu 15th September 2016 - 8:42 am

If you read any other paper than the Guardian, you will have noted some days ago a generously-covered story about the enormous ‘lifetime tax bill’ faced by British families. The ‘average UK household’ in 2014-15 was estimated to pay £826,000 in direct and indirect taxes over their working life, while the top 20% ‘will pay £1,686,970’ – a curiously exact figure for an estimate, and a claimed rise of 4.3% over the previous year.

Continue reading »

43 Comments

We must fight Witney hard

By Jonathan Fryer | Wed 14th September 2016 - 4:30 pm

Invitations have gone out to approved parliamentary candidates to stand in the Witney constituency by-election, caused by David Cameron’s sudden resignation from Parliament. It’s important the selection goes ahead quickly and the very best person is appointed as this is a contest we should fight with maximum resources, energy and determination. There is no time to lose as rumour has it that the by-election may be called for 20 October.

Although the Liberal Democrat vote fell back sharply in 2015 (as in so much of the rest of the country), the party’s candidates (respectively Dawn Barnes and Liz Leffman) came second in both 2010 and 2005. Yes, a distant second, but just consider the extraordinary circumstances in which this by-election is being held. Cameron unintentionally landed Britain in its current Brexit mess and the terrible trio that Theresa May has put in charge of “delivering Brexit” haven’t a clue what it means in practice, how it will be done or when. The Conservatives like to say they are competent, but this is incompetence on a colossal scale.

As for Labour, next week Jeremy Corbyn will almost certainly be re-elected leader of the party, despite the fact that he does not enjoy the confidence of the vast majority of his MPs and Labour is riven by internecine warfare. Not exactly in a position to make a big leap forward in Witney. Indeed, if the recent Sheffield council by-election is anything to go by, quite the opposite.

Continue reading »

Tagged by-elections and witney | 53 Comments

Clegg interview-bombs as Farron parks tanks on Tory lawn

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 14th September 2016 - 1:57 pm

Back in the day, the run-up to Conference used to include Tim Farron grabbing some headlines with his pre-conference interview. Remember the cockroaches one? I’m not entirely sure that the Clegg press office was wildly chuffed with that one.

Thers a certain irony this week, as the run-up to Conference is punctuated with numerous forays by Nick Clegg in the media as he publicises his book, published tomorrow. He’s doing the interview equivalent of a photobomb.

Yesterday, he clearly had a very good lunch with the press gallery. He said a lot of very pertinent things on Brexit including a prediction that Liam Fox will resign in a huff. Perhaps it might have been wiser to laugh off questions about whether he would fight his Sheffield Hallam constituency again with something like: “Lib Dems are doing really well in Sheffield at the moment. Did you see that by-election we won from fourth last week?”

While he stated that he didn’t much like nationalism and wanted the UK to stay together, his remarks that a future referendum on Scottish independence would be difficult to fight given the strength of the Remain vote perhaps misunderstand the situation in Scotland. A poll just yesterday showed that little had changed in the two years since the Referendum and two weeks ago, half of Scots polled opposed a second referendum. And before anyone suggests that there is a contradiction between opposing an independence referendum and wanting a referendum on the Brexit deal, there isn’t.

Continue reading »

Tagged nick clegg and tim farron | 17 Comments

Conference Countdown 2016: Tackling global corruption should be a core Liberal campaign

By Ed Long | Wed 14th September 2016 - 11:20 am

On April 3 2016, just under 12 million documents were leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca containing financial details on over 200,000 offshore companies. While the bulk of our nation’s media coverage was of David Cameron’s family investment fund – Blairmore Holdings – and the former Prime Minister of Iceland’s resignation, most news outlets underplayed the real significance of the investigation: the details of shell companies used to profit from criminal activity and how the lack of transparency in opaque jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles or Bahamas provides cover for organisations involved in people trafficking, narcotics, selling arms to despotic regimes and terrorism.

On Saturday, Tower Hamlets Liberal Democrats are moving a motion demanding that the UK calls time on the lack of progress in our overseas territories and sets a deadline for the implementation of centralised registers which make the beneficial ownership of companies available both to relevant authorities and to the public.

The UK has a strong record in this area: Vince Cable drove forward the development of legislation for Companies House to implement a register of Persons of Significant Control during the coalition and the register is now starting to be filled with statements of beneficial ownership. It is due for completion in June 2017.

Continue reading »

Also posted in Conference | Tagged conference countdown, corruption, ghtwithhgihtth, policy motions and tower hamlets | 8 Comments

Dick Newby is new Lib Dem Lords leader

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 13th September 2016 - 10:47 pm

Whoever runs the Lib Dem Lords’ Twitter account has a sense of humour:

For those who can’t get enough of leadership elections votes for the new leader of the @LibDemLords will be counted at 1530

— Lib Dem Lords (@LibDemLords) September 13, 2016

Dick Newby beat Robin Teverson in the race to succeed Jim Wallace.

Continue reading »

Tagged dick newby and house of lords | 5 Comments

Brexit: A referendum on the destination may be too late.

By Thibault Jamme | Tue 13th September 2016 - 10:53 am

The following quote from Tim Farron’s recently published plan worried me slightly: “We demand that the British people should have their say on the final deal in a referendum.”, the idea being to have a referendum at the end of the 2 year negotiation period dictated by Article 50.

On paper, this sounds great.

I am however afraid this is not feasible because no-one actually knows for sure whether we can pull out of the Article 50 process once it is started, even if some reputable sources ‘think’ it is possible. The ‘think’ part must not be ignored. We …

Continue reading »

50 Comments

Towards a new, radical and distinctive LibDem platform

By Chris Tanner | Mon 12th September 2016 - 1:53 pm

I would like to contribute to the ‘radical and distinctive’ LibDem platform of the Radical Association. We should be proud of our devolution process, freely achieved without unrest and violence. But it has created inconsistencies underlined by the Scottish and EU referendums:

We are a Union of four countries, each theoretically equal within the Union…
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a Parliament and First Minster
England does not have a Parliament of its own, or a First Minister
England does ‘host’ the ‘national Parliament’ to which the others also send

…

Continue reading »

Tagged Parliament | 55 Comments

Should we make it policy to apologise for historical UK atrocities?

By Dean Moore | Mon 12th September 2016 - 12:31 pm

Embed from Getty Images

The Transatlantic Slave Trade, famine in India, Social Darwinist programs across the globe (which included racial science influencing policy and creating what were effectively concentration camps for indigenous peoples in Australia and in South Africa during the second Boer War) and the destruction of the city of Benin – the United Kingdom is far from an innocent player on the international stage.

Even in the modern age, our hands are not exactly clean. Churchill openly endorsed eugenics and now-illegal warfare (saying in one letter that he saw no issues with “giving the natives a sniffle”, regarding biological weaponry). We engaged in the War on Terror and this year official government figures have shown that we are the second biggest arms dealer in the world, having sold two-thirds of our weaponry to the destabilised Middle East.

Our history, though sometimes a progressive one, is drenched in human rights abuses across the planet. Of the 196 countries in the world, only 22 have not experienced an invasion led by the British.

Continue reading »

Tagged british empire and reparations | 49 Comments